ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Four more wins and Al Riyadi will write themselves in the annals of FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) as the first team to have won a title for three successive times.
But it's not lost on the defending two-time WASL-West Asia League champions that it's going to be easier said than done, for there are four other ball clubs out to deny Lebanon's pride a shot at history.
And that's precisely what motivates them to do the best they can, when the much-awaited Second Round of the 2024/2025 edition of the Sub-Zone League gets rolling this week at the Stade Nouhad Naufal.
GROUP A
# | TEAM | GP | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | AGT | +/- | FA | AA | PTS |
1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 100.0 |
| 406 | 340 | 66 | 101.5 | 85.0 | 8 | |
2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75.0 |
| 359 | 349 | 10 | 89.8 | 87.3 | 7 | |
3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0 |
| 331 | 351 | -20 | 82.8 | 87.8 | 6 | |
4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 |
| 337 | 368 | -31 | 84.3 | 92.0 | 5 | |
5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| 356 | 381 | -25 | 89.0 | 95.3 | 4 |
Action begins on April 8, with Tabiat Basketball and Amman United Club opening the double-header affair at 18:45 local time, with the former looking to repeat against the latter in a bid to strengthen their hold of the no. 2 spot.
The reigning Iran Basketball League champions are sitting just behind Al Riyadi in the team standings at 3-1, and they, too, are looking to win all their games this window with the hope to end the Yellow Castle's rule.
Bent is the crew of Sina Vahedi to succeed this season, as the Iranians have settled for runner-up finishes in the first two WASL-West Asia editions as Shahrdari Gorgan fell to Al Riyadi on both occasions.
Capping off the twin-bill offering on opening night will be the three-peat seekers themselves versus Al Difaa Al Jawi, with the goal, of course, to continue their winning ways - and get closer to glory.
The defending FIBA WASL champions finished the First Round last March by winning all of their four games, and that included a 102-93 victory over their Iraqi counterparts to complete the sweep.
But it was by no means easy for the squad, as they needed clutch plays from Hayk Gyokchyan and the others to ward off a rally that saw their foes get to within a point, 84-83 after being down by 10.
Al Difaa Al Jawi were the lone team to finish the First Round without a win (0-4) and needless to say, they want to flip the script this time around to keep their aspirations - and WASL Final 8 chances - alive.
That Al Riyadi-Al Difaa Al Jawi match should also serve as a primer to the Beirut Derby taking place the following day (April 9) at 21:45 local time as Al Riyadi will once again face Sagesse (2-2) in a clash of Lebanese royalty.
It could be recalled that Al Riyadi flat-out dominated their long-time rivals back in the First Round with an 86-59 decimation, that Sagesse coach Ilias Zouros hinted at major changes as the result let them frustrated.
He's spoken true to his word, with the club fortifying its frontcourt by adding former Beirut Club stalwart Elie Rustom and center Cady Lalanne, who helped steer Kuwait Club to back-to-back WASL-Gulf League titles.
But it's actually going to be a reunion of sorts in the 'Derby' with Al Riyadi making moves of their own, bringing in Lalanne's teammate Marcus Georges-Hunt to add more star power to a loaded guard rotation.
The Second Round concludes on April 13, with Sagesse facing Al Difaa Al Jawi at 18:45 local time and Al Riyadi taking on Tabiat afterward in what could be another chapter in the Iran-Lebanon basketball rivalry.
The team with the most points by the end of the Second Round will emerge as the 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-West Asia League champions, and will lead the Sub-Zone League's ensemble to the Final 8.
The top three teams from WASL-West Asia will qualify for the pan-regional competition's culminating event scheduled in May, from where teams will qualify for the Basketball Champions League Asia.
FIBA