BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Al Riyadi's quest for history begins as the highly anticipated 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-West Asia League is all set to raise its curtains at the Nouhad Nawfal Stadium this week.
Much of the attention will be on the long-time Lebanese powerhouse if it could achieve a rare 'three-peat' in the Sub-Zone League, a feat that no team in the pan-regional competition has pulled off.
Kuwait Club would have wanted to accomplish as much over at the Gulf League but got swept in the Qualification to Semi-Finals by Ittihad Club last February 11, leaving the Yellow Castle the only one with a shot to do so.
Also the defending FIBA WASL champions, Al Riyadi will commence their title defense bid on Wednesday night at 22:00 local time when they take on the debuting Amman United in what should be a thrilling bout ahead.
While they will be facing a new ball club, there will still be a sense of familiarity between the two squads as both feature a bevy of players that represent Lebanon and Jordan in national team events.
Amman United, for starters, made their debut in the Jordanian Premier League just last November and will be bannered by familiar faces like Freddy Ibrahim and Ahmad Hamarsheh, both of which have already played in the West Asia League during the 2022-23 inaugurals when they were still with Orthodox Amman.
Riyadi will then face another new participant in Tabiat the following night, taking on another relatively new organization as it only debuted in 2023 but went on to win the 2023/2024 Iran Basketball League crown by besting the erstwhile reigning three-time champions - and a familiar Riyadi foe - in Gorgan.
Tabiat will be banking on Sina Vahedi and Arman Zangeneh as well as Perry Petty, all of which have vast experience playing in WASL in the past. Petty was part of the pioneering Gorgan side before Vahedi joined the club for the second season, which saw him lead the team to a Third-Place finish in the Final 8.
The Riyadi-Tabiat match serves as a prelude to without a doubt the most awaited matchup by fans as the former is set to battle Sagesse on Saturday night's main event, whose tipoff time is set at 22:00 local time.
For starters, that will be the rematch of last year's Final 8 in Doha, which saw Riyadi ride the hot hands of Wael Arakji to force overtime before getting the job done by way of a 100-90 result to complete their redemption tour after placing just fourth in the inaugural edition of WASl's culminating event back in 2023 in Dubai.
Sagesse themselves are hoping to finish their story, too, after suffering multiple heartbreaks against their long-time rivals last season, which saw them lose 11 times in their 13 meetings - locally and internationally.
The Green Castle will start their own bid in WASL-West Asia League's opening night on Tuesday with a meeting against Tabiat. Game time is at 22:00, serving as the main attraction of a double-header twin bill to usher in a new season of the Sub-Zone League that begins with a meeting between Amman United and Al Difaa Al Jawi.
Al Difaa Al Jawi are coming into the new season looking to expand their success on a bigger stage after lording over the 2023/2024 Iraqi Basketball League by beating a former WASL campaigner in Al Naft.
All five teams will compete in a round-robin format, played over two rounds. The First Round will be played from March 4–9 and the Second Round is set April 8–13, with Beirut hosting both rounds. The squad that will accumulate the most points across the two rounds will be crowned as champions.
The top three teams from the Sub-Zone League will qualify for the FIBA WASL 2024/2025 Final 8, scheduled for May 2025, from where teams will qualify for Basketball Champions League Asia.
Al Riyadi are also the defending champions of the tournament formerly known as the FIBA Asia Champions Cup following a mighty five-game sweep of the competition's inaugural edition last year held in Dubai.
FIBA