KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait) - Frustration could be felt over at Kuwait Club in the aftermath of their shock defeat to Shabab Al Ahli during the penultimate gameday of the 2024/2025 FIBA WASL-Gulf League Group Phase last January 20.
Aside from the fact that they lost in their very own stomping grounds, the result denied the defending two-time Sub-Zone League champions of finishing as the no. 1 seed in Group A and settled for second instead with a 5-1 win-loss record.
That means no outright trip to the Semi-Finals for the 'three-peat' seekers, the first time it has happened to the Kuwaiti powerhouse after doing so in the first two seasons of the pan-regional competition - which they are among its pioneers.
"First time," offered head coach Peter Schomers during the postgame presser of their 90-83 defeat at the Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex.
"Last season, we lost two games, and we were first. This year, it's a completely different set-up with Shabab Al Ahli and us winning all the games ... and then, it comes down to one game," he furthered.
The veteran bench tactician could only reflect amidst what this team considers as a disappointing finish to the Group Phase, for it has always aimed of topping whatever group it's in to secure one of the two direct flights to the Semi-Finals.
Now it's going to be different, as he said, with Shabab Al Ahli finishing as the group's best team after emerging triumphant in the virtual playoff for the top seed.
What makes it even tougher to fathom for Kuwait Club is the fact that they lost to a team that never won against them in their first four encounters in this league, only for the champions from UAE to flip the script in a game with much at stake.
Still, Schomers gave credit where credit is due, especially to the grit showed by a Shabab Al Ahli side looking to up the ante with new coach Miodrag Perisic.
"As the game progressed, Ahli, they saw they had a chance, they made some tough shots, they hung in there. They had nothing to lose, basically. Nobody expected them to win. And that's how it goes in basketball, you know," he said.
His concern, really, is how Kuwait Club, as a whole, could regain their spunk entering the best-of-3 Qualification to Semi-Finals against Saudi Arabia's Ittihad Club.
They will be facing a team that finished third in Group B with a 2-4 record but make no mistake: they're coming into the next phase with no shortage of confidence.
It's because they gave teams like the top-seeded Al Qadsia SC and inaugural champions Manama a run for their money during their Group Phase matchups, and they are, without a doubt, looking to do the same against Kuwait Club.
Schomers' wards, though, are actually unbeaten so far in the Kuwaiti Division 1 Basketball League with a clean 7-0 record, the most recent of which a 98-70 beatdown of former WASL participant Kazma Wednesday.
But that's where the worry lies for the German mentor. Their victories in the domestic league have all been via routs, thus the team's pursuit for more legitimate challenges aside from the Gulf League for them to, of course, learn and grow further.
"We haven't had any games in a long time - any meaningful challenges, so I really had no idea where I am with the team," the straightforward Schomers said. "I think the team doesn't know where we are. We just have no rhythm."
"Of course, I was hoping for a good game, and I was pretty sure we were gonna win that game today. But that's basketball. We didn't do any of the things that usually make us strong, especially on the defensive end," he added.
That's why it's interesting to see how Kuwait Club would respond, now that they will have to take a longer route in a bid to win their third straight Gulf League crown.
Game 1 of their Qualification to Semi-Finals series against Ittihad is set on February 4, Tuesday, 19:00 p.m. local time at the Shaikh Saad Alabdullah Sport Hall Complex.
FIBA