DOHA (Qatar) - Keron DeShields may be a new guy in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL), but make no mistake about his knowledge of it.
The seasoned point guard is a self-confessed fan, as he's been watching the pan-regional competition over the last seasons to keep tabs on his close friends - and subsequently inspired him to take his talents to the tilt if given the chance.
"I've been watching WASL for the last few years," said the native of Baltimore, Maryland. "I wanted to play here. I have friends in this league."
Fate works in mysterious ways as they say, and DeShields would find himself bound for WASL when he signed with Ittihad Club just last December.
None were happier than his good pals. Take a look at his announcement on social media platform Instagram and you'd see Mark Lyons, formerly of Al Hilal, as among those who wrote a comment and wished him well in his new endeavor.
Come Tuesday night, the 32-year-old finally turned those aspirations of his into reality when the Saudi Arabian ball club flew to Doha to take on Al Arabi SC.
And he made it a debut to remember as well. KD - as what Coach Slobodan Subotic addresses him - shone the brightest, finishing with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead his side in emerging triumphant in a game of runs, 85-81.
He scored his team's last six points, strapping the team on his back to lift themselves in the face of danger when their Qatari counterparts fought back from as much as 13 points down and took an 81-79 lead with only 1:28 left in the match.
"I wanted to win. By any means necessary," DeShields said of his endgame heroics that left the home crowd at the Al Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall stunned.
"Sometimes I like to sit back, see the game, pass to my teammates, make sure they're happy so we can play defense. But in the end, I just wanted to win," he added.
That assertiveness he showed was big thanks to Subotic, according to the eight-year pro, as the veteran bench tactician demanded more from him.
"Thanks to Coach for believing in me. Coach looked at me in the third quarter and was like, 'What are you doing? Why don't you shoot it?'" said DeShields with a chuckle. "And that gave me the confidence to go further. So, I appreciate Coach."
Because Coach Piksi himself knows how talented his prized playmaker is - so much so that he views the Tennessee State product as the solution to their PG issue.
"This guy changed our team, really," he offered. "With his winning spirit, with his attitude. And, we are suffering in his position. We have a good player in our team but he unfortunately got injured. But he wasn't in the position that we really, really need."
"Keron is a true point guard, he's a leader of the team, everybody accepted him. And this is very important, that one player came three weeks ago and is immediately leading the team. He's the coach on the court, I told him," he added.
With DeShields in tow, Subotic has grown confident, too, of the team's chances to end what has been a decade-long championship drought in the Saudi Basketball League, and in going as deep as they can into the 2024/2025 WASL season.
"I'm very happy that we signed him," he said. "I'm sure that in the future, he will help us a lot to win the championship this year because -- I don't know if you know this but Ittihad hasn't won the championship in 10 years, and this is our goal this year."
"All in the team are dreaming and working for this. And also we have dreams in WASL, especially after this win tonight," he furthered. "So far, so good."
Lofty, indeed, are the expectations on DeShields but he knows that it comes with the territory, for he's aware that Ittihad hold themselves in high regard.
So, he's out to prove that he's worthy of all the hope - and the hype - resting on his shoulders, with WASL serving as an avenue for him to do so as he has the utmost respect for the league - and what it wants to achieve for basketball in the region.
"I know it's up and coming, and I see a bright future for WASL. I think the level is good, and I think the level is only gonna get better," he said.
FIBA