MANAMA (Bahrain) - Clint Chapman could only chuckle over the fact that he is now playing for one of the ball clubs that gave him the toughest of challenges during the first two seasons of the FiBA West Asia Super League (WASL).
It was a frustrating start to the season for me, but here we are.
The 35-year-old still remembers how difficult it was to go up against Manama during his tenure with Al Hilal and Kazma, but would find himself within the good graces of the Bahraini side which, it turns out, has always been interested in him.
"I've been in WASL for the last two seasons. Finally cracked the Final 8 last year, but I struggled with Manama in those two seasons," he said with a laugh.
In fact, Chapman never won versus Manama in the last two seasons. He and Al Hilal got swept in the 2022/2023 Gulf League Semi-Finals, and then lost again when Kazma lost both of their meetings in the 2023/2024 Group Phase of the Sub-Zone League.
Still, those losses hardly affected his reputation as one of the league's best big men. The inaugural FIBA WASL champions know what he's capable of, and that's precisely the reason why they acquired his services for the 2024/2025 season.
"Been in touch with Coach, and here we are," he said, referring to head coach Linos Gavriel. "I came here to win, I came here to help this team win."
And on Monday night at the BBA Arena, the Oregon-born big man went on to play his best game in a Manama uniform to power his side past Al Qadsia SC, 87-81, to exact revenge against one of the two teams that beat them early in the tilt.
There, he finished with 24 points on a 46.6-percent clip from the field, alongside 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks to net an efficiency of 36.
It was, furthermore, his best game of the season as well after struggling in their first three games, in which he only averaged 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds.
But Gavriel and Manama were hardly bothered whatsoever by those subpar statistics, for they all know what the former Texas Longhorn can do.
"It was only a matter of time," offered the champion bench tactician. "Slow starts happen to anybody. But everybody knows who he is. The numbers were there. That's why we brought him in because we know what he's all about."
"It was a matter of chemistry, a matter of time, and we're building on that for sure," he added. "We're trusting Clint a lot and we move forward with him as one of our leaders. So, there was no doubt that he would make this kind of performance."
Chapman himself acknowledged that he indeed started slow into the season, thus the relief on his part when he finally got to play like the Clint of old.
But ever the team player, the 6-foot-10 center is not one to gloat on his personal success, as he felt more satisfied with his team hacking out the win, which is now their second in a row after an unprecedented 0-2 start into the tourney.
"It was a frustrating start to the season for me but here we are," he reflected. "We've won our last two games, and we got a chance to win the group."
Still, he chooses to stay on an even keel, hoping that he and Manama could turn in better showings in the games ahead after a near-collapse against Qadsia - a team that he knows so well, having played against the club during his time in Kuwait.
"I don't think this was a great win for us, I think it was a necessary win," he opined. "We had two great quarters in the first half and,you know, this is a good team, gotta give credit to Qadsia. They're gonna play to win. So the second half was tough."
"We gotta be better," he added as their 19-point lead became just four in the closing seconds due to the opposition's rally behind Phil Greene IV and Chinemelu Elonu. "But whenever you have an opportunity to get better, you see potential. It's a good thing."
They'd definitely want to be at their best, especially entering their last two games of the Gulf League Group Phase - games that could make or break their playoff hopes.
Manama are set to play Al Arabi SC once more on January 14 and it's a game that Chapman has circled on his calendar, as it would be an opportunity for him and the crew to get back at the other club that left them shocked earlier.
Will we see him sustain the solid outing he had versus Qadsia? What's certain, for sure, is that he and the whole team will be flying to Doha hungry for payback.
"We really wanna get one back against Arabi. We felt like we kinda gave one up here at home," said Chapman, recalling that tough 85-84 defeat last November 7 in their own stomping grounds in which Manama squandered a 21-point lead.
"That one felt like it was on my shoulders. It was on the whole team. But like I said, we wanna go to Qatar, we wanna bring home a win," he added. "So, let's keep rolling, keep getting better day by day, follow Coach's lead, and keep snagging wins."
FIBA