Linos, Manama sentimental but focused in return to Dubai

MANAMA (Bahrain) - Manama head coach Linos Gavriel turned sentimental looking ahead to their FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) encounter versus Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai.

Not only will it be the team's first test on the road this Season 2, but it will also mark their first trip to Dubai since conquering the Final 8 to become the league's inaugural champions. They beat Kuwait Club for the crown, 67--59, at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall.

"We are returning to the gym where we won the FIBA WASL championship," the veteran mentor reflected. "The feelings, definitely, will be nice. The emotions will be there."

Gavriel, though, refuses to get too nostalgic with their upcoming trip. As special as the 'City of Gold' is to their hearts, there is still a job left to be accomplished: to win, simple as that.

Manama on Monday night improved to 2-0 following a 108-71 win over Al Shamal at the BBA Arena, in the process gaining the provisional solo lead in Group B of the Gulf League.

The decorated bench tactician was pleased with how his wards performed led by Ahmed Haji, who finished with 24 points on six triples - that, after only scoring 8 against Kazma. His team, as a whole, dished a total of 31 assists, which now stands as the league's all-time single game record.

What he didn't like, though, was the way his team handled the second quarter. After jumping to a 26-10 lead at the end of the first, the visiting side got to within just eight, 33-25, following an 11-0 run. Mosti Rashed and Co. restored order but they lost that period, 18-20.

"The guys made good effort for three quarters because the second quarter, we lost it. And that's unacceptable, so we need to fix it," said Gavriel.

It's on top of his concerns as they go back to practice, yearning for consistency especially now that they're about to figure in their first road game - and against a contender.

Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai opened their season with a 96-63 win over Al Shamal last November 21, and will look to join Manama on top of the group when they take on Kazma on Tuesday in Kuwait.

Group B

3/12 games played

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Manama	2	2	0	100		192	147	45	96	73.5	4
2	Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai	1	1	0	100		96	63	33	96	63	2
3	Al Shamal	2	0	2	0		134	204	-70	67	102	2
4	Kazma	1	0	1	0		76	84	-8	76	84	1

"Entering WASL, the first few games, the results are positive. But we still have a long way to go," Gavriel said. "I believe that our group is still tough. We have a difficult schedule. And we need to play better and grow if we want to win on the road because we will have three games on the road."

"If we're not consistent, we might lose and this is something we don't want," he added as their December 18 game will mark the start of a three-game road trip, with the next two in Kuwait and Qatar. "We're gonna keep working hard in order to stay on top of the group. This is our target."

But at the same time, Gavriel fully trusts Manama's character on the road, judging from the way they racked up important wins in enemy territories back in Season 1.

That includes, of course, their series-tying win versus Kazma in the best-of-3 Qualification to Semi-Finals and their Game 1 victory over Al Hilal towards an eventual sweep in the Semis.

"I trust my players on the road. We made big wins last year against Hilal and Kazma. Before I even came, they won in Qatar," said the Greek-Cypriot bench tactician, referring to their win over Al Sadd back in the Group Phase of last season. "So, they know how to win on the road."

"Of course, we're playing a great team with great momentum right now. We need to be really serious in preparing in order to be competitive and try to steal the game. We're happy to be back to Dubai, especially in Shabab Al Ahli's gym. We need to work hard in order to win that game."

FIBA