''Splash Sosa'' looks forward to play against familiar faces at Al Riyadi

DAMASCUS (Syria) - There was bound to be some tension in the game between Al Naft and Alkaramah. It wasn’t only the first WASL game for these players and these teams, it was the first game ever in WASL - West Asia.

"I like our team, I like our confidence, I like the players on our team."

It was a different setting than what most of the teams are used to, as it was platform where championship-caliber teams from different countries battled for the title of the best club in the Sub-Zone.

It would have been understandable to see the players to have some jitters coming out of the gates, maybe even look a little bit rusty, in these circumstances.

Quickfire

But not Al Naft.
And not their star scorer, Edgar Sosa.

No, Al Naft immediately jumped out to a 13-0 run to assert their dominance over the home team Alkaramah on their way to an 89-66 win.

Meanwhile, Sosa himself outscored the entire Alkaramah team in the first quarter. The 34-year-old guard alone poured in 16 points to double his opponents output of 8 points in the first 10 minutes.

"I think today was just one of those games where everything just fell into place," said Sosa after leading the team to their first ever WASL win.

The 1.85M (6'1") point guard finished the game with 36 points, easily topping all scorers so far in both WASL - West Asia and WASL - Gulf. While everything was falling into place for the team as Sosa had mentioned, the shots kept falling into the rim for him as well.

Sosa missed his first shot attempt to start the game, but then made his first three-pointer less than two minutes in.

He’d make another 2 minutes later.
Then another less than half a minute later.

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And then a third straight three-pointer in the third consecutive play less than a minute later.

In the span of just under 2 minutes, Edgar Sosa erupted for three consecutive three-pointers without a single miss.

It certainly was one of those days for the well-travelled sharpshooter.

"I started feeling it after I hit my second three," said Sosa. "I think I just started feeling good and I just stayed being aggressive. The guys on the team told me to stay being aggressive and that’s what I tried to do."

In total, Sosa would knock down 5 more three-pointers to go 9-15 from the three-point line in the game.

There might not have been a better way for a player and a team to get their first win in the inaugural season of a brand new competition.

Fresh experience

"I think it was a good statement for me because this is the first ever WASL and there are some really good teams in the competition," said Sosa. "But I think it was a bigger statement for the club just to come out and play well and win our first game."

"I think that was very important so I’m very excited for the club."

For a player that has played nearly everywhere from Europe to the Americas to Australia to Africa and, of course, Asia, Sosa has seen a lot. Even then, playing in a brand new environment in WASL with a brand new team in Al Naft is always a nice change of pace and scenery.

One of the main draws in particular of WASL is the opportunity to play in a home-and-away format against all teams in the same group. That is why Al Naft were playing in front of a lively Alkaramah crowd in Damascus, which Sosa greatly appreciated.

"The fans in Syria are great," he said. "We played in a big arena and the fans were loud and were very supportive of their team. But after the game, they cheered both teams. They showed love to both teams which was very nice. A lot teams don’t do this, but they gave support to both teams so that was really great."

That’s something that Sosa is expecting to see next week when Al Naft returns home for an important game against visiting Al Riyadi from Lebanon. That matchup will leave only one team undefeated in WASL - West Asia as both teams claimed victories in the first week.

"I hope we can get some big fans next week versus Al Riyadi," Sosa said. "It will be very, very nice if they can come out next week, give us a packed gym and give us support. That’d be great for us."

Every game counts and each team will fight for each win they can get as the stakes are high. This inaugural season will progress in the Group Phase with all teams in the same group playing against each other in a home-and-away format. At the end of the Group Stage, the first-place teams in each group will advance directly to the Semi-Finals. The second- and third-place teams will crossover to play in the Qualification to Semi-Finals match-ups.

2/12 games played

Additionally, the top 3 teams from WASL - West Asia will qualify for the WASL - Final 8. From there, the top 2 teams at WASL - Final 8 will qualify for the FIBA Asia Champions Cup. Then, the winners of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup will qualify to play in the prestigious FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Again, the stakes are high and it starts here in WASL Sub-Zone leagues.

"I feel great just being part of WASL this year, especially with Al Naft being a great team in Iraq that has given me a great opportunity this season to represent the club. I’m just excited for WASL this season and hopefully we can have a great season."

Winning attitude

If the debut performance from Sosa didn’t already wipe away any doubts Al Naft might have had heading in, they should still be confident of how much he can help the team considering his track record.

The New York native has been a proven winner for nearly everywhere he goes and that is a valuable aspect of his presence - other than his high-level scoring.

"Everywhere I’ve played, I’ve been blessed with winning and I think what I contribute to the game is just a level of confidence, a high level of IQ basketball and then shot-making," Sosa said of his previous experiences playing professional basketball.

"I think when you are a person that the other team has to prepare for strongly and you’re also a willing passer, that makes you very dangerous to the other teams. So, on nights where teams aren’t playing their stronger defense on me I can have big games like [this one against Alkaramah] and then when you have teams that double-team me and play box-and-one  defense then I can find my open teammates."

"That’s what I bring to my team and hopefully I can continue to do this with Al Naft."

That was another part of Sosa’s game that he put on display in Damascus, as he also recorded 10 assists to complete a double-double performance.

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That willingness to pass, despite being more than capable of scoring in bunches on his own, is why the point guard, who played for the Dominican Republic in World Cup 2014, has also won championships in Iran and Lebanon for teams and with players he’ll be facing soon in WASL - West Asia.

Familiar faces

"It’s funny how that works," said Sosa.

After beating Alkaramah in their opening game, Al Naft are also scheduled to play against Lebanon’s Al Riyadi, as mentioned, and Iran’s Gorgan as a part of Group B in the Group Phase. Coincidentally, Sosa are more than familiar with these upcoming opponents - or at least the players on the team.

"I played in Iran and I won a championship there in 2016. A lot of the guys that are on Gorgan were on my team in Petrochimi in 2016 so it’d be good to see those guys again," he said about Gorgan, who Al Naft will be playing against on 4 January 2023 in Tehran.

"I’m definitely looking forward to the game against Gorgan, playing against Behnam [Yakhchali] and [Mohammad] Jamshidi," he added. "Those are all guys that were on Petrochimi in 2016."

"Then in 2017 I also won a championship with Al Riyadi, and they are in our group, too. A lot of the guys on that team I’ll be able to see again and play against again so I’m excited," he then said of his time playing in Lebanon.

"Same for Al Riyadi, I was able to win a championship with those guys in 2017 with Wael [Arakji], with Amir [Saoud], with Karim [Zeinoun]. All those young fellas, you know?"

"We won a championship, six years ago in Lebanon and now six years later I get to play against them in WASL, that’s very exciting. A lot of those guys have gotten so much better, so it’ll be very nice to see those guys next week."

In spite of his familiarity around the teams in the league, Sosa’s focus is still on his team and how they will get through this inaugural season together.

"I’m looking forward to just seeing those guys again, saying hello, but when the game starts we have go against each other."

"I like our team, I like our confidence I like the players on our team, it’ll be a battle but I’m looking forward to see some of my old teammates."

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