Meet the FIBA WASL West Asia teams: Al Wahda

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Watch out FIBA WASL - West Asia teams, Al Wahda are here.

The mighty Syrian Club are one of the most important clubs in the area and they will certainly be looking to make a splash in their WASL debut.

History

The Damascus-based club was founded in 1928, making it among one of the teams with the lengthiest history in the Arab world.

Known for their orange-themed colors, Al Wahda are not only one of the oldest teams - they are also one of the most successful clubs in Syria. They won their first Syrian Basketball League (SBL) championship almost 30 years ago in 1994 before recently winning an impressive tenth title last season.

Al Wahda's success is not only limited at the domestic level either. The proud team were also confirmed as one of the strongest clubs in Asia, having won the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in 2003, finishing as runners-up in 2004, and ending up in third place in 2001 and 2002.

That's as strong a resume as you will find in the WASL - West Asia playing field.

Emblem

Homecourt

Al Wahda play their home games at the Al Fayhaa Staduim in Damascus.

Path to FIBA WASL

For the first time in almost 10 years, Al Wahda won the SBL title last season by sweeping rivals Al Ittihad of Aleppo, 3-0. Aside from it being the return to glory for "The Orange", it also earned them a spot in the second season of WASL - West Asia.

 

Group B

0/12 games played

		GAMES				STREAK	GAME POINTS					POINTS
#	Team	P	W	L	%	Last 5	For	Agt	+/-	FA	AA
1	Al Riyadi	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Al Shorta SC	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Al Wahdaa	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Orthodox Beit Sahour	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0	0	0

In the Group Phase, Al Wahda are set to face inaugural WASL - West Asia champions Al Riyadi from Lebanon, Al Shorta SC from Iraq, and Orthodox Beit Sahour from Palestine.

Players to Watch

Al Wahda have a number of quality players on their squad who have recently represented Syria as a part of the national team, whether it was at the FIBA Asia Cup 2022, World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, or the recent Olympics Pre-Qualifying Tournament from Omar Idelbi, Sharif Al Osh, Tarek Aljabi, Majd Arbasha, and Abdulwahab Alhamwi.

Alhamwi is one of the more recognizable faces on the squad as the 33-year-old seven-footer has been a key piece of many national teams over the past decade. Not to be overlooked, however, is Arbasha who led Syria in playing time (35.5 minutes per game) at the OPQT and was second in the team in scoring (12.4 points per game). In the SBL season opener, Arbasha went off to a great start with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals.

 

Also expected to lead the charge for "The Orange" are Isaac Banks and Jomaru Brown. Both foreign players scored 23 points each in Al Wadha's season-opening win.

 

FIBA