Tribune News Network
Doha
The Qatar national basketball squad along with Turkish coach Hakan Demir departed for India to take part in the Asian qualifiers for the Saudi 2025 Asian Cup Finals.
Qatar will compete in their first game of the second Asian window against India at 3:30pm on November 22 (Friday), at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Following this encounter, they will go up against Iran back home on November 25 at the Al Gharafa Hall. These games are part of Group E, which also features Kazakhstan.
Qatar recently put up an impressive performance in the 12th edition of the King Abdullah II International Basketball Cup in Jordan achieving a second place finish with victories over Syria and Palestine. However, they were defeated in the final by the host nation. The showing marks a significant milestone in Qatar team’s preparations for the upcoming qualifiers for the 2025 Asian Cup.
The team includes 15 players: Omar Mohamed Saad, Mustafa Fouda, Mahmoud Darwish, Khaled Rushdi, Babacar Dieng, Nadim Muslik, Mohamed Bashir, Tyler James Lee Harris, Aladji Boubou Magassa, Ndaye Elhaj Sidou, Abdullah Yassin, Mustafa Ndaw, Mike Lewis, Alen Hadzibegovic, and Donte Grantham.
The team’s mission is headed by Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari, Secretary-General of the Qatar Basketball Federation, along with members of the administrative and technical staff: Jassim Ashkanani, team manager, Nabil Juma, team administrator, in addition to the Turkish Hakan Demir (technical manager), Cengiz Karadag (assistant coach), Sonit Yetim (fitness coach), Gokteg Dalbazar (coach), Ihadji Abdo (assistant coach), Adel Khadir (therapist), Nicasio Sejano (masseur), and Abdel Fattah (mission worker).
Iran lead Group E standings with four points, same as Kazakhstan, while the Qatar are in third place with two points, same as that of India, who are in fourth place.