Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The national basketball teams have started the countdown for the Pan-Arab Games in Doha, Qatar, December 7-22.

The men’s squad is set to be finalised next week while the women’s team has returned from a training camp in Lebanon and is set to compete for the first time since 2003.

In an interview with The Jordan Times, Jordan Basketball Federation (JBF) President Hilal Barakat said the federation was intent on working on the women’s game and having a good national team despite the weak base of the game which now has only two clubs, Orthodoxi and Riyadi, competing.

“They had good results in the four matches they played and we hope the Pan-Arab Games will provide them the chance for a comeback,’’ Barakat said, adding the men’s team is set to hold a series of friendlies in Lebanon in two weeks against Riyadi, Hoops and Anibal.

The men’s team regrouped last month and trained over the Eid holiday as technical director Murad Barakat told the press the coaching staff will choose the final 14, out of 22 players, for the upcoming event.

The JBF head noted all players were training and working on many aspects to be ready but the line-up would likely miss stars Zeid Abbas and Sam Daghles while Rasheim Wright was expected to join this week.

The national team had trouble regrouping with local champs Applied Science University (ASU) players missing practice over administrative issues unresolved with the JBF as ASU prepares to represent Jordan at the 15th West Asian clubs qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Barakat said the JBF had notified the Jordan Olympic Committee to lodge a complaint and enquire about the draw of the Pan-Arab Games which places the national team with Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco in Group B. Group A includes Egypt, Algeria, Iraq and Sudan. Group C includes Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Kuwait.

“It was an unfair draw which is targeted against the favourite teams. We intend to ask about the mechanism of the draw in the absence of any representatives from the competing countries,” Barakat said.

The women’s team was placed in Group B with Tunisia, Syria and Egypt in what will be their official competition since 2003.

This autumn, Jordan lost the chance to qualify to the 2012 Olympic Games after losing to China (70-69) in the final match of the 26th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship in Wuhan, China. The Kingdom’s team beat favourites and titleholders Iran in the quarters and the Philippines in the semis to move to the final for the first time in the country’s history. China qualified to the London 2012 Olympics while the second and third teams will play a play-off stage for a berth.

Jordan qualified to the Asian Championship after they finished second at the West Asian Basketball Association Championship behind Iran, and joined by Syria and Lebanon.

It was Jordan’s 12th time at the event since first taking part in 1983. Their previous best finish was third at the 2009 Asian Championship when they beat Lebanon and qualified to the 2010 World Basketball Championship in Turkey.

The Kingdom’s achievements in the past few years put them at the forefront of Asian teams. They finished fourth at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. In 2007, they became the first Arab team to win the William Jones Cup. The squad later won the 17th Arab Basketball Championship for the first time and finished runner-up to Egypt at the Pan-Arab Games.

U-17 team in Iran

The U-17 national team is now playing in the 12th West Asian Championship in Iran and Jordan lost to Syria (108-63) in their opening match.

They were slated to play Iran on Sunday and Lebanon on Monday as they look for one of three qualifying berths to the Asian finals. The team had a training camp in Lebanon ahead of the event.


* Jordan Times