DOHA (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016) - Al Rayyan have been the second most successful club in the history of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, winning titles in 2002 and 2005, and finishing on the podium nine more times. Their performance has given Qatar the most number of podium finishes at eleven, and they are aiming for their third title or, at the very least, twelfth podium finish in this year’s edition, which will be played in Chenzhou, China.

Helming the team this year is Greek head coach Stergios Koufos, who will certainly rely on Qatar national team members Mohamed Abdelkawy, Hassan Mohamed, Malek Salem Abdulla, Yehia Abdelhaleem and Shaher Matalkeh, as well as veteran big man Omar Salem.

The last time Al Rayyan played in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup was in 2013, losing in the Final to Foolad Mahan Isfahan, 84-74. The last time the Qataris hoisted the championship trophy was way back in 2005, when they defeated Jordan’s Fastlink, 83-76, in the Final played in Quezon City, Philippines. Back then, Al Rayyan were bannered by former NBA player Todd Day, Qatari icon Yaseen Musa and veteran forward Erfan Ali Saeed. None of them are here, though, so the club will be leaning on the production of practically a fresh batch of talents.

Of the players who saw action in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 in Tehran, Iran earlier this year, the one to watch is Hassan Mohamed. The 25-year-old 1.95m wingman is seen as a rising star in Qatari hoops circles, and he is expected to be among coach Koufos’s main weapons in Chenzhou. Hassan averaged a team-high 12.2 points in Tehran, including hitting nearly three triples per outing.

Another guy to watch is Yehia Abdelhaleem, a promising 20-year-old, 2.05m center tagged to be one of the national team’s future cornerstones. Abdelhaleem averaged 6.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in the FIBA Asia Challenge, with a 17-point effort against no less than Korea as his highlight performance. Paired up with him up in the paint is import Brandon Bowman. The 2.06m American last played for Cyrpiot club Petrolina AEK Larnaca, recording 15.3 points and 6.9 boards per game in Cyprus Division A competition.

The team’s other import is 1.85m Preston Knowles, who left Italian Serie A club Flexx Pistoia to sign with Al Rayyan. He will add depth to the playmaking and shooting of the team’s backcourt, and will certainly make them quite dangerous.

Al Rayyan will face top Lebanese club Al Riyadi on Day 1 in Group A action. Joining them in that group are India’s ONGC, Chinese Taipei’s Pauian and Iran’s Petrochimi. Al Ahli of UAE, Al Shorta of Iraq, Barsy Atyrau of Kazakhstan, the Malaysia Dragons and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of China comprise Group B.

FIBA