BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Al Hilal are on their way back to the top of Saudi Arabia basketball.

The proud Riyadh-based club is among one of the most storied clubs in Saudi Arabia. The club was founded in 1957 and they immediately made an impact in the basketball scene by winning the inaugural season of the Saudi Premier League in 1977.

After that initial title, Al Hilal then had a dominant stretch in the early 90s where they won 4 championship in 5 seasons spanning from the 1989-90 season to the 1993-94 season. From there, it was quite a length championship draught for Al Hilal.

Until last season.

In the 2021-22 season of the Premier League, Al Hilal broke through to their first championship game appearance in what seemed like forever after a 20-2 regular season which topped the standings.

Not only did they make it to the final stage, Al Hilal were also able to claim their first title in nearly 30 years by beating defending champions and Riyadh rivals Al Nasr, 78-70.

And with their return to the top, Al Hilal secured their spot in the WASL Gulf league, set to tip-off 19 December 2022. They’ll be playing their first ever WASL game at home in Riyadh against Kuwait’s Kazma and the players can’t wait for the opportunity to continue building on the team’s glory.

"We want to qualify from the group, reach the Final, and reach the WASL Final 8," declared Osama Albargawi, one of the team’s key players.

The 23-year-old averaged 9.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in their championship season which included 10 points in the title game.

To qualify from the Group Phase of the WASL Gulf league, AlBargawi and Al Hilal will be facing Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai (UAE), Al Bashaer (Oman), and Kazma (Kuwait). Al Hilal will have the chance to host all of these teams in Riyadh, while also be the ones to travel to the home venues of their opponents as well in a home-and-away competition format.

This inaugural season will progress in the Group Stage 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.

AlBargawi knows well what the teams and players can gain from this experience playing in WASL Gulf league, as it’s similar to what he’s experienced playing in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers over the past few years.

"We can benefit from the experience of international competitions with foreign clubs," said the Saudi Arabia national team player.

"As a player, the contact with players from different leagues is important on a personal level for me as a player, especially with the matches of the Saudi Arabia national team in the international competitions."

FIBA