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WASL Power Rankings: Season 1, Volume V

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - The inaugural season of WASL continues and all of the teams are putting in their best efforts to finish as the best of the best in their respective leagues.

There's been plenty of excitement. There's been plenty of emotions. Big players. Great players. Great games all around. We will continue to stack them up against each other in these WASL Power Rankings.

Reminder: These are not the official rankings. Power Rankings are just here to reflect on a team's current form and not based entirely on their records in WASL.

Team

 

Movement

16 AHL Al-Ittihad Ahli

With Al Bashaer sliding down one spot (see below), the upcoming week could be a good opportunity for Al-Ittihad Ahli to move up in the Power Rankings. More importantly, though, they need a win if they want to keep their hopes of advancing to the Final Phase alive. -

15 BSH Al Bashaer 

There's no shame in losing to the top team in the group (even though Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai were playing without Nick Minnerath). Still, it's another big loss that distances Al Bashaer further away from qualifying for the Final Phase. 🔻1️⃣

14 KRMAlkaramah

No, Alkaramah did not win this week. But they did put up a good fight against Al Naft, which spells hope for the remaining two games and their opportunity to move on to the next phase. Gorgan and Al Riyadi aren't going to be easier opponents, but Alkaramah have been competitive for most of the part. 🔺1️⃣

13 NSR Al Nasr Riyadh

Al Nasr have extended their win streak to 7 straight games in the local Saudi Arabian league. They didn't play a game in WASL this week, but that win streak should give them a boost of confidence heading into their next game - an important one against Al Manama. -

12 ORX Orthodox Amman

Orthodox Amman have yet to lose a single game in the local Jordanian league after 7 games. That form is bound to pick up in WASL West Asia at some point right? Next week, they get a chance to get back in the win column against Al-Ittihad Ahli who they beat earlier in the season. -

11 SAD Al Sadd

Al Sadd went off to a great start in the local Qatari league with a big win over Al Rayyan. They'll be playing Kuwait Club in the upcoming days of WASL Gulf, so they will need all the boost they can get. -

10 KZM Kazma

On the one hand, Kazma really should not have lost in a game where they comfortably held a lead heading into the final moments. On the other hand, Al Hilal are that good... and Kazma should know because they've suffered defeat in such a manner twice already. -

NAF Al Naft

It was a good team win for Al Naft in front of their fans. They already set the benchmark of being a team that can beat Al Riyadi, so we're keeping Al Naft in place for now until we see what they can do in the next 2 games. -

MNM Al Manama

No action from Al Manama this week aside from a big win over Issa Town in the local Bahraini league. A convincing win over Al Nasr next would could help their case to move up. -

RIY Al Riyadi

Riyadi's season has been a bit of a rollercoaster hasn't it? They haven't won two straight games, but they haven't lost two straight games either. This was a tough loss for them against Gorgan, however, relative to how well they played in their previous win early in the season. 🔻2️⃣

ZAH ZobAhan

ZobAhan claimed a big win against former Asia Champions Cup winners Naft Abadan in the local Iranian league which should be good preparation for the big match against Beirut Club in WASL West Asia next week. -

HIL Al Hilal

Al Hilal are just so tough to beat when they have arguably the best center and one of the most clutch performers in the competition. The rematch against Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai won't be played until late March... and we just can't wait. 🔺2️⃣

4  KWT Kuwait Club 

Similar to the case of the top teams in the Power Rankings from last week, some moved down simply because other teams had to move up. And they shouldn't be bothered by that. Kuwait Club are still undefeated and have been playing spectacular basketball... but the upcoming game against Al Sadd will be interesting considering how they went to overtime in their last meeting. 🔻2️⃣

3  SAH Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai

Shabab Al Ahli won and won big. But based on previous performances, they were expected to do so. Staying at third should be good enough for now. -

BEI Beirut Club

Beirut Club added two more wins to their win streak - now up to 4 - in the local Lebanese league. They've been the best team so far in WASL West Asia, but another club are a bit more in-form at the moment... 🔻1️⃣

GOR Gorgan

To win a game against Riyadi with both of your star national team players performing slightly below their standards spells how deep this team is. Sajjad Pazrofteh is blossoming into a star in his own right. 🔺3️⃣

 

*The power rankings are entirely subjective based on recent events/results/announcements and is in no way true, accurate ranking systems. All comments are purely those of the author.

FIBA