BEIRUT (Lebanon) - There seems to be a little mix of everything in the bag that is Group A of this FIBA WASL - West Asia season.

There's the returning finalist that have gone through almost a complete makeover. There's the returning upstart underdog teams who look as hungry as ever. Then there's the new kid on the block, aiming to make a mark in their debut season.

 This is going to be fun.

The favorite: Shahrdary Gorgan

They aren't the same team, but you have to give the team that had the best Group Phase record in the first WASL-West Asia season the benefit of the doubt.

Gorgan are coming in without their top 6 players in minutes and points scored last season, namely Behnam Yakhchali, Perry Petty, Mohammad Jamishidi, and Sajjad Pazrofteh. The lone player to have played key minutes for last season's squad is Salar Monji who averaged 4.0 points per game.

But the cast that is replacing them is not to be underestimated.

For starters, you have Iran national team veteran Arsalan Kazemi who played in WASL-West Asia last season but for rivals ZobAhan and averaged 12.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.

Joining from ZobAhan is youngster Amir Gholizadeh who had an impressive season averaging 11.9 points per game, highlighted by a 31-point outing against Al Naft. Another newcomer to watch out for is Sina Vahedi, a spectacular young defender who has won titles with Gorgan in the past.

Add in the presence of an experienced guard like Darrin Dorsey (who played for Orthodox Amman), Will Cherry (a part of the Canadia national team pool), Norvelle Pelle (who has played for the Lebanon national team), and Anthony Miles and it looks like Gorgan might not take the blow of losing last season's core too badly.

The underdog: Al Naft

Al Naft might not have had a firecracker of a first season in WASL as they failed to make the Semi-Finals, but in the grand scheme of things, they had their moments of success.

They surprised Al Riyadi in the first game between the two teams and made each game as tough as they could for the two Iranian clubs, specifically ZobAhan who they faced in the Qualification to Semi-Finals round. If any of their opponents expect an easy game, they most likely will regret it.

With that said, they won't have the firepower of Edgar Sosa who led the league in scoring last season with 34.7 points per game. Most likely, they will be expecting Marcus Coleman to shoulder the bulk of that scoring load alongside the returning all-around presence of Antwaine Wiggins who was second in scoring last season with 26.1 points per contest.

The pivotal game: C.S. Sagesse vs Shahrdary Gorgan

As powerhouses of the region at the national team level, Iran and Lebanon have engaged in memorable clashes and that fire continues to extend to the games between representing clubs from their respective nations as well. Last season, Riyadi and Gorgan had their epic games early on before facing each other again in the Finals.

It shouldn't be too much to expect newcomers C.S Sagesse to being the same energy to their games against Gorgan, especially as these two teams look solid on paper. Sagesse might be new to the WASL scene, but they are loaded with talented and exciting players who will be ready to match up with Gorgan's new pieces.

With both teams coming in hot (Sagesse as the new team, Gorgan with the new look) right in the season opener, that very first encounter could mean everything for both teams in terms of getting off to a good start and to figuring themselves out.

The open question: Who will figure out their identity first?

There are a lot of moving pieces among these teams in Group A. Again, Gorgan have a completely new look; Sagesse are the new team; Al Naft are not returning the league's leading scorer from last season; and Al-Ittihad Ahli might still need some time to get a hang of this.

With things moving forward so quickly, it might end up being a race between who settles in and figures out what team they want to be fastest.

Could that be Al Naft who are returning the major of the team, including a major piece in Antwaine Wiggins? Gorgan might be talented enough to gel on the fly. Sagesse are new - but only to WASL, while having plenty of experience among themselves elsewhere. And, of course, Al-Ittihad Ahli plays with a high level of energy and passion, boosted by their loyal fans, which could make this journey a lot easier.

In whichever case, it seems certain that WASL fans should be excited to watch this group unfold as the season progresses.

FIBA