JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) – For more than a decade, Jordan’s fortunes on the Asia Cup stage flowed through Sam Daghlas.
The 199cm/6'6" point guard wasn’t just a playmaker. He was the conductor of a national team that rose to become a legitimate contender on Asia’s biggest stage.
Daghlas first wore the Falcons’ jersey at the FIBA Asia Cup 2005 in Doha, where Jordan had finished 10th just two years earlier. With their new floor general steering the offense, Jordan rediscovered its rhythm, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in eight years. They would finish 7th overall, but a new era had clearly begun.
By 2007 in Tokushima, Daghlas had become the engine of a fearless Jordan squad drawn into a brutal "Group of Death" alongside China, Iran and the Philippines. Unfazed, he led the Falcons to dramatic wins over China and the Philippines in the first round, propelling Jordan to their best finish yet—a place in the top five. Averaging nearly 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3 assists, Daghlas showed Asia what a skilled point guard with great size could do.
The 2009 edition in Tianjin cemented Jordan’s arrival among the elite. With Daghlas running the show, Jordan swept their first-round games, stunned Lebanon, and advanced deep into the knockout rounds. Their 81-70 win over the Philippines in the Quarter-Finals broke new ground: for the first time ever, Jordan reached the Semi-Finals.
Although their dream run ended at the hands of eventual champions Iran, Daghlas helped deliver Jordan’s first-ever podium finish by repeating over Lebanon for the bronze. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists, ranking second ovrall in the tournament.
Then came Wuhan 2011—the tournament that defined him. Jordan arrived relatively under the radar, missing several key veterans, but Daghlas embraced the role of leader. In a stunning Quarter-Final matchup, Jordan took down defending champions and erstwhile unbeaten Iran, 88-84, with Daghlas rallying his teammates at halftime. In the Semi-Finals, he scored 16 points against the Philippines to send Jordan to their first Asia Cup Final.
They came agonizingly close to the title, falling 70-69 to host China, but Jordan’s silver medal run remains the nation’s greatest basketball achievement. Not surprisingly, Daghlas was named to the All-Star Five after norming 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals while also handing out 4.6 assists per game, which was good enough for second overall again.
Daghlas’s Asia Cup journey ended in 2015, closing a decade of service that had seen Jordan rise from a middle-of-the-pack side to a continental finalist. Along the way, he redefined the point guard role in Asia—a 6’6” floor general who combined vision, strength and leadership.
Three consecutive tournaments—2007, 2009 and 2011—rewrote Jordanian basketball history. And at the center of each run was Sam Daghlas, who was the calm at the controls and the spark that helped ignite Jordan’s golden years.
FIBA