BEIRUT (Lebanon) - No team, for sure, has a bigger target on their backs than Al Riyadi now that the highly anticipated FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Final 8 2025 is set to begin in a matter of days.
Coming in as the reigning champions, seven other teams will definitely look to end their reign as the pan-regional tilt's rulers - and perhaps foil their bid of further writing themselves in the league's history books, too.
Qualifying path
Why is that so, you wonder? That's because the Lebanese powerhouse achieved what no other team in WASL could when it won the West Asia League for the third consecutive time this 2024/2025 season.
Pulling off a back-to-back is already a challenge per se yet the wards of Coach Ahmad Farran completed a 'three-peat' following a mighty eight-game sweep of the Sub-Zone League at the Stade Nouhad Naufal.
The climb toward their triumph of dynastic proportions began with a 108-88 mauling of Amman United Club, setting the tone for a First Round sweep that included a massive 86-59 rout of Sagesse SC.
Riyadi went on to beat the Green Castle in the Second Round by way of a 100-85 result and that particular victory enabled the reigning Basketball Champions League Asia titlists to seal their place in this year's Final 8.
The 'three-peat' was then formalized right in their next game by crushing Amman United again, 84-66, before finishing the meet with perfectly by taking down Tabiat, leading to a celebration at the Stade Nouhad Naufal.
WASL history
The Yellow Castle is actually among FIBA WASL's pioneering ball clubs and they immediately showed why they're one of the best in this region by emerging as the first WASL-West Asia League winners.
It would've been sweeter had they completed a golden double but injuries to Wael Arakji and Ali Mansour hurt their chances, and could only settle for fourth in the Final 8 inaugurals that was eventually won by Manama.
That's why their return in the 2023/2024 competitions was all about redemption and by season's end, they finished their story by taking the WASL crown after outlasting Sagesse in a Final befitting of a title bout.
Players to watch
Needless to say, they want to author another historic achievement to their WASL journey, and that's by anchoring their hopes to practically the same pieces that have helped them a great deal in past seasons.
Leading the way is their main man in Arakji, who finished the recent WASL-West Asia League as one of the tourney's best scorers with a per-game average of 18.4 points, alongside 2.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.1 steals.
Not to be forgotten, of course, are the members of Coach Ahmad Farran's core such as Hayk Gyokchyan (15.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.3 APG), Karim Zeinoun (10.5 PPG), Amir Saoud (9.7 PPG), and Mansour.
But making this stacked roster even scarier is the addition of new reinforcements in Marcus Georges-Hunt and Marin Maric, both of which came days before the Second Round but made immediate impact.
Known as a major force behind Kuwait Club's back-to-back success in the WASL-Gulf League, Georges-Hunt posted norms of 18.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG as Riyadi found the winger that they've been looking for.
The Croatian big man, on the other hand, was the only one in the team who finished the Sub-Zone League with a double-double average as he tallied 11.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG, alongside 2.8 assist and a block.
And have we mentioned the return of Thon Maker? The first FIBA WASL MVP is back in the fold for Riyadi and that development in itself makes the team all the more exciting to watch in the upcoming Final 8.
With all this, can the heavy favorites pull it off?
FIBA