JOR - Zaid ALKHAS: Target Turkey

KUWAIT (FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup): There are a few players in basketball whose contribution to their team's success goes beyond the mundane statistics. Jordanian Zaid Alkhas belongs to that rare breed.

The 32-year-old Zain guard did nothing notable in this tournament as far as statistics were concerned, but was the driving force that kept his team together and perform to the optimum level on the court.

We caught up with him moments after Jordan won the second FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup, thus booking an automatic entry into next year's FIBA Asia Championship.

Excerpts:

Q: Your first thoughts on the triumph…

A: This is the first time Jordan are winning an official FIBA Asia tournament.

We have won the Arab championship and the William Jones Cup a couple of times. But this is our first success in an official tournament. So obviously there's a great sense of satisfaction.

It was a nerve wracking game today. Kuwait are very hard to play against especially at home. We had to strain every sinew to keep our focused for the entire 40 minutes.

I think overall we played rather well, especially in defense.

Q: You qualify for the FIBA Asia Championship directly…

A: That's the bonus.

We don't have go through the zonal qualifiers now. And in our case, we don't have to fight it out with the great teams like Iran and Lebanon in WABA. That takes the pressure off us.

But then our target is to qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Which means there are no luxuries in Asian basketball.

So we have to remain focused on that target, put out heads together and prepare ourselves.

Q: Jordan are called the chokers in big tournaments. Is it unfair?

A: That kind of a tag is both right and wrong.

We are ranked somewhere in the top 40s in the world (Jordan are ranked 42 in the FIBA rankings as on Monday). But we have beaten many teams that are ranked above us many times in the last two years.

Having said that, I must confess that we blew our chances for final four finish at Tokushima (FIBA Asia Championship) last year.

One bad half in our game against Japan (in the Quarterfinal round) undid a lot of hard work (Jordan eventually finished fifth).

So that way I will say our results have not reflected our hard work.

Q: Can you take us through Jordan basketball in the last years?

A: Tthere are a lot of positive developments that have taken place in the last two years.

Naturalizing Rasheim (Wright, an American by birth) has brought a lot of verve into the team.

(Coach Mario) Palma has brought the extra edge into our plays. Most importantly, the team itself has put in a lot of sacrifices.

Now, with this win, I think we have made the right turnaround to take Jordan basketball to the next level.

Q: What are the special qualities of the team in this period?

A: One thing for sure is our ability to learn.

There are no stars in our team. Each of us have realized the importance of playing together as a team.

There was a time when I used to finish as the top scorer in tournaments, but Jordan would finish lowly.

Individual awards don't matter to me any more. I'm happy if I can contribute to a winning cause.

We have improved with every tournament. We have learnt from every defeat.

And even when we have lost, it has not been for want of effort. More often than not, we have lost to the better team on the court on that day.

Q: What must Jordan team to qualify for the World Championship?

A: Competition will be intense at next year's FIBA Asia Championship.

I think we need to get healthier. Three of our main team players are out injured. Their comeback combined with the return of a couple of the guys who are playing in the NCAA should provide us the boost.

But most importantly, we need to keep our heads down and work hard.

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia