KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait) - Al Arabi SC aced their very first assignment in the 2025-26 FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) competitions and that alone should serve as enough reason for the team to celebrate.
Because the Qatari side wasn't able to accomplish as much during their maiden campaign.
"I want to thank my brothers," said a grateful Mosti Rashed shortly after their 83-78 upset of Kuwait Club, Tuesday night. "We came here to win this game. We fought, We stayed together, especially for our coach."
A quick look-back at the records would show that Al Arabi flunked their WASL debut last season after suffering a harsh 86-64 demolition at the hands of eventual runners-up Ittihad Club in Jeddah.
But 357 days later, the Red Devils made sure to not to get through that same situation again, this time showing great resolve in the endgame to eventually complete the comeback after being down by as many as 11.
This is just the first step.
And Rashed himself - as always - played a role so crucial to make it happen, finishing with a game-high 29 points behind an excellent 7-of-10 from beyond the arc as he made the most of his 40 minutes on the floor.
"Alhamdulillah," expressed the Bahraini star, who shot 9-of-16 from the floor all in all and also added 2 rebounds and 2 assists in beating the two-time WASL-Gulf League titlists once again - just like it's 2023.
As glad as they are, though, Rashed and Al Arabi refuse to get too caught up by the solid start to their second foray in the pan-regional competition, with each of them choosing to stay as grounded as they can be.
They've only won one game, pointed out the WASL champion.
"This is just the first step. It's nothing, because we still have two rounds," said Rashed, who's in his third season with the club. "Alhamdulillah we won the first game, but there are two more games in the First Round."
Even head coach Hatem Mamlouk is thinking the same, having learned their lesson during the 2024-25 season in which their supposed turnaround after that loss to the Saudi Arabian side ended up in disappointment.
From being mauled by the Tigers, Al Arabi actually won their next two games and even shared the lead in Group B with Al Qadsia SC at a time, only to lose their next three assignments that eventually led to their exit.
They finished with a 2-4 record, with their 89-77 defeat to, coincidentally, Qadsia - in Kuwait City, by the way - arguably the heaviest as it dashed their hopes of advancing to the Sub-Zone League's Final Phase.
But aside from their fate last season, the champion bench tactician also noted that they are situated in a tough Group B this time as it also features the loaded Al Ula Club and UAE's best in Sharjah SC.
Thus, their even-keeled approach.
"It's still too early to judge," Mamlouk offered. "It's just the first game, and this group is a pretty tough group - we have [ourselves], Kuwait, Al Ula, and Sharjah. There are a lot of good teams in this group, so it's still too early."
"You never know what might happen," he added. "We won this game, but we might lose a couple."
It's not to say, though, that they're running short of any belief that they can win in this pool.
"But, we have the confidence that we would be able to succeed in this group. And hopefully, that would be the case," the Tunisian mentor said. "And when the Second Round comes, we'll see how it goes."
Al Arabi SC will next face Sharjah on November 4 in Dubai.
FIBA