QAT – Building for the very near future

DOHA (FIBA Asia Championship/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Qatar made people sit up and take notice when they competed at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, arguably their biggest moment on the international stage.

In the so-called 'Group of Death' in Hamamatsu, Japan, the Asian minnows threw an early scare into a powerhouse Greece side.

The Greeks had won the EuroBasket in Belgrade the year before yet in a strange beginning to their World Championship, they struggled against a Qatar side that everyone expected them to blow out.

Ali Turki Ali's three-pointer with seven minutes and 18 seconds remaining in the second quarter gave the Asian side a 28-12 lead.

Alarm bells started to ring in Athens and word started to spread like wildfire in Doha that Qatar were meting out some punishment to the European champions.

Greece's Nikos Zisis made a lay-up, though, and teammate Vassilis Spanoulis drilled a three-pointer to trigger a 24-3 run for the Europeans.

They ultimately prevailed, 84-64.

While Qatar had some interesting, high-flying moments for the rest of the World Championship, they didn't threaten to spring any more upsets against Brazil, Turkey, Australia or Lithuania.

The Qatar national side hasn't made waves since that summer in Japan.

This is not a team that can be taken lightly at next year's FIBA Asia Championship, the qualifying event for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014.

Veteran coach Tom Wisman is now at the helm and just as he does with all of his teams, including most recently Japan, he aspires to be among the best.

What is his aim at the FIBA Asia Cup this week in Tokyo?

"Getting better and using the experience to build a stronger platform for the 27th FIBA Asia Championship, which is a qualifier for 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain," he told FIBAAsia.com.

"And of course, winning as many games as we can."

In the build-up to the Asia Cup, Qatar had a 10-day training camp in Lithuania where they took on sides from the Baltic country, Russia and Ukraine.

They also went to the Philippines for another camp.

While the razzle and dazzle is often what catches the eye of the fans, it's what happens at the other end of the court that usually determines whether a team is going to win or lose.

That has been the point of emphasis for Wisman.

"We've been working on building a 'defense first' mentality and also playing with good and improved spacing on offense," he said.

Wisman says that the Qatar Basketball Federation have been very supportive in helping him build a competitive team.

"It is an honor to be their national coach and I couldn't ask for anything more than what they have provided in terms of their commitment to the team," he said.

"Everyone has been fantastic, a pleasure to work with and for."

FIBA