MANAMA (Bahrain) - The way that the schedule rolled out for Manama in WASL-Gulf season 2023/2024 added fuel to the competitive fire right out of the gates.

"What I see is that we will get better and better every game. This is the target anyway; to get better and better every game."

Manama tipped off their first game against Kazma who they had beaten in the previous season in the Qualification to Semi-Finals round. The Kuwaiti champions might have been a little bit more motivated to get their revenge. Indeed, the atmosphere in the game fed off vibes that resembled a budding rivalry.

There was also the fact that Manama were coming off a season where they had made the WASL-Gulf Finals and won WASL Final 8. The targets were undoubtedly on their backs.

"Definitely, every game will be difficult because everyone wants to beat the champions," said Manama head coach Pantelis Gavriel. "Everyone is hungry to [beat] the champions.

"If I were a player and playing the champions, I want to win that game and then maybe lose the rest of them," Gavriel added lightly. "So we're going to face difficult nights like tonight."

Despite that, Manama emerged with what coach Gavriel calls an important win.

They were not without flaws, however. Manama allowed a double-digit lead they held in the first quarter wiped away in which Kazma even took control of the lead early in the second half. Therefore, there"s still work left to be done which what Gavriel is expecting.

"What I see is that we will get better and better every game. This is the target anyway; to get better and better every game."

That should be a scary thought for Manama's upcoming opponents, whether it's Al Shamal or even Shabab Al Ahli - Dubai, as well as Kazma who are scheduled for at least one more game against each other. The Bahraini club already looked strong in their opening game, shooting 50 percent from the field and nearly 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

Both Travin Thibodeaux (13 points, 9 rebounds) and Sir'Dominic Pointer (20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks) seem like they didn't skip a beat. And that's with newcomer Tony Farmer (11 points, 6 rebounds), who has been with the team for only 10 days, still figuring his way around th squad.

"Tony is a good guy," confirmed Pointer who emphasized how close-knit the team was time and again.

"Our team is ready to welcome anybody who signs a contract. You're family once you do. We treat you like it.

"We still have to figure out the basketball but off the court, we're good. We knew he's only had a couple of games with us, so he going to get going and get rolling to do what he's capable of and going to improve on it and figure it out with the team."

Then, there's also the continued development of youngster Mosti Rashed. The 21-year-old had an up-and-down first WASL season, starting with four straight double-digit games only to follow that up with four straight scoreless games. But over time, he's put his potential on display in terms of how he can improve which was clearly evident in this season's opener.

Rashed easily crushed his WASL (both Gulf and Final 8) personal-highs against Kazma with 29 points and 5 made three-point shots.

"Mosti is the man," said Pointer. "If you need a bucket, he's going to get you one."

Still, as elated as Gavriel and Manama are of Mosti's performance, he knows that there can be more to come from the young gun - if handled properly.

"Definitely, every healthy-minded coach is happy to see his player perform," said Gavriel. "At the same time, Mosti is a very young talent, extremely talented player, but still very young.

"He has a lot of things to learn so we try to keep him on the ground and be humble. [He needs] to learn every day and to control his mind, because I believe personally from my experience that he can play better than what he's playing.

"Now as far as his decision-making, some nights he will not score the basketball so he will have to make good decisions to control the team rhythm and decision-making. So I'm really happy but at the same time I want to keep him on the ground and to keep working hard to improve even more than what he is, not getting overexcited.

"He can get overexcited if he is playing on the last team of the league, plays streetball, and scores 50 points. but [we are] Manama and [WASL Final 8] champions, champions of the country, we have a culture. We're humble and we improve every day."

If Manama continues to improve as targeted on all ends, they will have targets on their backs throughout the season. They wouldn't expect anything less.

FIBA