05-07-2025
Oman basketball continue training camp in Bahrain
MUSCAT, JULY 5
As part of its intensive preparations for the Gulf regional qualifiers for the FIBA Asia U-16 Championship, the Oman national under-16 basketball team continues its rigorous training camp in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The qualifiers will be held from July 7 to 12 with the participation of five teams: Oman, host nation Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, following the withdrawal of Qatar from the competition.
Led by Tunisian head coach Zouhair Al Ayachi and his Omani assistant Ali al Balushi, the national team is working to enhance the players' technical and physical readiness through a series of friendly matches, which have shown noticeable improvement in the team's performance in terms of both cohesion and individual and team skills.
The team played three friendly matches with varying levels of performance. In the first game, Oman lost to Bahrain's Muharraq Club 54–70. Muharraq fielded a mixed squad of youth and junior players. The match highlighted defensive challenges for the Omani team, especially in countering the opponent's three-point shots.
In the second game, Oman faced Jumpshot Academy, which featured players from Manama and Al Ahli clubs. Despite losing 60–76, the national team showed significant progress in team coordination and defensive coverage.
The third match was a rematch against Muharraq Club, where Oman put on a solid collective performance and earned a well-deserved 76–60 victory, reflecting clear improvement on both the defensive and offensive fronts.
Coach Zouhair Al Ayachi affirmed that the team is steadily progressing in terms of tactical and technical development. He noted that the improvement was gradual from one game to the next, particularly in defensive execution both man-to-man and zone defense. He also pointed to a relative improvement in three-point shooting, with the success rate increasing from 1 out of 19 attempts in the first game to 5 out of 26 in the last match.
Team manager Ghassan al Busaidy echoed the coach's sentiments, stating: "The overall performance of the team is improving gradually, we started the camp with a tough match against Muharraq and expected some errors due to the players' limited experience, but the performance has improved with every game." He said
"The team is starting to develop its own identity, and the understanding among players on the court is increasing. These friendly games are very important in building a strong, competitive team. We hope to maintain this positive momentum as we head into the tournament." He added,
It is worth noting that Qatar's withdrawal led to a change in the tournament format. The qualifiers will now follow a single round-robin league system, with the top two teams earning direct qualification to the FIBA Asia U16 Championship. This format places added importance on each game and increases the pressure to achieve positive results from the very first round.
The technical and administrative staff hope that the team will continue its upward trajectory and achieve its goal of qualifying for the Asian Championship a new milestone for Omani youth basketball.
