Subotic names squad for Asia qualifiers

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain have named their 12-man squad for the opening round of the FIBA Asia Cup 2029 pre-qualifiers, which gets underway in Dubai this week.

The kingdom’s senior men, led by newly appointed Greek-Slovenian head coach Slobodan Subotic, arrived in Dubai yesterday ahead of the start of their campaign.

The squad features Ali Hussain, Mohammed Buallay, Ahmed Salman, Mustafa Hussain, Ahmed Bindayneh, Ali Jaber, Mohammed Ghazi, JaKarr Sampson, Mahmood Abbas, Ahmed Hassan, Mohammed Nasser and Somto Patrick Onoduenyi.

Bahrain travelled directly to the UAE from Doha, where they completed the final stage of their preparations with an unbeaten run in a three-nation friendly tournament.

They opened with a 76-69 victory over hosts Qatar before following it up with an impressive 100-86 win against Saudi Arabia.

The two results provided an encouraging lead-in to the qualifiers and a positive start under their new head coach.

Bahrain have been drawn in Group A of the first round of pre-qualifiers alongside Oman, Nepal, Kuwait and hosts the UAE.

They open their campaign against Oman on Thursday at 4pm Bahrain time, before facing the UAE the following day at 7pm.

Following a rest day on Saturday, the Bahrainis return to action against Nepal on Sunday at 4pm before concluding the opening round against Kuwait on Monday at 7pm. All times are Bahrain.

A total of 18 nations are competing in the first stage of pre-qualification, divided across four groups at separate venues around the continent.

Group B is being held in Almaty and features Kazakhstan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Kyrgyzstan, while Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and hosts Malaysia make up Group C in Seremban.

Group D, being contested in Ulaanbaatar, comprises hosts Mongolia, Thailand, Vietnam and Fiji.

The top three teams from each group will advance to the second round of pre-qualifiers, scheduled to take place towards the end of the year.

Bahrain’s Dubai campaign also comes ahead of their participation in next month’s 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

They are among 12 teams entered in the men’s basketball competition and have been drawn in Group C alongside defending champions the Philippines, China and Kazakhstan.

The five-on-five tournament will run from September 10 to 20, beginning nine days before the Asian Games’ official opening ceremony.