Bursting Palestine’s bubble

CHANGSHA – For a first-timer at the FIBA Asia Championships, Palestine has become the early toast of the tournament here. The national team caught everyone by surprise in shocking the Philippines, 75-73, on opening day then trounced Kuwait, 90-69, and Hong Kong, 85-79, to finish the first round with a perfect 3-0 record in Group B.

Entering the second round, Palestine joined defending champion Iran and host China as the only unbeaten teams in the 28th edition of the continental battle. However, Palestine failed to extend its winning streak and was stopped by India, 73-70, last Sunday. A Gilas victory over India today will assure the Philippines of a second place finish in its bracket in the second round.

Palestine’s surge was too good to last. Call it beginner’s luck. The bubble eventually burst. India stormed back from seven down to win it in a dogfight. Amjyot Singh, who plays as an import in the Japanese league, delivered 32 points to spark the win for India. Three Palestine players logged at least 36 minutes, underscoring coach Jerry Steele’s short rotation and in the end, there was little gas left in their tank.

The upset over the Philippines was proof that in basketball, nothing is impossible. Before the game, the indication was there was no way Palestine could win. At the Asian Games in Incheon last year, Palestine came out of the woodwork to compete and lost three straight contests to finish No. 15 of 16. Palestine bowed to India, 89-49, Kazakhstan, 72-50 and Saudi Arabia, 89-71. The Philippines, fresh from the FIBA World Cup in Spain, finished No. 7.

At the West Asia Basketball Association (WABA) Championships in Amman this year, Palestine wound up third behind Lebanon and host Jordan to book a ticket to the FIBA Asia tilt here. Palestine beat Syria, 79-73, and Iraq, 70-62, but lost to Lebanon, 88-79 and Jordan, 92-76.

* * * *

Against Gilas, Steele played only seven men and three went the entire distance. Sani Sakakini, Imad Qahwash and Jamal Abu Shamala were on the court for the full 40 minutes. Palestine trailed by 16 in the first half but refused to roll over and die. In the fourth period, Sakakini and Shamala erupted for nine points apiece to trigger a late charge that left Gilas in tatters.

“The guys I played, that’s all we’ve got,” said Steele. “I’ve had to play only a few players because there’s nobody else. Unfortunately, we have no depth. I’ve been with the Palestine basketball program for two years now. I’ve had to teach the players everything, show them how it’s done. I can’t just tell them about the crossover dribble or the pick-and-roll. I have to show them. That’s my role as a teacher.”

Steele, 57, is a Phoenix lawyer who’s involved in Christian social work with the urban youth. “We do sports programs, mainly on basketball and football in Phoenix,” he said. “I was invited to do something similar in Palestine and that’s how I got to be the national coach. I’ve had some coaching experience in the past at the high school and small college level but that’s it. This isn’t about me, it’s about the players. I hope it’s gratifying for the players to be on this big stage. As for me, it’s kind of frustrating because we’re not getting any help from the administration. I don’t mean to be derogatory but in Palestine, there just aren’t too many basketball players. But with the players we’ve got, I just want to give them a chance to show what they can do. Basketball isn’t my life. But it’s theirs. My role is to give them the opportunity to be competitive at this level.”

Steele said he was influenced by high school coach John Nichols, a former FBI agent, in his basketball philosophy. Steele noted that he’s not the same Jerry Steele who coached the Carolina Cougars in the 1970-71 ABA season. His namesake is a 76-year-old legend at High Point University which he coached for 32 years up to 2003 before celebrated PBA import Arizona Reid joined the varsity.

* * * *

One of Steele’s players Qahwash said he’s hoping to play in the coming PBA Governors Cup as an Asian import. He would’ve played last season for either Barangay Ginebra or Blackwater but couldn’t get his FIBA clearance right away. Qahwash said his Philippine agent is Sheryl Reyes.

“I was excited to play in the PBA,” said Qahwash whose girlfriend is half-Filipina. “Sheryl was on top of things. The problem was I had a clinic to run for Adidas and I couldn’t get my FIBA clearance on time. Now, it’s fine. The issue was my heritage. My father is Jordanian and my mother is Palestinian. I live in Canada. I played on the Jordanian team but never in a FIBA tournament. In fact, I played in Manila with Jordan once so I’ve been to the Philippines and that’s why I’d like to go back.”

Under FIBA rules, a player may represent only one country in his career. If the player is a dual citizen, he has to choose which country to play for. Once he plays for a country, he may never play for another.

Qahwash shot 17 points and had three assists against the Philippines. In the India contest, he compiled five points, four rebounds and nine assists in 39:24 minutes. At the WABA Championships, Qahwash averaged eight points, three rebounds and four assists. He polished his skills playing for the varsity at Joe Dumars’ alma mater McNeese State and Scottie Pippen’s alma mater Central Arkansas.

Palestine’s other key players are the Sakakini brothers, Shamala and Ahmed Haroon.  Sani Sakakini, a 6-8 forward, averaged 24.3 points at the Asian Games and at the WABA Championships, torched Iraq with 35, Syria with 39 and Lebanon with 29. His brother Salim hit at a 5.3 clip in Incheon. Shamala played four years with the University of Minnesota varsity. Haroon, like Qahwash, is from Canada. He played with the University of Guelph varsity in Ontario, the same school that produced Hong Kong center Duncan Reid.