Muslim Basketball

Best win: Opener vs Al-Khalil. Al-Bireh opened the season looking like one of the favorites. They showed they can play great defense against a talented lineup, and Adeeb and Khalid provided a consistent offensive floor. However, the offense and defense have not been complementary. The offense lacks a top gear and that puts pressure on the defense, which has been a letdown recently. Khalid looking to be a playmaker could unlock the offense.

After finally putting together a nice offensive performance, the defense let Al-Bireh down in a loss. They played a good game against a tough Tulkarem team but it’s definitely frustrating to miss a good opportunity to pick up a key win. With all the missed games, this team is still hard to judge. They’ve got a great opportunity next week vs Safad to give themselves some momentum before playoffs.

Strong mentality from Al-Bireh to come back and win this game that they know they should win. Good to see Shafic back in the fold. 19 points on 8-10 from Kevin, who’s strong performances have correlated to wins for Al-Bireh. Using him in threatening scoring positions instead of just moving the ball around will help unlock the offensive ceiling for Al-Bireh that we know exists but have yet to see.

Interestingly, after opening the season with a great win, Al-Bireh continues to trend lower while the team they beat trends up. The losses have come against good teams but at some point, we need to see the ceiling version of this team if they want to be high up the rankings. Adeeb and Khalid rightfully led the way in scoring but Amir and Kevin can afford to be more aggressive.

Good win for Al-Bireh, winning a physical game without multiple starters against two of the best players in the league. Towfeek worked his matchup well in isolation and Khalid fought his way to the line. Jenin worked hard to get their baskets, so the defensive plan was effective as well. Strong game across the board.

Great bounce back game for Adeeb with 24 including 6-13 from 3 but it wasn’t enough as Al-Bireh fell short in a close game. Can’t drop them too low for losing to a top team without Shafic but the same spacing issues hold them back in these big games. Their one win of the season came when they only had to attempt 14 threes.

The lack of 3 point shooting was glaring, even with Zain occupied in the paint by another impressive Khalid performance. Adeeb was 1-7 and Shafic 2-8 from 3, although Shafic did his best to keep them in it. They’ll look to bounce back but they have some tough games coming up.

Al-Bireh earned the win behind strong scoring from Khalid Itani (18 points) and Adeeb Yousef, who added 17 on efficient shooting while going a perfect 4-for-4 at the line. The team shot 42% overall and found enough offensive balance to offset some missed free throws and limited ball movement. With 20 made field goals and steady contributions from Kevin George inside, Al-Bireh maintained control throughout the matchup.