DOHA (Qatar): Lusail’s Seydou Ndoye and Abdulrahman Saad will be looking to take their game to another level when they spearhead the home team’s challenge at the FIBA 3×3 Doha Masters on March 26 and 27 here.
With his team coming in as underdogs Ndoye and Saad will seek to turn the tables on their more fancied opponents in Qatar’s capital. Fouteeen team including the world’s 10 highest ranked teams will be seen in action in the World Tour’s season opener in Doha.
The home team will be hoping to make it more than a two-horse race in Pool C with new-look Novi Sad and beefed-up Ub adding star value to the Pool.
Ndoye, who was part of the Doha Masters 2019, leading them in scoring and field goal percentage, will look to feed the post all game long for Lusail. If the former U18 star is able to elevate his game, it will be hard to stop the home team.
Besides Ndoye, Abdulrahman Saad will represent local hopes and he comes into the Masters in-form having starred for Lusail in the domestic league.
Saad, the No.2 ranked Qatari, played in the Doha Masters 2019 for Katara but should be a much more dangerous player on this occasion having since represented his country in several major 3×3 international events.
Nedim Muslic and Erfan Ali Saeed are other members of the team.
Qatar’s second team in the competition, Doha have no World Tour experience under their belt and will be fighting it out in the qualifiers and will seek to take up the lone spot up for grabs in Pool D and join the American sides NY Harlem and Princeton.
Faisal Abuissa, Babacar Dieng, Souley Ndour and Abdelrahman Yehia will lead Doha’s challenge.
This will be the third consecutive year that the World Tour will be played in Doha, the site of several famous 3×3 moments, including the jaw-dropping decider between Riga (Latvia) and Liman (Serbia) last November.
Last year, despite a difficult situation for players and organizers, the city was able to host a historic event in the midst of the pandemic.
Liman, Riga, Ub, NY Harlem, Princeton, Novi Sad, Amsterdam Talent&Pro, Piran, Sakiai Gulbele, and Edmonton are the top-ten world ranked teams taking part in the competition.
