A file photo of players fighting for the ball.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 19: Kazma Club’s men’s basketball team begins its campaign in the West Asian Gulf Super League today, taking on Bahrain’s Muharraq at 7:00 PM at the Basketball Federation Hall in Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex.

The Gulf region clubs are divided into two groups: Group A features Kazma, Muharraq, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad, and UAE’s Shabab Al-Ahli, while Group B includes Kuwait Club, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ula, Qatar’s Al-Arabi, and UAE’s Sharjah.

The tournament kicked off last week, with Al-Ittihad defeating Shabab Al-Ahli 94-88 and Al-Ula beating Sharjah 108-74.

For Kazma, today’s match is crucial under Slovenian coach Bojan Lazic, who is aiming for a strong start in the Asian competition and hopes to bounce back from a narrow 92-93 loss to Al-Qurain in last week’s domestic Super Cup third-place playoff. The team, however, showed excellent form in the 37th Arab Clubs Championship in Dubai last month, finishing fourth and gaining valuable preparation for the season.

Kazma’s roster combines experience and youth, led by captain Ahmed Al-Bloushi, Hussein Al-Khubaz, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Abdulaziz Faleh, along with young talents Hamad Al-Ali, Khalifa Al-Omani, and Youssef Naseeb. Foreign reinforcements Phil Green and Jajuan Johnson further strengthen the squad.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff