Qatar Club basketball team management agreed terms with the Amraican Coach Eric Darrel for next season 2008/2009.
Coach Darrel was the head coach of Al Rayyan team, Qatar Club team and Qatar National Team.
Head Coach:
2006-2007: Al Rayyan (QAT-D1)
2007-2008: Qatar Club (QAT-D1)
Awards/Achievements:
Asian Club Championships -07 (Bronze)
Head Coach: Quatar National Team -07
William Jones Cup Tournament -07 Qatar Emir Cup Finalist -08
Qatar Club basketball team management agreed terms with the Amraican Coach Eric Darrel for next season 2008/2009.
Coach Darrel was the head coach of Al Rayyan team, Qatar Club team and Qatar National Team.
Head Coach: 2006-2007: Al Rayyan (QAT-D1) 2007-2008: Qatar Club (QAT-D1)
Awards/Achievements: Asian Club Championships -07 (Bronze) Head Coach: Quatar National Team -07 William Jones Cup Tournament -07 Qatar Emir Cup Finalist -08
The Qatari Basketball Season Ends on a Successful Note
The conclusion of the FIBA Asia Club Championships signalled the end of the Qatari basketball season. This season saw a Qatari team, Al Arabi Club who were lead by Coach David Ingham , hoist the GCC Cup for the first time. It was also the first time that a Qatari team other than Al Rayyan got their name inscribed on that Cup. Another first was Al Jaysh Army SC surprising run to dethrone Al Rayyan, who have dominated the league for many years, to claim their first league title.
The conclusion of the FIBA Asia Club Championships signalled the end of the Qatari basketball season. This season saw a Qatari team, Al Arabi Club who were lead by Coach David Ingham , hoist the GCC Cup for the first time. It was also the first time that a Qatari team other than Al Rayyan got their name inscribed on that Cup. Another first was Al Jaysh Army SC surprising run to dethrone Al Rayyan, who have dominated the league for many years, to claim their first league title. While Al Rayyan, even though they lost the league crown, still ended the season on successful note. After losing out in the league championships, they came back strong to claim both league cups, finish third at the GCC's, and take second place at the FIBA Asia Club Championships, just losing out to eventual champions Saba Battery of Iran in a closely contested final. So congratulations to Al Arabi Club, Al Jaysh Army SC and Al Rayyan for their accomplishments this season. All teams are now off on holiday, while the Qatari Basketball Federation irons out the particulars on the import rules and other finer details for the upcoming season. We look forward to the opening of the 2008-2009 campaign.
SABA Battery - Rayyan 82:75
The Iranian powerhouse SABA Battery clinched the second straight Asia Champions Cup title yesterday. They overpowered Qatari Rayyan in the championship game in Kuwait. The game turned into a dramatic contest with the sides keeping it on level terms for the major part of the game. However DaJuan Tate (196-G/F-81, college: Mountain St.) accounted for a couple of key points in the dying minutes to propel the SABA Battery to an impressive success.
SABA Battery - Rayyan 82:75
The Iranian powerhouse SABA Battery clinched the second straight Asia Champions Cup title yesterday. They overpowered Qatari Rayyan in the championship game in Kuwait. The game turned into a dramatic contest with the sides keeping it on level terms for the major part of the game. However DaJuan Tate (196-G/F-81, college: Mountain St.) accounted for a couple of key points in the dying minutes to propel the SABA Battery to an impressive success. SABA Battery and Rayyan exchanged the blows early in the encounter with the Iranian outfit grabbing a 16:15 lead at the first intermission. Rayyan relied on solid performance from Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college: N.Mexico) to regain the control over the game in the second quarter. Rayyans American import came up with 15 points in the frame and Qatari team claimed a 10-point advantage at halftime. The things changed radically in the third stanza and SABA Battery started to claw their way back. DaJuan Tate and Gabe Muoneke (200-F-78, college: Texas) teamed up to ignite a 32:14 rally that put SABA in front 61:53 after three quarters of action. Eric Chatfield came up with a trey to tie it all at 68 late in regulation. DaJuan Tate answered with 7 straight points to carry SABA to safe distance and they ensured the winning outcome at the end. DaJuan Tate scored 30 points to lead all scorers. Gabe Muoneke added 26 points, while Hamed Hadadi (218-C-85, agency: Huss Sport Agency) nailed 18 points for the winners. Eric Chatfield knocked down 29 points to pace Rayyan. Yaseen Ismail (204-F-80) accounted for 15 points and Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college: UNLV) had 13 in defeat.
Rayyan - Wasl 81:57
Qatari Rayyan entered the Asia Champions Cup Final yesterday after beating previously undefeated Wasl in the semifinal. The Qatari outfit reached their 5th final in the last 8 editions of the competition. Wasl started the game without their charismatic leader Courtney Fields (206-F-82, college: Iona) who was sidelined with a knee injury. It paid off immediately as Rayyan used the dominance in height to full advantage.
Rayyan - Wasl 81:57
Qatari Rayyan entered the Asia Champions Cup Final yesterday after beating previously undefeated Wasl in the semifinal. The Qatari outfit reached their 5th final in the last 8 editions of the competition. Wasl started the game without their charismatic leader Courtney Fields (206-F-82, college: Iona) who was sidelined with a knee injury. It paid off immediately as Rayyan used the dominance in height to full advantage. Wasl managed to stay close in the starting frame due to heroics from Ayoub Albaloushi as they trailed by 2 points after 10 minutes of action. However Rayyan stepped on the gas in the second quarter and Wasl immediately started to lag behind. Qatari outfit ignited a massive 29:9 rally in the second stanza to accumulate a 22-point buffer at halftime. Herve Lamizana (208-F/C-81, college: Rutgers) was obviously out of rhythm on the night and Wasl simple ran out of options to change the complexion of the game. Rayyan notched a 23:13 third frame to pile up an insurmountable 32-point margin before the fourth term. Brian Lester introduced his bench players into action in the final period with the outcome pretty vivid. Wasl used the fact to cut the deficit a bit but it did not matter as Rayyan headed into the tournament finale. Yaseen Ismail (204-F-80) came up with 16 points to lead Rayyan. Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college: UNLV) scored 15 points, while Saad Ali Abdulrahman had 10 for the winners. Ayoub Albaloushi answered with game-high 21 points for Wasl. Herve Lamizana knocked down 13 points in a loss.
Rayyan - Muharraq 95:78
Qatari Rayyan cruised past Muharraq of Bahrain to reach the semifinal stage yesterday. The teams had three days of rest after the quarterfinal stage was postponed because of the state mourning in Kuwait. So both sides were ready to fight and come up with their best performances. It turned to be partly true as Rayyan looked impressive down the line and posted an easy win.
Rayyan - Muharraq 95:78
Qatari Rayyan cruised past Muharraq of Bahrain to reach the semifinal stage yesterday. The teams had three days of rest after the quarterfinal stage was postponed because of the state mourning in Kuwait. So both sides were ready to fight and come up with their best performances. It turned to be partly true as Rayyan looked impressive down the line and posted an easy win. Qatari team jumped to a lead late in the first frame and drove to a 23:17 advantage after 10 minutes of action. A well-balanced offensive effort from Rayyan allowed Qatari side to stretch the gap to as many as 14 points at halftime. Rayyan did a great defensive job limiting Muharraq leader Donald Little to only 12 points and thus cutting the offensive options for Muharraq. Saad Ali stepped up for Rayyan in the second half as they kept their opponents at bay and rolled to a comfortable victory. The margin reached an 18-point mark after three quarters and Muharraq simply lacked answers for the sizzling performance from Rayyan. The defense eased the pressure in the fourth period as both teams fired from all distances but Rayyan had the game under control and registered a comfortable win at the end. Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college: UNLV) provided 21 points to lead Rayyan. Saad Ali launched 18 points, while Yassen Daoud Musa (193-G-82) had 14 in a winning clause. Rah-Shun Roberts (202-F-75, college: California (PA)) replied with 24 points for Muharraq. Ebrahim Alderazi scored 24 points in defeat. Rayyan will face Wasl in the semifinal clash tomorrow.
Al Rayyan basketball team management agreed terms with the American forward Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college: UNLV) to play for them the Asian Clubs Championship (Kuwait May 8-16) .
Add depth to the forward position. Outstanding potential. He is a quick forward that can run the floor, shoots the ball and has a nice touch around the basket. He possesses great ability to go to the offensive boards.
Al Rayyan basketball team management agreed terms with the American forward Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college: UNLV) to play for them the Asian Clubs Championship (Kuwait May 8-16) .
Add depth to the forward position. Outstanding potential. He is a quick forward that can run the floor, shoots the ball and has a nice touch around the basket. He possesses great ability to go to the offensive boards.
Awards/Achievements: Named HS second-team overall division and first-team all-League (El Camino Real) -99 All-Mountain West Newcomer Team -00 Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year -00 MWC Tournament Finalist -02 All-MWC 1st Team -02 Baltic League All-Star Game -06, 07 Baltic League Quarterfinals -06 Latvian League Regular Season Champion -06 Latvian League Champion -06
Al Rayyan - BK Almaty 89:68
The Asia Champions Cup preliminary round has ended with the teams preparing for the quarterfinal battles now. Yesterday the curtain fell with 8 teams figuring out the last placing in the Groups. In Group A Qatari Al Rayyan topples BK Almaty from Kazakhstan to claim the second spot. The trademark defense from BK Almaty did not well quite smoothly right from the start and Al Rayyan easily ran away to a 32:15 distance after the first frame.
Al Rayyan - BK Almaty 89:68
The Asia Champions Cup preliminary round has ended with the teams preparing for the quarterfinal battles now. Yesterday the curtain fell with 8 teams figuring out the last placing in the Groups. In Group A Qatari Al Rayyan topples BK Almaty from Kazakhstan to claim the second spot. The trademark defense from BK Almaty did not well quite smoothly right from the start and Al Rayyan easily ran away to a 32:15 distance after the first frame. Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college: N.Mexico) paced well balanced Al Rayyan offense and the team enjoyed a 24-point cushion before the fourth period. BK Almaty simply could not match their opponents tempo and trailed by unassailable 25 points after three quarters of action. Vsevolod Fadeykin (206-G-85) helped Kazakh team cut the deficit a bit in the fourth period but it never influenced the outcome as Al Rayyan posted their 3rd win in the tournament. Eric Chatfield scored 28 points for Qatari team. Daoud Musa (193-G-82) dropped 23 points, while Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college: UNLV) had 15 points in a winning case. Mikhail Evstigneev (203-F-84) and Vsevolod Fadeykin nailed 20 points apiece for BK Almaty. BK Almaty will now face the defending champions SABA Battery in the quarterfinal on Wednesday. Al Rayyan will be opposed by Al Muharraq at the stage. Al Rayyan coach Brian Lester stressed the necessity of playing a tougher defense against Al Muharraq in order to celebrate success. Al Rayyan can hope for some big results this season as Eric Chatfield seems to glue well with Dalron Johnson and the duo is a dangerous weapon against any side.
Al Riyadi - Al Rayyan 88:79
Al Riyadi registered their fourth straight victory beating Al Rayyan yesterday. Thus Lebanese powerhouse booked the top spot in Pool A and qualified for the quarterfinal stage. There they will take on Al Qadsia from Kuwait as the hosts have already slated their 4th place finish in Group B. Al Rayyan meanwhile suffered their first loss at the tournament and remained at the second spot just behind Al Riyadi.
Al Riyadi - Al Rayyan 88:79
Al Riyadi registered their fourth straight victory beating Al Rayyan yesterday. Thus Lebanese powerhouse booked the top spot in Pool A and qualified for the quarterfinal stage. There they will take on Al Qadsia from Kuwait as the hosts have already slated their 4th place finish in Group B. Al Rayyan meanwhile suffered their first loss at the tournament and remained at the second spot just behind Al Riyadi. The teams were well matched in the starting minutes as neither side was able to spur ahead. The things were all tied at 20 after one quarter of action. However Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) fueled Al Riyadi fierce rally in the second quarter as Lebanese team cleared off to a 12-point distance. However Al Rayyan were not taken aback. Eric Chatfield (191-G-79, college: N.Mexico) and Dalron Johnson (206-F-81, college: UNLV) kept on delivering points and the gap was eventually narrowed to 6 points after three quarters. But it was Fadi El Kh
