AMMAN — The
Arab Basketball Championship ended with crowning the Lebanese Club,
Beirut, with the second consecutive title, after fierce competition in the final against the Syrian Al-Thawra team.
اضافة اعلان
The tournament allowed the participation of two professional players at the same time, which represented 40 percent of the number and strength of the team on court.
The level and performance of the female professionals varied during the tournament, some appeared brilliant, others mediocre and/or sluggish.
The process of selecting female professionals requires strategic mindset for a correct selection that suits the needs of the team and the harmony of the professional players within the team.
Since time is not on their side, the head coach sometimes needs a lot of luck to make the best use of his/her players with the team. Sometimes though, the presence of a professional has a negative effect on the team; if she did not fit in with the team and plays with arrogance and individuality.
Throughout my follow-up on the tournament and while talking with a good number of coaches, and given what we saw during the tournament, let us review the professional players’ performances:
Qatari Team
The team did not rely on any professional, but was content with relying on the female residents. They used the Iranian Kimia Tahrnai and Bailey Chevron, and their performance was consistent with the rest of the team, but since it is a hobby for them, it did not help the team win any matches.
Jordanian Orthodox Club
Relies on professionals Sharon Husten and Kerri Jewett Giles.
Despite the impressive biographies of both of them, especially for Houston, both of them were the worst among all the female pros in the championship.
They showed arrogance and negativity, as well as lack of defending and unsportsmanlike behavior multiple times.
It seemed they were playing to market themselves rather than help the team win, even though the fighting spirit of the rest of the team was apparent.
I believe that if they performed better, the results of the Orthodox Club would have been better.
Fuheis team
Relies on professionals Kay James and Chelsea Hopkins.
Collectively, they were the best. High spirit and absolute cooperation with the team.
The coach deployed them in the best position for them.
They performed wonderfully when needed, but the decline in the level of local players in some matches was a reason for not challenging for the title.
Syrian Al-Thawra team
Relies on professionals Chelsea Chambert and Chanita Jordan.
They are not the best, but they are the best choice for their team.
A normal resume, but the coach's intelligence and employment raised their shares in a wonderful way.
I expect that the demand for them will increase for what they presented during the tournament.
The Syrian players were distinguished by their fighting spirit, and the two professionals gelled well with the same qualities and appeared to be part of this team.
Lebanese Beirut Club
Relies on Monique Reed and Harvey.
A player like Monique Reed is of the type who, in her worst days, gives you a better performance than the rest of the team and her performance during the tournament made her the best without a doubt; awesome stats and hard to stop.
As for Harvey, during the first match, she did not convince.
Nevertheless, her performances quickly escalated up until the final, were she was the star of the team and the final.
Let us not forget the role of the local players, especially defensively, added to their brilliance.
In conclusion, the process of selecting professionals is not an easy task.
It takes time and days watching many matches, and it is not possible to judge from the highlights, since the player or agent aims to market his/her players in the best possible way to gain financially.
Intelligence, in that context, is to choose the right player for your team.
That helps with team performances and are there when you need them in tough matches when the match needs individual intervention.
Beware of arrogant players who offer lots of controversy and debate.
They are a huge burden on the team and their negatives outshine their positives.
Lastly, a guaranteed professional, who is a high-level player and differs from all the players, as we saw from the professional Monique Reed; when the match was tight, she found individual solutions to score or assist, and her performances on “off” worst day, is usually impressive as well.
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