WABA U16 Asian Championship Qualifier: Top Guards

After a 5-year break, the Western Asia Basketball Association (WABA) is back in action and boy are we happy to see it make its comeback. This year was PACKED with talent across the board and almost every game was highly competitive from start to finish. We made sure we watched every single match to analyze it and bring you a complete evaluation of the Top Guards for the Class of 2025

#1 Rayan Al Hachem

Rayan is a pure point guard. He is the glue that helped Lebanon’s youth secure a spot in the Asian Championship. Rayan showed his high basketball IQ by controlling the pace of every game. You could always be sure that when the ball finds Rayan, he in return will find his teammates or the hoop and convert it into points. He always made sure he finds the open man and make the extra pass having all his teammates touch the ball. Rayan also is an amazing scorer which can be overshadowed by his amazing playmaking skills. He knows when to shoot, pass or drive and the ball rarely gets stuck in his hands and is always moving it to find the best way to convert it into points. He is also very efficient when it comes to scoring, shooting 50% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc and can finish with both hands. Rayan doesn’t try to do too much and is the perfect point guard to have on your team because you know he’s a true floor general.

#6 Mohammad Amini

Mohammad is the type of guard that can do it all. He’ll facilitate at the one position, he’ll give you buckets at the 2-3 positions and he’ll lock up the other teams best player doing so. Mohammad is also athletic and will finish above the rim on multiple occasions. Unlike most scorers, he’s patient and efficient looking to get his points within the flow of the offence and can get you a bucket on demand. His playmaking skills are overshadowed by his scoring ability but don’t get it twisted, he’s always looking to pass and facilitate to his teammates. He also does not need the ball in his hand to score and is highly active off the ball. He looks to move around to find open space beyond the arc where he can make shots consistently and efficiently or he can attack off the dribble using his athleticism. He is a rebound hunter looking to grab every missed shot on both ends and doesn’t hesitate to attack the rim and convert the rebound into points. He’s the type of all-around guard that every team needs because he can do a bit of everything at a high level.

#6 Serouj Avedissian

Serouj is a BUCKET! To say it more accurately he is a professional bucket. When you watch Serouj play you can tell he plays professional basketball. The way he moves on offence and defence is not the way of amateurs. He can score in a bunch and very efficiently. He knows how to make the proper reads and attack the defence accordingly. He can score inside and outside, off the dribble or off the catch, he’ll shoot it from range with a hand in his face and will make it like he is wide open. Serouj has lots of experience playing at the pro level in his home country. He is an effortless scorer and almost doesn’t break a sweat putting the ball in the hoop. He’s the perfect two-guard to have on your team because when the team needs a bucket he’ll get it for you quickly and more importantly he doesn’t need many shots to get you loads of points.

#14 Abdullah Abusaab

The Jordanian point guard is someone you feel comfortable having run the show for your team. When he was playing the Falcons were at ease knowing that he will be able to run the offence effectively. He has a great pace controlling the flow of the offence and minimizing team mistakes and finding the open man or the bottom of the net. Abusaab is very active on defence and is adept at creating turnovers for the other team regularly coming up with steals and deflections and getting his team going with fastbreaks. He is also a good scorer able to shoot from deep or attack the big man and score over him. When Abusaab was off the floor the Jordanian side had trouble taking care of the ball or getting into a flow and rhythm. Abusaab is a guard you want on your side and would hate for him to be on the other side.

#13 Zinar Al Youssef

This two-way guard plays on both ends of the court and has a high motor. Zinar almost did not sub out for the Iraqi side in any of his games and was defending the best ball-handler in every possession. Zinar tries to facilitate the ball and get his teammates involved early. He’s also a very adept rim attacker and can almost get to the rim at will. All eyes will be on Znar in the coming years as he will be integral to Iraq’s youth national team development and evolution for years to come.

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