Hidden Gems of the FIBA u16 Asian Championships 2022

This year’s edition of the U16 Asian Championships was full of surprises that viewers weren’t expecting. A handful of players performed admirably in the competition to catch the eyes of everybody watching from regular viewers and fans of the game to coaches and scouts.

#34 Karl Zammata (C/O 2026) Lebanon

Karl Surprised everyone with his play, especially in the Quarter Finals against Korea where he scored 24 points and grabbed 21 rebounds to help contain and beat a strong-willed team in Korea. Karl virtually had no rest time in that game playing 39 out of 40 possible minutes of playing time.

The 6’8″ 16-year-old big man out of Lebanon is very agile for his size with a classic back-to-the-basket game. He is also a strong pick and roll option setting strong screens and rolling properly and often sealing his defenders to either allow the ball handler to attack or get himself open for a quick dumb for the layup. But don’t be surprised if this big shows off his ball-handling or shooting skills soon, I believe he can grow into that role but for now he is doing great in the role he is playing helping them secure a spot in the FIBA U17 World Cup.

# 4 Mohamed Ndao (C/O 2027) Qatar

Mohamed Ndao the 6’4″ 15-year-old out of Qatar plays at a mature level. Ndao is calm and collected, he knows when to make plays, when to attack the rim and when to pass. He is a long athlete that has a knack for defending the ball whether it is at the perimeter of the rim. He can also score at almost all levels but he prefers to attack the rim and is well adept at drawing fouls shooting a total of 22 free throws in 4 games of the competition.

Ndao’s play type is equivalent to that of the modern two-way wing and can score, facilitate, defend, and play team ball. He is young and already seems experienced to an extent. He will continue to grow as he works on his shooting where he already has the advantages of good mechanics. Keep an eye on this one he will develop to be Qatar’s future star.

#19 Moustapha Ndao (C/O 2025) Qatar

Moustapha, Mohamed’s older brother, is another gem that Qatar will look to watch as he develops. Moustapha is a player that has a very solid set of skills and had a surprising showing in this year’s edition of the U16 Asian Cup.

Moustapha can attack the basket or post up down low with agile footwork. He’s able to score against bigger opponents or smaller ones and has a good handle on the ball. The 6’2″ forward is an exciting watch for coaches because he can facilitate, handle the ball, score and with more development and guidance can evolve into what is called the “Universal Player” and can be plugged anywhere on the floor.

#35 Anthony Naba (C/O 2026) Lebanon

This 6’7″ forward has been an important tool in the cedars’ toolbox throughout WABA Asian Championships Qualifiers and the Asia Championships. He has been more impressive in the Asia Championships due to his performance consistency. At the end of the day, you can depend on Anthony to play his role and give you productive minutes at the wing position.

His role will be amplified as the Lebanese side look to make a run at the World Cup top 8 teams, a very difficult task. Anthony will need to step up at that wing position and outperform his previous efforts. He has been gradually finding his way as he’s improved from the WABA from scoring 6.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg to averaging 8.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg. We understand that these numbers aren’t flashy but they’re highly efficient and integral to the flow of Lebanon’s offence.

These players are the biggest under-the-radar players in the U16 Asia Championships for 2022 and the thing is they’re still very young we will be exposed to them again soon and this time we will be ready to see how much they’ve developed.