2022–23 FIBA West Asia Super League

The 2022–23 FIBA West Asia Super League was the inaugural season of the West Asia Super League (WASL), organised by FIBA Asia. The league featured eighteen teams.[1] The season began on 19 December 2022 and finished on 17 June 2023 with the final game of the Final Eight, which was hosted in Dubai.

2022–23 FIBA WASL season
LeagueFIBA West Asia Super League
SportBasketball
Duration19 December 2022 – 17 June 2023
Number of teams18
Gulf League
Season championsKuwait Kuwait Club (1st title)
  Runners-upBahrain Manama
West Asia League
Season championsLebanon Al Riyadi Beirut (1st title)
  Runners-upIran Shahrdari Gorgan
Final Eight
VenueSheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
ChampionsBahrain Manama (1st title)
  Runners-upKuwait Kuwait Club
Seasons

The league was split in two subdivisions, the West Asia League and the Gulf League, with both of them having a finals to determine the subdivision winners.

Manama won the inaugural title after defeating Kuwait Club in the championship game. Following their win, Manama was invited for the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Format

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The season exists out of 18 teams. Eight teams in the Western Asia region compete in home and away games for the sub-zonal title, while eight teams in the Gulf region do the same. The top three teams from each division advance to the Final round. There they are joined by the champions of the Kazakhstan Basketball Championship and the invited Indian representative. The two teams that advance to the championship game qualify for the 2023 FIBA Asia Champions Cup.[2]

Teams

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The Chennai Heat as the Indian National Basketball League champions, were supposed to play in the Final 8, but withdrew.[3]

Final 8
  Astana (1st)   Chennai Heat (1st)
Group phase
West Asia Gulf
  Beirut Club (1st)   Al Ittihad Aleppo (1st)   Al Hilal (1st)   Al Sadd (1st)
  Al Riyadi (2nd)   Al Karamah (2nd)   Al Nassr (2nd)   Shabab Al Ahli (1st)
  Shahrdari Gorgan (1st)   Orthodox Amman (1st)[a]   Kuwait (1st)   Al Bashaer (1st)
  Zob Ahan Isfahan (2nd)   Al Naft (1st)   Kazma (2nd)   Manama (1st)

Notes:

  1. ^ On December 15, 2022, FIBA announced that Jordanian Premier League runners-up Orthodox Amman were to replace champions Orthodox Ramallah as the representative of Jordan.[4]

Draw

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The draw was held on 28 October in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.[5]

West Asia League

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The West Asia League began on 21 December 2022 and ended on 17 May 2023.

Group phase

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Group A

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Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification   BEI   ZAI   ORT   ITT
1   Beirut Club 4 3 1 321 269 +52 7 Advance to semi-finals 73–56 89–76 Canc.
2   Zob Ahan Isfahan 4 2 2 306 312 −6 6 Advance to semi-finals qualifiers 79–72 89–81 Canc.
3   Orthodox Amman 4 1 3 301 347 −46 5 58–87 86–82 Canc.
4   Al Ittihad Aleppo[a] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew Canc. Canc. Canc.
Source: FIBA WASL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Al Ittihad Aleppo has forfeited all their games due to withdrawal from the tournament as a result of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.[6]

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification   SHA   RIY   ALN   KAR
1   Shahrdari Gorgan 4 3 1 360 303 +57 7 Advance to semi-finals 75–62 110–69 Canc.
2   Al Riyadi Beirut 4 2 2 337 347 −10 6 Advance to semi-finals qualifiers 81–74 107–98 Canc.
3   Al Naft 4 1 3 358 405 −47 5 91–101 100–87 Canc.
4   Al Karamah[a] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew Canc. Canc. Canc.
Source: FIBA WASL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Al Karamah has forfeited all their games due to withdrawal from the tournament as a result of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.[7]

Final phase

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Gulf League

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The Gulf League began on 19 December 2022 and ended on 15 May 2023 with the last game of the finals.

Group phase

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Group A

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Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification   HIL   SAA   KAZ   BAS
1   Al Hilal 6 5 1 528 428 +100 11 Advance to semi-finals 81–72 96–92 86–54
2   Shabab Al Ahli 6 4 2 487 465 +22 10 Advance to semi-finals qualifiers 75–70 91–86 92–61
3   Kazma 6 3 3 537 516 +21 9 87–92 98–86 84–77
4   Al Bashaer 6 0 6 383 526 −143 6 48–103 69–71 74–90
Source: FIBA Gulf
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification   KUW   MAN   NAS   SAD
1   Kuwait Club 6 6 0 597 496 +101 12 Advance to semi-finals 106–78 106–83 99–93
2   Manama Club 6 4 2 543 523 +20 10 Advance to semi-finals qualifiers 88–91 105–74 98–86
3   Al Nassr Riyadh 6 1 5 462 549 −87 7[a] 70–101 72–75 77–78
4   Al Sadd 6 1 5 519 553 −34 7[a] 84–94 94–99 84–86
Source: FIBA Gulf
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head on point differential: Al Nassr Riyadh 163–162 Al Sadd.

Final phase

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Final Eight

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In the Final Eight, the top three teams from the West Asia and the Gulf League were joined by the proposed teams from South and Central Asia (India and Kazakhstan). On 23 May FIBA announced that the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, would host the inaugural Final Eight.[8]

The final stage began on 9 June and finished on 17 June with the WASL championship game.[8]

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification   RIY   MAN   BEI   CHE
1   Al Riyadi 2 2 0 218 175 +43 4 Advance to semi-finals 112–84
2   Manama 2 1 1 170 187 −17 3 86–75
3   Beirut Club 2 0 2 166 192 −26 2 91–106
4   Chennai Heat 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: FIBA

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification   KAZ   KUW   GOR   SAH
1   Astana 3 3 0 252 226 +26 6 Advance to semi-finals 85–72 80–73
2   Kuwait Club 3 2 1 242 230 +12 5 95–85
3   Shahrdari Gorgan 3 1 2 251 257 −6 4 81–87 85–75
4   Shabab Al Ahli 3 0 3 208 240 −32 3 60–75
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: FIBA

Final phase

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Semi-finals

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16 June
Astana   81–91   Manama
Scoring by quarter: 26-22, 18-23, 14-25, 23-21
Pts: Johnson 29
Rebs: Gavrilov, Anderson 5
Asts: Johnson 6
Pts: Rashed 23
Rebs: Evans 11
Asts: Pointer, Rashed 5
Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, Dubai
Attendance: 234[9]
16 June
Al Riyadi Beirut   85–95   Kuwait Club
Scoring by quarter: 18-33, 16-24, 21-20, 30-18
Pts: Reath 31
Rebs: Reath 10
Asts: Saoud 6
Pts: Georges-Hunt 32
Rebs: Jawhar, Lalanne 6
Asts: Georges-Hunt, Alshemmari 4
Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, Dubai
Attendance: 300[9]

Third place game

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17 June
Al Riyadi Beirut   90–94   Astana
Scoring by quarter: 21-31, 23-16, 17-16, 29-31
Pts: Reath 23
Rebs: Reath 13
Asts: Murphy 5
Pts: Krampelj 23
Rebs: Krampelj 8
Asts: Johnson 8
Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, Dubai
Attendance: 100[9]

Championship game

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17 June
Kuwait Club   59–67   Manama
Scoring by quarter: 14-18, 12-21, 13-11, 20-17
Pts: Hasan 25
Rebs: Lalanne, Hasan 6
Asts: Five players 1
Pts: Rashed 18
Rebs: Pointer 8
Asts: Pointer, Thibodeaux 3
Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall, Dubai
Attendance: 800[9]

References

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  1. ^ "FIBA announces the launch of West Asia Super League (WASL)". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  2. ^ "FIBA announces creation of West Asia Super League". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Statement on Chennai Heat participating to the Final 8". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Orthodox Club Amman replaces Orthodox Ramallah in Group A".
  5. ^ "West Asia Super League (WASL) draw date confirmed". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Ittihad Al Ahli of Aleppo and Al Karamah withdraw from West Asia Super League (WASL)". 3 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Ittihad Al Ahli of Aleppo and Al Karamah withdraw from West Asia Super League (WASL)". 3 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Dubai to host the inaugural FIBA West Asia Super League Final 8". FIBA.basketball. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d "West Asia Super League - Final 8 2023 Tournament Summary" (PDF). FIBA Competitions Reports. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.