MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - Qatar still haven't been able to fully recover from the debacle of 2011, when five of their players were deemed ineligible at the start of the FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan, China. Because of that setback, the Qataris dropped their first three games and forfeited their last two, which resulted in their worst finish ever in the tournament's history - an embarrassing last place.

The infamous five who were disallowed from playing in that competition were Targuy Ngombo, Ousseynou N’Diaye, Mame Souleye Ndour, Mansour El Hadary, and Hassan Mohamed. Of those five, El Hadary, who is half-Sudanese, and Mohamed, who was born in Egypt, have since been able to play as locals for Qatar, but, despite that, the country hasn't really been able to regain its lost perch near the top of Asian basketball.

They finished third in the 2012 FIBA Asia Cup in Tokyo, but that has been their best result in any major continental tournament since 2011. Qatar dropped to sixth place in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship in Manila, missed the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in China, and, once again, ended up sixth in the 2014 Asian Games in Korea.

For a team that represented Asia - together with Lebanon, Japan and China - at the 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Qatar, surely, is dissatisfied with its most recent results, and it stands to reason that the Al Annabi are to aim for nothing short of the top prize at this year's FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China (23 September-3 October).

A high placing in this competition should give Qatari basketball a big boost and, perhaps, should also push their place in the FIBA bwin World Ranking Men to more respectable levels. They are currently 35th, a drop of five places in a year (from 2013 to 2014).

Tasked with helming this ambitious quest at redemption and resurgence is Greek coach Vasilis Fragias.

A veteran tactician in the Greek and Cypriot leagues, Fragias has already achieved moderate success in his short stint with the Qataris. He helped the team win against tough Asian sides Japan and the Philippines at the 2014 Asian Games and he also steered them to an immaculate 5-0 record in the 2014 Gulf Basketball Championship in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ensuring Qatar's ticket to this year's FIBA Asia joust at the senior level. Now, considering that Japan ended up third in the Asian Games and that the Philippines played at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Qatar's wins over these countries were reflective of the team's steady improvement.

Helping coach Fragias out in piloting Qatar back into the spotlight are some of the country's most skilled players. With living legend Yaseen Ismail Musa announcing his retirement from the main FIBA Asia tournaments and choosing to focus more on the 3x3 games, there is much room in terms of talent and leadership that needs to be filled. Hoping to step up and take up the cudgels are the likes of Khalid Suliman Abdi, Baker Mohammed, Hassan Mohamed, Daoud Musa Daoud, and naturalized player Boney Watson.

Of these guys, Daoud and Watson are the old-timers. Daoud, who started playing at the senior level 14 years ago, has seemingly defied his age and remains one of the bulwarks of this squad. He provides a lot of stability and consistency for a team that has had many ups and downs. Watson, for his part, has been a sparkplug. Despite being in his late 30s, he remains a fleet-footed playmaker capable of dictating the pace, as proven by his outstanding play against the Philippines in last year's Asian Games. He dropped 15 points in that game, giving the Filipino guards everything they could handle. If he can be consistent with that kind of production this year, Qatar's chances of success will certainly improve.

In spite of the veterans' contributions, however, Qatar's foundation for the future lies in the hands of Khalid Suliman Abdi, Baker Mohammed, and Hassan Mohamed. All of those players are still in their primes, so the onus will be on them to carry much of the load moving forward. Khalid and Hassan, in particular, are the ones to watch. Khalid was the leading local scorer this past season in Qatar's first division, while Hassan has emerged as one of the country's best shooters.

Without a doubt, for Qatar to slay the ghosts of 2011, coach Fragias and his wards will have to put their best foot forward. They will have to move on from Musa's retirement, move on from the mishaps of the past, and rely on some rising stars to complete their journey towards true resurgence.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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