MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - When the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship opens in Changsha, China later this year, one team will be relishing in an environment that has been completely alien to them. This team is Palestine, which will be playing in the continent’s biggest basketball tournament for the first time in its history.

Palestine surprised a lot of FIBA Asia observers when they leapfrogged past Iraq and Syria in the 2015 West Asian Basketball Association (WABA) Championship to book their place for Changsha, China. To think they did it with some key players still not playing, too! In that tournament, the Palestinians of coach Jerry Steele showed a lot of grit and determination in defeating Syria, 79-73, and then Iraq, 70-62. They were also able to stick with eventual WABA champs Lebanon before bowing, 88-79.

Clearly, despite this team's inexperience at this level of Asian basketball, they shouldn't be overlooked.

When Palestine does troop to Changsha later this year (23 September-3 October), they will be parading a deeper roster, with seasoned players like Salim Sakakini, Nicola Fadayel and Omar Krayem coming into the picture.

Salim is a solid power forward who should help shore up Palestine's frontline, though at just 2.01m tall, he may be a little undersized compared to the trees of Iran and China. He'll probably have a very tough time when he bangs bodies with Asghar Kardoust (2.12m), Tao Hanlin (2.08m) and Kim Jong-Kyu (2.07m), but he should compensate with his mobility and ability to hit those mid-range jumpers.

Fadayel, for his part, is a half-Greek half-Palestinian swingman who makes his mark from beyond the arc. He hit 1.3 three-pointers on average at the 2011 Pan Arab Games, scoring about 15 points per game. He missed the 2015 WABA tourney because he was on his honeymoon, but he should be dead-ready when the FIBA Asia joust comes along.

Krayem, meanwhile, is busy turning a lot of heads in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), helping lead the GlobalPort Batang Pier to their first-ever top four finish in the Governors' Cup. He wasn't heralded with so much fanfare coming in as his club's Asian import, but he has really made a name for himself as a streaky shooter. He is currently putting up 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 steals while hitting 2.4 triples per outing. He is projected to be Palestine's top playmaker when they plunge into battle in China.

Together with Minnesota native Jamal Abu-Shamala and half-Canadian Ahmed Haroon - both of whom did really well at the 2015 WABA tournament - these are the guys who will do a lot of heavy lifting as Palestine hopes make a splash and shake up the established order in the FIBA Asia Championship.

By far the undisputed heart and soul of this team, though, is none other than journeyman Sani Sakakini. The well-travelled player - he has plied his trade as an import in Jordan, China, and Lebanon - will be the leader and backbone of this squad. There is no question that Palestine will only go as far as this man takes them. He is a bona fide double-double demon, having averaged 24.3 points and 13.3 rebounds at the 2014 Asian games and then notching 35.0 points and 19.0 rebounds per outing in Palestine's two wins earlier this year at the WABA meet. For a guy his size, Sani is also an outstanding three-point shooter, and he will certainly test a lot of defenses in China.

In spite of their talent, however, Palestine will not be among the heavy favorites to finish on the podium.

Perennial title contenders Iran, China, Korea, Philippines, and Lebanon will be at the top tier, while countries like Japan, Chinese Taipei, Qatar, Jordan and Kazakhstan should not be taken for granted. Given how this is Palestine’s debut at the continental level, it would be reasonable for them to target a quarterfinal berth, and if they do succeed in making it that far, well, anything can happen.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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