The following are scouting reports for the various teams of the QBF, and observations of the position and player types that are needed to help them succeed. As more games are watched, these reports will be updated.
Scouting Reports for QBF Teams
Al Arabi They run a motion offense, utilizing quickness and lots of screens in an attempt to create confusion for the defense. They have no true PG or Center, and rely heavily on their Power Forward (Tanguy Ngombo) who plays like Antoine Walker and operates like a Point Forward. They only have seven players on their roster, and they use all of them in a rotation. They run mostly a man-to-man defense, but were able to change their game plan to a 2-3 zone effectively. They need a playmaker to help relieve pressure from the Power Forward, and could also use an outside shooter to take the defense away from the basket and create more driving lanes. Update: After meeting with the GM and coaching staff, they identified their team's needs as Center, Point Guard, and Power Forward. They would welcome the addition of these three players, and would mean that they would not bring back Tanguy Ngombo next season, in hopes that the Power Forward from D. Greene Sports was higher quality. I took this knowledge and passed it to Darryl Greene, to better focus our targeting efforts to the team's needs. Qatar Sports Club They have a 7+ foot center (Mile Illic), who plays a European style Center with his face to the basket, and not much of a post-up game. The offense runs an inside/outside game, with the Center standing at the Free Throw line, and 4 shooters surrounding him around the arc. The Center is surrounded with one decent shooter, and then another slasher-type player who is a decent finisher at the rim. They run mainly a man-to-man defense. They need an outside shooter who is more reliable to help with their offense, and also a powerful rebounder willing to do the dirty-work down low. Update: Their PG Craig O'Brien Winder, out of Texas University, has good size at 6'2 and is a decent outside shot, but lacks quickness against the smaller guards in the league. He doesn't utilize his superior size enough. Wallace Torrington Cox is another one of their guards, who has a decent outside shot, but is not consistent enough. Al Wakra They were unfortunately out to lose the game in hopes of a better playoff seed, so was unable to get a good read of the team. From warm-ups, they have a good point guard, and a quality big man (Donald Rashaad Singleton out of Florida Southern) who likes to play with his back to the basket. The point guard played sparingly, and the big man not at all. They had a third player who made some nice outside shots, but they could wing to post-up in the corner for the 3. Update: In general the team lacks defensive intensity, and a player who can lock down an opposing offensive threat. Donald Singleton is a good post player, with limited outside game. Adamu Saaka is a good 2/3 player who has a good overall offensive game. He can shoot from the outside, penetrate, and has decent court vision. Mohamed Abdulrahman is their point guard, and I found out he is still in college, and learning the game, and for being that youthful and new to the game, he has very promising upside. The team plays with 1 center surrounded by 4 guards, but they need another player besides Saaka who can shoot the ball from the outside more consistently. If they can’t find another shooter, then they need another big to help Singleton on the post with the boards, and to bring the defense back to the basket and open up the perimeter a little bit more. Al Shamal They played Al Wakra, and because Al Wakra was throwing the game, they did not play their best players for very long. There key players are: Malcolm White out of LSU and Vincent Hunter out of Arkansas. Due to the quality of the game, was unable to get a good read off this team. Update: Vincent Hunter is a big who can also stretch the defense with the occasional three-point shot. Malcolm White is strictly a low-post player who doesn’t have a lot of offensive moves, but is a plus rebounder and defender, and has great leaping ability. Mohamed Hachad, who plays the 2 guard, shoots too often and tries to do too much with the ball, and as a result the team goes long stretches without getting Hunter or White involved in the game. The team lacks a consistent outside shooter, which would bring the defense away from the basket, and open up space for Hunter and White to work the low post. El Jaish This is a top team in the league with high-quality talent in Shawn Taggert out of the University of Memphis, Vernon Macklin out of the University of Florida, and Boney Watson out of Sam Houston State University. Due to their size, they are physical down on the post and have a quality point guard who can run the offense. They are a solid passing team, but sometimes get too quite with their passing and a little lazy at times. They run a man-to-man defense with lots of switching, but due to their supreme size they can get burned by speed. They could use an outside shooter to spread the offense out, and take away the double team on their big men on the post. Update: The most balanced team in the league; however, they are susceptible to a team that likes to run, as they are not very athletic. Macklin has limited offensive moves, and heavily relies on a right hook shot. Taggert has a good low-post game, and can also stretch the defense with the occasional three-point shot. Watson is one of the better Point Guards in the league, and he can finish at the rim, shoot from the outside, and set-up the offense with good vision. Al Sadd This is another top team, which actually relies on Qatar National Team players, but still have key players out of the US in Rashad Woods out of Kent State, and Tyrone Anderson out of Concord. They run a set-offense, which can at times be a little stagnant and lack creativity. They need size and a playmaker to compete on the boards with the bigger teams, and to try and open up the defense a little more. Update: The most athletic team in the league, and are most successful when they can get out and run, similar to the Mike D’Antoni style offense. Erfan Saeed is undersized, but is muscular and physical down-low, and can compete on the low-post due to his strength. Abdulrahman Ali Saad plays the 2 guard, and is a good outside shooter, but often gets lost in the offense and is under-utilized. The team is best when Ali Saad is heavily involved and scoring. Al Khor Kevin Bridgewaters is a 5’9 Point Guard, and is their top player. This team finished in the bottom of the league because they have very limited talent outside of Bridgewaters, and any addition would be a welcomed one. Update: Shavon Coleman is a SG out of LSU. He is more of a slasher who can finish at the rim. He is a streaky shooter from the outside, but outside of Bridgewaters is their only player who can make a 3-pointer. They have two players who are big enough to play on the low post, but neither of them can catch a pass with enough regularity to be a threat. Opponents focus their defensive game plan around stopping Bridgewaters and Coleman, which has proven to be effective. Al Khor needs a consistent outside shooter, and a player who can play on the low block and catch a pass. Al Gharafa Devan Downey plays their Point Guard, and he is a good outside shooter who can finish in traffic. He is undersized, and sometimes is overpowered if the opposing guard takes him to the post. He compensates for his lack of size with plus quickness. Omar Salem is a big, but he plays too much outside, and has a very flat shot. With his size and strength, he should play on the post much more often. Samuel Monroe Jr. is their most consistent player, who plays the 3 forward. He can finish in the paint, and shoot from the outside, and when Downey is on the bench he runs the offense like a point-forward. The team plays mainly a man-to-man defense, but they lack size and overall team quickness. The team needs a post player to bring the team away from the perimeter, and open up space for Monroe and Downey to shoot from the outside. Their offense basically consists of five players standing around the three-point arc, who either drive or shoot from the perimeter. Al Rayyan One of the top teams in the league, who have a good mix of athletes and size. They have two plus ball handlers in Dominic James and Demarius Bolds. James is a Point Guard from Marquette and Bolds plays mainly the 2 guard and is from Missouri Western. James is a little undersized at 5’11, but is very quick, has great vision, and can hit the three point shot with regularity. Patrick Ewing Jr., out of Georgetown, also plays for the team as a center, and is undersized at just 6’8. They play mainly a 2/3 match-up zone, with a rotation to double the low post. They need a post presence on both offense and defense, as they heavily rely on their speed and picks to get open shots from the outside. Al Ahli They are a weaker team in the league, but came on strong in the second half of the season following the acquisition of Temi Soyebo, who is a PG who played college basketball at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. He is a good floor general, who can shoot from the outside and mix-it up under the basket due to his strength. Dontell Consteveous Jefferson plays SG, is out of the University of Arkansas. He is a set shooter, but not great off the dribble, and is at times very cold and streaky, which leads to Al Ahli struggling on offense. They have a solid big man in Tyronne McNeal, who played at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, is a legit 7 footer who plays strictly on the low block. While Al Ahli have these three solid players, the other two in their starting lineup are both very weak, so opponents can forget about them on offense and focus all of their effort on Soyebo, Jefferson, and McNeal. They run primarily a man-to-man defense, with a set offense that works on getting Jefferson open for set jump shots, Soyebo driving with the ball, and having McNeal work on the low block. They need a more consistent outside shooter, and a second big to take pressure off of McNeal so he is not constantly doubled on the low post. |