The ending was predictable with the US continuing their dominance in claiming a third-straight gold, but the FIBA U17 World Championship was more about the journey than the destination. Pardon the cliche, but in this case it really rings true.
What the US did was impressive, but at this level where the players aren’t professional athletes, rather high school kids, the tournament’s spirit is more about putting on a showcase for young talent than crowning a champion. This year, that was more than fulfilled.
Seven countries made their first appearance, including crowd-favourites Philippines and host nation UAE. Neither team had much success on the court, but just reaching the World Championship was a clear win.
Philippines coach Michael Jarin and UAE coach Zoran Zubcevic were both realistic about their squad’s slim chances, but they were also happy just to see the countries represented with the chance to face some of the best international competition in the world.
While the Philippines haven’t lacked interest in basketball at a grassroots level, the UAE have had challenges making the sport appealing to their youth. Football will always be the biggest sport in the region, followed by cricket. Basketball is more foreign, but it’s starting to catch on as the UAE is exposed more and more to the game.
In just the last three months, the region has hosted three significant basketball tournaments, each topping the one prior.
The hardwood action began in May with the MENA Basketball Showcase, which brought talent from 17 countries across the region in the UAE’s version of the high-profile McDonald’s All-American Game in the US.
Then in June, MPAC invited four of the top high school programmes in the US, as well as a team consisting of MENA players, to compete in the Elite International event.
Now with the conclusion of the FIBA U17 World Championship, basketball in the UAE is more prevalent. The three tournaments escalated in size and brought over international talent.
The MENA Showcase and MPAC Elite Tournament were also inaugural efforts, while the World Championship was the first FIBA event hosted in the Middle East. It’s evident the sport is just scratching the surface in the region.
The UAE has two factors working in its favour to grow basketball. One is that the nation has a thirst for hosting sporting events of all kinds and are willing to spend for it. The second is that the NBA are pioneers when it comes to spreading their league across the world.
As the MPAC Elite Tournament and World Championship showed, if you bring the best players in their age group, people will pay attention. It’s not a stretch to think the UAE could be treated to exhibition NBA games in the future as part of the “NBA Global Games” initiative.
The cool thing about living in the UAE is that the country still continues to develop and build on its foundation. Sport is just as much a part of that as any other venture.
The destination might be unknown, but the journey is proving that the UAE are doing everything they can to expand basketball. So far, they’re succeeding.
