Hosts UAE ended their campaign of the Gulf Cup on a winning note with victory in the final game, beating Oman 57-51.
The hosts had endured a difficult and winless tournament, playing some kids as young as 14 in an under- 17s tournament that was being used as a developmental tool with an eye on next year’s World Cup.
But a victory was finally salvaged with a deserving performance at Al Wasl club on Saturday night.
The UAE though still finished bottom of the league, and the players later hung around to watch Qatar pick up the U17s Gulf Cup trophy, no doubt with some envy.
The country’s basketball technical director Mounir Ben Slimane thought the tournament was a success, inasmuch as that it had helped achieve the goals they had set out for themselves before the competition. And, of course, Slimane says he was happy to see his side chalk up a win.
“First of all, from game to game, we improved,” the Tunisian told Sport360°.
“We have a younger roster than the others, which is not an excuse. So at the beginning of the tournament we suffered from physical challenges, but today is was more mental.
“They have had to compete against fatigue, against the sport, against the opponent and against themselves to prove that they are really moving up from game to game. It’s not easy for them.
“Definitely it was good to win the last game, we finished with the win but our biggest satisfaction was that this week we have built two or three layers of foundations that we can build on; this is the good thing. If we just focused on winning some games, all the structure would fall down.
“For me, this is the good thing. We have to continue with the efforts of everyone.
“The aim is to have decent teams for next year’s World Cup and to have decent players for the next generation.”
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