Sharjah's Jasim Mohammed: the title is our aim
The Sharjah guard explains his confidence in the club's league challenge and what has made the difference this season.
Sharjah's Jasim Mohammed has expressed his optimism about the club's ability to win the league title this season.
The preliminary stage of the UAE men's basketball league has closed, with eight teams securing their places in the quarter-finals.
Sharjah beat Al Wahda 103-79 in the last match of the preliminary stage to share top spot with Shabab Al Ahli on 35 points.
Sharjah's ambition
Jasim pointed to this generation of Sharjah players' capacity to realise the club's ambitions, given the standard they showed through the preliminary stage.
“I have not won the league across my long career with the team, so all our focus with coach Abdulhamid Ibrahim is on how to realise the ambitions of this generation of players,” he said.
He added: “We are now expected by our supporters to win the league, so that Al Malik can recover its domestic strength, with the Sharjah board providing everything required — players and a technical staff of the highest level.”
The relationship within Sharjah
Jasim Mohammed spoke about Sharjah coach Abdulhamid Ibrahim, stressing that his relationship with him is more than excellent.
“Ibrahim has given me, the team and Emirati basketball a great deal, and we should all acknowledge that. We are working with him now to achieve the dream of the league, given how many titles he has won with us in the past.”
Why the club is on top this season
On the reasons for Sharjah's form this season, Jasim pointed to the excellent relationship among the players, local and overseas alike.
“There is real focus among the Sharjah players. Several of them come in for morning training, and any player who can attend both morning and evening sessions does so for the team's benefit and for intensive work. That is what has kept the team's level consistent across so many matches.”
The qualifying teams now enter the quarter-finals, played as a best-of-three over a first and second leg, with Sharjah meeting Bani Yas. Jasim said the current league season has been strong throughout, noting that the new teams have made a difference to the standard.
The Sharjah player closed by saying: “We expect the standard to rise next season, with everyone wanting to produce their best.”
Prepared by: Safaa Amer
