Jordan to take on Syria at Asian Basketball Cup

AMMAN — Jordan plays Syria on Wednesday in their opening match at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup (formerly known as the FIBA Asia Basketball Championship) currently under way in the Lebanese capital.

Group A also includes former champs Iran as well as India with the top team from each group automatically moving to the quarters of the 29th edition of the tournament, which determines the FIBA Asia and FIBA Oceania qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

China is defending champion and has won 16 times, Philippines five times, Iran three times, South Korea and Japan twice each. 

Jordan’s best result was in 2011 when it lost the chance qualify to the 2012 Olympic Games losing 70-69 to China in the final match at the 26th FIBA Asia Basketball Championship in China.

Although the Kingdom’s team reached the World Championship in 2010 – and was the only Jordanian team to actually reach a world championship in a team sport alongside the junior team in 1995 (as well as the U-19 football team at the World Cup Finals in 2007), official support for Jordan’s second most popular game is seen as below par by most observers, leading to a decline in the game locally and less competitive advantage on the regional scene.

Due to financial constraints crippling the Jordan Basketball Federation, Jordan has stopped competing at Asian events like the William Jones Tournament or organising the King Abdullah Cup . The team only had a training camp in Turkey in preparations for the Asian event.

Jordan was previously at them at the forefront of Asian teams. Apart from qualifying to the 2010 World Championship, Jordan finished fourth at the Asian Games in Doha in 2006; and was the first Arab team to win the William Jones Cup in 2007. The squad later won the 17th Arab Basketball Championship for the first time and finished runner-up to Egypt at the Pan-Arab Games. 

Jordan’s FIBA ASIA record

1995 - out in Round 1

1997 - finished 7th

2003 - finished 10th

2005 - finished 7th

2007 - finished 5th

2009 - finished 3rd

2011 - finished 2nd

2013 - finished 7th

2015 - finished 9th