Riyadi junior basketballers head to Italy

AMMAN — Riyadi Club’s junior basketball teams have a packed summer agenda with the youngest players — the mini-basketball team — leaving home on Friday to take part in the 24th Mini-Basket in Piazza Tournament in Matera, Italy for the 16 time.

Riyadi were the first Arab team to compete in Matera — at the biggest annual European event for players U-11. With basketball enthusiasts gathering from around the globe, this year, Riyadi is one of record 62 clubs from over 14 countries playing in the tournament.

Riyadi Secretary General Fadi Sabbah told The Jordan Times his team has a “a tough draw” as they will play hosts Matera, compatriots Padova and a team from Bogota, Columbia in the first round. 

“We have an action packed summer,” Sabbah noted, adding “the event will be followed in July by tournament in Brindisi, Italy for U-13 boys where teams from Europe and Africa will be playing while the U-16 boys will head to a tournament in Dubai in August.”

Mini-Basket in Piazza is organised by Pielle Matera Club and endorsed by the Italian and European Basketball Federations. Riyadi first competed in Matera in 1998. Since then they have made Matera a cornerstone of their basketball programme and their best result came in 2003 with a 3rd place finish. Riyadi received the Italian president’s trophy in 1998. In 2004 the organising committee selected Riyadi’s Sabbah to coach the “Rest of the World All Star Team” against the “Italian All Star Team” in an exhibition game and in 2006 and 2008 Riyadi won the Sportsmanship Award.

Ever since their first time in Matera, Riyadi’s youngsters have always been warmly welcomed by residents of Matera. Reading the “Athletes’ Oath” in Arabic at the Opening Ceremony has now become a tradition. Organisers note that “’Mini-Basket in Piazza” is not just basketball, as children from different nations, races and cultures not only play but also to have a new experience, as they also visit cultural and historical monuments, participate in stimulating and interesting activities planned every year. Riyadi’s involvement has, therefore, been a chance to promote Jordan with the local newspapers extensively covering the Kingdom and its touristic sites. 

The club’s mini-basketball programme was established with the primary goal of introducing young children to the game, while providing them with the basic principles of basketball, all in a fun and competitive way.

The programme’s ultimate goal aims to prepare the young players for the U-14 and U-16 categories. With that in mind, in 1998, Riyadi was the first Jordanian club to reinstate a mini basketball programme after a 26-year hiatus. After years of sponsorship by Aramex, Riyadi’s junior basketball programme got a boost in 2009 with the partnership of Umniah, one of the providers in Jordan’s telecommunications services. The partnership is now mainly geared towards Riyadi’s over 400 boys and girls from ages 5-14, and includes players in the mini-basket league (ages 6–12) as well as the U-14 teams who represent the club in the local league as well as tournaments abroad. 

Besides playing in the official U-14 league, one of Riyadi’s many basketball programmes is the Super League, which has 300 players from ages from 6– 12 competing in 28 teams and is part of the club’s year-round mini-basket programme.

This season, Riyadi won the Jordan Basketball League crown to win the title which had eluded them for 20 years. Riyadi beat titleholders Orthodoxi 4-0 in the best-of-seven play-off series. The last time they had won the league was nearly 20 years ago in 1997 by then Jazira-Aramex team (formly Riyadi’s line-up).