KUWAIT (FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup): Kazakhstan posted a 77-76 win against Qatar in the opening game of the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup on Thursday.
Trailing 39-52, midway through the third quarter, Qatar fought back gallantly to go ahead 76-74, when Hammam Ismail struck from inside the paint with about three minutes left in the game.
But the rest of the duration saw Qatar falter in otherwise regulation attempts and go barren in the final three minutes of the game.
Vsevolod Fadeikin converted a free-throw and Alexander Tyutyunik struck from the wing to give Kazakhstan the win.
Qatar's Erfan Saeed led the scoring for the game with 27 points and was adjudged the MVP.
Anton Ponomarev scored four three-pointers in his team-high 21 points for Kazakhstan.
"I think beating an opposition like Qatar was very important for the confidence of my boys," Kazakhstan coach Vitaly Strebkov said.
Kazakhstan had lost 69-78 in the William Jones Cup 2008, the last time the two had met.
"I'm happy with the result, but definitely not happy with the way we let them fight back a big deficit," Strebkov said.
With little to choose between them - in terms of enthusiasm as well as efficiency - both Kazakhstan and Qatar went neck and neck for the entire first half.
Qatar led the first quarter 16-13, but Kazakhstan fought back with a 22-18 advantage to close the first half 35-34 ahead.
The tone of the game seemed to continue in the early stages of the third quarter.
But Tyutyunik, who last month spearheaded Kazakhstan to the silver medal in the FIBA Asia U18 Championship, scored 10 of his game's 17 points to give Kazakhstan a 52-39 lead. That was the largest difference for either team in the game.
"I think the boys got a little complacent at that stage," Strebkov said.
"Our defense began to slacken," he added.
"I'm glad they missed too many in the final minutes," Strebkov heaved a sigh of relief.
"I think I can be proud of the way the boys fought back from that deficit," Qatar coach Kent Davison said.
"But I think we made too many mistakes in the final moments and couldn't seal the issue," the American said.
"Defeats in tournaments like these only toughen out the team for the bigger battles," Davison said.
"Let's not forget we have come here without three of our experienced players. So it's time for those on the wing to get the experience. Such defeats are normal in the learning process.
Scores
Kazakhstan 77 (Anton Ponomarev 21, Alexander Tyutyunik 17, Rustam Yargaliev 14) bt Qatar 76 (Erfan Saeed 27, Mansour Elhadary 14). Quarterwise scores: 13-16, 35-34, 62-59.
KUWAIT (FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup): Talking to Kent Davison is an experience by itself.
The affable American with an impressive coaching career spanning more than 35 years at various levels of the sport took over as the Head Coach of the Qatari National Team, an assignment he describes as "challenge and fun going hand in hand."
The Gulf powerhouse won back to back bronze medals at the FIBA Asia Championship in 2003 and 2005 and bagged a creditable silver at home - behind China - in the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
But much to the disappointment of the fans, Qatar finished a mere seventh at last year's FIBA Asia Championship at Tokushima.
The disappointment Davison hopes to erase.
"We are going through a transition period in Qatar basketball," the 57-year-old former USBL Coach of the Year told S Mageshwaran of FIBA Asia, on the eve of the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup, which starts in Kuwait on Thursday.
"I think anytime you have a change in coaches and a change in philosophies you are going to go through a period that will be hard," he added.
"We are fortunate that we have some players that are very dedicated to making this program the best that it can be. I am not sure how we will do as we prepare for official tournaments but I know it will not be for the lack of hard work on the players' part," he said in an elaborate interview.
Excerpts
Q: How has been your experience with a Gulf team, especially in the background of your rich experience in D-League and with Fort Wayne?
A: I spent 7 years in the D-League and was very fortunate to have players like Mikki Moore (of Sacramento Kings), Matt Carroll (of Charlotte Bobcats) and Will Bynum (of Detroit Pistons) to name a few, but the players we have in Qatar are just as hard working and fun to be around as the ones we had in the D-League. The entire basketball federation and the Qatar Olympic Committee have made our stay to this point very nice. I enjoy going to the gym for practice everyday and I am excited to come to Kuwait to see how much carry-over we will have from the practices to the games.
Q: What are your thoughts on a tournament like FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup?
A: I really feel that a tournament like this is very important for us in Qatar this year. As a new coach in FIBA Asia, it gives me a chance to see some of the teams that we will be facing next year in the qualifying tournament. I wish that more teams were participating in the tournament.
Q: Do you think this tournament is the first step towards a good performance in next year's FIBA Asia Championship (three teams from there will qualify for the 2010 World Championship)?
A: We hope it is a step in the right direction. We are looking more to see what we will be able to do in the way of offense and defense. What things will work for us against some of the teams that will be in the tournament next summer. We also want to see what things we will have to stress to the team as we continue to prepare for the Asian Championships. Do we want to play at a high level, for sure and do we want to win, most definitely.
Q: Do you think the competition at Kuwait this year will be good enough?
A: Yes, I feel that any time you get teams together that are representing their country, the competition will be very competitive. I know some of the quality teams won't be there, but the teams that decided to come will play extremely hard.
Q: What is the team you have brought?
A: I think our team will be a mixture of youth and experience. We have an 18 year old point guard in Mansour Elhadary, who will be experiencing his first official tournament. I am really excited to see how he handles it. We also have some players who have played for a number of years, but not with me as their head coach. That will be good to see how they respond to me in an official tournament.
Q: Please assess your prospects at the tournament?
A: I'm not sure how we will handle playing in an official tournament. I like how we have practiced and played in the last few weeks, but it will be a lot different playing these types of teams. We look forward to the challenge.
Q: What has been your preparatory program for the tournament?
A: We played in the Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei, the King Abdulla in Jordan and played three Philippines teams at home this summer. I think we got a good idea of our team.
Q: Can you elaborate on the strengths of your team at this point?
A: I like how we run the floor, I like our intensity, and I like how we share the ball and try to defend in the way in which we have been teaching them.
Q: What are the specific areas you have been concentrating in your preparatory program?
A: I think two areas concern us as we prepare:
1) turnovers, we are very careless with the ball. 2) Our bench, we are very thin in some positions.
Q: Who do you think is the major competition to your campaign in the tournament?
A: I have seen Jordan play three times this summer and I really like how they play as a team.
Q: Are you missing any key player/s due to injuries etc?
A: We are missing a few players that will be with us next summer. All three have had surgery in the past few weeks. They will be fine and will help us a lot next summer. This is what I like about coming to play; we will have to have some other players contribute if we are going to be successful.
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