As the WASL Final 8 tips off, a wave of Asia Cup 2025 hopefuls will look to turn this club competition into national team momentum.

BEIRUT (Lebanon) – Club pride will be on the line at the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Final 8 - but national team ambitions won’t be far behind. With the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 drawing closer, several players will use this elite stage to sharpen their game, build rhythm, and make their case for selection.

From proven veterans to rising names, these hopefuls aren't just chasing WASL titles - they’re playing for a shot at Asia's biggest stage.

Host nation, heavy representation

With Saudi Arabia set to host the Asia Cup in 2025, all eyes will be on Al Ittihad Jeddah, who bring a stacked group of national team talent. Veterans Mohammed Almarwani, Fahad Belal, Mathna Almarwani, Nasser Alabsi are joined by rising talents Abdulrahman Fallata, and Mohammed Kadi - all of whom featured in the Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Mohammed Almarwani, a mainstay in the Saudi frontcourt, averaged 10.7 points and 7.2 rebounds during the Qualifiers and will look to maintain that production as Ittihad tries to push for WASL silverware.

Lebanon's core on display

The Lebanon national team are undergoing a golden run, and much of that core will be in action across two powerhouses - Al Riyadi and Sagesse SC.

Asia Cup 2022 MVP Wael Arakji headlines the list after averaging 20.2 points and 6.0 assists during the Qualifiers. He's joined by fellow veterans Amir Saoud, Hayk Gyokchyan, and Ali Mansour, along with sharpshooting wing Karim Zeinoun - all key cogs in Lebanon's plans for 2025.

Sagesse counters with emerging national team talent like Jad Khalil, Gerard Hadidian, and Marc Khoueiry, while Omar Jamaleddine represents the next wave of prospects pushing for rotation minutes at the senior level.

Iran's steady engine

Several of Iran's Asia Cup Qualifiers contributors will line up for Tabiat at the Final 8. Guards Sina Vahedi and Rasoul Mozafari, alongside forwards Arman Zangeneh and Hasan Aliakbari, give Iran a dependable, experienced spine.

Vahedi stood out in the Qualifiers with 11.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, and continues to trend upward. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.0 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in his debut season with Tabiat - and remains one to watch under playoff pressure.

India's rising core

Tamil Nadu brings a young and exciting group of Indian national team hopefuls to the Final 8. Muin Bek Hafeez, Pranav Prince, and Arvind Muthu Krishnan all played important roles during the Asia Cup Qualifiers, while Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi and Prashant Rawat are names to watch as India builds toward a more competitive core.

Prince, especially, stood out with averages of 10.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in national duty, while contributing 13.7 points per game during last season's WASL Final 8.

Meet the FIBA WASL Final 8 2025 teams: Tamil Nadu

SABA reps out for redemption

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Getting that elusive win will surely be the target of Tamil Nadu now that they are bound for another stint in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) Final 8 that begins this weekend.

Their return to the pan-regional meet won't just be about moral victories anymore, especially after experiencing how it's like competing against some of the best ball clubs this part of the continent has to offer.

Qualifying path

For the uninitiated, the club from India joined the 2024 Final 8 in Qatar and that marked the first time that a team from SABA took part in the tournament. But once isn't enough for the team of Coach CV Sunny.

The 74th Senior National Basketball Championship made sure to get a ticket back to WASL's culminating event, and they did so following a mighty four-game sweep of the inaugural SABA Club Championship last April.

Tamil Nadu commenced their campaign with a 107-41 rout of Bhutanese side Thimpu Magics, and then followed it up with another masterful conquest - a 110-54 romping over Colombo BC of Sri Lanka.

They added Times Basketball Club of Nepal to their list of victims by way of a 118-44 crushing before tearing apart T-Rex BC of Maldives, 106-49, to complete their unbeaten run toward the crown - and the Final 8 trip.

Yes, they did run roughshod over the competition and it should go without saying that Tamil Nadu are hoping that their dominant run in the contest among South Asia's top ball clubs would translate to WASL success.

WASL history

That's because they've suffered one too many heartbreaks in their initial Final 8 campaign. It could be recalled that they went back home from Doha empty-handed, as the crew lost all of their three assignments.

First was a 100-75 beatdown at the hands of then defending two-time WASL-Gulf League champions Kuwait Club. Then a 101-94 defeat to eventual Third-Placers Shahrdary Gorgan. Then, a 102-96 decision to Kazma.

But those score lines would suggest how they've progressed in each game, so much so that star winger Pranav Prince - and the rest of Tamil Nadu, actually - refused to bow their heads and instead kept their chins up.

"We are not just carrying the name of our club. We are also carrying the name of the nation. We couldn't win games, but we gained a lot of experience. We gained a lot of knowledge," he was quoted as saying back then.

Players to watch

Prince himself was their top guy in the 2024 Final 8 with per-game averages of 13.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks and so, he'd be leaned on by his squad once more this time.

Also expected to step up are Muin Bek Hafeez and Arvind Muthu Krishnan - both of which have grown since last year's edition especially after they all joined 'The Prince' in embracing a bigger role for the India men's team.

But it's not just those familiar faces which fans should anticipate. There's Anantharaj Eswaran, who basically starred in the SABA Club Championships as he normed 19.25 points in their four games.

Tamil Nadu will play in Group A against WASL-Gulf League titlists Shabab Al Ahli, WASL-West Asia Second Place Tabiat, and WASL-Gulf League Third-Placer Al Qadsia SC..

Courtesy – FIBA news