FIBA/Changsha, China

GCC champions Qatar began the competition at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship as the clear underdogs in Group A of Group Phase - First Round, but they became the talking point with some exemplary performances en route to booking their place in the quarter-finals.
“We knew we were not the favourites. We knew we were the underdogs,” Saad Abdulrahman Ali, Qatar’s inspiring leader on and off the court said. “But we also knew those things won’t matter in a game of basketball.
“We are clearly not the youngest side in this competition. But then we are the most experienced. We decided to use that to our advantage,” explained Ali, the most experienced player in the competition having played as far back as the 2001 FIBA Asia Championship in Shanghai.
Qatar began the campaign with an overtime win against the taller Kazakshtan and followed it up with a double overtime triumph against the much younger Lebanon to ensure their path from Group A. A defeat to Chinese Taipei in their last Group A encounter didn’t stop their progress.
“Those two games [against Kazakhstan and Lebanon] were tiring and hard fought. But they also boosted our confidence that we are capable of achieving of what we have set out for despite what people say about our age,” said Ali.
The two overtime wins, combined with a stunning upset of 2013 third-place team Korea was good enough for Qatar to make their way to the Final Round.
“We are keeping it very simple. We know our limitations and therefore we are not worried about what we cannot do. We are just trying to what we can do to the best levels,” Ali said.
“The key factor in our success is our discipline and dedication. Most of us [in the team] know very clearly that this will be our final appearance at this level.
“Having played all these years, we don’t want to go out without a fight. We told ourselves before we came here that we will go out with our heads held high at whatever stage we are eliminated. And the entire team is rallying around that simple point.” Ali was also full of praise for teenage sensation Abdulrahman Mohamed Saad, who made his international debut at the 2014 FIBA Asia U18 Championship, where Ali worked as an assistant coach to Brian Lester.
“He [Saad] is one of the bright prospects for the future of Qatar basketball. There are a couple of youngsters who are waiting in the wings. I think the future is indeed optimistic,” he said.
Qatar take on Japan in today’s  second quarter-final. A win will mean a semi-final clash against the winners of the Lebanon-Philippines clash.
Ali was quick to point out not to take Qatar light. “If you believe we have punched above our weight so far, you still haven’t seen our best,” he closed with a characteristic smile.