Qatar Wins Thriller Over Iran

From Taipei China, HAPPY 4th of July USA!! Rather strange to be over here and have the 4th of July mean nothing to most everyone here.

It has been a tournament of thrillers at the 29th William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament. Qatar has been no stranger to nail biting finishes. In their 3rd game in (3) days, Qatar came from behind in the final minute, hitting a three pointer with (18) seconds to take a 71-69 lead. Qatar then had to survive a half court shot that banked in and out to take the 74-72 victory over Iran. On Monday in Qatar's opener, Qatar led Korea for the entire game until Korea banked in a three pointer to win 70-69. The game was televised live on ESPN Asia. In other action, Qatar held a 19 point lead on Kazakhstan in the 4th Quarter, going onto win 80-70. Qatar is currently 5th out of (10) teams after four days.
It has been such an experience for me with the pace of these games and how you have to coach on the fly. Every game, I feel stronger in the decisions we make and what we are trying to accomplish. Your timeouts are like a NASCAR pitstop. Make quick adjustments, trying to find something that will win the game without confusing your players. Immediately after the Iran victory, we went to the practice gym and prepared for Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan game was a tough (20) hour turnaround as we played them 11am Thursday (10pm Wisc Time). I am amazed how quickly these teams can score a million different ways and how a ten point lead means absolutely nothing. The drive and kick in basketball had to be invented in Asia. It is a clinic everyday by all of these teams.
Next up for Qatar is the Japan National Team.