Al-Shorta SC (basketball)
{{Short description|Basketball section of Al-Shorta Sports Club}}
{{Infobox basketball club
| name = Al-Shorta
| leagues = Iraqi Basketball Premier League
| founded = {{Start date and age|1932}}
| history =
| arena = Al-Shaab Hall
| capacity =
| colors = Green, white, purple
{{color box|#00A550}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}} {{color box|#9F00C5}}
|colour2=#00A550|colour1=#FFFFFF|colour3=#9F00C5
| owner = Al-Shorta SC
| president = Abdul-Halim Fahem
| manager =
| coach = Ghassan Sarkis
| sponsor =
| captain =
| championships = 3 Iraqi Premier Leagues
1 Iraqi Perseverance Cup
| website = {{url|https://www.alshortasc.com/sports|alshortasc.com/sports}}
| retired_numbers =
| h_body = 00A550
| h_pattern_b = _whitesides
| h_shorts = 00A550
| h_pattern_s = _whitesides
| a_body = FFFFFF
| a_pattern_b = _greensides
| a_shorts = FFFFFF
| a_pattern_s = _greensides
}}
{{sidebar
| titlestyle = font-size:125%; background:green; color:white;
| title = Active departments of Al-Shorta SC
| contentstyle = padding-top:0.5em;
| content1 = {{aligned table|cols=3|fullwidth=y
| 30px
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| Football
| Handball
| 30px
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| 30px
| Futsal
| Volleyball
| Beach volleyball
| 30px
| 30px
| 30px
| Archery
| Athletics
| Bodybuilding
| 30px
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| 30px
| Boxing
| Diving
| Footvolley
| 30px
| 30px
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| Judo
| Show jumping
| Swimming
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| Taekwondo
| Water polo
| Weightlifting
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| Wrestling
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}}}}
Al-Shorta SC Basketball is a professional basketball team based in Baghdad, Iraq. It is a part of the Al-Shorta SC multi-sports club, whose origins date back to 1932. The team has won three Iraqi Basketball Premier League titles, most recently in the 2014–15 season, and has won one Iraqi Basketball Perseverance Cup title.
Al-Shorta have previously reached the quarter-finals of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, and have finished in fourth place at the Arab Club Basketball Championship and fifth place at the WABA Champions Cup. Al-Shorta finished in fourth place in the West Asia sub-zone in the 2023–24 West Asia Super League.
History
Sports teams began to form within the Iraqi Police force in 1932, starting with the football team.{{cite web|url=https://forum.kooora.com/?t=31135679|title=The Second Prince Ghazi Cup|last=Al-Fartoosi|first=Amir|access-date=8 August 2012|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725041725/https://forum.kooora.com/?t=31135679|url-status=live}} Basketball teams were formed under the names Madaris Al-Shorta (Police Schools) and Al-Quwa Al-Siyara (Mobile Force), and both teams participated in the Young Men's Muslim Association Cup in 1951.{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/iraq19510417-01.1.6|title=Hurry To End Ball Tourneys|date=17 April 1951|publisher=The Iraq Times}} After the foundation of the Iraqi Basketball Association, a regional league system was established for basketball teams in Baghdad and its neighbouring cities,{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/iraq19590806-01.1.6|title=Iraqi sports round-up|publisher=The Iraq Times|date=6 August 1959}} and it was decided that an Al-Shorta Select team would represent the Police in the top division.{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/iraq19630131-01.1.14|title=Basketball programme drawn|publisher=The Iraq Times|date=31 January 1963}}
Al-Shorta Select reached the final of the Baghdad Basketball First Division Championship in 1961,{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/iraq19610731-01.1.15|title=Police and Al-Hawat play for Baghdad Championship|publisher=The Iraq Times|date=31 July 1961}} but lost the championship game 62–73 to Al-Hawat.{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/iraq19610802-01.1.14|title=Police lose championship game to Al-Hawat 62–73|publisher=The Iraq Times|date=2 August 1961}} Al-Shorta Select participated in the Iraqi Liwas Basketball Cup in 1962, a competition played between select teams from different Iraqi provinces,{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/iraq19620730-01.1.14|title=Basketball competition between liwas|publisher=The Iraq Times|date=30 July 1962}} losing their opening group match 36–58 to the Baghdad Civilian Select team.{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/iraq19620819-01.1.15|title=Sports Briefs|publisher=The Iraq Times|date=30 July 1962}} Al-Shorta Select also played matches against visiting foreign teams, including a match with the Lebanese Middle East Airlines team in Baghdad in April 1963,{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/iraq19630411-01.1.11|title=Lebanese MEA basketball team arrives in Baghdad|publisher=The Iraq Times|date=11 April 1963}} and a match with the American Military team on 22 November 1965 which they lost 71–107.{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/bagh19651126-01.1.10|title=U.S. basketballers defeat plucky College 87–62|publisher=The Iraq Times|date=26 November 1965}} In 1966, Al-Shorta Select lost the final of the Republican Cup by a score of 69–79 against the Armed Forces Select team.{{cite web|url=https://gpa.eastview.com/crl/mena/newspapers/bagh19661009-01.1.10|publisher=Baghdad News|date=9 October 1966|title=Army clinch Cup from Police}}
In 1974, a clubs-only policy was introduced to Iraqi football, which led to the establishment of Al-Shorta Sports Club, and the club was officially registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 1978. The Iraqi Basketball Premier League (the first nationwide league of basketball clubs in Iraq) was established in 1980, and Al-Shorta finished in third place in the inaugural season behind winners Al-Jaish and runners-up Al-Karkh.{{cite web|url=https://forum.kooora.com/f.aspx?t=18730986|title=ملف الدوري العراقي بكرة السلة لهذا الموسم|lang=ar|publisher=Kooora|date=17 August 2009}}
Al-Shorta won their first league title in the 1994–95 season under the leadership of coach Jabbar Kamil,{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/Iraqbpg/posts/pfbid0YdYbrbfJeinm8BYEKNLMK9wdk24ajoA8j48vXpZbeezFJnCGs5SCn8D1uxG2TgX5l|publisher=Iraq BPG|lang=ar|date=28 April 2021|title=وفاة الكابتن "جبار كامل العزاوي" المدرب السابق لنادي الشرطة وبطل الدوري موسم 1994-1995 مع فريق الشرطة}} and they retained the league title in the 1995–96 season, with their captain Abbas Khudhair being named the Player of the Season.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/Iraqbpg/posts/pfbid02RR3v3WyfsFBC3KbeiuNmAjeS3sM4bN7DDNLUCq9wgxcWzNQCmqKWTBgV1nJaEApul|publisher=Iraq BPG|lang=ar|date=15 April 2023|last=Ashour|first=Khalid|title=في منتصف التسعينات ولأختيار افضل لاعب بالدوري كان هناك استفتاء يشارك فيه عدد من المدربين والإعلاميين يتم التصويت لأفضل ثلاثة لاعبين}} In 2012, Al-Shorta participated in the Arab Club Basketball Championship and finished in fourth place.{{cite web|url=https://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?c=8144|publisher=Goalzz|title=Arabian Clubs Basketball Championship 2012|access-date=11 November 2023}} Al-Shorta won their third league title in the 2014–15 season, defeating Al-Karkh in the best-of-three final series after a three-point field goal from DeAndre Rice in the final seconds of the third game which Al-Shorta won 90–89.{{cite web |url=https://www.asia-basket.com/Iraq/basketball-league-ibl_2014-2015.aspx |title=IBL (2014-2015)|access-date=April 5, 2022 |publisher=Asia Basket}}
Their title win qualified them for the 2015 Arab Club Basketball Championship and the 2016 FIBA Asia Champions Cup, reaching the quarter-finals of both tournaments, as well as the 2016 WABA Champions Cup where they finished in fifth place.{{cite web |url=https://www.asia-basket.com/WABA-Champions-Cup/basketball_2016.aspx |title=WABA Champions Cup (2016)|access-date=11 November 2023 |publisher=Asia Basket}} From the 2016–17 season until the 2022–23 season, Al-Shorta reached the final of the Iraqi Basketball Premier League six times consecutively, but lost each time to Al-Naft.{{cite web |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/wasl/23-24/westasia/news/meet-the-fiba-wasl-west-asia-teams-al-shorta-sc |title=Meet the FIBA WASL West Asia teams: Al Shorta SC|date=7 November 2023 |publisher=FIBA Basketball}} Al-Shorta won their first Iraqi Basketball Perseverance Cup title in 2022 by defeating Dijlah Al-Jamiea 87–80.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/AlShortaSC1932/status/1572274404939235329|title=Our basketball team beat Dijlah 87-80 to win the Perseverance (Super) Cup|publisher=Al-Shorta SC|date=20 September 2022}} Al-Shorta entered the FIBA West Asia Super League for the first time in the 2023–24 season and finished in fourth place in the West Asia sub-zone.{{cite web|url=https://www.fiba.basketball/wasl/23-24/westasia/news/sagesse-claim-third-place-and-fiba-wasl-final-8-spot-set-west-asia-three-point-record|title=Sagesse claim Third-Place and FIBA WASL Final 8 spot, set West Asia three-point record|publisher=FIBA Basketball|date=25 April 2024}}
Players
= Current roster =
{{Basketball roster header | team=Al-Shorta SC | nationality=y |color1=green |color2=white}}
{{player3 | pos=PG | num= 2 | nat=USA | first=Lamont | last=Jones | m=1.85 | kgs= | year=1990 | month=6 | date=26 }}
{{player3 | pos=G | num= 3 | nat=IRQ | first=Mustafa | last=Alalili | m=1.95 | kgs= | year=2001 | month=7 | date=17}}
{{player3 | pos=PG | num=5 | nat=IRQ | first=Alhur | last=Alrubaye | m=1.82 | kgs= | year=2002 | month=2 | date=10}}
{{player3 | pos=SG | num= 7 | nat=IRQ | first=Hassan | last=Abdullah | m=1.88 | kgs= | year=1992 | month=2 | date=4 |dab = basketball}}
{{player3 | pos=SG | num= 8 | nat=IRQ | first=Omar | last=Alazawi | m=1.88 | kgs= | year=1988 | month=5| date=12}}
{{player3 | pos=F | num= 11 | nat=IRQ | first=Muntadher Hasan Ali | last=Al-Nasrawi | m=1.92 | kgs= | year=2004 | month=9 | date=2}}
{{player3 | pos=PF | num= 12| nat=IRQ | first=Hussein | last=Talib | m=1.98 | kgs= | year=1990 | month=6 | date=1}}
{{player3 | pos=C | num=15 | nat=IRQ | first=Mohammed | last=Al-Khafaji | m=2.09 | kgs= | year=1991 | month=7| date=7 |dab = basketball}}
{{player3 | pos=C | num=21 | nat=IRQ | first=Malik | last=Nahi | m=2.08 | kgs= | year=1986 | month=8 | date=26}}
{{player3 | pos=G | num= 22 | nat=USA | first=Byron | last=Wesley | m=1.96 | kgs= | year=1992 | month=12 | date=26 }}
{{player3 | pos=PF | num= 23| nat=USA | first=Delwan | last=Graham | m=2.00 | kgs= | year=1988 | month=10 | date=27}}
{{player3 | pos=PF | num= 24| nat=IRQ | first=Ali | last=Ismael | m=2.00 | kgs= | year=1989 | month=8 | date=13 |dab = basketball}}
{{player3 | pos= SG | num=77 | nat=IRQ | first=Hussein | last=Almahmud | m=1.90 | kgs= | year=1996 | month=9| date=28}}
{{Basketball roster footer
| head_coach =
{{player||LIB|Ghassan Sarkis}}
| asst_coach =
{{player||IRQ|Najm Mahdi}}
| roster_url = https://www.fiba.basketball/wasl/23-24/westasia/team/Al-Shorta-SC
| accessdate={{dts|2023|12|8}}
}}
Honours
- Iraqi Basketball Premier League: 3
- 1994–95, 1995–96, 2014–15
- Iraqi Basketball Perseverance Cup: 1
- 2022
References
{{Reflist}}