BuzzerBeater Forums

Hello U.A. E U21 supporters

First of all, thank you for your re-election.

I'm pleased to present an overview of the U21 team for season 72:

- Roster
- Asian Championship
- Draft
- Organizational matters

Roster

After the exhibition games, I've identified my favorites, and the players will be nominated again this weekend.

Depending on form, the team will start the European Championship with a roster of 15-18 players. I think we're a bit weaker this year, but our opponents are definitely within our reach.

How can you increase your chances of being nominated?

- Good form 50-65 minutes

- Full training even at 21 years old

- where you train talents from the age of 18

Asia Championship

The Asian Championship in Indonesia starts on Monday, and we're playing in Pool C. Our opponents are, in order:

- Saudi Arabia WR78
- Singapore WR45
- Taiwan WR9
- Prathet Thai WR89
- Hong Kong WR8
- Hayat Tahrir WR62
- New Zealand WR76

Clearly, a tough group with Taiwan and Hong Kong, who are very strong. But we should definitely get some wins. Our current ranking is 46.

Draft

The draft isn't bad. I'm looking at all the players and will contact the managers with a talented player. I might contact some managers multiple times. If you think your player should also be a talented player or on the U21 team, write to me, and we'll look into it.

Last edited by Thomase (UAE-U21) at 5/7/2026 6:01:05 AM

U.A.E. U21 – Saudi Arabia U21 82-93 (84653)

In our first game of the Pool C Round Robin, we faced an opponent with a roster of 17 players, judging by their salary list. Six of our players earn more than the highest-paid player on the opposing team.

It quickly became clear that the Saudi Arabia U21 team played with more intensity, which was reflected in the quarter scores: 23-23, 23-21 (!), 14-22, 22-27.

While the first two quarters were evenly matched and, contrary to our plan, didn't go particularly well for us, we clearly demonstrated our superior world ranking during the final two quarters. In the end, our starting center back, A. Zuhri, was delighted with 20 points and a 13.0 rating. Our players fouled significantly less, which was reflected in the opponent's free throws.

All in all, a good and encouraging start to the round robin. Keep it up! And maintain this level of play.

UAE U21 – Singapore U21 97-83 (84657)

In our second game, we celebrated another victory against Singapore U21, winning 97-83. This win moved us up to 43rd in the world rankings. Singapore U21 failed to win any of the four quarters.

Although, after reviewing the roster, we saw that the majority of the Asian players were "big guys," meaning center or power forward, we had an outside attack. Since we can rely on our defenders, the coach stuck with man-to-man coverage. Singapore U21 anticipated our attack, but we were too strong to lose.

Our point guard, N. Gerayev, played exceptionally well, scoring 30 points. While our offensive reserves weren't as numerous (10), thanks to the strong team performance, we were able to leave the court victorious once again.

In the next game against Taiwan U21, it will likely be very difficult to score points. Focusing on the remaining schedule, we see that we still have two teams against whom we could win in the last four games. Once again, we urge you to ensure your players are in good form.

UAE U21 - Venezuela U21 118-116 (85008)

Against Venezuela, in our third game, a scrimage, everything went our way in the first two quarters. After all, we were ranked 43rd against 54th. We planned to play an outside game, but Venezuela thought they could beat us with an inside game. That didn't work out. We won the first two quarters, but lost the last two. Nevertheless, we won narrowly, but deservedly, by two points.

This time it's difficult to single out any one player, as six players scored in double figures.

Next up is the game against the world's number 10 team, Taiwan, where we'll hardly be able to secure a victory.

Last edited by Thomase (UAE-U21) at 6/14/2026 9:43:37 AM

UAE U21 - Taiwan U21 71-97

It was clear we couldn't compete against the No. 10 junior team. They played a standard 3-2 defense, while we, aiming for maximum points, played Princeton and man-to-man coverage. After Taiwan U21 eased off the gas, we managed to keep the last two quarters close (20-21 and even 28-24).

Ansari with 21 points, Zuhri with 15 points, and Gerayev with 14 points (in 15 minutes!) were our top scorers, while Sulaiman shone with 18 points.

Next up: Prathet Thai U21

Prathet Thai U21 - U.A.E. U21 119-102

This was probably the worst game in ages.

Everything a coach could possibly do wrong went wrong. I sincerely apologize to the Buizzerbeater players from U.A.E. and all the teams that provided players for us.

Prathet Thai U21 played a 3-2 defense and showed more intensity, which we couldn't neutralize with our fast break and man-to-man coverage.

The team can't be blamed, as they played exactly as they were lined up.

Ansari was once again the top scorer with 22 points. Zuhri (17 points), Gerayev (16 points), and El-Rashid (15 points) were the standout players.

Next up is Hong Kong U21, the No. 7 junior team. A win will be difficult to achieve.