A Love Letter to Shawarmas – SAISA Basketball 2024🏀

Unfortunately, this will be my first and last basketball CAS post. After SAISA football ended, I immediately moved on to basketball, which essentially was a way for me to get over and finally move on after the learning experience SAISA football had been (see my CAS entry on it here!). Everybody who has a remote idea of the demands of the IB DP school system, is aware that it is not forgiving. In other words, I simply did not find the time to write an entry on my goals for the season, my relationship with the sport or anything introducing basketball and I. I’ll try to keep the pre-tournament stuff short, which is hard for me since I love to just write and write, but the most important part of this post will of course be the SAISA basketball tournament in Muscat, Oman (feel free to skip right ahead if you like). Anyways, let’s start.  

Starting the Basketball Season ‘24

Basketball training started soon after the SAISA football tournament ended. As you may know, or not, that tournament took a large toll on me and if I’m being honest and frank, I didn’t think I was ready to just blatantly move on to another sport just yet (this sounds like a heartbreak story). However, once I saw my coaches and friends on the court, my love for basketball came flooding back. 

Last year I also participated in the SAISA basketball tournament, where we traveled to Lincoln School, Kathmandu, Nepal. I had an absolute blast on the trip, playing basketball, hanging out with my friends/teammates, spending time with people from other schools/countries, sightseeing in Nepal and more. This was my first time ever playing basketball and I immediately connected with the sport and really enjoyed it. Most of the people on my team felt the same – this being the first time properly playing basketball. Nevertheless, we managed to finish 5th out of 10 in the tournament! Which yes, is not incredible, but, considering we were such an inexperienced team, I was very proud of what we had accomplished. 

This season we had high expectations and goals, aiming to finish in the top 3. We had an amazing 30 girls trying out for the team this year, and it was going to be an intense battle for a spot in order to compete at TAISM, Muscat, Oman. 

Our 1st Game – vs Moir

Last season we were not able to play a lot of practice games, resulting in us going into the tournament blindly – to a certain extent. Thus, this season we had a game vs Elizabeth Moir School very early on. I can’t even remember the score, but I remember that we lost. We did not play horribly (I guess), but we didn’t play too well either. It was very chaotic, everybody was a bit confused and overwhelmed perhaps. I personally didn’t have the greatest day in school either so I also didn’t play great. It was okay though because it was so early on in the season we weren’t expecting a win, we were just aiming to get some experience, especially the people that hadn’t played a game before. 

Our 2nd Game – vs the Middle School Boys Basketball Team

Before we embarked on our journey we wanted to have one more game before we left. As many schools around Colombo were in exam season, none of the teams had the time to play against us. So there was just one option left, the OSC Boys Middle School Boys Team. Now, my brother is on the team (13 years old) – so I knew this was definitely going to be an interesting experience. I knew that this team was pretty good, considering they play together almost every single lunch time. Unfortunately, we lost against them because of 1 single point; the score being 25:26. Even though it was a loss, I was very proud of the team. We played well against the boys, but knew that we definitely still needed to polish up our plays. I bitterly also admit that my brother played really well, sinking two 3 pointers; so I was proud of him as well. 

SAISA BASKETBALL 2024 !!

As previously mentioned, this year’s SAISA girls basketball tournament was taking place at TAISM, The American International School of Muscat, Oman. 8 schools from all over South East Asia attended – ranging all the way from Jordan to Bangladesh. Late at night on Tuesday the 16th of April, the OSC 2024 girls basketball team departed to Muscat, Oman. The best part of our 4h flight to Muscat was that the airplane was fairly empty; and you know what that means, all of us basically got a whole row to ourselves! This was great since it was so late and I had not slept all night (thanks to the IB for the constant school work! Seriously, I totally love never having a break). Moving on, I took a whole row and was knocked out and slept the whole way. Truly a lovely flight. 

Okay, I want to start talking about the tournament, really, I do. But we need a moment of appreciation for the hotel we stayed at in Muscat – The Grand Hyatt. Perhaps too grand for my brain to take in, however, a true palace. Now, I could go on and on about how breathtaking Muscat and The Grand Hyatt is, but let’s get to what’s actually important: food. We arrived in Muscat early, just in time for the breakfast buffet. A selection of cheese, fruits, Western treats and Middle Eastern cuisine … I doubted I would be able to run for 2 minutes with the amount of food I was being exposed to (I love sports but I also love to eat). As the tournament only started on Thursday the 18th of April, we had the day (17th) to just relax and enjoy. We spent time together as a team and I took a nice nap. Now, let’s FINALLY get to the tournament.  

Day #1 

After a very nice breakfast at The Hyatt, and an even nicer opening ceremony at TAISM, where we were greeted with Omani music and dance, the tournament began. It was the 3rd game of the day, facing AISD, the Tigers from Dhaka, Bangladesh. In Kathmandu last year the Tigers beat us to a pulp and placed 4th overall. So this year I personally had a new found drive to not beat them to a pulp, but beat them. Long story short, we lost – by 1 point (it was 17:16). I’m trying this new thing were one tries to “look at the bright side of things”, so 1) at least we did not get beat to a pulp 2) we played well, it was just extremely unlucky 3) it was our first game of the tournament, as our coach Mr. Hentz (shout out) said, “this will be the worst game you play during this tournament”. In other words, we only get better from here on. Hooray. Also, I was fairly pleased with my own performance during the game as I think I made around 4 or 5 buckets (8 / 10 points). Whilst our second game vs the Lincoln Snow Leopards from Nepal, the reigning champions also did not go in our favor (it was 27:10…) I was trying to not take it too personally since the Lincoln team is really experienced and if I’m being blunt, we did not play as well as I know we could’ve.

I don’t really want to continue talking about the games of today, but we did have a social night after all the games were finished. That was very enjoyable as I got my henna done, which is something I love to do, hang out with my friends, as well as reconnect with some old ones (shout out to Sima from ACS, Jordan). But again, let’s get to what’s truly important – on this day, ladies and gentlemen, I fell in love with shawarma’s. They were freshly made infront of us and one could pick what to put in the shawarma. Just a great experience. We don’t need to talk about how many of those shawarma’s I ate, since the result of that annoyed my roommate in the bathroom the next morning (love you Stephie!). 

Day #2

As the results of Day #1 was not too positive, we really needed to step up our game today. I was on the starting 5 playing as a number 4 post player. We were playing vs AISC, which are the Raptors from Chennai, India; who had just beat the Tigers on the previous day (!!!). This was the time for the whole team to really get together and give this game our best shot. We played a strong first two quarters, leading the game at half time. Not soon after however, the Raptors started closing in on us – but we were not going to lose again. The game ended at 25:16 for us! We were very happy with the result and celebrated our first win as a team together. The pool standings were extremely tight; Lincoln had 3 points (having won all 3 games). AISD, AISC and us however, had all lost 2 games and won 1 – meaning we all had 1 point. In order to determine the knockout games against the other pool, we needed to be placed. As we only lost by 1 point against the Tigers, and had a fairly good win over the Raptors, our point difference was the lowest; and therefore we got 2nd in our pool!! Crazy how these things turned out, but we were super pleased with that result. This meant that we were playing against ASB, the Eagles from Bombay later in the day to play for a ticket to the semi finals. 

This was the most heated game of basketball I had ever played, but I guess that is what made it so exciting and memorable. The Bombay Eagles were good. We knew this was about to be an intense game since obviously both teams wanted to secure a spot in the semi finals. We took an early lead in the game – at one point it was 17:12 to us. ASB however started catching up, and it was soon 17:17. This meant we had to go into extra time! I was so nervous, but to make matters worse, during extra time, #8 from ASB had the ball. She was their best player and scored the majority of their points. She was about to drive to the basket, when I stupidly fouled her. They got 2 free throws. She missed one and made one. The score was now 17:18, and there was not much time left on the clock. I felt like losing would be my fault, since I fouled her and therefore gave away the point that would give them the victory. Our coach always tells us “It takes a cool head to win a hot game” -G.Hentz. And in that moment, I took a few deep breaths and found a new drive to win this game. I threw the ball to Stephie, our point guard, she passed it right back to me, I dribbled in and took a chance at a lay up. Now, I’m really not fantastic at layups, especially under pressure. But all I cared about at that moment was that it went in; giving us a 19:18 lead. I had watched the livestream of the game later in the hotel room with some teammates, and as the layup goes in, in the livestream you can hear my “scream” of relief, and you can see the whole bench getting up and celebrating. It was a moment of pure relief and joy. The game was not yet over though, but with this new fuel, Stephie dribbled the ball up the court, passed it to me, who chipped the ball over to Clara, our #5 and main post player; who got it in the basket. We won this game 21:17. When the final whistle blew I could not even believe it, but I was extremely proud of everybody on my team, and I was also proud of myself for being able to redeem myself. It was a great game of basketball, nerve racking, intense and full of passion. 

Day #3 

In order to play for a spot in the finals, we needed to play the hosts TAISM. TAISM had not lost a game this whole tournament, and overall were extremely strong. I won’t lie, I had hope going into this game. Yes, TAISM was looking very good, but so were we. Nevertheless, we lost. We did not play well the first two quarters, and only properly woke up in the last two; but by that time it was too late. 

Next we needed to play vs ACS, who like us lost against TAISM and Lincoln. This was going to be our last game of the tournament, and we were competing for the 3rd/4th place spot. Did I get SAISA football flashbacks? Definitely. I strongly dislike playing for 3rd/4th place, it is just that factor of being so close to top 3, and yet so far. Now, I’m not even going to try and make up excuses for myself or the team. Yes it was the last day of competition, yes everybody’s muscles hurt, yes everyone was exhausted. But that’s just SAISA and not a valid excuses. ACS was an amazing team, and beat us. 

Final comments !!

At the closing ceremony I tried to just take in the fact that I was really there with my team and my coaches. I am eternally grateful that I was able to go to SAISA basketball this year. I had made the team, but at first I was not going to go since the costs were just ridiculously high. However, after some alterations were made, I was very happy I was able to go. But then, it was decided that I could not go. I was under a lot of pressure and stress because of my self taught German mother tongue class. My official IB exams (as I for some reason decided to take the course in 1 year instead of 2) were going to be 3 days after I come back from Oman. I did not do too well in my mocks, and was beyond scared for the upcoming exams. I had countless classes and countless mental breakdowns. My parents were really worried about me because I just put too much pressure on myself, I guess. It was a really hard time for me, and an even harder decision for me to make; since my parents told me it was my call. I thought really hard about it, but at the end of the day I knew I needed this getaway. I did promise to do work during the competition, which somehow, I did. On the 2nd day of the tournament I sat down in the TAISM library and did a full IB practice paper 1 exam. My tutor looked at it immediately and was surprisingly happy with my essay. When I got back from Oman on Sunday, I took a power nap, sat down at my desk and did a practice Paper 2 exam; which my tutor was also happy with. It took a lot of determination and ambition to work during SAISA, but I ultimately managed and I’m very proud of myself that I did. 

It is so hard, having to watch the 3rd place team receive their medals, when you know that could’ve been you. However, as we placed 5th last year, and 4th this year; so it was still a win for us. We had a great season, and a great tournament. Also, I was trying not to be too emotional and harsh on myself, like during SAISA football. This is because that was my goal for this tournament, no matter how it ended. I had also promised my parents to not take the outcomes too harshly, as they were worried about how I took the SAISA football result; as it took like 2 weeks for me to get over. Having to take official IB exams in that same week was also a core reason for me not to take this too badly, since I could not let this get in the way of focusing on my exams. 

All in all, I’d like to vocalize how proud I am of this year’s girls SAISA basketball team. You guys were amazing; Amy with her sweet spot shots (they always go in), Stephie with her great ball handling skills, Isa, our incredible captain, with her ball handling skills and absolute dedication to the sport, Vicky with her insane defense, Lily with her 3-point shots; wow, Saskia with her speed, Lottie with her strength, Clara with her endless amount of buckets, and finally, Mali with her speed and look of the game. Thank you to you all for making this SAISA a great experience for me. Now, an even bigger thank you to our coaches. Ms. Kelly – thank you for being so supportive, sweet and inspirational, but also, just a lot of fun to be around. Mr. Hentz – now I don’t know where to start since not only is he my basketball coach but also my global politics teacher. So, to keep it short, thank you for everything that you’ve helped me with these couple years. I am so grateful for your guidance on the court, but also outside. Finally, a big thank you to my family, for letting me go on this trip, but more importantly being my number one support system and fans; both on and off the court. 

This was my last SAISA basketball, since next year the tournament will be around the same time as IB exams. Would not be a good idea to participate. So, if you’ve read up until the end, wow, I know this was a long post and a lot to get through, so thanks for sticking with me! 

Below are some video links 🙂 

• The sendoff video OSC GeckoNet made for us: HERE 
• The summary video the TAISM tech crew made: HERE 
• Live stream links: HERE