Al-Jaish Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الجيش الرياضي) is a Syrian professional basketball club. It is a part of the Al-Jaish Sports Club, which is based in Damascus, Syria.[1] Al Jaish is with seven SBL titles and three Syrian Cup victories one of the best clubs in Syria.[2]
The club was founded in 1947 in Damascus as a sports division of the Syrian Army.[3]
The club did not make a significant impact until 2003, when it advanced to the Syrian Cup finals for the first time. The club achieved its first major success in the 2004 season, advancing to the SBL final 6, defeating Jalaa SC.[4] In the following season of 2005, the club placed second in the group stage, advancing to the final group, which they won after a key winning match with Al-Ittihad (73–65) and became the SBL champion and defended the title.[5]
In 2005, the club also participated in the WABA Cup for the first time, where, after winning over Al-Shabab (98–51) and Al-Hillah, it placed 4th and advanced to the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.[6]
In the 2006 season, they participated in the WABA League, in which they advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Saba Battery.[9] In the same 2006 season, they also participated in the Dubai Cup, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to the Riyadi SC 83–94.[10]
After the 2007 season, when they finished third in the SBL, they reached the final group in the 2008 season, where they were defeated by Al-Jalaa.[11][12] In the 2009 season, after winning over the city rival Wahda, they reached the SBL final, where Al-Jalaa defeated them in all three matches.[13] In the same season, he also presented himself at the Dubai International Championship, where he was eliminated by Riyadi SC 85–77 as in the previous participation.[14] They also won the Damascus Championship after defeating Al-Wahda 96–91.[15]
In the 2010 season, under the leadership of coach Imad Othman and with players such as Christien Charles, Abdullah Hakam or Nour al Saman, they advanced to the playoffs, where they gradually defeated Talyia, the main rival Al-Wahda, and reached the SBL finals.[16] In the first match of the final series, they lost to Al-Jalaa 96–104, but after winning the second (77–74) and third match (92–88), they became the SBL champions.[17]
In the 2011 season, they advanced to the playoffs from second place in the group stage. In it, they defeated Al-Ittihad (2:1) and Al-Wahda (2:0) and advanced to the finals, where they were defeated by Jalaa.[18] They also participated in the 2011 WABA Cup, where they finished second in the group stage, but lost to the Al-Ryiadi 87–94 and 63–84 in the quarterfinals.[19]
In the SBL semi-final in the 2012 season, Al-Jaish was eliminated thanks to Jalaa after losing 73–83 and 69–81 and took 3rd place.[20] The team returned the loss to the Jalaa club in the Syrian Cup final, where they defeated it 78–71.[21]
In the 2013 season, the league was canceled due to the war in the country, so the club only participated in the WABA Cup. In the group stage of the WABA Cup, the club unfortunately lost to all opponents, including Champville SC, and finished in seventh place.[22]
After the 2015 season, as in the previous one, they had third place in the league and participation in the WABA Cup quarterfinals, where they were defeated by Mahram Tehran BC 106–59.[26]
In the 2016 season, the Great Era of the Al-Jaish began, as the team, led by coach Khaled Abo Touk, won the Double for the first time. They won the SBL after the sovereign defeat of Al-Ittihad Aleppo in the semi-finals, and in the final they met Al-Karamah SC, which they defeated in all three matches (77–62, 84–73, 87–79) and became Syrian champions.[27] They also won the Syrian Cup after winning over Ittihad.[28]
The following 2017 season, they also managed to win the league title, but lost in the Syrian Cup in the quarterfinals with Al-Wahda.[29] As a result, they managed to advance to the WABA Cup, in which they finished in fourth place after losing to Petrochimi BC, Riyadi and Ramallah. In the next course of the 2018 season, they managed to defend the title.[2]
In the SBL playoffs 2019, a team led by players such as Rami Merjaneh and Abdulwahab Al-Hamwi managed to beat Hurriya Aleppo SC 2:0 (81–70, 87–55) and then Al-Ittihad SC Aleppo 2:0 (72–71, 77–74) and advance to the finals.[30] In the SBL final, they managed to beat Al-Jalaa Aleppo 3:1 (81–45, 73–80 and 72–64) and defend the league title. It was their fourth title in a row, so they set a new club record.[31] They also managed to beat Al-Wathba 81–59 in the Syrian Cup final.[32] These successes also ended the Great Era.[33]
In the WABA Cup, they finished in fourth place, losing to Petrochimi 73–93, Al-Naft 60–88 and Chemidor 55–80 respectively. They recorded their only victory with a clear defeat of BC Kalendia 84–67.[34]
The following 2020 season had to be canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but this decision unfortunate hit the club as they advanced to the SBL semi-finals. The club was also marked by the elimination in Syrian Cup quarterfinals.[35]
In the 2021 season, they advanced to the semi-finals of the playoffs, where they played a tied series with Al-Wahda, but eventually lost just 1:2 (in matches).[36] They also lost in the Cup final with Al-Jalaa 44–59.[37]
