Tigers Give Crowd a Taste of What is to Come in Exhibition

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Nov. 12, 2007) – Opening night at Rush Gymnasium was just an exhibition but Tiger fans filled the bleachers and got a good showing from the men’s basketball team.

Occidental jumped out to a 36-23 half time lead en route to a 75-51 victory over the visiting Afghanistan National Team.

On the first of this month the Afghanistan National Team played on U.S. soil for the first time when they took the court against Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. Since then the team has travelled throughout California taking on six other college teams.

The Tigers shot 46% from the field and had three double digit scorers. Senior guard Connor Whitman led the way with a game high 21 points. He was 7-for-16 shooting, including four from three point range. Whitman was solid at the line, going 3-for-4. Joining Whitman was junior Huston Conti and sophomore transfer Sean Anderson with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Whitman and Conti finished with three steals apiece as well.

Anderson made his presence felt as he pulled down a team high eight rebounds, including two offensive boards. Senior Chris Pitcher contributed with six rebounds, while adding six points (2-2 from the line). Oxy outrebounded the Afghan team 41-32.

Jordan Schultz added nine points and senior Chris Hunt and freshman Doug Jordan each finished with seven. Anderson, Pitcher and Clark Gordon each had a block in the game for the Tigers.

Gemayal McBride and Anderson each had three assists while Whitman, Pitcher, Conti and Gordon were credited with two assists apiece.

For the Afghan team, Nafi Mashriqi tallied 12 points and a game high nine rebounds. Yousof Etemadi had 11 points. The team was 19-30 from the line and shot 29.1% from the field overall. 

Basketball was brought to Afghanistan by Americans in the 1960s and the first national team was formed during that decade. Though the team did not make a trip to the United States in the 1960s or 70s, it did play several American teams that traveled to

Afghanistan including a team sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

The 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and subsequent rule by the Taliban brought an end to the national team. In 2006, the team was reformed under the direction of the Afghan National Olympic Committee. Players were selected by then coach Zabi Subat and team manager Esmael Hussieni from a pool of Afghan-Americans, all of whom lived in the United States.

Last year, Coach Subat led the team in its return to international competition when it competed in the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. The Afghan team celebrated its return to the world stage with a 66-57 victory over Hong Kong before losing a subsequent game to Syria 84-66.

The Afghan team is now coached by Mohammad “Mamo” Rafiq who has served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Idaho State. The team played its seventh game of their trip tonight after meeting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, California Lutheran University, Holy Names College, Humboldt State and CSU East Bay.

Before the start of Monday night’s game, the two teams exchanged handshakes, gifts and took a group photo as an expression of friendship.

Occidental will open their regular season schedule Friday, Nov. 16 on the road against West Coast Baptist with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Afghans will travel to Orange, Calif. where they will conclude their international schedule against Chapman University.