🗣️🏀 Jordan Is Sitting on a Gold Mine of Young Centers… The Big Question Is: How Do We Invest It?

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In many basketball countries, finding a true center is a luxury.

In Jordan, it’s becoming a strength.

While some federations spend years searching for a naturalized big man, Jordan quietly owns a growing pipeline of young local centers with size, youth, and national eligibility. What’s missing is not talent. What’s missing is a clear long-term plan to develop, track, and protect this resource.

This is not about one player.

This is about building a system.



Why This Matters

• The center position remains one of the most impactful roles in international basketball

• Good size cannot be taught — development can

• Relying on naturalized players blocks local growth

• Jordan already has depth at this position… organically

Instead of asking “Who can we naturalize?”, maybe it’s time to ask:

How do we build our own giants?

A Rare Generation of Size

Below is a group of young Jordanian big men, all holding Jordanian nationality, with heights based on official sources or player-reported data:

• Qusai Freihat (19 yrs – 215 cm) – Al Faisaly

• Fares Masharbash (19 yrs – 213 cm)

• Ghassan Samaan (20 yrs – 209 cm) – NCAA Division II

• Hashem Kaswani (15 yrs – 208 cm) – Orthodox Club

• Ghazi Al-Salah (210 cm) – Without Club

• Abdullah Al-Akash (21 yrs – 207 cm)

• Khaled Abu Shawar (207 cm) – Al-Jaleel

• Mahmoud Al-Hzaimeh (23 yrs – 206 cm) – Jubeiha Club

• Amr Al-Amouri (18 yrs – 206 cm) – Amman United

• Ahmad Al-Weshah (16 yrs – 206 cm)

• Hadi Al-Shami (19 yrs – 205 cm)

• Saeed Khawaldeh (20 yrs – 205 cm) – England

• Khaled Al-Daher (204 cm) – Taiwan University League

• Saif Al-Din Saleh (19 yrs – 204 cm)

• Nabil Katkhuda (204 cm)

• Abdulrahman Olagwan (20 yrs – 203 cm) – NCAA

• Ahmad Al-Khaza’leh (203 cm) – Al Faisaly

• Jaiden Fakhouri (19 yrs – 203 cm) – NCAA

• Kaden Najdawi (203 cm)

• Wadee’ Abdulrazzaq (14 yrs – 202 cm) – USA

• Hamza Mahdawi (17 yrs – 202 cm) – Orthodox Club

• Al-Tayyeb Qasem (18 yrs – 202 cm)

• Basel Abu Aboud (22 yrs – 202 cm) – Al-Wehdat

• Abdullah Daees (17 yrs – 200 cm)

• Hussein Al-Ababneh (19 yrs – 200 cm)

• Omar Hijazi (19 yrs – 200 cm) – Canadian University League

• Twins Yazeed & Yanal Abu Shaheel (200 cm)

• Kareem Juaibat (19 yrs – 199 cm) – Canadian High School League

• Saud Akef Badandi (16 yrs) – Al-Jaleel

• Kareem Zaid Al-Khas (15 yrs – 196 cm)

This list alone should change how we think about roster building.



The Risk

Without a structured pathway:

• Talents get lost

• Players stagnate

• Clubs prioritize short-term imports

• National teams remain dependent on external solutions

Depth without development becomes wasted potential.

A Practical Solution

Our proposal:

The Jordan Basketball Federation launches a unified summer league for U23 and younger players, running for a meaningful duration, and open to:

• Local-based players

• Players studying abroad

• High school prospects

• University players

All under one umbrella.

Why a Unified Summer League Works

• Allows national team staff to evaluate everyone in one place

• Creates competition between same-age, same-role players

• Builds database and tracking history

• Encourages physical development

• Builds identity at the center position

Most importantly:

It sends a message.

Jordan believes in its own talent.


Jordan does not suffer from a lack of big men.

Jordan suffers from a lack of organized investment in big men.

This generation is a gift.

What we do with it will define the next decade of Jordanian basketball.

Now is the time to build giants — the Jordanian way 🇯🇴🏀

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