In a World Ruled by Soccer, Palestinian Basketball Team Aims for Slam Dunk
The Qalandia refugee camp basketball team has a coach from Argentina and players from the US—and is now working to clinch the league championship
Soccer may rule in the region, but basketball ranks a close second at the Qalandia refugee camp in the West Bank.
“What I enjoy most is the passion—people live with passion around here,” head coach Manuel Urrutia told The Media Line. “They have their own issues, they have their own problems, they live every day like the last day. People here live with passion, play with passion, work with passion, love with passion, hate with passion.”
What I enjoy most is the passion—people live with passion around here
The Qalandia basketball team has reached second place in the league and is competing for the title. Many credit the team’s success to its unlikely roster of players and most of all to “Coach Manu,” a 31-year-old Argentinian who arrived at the start of the season and made his presence felt immediately.
Coach Manu speaks to TML at Youth Center in Qalandia , on the West Bank, May 1, 2023. (Noor Khatib/The Media Line)
“I’m living the dream right now. When someone gives me an offer to be a professional coach, I will be there to do my thing,” Urrutia said.
Urrutia lives in the refugee camp, which was established in 1949, and says he enjoys it. He has learned a few Arabic words, which come in handy while walking around the camp and with his players.
“For me, language says much all around the world. If you can speak the language correctly, you can connect more, especially when you have the most important words,” Urrutia said, listing the Arabic terms for “thank you,” “how are you,” and “what’s new.”
Despite having modest resources, the team does its best. It is their love of the game that enables the members to continue playing for almost nothing, through injuries, and lacking the most basic amenities.
It’s kind of difficult here in Palestine because they have the soccer mentality more than basketball
Qalandia player Hatem Sandoka, a Palestinian American from Chicago, told The Media Line that while basketball is slowly gaining popularity in the region, it needs a lot of help.
“It’s kind of difficult here in Palestine because they have the soccer mentality more than basketball,” he said. “Basketball is a new sport, it’s growing, but there’s not a lot of funding for the sport. The courts we have, as you can see, are not wood. It’s a difficult phase when you go from good courts, good training, good coaching, and then you come to a place that doesn’t have these options.”
The Qalandia team is rich with talent, especially American talent.
Ahmad Young, who played college basketball in California, is now playing for Qalandia and told The Media Line that he hopes this will be a bridge to something bigger.
“I think it’s a great start to my career,” he said. “I believe it’s completely different, it’s a different environment. You know I’ve learned to embrace certain environments; I’ve moved around a lot; this is nothing new to me.”
For the fans, these players are the biggest story in the Palestinian Basketball Federation.
Khaled Hamo, a member of the Qalandia Center Fans Association, told The Media Line that having a coach and players with international experience has helped the team greatly.
“We attracted the Argentinian coach Manu so that we can gain international experience, and we have foreign players such as Ahmad Young, who has high efficiency and experience,” Hamo said.
The team’s latest victory thrilled fans and brought it closer to clinching the league’s championship. Urrutia and his players, already overjoyed, feel that securing the championship would be the ultimate buzzer-beater slam dunk.
