Mohab Yasser the youngest player in the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL), made his presence felt at Kigali Arena on Sunday, helping Zamalek outclass AS Douanes 86-62.
He looked like a totally different player from the one who finished scoreless in Zamalek's Group C opener against Ferroviario de Maputo last Monday.
Yasser, who will graduate soon from the NBA Academy in Dakar, insisted that he's just focused on helping Zamalek go far in the BAL.
"I don't care too much about stats, I am a team player," said the 18-year-old, who finished with 14 points on a 6-of-8 performance from the field in just 16:38 minutes on the court.
Zamalek head coach Agusti Julbe added: "He works really hard. I am sure he was a little disappointed about his performance in the first game. He didn't lose his temper, remained focused for most of the game, and today, he was great."
Zamalek outplayed the Senegalese side from start to finish, prompting AS Douanes head coach Mamadou Gueye to describe Zamakek as, "a much stronger at every level, but our players will certainly learn from this experience."
AS Douanes led Zamalek by five early in the game, but it was a short-lived lead as the winners of the 1992 FIBA Africa Champions Cup closed the opening quarter with a 20-14 lead and never looked back.
Mamadou Diop led AS Douanes with 14 points, Mamadou Faye and Egyptian Hassan Attia contributed 11 points each, but Zamalek wrapped the game up well before it finished.
Zamalek point guard Walter Hodge finished with a game-high 15 points and Cote Ivoire international player Souleyman Diabate added 11 points off the bench for the Cairo-based club.
With the win, Zamalek improved its Group C mark to 2-0 and advanced to the playoff while AS Douanes will need to wait for other groups results to find out if it's one of the two best third-placed teams.
