During the inaugural Special Olympics 3×3 Unified Basketball World Cup in San Juan Puerto Rico, the Morocco women’s team showed up with only three players, and no coach. But they dug deep and pulled out a surprising performance!
Fanside followed their journey in an article titled Morocco makes a statement at the Special Olympics Unified 3×3 Basketball World Cup. Here is an excerpt.
While El Kalali set the emotional tone for her team, Yechou and Charef matched her on every possession, swarming relentlessly on defense and playing an incredibly physical style despite being shorthanded and often undersized compared to their opponents.
What they lacked in reinforcements, they made up for with their deep connection built over the past four months, playing together and preparing for the tournament. El Kalali explained through a translator how that connection helped shape her leadership style:
“I know what they like, what they don’t like, what are their strong points and their weaknesses, I know everything about them. So I know how to communicate with them. I know when I have to talk a little bit serious, when I have to calm down and be more soft.”
