Ali Thameem
The past decade has seen a basketball boom in the Maldives, both in terms of popularity among the public and in achievements abroad.
While we credit the players for their success on the court, and rightfully so, it can be convenient to undermine the man standing on the sidelines. But the rise of a new generation of basketball talents in the Maldives could not have become true if not for the great minds of our coaches.
Should we rank these great coaches of the past decade, the list would be incomplete without Guraish Afrah, 34, who has just won regional bronze as head coach with the under-16 girls’ national team at the SABA Qualifiers.
His role as a coach can no longer be overlooked. Not after the girls defeated Bangladesh twice over, once by scoring a century.
Growing up, Guraish started playing basketball with his friends from Jamaluddin School. But the dream of making it inside the court took a turn when he started coaching a YDP programme at 16 years old.
Then in 2008, he got the opportunity to work as assistant coach of the Iskandharu School team in the interschool basketball tournament. That was when his coaching career really started.
Seventeen years on, Guraish is now one of the most esteemed basketball coaches in the country.
In 2017, Guraish led Jibillee Sports Club to two silver medals; in the women’s division of the National Basketball League and in the National Basketball Tournament.
But in the women’s MBA Championship the following year, Guraish won his first gold medal as head coach of Titans SC.
In 2020, Guraish joined Queens BC as head coach and led the women’s basketball team to two gold medals in his first season. Guraish continued serving as assistant coach at Raptors BC in the men’s division.
In 2022, when basketball tournaments restarted after the pandemic, Guraish resumed his tenure as head coach of Queens BC and led them to another gold medal, this time in the MBA Championship. He helped Queens BC win the Zahir Naseer Memorial Championship as well.
Guraish was the assistant coach of the women’s national basketball team when Maldives won the bronze medal at the South Asian Games 2019 in Nepal. He was there guiding the national team when they won bronze again at the SABA Women’s Championship 2022 on home court.
Till this day, the young basketball coach continues his service as assistant coach of the women’s national team. Back in February this year, the women’s national team made it to the final of the SABA Championship in New Delhi, India, after defeating Nepal 53–46.
This past week, Guraish took on the role of head coach of the under-16 girls’ national team, as the Maldives played in the SABA Qualifiers of the FIBA Asia Cup at home court in Malé. The strategy of Guraish paid off for the Maldives, as the hosts defeated Bangladesh twice over.
Although Maldives could not make it to the final, the girls’ team started the tournament with a historic win, one with the biggest point margin ever for a Maldivian national team. They ended the tournament with a bronze medal in hand.
“These medals reflect our hard work, sacrifice, and passion. As a team, we uphold our loyalty to our country and to one another.”
In 2024, Guraish completed an international coaching course from the Hungarian University of Sports Science in Budapest, Hungary. Balancing his career with family responsibilities has not been easy, and he has had to make significant sacrifices, especially in spending time away from his family. He often credits his wife’s support as a key reason behind his continued involvement with the national team.
Guraish says that he is “incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and with a strong support system behind us, I’m fully committed to building on this foundation for even greater success on the international court.”
