Abu Dhabi: Zack Bajrick, Frederick Magana and Mansour Mbengue were the three qualifiers at the end of the third and final qualifier for the Red Bull King of the Rock UAE Finals.
Playing at the Skate and Family Park in Abu Dhabi last weekend Bajrick, Magana and Mbengue will join six others from Dubai and Sharjah along with another 23 ranked players in the final to be held this Thursday at Dubai Mall.
This one-on-one basketball competition offers the winner a chance to represent the UAE at the World Finals in September at The Yard in the notorious Alcatraz prison, nearly 50 years after the inmates of the legendary prison were last housed there.
Bajrick, Magana and Mbengue made the cut after a long hot day of one-on-one basketball that saw last year’s solid runner-up Nigerian Laurence Vincent exit the tournament in his semi-final against Magana.
After a one-sided final that ended 17-5 in his favour, Bajrick said: “I am very confident that I am going to do well in the final as I put in a lot of hard work. I practice a lot, and basketball is not just a game for me. It is my job, my passion and my life.”
Bajrick also added the he felt very optimistic about the future of the game in the UAE, given the young talent competing, and hoped the support for the game will increase with time.
The nine contestants who placed in the top three in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi will be joined by 23 other competitors who will be determined based on a ranking system that ranks all other contestants from the three qualifying rounds.
The Red Bull King of the Rock 2013 UAE Finals will be held at the Ice Rink at the Dubai Mall from 8pm on June 27.
