Contract renewal is a sign of faith and trust management has in an employee, and for Al Rayyan SC, no one has been more deserving of this faith and trust like Mizo Amin, as he signs an extension into the 2022 season.
Some of the greatest professional athletes, especially in basketball, have marked the world with their incredible success and longevity while staying loyal to one club. Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson did it with the Lakers, Isiah Thomas with the Pistons, David Robinson with the Spurs, and now Mizo Amin is doing it with Al Rayyan SC. Mizo Amin, officially known as Mohammed Hassan Mohamed, has been around the Qatari club since age four when he was brought in by his father and former coach, Hassan Mohamed Amin. Al Rayyan and basketball have been two of the greatest loves of his life and there is no better way for both to repay him than with a new contract.
Hassan Mohamed is a combo guard who can also slot into the small forward position, as he showed during the 2016 FIBA Asia Champions Cup thanks to his 191cm frame. Popularly known as Mizo Amin or KO3, and his deadly long-range shooting, Mizo is more than just a deadeye shooter. He may be notorious for his three-point shooting, but Mizo Amin’s game is more rounded with silky ballhandling, superb on-court vision, multi-level scoring from behind the arc to finishes under the rim, and solid defence with his length. While he does not dominate the post-season charts every year, Mizo Amin stuffs the box score with his offense and defense, and also with his intangibles.
Throughout his career, Hassan Mohamed has shown different facets of his game, like ending the 2016/17 season in the top ten for steals in a season, or growing his assist average over the years, and dropping his turnovers. The Al Rayyan SC captain has also grown as a savant of the game and in his leadership, understanding that his role grows bigger with each passing year, on and off the court. The proof of Mizo Amin’s great intangibles and all-round impact is his constant appearance in all-domestic and season teams in the league, and his high usage rate, playing an average of 30 minutes each season.
For Al Rayyan SC, this was the smartest decision both basketball-wise and going forward, because Mizo Amin is one of the faces of the club and has a strong connection with fans, while his averages of 18 points, 7 rebounds, and almost 4 assists in his 2018 MVP season, suggests he has the numbers to carry his team. At age 29, the seasoned veteran is in that sweet spot between experience and physical ability. His basketball is smarter now, and while he is still a player who relies on his movement off the ball, to pick his spots and launch from deep, Mizo Amin can also create his shots off the dribble, and make plays for his teammates. Al Rayyan will need all of his experience and leadership to recapture their glory days after finishing out of the playoff spots for four consecutive seasons.
