Pheona is a star in the making

AMMAN — Years ago, there was a young third-grade girl running at top speed in a 50m sprint designated for children. She reached the finish line first; her next closest competitor was almost 20m away.اضافة اعلان

With her strong physical abilities, coordination, and speed, spectators predicted this girl had a bright athletic future — she was an athlete in the making.



Now, Pheona Dadson is officially one of the U18 basketball stars, despite her young age. She is a rising star and with time will become Jordan’s and the Arab world’s best player.

Pheona managed to get a scholarship to the US when she was in 10th grade. Her development was being monitored. 

Many waited with bated breath for her to take part in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup as part of the U16 national team.



Unfortunately, due to a technical error during her registration and an error on her application, her submission failed and she couldn’t participate, leaving many frustrated. The error was later corrected by the Jordan Basketball Federation, and now she is a U18 star.

I had the privilege of discovering her when she was training in different sports offered by my school, from football and basketball to track and field.



Every coach wanted her on their team and to represent their school. Our school’s philosophy for developing athletes and believing in them — giving her the chance to explore different sports — convinced her parents that our school was the right choice for their daughter.

Since her arrival, Pheona started racking up achievements left and right from 6th to 9th grade.

Pheona was a significant contributor to our school’s basketball, football, and track and field trophy cabinet, and became a star among schools in no time.

Her success did not occur in a vacuum: Her parents’ incredible support, always smiling and content, never interfered with the coaches’ job, and we always appreciated and respected their support.



Three years ago, I suggested to Pheona’s father her induction into the Jordanian national team through naturalization. She had spent her entire childhood in Jordan, being trained by Jordanian coaches, one of whom I had the privilege of being.

The father welcomed the idea and I forwarded the proposition to the Jordan Basketball Federation, to whom I am grateful — Dina Halaseh in particular, as she is in charge of women’s basketball. I kept pushing my request many times until she was finally naturalized after performing amazingly in the national league.


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