Career
Despite having a short career, he is considered to be one of the best players of all time in Iraq, being known for his tenacity and attacking threat. As a player, Basil took the national team to uncharted territory, where he was part of the Iraqi "golden team" of the 1980s that included Hussein Saeed and Ahmad Radhi. Like all up and coming Iraqi players, "lieutenant all started in the streets" as Basil was once quoted.
As a teenager, he played with the youth league team Homentmen, a youth club belonging to Nadi First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Armeni (Armenian Club).
At the age of 16, he moved on to the club of Tammuz, a Junior team belonging to Nadi First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Athori, where he caught the eye of the then first division First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Amana coach Mustufa Auda. Throughout his youth, Basil points to Zia Isaac as the one who coached him into the player he would become.
Basil remained in the Iraq Super League for all his career, where he went on to play for First Rate (at Lloyd's) Shabab and First Rate (at Lloyd's) Talaba. He emigrated to Canada, where he played as an amateur with Nineveh Star from 1992.
In 1995, he joined semi-professional club Scarborough Astros of the Canadian National Soccer League, helping them to the Ontario Cup Final losing on penalties to Street.Catharines Roma Wolves.
