MONASTIR (Tunisia) – For Egypt’s Assem Marei, nothing beats the thrill of qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and that’s why he’s been so fired up since the start of the Africa Zone Qualifiers.
With a 7-2 record with three rounds to go, Egypt are among the teams best placed to secure one of the four tickets still available for next year’s world tournament in Indonesia, Japan and in the Phillippines.
“I WANT TO PLAY IN THE FIBA WORLD CUP, OF COURSE, BUT I BELIEVE THAT FOR ME, THE STRONGEST FEELING IS QUALIFYING. »
When Marei recalls how – then 21 years old – he helped Egypt qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 in Spain in 2013, he sums up the experience in one sentence: “It was the best moment of my career. »
At the time, Egypt had come to Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) to participate in the FIBA AfroBasket – which was used to qualify teams for the FIBA Basketball World Cup – with a young and inexperienced selection. To complicate matters further, the Egyptians had lost all three of their group stage games.
Assem Marei was instrumental in Egypt’s successful run at FIBA AfroBasket 2013
However, against all odds, they had managed to completely reverse the situation. Marei and his teammates had indeed created the biggest surprise of the tournament by eliminating Tunisia, defending champions, in the round of 16.
It had only been Marei’s second appearance at FIBA AfroBasket, but he had guided his team like a veteran. Yossef Aboushousha, Anas Mahmoud and assistant coach Wael Khedr – members of the current selection – also appeared in this historic group of players in 2013.
Assem Marei was voted into the ‘Major 5’ of FIBA AfroBasket 2013
By the time of playing one of the semi-finals of the competition against Senegal, favorites for the African title and against whom it had lost during the group stage, Egypt had no longer been considered an outsider.
The former continental champions not only controlled the pace of the game with a stifling defence, they also proved unstoppable in attack, ultimately winning 70-63. This success automatically qualified them for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 in Spain. Senegal had nevertheless obtained its qualification for the world tournament by beating Côte d’Ivoire in the match for 3rd place.
Marei, however, had to skip the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014, so he is left with a sense of incompleteness.
“I want to play in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, obviously, but I think the strongest feeling for me is qualifying.”the 30-year-old says when asked what the global event means to him.
Marei, who played last season at South Korean club Changwon LG Sakers, has been a mainstay for his team since the start of the Qualifiers, averaging 13.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in six games. In his presence, Egypt compiled a 5-1 record.
“For me, once we qualify, we will have accomplished our mission. Of course, we would like to represent our country as well as possible in the world tournament and I would love to take part in it”points out Marei.
“But the best feeling of my career came when we won the semi-finals against Senegal, which opened the doors to the FIBA AfroBasket final against Angola nine years ago. I can relive such a moment. »
Looking at the current Egyptian squad, the 2.06m winger says: « Substitutes can bring a lot of positive things off the bench. »
The Canadian Roy Rana, who took over the controls of the Pharaohs for a year, breathed new aggressiveness and a conquering mentality into the team.
“We have shown resilience and determination so far”recognizes Rana.
” They know that. It’s necessary. You have to hang on mentally and fight on every possession. We have managed to do this so far in each of our matches – apart from the first against Senegal in Dakar. I think we’ve been good. I’m not surprised. »
Marei has two double-doubles in six games. He is second in the shooting success rate with 57.7%, which makes him one of the most productive players in the Africa Zone Qualifiers.
FIBA
