Results have not exactly gone the way of Egypt's youngsters at the Fiba Under 17 World Championship in Dubai – played two, lost two.
Assistant coach Fady Rezkalla is not panicking, however. After all, it has not been the most perfect of run-ups to the tournament, and performances have improved.
“The tournament so far has gone well. We’ve had no problems, and the organisation has been excellent,” he said. “It’s great that it’s being held in Arab country for the first time, and that’s an honour for all of us, the first time it’s ever taken place outside Europe and America.”
On the opening day of the tournament, Egypt lost 74-39 to Argentina. Despite a much-improved performance on Saturday, they lost their second game to Serbia 81-63.
“In the first match, we did not put on good show. Perhaps we were a little nervous, a little scared,” said Rezkalla, who played for one of Egypt’s biggest clubs, Al Zamalek, in the 1990s. “It was the first match for any of our players in a World Cup match, and to be up against such players, with such huge sizes, experience and skill was tough.”
Egypt came within 10 points of Serbia in the third quarter on Saturday before their more-experienced opponents wrapped up the match.
“The second match was better than the Argentina match,” Rezkalla said. “Serbia is one of the best teams in Europe and we coped. We’re gaining more experience and confidence, and when the fear goes, we’ll be much better.”
Rezkalla insists that the players remain in high spirits despite the results and some difficulties in the preparation.
The team has two injured players and only had eight players in training. Two other players who are playing in the African U18 tournament in Madagascar will arrive on Tuesday, Rezkalla said.
“Things will be different, but the current squad have delivered everything we’ve asked of them,” he said.
In the build-up to the World Championship, Egypt’s squad played three warm-up matches in a friendly tournament at Hamdan Complex in Dubai, which was not sufficient top-class practice according to Rezkalla.
“Unfortunately, the situation was not ideal for preparation. We had no training camps outside Egypt,” he said. “At home, the Egypt Basketball Association has done its best, but we didn’t take part in any international events. This is the first time we have come across teams from Europe or America.”
There were a few friendly matches against other Arab nations before the team landed in Dubai.
“That gave us a little bit of experience against teams older than us,” he said. “But that is not enough to get you ready against the European teams, to figure out their standards, their system of play, the level of their players. All these things matter.”
This batch of players have been together since October 2010, played the Fiba Africa U16 Championship in June 2013 and are now tasting basketball at the highest level for this age group.
The last three years have seen almost non-stop political turmoil in Egypt, which has affected every aspect of life. Unlike domestic football, however, basketball carried on.
“Basketball competition never stopped, not matches or training,” Rezkalla said, “although the schedules had fewer matches and the intensity was lower. But we never stopped. These kids have completed a league campaign and then went straight into national-team training. So it wasn’t like football, we played on.”
Rezkalla does lament the fact that so much more could have been squeezed out of a talented bunch of players.
“This group could have really achieved something big for Egypt if they had gotten more experience well ahead of this tournament,” he said.
He believes some members of the squad have what it takes to make the step up to higher age groups – the two players coming from Madagascar, in particular.
Mohammed Ahmad Abdulrahman was MVP in Africa in 2012 for his age group. Mohammed Ali Hassan, the pivot man, also has a bright future.
“Here, we have Ahmed Adel, and Raouf El Safwany, who was born in 1999 and is one of the youngest players in the tournament,” he said. “All will hopefully progress.”
The priority for now is the game against China today.
“We started our preparation for China straight after our last match against Serbia,” he said. “I’ve already watched both of China’s matches. We analysed their weaknesses. We’ll also hold two meetings, in which the players will get to watch our opponent’s matches, and we’ll give them their final instructions.”
Rezkalla was an assistant coach at the U17 World Championship in Lithuania in 2012. Whatever the result this week, he thinks this group will likewise prosper. They just need time and experience.
“We had a great generation – five players moved to the US now [to study] and they continue to play, and the rest play at the top level in Egypt,” he said. “I hope the current group will have the same success for themselves and for their country.”
akhaled@thenational.ae
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