CAIRO - Amr Aboulkheir believes African basketball may never be the same again under FIBA’s new competition system, which comes into effect in 2017.

The new system will allow national teams to play home and away games in order to qualify for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. At the end of that year, a 15-month qualification period consisting of four windows will begin for the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket Cup.

Talking to FIBA.com from Cairo, Aboulkheir, the man who led Egypt to a runners-up finish at AfroBasket 2013, said: “This was the best option, and all African countries must start preparing to embrace the new system.”

The best African team at FIBA's flagship event will qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games. And, unlike the current system, which gives three African teams a second chance to qualify for the Olympics, four teams from the continent will have the opportunity of chasing their Olympic dream through four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs).

Aboulkheir (EGY)

“The current 10-day qualification system - held in one country - doesn’t reflect the basketball reality of most countries,” said the 1988 Olympian. “For example if a key player is injured during that period, there is not much a team can do to reverse the situation, whereas the new competition will allow teams to prepare better and select their best players, most of whom might be foreign-based.”

Aboulkheir who is currently at the helm of Al Ittihad in the Egypt’s SuperLeague basketball league, went on saying, “the new system will bring stability to local federations, and I think the best African teams have bigger chances of representing Africa at world stage competition.”

More importantly, the new system will bring more competitiveness because every team will look to select their best players during the 15-month qualifier period. - Aboulkheir

“My only concern is whether US colleges will allow our players to come to the national team. I know colleges should release the athletes during the holiday breaks, but how about the rest of the year when we have qualifiers windows?"

In recent years a number of Egyptians have crossed the atlantic to pursue their academic and basketball aspirations stateside.

This year, Anas Mahmoud, Ehab Amin, Abdel Nader, Aly Ahmed, Omar El Manasterly, Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed, Mohamed Bendary and Omar Abbas, are studying and playing NCAA Division 1 basketball, while dozens of Egyptians are playing high-school basketball across the US.

Aboulkheir continued: “The good thing is, by the time the new system is fully implemented - in two or three years - most of our players would have finished their college careers and would be playing professionally in Europe or elsewhere. Then, everything will be great for us.”

As of 2017, the continent's flagship event will be held every four years - instead of every two years - with qualification for the competition taking place during four windows over the course of 15 months.

FIBA