AMMAN (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - Sam Daghlas featured in several FIBA Asia Cups as a player with Jordan and in just a couple of months he'll experience his first as the coach of the team.

The 37-year-old is ambitious but also cognizant of the fact that there will be no easy games when the tournament is staged August 8-20 in Beirut, Lebanon. Jordan will take on Iran, Syria and India in Group A. Put in charge of the team a few months of Jordan's 2015 FIBA Asia Cup campaign, Daghlas has spoken to FIBA.com.

Sam, have you seen improvement in the national team performances since you became coach or is that difficult to judge since you do not always have the same players?
I've seen improvement from our 2015 Asia Championship team (that he played on) that finished ninth in China. I think we have played better team basketball and had better tenacity to compete in the last three championships (WABA 2016, FIBA Asia Challenge 2016, WABA 2017). But one thing that is hard for most national teams, not just our national team, is the instability of players coming in and out of national team. It's tough on the coaching staff and players.

Daghlas once called the shots as point guard but now he does so as coach

If you could take one element from the Jordan teams that you played for that helped you find success and instill it in the team that you are coaching, what would that be?
Sam: I would say mental toughness is number one on my list. To be able to compete against other top national teams that have better basketball structure and programs, you have to have mental toughness to be able to believe you can compete with the best.

The FIBA Asia Cup that is just around the corner is really causing a buzz this year. What do the addition of Australia and New Zealand do for this competition and do you anticipate them being frontrunners, especially Australia?
Sam: FIBA Asia is always a big thing in our region and now adding two power national teams like New Zealand and Australia just made the event that much bigger. I think it's going to be a very tough championship. It's also going to be a great test for all the Asian teams to show our improved talent against the new additions of Australia and New Zealand.

Do you even worry about your opponents in the FIBA Asia Cup initial Group Phase or are you most concerned about Jordan’s players focusing on themselves and executing the game plan?
Sam: As a head coach you worry about every aspect that goes into your preparation heading to any championship. To be able to give your players the best chance to be ready for every game you have to take everything into consideration and make sure you are as prepared as you can be. Of course along the way, you can't lose focus of your own team plan and identity.

Jordan finished third at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge

What will you tell your players before the first game?
I'm more spare of the moment type when it comes down to pre-game speeches or game-time motivation but I think my players have been through so much disappointment in the last two years in Jordan basketball that they just want to compete on the big stage and let the world know we have talent here in Jordan.

What will you say to the players if you face adversity with a loss or with a complicated situation when it comes to advancing?
Sam: To be honest what we are facing here in our own Jordan basketball community is a way more complicated situation than what any game adversity can ever test us in the upcoming championship. We will worry about that once we get to FIBA Asia.

Lastly, what about the home games that Jordan will be playing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asia Qualifiers. Are you excited about having fans watch the team? Will this be a real boost for basketball and help it grow and become even more popular than it already is?
Sam: I think this is exactly what Jordan basketball needed. It's going to allow our fans to come out and lift up the sport. We are desperately in need of such an event to put our national team as the main event when the Asia qualifier round comes to Jordan. It's going to be exciting for our fans and sport.

FIBA