AMMAN (WABA Championship 2017) - Jordan rallied past Palestine yesterday for their third win in as many games, but, more importantly, that result secured for the hosts a slot in the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 later this year in Beirut, Lebanon. By all indications, Jordan have met their primary target for this particular competition, but now that they are assured of their #FIBAAsiaCup2017 tickets, will they rest on their laurels?

Jordanian basketball icon and current national team head coach Sam Daghlas was happy about their consecutive wins over Syria, Iraq and Palestine, but he also knows that the true acid tests will be in their final two assignments against Lebanon and Iran. This is where he rues not having a couple of key players in his squad, most notably naturalized guard Dar Tucker and bemedalled forward and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) import Zaid Abbas.

Daghlas shared his feelings with FIBA.com after their triumph on Day 3.

Now that you have qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup, can you consider that the mission is accomplished, or is it that you also want to win #WABA2017?
The goal, of course, for all the national teams is to make sure to qualify for FIBA Asia Cup 2017. We also want to try to win the title, but we understand that we are undermanned. We are missing key players, and there are going to be tough games against four time Lebanon and six time Champions Iran.

Jordan won all three games so far. Are you satisfied with the overall performance of your team? What improvements should be made?
I'm satisfied and happy that we have won all our first 3 games, but our play is still not where we were in September. Again, that's because we're missing key players like Dar Tucker and Zaid Abbas and only started practice a week before WABA. But still, I'm happy with how hard my team is playing and how they are stepping up to the challenge.

What are your thoughts about tomorrow’s game against #FIBAAsiaCup2017 hosts Lebanon?
The game against Lebanon should be a fun game for our players. As a player, I always enjoyed playing against Lebanon and had some of my best battles against them. I'm happy that my young team will experience that. Lebanon are very well coached, and having Fadi on their roster makes them even tougher. We are looking forward to a hard fought game from both teams.

FIBA