DOHA (Qatar) - Syria head coach Joe Salerno was all smiles when he embraced his coaching staff as the final buzzer sounded the end of the game. Syria had onto the court as underdogs reeling off of a tough loss. They left the court as triumphant victors over Iran, one of the best teams in Asia, 77-70.

Salerno was just as ecstatic as his team, who were already rushing the court to passionately celebrate their historic win, even if he didn’t express it in the same manner.

"Our players on the bench, they were crying."

He knew what this victory meant. Even though he had only joined the team not long ago, he was well aware how important it was to beat Iran. Not only for the players. Not only for the national team program. But for the entire nation, who hungry for a big win on the hardwood.

"I’m just so happy for everybody in Syria," he said in the postgame press conference. "Really every person I’ve met there since I’ve been with the team has just been wonderful, so I’m just happy that I could help provide them with this win."

Salerno’s brief stint so far as the head tactician for Syria has been an exhilarating roller coaster ride. Syria trooped into the Qatar bubble filled with confidence after going through a training camp abroad and coming off a win over Saudi Arabia in the previous Asia Cup Qualifiers window.

The team was adjusting to a new system instilled by Salerno, which included the addition of a new recruit, as they faced Qatar in their first game in the bubble. Whether it was because of the team getting used to their new style of play or the built up anticipation to perform, Syria ended up losing their first game in Doha.

A fourth quarter collapse against Qatar had the Syrian players hanging their heads in disappointment as the final seconds of the clock ran out. Coach Joe could have lashed out and he was definitely frustrated, but he knew understood the situation.

"I think there was a lot of build up to that game [against Qatar] and an awful lot of pressure on us," he explained. "We felt very confident that we could win that game, so for a month and half there was a lot of talk about Qatar and not much about Iran."

"We knew Iran was going to be very good team, so I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves [against Qatar] and today [against Iran] we just relaxed a little bit. We talked about one thing: we just had to play harder than our opponents today. When we do that good things will happen and I think we did that."

Sure enough, good things kept on happening as Syria went toe-to-toe against Iran. Nothing could stop George "Trey" Kell III from getting to the basket and drawing fouls. Syria seemed to be able to make every big bucket that they needed. Everything fell into place.

Syria could feel the win coming even with time still left on the clock. They had seemingly let an easy victory slip through their hand against Qatar, but this one was theirs. As their new superstar Kell knocked down each of the six consecutive clutch free-throws in the last 30 seconds of the game, the bench celebrated harder and harder as the reality became clearer and clearer that they were going to win.

When the result of the game became official, the small group consisting of players and team staff erupted in pandemonium and screamed at the top of their lungs. A few days ago, this team started at the bottom.

Now, they’re here.

Celebrating a win over the 22^nd ranked team in the world.

"I mean, Iran is a tremendous basketball team and they have been for a long time," said coach Salerno. "For us to get this type of win, it has to come from this type of confidence. I look at Iran and they’re one of the top 25 teams in the world, so for us to come out and beat them proves that we can also be a great team. This win will carry on for us through the next window. We’ve shown ourselves, our players, our people at home who are in Syria that we can do this. We can accomplish this, so we’re just looking forward to here on out and we’re just looking forward to get better."

You can see how much the game mattered for the players as they jumped with joy. You can feel the euphoria of the staff as they lapped around the court in the Al-Gharafa  Sports Hall, proudly waving the Syrian flag behind with both hands high up in the air.

It was all so clear just how much the win meant as Syria’s veteran, Wael Jlilaty, fumbled for his first words in the postgame press conference.

"First thing, best thanks to the coach," said Jlilaty. "He trusted us [to give a] gift for Syrian people."

"We needed that. This is our passion. These are our beliefs. Now, after we faced the game with Qatar, we fixed all the mistakes and now we have a big win against Iran. It’s big passion, it’s a big win. We are all proud of this. It’s a big gift for all our staff, the president of the federation, and the Syrian people. It’s big pride for us, it’s big for Syrian people for sure."

The overflowing of emotions that poured out of Jlilaty resonated with what was displayed on the Syria sideline in those final moments of the game.

"Our players on the bench, they were crying," Jlilaty revealed. "It was emotional and we deserved it. No singing, all crying."

"It’s the first one. It’s [a big moment] history for us that we can beat Iran."

Jlilaty and Solerno left the stage of the postgame press conference with a small fist bump to publicly celebrate their monumental win one more time. It was just a small dap for the coach and his seasoned veteran.

Symbolically, however, it meant much more as it was a celebration that would be rejoiced by the entire nation.

FIBA