KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait) - The road through the First Round of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Pre-Qualifiers for Kuwait will not be easy.

Kuwait will first play against Iraq on June 3 and will immediately play against hosts Palestine on the next day. Both of Kuwait’s opponents are fresh off Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers campaigns, where they each had their positive moments to build on. Nonetheless, Kuwait are coming off some positive results on the court that they hope will help build up their confidence for the upcoming games.

"... We will play with all our heart, all our passion, everything that we have and we’re going to put it all out on the court."

One of the biggest factors for Kuwait’s positive outlook has been the senior national team debut of Alexander Alghais.

Breaking the Ice

"This is my first time actually playing for the Kuwait national team," said Alghais about his experience playing at the recent Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Games, where Kuwait won the silver medal.

"It’s a huge honor. I really enjoyed it. I love the guys and we have a really good coach. It’s very exciting times for the country and for us."

28-year-old Alexander Alghais had already been playing in Kuwait in club competitions, but the GCC Games was his first experience of representing the national team. The sharpshooting guard played relatively well, averaging 8.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 34.5 percent from downtown, as Kuwait went all the way to the championship game.

Even though they came just short of winning it all, it should be a good building block for the team as they embark on a journey at the Pre-Qualifiers to a bigger prize: a chance at returning to the Asia Cup.

That will be the goal for Alghais and Kuwait, to make it back to Asia’s premier basketball competition where they’ve only played in once since 2010.

"It’s a big thing for us that we’re finally able to play again on the international stage," said Alghais of Kuwait playing in the Pre-Qualifiers. "Especially [playing only once since] 2010, it means a lot. I know all of the guys have been craving international competition and we’re really looking forward to the games."

Worldwide experience

Alghais will be making his national team debut coming off an interesting and well-travelled career in basketball.

His initial interest in athletics was skateboarding, before sliding his way into basketball at a relatively late age of 12. By the time he was 16, Alghais realized that he had a chance to pursue basketball at a professional level which was the start of a long journey.

"I have lived in Kuwait for a number of years now but I used to live in Germany and in the USA before," Alghais said.

Not only did Alghais live in Germany for a lengthy period, he also played for the youth national teams, namely the U16 European Championship in 2009 and the U20 European Championship in 2013. He then later played professionally in Germany for a handful of season as well.

In between his youth national team stints and professional career, Alghais played at the collegiate level in the NCAA Division 1 with Florida Golf Coast during their famous "Dunk City" run in 2013. Later, he transferred to and starred at Rollins College in Division 2.

All in all, it was an eventful path taken, leading up to be a part of Kuwait basketball where Alghais has always been connected with.

"I played collegiate basketball [in the USA] but had always practiced with the Kuwait Club basketball team in my breaks. This is how I came in contact with the national team."

When asked about a local Kuwait basketball heroes he personally looks up to, Alghais was eager to reply: "That would be my far-cousin, Rashed Al-Rubah, who is on the team with me now! I used to watch him and even practice with him sometimes when I was younger... He is a legend!"

Now, Alghais has the opportunity to inspire other Kuwait basketball players himself, when he makes his FIBA debut.

"It is super exciting to be able to participate in such a professionally organized competition. I enjoy every moment of it."

Expect maximum effort

Going up against more experienced team, Kuwait are the obvious underdogs of the competition in Group B of the Pre-Qualifiers. But whatever they might lack in other aspects of the game, Alghais assures the fans that they are ready to make up for in unity and effort.

"We play with a lot of passion," he said. "We might be a bit undersized, but we have a great team spirit. We get along with each other well and we play as a team, especially on defense. You can expect aggressive basketball, fast-paced, hard defense, and playing as a team. That’s our strength."

"The fans can expect that we will play with all our heart, all our passion, everything that we have and we’re going to put it all out on the court. We’ll see what the results are but we’re definitely going to play very hard."

FIBA