AMMAN (Jordan) - Missing the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 was a huge blow to Jordan basketball, but they have exorcised those demons by qualifying to the the World Cup in China this year.

“"This is a big moment in Jordan basketball history."”- Joseph Stiebing

Jordan were drawn into Group G of the World Cup, where the Falcons will play 2-time World Cup second placers France, former World Cup third placers Germany and the Dominican Republic, who will appear at the World Cup for a third time. Jordan head coach Joseph Stiebing recognizes the challenges of being in this elite group, but he also feels enthusiastic for the chance to play world class competition.

"Any draw you get is going to be tough," he said. "I didn't want to get in the USA draw just because I'm an American. It's tough to play against them, and they're one of the best in the world. But I guess if I had to pick one of the groups that we were eligible for, it's not a bad draw. I say that though 2 of the top 8 teams in FIBA rankings are in our group. It'll be difficult, but we're excited to get the opportunity to go and play. It's a great and exciting time for us and Jordan."

 
This will be Jordan's second appearance at the World Cup after they saw action in the 2010 in Turkey, where the Falcons finished 23rd overall.

They fell way short of qualifying to the 2014 edition in Spain, and that was the catalyst for a lot of changes to Jordanian basketball, starting from within their own federation.

"They were a little down in 2014," Stiebing shared. "Their federation was dissolved. The Olympic Committee appointed a new federation, so this was a big moment for us. This is a big moment in Jordan basketball history."

There are three players from that 2010 squad that continue to see significant action for the current Jordan national team: versatile forward Zaid Abbas, streak-shooting guard Mousa Alawadi and big man Mohammad Shaher Hussein. Not surprisingly, these three will play vital roles for coach Stiebing in the coming World Cup.

 
"Zaid is our most veteran player and our team captain," he explained. "He's done a great job for us. Also Mousa Alawadi was on that 2010 team and Mohammad Shaher Hussein, though he wasn't a significant player yet, so we got a couple more players from 2010."

Stiebing is aware that Jordan's backs will be against the wall when they dive into the fray at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre in the coastal town of Shenzhen, China, where Group G's fixtures will be played out. Still, Stiebing has been coaching long enough to know that as long as they show up and play their game, an upset may just be in the cards.

"Anything can happen, and that's what we need to try and build on," he said. "It doesn't matter who we're playing. We have to come and play to the best of our ability. Who knows? Maybe we can catch a team on an off night, and maybe we can pull off an upset."

 
To ensure that Jordan will be in tip-top shape for the World Cup, Stiebing knows they have to grind it out in terms of preparations from now all the way till the World Cup tips off on 31 August. With only a handful of months left to get together and sharpen their talons, though, the Falcons aren't exactly in an ideal spot, but they'll take what they have and see where this all ends up.

"For the Qualifiers, I really only had 4 months and probably got a chance to practice only 2-3 months out of that time because we still had our league going on," he said. "Now, though, we've got 4-5 months to prepare and get ready for this next challenge, and hopefully we can get a good performance."

 
Stiebing has modest targets for Jordan, though he isn't shy about his desire to see their side advance to the next round. It certainly won't be easy as they are the lowest-ranked team in Group G, but as long as they stay confident and competitive, maybe the Falcons can shock the world.

"Number one is we would like to be competitive," he said. "Our goal is to try and get to the second round, and if we can somehow manage that, that would be a great moment in our basketball history."

FIBA