CAIRO (Egypt) - Zamalek SC will have the honor of becoming the first African team to compete in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup when the 2022 edition of the competition tips off on February 11.

Egypt's most successful club will also have the added comfort of playing on home soil as the event is held in the continent for the first time with four teams converging at the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall, in Cairo.

Zamalek booked their place after their triumph in the inaugural edition of the Basketball Africa League. They went through the tournament unbeaten with six wins from six; culminating in a 76-63 victory over the top-seeded US Monastir from Tunisia.

However, the team that has won a record 15 Superleague titles in Egypt has not been living up to their usual high standards domestically this season . The club decided to part ways with Greek coach Vangelis Angelou earlier this month with experienced play-caller Will Voigt now at the helm.

"Every coaching job presents its own challenges, especially when you come into the middle of the season," Voigt said. "We are trying to turn things around. It's great that the club has a great tradition of winning and wants to win, but at the same time the team has been struggling right now.

"There is a bit of a balance, but there is nothing wrong with having high expectations."

Voigt has an affiliation with African basketball having led Nigeria to the 2016 Olympics and was also in charge of Angola at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.

And, Voigt believes that Zamalek will be able to count on the support of the entire continent once the tournament rolls around in Cairo as part of the historic occasion.

"There's a real camaraderie between everyone associated with basketball in Africa," he said. "People understand that the challenges we face here are unique, compared to the rest of the world, and they want to see us do well.

"Whoever is representing the continent, people pull together in that sense. There will be a lot of eyes on us, and we want to put together a competitive showing even in the short time we have to prepare."

Zamalek have put together their roster for the Intercontinental Cup with reinforcements arriving in the shape of Tony Wroten, Ike Diogu, Dewarick Spencer and Omar Abada.

Wroten and Diogu are both former first round NBA Draft picks with Diogu playing under Voigt for Nigeria at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Spencer brings an abundance of experience himself with the 39-year-old adding further depth to the backcourt.

"Ideally, we would have a lot more preparation," added Voigt. "We know it's a huge challenge because we are up against three really good teams with deeper talent pools.

"I hope the fact that we are hosting will help us be competitive. I've had to come to Cairo before in the qualification games with Angola and I love the city.

"I already had Egypt on my mind after conversations with the national federation, so it is funny how things work out."

Zamalek have been drawn to face back-to-back Basketball Champions League winners Hereda San Pablo Burgos in the Semi-Finals. And, Voigt is well aware of the danger the Spanish side possess having previously played them in a spell with Telekom Baskets Bonn.

"I have a very good understanding of how good [Burgos] are, I am proudly uniquely qualified to know that," Voigt said with a smile.

"I definitely will try to communicate that to the team, but I don't want to scare them too much. I don't want to portray this a David and Goliath scenario, but certainly Burgos is a very, very good team."

FIBA