MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - When the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship begins on 23 September, all eyes will be on defending champions Iran, who are hoping to clinch their fourth title in the last five editions of the tournament.

Iran first bagged the continental crown in 2007, when they won 7 of their 8 games and defeated Lebanon in the Final, 74-69. They repeated the feat in 2009, sweeping their nine assignments and embarrassing China on their home floor, 70-52, in the championship game.

However, Team Melli failed in their three-peat bid in 2011, when they were unseated by an underdog Jordanian team in the Quarter-Finals, 88-84, thanks to an inspired performance from Sam Daghlas.

Under coach Memi Becirovic, however, Iran returned to the summit in 2013, once again marching undefeated and frustrating hosts Philippines in the Final, 85-71.

Throughout their magical run in the past eight years, Iran have been able to keep their core intact, with now iconic players Hamed Haddadi, Oshin Sahakian, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Hamed Afagh, and Mahdi Kamrani present in each of those championship-laden campaigns.

Incidentally, all five continue to play major roles for Iran and are expected to spearhead their drive this year.

With most of those players getting up in age, however, achieving a four-titles-in-nine-years milestone will be nothing short of an uphill climb.

Haddadi is 30, Kamrani is 33, and Afagh and Bahrami are both 32. Given how the team has been playing in the current William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei, though, it seems this group still have one great run in them.

At the time of writing this column, Iran are undefeated in the annual Jones Cup, beating Korea, Chinese Taipei's Team B, Japan, and a New Zealand selection by an average of 24 points. To say that they have been dominant is an understatement.

So is it reasonable to write all other Asian teams off as mere pretenders?

Of course not.

There are several teams out there, for sure, who are more than willing and ready to snatch the Asian basketball diadem from Iran’s grasp.

Naturally, hosts China are among these championship hopefuls. The Chinese pocketed the title in 2011 in Wuhan before they embarked on a disastrous campaign two years ago in Manila, which saw their best team finish outside the top four.

This year, however, it seems China are brooking no challenge in returning to the top, with former NBA player Yi Jianlian at the forefront. He is expected to be joined by a core of China's best young talent, starring Wang Zhelin, Liu Xiaoyu, Zhou Peng, and Zhou Qi, who have been training since as early as March. Given that they are playing at home, they are also projected to do really well and be the number one contender to dethrone Iran.

The Philippines, too, look to be prime threats to test Iran, especially if everything goes according to plan and legitimate NBA talents like Andray Blatche and Jordan Clarkson are to suit up. Along with Jayson Castro, who was named to the tournament's All-Star Five in 2013, Gilas Pilipinas should prove to be a tough nut to crack in Changsha.

Of course, one cannot talk about Asian hoops supremacy without mentioning the Koreans, who have finished on the podium in three of the last four FIBA Asia Championships. With a new naturalized player in Moon Tae-Young, the return of behemoth Ha Seung-Jin, and many members of their 2014 FIBA World Cup core in tow, Korea remains a team not to be overlooked.

West Asian powerhouses like Lebanon and Jordan are also projected to do well, especially counting on the return of superstars Fade El Khatib, Zaid Abbas, and the aforementioned Daghlas. If they can consistently play at a high level, they should prove to be forces to reckon with as well.

Compared to all the past championship runs of Iran, this year’s push may prove to be the most trying. Still, they are the kings until someone takes the crown from them, and whether any team can actually do that remains to be seen.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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