CAIRO (FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017) - Egypt begin their preparations this week for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 with head coach Juan Antonio Orenga saying the host team is looking to capitalise on this big opportunity.

"It is very important to see our basketball in comparison to the rest of the other countries. It is a big opportunity and also a great challenge, and all of us want to go for it," said the 50-year-old Spanish coach, who has seen more than his fair share of high-level competition with Spain’s national teams.

"The most important thing we have right now is we want to play a great tournament in Egypt with the support of all the country."

Juan Antonio Orenga will likely call up most of the Egypt team that played at the FIBA U18 Africa Championship 2016.

Orenga was brought on by the Egyptian basketball federation to run the senior national team and serve as the top men’s youth teams coach. He was head coach for Spain at the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 - a third place finish - and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 - a loss to France in the Quarter-Finals. Orenga also was an assistant on Spain’s silver medal winning team at the 2012 Olympics. And he guided Spain to the title at the 2011 and 2016 FIBA U20 European Championships. 

Orenga has been holding five-day camps each month since September and had a 10-day camp in February. And Egypt will start their preparations in full on April 27.

"We must build a real team that feels, works and plays together," said Orenga.

Egypt’s best performance among their five previous appearances at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cups was 11th place in 2009 and 2015. But Egypt will also have the home fans behind them as Cairo hosts the first-ever FIBA world youth men's event staged in Africa.

Still, the Egyptians will be challenged in Group B, which includes Germany, Lithuania and Puerto Rico.

"As all the groups, it will be very difficult because all the teams will have a very high level," Orenga said. "We want to try to have options to win each game and play the best basketball that we can."

For that to happen, Ahmed Khalaf will likely have to play at a high level. The Egyptian center will be one of the most experienced players in the entire tournament having played at two FIBA U17 Basketball World Cups as well as the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2015. He was also the leader of Egyptian team that finished second at the FIBA U18 Africa Championship 2016 in Kigali. 

"We will need the experience of each player to add to the team. He is one of the players who can give more to the rest of the team," Orenga said of Khalaf, who turned 18 years on February 24.

Orenga also believes help will come from Esam Mostafa, Egypt’s other leading big man from the 2016 U18 Africa team and also played at the U19 global spectacle in 2015.

"I am expecting the same from Ahmed, and they both must be an example in the way we have to work for the rest of the team," the coach said.

FIBA