Egypt's home-grown program paying off - 11 out 12 played for youth national teams
11 out 12 players, who helped the Pharaohs close Window 3 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers at 3-0, have represented the country youth national teams at some point.
ALEXANDRIA (Egypt) - Egypt's home-grown basketball program reached a milestone last week as 11 out 12 players, who helped the Pharaohs close Window 3 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers at 3-0, have represented the country youth national teams at some point.
A thorough look into Egypt's roster that competed last week in Alexandria, and it becomes clear that youth basketball programs are the foundation of the team.
In fact, it seems like a prerequisite for candidates willing to play for Egypt men's team to go through the country's youth programs.
Except for Yusuf Shehata, who spent most of his childhood in the USA, the other eleven players come from local clubs and have taken part in Egyptian Basketball Federation programs.
Below is Egypt's roster that competed in Window 3 of the African Qualifiers:
| NAME | Birthday | Height | U16 African Championship | U18 African Championship | Youth World Cup | Club | Debut with Men's NT | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anas Mahmoud |
May 5, 1995 | 7' | 2011 | 2012 | U17 (2011) | El Ethhead | 2013 AfroBasket | Center |
Amr Abdelhalim |
Jun 14, 1991 | 6'3" | - | 2008 MVP | U19 (2009) | Al Ahly | 2011 AfroBasket | Guard |
Ehab Amin |
Aug 1, 1995 | 6'1" | 2011 | 2012 MVP | U17 (2012) | Al Ahly | 2015 AfroBasket | Guard |
Youssef Shousha |
Jun 9, 1993 | 6'4" | 2009 | - | U17 (2012) U19 (2011) |
El Ettehad | 2013 AfroBasket | Forward |
Assem Marei |
Jun 16, 1992 | 6'9" | - | 2010 | U19 (2011) | Changwon LG Sakers (South Korea) | 2011 AfroBasket | Power Forward |
Omar Farag |
Apr 5, 1998 | 6'3" | - | 2016 | U17 2014 U19 2017 |
Al Ahly | 2019 African Qualifiers | Guard |
Seifeldin Samir Said |
Jun 5, 1993 | 6'8" | - | 2010 | - | Al Ahly | 2014 World Cup | Power Forward |
Aly Ahmed |
Mar 15, 1992 | 6'8" | - | 2010 MVP | U19 | El Ettehad | 2015 AfroBasket | Center |
Mohamed Abdelraham 'Giza' |
May 12, 1997 | 5'10' | 2013 | U18 2016 | U17 2014 U19 2015 |
Gezira S.C | 2023 African Qualifiers | Point Guard |
Yussuf Shehata |
Jan 16, 1996 | 6'0" | - | - | - | Sporting | 2021 AfroBasket Qualifiers | Guard |
Khaled Abdelgawad |
Feb 15, 1999 | 6'8' | 2015 | - | - | Tanta Sc | 2023 African Qualifiers | Power Forward |
Omar Hussein |
Mar 29, 1995 | 6'2" | - | 2012 | - | Zamalek | 2021 AfroBasket | Guard |
With 11 out 12 players currently featuring for local clubs - Assem Marei plays in South Korea - Egypt's current roster count on 3 former FIBA U18 Africa Championships MVPs (Ehab Amin, Aly Ahmed and Amr Abdelhalim).
Three former U18 African Championship MVPs Ehab Amin, Aly Ahmed and Amr Abdelhalim celebrate with Egypt fans
What makes this Egypt special?
Togetherness is the answer.
This is a team that has played together for years and years. Be it at club or national team level.
And when Roy Rana's name showed up among candidates to take over the men's team it seemed like an obvious choice, considering the Canadian history of coaching international youth basketball programs.
Egypt and Rana crossed paths when he led Canada to the title of the 2017 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Cairo, the first edition of the tournament held on the continent of Africa.
Under Rana, Egypt are playing a new brand of basketball founded on an aggressive defence, exceptional ball movement, which has played a huge part in the Pharaohs's 5-1 mark ahead of the Second Round of the African Qualifiers next month.
Mohamed Abdelraham 'Giza' who has enjoyed a successful career with Egypt youth teams made his debut with the men's team in Alexandria last week.
"In the senior team you have to be disciplined," the point guard observed. "You ought to know your role in the team. It's pretty tough to play at this level, but when you listen to your coach it comes pretty easy."
Under Rana, Egypt are 5-1.
"We were consistently defensive throughout the three games," Rana explained. "It's exciting, we are getting better, we are starting to establish an identity. We are not satisfied. There's a lot of work to do and things to improve upon, but we are going to enjoy it for a little while and get ready for the next stage.'
Former Egypt international player and current vice-president of Egyptian Basketball Federation Mohamed Abdel Motaleb noted that "Youth program in any country is the foundation for a sustainable strong national team. We need balance between competitive national league and professional players in international leagues. Currently our squad consists of players who played for our junior national teams."
Egypt have solid and consistent basketball programs and are regular participants in Africa youth competitions over the past 15 years.
FIBA