JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - Second chances don't come by very often and Ihab Al-Zuhairi knows it.
That's why he and Iraq wasted no time seizing the opportunity to qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, ensuring to get the job done this time around after missing out on the previous edition in heartbreaking fashion.
The crew accomplished as much by splitting their assignments in the Qualifying Tournament for Third-Place Teams last March, which for the star big man was also an atonement for their disappointment three years ago.
Iraq had a chance to enter the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 through the Qualifiers but lost all of their six assignments in Group D, including two defeats each against Bahrain and India - teams that went on to reach Jakarta.
But in a truly interesting coincidence, the Lions of Mesopotamia found themselves drawn with those same sides in Group H of the second and final qualifying round for the 2025 competitions, played in Manama.
Although they bowed to their South Asian counterparts, the Iraqis got themselves a measure of payback against the Bahrainis, whom they lost to by just three points during the 2022 Continental Cup Qualifiers.
They did so by way of a more convincing 85-72 victory, effectively knocking out the 2024 GBA champions - who surprisingly went 0-2 in that phase - to become the 16th and last team to qualify for the 2025 Asia Cup.
It was indeed redemption done right for this batch and Al-Zuhairi, who as he's always done in past tournaments played a critical role in that with averages of 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in those two games.
And in Jeddah, he'll definitely embrace his go-to guy role even more, especially with Iraq finally returning to the Asia Cup after eight years - and bringing the country to the event for the fifth time overall.
But it won't just be all about playing in FIBA's flagship event for men's national teams in the continent. By qualifying, the program has also made it to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
Iraq have never played in the FIBA Basketball World Cup and playing in the Qualifiers alone should serve as an achievement per se for a program that continues to prove itself in the Asian hoops scene.
"I want to say that it's a dream [to qualify for the Asia Cup], but it's not [only] that. The dream is to reach the World Cup," said the 27-year-old Al-Zuhairi in a previous interview. "You can call it a step forward."
For now, though, all the focus is on the fast-approaching FIBA Asia Cup 2025 set on August 5-17 at the King Abdullah Sports City, where the team is looking to better their 11th-place finish from 2017.
Iraq are situated in Group D together with 2022 bronze medalists New Zealand, five-time champions the Philippines, and Chinese Taipei. To know more about their upcoming campaign, click here.
FIBA