IRI - Samad: We are on the right track to win the title

JAKARTA (FIBA Asia Champions Cup): Samad Nikkah Bahrami is, arguably, one of the more complete basketball players in Asia.

A stint in French league having boosted his confidence and "overall exposure to basketball", the Mahram forward is back in FIBA Asia competitions with renewed vigor.

Having celebrated his 26th birthday in the Indonesian capital, on the eve of the 20th FIBA Asia Champions Cup Samad Nikkah Bahrami spoke to S Mageshwaran of FIBA Asia on Mahram's chances in the tournament, his experiences in France and lots more.

Excerpts:

For the last two years, a team with Samad has won the Champions Cup…

(Laughs). It basically means I have been a part of great teams. (Samad was a part of the Saba Battery team that won back-to-back titles). I am happy I have contributed to the success of my team.

This year, I am playing with a different team. But then this has been my home team, always. In a manner of speaking, I am back home in more than one sense, to help my team.

Mahram are playing in the Champions Cup and I am determined to do my best to help my team win the title.

I hope my luck doesn't run out in Jakarta.

Mahram have been off to a winning start.

Winning start, definitely. But we have to improve a lot to finish as the champions.

In the first game, it was a very emotional moment for me to play against a team coached by Toroman Rajkov, who considers me like his own son.

I have always had the greatest respect for two coaches in my life.

One is Mostafa Hashemi, who trained me from my junior days. He is the current coach of the Mahram team.

The other is Toroman. It was under Toroman, Iranian basketball itself underwent a sea change. He changed the very attitude and approach to the way we play the game.

Toroman's influence on Iranian basketball is overwhelming and it will continue for long.

Thus, playing for a coach who taught me the fundamentals against a coach who took me to a higher level was very exciting.

I hope I can make both these coaches proud with my performance.

You said Mahram have a long way to go…

More than worrying about our opponents, we are yet to get ourselves used to the conditions.

For most of our players, it's a completely new experience to play in this part of Asia. It's a new place, the time difference, new culture. Basketball-wise we have to get used to the court.

The positive thing is that all our players are aware that these things are a part and parcel of professional sport. We know we can't complain about anything. The faster we sort out the troubles, the better for us.

Having said that, I must reassure our fans that we are on the right track to win the title.

We have a great team and we have been provided with the best of the support.

Now, it's up to us and we are determined to prove we are champion material.

Can you recollect your experience in France?

I will break that into two parts. One as a basketball player and another on the personal front, as an individual.

As a player, I was a foreigner in the French league. Which meant that the pressure on me to deliver was double than those on the locals.

As a local, you can even afford to miss a couple of shots, but as a foreigner you can't miss even one. Even the smallest of errors gets magnified and scrutinized. A whole lot of questions crop up immediately and it adds to the already existing pressure.

Also playing in France has got me tougher to play physical basketball. The game is a lot more physical than we play here and it was an entirely new experience.

As an individual, I guess I have become less sensitive (Chuckles). Each minute spent is a test of character. And there's no turning back.

Your thoughts on the sport in Asia.

I think professional basketball is yet developing in Asia.

I am happy to be a part of the Iran league, which in my opinion is one of the most competitive and intense leagues in Asia.

Against that background, I think the foreigners have played a very important role in the development of our own players.

The only observation I can make is that we need to streamline the representation of the foreigners.

I think it will be better for our players if we can restrict the cris-crossing of the imports across different leagues.

What about the season ahead?

We have a tough season ahead.

There's a lot of expectation back home for us to retain our FIBA Asia men's title. The competition in China will be very intense and challenging.

Also Iran has never player in the World Championships. There's tremendous hope on the National Team to qualify for the FIBA World Championships.

We are all very focused to make sure we make our debut at the World Championships.

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia