AMMAN (Jordan) - Saif Al-Deen Saleh showed zero pressure as he turned a lot of impressed heads in helping Jordan remain unscathed in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Monday night.
We're willing to learn. We're willing to play hard. And we want to play for Jordan, and we're excited to play for this country.
The forward, who will only turn 20 in less than a month, finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 11 rebounds, netting an efficiency of 30 to star in their 108-59 rout of Iraq, in the process extending their unbeaten run to four.
Not only did they stay perfect, but the crew has also assured themselves a spot in the Second Round.
"First official men's game for me... it was fun. I enjoyed it," he reflected moments after the dominant victory at the Prince Hamzah Sport Hall. "I'm learning. I've started to learn a lot from the older guys."
To think that this is only his first game with the Falcons makes it all the more impressive, as it was barely two years ago when he helped the country to a historic campaign in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup in this city.
Date of Birth: Jul 18, 2006 Height: 204 cm / 6'8"
National Team: Youth
Year | Event | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | EFF |
6 | 12 | 6.2 | 2.5 | 10.3 | ||
7 | 16.9 | 10.9 | 1.6 | 19 | ||
2 | 7.5 | 9.5 | 1 | 11.5 |
He's seamlessly transitioned into the senior level although it should no longer be surprising. Aside from skill, Saleh has always dreamed big, and along with it comes the commitment to be ready whenever the chance comes.
"You make your dreams your reality," he was quoted as saying in an interview during the said youth event, where they reached the Semi-Finals to qualify for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
"You set high goals, and you reach them."
Fast forward to the present and being part of the men's team is now his reality, and none other than Coach Wesam Al-Sous couldn't be any prouder to witness his prized ward show that he deserves to be where he is.
The former national team star mentored players like Saleh and Rawhi Kilani during the 2024 U18 Asia Cup. And together, they brought Team Jordan to the U19 World Cup for the first time since 1995.
Now, he's back at the helm for the senior national team, taking over the reins from Canadian bench tactician Roy Rana.
"I think the future's bright for Saif and others,"
"We have a lot of good players. As you can see, most of these guys, I coached them in the U18 when we made it to the World Cup, so I know them well," he added.
From sharing glory in the age-group level, Al-Sous and his players are now leading a redirection of sorts for the program - being future-oriented without totally forgetting about the past and the present, to be precise.
"The idea at the moment is to get good results, but at the same time to give chance to the young players so that we won't have gaps in generations for the future," shared the two-time Asia Cup medalist.
"In Jordan, we have a responsibility - we cannot make that change in a sudden [manner], where we put our older players out and we just start to play with the young ones. We need to have that balance," he added.
Needless to say, Saleh and the rest of his peers are all in.
"We have a lot of young guys on the team that are ready to come up to the next level. We're willing to learn. We're willing to play hard. And we want to play for Jordan, and we're excited to play for this country," he said.
FIBA