TUN - Mejri and his national team's title defense

VALENCIA (Afrobasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Tunisia's Salah Mejri's rise in basketball has been meteoric.

An agile 2.17m center, the Jendouba-born Mejri has gone from an inexperienced pivot to African star.

At Afrobasket 2009,  Mejri averaged less than 15 minutes per game for a side that captured the bronze medal.

Two years later, after Tunisia's gold-medal triumph over Angola, Mejri was named Afrobasket MVP.

The 26-year-old center has also played at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics.

After playing a couple of years in Belgium with Antwerp and before his experience at the London Games, Mejri travelled to America to audition for NBA teams.

Next summer, he will lead Tunisia when they compete at the Afrobasket in Cote d'Ivoire and attempt to qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Spain is where Mejri now plays professionally, for Obradoiro C.A.B. (Blusens Monbus) in the Liga Endesa.

Mejri gave this interview to FIBA.com after his side's 68-64 defeat to Valencia Basket last weekend.

FIBA.com: Salah, how has your life changed since being named Afrobasket 2011 MVP?
Mejri: It was really nice. It changed my life a lot. To come back to Belgium (to play for Antwerp Giants) as the Afrobasket MVP pushed me a lot, gave me a lot of confidence. I wanted to show that I am really the MVP and that it meant something. Of course my teammates helped me a lot.

FIBA.com: You received invites to practice with some NBA clubs this summer. How did that go?
Mejri: That was a nice experience for me, to go to the U.S. and play in the summer league with some NBA players. It was a good experience to help me understand basketball, to see basketball from another side because American basketball and European basketball are totally different. I had some good contact with people in the NBA, players, not speaking about basketball but the human side. It was good. I think my level, too, went higher because playing that level, the highest in the world, makes you better. Then I went to the Olympics and played against the Dream Team (United States), Argentina and France, and that was a good experience for me that can only make me better.

FIBA.com: Which team did you practice with in America?
Mejri: I worked out with the New York Knicks, the Denver Nuggets for three or four days and then I went to Orlando with the Utah Jazz to play the summer league. I was supposed to play five or six games, but I only played three because I had to come back to the national team to have the preparation for the Olympics and I missed the Las Vegas summer league because I was supposed to go there with the New York Knicks, too. But I had to make the choice between the Olympics and the summer league, making it to the NBA or being at the Olympics. I spoke to my agent, and my national team coach (Adel Tlatli) and he said, 'The Olympics could be a once-in-a-life experience.' I have no regrets. I wanted to play at the Olympics and I'm happy with it. I had a good Olympics, I think. I had some good games.

FIBA.com: What do you remember most about the Olympics?
Mejri: Not only Tunisians but the best athletes in the world were living in the same place (Olympic Village). I don't want to say names because everyone was there. It was really nice. I don't know how to describe it. I felt like I was in another world, the world of best sportsmen. It was nice having everyone together and that was the greatest thing.

FIBA.com: Tunisia didn't win a game yet looked good at times this summer. Do people back home appreciate how difficult it is to win at the highest level in international basketball?
Mejri: In Africa, soccer and basketball are very, very difficult. I don't speak about handball and volleyball because the level is different. For Tunisia in handball and volleyball, it's easy for them to win. They are winning it almost every time but basketball, it's really difficult (in Africa) playing against Angola, Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali. Those are very, very good teams to play against - also Central African Republic. There are three or four other teams I didn't even mention that are good.

FIBA.com: Tunisia's style, though, has some differences when compared to other African nations.
Mejri: Our basketball is a little bit like European basketball. As you know, African basketball is all about being athletic, to be able to jump higher and run faster but we in Tunisia, have a little bit of athleticism but not much. We play more tactical, which is more of a handicap for the other teams. Angola also play well as a team. That's our strength. We've had the same team for eight or nine years. Some little changes. The same team will be together next year to defend our title.

FIBA.com: The Afrobasket in shaping up to be a very competitive tournament again. Nigeria raised a lot of eyebrows by claiming one of the three spots for the London Games at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Mejri: It will be difficult to win this. They all want to win. I think if Nigeria, Cameroon come with full teams, Senegal come with full teams, then it will be really, really difficult for us but everything is possible. For sure, Tunisia will be with the same team, with the same technical staff, as everyone saw in the Olympics, so we have to go to the end to defend the title. We are the champions of Africa.

FIBA