CINCINNATI (USA)/CANBERRA (Australia) - Witnessing the talent, skill and hard work of Nesma and Aly Khalifa is a reminder that Egypt's future is intact and more than just promising. It is calculated and intentional every step of the way. 

A long list of other heavyweight prospects across colleges in the United States and back home shines a light on how serious the system is to continue churning out top players and giving them an opportunity to compete at the highest level. 

For Nesma who represented Egypt at the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup 2017 in Italy and is currently playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats, everyday is an opportunity to share with those around her the spirit of Egypt - in small and big ways on and off the court. 

Her younger brother Aly is across the oceans attending the prestigious NBA Global Academy in Australia and recently signed with the University of North Carolina in Charlotte - an NCAA Division 1 school while harbouring the dream to play in the NBA one day. 

Aly made his international debut for Egypt at the FIBA U16 African Championship 2017 finishing second to Mali in Mauritius and qualifying his nation to the FIBA Basketball U17 World Cup in Argentina. 

Nesma and Aly were born and bred in Alexandria - a coastal city in Egypt renowned to produce basketball talent over the past decades and from a young age embraced the game of basketball and understood the power it had to change their lives for good. 

"I started playing basketball when I was eight years old and since then I never stopped dreaming about getting better and what will be my next step. I cannot imagine my life without it or how it would have been without it," Nesma tells FIBA.basketball. 

Her commitment influenced Aly who took up the game. "My sister inspired me because she started before I did and I always looked up to her and I was trying to get to her level when we were young. I too started playing basketball when I was eight in Alexandria. Watching Nesma playing made me want to play and be like her. She is such a great sister. She helped me a lot. I could not have done anything without her," Aly confesses. 

"Aly is the best brother anyone could ask for. He always cheers me up since we were kids. We always pick each other up and never let each other down. Yes, he is my brother but he has been and will always be my idol in life and basketball."

"The way he loves the game and works is unbelievable. God bless him. Of course, every time we get the chance, we always go and play one-on-one. And believe me, it is way harder to play against someone who is 6ft11in!," she laughs. 

The 18-year old Aly standing at 2.10m (6ft11in) has been extremely exciting to watch down under with his basketball IQ up there among his biggest attributes alongside improved conditioning and his ability to use his body size to his advantage in the paint. 

His coach at the Charlotte 49ers Aaron Fearne speaks highly of him, "Aly will be an amazing addition to our team. He brings international playing experience, maturity and a skill set that is very difficult to find for a player of his position. He passes at a high level and can stretch the floor with his three-point shooting range."

"Aly has improved so much over the last two years in Australia. He has so much more improvement in him. He will become a valued member of our program and for the national team of Egypt."

"Aly's basketball sense (feel for the game) is what will take him to greater heights. The dream to play in the NBA is always valid but to achieve that takes a tremendous amount of effort, discipline and sacrifice that he will have to put in. The goal is to be the best you can be."

For the Khalifas, basketball is more than a game. It is a platform to express themselves while also breaking barriers and showing millions of Egyptian youth that impossible is nothing. 
 

Nesma shades a light on how important FIBA's decision to accept Muslim girls and women to wear the hijab literally launched her career and has propelled her to work even harder.

"It was the best thing I ever heard. The chance for every young lady to join the national team without sacrificing her religion or being uncomfortable and representing your national team and your religion is a dream that finally came true," she reminisces. 

"Basketball is more than a game. It is part of my life and every step I take in it benefits my life in one way or another. Time management is a big one. Playing basketball in Alexandria, Egypt has taught me that without organising your day, you will have to drop out of something. So from a young age, I started planning my days and weeks between school and basketball."

Over the years, Egypt have lined up an incredible back court but have struggled immensely to match the talent of teams like Nigeria, Senegal, Mali and Mozambique in the paint. Nesma's growth in the game is music to the Egyptian technical bench. 

Named as the Best Centre at the FIBA U18 Women's African Championship 2018, Nesma has grown in leaps and bounds and is ready to graduate to the senior team and continue from where she left off at the junior level. 

"It was my dream to play college basketball and being able to achieve it and live it is simply a blessing. Playing at the highest level as a Division 1 US College is a lot of young ladies' dreams but some think it is impossible to achieve and that is wrong. Nothing can stop you from living your dream. The sky is the limit and that is what my coach tells me everyday."

Cincinnati head coach Michelle Clark Heard told FIBA.basketball that, "We feel extremely blessed to have Nesma as part of our Bearcats Family. She is an incredible teammate and leader on our team. Nesma is one of our best communicators and has an incredible basketball IQ. Due to her experiences playing internationally and at the junior college level, she brings great maturity and competitiveness on the court."

"Nesma is an extremely versatile post player and one that can score on multiple levels. If the WNBA is one of Nesma's goals, I have no doubt that with her drive and motivation, she will achieve it."

The Khalifas adjustment to living life outside Egypt and managing on well speaks to their resilience and never-give-up attitude that has set the pace for their success.

Aly says, "It was not easy at the start. I struggled with the language, culture, people and I think that is normal if anyone went somewhere new for him. Far from home and friends, it was hard for me but I got used to it and made good friends here. Maybe the only issue for me will be the food. I really miss Egyptian food."

"After I learnt the language and made friends, I felt at home here, people care about me and we all want each other to be the best we can. That is why I adjusted pretty quick and it is a great experience so far."

Nesma adds, "My family and seeing what they have done for me and how I am doing will make them proud keeps me going and pushing through anything I face. They are my backbone and everything I do is for them."

The deep desire to succeed and leave a mark everywhere they go has left the Khalifa siblings carrying the Egyptian flag over their heads. It is a thing of beauty that while people dream of visiting the Great Pyramids and cruise on the River Nile, in the meantime they can experience Egypt through Nesma and Aly. 

"My teammates at the NBA Academy all get surprised and start asking lots of different questions. About Egyptian history and the Pyramids. They always ask about the Egyptian Basketball League and how the competition is and the teams there. They find it interesting to have an Egyptian around and that can speak another language. People respect us a lot when we say we are from Egypt."

Ahmed Awadallah, who scouted both Nesma and Aly says, "They both are smart players who understand the game of basketball and play it at a high level coupled with basketball dominant size that makes them intriguing players on the basketball court to watch."

"When you meet them off the court, you fall in love with their story and character as well as commitment to their values that make you want to see both excel and succeed." 

Egypt has produced several world class sporting families including the world's highest squash players in the Elshorbagy brothers - Mohamed and Marwan as well as the iconic football twins Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan Hussein. The Khalifas are writing history as Egypt's favourite basketball siblings out to conquer the world.

 FIBA