Air Amini: Come for the dunks, stay to witness the future of Iran basketball

DOHA (Qatar) - It has only been two games, but we've already seen "Air Amini" take flight for so many thunderous slams. To be more precise, Mohammad Amini has thrown down 7 dunks in total.

"I'm really enjoying this especially because of the big names that have worn this kind of jersey before me, so it's really exciting."

The 1.99M (6'6") shooting guard is light off his feet, has long arms, and just seems to glide through the air every time he leaps for these jams, and it's become a joy to watch. For Amini, even though he's becoming more and more well-known as a high riser, he doesn't actively make it a focus to churn out these acrobatic maneuvers in each game. It just kind of happens.

"I don't know, I just dunk in the game," Amini said of his high-flying antics. "In the sequence, randomly, whatever comes to my mind in the situation. I never thought about a dunk contest and I won't rate myself, I just leave it to the people who watch the game."

Even without putting too much thought into it, Amini has continued to wow the fans with his throw downs. Of course, this isn't anything new to the 17-year-old or anyone following him. It might be new to his opponents at the Asia level, especially those that get in the way, but those who have watched Amini know what he can do.

"In Division 1 (in Iran) this year, I had a game and I stole the ball from the three-point line because the team was ready to go on a fastbreak and everybody was going back. I just stole the ball, got back, and dunked it so hard," said Amini of his best dunk in his career so far (you can check a lengthy compilation in his Instagram Stories highlights).

That falls in line with what we've seen from Iran's up-and-coming star in Doha so far, with 3 of this slam dunks coming in transition off steals.

More than a Dunker

Dunks might the part of Amini's game that draws the most attention, but that's not all he can do. As a matter of fact, Amini can do a little bit of everything on the offensive end, which is why he is the best scorer in the U16 Asian Championship so far. The high-scoring guard can finish at the rim, shoot, draw contact, and convert his free-throws.

With an average of 27.0 points per game, Amini could end up being the best scorer ever in the history of the event.

Considering how he knew he fell in love with the game, this shouldn't be a surprise.

Considering how he knew he fell in love with the game, this shouldn't be a surprise."In the first game I played, we won 42-40," told Amini. "It was like 7 or 10 days after I started playing and I scored 40 points of my team's 42 points, and that time I felt that I love this game."Basketball wasn't love at first sight for Amini, but he (and Iran basketball fans) are certainly happy that he found love on the hardwood. His background of venturing through different sports at a young age certainly helps explain where his athleticism comes from.

"I had a bigger brother three years older than me and I was following in any sports he was playing," he said. "We started with gymnastics first and then Tae Kwon Do, and then football and wrestling."

"At the end, we ended up playing basketball."

Golden Inspiration

Born in 2005, Amini might have been a bit too young to have fully witnessed Iran's rise to Asia basketball dominance in its early stages. However, that means that throughout the entire childhoods of Amini and his teammates, they've only known about Iran being among the best in Asia.

"That was really good for me as a kid to watch this golden generation's achievements. Going in the tournaments and getting all of the championships. Going to the Olympic games and World Cups and all the things they did. That was really exciting as a kid to watch and it really motivated me to have that kind of experience."

From Hamed Haddadi, Mahdi Kamrani, to Samad Nikkah Bahrami, the young ballers in Iran had a wide range of idols to emulate and look up to. For Amini, he choose to learn from one of the best forwards in the history of Asia basketball.

"Samad is the best example for me, the players in my age, because when we watched his games, it was more easy for us to understand," said Amini. "The best thing about Samad was, for me as a role player, the competitiveness he had in the games."

"He never gave up and he was a fighter. I was so excited about this kind of mentality he had and I was really inspired by him."

"Whenever I see him or he has time to contact me, he gives me advice, which is really useful."

The more for Team Melli, the merrier

Judging by his performance so far, it's not too difficult to envision Amini playing for the senior national team at some point down the road. However, this competition is just the first step for him, and he's just soaking it all in.

"This is the biggest stage I've ever experienced, so I'm excited to be at this kind of competition and compete against these kind of teams," he said.

The excitement is not reserved only for the players, but also the senior national team veterans that have been watching the games as fans of the youngsters like Arsalan Kazemi.

"Every few years we have a generation that comes up big in the youth championship and this team definitely have the potential," said Kazemi. "I watched a few of their practices before they headed to the U16 Asian Championship and some of them have pure talent. They just need to put in work and will have a bright future."

Arsalan knows well how much it means to wear the national team jersey, and he should be relieved to know that young players like Amini feel the same way about representing the country.

"The biggest honor any sportsman can have is to wear a jersey of their country," said Amini. "I'm really enjoying this especially because of the big names that have worn this kind of jersey before me, so it's really exciting."

Kazemi, one of those big names that have worn this jersey before Amini, had some final advice for the youngsters:"Keep grinding and push themselves because at this age, the sky is the limit.

In this tournament, just focus on the next game and try to get better every game as team and stay together."

FIBA