ATHENS (Greece) - Last summer, Egypt were one of the feel good stories of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Booking a trip to a FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, it seemed like the Pharaohs and then-coach Roy Rana were just starting to create new incredible chapters of this nation's basketball history.
However, coach Rana left after the World Cup. Who better to replace him than a coach who's on the same page when it comes to basketball style? After all, Roy Rana was Henrik Rodl's assistant coach when they took Germany to the Olympics in 2021, and Rodl is now Rana's successor at the helm of Egypt.
The Roster
As with any other Egyptian team in any other sport, the amount of talent is off the charts. Skeptics were silenced on the topic last summer, as Ehab Amin had 19.4 points, 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game at the World Cup, a prime example of how good these players are, even if most of them are unknown to a wider world audience due to the fact that they are playing in Egyptian clubs.
His lefty backcourt partner Amr El Gendy is also back, as are Anas Mahmoud and Patrick Gardner to provide the scoring punch in the frontcourt.
The biggest absentee? Assem Marei. The 32-year-old center's elite footwork won't be on display in Greece, as he was not on the shortened list of coach Rodl, due to an injury.
The Question
Is is too soon for Egypt? The growth of the program was a topic after every single game at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, but these guys haven't played the Olympics since 1988.
They are making huge strides and putting the country back on the basketball map, but expecting them to outlast much more experienced teams in Greece may be a bit too much.
The Hope
The fact that they have coaching continuity despite making the coaching change, because Roy Rana and Henrik Rodl worked together for so long. The fact that coach Rodl needs no introduction to Egyptian basketball, having coached Al Ittihad Alexandria during the 2022-23 season.
And most importantly, the fact that coach Rodl created a major surprise back in Split, Croatia in 2021, when he led Germany to the top of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and to the Quarter-Finals of the Olympics a month later.
Who better to lead the team to the Olympics than the man who was there last time around?
The Fear
Not having Assem Marei's experience could be a tough blow, especially with the Dominican Republic and Greece being their group rivals. If Egypt don't figure out a way to protect their paint against these two, their run to the Olympics could end already in Group Stage.
The last 10 FIBA Events
FIBA