Young, talented and desperate to win: Egypt's new generation to be tested at AfroBasket Qualifiers

ALEXANDRIA (Egypt) - They dominated African youth tournaments for most of the past decade, now Egypt's former rising stars are set to be tested at senior level.

Egypt are playing as hosts of the First Round of Group E of the FIBA AfroBasket Qualifiers 2021 in Alexandria with a lot at stake.

With one of the youngest rosters in the whole tournament, Egypt will take on Uganda, Friday, November 27, before going up against Cape Verde and Morocco for the remaining of the three-day event.

"I WANT TO WIN EVERY GAME, BUT I ALSO WANT TO BUILD A VERY GOOD TEAM THAT IS CAPABLE OF COMPETING FOR THE AFRICAN TITLE."Ahmed Marei

More than trying to secure one of their group's three slots for the next year's FIBA AfroBasket, the Egyptians are testing a new generation of players to safeguard the future of the national team, according to the team's head coach Ahmed Marei.

With the likes of Ehab Amine, Anas Mahmoud and Aly Ahmed, the future of the team seems to be in good hands as they are young, talented and, more importantly, they look desperate to win. 

Ahmed and Amine were named MVPs of the FIBA U18 African Championships 2010 and 2012, respectively, and with Anas, they represent a wave of Egyptians who experienced US College basketball in recent years. 

And a quick look into Egypt's final roster, and it becomes clear why Marei is using the Qualifiers as an opportunity to make a point in his team's rebuilding stance. 

Ramy Ibrahim is only 32 years of age, with a lot of basketball to play for, and yet he is the team's oldest player. He got a last-minute call-up to replace Haytham Khalifa, who suffered a knee injury early in the week.

Interestingly enough Ibrahim shares his national team camp's hotel room with Omar Azab - a newcomer to the team. "We get along really well," the 2.01m (6ft 7in) forward Ibrahim told FIBA.basketball. 

Ramy Ibrahim (14) seen during the FIBA AfroBasket 2017

Fresh off the Egypt SuperLeague title with Al Itthiad under coach Marei, Ibrahim fully embraces the team's generational transition: "I remember when I first played for the national team I was 19 maybe, and I was the  youngest player on the team, now my teammates are on the opposite side I was."

Having featured for Egypt at the last five editions of the African Championship, Ibrahim doesn't feel any special compared to the rest of the team: "I don't feel old and I don't feel any sort of pressure to play alongside these young players.  For sure, it's a new experience for me to be in. But older or younger, we all have to follow coach Marei's system. We are on this team for a common goal." 

Ibrahim continued: "I am excited as we are playing home. We wish there was a crowd as it always helps boost the team's spirit. But, the most important thing is that I feel proud to play for Egypt."

For years, Marei has been advocating the team's rejuvenating. And five years ago, for instance, Marei took a young and vibrant team, which almost shocked the African basketball landscape after reaching the FIBA AfroBasket Quarter-Finals undefeated in four games.

And although Egypt fell in the last eight to eventual finalists Angola, they returned home with a remarkable 6-1 record.

"My long term plan as head coach of this team is to play with a team that averages 24 to 25 years old. Why? Because every single year we have new players. We need consistency and continuity to build a successful team," Marei explained to FIBA.basketball. 

Ahmed Marei is seen during a practice session ahead of the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 Qualifiers in Alexandria

"Of course, we have to combine experienced and younger players, but we need to continue to give young players opportunities to play at international level, which will them become better players.

"I want to win every game, but at the same time I want to build a very good team that is capable of competing for the African title. I want to build a team that can compete against European teams. I am not saying that I want to beat France or Spain, but we can't continue to lose by 60 or 70 points against bigger teams, that's not good basketball."

FIBA