Mejri: ''I feel the responsibility of being the flag bearer of Tunisian basketball''

TUNIS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers) - The wait is finally over for Tunisia center Salah Mejri, his fans, and a whole country.

Mejri has recently met with the Tunisian Basketball Federation and head coach Mario Palma to reaffirm his availability for the national team again.

The last time, the Dallas Mavericks center wore the Tunisian jersey, he left the court limping due to a leg injury in a game Tunisia had suffered a 58-51 home defeat to Angola in the Semi-Final of the FIBA AfroBasket 2015.

While things didn't work quite as planned on that night of August 29, 2015, the next few months, the seven-footer center went on to become the first Tunisian to play in the NBA. 

And although he spent the past three years away from his national team, that hasn't prevented him from following the team's actions. His heart remained close to home.

"I AM VERY PROUD TO BE FROM TUNISIA AND IT IS AN HONOR TO PLAY WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM EVERY TIME I CAN DO SO. I LOVE TO PLAY FOR MY COUNTRY AND I LIKE TO SEE HOW I CAN HELP THE NATIONAL TEAM GROW AND IMPROVE" 
                                                                                                                             - Mejri

As Tunisia prepare to host the first-leg of Group E of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 African Qualifiers in September, Mejri confirms what Tunisian fans waited for the past three years.

"I will be joining my national team on August 23rd," he revealed to FIBA.basketball.

Mejri re-joins his national team in different circumstances to those he left.

The Tunisians are now coached by Angolan-Portuguese Mario Palma. They are the reigning  African champions, and more importantly, they sit on the pole position to secure one of the five tickets available for African teams for next year's World Cup in China.  

"I am really looking forward to playing for my country because I miss wearing the national team jersey and playing with my teammates," the 32-year-old admitted.

The man who was named MVP of the 2011 edition of the African Championship feels that he needs the national team and the national team needs him too.

Reflecting on his role with the national team, Mejri said: "I am very proud to be from Tunisia and it is an honor to play with the national team every time I can do so. I love to play for my country and I like to see how I can help the national team grow and improve. We don’t have that many big and tall guys and I know how much of an impact I can have on the team. I also feel the responsibility of being the flag bearer of Tunisian basketball and I like it." 

After closing the First Round of the World Cup Qualifiers undefeated in six games, Tunisia will host Angola, Egypt, and Morocco from September 14-16 in an attempt to improve their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

Mejri recalled how fundamental the home crowd has been to them.

"Every time we play at home, we have the whole country pushing behind us, it’s so amazing. They know how to support us and to cheer in a very noisy way, which is terrible for the opponents. The passion around the national team when we play at home is so great and having such an arena packed the whole time is like playing with a sixth man."

Ever since he made his national team debut a decade ago, Mejri has experienced joy, frustration, and moments that he will never forget.

Playing in the  FIBA Basketball World Cup 2010 or becoming an Olympian at 2012 London Games rank among Mejri's most memorable national team experiences. 

And that is the reason why these World Cup Qualifiers matter to him.

"[FIBA Basketball World Cup 2010] was a great experience for all of us Tunisian players. There is nothing comparable to play at the world stage and competing against the best teams in the world. Despite the losses (0-5), we learned a lot during that tournament. We had the opportunity to play against Team USA, which was a good learning experience because none of us had the opportunity before that game to play against NBA players. Next year, we would like to do better and have a great tournament by winning some games," he explained.

Tunisia will open their Group E actions against Morocco on Friday, September 14.

FIBA