Iran's future is in good hands

MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - Since winning its maiden continental title at the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship, Iran has been a perennial basketball powerhouse. Led by former NBA player Hamed Haddadi and a slew of superb veterans, Team Melli has just overwhelmed the competition. 

In the last seven major FIBA Asia tournaments - FIBA Asia Championships and FIBA Asia Cups - Iran has an accumulated a record of 49 wins and 7 losses. That's an 88 percent winning percentage!

Without a doubt, the Iranians are looking to be a strong title contender again at the continental championship taking place in Changsha, China later this year (23 September-3 October), and they are certainly hoping to defend the crown they won two years ago in Manila.

The main concern, however, is that most of the team's core players are on the wrong side of 30, and it seems they are in the twilight of their international playing days. 

Specifically, I'm talking about playmaker Mahdi Kamrani, resident shooter Hamed Afagh, sublime scorer Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, and big man Haddadi. All four have an average age of 32 years old. In addition to that, most of those guys play almost year round for their home teams in the IBF Superleague, a few teams in the CBA, and the national side. That means they hardly have any rest, and, obviously, that will have an effect on their playing time in Changsha.

In view of this, Iran is starting to bring up some youngsters who are expected to inherit Team Melli's collective mantle of leadership.

Here is a look at some of the foremost up-and-coming Iranian players.

Mohammad Jamshidi (1.99m; 1991-born) - Petrochimi Bandar Imam
Jamshidi has been a main fixture on the national team since 2010, and he was part of the squad that ruled the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. Since then, he has taken on a bigger role for Iran, at times becoming its second or third scoring option. His offensive prowess was on full display at the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup, where Iran won six of its seven games en route to taking the title. In the team's last three games (all in the knockout round), Jamshidi took on a leadership role, averaging 21.7 points and shooting 53.1 percent from the field. Look for him to be Iran's main weapon once the iconic Bahrami calls it a career in the next few years.

Arman Zangeneh (2.02m; 1993-born) - Mahram Tehran
Zangeneh has been enjoying quite a season in the Superleague, putting up 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks per outing for Mahram Tehran. With NBA Draft pick Arsalan Kazemi being a little inconsistent with his performance and commitment to the national side, Zangeneh is expected to be a stronger choice to be among the team's main power forwards in the foreseeable future. Zangeneh is young, athletic and well-built, so he'll be more than a good match for the likes of Oh Se-Keun (Korea), Japeth Aguilar (Philippines), and Anatoliy Kolesnikov (Kazakhstan).

Sajjad Mashayekhi (1.80; 1994-born) - Mahram Tehran
It wasn't too long ago when Mashayekhi was the primary playmaker for Iran's U16 and U18 teams. Now he has moved up to the senior level, playing for top club Mahram Tehran, often taking on the team's starting point guard role (veteran Farid Aslani alternates with him). Mashayekhi had a productive 2014, donning Team Melli's colors at the FIBA Asia Cup, Asian Games, and FIBA Basketball World Cup. He showed flashes of brilliance as someone able to get to the basket and as a ball distributor. That is why he is projected to take over once the revered Kamrani hangs up his sneakers.

Behnam Yakhchali (1.97m; 1995-born) - Petrochimi Bandar Imam
Like Mashayekhi, Yakhchali was a central part of Iran's most recent youth teams. He has become one of the country's deadliest perimeter shooters, making 1.4 triples per game this season for Petrochimi and hitting 1.1 threes per outing at the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup. Without a doubt, he is expected to be Team Melli's main three-point threat this year. With Afagh getting saddled by age and injury, don't be surprised if Yakhchali quickly emerges as one of Asia's top marksmen alongside Japan's Kosuke Kanamaru, Chinese-Taipei's Lu Cheng-Ju, and Jordan's Wesam Al-Sous.

Will these four individuals succeed in continuing the championship legacy that Iran's current superstars have worked so hard to establish? Only time will tell, but, surely, the prospects are very promising.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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