Oraby praises Egypt's team chemistry ahead of FIBA AfroBasket 2017

CAIRO (FIBA AfroBasket 2017) - Named MVP of the Arab Championship last month, Egypt's Omar Oraby is aiming high in 2017.

The 2.18m center has played a crucial role helping Egypt beat Morocco in the Arab Championship Final in Cairo.

First, the North Africans will host the FIBA AfroBasket 2017 Zone 5 qualifiers from 12-18 March in Cairo.

If they secure one of the two places on offer for this year's FIBA AfroBasket Final Round in Brazzaville - as Oraby believes they will - Egypt's new golden generation will have a second chance of making some noise in Africa's biggest basketball stage. 

Then, later this year, Oraby's Egypt will become the second African country - after Tunisia held the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women 2005 - to host a major FIBA Basketball tournament, the U19 World Championship. 

"Hopefully, we'll have a great year," the 25-year-old former University of Southern California standout said to FIBA.com.

Discussing his Arab Championship 2017 award, Oraby added: “It was a great personal achievement but I wouldn’t have won it without the support of my teammates. The award was a huge step in my career, and hopefully this season I can continue doing great things.

“I feel that my game has developed further. I feel a lot more confident, especially because of the coaches I have been working with. And hopefully, I can keep up and help my national team."

Ten national teams from FIBA Africa Zone 5 - including Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt - are expected in Cairo next month. 

In his first appearance at the helm of Egypt, former Spain coach Juan Orenga led the North Africans to the Arab Championship title 

Egypt, a team experiencing a transitional process with the arrival of head coach Juan Orenga, emerge as frontrunners in the qualifier, and Oraby explains why.

“The biggest victory really was the way how coach Orenga brought the team together," Oraby said of Egypt's Arab Championship success.

"He has emphasised the team chemistry above anything else. It was great to see how players who had little playing time were cheering on each other. My first impression of coach Orenga is that he is a great motivator.

“We didn’t have much time to prepare for the tournament but mentally the team was at its very best. Hopefully, we can keep this attitude. This is a big step for our national team.

“It was tough playing against Morocco in Final. They have an experienced team that has been playing together for many years. We were down 19 points early in the game but we managed to fight back. It was a great team win."

Egypt will begin their FIBA AfroBasket preparations on Saturday. 

“We hope to keep the momentum and stay as strong during the qualifiers. Obviously, the goal is to win the qualifier. I know there will be some good national teams coming to Cairo looking to cause a surprise but I believe we can qualify for the AfroBasket.

"We’ll play at home and it would be great to see fans cheering for us," the Gezira center pointed out.

“The AfroBasket is a tough competition. If we qualify, the objective will be the improvement of the team.

One of Egypt's revelations during the FIBA U19 World Championship 2009 in New Zealand, Oraby can't wait for this summer when the best 16 U19 national teams descend to Cairo.   

“It’s a huge opportunity for Egypt to show the world that we can organise a tournament of this dimension, especially because the Middle-East has a bad reputation in some circles. I believe Egypt will prove doubters wrong," Oraby noted. 

“This is a great tournament, and it will be a major success."

FIBA