Spanish club Manresa locks up Egyptian 16-year-old Khalaf for long-term

MANRESA (Liga Endesa) - Spanish club l’ICL Manresa believes they’ve made an investment for the future by signing 16-year-old Egyptian center Ahmed Khalaf to a long-term deal. 

The 1999-born talent, who goes by the nickname ‘Bebo’, has already arrived in Spain and will begin the process of adjusting from top Egyptian club Gezira Sporting Club to southern Europe.

“First of all, we want to help him to adapt to a different culture and life. To be with him and surround him with the best environment possible for him to feel comfortable here,” Manresa sports manager Pere Romero said. 

“We are not thinking about his basketball career yet but thinking about his adaptation.”

Romero said he and team officials watched the 2.04m center at both the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship and 2015 FIBA Africa U16 Championship. 

“Whenever you sign a player you think he will improve his game with you. We saw that he has good intuition on rebounding and a possibility to grow as a player,” the Manresa team leader said.

“He’s a mature guy who is able to play against players three years older than him but still able to do the same numbers.”

Khalaf debuted on the world scene two summers ago, playing as a 15-year-old at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship, where he averaged 8.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.9 blocks. This past summer, he played three years younger than the rest of the competition at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship but still averaged 8.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. 

At the 2015 FIBA Africa U16 Championship, the Giza native averaged 14.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.6 blocks and 1.5 steals in helping Egypt to the title. 

By playing and excelling at two youth Worlds despite being underage, Khalaf showed talent evaluators around the world that he can hold his own against high level competition.

“We thought if we don’t get him from Egypt early, it’s going to be more difficult,” Manresa sports manager Pere Romero about Ahmed Khalaf

Romero would not disclose for how many years Khalaf signed with Manresa only to say “long term”. 

Romero also said Manresa will not stand in the way of Khalaf playing for Egypt next summer at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship, which will take place in Spain. 

“No problem with us. We know when we have a player who is important with the national team  that we have to let him go. And we are happy to make him available. We wish that all of our players would play summers with the national team. This is also a way to improve,” Romero added.

In addition to adapting to his new surroundings and a new language and culture, Khalaf will have to adjust to the rhythm of the game in Spain as well.  

“With the junior team he’ll have to play against Barcelona and other big teams, and the rhythm is different. He has to adapt to all of these things. Then we can see if he can develop at this level. But we think he can do it,” Romero said.

Khalaf will eventually start playing with Manresa’s junior team after missing the first three months of the season. 

“We are not going to put pressure on him. We have a long time with him. We want him to feel great here and enjoy living with us and feel as if he’s always been here. Of course that’s not easy. But our first goal is to put him with his age group, and then let’s see what we can do,” he said.

“We’re not going to rush him. He’s coming from a different basketball, from a different way of playing.”

FIBA