Iran was among the best teams at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 and the national basketball player Arsalan Kazemi is confident they will remain true to form at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers.
Kazemi played a crucial role for Iran as the team marched to the final of the Asia Cup 2017 a few months ago. Iran won its first five assignments in that competition but was ousted by eventual champions Australia in the final, 76-59.
The 1.99-meter Kazemi was among the team's most productive players, putting up 10.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. At 27, Kazemi is seen by many as among the key players who should lead the squad as they begin their quest to qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup for a third straight time.
He still feels a little salty about the final game against Australia at the Asia Cup, but he is confident that Iran will do well in November when they take on rivals Iraq and Qatar.
In a recent interview with FIBA.basketball he said, "we did a decent job in the Asia Cup. Still, I think we could have done much better in the final but overall it was a great experience for all of us".
He believes it will be fun to play against Iraq and Qatar as "we have played against them before. Iraq has improved a lot in the last two years, and Qatar has a mix of young talent and experienced players". He thinks Iran's chance of winning against them is very high.
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