TEHRAN – Iran international power forward Arsalan Kazemi is hopeful the young talented players can make difference for Team Melli in the near future.

For the upcoming sixth window of the Asian Qualifiers, the federation has announced a training camp roster to prepare for the important upcoming games. Kazemi is among one of the names listed, as Iran go up against Japan on 23 Feb. and China on 26 Feb.

“Obviously we have two very tough games against two of Asia’s powerhouses. Japan and China are great teams but as you know it is very important for us to be able to get a win so it doesn’t really matter where we play or who we play. We are determined to get the win,” Kazemi said in his interview with Tehran Times.

Iran’s ‘golden generation’ come to an end with veterans Hamed Haddadi, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami and Mehdi Kamrani are no longer members of the National Team. Is there any chance for Team Melli to remain an Asian powerhouse?

“I think if you look at our roster you will see we have a lot of young talents and they are getting the experience to be able to follow in their footsteps in the near future. I am sure they can make difference for our basketball,” he answered.

Kazemi was a member of Iran basketball team in the 2020 Olympic Games, where Iran suffered three defeats against Czech Republic, the U.S. and France in Group A. Now, he is dreaming to play in Olympics once again.

"It's every athlete's dream to compete at an Olympic Games, so it would be awesome if we get a chance to participate. But in order to be able to compete at the Olympics we have to qualify for the FIBA World Cup first,” Kazemi concluded.  

Right from the start of the World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, Kazemi already made history by collecting the most rebounds in a single World Cup Qualifiers game (26 rebounds) while also recording the second-ever triple-double in the World Cup Qualifiers (10 points, 12 assists).