TEHRAN – Iran basketball coach Sotiris Manolopoulos is optimistic about his team’s future and is well aware of his side’s potential.

The Greek coach, who replaced Turkish coach Hakan Demir in August, arrived in Tehran last week to take charge of Iran.

In an interview with IRNA, Manolopoulos talked about the situation of the team ahead of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualification.

“The Iranian players should stop losing ball because it’s unacceptable in the modern basketball. The players must make the better decisions to stop mistakes. I am a defensive-minded coach and I am here to strengthen the team’s defense,” Manolopoulos said.

Team Melli are scheduled to host Kazakhstan on Nov. 22 in Tehran and will travel to Doha to play Qatar three days later. Manolopoulos has called up 19 players to the team for the matches.  

“Apart from the good players Iran has in terms of physical strength, they are skillful technically and they can do important things, but for me as a coach, the team discipline is more important and the players must adapt to these conditions.

“The young generation are skilled and this is a strong point for the beginning. The team need time and I am here to help my team get better,” the Greek coach concluded.