TEHRAN - Azadeh Zamanzadeh, Iran’s women’s basketball coach, is optimistic about her team’s success in the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup Division B.

She played a significant role in the national women's basketball team's advancement to the Division B qualifiers, where Iran defeated Syria and Jordan in Amman.

“Our team managed to secure a spot in Division B of Asia after winning the two matches against Syria and Jordan. Now, we are preparing to book a place in Division A in the competition, which will be held in Shenzhen, China.”

Discussing their two matches, Zamanzadeh said, “Before our departure, we went on a trip to Lebanon where we played two friendly matches against two Lebanese clubs. In these matches, we aimed for specific goals, including coordinating our players with Roksana Bahrami, the Iranian-American player, which fortunately proved effective. Roksana quickly harmonized with the team and executed the coaches' objectives on the court."

"Currently, our team are very strong, and we have added some excellent young players. Mahsa Karani, who is 18 years old, and Ghazal Zamani, who is 17, are among them. Additionally, we have other young players like Farnaz Khodamradi, who joined us two years ago, and Mahla Abedi, who is 20 years old and has been very influential."

In conclusion, the women’s basketball coach expressed, “I hope that with the programs set by the federation and Ms. Eleni Kapogianni, our head coach, in the coming months, we will be able to prepare fully for the Division B competition. With a bit of luck, we can secure a place in Division A. While this is quite challenging, we have faith in our team members.”

Photo: Negin Razm