Jordan coach: “Greece is at a high level, but we want to make it difficult for them”

Determined to make it difficult for all their opponents in World Cupstarting with Greece, its coach declares of JordanWessam Al-Sous, but also the team leader, Zaid Abbas.

“We are excited to be here and proud to be at a World Cup for the second consecutive event. It means a lot to the country and the fans. I am personally very happy to be the first Jordanian coach to go with the team to the World Cup. We want to make our fans proud. My players are looking forward, they know we are talking about the biggest stage an athlete can be on. We have two minor injuries but we are dealing with them and everyone will be ready for the match“, said the coach.

“It is a challenging group. We know how difficult it is for us, we have to face three high-level teams, but we are not here just to have a good time. We want to do our job, play well and prove to the world that we belong at the highest level. Our mentality is to fight every game and every game in turn. At the moment we only see Saturday’s match with Greece. We want to gain confidence and make it difficult for the Greek team. We know how difficult it will be because this is a high level team. Then we will turn our attention to New Zealand and the USA“, he added.

Regarding the presence of the former NBAer Rhodey Hollis-Jeffersonwho is the team’s naturalize, said: “We are very happy to have Rhodey with us. He is an excellent player and person. We expect him to give us everything from the start of preparation: his experience, his ability and giving 100%. We believe that because of his tenure in the Philippines, the public can help us a little more».

For his part, the team leader, Zaid Abbasemphasized: “For Jordan this is the third appearance in a World Cup. We are happy to be here and it is very important for the country. I think there will be good games and people will enjoy them».

On his third appearance at the World Cup and the progress of basketball in Jordan, the 39-year-old forward said: “When we qualified for the first time in 2010 it was the happiest moment for all of us in the national team. I believe that basketball in our country has been constantly improving since then and our presence in this event for the second season in a row proves it. For me it’s special because it’s my last summer with the national team and many in the technical team, like coach Al-Sus, were my teammates in the past».