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http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/inte/p/newsid/38611/arti.htmlJOR – Sam the man
AMMAN (2010 FIBA World Championship) - One of the real treats for basketball fans in Kayseri this summer will be the opportunity to watch Sam Daghlas represent Jordan.
An explosive 6ft 6in guard, Daghlas played a significant role at the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship when he helped his country clinch a bronze medal to reach the FIBA World Championship for the first time.
Daghlas averaged 10.8 points, 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for Mario Palma’s team.
He almost helped Jordan knock off defending champions Iran in the Semi-Finals with 15 points and six rebounds but his team lost, 77-75.
That defeat was forgotten, though, after the 80-66 bronze-medal win over Lebanon.
Jordan celebrated as if they had just won a world title.
Why was it such an emotional time for Daghlas and his teammates?
“I have to say because no one gives us a chance but us,” he said to FIBA.com.
“We all believed when we came together and we started preparing for the Asia championship in early June.
“We worked so hard on and off the court to get our bodies ready for the tournament.
“We all had to sacrifice and be on the road playing in many different tournaments and games to make sure we were ready for the Asia championship.
“So what you saw was joy of 13 players plus the coaching staff that worked so hard to reach this goal and for it to come true, it was an amazing feeling.
“I still think about the journey and how sweet it was.”
Daghlas says another reason why the achievement meant so much was the players’ relationship with Palma.
“Coach Palma is nothing like any coach I ever played for,” he said.
“He’s unique and different but I respect him a lot. He’s a professional coach so he expects the same out of his players and I like that.
“I think he helped our national team take basketball to a very high level. The man knows his basketball and I will play for him any day.”
With Daghlas about to embark on the most important period of his career when he will get ready for Preliminary Round games at the FIBA World Championship against Argentina, Serbia, Germany, Angola and Australia, he is no doubt reflecting on how it all began for him in the sport.
His hometown is San Diego, California and he started to play the game at 14.
“My love for basketball began during a visit to the local playgrounds,” he said.
He became hooked immediately, and quickly understood the dedication needed to find success as a player.
Daghlas excelled in high school and eventually played at Midwestern State University.
After his college career, he entered a summer pro league and investigated the possibilities of playing professionally.
“If I go back to when I was four or five years old, I always wanted to be a pro athlete and I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to do so up to now,” he said. “I’m enjoying every second of it.”
Playing in America is one thing but ending up in Jordan in Jordan is another.
“The team president from Jordan contacted my agent,” he said. “At the time, the team was called Fastlink, known as Zain now. We had a long talk and I bought in to their plans on helping Jordan basketball grow and my family was excited for me to come back to my roots and play ball.
“Zain plays a big role in Jordan basketball. They spend a lot of money on players and coaches to make sure the team competes at the highest level.
“They are always trying to improve basketball in whatever they can. I think by Zain coming in to the league and having professionalism, it helped players elevate their games.
“Players now work out a couple of times a day. They do extra work to get better. Before professionalism, players didn’t do that because basketball was an extra thing you do on the side (in Jordan).
Zain recently played at the Dubai Tournament.
“Yes, and we didn’t do too well but saying that, they were our first games of the season so we didn’t really know what kind of team we had going in to the Dubai Tournament.
“By the time we figured each other out, it was a little too late so we ended up losing in the quarter-finals.”
This raises another interesting question.
The professional league in Jordan has been suspended.
Six weeks before the FIBA Asia Championship, the Jordan Olympic Committee dissolved the basketball federation, claiming that it had been “functioning without proper accountability”.
The national team nevertheless remained intact, flew to Tianjin, competed and brought home the bronze.
The question now is, how do the Jordan players remain sharp? Zaid Abbaas is the only Jordan player getting a lot of minutes in games right now.
He plays in China’s CBA with Shanghai.
“That’s a great question,” Daghlas said.
“I’m not sure when the league is going to start. We keep hearing soon but nothing yet. I hope we can get something soon. If not, it’s going to hurt some of us players that are not playing games. We do have three tournaments coming up with Zain, though – the WABA, Arab Championship and Asia Cup for Clubs.”
Dream opportunity
If all goes well and Jordan end up having good preparations, to play in Turkey will be the opportunity of a lifetime.
“If we have the right preparations coach Palma wants us to have, I think we might shock some team with how well we play as a team,” Daghlas said.
“I know one thing - we are not going there to lose every game like people think.
“I know our group is very tough but as a basketball player, I know that when you play against higher level (teams), your game elevates. So I think it’s going to be a blast to play against the top teams in the world since we have four teams I think in the top 11. I’m very excited.”
Can this Jordan team really make an impact in Kayseri?
“I think so,” Daghlas said. “I’m excited to work with coach Palma and the coaching staff and I know if we work hard and we stay healthy, we will catch a lot of teams’ attention.
When it’s all said and done, Daghlas is eager to see what he can do against the best players in the world.
“My dream is like every basketball player,” he said.
“I want to play at the highest level I can.
“I always wanted a shot at the NBA but I know I’m 30 now and the NBA is a younger league, but I think I can still help some teams.
“I do not mind playing in Europe at all. I hope after the World Championship in Turkey, my agent will be getting some calls from teams.”
Daghlas, who is often contacted by his fans on his own website, samd13.com, isn’t in the international limelight in Jordan like he might be in Europe, or the United States.
For that reason, he was more than happy to speak to FIBA.com.
“I just wanted to say thank you for this great interview and hope to see you in Turkey,” he said.
Jeff Taylor
FIBA
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