Tribune News Network
Doha
The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) on Tuesday unveiled the national team’s new head coach Athanasios Skourtopoulus of Greece at a press conference at the federation’s headquarters in the presence of QBF Secretary-General Saadoun Sabah Al Kuwari and Director of National Teams Yassin Ismail and Qatar team’s fitness coach Nathaniel Alkidos.
Saadoun Al Kuwari expressed his happiness on QBF’s association with coach Skourtopoulus to train the Qatar basketball team. Skourtopoulus succeeds Serbian coach Miodrag Perisic.
Al Kuwari while welcoming the new coach said, Skourtopoulus has a distinguished track record as a coach and has previously trained the Greek national team and many Greek clubs and is a big name in the world of coaching in Europe.
Al Kuwari added that the Qatar national team has many important continental competitions coming ahead including the 2027 World Cup which will be hosted in Doha.
For his part, Yassin Ismail praised the QBF, headed by Mohammed bin Saad Al Mughaiseeb, in assigning the national team with a distinguished coach who is considered as one of the best.
The director of the national teams also emphasized that the strategy of the federation is to mix youth and experience, especially since the federation’s plan is to form a competitive team for the future.
Thanking the welcome, Skourtopoulus said he did not hesitate even for a single moment in accepting the offer to train the national basketball team and stressed that he has a lot of information about Qatari basketball through friends and coaches who work in Doha.
The coach said that he knows very well that the national team is going through a tough stage at the present time and that he seeks to prepare players psychologically and physically. He said that his task will not be easy, especially since the current stage is a period of replacement and renewal in the ranks of the national team but the young players will be of great importance in the near future.
Fitness coach Alkidos said he was doing his best to raise the physical level of the players, expressing his happiness at joining the Qatari basketball family, which is preparing to host the World Cup in 2027 for the first time in the history of the Middle East.
Qatar national team for 42nd Willam Jones
Cup 2023
The Qatar basketball team will leave on Wednesday for Chinese Taipei to participate in the 42nd Willam Jones Cup 2023 for men to be held from August 12 to 20 with the participation of teams that will participate in the 19th edition of the FIBA World Cup which will be held in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines from August 25 to September 10.
At the 42nd Willam Jones Cup 2023, the Al Annabi are scheduled to meet USA on August 12, Iran (August 13), Chinese Taipei A (August 14), Philippines (August 15), UAE (August 16), Chinese Taipei B (August 17), South Korea (August 18), and Japan on August 20th.