THE Philippines and Iran duel at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, 13 years after they battled for the FIBA Asia Championship title at the same venue, with Gilas Pilipinas losing to Team Melli, 85-71, on August 11, 2013.
Two players from those teams will be in uniform anew, one of whom is nine-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, who will likely play his last game for the Philippine national team.
The other is Mohammad Jamshidi, who just made his Iranian national team comeback since his last call-up during the WC Asian qualifiers three years ago.
Jamshidi was part of Iran's title team in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, where he was the youngster on a squad that featured the likes of Hamed Haddadi, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, and Mehdi Kamrani.
Then, he was making his FIBA seniors debut and played played eight games with averages of 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, but didn’t play in the championship game against the Filipinos.
Three years after, Jamshidi suited up for Meralco as its Asian import during the 2016 Governors’ Cup.
He then tussled with Gilas five times over the course of his FIBA career, including the 2014 Asia Cup where he top-scored with 19 points in Iran's 76-55 semifinals win over the Philippines.
Jamshidi also dominated for 26 points in the Iranians' 78-70 victory vs. the Filipinos in a December 3, 2018 match at the Mall of Asia Arena during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian qualifiers.
Not long after, he re-engaged with Gilas in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup on September 8, scoring 16 points in teaming up with Haddadi and Bahrami to lead Team Melli to a 95-75 win for a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Thorn on Gilas' side returns
Now 35, Jamshidi, who is playing in the domestic league with Mahram Tehran, is back with Iran's national team, with his last appearance dating back to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
Jamshidi’s call-up has a purpose, according to coach Sotirios Alex Manolopoulos.
“You cannot bring just 12 new guys. You need to bring some veterans also to pass on their experience,” he said.
The Greek coach also said Jamshidi was apparently coming off a back injury that prevented him from playing for Team Melli after the World Cup.
“When I came (as coach), he had back surgery. Last year, he had a very good year. He is in good condition and in my opinion, he is willing to change the way we play,” he said.
Jamshidi had 12 points and three assists in his first game of the current window, but the Iranians lost to New Zealand in overtime, 93-91.
He could yet again be a thorn on the Philippines' side, as Team Melli looks to bounce back from that loss to the Tall Blacks.
“I want him to become more of a creator and I think he is doing a good job so far,” Manolopoulos said.
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