TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Iranian national basketball team's coach Dirk Bauermann praised his players ahead of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Italy.





The competition will be held in Turin from 4-9 July.

It will go up against Greece, who is No. 10 in the FIBA World Ranking, and Mexico, who is No. 19. Iran is No. 17.

�Well first of all, they all have the heart of a lion - each and every one of them. They all play to win and they�re willing to rip their hearts off their chest, throw it on the floor and compete for their country, and I think that�s a real important foundation and basis for what we do,� the German told FIBA.

�And then secondly, all of them have a very high basketball IQ, good work ethic, and they�re very coachable,� Bauermann added.

By Tasnim News Agency