WITH Hamed Haddadi and Samad Nikkhah Bahrami in tow, Iran is bringing the heavyweights to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China.

Haddadi and Bahrami will be the most seasoned players for a team that makes their third straight appearance on the biggest stage of international basketball. Iran first qualified for the showpiece event in 2010 with both Haddadi and Bahrami already big stars for the national squad. They returned to the World Cup in Spain in 2014, and now they find themselves in an all too familiar position as they try to buoy a team bannered by some of Iran’s brightest up-and-coming talents.

One of those talents is Behnam Yakhchali, who already joined the team in Spain five years ago as a wide-eyed 19-year-old. Now five years older and wiser, Yakhchali will be one of coach Mehran Shahintab’s best weapons in China. The 1.91m guard was Iran’s best scorer in the Asian qualifiers, putting up 14.8 points and 1.6 three-pointers per game.

Aside from Yakhchali, another player to watch is Bahrami’s former understudy, Mohammad Jamshidi, who has blossomed into an explosive perimeter threat. The 28-year-old wingman averaged 28.0 points per game in Iran’s last three qualifier games, and he will be one of the team’s designated gunners when they open Group C play in Guangzhou.

Helping out Haddadi in the paint will be Michael Rostampour. The former NCAA standout has the size and the heft to be the perfect sidekick to the hulking Haddadi. Rostampour, who has played for BC Prievidza and San Salvador BC in the past, will provide much needed muscle for Iran. His combo with Meisam Mirzaei and Mohammad Hassanzadeh in the paint can be potentially problematic for Team Melli’s Group C foes.

Iran opens its account Aug. 31 against Puerto Rico. That will be followed by games against Tunisia on Sept. 2 and Spain on Sept. 4.(FIBA)