HESI U17 TOP 30: Best Hoopers in the MENA (5-1)

#5 Rayan Hachem

Rayan Hachem is an impressive player. He has a very high IQ and Lebanon thrived on this during their run to the U17 World Cup. Rayan is a 6’5″ true point guard. His ability to orchestrate the offence and make the right pass at the right time. Rayan’s length makes him a rebound go-getter and a bothersome defender. Rayan rarely creates for himself because he’s busy creating for other people but he is so skillful he can play off-ball and that is where he creates for himself the most. He has good finishing around the rim. Great 3-point shooter with a smooth form and can shoot off the dribble. His pace and playing maturity is what got him to this high spot in the rankings. Coaches should look to recruit Rayan, he’s a special player and has the potential to play at a high level.

#4 Adam El Halawany

U16 Africa 2021 Most Valuable Player. Adam is a scoring powerhouse. He can score at all 3 levels and is skilled at creating space. He can play on or off the ball and creates chances for his teammates. He is very valuable to his team because of his ability to go get a bucket, grab a crucial steal or rebound or be a spot-up knockdown shooter. He can finish on taller defenders or through contact. His play is so smooth and has fancy footwork that gets him slicing through the defence. He’s fast and physical and can do almost everything on the floor. He has a low ego and plays team ball will go get a bucket when the team needs it. He plays hard-nosed basketball with a great attitude. Coaches will have an eye out for him and we will see him at the next level soon.

#3 Seifeldin Kedar Hendawy

Seifeldin took the biggest jump on the Egyptian side from their last FIBA competition when they won gold. Saif went from 8.7 to 13.4 PPG 4.5 to 6.6 RPG. His time with NBA Academy Africa shows as he became more aggressive and showed to have an offensive and defensive presence that affects the game greatly. He blossomed into a scoring leader who puts up buckets in numbers while getting multiple stops in consecutive plays that gave his team a major morale boost and rally behind him. The forward took a major step in defensive efficiency getting 1.4 SPG and 1.4 BPG, up from 0.9 and 0.8 respectively in last year’s U16 African Championship

#2 Karl Zamatta

Karl was the surprise of both the U16 Asian Championship and the U17 World Cup. In the Asian Championship, the 6’8″ big man, turned heads helping Lebanon clinch the World Cup dropping 22 points and grabbing 11 offensive boards and 21 total rebounds. He finished that competition averaging 11.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2.8 BPG, and 1.3 SPG.

In the FIBA U17 World Cup, despite getting to a slow start in the first two games, Karl scored in double digits every game and had two double-doubles. He continued to show up and averaged 9.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG, and 1 SPG.

Karl is a great prospect that has great back-to-the-basket skills, good touch around the rim, and knows how to position himself for rebounds and blocks. He is quick on his feet to recover from closeouts and will surprise defenders by attacking off the dribble. Karl is a dream player for any coach because of his skills on so many levels while being the big man every team needs.

#1 Mohammad Amini

Mohammad Amini’s game is so mature it almost has no faults in it. He is a skilled wing that can handle the ball and facilitate. He can score from every level. He’s athletic to finish above the rim but has great touch and body control when he needs to get by defenders at the rim. He can shoot but will not force his shots. Despite his scoring abilities, he will look to almost always facilitate and get his teammates involved early in the shot clock. In the Asian Cup, Amini was ranked in the top 5 in 3 different statistical categories. Ranked 5th in rebounding overall with 10.4 RPG. Ranked 2nd in scoring overall with 22.8 PPG. And ranked first in steals with 4.6 SPG.

It is a shame he didn’t get a chance to participate in the World Cup but he will be there in Iran’s lineup for a long time to come. Coaches that are looking to recruit should take a good serious look at this 6’6″ wing that can do almost anything on the floor