HESI U17 Top 30: Best Hoopers in the MENA (10-6)

The Middle East and North Africa region has a lot of unseen high-quality hoopers. Here we will give you the top 10-6 basketball players in the MENA Region according to their Regional, Continental and International competitions with their respective teams.

#10 Mohammadamin Khosravi

The big man out of Iran is not the most flashy or most “big” big man but he’s super skilled at his role. Khosravi is talented down low in the post with a multitude of post moves and amazing touch around the rim. Khosravi knows his role and rarely would steer away from it. He is a capable rim protector averaging more than 1 BPG. On offence, he is consistent and can get you buckets through tip-ins and putbacks or you can feed him the ball and let him do his thing in the paint.

#9 Serouj Avedissian

Serouj is a bucket. He can score from anywhere on the court against anyone despite his size. Serouj is blessed with a clean and efficient shot and his ability to finish over bigger defenders equal to non on this list. He’s very clever at either using his body or adding arc to his layups to score over bigger defenders at the rim. Serouj can draw fouls away from the rim causing foul trouble early on for the opposing team’s best defender. As Serouj evolves I hope he will achieve better shooting percentages throughout multiple games. Also, Serouj can completely change the course of a game just by scoring. If he can develop an aggressive and smart offensive mentality coupled with consistency, Serouj can be Lebanon’s next biggest star.

#8 Karim El Gizawy

The Egyptian team captain is a pure floor general. Karim has been an integral part of the Egyptian side in taking care of the ball and getting the offence in a rhythm. Coaches count on him to orchestrate the offence and find the most efficient way to score the ball. On top of his point guard skills, Karim is a solid shooter able to knock it down consistently. Karim always looks to facilitate before looking to score which is good for teams that need a high IQ point guard. He is also quite the rim protector and is known to successfully challenge shots at the rim and deflect them. Karim will become a great piece for the Egyptian side as his skills and body continue to mature and grow.

#7 Mohammad Nassereddin

The 6’6″ forward out of Jordan is truly a hidden gem. Nassereddin can score from anywhere on the court at very high efficiency. He possesses a very high offensive IQ and capitalizes on it. Nassereddin can turn into the modern-day combo forward that can play both in the paint and behind the arc. Nassereddin is physical and agile he has very good footwork but doesn’t shy away from bumping into defenders and getting physical. He has major upside and can develop into a high-level player if done right. He does need to spend more time getting rebounds as he is physical enough to box out and fight for them. Looking forward to watching the prospect out of Jordan become one of their best players as develops.

#6 Ahmed Nedal Abdelela

Egypt’s best-kept secret. Nedal is one of the youngest players on this list and one of the best. Nedal has the qualities that build up a modern-day universal type of player. He can shoot very efficiently within the offence or create for himself, he has size, and athleticism, can dribble, and play in the post, or on the perimeter. If developed in the right manner Nedal can be a high-level scorer at the highest levels of basketball. Nedal’s defensive versatility can also be seen when he switches onto a smaller defender or in the post. Despite playing limited minutes in FIBA competitions, below 13 MPG, he has the highest 3P% on his team while just less than 2 3PA per game. Nedal is that guy and coaches should pay attention to him early.