Egypt star Ehab Amin to test mettle at FIBA Intercontinental Cup

Al Ahly among challengers in elite club competition in Singapore

Ehab Amin of Egypt drives the ball against Margiris Normantas of Lithuania during their 2023 FIBA World Cup match in the Philippines. Getty

After shining for Egypt at the Basketball World Cup earlier this month, star point guard Ehab Amin returns to the international stage, this time with his club Al Ahly, who tip off their 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup (ICC) in Singapore on Thursday against NBA G League Ignite.

Al Ahly earned their spot in the elite club competition by winning the Basketball Africa League (BAL) with victory over Senegal’s AS Douanes in the Finals at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda in May.

The Red Devils’ roster is highlighted by Amin, who averaged 12.7 points and 3.9 assists per game throughout the 2023 BAL season to help his team secure the championship.

Amin, who played college basketball at Texas A&M and Oregon, helped guide Egypt to two historic victories at the recently-concluded World Cup, where the Pharaohs narrowly missed out on automatic qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In its 33rd edition, the ICC has come to Asia for the very first time, having signed a three-year deal with Sport Singapore.

This year’s cup, held at Singapore Indoor Stadium from September 21-24, features six teams from across the globe split into two groups.

Group A includes Al Ahly and NBA G League Ignite alongside Brazil’s Sesi Franca, the champions of Basketball Champions League Americas.

Group B features China’s Zhejiang Golden Bulls, Bahrain’s West Asia Super League champions Al Manama, and European champions Telekom Baskets Bonn of Germany.

Treble-winning Al Manama, chasing a fourth trophy of the season, open their ICC journey against Telekom Baskets Bonn on Thursday.

The three teams in each group will compete in round-robin play over the first three days of the tournament, with the top side in each group advancing to the finals on September 24. Prior to the finals, the remaining four teams will contest classification games.

In the last edition of the Intercontinental Cup, Lenovo Tenerife picked up their third trophy in the competition by defeating BCL Americas champions Sao Paulo in the final.