US NCAA star boosts Iran 5

MANILA, Philippines - Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman admitted defending champion Iran has become a lot more formidable with star forward Arsalan Kazemi being allowed by his US varsity team to play in the coming FIBA Asia championship in Wuhan, China.

According to fibaasia.net, Kazemi got the nod from Rice University to join the Iranian team in its quest to defend the Asian championship for the second time.

“He would be an added strength for Iran. He’s in a top NCAA team. He’s the most talented Iranian player,” said Toroman of Kazemi.

Meanwhile, Smart Gilas had its first practice with a complete lineup yesterday following the arrival of Kelly Williams from the US Monday night.

The team could see its potential in playing tune-up matches with Qatar tomorrow and Sunday, and with Jordan Saturday. All matches are set at The Arena in San Juan.

Qatar and Jordan both pitched camp in Manila before proceeding to Wuhan, China. The Qataris have been here since Friday.

 The 19-year-old Kazemi is a do-it-all forward who averaged 12 points and 7.4 rebounds for Iran in the 2010 World Championship in Turkey.