Mehran Shahintab: Iran Couldn't Control Japan's Stars

In the match held at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan in September, Team Melli lost to the host 70-56 in Pool F.

"We played against a respectable team," Shahintab said in an interview with FIBA. "We had to change our roster, too, because of injuries and some players leaving. We couldn't control the inside and had too many turnovers. We had some tactical problems, and we should have scored more."

The 52-year-old bench tactician was all praises for Japan's budding young talents led by recent NBA signee Yuta Watanabe and US NCAA star Rui Hachimura.

Shahintab admitted that Japan just had too much firepower in their frontline and that his wards couldn't control their opponents.

"They had great players under the basket - Yuta Watanabe, Rui Hachimura, Ira Brown and also Joji Takeuchi - and they had the advantage inside," he explained. "We just couldn't control them. Hachimura has a great future. He can improve on some technical things, but he did very well against us," he added.

The 6ft 8in (2.02m) Hachimura torched Iran with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in a scintillating performance. He has been the biggest factor for Japan's current four-game winning run.

As for Iran, Shahintab knows that despite their 6-win, 2-loss record, they still have some ways to go before formally clinching a berth in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China.

 Looking ahead to their next two assignments, the experienced coach is looking at some roster changes in the hopes of matching up better against their prospective opponents.

"We will have two difficult matches against Philippines and Australia," Shahintab said. "Maybe we have some opportunity to get some other players and change our roster, but for sure in the window we need to do something to get better."

Iran will next play the Australia on the road on November 30 before flying to Manila to face the Filipinos on December 3.