MANKATO (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Egypt forward Assem Marei played all of this past season without knowing the cause of pain in his knee, until earlier this month when he was advised to undergo a surgery.

The 21-year-old led Minnesota State University in scoring with 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while also registering a team-high 53 blocks and 10 double-double performances in 2013-14.

However, when he prepared to join his national team, which is holding a training cam in Alexandria, Egypt, Marei had to go to the operating theatre.

The 2.07m player is currently in the USA for a rehabilitation period, while keeping busy on improving his game ahead of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, as his country returns to the world stage for the first time since 1994.

As a result of the surgery, Marei is set to miss a friendly tournament that Egypt will host and in which it will face Tunisia, Kuwait and a Lithuania B team in June. He might also miss the William Jones Cup in Taipei in July.

"Doctors said (after the operation) I will be better," he explained to FIBA.com.

"They are making sure I come back better," he said.

Marei played a key role for an underrated Egypt team that lost its first three games in the Group Phase of AfroBasket 2013, before bouncing back in the next round and stun the likes of Tunisia and Senegal, before losing to Angola in the Final.

At the time, Marei and his army were so determined to succeed, that he did not care much about his initial knee pain.

Egypt head coach Amr Aboul Kheir says he hopes to count with Marei's services by late July before they travel to Madrid for the last stage of their World Cup preparations.

A number of other players are are yet to join the team's preparations for various reasons.

Omar Tarek Oraby, a seven-footer who has played in Egypt's youth national teams, might be an option for Aboul Kheir, but for now he is trying his luck in being selected in next month's NBA draft.

There is good news for Egypt is as American-born Omar Samhan - whose parents are originally from the North African country - had his passport request approved and could represent the country in Spain, although he is yet to report to national the team.

Samhan helped local club Sporting Alexandria win the national cup last month, while both Ahmed Baraka and Sheriff Abdalla who helped Egypt finish AfroBasket runners-up last summer, won the national league with Cairo-based club Gezira.

Baraka is also recovering from an injury.

At the World Cup, Egypt will play in Granada's Group A along with hosts Spain, EuroBasket 2013 champions France, European powerhouse Serbia, Asian champions Iran and Brazil.

FIBA