OXFORD (FIBA U19 World Championship) - What started as a chance to just stay in shape on a family holiday turned into the opportunity of playing at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship for Younes Saidani.

The German-born Saidani played a major role in Tunisia qualifying for the U19 Worlds in Greece as he averaged 8.0 points and 5.1 rebounds at the 2014 FIBA Africa U18 Championship.

"Basketball has some importance in Tunisia. It's not necessarily the national sport but it's kind of big there. It's not a niche sport. So it's an honor to represent Tunisia at this World Championship," said the 1.97m forward, who helped the northern Africans clinch a place to their second U19 Worlds and first since 2011.

Saidani's participation at the tournament in Heraklion (Crete), Greece (27 June-5 July) will be his third international competition with Tunisia. His first tournament was the 2013 FIBA Africa U16 Championship where the 1.97m forward averaged 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. But Tunisia lost to Angola in the Semi-Finals in Madagascar and finished third - as a result missing out on the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship.

The FIBA Africa U16 tournament came a year after Saidani's unexpected entrance into the Tunisian hoops world. The native of Munich, Germany was on holidays with his family in Tunisia in the summer of 2012 and practiced at a local club. Saidani, whose father is Tunisian and went to Germany to study, said the club was well known and the coach knew the national team coach.

Over the 2012-13 New Year's break, Tunisian basketball officials invited Saidani to test with them, about which Saidani said: "They were convinced that I could be part of the team."

A year and a half later, Saidani and his Tunisian teammates were back in Madagascar and once again on the brink of clinching a berth for another FIBA youth world championship as they faced Angola in the Semi-Finals of the 2014 FIBA Africa U18 Championship - the winner of that game booking a spot at the 2015 U19 Worlds.

"There were five or six guys born in 1997 who played in the U16s the year before when we lost to Angola in the semis. So it was retaliation for them eliminating us the year before," recalled Saidani, who collected two points and seven rebounds in 40 minutes of Tunisia's 61-57 victory over Angola.

"It was a very emotional game. It was the most important game of the whole championship."

Tunisia ended up taking second place as they lost 80-69 in the Final against Egypt.

"The difference in the result was higher than what the game would have made you expect. We played well most of the game but we lost the energy in the fourth quarter," said Saidani, one of three Tunisians who played the entire 40 minutes against Angola a day earlier.

"A couple of guys played a very long time against Angola. That may have been a factor. We maybe just got tired."

The goal, however, had been achieved and Tunisia were back at the FIBA U19 World Championship after missing out in 2013. As a reward, the Africans were drawn into Group C with Canada, Italy and Australia.

It’s a nice group. I’m looking forward to it. Obviously it’s challenge. - Saidani

“Australia is a huge power on the youth level. They played against United States in the [2014 FIBA] U17 [World Championship] Final, so it's a challenging group. We are coming to give our best. It doesn't matter against whom we are playing. But we are looking forward to playing those big names."

Saidani said the team will be very motivated to play against that caliber of opponent.

"When we're together as a team we have a big push knowing we are playing for our nation. It was already like that at the African Championship. But now on the world level it's something different. It's a huge honor," said Saidani.

Tunisia, the 18-year-old warns, are not coming to Greece to just make up the numbers.

We want to win. Our expectation is to give our very best and try to do whatever it takes to win games. - Saidani

Before Greece comes around, Saidani will have his mind on more than just basketball. After finishing his high school degree last summer in Germany, he started his studies last October in Oxford, where he is studying philosophy, politics and economics.

When asked what he is most looking forward to at the FIBA U19 World Championship, Saidani offered: "Just the atmosphere of being around people who have been hugely successful in their countries and continents and playing against them."

While Tunisia is a small nation of nine million inhabitants, Saidani said everything is possible.

"I am looking forward to the possibilities that playing in such a championship can give you."

FIBA