TEHRAN - Fresh from a podium finish in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016, Petrochimi is set to plunge into the new season of the Iranian Superleague, which begins this weekend. Head Coach Mehran Shahintab will helm the squad, who will also rely on guys like Behnam Yakhchali, Rouzbeh Arghavan and the recovering Mohammad Jamshidi. This certainly makes Petrochimi one of the early favorites to be in title contention. For his squad to ascend to the top, though, Shahintab believes that his unit is ready, but he also knows that for them to be highly successful, Petrochimi will need good health and even better in-game decision-making.

Shahintab shared his thoughts with FIBA.com following his team's opening day defeat of Shahrdari Arak 76-69.

FIBA.com: The SuperLeague is set to start this week. Are you satisfied with the team you currently have?
Shahintab: Yes. I think after some games in the FIBA tournament, our team is ready for the challenge in our league. Except for my injured player, Mohammad Jamshidi, all are well and are going to have good games. In the next few weeks, Jamshidi can join us and definitely our team will get stronger.

FIBA.com: How strong is the Iranian Superleague this year? Who do you think alongside Petrochimi are title contenders?
Shahintab: As you know, this season, the rules on imports changed, and all teams at the beginning of season can use two imports on the court. Till now, most teams took quality imports, and I think we can see teams like Naft Abadan, Azad University, Arak and Tabriz as stronger teams this season.

FIBA.com: Petrochimi finished third in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Chenzhou; how do you rate your players' performances?
Shahintab: I think all of us tried our best in the Champions Cup. It was the first time that our club participated in this tournament, and it was a good result for the club. We lost two games, and we should have kept our focus more. Our main players are young, and I think they need more experience. Also, we must make better decisions in game situations, although we had a major injured player (Jamshidi) and had no preparation games before we arrived.

FIBA.com: What lessons were learned from the FIBA Asia Champions Cup experience?
Shahintab: The Champions Cup can develop and improve the quality of basketball in Asia. We learned that to succeed in this kind of tournament, we should have better organization, continuous practices, quality players and better leadership.

FIBA