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While Kazemi is getting recognition for his play at the NCAA level, last sum- mer he also got some exposure playing against some of the world's best during the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Playing for his native Iran, Kazemi aver- aged 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in the tournament, and was Iran's second-best player behind Memphis Grizzlies center Hamed Haddadi. But the stats don't tell the whole story about Kazemi's experi- ence though, as it was a chance for him to guard some of the players he idolizes.
"I mean, it was amazing," says Kazemi. "Derrick Rose is the MVP of the League right now and I played against him. You see Kevin Durant, [Danny] Granger, [Andre] Iguodala, those are the guys that were guarding me in the World Cham- pionships and they all played in the playoffs. It was a really cool experience for me to play against all those guys, and I thought I played really well, and repre- sented my country really well. Everyone is happy back home, so it was a great experience for me."
After his experience in the World Championship, Kazemi came back to campus with the confidence that he could compete against the best players in the world, which helped him make such huge strides on the court this year. While Kazemi has seen a lot of success on the court in his quest to make the NBA, Rice as a team unfortunately has not. During his freshman season, the Owls won only eight games, but last year they won 14 including wins over Memphis, LSU, Houston (twice), and TCU. With those positive signs from this past season, Braun believes Kazemi can help lead Rice to a special season (or two) before taking a shot at the NBA.
"It was cool to win that award," says Kazemi. "I didn't really know that much about it when I won the award, my coaches had to explain it to me. It's always great to win something out of the whole NCAA, and I'm looking forward to winning more awards – not just being most courageous. I had the distinction of being the first Iranian to play in the NCAA, and I think I've had enough of that. I will always carry my country with me, wherever I play I always play for my country, my parents and my team, but I think it's time for me to just be recog- nized as a good basketball player."
True to his wishes, Kazemi is starting to gain notice for his play on the court. The truth is, it would be hard not to notice one
of the few players in Division I basketball to average a double-double. This past season as a sophomore, the 6-7 forward averaged 15.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, leading Conference USA and landing himself a Second Team All- Conference USA selection. Kazemi's game is defined by the energy he brings to the court each time he plays, as he plays at a frenetic pace that few can match.
"Arsalan is a lively player, he is very active," says Braun about his star player. "He's got good anticipation, good jump- ing ability and really has a nose for the ball. He is always around the ball offensively and defensively, and he gets after it. The scary thing is I think he can be a lot better."
"I think Arsalan and (starting point guard) Tamir Jackson have really been the key to our program the past two years," says Braun. "They came into our program as freshmen and I thought they've really made major contributions in terms of turning our program around. Those two have really been hand in hand in terms of what they've done for this program. They are both great kids, and the kind you feel lucky as a coach to have. Those two have given us a tremendous competitive edge to our program, and last year we showed signs of that paying off. We were ahead in most games last season, we couldn't close all of them out, but we were able to compete in every game. I think Arsalan, along with Tamir, will be leading the way for us in what we hope will be a special year for Rice Basketball."
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