TEHRAN (Olympic Games) - The shock and the sadness that has followed the tragic death of Iran basketball star Aidin Nekkhah Bahrami will not go away.
Aidin, 26, and his fiancée died in a car crash in the early morning hours of December 28, while two other passengers survived.
But Iran coach Rijko Toroman is determined to honor the memory of Aidin by keeping the national team that he had been so proud to represent strong.
Iran will play at the Olympics in August.
"Now, I think there’s two points after this tragedy," Toroman said this week.
“Samad, Aidin’s brother, should continue stronger than before.
"And to make Aidin happy," Toroman said, "the national team should also have a stronger performance in the Olympic games.”
Aidin, whose brother Mohammad Samad Nikkhah Bahrami is the captain of Iran, averaged 13 points per game last year at the FIBA Asia Championship to help the country win the gold medal and qualify for the Beijing Games.
Samad poured in 14 points per contest.
The triumph in Japan at the FIBA Asia Championship was the country's proudest moment on the basketball court.
The grief that has followed Aidin's death has been immense.
Many people participated in his funeral and honored his memory.
Various officials, coaches and athletes attended his funeral escort the day after the accident. A burial ceremony was then held in the graveyard of a Tehran suburb.
All of the games that week in Iran were cancelled. “Aidin was not only an outstanding basketball player, but also a very nice and polite person," Toroman said.
“He was a gentleman."
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