BEIRUT (Lebanon) - Wael Arakji stared blankly into the group of reporters at the postgame press conference for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers game between Lebanon and Korea. He had just played another productive game with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Cedars but it was unfortunately not enough for an important win.

Lebanon suffered a defeat at the hand of Korea, 84-72, ultimately getting eliminated from qualifying to the FIBA Basketball World Cup which will be held later this year in China. It was a second consecutive loss for Lebanon right on their home court at the Zouk Mikael, and both were dealt in heartbreaking fashion. 

"I want to thank all the fans that came to cheer us these 4 days. It was a blessing to play in front of them and I’m sorry to them that we lost and disappointed them."
- Wael Arakji

New Zealand had beaten them on February 22 after Tom Abercrombie drilled a game-winning three with only second left on the game clock. They led for nearly 30 minutes of the game against Korea, but found themselves behind at the final buzzer after scoring just 8 points in the final  quarter of the game.

When it was finally Arakji’s turn to address the game against Korea, the 24-year-old still seemed dazed from the entire situation. He had fought back from a knee injury earlier in 2018 and missed out in playing 6 games of the Asian Qualifiers prior to this final window. Arakji was able to return in shape to play for the national team, but still came up short at booking a ticket to the World Cup.

“[Korea] wanted the game more than us,” Arakji admitted. “We made a couple of mistakes at the end of the second quarter. We had a chance to break out and get a big lead. We got excited and started shooting so fast.”

It was clear by Arakji’s expressions how disappointed he was at not being able to make it to the World Cup once again. For being a player in a country as basketball-crazed as Lebanon and starring at such a young age, making it to China this year was certainly among one of the highest priorities for Arakji.

“We lost as a team. We all carry the responsibility. We’re a team, we’re a unit. We’re a group of people that decided to work together, we lost together.”

The 1.93M (6’4”) guard is one of the brightest rising stars in Asia and has experienced much success in the region. However, Arakji has never been to the FIBA Basketball World Cup. As talented as he was, he was only 16-years-old when the Lebanon national team led by Fadi El Khatib and Jackson Vroman played at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2010 in Turkey. It was the last appearance in the World Cup by Lebanon ever since.

The fans of Lebanon were just as excited to at the prospect of watching their beloved team make their way to the global stage once again and knowing that the opportunity would be in their hands on their home-court, they flocked to fill up the Nouhad Nawfal stadium. They roared at every basket their team made and disapproved anything that went the way of the opposing teams. It was an emotional 4 days stretch for the faithful fans of the Cedars, but they never stopped to shower their love and appreciation to their beloved team.

“Unfortunately, we’re not going to the World Cup this summer,” Arakji told the press once again, as if to confirm with himself as well the reality of the situation. “We were so close to going to China, but we failed. I want to thank all the fans that came to cheer us these 4 days. It was a blessing to play in front of them and I’m sorry to them that we lost and disappointed them.”

Arakji quietly left the postgame press conference. He had given it his all and unfortunately, he and the team were still unable to achieve their goals. Still, Lebanon has seen how much heart and will Arakji has. They have seen him come back from a potentially serious injury and be ever better than ever here in these final two games. Fans can be sure that Arakji will return to lead the Lebanon national team to greater heights and hopefully the next time, he will be able to be at the postgame press conference in smiles talking about the team’s success instead.

FIBA