New Lebanon coach Moujaes ready to face the challenges of 2017
BEIRUT (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - Joe Moujaes made headlines last year when he helped the Lebanese U18 men's team return to the top four after 10 years.
Prior to last summer's event in Tehran, the last time Lebanon's young men had reached the Semi-Finals was way back in 2006, when they were led by the likes of Hayk Gyokchyan, Rodrigue Akl and Bassel Bawji.
In 2016, with promising talents like Ali Mansour, Mark Al Khoury and Karim Zeinoun, the Junior Cedars were able to win five of their eight assignments, including going unbeaten from days 1 through 4 before faltering in the latter rounds. Making things happen from the bench was Moujaes, who has been involved in Lebanese basketball for a very long time. Moujaes relished being able to teach the young Lebanese the right way to play the game, and that’s something he will miss when he takes on the challenge of handling the senior squad.
That's right - Moujaes has been named new head coach of Lebanon's men's national team. He will handle the Cedars as they go head-to-head with Asia's finest teams in West Asia Basketball Association (WABA) Championship 2017, the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 and the first window of qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
Coach @jmojas appointed as National Team 🇱🇧 Head Coach #FLB 🏀 pic.twitter.com/PFttzePaI0
— LBCISports (@LBCISports) January 7, 2017
"Coaching U18 is teaching them the fundamentals and the correct way of executing things, whereas coaching senior surpasses that to so many scopes," says Moujaes. "This includes selection, trying to find the right mix, setting objectives, and most importantly, managing those egos."
Aside from the egos of more seasoned and accomplished players, another thing Moujaes has to manage is expectations. Lebanese are quite passionate about basketball, and long have they waited for the return of their national team’s glory days on the continental stage. Moujaes acknowledges this, and he is ready to face the challenge head on.
"The local fans are hungry to have Lebanon back on track, so they can be demanding," Moujaes admits. "We will hark to satisfy their ambitions."
The immediate task at hand, of course, is to select players for the national pool - players who are healthy but also willing and able to compete in tournaments that promise to be much tougher than before.
"I hope to form a unit that can function effectively together," Moujaes reveals. "A mix between veterans such as Fadi Al-Khatib and talented athletes who are produced from a strong Lebanese professional league."
This early, Moujaes is already looking forward to the battles ahead, especially the ones to be played as part of FIBA's New Competition System, which will enable home fans to see their idols play right in front of their eyes on a more consistent basis.
"The new system is super smart and competitive," Moujaes says. "It gives national teams bigger exposure in the region."
Moujaes plans to assemble his squad about a week before the WABA tournament takes place from 29 January-2 February in Amman, Jordan.
FIBA
