ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - It's never easy losing a national team cornerstone in the middle of a campaign and that's exactly the predicament Lebanon have gotten into after Wael Arakji suffered a major knee injury.
Needless to say, it's a massive blow to the program's bid of qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027, but the Cedars are refusing to get bogged down by the lengthy absence of the former Asia Cup TISSOT MVP.
In fact, it serves as an extra push to do everything in their power to book a ticket to Qatar next year, which if they do would send the country to the sport's most prestigious showcase for the third consecutive time.
"Everything we're doing, we're doing for the players that are injured," said Youssef Khayat after their 93-74 win over South Korea on Thursday night for a rousing start to their Window 4 run in the World Cup Qualifiers.
كما قال المدرّب، الفريق لا يتوقّف على غياب لاعب واحد. علينا أن نواصل المضي قدمًا. ونريد التأهّل إلى كأس العالم من أجل وائل.
Playing for his senior is actually a tad more personal for the young forward, having witnessed the unfortunate incident in which the 31-year-old went down with an anterior cruciate ligament injury just last July.
It happened during Game 2 of the Lebanese Basketball League Finals between Sagesse SC and Al Riyadi, with 'Yoyo' himself seeing everything unfold right before his eyes as Arakji got hurt literally in front of him.
In a non-contact injury, the lefty guard's right knee buckled when he deliberately attacked the defense and decelerated, filling the Ghazir Club Stadium with much anxiety as he writhed in pain while on the floor.
The Yellow Castle did manage to get by and won the title but it was a bittersweet celebration after what happened, which affected Team Lebanon as well, given that they're in the midst of the Asian Qualifiers.
Thursday's game against Korea was their first since Arakji got hurt, and fans and observers alike were wondering how they'd fare since they lost to the same team without him during the Asia Cup 2025.
But the Cedars crushed whatever doubts there were, turning in a massive second-half assault to eventually exact revenge against an old adversary - and stretch their winning streak to 5 in the World Cup Qualifiers.
"That was a big emphasis," said Khayat, when asked how much of a motivation was the 97-86 defeat they suffered during the continental tourney held in Saudi Arabia, where they bowed out of the Quarter-Finals.
"When we played them last year, #1 had 30 points so we tried to target him on defense, and tried to play our best to not let him have open shots," he added, referring to star forward Lee Hyunjung, who actually had 28.
Today, he shot 3-of-12.
It was a rough night indeed for Lee with only 13 points - even Yu Kisang, the star of that stunner in Saudi Arabia, had just 4 - while Khayat himself came through with one of his best showings in the FIBA stage.
The 23-year-old finished with a game-high 21 points behind a 41.2-percent clip from the field and 6 rebounds. He also tallied 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks for a full line in the 31 minutes and 17 seconds he played.
Such a performance gave the impression that he's willing to step up to the plate and lead while somebody as revered as Arakji remains out, but the former NCAA Division 1 talent offered that he simply played his part.
"I played my game, I'm trying to do what the coaching staff tells me," said Khayat, who debuted in the senior level in 2022. "I play my game every time and I follow what the coaching staff tells me every time."
None other than his head coach in Ahmad Farran begged to differ, though, having been blessed with the chance to see him grow up close, from the club scene as foes to the national team working hand-in-hand.
The architect behind Riyadi's success even cited his prized ward's exploits during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Spain - where the squad went all the way to the Semi-Finals - to prove his point.
"Following Yoyo ... If you remember, Yoyo had one of the greatest performances against Spain in the Olympic qualifiers. He had 20 points when he was 19 or 20 years old. So this is nothing strange on Yoyo," he said.
"And after this season with his team, with Sagesse, he developed big time and he was the main leader of this team. And he's maturing game after game after game," continued Farran, visibly proud while singing praises
He even went as far as saying that Khayat has now elevated his status in the present-day Cedars.
"He has a lot of qualities. He still has a lot of room to improve and to show it when you put him in the right plan, in the right system, in the right way to play. He has big abilities, God blessed him," he said.
"And I predict for Yoyo a big future. Now he is one of the main stars of this team, and leaders of this team along with Wael Arakji, Sergio, Amir, all these players," Farran added. "He's now going up all the way."
Still, as much as he appreciates his coach's acclaim, Khayat chooses to maintain all of his focus on the task at hand: helping bring the West Asian contenders back to the World Cup for the third consecutive time.
Because, again, they're doing it for Arakji, too.
"I'm sure he'll be back. He's our leader. We're waiting for him," said the Beirut-born hooper, excited for the day his vet comes back healthy. "Hopefully we do the job and qualify for the World Cup, and we'll see him."
FIBA