ZOUK MIKAEL (Lebanon) - Ali Mezher has returned to Sagesse SC for the third time by signing with the Lebanese contenders prior to the FIBA WASL Final 8 2026, although this one means more than just a homecoming.
The 32-year-old floor general is coming back to the Green Castle as a more experienced athlete, big thanks to a historic stint with the Akita Northern Happinets of the B.League in Japan for the 2025-26 season.
"Just by having good vision, and good patience on offense, and playing hard on defense," he shared of the things he was able to learn and develop during his entire campaign on the other side of the continent.
Mezher was part of a special batch of Lebanese hoopers that took their talents to the fast-rising professional league when it opened its Asian Player Quota and included players from this basketball-crazed country.
To be precise, he was 1 of the 5 pros to make the move, the others being Sergio El Darwich, Omar Jamaleddine, Karim Ezzedine, and Naim Rabay - all of whom have also played for the Cedars in national team contests.
Now, he's back home, carrying with him valuable lessons from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which he also hopes to make good use of in trying to help Sagesse win that elusive crown in the pan-regional tilt.
"It was very important for me to go there and showcase my talent over there, and come back and do something special for Sagesse," said Mezher, who's been a pro for 13 years now. "I'm really happy to play here."
The Beirut-native made his much-awaited WASL debut on Monday night at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex, when the Green Castle took on Shahrdari Gorgan in a battle between truly familiar foes.
He made his first points at the 7:49-mark of the second chapter - a triple off a pull-up - before finishing with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal in 16 minutes, as he's still finding his niche with the team.
I think we have a good team this year to compete and give ourselves an opportunity to win this tournament for the first time.
But Mezher was happier with the fact that they pulled off the 103-97 victory, which saw Youssef Khayat lead the strong 6-0 closeout after their Iranian counterparts rallied back and tied the game at 97-all.
It was Sagesse's first win against Gorgan in the WASL stage after losing in their three previous outings, and to finally crack that code to start off their Final 8 left the homecoming king truly pleased - and optimistic.
"It's always special to play for Sagesse, and to play in this tournament," he said. "I think we have a good team this year to compete and give ourselves an opportunity to win this tournament for the first time."
"So we're really working hard to play every game the way we want to play," added Mezher, who's back with a team that's previously won silver and bronze in this competition. "I'm happy to play in this tournament."
FIBA