New Lebanon coach Saba envisions a fresh approach for Cedars

BEIRUT (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - The Lebanese Basketball Federation on Monday named Patrick Sabas as the new head coach of the men's senior national team.

Saba replaces Ramonas Butautas - who recently returned to his native Lithuania - and looks set to implement a fresh approach for the Cedars as they prepare for the second window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers, taking place next month. 

This will be Saba's second tour of duty with Lebanon after he led them at the WABA (West Asia Basketball Association) Championship 2016 in Amman, Jordan. The team came in fourth in that competition, missing out on a chance to play at the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016.

This time around, however, the play caller is aiming for bigger goals and is eager to take the national team into a new direction.

Epitomizing his bold new approach is the fact that he prefers for the team's future naturalized player to be a wingman as opposed to being a center.

"Sam Young is one of the possible options," he said.

Young is a prolific scorer who led Al Ahli UAE in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016, averaging an eye-popping 35.0 points per contest, along with 8.6 rebounds. That kind of production can potentially affect the Cedars in a big way, especially if they can advance to the next round against bigger and tougher foes.

Saba and the rest of the Lebanese team are taking aim at scoring a sound victory over West Asian rivals and neighbors Syria on February 23 and another big win over India over three days later.

FIBA