LIB – Lebanese women get ‘moral’ support from men stalwarts

BEIRUT (23rd FIBA Asia Women Championship) - Ten years ago when Lebanon entered the FIBA Asia competitions, it was brushed off by the traditional powers as ‘yet another nation’ entering the fray.

But that 1999 debut of the Lebanese men at Fukuoka proved to be the start of what in Asian basketball circles has come to be known as the ‘WABA Revolution.’

Lebanon themselves forged ahead to enter the semifinals in all the five following FIBA Asia Championships – including winning three silver medals – and were the catalysts for the basketball movement in other West Asian nations like Iran and Jordan.

Thus in a matter of ten years, Lebanon have moved ahead from being merely ‘hopeful debutants’ to formidable ‘medal contenders.’

Now, Lebanese women will attempt to undertake a similar path when they return to the FIBA Asia Championship for Women – their maiden appearance in 2001 at Bangkok none too impressive.

Emulate the men!

The hopeful buzz in Lebanese basketball circles these days is “Can our girls emulate what their male counterparts have achieved?”

“Why not?” asks Omar El Turk, a regular point guard with the men’s National Team.

“I’m sure there will be a time when the women’s team will be as competitive as the men’s team, because of the potential and the hard work they’re putting in day in and day out,” adds El Turk, who plies his trade for Lebanese giants Al Riyadi Beirut in the professional club circuit.

But two coaches – both of whom were involved with Lebanese women’s basketball at some point in time – chose to play down the euphoria, choosing words of caution.

“I think we are going to try to challenge some teams but surely not China, Japan and Korea,” says Rizkallah Zaloum, head coach of the Lebanese women’s team at 2006 Doha Asian Games, who also coached the Lebanon U18 men’s team last year.

‘Need for a better vision, time’

Coaching icon Fouad Abouchakra, the head coach of reigning Lebanese men’s league champions Al Riyadi Beirut, goes on to add “They will need time and they need lots of support from our federation, then they will be able to compete well at the Asian level.”

“To be honest, when it comes to women in Lebanese basketball, we don’t have any vision or strategy in order to reach a better level and success,” adds Abouchakra who was at the helm of Al Hikmeh Sagesse women’s team in 1994-95.

Basketball is the No 1 sport

All three of them unequivocally assert that it is “important for Lebanese women to participate in the FIBA Asia Championship for women, simply because basketball is the No 1 sport in Lebanon.”

“Our women’s National team is the Arab champion,” says Zaloum.

“Let’s not forget the Antranik women club is the Arab club champions for the last three consecutive years,” he added.

There, Abouchakra takes over adding, “this move (participation in the 23rd FIBA Asia Women Championship) will give them the chance to play in a higher and better competition level. That’s the only way to improve.”

El Turk is rather simple in his reason, “I believe we have tremendous athletes and great talent.”

“I’ve seen many good basketball players here in the women’s league. Shada Nasr, Nayla Alameddine, Emma Eskedjian and Sandra Najem are some names that spring to mind as those who can play a crucial role in spearheading Lebanese women’s basketball,” El Turk says.

“And I’m sure at the end of the championship, we’ll have many more to take us forward,” he added.

Realistic goals

But such enthusiasm is not blinded by unrealistic goals.

“Right now, it is more hope than expectations. I hope they make good results just to gain experience for the future,” says El Turk.

“I hope our team will project a good image about Lebanese basketball. That’s a very important first step,” adds Abouchakra.

After all didn’t every success story, especially in the world of sport, start with that important first step!

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia