Lebanon look to build on 2006 success

Lebanon stunned the world when they beat Venezuela and France at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan. Now, with Tab Baldwin at the helm, they could be even more competitive and cause a few more upsets.

The preparation of the Cedar Trees has hardly been ideal for one reason or another but suffice to say that with Coach Tab Baldwin at the helm, anything is possible. Just don’t go writing off Lebanon since Baldwin has a good track record in this competition from his time with New Zealand when he moulded the un-fancied Tall Black team into a competitive unit who did their country proud by reaching the semi-finals in 2002.

This time, it could be even tougher for the play-caller. If nothing else because he has a lot to live up to after the terrific performances of Lebanon in 2006 when they notably beat Venezuela and claimed something of a legendary win against France.

To make it out of the first round will take a big effort and that means unity from everyone involved both on and off the court. For any underdog it seems the only way to achieve any form of success. Lebanon do have a shot at making some waves and at least Coach Baldwin will have an inside track for their clash with New Zealand.

With team leader Fadi El Khatib now looking like winning the battle to overcome his injury problems, there is likely to be less pressure on players such as Rony Fahed, Matt Freije and Jackson Vroman who would have to really step up if ‘The Tiger’ was sidelined.

Lebanon have a lot of passion and particularly in terms of their fans who will be hoping that their team competes at the kind of level they should. Expectations are generally under control amongst of the most knowledgeable and proud supporters in World Basketball for they are also aware that there are some new exciting players coming through to look forward to in the next few years.

The likes of Ahmad Ibrahim have excelled at youth level and he could be thrown into the mix although maybe this tournament could come too soon. However, he is just one reason why the future of Lebanese basketball should be bright. However you sense that it isn’t the raw, fresh-faced players who need to get the job done in Turkey.

Coach Baldwin is relying on the experienced players to really come up with the goods if they are to repeat their relative success in the last World Championship. Certainly they need to make sure they avoid the kind of performances that marred their appearance in 2002 when they failed to win a game.

Maybe this time, it is most likely the team will fall somewhere between their respective overall performances at the last two World Championships but as with both of those appearances, it will be tough – that much is an absolute certainty. They know they are playing against the best and every player needs to find top gear if they want to get some wins.

They are definitely capable of a big surprise and consequently you feel nobody will be taking them for granted – especially New Zealand with their knowledge of Baldwin and his capabilities as a coach.