Tough times not slowing down Lebanon's march towards FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualification

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - After the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers, Lebanon are sitting alone at the top of Group D with 2 wins over Iraq and Bahrain. In the upcoming windows, Lebanon aims to maintain their unblemished record where they will also face India who are in Group D as well.

"IT WILL BE GREAT MOTIVATION FOR US TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROUDLY REPRESENT LEBANON IN THE UPCOMING GAMES."

Ever since the start of the Qualifiers, Team Cedars have put together a team that mixes seasoned veterans with exciting young players such as Ali Mansour, Karim Zeinoun, Elie Chamou, Joseph Chartouny, Karim Ezzedine, and Gabriel Salibi. Leading this team and gluing the pieces together is head coach Joe Moujaes.

The current situation in Lebanon has had its effect on local competitions, leaving the players with less opportunities to showcase and improve their talents as opposed to before. These players, especially the younger group, have benefitted from local competitions in the past across all age groups as well as international events, too.

Nonetheless, there are some players that have been able to stay sharp by playing in leagues abroad. Ali Haidar is playing in Manama, Bahrain. Wael Arakji is playing in Qatar. Ezzedine is playing in France.

Lebanon can feel good about having these players in top shape for the upcoming windows, which will be crucial considering the changes that are going through in the recent years.

Following the retirements of Fadi El-Khatib and Jean Abd El Nour, the experience of Ali Haidar, Eli Rustom, and Ater Majok (who is currently playing in Qatar) has greatly helped the team. It is especially helpful to the youngsters on the squad, as confirmed by 21-year-old Karim Zeinoun himself.

"We're going through some difficult challenges with the stoppage of local competitions for a long time right now, in addition to the other current situations," he said. "It will be great motivation for us to do everything we can to proudly represent Lebanon in the upcoming games."

Zeinoun had already made his nation proud in the first window when he averaged 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per contest on 78.6 percent shooting.

"The current squad of the national team includes a harmonious mix of experience and youthful players who have proven their worth in more than one occasion," Zeinoun expressed. "We are able to win the next two games in order to guarantee direct qualification to the Asia Cup [in 2021]."

The rising star also expressed his thoughts with coach Moujaes that the work and efforts in the upcoming period will be to focus on the physical, psychological, and mental factors of the team. Zeinoun is confident of the positive atmosphere in the team, the team's chemistry itself, and its ability to build up their future achievements.

Lebanon will face India and Iraq in the upcoming window of the Qualifiers. All games in Group D, as well as games in Group A, which includes Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, will be played in Manama for the upcoming window.

For this upcoming window, Lebanon has already called up a number of 14 players to prepare in a training camp for preparation.

Meanwhile games in Groups B (Chinese Taipei, China, Malaysia, and Japan) and E (Qatar, Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia) for the upcoming window will be played in Doha, Qatar.

Games in Group F (Jordan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, and Palestine) will be played in Amman, Jordan.

There are 24 teams competing in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers. Once the three windows of the Qualifiers conclude, the top two teams in each group will qualify directly to Asia Cup 2021. The six last-placed teams in each group are eliminated.

Meanwhile, the six third-placed teams in each group will then play in a separate qualifying tournament. Teams will be placed into two different groups of three teams. The top two teams of those respective groups will then lock in their spots at Asia Cup 2021, completing the 16-team roster who will also compete in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.

FIBA