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The Daily Star (Lebanon)
May 15, 2013 Wednesday
Homenetmen back in first division after 10-year wait
by Dany Abboud
Homenetmen ended a 10-year wait for top-flight promotion to Lebanese
basketball's first division Monday as they claimed the final series
comfortably 3-0 after their 58-51 victory over Tadamon Zouk.
BEIRUT: Homenetmen ended a 10-year wait for top-flight promotion to
Lebanese basketball's first division Monday as they claimed the final
series comfortably 3-0 after their 58-51 victory over Tadamon Zouk.
The Armenian side will be in the premier league next season for the
first time since the 2004-05 season.
"I am very proud of the team," said Bosnian head coach Allen Abaz.
"It's an occasion the people here have waited an awful long time for.
So I'm glad we were able to make [them] finally happy."
"This club holds a big tradition, and most importantly is followed by
a huge fan base which is very attached to its team; even though they
haven't achieved good results for a while, they kept supporting them,"
he added.
Looking ahead to next season, Abaz added: "It's a huge challenge. We
are going into a tough and strong league. We are going to plan
properly, that has started already. We will make sure the structure we
have put in place keeps us striding forward."
"Our first aim is to play good basketball and improve on our
performance. We should not put hard goals to achieve, but rather look
to develop gradually every year."
Hundreds of fans gathered in Mezher stadium Monday to mark the
league's victory and its long-awaited return to the league's first
division.
Supporters burst onto the court in their hundreds and embraced players
including Bassem Balaa and Joe Ghatas. Former player Guy Manoukian,
now a musician and businessman - and one of the team's backers, was
also hugged and cheered by jubilant fans.
"I am happy to be working with such a dedicated person and someone who
loves the game like him [Manoukian]. The Lebanese league is the
biggest winner to have such people, and I hope we can achieve together
a lot more for the team," Abaz said.
Homenetmen suffered heartbreak in 2012 after losing to Tebnin in the
playoff semifinals and missing out on the chance to qualify. The
Armenian side are now looking forward to joining Lebanon's top teams.
Homenetmen possess several players who are more than accustomed to the
top division. One of these is Ghatas, who played for Sagesse for eight
years, as well as for Champville.
The shooting guard played a major role in his team's return to the top
flight, netting 24 points and eight assists in the third and final
game.
"Our goal was to win the title and secure automatic promotion to the
top flight after last year's disappointment," Ghatas said."We had some
difficulties during the season, but I guess we were able to cope with
all the situations, and achieve our goal at the end."
"They used to tell me about how big Homenetmen fans are, and coming
from a team [Sagesse] who has the biggest fan base in Lebanon, I
honestly wasn't expecting a lot," he said.
"But what I saw in the finals was incredible. They had a huge impact
on the team, especially in the third match when we were down by 15 in
the first quarter," he added.
"I want to dedicate this win to Rony Abou Jaoude [a Bejjeh player who
passed away last February in a car accident] who was a big loss to
Lebanese basketball as a whole, as well as the team management,
coaches and fans."
May 15, 2013 Wednesday
Homenetmen back in first division after 10-year wait
by Dany Abboud
Homenetmen ended a 10-year wait for top-flight promotion to Lebanese
basketball's first division Monday as they claimed the final series
comfortably 3-0 after their 58-51 victory over Tadamon Zouk.
BEIRUT: Homenetmen ended a 10-year wait for top-flight promotion to
Lebanese basketball's first division Monday as they claimed the final
series comfortably 3-0 after their 58-51 victory over Tadamon Zouk.
The Armenian side will be in the premier league next season for the
first time since the 2004-05 season.
"I am very proud of the team," said Bosnian head coach Allen Abaz.
"It's an occasion the people here have waited an awful long time for.
So I'm glad we were able to make [them] finally happy."
"This club holds a big tradition, and most importantly is followed by
a huge fan base which is very attached to its team; even though they
haven't achieved good results for a while, they kept supporting them,"
he added.
Looking ahead to next season, Abaz added: "It's a huge challenge. We
are going into a tough and strong league. We are going to plan
properly, that has started already. We will make sure the structure we
have put in place keeps us striding forward."
"Our first aim is to play good basketball and improve on our
performance. We should not put hard goals to achieve, but rather look
to develop gradually every year."
Hundreds of fans gathered in Mezher stadium Monday to mark the
league's victory and its long-awaited return to the league's first
division.
Supporters burst onto the court in their hundreds and embraced players
including Bassem Balaa and Joe Ghatas. Former player Guy Manoukian,
now a musician and businessman - and one of the team's backers, was
also hugged and cheered by jubilant fans.
"I am happy to be working with such a dedicated person and someone who
loves the game like him [Manoukian]. The Lebanese league is the
biggest winner to have such people, and I hope we can achieve together
a lot more for the team," Abaz said.
Homenetmen suffered heartbreak in 2012 after losing to Tebnin in the
playoff semifinals and missing out on the chance to qualify. The
Armenian side are now looking forward to joining Lebanon's top teams.
Homenetmen possess several players who are more than accustomed to the
top division. One of these is Ghatas, who played for Sagesse for eight
years, as well as for Champville.
The shooting guard played a major role in his team's return to the top
flight, netting 24 points and eight assists in the third and final
game.
"Our goal was to win the title and secure automatic promotion to the
top flight after last year's disappointment," Ghatas said."We had some
difficulties during the season, but I guess we were able to cope with
all the situations, and achieve our goal at the end."
"They used to tell me about how big Homenetmen fans are, and coming
from a team [Sagesse] who has the biggest fan base in Lebanon, I
honestly wasn't expecting a lot," he said.
"But what I saw in the finals was incredible. They had a huge impact
on the team, especially in the third match when we were down by 15 in
the first quarter," he added.
"I want to dedicate this win to Rony Abou Jaoude [a Bejjeh player who
passed away last February in a car accident] who was a big loss to
Lebanese basketball as a whole, as well as the team management,
coaches and fans."