-March 13th, 2005:

On the Sunday morning 11:30 sports show of the NTV, host Ibrahim Wehbe received Sagesse captain Elie Mechantaf on the air for one hour. The interview covered Sagesse current situation and the expectations for the coming season, as well as some of the captain's own opinions and point of views regarding the related matters.

Mechantaf started by clarifying that Sagesse team is being rebuilt from scratch, with hard work being done to bring back the team to its standard level. Of course, the team lost many elements, and I certify -added the captain- that the team is here and present, although it is not showing the real level it should display, but "regarding the hard circumstances and problems we've been through, I can say that we are doing very well."



Q: Who is responsible for the problems and hard circumstances you just mentioned ?

A: I cannot put the whole responsibility on someone. I can say that Antoine Choueiry decision to leave the sports world is caused by a personal sense of loath and frustration, because of certain dreams and goals that were shut off by external obstacles, and the decision is of course his own right. But his demise certainly changed the balance of the whole basketball situation and created the problems and the critical situation. 
The man was a big influence onto many fields, from the Federation and Clubs to Sagesse particularly and the fans, and of course the marketing of the game and other issues. Let's not forget that he spent 10 years in this field and when he first got involved in the basketball scene, the game was still very embryonic and amateurish, and he did what he did, so of course his absence shook the foundation of the game.
But now, after the game went through a dark and confused period, we hope that the crisis is over and that everything will go forward to the better with the new federation and the clubs.

Q: You mentioned Choueiry's demise from Sagesse. What about the question mark about the way he left with the players release and leaving the club empty?

A: It was a surprise to everyone of course, when he decided to leave. But in the end, he gave much to everyone and to the Lebanese basketball, but he reached a stage where I think he felt he could carry on no more. We respect him and love him a lot, and we tried hard to convince him to change his mind, the Club, the players, people from the basketball and sports scene, and me personally, but nobody succeeded.

Q: Was Sagesse condition then critical ?

A: Yes I can say so, in those times, I could have explained to you more. When those things happened, there was more than 70% risk that Sagesse Club would exist no more! All the glory and titles, the Champion of Asia 2004 would disappear altogether! Yes the situation was to such an extent critical.
All the players had their releases and decided to leave, but as for me, I decided to stay and help the Club getting back on track, because this is my Club, where I grew up and succeeded.

Q: (from a caller) We witnessed Sagesse losing against Sporting 2 times, and multiple changes in coaches and foreigners. Will we be doomed against Sporting for the rest of the season?

A: Let me give a big credit to Sporting, in my opinion they are the only club who has a complete team, while I think all the other clubs are passing through a shaky situation.
Let me add that I am personally satisfied with my team performance so far considering that Sagesse team for me is 3 months-old, and suffering from a very dangerous pattern which is changing 4 coaches and 5 foreigners in 3 months time.
No chemistry at all can be achieved under such circumstances, and neither Mechantaf nor Bardawil or any other player or foreigner can give a good performance and show his true level when the whole team is not coherent defensively and offensively.

Q: Sagesse fans need to get reassured: Did Sagesse become an open winning road to Sporting?

A: Not at all. Sagesse will never be an open path to any club. I promise them, and we are trying all of us, -and I thank president Chalhoub and Joseph Abdelmassih and Roy Antoun, those 3 persons who are working day and night for the basketball section- we are working hand in hand because the situation now is far from our expectations as Sagesse management or players or fans. But we ask for more time and patience because the circumstances we've been through before were much more critical and hard than where we are now.

Q: How much time are we talking about ?

A: I am talking about the coming days where hopefully the team might start tightening together, with the presence of the coach, and especially if we make a good result in the WABA qualifications. This will give us a great boost before the start of the final 6. 
In my opinion, we didn't find yet the right foreigner that Sagesse team need, and this will change the situation a lot. 



Q: Some voices claim that former Sagesse manager George Barakat was the expert in charge of bringing the foreign players, and that nowadays there is no such person capable of…

A: (interrupting) this is nonsense talk. Of course Barakat was a competent person and manager in this field, and we give him credit for what he did. But the present people are all up to the level, they used to play basketball and they know what they are looking for. And I know myself that these people are working day and night, ever present in the trainings and the games, besides the players, at the players' beck and call, providing for their each and every need. And they are trying hard to bring the right foreigner, but I think that more than the import player, finding the right coach is even more important to melt the team together. We still haven't reached that cohesion, because of the late start, because of the insecurity less than 4 months ago whether we will actually have a team or not.
All of these factors directly affect the team's performance.

Q: It has been said that Sagesse Club was completely destroyed, manager Joseph Abdelmassih said that they started with a club completely devastated, with nothing left but the fan base, the club name and the Archbishopry. Honestly and frankly, who did destroy the Club?

A: I know that there was a Sagesse club and a basketball game, and that the whole basketball game at a certain point was in jeopardy, facing a possible destruction and an uncertain future itself. 
I personally think that reaching a maximum on a national basketball level in such a short period of time made it hard to find further limits to overpass, creating a big question mark about the future and bringing the game momentum to a halt. 
We were requested as a basketball community to go forward while there was nowhere to go to anymore, and again the demise of Antoine Choueiry at that moment brought the crisis to the top.

Q: Sagesse new administration is then trying to build the Club from scratch?

A: Yes of course, Henri Chalhoub is a very ambitious person with very big dreams, and I think that he needs more time to go through the journey he foresees and aims for. Nothing especially not such ambitious goals, can be achieved with a magic wand. Time is needed to reach our goals. 

Q: This is why many officials in the Lebanese Federation insist on the presence of Henri Chalhoub at the helm of the Club, fearing that in case he will forfeit for a reason or another, the Lebanese basketball will be facing a very big crisis.
Chalhoub, Abdelmassih and Antoun, the basketball managers of the Club like you said before, are being fiercely fought. What do you say about this?

A: Fought? Presently I am not aware of such a thing, but as I told you, we've been before through very critical and hard times, much more than now, I do not want to repeat myself again.
But at a certain point, yes we were fought by people who did not want us to have a team, who wanted Sagesse basketball team to disintegrate and disappear. 
Many players left and I hold big resentment towards them. I understand Fady's position, he got a deal to play outside Lebanon and he made his interest. The contact with Brian was held until the very last moment, and I think that the offer proposed by Sagesse is better than the one he is getting from Blue Stars. Let me say that it would have been good to have a certain belonging to a club you played for 3 years! Anyway, Brian's leaving is not such a loss for Sagesse. 
As for Roy, he found his ambitions more with Blue Stars who is of course a big club, so maybe he found that he would be better there and he made his decision. 
Thus 3 main players left the club, and we couldn't get the right players to replace them because when the club was back from scratch, all the Lebanese players were already committed with their teams. 
But I think that with the players left, we can have a very good team. I just talked about the negative issues in the last part, but let me tell you that we have a critical game coming, and if we win the last 3 games left, we would feel very comfortable in the 2nd position, and from then on, we could start preparing the team to defeat Sporting in the final 6. I am not seeing the situation of our team that critical.

Q: Many people and fans talk in a pessimistic perspective about Sagesse, but when we hear Elie Mechantaf talking, we feel that the team is still the Sagesse team we know.

A: Of course, and Sagesse will always be Sagesse, and let me tell you that if we won't be the serious challengers for this year's title, next year we will be the favourite horse eligible to win the race for the title. 
Furthermore, now we are trying a new foreigner and coach Nenad is back from his personal issues. Just give them a bit of time with the team, and we will see how the situation will be in a month from now. Again, if we win the last 3 games of the 2nd leg, the team would be running the right track and we will prepare -through the WABA qualifications- the final 6 in the most optimal way.

Q: A word you address to Sagesse fans and supporters?

A: I know Sagesse fans, and I know a lot of rumours circulate around. But I know that Sagesse fans stick by their Club. I lived by the side of the Club and those fans for 13 years, so I guess they won't leave their Club, you all saw how they supported the team since the season started. Sagesse fans have a love and belonging for their Club that you can't find in other Clubs. They support and attend the basketball and football teams of their Club -I don't want to forget the football in the Club at all- Also in the football, the results do not reflect the team's real level at all, but the situation was even harder for the football team; I remember when we were trying to sign the players in the last minutes before the deadline of signing players and there was no money. We were about to start the season without even signing foreign players!
The whole Club was in great danger, and a lot of people made superhuman effort in such a short and critical period of time to save the Club from total annihilation.



Q: If I ask you to name the person who saved the club, who would you name ?

A: It is actually a group of people, not just one in fact. We were working all together day and night to save the situation. On the top of all is judge Freiha who I thank right now from this stand for the crucial role he played, along with Emile Rustom and Toni Rustom, Massoud Achkar, father Paul Abdelssater and all the other people who worked hand in hand, day and night in the restless quest for Sagesse survival.
We finally succeeded in bringing a person like Henri Chalhoub to take the lead, and I personally think that the public and fans didn't have the time yet to discover him, and I guess more time is needed to know who is really Henri Chalhoub.

Q: Where do you see your team at the end of this season?

A: Personally, I look for the title, there's no other choice to me. I hope that we will get back our good performance on the court¸ offensively and defensively, so that we might challenge Sporting for the title. This is for now, but for sure time is starting to be on our side, as the more we have time, the more we will prepare the team and fill the gaps and resolve the problems we faced so far, so we might prepare the right team for next year. The time factor was our biggest burden so far.

Q: Are you satisfied with your present level and performance?

A: I am working hard and double practicing to reach my expectations. Of course I want to be satisfied with myself first, before asking people to be satisfied with my performance.
Let me talk just like all Sagesse fans and supporters, they are right, nobody is satisfied with Sagesse performance, this is not the Sagesse we know and want and expect to see! 
But I remind them that we should not be with our team just when he's at the top!
Our team is going through a tough time, we all have to be by his side, to bring him up hand in hand to where we want him to be, to its natural place, because we have the potential to be back where we should be, it is a matter of time. 

Q: Are you satisfied with the imports?

A: It is all related to the coach. Kenny for example is a very good player but you need a coach to direct him from outside. It is the coach who conceives and creates the bigger picture and the strategy to be applied. I hope that Nenad will be that coach we need.

Q: There are multiple sources talking about the return of Khatib and Sarkis to the team next year, although a confirmed source in Sagesse Club certified that there are no talks of any kind with Sarkis, that he won't be back to the Club, but on the other side, negotiations are still open with Khatib concerning the coming season.

A: Personally, I can tell you that all things were straightened out with Fady and especially Ghassan after the time that passed. No more hard feelings, the past is done. As for what's happening with the Club, I can't really tell, but I think there are talks with Fady to his return, but nothing is final about it. In the end we will do what's best for the team to be a serious challenger for the title next season. 
And I do not agree to let go of this season and say that it is over! I am a challenger and I agree openly that now, there is a gap between Sporting and the other teams, but this is no excuse to close the chapter this season and surrender to the fact that we won't challenge them. 

Q: We witness a huge activity in all domains, management, fans, committees, in the Club and the games these days…

A: Yes, and let me tell you that I never saw such an attendance in the games, all the games, even the less important ones, as in this season! A big credit to the fans who are massively present since the beginning of this season.

Q: What about the potential names you are seeking for next season?

A: Of course all the present players are up to the level, but for sure we will try to reinforce and strengthen our lines by getting Fady back next year. As for Brian, I don't think he's needed since Jon Ferris is here.
And personally, -speaking in my own name-, I have no more problem with Ghassan Sarkis and the past page is well folded. He can come back as a coach and I would be OK with that.

Q: Will this be Mechantaf last season?

A: It could have been, but it won't be because I promise everyone that I will not leave the courts before holding the cup again with Sagesse.



Q: Do you rather see Sporting instead of Sagesse repreenting Lebanon in the WABA qualification?

A: No, Sagesse has the right and is eligible to participate as Lebanon champion. We should be better and will be.
All that is happening to us is because of the time constraint, the speed at which we were rebuilding our team. Amal McCaskill CV for example is huge, but I don't want to judge any player or coach, all is being done at such a speed that we are going through what Sporting used to go through in the previous years: changing coaches, import players, etc. It is really a time issue, all of it.

Q: Who is able of challenging Sporting?

A: Sagesse, but let me restate that we are not giving our true self so far. Even with the actual players, Sabah, Charles, Bassem, Paul, me, with the present imports, we are not giving our true value. Once there is chemistry and cohesion, and I hope and wish that Nenad will succeed in creating a defensive fighting spirit before the offensive one, on the rebounds, we will be more true to the image of ourselves than now.

Q: It was circulated that you would end your career before, what's the true story about it?

A: At one point, I was suspended for 18 months, and then the sentence was reduced, and I went to the States for a job in a TV program, but I was constantly thinking of my career and refusing to end it like that. So I decided to come back, and we contacted the FIBA and finally the sentence was dropped and I could play again.
Then the problems happened and we had to rebuild the Club from scratch, and we got hooked in the time problem issue that got us where we are, unable to have so far the team of our expectations. 
So putting an end to my career before achieving my goals, that's out of the question. When I raise the cup again with Sagesse as a champion, if possible this year or hopefully the next season, then yes I might decide to put an end to my career as a basketball player. That might be quite possible.

Q: What is Elie Mechantaf most important aim at this point?

A: To bring Sagesse back where it should be. To give this club and the fans back what they deserve. To raise the championship cup again.
I will never turn my back and leave while the Club is in trouble, broken, or the fans unhappy for their club not being where it should be. 

Q: Last words to the fans?

A: You are the main pillar in the foundation of our Club. Stay with us, encourage us, the Club survived and is here for you and because of you. The coming times will change a lot of things, and reflect our true value and level.