Sagesse Sports Club (), known as Hekmeh ( ar, الحكمة) in Arabic, is a Lebanese sports club based in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. The basketball team was established in 1992, as part of the Club Sagesse established in 1943 with mainly the

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team.

History

''Al-Hikma'' in classical

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, ''El-Hekmeh'' in Lebanese dialect stands for "wisdom", thus also the French alternative name of the club, Sagesse (meaning wisdom in French). The historical

Hekmeh Hikma ( ar, حكمة), or other romanisations such as Hikmah and Hekme, may refer to: Education *Al-Hikmah University, a private university in Ilorin, Nigeria *Al-Hikma University (Baghdad), a former university in Baghdad, Iraq *Dar Al-Hekma Univ ...

club was founded in Beirut in 1943 under the patronage of the late father Boulos Kik, supported by late Mgr. Jean Maroun, with affiliation to the

Collège de la Sagesse The Collège de la Sagesse ( ar, کلیة الحکمة) is a Lebanese major national and Catholic school founded in 1875 by the Maronite archbishop of Beirut at the time, Joseph Debs who laid the first stone of the original building. The school ...

of the

Maronite Catholic Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Maron ...

a leading educational institution in Lebanon and the East since 1875 but despite the affiliation with the Sagesse College the club has its own independent administration. The basketball program was founded in 1992. In 1992 the club was financed by media tycoon also dubbed as the Godfather of Lebanese basketball, president Antoine Choueiri, he wanted a team that will achieve unprecedented success and popularity in a bid to change Lebanese sports history forever and unite all Lebanese behind a successful team that will represent Lebanon and Lebanese basketball in every possible competition on a national and international level. After the Choueiri takeover in 1992 Hekmeh/Sagesse included on its roster some of the most impactful player names including

Lebanese national basketball team The Lebanon men's national basketball team (; french: Équipe du Liban de basket-ball), controlled by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB), has represented Lebanon in basketball since its inception in 1947. The squad is governed by FIBA, and ...

legends

Elie Mechantaf Elie Mechantaf ( ar, إيلي مشنتف; born in Beirut, Lebanon on October 5, 1970) is a retired Lebanese professional basketball player. He started his basketball career in the Cypriot Basketball League, before becoming the captain of the Le ...

and

Fadi El Khatib Fadi El Khatib ( ar, فادي الخطيب; born January 1, 1979), nicknamed "the Lebanese Tiger", is a Lebanese professional basketball player who plays in the Lebanese Basketball League for Sagesse. El Khatib played for several teams in the Le ...

, notable foreigners that at the time were among the elite of foreign basketball players in Asia including ex-NBA players and FIBA world cup participants a high level of players that was never seen before in the Lebanese league and the neighbouring countries and under the management of the most decorated national basketball coach

Ghassan Sarkis Ghassan Sarkis ( ar, غسان سركيس, born in Bikfaya in 1957) is a Lebanese-French basketball coach who has worked in the Lebanese Basketball League. He became especially famous during his time coaching the Lebanese team Sagesse in its golde ...

, a dominant dream team was born taking Lebanese Basketball to new heights, achieving the goals that were set by Choueiri such as the ones mentioned in the previous passage. Sagesse became one of the most successful basketball clubs in Lebanon and the MENA region with 8

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB). Currently, the leagu ...

Championships, 7 Lebanese Basketball Cups, 2

Arab Club Championship The Arab Club Champions Cup ( ar, كأس العرب للأندية الأبطال, french: Ligue des Champions Arabe) is an annual regional club football competition organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) and contested by eli ...

s, and 3

FIBA Asia Champions Cup The FIBA Asia Champions Cup, previously known as the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Champions Cup until 2002, is the Asian club championship for professional basketball. It is organised by FIBA Asia, and takes place once a year (since 199 ...

titles. Hekmeh made history as well by being the first Lebanese club to win the

and the first Lebanese and first Arab club to win the

. Also, Sagesse is the only Arab and only Asian club to ever participate in the basketball club world championship, the

McDonald's Championship The McDonald's Championship (sometimes called the McDonald's Open) was an international men's professional basketball club cup competition that featured a representative of the National Basketball Association (representing North America) agains ...

organized by

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

and the NBA, it was at the 1999 edition when Sagesse went as the Asian champions. The

1999 McDonald's Championship The 1999 McDonald's Championship took place at the Fila Forum in Assago, near Milan, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of ...

was the first and only time

FIBA Asia FIBA Asia is a zone within the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) which contains all 44 Asian FIBA federations. Member associations Tournaments Organized by FIBA Asia National teams * FIBA Asia Cup – since 2017, also inclu ...

was represented in the tournament. This exceptional participation and the way Sagesse represented Asia at the Mcdonald's Championship in Milano was praised by then Commissioner of the NBA

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

and by former Secretary General of the FIBA

Borislav Stanković ),Boris (Борис) , image = Borislav Bora Stanković.jpg , imagesize = , caption = , order = 2nd , office = Secretary General of FIBA , term_start = 1 January 1976 , ter ...

among other officials. In 2012 Sagesse B.C. won a friendly game against Turkish team Galatasaray S.K. during a training camp that the club was holding in Turkey, this was the most significant game and win for a Lebanese team or any team in the region against a European team in recent times. In the post Choueiri era, from 2004 onwards, which was the last year the team won the Lebanese Championship, the club struggled to find consistency at the administrative level despite the involvement of many businessmen and political figures, these involvements were seen as well as a possible reason for the club's struggles rather than being helpful gestures; and despite having the finances to build a good team the club was still struggling with debt; compared to the Choueiri era the club has achieved mediocre success with inconsistent overall form through the seasons in spite of reaching many finals in different competitions. In the latest election of the club's general assembly "Choueiry Group" top official Mr. Elie Yahchouchi was elected club president; he was Antoine Choueiri's vice president during the late tycoon's tenure at the club. Also

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

H.E.

Ghassan Hasbani Ghassan Hasbani ( ar, غسان حاصباني; born 30 August 1972) is a Lebanese businessman and politician. He has been Lebanon's Minister of Public Health and (simultaneously) Deputy Prime Minister from December 2016 to January 2020. Ghassa ...

was elected head of the board of trustees. Many reforms, overhauls and major investments have been made since in addition to constructive future plans that were announced in the club's huge team presentation ceremony ahead of the 2019/20 season.

Rivalries

''Beirut Derby''

There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in the Lebanese basketball league, where the classical game between Club Sagesse and Riyadi is known as ''Beirut Derby''. From the start of the national league the clubs were seen as successful representatives of two different sides in Lebanon and the two most popular teams in the country.

Honours

;

*Champions (8 Times): 1993-94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999-2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04 ;Lebanese Basketball Cup *Champions (7 Times): 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 ;

*Champions (2 Times): 1998, 1999 ;

*Champions (3 Times): 1999, 2000, 2004. (Record) ;

WABA Champions Cup The WABA Champions Cup, between 2011 and 2012 known as the West Asian Basketball League (WABL), was the West Asian club championship for basketball organized by West Asia Basketball Association The West Asia Basketball Association (WABA) is a s ...

*Champions (3 Times): 2002, 2004, 2005 *Runner-up : 2006 ( Shared with

Saba Battery Saba Battery Club (also Saba Battery Physical and Cultural Gym) is an Iranian sports club based in Tehran, Iran. The club was founded in 2002شود Teams * Saba Battery Football Club, competing in the Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro Leagu ...

, therefore no champion was crowned ) ;International friendly tournaments *1999 McDonald's Basketball Club World Championship (Participant) *2001: Damascus International Tournament (champions) *2002: Dubai International Tournament (champions) *2014: Qadisiya International Tournament (champions) *2014: Abu Dhabi International Tournament (champions) *2016: Dubai International Tournament (champions) *2022 : Doha Avenue Tournament (champions) ;Special Awards *1999 Best professional basketball team in Asia. (Specially awarded by

known as the

Asian Basketball Confederation FIBA Asia is a zone within the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) which contains all 44 Asian FIBA federations. Member associations Tournaments Organized by FIBA Asia National teams * FIBA Asia Cup – since 2017, also includ ...

back then for the first time in 1999 with Sagesse Club as the inaugural winner.)

Medals and decorations

National Order of the Cedar National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

Order of the Cedar - Knight (Lebanon) Ribbon

Knight in 1999 Order of the Cedar - Officer (Lebanon) Ribbon

Officer in 2000 Awarded to the club for its unprecedented success in the Lebanese, Arab and Asian basketball championships that highly contributed into the development and rise of the Lebanese basketball and sports in Lebanon on many levels.

Squad

Notable people

Club presidents

* Antoine Choueiri *

* Elie Yahchouchi

Notable coaches

Ilias Zouros Ilias Zouros or Elias Zouros (Greek: Ηλίας Ζούρος; born March 11, 1966) is a Greek professional basketball coach, who last managed Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basket League and the EuroCup. Club coaching career Some of the teams Z ...

* Dragan Raca *

Tab Baldwin Thomas Anthony "Tab" Baldwin (born 16 May 1958) is an American-New Zealand basketball coach who currently serves as the head of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth national basketball program and head coach for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the University A ...

* Veselin Matic * Guillermo Vecchio

Notable players

Lebanese *

Rony Seikaly Rony is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ronielson da Silva Barbosa, Brazilian footballer better known as Rony *Rony Ahonen (born 1987), Finnish ice hockey defenceman * Rony Bakale (born 1987), Olympic swimmer from the Repub ...

Brian Beshara Brian Anthony Beshara (Feghali) (born 30 December 1977) is a former Lebanese basketball player. Beshara was also a member of the Lebanese national basketball team. At 6'8", he was Lebanon's starting forward and played an important role on both t ...

* Rodrigue Akl *

Rony Fahed Rony Fahed (born November 6, 1981 in Achrafieh, Lebanon) is a Lebanese professional basketball player currently a free agent in the Lebanese Basketball League. He was also a member of the Lebanon national basketball team that participated in ...

Sabah Khoury Sabah Khoury (born November 10, 1982) is a former Lebanese basketball player who plays as a shooting guard for Sagesse Club in the Lebanese Basketball League (LBL). He formerly played for Champville Club, Amchit Club and Al Mouttahed Tripoli ...

Joe Vogel Joseph Vogel (; born September 15, 1973) is an American-Lebanese basketball player. Vogel attended Colorado State. Upon graduation, he was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 He played as a professional in Taiwan, Turkey, Japan, Sa ...

Julian Khazzouh Julian Khazzouh (born 23 February 1986) is a Lebanese-Australian former professional basketball player. He played in Australia, the Netherlands, Israel, and Lebanon. Early life and career Born in Melbourne, Khazzouh moved to Sydney as a child a ...

* Elie Stephan *

Elie Rustom Elie Rustom (; born 2 May 1987) is a Lebanese basketball player currently playing for Homenetmen in the Lebanese Basketball League. He is also a member of the Lebanon national basketball team. He previously played with Blue Stars. Basketball car ...

Walid Doumiati Walid Mahmoud El Doumiati (born July 16, 1968 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a retired Lebanese professional basketball player who last played for Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut. Doumiati alongside Elie Mechantaf and Fadi El Khatib helped build the sport of ...

* Joseph Chartouny * Charles Tabet International *

kenny Satterfield Kenneth Alexander Satterfield (born April 10, 1981) is an American professional basketball player, formerly in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Cincinnati Bearcats beginning in 1999. In 2001, after a successful sophomore ...

Eric Chatfield Eric Chatfield (26 November 1900 – 27 February 1985) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australi ...

Alpha Bangura Alpha Mohamed Bangura (born February 4, 1980) is a Libyan-Sierra Leonean former professional basketball player who competed as a member of the Libya national basketball team at the FIBA Africa Championship 2009. Amateur career Bangura is a gradua ...

* Samaki Walker *

DeShawn Sims DeShawn Adrian Sims Jr. (born January 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Pistoia of the Serie A2 Basket. He has previously played for Sagesse and Champville of the Lebanese Basketball League, as well as teams in Gre ...

Terrell Stoglin Terrell DeVon Stoglin (born November 10, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for AS Douanes of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He served as the starting shooting guard for the University of Maryland, where he played college ...

Dewarick Spencer Dewarick Antwain Spencer (born May 4, 1982) is an American and Egyptian professional basketball player who plays for Zamalek of the Egyptian Basketball Super League. Nicknamed "Dee," he is tall and plays both point guard and shooting guard pos ...

Quincy Douby Quincy Douby (born May 16, 1984) is an American–born, naturalized Montenegrin former professional basketball player. At , , Douby played shooting guard for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Sacramento Kings made him the 19th selection of the 200 ...

Sherell Ford Sherell Ford (born August 26, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'7" forward from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Ford was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round (26th overall) of the 1995 NBA ...

Randy Culpepper Randy Lechard Culpepper (born May 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for Basket Brno of the NBL. College career He played for the University of Texas El Paso Miners. He is in Conference USA's top 15 all-time in career scor ...

* Chris Daniels * Demarius Bolds *

Ekene Ibekwe Ekenechukwu Brian "Ekene" Ibekwe (born July 19, 1985) is a Nigerian American professional basketball player for Urunday Universitario of the Liga Uruguaya de Básquetbol. He played college basketball for the University of Maryland at College P ...

Ater Majok Ater James "AJ" Majok (born 4 July 1987) is a professional basketball player for Al Riyadi Club Beirut of the Lebanese Basketball League. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2011 NBA draft with the 58th overall pick. He represents Le ...

DeWayne Jackson Dewayne Jackson (born November 30, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Sagesse Club in the Lebanese Basketball League. He played for Homenetmen Club in the 2016-17 season and he averaged 21.1 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 ...

Walter Hodge Walter Wallace Hodge Muñoz (born September 21, 1986) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican-U.S. Virgin Islander professional basketball player who plays for Al Ahly (basketball), Al Ahly of the Egyptian Basketball Super League. Internationally, Hodge ...

* Cedric Henderson *

Ratko Varda Ratko Varda ( sr-cyr, Ратко Варда; born May 6, 1979) is a Serbian-Bosnian former basketball player who played professionally for 22 years. Standing at , he played the center position. He first represented FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montene ...

References

External links

Official Site
{{Lebanese Basketball League Basketball teams in Lebanon Sport in Beirut Organisations based in Beirut 1992 establishments in Lebanon Sagesse SC Basketball teams established in 1992