Lebanon a threat in Tianjin

MANILA, Philippines – Lebanon is suddenly a title favorite at the FIBA-Asia Championships in Tianjin starting today and it’s because coach Dragan Raca has managed to recently recruit three American centers, including two NBA veterans.

Under FIBA rules, a national team may enlist only one naturalized player. In Lebanon’s case, the naturalized player is 6-10 Jackson Vroman who played for the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Hornets in two NBA seasons.

Aside from Vroman, Lebanon is bolstered by 6-10 Matt Freije and 6-9 Daniel Faris. Both were born in the US and their profiles do not show any Lebanese lineage. Another US-born player is Brian Beshara who played for Louisiana State University, Shaquille O’Neal’s alma mater. Beshara is now known as Feghali.

The only way Freije, Faris and Beshara are eligible to play for Lebanon is if they’re of Lebanese descent, meaning they’re American-Lebanese holding two passports like Fil-Americans. If they’re not American-Lebanese, then they’re ringers who should be disqualified from the tournament.

In Russia, prime minister Vladimir Putin himself signed the naturalization papers of black American J. R. Holden when he was president in 2003. It took only a few months to process Holden’s papers on the basis of a law that allows “a person of special merit (to) be accepted as a citizen of the Russian Federation.” In the Philippines, naturalization may only be done through judicial, administrative or legislative means. In Lebanon, the process is probably facilitated a lot more easily.

Luckily, Powerade Team Pilipinas won’t cross paths with Lebanon until, perhaps, in the quarterfinals if they both make it and are paired up. The Philippines is in Group A while Lebanon is in Group D.

Lebanon has played in only five FIBA-Asia tournaments, debuting in 1999. It finished second in 2001, 2005 and 2007. Lebanon takes on Jordan in an early clash of rated contenders in Tianjin today.

Vroman, 28, took former Colorado State star Joe Vogel’s spot on the Lebanon team. He was the Chicago Bulls second round draft pick in 2004. His father Brett played in the NBA. Vroman lived in Italy, Greece and Spain with his parents until finally settling in US. In the NBA, he averaged 3.3 points in 87 total games.

Smart-Gilas developmental team coach Rajko Toroman said Vroman brings a lot of energy and intensity to Lebanon’s attack.

“In Vogel’s final years, he didn’t play much inside and preferred to shoot threes,” said Toroman. “Now, with Vroman, Lebanon has inside presence. He’s now the team’s No. 1 option in offense and I don’t know how (Fadi) Al-Khatib will adjust to his new role.”

Toroman said Lebanon is a serious threat to China and predicted a top three finish.

“Their coach is Serbian and also has Cyprus citizenship,” said Toroman. “He’s a good coach but a little self-conscious about his image. We come from two different worlds.”

Freije, 27, was a late addition to the roster. He scored 39 points against South Korea at the recent Jones Cup. Freije was Miami’s second round pick in the 2004 draft and played for New Orleans and Atlanta in two seasons. Vroman and Freije were teammates with the Hornets. Toroman described Freije as “an outstanding shooter.”

The latest addition to the lineup is Faris who averaged 12.1 points for the University of New Mexico in the NCAA this past season. Faris, 22, has no apparent Lebanese heritage. His parents Bart and Cindy are Americans.

Beshara, 31, has played in Lebanon since 2001. At the 2006 World Championships in Japan, the 6-9 sharpshooter averaged 9.8 points and shot .333 from three-point distance. He hit 11 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in Lebanon’s 74-73 win over France. His parents Tony and Chris are from Dallas.

Toroman said Lebanon’s weakness is in the offguard position where Omar El Turk starts.

In the Jones Cup, Bashara and Vroman combined for 53 points to lead Lebanon over the Philippines, 95-83. Freije and Faris were still not with the squad.

Lebanon has other players with NCAA credentials. Omar Krayem played at California Baptist University, Ali Kanaan at University of Massachusetts and 6-8 Bassel Bawji at University of Tulsa. It’s not certain if the players are natural-ized or American-Lebanese or pure Lebanese. What is certain is Lebanon has a fully-loaded squad that’s gunning for the title in Tianjin.