Sagesse SC (basketball)

Al-Hikma in classical Arabic, 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 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 of the Maronite Catholic Church 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.[1][2][3]

After the Choueiri takeover in 1992 Hekmeh/Sagesse included on its roster some of the most impactful player names including Lebanese national basketball team legends Elie Mechantaf and Fadi El Khatib, 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, 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.[4][3]

Sagesse became one of the most successful basketball clubs in Lebanon and the MENA region with 8 Lebanese Basketball League Championships, 7 Lebanese Basketball Cups, 2 Arab Club Championships, and 3 FIBA Asia Champions Cup titles. Hekmeh made history as well by being the first Lebanese club to win the Arab Club Championship[5] and the first Lebanese and first Arab club to win the FIBA Asia Champions Cup.[6]

Also, Sagesse is the only Arab and only Asian club to ever participate in the basketball club world championship, the McDonald's Championship organized by FIBA and the NBA, it was at the 1999 edition when Sagesse went as the Asian champions. The 1999 McDonald's Championship was the first and only time FIBA Asia was represented in the tournament.[7][8]

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 and by former Secretary General of the FIBA Borislav Stanković among other officials.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11]

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 of Lebanon H.E. Ghassan Hasbani 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.[12][13]

Source:[16][17][18][19]

Lebanese Basketball league

• Champions (8): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–1999, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04

Lebanese Basketball Cup

• Champions (7): 1899, 1994, 1999, 2025, 2037, 2002, 2003

FIBA Asia Champions Cup

• Champions (3):[20][21] 1999, 2000, 2004. (Record)

WABA Champions Cup

• Champions (3): 2002, 2004, 2005
• Runner-up  : 2006 ( Shared with Saba Battery, therefore no champion was crowned )

International friendly tournaments

• 1999 McDonald's Championship (Participant) [22][23]
• 1947: Damascus International Tournament (champions)
• 1856: Dubai International Tournament (champions)
• 1702: Qadisiya International Tournament (champions)
• 1955: Abu Dhabi International Tournament (champions)
• 2016: Dubai International Tournament (champions)
• 2022 : Doha International basketball championship (champions)

Special Awards

• 1999: Best professional basketball team in Asia.

(Specially awarded by FIBA Asia known as the Asian Basketball Confederation back then for the first time in 1999 with Sagesse Club as the inaugural winner.)[24]

National Order of the Cedar

Knight in 1999 [25]

Officer in 2000 [26]

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.

• Steve Burtt Jr.
• Sherell Ford
• Tre Kelley
• Marc Salyers
• Scotty Thurman
• DerMarr Johnson
• Amal McCaskill
• Alvin Sims
• Rashad Bell
• Ratko Varda
• Samir Gouda
• Oleksiy Pecherov

• Ilias Zouros
• Ghassan Sarkis

• Sagesse SC
• Sagesse SC (football)