Sagesse Club has been dealt a significant setback ahead of its highly anticipated Final 8 series against Homenetmen, as Lebanese international Ali Mezher is expected to be sidelined for the entire matchup due to injury.
Mezher, who recently returned to Lebanon following his season with Akita Northern Happinets in Japan’s B.League, suffered a thigh strain and is expected to miss between two and three weeks.
The injury comes at a difficult moment for Sagesse, as Mezher had already proven his value shortly after rejoining the team.
In a crucial victory over Homenetmen during the regular season, the veteran guard delivered one of the game’s defining performances, knocking down three clutch three-pointers in crunch time to help secure an important win for the Green Castle.
His leadership, shooting ability, and experience were expected to play a major role in Sagesse’s playoff campaign, particularly against a talented Homenetmen side looking to pull off an upset in the best-of-five Final 8 series.
Despite Mezher’s absence, Sagesse will still rely on a star-studded roster featuring Sekou Doumbouya, Deshawndre Washington, and Simi Shittu as they attempt to advance to the semifinals.
For Homenetmen, the injury could provide a significant opportunity. The club enters the series led by Jordan Stevens, Dikembe Dixon, and Egyptian center Hamad Fathy, forming one of the most dangerous trios in the league.
While Sagesse remains one of the favorites to progress, losing a player of Mezher’s caliber removes an important piece from the rotation and places additional pressure on the team’s backcourt depth.
The focus now shifts toward recovery, with Sagesse hopeful that the veteran guard can return later in the postseason should the club advance beyond the Final 8.
For now, however, Ali Mezher’s playoff journey appears to be on hold, leaving Sagesse to navigate one of its biggest challenges of the season without one of its most experienced leaders.