Interview with Tab Baldwin

[daniab]

Interview with National Team coach Tab Balwin on Lebanese basketball group on Facebook!

Tab Baldwin Hi everyone. Well, I'm onboard with you all for an hour or so. I have to say right at the beginning that the most popular answer you get tonight might be "I don't know". as I am still very new to the organization, the team and the country. Having said that, I'll do my best to let you know what my thoughts are about ...this coming summer and our efforts to make a mark on the world of basketball. Ok, questions can start coming...fire away!

Malek Mat Hi Coach , What do you expect the Lebanese national team in this championship?
Tab Baldwin I'm expecting to put together a team that will have less talent than most of our WC opponents but more heart and I know from experience that, with discipline, good planning and careful preparation, this is enough to be successful. That's the plan.

William Nader hi coach. we are very impressed today because we 're having an interview with you. do you know when the preps will start?
Tab Baldwin Because of the Federation disruptions our program has been delayed but we have spent this week calling players back to Lebanon from whereever they are and are hoping to meet with them in the next couple of days and get on the court by Sunday at the latest.

Elie Baladi hi coach we belive in ur experience and we r proud to be in the head of our national team!this year all our wishes is to pass the first round and we can do it if we focus on some strategies so try to convince fadi el khatib to be on our nt cz hes on of the best players by the certificate of many coaches and specially michael jordan!so we believe in u and we support u1wish u the best!:))
Tab Baldwin Fadi is a great talent with so much experience. He has been very clear that he wants this summer off. I've spoken with Fadi and I believe that both professionally and personally, he is genuine in his reasons for needing a break. He has been going year round for many years and that's tough on the body and family. My priority with Fadi is that we keep him involved in our program and make sure that he wants to be with us next year as we make a push for Olympic Qualification here in Lebanon.

Tony Wheibe Hello coach,
-Do u think that we’re up to the level to participate in the WC? Not as a team, since we didn’t start preparations yet, but as players’ skills and level.
-Are we able to beat France again?
Tab Baldwin Actually, we will begin preparations before most countries. Good question though about our skill level. Generally speaking, the European and American teams will be of a significantly higher skill level than we will be. This why our preparation is such a high priority for me. We need time to build chemistry and team systems to compensate for the skill and experience gap. Very similar to my experience with NZ.

Rami Fayad Hello Coach:As you see now there is problem in the federation. Will this problem affect the national team?If we want to wait until the elections, I am not confident that we will get good results in Turkey. No team can succeed without good preparation.What is the possibility of Lebanon to advance to second round?Thank you Coach and wish you the best
Tab Baldwin The Federation problems have already affected us but I have confidence from the people I've spoken with that the members of the Federation, and I'm speaking of all of them, are determined to minimize the impact and fully support our efforts. So, like you guys, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Chivas Joe Tabbb! First WE're Happy having a quality coach like u in our nt:)!
First!How big is our chances to qualify 2 scnd round!?
Then After The problems in the federation..What will change?preparations is taking so long 2 start! and the leabnese abroad didn't arrived yet!?So have an idea coach!?
Tab Baldwin I think I've answered some of your question already. I believe we have a decent chance for the 2nd round. Canada and NZ are in essentially the same level that we are. Canada will put big talent on the floor but have not been able to get a good chemistry for many years now. We have to hope they dont' this year either. NZ will tough, rugged and ... See Moredetermined. If we can match their toughness and intensity then I believe our talent stacks up well. But understand this as well, I don't concede any games and we will be very determined to knock off one of the European sides as well.

Jaafar Ayyash hello coach

how did u see the lebanese players level through what have u seen in the tournaments from arab championship till asian championship?
Tab Baldwin These tournaments are import dominated but I was pleased at the skill level compared to what I expected. However, I believe we will need to pay much greater attention to defense and taking care of the ball. Also, I am a big believer in being a dominant rebounding team so we have to find this attribute for our team from somewhere. BTW, I've seen the posts on Lakers/Celts: Rebounding winner will win tonight...Go the Celts!!!!

Anthony Mattar Hi coach. How far do you honestly think our national team will go in this wc?
Tab Baldwin This is the first time of hundreds of times I will get this question so here goes: We wil ltake them one game at a time and NEVER concede to an opponent. If we can win a possession, a quarter or a half then we can win a game and I'm sure we can do the first 3. But, our opponents are good, tough and talented and want to win as well. So, game by game this tourney will unfold and I'm confident we will have our moments to cheer about.

[daniab]

Charbel Tawil hello coach you think that we can go to the second round with all this problemes in the federation???
and you think that vroman is the best choice for us???
Thank you Coach and wish you the best
Tab Baldwin I believe Jackson is a special talent offensively. He is so active and causes many problems for the traditional centers. However, he is undersized so we will have to have good and disciplined defensive schemes to support him defensively but I'm confident we can do this. he was our best choice available. It's not easy to get high caliber players at this time of year and most are VERY expensive.

Mark Najjar Coach, you coached NZ national team previously, so you should really know their weak and strong points. If Lebanon wants to qualify to the second round NZ game is the game that we should win, how much do you think your knowledge to this team would help you overcome them with lebanon ? and will it be hard to play against your country ?
best of luckS
Tab Baldwin I will have very good knowledge of the NZ team and they will have very good knowledge of me so... I believe their coach is one of the finest coaches I've ever known and it will be extremely tough to coach against him but I know he feels the same. On the one hand, we love the competition but on the other we hope and pray that we don't put each other out but odds are it may come down to that. Such is Life...

Ahmad Anouti One question coach.... Celtics or Lakers... whom do you think will win the NBA Championship and who's your favourite team?
Tab Baldwin Celts my fav team since I was a kid (but I am an all time member of RED SOX NATION...). My heart says Celts tonight and when my brain was going to say Lakers, my heart threatened to stop beating so I'm Celts all the way.
Tab Baldwin And, no sleep again...ouch!

Chivas Joe Coach 2 more questions:
Dont u think our team miss a real pure 5!?
And how do u c newzealand vs lebanon!We knw u coached them In the past yrs?We can beat them but describe me the way they play and there players better?
Tab Baldwin Most answered but, our team will rely on mobility to compensate for the lack of a low post presence. I expect it will hurt us at times but more defensively than offensively and I don't expect that Jackson will have matchup problems against Canada and NZ and possibly France but Lithuania and Spain will come at us with real size.

Mhamad El Ghoul coash just 1 question..who is the best lebanese player in ur opinion?
Tab Baldwin The player who makes his teammates better..so, you tell me cause I don't know who that is yet...

William Nader coach would you take ahmad ibrahim the player who's still in highschool in us to the final 12 men squad and what do you think of him?
Tab Baldwin Age is irrelevant. If he comes to the trials and gets the job done, we'll take him. And, I'd like to take him because it's never to early to start getting experience. Look at Rubio. I'm not saying they are the same in terms of talent but in terms of the scenario, there are similarities.

Jad Richa what abt getting ali kanaan ? daniel faris ? ahmad brahim ? matt freije ? since u didnt watch them ... u will try 2 get then and join the NT
thank u coach
Tab Baldwin Yes, they are all invited to our trials and I'm very hopeful they will be there...

Nader Younes hy coach what do you thing about rony fahed and ali mahmoud by the way they played in the arab and asian tournament who do you think is the best for your system and your mentality of point guards?
Tab Baldwin I like both because they can both play the shooting guard spot as well. I'd like to stick a couple of inches on both but that isn't going to happen. Rony is true scorer who can score in bursts and is explosive. Ali has a nice shot and a tough mentality attacking the basket. He has a more controlled approach to the game but probably played a lot... See More of shooting guard this season with Lonnie at Riyadi late in the season. They are both capable and we will need both to adapt to the job that I give them.

Rawad Chdid Dear Coach, Thank you for joining us, I just wanna ask about a point: Do you think that picking you as a coach is a result of NZ being in the same group with Lebanon? And as you know Lebanon has many Leader players(Jackson, Fadi , Matt, Rony) and that is a two sides sword , how are u going to deal with this point? Thank you
Tab Baldwin Well, I hope that wasn't the only reason but it was probably a consideration. I'd like to think that my job is twofold. Right now, the national team is the priority but after the Arab Games in Sept., I want to get my teeth into the development side of the game in Lebanon and begin to identify coaches and players who will anchor the game for years to come and to work with these people to provide for a better future.
Tab Baldwin As for the leadership issue, I don't really know the leaders yet but any leader who is totally dedicated to the team's needs will get the nod from me to be a leader within the team. If this is not their priority then they will be discouraged from taking a leadership position. Multiple leaders, if they are good are never a problem.

Roubina Ալապաշեան Hey coach, thanks for dropping by!
I just read about u saying many other NT's haven't started with their preparations yet, but don't u think that our NT's undecided situation is enough to put Lebanon a thousand steps back from all others?
Second will u take the Lebanese abroad into consideration? Will the deserving one's... get a chance to join in?
Thanks in advance, and gud luck with the challenges ahead!

Tab Baldwin The disruptions are never welcome for anyone but it is not a death sentence for this team or our program. We will be underway shortly and go from there. I hate the disruptions, I hate politics but over a 27 year career, I've learned they are inevitalbe and that I have to deal with them.

[daniab]

Mhammad Noureldine hi, will u convince fadi el khatib to join back the NT?
Tab Baldwin Honestly, it's not my job to convince any player to play for his country. It should be a part of who they are however, as I said earlier, Fadi has been a great servant of the game in Lebanon and my feeling is that physically and emotionally, he needs a break. We will certainly keep the door open for next year with a great hope that he will come back.

William Nader coach plz could you tell us who will be the ass. coach and the physical trainer
Tab Baldwin My assitants will both come from Greece. The coach is Nikos Dimitriou. He has been in PAOK for many years and will be with Aris next season. The strength coach is Giorgos Hrassafis. George is very experienced and has been with several Greek teams but is not, as yet, with a team for next year but that news could change any day. George will be ... See Morewith us for about a month and then I will replace him with a 2nd basketball assistant. I had a coach from Turkey in this position but he has just taken a job in the Turkish league and is now unavailable so I'm considering replacements now...from some of your questions I might be looking at you guys ;)


Naief Aabid can u promise us coach to start preparations on sunday??
Tab Baldwin Promises are for priests and people on their deathbeds...I'm neither...yet. I HOPE we start on Sunday but, as I've heard so many times in my short time here, "This is Lebanon...anything can happen!" Truth is, many places are similar in the disruptions to careful planning. You just have to be ready to dance a little bit.

Tab Baldwin Finger cramps but I'll push through...obviously out of shape ;)


Mhmd Fakhoury Hello coach
Since many very gd players in da league spent da whole season injured like jean abdl nour & mazen mneimneh & u probably dont know them at all
would they hav a chance to participate in da national team camp or they r completely out of da picture by ur opinion . thnks :)
Tab Baldwin Sorry for that break...internet glitch. BTW, nobody told me about the 4 times per day power cuts...love it right in the middle of skype talks...kills me!!!
Tab Baldwin I want to call Jean and Mazen into the trials with us even if it's only to meet them and keep them involved for the future. I like both from what I've seen on DVD but they are definitely behind the 8 ball with so little ball this year.

Mhamad El Ghoul coach what u think about kakhia ?? Politics in lebanon made bad move putting him away from the federation?
Tab Baldwin I knew these questions were coming and thanks for so few of them. I met Pierre in the contract period for me to join the team. I was impressed with him and with the accomplishments of the FLB in terms of the international program but more than that I really can't comment as I simply don't know anything and as my DAD used to tell me, if you don't know something then don't talk about it because people will see you for a fool even if you think you sound like an intellect. So, no further comment!

Joe Chaaya hi coach...all lebanese are keeping an eye on you and to see our NT in a high level..can u promise all lebanese in a high level and chemistry...
Tab Baldwin Promises, promises...I will work hard with the players to develop a chemistry that will allow us to play close to our potential all the time. And, it is so important to me that you, the fans, walk away from every game knowing that the players you so passionately support give back to you, at a minimum, the same passion in their play.

Bassel Charaf coach what about the training camps for the NT? are they still the same as previously published or has there been any amendment?
Tab Baldwin The dates have been moved but we will spend the same time in camp. They are moved from Greece to Lebanon now.

Charbel 'Belime' Ghanimé Coach, of all the players you met and scouted, who do you believe is the most underrated talent that you would like to use more as coach of the national team?
Tab Baldwin Tough questoin: I wonder how good Roy could be if he was fit because he is a very good screener and physical defender but so limited by his lack of mobility right now. Obviously, I didn't see Brian Beshara much so I have question marks on him. There are so many others that I have to see more to make any real assessments about.

Nader younes hey coach personal question are you enjoying lebanon ?
Tab Baldwin Honestly, bored stiff. Sitting in my hotel room waiting to start preps. I'm a pretty simple guy. I love my family, don't drink or smoke (never have), love spicy food, hot weather and fishing plus the beautiful nature that God provided us and really haven't been able to enjoy any of that yet. I miss my wife and kids but am so ready to start coaching. All the other things will fade (except you, HONEY - to my wife - into the background once I'm on the court with the guys.

[daniab]

Tab Baldwin Ok, great note to finish on. I'm sure we'll do this again. Remember, I am a servant to Lebanese basketball: first to my players, then my bosses but also to you. I enjoyed the questions and I really feel your love of this team. They say there are 60,000+ members of these fan sites and I'd like all of you to know th...at when I try to prepare this team, I feel a responsibility to you all and I want the players to feel this too. I wish you, all of you, the very best and God Bless you all. Thanks for your time and your support.

[Khalid80]

Thanks Dani for posting the interview :)
I really hope coach Tab starts his work with the NT asap to start getting them prepared for the WC as there is alot to be worked on.