Sagesse have agreed to sign American power forward Deshawn Sims on a one-year contract, as the former eight- time Lebanese champions are looking to grab their first title since the 2003-2004 season.

Sims (203 centimeters) is relatively young at 24 years old. He formerly played in South Korea, Greece and Puerto Rico after graduating from the University of Michigan, which has one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the United States. He spent his best season, however, last year in the South Korean league with KCC Egis, when he averaged 23.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

Sims will probably start as a power forward. He is known to be an effective low-post scorer, and is well adept at shooting from midrange and beyond the arc. Sims will join his fellow American Aaron Harper as the foreign duo in Sagesse, with both expected to arrive within the month of September.

Sagesse had previously signed Rodrigue Akl, Elie Stephan, Elie Rustom, Philip Tabet and Mohammad Ibrahim while they kept NCAA standout Daniel Faris. And they are still in negotiations with national player Charles Tabet.

Elsewhere, Hoops have made their first commitments for the 2012-2013 seasons by signing the American Jamaican point guard Andre Smith, who has previously played in Iran, Syria, Morocco and Argentina. The team are also looking to sign Albanian Center Ersid Luca (208 cm), who played in Lebanon with Anibal Zahle three years ago.

Antranik also secured the signings of two foreign players, the first being Ghanian guard Asenso Ampim (198 cm) and American forward Novar Gadson (200 cm).

Meanwhile, the situation at Anibal Zahle, Lebanese cup holders, has remained blurry due to management conflicts. Businessman Wadih al-Absi is asking for major changes within the administration, but his request is being opposed by some officials inside the club.

The team is on the verge of giving its elite players their releases, including the trio of Charles Tabet, Ghaleb Reda and Mazen Mneimneh.

The Lebanese league starts Oct. 27.