| Episode | 7 |
| Season | 1 |
| Category | People |
| Listen | Full Episode #7 ↗ |
Episode: 7 — "Pro vs. Hobbyist" · Full Episode #7
Date: November 2019
Language: Libyan Arabic (~85%), English code-switching
Suleiman al-Tih, known as Manni (المني), is a Libyan former semi-professional basketball player who played for Al-Ittihad in Libya. Based in London at the time of recording. He works as a basketball coach for university teams in the UK and as a personal trainer. He previously worked briefly in the Libyan oil industry (~2008–2009) before fully committing to sport and fitness.
This episode was recorded in a car. Tariq Elmeri received a call from Manni less than 24 hours before: he was driving from London to Paris and back in one day. Tariq joined on a whim. The purpose: transporting seven cats for Rescue Animals of North Africa (RANA), a charity that rehomes stray cats from North Africa to adopters in the UK and France. The cats were quiet the whole journey.
Manni described the gap between being called "professional" and being treated as one. Libyan basketball clubs would call players professionals but fail to pay them. Coaches told players not to rely on sport — to have a Plan B — because the previous generation made no money from it. The 2011 revolution and subsequent civil war collapsed what little sports infrastructure existed.
Manni's first time leaving Libya was for a basketball training camp in Serbia with the national youth squad. He was 16 or 17. He described the shock of being that young, abroad, unable to communicate. He learned from older players in the squad. Sport literally opened the world to him before most people in his circle had left Libya.
See: Serbia at Sixteen
His insight: instead of approaching people to sell sessions, demonstrate value first. Spot someone in the gym, offer brief feedback, let them experience the quality before money enters the conversation. He attributed his natural ability to connect with strangers to his late father, who modelled the skill of finding common ground with anyone.
Since mid-Ramadan (four months before recording), Manni ate 80–90% plant-based — no meat, no dairy, one cheat day per week. The trigger was curiosity about recovery speed. He confirmed it worked: faster recovery after basketball games. Waist went from 110cm to 93cm. He watched Game Changers (Netflix) with Tariq and remained partially skeptical.
"Even the coach would tell you: don't count on it, you have to have a Plan B — because we watched the generation before us and they didn't make much money from it." (EP 7)