One of the surprising moves that took place last summer in Israeli basketball was the move of Noam Yaakov 17) to the prestigious Wellerban Basketball Academy, which is considered one of the best in Europe.
The club's senior team has been progressing at a meteoric pace in recent years and for tonight's game against Maccabi Tel Aviv it will reach a balance of 0: 3 in the Euroleague compared to the negative 2: 1 of the Yellows.
However, not only is the present successful for the French, but also the future.
The academy houses the country's greatest talents as well as talented players from across Europe, such as Jacob, all under the policies outlined by former owner and star Tony Parker.
The owner's brother, TJ, has coached the senior team in recent years, while the younger brother, Pierre, has coached the Israeli talent in the club's under-21 team, which last season won the French Premier League championship and trophy. He is also the technical director of the club's training center.
"Noam is in a new country and there are natural difficulties, but he adapts quickly," Pierre Parker tells Israel Today. "The style of play here is very athletic and physical, and he also needs to learn the language, but he's not the only foreigner here, so it helps him feel comfortable. He's only been here a month and a half and he was also injured, but he's already like the band manager The team on the field. "
There are many good players in Israel or in other countries, why did you choose to bring Noam?
"First of all, he is one of the best prospects in Israel in the 2004 yearbook. His agent called us because he wanted to come to us. He heard about the team and loved the way we work. We wanted him and he us, and I really like his profile.
"He is aggressive with a high IQ and accepts responsibility on the pitch. I trust him to lead the team. He needs to get used to playing with players who are as good as him because we like to play as a team and we have a lot of talent in academia. ".
The "leader of the band"
model of Wheelerban's outstanding academy is that of colleges in the USA. Each player actually enrolls in studies and then also gets the opportunity to be part of the academy's basketball team.
Tony Parker (center) with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Runs the family business,
The young boys study for a few hours each day and at the same time train in the luxurious facilities with the members of the extended professional team to improve the team performance and personal skills, with the big goal being to find and train the players who will suit the adult team in the future.
Jacob is considered a great potential and although he will only celebrate his 17th birthday next week, he is already training and playing regularly with the French club's under-21 team.
What is the plan regarding Noam, is there a schedule when he will get a chance in the first group?
"It all depends on his performances. We believe the player is the one who should earn his opportunities. Noam needs to be successful in our team to keep moving forward. I can not say a specific time and vote when it will happen, because it can take a month but also a year.
"It all depends on him, it's a matter of taking advantage of opportunities. I always tell players to stay prepared because it is impossible to know when they will call you. He started training with the seniors before the season, but got injured and went back a bit. Now he is back in full fitness. I can say for sure Be prepared, his chance will come. "
You have already worked with a lot of young talent, how far can he go?
"With IQ, execution, pick-and-roll and the great talent he has he can go far. If he continues to develop, he can certainly be a Euroleague player."