At the beginning of the month, Pini Gershon, the professional manager of the Israeli national team, traveled to Belgrade.
One of the main goals was to make sure with his good friend Zeljko Oberdovic that he releases Yam Madar for the World Cup qualifiers.
We know what it's like - if a coach the size of the legendary Serb decides he's not releasing, a court will not help.
Unless your name is Pini Gershon.
The mission was crowned a success, and the young partisan coordinator landed in Israel last week.
However, the team was not at all sure that he would be available for the professional team, and even if they did, they did not know how many minutes he would be able to play and what his fitness would be.
In the week before his arrival, Madar was suffering from back pain, and then it turned out that he had a slight problem with his knee.
After a quick MRI scan and intensive care, the medical staff happily declared Shadar eligible.
By the time he got on the floor, all the pain had been forgotten.
Madar's entourage says that as soon as he goes up to play, everything that was before disappears completely.
"A defense school has put what he did in this window," says one of the professionals in the delegation. "You can see what happens in three months with Oberdovich, the best coach in Europe.
Throughout his stay in Estonia you could see that despite the selection of the draft, the training in Boston, the games in the summer league and the fact that he is in the senior team of all the team - except Maccabi Tel Aviv - Madar remains himself. Modest and graceful. Hear about the wonders of Jeliko and a partisan, when among other things he shared the crazy experience of playing in the Belgrade derby.
"It will be hard to stop him"
Madar was placed in a hotel room with Tomer Ginat, his good friend from the period at Hapoel Tel Aviv. Madar's will meet in Paris for the EuroCup.
Madar's family decided at the very last minute to join the trip to Tallinn and take the opportunity to see the boy up close.
In the next few days he will already be returning to Serbia, and although they may visit him there, there is probably no such thing as too much time together.
Madar, Photo: FIBA website
Another distinguished guest who came to Tallinn specifically to see Madar is Boston International Scout, Nas Matkevichius.
The Lithuanian had already arrived at the team hotel on Sunday afternoon and talked to the professionals about the coordinator, who, as I recall, the Celtics hold rights to in the NBA (and also asked for details regarding Noam Dovrat).
He later came to watch the game, and on the night after the victory returned to the hotel for a long conversation with Madar.
The only thing that clouded the coordinator's week a bit was the ability to shoot outside the arc.
In both games in the window, Madar composed 0 from 11 to 3.
"Sea hits like crazy in training, it's a matter of time until the bullets come in and then it's going to be hard to stop him," people around him said.
At the end of the win over Estonia Pini apparently noticed that the coordinator was upset a bit by the threes that did not come in, and made sure to give him a fatherly hug.
Gershon knows very well what a bright future awaits Madar - otherwise he would not have traveled as far as Belgrade to fetch him.
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