After becoming the first black head coach in the history of Israeli sports, Corey Carr is looking for a group of men who will give him a chance: "We need an organization that will believe in me" • And also: lunches with Jordan, the death of a good friend and the shouts at Donta Smith

• Corey Carr. "I have shown a lot of loyalty to my teams in the country"

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Corey Carr is currently completing 20 years since arriving in Israel as an actor. In the middle he went for short periods in France, Italy and Cyprus, but settled here, married an Israeli and had children, received citizenship, worked as a coach in youth departments and last summer made history when he became the first black head coach in Israeli sports when he coached the Herzliya girls' women's team last season.

"I started with coaching children. My first job in the seniors was in the women's team, like the track of David Blatt who started coaching women and I also want to be like him and move to coach men. For me it's a matter of who will give me the opportunity and what management will give me an opportunity as a coach or assistant coach. "He says in an interview with" Israel Today "and does not hide his big dream.

Even before we talk about men's coaching, what should be done to promote women's basketball in Israel?

"First of all they need support. They do not have enough money and there is a lot of money running between the toto and the union and the municipalities. There is a lot of money, but it's a matter of where it goes. If people want the women's league to have a fair chance, support is the thing. "The future, without women we are nothing. Without women there are no men and I would be happy if people and organizations start to respect them more and invest more in them and thus have better results, even better than men."

In recent weeks, Carr (44) has tried something new when he served as a commentator in the playoffs and Final Four of the Premier League for the American media network Fubo sports, and enjoyed every moment. "It was amazing for me and opened a new door for me. It also gave me something for my coaching because to be a coach you have to know how to talk about the game. I had fun being a part of it and I would love for more opportunities like that in the future."

Did the broadcasts increase your desire to coach a group of men?

" I look forward to working first as an assistant coach and helping Israeli players and also giving something to the Americans and teaching them about European basketball. I will be a bridge between Israel and American basketball. The connection between foreign and Israeli basketball is very important, and as an assistant I can do it and put the pieces together. "I'm worth it. The most important thing is that they trust me and I will do the rest."

Is it harder for African-American coaches to get jobs in Israel?

"I do not know how to answer that, because I do not think there were too many African-Americans who experienced a story similar to mine in Israel. I have been here 20 years and have shown a lot of loyalty to my groups. I am not the one who says give me this and that because I deserve it, absolutely not "I stayed here and I work hard to get far in my way. I hope there will be someone who will ask why not take Corey Carr as a coach in the men's league. I need an organization that will take me seriously as a coach so I can make a living in Israel, I do not want to explore other options and move .

Before coming to Israel, Carr played for the Chicago Bulls. He arrived there in the summer of 1999, immediately after the (first) retirement of Michael Jordan, but still managed to train with him and accumulate quite a few hours of MJ23. "Jordan is Chicago," he says emphatically, "without him their basketball would have looked like before he came. When he came the whole city of Chicago changed. He's the best player of all time and I had the opportunity to learn from him to talk to him and he helped me a lot, not only In basketball but also in life.

"I was a rookie in Chicago and he lived there, I trained with him a bit and watched him train, we sat in his restaurant and ate with him. We talked a bit about the city and tips for me to get better as an athlete. It was a tough year after he left, but it was everyone's expectations. Of rebuilding and I was happy to be a part of this process. "

When you look back, it does not suck that you did not have time to play with him?

"It could have been great to play with Mike and get a chance to play for a championship, but that's the way it is in sports and sometimes you miss things for a second. I'm glad I had the opportunity to play in the NBA even for a short time. To this day I believe after Raanana I would go back My injury (tear in the cruciate ligament, YM) was a severe blow to my career. If I had not been injured, I would have gone back there. "

What went through your mind when you saw the 'last dance'?

"The series did not surprise me, it's Michael Gordon. The best actor must have received a lot of criticism, must have people who dislike and criticize him. He is the man who worked the hardest and he changed what people thought of Chicago. He built the franchise and it did not surprise me. "The way he behaved in the last dance. He acted like the best player. You can oppose his way but his way has won six championships and you can't argue with that."

So I understand you're betting Jordan and not betting on LeBron.

"These are two players at different times. Michael is the best player to ever play, but today there is no player like LeBron and he is the greatest all-around player in the history of the game. But Michael is the best, the best winner. He has 6 of 6 in the finals, no. You can beat it. "

Although he came to Israel in 2000 and also married an Israeli woman, he only received citizenship towards the end of 2009. He is now watching from the sidelines in a storm over the issue of citizens and he has something to say. "I arrived at a time when it was not a problem. Now the Russian law has been repealed and there is a lot of pressure on the Israeli actor. I can understand that the Israelis will say that it is not possible to give American Jews the same status as theirs.

"This is one way to protect the Israelis, but another way is to make the Israelis work harder and then no one will be able to take their place. The more American Jews play, I think it will improve the league. Indeed, it is possible to reduce the number allowed to three foreigners. "Then there will be more places for Israelis without harming Jewish actors from the United States who want to come to Israel."

During his years in Israel, Carr played for Ness Ziona and was one of Tyler Hannickat's best friends who died in July 2018 during a police confrontation in Los Angeles. According to an official report from the local authorities, the player committed suicide, but the details of the incident are still unclear. Car also won the Israeli championship when he played with Donta Smith at Maccabi Haifa in the 2012/13 season.

Surely take very hard what happened with the Anikat.

"It's a tragic event. A very difficult situation. No one expected it. Just a few weeks before it happened I talked to him and could not feel anything. I think about him a lot, he will always be in my heart and mind. I talk to his mother occasionally, there "A lot of details that the family does not tell and that's fine. Apparently he went through a difficult time at the same time and that made him get to bad places."

I heard you were the only one who dared to shout at Dontae Smith.

"That's probably true (laughs, YM). One must know how to respect team members, but also challenge them and not be afraid of them. The best player on the team sometimes does not get challenges or criticism, no one tells him what to do, so I was the player who did it for everyone. When Donta walked away from the team or did not respect players I told him 'that's enough, stop your shit and be a leader'. He would have respected that. "