"Haim Ohayon proposed the idea of the bubble at the beginning of the epidemic and everyone laughed at it" • "The season at Maccabi Tel Aviv was like traveling 200 km / h without rules" • "I do not have to fit the templates" • Special interview
Lubin briefs his players on the Winner's Cup
Photography:
Alan Shiver
Corona constraints led to the opening of the Israeli basketball season with the Balkan League.
Lior Lubin, coach of Gilboa / Galil, is a graduate of the factory and in his first term in the team won the Balkan championship twice.
These are not the only good memories from Chapter A of Lubin, 43, at Gilboa.
Those were five great years - two years as Oded Katash's assistant that included winning the championship, and another three excellent years as head coach.
Since leaving in 2013 it looks less good for him.
At Hapoel Holon and Maccabi Ashdod he did not finish the season, as an assistant coach at Maccabi Tel Aviv he got into a terrible season for the Yellows, and then did not coach in the Premier League for three years.
When he returned to Gilboa at the beginning of last season, he once again had success in the form of an unexpected qualification for the Final Four and finished within touching distance of the season coach.
"I am willing not to win any personal titles until the end of my career, the main thing is that my teams will succeed all the time," says Lubin in a special interview with Israel Today, and tells of his connection to the team from the valley: "I am not the only coach who flourished in this place. This is a special place to work in. The secret lies in the area, the club, the fans and the community, but above all in the animals Ohayon.
"He is a special man, a man of vision, of values, so different in the landscape, with a special way of thinking, giving peace and security. Everyone says of themselves that they are entrepreneurs, but he is really an entrepreneur. At the beginning of the Corona plague he proposed the bubble idea and everyone laughed at him. "Since then, they have made a bubble in the NBA, in the Champions League, in the European Championship qualifiers for the national teams, and are considering doing so in the Euroleague as well."
Lubin in action. Strives to reach the highest levels // Photo: Liron Moldovan
You are not afraid of being labeled as a coach who can only succeed in one place or only in a place where there is not much pressure?
"I do not have to prove things to others and do not deal with it. I am ready to be at Gilboa for many more years. People are building all kinds of molds, but that does not mean I have to be there. As for the pressure - I was a player in Ramat Gan, which is less pressure, "Ah, it's a club with a lot of pressure, and I succeeded."
You have not been in the Premier League for three years.
"In basketball there is a lot to do and I have done a lot of other things. Basketball coaching is a wheel of life and sometimes you get off the train. I do a lot of things in the field, but coaching is the main thing and I wanted to come back."
What did not work in Holon and Ashdod?
'I'm not in the business of making excuses and explaining.
I take that I learned a lot of things that are not just related to exercises and actors.
These were great lessons for me and it makes a coach much better. '
At Maccabi Tel Aviv, you broke a world record: an assistant to four different coaches and also coached a few games yourself.
"That season was bad, but for me it was the biggest basketball school. It gave me a lot of tools. I experienced very unusual situations, there was quite a bit of chaos, and on the other hand, everything was at a fast pace that had to be played all the time. It was like stepping on Open road and drive 200 km / h without rules.
Everything was so powerful, a crazy roller coaster that didn’t have a single moment to take a break.
There were difficult moments when I said 'what do I need it for at all', but my character is not to give up. "
Why didn't you get up and leave when the train of coaches started?
"All the coaches wanted me to stay, the system wanted me to stay and there are also financial commitments that need to be met. There were places I felt bad about, but I thought I needed to keep going."
splendor. "Improving all the time" // Photo: Alan Schieber
"I maximize capabilities"
On the challenging period that began in March, the coach says: "The Corona is a period that we have nothing to compare to, a new world order. Our job is to maintain the basketball industry and that is a big responsibility."
You Corona League last season did well.
"We did good preparation, we had good new foreigners and good chemistry. It's also related to the place. We were the youngest team in the league, so we had the energy stock to face a large amount of games in a short period. We had a season above expectations and this season we set high goals, But first of all, get to the playoffs. "
On dealing with the virus he added: "I am careful and guarded personally and the team does everything to be saved. There are a lot of tackles. I give a lot of weight to the physical issue in the players because of the amount of breaks and stops and on the other hand a large amount of games when returning to play. "Audience and it was a strange picture. You have to take into account that this strangeness will not change any time soon."
Whoever jumped a step during this period will open Ziv. A bit surprised that he stays another season.
'Once there was no dramatic offer, the big one was clear he would stay.
He also understands that he made the great blossom with us.
Besides, you have to take into account that it's a different summer.
It's a great decision for everyone. '
Where can he go?
'Physically it's something very important is 10. In everything else it keeps getting better.
He has all the tools to make a great career at the highest levels. '
On the bench as an assistant at Maccabi Tel Aviv. "A great basketball school" // Photo: Alan Shiber
You are also the professional manager of Elitzur Netanya from Leumit, there is no problem with this duplication of roles?
"All with the approval of Haim Ohayon, who was even enthusiastic about the move, which also includes collaborations. I am all about Gilboa and I set the schedule in Netanya accordingly. It really does not matter. What is the difference between this and a coach who also coaches the young team or an attorney who also Lecturer in academia?
I can say that if we were playing in a European factory, I would not take it.
If I thought something was wrong, I would not go for it. "
Lubin is considered an expert in young players and their promotion (see entry Yiftach Ziv).
When asked if he is more of a coach or more of a teacher, he replies: "I maximize abilities", and talks about aspirations for the future: "I prevent aspirations. The goal is to coach at the highest levels."
Euroleague?
"Yes, Euroleague."