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"We changed Maccabi Tel Aviv": Avi Even reveals the change in the selection of players

The head of the Yellows' scouting team tells which players he will no longer recommend signing for the team, why Maccabi Tel Aviv "is a different animal", why he also enjoyed the nightmare season and how Danny Abdia became the club's flagship project

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• Maccabi Tel Aviv in basketball

• Avi Even

Walla!

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Sunday, 07 February 2021, 13:47

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Watch Danny Abdia talk about his time in solitary confinement (Wizards Twitter account)

Avi Even knows Maccabi Tel Aviv before and after.

Who started his career in the Yellows' youth department and paved his way to the position of head of the team's scouting division - a position in which he has served for several years - was part of better dormitories and less than the eternal champion of Israeli basketball.

And as someone who has seen it all from the inside, he has quite a few insights, some of which he revealed in an interview with actor's agent Kevin Tarca.

First, Even talked about the method of selecting players at Maccabi Tel Aviv.

"We are looking for players who have the ability to contain the pressure of a big club, because Maccabi Tel Aviv is a different animal. There is a full hall in every game, the pressure is great, they always want to win, unlike some NBA teams. There were NBA players who came to Maccabi Tel Aviv and did not understand What does it mean to win every game? In the NBA there are teams that do not share the same approach. We are looking for players who want to win every game, who know how to deal with this pressure, those who know how to be part of a team. We do not need players who come and try to win the game alone "Being able to be part of a group is a super-important thing for us."

Even claims that what sets Maccabi Tel Aviv apart is the player development department that has intensified in recent years.

"We are aware of our shortcomings, and know that from a budgetary point of view, we have no ability to deal with teams like CSKA Moscow or Real Madrid.

We try to make up for it and focus on building and developing the players.

Most of the players come to us for more than one season, and we try to promote them as much as possible, day after day.

When a player joins us, we first ask ourselves what he needs to improve to take a step forward, and that is what we work on every day.

We spend a lot of time and energy on personal work with players. "

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Also enjoying the tough season.

Avi Even with Jean Tabak (Photo: Berni Ardov)

Even also referred at length to Danny Abdia, whom he brought to Maccabi Tel Aviv when he was young.

"I wish every scout and every coach an experience like I had with Danny. I knew his father a long time ago, and we brought him to Maccabi when he was mature enough. We built him slowly, until last year we built the team around him. We had coaches who worked with him every day, nutritionists, Video tutorials. I do not think I met a player with a work ethic like Danny's. He spends a lot of time getting better. At 16 he went up to train with the seniors, at 17 he started getting some minutes in the senior team. He did step by step, and last season he was "The best player on the team. Yannis did an amazing job with him, and so did the club."

One of the things that Maccabi Tel Aviv has been most proud of lately, are the young players that the club has grown.

"I am happy that we were able to build an organizational culture for Maccabi Tel Aviv," says Even.

"Even before Danny Abdia, Dragon Bender came to us as a youngster and then was selected fourth in the draft. Yuval Sussman was the MVP of the European Reserve Championship. We managed to build a certain organizational culture for the team, and when players come to us, they know we will take care of them. We tell them everything. Inside, and they respect that. When you see a player who wants to get better and achieve the goal, you realize that your club is moving in the right direction. I also meet players who just want to hear how good they are, and I usually understand that they are not built to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv. "Players who want to be the best they can be. If a player wants to hear all day how good he is, he has a clear ceiling. We don't want such players."

When asked what emphasis he puts on the selection of players at Maccabi Tel Aviv, he said: "Focus and stability, that's the name of the game at Maccabi Tel Aviv. You have to perform in every game, and can not be good one evening and then disappear. You must not take a day off. It is very important." .

The flagship project.

Abdia with Nikola Vujicic (Photo: Danny Maron)

Even recalls the difficult 2015/16 season that the Yellows went through, during which they were relegated from the Euroleague to the EuroCup, lost the championship in Israel and among other things gave him the keys as head coach for two weeks, between the dismissal of Guy Goodes and the appointment of Jean Tabac.

"The situation was terrible. On the other hand, it was also an outstanding season in terms of mental coping. Together with Jean Tabac, we had such a strong and cohesive team of coaches. We responded to the crisis like professionals. Even though we failed, we stayed together. I enjoyed this season immensely. "Yes, I was afraid I would be fired, because it's part of the business. It's something that can always happen, in any role, in any situation, but if you believe in yourself, you know you can find yourself in a better situation in the future."

On the day-to-day life of the team, Even said: "Our schedule is completely crazy, like the NBA team. The Euroleague is a very high level league, and it is no coincidence that players who grew up in the Euroleague are now successful in the NBA. There are lots: Luca Doncic, Danny Abdia , Even Brad Vanamaker. They used the Euroleague as a springboard to the NBA, and realized they had to be better to play in the best league in the world. The Euroleague is a super-intense league. Luckily, Israel is a very small country. "Like in Spain or other countries. But it's still not really easy. You have to be a top-level professional to get through it properly."

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