Urbani Ness Ziona finished a very disappointing season for them - from the relegation in the European Cup qualifiers, through the negative basketball and the wholesale exchange of foreigners during the season, to the non-immigration to the playoffs and the end of the season in tenth place.
The club's chairman Yaniv Mizrahi, who is responsible for the club's beautiful success over the years, concludes a season with an interview with Israel Today and answers all the questions and criticisms.
"In the end, we did not stand the test of the result. We really wanted to get to the playoffs and maybe even more, and unfortunately we did not succeed," he opens.
"I do not define it as a failure, because for me every season we stay in the Premier League is a gift. A failure for me is a relegation. I do agree that we did not meet our goals."
So what are the reasons for professional failure?
"I do not like excuses, but there are many reasons. Both the premature preparation for the European Cup qualifiers, and the lack of connection and chemistry between the players. If you check, we lost all the significant stations we had this season."
In the summer, you preferred Lior Lubin over the other options you had. What did not work?
"Lior is an amazing person. He is a personality and it was fun to spend the year with him. We have not yet decided whether he will continue or stay for next year. I do not examine a coach by one year, but it can not be ignored that there was a lack of success here. "We continue together. As a human being, I'm really not sorry that we brought Lior."
Lubin.
"Not testing a coach according to one season", Photo: Maor Elkelsi
At the beginning of the season, the goal was to promote the Israelis and that did not happen either.
"As a club we want to develop young people, and we also set up a player development department. At the beginning of the season it happened, and in the second part less. We had a lot of veteran players, less than Lior is used to, and it could have had an effect on what happened. "This is another thing we are looking at for next season."
This is not the first time you have a bad start to the season and need to fix in the middle. Maybe there is something you need to do differently?
"Unequivocally, that's one of the things we do not get. Maybe we should increase the foreigner budget in the summer, maybe start looking at earlier stages and not wait for reality at the end of the summer. When you bring in foreigners with not much money, you can not bring in anchors like other groups. That we need to change something in the process. "
Tal Dan is debating whether to continue next season. What do you think about it?
"I told Tal that as long as he wants to play basketball we will want him here, and even if he wants to stop we will find a way to integrate him into the system. He has a lot to contribute. What he gave to Ness Ziona not much was given to any team in the league. Give him his privacy. Decide quietly what he wants and what is good for him. "
Do you feel that you have managed to leverage your European Cup win?
"There is a lot of ways to leverage. Winning has pushed us forward on various levels such as sponsors, our status in Israeli basketball and the national recognition and great support there is today for building a hall in Ness Ziona. "New things, and we still have a long way to go. The fact that we did not receive a ticket to the European Cup home stage hurt us."
"We see a process of development in the department, there are a lot of graduates of our department in the senior leagues, and there were also some in the staff of the senior team, and we want to have as many as possible. Of course we are a competitive team and we need players to help us win."
Ness Ziona wins EuroCup, last season,
What will you do to have a better team next season?
"We are in the middle of the process of drawing conclusions. I have sat with most of the players so far, and I am also going to meet with Lubin. In these conversations it is easier for everyone to say what they think. There will be mistakes in the future, but we want to reduce them. We do not understand it. That two consecutive years replace three strangers out of four, it is not a situation we live with in peace.
"Right now I have some thoughts on how we are going to do better, even at the level where we are making decisions, but there is no magic here. We will continue to let the coaches choose players.
"After two years we have a reasonable time to build a team. I believe and hope that this time a better team is built, and that the fans will see next season a good and fun team that plays attractive and winning basketball."
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