Any child who wants to learn how to become a basketball player should take a course with Gal Mekel.
He will learn a lot about professionalism, hard work, setting high goals, motivation, right attitude, dedication to the game and a perfect lifestyle for an athlete.
If Mekel goes on a lecture tour about his path, about how to build a career and how to get the best out of yourself, it could be a hit.
The retired center is simply a model.
Mekel ends at the age of 34 a great career of one of the greatest coordinators who were here and nothing that reached him was taken for granted.
His engine was never-ending motivation.
We saw this motivation last summer when the guy insisted and managed to be in the team for the European Championship even though he was not a child and even though he hadn't played for a long time before that.
Pay attention to where he ended up: two championships in Israel outside of Maccabi Tel Aviv, reaching the NBA even though he was not selected in the draft, played in two Euroleague teams that are not Maccabi Tel Aviv, played in three teams in the Spanish league - the strongest in Europe, played twice in the Italian league, was team captain Israel, played in the national uniform for over a decade and participated in five European championships.
Gal Mekel in the uniform of the Israeli national team in 2010.
Wearing blue and white for over a decade, photo: Alan Shiver
We learned very quickly who Mekel is.
At the age of 21, he started the 2009/10 season at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
When he realized his position, he did not hesitate, demanded to be released to play, moved to Gilboa/Galil and at the end of that season won the championship at the expense of the yellows.
We also saw who Mekel is in the story of reaching the best league in the world.
With Omri Caspi and Dani Avdia, we knew very quickly that they would be NBA players.
With Mekel this is far from obvious.
Without being selected in the draft and with a tremendous investment and proper work, he conquered this peak.
It's called focus on purpose and character.
He was an example of maximizing abilities and achieved more than the sum of all his talent.
In many respects, the stick was a breakthrough.
Stick in a Dallas uniform.
The second Israeli in the NBA, photo: AP
Despite this, there were also mistakes along the way.
Some don't depend on it, some do.
First example: his dedication to the team knew no end, both with injuries and with difficulties he was always there and made a beautiful career in it which he finished as captain.
On the other hand, the failure was when he did not reach a really great achievement with the team in the European Championships, nor did he reach the biggest tournaments - the World Championships and the Olympics.
At the group level, his big miss was that he didn't have a home.
Mack has been with Mack's wanderings all his career.
Every season he almost moved from one place to another.
If he had managed to settle in one place, it would have further upgraded his achievements.
This meant that he ended his career without being identified with a team.
It could happen at Maccabi, and here comes a miss that is not only his.
Meckle played in the youth of the yellow team, and it was also his first team as a professional player.
For some reason the connection that was supposed to be classic did not flourish.
Stick.
Maccabi Tel Aviv actually had less success, photo: Liron Moldovan
Twice he was not received there with open arms, meaning with a systemic decision to let him lead.
Once because he was young and the second time because there was no consensus on his arrival.
With the talk that always exists about the Israelis in Maccabi, about looking for local symbols, it can be said that Mekel could be one of those and provide back beyond basketball, leadership and a personal example.
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