There aren't many Israelis who can be proud of the fact that in their 20s they played basketball in front of 10,000 spectators in the US, or that ESPN had trouble pronouncing their last name. Raziel Hayon, Shahar Lazar, and Irin Hasson, who start their first season in the college league this week, will certainly be quite a few. experiences.
The three young and talented players decided to change course, and with the help of the U-Vision agency, they joined the top NCAA league this season.
Hayon, who will play at Manhattan College this season, tells Israel Hayom: "After two years in the Premier League with Hapoel Eilat, I felt that I wasn't getting enough opportunities. I went down to the national team with Maccabi Haifa, and despite a good personal season - we didn't meet our goals. I decided to leave for colleges to To improve professionally, but the fact that I could combine a degree, learn a new language and experience the US was also a consideration.
The work here is at a high level, they invest a lot of hours in learning the game."
Raziel Hayon.
Didn't get a chance in Israel, photo: Manhattan College
Shahar Lazar is also a name familiar to Israeli basketball fans.
The coordinator, who grew up in the youth department of Hapoel Tel Aviv, impressed in the national league, and this season he will play at New Mexico College. "The daily routine here is completely different," he says. the afternoon
To this you will add personal work and shooting training.
I improved a lot in four months."
Shahar Lazar.
Will play in New Mexico, photo: New Mexico College
For 18-year-old Yarin Hasson, the story is different.
The forward, who stands 2.07 m tall, played in Maccabi Rashel's youth team, and is considered one of the most promising talents in Israeli basketball. He even sparked interest in the development team of the Los Angeles Lakers, but in the end decided to join the prestigious Connecticut College. I was as good and dominant as I wanted," he admits. "I felt that I wasn't ready for the transition to seniors.
The work ethic here and the NBA-level facilities, along with the desire to develop players, are the perfect combination for me."
Connecticut College is considered one of the best in the NCAA league, it has won the championship title 4 times, and many NBA players have graduated from it including: Ray Allen, Kemba Walker and Andre Drummond.
For Israelis, it is of course remembered because of Doron Shafer and Nadav Hanfeld who played it in the past.
Hasson says: "Everything here revolves around basketball. A lot is invested in you, but also expected of you. I don't think there is anyone who has made this transition and will say that there are no difficulties, arriving in a new country, playing basketball that is very different, being surrounded 24/7 by people you have never met In addition to the fact that you are 13 hours away from the family, it is not easy, but it has more advantages than disadvantages."
Yarin Hason.
Presented in Connecticut, Photo: Connecticut College
Yarin Hason.
He was also in demand in the Development League, Photo: Connecticut College
"I have other ambitions besides basketball"
The dream of every college player is of course to reach the NBA, and of course the draft of the best league in the world consists almost entirely of players who impressed in the league, but there is no doubt that this is a shell that knows how to promote players in an excellent way, and even those who do not reach the highest level may stand out in the place of others.
For example, three of the leading Israelis in the Premier League today - Roman Sorkin, Kerem Mash'or and Igor Kulshov played in college in their youth.
Two other Israelis who will play in the senior division this season are Eyal Nankin, who is starting his second season at NJIT College;
And Michal Moskovitz (24), who grew up in Hapoel Jerusalem, was a significant part of the reserve team that won the European Championship in 2018, and is starting his second season in Pennsylvania.
Michael Moshokovitz
Opens second season, photo: Pennsylvania College
After one season in the USA, Nankin is satisfied with the decision he made: "Although with Elizur Netanya in the national league I was a five player, I felt that it would be difficult to make the jump to the Premier League.
Even if you do good numbers in the second division, it's not always enough.
I knew I didn't want to study in Israel, and I decided to go to the US. Even though I experienced a serious injury, I was accepted to NJIT, which was amazing."
The forward (22) does not hide the difficulties: "There is a lot of pressure to succeed both in studies and in basketball. It is not easy to be far from home. There are moments when I reach difficult mental states - but I am surrounded by great people who support me, and I never had the thought of giving up and returning to Israel ".
Nanjing sinks.
Pleased with the decision, photo: NJIT College
Professionally, Nankin hopes to return to Israel in a different capacity, but if that doesn't work out - he has an alternative: "When I finish here, I hope to find a team that will believe in me in the Premier League or in Europe, and not return to the same situation before I went abroad.
But I have other ambitions besides basketball.
I will not reject a job offer from which I can develop another career."
Nanjing
Suffered a serious injury, photo: NJIT College
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