By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv is pleased to announce that Israeli guard Yogev Ohayon has signed with the club for the next three seasons.
"We are very pleased to add the very talented Israeli player Yogev Ohayon to our roster," said Maccabi's chairman Shimon Mizrahi. "Yogev has a lot of experience not only in the Israeli Premier League, but also in Europe. There are a lot of elements of his game that can help us, and we especially like his strong determination and desire to win, as they are attributes that characterize our club."
Maccabi's head coach David Blatt added, "We're happy to welcome Yogev to our family. He's a young and extremely talented Israeli who can contribute a lot. This is his opportunity to prove that he can play at the highest levels in Europe. I'm eager to start working with him, and to help him help us."
Yogev Ohayon (24, 1.88) grew up playing in the youth teams of Hapoel Galil Elyon, leading his team to the youth championships of the 2003 – 2004 season. He started playing professionally for Galil at the tender age of 17.5, in the 2004 – 2005 season. In January of 2005 he led Emek Hahula to victory in the Israeli Championship for high schools.
The amazing talent of this left-handed athlete was obvious from an early age, as he displayed a multi-faceted game and started accumulating triple-doubles. Ohayon is a great passer, adept at stealing, and an impressive rebounder especially considering the position he plays.
Despite his youth, Ohayon has already played in the Israeli Premier League for seven seasons. Ohayon played for Galil for four seasons (averaging 11.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in his final season in 2007 – 2008). Also in his last season with Galil, Ohayon was crowned King of Steals in the Israeli league, with an average of two per game.
In 2008 – 2009, he joined Ironi Nahariya, where he finished with an index average of 14.3 – third in the ranking of all Israelis in the league, coming after Omri Casspi and Lior Eliyahu. For the last two seasons Ohayon has played for Hapoel Jerusalem. Last season he finished with averages of 8.7 points, 5 assists (third in the league), 3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals (sixth in the league) per game.
This outstanding guard has been an integral part of Israeli National Teams of all ages, and is currently playing for the Men's National Team, which will be taking part in the European Championships in Lithuania next month.