Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv held its annual gala press conference to kick off the start of the 2012 – 2013 season on Wednesday evening, in the V.I.P. Lounge at Nokia Arena.
By Amy Samin
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv officially opened the new season with its traditional gala press conference, held in the V.I.P. Lounge located in Nokia Arena. In attendance were members of the management, the professional staff, the players, reporters and honored guests.
The event began with remarks by Chairman of the club Mr. Shimon Mizrahi who spoke briefly regarding the matter of Yogev Ohayon, saying that they had met during the day in his office: “During the summer months, Maccabi and Yogev came to an understanding regarding a binding agreement for three seasons. Without our knowledge, Ohayon decided to sign a contract with Lokomotiv Kuban of Russia. After we refused to grant him a release from Maccabi, the player appealed to FIBA. We believed we were in the right, and were happy to receive the announcement that FIBA had determined that Yogev is a player under contract [to Maccabi] also for this season.”
Following Mizrahi’s remarks, the entire roster was introduced, veterans as well as newcomers, with each player featured in a brief highlight film. The finale of this portion of the evening was the announcement that Guy Pnini had been chosen to be team captain. Pnini told the crowd: “It’s a dream come true to play for Maccabi, even more so to be named captain. I’m joining the ranks of players who I used to dream of emulating. Now the obligation falls to me, and we are getting started on a new road. I believe in this team, and I hope we will have a good year.”
In addition to his previous remarks, Mizrahi stated: “Tomorrow the team sets off for training camp, during which there will also be games, and at the conclusion of the camp in Germany the team will head to Paris for a tournament, then return to Israel in time to participate in the Winner Cup tournament in Haifa. This year our Euroleague season begins on October 11 with an away game against Malaga. May the team achieve no less than they did last season.”
When asked about the possibility of Maccabi playing Euroleague games on Friday nights [the eve of the Sabbath], Mizrahi responded: “We always do our utmost to be considerate of our observant fans. We informed the Euroleague that we would not be able to play in Israel on Friday nights, but I cannot promise you that we will not play any away games on Fridays. As of now, there is only one such game, the game in Siena. We will do all we can to ensure that there be as few as possible games played on Friday nights, and certainly not in Israel.”
General Manager of the team, Eli Drikes, said: “More than 10,300 season tickets have already been sold, despite the difficult summer we’ve had, and for that we have our sales and marketing department to thank. The number of season tickets sold bears testimony to the support and faithfulness of our fans.” Shay Recanati, vice chairman of the team, added: “It was not an easy summer. We knew where we were going; we had to build a team with a lot of new players. This team has a lot of talent and a good chance of making it to post-regular season play. Danny (Federman) worked around the clock and I think this is the result. So far, the professional staff is satisfied with what we’ve got.”
Head coach David Blatt also addressed the audience, saying: “It’s an honor for me to begin another year and to present a team of fighters who are highly motivated to deliver for our fans and our sponsors and to be part of the amazing history of this club. The other coaches and I will do all we can to provide good and exciting basketball as we represent this club and our country.”
Regarding the many changes in his roster, the coach said: “I was surprised by the speed with which we were able to put together the puzzle pieces of a new team. We’ve brought high quality players, some of whom are familiar and some not, people with strong character and the ability to work together as a unit. What I’ve seen over time is that the level of work and obligation is high, and that we’ve had good teams here. Everyone here wants to prove himself.”
“Two years ago people also said it wouldn’t be realistic [to expect great achievements], and we reached the Euroleague championship final. Last year we were one basket away from going back to the Final Four, and that year we won four titles. This year, we’re going to start small, but there’s no title we’re not going to try for.” When asked about the chances of David Blu returning to Maccabi, Blatt said: “He’s deep into his studies in California and in his new life. Dave thinks a bit outside the box and he has his own ideas, and we want him to be happy. If he decides he wants to return to the court, we’re willing to talk.”
