Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv held their traditional gala press conference to open the new season. Goodes: “There’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of hard work and discipline, and a desire to be remembered as a team that accomplished something.”
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By Amy Samin
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv officially opened the 2015-16 season with the traditional gala press conference, held in the Maccabi Hall of Fame at Menora Mivtachim Arena.
Club Chairman Shimon Mizrahi: “Unlike in years past, this summer we did not play against an NBA team, but against a Euroleague team on American soil. Similarly, NBA teams have been coming to play in Europe, for example tonight Real Madrid will play against the Boston Celtics. The connection between the Euroleague and the NBA has never been stronger… I was at the training camp in France. A lot of credit goes to the coaches and the staff for unifying the team into a strong unit. Then we had the trip to the United States, and the Winner Cup… Jordan Farmar is familiar with the club, and Taylor feels at home. I wish them al success.”
The team’s head coach, Guy Goodes: “Personally, I always feel emotional when I sit here in the Hall of Fame, a place that holds the history of Maccabi basketball. I think it’s especially important for the younger players and the new players on the team to be here, to get some idea of what it means to be part of Maccabi. There’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of hard work and discipline, and a desire to be remembered as a team that accomplished something.”
“After last season, we’ve learned it’s important to deepen our roster. We have 8 new players. It’s not an easy job for the training staff to connect them. To their credit, they have sacrificed a lot. There is a lot of passion, commitment, hard work, and positive energy… There are always expectations of Maccabi. We’re about to start a long season of 80+ games. We don’t want what happened last year to happen again this time, with players out with injuries at the end of the season, and losing the championship… We’re looking at changes in the systems, including the Euroleague… We have a quality roster and they will fight for all possible titles.”
Goodes also addressed the character of the team on offense: “When we started filling out the roster we had a certain purpose. It started with the signing of Rochestie, and continued with Farmar, who transformed us into a very strong offensive team. The players on the team are very talented offensively. We strengthened the guard position substantially, and we brought high quality players for every position. Those are things we didn’t have last season… Despite all of the laws that were passed, we have built a team that can compete at a high level in every league and competition.”
Jordan Farmar answered a question posed to him by a young member of the Maccabist fan club: “The last time I was here it was a wonderful experience. I’m very excited to be back. We all understand what the essence of Maccabi is.”
