Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv is pleased and proud to announce that Erez Edelstein has been appointed the team’s new head coach. “I’m excited to be joining Maccabi Tel Aviv, and committed to achievements and success in this distinguished club.”
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By Amy Samin
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv is pleased and proud to announce that Erez Edelstein has been appointed the team’s new head coach. Edelstein, who is known by the nickname Gingy, is one of the most senior coaches in Israeli basketball. He is a brilliant coach who has led the Israeli National Team since 2014; he will continue in that role in tandem with his position with Maccabi.
After his signing, Edelstein said, “I’m excited to be joining Maccabi Tel Aviv, and committed to achievements and success in this distinguished club. It’s a tremendous honor for me to be joining the list of great coaches who have led Maccabi to unforgettable achievements at the national and international levels. In the last few days I have gotten tremendous support and amazing reactions. I am excited and ready for the task.”
Maccabi chairman Shimon Mizrahi said, “We are proud to be starting on a new road. We are putting the team into trustworthy and professional hands. We are convinced that Erez will lead us to the kinds of records we are accustomed to setting.”
Erez Edelstein, 54, grew up in Afula and played for the Hapoel Afula basketball tam in his youth. He first head coaching job in the Israeli Premier League was with Hapoel Gvat in 1992-93. He went on to coach in the second division until he was called up to serve for two years as the assistant coach to Pini Gershon with Hapoel Jerusalem in 1995-96.
In the summer of 1997 he was named the head coach of Bnei Herzliya (for two years) before moving on to a two year term with Galil, which he lead to second place in the League in 2001. In 2002 he led Maccabi Ramat Gan to second place in the League and to the finals of the playoffs against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
He started the 2002-03 season with Hapoel Jerusalem, but partway through the season he moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv. In the 2003-04 season he led the reds from Tel Aviv to the playoff final in the Israeli League and the semifinals in FIBA’s Europe-league. He returned to Hapoel Jerusalem for the 2005-06 season, taking them to the final of the Israeli League Final Four, while in the ULEB Cup the team reached the semifinals.
In 2007-08 Edelstein moved to his only coaching stop in Europe, once again as assistant coach to Pini Gershon, with Greek powerhouse Olympiacos. He returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv for the 2011-12 season, bringing the club back to the Israeli Premier League after six seasons in the second division. He also coached the team in the 2013-14 season.
In his career in the Israeli Premier League, Edelstein coached 268 games: 150 wins and 118 losses.
In February of 2014, after holding a variety of positions with teams of various ages with the Israeli National Team, Edelstein was named the head coach and led the team to the European Championships in the summer of 2015, where they finished in tenth place (out of 24).
