Avi Even reflects on his Maccabi days and the moment he realized Wilbekin was 'less hungry' / News - Basketnews.com

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Avi Even is currently in his 17th season with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. He finished the previous one as the head coach, after he managed to lead the team through a crisis and with an incredible winning streak, he pushed the Israeli powerhouse to the EuroLeague playoffs from fifth place.

Eventually, Maccabi came up short, getting swept by Real Madrid in the playoffs (0-3), while being eliminated by Bnei Herzliya (1-2) in the Winner League semis.

Following a season of painful losses and lessons, and before a new season starts, Avi Even was a guest on the podcast of ONE website and opened up in a conversation with Lee Nof Gazit and Moshe Barda.

"What did I do after we lost to Herzliya? We went into the coaches' room and I couldn't get up. I was terribly sad because I wanted us to win a championship for the club, for the fans and most of all for my children," said Avi Evan at the beginning of the conversation about the night in which he picked up a hitchhiker and bought him food.

"After two hours or so, I did some thinking with myself. I told myself that with I received the right to be on the sidelines and lead a club with such a crowd. I said that I must give back to the universe for the right that was given to me and this guy was standing on the right side," he recalled.

"It's a crazy journey. You don't have time to work, you're a soldier in a war. It ended in a very unpleasant way. I went to bed that night at four or five in the morning, I told myself I had to sleep. I woke up early and had to take a break.

I read a book. I finished reading it at 11:00 p.m. and went into a frenzy to prepare the next signings. You shouldn't sleep after a loss, certainly not after such a loss. I felt that this loss pierced my heart," Even confessed.

When asked what grade he would give himself, he replied confidently: "I'm not a person of grades. Even when my children come home with grades, I tell them, 'First of all be good and do the best you can.'

It was an amazing experience. Our EuroLeague trip was crazy. To win by 25 points in Barcelona was amazing. Even in the Israeli league, we were winning by 20-30 points. Unfortunately, from the moment we came back from the EuroLeague playoffs, we crumbled. One of the leading players told me 'I'm drained.' I tried to do everything I could to revive the team," the 46-year-old coach said.

"We came back from the series against Real Madrid. You look the players in the eyes and you see that something is not there. I don't blame one or the other player, we just came without energy," repeated Even. "That's why I was happy that we got Hapoel Jerusalem in the quarter-finals, because I felt that such a series with the emotions, the crowd and the rivalry could lift the players," he continued.

When asked about Scottie Wilbekin's time at the club, he answered: "Scottie was surrounded by players who I think are good EuroLeague players like (Othello) Hunter, (Tyler) Dorsey and (Elijah) Bryant. To put the success or failure on Scottie, I don't think is the right thing.

Had we won the championship this year, we would say that he had a good five years. After we came back from Madrid, I felt like, 'This is it, the man is less hungry'. I'm not blaming him, it's something that happens," Even commented.

Talking about the timing of him taking over Maccabi, Avi Even thinks that one should do that only "when they are old enough, experienced enough or with a clear perspective on life."

"I arrived with a clear point of view. Being the coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv is a 'dangerous' place. You can be in the clouds and you can crash, there is no middle ground. I didn't get to this place, I knew how to protect myself. It was an amazing and powerful experience, but I didn't forget who I am and the things that are important to me," he added.

As a member of the club's scouting department, Even has seen a lot of players at work. In explaining how his work helps the team locate the profiles needed in order to construct the best squad possible, Even explained that they "try to produce as large a portfolio as possible to get as much data as possible on each player. We interview and talk to many players over the years. You learn to understand who the person is through the conversation. Then you put all the things together and try to make assumptions."

In the conversation, Evan was asked about creating a vision that can lead to success, Even revealed that before Giannis Sfairopoulos was hired as Maccabi's coach in 2019, the Israeli coach went to meet his Greek colleague in Greece.

"I am happy that he has done amazing things here, I adore him. We won four championships, three with Scottie (Wilbekin), we made the EuroLeague Top-8 twice and once we didn't participate because of COVID. I think that in the last season we would have reached the playoffs regardless of what happened with the Russian teams."

Asked about the scouter's role, Even compared Maccabi with EuroLeague's heftier budgets.

"Let's say it's easier for Anadolu Efes to build a team. Their margin for error is smaller because they can afford to bring in the best players," he pointed out.

"Our work in the office involves a lot of phone calls. We need to know how much that player earns there and why the other player doesn't play. It requires a lot of travel. In the end, team chemistry is the one that wins, not the names of the players."

Talking about the team that Oded Kattash, Nikola Vujcic and David Blatt put together this summer, Avi Even said they are all "very talented and proven players that fit Kattash's style of play. Wherever David Blatt goes, he brings something extra to the table. David is hungry as usual. He brings knowledge, experience, wisdom, intelligence and an understanding of how important everyone's cooperation is," he explained when asked about the club's new consultant.

"This is not a team that will win hitting 17 three-pointers per game, but in a different way. There is a tough team here with a lot of energy," he replied when asked about the lineup in the backcourt.

Even also made a special mention to Roman Sorkin.

"What I want most is Roman Sorkin to have another amazing season. This past year, he was one of the most important players in Maccabi Tel Aviv. I'm interested to see how much he will grow, how much he will come to bite people's necks. He works hard and is an amazing kid."

Maccabi's ex-coach brought up a memorable story involving veteran guard-forward Guy Pnini, who's turning 39 next September and came back to the club to finish his career.

"Guy Pnini is a story to make a movie out of," Even said. "Many years ago when I was in Herzliya, I remember a season where a rookie chased Pnini in the middle of practice and wanted to beat him. He chased him with a shoe.

This kid slowly developed into one of the biggest winners. He has experience, basketball wisdom and an excellent relationship with Oded. These are elements that are sometimes worth more than what any other player can bring."

Naming Maccabi's goals for next season, Even said the expectations are for the perennial domestic champs to win both domestic trophies (championship and cup), in addition to reaching the EuroLeague playoffs.

"You never know how things will turn out. Last season, some argued that we should have lost to Fenerbahce and then things developed differently. If you're in a place where you get up in the morning with passion, then you're in a good place. I'm there."

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