Oded Kattash: 'Maccabi's role is not to solve problems of Israeli basketball' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv Credit Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

The newly-appointed Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv's head coach Oded Kattash held an introductory press conference following the arrival at the club.

2-pointers this season

53%20,5Points made:20,5Accuracy:53,3%Place in standings:3Record max:27Record min:11Most made 2FGs:Ante ZizicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Several days before the coach's appointment, the legendary specialist David Blatt was hired to an advisory role.

"I am very happy to have David Blatt join, it is a great thing for the club and for me. I feel it is a great privilege to work together with one of the greatest," Kattash started the press conference. "He joins as the chairman of the professional committee, and together we all take responsibility for building the team and also for the results."

"I know the fans want to know what the team will look like. We will make the decisions together. It's not that there is one person who determines everything. There are a lot of considerations and a lot of constraints," the new head coach explained. "There is a matter of continuity, of budget, of seeing eye to eye professionally. We can exchange opinions, even argue sometimes, until we leave the room with a decision we all agree on together as one unit."

Kattash has been the head coach of Maccabi before during the 2007-2008 season. Following a loss in the Israeli league to Ironi Ramat Gan, Kattash resigned on January 1st, 2008. At the time, the team was 6-3 in the EuroLeague after losing the Round 9 matchup at home against Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius.

"The feeling is completely different. It happened many years ago. I went through a way that I do not even remember so much. I come much more prepared, more cohesive. I'm sure things will happen a lot more right and better," Kattash remembered his previous time at the club.

"I can not comment on who leaves and who goes, the messages will come out neatly, but I can say that if there is a wide range between continuity and reconstruction, there is a bigger sense in the direction of something that will be rebuilt," the new head coach explained about the upcoming season. "That is the feeling. A strong and winning team will be built with other exciting names."

Israeli basketball on the European stage is largely dependent on Maccabi's performance. As indicated in our European leagues' ranking, primarily Maccabi are pushing the Israeli league and its players to the top.

David Blatt in attendance at Oded Kattash's press conferenceCredit Maccabi Tel Aviv

"There is a lot of talk about Israeli basketball, and the role of Maccabi Tel Aviv is not to solve all the problems of Israeli basketball," Kattash told in the press conference. "We will have to see our possibilities, and as you know me I believe - I've had great Israeli players and I gave a chance to a lot of young players. But I never did it because they were Israelis - a team with Israelis will be built here, but I do not think Maccabi should solve the problems and pay a certain price."

"It is important to have a team of various players, it is also important to have good and significant Israelis in the Euroleague so that there are no two different teams in both frameworks, it is also important that the players are of sufficient quality and can influence the game," the new head coach told about the Israeli players.

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