After Maccabi Tel Aviv won its 58th championship with a 79-83 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv and a 3-1 series win in the Israeli league finals on Tuesday night, coach Oded Katash said he feels prepared to handle the EuroLeague’s biggest budget. In an interview with the Israeli sports program "Hamishiyot," he called the title "very special" and "one of the biggest," while praising his players for surviving an injury-hit, physically draining series.
Katash said the team was short-handed throughout the campaign and won the final two games largely through defense, which he said is unusual for Maccabi. He described the series as highly emotional but also unusually sporting, and thanked the crowd for its support. "This is the real reason you play basketball," he said, adding that the fans understood what the team had gone through.
He explained that the decision not to dress Lonnie Walker in the finals was purely professional, not personal. According to Katash, the team needed ball-handling guards and additional size after injuries to Tamir Blatt, TJ Leaf and Goor, while Walker was not a lead ball-handler. He said the roster had to be managed differently because of injuries to key Israelis and because Maccabi could not sacrifice a big man to keep both Walker and Oshae Brissett available.
Looking ahead, Katash said Maccabi must decide whether it wants to dominate only in Israel or also at EuroLeague level. He said the club needs continuity, EuroLeague experience and more quality, and that budget limits, the absence of a general manager earlier in last season, and the increasingly competitive Israeli market all affected roster construction. He said he would like John DiBartolomeo to sign, hopes Brissett stays, and made clear he is ready for greater responsibility: "I am very ready to manage the biggest budget in the EuroLeague."
