Maccabi Tel Aviv takes on Real Madrid in a Euroleague best of five quarterfinal series for a right to advance to the Final Four in Belgrade beginning on Wednesday in Spain. Game two will take place on Friday night as well in Madrid while game three and if necessary game four will be next week in Israel while game five will be back in Spain the week of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day.

Interim coach Avi Even will certainly have his work cut out for him as he moved from the scouting department over to the sidelines just a couple of months ago. While the Israeli has worked as an assistant coach in the past under the likes of David Blatt, Pini Gershon, Tzvika Sherf and Guy Goodes, he is a relative unknown across the continent.

In order to take a look at what the general consensus is of Even’s abilities on the bench, The Sports Rabbi reached out to a number of journalists around Europe to see what they had to say as the series is about to get underway.

Lukas Feldhaus from Magenta Sport in Germany had this to say about Even and why he has been successful thus far with the Yellow & Blue:

“I have the feeling that some players play with more confidence as Avi Even has given players more freedom to play. I believe that under Ioannis Sfairopoulos, the system has been too much centered around Scottie Wilbekin and it was a bit too rigid and one-dimensional in terms of options and outcomes in half court sets. The system, which worked well in the first 1.5 season under Sfairopoulos, didn’t have success any more. I believe that players like James Nunnally benefit from having more freedom within Even’s system and that the faster play style helps getting everyone involved.”

“I still think Sfairopoulos is a great coach and that his play style, which is a lot about defense as well as Xs and Os from a tactical standpoint, didn’t fit well to the rosters Maccabi built before this and also before last season. I think Even has adapted well to the roster while Sfairopoulos tried to put players into certain roles which couldn’t be filled out by some players.”

Matteo Andreani from Basket Inside out of Italy also shared his thoughts about Even:

“Honestly, I didn’t know him so much before he’s taking the bench of Maccabi. I think he’s doing a great job, making again the team united with great enthusiasm at the end of the Regular Season. Now, with a Real Madrid in crisis, everything can happen and Maccabi could be the real surprise of the competition. With Avi Even, Scottie Wilbekin now is a true leader and not only a superb scorer.”

Vasiliki Karamouza from BN Sports and King Bet in Greece credited Even for the change in Maccabi:

“Obviously what Maccabi managed to do the last month or so it’s impressive. A while ago everybody thought that Maccabi wouldn’t make it to the playoffs.

“When something doesn’t work out the head coach is always the first to blame, the escape goat. Also the fans are very demanding, due to the team’s history, so I kinda understand the reason why the management of the club decided to part ways with coach Sfairopoulos. They tried to put the team in a state of shock.

“Avi Even, who had previous experience with the team and knew the special needs of the club, managed to get the best out of its player and turn things around. So he definitely deserves credit for it. Although I think any criticism or evaluation should be made when the season is over!”

Christos Harpidis also from Greece and Total Basket Gr and Bet Corner News spoke about about how Even adapted to the roster:

“He replaced Sfairopoulos and adapted the style of playing to the current roster. Players like Nunnally, Williams, Evans and others in Maccabi have to run the court, and Even’s style helps them to express their high abilities. You can also see from the outside that he created a good atmosphere among the players and brought back to life players like Ziv, Sorkin and more.”

Finally, Mario Gomez from Spain’s ACB.com, Solo Basket and enCancha gave a full rundown on his thoughts as to Avi Even’s accession to the head coshing role similar to Xavi Pascual:

“In Badalona, we are always clear that in order to strength the first team, we must give opportunities to players or coaches who trains at youth categories. People who know, understand and have extensive knowledge about basketball both in and outside the court. Understanding from the beginning the Joventut DNA has had for decades, following a path of constant learning until reaching the basketball professional world.

For me, the same formula is applied by Maccabi with the commitment of Avi Even as head coach of the Israeli team until the end of the season. After the end of the Sfairopoulos era, losing at Cup semifinals and the rise of Hapoel Jerusalem as the main local opponent. The fear of not being among the first 8 qualified teams at the Euroleague Regular League, made the difficult decision of dismissing the Greek coach.

They thought to convince an experienced on the bench like Oded Kattash, but he rejected the offer for the moment because he was now at the halfway of the season. Let us remember that the Maccabi legend is currently nowadays the Panathinaikos coach and Israel national team too.

But as I said, the solution was found at home. Avi Even, a person who loves this sport and has been in Maccabi Tel Aviv for so many years as a scout, technical director, coach at youth categories and personal trainer of national players such as Zoosman, Levy, Zalmanson, Avdija… A good coach with the knowledge of players who can have an impact on the first team. In addition, the respect that he has in the club, being part of the technical staffs as an assistant in recent years. He even made his debut as 1st coach in 2016 for 2 games before the arrival of Zan Tabak.

Many experts would say that he has no experience in elite basketball. But the answer to this question has already been answered by him and his staff (Noam Levy, Doron Perkins) revitalizing the team and achieving prestigious wins against big teams like Real Madrid, Fenerbahce or FC Barcelona. Consolidating a group that will compete for the Super League and will have a big battle against Real Madrid to reach the F4 in Belgrade. With more wins than losses, it is clear that the winds have been blowing in Maccabi’s favor now.

With his arrival, I find a clear similarity to the bet that Barça had with Xavi Pascual in 2008-2009 season, replacing a coach like Dusko Ivanovic. Achieving the 2nd place at ACB Play-off and reaching Euroleague’s semifinals at F4 in Berlin. A club coach, with an extensive knowledge in youth categories, who managed his innovative ideas until he remained in the professional elite with his staff team, obtaining titles and the respect of the entire basketball world.

There is a long way to go and the pressure will be strong, but why can’t you think that Avi Even can be a long-distance coach in Maccabi Tel Aviv? Time and results will tell, but the evolution of the team proves it.

Next challenge, Pablo Laso’s Real Madrid. No doubt about it, they will have opportunities to beat the Spanish team if they will play physically with a big role of bench players and national youngsters.”