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Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv’s new head coach Zan Tabak was formally introduced to the Israeli media in a press conference held at Menora Mivtachim Arena.
“For me personally, since age 14 basketball has been a lifestyle,” said Tabak in his opening remarks. “My wife is an ex player, my father in law is an ex player, my kids play. For someone like me, when you hear Maccabi you know what that means. For me to be chosen as the new coach of Maccabi is a special thing, I am proud and honored that I have been chosen as the head coach.”
When asked about the problems facing Maccabi, the new coach replied: “Unfortunately a job in life of a coach means if there is no problem, I wouldn’t be here. This is a coach’s life. I need to identify the problems all the way, not just in the middle. I need to talk to the players, to the assistant coaches, and everybody in the organization, and discover what the problems are before I can decide on the solutions and what we need to do. Player confidence has been affected, and the first thing for me to do is pick the players up as group and as individuals, to help them improve, and to make things simpler and not more complicated. Defensively, my philosophy is totally different than what has been applied until now.”
To a question about any changes he plans to make in the roster, Tabak responded: “I can’t make any replacements until I know the situation thoroughly. Our first goal is to mentally pick up the players as a group and to strengthen them in order to make a turnaround in the situation.”
As for his goals for the season, the coach was blunt: “When you accept a job offer from Maccabi you take for granted that they are going for the top. Maccabi is trying to go as far as they can and to win every possible title.”
Tabak went on to give some details about his background and approach to coaching: “I am 45 years old and have been playing and involved with basketball since I was 14. My life philosophy and my sports philosophy come 90% from the place where I got my start, Jugoplastika Split, where many of today’s great coaches got their starts. One thing makes me a little different – I left Croatia at age 22, and I continued to grow as a person in other places, including the U.S. On the one hand, I am clearly on the court and don’t step back from what I believe. But from the NBA culture I have learned to listen to the players, especially with this new generation of players you need not only to be really tough and ask players to give the maximum, but you also need to really listen to them on the other hand. I always try to think about what worked for me as a player. If they didn’t listen to me or insulted me….in my case that is not in the book.”
As for Maccabi’s young Croatian star Dragan Bender, Tabak had this to say: “I like to have young players on a team. In every team I have coached we always had young players who worked to be given an opportunity. I don’t like to say they were given an opportunity. I am not about giving, I am about – are you working for an opportunity?”