By Lefteris Moutis/ info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Tel Aviv is finalizing a deal with Ainars Bagatskis to become the team’s new head coach, according to Eurohoops sources.
Over the past hours, the Latvian coach has gained ground on other candidates, like Zvi Sherf who initially appeared to nearing a return at the “Yellows” bench. Ultimately the club has decided to proceed with a different choice, hence the decision to make a move for Bagatskis.
Since the beginning of the season, the 49-year-old coach has been serving as an assistant to David Blatt in Darussafaka Dogus but the deal between Maccabi and him is almost done with only some details remaining to be resolved. Actually, the Israeli club hastened the related procedures in order to register him for Wednesday’s EuroLeague game vs CSKA Moscow, yet didn’t manage to beat the deadline.
Bagatskis has also been the head coach of the Latvian national team since 2010 and his prior experience at the helm of a EuroLeague squad was a successful run with Nizhny Novgorod in 2014-2015 when he led the Russian team to the competition’s Top 16.