David Blatt

David Leaf (Hebrew דייוויד בלאט; Russian Дэвид Блатт; born 22 May 1959 Louisville, Kentucky ) is an American- Israeli basketball coach and former professional player. Currently, he is also coach of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Career as a player

Leaf played as point guard at Princeton University for their high school team Tigers in the time 1977-1981, with whom he as captain the championship of the Ivy League won in the final year against the Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania, against the one in the previous year in the final game had lost by one point. In the nationwide finals 1981 NCAA then you already retired in the first round against the Cougars of Brigham Young University. As a member of the U.S. team, he participated in the Maccabiah Games in 1981, which was won by the U.S. team. Then he stayed in Israel and played for various Israeli clubs. After a ruptured Achilles ten years later, he began to concentrate on the work as a coach.

Career as a coach

During his playing days began sheet with the trainer work. The first steps as a coach he did with the youth teams of the club, where he was under contract. After the final end of his playing career he was assistant coach at Hapoel Galil Elyon from the Galilee Kfar Blum, who had 1993 series champion Maccabi Tel Aviv snatched the championship for the first time in 23 years. The new coach was fired during the 1993/94 season and leaf jumped in as interim coach before master coach Pini Gershon returned the following season to Hapoel. In the season 1995/96 sheet was then head coach and was named Coach of the Year by the Israeli league. He then also took over the responsibility for the Israeli junior national team before he assistant to the Israeli Men's National Team in 1997.

1999 Gershon became head coach of the dominant Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and leaf as in the 1994/95 season with Hapoel Galil his assistant. After winning the FIBA Suproleague 2001 Journal gave its activities to the Israeli Association for the time being and was Head Coach of Maccabi. When einstellten no further international success, Gershon moved back to the sidelines and was again head coach, while leaf moved as an assistant to the second member. After winning the ULEB Euro League 2003 /04 left leaf Maccabi and was head coach of the Israeli national team. At the same time, he joined as a club coach to Russia and became head coach of the newly founded association Dynamo Saint Petersburg. With this team, which had taken over the license from Awtodor Saratov, could you start internationally and won unbeaten FIBA Europe League in 2005. Due to disputes he finally stepped on his trainer's license back as an Israeli national team coach.

In the season 2005/ 06 sheet coached the team from Benetton Treviso in the Italian Serie A and led them to the domestic double. Then leaf was appointed head coach of the Russian national team, which he surprisingly led to the title after a final win against the favored hosts Spain at the 2007 European Championships. This was the first title after the collapse of the Soviet Union, whose national basketball team of the USSR 's record title holder of the European Championships. With his Italian club, he was less successful. The defending champions were withdrawn so that he ended up in fifth place on the eleventh and missed the play-offs for the championship in the championship twelve points.

After a year with the Turkish club Efes Pilsen in Istanbul and less successful 2008 Olympics with the Russian national team sheet with Dynamo Moscow trained a Russian team again and reached 2009, the national cup final. After a half-year commitment to the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki 2010 Leaf returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv. According to the 2010 World Cup Leaf wanted to give up his simultaneous employment as a Russian coach, but at the insistence of association officials, he remained and reached with the Russian team at the 2011 European Championships and at the 2012 Olympic Games respectively in third place.

As a coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv won the Israeli Double sheet 2011 and the Adriatic League in 2012.

Awards and achievements as coach

As an assistant coach

Winners FIBA Suproleague 2001
Winner ULEB Euro League 2004

As head coach

Israeli Champion 2002, 2003, 2011
Israel State Cup winners 2002, 2003, 2011, 2012
Winners FIBA Euro Challenge 2005
Italian Champion 2006
Italian Cup Winners 2006
Winners of the Adriatic League 2012
Winners of the European Basketball Championship in 2007 with Russia
Third Place at the European Basketball Championship in 2011 with Russia
Third Place at the 2012 Olympics with Russia
Coach of the Year 1996 Israel, 2002
Coach of the Year Russia 2005

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