EFY BIRENBOIM, Head Coach

Coach, tell us about your team's roster for the next Euroleague season, what changes you made and what improvements you expect to gain from those decisions?
"First of all, at Maccabi Tel Aviv the expectations are always very high. We want to succeed very much in the Euroleague. We have changed a lot of players. We now have Carlos Arroyo, Rodney White, Jason Williams, Tre Simmons – the last two have played in Israel for the last two years – and we have a tall guy who comes from the Belgian League, Fischer, and together with the Israeli guys, we hope to succeed."
How much can you learn from the preseason about your team? What signs do you look for now that will help when the Euroleague starts?
"We started to practice late and like many other teams, we had three players with the national team and others just arrived. But I’m satisfied because whoever comes to Maccabi Tel Aviv wants to succeed and to prove himself, especially in the Euroleague. All together I think that if we have good chemistry among the players, we can have a very good team."
Now that all the other teams have mostly completed their rosters, how does the competition in the Euroleague this season look like to you? 
"We can learn from the last Olympic Games that basketball all over the world has developed. We some new things and we saw some things from the American team and not just the athleticism. Most of the good teams today want to make a show and to run and to play good basketball. And I know that the fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv like a running team, a defensive team that want to break all the time. But I know also from the other coaches in Europe that they understand that it’s not only basketball, but a show for the crowd."
What are your goals going into the new Euroleague season?
"For sure Maccabi Tel Aviv is for many years a successful team in Europe and we talk about reaching the Final Four like a lot of big teams in Europe do. It’s early, but Maccabi is a big club that wants to succeed all the time."