By ALLON SINAIhasin 311(photo credit: AP)
Elad Hasin received the best birthday present he could have wished for on Thursday when he was named as the new Maccabi Haifa coach.Hasin, who turned 30 years old on Thursday, will replace Avi Ashkenazi and is expected be the youngest coach on the BSL sidelines next season.“I am honored to have the opportunity to be the head coach of such a historic team as Maccabi Haifa,” Hasin said.“It has always been a life-long dream of mine to be a head coach and I am completely dedicated to this team, the community, and the organization.”Hasin spent the past two seasons as Ashkenazi’s assistant coach, helping the team reach the BSL and State Cup finals in the 2008/09 season before suffering a disappointing exit in the playoff quarterfinals last week, which resulted in Ashkenazi’s departure.“For the past two seasons, I have had the chance to observe Elad’s dedication, leadership, and knowledge as a basketball coach,” Haifa owner Jeffrey Rosen said.“It is clear after discussing with him my vision for the future of the Maccabi Haifa organization that we both have the same objectives and I am confident that Elad is ready for the head coach position.”Despite his relatively young age, Hasin has a wealth of coaching experience at the highest levels. He served as assistant coach for Maccabi Tel Aviv under Pini Gershon in the 2005/06 season and also spent the 2006/07 campaign as an assistant to Gershon, this time at Greek powerhouse Olympiacos.In 2003, Hasin served as an assistant scout under coach John Calipari at the University of Memphis.
