Basketball / The IBA's reluctant savior

"It was hard for him to realize that he would no longer be coaching basketball," recounted a close associate of Zvika Sherf after the veteran coach finally accepted an offer to chair the Israel Basketball Association's (IBA) professional committee, an appointment the IBA is expected to ratify today.

The road to Sherf's appointment has been particularly bumpy. On October 1, the IBA's professional committee decided to establish a subcommittee - composed of committee head Eitan Rub, Motti Amsalem, Eldad Akunis and Momo Lutzki - with the aim of recommending a new national team coach as well as an overall coach for the national youth and junior teams.

In its first meeting, the subcommittee immediately proposed releasing Sherf from his position as national team coach (which he had held for four and a half years), and appointing him as the IBA's professional manager. "From the outset we all wanted Zvika to become an overall coach for all the national teams," one committee member recalled yesterday. "This is the role that Yoram Harush filled for the junior teams, but Zvika will have even more authority. We decided to first close the matter with Zvika, and then look for a new national team coach."

Another committee member said: "We analyzed all the options for the coaching and professional management positions, and reached a consensus that we have to bring in professionals who will lead processes that will change the IBA."

Rub reached the conclusion that a structural change within the association is called for. "The association has existed for 40 years and nothing has changed," he told his associates. "This is a business that turns over tens of millions of shekels, and there's no reason it shouldn't be managed in a professional manner."

"Eitan has had the idea in his head for some time now that the association must be managed more professionally, so that there won't just be more politicos involved," one IBA source said yesterday.

Earlier this month, Rub met with Sherf to offer him the new position, but Sherf turned him down. "He didn't like what he was offered," explained a source close to Sherf. "He rightfully wanted to continue to coach the national team. All in all, he's done a good job - reaching the European Championships was an achievement. The problem was that he built up expectations when he told the media that his aim was to finish in the top eight."

That same committee member suggested to Sherf that he give up his coaching position. "I told him it wasn't worthwhile coaching the national team because its chances of reaching the [European] finals are not great, and the failure [to reach them] will be seen as his. Zvika agreed with me that next year's qualifying tournament will be harder than in previous years."

Sherf's refusal to accept the new role led Rub to realize the importance of handing the keys over to a professional, and he then made the surprising decision to resign from his post as professional committee chairman in favor of Sherf. "If I'm the one standing in the way of such an appointment, then I should be the one to step aside," he explained.

"Nobody asked him to leave," said one IBA source, "but he realized that the professional committee chairman must be at work every day, and he doesn't have the time for that. It was a commendable move."

Not that everyone sees Rub's move as noble. One IBA executive member said, "He apparently doesn't want to be professional committee head any more. He doesn't want the failures to stick to him."

"He fights tooth-and-nail for the job and then forfeits it so easily? Maybe there's something we're unaware of," said another.

Even after Rub offered Sherf the chairmanship, Sherf continued to refuse because he wanted to coach. But following another round of persuasion, Sherf finally acceded and accepted the job. "In the end he didn't have a choice. He realized that he wouldn't be the national team coach much longer [anyway]," said a source close to Sherf.

Sherf's new role is seen as a promotion within the IBA. "He wasn't fired as national team coach. He's certainly suitable to serve as the coach, but at this stage it's more important to have a professional manager - and the most suitable person for that job is Zvika Sherf," says a high-ranking IBA official. "He's received an unprecedented set of responsibilities: chairman of the professional committee, professional manager at the IBA, head of the academy. He's responsible for the national teams' training programs, and he will oversee all the leagues and infrastructure from juniors up to the senior teams."

Sherf apparently understands the size of the task before him. Otherwise it's hard to imagine why he would accept a job that does not allow him to coach basketball for the next five years. At least he will not be required to quit his other job as a basketball commentator for the sports channel.