Hadar hired as Hap TA coach weeks after leaving Maccabi

“Hapoel Tel Aviv is happy to announce the appointment of Hadar as the team’s coach until the end of next season.”

By ALLON SINAI
Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Rami Hadar (photo credit: ADI AVISHAI)
Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Rami Hadar
(photo credit: ADI AVISHAI)
Less than three weeks after he resigned from his position as the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Rami Hadar was appointed on Tuesday to guide arch-rival Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Hadar began the season as Erez Edelstein’s assistant at Maccabi before taking his job following Edelstein’s surprise sacking just five games into the campaign.
Hadar lasted less than two months, with his short tenure coming to an end when he resigned a day after the humiliating 83-58 loss at Red Star Belgrade, the yellow-andblue’s third straight defeat in the Euroleague. He guided the team in 18 games in total, but didn’t remain out of a job long.
The 50-year-old signed with Hapoel until the end of 2017/18 on Tuesday after former Jerusalem coach Danny Franco turned down an approach from the Reds.
Hadar, who will become the first coach to guide both Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv in the same season, replaces Sharon Avrahami at Hapoel after he was sacked on Sunday. Hapoel fell to 6-6 in the BSL with last Thursday’s 82-77 loss to Maccabi Haifa and was knocked out by Jerusalem in the State Cup round of 16 last weekend.
Hadar’s first game at the helm will be against Maccabi Rishon Lezion on Saturday and he will already face Maccabi Tel Aviv in an intriguing showdown at Yad Eliyahu Arena on January 21.
“Hapoel Tel Aviv is happy to announce the appointment of Hadar as the team’s coach until the end of next season,” read a club statement.
“Hadar progressed over recent years from the National League to Maccabi Haifa at which he served as an assistant coach when it won the championship and then coached the team for two years. He served as an assistant coach and head coach at our crosstown rival this season.”
Hadar got life as Maccabi’s head coach off to a promising start, including three straight wins in the Euroleague. But matters quickly spiraled out of control, with home defeats to Efes Istanbul and Bamberg, two mediocre teams by Euroleague standards, being followed by the embarrassing loss at Red Star Belgrade.
Three days prior to the humiliation in Serbia, Maccabi also dropped a 14-point lead in the final six minutes to lose to Hapoel Gilboa/Galil in BSL action.
“After the game last night in Belgrade, I decided to ask the team’s management to be relieved from my position as head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, reaching the conclusion that I cannot make the necessary changes to the team,” said Hadar at the time.


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