David BLATT

Date of birth: 22/05/1959

Place of birth: Boston (USA)

Team 2007-08: EFES PILSEN ISTANBUL (Turkey-TBL)

Career: Hapoel Galil Elyon (Israel-Premier League, 1995-99), Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel-Premier League, 2001-03), Dynamo St. Petersburg (Russia-Superleague, 2004-05), Benetton Treviso (Italy-Lega, 2005-07), Efes Pilsen Istanbul (Turkey-TBL, 2007-08)

International career: EuroBasket 2007 Qualifying Round, EuroBasket Final Round 2007, Olympic Games 2008

Nicknamed “The Magician” and “The Alchemist” during his successful stay in Italy where he coached Benetton Treviso for the 2005-06 and ’06-’07 seasons, the Massachusetts-born David Blatt surpassed expectations with Russia.
The Princeton graduate wrote history by leading the country to its first EuroBasket gold medal in Spain last year. Blatt, a naturalized Israeli through marriage, had won the Lega A and Coppa Italia up with Treviso and the FIBA Europe League with Dynamo St Petersburg. The European title, though, was arguably his finest hour. Blatt, also the former coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv, left Benetton for Efes Pilsen last summer but parted with the club in the middle of the campaign. He will coach Dynamo Moscow after the Olympics.