A report in Israel over the weekend said that former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt would become a βprofessional consultantβ to the Arizona menβs basketball program, but the UA said Monday that Blatt is not joining the Wildcatsβ staff.
Israel's Ynetnews reported Sunday that Blatt would step down from his position as head of Maccabi Tel Aviv's managing committee because of his challenges with multiple sclerosis and join UA as a "professional consultant" for the upcoming season.
A legendary coach in Israel and other countries, Blatt does have a friendship with UA coach Tommy Lloyd, and Lloyd has said he considers Blatt a mentor. Blatt has also been seen at a handful of UA practices and games during Lloyd's first two seasons with the Wildcats, but the UA said there's no formal relationship between Blatt and the Arizona program.
Ynetnews quoted a senior official with Maccabi, saying that Blatt said he would leave his role with the basketball club because of health reasons and that the team had unsuccessfully tried to talk Blatt into staying in any capacity. The team has since said he would still have a role with the club.
"It seems he will permanently leave for the United States," the official told Ynetnews.
"His physical condition makes flying and related activities quite challenging for him, which is very unfortunate for us. He's keeping things close to his chest and we naturally respect every decision he makes."
In addition to his ties to Lloyd, Blatt has connections with the state of Arizona. Though Blatt was born in Kentucky and raised in the Northeast, his father lived in Arizona late in his life
Blatt and Lloyd, an assistant coach for two decades at Gonzaga before becoming Arizonaβs head coach two seasons ago, built their connection in part through former Gonzaga standout Jeremy Pargo.
Lloyd said he took his family to Israel to see Pargo play for Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he was coached by Blatt in 2010-11.
During Arizona's visit to Israel earlier this month, Lloyd told SportsRabbi.com’s Joshua Halickman that he became close to Blatt and considered him a "mentor of mine."
Lloyd also told Halickman that he tried to recruit Blatt's son, Tamir, for Gonzaga β and also tried to talk Tamir into playing for the Israel Select team that the Wildcats beat on Aug. 14.
Tamir Blatt, 26, recently signed to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv after spending the past two seasons in Germany.
"I wanted him to come to Gonzaga and he would have been a great fit, but he carved out a great career," Lloyd told SportsRabbi.com, then added with a chuckle, "I wanted to go at him a bit and have him play with Israel Select but he said that it won't happen."
Lloyd also said he asked Blatt if he would be around during UA's trip to Israel, but Blatt couldn't because he was leaving to be a consultant to the Canadian national team for the World Cup. Blatt is currently in Indonesia, where the Canadians have begun World Cup play.
While Blatt spent the vast majority of his coaching career in Israel and Russia, he took over the Cavaliers in 2014-15 shortly before LeBron James joined them and led Cleveland to the Eastern Conference title in his first season. But he was fired midway through the 2015-16 season, when the Cavs went on to win the NBA title under Tyronn Lue, and went to coach in Turkey.
Blatt last coached in 2019, when he announced his MS diagnosis, and has served in other basketball roles since then.
Meanwhile, former Kansas guard Evan Manning has accepted a job as UA's director of basketball operations. The son of Kansas legend Danny Manning, Evan Manning has worked on the basketball staffs of Wake Forest, Gonzaga and Army.
