Hapoel HaEmek have moved to lock in the coaching staff behind their surprise run to the top of the Israeli Basketball Premier League table, announcing a three-season contract extension for assistant coach Golan Yablonovsky, ONE reports.
The extension comes on the heels of head coach Sharon Avrahami's own three-year renewal, agreed after he steered the Emek Valley club to first place in the standings and a State Cup semi-final in his very first season in charge, according to Walla Sport.
Yablonovsky joined Avrahami's bench when the pair arrived together for the 2025-26 season. He had previously worked as an assistant at Beni Herzliya under Dan Shamir, and for several years has also served alongside Avrahami with Israel's youth national teams, helping the squads to fifth place at the European Cadets Championship and sixth at the European Under-18 Championship.
"Hapoel HaEmek has become a home for me," Yablonovsky said, according to ONE. "When you find a place that gives to you and you give back to it, you know you are in the right place."
Avrahami was equally warm about his assistant. "Golan is much more than an assistant coach for me," he said. "He is very dominant within the staff and an excellent professional who helps us run the whole system."
The bench will not look identical to last season, though: Oded Hendler joins as a second assistant coach, arriving from Hapoel Galil Elyon in the Upper Galilee.
On the floor, several key contributors are staying put as well. Captain Roy Netzia, centers Niv Mesgav and Gil Noyovich, forward Lucas Goldenberg and guard Cameron Henry are all continuing with the team, giving Avrahami a settled core to build around.
With European qualification among the club's stated ambitions for next season, per Walla's reporting, Hapoel HaEmek's off-season message has been unmistakable: keep together the roster and staff that delivered its best campaign in years.
