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Tom Maayan headed back to Seton Hall after Israeli army grants furlough

Anthony Collins, Tom Maayan

South Florida’s Anthony Collins (11) defends Seton Hall’s Tom Maayan (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Big East Conference tournament, Tuesday, March 12, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

AP

One of the question marks for Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard this offseason was whether or not he would have the services of sophomore guard Tom Maayan. Maayan, a native of Israel, was thought to be done as a Pirate due to his need to serve the three-year stint in the military that’s required of all Israeli citizens (women are required to serve two years).

But Seton Hall, most notably former director of basketball operations Stephen Sauers (now the top assistant at Cal State Riverside), continued to fight with the hope that Maayan would be allowed to return to the program. That hope has become a reality, with the Israeli Defense Forces granting Maayan a 90-day furlough.

Maayan returns to the States today according to Jerry Carino of Gannett New Jersey, and the expectation is that the furlough will eventually be extended so the guard can finish his college career before having to serve. Maayan’s uncle, David Fuchs, was grateful for the effort Seton Hall put in on his nephew’s behalf.

“I’m telling you from my heart — I am a Jewish Israeli, Seton Hall is a Catholic university in America, and what they did for us, I don’t have words,” Fuchs said via phone Wednesday. “They took a broken child and they gave him a chance. From now until the end of my presence on Earth, I can’t say how much I appreciate what they did.”

Maayan was detained by the IDF for missing the date he was supposed to report for duty, ultimately serving in northern Israel. But no one gave up on the possibility of him returning to Seton Hall, regardless of how grim the outlook was. The end result is the return of a player who won’t have as much on his plate in 2013-14.

Maayan, pressed into playing the majority of his minutes at point guard due to the Pirates’ lack of options at the position, averaged 3.1 assists and 2.8 turnovers per game as a freshman and struggled offensively in the role. However Seton Hall has options at the point this season, with Texas transfer Sterling Gibbs eligible after having to sit out the 2012-13 season per NCAA transfer rules and freshman Jaren Sina having the ability to handle some minutes on the ball as well.

There will be more competition for minutes on the perimeter but this development will likely benefit Maayan (and Seton Hall) in the end.

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