A couple of days later, on February 17, Sahar was once again included on Maccabi's roster, this time for the home game versus Bnei Hertzeliya. In that one, the 1.95-meter forward nailed a three-pointer for his first points as a professional.
"When Coach Sfairopoulos called my name to enter the game, the crowd stood up, clapped hands and encouraged me by calling my name – something I have never experienced," he said. "My teammates were incredible. They played the game so that I was able to make my shot. It is hard to describe what I felt when I hit the three-point shot. Everybody was happy for me, the crowd, my teammates and the coaches. I will never forget that day.
Said Sahar has since got into two more games, and in three of the four, he sat alongside fellow 2001-born Maccabi talent Deni Avdija. The two have already been through many shared experiences both in the Maccabi youth system and the Israeli national team.
"We learn in the same school, we are close friends on and off the court, and our families are close. Deni is the 'full package'. He is not only super-talented; he is an amazing guy. He is a hard worker. He understands the game better than others and he is very confident, but not arrogant. He is a person with great integrity and a big heart that is loved by everyone. He is a leader, but unlike many superstars, he believes that part of his role, as a leader, is to make others better. We love playing together," Sahar said of Avdija, who was named to the all-tournament team at the ANGT Munich.
"At Maccabi, we were nicknamed the 'D Brothers' because we have a blind understanding. At any given time we know exactly what we are going to do and how we feel."
The "D Brothers" also showed what they can do for they country's youth national teams. At the FIBA U16 European Championship 2017, Israel beat Croatia and Serbia before then finishing 11th.
"For me, this was probably the most memorable event. It was the first time I represented my country in a European championship – something I will always remember," said Sahar, who averaged 7.7 points and 4.4 rebounds, including 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals against a Serbian team that finished third.
"I think that everyone except us was surprised that we managed to beat amazing teams. Personally, the game against Serbia made a difference for me. It was my best game in the tournament and gave me a lot of confidence that if I work hard, I can compete at this level."
Last summer, Israel had strong team – including Avdija among others – and was looking to get back into the Division A at the FIBA U18 European Championship level. But after winning the first two games, Sahar suffered a major ankle sprain just 56 seconds into the third game against Czech Republic. Israel lost that game and Sahar was lost for the rest of the tournament. Israel, Netherlands and the Czechs ended up in a three-way tie atop the group and because of a tiebreak, Israel finished third and failed to reach the quarterfinals.
"The pain in my ankle was nothing compared to the pain we all felt when losing the game," Sahar said.
