Lior Eliyahu

From Hoopedia

Lior Eliyahu (Hebrew: לִיאוֹר אֱלִיָּהוּ ;born September 9, 1985, in Ramat Gan, Israel) is an Israeli basketball player who currently plays for Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

Eliyahu grew up in the youth system of Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan, but moved to the Galil for the 2004-05 season, in order to further his career. The move paid off when, under the guidance of Oded Katash, Eliyahu made great strides in improving his game. After the 2005-06 season, Eliyahu entered the 2006 NBA Draft, a move criticized by Hanoch Mintz, Eliyahu's coach during his time in Ramat Gan.

In pre-draft camps in Europe, Eliyahu impressed along with fellow Israeli Yotam Halperin and when the camp was finished in Treviso, Italy, both had dramatically climbed the mock draft charts. On June 28, 2006 he made national headlines in Israel by being selected by the Orlando Magic with the 44th pick of the 2006 NBA Draft.

He was later traded to the Houston Rockets for cash considerations.

Currently, Eliyahu has one year remaining of mandatory IDF service before he can join a club abroad. Subsequently he signed a contract with European basketball powerhouse, Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

He also impressed during recent matches of Maccabi against NBA teams. This year in the Euroleague Eliyahu is showing off his talent. He is a regular in the starting lineup, and averages almost 12 PPG.

In the summer of 2007, The Rockets believed to have had training sessions with Eliyahu. Rockets manager Daryl Morey said that Eliyahu's performance in workouts and summer league could determine if he earns a spot on next season's (07/08) roster.