There are reports that Shimone "Moni" Fanan, the face of Maccabi Tel Aviv as its general manager through the 1990s and this decade, has committed suicide. Fanan signed Casspi to his first professional contract at Maccabi in 2005. According to the news reports I've read out of Israel this morning, Fanan was considered to be a father figure to many of Maccabi's players, although there seemed to be resentment as Maccabi dominated the domestic league with foreign stars. But it should be noted that Maccabi's rosters also include a who's who of Israeli stars -- Casspi, Eliyahu, Burstein, Halperin.

Fanan had also signed a pre-NBA Beno Udrih to play for Maccabi, and built the powerhouse teams which won two straight Euroleague titles earlier this decade with Sarunas Jasikevicius and Anthony Parker at the controls.

Fanan left the team in 2008 to become a player agent.