Seton Hall point guard Tom Maayan played his last game for the Pirates Tuesday night because he must head home to Israel to serve in the army.
“Last night was my last game as a pirate..I love my teammates! and have all the respect and love for my coaches!” he wrote on Facebook after the Pirates beat NJIT, 71-55.
“it is sad to leave..I really believe in this this and I know they gonna kill it!
I appreciate all the love and support I got from the SHU fam! it has bean a great chapter in my life! and I will miss it allot!
It’s been an honor to wear the SHU jersey! wish luck for the rest of the season! let’s go pirates!!”
All Israeli men over the age of 18 must serve three years in the Israeli Defense Forces. Maayan spent three months in the army over the summer and then, after much lobbying, he was allowed to come back to play with the Pirates for the fall semester. He is due back in Israel by Jan. 2.
“He has an opportunity to get back home and further his career and take care of his obligations to the military,” Pirates coach Kevin Willard told The Star-Ledger.
Willard said the scene in the locker room was “emotional.”
“It sucks,” Willard said. “The locker room was upset when I told them.”
Point guard Sterling Gibbs told the Ledger: “We knew about it, but it was definitely tough. Tommy’s like a brother to us. It’s like losing one of your brothers.”
