Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saar Balancing Hoop Dreams with Civic Responsibilities
12/7/2022 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Exploring former Lady Raider Dor Saar’s journey back home
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.-- Unforgettable athletes are often known for things like teamwork, leadership, integrity, but in Israeli native Dor Saar's case, courage and responsibility describe her best traits.
After making a strong impact in her lone season with MTSU's women's basketball program, Saar flew back to her native country of Israel to serve in the military for two years.
This is a requirement to every native after they turn 18, even for athletes with professional aspirations. Saar could've looked at this situation with a sense of bitterness, but her selflessness understood that this was bigger than herself. Fortunately for Saar, loyalty to her country didn't mean her basketball career was over. In the past five months she's been paving the way for new experiences while balancing military duties with a basketball career.
Even in the recruitment process before signing on with MTSU, the Israeli native made a strong initial impression.
"With her mindset, she was a different type of person from the day I started recruiting her," Lady Raider associate head coach Matt Insell said. "Dor wanted to learn, and she knew more about our offense than a lot of the girls that were already here."
Throughout last season, the fifth-year guard and coach became closer with what started as mutual respect to family. "My wife and I consider her like a daughter," Insell explained. "My kids think of Dor like a sister and that continues to this day."
Matt Insell's coaching tenure extends beyond MTSU as he was head coach at Ole Miss, and an assistant with Kentucky. Not once had he worked with a player from Israel, and Insell noticed the tendencies that made Saar unique right away.
"Israelian kids have a different mindset in the way they attack things," he said. "It's a very serious approach that stems from how they're raised. Dor knew her objective while she was here and that's the way she approached things."
Last season was special for the Lady Raiders because along with Saar, the team welcomed two more promising international prospects in Anastasiia Boldyreva and Kseniya Malashka. These three players shared a unique bond as newcomers because of their experiences playing ball overseas.
In Boldyreva's case, transitioning from Moscow to the states could've been a difficult adjustment. Saar got in touch with the then-freshman within the first two days she arrived in the 'Boro.
"When I got here last year in September, she messaged me and welcomed me to the team with open arms," Boldyreva said. "We hung out, she brought food, and really made me feel comfortable. As a point guard she communicated very well with the team, it was almost like we had a coach playing on the court."
For Malashka, she's known Saar since a very young age when they competed in the U18 European Championships against each other in Macedonia.
"She was the best player on her team, and I was the best player on my team," Malashka said. "Coach Matt (Insell) asked me if I knew her, and I told him she's an amazing point guard. She was a leader that found an individual approach to every member of the team. A true point guard with a European mindset that created shots for everyone and made beautiful plays."
Saar hopes that she passed along a few things to her former teammates before she departed.
"I hope I taught them how to be leaders, a good work ethic, and how important chemistry is to a team," she said. "From what I've heard they did learn some things, so I think they're going to look good, especially with all their potential. As soon as I get to the states, Tennessee is the first place I'm going because I really miss them."
As the season came to an end for the Lady Raiders last year, Saar packed her bags, said her goodbyes, and headed back home around May.
"When I came back, I was working out for the national team," Saar said. "Afterwards, I had three weeks of military training at one of the bases, so I had to take a break from the game. Being in basketball shape helped, but the worst part is wearing the boots and the four-to-five hours of sleep allowed. It was a cool experience but thank God I'm over with it."
When training was complete, she was assigned a role that mainly revolves around administrative work. Throughout her military tenure, Saar is required to work in the bases' office two-to-three times a week to help with paperwork.
"It's different for athletes," she said. "We apply for something called athlete service, and we don't have to go every day for four hours each so we can train with our teams."
Saar made her professional debut overseas for Ramat Hasharon of the Israeli National League this past November after signing a one-year deal for the club. Thanks to some stipulations made by the Israeli military, she's able to play at home while still being close to the base and for certain road games.
"One of the conditions as an athlete is how close the gym I train in is to our base," she added. "The gym I train in is only a 30-minute drive away."
For games on the road, Saar needs to follow a process that hasn't given her much trouble to this point.
"We've played in Hungary, Serbia, and are set to play in Greece later," she added. "For me to be eligible for those road games, I have to get a few waivers from the Israeli Basketball Association, as well as the military. The two contact each other, and the military makes sure the country isn't dangerous. Maybe if we played teams in Turkey, it might be a little iffy, but I'm not worried about it now. If we qualify for the next round, we'll have to see then."
Saar also played in one of the more recently added Olympic sports, women's three-on-three basketball this past summer for her national team.
"It's a league that goes on all throughout the year," Saar explained. "I played in the under-23 tournament, and it was a lot of fun. You play without a coach, and music blasting so it was a really good time. I still prefer five-on-five more, there's a lot of tactics and strategy. I like to study the game, and there's so much more to think and learn about in regular play."
With a bounty of unique experiences within the game Saar's future aspirations look less like a pipe dream, and more of an inevitability thanks to a lenient schedule.
"I want to continue playing EuroCup, then play in EuroBasket, and maybe even the WNBA," Saar said. "In five years, hopefully I'm still playing and when I'm done, I want another career in sports management. It'd be great to work for a sports team, a club, or even FIBA."
As Saar continues to work and grow as a leader, one thing is for sure. MTSU will never forget the stamp she made on the Lady Raiders in the short time she was here.
"Very rarely do you see a player like Dor make such an impact on a team, fanbase, and program as a whole," Insell added. "She's a special human being, and I know the community misses her."
After making a strong impact in her lone season with MTSU's women's basketball program, Saar flew back to her native country of Israel to serve in the military for two years.
This is a requirement to every native after they turn 18, even for athletes with professional aspirations. Saar could've looked at this situation with a sense of bitterness, but her selflessness understood that this was bigger than herself. Fortunately for Saar, loyalty to her country didn't mean her basketball career was over. In the past five months she's been paving the way for new experiences while balancing military duties with a basketball career.
Even in the recruitment process before signing on with MTSU, the Israeli native made a strong initial impression.
"With her mindset, she was a different type of person from the day I started recruiting her," Lady Raider associate head coach Matt Insell said. "Dor wanted to learn, and she knew more about our offense than a lot of the girls that were already here."
Throughout last season, the fifth-year guard and coach became closer with what started as mutual respect to family. "My wife and I consider her like a daughter," Insell explained. "My kids think of Dor like a sister and that continues to this day."
Matt Insell's coaching tenure extends beyond MTSU as he was head coach at Ole Miss, and an assistant with Kentucky. Not once had he worked with a player from Israel, and Insell noticed the tendencies that made Saar unique right away.
"Israelian kids have a different mindset in the way they attack things," he said. "It's a very serious approach that stems from how they're raised. Dor knew her objective while she was here and that's the way she approached things."
Last season was special for the Lady Raiders because along with Saar, the team welcomed two more promising international prospects in Anastasiia Boldyreva and Kseniya Malashka. These three players shared a unique bond as newcomers because of their experiences playing ball overseas.
In Boldyreva's case, transitioning from Moscow to the states could've been a difficult adjustment. Saar got in touch with the then-freshman within the first two days she arrived in the 'Boro.
"When I got here last year in September, she messaged me and welcomed me to the team with open arms," Boldyreva said. "We hung out, she brought food, and really made me feel comfortable. As a point guard she communicated very well with the team, it was almost like we had a coach playing on the court."
For Malashka, she's known Saar since a very young age when they competed in the U18 European Championships against each other in Macedonia.
"She was the best player on her team, and I was the best player on my team," Malashka said. "Coach Matt (Insell) asked me if I knew her, and I told him she's an amazing point guard. She was a leader that found an individual approach to every member of the team. A true point guard with a European mindset that created shots for everyone and made beautiful plays."
Saar hopes that she passed along a few things to her former teammates before she departed.
"I hope I taught them how to be leaders, a good work ethic, and how important chemistry is to a team," she said. "From what I've heard they did learn some things, so I think they're going to look good, especially with all their potential. As soon as I get to the states, Tennessee is the first place I'm going because I really miss them."
As the season came to an end for the Lady Raiders last year, Saar packed her bags, said her goodbyes, and headed back home around May.
"When I came back, I was working out for the national team," Saar said. "Afterwards, I had three weeks of military training at one of the bases, so I had to take a break from the game. Being in basketball shape helped, but the worst part is wearing the boots and the four-to-five hours of sleep allowed. It was a cool experience but thank God I'm over with it."
When training was complete, she was assigned a role that mainly revolves around administrative work. Throughout her military tenure, Saar is required to work in the bases' office two-to-three times a week to help with paperwork.
"It's different for athletes," she said. "We apply for something called athlete service, and we don't have to go every day for four hours each so we can train with our teams."
Saar made her professional debut overseas for Ramat Hasharon of the Israeli National League this past November after signing a one-year deal for the club. Thanks to some stipulations made by the Israeli military, she's able to play at home while still being close to the base and for certain road games.
"One of the conditions as an athlete is how close the gym I train in is to our base," she added. "The gym I train in is only a 30-minute drive away."
For games on the road, Saar needs to follow a process that hasn't given her much trouble to this point.
"We've played in Hungary, Serbia, and are set to play in Greece later," she added. "For me to be eligible for those road games, I have to get a few waivers from the Israeli Basketball Association, as well as the military. The two contact each other, and the military makes sure the country isn't dangerous. Maybe if we played teams in Turkey, it might be a little iffy, but I'm not worried about it now. If we qualify for the next round, we'll have to see then."
Saar also played in one of the more recently added Olympic sports, women's three-on-three basketball this past summer for her national team.
"It's a league that goes on all throughout the year," Saar explained. "I played in the under-23 tournament, and it was a lot of fun. You play without a coach, and music blasting so it was a really good time. I still prefer five-on-five more, there's a lot of tactics and strategy. I like to study the game, and there's so much more to think and learn about in regular play."
With a bounty of unique experiences within the game Saar's future aspirations look less like a pipe dream, and more of an inevitability thanks to a lenient schedule.
"I want to continue playing EuroCup, then play in EuroBasket, and maybe even the WNBA," Saar said. "In five years, hopefully I'm still playing and when I'm done, I want another career in sports management. It'd be great to work for a sports team, a club, or even FIBA."
As Saar continues to work and grow as a leader, one thing is for sure. MTSU will never forget the stamp she made on the Lady Raiders in the short time she was here.
"Very rarely do you see a player like Dor make such an impact on a team, fanbase, and program as a whole," Insell added. "She's a special human being, and I know the community misses her."
Players Mentioned
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