Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saar a 'leader', 'threat' for Lady Raiders
3/4/2022 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Senior's leadership has been invaluable
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — It was a glimpse into the present and the future of Lady Raider basketball. January 9, 2022, a Saturday game against North Texas moved to Sunday thanks to a snow storm rolling through the mid-state that Middle Tennessee won 80-52. Dor Saar, the present, led MT with 23 points. Courtney Blakely, the future, was second on the team that day with 18 points off the bench.
A reporter asks Blakely about taking advantage of an opportunity to play more minutes with some teammates missing time, the freshman focused on her defensive production. Her senior mentor wasn't going to let her get away with that.
"Let me correct her," Saar said, taking the mic away from her teammate, turning to face her as she spoke. "It's not only defense, it's also on offense. I don't know if you know this, but you have a spark, just your energy, having you on the court really helps us."
Blakely, softly, thanked her graduate transfer teammate for the compliments. It was one of many moments Lady Raider fans have seen of the Ma'anit, Israel native's leadership in her one year in Murfreesboro after an All-Conference career at the University of Maine. Not only orchestrating the MT offense on the court, but helping a young group of guards learn the toughness and the speed needed to be successful at this level.
"We're very fortunate," head coach Rick Insell said. "I don't know that we'll ever have a better portal recruit. She's come in right away with leadership on the floor and off the floor. Intense, I don't know there's a word out there you can't use for her."
Saar was one of the top guards at the U18, U16 and U14 level Europe before she started her collegiate career, gaining attention from U.S. based scouts and coaching staffs. She earned multiple tournament MVP awards as a member of the Isreali National Team, but knew to reach her goals of playing professionally that her best path was to come to the U.S. to play in the NCAA.
Maine seemed like a good choice for several reasons. The Black Bears were perennial conference title contenders in the American East, giving Saar a chance to make an impact on a big stage. But they also gave Saar an opportunity to play early and often as a freshman, which Saar said was invaluable to her development as a player.
"The biggest thing for me was that since freshman year, I got to play and become a leader," Saar said. "So I think I've really grown my leadership game from my four years there."
Saar started all but five of the 117 games she played for Maine, earning American East honors every single season, first making the All-Freshman team in 2018 (along being the conference's Rookie of the Year), and then making the All-Conference Third Team as a sophomore, the All-Conference Second Team as a junior and the All-Conference First Team as a senior, finishing her career averaging 9.1 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals. All while helping Maine to two NCAA Tournament berths and an appearance in all four American East title games during her time in Orono, Me.
She's the only Black Bear to finish her career with at least 1000 points and 500 assists, while also holding the program record for made three-pointers (235) and is second on the school's all-time assist list (507). So when Saar decided to use her extra year of eligibility at another program and enter the transfer portal after the 2021 season , the interest came from all over the county.
"We had been playing in a tournament in Fordham back a couple of years ago and had seen her play there," Insell said "We were very impressed. We've kind of been following her career along, just looking at her stats. (So) when she went into the portal for that fifth year, we immediately went hard on recruiting her."
Saar had many suitors, most notably the most recent national champion, Stanford, but Saar said Middle Tennessee stood out to her due to their playstyle, heavy on ball screens, getting out in transition and shooting a lot of threes.
Basically, everything that Saar does best: navigating the pick and roll, running off screens for open shots, starting the fast break.
"I was very specific on what I wanted," Saar said. "Coach Insell's system is the best fit for me."
She's been exactly as advertised for the Lady Raiders this season, starting all 27 games MT has played entering her senior night on Saturday while averaging 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. She often is the one the team tries to get the ball in one shot situations, as she executed perfectly earlier this season at the end of the first quarter against Marshall.
"She's a threat wherever she's at," Insell said. "She's a threat at the end of the game. She's a threat from the three point line. She's a threat with the assist. When she's coming down the floor, she's looking to make something happen, and there's very few players you have like that.
"By the time you throw the ball in, she's not looking at herself worrying about dribbling the ball down, she's got eyes scanning the floor seeing where the weakness is."
Saar still has that professional basketball dream, and with a plethora of clubs both within her native Israel and around Europe, she'll have plenty of opportunities once the season is over in Murfreesboro. She'll first have to complete her mandatory military service with Israeli Defense Force, a requirement for all Israeli citizens. She hopes to keep playing during her service, however, setting up that Eurobasket future.
But perhaps Saar's biggest legacy, beyond potentially getting MT to the NCAA Tournament in Frisco next week, will be the young guards she's mentored since she's been here. Insell knew he needed more guards entering this year, even with talented freshmen Jalynn Gregory, Courtney Blakely and Gracie Dodgen entering the fold. He said Saar's production and mentorship has been a "win-win situation" for the Lady Raiders.
For Blakely, as she put it back that January press conference, Saar can be intense in her help.
"This girl gets in my face and she tells me, 'if you don't get yourself together, you're going to need some help,'" Blakely said with a smile. "She always says practice the little things."
Saar, for her part, has relished being able to help her teammates. And she knows that they have the ability to help get this team into postseason success this year.
"One of my roles here as I see it is to be their mentor," Saar said. "Just use my experience to help explain things. And I've just loved it, because I can see their potential."
A reporter asks Blakely about taking advantage of an opportunity to play more minutes with some teammates missing time, the freshman focused on her defensive production. Her senior mentor wasn't going to let her get away with that.
"Let me correct her," Saar said, taking the mic away from her teammate, turning to face her as she spoke. "It's not only defense, it's also on offense. I don't know if you know this, but you have a spark, just your energy, having you on the court really helps us."
Blakely, softly, thanked her graduate transfer teammate for the compliments. It was one of many moments Lady Raider fans have seen of the Ma'anit, Israel native's leadership in her one year in Murfreesboro after an All-Conference career at the University of Maine. Not only orchestrating the MT offense on the court, but helping a young group of guards learn the toughness and the speed needed to be successful at this level.
"We're very fortunate," head coach Rick Insell said. "I don't know that we'll ever have a better portal recruit. She's come in right away with leadership on the floor and off the floor. Intense, I don't know there's a word out there you can't use for her."
Saar was one of the top guards at the U18, U16 and U14 level Europe before she started her collegiate career, gaining attention from U.S. based scouts and coaching staffs. She earned multiple tournament MVP awards as a member of the Isreali National Team, but knew to reach her goals of playing professionally that her best path was to come to the U.S. to play in the NCAA.
Maine seemed like a good choice for several reasons. The Black Bears were perennial conference title contenders in the American East, giving Saar a chance to make an impact on a big stage. But they also gave Saar an opportunity to play early and often as a freshman, which Saar said was invaluable to her development as a player.
"The biggest thing for me was that since freshman year, I got to play and become a leader," Saar said. "So I think I've really grown my leadership game from my four years there."
Saar started all but five of the 117 games she played for Maine, earning American East honors every single season, first making the All-Freshman team in 2018 (along being the conference's Rookie of the Year), and then making the All-Conference Third Team as a sophomore, the All-Conference Second Team as a junior and the All-Conference First Team as a senior, finishing her career averaging 9.1 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals. All while helping Maine to two NCAA Tournament berths and an appearance in all four American East title games during her time in Orono, Me.
She's the only Black Bear to finish her career with at least 1000 points and 500 assists, while also holding the program record for made three-pointers (235) and is second on the school's all-time assist list (507). So when Saar decided to use her extra year of eligibility at another program and enter the transfer portal after the 2021 season , the interest came from all over the county.
"We had been playing in a tournament in Fordham back a couple of years ago and had seen her play there," Insell said "We were very impressed. We've kind of been following her career along, just looking at her stats. (So) when she went into the portal for that fifth year, we immediately went hard on recruiting her."
Saar had many suitors, most notably the most recent national champion, Stanford, but Saar said Middle Tennessee stood out to her due to their playstyle, heavy on ball screens, getting out in transition and shooting a lot of threes.
Basically, everything that Saar does best: navigating the pick and roll, running off screens for open shots, starting the fast break.
"I was very specific on what I wanted," Saar said. "Coach Insell's system is the best fit for me."
She's been exactly as advertised for the Lady Raiders this season, starting all 27 games MT has played entering her senior night on Saturday while averaging 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. She often is the one the team tries to get the ball in one shot situations, as she executed perfectly earlier this season at the end of the first quarter against Marshall.
One of the most exciting plays in basketball: the buzzer beater. 🚨
— MT Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) February 3, 2022
Dor Saar breaks down her high-arching 3 to beat the first quarter buzzer vs. Marshall. pic.twitter.com/ctrVtP05EN
"She's a threat wherever she's at," Insell said. "She's a threat at the end of the game. She's a threat from the three point line. She's a threat with the assist. When she's coming down the floor, she's looking to make something happen, and there's very few players you have like that.
"By the time you throw the ball in, she's not looking at herself worrying about dribbling the ball down, she's got eyes scanning the floor seeing where the weakness is."
Saar still has that professional basketball dream, and with a plethora of clubs both within her native Israel and around Europe, she'll have plenty of opportunities once the season is over in Murfreesboro. She'll first have to complete her mandatory military service with Israeli Defense Force, a requirement for all Israeli citizens. She hopes to keep playing during her service, however, setting up that Eurobasket future.
But perhaps Saar's biggest legacy, beyond potentially getting MT to the NCAA Tournament in Frisco next week, will be the young guards she's mentored since she's been here. Insell knew he needed more guards entering this year, even with talented freshmen Jalynn Gregory, Courtney Blakely and Gracie Dodgen entering the fold. He said Saar's production and mentorship has been a "win-win situation" for the Lady Raiders.
For Blakely, as she put it back that January press conference, Saar can be intense in her help.
"This girl gets in my face and she tells me, 'if you don't get yourself together, you're going to need some help,'" Blakely said with a smile. "She always says practice the little things."
Saar, for her part, has relished being able to help her teammates. And she knows that they have the ability to help get this team into postseason success this year.
"One of my roles here as I see it is to be their mentor," Saar said. "Just use my experience to help explain things. And I've just loved it, because I can see their potential."
Players Mentioned
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