3-Pointers
1) Tamir Blatt has been absolutely fantastic since basketball’s return in Israel. He has chalked up double digits in assists in each league game against Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion and in the exhibition game versus Hapoel Gilboa Galil. Blatt Jr. the son of coach David Blatt has come into his own, not that he wasn’t a good player before, but it looks like he really, really, really worked hard during the Coronavirus break which he admitted to me following the scrimmage with Gilboa. But it seems to be more than just that. Usually a team like Rishon has given him fits in the past due to the size of their guards, primarily Nimrod Tishman and now Noam Dovrat. But Blatt was dominant. “I feel good and it’s fun to play,” said the guard. “Today the ball went into the basket. I feel that I’m an ok shooter and teammates encouraged me to shoot the ball.” Katash also complimented the prodigy, “Blatt may be young but he has played for many years and he also has played many minutes for me in the National Team. It’s his second game in a row that he has played well and today his shot went in.” The compliments continued to come in as John Holland added his 2 cents, “TB has really stepped up and has used this as an opportunity. He’s been crucial for us and has played like and MVP.” Finally, the always positive Emanuel Terry had this to say about his alley-top partner, “TB that’s my boy!! Big time. He approaches me with positivity and a feel for when I should be involved with him in plays. He leads in a very special way and he definitely is getting me better and I will continue to help him in the same way.”

2) And how about Emanuel Terry? The Reds big man had been quiet for the majority of the game, but boy did he come up big in the final frame, whether it was points or rebounds it seemed he did it all. It’s not just his game play, it’s his all around positive attitude that is absolutely addictive. Once again, credit has to go to the Jerusalem brass for finding a player that just seamlessly fits into the culture that is being created. Terry spoke about the 4th quarter, “I felt that the game was close and we needed a push. Everything was clicking and that’s where the energy came in.” Speaking of energy, Holland had this to say, “The energy he brings is unmatched. He’s always active around the rim, getting rebounds and screening and he can set 100 screens a game and knows his role well which he does really, really well. He will have to continue to grow to get to the level where we can win a championship.” Katash spoke openly about Terry and also mentioned the learning curve that the big man needs to make up in a very short time which Holand alluded to and what his importance to the team is, “The biggest gap we have to fill is getting the players to understand our game. Terry is a very positive person who wants to succeed and that’s a great start with those characteristics. He needs to learn the style of play and the rest of the team has to be able to learn him as well which I hope will happen quickly. We have put an emphasis on getting him into our game plan as fast a possible because the skills are there.”

3) Zach Hankins is a rookie? Really? Quite amazing isn’t it. You’d think that Hankins had played professional basketball for a decade after I had the opportunity to see him in person twice this week. The Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion center played at Nymburk under Israeli head coach Oren Amiel this past season, his first in Europe after finishing his college career at Xavier. Prior to attending the Cincinnati, Ohio based school, Hankins played a huge role for DII Ferris State where he not only won the Division title in 2018 but was also won the tournament MVP along with snagging the NABC Player of the Year. Not bad, not bad at all. Hankins shared some thoughts about the game that was and how he is fitting into Guy Goodes squad, “So far I’ve really enjoyed playing with these guys, there’s a lot of talent and heart that makes it enjoyable. Coach Guy just loves the game of basketball and it’s easy to play under him. Tonight was tough but we definitely put up a great fight and made it a battle. But it’s hard to win a game shooting 9% from 3 and missing 11 rebounds. Not our night shooting wise but it was a fun game to play.” Goodes had this to say about his new found gem, “We wanted a bigger player and a center as we hadn’t been able to beat Jerusalem or Maccabi Tel Aviv this season. So far I am very happy with his play and he’s is a guy who is positive and a lot of energy. You have to remember he is only one year out of college and it’s his rookie season.”

Overtime
Gotta love John Holland, another Jerusalem guy that always has a smile on his face. He has made it a point to bring up the issue of racism every time he speaks to the media and wants people to take action to bring a more change to the world. Now that’s a “Mentsch”. “I try to do the same thing on the court and play the same game no matter who is on the court. You have to adapt and basketball is about adapting to your role, it’s a different team, people change but we still have to play. It will take time to adjust and Jeremy (Pargo) still has to get into the mix. But it’s a process and each day, each practice is another opportunity to grow as a team.” As for what Oded Katash thinks of his sharpshooter speaks volumes of his importance to the team and how far the Reds will be able to go, “He is a good player and an excellent shooter. He also scores a lot of cheap points for us and we like that very much. He is our barometer because when he can get his shots it means that everyone is playing well.”