Ish Wainright is the prototypical basketball player for a coach like Dimitrios Itoudis. The big man, whose song that the fans sing consists of the lines “Yalla Ish Wainright, give us your all, Yalla Ish Wainright, let’s sing out loud, what a big man” has been larger than life this season for Hapoel Tel Aviv and a real asset for the Greek tactician.

Wainright has been the glue guy that the reds have needed. Whether it’s playing tough as nails defense, setting the tone at both ends of the floor, using size to bully the other team or hitting a clutch 3-pointer, the 31-year old can do it all. But while he can do it all, he’s also well aware of the role he’s got to play and what is expected of him by Itoudis.

Against Partizan Belgrade, Wainright came up huge for Itoudis and Hapoel Tel Aviv as the Reds were having all kinds of issues trying to break away from the Serbian club.

Midway through the third quarter, with the score 53-52 in favor of Zeljko Obradovic’s squad and Hapoel struggling, Wainright drained a pair of triples to give the Reds a 58-53 lead and never looked back from there as the big man added another 3-pointer before the period ended and that was that for all intents and purposes as Itoudis’s charges took the 97-84 win.

The Kansas City, Missouri native has always been that complementary player for each and every team he’s played for. Whether it was at Baylor between 2013-17 where Wainright averaged in his final two seasons just 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in a whopping 27 minutes per game, he has played his role to perfection.

There’s a reason why a player like Wainright played close to 30 minutes a game and didn’t really have the statistics to justify the time on the floor. It’s because he brings what others can’t; guile, aggression, intensity. He’s the perfect complementary player for a team that is loaded with stars and scorers.

He does what others don’t and perhaps can’t.

Maybe it’s his one season as a football player, that as a tight end (doesn’t he have the exact build necessary to play that position?), which perhaps really prepared him for his basketball career. After scoring a pair of touchdowns for the Baylor Bears he attempted to latch onto the Buffalo Bills in the NFL but didn’t make the final cut as he set his sights on what he could do on the basketball court.

Wainright’s skill set is unique and one that is perfect for Itoudis and will help fulfill the goals of his Euroleague team that is currently at the top of the standings with a 6-1 record.

After attending Baylor, Wainright began his professional career in Germany spending a pair of seasons with Nuremberg and Rasta Vechta which was followed up by a year in Strasbourg before heading back to the United States and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Following a stint in the world’s greatest league, Wainright joined Hapoel Tel Aviv at the start of the 2024 season and has been a fan favorite in Israel ever since.

The larger than life Wainright always has a big smile on his face whether he’s on the court or off of it. That smile is infectious as he always brings a positive vibe to his teammates and supporters a like.

So far this season, Wainright is averaging 5.3 points, 3.3 boards and 1.3 assists in about 25 minutes per game, numbers that are very familiar to those who follow the forward and without a doubt no surprise to himself and his team.

But that’s just it. While he is not that scorer that the likes of Antonio Blakeney, Dan Oturu, Elijah Bryant, Vasilije Micic and many others, he also knows how to come through in the clutch just like he did in the win over Partizan with 11 points, all of which coming in the second half. When the game was in the balance, it was Wainright who helped swing the pendulum towards Hapoel’s direction.

But that shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone as this is exactly what he’s been doing his entire life. It’s why he’s such a valuable part of the team and will be a key contributor to where the reds will end up finishing this campaign. He’s in fact a barometer of the team and where they will go as well as how they will go.

Wainright has a specific role as does every other single player on the team. Whether it’s Micic, Blakeney, Iftach Ziv or Tai Odiase, each and everyone has a job to do which was laid out to them before they signed on to be a part of the 2025/26 version of Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Some players are just featuring in the Israeli league while others have bit parts in the Euroleague or in some cases no on court part at all. But what they all have in common is that their roles were outlined prior to them coming on board as Itoudis along with general manager George Hinas made sure that there would be no surprises which could result in hanging heads, dirty looks and dissent amongst the team.

That thankfully for Hapoel Tel Aviv is absolutely non-existent. It all has to do with proper planning and preparation but also clarity which is key to the success of the entire club as they look to reach the Euroleague Garden of Eden, the Final Four and European glory.

Wainright’s role will be critical to where the Reds will end up at the end of the season and if he can continue being that perfect piece of the pie, who can also take his game to where he did against Partizan, well then, Hapoel is potentially looking at what could go down in the history books as one of the greatest since the formation of the Euroleague.

There’s plenty of games left and it’s also way to early to begin to crown Hapoel as the champs, but the doubters from around the continent are now becoming true believers that this just may be the season that will turn European basketball on its heads as Itoudis rewrites the history books.