Friday afternoon will see the return of the Israeli Basketball Classico that will pit Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem in a terrific matinee for the young and not so young alike.

Both teams have had challenging seasons both at home and abroad due to the war against Hamas, but when the two squads take to the Jerusalem Arena parquet, it will be a battle for Israeli basketball supremacy.

There will certainly be special memorials that will be held for the many victims of the Hamas Massacre on October 7th as well as for soldiers that have fallen in battle who were supporters of the club prior to the 1:30pm tipoff as over 10,000 fans will be able to pay their respects.

Each team kept a solid core of players from last season which has contributed to their success in their respective European competitions whether it has been Levi Randolph, Speedy Smith and Zach Hankins for the Reds and Lorenzo Brown, Wade Baldwin and Bonzie Colson for the yellow-and-blue.

While the two teams know one another really well, perhaps it may be the newcomers who will make the difference and tip the scales in one direction or the other in this clash.

Hapoel Jerusalem has made two very significant moves over the past few weeks in appointing Ilias Kantzouris as the team’s new head coach in place of Aleksandar Dzikic as well as signing JaCorey Williams in Maurice N’Dour’s stead.

Maccabi Tel Aviv usually heads into a season with 8 import players, but decided to begin the year with just 7 leaving a space open to refresh both the offense and defense later on in the campaign which is exactly what Oded Katash’s team did by inking guard Joe Thomasson.

Both teams made moves that will benefit them and that fill an immediate need and both look like they will be mighty fine in their new abodes.

Williams has made an instant impact in the capital city with deft defying buckets, terrific defensive prowess and just incredible energy and desire to help his new team move to the top of the league. Earlier in the week, the 29-year old power forward scored 21 points and was named game MVP in a 76-70 win over Nes Ziona. After beginning the season with Buducnost, Williams went looking for an upgrade which he not only found at Hapoel Jerusalem but also returned to a country that he was familiar with after a stint with Hapoel Gilboa Galil in 2018.

“It was a good hard fought win after we had two losses, the Arkansas and Middle Tennessee product said. “In the first half our defense was a step behind, they were scoring and getting whatever they wanted on offense. In the second half we were way more aggressive on defense which turned into offense and we got rolling from there.”

The forward also shared his honest feelings when he joined the Reds midway through the season, “I was a little skeptical as they already had their core but I know that as a person and a player I’m an energy guy. You can out me around a lot of guys and I can a play a role to perfection and I will play with the most energy that I can. When I play hard and focus on defense a lot of good things offensively just seem to happen. I know that I’ll bring the energy and let the rest speak for itself.”

With having to play all of their Basketball Champions League games abroad that has meant that not only the team’s road games are abroad but also their homes dates as well. Finally with an Israeli league home game on the slate against Nes Ziona, Williams was thrilled to have the chance to play in front of his own supporters, “It felt great to play at home and the fans were amazing. We traveled to every game since I have been here, it has been a a lot of flights and bus rides so it kind of felt good to relax at home and be in my own bed today before the game and lock in mentally, it was great.”

As for Friday’s Israeli Classico, Williams understands that it will not be an easy contest, “It will be a tough game against a good opponent and there is a rivalry between the fans. We want to come in and be efficient. We know how good Maccabi are, luckily we have the home court advantage.”

Jerusalem Head Coach Ilias Kantzouris shared his thoughts about his new recruit, “It says a lot about the team spirit. The other players embraced him and how they helped him adjust. I believe that he is a team player and when you are you will always find your space within a team that is working well. His teammates did a great job and those who play the same position in practice are working hard which makes everybody better.”

Over at Maccabi Tel Aviv, Joe Thomasson joined the yellow-and-blue after beginning the season in Spain with Granada and having also played with Gilboa Galil in 2021/22.

“As I close one chapter in my life, I open a new one,” Thomasson said after joining Maccabi. “With this new experience, I’m super excited about representing the franchise of Maccabi Tel Aviv and it will be an honor to play for this historical club. I look forward to meeting my teammates, the coaching staff, as well as the amazing fans. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I’m sure it will be great. Yalla, Maccabi!”

The 30 year-old made his Maccabi debut against Maccabi Ramat Gan but limited minutes due to fouls in a 92-75 win at Yad Eliyahu saw him score 7 points in just 12 minutes of play.

“He’s a great addition to our team,” big man Josh Nebo said of Thomasson. “He’s very driven and very motived. I think he’s going to be a good leader and he will be able to really help us on pick and roll and will help us bring more scoring from the two guard position, I think he’s going to be a very valuable asset to our team once he gets more comfortable with the system and the plays that we are doing.”

Head Coach Oded Katash is also familiar with Thomasson from his time with Gilboa Galil under his friend, the late Lior Lubin who coached the combo guard in the Galilee.

“Joe is an experienced player and knows the league. He has been with some very big coaches and despite just being at Maccabi for two days, he’s given a ton of energy and adds another dimension to the defense. He’s picked things up very quickly.

Katash continued, “What stood out to me was the things we know he brings. He is competitive and fearless. He is not the biggest and strongest, but plays with a huge heart. He understands the game, he’s integrated very quickly and that’s why we brought him in to play minutes and take the load off others.”

It’s unclear if either of the two will get playing time in the Classico as they are both so new to their teams, but it also wouldn’t be a terrible mistake by their respective head coaches as to giving them each a chance to put their mark on the game and give the crowd some thrills and chills which both can very well do in their own specific way.

While Friday afternoon still isn’t a Sunday, it’s about as good as it gets for sports fans in the Holy Land. Add onto that a chance to see such players in Williams and Thomasson ply their trade, well then you’ve got the winning formula for success as well.