The Israel National Team will be playing a pair of 2025 EuroBasket qualifiers this coming weekend against Ukraine in Riga as the blue-and-white will look to improve on their 1-1 record. After having beaten Portugal and fallen to Slovenia in road games, Head Coach Ariel Beit Halachmi will play a home and road game in Latvia due to the security situation in both the Holy Land and Ukraine. The final international window will take place in February with games once again against Portugal and Slovenia which will hopefully take place on Israeli soil to close out the qualification stage of the European Championship.

Just ahead of the team’s departure to Riga, The Sports Rabbi spoke with Yovel Zoosman who is one of Israel’s most talented players who is currently plying his trade with Hapoel Jerusalem. The 26-year old has played with Maccabi Tel Aviv as well as with Alba Berlin before returning home to sign with the Reds and continue his career in the capital city.

“I am very happy to be part of the national team and very proud,” Zoosman began. “I think it’s something that is very, very important especially during these tough times and one that is mandatory regardless of how tired one may be or how one has played so far this season. and how you have played so far. The second that the national team calls you up, you have to show up, even more so in the current situation that our country is going through.”

The two games will be played in Riga due to the ongoing wars in both Israel and Ukraine which is obviously something that is tough for both the players and fans alike, “It’s not easy. In Jerusalem the situation is the same with the EuroCup games and it’s something that I have become a little more accustomed to recently but it is not easy because these games are meant to be for the entire family to enjoy. We know the fans would love to come and see us play in person and enjoy some basketball. I hope that we can win these games and give the supporters some joy watching us on TV. It will make it all worth it.”

Head Coach Ariel Beit Halachmi has been working with the Israel Basketball Association for many years and coached plenty of the current senior national team players when they were on some of the youth teams and that of course includes Yovel Zoosman as well.

“I’m very happy because we know each other very well, we have a long history together. I know his playing style and he knows what I can do. I think the first Under-20 Championship that we won in Germany back in 2018, one that people don’t talk about too much, was the first championship that made quite a lot of headlines and surprised a lot of people. I think that thanks to the basketball and teamwork at that championship which was just a lot of fun, we saw a team of youngsters aged 20 and under who had some kind of vision that was put forth for the national team. It was something very special.”

Zoosman has numerous Jerusalem teammates on the squad as well as other players that he has shared the court in the past as well which makes for a great experience, “First of all, it’s a lot of fun, because beyond the fact that we see each other every day being with them now on the national team is something incredible. There are also many other familiar faces, regardless if I’ve played with or against them in the past. We all put our egos aside and have fun in order to feel like we’re all part of something bigger which is something that’s very important to me. I think the fact that there are quite a few Hapoel Jerusalem players here indicates that we’re doing something right on a club level and that we have some very high quality Israeli players.”

One of the players that Zoosman will team up with for the first time is the up-and-coming sensation, Ben Saraf. The 18-year old is currently playing in Germany with Ulm and has made a tremendous impression on the basketball world as he is ticketed to being selected a as lottery pick at the upcoming NBA Draft.

“The truth is that I haven’t played with him yet and while I played against him last year against Kiryat Ata, it will be very, very interesting to see the leap forward he’s made this season. I do follow his progress from time to time, looking at his statistics because I myself played in the German league for two years so I am familiar with the style of play. From what I see, he’s putting up extraordinary numbers relative to his minutes while his contribution is truly amazing both in the EuroCup and in the German league and that’s fantastic. It’s amazing to see someone who’s so young take the reins and doesn’t think twice about it. I think the sky’s the limit for him and I would really love to have the opportunity to play with him. I think it will be fun to finally see his qualities when he’s with me on the team and not playing against me because this may be one of the last windows before he goes to the NBA.”

Saraf didn’t reach out to Zoosman before decided to play in Germany this season but they do have a common link related to their careers, “ While he didn’t talk to me, we do have the same agent, Nadav Mor. I think itt’s something that’s very, very important for a young player, to get out of their comfort zone at home a bit and experience other countries and other styles of basketball. Playing basketball as a foreigner in Germany or anywhere changes your thinking a bit, because suddenly instead of being considered as an Israeli player or a local player all of the time, you have to think as a foreigner. You’ll need to deal with everyday life with the team in another country and it’s not easy but it’s something that helps you mature and develop.”

Zoosman is having perhaps his best season to date as he is averaging 10 points per game across all competitions while shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc, “It’s hard for me to say this one or that one was my best season. I think we’ve just started the campaign and I hope that the upcoming season will have many more happy and exciting moments, whether it’s with the national team or my club team. After a month and a half, it’s hard to say that this is my best season. I feel very, very good right now to be part of Hapoel Jerusalem. I feel much more mature, ready to lead athe team and be the captain of a team for the first time, which is something I hadn’t done in the past. It’s a great honor to be captain of Hapoel Jerusalem and hopefully, in mid to late June, we’ll do another interview and I’ll be asked if this is my biggest year. Perhaps I’ll have a better answer then.”

While both Tel Aviv teams have made plenty of noise this season, Hapoel Jerusalem had been quietly putting together a very fine campaign to date and perhaps one that will surprise many with a championship at the end of the year. However, Zoosman wants to continue to keep his head down, work hard and follow the path that the Reds have laid out and see where that will lead them to.
“I think I heard Khadeen Carrington say the following the locker room, ‘we’re not interested in dealing with these things’ I think we work very, very hard in practice and during the games themselves and I do believe that we have surprised a lot of people, but it’s no surprise to us at all. We know our qualities as a team, one with solid Israelis and very, very high level foreigners who think about the good of the team before the good of the individual. We don’t have flashy names but we are working quietly and very hard each and every day. As long as we’re busy with things like that and not with who’s the best or who’s better, I think we’ll be in a good place and at the end of that day that’s what matters most, who will be the best at the end of the year. So I don’t give it too much attention. We have to work quietly, consistently and in the end it will be worth it.”

One of Zoosman’s bets games this season came against Lietkabelis which marked Jerusalem’s first win in EuroCup action after having lost to Valencia to open the continental season. In fact, while Zoosman and his teammates were playing in Lithuania, Iran launched an attack on Israel which marked a very difficult situation for the players and their loved ones who were all back home taking shelter.

“I came off the bench in that game and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I believe I made my first four 3-pointers which helped the club as I contributed to the win. As long as I’m aggressive going to the basket and every look I get I’ll be able to threaten the basket, I know that something good will come out of it. I can’t always score and I’ll turn over the ball from time to time and perhaps not make the best decisions, but I think that every time I’m aggressive the team benefits from it, especially over time. In this game I was aggressive both on defense and offense and the moment the ball goes into the basket and you go 5/6 from deep, it makes everything that much more simpler. I think that at the moment, I am the most mature that I have ever been and I am able to look at basketball from a completely different angle. I don’t get excited about this basket or that basket or this mistake or that mistake, I look at the long term and in the end, the more solid I am and look at reality as it is and don’t freeze up here or there, I believe that I will be in a good place.”

As for the Iranian attack that occurred during the game itself Zoosman added, “It was very strange. I think they were up 4-5 points, something like that if I’m not mistaken and suddenly one of the foreigners looked at his phone and saw that his girlfriend was sending him messages about the Iranian attack and what had happened. This was not an easy moment. My girlfriend was with the partners of the foreign players in the same apartment as they were watching the game together in Israel. She tried to calm them down as much as possible and they were in the ‘Safe Room’ to protect themselves. It was not easy. Before the half started, I gathered everyone and told them, ‘Guys, there’s nothing we can do about it, it’s something that’s out of our control right now. The only thing we can control in some way is to at least try to win the game. Maybe someone at home will see it and it will do them good and put them at ease. I’m glad we won because I think there’s a good chance we made someone smile, given the situation. Of course we would have wanted the situation to be different, but it wasn’t in our control.”

Hapoel Jerusalem has been very active in helping the family of Hersch Goldberg-Polin while he was being held as a hostage as well as after he had been murdered and buried, “This was something very, very special,” Zoosman said. “The team tried to support the family and is still doing so. The fans sing ‘Bring Everyone Home’ throughout every game. Of course, we expected and had hoped that Hersh would return home safe and sound. It wasn’t easy to hear the news that day. We went to the funeral and the cemetery and it wasn’t easy to hear the eulogies from the family and friends. I can say that I was also there to comfort the mourners, to feel a little bit of the parents’ pain. It was very moving. When they sat Shiva, people came from all over the country to comfort them. They had the strength and energy for everyone who came to visit them as they had lost the one they loved the most. It was something incredible to see, the good and beautiful Israel that I know and believe in.

“I think that we as Israelis and Jews have a duty to cherish and appreciate the people for whom we play basketball for. I feel that basketball or any sport without fans is not the same, its a different world one that is not as happy and not as special. Our job is to make as many people as possible happy and forget about the situation for a moment, whether it’s the soldiers listening or watching our games while they are in Gaza or Lebanon. This is something that is very, very special for us.”

One of the reasons Hapoel Jerusalem is having such a phenomenal season is the addition of guard Jared Harper who has been no less that spectacular game in and game out for the Reds.
“First of all, I think Jared is a player that we have not seen in Israel for many, many years. He’s a small guard, so to speak, by size, but he does things that cannot be taught and things that in my opinion are just pure talent. The speed, the change of pace and the change of speed, he is a crazy killer. He knows how to finish off games, takes this on himself and doesn’t lower his head for a moment. He knows exactly what he is doing and he was on the verge of going to the NBA but preferred to begin a European career. He played two years in Valencia together with Chris Jones who I played with at Maccabi in the past, so Harper was someone that followed every now and then.”

“Harper can make a basket from anywhere on the floor in the opponent’s half. We do shots from the half at the end of practice he shoots the ball as if he was taking a free throw. He’s very impressive and fast and I think the best thing about him above all else is that he is a person has no ego and is a true part of the team. He comes to work every day, pushes himself, pushes others and the success of the team is of the utmost importance to him before the success of the individual which is something special that doesn’t happen too often with imports throughout their careers. It’s great to have him here on our side.”

Although Harper has really blossomed with Jerusalem, Speedy Smith, who had been so instrumental in the success of the club the prior two seasons had a rough start to the year and recently departed for Turk Telekom.

“For Speedy, the situation was very unfortunate as I played with him the past season. We had a very, very special chemistry and relationship, a he is very good person and someone who is very friendly. He helped me so much last year when I was not at my best and he tried to talk to me about where I would most want to get the ball and in what position I would be most effective for the team. He really wanted me to succeed and that’s what I will remember the most. Speedy is not as young as he once was at 31-years old and is looking at his future career and wants to make the right decisions for himself. I feel that’s also why Hapoel Jerusalem let him go because he had done a lot of good things for the club over the years. I would have been happy for him to stay, but he has to make his own decisions and I respect that very much.”

One of the reasons Zoosman has matured so much is thanks to his girlfriend, with whom he is celebrating their one year anniversary together. She has been a wonderful influence and someone that has been able to help the swingman in his career.

“Many people are slowly becoming aware that I have a partner that I really, really love who is really fun and someone who has really touched my heart. I believe that this is also one of the reasons that has really helped me improve my game for the better. I think I’m very calm on the court and while I was before that, I think she does so much good for my heart and calms me down which is an incredible bonus. We just celebrated a year together and it was really special as I hope to be with her for many more years to come, she’s truly a special woman.”

Zoosman understands that he is a role model for youngsters and appreciates the positive remarks that hears from fans and admirers alike which is also something that is helping shape who he is.
“I think that the fact that I hear people asking me for a picture and when I do so it’s so good to see how great it makes them feel. When someone gives me a compliment on the street just shows me that I’m doing things right as a person because before I am a player, I am a person. I think that’s something that has always guided me throughout my career, that I do things right in my own way, without getting angry and without making enemies. I believe it’s very important that people respect and appreciate you based on the fact that you’re a person first and foremost.”

As for goals, Zoosman has an number of them, “When it comes to basketball, it’s about winning regular team titles, whether it’s a cup or the league. I think winning the EuroCup this year would be really, really special and hopefully we can qualify for EuroBasket or the upcoming World Championship that’s something I would really love to be a part of again. On a personal level, one of my biggest dreams is to start a family. I think that’s one of the most important things in this world, hopefully it will happen soon.”