There are always certain players in every sport that are at the top of their game and there are some that always, just always show up in a big game and rips the life out of the other team time and time again.

For Israeli basketball and Hapoel Tel Aviv in particular it’s J’Covan Brown.

How many times has the guard just fleeced an opponent and put up big game after big game on the biggest stage?

Brown, who has played in Israel since the 2017/18 season when he starred for Hapoel Gilboa Galil under head coach Ariel Beit Halachmi, has been a fixture in arenas around the country. Whether it was for Gilboa in a tough playoff series against Jerusalem and then for Hapoel Jerusalem between 2018-2021 where he helped lead Reds to two straight State Cups under Oded Katash, there was almost no reason to think that now with Hapoel Tel Aviv and Danny Franco, Brown wouldn’t once again be the star of stars.

The 32-year old floor general is one of a kind with his style. Whether it was showing up to his team’s EuroCup game last week in an Israel National Team top or wearing those nifty Kobe Grinch sneakers, Brown is always at the top of his game when it comes to big games.

“My kids tell me that I don’t show up in big games,” Brown said with a grin. “I don’t want to lose these types of games. I always want to be ready and that’s what my brother tells me as well. My mother always says shine bright like a diamond.”

The University of Texas product, who has one of the sweetest shots in the business, knows how to bury the ball and send the dagger right through an opponent. But if it’s not with his shooting, then it’s with his keen passing ability knowing the exact time to send the ball to just the right person which of course he’s an absolute master of as he came off of a 16 assist performance in the EuroCup just last week which tied the competition record.

“When J’Covan is happy, I’m also happy and when he’s angry it’s not very good for me.” Franco said about his on court extension. “I believe in the way he plays the game and how he manages the game and makes the players around him better. When he isn’t playing well or he’s having a tough time, I have a million thoughts.”

Of course, against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Brown saw “red” so to speak and chalked up points a plenty. With 8 points in each of the first two quarters, then 11 points in the 3rd period and another five in the final frame for a total of 32 points, he also made sure to get the ball to just the right person in Chinanu “Chief” Onuaku down the stretch as the big man scored 10 of his 16 points over the last ten minutes to sew up the win.

“That’s my job to lead my team and the other guys are going to make it easier for me,” Brown explained. “We have enough talent on this roster for someone to take over as well and “Chief” was hot and we brought him in to be a force in the paint, which is exactly what he did.”

Despite collecting his 4th foul early on in the fourth quarter, Onuaku was able to make a huge impact on a game that he barely played in the first half after collecting two quick fouls.

“The issue is not the fourth foul but the ones up until the fourth,” Franco commented. “Everyone knows that he is talented and what he can do. In order for him to get to a bigger league he has to be his best every single second. The world of basketball is full of analytics and when he is focused he does an excellent job.”

“I do whatever I can in the game to help my team win,” Onuaku explained. “I wanted to be able to do this in the first half but in the second half I was able to. It was a great atmosphere and we got the best fan base in Israel and maybe in Europe it’s always good to have them on your side.”

Onuaku has had a mixed bag of games where he has played better in some games than others as he has tried to integrate into a team that had been running together since the beginning of the season. It’s never easy for a new player to fit in, not just for the player himself but also for the rest of the entire team which needs to learn the ins and outs of how best this individual can make the best impact.

“When you bring in a guy like “Chief” into the team everyone has to reset,” Brown said. “I told him to just be you, don’t worry about anything else and if you feel you need to say something just say something.”

Center Chris Horton is a very good player that would have had success had he been able to continue at Hapoel Tel Aviv, but when a team has the opportunity to bring in a game changer like Onuaku, you’ve got to make that move without a shadow of a doubt. The Reds had to roll the dice to try and do two things that have been unthinkable in the recent past; win the Israeli League Championship and play in the Euroleague. While the State Cup is now in the rear view mirror, Hapoel can out their full focus on those two titles.

“We got to win two championships now, the EuroCup and the Israeli League,” Brown commented. “The Cup game is behind us and we have to take a step forward. We have a tough game on Tuesday and we have to stay ready, stay hungry and keep guys fresh.”

Onuaku went straight to the point, “The only thing that can make up for losing in the Cup is winning the league championship.”

Right now Hapoel is in first place in league play and have a very, very good chance of finding themselves at the top of the EuroCup by season’s end and punching their ticket to the continent’s premier competition. Those two thoughts had probably not entered the minds of those associated with the club until the past few months while that possibility must not sit too well with the yellow-and-blue brass.

Maccabi for years couldn’t stand the thought of Hapoel Jerusalem wanting to find a way into the Euroleague especially when Ori Allon was at the helm and money flowed into the club like a waterfall. But the high tech mogul didn’t have the patience to see the project through and seeing if his team could win the title instead of trying to push its way through the back door.

Should Hapoel Tel Aviv make their way into the Euroleague it will all be due to their proper planning, management and winning basketball games as they would waltz right into the competition through a wide open front door which would be horrifying for their crosstown rivals.

The Reds are tough, very tough with plenty of depth and solid players who can contribute to the team’s success and that was the case for Danny Franco when he saw veteran guard Bar Timor foul out very, very early on in the second half.

In came Gil Beni who was absolutely tremendous at both ends of the floor. Whether it was dogging a Maccabi player all over the court of hitting a huge 3-pointer in money time, the guard is the type of player who you hate playing against but love playing with.

“I’m very happy for Gil,” Franco said. “You have to understand the situation where he played a lot of minutes last year and this team changed over the course of the summer and we have a lot of depth. That depth helped us in this game when some players had foul problems. Any player that wants to step up can and the but it’s not easy. We aren’t in a situation where we are building up players careers.”

“I have tried to give time to everyone but there have also been voices saying that I hadn’t given Gil enough time. Any player that is good will be on the court to help us. I didn’t do Gil any favors, he played because he was good. He doesn’t live in a world that says I deserve it. But because he battles perhaps those up in the heavens decided that this was his time.”

Brown also had good words to say about the Israeli guard, “Gil is Gil and he’s making a name for himself, he’s the heart and soul of this team. When we are down you can put him in the game and he knows how to win and wear other players down. You have to give him credit, he made a big shot for us.”

Finally, Onuaku laid it out plain and simple as he described Beni to a “T”, “Beni is always a killer man that is what he does. He’s gonna be on you all the time every game.”

Up next for Hapoel is a date with Turk Telekom in EuroCup play on Tuesday. The Turkish club is 8-3 and in 2nd place while the Reds find themselves just behind Erdem Can’s club with a record of 7-4 and in 3rd spot.

In Turkey, the Reds fell 89-77 and they will no doubt be looking for some sort of revenge but Can who attended the Derby saw first hand what Brown and crew can do in the friendly confines of the Drive In Arena and how the Reds fans can impact the final score.

With that first hand knowledge under his belt, his team will be as prepared as ever when they take to the court on Tuesday. But Brown will want to ensure that everyone knows that Hapoel Tel Aviv is a force to be reckoned with after knocking off Maccabi Tel Aviv a team that Can has seen play many a day as a long time assistant coach at Fenerbahce.

“At the end of the day they want to beat us and my job is make sure they don’t. We have to be ready, we did our job after we got our asses kicked against Jerusalem. We wanted to make sure that people understood that we are still one of the best teams in the country and that one game won’t confuse anyone.”