The Lead

A big win was in the air for Hapoel Beer Sheva after having fallen to Maccabi Tel Aviv the week before and Hapoel Jerusalem in the State Cup the week prior to that. You could sniff it, feel it and just know that Rami Hadar’s squad was going to come in to their showdown at Yad Eliyahu against Hapoel Tel Aviv with an immaculate game plan that was going to cause all kinds of issues for Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Beer Sheva with magnificent games from Israelis Spencer Weisz and Ron Zipper and of course Iverson Molinar who was absolutely the star of the show with 32 points and hitting the game winning shot were about to mount a last quarter comeback and snatch a 83-82 victory, stunning the entire basketball world. This wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last time that Hadar and Beer Sheva will put together the almost perfect performance to knock off the big foe as I remember very well when Caleb Agada did Maccabi Tel Aviv in back a few years down south.

Hadar has a system that just works. He knows what he can get out of each player who all have a specific role in the any one specific game. If it’s fouling, rebounding, scoring or whatever is called for, Hadar’s players, who are by far better as a team than as individual components, can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them.

A player like Sam Iorio who scored a bunch of points the week prior was tasked with an entirely different role in this game where he ended up fouling out and the same is true for a number of players. Molinar was going to be scoring and that’s what he did as well as Zipper and Weisz.

As much as Itoudis said that his team was prepared for the game, that was just not the case as it looked as if Hapoel Tel Aviv thought they would just come in after a tough EuroCup game a few nights earlier and put it into cruise control and roll to an easy win. They paid a price for that.

But we’ll get to Hapoel Tel Aviv a bit further down in the column, as I want to focus on Hapoel Beer Sheva to lead this week off and give them the credit where credit is due.

When Hadar walked into the post game press conference, he did so like a BOSS. He strutted in knowing that he had just picked up one of the biggest wins of his regular season Israeli league career and Iverson Molinar who came in with him agreed wholeheartedly.

“I feel great, I just wanted to win. I wanted to win so much and we proved that we can be a top team. I knew that if I kept shooting it would go in at the end. We beat Hapoel Tel Aviv, they are an amazing team and that means everything. They are a EuroCup team and it’s always good to beat a team like that, I just want us to keep going like this.

“There is tremendous talent here in the league and I am so happy, I am always happy to play against good players. Israel treats me wonderfully, I love it. Rami Hadar is intense but he helps us win so I am happy about that. The playoffs? Definitely, that is the goal.”

Rami Hadar praised his star and spoke in English to make sure that he understood exactly his thoughts, “To be a good coach you need good players. I didn’t build this team but the person who did, he did a good job and I’m lucky to have Iverson with me. This is a win of the spirit of the team. We didn’t break each run that they had and I’m very happy about that. It makes doesn’t make a difference as to who is on the floor, but everybody is all in and every day in Beer Sheva is fun. Everybody can see Iverson is at a top level in Europe and maybe he had to adjust a bit from the United States and Panama but he is right there performing.”

“This is probably my best game,” Molinar said. “This was my second game with a game winning shot. I was surprised that they didn’t foul but they had a good guard on me and I was able to get through him. I was not surprised that the shot went in, I put in the work everyday and it’s a good feeling to win against Hapoel Tel Aviv.”

Molinar, who is yes, named for Allen Iverson spoke about what he thought his namesake would have thought about his showing, “Hopefully. He is one of the, legends in the NBA and that he would be impressed about the game.”

Ariel Aizik is back and Idan Avshalom’s Netanya is winning

Elitzur Netanya has to be one of the best feel good stories this season. Under head coach Idan Avshalom, the diamond city squad has played solid basketball game in and game out as the newly promoted team picked up their 5th victory of the season when they defeated a desperate Hapoel Haifa 78-75 to keep themselves above the relegation zone.

Netanya may not be a team with the biggest budget, they may not be the team with the most talent but they most certainly are a team that understands the importance of values and how to keep to a plan through thick or thin.

Israeli players are key to the success of the team in every game no matter if it’s against Hapoel Tel Aviv or Hapoel Haifa. That is a staple for Avashalom along with a number of principles that he feels are the foundation of the club.

“Be positive. Be a good teammate. Come with big passion everyday. Bring your all.”

That is what Avshalom wants from his team day in and day out.

One of the players that is the definition of Avshalom’s principles is Ariel Aizik.

Aizik, who is also the team’s captain, had been injured for a number of months and recently made his return to the court just a week ago and since his comeback, Netanya has picked up a pair of wins, last week against Bnei Herzliya and now versus Hapoel Haifa. In fact, against the Carmel Reds his two 3-pointers in the final frame were crucial for Netanya’s win.

The 21-year old has provided a huge spark to the team with his contagious enthusiasm, his will and desire on the floor. This is the same Aizik that I met a few years ago at the Maccabiah where he was part of the Israel Under-17 team that competed in the tournament after having not made the Under-18 team that was heading to the European Championships.

The Maccabiah Games were played in Jerusalem and thankfully I was able to attend all of the blue-and-white’s contests where I was also able to meet not only the wonderful youngsters but also their families and there is no question that Aizik’s family from his parents as well as his siblings are so supportive of their Ariel’s endeavors.

I spoke to Avshalom about what Aizik brings to the table and his response was glowing, “Aizik is a special person and a great guy. He came to Netanya after a season in the Leumit league where he didn’t play that much. As for how he works, how he is always positive and always a good teammate is something that I have leant something about from him.”

Aizik himself told me how happy he was to get back to action and how thankful he is for all of the incredible support he received, “I am very happy to be back on the court after having been injured. This is what I dreamed of and I was just waiting to get back onto the floor with all of my energy. I am happy that my return has also been combined with the team’s victories, which is what is most important to me. I really want to thank the Athletic Clinic and the excellent and professional physiotherapists who helped me get back onto the court quickly and in optimal shape and I am sure that without them the process would have been much harder and longer.”

Avshalom believes that Aizik is really the epitome of what Netanya is all about and that can no doubt be part and parcel due to how himble he is.

“He is the definition of our team’s principles and has been important to us both on and off of the court that from the start of the season. I am a big believer in the Israel players and Aizik is yet another example of such a player. I am happy that he is back from his injury and since he returned, you can see how crucial he has been for us, whether it was changing the game last week against Herzliya or with his big points in the 4th quarter versus Haifa. I didn’t know how fast his impact would be felt after returning and it’s great to have him back.”

Keep a good eye out for Aizik, he’s without a doubt a player to watch.

Guy Kaplan’s in charge at Holon as Mike Davis Jr. takes off

Mike Davis Jr. was hot, red hot in fact as he helped Hapoel Holon take out Bnei Herzliya and handed the purples head coach Guy Kaplan, who had the interim tag ripped off on Wednesday, his first victory in charge. The victory was important for a variety of reasons, from getting back onto the winning track to also exacting a small ounce of revenge after losing to the same Herzliya a couple of weeks ago in State Cup quarterfinal action. So all in all it was a terrific win for Kaplan and crew.

Davis will be an important piece of the team after Brendan Adams went down with a foot injury that required surgery. The hopes are that he will be back in action in a couple of months but in the meantime, Kaplan will need the shooting to guard to shoot lights out.

The 28-year old has been toiling in Europe since the 2019-20 season after he had played at Queen’s University and began the year with Wurzburg but joined Holon a couple of months ago as an injury replacement before the club’s last gasp push to advance to the Basketball Champions League Round of 16. While the purples were eliminated from Europe, they still do have some goals that they want to achieve including ensuring that they will play in the BCL next season and for that Davis will need to be at the top of his game.

Since his arrival in Israel, Davis has been in and out of the lineup with an injury, but after his 28 point performance in the win over Herzliya, the hope is that he will use that game as a springboard going forward.

“Mike was in and out of the lineup because of his toe injury which is something difficult to come back from. Really, until you’re 100% healed, it’s hard to return to form so there were a lot of ups and downs around that. At the end of the day, Mike is a player who brings a lot of qualities, both defensively and offensively – the ability to guard, pressure the ball and help rebounding. In fact, he grabbed 8 boards and he can create on offense. I really like his personality, we all like him and I hope he continues to play as he did in this game.”

Mike Davis Jr. spoke about his terrific shooting game and of Holon can compete for the league title, “After the third or fourth shot that were contested and I just flicked it and it may be one of this nights. It’s always good to stop a losing streak against a specific team and if we play defense well that will always give us a chance in every game. Playing hard and get the loose balls We have enough offensive power to play with any team in the league but it starts with defense for us.”

As for making sure that Holon will play in Europe next year, Kaplan offered the following thoughts, “I’m not thinking that far ahead. We’re currently busy moving forward as a team, playing better, making better decisions on the break and transition and not turning over the ball. We now have the time we didn’t have when we played in two competitions to practice, move forward and get on some kind of winning streak.”

Loose Balls

* Oy, Hapoel Tel Aviv. They must be scratching their heads as to how they lost to Hapoel Beer Sheva in a game that really they have no excuse for losing. They had the game in the bag, they are by far the team with more talent and they also needed the Israeli league win if they have any designs on trying to make their way to first place. However, the house came falling down when Iverson Molinar nailed the game winning bucket as time wound down, leaving the Reds shaking their heads in disbelief and their coach Dimitrios Itoudis with flames coming out of his ears.

The Greek tactician came into the postgame press conference not too happy to say the least. He was combative, upset, angry, ticked off, you name it. Itoudis on top of that had to deal with Patrick Beverley who was benched for the entire second half after obviously not performing as he expected the NBA star to which led to the player being suspended until further notice.

Not fun at all in Hapoel Tel Aviv land with a huge final regular season game against Ulm coming up on Wednesday as well as a State Cup Derby semifinal against Maccabi Tel Aviv next Monday.

This was definitely not the way Itoudis had expected the upcoming couple of weeks to start off.

The coach spoke about Molinar’s game winner and how things unfolded as his team fell 83-82 as they had wanted to foul the stealth shooter but didn’t and how his team when a brutal 8/17 form the charity stripe and 0/7 from deep in the final frame. In essence, the Reds lost the games themselves.

Of course, it does take two to tango.

* It was great to see Roman Sorkin really playing at the top of his game for Maccabi Tel Aviv in their 98-87 win over Maccabi Ramat Gan. The yellow-and-blue big man was terrific in the paint and from deep with 22 points, going 5/6 from the inside and 4/4 from the outside in what was just an all-around fantastic performance which Oded Katash really needed. Without Sorkin as well as Rokas Jokubatis who was also great, Maccabi could have easily lost the game to a team that has played very well under the tutelage of Shmlik Brenner, but it was not to be on this night.

Sorkin spoke about the game as well as what he has been doing to be able to perform at the highest of levels especially hitting his shots from beyond the arc, “We have a tough schedule and we are happy with the victory because the league standings are very close. I have worked on my shooting and the team gives me confidence and I am happy that I’ve been able to perform.”

While Maccabi isn’t competing in the Euroleague as they would want to, but Sorkin feels that while there are plenty of reasons why, the entire team wants to do their best. “Many things have not been easy for us and yes there are excuses that we can use like the fact that we are flying twice as much as everyone else and playing with a very short roster. But this is what we have and with that we will win. We will try to do the best we can.”

Maybe one of the reasons for his impressive game is that Sorkin’s mother was in attendance, “I am happy that my mother came to watch, she is the person I love the most in the world. We are going through a difficult time since her husband passed away and I am happy that I can comfort her a bit.”

* Rami Hadar and Hapoel Beer Sheva are not finished with their roster construction as they added two players in forward Elias King and center Marcus Santos-Silva while loaning out Kareem Reid to the Otef Aza Leumit Team. King just finished off school at Middle Tennessee State and began the season in the Serbian league with KK Metalac Valjevo where the forward averaged 17 points and 6.1 rebounds before signing for the southern reds while Santos-Silva has played in France the past two years most recently with Saint-Quentin where he was used very sparingly. In fact Santos-Silva played both college basketball and football at Texas Tech and was even signed for the preseason back in 2022 with the Cleveland Browns. Sounds like a perfect fit for Rami!

* It was great to see basketball being played once again in Kfar Blum up in the northern Galilee as Hapoel Galil Elyon returned home and beat Nes Ziona. Kfar Blum is a special place for Israeli hoops and has a deep history which we will discover a little bit later on in the season, but right now the fact that round ball has returned is just great news.

* Credit to Kiryat Ata for taking the win over Hapoel Jerusalem as Liam O’Reilly once again was terrific for Eldad Bentov’s team. The Reds came in a bit beat up both physically and mentally and Kiryat Ata made sure to take advantage of that and not come up short. This was a very important win for the club as they battle against relegation with no less than 5 teams that sport either 5 or 6 wins.

* Hapoel Gilboa Galil with a nice win over Hapoel Afula was yet another coming out party for Gur Lavie as the Israeli continued to turn heads with yet another terrific performance with 20 points. Add to that 11 assists by Niv Misgav along with points from Elijah Childs and Ish El-Amin and Sharon Avrahami keeps pushing all of the right buttons over the past few games in what will be an exciting second half to the season.

* The Luka Doncic trade has made some waves in the Israeli basketball world as well as everyone has an opinion and thought about one of the biggest transactions that the league has ever seen. From head coaches to Israeli players and imports it’s the talk of the town.

Roman Sorkin shared his thoughts, “Completely crazy. Some say Dallas won the trade, I think the Lakers won and I want to buy a Doncic jersey!”

Oded Katash was asked about Luka but ended up talking about Deni Avdija with a smile on his face, “I really like basketball, I watch it all day, but more European basketball. I am not a big fan of the NBA, it is a different kind of basketball that interests me less. I don’t watch games until the playoffs. But over the last two weeks I have seen three complete Deni Avdija games. He is doing great and I am very happy for his success.”

Finally, Rokas Jokubaitis shared his thoughts, “I like everyone didn’t understand the meaning of the trade and it’s the biggest one in recent years. I can’t imagine how he will look like in a Lakers jersey and how it will go but that’s why we love NBA basketball and that’s what why we love basketball. I’m a fan of the Lakers, so this is great.”

Leumit Corner

Got to see the Leumit Legaue in action this past Friday in what was an entertaining game that Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion eventually won 92-86 over Elitzur Shomron. Sharon Drucker’s Rishon side was without arguably their most important play in Qua Grant and Dror Cohen’s Shomron team came into the game after stunning first place Raanana, so the stage was set for quite the showdown that didn’t disappoint.

In what ended up being a back-and-forth game from the get go, Rishon ended up on top thanks to a terrific fourth quarter comeback as DJ Burns took the team on his shoulders, which in fact he did for the entire game and helped them to the important win to the delight of the fans. It’s crazy to think that less than a decade ago Rishon had won the Premier League championships and also featured in other finals in the top division but after a number of poor seasons ended up in the Leumit looking to work their way back up.

Following the game, I had a chance to speak to a soaking wet Burns who scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds on the court as it was clear the forward gave it his absolute all in the victory.

“We had the most energy,” Burns began. “The tougher team was going to win the game and it was a dogfight. One of our main pieces in Qua was out, but it’s adversity, it’s the game of basketball, it’s a marathon and we were able to win.”

Burns, who is in his rookie season abroad after playing last season at Youngstown State, was able to score his team’s first 8 points to get the game off and running, “It felt amazing to get on a roll so quickly. The team believed in me, the coaches believed in me and they gave me the green light. They told me the game as going to be depending on me and I took it on as a challenge. I’m happy they accepted me for the challenge.”

As for the New Orleans native seeing his teammates also put in some serious effort in the final frame to comeback from a 63-56 deficit, Burns was all complimentary, “It was amazing to see everyone step up, we needed everybody, 1 through 10. We were shorthanded, but I’m so blessed to play on this team and an organization like this. This is one of the best teams that I have been a part of and I’m excited for the future.”

3-Stars & The Israeli Star of the Week