Hapoel Tel Aviv’s roster is not that of any other team that we have seen here in Israel. From the stars that dot the squad from top to bottom as well as the amount of guards that are part of Head Coach Dimitrios Itoudis’s team, most probably the biggest challenge is trying to find the right combination of players who can achieve the club’s goals.

From Patrick Beverley to Antonio Blakeney, from Marcus Foster to Joe Ragland, from Yam Madar to Noam Yaacov and from Guy Palatin to Bar Timor – There are certainly plenty of top flight guards that the Reds can use.

However, one of them, Palatin, may not be the star of stars that his name pops out of the list, but he has proven that without a doubt to be critical for the success of the team going forward.

Palatin joined the Reds this season after a breakout year under Sharon Avrahami at Kiryat Ata. The guard had played with Hapoel Holon and Maccabi Rishion in the past but really showed his wares for last year’s semifinalist that ended up seeing their season come to an end against Hapoel Tel Aviv. Impressed Hapoel and their then head coach at the time Stefanos Dedas was that they quickly inked Palatin to deal in order to ensure a player of his caliber, one that may not score huge numbers but can hit the necessary shot as well as play stellar defense that saw him notch 2.4 steals per game last season.

The 24-year old has plenty to offer and definitely has a solid future ahead of him, especially being such a key component in Hapoel’s Israel State Cup quarterfinal win over Maccabi Ramat Gan in a game that saw Palatin score 6 points and record 5 steals to go along with his patented defense in 17 minutes.

With the fans calling his name after the final whistle, Palatin spoke about his feelings of being serenaded by the supporters along with some of his other thoughts about his career, his future and working with his new coach head coach, but before anything he wanted to talk about the three Israeli hostages that were released.

“I want to begin by saying that the most important thing was seeing the hostages coming home. It happened just before the game and we knew about it but it was not a distraction at all. This was something so positive and it lifted the mood of the entire team. We’ve experienced some pretty difficult things this year, having to play out home European games abroad when our families are here, being under attack from Iran and the Houthis. It’s not easy to be abroad when things like this are happening. But the hostages coming home is good news and it gives him an energy boost.”

The ever modest Palatin continued, “I don’t know why they were singing my name. But it was very moving and a lot of fun because usually they don’t sing a player’s song at the end of the game. I know that when one makes an effort that is always appreciated, in every sport and in type of employment and it’s something that I make sure to do in every game, it’s just who I am.”

Last season, Palatin earned the nickname Spiderman for his defensive prowess and energetic play and that is exactly what his team is looking for him to do with the Reds, “My role is to come off the bench and bring a lot of defense to the squad. It’s a lot of fun for me, but I’ll do what coach needs me to do in order to win. I started my career with this role, whether it was with the national team, in the Israeli league, I really like this role. As part of a team like this with so much talent and so many offensive weapons, I have to bring something different, that’s why I came here to Hapoel Tel Aviv. I think that was something that was missing last season here too. It’s fun to play this role and that’s what I like to do. In one of the first games this season, Coach Itoudis asked me, ‘Do you know what your role is,’ and I told him yes. To guard, to bring energy, to score the three-pointers, to bring effort. It’s always good to have the confidence of your coach and I trust him.”

Palatin’s shooting has also been a part of his game that has been criticized and scrutinized, but the guard has punished the opposition by shooting 50% from beyond the 3-point arc going 25/50 across all competitions.

“I’ve been working on it my whole life, because I hear all the ‘he doesn’t score enough,’ ‘he’s not good enough,’ I love it, I love hearing it because I know how much work I put into it. Now that I’m scoring them, I’ll try to continue doing that.”

Playing for the Israel National Team is obviously something every young basketball player in the country strives to reach and Palatin is no different. With the EuroBasket coming up later this summer, the guard would love to be a part of the action but also understands there are plenty of quality players who can compete for the same role.

“We have a lot of very good players in the country, in all positions, so there is tremendous competition. Obviously, it would be a huge honor to be on the national team. In the summer, in the winter, it doesn’t matter when, I would be very happy to be part of the team. If not, I would wish them luck as some of my teammates will be on the roster. But to be selected, that would be a great honor.”