Hapoel Tel Aviv is having a spectacular season as Head Coach Dimitrios Itoudis has his team humming along leading both the Euroleague and the Israeli domestic competition. With a date at Bayern Munich on Tuesday (21:30 Israel time), the reds squad which sits at 12-5, consists of close to twenty players with a mix of Israelis and foreigners who are primarily from North America along with Serbia, Brazil and Nigeria amongst others.

One of the hoops hotbeds over the past decade has been Canada and Hapoel also has a Maple Leaf that fits into Itoudis puzzle perfectly in Tyler Ennis. The Toronto born guard is making his second stint with the club has been an absolutely incredible addition to the team as he brings not only tremendous NBA and European playing experience but also happens to be a leader as well as a team player extraordinaire.

The former Lakers, Rockets, Bucks and Suns floor general began his playing career as a high schooler in Ontario before heading to the St. Benedict’s Prep School in the great state of New Jersey. From there it was onto Syracuse for the 2013-14 season where he was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and ACC All-Defensive Team which led him to be selected 18th overall by Phoenix in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Following Hapoel Tel Aviv’s first Euroleague game back in Israel against Red Star Belgrade, The Sports Rabbi had a chance to catch up with a fellow Canadian to discuss the team’s potential, his role with the Reds and the campaign thus far.

“Yeah, it’s been great. Obviously, you know, huge goals, we have a really good team, a lot of really good players, so every day we are working towards that huge goal as we want to win both leagues. It’s not easy to do and we have a lot of work to do, but it’s day by day and I think we’re continuing to get better.

Prior to the season when Ennis was being courted to join the club, Coach Itoudis had clear roles outlined for each and every player. Some would be playing in both the Euroleague and in the Israeli league, some just in the domestic competition and some would see just continental action. Ennis happens to be a player who is participating in both leagues although in the Euroleague he is much more limited in his playing time but nonetheless when he does feature as he just did at Panathinaikos he has made a serious impact.

“Obviously, everyone wants to play and everybody on this team is good, but I think we all know that there’s a sacrifice with some are bigger than others. Once get here and you sign with the team, you have to lock in on whatever role they have for you and you must be the best in that role. So that’s my focus. It’s not ideal as everybody wants to play and show what they can do, but for me, if this is my role right now and when the minutes come, I just got to be ready. I feel like I’ve done that so far this year and I just got to keep going.”

Ennis is in the midst of his second term with the team and looked at this opportunity as a challenge and one that was going to be somewhat different than the last time but also one that was going to be quite interesting to say the least as he made the decision to return to the Holy Land.

“I think being familiar with everybody here including a couple of the players and staff, it was a little bit easier to come here knowing what I was getting myself into in terms of how things operate. But it was also a completely different roster and I’ve never played on a team with 18 players or so. When the club talked about the goals that they had it’s something you want to be a part of and it takes, like I said, sacrifice. So for me, it’s enjoying the moment, enjoying every game and whatever they ask from me at this point. I’m ready to do all of that and hopefully it ends up with us winning a couple of titles while having a historic year, but we have a long way to go until then.”

Ennis is part of a team that has so many ball handlers and superb players from Chris Jones to Elijah Bryant to Vasilije Micic, it’s obviously a challenge to split up the ball with players who like to have it in their hands.

“Practice is interesting and I think if you come to practice five days a week, you leave thinking that the best player is a different guy every time as they all have a lot of talent. Everybody on this team can play. Everyone on this team can go to other teams and really contribute. But like I said, it’s once you commit to the team, sign and lock into the goals, you know, you got to play your role and that’s one of our strengths, seeing guys come in and win the game off the bench. But this league is tough and there’s a lot of games. So we have the depth and the guys that don’t play as many minutes have to be ready. Whenever our time comes, we’ll be ready for it.”

Dimitrios Itoudis is without doubt one of the all-time great coaches in the Euroleague and also had the chance to learn from the best of the best. With that he’s also one of the most demanding bench bosses there is in the game of basketball which in itself is a challenge for any player.

“The Euroleague is a really competitive league. So , one or two possessions can really lose you a game. We’re a very detail-oriented team and it’s kind of clear-cut of what coach expects in terms of game to game. The whole staff is really, really locked in on scouting and we have all the numbers, we have everything in front of us. It’s just kind of on us to kind of bring it together, continue to build that chemistry and win games. The organization gives us whatever we need, they’re there for us and it kind of feels like the NBA. Just everything’s at your fingertips, whatever you need, they’re there. You’re able to just focus on hoops and I feel like that’s not normal overseas.”

Since October 7, 2023 and the outbreak of the war, things have been topsy-turvy in terms of the Israeli sports world with international games being played outside of the country but now they are back and life is continuing to return a new normal. However, it’s no doubt something that any foreign athlete that comes to play in the country had to grapple with.

“Being back in Israel feels really good and we were talking after our last game that we’re used to having to go get on a plane to go back to Sofia or wherever. Now that’s not the case for the most part. So just having a little bit less travel has been helping us and the familiarity as we’re able to stick the whole team together and practice and get an actual day off instead of having to travel, which is something that we’ve appreciated so far. Obviously just being in Tel Aviv is amazing., weather, everything about it, we all love being here. So we’re just enjoying that so far. Hopefully, the crowd continues to help us at our home games.”

As for the team’s ceiling, Ennis feels that it’s a bit early to know what that will be but they are on the right track and if things continue as is then perhaps Hapoel fans will be in for a real treat when the calendar hits the months of May and June.

“We have a long way to go and we’re not even done with the first round of the Euroleague, but we want to win. I think if you look at the rosters alone, we have a chance, but that’s not how these games are won. We have big goals and the first one is to make the playoffs. From there, we’ll go round by round but for now, we’re going literally game by game. We know we have a lot to prove still, even though we’re first, by being a new team. So we still have that hunger.”