Maccabi Tel Aviv welcome Panathinaikos in Gameday 5 Euroleague action on Thursday at Yad Eliyahu (21:05). The Yellow & Blue will look to move above their .500 record after a 2-2 start to the season while the Greens enter the matchup with sporting one win and three losses in the young season.

While there have always been ties between the Greek club and israel whether it was Oded Katash who helped the club win the domestic league championship and cup just last season or players who once graced the floors in the Holy Land continuing their careers and in some cases allowing them to take the next step in them over in Athens.

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One of those players is Jehyve Floyd who played the last season with Hapoel Gilboa Galil and signed with Panathinaikos during the summer. The Holy Cross product had a superb season in Gan Ner and was rumoured to even head to Maccabi for this current campaign. However, while that didn’t take place he proved that he was definitely a player who could make the jump to the Euroleague and is doing so now in Greece.

“This is the level everybody wants to get to during their career and I’m enjoying every moment of it. To play for Pao, it’s a privilege and I understand the magnitude of responsibility,” Floyd said.

Last season at Gilboa under Lior Lubin and Avishay Gordon after the former left to be Katash’s assistant at Panathinaikos, Floyd averaged 11.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks just over 28 minutes per game in the Galilee. As for differences he is now experiencing between the Israeli and Greek domestic leagues, Floyd explained that there are a number of things that he sees right off the bat, “I would say there is less up and down and it’s a more physical league where every possession counts.”

Floyd is no stranger to playing in Greece having begun his career with Larisa and Promethias Patras, but being a part of team that plays in the Euroleague is an entirely different story that will take time to adjust to, “I’m realizing early in my first year that it’s an everyday grind. I just have to keep working hard and stay focused. I watch a lot of film which has helped me adapt but I’m still finding my footing.”

Last season with Gilboa, Floyd played in the finals against Maccabi who were the eventual winners taking the best of three game series 2-1. While it was disappointing coming so close to the championship, the New Jersey native feels that it helped him along as a professional to be where he is today.

“It’s always disappointing to lose when you get that far, but I can honestly say it was a win to be able to experience that type of high level basketball. It has helped me grow as a player and I’ll never forget those moments.”

In the middle of last year’s campaign, Lior Lubin left the club to join Oded Katash’s coaching staff and Gilboa brought in a new bench boss to finish off the season in Avishay Gordon. That move presented its own set of challenges as the new head coach needed to work together with assistant Guy Kaplan who has since been elevated to the top position while Gordon departed to become an assistant with Galil Elyon.

Floyd explained that despite the situation being a peculiar one, the entire club made it work, “He (Gordon) brought in a breath of fresh air. He was new and we learned to cooperate as a team. Guy was the main coach but we were able to find a way to make things work.”

The center’s teammate and point guard from Gilboa, Iftach Ziv made the move to Maccabi while Floyd himself admitted that while there was some interest from the Yellow & Blue, it wasn’t anything more than that.

“I was happy for him. That’s all we talked about was moving up in our careers and it’s good to see your teammate’s visions come true.”

“Maccabi was one of the first teams to reach out to me but we didn’t go further than a simple meet and greet.”

This evening, Floyd will once again take to the Yad Eliyahu court where he will look to have the same success that he did in Israel and against Maccabi once again as he explained what the keys to victory for Panathinaikos will be.

“I think we have to approach this game with extreme focus and desire to win the game. I think it would be good for the atmosphere on the team and put us in the right direction for the rest of the season.”