Hapoel Gilboa Galil is preparing to face Maccabi Tel Aviv the Israel Basketball League Finals in a best of three series with game one slated for Monday at Yad Eliyahu in Tel Aviv while game two on Wednesday will take place at Gan Ner. If necessary, game three will be held on Thursday night back in Tel Aviv.

One of the Galilees team’s key players this season has undoubtedly been veteran guard Joe Thomasson who began playing with the club at the end of the 20/21 “Corona League” season. He left his mark as the team advanced to the Final Four before bowing out to the Yellow & Blue in the semifinals and coach Lior Lubin was thrilled to bring him back for the current season.

This campaign Thomasson averaged 14.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game and used his savviness, guile and smarts to help Gilboa takedown both Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Holon and head into the titles series.

“It feels good, it’s a good feeling. But it’s just the finals, one step closer to where we want to be,” Thomasson told The Sports Rabbi from his home in the Galilee region a day after disposing of the purples up in Gan Ner.

Gilboa finished the season in third place overall with a 19-10 record, matching Holon who ended the year in second place as the team time and time again were able to win when they needed to while also continuously jell as a team. In fact, the team kept their roster as is from the beginning of the season as no one left during May’s security situation.

“Consistency and our team camaraderie, and that is what it’s been. Consistent with the group of guys on and off the court and learning each other as one unit on one page. When one of us is having a tough day, it’s being there for our brother. That’s the key to our success. Being active and pushing ourselves to be better. There are guys who haven’t reached their peak and reached their potential. We are excited to lift weights, we are excited to practice and that helps with our physicality and that is our key.”

The club also had to overcome a hurdle back in the winter months when head coach Lior Lubin departed the team to work under Oded Katash at Greek Euroleague powerhouse Panathinaikos. Avishay Gordon who had been the head coach at Hapoel Galil Elyon in Kfar Blum for the four previous seasons took over as the club’s new bench boss and did so in style. Allowing assistant coach Guy Kaplan take the lead as he sat back to let the team that had been playing quality basketball to do just that.

“Our ability to adapt and adjust ourselves as players, myself and my teammates. Lior was a good coach and instilled some things that we push for to this day. We have a great staff with Avishay and Guy Kaplan who is unbelievable. Everyday he brings energy effort, attitude and passion. We understand him and he’s been with me for two seasons and with the rest of the guys for one season. We respect him and Avishay. Those two coaches allow us and me to have a brain and they put me in situations where they trust me and us.”

The Dayton, Ohio native was thrilled to welcome his family to Israel and he explained that having them around has made all of the difference, “It’s an experience like no other and I am truly grateful and thankful to the General Manager for making sure that I have everything I need to be comfortable so I can deliver. Having my fiancée, daughter and son here is a tremendous success for me and I don’t have to worry about being distracted as they can see me perform at a high level. There are some things that money can’t buy.”

Last Wednesday, the power went out at Gan Ner with 6:58 left in the 4th quarter with Gilboa in front 60-55 and while the lights came back on Holpon refused to take to the court to finish the game. The Israel Basketball Association court ruled that Gilboa would be handed a technical win but after an appeal as made on Friday morning, the ruling was overturned and a replay was required from the start of the game.

“Ball don’t lie, I didn’t like it and didn’t respect that move but it turned out in our favor as I am a firm believer. That game Saturday night emphasized our season and how important it is for us. We understood everyone was against us and that it wasn’t going to be easy. So for us to perform the way we did speaks highly of our character. We don’t make up excuses, we get the job done and we give it our all. That game just helped me and my teammates and gave us some more drive.”

Gilboa and Thomasson had to make sure they got into the right frame of mind quickly in order to make sure they took care of business on Saturday night which they did and now many will consider them underdogs as they ready to take on Maccabi.

“Mental resilience was key and we had to overcome that very quickly. We were upset but overcame it fast and now we have two more wins to go. We don’t feel that we are an underdog but we are coming in as who we are, we aren’t underdogs. Maybe in terms of them playing in the Euroleague, budget and the like we are underdogs. But on the court, nah, it don’t work like that.”

The Wright State product prides himself on his defense and has been at the top of his game throughout the playoffs. While he wouldn’t get into specifics as to how Gilboa will look to stop Maccabi, Thomasson does know full well he will look to stop the Yellow & Blue’s star guard, “We’re going to go out there and play hard. One of the keys will be is stopping Scottie Wilbekin. The last two series I checked one of the best guards in Tamir Blatt and CJ Harris so Wilbekin will be one of the keys. He’s a great player but I believe in myself and my defense.”

Thomasson has also fallen in love with the supporters who have showered their love back on him and the championship as he explains is a lot bigger than just the game of basketball, “It’s a feeling like no other. They love me and embrace me both on and off the court. We sit down for Shabbat dinners and they teach me about the history of Israel. They made sure that we were safe when the war as going on. I will do everything that I can do to help this city win a championship, they deserve it as much as we do. We lost one of our best friends in Daniel Sasson and it’s much more than basketball we are playing for.”

Coach Avishay Gordon is one of the rare former or current players that have won more than one league championship with a team other than Maccabi Tel Aviv. In 2007/08, Gordon was part of the Hapoel Holon team that downed Maccabi and he was also on the 2009/10 Hapoel Gilboa Galil club that bested the Yellow & Blue.

With that, Gordon has made sure his players are fully aware of the fact, “He always tells us to put it in our heads. He inspires and says that this will be a moment that we will never forget. We’ll be able to tell our children and grandchildren in 20-30 years from now that we won a title against Maccabi Tel Aviv and he felt that twice. I told him that it will be a bit more special for him now as a coach. I love him as a person, he is unbelievable. He has no ego. This club is run by a bunch of people who perform at the highest level and we are all doing so each and every day. We are never satisfied and never complacent.”

As a veteran, Thomasson’s personal role has led him to be a serious influence of the team. With stops in Romania and Poland while having also played in the VTB League, the 6”4 lanky guard has been able to accumulate experience that none of the other players on the club has which has allowed him to be the veteran leader of the group.

“I take pride is seeing my teammates get better. I am proud that each and every single one have gotten better this season. I have seen it and have been a voice in their ear all season. I am the oldest at 27 years old and I want to reach higher places also and to see them take the next step in their journey makes it even better. I can say that I did my best to make my team better. As a point guard all the greatest make their teammates better and aren’t out there trying to score 20 points a night.”

Thomasson’s final thoughts are on what he wants to accomplish as the season nears its end and of course about his teammate who suffered a serious injury while biking in the area of Gan Ner, “This is the second season I am in Israel and it has been great to me. I want to do something special. I want to thanks the fans, the true Gilboa Galil supporters who didn’t expect that we would be in this situation. We had a lot of doubters and haters and we will continue to prevail. We are looking forward to the championship. We won’t forget that our brother Daniel Sasson is still in the hospital. He may not be here with us but he is a part of this entire team.”