Ironi Ness Ziona begin their continental competition on Tuesday when they kick off their FIBA Europe Cup campaign regular season with three games in four days at the Wloclawek, Poland bubble.

Brad Greenberg’s team will Nes Ziona tipoff against Sporting CP from Portugal, Thursday they play Hungarian squad Szolnoki Olajbanyasz and Friday they face the host Arged BMSLAM Stal.

To get a better sense of how Ness Ziona has prepared for the challenge ahead, The Sports Rabbi spoke to head coach Brad Greenberg as he broke down his club as they ready to face three quality teams ahead after being on break due to the lockdown.

FOR MORE ABOUT NES ZIONA AT THE EUROPE CUP:
WATCH! Nes Ziona vs Sporting on Tuesday January 26 at 16:00 Israel Time Click Here
LISTEN: Jonathan Schon breaks down Ness Ziona as they ready for FIBA Europe Cup action on The Sports Rabbi Show Click Here

“I’m not sure how we’re going to respond and I know the guys are anxious to play games which hasn’t been for a while. We haven’t had a full group for a while was well. Uriel Trocki suffered a broken nose and Nimrod Levi is still going to be out with a foot injury. We have Jerome Meyinsse, Tal Dunne and Lior Carrera who has been playing as a front court guy so lot of guys are playing out of position and it’s a challenge and not ideal. It is what it is. We have to figure out how to play 3 games in four days. We have to do it.”

One of the newest members of the squad is NBA veteran Wayne Selden who has only played a handful of games with the club, “Wayne is coming along but he’s been hampered a little bit with guys not playing in their right positions but on the positive side he’ll get lot of minutes. Patrick Miller is good guy and Braian Angola are coming along, the younger players are looking for opportunities and they are working hard.”

Veteran guard Raviv Limonad has played in various European competitions including the Euroleague which will be a big plus for Greenberg’s team, “Raviv’s experience is invaluable and he knows when to cut back a little but he will be in good shape to play these games.”

Greenberg’s squad will face a number of solid teams that will take them to the limit and he knows that all of the players will need to be at the top of their game, “The Portugal team is undefeated in their league and they play very aggressive defense. We will see if we can handle a team that will disrupt us defensively. The other two teams are among the best in their leagues with good size and they are well coached. All the games will be challenging and we are a little bit short handed in the front court. We will have to be creative with managing the roster ahead of the league. We will need smart play and we will need our four import players plus Tal and Raviv to play well.”

Raviv Limonad also spoke to Elior Gitler from The Sports Rabbi about the upcoming tournament.

“Every European competition is special to be a part of and I am happy to be a part of it as well. I love playing basketball no matter what league. Of course we want to go as far as we can and the first goal is to get through this group stage and then we can think about the next round and beyond.”

The break is obviously something that Limonad is concerned about and how it may affect the team having not played in a few weeks, “It’s not a simple situation, no question about that. But the entire time has been interesting to say the least and challenging, however we have enough experience in order to deal with this. There will be a lot of games in a short period of time and there is a lot of hunger and pent up energy since we haven’t been able to play. We have 9-10 guys who can play and everyone has to be ready to give it their all.”

Nes Ziona has three games coming up with Sporting from Portugal up first as they will play in the Poland bubble without fans, “Right now we are just focussing on the first game and as soon as that game ends we will look at the next opponent. It’s not great to not have fans in the stands but I hope that everyone will be healthy and that we can get through this challenging period of time safely. I can’t wait to welcome the fans back to the arenas.”

On one hand Nes Ziona is a team with a number of young players while the sports director is Meir Tapiro, someone that Limonad had once played against, “It’s a lot of fun to work with the younger guys as it keeps me young! I try to use my experience to help them and I also learn some new things from them myself. As for Meir, he’s doing a great job with the entire management team and they have dealt with the situation really well and have also brought in some terrific players in Braian Angola, Jerome Meyinsee and Wayne Selden and it’s very much appreciated. He is very calm and collected and I have been able to learn a lot from him.”

As one of the veteran players on the team, Limonad is still looking to continue his playing career, “I feel good and love to play. Of course, when you get up in age you begin to think about what will be after but right now my only thoughts are on how to win in the bubble.”

Finally, Limonad is just very thankful for what he has been able to experience throughout his career, “I’ve played with many great players and I have worked under so many terrific coaches. I’m very thankful to all those who I have been able to collaborate with and that has been the biggest gift as part of my career.”