טוב שבאת, ג'יימס יאנג. pic.twitter.com/wnRMFQESam

— Hapoel Tel Aviv BC (@HapoelTLVBC) March 10, 2021

James Young can’t get into a Hapoel Tel Aviv uniform and on the basketball court for Danny Franco’s team fast enough. After arriving in Israel on Wednesday, Young was unavailable for Thursday’s game against Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion that saw them fall 86-84 and it’s hopeful that he will be ready to go versus his former club Maccabi Haifa on Monday night. But boy could have they used him at Beit Maccabi in a stunning 86-84 loss in a game that saw then leading at one point by 18 points. After a fabulous first half by the Reds with strong play by Yam Madar, Bar Timor and Gabe York who provided a potent offense to take a 59-42 lead into the send half. But the Reds began to fall apart allowing Darryl Monroe and Akil Mitchell to work they magic inside while Noam Dovrat and the recently acquired Jeremy Pargo manage the outside as Guy Goodes’s squad began to play defense as well to which he described as “Swiss Cheese” in the first half. As the game moved into crunch time, it was crystal clear that Franco needed a go to guy and that is exactly what Young will provide Hapoel.

As for Rishon, Noam Dovrat was terrific again with 17 points and 7 assists, as he continues to “learn on the job” and has looked super good since returning from the Israel National Team. Now with a guard to learn from like Pargo, his education will be even greater. It’s clear that Dovrat is getting better and better game by game and he’s becoming “must see TV” as he could enter the NBA Draft this coming year. But one thing his coach Guy Goodes doesn’t want to be overlooked is that he is still just a youngster, “It’s not fair to put so much pressure on a kid that is only 18.5 years old. He was also very good against Hapoel Jerusalem. I’m happy as to how he has continued to improve and he can still improve even more, he’s just a kid, but it doesn’t happen in just one day. There’s no question he has the potential and ability to be one of the best players in this country.” Dovrat himself also spoke about his development, “Our team is built with veterans and players with a ton of experience who know how to lead and know how to get the younger players involved including myself. They have a big part in this.”

Nes Ziona picked up a very big win over upstart Hapoel Beer Sheva 85-78. Brad Greenberg’s squad led the for the majority of the game but Rami Hadar’s side showed no quit in them as they even up the contest late. However, a couple of mistakes, poor shot selection and errant passes down the stretch and bam, that was that. Credit to Nes Ziona for hanging in there and chalking up the victory which saw Wayne Selden finally looking like the player they thought they were getting as the former NBA man scored 14 points in 34 minutes in the win. Selden seemed to really be locked in and on the ball for Nes Ziona and that is what the club needs. Of course, Patrick Miller was spectacular again but it was Selden who impressed with his poise and veteran play.

So, what dunks did you prepare for us today?@iMarkelBrown22: pic.twitter.com/ik68EV06gJ

— Winner League (@WinnerLeague) March 10, 2021

Hope you didn’t miss the weekly Markel Brown “Dunk of the Night”, because this one nearly topped all of the others. It seems that every game, Brown gets in one massive jam that just makes for great action. In fact, he has been the top play of the week four of the last 5! But it’s not just the dunks for Ariel Beit Halachmi’s team as they sunk Maccabi Haifa 98-88 and cemented their spot in the top 3. Are they really a top 3 team? Well, with a 13-5 record they more than are as they have also dropped Maccabi Tel Aviv, so yes, they certainly deserve to be where they are. Beit Halachmi always seems to find the right mix of players and he had done that so well in Gilboa Galil with the likes of Zach Leday, J’Covan Brown, D’Angelo Harrison and many, many others. However, this season he seems to have topped all of his other teams with the likes of not only Brown, but Casey Prather, Joe Ragland and rookie center Josh Nebo who is getting looks from all over Europe. Add to the mix Ben Carter, Jonathan Skoljdebrand and Roi Huber and Eilat has one very scary team and one that will contend for the title. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Hapoel Holon just keeps winning and winning and wining and winning. Whether it’s the Champions League, Balkan League, Israeli League, Stefanos Dedas’s squad knows what they need to do and they do it. Two games back to back in two different countries and competitions this week? No problem. Two wins. You can’t do better than that as they look to move to 3-0 in BCL play when they host Pinar on Wednesday.