LIKES

I liked how Hapoel Tel Aviv played their hearts and souls out against Maccabi Tel Aviv to take the Tel Aviv Derby this week. Credit James Young, J’Covan Brown, Idan Zalmanson, JP Tokoto and of course Danny Franco for putting together a perfect game plan to not only send the Yellow & Blue further into a tailspin but also making sure to advance to the State Cup quarterfinals round.

I liked how Hapoel Eilat is on a 2 game winning streak after downing Hapoel Galil Elyon who seem to have hit a bit of a wall. Ariel Beit Halachmi jettisoned Romelo White last week and the club is now playing with just 4 imports which seemed to work out fine as former NBA big man Justin Patton had a wonderful performance with 28 points, 9 rebounds and 45 efficiency rating to take the win.

I liked how Bnei Herzliya went on the road to a tough Gilboa Galil arena and came back with a dominating, never in doubt win. Whether it was Chris Babb, Chinanu Onuaku or Quinton Hooker, the entire squad lifted up their play especially without a pair of imports in Maurice Kemp and Andy Van Vliet. The victory also moved Oren Aharoni’s team into 4th place which is a monumental achievement after purging pretty much the entire squad after last season.

I liked how Michael Brisker is really coming into his own with Gilboa Galil. The Israeli guard shot lights out, going 7/9 from 3-point land and has continued to become a serious part of Guy Kaplan’s club which has been struggling recently. If Brisker can keep up his fine play this season he could make some noise in securing a more prominent role with one of the bigger teams.

I liked how Nes Ziona pulled it together after a few losses to get back onto the winning track as their big 3, Frank Bartley, Diante Garrett and Tim Soares all put in excellent performances for Lior Lubin. When that trio is on so is Nes Ziona who will also play in the State Cup quarterfinals.

I liked how Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion battled for interim coach Alon Stein against a red hot Hapoel Jerusalem team. The wine city squad led by Tu Holloway took it to the Reds as the game wound down and could have easily have won the game as much as they lost. A bound here or a bounce there could have made all of the difference, but truth be told, Rishon who will be guided by Dror Cohen beginning next gameday need to begin winning or they will seal their fate and find themselves being relegated.

I liked how Jerusalem led by Retin Obasohan found a way to make sure they won on a night that they very well that their coach and most probably the entire squad felt that they could have lost. Yes, the Reds should have blown away Rishon but they didn’t and when the chips were all on the table, it was once again Retin Obasohan who took the team on his shoulders to take the win.

I liked how Chris Johnson took his Holon team under his wing and made certain that they would not lose another league game this time at Hapoel Beer Sheva. Maurizio Buscaglia’s team seem to play down to their competition and that was the case down south but Johnson held his team accountable as he usually does and made sure there would be no upset in a game that they should have won by much more than a 75-74 scoreline.

DISLIKES

I disliked Maccabi Tel Aviv’s lack of desire and game play and plan set up for the derby. The Yellow & Blue has so much talent but yet something isn’t clicking for the club. The first step towards some type of change finally took place when Coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos decided to not take James Nunnally with the club to Monaco for their Euroleague game on Wednesday.

I disliked how it seems that Hapoel Galil Elyon’s players have been giving some inconsistent performances of late. Part of the issue is the injury to Kyle Gibson and his absence while Jonathan Stove is a good ball player it just feels like Gibson’s veteran savvy and understanding of the game as well as his leadership is missing on the court.

I disliked how inconsistent Hapoel Haifa has been this season. They would win one and then lose one, then lose three and win three. This will be a big test for Elad Hasin’s team after having won three in a row and then fall at Nes Ziona, will that leads to another losing streak or will they bounce back with a win and prove that they are one of the better teams the league has to offer.

I disliked how Hapoel Beer Sheva just can’t get things rolling. It’s clear that there are some missing pieces at least one import and one Israeli and the lack of quality is showing very clearly. It’s not to say the southern Reds don’t have good pieces, they do but what they have is proving to be just not enough and if Rishon begins to start winning games, Beer Sheva could be in trouble.