The Lead

Everyone knew that Maccabi Tel Aviv was going to come into their game against Elitzur Netanya a bit flat after capturing the Israel State Cup just a few days prior and flat they did as the headed into halftime in a 48-40 hole to the visitors. But have no fear, Levi Randolph was there to pull them out of the fire in what was a masterful 3rd quarter as he scored every which way, inside, outside, you name it and instead of an 8-point deficit, Maccabi ended the period +9, 72-63 and that was that. Game, set, match and a 99-83 win for the yellow-and-blue.

All in all, Randolph ended the game with 32 points, 17 of which were scored in that incredible third quarter as he came up one point short of matching his career high of 33. It was an absolutely stunning display especially after having played at the top of his game the week before in a tough as nails State Cup semifinal Derby that was decided in overtime and then a final that saw him once again raise his level of play to the highest of heights.

Let’s be honest, had their been more import players available for this game, Randolph probably would not have even been dressed. However, there weren’t due to injuries to Jaylen Hoard and Rokas Jokubaitis who had played hurt last week to help Maccabi win the trophy plus Tamir Blatt was out due to a back issue.

The yellow-and-blue will no doubt be happy to take a break until next week’s Euroleague home game back in Belgrade against Fenerbahce as the international window has arrived just in time to give Oded Katash’s crew some well earned rest and relation after the State Cup week as they will now reset to ready themselves for the Israel League Championship.

“It was an extraordinary display,” the bench boss said, praising the MVP Randolph. “It was truly incredible, but that’s what he does. I felt that he felt he had to take charge, that’s his leadership. We were very worried about the game and that’s natural after last week and we had to remember what could happen in a game that comes in right after ‘high’ like we had.”

But back to Randolph for a moment.

His performance in this regular season league game was really extraordinary and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Randolph is at the top of chart in Euroleague minutes played. He gave literally his all; blood, sweat and tears in the State Cup Final 4 and he’s no youngling at 32 years old.

“The basket was just so big for me,” Randolph said following the game. “I got into the zone, my teammates and the coach pushed me to keep going. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, I just kept playing. I keep saying it’s a mental thing, it was a tough game until the third quarter and you knew someone had to step up, today I guess it was me. I try to do what I can that will help the team, but am I the leader? It’s for others to make that decision.”

But he saw where Maccabi was heading against Netanya as they were tail spinning to what could have been a costly loss as they battle for first place overall and home court advantage in the playoffs where they will probably have to face a combination of Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem. Handing them home court isn’t what they want to do after having won back-to-back league titles over Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-1 because of having their home fans at two of the 3 games.

Randolph spent two very good seasons at Hapoel Jerusalem before heading to Maccabi Tel Aviv for a chance to test his mettle against the best of the best and while he along with the club would have really liked to have been having a better continental season, he has always been positive and has spoken about working harder, improving and getting better.

That is in fact exactly what the team was in the State Cup week, but it was Randolph who led by example in a far less attractive game, but one crucial for the team not just now but a few months down the road. How bad would they have felt losing out on home court advantage after an unnecessary and poor loss to Netanya.

That’s not to take anything away from Idan Avshalom’s team who have played very well this season, their first in the top league. But truth be told, these are games that Maccabi needs to put in their back pocket easily and efficiently.

In fact, veteran big man, Bryce Washington also expressed his compliments about how well Randolph had played, “Credit where credit is due. You have to give Levi credit – he’s in the Euroleague for a good reason. I’ve played against him for three years and he just exploded, 13/16 with 20 points in seven minutes, it’s crazy. He can score from any situation, you have to know how to deal with him. But credit where credit is due.”

Randolph led by example in that third quarter and from there, everyone else starting hitting their shots in the final frame, from Will Rayman to Marial Shayok and from David DeJulius to John Dibartolomeo.

“It was an amazing performance by Levi in the third quarter. I haven’t seen something like this in quote some time,” Rayman expressed.

Maccabi is lucky to have a player like Levi on it and his attitude, drive and desire may very well be the difference at the end of the season when the championship plate is on the line.

Tarik Phillip’s Jerusalem Return

Hapoel Jerusalem also had a big test in their first league game after the State Cup loss and they passed with flying colors in a 85-75 win over Hapoel Gilboa Galil. On one hand, it was surprising how much trouble Sharon Avrahami’s team had with a Jerusalem team that should have A) come in flat, B) had a number of injuries. But the capital city reds were having none of that and came into the game in all their glory just taking care of business in orderly fashion to head into the break with a win under their belt.

As both Head Coach Yonatan Alon and Tarik Phillip said in the postgame press conference, they knew they were going into the game playing themselves. They would be their own biggest opponent for the 40 minute and they passed the test with flying colors.

Phillip was certainly one of the reasons why Jerusalem picked up the win thanks to both his stellar defense but also a pair of clutch baskets in the third quarter to keep the double digit lead as is and wrap up the win. This is Phillip’s second term with Hapoel Jerusalem after a very short stay in 2020 that did not go the way either side had wanted it to. But since then the guard made stops at Tofas, Burgos and with the London Lions where he was named to the BBL All British Team of the Year and the BBL Defensive Team of the Year in 2024.

The New York native began the season at Trefl but after their season headed the wrong way and with the ability he had shown a door opened for a Hapoel Jerusalem return.

His head coach Yonatan Alon gave some insight as to who Tarik Phillip really is, where he has come from and what he brings to the table for this version of the guard that Jerusalem is now enjoying.

“Tarik played last year in London with Matt Morgan, one of the best scorers in the EuroCup and he knows very well how to take on a complimentary role. That alongside the experience he brings with him and his defensive toughness, I think he’s a great fit for us.

“As for his personality, he’s a smart and a good guy, who also grew up with Khadeen in New York, not on some of the easiest streets in the world. He knows how to deal with difficulties and difficult situations and isn’t afraid of anything. Those are exactly the things that he brings to the table and what he can give us.”

Phillip has a very positive attitude and is always seen smiling around the game which is great as he’s happy with where he is and what opportunities he has had throughout his career. He quickly became a player that Alon trusts and will no doubt be a critical cog at Jerusalem as the season heads towards the playoffs come spring time.

I had the chance to exchange a few words with Phillip at the State Cup Final last practice and he was thrilled to be back in Israel and with a team that is competing for titles. The EuroCup quarterfinal is coming up and Phillip will most probably be tasked with neutralizing the opposition guard which is always a role he relishes.

There’s no question that Phillip was a quality pickup for the Reds and will make a difference when a difference needs to be made.

The mystery of Jake Van Tubbergen

The Nes Ziona forward has had quite the up and down season for Amit Sherf’s squad. Dressed one game, then out for the next few, dressed again and done for a few weeks. That has been the story of Jake Van Tubbergen over the past couple of months. The Grand Valley State product was listed in the first ten games and averaged close to 30 minutes a game while putting in 12 points per contest. But the last two games of that run of ten saw Van Tubbergen score 8 points and then 2 before being benched in favor of the newcomer/oldcomer Jerrome Meyinsse. The Holland, Michigan native then sat out gamedays 11-16 before returning to action against Galil Elyon and was then listed the following week in a win over Hapoel Holon.

There’s no question that Van Tubbergen has what to offer but with a combination of more imports that the allotted places he got the short end of the stick. However, against Holon, Van Tubbergen scored a pair of big time baskets from the outside and then the inside to keep the lead as is and helped Nes Ziona snatch a 72-60 win over Holon.

Guard Yair Kravits shared his thoughts about Van Tubbergen, “He is a great guy and hadn’t dressed for a bunch of games. But he always gives his bets in practice and it was only a matter of time until he was going to get a chance to play again. He understands how to play and his baskets along with his defense really killed off the game.”

Nes Ziona had a tough start to the season losing their opening trio of games and were 1-5 after their first half dozen contests. But slowly but surely, Amit Sherf’s team kept collecting wins and while they would rather have a better record than 7-10, they are 6-5 since their tough start to the season.

Let’s not put the cart in front of the horse here and think that Van Tubbergen is going to be the be all and end all for Nes Ziona, he won’t be. But he certainly can be a part of that and I for one, who doubted him was very pleased to see him kill the game off.

“We brought Jake in at the start of the season as a 3-4 and we didn’t really play him enough minutes at the small forward position. We signed Jerome Meyinsse to balance out the team with Ricky Lindo and Itay Segev and this allowed us to now give Jake more time as a 3 which has been key for us and was in this game. I understand it’s not fun to not play as much as one would want to but every game can be different than the one before and the one after.”

It will be interesting to see how Van Tubbergen evolves from here on in.

Loose Balls

Gal Beitner who is just 21 years old and stands at 1.85 meters is starting to really make a name for himself at Kiryat Ata. With a number of long term injuries, the guard has been given a chance to shine and that’s what he has done for Kiryat Ata. 10 points in 27 minutes this past weekend in a win over Hapoel Haifa was yet another warning sign that Beitner is improving and perhaps one day will be a real impact player in the Israeli league.

His former Head Coach at Kiryat Ata, Sharon Avrahami opened the door for Beitner to succeed in the top league and he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands explained his current bench boss Eldad Bentov, “Beitner has showed us how important he is to the success of the team. He comes to practice everyday and he does it all. Due to the injuries he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and he has really been great for us, the players on the team have really enjoyed playing with him.”

How good is Guy Palatin? The Hapoel Tel Aviv guard is a machine and helped his team break open a close game at Hapoel Afula. Palatin, who is with the Israel National Team for the upcoming window has really seen a massive marked improvement in his play over the last few years and after coming over to the Reds from Kiryat Ata this past summer, Dimitrios Itoudis has yet another quality player in his arsenal. That is especially true in the Israeli league where Palatin can outwork almost any player on defense and when his shots are falling as they usually do, he can be a real gamebreaker.

“He knows he’s special in that he brings energy but not only that, he scores pretty well too,” Itoudis said of Palatin. “He runs the floor well, he’s unselfish, a team player, a great rebounder, an excellent cutter. Everyone loves him because he brings something that’s very important for any team so he’ll always be important for us.”
That’s pretty high praise for a player how has been able to make his way to the top with a other of elbow grease and hard work.

Hapoel Holon couldn’t have been too happy with the way they played and lost to Nes Ziona 72-60. Yes, you read that right, 60 points. Not good, not good at all from the purples who looked out of sync and totally off their game in what was a disastrous performance with Guy Kaplan at the helm.

However, it went from bad to worse at the postgame press conference when Idan Zalmanson threw the entire club, players and staff under the bus in a game that they really needed to win, “One team wanted it more and we felt that from the start of the game. I felt a bit of complacency in the lockerroom before the game. We have to learn from this and we can ever come into a game like this again. When you come into a game with a bad attitude that’s an issue. We have to come in with the right attitude and this is not the first time this has happened before important games you can feel certain things and we just didn’t have that in this game which we saw on the court. We didn’t begin well and once that occurs it’s hard to get back into the game.”

Got to give credit to Hapoel Beer Sheva for putting the hammer down on Maccabi Ramat Gan this week in an absolute blowout in the southern capital 104-84. Ron Zipper once again had a tremendous game with 23 points while going a scorching 5/5 from beyond the arc. He is a stealth shooter whose 3-point percentage is hovering around 40% for the season which is attractive for any of the big teams and if he can get that even higher, which he probably can, well then wow, he could be a top of the line European sniper. Need a clutch triple? Well, then Zipper is going to be your man. So keep a good eye out on the shooting guard who has stated many a times that his dream is to play for Hapoel Tel Aviv, could he end up there next season? Time will tell.

3-Stars + Israeli Stars of the Week