1) Itay Moskovits steps up at Ramat Gan
I really like Itay Moskovits. He’s a gamer, a scorer and a player that puts it all out on the line each game and every game. After moving up from Netanya in the second division a couple of seasons ago to top division team Hapoel Galil Elyon where he played for two campaigns between 2021-23 he signed with Hapoel Haifa at the start of this year.

However, an injury stunted the beginning of his season which was then followed by head coach Oren Aharoni’s resignation after the war had begun. What was going to be a breakout season for Moskovits was anything but as the team reorganized under new head coach Guy Goodes.

With changes going on at the Carmel, Ramat Gan was able to swoop in and snatch Moskovits who had been rumored to sign with Hapoel Jerusalem and with the guard making his debut for Shmulik Brenner’s team – against Maccabi Tel Aviv nonetheless The Sports Rabbi made sure to head over to Zisman Arena to see his first game for his new club.

And Moskovits didn’t disappoint as he played his usual style of basketball which will take time for his teammates to get used to but with 12 points and 3 rebounds he did what was expected of him as he smiled each and every time he was on the court.

“Itay Mokovits played well for his first game with us,” Brenner said. “It’s not easy to join a new team and play against Maccabi in the very first game and it will take time to see the change. We have a good core that we are happy with and it is slowly coming together. We aspire to be a big team and a big club and it’s a process, it doesn’t happen instantly. This game was another experience and we will learn from it for the future.”

 
His new backcourt partner in Kendale McCullum also spoke highly of the new recruit, “He’s a pure scorer, he can really score the ball. He’s only had a few practices with us, so it’s a lot for him and to integrate him into everything. But so far he has been able to adapt really well. He’s embracing the target that we have on our back and he’s come in pushing us and pushing himself. He showed glimpses of what he can do and I am excited to have him in the backcourt with me. Let’s see what happens these next games and the playoffs but I am really happy as to how he played in his first game with us.”

One of the concerns with bringing in Moskovits is that he needs the ball in his hands and that may hurt other players on the team who have been playing a certain style this season to date including Jordan Cohen.

Brenner, however, doesn’t feel that this will be the case and that Moskovits will integrate smoothly into the team and the system, “He only had a few practices with us and he was very good in terms of energy and desire. He was a bright spot for us. Itay Moskovits won’t hurt the players at all, and Jordan Cohen won’t have any issues at all. I wish that we could play with 12 Jordan Cohen’s every game. It will take time to get everyone on the same page and we want to take the next step to go as far as we can.”

2) Reds look to get back on track
Hapoel Jerusalem hosts Kiryat Ata on Saturday night and big do they ever need a win in the worst way after having lost yet another Israeli league game earlier this week to their dreaded rival Hapoel Holon. That defeat was their 4th in February as they finished with a 1-4 record over the month and will now head to the Canary Islands where a rematch with Tenerife awaits in Basketball Champions League Round of 16 action. The Spaniards are very much looking forward to this game after losing their first one between the two teams by the score of 85-61.

But first things first, a rematch with Kiryat Ata which should be a game that the Reds marked on their calendars after losing up north 76-74. While under the direction of Aleksandar Dzikic each player on the team knew exactly their role and what was expected of them, with the addition of some new players and Ilias Kantzouris on the sidelines it’s been a challenge to find the right combination of players both Israelis and foreigners that can help Jerusalem take their game to the top.

Nimrod Levi, Khadeen Carrington and JaCorey Williams are all new faces in the domestic league and with two imports siting for these games, it’s been a challenge to get the lineups to where they need to be and where the coach would like to see them as well.

While Kantzouris may not want to admit it, he does have an embarrassment of riches compared to many other teams and the terminology “less is more” may be something he would agree with right now. Jerusalem does have a ton of high quality players and fitting them into the Reds puzzle is no doubt a challenge,

The coach however, feels that there is a clear understanding on the team, “I believe that the hierarchy on this team is very clear. Good teams have to do with good chemistry and right now we were a little bit out of track but basically also the game against Maccabi we lost in a different way. We have very good players and I don’t have any complaints from any of them. They come here and work very hard every day and my job is to find the right way which is to play good team basketball, very simple.”

“Basketball is very simple. I feel that we didn’t have good execution on both ends, offense and defense. This has to do with me. I didn’t find a way to help my team during the game. But on the other hand I am very confident that the team which is practicing together and I am watching them every day, we are going to be able to bounce back.”

Their first chance to counter back will be Saturday night against NBA prospect Ben Saraf and Kiryat Ata.

3) Maccabi smashes ALBA
Maccabi Tel Aviv did what they needed to against ALBA Berlin as they got back onto the winning track with a 106-71 Euroleague blowout in Germany. In a game that was never in doubt, the yellow-and-blue did exactly that, they made sure that Israel Gonzalez and his squad would not have a chance to even think about mounting a comeback and causing any type of drama and issues that they have seen the past.

Oded Katash’s team took a 58-37 lead into halftime and didn’t take the foot off the pedal as they kept hammering away to bump that lead up and up and up, leaving ALBA in the dust. James Webb, Wade Baldwin, Bonzie Colson, Josh Nebo and on and on and on scored at will to make sure that they would start off the final 8 game stretch with a win.

In fact, Maccabi’s strength of schedule over the next six weeks is probably the easiest amongst EuroLeague teams with only one of the now remaining seven teams above .500. With a 14-13 record and a spot in the PlayIn, should Maccabi go 5-2 they just may sneak into 6th place and the last guaranteed quarterfinal place.

Is it’s going to be easy? Certainly not with road games at Red Star Belgrade and Barcelona but they do have some softies against Villeurbanne and the game that they just won in Berlin. Maccabi’s destiny will really be decided in the games at Bayern Munich and at their temporary home in Belgrade against the likes of Zalgiris and Milan as well as Valencia.

But on the bright side there are no big games against Real, Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos or Olympiacos so the road is really set up for them to hit no bumps.

However, the games aren’t played on paper but on the court so Maccabi still has to actually win these games to get to the promised land. But if the win against ALBA was any indication and the seriousness they put into a game that almost everyone knew what the result should have been before tipoff is how they are going to be focused between now and the end of the continental campaign then there should be no reason why they won’t be able to find their way into the playoffs and maybe, just maybe beyond.

And-1) Gal Galinsky stars for Rishon with an eye towards the top league
I spent Friday afternoon in Rishon Le’Zion where I got to see some second division Leumit League action featuring Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion and Ramat HaSharon. This season the Leumit is playing with just Israelis and no imports which in a normal year would see two foreigners playing on each squad, however, due to the war it was decided to just go with Sabras this campaign and the results have been great. Lots of close games and exciting play plus a chance for young Israelis to get some serious minutes on the court to hone their skills as they try to move up to the first division.

One of those players is Gal Galinsky who has spent some time in the top league but had not been able to make an impact. The 28-year old has bounced up and down somewhat between the leagues but has been able to show this season that he is a leader and floor general can run a game without much of a problem. Galinsky is no doubt one of the big names in the Leumit and he did not disappoint with 30 points (6/11 from 3) and 6 assists with a ton of his big buckets coming in the final frame of the game as he helped his team comeback from a 3-point deficit to take a 93-79 win.

After the game I caught up with Galinsky about his season to date, his performance and if he feels that Rishon can make it back to the Premier League.

“I don’t think it was a great game by the team, we went some steps back on both end. In the second half we got back to ourselves and our shots went in,” a modest Galinsky began.

“In the 4th we stopped them defensively, we boxed out well on rebounds. I wasn’t used to my position but we did well to win,” as he played more of the off guard and not the point as he usually does.

As for the team’s potential gong forward, “I think the team hasn’t even shown 40 or 50% of what we are capable of because we have a lot of potential. While there have been challenging periods, I am happy with my lot, I love the coaching staff, the players and the club. Rishon is a great club who provides us with whatever we need. We can beat any team in the league and we can go up a league.”