Hapoel Tel Aviv gets back to continental competition on Tuesday night (20:00 Israel time) as they will welcome Trento to their “home away from home” in Samokov, Bulgaria as the Reds will look to build off of their momentum after having won in Israeli league play earlier in the week against Hapoel Haifa as well as having crushed Gran Canaria last week in EuroCup play. Head Coach Dimitrios Itoudis’s squad is currently in 4th place with a 8-5 record and will look to try improve their position in the standings in order to head into the playoffs with home court advantage but that is still a challenge that the club with Bahcesehir, Gran Canaria and Ulm in front of them.

However, Hapoel will no doubt look to win their remaining games and see where that will leave them when the regular season comes to an end. One player who will no doubt be a key player especially on the offensive side of the ball is Anotnio Blakeney.

The 28-year old joined the Reds in October after having played the past two seasons in China. In 2022, Blakeney had a short spell with Hapoel Beer Sheva and has also played in the G-League as well as in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.

The Watertown, NY native is a pure scorer and can put the ball in the basket in almost any situation which he did with ease in the fourth quarter of last week’s game against Gran Canaria and in the second frame in the win over Haifa. While he can find the basket with ease, he is also working on other facets of his game in order to become a more complete player and one that can play at the highest levels.

Itoudis explained what he feels Blakeney can continue to work in order to really be that all encompassing player that every team and any team would want to have as part of their roster.
“He’s very motivated and extremely talented, it’s not easy for any player to get into a game in the 4th and score 13-14 points. I have a lot of individual talks with the players and Anotnio is doing an extremely good job. There are many games that he has played extremely well including EuroCup and in the Israeli League.”

With limited European experience, Blakeney is still learning the continental game after having played primarily in China outside of North America.

“This was only his 14th or 15th game in Europe,” Itoudis continued. “He’s very consistent as to how he works and very consistent on his effort and very consistent on his belief to the team and he’s a great teammate. He wants to learn and he told me that he is now being coached and advised about some details that he has never had in his career so far. So that take a certain amount of time to make the adjustments.”

Blakeney himself knows that he needs to work on his craft in specific areas to be able to maximize his talent, “I have to keep working as coach is on my for my defense and I think that I am a good defender but I can be better off the ball and things like that. Just making the simple plays too like the pick and roll. Making sure that when I get going that I am not just looking for my own shot but also trying to find easier shots for my teammates.”

Scoring 13.4 points in EuroCup play and 12 points in the Israeli league shows one exactly how Blakeney can fill the basket for his team and should be able to keep up that consistency, but playing at the top of one’s game ultimately comes down to preparation and treating each opponent with the same amount of respect and honor.

“Stay serious with the preparation and what we are doing and stay serious no matter who we are playing, Maccabi or Haifa keep the same preparation individually and as a team. We are all shooting extra and getting our stretching in and stuff like that and it’s the seriousness of the game is what we do and do it as a team everyday.”

Itoudis has been very straight and to the point when he speaks about the club’s opponents and if one respects them and come into a game focused and ready to go, the sky’s the limit for Hapoel, “We will face the leader of the Italian league, a team that defeated us in the first round thanks to certain advantages. This game requires us to approach it with full seriousness, especially in light of the fact that we are on the right track to become a team that plays quality and serious basketball. We still have a lot of potential to realize, but the serious attitude and competitive ability we are showing, give us hope that we are building something significant and good.”

Blakeney echoed the Greek tactician’s thoughts, “We need to continue the same momentum, maintain the positive atmosphere and play with determination and the utmost seriousness.”

With that, Itoudis feels that his swingman can take his game to the highest of levels, “We’re happy he’s healthy and that we have an extremely good scorer. If he adds the creation and the defensive end [that would be yet another tool for him]. We’re very happy to have Antonio. He’s a healthy kid, highly motivated and highly competitive and he feels good in this environment. That’s the most important thing.”