Hapoel Jerusalem held a special gala evening at the Museum of Tolerance to tip-off the new season as players, staff, management and sponsors all came together to celebrate the new campaign in style.

Head Coach Sasa Obradovic and captain Yovel Zoosman both shared their thoughts on the upcoming campaign, the potential signing of Lorenzo Brown and the special event itself.

“The last time I was at a gala was at the Monte Carlo Casino,” Obradovic began. “There is always a nice spot to have such an event. I have to say, the first day meeting these guys and understanding what we are beginning, what program we are about to initiate, how big we want to be in the future, having this event also shows ambition to grow, to be better and I’m really happy to see all these people coming to this is.”

The bench boss also spoke about the season that is about to begin both in Europe and in Israel, “I think we have had some great practices. Of course, we are not always having the best readings or best decisions; our game fluidity is still not there, but we are getting better. I’m really happy with the group I have; they are very coachable and we are building up from day to day. Each day, I would say we are getting better. The mood will go up and down depending on the wins and losses. But again, I’m really happy with having this kind of group and just hoping for the best with time.”

As for adding a guard in place of the injured Jared Harper, Obradovic added, “We do have the options and the decision, I think, should be made soon from the options we have, so let’s see what the next days bring. About Lorenzo Brown, he’s a great player.”

Yovel Zoosman shared his thoughts about the evening as well, “It’s something beautiful and I think it brings the people around the club closer to us as players and it also gives us another opportunity to connect with one another as players. It’s fun. All this mingling is a nice thing.”

The captain also gave an update on the injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago during the Winner Cup game at Ashdod, “It was a minor injury and it’s behind me now. I was a little worried because I had been out for quite a while, so I was concerned that it might be something more serious. I’m fine. I’m expected to play in our next game on and we’ll move forward from there.”

Zoosman spoke about the new head coach and what Obradovic brings to the table, “I think he brings a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge at the highest levels. Experience is important, but when it’s also backed up by titles and achievements, it makes it even more valuable. When he speaks and explains things, a lot of the players listen to him and are hungry for that information. We know that if we do things the way he asks us to, we’ll do them in a very good and correct way. We need to trust the process. This is only the beginning.”

Jaleen Smith is one of the new players on Hapoel but he also played with Zoosman when both plied their trade at Alba Berlin, “I really like Jalen. I knew relatively early on that he was coming and I was happy about it. I had an hour-long conversation with him before he signed here, trying to help him understand what Hapoel Jerusalem is all about. I’m glad he chose, in my opinion, the right option. I believe it’s the right move both for the club and for him. Obviously, I’ll be worried at the end of the season [laughs], but I think he’s an asset. He’s a player with very little ego, a tremendous desire to succeed, and he’s a solid player who doesn’t make many mistakes. That’s something you need in basketball.”

After coming close in the past, does this group have the missing ingredients this season to win the EuroCup?

“It’s difficult to say that at this point because we haven’t faced the other big teams yet. First of all, we wish Jared a speedy and healthy recovery. But the key in the EuroCup is that one game doesn’t define you, it’s a whole season and you have to maintain consistency and that takes time. We’ll do our best every single day. Among ourselves, we know what we want to achieve and what we’re capable of and we need to show it on the court. It’s nice to talk about it, but talk doesn’t mean much.”