Hapoel Tel Aviv tips off against Ulm in EuroCup play on Thursday (8:30pm) in Bulgaria in what will be a home game for the Reds as they will welcome the German club and their Israeli star guard Ben Saraf. The matchup will mark the club’s new head coach Dimitrios Itoudis’s first game on the Hapoel sidelines while Marcus Bingham will also make his Reds debut after joining the team on Tuesday following a couple of months with Hapoel Holon.

Ulm is currently in 6th place with a 4-4 record while Hapoel Tel Aviv comes in with a record of 5-3, good for 3rd place in the continent’s second best competition. Just ahead of their flight, Itoudis and his squad along with newcomer big man Bingham took part in a practice at the Drive In as the bench boss spoke about his first test with the Reds.

“We are playing against a team from the top of the German league which has established its position there in recent years,” Itoudis began. “It has an excellent coach and very good players. We are in the process of building a better team. In recent days, we have been missing a number of players who were with their national teams and we tried to work as best we could. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Israeli team on its two victories. Our goal is to play a good game and beat a very strong opponent.”

Itoudis also spoke about the club’s new signing, “The professional staff has been following Marcus Bingham throughout the season. He is a player who can play in both positions, 4 and 5, provides us with rebounds and blocks and can join in fast breaks. Hapoel Holon did a great job with him and now he joins us and the expectations for him are on the rise. I have spoken with him extensively and he is ready to accept the challenge.

“All of us together, and especially the owner Ofer Yannay, are trying to finish building the squad with players who want to be here, are ready to sacrifice for the club, are focused and motivated to help Hapoel Tel Aviv. Marcus is one of them. I am sure that the other players will help him acclimate as quickly as possible and will accept him as one of our own.”

The 24-year old Bingham (2.13m) inked a deal through the end of the 2025/26 season after beginning the season with the purples where he averaged 17.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and shot 53% from beyond the arc in 32 minutes per game. He also excelled in the FIBA Champions League, averaging 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 60% from deep in four games.

The forward/center began his professional career last season with Hapoel Haifa and was one of the standout players in the Israeli League with 14.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 28 minutes on the court. Prior to that, he spent his four-year college career at Michigan State and after playing in the NBA Summer League, he joined the Carmel mountain team last season.