Hapoel Jerusalem continues their EuroCup campaign with a date against Reyer Venezia as the capital city reds will look to bump up their 4-2 record as they currently sit in 3rd place in Division B. Neven Spahija’s Venice based club holds a 2-4 record and are in 8th place as they will look to get back onto the winning track following a loss at Cluj last week.

Yonatan Alon’s Jerusalem team will be without star guard Jared Harper for this game as he is suffering from an eye injury and his return to the court is still uncertain. Speedy Smith who had been the club’s floor general over the past two seasons but is looking to leave the team due to his reduced role will be back in the driver’s seat as the fans will hope to see the same player that helped the team win the Israel State Cup last year.

However, one player that will be tasked to try and stop Smith and the balance of the Reds is NBA veteran Rodney McGruder who recently joined Venezia. The 33-year old played over 300 games in the greatest league in the world before heading overseas last season when he played at Milano.

In the NBA he was known as the pros pro, a consummate professional and role model both on and off of the court. Fortunately The Sports Rabbi had a chance to speak with McGruder as he was about to fly to Bulgaria for the Jerusalem game and we touched on a myriad of topics from his time with the Clippers, Heat, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Saben Lee as well as sharing the court with Dwayne Wade and of course playing in one of the most unique city’s in the world.

“Things are great here in Venice,” McGruder began. “I haven’t had the opportunity yet to really discover the city because we have had a lot of games both at home and abroad so it’s been busy. But when The chance will come up I’ll be checking it out without question.”

The Landover, Maryland native signed with Venezia when his agent came to him with the opportunity after a number of injuries to Head Coach Neven Spahija’s squad that does have a lot of potential both in Europe and in Italy as well.

“The chance came up and it made sense,” he explained. “My agent came to me with the opportunity and made it sense. I feel like the sky’s the limit for this team and if we buy in and compete, we can accomplish great things.”

McGruder has played under some world champion coaches including Doc Rivers and Erik Spoelstra, but he has warmed up very quickly to his new bench boss, Neven Spahija, “He’s a player’s coach and allows us freedom on the court but he also holds us accountable. He gives that freedom to you which as a player is great but if you don’t hold up your end of the bargain you have to be accountable and that’s really good.”

Having played for Kansas State between 2009-2013 and then beginning a professional career in Hungary, McGruder ended up playing over 300 games in the NBA and carved out an exceptional role on a variety of teams. Throughout those years he always believed that is was possible to get to the NBA after not being selected in the draft, “I always believed, I really did. I prayed about it and did my part. I worked very hard for it, had faith and it came to fruition.”

With the Miami Heat, McGruder shared the floor with none other than Hall of Fame guard Dwayne Wade, “It was amazing to play with him. As a young kid he was someone that I looked up to and admired his game. I was a 6”5 guard and so is he so I always admired his career and to play alongside him, to pick his brain and approach it was an absolutely surreal experience.”

McGruder also played with the Los Angeles Clippers with the likes of Kawhi Leonard who had just won an NBA title and Paul George. That team had the chance to win it all but came up short after falling falling to Denver in 7 games in the COVID bubble.

“It was very disappointing. We knew we could be crowned NBA champs but COVID kind of derailed the season but we still could have won it at the end but ultimately it went to the Lakers and LeBron James.”

One of his teammates with the Clippers was Patrick Beverley who is now playing in Israel with Hapoel Tel Aviv, “He’s the same guy today as he was then. He’s a great teammate and someone that is always full of energy”

Saben Lee, who is now with Maccabi Tel Aviv played with McGruder on the Detroit Pistons and left a very positive impression, “That’s my guy! I’m so happy for him! I know he began the season in Turkey and then made the big jump to Maccabi in such a short period, so much respect to him for that. The sky’s the limit for him in terms of potential, he’s a competitor and has the opportunity to thrive now. I am not surprised as to how well he’s played and I did see that he had a big winning shot last week against Real Madrid.”

McGruder started playing basketball thanks to his sister as he attended many of her games as a youngster and then played one-on-one against her as well. He credits his family for his success and that they were the ones he looked up to growing up which helped mold who he is today.

“My mom and dad were my role models and taught me how to handle myself. They provided for me and my siblings who also taught me tough love. I learned so much from all of them, how to do different things and how to operate on a daily basis.”

At Kansas State, McGruder played in the NCAA Tournament a number of times one specific season stuck out, “My first year we went to the Elite 8 and the game that we played in the Sweet 16 was a crazy double overtime victory over Xavier that I would say will always stand out for me.”

Hapoel Jerusalem will no doubt be a tough game for Venezia but McGruder knows what his team will need to do in order to come away with the win, “Sticking to the game plan and come out to play a total 40 minute game. Last week we played a 32 minute game and blew a 15 point lead. We need to play the entire 40 minutes.”

McGruder was known throughout the NBA as a pros pro and someone who would always be there to put in 110% for his team, “Much respect to those who have said all of those nice things. I learned that from my parents and family and showing up and doing your job. It’s really nothing special; everyone has a job and you’ve got to do your job with a smile, and full heart and not complain. That is the secret to success.”