Shir Tirosh, Hapoel Lev Jerusalem’s 24 year old guard is putting together an impressive season so far after having played several campaigns in Israel’s second division. This year, Tirosh is averaging 15.3 points, 7.4 assists (second in the league) and 4.8 rebounds this in the Premier League and now, just before she steps onto the floor for the Israel State Cup against Elitzur Ramle, she spoke with the Sports Rabbi about a myriad of topics concerning the game of basketball, her career and more.

How do you feel about your season so far from both a team and personal perspective?
“I feel really good, I think we exceeded everyone’s expectations. From a team point of view, the connection between us is really good, we all support each other and play well together and love to play together. All for all, personally, I’m happy about my where I am and content about the season I’ve had so far, but it’s not over yet.”

You played in the Premier League as a 17-year old and currently there are a lot of young Israelis on the team – do you feel that you are helping them develop as players thanks to your experience?
“Our young women have an opportunity that they may not have had in just any team. I think both Limor Peleg (the coach) and the older players give them space and the connection between these two worlds is something fun. The entire club is helping them develop and we all give them their space to do just that.”

What tip would you give a young basketball player?
“The biggest tip that I can give to a young player is to enjoy the team, and to enjoy the game. Love the game, show passion and everything else will come along the way. But the most important thing is to have fun.”

You played for several years in the second division, how did your time there contribute to the player you are today?
“I had opportunities to move up to the Premier League before and I feel that the 3 years in the Leumit allowed me to mature, both in terms of me as a person and in terms of my game. But I also feel that I maximized my time in that league and I came back to the Premier League hungrier and more mature.”

Last season you won the double with Lev Jerusalem in the Leumit – to what extent do you want to repeat that achievement in the top league as well?
“We are focusing on the cup final and aiming as high as possible. We are there and we can do it.”

How do you beat a team like Ramle who haven’t lost yet this season?
“We will come to battle and leave everything on the court and make sure that we are as prepared as possible.”

How can you make sure that you start the final strong and not like the double-digit deficit you fell into in the semi-final against Rishon Le’Zion?
“We will learn from what happened in that game and we can’t begin like that against Ramle. We will come as prepared as possible and I think that this experience was a new one to almost everyone on the team, no one had played in a game before. I am sure that we will come into the final much more prepared mentally and also emotionally, we will know how to direct that energy to the right place.”

What are your general thoughts about the club and head coach Limor Peleg?
“What the club offers us is juts incredible, crazy, I don’t think there is another team that gives it’s players what Jerusalem does. From the logistics to the professional staff and to the physio and management, we feel we have everything. I think Limor is doing an amazing job as she is also in her first year as a head coach in the top league. I think she has a really good connection with the team and she has an extraordinary basketball mind. Everyone here just fits like a glove – the management, the players and Limor. Everything has really come together.”

At the beginning of the season, the league did not foreigners, how many do you think each team should have?
“I think that what we have now is the best, that there are two and there is still an Israeli majority on the court which is important as it helps develops the players. The fact that the league reduced teh import allocation to two this season also really helped me make my decision to move up to the Premier League as well.”

How many years do you believe it will take Hapoel Lev Jerusalem to win a title?
“You’ll see soon, don’t worry.”