{"id":82434,"date":"2023-03-14T10:45:52","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T10:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=82434"},"modified":"2023-03-14T10:45:52","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T10:45:52","slug":"jerusalem-looks-for-bcl-final-8-berth-cohen-hagadol-harris-return-eilat-gilboa-begin-to-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/jerusalem-looks-for-bcl-final-8-berth-cohen-hagadol-harris-return-eilat-gilboa-begin-to-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerusalem looks for BCL Final 8 berth, Cohen HaGadol, Harris return, Eilat & Gilboa begin to rise"},"content":{"rendered":"

JERUSALEM LOOKS TO PUNCH TICKET TO BCL FINAL 8<\/h3>\n

Hapoel Jerusalem may have knocked off Hapoel Beer Sheva 84-74<\/a><\/strong> but they now ready for a massive game coming up in Basketball Champions League action as they visit JDA Dijon and look to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals with a win. The Reds fell to Dijon at home which was the last time they lost a game having now gone 9 straight wins in a row since January.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not too shabby. Can they beat Dijon? Yes. Will it be tough? Yes. But if they come in ready to go and not allow Gavin Ware to annihilate them as he did last game they should be fine.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Aleksandar Dzikic – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe wins before have nothing to do with this game. It\u2019s an important game for both teams and it\u2019s do or die for both teams. We both want to go to the top 8, but in order to win there are some details that we have to take care of on offense,\u201d head coach Aleksandar Dzikic explained.<\/p>\n

One major factor in this game will be Speedy Smith who has sat out the past two domestic league clashes but put up 26 points against Holon last week to send the purples packing from the BCL. Is Smith 100% going into this game? Dzikic emphatically said he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s 100%. Not playing with every foreigner in league play is something that I\u2019ve never had in my career and after 6 months I\u2019m adjusted better with that. Tonight was his turn, we had planned to have others sit but we looked at the schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Speedy Smith – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>\n

If there is an equal rotation of players sitting in league games, I\u2019m not quite sure how Smith sat for two in a row if there isn\u2019t some sort of issue, but we will take Dzikic\u2019s word on Smith after he dropped 26 points on Holon.<\/p>\n

However, with or without a 100% Smith, the Serbian bench boss now has a 100% Brandon Brown who has been playing superb basketball over the past few weeks and has shown exactly why the Reds brought him in as Dzikic also referred to the addition of TJ Cline to the squad as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"

TJ Cline – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cHis [TJ Cline] situation is not easy. When he came we were in one situation and now it\u2019s a bit different. Blayzer is playing better now but TJ is helping us by pushing them to play better while he can also be better but he needs time. When you compare Brown now and from when he arrived it\u2019s a different way of performance and it also takes time to learn to play with each other. We have rules and we have to all be on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that this will be a great game and Jerusalem fans will be looking forward to it as they want to see their team hoist yet another trophy this season.<\/p>\n

COHEN’S VALUE TO MACCABI & BEYOND<\/h2>\n

Jake Cohen has always been a popular player with The Sports Rabbi as time and time again we never cease to find more and more adjectives and superlatives to describe the Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israel National Team veteran.
\n