Hapoel Tel Aviv is looking better and better each day under new head coach Dimitrios Itoudis. The Reds are melding into a well-oiled machine in the Israeli league, as each player on the squad is understanding their role and what is expected of them, in addition to what Itoudis can expect from them on the court.
The puzzle is far from complete, but with each game that goes by and each day of practice that is logged, Hapoel is improving, and its play is much more fluid than it was just a few weeks ago.
Is it perfect? Absolutely not, and Itoudis still has plenty of work to do to get this team into a position to win the EuroCup as well as the Israeli league.
Perhaps one reason the team is beginning to gel the way the Greek maestro would like is that he has been going with the same five import players over the past couple of games in the Israeli league, which limits the participation of foreigners. Another reason the team is looking more cohesive is that the Reds finally registered Joe Ragland for Israeli games, as he is the only “true” point guard the club has in service. Add to that Jonathan Motley returning to the team, and Hapoel suddenly has some serious tools to work with.
Sure, Yam Madar, Marcus Foster, Antonio Blakeney, Bar Timor, and Noam Yaacov are all fine talents, but they are not floor generals in the true sense of the word. Ragland, who has played in Israel before and helped Hapoel Holon win a league title, is a pass-first and score-second player. Of course, that’s not to say he can’t put the ball in the hoop – he can do so consistently.
Hapoel victory against Maccabi Ramat Gan
In a recent game against Maccabi Ramat Gan, Hapoel struggled to break away during the first 25 minutes of the contest, but when Ragland came in with 5:27 left in the third quarter and the score at just 58-55 for the Reds, the tide turned very quickly. Itoudis’s team quickly bumped the lead up to double digits and cruised to a 91-82 victory.
It looked as simple as 1-2-3. However, that was not the case, as the bench boss explained following the game. He expressed dissatisfaction with Ragland and took him to task for his lack of defense.
“I’m not going to be gentle, just as I’m not gentle with any player of ours. With Joe, he knows why he was substituted early on – he gave a bad tone to the team. He and Marcus [Foster] played very sloppily defensively and gave a bad tone.
“When they checked back in, they did some great things, but you can’t perform offensively if you don’t have the mindset to make stops, especially against a team that can really score the ball,” Itoudis continued. “Joe has experience, we talked a lot, and he took it upon himself. He has a sports ego and a high level of competitiveness inside of him. He played better defense because they are super aggressive, and he also scored a lot of baskets. He has the quality to drive the ball to the basket and create for the bigs, for the kick-outs, and for the spot-up shooters.”
Ragland was in the starting lineup and shared a number of choice words with Itoudis. He came out of the game with Hapoel ahead 18-17 with 2:47 left in the first period. From there, the 35-year-old returned with 2:28 remaining in the first half, with the Reds up 45-37.
The next time Ragland saw the floor was midway through the third frame, and from there, the point guard finally helped his team build up the double-digit lead.
Tough love
Itoudis is not going to baby his players. He wants to see 100% focus, determination, and drive from each of them. If he gets this, then he can go to sleep knowing he did everything in his power to get the Reds to the Promised Land. The coach is unlike any other bench boss who has come to Israel, and there’s a reason he has won a pair of Euroleague championships and was part of Zeljko Obradovic’s staff for so many years, collecting one trophy after another.
One cannot compare Itoudis to former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos just because they are both from Greece. It’s like saying Israeli coaches Oded Katash and Danny Franco are one and the same – and they are certainly not.
Itoudis is unique and brings his own flavor to his team. With that, he was able to coax Motley to return after he had left for a month with rumors swirling that he was signing with Red Star for a bigger contract.
Before Motley departed the team, he was so dominant and critical for his team, but he also needed to find his happy zone. That now seems to be happening, slowly but surely, upon his return. Motley is so flexible as a player and can do it all, making him a clear MVP candidate in both Israel and the EuroCup.
Having #0 on the court is a game-changer for Itoudis, and the coach knows it.
“Jonathan is great for us. You can’t stop him. He’s very smart and doesn’t force himself on the game. I’m happy he was good on defense – not just rebounding – and he put in an effort. He’s not 100% yet, but he’s close.”
Timor also spoke about Motley and what he brings to the team, saying he was welcomed back with open arms.
“It’s great to have him with us. We have many ways to use him. He can pass, score from the midrange – there’s a way to use him, and we know how to do it. It’s great that he’s with us and makes us better.”
Hapoel Tel Aviv is a team with an embarrassment of riches, boasting plenty of players – both imports and Israelis – who can make an impact in any game, whether in the domestic league or in Europe.
Last week, Madar was out with a groin issue, Marcus Bingham and Ish Wainright weren’t able to be registered to play in the Israeli league due to the foreigner limits, Yaacov was sidelined with an injury, and Patrick Beverley had just returned to the Holy Land to rehab from his own injury.
However, in this weekend’s game, which resulted in a tough 79-64 victory over Galil Elyon, Madar was back in the lineup, as were both Bingham and Wainright, ahead of a pivotal game at Gran Canaria in the EuroCup later in the week. (Just before Hapoel departed for Spain, the club issued a statement saying that Bingham is suffering from pericarditis, usually caused by a viral illness. He is currently sidelined and will be re-evaluated in 10 days.)
Madar was not only back but better than ever, with a 17-point-11-assist double-double performance.
“That was a professional win,” Itoudis commented. “We won by 15 on the road. That’s another good message. We need to improve and work a lot, and that’s why we have many players on the bench who can help us find the right chemistry. At certain moments, they can run better than others. It happened when Joe Ragland came off the bench against Ramat Gan and gave leverage to our team. That is the advantage we must try to find with the right lineup.”
Players coming in and out of the lineup present a big challenge for Itoudis, who must figure out how all the pieces will come together. For the head coach, these challenges can be considered “problems of the wealthy” due to the plethora of talent available. This is why he is a great coach – one who understands that there will be trial and error. With that understanding, there’s no reason to think he won’t succeed. It will be fascinating to see how he navigates the challenges ahead.
“This game will help us a lot because we didn’t all of a sudden become a super team because we won three, four, or five games,” Itoudis explained. “It’s a process, and we have to compete every day and improve. As for Gran Canaria, we are talking about a team that recently won the EuroCup. They have the same coaching staff and core for the past 4-5 years. That’s how you build a team. They beat Valencia, which is a very good team in the EuroCup, and they are one of the leading teams in the Spanish league. They play big, and it will be tough – but that’s why we are here, for the tough things. That’s why the game against Galil will help us, especially for this game coming up.”
All in all, Hapoel Tel Aviv is starting to fall in line with the way Itoudis envisions. It will no doubt take time, but the Reds are on the right path to success.
“We are trying lots of things, and we are very optimistic.”
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