Hapoel Jerusalem B.C.

Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club (Hebrew: הפועל ירושלים‎), for sponsorships reasons Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem, is a professional basketball club based out of the City of Jerusalem, and competes in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball), the Israeli State Cup, and the Basketball Champions League. It has won several titles, including the ULEB Cup (now called EuroCup) in 2004, the Israeli Basketball Premier League championship in 2015 and 2017, and six state Cups. In 2013, a new ownership group headed by Ori Allon took over, and the club has since seen a remarkable advancement and expansion. The team began playing in the Jerusalem Arena in 2014.

Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem
LeaguesIsraeli Premier League
Balkan International Basketball League
Founded1943 (1943)
HistoryHapoel Jerusalem B.C.
(1943–present)
ArenaPais Arena
Capacity11,000
LocationWest Jerusalem
Team colorsRed, Black, White
     
Main sponsorBank Yahav
PresidentEyal Chomsky
General managerGuy Harel
Head coachDainius Adomaitis
Championships2 Israeli Championship
1 EuroCup
6 Israeli State Cups
5 Israeli League Cups
Websitehapoel.co.il

History

Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club was founded in 1935, and incorporated in 1943.[1][2] It had its first appearance in the Israeli Basketball Premier League in 1955. Hapoel played in the first division most of the 1950s and 1960s, with notable players, such as David Kaminsky and Amir Berlinsky. The following two decades had ups and downs, as Hapoel toggled between the first and second divisions.

In 1986, led by coach Simi Riger, the team advanced to the Premier League, after five consecutive years in the second division.[1] Since then, Hapoel has remained in the Premier League.[1] In 1996 and 1997, Hapoel won the State Cup, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the finals, at the Yad Eliyahu (Nokia) Arena.[1] The team was led by Adi Gordon.[1]

In 2004, Hapoel Jerusalem won its first European title, the ULEB Cup (EuroCup), defeating Real Madrid in the final in Charleroi, Belgium.[3][4]

In 2005, Israeli-Russian billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak purchased a large stake in the club.[1] As a result, the team got stronger and signed four American players with an NBA record – Tamar Slay, Horace Jenkins, Roger Mason, and Mario Austin, as well as Israeli star Meir Tapiro.[1]

In 2007, Hapoel won its third Israel State Cup, defeating Bnei HaSharon.[1] In early 2008 Hapoel came back from being 22 points down in the 4th quarter, to win its fourth State Cup, beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 93–89.[4] [1] In late 2008 it won its first Israeli Basketball League Cup, beating Ironi Nahariya.[1]

In September 2009, oil tycoon Guma Aguiar joined Hapoel Jerusalem as the team's sponsor and helped pay the debts left by Gaydamak.[1] On October 8, 2009, Hapoel beat Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Winner Cup finals, winning the club's second cup in a row.[1] One year after the mysterious disappearance of Guma Aguiar, in 2013 a new ownership group headed by entrepreneur Ori Allon took over.[1] Guy Harel succeeded Dani Klein as general manager.[1]

Amar'e Stoudemire

In April 2014, the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal reported that six-time NBA All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire might join Hapoel after his contract with the New York Knicks expired at the end of the 2014–15 NBA season.[5][6] Stoudemire decided to retire from the NBA in July 2016.[1]

Amar'e Stoudemire signed a two-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem on August 1, 2016.[7][8] In his first season with the team he helped it win the Israeli Basketball League Cup, beating Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball.[8]

On June 20, 2014 the club signed coach Danny Franco.[1] That same day, the club also signed season MVP Donta Smith.[9] On June 25, 2014, the Executive Board of Euroleague Commercial Assets agreed to give Hapoel a wild-card to compete for a spot in the EuroLeague qualifications.[10]

On June 25, 2015, Hapoel won the Israeli Basketball Premier League Championship for the first time in their history, defeating Hapoel Eilat in the Final.[1] On June 15, 2017 the club won the Israeli Championship for the second time, defeating Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Final.[1][11]

Team management

Ownership
  • 10% – The Amuta.
  • 90% – An ownership group, headed by majority owner Ori Allon, including Eyal Chomsky, Shalom Menora, David Kleinhandler and Howard Wietschner.

The new ownership group and corporate management is considered among the most professionally diverse sports ownership groups in the world, as it includes a software developer, who sold two software companies to Google and Twitter (Allon), an American and Israeli real estate and hi-tech businessman (Menora), the CEO of Israel's leading media group (Chomsky), and a retired partner at Goldman Sachs (Wietschner).[12][13][14][15]

Staff
Yotam Halperin
  • General manager: Guy Harel
  • Sporting director: Yotam Halperin
  • Head coach: Oded Kattash
  • Assistant coaches: Jonathan Alon and Danijel Lutz
  • Physiotherapists: Gadi Hadad and Yanai Barak
  • Team doctor: Dr. Jonathan (Jonty) Maresky
  • Orthopedist: Dr. Adi Fridman

Fans and arena

The Brigade

Brigade Malcha is the official ultras organization of Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. In Malha Arena, the Brigade was located behind the south side basket. At the Jerusalem Arena, the Brigade is located in stands #1 and #12. The Brigade has close connections with the team itself, and is consulted by management on instrumental decisions, such as changing the team logo, and planning events with the community.

Rivalry with Maccabi Tel Aviv

Since the founding of the club in 1943, Hapoel Jerusalem has developed a major rivalry with Tel Aviv's leading basketball club Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv. Throughout the years, many games between the two teams became a part of the 'Hall of Fame' of Israeli basketball. The rivalry between the teams is very deep and emotional. Due to its vast size, the Jerusalem Arena has brought Israel's largest basketball rivalry to a whole new level.

Malha Arena (1985–2014)
Main article: Malha Arena
Malha Arena

When Hapoel Jerusalem was founded, it initially played in a small court on Histadrut Street, in the city center, before moving to the Jerusalem International YMCA arena. In the mid-1950s, it moved to the only indoor arena in Jerusalem at that time, "the Straus Arena," in the Histadrut building, on Straus Street. Malha Arena was used as Hapoel Jerusalem's home area from 1985 to 2014. It has a seating capacity of 3,000 seats, with 2,540 seats in its lower tier, an additional 460 seats in its upper tier. With its small size, the arena traps in noise, and distracts the opposing team. This gives a boost to players towards the end of the game when they need it most, according to the former head coach of Hapoel Jerusalem, Oded Kattash.

Jerusalem Arena (2014–present)
Main article: Jerusalem Arena
The Jerusalem Arena

Former Mayor of Jerusalem, and Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, proposed the master plan for the arena in 2004, and it took ten years to build. Though the Jerusalem Arena is less than two kilometers from the team's previous home, which was opened in 1985, it is exponentially larger. The arena features 11,000 seats, four times as many as in Goldberg Arena, and all the modern amenities expected of a modern basketball venue. The stadium has twelve corporate boxes, each listed for $100,000 dollars per season. The site was chosen far back, but the building only took place in recent years. With an eye towards what the future might bring, the arena has been built to EuroLeague standards. Playing in the EuroLeague in the next few years, is a goal that the team has publicly set for itself.[16] The Jerusalem Arena was opened in the 2014–15 season.

Sponsors

The team's main corporate sponsor is Bank Yahav. Secondary sponsors include Burgers Bar, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and Ein Gedi Mineral Water.[17]

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Hapoel Jerusalem roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Age
PG 4 Kramer, Chris 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 32 – (1988-04-04)4 April 1988
G 5 Cohen, Or 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 18 – (2002-03-16)16 March 2002
PG 6 Blatt, Tamir 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) 23 – (1997-05-04)4 May 1997
G/F 11 Ariel, Adam 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 26 – (1994-12-10)10 December 1994
PG 12 Cohen Saban, Adi 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) 27 – (1993-12-11)11 December 1993
PG 15 Sznaiderman, Yuval 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 18 – (2002-12-09)9 December 2002
F/C 17 Braimoh, Suleiman 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 31 – (1989-10-19)19 October 1989
C 20 Zalmanson, Idan 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 25 – (1995-04-18)18 April 1995
SF 21 Hill, Malcolm 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 25 – (1995-10-26)26 October 1995
PF 25 Baloul, Niv 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 22 – (1998-11-12)12 November 1998
G 33 Sason, Eylon 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 17 – (2003-03-20)20 March 2003
F/C 35 Thomas, TaShawn 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 27 – (1993-02-27)27 February 1993
G 69 Brown, J'Covan (C) 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 30 – (1990-02-14)14 February 1990
PF 99 Wilson, Jamil 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 30 – (1990-11-21)21 November 1990
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Jonathan Alon
  • Danijel Lutz
Athletic trainer(s)
  • Roberto Iezzi
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (IN) Inactive player
  • Injured
Updated: December 22, 2020

Depth chart
Tamir Blatt
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Suleiman Braimoh Idan Zalmanson
PF TaShawn Thomas Jamil Wilson Niv Baloul
SF Malcolm Hill Adam Ariel
SG J'Covan Brown Chris Kramer
PG Tamir Blatt Adi Cohen-Saban Chris Smith
  • The Israeli league rule requires every team to have at least one Israeli on the court at any time.
  • There should be maximum 5 foreigners on a 12-men game sheet.

Source: basket.co.il

Notable players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.


Head coaches
Brad Greenberg

Season by season
Season Tier League Pos. Israeli Cup League Cup European competitions
1991–92 1 Premier League 5th Eightfinalist N/A 3 Korać CupEF
1992–93 4th Semifinalist 3 Korać CupPR
1993–94 3rd Semifinalist 3 Korać CupPR
1994–95 7th Semifinalist 2 Saporta CupPR
1995–96 2nd Champions
1996–97 2nd Champions 2 Saporta CupQF
1997–98 4th 1 EuroleagueRS
1998–99 2nd Runner-up 1 Saporta CupEF
1999–00 7th Runner-up 2 Saporta CupEF
2000–01 2nd Runner-up 1 EuroleagueRS
2001–02 3rd Runner-up 1 EuroleagueRS
2002–03 8th Semifinalist 3 EuroCup ChallengeGS2
2003–04 5th Runner-up 2 ULEB CupC
2004–05 5th Eightfinalist 2 ULEB CupRS
2005–06 2nd Runner-up 2 ULEB CupSF
2006–07 2nd Champions 3rd 2 ULEB CupQF
2007–08 5th Champions Runner-up 2 ULEB CupR32
2008–09 4th Semifinalist Champions 3 EuroChallengeRS
2009–10 3rd Eightfinalist Champions 2 EurocupQF
2010–11 3rd Quarterfinalist Runner-up 2 EurocupRS
2011–12 6th Eightfinalist Semifinalist 2 EurocupRS
2012–13 4th Semifinalist Semifinalist 2 EurocupRS
2013–14 3rd Eightfinalist Runner-up 2 EurocupQF
2014–15 1st Runner-up Champions 2 EurocupRS
2015–16 2nd Eightfinalist Quarterfinalist 2 EurocupR32
2016–17 1st Runner-up Champions 2 EuroCupSF
2017–18 3rd Semifinalist Quarterfinalist 2 EuroCupRS
2018–19 Semifinalist Champions Semifinalist 3 Champions LeagueQF
2019–20 Semifinalist Champions Champions 3 Champions LeagueQF
2020–21 Semifinalist Semifinalist 3 Champions League
   Balkan LeagueRS
Season Tier League Pos. Israeli Cup League Cup European competitions

Italic — Still active.

Logos
Historical Club Logos and Emblems Since 1943
  • Current Logo

Honours

Total titles: 14

Domestic

Israeli Championships

State Cup

  • Winners (6): 1996, 1997, 2007, 2008, 2019, 2020
  • Runner-up (8): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2015, 2017

League Cup

European

ULEB Cup (EuroCup)

References
  1. "Hapoel Jerusalem BC". TheSportsDB.com.
  2. "Basketball – Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel): palmares, results and name". www.the-sports.org.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "2008–09 Club Profile: Hapoel Jerusalem". 7DAYS EuroCup.
  5. "Amar'e Stoudemire May Head to Israel After Contract". The Wall Street Journal. April 15, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  6. Berman, Marc (April 14, 2014). "Amar'e may leave Knicks for Jerusalem team after 2015". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  7. "Amar'e Stoudemire joins Hapoel Jerusalem!". Hapoel.co.il. August 1, 2016. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  8. "Hapoel Jerusalem". Amar'e Stoudemire.
  9. "Rebuilding in full-swing at Hap J'lem; Franco, Smith incoming". The Jerusalem Post.
  10. Sinai, Allon (June 26, 2014). "Hapoel Jerusalem handed Euroleague qualifying berth". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  11. "Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings". Eurobasket LLC.
  12. http://www.linkedin.com/pub/c-howard-wietschner/14/583/1b
  13. "The Club Scene: Hapoel Jerusalem looks to bright future". Welcome to 7DAYS EuroCup.
  14. http://directors.dundb.co.il/Details/Company.aspx?duns=514651152
  15. "Hapoel Jerusalem Looks to a Bright Future". Amar'e Stoudemire. March 25, 2014.
  16. Sachs, Frankie (March 21, 2014). "The Club Scene: Hapoel Jerusalem looks to bright future". Eurocup Basketball. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  17. "כ.א.ל במו"מ מתקדם לאימוץ הפועל ירושלים". כ.א.ל במו"מ מתקדם לאימוץ הפועל ירושלים.
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