"Another 6 seconds, 5, here's Tolbert taking a triple, coming in! It's coming in ... Holonia wins the trophy, no such thing" "This is the big moment in my career"

• Tolbert just after that historic basket

• "Holonia wins the trophy"

In the history books of "The Great Moment of My Career" Hapoel Holon, there are three injections that are considered the greatest in its history. High on the list: Malik Dixon's shot over Terence Morris, who set the historic championship in 2008, and the glorious basket of Glen Rice Jr. over DeAndre Cain and Alex Tios in the 2018 trophy final. But Brian Tolbert's three-pointer in the 2009 Cup Final against Maccabi Haifa is the toughest and craziest of them all.

"Now Tolbert ... another 6 seconds, 5, here's Tolbert taking a three, coming in! It's coming in ... Holonia wins the trophy, no such things, no such things!" Roared first channel broadcaster Amit Horsky in those moments when the purple team celebrated the first trophy in its history.

"I ran like crazy," Tulbert recalls talking to "Israel Today" from his Houston home. "It's one of the biggest moments of my career. We just played for each other. I didn't throw for myself, but for the team."

This is one of the crazy throws in the history of Israeli basketball.

"Everyone always tells me it was crazy, but I don't think so. After the first penalty shootout, I didn't care if he (BJ Mackie of Maccabi Haifa, YM) scored the second. I knew from what point and how exactly I'm going to win this game. We weren't ready for another extension, we had two players with five fouls, so the only option was to win. I wasn't kept close, and I knew I was going to get a good shot and decide the tackle. Once I got the ball, I was fooling the defense and getting a good shot. "

Tulbert also recalls the humble celebrations after that win, unlike the hummus wiped from the championship plate a year earlier by Mickey Dorsman and his constellation. "Chris Watson and I talk about it a lot. After winning the trophy, we went out to celebrate and nobody came with us, but we didn't care. Everyone was exhausted, but we celebrated and made happy. This trophy is the best thing that happened to me in my career, nothing came close to feeling I talk a lot with the members of that group. "

Not everyone knows, but that season Tulbert wasn't supposed to play Holon at all. In the summer he signed in Ukrainian Odessa, but was released due to the club's financial difficulties. Eric Schibak wanted him in Amsterdam, but his Israeli agent Rono Lupo convinced him to return to Israel and sign in the middle-door group built in Holon after Dorsman's departure, which was marked as a downfall.

Tolbert hugs old friend // 

"There was no high budget," says Tolbert, "but Danny Franco put together a team that knew how to play together and was competitive. We played for ourselves and for the team. It was true that on paper the team was nothing more than fine, but we were hungry on the field. Us very dangerous. "

Aside from this trophy, what moment do you remember from that season?

"The big win over Hapoel Jerusalem in the tin hall. It was a game we had to do nothing about. Darron Washington ran so fast that no one in Jerusalem could keep him. We led by 20 points in the first quarter. I remember he dunked there Non-stop, and we all scored and made the game easy. That was the point where people started taking us seriously. "

"The Holon Crazy Crowd"

Tulbert, 45, today works for an insurance company in Houston and is responsible for the Life Insurance Division. "We take care of family emergencies, leave them money so that they can continue to live if anything happens to me. Before that, I messed around a bit on deliveries. I miss Franco, who wanted me to be a coach."

Even after quite a few years in the US, Tolbert does not forget his long stint in Israel, and he maintains a close relationship with many friends. "Israel is not like other countries. You are calm and nice. It's a small place where everyone knows everyone. If you've played in Israel long enough, everyone in Israel probably played with you in a team sometime. Sure, nothing resembles a Hapoel Holon home game. They just have a crazy crowd. This is amazing".

"After seven and a half seasons, Israel has become my second home. I have a lot of friends and memories from there," Tolbert concludes, "when I talk about the State of Israel with people I don't know, I tell them I won't forget her and the people who cared for me and hosted me in their homes.

"When asked how Israel is, I tell you that they don't go to work to chase money like the US does. True, they go to work and take care of themselves, but they are like one big family. I tell people what an amazing thing this Sabbath is. Every weekend the extended family gathers to talk, eat. Just set the phones aside and have fun. I miss it very much. The Corona now somewhat reminds me of this, because we get a chance to spend more time with the family. Who knows, maybe now our norms will change and the whole world will be a bit like Israel. "