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Israel Gonzalez: "We demand more from Yuval Sussman than at Maccabi Tel Aviv" - Walla! sport

2021-11-25T10:54:50.675Z


"Tamir Blatt improved on defense." "I understand they wanted to go to the team, but we have nine of those." "It was strange when so many Maccabi fans came here." Coach Alba Berlin in an interview


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Wickside: A weekly column by Ahrela Weisberg

Israel Gonzalez: "We demand more from Yuval Sussman than at Maccabi Tel Aviv"

"Tamir Blatt improved on defense."

"I understand they wanted to go to the team, but we have nine players like that."

"It was strange when so many Maccabi fans came here. You have a greater basketball tradition."

And what about the first name?

Coach Alba Berlin in an interview with Walla!

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  • Alba Berlin

  • Maccabi Tel Aviv in basketball

Ahrela Weisberg

Thursday, November 25, 2021, 12:00 p.m.

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Doron Sheffer and Oded Katash, The Union (Photo: Danny Maron, Editing: Nir Chen)

The last time Maccabi Tel Aviv met a player born in Israel in a European setting, Tamir Blatt was preparing for his bar mitzvah and Yuval Sussman was about to finish elementary school.

In 2010, the Yellows lost twice to Basconia, with Lior Eliyahu being one of the most prominent in his team, and tonight (Thursday, 21:30) they will play for the first time against two Hebrew speakers - when they host Alba Berlin.



Sussman is so far ranked fifth in the German champions in the minutes of the game (20:44) and in points (six) and fourth in rebounds (2.9), but Blat actually has a higher weighted index (6.3 vs. 5.2).

The coordinator is currently scoring 3.9 points in the evening - but excelled in the impressive victory in Belgrade, and last week recorded his season minute record (20:35, on the way to an average of 14:11).

More on Walla!

Sussman and Blatt in a couple interview: "Going home to the hall and being an outsider. It will flood emotions"

To the full article

"Slowly he will take on more and more leadership. Right now you can't expect that from him."

Yuval Sussman (Photo: Reuters)

But the Israeli connection in the German capital does not end with the two basketball players, who are listed on the official Euroleague website as Polish (Sussman) and American (Blatt).

In a season when there are no coaches made in the country in the senior factory, at least there is one whose first name is Israel - and that is Alba's coach, the Spaniard Israel Gonzalez.

And no, as he immediately testified in an interview with Walla!

Sports, it really has no connection to the country.



This season is Gonzalez's (46) first as head coach of any Premier League.

He began his career 17 years ago as an assistant coach in Cantabria and worked under Pablo Lasso, among others, and for eight years belonged to Gran Canaria, in which he met "my mentor", by definition, Aito Garcia Rances.

The legendary Catalan also took him to Berlin in 2017, and now, having retired at 74, has handed him the training baton.

The name Israel:

"Israel is a common name in Spain, regardless of the State of Israel, and I must admit that it did not make me feel a special connection with Israel. I love your country, and especially its weather, and I visited it several times with Granca and Alba, when we played against Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv".

"Israel is a common name in Spain, regardless of the State of Israel."

Israel Gonzalez (Photo: GettyImages, natolij Medved)

Aito and I:

"He has a great passion for the game, and he's a master at developing players. He's like a teacher. He has crazy instincts, and he knows exactly what each player needs to be taught and what to do with it. We keep in touch, talk on a regular basis, and I consult with him about problems and questions. "I'm alone and manage on my own, but I get full support from him."

First season as coach in the Euroleague:

"We have one of the low budgets, so it's not easy for us, but we kept the skeleton from the previous years. Our goal is to get better and grow, play and be competitive, and of course win some games. When I came to Alba, four years ago, she was after several consecutive seasons. "Around sixth place in Germany. We managed to stabilize the system, reached the playoff final twice and then won a double and another championship. We grow and grow from year to year, and each season is a little better than the last."

Lasso and I:

"Next month we will play with Real Madrid, and it will be strange to face him on the lines. The truth is that I have already coached against him, when we were both in the second division in Spain, but this is the first time we have done so in the Euroleague.

More on Walla!

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"His height is a limitation, but he can cover it."

Tamir Blatt (Photo: Reuters)

Tamir Blatt:

"I am very pleased with him, more and more as time goes on. We have a very specific style in Alba, which gives a lot of freedom and allows players to make decisions, but newcomers take time to adjust to it. There is no doubt that his height is a limitation, but I think his willpower is "He can cover and overcome it. In attack he has no problem, and he works hard on defense and develops it well. He is not in perfect condition yet, but he is getting better."

Yuval Sussman:

"Yuval came with more experience in the Euroleague, but we must not forget that he is also young, even more than Blat. His role here is different from what he had at Maccabi, and we demand that he do more things. His shooting is an advantage we try to take advantage of. "He is a great guard. He is still adapting to life in a new country and a new group, and slowly he will also take on more and more leadership. At the moment he can not be expected to become our leader, but I believe and hope that in the future he will be like that."

Israel's national team:

"Obviously we could not release Tamir and Yuval from the game against Maccabi, but it did not end there. We appear in 90-80 games a year, and we should also allow the players to rest when possible. I understand their desire to go to the team and represent their country, but in the end "They will stay to train with us, rest and prepare for the game next week. We have nine players in the team in different teams, Germany, Israel and Sweden, and maybe only one (Jonas Matisk) will play only the second game in the window of the World Cup qualifiers."

"I consult with him on a regular basis."

Gonzalez with Aito Garcia Rances (Photo: GettyImages, natolij Medved)

Help with scouting for Maccabi Tel Aviv:

"Obviously Yuval and Tamir's early acquaintance helps, but our preparation is less focused on the opponent, but more on us, the things we have to do and the mistakes we have to learn from previous games. We do not change our style according to the team opposite, but try to play by our rules."

Maccabi fans in Berlin:

"Before the Corona, when we hosted Maccabi, there were a lot of Israelis in the stands and they cheered loudly. It was a strange situation, when everything happens at home. The basketball tradition in Israel is bigger than in Germany, and we understand that. Maccabi fans always support it and give it their back, and I understand "Tonight it will be like that too. We try to focus on the game and not on what is around, and bring pleasure to our audience."

The surprise of the season in Alba, Oscar de Silva.

"The truth is, it was a big surprise for us. We knew we were signing a good player, but it was at a very late stage, and he was not with us in preparation. He is a very smart guy, and he was almost our only chin, because of the injury blow we suffered from it. It gave him the "Confidence in his minutes, and he could have done what he knows (14.2 points and an index of 16.3 until last week). Now that everyone is back, the rotation has expanded."

(Photo: Berni Ardov)

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Source: walla

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