Hapoel Holon started the season with a big boom.
Last week, it opened its Champions League appearances with a big win in Italy over Brindisi, with the difference in which the game ended (27) being after an assumption that Holon made to the Italians in the final minutes.
Today it opens the season in the local league against Maccabi Rishon LeZion, and the big question is what does the first game about the season of the Purples indicate? Was it the transcendence?
It is difficult to analyze and diagnose her condition after one game, but there are clear things that can be said about Holon, model 21/22.
The team arrived very ready for the season: the staff closed early, the construction was informed, the preparation was very good and we already saw the signs of connection before the season.
Holon seems to have responded well to the change in its staff and the change of coaches.
It also seems that the homework for the season was done there very well.
What will be the impact of this on the season itself?
We will have to wait and see, but the first sign was impressive.
Holon was supposed to continue for another season with Stefanos Dadas, until it received an offer to return to his homeland a.k.a. Athens.
Despite the initial shock, the response was quick, and a floor-standing coach was placed here - Maurizio Buscalia.
The complete opposite of Maddas, both in terms of the tumultuous nature and in terms of the philosophy of the game.
Dadas gave a lot of offensive freedom, but the Italian coach starts everything from defense.
On the parquet, Holon will look different.
Last season she had two scorer creators in the back line - Tyros Maggie and C.J.
Harris, none of whom was a natural coordinator.
This time we return to the classic structure: coordinator - Joe Ragland, who comes from Eilat, and scorer - Stephen Gray, with Rafi Manco as the small forward.
An important step was to leave the anchor, who does not have a bad day because he always gives everything - Chris Johnson.
The tall ones, Michael Kaiser and his replacement Mark Ogden, are not goal players who will shrink defenses, but they are athletic and very effective.
The umbrella from the bench - with the endless Guy Pnini, the diverse Fred Bourdieu who is an excellent keeper and Niv Misgav in the center position - gives many options to Buscalia.
Holon promises quite a bit, and it is no wonder that for many it - and not Hapoel Jerusalem - is marked as the second best team in the league.