1.
"best teams succeed when everyone contribute and influence. I do not like talking about foreigners and Israelis separately, but I think that if we are good as a whole and the group wins the only ones - we will succeed. Passport No matter. The media can say and people around can talk, but to us it does not It matters because we know what we are worth and what we can contribute. "
Hapoel Jerusalem captain Adam Ariel tells these things to Israel Today, and faithfully reflects the prevailing spirit among the team's Israelis regarding claims that a less senior and high-quality local staff has been built this season than in previous years.
2.
This claim, if any, should be directed at the club management.
As Ariel says, she and his friends should not be interested, if at all.
The Israelis in red were given a great opportunity to excel on the main stage and take their careers to high places.
It may not look like this on the outside, but when you look at the subject in depth you see that some of them take the opportunity with both hands.
Amit Gershon, for example, is considered a one-dimensional player until this season, the one who only comes in when you need a three.
But this season we see a diverse player who can lead a ball, not a bad guard, penetrates well into the basket and also reached the extended staff of the team.
Adam Ariel.
Do not like the separation between foreigners and Israelis,
Of course, the situation in the back line and the thinness in the position of coordinator have an impact, but Gershon is there, ready for the challenge.
So far, he gets an average of 16 minutes - one minute less than Gilboa - and leads the league in off-archery with 91 percent.
And more importantly, Gershon with a career high in the index - 8.8 compared to 2.9 last season.
"I strongly believe in the Israeli player and the guys we have at Hapoel Jerusalem," says Gershon. "One knows what he needs to do. In time you will see our connection and the things we can do. I try to break away from the reviews, but yes I have heard the talk and I can say it only spurs me on."
And what about Itai Segev?
The 26-year-old has an average of 23 minutes so far in the league, partly due to the fact that the professional team always chooses to keep Anthony Bennett or Thon Maker out of the squad, but he also stands at 17.5 minutes in Europe.
The two foreigners manning the face positions in red do not pose a threat in color - Micro is having a hard time adapting and is rumored to be on his way out, and Bennett who is having a hard time maintaining stability, contributes mainly in attack.
More than once Segev was left alone to deal with the opponent's high (second in the team on the rebound), and not just in Europe his efficiency index stands at 10, second only to the talented Jaylen Adams.
If the team stabilizes soon and the guards run it better, it could very well be that this season he will make the leap.
"The talk only spurs me on and makes me want to prove to everyone and to myself that we deserve to be at Hapoel Jerusalem," Segev clarifies.
In fact, Ariel is less able to express himself, perhaps due to the failure of Oren Amiel, to whom he is very attached.
And maybe because he is particularly dependent on a team attacking game, which does not exist so far - Hapoel Jerusalem is ranked 26th in the champions and 10th in the league in assists.
The Israeli sniper gets four minutes less than last season and throws much less outside the arc - 2.7 compared to 5.3.
3.
Each follows the Israeli basketball, knows how important it is to have a strong local base group, and how the Israelis are the ones who can hold the dressing room during the crisis.
Not only professionally but also mentally.
Itai Segev.
"I respond on the pitch,"
The team talks about the importance of Willy Workman, one of the toughest and most positive players on the roster, and of Adam Ariel, the only remnant from last season, who passes on to the new players the commitment and standards of the club.
The coming week will be critical for the season of Jerusalem, and as a result for its players as well.
Tonight against Gilboa / Galil, a team that traditionally boasts of the significant output of its local players, and especially on Wednesday against Stal Ostrov - the Israelis in red will have the opportunity to prove that their choice was justified.