Some owners tried to cancel the league, the players squeaked against the isolation guidelines, and everyone was disappointed with the closure of the Euroleague. But now, with the resumption of the season, the Maccabi Tel Aviv intend to storm the local title - and no one will stop Janis Safropoulos's soldiers

• Abadia and Bryant. The yellows storm the plate

  Photo: 

  Alan Shaver

"Every player who wants to be here will be back," a Maccabi official said a few weeks ago, while some club members were still fighting to cancel the league, and some players on the team expressed resentment toward the Ministry of Health's guidelines.

Without us noticing, that's what happened. Five top (and healthy) foreigners are on the roster, including Eliza Bryant who left his pregnant wife alone in the US. To the Israeli league.

The table conductor (Balance 2:19) actually only strengthened compared to the condition before the corona's carcass. Sandy Cohen, who did not play in the league this season, received Israeli citizenship and will join a strong local roster that includes Yuval Sussman, Danny Abadia, Jake Cohen, Amara Stodmaier, Dori Sahar and several other youngsters. The top five foreigners will be backed by Angelo Cloyarro, another player not registered this year in the league, and will now be available to the coaches when one of the strangers needs rest or God forbid.

Wilbkin celebrates in front of Barca. Skyscrapers hurt Euroleague cancellation // Photo: Alan Shaver 

John DiBertholomew's injury, which should have been limited by minutes, hurt the plans a bit, but the Yellows responded quickly with Frederic Bordillon's signature. The French-Jewish naturalist will only be available to the professional team for the playoffs after finishing the isolation period and coming into reasonable fitness, but nevertheless Sparopoulos and professional manager Nicolas Wojciech insisted on avoiding the shortage of Israelis in the deciding stages. "It's the best they could bring," a league coach says. "He's an excellent guard, can score from the outside, fits next to their other guards, and Spruffoulos will love him."

Even with regard to training and conditions, the yellows made sure of the maximum. All players who came from the US were brought directly to the Kfar Maccabiah Hotel, where they were given a special training compound where they worked during the isolation, with the approval of the Ministry of Health. The move was exposed in the media and was criticized, and all the league teams received the same approval.

Sparopoulos. "Everybody is seriously working on the field" // Photo: Alan Shiber

Stop tweeting

"Outside of the Sparopoulos and Nicola Wojciech pitch, players have let their feelings out on social networks," says the source in details, claiming that some of the players' criticism was allegedly directed by the club, "but from the moment you enter the court, everyone is like Janis's soldiers. Doesn't tweet and everyone works seriously. "

In fact, seven out of the top 12 players remained here in Israel during the Corona, including Speropoulos. All this time the professional team was in contact with the players, monitoring their physical condition and building a nutrition plan for each of them. In addition, training equipment is distributed to the players' homes to keep fit, and everyone has been given a daily training program, also hoping that the Euroleague will return.

Once approved for training, in mid-May, Sparopoulos and his assistants (with the exception of the senior, Vasilis Yaragotalis, who was stuck in Greece and arrived at the end of the month only) arrived on the field and worked with the players, until they all joined.

So after all the noise and wars, Maccabi Tel Aviv comes as a clear favorite for the renewal of the league, especially after the weakening of Hapoel Jerusalem, which lost Jacob Brown and Tashon Thomas who returned to the US. Even if it doesn't look like it at first, the yellows refer to the coming month and a half at the height of seriousness. Still, they haven't won a season yet.