Character that is comfortable to too comfortable • A fine pick-and-roll game that needs improvement (depending on who you ask) • And potential like that of Freyay Henry, who played for Oded Katash in Eilat • Introduction to Tariq Phillip, Hapoel Jerusalem's first acquisition this summer

• Tariq Philip. Not a superstar, but an "amazing guy"

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Tariq Philip is the first player to sign for Hapoel Jerusalem this summer. Negotiations may have progressed faster than with the other candidates, but according to club sources, sporting director Yotam Halperin and the professional team marked the US-English Guard as a favorite, so management was quick to close with him.

Philip (26, 1.91m) is at a relatively early stage in his professional career. In fact, the 2019/20 season was his first at the top levels. Much will be written about the story of his life and the characteristics of his personality, but this article emphasizes the professional side. 

Since Oded Katash arrived in Jerusalem, the first thing the team checks before signing this player is his character, as the coach has previously testified that he does not have the time and energy to deal with ego and discipline issues. Indeed, everyone who knows Philip tells of an actor with an excellent character. "He has a great personality, an amazing guy," said his coach last season and past coordinator Orhon Anna. "Every coach wants a player like that and it's hard to find one." 

The comfortable nature is of course a big advantage, but could it be that it is too comfortable a character? Philip is not a superstar, not the star who demands the ball in the deciding minutes and accepts responsibility, so if Jerusalem is looking for someone like Jacoben Brown, it's not sure he's the right man. 

Anna confirms things and says that one of the parameters that needs improvement in the guard is the ability to take hard shots and score in challenging situations. According to him, this is one of the things that could serve Philip as a leap forward to the high levels of Europe.

Jerusalem is usually looking for players who have been on successful teams, but a quick examination of the professional career of the new acquisition does not provide clear answers. His first team in Europe was the Hungarian Solnoki Olai, who arrived in the 2017/18 season and left in mid-February, just days before winning the trophy and continuing to win the double. He moved to Spanish Clavio, with whom he was relegated from the second to third divisions. 

The success came last season, so was a key screw in the success of Topash Stock Exchange. His averages, which stood at 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, helped the team finish fifth in the Turkish league. In the EuroCup he scored 11.6 points, took 3.4 rebounds and averaged 4.1 assists per game, en route to the quarterfinals at the factory.

Philip arrives in Jerusalem on the standard of a senior player, expecting to be one of the team's top three guards. His natural position is position number 2, but last season he played quite a bit as a coordinator and improved the ball lead. "Tariq's main position is a shooting guard, but he can play in both positions," Anna explains. "Last season I used him as a coordinator, where he has the advantage of being an excellent defensive player and can keep the opponent's coordinator great. He needs to, but he has more to improve in this position. "

"Always ready to learn"

As Anna says, one of Philip's strengths is defense. He is good both in the pressure on the whole field and in the standing defense. He does not often lose balls (1.5 on average in the tough Turkish league), and also scores well outside the arc (39.6 percent for 3 in the EuroCup).

An interesting issue is the guard's pick-and-roll game. Katsch's attack is based on pick-and-roll, and while Jerusalem is said to be doing it at a high level, his coach last season had reservations: "He needs to improve his pick-and-roll game. He has improved with us, but it is not enough. He Reminiscent of Freyai Henry, who also played for Katsch (in Eilat, YM) and later we signed him with Topash. At first Henry was not the best coordinator in the world, but he improved with Katsch and then even more with us. I think Tariq has the same potential. "

If there is potential, Anna says: "Each league has a different basketball and there are players who do well in one league than in another, so I can not say for sure how he will be with you in Israel. I can say one thing - thanks to his excellent personality and that he is willing to hear "Learn and get better, he can be a good player. You don't have to push him on defense, he always gives 110 percent, and now he has to put his focus to get better on offense." 

"He made a good choice when he signed with Katsch, who was a great coordinator," Anna concluded. ". Jerusalem also believes that this is a player whose career is constantly growing, but even before they talk about his future, they will be happy to have one good season in the present.