In mid-December, Bnei Herzliya defeated Nes Ziona, but Sean Dawson, the shining acquisition, is not a partner at all.
But behind the surprising bench was a story.
The Israeli player was already with his foot out of the team due to dissatisfaction with his attitude, in the face of his ambition and belief that he should be a leading player.
Since then, Dawson has not only stayed - but has taken off back to excellent ability and winning the state cup, but here the Swingman roller coaster has not ended.
He again experienced a decrease in his ability and another crisis that reached its peak during the first game of the semi-final series against Maccabi Tel Aviv, with the sharp incident between him and chairman Eldad Akunis that was captured on television cameras.
Then came another twist in the plot - Dawson quickly recovered and contributed greatly to the two victories over the Yellows, which brought Herzliya to the playoff final against Hapoel Holon.
For those who have already forgotten, we will mention that Dawson won a surprising championship with Maccabi Rishon LeZion in 2016 and showed excellent ability in money-time, so we are asked to wonder if we are on the way to recovering in the current final series.
Dawson at the shrine.
Contributed a lot to the victories over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the semifinals, Photo: Alan Shiver
Dawson is 28. An outstanding athlete in terms of a local player, but also endowed with tremendous acting talent.
He sees himself conquering the highest peaks, and never stops believing for a moment - even after the serious injuries he suffered - that he will reach the NBA.
So far this has not happened yet, and not just because of the injuries.
The Israeli guard / forward still needs to find his stability, and it is of course not easy with everything he has been through in recent years and stopped his journey.
He spent three seasons at Juventud in Daluna, during which time he suffered two serious injuries that sidelined him for almost two years.
Last season and the third was also not easy due to a lack of minutes of play, but today he is two wins away from completing an unprecedented double with Bnei Herzliya.
"Giving stranger numbers"
Excellent explanations about the player, his winding path and the complex season can be found in his former coach Arik Shibek.
The two won the championship in 2016 and also collaborated the following season.
"It is impossible to ignore what Sasson went through: a serious injury, and then as soon as he returned - another serious injury. It should be credited to him, not many would return after these injuries and how often he went through them," Shibek explained.
On the personality and way of managing Dawson's talent, Shibek says: "He is a sensitive guy and needs special care, the kind of players that if you scream you lose them. Oren Aharoni knows the job well and his attitude is right. You can see that when he does not throw Sean off the field when he is wrong But take it out when necessary - and there is a big difference. "
Eric Shibek.
"Not many would return after injuries like Sasson Dawson did," Photo: Omri Stein - Ginny
So how do you explain Dawson's ability to appear in the most important games? We have seen him do this more than once.
"Unequivocally in big games he is the X Factor. When Sean Tov gives numbers of a foreign player. However, even when he is good - he sometimes has a lack of concentration and a problem in decision-making. There is no doubt that he has a great contribution to Herzliya's achievements. "Like a 25-year-old player, so he will still be able to go very far. It's all a matter of concentration in games and consistency in training."
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