It looks like an orderly and deliberate line by coach Aleksandar Džikić.
In Hapoel Jerusalem there are no grandiose names except maybe the last stranger who will be signed later.
Maybe he learned from previous years, when the whole was less than the sum of its parts and flashy names didn't bring the goods.
The Serbian coach believes in his dominance and committed players, whose connecting line is that they are team players.
The direction is this: the signed players may not ignite the crowd, but the team that will be formed from them will.
Such is also the person who signed with the team yesterday (Wednesday), the Latvian forward Marks Meiris (30, 2.07).
Jerusalem is probably the top team in his career.
He started in Spain, but a large part of his time there played in the second division.
From 2014 he plays in his country (VEF Riga) and in neighboring Russia (Parma), apart from half a season in the French side.
That's why you can say that a club like Jerusalem is a kind of peak for him.
On the other hand, he played 7 seasons in the VTB league, which is a quality league.
Last season, no less than 3 Euroleague teams played in it.
In this league he usually did a good job.
Last season was his best in the league, in the Russian Pharma uniform and his numbers were excellent: almost 14 points per game, 76 percent for 2 and 5 rebounds.
The war in Ukraine ended his third season with the team prematurely.
He left immediately and moved to the Italian Pesaro, which is coached by Luca Banki who also coaches him in the national team.
A season before, he lost with the Russians in the final of the European Cup at the hands of Yad Eliyahu to Nes Ziona City.
Marks Meiris.
Big Combo, photo: courtesy of Hapoel Jerusalem
Statistical tracking of his career reveals a clear trend.
Efficiency in the area of the basket (around 60 percent for 2s, sometimes more), limited ability for threes (around 30 percent during the career) and a significant contribution in rebounding (5 plus during the career).
Džikić called him "Combo Big" and explained: "Tall who can play in several positions. He has the ability to play back to the basket which will give us an advantage when we use him as a center, and his mobility when he faces the basket makes him an effective player in the number 4 position. We believe in talent His experience and understanding of the game, which came alongside warm recommendations from coaches at the highest levels, and the useful meetings with him convinced us that he is the right player for us."
One of the basketball journalists in Latvia tells about a talented, athletic, diverse, very efficient player, with a high work ethic, and a high level guard.
On the question of how, with these qualities, he did not reach the more senior teams in Europe, he said that this is a player who lacks a little "insolence".
In other words, not taking on enough, even though he could.
At this point, the Jerusalem coach has mental work with the player.
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The new Jerusalem player is currently training with none other than Kristaps Porzingis, a player for the Washington Wizards from the NBA.
The player is in Lithuania and will play at the end of the month for the first time after 5 years in the national team's uniform in the World Championship qualifiers.
There are good chances that Meiris will also be there by his side in both of the team's games.
Meiris, by the way, played for the first time in the national team at the age of 20.
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