Hapoel Jerusalem Model 2022/23 came out of the current summer completely different from the team that got off the floor defeated at Hafis Arena in the third game of the semi-final playoff series, which ended in disappointment.
The Jerusalemites saw their rival, Hapoel Holon, skip past them on their way to the finals to win the state championship.
For the fans, the revolution that the team went through on the floor - during which all the foreigners were replaced and a completely new team was built, of which only Itai Segev and Noam Dovar remained the only remnants - is the significant change.
But at the same time, for the managers, the organizational change that the club went through behind the scenes is much greater.
In recent months, the group's CEO Guy Harel and the group's manager David Bassan parted ways in the capital - two who were the backbone of the system, significant screws that steered the ship throughout the last decade, and have now left their positions.
Guy Harel, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
In the midst of the changes in the administrative avenue, they were also looking for a new coach in the capital to lead the club on the lines.
The name chosen was the experienced Alexander Dzikic, who was one of a short list in the Jerusalem register.
The Serbian arrived at the club during a period of change, and took on the role of captain of the ship even in matters not related to basketball, and the Hapoel Jerusalem, which cast all its love on the veteran coach - received an unusual professional in the Israeli landscape, in his own way.
Already in the first days of building the team, the coach made sure to emphasize to those around him that the players who would be signed must be committed to him and his work methods.
Dozens of players were offered to Dzila and rejected, when the Serbian discovered details in their past that did not fit his vision.
"4 hours in the hall"
Dzikic did extensive research on each player, talking to their coaches over the years and going all the way back to the prospect's early career schools to get information about them.
Many of the team's fans who called for the return of Jalen Adams, who starred in the capital last season, were disappointed to hear that the American guard was not expected to continue, but those who know the Serbian and his ways, knew in advance that a player of Adams' type and character would not get along with the coach's method.
Jaylen Adams.
He did not return to the arena, photo: Maor Alxalsi
The Serbian requires his players to pay attention to the small details, light or serious, and in many cases he even stopped the training to teach his trainees subtleties that to a person watching from the side appear to be meaningless, such as the angle of entry to block the tall player or the position of the defensive player on a specific line of the field in the regional defense.
From the first moment, the coach applied the "double" training method - two training sessions a day, morning and evening every day.
For some of the players in Israel, this is a new method, since most coaches do not practice double training every day.
Even between morning training and evening training, the coach requires his players to follow a proper lifestyle, avoid unnecessary physical activity, and minimize environmental factors that could distract them or harm their rest.
"This is the first time I've experienced a coach and such a culture. It's coming and being in the gym for four hours, of which almost three are training, and not stopping working," shared the guard, Or Cornelius, about Dzikic's work methods, "He demands a lot, and rightfully so." .
Personal circumstances that forced Serbian assistant coach Sarjan Place, Dzikic's longtime partner, to leave Hapoel Jerusalem, left fitness coach Filip Mihailovic as the closest person to the Serbian off the field, and the two work closely together.
Džikić is a quiet and reserved person, who is completely focused on his profession.
The Serb came to Israel alone and spends most of his time on the floor, when he has little free time he spends in his apartment.
"I haven't had time to get to know the city yet, maybe in the future I'll go out a little more," he shared.
After an intriguing summer of building a team in his image and likeness, Dzikic will open his first season on the lines in the capital today (2:00 p.m.), in the quarter-finals of the Winner Cup against Hapoel Eilat.
In the preseason games, his trainees looked coordinated and recorded five victories without a loss, but they also know that this is the real test.
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