Or Cornelius: "I'm used to being raised an eyebrow in relation to me" | Israel today

Or Cornelius is used to being looked at with suspicion.

The son of the former player Greg was marked from a young age but the road to the top was not easy for him.

The guard has come an impressive long way that started in the national league and reached its peak this summer, when he signed with Hapoel Jerusalem as a leading Israeli after a breakthrough season in Gilboa/Galil.

Moshe ben Simhon

Now, just before his team will step on the floor at the Arena and host the German Ludwigsburg this evening as part of the second round of the group stage in the FIBA ​​Champions League, the guard was available for his first interview in the red uniform with Israel Hayom.

Or, we are talking two weeks after the start of the season, how is the feeling so far

"We are slowly coming together as a team. The ultimate goal for us and the coach is for everyone to think and act 'as one head and one idea'. Personally, Hapoel Jerusalem is a great club, something I have dreamed of since I was a child, a place where my father played. This is a special closing of the circle for me." .

Aleksandar Džikić believes in you and so far you are a top five player.

Did you believe this would happen already at the beginning of the season

"The coach demands a lot and it doesn't matter if I'm a five player or out of the rotation, he wants me to work and improve and makes sure to challenge me in his ways. He calls me 'Serbian'. I asked him once why he calls me that so he said I remind him of the style of Serbian players tough".

Or Cornelius.

We are slowly connecting as a group, photo: Olivier Fitosi/Flash90

You talked about the coach's demands from you, give us examples.

"He demands a lot from me, both defensively and offensively. There are days when we finish a three-hour training session and he tells me 'only after you score 18 three-pointers in a row can you go home.'

You mentioned your father who also played in Jerusalem in the past.

How does it feel to grow up in a house like this

"Basketball has been passed down in our family for years, my older brother is also a player. I get advice and help from the experience of my father and my brother. My father's favorite player was Larry Bird so he keeps telling me 'be Larry Bird.'

Cornelius (25, 1.98) started his career in the youth department of Maccabi Rashlat.

During his career he played for Elizur Bat Yam of the national league, Hapoel KPS and Elizur Ashkelon in the National League, Hapoel BS, Nes Ziona and Gilboa/Galil in the Premier League.

In the northern uniform, he recorded his best season last year with 7.2 points and 38% for threes, a season that won him a nomination for the league's improving player last year.

Or Cornelius.

He is used to being looked at with suspicion, photo: Olivier Fitosi/Flash90

You made a significant decision this summer to choose Jerusalem after a breakout season in Gilboa/Galil, share this moment with us

"I had to make a decision whether to stay or make the jump to a club like Hapoel Jerusalem. When I chose to sign here, many people raised their eyebrows, many raise their eyebrows to this day, but this is part of my career. I believe in myself and know what I can contribute to the team."

You talked about the people who will doubt you.

I took an unusual path for a player in Hapoel Jerusalem, you started your career in the national league and you made it this far.

How does it feel to experience this attitude

"I went through a long road that made me build the person I am today. I became tougher, I learned not to give up. I'm used to people raising eyebrows in relation to me, even when I signed in the summer I saw the criticisms and doubts that were there, but it only gives me more motivation to prove myself. People who don't They believed in me throughout my career and gave me the strength to succeed."

Or Cornelius in action, photo: FIBA ​​website

Were there moments along the way when you didn't believe you would make it to the Premier League?

"There were difficult moments. When you are 20 years old and playing in the national league there are concerns, fears and frustration, but I continued to work and believe in myself."

Do you have a message that you want to convey to younger players who also start in the lower leagues?

"Yes, keep believing and working hard. There are players who break through at a later age, youth doesn't necessarily determine everything. I didn't play in the young Israeli teams at all, I wasn't even invited to my school team. You can develop even at a late age, it's all a question of how much you want and work for this".

What do you think is the X factor you bring to the pitch?

"My defense. I like to enter the game through the defense, I want to guard the big star of the opponent every night."

You started the season in the league with two losses.

Where do you think you can go this season

"We will build something very special here. Many people doubt us, but it's just a matter of connection. When we have the connection that the players are waiting for, it will be very difficult to stop us."

This season you are playing for the first time with a large crowd that supports you, how does it feel

"An amazing feeling. I'll tell you a secret, in the first game in the Arena in the Champions League his parents were in the stands. I looked around at all this amazing crowd and the atmosphere that existed and for a few seconds I couldn't stop the excitement. I felt like I had fulfilled a dream."

What is your personal goal for this season?

"To succeed with a winning team, whether it's in Europe or in the league. To continue to develop as a player and bring what is expected of me to the field. I think being a good player is understanding what your role is and succeeding in it."

What do you think people don't know about you?

"I got a reputation as a tough and bad person, I'm not really like that off the court. I'm very funny and sociable, I have a very big heart. Off the court I can't hurt a fly, when it comes to the court and that's my profession, I become tough."

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