At the beginning of the summer, when Danny Franco sat down with the professional team to build the squad that will make up the new Hapoel Tel Aviv in preparation for the challenges it faces in the Eurocup and in the league, everyone's understanding was that the central position that requires an upgrade is the center position, where the Reds have been lacking throughout the year.
Josh Evans, who signed in the middle of the season, and was the foreign center of the team, was indeed liked by all the members of the team and provided what was required of him, but he was at the end of his career and was not planned to continue for another season in the Shlomo team hall (at the end of the season he announced his retirement from basketball).
At an early stage, efforts were concentrated on trying to bring back Tyreek Jones, but when this move did not succeed due to financial reasons, they turned to a new and intriguing target - Alpha Kabba.
The French-Guinean center (26, 2.08 m) was one of the prominent names in the already crowded and challenging tall player market, but the club opened talks with the player's representatives with the aim of joining him.
Danny Franco.
Hapoel underwent a change in the summer, photo: Alan Shiver
"You have to understand that the main change that basketball has undergone in recent years and the changed style of play mainly affected the center position. Tall men with a back-to-the-basket game but lacking in shooting outside the paint have disappeared and their place has been taken by tall, athletic and mobile ones, but less versatile offensively. A player like Alpha, although lacking in shooting, but "With his back-to-the-basket game and excellent athletic abilities, he is a sought-after commodity in the market," Promiti's coach Nano Ginzburg tells Israel Hayom, who held advanced talks with the player in the summer in an attempt to sign him.
The in-demand interior player then finished a career-high season in the Gaziantep uniform and recorded double-double averages of 13.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in the highly regarded Turkish league, which earned him the title of the league's most outstanding player, a particularly impressive figure for a center, as he is ahead of big names such as Malcolm in the efficiency per game category Thomas, Bonzie Colson, Vasilija Micic, and Jarmar Galli.
The desire to find a player with experience in the European factories to help the team in the Eurocup adaptation season, but also one whose peak is still ahead of him emphasized the candidacy of Kaba, who in the past won the title of the king of the return balls of the French league, played in the Eurocup with the French Nanter and in the Champions League with the Serbian Mega Lex.
The player's people understood the financial potential that lay in their hands and then demanded from the teams that were interested in his services, among others Hapoel Tel Aviv, Promitei and Hapoel Jerusalem, a sum amounting to about 350 thousand dollars per season, they say that it is not customary to pay foreign players in Israel outside of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Alfa Kaba, photo: from the official website of Boduchnost
The publication of the interest around the center only increased his price tag day by day and the Red Club were also hurt by the conduct of the player and his people, as well as the publication of the contacts in the media, and felt that they were used in order to increase the price tag.
In the last week of August, when they came to the understanding that the player would probably not land in the Holy Land due to his high financial demands, the Reds turned to other options and finally the center Chris Horton was signed who stood out in the French league and now due to the signing of Chinano Onuaku on his way out of the club and is looking for another team.
A week later, Kava signed with Montenegrin side Budochenost Podgorica, who also play in the Eurocup.
He started the current season with a bang and recorded impressive double-double averages of 14.0 points and 10.8 rebounds along with 2.4 steals and a block per game in the European framework, leading the factory in rebounds and third in steals, while in the strong Adriatic League which also combines Euroleague teams his numbers stand at 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in only 21 minutes of play for the evening.
"It's fun to play against players like that, he's a player with presence. We're in basketball for challenges like this and I believe we have the tools to face him in the best possible way," said Idan Zalmanson ahead of the intriguing meeting.
Alpha Kaba starts a fast break and finishes it with a BIG dunk🤯 @KKBuducnostVOLI #7DAYSMagicMoment pic.twitter.com/e1iQKnIanS
— 7DAYS EuroCup (@EuroCup) November 23, 2022
About a month ago, the French center worried the people and fans of the team when he suddenly fainted and bruised his head while standing in line at a local bank, and was rushed to a hospital.
After all his tests came out normal and no significant damage was seen, he was released to his home and returned to the fields.
Tonight (Tuesday, 20:00), four months after signing with Montenegro, Alfa Kaba will meet Hapoel Tel Aviv, its fans and its people.
Horton's fate and status, the center chosen in his place, is more exciting than ever and the meeting against the French-Guinean giant may be his last in the red uniform, and Kaba, he will want to prove to them and especially to himself that he made the right choice.
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