The unfortunate injury of Noam Dovrat and the realization that he had finished the season forced Hapoel Jerusalem to re-enter the player market in search of an immediate replacement.
For over a month, the Reds turned over every stone in search of an Israeli guard who could enter the vacant slot, but the Israeli market, as befits the beginning of December, was very sparse.
After the attempts to sign leading players in the national league such as Eitan Borg or Gal Gilinski failed due to the refusal of the teams to release them, the Reds tried to get their hands on center backs from the first league such as Yeftah Ziv or Itai Moskovich, but were met with a similar refusal from the heads of the teams.
In an attempt to find a solution, Alexander Dzikich and his team looked for opportunities outside of Israel and tried to add Max Heidegger, but heavy financial costs prevented the deal from coming to fruition.
At this point, Noam Yaakov's name came up, and the group began to speed up the process and examine the possibility of joining, even if on loan.
Alexander Dzikic.
looked for a solution, and found it,
The talented guard, who belongs to the French Villerban in a long-term contract for another three years, was very impressive in the club's under-21 reserve team, but did not get opportunities in the senior team.
The clear need of the Jerusalemites for an additional guard to the back line, along with the desire of 18-year-old Yaakov, who proved his talent in the reserve league and the European Under-18 Championship, to get first minutes in a senior team and continue to develop made the move that seemed hopeless at first possible.
"Noam is a player in development, he has not finished developing yet. He has enormous talent and a special character that sets him apart from the rest of his age. He has a competitive nature that strives for perfection, along with extraordinary talent, which makes him a very special player," Yehu tells Israel Hayom Orland who guided Yaakov in the Emek Hefer youth group.
"Hapoel Jerusalem needs an Israeli and professional guard. I believe he can help her. His ability to pass is very special, he is very competitive and ready to play at a graduate level in my opinion. It is hard to know if this will be reflected already in the first or third game, but he is ready for it in my opinion.
Noam Yaakov
People are waiting impatiently in the capital, photo: FIBA website
"His year in France did him good, he played in a very physical and athletic league. Today, Jerusalem does not have another natural center back as a replacement and he can step into that slot and help them a lot. I don't think the pressure or expectations will make it difficult for him because he is very ready for it," concludes Orland.
After a month of searching, Hapoel Jerusalem found what it was looking for and landed in the capital one of the greatest Israeli talents in recent years, but also one who has never played in a senior team.
The red bet is also in the common interest of both parties who will want to work hard to make the situation successful.
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