CJ Harris was the first signing of Hapoel Holon in the summer.
The talented guard left wonderful memories in Israel from his first term in purple, and was selected for the fifth of the season in the FIBA Champions League. When the champions saw that there was a possibility to bring him back to Israel after a season in the French Burke - they did so quickly.
Unfortunately for Harris, a serious injury in the quarterfinals of the Winner Cup, as a result of slipping on one of the parquet stickers, caused him to tear one of the knee ligaments and a long period of rehabilitation and absence, which ended only after three months.
"Then I experienced a strong pain of a kind I had never felt before. I knew from the first moment that it was serious," he would later say.
For seven long months the fans waited at the Toto Hall from the signing of the guard until the re-debut.
For the 31-year-old Harris, it was the most difficult and significant injury of his career, and one whose rehabilitation process was not simple either.
The team understood the situation and allowed the player to return to his home in the United States, where he went through the rehabilitation process alongside his partner and young son.
"I found myself sitting at home and yelling at the screen without being able to help my team. My son sat with me and watched all of Holon's games with me, so I'm happy that he also stayed connected with me," he said in those days.
"It's a process that requires a lot of patience from you because at first you want to do things that you can't do, and that can put you into depression because you feel like you're not making progress," he said during the rehabilitation period in an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom.
"You have to remain patient and day after day you start to feel better and get back to your routine. I learned a lot about myself along the way, there were moments when I thought I wouldn't be able to walk again," he shared honestly.
Harris vs. Igokaa in Israel, photo: Liron Moldovan
Looks great back
As fate would have it, Harris' return game was only a few days after Eric Green's departure, and the pressure to deliver the goods was there from the start.
The American guard looked wonderful and contributed 16 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes of play, and managed to forget the departure of Eric Green.
"I feel great and happy to be back playing, I went through a lot of work on the way to this moment and I thank everyone who helped me along the way. I feel lucky to be able to play again. Physically, I still don't feel like I'm 100 percent back, so I still have a lot of hard work to do." Harris shared his feelings at the end.
Tonight, Harris will play in only his second game of the season as part of the FIBA Champions League at the Lektaş Sports Hall in Bosnia. This is a critical game for his team as a victory will move them up a stage, in the most important week so far this season, at the end of which the quarterfinals of the Cup also await. Hapoel Holon and its fans have been waiting for Harris for seven months Long, tonight they want him to lead them back to the quarter-final stage.
Harris.
Holon needs him, photo: Liron Moldovan
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