The former Tel Aviv players will look to end Hapoel’s season again in the quarterfinals
Angola, Alexander are key to Turk Telekom's hopes against Hapoel
Game Preview
3 Mins read
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv made no bones about its goals this summer. And every day since. The club is targeting a spot in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the most direct way to do that would be to win the BKT EuroCup.
Renewable energy tycoon Ofer Yannay has spared no expense to turn his club into a winner with shock move after shock move of players from the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the NBA. The first big move over the summer was the signing of star center Johnathan Motley from Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Then came Patrick Beverley (who has since left the club) from the NBA. And Bruno Caboclo from Partizan Mozzzart Bet Belgrade. Two-time EuroLeague champion Dimitris Itoudis took over as head coach in November. And then Yam Madar left FC Bayern Munich shortly after that to return to the club.
Of course, those moves have had ripple effects. The signing of Motley spelled the end of Kyle Alexander's time in Tel Aviv. He would end up with Turk Telekom Ankara. Braian Angola, like Alexander, played for Hapoel last season. Unlike Alexander, he had a contract for 2024-25. However, he was never a part of the team's plans and after appearing in just one EuroCup game for 5:30 minutes in the first four rounds of the season, Angola left and signed for Turk Telekom.
On Wednesday, Turk Telekom will lean heavily on Angola and Alexander as the team tries to upset Hapoel in the quarterfinals.
While the duo may have not been what Hapoel wanted this season, they have been just what the doctor ordered for Turk Telekom. Alexander leads the EuroCup in blocked shots (2.1 bpg.), is third in rebounds (7.0 rpg.) and 10th in PIR (16.8). Angola is 13th in PIR, but his 18.2 average with Turk Telekom would rank sixth if it weren’t dragged down by the sole appearance with Hapoel. Likewise, his 16.2 points per game would be seventh.
Alexander will match up head-to-head with Motley, who has been a force with 16.9 points and 5.0 rebounds for a PIR of 19.8. Angola will likely re-enact his duels with Ish Wainright from early-season scrimmages in Tel Aviv.
Those players are not the only ones upon whom the fate of this game rests. Turk Telekom shooting guard Anthony Brown is second in the EuroCup in scoring (18.4 ppg.), Yoan Makoundou (11.6 ppg., 5.0 rpg.) is second to only Alexander in blocks (1.6 bpg.) and point guard Speedy Smith is another mid-season arrival from Israel with him starting the campaign with another EuroCup quarterfinalist, Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem.
Even the head coaches know each other well, with Itoudis having faced off against Erdem Can many times when the latter coached Fenerbahce.
Only Tomer Ginat and Bar Timor remain among the rotation players on Hapoel’s roster from last season, so the mostly-rebuilt squad will look to carry the team into the semifinals, which is merely one step on the path to glory management has the team set on. Last season, Hapoel stumbled in the quarterfinals, blowing a 21-point lead against another Turkish foe, Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul.
If Hapoel falls at this stage again, it could well be because of some Israeli League cast-offs on the other end of the floor.