Basketball Champions League title contenders: Hapoel Jerusalem
This new competition initiated 2 years ago by FIBA is getting bigger and better every season. For many fans, it already offers many quality derby games than Eurocup. And it is even more dynamic than Euroleague and Eurocup because every season more and more teams are joining BCL, providing new title contenders.
This season the focus is on some new teams that for my point of view has many chances to be in the Final4 and maybe to win it!
The first team is Hapoel Jerusalem, whose roster is impressive. I don’t speak just about the legendary Amar’e Stoudemire whose game is improving every week, but about a lot of experienced foreigner players like James Feldeine, Chris Johnson, Josh Owens, J’Covan Brown, Da’Sean Butler and Tashawn Thomas mixed with strong Israeli fellows who played for the national team like: Tamir Blatt (who led the BCL competition last year in assists) and former Maccabi Euroleague teammates Lyor Eliyahu, Yogev Ohayon.
Last but not least, we have to mention here another 3 players who can help the team coming from the bench: the German-Israeli guard Bar Timor and the big men Alexey Chubrevich (2,12 m) and Joseph Lual-Acuil (2,13 m).
The roster is so complete that the results of the team are speaking for themselves: Hapoel is no.1 after 6 rounds in the toughest group of Basketball Champions League. They smashed away the reigning champions AEK Athens, ex-Euroleague Brose Bamberg and the Spanish team Fuenlabrada.
Graţian Cormoş, info@brainbasketball.net
