Monday, November 23, 2009
Raring to go in Jerusalem!
Hello everyone, I am Yuval Naimy, and it's a great honor for me to write this blog as part of the Eurocup family! I am 24 years old and I play as a point guard for Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club. Last summer I was a part of the Israeli national team in the European championships in Poland, and there I saw the challenges of playing against players from the top level in European and world basketball. I grew up in Jerusalem and played at the youth levels of Hapoel since I was a boy. When I was 19, I left to play for other teams in Israel, but last season I came back with the hope of leading the team to future success.
I was already lucky enough to part of the Hapoel team that won the ULEB Cup in 2004 in Charleroi, Belgium. I was almost 18 at the time, about to join the Israeli Army, and I did not play a lot, but I did feel as everybody that was connected to the club then that we are part of the sports history of this city and club. That is especially true for me as I was also a big fan of the club since I was a young boy. When I saw Erez Katz, the captain of that team and also a product of the club’s youth program, lifting the ULEB Cup trophy in Charleroi, I remember dreaming that some day it could be me.
Now the ULEB Cup is the Eurocup, but it is the same great competition. There’s a lot of tension, every basket counts, the basketball is of a high quality, in some moments even better than in the Euroleague. Since Hapoel won the cup in 2004, we always felt that this competition was perfect for us. As such, we had a great desire to beat Roanne in the qualifications round so we could be part of it again. Last year we played in the FIBA EuroChallenge and did not do well at all, but I feel that we have the players this year to qualify to the Last 16 and, from there, who knows what will happen. Although this is my first season as a captain, I feel that while being part of 2004 roster I learned a lot and I believe that what I learned will help me and the team.
Our first game on Tuesday is against the Lithuanian team Siauliai. I will be honest about the fact that I do not know a lot about them, but I do know one thing: every Lithuanian team must have great shooters that are hard to stop. It is never easy to play against a team you do not know a lot about, but our coaches will prepare us a much as possible with the hope that we will get the transition from the Israeli League to the Eurocup right from the start.
This is our first game, our first HOME game, and we must win. Otherwise, we will not have good chance to qualify to the next round. I guess it works the same both ways, I don't think Siauliai knows a lot about us, either, so it should be an interesting game, especially at the beginning, when you see players trying to figure out one another. I hope that our fans will play a major factor in this game, because I know they can be daunting for away teams.
Although they, too, are still unknowns for me, the two other teams in our group, Zadar and Aris, will be especially hard to beat on their home courts. For me, both of them represent the top level of basketball, Eurocup teams with great coaches and great players with a lot of experience. It is enough to point out Boisa in Zadar to see the quality of that team. Another important factor is the home fans. Aris is a fortress with one of the greatest crowds in Europe. It will be exciting for all of us to go there and play in their court. The Croatian crowd in Zadar is also something one I heard about from some teammates who played against them two seasons ago. I cannot, of course, exclude our home fans. Eurocup games in Jerusalem are great to watch and great to play in. I am sure the quality of basketball will be high and I am sure our fans will be a force on our side.
For every team in our group, winning away will not be easy!
Finally, I would like to wish all the teams and the fans all over Europe good luck in the competition, but especially for… Hapoel Jerusalem!
POSTED BY
YUVAL NAIMY - JERUSALEM, ISRAEL