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    • Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Ofer Yannay faces challenges – Israel Sports
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    Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Ofer Yannay faces challenges – Israel Sports

    Umito Posted on

    Hapoel Tel Aviv went through turbulent weeks with player changes, defeats in Europe and close matches in the Israeli league. Adding to the uncertainty, the future of head coach Stefanos Dedas remains uncertain.

    After the Reds’ narrow 96-95 victory over Kiryat Ata at the Drive-In Arena, Dedas left the field without attending the post-match press conference.

    The departure came after owner Ofer Yannay publicly mentioned at halftime the possibility of bringing in additional coaching support to work alongside or above Dedas. Yannay asked Dedas not to speak to the media after the match, and the coach complied.

    Addressing Recent Challenges

    Yannay, who previously compared the team to the Avengers, addressed the recent challenges and outlined her preferred outcome regarding Dedas’ role.

    “It’s not sure that we want to replace him. Maybe we’ll bring in another coach to work with him. Everyone has their job, and if improvements are needed, we will make them. I didn’t say he should go. I just said that if they continue to question his status, he shouldn’t be questioned.

    When thinking about Dedas’ potential role, Yannay cited an example of Maccabi Tel Aviv Season 2003/04.

    HAPOEL TEL AVIV players celebrate on the pitch with a number of young supporters from the group of 160 war-affected supporters who were welcomed by the Reds to Belgrade for the 100-81 EuroCup victory against Venice Wednesday evening. (credit: Hapoel Tel Aviv/Courtesy)

    “Do you remember Maccabi Tel Aviv from the 2003/04 season? David Blatt was there, and then they brought in Pini Gershon and they worked together with the team. With the amount of egos we have here and the number of players we have, you need a senior assistant or a senior coach. Dimitris Itoudis and Sergio Scariolo? All these top coaches want to come and we want to see what happens. Officially, everyone wants to come.

    Yannay also discussed the recent Jonathan Motley saga. Motley left the team shortly after scoring 30 points in a EuroCup match, seeking a pay rise and attracting interest from teams such as Real Madrid.

    “What’s happening with Motley is a battle of attrition with the agent. If Real Madrid are interested, I am ready to give it to them in exchange for a Euroleague license. This whole episode promoted the club’s name in Europe.

    Where we once talked about the team as a project, people now talk about us as a serious franchise. I think his agent made a mistake because he greatly underestimated Hapoel. It’s a mistake that will cost him dearly.

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    The Reds also released Ben Bentil recently, while Joe Ragland, who is yet to play in the Israeli league, is reportedly on his way out. To strengthen its squad, Hapoel recruited Antonio Blakeney.

    “We saw that Blakeney was in good game shape, and he is a player with strong one-on-one moves who can get his shot from anywhere. Everything has to work out and we still have to find a replacement for Bentil. Maccabi is also in a similar situation to us. However, our players are here and we don’t have to worry about players staying in Europe.

    Regarding Ragland, Yannay added: “Joe Ragland is an incredible player. We will have to see how he can still fit into the team, as he has not yet managed to do so effectively. But consider this team with a replacement for Bentil, the return of Motley and Joe. This will be an incredible team. At the end of the season, this will be the direction we take. »Patrick Beverley, who joined the Reds from the NBA, was the centerpiece of Hapoel Tel Aviv’s global recognition.

    “Patrick has raised us to a level where we are recognized and everyone knows who we are and what we do. We got a lot of leadership from him and much more beyond marketing. » With European matches still taking place abroad due to the current conflict, Yannay expressed his hope for their return to Israel.

    “It’s not an easy year and I hope we are moving towards a return of international games to Israel. I believe these games will be back here in Israel by January. This is management. I hope it happens – it belongs to all of us in the sporting community.

    For Yannay, owning Hapoel Tel Aviv is about more than just the competition; it’s about community and pride.

    “The most fun for me is seeing the joy and pride the team brings to the fans. The Hapoel community has been through a lot over the years as the sport had been corrupted by one team, with Hapoel being the team that suffered the most.

    This year they feel differently and it’s a lot of fun. It is important to me that soldiers leaving Lebanon and Gaza can also attend the games. Overall, I also think that the fact that we have managed to attract players of this caliber to Israel inspires a lot of pride as we continue the process of building this club.



    Umito
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