By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Hapoel Jerusalem will meet San Pablo Burgos for the first quarterfinal of the Basketball Champions League Final Eight and here is the detailed preview of the game, as featured on championsleague.basketball:
They meet again. Hereda San Pablo Burgos and Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem met twice during the Regular Season and now they will battle it out again for a place in the Semi-Final. During the Regular Season, homecourt advantage held true as both teams played to the crowd and handled business at home. With both teams recruiting heavily there will be new personnel to scout but in terms of playing style, these two clubs and their coaching staff will already know each other very well.
Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem
Oded Kattash has retooled his squad considerably. Tarik Phillip comes in from Tofas Bursa. The GB international averaged 11.6 points and 4 assists for Tofas in the Eurocup and has all the tools to be the perfect Jerusalem guard in Kattash’s system – he can shoot off the dribble, he makes composed decisions, and is great at finding cracks to hit the short roll. Chris Kramer and Nikos Pappas have also joined the backcourt to stack things out. Kramer is one of two players to ever record a triple-double in the BCL. He comes in after a season with Khimki and will contribute all over the box score. As for Nikos Pappas, there isn’t much that greek fans will need to be told about his game. In fact, after eight seasons with Panathinaikos, it’s likely Pappas that will be the one enlightening Jerusalem on how to win games in the OAKA.
Deividas Sirvydis was an eye-catching pickup from Lietuvos Rytas and Luka Mitrovic from Manresa has also joined the frontcourt. Sirvydis has already impressed people since arriving in Jerusalem and is a player with the skills and self-confidence to be a surprise factor in this game. Mitrovic – like Tarik Phillip – fits the bill perfectly for the profile that Jerusalem recruits in his position. The Serbian big man can finish around the rim but more importantly, has the passing skill and IQ to fit in perfectly in coach Kattash’s system where the bigs are expected to be playmakers.
Maybe the most important addition for Jerusalem was Malcolm Hill. With James Feldeine leaving they needed scoring and 3-point shooting. Lots of 3-point shooting. Hill has the talent to provide all of that and more. After recovering from injury, Hill had a huge season in Astana, putting up 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the VTB. BCL fans, especially those in Germany, will remember Hill as a player that can really score.