Maccabi Tel Aviv’s thin rotation costing it in Europe

“I don’t know if I am more frustrated or more proud,” said Oded Katash immediately after Maccabi Tel Aviv fell to Fenerbahce, 84-82, in Euroleague action this week.

The answer is simple: he can be both.

Frustrated because he doesn’t have the tools to win, and proud because his team followed the game plan to a “T” and came so close to victory. But, close only counts in horseshoes, as they say.

Maccabi Tel Aviv controlled the pace of play for nearly 35 minutes, leading after each quarter and even midway through the final frame. But with a rotation of just eight players in the first game of a Euroleague double-week, facing a roster as deep as Fenerbahce’s was a tall order.

“In a double week, many teams play with a deeper roster, and we have to do so as much as we can,” Katash explained. “We did a great job for three quarters, and I would say we tried our best in the fourth, but we ran out of energy. A number of players played over 30 minutes, while Fenerbahce’s quality and depth ultimately made the difference.”

AFTER SPENDING a year on-loan in France, American-Israeli Will Rayman is back with Maccabi Tel Aviv and primed to make an impact locally and in Europe. (credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN)

Jaylen Hoard played 34 minutes, Levi Randolph 32, and Rokas Jokubaitis 29. By contrast, Fenerbahce’s Tarik Biberovic played 28 minutes, using his fresh legs to score 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, sealing the game. Biberovic hit back-to-back three-pointers to put Fenerbahce in front at 77-76 with 4:20 remaining, and another less than a minute later to stretch the lead to four points – a margin Maccabi couldn’t overcome.

The Turkish team executed down the stretch, with Nigel Hayes-Davis, newcomer Skylar Mays, and, of course, Biberovic securing the win. Maccabi had a chance to tie the game at 82-82 with a minute remaining, but Saben Lee missed two critical free-throws.

Maccabi barely used four of its registered players and is still waiting on Tamir Blatt and Wenyen Gabriel to return from injury. Gabriel was possibly going to be available for Thursday’s late Real Madrid game, but Blatt remains a few weeks away. Katash urgently needs reinforcements to maintain a high level of play over an extended period.

Will Rayman, in his first Euroleague season, has shown tremendous heart and hustle, adding valuable intangibles for Maccabi.

“It just shows that when we play together, moving and communicating on defense, we can be really good,” Rayman noted. “I thought we were a little stagnant in the fourth quarter and not moving as much as in the first three quarters. I’m really proud of the guys. We’re improving, and I think it will come together soon.”

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Totally understandable, given the short rotation.

Katash’s frustration is justified. Management needs to provide him with the tools to win games, but it has yet to do so. There are plenty of excuses – war, a tough market, unavailable players – but those have been lingering for months. The club knew it was going into the season with a short squad even before Jordan Loyd’s departure. Lee, brought in as a replacement, essentially fills Daryl Macon’s role. Other clubs, like Hapoel Tel Aviv, have made roster moves to bring in fresh talent.

The club should take a hard look in the mirror, as the season’s record stood at 2-4 entering Thursday’s contest. With a bit more firepower or even the presence of Lee, who’s been practicing with the squad virtually, Maccabi could have easily been 4-2.

“Every loss feels like a missed opportunity, but I feel most for the players. We were right there, putting in a huge effort,” Katash said. “This is the situation we’re in, so we have to focus on staying healthy since some players are logging heavy minutes. I hope we can find someone to strengthen the squad and get our injured players back without further setbacks.”

The players left everything on the court, and their effort can’t be questioned. But this was a game Maccabi should have won, and the players know it. The question is, how much longer can they tolerate the frustration of competing shorthanded?

“It wasn’t a bad game for us,” said Jokubaitis, returning after a thumb injury. “We have to keep the same rhythm. If we play with the same mentality, I think we’ll have a chance. Now, we need some rest, learn from our mistakes, and I believe we’ll be fine.”

The Lithuanian guard was upbeat, offering a glimmer of hope. Yet the reality is that Maccabi faced another game just 36 hours later against Euroleague finalist Real Madrid, which itself was coming off a tough loss to Olympiacos.

“We were ready for the game but came up short. Now we have to focus on the Real Madrid game,” Jokubaitis added. “Madrid is similar to Fenerbahce in terms of physicality, and we need to respond to that.”

Can Maccabi match up against Real Madrid, a team that has often proven challenging? Perhaps Heading into Thursday’s clash, the question remained whether the yellow-and-blue could steal a win on their “home court” in Belgrade. It’s not impossible, and if Katash could keep his players focused, they certainly had a shot.

“Even though we’ve only had a few practices with the full roster, we fought hard,” Katash said. “It was a tough loss, but we have to stay positive. I’m very proud of what we did today.”

Hapoel Jerusalem, Tel Aviv notch victories

It was also a busy week for the other Israeli teams in European basketball competitions, as both “Reds” clubs picked up important wins in EuroCup play.

Hapoel Tel Aviv eased past Buducnost 92-72, with Johnathan Motley scoring 30 points to pace the team to victory.

Motley led the way for Hapoel Tel Aviv as Rasheed Sulaimon countered for Buducnost early on. Joe Ragland and Bar Timor started to score in bunches, while McKinley Wright tried to keep the visitors close, but Motley finished the half strong to help secure a 46-38 lead. Marcus Foster hit his 3-pointers, and Noam Yaacov added points, but it was Motley who continued to find the bucket to seal the win.

In addition to Motley’s 30, Foster added 23 points and Timor checked in with 10 in the victory. Wright and Sulaimon each scored 13 points in the loss.

“I have to give credit to the staff and the fans who came here to support us,” Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Stefanos Dedas said. “We deserved the win, but we started the first quarter a bit tight and nervous. We won the second quarter 29-16, and the way we played in the second half was solid. We used two styles: one with Johnathan Motley as the target player and Bruno Caboclo to spread the lines. I like playing this way because we can cover all parameters. I’m satisfied because we beat a very good team.”

Meanwhile, Hapoel Jerusalem cruised to a 94-83 victory over Ljubljana, with Jared Harper unstoppable down the stretch to help the Reds secure the win and move their EuroCup record to 4-2.

Harper paced Jerusalem early on, with contributions from Chris Johnson and Gabi Chachashvili, while Devin Robinson, Devante Jones, and Martinas Geben kept Ljubljana in the game. After taking a 45-36 lead into the break, Khadeen Carrington and Yovel Zoosman continued scoring for Hapoel, while Gregor Glas and Jaka Blazic kept the hosts close, before Harper’s clutch scoring sealed the victory.

Harper led with 30 points, while Zoosman added 18, and Carrington scored 17. In the loss, Blazic scored 15 points and Glas chipped in with 13.

“We were missing our two main big men,” Jerusalem coach Yonatan Alon explained. “We didn’t know how the game would develop, but we knew we’d have to play on the perimeter with the guards, and we tried to make it work. I’m happy that we controlled the pace for most of the game and that we won.”

Elsewhere, Maccabi Ramat Gan fell short against Bonn, losing 86-78, as Shmulik Brenner’s squad was unable to erase a 17-point first-half deficit, dropping its Basketball Champions League group stage record to 1-2.

Darius McGhee and Phlandrous Fleming gave Bonn an early lead, and although Amin Stevens and Adam Ariel mounted a comeback, it fell short, handing the Israeli team their second loss of the season.

“I’m proud of the guys for how we fought after digging ourselves into a huge hole in the first half,” Brenner said. “Once we matched their intensity, we were better, but the hole was too big to come back from. We’ll learn from this and come back stronger next game.”