Basketball / A breath of fresh air blew in from Iran
By Or Gilran
Two-and-a-half weeks ago, during the game against Ironi Nahariya, Maccabi Rishon Letzion chairman Moshe Kaliski was leaning against the wall behind his team's bench with his head down. Rishon Letzion was on its way to its sixth consecutive loss (94-76) and 10th in 11 games, and you got the feeling that Kaliski was beginning to accept the fact that his club would be relegated to the National League (Liga Leumit) at the end of the season. At the final buzzer, he took his legs and his feelings and left.
As opposed to his team's chairman, coach Ofer Berkovic had completely different feelings after that heavy loss.
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"We haven't been relegated yet," he declared at the press conference, "and next week we are going to Jerusalem to win."
The journalists in the room did not really believe what they were hearing.
It turns out that Berkovic knew more than anyone else. A week later, Rishon Letzion won in Malkha (82-74) and continued to hold out hope of surviving in the Premier League. This week, after its second victory in a row - 84-82 over Galil Elyon, one of its two rivals at the bottom of the standings - they are already believing in the city of wine that there is not reason why the team will not remain in the top league. Berkovic's feeling after the game in Jerusalem - "We will eat up the parquet on every court in order to stay" - has dragged everyone else along.
"I believe that if we beat Ashkelon and Afula, that will be enough for us to remain in this league," Kaliski says now, after seeing injuries plague his key players all season and seven final-second losses. "The statistics are straightening themselves out. We are not the worst team in the league."
With a lot of heart
As opposed to teams like Ashkelon and Nahariya, replacing the coach at Rishon Letzion did not get off on the right foot. The calendar of games was such that the club had to face the Premier League's top teams at the end of the second round and the beginning of the third round, creating a snowball that led to a single victory in an 11-game stretch. However, Berkovic, who was a veteran of a number of relegation battles, knew how to keep his cool and not give up faith.
"A team that works hard and invests in winning in the end will do whatever is thrown at it," says the coach. "I have been in this league long enough in order to believe that we can remain here."
His explanations for the changes that have occured at the club are simple.
"Before the game against Jerusalem, the players understood that it would take a lot of determination and to play basketball. Happily for me, it happened; in addition, we improved the defense and that helped our confidence and we were able to control the plays of the game."
A lot of the change can be attributed to two players. One of them is Oded Sha'ashua, the leader of the team, and since he returned from injury has been a barometer of the team's well-being.
"Oded is one of the most important players in the team's fabric, and not just professionally," compliments Berkovic. "His hard work has paid off; he is one of the most diligent players I have coached. He is playing well right now and he will get better with time."
"The story is less about me than about the presence of Omar Sneed," Sha'ashua says modestly. "The changes that he brought to the team, both professionally and mentally, helped us very much in our last two wins. Despite that, we have not yet completed our work and we need to go into every game with strong defense and a lot of aggressiveness. This is the only way that we will achieve the goal."
Just as Sha'ashua himself noted, the biggest factor for the dramatic change is Sneed, who "is helping us be better in every game," according to the players in Rishon Letzion. Sneed kept in touch with the club's management even when he was playing for an Iranian club this season. When he was offered the possibility of returning to Rishon Letzion in order to help it survive in the Premier League, it was the most natural thing for Sneed to do.
"His leadership and his ability during 'money time' are the things that the team had been lacking," says Berkovic.
The ex is back
Tonight, Rishon Letzion hosts Ironi Ashkelon, whose coach, Adi Azulai, was at Rishon Letzion at the beginning of the season.
"Adi Azulai did not leave because he was not a good coach; he left because the team needed a shock," says Kaliski. "He will always be part of the family and one of our most valued coaches."
But today, the goal is to beat him.
"Every game stands on its own, and even though Ashkelon has positive momentum, this is a new game with a lot of importance for us," says Berkovic. "We need to win because despite all that we have done in the last two games, it's still not enough."
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