The table in the sports page that shows Hapoel Holon at the top of the charts of the basketball's Premier League is not a typographical error. When coach/owner Micky Dorsman squad bested Macabi Tel Aviv two weeks ago and replaced them in first place, it only further proved that fact indeed can be stranger than fiction.
Holon's improbable ride to the top includes overcoming early-season adversity, when the team was punished by the league for an incident on November 13th, when a fan threw a live firecracker on court which seriously injured a security guard during a road game against Hapoel Jerusalem.
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A newcomer to the top division this season, Holon has prospered from a deep roster, which includes a successful mix of quality young Israeli players and talented foreigners.
Dorsman has chosen his foreigners sagaciously. Tre Simmons (formerly at Galil Elyon), Chris Watson (formerly Givat Shmuel), Fred Campbell (Nahariya) and Malik Dixon (one-time league scoring titlist at Maccabi Rishon Letzion) all have proven track records in Israel. However, P.J. Tucker, Holon's biggest name and probably their best player, made it to Israel by chance.
The 23-year-old Tucker was a second team All-America choice at Texas University two years ago and played sparsely for the NBA Toronto Raptors last season before he was released. According to Dorsman, "I was watching a tape scouting another Raptor player named Pape Sow when I fell in love with P.J."
Despite his success at the college level, Tucker, who is averaging 15 points a game in his initial season outside the U.S., is better suited for future stardom in the Euroleague then he is for the NBA game.
Despite standing at 1.96 meter and weighing in at 103 kilograms, Tucker is listed as a small forward, even though his style of play is reminiscent of a power forward. Tucker is a natural scorer, but despite his height scored most of his points inside and also was Texas's leading rebounder. During his last two seasons for the Longhorns he averaged close to a double-double.
Guys at his height with that style of play rarely succeed in the NBA, unless they happen to be named Charles Barkley or Adrian Dantley. Nonetheless, Tucker left Texas a year early and declared for the 2006 NBA Draft. He was chosen by the Raptors in the second round, the 35th overall selection. He was given little opportunity by Toronto and, after a stint with Colorado, the Raptors' representative in the NBA's developmental league, was released, having appeared in only 17 games and playing 80 minutes in the NBA.
At first, Tucker had a difficult time accepting the idea of playing overseas but finally accepted an offer from Holon and joined the team last summer. Dorsman's unique understanding of the difficulties facing foreign players and the need to make them feel comfortable and at home as best as possible, helped smooth Tucker's transition. He's been an unqualified success since the start of the season and also, according to Dorsman, is a big factor in Holon's social cohesiveness in addition to his contributions on court.
Tucker, who constantly attacks the basket and can score from anywhere on the court is described by his coach as, "super ambitious and super competitive," traits which embody his team and help make it, this year's rags to riches story of the Israeli league.
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