When you think of sports in Israel only one name comes to mind: Maccabi Tel Aviv. Even those who gave never watched a single game of Israeli sports recognize the name Maccabi Tel Aviv. The club, the biggest in Israel, participates in football, basketball, judo, swimming, handball, and others.
Their basketball team, “Electra,” is what put their name on the map and competes in the Israeli and European basketball leagues. The club dominates Israeli basketball, having won 48 Israeli National Championship titles (including 23 in a row between 1970 and 1992) and 36 Israeli State Cups. Maccabi is among Europe's most illustrious clubs, having won the European Cup five times since 1977, and finishing second eight times. The club also holds the record for the most Triple Crowns wins with 5.
The Maccabi Tel Aviv sports club started its basketball program in the mid-1930s. In 1954, the Israeli Basketball League was founded and Maccabi Tel Aviv won the very first championship. The club has dominated the league ever since and has never finished below the third place in the national league.
On October 6th, Maccabi Tel Aviv played against Ironi Ashkelon. With an overpowering performance they dominated and came away with a win, 101-80. The author writes that “the speed and accuracy of the Tel Aviv forwards - most notably Alan Anderson, who finished with 21 points to lead all scorers - combined with the defensive power of players such as D'or Fishcher, ensured it was Maccabi which advanced to the semifinals of the preseason event.” The game was tied at halftime but Ashkelon appeared to have used up all of their energy. In the end, they could not compete with a far superior team.
Maccabi Tel Aviv will play Hapoel Galil/Gilboa in Wednesday's second semi-final. Hapoel defeated Bnei Hasharon in the early game of the night. The author mentions that the new Bnei Hasharon coach, Dan Shamir, admitted his side has much to improve on after seeing it outplayed by Oded Katash's team in red: “It is already October 5 and still things aren't working," the former Hapoel Jerusalem coach said. "We need more of a fighting spirit. There are many things we need to work on. We need to be much more aggressive."
Sunday's quarterfinal winners, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Jerusalem, will face off in the first semi-final game.
There is little doubt that Maccabi Tel Aviv will continue to find success, not only in this tournament but in the future. The author follows the team and has written quite a few articles on their games and progress. The team has had many American players, as well as worldwide talent, come and play for the club.
Maccabi Tel Aviv is a premier club that has support from fans across the globe. They are kind of like the Manchester United of Israeli clubs. Their names is recognizable, their talent always impresses, and most importantly they bring home championships.
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