Hapoel Galil Upper Galilee secured its place in Israel's basketball Premier League with a 65-76 win over Ironi Ness Ziona, allowing the club to breathe after a season filled with problems on and off the court. The team celebrated survival after one of the hardest fights in its history.
CEO Nir Wasserman, who has led the club for 11 years, said the year was devastating. "What we went through breaks clubs," he said. "Nobody wanted us to stay in Kfar Blum, everything happened to us. The death of a key player, wars, injuries, the team moving. No club has gone through what we went through. And in the end, we did it."
The club said the season was overshadowed by the death of Raz Adam, a significant figure in the club and the community. Wasserman said, "We did it for him." He added, "This achievement belongs first and foremost to Raz, to his family and to his partner. It is all them." He also said, "I would give up everything if he were alive," and noted that in a few days the club will mark the 30th day since Adam's death. "It is a wound that does not heal," he said. "I dream about him at night. There is a hole in my heart that will be very hard to close."
Wasserman said the club survived because of its tradition, community and staff, and praised its belief in Israeli players, saying they were the ones who kept the team in the league. He admitted the club made many mistakes during the season but said the group stayed together despite bad luck and repeated crises. Looking ahead, he promised that the club will start building for next season immediately and return to the top of Israeli basketball. "Galil will be at the top," he said.
