Hapoel Tel Aviv’s 57-year chase for a state championship ended in more frustration on Tuesday night, after an 83-79 loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv sealed a 3-1 defeat in the playoff final. The Reds, owned by Ofer Yannay and coached by Dimitris Itoudis, finished another domestic season without a trophy.
The loss hit the club hard. Players left the arena quickly, while only staff members stayed behind to talk about the game and the days ahead. Hapoel plans a broad meeting today with management and the professional staff to begin decisions for next season, including potential reinforcements and possible departures.
Center Anas Wainwright said after the game, “It was an amazing season. We did not finish the way we wanted, but we left our hearts. It is a shame it ended differently.” He added, “I am staying for another season here. It is a season we will learn from. Our goal is to win titles, we deserve to win.”
Inside the club, there is also sharp criticism of the team’s failure. One source said Hapoel spent nearly twice as much as Maccabi, had strong foreign players and excellent Israelis, yet “Maccabi was the better team in this series.” Another added, “We need to understand what we did wrong, both administratively and professionally. You cannot ignore the fact that the team failed.”
Among the players praised were Yam Madar, Tomer Ginat and Tai Odiase, while Vasilije Micic came under criticism again after finishing with 7 points, 7 assists, poor shooting and 5 turnovers. Hapoel also wants to settle where it will host EuroLeague games next season, with expectations that the league will not allow a return to Israel, and is considering moving from Bulgaria to Munich.
