Hapoel Jerusalem Opens European Season Aiming to Surprise Powerhouse Badalona

Hapoel Jerusalem is set to begin its European campaign in the FIBA Champions League (BCL) on Tuesday with an away game against Joventut Badalona. This marks Jerusalem's third appearance in the BCL and second consecutive season. The team has been drawn into Group H alongside Spain's Badalona, Germany's Bonn, and Portugal's Porto.

The BCL format remains the same: the top team in each group automatically advances to the Top 16, while the second and third-place teams will compete in a playoff series against teams from intersecting groups for the remaining Top 16 spots. In their previous two BCL seasons, Jerusalem faced challenging groups and finished with a 2-4 record in the group stage, failing to advance.

This upcoming match will be Jerusalem's third on Spanish soil in the BCL, having lost both previous encounters. Their last BCL game of the previous season saw them defeat Tenerife in a "home" game played in the Czech Republic.

The current Jerusalem roster includes four foreign players returning from last season: captain Deshaun Francis, Noah Carter, D.J. Barnes, and Zach Bryant. Barnes and Bryant joined the team mid-season and this will be their BCL debut. Bruton will also be making their BCL debuts.

Among the Israeli players, Amit Gershon returns for his second BCL season after playing with Hapoel Jerusalem in 2021-22, and Dusty Hannahs will debut in the competition. Amit Menachem is injured and unavailable, while Sohem Gat will be available for coach Yehou Orland. The roster also features Emri Kagan, and homegrown players Roey Solomon, Emri Bilt, Kai Obziler, and Nitai Shalom. Orland, in his third season with the team, is one of two Israeli coaches in the BCL, the other being Oren Amiel of Nymburk.

Badalona is considered a strong contender for the BCL title, boasting a star-studded roster that includes veteran Ricky Rubio, Nicolás Laprovíttola (formerly of Barcelona), Ante Tomić, and Bootsy Ellis. Badalona recently won the Spanish Supercup, defeating Barcelona 101-87 in the final, with Laprovíttola scoring 31 points. Their domestic league game this week was postponed due to heavy rain. Badalona is undefeated at home in the BCL and reached the quarterfinals last season. Rubio has consistently recorded at least five assists in his recent BCL games.

Coach Yehou Orland expressed excitement for the new season, noting the BCL's high level and quality teams. He stated the team aims to be competitive and advance at least one step further than last season. Captain Deshaun Francis added that the team is motivated and prepared to surprise Badalona, one of the competition's top teams.