Herzliya Leads the Race for Rafi Menco as He Nears Exit from Hapoel HaEmek
Rafi Menco is expected to leave Hapoel HaEmek and begin the 2026/2027 season with a new team. The 32-year-old small forward joined HaEmek at the start of the current season, but now appears to be on his way out of the club, with several Israeli teams tracking him.
Bnei Herzliya is most aggressively pursuing Menco and wants to add him as a major part of its Israeli player core. Hapoel Holon is also interested and may try to bring him back to the purple jerseys, while Ness Ziona is another team in the mix.
Last season, the Israel national team player averaged 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in the regular season. He stepped up in the playoffs against Hapoel Jerusalem, averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds over two games.
Menco’s resume includes three seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv, which he joined after a year at Hapoel Holon. His best statistical season came with Eilat in 2019/2020, when he posted 13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
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