Hapoel Tel Aviv confident in Yam Madar, awaits injury updates before final

Hapoel Tel Aviv celebrated Thursday night’s win over Hapoel Jerusalem and its place in the playoff final, with the club especially pleased by Yam Madar’s performance. Team officials described the guard as the “owner of the court,” praising his leadership, decision-making and control of the game’s pace throughout the series. Madar scored 22 points, including 6 of 10 from two-point range and 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, added four assists and posted a plus-minus of 2 in 31 minutes. The club also wants to move quickly on talks with him about his future, and believes it can persuade him to stay despite reported interest from colleges.

Hapoel said the chemistry between Madar and Vasilije Micic was another major reason for the series win over Jerusalem, with their combined play creating a significant offensive advantage for the Reds. The club is also focused on retaining Madar because it sees him as essential going forward.

Ahead of the final series, the team remains hopeful that Antonio Blakeney and Dan Oturu will be back in Israel in time. Coach Dimitris Itoudis said after the game that Blakeney is still not fit, and the club will keep monitoring him over the coming days. By contrast, the staff believes Tai Odiase has fully recovered and should be available for the opening game of the final.

There is also disappointment in the professional staff with Levi Randolph, who arrived on a large contract but, in their view, is not giving enough effort on the court. “We know he is injured,” Hapoel Tel Aviv said, “but we expected more desire to be with the team in the critical moments of the season.”