Last season, a team played eleven "home" games in Sofia, four more in Botevgrad, and one in Jerusalem. Only five were played at their Tel Aviv arena. That team made its EuroLeague debut, finished sixth, and won a playoff game against Real Madrid. This summer, instead of dismantling it, Hapoel has expanded: ten signings and contracts running through 2030.
The Starting Point
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv earned their spot on the court, via the 2025 EuroCup, and responded with 23 wins and 15 losses in their debut. Sixth out of twenty, with a +118 record, and a direct ticket to the quarterfinals without going through the play-in. There they fell 3-1 to Real Madrid, though they took the third game.
The context of that season explains a lot. Due to the security situation, the team spent most of the season playing their home games in Bulgaria, with an average attendance below 5,000 spectators. Few teams have competed under worse logistical conditions and finished in the top six.
The big name was Elijah Bryant, included in the EuroLeague All-Star Five and second-best rated in the competition with 19.6 points per game. In Israel, Hapoel went 22-4 in the regular season and lost the final to Maccabi.
Departures
Seven exits, and none that force a complete overhaul. The most relevant is Johnathan Motley, the center who was the foundation stone of the project and who is leaving for Crvena Zvezda, where point guard Chris Jones also arrives.
It's completed with Yam Madar, who crosses to Maccabi; Kessler Edwards, who signs with Virtus Bologna; Collin Malcolm, to Anadolu Efes; Levi Randolph, to Nagasaki Velca in Japan, and Keandre Cook, to Aliaga Petkim.
Arrivals
Ten signings, and the reading isn't one of a team that reinvents itself: it's one that doubles at every position.
The biggest name signing is Tomas Satoransky, who leaves Barcelona after three seasons to accompany and eventually replace Vasilije Micic in the point guard role. With him come Tamir Blatt, Israeli international point guard moving from Maccabi, and Khadeen Carrington, arriving from Hapoel Jerusalem. Eugene German, coming from the Indios de Mayagüez, Frederic Bourdillon, from Bnei Herzliya, and Max Heidegger, after a season in the Israeli league, complete an oversized perimeter.
In the frontcourt, the big move is Zach LeDay, arriving from Olimpia Milano with plenty of experience at the highest European level. Bruno Caboclo brings size from Dubai and, from the NBA, come small forward Amir Coffey, from Phoenix, and power forward Jacob Toppin.
Those Who Stay
Here's the real difference with the rest of summer projects. Hapoel hasn't renewed its players for one year: they've tied them down long-term.
Bryant signs through 2029, as do Antonio Blakeney, Dan Oturu, and Tai Odiase. Captain Tomer Ginat extends through 2030. Micic has a contract through 2028. Also staying are Ish Wainright, Tyler Ennis, Bar Timor, Yiftach Ziv, Guy Palatin, Oz Blayzer, and Itay Segev.
And on the bench, Dimitris Itoudis, who arrived in November 2024 and continues under contract.
The Keys
The plan wasn't to change, it was to expand. The first season left a clear lesson: the EuroLeague punishes short rotations, especially if the team travels half the season and competes on two fronts. Almost all the signings are rotation players, not stars, and that's the point.
Twenty-three roster spots. It's a huge squad, designed so the Israeli league doesn't wear down the key players. It's also a management problem: Itoudis will have to explain every week to four or five players why they're not in the rotation, and the Greek coach isn't exactly famous for his calm in heated moments.
The paint. Motley, who was the interior reference, has left, and LeDay and Caboclo arrive. Oturu, Odiase, and Segev remain. There's size, but the center position is the least defined on the team, and several of those tall wings—Wainright first—will end up playing power forward out of necessity.
Playmaking. Micic and Satoransky are two top-tier ball handlers who need the ball in their hands. With Bryant and Blakeney hunting shots and LeDay demanding possessions in the high post, distribution isn't automatic. It could produce excellent offense or a team with too many hierarchies.
The home court factor. It remains to be seen where they'll play their home games, and it's not a minor detail: last year that was their biggest drain and yet they still finished sixth.
The Forecast
Hapoel has already done the hard part, which was proving they weren't a one-year guest. Now comes the difficult part: repeating.
It's a deeper squad than last season, with the same core and a coach who knows the project from the inside. Returning to the playoffs is a reasonable objective, and if Micic and Satoransky fit as expected, the upper reaches of the standings are within reach.
What this team doesn't look like yet is a Final Four contender. They're missing that player who can win a game alone in May. But Ofer Yannay's club has spent two summers proving it knows how to wait, and the contracts through 2029 and 2030 say exactly that.
Full Roster
Point Guards and Shooting Guards: Tamir Blatt (1.78m), Eugene German (1.83m), Khadeen Carrington (1.87m), Tyler Ennis (1.88m), Bar Timor (1.91m), Yiftach Ziv (1.91m), Max Heidegger (1.91m), Frederic Bourdillon (1.93m), Antonio Blakeney (1.93m), Guy Palatin (1.95m), Vasilije Micic (1.96m), Elijah Bryant (1.96m), Tomas Satoransky (2.01m)
Small Forwards: Ish Wainright (1.96m), Oz Blayzer (2.00m), Amir Coffey (2.01m), Zach LeDay (2.02m), Tomer Ginat (2.05m)
Power Forwards and Centers: Itay Segev (2.04m), Jacob Toppin (2.06m), Tai Odiase (2.06m), Dan Oturu (2.08m), Bruno Caboclo (2.08m)