Know Your Opponent: Maccabi Rishon LeZion

Tonight (Monday, 20:15) Hapoel HaEmek, with Golan Yablonovsky on the sidelines, take to the floor at Beit Maccabi for an away fixture (reversed home advantage) against Maccabi Rishon LeZion, in the second round of the Winner League.

The sides met in the classification games of the Winner Cup, in a match HaEmek won 80-59.

Rishon LeZion lost at home to Hapoel Eilat in the opening round.

Guy Kaplan has been coaching the side since last December, and staying on with him for another season are Josh Freund, Yaron Goldman, Chauncey Jenkins and Kwe Grant. They have been joined by Ron Tzipper, Michael Brisker, Or Cornelius, Trey King, V.J. King, Or Gatt and Idan Zalmanson. Nathan Cotey signed in the summer and was released, with Justin Tillman, well known to us, arriving in his place.

The stand-out players for the orange side in their opening game were Grant, with 16 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds, Freund with 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Jenkins with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Both sides come into the game looking for their first win of the season - it will be hot at Beit Maccabi!