Hapoel Holon B.C.

Hapoel Holon Basketball Club (Hebrew: מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (הפועל Atsmon Playgrounds חולון‎), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League (the top tier of Israeli basketball), and internationally in the Basketball Champions League. The team was founded in 1947, and plays in the Holon Toto Hall, which is home to 5,500 spectators.

This article is about the basketball club. For the football club, see Hapoel Holon F.C.
Hapoel Holon
Hapoel Holon logo
LeaguesIsraeli Basketball Premier League
Founded1947 (1947)
HistoryHapoel Holon B.C.
(1947–present)
ArenaHolon Toto Hall
Capacity5,500
LocationHolon, Israel
Team colorsPurple and Yellow
   
CEOIsrael Roy Dvora
PresidentIsrael Eitan Lanciano
Head coachIsrael Guy Goodes
Team captainUnited States Chris Johnson
OwnershipIsrael Shlomo Issac
Championships2 Israeli Championship
2 Israeli State Cups
1 Balkan League
Websitehapoel-holon.co.il

One of Hapoel Holon's most notable title victories came in 2008, as the club pulled one of the biggest upsets in league history by defeating perennial champions Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Premier League final. The club also went on to win the Israeli Basketball State Cup in 2009, defeating Maccabi Haifa, and also in 2018, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv. Hapoel Holon won its first-ever international title in 2021 in the form of the Balkan International Basketball League, defeating Bulgarian side Academic Plovdiv.

History

Hapoel Holon was founded in 1947.[1][2][3] It was one of the founding clubs of the top division in 1954, finishing second in their first season.

Hapoel Holon returned to the top division at the end of the 2006–07 season, after playing for 7 years in the second and third divisions. They finished the 2007–08 regular season at the top of the table. They reached the playoff final, where they defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 73–72 to claim their first championship, with Malik Dixon scoring the winning shot two seconds prior to the end of the game.[4] Former and future NBA player P. J. Tucker won the MVP title.[5] It was the first time Maccabi Tel Aviv had failed to win the championship in 14 years.[6]

The club has reached the final of the Israeli Basketball State Cup six times, but did not pick up their first prize in that competition until 2009, when Brian Tolbert hit a three-pointer as time expired to give them a 69–68 win over Maccabi Haifa in that year's final.[7][4]

On January 16, 2010, Hapoel Holon celebrated its 1,000th game in the Ligat HaAl.

In 2018, Hapoel Holon won its second State Cup after beating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Final, behind MVP and former NBA player Glen Rice Jr.[8][4]

Arena
Holon Toto Hall, home arena of the club

Between the years 1953–2015, Hapoel Holon played its home games in the May 1 hall in Holon, Also known as the "tin hall" due to its being made of tin-like irons. It was inaugurated on the 5th Independence Day of the State of Israel, in 1953, in a game against Hapoel Tel Aviv, in which Hapoel Holon won 41:38. The hall was the first in the country to have lighting installed that made it possible to play in the dark.

Due to its low capacity of 2,800 seats, the tin hall was deemed unfit for hosting Israeli basketball premiere league games.

In 2012, A construction began of a new Hall in Park Peres - the Holon Toto Hall, named after Ofer Eshed, an iconic Hapoel Holon player in the past.

Since its completion in 2015, Hapoel Holon plays its home games at in the 5,500 seat Holon Toto Hall.[5]

Honors
Guni Israeli
Roi Huber

Total titles: 5

Domestic
Winners (2): 2008, 2022
Runners-up (3): 1954, 1955, 2018
semi-finals (9): 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1995, 1999, 2008, 2012, 2018
Winners (2): 2009, 2018
Runners-up (5): 1959, 1961, 1986, 1991, 1995
Runner-up (2): 2011, 2020

European
Semifinalist (1): 2021–22
Final 8 (1): 2020–21
Semifinalist (1): 2018–19

Regional competitions
Winners (1): 2020–21

Season by season
Season Tier Division Pos. W–L State Cup League Cup European competitions
2007–08 1 Premier League 1st 22–7 Semifinalist —
2008–09 5th 15–12 Champion Quarterfinalist
2009–10 12th 6–16 Quarterfinalist Quarterfinalist
2010–11 7th 12–19 Round of 16 Quarterfinalist
2011–12 5th 17–13 Semifinalist Runner-up
2012–13 9th 12–15 Quarterfinalist Quarterfinalist 3 EuroChallengeTop 164–8
2013–14 7th 16–17 Round of 16 Semifinalist
2014–15 5th 18–19 Round of 16 Quarterfinalist
2015–16 10th 12–21 First round Quarterfinalist
2016–17 5th 23–14 Semifinalist —
2017–18 2nd 26–14 Champion Quarterfinalist 3 Champions LeagueRegular season3–11
2018–19 3rd 25–12 Semifinalist Quarterfinalist 3 Champions LeagueRegular season7–7
4 FIBA Europe CupSemifinalist2–4
2019–20 5th 13–18 Quarterfinalist Quarterfinalist 3 Champions LeagueRegular season6–8
2020–21 3rd 17–7 Semifinalist Runner-up 3 Champions LeagueFinal Eight8–5
R Balkan LeagueChampions11–0
2021–22 1st 23–12 Semifinalist Semifinalist 3 Champions League4th place12–7

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Hapoel Holon roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.Age
PF 2 France Noua, Amine 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 105 kg (231 lb) 26 – (1997-02-07)7 February 1997
PF 3 United States Smith, Justin 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 24 – (1999-03-01)1 March 1999
PG 7 United States Caver, Ahmad 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 79 kg (174 lb) 27 – (1996-09-12)12 September 1996
G 8 Israel Dawson, Shawn 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 97 kg (214 lb) 29 – (1993-12-12)12 December 1993
G 11 United States Harris, C. J. 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 86 kg (190 lb) 32 – (1991-02-19)19 February 1991
G 12 Israel Amir, Shahar 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 24 – (1999-03-11)11 March 1999
F 16 Israel Hanochi, Yotam 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) 22 – (2000-12-08)8 December 2000
F 21 Israel Artzi, Netanel 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 26 – (1997-03-21)21 March 1997
G 30 Israel Solomon, Ran 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 18 – (2005-03-31)31 March 2005
PG 44 Israel Misgav, Niv 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) 80 kg (176 lb) 28 – (1995-07-25)25 July 1995
Head coach
  • Israel Amit Sherf
Assistant coach(es)
  • Israel Guni Israeli
  • Israel Ido Levit
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured
Updated: August 6, 2023

Depth chart
Pos. Starting 5 Bench
C Amine Noua Justin Smith
PF Netanel Artzi Yotam Hanochi
SF Shawn Dawson Drew Crawford
SG C. J. Harris Shahar Amir
PG Ahmad Caver Niv Misgav
  • The Israeli League rule requires every team to have at least one Israeli on the court at any time.
  • There should be at least 7 Israelis and up to 5 foreigners on a 12-men game sheet.

Notable players
A Hapoel Holon home game
Shlomi Harush

Holon's best homegrown player was Ofer Eshed who played for the club between 1957 and 1972. He is the all-time points leader in the team, with 7,495 points.

Israel Elimelech (nicknamed – The King) is considered to be the club's biggest symbol. He played in Holon during two decades, and led the team to many successful seasons in the Premier League. He played on the legendary home-grown team of Holon in the 1980s, with Niv Boogin (Doctor Boogin), Motti Daniel, Avi Maor, and the Israeli-American player Mike Carter (The Crazy – Meshugah), who was known for driving the fans crazy. Other notable players were: Tzahi Peled, Danny Hadar, Rami Zeig, and from very early days and the contingent of ex Egyptian players: Marcel Hefetz.

The team's 2 titles were won by 2 winning baskets, scored by the 2007–08 PG Malik Dixon, and 2008–09 SG Brian Tolbert. Dixon scored a two-pointer 2 seconds before the end of the championship match against Maccabi Tel-Aviv, leaving Maccabi a 2-second possession which they failed to score in. Tolbert scored a three-point buzzer-beater in the cup final, after he got the ball from an inbound pass by Deron Washington.

Over the years the club has signed several former NBA players, including P. J. Tucker, Ken Bannister, Clarence Kea, Cliff Pondexter, Albert King, Richard Dumas, and Dominic McGuire. John Thomas, who played in the 2009–10 season, is also a former NBA player, with a history in five teams, including the New Jersey Nets and Atlanta Hawks.

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

Colors and mascot

The team's colors are yellow and purple after a Jewish American fan of the Los Angeles Lakers donated uniforms in the colors of his favorite club. Before that, the team played in red and white uniforms, like almost every 'Hapoel' team.

For many years Holon's mascot was a tiger. It appeared on the team's logo for many years and in the 1990s the team's logo read 'Hapoel Tigers Holon'. After the team won the 2007–08 National League championship, and upgraded to the first division, the old symbol was changed and redesigned, keeping Holon's symbol, the tiger.

References
  1. "Basketball - Hapoel Holon BC (Israel): palmares, results and name". the-sports.org.
  2. "Glen Rice Jr. on a mission in the Holy land". Eurohoops. November 9, 2017.
  3. "Hapoel Holon". TheSportsDB.com.
  4. "Group C preview: Three teams with the same dream are set to make their BIBL debut". balkanleague.net.
  5. "Hapoel Holon". TheSportsDB.com.
  6. "Heroic Holon dethrones Maccabi Tel Aviv", Haaretz
  7. "Hapoel Holon steals historic first basketball State Cup from Haifa", Haaretz
  8. בפעם השנייה: גביע המדינה נוסע לחולון! (in Hebrew). February 16, 2018.
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