Jaylen Hoard, Xavier Munford, J'Covan Brown and Tomer Ginat were all key in the victory.
Returning quartet led the way for Hapoel against Cedevita
Article
3 Mins read
It might be the start of a new season, but it was four returning players that stepped up to guide Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv to a 100-73 win against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. The Israeli side wowed fans across the continent with its performances in last season's BKT EuroCup, and starting the 2023-24 campaign in this manner is likely to get pulses racing in Tel Aviv.
Of the 100 points that Hapoel put on the board, a combined 72 came from Xavier Munford (21), Jaylen Hoard (18), Tomer Ginat (18) and J'Covan Brown (15). What's more, between them they grabbed 22 rebounds and dished 18 assists. In short, it was quite the night for Hapoel's returning quartet.
"It was just the way we wanted to start," Munford said in his post-game interview. "We wanted to set the tone early. We've got a lot of weapons – Jaylen played well, Tomer played well, J.B. orchestrated the whole show, so we've got a lot of guys. Any given night, any guy can go off."
Jaylen Hoard starred from the bench
Hoard particularly shined for Hapoel with some highlight-reel plays that almost took the roof off Shlomo Group Arena. The 24-year-old, who played in Europe professionally for the first time last season, looks set for a bigger role at Hapoel in his second year at the club. Once again coming off the bench, as he did in the 2022-23 campaign, Hoard provided a big spark for the hosts on both ends of the floor, which is something Munford touched on in the post-game press conference.
"Jaylen was excited coming into the game," he stated. "He's been working hard throughout the summer and you could see it – it shows. I think throughout the year he's going to be our X factor. I'm proud of Jaylen's performance tonight."
After all, Hoard was able to add 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 blocks to his 18 points in what was an incredibly rounded performance. Last season saw Hoard record two MVP of the Round awards – in Rounds 4 and 18 – but his performance against Cedevita was that of a player who is ready to lead the way for his team, despite starting from the bench.
For new signing Braian Angola, who had an impressive EuroCup debut with 11 points, 3 assists and 4 steals, it is the work ethic of Hoard that impresses him so much: "Last year you guys saw it, now this year you are seeing what he's doing. He's probably the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. It's only his second year, so he doesn’t have a ceiling. I think he's going to have a great, great impact for us – offensively and defensively. He's a great defender. For us, having someone like that in blocking shots and helping us in that way is amazing for us."
Munford, Brown continue to sparkle
Much of Hapoel's run to the EuroCup Quarterfinals in 2022-23 was down to the elite-level play of Munford and Brown. On Tuesday night, they picked up where they left off, with Munford pairing a game-high 21 points with 4 rebounds and 6 assists, while Brown had 15 points and 8 dimes.
Although speaking after a defeat, Cedevita head coach Simone Pianigiani admitted that having Brown running Hapoel's offense and Munford being even more comfortable in year two is good news for fellow coach Danny Franco: "J'Covan Brown, Bar Timor… this means the brain of the team is in good hands all the time," he noted. "Munford, also, it's his second season here, so he plays like he's at home."
On a night-by-day basis, Brown will be entrusted with making sure that Hapoel's offense continues to tick, and Munford offers an all-round threat that means he will always be circled on the opposition's scouting report. Should the two continue to play as they did on Tuesday night, and how they did last season, Hapoel should be one of the favorites to win the EuroCup title.
Tomer Ginat is the perfect glue guy
Finally, Ginat deserves some love. The 28-year-old Israeli had a solid campaign with Hapoel last season, and he seems primed to once again have an important role for Coach Franco's squad. Ginat is a player that does the little things that tend to go unnoticed, but which are crucial for a winning team.
Unlike the three players written above, Ginat was putting points on the board in a quieter manner, while he also grabbed 8 rebounds, dished 3 assists and had 1 steal. More displays like that should result in more victories for Hapoel, which should feel very confident about its chances in the EuroCup this season.
Game Videos
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Magic Moment: Juwan Morgan with a big dunk!
- 03:16
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Magic Moment: Emanuel Terry hammers it home!
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Magic Moment: Massive dunk by Robinson!
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Magic Moment: Kenan Kamenjas rocks the rim!
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Magic Moment: Exciting Robinson-to-Beringer alley-oop!
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Magic Moment: Hoard’s huge block on Simonovic!
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Magic Moment: Hoard rocks the rim off a Timor dish!
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Magic Moment: An Alexander block leads to an Angola basket in transition!
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Magic Moment: Alexander erupts for alley-oop dunk
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Magic Moment: Alexander stuffs Allman
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Magic Moment: Matkovic hammers home in traffic
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Magic Moment: Matkovic erases the shot
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Magic Moment: Matkovic swats Morgan’s shot
- 03:45
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Magic Moment: Monster dunk by Jaylen Hoard!
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- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/013df882-deea-4de3-9429-8d35e64da907.jpg?crop=1138%3A640%3Anowe%3A77%3A27]()
Magic Moment: Another big alley-oop slam by Matkovic!
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/aca4499b-669c-47ea-88d3-81d1fe6afbac.jpg?crop=2400%3A1350%3Anowe%3A248%3A170]()
Magic Moment: Matkovic with the big alley-oop slam!
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e20d8497-2c24-4e04-a98c-772b83b3747e.jpg?crop=1294%3A728%3Anowe%3A56%3A106]()
Magic Moment: Matkovic with the reverse jam!
- 03:43
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/01/09/r7Y2b1yw7GcN7m0hx1nYpagoXw2bhxJT-1704829951321.jpg]()
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- 03:49
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- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/17c36bdf-84cb-49b7-8760-e6d9e11d86e7.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A126%3A15]()
Magic Moment: Matkovic high-rising block
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/b5dfc9d0-da0b-420b-88a9-324552d0b0b9.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A146]()
Magic Moment: Dragic to Matkovic inbound alley-oop
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f7d7a81f-6d97-4d81-913f-5496fe4ee3bb.jpg?crop=2129%3A1197%3Anowe%3A196%3A150]()
Magic Moment: Hapoel's big men connect!
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/fc749adb-adc2-4545-9b21-0a3ed7fba7f4.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A150%3A65]()
Magic Moment: Cobbs to Matkovic alley-oop
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e20d8497-2c24-4e04-a98c-772b83b3747e.jpg?crop=1231%3A692%3Anowe%3A103%3A113]()
Magic Moment: Matkovic's big slam
- 03:26
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/01/03/Xvq0X2Smjh3Wkqn7xHmTG6mALRDs3lQ4-1704312699390.jpg]()
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- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/f9784f98-4aa0-4c37-99d4-9ac1b0da32db.jpg?crop=1297%3A730%3Anowe%3A36%3A12]()
Magic Moment: Alexander soars for a slam
- 00:07
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/87e67f55-678e-4742-b29f-7b69fe167a84.jpg?crop=885%3A497%3Anowe%3A388%3A71]()
Magic Moment: Alexander rocks the rim
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/42e08a4e-431c-43c9-a3d5-2d8fc03ae103.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A129%3A47]()
Magic Moment: Munford-to-Alexander alley-oop on the break
- 03:05
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2023/12/30/GMdNt2GNbpumaoH9siqG0n2a0gGBSewo-1703954770893.jpg]()
Top 10 Dunks | December | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
- 03:51
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2023/12/27/THY3NvCKKvNRXLHyfQgsr1zgJLbQwKBe-1703707403475.jpg]()
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv-Veolia Towers Hamburg | Round 13 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
- 03:53
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2023/12/27/UwaQpsdPz0QwFRlCmORCRD3VhsOfAlnV-1703704987371.jpg]()
Prometey Slobozhanske-Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana | Round 13 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/de67db43-8eab-4828-a10d-9d5f88f559a6.jpg?crop=1638%3A922%3Anowe%3A214%3A67]()
Magic Moment: Alexander dunks with authority
- 00:07
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/28b3417b-19c3-42ec-8175-06ad2854e087.jpg?crop=2400%3A1350%3Anowe%3A222%3A177]()
Magic Moment: Holland rocks the rim
