Frankie Sachs delves into the Israeli side's high-profile signing of the two-time EuroLeague champion
What does Vasilije Micic bring to Hapoel?
Artículo
6 Min lectura
What a time to be alive for fans of Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv. What has happened over the past few years is simply unthinkable. And the signing of Vasilije Micic on Wednesday was the cherry on top.
We have seen teams rise from relative nothingness to greatness. AS Monaco is a perfect example. And Dubai Basketball, formed just two years ago, hopes to be the next. But Hapoel Tel Aviv is a different case.
Hapoel has 90 years of history. And for much of it, the club was second fiddle in its own city to Maccabi. Even in 2023, when Ofer Yannay took ownership of the club, and despite his big promises, few believed that the next two years would go the way they have.
Just a year ago, the signing of Johnathan Motley could have been heralded as the most important in club history. It was a way of showing everyone that Hapoel was serious in its goals to win the BKT EuroCup and reach the EuroLeague. And then came more moves, such as the hiring of Dimitris Itoudis as head coach and bringing Yam Madar back home.
If those moves were big, what word could possibly explain the importance of landing a two-time champion and former MVP who is still in the prime of his career?
At Hapoel, they are already trying. "This is an unprecedented achievement in European sports," Yannay said.
So let's look at what Hapoel has been doing, how that helped to bring Micic and what we can expect to see on the court.
Hapoel's plan for the 2025-26 season
Since Yannay took charge of the club, Hapoel has played just one game at its home arena. Hapoel blasted Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 100-73 on October 3, 2023. Four days later, war broke out in Israel. Since then, Hapoel's home games have been played abroad, with fans travelling far and wide to support their team last season as it marched to EuroCup glory.
After two years of crisscrossing Europe and countless flights, Hapoel made the decision that with the added games of a EuroLeague season, it could not go on like that. Accordingly, the roster is being constructed in such a way that is deeper than ever and will allow some players to remain abroad in between EuroLeague games and not travel back to Israel for domestic competitions.
Micic is the 16th player added to the Hapoel roster. None of them are youth players. All of them have previous experience in the EuroLeague or EuroCup. And the plan appears to be to sign at least two more players.
Given the reality of Hapoel's situation, the idea of having two home bases was a creative way to cut down on travel and allow players to rest without sacrificing chemistry and training. When players remain in their “home away from home” in Sofia, Bulgaria, they can do so as a pod and with a coach, to be preparing for the next game while their brothers return to Tel Aviv to compete in the Israeli League.
Moreover, having 18 senior players means there is plenty of cover for potential injuries or to give a player a break if he is in a slump. Coach Itoudis has more players at his disposal than most coaches can dream of.
How it will work remains to be seen, but it surely has contributed to players' increased comfort about signing with the club, knowing from Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv's EuroLeague experiences the last two years just how grueling it can be to play north of 40 road games and the 70-plus flights it may entail.
More sponsors and a bigger budget
None of this could be possible without ownership opening up its wallet. There has been no cutting of the corners. Hapoel has targeted big names and players with experience. It has also leveraged its success into generating more revenue, such as with its sponsorship deal with the investment house IBI.
In some cases, that has led to overpaying to bring in the players that management wanted. And to their credit, Yannay and minority owners Gili Raanan, and Miki Malka have done what every fan of every club hopes his team's owner would do: they have authorized these signings and at times been personally involved in making them happen.
Yannay revealed on Wednesday night that part of the deal to convince Micic to sign with Hapoel was to offer him shares in the club. And although he did not elaborate on what that meant, it is clear that ownership was willing to go above and beyond the norm to bring a superstar to the club.
In his comments after the Micic signing, Itoudis said the following:
"I would like to say to Hapoel Tel Aviv fans, as I quoted many times, that they need to sleep tight because we have leaders like Ofer Yannay, Gili Raanan, and Miki Malka, who are trying to build the best possible team for decades. Special thanks, because Gili Raanan and Miki Malka consulted with Ofer and gave their full support to close this deal with Vasa. Special thanks to the management that worked on all the details".
In modern sports, you have to invest to build a winning team. Those investments can be in salary, facilities, time, etc. Hapoel has been willing to spend money to put the team in a position to compete already as EuroLeague debutants.
What Micic brings
All of the above plans are much more credible now that Micic will be on the floor. The rest of the players get better with Micic there. And the ability to recruit for the remaining roster spots just got easier.
Micic already has one former teammate with him in Elijah Bryant. The two won the EuroLeague together in 2022.
What Micic brings to the court, we already know. His play promises to make Hapoel a playoff contender – at a minimum. And with Itoudis to weld all the pieces together, there is great potential for Hapoel.
However, more than Micic's scoring or passing or leadership, what he brings to Hapoel Tel Aviv is credibility. And that goes a long way toward building a EuroLeague powerhouse.