Season Review
By Lior Klinger
Right before the playoffs begin, it is time to reflect back at yet
another
great season of basketball and hand out the “Safsal” regular season
awards.
About a 3rd of the games this year were decided in 5 points or less,
the
defending champions and cup holders finished only in 3rd place after
some
were quick to label them as the women’s Maccabi Tel Aviv or at least
the L.A
Lakers and a Cinderella team from the south showed us that in this
league,
anything can happen. Anything, including the relegation of what used to
be
the biggest club in Israeli women’s basketball - Elizur Holon who
crumbled
under financial distress.
The success story of the season is of course Elizur Ramla, who’s back
in the
hunt after two seasons of mediocrity. Ramla won its first 8 games of
the
season and was looking for more, but Ramat Hen brought them back to
earth.
They remained consistent through out the season, despite Jackie
Johnson’s
injury and the replacement of Jackie Moore with Alicia Thompson. Amber
Hall
dominated as usual, but Ramla lost twice to its arch-rival from Ramat
Hasharon.
Speaking of Ramat Hasharon, by looking at their original roster one
would
think the team decided to give the rest of the league a head start
after two
consecutive championships. The team finished the season winning 12 of
14
games, led by Limor Mizrachi who received the torch from Aluma Goren.
However, not everything went silky smooth for Ramat Hasharon as they
became
disturbingly inconsistent. The inconsistency reached its peak with the
astonishing defeat they suffered in Ramat Hen, costing them home court
advantage in the playoffs.
Ramat Hen indeed finished 2nd in the standings, but still most of the
hype
seems to be going towards Ramla and Ramat Hasharon. There’s no doubt
Ramat
Hen had a terrific season, I could write a whole column about them but
this
isn’t the place. The bottom line is that Ramat Hen must make the finals
in
order to shake off their “small team” image.
The comeback kids from Ashdod completed an incredible turnaround,
making the
playoffs after a 0-8 start. The team’s three young Americans gained a
lot of
experience in the first round, and along with Vika Rudovski’s veteran
presence and the addition of Sarit Arbel in round 8, they beat their 3
playoffs opponents finishing the season 9-4.
Bnei Yehuda had a tough time recovering from losing Travesa Gant after
7
games, but fought till the end of the season only losing the playoff
berth
due to tiebreakers. The team’s undisputed star player was of course
Tawona
Alhaleem, the league’s 2nd leading scorer.
At the start of the season Maccabi Raanana was a disgraceful offensive
team,
as personnel decisions turned out badly. They scored just 52 points
game and
led the league in turnovers. With a 4-5 record, Raanana signed Edwina
Brown
and from that point on they scored 83 points a game. Brown finished the
season as the league’s top scorer and steals leader, but Raanana
struggled
to close out games. They lost four tight games in round 3.
Right after Raanana in the standings we find the league’s most
disappointed
team. Hapoel Haifa/Motzkin stormed out of the blocks, showcasing the
league’s best Bosman due in Ljiljana Latinovic & Aleksandra Music. The
selections of the foreigners proved to be a lot less successful, and
the
Israeli players’ contribution wasn’t quite satisfying. Before the
season
nobody in Haifa/Motzkin fantasized about a top 4 finish, but it became
a
very realistic goal as the season went on. The losses to Raanana and
Ashdod
in rounds 17 & 18 sealed the team’s faith.
Regular Season MVP: Amber Hall, Elizur Ramla
Amber Hall led Ramla to 1st place with yet another excellent season and
great numbers. Hall is the league’s best rebounder with 13.1 RPG, is
ranked
6th in scoring with 17.9 PPG and 2nd in steals with 3.4 SPG. What more
could
we ask for? We’ve gotten used to the fact Hall would never give up on a
loose ball, but how about stepping up against playoff opponents? No
problem.
19.1 pts and 12.8 boards a game vs. Ramat Hen, Ramat Hasharon & Ashdod.
Regular Season 1st team
Limor Mizrachi, YES Ramat Hasharon
Mizrachi joined Ramat Hasharon with 12 games left in the season, and
the
team won 10. Obviously a lot of credit goes to the rest of the players
and
the staff, but in regards to the player who makes it all happen on the
court
and gets the most out of the talent around her there’s no argument.
Mizrachi’s 7.6 assists per game place her at the top of that category
and
place Ramat Hasharon in a good position for a three-peat.
Kenya Larkin, Maccabi Ashdod
Barely 23 years old and in her first season in Europe straight out of
college, Larkin was the key for Ashdod’s success all season long. Her
exceptional speed & quickness, hustle and superb court vision were
Ashdod’s
sure bet. In addition to being the league’s 3rd best passer with 3.6
APG,
Ashdod’s floor general also scored 15.9 PPG in over 39 minutes a game,
thanks to her never-ending energy supply.
Tawona Alhaleem, Bnei Yehuda
With every game that passed, Alhaleem proved to be one of the best
scorers
to have played in Israel in recent years. Scoring 22 pts and collecting
6
boards a game, the league’s 2nd leading scorer did it all for her team
every
night, whether by driving the lane, shooting from outside or just
leading by
example. It wasn’t enough for Bnei Yehuda to make the playoffs, but was
definitely enough for Alhaleem to earn a spot on our 1st team.
Vicky Hall, Maccabi Ramat Hen
Ramat Hen is a very talented offensive team. With 21.8 PPG – ranking
3rd in
the league – Hall is the team’s leading scorer and go-to player. Her
presence in the paint next to Simone Edwards is exactly what was
missing for
Ramat Hen last season. Hall is not satisfied with the 2nd place finish
and
wants to eliminate her ex team, Ramat Hasharon, on the way to the
finals.
Amber Hall, Elizur Ramla
Hall finished with 17 double-doubles in 21 games, and did it next to
two
quality post players. She’s also a tremendous defensive player, you
have to
see it to believe it. All we can do now is just hope wealthier leagues
don’t
steal her away from us next season.
Regular Season 2nd team
Ljiljana Latinovic, Hapoel Haifa/Motzkin
In her first season in the country, Latinovic set a high standard for
point
guards everywhere – finish the season as the league leader in 2 point
field
goal percentage. In fact, Latinovic was at the top of the category from
the
very beginning, shooting a blistering 67.9%. Latinovic, who scores 13.9
PPG,
is also the league’s 4th best passer with 3.5 APG, and you have to
admit
she’s got a tad less talent on her team than say, Limor Mizrachi.
Edwina Brown, Maccabi Raanana
The way Brown transformed Raanana is pretty unbelievable. A player
adding 31
points to the team’s per game average, that’s not something you see
everyday. It didn’t take long for Brown to establish herself as one of
the
league’s most exciting players, with her great ball handling and her
ability
to create her own shot. She tops the rankings in scoring with 23.5 PPG
and
in steals, with 3.6 SPG.
If Raanana had made the playoffs Brown would’ve made the 1st team, and
if
she’d come back next season she could be in the running for MVP.
Jaclyn Johnson, Elizur Ramla
In Johnson’s first season with Raanana, we saw a talented physical
player
who could put a lot of points on the board. This season, it appears
that
Johnson has really worked on her decision-making and improved her
shooting
percentages significantly, especially from downtown. With 48.1% from
the 3pt
line, Johnson almost doubled her previous average and is ranked 2nd in
the
league. Her scoring and rebounding is top notch, as usual: 17.9 PPG &
7.2
RPG.
Simone Edwards, Maccabi Ramat Hen
Ramat Hen’s Captain for the 2nd straight year keeps on delivering the
goods.
Edwards is the league’s 2nd best rebounder with 10.8 RPG, and is 5th in
scoring with 18.3 PPG. Even after six seasons in the league no coach
has
figured out how to stop her. Aside from the numbers, Edwards is Ramat
Hen’s
heart & soul, nobody wants to win that championship more than her.
Lidiya Varbanova, YES Ramat Hasharon
Ramat Hasharon went through a lot of changes this season, but Varbanova
was
Ms. Consistency. Apart from her, no Ramat Hasharon player took part in
each
and every one of the 21 season games. With 15.6 PPG, Varbanova leads
the
league in field goal percentage with 67.6% and is looking for another
double
with her team.
Newcomer of the season: Tal Salz, Maccabi Ramat Hen
Tal Salz joined Ramat Hen after a season with Galil Elyon, where she
hardly
got a chance to play. In Ramat Hen things started to look a lot better,
especially in the first seven games in which she played almost 20
minutes a
game and scored 7 pts on average. Following her good play, 18-year-old
Salz
was invited to the National Team. Unfortunately, in the remainder of
the
season and with her joining the army, her minutes decreased
significantly.
Still, her numbers were more than respectable – 5 PPG on 55% shooting
in
just 12.9 minutes a game.
Coach of the year: Tal Natan, Elizur Ramla
You just can’t argue with facts. In his first season in Ramla, Natan
led
Ramla to an 18-3 record and secured home court advantage through out
the
playoffs. Early in the year a lot of people questioned his decision to
trust
his Israeli players to handle the point guard duties. As the season
progressed Liron Cohen took over the position and exceeded
expectations. The
signing of Alicia Thompson was beginning too look as a good move on the
road
to fulfilling the team’s long declared goals – winning the championship
and
the Cup. However, Alicia Thompson has decided to leave the country due
to
her family’s concerns.
Information reprinted with permission of Lior Klinger and Orli Klinger. Send an e-mail to be put on the mailing list.