Maccabi’s preparations for the upcoming season have entered to the final straight. And tonight (Monday) the team came back to Israel after the Crete tournament, and will continue practicing on Tuesday
Head Coach Neven Spahija was pleased with the team’s preseason: “We had a very good tournament, true we had ups and downs in the first preparation games but we played in a high intensity, the same level we are expected to have throughout the season. I see a great improvement in both our
defense and in our offense.“We’ve played against teams
in various levels and in different intensity” Spahija added. “Kazan is a EuroLeague team, they are a team of high quality and the fact that they will play in the EuroCup doesn’t change that. We’ve played against them in a EuroLeague level and the most important thing for us is that we will continue playing in the same level of intensity and aggressiveness.”The Croatian coach also addressed the absence of Norris Cole who’s injured: “Norris is one of the most important players in our system, but we also have John DiBartolomeo who’s shown us very good things.
Pierre Jackson: “This tournament helped us a lot. We played against strong and competitive teams. I feel like Maccabi is ready for the new season as we had a good preseason.
Personally I want to play my game and contribute to the team, and to play the best basketball I can.”Yovel Zoosman who came back pleased after getting his chance: “I was happy for the chances that coach gave me. I dreamed about playing for Maccabi as a Kid, and I still dream about it. Our team is getting together slowly, we have chemistry, it’s taking us time but we’ll get there and we will be prepared.”
