There’s a replacement for the injured Jacoben Brown. Hapoel Jerusalem announced today (Monday) the signing of the experienced guard, Ray McCallum (1.90 meters, 30) on a contract until the end of the season. McCallum began his professional career in the NBA where he played for Sacramento and San Antonio, then moved to Europe where he played in the Euroleague in the Spanish Malaga and Droshpaka uniforms.
McCallum was selected 36th in the 2013 draft by the Sacramento Kings and played 108 games in two seasons on the team as a top five player. In the 2015/16 season he moved to San Antonio, where he played 30 games. In the 2017/18 season he signed for Spanish Malaga and averaged 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the Euroleague and 7.4 points, 2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the Spanish league.
This season he played in the G-League bubble in a uniform at Greensbrover Swarm that ended its season last week, where he averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Coach Hapoel Jerusalem Dainius adumaitis Commenting on the signing, he said: “We were looking to strengthen the team with a creative and experienced guard and I am very happy that we were able to land a player of his level here. Since he played in the G-League until two weeks ago, I believe his integration here will be quick.”
The player himself said: “I follow the club and know that the results so far this year are less than expected. However I will do everything I can to help the team stabilize and fight for the last title of the season.”
Meanwhile, the team last night with Chris Kramer who recovered from a tear in the meniscus and returned after a month and a half absence, returned last night to win after beating Bnei Herzliya 80:88 in the Jubilee Hall. Also, in addition to Brown, Jerusalem had to make do even without Tyson Thomas suffering from a minor injury and it was decided not to endanger him, which further reduced the rotation.
The red team of Dainius Adumaitis did forget the 100: 87 to Hapoel Haifa Arena and recorded a third victory in the last four games, but despite a great opening, the warning lights in the capital continued to flash when Jerusalem almost dropped an advantage that reached a peak of 32 points towards the end of the third quarter.
The Jerusalemites led safely after a wonderful first quarter and a great start to the third quarter, which led to a record advantage of 32 points, but then came the mental collapse of the players of Dainius Adumaitis, who slowed down and absorbed runs 0:15 and 0:13 and saw Herzliya shrink already to Only 4 towards the end, but managed to rise in the moment of truth on the way to victory.
Dainius adumaitis Referring to the Herzliya comeback, he said: “The energy has gone down, the rotation is too short to hold such an advantage for 40 minutes. I am very happy with the way we played in the first 26-27 minutes, the bench was very loud and there was good communication. Playing with such an aggressive level for all 40 minutes is every coach’s dream, we did not respond well to their game and started to commit too many offenses, we lost our pace. ”
Good opening ability: ‘I was not surprised, I saw them in training and they were very focused, I hope the team can continue like this. We had to win and play good basketball, unfortunately it was only for 26 minutes. Chris Kramer’s return? His perfect performance, Chris brought leadership and was loud, he arranged the game well. ‘
As mentioned, Kramer’s return slightly sweetened the bitter pill after aggravating the injury of captain Jacoben Brown, who was sidelined due to shoulder pain and is expected to be out for an extended period, with the guard, who will celebrate his 33rd birthday in two weeks, providing a solid 9-point return game. 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in 24 minutes on the floor, while in the capital he is very encouraged to return to the pitches.
Alongside Kramer, the standout was Suleiman Braimo, who provided 22 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, while Idan Zalmanson provided 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Malcolm Hill contributed 17 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists and Stanton Kidd added 12. Points and 3 rebounds. In addition, Tamir Blatt was satisfied with only 4 points, but added 10 assists and 3 rebounds.
Chris Kramer Referring to the difficult period he went through in his recovery from the injury: ‘It was hard not to be there, especially when your team is going through a less than good period. My job was to recover as quickly as possible to help, I was very happy to be here this time and help the team win. In the end I’m glad we won. The game did not have to be so close, we lost focus, we allowed them to gain confidence and Max Heidegger sniped a few shots, we made them feel good and offensively we played like junk. We need to be better. ‘
Decline in ability: “I wish I had a good answer as to why it happened, but you saw how we played in the first 25 minutes except the first minute, we played basketball with high intensity and that’s what we have to do. We have to lean on the defense and let the attack get through the defense. ‘
Feelings after a game back to the floor: ‘I’m tired right now, but we’re not playing again until Thursday so I have time to recover. I felt good there, I did a lot of work. There is more room for improvement for me, but it is a positive first step. After the game against Hapoel Haifa we could fold everything and live with the results or give everything here, I will live with every result provided we give everything on the floor. If we do not play hard and give everything then we are hurting ourselves, the club, the fans, everyone. This is our life and if we do not win games we will lose wages next season. As professionals you have to do everything to win games. As a team, you have to behave properly, when you win, everyone is good. “
The feeling of playing again in front of an audience: “It was amazing, in the last game against Hapoel Haifa I really wanted to be there and it was only 1,000 fans, this time they brought great energy for us. The atmosphere will be crazy on Thursday with 3,000 fans in front of Hapoel Eilat and we will have to use their energy to push us forward. “