2021–22 Israeli Basketball Premier League

The 2021–22 Winner League season featured three prominent clubs — Hapoel Holon, Bnei Herzliya, and Maccabi Tel Aviv — competing for supremacy in Israeli professional basketball. Maccabi Tel Aviv entered the season as four-time reigning champions but endured significant internal turbulence. Head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos was dismissed during the campaign, and Avi Even moved from the scouting department to become interim head coach. Even attributed some of Maccabi's difficulties to declining energy after the Euroleague playoffs and inconsistency. Veteran forward Jake Cohen identified a lack of team chemistry, while captain John DiBartolomeo had alluded to problems extending beyond basketball.[1]

During the regular season, Hapoel Holon defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 85–82 to climb above Maccabi in the standings and drop the Tel Aviv side to third place.[2] Holon shot 18-of-39 from three-point range, or 46 percent, with Hayden Dalton sinking seven three-pointers and earning game MVP honors.[2] Bnei Herzliya also showed strong form by routing Hapoel Haifa 89–64. Although Haifa led 27–21 after the opening 10 minutes, Herzliya held its opponent to nine points in the second quarter and dominated the second half. Five Herzliya players scored in double figures, led by Maurice Kemp with 20 points, Chinanu Onuaku with 18, Chris Babb with 16, and DJ Cooper with 15 points and 10 assists.[2]

The season was also marked by violence following an October 13, 2021, game between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Bnei Herzliya, which Herzliya won 79–76. After the final buzzer, a confrontation between fans and security personnel moved from the arena to the players' exit. Chairs and tables were thrown, iron rods were used, and police dispersed the crowd with pepper spray.[3]

Bnei Herzliya advanced to the finals by eliminating Maccabi Tel Aviv in a three-game semifinal series. After dropping the opening game, Herzliya won two straight, including a decisive Game 3 at Maccabi's Yad Eliyahu arena — a venue where Herzliya had not defeated Maccabi during the season.[1] Herzliya won the clinching game 96–74, scoring 44 of its 96 points in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 42–33.[1] Chinanu Onuaku recorded 25 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists, while Maccabi's Scottie Wilbekin contributed 22 points in the loss.[1]

The result ended Maccabi's run of four consecutive Israeli league titles and was notable because Herzliya had won two of three games against a Euroleague club.[1] The team's collective style was central to the upset. Coach Oren Aharoni described its philosophy: "It's a key for us as who we are, our identity. We are a team that likes to play together and the best players like to make everyone around them better."[1] Multiple Herzliya players scored in double figures across the series, reflecting an approach built on ball movement and shared responsibility.

The championship series paired Hapoel Holon against Bnei Herzliya in a best-of-three format. Game 1 took place at Herzliya's home arena, and despite the hosts holding a significant rebounding advantage, Holon prevailed 78–71 to take a 1–0 series lead.[4]

The statistical contrasts in Game 1 were sharp. Herzliya outrebounded Holon 43–35, including 12 offensive rebounds. Chinanu Onuaku, described in the contemporary coverage as the league's player of the season, contributed 18 points and 20 rebounds.[4] Yet Herzliya's perimeter shooting failed at a critical moment: Chris Babb and Quinton Hooker combined to shoot 2-of-17 from three-point range.[4] Holon shot 14-of-36 from beyond the arc and recorded seven steals.[4] Holon led 26–20 after the first quarter and 39–33 at halftime, fell behind 58–54 heading into the fourth quarter, and then recovered to secure the road victory.[4]

Tyrus McGee was named Game 1 MVP after leading Holon with 23 points. Joe Ragland added 18 points and nine assists, and Rafi Menco scored 13 points, all in the first quarter.[4] Holon closed out the series at home with a 90–74 victory, completing a 2–0 sweep and giving the club the championship under mid-season appointee Guy Goodes.[5]

Hapoel Holon's championship season also included a successful European campaign. In April, while the domestic regular season was still underway, Holon held a 1–0 lead over Strasbourg in a best-of-three Basketball Champions League quarterfinal and was seeking a place in the Final Four in Bilbao.[2] Holon ultimately reached that Final Four, where it lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Tenerife.[5]

After returning from the European Final Four, Holon opened its domestic playoff quarterfinal against Hapoel Galil Elyon with a 97–68 victory. Five Holon players scored in double figures, led by Tyrus McGee with 18 points and Chris Johnson with 16.[6] The win began a three-game quarterfinal sweep that preceded Holon's successful run through the domestic semifinals and finals.[5]

Holon's 2–0 finals victory ended a 14-year wait between league championships.[5] The title followed several seasons of domestic and European development, including an Israel State Cup victory in 2018 and participation in the Basketball Champions League. The championship campaign combined a Basketball Champions League Final Four appearance with domestic playoff series victories over Hapoel Galil Elyon, Hapoel Jerusalem, and Bnei Herzliya.[5]

Goodes, who arrived in January to replace Maurizio Buscaglia, inherited a team facing elimination in the Basketball Champions League play-in round. He guided Holon through subsequent European rounds and then to the domestic championship, completing the club's mid-season turnaround.[5]

Contemporary Jerusalem Post coverage framed Herzliya's semifinal victory as a major upset over a Euroleague club and emphasized the team's collective style under Oren Aharoni.[1] Its coverage of Holon's championship presented the title as the culmination of several years of organizational development as well as a mid-season resurgence under Guy Goodes.[5]

The available source coverage has limitations. The post-game violence following the Hapoel Tel Aviv–Bnei Herzliya game is documented in the sources used here by a single report.[3] Similarly, playoff coverage described Chinanu Onuaku as the league's player of the season, but the available sources do not include a separate formal league announcement confirming that designation.[4]