by Ron Kaplan
NJJN Features Editor

February 26, 2009

Some 10,000 basketball fans crowded into Tel Aviv’s Yad Eliyahu Arena on Feb. 18 to witness the battle between Maccabi Haifa Heat and Hapoel Holon, two Cinderella teams who came out of years of dormancy to compete for the Premier League title.

The Heat, which is owned by former New Jersey resident Jeffrey Rosen, made its first appearance in the title game in almost 25 years. They came close but lost, 69-68, on a last-second three-pointer.

Rosen shared his thoughts in an e-mail Q&A with NJ Jewish News.

NJJN: Was the experience better than you expected?

Rosen: It is an accomplishment in itself that our team was able to reach the Israeli Cup Finals in our first season in the Premier League. It was the first time since 1985 that Maccabi Haifa was in the Cup Finals. We fought all the way until the end, and unfortunately for us Holon’s player…hit a desperation three-pointer to win it. Although I was not at the game, the finals seemed like an incredible atmosphere.

NJJN: Did you believe your team would do so well so soon?

Rosen: We have high yet realistic expectations, and I am not surprised that we are in third place (9-4 as of press time) and fighting for the top spot in the Premier League. Everything is an ongoing process and our organization — from the management, coaches, players, and marketing staff — have worked very hard to be where we are today.

NJJN: Does losing against Hapoel diminish any of those positive emotions built up over the course of the season?

Rosen: Obviously we would have loved to win the Cup Finals and bring a title to Haifa…. However, our team still has nine regular season games left, and it’s still our goal to make it to the Final Four and see what happens after that.

NJJN: Not that we’re making any comparison, but New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner always considered the season a failure if his team didn’t win the World Series. Will the core of your team remain, and based on this year, what are your hopes for next season?

Rosen: The interesting thing about the Israeli league is that the Cup Finals happen during the middle of the regular season. The Israeli Cup is very important; however, our goal as an organization is to make it to the Final Four, which will occur in mid-May. We are in good position to get there, since we are in third place behind Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It’s premature to think about next year, but we endeavor to play in the Euroleague in the near future.

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