Hapoel in the EuroCup: The Complete Guide
The new home arena of Hapoel, what is the status of direct flights and which team is worth paying attention to?
11/07/2024
| Magazine
The picture of Group B for Hapoel in the EuroCup is complete, featuring a challenging group with tough rivals but also exciting goals. It's time to get acquainted with the teams (although most are still being built) and also: how to get to each destination? Let's get started.
First, let's talk about the arena where we'll be hosting the games in Bulgaria: the Samokov Arena, located in the city of Samokov, just 60 km from the capital Sofia. We recommend that fans attending the games stay in Sofia, which can be reached by daily direct flights from Israel at reasonable prices starting around $249 per person. The arena holds up to 2,500 seats, so even a few hundred fans can help us create a homey atmosphere.
Valencia (Spain)
Key Players: Chris Jones, Matt Costello, Ethan Happ, Stefan Jovic
Coach: Pedro Martinez
In a Few Words: The eternal yo-yo between EuroLeague and EuroCup, and undoubtedly the strongest team in the competition, at least on paper. The bats return to the secondary competition of the EuroLeague after two consecutive years in the EuroLeague, and there’s no doubt that their goal is to return there. We all remember the unforgettable semifinal series against Valencia in 2017, and we hope the result will be different this time.
How to Get There: There are no direct flights to Valencia, and the best way is through connecting flights. According to Skyscanner, flights to Valencia starting from October will cost around $235 per person.
Bourg (France)
Key Players: Hugo Benitez, Jordan Ash, Bodian Massa
Coach: Frederic Fautus
In a Few Words: Last season's finalist is undergoing a roster rebuild after losing key players like Isaiah Mike and Zachary Rizziche, who was drafted first in the NBA.
How to Get There: Direct flight + about an hour and a half drive. The city of Bourg-en-Bresse is located in eastern France, so the fastest way to reach it is by flying to Lyon, which is about 80 km to the south. Direct flight prices to Lyon start from $237.
Turk Telekom Ankara (Turkey)
Key Players: Max Heidegger, Ismet Akpinar, Anthony Brown, Vassilis Charalampopoulos
Coach: Erdem Can
In a Few Words: The finalist from two years ago always manages to field a strong and deep roster, and this season will be no different. It will be interesting to see if they can retain two of the standout players from the EuroCup last season - Tyron Wallace and Steven Enoch.
How to Get There: It is still unclear where the away games for the Israeli teams against Turkish teams will be held.
Reyer Venice (Italy)
Key Players: Tyler Ennis, Kyle Wiltjer, Jordan Parks
Coach: Neven Spahija
In a Few Words: The Italians traditionally sign many players with a past in the Israeli league, and the roster is still under construction. It will be interesting to see which players the former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Neven Spahija will integrate alongside former Hapoel Tel Aviv player Tyler Ennis.
How to Get There: Direct flight to Venice is estimated at around $440, indirect flights starting from $262.
Aris Thessaloniki (Greece)
Key Players: Vassilis Toliopoulos
Coach: Yiannis Kastritis
In a Few Words: The former Hapoel Tel Aviv coach continues with Aris, which is also continuing for a second consecutive season in the EuroCup. Last season, the Greeks were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Promitheas.
How to Get There: Direct flights to Thessaloniki start from $258.
Lietkabelis Panev??ys (Lithuania)
Key Players: Georgios Kalaitzakis, Vitinas Lipkevi?ius, Paulius Valinskas
Coach: Nenad Miljenovi?
In a Few Words: As per the Lithuanian tradition, Lietkabelis is also based on young talents, and last season their top scorer was Deividas Sirvydis, who played for Hapoel in the past. Last season, they failed to advance past the group stage.
How to Get There: Challenging. There are direct flights from Tel Aviv to Vilnius but not daily. From Vilnius, there is an approximately 140 km drive to Panev??ys. Flight price: around $224.
Cedevita Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Key Players: Brenton Lemar, Jaka Blazic, Martinas Geben, DJ Stewart
Coach: Zdovc Mitrovic
In a Few Words: Cedevita has increased its budget in recent years in an attempt to return to the forefront of European basketball. They have been playing in the EuroCup for the sixth consecutive year, and last season they failed to advance past the group stage.
How to Get There: There are direct flights to Ljubljana but not daily. Flight price starts from $350.
Hamburg (Germany)
Key Players: William Christmas, Jared Gray, Kenneth Ogbe
Coach: Banka Barlutsky
In a Few Words: Only one player - William Christmas - remains from last season, which was very disappointing with a 2-16 record. The interest in the away game in Hamburg is expected to come from Werder Bremen, as the city of Bremen is less than an hour and a half drive from Hamburg, and its fans are known for their close and warm relationship with Hapoel fans.
How to Get There: There are no direct flights from Tel Aviv to Hamburg. Prices for connecting flights from various destinations start from about $300.
Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
Key Players: Patrick Richard, Adam Mokoka, Karl Guzman
Coach: Mihai Silvane
In a Few Words: It seems that Cluj is also undergoing a roster rebuild and will not be able to retain many players from last season's talented roster that reached the quarterfinals and included names like DJ Seeley, Jerrell Eddy, and Bryce Jones. No official statement has been made yet regarding our acquaintance, Markus Meyer.
How to Get There: There are no direct flights to Cluj. The price for a connecting flight starts from about $220.
First, let's talk about the arena where we'll be hosting the games in Bulgaria: the Samokov Arena, located in the city of Samokov, just 60 km from the capital Sofia. We recommend that fans attending the games stay in Sofia, which can be reached by daily direct flights from Israel at reasonable prices starting around $249 per person. The arena holds up to 2,500 seats, so even a few hundred fans can help us create a homey atmosphere.
Valencia (Spain)
Key Players: Chris Jones, Matt Costello, Ethan Happ, Stefan Jovic
Coach: Pedro Martinez
In a Few Words: The eternal yo-yo between EuroLeague and EuroCup, and undoubtedly the strongest team in the competition, at least on paper. The bats return to the secondary competition of the EuroLeague after two consecutive years in the EuroLeague, and there’s no doubt that their goal is to return there. We all remember the unforgettable semifinal series against Valencia in 2017, and we hope the result will be different this time.
How to Get There: There are no direct flights to Valencia, and the best way is through connecting flights. According to Skyscanner, flights to Valencia starting from October will cost around $235 per person.
Bourg (France)
Key Players: Hugo Benitez, Jordan Ash, Bodian Massa
Coach: Frederic Fautus
In a Few Words: Last season's finalist is undergoing a roster rebuild after losing key players like Isaiah Mike and Zachary Rizziche, who was drafted first in the NBA.
How to Get There: Direct flight + about an hour and a half drive. The city of Bourg-en-Bresse is located in eastern France, so the fastest way to reach it is by flying to Lyon, which is about 80 km to the south. Direct flight prices to Lyon start from $237.
Turk Telekom Ankara (Turkey)
Key Players: Max Heidegger, Ismet Akpinar, Anthony Brown, Vassilis Charalampopoulos
Coach: Erdem Can
In a Few Words: The finalist from two years ago always manages to field a strong and deep roster, and this season will be no different. It will be interesting to see if they can retain two of the standout players from the EuroCup last season - Tyron Wallace and Steven Enoch.
How to Get There: It is still unclear where the away games for the Israeli teams against Turkish teams will be held.
Reyer Venice (Italy)
Key Players: Tyler Ennis, Kyle Wiltjer, Jordan Parks
Coach: Neven Spahija
In a Few Words: The Italians traditionally sign many players with a past in the Israeli league, and the roster is still under construction. It will be interesting to see which players the former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Neven Spahija will integrate alongside former Hapoel Tel Aviv player Tyler Ennis.
How to Get There: Direct flight to Venice is estimated at around $440, indirect flights starting from $262.
Aris Thessaloniki (Greece)
Key Players: Vassilis Toliopoulos
Coach: Yiannis Kastritis
In a Few Words: The former Hapoel Tel Aviv coach continues with Aris, which is also continuing for a second consecutive season in the EuroCup. Last season, the Greeks were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Promitheas.
How to Get There: Direct flights to Thessaloniki start from $258.
Lietkabelis Panev??ys (Lithuania)
Key Players: Georgios Kalaitzakis, Vitinas Lipkevi?ius, Paulius Valinskas
Coach: Nenad Miljenovi?
In a Few Words: As per the Lithuanian tradition, Lietkabelis is also based on young talents, and last season their top scorer was Deividas Sirvydis, who played for Hapoel in the past. Last season, they failed to advance past the group stage.
How to Get There: Challenging. There are direct flights from Tel Aviv to Vilnius but not daily. From Vilnius, there is an approximately 140 km drive to Panev??ys. Flight price: around $224.
Cedevita Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Key Players: Brenton Lemar, Jaka Blazic, Martinas Geben, DJ Stewart
Coach: Zdovc Mitrovic
In a Few Words: Cedevita has increased its budget in recent years in an attempt to return to the forefront of European basketball. They have been playing in the EuroCup for the sixth consecutive year, and last season they failed to advance past the group stage.
How to Get There: There are direct flights to Ljubljana but not daily. Flight price starts from $350.
Hamburg (Germany)
Key Players: William Christmas, Jared Gray, Kenneth Ogbe
Coach: Banka Barlutsky
In a Few Words: Only one player - William Christmas - remains from last season, which was very disappointing with a 2-16 record. The interest in the away game in Hamburg is expected to come from Werder Bremen, as the city of Bremen is less than an hour and a half drive from Hamburg, and its fans are known for their close and warm relationship with Hapoel fans.
How to Get There: There are no direct flights from Tel Aviv to Hamburg. Prices for connecting flights from various destinations start from about $300.
Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
Key Players: Patrick Richard, Adam Mokoka, Karl Guzman
Coach: Mihai Silvane
In a Few Words: It seems that Cluj is also undergoing a roster rebuild and will not be able to retain many players from last season's talented roster that reached the quarterfinals and included names like DJ Seeley, Jerrell Eddy, and Bryce Jones. No official statement has been made yet regarding our acquaintance, Markus Meyer.
How to Get There: There are no direct flights to Cluj. The price for a connecting flight starts from about $220.
