"When I fight like myself, freely, and without trying to entertain someone or try to hype the crowd up and do all this nonsense, I’m the best version of myself," Smotritsky says.
The naturalized Israeli is in the midst of this third season with the capital city Reds and has been nothing less than a consummate professional, one of the leaders of the team.
Blakeney, Micic power first-place Reds against Dubai • Yellow-and-blue drops to 8-12 in Euroleague
It may not have been one of the Haifa derbies that will go down in the annals of history, but it did offer some sense of closure for Maccabi after what went down last May.
After a fairly even opening 20 minutes, Mathew Cudjoe’s reckless tackle on Helder Lopes saw the midfielder sent off, leaving Sakhnin with only 10 men.
“If these athletes cannot represent Israel, the delegation will almost not exist. That would be a major failure and a crying shame for generations,” said an Israeli Olympic Committee official.
After months of speculation and deliberation, the all-time leading scorer of the Israel national team confirmed that he will not return to the pitch.
Reports say goalkeeper Daniel Peretz is nearing a loan move to Southampton, while winger Manor Solomon could switch from Villarreal to Fiorentina this month.
Beitar survives the rain • Mac Tel Aviv and Mac Haifa run amok • Hap Tel Aviv, Beersheba advance
In Israeli League play, Hapoel Tel Aviv blasted Hapoel Holon 114-60 as the Reds came out flying and were a team on a mission as seven players scored in double digits to sew up the blowout victory.
The 31-year-old former Laker began his career in Canada before playing for the NBA and eventually joining Hapoel Tel Aviv to play in both the Euroleague and the domestic Israeli league.
