Young Warriors look to the future
ANYONE looking at the Big V Division 2 ladder would be forgiven for thinking the 2014 season was a write-off for the bottom placed Maccabi Warriors. They would be wrong.
ANYONE looking at the Big V Division 2 ladder would be forgiven for thinking the 2014 season was a write-off for the bottom placed Maccabi Warriors. They would be wrong.
With a doubleheader to come in the season’s final round, head coach Andrew Solewicz says the unflattering win/loss ratio of 3:15 might have been vastly different following a theme of narrow losses from winning positions.
Solewicz said: “Having (guard) Adam Klas go down early in the season was really bad luck as his experience would have helped us get over the line in all those games we lost by less than 10 points.”
Maccabi featured one of the youngest line-ups in the league and captain Josh Burns says it is misleading to judge the squad solely based on match results.
“Given the average age of the squad, the team performed at a very high level and made obvious improvements in 2014. We should be proud of this committed and decent group of young men.”
According to Solewicz, it’s not difficult to find the bright spots of 2014.
“We’ve been stoked with Ben Polonsky’s emergence and the rise of Benji Tamir as a true star of the league,” he said.
“A great mix of hard work and having fun together has created a strong bond within our team and I think the future is very bright, with the team hoping to employ the services of a big import player in 2015.”
The future is indeed bright for Maccabi. Tamir is a legitimate Division 2 MVP candidate, boasting averages of 23 points (fourth in the league) and 10 rebounds (third in the league).
“The season was a great learning experience for me,” Tamir told the AJN .
“Being the first time in my career I was the ‘go to guy’, I felt I grew as a player and a leader. I still feel I’ve got a long way to go in my development, especially as a member of the leadership group, but it was a positive season for me.”
The combination with 19-year-old Polonsky and Maccabi’s remaining crop of up-and-coming youngsters will translate into success in the years ahead.
“I think the club is at an exciting place with lots of really great young talent in the ranks,” Tamir said.
“Now with the start of a Big V youth team, it is certainly a great time to be around the club.”
ADAM BLAU
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