By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
This year’s ACB will end approximately on the second weekend of May 2024, with the newly promoted Zunder Palencia traveling from the north of the Iberian Peninsula to Andalucia, facing Unicaja Malaga on the road.
Entering the Martin Carpena Arena could bring some early memories from the past to Brandon Brown, who spent some of the most significant days of his career there. Getting to the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League Final Four with Hapoel Jerusalem, they went inches close to getting gold, losing against TJ Shorts’ Bonn.
Now that the experienced 34-year-old guard has moved his talents to Spain, he’s still looking at his former Israeli team as one of the favorites to get revenge after last season’s defeat, considering its 3-1 start in this year’s BCL despite the toughest of situations surrounding them.
A pretty good journey with Hapoel Jerusalem
After experiencing an exciting season with an upcoming team like U-BT Cluj-Napoca, Brandon Brown was supposed to play under Vassilis Spanoulis for Kill Bill’s first head coaching experience in Peristeri. However, things didn’t work with the Greek side, and in November he found himself in Israel. “I went there not with a ton of expectations other than they were good already”, he said to Eurohoops about joining the red-and-black side once they were up 3-1 in their group with Darussafaka, Ludwigsburg, and Bakken Bears.
Who was sitting on the bench obviously helped. “I had spoken with [Aleksandar] Dzikic: he felt like I could help and I felt like he understood me. At that point in my career, it was a fit, it worked for both parties. It was where me and my family needed to be. Every BCL team you go to is competitive at least in your head. You want to make the Final four, you want to compete”, he then added.
Having had previous times within the same competition, he has always felt his teams could compete. Being the leader in Russia for example, combining 16.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game between Qualification Rounds and the Regular Season with Nizhny Novgorod in 2020, or even reaching the Quarter-Finals in Romania. “I felt like that again, even when I was with Cluj or Nizhny”, he said.
But last season, the feeling was different. “But going to Jerusalem, as we went throughout the season and started to have win streaks, it was very doable. It’s a really good group of guys, and a lot of them resigned. Everybody was kind of bought in and the results started to speak for themselves”, Brandon Brown concluded about last year’s Hapoel Jerusalem run in the BCL.
Part of the credit must be given to the veteran who guided the team and earned his contract extension. “I got a lot of love for coach [Aleksandar] Dzikic. You know of him if you’re around basketball, becoming an assistant coach in the NBA from Europe, making history with that. When we first met, he spoke to me on a level that was more than just basketball. I guess he’s misunderstood. He’s misunderstood”, he said about the Serbian head coach, who also lived through his mother passing away during last year’s Final Four.
Touching on such a delicate moment for the 52-year-old experienced leader, Brandon Brown praised the connection between Aleksandar Dzikic and his players. “He wanted to coach for us and we wanted to win for him. It was a very reciprocal relationship. We were leaning on him, just like he was leaning on us”, the former Hapoel Jerusalem player, who also added an Israeli Cup to his trophy cabinet, commented.
The Basketball Champions League chip on their shoulder
Being forced to play its home games in Belgrade’s Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, Hapoel Jerusalem is currently leading Group G at 3-1 right next to PAOK, having won both encounters with Galatasaray, the away challenge over Benfica, and losing against the Greek rivals.
Touching on his former team’s moment, the 34-year-old player mentioned the toughness of it. “I think this season, especially for Israeli teams, has a lot of challenges with where they’re living and how they’re having games. It’s difficult, to say the least. For them to play one game every other week, trying to find a rhythm like that, it’s got to be tough”, he commented first, underlining the mental and physical challenge of it.
However, knowing lots of familiar faces there, he’s sure about how they’re dealing with the current situation, away from Israel. “I know they’re locked in. I know they’re doing everything they can to stay healthy. I know they’re focused on getting back there. I still keep in touch with a good amount of them and there’s a little bitter taste in your mouth after that loss last year. You get so close and you put in so much work and you come up short”, he said about the defeat against the German champs.
At the end of the day, guys like him, Speedy Smith, Levi Randolph, Zach Hankins, Khadeen Carrington, and a lot more could still be proud of the journey. “At some point, you’re able to kind of pat yourself on the back and the silver medal, you still are the second-best team in BCL that year”, he added. “But the competitor in you wants to go all the way. Bonn deserved it and they got it last year. But I know all those guys still kind of have that chip on their shoulder of making it back to that stage, making it all the way for sure”, Brandon Brown addressed, expressing later the kind of motivation they’re building.
The conversations he’s having with his former teammates say it all. “When I do talk to the guys, they want to win the BCL title, they’re working their butts off for that. I do know from the BCL side of things, they want to get back to the Final Four, they want to get back to the championship. And I think if they can take care of business these next two games, I think that’s a really good step in that right direction”, he said about having to face both PAOK and Benfica at home.
“They look good to me. They’re fighting, they’re playing. It’s still early in the season. You want to peak when you’re in the Final Four or the top eight and start playing your best basketball. But the challenges for this season, trying to find chemistry, trying to play your best basketball when you’re playing every other week, it’s probably tough. At the same time, you don’t want to make a ton of excuses and try to find reasons why you shouldn’t be performing”, he said.
“I know those guys are holding themselves accountable and coaches are definitely on them. They all want to get back there. I know they’re pushing”, he added before making a last consideration. “You wonder if they were playing more Winner League games, what type of chemistry they would have a chance to have, or if it would come quicker because they’re playing more games. But their games are so limited right now that it’s hard, or it’s probably slowing down that process”, he also said.
Talking about additions and Final Four contenders…
Confirming the vast majority of last year’s squad, the management brought in high-level pieces to finally try to get gold in May. Basketball Champions League experts like Chris Johnson and Maurice Ndour other than Brynton Lemar – who was on the opponent side with AEK in the 2022-23 Quarter-Finals – and Yovel Zoosman talk all about the Israeli team’s ambition.
Commenting on Hapoel’s additions, Brandon Brown has nothing but great words. “[Yovel] Zoosman, Chris [Johnson], [Brynton] Lemar: all of those guys have experience on very high levels, performing on those high levels. From what I know and what I’ve spoken to my former teammates, they’re good teammates as well. So that’s a good start. You have guys that want to be on a team building chemistry. I think that’s the first start to having a team that can go far in the BCL or any competition. Addition-wise, these are really strong pickups. The results show that as well”, he said.
If Jerusalem has all the tools to compete for the back-to-back Basketball Champions League Final Four, other teams belong to the same conversation. Familiar teams with the current Zunder Palencia player. “Anytime you talk about a Final Four contender, you always have to tip your hat to Tenerife. Every year they somehow figure out a way to be very competitive, no matter their age. Murcia has had a strong start, Malaga as well. I just named 3 ACB teams, just to talk about the high brand of basketball they’re playing”, he commented by making his prediction.
Sticking with Spanish teams, it hasn’t been the easiest of transitions for Zunder Palencia, being last in the standings with a 1-11 record, two wins behind a safe spot in the ACB. “Accountability-wise, I feel like I can do more. We’ve had a lot of close games and I feel like we’re a couple of steps away from getting over that hump. We’re not there yet and so as a group, we’re all just trying to work and try to get there. It’s tough though, for sure”, he said about his team’s difficulties in the relegation zone.
🙌 ¡La primera canasta en la historia de @ZunderPalencia en #LigaEndesa en el Pabellón Municipal de Deportes tiene nombre: BRANDON BROWN!
📺 @MovistarPlus #ListosParaRomperla pic.twitter.com/BDkV90RVjn
— Liga Endesa (@ACBCOM) September 29, 2023
While praising his former teammates in Hapoel, there’s another Israeli player around Europe Brandon Brown believes he deserves some praise. “I think Tomer [Ginat] might be one of the EuroLeague-level players that’s not in the EuroLeague right now. I’m a little biased having played with him for a year [in 2020-21 Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92]. But he has the knack for the game, the high IQ, he’s super talented. There’s so much good stuff to say about him, he’s a great teammate”, he said about the current Hapoel Tel Aviv forward, who’s shining in the BKT EuroCup.
Averaging 15.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game on excellent shooting percentages (70.0% from two and 62.5% from three), he has been stealing the show. “You love the guy. He’s really good. It’s not surprising to me because I’ve been with him for a year and I know the quality of basketball that Tomer [Ginat] can show. I think he’s a EuroLeague player and he’s showing that”, he commented on his former Israeli teammate before mentioning another player in that French season.
Moving to Bursaspor Info Yatirim in the Basketball Champions League, Anthony Brown has shown his offensive talent so far by putting up 14.8 points per game. “It’s funny because we have a group chat, all three of us [Brandon Brown, Tomer Ginat, and Anthomy Brown] still from when we were in Metropolitans. He’s having a good year as well. They’re not winning as much as he’d like to, but he has had some really big games. I’m hoping that they can win these last two and maybe get the third, hopefully doing some Play-In games. I know that’s what he wants and I’m rooting for him as well”, he last said.
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League