After the crazy season that Bnei Herzliya is going through, it’s hard to think that Zofar Abdia, the team’s professional manager, was pleased with the loss of the home game against Holon in the league’s final series. Now, just before his team goes up to game number 2 very difficult at Toto Holon Hall, Abdia was hosted in the special studio ahead of the game and addressed the season of Herzliya and the end of the final series.
“It was not an easy week. What happened in the last game, how we played and scored and in the end it ended seconds of victory, there is optimism for game number 2. In retrospect it might have been better to play the first game at Yad Eliyahu instead of Herzliya. Home. When you play against Holon, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv, our hall is not considered ‘home’. “There was pressure. If someone pressures me to move a game out of my house, I just will not come.”
Abdia went on to refer to his team’s star, Cinano Onuako, who seemed out of the ordinary in the last game: “He’s our best, but what happened was not according to plan. Can’t say he was under pressure, he has a team next year, he’s a loose game, “In recent days, we’ve been dealing with things that have nothing to do with basketball. Where he will play, where he will be, we don’t talk about basketball at all.”
“I know we are playing against an empire of Israeli basketball, Holon,” Abdia continued, trying to pass the pressure on to the opponent. I started building something here so that the hall would be full, but I emphasized that there would be no homeliness. In retrospect, the game had to be transferred to Nokia. I came with Eldad and Oren to build something here. The whole cup and final this year is a bonus, To be here for only a year, we need continuity. “
“Avishai Gordon said there would be hell? There would have been more hell in our little hall than 5,000 fans scattered in the stands in Holon,” Abdia continued with a slight sting, “in the league we beat them in the last game. I was there, all the pressure on them. They do not know where they are. “They are stressed. They are favorites and then comes our little group. I come to enjoy there, it’s them under pressure.”
Finally, the professional manager of Herzliya commented on what he thinks will happen tomorrow in game number 2: “Tomorrow first of all let it be quiet. Let us play basketball, no nonsense. Lanciano promised it would be quiet? I believe him. If there is basketball it will be good for Holon, us and everyone. “We spoiled the manager and everyone who wanted a big team like Maccabi to go up, but this year I’m sorry and sorry. We got too high, next year we have nowhere to go, just to take something in Europe.”
