Hapoel Unet Holon | |||
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Leagues | Ligat HaAl | ||
Founded | 1954 | ||
History |
Hapoel Holon (1954–present) |
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Arena | Holon Toto Hall | ||
Capacity | 5,500 | ||
Location | Holon, Israel | ||
Team colors | Purple and Yellow |
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CEO | Roy Dvora | ||
President | Eitan Lanciano | ||
Head coach | Dan Shamir | ||
Ownership | Shlomo Ayzek | ||
Championships |
1 Israeli Championship 1 Israeli State Cup |
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Website | hapoel-holon.co.il | ||
Uniforms | |||
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Hapoel Holon, for sponsorship reasons Hapoel Unet Holon, is a basketball club based in Holon, Israel. Holon plays in the Ligat HaAl, the top division of Israeli basketball. The club won their first Israeli championship in 2008, after beating perennial champions Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Final Four.
The club was founded in 1947 and was one of the founding clubs of the top division in 1954 when established, finishing second in their first season.
Holon returned to the top division at the end of the 2006–07 season after playing for 7 years in the second and even the third divisions, and finished the 2007–08 regular season at the top of the table. They reached the Playoff Final, where they defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 73–72 to claim their first championship, with Malik Dixon scoring the winning shot two seconds to the end of the game. PJ Tucker won the MVP title. It was the first time Maccabi Tel Aviv had failed to win the championship in 14 years.
The club has reached the final of the State Cup six times, but did not pick up their first prize in that competition until 2009, when Brian Tolbert hit a three-pointer as time expired to give them a 69–68 win over Maccabi Haifa in that year's final.
On January 16, 2010, the club celebrated its 1000th game in the Ligat HaAl. In the 2009–10 season, the club was under scrutiny after failing to pay the balance of last years staff and players throughout the end of the season.
Holon's best homegrown player was Ofer Eshed who played for the club between 1957 and 1972 and he is the all-time points leader in the team, with 7,495 points. Israel Elimelech (Nicknamed – The King) is considered to be the club's biggest symbol. Played in holon during two decades – and led the team to many successful seasons in the premier league. Played in the legendary home grown team of holon in the 1980s, with Niv Boogin (Doctor Boogin), Avi Maor, and the Israeli-American player Micheal Carter (The Crazy – Meshugah), who was known for driving the fans crazy. Other notable players were : Tzahi Peled, Danny Hadar, Rami Zeig and from very early days and the contingent of ex Egyptian players : Marcel Hefetz.