Catching up with the Maccabi Tel Aviv captain in Serbia
Yellow-and-blue's veteran guard John DiBartolomeo shoots the breeze on roller-coaster campaign
Maccabi Tel Aviv has been going through a tough time of late.As assistant coach Josep Berrocal said following the yellow-and-blue’s losses to Kiryat Ata and Hapoel Tel Aviv earlier in the week in domestic league play, the team needs to get back to the basics. John DiBartolomeo, Maccabi’s captain spent some time with The Jerusalem Post this week in Serbia and looked back at the team’s recent slump, head coach Oded Katash being with the team following the passing of Lior Lubin and, of course, playing and living in Belgrade due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.“It’s a challenge in its own way,” began the 32-year-old American-Israeli guard. “Going back and forth between Belgrade and Israel is tough, but we are used to being in Belgrade at this point. We know this gym and we know what the atmosphere will be at the game. We are focused on playing better and getting a win.” Obviously there have been some serious consequences for the club and its players since October 7, but the captain explained that they are doing the best that they can due to the circumstances.
changed since then not just for us but for everybody. We are trying to focus on the things that we can control. We are in Israel more, that a lot of us like, although we have to play our Euroleague games away from home, which is tough on us, but we find a way to manage and push forward.”
“There is a lot that hasBouncing back
Maccabi has no doubt gone above and beyond in how it has tried its best to handle a situation that no one had ever experienced, and DiBartolomeo knows that at the end of the day it’s still a privilege to play basketball.
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