Hapoel Jerusalem begins its European basketball campaign next week, marking the Reds’ return to the EuroCup for the first time since the 2017-18 season. After spending the past six seasons in the Basketball Champions League, they will face Valencia, who have dropped down from the Euroleague to the EuroCup. The game will take place at Hapoel’s temporary home in Samokov, Bulgaria, on Wednesday night, September 25, due to the ongoing war.
This match will be the earliest competitive play for the capital city squad, as European seasons typically began in October. With an expanded playoff format and European Championship qualifiers, the EuroCup moved opening day to the last week of September.
In preparation for the move to the EuroCup, head coach Yonatan Alon and the team’s front office retooled the roster to build quality depth for both domestic and continental play.
One of Jerusalem’s new recruits is point guard Jared Harper, who has played in the NBA, G-League, and Euroleague with Valencia over the past two years. As the new season approaches, Harper spoke to The Jerusalem Post about various topics, from his youth to the challenges he now faces in Israel’s capital.
“I’m extremely excited to get going,” Harper began. “Just to be in a new situation, which is also a good situation for me. I’ve been working pretty hard over the last month or so, so I’m just excited for the season to get started and actually ready to compete against other players and play some games. Between the scrimmage that we had and the games we’ve already had, it’s been good. I see the fan support is strong here; it definitely means a lot for the team and the organization, so it’s great playing in front of the fans.”
Jerusalem is known for being a very family-oriented team that tries to make all of its foreign players feel at home, which has been the case for Harper both on and off the court. “I feel great. I feel like we have a good mix of people who have been here for a couple of years, and we also have a mix of new players coming in. The chemistry has been great. I feel like we’re all able to play off one another, and we have a good mix of everything to compete against any team.”
Interestingly, Harper’s brother Jalen is practicing with the club after finishing his college career at Auburn as he looks for a team to join. “It’s been great to have Jalen here. This is his first experience as a pro, and the team, coach, and organization gave him the opportunity to come in and practice with us to learn. That’s something I’m very grateful for; they didn’t have to do that. But they’re helping him, giving him an opportunity to be a pro and to learn, and I think he’s learning a lot.”
The 27-year-old floor general will face a very familiar team in Jerusalem’s opening EuroCup game when they tip-off against Valencia, where he played for the past couple of seasons. “It’s definitely going to be exciting to play against former teammates and friends. It’s the first European game of the season, so that always brings excitement, being able to start a new season. I’m looking forward to it; I can’t wait and am ready to play.”
His journey so far
Harper grew up with a basketball in his hands, dribbling it for hours on end when he was a child. As far as he can remember, becoming a basketball player has always been a dream, and his father helped him reach that position while also emulating one of the game’s greatest players. “I’ve always had a love for the game, watched basketball, and knew that I wanted to be a basketball player. So as long as I can remember, it’s been a part of me. My dad played basketball, and I guess he’s the one who kind of put the basketball in my hand. He’s taught me a lot; almost everything I know is a credit to him, the work and everything he’s put into me to play basketball.”
After high school, Harper headed to Auburn, where he honed his skills under Bruce Pearl, who is not only Jewish but also one of Israel’s most ardent supporters. He brought the university to the Holy Land just a few years ago. “I definitely had conversations about it with him before. I love Bruce Pearl; he believed in me from day one. When he first saw me, he gave me an opportunity to play at a high level in Division 1 basketball. He put me in a situation to help me be successful, and I’m very appreciative of everything he did.”
In 2019, Auburn advanced to the NCAA Final Four, which was one of Harper’s highlights. “It was a great experience. Part of that is just the reason for going to Auburn; I wanted to be in a situation where I could make history, leave a footprint on a college, and turn a corner. In all three of my years there, we got better and better, and you can actually see the position Auburn is in now, which is even better than when I left. So I think that was definitely part of the reason that I wanted to go to that situation, being able to play, make history, and do something good.”
The Atlanta, Georgia native went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft but joined the Phoenix Suns, where he played in both the NBA and the G-League before heading to the New York Knicks, followed by a stop with the New Orleans Pelicans. However, Harper only saw action in 16 total games over the seasons.
“I don’t feel like I got a real chance in the league, but I’m still appreciative of being able to have three years there. I was able to see different teams, to see Phoenix kind of build towards where it is now. I was part of the Knicks in their first time in the playoffs for I don’t know how many years, seeing them build to where they are now. And also I was able to be with the New Orleans Pelicans to see where they built to now. I’ve been able to see a lot of things and definitely learn a lot, which is the biggest thing to take away.”
After those three seasons, an opportunity to move across the Atlantic Ocean came about with Valencia and a chance to play regularly and be one of the main cogs in the Spanish club.
“At that point, I was kind of looking to see what was going to be next. I wanted to be in a position where I was actually playing more. An opportunity presented itself for me to go to Valencia, which was a great situation, playing in the Euroleague for two years and getting my first European experience there. I definitely learned a lot and kind of took that forward into this year from having a lot of experience at different levels, whether it’s D1, NBA, or now, of course, in Europe, so just kind of keep building on and on.”
Harper made what was a surprise move to some by inking a deal with Hapoel Jerusalem in the EuroCup instead of staying in the Euroleague. However, he felt that this was a great opportunity for himself and, despite the ongoing war, a place where he could feel safe and taken care of.
“I guess you can say I had other options, but the biggest thing for me this year was just going to be my role and being able to play my game more. I feel like this was the perfect situation for me to come and do that, and I would put Jerusalem’s situation up with any situation in the Euroleague. We’re playing in the EuroCup, of course, but everything has been good so far. The organization has been good, the fans have been good, the team has been good, so it’s definitely a situation that I feel like I’m enjoying a lot.
“Of course, there was a lot of questioning when Jerusalem was interested. I saw that Austin Wiley had signed with Jerusalem. I talked to my agent a little bit and to Austin, and, like I said, I talked to Bruce Pearl. Of course, I was in conversations with everybody in the organization. I think it was just a perfect situation for me because I feel like they understood what I bring to the game of basketball and what they wanted me to bring to the team. So that was the biggest thing going into the decision to come here, because I felt the team wanted me to be here. I think it was definitely a unique situation. I know that contrary to what we see in the US news on the situation of how it is in Israel—yes, there’s definitely a lot of tough stuff going on out here—but I feel like it’s been great for me so far. I felt safe; like I said, I love the situation here in Jerusalem. They helped me feel safe, so it’s been good overall.”
Moving from the BCL to the EuroCup gives Hapoel Jerusalem a chance of playing in the Euroleague should they win the competition. But is this a realistic goal? According to Harper, 100%.
“Yeah, I think it can be realistic. I feel like we have a really good team. Is it going to be easy? No, but I feel like we have a really good team and that we’re going to be able to win a lot of games. We play the right way, hard and together, so with all of those things I think we’ll be in a position to win any game. With that being said, I think a goal of being able to win the EuroCup isn’t far-fetched. It’s just as possible for us as for any other team.”
One of the club’s most vocal and identifiable fans, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was recently murdered by Hamas terrorists after being taken hostage on October 7. Harper said that the club has spoken to everyone about the awful situation and explained to them the effects of such a loss.
“That’s definitely a tough situation for any innocent person to lose their life. It’s sad, and I understand the team is definitely behind the situation and very supportive. We’re going to use that as a reason this year to have a good year.”
As for his biggest dream, Harper looks back to his brother and wants him to succeed as a basketball player first and foremost before any of his own desires. “I want to see my younger brother be successful with whatever he’s doing. I think that would be my biggest dream, for him to be able to accomplish all of the goals that he wants to accomplish.”
Like most Americans who come to play in Israel, Harper has enjoyed the weather and the food as he hopes to make an impact both on a personal and team level. “The goals this season are to continue to improve as a team and as a player, do everything I can to help my team be successful, and allow whatever happens to happen as long as we go about things the right way. I’m definitely looking forward to the year, and I have a good feeling for the team. I know we’re going to be very successful. Like I said, we work hard and play together, and that’s going to carry us far.”