Hapoel Holon continues to advance in the Basketball Champions League

Hapoel Holon tips off against San Pablo Burgos in the Basketball Champions League quarterfinal action on Thursday night as the Israeli club will look to return from Nizhny Novgorod with a European title in hand.

Of course, that won’t be an easy task, as coach Stefanos Dedas’s squad will be facing the reigning BCL champion and the top Spanish league team in Burgos, which cruised into the Final Eight. That won’t stop Holon, however, which has been one of the most dynamic teams in the Israel Winner League by playing a unique style of basketball.

One of Dedas’s most important players is star guard Tyrus McGee, who also just happens to be one of the most exciting players Europe has seen over the past few seasons. The 30-year-old Oklahoma native is averaging over 18 points a game while pulling down 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists this campaign, but over the last half-dozen games McGee’s numbers game have shot up to close to 25 points, 5.5 boards and 3.7 assists to go with an efficiency rating of almost 28 as he readies for continental postseason action.

McGee is well aware of the challenge ahead of the Israeli team, but also knows what Holon needs to do in order to knock off the defending champion.

“Burgos is going to be tough and they are a good team,” said McGee. “They won the BCL championship last season and I played against them last year as well when I was with Elan Bernais. They have added a new point guard, but we are also a good team. We have a good chance, but they are a very strong team. We will listen to coach’s game plan.”

McGee knows it will come down to more than just talent.

“They have some weapons and we have to stick to the game plan and the defensive plan that coach Dedas and coach Amit Sherf have put together and play our game against them. Play Holon basketball. They are experienced like us, but we have to follow our defensive game plan.”

Should Holon get by Burgos on Thursday, a semifinal date will await it  on Friday night against the winner of the Tenerife-vs-Strasbourg quarterfinal clash.

But McGee and his teammates have been going game-by-game and focusing on each contest as they come.

“We haven’t looked ahead as we play so many games here in Israel. I take it one game at a time. All of us have been doing that.”

Growing up McGee played both baseball and basketball.

“I was a pitcher and shortstop with good hands and speed,” he said. “I enjoyed watching a number of stars such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Sammy Sosa and Ichiro Suzuki.”

As for basketball, like many children at the time, McGee idolized arguably the greatest to ever play the game.

“Michael Jordan was who I looked up to in basketball. I had my eyes glued on Jordan and I had all his highlight films on DVD. That was my main player. Of course, later on I also looked up to Kobe, Allen Iverson, Dwayne Wade, Chris Mullin and Dominique Wilkins.”

However, when it came time to choose a sport to focus on, basketball won out.

“Basketball is a game that can change at any moment with runs. It’s a quick-thinking game. My brother who I looked up to and who is 10 years older than me, was a basketball player and I admired him, so I decided to play basketball. ‘Always listen to the older guys’ is what he told me. It’s gotten me pretty far.”

Following two years at Cowley College, a community college in Kansas, McGee moved to one of the top colleges in the NCAA, Iowa State, where he teamed up with Will Clyburn and Melvin Ejim. Clyburn played for Holon a number of years ago and recently led CSKA Moscow to the Euroleague Final Four, while Ejim and McGee shared the court together as professionals for Venezia as they helped the Italian team take the league championship back in 2016/17.

“Will and Mel were both with me at Iowa State while Mel was in Venice as well. Clyburn is a great teammate and a funny guy. We talk and we keep in touch. Mel is one of my best friends. We had a great time in Venice and it was fortunate that we had that opportunity. He won the MVP when we won the Italian League. It was a great moment.

“In fact, when we won the championship, we had the parade on the water along the Venice canals and it was beautiful. It began in the morning and went until late at night. Italy has fashion and old culture. I’s a place that will always be in my heart.”

McGee finally found his way to the Holy Land after stops in Turkey, Germany, Spain, Italy and most recently France.

“I have to thank David Pick, who is my main agent. He’s a well-connected guy and a good guy as well. I played against coach Dedas before when I was in Turkey and we lost by two or three points. He saw me play in person and he knew my style of play. That got me here.

“Plus, the beach is close, you have Jerusalem and all the nice things, riding the camels and the like. I played against Holon a few years back and I remember the fans creating a great atmosphere.”

Along with featuring in the Champions League, Holon has been a very tough team in the Israeli league, giving domestic champs Maccabi Tel Aviv all that it can handle and almost beating the Israeli powerhouse in the Winner Cup final and the State Cup semifinals.

Can Holon dethrone the yellow-and-blue, which it has already defeated in the regular season?

“I can’t predict the future, but we have to keep working.”

McGee has accomplished a tremendous amount over his young career as he looks to continue to take it to the highest of heights, but as he says, it comes down to putting your heart and soul into it.

“I want to keep playing basketball and I feel young. Just continue to keep doing what I am doing now while living and learning.

“If you set your mind to it, you just have to do it. You’re going to have to get better each and every day. I had no idea that these things were going to happen this way. Playing with experienced players can get you really far. Fortunately, I have won a few titles. I’ll just keep working.”