The relationship between Israel and Greece in the realm of sports has always been a deep one. This was proven once again as Hapoel Tel Aviv head coach Dimitrios Itoudis, along with assistant Stefanos Dedas and general manager George Hinas – all hailing from Greece – helped the club capture the EuroCup title last month, which earned the franchise a place in the continent’s top competition, the Euroleague, for the upcoming 2025/26 season.
Due to this incredible accomplishment, the Greek ambassador to Israel, Ms. Maya Solomou, invited the Reds staff to her Herzliya residence for a special evening in which Itoudis, Dedas, and Hinas were celebrated and honored just ahead of the Israel league semifinal series against Hapoel Jerusalem, which begins on Friday afternoon.
“The road to this achievement was not easy,” Ms. Solomou began, “as the team had to play all its games abroad and confront the security situation at home – an additional challenge compared to other teams. This is a great, historic moment for the team and for Israeli sports in general, especially during these difficult times.
“From our side, we share this joy, considering that this was made possible thanks to the contribution of those three Greek gentlemen, well known for their long-standing experience, their passion for the game, and their ethos. They demonstrated, once again, their great capabilities, but also resilience and perseverance – values that characterize the Greek people. This success is another example that cooperation between our two nations, Greeks and Israelis, can lead to great things.”
'Nothing is to be taken for granted'
Ambassador Solomou continued by touching upon the war.
“In this very challenging period for Israel and the entire area, nothing is to be taken for granted, and we are all very aware of this. So, I want to reiterate once more the urgent need for the immediate release of all hostages, and at the same time, I want to express the hope that peace will be soon achieved, fulfilling the dream of each human being – progress and prosperity. Mr. Itoudis, Mr. Hinas, and Mr. Dedas, good luck for the playoffs.”
“I am honored that we are here at the Greek Ambassador’s residence,” a flattered Itoudis said. “This means a lot to us, for the team, and thank you for taking the opportunity to recognize us and to mention the great collaboration that there is between the Israelis and the Greeks. Thank you so much for this. It’s a great honor and pleasure.”
Itoudis continued: “The club’s Ofer Yannay is the leader of this group, so we’re feeling very proud. At the same time, to be honest, I also feel the obligations that I have toward both nations, and while we’re part of the sports world, we’re kind of sport ambassadors as we work abroad. Thank you once again to Ms. Solomou for this brilliant idea and the honor.”
The bench boss arrived in November and joined a pair of Greeks in Dedas and Hinas who had joined the team earlier on.
“First of all, you know me, I don’t work with people based on their passport. The fact that both of them, Stefanos Dedas and George Hinas, were already here, we were able to continue the collaboration as I had already worked with Steph before. I met George here, and he is a passionate and motivated guy and works every day 24/7. It’s fun to be able to work with Greeks here, but it’s fun to work also with the entire staff.”
With Hapoel Tel Aviv joining the Euroleague for the upcoming campaign, Yannay is looking to ensure that the club has the best possible staff available to his team in order to reach the successes that he has envisioned. Manos Papadopoulos, who has most recently served as the sports director at Zenit St. Petersburg and prior to that with Panathinaikos, is reportedly set to join the staff as an experienced executive who will deal with Euroleague relationships.
“The only thing I can say right now is that we all work together in order to bring people and players and to teach them that at the club they must do their job at the highest level because the Euroleague demands that, and I request that of them as well,” Itoudis commented on the upcoming hire.
In a lighthearted moment, Itoudis jokingly spoke about adding a former NBA Most Valuable Player to his cadre.“As for Giannis Antetokounmpo, he is a great player and he will stay there in the NBA. He’s not coming here, and we did not consider it.”
With Hapoel Tel Aviv in the midst of the playoffs and due to the elongated schedule that saw more than a week’s break between the quarterfinals and semifinals, Itoudis is looking forward to getting back to the postseason after having swept Hapoel Gilboa Galil 3-0.
“I’ve got to be honest, this delay pretty much kills the sporting aspect, the continuity and the shape that the players were in, as it’s been nine or 10 days since we played the last series of games against Gilboa/Galil. I hope we’re not going to look that rusty because we’re coming into a best-of-three series and not a best-of-five.”
Challenge for Yam Madar to return to the court
One of Hapoel’s most important players is guard Yam Madar, who has been out injured since the EuroCup final. While he is attempting to get back into the swing of things, it is still going to be a challenge for the Israeli to return to the court.
“Yam is highly competitive. He’s making a great effort with the medical staff after the doctor gave him the green light, and he’s working with everyone in order to come back.”
Itoudis is a two-time Euroleague championship coach after winning the title with CSKA Moscow in 2016 and 2019. While he would very much want to be in Abu Dhabi for the Final Four, the bench boss will be in Israel with his team as it looks to punch a ticket to the finals in domestic league action.
“Many people called me from the Euroleague, including the officials and management, and I would love to be there – as president of the Euroleague Head Coaches Board, but also as a coach that had won this league – because they are celebrating the first 25 years of the league, and they made a great gesture to invite all of the coaches that had won the league before. But on the 23rd, we have a game, and I need to stay with my team.”
