Elijah Bryant Earns First Israeli Title, Jimmer Future Remains Uncertain
Former BYU Basketball standout and new father - Elijah Bryant – helped Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club win their 54th Israeli Premier League title this weekend. This was Bryant’s first year with the club following his rookie season with Hapoel Eilat where he earned All-Israeli First Team honors.
“Being stuck in the house for two months wasn’t ideal,” Bryant tweeted after Maccabi Tel Aviv were crowned champions of Israel, “but it was worth it for sure. [I am] grateful to play for such a historic club and a great group of guys!!”
The move from Eilat to Tel Aviv brought on a new role for Elijah Bryant in his sophomore season. During the 2018-19 season, Bryant averaged 17.6 points and was the leading scorer for his club. Maccabi Tel Aviv – a much more dominant team than Hapoel Eilat – has much more talent and depth in their squad including former NBA All-Star Am’are Stoudemire, 2018 NBA Champion Omri Casspi, and top NBA prospect Deni Avdija. Consequently, Bryant became more of a role player, limiting his number of minutes on the floor as opposed to his role as the “go to guy” as he was in Eilat.
Bryant averaged 9.6 points and 2.1 assists while shooting an average of 6.9 times per game during his first season in Tel Aviv. During the 2018-19 season while he was playing for Hapoel Eilat, he averaged 17.6 points and 2.4 assists. Bryant also completed his debut season in the EuroLeague where he averaged 8.4 points and 2.0 assists for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
BYU Hoops alum and fellow EuroLeague participant – Jimmer Fredette – just finished his first and final season with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos Basketball Club. Fredette initially signed a two-year contract with an option to opt out at the conclusion of his first season. “He is informed that he is free to go,” Panathinaikos owner Takis Triantopoulos confirmed during a press conference on July 31. “His agent also knows this and he is on the market for a new team. We are waiting for any new development.” (Eurohoops.net)
It is rumored that Jimmer will rejoin his old club in Shanghai but Jimmer’s agent has denied any speculation of an agreement between Fredette and the Sharks.