Watch the Haifa Heat Promo

New Websites

There are a lot of exciting new changes to Maccabi Haifa Heat this season, and not all of them are on the court! We're proud to have just launched Triangle Internet TV, where you'll be able to catch every Maccabi Haifa Heat game this year. You can find a lot of other cool stuff there as well, including clips from this year's introductory press conference as well as a documentary about last year's dramatic win to advance to the Premier League. Check it out at www.triangleinternet.tv. 

Also, check out Israeli Fantasy Hoops, where you can compete against other basketball fans to win a big screen TV or a trip to Israel! 

Maccabi Haifa Heat 89-Ironi Ramat Gan 72

Davon Jefferson

B.J McKie led Haifa with 18 points as the Heat overcame a nine-point deficit to defeat Ironi Ramat Gan by a score of 89-72 in their first game of the new season. Davon Jefferson dazzled with a series of spectacular dunks, notching 17 points on the day. Doron Perkins added 16 as well as 8 assists, and Ido Kozikaro recorded a double-double, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. 

Also scoring for Haifa were Gur Porat, with 5 points, and Amit Ben David and Moshe Mizrahi with 3 points each. 

Haifa held Ramat Gan's star player Carmelo Lee to just 11 points and Jonathan Jones to 13. Josh Gomez led Ramat Gan with 27 points on the day. 

"We faced an excellent opponent," said Ramat Gan coach Robi Blinco. "We were concerned with Haifa, especially of their rebounds, and this is going to give them many more wins in the future."

Tamir Goodman's Blog

Check out Tamir Goodman's blog for an inside look at how Maccabi Haifa Heat is preparing for the upcoming season. 

Haifa 75-Kiryat Ata 53

Last Sunday, Maccabi Haifa Heat beat Kiryat Ata by a score of 75-53. Led by Ido Kuzikaro, who had 23 points, Haifa pulled away in the 4th quarter after three close periods of play. Doron Perkins and BJ McKie each scored 11, Brooks Sales had 10 points, Ben Strong had 7, Moshe Mizrahi scored 5, Amit Ben David 4, and Davon Jefferson and Gur Porat finished with 2 points apiece. This was a game between two up-and-coming teams, and Haifa certainly impressed in its first official showing of the year. 

Ben Strong's Blog

This season, a few Maccabi Haifa Heat players have agreed to blog about their experience playing basketball and living in Haifa. Ben Strong is one of them, and recently wrote a post about what it's like to move to Israel from the United States and adjust to a new role and style of play. Check out what he had to say here.

Haifa 82-Holon 70

Both Ido Kuzikaro and Doron Perkins had double-doubles today as Haifa defeated defending champion Holon 82-70. Kuzikaro scored 21 and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Doron Perkins provided great support, with 12 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Haifa scored the victory despite missing both Moshe Misrahi and Davon Jefferson on the court. BJ McKie scored 18 in just 17 minutes, Brooks Sales had 12 points, Todd Golden had 5, Ben Strong and Gur Porat scored 4, and Amit Ben David, Kobi Izik, and Tamir Goodman had 2 points each.

The Friday Interview: 'Haifa was hungry for basketball'

Click here to view the Jerusalem Post article about Maccabi Haifa Heat's incredible season.

Maccabi Haifa earns promotion to Ligat Ha'al!!!

Maccabi Haifa Heat did the improbable in front of a sellout crowd in Romema by defeating the #1 seed Elitzur Natanya, 73-69.

Haifa came from behind in the fourth quarter to upset Natanya thus earning a spot in the Premier League next season.

Haifa Heat take 2-1 lead, one win away from Ligat Ha'al

Maccabi Haifa Heat did what they needed to do...win on the road. Haifa earned a 79-66 win over Natanya (the #1 seed), as Deon Thomas and Jay Straight led Haifa to victory.

Haifa will try to wrap up the semi-finals series on Thursday at Romema Arena. The game begins at 19:30. A win would advance Haifa to the Championship round against the winner of Givat Shmuel vs. Elitzur Kiryat Ata, and would guarantee the team's promotion to Ligat Ha'al.

Haifa defeats Natanya, even series at 1-1

Haifa defeated Natanya 64-60 to even the semi-final series at 1-1. Haifa led throughout most of the game, but trailed by 8 points with 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Heat went on a 15-3 run to comeback and win a crucial game on their home court in Romema.

Maccabi Haifa wins deciding game, advance to semi-finals

In front of 2,000 crazed fans at Romema Arena, Maccabi Haifa Heat defeated Yavne 86-72. Haifa will now play Netanya on Thursday in a best-of-five game series.

Maccabi Haifa Heat win first game of playoffs

Maccabi Haifa Heat earned a 89-79 come-from-behind win against Elitzur Yavne on Tuesday. Haifa will travel to Yavne on Thursday to try and sweep the best of the three game series.

Maccabi Haifa Heat lock up 4th seed in Playoffs

Despite the fact that the Heat lost to Hod HaSharon on Tuesday, Maccabi Haifa still managed to gain home court advantage in the first round in the playoffs. Haifa will face 5th seeded Yavne on Monday (4/21) at Romema in a best of three series.

Haifa getting into gear for playoffs

Maccabi Haifa Heat earned a 75-60 win over Natzrat Elite, the teams third victory in a row. Haifa is now 12-4 in its last 16 games. Haifa will try and lock up the fourth slot in the playoffs which would guarantee home court advantage.

Haifa Heat rebound against Lev HaSharon with victory

The Haifa Heat (13-10) defeated Lev HaSharon 90-79 and are now battling for the top four spots in the league standings. Currently Haifa is in fifth place in the league with three games left in the regular season. Snir who began the night on the bench had a strong game for Haifa with 15 points in 19 minutes.

Haifa Heat are on Fire with five wins in a row!!!

The Haifa Heat marched through Ashdod with a 104-67 win in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Romema Arena. Jay Straight scored a team-high 23 points and Uri Kukia grabbed 15 rebounds as Haifa pulled away in the second half of the game. Haifa has won five games in a row and is now 12-9 on the season. Haifa will have its biggest test of the season next week against Givhat Shmuel.

Three and Counting!

Maccabi Haifa has now won three games in a row after a 69-63 win against Ramle. Haifa is now 10-9 and is over the .500 mark for the first time since the team was 7-6.

Haifa gets back to .500

Maccabi Haifa (9-9) won its second game in a row after defeating Yavne 76-66. Deon Thomas had an excellent game with 21 points.

Haifa is certainly earning the reputation as being a streaky team. Haifa had won four consecutive games going into the second half of the season, then proceeded to lose three consecutive games. Over the past two weeks, Haifa has bounced back with two wins.

Haifa Bounces Back with a win in Be'er Sheva

"Wowww!!! What a game. I can't sleep. Just want to share with you guys how I feel. Amazing game, full gym, and great fight. The game means a lot to the team and for me even more. I didn't practice until Monday because I got sick and I wanted to win the game badly. I hope that today's win can make you smile after we lost 3 games in a row. Take Care."

-Adi Pereg.


Maccabi Haifa Heat needed to break its three game losing streak in order to stay in the playoff hunt. They were able to do so in Be'er Sheva, 93:88, with a 32-point oustanding performance by Haifa's Adi Pereg.

Haifa loses third game in a row

Haifa lost another close game, 85:81, against Kiryat Ata. Kobi Isaac had a strong game for Haifa with 19 points but it wasn't enough to overcome Kiryat Ata's run in the final minutes. Haifa is now 7-9 on the season and will need to bounce back in order to stay in the playoff hunt.

Tough Loss to Natanya

Unfortunately, Maccabi Haifa did not start off the first half as they would have liked, losing to second-place Natanya 71:66. Haifa had a 9-point leading going into halftime, but were effectively shutdown in the second half of the game. The loss snapped Haifa's four-game winning streak. Haifa is now 7-7 on the season and will play Megido/Yokneam on Tuesday, January 29 at 19:00.

Mid-Season Grades

Yediot Haifa's Tal Avriel has come out with his first half review. Below is a translation of Tal's article:

Adi Pereg once again won the game on the last second. This time at home against Hod-HaSharon. Tal Avriel ends the first half and gives grades.

This is how you finish a half. A winning shot in the last second that gives Haifa the win, a winning record of 7:6 and hope for a better second half.

Maccabi Hod-HaSharon with Papy Torgeman and Guy Kantor came to Haifa to try to end Haifa's resurgence. With 13 seconds left in regulation the situation was almost hopeless, after Hod-HaSharon scored a three pointer which gave them the lead. Hod-HaSharon got specific instructions to foul after five seconds. Hod-HaSharon had another foul to give and everyone thought they would commit it with the game clock running down. However, for some reason Hod-HaSharon didn’t commit that foul. Adi Pereg, who didn’t have his best game, took the game in his hands by dribbling for 6 seconds and from an almost impossible angle scored the winning shot 72:71.

Avi Ashkenazi said, "The difference in our team is that even if we are not so good like we were today, we still show our nature and character and win games that in the beginning of the year we wouldn’t."

Uri Kukia had 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Kobi Isaac had 14 points and 7 rebounds were both the highlights of Haifa. Mike McKinney was again mediocre with 18 points and no 3-point shots. Deon Thomas as before did not have his best statistics.

The second league goes on a "vacation" for two weeks. Before the critical game against Netanya and Haifa’s return to Romema, let’s review each and every player who has contributed this half.

Mike McKinney- on one hand he has the best statistics on the team, on the other hand, he is controversial with talks to replace him every Monday and Thursday. The coach Ashkenazi would be happy to replace him however, all the professional staff is supporting him. He is the "man" of the owner Jeff Rosen who believes in him without any doubt is ready to give up this season only for McKinney to receive his confidence and approval. A foreigner who doesn’t rise above the other players, who doesn’t lead and influence, a foreigner who doesn’t pass nor defend, who cannot throw from afar we cannot expect more from Haifa. Average so far: in 32 minutes, 20.4 pts, 5.7 rebounds, 1 assist, 20% to 3-points, and 70% from the free throw line. First half grade - 5.5.

Adi Pereg- The number one player on Maccabi Heat Haifa in the first half. He is still not the same Pereg who promoted a few teams to the first league in the past, but we certainly saw a few excellent games from him (and a few weak ones). His outside game and 3-point shooting suffered this half from a hurt hand outside however, he made up for it with great penetrations and spreading the ball around with his assists. 32.5 minutes with 15 pts', 4.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds. First half grade – 6.5.

Uri Kukia – Haifa’s strong play began with his addition. It is possible the delay of his addition cost the team a game or two. A large portion of his contribution doesn’t reflect in the statistics, because he relieves “the old” Deon Thomas. Kukia has made strong contributions in the last four consecutive wins, playing 28.5 minutes, scoring 8 points, 9.4 rebounds (8^th in the league, and the second Israeli), 2.4 steals and 1.8 assists. His percentage from the free throw line needs major improvement (33%). First round grade – 6.5.

Deon Thomas- He is one of the major reasons for the fuss around the team and has been seen has quite a disappointment. Thomas in his current state is just another player in the league, who is not worth more than 30 thousand dollars at best. Thomas receives twice that amount and more which allowed Haifa to save money on the foreigner. Nevertheless, there has been improvement in Deon's play (since Kukia's addition). Thomas has averaged 25 minutes, 11 points, 6.8 rebounds and there are other aspects on the court which we cannot see in the statistics. First half grade – 5.

Tomer Huli – The fast and not so gifted point guard came to Haifa as a replacement for Uri Grinwald. Uri's retirement and the disappointing ability of Oren Ben-Hemo has made Tomer a key player. Whoever prefers fighting and determination over ability will love him, but Maccabi Heat lacks talent now and Tomer Huli is not the man to supply it. He is not the one who can supply the brilliant moves when the offensive is slacking. 25 minutes, 8.9 points, 3.8 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals. First half grade – 6.

Oren Ben-Hemo- If not for Thomas and Marko, he was a candidate for the disappointment of the half. Aside from a few good games, he didn’t play up to his ability and he forgot about his wonderful first step. 24 minutes, 9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists. First half grade – 5.5.

Kobi Isaac- It was not Isaac’s best half. He was one of the best players in the league last season for Binyamina but has not been able to put up the same numbers this season. His confidence is hurt and he keeps fouling. In the games when has been good, the team has won. Maccabi Haifa Heat will need him in much better shape in the second half. 24 minutes, 10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds. First half grade- 5.5.

Uriel Marko- One of the most promising players of the summer came out to be the ultimate disappointer. Since the addition of Kukia he has been left out of the squad. In the past he has been a great athlete who finished fast breaks with outstanding dunks. Marko who came to Haifa for a nice payment has not lived up to his potential. He has spent a few years on the bench in the first league and this could be a reason for his sloppy play. Marko has played only nine games averaging 21 minutes, 5 points, 2.8 rebounds. First half grade – 4.

Maor Snir – He is the only player under 22 who actually received playing time. He has played in 11 games averaging 10 minutes and has given Ashkenazi another player for the rotation. 4.3 points, rebounds with nice field goal percentage, and all in 120 minutes. First half grade – 6.

Tamir Arieli- Still not really good, but this kid is 17 and plays an average of 5 minutes and not only in garbage time. We can say a few good words about him. Whoever has seen this kid in the teen league and on the Israeli team knows that he has a lot of potential.

Avi Ashkenazi – The truth is we spared him this half. Ashkenazi deserves a review on him because of the failures until now. The additions of Ben-Hemo and Marko have not proven themselves. It was expected that Ashkenazi would do his homework and check the state of Marko before signing him. It is possible Deon Thomas was thrown upon him, but a coach with his record should state that the professional decisions are his and his only. As for McKinney, if Ashkenazi would have persisted from the beginning to have a more experienced foreigner it is likely McKinney wouldn’t have been signed in the first place. We praise Ashkenazi for managing to get out of the deep mud during beginning of the season. The last few victories show he still has got a lot to sell. First half grade – 5.

Jeff Rosen – We cannot complain about the man responsible for renewing the basketball team in Haifa. He gives the basketball team another few columns in the tabloids. Rosen gave the team a budget that is compelling for a promotion to the first league. The team has been rising however; the reality of getting promoted has become more difficult. Some of the players have been a disappointment and it took the team a long time to come together. What is most likeable in the new owner is his "American" mentality. On one hand, it is annoying (see McKinney) but on the other hand it doesn’t let him give up. He doesn’t see not being promoted to the first league as a major disaster as originally intended. At least from his statements he will stay here for a long time.

Adi Pereg wins it for the Heat!!!

With 1.7 seconds left in the game, Adi Pereg hit a tough jumper along the baseline to beat Hod-HaSharon 71-70. Haifa has won four consecutive games and is now 7-6 on the year. Kobi Izik had a great game with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists (game high). The Heat have concluded the first half of the season will have a week off to prepare for the second half. Haifa is now in fifth place in the National League.