Reynolds raring for 2nd stint with Mac TA

• Author: JOSHUA HALICKMAN
• Published date: 30 September 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Last year, the yellow-and-blue struggled out of the gate and finished outside of the postseason yet again with a 14-20 record. The campaign prior to that saw Ioannis Sfairopoulos's squad in prime position to punch a playoff ticket, but it was denied due to the COVID-19 pandemic which cut the season short.

To take the team back to the promised land, management looked back to the recent past and brought in a number of players who had helped Maccabi achieve success two seasons ago. One of those players is Jalen Reynolds, who arrived in December 2019 as an injury replacement for center Tarik Black and contributed to the club's positive showing.

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Maccabi decided not to re-sign the big man for this past season and Reynolds ended up joining Bayern Munich, where he had arguably his best year as a professional. With the yellow-and-blue looking to rebuild its squad for this coming campaign, Reynolds was at the top of the wish list and the Detroit native was happy to oblige as he returned to the Holy Land for a second stint.

Just as the new season tipped off – with Maccabi opening against Bayern late Thursday night – Reynolds sat down with The Jerusalem Post to look back at his career to date, how he began playing basketball, his breakout season in Germany and what made him decide to reunite with Maccabi.

"It feels good to be back," began the 28-year-old hoopster. "This is definitely like a second home to me and I enjoyed playing here in the past. I'm looking forward to the new season and what is has to offer us. I showcased my talents here two years ago and I tried my best to help the team, both on and off the court. I think they noticed my talent as well last year and from the year before and brought me back. I'm happy to be back where I am made to feel welcome. It's a good thing to feel wanted. The weather is great, the people are good and the food as well. You can't go wrong."

The 2019/20 season offered many highlights and Reynolds spoke about how the previous campaign would influence this one.

"The organization is so professional. Playing for Coach Sfairopoulos again is such a great feeling because I also know the system and what he expects from his players. It's going to be a good year for us and a chance to jump back into it and get it back the way it should be here at Maccabi. I am ready to showcase my talents and help my...