Tapiro, Meir

Meir Tapiro is the most gifted Israeli scorer of his generation. The point guard possesses a lethal penetration on the dribble and also developed comparable passing skills late in his career. However, Tapiro's overwhelming urge to take more then his fair share of shots has hurt his career. He currently plays for Nancy in France.

Meir was one of very few Israeli religious players during his early years. During his career he began to leave off his kippah and gradually turned to a more secular lifestyle.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 28, 1975

Career Highlights:
In 1994, the point guard shone for second division team Maccabi Kiryat Motzkin. He scored 10.8 points per game despite playing off the bench a large amount of the time. His obvious point scoring abilities attracted Hapoel Tel Aviv, the second biggest team in the country at the time. Tapiro was a useful top division rookie in 1994-95, coming off the bench to score 3.7 ppg in the league and 6.3 in the Euroleague.

In 1995-96 Tapiro was recognized as a star. He scored 14 points and passed for 2.8 assists per game in the league for Hapoel. In the end of the season, Meir was picked for the Israeli national youth team in the 1996 European Championships. Israel did not impress but the point guard's tally of 7.2 points per game was among the highest on the team.

Amid accusations of shot-hogging, Tapiro left for Hapoel Eilat. The team was known for providing sun and girls for the lucky players but was not renowned for any sporting achievements. In his two years at the club, Meir changed all that, scoring 9.2 points per game in the 1996-97 season and 11.8 in 1997-98 while leading Eilat to the playoff final which they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

In the 1998-99 season, the wayward player landed in a mediocre Maccabi Haifa team and was given free reign on the court. Meir responded with an offensive explosion with career high numbers: 14.3 points and 5.4 assists per game as well as a surprisingly high 5.6 rebounds. The dry Haifa air did Tapiro good in the 1999-2000 campaign as well. He scored 15 points and passed for 5.3 assists per game with 5.2 rebounds. On January 3, 1999, he became the first Israeli player to ever achieve a triple double. Tapiro scored 16 points, made 12 assists and took down 10 boards against his former team Hapoel Tel Aviv. Meir led the Israeli league in assists that year.

In 2000-01 Hapoel Jerusalem decided to base their challenge to Maccabi Tel Aviv's supremacy on the point guard's offensive skills. With the biggest paycheck of his life, Tapiro was charged with leading a high profile, star studded team. The guard was unable to curb his enthusiastic style and soon fell out with the staff and the other players. His numbers plummeted to 8.1 points, 2.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. Jerusalem was easily beaten by an overwhelmingly strong Maccabi Tel Aviv team in the playoff final.

Meir was still given an important role in the Israeli national team as it competed in the 2001 European Championships. With 23.8 minutes per game, the point guard scored 13.2 points, made 3.5 assists and took down 4.8 rebounds per game. Thanks in part to his leadership, Israel survived injury problems to place ninth in the competition.

Tapiro's personal numbers improved in the 2001-02 season to 12 points, 3.1 assist and 3.2 rebounds per game. However, he was clearly frustrated with the limited role coach Yoram Harosh had envisioned for him. Jerusalem failed to reach the playoff final after losing the semi's to Ramat Gan. Gadi Keidar took the team over in mid 2002-03 and finally gave Tapiro the freedom he craved. The point guard finished the season with a career high 17.1 points per game as well as a team leading 4.4 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. However the strategy was suicidal as an overpaid Jerusalem team slumped to eighth place in the league. The high point of Tapiro's year was a second career triple double when he scored 34 points, passed for 17 assists and gathered 11 rebounds against Odessa in the European Champions Cup.

In the 2003 European Championships, Tapiro was a bit lower in the guard pecking order, but still scored 11.9 points, created 3.4 assists and won the same amount of rebounds. Israel finished seventh in the competition.

Sick and tired of the infighting and intrigue rampant at Hapoel Jerusalem, Tapiro signed for the more tranquil Bnei Ha'Sharon in 2003-04. Meir displayed a new level of maturity and intelligence, leading the league with 7.4 assists per game. He also scored 14 points per game as he helped the team to the league playoffs.

In 2004-05 the Israeli international point guard was signed by top French club Nancy. As of November 13, 2004, Nancy was third in the French league with a 6-2 record. Meir is the starting point guard so far with 26 minutes per game and 10.6 points.

Origin:
Kiryat Motzkin, Israel

Career Dates:
1994-

Position:
Point guard

Physical description:
6"0

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