Maccabi Haifa B.C.

Prior to the 2007–08 season, in July 2007, the team was purchased by Jeffrey Rosen.

Rosen pledged that the club would be promoted to Ligat HaAl in his first year of ownership. In order to accomplish this, Deon Thomas, a former player at Maccabi Tel Aviv, was signed to play for the club. Additionally Rosen changed the team changed its name to Maccabi Haifa Heat from Maccabi Bat Galim.

In the 2007–08 season they finished in fourth place in Liga Leumit, and earned promotion after winning the best-of-five semi-finals, 3–1, against first seed Maccabi Elitzur Netanya.

The 2008–09 Israeli Basketball Super League season marked the first year in which the Maccabi Haifa Heat played in the Israeli Premier League's top division under American owner Jeff Rosen. Prior to entering their 2008–09 season Maccabi Haifa had not played in the league's top division (also known as "The Super League") since 1999. Before the season began the team signed a multitude of talent to its roster which immediately took notice from around the league.

Notable pre-season signings included:

• Davon Jefferson, who played at University of Southern California with current NBA player O. J. Mayo
• Tamir Goodman, dubbed the "Jewish Jordan" by Sports Illustrated
• Todd Golden, a star guard out of St. Mary's College of California, who was named to the 2008 All-America First Team by Jewish Sports Review
• Ben Strong, the 6-foot, 11-inch center and former Division III Player of the Year out of Guilford College. Strong was the first Native American basketball player to play professionally in Israel
• BJ McKie (All-Time leading scorer at University of South Carolina), Brooks Sales (Villanova), and Doron Perkins (Santa Clara University)
• Ido Kozikaro (center) also plays for the Israeli National Team

On 26 October 2008, Maccabi Haifa started its season winning its first 3 games by an average margin score of 21 points per game and won 7 of its first 9 games before running into its rival Maccabi Tel Aviv in an 80–68 loss. Led by team captain Doron Perkins the team finished the season in 3rd place with a 14–8 record, reaching the Israeli League playoffs in the team's first year back in the Premier League.

In the first round of the playoffs, Haifa defeated Bnei HaSharon in four games, 66–69, 75–71, 74–61 and 87–68. In the [Semi-finals|2008–09 Israeli Final Four] Haifa defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 98–93. In the finals, Haifa lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv, 85–72.[3]

On 5 August 2009, before the 2009–10 Israeli Basketball Super League season, the club announced that it would be changing its name from Maccabi Haifa Heat, to just being Maccabi Haifa. The decision to drop the "Heat" from its name due to possible confusion with NBA franchise Miami Heat.[4]

On 23 August the club signed the young high school phenom Jeremy Tyler from San Diego High School.[5]

The club finished the regular season at 4th place with a 14–8 record. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the 5th seed Elitzur Maccabi Netanya, in four games, 76–88, 75–73, 75–77 and 71–75.[6]

During the 2010–11 Israeli Basketball Super League Haifa won a place in the Eurochallenge by beating the French team Paris. The club played an historic game against the NBA New Jersey Nets in front of 5,174 fans at the Prudential Center. Haifa trailed 56–43 at the break, but lost, 108–70.

The 2010–11 season was the first of two seasons under head coach Miki Gorka. Haifa finished the season in 9th place with a record of 8–19 and did not qualify for the playoffs.[7]

Mickey Gorka who finished the 2010–11 season with 6 home wins in a row signed with the team as head coach for the, 2011–12 Israeli Basketball Super League season, his second season, alongside his assistant Offer Rahimi. Sylven Landesberg, Tyler Wilkerson, Avi Ben-Chimol and Jermaine Jackson also returned from last season and the team signed ex N.B.A players Sean Williams and Qyntel Woods. The team would be the tallest team on average in the league – 6-foot-5 (1.98 meters) and one of the youngest – 24.5 years-old. In November 2011, the team acquired a new main sponsor, the Oil Refineries LTD. (BAZAN) and is now called Maccabi Bazan Haifa.

Haifa finished the season final and 11th place with a record of 5–19.[8]

The 2012–13 Israeli Basketball Super League season was the first ever championship for Maccabi Haifa, and their first season under head coach Brad Greenberg. Haifa star Gal Mekel was also named the MVP of the season.[9]

Haifa finished the season with a 17–10 record, which was good enough for second place. In the quarter finals, Haifa beat Hapoel Gilboa Galil in three straight games, 87–85, 93–81 and 93–87. Then in the semi-finals they beat Hapoel Eilat in five games, 87–75, 105–84, 75–78 (OT), 72–82 and 71–68.

Haifa won the 2012–13 Israeli Basketball Super League Final championship, on their home court, the Romema Arena in Haifa, on 13 July 2013. They defeated the prior year's champions, Maccabi Tel Aviv. Maccabi Haifa won their first ever title after an 86–79 victory.[10]

During the 2013–14 Israeli Basketball Super League season, for the second consecutive season, Macabbi Haifa made it to the finals, again against Maccabi Tel Aviv. For the first time in league history the finals would be a two-game, split home and home series, with the total cumulative score determining the champion.[11]

Maccabi Haifa lost game, at home, by a score of 77–81.[12] Due to the new format, Haifa would need to win the second game by 5 points in order to win the championship. Game two was played in the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv and at the end of regulation they were winning by 4 points, which was a cumulative tie, sending the game into over time. Although Haifa won the game by 2 points, 84–82, they lost the series in cumulative total score 161–163.[13]

Donta Smith was named the league's Most Valuable Player.[14]

Maccabi Haifa finished the 2014–15 Israeli Basketball Super League season with a 17–16 record, putting them in a five-way tie for third place, in terms of record. Due to the point differential, however, they finished in fifth place.[15]

In the first round of the playoffs, Haifa played Hapoel Eilat and lost, three games to two.[16] This ended their season, and a streak of two straight seasons of competing in the finals.

When Jeffrey Rosen acquired Maccabi Haifa, he felt that his best approach at gaining financial strength for the team as well as the league, was to try and expand viewership beyond Israel. In addition, their TV show Inside Israeli Basketball, Maccabi Haifa began to show taped delayed games online at triangleinternet.tv as well as YouTube.[17]

Maccabi Haifa produces an internationally broadcast television show called Inside Israeli Basketball. The show premiered on 17 August 2010.[18]

The show has seven episodes per season and airs November to June, with one new episode per month. The show follows the Maccabi Haifa's season, and shows highlights from each of their games. The program is hosted by Yarden Harel and was formally hosted by Becky Griffin, and produced on location by Joseph Marc Sports.[19] Due to the broadcasting in America, the show focuses on the American players playing in Israel.[20]

The show is currently syndicated on the YES Network, Sun Sports, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, The Comcast Network, and SportSouth.[21]