Basketball Champions League side Holon sacks head coach Franco

JERUSALEM, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Hapoel Holon has fired head coach Danny Franco, the Basketball Champions League club announced Monday.

The move came after a 114-60 home loss to EuroLeague leader Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israeli Super League on Saturday, a defeat the club described as a catalyst for change.

"At this point, a change is needed to allow the team to emerge from this challenging period and move forward," read a Holon statement.

Assistant coach Yoav Shamir will take charge on an interim basis while the club considers candidates for the permanent position.

Holon has advanced to the Play-In phase of FIBA's Champions League and will open a best-of-three series next Tuesday against Italy's Trapani Shark. In the Israeli league, Holon sits fourth with a 7-4 record, behind Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel HaEmek. ■