(WHNT) — Former Grissom and UAH basketball standout JJ Kaplan heled the UAH Chargers win for years and now he’s doing the same in Israel.

In his first season as a professional athlete, Kaplan and his teammates on Kiryat Ata won a National League championship.

“They told us ‘you guys don’t understand what you just did’ and I still don’t think I do,” Kaplan said. “I’m getting texts from the fans, the coaches and they’re still talking about how we weren’t supposed to do what we did. Over there they’re doing news on our team. I don’t even speak Hebrew and they’re asking me for interviews because I think what we did was very special.”

Although he’s thrilled to have won a championship, this experience as a professional athlete has been about a lot more than just basketball for the Huntsville native. Sports director Olivia Whitmire sat down with Kaplan to hear about his nine months spent overseas.

Kaplan is looking forward to spending a few months back in Alabama with his family and friends, but he plans to return to Israel in the fall to continue his basketball career.