Israel will take part in the EuroBasket this coming summer for the 31st time in the country’s history as it punched its ticket to the competition back in the fall of 2024.
There are four host nations to the tournament, which will feature six-team preliminary group play, including Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Poland, where the blue-and-white will be based for the opening stages.
The top four teams in each group after the first stage will then advance to the knockout portion of the competition which will take place in Riga, Latvia, as Israel will try and find a way to match or even better its second-place finish back in 1979.
Coach Ariel Beit Halachmi’s squad will be based in Katowice, Poland, where they will play France, Slovenia, Belgium, Iceland and the host country itself, Poland.
The only goal: to win
Immediately after the draw, the chairman of the Israel Basketball Association Amos Frishman expressed optimistic concern.
“The draw is tough,” Frishman noted. “I don’t know if it’s very tough, but the draw is tough. This is the European Championship and every team is good, all of the groups are tough and we’ll have to know how to win.
“The goal is to play well, win and finish in the top four. I really hope we can meet the task,” Frishman continued.
“Right now we only have four practice games lined up and we’re trying to organize another game or two, but there’s a very big problem because no one wants to come to Israel either. We will continue to attempt to organize two more practice games, but it’s not an easy task.”
Beit Halachmi also spoke about the draw.
“I don’t know what a good draw is or what isn’t. Sometimes a good draw on paper turns into a bad one in reality and a difficult draw can turn into a good one on the floor. I will leave if this is a difficult draw or not to the analysts. I believe in hard work and less talking before the actual tournament itself takes place.
“Our group is very challenging but we will have the opportunity to compete against some very good teams and show our abilities. Our goal is to turn the team into one that plays together and comes into every contest to win. I don’t want to talk about the rivalries because it’s still early and we need to see which of the players that are in the NBA will actually play in the European Championship. I believe in our team and I can’t wait for the first training session.”
Tomer Ginat, captain of the Israel National Team added: “Like all of the previous European Championships, this group as we are used to, has its challenges. We know that there are no easy games at the Eurobasket and that a difficult group awaits us. We are all very excited and looking forward to the upcoming summer and we trust each other to rise to the occasion and represent the country as always with honor.”
On paper, Israel should be able to get through the group. However, each team that it will face poses its own challenges.
The blue-and-white will have Deni Avdija leading the way as the Portland Trail Blazers star has raised the level of his game to incredible heights in his fifth season in the world’s best league. Along with Avdija will be his running mate and best friend Yam Madar, who recently returned to play in Israel with Hapoel Tel Aviv after a number of seasons in Europe. Those two, along with Roman Sorkin, Khadeen Carrington, Yovel Zoosman and Ginat will provide Ariel Beit Halachmi a solid base.
Ben Saraf, who has played with the national team over the past two windows is a question mark and his participation will depend on who and where he is selected in the upcoming NBA Draft.
France is a basketball empire. Just this past summer the French took home the silver medal at the Olympic Games, narrowly falling to the United States in the final of the prestigious tournament. They feature one star after the next, from Victor Wembenyama (currently out of action with a blood clot), to Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Zaccharie Risacher, Bilal Coulibaly and Guerschon Yabusele who are in the NBA, along with European stars Evan Fournier, Theo Maledon, Elie Okobo and Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Jaylen Hoard.
With such an array of talent, France will not only be ticketed to finish atop the group but also is a favorite to win the entire tournament.
Slovenia will also be a huge threat to win a medal at this summer’s EuroBasket as Luka Doncic, one of the biggest stars of the game now playing his trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, is a player who knows how to raise his game when the bright lights are shining on him. Along with Doncic, who is undoubtedly one of the best players on the planet, is former Maccabi Tel Aviv big man Josh Nebo, but he has been injured for the majority of the season. Other players include Zoran Dragic, Klemen Prepelic and Vlatko Cancar.
The host country, Poland, is always a strong team and it will have San Antonio Spurs star Jeremy Sochan, who has become a legitimate star for his club. Center Aleksander Balcerowski will be a key figure in the paint while veteran Mateusz Ponitka will also be an important player for Poland.
Belgium has improved as a basketball nation over the years and is a true threat to make some serious noise this coming summer. Avdija’s Portland teammate Toumani Camara could make his national team debut this year and he would provide some serious defensive presence, while another NBA player in Ajay Mitchell, who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, is also rumored to join Lions. A number of other players, including former Hapoel Jerusalem guard Retin Obasohan as well as Ismael Bako and Thijs De Ridder, will round out an interesting squad.
Iceland perhaps is the weakest team in the group, but it still has tools and size to cause problems for Israel.
Martin Hermansson, who plays for ALBA Berlin in the Euroleague, is the country’s biggest star while there are other competent members of the squad, including center Tryggvi Hlinason and guard Elvar Már Friðriksson.