Israel National Basketball Team Begins World Cup Qualifying Prep Amid Player Absences

The Israel National Basketball team has commenced training camp in Tel Aviv for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Germany and Croatia. Having already secured advancement to the second round with a 2-2 record in Group E, these final first-round games still hold significance as their results will carry over.

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We have gathered here for the final window of the first stage of the qualifiers. We’ve already advanced from our group, and we’re preparing for two very difficult games against strong national teams. We have a lot of absences for many reasons, there are injuries and NBA players who were not released by their clubs, but I want to focus on the players who are here. There’s nothing we can do about those who aren’t, and we’ll give our players the confidence they need.

Head coach Ariel Beit Halachmi is navigating a challenging roster situation. Key players like NBA All-Star Deni Avdija and Brooklyn Nets rookie Ben Saraf are unavailable, as are several other national team regulars due to injuries. The squad, initially 15 players, will be trimmed to 14 for the qualifiers.

"We have gathered here for the final window of the first stage of the qualifiers," Beit Halachmi stated. "We’ve already advanced from our group, and we’re preparing for two very difficult games against strong national teams. We have a lot of absences for many reasons, there are injuries and NBA players who were not released by their clubs, but I want to focus on the players who are here."

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Benayahu is one of our strongest big men physically, and we need that in this window because last time we struggled in that area. He was in excellent form but unfortunately suffered a serious injury. We’ll see him in the few practices we have and evaluate how much he can contribute during this window.

The team is particularly lacking in size and physicality, a void coach Beit Halachmi hopes new call-up Benayahu Srur can fill. Captain Tomer Ginat's fitness is also a concern, with Beit Halachmi describing his situation as "shaky" after a tough season and injury. Israel will host Germany in Latvia due to the security situation, before traveling to face Croatia.

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From what we know, his situation is shaky. You could see that in the way he was running and playing during the finals series. From his perspective, he’ll do everything he can to be available, and we all know Tomer’s commitment, but it seems he’s highly doubtful.