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Israel’s next big hope: Maayan Gorin aiming high with U18 National Team

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Israeli U18 National Team point guard Maayan Gorin is a key player aiming for promotion to Division A in the European Championships.
  • Gorin, 16, averaged 20.0 points per game for Israel's U16 team last year and is currently second on the U18 squad with 16.0 points per game.
  • She expressed pride in representing Israel and believes her talented team can achieve promotion by playing cohesively.
  • Gorin transitioned to basketball from soccer and developed her skills at the Gilboa/Maayanot youth department before moving to Crestwood Preparatory College in Canada.

Sixteen-year-old point guard Maayan Gorin is a standout player for Israel's Under-18 National Team as they compete in the European Championships, with the primary goal of earning promotion to Division A. Gorin, who plays for Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, a top Canadian basketball academy, is a crucial asset for the Israeli squad.

It’s an amazing feeling to represent Israel. There’s nothing better than representing your country and being together with all the girls. It’s just so much fun.

— Maayan GorinGorin expresses her feelings about representing Israel in the European Championships.

Last summer, Gorin was a leading scorer for Israel's U16 National Team, averaging 20.0 points per game at the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship. She continues to perform strongly in the current tournament in Tulcea, Romania, where she is second on the U18 team in scoring with 16.0 points per game. The team has started the competition with a 4-0 record in the group stage and is set to face Iceland in the quarterfinals.

That was a lot of fun, both as a team and personally. I think this year we can accomplish a lot by taking the good things from last year with us. We have a very talented team, and I believe in all of us.

— Maayan GorinGorin reflects on past success and her belief in the current U18 team's potential.

Gorin shared her enthusiasm for representing her country, stating, "It's an amazing feeling to represent Israel. There's nothing better than representing your country and being together with all the girls. It's just so much fun." She believes her team possesses significant talent and can achieve their promotion goal by playing together effectively, drawing on positive experiences from the previous year.

Of course, to earn promotion to Division A, do the best we possibly can and play together as one team.

— Maayan GorinGorin states the team's clear objective for the tournament.

Basketball was not Gorin's first sport; she initially played soccer. However, she discovered her passion for basketball through friends and developed her skills in the Gilboa/Maayanot youth department. This experience provided a strong foundation, leading to her move to North America to play for Crestwood Preparatory College, an opportunity she described as "an opportunity I didn't want to miss out on."

I actually played soccer, but all of my friends played basketball and wanted me to join them. So I decided to try it once and I fell in love with it.

— Maayan GorinGorin explains her transition from soccer to basketball.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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