Nes Ziona Basketball Team Launches Season with New Players and High Hopes

Ironi Nes Ziona is set to begin its season on Tuesday, facing Kiryat Ata in the group stage of the Winner Cup. The team has undergone significant changes over the summer, with eight new players joining alongside returning players and coach Paul Corsaro. The coaching staff has also been bolstered with the addition of Lithuanian assistant coach and fitness coach.

The club aims to drastically improve upon last season's performance, which they described as a "failure" after reaching the lower-tier playoff for survival. New owner Lev Mazor, who invested heavily in the team and professional system last season, has again increased the club's budget this summer.

New additions include Justin James, Paris Lee, Freddy Gillespie, Adam Ariel, Noam Dovrat, Vincent Emsalem, Benaya Saror, and Jacob Wiley. However, Adam Ariel, Noam Dovrat, and Jacob Wiley will miss the upcoming games. Ariel is sidelined with a knee injury sustained during a national team game and will be re-evaluated in about a week. Dovrat underwent a medical procedure for a knee injury sustained in training and is expected to be out for at least two weeks, with his return not looking optimistic in the short term. Wiley is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Tuesday morning and will therefore miss the first two games.

The team will also add guard Ben Unach (22, 1.89), who played for Kiryat Gat last season, to its roster for the Winner Cup group stage.