Elitzur Netanya was officially relegated to the National League after a turbulent season ended with a 77-89 home win on Wednesday, a result the club described as its most painful and frustrating of the year. Despite the victory, the team could not avoid the drop and is now preparing for major changes.
Club officials said, “It hurts. We went into the game knowing this could happen, but we tried as much as possible to put it aside. We managed to focus on the game and give everything, but no matter how much we wanted it and won, it was not enough.” They added that when the outcome was still in their own hands, they failed to win the key games needed to stay up.
The season was shaped by constant upheaval, including changes forced by the security situation and a revolving door of coaches. Idan Avshalom started on the bench, followed by Greek coach Aris Lykogiannis, then Eli Rabbi, and finally assistant coach Ilan Amar, who replaced Rabbi for the last three games after the war break. A new owner also arrived during the season, bringing a major financial upgrade, but that did not translate into survival.
Netanya now wants to rebuild from scratch and is seeking a senior coach who can serve as a stabilizing figure. The club is considering keeping Jivonte McCoy, Dianta Baldwin, and Cameron Oliver, all of whom joined after the war break to help the survival push. Otis Frazier, who had a strong season individually, has already signed with a Japanese league team. Netanya’s final game of the season will be an away match against Hapoel Galil Elyon, which secured safety on Wednesday.
