Israeli Girls' Basketball Team Heads to Europe B Division Championship Aiming for Promotion

The Israeli girls' basketball team has departed for the European Championship B Division, which begins this Saturday in Romania. After being relegated to Division B last summer, coach Roy Eisenberg and his staff aim to return the team to Division A. The tournament features 20 teams divided into four groups of five. Israel was drawn into Group B alongside Ukraine, Bulgaria, Norway, and Switzerland, with their opening game against Switzerland scheduled for Friday.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, and the top three overall are expected to be promoted to Division A. Key players include Maya Zilbershlag, who previously starred in the U18 European Championship final and led last summer's tournament in scoring with 18.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. She also made a significant impact in the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Ashdod and has committed to Purdue University for the upcoming season.

Another standout is Maayan Gorin, a point guard playing in Canada, who was highlighted by FIBA as a must-watch player. Other notable players expected to contribute are Tamar Carmi, Mika Yanai, and Savion Kamer. The full roster includes Maayan Gorin, Adi Gotstadt, Rotem Shtikelro, Mika Yanai, Or Gadot, Maayan Aviram, Liam Yasso, Mika Kanitz, Hatiana Jraisi, Tamar Carmi, Maya Zilbershlag, and Savion Kamer.

The coaching team is led by Roy Eisenberg, with assistant coach Tal Dvik, physiotherapist Chen Gaz, fitness coach Nadav Lensman, and team manager Bruria Hadar. Eisenberg previously coached the girls' team to a fourth-place finish in 2024, the best result for Israeli women's basketball teams until the recent silver medal by the U20 team. The clear goal now is to finish in the top three and restore Israel's only women's basketball team to Division A.