Israeli Youth Stars David Moses and Aviv Aronov Excel at European Basketball Championship

The Israeli youth basketball team lost to Slovenia but still has a chance to qualify for the World Championship by winning their remaining classification games for 5th to 8th place. Two Israeli players, David Moses and Aviv Aronov, have stood out with remarkable performances throughout the tournament, establishing themselves as top talents in their age group in Europe.

Aviv Aronov leads the scoring chart with an average of 24.4 points per game, also ranking first in free throw percentage at 88.9%, while contributing 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He has scored 30 points against Greece, 31 against France, and consistently delivered strong performances against Austria, Denmark, and Slovenia. Aronov has taken the most field goal attempts in the tournament, averaging 18.8 shots per game.

David Moses leads the tournament in efficiency rating with 27.4 per game, ahead of Lithuania's Ignas Stombergas. Moses has played the most minutes per game (32.9) and leads in rebounds with 12.2 per game. He ranks ninth in field goal percentage (49.4%), sixth in free throw percentage (82.1%), and seventh in three-point shooting (39.1%). Moses has never scored below 21 points or grabbed fewer than eight rebounds in any game, including standout performances of 26 points and 19 rebounds against Greece.

Both players were considered strong MVP candidates until Israel’s quarterfinal loss to Slovenia likely ended those hopes. Notably, Ben Saraf is the only Israeli to have won the MVP honor previously, in 2024 when Israel finished fourth. Additionally, Amitai Azriel has impressed by leading the tournament in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.3) and ranking third in total assists with 5.2 per game.

Israel’s youth team now aims to win its remaining games to secure a prestigious spot at the World Championship scheduled for next summer.