Israel's U18 Basketball Team Suffers Heavy Defeat to Greece, Ending World Championship Hopes

Israel's under-18 national basketball team was decisively beaten by Greece 84-64 on August 1, 2026, in the classification game for 5th to 8th place at the European Championship. Coached by Nadav Zilberstein, the Israeli squad had shown promise earlier in the tournament but collapsed in the second half against a more experienced Greek team. This loss effectively ended Israel's chance to qualify for the under-19 World Championship scheduled for next year in the Czech Republic, which required two consecutive wins: today's game against Greece and a subsequent match against the loser of Turkey versus Germany.

Key Israeli players included David Moses, who scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, Rom Stoller with 13 points and 6 rebounds, and Loran Trushkin with 11 points. However, star players Moses and Aviv Aronov, who had excelled earlier in the tournament, struggled in this game, with Moses shooting only 4 of 10 from the field and Aronov scoring just three points. Greece dominated the second half 47-31, steadily increasing their lead after a relatively balanced first quarter.

With their World Championship hopes dashed, Israel now aims to finish seventh in the tournament by facing the winner of the Turkey-Germany match in their final game. Despite the disappointing defeat, the team and supporters are encouraged to focus on the positive moments from the competition and look ahead to future opportunities.