Neno Ginzburg has been appointed as the next head coach of the Israel National Basketball Team, replacing Ariel Beit Halachmi. His first assignment will be the Olympic pre-qualifying tournament in August.
In several months, the Israel National Team will conclude its World Cup qualifying campaign, at which point Ariel Beit Halachmi will step down as head coach. On Thursday, it was officially announced that Neno Ginzburg will take over the position, signing a two-year contract and taking charge of the national team for the first time in his career.
Ginzburg said following the announcement: “I am happy and proud to be appointed head coach of the Israel National Team. Coaching the national team has been the pinnacle of my ambitions ever since I began my coaching career. I viewed the approach from the Israel Basketball Association as a tremendous honor and a wonderful opportunity to fulfill a dream. Coaching a national team is something unique, which I experienced as an Israeli coach with the Czech Republic. Wearing the national team’s colors carries tremendous significance. I have great faith in Israeli basketball players, and I believe we have an excellent generation capable of achieving wonderful things in the coming years.
“I am taking on this position with a commitment to the process, humility and a tremendous desire to succeed. I am also confident that everyone will demonstrate a commitment to our shared goals, including the Israel Basketball Association, the professional staff, the players and the clubs.
“The national team still has two windows remaining in its current campaign, which concludes in February, under head coach Ariel Beit Halachmi, whom I greatly respect and with whom I have shared a friendship for many years. Once I officially take over in July 2027, I will be able to address matters in greater detail and answer questions.”
Israel Basketball Association Chairman Amos Frishman added: “I congratulate Neno Ginzburg on his appointment as head coach of the Israel National Team. Neno has worked at every level, from youth coaching and national teams to his many achievements on the international stage with the Czech Republic and the clubs he has coached. I am confident that the knowledge and impressive experience he has accumulated, particularly in international basketball, will benefit our national team. I would like to thank the members of the professional committee who unanimously supported his appointment. I also want to once again thank Ariel Beit Halachmi, who requested to conclude his tenure at the end of the World Cup qualifying campaign.”
Ronen (Neno) Ginzburg, 63, enjoyed tremendous success coaching the Czech Republic National Team for a decade, from 2013 through 2023. At EuroBasket 2015, he led the Czechs to a seventh-place finish, while in 2019 he guided the country to its first-ever FIBA World Cup quarterfinal appearance and an impressive sixth-place finish. Under his leadership, the Czech Republic also qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were held in 2021. At EuroBasket 2022, Ginzburg’s Czech team defeated Israel in the final game of the group stage, preventing the blue-and-white from advancing to the next round.
Throughout his coaching career, Ginzburg has worked at virtually every level of the game. In 2006, he arrived at Czech club Nymburk as an assistant coach to Muli Katzurin, with whom he also worked as an assistant on the Poland National Team. During the 2010/11 season, Ginzburg was appointed Nymburk’s head coach and enjoyed considerable success, winning three consecutive domestic doubles and five league championships. He also guided the club to the EuroCup final in 2010. In 2015, he returned to Nymburk for a second stint.
Ginzburg subsequently coached Ukrainian club Prometey, leading the team to a domestic championship and the EuroCup semifinals in 2023, followed by a quarterfinal appearance in the competition in 2024. During the 2024/25 season, he coached in Japan before moving to Anwil Wloclawek in Poland.
Before making his mark overseas, Ginzburg coached several Israeli clubs, including Bnei Herzliya, Givat Shmuel and Ramat Hasharon. He also worked with Israel’s youth national teams, coaching the U18 squad from 2011 to 2012.
Ginzburg’s first assignment as Israel’s new head coach will come in August, when the blue-and-white competes in the Olympic pre-qualifying tournament.
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