The Israel National Team gets back into the court for a pair of games in 2023 World Cup qualifying as they host Finland on Friday at the Drive In Arena and then travel to Slovenia for a Monday tilt. While the blue-and-white have been officially eliminated from the tournament slated for the summer in Indonesia, Japan and Philippines, interim head coach Nadav Zilberstein has a young squad to work with as the future of Israeli basketball will be on full display.

While veterans including captain Tomer Ginat, Idan Zalmanson, Bar Timor, Itay Segev are part of the team, 22-year old Itay Moskovitz and 18 year old Noam Yaacov ware also called up for camp which includes 15 players.

Ahead of the pair of games, Zilberstein and Ginat looked ahead to the challenge that the National Team will face when Finland arrives with almost a full squad with just NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen not making the trip.

“We are excited to be here just like every window. These games are very important for us and we want to win. This national team has been a part of a generation of success and we want to practice and play up to those same standards.”

“The first game is against Finland and they are a very good team with most of their main players other than Markkanen. They play differently than many other teams but they have various elements that are not used by many teams and we need to play as we did in the Eurobasket to win again.”

Captain Tomer Ginat also looked forward to the upcoming clashes and a chance for the some new blood to get into the national team program, “It’s a huge honor and it’s exciting to be here as part of the Israel national team. We have a couple of very important games and there are many young players and we want to play the best basketball that we can to advance the national team program. We want to do the best preparation for these games, we want to enjoy and win going forward.”

With so many young players with the team and only 3 players who were on this summer’s Eurobasket squad, Zilberstein knows this is a good chance to expand the pool of players heading into the near future.

“I think that the Israel national team has many good guards and Noam Yaacov is one of those. We have had an issue because these windows have a life of their own and you never know who will be available so you need many players. If Noam plays as expected and his career goes the way we believe it will then he has a very bright future.”

Ginat also saw this upcoming window of games as being a serious opportunity for some of the younger players to make an impact and also impress, “Every player that’s with the national team has an opportunity to become a part of the national team program and they can be a part of the team going forward and that is the dream of every player that plays basketball in Israel.”

“We have some players that have been with us for some time and some new ones as we look to start a new journey and to the future. This is definitely an opportunity to go on a new path and look to the future and I hope that we can do just that.”

Zilberstein is in charge of the team for this window is due to the fact that Guy Goodes stepped down after the November window of games that saw Israel officially eliminated from the 2023 World Cup qualifying. The Hapoel Holon head coach led the blue-and-white in Prague this past summer at the Eurobasket where the team won their first two games but then lost three in a row and crashed out of the tournament.

After being bounced from the possibility of playing in the world championships Goodes felt that it was time for him to depart which left the team in a situation where one of his assistants and in this case Zilberstein would be tasked with managing the team until a new head coach would be appointed.

“For me everything that’s connected to basketball including every role in the national team excites me,” Zilberstein said. “The situation is clear as the Israel national team is the most important thing in Israeli basketball. We will do everything that we can in order to do our best and show what Israeli basketball is.

“As a staff, Guy is missing and we are a close group. We are upset about his decision but we understand it as well. There is a purpose here that is more important than just me. The decision to select a coach is important and it has to be a responsible one. I’m happy to be here and be a part of the National team.”

Ginat also chimed in on the matter, “I agree with what Nadav said and we all enjoyed playing for Guy. We couldn’t win the last few games and we did the best that we could. We know that the IBBA is doing a good job in looking for a full time coach and I’m sure they will find the right person. We want to do the best we can over the next week and we want to do the best in order to win.”

Zilberstein has been a head coach for many years in the top two divisions in Israel basketball, with a recent stint with Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion in the Leumit League. Having the privilege to now lead the National Team is definitely something that he will cherish while trying to get the most out of these games.

“I believe that the DNA of this team that has played many years, running, transition and the ability to get out as much as we can is what’s important. Coaching the national team is probably the pinnacle of every coach’s ambitions. Do I have something to prove? I try every day to be the best version of myself and not try to prove to anything to anyone. I try to do the best I can and help the team win.”

Ultimately, the goal is to win games and while the squad may have a number of newcomers, winning is still the name of the game Ginat explained, “The Israel national team is of the utmost importance and we want to win the games, the players here will do what they can to win. We aren’t missing any energy or drive, there are a lot of young players and I remember when I was here once in the same spot as well called up for the first time. We have a lot of potential going forward and this coming week against Finland is our first test.”