Pnini looks for glory one last time – The veteran Israeli forward prepares for his 6th Eurobasket

Aug 30, 2022 | Holyland Hoops

Guy Pnini is the elder statesman of the Israel National Team as he will turn 39 years old in the midst of his his 6th Eurobasket. The forward is coming off a championship season with Hapoel Holon and during the offseason decided to move back to Maccabi Tel Aviv where he captained the team to the 2014 Euroleague championship.
 
With Pnini heading into the twilight of his career, he will give it one more shot to see if he can find a way to help the blue-and-white reach the promised land with a group of younger players that he has been able to work with over the past few years.  

Guy Pnini – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman

 
With training camp having opened at the beginning of August, the national team has been able to spend more time putting various aspects of their game into place ahead of the European Championships Pnini explained.
 
“We’ve had some time to really work with each other which is something that we haven’t had the chance to do during the other national team windows while the basketball season is going on. It was great to win the exhibition games but they were just practice in essence, it was just the warmup for the Eurobasket.”
 
The level of player that is going to play in this year’s Eurobasket is quite high with many NBA players who will feature for numerous national teams. Pnini looks at it as a combination of having so many NBA players that have European roots in addition to things getting back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic has waned.

“It’s some of the reasons why there are a lot of NBA players as well as having so many that are now playing in the United States. It’s also a challenge to play these types of players as well. In 2013 I was in a group with Dirk Nowitski and Tony Parker so it’s always been a tournament that is played at a high level. However, we have to continue to work on ourselves.”

Deni Avdija and Guy Pnini – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman

 
As for Israel, the blue-and-white also have an NBA player in Deni Avdija that can make an impact with the team but as Pnini says the squad is more of a team and not just individuals.
 
“We’re very happy that Deni is with us and he brings a lot to the team. But we are a team though who have been playing for five years together and now we have to get Deni involved. as he was unavailable for many windows during the season. He wants to help the best that he can and I’m sure that he will do just that.”

The fact that the national team has been working together in a certain fashion over the past few years is definitely a huge positive for Israel as there are some squads that will have numerous players parachute in just in time to take part in a big tournament.

“We’ve been working together for five years now and we have an advantage as we have a lot of chemistry on the court and we know which player can do what and what their strengths are. Every squad that I’ve been with has had the hunger and desire to do well with the national team. We have a lot of potential and the first goal is to go up a stage to the knockout rounds but most importantly is to not get too high or too low and to keep things in proportion.” 

Guy Pnini – Photo Credit: Dov Halickman


The Eurobasket group stage consists of 5 games that are played two in a row then a day off, then two more games and a day off and then one last contest. Pnini feels that this is a very difficult format for today’s game as the style has changed, players have become bigger and faster and the game itself is much more aggressive and physical.
 
“The format of having game after game may not be the best way to play as basketball as it is now much faster and much more intense than it was. Our bodies have to adjust to play one game after the next and it’s a challenge to bring the best out of each player when you are playing back-to-back. Perhaps it may be an idea to have a few more days in between games down the road.”

Gal Mekel and Guy Pnini – Photo Credit: Yehuda Halickman


Over the years Pnini has experienced some very big wins and tough losses at the European Championships but his goal overall has always been the same on a personal level which is to help the players on the team and see them maximize their potential. But that being stated he also wants to see Israel go as far as it can and not look at this campaign compared to any other.

“In my first campaign under Tzvika Sherf we beat Serbia and Croatia and we got into the Eurobasket jn what was a last chance campaign which was terrific. But I want to really do something great with the national team. We have a lot of potential with this generation of players. It’s not fair to compare this team to other Eurobasket squads that I have been on throughout my career. We just have to focus on ourselves.”

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