The Israel National Team will face Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday at 21:15 as they will get their 2025 Eurobasket qualification campaign underway. The blue-and-white have a fairly senior squad available for head coach Ariel Beit Halachmi including veteran guard Bar Timor who will play center stage for Israel both against Portugal and on Sunday when they play at Slovenia.

The Hapoel Tel Aviv captain spoke to the Israel Basketball Association’s Official Website about the upcoming challenge that the team will face as well as finding the most efficient way to ensure that the roster which is made up of players who are in the Euroleague, abroad as well as in the domestic will jell as quickly as possible.

“It is always very exciting and special to pull on the national team jersey and in the state of our country today, it takes on an even greater significance. We are very happy to be able to get together for this window and make sure that it will be a good one. A national team is different from everything else and we coming together here due to our love for basketball and also for the love of our country, with a great sense of pride in being Israeli and Jewish and to represent the nation on the biggest possible stage while also playing with friends that we grew up with. It’s very special.”

Over the course if the summer, Timor was part of the team that attempted to qualify for the Olympic qualifying tournament that came up short with a squad that did not include many regulars. However, this time around Rafi Menco, Tomer Ginat, Nimrod Levi, Yovel Zoosman and Itay Segev are all with the team.

“Having these guys here greatly improves us but even in the summer we had a great group and did well. I am happy that they are all with us and can contribute. The more quality players there are available the better for the team but the most important thing is to be able to come together quickly.”

While the week is short and there isn’t much time, Timor knows that despite the lack of practice there will be other opportunities to come together and also a familiarity between the players.
“It’s strange, but that’s how it is when we play in these windows. It’s challenging and we have to connect outside of just the training sessions. We’re together all the time here and the social side will help the professional side. We are friends who have been together for many years who know each other and that will also help us. There’s not much time so we have to go straight to work.”

Timor is coming into the national team in great shape already having a terrific season with Hapoerl Tel Aviv and that will no doubt be helpful for him and the rest of the squad, “I really feel good and look forward to this opportunity and that was the case in the summer as well. I want to continue from where we left off in the summer and I’m already looking forward to doing just that.”

Timor is one of the oldest players in the squad and sees the younger talents that are stepping up in Yam Madar (Fenerbahce) and Noam Yaacov (ASVEL), “Both are excellent players who work hard and are progressing all of the time. It’s fun to see how they are influencing play where they are and are both playing at the highest level in Europe. They are going to go very far and I enjoy playing with them.”