Israel’s women’s basketball team (ranked 49th in the world / 23st in Europe) is now in the midst of its final preparations for the February window of FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers, in which it will play against Ireland (ranked 80th in the world / 36th in Europe) on Thursday night (18:00 IST / 11:00 EST) and against Latvia (ranked 29th in the world / 17th in Europe) on Sunday night (17:00 IST / 10:00 EST). Both games, which were originally scheduled to be held in November but were postponed due to Israel’s war with Hamas, are being held in Riga, Latvia, with the Ireland game a “home” game for the Blue & White being played at a neutral venue due to the war and the latter being a home game for the Latvians.

Israel began the week with a special training session together with female combat soldiers from the Israel Defense Force’s co-ed infantry Bardelas (Cheetah) Battalion – who have bene notably fighting alongside the rest of the units in Gaza during the war – in a joint activity sponsored by the Israel Basketball Association, the IDF and Israel’s sponsor Sonol Energy.

“We ended this day in an exciting way with all the girls who honored us with their presence, it us gives a different dimension in the times in which we’re living,” Israel coach Sharon Drucker said after the joint activity. “We are coming with pride and we are going to represent the country and we got the best example for us that we could ask for. After that, we do not need to address our players’ motivation, we will be together and the women we will put it all out on the court to return home victors from this window.”

“I also want to join the call for the release of all hostages [in Gaza], our heart is with them and all of their families,” Drucker added.

Captain and Elitzur Ramla star Eden Rotberg echoed her coach’s sentiments: “Thank you to the Bardelas girls for what you are giving and doing in a very complex situation, thank you for protecting us and I hope that all of the hostages will return home soon.”

One of the Bardelas soldiers who participated in the activities, Major Yuval Holzman, was a former player in the Athena Winner League (Israel’s Premier Women’s Basketball League), most-recently with Elitzur Tel Aviv.

“Thank you for the privilege of hosting us here,” Holzman said after the session. “The task of the Bardelas is to protect the border with Egypt, which is a breakthrough for the female soldiers to reach full equality. I played basketball prior to joining the army, I was privileged to play in Israel’s Premier Women’s Basketball League, the sport which made me better in the army and in life in general. The desire to win is ingrained in me, also in the army I have the desire to lead in every way possible. In the end, sportspeople have something more in them , to always strive to which in what we do.

“I was privileged to meet most of the players in the National Team and I am sure that they will represent us with honor,” Holzman continued. “In the end being a combat solider is mainly teamwork and it’s something that we took from sports, the discipline and striving for excellence and the values – this is how I was brought up, you can see it emphasized in sport and generally and specifically in basketball, even functioning under pressure has a certain similarity. All the values that sports brings has made be a better soldier and a better commander.”

While the task at hand seems miniscule in comparison to the war that their compatriots are fighting, the games will be a challenge for Team Israel, whose preparations have been affected by the war.

“We had to make adjustments along the way due to the postponement of the games, we chose the best squad to represent the country,” Drucker said of the challenges which the war has brought. “I only look towards the first game against Ireland, it’s a home game which we are not playing at home. We need to come and try to win the game and from there continue to the second game.

“If there was a window in November, then [Jennifer] Fleischer and Alex Cohen would be part of the squad and would give us height,” Drucker said of the lack of height advantage that this team has going into the current games. “At the moment, Alex is half-retired and she is not able to contribute, Fleischer has other commitments and cannot play. Therefore, we have [Elitzur Ramle star] Daniel Raber as our only “big”. We’ve thought about how we create a style of play that will make us play fast and give us an advantage, of course we won’t play crazy inside, but we will do other things. The girls understand basketball, know what needs to be done and this will be a method of play that we will have to instill in training before the game.”

Without the veterans and the US college players such as the Garzon sisters, there are additional opportunities for the Athena Women’s League players to make their marks on the national team, including Ramat Hasharon’s Dor Sa’ar, who is having a breakout season.

“We have followed the Israeli league and we cannot ignore what Dor Sa’ar is doing this year,” Drucker continued. “She deserves the call-up by right, not kindness.”

“It’s always a great honor to represent the country, especially in a period like this,” Sa’ar said. “I’m very excited and ready for the task. Since the 7th of October, all of our lives have changed and therefore since then it’s important to represent our country with honor, to fight on the court and to show that we’re great and we are able to. I believe that we can do that.”

In addition to the restricted preparations, the war has also brought other challenges. Irish players have threatened to boycott the game in a show of solidarity against Israel’s participation in the war against Hamas, however indications are that the game will still go ahead.

“As we have previously stated, we’re all very concerned about events in Gaza and are extremely sympathetic to the dreadful situation that people are having to deal with,” Ireland’s basketball CEO John Feehan said, as reported by the Irish Mirror yesterday. “Basketball Ireland is obliged to play this fixture, because the ramifications of not doing so would be ruinous to the women’s international program, as boycotting these games with Israel would lead to huge fines from FIBA of up to €180,000, along with an effective 5-year ban for the team. I’d like to praise James Weldon, his staff and the players who’ve had to deal with off-court issues in the lead-up, but remain focused on putting in a performance on Thursday, as they target a win.”

“Neither our team nor our players are disconnected, we know what is happening with the Irish and what happened to them,” Drucker said. “There is no point in getting the players fired up because they have the motivation and desire to win anyway. I have lots to say about this, but I prefer not to speak and to keep the team focused on basketball. However, sport should be an integral part of what it symbolizes and Ireland did not accept that. We will focus on basketball only and nothing else beyond that.”

“It’s known that they’re quite antisemitic and it’s not a secret, we’re expecting an intense game against them,” Sa’ar said. “We need to show that we’re better than them and to win. We speak about it between ourselves, we know that they don’t love us and we will leave everything on the court always and especially in this game.”

While the challenges both on the court and off the court have the potential to trouble the team, the players believe that it isn’t going to prevent them from winning, as was made clear by team leaders Jennie Simms (Elitzur Ramla) and Alyssa Baron (Hapoel Lev Jerusalem), who spoke with The Sports Rabbi after the joint training session.

“I think at the end of the day, it’s bigger than us right now,” Simms said of the challenges which this window brings. “It gives us more willpower and more power to go. They [Fleischer and Cohen] are not here for a reason, in their circumstances. Us being leaders, it’s time for us to step forward and lead the young ones up, because at the end of the day they’re coming up next. Just being able to push forward and wear the flag on our chest, wear the name Israel on our chest with pride.”

“I think it’s fun to be the underdog sometimes,” Baron said with optimism. “Especially going in right now, we have an extra chip on our shoulders. We’re just going to come out and fight. All we’re going to do is give our best.”

Unlike their teammates, the two veterans were born in the United States and moved to Israel to play basketball professionally after finishing their college careers. However, this doesn’t make either of them any less proud of their adopted country.

“Israel has become my second home, if not my first, as I spend more time here than I do in the States even though that’s where I’m from,” Baron said. “Our home is under attack. It’s a difficult time, but we stand strong with Israel. We’ll show the world that we’re playing with Team Israel and with the flag on our chest it’s a chance for us to show it even more.”

“All of us are getting attacked,” Simms said. “At the end of the day, it’s a misunderstanding with the situation, the way they’re feeling like we’re retaliating. When you’re misunderstood, you have to take a stand and that’s what we’re doing.”

At the end of the day, despite everything that’s happening at home, in Riga the team will be focused on the job at hand and will be doing their best to come home with victories to put them on course to qualify for the 2025 tournament.

“We have an important goal in the next two games, we worked hard, we will come in sharp and to win,” Rotberg said. “In the game we will have the best team and we will know how to handle Ireland and if we need to manage the cavalry, but first of all we need to win. The situation is not easy, I also personally had friends who were murdered and it has a very big impact, but in the end this is our job, sport heals, we are coming prepared and each of us know what she has to do here, there is no reason that we will not win.”