{"id":154275,"date":"2025-09-03T08:15:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=154275"},"modified":"2025-09-03T08:15:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:15:17","slug":"and-the-winner-of-the-best-supporting-actor-award-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/and-the-winner-of-the-best-supporting-actor-award-is\/","title":{"rendered":"And the winner of the Best Supporting Actor award is\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Israel\u2019s previous trip to the EuroBasket Round of 16, a decade ago, Omri Casspi and Gal Mekel shone above all and their most notable supporting actor was Lior Eliyahu, who delivered a strong offensive campaign after his historic championship with Hapoel Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

When Yaniv Green was crowned the rebounding king of Europe in 2007 and the national team surprised Serbia and Croatia back-to-back, Yotam Halperin led the squad in minutes and points and everyone fed off the quiet leadership of Meir Tapiro.<\/p>\n

In the last quarterfinal appearance, 22 years ago, the key was collective effort. Tal Burstein played the most, Tapiro scored the most and Green teamed up with Ido Kozikaro to form a dynamic pair of supporting stars.<\/p>\n

Tomer Steinhauer\u2019s peak performance in 1997, ranking fifth in points and third in rebounds among all tournament participants, has been nearly forgotten, overshadowed by Oded Katash\u2019s scoring title.
\n

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Tomer Ginat – Photo Credit: FIBA<\/p><\/div>
\nNow, in 2025, this national team will be remembered as the team of Deni Avdija, Yam Madar and Roman Sorkin. Maybe the following description does a bit of injustice to its captain, but at The Oscars that will never actually take place, when they announce, \u201cAnd the winner of the Best Supporting Actor award is\u2026\u201d \u2014 Tomer Ginat wouldn\u2019t even need to wait for the envelope to be opened. He\u2019d already know and he\u2019d already be up on stage.<\/p>\n

So why is that an unfair description? Because he ranks third among Israelis in both points and efficiency rating, first in rebounds (eighth overall in the entire EuroBasket) and second in assists. Supporting actor? Really?<\/p>\n

The thing about Ginat is that it\u2019s not always easy to glorify his play or point to one single moment that won the game. He thrives on cleaning up the scraps (in the best possible sense), on small key plays that make a massive difference, on subtle movements and disruptions that halt negative momentum and turn it into something deadly (again, in the best possible sense!).
\n

\"\"

Tomer Ginat and Deni Avdija – Photo credit: FIBA<\/p><\/div>
\nThere\u2019s not much to take away from the win over Belgium. After the emotional high of beating France, we have to honestly admit that the journey isn\u2019t all that interesting and not really important, either. Only the outcome matters. Sorry for the clich\u00e9. Yovel Zoosman started the game poorly and didn\u2019t play at all in the second half. Khadeen Carrington finally hit his first 3-pointer and once it fell through the basket, two more followed and suddenly he looked more confident. Sorkin felt comfortable against a softer matchup (which might repeat itself tomorrow) and Ariel Beit-Halachmi couldn\u2019t afford a single moment without Avdija on the court.<\/p>\n

Although the team passed the most basic test of \u201ccoming down from the mountaintop\u201d and didn\u2019t stumble against a weak opponent, it\u2019s still unclear how far Israel can go in this tournament. In some ways, the final group stage game against Slovenia may turn out to be more significant than the Round of 16 knockout contest.<\/p>\n

It may sound a bit cruel, but in hindsight, the win over France could end up in the memory books as heroic, impressive and meaningless. If the team loses tomorrow against Slovenia, they\u2019ll finish in fourth place, just as they would have without it. Basketball, you very strange thing.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no other way, Avdija and his teammates have reached the minimum goal set for them, but they\u2019ll need to pull out one more rabbit from the hat to make this journey truly special. We definitely won\u2019t complain if they do.
\n

\"\"

Tomer Ginat and Deni Avdija – Photo credit: FIBA<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Israel\u2019s previous trip to the EuroBasket Round of 16, a decade ago, Omri Casspi and Gal Mekel shone above all and their most notable supporting actor was Lior Eliyahu, who delivered a strong offensive campaign after his historic championship with Hapoel Jerusalem. 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