The Israel Under-19 National Team will begin its journey at the World Championship in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday (9:00 PM), when the blue-and-white will meet the host in the opening Group C match. There had been serious concerns that the Israel U19’s would not be able to make it to the tournament due to the closure of Ben Gurion Airport as a result of the war with Iran. As a result, FIBA ​​wanted to get clarification on whether or not the team would be be able to arrive in time for the competition, but Israel Basketball Association chairman Amos Frishman along with the assistance of government officials, managed to get permission for the team to fly as they departed over a week before the opening tip-off.

While the squad missed an exhibition tournament because of the conflict, they will put all of the difficulties and challenges aside as they look to represent the country with honor on the international stage.

The Israel Under-19 National Team who will be participating in the World Championship for the first time in its history has a plethora of up-and-coming stars including Yaron Goldman. The guard, who grew up in the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth system and played last season for Elitzur Shomron of the Leumit League, recently celebrated his 19th birthday and is on the cusp of taking a step forward for the team that will be missing Ben Saraf after he had been selected by the Brooklyn Nets the recent NBA Draft.

At the Under-18 European Championships last summer, Goldman was one of the main key players in helping the squad advance to the semifinals and thus qualify for the World Championship. The 1.90 meter combo guard scored 9.1 points (35.3% for beyond the arc) and dished out 3.4 assists in close to 21 minutes per game coming off the bench.

Just ahead of the tournament, The Sports Rabbi spoke to Goldman about the a myriad of topics as he readies to take to the floor in Lausanne.

“First of all, during a time like this, there’s even more pride and a sense of responsibility, especially since this is a World Championship,” Goldman began. “This isn’t something that happens every day and it’s an incredible privilege and opportunity for us as players. There’s a ton of a very big excitement. We played in the European Championships, but the World Championship is something totally different.”

The team really had no idea of they were going to make it to the competition due to the war that broke out with Iran, but ultimately Goldman and the rest of the team were able to obtain special permission to fly out of the country.

“There was a lot of fear, especially during the first few days of the conflict but then I saw many articles in the news that the chairman was doing everything in his power for us to be able to go. He was able to speak with ministers in the government and I realized that since the situation was at this level, then somehow we would be able to leave Israel and that’s what eventually happened.”

Goldman and his teammates were unable to practice together due to the restrictions that were levied on the citizens of the country because of the situation and they also missed playing in an exhibition tournament, however, despite the those challenges, Goldman explained that they are ready to go.

“First of all, before the war, we had a month of training that went really well and the practices were at a very high level with terrific chemistry. Then came the war and a week where everyone trained independently because we did not have permission to practice as a group, so everyone trained by themselves and took good care of themselves during this time.

“Our fitness coach was constantly in touch with us and checking up that we were training, doing what we needed to and taking care of ourselves. When we arrived here in Switzerland, we were in Geneva for four days and now we are in Lausanne ready for the tournament and the practice sessions that we have had since have been excellent especially considering that we did not train for an entire week together. We are in good shape and there are no excuses,” he emphasized.

There will be a heavy security presence around the team and Goldman himself said that he had never experienced anything like it as the players have also been instructed to be careful to not display any type of Israeli symbols.

After facing Switzerland in the opener, Israel will then play Jordan on Sunday (17:45), however, there is a possibility that the opponent may boycott the clash due to political reasons, “We are coming here to play basketball and are putting politics aside. This is not that relevant to us and doesn’t interest us as well. We came here for sporting purposes, to bring pride to the country and to achieve something special for the teams and for ourselves. If the game takes place against them, we will come into it with pride, we will be holding our heads held high and we will win the game.”

All of the teams automatically advance to the round of 16 as the group stage is about positioning with the goal of playing an easier opponent in the knockout stage. Israel, who will also play the Dominican Republic in Group C will face an opponent from Group D after the initial stages as the United States, France, Australia and Cameroon are all potential foes.

“Group play does matter, but what matters most is our fourth game, which I think is where everyone is focusing on,” Goldman said. “This is the most important game to win and at that point I believe everything is open once we hit the quarterfinals. We need to give a good opening blow, to make sure that we play well from the get go, to win and finish first in our group which is very important.”

Last season was Goldman’s first as a professional as he plied his trade for Elitzur Shomron in the country’s second division where he averaged 6.6 points (38.9% for two, 31.3% for three and 71.9% from the free throw line), 2.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists to go along with 1.8 turnovers in 18 minutes per game, primarily coming off of the bench. At the end of the season the team was relegated to the third division with a 12-21 record, however, it has been since been determined that they will remain in the Leumit League after Hapoel Bnei Kafr Qasem will not be able to field a team.

Goldman spoke about what he can take from his experience and how much he expects to be one of the leaders under Head Coach Sharon Avrahami, “It was a difficult year with Shomron that had plenty of ups and downs, but I was able to gain much more experience by playing with older guys and I also have a better understanding of what I need to bring to the table at the professional level. I believe that I have a significant standing with the Under-19 team and I need to take the things I learned this year with Shomron whether it’s leading by example, or whether it’s tough defense and implement them with the team.

The team’s biggest star is is without a doubt Omer Mayer. The guard who is a product of the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth system, will join the University of Purdue for the upcoming season and Goldman, who grew up alongside him spoke about how happy he was for him.

“Omer and I have been playing together since 10th grade. We have amazing chemistry and we are great friends. When he decided to head to Purdue, I was so happy for him. He wants him to have a good tournament here and then he wants to also play well at the Under-20 European Championship where I will also be following there World Championship. After that he is looking to make sure that he will play well for Purdue. I’m very happy for him.”

Last summer, Goldman and the Israel Under-18’s had a magical the journey as they stunned Hugo Gonzalez’s Spain in the round of 16 and then bounced Noa Essengue and Nolan Traore’s France in the quarterfinals as the Sabra contributed 11 points and 6 assists in the win.

“That was something that took a while to digest. To be able to reach that stage, especially considering that Israel was also at war, brought so much pride to the country and to be able to beat such big teams like France and Spain that was the greatest experience I’ve ever had.”

In the semifinals against Serbia, Goldman had an excellent showing with 14 points, 7 assists and a efficiency rating of 18, as he led the team’s comeback at the end of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Serbian Andrej Kostic scored a winning 3-pointer against at the buzzer to end the second overtime, on the way to a heartbreaking 115-114 loss.

“You can’t forget something like that. We were playing in the semifinals of the European Championship and we were thinking that we could win a medal perhaps even gold, something that I don’t believe ever happened for the U18’s. But that’s behind us now it’s no longer something we are focussed on as we have to really look at this tournament and do the best we can.”

Last year it was Ben Saraf who dominated the European Championship and was named the tournament’s MVP. This year, Saraf won’t be available for Israel at the World Championship as he was just drafted by the Brooklyn Nets and will be heading to the NBA Summer League.

“Ben is an amazing teammate and a winner at heart,” Goldman said. “He is so competitive at the highest level. I had a lot of fun with him last summer and I want to wish him the best of luck going forward.”

Goldman began playing basketball as a 4-year old and has never stopped since. He began his career at the Maccabi Rishon Le’Zion youth department and then moved to Maccabi Tel Aviv in time for the 2021/22 season.

“The truth is that it was not an easy transition,” the guard began. “Moving from Maccabi Rishon where you are the best player there and going to a team that is already very good with some great including Omer Mayer and everyone else was not simple. But I managed to fit in at the end of the day and I was able to be a part of the highest level of development there is.”

Goldman is considered one of the most talented players in the current generation of Israeli basketball. In the 2022/23 season, he was named MVP of the High School Championship where he excelled with 26 points and 10 rebounds in Hadash Tel Aviv’s victory in the final against Ramot Yam-Emek Hefer.

At the beginning of the 2023/24 season once the war with Hamas broke out there was some hesitation by foreigners to return to Israel at first and Goldman joined Maccabi Tel Aviv’s senior team and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. In a win over Hapoel Beer Sheva, Goldman contributed 2 points and 2 steals in 15 minutes for Oded Katash’s squad, and late in the season he scored 9 points (2-4 from 3), 4 rebounds and a efficiency rating of 14 in a home win over Kiryat Ata.

“I think it was an experience that gives one the ability to learn so much more, beyond whether I played or not. Seeing how the players act in the locker room, how they talk and act before a game and during practice and how they approach a game is an amazing experience in itself. That was something that gave me a lot of tools.”

The player who took Goldman under his wing at Maccabi’s senior team was point guard Tamir Blatt. This past week, Blatt was not listed on the roster for this summer’s Eurobasket, a move that had differing opinions throughout not only the Israeli basketball world but all across Europe.

“Tamir and I have a really good relationship and when I was with the senior team he spoke with me a lot but even without talking to me the entire time I saw in his eyes how he conducts himself at the height of levels. He is a role model, an Israeli point guard who has succeeded at the highest of levels there is, so you want to see every move he makes, how he shoots and how he scores so well. It was amazing for me to be with a player like that. I am very upset that he won’t be on the team and I think he could have helped a lot, but it’s not in our hands, it was decision made at a higher level.”

Goldman, who is a left handed guard similar to Ben Saraf, is always looking to improve his game and just like any player at his age, has places where he needs to improve, “I think I’ll be successful when I know how to fid the right balance. To be able to balance my scoring and being a point guard with my passing and I think I need step-up on my defensive play as well as in my decision-making as a point guard. I think I’m there with my scoring ability.”

As for next season, Goldman who dreams of one day playing in the NBA or in the Euroleague, is looking at his options as there are a number of possibilities as to where he will play. “First of all, you can’t ignore the fact that a lot of players are leaving the Premier League and going to colleges (similar to Omer Mayer), so there are some open places on some of the teams. But right now I have to concentrate on this tournament, where I’m aiming to play my best and help us finish as high as possible. I need to come out of this tournament knowing that I am as complete a player as possible so that teams will want me to be a dominant player as part of their squad.”