Israel handed tough Eurobasket draw

Israel’s basketball team have been handed a tough-looking draw for the first round of next year’s Eurobasket tournament.

Monday night’s draw in Disneyland, Paris, saw Erez Edelstein’s team drawn in Group A, where they will face the hosts and defending champions France, along with Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland and Finland, with the top-four teams qualifying for the knock-out stage.

Edelstein said: “This is the highest level in Europe. This is a very tough group, but what really matters is how we will play. We want to continue and play with enthusiasm and energy and that is a lot more important than who we will face.”

Israel qualified for the tournament by winning their qualifying group for the first time since 2001, though haven’t reached the knock-out stage since 2007. The tournament takes place between 5-20 September, with the games taking place in Montpellier. The competition will also serve as a qualification tournament for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the two finalists automatically qualifing for Rio, while the four teams finishing third to sixth will compete in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.