The Israeli team is ready for the first game tomorrow (Thursday, 19:00) in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers against Poland.
However, the Shlomo Group Hall is expected to be full of more than 3,000 spectators, and according to the Basketball Association, all tickets have already been sold.
The team wants to start the campaign on the right foot and hopes that the fact that the Poles are at the beginning of the rejuvenation process and lack some key players, compared to the base that has been running for several years for Israel, will be a significant advantage.
Coach Guy Goodes said ahead of the game: "We have guys with crazy energies and sometimes you have to stop them because they just want to play and train. We had three days to connect the staff and it's an interesting challenge. One of the nice things about our team is that we've been through the process. And we have a combination of young and old, and see the chemistry.
Sometimes I stand aside and I do not have to tell them what to do.
The team here is at an amazing pace and they know each other and only talk with their eyes, but that does not say anything about the game itself.
We need to come sharp, energetic, keep the ball and move it well.
We start the campaign at home and there is a lot of desire and motivation from players.
"Maybe not everyone is in the best shape and some are returning from injuries, but we will come to give war and the most important thing is to win the first game."
Guy Goodes and Gal Makal, Photo: Danny Maron,
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