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Gilboa/Galil and Hapoel Tel Aviv passed on the Eurochallenge for a far flung operation run by a former Israeli referee.
It took four years for CEO Shay Shriks to land an Israeli team for his Balkan League; and this summer, he brought in two - Gilboa/Galil and Hapoel Tel Aviv.
"I think this decision will help a lot, because Israel is a basketball country," Shriks, a former basketball referee in Israel who now lives in Bulgaria, said on the league's website last week.
Prior to this season, the league featured teams strictly from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia.
Hapoel Tel Aviv played in the Southern European league nine years ago, and joining the Balkan competition, which underwrites the team's travel expenses for league games, makes sense. "Hapoel is a big name in Europe," says club executive Uri Shelef. "We want to return there, and the Balkan League will give players experience and the opportunity to participate in these kinds of competitions."
Hapoel head coach Erez Edelstein says the team opted for the league over the Eurochallenge because the other competition did not guarantee the club a spot in the group stage. "We could fall in the qualifiers against a strong team and be eliminated after two games," he told Haaretz. "Here, we are guaranteed 10 games."
For Gilboa/Galil, in contrast, it seems the league was a default choice for last year's Super League runner-up. "The moment ULEB did not permit us to leverage our achievements to be in the Eurocup, we sought a more sterile environment focused on sports and not wheeling and dealing," said owner Haim Ohayun.
"We could have gone to the Eurochallenge, but the wind was taken out of our sails by the guys dealing in politics," Ohayun continued. "The Balkan League is a fun competition. It may be less prestigious, but the level of interest in the other competitions is not so high. What does it matter if we meet teams from Serbia or the Czech Republic? The point is that we play in front of our fans. We see a challenge in this competition, and maybe we'll find a home for a few years."
The Balkan League includes 12 teams that will play in two divisions. After two rounds of games, the division winners will automatically advance to the Final Four, to be joined by the winner of playoff games between the second and third-place finishers. If one of the Israeli teams advances to the Final Four, it could well be held in Israel.
Gilboa/Galil looks like a favorite, but head coach Lior Lubin is cautious. "There are no teams here who are the lions of Europe, but neither are we the lions of Europe," he said. "The teams are less famous, but I gather we'll have some tough games, certainly away. It's also a different style of basketball."
Hapoel Tel Aviv, which plays in the second-tier national league, has no such expectations. "I have no idea what our level is in relation to the league," Edelstein said. "If we win, they'll say the competition is easy; and if we lose, they'll say we're not a team. It's important for us to play; and even if we don't advance, it won't be a failure."
Hapoel opens tonight at home against Serbia's Napredak Rubin. Gilboa/Galil's opener against Bulgarian rival Rilski Sportist is scheduled for November 23.
Balkan League's website:
It took four years for CEO Shay Shriks to land an Israeli team for his Balkan League; and this summer, he brought in two - Gilboa/Galil and Hapoel Tel Aviv.
"I think this decision will help a lot, because Israel is a basketball country," Shriks, a former basketball referee in Israel who now lives in Bulgaria, said on the league's website last week.
Prior to this season, the league featured teams strictly from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia.
Hapoel Tel Aviv played in the Southern European league nine years ago, and joining the Balkan competition, which underwrites the team's travel expenses for league games, makes sense. "Hapoel is a big name in Europe," says club executive Uri Shelef. "We want to return there, and the Balkan League will give players experience and the opportunity to participate in these kinds of competitions."
Hapoel head coach Erez Edelstein says the team opted for the league over the Eurochallenge because the other competition did not guarantee the club a spot in the group stage. "We could fall in the qualifiers against a strong team and be eliminated after two games," he told Haaretz. "Here, we are guaranteed 10 games."
For Gilboa/Galil, in contrast, it seems the league was a default choice for last year's Super League runner-up. "The moment ULEB did not permit us to leverage our achievements to be in the Eurocup, we sought a more sterile environment focused on sports and not wheeling and dealing," said owner Haim Ohayun.
"We could have gone to the Eurochallenge, but the wind was taken out of our sails by the guys dealing in politics," Ohayun continued. "The Balkan League is a fun competition. It may be less prestigious, but the level of interest in the other competitions is not so high. What does it matter if we meet teams from Serbia or the Czech Republic? The point is that we play in front of our fans. We see a challenge in this competition, and maybe we'll find a home for a few years."
The Balkan League includes 12 teams that will play in two divisions. After two rounds of games, the division winners will automatically advance to the Final Four, to be joined by the winner of playoff games between the second and third-place finishers. If one of the Israeli teams advances to the Final Four, it could well be held in Israel.
Gilboa/Galil looks like a favorite, but head coach Lior Lubin is cautious. "There are no teams here who are the lions of Europe, but neither are we the lions of Europe," he said. "The teams are less famous, but I gather we'll have some tough games, certainly away. It's also a different style of basketball."
Hapoel Tel Aviv, which plays in the second-tier national league, has no such expectations. "I have no idea what our level is in relation to the league," Edelstein said. "If we win, they'll say the competition is easy; and if we lose, they'll say we're not a team. It's important for us to play; and even if we don't advance, it won't be a failure."
Hapoel opens tonight at home against Serbia's Napredak Rubin. Gilboa/Galil's opener against Bulgarian rival Rilski Sportist is scheduled for November 23.
Balkan League's website:
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