Rising star Alon Michaeli anchors Israel in surging Under-20 EuroBasket quest

Yahoo

5 days ago

While many eyes will be on Purdue's Mayer, who starred at the recent Under-19 World Championship, Michaeli will play a critical and perhaps under-the-radar role.
The Israel Under-20 National Team began its journey at the European Championship in Crete, Greece, by surprising Spain 79-74 and then routing Finland in Group A action, as Sharon Avrahami's squad saw fantastic play from the trio of Shachar Doron, Omer Mayer, and Alon Michaeli.
Advertisement
While many eyes will be on Purdue's Mayer, who starred at the recent Under-19 World Championship, Michaeli will play a critical and perhaps under-the-radar role. The Bnei Herzliya center had been looking forward to playing with Mayer, who will no doubt supply him with balls in the paint, where he has already made a huge impact for the young blue-and-white.
Michaeli played with the Under-20 team last summer and scored 13.3 points and grabbed 13.4 rebounds. He last teamed up with Mayer at the 2023 Under-18 European Championship.
Leading back to the top of the competition
Just before the championship tipped off, Michaeli spoke to The Jerusalem Post about a myriad of topics as he prepared to help lead Israel back to the top of the competition.
Advertisement
'There's a ton of excitement,' Michaeli began. 'We're so excited and are looking forward to the first game. This is my last youth championship, so I'm a little bit sad about that, as I really enjoy coming to the national team camp every summer after the season and seeing all the guys. It's always the same group, and we are all friends, so it's always fun to be here in the summer. It's too bad that this is the last time, but we'll try to finish this off on a high note and one that will be unforgettable.'
AFTER STARRING for Israel at the U19 World Cup, Alon Michaeli takes center stage again for the blue-and-white at EuroBasket U20 in Crete this week. (credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN)
The 19-year-old Michaeli was impressed with the recent success of the Israel Under-19 team, which finished in seventh place at the World Championship.
'It really motivated all of us. They had an amazing tournament, and it whetted our appetite, too. When we were training, we saw them here as well, and one day we all stayed to watch them after our own practice. It really whetted everyone's appetite, and we can't wait to begin our championship too.'
Advertisement
The current Under-20 team is stacked with talent, and it's impossible to ignore the historic European Championships of 2018 and 2019, where Deni Avdija led the squad to the title.
'First of all, we're aiming to finish as best as possible,' Michaeli said. 'We're focusing on the first game against Spain, and then we will look at the second one, as we are going game by game. There's still a long way to go, and we're coming to win every game.'
Michaeli, who stands at 2.03 meters (6-foot-7), is not your typical big man, as he is very mobile and has soft hands.
'I feel like I can contribute, and in the last two European Championships I played in, I felt relatively good, so I feel like I have something to give here. I'm looking forward to it, as I want to do as much as I can and do the best I can for the team to succeed.'
Advertisement
This will mark the third time that Michaeli will team up with Mayer, as they played together at the Under-16 European Championship in 2021 and then with the Under-18s in 2023.
'It's a lot of fun to play with Omer, who is first and foremost a good friend, but he's also an amazing player, of course, and everyone loves him here. He's just a guy who's fun to be with both in the locker room and on the court, so it's great to reunite with him once again.'
Michaeli feels comfortable playing under Avrahami, as the blue-and-white finished in sixth place last year.
'Sharon is an amazing coach, and he gives the players confidence and support. I feel very comfortable and look forward to playing with his team yet again.'
Advertisement
Having grown up in the Kfar Saba youth department, Michaeli began playing basketball at the tender age of five.
'I was in first grade or kindergarten – don't remember exactly which year – but like every kid who plays basketball in Kfar Saba, they all just love the game. I really enjoyed playing already from such a young age, and from there my skills began to develop.'
Michaeli is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Yuval, who also plays professionally with Maccabi Ashdod. Yuval, who earned promotion from the third division to the second, has also played for the Israel youth teams as well as in the Leumit League.
'It's really great – he was my role model,' Alon Michaeli said. 'My brother and I are very close, way beyond the sport of basketball, and that really helped me a lot, especially at a young age, as I had an older brother at home whom I could look up to. He often gave me tips and helped me out.'
Advertisement
At the beginning of the 2022/23 season, the 16-year-old Michaeli made his debut in the Israel Premier League against Hapoel Jerusalem, and he spoke about what it was like to be such a youngster playing in the country's top league.
'It was amazing. I was in the 11th grade and playing with the youth team at the time. I believe that this was really something that helped me a tremendous amount, having the opportunity to train with the senior professional team. At the end of the day, as a kid, you have the chance to train with some very good players who are already 30 years old or so and who are much more experienced and mature – it's invaluable. I was able to go toe-to-toe with the physicality of older professionals at a very young age, and that helped me a lot.'
In the 2023/24 season, Michaeli, along with Ilay Dolinski, were key contributors to Elitzur Netanya, which was also promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season.
'Playing in Netanya was a lot of fun, and we ended our time there on a high note, which was a great feeling. I was very happy that we were promoted, and it was just a very happy moment. In fact, it was one of the happiest moments I can remember in basketball for me personally.'
This past year, Michaeli received significant minutes with Herzliya and was in Yehu Orland's starting lineup ten times, but did not see the floor in the best-of-five quarterfinal series with Hapoel Holon, as well as in the State Cup semifinals against Hapoel Jerusalem.
Advertisement
'Obviously, as a basketball player, you always strive to play as much as possible,' Michaeli reflected. 'But I think that at my age, as I'm only 19 years old, it's also very important to look beyond the actual playing time. That you're in the top league, you're really developing, that you're training at a high level, working hard, and really feeling like you're progressing personally and becoming a better player. So even if there were some difficult moments on the court, when things weren't going as well as I would have liked, I always felt like I was making a lot of progress and continuing to develop. So in that regard, when I look back at the season, I am satisfied because I feel like I've improved a lot.'
During the summer, there were rumors that Michaeli was looking to head to the United States and try his luck at college basketball, which has been a huge trend in Israel and across Europe. But so far there have been no reports of a specific college that is to his liking, and it's not yet clear where he will play next season. However, for now, he is still on Herzliya, which will also be playing in the Basketball Champions League.
'I'm currently under contract with Bnei Herzliya for two more years, and I really haven't been involved in anything right now. My sole focus is on the championship – that's where my mind is. Only on the championship.'
Michaeli can play both the power forward and center positions, which is where he also sees his future.
Advertisement
'I want to develop as a power forward that can also play at center. I think I have a lot of things that I'm good at overall, and I really need to improve a lot of things. As always, there's a lot to improve on, and I'll work as hard as I can to improve on those things.'
In 2021, Michaeli teamed up with Ben Saraf, who was recently selected 26th in the NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets.
'Wow, it's honestly amazing. I got to play with him on that Under-16 team when he was a year younger than all of us and just had an amazing tournament. It's fun to watch him, and he's my friend, so I'm very happy for him.'
Michaeli is still stunned to be able to play in the Premier League, which to him is just one step closer to reaching his dreams.
'It was very strange for me to suddenly be playing against the big teams. I was excited about it, because really, years ago, I would just watch these teams on TV. I was excited to play against these teams, and now that I'm here, I hope to reach my next goal of playing on the senior Israel National Team.'