National team drawn into Group A with perennial powerhouse Serbia, up-and-coming Montenegro as well as the weaker Slovakia, Estonia and Iceland.
By ALLON SINAIcasspi montenegro 311(photo credit: FIBA EUROPE Web site))
An 11th straight appearance in the European basketball Championships is far from a formality for Israel after the blue-and-white was handed a relatively tough draw in Freising, Germany, on Sunday.Israel, which was in the second- seed pot, was drawn into Group A with perennial powerhouse Serbia, up-and-coming Montenegro as well as the weaker Slovakia, Estonia and Iceland.
The top two teams from the six qualifying groups and the four best third-placed teams will make up the 16 sides who will join Spain, France, Russia, FYR of Macedonia, Lithuania, Greece, Great Britain and the hosts Slovenia in the EuroBasket 2013 Final Round.The qualifiers will take place next summer between August 15 and September 11.Three-time European champion Serbia (1995, 1997, 2001) will be Israel’s toughest opponent, although it disappointed in last summer’s EuroBasket tournament, beating Israel before finishing in 8th place two years after claiming a silver medal.Israel also faced Montenegro in the 2011 qualifiers, winning at home and losing on the road.Estonia hasn’t played in the European Championships since 2001, while Slovakia and Iceland have yet to make an appearance in the finals.Israel’s women’s team, which has played in the last three EuroBasket tournaments, was also done no favors by Sunday’s draw, being placed in Group A with Belarus, Hungary, Ukraine and Portugal.The teams who finish in the top two positions in each group will qualify for the Final Round in France, in 2013.
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