Youth international basketball in Eilat U18 European Championship Women Division B is ready to go
Youth international basketball fans in Israel will have a chance to watch the sixth edition of the FIBA Europe U18 European Championship Women Division B in Eilat.
15 teams will battle it out from 2 July until 12 July 2009 for the right to be promoted to Division A next season.
This prize is reserved for the two teams that qualify for the final.
A number of Division B regulars such as Austria, Ireland and Luxembourg are missing this year. However 2009 marks the return of Norway into European Championship basketball.
Estonia who are the hosts of the U16 Division B tournament later in the summer declared forfeit for this competition late after losing a major sponsor.
Traditional Division A nations always start as favourites which will put nations such as Croatia, Greece and Hungary under pressure from game one.
However with the shorter preparation for all the teams the competition is more open this year.
Slovenia are back again with a strong squad of players and will be looking to avoid winning another bronze medal.
This group of players finished 3rd in 2007 as U16 players to win bronze again in 2008 at U18 level. Slovenia also won bronze at U16 in 2008.
In 2007 Germany won promotion to Division A at U16 with most of the players on the current roster. They will be looking to achieve it again but this time as champions.
Israel will be without Bar Galinski who went down with a knee injury two weeks before the start of this competition in a match against Croatia.
Israel have a talented squad of young players that have a tradition of fast flowing basketball.
Entry to all the games at this youth international basketball festival is free. The 15 teams in the event are:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
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Israel will be without Bar Galinski who went down with a knee injury two weeks before the start of this competition in a match against Croatia.
