TEL AVIV (EuroBasket 2007) – The date is July 4, and the time is 6pm sharp.

That's when Israel coach Zvika Sherf’s Israeli national team will begin its training camp for the EuroBasket 2007 Additional Qualification Tournament.

With high-scoring power forward Jamie Arnold and national team veteran Tal Burstein both ruling themselves out for the summer, Sherf’s current squad stands at 18,.

Arnold, who just completed a move to Dynamo Moscow Region from Maccabi Tel Aviv, averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in Israel’s six EuroBasket Division A games, so his absence is a hammer blow.

Bustein has been troubled by injuries in recent seasons and has made the difficult decision to rest an Achilles tendon problem.

Sherf’s list is as follows: Dror Hagag, Meir Tapiro, Tal Burstein, Yotam Halperin, Raviv Limonad, Jerome Roberts, Guy Pniny, Moshe Mizrakhi, Matan Naor, Lior Eliyahu, Omri Casspi, Amit Tamir, Moran Roth, Mushon Ya'akusi, Itzik Okhanon, Yaniv Green, Erez Markovic, Ido Kozikaro.

Key players Sharon Shason of Maccabi Tel Aviv and captain Erez Katz of Bnei Hasharon, are injured but Sherf is hoping they recover in time.

Eliyahu, meanwhile, has traveled to the United States to work out with the Houston Rockets.

The 21-year-old power forward is unlikely to move to the NBA this season, however.

"In Israel, it is the dream to be the first to play in the NBA," Eliyahu said. "I played last year for Maccabi Tel Aviv and had a pretty good season. (Houston) wanted for me, and any player, to come here and see the difference in playing in the NBA."

Houston’s recent track record of incorporating European stars into their rotation is not good with Vasileios Spanoulis seeing very little playing time this year as a rookie.

The former Panathinaikos guard is expected to return to Europe for the forthcoming campaign.

If Israel are to win the second consecutive additional qualifying round for the EuroBasket as they did two years ago in Belgrade, they will have to beat some very good teams.

Sherf’s men are in the same group with Ukraine, Denmark and Belgium. The winner of that group will qualify to the final stage in the additional qualifying round. Israel's first game will be in Denmark.

Yarone Arbel
FIBA