Young club, young talents: Herzliya looking to make its first major youth journey
Meet the teams participating in the first ever edition of the Youth Basketball Champions League!
Herzliya captured the imagination of the basketball world last season when they won the Israeli State Cup and reached the domestic playoffs Finals after knocking off Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Semi-Finals. Founded only in 1985, the still young club is now looking to make its first major journey into the continental youth stage.
"We feel it’s a great opportunity for us to be part of such a great event for the first time. I’m sure it will be a great opportunity for our players to grow as individuals and us as a team. We don’t know the level of the other teams but I’m sure it will be very competitive for us and we are very excited. All of us - me and our players. We feel great to be part of it."
- Idan Lankri, U18 Coach and Herzliya Club Sports Director
History of the Program | Domestic Success
U15
Final Four - 2022
U18 affiliated team
High school championship - 2012
Recent Youth Developments
Herzliya’s special recent development started five years ago with the so-called Super Group. The club selects six players from each of the three age groups 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 for a total of 18 players. The players get 90 minutes of training a week with the practices divided into two parts. The first section is basketball techniques - shooting and passing. The second is a strength and conditioning session with the club’s physical coach. The players also receive a monthly meeting with a sports psychologist and sports nutritionist.
YBCL Player to Watch
Alon Michaeli | 2005 | PF
Michaeli has played with Herzliya’s pro team four times this season in the Israeli Winner League, combining for 6 minutes with no other stats. He plays predominantly in the U18 team, though he practices twice a week with the senior team. Michaeli has played twice for Israel internationally: averaging 3.7 points and 3.7 rebounds at the FIBA U16 European Challengers 2021 and then collecting 1.1 points and 2.4 rebounds at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2022. He is a good outside shooter and can also put the ball on the floor. The forward also possesses the ability to play in the low post.
Program Alumni
Tal Burnstein | Yaniv Green | Oded Brandwin | Ori Ichaki
The 35-year-old Oden Brandwein came up in the Herzliya youth system 20 years ago and played for many different teams in Israel over the years, including Maccabi Tel-Aviv in 2021-22. He also spent three seasons in Poland and finally returned to the team of his youth last summer.
