TEL AVIV (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Israel captain Omri Casspi is one of those players who has spared no effort, even when it came at a personal cost, to help his national team get closer to the elite of European basketball.

Last September, the Sacramento Kings star averaged a tournament sixth-best 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest to help Israel reach the Round of 16 at FIBA EuroBasket 2015.

Israel eventually fell to Italy, leaving Casspi and his team-mates vowing that they will return stronger and try to take that elusive next step in two years' time.

A couple of days earlier though, when Israel played against hosts France in the group stage and Casspi witnessed first-hand the support of the capacity crowd in Montpellier Arena to Les Bleus, a fleeting image crossed the sharp-shooting winger's head.

It was so improbable, he thought at the time, that he did not even dare mentioning it out loud.

"I did wonder how it must be to play a EuroBasket in your own country, absolutely," Casspi told fiba.com.

"But I never thought it was going to be possible.

"I am glad we were proven wrong and I feel that now it's time to return this favour to our fans."

Probably nobody has ever been as happy to be wrong as Casspi was on 12 December, when Israel were named among the four co-hosts of FIBA EuroBasket 2017.

A EuroBasket tournament will be coming to Israel for the first time in history.

"It will be great, I am so excited because Israel is a great basketball country," Casspi said.

"Fans love the game and it will be an opportunity to showcase our country and our talented team.

"It will also be a great opportunity for the fans to see face-to-face for the first time some of the top European players, players who have done a lot for the game of basketball.

"Nobody is taking that for granted, so it is a big deal."

It will undoubtedly be a treat to Israeli fans, but also to the national team captain and his team-mates.

"We will play as hard as we can, as players we have to put the best product on the court," Casspi said.

"I feel like the European championship is getting better and better every time and obviously the way we play is very team-oriented, it's not about any one player.

"I hope we are going to be in top shape and ready to go.

"We already have a great coaching staff and the right mindset, so we can do a lot of good things."

So could playing the group stage at home provide Israel with the momentum to replicate a success similar to the bronze-medal conquest of 1979?

"There is no question that the 1979 generation did something unbelievable considering how small of a country we are," Casspi said.

"But I feel our competition these days has gotten so much better.

"For example, there was one Yugoslavia or one Soviet Union back then but now there is Slovenia and Serbia and Croatia and Montenegro.

"So just to get to the Final Phase you have to go through hell and back.

"But we will have a great opportunity because we are going to play in front of our home fans, the best fans in the world.

"The arenas are going to be sold-out and I know I am going to bring my best game, I am really excited about it."

While Sacramento maintain only slim mathematical chances to make the Western Conference play-offs, Casspi stresses that he aims to help his team win their remaining games and finish as strong as possible.

In the process, he continues to make an increasingly strong case for international players in the NBA.

Casspi is averaging a career-best 11.9 points and 6.1 boards as well as 1.3 assists per contest heading into the final 11-game stretch.

"We always have to pay our dues to the guys who opened the door for all of us, from [Drazen] Petrovic, [Vlade] Divac, [Pedja] Stojakovic to Dirk [Nowitzki], to the generation we have now like Marco [Belinelli] and [Danilo] Gallinari and Pau [Gasol] and Tony Parker and [Nicolas] Batum and all those guys," the Israeli superstar said.

"To have a guy like Kristaps [Porzingis] who comes in his rookie year and shows that he is going to be a force for years to come is very exciting for the future."

FIBA