Israel youth basketball team wins European title for the second year running
Squad beats Spain 92:84 in finals of 2019 FIBA U-20 European Championship held in Tel Aviv; top scorer Deni Avdija brings home 23 points
Israel’s national under-20 basketball team delighted a home crowd on Sunday by defending its title and winning the FIBA European Championships for a second year in a row, beating Spain 92:84 in Tel Aviv, where the tournament is being hosted.
Deni Avdija, who led Israel’s scoring in the tournament, put in 23 points for the Blue and Whites to help them to victory.
The youth squad has now been in the finals for three consecutive years, with 2018 marking the first time it ever won the championship, held that year in Germany. In 2017 the team made it to the finals but were beaten by Greece.
The Israeli team secured its spot in this year’s championship with its 81-70 victory over France on Saturday.
Spain, which had gone undefeated until the final, beat Germany 80-62 to punch its ticket to the title game.
The final was held at the Shlomo Group Arena in Tel Aviv an attended by a crowd of over 3,000.
Avdija is a rising star of Israeli basketball and in 2017 was signed up by the Maccabi Tel Aviv professional team.
The Times of Israel Community.