Israel's under-18 national team needed extra time to get its European Championship campaign off the ground, but the result was worth the nerves: a 93-84 overtime win over Greece in the group phase opener of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket in Rovereto, Italy.

It was not a comfortable afternoon. Head coach Nadav Zilberstein told ONE that his team looked tense in the opening five minutes before settling into the game, and that the defense tightened notably after the break — improvement that ultimately carried Israel through a extra period against a Greek side that pushed the game to the wire.

The individual story of the day was Aviv Aronov, who scored 30 points and, speaking to ONE afterward, called it the sweetest win of his young career. He said the group had faced significant protests directed at Israel around the tournament, but that the players had stayed unified and focused squarely on performing for their country rather than being knocked off course.

Zilberstein was already looking past the celebration by the time he spoke to reporters. According to ONE, the coach said the squad's attention had turned immediately to Sunday's group game against France, with no time set aside to dwell on the win over Greece.

The FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2026 is being staged across Trento and Rovereto from July 25 to August 2, with Israel drawn in a group phase pool that also includes Greece and Austria. Saturday's win puts Israel on the board before the France game, the next test of a group phase that will decide seeding for the knockout rounds.

Aronov arrives at the tournament as one of Israel's most-watched prospects: FIBA had flagged him among the players to watch heading into the championship, built on his production for Israel's side at the U16 EuroBasket in 2024. The 30-point overtime haul against Greece was his most significant showing yet at this age group.

For now, both coach and star player were keeping the message simple — a hard-fought win banked, and straight on to the next assignment against France with the group phase still to be decided.