Israeli plays on U.S. basketball squad

Shai Doron will join the United States’ team in the 2005 Maccabiah games and compete against her native Israel
By Raanan Weiss

TEL AVIV - Only a week ago, Shai Doron led Israel’s basketball squad to victory in the second level European Championship in Lithuania and then on to the final tournament.

But Thursday, she will face a very different situation when she faces off against Israel when she represents the United States in the Maccabiah games.

Doron, who is a star player at a U.S. college, was invited to play with the American team before the Maccabiah and decided to take up the offer.

“It was very strange,” Doron told Ynet “I came for the experience of the Maccabiah, it’s really not Israel against the United States. I am doing it all for fun and I really don’t have special expectations.

"We (the U.S. team) have only been playing together for a week and a half, it’s hard to be united in such a short time.”

Lots of potential

The United States also has three more standout players: Jennifer Fleischer (daughter of Bob Fleischer, ex-star of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv), Leslie Carlson (formerly of Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Marina Pollack of Purdue University.

“These are 12 girls who have never met one another, but we have a lot of potential,” Doron said.

Doron took part in a few minutes of the U.S. team's 67-43 victory over Canada in the first round because she played almost 40 minutes for Israel last week in Lithuania.

“Tired is not the word - I’m exhausted,” she said. “In any case, I’m not under any pressure, so I’ll sleep well tonight in any case.”

Israel’s basketball squad in the Maccabiah games is preparing for the Second Level European Championship in Estonia. The team beat Australia 89-51 in the first game.