Photo: Yael Amsili, director of the National League
For several years now, Ben Sharaf has been considered the next big thing in Israeli basketball – and at the age of 16 he already signed a four-year contract in the National League with Elizur Netanya – and this is, obviously, just the beginning.
In light of the fact that Sharaf excelled in the European Youth Championship as well as in the Euroleague youth tournament when he joined the team of Vassilis Spanoulis, he attracted a lot of interest around him during the summer, from teams from Israel and Europe, and was also in impression tests in Badalona. Maccabi Tel Aviv – which is expected to submit an offer for a long-term contract to him soon – has begun to seriously examine him recently.
As of now, Sharaf has not yet made any decision, as this season he wants to succeed in Netanya and help it to move up to the league. In the meantime, he is showing exceptional ability in the National League, when yesterday he provided a record game of 32 points (11 of 17 from the field), 5 assists and an index of 34, as his team beat Elitzur Shomron 85:93.
Sharaf, who will celebrate his 17th birthday only in April, has so far recorded excellent numbers in the minor league, certainly for a player his age: 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and an 11.2 average in over 21 minutes per night.
As mentioned, Sharaf signed a long-term contract with Elizur Netanya, which is managed by a “real player”, and has become a hotbed in recent years when it comes to raising and nurturing young people. It gives the stage to the Israeli players and served as a springboard to the Premier League for players such as Itai Moskovitz, Roy Pritsky, Amit Aharoni and others.