The Israeli Basketball League Administration has determined the structure of the 2011 – 2012 season: at the end of two rounds of games the league will be divided into upper and lower divisions within which there will another round of games. Quarterfinal playoffs and a Final Four will be played at the conclusion of the regular season.
By Amy Samin
Starting with the coming season, the Lotto League will be divided into upper and lower divisions at the end of the regular season’s first two rounds of games. The Directorate of the League Administration has set the system for the next few years, and has decided to cancel the third round of games. This coming season, following the second round of games, the League will be divided into a six-team upper division and a five-team lower division.
Within each division one round of games will be played. Following that round, the teams that finish in the top two positions in the lower division (i.e. teams in 7th and 8th place in the League) will advance to the best-of-five quarterfinals, where they will face the 1st and 2nd place teams. Likewise, the teams in 3rd and 4th place will meet the 5th and 6th place teams in the quarterfinals. The teams in 9th – 11th place will have one last round of games among themselves.
Starting with the 2012 – 2013 season, there will be 12 teams in the Lotto League, and at the end of the regular season the League will be divided into upper and lower divisions of six teams each. The team that finishes in last place at the end of the season will go down to the second league, while the champion of the second league will move up to the Lotto League.
On 28 August the 2011 – 2012 season will be officially opened at a special event at which the drawing of games will take place. As has already been decided, the celebratory season opener will take place on the home court of second place Altshuler Gilboa Galil who will host Israeli champions Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.
During the event, the film “Hakol Efshari (Anything is Possible)” will be screened. The film follows the stories of three young basketball players who dream of one day playing in the Lotto League. Participating in the film are, among others, Omri Casspi, who hosted young Moshe Almo in Sacramento, David Blatt, Derrick Sharp, Pini Gershon, Meir Tapiro, and Oded Katash.
In addition, the League Administration has decided to add two more exhibition games to the Chance Cup tournament which will take place in Malha Arena in Jerusalem this fall. The newest member of the League, Habikaa Basketball Club, will face Ironi Ashkelon on Sunday, 9 October. The winner of that game will meet Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday, 11 October.
