In his home of Kfar Saba near Tel Aviv, Alon Michaeli started playing Israel’s favorite sport—soccer—when he was five years old. A year later, he switched to basketball. It was very likely a good move for his future athletic exploits, since, to his family’s surprise, Michaeli grew and grew until, at 6 feet 9 inches, he towered over the rest of the family.
“My height was a surprise to everyone,” he says. “I don’t know where it came from, but I am happy with it.”
Fast forward 14 years, and you will find 20-year-old Michaeli bringing his experience in the Israeli Basketball Premier League to the University of Colorado Boulder Men’s Basketball Team where he is playing as a freshman this season. He is the second Israeli student-athlete at CU Boulder, following in the footsteps of Lior Garzon, who played for the CU Buffs Women’s Basketball Team.
“I have really felt welcomed in Boulder,” Michaeli says. “There are a lot of Israeli families who heard about an Israeli playing at CU and invited me for high holidays. The whole community here are great people.”
Basketball in Israel
Basketball has become more and more popular in Israel, Michaeli says, in part due to the legendary influence of Tal Brody. Brody played for the University of Illinois in the 1960s and abandoned his NBA career after competing in the Maccabiah Games—the Jewish Olympics—and moved to Israel to play professional basketball. Some Colorado Jewish players are even finding a post-collegiate career in Israeli basketball.
Michaeli grew up playing with his older brother and friends on an outdoor court five minutes from his house.
“I remember that I always loved the game,” he says. “We would play outside for hours, even before practice and after practice.”
When it came time for Michaeli to do his mandated military service, the IDF accommodated his basketball schedule so he could fulfill his IDF obligation at the same time he continued to play. He played the 2023-2024 season for Elitzur Maccabi Netanya in Israel’s Second Division. In 2024-25, he moved up to Bnei Hertzeliya in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, regarded as the top league in the country. He is a power forward who played 22 games for Bnei Hertzeliya, shooting 51 percent from the field.
In his mind, the next step was playing for a Division I team in the United States. That’s when Colorado came calling.
Basketball in Boulder
In Israel, Michaeli received one of the recruitment calls from CU Boulder while sitting in an emergency shelter in a building during an attack alert.
“It was commendable that he was willing to travel far from home and come here during a hard time in the world,” says Troy Andre, Associate Director of Athletic Communications at Boulder. ”We are glad to have him.”
For his part, Michaeli knew nothing about Colorado before he arrived, but has since decided, “It’s a beautiful place.”
“I did know about the team, and I talked with the coaches,” he says. “CU seemed like a great option, and I have a lot of trust in the coaching staff.”
“We are very excited about Alon joining our team for the upcoming season,” says Colorado Associate Head Coach Mike Rohn. “He brings a level of toughness and experience that really benefits our team.”
Michaeli assesses his main strength as a player is his versatility.
“I can do multiple things, and I am a good defender,” he says. “I am trying to learn as much as I can from watching different players and learning from them to see how I can improve my game.”
For inspiration, Michaeli can look to two Israeli professional basketball players who play for the NBA: Deni Avdija with the Portland Trailblazers and Danny Wolf, who is in his rookie season with the Brooklyn Nets. Michaeli’s dreams are centered on a return to Israel, where he hopes to someday play for the National Team of Israel. He has not been home since the beginning of the school year, so he is looking forward to the end of this semester and a trip home to see his family, friends, his dog, and the beach.