Youth Yearbook 2014 by FIBA Europe

TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME LETTERS 4 2014 Medallists 7 U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 8 Men, Division A

U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Women, Division B Women, Division C

46 50

WOMEN'S AND YOUTH AMBASSADORS 52 U17 World Championship 56

SHOOTING STARS

Mouhammadou Jaiteh Aleksandar Vezenkov

12 13

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

U16 European Championship 60

Men, Division B Women, Division A

14 18

Men, Division A

SHOOTING STARS

Astou Ndour Dragana Stankovic

22 23

Amar Gegic Isaiah Hartenstein

64 65

U16 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Women, Division B

U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Men, Division B Men, Division C Women, Division A

66 70 72

Men, Division A

SHOOTING STARS

Dragan Bender Domantas Sabonis

32 33

Julia Reisingerova Digna Strautmane

76 77

U16 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Men, Division B Men, Division C Women, Division A

34 38 40

Women, Division B Women, Division C

78 82

SHOOTING STARS

Kseniia Levchenko Cecilia Zandalasini

44 45

Men 56 Women 58

U14 Tournaments 84 U15 BASKETBALL CAMP FOR GIRLS 86 COMING UP IN 2015 88

PHOTO CREDITS: FIBA, FIBA Europe, BFB, KZS, MBA, MKF, PZKOSZ, Elio Castoria, Christian De Massis, Peter Girgasz, Martin Imatge, Matteo Marchi, Viktor RĂŠbay, Siim Semiskar, Lorand Szilagyi, Ville Vuorinen. The reproduction and photocopying, even of extracts, or the use of the articles for commercial purposes without prior written approval by FIBA Europe is prohibited. Youth Yearbook 2014 3

WELCOME LETTERS

Dear Basketball Friends, If there is one thing I have learned in my first summer as the President of FIBA Europe, it is that basketball never sleeps, evidenced by the European youth summer still winding down when the FIBA World Cup had already tipped off in Spain, followed up by the FIBA Basketball World Cup for Women in my home nation, which was barely over when domestic action across the continent was starting. It was with immense pride to be able to recognise some of the players from earlier in the summer turning out for their senior national teams, not just filling spots on the bench, but playing key roles in the fortunes of their teams. Having these players seamlessly transit from youth to senior basketball is in no small part due to the role FIBA Europe plays in providing what are widely renowned as the most competitive youth basketball championships in the world. This year, no fewer than nine nations stepped upon a podium across FIBA Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six Division A youth tournaments. It is without doubt that the quality of the basketball we witness in Europe is largely thanks to the roles that our 13 host Federations played in providing world-class hosting for the tournaments, allowing the players to solely focus on playing. We are unbelievably fortunate for the invaluable work the local organising committees put in behind the scenes to make this possible. As you browse through the following pages, take note of the names that appear within them, because these are the players that will in years to come go on to fill the inevitable void left by the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Goran Dragic and Celine Dumerc â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just three of the names of the outstanding ambassadors our continent is represented by on courts here in Europe and further abroad. Best Regards Turgay Demirel FIBA Europe President

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WELCOME LETTERS

Dear Basketball Friends, It is with pleasure that I write this letter after another summer in which European youth basketball has continued to go from strength to strength. The spectacle that these young players provide never ceases to amaze me and I am clearly not alone in saying this. The athleticism and intensity now on display at youth level shows that the next generation of players are well-prepared and have the maturity to join senior basketball. Evidence of this was the number of players who not only played for their youth national teams over the summer but also donned their senior national team jerseys at the FIBA World Cup, the FIBA World Championship for Women and in the EuroBasket and EuroBasket Women Second Qualification Rounds. With so much talent on the court, our youth competitions are steadily becoming more exciting and attractive. In Konya, Turkey this year over 9,000 spectators turned out to help cheer the home side to gold in the U18 European Championship final. Mention should also be given to the buoyant Portuguese fans who came to cheer on their U18 womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team in Matosinhos in record numbers. It needs to be pointed out that the work that FIBA Europe does for European youth basketball does not stop at organising the annual U16, U18 and U20 European Championships. Indeed, FIBA Europe has also been lending its support to the younger generation of players. This year, FIBA Europe supported eleven youth tournaments and recognised a further four, including the International Henri Seux Tournament for U14 boys in Ardres, France, which I was honoured to attend to present the organisers with the FIBA Europe award for 2013 U14 Tournament of the Year, an award for which there are once again any number of nominees for 2014. I would like to thank all the participants, coaches, volunteers and organisers that made this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events such a success and I hope that we shall all enjoy equally exciting FIBA Europe youth tournaments in 2015. Asterios Zois President of the Youth Commission of FIBA Europe

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Youth Yearbook 2014 5

WELCOME LETTERS

Dear Basketball Friends, As the leaves on the trees outside the FIBA Europe office in Munich begin to turn to yellow, it is a good time to reflect on another exciting summer of European youth basketball and how, as the governing body of basketball in Europe, we can be proud of the development and progress we are seeing in our sport. We can point to examples such as Portugal, who for the first time in history, will have women’s teams playing in all three Division A categories in 2015, Bosnia and Herzegovina making the quarter-finals of a European youth tournament for the first time ever, and Ireland recording a victory on their return to U18 Men’s level, following an eight-year hiatus. A positive upward trend also continued this summer, with the traffic to all of our youth websites increasing on the year previous, whilst the FIBA Europe Official App proved a popular method in which to follow our tournaments. More integration on YouTube, such as the livestreaming of games from one arena at the U20 European Championship Women in Udine, Italy, also assured strong television audiences, as well as setting a benchmark for the streaming of future tournaments. This year the yearbook features 224 teams, 98 more than the first Youth Yearbook we produced back in 2004. With a continued emphasis on grassroots basketball and developing the game in less traditional basketball-playing areas of our continent, I am confident that the number of teams will be even bigger in years to come. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the youth tournaments this year – players, coaching staff, Federations, and most importantly, the local organising committees, without whom the high standard of our youth tournaments would not be possible. Enjoy the 2014 edition of the Youth Yearbook, and best of luck for the upcoming season. Best Regards, Kamil Novak FIBA Europe Secretary General

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2014

s t s i l l a d Me Competition

Venue

Gold

Silver

Bronze

U20 Men Division A

Rethymno & Heraklion (GRE)

Turkey

Spain

Serbia

U20 Men Division B

Sarajevo (BIH)

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Belgium

Ukraine

U20 Women Division A

Udine (ITA)

France

Spain

Italy

U20 Women Division B

Sofia (BUL)

Germany

Hungary

Portugal

U18 Men Division A

Konya (TUR)

Turkey

Serbia

Croatia

U18 Men Division B

Sofia (BUL)

Germany

Ukraine

Finland

U18 Men Division C

Andorra la Vella (AND)

Principality of Monaco Gibraltar

Andorra

U18 Women Division A

Matosinhos (POR)

Russia

France

Spain

U18 Women Division B

Timisoara & Oradea (ROU)

Hungary

Estonia

Israel

U18 Women Division C

Andorra la Vella (AND)

Cyprus

Malta

Andorra

U17 World Championship

Dubai (UAE)

USA

Australia

Serbia

U17 World Championship for Women

Klatovy & Pilsen (CZE)

USA

Spain

Hungary

U16 Men Division A

Grobina, Ogre, Liepaja & Riga (LAT)

France

Latvia

Spain

U16 Men Division B

Strumica (MKD)

Montenegro

Israel

England

U16 Men Division C

Valetta (MLT)

Malta

Andorra

Wales

U16 Women Division A

Debrecen (HUN)

Russia

Czech Republic

Spain

U16 Women Division B

Tallinn (EST)

Germany

England

Netherlands

U16 Women Division C

Valetta (MLT)

Scotland

Malta

Andorra

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Youth Yearbook 2014 7

A N O I S I V I D By Dimitris Kontos N E M

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Sunny Crete played host to the 2014 edition of the U20 European Championship Men with the city of Rethymnon providing the stage for Group D action, whilst the remainder of the First Round as well as the final stages of the tournament took place in the capital of the Greek island, Heraklion.

FIRST ROUND Interestingly, the team that claimed the win in the inaugural game of the tournament in Heraklion would walk off the same court as champions twelve days later. In their most hard-fought victory on Crete, Turkey led for most of the game but needed overtime to bend the resistance of a well-organised Croatia, 70-66, in the Group C opener. The influence of eventual tournament MVP Cedi Osman on Turkey's superb transition game grew more important by the day and the Turkish side made easy work of their next games to clinch top spot in the group with a perfect 4-0 record. Croatia went on to win their next games in the group after that opening day overtime loss and claimed second place in the group, while 2013 champions Italy took third spot and Montenegro with the Czech Republic entered the relegation battle. Lithuania defeated Greece 73-65 in the Group A opener and concluded the First Round in unbeaten form with the second-most productive offence at that stage of the tournament, behind Turkey. Great Britain, not satisfied with winning their first ever game in Division A at this age group, surprised everybody by securing second spot in the group in dramatic fashion as they edged out Greece in their two-way tie. Latvia and Hungary were unfortunate and finished in the bottom two places in Group A, with 1-3 records. In Group B, Serbia put in the stingiest defensive performances of the First Round, giving up just 59.8 points per encounter and with Nikola Jankovic wreaking havoc in the paint they became the third team to finish this stage with four wins in as many games. Slovenia, Spain and Germany all finished tied at 2-2 behind the unbeaten Serbians and it was the Germans who ended up on the wrong end of this three-way tie and were forced to accompany Sweden on the trip to Classification Games for 13th to 20th Place. In Group D, France suffered a 66-65 loss to Russia in the opener right at the final buzzer, but bounced back to win the remaining three games and top the group. Israel, inspired by the all-round play of Rafael Menco, also finished with a 3-1 record and clinched second spot in the group. In one of the most dramatic do-or-die battles in recent memory, Poland toppled Russia 75-71 in the final game and snatched third place in the group, ahead of an incredulous Russian side who won their first two games only to finish in fourth place and drop to the Classification Round.

SECOND ROUND Serbia were handed their first defeat by Greece, 70-69, but it proved to be just a slight bump as they went on to beat both Great Britain and Lithuania and clinch first place in Group E. A surging Spain edged out the previously undefeated Lithuania 65-62 on the first day of the Second Round and followed up with two more victories, over Greece and Great Britain, to take second spot. Lithuania secured third place and Greece prevailed over Slovenia in the final game to claim the last ticket to the quarter-finals from this group, despite a tournament-high 33 points from the Slovene wizard Matic Rebec. 8 Youth Yearbook 2014

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Cedi Osman, Turkey

U20 European Championship Men In Group F, Turkey extended their unbeaten run to six games with wins over Poland and Israel before finally losing 68-64 to France, their only defeat in the tournament, on the final day of group action. That result provoked a three-way tie at the top of the standings, which saw the rising Croatia claim first place, Turkey finish in second and France clinch third spot. Israel defeated Italy in a direct clash for the last ticket to the quarter-finals and thus put an end to the title defence of the Azzurri, who finished fifth in the group, just above Poland.

Turkey saved their best for last in the big final and scored the last seven points in the game to claim a 65-57 triumph over Spain and celebrate their first gold medal at this age group. Osman led the way for the champions with 20 points and seven rebounds and Talat Altunbey chipped in with 10 points and four boards.

QUARTER-FINALS Turkey came out guns blazing and recorded a comfortable 79-65 win in first quarter-final, behind 24 points from Cedi Osman. In the epic clash that followed, Serbia came back from a ninepoint deficit late in regulation and eventually edged out Israel 90-86 after double overtime, on the back of a stellar 21-point display by Ognjen Jaramaz and a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds by Nikola Jankovic. Spain prevailed 50-46 over France in the very nervous, lowscoring affair that was the third quarter-final as Alberto Diaz finished with 14 points and Guillermo Hernangomez added 11 points for the winners. Croatia claimed the last semi-final spot at the expense of the hosts, as they stretched the floor and found the extra pass with admirable efficiency to overcome Greece 82-68 with Filip Bundovic collecting 27 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the floor.

SEMI-FINALS

Oriol Pauli, Spain, after making the game-winner in the semi-final against Croatia

Once again, a thunderous Turkey established a 20-point gap already in the first half and despite Serbia's attempt at a comeback after the interval, held on with ease to secure a 66-53 triumph and punch their ticket to the gold medal game. The second semi-final looked set for overtime as Spain led by nine points early on but Croatia came back to tie the scores at 61 on a huge triple from Tomislav Gabric with just over a second remaining to play. But Oriol Pauli received an alley-oop pass from Alberto Diaz and tipped the ball in with just 0.8 seconds left on the clock to not only complete the most memorable play of the entire tournament, but also gift Spain a place in the big final.

MEDAL GAMES Serbia used a dominant third-quarter display to pull away from Croatia and win 79-66 in the battle for the bronze medal. 19-year-old forward Marko Tejic finished with 16 points and seven rebounds to pace the winners, who saw five of their players scoring in double digits.

Nikola Jankovic, Serbia Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide 2014 9 9 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U20 European Championship Men

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round

Team

GROUP A Greece vs. Lithuania

65 - 73

Great Britain vs. Latvia

64 - 62

Latvia vs. Greece

77 - 79

Hungary vs. Great Britain

53 - 44

Greece vs. Hungary

67 - 65

Lithuania vs. Latvia

74 - 43

Great Britain vs. Greece

69 - 66

Hungary vs. Lithuania

62 - 76

Latvia vs. Hungary

84 - 67

Lithuania vs. Great Britain

81 - 73

Team 1. Lithuania

G 4

W/L 4/0

F/A 304/243

Pts 8

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Turkey

4/0

327/279

2. Croatia

3/1

290/245

3. Italy

2/2

305/314

4. Montenegro

1/3

313/316

5. Czech Republic

0/4

240/321

Turkey

11.

Great Britain

Spain

12.

Slovenia

Serbia

13.

Russia

Croatia

14.

Germany

Lithuania

15.

Bulgaria

Greece

16.

Latvia

Israel

17.

Czech Republic

France

18.

Montenegro

Poland

19.

Sweden

10.

Italy

20.

Hungary

Quarter-Finals

GROUP F Poland vs. Turkey

51 - 59

Turkey vs. Lithuania

79 - 65

Israel vs. Croatia

76 - 80

Serbia vs. Israel

90 - 86

Italy vs. France

65 - 66

Spain vs. France

50 - 46

Turkey vs. Israel

79 - 66

Croatia vs. Greece

82 - 68

Poland vs. Italy

52 - 61

Croatia vs. France

63 - 55

Israel vs. Italy

79 - 67

France vs. Turkey

68 - 64

Croatia vs. Poland

GROUP D Poland vs. Bulgaria

85 - 78

France vs. Russia

65 - 66

Israel vs. Poland

74 - 49

Bulgaria vs. France Russia vs. Bulgaria France vs. Israel

75 - 63

Team

75 - 56

4/1

364/324

76 - 77

2. Turkey

4/1

362/317

Slovenia vs. Poland

60 - 79

77 - 64

3. France

4/1

331/315

Italy vs. Great Britain

76 - 67

4. Israel

2/3

358/350

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place Israel vs. Lithuania

75 - 81

Greece vs. France

81 - 72

250/262

Poland vs. France

60 - 67

277/284

Israel vs. Russia

58 - 56

5. Italy

1/4

326/367

4. Latvia

1/3

266/284

Bulgaria vs. Israel

68 - 82

6. Poland

0/5

268/336

Russia vs. Poland

71 - 75

Team

Slovenia vs. Serbia

61 - 73

Germany vs. Spain

53 - 65

Sweden vs. Germany

47 - 82

3/1

284/265

GROUP G

2. Israel

3/1

277/248

Latvia vs. Bulgaria

69 - 63

2/2

269/290

Sweden vs. Montenegro

65 - 47

Montenegro vs. Latvia

60 - 59

2/2

270/262

Bulgaria vs. Sweden

78 - 57

Montenegro vs. Bulgaria

81 - 82

Classification Game for 15th to 16th Place

Latvia vs. Sweden

75 - 64

Latvia vs. Bulgaria

4. Russia

Sweden vs. Serbia

49 - 75

Serbia vs. Spain

70 - 61

Slovenia vs. Sweden

70 - 58

Spain vs. Sweden

68 - 59

Serbia vs. Germany

76 - 68

5. Bulgaria

0/4

286/321

Second Round GROUP E Slovenia vs. Great Britain

75 - 52

Pts

Greece vs. Serbia

70 - 69 65 - 62

1. Serbia

4/0

294/239

Spain vs. Lithuania

2. Slovenia

2/2

262/257

Great Britain vs. Serbia

57 - 74

3. Spain

2/2

257/253

Spain vs. Greece

60 - 58

4. Germany

2/2

266/248

Lithuania vs. Slovenia

63 - 62

Great Britain vs. Spain

59 - 76

5. Sweden

0/4

213/295

Serbia vs. Lithuania

73 - 54

Slovenia vs. Greece

67 - 84

GROUP C 70 - 66

Czech Republic vs. Italy

60 - 84

Montenegro vs. Czech Republic

84 - 70

Italy vs. Turkey

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Serbia

4/1

359/303

66 - 90

2. Spain

3/2

325/320

Croatia vs. Italy

80 - 67

3. Lithuania

3/2

333/338

Turkey vs. Montenegro

86 - 83

Czech Republic vs. Turkey

64 - 81

4. Greece

2/3

343/338

Montenegro vs. Croatia

62 - 72

5. Slovenia

2/3

336/335

Italy vs. Montenegro

88 - 84

Croatia vs. Czech Republic

72 - 46

6. Great Britain

1/4

310/372

10 Youth Yearbook 2014

61 - 63

1. France

63 - 60

Turkey vs. Croatia

53 - 66

Croatia vs. Spain

Pts

63 - 71

F/A

Serbia vs. Turkey

F/A

Germany vs. Slovenia

W/L

Semi-Finals

Classification Games for 13th to 20th Place

W/L

Spain vs. Slovenia

Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place

3. Poland

Team

67 - 63

2/2

GROUP B

62 - 67

Russia vs. Bulgaria

1. Croatia

2/2

Latvia vs. Germany Pts

247/271

59 - 70

Classification Games for 13th to 16th Place

F/A

1/3

58 - 81

Hungary vs. Montenegro

W/L

3. Greece

Sweden vs. Czech Republic

2. Great Britain

5. Hungary

Classification Games for 17th to 20th Place

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Latvia

2/1

203/187

2. Bulgaria

2/1

223/207

3. Sweden

1/2

186/200

4. Montenegro

1/2

188/206

GROUP H

Sweden vs. Hungary

58 - 54

Classification Game for 17th to 18th Place Czech Republic vs. Montenegro

83 - 55

72 - 74

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place Germany vs. Russia

47 - 52

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place Slovenia vs. Great Britain

82 - 85

Classification Game for 9th to 10th Place Poland vs. Italy

79 - 75

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place

Hungary vs. Russia

59 - 58

Germany vs. Czech Republic

78 - 42

Czech Republic vs. Hungary

64 - 73

Russia vs. Germany

70 - 58

Czech Republic vs. Russia

57 - 76

Hungary vs. Germany

53 - 63

Team

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Classification Game for 19th to 20th Place

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Russia

2/1

204/174

2. Germany

2/1

199/165

3. Hungary

2/1

185/185

4. Czech Republic

0/3

163/227

Israel vs. France

68 - 55

Classification Game for 5th to 6th Place Lithuania vs. Greece

77 - 73

Classification Game for 3rd and 4th Place Serbia vs. Croatia

79 - 66

Final Turkey vs. Spain

65 - 57

U20 European Championship Men

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Aleksandar Vezenkov

BUL

174

19.3

Milija Mikovic

MNE

165

18.3

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Aleksandar Vezenkov

BUL

101

11.2

Matic Rebec

SLO

Avg. 9.0

Nikola Jankovic

SRB

9.4

Naor Sharon

ISR

5.9

Martin Peterka

CZE

147

16.3

Mikolaj Witlinski

POL

9.3

Alexander Young

GBR

5.2

Rolands Smits

LAT

144

16.0

Milija Mikovic

MNE

9.0

Serdar Annaev

RUS

4.8

Nikola Jankovic

SRB

155

15.5

Mouhammadou Jaiteh

FRA

8.6

Jan Grzelinski

POL

4.7

MVP

TUR

Matic Rebec

Cedi Osman

Aleksandar Vezenkov

BUL

SRB

Nikola Jankovic

All Tournament Team

SLO

ESP

Guillermo Hernangomez

Cedi Osman TUR

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Youth Yearbook 2014 11

G N I T O O H S

STARS

Mouhammadou Jaiteh Back for his second stint at the U20 European Championship and his fifth consecutive summer appearing in a French national team jersey, Mouhammadou Jaiteh once again demonstrated why his long-term prospects are pointing towards the United States and a career in the NBA. Coming out of the famous French sports school INSEP which also shaped a certain Tony Parker, “Mam”, as he is affectionately called, led France in points (11.7 per game) and rebounds (8.6 per game) as Les Bleus battled their way into the quarter-finals. Prior to travelling to Greece for national team duties, Jaiteh completed his first season in France’s Pro A team Nanterre, a club with whom he now returns to for a second campaign. To watch Mouhammadou Jaiteh’s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. 12 Youth Yearbook 2014

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Aleksandar Vezenkov Born in Cyprus but growing up in Greece with Bulgarian parents, it is the country of his heritage where Aleksandar Vezenkov’s heart lies when it comes to choosing his national allegiances. Perfecting the art of basketball for Apoel Nicosia and later Aris, the son of the former Bulgarian legend Sachko has been donning the Bulgarian colours for the past five summers, impressively kitting up for the U20 team at the age of 17. It was not only at the U20 European Championship that the now 19-year-old appeared in a Bulgarian jersey this summer, also stepping out for the senior men’s team in the EuroBasket 2015 2nd Qualification Round where he led his team in points and rebounds, cementing his spot as the national team linchpin for many years to come. To watch Aleksandar Vezenkov’s Shooting Stars profile, follow link. TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 13

B N O I S I V I D MEN

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

By Joe Hewison

Sarajevo was the setting as 14 teams from across the continent contested the U20 European Championship Division B to compete for the top three spots, and promotion to Division A for 2015.

First Round The teams were separated into two groups of seven with the top two finishers advancing to the semi-finals. Hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina established themselves as contenders on Day One as Stefan Glogovac had 23 points and 10 rebounds to help them to a 71-50 victory against Belgium. That set the tone for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s campaign as they completed the First Round unbeaten to top Group A while Belgium bounced back to win the rest of their First Round games and claim second, a 92-53 victory against third-placed Portugal in the final group game proving decisive. Group B was a more open affair and it ended with a three-way tie at the summit. The three teams involved were Belarus, Ukraine and Netherlands, who all finished with 5-1 records. Netherlands could have been replaced by Finland in that mix but Tom Koopman’s buzzer-beating lay-up gave the Dutch a 68-66 victory against Finland in their penultimate group game. As it happened, Belarus finished top of the group, their 89-64 defeat of Netherlands strengthening their position in the tie-breaker while Ukraine also held the edge over the Dutch, despite losing to them 57-54, by virtue of their 77-71 success against Belarus.

Semi-Finals The first semi-final pitted Belarus against Belgium with a place in Division A at stake – and it was Belgium who rose to the occasion, jumping out to a 26-12 lead after 10 minutes and extending it to 54-31 by half-time. Maksim Salash did his best to inspire Belarus as he led the team with 20 points and seven rebounds, but they simply could not keep pace with Belgium and Emmanuel Lecomte. The point guard was named on the All-Tournament Team as Belgium finished fourth and missed out on promotion in 2013, but he was not about to let that happen again, pouring in 34 points to drive his team to a 91-70 triumph. Bosnia and Herzegovina faced Ukraine in the other semi-final and, like Belgium, made a fast start, leading 9-2. But Ukraine refused to go away and the hosts had to rely on the post presence of Jusuf Nurkic, who finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds as Bosnia and Herzegovina eventually wore Ukraine down 89-71.

Emmanuel Lecomte, Belgium

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U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEN DIVISION B

Medal Games Ukraine had jumped out to an early lead before hanging on for victory when they met Belarus in the First Round, and it was a similar story second time round. The scoring of Vladyslav Koreniuk gave Ukraine control and a big enough lead to hold off a late challenge for a 77-62 victory â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and promotion. Promotion already secured, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Belgium concentrated on the battle for gold. It was a much closer game than their meeting on the opening day, but once again it was the hosts who prevailed, MVP Nurkic demonstrating why he had earned that title with 34 points and 13 rebounds.

Jusuf Nurkic and Ermin Dedic, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Vladyslav Koreniuk, Ukraine Talat Altunbey chipped in with 10 points / lorem ipsum

All-Tournament Team

Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201415 15 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U20 European Championship Men Division B

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round GROUP A Romania vs. Estonia

70-58

Cyprus vs. Portugal

48-89

Belgium vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

50-71

Portugal vs. Romania

82-64

Cyprus vs. Luxembourg

48-72

Estonia vs. Portugal

64-76

Romania vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

40-96

Belgium vs. Cyprus

58-41

Luxembourg vs. Romania

68-79

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Estonia

95-57

Romania vs. Belgium

37-75

Estonia vs. Luxembourg

75-68

Portugal vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

64-73

Cyprus vs. Romania

61-45

Luxembourg vs. Portugal

66-74

Belgium vs. Estonia

92-39

Estonia vs. Cyprus

61-72

Portugal vs. Belgium

53-92

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Luxembourg 99-52

Ukraine

10.

Georgia

Belarus

11.

Austria

Netherlands

12.

Estonia

Portugal

13.

Luxembourg

Finland

14.

Switzerland

Romania vs. Austria Georgia vs. Estonia

467/299

Switzerland vs. Georgia

76-79

4/2

438/407

Belarus vs. Austria

78-63

Netherlands vs. Finland

68-66

2/4

326/429

Ukraine vs. Belarus

77-71

2/4

335/440

Austria vs. Netherlands

47-77

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place

1/5

354/473

Finland vs. Switzerland

78-87

Luxembourg vs. Switzerland

538/319

2. Belgium

5/1

3. Portugal

4. Cyprus

1/5

384/475

GROUP B

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Belarus

5/1

489/394

Georgia vs. Finland

56-75

2. Ukraine

5/1

419/368

Netherlands vs. Ukraine

57-54

3. Netherlands

5/1

391/356

Switzerland vs. Austria

41-65

4. Finland

2/4

433/421

Ukraine vs. Switzerland

75-58

Belarus vs. Netherlands

89-64

5. Georgia

2/4

390/432

Austria vs. Georgia

55-72

6. Austria

1/5

330/413

Georgia vs. Ukraine

69-71

7. Switzerland

1/5

365/433

70-68 60-52

Classification Games for 5 to 8 Place th

Netherlands vs. Cyprus

69-45

Portugal vs. Finland

75-65

65-60

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place Austria-Estonia

52-51

Classification Game for 9th to 10th Place Romania-Georgia

66-50

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place Finland vs. Cyprus

88-52

Classification Game for 5 to 6 Place th

Portugal vs. Netherlands

65-74

Finland vs. Austria

82-46

Classification Game for 3 to 4 Place

Switzerland vs. Belarus

54-84

Ukraine vs. Belarus

Belarus vs. Georgia

82-63

Semi-Finals

Ukraine vs. Finland

79-59

Belarus vs. Belgium

70-91

Final

Netherlands vs. Switzerland

52-49

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Ukraine

89-71

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Belgium

Jusuf Nurkic, Bosnia and Herzegovina 16 Youth Yearbook 2014

Romania

51-73

6/0

7. Luxembourg

Georgia vs. Netherlands

6. Estonia

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

104-56

Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place

Pts

58-100

Cyprus

54-63

F/A

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Cyprus

73-85

W/L

Luxembourg vs. Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Austria vs. Ukraine

5. Romania

Finland vs. Belarus

Team 1.

Team

Maksim Salash, Belarus TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

77-62

76-70

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEN DIVISION B

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Beka Burjanadze

GEO

173

21.6

Jusuf Nurkic

BIH

171

21.4

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Jusuf Nurkic

BIH

12.0

Irakli Mikeladze

GEO

Avg. 5.6

Roberto Mantovani

CYP

10.4

Igor Boyarkin

UKR

4.9

Emmanuel Lecomte

BEL

160

20.0

Beka Burjanadze

GEO

9.5

Adi Zahiragic

BIH

4.8

Vladyslav Koreniuk

UKR

148

18.5

Yann Wolff

LUX

9.1

Valentin Bauer

AUT

4.5

Arnaud Cotture

SUI

128

18.3

Arnaud Cotture

SUI

8.9

Sam Hemeleers

BEL

4.4

MVP

2. Emmanuel Lecomte

BLR

BEL Adin Vrabac

BIH

Jusuf Nurkic

All Tournament Team

Maksim Salash

UKR

Vladyslav Koreniuk

Jusuf Nurkic BIH

BIH TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 17

A N O I S I V I D WOMEN

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

By Joe Hewison

Udine, in the north-eastern corner of Italy, welcomed the U20 European Championship Women with 16 teams split into four groups of four to determine which 12 would advance to the second group stage. From there eight quarter-final spots were on offer, while those that missed out would compete to avoid being one of three teams relegated to Division B.

First Round Two of the competition favourites met in Group B on Day One as reigning champions Spain edged France 48-42 in a gritty game at Palasport Manlio Benedetti. Spain never hit top gear in the opening round but topped the group nonetheless after holding off spirited displays from Greece and Latvia. France recovered to win their next two thanks to their energetic defence while Latvia’s opening day defeat of Greece was enough to see them through to the next round. Netherlands started brilliantly, blowing away the hosts 65-39 at PalaIndoor, but split their next two Group D games, easing to victory against Belarus before being beaten by Poland. Dominika Owczarzak's three-point attempt at the buzzer rolled in and then out as Italy hung on for a 59-56 day two victory against Poland, which they followed with success against Belarus as all three advancing teams finished with a 2-1 record after Poland ensured Belarus finished the First Round winless. Turkey took Group A by the scruff of the neck, holding off Russia 53-47, and building on that success as they breezed by Czech Republic and staved off brave Belgium. Russia claimed second spot in the group as Albina Razheva’s inside presence drove her team to wins against Czech Republic and Belgium while the Czechs’ 71-64 opening win against Belgium proved the difference between third and fourth. Serbia arrived in Italy boasting players who had already played at senior international level and lived up to expectations, assuming control of Group C on Day One as Dragana Stankovic scored 20 points and reeled in 15 rebounds in a 70-67 victory against Slovakia. This was followed by a thrashing of Ukraine before coach Igor Polenek opted to rest key players for the final group game against Sweden, resulting in a 75-63 defeat. That wasn’t enough for Sweden to avoid dropping out of the competition however. They lost to Ukraine and Slovakia as Slovakia finished second, ahead of Ukraine, by virtue of their 72-61 success when the teams met on Day Three.

Second Round

Marieme Badiane, France

It looked as though Spain would continue on unbeaten after they overwhelmed Czech Republic 70-58. But they were slowed by a ruthless Russian shooting performance as Daria Levchenko connected on all four of her three-point attempts en-route to 25 points in a 77-69 success. Spain still topped Group E however, following victory against Turkey, who lost all three Second Round games. France cruised through the Second Round, overcoming Russia, Turkey and Czech Republic to finish in second place, just ahead of Russia, who followed up their triumph over Spain with a narrow victory against Latvia.

18 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U20 European Championship Women Latvia still reached the last eight thanks to back-to-back wins against Turkey and Czech Republic, who both dropped out of the competition. Serbia’s decision to sit out central figures in the final First Round game looked to have affected their momentum when they were beaten 77-67 in their opening Group F game. But Katarina Vuckovic stepped up in the next game as Serbia beat Netherlands before easing past Poland to secure top spot once again. Italy were now relishing the role of hosts and despite losing to Ukraine they claimed second spot after a grandstand finish helped them leapfrog Slovakia. That was Slovakia’s only Second Round loss as their one-two punch of Barbora Bálintová and Zofia Hruscáková lifted them to third place and into the quarter-finals. They were joined by Poland, whose 67-54 defeat of Ukraine gave them the head-to-head edge between the two teams tied with 2-3 records.

Quarter-Finals The pick of the quarter-finals paired France and Slovakia and just a single point separated the teams with 30 seconds to play when Olivia Epoupa imposed her will on the contest, which ended 66-61 to France. Spain cruised past Poland 49-35 behind a strong start while Serbia saw of the challenge of Latvia 79-50. Italy didn’t have it quite so easy. They needed two fourth-quarter triples in a matter of seconds from Marida Orazzo and Antonia Peresson to defeat Russia 73-64.

Semi-Finals France faced Serbia in the final four and Epoupa got some help driving her team to victory as Lidija Turcinovic came up with key baskets at vital moments to see her team triumph 50-44. Last year’s MVP, Astou Ndour, silenced the home crowd with a 26-point 15-rebound performance against Italy as Spain’s 64-46 success secured a sixth consecutive final appearance.

Medal Games Serbia thought they had won the bronze medal when Aleksandra Stanacev hit a go-ahead jumper with five seconds remaining but the play was judged an offensive foul and the hosts took advantage to snatch third place with a 68-63 success in front of the capacity crowd. This gave the final a tough act to follow but it was an even closer affair than the Day One meeting of France and Spain. The final went all the way to overtime as Leticia Romero hit a clutch three pointer that appeared to give the holders the momentum. But Marième Badiane connected on an important triple of her own before producing an outstanding block to give France a fourpoint edge with 21 seconds remaining as they hung on 47-42.

Hosts Italy pleased the home crowd with the bronze medal TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 19

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round

GROUP D

GROUP A Russia vs. Turkey

47-53

Czech Republic vs. Belgium

71-64

Turkey vs. Czech Republic

84-49

Belgium vs. Russia

38-66

Russia vs. Czech Republic

65-52

Belgium vs. Turkey

42-48

Team

Turkey

Spain

10.

Netherlands

Italy

11.

Czech Republic

Serbia

12.

Ukraine

Latvia

13.

Belgium

Poland

14.

Belarus

Russia

15.

Sweden

Slovakia

16.

Greece

W/L

F/A

Pts

4/1

345/301

60-82

2. Italy

3/2

289/301

Italy vs. Poland

59-56

3. Slovak Republic

3/2

318/279

Netherlands vs. Poland

50-55

4. Poland

2/3

271/288

Belarus vs. Italy

52-66

5. Ukraine

2/3

284/321

6. Netherlands

1/4

263/280

73-34

Netherlands vs. Italy

65-39

Belarus vs. Netherlands

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Netherlands

2/1

197/154

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Turkey

3/0

185/138

2. Poland

2/1

184/143

2. Russia

2/1

178/143

3. Italy

2/1

164/173

3. Czech Republic

1/2

172/213

4. Belarus

0/3

146/221

4. Belgium

0/3

144/185

GROUP B

France

1. Serbia

Poland vs. Belarus

Team

Classification Game for 9th to 10th Place

39-55

Turkey vs. Netherlands 60-45

Sweden vs. Belgium

43-45

Belarus vs. Greece

68-47

Belgium vs. Greece

61-54

Second Round

Sweden vs. Belarus

44-68 G

W/L

F/A

Pts

France vs. Russia

55-51

Latvia vs. France

43-68

1. Belgium

3/0

157/145

Latvia vs. Turkey

60-53

Spain vs. Greece

55-38

Latvia vs. Czech Republic

59-49

2. Belarus

2/1

184/142

France vs. Greece

67-36

Russia vs. Spain

77-69

3. Sweden

1/2

142/152

Latvia vs. Spain

66-72

Turkey vs. France

50-52

4. Greece

0/3

140/184

Spain vs. Turkey

61-40

Russia vs. Latvia

63-59

Quarter-Finals

France vs. Czech Republic

85-43

France vs. Slovak Republic

F/A

Pts 6

2. France

2/1

177/127

3. Latvia

1/2

178/196

4. Greece

0/3

130/191

GROUP C Serbia vs. Slovak Republic

70-67

Sweden vs. Ukraine

51-59

Slovak Republic vs. Sweden

62-38

Ukraine vs. Serbia

54-78

Serbia vs. Sweden

63-75

Ukraine vs. Slovak Republic Team

61-72

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Serbia

2/1

211/196

2. Slovak Republic

2/1

201/169

3. Ukraine

1/2

174/201

4. Sweden

1/2

164/184

20 Youth Yearbook 2014

66-61

Serbia vs. Latvia 79-50

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Spain

4/1

320/283

2. France

4/1

302/235

3. Russia

3/2

303/288

Turkey vs. Greece 50-39

4. Latvia

2/3

287/305

Czech Republic vs. Belgium 56-44

5. Turkey

2/3

280/269

Netherlands vs. Belarus 64-61

6. Czech Republic

0/5

251/363

Spain vs. Poland 49-35 Italy vs. Russia 73-64 Classification Games for 9th to 16th Place

Ukraine vs. Sweden 56-47 Classification Games for 13th to 16th Place

GROUP F

Greece vs. Belgium 48-60

Ukraine vs. Netherlands

59-50

Poland vs. Slovak Republic

42-58

Italy vs. Serbia

77-67

Slovak Republic vs. Netherlands

64-46

Italy vs. Ukraine

54-56

Serbia vs. Poland

67-51

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place

Netherlands vs. Serbia

52-63

Latvia vs. Slovak Republic

Poland vs. Ukraine

67-54

Poland vs. Russia 69-65

Slovak Republic vs. Italy

57-60

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place Russia vs. Slovak Republic

68-50

Classification Game for 5 to 6 Place th

Poland vs. Latvia 46-60 Team

42-48

175/146

Belgium vs. Belarus 47-41

Greece vs. Sweden

France vs. Spain

3/0

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place

58-70

W/L

Greece vs. Sweden 50-59

51-48

Czech Republic vs. Spain

Classification Game for 15th to 16th Place

Belgium vs. Belarus

GROUP E

Spain vs. Italy 64-46

Czech Republic vs. Ukraine 64-57

GROUP G

56-69

Team

Serbia vs. France 44-50

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place

Greece vs. Latvia

1. Spain

Semi-Finals

Sweden vs. Belarus 57-67 Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place Turkey vs. Czech Republic

73-60

Ukraine vs. Netherlands 59-85

60-59

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place Italy vs. Serbia

68-63

Final Spain vs. France 42-47

U20 European Championship Women

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Miriam Uro-Nile

UKR

18.0

Astou Ndour

ESP

142

15.8

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Miriam Uro-Nile

UKR

18.0

Aleksandra Stanacev

SRB

Avg. 5.1

Astou Ndour

ESP

142

15.8

Leticia Romero

ESP

4.7

Zofia Hruscáková

SVK

125

15.6

Zofia Hruscáková

SVK

125

15.6

Barbora Bálintová

SVK

3.3

Maryia Papova

BLR

134

14.9

Maryia Papova

BLR

134

14.9

Nataliya Skorbatyuk

UKR

2.8

Vita Gorobets

UKR

133

14.8

Vita Gorobets

UKR

133

14.8

Francesca Gambarini

ITA

2.8

MVP

Olivia Epoupa

ESP

Leticia Romero

Elisa Penna

ITA

Astou Ndour

All Tournament Team

FRA

SVK

Zofia Hruscakova

Olivia Epoupa FRA

ESP TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 21

G N I T O O H S

STARS

Astou Ndour Astou Ndour is on the fast track to stardom having been the literal and figurative central figure on every Spanish youth team she played for. Returning this summer to the U20 European Championship Women, 12 months after being named MVP in the very same tournament, Ndour once more excelled, leading Spain to the gold medal game with team-high points (15.8) and rebounds (8.9) averages. Her outstanding performances for nation and club (Gran Canaria) did not go unnoticed and further opportunities have come her way, including debut appearances in the WNBA for the San Antonio Stars at the end of summer and a new contract with Turkish and EuroLeague Women powerhouse Fenerbahce. To watch Astou Ndourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. 22 Youth Yearbook 2014

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Dragana Stankovic Despite being a year younger than most of her pairs in Udine at the U20 European Championship Women, Dragana Stankovic made it clear from the outset that she belonged. For the 19-year-old Serbian center, taking on players a year older than her was considerably less daunting than taking on the best players in the world, such as she had done during the club season when she turned out for EuroLeague Women outfit UE Sopron, guarding the likes of Isabelle Yacoubou and Jantel Lavender. Stankovic finished just short of a double-double average as Serbia dramatically missed out on a spot on the podium, leaving few in attendance in doubt of Serbiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s podium potential in 2015 with Stankovic back on board. To watch Dragana Stankovicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 23

B N O I S I V I D WOMEN

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

By Dan Casey

With their eyes on claiming one of the three available promotion spots, ten teams gathered in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia for the U20 European Championship Women Division B. The format of a round-robin league meant that there would be No traditional final, but the tournament still came down to the wire with a thrilling promotion decider.

24 Youth Yearbook 2014

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Elisabeth Dzirma, Germany

The luck of the draw had it so that the championship's best two teams, Germany and Hungary, met on the first day. Both teams eventually sealed promotion in convincing fashion with a game to spare, but Hungary's tournament didn't get off to the best of starts as Germany won the opener, 79-71. Hungary bounced back with victory over Portugal, before fighting out an overtime thriller with Bosnia and Herzegovina on the third day, which Hungary eventually claimed with a 70-67 scoreline. Something had to give when Lithuania took on hosts Bulgaria after the competition's first rest-day, with both teams sporting perfect records. Roberta Mizgeryte's shot down the stretch sealed a dramatic 74-71 win for the Lithuanian team. But the wheels started to come off for Lithuania as Hungary handed them their first loss, Amadea Szamosi racking up 20 points in an emphatic 68-44 victory. Great Britain finally won a close game after some heartbreaking defeats, Whitney Allen scoring with three seconds remaining to seal a 58-57 win over Portugal. Elisabeth Dzirma scored the crucial basket for Germany in their 69-66 win over Bulgaria, and the unbeaten German team went on to hand Lithuania a second straight heavy defeat with an 82-49 victory that put them on a verge of promotion. Hungary improved to 5-1 with a triumph over Israel, and Marica Gajic was impressive again in notching another double-double as Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Great Britain to leave the latter's promotion prospects in tatters. Portugal handed Germany their first loss of the Championship with a thrilling 61-57 overtime victory, overcoming Levke Brodersen's last-second game-tying three-pointer in regulation. Bosnia and Herzegovina maintained their interest and effectively ended Bulgaria's with an emphatic 85-54 win. Lithuania's slump continued as they dropped to Israel, and Hungary eased past Norway to join Germany at the top of the standings. The pair sealed promotion the next night, with Germany managing to restrict Bosnia and Herzegovina's potent offence to spark the celebrations. Portugal ended Lithuania's hopes as a 21-4 third-quarter run spurred them to a 62-42 win, Lithuania's fourth defeat in a row after beginning with four straight victories. This set up a final-day decider between Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina for the third promotion spot. Gajic was sensational again for Bosnia and Herzegovina, hauling in 21 points and 19 rebounds, but Portugal surged clear in the third quarter to take the 72-66 win, led by Josephine Filipe's 15 points. Germany sealed gold with a comfortable victory over winless Romania.

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN DIVISION B

Ines Viana, Portugal

Dora Nagy, Hungary

All-Tournament Team TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 25

U20 European Championship Women Division B

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round

Romania vs. Norway

45-52

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Lithuania 48-56

Great Britain vs. Romania

75-45

Romania vs. Portugal

47-74

Israel vs. Lithuania

62-58

Hungary vs. Germany

71-79

Norway vs. Hungary

51-85

Israel vs. Bulgaria

62-91

Bulgaria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

54-85

Norway vs. Great Britain

32-47

Germany vs. Portugal

57-61

Hungary vs. Great Britain

79-56

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Romania

112-53

Portugal vs. Hungary

60-69

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany

50-68

Germany vs. Israel

66-48

Lithuania vs. Portugal

42-62

Bulgaria vs. Norway

73-53

Romania vs. Bulgaria

37-70

Lithuania vs. Great Britain

60-58

Israel vs. Norway

80-46

Israel vs. Portugal

39-64

Portugal vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

72-66

Hungary vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

70-67

Germany vs. Romania

75-47

Norway vs. Germany

23-72

Great Britain vs. Israel

66-61

Great Britain vs. Bulgaria

70-75

Norway vs. Lithuania

44-66

Romania vs. Lithuania

42-61

Bulgaria vs. Hungary

64-89

Portugal vs. Norway

74-32

Germany vs. Great Britain

69-58

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Israel

72-51

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Germany

8/1

637/473

8/1

698/525

Lithuania vs. Bulgaria

74-71

2. Hungary

Romania vs. Hungary

41-82

3. Portugal

7/2

588/471

Great Britain vs. Portugal

58-57

4. Lithuania

5/4

510/537

Israel vs. Romania

89-57

Hungary vs. Lithuania

68-44

5/4

654/524

4/5

625/603

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria vs. Germany

66-69

6. Bulgaria

Norway vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

47-94

7. Great Britain

4/5

541/538

Hungary vs. Israel

85-63

Lithuania vs. Germany

49-82

8. Israel

3/6

555/605

9. Norway

1/8

380/636

10. Romania

0/9

414/690

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Great Britain 60-53 Portugal vs. Bulgaria

64-61

Germany celebrate promotion to Division A 26 Youth Yearbook 2014

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Marica Gajic, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Germany

Hungary

Portugal

Lithuania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Great Britain

Israel

Norway

10.

Romania

U20 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN DIVISION B

TOP PERFORMERS Points Name

Rebounds Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Marica Gajic

BIH

182

20.2

Marica Gajic

BIH

130

14.4

Dora Nagy

HUN

Avg. 4.4

Amadea Szamosi

HUN

152

16.9

Noémie Rouault

GER

9.7

Miljana Dzombeta

BIH

4.3

Iva Kostova

BUL

138

15.3

Cheridene Green

GBR

8.8

Greta Tamasauskaite

LTU

3.9

Borislava Hristova

BUL

130

14.4

Amadea Szamosi

HUN

8.0

Ines Viana

POR

3.7

Laura Ferreira

POR

124

13.8

Roberta Mizgeryte

LTU

7.8

Radostina Dimitrova

BUL

3.4

MVP

2. Dora Nagy

POR

HUN Marica Gajic

BIH

GER

Marie Gülich

All Tournament Team

Laura Ferreira

HUN

Amadea Szamosi

Marica Gajic BIH

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 27

U18

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

A N O I S I V I D MEN

By David Hein

Hosts Turkey came into the 2014 U18 European Championship as the reigning champions with high hopes of becoming the first repeat winner since Yugoslavia in 1988 and the first host nation to win since Lithuania in 2010. The 16 countries were broken down into four groups of four with the top three advancing to the Second Round and the top four of those two six-team groups moving onto the quarter-finals.

Dragan Bender, Croatia

FIRST ROUND Group A ended up being topped by Italy at 2-1. Latvia lost to Italy but took second place with a 2-1 mark and those two countries were joined in the Second Round by Poland, who beat Belgium. The Belgians, who were back in Division A for the first time since 2008, finished last despite upsetting Italy. Croatia came into the tournament as one of the favorites and won their three Group B games by an average of 27 points. The 16-year-old Dragan Bender collected 34 points and 14 rebounds in Croatia’s blowout win over Lithuania, who took second in the group at 2-1 while France secured the third spot ahead of winless England. Group C ended with three teams going 2-1 with wins against each other as leaders Greece beat second-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina, who knocked off third placed Turkey, who in turn battled past Greece while Czech Republic went 0-3. Group D had the same dynamic with promoted side Montenegro taking the group despite losing on a Marc Garcia free throw with 0.4 seconds left against second-placed Spain, who fell to third-placed Serbia, who were surprised by Montengro. Russia in the meantime suffered three straight losses.

SECOND ROUND In the Second Round, Group E saw the top three teams from Groups A and B face off while Group F was made up of the top three finishers from Groups C and D. Croatia continued to roll in Group E with 20-point wins over Poland and Latvia and then a 26-point drubbing of Italy to decide top honours in the group. The young Croatian sensation Bender just missed a triple-double against Latvia with 21 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. While Italy finished second at 4-1, Latvia came back from a 23-point deficit and finished on a 19-1 run to knock off Lithuania 78-76 and then fended off France in the final game to take third place at 3-2. Lithuania took fourth at 2-3; and France joined Poland in the relegation fight. In Group F, Serbia claimed top honours at 4-1 with three wins including a surprising 82-62 thrashing of Turkey in the final group game. Turkey grabbed second place ahead of Greece – both at 3-2 – thanks to their win over the Greeks in the First Round. Spain’s last second win over Montenegro from the First Round got the Spaniards into the quarter-finals in fourth place over Montenegro as both teams finished at 2-3. Bosnia and Herzegovina finished sixth at 1-4.

28 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U18 European Championship Men

QUARTER-FINALS Greece proved too balanced for Italy in the first quarter-final with an 85-68 win, ending the game on a 13-1 run while Serbia moved into the semis after holding on for a 64-52 victory over Lithuania. Croatia used a 25-8 run spanning the third and fourth quarter to put away Spain 61-41 to reach the semi-finals as four players – Bender, Nik Slavica, Marko Arapovic and Ante Zicic – collected doubledoubles. Croatia’s opponent in the semis would be Turkey, who cruised past Latvia 78-53 thanks to 22 points from Furkan Korkmaz.

SEMI-FINALS In the semis, Greece got another shot at Serbia after losing to them in the Second Round by five points. But the winning margin was the same again for Serbia, who beat Greece 60-55 to reach the U18 final for the first time since 2011. Radovan Djokovic nailed back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth quarter to open a 10-point lead and Serbia held on for the win. After keeping the other semi-final tight against undefeated Croatia, Turkey opened a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Croatia got back to within three points but Ogulcan Baykan, Tolga Gecim and Berk Ugurlu all nailed three-pointers down the stretch as Turkey picked up a 74-67 win over Croatia, who came into the semis with an average winning margin of 23.1 points while scoring 87 points per game. Ege Arar’s 14 points and 10 rebounds paced three Turks in double figures.

Furkan Korkmaz, Turkey

CLASSIFICATION GAMES Despite three victories, Belgium wound up going back down to Division B along with Poland and England, the latter who missed a chance to stay up by losing to Czech Republic 73-59 in the Classification Game for 13th Place. Italy beat Lithuania 80-57 and Spain fended off Latvia 83-78 in the 5th-8th games which meant that Italy and Spain secured spots in the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship along with hosts Greece, Croatia, Serbia and Turkey.

MEDAL GAMES Croatia bounced back from their only loss to Turkey by knocking off Greece 75-71 to add bronze to their gold in 2012 and silver in 2013. Arapovic collected 24 points and 16 rebounds while Bender again came up just short of a triple double with 14 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. There would not be another Serbia blowout of Turkey in the gold medal game as the hosts jumped out to a 23-7 lead and would extend it to 34-18 midway through the second quarter. Serbia trimmed the margin to 36-28 at halftime but Korkmaz nailed two three-pointers and threw down a reverse dunk in a 19-4 run to make it 64-41 late in the third quarter. Turkey would not let Serbia back into the game – repeating the crown with an 85-68 victory. Gecim led four Turkish players in double figures with 18 points.

Vasileios Charalampopoulos, Greece

Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201429 29 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U18 European Championship Men

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round

GROUP D

GROUP A Italy vs. Latvia

72-55

Poland vs. Belgium

67-63

Belgium vs. Italy

79-75

Latvia vs. Poland

72-68

Italy vs. Poland

78-68

Belgium vs. Latvia

52-63

Turkey

France

Serbia

10.

Russia

Croatia

11.

Montenegro

Greece

12.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Spain

13.

Czech Republic

Italy

14.

England

Lithuania

15.

Belgium

Latvia

16.

Poland

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Serbia

4/1

377/343

78-73

2. Turkey

3/2

358/353

Russia vs. Spain

60-67

3. Greece

3/2

372/353

Serbia vs. Spain

71-63

4. Spain

2/3

376/383

Serbia vs. Russia

79-53

Spain vs. Montenegro

73-72

Montenegro vs. Serbia

Montenegro vs. Russia Team

69-63 G

W/L

F/A

Pts

Team

5. Montenegro

2/3

343/360

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1/4

344/378

Semi-Finals Serbia vs. Greece

60-55

Croatia vs. Turkey

67-74

Classification Game for 15th to 16th Place Poland vs. Belgium

England vs. Czech Republic

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Montenegro

2/1

219/209

Classification Group G-

2/1

225/202

2. Serbia

2/1

223/194

Belgium vs. Russia

65-84

2. Latvia

2/1

190/192

3. Spain

2/1

203/203

England vs. Czech Republic

50-55

1/2

203/213

0/3

176/215

86-74

4. Russia

Czech Republic vs. Belgium

3. Poland

Russia vs. England

65-50

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place

4. Belgium

1/2

194/205

Belgium vs. England

67-64

Latvia vs. Lithuania

Czech Republic vs. Russia

53-62

Classification Game for 5th to 6th Place

GROUP B

Second Round

France vs. Lithuania

72-75

France vs. Italy

Croatia vs. England

88-47

Lithuania vs. Latvia

76-78

England vs. France

45-73

Poland vs. Croatia

81-101

Lithuania vs. Croatia

66-89

Italy vs. Lithuania

64-61

France vs. Croatia

62-79

France vs. Poland

73-37

England vs. Lithuania

61-77

Latvia vs. Croatia

72-92

Croatia vs. Italy

81-65

Latvia vs. France

63-59

Lithuania vs. Poland

82-71

Team 1. Croatia

W/L

F/A

Pts

3/0

256/175

2. Lithuania

2/1

218/222

3. France

1/2

207/199

4. England

0/3

153/238

GROUP C Greece vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

78-69

Turkey vs. Czech Republic

101-51

Czech Republic vs. Greece

57-75

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Turkey

73-66

Bosnia & Herzegovina vs. Czech Rep.

72-65

Turkey vs. Greece

68-64

Team

Montenegro vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina 85-64

GROUP E

Team

65-68

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Russia

3/0

211/168

2. Czech Republic

2/1

194/186

3. Belgium

1/2

206/234

4. England

0/3

164/187

Quarter-Finals Italy vs. Greece

68-85

Serbia vs. Lithuania

83-67

Croatia vs. Spain

80-55

Turkey vs. Latvia

78-53

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Croatia

5/0

442/346

2. Italy

4/1

347/330

3. Latvia

3/2

340/367

4. Lithuania

2/3

360/374

5. France

1/4

331/322

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Czech Republic 87-77

6. Poland

0/5

325/406

France vs. Belgium

Classification Games for 9th to 16th Place Montenegro vs. England

85-67

Poland vs. Russia

74-85

75-60

Classification Games for 13th to 16th Place GROUP F Spain vs. Greece

85-89

Serbia vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

77-71

Turkey vs. Montenegro

78-63

England vs. Poland

83-74

Belgium vs. Czech Republic

61-69

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Greece

2/1

217/194

Bosnia and 2. Herzegovina

2/1

214/209

Greece vs. Serbia

69-74

3. Turkey

2/1

235/188

Spain vs. Turkey

71-84

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place

4. Czech Republic

0/3

173/248

Montenegro vs. Greece

57-72

Lithuania vs. Italy

57-80

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Spain

67-84

Spain vs. Latvia

83-78

Serbia vs. Turkey

82-62

30 Youth Yearbook 2014

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Montenegro 64-73

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

59-73

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place

1. Italy

Team

79-83

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place

Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place Montenegro vs. Russia

62-72

France vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

68-52

Classification Game for 9th to 10th Place Russia vs. France

Spain vs. Italy

52-77

56-90

68-65

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place Croatia vs. Greece

75-71

Final Turkey vs. Serbia

85-68

U18 European Championship Men

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

ITA

203

22.6

162

20.2

Federico Mussini

Petar Popovic

MNE

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Yankuba Sima

ESP

109

12.1

Viktor Pulpán

CZE

Avg. 6.7

Domantas Sabonis

LTU

108

12.0

Artur Wlodarczyk

POL

5.2

Vasileios Charalampopoulos

GRE

165

18.3

Dragan Bender

CRO

10.4

Dragan Bender

CRO

4.9

Marc Garcia

ESP

154

17.1

Zoran Nikolic

MNE

10.1

Berk Ugurlu

TUR

4.6

Marko Arapovic

CRO

153

17.0

Vasileios Charalampopoulos

GRE

10.0

Thomas Akyazili

BEL

4.6

MVP

2. Federico Mussini

SRB

ITA Vasileios Charalampopoulos

GRE

TUR

Egemen Güven

All Tournament Team

Stefan Lazarevic

CRO

Dragan Bender

Egemen Güven TUR

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 31

G N I T O O H S

STARS

Dragan Bender When one makes the starting line-up of their national U18 team at the age of 16, one is sure to turn heads. This was certainly the case this summer in Konya, Turkey when the versatile Dragan Bender stepped out to represent Croatia. Once coming within an assist of a triple double and on another occasion within a rebound of achieving the same feat, it is little wonder that comparisons are quickly drawn between the 2.11m forward and the person he emulated growing up, Toni Kukoc. Leading his teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s averages in rebounds (10.4) and assists (4.9), the fact he also averaged 14.4 points, has left some pondering just how good he will be in the same tournament in 2015, playing against his peers. To watch Dragan Benderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. 32 Youth Yearbook 2014

TO TOTHE THETABLE TABLEOF OFCONTENTS CONTENT

Domantas Sabonis Being the son of the man many consider to be the greatest European player of all time comes with a certain amount of pressure, whether warranted or not. However, the youngest of Arvydas Sabonis’ three sons, Domantas, is taking the additional eyes on him in his stride. Debuting in the ACB at the age of 17, the 2.08m power forward was also taking on the best in Europe prior to his 18th birthday when Unicaja Malaga handed him his Euroleague debut off the bench against Olympiacos Piraeus on 18 October, 2013. He went on to make 19 Euroleague appearances in the 2013/14 season, before spearheading Lithuania’s journey to the U18 European Championship quarter-finals in Konya, Turkey. Sabonis has now packed his bags to begin college life at Gonzaga University. To watch Domantas Sabonis’ Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. TO TOTHE THETABLE TABLEOF OFCONTENTS CONTENT

Youth Yearbook 2014 33

U18

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

B N O I S I V I D MEN

By David Hein

Three spots in Division A were at stake for the 22 teams competing at the 2014 U18 European Championships Division B in Sofia, Bulgaria. The teams were broken down into four groups, two with five countries and two with six. The top two of each group would then enter two four-team groups with the first and second-placed teams advancing to the semi-finals and the top three teams earning promotion.

FIRST ROUND The first day of action saw Ireland knock off Denmark for a triumphant return to Division B after a five-year absence – their only win in Group A. Ukraine went undefeated and Portugal lost just once. In Group B, Netherlands beat Sweden but lost to Luxembourg, allowing the Swedes to squeak through in second place behind 3-1 Hungary with a 2-2 mark – the same record as both Luxembourg and Netherlands. Finland took top honours in Group C with a perfect 4-0 record ahead of 3-1 Slovenia. Just like Ukraine and Finland, Germany also finished the First Round undefeated atop Group D while Israel were second thanks to an 82-81 overtime win over-third placed Iceland.

CLASSIFICATION GAMES FOR 1ST TO 8TH The top two teams from Group A then switched over to play the top two teams from Group B forming Group E, while the top two from Groups C and D combined to create Group F. After beating Sweden to start Group E play, Ukraine suffered their first loss of the tournament at the hands of Hungary. But the Hungarians then lost to Portugal, who then also faltered when it counted most, losing in the final game to Sweden, sending Ukraine and Sweden – both 2-1 – into the semis. Things were much clearer in Group F where Germany advanced to the final four with a perfect record – though they needed to come back from a 17-point deficit to beat Slovenia in overtime – and Finland held off Israel to lock up second place at 2-1.

SEMI-FINALS Both semi-finals proved to be thrillers. Finland missed two chances in the final four seconds to give Ukraine a 65-64 victory and a return spot in Division A. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk had 22 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals for Ukraine, who would square off against Germany in the final. Germany fought back from a 13-point deficit to beat Sweden 64-59 as Andreas Obst scored 22 points and both Mahir Agva and Niklas Kiel had doubledoubles. Sweden led 30-17 but Germany closed the first half on a 14-4 surge. Germany held Sweden scoreless for the final 3:26 minutes of the game to get the win.

Andreas Obst, Germany 34 Youth Yearbook 2014

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEN DIVISION B

MEDAL GAMES Finland bounced back from their loss better than their Scandinavian counterparts as they beat Finland 70-50 in the bronze medal game â&#x20AC;&#x201C; making their return to Division A for the first time since 2011. Germany were the team of comebacks over the course of the tournament but there was none needed in the final as the Germans claimed the Division B gold medal with a convincing 64-40 win over Ukraine. Obst led the way with 19 points while Agva added a double-double. Germany opened a 7-0 lead, extended it to 16-6 and were leading 23-6, at which point they never looked back in taking the title. Mykhailiuk was held to eight points in the final.

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Ukraine

Finland celebrate promotion to Division A

All-Tournament Team Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201435 35 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U18 European Championship Men Division B

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round GROUP A Denmark vs. Ireland

61-66

Portugal vs. Ukraine

61-82

Scotland vs. Bulgaria

45-74

Ireland vs. Portugal

33-65

Ukraine vs. Scotland

81-34

Bulgaria vs. Denmark

57-65

Portugal vs. Denmark

65-47

Ukraine vs. Bulgaria

67-58

Finland vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

64-56

Norway vs. Switzerland

75-62

Switzerland vs. Finland

64-89

Team

Germany

12.

Denmark

Ukraine

13.

Netherlands

Finland

14.

Bulgaria

Sweden

15.

F.Y.R. of Macedonia

Slovenia

16.

Austria

Israel

17.

Estonia

Portugal

18.

Romania

Hungary

19.

Scotland

Iceland

20.

Georgia

10.

Norway

21.

Switzerland

11.

Luxembourg

22.

Ireland

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Ukraine

2/1

207/184

2/1

168/156

Slovenia vs. Norway

84-73

2. Sweden

Netherlands vs. Sweden

41-40

3. Portugal

1/2

165/187

F.Y.R. of Macedonia vs. Switzerland

62-53

4. Hungary

1/2

172/185

Finland vs. Slovenia

69-63 GROUP F Slovenia vs. Germany

67-70

Israel vs. Hungary

92-81

4/0

307/247

Finland vs. Israel

77-74

Portugal vs. Slovenia

50-86

3/1

298/223

Israel vs. Slovenia

76-65

Germany vs. Finland

61-51

Semi-Finals

2/2

291/304

Bulgaria vs. Portugal

51-56

4. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

1/3

240/273

Denmark vs. Scotland

64-53

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Ukraine vs. Denmark

79-77

5. Switzerland

0/4

211/300

1. Germany

3/0

212/163

2. Finland

2/1

197/198

Ireland vs. Bulgaria

64-77

GROUP D

Scotland vs. Portugal

59-81

Georgia vs. Austria

54-57

3. Israel

1/2

195/223

Iceland vs. Estonia

72-45

4. Slovenia

0/3

195/215

Israel vs. Germany

45-81

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Ukraine

5/0

396/285

Estonia vs. Georgia

89-59

2. Portugal

4/1

328/272

Germany vs. Iceland

60-58

3. Denmark

2/3

314/320

Austria vs. Israel

47-69

Germany vs. Estonia

74-51

Israel vs. Georgia

94-73

Iceland vs. Austria

80-62

1/4

261/359

6. Ireland

1/4

277/360

GROUP B Luxembourg vs. Netherlands

75-58

Sweden vs. Hungary

62-50

Hungary vs. Luxembourg

60-57

Romania vs. Sweden

79-76

Netherlands vs. Hungary

62-66

Luxembourg vs. Romania

62-53

Sweden vs. Luxembourg

59-47

Romania vs. Netherlands

56-81

Hungary vs. Romania

75-53

Estonia vs. Israel

93-107

Austria vs. Germany

50-101

Georgia vs. Iceland

Ukraine vs. Finland

65-64

Germany vs. Sweden

64-59

Classification Game for 21st to 22nd Place Ireland vs. Switzerland

Scotland vs. Georgia

Romania vs. Estonia

Classification Games for 9th to 16th Place Group G 57-53

Bulgaria vs. Luxembourg

55-46

Luxembourg vs. Denmark

44-79

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place

Netherlands vs. Bulgaria

76-61

Netherlands vs. Bulgaria

W/L

F/A

Pts

80-86

3/0

201/154

Iceland vs. Israel

81-82

2. Luxembourg

1/2

165/192

Austria vs. Estonia

72-55

3. Netherlands

1/2

187/193

Germany vs. Georgia

70-66

4. Bulgaria

1/2

173/187

Austria vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

Denmark vs. Luxembourg

Norway vs. Iceland

Portugal vs. Hungary

F/A

Pts

GROUP H

1. Germany

5/0

386/270

Norway vs. Austria

64-67

Slovenia vs. Israel

2. Israel

4/1

397/375

F.Y.R. of Macedonia vs. Iceland

53-84

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place

3. Iceland

3/2

377/329

Austria vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

52-60

Finland vs. Sweden

4. Austria

2/3

288/359

Iceland vs. Norway

77-63

5. Estonia

1/4

333/384

6. Georgia

0/5

332/396

3/1

251/234

2. Sweden

2/2

237/217

3. Luxembourg

2/2

241/230

CLASSIFICATION GAMES

4. Netherlands

2/2

242/237

5. Romania

1/3

241/294

Classification Games for 1st to 8th Place GROUP E Ukraine vs. Sweden

61-53

GROUP C

Portugal vs. Hungary

59-52

Norway vs. Finland

64-85

Hungary vs. Ukraine

70-64

Slovenia vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

77-49

Sweden vs. Portugal

53-45

F.Y.R. of Macedonia vs. Norway

73-79

Switzerland vs. Slovenia

32-74

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Team

64-67

37-83

68-64

Classification Game for 5th to 6th Place

W/L

1. Hungary

71-37

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place

Pts

71-74

Classification Game for 9th to 10th Place

Team

F/A

72-89

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place G

W/L

72-64

Classification Game for 15th to 16th Place

Denmark vs. Netherlands

Team

63-64

Classification Game for 19th to 20th Place

Classification Game for 17th to 18th Place

1. Denmark

Team

36 Youth Yearbook 2014

68-59

1. Finland

3. Norway

5. Scotland

64-68

Iceland vs. Luxembourg

Pts

55-87

Denmark vs. Norway

F/A

70-59

317/297

52-57

Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place

W/L

Ireland vs. Ukraine

2/3

63-42

F.Y.R. of Macedonia vs. Bulgaria

Team

Scotland vs. Ireland

Netherlands vs. Austria

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place

2. Slovenia

4. Bulgaria

Classification Games for 13th to 16th Place

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Iceland

3/0

241/178

2. Norway

1/2

206/217

3. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

1/2

186/215

4. Austria

1/2

181/204

Classification Games for 17th to 22nd Place Georgia vs. Switzerland

89-63

Ireland vs. Romania

58-65

Switzerland vs. Estonia

65-69

Romania vs. Scotland

70-60

78-63

70-50

Final Ukraine vs. Germany

40-64

U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEN DIVISION B

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Fraser Malcolm

SCO

122

17.4

Harald Frey

NOR

133

16.6

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Team

Games

Total

Johannes Dolven

NOR

12.4

Name Tamir Blatt

ISR

Avg. 6.8

Emanuel Cate

ROU

11.6

Tuomas Hirvonen

FIN

6.2

Johannes Dolven

NOR

132

16.5

Marvin Ogunsipe

AUT

10.5

Sebastian Schmitt

GER

4.8

Oleksandr Kobets

UKR

146

16.2

Oliver Vujakovic

LUX

10.4

Maksym Miroshnychenko

UKR

4.7

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk

UKR

144

16.0

Roman Sorkin

ISR

9.9

J贸n Gudmundsson

ISL

4.7

MVP

Oleksandr Kobets

GER

Andreas Obst

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk

UKR

Mahir Agva

All Tournament Team

UKR

FIN

Juho-Matti Henttonen

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk UKR

GER TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 37

U18

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

C N O I S I V I D MEN

Six teams lined up with hopes of claiming the title at the U18 European Championship Men Division C, which was hosted by Andorra concurrently with U18 European Championship Women Division C. The First Round was broken down into two groups of three teams with the group winners booking direct spots into the semi-finals while the second and third-placed teams played crossover games to determine the other two semi-finalists. Gibraltar opened Group A with a convincing 68-55 win over Wales as they dominated the first three quarters, leading 50-30. Timothy Fava and Thomas Yome combined for 37 points in the win. Hosts Andorra also started their campaign with a win, easing past Gibraltar 61-43 thanks to a big 23-10 third quarter. Roger Valero led the way with 15 points. Andorra grabbed a second comfortable victory to book a spot in the semis, knocking off Wales 71-53, Roger Riera pacing the hosts with 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. In Group B, the Principality of Monaco started with a 57-49 win over Malta. Daniel Pieper collected 11 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and six steals as Monaco pulled away late in the third after leading just 38-36. The reigning Division C champions San Marino got 17 points, 16 rebounds and a game-winning free throw with 16 seconds left from Igor Biordi in a 46-45 win over Monaco. San Marino clinched top honours in Group B with a 76-69 victory against Malta. Biordi put together 28 points and 12 rebounds in helping San Marino break away from a tied game early in the fourth. Joining Andorra and San Marino in the semi-finals were Monaco and Gibraltar. Pieper (17 points and 15 rebounds) and Alessandro Generale (11 and 13) both had double-doubles as Monaco eased past Wales 72-41, giving up just five points to the Welsh in the second quarter. Gibraltar got 24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, four steals and three blocks from Fava in a 66-51 victory over Malta, who scored just three points in the third quarter. Generale and Pieper continued to roll in, combining for 43 points and 27 rebounds as Monaco gave up just eight points in the fourth quarter in a 70-51 win over hosts Andorra to reach the final. Gibraltar joined them in the final in knocking off San Marino 69-43 as Thomas Yome scored 27 points. San Marino managed just four points in the third quarter and Biordi was held to just seven points in the loss. Andorra bounced back to take the bronze medal with a 51-46 win over San Marino thanks to 11 points from Marc De Bofarull. The final was a blowout as Monaco won their first ever U18 European Championship Division C title with a 66-38 win against Gibraltar. Lakic Perovanovic scored 24 points while MVP Pieper had 18 points and 17 rebounds and Generale picked up 17 points, 13 rebounds and seven steals. Monaco gave up just three points in the second quarter and led 31-10 at half-time, from which point they never looked back.

Alessandro Generale, Monaco 38 Youth Yearbook 2014

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

By David Hein

U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEN DIVISION C

FINAL STANDINGS

TOP PERFORMERS

Principality of Monaco

Gibraltar

Andorra

San Marino Malta

Wales

Assists Name

Team Games

Total

Avg.

Thomas Yome

GIB

17.0

Daniel Pieper

MON

16.2

Roger Lliteras Riera

AND

4.2

Igor Biordi

SMR

16.5

Igor Biordi

SMR

14.2

Thomas Yome

GIB

3.4

Lakic Perovanovic

MON

16.4

Aaron Santos

GIB

12.0

Hugo Tata

MON

2.6

Joshua Thomas

WAL

16.0

Kurt Cassar

MLT

11.0

Daniel Farrugia

MLT

2.2

Daniel Pieper

MON

15.8

Alessandro Generale

MON

9.8

Daniel Pieper

MON

2.2

Name

Rebounds

Points

Team

First Round

Team Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team Games

Principality of Monaco vs. Wales 72-41

Wales vs. Gibraltar 55-68 Gibraltar vs. Andorra 43-61 Andorra vs. Wales 71-53 Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Andorra

2/0

132/96

2. Gibraltar

1/1

111/116

3. Wales

0/2

108/139

GROUP B Malta vs. Principality of Monaco

49-57

Principality of Monaco vs. San Marino

45-46

Avg.

MVP

Second Round

GROUP A

Total

Gibraltar vs. Malta 66-51

Daniel Pieper MON

Semi-Finals Andorra vs. Principality of Monaco

51-70

San Marino vs. Gibraltar 43-69 Classification Game for 5th to 6th place Malta vs. Wales 63-58 Classification Game for 3rd to 4th place Andorra vs. San Marino

51-46

Final Principality of Monaco vs. Gibraltar 66-38

San Marino vs. Malta 76-69 G

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. San Marino

Team

2/0

122/114

2. Principality of Monaco

1/1

102/95

3. Malta

0/2

118/133

Thomas Yome

AND

GIB Alessandro Generale

MON

Igor Biordi

All Tournament Team

Roger Riera

MON

Daniel Pieper

SMR TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 39

U18

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

A N O I S I V I D WOMEN

By Paul Nilsen

The municipality of Matosinhos on the outskirts of Portuguese city Porto provided the backdrop for the U18 European Championship Women, as neighbours Spain arrived with the ambition of retaining their title. Hopes were also high for the hosts after cheering the same generation to promotion at the U16 European Championship Women Division B on home soil a year earlier.

FIRST ROUND The first day of the competition brought an early dose of intrigue and overtime as France squeezed out Russia 55-50. At that juncture, nobody was aware both teams would meet again in the gold medal game. It should have helped France take top place in Group A, but they lost 47-46 to Slovenia who impressed with their early work. Meanwhile Turkey finished winless after three games, which certainly raised some eyebrows. Spain showed their class in the opening phase as they topped Group C with a trio of wins against Netherlands, Croatia and Poland â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although only just squeezed past the latter. Serbia and Belgium tied with 2-1 records in Group B, but the former finished top of the heap after a 57-39 shut out of their rivals, facilitated by 2013 AllTournament Team member, Aleksandra Crvendakic. Italy raced out of the blocks with Cecilia Zandalasini and Marzia Tagliamento shining brightly. They claimed victories against Czech Republic, Sweden and the tournament hosts in front of a huge crowd approaching 3,000, to take pole position in Group D. Fortunately for the large and impressive local fan-base, Portugal made it to the Second Round courtesy of their opening night success against Sweden.

Daria Kolosovskaia, Russia

SECOND ROUND

40 Youth Yearbook 2014

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With their hopes pinned on star center Maria Kostourkova, the fans kept flocking to see Portugal but they were left heartbroken as Netherlands denied them a place in the last eight with a 64-50 victory. The Dutch team were joined in the quarter-finals by surprise package Croatia, whose 64-58 win against Czech Republic sparked jubilation. Iva Slonjsak fired 25 points, much to the delight of head coach Goran Sucurovic, who knew it also secured their Division A status for another year which was their main goal. Something had to give when Spain and Italy went head-to-head with 10 wins and no losses between them and it was Spain who prevailed 68-63 but both teams still progressed from Group F. France and Russia won all their games in Group E to stroll into the quarters, while Serbia beat Balkan rivals Slovenia to secure their place. Finally, Heleen Nauwelaers punched a ticket for Belgium after a sparkling 18-point display secured a 61-55 victory against Slovenia, who could count themselves as being unfortunate not to make it.

U18 European Championship Women

QUARTER-FINALS Russia emphasised their medal credentials after a playmaking clinic from Kseniia Levchenko fuelled a 67-41 victory against Croatia. The guard eventually collected 13 points and was just one assist short of recording a double-double. France overpowered Netherlands 70-57 after a fast and furious start which handed them momentum to coast to victory. Louise Dambach finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Spain outlasted gutsy Belgium 52-47 in a compelling clash as Angela Salvadores bailed out the champions with an all-action 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jovana Nogic stepped off the bench to lift Serbia past Italy 66-51, choosing the perfect stage to collect her highest tally in a national team vest after shooting four-of-six from downtown en-route to 16 points. Juljana Vojonovic was even more accurate as she also harvested 16 points.

SEMI-FINALS Reigning champions Spain were slight favourites in their matchup with Russia, even though their seven-game unbeaten streak had been threatened in a couple of outings. It had looked like Spain were on course to continue their defence of the title they won in Vukovar 12 months earlier, but a late flurry of triples swung the pendulum the way of Russia and they claimed a brilliant 6559 success. Spain were punished for their below-par shooting display and struggled against the size of the Russian frontcourt and twin towers of Tatiana Sema and Zhosselina Maiga. The second semi-final witnessed France sneak past Serbia 58-56, in a thrilling, roller-coaster encounter. Just as Serbia looked like the wind was blowing in their direction, Marylie Limousin landed successive three-pointers with less than four minutes remaining. It got France back onto the front foot and to a fourth successive final â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in a repeat of the 2012 gold medal game in Bucharest.

Angela Salvadores, Spain

MEDAL GAMES Aleksandra Crvendakic did her best to propel Serbia to successive bronze medals in her third edition at the tournament, but 24 points and nine boards was not quite enough. Stung by relinquishing their title in the semi-final loss to Russia, Angela Salvadores and Laura Quevedo shared 36 points to hand Spain a 74-69 triumph. Russia headed into the final looking for a first gold medal in a decade at the event and eventually realised their dream of a podium-topping return with a 57-53 success against Les Bleuettes. Down by eight points early in the last quarter, Dmitry Donskov and his team found another gear defensively and added 12 straight points to set up a memorable victory. Daria Kolosovskaia claimed 19 points which helped her take the MVP crown, while playmaker Kseniia Levchenko added 13 points and seven assists, to underline her quality and highlight why she had earlier in the summer helped Russia seal a spot at EuroBasket Women 2015.

Louise Dambach, France

Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201441 41 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U18 European Championship Women

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round Lithuania vs. Serbia

68-80

Russia vs. France

50-55

Slovenia vs. Turkey

73-54

France vs. Slovenia

46-47

Turkey vs. Russia

56-75

Slovenia vs. Russia

42-72

France vs. Turkey

54-43

Team 1. Russia

F/A

Pts 10

Czech Republic vs. Sweden

75-46

2. Italy

4/1

323/284

Portugal vs. Italy

44-61

3. Croatia

2/3

254/344

4. Netherlands

2/3

296/294

5. Czech Republic

1/4

295/332

6. Portugal

1/4

264/291

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Italy

3/0

192/155

0/3

147/199

4. Sweden

4. Turkey

0/3

153/202

40-54 39-55

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place

Poland vs. Sweden

67-55

Italy vs. Croatia

Slovenia vs. Serbia

62-79

Lithuania vs. Slovenia

62-69

France vs. Serbia

68-52

Russia vs. Belgium

54-42

Serbia vs. Russia

64-68

France vs. Lithuania

50-43 G

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. France

Team

4/1

277/238

2. Russia

4/1

330/246

3. Serbia

3/2

332/305

4. Belgium

2/3

247/281

5. Slovenia

2/3

275/320

6. Lithuania

0/5

273/344

GROUP F

Team 1. Poland

W/L

F/A

Pts

3/0

193/159

2. Greece

2/1

160/140

3. Sweden

1/2

158/181

4. Turkey

0/3

152/183

Quarter-Finals Russia vs. Croatia

67-41

France vs. Netherlands

70-57

Spain vs. Belgium

52-47

Italy vs. Serbia

51-66

Classification Games for 9th to 16th Place Slovenia vs. Turkey

54-44

Czech Republic vs. Sweden

60-56

Portugal vs. Greece

57-54

Lithuania vs. Poland

52-75

Croatia vs. Italy

53-68

Czech Republic vs. Netherlands

57-70

Portugal vs. Spain

52-62

Spain vs. Czech Republic

69-60

Classification Games for 13th to 16th Place

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Spain

3/0

246/152

2. Netherlands

1/2

169/176

3. Croatia

1/2

143/211

Portugal vs. Croatia

59-44

Turkey vs. Lithuania

61-72

4. Poland

1/2

173/192

Netherlands vs. Italy

59-61

Sweden vs. Greece

46-51

Italy vs. Spain

63-68

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Poland vs. Czech Republic

65-73

53-51

Classification Game for 5th to 6th Place Netherlands vs. Belgium

55-63

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place Serbia vs. Spain

69-74

FinalS France vs. Russia

Team

42 Youth Yearbook 2014

52-42

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place

Turkey vs. Greece

57-59

58-57

Lithuania vs. Greece

Sweden vs. Greece

57-39

Croatia vs. Netherlands

54-52

Classification Game for 9th to 10th Place vs. Slovenia vs. Portugal 51-61

Lithuania vs. Belgium

46-68

Turkey vs. Sweden

65-53

Serbia vs. Belgium

Netherlands vs. Spain

59-65

Classification Game for 15th to 16th Place

51-61

46-58

50-52

58-56

Spain vs. Russia

Poland vs. Turkey

43-86

Croatia vs. Poland

France vs. Serbia

GROUP E Belgium vs. France

50-66

Semi-Finals

60-63

Lithuania vs. Russia

Poland vs. Netherlands

60-26

Greece vs. Poland

65-70

102-35

59-54

Belgium vs. Croatia

Turkey vs. Sweden

61-43

Spain vs. Croatia

Netherlands vs. Italy

Second Round

Greece vs. Lithuania

GROUP C

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place

CLASSIFICATION GAMES Classification Group G

Belgium vs. Greece

Sweden

369/256

185/196

16.

5/0

162/172

1/2

Croatia

W/L

155/140

2/1

4. Greece

Turkey

2/1

15.

Team

195/204

Italy

1. Spain

1/2

71-76

3. Slovenia

Greece

60-59

3. Lithuania

14.

Poland vs. Spain

166/171

Netherlands

Czech Republic vs. Portugal

1/2

159/157

54-55

2/1

Lithuania

51-61

Poland

13.

Sweden vs. Italy

195/175

2. Belgium

12.

Belgium

70-59

2/1

Serbia

Czech Republic vs. Portugal

202/184

Slovenia vs. Poland

2. Czech Republic

2/1

Czech Republic

61-55

11.

Belgium vs. Slovenia

2. France

1. Serbia

Spain

63-50

197/153

Pts

Portugal vs. Sweden

2/1

F/A

Slovenia

Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place

W/L

10.

64-50

Pts

France

58-64

3. Portugal

Team

Netherlands vs. Portugal

F/A

77-65

Portugal

Czech Republic vs. Croatia

W/L

Greece vs. Serbia

70-60

GROUP B

Russia

Italy vs. Czech Republic

GROUP D

GROUP A

Team

53-57

U18 European Championship Women

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Angela Salvadores

ESP

155

17.2

Daria Kolosovskaia

RUS

141

15.7

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Tatiana Sema

RUS

102

11.3

Kseniia Levchenko

RUS

Avg. 5.6

Maria Kostourkova

POR

10.6

Carolina Bernardeco

POR

3.7

Fleur Kuijt

NED

134

14.9

Daugile Sarauskaite

LTU

10.2

Pinelopi Pavlopoulou

GRE

3.6

Laura Juskaite

LTU

129

14.3

Laura Juskaite

LTU

8.7

Sylwia Bujniak

POL

3.0

Zhosselina Maiga

RUS

128

14.2

Janis Ndiba

NED

8.7

Aleksandra Katanic

SRB

2.9

MVP

2. Angela Salvadores

FRA

ESP Daria Kolosovskaia

RUS

Tatiana Sema

All Tournament Team

Louise Dambach

SRB

Aleksandra Crvendakic

Daria Kolosovskaia RUS

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Youth Yearbook 2014 43

G N I T O O H S

STARS

Kseniia Levchenko Kseniia Levchenko has efficiently gone about debunking the theory that basketball is a tall personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game, becoming one of the premium U18 guards in Europe with little regard for her slight height disadvantage. The 1.65m guard took on and excelled at every challenge thrown her way in 2014, starting off by gaining invaluable experience as a member of EuroLeague Women Final Eight participants Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje, where she did enough to earn a call-up to the senior Russian team, where she assisted in helping them qualify for EuroBasket Women 2015. The experience gained properly came to fruition once she was back playing against her own peers, taking Russia to the top tier of the podium at the U18 European Championship Women. To watch Kseniia Levchenkoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. 44 Youth Yearbook 2014

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Cecilia Zandalasini Cecilia Zandalasini is one of the hottest properties in Italian women’s basketball, with her talents highly sought after at both national and club level. Starting the summer playing in the EuroBasket Women 2015 2nd Qualification Round, the 18-year-old was not simply there to lend support from the end of the bench, averaging over 10 minutes court time in Italy’s six encounters. With the U20, U18 and 3x3 Italian national teams also seeking her services, it was with the U18 team that Zandalasini devoted her time to, using her all-round skillset to guide Italy into the quarter-finals. The forward completed the year with a milestone at club level, making her EuroLeague Women debut with premier Italian club Famila Schio. To watch Cecilia Zandalasini’s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. TO TOTHE THETABLE TABLEOF OFCONTENTS CONTENT

Youth Yearbook 2014 45

U18

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

B N O I S I V I D WOMEN

By David Hein

A total of 17 nations were battling at the 2014 U18 European Championship Women Division B for the gold medal and one of three spots in Division A next summer. The teams were broken down into four groups, three with four teams and one with five. The top two of each group went into two further groups – the teams from Groups A and B to Group E with Group F made up of two teams from Groups C and D.

Group A proved a tight battle with Latvia and Estonia prevailing with 2-1 records while Germany’s 20-point loss to Latvia was too much to make up in the three-way tie at 2-1. Group B saw undefeated Finland go through with Bulgaria – the two teams who provided one of the most thrilling games of the tournament on Day One with Finland beating Bulgaria 105-98 in triple overtime. Israel were a perfect 4-0 in five-team Group C while England went through at 2-2 after beating 2-2 Denmark on the first day of action. Hungary went perfect in Group D while Montenegro’s win over Ukraine secured them second place.

CLASSIFICATION GAMES FOR 1ST TO 8TH Estonia and Latvia both moved on from Group E to the semi-finals with 2-1 records while Finland proved themselves to be unlucky, going to overtime against both Baltic countries and losing both games after scoring three points against Estonia and just two versus Latvia in the extra period. Hungary remained undefeated in Group F while Israel advanced to the semis with a 2-1 record thanks to a win over Montenegro.

SEMI-FINALS Estonia won their semi-final against Israel 63-58 thanks to 18 points from Tatjana Razguliajeva and 13 points and 21 rebounds from Kadri Lass, sending Estonia to Division A for the first time ever. Israel failed to score in the final 1:17 minutes as Estonia scored the final four points for the win. The other semi-final wasn’t much of a competition as Hungary blasted past Latvia 84-57 to return to Division A after dropping down in 2010. Dorottya Nagy and Eniko Kuttor both had double-doubles as Hungary took over the game with a 24-4 run spanning halftime.

MEDAL GAMES Israel will play next summer in Division A for the first time since the start of the A/B division system after beating Latvia 71-64 in the third place game. Four Israelis scored in double figures led by Michal Sasson and the team went six-of-six from the free throw line in the final 22 seconds to decide the game. In the gold medal game, Nagy had another big game with 13 points and 17 rebounds as Hungary beat Estonia 58-52. The final was a back-and-forth and tight affair throughout and Hungary were leading just 54-52 in the closing stages but Estonia failed to score in the last 2:53 minutes of the game. Palma Kaposi and Debora Dubei both made two free throws down the stretch to decide the title. Nina Aho, Hungary 46 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U18 European Championship Women Division B

Shir Levy, Israel

Dorka Gereben and Virag Weninger, Hungary

All-Tournament Team Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201447 47 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U18 European Championship Women Division B

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round

GROUP D Montenegro vs. Romania

GROUP A Latvia vs. Germany

78-58

Ireland vs. Estonia

55-56

Germany vs. Ireland

68-40

Estonia vs. Latvia

46-44

Germany vs. Estonia

49-48

Ireland vs. Latvia

44-70

63-45

Latvia

13.

Ireland

Finland

14.

Luxembourg

Montenegro

15.

Iceland

Bulgaria

16.

Denmark

England

17.

Switzerland

Ukraine

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Germany

2/0

136/89

Classification Games for 9th to 11th Place GROUP J 46-63

3. Switzerland

0/2

92/121

Ukraine vs. Germany

53-52

Montenegro vs. Ukraine

82-62

Hungary vs. Romania

87-57

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Hungary

3/0

228/147

2/1

193/186

2. Estonia

2/1

150/148

3. Ukraine

1/2

163/198

105-98

54-59

Finland vs. Bulgaria

Romania

Romania vs. Ukraine

2. Montenegro

GROUP B

12.

68-65

Israel

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Ukraine

192/148

139/194

Germany vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

2/1

0/3

Bosnia and Herzegovina

11.

95/113

1. Latvia

4. Ireland

Estonia

1/1

Pts

F/A

175/166

Germany

2. Luxembourg

W/L

2/1

10.

79-48

Hungary

Hungary vs. Montenegro

Ukraine vs. Hungary 42-62

Team

3. Germany

Team

4. Romania

0/3

156/209

CLASSIFICATION GAMES Classification Games for 1st to 8th Place GROUP E

GROUP H

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

2/0

116/98

1/1

120/118

0/2

111/131

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Iceland

76-65

1. Ukraine

Iceland vs. Romania

72-77

2. Germany

Romania vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

52-73

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Bosnia and Herzegovina

2/0

149/117

Finland vs. England

61-50

2. Romania

1/1

129/145

Montenegro vs. Bulgaria

83-69

3. Iceland

0/2

137/153

Semi-Finals

GROUP I

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place

Estonia vs. Israel

63-58

Hungary vs. Latvia

84-57

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Luxembourg 75-42

Latvia vs. Bulgaria

75-52

Denmark vs. Ukraine

33-61

Bulgaria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

89-80

Estonia vs. Finland

52-49

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place

Ukraine vs. Ireland

61-56

Luxembourg vs. Finland

41-83

Finland vs. Latvia

56-60

Ireland vs. Denmark

63-50

England vs. Bulgaria

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Finland

52-59

Bulgaria vs. Estonia

65-47

Bulgaria vs. Luxembourg

88-57 Team

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Estonia

2/1

145/158

1. Finland

3/0

247/191

2. Latvia

2/1

179/154

2. Bulgaria

2/1

275/242

3. Finland

1/2

210/210

Bosnia and 3. Herzegovina

1/2

207/190

4. Bulgaria

1/2

215/227

4. Luxembourg

0/3

140/246

GROUP C Israel vs. Iceland

76-52

Denmark vs. England

40-64

Switzerland vs. Denmark

39-52

England vs. Israel

48-55

Israel vs. Switzerland

75-43

Iceland vs. England

Team

W/L

1. Ukraine

2. Ireland

3. Denmark

Pts

2/0

122/89

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place

1/1

119/111

Israel vs. Latvia

0/2

83/124

Final Estonia vs. Hungary

Switzerland vs. Iceland

49-57

Israel vs. Montenegro

77-60

Iceland vs. Denmark

82-39

England vs. Hungary

48-77

Denmark vs. Switzerland

55-48

Hungary vs. Israel

76-50

Montenegro vs. England

54-34

GROUP F

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Iceland

Team

2/0

139/88

2. Denmark

1/1

94/130

3. Switzerland

0/2

97/112

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

45-57

1. Hungary

3/0

232/146

Switzerland vs. Iceland

46-58

2. Israel

2/1

182/184

Denmark vs. Israel

33-83

3. Montenegro

1/2

162/190

Iceland vs. Denmark

85-87

Classification Games for 12th to 14th Place GROUP K

England vs. Switzerland

47-49

4. England

0/3

130/186

Luxembourg vs. Romania

53-80

Romania vs. Ireland

70-52

Ireland vs. Luxembourg

77-55

Classification Games for 9th to 17th Place vs. GROUP G

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Israel

4/0

289/176

Germany vs. Luxembourg

68-42

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

2. England

2/2

216/189

Luxembourg vs. Switzerland

53-45

2/0

150/105

2/2

212/271

47-68

3. Denmark

Switzerland vs. Germany

1. Romania 2. Ireland

1/1

129/125

4. Iceland

1/3

240/266

3. Luxembourg

0/2

108/157

5. Switzerland

1/3

177/232

48 Youth Yearbook 2014

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Finland vs. Montenegro

F/A

Classification Games for 15th to 17th Place GROUP L

61-77

Classification Game for 5th to 6th Place 59-52

71-64

52-58

U18 European Championship Women Division B

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Borislava Hristova

BUL

195

27.9

Sara Hinriksd贸ttir

ISL

166

20.8

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Team

Games

Total

Olga Yatskovets

UKR

119

17.0

Name Andela Delic

BIH

Avg. 4.1

Kadri Lass

EST

12.9

Bernadett Horvath

HUN

4.0

Vineta Birina

LAT

128

18.3

Vineta Birina

LAT

12.9

Iva Georgieva

BUL

3.7

Melisa Brcaninovic

BIH

128

18.3

Sara Hinriksd贸ttir

ISL

12.0

Nikolina Delic

BIH

3.7

Vita Gorobets

UKR

120

17.1

Paula Lenart

ROU

12.0

Paulina K枚rner

GER

3.6

MVP

2. Bozica Mujovic

BUL

Borislava Hristova

Kadri Lass

Borislava Hristova BUL

MNE

EST

Debora Dubei

HUN

Vineta Birina

All Tournament Team

LAT TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 49

U18

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

C N O I S I V I D WOMEN

By David Hein

The U18 European Championship Women Division C had six participants, the most since eight nations competed in 2005, with Andorra hosting both the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Division C events. The six teams were broken down into two groups of three with both group winners reaching the semi-finals and then the second and third-placed teams playing cross-group games to make up the last two spots in the semis.

Group A started with Malta giving up just four points in the second quarter in a 54-42 win over Gibraltar as Maddison Borg scored 18 points. Malta continued their superb defence in the second game, giving up just five points in the first quarter and two in the fourth in beating the hosts and reigning champions Andorra 52-39. In a re-match of the 2013 Division C gold medal game, Borg and Julia Xerri combined for 18 points and 25 rebounds for Malta. Andorra blasted past Gibraltar 71-28 to take second place in the group thanks to 20 points from Claudio Burnet while Laura Navarro picked up 16 points, six assists and 13 steals. In Group B, The Principality of Monaco used a 14-1 run to start overtime in beating Wales 61-48. Emma Zeghdar had 13 points, eight rebounds and six steals while Lisa Lepers added eight points, 11 rebounds, five steals as well as two free throws which knotted the game at 43 with 36 seconds left in regulation to force the extra time. Cyprus won their first game, blasting past Monaco 74-30 as they gave up just three points in the second quarter. Styliani Theodosiou paced Cyprus with 22 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Cyprus improved to 2-0 in Group B with another blowout, with Eleni Oikonomidou scoring 14 points in a 59-22 win over Wales. The remaining two spots in the semi-finals went to Gibraltar and Andorra. Courtney Ferrer had 13 points and 15 rebounds and Joelle Grech scored at the buzzer to give Gibraltar a 41-39 victory over Monaco. The hosts Andorra booked their spot in the final four with a 58-44 defeat of Wales as Claudia Brunet collected 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and eight steals for the reigning champions. The 2007 champions and 2013 silver medalists Malta advanced to the final with a 57-22 thrashing of Gibraltar as Christina Curmi paced the winners with 11 points. Cyprus set up the final with a 74-38 blowout of Andorra, who scored just 15 points in the second half. Oikonomidou scored 18 points for Cyprus and Theodosiou added 17 points and 11 rebounds. After Monaco beat Wales 47-34 in the fifth place game, Erika Julian collected 14 points, 11 rebounds and five steals as Andorra defeated Gibraltar 56-47 to take the bronze medal. In the gold medal game, Cyprus used a 10-0 third quarter run to pull away from Malta for good in a 67-53 win to take their second U18 European Championship Women Division C title following their crown in 2001, when they last played in the competition. Oikonomidou collected a monster double-double of 27 points and 19 points while Theodosiou added 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Stefanie Foukaris, Cyprus 50 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN DIVISION C

FINAL STANDINGS

TOP PERFORMERS

Cyprus

Malta

Andorra

Gibraltar

Principality of Monaco

Wales

Name

Team Games

Eleni Oikonomidou

CYP

Styliani Theodosiou

3. 4. 5.

Team Games

Charlotte Andronaco

MON

14.8

Tanisha Walker

14.2

12.0

10.2

Avg.

18.5

CYP

Claudia Brunet

AND

Laura Navarro

AND

Stefanie Foukaris

CYP

Total

Avg.

Total

Avg.

12.5

Joelle Grech

GIB

3.5

WAL

11.5

Claudia Brunet

AND

3.0

Eleni Oikonomidou

CYP

11.0

Eleni Mavroudi

CYP

2.8

Courtney Ferrer

GIB

10.8

Stefanie Foukaris

CYP

2.5

Styliani Theodosiou

CYP

10.0

Iona Agius

MLT

2.5

MVP

Second Round Principality of Monaco vs. Gibraltar

GROUP A Gibraltar vs. Malta

42-54

Malta vs. Andorra

52-39

Andorra vs. Gibraltar

71-28

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Malta

2/0

106/81

2. Andorra

1/1

110/80

0/2

70/125

GROUP B Wales vs. Principality of Monaco

48-61

Principality of Monaco vs. Cyprus

30-74

Cyprus vs. Wales

59-22

Team

Assists

Name

Total

First Round

3. Gibraltar

Rebounds

Points

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Cyprus

2/0

133/52

2. Principality of Monaco

1/1

91/122

3. Wales

0/2

70/120

39-41

Andorra vs. Wales 58-44

Name

Team Games

Eleni Oikonomidou CYP

Semi-Finals Malta vs. Gibraltar 57-22 Cyprus vs. Andorra 74-38 Classification Game for 5th to 6th place Wales vs. Principality of Monaco

34-47

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th place Gibraltar vs. Andorra 47-56

Final Malta vs. Cyprus

Monique Caruana

AND

Claudia Brunet

Maddison Borg

MLT

CYP

Eleni Oikonomidou

All Tournament Team

MLT

CYP

Eleni Mavroudi

53-67

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Youth Yearbook 2014 51

H t u o y d n a s ' N WOME

s r o d a s s amba For the first time this year, FIBA Europe introduced Women’s and Youth Ambassadors who have been major presences at women’s basketball events across Europe in the past twelve months. Four legends of the European women’s game, Amaya Valdemoro (ESP), Ilona Korstin (RUS), Edwige Lawson-Wade (FRA) and Hana Horakova (CZE) were granted the honour of being named as the first FIBA Europe Women’s Ambassadors.

Their work throughout the year has taken them, amongst other activities, to attending the EuroLeague Women Final Eight in Russia, the FIBA Europe International Basketball Camp for U15 Girls and FIBA Europe’s three Division A Women’s youth competitions. In their capacity as ambassadors, they have been able to reach out to young female players, offering useful advice for the aspiring teens as they hit the transition period from amateur player to professional player and how they should approach this major crossroad in their lives. Additionally, the four players have been joined by Natasa Kovacevic who has overcome the adversity of tragically losing a leg in a motor vehicle accident in 2013, to become an exceptional role model for all those fortunate enough to cross paths with her. FIBA Europe caught up with the former Serbian age-grade standout and quickly learned that the considerable challenges placed in front of her since the fateful day in September 2013 have merely been approached as hurdles to be leaped. Talk about how you came to be the FIBA Europe Youth Ambassador and your initial reactions when you were asked to take on this role.

Natasa Kovacevic and Ilona Korstin signing autographs at the U20 European Championship Women in Udine 52 Youth Yearbook 2014

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WOMEN's and youtH ambassadors When I heard that I will become FIBA Europe Youth Ambassador I was honoured and happy. My basketball career was over but basketball will always be my first love and becoming a part of FIBA's family means a lot to me. Activities with FIBA Europe are helping me to stay in basketball and to do what I love. I hope that I will help people, especially young players to learn, through my example, about basketball, but more importantly about life. Tell us about some of the work you have undertaken thus far in the role. It was a whole new experience for me. I was very excited to be back on the court, maybe in a slightly different role. The organisation was excellent so all my time was precisely programmed so there were a lot of activities. One of my favourites was talking with players and their families in seminars, and I felt like I was learning as much as I was helping. It was very important to me to try to explain to young players that the purpose of basketball and sport in general is to make them strong for life. Young players can learn through me, that there is life besides basketball and the most important thing that basketball teaches us is to never give up until the last buzzer. No matter how hard the situation seems, it's important to know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. It was pretty awesome to see them react and to talk with them.

"I am very happy for this opportunity to help others, and I hope that we will together help a lot of young players throughout Europe."

Your first experience was to go to the EuroLeague Women Final Eight in Ekaterinburg. What were some of your impressions from meeting with the players and the city itself? It was like a dream come true. As players we all dream about winning EuroLeague Women and playing in finals, and to be there live and watch and meet all the greats (Candace Parker, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi), and to talk basketball with them was truly amazing. Ekaterinburg is a beautiful city with a lot of cultural and historical places. I was amazed to see the place where the era of the Romanov dynasty was ended. What have been some of the biggest challenges or surprises you have encountered? In terms of my life and in terms of FIBA Europe, I believe that I am yet to meet the biggest challenges. I can't wait to face them. You have not just been busy working for FIBA Europe, but also working on your own foundation, can you tell us about the foundation and its goals? I established a foundation that carries my name in March 2014 and my idea was to try to be the helping hand to young players in the moment of need. I have always known the importance of friends and family, but through my recovery I realised how much the support of all people that were around me at the time means to me. My wish is to help people experiencing life-changing moments and to help them get through problems. The original idea for a foundation came from Luciano Capicchioni, the President of sports agency Interperformances, who is a big support for me.

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Youth Yearbook 2014 53

WOMEN's and youtH ambassadors The foundation is now running, and our goals are: 1. Aid and support for athletes that happen to be suffering from a serious health problem 2. Promoting the importance of social security as the result of protecting athletes in cases of adverse events 3. Aid and support for young talents, not only in sport development, but also in gaining the right education 4. Promotion of women's sport, particularly women's basketball The official website is www.natasakovacevicfoundation.com I am very happy for this opportunity to help others, and I hope that we will together help a lot of young players throughout Europe. We also understand you are involved in some groundbreaking research with prosthetics in France? Can you explain how this came about and what exactly it is? The support of the French Basketball Federation and also FIBA Europe is beyond words and I cannot even express my gratitude to them. I was very excited to travel to Paris where I got a new prosthetic. It is designed for running and I hope that this will allow me new possibilities. I am a realist, so I don't want to get my hopes up, but it is sure that I will do my best to go as far as I can.

Where does your motivation and drive come from to be involved in so many different projects at such a young age, whilst still maintaining your studies and social life? I like to be around people and I believe that I am a very energetic person. It just comes naturally to me. Of course I cannot be involved in all of this without huge help from other people. Co-operation with people like Elisabeth Cebrian (FIBA Europe Women’s Basketball consultant) and Radmila Turner (FIBA Europe Youth Basketball Co-ordinator) is so important to me, and I learn so much from them. Their skill and knowledge guide me through difficult projects, but everything is easy with such good people assisting. Also, I owe everything to my family, who help me all the time, and who are with me all the way. I have an active social life and I like to go out with my friends. Currently I am studying in two faculties at the Singidunum University and Faculty of Sports in my hometown Belgrade. My majors are management and tourism, and I have a desire to do an MBA abroad. I push myself to everyday progress and I love when my day is full. The year is now drawing to an end. What does 2015 hold for you? I would like to quote Serbia’s only Nobel Prize winner, the writer Ivo Andric: "I don't plan anything anymore. I just live my life. Sometimes like I want to, sometimes like I need. It’s the little things that colour life. Little things are happiness. That's why I love little things. And big bags. I carry them with me everywhere, because I owe myself a couple more walks between the expected and the unplanned."

FIBA Europe Women's Ambassador Amaya Valdemoro and Portuguese legend Tina Penicheiro at the U18 European Championship Women in Matosinhos 54 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN DIVISION B

U17

MEN

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

By David Hein Europe went into the 16-team 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship in Dubai with five teams – France, Greece, Italy, Serbia and Spain – and the 16 teams were broken down into four groups of four with all four teams advancing to the Round of 16.

Stefan Peno, Serbia

GROUP STAGE Greece were drawn into Group A with two-time reigning champions United States. The Greeks opened against the Americans and played them tough, losing by just 10 points 83-73. The Greeks would finish second in the group with a 2-1 record after wins over Philippines and Angola. France took top honours in Group B with a 2-1 record as they beat Canada and Japan but lost to 2-1 Australia, who dropped a game to Canada despite a tournament record 41 points from Isaac Humphries. Japan went 0-3. In Group C, Italy lost to undefeated Puerto Rico to take second place at 2-1 with wins over hosts United Arab Emirates and Spain. The 2013 U16 European champions Spain lost their opener against Puerto Rico before beating the Emirates but then fell to Italy 64-50. Serbia claimed the top spot in Group D with a perfect 3-0 record while Argentina were second at 2-1, ahead of 1-2 China and 0-3 Egypt.

ROUND OF 16 In the top half of the knockout stage bracket, the United States and Canada eased past Japan and Angola, respectively, while Serbia crushed United Arab Emirates 116-31. Italy were the first European team to falter, losing 79-67 to China. In the bottom half, France breezed past Philippines 86-57 to reach the quarters while Spain survived a tough fight against Argentina 64-57. Greece were the second European side to go down as they lost 84-76 to Australia while Puerto Rico needed overtime to beat Egypt 86-79.

QUARTER-FINALS The United States continued to roll with a 113-71 win over China in the quarters and Serbia gave up a big lead but ended up beating Canada 71-64 to reach the final four. Australia brushed aside Puerto Rico 76-52 to reach a semi-finals match-up against Spain, who got 20 points from Marc Garcia in a 71-67 victory over France.

SEMI-FINALS The first semi saw United States take on Serbia, who fell behind by double digits early before coming back to lead 39-36 at halftime. However, the Americans’ depth wore down Serbia in the second and the United States won 8968 to reach the final. In the other semi, Spain wasted a 22-point lead and committed two turnovers in the final 35 seconds of regulation as Australia came back to win 80-74 in overtime. Spain committed seven of their 12 turnovers in the final seven minutes of the game.

MEDAL GAMES After Greece ended up 12th, Italy ninth and France eighth, the bronze medal game was a rematch of the 2013 U16 European Championship final, which Spain won over Serbia in overtime. The 2014 U17 Worlds bronze medal game went back and forth throughout but Serbia prevailed 62-59 thanks to 17 points from Nikola Rakicevic. The final was a repeat of the 2012 gold medal game between the United States and Australia. The Aussies led 17-7 early but watched as the Americans built up a double-digit lead in the second quarter. The Americans could never knock out the Australians, who trailed just 96-91 inside the final minute but could not get the final big shot as the United States completed their three-peat with a 99-92 victory. 56 Youth Yearbook 2014

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FIBA U17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MEN

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Rui Hachimura

JPN

158

22.6

Yanhao Zhao

CHN

151

21.6

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Arnaldo Toro

PUR

13.6

Stefan Peno

SRB

Avg. 3.4

Jinqiu Hu

CHN

12.3

Jinqiu Hu

CHN

3.3

Isaac Humphries

AUS

132

18.9

Isaac Humphries

AUS

11.6

Matthew Owies

AUS

3.1

Amine Noua

FRA

131

18.7

Bruno Fernandes

ANG

10.6

Malik Newman

USA

3.0

Jinqiu Hu

CHN

122

17.4

StĂŠphane Gombauld

FRA

10.3

Guillermo Aliende

ARG

3.0

MVP

FINAL STANDINGS Team

Team

USA

Italy

Australia

10.

Argentina

Serbia

11.

Angola

Spain

12.

Greece

Puerto Rico

13.

Egypt

Canada

14.

Japan

China

15.

Philippines

France

16.

United Arab Emirates

2. Malik Newman

AUS

USA Nikola Rakicevic

SRB

AUS

Isaac Humphries

All Tournament Team

Dejan Vasiljevic

USA

Diamond Stone

Malik Newman USA

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Youth Yearbook 2014 57

U17

WOMEN

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

By Paul Nilsen The third edition of the FIBA U17 World Championship for Women was held in Czech Republic, with the action in Klatovy, and especially Pilsen, proving to be a real eye-opener. This was mainly because Spain came within a whisker of toppling the all-conquering USA - thanks to one of the most acclaimed individual displays in the history of international youth basketball.

Angela Salvadores, Spain

Angela Savadores showed her potential to be a future star at the elite level by posting a phenomenal 40-point performance for Spain in a gripping final against the States. Although not quite enough to inspire victory after her team were eventually edged out 77-75 in an absorbing and dramatic conclusion to the competition, it was enough to deservedly see Salvadores crowned MVP. Not that Spain were only about Salvadores. Forward Iris Junio was excellent on the glass and Teresa Cazorla showed leadership skills and made some big shots from the backcourt. Joining Salvadores on the All-Tournament Team were not just one, but two players from Hungary, who climbed triumphantly onto the podium in what was their maiden outing at the event. They won an astonishing six of their seven games, with the only loss coming against USA in the semi-finals. Their wonderful run culminated in a 67-61 bronze medal win against Czech Republic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a result attained thanks mainly to center, Virag Kiss. However, small forward Debora Dubei was arguably the main driving force for Hungary throughout the competition due to her terrific play on the wing. While the hosts were just edged out and left feeling disappointed, their efforts were still an integral part of an historic step forward for Europe who delivered three teams in the top four of the competition for the very first time. Julia Reisingerova was a colossus in getting the Czechs to the semi-finals, with the center amassing a tournament double-double average. Tereza Sipova, Petra Holesinska and Lenka Souklova also showed some real potential for the popular home favourites. France had entered with hopes of challenging for a medal, but Les Bleues had to be content with a place in the quarter-finals. Their offence failed to fire on all cylinders and only Ornella Bankole was able to average double-digits. There was disappointment for Italy as absences and injury contributed to them becoming the first European nation to be beaten by an African competitor at U17 level, after going down against Mali. Mariella Santucci did her best to inspire Italy, but the loss of kingpin Francesca Pan proved to be too much of a gap to fill. Meanwhile first-timers Slovakia finished in 15th position, but actually came close to making the quarter-finals after being pipped 47-42 in a tight affair against France. They had to be satisfied with wins over Mexico and Egypt after finding scoring problematic outside of their star wing player, Veronkia Remenarova who had prior EuroCup Women experience. As the curtain fell on the action in Pilsen, all those present vowed they would never forget the impressive European assault on the podium and most of all - the quite brilliant effort from Salvadores, who let the rest of the world see what Europe had already witnessed a year earlier when she was crowned U16 European Championship Women MVP. 58 Youth Yearbook 2014

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FIBA U17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR WOMEN

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Angela Salvadores

ESP

139

19.9

Ji Su Park

KOR

130

18.6

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Ji Su Park

KOR

13.4

Heji An

KOR

Avg. 3.9

Julia Reisingerova

CZE

12.0

Angela Salvadores

ESP

3.6

Debora Dubei

HUN

109

15.6

Anneli Maley

AUS

11.4

Asia Durr

USA

3.4

Julia Reisingerova

CZE

107

15.3

Mariam Alou Coulibaly

MLI

9.0

Tahlia Tupaea

AUS

3.4

Bridget Carleton

CAN

101

14.4

Lauren Cox

USA

8.4

Iris Junio

ESP

3.0

MVP

FINAL STANDINGS Team

Team

USA

Brazil

Spain

10.

Korea

Hungary

11.

China

Czech Republic

12.

Mali

Australia

13.

Italy

Canada

14.

Mexico

Japan

15.

Slovakia

France

16.

Egypt

2. Angela Salvadores

HUN

ESP Katie Samuelson

USA

Virag Kiss

All Tournament Team

Debora Dubei

USA

Joyner Holmes

Angela Salvadores ESP

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Youth Yearbook 2014 59

U16

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

A N O I S I V I D MEN

By Joe Hewison

Latvia staged the U16 European Championship for the first time since 2001 with four venues across the country and a host nation team that entered the competition as one of the favourites, having triumphed at the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) U16 International Tournament earlier in the year.

Dzanan Musa, Bosnia and Herzegovina

First Round The hosts appeared to struggle with the expectation levels early on, starting slowly in Group B, although their class eventually told as they recorded three narrow wins to top the group in Ogre. Newly promoted Bosnia and Herzegovina finished just behind them after beating Croatia 65-64 and Greece 56-51 in a thrilling First Round, while Luka Kotrulja lifted Croatia to a decisive 56-51 defeat of Greece. Reigning champions Spain thrashed Ukraine on Day One but were soon pegged back by Russia and a Davide Moretti-inspired Italy. Spain qualified for the second round but only as the calculators came out to deny Ukraine, after they beat Russia. France’s balanced offence was sweeping all before it in Grobina as they won their opening three. Germany too advanced as Isaiah Hartenstein impressed in the post while Poland’s defeat of Denmark, halted the Danes’ progress. Serbia breezed by Finland and Lithuania in their opening two games before hot prospect Aleksandar Aranitovic took over in the closing stages of a narrow win against Turkey as last year’s runners-up dominated Group A. Turkey had a real star of their own in Ömer Yurtseven and he was key as they too progressed while Lithuania were lifted above Finland thanks to the heroics of Tadas Sedekerskis.

Second Round Serbia surged through the Second Round too. They won all three games, including a 59-51 defeat of the much-fancied hosts as Aranitovic developed an appetite for the added pressure of the fourth quarter. Latvia actually lost all three of their Second Round games, falling to Lithuania and Turkey before the Serbian reverse, but still managed to reach the last eight due to the two wins they carried forward from the First Round. Turkey finished second in Group E as they maintained their challenge while Bosnia and Herzegovina pulled off a shock by reaching the last eight with a dramatic 89-80 triumph over Lithuania as Dzanan Musa played all 40 minutes and poured in 37 points. In Group F, France’s passage to the quarter-finals was even more straightforward than Serbia’s as no team came within 17 points of them in the Second Round. Spain’s struggles continued but they booked their place, at the expense of Poland and Russia, with a 78-54 win against Poland, when other results went their way. Germany and Italy took the other two spots, finishing second and third respectively, after they played out one of the games of the tournament – Germany holding off an incredible comeback to win 68-67. 60 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U16 European Championship Men

Quarter-Finals Italy dug themselves an even deeper hole in their quarter-final against Turkey, as the competition moved to Riga. They trailed 51-30 in the third quarter before Tommaso Baldasso and Lorenzo Bucarelli combined for 21 points in the period to spark the fight-back. But, behind the scoring of Yurtseven, Turkey were too strong and found another gear to triumph 82-73. France always looked like they had an extra gear to go to when they pushed the pace to punish Bosnia and Herzegovina 82-52 while Spain recovered from a poor first half to outscore Serbia 29-9 in the third stanza, in a repeat of the previous year’s final, and advance 78-64. Arturs Strautins ensured Latvia maintained the ever-growing home interest in the competition with a 53-39 defeat of Germany, who were limited to just four points in the third period.

Semi-Finals Turkey were in pursuit of a historic treble in men’s FIBA Europe Youth Events in 2014 having won the U18 European Championship and U20 European Championship. But that sequence came to a shuddering halt against France in the semi-finals. Bathiste Tchouaffe scored 13 first-quarter points as France surged into an early lead and never looked back. Turkey’s problems were compounded as Yurtseven had his minutes drastically limited by foul trouble, and France eventually ran out 78-65 victors. Spain and Latvia’s semi-final was less clear-cut. Latvia held a small lead for much of the second half but the shooting and spirit of Eric Martinez, Victor Moreno and Pol Figueras, meant Spain were never out of it. That was until Roberts Blumbergs scored inside to give Latvia the breathing space they needed in the final 90 seconds to hold on 81-71.

Ömer Yurtseven, Turkey

Medal Games Once again Yurtseven’s influence was inhibited by foul trouble as Spain and Turkey battled for bronze, and Sergi Martinez was the chief beneficiary. But it was never certain his efforts would be rewarded with a medal until the final buzzer. Spain built a healthy lead before Oguzhan Yarol inspired his team’s comeback, scoring 26 points and bringing Turkey within two points with 14 seconds remaining. But Spain managed the clock and saw out a 77-73 victory. The final seemed set for a similarly tense finale as Latvia stuck with France into the third quarter but a poor end to that period, followed by a 7-0 French run to start the fourth, ended hopes of a home victory. Killian Tillie towered above the competition and was named MVP following his 25-point, 18-rebound, five-steal performance in the final. Latvia pushed France further than any other opponent at times but France were worthy winners, a true team, unbeaten throughout the tournament with their smallest margin of victory being 11 points

Spain's Francisco Salvador and Maxim Esteban celebrate after the bronze medal game

Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201461 61 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U16 European Championship Men

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round

GROUP D

GROUP A Serbia vs. Finland

79-55

Turkey vs. Lithuania

76-68

Finland vs. Turkey

61-74

Lithuania vs. Serbia

73-98

Finland vs. Lithuania

58-83

Turkey vs. Serbia

63-67

Turkey

12.

Russia

Italy

13.

Finland

Serbia

14.

Ukraine

Germany

15.

Poland

Bosnia and Herzegovina

16.

Denmark

4/1

345/321

Russia vs. Spain

76-67

3. Italy

3/2

351/300

Italy vs. Spain

71-53

4. Spain

1/4

322/352

Ukraine vs. Russia

68-61

5. Russia

1/4

295/368

6. Poland

1/4

302/392

Ukraine vs. Italy

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

3/0

244/191

2. Spain

1/2

201/193

2. Turkey

2/1

213/196

3. Russia

1/2

178/201

4. Ukraine

1/2

141/227

GROUP B

Croatia

2. Germany

81-46

1. Serbia

11.

27-85

Spain vs. Ukraine

174/236

Spain

222/121

0/3

Pts

3/0

Lithuania

F/A

4. Finland

10.

380/262

1. Italy

224/232

Latvia

5/0

Pts

1/2

W/L

F/A

Greece

W/L

3. Lithuania

66-41

Team

France

1. France

Italy vs. Russia

Second Round GROUP E

Team

CLASSIFICATION GAMES Turkey vs. Sweden

60-63

Greece vs. Poland

51-61

Lithuania vs. Latvia

79-71

W/L

F/A

Pts

Serbia vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

89-52

1. Finland

3/0

192/174

Greece vs. Croatia

51-56

Croatia vs. Lithuania

69-64

2. Greece

2/1

220/184

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Latvia

55-63

Turkey vs. Latvia

73-46

3. Ukraine

1/2

206/212

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Lithuania

89-80

Turkey vs. Croatia

85-73

Latvia vs. Serbia

51-59

2/1

176/178

3. Croatia

1/2

182/200

4. Greece

0/3

169/186

Team

GROUP C Germany vs. Poland

72-60

France vs. Denmark

87-33

Denmark vs. Germany

48-87

Poland vs. France

41-79

Denmark vs. Poland

58-68

Germany vs. France

59-70

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Team

4. Denmark

0/3

176/224

Russia vs. Croatia

Lithuania vs. Greece

Germany vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Finland vs. Ukraine

71-67

Serbia vs. Italy

Greece vs. Denmark

93-55

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place

5/0

381/300

Denmark vs. Finland

61-69

4/1

382/308

Ukraine vs. Greece

77-81

3. Latvia

2/3

315/328

Finland vs. Greece

52-46

Final

2/3

315/381

Denmark vs. Ukraine

60-62

Latvia vs. France

5. Croatia

1/4

329/366

6. Lithuania

1/4

364/403

Quarter-Finals Turkey vs. Italy

82-73

France vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

82-52

Serbia vs. Spain

64-78 39-53

Spain vs. Germany

68-82

Germany vs. Latvia

Russia vs. France

44-83

Classification Games for 9th to 16th Place

Poland vs. Italy

59-85

Lithuania vs. Denmark

88-62

France vs. Spain

69-56

Russia vs. Finland

72-61

Russia vs. Poland

78-88

Poland vs. Greece

42-66

Croatia vs. Ukraine

75-49

W/L

F/A

Pts

3/0

236/133

2. Germany

2/1

218/178

3. Poland

1/2

169/209

Germany vs. Italy

68-67

4. Denmark

0/3

139/242

Italy vs. France

62-79

Germany vs. Russia

64-56

Spain vs. Poland

78-54

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68-77

110-69

Classification Game for 5th to 6th Place

Classification Group G

GROUP F

64-69

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place

Bosnia and Herzegovina

66-61

Classification Game for 9th to 10th Place

2. Turkey

54-69

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place

1. Serbia

1. France

62 Youth Yearbook 2014

71-81

Classification Game for 15th to 16th Place

Finland vs. Ukraine

84-62

Bosnia and Herzegovina

78-65

Spain vs. Latvia

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place

56-51

France vs. Turkey

67-55

Latvia vs. Croatia

73-68

Poland vs. Sweden

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Greece

221/184

66-86

Serbia vs. Germany

Denmark vs. Poland

54-85

3/0

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy

39-55

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Turkey

60-64

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place

40-54

67-74

1. Latvia

78-66

Croatia vs. Greece

Turkey vs. Greece

Greece vs. Latvia

Pts

Lithuania vs. Russia

65-53

61-68

F/A

62-56

Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place

Sweden vs. Greece

Croatia vs. Serbia

W/L

53-62

Ukraine vs. Poland

Poland vs. Turkey

64-65

Denmark vs. Finland

Semi-Final

Classification Group G

Croatia vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Team

Classification Games for 13th to 16th Place

Spain vs. Turkey

66-72

77-73

53-78

U16 European Championship Men

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Dzanan Musa

BIH

207

23.0

Rokas Gadiliauskas

LTU

9.7

Ömer Al

TUR

Avg. 6.7

Tadas Sedekerskis

LTU

168

21.0

Sylvester Berg

DEN

9.6

Tadas Sedekerskis

LTU

4.6

Kostja Mushidi

GER

159

17.7

Killian Tillie

FRA

9.6

Lorenzo Bucarelli

ITA

4.4

Edon Maxhuni

FIN

148

16.4

Isaiah Hartenstein

GER

9.2

Mate Kalajzic

CRO

4.3

Aleksandar Aranitovic

SRB

143

15.9

Dmytro Skapintsev

UKR

8.7

Pol Figueras

ESP

4.1

MVP

2. Kristers Zoriks

FRA

Bathiste Tchouaffe

Killian Tillie

Killian Tillie FRA

LAT

FRA

Rodions Kurucs

LAT

TUR

Ömer Yurtseven

All Tournament Team

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Youth Yearbook 2014 63

G N I T O O H S

STARS

Amar Gegic The 2014 summer was an historic one for Bosnia and Herzegovina, thanks in no small part to the input from Amar Gegic, the U16 shooting guard who took his nation to the quarter-final stage of a European youth tournament for the first time ever. Having guided his national U16 team to Division A a summer earlier, Gegic then averaged more than 32 minutes a game in Latvia, coming up big when his team needed him the most. This was namely in their mustwin game against Lithuania when he finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to assure their advancement to the last eight, showing just why he had earlier in the year been invited to compete in the prestigious Jordan Brand Classic. To watch Amar Gegicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. 64 Youth Yearbook 2014

TO TOTHE THETABLE TABLEOF OFCONTENTS CONTENT

Isaiah Hartenstein Born in Oregon, USA but living in Germany from a young age, it is the latter for whom he has opted to represent internationally. This is excellent news for German basketball fans, with the 2.07m power forward a standout at the U16 European Championship, finishing the tournament just shy of a double-double average with 10.3 points and 9.3 rebounds an outing, whilst also leading the tournament in defensive rebounds. Coached by his father, Florian, a former German Bundesliga player in his own right, Hartenstein is biding his time within the set-up of German club Artland Dragons, where it is only a matter of time before he makes his senior team debut. To watch Isaiah Hartensteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. TO TOTHE THETABLE TABLEOF OFCONTENTS CONTENT

Youth Yearbook 2014 65

U16

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

B N O I S I V I D MEN

By Dan Casey

The U16 European Championship Men Division B was held in Strumica, F.Y.R of Macedonia, with 22 teams gathering to compete for the three available promotion spaces. 14 teams were eliminated from contention after a thrilling First Round, with the final eight split into two groups. The top two in each group advanced to the semi-finals.

Slovenia's Elvis Keric scored 32 points in his team's group B opener, an 81-73 victory over Georgia that proved to be crucial for their hopes of advancing. Ranko Mamuzikj scored the game-winner for the hosts as they took down Slovenia in a thriller, 80-78, but Georgia came back strongly to beat F.Y.R of Macedonia 87-77, sending Slovenia through at both teams' expense behind unbeaten Israel. Montenegrin center Milos Popovic laid down a marker with his play from the first game of the tournament, averaging 23.4 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game for the First Rround as Montenegro qualified from Group D without a blemish on their record. Behind them, Austria finished well to claim second with three straight wins over Albania, Switzerland and Sweden. The Czech Republic claimed top spot in Group C, but they had more than their fair share of drama along the way. The games between the Czech team, Hungary and Netherlands were all decided by only one point, with the Dutch team experiencing sport's fine margins twice. Frantisek Vรกna and Martin Nรกbelek were the Czech heroes, hitting game-winners against Netherlands and Hungary, respectively. Belgium and England were unrivalled in Group A, sealing qualification at an early stage before meeting to decide first position. Tim Lambrecht scored the go-ahead basket as Belgium survived England's fourth-quarter onslaught to take the 56-52 triumph. In the Second Round, Montenegro and Czech Republic maintained their unbeaten records to seal semi-final spots before meeting each other, with Popovic again integral in spurring Montenegro to a 70-49 victory and top spot in Group F. Group E was altogether more dramatic, with Slovenia beating Belgium 7061 before losing to England 73-65. It meant the three teams had all beaten each other, with none able to touch Israel, who qualified from the group in first position with their tournament record still intact. England ended in second by the skin of their teeth, with Slovenia only one made basket away from ousting their opponents on goal average. Neither semi-final was in much doubt, with both Montenegro and Israel maintaining their perfect records to seal promotion. Ognjen Carapic scored a game-high 22 points in Montenegro's 82-62 victory over England, and Miron Ben Ruina's hot shooting night landed him the topscorer honours with 21 points in Israel's 76-63 win over the Czech Republic. Montenegro took the gold medal, edging out Israel 76-73 in a thrilling final. A 9-0 run put Israel ahead in the final period, but Popovic came up big when it mattered, nailing back-toback jumpers to seal the win. England celebrated the third promotion spot by beating Czech Republic 84-60 to take the bronze medal.

Luke Mitchell, England 66 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U16 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEN DIVISION B

Milos Popovic, Montenegro

Milic Starovlah and Nikola Vujovic cheer for their Montenegro team-mates

All-Tournament Team Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201467 67 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U16 European Championship Men Division B

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round GROUP A

Ireland vs. Hungary Bulgaria vs. Ireland Hungary vs. Netherlands Netherlands vs. Bulgaria Czech Republic vs. Hungary

42-55 62-49 71-70 64-81 65-64

Scotland vs. England

51-94

Romania vs. Luxembourg

74-62

Belgium vs. Estonia

60-43

Luxembourg vs. Belgium

33-71

W/L

F/A

Pts

England vs. Romania

68-47

1. Czech Republic

4/0

248/212

Estonia vs. Scotland

67-48

2. Hungary

3/1

263/236

Belgium vs. Romania

64-42

3. Bulgaria

2/2

256/250

4. Netherlands

1/3

250/237

5. Ireland

0/4

185/267

Scotland vs. Luxembourg

78-67

Estonia vs. England

75-83

Luxembourg vs. Estonia

52-78

Romania vs. Scotland

77-68

England vs. Belgium

52-56

Scotland vs. Belgium

45-86

Luxembourg vs. England

32-79

Estonia vs. Romania

57-64

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Belgium

5/0

337/215

2. England

4/1

376/261

3. Romania

3/2

304/319

4. Estonia

2/3

320/307

5. Scotland

1/4

290/391

6. Luxembourg

0/5

246/380

GROUP B Norway vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia Georgia vs. Slovenia Israel vs. Georgia Slovenia vs. Norway F.Y.R. of Macedonia vs. Slovenia Norway vs. Israel Georgia vs. Norway Israel vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia Slovenia vs. Israel F.Y.R. of Macedonia vs. Georgia

40-77 73-81 86-63 77-39 80-78 36-82 111-42 100-63 70-72 77-87

Team

GROUP D Albania vs. Sweden Portugal vs. Austria Montenegro vs. Switzerland Sweden vs. Portugal Switzerland vs. Albania Austria vs. Montenegro Albania vs. Austria Switzerland vs. Sweden Montenegro vs. Portugal Austria vs. Switzerland Portugal vs. Albania Sweden vs. Montenegro Austria vs. Sweden Switzerland vs. Portugal Albania vs. Montenegro

45-47 52-49 93-44 51-46 72-61 61-80 45-67 53-47 73-47 67-44 37-54 62-71 55-35 53-40 50-87

12.

Bulgaria

Israel

13.

Sweden

England

14.

Estonia

Czech Republic

15.

Romania

Belgium

16.

Switzerland

Slovenia

17.

Albania

Hungary

18.

Scotland

Austria

19.

Norway

F.Y.R. of Macedonia

20.

Portugal

10.

Georgia

21.

Ireland

11.

Netherlands

22.

Luxembourg

GROUP F

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Albania

2/0

129/101

49-59

2. Portugal

1/1

121/112

70-49

3. Ireland

0/2

122/159

Czech Republic vs. Austria

62-39

Hungary vs. Montenegro

59-86

Austria vs. Hungary Montenegro vs. Czech Republic Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

3/0

236/169

Romania vs. Sweden

54-57

2. Czech Republic

2/1

176/173

Switzerland vs. Estonia

56-75

3. Hungary

1/2

182/200

Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place

4. Austria

0/3

149/201

Georgia vs. Netherlands

92-37

Bulgaria vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

68-80

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place

68-82

Georgia vs. Romania

97-63

Semi-Finals

F.Y.R. of Macedonia vs. Estonia

75-55

Israel vs. Czech Republic

76-63

Montenegro vs. England

82-62

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Georgia

3/0

276/200

2. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

2/1

234/210

3. Romania

1/2

195/236

4. Estonia

0/3

172/231

404/264

Sweden vs. Netherlands

39-63

2. Austria

3/2

299/256

8 8 7

5. Albania

1/4

255/310

6. Portugal

1/4

222/280

Pts

Sweden vs. Estonia

1. Israel

4/0

340/232

2. Slovenia

2/2

306/264

Belgium vs. Slovenia

61-70

3. Georgia

2/2

334/286

England vs. Israel

76-87

4. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

2/2

297/305

Israel vs. Belgium

68-59

5. Norway

0/4

157/347

Slovenia vs. England

65-73

Classification Games for 1st to 8th Place GROUP E

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Israel

3/0

227/205

2. England

1/2

201/208

3. Slovenia

1/2

205/206

4. Belgium

1/2

176/190

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77-49

63-51

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Bulgaria

2/1

221/199

Netherlands vs. Bulgaria

2. Netherlands

2/1

190/180

Classification Game for 9th to 10th Place

3. Switzerland

1/2

181/184

Georgia vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

4. Sweden

1/2

153/182

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place

Classification Games for 17th to 22nd Place Classification Group I

60-67

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place

Austria vs. Hungary

Second Round

F/A

57-50

Classification Game for 17th to 18th Place

Romania vs. Switzerland

5/0

242/270

Norway vs. Portugal

Classification Game for 15th to 16th Place

56-57

Classification Game for 19th to 20th Place

66-67

1. Montenegro

266/308

Luxembourg vs. Ireland

Bulgaria vs. Sweden

68-74

2/3

Classification Game for 21st to 22nd Place

Scotland vs. Albania

Classification Group H 63-60

3/2

56-60

Romania vs. F.Y.R. of Macedonia

Switzerland vs. Bulgaria

77-65

Hungary vs. Belgium

60-92

Netherlands vs. Switzerland

Slovenia vs. Austria

Estonia vs. Georgia

Pts

4. Sweden

Classification Games for 13th to 16th Place

F/A

3. Switzerland

Team

1. Montenegro

W/L

68 Youth Yearbook 2014

Montenegro

Team

42-74 54-64 73-59 76-52 42-43

Classification Games for 9th to 16th Place Classification Group G

Team

GROUP C Ireland vs. Netherlands Bulgaria vs. Czech Republic Hungary vs. Bulgaria Czech Republic vs. Ireland Netherlands vs. Czech Republic

Team

63-50

81-93

51-78

Classification Game for 5th to 6th Place

Luxembourg vs. Norway

44-65

Slovenia vs. Belgium

Norway vs. Scotland

65-67

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place Czech Republic vs. England

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Scotland

2/0

145/132

2. Norway

1/1

130/111

3. Luxembourg

0/2

111/143

Classification Group J Portugal vs. Ireland

84-58

Ireland vs. Albania

64-75

47-67

60-84

Final Israel vs. Montenegro

73-76

U16 European Championship Men Division B

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Celis Taflaj

ALB

165

23.6

Milos Popovic

MNE

201

22.3

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Milos Popovic

MNE

109

12.1

Nenad Dimitrijevikj

MKD

Avg. 9.2

Peder Frantzvaag

NOR

11.6

David Aphkhazava

GEO

4.0

Giorgi Tsirikidze

GEO

145

18.1

Colin Jackson

SCO

11.6

Darnell Snyers

BEL

3.7

Nenad Dimitrijevikj

MKD

135

16.9

Kevin Petersson

SWE

10.4

Ognjen Carapic

MNE

3.3

Ognjen Carapic

MNE

113

16.1

Petar Ognjenovikj

MKD

10.2

Noe Lopez

SUI

3.0

MVP

2. Ognjen Carapic

MKD

MNE Yovel Zoosman

ISR

MNE

Milos Popovic

All Tournament Team

Nenad Dimitrijevikj

ENG

Carl Wheatle

Milos Popovic MNE

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Youth Yearbook 2014 69

U16

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

C N O I S I V I D MEN

By Dan Casey

Five nations took part in the U16 European Championship Men Division C in Valetta, Malta, with the teams competing in a round-robin league format. After Wales had eased to a comfortable opening win, 47-36 over Gibraltar, the hosts started in style with a thrilling 63-61 victory over Andorra.

Malta recovered from a 10-point first-half deficit to lead at 19 in the final period, before slumping down the stretch and conceding the last 17 points of the contest unanswered. They were fortunate to survive as Alexis Bartolome Frases' shot fell short on Andorra's last attempt. Both of Day One's losers turned their fortunes around on the second day. Nicholas Fava and Aaron Santos both had double-doubles for Gibraltar in their 48-42 triumph over San Marino, while Andorra pulled away in the fourth quarter to end up 67-52 victors against Wales. Wales fell to a second consecutive loss behind a barrage of three-pointers, with Malta connecting on 10-of-18 shots from behind the arc on the way to a 65-46 win. Center Kurt Cassar hit three long-range shots, ending with 20 points and 27 rebounds to lead his team. Andorra maintained their interest in topping the tournament table with a second straight win, routing San Marino 103-47. But Andorra's dreams turned to dust as they fell to Gibraltar in their last match. Aaron Santos had 17 points and 33 rebounds in a dominant performance, while teammate Nicholas Fava's 20 points included the game-sealing lay-up for Gibraltar, who jumped out to an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter and couldn't be caught, winning 68-63. The spectators were treated to another thriller immediately later on the same day, with Alec Felice Pace hitting a game-winner with 10 seconds remaining to hand Malta a 72-71 victory over San Marino. Gianluca Alfarano's lay-up had given San Marino the lead but they remained winless while Malta maintained their unbeaten run, helped again by a huge performance from Cassar, who ended with 30 points and 27 boards. Gibraltar entered their final match with hosts Malta knowing that a win would see them take a second successive gold medal in this tournament, but Cassar wouldn't be denied, leading his team with 26 points, 15 boards and five blocks. Malta pulled away in a dominant second half, sealing gold with a 59-33 victory.

Alexis Frases, Andorra 70 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U16 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEN DIVISION C

FINAL STANDINGS

TOP PERFORMERS Rebounds

Points

Team

Assists Name

Team Games

Total

Avg.

Malta

Kurt Cassar

MLT

24.2

Kurt Cassar

MLT

21.2

Giacomo Pasolini

SMR

3.5

Andorra

Alexis Bartolome Frases

AND

17.2

Aaron Santos

GIB

19.8

Francesco Mifsud Bonnici

MLT

3.5

Wales

Stelios Koukouravas

WAL

15.8

Nicholas Fava

GIB

14.2

Benoit Bartolo

MLT

2.8

Gibraltar

Nicholas Fava

GIB

15.5

Alexis Bartolome Frases

AND

12.2

Nicholas Fava

GIB

2.0

San Marino

Eric Pena Blanco

AND

13.5

Morgan Carter

WAL

10.8

Stelios Koukouravas

WAL

2.0

Name

Team Games

First Round GROUP A Gibraltar vs. Wales

36-47

Andorra vs. Malta 61-63 San Marino vs. Gibraltar 42-48 Wales vs. Andorra 52-67 Andorra vs. San Marino

103-47

Total

Avg.

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Malta

4/0

259/211

2. Andorra

2/2

294/230

3. Wales

2/2

206/224

4. Gibraltar

2/2

185/211

5. San Marino

0/4

216/284

Name

Team Games

Total

Avg.

MVP

Kurt Cassar MLT

Malta vs. Wales 65-46 Gibraltar vs. Andorra 68-63 San Marino vs. Malta 71-72 Wales vs. San Marino

61-56

Malta vs. Gibraltar 59-33

Stelios Koukouravas

GIB

WAL

MLT

Alexis Frases

AND

GIB

Aaron Santos

All Tournament Team

Nicholas Fava

Kurt Cassar

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Youth Yearbook 2014 71

U16

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

A N O I S I V I D WOMEN

By Dan Casey

EuroBasket Women 2015 co-hosts Hungary entertained the continent's future talents during the U16 European Championship Women in the city of Debrecen, with two players returning from the 2013 All-Tournament Team to have another significant impact on the competition.

FIRST ROUND

Agnes Studer, Hungary

Russia set the tone from the very first moment, sprinting out to an early 21-2 lead on the way to a 90-39 victory over Turkey in the tournament opener. However, Turkey bounced back with victories over Greece and Portugal to secure qualification from Group A. France kicked off a tight Group D by holding their nerve in the final minute to beat Slovakia, 57-53. Latvia opened with a 63-52 victory over Belgium before Luize Septe's 22 points led her team to a 66-61 win over France. Belgium's victory over Slovakia sealed a Second Round spot for Pierre Cornia's team. Hosts Hungary provided one of the tournament's highlights on the second night of Group B action, claiming a dramatic 55-52 victory over Croatia as a result of Ágnes Studer's eight-metre buzzer-beater. It was a cruel defeat for Croatia, who had shown great spirit to get back into the game, and they were able to recover and oust rivals Serbia for Group B's last qualification spot, holding on down the stretch for a 62-59 win. The last night of First Round action pitted the hosts against the illustrious Spanish programme, winners of eight of the previous ten gold medals at U16 Women level, including success in 2013. Coach Gergely Magyar's side sent the Debrecen faithful home happy, taking down the visitors 63-56, led by 12 points from Beatrix Mérész. Last year's silver medallists, Czech Republic, made easy work of their First Round group with three emphatic wins. Their clash with Italy on the final night of the first stage was a decider for top spot in Group C, and an 11-0 fourth-quarter burst was enough to seal victory for the Czech team.

SECOND ROUND Russia opened the Second Round with a dominant 73-37 win over Croatia, extending their winning streak to four before lining up against Spain. Coach Anna Arkhipova Von Kalmanovich's squad did not miss a beat, routing their opponents with an 82-54 scoreline, highlighted by center Maria Vadeeva's 26 points and 19 rebounds. Hungary, meanwhile also extended their unbeaten start to the tournament to five games, holding on for a nervy 53-49 win over Turkey. Russia snapped the streak in emphatic fashion though, silencing the home crowd early on the way to an 87-37 win that secured top spot in Group E. With Spain secure in third place, Group E's final representative in the quarter-finals was decided by Turkey's tense 61-52 win over Croatia. The teams were tied heading into the fourth quarter after Klaudija Dobroslavic's half-court buzzer-beater to end the third period. But Selale Kepenc caught fire in the final period to spark wild celebrations amongst the Turkish squad at the end of the game.

72 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U16 European Championship Women In Group F, Czech center Julia Reisingerová scored 20 points apiece in wins over Belgium and Latvia as her squad pushed their winning run to six matches on the way to top spot in the group. The drama unfolded behind them, with fitness concerns forcing Latvia to rest their center Digna Strautmane against Italy. Italy's large margin of victory in the 76-60 result meant that an Italian win in the last Second Round match against Belgium would push the Latvian team down to fourth. But a rollercoaster final minute ended with Belgian guard Mathilde Bechoux scoring the game-winner in the dying seconds, putting Belgium through at Italy's expense and elevating Latvia to second, ahead of France.

QUARTER-FINALS The pick of the quarter-finals saw French guard Romane Jeanneaux drain game-winning free throws in the final minute of her team's hard-fought encounter with Hungary. France ran out 52-50 winners, ending the hosts' hopes of a second consecutive year on the podium. Reisingerová and team-mate Lucie Hosková both recorded double-doubles as Czech Republic recovered from a slow firsthalf, scoring 21 unanswered points to open the second half and turn a 10-point half-time deficit into an 11-point lead on the way to a 70-55 win over the feisty Turkey team. Spain emphatically ended Latvia's dreams of reaching a first-ever semi-final at U16 Women level with a 79-45 victory, and Belgium had no chance of containing a Russian team that was running on all cylinders at this point, with Vadeeva recording 16 points and 23 rebounds on the way to a 75-29 win.

Michaela Krejzova, Czech Republic

SEMI-FINALS Russia and Spain met in the first semi-final, with the Spanish putting up a stronger fight than in their earlier group match. But Russia finally broke the game open with a 20-1 run in the third quarter, easing to a 77-65 triumph. In the second semi-final, another huge Reisingerová doubledouble was supported by Adéla Neubauerová and Michaela Krejzová, whose shot-making allowed the Czech team to keep France at arm's length and pull away for the 62-49 victory.

MEDAL GAMES Junio's 20 points led Spain to a 61-49 success over France in the bronze medal match before the grand final between the tournament's two unbeaten teams. Czech Republic could not claim their first-ever U16 Women gold, ending with silver for the second consecutive year as the Russian squad showed its strength in depth in the 72-47 win. Musina and Daria Kurilchuk provided great support for Vadeeva in her battle with Reisingerová, and Russia pulled clear in the third period to underline a dominant tournament.

Russia's Daria Kurilchuk, Viktoriia Zavialova and Sevara Nuritdinova with their gold medals

Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201473 73 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U16 European Championship Women

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round

GROUP D

GROUP A Turkey vs. Russia

39-90

Portugal vs. Greece

48-58

Greece vs. Turkey

58-65

Russia vs. Portugal

83-52

Turkey vs. Portugal

71-39

Greece vs. Russia

43-58

Russia

Italy

Czech Republic

10.

Croatia

Spain

11.

Serbia

France

12.

Slovakia

Latvia

13.

Portugal

Hungary

14.

Greece

Belgium

15.

Denmark

Turkey

16.

Sweden

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Czech Republic

5/0

322/235

61-66

2. Latvia

3/2

314/308

Belgium vs. Slovak Republic

63-46

3. France

3/2

258/234

Slovak Republic vs. Latvia

58-57

4. Belgium

2/3

233/240

Slovak Republic vs. France

53-57

Latvia vs. Belgium

63-52

France vs. Latvia

Belgium vs. France

37-48

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Team

5. Italy

2/3

266/256

6. Sweden

0/5

204/324

Semi-Finals Russia vs. Spain

77-65

Czech Republic vs. France

62-49

Classification Game for15th to 16th Place Denmark vs. Sweden

60-36

Classification Game for 13th to 14th Place Greece vs. Portugal

38-53

Classification Game for 11th to 12th Place

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Latvia

2/1

186/171

1. Russia

3/0

231/134

2. France

2/1

166/156

Portugal vs. Slovak Republic

62-65

Classifiacation Game for 9th to 10th Place

2. Turkey

2/1

175/187

3. Belgium

1/2

152/157

Serbia vs. Denmark

68-42

Italy vs. Croatia

4. Slovak Republic

1/2

157/177

Slovak Republic vs. Serbia

69-73

Denmark vs. Portugal

43-65

Portugal vs. Serbia

32-50

Denmark vs. Slovak Republic

63-71

Team

3. Greece

1/2

159/171

4. Portugal

0/3

139/212

GROUP B

Second Round

Serbia vs. Slovak Republic

Classification Group G

GROUP E 60-89

Croatia vs. Russia

37-73

Serbia vs. Hungary

33-44

Spain vs. Turkey

76-47

Spain vs. Serbia

63-57

Greece vs. Hungary

23-58

Hungary vs. Croatia

55-52

Russia vs. Spain

82-54

Croatia vs. Serbia

62-59

Turkey vs. Hungary

Hungary vs. Spain

63-56

Croatia vs. Greece

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Serbia

3/0

191/143

2. Slovak Republic

2/1

205/198

49-53

3. Portugal

1/2

159/158

59-25

4. Denmark

0/3

148/204

Hungary vs. Russia

37-87

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Spain vs. Greece

85-36

Quarter-Finals

1. Hungary

3/0

162/141

Turkey vs. Croatia

61-52

Russia vs. Belgium

75-29

2. Spain

2/1

208/180

Czech Republic vs. Turkey

70-55

3. Croatia

1/2

174/203

4. Serbia

0/3

149/169

GROUP C Sweden vs. Italy

41-65

Denmark vs. Czech Republic

45-86

Italy vs. Denmark

88-42

Czech Republic vs. Sweden

77-43

Sweden vs. Denmark

52-41

Czech Republic vs. Italy

64-47

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Czech Republic

3/0

227/135

2. Italy

2/1

200/147

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Hungary vs. France

50-52

1. Russia

5/0

390/210

Latvia vs. Spain

45-79

2. Hungary

4/1

266/267

Classification Games for 9th to 16th Place

3. Spain

3/2

360/288

Italy vs. Denmark

93-26

4. Turkey

2/3

261/329

Croatia vs. Portugal

75-41

5. Croatia

1/4

260/303

Sweden vs. Slovak Republic

42-57

6. Greece

0/5

185/325

Greece vs. Serbia

43-52

Classification Games for 13th to 16th Place Portugal vs. Sweden

65-57

Belgium vs. Czech Republic

40-51

Denmark vs. Greece

52-68

France vs. Italy

47-36

Classification Games for 9th to 12th Place

Sweden vs. Latvia

42-66

Croatia vs. Slovak Republic

58-50

Belgium vs. Sweden

60-36

Italy vs. Serbia

64-60

Czech Republic vs. France

53-46

GROUP F

3. Sweden

1/2

136/183

Italy vs. Latvia

76-60

4. Denmark

0/3

128/226

Latvia vs. Czech Republic

59-77

Italy vs. Belgium

42-44

France vs. Sweden

56-42

74 Youth Yearbook 2014

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place Belgium vs. Latvia

57-63

Turkey vs. Hungary

50-63

60-39

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place Belgium vs. Turkey

72-67

Classification Game for 5th to 6th Place Latvia vs. Hungary

Croatia vs. Spain

65-63

62-56

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place Spain vs. France

61-49

Final Russia vs. Czech Republic

72-47

U16 European Championship Women

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Maria Vadeeva

RUS

161

17.9

Julia Reisingerová

CZE

151

16.8

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Maria Vadeeva

RUS

146

16.2

Sevara Nuritdinova

RUS

Avg. 3.7

Digna Strautmane

LAT

11.0

Valentina Simunic

CRO

3.6

Iris Junio

ESP

131

14.6

Julia Reisingerová

CZE

10.0

Ágnes Studer

HUN

3.6

Raisa Musina

RUS

131

14.6

Inci Güclü

TUR

9.7

Viktoriia Zavialova

RUS

3.6

Josipa Silov

CRO

126

14.0

Marija Ilic

SRB

9.6

Ivana Katanic

SRB

3.1

MVP

Iris Junio

2. Adela Neubauerova

ESP

Raisa Musina

RUS

Maria Vadeeva

All Tournament Team

CZE

Julia Reisingerova

Maria Vadeeva RUS

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Youth Yearbook 2014 75

G N I T O O H S

STARS

Julia Reisingerova The 2014 summer was a busy one for Julia Reisingerova with the 16-year-old called upon by the Czech Basketball Federation to lead her national U17 team on home soil at the FIBA U17 World Championship for Women, before travelling to Hungary to play with her peers at the U16 European Championship Women. The center excelled at both tasks, leading the U17 team to the semi-finals with a team-best 15.3 points and 12.0 rebounds a game, before bettering her feats a few weeks later in Hungary, averaging 16.8 points and 10 rebounds a game to take the Czechs all the way to the gold medal game against Russia. Despite missing out on a gold medal, a spot on the All-Tournament Team still awaited her. To watch Julia Reisingerovaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. 76 Youth Yearbook 2014

TO TOTHE THETABLE TABLEOF OFCONTENTS CONTENT

Digna Strautmane There was plenty of positive discussion surrounding Digna Strautmane prior to the U16 European Championship Women this summer and rightfully so, given the performances she produced at the same tournament in 2013 against her older peers. Taking on her own class, the Latvian center was no less impressive, battling illness to still lead her team in points (13.1) and rebounds (11.0), whilst finishing the tournament with the second-best rebound average. Now reunited with her older sister Paula at famed Latvian womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s club TTT Riga, the 16-year-old will gain invaluable experience playing for their youth team. One gets the feeling however that this is only a temporary fixture and the TTT Riga senior team is beckoning. To watch Digna Strautmaneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shooting Stars profile, follow the link. TO TOTHE THETABLE TABLEOF OFCONTENTS CONTENT

Youth Yearbook 2014 77

U16

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

B N O I S I V I D By Sönke Petersen N E M O W

Germany dominated the field of 17 teams that gathered in Tallinn, Estonia, for the U16 European Championship Women Division B tournament and secured their return to Division A in convincing fashion. The other teams, including some prominent European women’s basketball nations, battled hard in several close encounters to make it an exciting competition to see who would join the Germans in the top tier.

FIRST ROUND Poland wasted no time taking control of Group A by winning all three games in convincing manner. Finland claimed the second spot while Ireland and Romania were overwhelmed by their group play opponents. In Group B, the team from England remained undefeated but had to be happy they survived close encounters with Netherlands and Israel. The Dutch girls had little trouble taking the second spot. Israel and winless Norway were left standing in the rain. Ukraine also came through group action unbeaten but their performances in Group C looked relatively modest as they won by small margins versus Bulgaria and Luxembourg. Bulgaria started the tournament by surviving a scare from Switzerland but made it to the next round nevertheless. Group D was the only group made up of five teams. Germany made it look easy and won all group games. The battle for second place came down to the last game of this group with Slovenia edging out Lithuania by a slim six-point margin in the decider.

CLASSIFICATION GAMES FOR 1ST TO 8TH PLACE England and Netherlands left no doubt in Group E when both beat their classification opponents Poland and Finland and moved on to the semi-finals. In Group F it was business as usual for Germany and Slovenia as both teams secured two victories each and advanced. Ukraine and Bulgaria were thus eliminated. Further down the classification ladder, host Estonia had trouble keeping up with the competition. In the end they used two straight victories to finish in 15th place.

Satou Sabally, Germany

SEMI-FINALS

78 Youth Yearbook 2014

The first semi-final was a very tight affair between England and Slovenia. A heavy 5229 advantage in rebounding supported massively by forward Savannah Wilkinson and center Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu proved to be decisive in a game that came down to the last possession. Gabriele Nikitinaite turned into the hero when she made the last four points for England from the free-throw line to seal the 54-51 win in crunch-time. The desperation three-pointer by Zala Friskovec at the buzzer missed its target and crushed Slovenia’s hopes.

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

U16 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN DIVISION B There proved to be little suspense in the other semi-final match-up between Germany and Netherlands. The German defence forced 29 Dutch turnovers and go-to-girl Laura Westerik had problems converting her shots en-route to a modest 12 points. Inside force Satou Sabally on the other hand led Germany with a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds to a 57-38 victory. These two wins sealed promotion to Division A for England and Germany leaving Slovenia and Netherlands in the bronze medal game. The latter prevailed 54-44 behind another strong Westerik outing, earning them promotion alongside the two finalists.

FINAL Germany proved their class once again, completing an 8-0 march to the title with a 68-54 victory. Wilkinson led the English charge with 12 points and 9 rebounds but did not have enough support from her teammates as she was the only player to finish in double figures. Tournament MVP Sabally saved the best for last: her monster performance of 34 points and 15 rebounds clearly positioned her as the most dominant player present and paved the way to a wild celebration party for the German team.

Netherlands celebrate promotion to Division A

All-Tournament Team Youth Yearbook EuroBasket 2013 / Event Guide201479 79 TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESULTS AND STANDINGS U16 European Championship Women Division B

FINAL STANDINGS Team

First Round

GROUP D

GROUP A Poland vs. Ireland

81-35

Finland vs. Romania

67-56

Romania vs. Poland

43-73

Ireland vs. Finland

53-74

Poland vs. Finland

78-50

Romania vs. Ireland

46-54

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Poland

3/0

232/128

2. Finland

2/1

191/187

Germany

Lithuania

England

10.

Switzerland

Netherlands

11.

Ireland

Slovenia

12.

Israel

Poland

13.

Romania

Finland

14.

Norway

Bulgaria

15.

Estonia

Ukraine

16.

Austria

Classification Games for 9th to 17th Place Group G

Classification Games for 12th to 14th Place Group K

Germany vs. Austria

89-35

Estonia vs. Slovenia

28-62

Slovenia vs. Germany

43-66

Lithuania vs. Estonia

57-27

Austria vs. Slovenia

21-79

Germany vs. Lithuania

67-52

W/L

F/A

Pts

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Lithuania vs. Austria

80-25

1. Ireland

2/0

126/80

1. Israel

2/0

143/70

Estonia vs. Germany

21-54

2. Norway

1/1

98/104

2. Romania

1/1

123/112

Austria vs. Estonia

39-79

3. Austria

0/2

68/108

3. Norway

0/2

66/150

Slovenia vs. Lithuania

76-70

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

3. Ireland

1/2

142/201

1. Germany

4/0

276/151

4. Romania

0/3

145/194

2. Slovenia

3/1

260/185

3. Lithuania

2/2

259/195

GROUP B

Team

Ireland vs. Norway

64-52

Norway vs. Israel

29-68

Norway vs. Austria

46-40

Israel vs. Romania

75-41

Austria vs. Ireland

28-62

Romania vs. Norway

82-37

Team

Group H Israel vs. Switzerland

40-49

Switzerland vs. Estonia

53-46

Estonia vs. Israel

53-68

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Classification Games for 9th to 11th Place Group J Ireland vs. Switzerland

43-45

Switzerland vs. Lithuania

44-71

Lithuania vs. Ireland

54-45

Netherlands vs. Norway

85-33

4. Estonia

1/3

155/212

1. Switzerland

2/0

102/86

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

England vs. Israel

72-64

5. Austria

0/4

120/327

2. Israel

1/1

108/102

1. Lithuania

2/0

125/89

Israel vs. Netherlands

52-74

3. Estonia

0/2

99/121

2. Switzerland

1/1

89/114

Norway vs. England

44-57

Israel vs. Norway

61-42

3. Ireland

0/2

88/99

Netherlands vs. England

55-60

Second Round

Group I

Classification Games for 1st to 8th Place GROUP E Poland vs. Netherlands

71-74

Luxembourg vs. Lithuania

49-50

Lithuania vs. Romania

57-52

Classification Games for 5th to 8th Place

Romania vs. Luxembourg

70-60

Poland vs. Bulgaria

66-61

Ukraine vs. Finland

55-73

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

Finland vs. England

69-72

1. England

3/0

189/163

England vs. Poland

65-52

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

2. Netherlands

2/1

214/145

Netherlands vs. Finland

82-56

1. Lithuania

2/0

107/101

3. Israel

1/2

177/188

2. Romania

1/1

122/117

4. Norway

0/3

119/203

3. Luxembourg

0/2

109/120

GROUP C

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. England

3/0

197/176

2. Netherlands

2/1

211/187

Bulgaria vs. Switzerland

63-60

3. Poland

1/2

201/189

Ukraine vs. Luxembourg

53-46

4. Finland

0/3

175/232

Luxembourg vs. Bulgaria

47-67

Switzerland vs. Ukraine

38-74

GROUP F

Bulgaria vs. Ukraine

61-67

Ukraine vs. Slovenia

42-60

Bulgaria vs. Germany

50-73

Germany vs. Ukraine

61-45

Slovenia vs. Bulgaria

50-44

Luxembourg vs. Switzerland

62-59

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Ukraine

3/0

194/145

2. Bulgaria

2/1

191/174

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

3. Luxembourg

1/2

155/179

1. Germany

3/0

200/138

2. Slovenia

2/1

153/152

3. Ukraine

1/2

154/182

4. Bulgaria

0/3

155/190

4. Switzerland

0/3

80 Youth Yearbook 2014

157/199

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England vs. Slovenia

54-51

Germany vs. Netherlands

57-38

Classification Game for 7th to 8th Place Bulgaria vs. Ukraine

Classification Games for 15th to 17th Place Group L

53-31

Classification Games for 5th to 6th Place

Austria vs. Estonia

47-53

Estonia vs. Luxembourg

54-47

Luxembourg vs. Austria

52-55

Team

Semi-Finals

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Estonia

2/0

107/94

2. Austria

1/1

102/105

3. Luxembourg

0/2

99/109

Poland vs. Finland

61-53

Classification Game for 3rd to 4th Place Slovenia vs. Netherlands

44-54

Final England vs. Germany

54-68

U16 European Championship Women Division B

TOP PERFORMERS Points

Rebounds

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Satou Sabally

GER

161

20.1

Laura Westerik

NED

125

17.9

Assists

Name

Team

Games

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

Games

Total

Catherine Max

LUX

13.0

Anne van Vlijmen

NED

Avg. 4.6

Klaudia Niedzwiedzka

POL

12.1

Ivona Ilieva

BUL

4.4

Andreea Cretu

ROU

115

16.4

Kristina Karp

UKR

11.7

Julia Niemojewska

POL

3.9

Evita Herminjard

SUI

110

15.7

Savannah Wilkinson

ENG

11.6

Maska Gabrijel

SLO

3.8

Savannah Wilkinson

ENG

104

14.9

Satou Sabally

GER

11.1

Nataliia Bulavytska

UKR

3.2

MVP

Leonie Sch端tter

NED

Laura Westerik

Savannah Wilkinson

ENG

GER

Satou Sabally

All Tournament Team

GER

POL

Klaudia Niedzwiedzka

Satou Sabally GER

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Youth Yearbook 2014 81

U16

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

C N O I S I V I D WOMEN

By Dan Casey

The Maltese capital of Valetta hosted the U16 European Championship Women Division C over the same six-day period as the U16 Men Division C tournament. Both tournaments featured five teams playing in a round-robin league format, and the U16 Women championship also saw Malta fight for gold on the final day.

Malta and Scotland quickly stamped their authority on the tournament, romping to heavy openingday wins over Gibraltar and Andorra respectively. Scotland scored the first eight points against Andorra and never looked back. All twelve players scored, with nine recording steals and seven adding blocks as the Scottish defence stifled their opponents on the way to an 87-24 victory. The Maltese defence managed to hold Gibraltar to even fewer points in their opener, taking a 25-point lead by half-time and coasting to a 66-22 win. Gibraltar and Andorra then met on the Day Two, and Andorra were able to pull away with a 15-0 second-quarter run that consigned Gibraltar to a second defeat. Maria Martin led the way for Andorra with 29 points, nine rebounds and seven steals. Malta welcomed Wales to the tournament with a 60-38 verdict, led by 18 points from Nicole Agius. The hosts then sat out on the third day, watching on as Scotland demolished Gibraltar 88-10. The other match was a much tighter affair, with Andorra roaring back in the fourth quarter to take a 45-39 win over Wales. The Andorran defence came up big down the stretch, holding the Welsh team scoreless for the last eight minutes. But Andorra were unable to maintain the momentum, shooting only 3-of31 in a disastrous first half which put Malta in control of the contest. The lead reached 24 by half-time as Malta took a 68-30 win to seal a decider with Scotland, who remained unbeaten with a convincing 74-40 victory over Wales. Hannah Robb had 14 points, 13 boards and five steals in that win, and she followed up with a teamhigh 15 points, nine rebounds and five steals in leading her team to a 53-44 win that clinched the gold medal for Scotland. Scotland led from start-to-finish in the tournament finale, but Malta fought valiantly to stay in touch after giving up the first seven points of the match. The Maltese team leant heavily on their five starters, but Scotland were able to call upon their full squad, and their greater depth proved to be the key to success.

Lauren Forde, Scotland 82 Youth Yearbook 2014

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U16 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN DIVISION C

FINAL STANDINGS

TOP PERFORMERS Rebounds

Points

Team

Assists Name

Team Games

Total

Avg.

Scotland

Nicole Agius

MLT

16.5

Naylin Ward

GIB

18.2

Emily Stradling

WAL

2.0

Malta

Lauren Forde

SCO

14.5

Carys Allen

WAL

13.8

Hannah Robb

SCO

2.0

Andorra

Maria Martin

AND

12.8

Noelene Vella

MLT

9.8

Lauren Forde

SCO

1.8

Wales

Carys Allen

WAL

11.8

Sophie Abela

MLT

9.8

Nicole Davidson

SCO

1.5

Gibraltar

Hannah Robb

SCO

11.8

Morven Fraser

SCO

9.8

Raisa Calleja

MLT

1.5

Name

Team Games

First Round GROUP A Andorra vs. Scotland

24-87

Malta vs. Gibraltar 66-22 Gibraltar vs. Andorra 43-63 Wales vs. Malta 38-60 Scotland vs. Gibraltar 88-10

Total

Avg.

Name

Team

W/L

F/A

Pts

1. Scotland

4/0

302/118

2. Malta

3/1

238/143

3. Andorra

2/2

162/237

4. Wales

1/3

167/193

5. Gibraltar

0/4

89/267

Team Games

Total

Avg.

MVP

Lauren Forde SCO

Andorra vs. Wales 45-39 Wales vs. Scotland 40-74 Malta vs. Andorra 68-30 Gibraltar vs. Wales 14-50 Scotland vs. Malta 53-44

Sophie Evans

MLT

WAL

SCO

Hannah Robb

SCO

WAL

Carys Allen

All Tournament Team

Nicole Agius

Lauren Forde

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Youth Yearbook 2014 83

U14 TOURNAMENTS

The foundation and development of any sport begins at the grassroots level, something that FIBA Europe acknowledges and addresses. Going beyond the U20, U18 and U16 European Youth Championships, FIBA Europe also lends its support to a number of U14 tournaments. In 2014, FIBA Europe supported 11 U14 tournaments and recognised a further four. These tournaments spanned the European continent, from Bulgaria and Estonia in the east and Scotland in the west. The skills on display were impressive and equally matched by the spirit in which the games were played, with the strong bonds made between the young opponents on and off the court an overriding theme through the tournaments. In November, youth and mini basketball enthusiasts from across Europe congregated in Warsaw, Poland, for their annual U14 Get Together and second Mini-Basketball Convention. The event included workshops with a specific focus on mini-basketball with a number of federations who already have successfully implemented mini-basketball programmes within their own jurisdiction sharing their ideas. Additionally, FIBA Europe also hosted the first Youth Tournament Local Organiserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Workshop and a Youth Forum. Following the success of all three of these initiatives, they are set to become regular fixtures on the FIBA Europe calendar.

FIBA Europe President Turgay Demirel speaking at the U14 Get Together in Warsaw

Supported Vienna, Austria

14 - 19 April 2014

Boys & Girls

Ostrava, Czech Republic

17 - 20 April 2014

Boys & Girls

Massagno, Switzerland

18 - 21 April 2014

Boys

Brussels, Belgium

7 - 9 June 2014

U12 Boys

Esch/Alzette, Luxembourg

7 - 8 June 2014

Boys & Girls

Ardres, France

7 - 9 June 2014

Boys & Girls

Stirling, Scotland

13 - 15 June 2014

Boys & Girls

Copenhagen, Denmark

19 - 22 June 2014

Boys

Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia

14 - 17 August 2014

Boys & Girls

Rakvere, Estonia

28 - 30 August 2014

Boys

BUBA CUP, Sofia, Bulgaria

19 - 21 September 2014

U12 Boys

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

4 - 6 April 2014

Boys

Prague, Czech Republic

16 - 20 April 2014

Boys & Girls

Andorra la Vella, Andorra

2 - 4 May 2014

Boys & Girls

Chantepie, France

28 - 29 June 2014

Girls

Recognised

84 Youth Yearbook 2014

TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

U14 Tournaments

FIBA Europe ambassadors Natasa Kovacevic and Ilona Korstin headlined the expert panel at the Youth Forum in Budapest

The Mini-Basketball Convention in Poland included both presentations and practical sessions TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Youth Yearbook 2014 85

U15 BASKETBALL CAMP

FOR GIRLS

The picturesque Slovenian city of Postojna continues its involvement in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth basketball, by hosting its eighth consecutive FIBA Europe International Basketball Camp for U15 Girls. The camp which is run by FIBA Europe in co-operation with the Slovenian Basketball Federation was this year attended by 40 players, 19 coaches and 21 referees from 24 countries. The camp took place from 6-11 July with the players put through twice-a-day drills, as well as playing competitive games for teams named after current EuroLeague Women clubs. There were as well opportunities for the players to bond away from the court with trips to the world-famous Postojna Cave and an afternoon on the Slovenian coastline. The camp was not just about learning for the girls, as much as it was about improving the skills of the coaches and referees. To this end FIBA Europe Coaching Certificate (FECC) lecturer Janez Drvaric and FECC graduate Marlies Kiefer were joined by Fabio Fossati and Imre Szittya to instruct the coaches, whilst FIBA Europe referee coaches Chantal Julien and Katy Ninas provided further education for the officials. There was also an added attraction in 2014 from previous years, in the form of FIBA Europe Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Basketball Ambassador Ilona Korstin and FIBA Europe Youth Basketball Ambassador Natasa Kovacevic. Both of the ladies played a hands-on role in the camp, in addition to speaking about their own careers in an open forum which encouraged the girls to ask questions of the two esteemed guests. The message that Kovacevic, whose own career was tragically cut short by injury, conveyed to the girls was to keep up to date with their studies at school and to not let basketball be their only focus, because they never know when their basketball career may come to an unexpected end. At the conclusion of the camp, a number of awards were handed out to the players, coaches and referees who excelled throughout the six days. Most Valuable Player: Julie Pospisilova (CZE) Most Improved Player: Kristina Ivancevic (CRO) All-Tournament Team: Zeynea Oyku Kalbisagde (TUR), Valentine Desreumaux (FRA), Nyara Sabally (GER), Julie Pospisilova (CZE) and Claire Melia (IRL) Coach of the Camp: Lenka Krickova (CZE) Referee of the Camp: Mateja Oprckal (SLO)

86 Youth Yearbook 2014

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FIBA Europe Youth Ambassador Natasa Kovacevic paid a visit to the U15 girls' camp in Postojna

U15 BASKETBALL CAMP FOR GIRLS

The International Basketball Camp for U15 Girls proved a valuable experience for players, coaches and referees alike

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Youth Yearbook 2014 87

2COM0IN1G5UP Date

Youth Event

Venue

27 June – 5 July

FIBA U19 World Championship

Greece

2 – 12 July

U20 European Championship Women

Spain

2 – 12 July

U20 European Championship Women Division B

Montenegro

6 – 11 July

U16 European Championship Division C

San Marino

6 – 11 July

U18 European Championship Women Division C

Gibraltar

7 – 19 July

U20 European Championship

Italy

9 – 19 July

U20 European Championship Division B

Hungary

14 – 19 July

U18 European Championship Division C

Gibraltar

18 – 26 July

FIBA U19 World Championship for Women

Russia

20 – 25 July

U16 European Championship Women Division C

Andorra

23 July – 2 August

U18 European Championship

Greece

23 July – 2 August

U18 European Championship Division B

Austria

30 July – 9 August

U18 European Championship Women

Slovenia

30 July – 9 August

U18 European Championship Women Division B

Romania

6 – 16 August

U16 European Championship

Lithuania

6 – 16 August

U16 European Championship Division B

Bulgaria

13 – 23 August

U16 European Championship Women

Portugal

13 – 23 August

U16 European Championship Women Division B

F.Y.R. of Macedonia

88 Youth Yearbook 2014

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roster management

calendar

own plays