Mid-January marked the end of the regular season of the U15 Women’s Adriatic Basketball Association (WABA) league and we are now only 10 days to 2 weeks away from the quarter finals that will take place Feb 10th and 17th in Ljubljana, Slovenia and Zagreb, Croatia. It is therefore timely to have a closer look at how the season unfolded thus far and to see which teams eventually made it to the post season.

WABA, as mentioned last year when BlueStarMedia was present in Ljubljana at the 2018 U15 Final Four (review here bit.ly/2Bc0rRp), is an alternative transnational league project involving several countries from the Balkans as well as some of their extended neighbors depending on the years. It was launched some 13-14 years ago by Zeljko Ciglar (Croatia, coach, league’s commissioner, father of Olympian Iva Ciglar), in order to give the opportunity to local talents, at U15, U17 & senior level, to play at an international level on a regular basis, on top of playing in their domestic leagues. Many youngsters who start playing in the WABA youth leagues end up eventually representing their countries at the international level, in the youth categories at first, therefore it is never a bad idea to keep an eye on the action coming from South-East Europe.
WABA’s golden book at the senior level includes the likes of Jelena Dubljevic (MNT), Ana Dabovic (SRB), Marica Gajic (BIH), Teja Oblak (SLO), Zala Friskovec (SLO), all Euroleague and/or Eurocup standouts. The most renowned player having played in WABA youth leagues being Slovenian ace Nika Baric (2012 Lynx draftee and 2016 & 2018 EuroLeagueWomen champion with UMMC Ekaterinburg), who participated in the very first seasons of existence of WABA under the jersey of Slovenian side Celje before joining the potent Spartak Moscow academy. Not all players, of course, are Baric’s worth but the talent pool is there and all players surely benefit from the stronger adversity that comes with international play, especially this young.

Compared to the 2017-2018 season, the WABA U15 2018-2019 season got even more international. They might have managed to only keep one team from Bosnia & Herzegovina, compared to last season’s two, but the big news is that they expanded and welcomed two new countries in Serbia and Hungary who joined the competition with respectively one and two teams. These additions only make the competition deeper and tougher, both Serbia and Hungary being strong nations with a proven tradition of competitiveness and individual skills.

The season started with 16 clubs representing 6 countries: Croatia and
Slovenia were the most represented countries with respectively 6 and 4 teams, Montenegro and Hungary each had 2, while Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia just 1. The teams were divided into two groups of eight, all teams of each group gathered five times between October and January (once per month and twice in November) for a total of 7 games per team. The best four teams of each group qualified for the QF’s. Six countries were represented at the start of the season, five are still present in the QF’s and there’s a reasonable chance that all Final Four members will come from as many different countries.

Last year finalists and runner-ups, Ilirija (SLO) and Tresnjevka 2009 (CRO), were in separate groups and while both finished on top as last year, this time things happened in much different fashion for each team.
In 2017-2018 both reached the title game undefeated and Ilirija picked up things right where they left off, posting another commanding undefeated regular season in group B, winning all games by an average margin of 50pts. Tresnjevka 2009 needed more effort this year to secure that #1 spot in group A, losing one game and winning two by only 2 and 9 points.

Group A, as a matter of fact, was much more balanced than group B with three teams, #1 (6-1) Tresnjevka 2009 – #2 (6-1) Crvena Zvezda (SRB) and #3 (5-2) Celje (SLO), all in the capacity of finishing first, while #4 (4-3) Kanizsa (HUN) and #5 (4-3) Jezica (SLO) also fought hard for the last qualifying position. Despite the final rankings no clear hierarchy is set ahead of the quarterfinals as all games involving either teams of the leading trio ended in close encounters with a margin of 2 to 10 points maximum separating them.

Tresnjevka 2009 (6-1), a certified pipeline to the CRO youth NT’s, secured the pole position off its inaugural 2 point win over rivals Crvena Zvezda, a victory that would prove crucial as midway through the season they suffered a loss to tied-4th and missing on QF’s side Jezica. Jezica, a last year Final Four contender, will be disappointed to miss out on post-season action, as they exit the competition having beaten the #1 team in their group by 12 points and losing by just 10pts to #2 Crvena Zvezda. But their first day 3 point loss to Kanizsa sealed the rest of their season unfortunately as they also lost to Celje, making it one loss too much to advance.
Tresnjevka 2009 on paper is the team with the deeper roster, benefiting from the impact of five different players statistically. They can count on a trio of 2004-born players led by the returning double-double machine center, already on our watch-list ahead of last summer’s FIBA Europe U16 championship in Kaunas, Dorja Zaja (6’1, PF/C) who does her usual harm with 17pts-14reb a game on average, the other two being PG’s Nika Rodek (5’5) and Lucija Tikvicki (5’6) who contribute solidly with Rodek posting an all-round 8pts-7reb-4ass a night and Tikvicki adding a significant 13pts-6reb-4ass of her own. These three are complemented by youngsters Sara Menalo (2005, 6’1, PF) and Tihana Pavicic (2006, 5’5, PG), the former introducing herself nicely with 6pts-6reb on average and the latter being something of a sensation already averaging as many points as she is old: 12. Wich by the way includes a season-high of 25 points. Besides Menalo, the four aforementioned players are part of CRO’s U16 NT preliminary roster ahead of 2019’s summer international competition.

Crvena Zvezda (6-1), led by Marija Avlijas (18ppg-4rpg-2apg), Sara Vasilijevic (10ppg-4rpg-4apg) and Andreja Stankovic (8ppg-10rpg), only lost once, their first game of the season against Tresnjevka 2009, by just two points. Besides two other tighter games against Celje and Jezica, both won by 10 points, they cruised onto a solid debut regular season and will be without a doubt a tough match-up in the quarterfinals.

Celje (5-2), another club who established a culture of providing its national Federation with constant new NT’s members, whose senior team not only competes in WABA League but also in EurocupWomen, will take some positive going into the QF’s from having lost only by 9 and 10 points against the two better ranked teams of their group. They cruised passed their other opponents off the back of the eye-catching contribution from Nigerian sensation Jite Sophia Gbemuotor (2004, 184, PF) who ranks third overall in efficiency in the competition posting a fantastic 17ppg-21rpg effort so far. Marija Drobne (SLO, 2004, 5’8, G/F), 10ppg, and Ana Anzic (SLO, 2004, 5’6, PG), 9,4ppg-4rpg-4apg-2spg, bring the extra impact for their side.

Kanuzsa (4-3) are the only Hungarian side left in the competition and they certainly consider clinching a play-off spot an achievment in itself as they lost heavily, by 16, 19 & 31, to the upper ranked teams, appearing much less competitive in those game than Jezica for that matter. But in what turned out to be their most crucial game of the season, although the very first of the season, Kanuzsa did defeat Jezica on Day 1 by just three points, just enough to break the tie of their identical record after seven games. At least it gives us the chance to keep following the second best scorer in the league and overall nice versatile player Dominika Baa (HUN, 2004, G) who averages a superb 25ppg-7rpg-3apg so far, with a season-high of 36 points. Panna Zsamar (2004, G) comes in with a nice supporting role for her team averaging 11,7ppg-3rpg-3apg.

In group B, #1 (7-0) Ilirija (SLO) is the only undefeated team and looks like the huge favorite to complete back-to-back titles, having never won by less than 19pts this year (vs #2 Primorje) and even by as much as 79 and 80pts on two occasions, for an average win margin of 50pts. The reigning champions are led by a quatuor of returnee players from last year, all posting consistent double-digits scoring contribution: Hana Ivanusa (2004, 5’9, SF/PF), 13ppg-9rpg, Sara Sambolic (2004, 5’5, PG), 14,3ppg, Hana Sambolic (2004, 5’5, PG), 12,9ppg, and Zoja Stirn (2005, 5’6, G), 16ppg (only 4 games). All four took part to the Final Four last year, only that 2005-standout and 2018 Final Four best five member Zoja Stirn is a new addition to the club, having participated last season with yet another Slovenian club: Triglav.

Ranked #2 in group B is (6-1) Primorje (MNT) who despite dropping their match-up with Ilirija by 19 points and winning by only 8 points against #3 Buducnost Lovcen (MNT) still impressed, much helped by the sensational contribution of Jovana Savkovic (MNT, 2005, 5’5, SG) who leads the competition in overall efficiency, scoring (25,4ppg), passing (6,9apg) and number of triple-doubles (2). At just 13 she already represented MNT at U16 level last summer in Podgorica during FIBA Europe U16 division B Championship and also made headlines in her homeland when she debuted at senior level in 2016 at just 11 setting a historical precocity record. Three other players, the first two also on MNT U16 NT roster last summer, performed very well to give Primorje a very dangerous and multi-sided unit: Jovana Kojcinovic (MNT, 2004, 5’9, PF) with a strong double-double of 15ppg-11rpg- 3apg, Ivana Jecmenic (MNT, 2004, 5’9, C) with 14,7ppg-7rpg and 2007-born sensation Jelenac Bulajic (MNT, 2007, 5’5, PG) who already manages to post 12ppg-3,6rpg-2,6apg at just 11!

#3 (5-2) Buducnost Lovcen (MNT) whose senior team is the reigning WABA champion, offering good incentive to their youngsters, posted a solid season. If you put the rout they received off the hands of Ilirija aside (-45), they competed well with the #2 ranked team and fellow compatriots Primorje (-8), on top of disposing rather easily of the other opponents faced, though the #5 ranked Croatian side of Ragusa stayed close throughout their contest (+9) and gave them a fight. Most of Lovcen’s offensive power comes from a duo of guards composed by Marija Baosic (MNT, 2004, 5’4, G) and Andrea Jovovic (MNT, 2004, G), the former contributing with 12,9ppg and the latter 9,6ppg, while the efforts of Hajdana Scepanovic (MNT, 2004, 5’7, F), worth 9,3ppg, help these two out down low. Baosic and Scepanovic represented MNT at U16 division B level in Podgorica as well.

#4 (4-3) Vipava (SLO) is the last team of the group to advance to the QF’s and certainly the one who used the smallest margin to do so: in the key confrontation against Ragusa (CRO) for the last available qualifying position, the Slovenian saw off their opponents by just one point. Besides this feat, they lost heavily to all three upper ranked teams, appearing as the weakest team of all to progress to the last 8. Three players stand out still in Neza Stopar (SLO, 2004, 5’5, PG), 15ppg-5rpg , Zana Zorz (SLO, 2004, 6’1, C), 11,6ppg-6rpg and Spela Brecelj (SLO, 2005, 5’8, F), 8ppg-9rpg.

Of the teams that didn’t qualify we already mentioned Jezica‘s case in group A. Though rightly disappointed, they will certainly rejoice knowing that two of their three main contributors from this year will return next season as they are born in 2005, that is: Alina Zitek (2005, SLO, 5’7, G) and Elena Lazarevic (2005, SLO, 5’7, F) worth respectively 15ppg-6rpg and 7,4ppg-6,6rpg in 2018-2019.
In group B it is Ragusa (CRO) that will feel they could have gone for more this season, as they not only lost by just 1 point the qualification-deciding game vs #4 Vipava, but they also gave a much stronger opposition to #3 Lovcen than Vipava did. A trio of talented players contributed during the whole season for them: 2004-born duet of Ani Putica (2004, CRO, 5’6, SG) and Dalija Stabile (2004, CRO, 6’1, C) who brought respectively 16ppg & a double-double of 14,4ppg-10,1rpg every game. That duo used the help of another youngster standout’s effort with 2006-born Ella Majstorovic (CRO, 2006, 5’6, G) contributing with an impactful 17,3ppg already.

Two other players shone in the regular season and won’t unfortunately be able to keep on due to the early exits of their teams, I am talking about (0-7) Brod na Savi’s (CRO) center Tea Josipovic (2004, 6’1, C) who posted mammoth-like performances on the glass all season long, finishing the season averaging a fabulous 23,4 grabs per game, and (2-5) Medvescak’s (CRO) Ivona Javkoljevic (2004, 5’5, G) who finished with a significant all-round 13ppg-9rpg-4apg statline this 2018-2019 regular season.

We will of course continue following the rest of the season and bring you the best coverage of the playoffs in due time. Stay tuned!

Quarter Finals
in Ljubljana, Feb 10th
Ilirija (SLO) – Kanizsa (HUN)
Crvena Zvezda (SRB) – Buducnost Lovcen (MNT)
in Zagreb, Feb 17th
Tresnjevka 2009 (CRO) – Vipava (SLO)
Primorje (MNT) – Celje (SLO)

competition’s official website
waba-league.com