STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Mike Flynn is in Stockholm this week to accept the Nobel Prize for sportsmanship in athletics. Well, not quite, but the longtime grassroots innovator actually is in Stockholm and does deserve another tip of the hat. Flynn, along with seven of the highly regarded 2023 Blue Star 30 class, crossed the Atlantic to take part in the 2019 Blackeberg Basketball Cup. In its 16th year, the event features 231 teams competing in 14 different age based divisions. All but one men’s team (Grenada) and the talented Blue Star 30 squad are flying the Swedish flag in the three day event.
This isn’t the first time Flynn has brought a team to Europe. In years past, teams have played in multiple countries with many current and former WNBA players wearing Blur Star colors while experiencing international basketball and the opportunity for world travel by way of basketball. While it’s been a while for Europe, 17 inaugural Blue Star 30’s made a trip north of the boarder to Canada just a few years back.
Blue Star 30 opened play Friday with a convincing 121 – 43 win over Ali Basket F04. Just nine points separated the two teams after the first period of play with the scoreboard reading 29 – 21. The rout was on from there. Despite the high output on the offensive end of the floor, defense was the key across the remaining 30 minutes as the guests from the USA held their Swedish hosts to just 22 more points. In both the third and the fourth quarters Ali failed to post double figures managing just four and seven points respectively to finish the game.
While the Blue Star 30 roster is somewhat limited in numbers (7) they’re certainly not lacking in talent and the ability to contribute in multiple ways. Every player had a “run” at some point taking over play over the course of multiple possessions. Jada Williams (Blue Springs, Missouri) led the way with 29 and a penetrating attack the Swedes had no answer for. Emma Risch (West Melbourne, Florida) added 23 by way of some effective long range shooting while Sammie Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) showed off a diverse skill set in posting 19. Courtney Ogden (Atlanta, Georgia) added 16 more to go with 14 from KK Arnold (Germantown, Wisconsin), 12 from dynamic Jadyn Donovan (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) and 8 from Kendall Dudley (Centreville, Virginia). Whether it was Williams penetration, Donovan’s play at the rim, Arnolds constant movement and cutting or any of the diverse weapons both Ogden and Dudley throw at their defenders, Friday’s opponent had no answer. Be sure to scroll below for action images of all seven players (alphabetically).
Virtually overshadowing the win itself was the almost instant celebrity status afforded the Blue Star 30 team following the game. Literally surrounded by younger players (both boys and girls) the selfies and autographs were in high demand. Just like the scorebook, Jada Williams once again led the way with some of her extensive social media followers in the crowd and not disappointed in any way by the play of the exciting point guard. Time will tell if the spotlight will last as Blue Star 30 has two games on tap Saturday with the first tipping at 11:45 am. Check back with Blue Star Media for more coverage of the Blue Star 30 trip to Stockholm and Blackeberg Basketball Cup.
