Located at the best FIBA Continental tournament in the form of EuroBasket Women 2017, Blue Star Media has got it covered via myself and my Basketmedia365 colleague Pierre Ploszajski.
As the authors of the official Media Guide for the competition, we’re bringing you exclusive insight throughout the tournament [official website here] with regular questions and opinions.
Our fifth question of this mini-series is: What is the All-Tournament roster that might give USA a game?
A fantasy scenario of course, but here we go (our joint effort and apologies to those in the wider conversation who didn’t make our cut!):-
Celine Dumerc (France) – Let’s be completely blunt here – this has not been a tournament for the point guards. But, there is no looking past the control consistency, defense and consistency of the Les Bleues legend. Still the heartbeat and leader, now with WNBA experience as well. A class act.
Evanthia Maltsi (Greece) – If Greece have been one of the stories of the tournament, then the title of the title of the book needs to be about the legendary swingman who turns 40 next year and is playing like a teenager.
A colossus for her country, her performances have been incredible and if you feel the sense of déjà vu, then cast your mind back to Final Round in 2009 when MVP. Astonishing.
Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy) – Has there been a better major tournament debut by a rising star? Has played at this rookie Final Round like a seasoned veteran and continued where she left off last summer with her MVP efforts at U20 level. Not just a shooter and scorer anymore, but a leader already. Physicality is now on a new level which puts her in a do-it-all bracket. WNBA potential too.
Alba Torrens (Spain) – Inexplicably left on the UMMC bench far too much, the sun has been shining on Alba’s back and with energy to burn from her limited court-time in Russia and back with her compatriots, the winger has a smile from ear to ear. So do we, since she is back to entertain and shooting the ball nicely, she is so hard to stop once she gets into the flow. Could be MVP on Sunday.
Sancho Lyttle (Spain) – Just to show we are not necessarily ‘anti-naturalized’ we think that Lyttle has done her job very well for Spain so far. She is hard-nosed defensively but is also playing relatively smooth on offense, whether cleaning up around the basket or making jump-shots and when she is doing the latter, she is so dangerous and effective.
Maria Vadeeva (Russia) – Even if her team’s tournament ended in tears and perhaps even embarrassment at missing out on the top 8 after being a frontrunner, Vadeeva still enhanced her reputation with her performances and she remains ‘The Terminator’.
So good and with so much scope for development, it remains a crazy notion that she will still be a teenager for a bit longer.
Endene Miyem (France)
Miyem is very much an unsung hero. Her importance and amazing skills are usually understated due to the presence of other prominent players. But she brings great impact and regularity and is among the most solid power forwards out there – a silky-smooth steady force. She masters defensive fundamentals like few others. Very versatile, she can easily slide to the 3 spot to stretch the game and make outside shots.
Leaving her open is rather a bad idea as her shooting range is wide and highly efficient both from mid-range and beyond the three point line. She never played yet in the WNBA or got drafted but has over 10 years EuroLeague Women experience. She is France’s leading scorer at Eurobasket Women and one of their two go-to-players.
Jelena Milovanovic (Serbia)
A real versatile big. Starts at the 5 for Serbia but is often to be found far from the hoop in transition or off a pick’n’pop. Similar to Petrovic she loves to take difficult and clutch shots and makes them very effectively. On any occasion, she can get red hot and score in bunches.
Captain of the Serbian team she is strong both mentally and physically. She did everything she could to prevent her team from elimination, often through feat actions underlining her talent. Though not of late, she has played several seasons in the WNBA for the Washington Mystics and has what it takes to compete at the highest level. While very experienced, she’s still only 28 years old.
Marta Xargay (Spain)
The last couple of seasons, Xargay’s game has reached yet another level. She seems at the peak of her career both physically and mentally. Primarily known for her versatile all-round game and her defensive skills (she is clinical silencing her opponents), she has now evolved into a deadly and confident shooter, whether from mid-range or from deep. She can be used in up to three different positions on the court. She is Spain’s 3rd leading scorer behind Torrens and Lyttle in this tournament. Her physical strength added to her killer mentality create one of the toughest player to face. ELW winner, Olympic and World Cup medalist, European champion, with conclusive WNBA experience with the Phoenix Mercury to her name, she is among the best there is out there.
Sonja Petrovic (Serbia)
Serbia didn’t fare well at this EBW partly because of physical issues to their key players, Petrovic being one of them. Yet, even diminished she managed to show she could take over a game anytime thanks to her amazing individual offensive skills set.
She thrives for tough shots and clutch actions which she regularly knocks down. She rebounds well, runs the floor, can bring up the ball to midcourt, shows great enthusiasm and never stops pulling her team-mates upwards. Tough competitor and a natural leader, her passion of the game is only leveled by her talent. Some WNBA teams haven’t waited to offer her a spot on their team as Pokey Chatman’s Chicago Sky and Sandy Brondello’s Phoenix Mercury did in the recent past. She ranks 6th on the leading scorer list at this EBW and recently signed with ELW champion: Dynamo Kursk.
Nika Baric (Slovenia) and Emma Meeseman (Belgium)
Call them inseparable! While they play opposite positions on the court, their individual paths have been genuinely similar and connected ever since their beginning: both were teen marvels, both joined the mighty Spartak Moscow the same year while still rising stars, both were drafted in the WNBA age 20, both play presently for Euroleague Women juggernaut UMMC Ekaterinburg where they won the Euroleague title last season, and also on a another note, both were missing a debut at EuroBasket Women where they both arrived with ambitious teams. And what a debut it was! Both have done it in great fashion!
Even if Slovenia didn’t make it out of the group phase, Baric was the one PG who stood out in Prague. She’s been mostly unstoppable in the three games she played in. As always: her dazzling speed, superb change of pace and composed ball-handling got her through any defense. She showed the quality of a great floor manager, embracing responsibility with ease. Hitting now jumpers and threes with confidence, she is a nightmare to guard. Team-mate at club level with the likes of Taurasi, Tolliver, Nolan and other Griner, she would be a tough nut for any WNBA or Team USA to crack. As for Meesseman… well she already established a name for herself in the WNBA where she is both an All-Star and a key player for the Washington Mystics. Her debut at EBW only confirmed her elite center status on both ends of the floor. She is such a pleasure to watch as she seems to possess all the moves and all the smarts, blessing the game with her soft touch and natural efficiency. She is EBW’s top scorer so far, ranks high in the rebounding charts and is a very serious tournament MVP contender.
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And……
pierrepiotr_ across all things #EuroBasketWomen2017
