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Having never been to Sopron previously, this turned out to be my third trip of the calendar year to the Novomatic Arena.

Just over the Hungarian and Austrian border and about an hour from Vienna, the senior Sopron team made the EuroLeague Women Final earlier in 2018 for the first time in their history and did so as hosts – much to the delight of the noisy locals.

The club has also carved out a reputation as a very nice host of FIBA youth events – it’s latest coming earlier in the summer for U20 Women.

This U16 Champions Cup event witnessed 8 clubs (participating in two groups of four across the first 3 days, then after a rest, Semi-Finals and placings on the penultimate day – prior to the Final and the last day of competition.

Most, if not all of the clubs who are taking part have a reputation for developing young talents and while perhaps inevitably the standard did vary considerably as is often the case (difference in resources, domestic competition and so forth are always factors), it was highly competitive as anticipated.

There were some nice prospects, with some having already been seen by BlueStar Media at #FIBAU16Europe and other players making their case for the 2019 edition

OBSERVATIONS:

*Please note that some elements of this are based primarily on the last two days of the tournament when in attendance in person (something which BlueStar Media was the only organisation to do).

(Italy) Basket Costa – 1st (5-0)

Results
Basket Costa – BS Riga 63-41 W
Basket Costa – Soproni Darazsak Akadémia 85-54 W
Basket Costa – BBC Osnabrück 95-25 W
Basket Costa – Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje 49-35 W
Basket Costa – BS Riga 79-70 W

Summary
The Italians were worthy winners,. They might not have had the standout players as such, but they were excellent as a team. They pressed incessantly and asked their opponents so many questions. The sheer intensity they showed was overwhelming and fundamentally, they had a team where the guards wanted to be aggressive, decisive and penetrate or shoot, while the ‘bigs’ wanted to get dirty inside. Add the physical capacity to deliver in terms of strength, speed and agility and it is no wonder they went unbeaten and were a tough assignment for everyone. They hunted in packs without the ball and were like lightning down the floor when the opportunity arose. They did not have any players in the gold medal winning Italian ‘FIBAU16Europe side from Kaunas, but that is a particularly brilliant generation of course. Basket Costa were beautifully coached too.

Notable players

Matilde Villa was super in the point guard position. She is very small but uses her quickness and exceedingly long arms to good effect. Her decision-making was very sound for her age and she showed she could make plays and shots for herself as well as creating for others. I assume she is also one-half of twins and that would continue the great tradition of Italian women’s basketball! Villa made the official All-Star Five.

Vittoria Allievi was very impressive. Maturity, leadership and skills. She is a versatile all-action guard/forward who occupied multiple positions as to when the team needed it. She was guarding on the perimeter and inside, while offensively she was aggressive but importantly, no too forceful – carefully treading the balance between the two. I liked her approach. She also made the All-Star Five.

(Latvia) BC Riga – 2nd (3-2)

Results
Basket Costa – BS Riga 63-41 L
BBC Osnabrück – BS Riga 50-83 W
Soproni Darazsak Akadémia – BS Riga 39-75 W
BS Riga – Csata DSE 63-59 W
Basket Costa – BS Riga 79-70 L

Summary
Even if they didn’t have the second best record, I do think they were the second best team on show – it was just they had to play the eventual champions twice and managed to beat the other three teams put in front of them. They were another well coached team with Liga Alilujeva who Blue Star Media has seen at the global level such as the FIBA Women’s U17 Basketball World Cup in Zaragoza for example. They played a balanced game and were able to switch between initial opportunities in transition to half-court possessions. They made shots from all over the floor but were punished inside the paint when their star center was either not on the court or suffering offensively / foul trouble.

Notable players
It was justifiable that the excellent Elizabete Bulane made the All-Star Five. She delivered consistently and was vital in the Semi-Final with Csata when making a couple of clutch threes. A very nice and assured guard who can shoot, she brought experience from this past summer with the national team at #FIBAU16Europe where she actually led in scoring and assists. There will be a tinge of disappointment at her percentages in the Final against Basket Costa though and it would have been great if she had signed off on a high.

Sarlotte Petersone was given the thumbs up for the Team Player award and there was also the inside presence of Nikola Priede, who did some work on the boards – just like she did in Kaunas at #FIBAU16Europe.

(Hungary) Csata DSE – 3rd (4-1)

Results
Csata DSE – WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb 53-36 W
ZKK Cinkarna Celje – Csata DSE 54-65 W
Csata DSE – Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje 69-63 W
BS Riga – Csata DSE 63-59 L
Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje – Csata DSE 52-71 W

Summary
I liked the way that Csata played in terms of their set up at both ends of the floor, although I thought they could, and probably should have rotated their better players more. The more capable performers had to play long minutes and even if their veteran coach did not trust his bench, I am not sure it was doing many favors to his star players. They deserved their position as the 3rd best team and came close to finishing second. They just lacked aggression at times and intensity perhaps, They were a bit ‘one gear’ both defensively and offensively (even if it was a decent one). Overall though, I thought they did a good job and will continue to produce talents as a club.

Notable players
Lili Krasovec made the All-Star Five and I have to say I was surprised as she was only number 3 on my list for this team, with many people also mentioning winger Zsofia Telegdy. Maybe more of their best work came earlier in the tournament and my comment should not detract from their potential. The tall and lean Krasovec was very verbal on court and trying to help her team-mates. I simply thought she could have been a little more aggressive with the ball in her hands and did not make the most of her height advantage. Potential for sure though.

Center Szonja Farkas has some smart moves and uses small movements to get the space she needs to operate. She is not that big but that helps with mobility and she is very consistent in what she does. That is probably why when she missed a defensive assignment or box out, the veteran coach of Csatsa went crazy in comparison to anybody else. It stood out. She was MVP of the U14 Hungarian championships earlier this year by the way and I wrote about it at BlueStar!

Guard Lili Rakita was the only player from her club to feature for Hungary in Kaunas at #FIBAU16Europe and while she was quiet(ish) in that tournament, she led her team well in Sopron. Decisive scores, buckets and contributions. Happy to have the ball as a playmaker but spent a lot of time at the two spot as well. Decent defensively.

(Russia) Sparta&K Moscow Region-Vidnoje – 4th (1-4)

Results
ZKK Cinkarna Celje – Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje 49-56 W
Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje – WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb 71-74 L
Csata DSE – Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje 69-63 L
Basket Costa – Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje – 49-35 L
Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje – Csata DSE 52-71 L

Summary
As their 1-4 record suggests, Sparta&K were a top four team in the placings, but were fortunate to make it that high up on the list. It was tough to identify a consistent pattern of play and their coaches often looked and sounded frustrated. Certainly the former four-time EuroLeague Women giants who have been a conveyor belt of phenomenal talent in these past years don’t look to have a Maria Vadeeva or Raisa Musina up their sleeves. They were very inconsistent from top to bottom and it was hard to engage with what they were trying to do (at least in the last two days when I was present). I was left wishing I had seen more of them as they remain a mystery to me – something that might be my fault rather than theirs of course!

Notable players
Perhaps keeping to the theme of be not being able to identify or warm to this team, it was equally difficult to really give a convincing verdict on any of the players. I would say that at least the one remotely consistent figure of Dariia Menshikova was given the nod (and a certificate by the organizers) for being the best player. Also in flashes, there were some highlights from both Anastasiia Odintsova and Dovnar-Zapolskaia, but all in all, very frustrating for me.

(Slovenia) ZKK Cinkarna Celje – 5th (3-2)

Results
ZKK Cinkarna Celje – Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje 49-56 L
ZKK Cinkarna Celje – Csata DSE 54-65 L
WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb – ZKK Cinkarna Celje 56-60 W
Soproni Darazsak Akadémia (A3) – ZKK Cinkarna Celje (B4) 37-73 W
ZKK Cinkarna Celje – WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb 60-34 W

Summary
Perhaps Celje could have went much further in the competition, as they grew stronger as it unfolded, but two opening losses and especially the one against Sparta&K who were clearly not as good, really hurt them. They were very well coached from what I observed, with their play-caller constantly in the game. Also switching from Slovenian to English which was interesting (but necessary with non-Slovenian on board). It was a high tempo style that suited them best and they were hard to live with when they used some nice active defense to provide the spark for fast breaks. It would have been interesting seeing them more in the flesh against teams who forced them into half-court possessions and that was partly why they struggled early. Still, very impressive and the one team that didn’t make the Top Four – but should have.

Notable players
Most observers of youth basketball in Europe will already be familiar with Marta Ostojic who played for Croatia at U16 in the last two years. At times she looks more like an adult playing with kids because of her superior physique and strength. She is a do-it-all player and one to watch moving through the various Croatian structures in coming years. She has real quality for sure and it was not a surprise she made the All-Star Five.

The most interesting player by far was African (Nigerian) Sophia Gbemoutor. She is raw but could be a big talent. She showed signs of huge potential. Very athletic and a good team player, she tried to swat everything, played hard and has a shooting action that is the basis of being serviceable with some intensive work. She also came up with a couple of exquisite and unexpected assists too, while being crowned the best rebounder in the competition.

Meanwhile my favorite (and possibly of the tournament) was small forward Blaza Ceh. My kind of player. She was so positive, so aggressive, so efficient and basically a real potential as a ‘glue’ player at a higher level if she continues to work on her shooting. Everything about her was striking, from the interaction in the warm-ups with her team-mates to her actual game on the floor. She was so strong defensively and forced turnovers time and time again in all different spots around the court. She got down the floor quickly and every dribble had a meaning and every pass was thrown with intent to maximise the advantage for the recipient. Throw in the hustle and smarts for a full package. Decent handles too. Very simple approach, but so effective!

(Croatia) Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb – 6th (2-3)

Results
Csata DSE – WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb 53-36 L
Sparta&k Moscow Region-Vidnoje – WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb 71-74 W
WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb – ZKK Cinkarna Celje 56-60 L
BBC Osnabrück – WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb 44-61 W
ZKK Cinkarna Celje – WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb 60-34 L

Summary
They hit the wall on the last day and were totally swamped by their Balkan rivals Celje, who they had lost to only very narrowly during the initial group phase. They ran out of steam and energy as a unit and it was signing off on a low point and probably not reflective of their overall contribution – not least as they racked up a win against Sparta&K. They played some decent basketball and tried to do the right thing but maybe just short of 1-2 talents to compete with the top teams. Especially physically and under the basket. However, it was fun to see this group of players pursue the perfection of the ‘court invasion’ as they used every last second to get a shoot around when they were watching other teams play. Every half-time they were around they would be straight on the court. They certainly love the game – that is for sure.

Notable players
Guard, Hana Muhl came into the tournament with a big reputation after handing out almost 4 assists per game for Croatia at #FIBAU16Europe this past summer and blew hot and cold. She did put up some big scores and that was a clear indication of her potential, while suffering more than most in that last game. Overall though, she deserved to be recognised as the best player on the team. She has huge talent by the way and with more experience will become adept at imposing herself on games even more.

Iva Zaja and Helena Galunic also both showed some promise, with the latter arguably the better skilled, but the former more of a competitor. Both were part of a three-punch along with Muhl.

(Hungary) Soproni Darazsak Akadémia – 7th (2-3)

Results
Soproni Darazsak Akadémia – BBC Osnabrück 63-53 W
Basket Costa – Soproni Darazsak Akadémia 85-54 L
Soproni Darazsak Akadémia – BS Riga 39-75 L
Soproni Darazsak Akadémia – ZKK Cinkarna Celje 37-73 L
Soproni Darazsak Akadémia – BBC Osnabrück 48-42 W

Summary
The tournament hosts will be disappointed but maybe not surprised at where they finished as clearly this is not the best generation and domestically they are Top 8 for their age group but something of a mixed bag.

They suffered from being a little under-sized and perhaps not being as athletic or mobile as many of their opponents. Whether conditioning was a factor was hard to tell, maybe a combination of physical attributes and a lack of quickness. They were suspect defensively and time and time again were run off the court and that was a bad combination. The positives were that they had strong fundamentals and certainly know the game.

Notable players
Virag Pfeiffer a guard is hoping to make the Hungary team for the #FIBAU16Europe in 2019 and has a chance of this, even if she is not as quick as her rivals. She is smart and offered plenty for the team so it was a good decision that she got the best player award for the hosts.

The other main hope for next year’s national team (at this stage anyway) was Janka Gyongyosi and she is a long and versatile forward who was at home guarding opponents on the wing or even opposing guards. But the truth is that Soproni probably needed her to do more work under the hoop which is where they suffered most.

(Germany) BBC Osnabrück – 8th (0-5)

Results
Soproni Darazsak Akadémia – BBC Osnabrück 63-53 L
BBC Osnabrück – BS Riga 50-83 L
Basket Costa – BBC Osnabrück 95-25 L
BBC Osnabrück – WBC Tresnjevka 2009-Zagreb 44-61 L
Soproni Darazsak Akadémia – BBC Osnabrück 48-42 L

Summary
Physically weaker / under developed than every other team in all aspects with more younger players, they basically did not have any additional factors to mitigate against less firepower, talent and depth of their rivals. They suffered from not havig a consistent 2-3 scorers and fell short offensively. However, they tried to play basketball ‘the right way’ and clearly enjoyed the experience despite the lack of wins. Every basket was celebrated by the bench vigorously and that fed into the team concept they brought. They shifted the ball quite well actually, but just lacked the killer instinct. Their lack of star players was perhaps emphasized by the fact they had no players on the Germany team that competed in the #FIBAU16Europe earlier this year. They rotated their two coaches as well which was interesting.

Notable Players
Frieda Buhner is an under-sized center who was very much a leader. More mature than her team-mates both from a basketball IQ perspective and her general approach. She had a solid game and was always active, looking to work off the ball and in the high and low post. A good rebounder too, she was one of the few players who knew where the basket was and could score on a regular basis. She was recognized as the best player on the team and also was MVP of the tournament (based on statistics) and was the best scorer ion the competition.

FORMAL AWARDS (by the organizers)

MVP – Frieda Buhner, BBC Osnabrück (based on statistics)

(Coaches via voting) All-Star Five – Elizabete Bulane (BS Riga), Matilde Villa (Basket Costa), Vittoria Allievi (Basket Costa), Marta Ostojic (ZKK Cinkarna Celje), Lili Krasovec (Csata DSE)

FINALLY – KOSZONOM SOPRON!

Congratulations to Sopron from their excellent hosting of yet another tournament. They have hosted EuroLeague Women Final Four, #FIBAU20Europe and now this competition all during 2018 and what they do is simply tremendous. A beacon for the women’s game. Went like clockwork! Hats off guys and keep up the great work! Would love to see more ball in Sopron!

Keep it locked to @Basketmedia365

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Paul Nilsen lives and breathes women’s hoops. He’s is a freelance writer working for the sport’s world governing body FIBA where he pens a weekly ‘Women’s Basketball Worldwide Column’ - as well as providing daily content on major club competitions, international tournaments and the women’s youth game. He has an extensive network of contacts across the globe, including an array of elite play-callers and players. Also a qualified coach and referee, he is a big supporter of Blue Star Media and joined as a blogger during the fall of 2016.

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