After our man Pierre Ploszajski reported on the 2017 edition of this competition, the 2018 version was just as exciting and held at the same venue of Bourges, France. The magnificent ‘Le Prado’ Arena formed the backdrop for a tournament which is an essential landmark on the road to the #FIBAU16Europe in 2019.
For the host Federation France, the competition has a dual purpose with their two teams (North and South) helping with not only future national team representation at U16 level (and also FIBA 3×3 tournaments), but also the decision-making process of which U15 players will be heading to the famous and prestigious Centre Federal / FFBB programme. (As part pf a wider process that will culminate around March).
Replacing Poland U15 and Netherlands U16 from 2017, were Germany (U15) and Czech Republic (U15). While I can’t bring you the in-depth magnificence of Pierre’s on-site efforts last year, here are most of the key things you need to know about how it went down.
Final Standings:
- France Nord (2-1)
- Czech Republic (2-1)
- France Sud (2-1)
- Germany (0-3)
Results:
12/14/18
France Nord 60-67 France Sud
Germany 65-88 Czech Republic
12/15/18
France Sud 62-72 Czech Republic
France Nord 67034 Germany
12/16/18
France Sud 49-41 Germany
France Nord 71-46 Czech Republic
Notable Players:
Leila Lacan of France Nord was crowned MVP and she has been tipped for a big future for some time. Her status as captain and do-it-all approach was also reflective of this. Although France Nord lost their big opener against their compatriots France Sud and Lacan did not shoot the ball that great, her 6 steals and 4 assists spoke volumes about her capabilities. In the second game against Germany, the guard showed once again her defensive capabilities by snapping up another 5 steals and she rounded off the tournament by racking up 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals against Czech Republic.
Meanwhile the most consistent player from France Nord was probably Maelle Blein, whose all-around efficiency and play had to be respected. The smart shot selection and ability to finish more clinically than most of her peers stood out. She went 18 of 27 from the field across the three games and that was a nice effort.
It was the powerful Amna Traore who stood head and shoulders above everyone else on the France Sud side as she made a noise in the paint and on the glass in all three games. Her defenders struggled to deal with her and she made the most of it with a near tournament double-double of more than 12 points and 9 boards per game – shooting more than 50% from the field.
The 175cm Nikola Safrankova was probably the pick for Czech Republic who had plenty of eye-catching players, if no one stand-out performer. The forward from the Hradec Kralove club had some nice moves, good hands defensively and may be one to watch. Valentyna Kadlecova also caught the eye if you ignore the 2 of 12 she posted in the game against France Nord, when in truth, the Czechs just ran out of steam.
Finally, Germany didn’t have a player who probably performed at the level they would have wished for, although Frieda Buhner and Lina Falk look the most likely candidates to join their 2003 colleagues at #FIBAU16Europe next summer. They look like they could be in a struggle next year at #FIBAU16Europe – not only on this evidence, but taking into account they were 0-3 and took some hefty beating earlier in December at the U16 Zamora Tournament. Head coach Stefan Mienack (who will actually take U18 and also the team at Bangkok in Thailand at the FIBA Women’s U19 basketball World Cup) will have been concerned. He has a major role now in trying to balance all of the various talents and on this evidence, the pipeline looks to have dried up at the younger age groups.
Other Observations:
France Nord were coached by Julien Egloff, a familiar face to followers of the youth game, since the play-caller has taken various French teams to FIBA competitions in recent years.
France Nord were the best passing team and quicker than their rivals France Sud who struggled to move the ball as well, but were arguably more powerful.
France Nord may have been more dynamic, but their perimeter shooting was awful and they only dropped 8 from 44 attempts across the three games (18%).
However, this looked like a Steph Curry clinic compared to France Sud who converted… ait for it… 1-25 from downtown in the tournament!
So, my math makes that France Nord/Sud going a combined 9-69 from long-range (in 5 games), at an eye-watering 13%.
Czech Republic players and this all-2004 roster will compete to join 2-3 returnees (2003-born) from the Czech side that made the #FIBAU16Europe Final in Kaunas. They played up-tempo and a run of impressive Czech U16 teams in recent years could be set to continue.
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