The U20 European Championship Men 2009 in Rhodes and Ialysos, Greece concluded on Sunday. The fibaeurope.com was there for all of it and compiled some of the highlights of a wild two weeks.
As usual it wasn't easy but when the buzzer sounded on Sunday night it was Greece on the top of the podium once again. There haven't been many groups who have enjoyed more success than Pappas and Co., and they drew every last ounce of enjoyment out of another gold medal.
Edwin Jackson very nearly won a gold medal all by himself on Sunday with 32 points and eight rebounds in his teams loss to hosts Greece in the championship game of the U20 European Championship Men. A frsutrating end for Jackson but the still proud silver medallist still found the time to visit with fibaeurope.com.
There is little doubt Spain came to Rhodes and Ialysos with the intention of winning gold but after a difficult defeat at the hands of the hosts on Saturday made that impossible they bounced back and held off Italy for a place on the podium.
France was the team to end the magic run of Italy at the U20 European Championship Men when they rolled over the cinderellas on their way to the gold medal game. Afterwards their star guard and team leader Edwin Jackson visited with fibaeurope.com.
On Saturday night the hosts of the U20 European Championship Men gauranteed the gym would be full for the final on Sunday when they defeated Spain to make their way into the gold medal game. Afterwards several of the players shared their thoughts with fibaeurope.com.
On Sunday the innaugural class of the FIBA Europe Coaching Certificate will collect their diplomas, but before they head back home we wanted to get their opinion on which of the four semi-finalists will leave Greece with a gold medal around their necks.
The cinderellas of the U20 European Championship Men lived to play another day on Friday as Italy mounted an unbelievable comeback and defeated Lithuania 69-68. The man of the hour was Roberto Rullo who hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds left to seal the win. Afterwards a jubilant Rullo took some time to visit with fibaeurope.com.
Hosts Greece strolled into the Semi-Finals in Friday with a 77-68 win over Croatia. Leading the way was big man Georgios Bogris and the coach of the blue and white Kostas Missas. After the big win the two visited with fibaeurope.com.
France are into the Semi-Finals thanks in large part to their guard Antoine Diot who had 12 points and six assists in the victory. After the big win he took a second to visit with fibaeurope.com.
For much of this U20 European Championship Men Pablo Aguilar has been forced to sit on the sidelines and watch. Spains star big man suffered an ankle injury just before the tournament and had to miss the first five games of the tournament. On Wednesday Aguilar made his return against France, scoring eight points and grabbing three rebounds, but in his team's Quarter-Final win over Turkey he proved that he is truly back. Afterwards he visited with fibaeurope.com.
Donatas Motiejunas may be the biggest name at the 2009 U20 European Championship Men. He came into the competition with high expectations and though both he and Lithuania have had a bumpy ride they find themselves in the Quarter-Finals with medals still on their minds. Thursday was a rest day in Rhodes and Donatas took the opportunity to sit down with fibaeurope.com.
When it comes to FIBA Europe youth competitions they don't get much more experienced than Dairis Bertans. The Latvian guard is competeing in his fifth and final youth tournament and he sat down with fibaeurope.com to talk about his experiences and his future.
Croatia are into the Quarter-Finals of the U20 European Championship Men being held in Rhodes and Ialysos, Greece. Their sharp-shooting guard Bojan Bogdanovic has been no small part of that success and after their win over Turkey on Wednesday he visited with fibaeurope.com.
Italy had a tough road to the Quarter-Finals and needed to not only beat Russia but do it by at least six points. They managed it with two points to spare coming away with a 67-59 win. Afterwards their coach Stefano Sacripanti and the game's leading scorer Riccardo Truccolo visited with fibaeurope.com.
Whether in Greece or half-way across the world where he helped his country win a silver medal at the U19 World Championships in New Zealand Nik Pappas is the beating heart of the Greek team. After their win over Spain on Tuesday he visited with fibaeurope.com.
France are the only team remaining at the U20 European Championship Men without a loss. On Wednesday night they took care of Russia 81-60 and afterwards shooting guard Edwin Jackson visited with fibaeurope.com.
Lithuania have lost just once so far at the U20 European Championship Men in Ilaysos and Rhodes, Greece. A big reason for that is their guard Zygimantas Janavicius who is averaging 12 points and 4.2 assists per game. After their win over Croatia he visited with fibaeurope.com.
Hosts Greece got all they could handle Monday night from Russia who came out of the gate fast and pushed the Greeks the entire game. Afterwards coach Kostas Missas visited with fibaeurope.com about the win.
