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France and usa in the same group. Maybe i'll watch that game at work.
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/
Argentina's team is the champion of the America's. They defeated the US in the Final for the first time on this category (not even Manu's generation got that done) and they have been playing together for years with a nice pool of talent.
Greece is pretty stacked too and so is Spain.
Should be fun...
I'll post articles and links on here throughout the tournament...
If anyone is interested in the future generation of basketball players feel free to join the discussion...
It begins tomorrow early in the am (3am EST on DirecTV for sure dunno where else in the US) with the local team NZ playing the Argies...
France and usa in the same group. Maybe i'll watch that game at work.
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...4/article.html
AUCKLAND (FIBA U19 World Championship) - There are few more important games than qualifiers. Teams that can't produce during these tournaments are left behind watching on television when the real games are played later on.
But as crucial as qualifiers are, they can be notoriously unreliable as predictors of world championship form. Nevertheless, in the case of the upcoming FIBA U19 World Championship, it does provide a window into how these teams perform under pressure. And with most teams bringing similar lineups to Auckland, last year's tournaments might just give an insight into who will prevail on July 12.
First we look at the four qualifiers from the Americas, and it is no surprise that they are Argentina, USA, Canada and Puerto Rico, who are ranked 1st, 2nd, 11th and 19th in the FIBA World Rankings for men.
Argentina
The Argentineans were super impressive in going undefeated and taking out the U18 Tournament of the Americas. The team in blue and white seem poised to unleash another crop of young stars to follow the likes of Ginobili, Oberto, Sanchez, Nocioni, Scola and Delfino.
Last year they dominated the tournament with defence, allowing just 63 points per game, and holding the loaded USA team to 64 points in the final. Offensively they were no slouches either, placing second in scoring with 85.6ppg, first in assists (17.4apg) and converting at 39.4% from the three point line - easily the best in the tournament.
A key to their success was versatile centre Pablo Orlietti, who averaged 9.8ppg and 8.8rpg for the tournament. He is also capable of hitting the three point shot and is an excellent passer, recording 11 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists in the semi final against Puerto Rico.
Other stars include guards Matias Nocedal (13.4ppg) and the smooth Juan Fernandez (12.2 ppg, 4.2 apg), who racked up 20 points in the semi final and 16 against the USA in the final. All three have been named in their preliminary squad for Auckland.
The Draw: The Argentines face Croatia, Kazakhstan and host nation New Zealand. The Croats will provide stiff compe ion, as could the Junior Tall Blacks buoyed by their home crowd, but expect Argentina to qualify comfortably for the next round if their three point shooting and team play is at a similar level to last year.
USA
The USA come to New Zealand with a new-look lineup from the team that placed second in the qualifying tournament, making it hard to identify who their stars at international level might be, or what their team strengths and weaknesses are.
But looking at the performance of their 2008 side that defeated Canada 82-66 in the semi finals before falling to Argentina by 13 in the final, they displayed all the traits of the US teams that have been a force in world basketball for some time.
The US U18s led the tournament in scoring with almost 90 points per game, had the highest field goal percentage (50.9%), dominated the boards (50.4rpg - 1st) and were first in blocked shots with an impressive 8.4bpg, two clear of second placed Canada.
These numbers were trademark USA, as was their 10 steals per game and, not so flatteringly, the team's woeful three point shooting (25.5%).
The Draw: The USA face France, Iran and Egypt in the preliminary round. While they will most likely account easily for Iran and Egypt, France will be a very tough challenge. The USA narrowly defeated the French at the lead-up Douai Tournament in France this month, but suffered three defeats at the hands of Lithuania, Australia and Puerto Rico.
However, their world championship side is likely to be significantly different, and their 28 point thrashing of Croatia in an unofficial match in New Zealand provides an ominous warning for other teams.
Canada
The Canadians powered their way to the semi finals of the U18 Tournament of the Americas behind the outstanding play of 198cm small forward Mangisto Arop, who averaged 17ppg, 10rpg and 0.8bpg, and dominated the interior.
He also led the team in assists with 2.0apg and showed his class under pressure with 21 points and 9 rebounds against the USA in the semi final, and 16 points and 11 rebounds against Puerto Rico in the playoff for third, which Canada won 83-68.
Arop received great support from Tristan Thompson (10.2ppg, 8.2 rpg) in the tournament and that game, where he scored 18 points and 10 rebounds. While Thompson is named in the Canadian's initial squad for the FIBA U19 World Championship, he did not play in the Douai Tournament and may not feature in New Zealand.
The Achilles Heel for Canada last year was their inconsistent guard play. The streaky Rob Gagliardi was their best in the backcourt, averaging 12.4ppg, and connecting on 8/22 three point field goals for the tournament. As a sign of his inconsistency though, Gagliardi nailed 5/9 threes on his way to 33 points against Uruguay, but just 3/13 in other games.
The Draw: Canada faces Australia, Spain and Syria in the pool round. While Syria is somewhat unknown, both Australia and Spain will play uptempo and put enormous pressure on the Canadian guards, meaning they will have to step up to provide the necessary service to Arop and his frontcourt mates to win this tough pool.
Wins over France, Puerto Rico and Lithuania in the Douai Tournament will give them great confidence.
Puerto Rico
In the U18 Tournament of the Americas, true to their reputation as basketballing free-wheelers, the Puerto Ricans took 26 three point shots per game, connecting on 30%, good for third in the tournament.
As with most Puerto Rican teams, their guard play was excellent, coughing up just 12.6 turnovers per game, six less than the next best team. Leading the way were Isaac Sosa (13.8 ppg, 59% 2pfg) and Raymond Cintron (13.4ppg) who nailed 5/8 three pointers on his way to 21 points in the third place decider against Canada.
The weakness that was exposed at the U18 Tournament of the Americas was their interior play. Puerto Rico shot at just 41% from two point range in the tournament, and were second last in rebounding with only 36rpg. Their best interior player was 208cm Carlos Lopez (12.8ppg, 6.2 rpg, 50%fg) and he will again be relied upon heavily in New Zealand.
The Draw: The Puerto Ricans face a tough battle in the preliminary round with Angola, Greece and Lithuania in their pool. But this tiny country has always punched out of its weight division on the basketball court, and their free shooting style will likely see them progress to the Eight Final Round.
Stay tuned for analysis from other continents
Paulo Kennedy
FIBA
Day 1 roundup:
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...4/article.html
AUCKLAND (FIBA U19 World Championship) - Puerto Rico have provided the comeback of the day in what was an exciting opening of the FIBA U19 World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand.
The tiny American nation, who placed fourth at the Americas U18 Championship, came from 17 points down at quarter time to shock the European runners up, 80-73.
Isaac Sosa (18 points) was the star, hitting three perimeter shots in the second quarter to bring Puerto Rico back into the game. Forward Kevin Young was a constant throughout, recording 20 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks.
New Zealand very nearly caused the second upset of the day, but a late travel denied them the chance at a match-winning shot against Americas champion Argentina.
The Junior Tall Blacks led by four at half time and six at three quarter time, but three triples in the final period from Matias Nocedal (21 points) were enough to see Argentina home, 66-64. Brook Ruscoe was almost the hero for New Zealand with 22 points.
Australia shook a determined Canada behind their forward combination of Cody Ellis (25 points) and Brock Motum (22). Australia started the game with a 15-2 run, and despite the best efforts of Mangisto Arop (27 points) and Canada, the Emus prevailed 88-77.
The USA and France meet on day two, and both made a clear statement with their first up performances. The USA used a 16-1 run at the end of the first quarter to push clear of Iran, and they didn’t let up until the final whistle, winning 106-55.
France effectively ended their contest with Egypt with an 11-1 run late in the first half to take a 26-point lead into half time, before running out 102-56 winners. Jonathan Bourhis hit five three-pointers on his way to 21 points and teammate Christophe Leanard tallied 18.
Croatia shook off a relentless Kazakhstan team to record a 104-74 victory, point guard Toni Prostran leading the way with 23 points.
Greece easily accounted for Angola, allowing just 58 points, including only eight in the second quarter and seven in the last, while scoring 101 themselves in a comprehensive victory.
Guard Nikolaos Pappas top scored with 20 points on 8/14 field goal shooting, while Miguel Kiala finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds in an impressive display for Angola.
Spain warmed up for their big clash with Australia with a comfortable 79-53 win over Syria.
Paulo Kennedy
FIBA
Nocedal already making noise with 3 triples in the 4th for a comeback victory for ARG...
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...me-report.html
AUCKLAND (FIBA U19 World Championship) - A deafening home crowd at the North Shore Events Centre was not quite enough to lift New Zealand to victory on opening night at the FIBA U19 World Championship, with Argentina claiming a thrilling 66-64 victory.
In a see sawing game throughout, it was the hoops version of ‘8-Ball’, as the number 8 for each side that played the instrumental roles.
New Zealand number 8, guard Brook Ruscoe scored 22 points on 7/11 shooting, making a number of clutch plays in the final quarter to keep his side in touch.
But it was Argentina’s number 8, Matias Nocedal who made the biggest difference. Nocedal hit three long range shots in his 11 last quarter points. He finished with 21 and received excellent support from Luciano Gonzalez (12 points) and point guard Juan Fernandez (7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists).
The lead changed 10 times throughout the final quarter, and looked as if it may again when New Zealand guard Logan Van Beek stole the ball with just five seconds remaining and his team trailing by one. But a travel by teammate Morgan Nathan as he made his move to the basket denied the home crowd a fairytale finish.
New Zealand centre Rob Loe was a dominant force inside with 15 points on 7/12 shooting and 6 rebounds. He suffered an ankle injury late in the game which could be crucial when New Zealand face Croatia tomorrow night.
Argentina won the rebound count 37-30 and had 18 offensive rebounds. They face Kazakhstan at the North Shore Events Centre at 12:30pm Friday.
They've said:
New Zealand head coach Kenny McFadden:
“Without a doubt I’m feeling disappointed but I’m also pleased that the boys went out and played the way they did.
“We had a plan and I knew if we kept our poise we could win. With the preparation we have and the build-up we had, I knew that if we play to our plan, we could win.
“I told the boys just now to keep their heads up and not too worry about it. It’s in the past. This is a tournament. We weren’t knocked out. We just have to look ahead to Croatia.”
New Zealand captain Dion Prewster:
“They’re a great three-point shooting team and we tried to play zone to put them under pressure but they’ve got such a poised team that they were able to handle it and knock down shots.”
“It’s very tough to take a loss like that right at the end, we’re all so disappointed right now.”
“A lot of people didn’t think we could do much, so I think we showed them that we can compete. And now we have to come back tomorrow against Croatia and forget about this one.”
Brook Ruscoe:
“We’re all gutted,”
“But there’s still the part of us that is thinking that’s the best team in the Americas, they beat the USA, and for us to come out and pretty much lose it ourselves, is tough.
“Even with a win or the loss, we have to forget about it and come out tomorrow and get a big win.”
USA destroyed Iran...
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...me-report.html
AUCKLAND (FIBA U19 World Championship) - While some people may link the match with the political relationship between the two countries, it was all about the basketball when the USA and Iran met in the opening game of the FIBA U19 World Championship in Auckland, New Zealand.
After a tense opening that saw the USA lead by just two, 14-12, with less than three minutes remaining in the first period, 203cm power forward John Shurna made the running for the USA, scoring seven points as his team went on a 16-1 run to finish the quarter in control, 30-13.
It would prove the decisive movement of the match as the USA went on to lead by 28 at half time and 42 at three quarter time, rotating their full bench to cruise to a 106-55 victory.
Iranian point guard Elmad Salmani started the scoring for the tournament with a three point basket after just 41 seconds of play. US forward Gordon Hayward responded inside the paint on the next play after collecting an offensive rebound, and the USA took their first lead, 6-4, on a two point basket from captain Shelvin Mack with 7:03 remaining.
Shurna recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyshawn Tayler scored 13 points on 6/7 shooting to lead seven USA players in double figures. The USA tomorrow play France in what should be their first true test of the world championship.
For Iran, Mohammad Hassanzadeh scored 17 points and captain Arsalan Kazemi recorded 15 points, 7 steals and 4 rebounds . Their next opponent is African U18 Champion Egypt, a match-up that is likely to determine which team progresses to the second round.
Jamie Dixon (USA) said:
“It was a good win for us, a good start for us. I think we did some things pretty well. We rebounded well, which is something that’s been a problem for us.
“I was impressed with the way Iran played. They battled all the way until the end and still made some big shots at the end.
“I think we’re going to play a lot of guys. We’re always going to use all 12 guys. Fatigue should not be a problem.”
FIBA
Other results...
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...e-reports.html
2nd day of pool play results...
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...e-reports.html
Argentina won again. Nice.
Argentina crushed favorite Spain in second round pool play...
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...4/article.html
Australia next... it'll be a defensive war...
Eight Remain in the World Championship Race
08/07/2009
AUCKLAND (FIBA U19 World Championship) - The games just keep getting better at the FIBA U19 World Championship, and now the quarter finalists have been set. Friday at the North Shore Events Centre in Auckland, New Zealand will see the eight best U19 teams in the world battle it out for a place in the medal rounds.
The match-ups for the knockout quarter finals on Friday, 10 July are:
- Greece v Argentina – 1:30pm
- Australia v France – 4:00pm
- Croatia v Puerto Rico – 6:15pm
- USA v Canada – 8:30pm
All times are New Zealand time, and all quarter finals will be screened on FIBA TV.
On day 6, Australia remained undefeated and claimed top spot in Group F with a stunning 79-74 win over Croatia in the game of the tournament to date.
A large and vocal crowd saw Matthew Dellavedova score 15 final quarter points as the Australians extended a one point lead at the last change to win by 5. Dellavedova scored 17 for Australia, and was helped by Cody Ellis (14 points), Mitc Young and Brock Motum (both 10).
For Croatia, Toni Prostran and Tomislav Zubcic both scored 14, while Ivan Batur (12 points), Dino Butorac (11) and Leon Radocevic (10) all contributed.
The USA took out top spot in Group E with a hard fought 76-69 win over Lithuania. With only 4 points the margin at three quarter time, Tyshawn Taylor scored three acrobatic scoop shots in the final four minutes to give the US the margin they required.
He finished with 13 points and 4 assists and received support from Klay Thompson (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists), Darius Miller (10 points) and John Shurna (9) in a once again even spread for the Americans.
For Lithuania, Donatas Montiejunas (12 points) and Dovydas Redikas (11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) joined the outstanding Tautvydas Slezas (21 points) in double figures. Slezas also secured 12 rebounds as Lithuania won the rebound count 45-31, but missed out on a quarter final spot.
Greece narrowly avoided elimination when they nailed four crucial free throws to hold off a fast finishing France. Greece led 60-40 at three quarter time before France unleashed a furious 13-3 streak to close the gap to 10 points.
Jonathan Bourhis nailed his fourth 3-pointer for the game to reduce the margin to 67-72 with 0:32 to play, before Greece secured the win from the free throw line.
Stars for Greece were Nikolaos Pappas (20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists), Leonidas Kaselakis (18 points, 9 rebounds) and Kostas Sloukis (17 points, 5 assists). For France, Bourhis collected 18 points and 5 rebounds and Christophe Leonard recorded 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Canada showed great composure down the stretch to defeat Argentina 67-57 and set up a quarter final match-up with their North American rivals, the USA.
In the decisive third quarter, Mangisto Arop (18 points) and Cory Joseph (20 points, 9/15 fg) led the way for Canada, with a long range buzzer beater from Typhoon Nurse making the score 54-45 at three quarter time.
While Argentina repeatedly challenged in the final term, Canada ran down the clock intelligently and recorded an impressive victory. Lisandro Rasio (14 points, 7 rebounds) and Luciano Gonzalez (12 points) were solid for Argentina.
Puerto Rico did as expected and defeated Egypt, 99-71, to move through to the final eight. Mike Rosario bounced back from a poor game against the USA to score 22 points in 20 minutes of court time, while Raymond Cintron had his best game of the tournament with 17.
For Egypt, Adham Mohamed Elsayed (17 points, 3/6 3pfg) and Amro Sherif Abdelhalim (22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) put in strong performances, and will be looking to do so again as their team competes for positions 9-12 on Friday and Saturday.
While Spain recorded a comprehensive 101-71 win over a depleted Kazakhstan, the European power will also be playing off in the classification round, with their 17-point defeat to Argentina on Monday leaving them last in a three way tie with the Spaniards and Canada.
Against the Kazaks, Jorge Santana was the star of the day, nailing 6/6 from the perimeter on his way to 26 points, while Toni Vicens continued his strong tournament with 11 points.
While Alexandr Tyutyunik, Pavel Illin , Rustem Tuleu (all 12 points) and Alexandr Zhigulin (13 points, 8 rebounds) all enjoyed productive offensive moments for Kazakhstan, the Asian runners up were never at home against the Spanish pressure defence.
With six games on Friday, including four quarter finals on FIBA TV, the FIBA U19 World Championship is building towards a dramatic conclusion.
Paulo Kennedy
FIBA
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...4/article.html
Canada beat Argentina to advance to the quarter finals.
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/new...0912/arti.html
The match-ups for the knockout quarter finals on Friday, 10 July are:
- Greece v Argentina – 1:30pm
- Australia v France – 4:00pm
- Croatia v Puerto Rico – 6:15pm
- USA v Canada – 8:30pm
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/new...0920/arti.html
Argentina vs. Greece will be a gr8 game...
Australia will crush France and Croatia and the US will do their part...
My guess on semi finalists is:
USA
Croatia
Australia
Argentina
Mmmh I don't think we will beat Greece.
USA World Champ U19...
THEY BEAT GREECE!!!
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/
All the idiot haters here can shut up now. Nikos Pappas led Greece to the silver medal and he was voted to the All Tournament team. Once again I was proved right.
And to all those idiots that was saying Greece next generation would be "dominated" by Spain, Lithuania, Argentina, France and them and called me names, said I was a liar, made post after post attacking to me saying "Spain next generation will crush and destroy Greece"
ing idiots ................I prove you wrong again.
Greece was 2nd place
Argentina was 5th place
France was 8th place
Lithuania was 9th place
Spain was 10th place
Where is the fool who was calling me names and telling me how he guaranteed 100% that the next generation Spanish players would be dominating and crushing and destroying Greece's next generation players?
http://newzealand2009.fiba.com/pages...4/article.html
There is the proof of what type of player Pappas is. The haters here were again proved wrong.
Impressive 9-0 run by Team USA
And who won that tourney KBP? I totally forgot...don't even remember...hmmmm....
Sooo...you were proven right? You said he DOMINATED the tournament...He ended 12th in PPG, 14th in assists per game, averaged over 3 turnovers a game, and was 12th in steals...that's hardly dominating KBP. He wasn't even the best player on the second best team in an Under 19 Tournament, but we should have drafted him above a guy who's the best spot up shooter in the NCAA? Playing with guys older than that? Our guys, who beat your Greeks, aren't even IN the NCAA yet..not even at that point in their careers...so..as usual..you were wrong, and as usual, America does better than Greece....another generation of ass whooping awaits your Greeks...but this won't upset you..considering you're American and live in Arkansas.
http://www.talkbasket.net/news/u19-w...-mvp-1342.html
The Tournament MVP comes from the Bronze Medalist Croatia and his name is Mario Delas. The Croatian center of 208cm averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the tournament.
The other 4 players that were named in the Team All Star of the 2009 U19 World Championship were Toni Prostran (Croatia), Nikos Pappas (Greece), Tyshawn Taylor (USA) and Gordon Hayward (USA).
So where are all the fans here who were talking about Pappas now? And I am still wondering how this next generation is Spain that finished 10th is supposed to "dominate and crush Greece".
I saw some games, was nice. congrats to usa and greece did well. Delas was a good player and they did gave usa a hard time in the end.
Good for them I guess, but aren't they a little too young to be doing this?
I'm 19 and i'm still doing summer school
the US haven't won on this FIBA WC category since 1991...
Last edited by urunobili; 07-12-2009 at 06:43 PM.
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