The EuroBasket 2013 tournament wrapped up Sunday in Slovenia with France earning their first gold in the tourney’s 78-year history in a decisive 80-66 victory over Lithuania.
In case you missed the action, we’ve got you covered, enlisting the help of Carl Berman, director of NetScouts, to provide a roundup of the standout players from an entertaining few weeks of ball.
Sportsnet’s All-Tourney Team:
G: Tony Parker, France. The best player on paper heading into the tournament, Parker unsurprisingly lived up to the billing, walking away with EuroBasket MVP honours for the first time in his career. Despite coming off an NBA season in which he played a whopping 21 playoff games, France’s driving force delivered when it mattered, averaging a tournament-high 19.7 points (on 52.6 per cent shooting), including 32 in France’s wild 76-72 comeback win over Croatia in the semi-finals. EuroBasket gold won’t erase the ghosts of Game 6, but it can’t hurt.
G: Mantas Kalnietis, Lithuania. Like Parker, the Lithuanian point guard shouldered scoring duties while orchestrating a dangerous multi-headed attack, leading his team in points and assists. “Kalnietis was outstanding playing in Russia last year,” says Berman, “and at 6-foot-5 he’s just an all-around talent.” To wit: Kalnietis averaged 12.1 points, 5.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds on a very deep Lithuanian squad.
F: Bojan Bogdonovic, Croatia. The swingman who spent the last two seasons starring for Fenerbahce in the Turkish League made a huge impression in Slovenia, finishing second in points at 17.4 per game while leading Croatia to the semis. “He had a really nice run for Croatia,” Berman says, “He’s a 6-foot-8 two-guard essentially—an athletic shooter with height. We expect him to translate very well to the NBA.” Drafted by the Miami Heat in 2011 and traded to Minnesota for Norris Cole, Bogdonovic’s rights currently belong to the Brooklyn Nets. He’ll likely again be spending this season in Turkey, but expect him in a Nets uniform by 2014.
F: Linas Kleiza, Lithuania. The former Raptor always takes his game to new levels when suiting up for his country and he didn’t disappoint at EuroBasket, finishing just behind Kalnietis in scoring for Lithuania at 11.4 points per game. Kleiza came up big when it mattered, following up a 22 point, 11 rebound semi-finals performance with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Lithuania’s 80-66 loss in the gold medal game.
C: Marc Gasol, Spain. Notching 14 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, Gasol did everything that was asked of him, helping Spain take home the bronze medal. Carrying a bigger load than normal with Serge Ibaka and big brother Pau out of the lineup (not to mention the shoddy play of Ricky Rubio at the point), Gasol finished in the top five in rebounds, free throws, field goal percentage and field goals made and attempted. “In general, there really wasn’t a lot of strong play from the centre position,” explains Berman, “and it helped Gasol to really stand out.” Of course, plays like this don’t hurt.
Honourable Mentions:
G: Eugene “Pooh” Jeter, Ukraine. Ukraine qualified for the FIBA World Cup this year for the first time since the Soviet Union broke apart, and Jeter, the former collegiate standout at Portland, was a major reason why. “It’s hard to think he’s already 30 and something of a veteran overseas, but he’s a guy we saw a lot of coming out of college, and he’s now making a nice career for himself and will be playing in China this season,” says Berman. “He’s just 5-foot-10 and many thought he would struggle because of his height, but he’s really excelled in the international game.”
G: Goran Dragic, Slovenia. The most popular player at EuroBasket 2013, Dragic starred for the host Slovenians, averaging nearly 16 points per game in advance of what will be the most critical season of his NBA career as the face of the rebuilding Phoenix Suns.
F: Luigi Datome, Italy. The 6-foot-8 power forward led the tournament in three-point shooting, and provided a dangerous scoring threat alongside fellow countryman Alessandro Gentile—both finishing in top-10 in points per game. The 26-year-old will be a rookie in the NBA this coming season, playing for the Detroit Pistons, though Berman has concerns about his transition, describing him as something of an Andrea Bargnani lite. “He’s a big man who can step out and make threes,” Berman says, “but he didn’t rebound well and I don’t know if he’s athletic enough for the NBA. He’s not as good of a shooter or scorer as Bargnani. We’re just not crazy about the rest of his game.”
F: Jeffrey Taylor, Sweden. A former star with the Vanderbilt Commodores, Taylor led the first-round of the tournament in scoring with 21.2 points per game, though Sweden failed to advance. Entering his second season with the Bobcats, the small forward was dominant at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and should be taking on a bigger role in Charlotte.
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania. From one Summer League stud to another. Valanciunas barely had a week between his MVP performance in Vegas and the Lithuanian training camp. He didn’t show signs of fatigue, though, leading the tournament in double-doubles and finishing fifth in blocks despite playing only 17 minute per game on a very deep Lithuanian squad. The Raptors 21-year-old sophomore centre saw the court for just 11 minutes of the gold medal game (though he still managed to tally two blocks, a game-high), conceding minutes to his more experienced teammates.