By Giorgos Orfanakis/ info@eurohoops.net
FIBA announced the players for the fourth U18 European All-Star Game which will be held in Lille on 18th September at 14:00 with the participation of 24 of the best young European players.
Before the tip-ff of the Game for the Classification 7th-8th place and the second semifinal, the 24 players who are born in 1997 or after will show their talent to the big stage.
“In the years to come these players will take centre stage at EuroBaskets, FIBA Basketball World Cups, The Olympic Games and club competitions. The future looks bright for all the players competing in the game and European basketball as a whole”, commented FIBA Europe President Turgay Demirel.
The players will be coached by the four best-in-class graduates – Tatiana Gallova (SVK), Arda Vekiloglu (TUR), Gianluca Quarta (ITA) and Tomaz Fartek (SLO) – from the recently completed fourth edition of the FECC.
The players were selected by a panel of FIBA coaching experts, who saw the players in action this summer at the U18 European Championships and the FIBA U19 World Championship. The All-Star Team from U18 European Championship Men Division B and the MVP from the U18 European Championship Men Division C were also invited to participate.
The 24 selected players are:
Omer Utku Al (TUR)
Tamir Blatt (ISR)
John Brändmark (SWE)
Ognjen Carapic (MNE)
Vasileios Charalampopoulos (GRE)
Sergi Garcia (ESP)
Stéphane Gombauld (FRA)
Jonathan Jeanne(FRA)
Verners Kohs (LAT)
Andrei Lopatin (RUS)
Xabier Lopez-Arostegui (ESP)
Vanja Marinkovic (SRB)
Blaz Mesicek (SLO)
Kostja Mushidi (GER)
Frank Ntilikina (FRA)
Endar Poladkhanli (AZE)
Simon Pursl (CZE)
Borisa Simanic (SRB)
Tobias Sjöberg (SWE)
Nik Slavica (CRO)
Leonardo Totè (ITA)
Omer Faruk Yurtseven (TUR)
Ante Zizic (CRO)
Ivica Zubac (CRO)