Βy Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
It’s time for the EuroBasket 2022 Round of 16 in Berlin, with four teams per group qualified from Tbilisi, Cologne, Milan, and Prague.
At the same time, however, eight teams were eliminated and some players who showcased their talents in the first phase, will not be able to continue their quest for a memorable tournament.
Still, they have already turned heads all over Europe and will be missed.
Bulgaria – Sasha Vezenkov and Dee Bost
Bulgaria started its tournament with three big losses in a row, respectively against Spain (114-87), Turkey (87-101), and Montenegro (81-91). The last two games against Georgia and Belgium gave the impression of a change of pace by Rosen Barchovski’s team, which was not enough to book a ticket to Berlin.
Sasha Vezenkov, though, in his first EuroBasket appearance, was more than solid and impressive. He was a consistent leader of the squad, with outstanding numbers: 26.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 56.6% 2pts, 40% 3pts, and 92.9% FT.
He was joined by Dee Bost, who after missing the chance to qualify announced his retirement from the Bulgarian national team, and stepped onto the court being the second main scoring weapon for his team. The 32-year-old Galatasaray‘s point guard was crucial in the win against Georgia (33 p., 12 a., and 9/14 3pts) and he averaged great numbers: 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game, including two points and assists double-doubles.
Georgia – Sandro Mamukelashvili
After Toko Shengelia’s injury, Georgia’s hopes in Group A, despite playing in front of its public in Tbilisi, for something good took a huge blow. They didn’t manage to win crucial games against pretty equal competitors like Belgium (79-76), Bulgaria (80-92), and Montenegro (73-81), losing the opportunity of sneaking into the Round of 16.
In a chaotic group stage, negatively affected by what happened during and after the match with Turkey, Georgia found a solid foundation in Alexander “Sandro” Mamukelashvili. The 23-year-old power forward, who had an impressive 2022 NBA Summer League with the Milwaukee Bucks, was by far the best of his national team: 15.2 points and 11 rebounds (3rd best in the tournament) per game, with several decisive plays in the two-overtime win against Alperen Sengun and his teammates.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – The Nurkic-Musa duo
Bosnia and Herzegovina came to this tournament with a lot of difficulties, for both financial and personal reasons, but still managed to attract a lot of interest with their game. Despite being eliminated by Lithuania in a win-or-go-home encounter, they proved to be a tough team to beat, breaking Slovenia’s 11 consecutive EuroBasket games winning streak and going very close to beating both Germany and France.
The best player on this roster by far has been Dzanan Musa. The new Real Madrid small forward played an intense and focused EuroBasket 2022, in what was his debut in the competition. In this five games span, he averaged 21.5 points (5th on the scoring list), 3.4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, with amazing shooting percentages: 62.8% 2pts, 45% 3pts, and 86.7% from the free-throw line.
The 2021/2022 ABC League MVP created a strong duo with Jusuf Nurkic, both on and off the court. The Portland Trail Blazers center had some exciting but demanding matchups against top-quality big men like Rudy Gobert, Johannes Voigtmann, Daniel Theis, Domantas Sabonis, and Jonas Valanciunas. However, he still managed to average 16.2 points and 7 rebounds per game, helping his team to try to fulfill until the end the dream of reaching the Round of 16.
Estonia – Kerr Kriisa
Estonia arrived in Milan with very few hopes of qualifying out of Group C, but its amazing fans pushed the Baltic team from the first to the last minute. After two bitter losses to digest against Ukraine (73-74) and Croatia (73-70) they missed the flight to Berlin, but a lot of talent was displayed on the court.
Among all, the one who impressed the most was Kerr Kriisa. The 21-year-old point guard, who debuted in the EuroLeague under Sarunas Jasikevicius in Zalgiris Kaunas, was coming from a great sophomore season with the Arizona Wildcats and set the bar high in his first EuroBasket: 10.8 points and 5.8 assists per game, the most going into Maik-Kalev Kotsar’s direction.
Israel – Deni Avdija
Guy Goodes’ team started EuroBasket 2022 in the perfect way, by beating the Netherlands and especially a fearsome competitor like Finland, in a thrilling 89-87 win that turned into the Deni Avdija against Lauri Markkanen show, two all-around young talents who completely stole the show.
Israel’s 21-year-old star, selected by the Washington Wizards in the 2020 NBA Draft, was one of the best players of this Group Stage, closing EuroBasket 2022 as a rookie with these numbers: 14.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, with two double-double performances (23 p. and 15 r. against Finland, 12 p. and 11 a. against the Czech Republic).
Netherlands – Worthy De Jong
Worthy De Jong played the last professional game of his career in 5vs5 basketball, as he confirmed in a great interview with FIBA: “I think 3×3 gives me a different motivation”. His goal now is to win the gold medal with the Netherlands at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
But first, he wanted to make a statement for Maurizio Buscaglia’s team in EuroBasket 2022. The Netherlands had no favors of the prediction on the eve, but the first-ever BNXT League Finals MVP kept his team afloat, averaging 16.4 points per game. He also produced a 28-points losing effort against Nikola Jokic’s Serbia. Not bad for someone who’ll switch careers in a matter of time.