VALMIERA (2011 FIBA U19 World Championship) - With less than 24 hours to go before the first tip offs of the 2011 FIBA World Championship for men, coaches have one last chance to reiterate what they expect from their teams and players at this year's championship.
 
Every player and team coming to Latvia does so with one major objective in mind: to be crowned as FIBA U19 World Champions for 2011. But asides from the obvious statement, every player and team also come into the championship with their own, often more realistic goals in mind.
 
For USA for example, the major goal is simple: retain the FIBA U19 crown that they won in New Zealand in 2009 and in doing so, hold on to world champion status in every level of both the men's and women's game. There are enough teams here however, who will assure that this task will be far from straightforward.

Top contenders whose goal it is to knock USA off the top perch are Lithuania, who on Tuesday defeated USA in an exhibition match, while European second place finishers Russia and Brazil will all certainly be aiming at least for a semi-final place. And then there's home town favorites Latvia...
 
At the other end of the spectrum however are the lesser known teams of the tournament, Chinese Taipei, Korea and Tunisia. For these three teams, who picked up the second and third qualifying positions from the respective and Asian and African U18 championships, the goals may not seem quite as lofty as the look to claim at least one win and make an unlikely berth in the second round of the tournament.
 
Off course, the players themselves will also have their own goals in mind. For players coming from some of the lesser known teams, this tournament offers them a chance to exhibit themselves on the international stage in front of basketball scouts from around the world.

For other players, such as recent NBA draftees Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania and Davis Bertans of Latvia, the goals and expectations are a little higher as they not only look to show just why they are touted as future stars of the NBA but at the same time attempt to lead their respective countries to FIBA World Championship glory.

FIBA