NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – The highs, the lows, the good, the bad and the ugly are all included in my A to Z of the 2016 FIBA U17 Women’s World Championship in Zaragoza.

A is for All Star Five of Monique Conti, Jasmine Simmons, Ezi Magbegor, Xu Han and Sara Madera.

B is for blowout in the Final which was a shame because it really did look like a super game on paper.

Mali showed Africa has got game in Zaragoza

C is for Central and South America who look to be on a depressing downward spiral when it comes to women’s basketball and are in danger of being overtaken by Africa if Mali's sensational tournament is anything to go by. Action is needed.

D is for downtown shooting which was horrific. 13 of the 15 participants shot less than 30% and Brazil were 6.5%. Yes, say that out loud. You take 100 shots and make less than seven. Blindfold me and I would like my chances of missing 93 and making seven. But it wasn’t just Brazil, it was not good enough across the tournament.

E is for Ezi Magbegor who took MVP and lived up to all the hype and did so with showing how a true star and leader does everything for the team. Great efficiency, hard work and took the right shots at the right time. Oh and five blocks in six minutes in one of the games!

F is for first-timers Latvia and Portugal who will have enjoyed getting their first taste of global action.

G is for gold and a first title for the Sapphires who were head and shoulders above anyone else and kept the record going of the U17 champs not losing on the way to the podium. The way they shut down the Italian's inside the paint was awesome.

H is for history and this tournament was soaked by it!

I is for Italy who might have finished with their worst display of the tournament, but it should not hide their magnificent run to the Final and the history that they made.

J is for joint hosting of the U17 men and women can be filed in a drawer marked success.

K is for king of the expert analysis Nelson Isley, the FIBA Coaching Instructor who contributed to the new ‘FIBA Live’ [See below]. A veteran who loves the women’s game and always tells it like it is. A fellow women’s basketball warrior.

L is for live reporting via ‘FIBA Live’ for youth events, which was fantastic to be involved with and I was proud to be the test driver. You can still go there now and re-live how things played out.

M is for Mali who might not have reached the latter stages but came so close to making the Quarter-Finals and departed not with a historic two wins for the first time for any African nation, but three wins. They were the best African team I have ever seen at youth level.

N is for Nigeria who didn’t even make it to the tournament.

O is for only time I have struggled to contribute to the All Star Team because the winning side have had so many candidates. Abby Cubillo and Jazmin Shelley for example were unfortunate to miss out.

P is for play-callers and the two best of the tournament made the Final in Shannon Seebohm and Giovanni Lucchesi. Love the way they handle their players, rotations and the game. Seebohm in particular looks to be one of the best young coaches around right now and hats off. A stunning job.

Q is for quote of the tournament from Blue Star Media’s @MikeFlynn826 during the Semi-Final when he said to me, “Now let me tell you why USA will win this game………” To be fair, he took it in good humour afterwards when Australia prevailed.

R is for role models and recognition at just 17 years old, these Australian girls have become exactly that for the 13, 14 and 15 year olds next in line. They have raised the bar, worked so hard and set the standard that future Sapphires must aspire to. They did everything for each other on the floor and I loved them for that. So did a number of big Australian stars too!

S is for shooting and it was appalling inside the paint as well as from long-range. Every world youth tournament seems to see shooting getting worse and worse and it hurts me to have to watch it.

T is for three teams lighting up this tournament in Australia, Italy and Mali.

For once, the very best in the USA were a long way short of being exactly that.

U is for USA losing for the first time at the event, mirroring their historical first ever defeat last year at U16 level. If Puebla was not treated as a wake-up call, this should be. Nobody stood out as a star and in the Semi-Final they didn’t distribute the ball at all. Perhaps modest preparation time affected them? USA are the very best [that is how I view them anyway] but came up short again and I expect they’ll make the changes needed to get back on top. Same prep and processes as the boys perhaps?

V is for volunteers and they deserve huge credit for their efforts!

W is for watch the games if you are a College coach or scout. It was amazing how many spend their time tapping away on phone and i-pads. In that case, save the air-fare and watch it on youtube next time.

X is for Xu Han, quite literally the biggest thing coming out of Asia in women’s basketball right now and the China center will be a real star – if she gets the right coaching and advice on building her body up a bit more and refining post skills. She moves really well.

Y is for YouTube and the ability to watch every game of the tournament [live and for free] and the numbers doing so was fantastic! Well done FIBA.

Z is for Zaragoza which proved to be a fabulous host and so muchas gracias!

Paul Nilsen
FIBA

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