NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – As the curtain falls on the European youth summer, one of the most interesting questions left hanging is whether we are seeing Scandinavian basketball rising up?

The evidence is not exactly compelling, but there is enough to point towards a very positive direction of travel collectively for Sweden, Denmark, Norway and dare I say Finland (who are not part of Scandinavia, but let’s call it the Scandinavian Peninsula or Region).

Next year at the FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship 2019, Denmark, Sweden and Finland will all be punching as a trio in Division A. I believe that has not happened before, so this in itself is something seriously special and cause for huge optimism.

When you throw into the mix that an under-cooked program like Norway also competed decently in Division B this past summer and also that they will hopefully return to continue some much-needed consistency and longevity to their participation at FIBA youth events, and the picture seems much brighter.

On the topic of #FIBAU16Europe it was also noticeable that the gold-medal winning Sweden star Matilda Ekh and Finland standout Janette Aarnio also made the All-Star Five in Podgorica.

Meanwhile Alberte Rimdal of Denmark caught the eye so much that she was in my Top 10 list of Division A players in Kaunas who deserved some recognition.

Of course, I mentioned the evidence is not compelling, since there have been some disappointments. Sweden suffered relegation in Udine at the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship, that felt more of an anomaly during this summer and in reality, they probably should have stayed up - even if it is not the best generation.

Finland and Denmark could have both arguably done even better in Division B, with the former having hoped for promotion - only to miss out. Denmark did have a memorable opening day win against Turkey to savour.

Any feeling of regret for Finland could be diluted by the fact they have two of the brightest prospects in Europe in the shape of the all-action Sara Bejedi and the dunking Awak Kuier - already with senior FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2019 Qualifiers minutes on the resume.

Kuier made the All-Star Five in Austria and kept her record going of grabbing individual recognition.

Sweden reached the Quarter-Finals at the FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship 2018 in Sopron – thanks mainly to the fantastic Klara Lundquist, another player who has already played for her country at senior level.

In addition to young guns like Lundquist, Sweden are trying to navigate another tricky Qualifying Group but have an array of EuroLeague and EuroCup Women stars - including the WNBA elite level skills of Amanda Zahui. They should just about make it to Final Round in Latvia and Serbia next summer.

Denmark won Small Countries Women in Cork earlier in the summer behind their terrific MVP Maria Jespersen and there is also Tina Moen of Norway who is making a big noise too.

The real test will be whether Finland can ever make a breakthrough at senior level now that some talented stars like Bejedi and Kuier are coming through.

The missing link this year is probably Iceland, (and yes I know, like Finland not actually technically Scandinavia either). This is also why I have not said the evidence is quite enough for a resounding yes to rising up. However, even after a mediocre performance at the youth events, there have been other positives of late and not least a former EuroLeague Women star in Helena Sverrisdottir getting involved in the coaching side of things which is great for young aspiring players.

The fact Iceland are also regulars now across all competitions is merely a success in itself. It is a growing program and great to see.

What is also interesting is that within this Northern European context, could Scandinavian basketball catch up with the Baltics, who have traditionally been much stronger as a group?

Now you can see there is a healthy competition between both these regions of the Continent and I wonder if this historical gap is now closing?

This snapshot assessment which suggest that Scandinavian basketball could be on the rise will depend on a lot of factors and especially how good the ‘Book Ends’ of each program are. All nations will have to continue with grass-roots development if they want to keep the momentum going.

At the other end of the spectrum, it might be the case that only when senior teams are competing in major tournaments on a regular basis that we can truly see Scandinavian basketball realizing its potential and that could still be a generation away.

I also think that we probably need to see these countries develop their domestic leagues further and most importantly, make a statement by hosting youth competitions. Perhaps even co-host a Senior tournament in these coming years.

There is lots of work still to do, but on the surface at least, it looks like an encouraging thumbs up for Scandinavian basketball and I will be watching how it unfolds with interest.

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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