27 Jul
    4 Aug 2024

    Ben Saraf takes MVP honor to lead All-Star Five in Tampere

    Review
    Saraf produced some scintillating scoring numbers.

    Saraf shone brightest as the tournament's leading scorer to take the MVP crown.

    TAMPERE (Finland) - Ben Saraf took the honor of being crowned MVP of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024 as the tournament's leading scorer.

    Israel's scoring machine headlines the All-Star Five of the event, which also includes Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson from winners Germany, Urban Kroflic of Slovenia and Serbia's Savo Drezgic.

    Christian Anderson, Savo Drezgic, Urban Kroflic, Hannes Steinbach and Ben Saraf.

    MVP: Ben Saraf - Israel

    Saraf was unmatched in scoring at the whole event; putting up 28.1 points to top the scoring charts with two 40-point games - in the Round of 16 and in the Semi-Finals, albeit in a loss. In total, Israel's starlet averaged 5.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 4.0 steals in addition to his stellar scoring.

    Hannes Steinbach - Germany

    Hannes Steinbach - Germany

    Germany's big man Hannes Steinbach pulled the champions' strings for the better part of the tournament. He was the top rebounder of the event with 12.7 on average, also putting up 15.4 points and 1.4 blocks per game. His best performance came with 25 points and 16 rebounds against Denmark in the Round of 16.

    Christian Anderson - Germany

    Christian Anderson - Germany

    Christian Anderson may have been quiet in the Group Phase, but stepped up in the late stages; he never went under 20 points in the last three games and dominated the Final with 31 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds for the champions. In total, the guard averaged 20.3 points and 5.0 assists.

    Savo Drezgic - Serbia

    Savo Drezgic - Serbia

    Savo Drezgic gave his all in the quest to defend Serbia's title. Ultimately, they came up short, but the talented guard earned his place in the All-Star Five with 20.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Domination with 35 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds in the double overtime Semi-Finals drama will surely be remembered.

    Urban Kroflic - Slovenia

    Urban Kroflic - Slovenia

    Urban Kroflic showcased his versatility in Slovenia's journey to the bronze. The wing averaged 16.4 points, but got into the top five in rebounding with 8.6 per game and in assists with 5.4 per game. His best all-around performance came in the Group Phase when Kroflic put up 15 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists against Spain.

    FIBA

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