RIJEKA & OPATIJA (Croatia) - The FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2026, Division B is complete and Netherlands have been crowned champion of the competition for a second time and are Division A-bound along with Poland and Belgium.
What a better time to look back at the top performers in Croatia.
Here are eight players who stood out from the rest in the tournament.
Tayshawn Gipson - Netherlands
GUARD
Birth Date: October 31, 2008 (17 years old) Height: 191 cm / 6'3" Stats: 15.1 PTS, 5.7 REB, 3.0 AST, 2.4 STL - 16.1 EFF
Gipson was the top player on the team that won the championship and deservedly took home Most Valuable Players honors. The guard led Netherlands in scoring, assists and efficiency. His best two games came in the knockout stage, averaging 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals in the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals.
This was Gipson's second time playing in the U18 EuroBasket Division B and he helped the country finally return to Division A for the first time since 2019.
Hubert Swirydowicz - Poland
POWER FORWARD
Birth Date: June 14, 2009 (17 years old) Height: 200 cm / 6'6" Stats: 9.4 PTS, 6.5 REB, 1.3 AST - 11.5 EFF
Swirydowicz was a major factor in Poland returning to Division A after three summers in Division B. The power forward did a lot of the little things throughout the tournament, filling the stats sheet on both sides of the ball to earn inclusion in the All-Star Five.
The defining moment of the tournament saw him bat away an in-bounds pass in the closing seconds of the Quarter-Finals against hosts Croatia, track it down and drain a corner three-pointer at the buzzer for the win. Swirydowicz then collected 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in the Semi-Finals win over Belgium to earn promotion.
Aaron Ona Embo - Belgium
POINT GUARD
Birth Date: April 14, 2009 (17 years old) Height: 185 cm / 6'0" Stats: 25.3 PTS, 5.1 REB, 4.6 AST, 1.5 STL - 18.3 EFF
Ona Embo was the driving force in Belgium getting back to the Division A after being relegated the previous summer. The point guard led the tournament in scoring, was fourth in efficiency and eighth in assists and grabbed a spot on the All-Star Five.
Ona Embo's 37 points in the Semi-Finals were not enough to beat Poland but he collected 26 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while playing 39:45 minutes in the Third Place Game win over Czechia. Ona Embo played with Belgium in Division A at the U18 EuroBasket last summer and is still young enough to play there again in 2027. He also played in three FIBA U16 EuroBaskets including 2023 in Division A.
Marek Houska - Czechia
POINT GUARD
Birth Date: June 23, 2009 (17 years old) Height: 202 cm / 6'7" Stats: 15.1 PTS, 5.0 REB, 7.5 AST, 1.8 STL - 19.6 EFF
Houska gave all he could to get Czechia back to Division A for the first time since 2023 but it was not enough. The point guard ranked second in assists and efficency and ninth in scoring while shooting 38 percent on three-pointers, garnering a spot on the All-Star Five.
As a 2009-born player, Houska is still young enough to compete at the U18 level next summer though he would likely play in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027, which is being hosted by Czechia. Houska showed how effective he can be as a playmaker with his great size.
Jayden Anike - Netherlands
GUARD
Birth Date: November 30, 2008 (17 years old) Height: 196 cm / 6'5" Stats: 12.4 PTS, 5.0 REB, 2.7 AST, 2.1 STL - 13.7 EFF
Anike was not quite as consistent as his teammate Tayshawn Gipson but he did shine in big moments that helped him grab All-Star Five honors. He poured in 29 points in a big victory over Belgium in the group stage - tied for the second-most points in a game in the tournament.
Anike also scored a game-high 20 points in the Final as Netherlands won the title. The guard was playing his second U18 EuroBasket, Division B after twice playing in the FIBA U16 EuroBasket Division B.
Emmanuel Agbason - Azerbaijan
CENTER
Birth Date: October 16, 2009 (16 years old) Height: 206 cm / 6'9" Stats: 16.4 PTS, 16.6 REB, 2.5 STL, 5.0 BLK - 30.9 EFF
Agbason put together one of the greatest performances in U18 EuroBasket Division B history with some massive numbers. Appearing in his second U18 EuroBasket Division B, he led the tournament in rebounds, blocks and efficiency and was fifth in scoring.
The center twice grabbed 20+ rebounds for top 10 all-time performances and he also had games with 9 and 8 blocks - both top four in history. Agbason set the new record for highest rebounds average in the competition's history and also broke the mark for the most blocks per game.
And, his efficiency average ranked second all-time. All-in-all, it was a peformance for the ages for a player in Agbason who has already debuted in the Azerbaijan senior team at age 16 and can play in this competition next summer as well.
David-Ioan Rasoga - Romania
POINT GUARD
Birth Date: January 15, 2008 (18 years old) Height: 188 cm / 6'2" Stats: 16.1 PTS, 7.1 REB, 6.4 AST - 18.7 EFF
Romania ended up placing sixth but they had an outstanding playmaker in Rasoga, who was playing in the competition for a second time.
He ranked sixth in scoring and third in assists, including setting the U18 EuroBasket Division B single-game record with 17 assists against Georgia. Rasoga showed just how important he is to the team, leading Romania in scoring, rebounds and assists.
Mate Khatiashvili - Georgia
POINT GUARD
Birth Date: November 7, 2008 (17 years old) Height: 192 cm / 6'3" Stats: 13.4 PTS, 5.4 REB, 8.1 AST - 15.4 EFF
Khatiashvili showed why he has already appeared in five games with the Georgia senior national team, including four in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers. Playing in his second U18 EuroBasket Division B, the point guard did a great job running the team with a tournament-leading 8.1 assists to 3.4 turnovers. The team just didn't have enough talent to finish better than 7th.
Khatiashvili handed out 14 assists in the final game against Croatia to register the fourth-highest assist average in the competition's history.
FIBA