Continuing on from Cambage and Co

CHEKHOV (FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship) – When Elizabeth Cambage finished top scorer at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship during 2009 in Thailand, it was a pre-cursor for a career that would soar.

A year later, the center was appearing at the senior edition of the event in Czech Republic for her country and of course she then rocketed to mainstream prominence when her London 2012 dunk went viral.

Having previously looked back on the guard and wing stars of past FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship tournaments, Cambage is just one of the many frontcourt stars who initially cut their teeth at the global level by playing at the event.

There was of course also a true Opals’ legend in Lauren Jackson who stepped out in Natal, Brazil back in 1997 to help carry her team to the Final. Jackson went up against someone else who would become one of women’s basketball’s most storied and revered figures in the shape of Tamika Catchings.

Other USA basketball forwards who have excelled include Nnemkadi Ogwumike, currently tearing it up in EuroLeague Women with Dynamo Kursk and heading to the Final Four in Prague next month, having also finished top of the podium with her nation in Turkey last year. She was the standout performer in 2009 with a near double-double in Thailand.

One of the most inspiring ever performances came during 1993 in Seoul, when the late Malgorzata Dydek carried Poland to a fairytale place on the podium with a near 18 points per game. It would be a display that would be the start of her subsequent iconic status in her homeland as she blazed a trail in the WNBA and even received a Gold Cross of Merit from the Polish government.

Similarly, Alena Kovacova was a towering presence for Slovak Republic as they grabbed a third place finish 18 years ago in Brazil and she would go on to not only achieve huge success at club level, but also step out with her country at the Olympic Games in 2000.

Both Serbia and Montenegro are heading to EuroBasket Women 2015 in a few months and when they previously played as one country, Jelena Dubljevic proved to be the main figurehead in Tunisia during 2005 when they reached the Final. The Galatasaray odeabank forward put in some colossal performances and Montenegro will need her to do the same when she steps out in Hungary and Romania this year.

Two years later and competing for the first time in the competition as an independent country, Serbia made it back onto the podium after being propelled by Jelena Milovanovic, who will carry their hopes this summer at EuroBasket Women 2015.

The FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship held in Brno during 2001 gave a platform for China star Nan Chen to showcase her skills and she of course became a three-time Olympian with her country - top scoring for her team at London 2012, but the biggest story from that particular year was hosts Czech Republic, winning the coveted title.

Their line-up included the familiar face of Jana Vesela and also Eva Viteckova, who recently announced her retirement after a stellar career. The duo also played in a major Final on home soil in 2010 when they made it to the showpiece game at the senior level against the USA in Karlovy Vary.

Natalia Zasulskaya carried Soviet Union to the title in 1989 after pouring in over 20 points per game and just three years later, she famously top scored for the Com. of Independent States as they won Olympic Gold in Barcelona.

Brazil are of course hosting next year’s Olympics in Rio and they will be hoping Damiris Dantas can start to soar at senior level. She got her first taste of playing at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship in 2009, but returned to light it up in 2011, when she scored more points than anyone else at the event and that booked her a spot for London 2012.

As the stage is edged into place for this year’s FIBA U19 Women’s World Championship, we wait with anticipation to see who illuminates proceedings in Chekhov and wonder if it will prove to be a potential launch-pad for future stars of the Olympics and the FIBA Women’s World Championship.

FIBA