SAMOKOV (Bulgaria) - Another epic FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket, Division B tournament is in the books, and it's time to take a look at who stole the show and who gained promotion to Division A.
Here are eight players who caught fire to stand out from the rest in the tournament.
Clara Silva - Portugal
CENTER
Birth Date: May 31, 2006 (20 years old) Height:198 cm / 6'5" Stats: 16.8 PTS, 9.8REB, 1.6 BLK - 21.8 EFF
A dominant force in Portugal's unbeaten blitz to the trophy, and path straight back into next summer's Division A following relegation in 2025, Clara Silva was unstoppable, averaging 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, highlighted by her double-double in the Final against Greece, where she posted 18 points and 15 rebounds - her third double-double of the tournament, en route to scooping MVP honors.
Atina Radevic - Montenegro
POINT GUARD
Birth Date: July 4, 2006 (20 years old) Height: 174 cm / 5'8" Stats: 18.7 PTS, 5.5 REB, 4.2 AST, 1.8 STL - 18.0 EFF
Atina Radevic's fingerprints were all over this year's Division B tournament, leading the way for Montenegro with 18.7 points, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals, while also pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game. She also stepped up a notch in the Third Place game, with 23 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists to secure promotion.
Madalena Amaro - Portugal
SHOOTING GUARD
Birth Date: April 9, 2006 (20 years old) Height: 176 cm / 5'9" Stats: 7.5 PTS, 5.2 REBS, 3.8 AST, 1.8 STL - 13.3 EFF
Madalena Amaro was the on-court floor general who helped maintain Portugal's composure throughout the tournament and was always around to chip in whenever the newly crowned Division B champions needed it. Amaro was exceptional at both ends of the floor, doing the intangibles that all coaches love. The glue player for the Portuguese.
Alexandra Chovanikova - Slovakia
SHOOTING GUARD
Birth Date: April 9, 2007 (19 years old) Height:181 cm / 5'11" Stats: 13.2 PTS, 5.5 REB, 1.5 STL - 9.7 EFF
A fearless competitor, Alexandra Chovanikova gave Slovakia everything she had at both ends of the floor, and even when the ball wasn't dropping for her, she found other ways to influence the game, which is an incredible talent to possess. The talented guard led the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game on a fairly evenly balanced offensive attack that narrowly missed out on promotion.
Vasiliki Cholopoulou - Greece
SHOOTING GUARD
Birth Date: June 20, 2007 (19 years old) Height:177 cm / 5'9" Stats: 9.3 PTS, 7.5 REBS, 7.8 AST - 18.7 EFF
A solid player inside and out for Greece, Vasiliki Cholopoulou brought a lot of energy and passion to the side en route to the Final, where they entered unbeaten until they ran into Portugal. The guard averaged a shade under 10 points per game, instead settling for 9.3, and she pulled down 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists in a brilliant all-round showing that culminated in the Greeks getting promoted.
Marijana Damjanovic - Bosnia and Herzegovina
CENTER
Birth Date: April 5, 2007 (19 years old) Height: 193cm / 6'3" Stats: 19.4 PTS, 12.6 REBS, 1.4 STL, 2.1 BLK - 25.7 EFF
It was a tournament to forget for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as they finished 13th, but Marijana Damjanovic was outstanding for the Bosnians, providing a significant share of their offensive output. She averaged a double-double of 19.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, while dominating on the defensive side as well, swatting away an average of 2.1 shots per contest.
Milou Van Vliet - Netherlands
SMALL FORWARD
Birth Date: December 22, 2006 (19 years old) Height: 185cm / 6'0" Stats: 13.0 PTS, 8.3 REBS, 3.7 AST, 2.1 STLS - 19.3 EFF
Unlike Portugal, the Netherlands was to have no immediate return to Division A as they finished in fifth spot. However, they looked to Milou Van Vliet on several of their offensive sets, and she delivered, averaging 13 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Her defense was a hindrance to her opponents as well, getting 2.1 takeaways per contest.
Panagiota Stoligka - Greece
SHOOTING GUARD
Birth Date: March 3, 2006 (19 years old) Height: 174 cm / 5'8" Stats: 13.9 PTS, 1.6 AST - 8.7 EFF
Greece's Panagiota Stoligka enjoyed two 20-point games during the tournament, with 21 points against Czechia and 20 points against Azerbaijan. She was a standout in her side's Semi-Final victory over Montenegro, where she amassed 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from three-point land, finishing 41 percent overall.
FIBA