FIBA U19 - Three continents represented in All star five

RIGA (FIBA U19 World Championship) – Players from three continents have been named in the FIBA U19 World Championship all-star five, highlighted by tournament MVP Jonas Valanciunas.
 
Joining Lithuanian center Valanciunas in the all star five are Serbian point guard Alexander Cvetkovic, Australian shooting guard Hugh Greenwood, Russian power forward Dmirty Kulagin and American small forward Jeremy Lamb.

When it came to deciding the tournament MVP there really was only one person in the running, such was the dominance of 2.10 meter Valanciunas. Not only leading the tournament in both points in rebounds, he was also able to carry Lithuania on his back to gold medal glory. Having been drafted at fifth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2011 NBA draft, Valanciunas now looks ahead to what is shaping up to be a successful NBA career.

In Latvia close finishing games became something of a daily occurrence but as to be expected at an age grade tournament a number of players lacked the experience to close out games. In that aspect one player shone high above the rest. Alexander Cvetkovic proved to be the perfect go to man for Serbia in tight situations, displaying an ability to shoot from outside and go to the rim effectively to give his side the edge and finish off opponents.
 
The fact that he has already played for his country’s senior side is a mark of the player that is Hugh Greenwood. Perhaps the best indicator of Greenwood’s role at this tournament is by looking at Australian games in which he was not involved. Through pool play Australia only suffered one hiccup when they lost to Latvia. It was of little coincidence that the result came with Greenwood watching from the bench with an injured ankle.
 
The real measure of a good player is their ability to bring it when it matters the most. Posting average figures during the opening rounds, Dmitry Kulagin stepped up to lead Russia in the playoffs, providing the basis for his team to beat USA in the quarters. Despite losing to Lithuania in the Semi Finals, Kulagin turned what was fast becoming a whitewash into an interesting match before becoming the hero in Russia’s bronze medal victory over Argentina.
 
While USA may have left a number of superstars at home Jeremy Lamb still came, awing crowds with arguably the sweetest shot at the tournament and an ability to make defenders look like mannequins in a shop window, finishing the tournament as one of the few players worthy of their own highlight reel.

FIBA