Four successive MVP’s ready to descend on The Final Round
NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – There could be something special happening at FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 as we get ready for the last four consecutive MVP’s to take to the court.
NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – Without wanting to tempt fate, there could be something special about to happen at FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017 as we get ready for the last four consecutive MVP's of the competition to take to the court.
Considering that three of these MVP winners were relatively experienced when they actually won the award, it is astonishing (well, to me at least) that the 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 MVP's will all be back on board at the 2017 edition. Most pertinently, they all still have key roles to play for their respective teams.
Evanthia Maltsi, Greece [Riga 2009]
She will hit the hardwood in Prague at 38-years-young, looking to potentially sign-off a stellar career as she leads a glut of Greek stars now ready to pass the torch to a new generation. The guard was crowned FIBA EuroBasket Women MVP after lighting it up in Latvia back in 2009 and is a legend of women's basketball in Greece, having also played in the WNBA earlier in her illustrious career. She was scheduled to make a return and have a swansong at the previous edition two years ago, but a serious injury ruled her out and she lost her race to be fit.
Now she is ready to wave goodbye at what will be her seventh Final Round. She has only once failed to register a double-digit scoring return at the tournament and it is that offensive power combined with her creative skills and extensive know-how that Greece will be delighted to benefit from - this one last time. Her work in the Qualifiers illustrated just how important she will be and she recently poured in 30 points in a friendly game against Italy to show she still has it.
Maltsi always plays her basketball as if it's the last time she will be on the floor and is also known for living her life exactly the same way - enjoying not just every single day, but every single minute, making each day a unique experience. And, you have to love that kind of attitude!
Elena Kirillova, Russia [Lodz 2011]
Going under her maiden name of Elena Danilochkina when she scooped up FIBA EuroBasket Women MVP honors back in 2011 when her country last stood on the top step of the podium, Kirillova has continued to show her class in the Russian Premier League and EuroLeague Women with Dynamo Kursk.
Although many people consider her as a deadly sniper from long-range, she demonstrated during the Qualifiers just how much of a quality combo guard she is. She led the team in assists with 4.5 per game and that was reminiscent of six years ago, when she was asked to spend much of her time propelling Russia to gold with the ball in her hands and calling the plays.
Whether it is coming off the bench to take over play-making duties or hitting a momentum-shifting triple, this experienced member of the roster remains hugely important and arrives as a EuroLeague Women champion. I have always really loved her game and since Russia are one of my tips for the podium, it's going to be interesting to see how she performs.
Sancho Lyttle, Spain [Orchies 2013]
The naturalized Lyttle is a defensive powerhouse and wrote herself into Spanish basketball folklore when she was named MVP of FIBA EuroBasket Women 2013 after proving a colossus for her adopted nation by taking them to the title in Orchies. Her experience is priceless and she has found success on both sides of the Atlantic as a seasoned performer in the WNBA and with EuroLeague Women giants like Galatasaray and UMMC Ekaterinburg. She just loves hitting mid-range jumpers, likes to tidy up on the glass and can brutally shut down her opponents.
Having never lost her Caribbean accent, the forward loves cricket and follows her beloved West Indies – picking up a bat and ball herself when she was younger. She was also a standout sprinter in the 400 meters and hurdles and those things underline her athleticism and love for sport in general.
Her return in place of Astou Ndour who has taken the naturalized slot in recent times is a big bonus, since while Ndour is a very talented player, you can't put a price on the defensive power of Lyttle. She will give Spain a hard-nosed edge that could tip them towards gold.
It has been an incredible couple of years for the explosive Dabovic who is like a runaway train when she gets on a hot streak like at the Final Round in 2015. The reigning FIBA EuroBasket Women MVP not only dazzled in Budapest with her sensational sequence of game-winning performances, but also went on to land a WNBA title at Los Angeles Sparks last summer.
Her best work came under former head coach Marina Maljkovic and if she continues to get the green light to go to work on offense, she will be a leading contender once again in the scoring charts and might pose another strong MVP challenge if Serbia is to do well. While she didn't quite catch fire at the Olympics, don't be surprised if that now famous Dabovic hot-hand is back on show. Meanwhile, having previously attained success with her older sister Milica, she must now get used to being around the court and locker room without her recently-retired sibling.
As well as basketball itself, her greatest passion is speaking with people and especially young women, to encourage them to follow their dreams and that shows a different side of Dabovic. Such fun to watch, the defending champions will be hard to slow down if both her and Sonja Petrovic hit top offensive gear.
Additionally, if having four MVP's at the event is great, I can arguably beat this. That's because the last five (yes five) leading scorers (points per game) at the FIBA EuroBasket Women Final Rounds are also all going to be competing on Czech soil.
Ann Wauters, Belgium (Chieti 2007); Evanthia Maltsi, Greece (Riga 2009); Iva Perovanovic, Montenegro (Lodz 2011); Sancho Lyttle, Spain (Orchies 2013); and Alba Torrens, Spain (Budapest 2015) are all ready to bring their scoring touch to the table in just 10 days!
I can't wait and hope you will be following what is set to be an exhilarating tournament.
Paul Nilsen
FIBA
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