[url="http://basket-spot.blogspot.com/2009/11/news-croatia-to-host-u20-european.html"]
Croatia to host U20 European Championship 2010 [/url]
Quote:The host of next year's U20 European Championship has been officially made known. Croatia and the national federation now have the mission of organising the competition after it took place in Rhodes, Greece in July.
Playing at home, the U20 Croatia national team will try to conquer at least a medal, after the eighth place reached in the last tournament, and capitalise on a generation which has conquered bronze medal at the U18 European and U19 World Championships. Greece is the current champion.
Via [url="http://www.fibaeurope.com/coid_LeGKQNMWIRIQuheFttIs42.articleMode_on.html"]FIBA Europe[/url]
Quote:[size="2"]Lithuania name preliminary U20 squad.[/size]
Five of the 14 players vying for the spots on the Lithuania roster for the U20 European Championship in Croatia represented the country last year.
Deividas Nazarovas, Saulius Kulvietis, Augustas PeÄiukeviÄius, Giedrius Staniulis and Ovidijus Varanauskas all played at the U18 European Championship in France and helped the Baltic country claim fourth place.
Then leading scorer and rebounder of last year's U18 team was Jonas Valanciunas, who played for Lietuvos Rytas this season.
He is in the expanded list for this year's U18 side as well.
Lithuania, who claimed a silver medal at the U20 event in 2008 but settled for fifth last year, will take on Montenegro, Turkey and Serbia in Group B in Croatia.
The Lithuania U20 team is coached by Vitoldas Masalskis.
U20 Lithuania preliminary squad: Eimantas Bendžius, Paulius Dambrauskas, Adomas Drungilas, Mantas KadzeviÄius, Evaldas Kairys, Saulius Kulvietis, Deividas Nazarovas, Gediminas Orelikas, Augustas PeÄiukeviÄius, Matas Sapiega, Tautvydas Å ležas, Giedrius Staniulis, Darius Tarvydas and Ovidijus Varanauskas.
Half of NT are players of "Perlas" <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
' /> Well, this NT have many very good young players (especially Staniulis and Varanauskas), almost all of them play in LKL so it will be interesting. Some time ago this team has played in tournament in Poland and became second. Right now seems that they're playing very poor game.
[quote name='Sagenas' date='14 June 2010 - 02:03 PM' timestamp='1276513397' post='22062']
Some time ago this team has played in tournament in Poland and became second. Right now seems that they're playing very poor game.
[/quote]
Indeed. They barely beet Norway U-20 (when was the last time you've heard about Norwegian NT?) and lost to Poland. Hopefully that's because they are playing their first games only. Otherwise these results would be worrying.
I can't believe that head coach of Lithuanian U-20 NT Masalskis has decided to remove Ovidijus Varanauskas from the squad...I don't know who may be good point guard...PeÄiukeviÄius's last season was terrible, Dambrauskas is shooting guard, not point guard...