HERAKLION (Greece) – France claimed the FIBA U20 European Championship 2023 crown after defeating Israel in Sunday’s nail-biting overtime title-decider in Crete.
Led by the fantastic one-two punch of Maxime Raynaud and Ilias Kamardine, Les Bleus celebrated an 89-79 victory to finish the tournament undefeated and earn the country’s second ever title in this age category, with their only previous success coming in 2010.
Having registered an impressive 23 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in the Final to wrap up a stellar tournament, Kamardine also claimed the MVP honors to headline the All-Star Five.
The Israeli duo of Daniel Wolf and Noam Yaacov, the latter who erupted for 31 points on the last day of action, Greece’s Vangelis Zougris and Thijs De Ridder of Belgium rounded out the team of the tournament.
Greece completed the podium in Heraklion with a close fought 68-64 overtime win against Belgium in the Third-Place Game. The ever consistent Zougris led the way with a 16-point and 12-rebound double-double to go with a pair of blocks, while De Ridder scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a losing effort.
Serbia finished the tournament in fifth place, having beaten Germany 82-78, while Turkey ended the tournament seventh with a 70-66 victory against Lithuania on the final day of action in Greece.
In the relegation bracket, Montenegro secured an all-important 81-78 win over Croatia, who will drop down to Division B together with Estonia. Poland, as hosts of the 2024 edition of the tournament, avoided the drop despite finishing in the relegation zone.
The two teams going down will be replaced in next year’s event by Czech Republic and North Macedonia, who earned promotion by reaching the Final in Division B.
Final standings
1. France
2. Israel
3. Greece
4. Belgium
5. Serbia
6. Germany
7. Turkey
8. Lithuania
9. Italy
10. Spain
11. Slovenia
12. Iceland
13. Montenegro
14. Croatia
15. Poland
16. Estonia
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About FIBA
FIBA (fiba.basketball) – the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 212 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
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Source: FIBA Basketball
