MISKOLC (Hungary) - As the dust settles on a fabulous edition of the FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket, it's time to focus on those players who caught the eye with their efforts.
Here are the leading standout performers from this year's event.
MVP: Kathy-Emma Otto - France
Forward
Birth Date: Apr 1, 2008 (16 years old) Height: 1.87m (6ft 2in)
Stats: 20.4 EFF, 10.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 4.6 SPG - 62.7% FG
The tournament MVP took her nation to the Final and led France scoring as they narrowly missed out on the title with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, her third of the tournament. She also recorded 7 steals and led all players in steals per game.
Emma Broliron - France
Guard
Birth Date: Dec 4, 2008 (15 years old) Height: 1.67m (5ft 6in)
Stats: 6.6 EFF, 12.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.7 SPG
Another contributor to dominant French basketball, Broliron was France's highest scorer throughout the tournament with five double-digit scoring outings and a 19-point showing in their Quarter-Final victory. At 15 years old, the tournament All-Star will have the chance to redeem her loss in the Final next year.
Jessi Nenonen - Finland
Guard
Birth Date: Sep 16, 2008 (15 years old) Height: 1.79m (5ft 10in)
Stats: 12.0 EFF, 11.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.7 APG, 2.7 SPG
Helping to create history for Finland basketball, Nenonen was also recognised in the tournament All-Star Five after leading Finland scoring in the Final with 13 points to go with 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. She was Finland's most prolific scorer throughout the tournament, putting up her tournament-best 19 points in their Quarter Final victory against Hungary.
Alina Nikkila - Finland
Center
Birth Date: Jul 12, 2008 (16 years old) Height: 1.81m (5ft 11in) Stats: 16.6 EFF, 8.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.7 SPG
Another champion, Nikkila held down the center position for Finland finishing second in tournament rebounding. She notched up two impressive double-doubles, one of 12 points and 16 rebounds coming in their Round of 16 victory. Her impact wasn't as strong in the Final but Finland might not have reached glory without her.
Annie Kibedi - Belgium
Forward
Birth Date: May 24, 2008 (16 years old) Height: 1.87m (6ft 2in)
Stats: 17.9 EFF, 20.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.7 SPG
Kibedi showed she was a bucket at the FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket 2024 after finishing as the tournament's highest scorer. She recorded back-to-back 35 plus point games over the Group Phase and Round of 16 and grabbed back-to-back double-doubles in her final two games. It was a great tournament for the forward, as Belgium ultimately finished fifth.
Laura Vilcinskas - Belgium
Center
Birth Date: Jun 8, 2008 (16 years old) Height: 1.96m (6ft 5in)
Stats: 21.4 EFF, 13.6 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.7 BPG
Forming a formidable one-two punch with Kibedi, Vilcinskas was the tournament's top rebounder while also finishing top 10 in scoring as she put together a great tournament. Some teams were simply not able to stop her, on show when she dropped a 24-point, 22-rebound double-double in a 5-8 Classification Game against Hungary.
Isabel Hassan – Italy
Forward
Birth Date: Jun 14, 2009 (15 years old) Height: 1.82m (6ft 0in)
Stats: 13.4 EFF, 14.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 2.9 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Italy got all the way to the Third Place Game behind Hassan's production, as the forward finished sixth in scoring and top 20 in rebounding. She made the All-Star five after performances such as her 23 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals against the aforementioned Belgium team in the Quarter-Finals.
Nika Gazic - Croatia
Small Forward
Birth Date: May 7, 2008 (16 years old) Height: 1.87m (6ft 2in)
Stats: 19.1 EFF, 18.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.9 SPG
Gazic contributed on all fronts for Croatia as she finished third in both tournament scoring and rebounding and 23rd for assists. After two quiet Group Phase games, she finished the tournament with four-straight 20 plus point games and made at least one three per game.
Somtochukwu-Blessed Okafor - Spain
Guard
Birth Date: Sep 11, 2008 (15 years old) Height:1.76m (5ft 9in) Stats: 12.3 EFF, 11.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG
Spain were impressive throughout the tournament and were ultimately unlucky to be drawn against the equally dominant France in the Semi-Finals. Behind their dominance was the steady scoring of Okafor, who recorded five double-digit outings to finish amongst the tournaments top scorers and was recognised as part of the All-Star Five.
Maya Zilbershlag - Israel
Guard
Birth Date: Feb 8, 2008 (16 years old) Height:1.77m (5ft 10in) Stats: 15.4 EFF, 18.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 3.3 SPG
Israel may have finished 12th but Zilbershlag sure made some noise during the FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket. The guard was one of only four players to produce a 30 plus point outing and finished the tournament with a double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Her contributions overall had her ranked second in scoring, seventh in rebounding and top 20 in assists.
FIBA