Poland (13th place in the FIBA ranking) was drawn from the third basket, and to Group D was assigned the NBA champion of the Dallas Mavericks (2011) German Dirk Nowitzki. 2005 European Vice Champion and Best Player (MVP) for that tournament is EuroBasket 2022 ambassador. Italian Roberto Brunamonte, vice champion of the 1980 Olympics and 1983 Old Continent champion, and former Georgian actor Victor Sanikidze.
Our team will play respectively against the Czech Republic, Serbia, Finland, Israel and the Netherlands.
Before the draw in Berlin, it was known that the matches of the Piao Zerone group of the final tournament would be held in Prague, with the Czechs being one of their opponents. The southern neighbors, who host a Middle Eastern group, have chosen Poland as a partner federation.
See also: Dirk Nowitzki is EuroBasket 2022 Ambassador
Euro 2022 will host Georgia (Tbilisi), Italy (Milan) and Germany (Cologne, Final Round – Berlin). Each of them, as happened during EuroBasket 2017, had the right to choose a partner association, which was automatically assigned to the same group during the draw. The Germans called the Lithuanians, the Italians – Estonians, and Georgia referred to Turkey.
Serbia is the fifth team in the 2019 World Championships in China, Olympic runners-up in 1996 and 2016, two-time world champion (1998 and 2002), three-time European champion (1995, 1997 and 2001). Balkan basketball players have been withdrawn from the top basket (5th place in the FIBA ranking).
Finland ranks 32nd in the FIBA ranking. Recently, Biao Zeroni competed with this team in the game. EuroBasket 2017 lost to Helsinki at 87:90 after two extra time, spoiling their chances of qualifying for the 1/8 Finals.
With Israel (39th in the FIBA Ranking), coach Mike Taylor’s team fought in the 2022 European Championship qualifying rounds and lost twice – 71:75 in Gliwice in 2019 and in Valencia’s “bubble” 72:78.
In turn, the Dutch basketball players (44th in the FIBA classification) were our competitors in the 2019 World Championship Qualifiers. The Poles defeated Oranje twice: at Exit 105: 78 and in the Ergo Arena. 85:76.
See also: Training match in the Energa Basketball League Final
The Czech-Polish basketball federations go beyond the association’s cooperation. The current coach of Bialo-Chervonc was an assistant coach in the Czech national team during Euro 2013 in Slovenia. Then the two teams met in the group stage and the Czech Republic won 69:68. At the 2019 World Cup in China, the Czechs were ranked sixth, and the Poles were also dramatically eighth.
In the past decade, Poland and the Czech Republic have also hosted Star Matches in both leagues. At Wrocaw in 2013, Tauron Basket Liga defeated Czech Mattoni NBL 109: 104, and a year later in Pardubice the host league’s top players were 109: 105.
In the remaining groups, the competition in Cologne looks interesting, with Germany, with the exception of Lithuania, with the third team of the World Championships France and European champion 2017 Slovenia, as well as with Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Tbilisi, next to Georgia and Turkey, the world champion and the third team of the last EuroBasket tournament will be presented – Spain, as well as Russia, Belgium and Bulgaria.
Originally the EuroBasket was supposed to be held in 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, it has been postponed for a year.
EuroBasket 2022 Kits:
Group A (Tbilisi): Georgia, Turkey, Spain, Russia, Belgium, Bulgaria
Group Two (Cologne): Germany, Lithuania, France, Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C (Milan): Italy, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Ukraine, Great Britain
Group 4 (Prague): Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia, Finland, Israel, Netherlands
PAP, IT, Polsat Sport
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