Eurobasket 2015

Kyle Ramos

For several weeks in August and September, three Kings represented their home countries in the EuroBasket 2015 tournament.

The Sacramento trio showed why the 2015-16 Kings have plenty to be excited about in the upcoming season.

Looking to vastly improve from their 21st place finish in 2013, Omri Casspi led Israel out of the group stages. Standing as a strong leader and go-to scorer, Casspi finished as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 16.4 points, 7.2 boards and 3.2 assists over six contests.

Although Israel completed the group stages with a 3-2 record, they would be eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage by Kings teammate Marco Belinelli and Italy.

As for Belinelli’s Italian squad, the Nazionale di pallacanestro dell'Italia compiled some hallmark wins against powerhouse European squads, defeating Spain and Germany in the group stages.

However, Italy was knocked out in the second round by eventual tournament runner-up Lithuania.  Belinelli, like Casspi, enjoyed a successful tournament from an individual standpoint, putting up averages of 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.

The Kings new guard known for his shooting stroke showed it off plenty by knocking down 3.4 three-pointers per contest, including a couple of clutch makes.

Kosta Koufos was a solid contributor for Greece, averaging 10 points and 6.6 rebounds over eight games. Greece lost just one game during the tournament, but their sole defeat came during the elimination round against Spain, who would go on to win their third EuroBasket championship.

The final rankings by FIBA Europe had Greece in fifth, Italy in sixth, and Israel in 10th.

After a busy and competitive past few weeks, these three players will now shift their focus to gearing up for the Kings upcoming training camp as the 2015-16 season draws near.

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Kings Shine in EuroBasket 2015

At halftime of Italy’s game against Spain - a known powerhouse in international basketball  - Marco Belinelli had only recorded two points. However, by the final buzzer, Belinelli had dropped an incredible 25 points in the second half, sparking Italy to a 105-98 victory.

Belinelli’s scoring outburst came from a barrage of three-pointers after not making any in the first half. He finished the game with seven makes from long range on nine attempts, including a late dagger to beat the shot clock in the fourth quarter.

To go along with his 27 points, Belinelli also chipped in seven assists and four rebounds en route to Italy’s second victory of the tournament.

Following the game, Marco received praise from his teammate and fellow NBA veteran Danilo Gallinari, “It's not the first time anyone has seen Marco get the hot hand like this, actually you all know there have been several. I remember once he dropped 36 against us at our home - and I was the one marking him"

The Kings sharpshooter is now averaging 17 points, five assists, and 4.7 rebounds per contest as Italy continues group play against Dirk Nowitzki and Germany tomorrow.

Kings fans also quickly heard chatter of Belinelli’s outburst. Check out some of the best tweets from during and after the game below.

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Belinelli Torches Spain in EuroBasket

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Omri Casspi had his most productive stretch the final month of the 2014-15 season, averaging career-highs of 19.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

The fiery forward has parlayed that into an impressive showing through three games of the Olympic Qualifying EuroBasket Tournament in Montpellier, France.

Averaging 20 points per game, the Israeli captain leads all scorers at EuroBasket 2015, with the Raptors Jonas Valanciunas trailing at 19.7 points per game.

Not only No. 18 leading EuroBasket play in scoring, he's also doing it extremely efficiently. The six-year NBA vet is shooting an impressive 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from beyond the arc, while chipping in 7.7 rebounds and four assists per game.

Although Casspi's Team Israel lost its third game in the final seconds of Overtime, Omri has led his team to a 2-1 record with quality wins over Russia and Finland.

The play will be a welcomed sight to the Kings front office who rewarded the Sacramento favorite with a two-year deal this offseason.

Watch highlights from his first three games below:

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Casspi Leading EuroBasket in Scoring

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Omri Casspi EuroBasket Highlights

Though fans will have to wait until October to see the 2015-16 Kings in action, several Kings players will be participating in the upcoming Eurobasket 2015 tournament starting on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Four players in total will represent Sacramento and their home countries, including: Marco Belinelli (Italy), Omri Casspi (Israel), Duje Dukan (Croatia), and Kosta Koufos (Greece).

Learn more about each players prospective tournament and international history below.

The Kings newly acquired guard will be playing for Italy in his third Eurobasket tournament after being a key for his team in 2011 and 2013. The three-point sharpshooter averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds in his Eurobasket career.

Marco Belinelli and Italy will be looking to rebound from an 8th place finish from the 2013 Eurobasket tournament, and will open up group play against Turkey. Here is a look at the rest of Italy’s Group B schedule.

After a visit to Israel earlier this summer with friends and teammates, Omri Casspi will be all business on the court as he suits up to play for his home country. This will be Casspi’s fourth time participating in Eurobasket, with his first appearance coming in 2009 during the same summer when he was drafted by the Kings in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Israel will be in Group A and matches up against Russia in their first game. Here is the rest of the schedule for Casspi and Israel for their group play.

After helping Wisconsin to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament this past April, Duje Dukan will be looking to help Croatia excel in the first Eurobasket competition of his career.

Dukan does have some experience playing international basketball, however, playing for Croatia in the European U20 Championship back in 2011. During that stretch of seven games, Dukan averaged 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in his 13.4 minutes per game.

Croatia, who just missed out on a medal in Eurobasket 2013 with a fourth place finish, will face Slovenia first in Group C.  Take a look at the additional games on the schedule for the Kings forward Dukan and Croatia.

Though he has not participated in a Eurobasket since 2011, Kings big man Kosta Koufos will certainly be a crucial part of Greece’s team during this tournament.

In his last Eurobasket campaign, Koufos averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. This year, he will also be playing alongside other NBA talent on his team with the likes of Nick Calathes and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Greece finished in 11th place without Koufos in 2013 and opens up the 2015 tournament against Macedonia. Also in Greece’s Group C is Duje Dukan and Croatia, with the Kings teammates facing off on the second day of group play

The EuroBasket 2015 tournament begins this week and will run until the Championship Game on September 18th. The top two teams will automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games while the 3rd through 7th place finishers will be entered into the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament to try and earn a bid.

For more information on teams, players and schedules, click here.

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Four Kings Set for EuroBasket 2015

While preparing to play for Greece in the upcoming Eurobasket 2015 tournament, Kosta Koufos expressed his positive outlook for the upcoming Kings season in an interview with Sirius XM.

In the conversation, Koufos discussed his reunion with head coach George Karl, who he played for while a member of the Denver Nuggets. Koufos further elaborated on his confidence in Karl’s coaching ability.

Koufos then turned his attention to the team as a whole, and also mentioned the immediate potential of the current Kings roster.

The upcoming EuroBasket 2015 tournament starts on September 5th and will feature several Kings players representing their countries, including: Koufos (Greece), Marco Belinelli (Italy), and Omri Casspi (Israel).

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Koufos Thinks Kings Have Postseason Talent

As part of a stretch of international exhibition games, Michigan State’s college basketball team has been facing off against various European teams.  This past Saturday, MSU took on Italy who overpowered the Spartans en route to a dominating 90-69 victory.

The main force behind Italy’s win was newly-acquired Kings guard and three-point specialist Marco Belinelli, who lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 25 points on 5-for-6 shooting from behind the arc in just 24 minutes of action.

Belinelli, who has spent a good part of the offseason playing with Italy in preparation for this week’s Eurobasket 2015 competition, also pitched in five assists to cap off a strong showing as the NBA regular season draws near.