eurobasket

Josh Cohen

ORLANDO -- The Montenegrin basketball program took a huge step this year by advancing to the knockout stage of EuroBasket for the first time since joining FIBA as an independent nation in 2006.

They also learned during their Round of 16 game against another up-and-coming team that they have a long way to go before becoming title contenders in a major international tournament.

While Nikola Vucevic had another solid performance – 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists – Montenegro had no answer for Latvia’s hot 3-point shooting in a 100-68 loss on Sunday in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Latvians knocked down 15 of their 25 3-point attempts. Janis Timma, whose NBA Draft rights are held by the Orlando Magic, posted 21 points and hit all four of his attempts from beyond the arc. Kristaps Porzingis recorded 19 points and six rebounds.

Bojan Dubljevic tallied 21 points for the Montenegrins, who shot just 38.8 percent from the floor and made only seven free throws.

Vucevic, who has played for his country each time they have qualified for EuroBasket, scored in double figures in all six games this year and averaged 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds.

Set to start his sixth season with the Magic, Vucevic has averaged a double-double four times thus far in his NBA career. The 26-year-old moved to the United States from Montenegro prior to his senior year of high school and then played collegiately for the USC Trojans for three seasons.

Montenegro will now hope to qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, which China will host.  A total of 32 countries throughout the world and 12 from Europe will participate in this competition. FIBA announced earlier this year a new and unique qualifying system for its World Cup tournament. Stay tuned for details.

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Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro Eliminated With Loss to Latvia

ORLANDO -- Evan Fournier did everything he possibly could to try and prevent elimination in France’s Round of 16 game against Germany at EuroBasket 2017 on Saturday. He scored 18 of his 27 points in the final six-plus minutes and reeled off seven points in the last 27 seconds.

This remarkable scoring frenzy by the Orlando Magic swingman wasn’t enough, however. France’s hopes of reaching the semifinals for the fourth straight time in this competition was denied in an 84-81 loss.

France trailed by seven with 30 seconds remaining before Fournier’s flurry. It looked like the game was over before Fournier came up with a steal and then pulled up in transition and knocked down his third 3-pointer of the day with 12 seconds left.

Germany made three of four free throws, subsequently, and it prohibited Fournier from attempting a game-tying 3-pointer by running after him with the intent to foul him. Fournier, as a result, launched a pass down the floor to Nando de Colo, who stepped back behind the 3-point line but misfired at the buzzer.

Usually more composed in high-stake games, the French couldn’t preserve a double-digit advantage. They led by 11 in the second quarter.

Germany will play in the EuroBasket quarterfinals for the first time since 2007. The Germans won the title in this tournament in 1993 and were the runner-up in 2005.

Fournier eclipsed the 20-point mark three times throughout this year’s competition and averaged 15.8 points in six games.

Most figured France wouldn’t be as potent as it had been in recent international tournaments because of the absences of Tony Parker (retired from national team), Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum.

However, the future is bright for the French. Along with Fournier, de Colo and Thomas Heurtel, there are several young, up-and-coming prodigies in the program. That includes 2017 NBA Draft picks Frank Ntilikina, Mathias Lessort and Alpha Kaba.

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Evan Fournier Outstanding Despite France's Elimination Loss to Germany

ORLANDO -- In a tune-up game of sorts after already securing a spot in the knockout round, Montenegro used this “exhibition” to sharpen up and boost its confidence.

Nikola Vucevic and his compatriots can now depart for Istanbul, Turkey with some added self-assurance after coasting past host Romania, 86-69, on Thursday.

While they weren’t nearly as locked in from start to finish as they were when they shot past the Czech Republic with a whopping 16 made 3-pointers, the Montenegrins did more than enough to finish Group C pool play with three wins.

Vucevic posted 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 18 minutes. He also knocked down his second 3-pointer of the tournament. Becoming a more reliable long distance threat has been a key part of the Orlando Magic big man’s offseason training.

Set to start his seventh NBA season and sixth with the Magic, Vucevic averaged 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds during the preliminary round.

His frontcourt sidekick and a 2014 second round NBA draft pick of the Timberwolves, Bojan Dubljevic, recorded 13 points and nine rebounds in Thursday’s victory.

Head coach Bogdan Tanjevic opted to rest some of Montenegro’s top players, including American-born Tyrese Rice and Marko Todorovic.

Montenegro is in the Round of 16 for the first time in EuroBasket since joining FIBA as an independent nation in 2006. It will face Latvia, which finished second in Group D, in Sunday's win-or-go-home contest. The Latvians are led by New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis, who has erupted for 28 points twice and 27 in another game so far in this competition.

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Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro Complete Pool Play with Win Over Romania

ORLANDO -- The French have a couple of days to practice before the knockout round of EuroBasket 2017 starts on Saturday. It’s clear after Wednesday’s blowout loss that they have a lot to fix during their preparations.

Slovenia played with far more zest and precision in a 95-78 victory over France.

Evan Fournier fouled out with 5:21 remaining and picked up his second technical immediately after, which resulted in an automatic ejection. The Orlando Magic swingman finished with 11 points. Foul trouble limited him to just 18 minutes of action.

The disparity behind the 3-point line was significant. Slovenia knocked down 10 3-pointers and France made only four from long distance. Slovenia led by as many as 29.

Group A pool play was very erratic for the French, who won three of the five games but never looked dominant during any stretch. They lost a heartbreaker in overtime to host Finland to open up the tournament and then won three straight against inferior opponents (Greece, Iceland and Poland).

A drubbing to undefeated Slovenia, however, diminishes France’s status a bit heading into the next phase of the competition. The good news is that France has shown remarkable resilience and an ability to overcome adversity in recent international tournaments.

France will play Germany, which finished second in Group B, in the Round of 16. These two countries last faced off at EuroBasket 2013 with the Germans pulling off a surprise win during the preliminary round.

Both teams have drastically different rosters since that meeting. Dennis Schroder (Hawks) and Daniel Theis (Celtics) are Germany’s top two players. Isaiah Hartenstein, who was drafted by the Rockets in the 2017 NBA Draft, is another quality player on its roster.

Playing without Tony Parker, who retired from his national team after last year’s Olympics, and other prominent stars like Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum has been somewhat of a challenge for France, which won the EuroBasket title in 2013 and placed third in 2015.

However, the French still have enough talent to make a deep run in the knockout stage. It’s critical for Fournier and France’s other two premier backcourt players, Nando de Colo and Thomas Heurtel, to play at their best.

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Evan Fournier, France Fall to Slovenia

ORLANDO -- Just when you think the French are in dire shape, they recover and exhibit extraordinary poise and perseverance.

Evan Fournier and his countrymen have shown in recent years that you can never count them out. Trailing for the first 30-plus minutes and down by as much as 12, France battled back for a 78-75 victory over Poland on Tuesday in Helsinki.

Fournier’s drive and cross-court kick-out along the baseline to Thomas Heurtel for a dagger 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining sealed France’s third win at EuroBasket 2017 and a spot in the knockout round.

Heurtel scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half with 15 coming in the fourth quarter. Fournier only played 20 minutes and was held to four points.

France has now advanced to the knockout stage in each of the last 10 EuroBasket tournaments. It captured the title in 2013, was runner-up in 2011 and placed third in 2005 and 2015.

With Tony Parker retired (and injured) from the national team and prominent NBA stars Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum not participating in this year’s competition, we are seeing others step up their roles.

Heurtel, who many think could make an NBA roster, has racked up several major accolades throughout his professional career in Europe. He was the Turkish Cup MVP in 2015 and years earlier won the French League Rising Star Award.

Fournier, Boris Diaw and Joffrey Lauvergne all currently play in the NBA and Nando de Colo, Kevin Seraphin and Axel Toupane all previously spent time with NBA clubs. Louis Labeyrie was drafted by the Pacers in 2014 but has remained overseas.

It’s only a matter of time before 2017 NBA Draft selections Frank Ntilikina (Knicks), Mathias Lessort (Sixers) and Alpha Kaba (Hawks) join the French senior national team.

It remains to be seen how far this French team can go in this tournament. Perhaps their next game against undefeated Slovenia will help gauge where they stand.

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Evan Fournier, France Rally For Win Over Poland

ORLANDO -- When you talk about the most improved teams in Europe, Montenegro may be at the top of the stack.

Ranked 72nd in the world in the most recent FIBA rankings, Montenegro has shown thus far at EuroBasket 2017 that it can now compete with some of the more proven and experienced nations.

Its 88-75 victory over the Czech Republic on Tuesday was another reminder of how far the Montenegrins have come on the hardwood.

Nikola Vucevic posted 17 points and 14 rebounds and his countrymen sank 16 3-pointers as Montenegro advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since joining FIBA as an independent nation in 2006.

It had become clear during last year’s qualifiers that Montenegro had become a formidable team. Failing to qualify in 2015 for this competition, Montenegro was extra motivated to return to EuroBasket and show it wasn’t a group any opponent can sleep on.

With dominant victories over Hungary and Czech Republic and a near-upset over highly favored and perennial power Croatia over the past few days, Vucevic and his compatriots should be proud of how well they have progressed since their disappointing performances in EuroBasket 2011 and 2013.

Vucevic was sensational against the Czechs. He shot 8-of-13 from the floor and had three blocks. Perhaps most encouraging in this tournament for the Orlando Magic big man has been his defensive focus and precision.

Suad Sehovic buried all four of his 3-point attempts and Nikola Ivanovic, Tyrese Rice and Nikola Pavlicevic each knocked down three from downtown. Montenegro led by as many as 28 and it limited the Czech Republic to 38 percent shooting from the floor.

Montenegro’s final game in Group C pool play will take place on Thursday against the host nation, Romania.

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Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro Impressive in Win Over Czech Republic

ORLANDO -- It’s only the fifth day of EuroBasket 2017 and already there have been several incredible individual performances, fantastic finishes and remarkable team resilience.

Finland and Israel overcome seemingly unsurmountable late-game deficits on Sunday to pull off stunning victories in front of their home supporters. The tournament’s NBA stars have been, as expected, sensational across the board and we’ve witnessed several underdogs excel.

You can add Monday’s Croatia vs. Montenegro matchup to the list of tournament dandies. American-born Tyrese Rice scored eight straight points down the stretch to trim Montenegro’s deficit to one with just under a minute remaining.

However, Dario Saric helped his country avoid the upset by connecting on a crucial layup with 40 seconds left as Croatia held off Montenegro for a 76-72 win in Cluj Napoca, Romania.

Montenegro, which trailed by as many as 15 in the first quarter, battled back behind staunch defense and some clutch shooting from Rice in the game’s final stages. Nikola Ivanovic missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 18 seconds left.

Rice finished with 22 points and Bojan Dubljevic had a monster performance with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Nikola Vucevic, who posted 12 points and five rebounds, came on strong in the second half. He particularly played well defensively in the final few minutes (stripped ball away from Croatians couple of times and had a key deflection).

Bojan Bogdanovic came out scorching hot in the opening few minutes for Croatia, which shot 58 percent from the field in the first quarter and made 11 3-pointers throughout the game. He tallied 23 points and six rebounds and Saric scored 14 points.

Vucevic’s Orlando Magic teammate, Mario Hezonja, who played for his home nation in the Summer Olympics last year in Rio, is not participating in this competition.

Montenegro’s spirit and resolve shown against an undefeated and experienced Croatian team is a good sign as it now turns its attention to the Czech Republic. The top four teams in each of the four groups advance to the knockout round. Currently, Montenegro sits in third place in Group C.

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Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro's Comeback Attempt Falls Short vs. Croatia

ORLANDO -- The French basketball program is so deep and rich in confidence that the absence of some of its prominent stars isn’t much of a deterrence.

With Tony Parker retired (and injured) from his national team and other familiar faces like Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum not participating at EuroBasket 2017, France is still one of the top teams in Europe.

Especially against more inexperienced opponents, France usually is able to overwhelm challengers with its depth, chemistry, experience and excellent coaching.

That basically sums up Sunday’s drubbing of Iceland. With its starters playing limited minutes, France’s reserves stepped up and carried them to a 115-79 victory in Helsinki.

Evan Fournier played a shade under 10 minutes and finished with seven points. He erupted for 46 points combined in France’s first two games against Finland and Greece.

France came out after halftime with a purpose after Iceland fought hard in the opening 20 minutes. The French racked up 37 points in that tide-turning frame and for the game shot 68 percent from the field and made 10-of-18 from 3-point range.

The bench exploded for 68 points and France dished out 31 assists. Nando de Colo led six players in double figures with 16 points.

Jon Arnor Stefansson posted a game-high 23 points for Iceland, which is competing in EuroBasket for the second straight time after failing to qualify in the past.

France’s next opponent in Group A pool play is Poland, which features a familiar face to Orlando Magic fans. Przemek Karnowski, who starred at Gonzaga and played for the Magic’s summer league team this past July, is playing for his home nation.

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Evan Fournier, France Cruise Past Iceland

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