EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 September and ended on 20 September 2015.

EuroBasket 2015
Tournament details
Host countriesFrance
Croatia
Germany
Latvia
Dates5–20 September
Teams24
Venue(s)5 (in 5 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Spain (3rd title)
Runners-up Lithuania
Third place France
Fourth place Serbia
Tournament statistics
Games played79
Attendance711,131 (9,002 per match)
MVPSpain Pau Gasol
Top scorerSpain Pau Gasol
(25.6 points per game)
2013
2017
Qualified teams for the EuroBasket 2015
Former EuroBasket 2015 logo

The top two teams (Spain and Lithuania) qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The next five teams (France, Serbia, Greece, Italy and the Czech Republic) advanced to the World Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. Latvia and Croatia later qualified due to Serbia and Italy hosting two of the Olympic qualifying tournaments while Turkey also qualified as an invitee.

Spain won their third title by defeating Lithuania 80–63 in the final.[1] France won bronze on home soil defeating Serbia (81–68).[2] The final game was held in the Stade Pierre-Mauroy and set a new record for the highest attendance in a EuroBasket game, with 26,922.[3] Pau Gasol was named the tournament's MVP.

Host selection edit

On 18 December 2011, FIBA Europe decided to let Ukraine host EuroBasket 2015, after France, Croatia, Germany and Italy withdrew their joint bid.[4] On 19 March 2014, tournament director Markiyan Lubkivsky announced that EuroBasket 2015 would not take place in Ukraine because of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the championship would be relocated.[5][6] But later, FIBA Europe was forced to deny reports that Ukraine had given up the hosting rights for EuroBasket 2015 due to the continuous political situation and security issues in Ukraine.[7] On 13 June 2014, FIBA Europe officially announced that Ukraine would not be hosting the championships.[8]

Sixteen countries expressed an initial interest to bid for the relocated event. National Federations were called by FIBA Europe to officially bid for hosting the tournament or parts of the tournament until 31 July 2014. The next day FIBA Europe announced eight official bids from potential organizers:[9]

All interested federations were provided the option to bid to stage either one of the four groups in the Group Phase of the tournament, one of the groups and the Final Phase, only the finals, or the entire tournament. FIBA Europe was scheduled to officially announce the details of the bids after 27 August 2014.[9]

Croatia, France, Poland and Turkey bid to host one of the four groups in the Group Phase and the Final Phase in the knock-out round. Additionally, Turkey also bid to host the Final Phase only.

All other countries bid to host only one of the four groups in the Group Phase. Prior to the Board Meeting, Turkey withdrew their candidature from hosting any part of the tournament while Poland and Croatia withdrew their candidature to host the Final Phase of the tournament, leaving France as the only candidate to host the Final Phase.[10]

On 8 September 2014, it was announced that the FIBA EuroBasket 2015 tournament would be hosted in Germany (Berlin), Croatia (Zagreb), Latvia (Riga) and France (Montpellier), with each of the countries hosting one respective group during the group stage of the tournament. France would be the hosts of the finals in the knock-out phase in the city of Lille at the multi-functional Stade Pierre-Mauroy, which has a 27,000 capacity for basketball.[10]

Venues edit

 
Frenkie was the official mascot
Lille
 
 
Berlin
 
Zagreb
 
Riga
 
Montpellier
 
Lille
EuroBasket 2015 (Europe)
Stade Pierre-Mauroy
Capacity: 27,500 (indoor configuration)
 
Montpellier
Park&Suites Arena
Capacity: 10,700
 
Zagreb Berlin Riga
Arena Zagreb Mercedes-Benz Arena Arena Riga
Capacity: 16,500 Capacity: 14,500 Capacity: 11,200
 
 
 

Qualification edit

Qualification for the tournament took place in two phases; the first featured 13 teams who failed to qualify for FIBA EuroBasket 2013, the winner of which qualifying directly for the finals. The remaining teams then went into qualification with the remaining FIBA Europe sides.

Qualified teams edit

Team Qualification Date of qualification Tournament appearance Last appearance
  Spain Host nation of 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup & 3rd place of FIBA EuroBasket 2013 23 May 2009 30 2013
  Ukraine 6th place at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 18 December 2011 (as initial host) 7 2013
  Estonia Winners of 1st round of FIBA EuroBasket 2015 qualification 1 September 2013[11] 5 2001
  France Winners of FIBA EuroBasket 2013 18 September 2013 37 2013
  Slovenia 5th place at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 19 September 2013 12 2013
  Croatia 4th place at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 19 September 2013 12 2013
  Lithuania Runner-up at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 19 September 2013 13 2013
  Serbia 7th place at FIBA EuroBasket 2013 21 September 2013 5 2013
  Finland Wild card at 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup 1 February 2014 13 2013
  Greece Wild card at 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup 1 February 2014 25 2013
  Turkey Wild card at 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup 1 February 2014 22 2013
  Latvia 1st in Second round Group F 24 August 2014 13 2013
  Israel 1st in Second round Group B 24 August 2014 28 2013
  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1st in Second round Group A 24 August 2014 9 2013
  Belgium 1st in Second round Group D 24 August 2014 16 2013
  Georgia 1st in Second round Group E 27 August 2014 3 2013
  Czech Republic 2nd in Second round Group E 27 August 2014 4 2013
  Germany 2nd in Second round Group C 27 August 2014 23 2013
  Netherlands 2nd in Second round Group B 27 August 2014 15 1989
  Poland 1st in Second round Group C 27 August 2014 27 2013
  Macedonia 2nd in Second round Group D 27 August 2014 5 2013
  Italy 1st in Second round Group G 27 August 2014 36 2013
  Russia 2nd in Second round Group G 27 August 2014 12 2013
  Iceland 2nd in Second round Group A 27 August 2014 1

Draw edit

Seedings edit

FIBA Europe released the seedings for the EuroBasket 2015 draw on 27 November 2014.[12] According to the FIBA Europe regulations the participating nations, the 10 participants of the 2014 World Cup would be seeded first, based on their respective records in FIBA EuroBasket 2013, with the remaining teams seeded based on their qualification records.[12]

Final draw edit

 
Publicity onto the North Regional Council in Lille.

The draw took place on 8 December 2014 at 16:00 at Disneyland in Paris, France.[13][14] Criteria for the draw was as follows:

  • The four hosts were drawn together, but as Latvia were amongst the third seeded teams and Germany the fifth, only three teams would be in fourth and sixth pot containing the remaining seeds and these teams could not be drawn into groups with Latvia and Germany respectively.
  • France and Croatia, as hosts, were drawn first and the two remaining first seeds, Spain and Lithuania, were drawn separately into the remaining two groups not already with a top-seeded team.
  • In addition to this, following on from the exceptional circumstances leading to the relocation of EuroBasket 2015, each of the four hosts was granted the right to select a partner federation for commercial and marketing criteria. These teams would automatically be placed into the same group as their chosen partner country. The selections were;
    • France and Finland
    • Germany and Turkey
    • Croatia and Slovenia
    • Latvia and Estonia [15][16]
Pot 1
(Hosts)
Pot 2
(Remaining First Seeds)
Pot 3
(Second Seeds)
Pot 4
(Remaining Third Seeds)
Pot 5
(Fourth Seeds)
Pot 6
(Remaining Fifth Seeds)
Pot 7
(Sixth Seeds)

  Croatia
  France
  Germany
  Latvia

  Lithuania
  Spain

  Slovenia c
  Ukraine
  Serbia
  Finland a

  Greece
  Turkey b
  Bosnia and Herzegovina

  Poland
  Belgium
  Macedonia
  Italy

  Israel
  Czech Republic
  Georgia

  Netherlands
  Russia
  Iceland
  Estonia d

^a Assigned to Group A, for its partnership with France.
^b Assigned to Group B, for its partnership with Germany.
^c Assigned to Group C, for its partnership with Croatia.
^d Assigned to Group D, for its partnership with Latvia.

Squads edit

Preliminary round edit

The best four teams of each group advance to the knockout stage.[17]

Group A edit

Venue: Montpellier, France

 
Tram painted to promote the EuroBasket 2015 in Montpellier
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1   France 5 5 0 407 335 +72 10 Advanced to Knockout stage
2   Israel 5 3 2 375 384 −9 8[a]
3   Poland 5 3 2 367 352 +15 8[a]
4   Finland 5 2 3 387 392 −5 7
5   Russia 5 1 4 379 374 +5 6[b]
6   Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 1 4 324 402 −78 6[b]
Source: eurobasket2015.org
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Poland–Israel 73–75
  2. ^ a b Bosnia and Herzegovina–Russia 61–81
5 September 2015
Poland   68–64   Bosnia and Herzegovina
Israel   76–73   Russia
France   97–87 (OT)   Finland
6 September 2015
Russia   79–82   Poland
Finland   66–79   Israel
Bosnia and Herzegovina   54–81   France
7 September 2015
Finland   81–79   Russia
Israel   84–86 (OT)   Bosnia and Herzegovina
France   69–66   Poland
9 September 2015
Bosnia and Herzegovina   59–88   Finland
Poland   73–75   Israel
Russia   67–74   France
10 September 2015
Finland   65–78   Poland
Bosnia and Herzegovina   61–81   Russia
Israel   61–86   France

Group B edit

Venue: Berlin, Germany

 
Italy and Germany during the national anthems.
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1   Serbia 5 5 0 433 354 +79 10 Advanced to Knockout stage
2   Spain 5 3 2 448 411 +37 8[a]
3   Italy 5 3 2 434 434 0 8[a]
4   Turkey 5 3 2 429 459 −30 8[a]
5   Germany 5 1 4 370 379 −9 6
6   Iceland 5 0 5 368 445 −77 5
Source: eurobasket2015.org
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Spain 1–1, +20; Italy 1–1, +5; Turkey 1–1 −25
5 September 2015
Germany   71–65   Iceland
Spain   70–80   Serbia
Italy   87–89   Turkey
6 September 2015
Serbia   68–66   Germany
Iceland   64–71   Italy
Turkey   77–104   Spain
8 September 2015
Serbia   93–64   Iceland
Germany   75–80   Turkey
Spain   98–105   Italy
9 September 2015
Turkey   72–91   Serbia
Italy   89–82 (OT)   Germany
Iceland   73–99   Spain
10 September 2015
Serbia   101–82   Italy
Germany   76–77   Spain
Turkey   111–102 (OT)   Iceland

Group C edit

Venue: Zagreb, Croatia

 
Arena Zagreb ahead of EuroBasket 2015
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1   Greece 5 5 0 387 340 +47 10 Advanced to Knockout stage
2   Croatia 5 3 2 359 343 +16 8[a]
3   Slovenia 5 3 2 367 356 +11 8[a]
4   Georgia 5 2 3 369 364 +5 7
5   Macedonia 5 1 4 324 381 −57 6[b]
6   Netherlands 5 1 4 355 377 −22 6[b]
Source: eurobasket2015.org
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Croatia–Slovenia 80–73
  2. ^ a b Netherlands–Macedonia 71–78
5 September 2015
Georgia   72–73   Netherlands
Macedonia   65–85   Greece
Croatia   80–73   Slovenia
6 September 2015
Netherlands   71–78   Macedonia
Slovenia   79–68   Georgia
Greece   72–70   Croatia
8 September 2015
Slovenia   81–74   Netherlands
Georgia   68–79   Greece
Croatia   73–55   Macedonia
9 September 2015
Greece   83–72   Slovenia
Macedonia   75–90   Georgia
Netherlands   72–78   Croatia
10 September 2015
Slovenia   62–51   Macedonia
Georgia   71–58   Croatia
Greece   68–65   Netherlands

Group D edit

Venue: Riga, Latvia

 
EuroBasket 2015 fanzone in Riga
Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1   Lithuania 5 4 1 360 336 +24 9 Advanced to Knockout stage
2   Latvia 5 3 2 348 339 +9 8[a]
3   Czech Republic 5 3 2 370 342 +28 8[a]
4   Belgium 5 3 2 370 344 +26 8[a]
5   Estonia 5 1 4 316 374 −58 6[b]
6   Ukraine 5 1 4 349 378 −29 6[b]
Source: eurobasket2015.org
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Latvia 2–0; Czech Republic 1–1; Belgium 0–2
  2. ^ a b Ukraine–Estonia 71–78
5 September 2015
Czech Republic   80–57   Estonia
Belgium   67–78   Latvia
Lithuania   69–68   Ukraine
6 September 2015
Estonia   55–84   Belgium
Latvia   49–68   Lithuania
Ukraine   64–78   Czech Republic
7 September 2015
Lithuania   74–76   Belgium
Czech Republic   65–72   Latvia
Ukraine   71–78   Estonia
9 September 2015
Belgium   64–66   Czech Republic
Latvia   74–75   Ukraine
Estonia   62–64   Lithuania
10 September 2015
Ukraine   71–79   Belgium
Latvia   75–64   Estonia
Czech Republic   81–85 (OT)   Lithuania

Knockout stage edit

Venue: Lille, France

 
Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
 
              
 
12 September
 
 
  France76
 
15 September
 
  Turkey53
 
  France84
 
12 September
 
  Latvia70
 
  Latvia73
 
17 September
 
  Slovenia66
 
  France75
 
12 September
 
  Spain (OT)80
 
  Spain80
 
15 September
 
  Poland66
 
  Spain73
 
12 September
 
  Greece71
 
  Greece75
 
20 September
 
  Belgium54
 
  Spain80
 
13 September
 
  Lithuania63
 
  Serbia94
 
16 September
 
  Finland81
 
  Serbia89
 
13 September
 
  Czech Republic75
 
  Croatia59
 
18 September
 
  Czech Republic80
 
  Serbia64
 
13 September
 
  Lithuania67 Third place game
 
  Israel52
 
16 September20 September
 
  Italy82
 
  Italy85  France81
 
13 September
 
  Lithuania (OT)95   Serbia68
 
  Lithuania85
 
 
  Georgia81
 
Olympic qualifying bracket

The winners of the 5–8th place semifinals advanced to the qualification tournament. The 5–8th place semifinals losers played in the seventh place game to determine the last participant.

 
5–8th place semifinalsSeventh place game
 
      
 
17 September
 
 
  Greece97
 
18 September
 
  Latvia90
 
  Latvia70
 
17 September
 
  Czech Republic97
 
  Czech Republic70
 
 
  Italy85
 

Final edit

20 September 2015
19:00
Spain   8063   Lithuania
Scoring by quarter: 19–8, 22–25, 19–10, 20–20
Pts: Gasol 25
Rebs: Gasol 12
Asts: Rodríguez 6
Pts: Kalnietis, Seibutis 13
Rebs: Valančiūnas 9
Asts: Kalnietis 5
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
Attendance: 27,372
Referees: Luigi Lamonica (Italy), Ilija Belošević (Serbia), Borys Ryzhyk (Ukraine)


 EuroBasket 2015 champions 
 
Spain
Third title
Most Valuable Player
  Pau Gasol

Final standings edit

Official final ranking by FIBA Europe.[18]

 
Results
Qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics
Qualified to Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament as hosts[note 1]
Qualified to Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament (Turkey qualified as a replacement invitee)
Rank Team Record FIBA World Rankings
Before After Change
    Spain 7–2 2 2 =0
    Lithuania 7–2 4 3 +1
    France 8–1 5 5 =0
4   Serbia 7–2 7 6 +1
5   Greece 7–1 10 10 =0
6   Italy 5–3 36 T-35 +1
7   Czech Republic 5–4 T-49 42 +7
8   Latvia 4–5 T-38 T-35 +3
9   Croatia 3–3 12 12 =0
10   Israel 3–3 T-38 37 +1
11   Poland 3–3 42 T-38 +4
12   Slovenia 3–3 13 13 =0
13   Belgium 3–3 T-51 44 +7
14   Turkey 3–3 8 8 =0
15   Georgia 2–4 54 47 +7
16   Finland 2–4 35 32 +3
17   Russia 1–4 6 7 –1
18   Germany 1–4 18 20 –2
19   Macedonia 1–4 32 34 –2
20   Estonia 1–4 NR T-84 +4
21   Netherlands 1–4 NR T-84 +4
22   Ukraine 1–4 40 T-38 +2
23   Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–4 T-58 T-53 +5
24   Iceland 0–5 NR T-84 +4

All-Tournament Team edit

Statistical leaders edit

FIBA broadcasting rights edit

References edit

  1. ^ If the tournament is hosted by a team that has already qualified, the next-best team from the host country's federation will also qualify.
  1. ^ a b "Spain Claim Gold In Front Of Record Audience". eurobasket2015.org. 20 September 2015. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  2. ^ "France Reward Home Support With Bronze". eurobasket2015.org. 20 September 2015. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Attendance Record Falls Again - EuroBasket (2015) - FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  4. ^ Ukraine to host Eurobasket 2015, Eurosport (18 December 2011)
  5. ^ "Ukraine gives up hosting rights to EuroBasket 2015". 19 March 2014.
  6. ^ Clarification on 'Hosts withdrawal' claims; FIBA Europe, 19 March 2014
  7. ^ FIBA Europe removes U-18 event from Ukraine but EuroBasket remains, for now
  8. ^ FIBA Europe Relocate EuroBasket 2015
  9. ^ a b FIBA Europe - Eight bid to host EuroBasket 2015
  10. ^ a b "EuroBasket 2015 Hosts Announced". FIBA Europe. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  11. ^ FIBA Europe.com (1 September 2013). "Estonia book flight to Ukraine". Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  12. ^ a b "EuroBasket Draw Seedings Announced". fibaeurope.com. 27 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Disneyland Paris To Host EuroBasket Draw". fibaeurope.com. 29 October 2014.
  14. ^ "EuroBasket 2015 Draw Completed". fibaeurope.com. 8 December 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Eurobasket 2015 Draw: How will it work". fibaeurope.com. 7 December 2014.
  16. ^ "2015 EuroBasket Official Draw".
  17. ^ "Schedule". Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  18. ^ "EuroBasket 2015 final standings". Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  19. ^ "Statistical leader – Players". Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.

External links edit