Romanian U16 basketball team, coached by Greek Manolis Papamakarios, has recently won the International U16 Basketball Tour held in Mersch, Luxembourg, with three victories out of three matches.
The Romanian young basketball players first defeated Ireland, with the score of 83-67, then Portugal, with the score of 69-66, and in the end they won over the host country, Luxembourg, with the score of 80 -58, thus grabbing the Mersch tournament trophy that took place in the fist part of July.
At the awards ceremony, the captain of the Romanian national team, Denis Badalau, was named MVP and included in the ideal team of the tournament (Best Five), along with another young promising athlete, Serban Jeles from CSU ASE Bucharest, according to www.frbaschet.ro.
The technical staff of the Romanian U16 national team is coordinated by the former Greek international Manolis Papamakarios, the former player of the Olimpiakos team and of other teams from the Greek first league, who took over the position of head coach this summer. He is assisted by David Karsai and Paula Nica, second coaches, Emilia Anghel, physical trainer, and responsible from FRB is the deputy general secretary Liviu Puicu.
Romania’s U16 national team will soon test their forces again to prepare for the European Championships in Sofia, racing against Portugal (July 21-25), Hungary (July 30-31) and Greece (4-7 August).
From Thessaloniki, our U16 national team will leave for Sofia for a short accommodation with the arenas that will host the matches of the continental final, and from August 12 they will play in Group D of the FIBA U16 European Championship, Division B, playing in the first phase against similar teams from Germany, Ukraine, Finland, Ireland and Slovakia.
Romanian U16 basketball team consists of:
Mihnea VLAICU (CSU Stiinta Slam Bucharest)
Dragos PARAU (CSU ASE Bucharest)
David FINTINA (U-BT Cluj-Napoca)
Serban HORGA (SCM Timisoara)
Akos SZENTKUTI (U-BT Cluj-Napoca)
David ORBULESCU (CSU Stiinta Slam Bucharest)
Matei PUICU (CSU Stiinta Slam Bucharest)
Fabritio NEAGU (CSS 5 Bucharest)
Rares TRANDAFIR (U-BT Cluj-Napoca)
Mihnea ILIE (CSU ASE Bucharest)
Serban JELES (CSU ASE Bucharest)
Denis BADALAU (Basket Todi – Italy)
Roberto KRUPA (BC CSU Sibiu)
Tudor DANIS (CSU ASE Bucharest)
Alin VLADIMIRESCU (CSU ASE Bucharest)
Andrei MIREA (CSU Stiinta Slam Bucharest)
Kiss Roland (CSM Tg. Mures).