Groups for Euro Cup 2022 were drawn.
Euro Cup 2022 will be held in the Austrian Graz from September 9-11, 2022. Euro Cup is a yearly tournament and defending champions are Serbia in the men’s part of the draw and Spain in the women’s. Pools for both men’s and women’s competitions have been drawn. 24 teams are participating, 12 in each gender. So let’s preview those groups briefly.
There are four groups of three teams per category.
In the men’s category, Serbia will play in pool A with Israel and Slovenia.
Serbia without Dusan Bulut will have tricky business to win first place.The most famous player from Serbia doesn’t perform anymore for the national squad.
Serbia has been the champion of the World five times and won the continental championship three times. Tested killer four guys roster Dejan Majstorovic, Marko Brankovic, Strahinja Stojacic, and Mihailo Vasic will play for Serbia in Graz in the next three days.
Strahinja Stojacic will lead the favorites in an attempt to do the unimaginable – win Europe Cup for the fourth time in a row. 30-years old Strahinja, younger brother of Stefan Stojacic, is at the peak of his form. Serbia looks unstoppable under his and Maestro’s charge. They expect a succession of successes after winning the World Cup.
Israeli players who represent team Tel Aviv reached the semifinal surprisingly in recent Prague Masters and they attracted attention. Slovenia doesn’t have a high-quality team like in 2016. They can be very uncomfortable as they defeated France in qualification for Euro Cup.
Austria, Lithuania, and Hungary will participate in group B.
Vienna won the first-ever Challenger in Edmonton and that’s a good sign for the host country. Many players that play for Vienna are in the Austria squad.
One of them is Filip Kramer, a member of Vienna. Filip is making a powerful duo with Stefan Stojacic in the Austrian team. A tall 3×3 basketball player will have a strong motivation in front of his compatriots in the stands. Filip is great from a long distance but also he is capable of making spectacular dunk shows.
Lithuania won the silver medal at the previous Europe Cup and 2022 World Cup and it’s hard to beat them.
Marijus Uzupis is a real leader of the Lithuanian national squad who became runner-up in the World Cup 2022. His team Sakai started showing potential we all know they possess. Sakai Gulbele won the Eaubonne Challenger and pointed out that better days are coming for them. Marcius can be very dangerous from long-range with his left-handed shots.
Hungary has a solid roster and they can make a big upset if someone underestimates their players.
Latvia, Poland, and Montenegro are members of group C.
Latvia is the current Olympic champion with a big concentration of quality and is the biggest favorite for first place in the pool.
Karlis Lasmanis aka “Batman” has phenomenal collaboration and understanding with second Latvian star, Nauris Miezis. Their chemistry is very strong on the court and they are teammates in the Latvian team Riga. On their day, Nauris and Karlis together can beat everybody.
Karlis Lasmanis returned to the Riga roster in the World Tour after his debut season in Big3 was over. It’s a huge boost for the Latvian team and that means a lot for the Latvian national squad. Karlis will be in top form thanks to games he played in the Montreal Masters. Lasmanis reminded supporters why he is considered one of the best 3×3 basketball players in the world in Canada.
Poland is improving gradually and their bronze medal in Europe Cup 2021 was not a coincidence. Montenegro left a big impression on the 3×3 audience and will have its first-ever performance in the continental championship.
Belgium, Netherland, and Azerbaijan will compete in pool D.
Belgium and Netherland finished in fourth and fifth place respectively at Olympic Games 2022. According to experts, their fixtures will decide first place in the group. Neighbors often meet early in international competitions and it will be exciting to see who will come out as a winner.
3×3 basketball hype has reached a peak in Belgium for the last two years. Antwerp is the most recognizable Belgium team in the club competitions and has had success recently. Belgium can raise big expectations, for sure.
Belgium has her hope in this tournament expressed in two words – Thibaut Vervoort. “Must see TV” is really on fire and he is playing the 3×3 basketball of his life. His team Antwerp won recently the first Masters in its history on the wings of a famous Belgium player. Thibaut is looking peaceful, but Vervoort is a beast on the court.
Netherland is not among the biggest favorites to win the gold in the Euro Cup. This country has a great player in their squads, though. We are talking about Dimeo van der Horst, the player who can score easy buckets at any time. Dimeo is representing team Amsterdam in the World Tour 2022.
Azerbaijan will try to surprise them as an underdog in the pool.
In the women’s part of the draw, things are equally interesting as in men’s.
In the women’s competition, Germany, Austria, and Estonia will clash in group A.
Germany is among the favorites to win the gold in the Europe Cup 2022. They have the No.1 ranked player in the world – Sonja Greinacher. Germany is very ambitious and wants to win the gold after silver in the Europe Cup 2021.
France, Switzerland, and Romania will compete in pool B.
France is a World Champion from this year and came into this tournament with a desire to become a master of Europe also. If they do that, this country would become only third in 3×3 basketball history to clinch the trophies at Europe and World levels in the same year. Laetitia Guapo is in the squad and that’s why it doesn’t sound impossible.
Spain, Portugal, and Netherland will participate in group C.
Finally, defending champion Spain can not be written off from the list of favorites. Sandra Ygueravide, MVP from the last Europe Cup, is a guarantee of a good result.
Poland, Lithuania, and Cyprus are members of pool D.
Lithuania is also aiming for the gold and they have one reason to do that. Kamile Nacickaite, a Lithuanian star, is on fire right now.
The continental championship is very close and spectators can prepare to support their favorite countries. It has all the necessary ingredients for the best Euro Cup in history. All you can do is sit in the armchair, turn on the TV, and support your favorite team.
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