Head coach 'proud' of historic fifth place for Ireland U20s at Youth EuroBasket

Ireland finished with a 5-2 record in Division B

The fifth place finish at the Fiba U20 Youth EuroBasket Division B tournament was Ireland's best ever performance at the grade. Pic: Basketball Ireland

Ireland's men earned their best ever finish at the Fiba U20 Youth EuroBasket tournament with a 85-69 victory over Luxembourg in the fifth-sixth place playoff.

Thomas Walsh's side finished with a 5-2 record in the Division B section, which was played in Bratislava. They were powered by some notable performances from Harry Scully and Victor Okojie who combined for over 200 points across the seven games.

"To come away with a winning record at a Fiba Youth EuroBasket is challenging enough, but to come way with a 5-2 record is a testament to the character of these young men after two tough losses," said head coach Walsh. "These players earned every bit of that historic fifth place finish. We are so proud of them."

Ireland were drawn in Group A alongside North Macedonia, Sweden, Azerbaijan, and Slovakia with a top two finish securing a quarter-final spot. 

Ireland kick-started their campaign with a 69-56 win over North Macedonia, where Victor Okojie scored 24 points. A loss against semi-finalists Sweden and convincing wins against Azerbaijan and Slovakia sent Ireland straight into the quarter-finals to face Ukraine.

Ireland trailed by seven points at half-time against Ukraine, but the squad hit the third quarter running with clutch points from Declan Gbinigie, Fortune Igbokwe and Harry Scully to send Ireland in front by four. Ukraine’s Maksym Hryshchuk took charge of the game in the fourth, leading his squad to a ten-point victory, sending Ireland to the 5-8 classification games. Ukraine went on to win the tournament, securing promotion to Division A.

Gustas Pocevicius starred for Ireland in their clash with Hungary in the 5-8 classification game, pulling Ireland into a 13-point lead before the final quarter. The Meath man boasted 21 points and six assists in Ireland’s win, guiding his country to the final classification game against Luxembourg.

Luxembourg and Ireland took similar paths to the final day, only losing to Sweden and Ukraine on the way. After Luxembourg took a two-point lead in the first quarter, Ireland turned the screw and launched an incredible offensive display. Pocevicius, Gbinigie, Okojie, Scully and Igbokwe all reached double-digits in points, earning Walsh’s Ireland a fifth place finish.

IRELAND U20 SQUAD 

Adam Charles (Éanna BC), Darragh Horkan (Limerick Sport Eagles), Declan Gbinigie (Titans BC/University of Galway), Fortune Igbokwe (Titans BC/University of Galway), Nathan Gbinigie (Titans BC), Dylan O’Rourke (Neptune BC), Franciszck Chmielecki (Drogheda Wolves), Gustas Pocevicius (Moy Tolka Rovers), Harry Scully (Dublin Lions), Stanley Njekwe (Post University, USA), Victor Okojie (UMass Lowell, USA) , Cillian O'Connell (Portlaoise Panthers)