Coach Šlesers: U-16 gold built on team unity, Beruē ready for senior national team

Latvia's U-16 men's basketball team was welcomed home in Riga on Sunday at the Daugava Sports House after winning a historic gold medal at the European U-16 Championship, defeating France 75:69 in the final a day earlier. It marks the first title of this kind in Latvian basketball history at this age level.

Head coach Edijs Šlesers told reporters he only learned about the homecoming reception while still on the plane and did not expect such a large turnout of supporters, despite the team having had only three hours of sleep on the bus journey back.

Entire squad contributed

The coach stressed that the team's success was not built solely on its leading players but on contributions from all 12 members of the squad. He noted that different players stood out at different moments, both offensively and defensively, allowing the team to adapt to varied opponents. Šlesers used nearly all 12 players in the rotation across all seven tournament games, explaining that preparation was designed so every player would be ready to contribute when needed, since the goal was to win seven games, not just one.

Beruē named tournament MVP

Team leader Bendžamins Jānis Beruē was named the tournament's most valuable player. Šlesers revealed he had warned Beruē before the championship that opponents would try to double- or triple-team him, which was especially evident in the game against Serbia, where Beruē scored 12 points and added nine assists, focusing more on setting up teammates.

The coach expressed confidence that Beruē would already be capable of joining Latvia's senior national basketball team, saying the only real challenge might be adapting to tactical nuances. He added that Beruē's ability to quickly read opponents and his clear basketball thinking mean he could already fill some role within the senior squad.