Latvia’s U16 team reaches Euro final; Šlesers praises collective leadership

Latvia’s U16 basketball team has reached the final of the European Championship after defeating Spain in the semifinals. Head coach Edijs Šlesers told Sportacentrs.com after the game that the mood inside the camp is positive but grounded. He said the players are happy, yet they are not getting carried away because the decisive match is still ahead.

Latvia will face France in the final. Šlesers admitted that his team does not yet have a detailed picture of the French side, but the preparations will begin now. The coaching staff will shift focus to the next opponent and make sure the players are ready.

The coach highlighted that the win over Spain was not achieved by the usual stars alone. While Bendžamins Jānis Beruē and Markuss Jahovičs made an impact, Markuss Aleksandrovs, Gustavs Vilcāns, Rolands Teikmanis and Matīss Preimanis also stepped up. Šlesers said he was not surprised by those contributions, because the team has always encouraged every player to take on leadership from time to time. He explained that training is designed to give everyone opportunities to play, so no one is left on the sidelines.

Speaking about Beruē, Šlesers noted that the player tried to speed things up early in the game and could have shown more patience, especially since the Spanish defense paid extra attention to him. However, the coach stressed that only those who do nothing make no mistakes, and Beruē did a lot for the team. He spent plenty of time with the ball and performed at an extremely high level, so, apart from the turnovers, there is little to criticize.