Nilsen: EuroBasket's Ageless Wonders
To quote American author Mark Twain, ‘Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.'
On any level such wise words should give us all some comfort as we start counting the wrinkles. Especially those of you who, like me, are at that pivotal age and contemplating hanging up the basketball shoes for good and retiring from the amateur game.
Having recently found myself emitting the first of what I know will be a lifetime of painful groans when having to bend down to do pretty much anything, let alone picking an actual basketball, the philosophy of Twain is helpful although only up until a point.
I recently found myself desperately in need of something a little more tangible to convince myself to continue playing and suddenly it dawned on me that there will of course be a fair sprinkling of veteran players at EuroBasket 2009 - all of whom will have a significant impact on the success of their respective national teams.
These guys can give me the inspiration I need to deflect to the ‘grandad' jibes I find myself being subjected to in the locker room nowadays and provide useful ammunition against my more youthful team-mates by proving that being a good player is about more than just flashy moves.
The most important factor is the influence you still have on your team and that havinng already passed the milestone of 30 doesn't necessarily mean you are destined for the basketball scrapheap.
Time to give some deserved respect to this selection of Poland bound veterans.
Vrbica Stefanov, FYR of Macedonia (35 years old)
Vrbica Stefanov is a legend of the game in the FYR of Macedonia and the playmaker will end his glittering career at EuroBasket 2009 having already retired from club basketball last summer to prepare himself for this one last hurrah.
This five time Macedonian sportsman of the year is the leader of the team and there are few point guards with the ability to influence a team the way that Stefanov does.
He is a legend of Macedonian basketball and often spoken about in the same breath as other greats like Petar Naumoski reflected by the decision of Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski earlier this year to hand the guard a deserved medal for the service he has given to his country.
Stefanov has played at the highest level in Europe and picked up silverware in Italy and Greece as well as All Star status to underline his terrific ability. The wily Stefanov will penetrate with unerring regularity and find his team-mates on the perimeter at will.
Having also led the side in scoring during qualification with 15 points, it is clear that he has lost none of his ability with age and it seems like a perfect time for Stefanov to take his bow having also been influential in his previous EuroBasket appearance exactly a decade ago.
In fact he is so old in basketball terms that back in 2007 before the last EuroBasket in Spain, when hoping to secure a place in the tournament via the additional qualifying round, his own Coach Jovica Arsic explained "This is the last chance for Vrbica Stefanov to be a part of a major tournament."
On that day it looked like his typical contribution of 18 points had sealed the deal but unfortunately, FYR of Macedonia did not get their place.
However Stefanov proved his coach wrong. It wasn't his last chance and two years later, he is back at another EuroBasket for real and raring to get onto court.
It will be fascinating to see that if having not played for a club at the top level this season he will be able to turn it back on like a tap in Poland. You wouldn't be against him.
Igor Rakocevic, Serbia (31 years old)
One of the most dominant and if not the most dominant player in Europe this season, ‘Rako' is back in a Serbia vest. If he plays well and leads the team in the backcourt, then Serbia have every chance of having a great tournament, such is the influence of this mesmeric guard who has got even better with age.
Club coach Dusko Ivanovic has taken the ball out of his hands and pushed him almost exclusively into the shooting guard slot and it has paid amazing dividends having enjoyed a stellar season in Spain with TAU Ceramica.
Idolised by the Baskonia fans, Rakocevic scooped the Euroleague MVP award across the regular season and just missed out on being crowned player of the year in the ACB, widely recognized as being the best league outside of the NBA.
This is a veteran shooter who can be devastating when he gets hot, and will arrive in Poland having enjoyed arguably the best season of his career with many feeling he has taken his game to the next level.
Nothing seems to faze him and he has developed into a genuine backcourt go to guy. A great option in crunch time, he loves the big occasion and has the ability to get regularly to the hoop as well as drill triples.
Crucially, ‘Rako' can also pull up and make jump shots which make him so difficult to defend. While his NBA career never took off, he is universally recognised as one of the best talents in Europe with a long list of domestic titles to his name.
This is one ‘golden oldie' in more ways than one having already pocketed a winners medal with Yugoslavia back in 2001 and is a potential MVP if Serbia do well.
Meir Tapiro, Israel (34 years old)
Having played all but one season of his career in his home country, Tapiro is not exactly a household name whole of Europe but perhaps he should be.
He is a player that has captained his country and rather staggeringly, will be playing in his sixth EuroBasket tournament.
To say Israel had a roller-coaster qualifying campaign would be the under statement of the year and the one person who really dug them out of an almighty hole and helped book their place in Poland was Tapiro.
Always operating in the shadow of Euroleague stars like Eliyahu and Halperin, the rangy guard averaged 13.5 points and was the MVP in two of three critical group wins against Great Britain and the Czech Republic when he recorded 27 and 24 points respectively.
The Bnei Hasheron star is still licking his wounds from an early exit in the Israel play-offs but when it comes to the National team, I am expecting him to show the devastating kind of shooting that he showed during qualifying.
A leader and hugely underrated, keep an eye on Tapiro who will do the veteran brigade proud at this years tournament.
Nate Reinking, Great Britain (35 years old)
A relative unknown outside of Great Britain and Belgium, the guard is a trusty lieutenant of Coach Finch and has been one of the driving forces behind the incredible rise to prominence of the newest team on the Euro block.
Reinking is one of only a couple of players on the GB roster that has been an ever present since the very start of a remarkable journey from Division B.
While it is certainly not rare for coaches at every level and indeed in most sports to have favourites, there are few relationships as close knit as that between Reinking and Finch.
The sharp shooter has followed Finch around at club level ever since linking up with the play caller in the British Basketball League (BBL) many years ago.
Finch handed American born Reinking the naturalised spot and has since been faithful to him with the guard playing over 30 minutes in five of those games.
He also repaid the trust shown in him by averaging almost 13 points with an incredible 75% floor shooting percentage inside the arc.
When it comes to EuroBasket 2009, everyone outside of British basketball is putting two and two together and coming up with five by simply believing the introduction of Chicago Bulls shooter Ben Gordon into the roster means he will now be the main man alongside club team mate Deng.
Wrong. It will take more than an NBA star to break up the bond that exists between Reinking and Finch and while his minutes may dip slightly, don't expect Ben Gordon to diminish the incredible influence that Reinking has had on this GB team.
This is one veteran who has been on the journey to EuroBasket 2009 right from the start and will surely be there at the finish.
To quote American author Mark Twain, ‘Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.'
On any level such wise words should give us all some comfort as we start counting the wrinkles. Especially those of you who, like me, are at that pivotal age and contemplating hanging up the basketball shoes for good and retiring from the amateur game.
Having recently found myself emitting the first of what I know will be a lifetime of painful groans when having to bend down to do pretty much anything, let alone picking an actual basketball, the philosophy of Twain is helpful although only up until a point.
I recently found myself desperately in need of something a little more tangible to convince myself to continue playing and suddenly it dawned on me that there will of course be a fair sprinkling of veteran players at EuroBasket 2009 - all of whom will have a significant impact on the success of their respective national teams.
These guys can give me the inspiration I need to deflect to the ‘grandad' jibes I find myself being subjected to in the locker room nowadays and provide useful ammunition against my more youthful team-mates by proving that being a good player is about more than just flashy moves.
The most important factor is the influence you still have on your team and that havinng already passed the milestone of 30 doesn't necessarily mean you are destined for the basketball scrapheap.
Time to give some deserved respect to this selection of Poland bound veterans.
Vrbica Stefanov, FYR of Macedonia (35 years old)
Vrbica Stefanov is a legend of the game in the FYR of Macedonia and the playmaker will end his glittering career at EuroBasket 2009 having already retired from club basketball last summer to prepare himself for this one last hurrah.
This five time Macedonian sportsman of the year is the leader of the team and there are few point guards with the ability to influence a team the way that Stefanov does.
He is a legend of Macedonian basketball and often spoken about in the same breath as other greats like Petar Naumoski reflected by the decision of Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski earlier this year to hand the guard a deserved medal for the service he has given to his country.
Stefanov has played at the highest level in Europe and picked up silverware in Italy and Greece as well as All Star status to underline his terrific ability. The wily Stefanov will penetrate with unerring regularity and find his team-mates on the perimeter at will.
Having also led the side in scoring during qualification with 15 points, it is clear that he has lost none of his ability with age and it seems like a perfect time for Stefanov to take his bow having also been influential in his previous EuroBasket appearance exactly a decade ago.
In fact he is so old in basketball terms that back in 2007 before the last EuroBasket in Spain, when hoping to secure a place in the tournament via the additional qualifying round, his own Coach Jovica Arsic explained "This is the last chance for Vrbica Stefanov to be a part of a major tournament."
On that day it looked like his typical contribution of 18 points had sealed the deal but unfortunately, FYR of Macedonia did not get their place.
However Stefanov proved his coach wrong. It wasn't his last chance and two years later, he is back at another EuroBasket for real and raring to get onto court.
It will be fascinating to see that if having not played for a club at the top level this season he will be able to turn it back on like a tap in Poland. You wouldn't be against him.
Igor Rakocevic, Serbia (31 years old)
One of the most dominant and if not the most dominant player in Europe this season, ‘Rako' is back in a Serbia vest. If he plays well and leads the team in the backcourt, then Serbia have every chance of having a great tournament, such is the influence of this mesmeric guard who has got even better with age.
Club coach Dusko Ivanovic has taken the ball out of his hands and pushed him almost exclusively into the shooting guard slot and it has paid amazing dividends having enjoyed a stellar season in Spain with TAU Ceramica.
Idolised by the Baskonia fans, Rakocevic scooped the Euroleague MVP award across the regular season and just missed out on being crowned player of the year in the ACB, widely recognized as being the best league outside of the NBA.
This is a veteran shooter who can be devastating when he gets hot, and will arrive in Poland having enjoyed arguably the best season of his career with many feeling he has taken his game to the next level.
Nothing seems to faze him and he has developed into a genuine backcourt go to guy. A great option in crunch time, he loves the big occasion and has the ability to get regularly to the hoop as well as drill triples.
Crucially, ‘Rako' can also pull up and make jump shots which make him so difficult to defend. While his NBA career never took off, he is universally recognised as one of the best talents in Europe with a long list of domestic titles to his name.
This is one ‘golden oldie' in more ways than one having already pocketed a winners medal with Yugoslavia back in 2001 and is a potential MVP if Serbia do well.
Meir Tapiro, Israel (34 years old)
Having played all but one season of his career in his home country, Tapiro is not exactly a household name whole of Europe but perhaps he should be.
He is a player that has captained his country and rather staggeringly, will be playing in his sixth EuroBasket tournament.
To say Israel had a roller-coaster qualifying campaign would be the under statement of the year and the one person who really dug them out of an almighty hole and helped book their place in Poland was Tapiro.
Always operating in the shadow of Euroleague stars like Eliyahu and Halperin, the rangy guard averaged 13.5 points and was the MVP in two of three critical group wins against Great Britain and the Czech Republic when he recorded 27 and 24 points respectively.
The Bnei Hasheron star is still licking his wounds from an early exit in the Israel play-offs but when it comes to the National team, I am expecting him to show the devastating kind of shooting that he showed during qualifying.
A leader and hugely underrated, keep an eye on Tapiro who will do the veteran brigade proud at this years tournament.
Nate Reinking, Great Britain (35 years old)
A relative unknown outside of Great Britain and Belgium, the guard is a trusty lieutenant of Coach Finch and has been one of the driving forces behind the incredible rise to prominence of the newest team on the Euro block.
Reinking is one of only a couple of players on the GB roster that has been an ever present since the very start of a remarkable journey from Division B.
While it is certainly not rare for coaches at every level and indeed in most sports to have favourites, there are few relationships as close knit as that between Reinking and Finch.
The sharp shooter has followed Finch around at club level ever since linking up with the play caller in the British Basketball League (BBL) many years ago.
Finch handed American born Reinking the naturalised spot and has since been faithful to him with the guard playing over 30 minutes in five of those games.
He also repaid the trust shown in him by averaging almost 13 points with an incredible 75% floor shooting percentage inside the arc.
When it comes to EuroBasket 2009, everyone outside of British basketball is putting two and two together and coming up with five by simply believing the introduction of Chicago Bulls shooter Ben Gordon into the roster means he will now be the main man alongside club team mate Deng.
Wrong. It will take more than an NBA star to break up the bond that exists between Reinking and Finch and while his minutes may dip slightly, don't expect Ben Gordon to diminish the incredible influence that Reinking has had on this GB team.
This is one veteran who has been on the journey to EuroBasket 2009 right from the start and will surely be there at the finish.
Tapiro retired some days ago right?
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