Eurobasket 1957
Encyclopedia
The 1957 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1957, was the tenth regional championship held by FIBA Europe
. Sixteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation
(FIBA) entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Bulgaria
. Vasil Levski National Stadium
at Sofia
was the location of the event.
Yugoslavia was the first of the pool leaders to take a loss in the final round, playing against Bulgaria, who had won their division.
Bulgaria continued to oust division leaders, knocking Czechoslovakia out of the undefeated group. Romania and the Soviet Union each defeated their second opponents, joining Bulgaria at the top of the pool.
The Soviet team pulled off a close win over the Czechoslovakian team that had broken the Soviets' lossless European championship start at 31 games. Romania lost a rematch with preliminary round opponent Hungary, as those two teams went to 2-1 behind the Soviets and Bulgarians, who had each maintained perfect records in their first three games.
Bulgaria and the Soviet Union each won their 7th game of the tournament and 4th of the final round, improving to 4-0. Hungary stayed close behind, at 3-1, with Romania and Czechoslovakia staying in contention at 2-2.
The Soviets and Bulgarians remained undefeated as Hungary, falling to Bulgaria, dropped to 2 games behind them at 3-2 along with Czechoslovakia.
Improving to 6-0 each, the Soviet Union and Bulgaria set up a match between the two of them that would determine the championship in the seventh and final game of the round.
The Soviet Union trailed by 4 points at halftime in their decisive game against Bulgaria. The second half saw an explosion of scoring, with the Soviets adding 41 points in the frame to the 19 they had in the first half. Bulgaria wasn't able to maintain the pace, scoring only 34 in the second half to fall to the Soviets 60-57. Poland picked up their first win of the final round, defeating France, who fell to 0-7.
, Valdis Muižnieks
, Maigonis Valdmanis
, Guram Minashvili, Yuri Ozerov, Mikhail Semyonov
, Arkady Bochkarov, Stasys Stonkus
, Vladimir Torban, Algirdas Lauritėnas, Mart Laga, Mikhail Studenetski (Coach: Stepan Spandarian)
2.Bulgaria: Viktor Radev, Georgi Panov, Ilija Mirchev, Ljubomir Panov, Cvjatko Barchovski, Petko Lazarov, Mikhail Semov, Georgi Kanev, Vladimir Ganchev, Metodi Tomovski, Konstantin Totev, Atanas Pejchinski (Coach: Ljudmil Katerinski)
3.Czechoslovakia: Jiri Baumruk, Zdenek Bobrovsky, Miroslav Skerik, Jaroslav Sip, Boris Lukasik, Zdenek Rylich, Jaroslav Tetiva, Lubomir Kolar, Milan Merkl, Jiri Tetiva, Jaroslav Chocholac, Nikolaj Ordnung (Coach: Gustav Hermann)
4.Hungary: Janos Greminger
, Laszlo Toth, Tibor Zsiros
, Laszlo Banhegyi, Janos Bencze, Janos Simon
, Laszlo Gabanyi, Tibor Czinkan
, Istvan Sahin-Toth, Ervin Keszey, Zoltan Judik, Pal Borbely, Istvan Liptai (Coach: Zoltan Csanyi)
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which includes all 49 national European basketball federations.-Division A:-Division B: -Division C:...
. Sixteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation
International Basketball Federation
The International Basketball Federation, more commonly known as FIBA , from its French name Fédération Internationale de Basketball, is an association of national organizations which governs international competition in basketball...
(FIBA) entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. Vasil Levski National Stadium
Vasil Levski National Stadium
Vasil Levski National Stadium , named after Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski, is one of Bulgaria's largest sports venues and the country's second largest stadium...
at Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
was the location of the event.
Final rankings
Preliminary round
In the preliminary round, the 16 teams were split up into four groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group advanced to the final round to play for the first 8 places, while the bottom two were sent to the classification round to play for 9th through 16th.Group A
| Rank | Team | Pts | W | L | PF | PA | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 273 | 142 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 244 | 175 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 148 | 259 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 136 | 225 | ||
| Czechoslovakia | 123 - 44 | Scotland |
| Albania | 57 - 89 | Yugoslavia |
| Yugoslavia | 94 - 39 | Scotland |
| Czechoslovakia | 71 - 37 | Albania |
| Scotland | 65 - 42 | Albania |
| Czechoslovakia | 79 - 61 | Yugoslavia |
Group B
| Rank | Team | Pts | W | L | PF | PA | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 270 | 158 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 188 | 171 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 179 | 192 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 133 | 249 | ||
| Soviet Union | 107 - 38 | Austria |
| Poland | 55 - 50 | Turkey |
| Turkey | 80 - 57 | Austria |
| Soviet Union | 83 - 71 | Poland |
| Austria | 38 - 62 | Poland |
| Soviet Union | 80 - 49 | Turkey |
Group C
| Rank | Team | Pts | W | L | PF | PA | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 239 | 155 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 196 | 165 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 177 | 185 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 149 | 256 | ||
| Bulgaria | 67 - 52 | France |
| West Germany | 52 - 73 | Italy |
| Bulgaria | 72 - 45 | Italy |
| France | 83 - 39 | West Germany |
| Italy | 59 - 61 | France |
| Bulgaria | 100 - 58 | West Germany |
Group D
| Rank | Team | Pts | W | L | PF | PA | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 200 | 154 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 205 | 183 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 187 | 207 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 169 | 217 | ||
| Hungary | 66 - 65 | Romania |
| Finland | 76 - 74 | Belgium |
| Hungary | 50 - 39 | Finland |
| Belgium | 45 - 57 | Romania |
| Romania | 83 - 72 | Finland |
| Hungary | 84 - 50 | Belgium |
Classification round
For the first time, the classification round, like the final round, was played as an 8-team round robin, with no further playoffs.| Rank | Team | Pts | W | L | PF | PA | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 525 | 364 | ||
| 10 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 500 | 350 | ||
| 11 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 499 | 435 | ||
| 12 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 473 | 461 | ||
| 13 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 342 | 364 | ||
| 14 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 342 | 364 | ||
| 15 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 368 | 492 | ||
| 16 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 340 | 559 | ||
| Italy | 91 - 50 | Belgium |
| Finland | 61 - 47 | West Germany |
| Scotland | 69 - 56 | Albania |
| Turkey | 59 - 42 | Austria |
| Turkey | 83 - 70 | Belgium |
| Finland | 53 - 51 | Austria |
| West Germany | 72 - 43 | Albania |
| Scotland | 47 - 91 | Italy |
| West Germany | 37 - 57 | Italy |
| Turkey | 100 - 54 | Scotland |
| Austria | 58 - 70 | Belgium |
| Finland | 91 - 42 | Albania |
| Finland | 84 - 67 | Belgium |
| Austria | 48 - 47 | Scotland |
| Albania | 42 - 82 | Italy |
| West Germany | 33 - 54 | Turkey |
| Finland | 87 - 97 | Italy |
| Albania | 64 - 97 | Turkey |
| Austria | 55 - 58 | West Germany |
| Belgium | 76 - 51 | Scotland |
| Turkey | 57 - 50 | Italy |
| Belgium | 50 - 46 | West Germany |
| Finland | 72 - 56 | Scotland |
| Albania | 45 - 58 | Austria |
| Finland | 51 - 75 | Turkey |
| Belgium | 90 - 48 | Albania |
| Italy | 32 - 30 | Austria |
| Scotland | 44 - 49 | West Germany |
Final round
The final round was played as an 8-team round robin, with no further playoffs.| Rank | Team | Pts | W | L | PF | PA | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 537 | 409 | ||
| 2 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 510 | 456 | ||
| 3 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 505 | 458 | ||
| 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 480 | 433 | ||
| 5 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 440 | 462 | ||
| 6 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 476 | 584 | ||
| 7 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 456 | 518 | ||
| 8 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 417 | 501 | ||
| France | 53 - 83 | Soviet Union |
| Czechoslovakia | 65 - 62 | Hungary |
| Poland | 66 - 70 | Romania |
| Bulgaria | 99 - 76 | Yugoslavia |
Yugoslavia was the first of the pool leaders to take a loss in the final round, playing against Bulgaria, who had won their division.
| Poland | 63 - 77 | Hungary |
| France | 45 - 65 | Romania |
| Soviet Union | 97 - 61 | Yugoslavia |
| Bulgaria | 82 - 80 | Czechoslovakia |
Bulgaria continued to oust division leaders, knocking Czechoslovakia out of the undefeated group. Romania and the Soviet Union each defeated their second opponents, joining Bulgaria at the top of the pool.
| Poland | 69 - 74 | Bulgaria |
| Romania | 61 - 76 | Hungary |
| France | 72 - 75 | Yugoslavia |
| Soviet Union | 62 - 60 | Czechoslovakia |
The Soviet team pulled off a close win over the Czechoslovakian team that had broken the Soviets' lossless European championship start at 31 games. Romania lost a rematch with preliminary round opponent Hungary, as those two teams went to 2-1 behind the Soviets and Bulgarians, who had each maintained perfect records in their first three games.
| Yugoslavia | 74 - 95 | Czechoslovakia |
| France | 58 - 81 | Hungary |
| Soviet Union | 86 - 64 | Poland |
| Romania | 54 - 67 | Bulgaria |
Bulgaria and the Soviet Union each won their 7th game of the tournament and 4th of the final round, improving to 4-0. Hungary stayed close behind, at 3-1, with Romania and Czechoslovakia staying in contention at 2-2.
| Yugoslavia | 69 - 68 | Poland |
| Romania | 63 - 87 | Soviet Union |
| France | 62 - 64 | Czechoslovakia |
| Hungary | 52 - 63 | Bulgaria |
The Soviets and Bulgarians remained undefeated as Hungary, falling to Bulgaria, dropped to 2 games behind them at 3-2 along with Czechoslovakia.
| France | 65 - 68 | Bulgaria |
| Czechoslovakia | 80 - 61 | Poland |
| Yugoslavia | 60 - 72 | Romania |
| Hungary | 51 - 62 | Soviet Union |
Improving to 6-0 each, the Soviet Union and Bulgaria set up a match between the two of them that would determine the championship in the seventh and final game of the round.
| Hungary | 81 - 61 | Yugoslavia |
| Czechoslovakia | 61 - 55 | Romania |
| France | 62 - 65 | Poland |
| Bulgaria | 57 - 60 | Soviet Union |
The Soviet Union trailed by 4 points at halftime in their decisive game against Bulgaria. The second half saw an explosion of scoring, with the Soviets adding 41 points in the frame to the 19 they had in the first half. Bulgaria wasn't able to maintain the pace, scoring only 34 in the second half to fall to the Soviets 60-57. Poland picked up their first win of the final round, defeating France, who fell to 0-7.
Team rosters
1.Soviet Union: Viktor ZubkovViktor Zubkov (basketball)
Victor Alekseyevich Zubkov is a retired Soviet basketball player considered one of the most distinguished players of Soviet and European basketball in the '50s and '60s, who won two silver medals at the Olympics for the Soviet national team....
, Valdis Muižnieks
Valdis Muiznieks
Valdis Muižnieks is a retired Latvian basketball player.He played for ASK Riga and won 3 Euroleague titles and 4 national championships ....
, Maigonis Valdmanis
Maigonis Valdmanis
Maigonis Valdmanis was a Latvian basketball player. He was born in Riga.He played for ASK Riga and won 3 Euroleague titles and 4 national championships ....
, Guram Minashvili, Yuri Ozerov, Mikhail Semyonov
Mikhail Semyonov
Mikhail Vladimirovich Semyonov , is a former Russian basketball player. As a member of the Soviet Union national basketball team he competed at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, winning two silver medals.-References:...
, Arkady Bochkarov, Stasys Stonkus
Stasys Stonkus
Stanislovas "Stasys" Stonkus is a retired Soviet present day Lithuanian basketball player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was born in Telšiai. In 1954, he graduated from the Lithuanian National Physical Education Institute...
, Vladimir Torban, Algirdas Lauritėnas, Mart Laga, Mikhail Studenetski (Coach: Stepan Spandarian)
2.Bulgaria: Viktor Radev, Georgi Panov, Ilija Mirchev, Ljubomir Panov, Cvjatko Barchovski, Petko Lazarov, Mikhail Semov, Georgi Kanev, Vladimir Ganchev, Metodi Tomovski, Konstantin Totev, Atanas Pejchinski (Coach: Ljudmil Katerinski)
3.Czechoslovakia: Jiri Baumruk, Zdenek Bobrovsky, Miroslav Skerik, Jaroslav Sip, Boris Lukasik, Zdenek Rylich, Jaroslav Tetiva, Lubomir Kolar, Milan Merkl, Jiri Tetiva, Jaroslav Chocholac, Nikolaj Ordnung (Coach: Gustav Hermann)
4.Hungary: Janos Greminger
János Greminger
János Greminger was a Hungarian basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was born in Szeged.He was part of the Hungarian basketball team, which was eliminated after the group stage of the 1952 tournament. He played all six matches...
, Laszlo Toth, Tibor Zsiros
Tibor Zsíros
Tibor Zsíros is a Hungarian former basketball player who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics and in the 1952 Summer Olympics....
, Laszlo Banhegyi, Janos Bencze, Janos Simon
János Simon
János Simon was a Hungarian basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and 1960 Summer Olympics. He was born in Budapest-Budafok....
, Laszlo Gabanyi, Tibor Czinkan
Tibor Czinkán
Tibor Czinkán was a Hungarian basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics.He was part of the Hungarian basketball team, which was eliminated after the group stage of the 1952 tournament. He played five matches....
, Istvan Sahin-Toth, Ervin Keszey, Zoltan Judik, Pal Borbely, Istvan Liptai (Coach: Zoltan Csanyi)