Ireland’s U20 men have recorded the country’s best-ever finish at the FIBA U20 Youth EuroBasket, completing a memorable campaign in Bratislava with fifth place in Division B.
Thomas Walsh’s team defeated Luxembourg 85-69 in Sunday’s classification game to finish the 21-nation tournament with five wins from seven matches. The result improved on Ireland’s previous best U20 men’s finish of seventh, achieved in 2025.
Luxembourg edged the opening quarter 22-20, but Ireland took control by winning the second period 26-13 and extending their advantage to 20 points before the final quarter.
The depth of the Irish performance was particularly impressive. Stanley Njekwe led the scoring with 20 points, while Gustas Pocevicius, Declan Gbinigie, Victor Okojie, Harry Scully and Fortune Igbokwe also reached double figures as Ireland closed out a convincing 16-point victory.
“To come away with a winning record at a FIBA Youth EuroBasket is challenging enough, but to come away with a 5-2 record is a testament to the character of these young men after two tough losses,” said head coach Thomas Walsh.
“These players earned every bit of that historic fifth-place finish. We are so proud of them.”
Ireland opened the tournament with a 69-56 victory over North Macedonia, with Okojie producing an outstanding 24-point performance.
A 90-58 defeat against Sweden followed, but Ireland recovered impressively. They overcame Azerbaijan 54-47 before producing one of their most convincing displays of the competition in an 86-49 victory over hosts Slovakia, securing second place in Group A and a place in the quarter-finals.
Ukraine awaited in the last eight, and Ireland remained firmly in contention after overturning a seven-point half-time deficit.
Points from Gbinigie, Igbokwe and Scully helped Ireland win the third quarter 19-8 and take a four-point advantage into the final period. Ukraine responded, however, with Maksym Hryshchuk inspiring a 29-15 final quarter that carried the eventual champions to a 72-62 victory.
Ireland responded strongly to that disappointment in the fifth-to-eighth-place classification bracket.
Pocevicius scored 21 points and supplied six assists as Ireland defeated Hungary 88-79. Walsh’s side led by 13 entering the fourth quarter and held their nerve as Hungary attempted a late recovery.
That set up the final-day meeting with Luxembourg, who had followed a similar route through the competition, losing only to Sweden and Ukraine before Sunday.
Scully and Okojie were central to Ireland’s success throughout the week. Scully averaged a team-leading 15.4 points and 4.6 assists per game, while Okojie averaged 14 points and 10.3 rebounds. Together, the pair contributed 206 points across Ireland’s seven matches.
The performance was far from reliant on two individuals, however, with Pocevicius, Igbokwe, Gbinigie, Njekwe and Adam Charles all making important contributions during the campaign.
There was also a significant domestic-development element to the achievement. Eight of Walsh’s original 12-player squad were playing their club basketball in Ireland, with seven Irish clubs represented. Njekwe and Okojie were among those developing their games in the United States.
Fifth place represents another important step forward for Ireland’s international underage programme and provides a strong indication of the talent progressing towards senior international basketball.
The team were wearing the logo of the 2K Foundation, which was announced on Sport for Business earlier in July as being a new partner for Basketball Ireland. Read More.
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Image Credit: Basketball Ireland
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