Category: National Teams

Bonnici Selects Squad for FIBA Women’s European Championship for Small Countries in Kosovo

Malta to play against hosts Kosovo, Georgia, and Cyprus in Group A

The excitement is building as Malta’s women’s national team, under the leadership of newly-appointed coach Charles Bonnici, prepares to compete in the FIBA Women’s European Championship for Small Countries in Kosovo. This prestigious tournament will see Malta face off against formidable opponents in Group A: the host nation Kosovo, Georgia, and Cyprus.

Malta will kick off their campaign against Kosovo on Tuesday, June 25, at 20.30 in Pristina. The team will then face Georgia on Wednesday at 15:30, followed by their final group match against Cyprus on Thursday at 18:00. The semi-finals and classification matches are set for Saturday and Sunday, June 29-30.

This championship marks Bonnici’s first official games since he took the reins of the women’s national basketball team in January. Training began last month with small groups of players, gradually intensifying over the past four weeks. Bonnici has been impressed with the team’s dedication and hard work.

“The players are very dedicated, they give their all in training and I can’t ask for more,” Bonnici stated.

“The preparations are on track. We have worked on the tactical, technical, and physical aspects, and the players’ commitment has been flawless.”

Bonnici’s 12-strong squad for this challenging tournament is ready to take on some strong competitors, starting with their opening game against the hosts, Kosovo.

“Our first game is against Kosovo, the hosts,” Bonnici explained, “Georgia are also strong while we know the level of Cyprus from last year’s GSSE. Gathering information about our opponents is also a challenge but we are doing our utmost to prepare for this tournament in the best way possible.

“We know it’s going to be tough but we have to aim as high as possible… we hope to achieve a top-four finish. The first game is very important for us since it’s the top fixture against the home team on the opening day of the tournament. If we manage to win this game, it would enhance our morale as well as our chances of a top-four placing.”

Bonnici’s optimism and strategic planning are pivotal as the team gears up for these high-stakes matches. His confidence in the squad’s abilities and their preparation efforts are echoed in his selections.

Malta Women’s Squad

  • Sophie Abela (Depiro)
  • Claire Ciantar (Depiro)
  • Kristy Galea (Depiro)
  • Mikela Riolo (Starlites)
  • Maria Bonett (Starlites)
  • Stephanie De Martino (Starlites)
  • Michela Zammit Cordina (Starlites)
  • Ylenia Bonett (DBB LZ, Austria)
  • Marie Buhagiar (Hibernians)
  • Josephine Diaby (Luxol)
  • Danika Galea (Elite Roma, Italy)
  • Amber Melgoza (AE Sedis Basquet, Spain)
featured image for an article about the Malta National Team.

Fenech Selects Squad for FIBA European Championship for Small Countries 2024

Malta to face hosts Andorra, Gibraltar, and San Marino

The Malta men’s national team is gearing up for the 2024 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, set to take place in Andorra from June 25 to 30. This marks the first official games for Malta under the new head coach, Duncan Fenech, who took the reins in February.

In preparation for the tournament, Fenech has meticulously overseen the training of an initial squad of 18 players, recently narrowed down to the final 12. The team is set to depart for Andorra on Sunday, with high hopes for the championship.

Commenting on the build-up to the tournament, Fenech emphasized the importance of team unity and balance.

“The team’s preparations have been optimal. Our main focus was on achieving the right balance and a sense of unity within a group of players coming from different clubs, keeping in mind that they have not had many opportunities to play together over the past few months,” he said.

Fenech highlighted the reliance on local players for this tournament as a key consideration.

“We are relying mostly on local players for this tournament and that was another consideration we have taken into account in our preparations for this competition,” he noted.

The team has engaged in several friendly matches, demonstrating notable progress.

“We anticipated a tough start to these friendlies, but the team showed improvement from game to game. Overall, I’m satisfied with the progress of our preparations,” Fenech added.

Malta’s campaign in Group A will commence against Gibraltar on Tuesday, June 25 at 17:00hrs. They will then face San Marino on Wednesday at the same time, followed by their final group game against hosts Andorra on Thursday at 19:30hrs. The semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday, with the third-place game and the final set for Sunday.

We need to approach this challenge with the right mindset, knowing that we need to work very hard to win games and boost our chances of winning gold.

Duncan Fenech

Fenech stressed the importance of the right attitude and commitment from his players to achieve their goal of winning gold.

“In a way, it adds to the pressure since this is a short tournament where we will be playing against teams that are relatively not at the top of the bracket,” he explained, “We need to approach this challenge with the right mindset, knowing that we need to work very hard to win games and boost our chances of winning gold.”

The Malta Basketball Association expressed gratitude to Sport Malta for their continuous support, which has been instrumental in the team’s preparations.

MALTA SQUAD

  • Matthew Scerri, Ian Felice Pace, Alec Felice Pace, Kurt Xuereb (all Starlites)
  • Miguel Brincat (Depiro)
  • Nathan Xuereb (Luxol)
  • David Bugeja (Mellieha Libertas)
  • Neil Cassar (Valletta Fighters)
  • Kurt Cassar (NPC Rieti, Italy)
  • Sam Deguara (Taiwan Mustangs, Taiwan)
  • Michael Sjoberg (Monthey-Chablais, Switzerland)
  • Joshua Tomasi (Casey Cavaliers Cranbourne, Australia)

Malta bow out of FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup qualifiers after falling to favourites in knockout stages

Women’s national team secures semifinal finish, men end campaign in quarterfinals

Malta’s women’s 3×3 national team levelled their previous best finish in the FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup qualifiers as they bowed out after a loss to tournament favourites Azerbaijan in the semifinals on Sunday.

The 15-10 defeat came after a tough 21-15 loss to Luxembourg in the final Pool A fixture and a stunning 17-13 victory against Ireland later in the day.

Meanwhile, Malta’s men’s 3×3 national team ended their FIBA Europe Cup qualifiers campaign with a historic win against Luxembourg and defeat to Cyprus in the quarterfinals.

In a fixture originally listed for Saturday evening, Malta and Luxembourg’s women’s teams were both looking for their first win in the tournament. While it was Luxembourg’s opening game of the weekend, Malta had already lost to Azerbaijan on Saturday.

Malta suffers close defeats in FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup qualifying openers

In spite of a brave showing, Malta had to settle for a second-straight defeat as Luxembourg proved to be the stronger side and leapfrogged the Maltese into a guaranteed two-pool finish.

In the quarterfinals, Malta were pitted against Pool B runners-up Ireland. 

The Irish kickstarted the scoring with an and-one before a Kristy Galea long-ranger to tie things up. This parity lasted just a few seconds as Ireland pushed back up to cause a four-point separation before Sophie Abela and Steffi De Martino bagged Malta’s next points.

De Martino was again up for the task from deep to level terms before Danika Galea switched leads with 4.19 to go. This was the spark Malta needed as they continued to surge ahead and progressed into the semifinals.

Against Azerbaijan, Malta faced a tough replay from day one. Sophie Abela hit from the line to open Malta’s scoring before De Martino hit from deep to tie the game after a quick Azeri start.

Azerbaijan surged forward with several long-distance efforts and they benefited from wasted opportunities from the Malta offence, but De Martino and Danika Galea combined to keep the game at just a three-point difference.

Nevertheless, Azerbaijan settled the game with another two points for a five-point victory and a ticket to the final.

A team photo of the Malta's 3x3 men's national team.
Malta’s 3×3 men’s national team in Kosovo.

Men’s quarterfinal finish

In the men’s competition, Malta celebrated their first victory in the 3×3 competition when they beat Luxembourg in the final Pool A game on Sunday.

In the morning fixture, also delayed after rain on Saturday, Luxembourg got things going with an immediate two-pointer before Matthew Scerri bagged Malta’s opener with a close-range layup.

Despite the early Luxembourg lead, Malta turned things around a minute and a half into proceedings. 

Similarly to the clash against Ireland, Malta began to play more consistently while Luxembourg played a more physical game. In turn, Malta held a four-point lead midway through the game.

Luxembourg looked lost as Malta continued to power through and took a 15-11 win which guaranteed them a place in the final round.

In the quarterfinals, a few hours later, Malta faced a much more technical side and were made to pay as the more experienced Cypriots progressed to the semifinals with a 21-11 finish.

Cyprus kickstarted proceedings with a layup before Ian Felice Pace hit one of two freethrows and Matthew Scerri levelled the game with a two-pointer.

Scores from Louie Farrugia and Neil Cassar created a Malta gap but Cyprus brought the game to parity five minutes in. 

With their newfound momentum after three straight two-balls, the Cypriots gained a sizeable lead, and eventually the win as Cyprus splashed in a condemning long-ranger to reach the scoring limit.

Malta suffers close defeats in FIBA 3×3 Europe Cup qualifying openers

To play Luxembourg on Sunday after rain postponement

Malta’s men and women suffered close defeats on Saturday as they tried their luck in Prishtina, Kosovo for a place in this summer’s FIBA 3X3 Europe Cup. 

The men’s team, listed as the eighth seed in the competition, started their Pool A campaign with the toughest of clashes, against top seed Ireland. However, this did not stop the quartet of Matthew Scerri, Ian Felice Pace, Neil Cassar and Louie Farrugia from issuing a strong statement. 

Against Ireland, Scerri was in fact, the game’s top scorer with 11 points after four long-rangers and three freethrows. Despite this, it was a close Irish 18-17 victory by the final buzzer.

While Malta looked strongest in the opening minutes of their opening fixture, Ireland settled in and it was a case of foul trouble that evened things out. Luck was with the Irish in the final seconds of the encounter however as a missed Felice Pace effort with the sides level gave Matthew Spencer Treacy the chance for one last score in the last second. 

Malta fell to a 17-13 loss against Andorra in their second fixture.

Unlike their opener, Malta struggled to get things going and it was a Farrugia layup five minutes into the game that became Malta’s first point as Andorra shot ahead. The age gap between the two sides began to prove costly as the experienced Andorra players looked in control while Malta’s youngsters chased the deficit. 

Two straight Felice Pace two-pointers brought Malta closer to the surface with less than two minutes to go but two long rangers from Andorra settled things to hand Malta their second defeat of the day.

Women’s competition

In the women’s competition, Malta only had the opportunity to play their opening game, a 17-14 loss to tournament favourites Azerbaijan.

Looking to push past their previous high – a semifinal appearance in Cyprus – Malta sent a strong lineup with Steffi De Martino leading the pack which also featured Kristy Galea, Sophie Abela and Danika Galea.

On Saturday, Danika Galea fired first as it became a battle between the Malta youngster and Azerbaijan’s Mercedes Walker. 

Even though the Azeris entered the tournament as the top seed, eighth-seed Malta remained as close as ever throughout proceedings.

The two sides were level with just under three minutes to go. However, Azerbaijan rallied in the final moments for a three-point victory.

With the team set for their second game of the day, another tough contest against Luxembourg, a rain delay first postponed play for 30 minutes, before the organisers shifted the tournament’s final contests to Sunday morning.

Malta faces Luxembourg in both the men’s and women’s Europe Cup qualifiers on Sunday with only a win on their minds, especially since only the top three from each Pool progress to the next round. 

Malta to take gap year from U18 men’s FIBA basketball

MBA to look for alternative in U20 tournament

Malta will not have a men’s U18 representative team at this summer’s FIBA competitions, the Malta Basketball Association (MBA) has confirmed.

Speaking at a press conference to draw this season’s BOV Men’s Division One Knockout fixtures on Wednesday, MBA president Paul Sultana admitted the association would not field a male U-18 team for the annual summer FIBA tournament.

“Upon direction, the MBA has decided not to send an Under-18 boys team to the FIBA competitions this summer. Unfortunately, after last year’s results and this season’s league so far, we do not have a high enough level to compete,” Sultana said.

In August, Malta finished eighth at the FIBA U18 Division C European championships in Azerbaijan after struggling throughout the tournament. While they showed signs of improvement and eventually beat Gibraltar in overtime to avoid the wooden spoon, it was the only victory for the team.

Giving the association’s reasons, Sultana said the issue stems from the fact that over the past two years, with Malta having hosted both the men’s senior FIBA Small Countries Games and the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE 2023), interest from youths has spiked. However, he lamented the fact that this interest has come mainly from teenagers around 14-15 years old who are now joining local clubs as beginner players.

“Unfortunately, even though we are pleased with the interest, we now have a lot of players in our Under-16 and 18 leagues who are still beginners, and this means they are far from ready to compete at national team level,” Sultana explained.

When asked about the way forward, the MBA supremo said the association is looking at an alternative tournament in which they could send a Malta team to compete. The focus he explained would be shifted onto a new Under-20 competition for which the association could amalgamate players from last year’s U-18s and up-and-coming players of the age group.

Coaching changes

This issue has not been reflected in the women’s side of the game as that department has remained at steady growth, particularly reaching its target with last summer’s Gold at the FIBA Games in Albania.

In August, the Malta women’s Under-18 side powered through their opposition to take the top spot after victory against the host nation in the final.

A significant factor in all this was the fact that the side coached by Giovanni Gebbia consisted of players with experience within senior leagues. For starters, tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) Danika Galea is in her second season in Italy with Elite Basket Roma after several years playing with Depiro’s seniors. Fenech Pace trio Lisa, Sarah, and Anna are also mainstays in Santino Coppa’s Caffe Moak Luxol roster, together with Sarah Sciberras, Jada Said, and Ella Abela. Similarly, Starlites JSD’s Andie Saliba has enjoyed a bright start to the new season under new coach Fatih Dedelioglu.

Despite this success, the women’s U18s will change direction as part of the MBA’s strategic move to shift coaching positions to Maltese coaches. The women’s senior team has already made this switch with Charles Bonnici already announced as Angela Adamoli’s replacement.

On Wednesday, the MBA announced that Luxol youth coach Roderick Vella will be taking over the U16 and u18 women’s teams while last summer’s men’s national team assistant coach Omar Said will be leading the men’s U16s.