NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen’s Women’s Basketball Worldwide) – There’s plenty to get excited about when it comes to Groups C and D of the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Italy.

Having already broken down Groups A and B in Udine and Cividale Del Friuli in last week’s column, what's on offer in the other two pools?

Well, if there is one particular group that looks relatively wide-open, then it might just be GroupC. France will probably be favorites if they are able to field the brilliant Alexia Chartereau – a player I absolutely love to watch.

Not only did the forward catapult her team to a gold medal at last year’s FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship en-route to being named MVP, she is now a genuine contributor for Tango Bourges Basket during what is turning into a breakthrough EuroLeague Women season.

But don’t be fooled into thinking France are only about Chartereau, since they also have the likes of younger 1999 born talent Tima Pouye and Kadiatou Sissoko who can draw on global experience from last year’s FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in Zaragoza.

It's a similar story for rookies Latvia, who are led by the brilliant Digna Strautmane - someone who is touted as the future of Latvian basketball and a future senior team star. Her displays at youth level have been sensational and she will lead the charge like last year in Sopron when the team was one place away from the podium. Look out for Luize Septe too, who can bring the noise from the wings.

Canada will perhaps be a little ‘vanilla’ in the fact of being rock solid, well organized and capable. But, the question is whether they truly have a difference maker and certainly I have not seen anyone who looks special. With their 1998 generation, probably not their greatest outside of Mikaela Brewer, they will look to the younger Alyssa Jerome and Hailey Brown to be center stage.

Group C is concluded with Korea, a nation who in recent years have been all about Park Ji Su who helped her country post respectable campaigns at the last two editions. Incredibly she is waiting to play at her third U19 Worlds and so look no further than a true phenomenon of the global women’s youth game.

Group D will be led by an Australia side that will be made up of the history-makers. The Sapphires who dazzled with a historic title at the FIBA U17 Worlds last year are likely to be back to form the core of the U19 team. While younger than most, the MVP of Zaragoza Eziyoda Magbegor played at the last U19 Women’s World Cup in Chekhov.

She is a sensation in terms of her athleticism alone and destined to be a star once more, with an array of support from the likes of Monique Conti, Abby Cubillo and Jazmine Shelley. Then when you throw in the fabulous 1998 born Chantelle Horvat who was too old for Zaragoza, you have the makings of a medal team.

Hungary have so much talent in their core and hopes were high that they would find the podium as U18 hosts last year. They lost in the Quarter-Finals and as many thought they had cracked under the pressure, they did at least respond to grab a place at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup for the first time in 12 years. They really do have three very technically gifted and elegant players in Dorka Juhaz, Reka Lelik and Livia Gereben, who I can’t wait to see again.

It was strange not seeing Japan play in 2015 in Chekhov and the Asian nation are back for the Italian edition this year and that is nice to see, since you have to love the high tempo style they always bring.

As is traditional, their ability to score from outside will be vital, although rather worryingly, they only nailed 24 percent at the FIBA Asia U18 Women’s Championship last year when they took a silver medal. Mai Yamamoto is their leader and the guard will need to really shift up the gears to take Japan into the top eight.

Finally, it remains to be seen who will take the fourth spot in the Group and I will be keeping a close eye on that particular issue as it unfolds.

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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