Weber State basketball: Vartiainen, Sarenac advance in U20 EuroBasket
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- Weber State’s Viljami Vartiainen (8), of Finland, shoots over a Switzerland player in a U20 EuroBasket Division B group stage game Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Petesti, Romania.
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- Weber State’s Marko Sarenac, right, defends a player from Poland, center, in a U20 EuroBasket group stage game Monday, July 15, 2024, in Gdynia, Poland.
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- Weber State’s Viljami Vartiainen (8), of Finland, drives against Latvia’s David Ozers (6) in a U20 EuroBasket Division B group stage game Sunday, July 14, 2024, in Petesti, Romania.
While Weber State men’s basketball had gathered together 11 of its scholarship players by July, two others are overseas with their national teams.
Sophomores Viljami Vartiainen and Marko Sarenac have trained to compete at U20 EuroBasket (the European national team continental championship), which began July 12.
Vartiainen, playing for Finland, is in the Division B competition in Petesti, Romania.
Sarenac, playing for Serbia, is in the top-division tournament in Gdynia, Poland.
Both of their teams have advanced out of group play and into the knockout bracket, with Serbia going first Wednesday against the Czech Republic.
VARTIAINEN STARS FOR FINLAND
Vartiainen, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard, has been a key cog for a Finland team that went 4-0 to win Group A in Division B pool play.
As a starter playing about 26 minutes per game, Vartiainen averaged 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal over the four group-stage games, with an average plus-minus of plus-16 per game. He shot 13 of 30 (43.3%) from the 3-point line.
He led his team with nine rebounds in its opening win over Slovakia. Against Switzerland, he scored a game-high 20 points and canned six 3-pointers.
In a low-scoring, 61-57 slog against Latvia, Vartiainen led Finland with 13 points and his 2-for-2 trip to the foul line with 7 seconds left clinched the game.
Tuesday, Vartianen totaled 11 points and three assists as Finland closed its perfect group stage with a route of Croatia, leading by as much as 22 points before winning 78-67.
The top eight of 21 teams make the quarterfinals. Some teams finish group play Wednesday, so Finland’s matchup and time for its quarterfinal on Friday is not yet set.
SARENAC MAKES KEY DEFENSIVE STOP
Sarenac comes off the bench and has played about 17 minutes per game in Serbia’s three group-stage games.
Serbia opened with a two-point loss to Greece, making Sunday’s matchup against France a must-win. Sarenac, a 6-foot-10 forward, had his best game statistically in a 76-72 win.
Sarenac totaled three points (knocking down a 3-pointer), four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 18 minutes. Though not a starter, he found himself on the court in crunch time after France rallied to close a Serbia lead in the fourth quarter.
The teams traded buckets down the stretch but it was Sarenac who helped seal the win defensively. Serbia’s lone defensive stop in the final several minutes came when Sarenac was switched onto a guard, and Sarenac forced a France shooter into a contested, high-arcing shot over his outreached arms, which shorted on the front iron.
Monday, Serbia routed Poland 97-67 to go 2-1 in group play. Sarenac had two rebounds and two steals.
All 16 teams in the top-division competition are placed in the knockout bracket. Serbia first plays the Czech Republic at 10 a.m. MDT Wednesday in the Round of 16. The finals and third-place game happen Sunday, July 21; winners advance through the bracket while losers remain and compete in consolation games.
