Luxembourg men's national basketball team explained

Country:Luxembourg
Coach:Ken Diederich
Joined Fiba:1946
Fiba Zone:FIBA Europe
National Fed:Luxembourg Basketball Federation (FLBB)
Wc Appearances:None
Zone Championship:EuroBasket
Zone Appearances:3
Zone Medals:None
Zone Championship2:Championship for Small Countries
Zone Appearances2:5
Zone Medals2: Silver: (1992, 2004)
Bronze: (1990)
Zone Championship3:Games of the Small States of Europe
Zone Appearances3:17
Zone Medals3: Gold: (2023)
Silver: (1985, 1991, 1995, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2019)
Bronze: (1993, 2003, 2005, 2015)
H Body:ffffff
H Shorts:ffffff
A Body:00A3E0
A Pattern B:_thinwhitesides
A Shorts:00A3E0
First Game: 45–28
(Geneva, Switzerland; 30 April 1946)
Largest Win: 99–44
(Serravalle, San Marino; 1 June 2017)
Largest Loss: 119–46
(Vevey, Switzerland; 10 May 1980)

The Luxembourg men's national basketball team (Luxembourgish; Letzeburgesch: Lëtzebuergesch Basketballnationalequipe, French: Équipe du Luxembourg de basketball, German: Luxemburgische Basketballnationalmannschaft) represents Luxembourg in international basketball tournaments. They are controlled by the Luxembourg Basketball Federation.

Luxembourg has competed at the EuroBasket three times, in 1946, 1951, and 1955. Their best result was an eighth place finish at their first appearance at the competition in 1946. However, the national team has yet to qualify to compete at the FIBA World Cup.

History

EuroBasket 1946

Luxembourg appeared in their first international event at EuroBasket 1946 in Geneva. After being placed in Group A for the preliminary round, the national team would play in their first ever match against Poland, where the team would lose 45–28.[1] Following the defeat, Luxembourg went on to lose their next two matches against Hungary and Italy, which ultimately dropped the team into the classification phase of the tournament. There, Luxembourg captured their first ever victory against England 27–50.[2] With only one game remaining for Luxembourg, the team would finish out the competition with a loss against Belgium, to end the tournament eighth out of the ten teams overall.[3]

EuroBasket 1951

After not entering the competition in 1947 and 1949, Luxembourg made their way back to the continental stage at EuroBasket 1951 in Paris. Luxembourg's first match of the tournament was against the host France, which resulted in a demoralising defeat for the national team 72–26.[4] Ensuing the tough loss for Luxembourg, were four straight defeats for the team, to relegate them into a must win elimination game for the right to advance into the classification rounds. Luxembourg, however, would lose in a tightly contested match 45–46 against Denmark to be eliminated.[5]

EuroBasket 1955

Following Luxembourg's dismal performance at the EuroBasket in 1951, the national team declined to enter the event in 1953, instead looked toward EuroBasket 1955 in Budapest to make amends. After a disastrous first game in the preliminary round, which saw Luxembourg completely dominated by the Soviet Union, the team was narrowly defeated in their second match against Sweden 54–53.[6] However, in Luxembourg's final two matches of the preliminary phase, the team struggled to build upon their game against Sweden; and were relegated toward the classification rounds at a record of (0–5).

Entering the classification round, Luxembourg dropped their first match against Turkey, before earning their first win of the tournament against Denmark 46–31.[7] Luxembourg would eventually go on to pickup two more victories, both against Sweden to end the tournament 15th out of the 18 teams at the event.[8]

Subsequent years

After Luxembourg's last appearance at the EuroBasket in 1951, the national team endured numerous failed qualifying cycles in order to make it back to the EuroBasket. However, Luxembourg eventually achieved success competing at smaller competitions such as the European Championship for Small Countries and the Games of the Small States of Europe.

Entering qualification for Luxembourg to reach EuroBasket 2017, the team struggled toward a (1–5) record during the process to being eliminated.[9] After Luxembourg's missed opportunity to qualify for the 2017 tournament, the team was tasked with going through Pre-Qualifiers with a chance to qualify for EuroBasket 2022. Luxembourg would get off to a slow start during the first round of pre-qualifiers, losing their first three matches before picking up a needed win on the road against Cyprus 89–76.[10] With a record of (1–3), Luxembourg's path of advancing took a detour, as the team was relegated to the third and final phase of pre-qualifiers. There, Luxembourg would only win one game during that qualifying window (1–3), at home against Kosovo 88–80 and failing to advance.[11]

For Luxembourg's process to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the national team took part in European Pre-Qualifiers, where they went (2–4) in the first round; and were initially eliminated. Although due to Austria withdrawing from qualification, Luxembourg were next inline to replace them.[12] Entering the second and final phase of World Cup European pre-qualifiers, Luxembourg's qualification campaign officially came to a close, after posting an (0–4) record during the round.[13]

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup

World CupQualification
YearPositionwidth=30width=30width=30width=30width=30width=30
1950Did not enterDid not enter
1954
1959
1963
1967
1970
1974
1978Did not qualifyEuroBasket served
as qualifiers
1982
1986Did not enterDid not enter
1990
1994Did not qualifyEuroBasket served
as qualifiers
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2019Did not enterDid not enter
2023Did not qualify1028
2027To be determinedTo be determined
Total0/1910 2 8

Olympic Games

Olympic GamesQualifying
YearPositionwidth=30width=30width=30width=30width=30width=30
1948Did not enter
1952
1956Did not qualify
1960Did not enterDid not enter
1964Did not qualify707
1968Did not enterDid not enter
1972
1976
1980Did not qualify404
1984Did not enterDid not enter
1988
1992
1996 to 2016Did not qualifyDid not qualify
2020Did not enterDid not enter
2024Did not qualifyDid not qualify
2028To be determinedTo be determined
Total0/2011 0 11

Games of the Small States of Europe

Games of the Small States of Europe
YearPositionwidth=40width=40width=40
1985bgcolor=silver321
19876th312
19894th422
1991bgcolor=silver532
1993523
1995bgcolor=silver422
19974th413
20015th312
2003422
2005422
2007bgcolor=silver541
2009bgcolor=silver532
2013bgcolor=silver431
2015312
20174th523
2019bgcolor=silver532
2023bgcolor=gold541
Total703733

EuroBasket

EuroBasketQualification
YearPositionwidth=30width=30width=30width=30width=30width=30
19468th514
1947Did not enter
1949
195117th505
1953Did not enter
195515th1037
1957Did not enter
1959
1961
1963Did not enter
1965Did not qualify312
1967303
1969Did not enterDid not enter
1971
1973
1975Did not qualify505
1977514
1979312
1981Did not enterDid not enter
1983
1985Did not qualify532
1987413
1989Did not enterDid not enter
1991
1993Did not qualify606
1995606
1997514
1999514
2001606
200311110
2005Division B606
2007Division B808
2009Division B808
2011Division B606
2013Did not qualify808
201512012
2017615
2022826
2025817
Total3/3920416137 14 123

Championship for Small Countries

FIBA European Championship for Small Countries
YearPositionwidth=40width=40width=40
19884th523
1990532
1992bgcolor=silver532
19944th523
2004bgcolor=silver541
Total251411

Results and fixtures

2025

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers matches on 22 and 25 February 2024 against Romania and Norway.[14] [15]

Depth chart

Past rosters

1946 EuroBasket

finished 8th among 10 teams

3 Alfred Achen, 4 René Bicheler, 5 René Colling, 6 Henri Heyart, 7 Pierre Kelsen, 8 Eugene Kohn, 9 Léon Konsbruck, 10 Joseph Linck, 11 Gaston Poncin, 12 Roger Scheuren (Coach: Henri Heyart)----1951 EuroBasket

finished 17th among 18 teams

3 Guy Neumann, 4 Mathias Steffen, 5 Xander Frantz, 6 Fernand Schmalen, 7 Roger Dentzer, 8 Joseph Eyschen, 9 Marcel Gales, 10 Mathias Birel, 11 Jean Guillen, 12 Pierre Steinmetz, 13 Léon Konsbruck, 14 René Haas, 15 Ley, 25 Paul Linster (Coach: Pierrot Conter)----1955 EuroBasket

finished 15th among 18 teams

3 Pierre Steinmetz, 4 Mathias Birel, 5 Fernand Wolter, 6 Joseph Lettal, 7 Paul Kemp, 8 Fernand Schmalen, 9 John Kieffer, 10 Marcel Simon, 11 Florent Lickes, 12 Gust Scharle, 13 Albert Meyers, 14 Jean Christophory (Coach: Pierre Kelsen)

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Poland v Luxembourg – EuroBasket 1946 game results. Archive.fiba.com. 12 August 2014.
  2. Web site: England v Luxembourg – EuroBasket 1946 game results. Archive.fiba.com. 12 August 2014.
  3. Web site: EuroBasket 1946 tournament results. Archive.fiba.com. 12 August 2014.
  4. Web site: France v Luxembourg – EuroBasket 1951 game results. Archive.fiba.com. 12 August 2014.
  5. Web site: EuroBasket 1951 tournament results. Archive.fiba.com. 12 August 2014.
  6. Web site: Sweden v Luxembourg – EuroBasket 1955 game results. Archive.fiba.com. 12 August 2014.
  7. Web site: Luxembourg v Denmark – EuroBasket 1955 game results. Archive.fiba.com. 12 August 2014.
  8. Web site: EuroBasket 1955 tournament results. Archive.fiba.com. 12 August 2014.
  9. Web site: Luxembourg during the EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers. 17 September 2016.
  10. Web site: Luxembourg stun Cyprus in Nicosia. 1 July 2018.
  11. Web site: Luxembourg during the EuroBasket 2022 Pre-Qualifiers. 21 August 2019.
  12. Web site: Luxembourg enter FIBA World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers Second Round. 19 June 2021.
  13. Web site: Luxembourg during the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers. 18 August 2021.
  14. Web site: Luxembourg will be challenged in Romania on Thursday. .luxembourg.basketball. 21 February 2024.
  15. Web site: Luxembourg during the 2027 FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers in February 2024. 22 February 2024.