In the last three EuroBaskets Lithuania has taken home two medals.  Gold in 2003 in Sweden and Bronze in the most recent event in Spain.  One of the constants for Lithuanian basketball through that time has been Ramunas Siskauskas who once again showed his mettle in 2007.  The 29-year-old led his team in scoring and steals but it was his performance in a semi-final loss to Russia that caught everyone’s eye.  Siskauskas scored 30 points, grabbed four rebounds, dealt our four assists and added five steals for good measure, though it would not be enough as Russia advanced to final.  At club level the 1.98m guard helped lead Panathinaikos to both domestic and European success with both a Euroleague and Greek domestic league title.

Had Pau Gasol’s final shot at EuroBasket 2007 gone in it would have capped an unbelievable overall performance and made a lot of Spaniards very happy.  Gasol had the ball with two seconds left on the clock and his team down one.  His attempt from 17 feet would rim out but even that could do little to sour what had been an amazing tournament.  Gasol was the fourth leading scorer at EuroBasket and led his team in rebounds and blocked shots as well.  In the final he scored 14 points and grabbed an equal umber of rebounds but it would not be enough to overcome Russia.  Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Gasol nearly averaged a double-double with 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.

2007 was an up and down year for Dirk Nowitzki when it came to his club and his country but the level of play of the 2005 FIBA Europe Player of the Year never wavered.  The German national team captain was named MVP of the NBA in 2007 after averaging 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists in leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 67-15 regular season record only to be ousted in the first round of the play-offs.  It looked as if EuroBasket 2007 may end in disappointment for Nowitzki as well but the 2.13m forward willed his team into a fifth place finish and a spot in the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, giving them a chance to earn a place at the 2008 Olympics.  Nowitzki finished as the tournaments top scorer at 24 points per contest while also pulling down nearly nine rebounds per game. 

After two seasons in which he showed marked improvement for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors Jose Calderon had high expectations coming into EuroBasket 2007.  He did not disappoint.  The 1.90 meter guard was Spain’s second leading scorer on their way to the silver medal while leading the team in assists and steals.  The 26-year-old only got better as the tournament went on, hitting nine of his 15 three-point attempts in the semi-finals and finals.  His good form has continued into the domestic season where he is near the top of the NBA in assists at nearly eight per game and more importantly has an eye-popping 5.68 assist-to-turnover ratio.