The 1979 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1979, was the 21st FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. Twelve national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation entered the competition. The competition was hosted by Italy. Mestre, Siena, Gorizia and Turin were the venues of the event.

EuroBasket 1979
Tournament details
Host countryItaly
Dates9–19 June
Teams12
Venue(s)4 (in 4 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Soviet Union (12th title)
Runners-up Israel
Third place Yugoslavia
Fourth place Czechoslovakia
Tournament statistics
MVPIsrael Miki Berkovich
Top scorerPoland Mieczysław Młynarski
(26.6 points per game)
1977
1981

Venues edit

Mestre Siena Gorizia Turin
PalaTaliercio
Capacity 4 000
PalaSclavo
Capacity 5 000
PalaGrappate
Capacity 5 500
PalaRuffini
Capacity 10 000
   

Results edit

First round edit

In the preliminary round, the 12 teams were split up into three groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group advanced to the final round (with the score between them counting in the final round as well) while the bottom two were sent to the classification round to play for 7th to 12th Places (with the score between them counting in the classification round as well)

Group A – Mestre edit

Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts
  Czechoslovakia 3 3 0 238 204 +34 6
  Italy 3 2 1 235 202 +33 5
  Greece 3 1 2 211 223 −12 4
  Belgium 3 0 3 213 268 −55 3
Czechoslovakia 90 – 69 Belgium
Czechoslovakia 74 – 67 Greece
Belgium 68 – 92 Greece
Belgium 76 – 86 Italy
Czechoslovakia 74 – 68 Italy
Greece 52 – 81 Italy

Group B – Siena edit

Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts
  Spain 3 3 0 291 254 +37 6
  Soviet Union 3 2 1 286 256 +30 5
  Netherlands 3 1 2 254 279 −25 4
  Bulgaria 3 0 3 234 276 −42 3
Netherlands 87 – 82 Bulgaria
Spain 85 – 81 Bulgaria
Soviet Union 104 – 71 Bulgaria
Netherlands 83 – 105 Spain
Netherlands 84 – 92 Soviet Union
Spain 101 – 90 Soviet Union

Group C – Gorizia edit

Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts
  Israel 3 2 1 246 246 0 5
  Yugoslavia 3 2 1 258 237 +21 5
  Poland 3 1 2 258 264 −6 4
  France 3 1 2 233 248 −15 4
Poland 85 – 76 France
France 92 – 83 Israel
Israel 86 – 78 Poland
Yugoslavia 76 – 77 Israel
Poland 95 – 102 Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia 80 – 65 France

Classification round – Turin edit

In the classification round played the teams that finish 3rd and 4th in their preliminary-round groups. Those teams played for the 7th to 12th Places.


Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts
7   Poland 5 4 1 435 405 +30 9
8   France 5 4 1 423 401 +22 9
9   Greece 5 3 2 418 381 +37 8
10   Netherlands 5 3 2 438 404 +34 8
11   Bulgaria 5 1 4 436 450 −14 6
12   Belgium 5 0 5 433 542 −109 5
Bulgaria 114 – 98 Belgium
France 111 – 98 Belgium
Netherlands 115 – 85 Belgium
Belgium 84 – 110 Poland
Bulgaria 77 – 80 France
Poland 85 – 78 Bulgaria
Bulgaria 85 – 100 Greece
Greece 74 – 76 France
Netherlands 75 – 79 Greece
Poland 77 – 73 Greece
Netherlands 67 – 80 France
Poland 78 – 94 Netherlands
Belgium 81 – 105 Greece
Netherlands 78 – 72 Bulgaria
Poland 89 – 82 France

Final round – Turin edit

The Teams that finish their preliminary-round groups in the 1st and 2nd places advanced to the final round. The first and second in this group will go to the final while the third and fourth places will go to a 3rd-place match.


Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts
1   Soviet Union 5 4 1 439 399 +40 9
2   Israel 5 3 2 408 435 −27 8
3   Yugoslavia 5 3 2 453 432 +21 8
4   Czechoslovakia 5 2 3 419 430 −11 7
5   Italy 5 2 3 403 417 −14 7
6   Spain 5 1 4 465 474 −9 6
Israel 94 – 93 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia 107–100 Spain
Yugoslavia 97 – 79 Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia 66 – 71 Soviet Union
Israel 78 – 90 Italy
Italy 81 – 80 Spain
Italy 80 – 95 Yugoslavia
Italy 84 – 90 Soviet Union
Spain 84 – 88 Israel
Yugoslavia 108–100 Spain
Israel 71 – 92 Soviet Union
Yugoslavia 77 – 96 Soviet Union
Israel 77 – 76 Yugoslavia
Czechoslovakia 96 – 90 Italy
Spain 92 – 81 Soviet Union

Finals edit

3rd-place match edit

  Yugoslavia 99
  Czechoslovakia 92

Final edit

19 June 1979
  Soviet Union 98
  Israel 76


 1979 FIBA EuroBasket champions 
 
Soviet Union
Twelfth title

Final standings edit

Place Team
    Soviet Union
    Israel
    Yugoslavia
4.   Czechoslovakia
5.   Italy
6.   Spain
7.   Poland
8.   France
9.   Greece
10.   Netherlands
11.   Bulgaria
12.   Belgium

Awards edit

1979 FIBA EuroBasket MVP: Miki Berkovich (  Israel)
All-Tournament Team[1]
  Sergei Belov
  Dragan Kićanović
  Miki Berkovich (MVP)
  Krešimir Ćosić
  Vladimir Tkachenko

Team rosters edit

1. Soviet Union: Sergei Belov (c), Anatoly Myshkin, Vladimir Tkachenko, Ivan Edeshko, Aleksander Belostenny, Stanislav Eremin, Valdemaras Chomičius, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov, Sergei Tarakanov, Vladimir Zhigili, Aleksander Salnikov, Andrei Lopatov (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)

2. Israel: Mickey Berkowitz, Lou Silver, Motti Aroesti, Yehoshua "Shuki" Schwartz, Eric Menkin, Steve Kaplan, Boaz Yanai, Avigdor Moskowitz, Barry Leibowitz (c), Pinhas Hozez, Uri Ben-Ari (basketballer) [he], Shai Sharf (Coach: Ralph Klein)

3. Yugoslavia: Krešimir Ćosić, Mirza Delibašić, Dražen Dalipagić, Dragan Kićanović, Zoran Slavnić, Žarko Varajić, Željko Jerkov, Rajko Žižić, Peter Vilfan, Mihovil Nakić, Ratko Radovanović, Duje Krstulović (Coach: Petar Skansi)

4. Czechoslovakia: Kamil Brabenec, Zdenek Kos, Stanislav Kropilak, Jiri Pospisil, Vojtech Petr, Vlastimil Klimes, Vlastimil Havlik, Jaroslav Skala, Zdenek Dousa, Peter Rajniak, Gustav Hraska, Zdenek Bohm (Coach: Pavel Petera)

References edit