Albania men's national basketball team

The Albanian national basketball team (Albanian: Federata Shqiptare e Basketbollit) is the national basketball team of Albania and it has represented the nation since 1947.[2] Having not played a competitive game since 2012, the national team returned to action in 2016 for the EuroBasket 2017 qualification.

Albania

FIBA ranking	99 7 (9 December 2020)[1]
Joined FIBA	1947
FIBA zone	FIBA Europe
National federation	FSHB
Coach	Afrim Bilali
Nickname(s)	Kuq e Zinjtë (The Red and Blacks) Shqiponjat (The Eagles)
Olympic Games
Appearances	None
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	None
EuroBasket
Appearances	2 (1947, 1957)
Medals	None
Home Away
First international
Italy 60–15 Albania (Prague, Czechoslovakia; April 27, 1947)
Biggest win
Albania 112–77 Iceland  (Wolfenbüttel, FR Germany; 1975)
Biggest defeat
Belgium 114–11 Albania (Prague, Czechoslovakia; April 28, 1947)

History

Basketball was introduced in Albania in the early 20th century, and it became popular in the 1920s following the end of World War I as sports societies and clubs were being formed all over the country, and basketball was soon introduced to the major towns and cities in Albania. Basketball was played informally by teams representing different sports clubs, and it wasn't until September 1945 that a National Basketball Committee was formed that would be responsible for dealing with the issues basketball teams in the country faced. The committee paved the way for the creation of the Albanian Basketball Association (ABA) a year later in 1946, which became a member of FIBA in 1947, and whose main goals were to enable clubs to compete in national competitions, as well a promote the sport. The first National Championship in Albania was held in 1946, and a year later the first Women's National Championship also took place. In 1951 the ABA created the Republic's Cup, which was a competition open to all professional and amateur basketball clubs in Albania, with the women's and youth versions of the competition both starting in 1952. During the Communist regime in Albania, the National Spartakiad was held between 1959 and 1989, where basketball was one of the more popular sports in display in the country's biggest sports events. In 1999 the ABA held the first Albanian Basketball Supercups for men and women, which is played between the winners of the league and cup.

EuroBasket 1947

Albania first competed in a European championship at EuroBasket 1947 held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, shortly after joining FIBA as an affiliate national team. In the preliminary round of the competition Albania was placed in Group D with Italy, Belgium and Egypt, and their first game in a major tournament came against Italy in a 15–60 loss, and they went on to lose 11–114 and 19–104 to Belgium and Egypt, respectively. In the next round, they were placed in the lower bracket Group 3 to determine who finishes between the 7th and 10th places, where they faced Romania and Austria. Albania lost 19–73 to Romania and 27–44 to Austria. They then went on to face Yugoslavia in the final game to determine who finishes in penultimate place, where they lost 13–90 to Yugoslavia and finished in last place out of 14 teams, with a record of 0 wins and 6 losses. Albania averaged just 17.3 points per game, with their highest point tally coming against Austria where they scored 27 points, and lost by their smallest margin of 17 points. They conceded an average of 80.3 points per game, with their highest scoring opponents being Belgium who defeated Albania 114–11.

Preliminary round  Italy 60 – 15  Albania  Belgium 114 – 11  Albania  Albania 19 – 104  Egypt

Semifinal round  Albania 19 – 73  Romania  Albania 27 – 44  Austria

Final round  Yugoslavia 90 – 13  Albania

EuroBasket 1957

10 years after their debut tournament performance, Albania competed at EuroBasket 1957 in Sofia, Bulgaria, where they were placed in Group A in the preliminary round with Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Scotland. They lost 57–89 to Yugoslavia in their opening game, and then went on to lose 37–71 and 42–65 to Czechoslovakia and Scotland, respectively, to finish bottom of the group. During the classification round, Albania faced Turkey, Italy, Finland, Belgium, West Germany, Austria and Scotland. Albania lost all 7 games in the classification round which led to them finishing bottom of another EuroBasket tournament, this time out of 16 team. Albania averaged 47.6 points per game, with their highest points tally coming against Turkey in a 64–97 loss, which was also the highest scoring game for their opponents, and conceded an average of 78.4 points per game during the tournament. Despite better performances than those in 1947, they could not manage to escape finish bottom once again.

Preliminary round  Albania 57 – 89  Yugoslavia  Czechoslovakia 71 – 37  Albania  Scotland 65 – 42  Albania

Classification round  Scotland 69 – 56  Albania  West Germany 72 – 43  Albania  Finland 91 – 42  Albania  Albania 42 – 82  Italy  Albania 64 – 97  Turkey  Albania 45 – 58  Austria  Belgium 90 – 48  Albania

Competitive record

EuroBasket FIBA EuroBasket Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1947 14th 6 0 6 1957 16th 10 0 10 1963 to 1967 Did not enter Did not enter 1969 Did not qualify 4 0 4 1971 Did not qualify 4 1 3 1973 Did not enter Did not enter 1975 Did not qualify 5 3 2 1977 to 1989 Did not enter Did not enter 1991 Did not qualify 4 1 3 1993 Did not enter Did not enter 1995 Did not qualify 6 1 5 1997 Did not qualify 5 1 4 1999 Did not qualify 5 1 4 2001 Did not enter Did not enter 2003 Did not enter Did not enter 2005 Division B 6 0 6 2007 Division B 8 0 8 2009 Division B 8 2 6 2011 Division B 8 0 8 2013 Did not qualify 8 0 8 2015 Did not enter Did not enter 2017 Did not qualify 6 1 5 2021 Did not qualify 8 0 8 Total 16 0 16

Olympic Games Olympic Games Qualifying Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1936 to 1988 Did not qualify 1992 6 0 6 1996 to 2016 World Cup World Cup Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1950 to 1982 Did not qualify 1986 6 0 6 1990 to 2014 2019 4 0 4 2023 TBD Promotion Cup Promotion Cup Year Position Pld W L 1988 to 2000 Did not participate 2002 6th 5 3 2 2004 5th 5 3 2 2006 5 4 1 2008 to 2016 Did not participate Total 15 10 5 Mediterranean Games Mediterranean Games Year Position Pld W L 1951 to 1987 Did not participate 1991 8th 5 0 5 1993 to 2005 Did not participate 2009 6th 6 1 5 2013 to 2018 Did not participate Total 11 1 10

Recent results and upcoming fixtures

Friendlies

August 19, 2016 15:00

report

Cyprus	94–51	Albania
Scoring by quarter: 25–7, 25–14, 23–9, 21–21
Pts: Sizopoulos 17		Pts: Shima 13

Nicosia, Cyprus

August 20, 2016 17:30

report

Estonia	71–64	Albania
Scoring by quarter: 23–8, 18–16, 15–22, 15–18
Pts: Kurbas 13		Pts: Shima 14

Nicosia, Cyprus

August 21, 2016 17:30

report

Albania	71–70	Qatar
Scoring by quarter: 12–20, 10–14, 35–24, 14–12
Pts: Dusha 21		Pts: Erfan 21

Nicosia, Cyprus

August 24, 2016 14:30

report

Albania	45–110	Israel
Scoring by quarter: 7–31, 14–21, 10–25, 14–33
Pts: Hysenagolli 16		Pts: Koulechov 22

Tallinn, Estonia

August 25, 2016 14:30

report

Ukraine	71–65	Albania
Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 16–9, 18–17, 13–23
Pts: Pustovyi 13		Pts: Dusha & Shima 12

Tallinn, Estonia

August 27, 2016 17:00

report

Estonia	102–49	Albania
Scoring by quarter: 39–12, 19–9, 19–15, 25–13
Pts: Hallik 34		Pts: Hysenagolli 10

Tallinn, Estonia

Group F

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	Montenegro	6	5	1	563	420	+143	11	EuroBasket 2017
2	Georgia	6	5	1	524	402	+122	11	Possible qualification
3	Albania	6	1	5	392	518	−126	7
4	Slovakia	6	1	5	372	511	−139	7

Updated to match(es) played on September 7, 2016. Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.

August 31, 2016 19:00

Boxscore

Georgia	86–47	Albania
Scoring by quarter: 21–9, 24–10, 23–13, 18–15
Pts: Sanikidze 20 Rebs: Pachulia 8 Asts: Tsintsadze 9		Pts: Hysenagolli 15 Rebs: Shima 7 Asts: three players 2

Sports Palace, Tbilisi Attendance: 8,000 Referees: Christof Madinger (GER), Antonis Demetriou (CYP), Volodymyr Pediev (UKR)

September 3, 2016 19:00

Boxscore

Albania	73–113	Montenegro
Scoring by quarter: 15–33, 17–40, 18–21, 23–19
Pts: Broadus 26 Rebs: Hysenagolli 6 Asts: Broadus 4		Pts: Vučević 19 Rebs: Todorović 8 Asts: Needham 6

Asllan Rusi Sports Palace, Tirana Attendance: 1,200 Referees: Petros Papapetrou (GRE), Alessandro Martolini (ITA), Semen Ovinov (RUS)

September 7, 2016 18:00

Boxscore

Slovakia	69–60	Albania
Scoring by quarter: 14–11, 20–20, 25–17, 10–12
Pts: Korner 20 Rebs: Korner 10 Asts: Baldovský, Milošević 3		Pts: Broadus 23 Rebs: Shima 9 Asts: Shima 3

Mestská sportová hala, Prievidza Attendance: 800 Referees: Anthonie Sinterniklaas (NED), Mykola Ambrosov (UKR), Josip Radojković (CRO)

September 10, 2016 19:00

Albania	64–84	Georgia
Scoring by quarter: 19–20 \, 17–16, 15–20, 13–28

September 14, 2016 21:00

Montenegro	94–56	Albania
Scoring by quarter: 26–16, 20–11, 24–18, 24–11

September 17, 2016 19:00

Albania	72–65	Slovakia
Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 10–14, 19–18, 14–16

Team

Current roster

The following is the Albania roster called up for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification matches against  Portugal and  Cyprus, on February 20 and 23, 2020.[3]

Albania national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. F 3 Hamati, Julian 27 – 16 November 1992 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Teuta SF 4 Taflaj, Çelis 21 – 12 March 1998 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Andrea Costa Imola SG 8 Bedini, Ferdi 20 – 28 May 1999 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Valsesia Basket Borgosesia PF 9 Niko, Thano 28 – 23 June 1991 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Goga Basket SG 11 Hysa, Eldi 20 – 30 August 1999 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Tirana SG 13 Ndoja, Klaudio 34 – 18 May 1985 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Pallacanestro Forlì 2.015 C 14 Hysenagolli, Endrit 31 – 5 July 1988 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) Teuta PF 15 Shima, Gerti (C) 33 – 9 May 1986 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Tirana PG 17 Shestani, Robert 26 – 14 September 1993 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) Vllaznia PG 23 Moore, Dallas 25 – 27 October 1994 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Nanterre 92 C 24 Faslija, Herion 30 – 2 May 1989 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) Vllaznia SF 31 Lekndreaj, Daniel 22 – 16 November 1997 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Goga Basket C 35 Nikoci, Eraldo 20 – 29 July 1999 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) Pallacanestro Lanciano	Head coach Afrim Bilali Assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain Age – describes age, on February 20, 2020[4]

Head coaches

Coach	Years active
Rexhep Rama	1946
Naim Pilku	1947–1959
Feti Borova	1960
Naim Pilku	1963
Feti Borova	1963–1965
Astrit Greva	1969
Feti Borova	1971–1974
Bujar Shehu	1975
Feti Borova	1976–1977
Bujar Shehu	1978
Feti Borova	1984–1985
Astrit Greva	1985–1991
Bujar Shehu	1992–1997
Arben Fagu[5]	1998–2001
Bujar Shehu	2002
Roland Avrami	2002–2004
Korab Llazani[6]	2005–2006
Arben Fagu	2006
Roland Avrami	2006–2009
Mark Dickel[7]	2010–2011
Fatmir Cuka[8]	2011–2012
Roland Avrami[9]	2012–2013
Antonis Constantinides[10]	2015–2017
Antonios Doukas	2017–2018
Afrim Bilali	2019-

Record by opponents

Official games

As of September 4, 2016

Opponent	Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Points for	Points against	Point difference	Notes
Algeria	4	4	0	0	324	207	+117	[lower-alpha 1]
Andorra	1	1	0	0	111	101	+10
Austria	3	0	0	3	138	185	−47
Azerbaijan	4	1	0	3	293	305	−12
Belarus	8	0	0	8	531	620	−89
Belgium	6	0	0	6	311	532	−221
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1	0	0	1	76	81	−5
Bulgaria	9	0	0	9	395	813	−418	[lower-alpha 2]
Cambodia	1	1	0	0	82	81	+1
China	8	5	2	1	613	582	+31
Croatia	1	0	0	1	70	94	−24
Cuba	1	1	0	0	50	48	+2
Cyprus	5	1	0	4	306	396	−90
Czechoslovakia	3	0	0	3	117	273	−156
Denmark	1	0	0	1	65	99	−34
DPR Korea	3	0	0	3	220	260	−40
East Germany	4	0	0	4	266	346	−80
Egypt	3	0	0	3	189	325	−136
England	2	1	0	1	169	159	+10
Estonia	2	0	0	2	113	173	−60
Finland	4	0	0	4	252	387	−135
France	2	0	0	2	126	179	−53
Free Territory of Trieste	2	0	0	2	45	78	−33
Georgia	1	0	0	1	47	86	−39
Germany	3	0	0	3	187	235	−48
Gibraltar	1	1	0	0	94	73	+21
Great Britain	2	0	0	2	147	182	−35
Greece	10	2	0	8	689	894	−205
Guinea	1	1	0	0	70	52	+18
Hungary	5	0	0	5	213	486	−273
Indonesia	1	0	0	1	89	104	−15
Israel	3	0	0	3	109	228	−119	[lower-alpha 3]
Iceland	2	2	0	0	197	148	+49
Ireland	2	0	0	2	147	183	−36
Italy	10	1	0	9	569	792	−223
Kosovo	1	1	0	0	71	67	+4
Latvia	1	0	0	1	78	94	−16
Lebanon	1	1	0	0	87	58	+29
Luxembourg	6	4	0	2	504	429	+75
Macedonia	1	0	0	1	74	100	−26
Mali	1	1	0	0	75	60	+15
Malta	2	2	0	0	173	136	+37
Moldova	1	0	0	1	93	95	−2
Mongolia	1	1	0	0	106	59	+47
Montenegro	2	0	0	2	146	205	−59
Morocco	1	0	0	1	67	108	−41
Netherlands	4	0	0	4	276	376	−100
North Vietnam	1	0	0	1	69	70	−1
Norway	1	1	0	0	81	77	+4
Poland	7	0	0	7	433	646	−213
Philippines	2	1	0	1	166	168	−2
Qatar	1	1	0	0	71	70	+1
Romania	16	1	0	15	839	1368	−529
San Marino	3	3	0	0	246	223	+23
Senegal	3	3	0	0	197	139	+58
Serbia	1	1	0	0	83	69	+14
Scotland	5	1	0	4	351	389	−38
Slovakia	3	1	0	2	221	259	−43
Spain	1	0	0	1	73	106	−33
Soviet Union	1	0	0	1	50	99	−49
Sudan	1	1	0	0	116	74	+42
Sweden	3	1	0	2	203	250	+47
Switzerland	5	2	0	4	375	417	−42
Turkey	12	0	0	12	840	1038	−198
Ukraine	1	0	0	1	65	71	−6
Wales	2	2	0	0	181	139	+42
Yugoslavia	12	0	0	12	554	1040	−486
60 Countries	307	75	66	163	281	483	−202

Unofficial games

As of 1986

Opponent	Games	Wins	Draws	Losses	Points for	Points against	Point difference	Notes
Albania Youth	1	1	0	0	76	48	+28	[lower-alpha 4]
Beijing	1	1	0	0	73	65	+8	[lower-alpha 5]
Bulgaria Youth	1	0	0	1	49	64	−15	[lower-alpha 6]
China Youth	1	1	0	0	77	64	+13	[lower-alpha 7]
DPR Korea Security Forces	1	1	0	0	102	92	+10	[lower-alpha 8]
Jiangsu	2	1	0	1	65	73	−8	[lower-alpha 9][lower-alpha 10]
Jilin/Liaoning/Heilongjiang Army	1	0	0	1	49	78	−29	[lower-alpha 11]
Jilin Youth	1	1	0	0	121	69	+52	[lower-alpha 12]
Jinan	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	[lower-alpha 13]
Liaoning	1	1	0	0	76	69	+7	[lower-alpha 14]
Nei Mongol	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	[lower-alpha 15]
New Balance All-Stars	1	1	0	0	58	81	−23	[lower-alpha 16]
Pyongyang	1	0	0	1	89	90	−1	[lower-alpha 17]
Romania Youth	1	0	0	1	31	71	−40	[lower-alpha 18]
Romania Universities	1	0	0	1	53	77	−24	[lower-alpha 19]
Selezione Universitaria LNP	1	1	0	0	77	76	+1	[lower-alpha 20]
Shanghai	2	1	0	1	144	134	+10	[lower-alpha 21][lower-alpha 22]
Shanxi	1	1	0	0	84	64	+20	[lower-alpha 23]
Shenyang	1	1	0	0	107	75	+32	[lower-alpha 24]
Shenyang Youth	1	1	0	0	133	83	+50	[lower-alpha 25]
Tianjin	1	1	0	0	67	59	+8	[lower-alpha 26]
August 1	2	1	0	1	148	153	−5	[lower-alpha 27][lower-alpha 28]
February 8	1	1	0	0	95	86	+9	[lower-alpha 29]
60 Countries	307	75	66	163	281	483	−202

Placements

European Promotion Cup

• 2002: European Promotion Cup – 6th place
• 2004: European Promotion Cup – 5th place
• 2006: European Promotion Cup – 2nd place

European Championship

• 1947: European Championship – 14th place
• 1957: European Championship – 16th place
• 1995: European Championship – Qualifying Round
• 1997: European Championship – Qualifying Round
• 1999: European Championship – Preliminary Round
• 2005: Eurobasket – Division B
• 2007: Eurobasket – Division B
• 2009: Eurobasket – Division B

European Olympic Qualifying Tournament

• 1972: European Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Preliminary Round
• 1992: European Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Preliminary Round

European Promotion Cup

• 1996: European Promotion Cup – 2nd place
• 2002: European Promotion Cup – 1st place

European Championship

• 1997: European Championship – Qualifying Round

Youth competitions

• 1999: European Promotion Cup for Junior Men – 7th place
• 2001: European Promotion Cup for Junior Men – 4th place
• 2003: European Promotion Cup for Junior Men – 1st place
• 2005: U18 European Promotion Cup Women – 3rd place

See also

• Albania women's national basketball team
• Albania national under-19 basketball team
• Albania national under-17 basketball team
• Albania national 3x3 team

Footnotes

1. Albania defeated Algeria at the GANEFO games in 1963, but the score is unknown so recorded as a 2–0 victory for Albania.
2. Albania forfeited a game against Bulgaria at the 1960 Balkan Championship in Sofia, so recorded as 2–0 victory for Bulgaria.
3. Albania withdrew from playing Israel for political reasons at the XVIII Universiade, the World University Games in Turin, so recorded as a 2–0 victory for Israel.
4. Albania's senior national team defeated the youth national team 76–48 at the VII Balkan Championship in Tiranë in 1965.
5. Albania defeated a squad representing Beijing 73–65 during a tour of China in 1972.
6. Albania lost 64–49 to Bulgaria's youth national team at the 1960 Balkan Championship in Sofia.
7. Albania defeated China's youth national team 77–64 during a tour of China in 1977.
8. Albania defeated a squad representing the North Korean Interior Ministry called Security Forces 102–92 during a tour of North Korea in 1977.
9. Albania defeated a squad representing Jiangsu during a tour of China in 1972, but the score is unknown so recorded as a 2–0 victory for Albania.
10. Albania lost to a squad representing Jiangsu 73–63 during a tour of China in 1974.
11. Albania lost to a squad representing the Chinese Army of Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang 78–49 during a tour of China in 1977.
12. Albania defeated a youth squad representing Jilin 121–69 during a tour of China in 1977.
13. Albania defeated a squad representing Jinan during a tour of China in 1972, but the score is unknown so recorded as a 2–0 victory for Albania.
14. Albania defeated a squad representing Liaoning 76–69 during a tour of China in 1974.
15. Albania defeated a squad representing Nei Mongol during a tour of China in 1972, but the score is unknown so recorded as a 2–0 victory for Albania.
16. Albania lost 81–58 to New Balance All-Stars, a selection of US-based players touring Italy, on June 12, 2009, during the Torneo di Porto San Giorgio.
17. Albania lost to a squad representing the Pyongyang 90–89 during a tour of North Korea in 1977.
18. Albania lost 71–31 to Romania's youth national team at the 1959 Balkan Championship in Bucharest.
19. Albania lost 77–53 to a squad representing Romania's universities at the Cup of Friendship youth tournament held in Bucharest in 1960.
20. Albania played Selezione Universitaria LNP, a selection of university players of the Lega Nazionale Pallacanestro in Italy, on June 11, 2009, for the Torneo di Porto San Giorgio.
21. Albania defeated a squad representing Shanghai 75–65 during a tour of China in 1972.
22. Albania lost to a squad representing Shanghai 71–69 during a tour of China in 1974.
23. Albania defeated a squad representing Shanxi 84–64 during a tour of China in 1972.
24. Albania defeated a squad representing Shenyang 107–75 during a tour of China in 1977.
25. Albania defeated a youth squad representing Shenyang 133–83 during a tour of China in 1977.
26. Albania defeated a squad representing Tianjin 67–59 during a tour of China in 1972.
27. Albania defeated a squad representing the Chinese Army called August 1, 1974, 71–69 during a tour of China.
28. Albania lost to a squad representing the Chinese Army called August 1, 1977, 84–77 during a tour of China.
29. Albania defeated a squad representing the North Korean Army called February 8, 95–86 during a tour of North Korea in 1977.

References

1. "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
2. "Albanian Federation of Basketball". Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
3. "Albania - FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers (roster)". FIBA. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
4. "Mblidhet ekipi kombetare meshkuj (18 Qershor 2018)" [Meet the national men's team (June 18, 2018)] (in Albanian). Albanian Basketball Association. June 18, 2018.
5. Arben Fagu: Basketbolli ynë për t’u vajtuar, s’ka e s’mund të kemi më një Agim Fagu
6. Korab Llazani: Basketbolli ynë me probleme të trashëguara, Kosova nivel tjetër
7. "Dickel hopes for return to Rams' glory days". Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
8. Basketboll, rikthehet Fatmir Cuka
9. Roland Avrami: Shqiperia eshte rritur jo vetem ne centimentra
10. Qiprioti Constantinides, trajneri i ri i kombëtares