Norway men's national basketball team

The Norway national basketball team (Norwegian: Norge herrelandslag i basketball) represents Norway in men's international basketball tournaments. The national team is controlled by the Norwegian Basketball Association.

Norway

FIBA ranking	86 1 (9 December 2020)[1]
Joined FIBA	1968
FIBA zone	FIBA Europe
National federation	Norges Basketballforbund (NBBF)
Coach	Matthias Eckhoff
Olympic Games
Appearances	None
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	None
EuroBasket
Appearances	None
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances	2
Medals	Silver: (1996, 2018)
Home Away
First international
Switzerland 91–64 Norway (Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; 4 April 1979)
Biggest win
San Marino 48–88 Norway (Serravalle, San Marino; 26 June 2018)
Biggest defeat
Netherlands 93–47 Norway (Kavadarci, Macedonia; 24 May 1995)

Norway has never had great success on the international stage in the past. As they are one of the few European countries to date to have never qualified for one of the top international basketball competitions such as the EuroBasket or the FIBA World Cup.

History

Norway's first match was played in 1966, when the national team lost 74-39 to Iceland. The most capped player is Torgeir Bryn, with 111 caps.

In the past, Norway has attempted to qualify for the Eurobasket several times, but have yet to reach the tournament. They have only entered the Olympic basketball qualification twice, for the 1980, and 1988 Olympic Games. Norway is one of Europe's most populous nations to have never qualified for a major international basketball tournament. However, they have qualified for smaller competitions such as the European Championship for Small Countries.

The Road to Revival (2012-2017)

In 2012 financial troubles led the Norwegian Basketball Association to shut down both the men's and women's national teams. The association simply did not have the funds to keep either the men's or women's teams afloat. Since then, however, the association has come to realize just how many people from the athletes and teams, to individuals and companies care about the Norwegian basketball community and are willing to provide financial support. The association also worked to raise money through sponsorships, and has now signed a major sponsorship agreement with Circle K, in addition to a few smaller sponsors.[2]

In 2018, Norway made its return to FIBA competition by playing at the European Championship for Small Countries. The national team finished as the runners-up after losing 75–59 in the final against Malta.[3]

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup World Cup Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1970 Did not enter 1974 1978 1982 Did not qualify 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 Did not enter 2010 2014 2019 2023 Total 0/14 Olympic Games Olympic Games Qualifying Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1968 Did not enter 1972 1976 1980 Did not qualify 4 0 4 1984 1988 3 0 3 1992 1996 to 2020 Did not enter Total 0/14 7 0 7 Championship for Small Countries FIBA European Championship for Small Countries Year Pos. Pld W L 1996 5 4 1 2018 5 4 1 Total 10 8 2

EuroBasket EuroBasket Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1969 Did not enter 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 Did not qualify 3 0 3 1981 4 1 3 1983 Did not enter Did not enter 1985 Did not qualify 9 5 4 1987 4 3 1 1989 3 0 3 1991 4 1 3 1993 4 0 4 1995 Did not enter Did not enter 1997 Did not qualify 5 0 5 1999 3 0 3 2001 9 3 6 2003 Did not enter 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2021 Total 0/26 48 13 35

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries[4]

Norway national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. G 4 Magnus Midtvedt 28 – 7 April 1990 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Centrum Tigers G 5 Harald Frey 21 – 27 May 1997 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Montana State Bobcats G 6 Stian Berg 27 – 4 April 1991 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) Asker Aliens G 7 Lars Espe 19 – 26 September 1998 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Barry Buccaneers G 8 Bouna Ndiaye 25 – 20 October 1992 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) GET Vosges G 9 Nikolas Skouen 28 – 29 January 1990 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Frøya Ambassadors F 10 Karamo Jawara 27 – 25 June 1991 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) CB Bahía San Agustín G 11 Stian Mjos 29 – 27 February 1989 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Bærum Basket G 12 Eivind Lamo 21 – 23 October 1996 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Gimle Basket G 13 Alex Dakin 25 – 2 January 1993 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Bærum Basket F 14 Sjur Berg 22 – 10 January 1996 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Alaska Anchorage Seawolves F 15 Johannes Dolven 22 – 11 May 1996 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Barry Buccaneers	Head coach Matthias Eckhoff Assistant coach(es) Audun Eskeland Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 26 June 2018

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2	Bench 3
C	Marcus Larsson	Johannes Dolven	Haji Jawara	Erik Borg
PF	Karamo Jawara	Kristian Sjolund	Sjur Berg	Aksel Bolin
SF	Chris Ebou-Ndow	Bouna Ndiaye	Mikal Gjerde	Magne Fivelstad
SG	Mikkel Kolstad	Nikolas Skouen	Tobias Rotegard	Andrija Blatancic
PG	Harald Frey	Stian Mjos	Sigurd Lorange	Eivind Lamo

Head coach position

• Matthias Eckhoff – (2018 - present)

Notable players

• Torgeir Bryn - the first Scandinavian, and the only Norwegian who has played in the NBA; and the most capped player for the Norway national basketball team with 111 matches.

See also

• Norway women's national basketball team
• Norway national under-19 basketball team
• Norway national under-17 basketball team

References

1. "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
2. "Norway returns to international basketball". norwegianamerican.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
3. "Norway - FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
4. "Norway at the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 26 June 2018.

External links

• Official website (in Norwegian)
• Norway at FIBA site
• Norway National Team - Men at Eurobasket.com