Florida State University Athletics
Seminoles’ Miller Leads Spain To FIBA U-19 World Championship
7/4/2023 9:16:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DEBRECEN, Hungary – Florida State's Baba Miller scored 11 points and pulled down five rebounds as a starter to lead Spain to a 73-69 overtime victory over France to give it the FIBA U19 World Championship at the Fonix Arena. Spain outscored France by a 10-6 margin in overtime to win its second FIBA U19 World Championship.
"It's an amazing feeling," Miller told Seminoles.com. "It's the second time ever Spain has won this tournament. The last time was 24 years ago. It's an unbelievable feeling. The happiness, joy and satisfaction that we are feeling right now is incomparable. We are the world champions."
Jordi Rodriguez led Spain with 18 points and Rafael Villar totaled 17, including two free throws with 26 seconds left in overtime to send the Spaniards to the win.
The FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup featured the world's top 16 youth men's national teams, with the 56-game competition which took place from 24 June-July 2.
Spain finished the nine-day competition with a perfect 7-0 record. Miller was the third leading scorer for Spain, as he averaged 9.4 points, and was its second leading rebounder with a 6.0 rebounds per game average. He also averaged 0.7 blocked shots, and 0.6 steals per game. Miller was a starter in each of Spain's seven games which included victories over Canada, France, China, Lebanon, Argentina, Turkey, and France to win the championship.
"The final was difficult," said Spain's Head Coach Daniel Garcia. "We believed until the end. France had a great performance but we fought until the last moment. Sometimes basketball is more than just numbers and our heart made the difference in the end.
Miller's Results
Canada (2 points, 6 rebounds)
France (14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal)
China (9 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists)
Lebanon (8 points, 6 rebounds)
Argentina (18 points, 9 rebounds)
Turkey (4 points, 3 rebounds)
France (11 points, 5 rebounds)
"It's an amazing feeling," Miller told Seminoles.com. "It's the second time ever Spain has won this tournament. The last time was 24 years ago. It's an unbelievable feeling. The happiness, joy and satisfaction that we are feeling right now is incomparable. We are the world champions."
Jordi Rodriguez led Spain with 18 points and Rafael Villar totaled 17, including two free throws with 26 seconds left in overtime to send the Spaniards to the win.
The FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup featured the world's top 16 youth men's national teams, with the 56-game competition which took place from 24 June-July 2.
Spain finished the nine-day competition with a perfect 7-0 record. Miller was the third leading scorer for Spain, as he averaged 9.4 points, and was its second leading rebounder with a 6.0 rebounds per game average. He also averaged 0.7 blocked shots, and 0.6 steals per game. Miller was a starter in each of Spain's seven games which included victories over Canada, France, China, Lebanon, Argentina, Turkey, and France to win the championship.
"The final was difficult," said Spain's Head Coach Daniel Garcia. "We believed until the end. France had a great performance but we fought until the last moment. Sometimes basketball is more than just numbers and our heart made the difference in the end.
Miller's Results
Canada (2 points, 6 rebounds)
France (14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal)
China (9 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists)
Lebanon (8 points, 6 rebounds)
Argentina (18 points, 9 rebounds)
Turkey (4 points, 3 rebounds)
France (11 points, 5 rebounds)
Players Mentioned
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