EuroBasket 1946
The 1946 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1946, was the fourth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe and the first since 1939 due to World War II. Ten national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) took part in the competition. Switzerland hosted the tournament for a second time, as the championship returned to Geneva.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Switzerland |
| City | Geneva |
| Dates | 30 April – 4 May |
| Teams | 10 |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Czechoslovakia (1st title) |
| Runners-up | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Italy |
| Third place | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Hungary |
| Fourth place | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} France |
| Tournament statistics | |
| MVP | François Németh |
| Top scorer |  Pawel Stok (12.4 points per game) |
EuroBasket 1946 saw the beginning of the use of the jump shot, pioneered by Italy's Giuseppe Stefanini.
Results
The 1946 competition consisted of a preliminary round, with one group of four teams and two groups of three teams each. Each team played the other teams in its group once. The top team in each of the groups of three and the top two teams in the group of four played in the semifinals for the top four rankings; the middle teams in the two groups of three moved directly on to the final round for a 5th/6th place playoff; the bottom team in each group of three and the two bottom teams in the group of four played in semifinals for the 7th–10th ranks.
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy |
3 | 3 | 0 | 152 | 71 | +81 | 6 | Semifinal |
| 2 | Hungary |
3 | 2 | 1 | 113 | 70 | +43 | 5 | |
| 3 | Poland |
3 | 1 | 2 | 91 | 102 | −11 | 4 | Classification 7–10 |
| 4 |  Luxembourg |
3 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 166 | −113 | 3 |
| Poland | 45 – 28 | Luxembourg |
| Italy | 39 – 31 | Hungary |
| Luxembourg | 10 – 48 | Hungary |
| Poland | 25 – 40 | Italy |
| Italy | 73 – 15 | Luxembourg |
| Poland | 21 – 34 | Hungary |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France |
2 | 2 | 0 | 112 | 29 | +83 | 4 | Semifinal |
| 2 |  Netherlands |
2 | 1 | 1 | 66 | 74 | −8 | 3 | Classification 5–6 |
| 3 |  England |
2 | 0 | 2 | 38 | 113 | −75 | 2 | Classification 7–10 |
| England | 27 – 48 | Netherlands |
| England | 11 – 65 | France |
| France | 47 – 18 | Netherlands |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Czechoslovakia |
2 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 4 | Semifinal |
| 2 |  Switzerland |
2 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 43 | +7 | 3 | Classification 5–6 |
| 3 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Belgium |
2 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 71 | −15 | 2 | Classification 7–10 |
| Czechoslovakia | 20 – 17 | Switzerland |
| Belgium | 23 – 33 | Switzerland |
| Belgium | 33 – 38 | Czechoslovakia |
Final round
The middle team of each of the groups of three did not compete in the final round, as they advanced directly to the 5th/6th place playoff. The top team of each of those groups played one of the top two teams of the group of four, with rankings 1st–4th at stake. Similarly, the bottom team in each group of three played one of the two lower teams in the group of four in a semifinal for 7th–10th places.
Classification 7–10
| Classification semi-finals | Seventh place match | |||||
| England | 27 | |||||
| Luxembourg | 50 | |||||
| Luxembourg | ||||||
| Belgium | ||||||
| Poland | 22 | |||||
| Belgium | 39 | |||||
| Ninth place match | ||||||
| England | ||||||
| Poland | ||||||
Classification 5th–6th
| Fifth place match | ||
| Netherlands | ||
| Switzerland | ||
| England | 27 – 50 | Luxembourg |
| Poland | 22 – 39 | Belgium |
Upper bracket
| Czechoslovakia | 42 – 28 | Hungary |
| Italy | 37 – 25 | France |
Final classification matches
In this stage, all teams played their penultimate games to determine the final rankings.
9th/10th place:
| England | 22 – 50 | Poland |
7th/8th place:
| Belgium | 42 – 11 | Luxembourg |
5th/6th place:
| Netherlands | 25 – 36 | Switzerland |
3rd/4th place:
| Hungary | 38 – 32 | France |
Championship:
| Czechoslovakia | 34 – 32 | Italy |
| 1946 FIBA EuroBasket Champions |
|---|
Czechoslovakia 1st title |
Final rankings
Team rosters
1. Czechoslovakia: Ivan Mrázek, Miloš Bobocký, Jiří Drvota, Josef Ezr, Gustav Hermann, Jan Hluchy, Josef Křepela, Pavel Nerad, Ladislav Simácek, František Stibitz, Josef Toms, Ladislav Trpkoš, Emil Velenský, Miroslav Vondráček (Coach: Frantisek Hajek)
2. Italy: Cesare Rubini, Giuseppe Stefanini, Sergio Stefanini, Albino Bocciai, Mario Cattarini, Marcello de Nardus, Armando Fagarazzi, Giancarlo Marinelli, Valentino Pellarini, Tullio Pitacco, Venzo Vannini
3. Hungary: François Németh, Geza Bajari, Antal Bankuti, Geza Kardos, Laszlo Kiralyhidi, Tibor Mezőfi, György Nagy, Geza Racz, Ede Vadaszi, Ferenc Velkei (Coach: Istvan Kiraly)
4. France: Robert Busnel, André Buffière, Etienne Roland, Paul Chaumont, René Chocat, Jean Duperray, Emile Frezot, Maurice Girardot, Andre Goeuriot, Henri Lesmayoux, Jacques Perrier, Lucien Rebuffic, Justy Specker, Andre Tartary (Coach: Paul Geist)