Serbia Olympic Qualifying Tournament- Latvia vs. Japan

Written by Wes Kosel

Wes Kosel will enter his first season as an Assistant Coach at Augustana University under Tom Billeter in 2016-2017. Kosel came to Sioux Falls after two season at Colorado College as the lead assistant. Kosel, a native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, served as an assistant coach at Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Texas Lutheran University from 2012-2014. Kosel graduated from the University of Kansas in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. He also has a master’s degree in physical education from the University of Houston. While attending Kansas, Kosel served as an assistant coach at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. A life-long student of the game, Kosel honed his coaching skills by working summer camps for various programs in Texas, Colorado, Missouri, and New Mexico. Kosel also is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a Certified Personal Trainer, both of which are certifications earned through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Kosel and his wife, Molly, live in Colorado Springs.

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Basketball Set Plays | Horns Set Plays | Uncategorized

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July 5, 2016

Serbia Olympic Qualifying Tournament- Latvia vs. Japan by Wes Kosel

Japan and Latvia played the first game of the Serbia Olympic Qualifying Tournament on July 4th. The tournament is split into two groups, Group A (Serbia, Puerto Rico, and Angola) and Group B (Latvia, Japan, and Czech Republic). The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on Friday, July 8th. In this game, Japan struggled against Latvia starting the game down 26 to 11 after the 1st quarter. Japan made a nice push in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the high powered Latvians.

Latvia was led by Dairis Bertans who scored 20 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. Japan was led by Kosuke Takeuchi who scored 12 points in the game. Japan’s defense was just not enough to keep Latvia from scoring. Latvia shot 64% on two-point shots and 39% on three-point shots. Below are some highlights from the game.

Latvia Offense

Olympic Qualifying – Diamond Slash

Latvia uses this quick hitter to get the ball into the post. The fast action is difficult to defend.

Serbia Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Olympic Qualifying – Cross Top PNR

Latvia spaces the floor well, and in this play they use spacing and movement to get a high ball-screen for the point guard.

Olympic Qualifying

Olympic Qualifying – Horns Post Curl PNR

Latvia used different variations of this play throughout the game. Forcing Japan to guard the back-screen gives the 5 man space when setting the ball-screen.

Olympic Qualifying