A UNIVERSITY of Worcester lecturer and three former students helped Wales finish seventh in a prestigious tournament.
Alex Radu, assistant coach of the Worcester Wolves and a senior lecturer in sports coaching basketball at the university, coached former students Sam Roberts, Ben Potts and Damian Edwards in the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries.
Wales lost to the tournament’s runners-up Andorra 74-33 in their opening match, before being edged out 63-59 to hosts Moldova.
They then fell to eventual winners Armenia 92-40 and lost 63-51 to Malta, before ending the competition with a 67-40 victory over Gibraltar.
Roberts and Edwards played in the guard position and Potts played power forward for the Welsh.
Radu said: “The level of competition was tough as some squads fielded professional players.
“There was visible progress in the way our team played from game to game, but sometimes it was our inconsistency that kept us from winning more than one match.
“But we now have a strong foundation on which to build for future challenges.”
Roberts, who represented Wales’ first team for the first time said: “It was a hard tournament for us. The standard of play in Britain isn’t at the same level as Europe, so for us to adapt to that intense play was difficult.
“I learned a lot though and have gained more confidence to bring back to the UK by playing against such high quality opposition.”