FIBA on Sani Čampara: Team leader unafraid of responsibility

The junior basketball national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated France in the first round of the U18 Eurobasket in Slovakia with a score of 66:65. Of those, 32 points were scored by 18-year-old Sani Čampara.

FIBA's official website has written extensively about the BiH national team and Čampara. They recall that BiH was the European champion in the U16 category in 2015. Yesterday, they defeated the reigning European champion, reports the Patria agency.

As stated in the FIBA article, after 40 minutes of defiant play, there was no doubt who the player of the match was and who led BiH to victory.

- We expected an intense game because France is a very good team, and we gave our all to beat them. I think it's better to start the tournament with this kind of performance, and we are very happy with the win - said a cheerful Čampara after the match.

The young basketball player did not hide his words of gratitude to his teammates who trusted him and passed him the ball. He says that playing with them allows him to continue developing.

The growth process of every player also involves taking responsibility, and Čampara is aware of this, not shying away from a leading role in the team alongside Njegoš Sikiraš after the top talent Džanan Musa joined the senior team.

- Džanan is our best player, he was the leader of the generation born in 1999, and now without him, I think Njegoš and I have to lead our guys through the game and give them support because for some of these guys, this is their first European Championship.

FIBA recalls that Musa, Sikiraš, and Čampara played a key role in leading the team to the gold medal at the 2015 European Championship. At that time, more than 50,000 residents welcomed the golden boys in Sarajevo. Čampara says he will never forget that.

- I'm not sure if we can achieve the same result, but we can certainly give our all and try to at least come close, because that was something special. Basketball grew that year in BiH, and if we do it again, I think we can create something special in the future.

The outstanding results with the national team are the reason why Čampara signed a contract with Real Madrid last year.

- I made this transfer because of my performances with the national team. It is an honor to play for my country, and I hope to do so for many more years - concluded Čampara.

Our guys play a match against the host Slovakia tonight.