Wikipedia

Luxembourg men's national basketball team

The Luxembourg men's national basketball team (Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuergesch Basketballnationalequipe, French: Équipe du Luxembourg de basketball, German: Luxemburgische Basketballnationalmannschaft) represents Luxembourg in international basketball tournaments. They are controlled by the Luxembourg Basketball Federation.

Luxembourg
FIBA ranking85 Increase 3 (3 March 2026)[1]
Joined FIBA1946
FIBA zoneFIBA Europe
National federationLuxembourg Basketball Federation (FLBB)
CoachKen Diederich
FIBA World Cup
AppearancesNone
EuroBasket
Appearances3
MedalsNone
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances5
Medals‹See Tfd›Silver medal Silver: (1992, 2004)
‹See Tfd›Bronze medal Bronze: (1990)
Games of the Small States of Europe
Appearances17
Medals‹See Tfd›Gold medal Gold: (2023)
‹See Tfd›Silver medal Silver: (1985, 1991, 1995, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2019)
‹See Tfd›Bronze medal Bronze: (1993, 2003, 2005, 2015)
First international
 Poland 45–28 Luxembourg 
(Geneva, Switzerland; 30 April 1946)
Biggest win
 Luxembourg 99–44 San Marino 
(Serravalle, San Marino; 1 June 2017)
Biggest defeat
 Greece 119–46 Luxembourg 
(Vevey, Switzerland; 10 May 1980)

Luxembourg has competed at the EuroBasket three times, in 1946, 1951, and 1955. Their best result was an eighth place finish at their first appearance at the competition in 1946. However, the national team has yet to qualify to compete at the FIBA World Cup.

History

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EuroBasket 1946

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Luxembourg appeared in their first international event at EuroBasket 1946 in Geneva. After being placed in Group A for the preliminary round, the national team would play in their first ever match against Poland, where the team would lose 45–28.[2] Following the defeat, Luxembourg went on to lose their next two matches against Hungary and Italy, which ultimately dropped the team into the classification phase of the tournament. There, Luxembourg captured their first ever victory against England 27–50.[3] With only one game remaining for Luxembourg, the team would finish out the competition with a loss against Belgium, to end the tournament eighth out of the ten teams overall.[4]

EuroBasket 1951

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After not entering the competition in 1947 and 1949, Luxembourg made their way back to the continental stage at EuroBasket 1951 in Paris. Luxembourg's first match of the tournament was against the host France, which resulted in a demoralising defeat for the national team 72–26.[5] Ensuing the tough loss for Luxembourg, were four straight defeats for the team, to relegate them into a must win elimination game for the right to advance into the classification rounds. Luxembourg, however, would lose in a tightly contested match 45–46 against Denmark to be eliminated.[6]

EuroBasket 1955

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A match against Netherlands in 1959.

Following Luxembourg's dismal performance at the EuroBasket in 1951, the national team declined to enter the event in 1953, instead looked toward EuroBasket 1955 in Budapest to make amends. After a disastrous first game in the preliminary round, which saw Luxembourg completely dominated by the Soviet Union, the team was narrowly defeated in their second match against Sweden 54–53.[7] However, in Luxembourg's final two matches of the preliminary phase, the team struggled to build upon their game against Sweden; and were relegated toward the classification rounds at a record of (0–5).

Entering the classification round, Luxembourg dropped their first match against Turkey, before earning their first win of the tournament against Denmark 46–31.[8] Luxembourg would eventually go on to pickup two more victories, both against Sweden to end the tournament 15th out of the 18 teams at the event.[9]

Poland v Luxembourg during a EuroBasket 2015 qualifier.

Subsequent years

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After Luxembourg's last appearance at the EuroBasket in 1951, the national team endured numerous failed qualifying cycles in order to make it back to the EuroBasket. However, Luxembourg eventually achieved success competing at smaller competitions such as the European Championship for Small Countries and the Games of the Small States of Europe.

Entering qualification for Luxembourg to reach EuroBasket 2017, the team struggled toward a (1–5) record during the process to being eliminated.[10] After Luxembourg's missed opportunity to qualify for the 2017 tournament, the team was tasked with going through Pre-Qualifiers with a chance to qualify for EuroBasket 2022. Luxembourg would get off to a slow start during the first round of pre-qualifiers, losing their first three matches before picking up a needed win on the road against Cyprus 89–76.[11] With a record of (1–3), Luxembourg's path of advancing took a detour, as the team was relegated to the third and final phase of pre-qualifiers. There, Luxembourg would only win one game during that qualifying window (1–3), at home against Kosovo 88–80 and failing to advance.[12]

For Luxembourg's process to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the national team took part in European Pre-Qualifiers, where they went (2–4) in the first round; and were initially eliminated. Although due to Austria withdrawing from qualification, Luxembourg were next inline to replace them.[13] Entering the second and final phase of World Cup European pre-qualifiers, Luxembourg's qualification campaign officially came to a close, after posting an (0–4) record during the round.[14]

Competitive record

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Results and fixtures

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  Win   Loss

2025

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20 February 2025 Norway  68–59  Luxembourg Oslo, Norway
19:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 15–21, 15–17, 22–8, 16–13
Pts: Frey 27
Rebs: Ndow 9
Asts: Frey 4		 Boxscore Pts: Vujaković 12
Rebs: Rugg 11
Asts: four players 2		 Arena: Nordstrand Arena
Attendance: 2,000
Referees: Joaquin García (ESP), Ritvars Helmšteins (LAT), Rainis Värv (EST)
27 November 2025 Luxembourg  89–77  Ireland Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
19:30 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 26–11, 21–26, 17–24, 25–16
Pts: Kovac 38
Rebs: Logelin, Rugg 6
Asts: Gutenkauf 6		 Boxscore Pts: Badmus 24
Rebs: Buivydas 10
Asts: Flood 6		 Arena: d'Coque
Attendance: 1,200
Referees: Mehmet Karabilecen (TUR), Diogo Martins (POR), Karol Kowalski (POL)
30 November 2025 Azerbaijan  90–95  Luxembourg Baku, Azerbaijan
18:00 (UTC+4) Scoring by quarter: 18–25, 26–32, 17–25, 29–13
Pts: Van Beck 29
Rebs: Van Beck 8
Asts: Van Beck 7		 Boxscore Pts: Kovac 29
Rebs: Kovac 9
Asts: Kovac 5		 Arena: Baku Sports Palace
Attendance: 1,235
Referees: Nemanja Ninković (SRB), Ciprian Stoica (ROU), Aleksandar Radonjić (AUT)

2026

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27 February 2025 North Macedonia  79–70  Luxembourg Skopje, North Macedonia
18:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 25–17, 19–15, 15–17, 20–21
Pts: Jakimovski 17
Rebs: Happ 14
Asts: Petkov 7		 Boxscore Pts: Kovac 20
Rebs: Kovac 11
Asts: Gutenkauf 4		 Arena: Skopje City Park Sports Hall
Attendance: 1,500
Referees: Peter Ženiš (SVK), Duhan Köyiçi (TUR), Mladen Lučić (MNE)
2 March 2026 Ireland  91–85  Luxembourg Dublin, Ireland
19:30 (UTC+0) Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 17–12, 26–21, 26–29
Pts: N. Quinn 22
Rebs: N. Quinn 14
Asts: Fulton 12		 Boxscore Pts: Rugg 23
Rebs: Rugg 11
Asts: Gutenkauf 6		 Arena: National Basketball Arena
Attendance: 2,000
Referees: Viktor Nagy (HUN), Pierre Landy (FRA), José Pedroso (POR)

Team

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Current roster

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Roster for the EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers matches on 27 February and 2 March 2026 against North Macedonia and Ireland.[15]

Luxembourg men's national basketball team roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameAge – Date of birthHeightClubCtr.
SG 1 Malcolm Kreps 24 – (2001-10-11)11 October 2001 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Huesca Spain
PF 3 Dino Ceman 23 – (2002-09-29)29 September 2002 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Esch Luxembourg
PG 6 Max Logelin 22 – (2003-06-17)17 June 2003 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Sparta Luxembourg
PG 7 Philippe Gutenkauf 30 – (1995-04-11)11 April 1995 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Etzella Luxembourg
F/C 12 Joe Kalmes 30 – (1995-11-24)24 November 1995 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Dudelange Luxembourg
SF 13 Ben Kovac 26 – (2000-02-22)22 February 2000 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Évreux France
C 14 David Rocha 24 – (2001-03-22)22 March 2001 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) CD Murgi Spain
PF 15 Oliver Vujakovic 29 – (1996-12-05)5 December 1996 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Résidence Luxembourg
SG 23 Christopher Jack 27 – (1998-06-26)26 June 1998 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Dudelange Luxembourg
G/F 27 Yannick Verbeelen 27 – (1998-11-03)3 November 1998 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Sparta Luxembourg
F/C 31 Clancy Rugg 34 – (1991-09-22)22 September 1991 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Esch Luxembourg
SF 77 Ivor Kuresevic 27 – (1998-05-02)2 May 1998 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Amicale Luxembourg
Head coach
  • Luxembourg Ken Diederich
Assistant coach(es)
  • Croatia Denis Toroman
  • Luxembourg Pierre Paul
  • Luxembourg Pit Rodenbourg
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 27 February 2026

Depth chart

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Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Clancy Rugg David Rocha
PF Joe Kalmes Oliver Vujakovic Dino Ceman
SF Ben Kovac Ivor Kuresevic Yannick Verbeelen
SG Malcolm Kreps Christopher Jack
PG Philippe Gutenkauf Max Logelin

Head coach position

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  • Hungary Ferenc Haris – (1989–1991)
  • United States Rick Brooks – (1991–1993)
  • United States Doug Marty – (1993–1996)
  • United States Steve Hebold – (1996–2002)[16]
  • United States Don Beck – (2002)[17]
  • United States Paul Brown – (2002–2003)
  • Germany Hermann Paar – (2003–2005)
  • Croatia Krešimir Bašić – (2005–2007)[18]
  • Germany Carsten Steiner – (2008–2009)[19]
  • Germany Frank Baum – (2010–2013)
  • Germany Karsten Schul – (2013–2014)
  • France Franck Mériguet – (2014–2015)
  • Luxembourg Ken Diederich – (2015–present)

Past rosters

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1946 EuroBasket: finished 8th among 10 teams

3 Alfred Achen, 4 René Bicheler, 5 René Colling, 6 Henri Heyart, 7 Pierre Kelsen, 8 Eugene Kohn, 9 Léon Konsbruck, 10 Joseph Linck, 11 Gaston Poncin, 12 Roger Scheuren (Coach: Henri Heyart)

1951 EuroBasket: finished 17th among 18 teams

3 Guy Neumann, 4 Mathias Steffen, 5 Xander Frantz, 6 Fernand Schmalen, 7 Roger Dentzer, 8 Joseph Eyschen, 9 Marcel Gales, 10 Mathias Birel, 11 Jean Guillen, 12 Pierre Steinmetz, 13 Léon Konsbruck, 14 René Haas, 15 Ley, 25 Paul Linster (Coach: Pierrot Conter)

1955 EuroBasket: finished 15th among 18 teams

3 Pierre Steinmetz, 4 Mathias Birel, 5 Fernand Wolter, 6 Joseph Lettal, 7 Paul Kemp, 8 Fernand Schmalen, 9 John Kieffer, 10 Marcel Simon, 11 Florent Lickes, 12 Gust Scharle, 13 Albert Meyers, 14 Jean Christophory (Coach: Pierre Kelsen)

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "Poland v Luxembourg – EuroBasket 1946 game results". Archive.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "England v Luxembourg – EuroBasket 1946 game results". Archive.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "EuroBasket 1946 tournament results". Archive.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "France v Luxembourg – EuroBasket 1951 game results". Archive.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "EuroBasket 1951 tournament results". Archive.fiba.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Sweden v Luxembourg – EuroBasket 1955 game results". Archive.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Luxembourg v Denmark – EuroBasket 1955 game results". Archive.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "EuroBasket 1955 tournament results". Archive.fiba.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Luxembourg during the EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers". Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "Luxembourg stun Cyprus in Nicosia". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  12. ↑ "Luxembourg during the EuroBasket 2022 Pre-Qualifiers". Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  13. ↑ "Luxembourg enter FIBA World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers Second Round". Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "Luxembourg during the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers". Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  15. ↑ "Luxembourg during the EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers in February 2026". Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  16. ↑ "Historique du Basketball luxembourgeois". AABBL - Association des Anciens du Basketball Luxembourgeois (in French). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "Ehemaliger FLBB-Coach wird Alex Laurents Trainer". Luxemburger Wort (in German). 11 May 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "Nouveau Headcoach Senior Hommes". Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Basket Ball (in French). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  19. ↑ "Nationaltrainer Steiner wirft das Handtuch". luxemburger-wort-online (in German). 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
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