Latest news with #U-18
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball freshman forward guides Lithuania to win at EuroBasket U20 tournament
Wisconsin basketball freshman forward Aleksas Bieliauskas starred for Lithuania at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament on Sunday. Bieliauskas, who officially signed with the Badgers on May 8, dropped 15 points, snared eight rebounds and logged a steal in Lithuania's 106-66 victory over Romania in group play on Sunday. The 6-foot-9 forward shot 6-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe as the second-leading scorer on the team. The future Badger also accounted for 10 points and a team-best 11 rebounds in his country's opening contest of the circuit against Greece. That preceded tallies of six points, eight rebounds and three steals in an 82-79 defeat at the hands of Czechia on Monday. Through three group stage games, he's averaged 10.3 points and a team-leading nine rebounds off 52.6% from the floor. Hailing from Kaunas, Lithuania, Bieliauskas boasts previous FIBA experience. In the 2023 U-18 European Championships, he averaged 8.6 points and 6.1 rebounds off 46.3% in seven appearances. During the 2022 U17 World Cup, he was responsible for 8.6 points (48.3% FG) and 9.6 rebounds per game. Against a United States squad rostering future NBA players Cooper Flagg, Jeremiah Fears Jr. and Ronald Holland, Bieliauskas even showed out with eight points and 11 rebounds in the semifinals. Outside of FIBA play, Bieliauskas last played for Zalgiris II in the Lithuanian NKL. In 45 contests, the newly-signed Badger averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per match off a blistering 39.3 percent clip from beyond the arc. Bieliauskas is one of two international signees in Wisconsin's class of 2025, alongside New Zealand guard Hayden Jones. Jones just competed in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup alongside future Badger Jackson Ball (class of 2026). Like Jones, Bieliauskas' two-way ability and willingness to stretch the floor make him a unique talent with rotational upside for UW as he progresses in the United States. Bieliauskas projects to suit up alongside forward Elijah Gray, transfer guard Braeden Carrington and returning guard Jack Janicki on the bench this coming season. UW begins that journey with an exhibition against Oklahoma in late October in Milwaukee. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Sport
- Business Recorder
U18 Asia Hockey Cup: Pakistan to face Japan in final today
Undefeated Pakistan will face Japan in the final of the Men's U-18 Asia Hockey Cup 2025 at Dazhou, China, on Sunday. The match will start at half past four in the afternoon. Pakistan has remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. It reached the final after defeating Malaysia 4-3 in the semi-finals. In earlier matches, it beat hosts China 2-1, Bangladesh 6-3, Sri Lanka 9-0 and Hong Kong 8-0
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jennifer Gardiner Records 3 Points In World Championship Debut Playing With Montreal Linemates: 'They're Such Great Role Models'
Jennifer Gardiner made quite a World Championship debut on Thursday, recording two goals and adding an assist in Canada's 4-0 victory over Finland. Gardiner, 23, played on Canada's top line with captain Marie-Phillipe Poulin and Laura Stacey, with whom she's had incredible success so far in her rookie season with the Montreal Victoire. 'Being in this tournament wouldn't be possible without them and being part of Canada is so incredible, and to be able to score goals is a huge honor and I hope to continue it throughout the tournament,' an excited Gardiner said after the game. 'It's been just so fun playing with them because I know how fast they can skate and how quick they can make plays, so trying to level up my own play every time I get to step on the ice with them is something I'm challenging myself to do,' said Gardiner. 'They're such great role models and great friends in my life – kinda like my older sisters – so it's pretty awesome to get to play with them. The trust and belief they have in me, it means a lot.' 'It's exciting,' Poulin said about Gardiner's accomplishment. 'She's a great young kid who brings a lot to this team. She's very skilled and you could see it tonight.' Canada Wins World Championship Opener Against Finland Canada earned a 5-0 win to open their 2025 IIHF World Championships. Looking to repeat as gold medalists, Canada rode their newly formed top line to the win. 'It's not easy to score goals anywhere, whether it's in the PWHL or at a World Championship, so to do that with that amount of skill is huge for our team,' Stacey said about Gardiner's inclusion on the team. 'I think it adds another layer or skill, and for us, getting to play with her is fun. When you know you can put the puck on somebody's stick and there's a good chance it's going in the back of the net, it brings a lot of confidence to the line and to the team, and that's what she did her tonight.' 'I think they have a little bit of everything,' Canadian coach Troy Ryan said about the trio. 'Obviously, Stacey and Pou are going to have some natural chemistry, and I think Gardiner brings a good mix of a little bit of energy, a little bit of youthfulness but enough skill as well.' 'The one thing I really like about Gardiner is, she wasn't necessarily that superstar coming out of U-18 – she struggled to make those teams – but just kept getting better through college. It's pretty lucky for her too, right? It's her first year of pro and gets to play with Stacey and Poulin, and because of that chemistry, it was a natural fit to at least start them together. We're going to give them a couple of games to see if we like it, and it may continue to go forward.' In addition to Montreal teammates Poulin, Stacey, Kristin O'Neill, defender Erin Ambrose and goaltender Anna-Renée Desbiens, Gardiner also has a couple of former teammates from the Ohio State Buckeyes on this Canadian team. Like Gardiner, Sophie Jaques was also making her World Championship debut against Finland, while Emma Maltais scored Canada's fourth goal. 'We have just enough to make an O-H-I-O,' Gardiner laughed, including Natalie Spooner, who played for the Buckeyes from 2008 to 2012. 'It's awesome. Ohio State has been a pretty big stepping stone for all of us in our careers and so to get to play with some of my best friends at this level is a huge opportunity. One of our coaches, Peter Elander, was in the building tonight, so that also meant a lot to have him here. He's the first person who ever recruited me to play in college and opened the door for all of my dreams to come true.' Later in the tournament, Gardiner is going to get a chance to play against some other former Ohio State teammates as well. 'Yeah, A couple on USA, including one of my best friends, Cayla Barnes, it's going to be fun to get to see her, and then Sofie Lundin on Sweden, so a lot of familiar faces around the entire tournament, but I think everybody knows that, once we get on the ice, it's all business.' Day One: Four Takeaways From The Women's Worlds Day one of the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championships is in the books. USA, Czechia and Sweden picked up wins on the opening day of the 2025 tournament in Czechia.
The Guardian
07-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Why Lydia Bedford left her job in men's football for an upstart Canadian league
After spending a month at the 2024 Under-17 World Cup with England, Lydia Bedford returned to her home in early November, ready to settle back into routine. She wasn't looking for a new job. She wasn't thinking about leaving Premier League club Brentford, where she managed the U-18 squad. If anything, she was eager to focus on the season ahead. Then, she got a text from her agent. 'This crazy opportunity just came up,' it read. 'How do you feel about speaking to the people running this project?' Before long, she was on a plane headed to Canada. The 37-year-old Englishwoman has made it a tradition to be part of history, and her latest venture, to lead an upstart team in an upstart league, is no exception. Calgary Wild FC, Bedford's new employer and one of the six founding teams in the Northern Super League, Canada's first professional women's soccer competition, is set to kick off in April. The club's leadership is made up entirely of women, meeting a key quota for the league and impressing Bedford from the get go. Bedford knew little about the NSL at the time of the offer, and she wanted to to be close to family, so she was initially hesitant to take the leap. 'My mum has gotten sick recently with cancer so I first rang my parents and was like, 'this is a bit mad, I should be thinking about being here. What do you think I should do?'' Bedford tells the Guardian. 'I signed an NDA after the second conversation, and they shared where they were with recruitment at that point.' Bedford had a call with league founder and former Canada international Diana Matheson as the final step. Two days later, she agreed to come aboard. Then, 'as soon as I said yes, I was on calls with players within 48 hours,' she says. Bedford is accustomed to making big career leaps. In 2023 she made history by becoming the first female head coach at a Premier League club, when she was appointed to lead the Brentford U-18 team. In her first season, the Bees finished Merit League 2 as champions, after an impressive run of seven wins from eight games. 'To me, it was just football and a job,' she says. 'The news blew up in England, and I was like 'cool, it's great', but I'm just going to work and doing my thing.' It was her first appointment in the men's game, having begun her coaching career with England's women's youth teams. Despite being in her 20s, and one of the youngest to take on a role with the Lionesses, Bedford honed her skills in talent development while completing her Uefa coaching licenses. That foundation led to her first senior coaching role with Leicester City in the WSL. Taking the helm in December of 2021, the team was pointless at the bottom of the table before Bedford guided them to safety. Her next endeavor was as an assistant coach at Arsenal, a club operating at the opposite end of the table with significantly greater backing. Bedford's role with Calgary Wild is far more wide-ranging than any of her previous stops: she is building a team from scratch alongside sporting director Alex Bruch. With limited scouting resources, the majority of their time is spent watching footage and speaking to agents. 'It is a difficult task and my phone hasn't stopped ringing. But a lot of the players we've spoken to have been on board, so I'm not panicking.' she says. Unlike the WSL, the NSL imposes a salary cap of CAD $1.5m (£1.07m), with the average player salary to be about $65,000-$75,000 a year. 'The fact that everybody has the same budget means that, as a coach, your actual skills, to coach your players, becomes a bigger part of what success looks like,' Bedford says. 'Your culture, your tactical decisions, how well you've paired players across the week matter a lot more. If I was to jump back into the WSL, you're starting to think, if you move into one of the clubs that has the lowest budget, then you're always going to be fighting for something, and the chance of getting a job with a top budget only really comes from experience.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion That said, Bedford admits that her past WSL experiences have given her an understanding of how to best use resources to create a high-performing culture. 'One of the things that blew me away in my time at Arsenal was the players' ability to influence themselves as a group,' says Bedford. 'There were times where I walked into the changing room before [manager] Jonas Eidevall, and [captain] Kim Little had already delivered the team talk.' The Gunners' changing room is organized in order of when players arrived at the club, as opposed to sitting in order of shirt number or age. This is a principle Bedford is bringing over to the Wild. 'Who's the player that committed first to be part of Calgary? The athlete that comes in last might be one of our best players, but they've still come in the building last. Players will have a legacy that's already started before even kicking a ball,' Bedford says. Of the six appointed head coaches across the league, half are relocating to Canada after leaving positions in Europe. This has not only reflected the level of ambition by the NSL, but has also provided new jobs in the women's game at a high level. 'Some people aren't brave enough to take a gamble and move themselves across the world. I'm driven and brave to try different things and put myself out of my comfort zone,' says Bedford. 'When we look back on this period of time in 10 years and the league has gone from strength to strength, I get a piece of history. For the new generation, it's so important to have role models that look like you, and that you can watch and enjoy. The more we can aspire, the more legacy this league builds.'
