Boomers jump in FIBA World Rankings
The Boomers finished tenth in Turkey but now are rated as the ninth best men’s basketball team in the world after FIBA released their latest rankings. Previously the Boomers were ranked 11th in the world, but after FIBA made an improvement to their ratings formula to rank Men’s and Boys’ teams separately the Boomers have now jumped up into ninth place.
The USA men, who won the gold medal in Turkey, have regained their former world number one ranking under the new system, with Spain second and Argentina third.
The Jayco Opals Australian women’s national team, who start their World Championship defence on 23 September, have been ranked as the third best team in the world, behind only basketball superpowers the USA and Russia. The Opals will have the chance to improve on that ranking if they can win a second straight world title in the Czech Republic.
Australian boys junior teams have also been ranked in the top ten, coming in at eighth, while Australia’s combined ranking for all men’s and women’s senior and junior teams is an impressive fourth in the world.
Following the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men which concluded last Sunday in Istanbul, Turkey, FIBA launched a completely new ranking system, the International Basketball Federation announced on Friday.
FIBA announced that youth rankings for Boys and Girls which have been added in the new system. For the first time ever, the U19 and U17 FIBA World Championships for Boys and Girls as well as all U16 and U18 continental championships weigh in to determine the new FIBA categories for Boys and Girls.
Therefore the new FIBA Rankings now include five categories: Men, Women, Boys, Girls and a Combined Ranking that takes into account results from all genders and all age categories. The new system makes for a more accurate pecking order of the world’s basketball nations.
“I am very happy to see these new and complete world rankings including the youth categories,” said FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Patrick Baumann.
“This is a great initiative and one that has been a long time coming. We have to make sure we reward the countries that perform well in youth competitions because the young players coming through the junior ranks are the best investment in the future of basketball.”
“With the new system in place, we can see that the USA have overtaken Argentina in the Men’s Ranking and now top all categories. This is a reflection of the talent and commitment they have both in Men’s and Women’s teams at Junior and Senior level,” Baumann added.
Here is a look at the top 10 in each category.
Top 10 – Men’s Ranking
1 United States of America (892.00)
2 Spain (720.00)
3 Argentina (665.00)
4 Greece (489.00)
5 Lithuania (462.00)
6 Turkey (301.00)
7 Italy (300.00)
8 Serbia (234.00)
9 Australia (224.00)
10 China (219.70)
Top 10 – Women’s Ranking
1 United States of America (940.00)
2 Russia (920.00)
3 Australia (825.00)
4 Brazil (426.00)
5 Spain (420.00)
6 Czech Republic (313.00)
7 China (297.00)
8 France (264.00)
9 Korea (252.00)
10 Cuba (238.00)
Note: The Women’s Ranking will be updated after the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women in the Czech Republic (23rd September-3rd October).
Top 10 – Boys Ranking
1 United States of America 306.00
2 Lithuania (204.80)
3 Serbia (176.80)
4 Argentina (162.00)
5 Greece (150.60)
6 Canada (135.00)
7 France (132.40)
8 Australia (117.00)
9 Croatia (110.80)
10 Spain (110.60)
Top 10 – Girls Ranking
1 United (237.20)
3 Canada (163.00)
4 Serbia (156.00)
5 France (148.80)
6 China (133.00)
7 Russia (121.80)
8 Argentina (116.20)
9 Sweden (100.80)
10 Brazil (99.00)
Combined Ranking (Men, Women, Boys and Girls)
1 United States of America (2,498.00)
2 Spain (1,487.80)
3 Russia (1,302.00)
4 Australia (1,233.00)
5 Argentina (1,129.40)
6 Lithuania (909.80)
7 Brazil (768.80)
8 Greece (755.40)
9 France (715.20)
10 China (707.90)
About the FIBA Rankings
The rankings are calculated within the scope of a two Olympic Games cycle (including qualifying competitions at FIBA Zone level) and take into consideration all World Championships, Olympic Games and Continental Championships events.
Whenever a new championship is played, the oldest championship of that category drops out. The FIBA Rankings are then recalculated.
For the complete FIBA Ranking in each category as well as the precise method on how it is calculated, visit www.fiba.com/ranking.
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