Author: Boris Karebin

Elina Sinyakova from Dnipro and Maria Rudakova from Kyiv, representing Butler Community College and New Mexico Junior College, have arrived at the training camp of the Ukraine U20 Women’s National Team in Riga, Latvia, and have begun preparations for the FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship.

Both players joined the Ukrainian delegation in Riga as the team opened its training camp ahead of the summer tournament.

Ukraine will play its first exhibition games in Riga from June 21–24 as part of its preparation for the European Championship. The coaching staff will use the games to evaluate the roster and continue building the team before the start of the tournament.

We wish Elina Sinyakova, Maria Rudakova, and the entire Ukraine U20 Women’s National Team a successful preparation period and much success at the European Championship.

The Latvia U18 Women’s National Team, coached by Rudolfs Rozītis, opened its campaign at the international tournament in China with an impressive performance. One of the key players for Latvia was Santa Ozola, who finished the game as the team’s leading scorer.

Ozola showcased her offensive skills and confidence throughout the contest, providing an important contribution to Latvia’s successful start. Her ability to score from different positions and make plays at crucial moments helped her team control the game.

The talented Latvian guard once again demonstrated why she is considered one of the promising young players in the country. With her basketball IQ, scoring ability, and leadership on the court, Ozola continues to play an important role for the Latvia U18 national team.

Latvia has several more games ahead in the tournament, and Santa Ozola is expected to remain one of the team’s leaders as they continue their campaign in China.

BK-CENTRE will continue to follow the performances of Latvia’s young talents on the international stage.

[BK-CENTRE is pleased to highlight another outstanding European talent making the transition to the highest level of American collegiate basketball.

Lithuanian guard Daniele Paunksnyte has officially joined the women’s basketball program at Boston College, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), one of the strongest and most competitive conferences in NCAA Division I basketball.

Paunksnyte arrives in the United States after establishing herself as one of the brightest young players in European basketball. Before enrolling at Boston College, she competed for Kibirkštis Vilnius and represented Lithuania on the international stage. During her youth national team career, she averaged 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while playing for Lithuania’s U20 National Team.

Her breakthrough came at the 2025 FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket, where she averaged 17.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. Paunksnyte finished among the tournament’s leading scorers and helped Lithuania capture its first-ever medal in U20 Women’s EuroBasket history, earning a silver medal. She was also selected to the tournament’s All-Star Five.

One of the most memorable moments of the championship was her historic 43-point performance against Israel, the highest single-game scoring total in FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket history.

In addition to her success at the youth level, Paunksnyte has already represented the Lithuanian Senior National Team in FIBA Women’s EuroBasket qualifiers, demonstrating her readiness to compete against elite international competition.

At Boston College, Paunksnyte will have the opportunity to compete in the ACC against some of the top programs and future professional players in the United States. The conference is widely recognized as one of the premier destinations for women’s college basketball and provides an excellent platform for athletes aspiring to play professionally and represent their national teams at the highest level.

The addition of Daniele Paunksnyte is another example of how European talent continues to make a significant impact in NCAA basketball. Her skill set, international experience, and competitive mentality make her one of the most exciting young Lithuanian prospects to watch in the coming years.

BK-CENTRE congratulates Daniele Paunksnyte on this important step in her basketball career and wishes her continued success with Boston College and the Lithuanian National Team.

Following a highly successful 2025/26 season, during which Santa Ozola helped TTT Juniores earn a bronze medal in the Latvian Women’s Basketball League and a silver medal in Division B of the Women’s Baltic Basketball League (WBBL), she has been selected to the preliminary roster of Latvia’s U18 Women’s National Team, which includes 18 players.

Santa also enjoyed success at the youth level, winning the Latvian Youth Basketball League U19 Championship with RBS “Centrs”, capturing the gold medal in the final tournament.

Latvia U18 will begin its preparation for the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship on June 11. Santa will need to perform well throughout the training camp and exhibition schedule in order to secure a place on the final 12-player roster.

As part of the preparation process, the team will participate in two international tournaments in China, scheduled for June 18–20 and June 23–25.

Training camp will resume in Latvia on June 29.

The team will then play a pair of friendly games against Israel in Riga on July 7 and 8, followed by two exhibition games against Germany in Berlin on July 13 and 14.

The final stage of preparation will include participation in the Baltic Cup in Lithuania from July 21–23, where Latvia will face Lithuania, Estonia, and Turkey.

We wish Santa the best of luck throughout the preparation process and hope to see her earn a place on Latvia’s final roster for the U18 Women’s European Championship.

6’0 forward Miriam Diala just finished her sophomore season and help lead the University of Toledo to the MAC conference championship game. The young forward was a starter for the Rockets and had 10 games finishing with double digit points. Miriam led Toledo in FG% for the season, finishing at 52.4% from the field.

In 2023, legendary basketball Coach Stefon Mienack reached out to Nate Altenhofen, current CEO of AbbA LLC and they discussed helping the young Diala find her next basketball home. Altenhofen immediately found Diala a home in the A10 at George Washington University. Then following her solid Freshman season, Miriam & Nate collaborated again in helping her transfer to the MAC conference.

Altenhofen and business partner Boris Karebin of BK Centre have had many discussions regarding Diala. ‘Miriam had a great season, her success should open some professional opportunities for her when she’s done at the NCAA level’

Miriam, a (7)-time National team member for European powerhouse Germany will be staying on the roster of the Toledo Rockets for 2026-2027 season.