The race is on for the most prestigious individual honor
in European basketball, as International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Europe
has announced the nominees for its annual Player of the Year awards. Robert
Morris University sophomore Artemis Spanou (Rhodes, Greece / Nea Smyrni (Greek
National Team)) is one of 10 nominees for the FIBA Europe Young Women's Player
of the Year.
Spanou opened the summer season in her Greek National
Team uniform at the EuroBasket Women, where she gained valuable court time in
Greece's early tournament exit. She then tore apart the competition in both the
U18 and U20 European Championships, resulting in promotion to Division A for
Greece and another MVP award. Her good ball handling skills for her size make
her a threat from inside and out and are an asset for every team.
Spanou was named the most valuable player at the U20
European Championships after averaging 19.4 points and 9.8 rebounds while
leading Greece to a Bronze medal in Pool B play. She followed up by garnering
all-tournament honors at the U18 European Championships. The 6'0" forward put
up 19.3 points a contests and 9.9 rebounds, tallying four double-doubles in
nine games.
Spanou was named the 2011 Northeast Conference Rookie of
the Year after a spectacular freshman campaign at RMU. A dominant force as a
freshman, she earned the Choice Hotels
Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week award six times while averaging a
double-double, 13.7 points and 10.6 rebounds, in conference games. Overall, the
Greek National Team member put up 13.1 points and a league-best 9.6 rebounds
per game. On top of those numbers, she finished second on the squad with 91
assists led the team with 34 blocks.
The 2011 Awards are made up of four categories: Men,
Young Men, Women and Young Women. The winners in each category will be decided
by the public and an expert panel vote. Voting in all four categories will
cease on 31 January 2012.
The winners will be announced through fibaeurope.com in
early February and will be later presented with a special trophy.
The FIBA Europe Player of the Year awards were
established in 2005, with stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Maria
Stepanova among the winners in the last six years. The reigning players of the
year are Nika Baric of Slovenia for the Young Women, Czech point guard Hana
Horakova for the Women, NBA draftee Jan Vesely for the Young Men and Serbia
point guard Milos Teodosic.
All fans who vote and register with their name and email
address can win four EuroBasket jerseys, signed by the medal-winning players of
Spain, France and Russia as well as Greece. Ten more voters will be drawn to
receive FIBA Europe merchandise packages. Basketball fans can read through the
candidates' profiles and vote on fibaeurope.com
