While the arrival of Becky Hammon to help Russia in its attempt to defend its Eurobasket title drew the most headlines, it was the efforts of another WNBA player which proved to be the difference.

Sandrine Gruda, expected to join the Connecticut Sun in time for the July 2 game at Indiana, had 12 points (on 5 of 7 shooting), seven rebounds, one assist and two steals as France defeated Russia 57-53 to win the title. Gruda scored in double figures in all nine games in the tournament and finished fifth in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game, fourth in rebounding (7.7 per game) and ranked in the top 10 in 13 individual categories. She led the tournament with the most 2-point field goal attempted and converted. Still waiting for the game report to be put up on the FIBA Europe tournament site but here is video of an interview with Gruda following the semifinals.

The aforementioned Hammon missed all eight of her 3-point attempts and had nine points for Russia. Former UConn star Svetlana Abrosimova was just 2 of 11 from the field. She finished with four points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three turnovers.

One interesting fact about the tournament is that - according to my count - 33 players on the 16 teams played collegiate basketball in the U.S. including Abrosimova of course. Led by former George Washington star Anna Montañana of Spain (who was the tournament's No. 3 scorer) six of the tournament's top 19 scorers played stateside. Here's the list
3. Anna Montañana (Spain) 16.2 George Washington 2001-05
11. Kristin Newlin (Turkey) 12.7 Stanford 2003-07
13. Gunta Basko (Latvia) 12.4 Siena 1999-2003
16. Svet Abrosimova (Russia) 11.2 UConn 1997-2001
17. Zane Tamane (Latvia) 11.0 Western Illinois (2003-06)
19. Yelena Leuchanka (Belarus) West Virginia (2003-06)

That doesn't include former WNBA players like Evanthia Maltsi, Zuzana Zirkova, Maria Stepanova and Raffaella Masciadri, who all finished among the top 10 scorers so there although it was an event featuring the best and brightest stars in Europe, there were many familiar names. Maltsi, who played in 26 games for the Sun in 2007, was named the tournament's MVP
Word has it that UConn coach Geno Auriemma spent his share of time in Latvia scouting the tournament since he will be devising game plans to slow down many of these star players as the U.S. coach in the 2012 Olympics. While it is currently a "quiet period" until July 5 meaning Auriemma or any college coach for that matter is prohibiting from contacting recruits, that doesn't mean that one of the talented youngsters in the event COUGH Latvia's Sabine Niedola COUGH COUGH might not have caught his eye. The 18-year-old forward only played in five of Latvia's first eight games and managed 10 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes. In Saturday's seventh-place game the 6-foot forward had 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and one steal in 24 minutes. A quick look at the rosters shows that she was one of five players born in the 1990s. Will Auriemma look overseas in his recruiting efforts, I never got the sense that it was a priority of his but he certainly knows talent when he sees it so if somebody catches his eye, rest assured he will remember their names and pursue them if it is in the best interest of his program to do so. It should be noted that five players on Latvia's roster for the European championships (Basko, Liene Jansone, Dita Krumberga, Aija Putnina and Tamane) played collegiately in the U.S. That doesn't include former Virginia Tech star Ieva Kublina who was injured and not on the Latvian roster. The one thing to keep in mind is that if a European player is good enough to play for a school like UConn, they are also good enough to earn lots of money playing professionally in Europe. Gruda is a perfect example of that, she would have been a sensational collegiate player but something tells me she is fine with how things have turned out for her.

My last thought as I leave European basketball in my rear-view mirror, when I spoke to Carol Callan, who overseas the women's progams for USA Basketball, she said there was no hurry to name Auriemma's Senior National team staff since court coaches can be used when they hold a training camp next year but I'll offer my opinion of who would make the ideal staff bearing in mind that two WNBA coaches and one college coach are expected to comprise the staff with at least one minority on staff. So here are my picks:

Marianne Stanley: I don't know if she will be promoted to head coach when Michael Cooper leaves the Los Angeles Sparks to take over the Southern California program. Frankly I don't care. When it comes to credentials, she has them all whether she is a head coach or assistant coach in the WNBA. I believe at least some attention must be paid to previous service to USA Basketball and Stanley was the head coach of the 1986 of the gold medal winning U.S. World Championship team and she was actively involved in coaching various U.S. teams from 1983-96. She also coached UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia over the winter, experience that allowed her and coach some of the best players in the world. She won more than 400 games in 21 years as a head coach and reached three Final Fours as a head coach. I don't think it is a coincidence that some of Rutgers' best seasons came when Stanley was on the staff of Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer. Stanley is also a former WNBA coach of the year when she was with the Washington Mystics.
Mike Thibault: Just look at his roster, a starting guard from Australia, a former forward from Russia and now a forward/center from Russia and guard from Latvia ready to join the squad. He scouts Europe better than anybody else in the WNBA and was an assistant on the 2008 Olympic team. He would fit well on Auriemma's staff.
Carol Owens: As I said, one coach will be a minority and this was an easy choice. She was named USA Basketball's 2008 Developmental Coach of the Year after guiding the Under-18 team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women. She will coach the U-19 team this summer and is a respected, popular figure in USA Basketball circles. Other than Owens, the other pick in my eyes could be Penn State coach Coquese Washington.

Bear in mind, I have no say in the process and this is merely my opinion and should not be in any way viewed as anything but idle chatter.