Mavs Go Global

When summer comes, many Maverick athletes opt to spend the summer honing their skills in international play.

Shooting guard Freds Pauls Bagatskis, who made his home in Latvia’s capital city of Riga until he was 12, found himself back on the floor for his country in the FIBA U20 European Championship held in July. Previously playing for his nation for the U16 squad, he found himself in Skopje, North Macedonia, leading the team in scoring and victories over Finland, Hungary, Georgia, and Albania.

“Big tournaments teach you to give your best and maximum effort in every single game because this tournament is short,” he says. “You have to make everything count.”

Adeyemi Talabi, a track and field athlete, represented Ireland in the European Team Championships in Silesia, Poland, this past June. Running the last leg on the 4x100 squad, she also competed in the 100 meters in July for the U23 European Championships in Espoo, Finland.

“Competing internationally has given me so many opportunities that may not have been available to me if I wasn’t doing track,” Talabi says. “My first international meet was when I was 15, so to still be able to say that I represent my country to this day is an honor.”