The Albert Schweitzer Tournament (AST) is an international

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

competition that is played between national basketball teams of the Under-18 men age category. It takes place every two years in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

, Germany, and is contested between teams from 12 countries. Since

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

does not organize an Under-18 world championship, the Albert Schweitzer Tournament is internationally recognized and considered a non-FIBA organized world championship for the Under-18 age group. Originally, the tournament was an Under-19 age event. The organizers of the tournament are the

German Basketball Federation The German Basketball Federation (german: Deutscher Basketball Bund, abbreviated as DBB), is the governing body for basketball in Germany. It is headquartered in Hagen, Germany. Competitions The DBB also organizes several competitions: * Men's ...

and the city of Mannheim. The tournament is named after Albert Schweitzer.

History

The first Albert Schweitzer Tournament took place in December 1958. It was contested between eight teams, and won by Belgium. Hans-Joachim Babies, and the German basketball pioneer, Hermann Niebuhr, asked the theologian and physician, Albert Schweitzer, if they could use his namesake for the name of the tournament. After the second tournament in 1960, there was a break in play until 1966. From that point onwards, a two-year tournament cycle was established. From 1958 to 1971, the USA used players that were the dependents of the USA's military forces. Starting with the 1973 tournament, the USA began to use players that were selected from throughout the entire USA school system. The 1991 tournament was canceled, due to the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. Since 1994, the tournament has been held during even-numbered years. The USA has won the most titles, winning ten. The USA is followed by Italy with four titles. The record attendance was 28,763 spectators. Due to the spread of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

, the 2020 tournament was cancelled.

Results

Performance by nation

Future stars

The tournament is an important event for professional basketball scouts from around the world. Over the years, many players who have played at the tournament have gone on to become well-known pro players, both in the NBA, and the EuroLeague. Some of the NBA players who have played at the AST are: * Magic Johnson * Eddie A. Johnson *

B. J. Armstrong Benjamin Roy "B. J." Armstrong Jr. (born September 9, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player. Armstrong won three NBA championships during his career as a point guard for the Chicago Bulls. Early life Armstrong was born in D ...

* Eddie Griffin *

Luke Babbitt Luke Robert Babbitt (born June 20, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack before declaring for the 2010 NBA draft following his sophomore year. He was selected by the Minne ...

* Kyle Lowry * Ramon Sessions * Cole Aldrich *

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played p ...

* Glen Rice *

Kent Benson Michael Kent Benson (born December 27, 1954) is an American former collegiate and professional basketball player. Benson was a two time All-American at Indiana University, winning the 1976 Helms Foundation Player of the Year and helping lead th ...

* Kevin Garnett * Joseph Forte *

Carlos Boozer Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last seas ...

* Andre Barrett * Jermaine O'Neal * Baron Davis * Tim Duncan *

Robert Sacre Robert Sacre (born June 6, 1989) is an American-Canadian professional basketball player who is the assistant general manager for the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). A dual citizen of both the United States and C ...

* Dirk Nowitzki *

Detlef Schrempf Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963) is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the ...

* Daniel Theis *

Paul Zipser Paul Victor Louis Zipser (born 18 February 1994) is a German professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in), he plays at the small forward position. He ...

* Tony Parker *

Jérôme Moïso Jérôme Moïso (born 15 June 1978) is a French former professional basketball player. College career He played college basketball at UCLA with the UCLA Bruins. Professional career A forward-center who has played in the NBA, Moïso was selected ...

* Ronny Turiaf * Boris Diaw * Johan Petro *

Rudy Gobert Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel ( ; born June 26, 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the French national team in their international competitions ...

* Evan Fournier * Nicolas Batum *

Alexis Ajinça Alexis Ajinça (; born May 6, 1988) is a French former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Professional career Early years (2006–2008) After attending France's INSEP, Ajinça played ...

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...

* Raül López *

Víctor Claver Víctor Claver Arocas (born 30 August 1988) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Valencia Basket, Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Professional career Valencia (2006–2012) Claver began his playing career with t ...

* Willy Hernangómez * Toni Kukoč * Dražen Petrović * Dino Rađja * Igor Rakočević * Miroslav Raduljica * Dario Šarić *

Bruno Šundov Bruno Šundov (born February 10, 1980) is a retired Croatian professional basketball player. Standing at 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in), he played the center position. He played for five different NBA teams and over 20 clubs around the world. Profession ...

Zoran Planinić Zoran Planinić (born September 12, 1982) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. Early years Planinić was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the former Yugoslavia. He started his basketball career at HKK Brotnjo Čitluk fr ...

* Bojan Bogdanović *

Uroš Slokar Uroš Slokar (; born May 14, 1983) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player who last played for Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A. Professional career After playing two seasons in the Slovenian basketball league, Slokar ...

Victor Khryapa Victor Vladimirovich Khryapa (also trans. Viktor; russian: Виктор Владимирович Хряпа; born August 3, 1982) is a Russian former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing for CSKA Moscow of t ...

* Andrei Kirilenko *

Šarūnas Jasikevičius Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...

* Darius Songaila * Arvydas Sabonis * Svi Mykhailiuk * Hedo Türkoğlu * Memo Okur * Ersan İlyasova * Enes Kanter *

Furkan Aldemir Furkan Aldemir (born August 9, 1991) is a Turkish professional basketball player who last played for Darüşşafaka of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he mainly plays the power forward position, but he ...

Cedi Osman Cedi Osman (born 8 April 1995) is a Turkish professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the small forward position. Early years Osman was born in Ohrid, Macedonia, modern-da ...

Kostas Papanikolaou Konstantinos "Kostas" Papanikolaou ( gr, Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Παπανικολάου; born 31 July 1990) is a Greek professional basketball player and the team captain for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroL ...

Andreas Glyniadakis Andreas Glyniadakis (alternate spelling: Gliniadakis) (Greek: Ανδρέας Γλυνιαδάκης; born 26 August 1981) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He played center at a height of tall. His professional club playing caree ...

* Antonis Fotsis *

Omri Casspi Omri Moshe Casspi ( he, עומרי משה כספי, born June 22, 1988) is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He mainly played at the small forward position, but could play also at the power forward position. Casspi was drafted 2 ...

* Gal Mekel *

Yi Jianlian Yi Jianlian ( ; born October 27, 1987) is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He has also played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwau ...

Patrick Mills Patrick Sammy Mills (born 11 August 1988) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mills was born and raised in Canberra, and is of Torres Strait Islander and Aborigina ...

* David Andersen * Andrew Bogut *

Matthew Dellavedova Matthew William Dellavedova (born 8 September 1990) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Saint Mary's College. In 2016, he won t ...

* Mitch Creek In addition, some of the players who have played in various international senior men's professional top-tier national domestic leagues and who have also played at the AST are: *

Chuck Eidson Charles Patrick Eidson Jr. (born October 10, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. He is 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) tall and he played mainly at the small forward position. He could also play at both the point guard and shootin ...

Erving Walker Erving Walker (born January 17, 1990) is an American professional basketball player, who lastly played for Zamalek. Standing at , he plays at the point guard position. High school career During his sophomore season in Christ the King High scho ...

Lamont Barnes Lamont Barnes (born September 4, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Carramimbre CBC Valladolid of the Spanish LEB Oro LEB or Leb may refer to: * Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher railway, Switzerland * Lebanon, ...

Chris Burgess Chris Burgess (born 23 April 1979) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Utah Utes men's basketball team. Burgess started his freshman year at Mater Dei High School, then transferred to his ...

* Kevin Freeman *

Mark Karcher Mark Duane Karcher (born November 22, 1978) is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2nd round (48th pick) in the 2000 NBA draft. Although his professional career spanned seven years, ...

Ethan Happ Ethan Happ (born May 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Rio Breogán of the Spanish Liga ACB. He is the all-time leading rebounder for the Wisconsin Badgers, where he started all 139 games of his college career and is the ...

* Ismet Akpinar *

Robin Benzing Robin Clemens Benzing (born 1 May 1989) is a German professional basketball player for Fortitudo Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He is also a member of the Germany national basketball team. Standing at , he plays at the small for ...

* Richard Freudenberg * Niels Giffey * Kostja Mushidi *

Maik Zirbes Maik Zirbes (born 29 January 1990) is a German professional basketball player for Benfica of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. He also represents the senior German national basketball team in the international competitions. Standing at , he p ...

* Jonas Mattisseck */ Ziyed Chennoufi *

Andrew Albicy Andrew Albicy (born 21 March 1990) is a French professional basketball player for CB Gran Canaria, Herbalife Gran Canaria of the Spanish Liga ACB and the France national basketball team, France national team. Club career Albicy has played with ...

* Antoine Diot * Edwin Jackson * Adrien Moerman *

Kim Tillie Kim Tillie (born 15 July 1988) is a French professional basketball player for Cholet Basket of the French LNB Pro A. He played college basketball at the University of Utah. He is a 2.11 m (6'11") tall power forward, who can also play as a small ...

Joseph Gomis Joseph Gomis (born 2 July 1978) is a French former professional basketball player. Professional career Gomis started his professional career with ALM Évreux in 1996, playing there for five seasons. He spent the 2001–02 season with SLUC Nancy, ...

* Mam Jaiteh * Juan San Epifanio "Epi" *

Albert Miralles Albert Miralles (born 14 May 1982) is a Spanish retired professional basketball player. Professional career NBA Draft Miralles was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the 2004 NBA Draft. The Miami Heat acquired his rights from the Toronto Raptors ...

Quino Colom Joaquim "Quino" Colom Barrufet (born November 1, 1988) is a Spanish-Andorran professional basketball player for Bàsquet Girona of the Spain Liga ACB. Professional career Colom played in the youth age categories with BC Andorra. He then played ...

* Josep Franch *

Pierre Oriola Pierre David Oriola Garriga (alternate spelling: Pere Oriola; born 25 September 1992) is a Spanish professional basketball player who last played for AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League and the Basketball Champions League. He can play at both t ...

* Alberto Díaz * Tomislav Zubčić *

Leon Radošević Leon Radošević (born 26 February 1990) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Derthona Basket of the Italian LBA. He holds German citizenship since 2017. Professional career Radošević made his professional career debut with Cibona ...

Mario Delaš Mario Delaš (born January 16, 1990) is a Croatian professional basketball player for Gipuzkoa Basket, Gipuzkoa in the Spanish second-tier Liga Española de Baloncesto, LEB Oro. He is a 2.07 m (6'9 ") tall power forward (basketball), power forwa ...

Toni Prostran Toni Prostran (born April 9, 1991) is a Croatian professional basketball player, currently playing for Iserlohn Kangaroos in the third-tier German Pro-B League. Standing at 1.83 m, he plays at the point guard position. Professional career Aft ...

Andrija Žižić Andrija Žižić (born 14 January 1980) is a Croatian former professional basketball player and executive. Standing of 2.07 m (6 ft 9 ½ in) tall, he played at both the power forward and center positions. He is currently the sporting direct ...

Milan Mačvan Milan Mačvan ( sr, Милан Мачван, born 16 November 1989) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played at the power forward position. He also represented the Serbian national basketball team international ...

* Nikola Radičević *

Nikola Rebić Nikola Rebić ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Ребић, born 22 January 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Nizhny Novgorod of the VTB United League. Standing at , he plays at the point guard position. Professional career Nikola gre ...

* Dušan Ristić * Mihajlo Andrić *

Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...

* Stefan Marković *

Nikola Milutinov Nikola Milutinov ( sr-cyr, Никола Милутинов; born 30 December 1994) is a Serbian professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the Serbian national team in ...

* Boriša Simanić * Erazem Lorbek * Sergiy Gladyr *

Igors Miglinieks Igors Miglinieks (born 4 May 1964) is a retired Soviet and Latvian professional basketball player and coach. He played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Professional club playing career Miglinieks was a member of the World Basketba ...

* Valery Tikhonenko *

Fedor Likholitov Fedor Likholitov (russian: Фёдор Лихолитов; born March 14, 1980) is a Russian former professional basketball player. He is a power forward – center who most recently played for Krasny Oktyabr in VTB United League. College caree ...

* Andrey Desyatnikov * Mikhail Kulagin * Martynas Gecevičius * Ludde Hakanson *

Doğuş Balbay Doğuş Balbay (; born 21 January 1989) is a Turkish professional basketball player and the captain (sports), team captain for Anadolu Efes S.K., Anadolu Efes Istanbul of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. He is 6 ft ...

Deniz Kılıçlı Mükremin Deniz Kılıçlı (born October 23, 1990) is a Turkish professional basketball player for Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). Collegiate career Freshman season After missing the first 20 games of the season because ...

Egemen Güven Akif Egemen Güven (born 25 September 1996) is a Turkish professional basketball player for Bahçeşehir Koleji of the BSL. Turkish national team He is a regular Turkish youth national team player. Güven won three straight championships durin ...

Ender Arslan Ender Arslan (born 13 January 1983) is a Turkish professional basketball coach and former player who played at the point guard position. He is assistant coach for Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). Professional care ...

Kerem Tunçeri Mehmet Kerem Tunçeri (born 14 April 1979) is a Turkish former professional basketball player who played at the point guard and shooting guard positions.He is 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) in height and 86 kg (190 lbs.) in weight. Nati ...

* Antonello Riva *

Pietro Aradori Pietro Aradori (born 9 December 1988) is an Italian professional basketball player for Fortitudo Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Standing at , he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Professional career The Brescia n ...

* Federico Mussini * Dino Meneghin *

Diego Flaccadori Diego Flaccadori (born 5 April 1996) is an Italian professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He stands 195 cm (6’4¾") tall, and he can play at both the point guard an ...

* Idan Zalmanson *

Deni Avdija Deni Avdija ( he, דֶנִי אָבְדִיָה, sr-cyr, Дени Авдија; born 3 January 2001) is an Israeli-Serbian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the sma ...

* Nikos Zisis * Charis Giannopoulos * Georgios Bogris *

Vangelis Mantzaris Evangelos "Vangelis" Mantzaris (Greek: Ευάγγελος "Βαγγέλης" Μάντζαρης, born April 16, 1990) is a Greek professional basketball player for Ionikos Nikaias of the Greek Basket League. He is a 1.96 m (6'5") tall point guard ...

* Leonidas Kaselakis * Nikos Pappas *

Kostas Sloukas Konstantinos "Kostas" Sloukas (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Σλούκας; born January 15, 1990) is a Greek professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the Euroleague. He is also a regular memb ...

* Vlado Janković * Linos Chrysikopoulos * Dimitrios Katsivelis * Nondas Papantoniou * Sofoklis Schortsanitis *

Lazaros Papadopoulos Lazaros Papadopoulos (Greek: Λάζαρος Παπαδόπουλος; born 3 June 1980) is a Greek former professional basketball player. He was listed at 7 ft (2.13 m) 265 lbs (120 kg), and he played the center position. During hi ...

Christos Tapoutos Christos Tapoutos ( el, Χρήστος Ταπούτος; born September 21, 1982) is a Greek former professional basketball player. At a height of 2.06 m (6'9") tall, he played at both the small forward and power forward positions, with power for ...

* Michalis Lountzis * Dimitrios Moraitis * Kostas Papadakis *

Charis Markopoulos Charalambis "Charis" Markopoulos (alternate spellings: Charalambos, Haris) ( el, Χαραλάμπης "Χάρης" Μαρκόπουλος; born January 20, 1982) is a former Greek professional basketball player and current professional assistant ...

Dimitrios Agravanis Dimitrios Agravanis (alternate spelling: Dimitris) ( el, Δημήτρης Αγραβάνης; born December 20, 1994) is a Greek professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He is a tall power ...

* Lefteris Bochoridis * Chen Jianghua *

Andrew Ogilvy Andrew James Ogilvy (born 17 June 1988) is an Australian-Irish former professional basketball player. He played three seasons of college basketball for Vanderbilt before playing in Europe for the first three years of his professional career. Aft ...

Tai Webster Tai Jack Webster (born 29 May 1995) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). Prior to playing college basketball in the United States, Webster won a New Zealand NBL champio ...

* Facundo Campazzo

Awards

MVP Award

Burkhard Wildermuth Prize

The Burkhard Wildermuth Prize, or Burkhard Wildermuth Award, was first awarded in 2006, and is given to the player in each tournament that is deemed to be the "Most Talented Player". The award is named after Dr. Burkhard Wildermuth, the long-time co-organizer of the Albert Schweitzer Tournament.

All-Tournament Team

* 2000: **

** Misan Haldin **

** Jacob Holmes *

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

: **

** Nicolas Batum **

** Miroslav Raduljica **

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

: **

** Nikos Pappas ** Tomislav Zubčić **

** Enes Kanter *

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

: ** Jackson Aldridge ** Evan Fournier **

Hugh Greenwood Hugh Greenwood (born 6 March 1992) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and a former basketball player with the New Mexico Lobos men's basketball, Univ ...

** Mitch Creek ** Philipp Neumann * 2012: ** Nikola Radičević **

Josep Pérez Josep is a Catalan masculine given name equivalent to Joseph (Spanish ''José''). People named Josep include: * Josep Bargalló (born 1958), Catalan philologist and former politician * Josep Bartolí (1910-1995), Catalan painter, cartoonist an ...

** Mihajlo Andrić ** Willy Hernangómez *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

: ** Federico Mussini ** Ludde Hakanson **

* 2016: ** Davide Moretti ** Aleksa Radanov ** Richard Freudenberg ** Boriša Simanić ** Zhu Rongzhen *

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

: ** Jonas Mattisseck ** Federico Miaschi ** Nikita Mikhaylovsky ** Callum Dalton ** Hendrik Drescher

References

External links