Azerbaijan's U20 men's national basketball team secured a victory against Slovakia in the European Championship Division B, while the U20 women's national team claimed impressive wins over Albania, Romania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Offsideplus.az reports that basketball specialist and head coach Shahriyar Asgarov, speaking on the topic, stated that the most successful era of Azerbaijani basketball previously spanned from 2005 to 2013:

"During that period, we achieved certain victories in the Development Cup and Division B, and won the championship in the inaugural Islamic Solidarity Games. Furthermore, in 2012, we missed out on qualifying for the European Championship final stage by just a goal difference. Following that, a stagnation period of nearly 10 years occurred. Admittedly, during this time, we had performances in 3x3 basketball at the European Games, another victory at the Islamic Games, and successes of our U16 national team in Division C. However, these were mostly episodic in nature."

According to Asgarov, a completely different picture has now emerged in Azerbaijani basketball.

"It is gratifying that the development of our female players is now clearly visible. Participating in Division B in both 3x3 basketball and classical basketball is a great achievement in itself. Moreover, we already have victories and successes here, such as breaking into the top ten. The coaches who contributed to these results deserve special recognition."

The expert went on to evaluate the U20 men's national team's victory over Slovakia:

"Some time ago, achieving such results was merely a dream for us. At the same time, the victories our senior men's national team secured away against Luxembourg and Ireland are also significant achievements added to our record."

Asgarov noted that a major generational shift is currently taking place in Azerbaijani basketball, with a strong focus on young players.

"The most experienced basketball player on our team is Orkhan Aydin. Behind him, a new generation is emerging. Regular national championships are now held across all age groups starting from the age of 11, and very talented children are being discovered in these competitions."

Shahriyar Asgarov believes that the results achieved in recent times provide solid ground for optimism regarding the future of Azerbaijani basketball.

"The achievements of our girls in both classical basketball and 3x3 are delightful. I believe that this development will continue and Azerbaijani basketball will reach even greater heights," he concluded.