STOCKHOLM (FIBA U18 European Championship 2017, Division B) - Felix Edwardsson appreciates all the effort the Swedish Basketball Federation (SBBF) have put into the development of the country's players. Now the center wants to pay Sweden back by winning promotion to Division A from the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017, Division B.

Edwardsson was on the Swedish team that last year finished 16th at the FIBA U18 European Championship and were demoted to Division B. It was a short-lived stay for the Swedes, who had only moved up the year prior.

"We had a very short preparation before the championship and for a team like us to come in to the tournament as underdogs and not having as much talent as some other great nations, we really have to play together and find the right rhythm as a team to be able to really win games in Division A," said Edwardsson, who was playing his second tournament for Sweden following the FIBA U16 European Championship 2015, Division B.

Sweden were unable to stay at the Division A level as they finished last place at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016. 

In fact, Edwardsson's performance at the U16 Division B tournament two years ago made 2016 a historic year for Swedish basketball. It was the first time in the country's history that all three youth categories were in Division A in the same year after Edwardsson and the Swedes knocked off Slovak Republic in the 3rd Place Game. Edwardsson said that experience will help in Estonia, where Sweden are drawn into Group A with Albania, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Luxembourg and Netherlands.

"I think it brings confidence that we can do it and we feel like a lot of our players have improved during the last two years," the Uppsala-native said. "But we still know that it's a long way to get there and with a lot of other good nations we really have to fight for it."

Edwardsson feels he and his teammates almost owe it to the federation to get back to Division A at the U18 level.

"I feel like Swedish basketball is moving forward and improving every year and our Federation has a great ambition to move our nation up the ladder in the world rankings and become a Division A nation across all ages," said the 6ft 9in (2.06m) Edwardsson, who plays his club ball in Germany. "So it's up to us as players to give back to the hard-working Federation and bring our U18 team back up to Division A."

Edwardsson himself has been playing basketball since he was 6 years old, introduced to the game by his mother, who played in the Swedish first league and became a coach.

His game has improved greatly since coming Germany in 2015 to play with the German champions' Bamberg's youth division. He played this past season in the German second division ProA and the U19 NBBL league.

"I think we can be really good if we find each other quickly and form into a team instead of individual talents," Edwardsson said. "Everyone has to buy in to their role in the team and we have to really learn how to play together and stay tactically in front of the other teams."

FIBA