COLOGNE (EuroBasket 2015) - The next time the EuroBasket 2015 Trophy will be witnessed is when it is held aloft in Pierre Mauroy Stadium on 20 September, following the conclusion of the EuroBasket 2015 Trophy Tour in Cologne, Germany on Sunday afternoon.

During the last week of the tour, the Nikolai Semashko Trophy and EuroBasket 2015 mascot Frenkie, the tour was split between a four-team tournament in Trieste, featuring hosts Italy, Russia, Georgia and US University Michigan State; and two friendly games between EuroBasket 2015 host nations France and Germany.

In front of their home fans and with the trophy on display, Italy signed off their warm-up campaign in style, winning all three of their games in the tournament.

"The Trophy Tour is a perfect event to introduce the competition to the people who love this game," commented Italian head coach Simone Pianigiani.

For his team captain, Luigi Datome, there was the added pleasure of making a new friend.

"[The] Trophy Tour is a fun event for fans all round Europe. It was great to get to know Frenkie!"

Meanwhile, in Strasbourg on Friday, France proved too powerful for Germany, cruising to a 76-52 victory.

However, back on their own territory on Sunday saw a more inspired effort from Germany who, despite still losing, narrowed the margin to five points, 68-63.

EuroBasket 2015 tips off at 14:30 CET on Saturday 5 September when Czech Republic take on Estonia in Riga.

Go to eurobasket2015.org for complete coverage of EuroBasket 2015.

FIBA