NORTH MACEDONIA – UT Arlington men's basketball sharp-shooting newcomer Freds Pauls Bagatskis will represent his native Latvia this month at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship, Division B, which begins on Friday, July 7, from the capital city of Skopje in Southeast Europe.
 
Leading up to the annual event featuring 20 countries and the best young international talent in Europe, Bagatskis (pronounced: fred paul buh-GAT-skis) was tabbed as one of eight 'players to watch' who are poised for a breakout tournament.
 
Group Phase play for Latvia gets underway Friday against Netherlands at 2 p.m. CT (9 p.m. local). Bagatskis and Latvia will then face Finland on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m.), and Switzerland on Sunday at 2 p.m. (9 p.m.). All games will be streamed on FIBA's YouTube channel: YouTube.com/FIBA.
 
Following rest days on Monday and Tuesday, Group Phase play concludes for Latvia on Wednesday with a 6:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m.) contest versus Albania. Quarterfinal-final rounds wrap up the championship next Friday-Sunday (July 14-16). Complete information about the championship is available on FIBA's website by clicking here.
 
Bagatskis – a 6-8 sophomore transfer from Georgia Tech – boasts previous international experience having played for both the Latvian U16 and U18 teams at the FIBA European Championships.
 
The 180-pound Bagatskis moved from Latvia to Valencia, Spain, at the age of 14 to attend school and better develop his game at one of the elite facilities in Europe.
 
Bagatskis' father, Ainars, played professionally in Europe and for the Latvian National Team for two decades becoming the head coach of the national side from 2011-17. He is currently the head coach of the Ukraine National Team.
 
Bagatskis learned his shooting aptitude from his father, who earned the nickname 'The Golden Hand' as a career 40 percent 3-point shooter and 90 percent free-throw maker, according to Bagatskis. He is still the all-time leading scorer for the Latvian National Team.
 
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