Takeuchi leads Japan to inaugural AST girls' title

Japan won the first-ever girls' tournament at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament, topping a four-nation U18 women's field that also included Serbia, Italy, and host Germany in the event held alongside the traditional boys' competition from April 4-11.
Guard Miya Takeuchi (161-G-2009) was named tournament MVP after leading Japan throughout, joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammate Kako Otsuki (163-G-2009) at power forward. Serbia finished with silver, while Italy claimed the bronze medal. Germany, coached by Constanze Wegner in their AST debut, came away empty-handed as the squad struggled with cohesion despite featuring talented players from the DBBL and WNBL.
Italy center Divinie Obaseki (190-C-2008) received the Most Talented Player award and was also named to the All-Tournament Team alongside Serbia's Nevena Petrovic and Germany's Mia Wiegand (181-F-2009).
The 2026 edition marked the first time in the AST's 68-year history that a girls' competition was integrated into the program, a development championed by the German Basketball Federation and its partners. DBB Vice President Stefan Raid had highlighted the addition as a milestone for the event, and the competitive quality of the four-team field justified the expansion.