Dream Team: What Happened to the 1992 Players?

The exhibition “Latvian Basketball Team – First European Champions – Their Pride – Our Pride. Their Fate – Our History.”

This is a tribute to the Latvian basketball team in 1935, the dream team, which became the first European champions in history, winning the gold medal in the first FIBA EuroBasket tournament 2-4. May in Geneva in Switzerland. At that time, Latvia won Spain with a score of 24:18 and won the highest success in the history of Latvian basketball. Unfortunately, five years later, for the majority of victory, the life of the wins turned out to be tragically – just like Latvia and its people.

The exhibition is small, rather symbolic, because, as Solvita Vība, the director of the Museum of Occupation and the content creator of the exhibition, Arthur Romeiko, it turned out that there are not many information about the life of Latvian sports heroes’ lifetime. It hasn’t been easy to find photos and news. For example, Soviet -repressed team captain Rudolph Jurcins has three different death dates in the literature and it is impossible to clarify the real exactly exactly because there are no criminal cases by R. Jurciņš Czech.

Following the exposition of former diplomat Gints Jegerman’s suggestion, materials from the Museum of Occupation, the Latvian Sports Museum, the Latvian National Archives, the Latvian State History Archive, the Archive of Sports Club “Spars” and the Latvian War Museum were used. The exhibition at the museum is open until the end of the European Basketball Championship in Riga – September 14.

Members of the “Dream Team” of 1935 and the end of their lives

• Rudolfs Jurciņš (1909-1948), the captain of the team – arrested in October 1945, died in the Soviet Penal Camp in the Molotov Oblast.
• Jānis Lidmanis (1910-1986) – in 1944 went to Germany. After World War II, he operated in exile sports organizations in West Germany, then in the new residence in Australia.
• Eduard Anderson (1914-1985) – in the Soviet occupation in 1940 acting in the resistance movement “Jaunlatvians”, then served in the Nazi German army; In 1950, arrested for “Anti -Soviet activity” and came to Gulag camp in Comi APS, where in 1953 organized a basketball game between Latvian and Lithuanian prisoners. After the release in 1956, he lived in Latvia.
• Mārtiņš Grundmanis (1910-1946) – In August 1944 was called in the Latvian Legion, deserted, captured and ended up in the Nazi Punishment Camp in Stuthof. After his release in May 1945, he was credited to the USSR Army reserve, but was sent to filtering as an earlier legionnaire shortly thereafter. According to unofficial information, committed suicide at the prisoner of war in Sarkandaugava.
• Alexei Anufrijev (1912-1945) – Mobilized in the USSR army in 1944, falling in the spring battles of 1945 in Kurzeme.
• Herbert Gubins (1914-1980) – Due to German origin in 1941 he repatriated to Germany; was called in the German army and at the end of the war in Kurzeme fell in Soviet captives. Released in 1950, two years later moved from Germany to Canada, where he coached the Latvian exile youth basketball team.
• Jam Raudzins (1910-1979) – during the Nazi occupation led the Self -Government’s Health Department, under the auspices of the people’s lively promotion, but in parallel acting in the resistance movement; was arrested and held in Central Prison, then in Salaspils camp. Following the release with fake documents in 1944, he came to Germany as a refugee, where in 1946 he became the first chairman of the Latvian Association of Resistance Movement (LPKDA). He traveled to Australia in 1949.
• Visvaldis Melderis (1915-1944) – in the Latvian Legion in 1943, fell in July 1944 battles at the Velikaja River in the Pskov region.
• Edgars Rūja (1912-1942), the reservist – in July 1940 he was involved in the National Resistance Movement, arrested on May 14, 1941. Shot in 1942 in stepslecka prison.
• Andrejs Krisons (1909-1945), reservist – at the end of World War II, the Latvian Legion 15 was mobilized in Division 15 and participated in the war in Kurzeme, where he was injured. On August 19, 1945, the consequences of the injury died in the Hospital in Germany in the British occupation zone.
• Voldemārs Baumanis (1905-1992), the head coach of the national team – the Latvian Army Lieutenant, was credited to the Soviet occupation in the 24th territorial corps of the USSR, but after the German invasion of 1941. In 1943, the Latvian Legion 15th Division was called. In May 1945, contrary to German orders, about 4,000 legionnaires from the Soviet area opposite the American gains. After the war moved to the United States, operating in “Daugava Hawks”.
• Rihards Dekšenieks (1899-1981), physical fitness coach – continued to act as athletics and basketball coach during the Soviet and German occupation, then refugees in Germany. 1945-1948 Head of Latvian refugee sports life at Eslingen Camp. In 1948 moved to the US.