Many players have gone on to achieve great success after competing at the U14 Slovenia Ball. Here are just a few of the girls who have grown into women and have gone on to make their mark in European and world basketball.

One of Spain's biggest stars, María Conde, took part in the 2011 U14 Slovenia Ball. She reached the highest level of the game, competing in the EuroLeague, EuroCup, and the WNBA, where she currently plays for Toronto Tempo. In 2013, she won gold at the FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket. She added another gold medal at the U18 EuroBasket in 2015 and went on to win back-to-back U20 EuroBasket titles in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, she also celebrated gold with Spain at the Senior Women's EuroBasket, while in 2025 she lifted the EuroLeague Women trophy with ZVVZ USK Praha.

Representing Italy is Sara Madera, who competed at the 2013 U14 Slovenia Ball. She established herself in both the EuroLeague and EuroCup, finishing as a EuroCup Women runner-up with Umana Reyer Venezia in both 2018 and 2022. She also won gold at the 2019 FIBA U20 Women's EuroBasket, where she was named the tournament's MVP.

Hungary has three successful basketball players who competed at the U14 Slovenia Ball. Ágnes Studer, who played in 2013, competed in both the EuroLeague and EuroCup, finishing third in the EuroCup Women in 2021 with KSC Szekszárd. She also won bronze with Hungary at the 2013 FIBA U16 Women's European Championship and the 2014 FIBA U17 Women's World Cup.

Another Hungarian standout, Dalma Czukor, also took part in the 2013 tournament before becoming a EuroLeague Women champion with Sopron Basket in 2022. Her national teammate Aliz Varga, who played at the 2015 U14 Slovenia Ball, has competed in both the EuroLeague and EuroCup. She won the EuroLeague Women title with Sopron Basket in 2022 and claimed silver medals with Hungary at the 2017 U16 EuroBasket and 2019 U18 EuroBasket.

Croatia is represented by Ivana Dojkić, a participant in the 2011 U14 Slovenia Ball, who went on to play in the WNBA, EuroLeague, and EuroCup. She became a WNBA champion with the New York Liberty in 2024. Another Croatian, Nika Mühl, competed at the tournament in 2014 and 2015 before reaching the WNBA, EuroLeague, and EuroCup. She currently plays for the Portland Fire and finished as runner-up in the FIBA SuperCup Women with Beşiktaş in 2024.

The host nation, Slovenia, has also produced some outstanding basketball players. Nika Barič, who appeared at the 2005 and 2006 U14 Slovenia Ball, enjoyed a remarkable career in both the EuroLeague and EuroCup. She won the EuroLeague Women title with UMMC Ekaterinburg in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and was named FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year in 2010 after earning MVP honours at the U18 EuroBasket.

One of Slovenia's newest success stories is Ajša Sivka, who competed at the 2018 and 2019 U14 Slovenia Ball. She has already played in the EuroLeague and EuroCup, helped Beretta Famila Schio finish third in the EuroLeague Women in 2023, led Slovenia to the gold medal at the 2023 U18 EuroBasket while being named MVP, and in 2025 became the 10th overall pick in the WNBA Draft, selected by the Chicago Sky.

Zala Friškovec, who played at the 2013 U14 Slovenia Ball, also reached both the EuroLeague and EuroCup. She finished third in the EuroCup Women in 2021 with KSC Szekszárd, alongside Ágnes Studer, and won the silver medal with Slovenia at the 2017 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship.

Do you still remember playing at the U14 Slovenia Ball?

''Even though it was quite a long time ago, I still remember playing at the U14 Slovenia Ball very well. I remember how well we got along as a team and the great chemistry we had. I also remember some of the opponents, and I'm still in touch with a few of them today. To be honest, I don't remember our final result, but I do remember how much we enjoyed playing and the wonderful memories we made.''

What are your favourite memories from the tournament?

''My favourite memory is definitely the friendships we made, many of which have lasted to this day. The boys' tournament was taking place at the same time, and we all got along really well and spent a lot of great moments together.''

Looking back, how much did playing at the Slovenia Ball help you develop as a player?

''The Slovenia Ball was one of my first international tournaments. Representing my country and wearing the Slovenian jersey had been my dream ever since I started playing basketball. I think the Slovenia Ball made that passion and desire even stronger and confirmed that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.''

A new generation of girls is playing in the tournament today. What advice would you give to 14-year-old Zala or to the girls competing at the Slovenia Ball now?

''I hope the girls enjoy every practice and every game. I also hope they spend as much time together as possible and build strong friendships because these will probably be the same girls they will play with in the older national team age groups. Most importantly, I hope they experience what a special feeling it is to wear their countries jersey and that they wear it with pride.''