Eighteeen-year-old Andris Biedriņš, a 6-foot, 11-inch (2.1-meter) forward for Skonto Rīga of the Latvian Basketkall League, has been drafted into the National Basketball Association in the United States.

Biedriņš was selected No. 11 in the first round by the Golden State Warriors in the June 24 draft in New York, the NBA announced.

As the first-round No. 11 draft pick, Biedriņš is guaranteed a three-year contract worth USD 4.6 million, according to the National Basketball Players Association rookie scale.

Biedriņš averaged 18 points per game during the 2003-2004 Latvian Basketball League season.

Born in Rīga, Biedriņš attended the Valters Basketball School, according to the NBA’s Web site.

Now based in California, the Warriors began playing in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, moving to San Francisco after the 1961 season. The team became the Golden State Warriors and moved to Oakland, Calif., in 1971. The Warriors’ best known player was Wilt Chamberlain.

Biedriņš is only the second Latvian to play in the NBA. Gundars Vētra, now head coach for the basketball club Barons in Rīga, played with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 1992-1993.

With a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands, Latvia has failed to advance to the quarterfinals of the Euro 2004 football (soccer) championship. But at least few commentators are discounting Latvia’s first-time appearance in the competition.

Latvia lost the pivotal June 23 game in Braga, Portugal, as fans outfitted in the national colors and Jāņi crowns cheered on their team. If Latvia had won, it would have advanced to the quarterfinals. But as it turned out, instead the Netherlands gets to move on past the Germans, who lost their critical June 23 game against the group leader, the Czech Republic, 1-2.

The Dutch kept the Latvians busy, controlling the ball for 69 percent of the game and getting off 28 shots on the goal, compared to just six by the Latvians, according to game statistics posted on the official Euro 2004 Web site.

Their first goal against the Latvians came 27 minutes into the first half, when forward Ruud Van Nistelrooij’s penalty shot faked out Latvian goalkeeper Aleksandrs Koļinko. Van Nistelrooij scored again 35 minutes into the game.

Forward Roy Maakay got the third goal for the Netherlands six minutes from the end of the second half.

The Latvian team, which had been described as an underdog, goes home with a last-place finish in group play. But it does so with many commentators noting the team’s surprising spunk, especially in its scoreless tie with Germany.

In all, the Czech Republic earned nine points in Group D play with three victories. Each victory counts for three points, while each draw earns one point. The Netherlands, with one win, one draw and one loss, earned four points. Germany, with two draws and one loss, had two points. Latvia had just one point, earned in the draw with Germany.

Three men from Latvia died June 19 when their car was involved in an apparent one-vehicle accident, smashing into a bridge in County Donegal in Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland, according to Irish media reports.

A fourth man in the car was injured and taken to Letterkenny General Hospital in Letterkenny, Radio Telefís Éireann reported.

According to Irish media, the car was discovered at about 7:45 a.m. by a passer-by.

The three, whose names have not been released, reportedly worked at a factory in Buncrana, Ireland. They were all in their twenties.