Excellent three-point shooting including many big shots in crunch time - this is the main strength of Liepāja-born Artis Birze . As a junior he spent a few seasons in his hometown team where was a real leader and made 5.7 points per game the in second division and 6.0 points per game in 2008. Last summer Birze made his first steps with the Ghetto basket team "cikinieks" with a strong limited role and playing time. He has represented 2. division Rietumi in 2008.