Dazzling Dozen: 12 7DAYS EuroCup prospects to watch in 2021-22
Here are a dozen talents born 2000 or later to keep an eye on for the 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup season, which tips off on October 19.
The 7DAYS EuroCup tips off tonight and just to make sure you are up-to-date on which youngsters to watch, here is a list of 12 players born 2000 or later to keep an eye on.
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Herbalife Gran Canaria
Khalifa Diop - 2002
Diop will be playing in the EuroCup for his second season after he averaged 2.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 14 games last season, which was the first in which he played regularly for Gran Canaria’s pro team. The Senegalese big man has already appeared in one game in the EuroLeague in 2018-19. Diop has been a regular in Gran Canaria’s big man rotation this season, averaging 7.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 16 minutes a game - three times having scored in double figures. Diop twice has already on the global stage already at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 and 2021, averaging 14.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks this past summer.
Hamburg Towers
Justus Hollatz - 2001
Hollatz is already in his fourth full season with Hamburg’s senior team despite only being 20 years old. He has good size for a point guard and has already shown in the ProA playoffs in 2019 that he can thrive in big moments. He has averaged 4.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals so far this season. The native of the Hamburg region has already seen action with the German senior national team and is considered one of the leading point guards for the country’s future, debuting with the team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers.
Joventut Badalona
Joel Parra - 2000
Parra is a product of the Joventut youth system and he is playing his third full season with the club’s pro team at age 21. It will also be his third EuroCup campaign after averaging 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 2019-20 and 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 rebounds in 2020-21. Parra is really picking up his game this season as he has scored in double figures in the last three Spanish league games after totalling just 11 points in the first three contests combined. Parra also has made his debut with Spain’s senior national team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers after much success at the youth ranks, including winning gold at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016, finishing second at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017 and FIBA U20 European Championship 2019. He also helped Spain reach the Semi-Finals at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2016. All told, Parra played in seven youth European or global events.
Joventut Badalona
Zsombor Maronka - 2002
Maronka is getting regular appearances with Joventut’s pro team for the first time this season, though he played in two Spanish top flight games last season and one EuroCup contest. The Hungarian native came up in the Joventut system and played at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament three times. Last season he helped Joventut’s second team Prat earn promotion from the third division LEB Silver to the second flight LEB Gold. Maronka is splitting time with Joventut’s pro team and the LEB Gold second division team. He had one breakout game this season already, scoring 12 points with 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block in 19 minutes against Manresa after having played a combined 15 minutes with 0 points, 1 rebound and 1 block in the previous four games.
Lietkabelis Panevezys
Dovydas Giedraitis - 2000
Giedraitis is being included on this list even though he might miss a significant portion of the season after suffering a sprained knee and a ruptured ankle ligament just this past week. The guard returned to his native Lithuania from Spain on loan from Estudiantes Madrid, and he was already playing a major role for Lietkabelis, averaging 7.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals in nearly 23 minutes before the injury. Giedraitis has been proven leader for Lithuania’s youth ranks, helping the team finish second at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016 and reaching the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019, which was his second U19 World Cup as he played at Cairo 2017 as well.
Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar
Andrey Martyuk - 2000
Martyuk will be playing in the EuroCup for his second season after he averaged 3.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15 games in 2020-21. The power forward is a good rebounder and solid offensive player and also plays good defense - otherwise a veteran coach like Evgeny Pashutin would not have given him nearly 10 minutes in the EuroCup and more than 11 minutes in the VTB United League last season, which he played the whole campaign as a 20-year-old. Despite his solid performances over the years in the Lokomotiv youth ranks, Martyuk has yet to play for the Ukrainian national teams - having been born near Dnipro.
Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse
Hugo Benitez - 2001
Benitez might not turn 21 until January 2022 but he is already a definitely leader as point guard of this Bourg side. The playmaker, who joined the club in 2016, is in his second season with Bourg’s pro team after averaging 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the French league as well as 3.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals in the EuroCup in 2020-21. Benitez can drive to the basket and shoot excellently from the outside in addition to his superb playmaking skills. He also has shown he is a winner - leading France to the crown at the FIBA U20 European Challenger 2021 and reaching the final of the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup 2019 in Georgia and winning the FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup 2019 Qualifier in France.
MoraBanc Andorra
Mario Nakic - 2001
Nakic is playing for his third team in the last three seasons and will be competing in his third different pan-European competition. He debuted in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Real Madrid in 2019-20 and then averaged 5.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in four Basketball Champions League games for Filou Oostende last season, when he was on loan from Madrid. The forward grew up in the youth ranks of Partizan, where his father Ivo Nakic played and helped the club win the 1992 EuroLeague crown (after having won the same title with Cibona in 1985 and 1986), before joining Real Madrid in 2015. Nakic has an outstanding skillset - ranging from an inside-outside game to solid playmaking abilities - and now he will get a chance to thrive at Andorra, with whom he signed a two-year contract.
Partizan NIS Belgrade
Uros Trifunovic - 2000
Trifunovic is in his third season with Partizan after moving back to the club in November 2019 from his loan to Mega Belgrade. He came up in the Zemun youth ranks and then joined Mega in 2015. He played for the youth team of Pinar Karsiyaka during 2017-18 while his father Aleksandar Trifunovic coached with the Turkish club. Uros signed with Partizan in September 2018. The combo guard is part of the Serbian 2000-born generation which won the FIBA U18 European Championship 2018 - along with Filip Petrusev and Marko Pecarski. Trifunovic starred at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 the following summer and then made his debut for the Serbian senior national team in February 2020 against Finland. The guard will be challenged by his coach - the legendary Zeljko Obradovic - while also facing the difficulty of high expectations of the club.
Promitheas Patras
Nikos Rogkavopoulos - 2001
Rogkavopoulos comes to Promitheas after playing with AEK Athens. He also turned down an offer to go to Real Madrid in 2016 to stay in Greece. Promitheas head coach Luis Casimiro has regularly used the swingman, who is averaging 10.3 points along with 4.3 rebounds. He is hitting an outstanding 73 percent of his two-pointers while also connecting on 33 percent (4-of-12) of his three-pointers - which is where is his biggest value lays. Rogkavopoulos already has a fair share of international experience, having played 14 Basketball Champions League games as well as at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament this past summer.
ratiopharm Ulm
Fedor Zugic - 2003
Zugic moved from Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in his native Montenegro to Germany in the off-season and he will be playing in the EuroCup for the second season after he collected 5.3 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.5 steals in 14 minutes per game. On February 22, 2019, Zugic became the youngest player to debut in the EuroLeague at 15 years and 157 days. Zugic, who turned 18 just before this season, has been given his regular minutes - between 11 and 19 each game thus far - and he has produced in spurts - games of scoring 9 and 8 points in which he took 4 and 3 three-pointers respectively, grabbing 1 rebound in each German league game and 3 boards in the German Cup contest. He has totalled 2 assists and 5 turnovers in that action.
Valencia Basket
Jaime Pradilla - 2001
Pradilla will be making his EuroCup debut this season though he played regularly in the EuroLeague with Valencia for the first time last season, averaging 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds in 17 games. He also collected 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in the Spanish first division playing the first half of the campaign at 19 years of age. Pradilla is a native of Zaragoza and debuted in the Spanish league with Zaragoza in 2019-20 before joining Valencia before 2020-21. Pradilla is regular contributor for Valencia this season, averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in nearly 21 minutes a game. He also has been part of winning teams with Spain’s youth ranks, taking the titles at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016 and FIBA U18 European Championship 2019.
Others
Athanasios Bazina - Promitheas, Igor Drobnjak - Buducnost, Guillem Ferrando - Valencia, Gregor Glas - Partizan, Millan Jimenez - Valencia, Balsa Koprivica - Partizan, Moritz Krimmer - Ulm, Maximilian Ladurner - Trento, Luka Scuka - Cedevita