Prospect Highlight: ANGT Paris preview
This week we take a deep dive into the eight teams at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Paris, the final stop of the 2023-24 ANGT calendar and the first tournament to take place in France.
This week we take a deep dive into the eight teams playing at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Paris, the final stop of the 2023-24 ANGT calendar which tips off on Friday April 5 and is the first ANGT event to take place in France.
Joventut Badalona
Joventut are the 2013 ANGT champions and have played in the competition every season since 2007-08, now making their 17th appearance overall. The Spanish side took first place in the ANGT Patras last season - the first time it won a qualifying tournament since the ANGT L’Hospitalet in 2017-18. Joventut then went 0-3 at the ANGT Finals last season. Joventut lost to U18 FC Barcelona in the 2020-21 ANGT Valencia first-place game.
The biggest name of the generation for Joventut is Michael Ruzic, who joined the club from KK Zadar and has already graduated to the men’s top team. And Joventut will not let Ruzic play at the ANGT Paris, given Joventut are fighting for a spot in the playoffs - two wins behind Valencia and Manresa and host Murcia this weekend.
Even if Ruzic had come, Karim Lopez would be one of Joventut’s main players. The 2007-born Mexican forward averaged 3.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks at the ANGT Patras and then took a major jump forward by the ANGT Finals, where he collected 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. The 2.02m Lopez starred for Mexico at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2023 with tournament highs of 20.5 points and 2.8 blocks and a second-best 12.2 rebounds - though Mexico failed to reach the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024. Lopez made his senior national team debut in February with two short appearances against Dominican Republic in the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers. Lopez split this season with Prat in the third division LEB Silver - picking up 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7 games - and the EBA fourth division, where he collected 11.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists. In early March, Joventut rewarded him for his efforts with his ACB debut as he played 4 minutes against Manresa.
Iker Garmendia had a great tournament at the ANGT Patras, where he tallied 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals and then picked up 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks at the ANGT Finals. The 2.03m forward, who came to Joventut from FC Barcelona in 2022, helped Spain take second place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022 as well as at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2023. Just like Lopez, Garmendia has played for Prat in LEB Silver (3.9 points in 11 games) and in the EBA (15.2 points and 6.6 rebounds). There are some question marks about his health as he has not been registered for any game stats since February 10.
Ian Platteeuw will be competing in his second ANGT after he picked ups 5.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in two games at the ANGT Patras last season, which Joventut won. The 2.10 meter center, who was born in November 2007, helped Spain win the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with 7.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks. He plays in the Spanish fourth division EBA and picks up 9.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He just made his Spanish League debut with 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 block in 1 minute of action on March 24 against FC Barcelona. Platteeuw has very good vision and plasticity to finish and reading the short roll. He can finish above the rim but also has shooting range outside the restricted zone. Defensively, Platteeuw is very versatile and mobile and he can defend both power forwards and centers.
Adria Dominguez has concentrated his time with the EBA team, tallying 10.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists. The 1.85m guard had 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 steals in two games at the ANGT Patras and then 4.0 points, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals at the ANGT Finals.
Terence Kekenbosch should take a big step forward compared to his 2.3 points in three games at ANGT Patras last season. The 1.93m forward from Belgium is 2007 born and is collecting 9.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in the EBA, including double figure points in his last seven games. Kekenbosch, who had 11.9 points in helping Belgium take third place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022, Division B to earn promotion to Division A, also made his LEB Silver debut with Prat, playing 2 minutes against Salou in November.
Like Garmendia, Daniel Balde also left Barcelona for Joventut, changing to the suburban Barcelona club this past off-season after he picked up 6.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists for a Spain team that won the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 title. The 1.98m forward had 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal in 2:45 minutes over two games for Barcelona at the ANGT Zadar last season. In the EBA this season, Balde is registering 3.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
The 1.95m forward Alejandro Diez averaged 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds over six games at the two ANGT events last season and he is averaging 7.2 points in the EBA league, topped by a 24-point outburst against SESE on March 20.
The 1.99m forward Eric Del Castillo is a 2007-born player who is averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in EBA. Del Castillo is a European champion as he contributed 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists to Spain winning the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023.
Bernat Morales is a 1.87m guard who had 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in a combined 29 minutes over four games at the ANGT Patras and ANGT Finals. He is averaging 4.3 points in the EBA league.
Pau Marron, a 1.90m forward, had 5.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in two games at ANGT Patras and is picking up 2.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in the fourth division. Alex Cruz is a 2007-born 2.03m forward.
The preliminary roster also includes Iliam Fevry, a 1.95m guard from France, who has been playing with Real Betis Sevilla since 2021-22 and left France when he was 13 years old.
A couple of other names on the preliminary roster were Helmuts Petrovics - a 2007-born 1.94m forward from Latvia who joined Joventut this past off-season; 1.98m forward Saba Merebashvili - a 2008-born Spanish-Georgia born in Sabadell, Spain; and Elyjah Rebetetz, a 2008-born, 1.91m guard from Switzerland, who signed with Joventut in December 2023. Last summer he tallied 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals for Switzerland at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, Division B. Rebetez has only played one EBA game thus far this season.
Next Generation Team Paris
The Next Generation Team Paris will have some pretty nice talent but will be on the young and inexperienced side. There are four players born in 2007 and two in 2008 and only three of the 12 players have appeared in the ANGT previously.
Jahel Trefle has yet to play at an ANGT event but he was a major player for France at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, where he averaged 8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks for a France team that took third place. The 2007-born 2.05 meter center plays for Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez and is averaging 18.9 points in the French U18 league this season. Trefle is an outstanding athlete and a very high energy player. He needs to improve his skills overall but from a physicality point of view everything to make it to the highest level.
Leon Sifferlin is one of the three players with previous ANGT experience. The 1.96m guard from France picked up 6.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals playing for the Next Generation select team at ANGT Zadar. Sifferlin was a part of the France team that won the bronze at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022 with 6.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He has come up through the JL Bourg ranks and is averaging 14.0 points on 39 percent three-point shooting, 2.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals.
One of the most exciting players at the tournament will be Nolan Junior Kemm, a 2007-born Brazilian who plays with Get Better Academy in Czechia. The 1.89m guard arrived in Europe in 2021 to play two seasons with Stellazzura Rome and then moved to FC Barcelona this season. But in March, Kemm left Spain to work with GBA. The Brazilian suffered an injury in late November and only returned to the court about 10 days ago. Expect his minutes to be limited in Paris. Kemm averaged 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists for a Brazil team that finished fifth at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2023 and just missed the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024. In late November, he collected 2.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists as Brazil finished third at the FIBA U17 South American Championship 2023 to qualify for the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2024.
Watch out for Marko Radunovic, a 2.00m guard from Montenegro who plays for KK Podgorica. Last summer he averaged 6.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in helping Montenegro finish third at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2023, Division B to earn promotion to Division A. He played a year younger there last summer so should be a leader this summer in Tampere, Finland in the Division A. Radunovic is averaging 18.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals in the PrvaB second division, including registering a triple-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Montenegro on March 22.
The 2.02m forward Martin Carrere plays for Limoges and has really stepped up his game of late for the U21 team, averaging 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in the last three games. The France native is collecting 8.2 points, 3.7 rebound and 3.0 assists for the season.
The other 2008-born player is Emmanuel Ahamefule from United Kingdom. The 2.05m forward is playing with London Elite in the EYBL U17 this season and picking up 18.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks. Ahamefule played a year younger at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, Division B and still averaged 10.1 points and 6.0 rebounds.
One of the biggest unknowns ahead of the tournament for the Next Generation team might be Assane Sankare, a 2007-born 2.05m athletic monster from Senegal. Sankare came to Italy in November 2022 and is with Vis Ferrara and he played with Sassari at the U20 NextGen tournament.
The team will have Turkish point guard as the 1.85m Mehmet Erfa plays with Fenerbahce and is averaging 16.6 points, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in the U19 league and has picked up 3 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 20 minutes combined over 5 games in the Turkish second division TBL.
Federico Cattapan is a 1.94m guard from Italy who was born in 2008. Playing for Trento, Cattapan collected 14 points and 6 rebounds in a NextGen game against Napoli in late February.
The 2007-born Hugo Facorat was actually Trefle’s teammate at Pau-Lacq-Orthez and he averaged 16.7 points in the French U18 league. The 2.10m forward contributed 2.0 points at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, where France took third place.
The other player with previous ANGT experience is Tiefing Diawara, a 2.08m center from Mali who had 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks for Basssano at the ANGT Ljubljana in 2021-22.
Adriano Bazan meanwhile is a 1.93m guard from Italy who is playing with Pesaro.
Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos will be participating in the competition for the eighth time overall and third straight. Last season the Reds took seventh place at the ANGT Patras.
The main man this time around will be Veniamin Abosi, who is playing in the ANGT for a second time. The 2.00 forward from Heraklion, Crete, was coming off a serious injury that did not allow him to show his true potential and limited him to 5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in 18 minutes over two games. Abosi helped Greece reach the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022 with 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds and averaged 9.7 points and 4.1 rebounds at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2023. He made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut on February 8, 2023, playing 1:26 minutes against ALBA Berlin, becoming the youngest EuroLeague debutant for Olympiacos. He also played in two games in the Greek League last season. This season he has picked up a combined 2 points and 1 rebound in 7 minutes over three Greek League games in March. Abosi, who started playing basketball in Ergotelis (Crete) and joined Olympiacos in 2020, stands out for his athleticism and the physicality in his game. He knows how to use his body, can finish at the rim, has good court vision and he is a very good defender. His biggest weakness is his inconsistency at shooting.
The 1.99m guard Anastasios Rozakeas will be a leader of the team as well as he averaged 13.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the three U18 league games in March. Rozakeas, who joined Olympiacos in November from Filathlitikos Zografou, has played in three Greek GBL games.
Curro Segura is a Spanish 1.96m guard who will be playing his second ANGT after he had 11.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.2 steals at ANGT Patras. Segura’s father Curro Segura came to Greece from Spain in 2021 and is coaching this season wtih Kolossos Rodos.
The 2007-born Stratos Papastavrou, a 2.00m guard, was one of the top players for Greece at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
The 2.05m center Stefanos Spartalis has been a big part of the Olympiacos U18 team with 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in three games in March. Spartalis contributed 4.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals as Greece finished fourth at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022.
Dimitrios Ntapsis may only turn 17 in mid-June but he has already made the move from one Greek giant to the other. The 2.07m center played for Panathinaikos last season and picked up 2.6 points and 3.4 rebounds at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023. And now he plays for the Reds.
Spiridon Aggelopoulos, a 1.80m guard, had 1 point, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in 22 minutes over three games at the ANGT Patras 2022-23. Christos Aggelopoulos is a 2.00m guard from the 2007-born generation. Pavlos Giakai, a 2.00m forward, had 2.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals at last season’s ANGT Patras. The 1.85m guard Georgios Saltarikos played 3:54 minutes combined over three games at the ANGT Patras 2022-23.
Filippos Saplaouras will be a help at the center position at 1.98m having picked up 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds at the ANGT Patras last season. Theodoros Lykogiannis is listed as a 2.00m forward; Georgios Mpourneles is a 2007-born 1.90m guard; and Manolis Pasagiannis is a 1.95m guard.
Paris Basketball
Paris will be making their debut in the ANGT as the host side. The team’s youth program has improved quite a bit in recent years. And the can target better players because the conditions are getting better.
One of the top players will be Ilian Moungalla, a November 2007-born 1.94 meter guard, who has yet to play for a France youth national team. He came to Paris in the off-season from INSEP and started the season with the U18 team and averaged 17.1 points in 8 games. He quickly made the jump to the U21 side and has played 25 games in the U21 league and averaged 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals, including a game with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Coming into the ANGT Paris, he has averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his last six games. Moungalla is a complete point guard who loves passing the ball. He still needs to improve his shooting to become more elite at the offensive side of the game.
Hugo Nguyen will be one of the leaders as the 1.85m lightning quick guard is averaging 13.3 points, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals in the French U21 league.
Nguyen will be helped by Chectare Baradji, a 1.85m 2007-born point guard from Mali who collected 5.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists at the FIBA U16 AfroBasket 2023. Baradji is scoring 6.6 points per game in the French U18 league.
Malik Rouamba is one of three guest players as the 1.96m forward plays for Poissy in the French third league NM1 and is picking up 2.0 points and 0.9 rebounds. He will be the team’s main guy defensively as he can guard positions 1-4 with great mobility.
Another guest player will be Mohamed Cissoko, who gives the team some size as a 2.10m forward. Cissoko, who has a nice touch around the basket, plays at Rouen Metropole Basketball and is tallying 11.8 points per game in the French U18 league.
Sohann Mendy is the third guest player - a 2.12m center who is averaging 7.5 points in the U18 league for La Croix D’Argent Montpellier.
The youngest player on the team is Swann Penda, a 2008-born 2.00m forward who came from Villemomble with CTC Sue Basket 93 in the off-season. Penda, who is the younger brother of 2005-born Noah Penda, is averaging 8.3 in the French U18 league. Swann is a better shooter than his brother but plays a similar style - a bit of everything.
Pharel Koita, a 1.93m guard, is pouring in 16.3 points per game in the U18 league and has also played in five U21 games, picking up a combined 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block.
The 2007-born 1.80m guard Adama Konate has averaged 5.3 points in the U18 league. Tayris Diabate, a 1.97m forward, is tallying 7.3 points in the French U18 league and also 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in the U21 league.
The 2007-born 1.88m forward Quentin Mugwanya has tallied 5.4 points in the French U18 league. Ibrahim Toure, a 1.99m forward, has averaged 8.4 points in France’s U18 league. The 2007-born Yvain Vidal is a 2.03m forward who is chipping in 2.9 points in the U18 league. Vidal came to Paris from CTC Union 31 Nord in 2022.
AS Monaco
AS Monaco will be making their debut in the ANGT and the club has already established itself in the EuroLeague. Working on the youth ranks is the next part of the program.
Malone Gros will be making his ANGT debut just like Monaco. The 1.89 meter guard arrived this off-season at the club from Boulazac, and the 2007-born guard quickly established himself as the group’s leading offensive player. He has averaged 22.1 points this season with the U18 team while also contributing 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals for the U21 team. Gros, who has yet to play for a France national team but is scheduled to play for the country in the 3x3 competition, is highly skilled from behind the arc and also hold his own in the post on both sides of the court with some strong defense. His ability to read pick-and-rolls and his physical qualities make him a complete player.
Matteo Qittane will truly be representing Monaco as the 1.85m guard hails from the principality and even helped Monaco take second place at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2023, Division C with 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals. He is pouring in 13.2 points in the U18 league.
Andrea Faesch, a 1.86m guard, will also be a leader, as he pours in 10.4 points in the U18 league and also has tallied 3.8 points in 9 minutes in the U21 league. Faesch teamed up with Qittane in the U18 Division C tournament with 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals.
Mahe Eusebi, a 1.90m forward born in 2007, is averaging 2.9 points in the U18 league. He averaged 2.3 points and 4.0 rebounds at the U18 EuroBasket Division C in 2023 and a summer earlier took the silver medal at the same competition after picking up 1.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals.
Ali Bathily is a 2.03m center from Mali who will be the team’s force in the middle. He is averaging 10.4 points in the U18 league and chipping in 1.5 points in 5 minutes in the U21 league.
Monaco have two solid 2008-born players. Lorenzo Renou, who came from JSA Bordeaux in the off-season, is a 1.73m guard who is scoring 9.4 points in the U18 league and has 3 points and 1 assist combined in 6 minutes in two U21 games. The 1.96m froward Matyss Moudio Martel has scored 5.4 points in the U18 league after arrving from ES Lorguaise in the summer.
Ilian Achourak, a 1.90m forward is scoring 7.5 points in the U18 league in his second season afrer coming from Hyeres Houlon Var Basket. The 2007-born 1.72m guard Florian Canac is averaging 5.9 points in the U18 league. Lenny Leogane, a 2007-born 1.92m forward, is picking up 5.8 points in the U18 league.
Raphale Sclear is a 1.96m forward who is a guest player from Quimper, with whom he is averaging 10.7 points per game in the U18 league. The other guest player is Sasha Derradji, a 1.95m guard who plays with Saint Vallier in the third division NM1 as well as in the U18 league, where he is picking up 8.4 points per game.
Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria returns to the competition after not playing since 2020-21, when the Spanish side went fifth at the ANGT Valencia. Gran Canaria finished first at the ANGT Valencia in 2019-20 and qualified for the ANGT Finals for the first time, but the event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
Fynn Schott will be competing in the ANGT for a second time after he was part of the Next Generation Team at the ANGT Zadar last season. The 2.06 meter center picked up 2.2 points and 4.8 rebounds. Schott led the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022, Division B in rebounds (14.3 rpg) and blocks (5.2 bpg) to go with 14.7 points. Last summer he averaged 9.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 blocks at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2023. Schott has already played for the Austrian senior national team in two FIBA windows and could not attend the last window in February 2024 due to an injury. He averaged 6.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the Austrian first league last season. He moved from Furstenfeld Panthers to Gran Canaria in the off-season and is contributing 5.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists for Gran Canaria’s team in the third division LEB Silver. Schott is a hard worker, always the first at practice and the last to leave. He is solid at both ends of the court as a good rim protector but great rebounder. He is a very physical player that still has room for improvement offensively.
Luka Lokhmanchuk, a 2.05m forward from Ukraine, is scoring 1.3 points in 5 minutes in the LEB Silver and he averaged 14.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 steals at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022, Division B.
The 2007-born 1.84m guard Jaime Llabres is averaging 1.8 points and 0.8 assists in 7 minutes of eight games in the Spanish third division LEB Silver.
There are two other eastern Europeans on the team - two 2008-born Russians. Aleksandr Panasiuk is a 1.95m guard and Ilia Mikhailovskii is a 2.09m center. There was a Ukrainian center in the 2000s by the name of Alexander Panasiuk, which could possibily be a relative. And Mikhailovskii is a famous name in Russian basketball as Nikita Mikhailovskii is currently playing with CSKA Moscow.
A third 2008-born player is Miteo Mervedi, a 2.08m center from Congo.
Lucas Maniema hails from Switzerland and the 1.75m forward averaged 7.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022, Division B.
Fabian Diaz is a 1.86m guard who has appeared in two games in the LEB Silver. Alejandro Santana, a 1.83m guard, has appeared in three LEB Silver games. The 2007-born Jorge Artega is a 1.97m forward who has played in two LEB Silver games, Adrian Barrenda is a 1.92m forward and Pablo Sanchez is a 1.81 m guard.
Panathinaikos Athens
Panathinaikos is on hand for the sixth time overall and last season finished fifth but grabbed two victories - one more than it had collected combined in its previous ANGT history. Panathinaikos then lost all three games at the ANGT Finals.
Panathinaikos will likely be a weak team as the club’s best 2006-born player Neoklis Avdalas is on loan at Karditsas. In addition, Lykourgos Vasilantonakis and Kotsalos Dimitris are both out injured.
Christos Georgas will be playing at the ANGT for the first time, and the 1.96 meter forward has yet to play for a Greek national team. Georgas, who will be a year younger as a 2007-born, has averaged 7.3 points 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in his last three games with the Panathinaikos U18 team. He is a good spot-up shooter with a quick release. He can run the floor and attack the rim. Georgas also does a good job blocking shots as a help defender. He needs to work on his ball handling and court vision.
Dimitrios Zervos will be a leader of the team as the 1.85m guard picked up 13.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals in U18 action this season. Zervos averaged 8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.7 steals in the seven games combined at the ANGT Munich and ANGT Finals.
Iason Binis is a 2.10m center born in 2007 and hails from Estonia, for whom he averaged 7.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, Division B. He is tallying 7.7 points, 4.3 rebound and 1.3 assists in Greece’s U18 league.
The 2.08m center Evangelos Adamopoulos had 1.8 points and 1.0 rebounds in six ANGT games last season and has registered 8.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in the U18 league.
Andreas Koustenis, a 1.90m guard, should also play a strong role as he has averaged 14.7 points in the U18 league. Last season he picked up 9.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists at the two ANGT events.
The 1.86m guard Dimitrios Athanasopoulos averaged 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds at the ANGT Munich.
The 2007-born Georgios-Angelos Tsakiris is a 1.89m guard who had 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in U18 domestic league games; and the 2007-born Lampros Taskos, a 1.89m guard, tallied 3.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the U18 league.
Evangelos Bousmpouras is a 1.88m guard born in 2007, the 2007-born guard Angelos Konstantinidis stands 1.86m, fellow 2007-born Nikolaos Vokotopoulos is a 1.86m guard and Christoforos Gkolantas is a 1.94m forward.
Also on the preliminary roster were the 2008 born duo Pavlos Vasileiadis and Theodoros Pananikolaou.
PFBB INSEP Paris
PFBB own two continental trophies - in 2010 and 2017 - and is competing in the 15th of the latest 16 tournaments, missing only the 2020-21 season due to government restrictions because of the pandemic. PFBB went 2-2 last season and took fourth place at the ANGT Belgrade after winning the ANGT Varese in 2021-22. One of the team’s main players will be missing as Nolan Traore will be in Portland for the Nike Hoop Summit.
Mohamed Diakite will be playing in the competition for the third season and the ANGT Paris will be his fourth event. After playing in the ANGT Varese and ANGT Finals in 2021-22, the 2.07 meter forward averaged 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks at the ANGT Belgrade last season. Diakite helped France win the FIBA U16 European Challengers 2021 and then was a major factor in France taking third place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022 with 9.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 steals. This season he is averaging 7.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the French third division NM1. Diakite is a very good defender and can guard all five positions. He is very athletic but his three-point shot is a work in progress. He will serve as the PFBB captain in Paris.
With Traore unavailable, Talis Soulhac will need to lead the team at the point. The 1.89m guard will be playing his third ANGT event. After the 2022 ANGT Finals, he had 7.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.8 steals at the ANGT Belgrade last season. This year he is averaging 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in the NM1. Soulhac tallied 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals as France won bronze at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022.
Nathan Soliman will be one of the most anticipated players in the tournament. The 2009-born 2.03m forward played a major role in helping France take third place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks - despite being just 14 years old. He won’t turn 15 until just before the ANGT Finals. Soliman is averaging 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in the third division NM1. And he is pouring in 16.7 points in the U18 league after scoring 5.4 points in that league following his arriving from Nantes in 2022.
The 2008-born Hugo Yimga Moukouri, a 2.04m forward, had 2.5 points and 2.2 rebounds at last season’s ANGT Belgrade. This year he is contributing 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds to the NM1 team, and he is scoring 6.6 points in the U18 league. And Yimga was a major leader for France taking third place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists.
The 2007-born Yannis Allard had 3.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists at the ANGT Belgrade last year and is averaging 5.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in the third division. He has picked up 5.9 points in the U18 league. The 2.00m forward actually has two bronze medals from the FIBA U16 EuroBasket as he was on both teams in 2022 and 2023, tallying 9.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals last summer.
The 2007-born Jonas Boulefaa played at the 2022 ANGT Finals and then picked up 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds at last season’s ANGT Belgrade. The 2.04m forward is tallying 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in the NM1. He also won both U16 European bronze medals, gathering 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 2023.
The 2007-born 1.96m guard Christopher Ebunangombe is contributing 1.9 points and 1.0 assists in the NM1 team and 1.9 points to the U18 team. And he had 2.7 points, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022.
The 2007-born 2.05m forward Noa Kouakou-Heugue has scored 3.6 points with 4.2 rebounds in the NM1 this year. He also was part of the 2023 U16 French national team with 2.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.
The 1.98m forward Henri-Soprano Mboungolo Mounanga had 2.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals at the ANGT Belgrade last year. This season, he has 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists with the NM1 team and 3.3 points with the U18 team.
The 2008-born Cameron Houindo, a 2.04m forward, is averaging 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in the third division and has dominated in the U18 league with 14.4 points. Meissa Faye, a 2007-born 1.98m forward, is contributing 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds with the NM1 team.
The 2008-born Matthys Mahop, a 1.93m guard, is pouring in 9.3 points in the U18 league after joining INSEP from JSF Nanterre this off-season.
Junior Elouma is a 1.97m forward born in 2008 who is averaging 5.9 points in the U18 league, and Abdoulaye Sy is a 2007-born 2.00m forward who is scoring 2.7 points in the U18 league.
The 2007-born 1.99m center Elie Ntowa meanwhile is chipping in 0.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in the NM1 and 0.5 points in the U18 league as he plays the first season with INSEP after arriving from the Akademie Grand Est Nancy.
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