Prospect Highlight: ANGT Podgorica preview
This week we take a deep dive into the eight teams at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Podgorica, the first stop of the 2023-24 ANGT calendar.
This week we don’t just look at one prospect but take a deep dive into the eight teams playing at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Podgorica, the first stop of the 2023-24 ANGT calendar which tips off on Friday January 26 in the Montenegro capital.
ALBA Berlin
ALBA will likely be returning six players from last season: Amon Dörries, Dorian Grosber, Anton Nufer, Paul Bahn, Leo Hylla and 2007-born center Nevio Bennefeld. The ALBA team this season has struggled in the U19 NBBL league as they lost five straight games in the regular season. That does not mean the team from the German capital doesn’t have talent. ALBA won the German U19 title in 2023, but many of the leaders of that team are gone - Rikus Schulte, Nils Machowski, Jack Kayil, Elias Rapieque. And the next group of leaders have been slow to really take over and lead the team to wins.
One of the club’s top talents is Amon Dörries, who will be playing his third ANGT season. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals at the 2022-23 ANGT Munich, and is collecting 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals in the U19 league this season in addition to picking up 3.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in 16 minutes per game in the German third division. Club officials believe Dörries long term will be able to play all over the court with his versatility, going up to the center and drop down to guard spots at time beside playing both forward positions. His 7-foot wingspan allows him to influence games both offensively and defensively. He can play one-on-one facing the basket and from the post. He still needs to get consistency on his shot but has good court vision and good shot-blocking ability. Dörries had missed nearly two months of action from late November to mid-January but has returned to the court for two NBBL games in January , totalling 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Dorian Grosber represents one of biggest hopes in Luxembourg basketball as the 17-year-old point guard already made his debut with the country’s senior national team, playing at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers in February 2023 against Croatia. This is the 1.97m size playmaker’s second season in Berlin and this year he is splitting time between the U19 team and ALBA’s cooperation partner in the ProB third division Bernau. The athletic Grosber is averaging 10.0 points on 44.4%/26.9%/53.5% shooting, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.3 turnovers in 25 minutes in the NBBL. In the ProB, he is tallying 2.8 points - missing all 13 of his three-pointers, but making 14-of-18 free throws (77.8%), 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.5 turnovers in 17 minutes. This will be his second ANGT competition after picking up 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals.
Among the other players to watch for this Berlin team, Anton Nufer is also playing in both the U19 and ProB teams and even made his BBL debut in November against Tübingen. He is a solid rotation player in the third division and has scored in double figures five times in the NBBL, including hitting 5 three-pointers in scoring 20 points against Oldenburg. Paul Bahn is also pulling double duty with both teams and had an NBBL game with 6 three-pointers and 24 points.
The 2007-born big man Nevio Bennefeld has shown an ability to hold his own in the U19 league despite being two years younger. After arriving this off-season from Heidelberg, Bennefeld is averaging 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds and even stepped out to hit 36.4% on three-pointers and dish out 1.4 assists.
Matheo Hermann is a December 2007-born guard who is spending his first season in the U19 team and already has two games with 14+ points. He helped ALBA to win the U16 JBBL title in 2023, averaging 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the Final Four.
And one further note on this Berlin team: Nicola Schultze is the son of long-time German national team leader Sven Schultze.
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
The Croatian-Slovenian cooperation has three must-see players and go into the tournament with four returning players: Mark Morano, Leon Zdravkovic, Martin Tonejc and Jure Sok.
While Zdravkovic, Tonejc and Sok combined for only 3.8 points per game last season at the ANGT Zadar, Mark Morano (also uses Mahmutovic) was already a leader in Zadar, averaging 7.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 22 minutes despite being two years younger. The 2007-born broke out big time at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023 where he led the tournament in scoring with 20.6 points to go with 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals. He nearly helped Slovenia knock off eventual winners Spain in the Quarter-Finals as he poured in 36 points with 8 rebounds.
Morano has just built on his summer this season and is a leader on the Cedevita team in both the U19 ABA league and U20 side. He is averaging 15.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the U19 ABA league through three games. Morano is a multi-level threat when catching the ball in the perimeter. His combination of 1.97 meter size and fluid ball-handling ability allow him to get to his spots on the floor and make him hard to contain for opposing defenders. His shooting ability, however, might be his biggest selling point, as he shows tremendous efficiency in tough shots off the dribble.
The Ljubljana team in Podgorica will also feature fellow 2007-born Derin Can Ustun. The Turkish point guard moved from Bahcesehir to Cedevita this off-season, choosing the Balkan project over teams like Fenerbahce back home as well as interest from Spain and Italy. That came after he helped Türkiye to 10th place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023, averaging 15.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals. Ustun played one game in the Turkish BSL with Bahcesehir in late May after his leading role in the club’s U19 league team.
Another of Cedevita’s leaders - and another 2007-born player - will be Ian Lazarevski, who just joined the club from Mega Soccerbet Belgrade earlier this month. The small forward had been averaging 9.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals in the Serbian U19 league. The Slovenian wing played the last two summers at the FIBA U16 European Championship, leading the 2023 tournament in assists (5.2 apg) and ranking 5th in steals (2.5 spg) in addition to picking up 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds.
There might be some initial growing pains of Lazarevski getting used to his teammates, though many of them he will know from having played with the Slovenian national team. In 2022, he played with Lovro Lapajne and LeonZdravkovic and then was with Morano, Lapajne, Mark Ivanusa-Medjedovic and Bukvic in 2023.
One player Lazarevski will not know as a teammate is the Bosnia and Herzegovina-born Dino Subasic, who played for Croatia at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022. The guard is playing for Mladost Cacinci in the Croatian first division and for Cedevita in the U19 ABA league.
Cedevita’s preliminary roster also includes two 2008-born players - Oskar Kuzman and Samba Gueye.
Kuzman has played with the club’s youth ranks since the U13 in 2021-22 and Gueye is a November-born big man from Senegal.
Cholet
Cholet of course will be missing their real star potential from last season - graduating Tidjane Salaun and Amael L’Etang - but there is still a solid depth in talent on this year’s team. The Cholet side in Podgorica will be young though with just three 2006-born players. Back from last season - the club’s debut in the competition - will be Soren Bracq, Erwan Ntsantso Djoni, Gabin Lefort, Nils Lobry Pathouot, Noah Koussou and Adrien Niedergang-Ribolzi. All of these players except for Lefort are from the 2007 born generation.
Cholet last season won the French U21 title - the Trophee du Futur - and it was not a surprise at all. Cholet is actually a powerhouse in the competition, having won the crown four of the last five editions and seven times total, finishing second in 2021 to ASVEL.
One of the few 2006-born players is Romain Valakou. The 1.92m guard is averaging 21.4 points in the French U18 championship while shooting at 50% on three-pointers and is collecting 8.5 points with 35.7% on three-pointers to go with 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the U21 championship playing alongside L’Etang and the other leaders from last season’s ANGT team.
Valakou, who joined Cholet this off-season from Bordeaux, played last summer the FIBA U17 3X3 Europe Cup and helped France finish third. He can score on the fast break, driving to the basket, one-on-one or from the outside. Valakou still must improve on his toughness, especially on defense. But he is an elegant player who plays with ease with the ball and is a hard worker wanting to get better every day and helps the team win.
Soren Bracq, the son of a coach, has at times really played outstanding in the U21 team. The guard, who averaged 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals at the ANGT, scored 15 points with 3 three-pointers against Strasbourg in late September and will enter the tournament on a real high after going 6-of-6 on three-pointers in scoring 28 points with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in just 16 minutes against Le Portel.
The 2006-born forward Gabin Lefort meanwhile picked up 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in last season’s ANGT. He is contributing 6.0 points and 2.4 rebounds with the U21 team this season.
Erwan Ntsantso Djoni collected 5.8 points at the ANGT last season and has yet to really play a major role in the U21 side, playing more for the U18 team.
The Cholet team will also feature three players born in 2008 or later.
The 2.01m center Lucas Rapini - born January 12, 2008, joined the club from Cannet Cote Dazur this off-season. The 1.96m forward Boubacar Traore - born July 30, 2008 - is on his third team in three years, going from Boulogne-Levallois to Saint Charles Charenton Saint Maurice and now Cholet.
And the 1.74m guard Aaron Towo-Nansi - born March 4, 2009 - is new with Cholet this season from Rennes.
FC Bayern Munich
Bayern playing the ANGT outside of Munich will be quite strange with this being the first time they are playing a qualifying tournament not at home since 2016-17 in Coin. There are three players returning from last year’s team with the 2006-born Croatian duo of Ivan Volf and Dominik Dolic as well as Ukrainian refugee Desmond Yiamu.
Bayern last season reached the Semi-Finals of the U19 NBBL league, losing to eventual champs ALBA Berlin. The club was also surprised in the first round of the 2022-23 U16 JBBL playoffs, losing to eventual semi-finalists RheinStars Köln. This Bayern team in Podgorica could be strong as it will feature one of the top players in the tournament.
Ivan Kharchenkov has already played three games for Bayern’s pro team in the EuroLeague and made four appearances in the German BBL. The 1.98m guard mainly plays in the German third division ProB, where he is dominating with 21.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals though he is shooting just 28.1% on three-pointers. Kharchenkov, who will not turn 18 until September, is outstanding at getting to the basket and drawing fouls. He has averaged 8.3 free throw per game, six times attempting double digit foul shots, including hitting 15-of-17 against Ehingen in early October.
Kharchenkov, who missed the 2022-23 ANGT Munich due to injury, comes from a basketball family. His father Alexander Kharchenkov won the 1974 World Cup with Soviet Union and played 22 years for CSKA Moscow, Dinamo Moscow and Spartak St. Petersburg. And his half-brother of Nikita Kharchenkov has played 20 years in Germany’s top four leagues.
Ivan, who was actually born in Moscow in 2006, already has a legacy with the German youth national teams. In 2022, he helped the country win the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022, Division B with a performance earning him a spot in the All-Star Five. That got Germany to Division A for the first time since 2019. Last summer, Kharachenkov captained the Germany team at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023 despite being a year younger and averaged 17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals, including a heroic 27 points in the Quarter-Finals win over Greece. He was named to the All-Star Five after carrying Germany to third place - the country’s first-ever medal at the U18 continental level.
Kharchenkov also made history in the German BBL on November 19, 2022, playing 4:29 minutes and scoring 5 points - hitting his only three-point attempt and both of his free throws - against SYNTAINICS MBC. That made him the youngest scorer in the league since the start of data collection in 1998 at 16 years 1 month and 29 days.
Another important player for Bayern in Podgorica will be Ivan Volf, who collected 4.5 points and 1.5 rebounds at the ANGT Munich. The 2.01 meter wing averaged 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals for Croatia at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022. Volf is playing alongside Kharchenkov in the ProB team and contributing 9.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 47.4% on three-pointers. Volf has natural mechanics, long arms and legs, and broad shoulders. Bayern management believe in the future he might emerge as an elite spot-up threat due to his incredibly smooth shooting mechanics. His aim is to develop into an offensive weapon that can score points in a variety of ways and he is working hard on spot ups, coming off screens, off the dribble and pick-and-roll situations. He is also adding more attacking the closeouts options into his arsenal. Volf is a late bloomer physically and is still a little weak in terms of dealing with contact.
Volf’s Croatian compatriot Dominik Dolic is playing in both ProB and NBBL teams and has had standout games with both. He scored 28 points in the ProB against Ehingen and dished out 11 assists the next games against Orange Academy Ulm. He poured in 21 points in the most recent NBBL game against IBAM Munich. Dolic also led the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 in assists with 4.7 per game while averaging 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Last summer he had 2.0 points and 1.3 rebound at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023.
Another major player on the Bayern team should be Nikolas Sermpezis. The 2007-born Greek-German leads the U19 team in scoring with 16.0 points. The 1.94m guard, who has been with Bayern since 2019, played for Greece at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023 and collected 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.1 steals.
Matteo Petters has collected one double-double in the NBBL and averages 8.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks.
A name to note is Namik Muratovic, a 2008-born 2.15 center from Luxembourg. His parents fled Bosnia in 1997 and landed via Germany in Luxembourg. He played last summer on the FIBA 3x3 circuit in his native Luxembourg at the U16 level. This season, Muratovic is playing in the U16 JBBL and averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds. But he will come into the ANGT on a high after collecting 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks against Heidelberg.
Bayern’s preliminary roster also includes 2008-born Serbian Andrija Susic, who has played this season with Mladost Zemun.
The Bayern team also has two children of famous fathers. Aksel Laso is the son of pro team coach Pablo Laso and actually will be playing for Bayern as a reigning ANGT champion after he played for Real Madrid last season and won the U18 continental crown in Kaunas. Meanwhile Joshua Greene’s father Demond Greene is Laso’s assistant coach.
SC Derby Podgorica
Derby will be making their debut in the competition as the Montenegro club has become a place for young talents to come and develop and play in the ABA Adriatic League. The Montenegro club has a number of youth Montenegro national team players including one of the best players in the competition.
David Mirkovic will be the leader of this Derby team. The 2.07m big man will be appearing in the ANGT for a second season after playing for the select Next Generation teams in ANGT Belgrade and the ANGT Finals in 2022-23. He averaged 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in Belgrade and then 7.5 points and 6.0 rebounds at the ANGT Finals. Last summer he collected 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals in helping Montenegro finish third at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023, Division B to earn promotion to Division A. Mirkovic also picked up 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds at the FIBA U20 European Championships 2023 as a 17-year-old.
Mirkovic, who is the only Derby player with ANGT experience, has played this season for Derby in the ABA Adriatic League and the Montenegrin League, averaging 14.2 points and 10.7 rebounds in the latter. Mirkovic has a good mix of size, strong body and coordination with great body control and great touch to make him a threat from all positions on the court. He has good footwork and can create for himself in the paint and for others with his back to the basket. Mirkovic can also play on the wing as a solid three-point shooter who can playmake, handle the ball and finish with both hands.
One of Mirkovic’s U18 national team teammates was Maraun Cicic, who collected 5.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks The 2.10m big man has split time this season with the team in the Montenegrin first league, collecting 4.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 12 minutes, and the U19 ABA league, where he picked up 13.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in three games.
Cicic also played at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022, where he was teammates with Mirkovic, Vladimir Komnenovic and Aleksa Asanin. It was the first of back-to-back U16 continental championships for Komnenovic as the 1.86m guard averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals. Komnenovic will be playing in Podgorica on loan from Mornar Bar, where he has made his ABA debut in late November and is averaging 19.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 31 minutes for Mediteran in the Montenegro second division.
Another loan player on the preliminary roster is Slovenian Zak Smrekar, who played at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022. He plays for Krka Novo Mesto and has already debuted in the ABA league and has averaged 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in two U19 ABA games.
Tarik Hrelja is a Bosnia and Herzegovina forward who played for his country at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022, Division B and FIBA U18 European Championship 2023, Division B.
Derby’s preliminary roster includes three 2008-born players: Vuk Ivelja (November 7), Balsa Mugosa (April 5) and Maskim Brnovic (May 20). Despite playing a year young, Ivelja averaged 10.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023, including scoring 23 points with 4 assists and 3 steals against Belgium.
Umana Reyer Venice
Reyer is making its seventh apppearance in the ANGT but has never finished better than sixth place. This year’s team has four players returning from the squad that finished eighth at ANGT Belgrade: Pietro Iannuzi, Sebastiano Pellizzon, Federico Natale and Francesco Eramo.
The clear leader of the team will be Iannuzzi, who finishied the ANGT Belgrade with 21.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists as the fourth-best scorer of the competition with 4.5 triples per game. The Venetian guard also made his debut in the Italian league in Milan at the beginning of November while he scored his first points the following game against Reggio Emilia. The 1.94 meter guard also made his debut in the BKT EuroCup with 1 minute against Veolia Towers Hamburg. Iannuzzi is an excellent 3-point shooter both off the blocks and off the dribble. He also has greatly improved his pick-and-roll reads and his ability to finish or pass the ball in traffic after penetration.
Federico Natale averaged 5.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals with his fine all-around game as a 2.00m forward. Francesco Eramo picked up 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds and Sebastiano Pellizzon added 2.0 points and 1.0 assists.
The only other player with ANGT experience will be 2.06m center Petar Kuzmanovic. The Croatian big man played the last two seasons in the ANGT for Bassano and averaged 2.7 points and 4.3 rebounds at last season’s ANGT Patras.
One of Iannuzzi’s biggest helpers will probably be Stefano Saccoccia. The 1.80m guard is playing on loan from Napoli, with whom he has already appeared in six Serie A games. Saccoccia also averaged 27.0 points on 44.4% three-point shooting and 27-of-35 free throws, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.7 steals in three games of the U20 league.
Real Madrid
Real once again heads into the ANGT as the reigning champions and once again is one of the leading contenders for the title - if not the top favorite. The 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023 champions and 2014 runners-up have not lost a qualifying tournament in the last 10 seasons. Head coach Javier Juarez has six players back from the team that took the crown in Kaunas in May 2023: Hugo Gonzalez, Egor Demin, Asier Miguel, Mitar Bosnjakvoic, Ismaila Diagne and Amadou Traore. The Spanish powerhouse is absolutely loaded and Juarez has an embarrassment of riches with an incredibly deep 16-man preliminary roster.
The leader will likely be Hugo Gonzalez, who will be playing in the ANGT for the second season. The 1.98 meter forward was named MVP of the ANGT Munich where he averaged 19.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks. He then collected 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.8 blocks in the ANGT Finals. Gonzalez helped Spain finish second at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 and the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023, averaging 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks at the latter. The wing has played 10 games in the Spanish League this season and also appeared in four EuroLeague contests.
Gonzalez has a strong physique, which gives him an advantage against his opponents. He has excellent versatility and can contribute in all facets of the game. The son of a former professional player, Gonzalez has a deep understanding of the game and a strong desire to continue learning and improving. He is also a fierce competitor. Gonzalez can still improve on reading the game offensively as well as his ball handling and defensive focus to minimize errors.
Egor Demin averaged 13.3 points on 52.9% three-point shooting, 4.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals at the ANGT Munich and then picked up 8.5 points on 36.0% three-pointers, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals in the ANGT Finals. As opposed to Gonzalez, the 2006-born Russian Demin has yet to play for Real’s senior team this season averaging 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.1 steals for the fourth division EBA team though he made his ACB debut last season.
Mitar Bosnjakovic is spending his second season with Real after coming from Novi Sad. The Serbian helped his country finish first in the FIBA U16 European Challengers 2021 and then averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals as Serbia took fifth place at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022. Last summer he collected 11.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in helping Serbia win the title at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023 despite being a year younger. The 1.99m forward had 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists as the ANGT Munich last season and picked up 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals in the ANGT Finals. Bosnjakovic is tallying 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in the EBA fourth division this season.
Ismaila Diagne for his part has appeared in four ACB games and averaged 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 13 minutes. The Senegalese big man also has appeared in two EuroLeague games.
One of Real’s top playmakers otherwise will be Adrians Andzevs, a 2007-born Latvian who played for the club in the U16 level last season. The 1.88m guard came up in the Gulbene system in Latvia and played for his country at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023 and averaged 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals. Andzevs is averaging 4.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the fourth division.
The rest of Real’s 2007 generation also has plenty of exciting talent.
Declan Duru did not play in the ANGT last season as he was injured but he is one of the top talents in Germany and will be thrilled to finally play in the competition and show off his all-around game.
Ignacio Campoy and Gildas Gimenez both helped Spain win the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023 title last summer while Kyllian Michee took third place at the same competition with France.
It seems like a crime to only mention here the Mali big man Amadou Traore and Sidi Gueye from Senegal. But that speaks to the depth of Real, who also have the 2007-born 2.06m Russian big man Daniil Stolbetskiy.
And what would Real be without having even more talent deeper in their system.
Their preliminary roster includes Andrej Bjelic, who was born on March 17, 2008 and was only 2008-born player on the Serbian team that finished seventh at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023, where he averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals in 29 minutes, topped by 26 points against Slovenia.
There are also Russian Ilia Frolov, born on June 18, 2008, and 2.10 Mal big man Mali Mahamadou Landoure, born on May 10, 2009.
Next Generation Team Podgorica
This is the third season with the Next Generation Teams and the second one with Petteri Koponen as coach. Adidas selects the 12-man roster for the tournament and Koponen and his coaching staff has a couple of days to form a team out of the players.
One of the top players on the NGT Podgorica team will be Jack Kayil, who is also one of the few players with previous ANGT experience. The German was named to the All-Tournament Team for the ANGT Munich for picking up 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.8 steals with ALBA Berlin. The 1.91 meter guard, who this off-season moved to RASTA Vechta, helped Germany win the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022, Division B to get the country promoted to Division A. Last summer, Kayil collected 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023, where Germany finished third for their first ever podium result in the competition’s history.
Kayil this season is averaging 11.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists for Vechta in the German second division. He is also picking up 18.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.2 steals in the German U19 league. Kayil stands out with his leadership and he can score in many different ways. He still needs to improve his playmaking and his defense.
Leftheris Liotopoulos actually has even more experience, having played for the NGT team in Patras the last two seasons. In 2021-22 he compiled 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in 60 minutes over three games and then he averaged 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals last season. The 1.94m guard with DEKA helped Greece to fourth place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 and then averaged 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023.
Joining Kayil and Liotopoulos in the backcourt is Yagiz Aksu from Besiktas in Türkiye. The 1.96m point guard has already played two games in the EuroCup as well as made appearances in the Basketball Champions League and FIBA Europe Cup with Besiktas. Aksu has played in four games in the Turkish top flight this season but is averaging 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.0 steals in the U19 league. He played at two European U16 competitions and then picked up 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023.
Also in the NGT Podgorica backcourt are Iceland 2007-born Kristofer Bjorgvinsson, who plays for domestic powerhouse Hauler and was one of the leading players at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023, Division B with 16.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals; as well as Hungarian 2007-born Gabor Lukacsi - a veteran of two FIBA U16 European Championship Division Bs.
The biggest name among the forwards is Borna Katanovic of Croatia. The 2007-born Cibona Zagreb talent helped Croatia win the FIBA U16 European Championship 2023, Division B to get the country back to Division A. He was the third-leading scorer with 18.1 points to go with 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 steals. The 1.97m wing has appeared in three ABA league games, playing predominantly in the Croatian first division and averaging 12.5 points on 44.4% three-pointers, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals
The other forwards are the Greek 2006-born duo of Panagiotis Pagonis of AONS Milon and Giannos Xanthopoulos from E.F.A.O.Z.; and 2007-born Senegalese Assane Sankare from Sassari.
There are three centers on the team, and many people will know Ivan Prato. The 2007-born Argentinean plays in Italy with Varese. The 2.08m big man last summer played at his second FIBA U16 Americas Championship and averaged 13.2 points, 10.3 rebounds 1.5 assists and 1.7 blocks last summer. He also has experience at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022.
The NGT Podgorica team will have a second German as Hannes Steinbach made the squad. The 2.05m center plays with Würzburg and is dominating in the U19 NBBL, where he is averaging 29.9 points on 68.3% two-point shooting, 15.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks. Steinbach, whose father Burkhard Steinbach played with Dirk Nowitzki at Würzburg, also helped Germany take third place at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023 - the country’s first U18 medal.
The other center on the squad is Matas Staugaitis of Lithuania. The 2.06m big man has not played for Lithuania national team in his carer and is averaging 13.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in the Lithuanian U18 league for VKKM Klaipeda.
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