Who to follow at 2022-23 ANGT Patras
Patras will be hosting an ANGT event for the second straight season. Each of the seven clubs have a number of interesting players to watch. Here is a rundown of the teams.
The first Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament event is complete with Real Madrid winning the ANGT Munich and now we move onto the second stop on the tour - the ANGT Patras in western Greece hosted by Promitheas Patras from February 10-12, 2023.
The seven clubs who will be competing for the title will be hosts Promitheas Patras, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Orange1 Bassano, Joventut Badalona, Olympiacos Piraeus and debutants Cholet Basket and Rasta Vechta. The eighth team will be the selection of players for the Next Generation Patras side, which will be coached this season by former Finnish great Petteri Koponen.
Here is a rundown of the seven teams at the ANGT Patras
Promitheas Patras
Hosts hoping to develop more talent with Promitheas Park
Promitheas Patras hosted an ANGT event for the first time last season and organizers rewarded the Greek club’s efforts with another hosting gig in 2022-23. Promitheas sports a new training facility with Promitheas Park, which the club hopes can help them develop their own young talent - and even eventually attract youngsters from abroad. This is the first season in which Greek youth teams are allowed to have foreign players in their team. Promitheas will have a number of players who experienced the ANGT last season at home.
Nikolaos Vasileiou is the main player coming back from last year’s team as he averaged 7.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists. The 2005-born guard has scored 2 points in 27 minutes over two Greek league games as well as averaging 1.8 points in five 7DAYS EuroCup contents this season.
Big man Ioannis Kanavos picked up 6.2 points and 8.8 rebounds at the ANGT last season while Nikolaos Soilemetzidis picked up 3.0 points per game. The 2006-born Soilemetzidis played a major role in Greece finishing third at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 with 5.0ppg 1.4rpg 2.1apg.
Spyridon Chrysanthopoulos (1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds) and Konstantinos Gryllis (2 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in 28 minutes over four games) both played minor roles at the ANGT last season while Dimitrios Kalliakoudas was listed with the team but did not play as were 2006-born Vasileios Vlassis and 2007-born Matija Stevovic from Montenegro.
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Do ASVEL have enough established talent to compete again
The years of development at ASVEL produced the perfect storm last season with a loaded team that nearly won the title - losing to the Next Generation Select Team in the second game of the ANGT Finals 83-82. The tears after the team’s final game showed just how close the team was and how much they thought they could raise the trophy. A lot of leaders have left the team and the group will once again feature a number of young players. There is still plenty of talent on hand but it will be a major challenge to match last season’s successful run.
The overwhelming leader on the team will be Zaccharie Risacher, who averaged 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 steals in the Qualifiers and Finals. Risacher has made a major jump in the club and plays regularly with the professional team. He is averaging 2.2 ppg 1.5rpg in 7 ProA games as well as 3.4 ppg 2.3 rpg 0.7spg in 11min in 7 appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Risacher is also picking up 16.0ppg 7.6rpg 4.0apg 2.3 spg in the U21 league. He also helped France take third place at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 with 10.4ppg 4.4rpg 2.6apg 1.1bpg.
Yohann Sissoko is averaging 5.3ppg 2.5rpg in the U21 league and the team has high expectations from him thanks to his strong finishing and one-on-one skills. Francois Wibaut will be playing in the ANGT for the fourth season and he averaged 10.3ppg 4.0rpg 1.9apg 2.0spg in 2021-22. He helped ASVEL win the U18 French title last season and this season is playing with the U21 team and collecting 10.2ppg 4.1rpg 1.4apg 1.2 spg. Felix De Almeida is also in his fourth ANGT season - though he played at just one game at the ANGT Finals in 2022. He is averaging 8.0ppg 3.1 rpg in the U21 league. Mervyn Muamba meanwhile was also on the U18 title-winning side and started in six of his seven ANGT games last season, picking up 5.3 ppg 5.3rpg. He is collcting 10.5ppg 5.2rpg 1.3apg in the U21 league.
Among ASVEL’s top 2006-born talents is Killyan Toure, who played 1:22 minutes in the ANGT last season and averaged 6.7ppg 2.5rpg 1.7apg in helping France to third place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022. Thomas Andrieux played 9:24 minutes in three ANGT games last season.
There will also likely be a Wembanyama at the ANGT again - this time Victor’s younger brother Oscar Wembanyama, who is a 2007-born prospect.
ASVEL’s team could also feature some 2007-born talents who worked with the French U15 national team in 2022, including Adam Atamina, Kaylann Balde, Theo Guedegbe, Noa Kouakou, Philibert Loussavouvou and Bryan N’Goli.
Orange1 Bassano
Second version of the new Italian development club
There was a new youth development team on the ANGT scene in 2021-22 as Orange1 Bassano made their debut. The team made up of many younger generation players lost all four games but dropped two games by four points or fewer. The ANGT Patras will be the second edition of the Italian club.
Bassano lost three of their main players who would likely star on this team - with Dame Sarr heading to Barcelona; Leonardo Valesin going to Dragons Rhöndorf in Germany and returning to Italy; and Miroslav Bogdanovic signing on with Crvena Zvezda Belgrade. Still, the Italians are loaded with interesting talents. Matteo Porto collected 10.0ppg 1.8rpg 1.5apg last season and will be the team’s most impactful player offensively thanks to being a big time athlete. And 2006-born Matteo Rinaldin had 5.2ppg 4.2rpg 5.0apg 2.0spg.
The advantage of having such a young team last season was that so many of Bassano’s players will have experience this time around. The 2006-born Mali big man Moussa Bamba is back after picking up 9.5ppg 8.0rpg 2.5bpg. Bassano will not have the services of star 2006-born Mali center Tiefing Diawara, who tore an ACL in September and is not expected back until the end of March. And Almir Asani will also not be in Patras as he isn’t due back until the end of April.
The 2005-born Netherlands-Italy big man Timoty Van Der Knaap, who appeared in two ANGT games last seasonm, could be surprise of the tournament as a very mobile wing who is building an interesting body. He is very good offensively and can become an interesting defender.
One of Bassano’s new players does come to the club a lot of international experience as 2006-born Tymoteusz Sternicki averaged 2006 POL - last Saison with GAK 8.2ppg 5.0 rpg 1.8apg 2.5spg 1.0bpg in the ANGT with GAK. He also picked up 8.3ppg 6.3rpg 2.6apg 1.3spg 1.7bpg at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 and 5.7ppg 4.6rpg 1.1apg at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022.
One major name to mark down for the future is Maikcol Perez, an Italian born in December 2007, perhaps one of the most talented players of his age. A combo guard, Perez can get to the basket with his powerful physique but he really excels at passing the ball.
Other names to watch for the Bassano team are Jairo van den Berg, who played for Netherlands at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022; 2006-born Francisco Zustovich of Argentina and
Joventut Badalona
Joventut look to win 10 years later
Joventut Badalona have produced their share of young talented players and this season’s group also has numerous interesting prospects. But the Spanish team will be hungry to finally climb back atop the ANGT summit - having won the title back in 2013. Can the Spanish club make it two crowns?
Any chances for Joventut to compete with the other main contenders will rely heavily on Ruben Prey. The 2005-born Portuguese big man has already made a major mark on the competition. Now in his third ANGT season, Prey averaged 15.0ppg 5.5rpg 2.2spg 1.2bpg last season. Last summer he competed for Portugal at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2022 and collected 16.3ppg 8.4rpg 1.1apg 1.4bpg. Prey has yet to crack the Joventut professional team but has played three games with Prat in the LEB Silver third division while averaging 14.7ppg 8.0rpg 1.3apg in the EBA fourth division.
Prey will need to be outstanding for Joventut to compete but he will need a lot of help from Conrad Martinez as well. He stood out already last season in the ANGT with 9.0ppg 2.5rpg 3.6apg 1.1spg. This season he has picked up 5.1ppg on 50 percent threes 2.6apg 1.1 spg in 7 LEB Silver games while also grabbing 19.5ppg 2.9rpg 3.3apg 1.9spg in the EBA. Martinez showed he can play on the big stage as well in helping Spain take second at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 with 9.1ppg 2.0rpg 3.9 apg.
A third major player to expect for Joventut is 2006-born Dwayne Aristode, who had 7.2 ppg 6.0rpg last season in the ANGT. This season, the Netherlands native has played in one LEB Silver game and tallied 17.0ppg 8.6rpg 2.1apg 1.4bpg in the EBA.
Albert Garrido averaged 6.5ppg 3.5apg 1.8spg in the ANGT last season and Paul Majoral was also on the team, as was Leonardo Van Elswyk, who had 2.1ppg 3.3rpg for Italy at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022. Another name to watch is 2006-born wing Iker Garmendia, who was with Barcelona last season but did not play at the ANGT and then contributed 7.3ppg 3.3rpg 1.1apg 1.0spg in helping Spain take second at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022.
Two names for down the road are 2007-born players with Karim Hiram Lopez being the son of former Mexican national team players Hiram “Chino” Lopez - with the youngster collecting 15.2ppg 9.8rpg 2.2apg 2.0spg 2.0bpg at the FIBA U15 Centrobasket Championship 2022; and Ian Platteeuw who is still a bit raw but has gained some interest.
Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos would love to make 2018-19 result
Olympiacos Piraeus will be competing in the ANGT in back-to-back seasons for the third time following 2005-06 and 2006-07 and 2017-18 to 2019-20. The Greek powerhouse won just one game in their return to the competition last season - beating ANGT Patras hosts Promitheas Patras for seventh place. The team also won just one game in 2019-20 but would love to match their third place result from 2018-19 Belgrade. The Reds have a couple of major contributors from last season’s team back but it will be a challenge.
The main player returning is Veniamin Amposi, who despite being two years younger as a 2006-born averaged 7.0ppg 4.0rpg 2.8apg last season. He helped Greece take fourth place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 as he picked up 6.0ppg 4.9rpg and the small forward has already made his Greece league debut, playing 1 minute against Karditsas on December 27. Amposi is a really athletic wing who can defend four positions from 1-4, goes to the rim, is very intelligent and excels in transistion.
Stefanos Spartalis was Amposi’s U16 national team teammate and he averaged 4.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. He is a 2006-born big man who is a strong rebounder and good defender.
Another major name to watch is Spaniard Curro Segura, the 2006-born son of Spanish coach Curro Segura, who was an assistant with Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz and head coach at Real Betis Sevilla before coming to Greece in 2021 and signing with AEK Athens in March 2022. The younger Segura is a combo guard who is very intelligent, can get to the rim, and is a very good transition player with a solid shot..
Apostolos Paziotopoulos will also be back after picking up 2.5ppg 1.2rpg 1.2apg 1.2spg last season and Anastasios Karaiskos averaged 4.8ppg 4.2rpg. Andreas Mavratzotou and Alexis Manolis both played very minor roles in 2021-22 and will likely be needed to contribute more.
Olympiacos included a quartet of other players on the ANGT website but they did not play. The 2007-born Stratos Papastavrou is probably one of the club’s next bigger hopes while the others were 2006-born Filippos Saplaouras and the 2005 duo of Georgios Labropoulos and Dimitrios Varvaras.
Cholet Basket
Anticipation of ANGT debut for French club
France have been one of the hottest countries in the world in terms of developing young talent and a new France side will be making their ANGT debut as Cholet Basket make their maiden journey on the big stage. The club has already delivered some strong names from their youth ranks, the biggest being Killian Hayes in the NBA but others including Yoan Makoundou, Hugo Robineau and Warren Woghiren. This year’s Cholet team could add a couple of players to that list in the future.
One of the top names for Cholet this season will be Tidjane Salaun. The 2005 big man, who moved from the INSEP academy to Cholet in 2022, was one of the revelations of the Basketball Without Borders Europe Camp 2022 and was in the running for the France team at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022. Salaun is averaging 12.7ppg 5.5rpg 1.3apg in the French U21 team this season.
A Cholet player who did play at the U17 World Cup was Elidjah-Gabriel Lamart, who picked up 2.3ppg 1.7rpg 1.3apg 1.3spg for a third place winning France team. In the U21 league Lamart is picking up 4.0ppg 1.5rpg. Lamart was also selected as the Cholet Sportsman of the Year 2022.
Two other Cholet players were in the running for a much-desired spot on the France U17 team last summer, but neither Dijguiba Traore nor Amael Etang could make the team. Traore is averaging 4.0ppg 1.9rpg for the U21 team while Etang has tallied 5.4ppg 3.7rpg 1.3apg.
Two other names to watch is 2006-born Gabin Lefort as well as 2007-born Soren Bracq, whose father Damien Bracq played in the fourth division NM2 for Etoile Angers Basket and currently serves as the team’s coach in the third division NM1.
Rasta Vechta
German first-timer taking good strides in youth work
There will be a new German team appearing at the ANGT this season as Rasta Vechta make their debut on the European stage. Vechta are currently leading the standings in the German second division ProA as the team hope to return to the top flight after playing in the BBL in 2013-14 and 2018-19 to 2020-21. Vechta even played in the Basketball Champions League in 2019-20. The club, which has teams in the ProA and ProB second and third divsions, respectively, has been successful in developing young talent as well and it works together with the former Artland Dragons club as the Young Rasta Dragons.
The main player for Vechta will be Johann Grünloh, who was the U19 NBBL Rookie of the Year in 2022. He helped Vechta reach the final of the NBBL last season, losing in the championship game to ALBA Berlin. The 2.09 meter big man has made four appearances in the ProA while averaging 9.0ppg 8.0rpg 1.9 apg 3.0bpg in the ProB and 11.2ppg 10.3rpg 2.5bpg in the NBBL. Grünloh also played internationally, picking up 5.3ppg 7.5rpg 1.0bpg at the FIBA U16 European Challenger 2021.
The other major leader for Vechta is Karl Bühner, who has played five ProB games including 8p 5r versus TKS 49ers. Bühner, who was also on the NBBL finalist team last season, is also averaging 11.3ppg 8.6rpg in the NBBL including 25p 12r against Münster.
Vechta might have a chance for a bright future with their young German positions if a grouping of prospects from the 2007 class comes through. Michael Schillmöller has played two NBBL games and is pouring in 19.4ppg in the JBBL. Both he and Alen Blakaj were invited to the German U16 national team camp in December 2022 with the latter scoring 32 points in two JBBL contests. There is also 2007-born Netherlands guard Djario Bernardina, who has played in two NBBL games. And then the 2008 duo of Epke Kruthaup (15.4ppg 4.4rpg 3.8apg) and Moritz Gruess (15.8ppg 4.5rpg) are excelling in the JBBL.
All of this information is subject to change and is slowly spectulation about who might be playing for the teams in Munich. For more news and information, follow the ANGT website here.