Euroleague Basketball has announced the teams that will compete on the four classification tournaments will take place across Europe - in Rome, L'Hospitalet, Belgrade and London - as Europe's elite youngsters fight for the right to play on the biggest stage of all, the Final Four. 

Following the successful introduction of two classification tournaments in 2008 (L'Hospitalet and Belgrade), and a third in 2009 (Rome), the Euroleague has decided to add one more this season, in London. With these changes, Europe's best 18-and-under players will be present in Paris, and the team winning that tournament in May will be crowned the undisputed European Junior Club Champion. Each of the four cities will see between eight and 12 teams competing over three days for the possibility of returning home as winners and thus booking their place in the 2010 Nike International Junior Tournament during the 2010 Euroleague Final Four in Paris.

These are the tournaments, schedule and teams:

-Torneo Città di Roma, Italy (December 27-29): Montepaschi Siena, Zalgiris Kaunas, Benetton Fribourg, Stella Azzurra, FMP Zeleznik (Nenad Miljenovic '93, at the pic), Benetton Treviso, CSKA and Roma.

-Torneig de Básquet Júnior "Ciutat de L'Hospitalet", Barcelona (January 4-6): Joventut Badalona, Valencia, KK Split, Unicaja Malaga, Lietuvos Rytas, Gran Canaria, Alba Berlin, Barcelona, Estudiantes, Aris, Real Madrid and Hospitalet.

-Nike International Junior Classification Tournament Belgrade-JCT (February 12-14): FMP Zeleznik, ASVEL, Ventspils, Buducnost, INSEP, Red Star, Brose Baskets and Partizan.

-Barking Abbey Academy Euroleague Basketball Junior Classification Tournament, London (February 19-21): Barking Abbey, Maccabi, Zadar, Khimki, Nymburk, Biella, Olimpija, Le Mans and Kyiv. 

 

Photo: FIBA Europe / Robertas Dackus