Azpeitia hosted the final tournament of the U16 and U18 Basque league. Best teams in both categories participated in the event, with two spots for the Spanish National Championship as prize as well as the own title. Caja Laboral Baskonia, Easo, Iraurgi and Unamuno played for the U16 title. Baskonia, Iraurgi and Unamuno had to battle for the second spot for going to the Spanish Champ. Spot that went to the local team, Iraurgi, overcoming from a 14 point deficit to win the game and the passport for the champ. Iraurgi finally clinched the title too, in a thriller against Easo, winning by one in the last 1.8 secs with two free throws nailed by Unai Martínez, after stealing the ball. Xabi Oroz ('96) -at the pic- was the best player of the tournament, including a near triple-double show against Baskonia with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks.
Not too many prospects to watch in this championship but very interesting team-basketball, full of speed and with very agressive defences. Baskonia, Iraurgi and Easo have played very interesnting basketball during the whole season, mainly with 4-5 guys opened playing very vertical hoops. In this category but playing with the juniors too, 6'5'' SG Xabier Oroz is clearly the guy to go. International with the Spanish U16 NT, and with a very good appearence in the Jordan Brand Classic, he's the best basque-born player of this generation. Oroz is a very complete shooting guard -who can do a lot of everything-, with nice athletism –powerful legs- and very long winsgpan who uses very well for defending and beeing a factor with his great timing in the paint, putting a lot of blocks easily. He's a good ballhandler and a good passer, can create for him –needs to improve his touch around the rim- and for his mates mainly slashing due to his quick first step. Can play both guard spots, always playing with his head up and watching everything is happening in the court. Not the best shooter –he´s currently changing his mechanics- , but not afraid of taking the hot balls and the clutch shoots. He will grow, probably, till 6'7'' height.
Easo played the final tournament without his best player, 6'7'' PF Jon Urtxulutegi ('96) who used to play with the Spanish youth teams. "Urtxu" is a very strong kid who knows how to score very easily in the paint, due to his body and some good moves. Apart of him, the go to player is 5'11'' undersized PG Aritz Ibarloza ('96), with great legs and a powerful frame. He's very quick and really does lot of things in the court: passing, shooting, defending and rebounding. But he's not really a prospect. Baskonia showed a very undersized team without any prospect but good chemistry and very fast basketball. 6'0'' SG Mario Madinabeitia ('96) is the leader of the team in both sides. Quick and smart, he really knows how to play basketball. Unamuno is probably the most physical team but by far the less talented. They have a legit 6'11'' guy who appeared for first time in the Spanish U16 team last month. His name is Ander Pérez ('96) and he is working day by day with Gescrap Bilbao's coaches, but without a clear improvement. He's just that, because he doesn't have any decent move to the rim. Most talented kid in the team is 5'11'' PG Jon Peña ('97) who is a very strong point guard with a very fast change of direction with the ball that allows him to create or going to the rim very strong.
The U18 tournament was less exiting than the U16 one, with Caja Laboral Baskonia with his full roster practically for first time in the season wining the tournament with any problem, beating in the semifinals Easo by 33 and in the final Loiola Indautxu, from Bilbao, by 28. Baskonia and Iraurgi were the only one with real top prospects. Iraurgi, with Xabi Oroz and with former U15 spanish NT player Aitor Zubizarreta ('95), who is a 6'3'' lefty PG and finesse player, very dangerous with a quick first step, creating a lot of situations for him and his teamates, and with his streaky jump shoot. Baskonia is one of the most talented teams in the country despite of being mostly and U16 team, with 1996 top prospects Carlos Martínez, Daniel Barbieri, Sandro Gacic and Rinalds Malmanis, but also including last year's U16 EC All Tournament Team and Albert Schweitzer tournament champ Ilimane Diop. Martínez and Barbieri led the team in the semifinals, while in the final Diop, Martínez and Gacic were the best players of the team.
Brazilian Daniel Barbieri ('96, 6'9'', PF) is the team's leader. Despite of being sidelined for three months due to a knee injury, he showed why he was a factor playing for UPV in EBA league (spanish fourth division). He's always the smartest guy on the floor, having a great IQ that converts him in surely one of the 2-3 best U16 players in Spain. He knows very good the game, plays very well without the ball, passing the ball really good with a good read of the game. He's versatile, can face the rim –being a decent shooter from downtown but needs to have quicker mechanics- and has several moves in the paint finishing with great touch around the rim. Needs to be a quicker guy if he wants to play in the future at the SF spot, but has good speed for playing at PF. He has good instincts and timing in the defensive rebound being awesome giving the first-fastbreak pass.
Carlos Martínez ('96, 6'7'', SG) has been one of the most commented names around the spanish basketball because of traveling with the first team to the Liga Endesa's game of Caja Laboral against Barcelona Regal. He's one of the best players of this generation, because of his combination of height, nice athletism, body-control and skills. He's an all around player who can play in all exterior spots. He's a good ball-handler, who can slash easily, for shooting from midrange, going to the rim with both hands or create game for the rest of the team off dribble because of his vision and passing skills. Has a nice first step, but sometimes over handle the ball and does not take all the advantage he could. He's a good shooter, mainly out of passes but can create his own shoot (needs to improve the quickness of his mechanics though). In defense he's a good player, with good lateral quickness, and very quick hands and when he's totally focused he's a factor. Showed off all his talent this year in the game against archirival Easo nailing 26 points in a row in the third quarter for overcoming for an 18 point deficit and win the game.
Ilimane Diop ('95, 6'11'', C) is a well known name in the european scene. He's one of the most brilliant pearls in the spanish basketball due to his height, his head and his colossus 7'10'' wingspan. Despite of just being playing basketball for a little more than a year, he's a player that improves day by day because of his good work ethic and his good head. Right now he's a top defensive weapon –needs to bulk up for the next level-, with good positionating and his physical skills, always changing shooting directions and making the paint a prohibited place for the rivals. Offensivily he has improved a lot but has an enormous potential to keep on improving. Has several post moves, with a very quick spin to the hoop. His feet are quick and coordinated. He knows when to play to the rim and when to pass, working very well in his understanding of the game, passing skills and vision. He's a great rebounder. Diop is working very hard in his midrange shot, having progressed a lot in this part of the game and in his free throw shooting.
Bosnian 6'7'' PG Sandro Gacic ('96) has played very well in the tournament despite of coming from a minor injury that remained out of the team in the last weeks. He got all the tools for converting into a top player. Has the skills and the physical abilities, but he's kind of inconsistent player not showing everytime his potential and his complete package. Offensivily he has all, ball handling, vision, passing, shooting… He's a classy player but needs to be more regular.
Rinalds Malmanis ('96, 6'8'', SF) was the last player to come to Vitoria. He's not playing consistent basketball because of injuries and because he needs a little more time to adapt himself to his new life far away from home. Despite of all, he's so classy and has a great physic too, with impressive frame. He's a great ball handler for his height, can face and have a lot of solutions in the post. Versatile with good shooting mechanics, he needs to be much more agressive in both sides if he wants to show off the extremely classy player he is.
Photo: Azkoitiko Hitza / Xabier Otamendi
-Find attached a dunk from Ilimane Diop in Mannheim some weeks ago
