By Ruben Alcaraz

Eurohopes staff lived the Adidas Next Generation Tournament of L’Hospitalet (Spain), second qualifying tournament for the big final that will take place in Madrid during the Euroleague Final Four in May. Besides outstanding players like MVP of the tournament Blaz Mesicek (’97) and the real MVP Luka Doncic (’99) we want to stand out other players that deserves to keep an eye of them, like we do weekly with our Subscribers.

Alex Mazaira -at the picture- (’97) FC Barcelona
The 6’9 Spanish forward never gets all the recognition that he deserves. Every year he is more consistent in his game and he was the most used player of FC Barcelona during the tournament with 27 minutes per game. Playing with confidence, Mazaira has a nice mid-range shot even he is a good shooter from 3-point line with 31% during the tournament. He can put the ball on the floor but is not aggressive to attack the rim. He has nose for rebounds and 50-50 balls. Mazaira is a stretch 4 with good physical conditions, great basketball IQ and much skilled than the average forward.
Stats: 9.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.4 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.

Oscar Amo (’97) Joventut Badalona
The 6’9 Spanish center did not have his best performance at the tournament but showed the evolution that he is making this season. Amo is a pure center that is very aggressive at the offensive end, going hard every time to offensive rebound, hustling to get the position at low post and with a good set of movements to finish in the paint. Defensively he has more problems, tends to have foul trouble and is not a great rebounder. He does not use his jump-shot usually, we cannot talk of a mid-range shot even less of a long range shot but his free throw shot is pretty good, he averaged 73% (16 of 22) during the tournament. Amo is a late bloomer center that are making this season a step up in his offensive game.
Stats: 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.

Vlatko Cancar (’97) Union Olimpija Ljubljana
The 6’7 Slovenian small forward did not show a big statistical improvement from last year tournament but he showed some flashes of his talent. With a great body to play wing position, improved from the skinny body one year ago, Cancar was surprisingly in a secondary role in a team monopolized by Blaz Mesicek. Cancar did not have a good percentage in the tournament, 23% from the field, but his shot is quick on catch and shoot situations and he can create his own shot. He is skilled also to beat his man in one on one from the perimeter. Where Cancar showed more improvement was in defense. Used often to guard the most dangerous backcourt player of the other team, he does not struggle if he must to guard inside players in mismatches. He showed great instinct and desire on both boards to rebound also. Cancar is a skilled small forward that can score in different ways and really solid in defense.
Stats: 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Lucas Hergott (’97) Asvel Lyon Villeurbanne
The 6’6 French wing was the best complement possible for Amine Noua (’97) to balance the team. Hergott has a good one on one thanks to his explosive first step. He prefers drive to the basket than shoot and he does not avoid the contact. His shooting technique is average but he lacks of confidence when shoots. Hergott do not hesitate to bring the ball to offensive court when his team is pressed but he does not have playmaker abilities. Hergott plays at the small forward position but if he improves his shot he can develop to a great shooting guard with his explosive first step and his one on one.
Stats: 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals.

Carlos Hidalgo (’97) Baloncesto Sevilla

The 6’0 Spanish playmaker was the motor of Baloncesto Sevilla on their way to semi-finals. Hidalgo is a natural born leader, a classical Spanish point guard. He did not have a great tournament in shooting terms, averaging only 27% from the field, but he supplied that drawing some fouls to score from free throw line where he was excellent with 87% (21 of 24). Hidalgo is a good shooter from long range but is more a streak shooter than a consistent shooter. In defense he was not than active as usual and also has foul trouble in the most important games. Hidalgo is a smart playmaker that will have to adjust his body to the next level if he wants to keep grinding.
Stats: 11.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game.


-Twitter of the author: @Filipy09