By : Vedran Modric
Like the last five years Red Star Belgrade won the tournament. Going into the tournament they was projected to win it all again and they lived up to the hype. In the finals they faced their biggest rival Partizan Belgrade and in the fully packed arena (more than 100 people was outside of the arena) they defeated Partizan 73-51.
I will start with the winners of ANGT Belgrade 2015. Red Star Belgrade has very physical team and their players are most ready for pro basketball. MVP of the Tournament Vojislav Stojanovic (1.98 cm-1997) is built like a bull. Very aggressive guard who can play positions from 1-3, solid shooter and good defender. His ceiling is not so high but he can play pro basketball right away. Aleksandar Aranitovic (1.92 cm-1998) although one of the youngest on the Red Star roster is with Stojanovic most ready to play pro basketball. He has extremely strong legs (he started with football then switched to basketball) and is very mature player. Its almost unreal that the kid is only 17. He has great shooting form and very high basketball IQ. The other interesting prospects on that team are Aleksa Radanov (1.99 cm-1998) who has similiar style of play like young Zoran Planinic back in the day. He is playing strictly point guard position with 1.99 cm and his court vision is superb. Borisa Simanic (2.07 cm-1998) has tools to become very good player but he plays very passive. Partizan Belgrade has also some interesting players. The first ones on my list are two tweener forwards Nikola Tanaskovic (2.05 cm-1997) and Milos Glisic (2.05 cm-1998). When they play together they are difficult to defend because both of them can play SF and PF. And both of them have inside-outside game. Tanaskovic is a lefty and very long guy while Glisic is one year younger but his game is more mature. Slobodan Jovanovic (1.90 cm-1997) is lights out shooter but trapped in a body of a point guard. And i got to mention Milko Bjelica. Yeah his lost twin Filip Anicic (2.07 cm-1997) looks like Milko Bjelica, moves like Milko Bjelica and plays exactly the same (only without the jumper).He is no prospect but its crazy how they look alike. I had to mention this. Alba Berlin finished third in this competition and they have one of three most interesting prospects on this tournament. Moritz Wagner (2.07 cm-1997) can play both forward positions due to his skills and overall basketball IQ. Good in almost every basketball element and very versatile player. Outside shot is a work in progress but he is very talented. Ferdinand Zylka (1.90 cm-1998) the whole tournament shot very good from long range (16/34, 47 %),has natural shooting touch and plays very mature for his age. Moses Polking (2.04 cm-1997) runs the floor like a guard and his athleticism is very good but needs to work on his basketball skills.Could turn into interesting prospect. Zemun Belgrade lost to Alba for the 3rd spot but Djordje Dimitrijevic (1.85 cm-1997) and Nikola Cirkovic (1.92 cm-1997) made a name for themselves. Both of them very skilled players but ceiling is not so high. Canarias Basketball Academy finished 5th. Souleymane Diakite (2.02 cm-1999) has grown mans body and ability to finish through contact.Not a good shooter but his athleticism is solid. And very good rebounder. Vaerlose BBK was 6th and they have younger brother of Rasmus Larsen, Jacob Larsen (2.06 cm-1997) is very aggressive and always active on the court.Operates only around the rim,either back to the basket or face to the basket. Very talented but needs to work on his shot. Also his free throws were only 55.6 % during the tournament. Mega Leks finished 7th in a win vs. Umana Reyer Venezia. Mega has one kid that has potential written all over him.Novak Music (1.89 cm-1998) is short and skinny point guard but he has some serious skills. Ballhandling,court vision,incredible shooting form and basketball IQ are what separates him from others. And the other good news about him is that he will probably grow at least 4-5 cm. The team that finished last in the tournament has the most interesting prospect of the whole tournament. Leonardo Tote (2.07 cm-1997) of Venezia. Incredibly skilled power forward. Has inside-outside game,good shooting form,very good ballhandling skills and he is also a lefty. His athleticism is also good (he won the dunk contest),can run the floor .Kid has very good motor on defense but because of his skinny upper body he struggles vs. bigger guys. But in my opinion he is the one to watch. The other guy on Venezia squad that stands out is Riccardo Bolpin (1.97 cm-1997) a point guard that plays with maturity beyond his age. Very versatile but he needs to work on his outside shot. He has good shooting form so the only thing he needs is to shot more after practice.
Photo: Euroleague
Twitter of the author : @vedranmo
