By Francesco Cavalli
The 2016 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in L'Hospitalet took place from January the 4th to January the 6th.
Final: Real Madrid – FC Barcelona Lassa 50 – 48
Semifinals: Real Madrid – Brose Baskets Bamberg 64 – 52; FC Barcelona Lassa – Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv 89 – 62
5th place game: Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet – FIATC Joventut Badalona 82 – 73 (OT)
7th place game: Baloncesto Seville – Union Olimpija Ljubljana 83 – 52
All-Tournament Team: Felipe Dos Anjos (Real Madrid - MVP), Aleix Font (FC Barcelona Lassa), Isaac Bonga and Lars Lagerpusch (Brose Baskets Bamberg), Yovel Zoosman (Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv)
Group A
Union Olimpija Ljubljana went in less than 24 hours from fighting for a spot in the semifinal to being relegated as the last placed team in the tournament. The level of talent in their roster wasn't as high as it was one year ago but was still solid for the tournament, they just lacked from time to time some effort and physical attitude. Power forward Matic Vesel ('98) was the team's best prospect: a fluid and mobile player, his face up skills and shooting ability are highly intriguing, but his motor wasn't always at best and he had the tendency to shy away from contact. The best scorer for the Slovenian team was shooting guard Gaber Ozegovic ('98), an aggressive slasher with some quality tool using on ball screens and able to finish in the paint. Will be interesting to follow the development of Nik Dragan ('00), a lefty wing with an already strong frame who played quality minutes on the defensive end and flashed some offensive potential as well.
FIATC Joventut Badalona was the youngest team in attendance, featuring only four 1998-born players. Big man Alejandro Galan ('99) had a breakout tournament and tied the second place among tournament's best scorers, averaging 16.5 points per game: gifted with proper size and frame for his position, he's a coordinated and fluid player who moves really well without the ball. In L'Hospitalet he looked natural in putting the ball on the floor and was consistent in scoring with his jump shot, also finishing 3/6 from beyond the arc in the tournament, but will need to work on his defensive mobility, particularly for a transition to the power forward spot. Wing Josep Busquets ('99) stood out as well: a great shooter with beautiful shooting form, he's really skinny and still struggles to handle contact. He never lacked effort or aggressiveness though, being effective in transition and highly efficient coming off screens or attacking the closeout, also showing some quality ball-handling skill. Brazilian guard Pedro Barros ('00) had a major impact thanks to his high level motor and aggressive attitude: playing at both guard positions, he'll need to further improve his ball skills and particularly his jump shot, but his strong frame, defensive potential and scoring skills off the dribble are interesting. Despite a really light frame, Macedonian point guard Nenad Dimitrijevic ('98) is a talented player with good passing tools, but his decision making and shot selection were way below average.
Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv looked well-rounded and organized on the court, always putting impressive effort and high energy on every play. Wing Yovel Zoosman ('98), guard Amit Ebo ('99) and center Ido Flaischer ('98) combined to score 194 of team's total 272 points, with Zoosman and Ebo finishing as respectively the best and second best scorer in the tournament. Zoosman was one of the best players in attendance and ended up in the All-Tournament Team after averaging impressive stats: 18 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 5.3 steals and 1.3 blocks, shooting 61% on twos and 39% from beyond the arc. He's a uniquely atypical player, a 6'6" swingman who loves to play off the dribble and is highly effective on pick and roll plays despite lacking explosiveness and quickness; his upside looks limited, but he can impact the game in so many ways on the court. Ebo was one of the most fun to watch players in L'Hospitalet: he's undersized, standing somewhere between 5'10" and 5'11", but plays with impressive motor and aggressiveness; a quick and explosive lefty scorer, he has good ball-handling and is a dead eye shooter with range far beyond the three point line. Flaischer has quite an unorthodox style of play and had some up and down on the court, showing both flashy plays and silly mistakes, but he looks improved since last ANGT and was able to bring some production in the paint, finishing also as the tournament's top offensive rebounder at 4.3 per game.
For the third year in a row Real Madrid won in L'Hospitalet. Brazilian center Felipe Dos Anjos ('98) was named the MVP of the tournament, despite underperforming in the big final against Barcelona: he averaged 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 3.4 fouls drawn in just 21 minutes per game, shooting 77% on twos. A prospect with uncommon combination of size, length, athleticism, mobility and coordination, his presence in the paint was a key factor for the winning team on both ends of the court. He was highly effective in finishing around the basket: can move with nice timing in the paint to make himself open for a pass, can handle contact in the low post and his release is just too high to be contested at this level of competition; he didn't take many jump shot, but he's probably an underrated shooter and his shooting form from mid-range looks solid. Serbian forward Dino Radoncic ('99) struggled to perform throughout the tournament, but came up big in the final where he scored 16 of his team's 50 points: he has a very strong body for his age which, along with his physical and aggressive attitude, allows him to handle contacts and playing bigger than his position. He struggled with his jump shot, also finishing with a total 4/17 from beyond the arc, but his natural ability to put the ball on the floor and play off the dribble was always valuable for his team and made up for a good part of his scoring; what looked most appealing though were his soft hands and above average passing tools, as he showed to be able to create easy looks for his teammates on a constant basis. Undersized Senegalese center Samba Ndiaye ('98) has raw ball skills at best, and wasn't able to be a scoring threat, particularly when had to play next to Dos Anjos. But he's an impressive rebounding presence (averaging 8.2 in just 23 minutes per game, with a 16 rebounds performance in the final) and was as well one of the best defenders in attendance. Shooting guard Acoydan McCarthy ('99) looked still raw in terms of IQ and decision making, but he's a talented scorer off the dribble with high level physique for his position. Ignacio Ballespin ('98) doesn't have ideal frame nor athleticism, but is a smart, fundamentally sound guard and one of the tournament's best shooters, ending up as the top scorer for his team and finishing with a total 10/18 from beyond the arc.
Group B
Baloncesto Seville came in with a much less talented team than last seasons. They relied heavily on Croatian small forward Leo Cizmic ('98), but were unable to find a consistent second option on offense and ended up being mostly predictable in their game. Cizmic looked nervous throughout the tournament and his body language was not always the best, and this had likely an impact on his shooting (37% TS% and 36% eFG%); but he showed some key improvement, particularly in handling and passing the ball from the top of his 6'8" frame. Big man Alejandro Rodriguez ('98) lacks ideal size for an inside player, but showed some promise as well, mainly because of his solid length, rebounding presence, good IQ and positioning, never lacking effort and looking pretty effective on cuts.
The host team of Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet had an historic tournament, winning two games and finishing at the 5th place. A high energy and hard-nosed team fun to watch fighting on every possession, despite lacking some quality talent they looked well rounded and always aggressive on the court. Elias Velasco ('98) was their best scorer, averaging 15 points while shooting 56.5% on twos and 61.5% on threes: he played both forward spots, showing physical attitude and ability to play bigger than his size, and fearlessly hit a good number of big shots. All-around wing Nil Baques ('98) also played well, defending multiple positions and being able to constantly get to the rim despite lacking some explosiveness and having a bit too high centre of gravity.
Brose Baskets Bamberg brought in a talented team which added top prospect Isaac Bonga ('99) for the tournament, and placed both Bonga and center Lars Lagerpusch ('98) in the All-Tournament Team. Bonga was probably the best prospect in attendance and had an impressive showing in L'Hospitalet: a 6'7" point guard with still a light frame but huge size and length for his position, he's natural with the ball in his hands, running multiple pick and roll plays and showing great craftiness and ability to change speed and direction; he was always effective in beating his man and finishing at the rim, being able to score over the defender, and despite needing to work on his off the ball game and overall shooting, his shooting form already looked solid. His defensive potential looks impressive as well, giving his length and footwork. Lagerpusch is undersized and lacks above average athleticism, but has great positioning and instincts around the rim; a tough and physical player who can score in a crowded paint, he was the one averaging most fouls drawn per game (5.3) and the second best rebounder in the tournament (9 per game). Doesn't seem to have much upside, despite showing some promise on his mid-range jumper, but he's a productive player in the paint. Lithuanian wing Arnoldas Kulboka ('98) was not always assertive on the court but has high level potential: he's a tall, really fluid player with some impressive guard-like skill, comfortable in playing with the ball and able to create off the dribble. A great shooter with nice shooting form, he shot 35% from beyond the arc and won as well the Three Point Contest with a crazy score. Power forward Moritz Sanders ('98) didn't have a great tournament, but has interesting skills as a fundamentally sound player with good passing tools and solid face up ability; he lacks athleticism and explosiveness though, and will also need to learn how to better handle physical contact. Swedish power forward Felix Edwardsson ('99) deserve also to be mentioned: in his first season with the German team, he didn't always look comfortable on the court but has solid potential because of his frame, shooting and good motor.
FC Barcelona Lassa ended up in second place after losing by only two points against Real Madrid, despite missing top prospect Rodions Kurucs. Their top performer was wing Aleix Font ('98), who ended up in the All-Tournament Team and averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes on the court, shooting 78% on twos and 38.5% from beyond the arc. Font has not above average talent but his IQ and overall level of fundamentals are off the charts: not able to consistently beat his man off the dribble, he's a great shooter with proper balance, footwork and ability to gain separation despite not being overly athletic. Senegalese center Atoumane Diagne ('98) was a key interior presence for Barcelona: he has a ridiculously big and strong body, unmatchable at this level of competition, which along with his length and athleticism allowed him to average 2 blocks per game in just 22 minutes on the court (he added 7.4 points and 9.2 rebounds as well); his touch on offense is just average though, and he'll need to improve his touch and widen his shooting range to be an affordable threat on this end of the court. Small forward Eric Martinez ('98) was able to perform up to his talent only against Maccabi Tel Aviv, and mostly struggled with his jump shot, but his ball instincts and ability to play off the dribble are something highly valuable for a player with his size and length; his motor is sometimes questionable though, and this is something that could hold him from playing up to his potential. Forward Sergi Martinez ('99) had a productive tournament and ended up only behind Font in scoring; a strong player with wide shoulders and an already well-built frame, he played mostly at the power forward spot and was an efficient post up option and finisher around the rim, but shot only a total 1/8 from beyond the arc and a mere 39.3% from the free throw line. Small forward Maxim Esteban ('98) has nice size for his position and excellent shooting skills, despite not being able to create his own shot in the halfcourt.
Photo: Paco Largo
The 2016 Adidas Next Generation Tournament in L'Hospitalet took place from January the 4th to January the 6th.
Final: Real Madrid – FC Barcelona Lassa 50 – 48
Semifinals: Real Madrid – Brose Baskets Bamberg 64 – 52; FC Barcelona Lassa – Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv 89 – 62
5th place game: Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet – FIATC Joventut Badalona 82 – 73 (OT)
7th place game: Baloncesto Seville – Union Olimpija Ljubljana 83 – 52
All-Tournament Team: Felipe Dos Anjos (Real Madrid - MVP), Aleix Font (FC Barcelona Lassa), Isaac Bonga and Lars Lagerpusch (Brose Baskets Bamberg), Yovel Zoosman (Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv)
Group A
Union Olimpija Ljubljana went in less than 24 hours from fighting for a spot in the semifinal to being relegated as the last placed team in the tournament. The level of talent in their roster wasn't as high as it was one year ago but was still solid for the tournament, they just lacked from time to time some effort and physical attitude. Power forward Matic Vesel ('98) was the team's best prospect: a fluid and mobile player, his face up skills and shooting ability are highly intriguing, but his motor wasn't always at best and he had the tendency to shy away from contact. The best scorer for the Slovenian team was shooting guard Gaber Ozegovic ('98), an aggressive slasher with some quality tool using on ball screens and able to finish in the paint. Will be interesting to follow the development of Nik Dragan ('00), a lefty wing with an already strong frame who played quality minutes on the defensive end and flashed some offensive potential as well.
FIATC Joventut Badalona was the youngest team in attendance, featuring only four 1998-born players. Big man Alejandro Galan ('99) had a breakout tournament and tied the second place among tournament's best scorers, averaging 16.5 points per game: gifted with proper size and frame for his position, he's a coordinated and fluid player who moves really well without the ball. In L'Hospitalet he looked natural in putting the ball on the floor and was consistent in scoring with his jump shot, also finishing 3/6 from beyond the arc in the tournament, but will need to work on his defensive mobility, particularly for a transition to the power forward spot. Wing Josep Busquets ('99) stood out as well: a great shooter with beautiful shooting form, he's really skinny and still struggles to handle contact. He never lacked effort or aggressiveness though, being effective in transition and highly efficient coming off screens or attacking the closeout, also showing some quality ball-handling skill. Brazilian guard Pedro Barros ('00) had a major impact thanks to his high level motor and aggressive attitude: playing at both guard positions, he'll need to further improve his ball skills and particularly his jump shot, but his strong frame, defensive potential and scoring skills off the dribble are interesting. Despite a really light frame, Macedonian point guard Nenad Dimitrijevic ('98) is a talented player with good passing tools, but his decision making and shot selection were way below average.
Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv looked well-rounded and organized on the court, always putting impressive effort and high energy on every play. Wing Yovel Zoosman ('98), guard Amit Ebo ('99) and center Ido Flaischer ('98) combined to score 194 of team's total 272 points, with Zoosman and Ebo finishing as respectively the best and second best scorer in the tournament. Zoosman was one of the best players in attendance and ended up in the All-Tournament Team after averaging impressive stats: 18 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 5.3 steals and 1.3 blocks, shooting 61% on twos and 39% from beyond the arc. He's a uniquely atypical player, a 6'6" swingman who loves to play off the dribble and is highly effective on pick and roll plays despite lacking explosiveness and quickness; his upside looks limited, but he can impact the game in so many ways on the court. Ebo was one of the most fun to watch players in L'Hospitalet: he's undersized, standing somewhere between 5'10" and 5'11", but plays with impressive motor and aggressiveness; a quick and explosive lefty scorer, he has good ball-handling and is a dead eye shooter with range far beyond the three point line. Flaischer has quite an unorthodox style of play and had some up and down on the court, showing both flashy plays and silly mistakes, but he looks improved since last ANGT and was able to bring some production in the paint, finishing also as the tournament's top offensive rebounder at 4.3 per game.
For the third year in a row Real Madrid won in L'Hospitalet. Brazilian center Felipe Dos Anjos ('98) was named the MVP of the tournament, despite underperforming in the big final against Barcelona: he averaged 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 3.4 fouls drawn in just 21 minutes per game, shooting 77% on twos. A prospect with uncommon combination of size, length, athleticism, mobility and coordination, his presence in the paint was a key factor for the winning team on both ends of the court. He was highly effective in finishing around the basket: can move with nice timing in the paint to make himself open for a pass, can handle contact in the low post and his release is just too high to be contested at this level of competition; he didn't take many jump shot, but he's probably an underrated shooter and his shooting form from mid-range looks solid. Serbian forward Dino Radoncic ('99) struggled to perform throughout the tournament, but came up big in the final where he scored 16 of his team's 50 points: he has a very strong body for his age which, along with his physical and aggressive attitude, allows him to handle contacts and playing bigger than his position. He struggled with his jump shot, also finishing with a total 4/17 from beyond the arc, but his natural ability to put the ball on the floor and play off the dribble was always valuable for his team and made up for a good part of his scoring; what looked most appealing though were his soft hands and above average passing tools, as he showed to be able to create easy looks for his teammates on a constant basis. Undersized Senegalese center Samba Ndiaye ('98) has raw ball skills at best, and wasn't able to be a scoring threat, particularly when had to play next to Dos Anjos. But he's an impressive rebounding presence (averaging 8.2 in just 23 minutes per game, with a 16 rebounds performance in the final) and was as well one of the best defenders in attendance. Shooting guard Acoydan McCarthy ('99) looked still raw in terms of IQ and decision making, but he's a talented scorer off the dribble with high level physique for his position. Ignacio Ballespin ('98) doesn't have ideal frame nor athleticism, but is a smart, fundamentally sound guard and one of the tournament's best shooters, ending up as the top scorer for his team and finishing with a total 10/18 from beyond the arc.
Group B
Baloncesto Seville came in with a much less talented team than last seasons. They relied heavily on Croatian small forward Leo Cizmic ('98), but were unable to find a consistent second option on offense and ended up being mostly predictable in their game. Cizmic looked nervous throughout the tournament and his body language was not always the best, and this had likely an impact on his shooting (37% TS% and 36% eFG%); but he showed some key improvement, particularly in handling and passing the ball from the top of his 6'8" frame. Big man Alejandro Rodriguez ('98) lacks ideal size for an inside player, but showed some promise as well, mainly because of his solid length, rebounding presence, good IQ and positioning, never lacking effort and looking pretty effective on cuts.
The host team of Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet had an historic tournament, winning two games and finishing at the 5th place. A high energy and hard-nosed team fun to watch fighting on every possession, despite lacking some quality talent they looked well rounded and always aggressive on the court. Elias Velasco ('98) was their best scorer, averaging 15 points while shooting 56.5% on twos and 61.5% on threes: he played both forward spots, showing physical attitude and ability to play bigger than his size, and fearlessly hit a good number of big shots. All-around wing Nil Baques ('98) also played well, defending multiple positions and being able to constantly get to the rim despite lacking some explosiveness and having a bit too high centre of gravity.
Brose Baskets Bamberg brought in a talented team which added top prospect Isaac Bonga ('99) for the tournament, and placed both Bonga and center Lars Lagerpusch ('98) in the All-Tournament Team. Bonga was probably the best prospect in attendance and had an impressive showing in L'Hospitalet: a 6'7" point guard with still a light frame but huge size and length for his position, he's natural with the ball in his hands, running multiple pick and roll plays and showing great craftiness and ability to change speed and direction; he was always effective in beating his man and finishing at the rim, being able to score over the defender, and despite needing to work on his off the ball game and overall shooting, his shooting form already looked solid. His defensive potential looks impressive as well, giving his length and footwork. Lagerpusch is undersized and lacks above average athleticism, but has great positioning and instincts around the rim; a tough and physical player who can score in a crowded paint, he was the one averaging most fouls drawn per game (5.3) and the second best rebounder in the tournament (9 per game). Doesn't seem to have much upside, despite showing some promise on his mid-range jumper, but he's a productive player in the paint. Lithuanian wing Arnoldas Kulboka ('98) was not always assertive on the court but has high level potential: he's a tall, really fluid player with some impressive guard-like skill, comfortable in playing with the ball and able to create off the dribble. A great shooter with nice shooting form, he shot 35% from beyond the arc and won as well the Three Point Contest with a crazy score. Power forward Moritz Sanders ('98) didn't have a great tournament, but has interesting skills as a fundamentally sound player with good passing tools and solid face up ability; he lacks athleticism and explosiveness though, and will also need to learn how to better handle physical contact. Swedish power forward Felix Edwardsson ('99) deserve also to be mentioned: in his first season with the German team, he didn't always look comfortable on the court but has solid potential because of his frame, shooting and good motor.
FC Barcelona Lassa ended up in second place after losing by only two points against Real Madrid, despite missing top prospect Rodions Kurucs. Their top performer was wing Aleix Font ('98), who ended up in the All-Tournament Team and averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes on the court, shooting 78% on twos and 38.5% from beyond the arc. Font has not above average talent but his IQ and overall level of fundamentals are off the charts: not able to consistently beat his man off the dribble, he's a great shooter with proper balance, footwork and ability to gain separation despite not being overly athletic. Senegalese center Atoumane Diagne ('98) was a key interior presence for Barcelona: he has a ridiculously big and strong body, unmatchable at this level of competition, which along with his length and athleticism allowed him to average 2 blocks per game in just 22 minutes on the court (he added 7.4 points and 9.2 rebounds as well); his touch on offense is just average though, and he'll need to improve his touch and widen his shooting range to be an affordable threat on this end of the court. Small forward Eric Martinez ('98) was able to perform up to his talent only against Maccabi Tel Aviv, and mostly struggled with his jump shot, but his ball instincts and ability to play off the dribble are something highly valuable for a player with his size and length; his motor is sometimes questionable though, and this is something that could hold him from playing up to his potential. Forward Sergi Martinez ('99) had a productive tournament and ended up only behind Font in scoring; a strong player with wide shoulders and an already well-built frame, he played mostly at the power forward spot and was an efficient post up option and finisher around the rim, but shot only a total 1/8 from beyond the arc and a mere 39.3% from the free throw line. Small forward Maxim Esteban ('98) has nice size for his position and excellent shooting skills, despite not being able to create his own shot in the halfcourt.
Photo: Paco Largo
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