The third Adidas Next Generation Tournament of the season took place in Kaunas from January 15th to January 17th and ended with the same result as last year, Zalgiris Kaunas crowned champion and will play the ANGT Finals in Berlin during the Euroleague Final Four in May.
Final: Zalgiris Kaunas – Lietuvos Rytas 87 – 76
3rd place game: Cibona Zagreb – INSEP Paris 71 – 68
All-Tournament Team: Isaiah Hartenstein (Zalgiris Kaunas – MVP), Arnas Velicka (Zalgiris Kaunas), Jakub Tuma (USK Future Stars Prague), Bathiste Tchouaffe (INSEP Paris) and Grantas Vasiliauskas (Lietuvos Rytas).
Group A
As everybody expected Zalgiris Kaunas won the tournament for third year in a row and remains unbeaten when they host the tournament at Zalgirio Arena. The main name of the tournament was Isaiah Hartenstein (’98). Since Lithuanian team signed him last summer he stayed in Germany playing with Artland Dragons until the same week of ANGT when he traveled to Kaunas and practiced with his teammates and with senior team. Hartenstein showed all his potential in a tournament that Zalgiris dominated thanks to his physical superiority and where he was the reference. Nobody could stop him and Zalgiris started all games blowing up his rivals with great control of rebounds and running fastbreaks led by Arnas Velicka (’99) and Hartenstein himself. Hartenstein showed a killer attitude in offensive end trying to score every time he touched the ball. His first step was unstoppable and he showed good court vision and passing skills to kick the ball to free teammate. His jump shot looks improved with a better stroke in his 3 point shots. Hartenstein was selected MVP averaging 23.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.3 blocks per game. But Zalgiris was not only the German point forward, a lot of interesting players left great impression during the weekend. The playmaker Arnas Velicka, a true floor general, drove his team masterfully. Velicka is a 6’4 strong point guard with high basketball IQ and great leadership skills. Showing progress in his shooting tools, Velicka was selected All-Tournament Team after average 13.3 points and 10.3 assists. The best companion for Hartenstein inside was Gytis Masiulis (’98), a 6’8 forward with high athleticism and good skillset. Masiulis showed quick moves at low post and very effective finishing in the paint. He also possesses a great shooting stroke and does not hesitate to shoot from long range. Masiulis finished the weekend with 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Another interesting prospect is Dziugas Slavinskas (’98), a 6’8 small forward able to shoot and drive well with high motor and great athleticism. The sniper of the team was Ignas Sargiunas (’99), a 6’4 shooting guard that played a limited role in this loaded team. Sargiunas showed improvement at defensive end, pressing the point guard and forced him to commit turnovers but he fulfilled his role as a shooter perfectly with 7 of 13 from the arc and only one 2 point shot attempted. Special mention to Volodymyr Markovetskyy (’00), Ukrainian 6’11 center that showed great skillset, good hands and a high ceiling, Zalgiris Kaunas will have a great chance to fight for the ANGT title in Berlin with this interesting team.
Cibona Zagreb finished third in a tournament where they did not play as well as their final standing says. Leading by Karlo Uljarevic (’98), a 6’3 point guard with scoring mentality that is close to be a combo and it would not surprise anyone if he had been elected All-Tournament Team. Uljarevic showed great fundamentals, with good handles and nice passing skills. He possesses a good shooting range able to shoot both off the catch and off the dribble. A fearless player, Uljarevic averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 6.5 turnovers per game. The second player in importance was Josip Popic (’98). Austrian 6’9 big man showed his body development, a huge upper body that looks better than last summer and averaged 14.3 points and 8 rebounds per contest. Two of their most promising players, Kresimir Nikic (’99) and Oton Jankovic (’00), did not play a great tournament. Nikic, a 7-footer with weak lower body, showed flashes of his unlimited potential. Nikic possesses nice shooting touch and runs the floor extremely well for his size. He finished with 6.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Jankovic, a top prospect in 2000 generation, spent more of his game time playing as a power forward where he seemed disoriented. Enjoying more than 20 minutes per game, Jankovic did not get many touches and he never was an offensive option for his team. He struggled in defense against stronger players and averaged 4.0 fouls per contest. Sure that he will have the chance to show his game in future ANGT.
The German team of Porsche Basketball Academy Ludwigsburg appeared in Kaunas with some guest players from other German teams that helped them to compete in their run of 1 win and 2 losses. Was the case of Cosmo Grühn (’98) loaned by USC Freiburg for this tournament that was the main inside weapon of Ludwigsburg. Grühn is a 6’8 forward that plays with intensity and has average skills. His best scoring tool are a decent mid-range jump shot and quick finishes in the paint. Grühn averaged 20.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Jeferson Hiller (’98) was another guest player, this time loaned by Walter Tigers Tübingen, that gave perimeter scoring to Ludwigsburg. Hiller is a 6’2 smooth shooting guard that has good shooting instincts. He finishes with 9.7 points and 75% from the arc (6 of 8). But the most intriguing player of Germans was Mateo Seric (’99). The former tennis player started to play basketball two years ago and his feeling for the game is great. Seric is a 6’9 stretch forward with beautiful shooting touch. He lacks shooting range but his mid-range game is pretty good actually. He finished the weekend with 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and team high 3.0 assists per game.
With the miss of top 1998 prospect Omer Yurtseven (’98), Fenerbahce Istanbul did their best with a team that lacked size and talent but was not enough to end the tournament winless. Their best player was Ahmet Can Duran (’99), that cannot dominate inside in the same way that he used to do in U16 level but displayed new things in his game like the long range shot that he took it successfully. Exhibiting his high basketball IQ and a less overweighed body Can Duran finished with 17.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.0 block per game leading Fenerbahce in all five categories.
Group B
Lietuvos Rytas reached the final after three wins in group B and played their best game against Zalgiris Kaunas at title’s game. Lithuanians showed a coral game and led by All-Tournament Team player Grantas Vasiliauskas (’99) fought until last second to get the crown. Vasiliauskas is a 6’7 forward that is adjusting very well to his no growth, he possesses the same wiry body than last season, and he is developing interesting offensive tools. Vasiliauskas stretches great the floor and he is capable to take any kind of shots, daring to take pull ups successfully. Vasiliauskas could end playing at small forward position thanks to his mobility, handles and passing skills. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per match. Aistis Pilauskas (’98) run the team with mastery and left good details about his playmaker abilities. With an average body, the 6’2 point guard is a great shooter off the catch and do not hesitate to take pull ups from mid-range. Pilauskas was solid all the weekend and averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.8 steals and just 1.8 turnovers. At wings spots Matas Jogela (’98) and Tadas Vaiciunas (’99) were the main players. Jogela is a 6’6 swingman with good scoring tools that completed a great tournament averaging 11.0 points per game. Vaiciunas is a 6’7 small forward with below average athleticism but good feel for the game and interesting jumpshot off the catch. From the bench, Karolis Giedraitis (’98) showed good offensive talent exhibiting accurate skills and nice handles. The 6’4 guard lacks strength and he has skinny body that should develop soon but he is offensively gifted and finished with 9.3 points per game.
For his path, for his former players and for his physical exuberance INSEP Paris is always a team to keep an eye of them. And they did not disappoint in Kaunas. With some absences as Killian Tillie (’98) and Yves Pons (’99) and lack of size in the paint, the French team won two of their four games and finished in 4th place. Their most outstanding player was, as expected, Bathiste Tchouaffe (’98) that averaged 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals to be selected at All-Tournament Team. Tchouaffe, a 6’5 smooth shooting guard, did not show a big evolution in his body, which is average, but displayed a steady game with some flashes of his big talent. He is becoming more solid in his pace and in his 3 point shot where he used to struggle a bit. One of the good news of INSEP was the performance of Sekou Omar Doumbouya (’00). After missing some of the big tournaments due injuries the ANGT Kaunas was his first big event and Doumbouya did not disappoint. With an athleticism off the charts Doumbouya showed his unlimited potential and his improvable weaknesses. Still a kid, 15 years old, Doumbouya is a 6’7 forward with low basketball IQ and questionable decision maker with capacity to guard all five positions in the court. He displayed decent shooting mechanics, good shooting range and respectable low post game. He finished with 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 57% in field goals. The other big time prospect of French team is Jaylen Hoard (’99). Hoard is a 6’8 swingman that even played as a power forward, due the needs of his team, with success. But Hoard is a legit shooting guard that struggled with his 3 point shots though. That was the only weakness that Hoard showed in Kaunas, he displayed a serious performance during all the tournament, giving to his team what they need in every moment and led them in rebounds. Hoard averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
After being runner up last season and participated at ANGT Finals, VEF Riga only got one win in this edition with a less talented team. Latvian team had in Karlis Garoza (’98) their most effective player with 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per match. Garoza is an undersized PF/C listed at 6’9 with solid body frame and good touch close to the basket but he lacks a jumpshot to mid or long range and he struggles at free throw line. Nick Jansons (’98) is an interesting forward with good size and skillset that did not play his best basketball. He averaged 11.0 points with low percentage. Playmaker Nikolajs Zotovs (’98) possesses good moves to beat his defender in isolations plays but he is turnover prone. Zotovs did not have neither good percentage in his field goal attempts but run his team in a solid way finishing with 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 5.3 turnovers per game.
For second year in a row USK Future Stars Prague finished winless in last place of Group B. The most outstanding player was Czech point guard Jakub Tuma (’98). Tuma played a great tournament, confirming the good games that he played one month ago at Tenerife’s tournament. Tuma is a 6’4 point guard with good scoring instincts and court vision that was included in All-Tournament Team after average 24.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 6.0 turnovers per contest. In a short talented team that suffered too much to rebound the ball at defensive end, Tuma displayed interesting performances to keep an eye on him in the future.
Photo: Adidasngt.com
Final: Zalgiris Kaunas – Lietuvos Rytas 87 – 76
3rd place game: Cibona Zagreb – INSEP Paris 71 – 68
All-Tournament Team: Isaiah Hartenstein (Zalgiris Kaunas – MVP), Arnas Velicka (Zalgiris Kaunas), Jakub Tuma (USK Future Stars Prague), Bathiste Tchouaffe (INSEP Paris) and Grantas Vasiliauskas (Lietuvos Rytas).
Group A
As everybody expected Zalgiris Kaunas won the tournament for third year in a row and remains unbeaten when they host the tournament at Zalgirio Arena. The main name of the tournament was Isaiah Hartenstein (’98). Since Lithuanian team signed him last summer he stayed in Germany playing with Artland Dragons until the same week of ANGT when he traveled to Kaunas and practiced with his teammates and with senior team. Hartenstein showed all his potential in a tournament that Zalgiris dominated thanks to his physical superiority and where he was the reference. Nobody could stop him and Zalgiris started all games blowing up his rivals with great control of rebounds and running fastbreaks led by Arnas Velicka (’99) and Hartenstein himself. Hartenstein showed a killer attitude in offensive end trying to score every time he touched the ball. His first step was unstoppable and he showed good court vision and passing skills to kick the ball to free teammate. His jump shot looks improved with a better stroke in his 3 point shots. Hartenstein was selected MVP averaging 23.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.3 blocks per game. But Zalgiris was not only the German point forward, a lot of interesting players left great impression during the weekend. The playmaker Arnas Velicka, a true floor general, drove his team masterfully. Velicka is a 6’4 strong point guard with high basketball IQ and great leadership skills. Showing progress in his shooting tools, Velicka was selected All-Tournament Team after average 13.3 points and 10.3 assists. The best companion for Hartenstein inside was Gytis Masiulis (’98), a 6’8 forward with high athleticism and good skillset. Masiulis showed quick moves at low post and very effective finishing in the paint. He also possesses a great shooting stroke and does not hesitate to shoot from long range. Masiulis finished the weekend with 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Another interesting prospect is Dziugas Slavinskas (’98), a 6’8 small forward able to shoot and drive well with high motor and great athleticism. The sniper of the team was Ignas Sargiunas (’99), a 6’4 shooting guard that played a limited role in this loaded team. Sargiunas showed improvement at defensive end, pressing the point guard and forced him to commit turnovers but he fulfilled his role as a shooter perfectly with 7 of 13 from the arc and only one 2 point shot attempted. Special mention to Volodymyr Markovetskyy (’00), Ukrainian 6’11 center that showed great skillset, good hands and a high ceiling, Zalgiris Kaunas will have a great chance to fight for the ANGT title in Berlin with this interesting team.
Cibona Zagreb finished third in a tournament where they did not play as well as their final standing says. Leading by Karlo Uljarevic (’98), a 6’3 point guard with scoring mentality that is close to be a combo and it would not surprise anyone if he had been elected All-Tournament Team. Uljarevic showed great fundamentals, with good handles and nice passing skills. He possesses a good shooting range able to shoot both off the catch and off the dribble. A fearless player, Uljarevic averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 6.5 turnovers per game. The second player in importance was Josip Popic (’98). Austrian 6’9 big man showed his body development, a huge upper body that looks better than last summer and averaged 14.3 points and 8 rebounds per contest. Two of their most promising players, Kresimir Nikic (’99) and Oton Jankovic (’00), did not play a great tournament. Nikic, a 7-footer with weak lower body, showed flashes of his unlimited potential. Nikic possesses nice shooting touch and runs the floor extremely well for his size. He finished with 6.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Jankovic, a top prospect in 2000 generation, spent more of his game time playing as a power forward where he seemed disoriented. Enjoying more than 20 minutes per game, Jankovic did not get many touches and he never was an offensive option for his team. He struggled in defense against stronger players and averaged 4.0 fouls per contest. Sure that he will have the chance to show his game in future ANGT.
The German team of Porsche Basketball Academy Ludwigsburg appeared in Kaunas with some guest players from other German teams that helped them to compete in their run of 1 win and 2 losses. Was the case of Cosmo Grühn (’98) loaned by USC Freiburg for this tournament that was the main inside weapon of Ludwigsburg. Grühn is a 6’8 forward that plays with intensity and has average skills. His best scoring tool are a decent mid-range jump shot and quick finishes in the paint. Grühn averaged 20.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Jeferson Hiller (’98) was another guest player, this time loaned by Walter Tigers Tübingen, that gave perimeter scoring to Ludwigsburg. Hiller is a 6’2 smooth shooting guard that has good shooting instincts. He finishes with 9.7 points and 75% from the arc (6 of 8). But the most intriguing player of Germans was Mateo Seric (’99). The former tennis player started to play basketball two years ago and his feeling for the game is great. Seric is a 6’9 stretch forward with beautiful shooting touch. He lacks shooting range but his mid-range game is pretty good actually. He finished the weekend with 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and team high 3.0 assists per game.
With the miss of top 1998 prospect Omer Yurtseven (’98), Fenerbahce Istanbul did their best with a team that lacked size and talent but was not enough to end the tournament winless. Their best player was Ahmet Can Duran (’99), that cannot dominate inside in the same way that he used to do in U16 level but displayed new things in his game like the long range shot that he took it successfully. Exhibiting his high basketball IQ and a less overweighed body Can Duran finished with 17.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.0 block per game leading Fenerbahce in all five categories.
Group B
Lietuvos Rytas reached the final after three wins in group B and played their best game against Zalgiris Kaunas at title’s game. Lithuanians showed a coral game and led by All-Tournament Team player Grantas Vasiliauskas (’99) fought until last second to get the crown. Vasiliauskas is a 6’7 forward that is adjusting very well to his no growth, he possesses the same wiry body than last season, and he is developing interesting offensive tools. Vasiliauskas stretches great the floor and he is capable to take any kind of shots, daring to take pull ups successfully. Vasiliauskas could end playing at small forward position thanks to his mobility, handles and passing skills. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per match. Aistis Pilauskas (’98) run the team with mastery and left good details about his playmaker abilities. With an average body, the 6’2 point guard is a great shooter off the catch and do not hesitate to take pull ups from mid-range. Pilauskas was solid all the weekend and averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.8 steals and just 1.8 turnovers. At wings spots Matas Jogela (’98) and Tadas Vaiciunas (’99) were the main players. Jogela is a 6’6 swingman with good scoring tools that completed a great tournament averaging 11.0 points per game. Vaiciunas is a 6’7 small forward with below average athleticism but good feel for the game and interesting jumpshot off the catch. From the bench, Karolis Giedraitis (’98) showed good offensive talent exhibiting accurate skills and nice handles. The 6’4 guard lacks strength and he has skinny body that should develop soon but he is offensively gifted and finished with 9.3 points per game.
For his path, for his former players and for his physical exuberance INSEP Paris is always a team to keep an eye of them. And they did not disappoint in Kaunas. With some absences as Killian Tillie (’98) and Yves Pons (’99) and lack of size in the paint, the French team won two of their four games and finished in 4th place. Their most outstanding player was, as expected, Bathiste Tchouaffe (’98) that averaged 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals to be selected at All-Tournament Team. Tchouaffe, a 6’5 smooth shooting guard, did not show a big evolution in his body, which is average, but displayed a steady game with some flashes of his big talent. He is becoming more solid in his pace and in his 3 point shot where he used to struggle a bit. One of the good news of INSEP was the performance of Sekou Omar Doumbouya (’00). After missing some of the big tournaments due injuries the ANGT Kaunas was his first big event and Doumbouya did not disappoint. With an athleticism off the charts Doumbouya showed his unlimited potential and his improvable weaknesses. Still a kid, 15 years old, Doumbouya is a 6’7 forward with low basketball IQ and questionable decision maker with capacity to guard all five positions in the court. He displayed decent shooting mechanics, good shooting range and respectable low post game. He finished with 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 57% in field goals. The other big time prospect of French team is Jaylen Hoard (’99). Hoard is a 6’8 swingman that even played as a power forward, due the needs of his team, with success. But Hoard is a legit shooting guard that struggled with his 3 point shots though. That was the only weakness that Hoard showed in Kaunas, he displayed a serious performance during all the tournament, giving to his team what they need in every moment and led them in rebounds. Hoard averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
After being runner up last season and participated at ANGT Finals, VEF Riga only got one win in this edition with a less talented team. Latvian team had in Karlis Garoza (’98) their most effective player with 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per match. Garoza is an undersized PF/C listed at 6’9 with solid body frame and good touch close to the basket but he lacks a jumpshot to mid or long range and he struggles at free throw line. Nick Jansons (’98) is an interesting forward with good size and skillset that did not play his best basketball. He averaged 11.0 points with low percentage. Playmaker Nikolajs Zotovs (’98) possesses good moves to beat his defender in isolations plays but he is turnover prone. Zotovs did not have neither good percentage in his field goal attempts but run his team in a solid way finishing with 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 5.3 turnovers per game.
For second year in a row USK Future Stars Prague finished winless in last place of Group B. The most outstanding player was Czech point guard Jakub Tuma (’98). Tuma played a great tournament, confirming the good games that he played one month ago at Tenerife’s tournament. Tuma is a 6’4 point guard with good scoring instincts and court vision that was included in All-Tournament Team after average 24.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 6.0 turnovers per contest. In a short talented team that suffered too much to rebound the ball at defensive end, Tuma displayed interesting performances to keep an eye on him in the future.
Photo: Adidasngt.com
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