By Enrico Kufuor
The 2017 Adidas Eurocamp took place in Treviso from 9 to 11 of June. Here are our top performers from the three-day event.
Ognjen Jaramaz – 6’4” – G – 1995
Although he possesses some creativity, Ognjen Jaramaz is a relentless driver who usually gets to the rim by sheer determination. Helped by his quickness and athleticism, he has the ability to drive past his opponent whenever he wants to. At times he gets too far into the teeth of the defense, as he forces the action, which can lead to turnovers and bad misses on highly contested finishes around the rim. His decision making in these situations is inconsistent, as he throws a superb pass, followed by a bad turnover. Similarly he goes for a four point play on time down the court just to shoot an airball soon thereafter. Though he can be fairly inconsistent, the good does outweigh the bad, which lead to an impressive MVP campaign at the camp.
Michael Fusek – 7‘5“ – C – 1995
At by far the tallest player on the court, Michael Fusek made his presence felt on the defensive end from the very beginning. Due to his height he was able to block and change shots simply by being in the area. Similarly he uses his length to collect rebounds, although he also boxes out and shows a willingness to throw his body around in order to get a rebound. However, he was able to display more than just the ability to use his length, as he moves quite fluidly over the court, as well as roll hard in PNR situations and then finish above the rim. Things to note is that his shooting technique is very sound, as he is able to knock down mid-range jumper and he is a pretty decent and willing passer as well.
Ismael Bako – 6‘11“ – C – 1995
Sticking to what he’s capable of doing, while keeping his motor running in full gear, Ismael Bako had one of the better performances at the Eurocamp. Throughout the course of the camp he ran the floor hard, consistently putting pressure on the defense by forcing them to defend him in transition. He was even able to show a quick catch and go as the trail man, using his quickness to get by his defender. All of his point came in transition or off of passes from teammates through dump offs on drives or in PNR situations, as he finished above the rim. Not possessing a good touch around the rim, he then usually finishes with a dunk. On the other side of the court he continuously showed his willingness to throwing his body around, as he collected an immense of blocks and rebounds in these games, oftentimes in traffic.
Dzanan Musa – 6’9” – G – 1999
The most surprising aspect of Dzanan Musa's performance at the camp came with his defensive engagement. Consistently attempting to put pressure one the ball with a relative good lateral quickness and very active hands, Musa was able to bother his opponents. In the same vein, he was fighting for loose ball and for every extra possession displaying a new sense of urgency. Offensively he played within the confines of the team, allowing the ball to move and playing the correct pass; no matter if it was a pocket pass out of the PNR or an extra pass. On his drives to the basket Musa also finished well through contact. Most of his struggles came through an inability to hit the outside shot.
Goga Bitadze – 6’11” – C – 1999
One of the most interesting players at the event was 6’11” (in shoes) Goga Bitadze. Though very raw offensively, the Georgian prospect displayed great instincts, all while being very active on both side of the floor. Bitadze goes hard after rebounds and here his instincts are on clear display, as he has a knack for anticipating where the ball lands, Also, he clearly understood where he had to move in order to find easy scoring opportunities. This feat paired with good hands allowed him to be an offensive threat at all times, as he was also superb at using his big body in order to finish through contact. Offensively his decision making is sound, throwing good passes from both the high and the low post. Though he didn’t shoot well over the course of the camp, his shooting form is sound and he has proved before that he’s able to consistently knock down shots from the mid-range.
Gytis Masiulis – 6’10” – PF – 1998
Not much of an athlete Gytis Masiulis uses his basketball IQ to gain advantages on the court. He didn't play with the ball in his hands much, mainly using pick and pop and PNR situations, as well as consistently knocking down spot up three pointers on kick outs. When he does attempt to create off the dribble he tends to be rather soft with the ball. Here he uses the threat of his shot to attack closeouts. In PNR situations Masiulis has shown the ability to catch balls in traffic and finish through plays holding on to him, displaying good hands and toughness. Though his finishes are often awkward, he is very effective around the rim, using his body to shield off defenders. A very physical player, Masiulis is very active on the boards and fights hard to gain control of the ball. While he's not much of an athlete, he instinctively knows where the ball will fall.
Amar Gegic - 6’7 - PG - 1998
Playing a lot more under control than he’s used to do with his club team, German powerhouse Bayern Munich, the Bosnian guard had a very good Eurocamp. He has a great frame, measured at a legit 6’7 with shoes, and he’s a high level athlete with strong first step and above average leaping ability. His passing skills are quite impressive for a player his size, and he shows elite vision and touch, often looking for the deadly pass. He can score easily at the rim, as he’s a strong driver and very good finisher who can play above the rim, but the lack of a reliable jump shot is a major woe in his offensive game. Gegic impressed also on the defensive end, thanks to his explosive lateral quickness and ability to absorb physical contacts.
Isaac Bonga – 6‘9“ – PG – 1999
The youngest European player at the event, Isaac Bonga wasn’t able to perform too well. Focusing on getting everyone involved early on, he wasn’t particularly aggressive going to the basket because he was looking to pass the ball at times. Although he is a good passer, he seemed to be looking for his teammates far too many times in situations he needed to look to score. However, you have to acknowledge his vision is superb. He consistently found cutters, the roll man in PNR situations, as well as spot up shooters, sometimes creating scoring opportunities for his teammates out of thin air. Still figuring out what he can and cannot do on the court, he turned the ball over quite a bit. Even though he had a few good finishes on Day 3 when he attacked aggressively, far too often he goes up without any sense of urgency, leading to too many missed lay ups. In the same vein, he struggled with the physicality of the US Select team. Also, his jump shot is still a work in progress, as he has a very wide stance with no fluidity to his shot. Defensively his stance is very upright, leaving him susceptible to quick guards. However, he is very engaged and aggressive on the defensive end, which paired with the ability to anticipate fairly well. Still very young and with a lot of flaws, Bonga’s still quite an effective player with vast potential.
Mario Ihring – 6‘3“ – PG – 1998
Though playing rather quietly early on in terms of his statistics, Mario Ihring has been quite impressive from the get go. He displayed a good feel for the game with the ability to control the tempo of the game, as he also has leadership qualities. Confident with the ball in his hands Ihring consistently had no problems breaking pressure and creating for himself and other. Also, he is a very good shooter with the ability to create his jump shot with an array of moves. However, his measurements were not too good, as he was the only player with a shorter wingspan than his height.
Abdoulaye N'Doye – 6’6” – G – 1998
French guard Abdolaye N’Doye had a pretty good showing. While offensively he is an elite cutter, N’Doye is relatively raw on that end of the court. He is not a great ball-handler or jump shooter; instead he focuses on his strength, which is moving without the ball. He is also a good passer. Defensively N’Doye is already on an NBA level, as his defensive instincts are amazing. The Frenchman has great lateral speed and quick hands which allows him to force steals. Not only a great on ball defender he is always good at chasing shooter around screens, and knows his rotations defensively. There were other good defenders present at the camp, N’Doye was the best at his craft on a consistent basis.
Photo by adidaseurocamp.com
The 2017 Adidas Eurocamp took place in Treviso from 9 to 11 of June. Here are our top performers from the three-day event.
Ognjen Jaramaz – 6’4” – G – 1995
Although he possesses some creativity, Ognjen Jaramaz is a relentless driver who usually gets to the rim by sheer determination. Helped by his quickness and athleticism, he has the ability to drive past his opponent whenever he wants to. At times he gets too far into the teeth of the defense, as he forces the action, which can lead to turnovers and bad misses on highly contested finishes around the rim. His decision making in these situations is inconsistent, as he throws a superb pass, followed by a bad turnover. Similarly he goes for a four point play on time down the court just to shoot an airball soon thereafter. Though he can be fairly inconsistent, the good does outweigh the bad, which lead to an impressive MVP campaign at the camp.
Michael Fusek – 7‘5“ – C – 1995
At by far the tallest player on the court, Michael Fusek made his presence felt on the defensive end from the very beginning. Due to his height he was able to block and change shots simply by being in the area. Similarly he uses his length to collect rebounds, although he also boxes out and shows a willingness to throw his body around in order to get a rebound. However, he was able to display more than just the ability to use his length, as he moves quite fluidly over the court, as well as roll hard in PNR situations and then finish above the rim. Things to note is that his shooting technique is very sound, as he is able to knock down mid-range jumper and he is a pretty decent and willing passer as well.
Ismael Bako – 6‘11“ – C – 1995
Sticking to what he’s capable of doing, while keeping his motor running in full gear, Ismael Bako had one of the better performances at the Eurocamp. Throughout the course of the camp he ran the floor hard, consistently putting pressure on the defense by forcing them to defend him in transition. He was even able to show a quick catch and go as the trail man, using his quickness to get by his defender. All of his point came in transition or off of passes from teammates through dump offs on drives or in PNR situations, as he finished above the rim. Not possessing a good touch around the rim, he then usually finishes with a dunk. On the other side of the court he continuously showed his willingness to throwing his body around, as he collected an immense of blocks and rebounds in these games, oftentimes in traffic.
Dzanan Musa – 6’9” – G – 1999
The most surprising aspect of Dzanan Musa's performance at the camp came with his defensive engagement. Consistently attempting to put pressure one the ball with a relative good lateral quickness and very active hands, Musa was able to bother his opponents. In the same vein, he was fighting for loose ball and for every extra possession displaying a new sense of urgency. Offensively he played within the confines of the team, allowing the ball to move and playing the correct pass; no matter if it was a pocket pass out of the PNR or an extra pass. On his drives to the basket Musa also finished well through contact. Most of his struggles came through an inability to hit the outside shot.
Goga Bitadze – 6’11” – C – 1999
One of the most interesting players at the event was 6’11” (in shoes) Goga Bitadze. Though very raw offensively, the Georgian prospect displayed great instincts, all while being very active on both side of the floor. Bitadze goes hard after rebounds and here his instincts are on clear display, as he has a knack for anticipating where the ball lands, Also, he clearly understood where he had to move in order to find easy scoring opportunities. This feat paired with good hands allowed him to be an offensive threat at all times, as he was also superb at using his big body in order to finish through contact. Offensively his decision making is sound, throwing good passes from both the high and the low post. Though he didn’t shoot well over the course of the camp, his shooting form is sound and he has proved before that he’s able to consistently knock down shots from the mid-range.
Gytis Masiulis – 6’10” – PF – 1998
Not much of an athlete Gytis Masiulis uses his basketball IQ to gain advantages on the court. He didn't play with the ball in his hands much, mainly using pick and pop and PNR situations, as well as consistently knocking down spot up three pointers on kick outs. When he does attempt to create off the dribble he tends to be rather soft with the ball. Here he uses the threat of his shot to attack closeouts. In PNR situations Masiulis has shown the ability to catch balls in traffic and finish through plays holding on to him, displaying good hands and toughness. Though his finishes are often awkward, he is very effective around the rim, using his body to shield off defenders. A very physical player, Masiulis is very active on the boards and fights hard to gain control of the ball. While he's not much of an athlete, he instinctively knows where the ball will fall.
Amar Gegic - 6’7 - PG - 1998
Playing a lot more under control than he’s used to do with his club team, German powerhouse Bayern Munich, the Bosnian guard had a very good Eurocamp. He has a great frame, measured at a legit 6’7 with shoes, and he’s a high level athlete with strong first step and above average leaping ability. His passing skills are quite impressive for a player his size, and he shows elite vision and touch, often looking for the deadly pass. He can score easily at the rim, as he’s a strong driver and very good finisher who can play above the rim, but the lack of a reliable jump shot is a major woe in his offensive game. Gegic impressed also on the defensive end, thanks to his explosive lateral quickness and ability to absorb physical contacts.
Isaac Bonga – 6‘9“ – PG – 1999
The youngest European player at the event, Isaac Bonga wasn’t able to perform too well. Focusing on getting everyone involved early on, he wasn’t particularly aggressive going to the basket because he was looking to pass the ball at times. Although he is a good passer, he seemed to be looking for his teammates far too many times in situations he needed to look to score. However, you have to acknowledge his vision is superb. He consistently found cutters, the roll man in PNR situations, as well as spot up shooters, sometimes creating scoring opportunities for his teammates out of thin air. Still figuring out what he can and cannot do on the court, he turned the ball over quite a bit. Even though he had a few good finishes on Day 3 when he attacked aggressively, far too often he goes up without any sense of urgency, leading to too many missed lay ups. In the same vein, he struggled with the physicality of the US Select team. Also, his jump shot is still a work in progress, as he has a very wide stance with no fluidity to his shot. Defensively his stance is very upright, leaving him susceptible to quick guards. However, he is very engaged and aggressive on the defensive end, which paired with the ability to anticipate fairly well. Still very young and with a lot of flaws, Bonga’s still quite an effective player with vast potential.
Mario Ihring – 6‘3“ – PG – 1998
Though playing rather quietly early on in terms of his statistics, Mario Ihring has been quite impressive from the get go. He displayed a good feel for the game with the ability to control the tempo of the game, as he also has leadership qualities. Confident with the ball in his hands Ihring consistently had no problems breaking pressure and creating for himself and other. Also, he is a very good shooter with the ability to create his jump shot with an array of moves. However, his measurements were not too good, as he was the only player with a shorter wingspan than his height.
Abdoulaye N'Doye – 6’6” – G – 1998
French guard Abdolaye N’Doye had a pretty good showing. While offensively he is an elite cutter, N’Doye is relatively raw on that end of the court. He is not a great ball-handler or jump shooter; instead he focuses on his strength, which is moving without the ball. He is also a good passer. Defensively N’Doye is already on an NBA level, as his defensive instincts are amazing. The Frenchman has great lateral speed and quick hands which allows him to force steals. Not only a great on ball defender he is always good at chasing shooter around screens, and knows his rotations defensively. There were other good defenders present at the camp, N’Doye was the best at his craft on a consistent basis.
Photo by adidaseurocamp.com
ADVERTISING
