Karlo Matkovic (’01) – 6’11, C, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Looked bigger and with a better frame. Highly intriguing prospect given his size, coordination, explosiveness and footwork. Plays hard, good activity level. More a finisher, limited solutions from static situations, but he has potential to build some shooting range.

Luka Samanic (’00) – 6’10, PF, Croatia
One of the most awaited prospects in the tournament, left mixed impressions in Latvia. Averaged 17 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks while shooting 9/19 (47.4%) from three, for a team which lacked other significant talent. Has elite physical and athletic profile, and his ball skills and natural feel were impressive as usual. But his attitude and body language were often questionable, and he still struggles to play against contact.

Mikael Jantunen (’00) – 6’8, PF, Finland
Versatile forward who showed once again terrific production. Averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.3 blocks. Atypical player, extremely creative and natural handling the ball, has high basketball IQ. Comfortable attacking the basket and changing pace with the ball, finishes at the rim. Above average rebounder on offense. Skilled post up player with touch, footwork and passing skills. Jump shot still in the making, usually doesn’t take shots from outside.

Ville Tahvanainen (’00) – 6’4, SG, Finland
Ended up as the second best scorer of the tournament, averaging 22.3 points per game while shooting a ridiculous 30/65 (46.2%) through six games from the three point line. Strong guard who played lot of minutes at the PG spot for his team, but is at his best if he can have green light to shoot. Has deep range and loves to shoot in every situation: hits spot up shots, scores using off ball screens, pulls up in transition, shoots out of the P&R... lacks explosiveness as a finisher.

Joel Ayayi (’00) – 6’5, SG, France
Named in the All-Tournament Team after averaging 15.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.9 turnovers and 1.7 steals for third-placed France. Left mixed impressions. Body language and attitude are not always the best. Improved a lot as a shooter, comfortable shooting off the dribble, hit some big shots in the tournament. At his best if he can handle on the P&R and act as a secondary facilitator. Has good vision, but is quite turnover prone because of bad passing decisions. Biggest issue for his development right now is his below average athleticism, lacks explosiveness and burst off the dribble.

Kenny Baptiste (’00) – 6’8, SF/PF, France
Breakout player at last Albert Schweitzer Tournament, wasn’t much productive in Latvia. Still very raw in his game. He’s stuck between the two forward positions, needs to refine his ball skills and fill up his body. Has elite physical and athletic profile though, he’s long, fluid, explosive and very quick for his size. His footwork allows him to guard smaller players.

Karlton Dimanche (’00) – 6’4, PG/SG, France
Quick guard with good size and intriguing frame. One of the best defenders in the tournament, has excellent footwork and impressively quick hands. Puts pressure on the ball, averaged 3.9 steals per game. On offense still doesn’t have a real position. Played mainly as a PG, pushing the ball, showing decent feel and creating out of his quickness. Can beat his man 1vs1. But he’s a below average shooter and doesn’t finish explosively at the rim.

Mathis Dossou-Yovo (’00) – 6’8, C, France
Inside player with strong frame and very good length. Very intense and physical player, plays with impressive motor. Crashes hard the boards, rebounds out of his area. Finishes well around the rim off power moves, but has below average ball skills. Good screener and cutter, efficient as a P&R finisher. He’s trying to build up some range on offense, hit some jumper in Latvia and even couple of threes.

Kay Bruhnke (’01) – 6’8, SF/PF, Germany
Skilled player who lacks a real position. Plays lot of PG minutes on offense, taking advantage of his very good vision and passing skills to create for his teammates. Has significant lack of quickness, burst and explosiveness though, he’s better guarding the PF spot on defense. Doesn’t beat his defender off the dribble. Can use a ball screen to pass and shoot, has very good touch in his jumper and can comfortably hit shots of the dribble.

Hendrik Drescher (’00) – 6’8, PF/C, Germany
Strong big man with a developed body, low physical upside. Able to use his body to post up, has good footwork for his size, but tends to be right hand dominant and has below average leaping ability which limits him as a finisher. Face up skills are his most intriguing tools, has elite touch and extended range off the catch, he’s a threat on the P&P. Shot 9/22 (40.9%) from three through seven games in Latvia.

Jason George (’01) – 6’8, SF, Germany
Has intriguing physical and athletic profile given his size, coordination, quickness and explosiveness. Needs to fill up his frame. Still very raw in his game, doesn’t have a true position on offense. His jumper is still broken, with quite slow and inconsistent form. He’s at his best attacking on the move or as a cutter, but his touch around the rim is average at best and he struggles to finish if contested.

Jonas Mattisseck (’00) – 6’4, PG/SG, Germany
Lefty guard who plays with high-level intensity on both ends of the court. Physical attitude and non-stop effort on defense, puts great pressure on the ball. Aggressive with the ball on offense, but lacks explosiveness and is just an average ball-handler; can go out of control at times. Has soft touch on his jump shot, either off the catch and off the dribble.

Mate Okros (’01) – 6’6, SG/SF, Great Britain
Wing with skinny but promising frame, had another solid showing after a great 2017 FIBA U16 Division B. Long and fluid. Terrific shooter off the catch, consistent and quick release, shot 13/25 (52%) through seven games. Limited besides his shooting ability, not much of a ball-handler and lacks burst off the dribble.

Kareem Queeley (’01) – 6’5, SG, Great Britain
Early bloomer with terrific body and athleticism for his size. Strong and tough, can easily handle physical contacts. Makes explosive plays on both ends of the floor and can play above the rim. Still needs to find his offensive dimension, he’s in trouble if he can’t score off power moves: jumper has improved but still not reliable, lacks elite ball-handling and touch.

Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos (’01) – 6’7, SG/SF, Greece
Terrific scorer who averaged 19.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Wing who plays mainly off the ball but also loves to handle it and shoot off the dribble. Has quick release and very deep shooting range, tends to settle on his jumper sometimes. Aggressive, uses his body to create separation when attacking the basket. Active cutter from the weak side. Finishes well around the rim, has good touch and body control. Has to improve his basketball IQ and cut down the amount of bad shots he takes.

Chrysostomos Sandramanis (’00) – 6’5, SG/SF, Greece
Intense wing with good size, lacks burst tough. Deserves a mention because of his shooting skills, as he went 14/33 (42.4%) from three through seven games in Latvia. Has weird but quick and consistent form. Below average ball-handling on offense, he’s at his best if playing off the ball but has the ability to pull up after couple of dribbles. Lacks footwork and lateral quickness to guard smaller players.

Omar Dieng (’00) – 6’7, PF, Italy
Undersized power forward with excellent touch, trying to transition to the SF spot. Highly skilled player, smooth shooter with range and very good passer, has high basketball IQ. Has significant physical and athletic limitations, as he’s not a vertical player and needs to improve his conditioning. Efficient from the low post, has good footwork, vision, scoring solutions. Body language is sometimes questionable.

Federico Miaschi (’00) – 6’5, SG, Italy
Averaged 17.3 points per game for Italy. Has good size for his position and is a smooth athlete. Handled the ball a lot, has solid vision but mainly scoring instincts. Aggressive and fearless, but needs to improve his understanding of the game. Just an average ball-handler, but able to create separation with ease thanks to his change of speed and strong body. Shooting form is not textbook, but he’s a consistent shooter with the ability to score off the dribble.

Mattia Palumbo (’00) – 6’6, SG/SF, Italy
Scoring wing with strong frame and elite instincts as a ball-handler. Loves to handle the ball, has vision and touch as a passer. Smooth shooter who wants to take responsibilities on offense, can use his body and footwork to create some separation, needs to cut down some bad shot selection. Below average athlete who lacks explosiveness and lateral quickness.

Arturs Kurucs (’00) – 6’4, SG, Latvia
Strong guard who is very aggressive with the ball. Undersized but well-built frame. Trying to transition to the PG spot, lacks elite ball-handling and has mainly scoring instincts. Still has good vision, not the most creative passer but sees the whole court and has good timing to kick out the ball. Pushes the ball in transition, fearless attacking the basket, has some struggle to finish against size.

Arturs Zagars (’00) – 6’3, PG, Latvia
Named in the All-Tournament Team after leading Latvia to the second place. Averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.9 steals, while shooting 20/45 (44.4%) from three. Has good size and he’s a late bloomer physically, has still undeveloped body. Has elite speed for his size and change pace naturally in his game. Impressive toughness and leadership. Elite passer with high-level vision, excels in using the P&R to create for himself and his teammates, keeps the dribble alive and usually makes the right choice turning the corner. Great shooter either off the catch and off the dribble, has deep shooting range. Key for his future will likely be how much he’ll be able to improve his body while keeping the same speed in his game.

Rokas Jokubaitis (’00) – 6’4, PG, Lithuania
Lefty point guard with solid size. Advanced P&R player, plays with proper pace and change of speed, keeps his dribble alive. Has great vision, always sees the whole court, good execution as a passer. Can use his body to gain separation but lacks explosiveness as a finisher, prefers to pull up for a jumper. Elite shooter either off the dribble or off the catch, has deep shooting range, can take some bad shot at times.

Deividas Sirvydis (’00) – 6’9, SG/SF, Lithuania
Tall lefty wing who moves with impressive quickness, fluidity and coordination for his size. Mainly used off the ball in Latvia, didn’t get many responsibilities as a ball-handler. Has natural ball skills and feel off the dribble, can easily create for himself and his teammates out of the P&R. Improving his right hand. Elite shooter with quick, consistent release and deep shooting range. Needs to improve his ability to finish with physical contact. Poor length is his biggest limit.

Erikas Venskus (’00) – 6’9, C, Lithuania
Was the top performer for Lithuania. Fluid moving without the ball, but lacks leaping ability. High basketball IQ, plays with proper spacing and timing and takes quick decisions with the ball. Has soft touch around the rim. Good coordination and solid footwork make him a threat on P&R, but struggles to finish against length. Poor athleticism, lateral quickness and length are his main limitations.

Jovan Kljajic (’01) – 6’6, PG/SG, Montenegro
Strong guard, early bloomer from a physical standpoint. Huge personality and leadership. Atypical player who loves to handle the ball and can play all three backcourt positions. Very good decision maker out of the P&R, advanced passer who takes quick decisions with the ball. Didn’t shoot well the ball in Latvia, but his shot has come a long way over the years. Poor explosiveness limits his potential.

Bojan Tomasevic (’01) – 6’8, PF, Montenegro
High-level shooter, mostly used in catch and shoot sets, as a spot up shooter or out of the P&P. Has deep range, consistent form. Takes responsibilities, hits big shots on offense, can take fire in any moment. Has below average physical and athletic profile though, quite undersized and lacks leaping ability.

Nikola Zizic (’00) – 6’10, C, Montenegro
Huge inside presence, very strong body and physical attitude, but has below average athleticism. Extremely intense player, always plays with high-level motor, very emotional. Seals deep his man under the basket, has solid touch around the rim. Lefty finisher, still highly strong hand dominant. Doesn’t have a range on offense.

Nikita Mikhailovskii (’00) – 6’8, SG/SF, Russia
Named in the All-Tournament Team after averaging 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists for fourth-placed Russia. Wing with excellent size and explosiveness, extremely fluid and coordinated. Plays mainly as a ball-handler, loves to play the P&R, has great change of speed and impressive body control to go around the defenders and finish at the rim. Tends to be right hand dominant as a ball-handler at times. Very good vision and fundamentals on the P&R. Needs to work on his jumper, which lacks some consistency and is not always smooth.

Alexander Shashkov (’00) – 6’10, PF, Russia
Wasn’t much productive in Latvia and rarely played up to his potential. Has still a light frame but moves very well for his size. Never comfortable playing physical, shies away from contacts. Lacks aggressiveness and focus, tends to disappear from the game. Very smooth shooter with natural range from beyond the arc, his combination of size, touch and fluidity still deserves attention.

Pavel Zakharov (’01) – 6’11, C, Russia
Averaged 6.3 point, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in about 16 minutes per game. Still has an undeveloped frame which is slightly improving. Mainly used in dynamic situations thanks to his terrific quickness, footwork and coordination. Improving as a finisher around the rim, has soft touch and high release. Didn’t play on the perimeter, but has intriguing natural skills to attack and shoot to work on.

Dalibor Ilic (’00) – 6’9, SF/PF, Serbia
Forward with impressive frame and length, a fluid and explosive athlete with strong first step and excellent coordination. Played both forward spots for his team, but was mostly efficient as a PF because of his lack of shooting and discipline on the perimeter. His game is still pretty wild, he’s mostly effective out of dynamic situation where he can attack and finish around the rim, but has promising individual fundamentals. His transition to become more of a perimeter player is something which has to be tracked.

Zoran Paunovic (’00) – 6’6, SG, Serbia
Averaged 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals. Athletic wing who is disruptive when attacking aggressively the basket. Highly efficient transition player. Changes speed easily, has strong first step, comfortable finishing at the rim. Can make plays using ball screens or attacking the closeout, but has just average ball-handling. Terrific defensive presence at this level of competition, has strong legs and quick hands. Needs to become a more consistent shooter.

Marko Pecarski (’00) – 6’9, PF/C, Serbia
Named MVP in Riga after averaging 24.7 points, 11 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals for first-placed Serbia. Ended up as the tournament’s top scorer and rebounder. He’s reactive and has impressive instincts as a rebounder. Mobile and physical scorer in the paint, has great positioning and soft touch to finish. In a Serbian team which was heavily playing post up sets, he had to share often the court with Petrusev: kept most of the time a good spacing and showed solid adaptation playing a little more on the perimeter. Athletic limitations are still the key issue.

Filip Petrusev (’00) – 6’11, C, Serbia
Named in the All-Tournament Team after averaging 21 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 blocks. His team posted him up a lot, taking advantage inside of his physical presence, above average for this level of competition. Fluid and dynamic big man able to comfortably finish in the paint. Physical attitude, able to use his body to seal his defender inside and easily draw a foul. Wasn’t allowed to play face to the basket and show his perimeter skills. Able to rebound because of his size, but needs to be more active in this area.

Uros Trifunovic (’00) – 6’7, SG/SF, Serbia
Had a breakout showing in Latvia. Wing with good size but still skinny and undeveloped body, he’s young for his class. Natural fundamentals and instincts for the game. Was given also PG duties for his team at times, but he’s at his best as an off ball player and secondary ball-handler and facilitator. Still a below average finisher at the rim, but has good touch in his floater. Doesn’t have textbook shooting mechanics, but shot the ball very well in Latvia off the catch, going 10/19 (52.6%) from three.

Carlos Alocen (’00) – 6’4, PG, Spain
Creative point guard with very good size. Has good quickness for his size and solid explosiveness. Plays at different speed, changes pace very well. Advanced P&R player, has excellent passing skills and timing, keeps his dribble alive and turns hard the corner to attack the basket. Good finisher, has soft touch and uses his size to score over the defender. Despite some key improvement, he still lacks consistency and confident in his jumper; went 8/10 from three in the last three meaningless games.

Jaime Fernandez (’00) – 6’9, PF, Spain
Still skinny forward with quite narrow and undeveloped frame. Quick and really fluid, has excellent coordination Getting more and more confident with his offensive range, mainly played on the perimeter in Latvia. He’s natural putting the ball on the floor and has quick and consistent release in his shot. Still struggles a lot against contacts, below average finisher if contested.

Joel Parra (’00) – 6’7, SF/PF, Spain
Left mixed impressions compared to the FIBA U20 in Chemnitz: was more productive, but also played more of an inside player role and couldn’t show much of his upside as a perimeter player. Strong, more comfortable battling in the paint while playing against his own age group. Involved in lot of ball screens actions and used mainly as a catch and finish option. Only went a total 4/17 from three.

Jaime Pradilla (’01) – 6’9, PF/C, Spain
Skilled player who mainly plays inside the arc so far. Smart cutter who moves well without the ball, can play the high post area, attacking the basket with couple of dribbles or shooting right off the catch. Has shooting range as far as from beyond the arc, but only took 4 threes in Latvia. Physical in the low post, has solid footwork and soft touch around the rim. Poor explosiveness and leaping ability though.

Mert Akay (’00) – 6’5, PG/SG, Turkey
Big guard who plays with high-level motor. Makes lot of intangible plays out of effort, extremely active, great rebounder for his position. On offense loves to handle the ball and he’s a powerful slasher who finishes through contact. Has good vision and passing skills. Still a below average shooter, had very bad percentages. Lacks explosiveness and burst. His ball-handling is questionable to play the PG spot.

Sadik Kabaca (’00) – 6’10, C, Turkey
Still raw, late bloomer physically, narrow frame. Doesn’t use his body, shies away from physical contact. Has promising frame and intriguing athleticism, fluid and mobile for his size. On offense doesn’t have range outside the paint, scores mainly off catch and finish opportunities inside.

Volodymyr Markovetskyy (’00) – 7’1, C, Ukraine
Showed some key improvement in his body, mobility and activity level. Tough to challenge inside the paint at this level of competition, he’s learning how to use his size and play through contact. Ball skills are still in the making, but can easily score inside catching and finishing off dynamic situations.




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