By Albert Robledillo
U19 Global Jam Tournament and U18 Fred Olsen Tenerife Tournament were held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Tenerife, Spain. Eurohopes attended both tournaments where participated Gran Canaria (Spain), Estudiantes (Spain), RIG Mark (Sweden), USK Praha (Czech Republic), Strength and Motion International (Sweden), Canterbury (Spain), CB Canarias (Spain), The Skill Factory (USA), Oxygen Bassano (Italy), Stellazzurra Rome (Italy), Real Madrid (Spain) and Joventut Badalona (Spain). The Skill Factory and Real Madrid won each tournament.
Jean Montero (‘03). Gran Canaria. 6’2, PG/SG, Dominican Republic
The impact he had in his debut was impressive. In his first three games with Gran Canaria scored 24,6 points per game in 27,6 minutes (61% 2P, 42% 3P) against players one and two years older than him. Montero has unlimited scoring abilities, a feel for the game unusually natural. Shows very impressive ball handling ability even he is a bit strong hand dominant; he is not comfortable using the left hand. His pick and roll reads are remarkable, shows patience and controls everything on the floor. Excellent playing off the ball using back doors. Sometimes gambles too much because relies on his capacity of making the decisive pass which makes him a bit turnover prone (4,3 turnovers per game). His instincts and quickness to intercept balls in the passing lanes are phenomenal (3,6 steals per game).
Khalifa Diop (‘02). Gran Canaria. 6’10, C, Senegal
His physical dominance is out of question. Strong in the lower and the upper body, played against bigs (Stoilov, Levy) and any of them could move him in the post. Athletic enough, has a great size and mobility for a big. Can slide thanks to his quick feet which makes him a good helper from the weak side. Tremendous rebounder: has a high desire and mobility to attack on the offensive board and work, size, strength and instincts to protect the defensive. On offense, he is an improved passer executing and making reads; still has some issues posting up. Has potential as a pick and roll man because cuts quickly and is athletic enough but doesn’t set the screen properly.
Rubén Domínguez (‘03). Estudiantes. 6’6, SG, Spain
Playing as a facilitator, Domínguez showed his great offensive instincts in the tournament. Has clearly reached his ceiling in terms of body development; has a good size for a guard, is strong, especially in the lower body, and explosive. His mid-range shot is impressive; creates space with his defender very easily and has a variety of finishes. Right hand dominant, knows he can’t challenge bigs in the lane because is not athletic enough so uses floaters and extensions very effectively. A great three-point shot, way better than what we saw on 2019 U16. Uses his body very well to get fouls and go to the free throw line where has a great percentage.
Gilad Levy (‘02). Estudiantes, 7’1, C, Israel
Impressive standing reach with a huge size and wingspan. Still slow, weak in the upper body and heavy footed. He started creating his own shots with a remarkable skyhook and soft touch in both hands. As a cutter he easily dunks. He is truly reliable when shooting from the mid-range or even threes (3/7 in Global Jam) and showed some glimpses as a passer. Good attitude, very communicative in defense but not reliable protecting the rim because doesn’t move quickly enough. Still, with his feet set is a great shot-blocker thanks to his impressive wingspan which also helps him in the boards.
Andre Lorentsson (‘01). RIG Mark, 6’8, PF, Sweden
Good size for a four position. Not the greatest athlete but plays with energy and a high IQ. Fluid, executes quickly. Tremendous shooter, his team uses him off the screen where is lethal thanks to a natural and fluid motion. Smart player, makes great reads feeding the corner and passing the ball, a bit surprising for a player in his position.
Sebastian Forsling (‘02). RIG Mark, 6’10, C, Sweden
Fluid for his size and runs extremely well the floor. Doesn’t shy away the contact at all. Extraordinary hands; can catch everything, showed some glimpses as a passer and is really quick and soft finishing near the rim. He also showed a potential as a three-point shooter with a natural release. Lacks of consistency creating his own shots because he relies more on his hands than on his movements: prefers to shoot a floater than move his defender. On defense, not quick enough in the lateral moves but he is a good helper, aware of everything in the floor.
Ondrej Svec (‘03). USK Praha, 6’5, PG/SG, Czech Republic
He was mostly playing as a PG, especially without Vyroubal, and he is big for the position, has also a remarkable wingspan and a surprising quickness and leaping ability. More a slasher than a shooter. Makes great reads, creative and finds perfectly the corners. He can post up where he shows his game vision and basketball IQ, getting double-teams and passing the ball to the best options. Finishes near the rim in many ways even he lacks of strength in the upper body. Runs really good the pick and roll using splits or reading every situation.
Jaron Alfred Held (‘02). SNM International, 6’2, PG/SG, Netherlands
Tremendously explosive and quick. Creates a separation very easily. Upper and wide shoulders, so he has room to fill his upper body up and a decent wingspan. A regular size for a PG but quick and athletic. Uses his wingspan when attacking the rim making extensions, his speciality. Very good finisher near the rim. Solid shooting motion but needs to improve his shot selection. On defense, he is quick but doesn’t trust on it enough and uses too much his hands to contain the one-on-one. Very good rebounder for his size and doesn’t shy away the contact.
Birima Seck (‘02). Canterbury, 6’10, PF/SF, Senegal
Loves to play outside: grabs the rebound and runs the floor dribbling particularly well, then, playing in the half court, has enough speed and basis skills as a handler to get past the defender even when he is smaller than him. Also very quick playing in the post and has a soft touch with both hands. Could be a legit stretch four thanks to his mobility but his shot is improving.
Musa Sagnia (‘03). CB Canarias, 6’7, SF, Gambia
Outstanding physical tools for a wing. Impressive length and strength. Above average athleticism. Runs impressively well the floor, can execute open shots off the catch and off the dribble easily with a fluid motion and has a soft touch around the rim, so he is a great scorer at this stage. He is unstoppable when he gets in the lane thanks to his physical tools. Hasn’t a variety of finishes and he is a bad passer as an executor and also reading the situations.
Guillermo Díaz-Graham (‘03). CB Canarias, 6’11, PF, Spain
One of the most intriguing prospects of Tenerife tournament. Standing at 6’11, with an incredible frame, plays the stretch four position. Skinny, very mobile and fluid. Great shooter from outside with a high and natural release. Díaz-Graham dribbles easily and has a good touch in the lane, a bit right-handed dominant. His lack of strength in both upper and lower body limits his productivity at this stage.
Boris Tisma. Real Madrid, 6’9, SF, Croatia
Tisma worked a lot on his body and is now stronger. Shows a great feel for the game, especially as a shooter with a quick and natural release. He is less uncomfortable finishing near the rim; now is able to absorb more contacts and finish with two hands with a great touch in the lan. Also was productive in the low post as a passer. Improved also as a rebounder, chases the boards with more desire, especially in the offensive board, and his size helps him in this area.
Lionel Abega. Stellazzurra Rome. 6’2, PG/SG, Italy
Small length and his wingspan is not impressive but other than that has awesome physical tools: is athletic, very quick and explosive. Can easily dunk. Great executor on offense with a promising shot from mid and long range. Takes advantage of his very quick first step and his leap to finish effectively near the rim. Right hand dominant, has some issues finishing with the left hand. In defense, has a good attitude, position, agility and quickness to be decisive at this stage.
Zsombor Maronka. Joventut Badalona. 6’10, SF, Hungary
Tremendous size for a Small Forward. Looks stronger, especially in the lower body but has room to improve it. His shooting abilities are out of question: very effective off the ball, after screens or waiting in the corner or 45 degrees. His ball-handling skills are underrated because doesn’t have at this stage a great explosiveness but has a variety of finishes near the rim (floaters, eurostep).
Kriss Helmanis. Joventut Badalona. 6’11, C/PF, Latvia
Helmanis is one of the most improved prospects of his generation. He is very strong, in the upper and lower body, absorbs very well every contact and doesn’t shy away from them. Has a high impact in the game. Smart player, executes very quickly the floater from almost every position near the rim with both hands. Plays well in the post creating opportunities for him and his teammates due to an unusual game vision. On defense, reads properly every situation and has everything under control. Underrated as a rebounder due to his lack of athleticism which is compensated with a great positioning.
U19 Global Jam Tournament and U18 Fred Olsen Tenerife Tournament were held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Tenerife, Spain. Eurohopes attended both tournaments where participated Gran Canaria (Spain), Estudiantes (Spain), RIG Mark (Sweden), USK Praha (Czech Republic), Strength and Motion International (Sweden), Canterbury (Spain), CB Canarias (Spain), The Skill Factory (USA), Oxygen Bassano (Italy), Stellazzurra Rome (Italy), Real Madrid (Spain) and Joventut Badalona (Spain). The Skill Factory and Real Madrid won each tournament.
Jean Montero (‘03). Gran Canaria. 6’2, PG/SG, Dominican Republic
The impact he had in his debut was impressive. In his first three games with Gran Canaria scored 24,6 points per game in 27,6 minutes (61% 2P, 42% 3P) against players one and two years older than him. Montero has unlimited scoring abilities, a feel for the game unusually natural. Shows very impressive ball handling ability even he is a bit strong hand dominant; he is not comfortable using the left hand. His pick and roll reads are remarkable, shows patience and controls everything on the floor. Excellent playing off the ball using back doors. Sometimes gambles too much because relies on his capacity of making the decisive pass which makes him a bit turnover prone (4,3 turnovers per game). His instincts and quickness to intercept balls in the passing lanes are phenomenal (3,6 steals per game).
Khalifa Diop (‘02). Gran Canaria. 6’10, C, Senegal
His physical dominance is out of question. Strong in the lower and the upper body, played against bigs (Stoilov, Levy) and any of them could move him in the post. Athletic enough, has a great size and mobility for a big. Can slide thanks to his quick feet which makes him a good helper from the weak side. Tremendous rebounder: has a high desire and mobility to attack on the offensive board and work, size, strength and instincts to protect the defensive. On offense, he is an improved passer executing and making reads; still has some issues posting up. Has potential as a pick and roll man because cuts quickly and is athletic enough but doesn’t set the screen properly.
Rubén Domínguez (‘03). Estudiantes. 6’6, SG, Spain
Playing as a facilitator, Domínguez showed his great offensive instincts in the tournament. Has clearly reached his ceiling in terms of body development; has a good size for a guard, is strong, especially in the lower body, and explosive. His mid-range shot is impressive; creates space with his defender very easily and has a variety of finishes. Right hand dominant, knows he can’t challenge bigs in the lane because is not athletic enough so uses floaters and extensions very effectively. A great three-point shot, way better than what we saw on 2019 U16. Uses his body very well to get fouls and go to the free throw line where has a great percentage.
Gilad Levy (‘02). Estudiantes, 7’1, C, Israel
Impressive standing reach with a huge size and wingspan. Still slow, weak in the upper body and heavy footed. He started creating his own shots with a remarkable skyhook and soft touch in both hands. As a cutter he easily dunks. He is truly reliable when shooting from the mid-range or even threes (3/7 in Global Jam) and showed some glimpses as a passer. Good attitude, very communicative in defense but not reliable protecting the rim because doesn’t move quickly enough. Still, with his feet set is a great shot-blocker thanks to his impressive wingspan which also helps him in the boards.
Andre Lorentsson (‘01). RIG Mark, 6’8, PF, Sweden
Good size for a four position. Not the greatest athlete but plays with energy and a high IQ. Fluid, executes quickly. Tremendous shooter, his team uses him off the screen where is lethal thanks to a natural and fluid motion. Smart player, makes great reads feeding the corner and passing the ball, a bit surprising for a player in his position.
Sebastian Forsling (‘02). RIG Mark, 6’10, C, Sweden
Fluid for his size and runs extremely well the floor. Doesn’t shy away the contact at all. Extraordinary hands; can catch everything, showed some glimpses as a passer and is really quick and soft finishing near the rim. He also showed a potential as a three-point shooter with a natural release. Lacks of consistency creating his own shots because he relies more on his hands than on his movements: prefers to shoot a floater than move his defender. On defense, not quick enough in the lateral moves but he is a good helper, aware of everything in the floor.
Ondrej Svec (‘03). USK Praha, 6’5, PG/SG, Czech Republic
He was mostly playing as a PG, especially without Vyroubal, and he is big for the position, has also a remarkable wingspan and a surprising quickness and leaping ability. More a slasher than a shooter. Makes great reads, creative and finds perfectly the corners. He can post up where he shows his game vision and basketball IQ, getting double-teams and passing the ball to the best options. Finishes near the rim in many ways even he lacks of strength in the upper body. Runs really good the pick and roll using splits or reading every situation.
Jaron Alfred Held (‘02). SNM International, 6’2, PG/SG, Netherlands
Tremendously explosive and quick. Creates a separation very easily. Upper and wide shoulders, so he has room to fill his upper body up and a decent wingspan. A regular size for a PG but quick and athletic. Uses his wingspan when attacking the rim making extensions, his speciality. Very good finisher near the rim. Solid shooting motion but needs to improve his shot selection. On defense, he is quick but doesn’t trust on it enough and uses too much his hands to contain the one-on-one. Very good rebounder for his size and doesn’t shy away the contact.
Birima Seck (‘02). Canterbury, 6’10, PF/SF, Senegal
Loves to play outside: grabs the rebound and runs the floor dribbling particularly well, then, playing in the half court, has enough speed and basis skills as a handler to get past the defender even when he is smaller than him. Also very quick playing in the post and has a soft touch with both hands. Could be a legit stretch four thanks to his mobility but his shot is improving.
Musa Sagnia (‘03). CB Canarias, 6’7, SF, Gambia
Outstanding physical tools for a wing. Impressive length and strength. Above average athleticism. Runs impressively well the floor, can execute open shots off the catch and off the dribble easily with a fluid motion and has a soft touch around the rim, so he is a great scorer at this stage. He is unstoppable when he gets in the lane thanks to his physical tools. Hasn’t a variety of finishes and he is a bad passer as an executor and also reading the situations.
Guillermo Díaz-Graham (‘03). CB Canarias, 6’11, PF, Spain
One of the most intriguing prospects of Tenerife tournament. Standing at 6’11, with an incredible frame, plays the stretch four position. Skinny, very mobile and fluid. Great shooter from outside with a high and natural release. Díaz-Graham dribbles easily and has a good touch in the lane, a bit right-handed dominant. His lack of strength in both upper and lower body limits his productivity at this stage.
Boris Tisma. Real Madrid, 6’9, SF, Croatia
Tisma worked a lot on his body and is now stronger. Shows a great feel for the game, especially as a shooter with a quick and natural release. He is less uncomfortable finishing near the rim; now is able to absorb more contacts and finish with two hands with a great touch in the lan. Also was productive in the low post as a passer. Improved also as a rebounder, chases the boards with more desire, especially in the offensive board, and his size helps him in this area.
Lionel Abega. Stellazzurra Rome. 6’2, PG/SG, Italy
Small length and his wingspan is not impressive but other than that has awesome physical tools: is athletic, very quick and explosive. Can easily dunk. Great executor on offense with a promising shot from mid and long range. Takes advantage of his very quick first step and his leap to finish effectively near the rim. Right hand dominant, has some issues finishing with the left hand. In defense, has a good attitude, position, agility and quickness to be decisive at this stage.
Zsombor Maronka. Joventut Badalona. 6’10, SF, Hungary
Tremendous size for a Small Forward. Looks stronger, especially in the lower body but has room to improve it. His shooting abilities are out of question: very effective off the ball, after screens or waiting in the corner or 45 degrees. His ball-handling skills are underrated because doesn’t have at this stage a great explosiveness but has a variety of finishes near the rim (floaters, eurostep).
Kriss Helmanis. Joventut Badalona. 6’11, C/PF, Latvia
Helmanis is one of the most improved prospects of his generation. He is very strong, in the upper and lower body, absorbs very well every contact and doesn’t shy away from them. Has a high impact in the game. Smart player, executes very quickly the floater from almost every position near the rim with both hands. Plays well in the post creating opportunities for him and his teammates due to an unusual game vision. On defense, reads properly every situation and has everything under control. Underrated as a rebounder due to his lack of athleticism which is compensated with a great positioning.
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