From October 27th to October 30th, in Trieste (Italy) was held the “U16 No Borders Europe Cup 2022”. The eight participating teams were divided into two groups, and at the end, Real Madrid won it all, beating Orange1 Bassano (87-71) in the final game. Pietro Cristofori attended the tournament, and tells us more about the top prospects of the event.

Final Standings: 
1) Real Madrid 
2) Orange1 Bassano
3) EA7 Milan 
4) Stellazzurra Rome
5) FC Barcelona
6) Bayern Munich
7) Cedevita Olimpija
8) Partizan Belgrade


Tournament MVP: Kyllian Michee (Real Madrid)

Best Scorer: Mark Mahmutovic Morano (Cedevita Olimpija)

Below you can find some of the standouts of the tournament.


El Hadji Sidi Gueye (‘07, Real Madrid) - 6’10, PF/C, Senegal
Standing at 6’10, Gueye has incredible length and motor. The shoulders look pretty wide too, and since his arrival in Madrid he gained muscles. At this level, he can play both the interior positions. Above average vision and passing skills for a guy of that size. Catch&finisher. High level rim-protector and rebounder: he keeps the ball up when he grabs one. Very mobile.

Kyllian Michee (‘07, Real Madrid) - 6’2, Guard, France
The skilled French guard was named MVP of the tournament after a 26-point winning effort against Orange1 Bassano in the final game. The main question mark about his game is around his lankiness, but his body frame suggests a potential growth spurt in the upcoming months. High level shot-creator. Incredibly smooth when it comes to play 1v1 in open spaces. Throughout the tournament he showed tremendous flashes on offense. Active on defense: good eye-hand coordination. He struggles over there when the physicality of the game grows.

Maikcol Perez (‘07, Orange1 Bassano) - 6’7, Wing, Italy
The 6’7 wing had a solid showing in Trieste and he proved his self as one of the main prospects in the 2007 generation. Despite recovering from an injury, he looked comfortable on the floor. Powerful frame, he always finds the way to the rim thanks to his combo of footwork and balance. High level handles: he acted as a primary ball-handler in multiple occasions. The touch around the basket has to improve. Good mobility and quickness: he provides solidity on the defensive end.

Patrick Hassan (‘07, Orange1 Bassano) - 6’2, Guard, Italy
Guard standing at 6’2 with high motor and confidence. Low center of gravity with strong legs and quick feet. Tremendous scorer from the mid-range level. Great stop-and-go ability. His handles have to improve: touch is too rigid here. Although, he showed intriguing flashes as a passer out of pick&roll situations. Intense on-ball defender: he has the size and skills to be an above average guard defender at the pro-level.

Luigi Suigo (‘07, EA7 Milan) - 7’0, Center, Italy
One of the most raw and intriguing prospects in the whole tournament, Suigo has outstanding length and size for a 15 year-old. Mobility is questionable, but not critical. Throughout the week he knocked down a couple of impressive shots from long distance. Struggles to play through contact against players with similar size. Flashes of above average touch around the paint. Nice vision and awareness from the low post. His presence in the paint is not consistent still.  

Junior Kemm (‘07, Stellazzurra Rome) - 6’3, Guard, Switzerland
High level athlete with elite combo of burst and explosiveness. He might grow a couple inches more. Legs are rock-solid and arms are pretty long. Drives only left. Handles are ok, but he often goes too fast and totally loses control of the situation. He gets to the paint at will: efficiency is slowly improving from the mid-range level. Doesn’t shoot from behind the arc. Decision making is bad. Intense on-ball defender: really good effort and quickness.

Raul Villar (‘07, FC Barcelona) - 6’2, Guard, Spain
Standing at 6'2, Villar is a polished guard that can finish at the rim with both hands. Crafty. Vocal leader. Floor general. Limited when it comes to create plays for himself. Average handles. He was one of the best defensive players in the tournament: active on passing lanes, good motor and sense of the position. Guard defender. Solid rebounder.

Mark Mahmutovic Morano (‘07, Cedevita Olimpija) - 6’5, Wing, Slovenia
Relentless scorer, Mahmutovic Morano is a big-time athlete. Not the most powerful frame, but at this level he gets to his spots at will. Close-out attacker. Average burst and handles, but he knows really well how to deceive the defenders by using his coordination and balance in tight places. It looks like he plays at one pace, but he’s productive. Interesting vision in transition. When he pushes the ball down the floor he always keeps his head up. Shooting mechanics are rigid. On defense, he’s too often caught in a high stance. On-ball defense effort has to improve. Active under the boards: nice sense of the position on both ends.

Eduard Rantz (‘07, Bayern Munich) - 6’11, Center, Germany 
Talented big-man. He has to lose some weight. Skilled. Impressive use of the footwork. Loves to play in the low post. Rarely uses the left hand. Really soft touch. Not confident shooting the ball from behind the arc. Good rebounder: protects the ball. Ok defensive awareness, he has room of improvement here.

Uros Danilovic (‘07, Partizan Belgrade) - 6’7, Wing, Serbia
Skilled wing that with time might turn into a full-time SG. Frame is thin and narrow still, but projectable. He has to put on muscles all over his body. Secondary ball-handler. Intriguing touch and scoring skills from all three levels. Average burst. He has hard times driving to the rim. His presence on defense is ok. 
 
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