By Artau Pascual
From December 19th to December 21st L’Hospitalet, Catalunya, hosted another edition of the Torneig Junior L’Hospitalet, an U18 event that reunited many of the best prospects in the 2007 and 2008-born age groups, in addition to a few other younger standout such as Fabian Kayser (2009) or Mohamed Dabone (2011). Real Madrid won the competition after an exciting neck-to-neck final game against FC Barcelona, that ended 62-57. Barcelona missed Sayon Keita and Real Madrid didn’t have Andrej Bjelic with them, so none of the teams was at full strength.
Our Director of Scouting, Artau Pascual, attended the event, and tells us more about what happened in the court.
Gildas Giménez took a leap
This Real Madrid U18 team doesn’t have as much on-ball talent as in the previous years, so it’s always great news for their offense when a player steps up and successfully embraces a primary role. It was the case for Gildas Giménez in the Final game against FC Barcelona, in which he ended with 24 points after switching the attack-mode in an impressive second half, but he did also show an atypical level of aggressiveness and off the dribble actions during the event.
We have already seen Gildas for a while at this point. There’s a ton of low-hanging fruit in his game just because of how much of a versatile defender he can be due to the mix of a pro-ready body with huge measurements, his ability to stay in front of the ball and contribution at the margins of the offense just by filling the lanes and grabbing offensive boards. The most encouraging thing about his performance in L’Hospitalet was that, while keeping all this, he was able to show some different things breaking down the halfcourt game. He made the right read as a pick&roll playmaker hitting the skip pass, he took advantage of his size to create shooting windows from the mid-range and on the drive and, even though there are still many ways to go in terms of volume and efficiency, he felt more comfortable than in other outings setting the tone for his team and turned into a strong leader by example. Gildas Giménez’s selling point for College Basketball and upcoming stages will be heavily related to his defensive prowess, but he’s just a spot-up shot and an increased confidence away from turning into a different player on the offensive end. Madrid needed him to step up, and so he did.
Matthieu Grujicic thrived as a shotmaker
The FC Barcelona SG had some of his best performances of the season in L’Hospitalet. Grujicic is a scoring-minded player who can create his own looks at multiple levels at a high level at the current level, and he established himself as a go-to guy for his team in the event. Even though he wasn’t as productive in the Final game compared to the rest of the tournament because of how Madrid locked him up in the second half, the German player stated with his game that he projects as a toolsy scorer for the upcoming years.
The best thing Grujicic showed in L’Hospitalet compared to other games and tournaments he took part in during the season was poise. He didn’t feel rushed and let the game come to him, so he found good scoring options as a spot-up shooter and left some glimpses of his potential coming off screens and second side actions and making the right decision off movement, either squaring up, driving or dishing the ball to a teammate in a better position. Grujicic has some potential to be a better creator from a standstill , but the strongest part of his game is scoring, and that’s how he impacted the game in L’Hospitalet. This, added to his willingness to get teammates involved and a strong level of competitiveness, helped his status in the tournament.
Maksym Brnovic’s impressive evolution
This is Maksym Brnovic’s first season in Zalgiris Kaunas program, and he looked very different compared to Summer. The forward from Montenegro has improved a lot in his body and possesses a lengthy and strong frame that will keep filling in during the upcoming years. In last Summer FIBA U16 Division B European Championship, Brnovic stood out because of his late-bloomer traits and ability to leak out in transition, as well as he also had a promising level of ball-handling for his size, but he struggled at defending because of habits and motor, and it felt like it would take a little long for him to improve as a competitor. It’s been pleasingly surprising eyeing how he’s been able to figure out things way faster than expected.
Brnovic left a very strong performance against FC Barcelona in which he was able to score in traffic, create some looks and hold his own on defense, and it’s easy to see the type of room for improvement he has in many areas of the game. Playing as an underage participant in the event, he stood out as one of the most appealing names on the stage.
Two names to monitor: Dominykas Daubaris and Ilia Frolov
Two names that will be worth keeping following during the season and for the years to come are Dominykas Daubaris and Ilia Frolov. Daubaris, a 2007-born 6’10 Forward who played for Zalgiris Kaunas and wasn’t part of the U17 Lithuania NT in the World Cup because he was recovering from a long-term injury, established himself as one of the most different players in the event because of his mix of size, 3PT shotmaking and mobility. Compared to when we saw him last time in Torrent (September 2024), he played tougher and with a better pace. Daubaris possesses some big time floor spacing traits because his shooting release is quick, and he can put the ball on the floor against his matchup fluidly enough to create an advantage. Added to this, he didn’t hesitate at putting his body on the line for drawing charges, contesting shots or hustling back in transition, which is pretty encouraging for a player who recently went through a serious injury.
On the other hand, Frolov experienced many ups and downs during the event and had some issues at keeping the production against physically demanding teams because his development goes long term, but he left some impressive glimpses of game perception, high-low passing and overall intelligence. Frolov needs to keep working on his lateral quickness, define if he will be a 4 or a 5 on the defensive end, increase the volume and consistency as a shooter and improve as a finisher in contact, but his hands and how the possessions improve when he’s in the game, are strong indicators about his upside. He’s one of the 2008-born players who helped himself the most in the event.
From December 19th to December 21st L’Hospitalet, Catalunya, hosted another edition of the Torneig Junior L’Hospitalet, an U18 event that reunited many of the best prospects in the 2007 and 2008-born age groups, in addition to a few other younger standout such as Fabian Kayser (2009) or Mohamed Dabone (2011). Real Madrid won the competition after an exciting neck-to-neck final game against FC Barcelona, that ended 62-57. Barcelona missed Sayon Keita and Real Madrid didn’t have Andrej Bjelic with them, so none of the teams was at full strength.
Our Director of Scouting, Artau Pascual, attended the event, and tells us more about what happened in the court.
Gildas Giménez took a leap
This Real Madrid U18 team doesn’t have as much on-ball talent as in the previous years, so it’s always great news for their offense when a player steps up and successfully embraces a primary role. It was the case for Gildas Giménez in the Final game against FC Barcelona, in which he ended with 24 points after switching the attack-mode in an impressive second half, but he did also show an atypical level of aggressiveness and off the dribble actions during the event.
We have already seen Gildas for a while at this point. There’s a ton of low-hanging fruit in his game just because of how much of a versatile defender he can be due to the mix of a pro-ready body with huge measurements, his ability to stay in front of the ball and contribution at the margins of the offense just by filling the lanes and grabbing offensive boards. The most encouraging thing about his performance in L’Hospitalet was that, while keeping all this, he was able to show some different things breaking down the halfcourt game. He made the right read as a pick&roll playmaker hitting the skip pass, he took advantage of his size to create shooting windows from the mid-range and on the drive and, even though there are still many ways to go in terms of volume and efficiency, he felt more comfortable than in other outings setting the tone for his team and turned into a strong leader by example. Gildas Giménez’s selling point for College Basketball and upcoming stages will be heavily related to his defensive prowess, but he’s just a spot-up shot and an increased confidence away from turning into a different player on the offensive end. Madrid needed him to step up, and so he did.
Matthieu Grujicic thrived as a shotmaker
The FC Barcelona SG had some of his best performances of the season in L’Hospitalet. Grujicic is a scoring-minded player who can create his own looks at multiple levels at a high level at the current level, and he established himself as a go-to guy for his team in the event. Even though he wasn’t as productive in the Final game compared to the rest of the tournament because of how Madrid locked him up in the second half, the German player stated with his game that he projects as a toolsy scorer for the upcoming years.
The best thing Grujicic showed in L’Hospitalet compared to other games and tournaments he took part in during the season was poise. He didn’t feel rushed and let the game come to him, so he found good scoring options as a spot-up shooter and left some glimpses of his potential coming off screens and second side actions and making the right decision off movement, either squaring up, driving or dishing the ball to a teammate in a better position. Grujicic has some potential to be a better creator from a standstill , but the strongest part of his game is scoring, and that’s how he impacted the game in L’Hospitalet. This, added to his willingness to get teammates involved and a strong level of competitiveness, helped his status in the tournament.
Maksym Brnovic’s impressive evolution
This is Maksym Brnovic’s first season in Zalgiris Kaunas program, and he looked very different compared to Summer. The forward from Montenegro has improved a lot in his body and possesses a lengthy and strong frame that will keep filling in during the upcoming years. In last Summer FIBA U16 Division B European Championship, Brnovic stood out because of his late-bloomer traits and ability to leak out in transition, as well as he also had a promising level of ball-handling for his size, but he struggled at defending because of habits and motor, and it felt like it would take a little long for him to improve as a competitor. It’s been pleasingly surprising eyeing how he’s been able to figure out things way faster than expected.
Brnovic left a very strong performance against FC Barcelona in which he was able to score in traffic, create some looks and hold his own on defense, and it’s easy to see the type of room for improvement he has in many areas of the game. Playing as an underage participant in the event, he stood out as one of the most appealing names on the stage.
Two names to monitor: Dominykas Daubaris and Ilia Frolov
Two names that will be worth keeping following during the season and for the years to come are Dominykas Daubaris and Ilia Frolov. Daubaris, a 2007-born 6’10 Forward who played for Zalgiris Kaunas and wasn’t part of the U17 Lithuania NT in the World Cup because he was recovering from a long-term injury, established himself as one of the most different players in the event because of his mix of size, 3PT shotmaking and mobility. Compared to when we saw him last time in Torrent (September 2024), he played tougher and with a better pace. Daubaris possesses some big time floor spacing traits because his shooting release is quick, and he can put the ball on the floor against his matchup fluidly enough to create an advantage. Added to this, he didn’t hesitate at putting his body on the line for drawing charges, contesting shots or hustling back in transition, which is pretty encouraging for a player who recently went through a serious injury.
On the other hand, Frolov experienced many ups and downs during the event and had some issues at keeping the production against physically demanding teams because his development goes long term, but he left some impressive glimpses of game perception, high-low passing and overall intelligence. Frolov needs to keep working on his lateral quickness, define if he will be a 4 or a 5 on the defensive end, increase the volume and consistency as a shooter and improve as a finisher in contact, but his hands and how the possessions improve when he’s in the game, are strong indicators about his upside. He’s one of the 2008-born players who helped himself the most in the event.
ADVERTISING
