Four former continental champions will be among the field at the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Kaunas, including the host team of the ANGT season's second qualifying tournament, U18 Zalgiris Kaunas. The two-time ANGT winners have claimed the crown in on their home court in each of the past four years, as well as in 2012. Trying to dethrone Zalgiris in from Friday to Sunday this week will be reigning ANGT champion U18 CFBB Paris, three-time winner U18 CSKA Moscow, 2012 champ U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, 2012 runner-up U18 Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul, as well as U18 Khimki Moscow Region, U18 Stellazzurra Rome and U18 VEF Riga.

The eight teams are drawn into two four-team groups and will play each other round-robin style. The winners of the groups will face off in the final on Sunday, with the winner advancing to the EB ANGT Finals in Belgrade at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. The winning qualifier from Kaunas will join U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona, which won the title at the ANGT Ciutat de L'Hospitalet earlier this month, to book its ticket to the Serbian capital. Subsequent qualifying tournament winners from Munich and Belgrade will also go automatically to the EB ANGT Finals in the spring.

There is a home-court advantage and then there is the relationship between the ANGT Kaunas and Zalgiris. The host team has never lost a game at the ANGT Kaunas, going undefeated in 20 games at the Zalgirio Arena dating back to the 2011-12 edition. The last time Zalgiris was defeated in a qualifying tournament came in the final of the ANGT Siauliai in 2013 against Lietuvos Rytas. And Zalgiris will be looking to continue that winning streak and advance to the EB ANGT Finals for the 14th time in 16 events. Trying to knock Zalgiris off in Group A will be Khimki, Stellazzurra and VEF. Khimki is back in the ANGT for the first time since the 2011-12 edition, when it went 3-0 in the ANGT Kaunas group stage and lost to Zalgiris in the Final. Khimki's three other appearances in the tournament came in the three editions from 2007-08 to 2009-10. Stellazzurra has been a regular in the ANGT for almost a decade, hosting the ANGT Rome from 2008-09 until 2015-16 and reaching the ANGT Finals in 2015. The Italian side took fifth in Belgrade last season after losing to U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade in the Rome final the previous year. VEF has played in the ANGTs in Lithuania since 2012, losing to Zalgiris in the ANGT Kaunas final in 2014 and 2015. The Latvians had a young squad last season and finished seventh in Kaunas.

Group B has three teams that have previously won the continental title, including reigning champs CFBB. The French side, which won its other ANGT crown in 2010 under the name INSEP, lost to Zalgiris in the Kaunas final last season before gaining a wild card for the ANGT Finals and winning the competition. CFBB was fourth in Kaunas in 2016. The 2004, 2005 and 2006 champion CSKA last season had its best showing in the competition in many years. The Russian team lost only to Zalgiris in group play and finished third with a 3-1 record after having collected just two victories in its three previous appearances. CSKA also was given a wild card for the ANGT Finals -- its first appearance there since 2007 -- and finished 2-1 in group play, losing to eventual champs CFBB. Rytas has played in every edition of the ANGT since 2007-08 and won the tournament in 2012, the same year it beat Zalgiris in the ANGT Siauliai final. Rytas lost in the Kaunas final in 2016 and was fourth last season. Fenerbahce lost to Rytas in the 2012 EB ANGT Championship Game and also played in the EB ANGT Finals in 2014. The Turkish team won two games last season in Kaunas to finish sixth after having gone winless the previous season.



Four former ANGT champs in Kaunas field

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Luka Samanic dominates the game as if he's played it for all of his life. But the freshly-crowned MVP of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Ciutat de L'Hospitalet actually started late in basketball, which is why development is so important to the U18 FC Barcelona Lassa talent.

Samanic won the MVP award at the ANGT L'Hospitalet by averaging 23.3 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.8 blocks, 6.8 fouls drawn and an index rating of 33. Those numbers ranked Samanic first in rebounding and blocks, second in index rating and third in scoring, but were not enough for Barcelona to avoid a loss to local rival U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona in the final.

"To be MVP of this tournament means a lot, but in the end we lost the final game, which is the most important thing for me," Samanic said. "We wanted to win this and go to Belgrade and the Final Four. It's really nice to win this, but without the championship something is missing."

What's definitely not missing is star potential in Samanic, who turned 18 years old on January 9. The Croatian wowed fans all weekend in the Barcelona suburb with big dunks, bigger blocked shots, an unstoppable will around the glass and impressive consistency from the free throw line, where he made 29 of 34 shots (85%).

Even though his father played the game for many, many years, Samanic did not grow up playing basketball. Marko Samanic was a journeyman who extended his career out to 19 years, bringing Luka and the family to Belgium when he was 9 months old. The Samanics would also make stops in Slovenia and Germany.

It was in Slovenia that Marko Samanic would reach his highest level, playing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in 2001-02 for KRKA Novo Mesto. He also played in the 7DAYS EuroCup for KK Zadar in 2002-03.

Luka said he would shoot and dribble after his father's practices as a young child, but his sport of choice was something different.

"All of my friends were playing football, and that's the main reason why I also started football," said Samanic, who also played handball and tennis before at last picking up basketball at age 11.

Playing those other sports helped the 2.08 meter forward develop his co-ordination, something that is often lacking for young, tall basketball players.

Samanic is excited about his development in his second season at Barcelona. He played last year at the ANGT L'Hospitalet and averaged 8.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.8 blocks as a backup player on a team that included the likes of Sergi Martinez, Arnas Velicka, Andrija Marjanovic and Nikola Zizic.

"My first year was tough, trying to adapt to Spain and the Spanish league. It was more about adapting," Samanic said. "The second year, I think I started to improve, to make my teammates better and my individual game and team game." With many of those top players from last season gone, Samanic knew it was going to be his time to lead the team.

"There was no pressure for me because we had to play like a team if we wanted to win. Of course, there is more responsibility for some players than others. But in the end we beat everybody as a team and we lost like a team also," he said.

When asked what he learned from the ANGT L'Hospitalet, Samanic said: "We have to sacrifice more for each other. With this tough rhythm of four games in three days, you have to be ready for everything."

Samanic knows he is very far from a finished player and that there are a lot of things he is working on.

"I need to work on my body and my shot, not only individual things, but also tactical things as well," he said.

His main goal is to become a professional basketball player.

"I want to reach as far as possible and my potential will help me accomplish that. This year I want to win as much as possible and develop as much as possible."

Despite getting a late start, Samanic is more than making up for lost time and has excellent chances of becoming a great player for many years.

Development is priority for Barcelona talent Samanic

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Most 18-year-old pro prospects with basketball-playing fathers would love to get on the court and show that they can beat their progenitors. Aleksander Balcerowski of U18 Herbalife Gran Canaria has a different situation. His father is still playing and was recently named to the European Championships all-tournament team in wheelchair basketball.

Indeed, Marcin Balcerowski is the young Gran Canaria center's biggest role model because his father is someone who lives out the motto of never looking back and living for today.

Marcin was a mid-level basketball player in Poland until 2000, the year Aleksander was born, when he got in a car accident and was thereafter bound to a wheelchair.

"It was quite hard. He didn't want to stop the game. He found out there was basketball for wheelchair players and he decided to try a new career, a new life," Balcerowski said.

Aleksander's father was discovered by a scout for a German club and his wheelchair basketball career not only took off, but continues. He helped Poland finish in sixth place at the 2017 European Wheelchair Basketball Championship and gain qualification for the 2018 World Championship. Marcin Balcerowski was selected as one of the top five players in the event, and he currently plays for BG Baskets Hamburg in the top league in Germany.

When asked how his father motivates him, Balcerowski says: "Never give up, that's my father. He's one of the biggest examples for me to always keep your mind straight ahead and never look back."

And what about Aleksander trying wheelchair basketball?

"It's very hard," he said. "The hardest thing for the new guys after an accident is just starting. My father gained 20 kilos after the accident. He wasn't moving. You have to start moving with only your arms. Their arms are so strong. You have to move for 40 minutes, just with your arms, shooting and everything. And that is the hardest thing, getting used to that."

Aleksander has never played his father one-on-one in wheelchairs. They have played one-on-one with him on his feet and Aleksander won that encounter. "But he beats me when we shoot," Aleksander adds.

The last time Aleksander played at the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT, he was just recovering from a broken leg before playing his first games at the ANGT L'Hospitalet following four months of rehab. This year, the 2.15-meter big man is fully fit and showing some off a skillset which has some believing he can play at the highest levels as a pro.

"I wanted to show here everything that I didn't show last time. Everything that I am doing now," he said. "I see my game as playing everywhere. I want to be a complete player, doing everything. I am trying to do more things, and I know I will get better by making mistakes. I see my game like Kristaps Porzingis, something like a big guy who can do everything."

The calendar year that just passed was quite a special one for Balcerowski. First, there was his return to the court for the ANGT L'Hospitalet. Then he began practicing this season with Gran Canaria's senior team. And that led to Balcerowski being among the 17 players nominated for Poland's senior national team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers in November.

The youngster, who only turned 18 years old on November 19, did not make the Polish team for the qualifiers, but it was an invaluable experience.

"It was such a great time with those great players. They are such good guys. It was the first time I was there and they treated me like i was always there, like one of them," said Balcerowski, who has yet to play for Poland internationally after breaking his leg before the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016, which was hosted by his native Poland. "I hope I come back there very fast."

Then just a couple of weeks later, on December 6, Balcerowski got in Gran Canaria's 7DAYS EuroCup game against Tofas Bursa. He played 1:22 minutes and even scored 2 points on his only shot.

"I'm still young, I need to get stronger. Those guys are a lot stronger than me. They have more confidence. They have been playing almost 10 years some of them," he said.

The main thing for Balcerowski is just playing.

"I love this game. I don't know what I would do without this game," he says. "So I am always trying to think that I can always be better. I don't need to stop. I can do everything I do wrong better. I just need to keep working hard each day, and that's it. I'm not thinking about all this talk of the future. Just think about the day you are living now."

Balcerowski's father couldn't have said it any better.

Gran Canaria's Balcerowski motivated by wheelchair-bound father

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Even though U18 FC Barcelona Lassa lost in the Final of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Ciutat de L’Hospitalet on Sunday, Barcelona star Luka Samanic was named tournament MVP. Samanic was third in the tournament in scoring with 23.3 points per game, including a team-high 27 in Sunday’s championship game loss to U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona. He led the competition with 14.8 rebounds per game and 2.8 blocks per game and was second in averaged performance index rating at 33. The Samanic Croatian also averaged 3.0 assists and hit 29 of 34 free throws (85.3%).

Joining Samanic on the All-Tournament Team were Biram Faye of U18 Herbalife Gran Canaria, Theo Maledon from U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne, Joel Parra of U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona, and Morgan Stilma of U18 Unicaja Malaga. Maledon, Stilma, Faye and Parra were first, second, fourth and eighth in scoring respectively at L’Hospitalet. Maledon posted 28.8 points, led the tournament in assists with 6.8 per game and also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals. Stilma, whose 42 points in the fifth-place game were 1 point shy of the all-time single-game record, finished with 26.3 points per game. He also ranked third in rebounds at 11.8 per game and first in index rating with 34 per game. Faye posted 20.8 points, was second with 14.3 rebounds per game and third in index rating at 31.3 while Parra averaged 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals in helping Joventut win the title.

Barcelona's Samanic named ANGT L'Hospitalet MVP

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The 2018 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT qualifying series tournaments start this weekend in the Barcelona suburb of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. ANGT L'Hospitalet features teams from France, Greece, Italy and naturally, Spain, and the rosters are loaded with top talents from those countries and many more. Here's a primer on some of the players to watch from the eight teams in action this weekend.

### U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne: Theo Maledon

Maledon will be participating in his third ANGT. He played in the 2016 ANGT Finals for U18 CFBB Paris and then helped the French showcase team to the ANGT title last season. He averaged 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 2016-17, including 13 points and 3 assists in the ANGT Championship Game. In the off-season, the Rouen native moved from the CFBB to ASVEL Villeurbanne. Before that Maledon took part for the second time at the FIBA U16 European Championship and played a major role in France winning the 2017 U16 crown with averages of 14.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals. The young talent has debuted in the French ProA as well as the 7DAYS EuroCup, but his main action has come in the French U21 league, where he has been worth 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Maledon has good size for a playmaker and is extremely mature for his age. He is also working on improving his three-point shooting.

### U18 FC Barcelona Lassa: Nikola Zizic

Zizic is a veteran in the ANGT as he will compete for the fourth season. The Montenegrin big man is the only Barcelona player left from the 2016 ANGT title winning team. Last season he averaged 8.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 blocks. The native of Podgorica represented his country last summer as well and averaged 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017. Zizic is a good rebounder at both ends of the court and is a good passer for his size. He is a strong finisher near the rim with a series of hook shots. Zizic is also a good teammate and learns quickly. He always competes at a high level with a lot of passion, making him a good example for his teammates with his hard work and perseverance.

### U18 Herbalife Gran Canaria: Aleksander Balcerowski

Balcerowski made his ANGT debut last season for Gran Canaria when he collected 5.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocks at L’Hospitalet. The Polish big man also competed in the three-point contest despite standing 2.15 meters. A native of Swidnica, Balcerowski debuted in the 7DAYS EuroCup and the ACB this season, becoming the youngest player in Gran Canaria history to appear in the ACB. He has not yet played for Poland internationally; Balcerowski missed the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016 in Poland with a broken leg and Poland ended up being relegated to Division B. Balcerowski, who turned 17 in November, was among 17 nominees for the Polish senior team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers in November - though he was not picked for the games. He has good athleticism for his size and is working on improving his outside game. Inside, Balcerowski has a good variety of moves.

### U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona: Joel Parra

Parra will be playing his second ANGT after debuting last season in L’Hospitalet where he averaged 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in helping Joventut reach the final. The Barcelona native, who stands 2.02 meters, scored 21 points in the semifinals. Parra played at the FIBA U18 European Championship last summer and averaged 10.0 points and 2.4 rebounds as Spain finished second. In early December, he made his ACB debut against Unicaja Malaga. Parra, who in 2016 was a member of the Spain squad that won the FIBA U16 European Championship, finishes well in transition, is aggressive in one-on-one situations and can play both inside and outside. He is a very capable passer, who is technically strong and has a strong winning instinct. Parra is now in his 12th season in the Joventut system.

### U18 Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet: Gerard Sola

Sola will be playing at his first ANGT event. The 2.01-meter forward is transitioning from an inside player to the outside. He is developing his perimeter game and working on his outside shooting. Sola has excellent athleticism and powerful leaping ability that allows him to help out on the offensive boards. He can also finish around the rim. With his background as a big man, Sola can post up smaller players and can also attack bigger players with his quickness.

### U18 Promitheas Patras: Dimitrios Karaiskos

With Promitheas making its first appearance in the ANGT, Karaiskos will also be playing for the first time. The 2.07-meter power forward averaged 7.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks for Greece at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2017 Division B. In doing so, Karaiskos helped Greece earn promotion to Division A by winning the title; his top game was 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks against Switzerland. The 2001-born Karaiskos is averaging 17.5 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in the Greek U18 championship this season. He is very intelligent with a great understanding of the game. Karaiskos is an excellent passer from the low and high posts and can finish around the basket with a soft touch with both hands. He has good mechanics on his shot, which extends out to the three-point line. Karaiskos can also play with his face to the basket. He can rebound well and has the makings of an effective shot blocker.

### U18 Unicaja Malaga: Morgan Stilma

Stilma will be playing in his second ANGT after helping Unicaja reach the ANGT Coin final last season with 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, including 13 points and 6 rebounds in the title game against U18 Real Madrid. The 2.02-meter big man is the son of a Dutch father and Italian mother; he was born in Fuengirola, near Malaga. Stilma can play both low post positions and is a hard worker. He gives a strong effort on defense with a good rebounding presence – both offensively and defensively. Offensively, Stilma compensates for his lack of size with activity and versatility. He has a wide variety of moves around the rim and his shooting range extends out to the three-point line.

### U18 Virtus Bologna: Mikk Jurkatamm

Jurkatamm takes his first shot at the ANGT in his second season in Italy. The 1.95-meter shooting guard has already played for Estonia internationally; he averaged 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016. Jurkatamm comes from a basketball family; his brother Taavi plays collegiately for the University of San Francisco in the United States and his father Veiko Jurkatamm also played basketball. Jurkatamm helped Virtus to the U18 Italian title last season. He is a natural three-point shooter, who is also a good passer and works well with a team. Jurkatamm has improved his athleticism and his quickness, making him more able to attack the rim. He is also working on his ball-handling and becoming a more complete point guard.

ANGT L'Hospitalet Players to Watch

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U18 FC Barcelona Lassa will be out to defend its title at Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Ciutat de L’Hospitalet when the 2017-18 ANGT campaign gets underway on January 5-7 in the Barcelona suburb of L’Hospitalet. The 2016 continental champion is one of two former ANGT winners in the field, which also includes a debutant and two teams that did not play last season.

Last winter Barcelona claimed its first ANGT L’Hospitalet crown since 2011 after having reached the qualifying tournament final the previous two campaigns - losing to U18 Real Madrid in both 2015 and 2016. This season, Barcelona headlines Group B, which also includes U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne, U18 Promitheas Patras and U18 Unicaja Malaga. ASVEL is competing in the ANGT for the fourth time, but the first since 2014-15 when it finished 1-3 in L’Hospitalet. The other two appearances by the French club came in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Greek club Promitheas will be making its debut in the competition. Playing in the A1 National division for the second straight year, the club founded the NOUS youth program in 2014. Unicaja returns to L’Hospitalet for the first time since the 2013-14 season, in which it lost to U18 Real Madrid in the final. Last season, Unicaja hosted ANGT Coin and lost in the final to Real Madrid. The previous two seasons, Unicaja played at ANGT Rome, where it finished fifth in 2015-16 after losing the final to U18 StellaAzzurra Rome in 2014-15. Unicaja went to the ANGT Finals in 2014-15.

Group A includes 2013 ANGT champion Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona, U18 Herbalife Gran Canaria, host U18 Torrons Vicens L’Hospitalet and U18 Virtus Bologna. Joventut lost to Barcelona in the ANGT L’Hospitalet Final last season after finishing fifth in 2014-15 and sixth in 2015-16. Gran Canaria returned to the competition last season after not playing since 2011-12. It lost to Joventut in the L’Hospitalet semifinal last season. L’Hospitalet has become a tough team over the past few seasons. In 2015-16, L’Hospitalet picked up two victories and finished fifth and then last season the hosts knocked off U18 Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens and U18 Cedevita Zagreb in group play to reach the semifinals, where they lost to Barcelona. The final team in the group is Virtus, which did not play in the competition last season. The Italian club finished third at ANGT Rome in 2015-16 after losing all four games and finishing in last place in Rome in 2014-15.

The teams will face each of the other three sides in their groups over the first two days of the competition. The final day of action on January 7 will be highlighted by the top team from each of the groups squaring off in the final. The second-placed teams from the groups will play for third place, the third-placed teams for fifth and the fourth-placed sides for seventh place. Unlike past seasons, there will be no semifinals at ANGT L’Hospitalet this season. The ANGT L’Hospitalet schedule also includes a three-point shooting contest between the third-place game and final.

ANGT L'Hospitalet preview: Barcelona out to defend title

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Euroleague Basketball is excited to confirm the 32 teams who will compete to be crowned European U18 club champions, as well as the 2017-18 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifier hosts.

FC Bayern Munich will be one of those qualifier hosts, marking the first time that Germany will see that early phase of the tournament take place on its territory. In addition to Munich, the traditional cities of L'Hospitalet, Kaunas and Belgrade will hold qualifiers whose winners qualify automatically to the Finals next May in the Serbian capital, during the 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four!

A total of 32 different U18 teams will participate across the four qualifiers, with each city seeing eight teams divided into two groups of four during the first two days, followed by first-, third-, fifth- and seventh-place games on the last day.

The Munich qualifier will take place in the historic Audi Dome, the host venue for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games basketball events, and since 2011 the home of FC Bayern Munich. The arena has seen Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 7DAYS EuroCup and easyCredit BBL games, and next February will also be able to witness Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT games.

The first qualifier, in L'Hospitalet, Spain from January 5 to 7, 2018, will feature 2016 champion FC Barcelona Lassa, 2013 champion Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona as well as ASVEL Villeurbanne, Herbalife Gran Canaria, Promitheas Patras, Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet, Unicaja Malaga and Virtus Bologna.

The second qualifier, in Kaunas, Lithuania from January 19 to 21, will feature three-time continental champion CSKA Moscow, two-time champion Zalgiris Kaunas, two-time champion CFBB Paris, and 2012 champion Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, as well as Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul, Khimki Moscow Region, Stellazzurra Rome and VEF Riga.

The third qualifier, in Munich, Germany from February 9 to 11, will feature 2015 champion Real Madrid as well as ALBA Berlin, Brose Bamberg, Darusafaka Istanbul, FC Bayern Munich, Olympiacos Piraeus, ratiopharm Ulm and Real Betis Energia Plus Seville.

And the fourth and final qualifier, in Belgrade, Serbia from February 23 to 25, will feature 2014 champion Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade as well as Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Cibona Zagreb, GBA Prague, Mega Bemax Belgrade, Partizan NIS Belgrade, Spars Sarajevo and Umana Reyer Venice.

The Finals will be held in parallel with the 2017-18 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade from May 17 to 20, 2018.

Going into its 16th edition, the alumni of the Euroleague Basketball U18 Tournament are a who's who of EuroLeague stars including Thomas Heurtel (FC Barcelona Lassa), Luka Doncic (Real Madrid), Mantas Kalnietis (AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan), Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos Piraeus) and Luigi Datome (Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul), among many others.



2017-18 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifier hosts, participants announced

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The 2017 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals were the culmination of the club season for the continent's premier junior squads, as their coaching and support staffs were able to learn more about the players' in-game performance than ever before thanks to the introduction of WIMU PRO sensors from RealTrack Systems. WIMU PRO was used to monitor the movements of every player in every game at the ANGT Finals, one of the parallel events at the 2017 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Istanbul, Turkey, and provided great amounts of data.

The players each wore small sensors, which tracked their movement during the games. Afterwards, the program's software was able to provide information on the players' running, jumping and movement. WIMU PRO tracked the vertical distance and hang times for jumps as well as the number of such leaps during the game. It provided both the cumulative and per-minute distance covered; acceleration, deceleration and maximum running speeds; and also compiled the impact and load for each player over the course of the game. The data, which can be viewed from a spreadsheet, can also be shown in conjunction with the game feed to present information for specific plays.

Once parsed, coaches and trainers can see how their teams stack up against the competition in terms of player load, running, jumping ability and hustle stats. The data can be viewed by individual, by position or by team. Likewise, it can see how fatigue affected players by looking at how performance varied by quarter. A heat map gives coaches another tool showing where on the court players spent the most time.

“We would like to thank RealTrack Systems for their support in performing such an innovative test,” Eduard J. Scott, Chief Operations Officer for Euroleague Basketball, said. “Since the creation of the U18 Tournament in 2002-03, Euroleague Basketball have always looked for ways in which technology can be applied to provide increased data for fans, media, clubs and leagues alike. WIMU PRO has validated its functionality for use in professional basketball by clubs as well as officiating departments. We will continue evaluating this and other technological solutions that potentially improve performance analysis for the benefit of all stakeholders in the sport, with improving our competitions for the benefit of fans remaining the ultimate objective.”

Among the scores of information the final report from the ANGT Finals shows is that Sergi Martinez of U18 FC Barcelona Lassa, who was selected to the All-Tournament Team, covered the most distance during the event by running 4.98km. Martinez also scored the highest through the WIMU PRO Basketball High Performance Index, which takes data from the sensors and forms a score that can be used to simplify the analysis of player performance. Finals MVP Ivan Fevrier of U18 CFBB Paris was the fastest man on the court with his average max speed reaching 21.3 km/h.

"We are proud to have written a new page in basketball history with Euroleague Basketball," Carlos Padilla, Technical Director for RealTrack Systems, said. "WIMU PRO has proven itself to work at the highest level and with the most advanced and dependable technology during four days, 13 games, 96 players and referees in two different venues. There was no margin for error for offering data in real time and big-data reports one hour after each game. It was a tough test that we come out of very satisfied for having reached a high level of precision."

WIMU PRO tracking delivered data on ANGT stars in Istanbul

The latest edition of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT ended with U18 CFBB Paris as the deserved champion of the competition, which began back in January in Spain. CFBB hoisted the trophy to the heavens in Istanbul by beating U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade in a continental championship game that lived up to its billing and culminated a thrilling 15th anniversary for the tournament.

The CFBB coaching staff deserves major praise in a couple of regards. First off, Jean-Aime Toupane and his coaches formed a team that was willing to get after it on defense but also shared the ball in playing true team offense, too.

Toupane's men lost two games at the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament Kaunas, to U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius in group play and then to U19 Zalgiris Kaunas in the final in Lithuania. After receiving a wild card for Istanbul, Toupane came to Turkey without Yves Pons, a major athletic presence and his second leading scorer from Kaunas, who was injured, as was a major role player, Nicolas Dorez. Three roster changes that CFBB made for Istanbul saw three players born in 2001 come on, making four total who can play in this tournament the next two seasons, as well. And yet, CFBB was unstoppable in Istanbul despite having just four 1999-born players.

CFBB opened the ANGT Finals with a 19-point win over the reigning champion U18 FC Barcelona Lassa. The French team then took down U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, which won the 2014 title and reached the EB ANGT Championship Game in 2015 and 2016, by 15 points. Then, CFBB handled U18 CSKA Moscow by 12 points to reach the title game. There, this young team remained composed, with just 8 turnovers, to grab the organization's second trophy, following 2010, when it won as U18 INSEP Paris.

One more point on what makes the CFBB title all the more impressive. This group of players really does not know what it's like to win games. As part of its agreement with French basketball leaders, CFBB plays in the country's third division against adult teams and cannot be relegated. And against that older competition, the future leaders of French basketball went winless this season: that’s right, 0-34. So this CFBB team's only wins all season came in the EB ANGT.

However, the trio of CFBB leaders – Ivan Fevrier, the EB ANGT Finals MVP; fellow All-Tournament Team member Yanik Blanc; and Timothe Bazille – share a common bond: one victory in the French third division wearing the CFBB colors. They teamed together to beat Caen 93-87 on April 16, 2016. That victory snapped a four-year (!) losing streak of 142 games dating back to January 21, 2012. And CFBB has now lost 36 games in a row since then.

So, a tip of the hat to CFBB. Félicitations!

The CFBB-Mega championship game matchup was not one many people would have picked coming into Istanbul. Both teams were wild cards, having lost the EB ANGT Kaunas and EB ANGT Belgrade finals, respectively. Mega's duo of Goga Bitadze, who made the All-Tournament Team with an outstanding tournament, and Nikola Miskovic carried Mega as far as they could.

Mega was able to knock off U18 Real Madrid by 10 points on the first day of action in Istanbul, which proved to be one of the most exciting group-stage days in EB ANGT history.

Not only did Mega beat Madrid – considered by many as the favorite to win the title – but CSKA started the day by surprising Zvezda. CFBB followed up that upset by beating Barcelona. Then, after the Mega win over Madrid, host team U18 Fenerbahce Istanbul upended U18 Zalgiris, leaving the four qualifying tournament winners trying to make up the numbers the rest of the way.

CSKA Moscow remains the EB ANGT record champion with three titles, having won back-to-back-to-back in 2004, 2005 and 2006. But 2007 was the last time the Russian giant played in the EB ANGT Finals. The team definitely deserved to be in Istanbul on a wild card after a third-place finish in Kaunas.

This CSKA team gave Moscow fans reason to be excited after they had not seen much young talent come up through its own ranks recently. The guard trio of Aleksandr Ershov, Alexander Khomenko and Yury Umrikhin gets hearts racing just watching them play the fast-paced style that made CSKA the top scoring team in the ANGT qualifiers. After being named the ANGT Kaunas MVP – including one game with 37 points – Ershov averaged a shade under 15 points as CSKA beat two of the last three continental champions with comeback wins over Zvezda and Barcelona. Oh, and Ershov is 2000-born, meaning he can play in the ANGT next season as well.

As we close the latest chapter of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT and look forward to the 2018 EB ANGT Finals in Belgrade, let's look back briefly at some other memories that will fill the pages of the 2016-17 history book.

The 2016-17 season witnessed the birth of a new qualifying tournament in Coin as well as the EB ANGT debuts of U18 Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, U18 Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, U18 Get Better Academy Prague and U18 Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens.

EB ANGT L'Hospitalet host team U18 Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet gave the home fans plenty to celebrate as it reached the semifinals just two seasons after picking up its first-ever ANGT victory in 2014-15.

The L'Hospitalet qualifier also saw U18 Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas' 2.15-meter center Aleksander Balcerowski compete in the three-point shooting contest.

The ANGT Kaunas will be fondly remembered for the Chinese trio from U18 Canarias Basketball Academy Las Palmas. And, of course, for Zalgiris winning its fourth straight qualifier at home. Zvezda meanwhile extended its EB ANGT Belgrade winning streak to seven straight titles. And Madrid won its third qualifier in a row, this time in Coin, after two crowns from L'Hospitalet.

The 2016-17 season was full of excitement throughout and now we can all look forward to next season.

Theo Maledon averaged 10 points in four games to help U18 CFBB Paris reach the ANGT title

Nikola Miskovic - U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Nikola Miskovic had 61 points for U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade in four games, including the championship game

Martynas Arlauskas - U18 Zalgiris Kaunas - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Martynas Arlauskas and U18 Zalgiris Kaunas could not show their usual dominance in the tournament

Dmitrii Gusenkov - U18 CSKA Moscow - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Dmitrii Gusenkov and U18 CSKA Moscow had a couple of big comebacks but they didn't make the final game

Khadim Sow - U18 Real Madrid - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Khadim Sow of U18 Real Madrid averaged 6.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in Istanbul

Cengizhan Ivedi was one of U18 Fenerbahce Istanbul's main players with 10.3 points per game, but the team could not make the title game

Andrija Marjanovic - U18 FC Barcelona Lassa - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Andrija Marjanovic and U18 FC Barcelona Lassa could not defend the title they won back in 2016

Stefan Momirov - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 -  Stefan Momirov and U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade were far from being the dominant team they usually are in Istanbul

Yanik Blanc was one of the main factors of U18 CFBB Paris to reach the title

Yury Umrikhin of U18 CSKA Moscow averaged 10 points in the three games played by his team

CFBB title closes chapter on the 15th ANGT season

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