After three intensive days in a picturesque Valencia, we have concluded this quick summary of the first qualifier of Adidas Next Generation Tournament. We’ve highlighted a couple of the best performers on each team with some other notable players as well as a short note what each team has achieved.

USK FUTURE STARS PRAGUE

Finished last in the tournament, lost all three games in the group stage as well as classification game for the 7th spot to ASVEL after overtime. A couple of prospects stood out and showed their potential.

David Bohm (01’) after a great individual start in the lost game against Barca with 29 points, 5 threes and 5 rebounds was really slowed down in the second game by Valencia. Constantly cut off from the ball, had to really work to get into position and the tiredness could be seen from the morning game. Has a natural touch as a shooter that can’t be seen by looking at his poor 3FG (11/40, 27.5%) where most of his shots were tightly contested, has an ability to beat the defender off the dribble with fluid moves and finish inside or play occasionally with back to the basket. Needs to take a better control of the ball as he averaged 4.3 TO’s a game, some of them being risky passes and some lost control under tight defense. Averaged 19pts, 5.5reb, 1.8ast, 2.5stl, 4.3to’s, 0.8blk.

Kristian Kocab (02’) center with a still underdeveloped thin body that should fill in over time, has decent mobility and knows how to position himself in the post. Back to the basket game is still in development and the struggle could be seen when matched up against other bigs. Would be nice if he could add a long range shot to his repertoire as he’s taken zero attempts from beyond the arc in the tournament and is not even looking at the rim from longer distances. Averaged decent 8.3pts, 8.5reb (3.5oreb, 5dreb).

Other notable players: Marek Vyroubal

PORSHE LUDWIGSBURG

Finished 4 th , missing the podium only by 5 points in the defeat to Joventut Badalona 80:84. Won two out of three group phase games against Prague and Barca, lost narrowly to Valencia 50:54 and not advanced to the final.

Ariel Hukporti (02’) true leader of his team, getting excited and energising everybody after his strong moves and dunks. Has improved his footwork and back to the basket game since the summer and was the true dominant force in the paint. His range of moves is still limited to 2/3 go to moves but the improvement and the shift in the attitude can be seen easily. Needs to really work on his shot, very poor % from the FT line (35.5%) no outside game and not confident in his jump shot. Was selected to the best 5 and averaged an imposing 18pts, 15.3reb (6oreb, 9.3dreb), 2.5stl, 4to’s, 1.8blk.

George-Cristian Cotoara (02’) versatile inside-outside forward with a nice frame and good physical tools, active on the glass on both ends of the floor. Playing nicely on the PnR, giving good screens and rolling to the basket well, was able to stretch the floor and finish inside. Had a limited impact playing in the shadow of A.Hukporti but he has racked up solid stats at this event on average getting 8pts, 7.5reb (4oreb, 3.5dreb), 0.3ast, 1stl, 1to’s, 1blk.

Other notable players: Lukas Herzog, Aeneas Jung

FC BARCELONA LASSA

With such strong names on their roster, it was a rather disappointing tournament for Barca Lassa. A couple of their players being affected by illness or recovering from it, but even if that was taken into consideration it wasn’t hard to notice that Barca underperformed in this event finishing 5th and going home with their heads down.

Tom Digbeu (01’) selected to best 5, being the second-best scorer and clearly the best player in his team he managed to get 14.8pts, 5.8reb, 4ast, 1.3stl, and 4to’s. A very athletic guard, with an impressive frame, explosiveness and lift off two feet. Was regularly cutting through opposing defense off the first step or the dribble, opening a lot of opportunities for himself and his team. Reads the game well and has good instincts to deliver the ball in a flashy way to best situated teammate. His shot needs improving as he finished poorly from both FT line (55.6%) and 3-point arc (22.7%).

Haris Bratanovic (01’) being Barca’s top scorer, rebounder and second best player on the team in this tournament, finished with impressive 17.3pts, 9.8reb (5oreb, 4.8dreb), 1.3blk and 3to’s. Was the difference maker in the painted area on both ends on the floor posing a great challenge for opponent bigs with good positioning/base/footwork and scoring around the rim with a soft touch as well as occasionally stretching the floor. Needs to shed a few extra pounds as his speed and mobility are being affected by that.

Other notable players: Pau Tendero, Matthew Marsh, Borja Fernandez

DIVINA SEGUROS JOVENTUT BADALONA

After a couple of strong performances in the group phase and losing to Bologna only by 3 points, they have been matched up against Porshe Ludwigsburg in the game for a bronze medal with a final score of 80:84 for Badalona.

Aleix Haro (01’) Natural scorer with a good ability to get in the lane and finish inside. Didn’t impress with his shooting (3PTS-28.6%) but was consistent delivering points and distributing the ball to his teammates, finishing second best in assist in the event. Averaged 17.8pts, 2.8reb, 5ast, 2stl, 3to’s and was selected to the best 5.

Vinicius Da Silva (01’) after improving his game noticeably, he managed to get 12.5pts, 11reb, 0.8stl, 1.3to’s, 1.5blk. Being opportunistic scorer, he makes most of his points by positioning himself well under the rim and getting put backs rather than playing 1×1 or back to the basket. Still lanky body, needs to work on his shooting form as his shot doesn’t look very confident and finished poorly from FT line (46.7%).

Other notable players: Zsombor Maronka, Adria Domenech

MOVISTAR ESTUDIANTES MADRID

After narrowly losing to Bologna by only two points and not that easily winning with weaker ASVEL they’ve got completely swept by Badalona in the group phase. They have been matched up in the classification game for the 5 th spot against Barca and lost it 74:92 finishing 6 th .

Hector Alderete (02’) top scorer for his team along with A.Gonzalez. Had really good moments delivering points for his team when they needed them, but he didn’t play to his full potential, underperformed in this tournament and didn’t step up as a leader. Averaged very solid numbers 11.3pts, 7.3reb, 2ast, 0.5stl, 3to’s, 0.3blk. As he shot poorly from beyond the arc in the group phase (3PTS-2/8) he was able to separate from his defender, get inside and finish around the rim with confidence.

Gilad Levy (02’) 7’1’’ has already amazing physical attributes but still developing body, coordination and skillset. Fights in the post, competitive, tries to play back to the basket and get into position but doesn’t have a strong base yet, sometimes gets pushed out and outhustled by smaller opponents. Averaged 5.5pts, 4.8reb, 0.5stl, 1.3to’s, 0.3blk.

Other notable players: Emil Stoilov

UNIPOL BANCA VIRTUS BOLOGNA

After three very close games in the group stage, Bologna has landed in the final playing against the host of the tournament Basket Valencia. After a catastrophic start into the game Q1-19:6 they have tried to pick up their own slack but their most important asset Camara was seated for most of the game due to foul trouble and playing only for 18mins. In the end, losing the Final game 71:82 and finishing 2nd in the tournament.

Gora Camara (01’) the best rebounder in the tournament, all-time rebound record in a single game against Madrid (26 – 8oreb,18dreb) selected to best five and awarded as an MVP. Most of the time he completely dominated the paint and overpowered his opponents, shooting in traffic and through contact like it’s nothing. Has already nicely developed, strong body and decent footwork. The only downside to his performance being no outside game, poor shooting from FT line (40.7%), limited repertoire of moves in the post and sometimes after an offensive rebound forcing a shot over two or three opponents, not looking at other opportunities. Averaged 12.3pts, 15.5reb, 1.3stl, 2.3to’s, 0.3blk.

Matteo Nicoli (01’) Good scorer, keeps the defense honest and needs to be respected on the perimeter, for the most part being a spot up shooter, he has racked up some nice numbers in the group phase (3PTS – 42.9%). Lost his touch in the final game going for 3PTS-2/11. Able to get inside but struggles with finishing through contact and doesn’t draw many fouls. Averaged 15.5pts, 3reb,0.8ast, 1.8stl, 2.8to’s, 0.5blk.

Other notable players: Lorenzo Deri, Gabriele Procida

VALENCIA BASKET

Without any big names on their roster and evenly distributed minutes between players throughout the tournament, Valencia has managed to win the event without losing a single game.

Marc Garcia (01’) after a slow start and very poor field goal percentages in the group phase (2FG- 25%, 3PTS-16.7%) Marc has recovered significantly in the final game and in the end, was selected to the best 5. Active with the ball, getting inside nicely, beating his defender off the dribble and able to finish through contact. Creative with his passes and able to deliver the ball well. Finished with 9pts, 4.5reb, 4ast, 1.8stl, 2.3to’s, 0.5blk.

Alonso Faure (02’) Knows how to position himself under the rim but struggles a bit in keeping a strong base, needs to improve his overall strength. Runs the floor fairly well in the open lane, currently not very well coordinated. Active on the offensive glass, crashing it regularly. Finished with 8.8pts, 6.5reb (3oreb, 3.5dreb), 0.5ast, 0.8stl, 1.5to’s, 1blk.

Other notable players: Millan Jimenez, Guillem Ferrando

LDLC ASVEL VILLEURBANNE

Finished 7th in the tournament by a game winning shot in the overtime win against Prague 61:59. Didn’t impress in the group stage by winning only one game against Bologna that already had finals clinched.

Matthew Strazel (02’) had the biggest impact and was clearly the best player on his team averaging 16.3pts, 4.5reb, 2.5ast, 2.8stl, and 3.3to’s. Playing with high energy was taking the most responsibility on the offensive end, able to separate himself from the opponents with his quick, low dribble, penetrate inside regularly and distribute the ball. Wasn’t very reliable with his shooting (3PTS-22.6%), likes to take an odd 28-footer or a shot with defender’s hand in his face. Although he plays with a lot of effort sometimes gets overpowered due to small size.

Kymany Houinsou (04’) the youngest participant in the tournament, gathered some very valuable experience playing on average 19 minutes a game and at times not even looking like he’s that much younger than other players. With some nice physical tools, impressive lift off two legs and the overall feel for the game he will be a very interesting prospect to follow in the next few years. Ended the event with 4.5pts, 2.8reb, 0.5ast, 1.3stl, 2.3to’s and 0.3blk.

Other notable players: Flavien Buanga