FIBA U18 Europe Division B
NATHAN KUTA, 2000, Netherlands, 6’8, Center TEAM: Limburg United
STATS: http://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u18b/2018/player/Nathan-Kuta
Powerful and efficient bigman. He was the MVP of the tournament. Plays center most of the game but we also saw him in power forward as well. Kuta was nearly impossible to stop in the painted area, carried his team to the championship with constant effort in finishing the pick and roll and offensive glasses. Being a bit undersized, he compensated his lack of length with power and big body. Decent on midranges, did not hesitate to shoot the ball. Prefers to power inside most of the time. Very aggressive and hustle player, did go after every loose ball and rebound. Knows the game well, stands in the right position in the set plays. Body is strong built. Very good defender after switches, works hard on both sides of the court. Feet quickness give him an edge on defending pick and rolls. Active in the low post, finds his way to the rack with basic footwork. Average passer, sometimes throws bad passes to the free shooter. Athleticisim and rim protection need improvement. It might be interesting to see him in professional level as an undersize bigman. With his attitude and focus, he can play in Eurocup level.
ADAM SOMOGYI, 2000, Hungary, 6’3, Guard TEAM: Sevilla
Stats: http://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u18b/2018/player/Ádám-Somogyi
All around guard. Somogyi played two guard positions flawlessly. He made the most of the plays on offense, leading Hungary throughout the games. Plays with great confidence and flirted with triple double few times in the tournament. Lefty with a good looking shot, averaged 2,5 3P made per game. Lacks the quickness to blow his opponents but Somogyi plays with high IQ, chooses the right move on the offense. Very good passer, was the third in assists in the tournament. Can use his both hands very well, has no problem handling and taking care of the ball. Gets to the rim with good with decent moves. Very competitive and active in the game, makes few mistakes and plays efficiently. Needs to improve defensively, just an OK defender for now. Standing at 6’3, has a really good wingspan which helps him
get into passing lanes and poking balls. Off ball game is equally impressive, more of a team player than forcing his own game. Has a good IQ on offense overall. Very intrigued by his rebounding contribution, aware of the ball at any time.
VRENZ BLEIJENBERGH, 2000, Belgium, 6’9, Forward TEAM: Antwerp Giants
STATS: http://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u18b/2018/player/Vrenz-Paul-
M-Bleijenbergh
Vrenz showed in that tournament that he is more than just potential. Lengthy forward did in all in every single game, with 4 double-double and a triple double. Handles the ball very well for his size. More like a rhythm shooter than a consistent one at this stage from three point line, however his quick trigger gives him an edge. Plays with high motor and his integrity to the team was terrific. Waits fort he ball to come to him rather than forcing unnecessary shots. Blows pasts opponents with impressive quickness and athleticism. Moves around the court very nicely, always in the right place. Great rebounder from the weakside, was clicking with Bratanovic. Very competitive, gets into zone when he is feeling it. Has great length but needs to put up a lot of muscles to be that competitive in the pro level as well. Didn’t get to the free throw line much because he keeps away from contact. He also excels at sharing the ball, feels comfortable at point forward, as the secondary ball handler. Makes the right decisions in the high tempo game. Needs strength defensively but was amazing at blocking shots thanks to his length athleticism, averaged 2 blocks per game. Already got an offer from Arizona. Still plays with Antwerp Giants B team.
MIKAL GJERDE, 2000, Norway, 6’7, Forward TEAM: Kongsberg Miners
STATS: http://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u18b/2018/player/Mikal-Gjerde
Gjerde was the top player of his team without a doubt. Gjerde was very competitive, relentless and hardworking throughout the whole tournament. He grabs tons of rebounds thanks to his activity on both ends, averaged 11 boards per game from forwards. He handles the ball just alright, plays with consistent effort and not much flashy plays. He took lots of responsibility in the game, did not hesitate to try hard shots and he was decent beyond the arc as well. Impressive slashing ability, has some explosiveness in him with above average quickness and speed for his position. Has good length to play three but needs to improve overall athleticism to play against the pros. Amazing versitality, he played roll man and the
P&R ball handler in consecutive possessions. Was very effective from three when he was left alone. Did exploited the mismatches inside. Has a fighter spirit, did not lose concentration even when they where back with a big margin.
HENRI DRELL, 2000, Estonia, 6’9, Forward TEAM: Brose Bamberg
STATS: http://www.fiba.basketball/europe/u18b/2018/player/Henri-Drell
Estonian forward did not played his best in Skopje, but was more of a team player this time. Possess terrific length to play both forward position, has the quickness of a guard and his athleticisim is well above average. Very agile with the ball but needs to improve his ball handling to prevent unnecessary turnovers. Very good at attacking close outs. Made good passes to the shooters in the corner after getting trapped, improved court awareness. Did not forced the game here much but took responsibility when he had to. Helped defensive rebounds as well. Has unique combination of quickness and length, finds his way to the rim when slashing. Needs to get better finishing through contact. Shown some improvements in his defense, better stance and more activity. His shooting is good but sometimes tends to settle for difficult shots, should select his shots better.
OTHERS TO FOLLOW:
HARIS BRATANOVIC, 2001, Belgium, 6’10, Center
NOE BOTULI, 2000, Belgium, 6’4, Shooting Guard
DAVID BOHM, 2001, Czech Republic, 6’7, Forward
LEONARDO CARLINO, 2000, Denmark, 6’6, Forward
MARK JAAKSON, 2000, Estonia, 6’7, Forward
HILMAR HENNINGSON, 2000, Iceland, 6’4, Guard
KEYE VAN DER VUURST DE VRIES, 2001, Netherlands, 6’3, Guard
TOMAS PAVELKA, 2000, Slovakia, 7’0, Center
GREGOR GLAS, 2001, Slovenia, 6’5, Guard
TSVETOMIR CHERNOKOJEV, 2000, Bulgaria, 6’10, Forward
PS. Everything was already said about Deni Avdija after Fiba U20 Europe Division A. &Vit Krejci was already injured at the time I got to Macedonia.
