As it usually goes the summer starts with the U20 European Championship and this time the hosts of Division A was Montenegro or better said their capital city Podgorica.
Spain dominated the competition and went undefeated to win the title. They had the most depth on their roster which can be the key in this type of tournament. All of the other teams had a good match or two but for Portugal, Czech Republic and Ukraine that wasn’t enough and they were relegated to Division B. In general the tournament quality was decent and there were some good prospects in basically every team.
Here is the list of prospects that stood out the most and that have the highest potential:
Juan Nunez (PG | 194 cm | ‘04) ~ Spain
11.6 pts, FG2-52.7%, FG3-42.9%, FT-62.5%, 3.9 reb, 4.9 ast, 1.6 st, 2.1 to, 0.0 blck
Finished as the tournament MVP. Juan was one of the best players in Spain’s team even though he could still play for the U18 team and was two years younger than competition. He showed once again his wizardry and tried many advanced passes but some of them were not accurate enough to find the target. You rarely see a basic chest pass from him and I believe he could limit his turnovers if he would play it safe more often. He has an aggressive first step and can get to the rim while I still have doubts about his shooting form and if he will be able to become a reliable shooting threat in the future. Stil too left-hand dominant and needs to improve his right hand. A creative playmaker that from time to time wants to show too much and not all teams will take the gamble on his risk taking.
Noam Dovrat (G | 195 cm | ‘02) ~ Israel
17.7 pts, FG2-43.3%, FG3-34.0, FT-85.7%, 5.4 reb, 4.4 ast, 1.7 st, 2.9 to, 0.0 blck
Noam was the leader of the Israeli team that was, in my opinion, the biggest surprise of the tournament. It was obvious that he has a lot of pro experience under his belt and sometimes the game looked too easy for him. He played a lot as the main creator in offense, ran many pick & rolls and delivered precise passes to the rolling big man. Dovrat can do it all in offense and can be a useful piece in many offensive schemes and in my opinion he can have a long lasting career on European top level.
Mantas Rubstavicius (SG |199 cm | ‘02) ~ Lithuania
19.7 pts, FG2-57.5%, FG3-39.6%, FT-76.1%, 4.4 reb, 1.3 ast, 1.4 st, 1.6 to, 0.1 blck
Mantas was the top scorer of the competition and also had a tournament-high performance with 38 scored points in quarterfinals vs France. A lot to like in the Lithuanian shooter and how confident he was in offense. His off-ball movements are on elite level and he reads the defense well and knows how to create separation. After he comes off-screen he quickly positions his feet into a shooting position so he doesn’t need much space for a shot. Also showed the ability to bring the ball to the rim and proved that he can be an efficient scorer on all three levels. An interesting scorer with a Euroleague future.
Fedor Zugic (SG | 196 cm | ‘03) ~ Montenegro
18.0 pts, FG2-52.2%, FG3-36.6%, FT-82.5%, 3.1 reb, 3.0 ast, 0.7 st, 3.4 to, 0.3 blck
Hometown hero. The pressure was really high on him since he was the main player of the Montenegrin team that had high expectations in front of the home crowd. He had some bright and some bad moments but overall a good tournament for him and Montenegro. The team lacked a true point guard and the coach needed to improvise so Fedor was sometimes used out of his usual scorer role and that was causing some problems for him and the team. He isn’t a player that would create a lot of points by himself but needs a playmaker to get him the right passes but he managed to show his aggressiveness with getting to the rim and elite scoring instincts. Overall one of the most talented scorers in the tournament and a player that in my opinion fits better into the NBA up&down playing style than into the European game but to get to the NBA, he will need to prove himself on European ground first.
Adem Bona (C | 206 cm | ‘03) ~ Turkey
17.0 pts, FG2-66.2%, FG3-N/A, FT-68.8%, 10.9 reb, 0.7 ast, 1.0 st, 2.6 to, 2.4 blck
Statistically the best player in Montenegro and the only one that averaged a double-double. Bona was just too athletic for the competition. He dominated in rebounding and protected the rim very well. His motor and energy was high, managed to outrun other bigs, caused some problems when rolling to the rim in PnR plays and managed to cover a lot of holes in defense. Dominated the competition because of his athletic tools and energy but hasn’t shown much basketball skillset. At this level athletic tools are enough but we will see next season at UCLA how he will perform against players with similar athletic capabilities. His offensive skill set is still kinda raw and he hasn’t improved by much in that aspect.
Ruben Prey (PF | 208 cm | ‘05) ~ Portugal
16.3 pts, FG2-47.8%, FG3-38.1%, FT-63.2%, 8.4 reb, 1.1 ast, 0.7 st, 1.6 to, 1.4 blck
The youngest and in my opinion also the most talented player at this tournament. Even though he was playing three years up he was still able to stay competitive and show his talents. Showed advanced inside & outside game, made some very good defensive plays where he showed his footwork or anticipation for blocks. He showed that he can do it all but there is room to improve in every aspect of his game which is understandable for a player his age. Definitely a player worth writing down and following his progress in next years.
Michael Caicedo (SF | 200 cm | ‘03) ~ Spain
9.4 pts, FG2-63.3%, FG3-36.0%, FT-100.0%, 4.1 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.1 st, 1.4 to, 0.0 blck
The do-it-all player in Spain’s national team. Caicedo is so useful in any team because he can do a lot of the things right and he doesn’t need a bigger role to prove himself. He was doing everything here once again and stepped up when needed. Glued the team together on both ends and played a very important role in offense and defense. Haven’t seen many drives from him in this tournament and would sometimes love to see him being more aggressive because he has the skills and tools to be a plus slasher. Players like him can be valuable for top teams and I can imagine Caicedo playing on the highest level in the future.
Leonardo Okeke (C | 213 cm | ‘03) ~ Italy
14.0 pts, FG2-53.2%, FG3-28.6%, FT-58.8%, 8.7 reb, 0.7 ast, 0.9 st, 1.0 to, 1.9 blck
Leonardo wasn’t with the team during most of the preparations so he struggled a little to find the right role in the beginning of the tournament but as the tournament advanced he played better and better. Athletic big man, hard to stop in pick & rolls or on post ups when he decided to use his mobility and strength. Sometimes he looked tired/lazy and wasn’t running the floor or going for a rebound but otherwise proved himself as the best/most talented center in Podgorica. Room to improve in decision making and in face up game from mid-post. The talent is there and it is up to him if he will use all his tools the best way possible and make an NBA career.
Leo Menalo (F | 200 cm | ‘02) ~ Croatia
14.0 pts, FG2-62.5%, FG3-40.0%, FT-91.7%, 4.4 reb, 1.7 ast, 1.7 st, 2.0 to, 1.3 blck
Menalo was tough to evaluate in Podgorica because he had so many ups & downs and it really depended which game you watched him play. He had some great performances and a few bad ones so he definitely needs to work on his consistency. But at every moment it was quite obvious that he is one of the most talented forwards in the tournament. He moved fluidly, easily created separation without the ball and showed good shooting skills when coming off-screen. Another thing that popped out is his athleticism and he managed to make quite a few highlight-worthy dunks. He is a player that can play with or without the ball and is capable of creating scoring opportunities. Used his basketball IQ very well in defense and anticipated plays and stole a few balls. A versatile forward that still can improve and his ceiling can be really high if he manages to get more consistent in his performances.
Ondrej Hanzlik (SG | 200 cm | ‘02) ~ Czech Republic
13.4 pts, FG2-65.0%, FG3-42.2%, FT-73.3%, 3.6 reb, 2.0 ast, 0.6 st, 1.0 to, 0.4 blck
I am a little surprised that Czech finished 15th and relegated to Division B since they had a few very good prospects and Ondrej Hanzlik was in my opinion their best one. A lanky shooting guard/wing with quick and high release so his shots are hard to contest. When he came off-screen he let it fly immediately and the defense didn’t even had enough time to react. He doesn’t offer much else but his off-ball movements and shooting touch are elite and shooting is so important in nowadays basketball that there will always be a place for players with this profile on the top level.
Djordjije Jovanovic (F | 197 cm | ‘03) ~ Montenegro
11.3 pts, FG2-44.1%, FG3-30.8%, FT-76.5%, 5.0 reb, 0.3 ast, 0.1 st, 0.9 to, 0.4 blck
Djordije also played an important role in the success of Montenegro at this tournament. He was always at the right place to grab a rebound, steal a ball or make a winning play which just shows his amazing instincts and court awareness. His amazing court awareness was also obvious in offense when he made accurate cuts to the rim or opened the passing lanes for an open shot and I’m sure he will make those shots with very good percentages in the future. A wing player that plays hard and with energy, goes after every ball and is not afraid to sacrifice his body for his team. Coaches love players like him and he can become a really good role player for top clubs and the Montenegrin national team.
