Date: 27th October – 30th October 2022
Location: Opčine – Trieste
This weekend a strong U16 tournament (players born in 2007 or younger) was taking place in Opčine/Trieste organized by baskeball club Jadran. It is a club run by Slovene minority in Italy and the plan for this tournament is to make it traditional and improve it every year.
This year they managed to attract some big of the biggest names in European youth basketball circles starting with Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona. There were also the three of best Italian youth programs: Stella Azzurra, Orange1 Basket Bassano and Olimpia Milano. Finishing the list of teams with Partizan Belgrade, Bayern Munich and Cedevita Olimpija who all are big brands even outside of their country borders.
Final standings:
- Real Madrid
- Orange1 Bassano
- Olimpia Milano
- Stella Azzura Rome
- Barcelona
- Bayern Munich
- Cedevita Olimpija
- Partizan Belgrade
Definitely a strong lineup of teams but lets see what they offered from the player scouting point of view.
Listed player sizes are from the official brochure or my judgments so there is a chance that they are not correct. Players are listed in order of their teams placement and not ordered by talent/upside.
Kyllian Michee (G | 184 cm | ’07) ~ Real Madrid
Lets start with the MVP of the tournament. He was a little reserved in the group phase and hasn’t been that effective but in the final match he exploded with 28 points and shooting 9/13 from the field. He is a good scorer on all three levels with a smooth shooting stroke for a player that age. Kyllian has a smaller body with a thinner frame and due to his shiftiness and advanced handles, he can easily create open shots. He fits better in the scorer than playmaker mold and there is room to improve in his passing and decision making. He made a few nice passes though but the overall impression is not high. I think there will always be question marks about his size and how will it translate through the youth ranks and later to pro levels.
El Hadji Sidi Gueye (C | 208 cm | ’07) ~ Real Madrid
In my opinion the player that should be named as the MVP of the tournament. He was great throughout the whole tournament, posting double double performances in every game and had a 20 points and 18 rebounds performance in the finals. The Senegalese big man has a thin frame and lanky body and it is tough to say how much muscle can his body hold. He used his length, agility and athleticism well and easily collected rebounds on both ends. Also showed that he can be an attractive lob target and made a few alley oop or putback dunks. Attempted a few mid-range shots too but he is not a reliable stretch option yet but the shooting touch on free throws looks promising. Definitely one of the prospects to watch in this generation because players with that mix of tools don’t grow on threes.
Adrians Andijs Andzevs (PG | 184 cm | ’07) ~ Real Madrid
The head & brain of Real Madrid’s team. A true floor general that had the things under control when he was on the field. His court vision and pick & roll game was advanced for this level and same goes for the decision making. Struggled when it came to finishes in traffic but showed good isolation skills and that he can score points when needed. He hasn’t commited any unnecessary turnovers and took care of the ball very well. Andzevs impressed me with his understanding of the game and with the right development path in the next years he could turn into a playmaker for the highest tier of European basketball.
Giannis Ozdebe (SG | 196 cm | ’08) ~ Orange1 Bassano
Intriguing swingman/shooting guard. Has great athletic tools, bouncy and elevates quickly of the floor. Also his hips are flexible and managed to use that very well in defense. He put pressure on opposing guards and made a lot of deflections in defense. His hands are quick and his hand-eye coordination is great so he has high upside as a defensive player. Showed potential on the offensive end too. Was actively going for offensive rebounds from the wing spot, showed soft shooting stroke with a smooth release and was solid as a catch & shoot shooter. Didn’t have a lot of isolation plays and probably best role for him would be a 3&D player or potentialy a two-way guard.
Maickol Perez (F | 200 cm | ’07) – Orange1 Bassano
Physical forward. He showed some inside & outside game but did the most damage in the paint when he bullied the defenders completely under the rim. He used his body well for protection in those finishes and was able to finish through contact or under fouls. The shooting release needs some fixes to become more consistent and I’m not sold yet on his shooting. With his physical tools he can defend multiple positions inside or outside. The decision making was bad a few times and he relied more on his physicality than basketball IQ and this won’t go throught so easily later in his career.
Junior Kemm (G | 195 cm | ’07) ~ Stella Azzura
Kemm has the stuff you like to see in a young prospect. Athletic, quick and fluid on open court and maneuvers around players in transition like around cones. The decisions he takes and his shot selection are also on high level already. He is showing a good shooting touch in the in-between area but struggles with three point shots at the moment but I believe that over the years he will be good shooter behind the arc as well. He has an explosive first step and can drive by defenders effortlessly and then has a wide repertoire of finishes at the rim. Likes to get creative and crafty, lean into the defender and finish through contact but also showed some bounce with a dunk on a drive. Uses his long limbs well on defensive end and showed quick hands for steals. The tools are there and with the right development path, he can become a legit NBA prospect.
Prince Lumena (C | 205 cm | ’07) ~ Stella Azzurra
Probably the physically most gifted player at the tournamet. He was too dominant in the paint on both ends and other teams couldn’t match his energy and strength. He went for every rebound, created space with his presence and had a monster performance against Orange1 Bassano with 19 points and 26 rebounds. He wasn’t getting rebounds just because of his physicality but showed good feel with positining himself at the right place too. Hasn’t shown much outside the paint game and relied mostly on his finishes at the rim where he could finish in traffic too. Protected the rim very well with his presence and had good feet on perimeter too even though he looks heavy on the first sight. Was giving me some lowkey James Nnaji vibes and he could turn into a player with similar game/profile.
Valentin Curbelo (G | 197 cm | ’07) ~ Stella Azzurra
Curbelo brought the Uruguayan swag with him to Rome. Every of his moves looks so fluid and balanced and I always love to watch players like him. Technical skill set in very good, some of the ball handling moves and how he played in offense was advanced and he can become a good pick & roll player. Attacked the rim under sharp angles and with the long strides he could easily get to the rim. Shooting is a concern so far, his shooting motion would need some corrections although I’m not expecting a player at that age to be a complete product but he will need to improve in this area of his game.
Vuk Ščepanović (SG | 193 cm | ’07) ~ Stella Azzurra
Not really a tournament Ščepanović could be proud on in terms of his productiveness but there were things where he was able to showcase glimpses of his talents. His shooting motion is balanced and repeatable and even though the shots weren’t falling in at this tournament, I’m buying the shooting upside. He moved well around screens, came prepared for the shot and could also create separation for himself in isolation. Usually in his isolation plays he opted for a shot and sometimes it would be smarter to bring the ball closer to the rim. His ball handling skills and isolation game looks good though. What I loved the most in him was his motor and determination. He was showing energy and emotions, he was being aggresive and teams need guys like that in their team.
Mark Morano Mahmutović (SG | 195 cm | ’07) – Cedevita Olimpija
Finished as the top scorer of the tournament with – if I remember correctly – 101 points combined (25.3 pts per game). His usage was high though, he took a lot of tough shots but he has the qualities of making them out of any situation. Mark has advanced body for his age and uses it well on finishes in the paint. He is not scared of the contact or going into the meat of the defender. Shooting motion is good and when in rhythm he can make shots in series like he did in the first match of the tournament where he went 7/11 for 3 points. His handles aren’t the tightest plus he lacks explosiveness in his first step, so lets say that he is an average slasher in isolation. He has some sneaky vertical athleticism and showed explosive bounce in a few transition plays or when he went for rebounds. Showed some weaknesses in defense when defending on perimeter and a few times he also lacked effort and wasn’t sprinting back to defense or gave up on a play to quickly. Interesting player because of the way he can score points and I’m curious what the future holds for him.
Aleksandar Goljović (G | 190 | ’07) – Partizan
Goljović was one of the rare bright spots in Partizan team at this tournament. He made a lot of mistakes down the road but he was showing life, he was active, trying his best to create or score points. He is skilled as a ball handler, has an explosive first step and could break the defenders. He put pressure on the rim with drives but was selective in his finishes and sometimes rather made a pass to his team mates. Showed good mid-range game with off the dribble shots from top and I believe over years when he gets stronger, the shooting range will get deeper and deeper. He was competitive on the defensive end too and hasn’t allowed easy baskets. Tough to evalute him when his team struggled in every game but I think in a different setting he would be able to show much better performances and more of his talent.
