Radom became popular basketball destination . Last year beside Polish U16, the city hosted European Championship in the same age category and reportedly will apply for organization of FIBA U20 in 2019. Moreover senior team participates in European competitions and the new arena is being built. The overall level of competition was not special. Tournament lacked some of the best 1999 born players from the country: twins Szymon & Jan Wójcik who play for for Elan Chalon and Adrian Bogucki – legit 7 footer whose team didn’t make it to the final eight. The crown was taken by host – Rosa Radom which was very well coached and balanced. In final game they crashed Slask Wroclaw 82:37. Big surprise and worth noticing is a third place of Cracovia known also as a Marcin Gortat’s school that disappointed frontrunner Trefl Sopot with many prospects for Polish Top division in the roster.
Below notes on the best prospects:
Lukasz Kolenda – Poland has always lacked Point Guards on high European level but upcoming generations have some really interesting players on this position. Lukasz is the one who headlines this list. His teammates has to be constantly aware and ready to catch the pass as he possess really wide court vision & ability to share the ball in less expected moment. He is very dynamic and skilled, can also get into the shooting zone. However he tends to be blessing and course for his team at the same time. Body language and the way he communicates with the colleagues also leave a lot to be desired.
Sebastian Walda – Phenomenal athlete with rare energy and intensity. He can throw down some powerful dunks in transition and also half court offense. Still struggles shooting wise with not the most typical and slow release but in my opinion it is slightly improved. He never had to shoot as he used to get to the rim at will in youth tournaments of 2000 category so there is a promise that Sebastian will become acceptable shooter.
Karol Sasnal– kind of discovery. Not the exceptional player but definitely interesting and fun to watch. Really helped himself in Radom and should make U18 national team which will participate in B division this summer. Karol can control the gears perfectly. He is pass first type of Point Guard who doesn’t hesitate to take over the offense when the right time comes. Very good ball handler and displays decent strength for playmaker. Lacks legitimate shooting skills.
Szymon Janczak – He was kind of sensation at last year FIBA U16 European Championships where even NBA scouts put his name in their notebooks. He also excels this season as he continues to make progress this season. Szymon possess tremendous agility, runs the floor really well and improved driving ability. Shooting skills are very intriguing as well for someone that size. His team didn’t have a single player born in 1999 but next year will definitely be the main contender.
