Date: 16th December – 18th December 2022
Location: L’Hospitalet, Spain
Another L’Hospitalet tournament in the books! This was the 43rd edition of the annual tournament and its first edition was played in the 1980. Many great players played at this tournament that later stepped on NBA or Euroleague floors and it sets the standard as one of the strongest U18 tournaments out there. This edition was no different and there were prospects that will play at the highest levels in the future. Personally I really wanted to attend the tournament and see the players live in action but unfortunately my health had different plans and I needed to satisfy myself with just watching the games on TV.
This time only teams from Spain played at the tournament. Real Madrid managed to lift the trophy in the end with a big win vs Barcelona in the finals. Real had the most depth and was a dominant team through the tournament and they deserved to win it in the end.
Unicaja and Fundacion 5+11 Baskonia finished on 3rd/4th place (there was no 3rd place game), Joventut Badalona won the 5th place match vs Real Betis while the home team CB L’Hospitalet won the 7th place game against Gran Canaria.
Players who stood out at the tournament:
Egor Demin (G | 203 cm | ’06) ~ Real Madrid
Played reserved in the group phase but stepped up in the final day with two great performances. He was one of the best players in Real’s team in the semifinal and final match and showed why he is one of the most talented players in his generation. Can play on all three positions on perimeter and uses his size advantage well in creating shots for himself or his teammates. His basketball IQ and decision making is really high, plays somehow at his own pace but is still making difference. His spot up shooting has improved and he was 9/24 (37.5%) from deep at this tournament.
Hugo Gonzalez (SG/SF | 199 cm | ’06) ~ Real Madrid
The MVP of the tournament. He has always found a way to score and was highly efficient through the tournament. There were shots in transitions, shots after coming off screen, isolation plays, baseline cuts, pick & rolls.. points came in many ways and this versatile scoring in combination with his confidence and aggressiveness makes him such an intriguing prospect. I’m confident that if he would play in a different team with less talent and depth that he could easily average 20+ points per game.
Mitar Bošnjaković (SF | 199 cm | ’06) ~ Real Madrid
Important player in Real’s team. He brought the energy, went for every rebound and played great in defense. The shots from deep were not falling in at this tournament but he is overall a good spot up shooter. He was aggressive at attacking the rim, especially off the catch or in transition and opponents had a hard time to stop him at the rim. A two-way wing that every successful team needs on their roster.
Jan Vide (G | 196 cm | ’05) ~ Real Madrid
I would say Jan Vide was the main player in Real’s team and had the most freedom in the team. He was their best scorer with 13.6 points per game but also took a lot of shots to get there. When he decided to attack the rim, it was really hard to stop him. His upper body was too strong for the competition and he managed to finish through contact when his shots were contested. Also used his size and strength advantage often in posting up smaller defenders and creating out of post ups. He showed advanced in-between game with some tough mid-range shots and looked more confident in his shot but still a long way to go that his shots becomes consistent and reliable. Has room to improve as passer/playmaker but, in my opinion, his ceiling will depend on how reliable as a shooter he can get and playmaking will be just an added bonus for his game.
Dayan Nessah (SF | 198 cm | ’06) ~ Barcelona
“The Swiss army knife” but not because he is from Switzerland but because he is multifunctional. He can do it all and statistically he was amongst the best players at the tournament. He played in many different roles and was good as a catch & shoot shooter or as pick & roll operator. The shooting release could get quicker but he was making shots in high percentages so on the other hand “don’t fix if not broken.” His feel for baseline cuts is on elite level and he can do a lot of damage with a good playmaker that can spot him and deliver the pass on time. Dayan is versatile in defense too and covered many different positions and did his job on the defensive end. A useful team player that can fit in many roles but it is tough to say what is his ceiling.
Dame Sarr (SG/SF | 198 cm | ’06) ~ Barcelona
High volume but also the best shooter in L’Hospitalet. He made 16 of his 41 three point attempts (39.0%) with the most important being made in the last seconds of the semifinal match vs Malaga to force the overtime. His release is repeatable and smooth, moves great without the ball and around screens and can get open looks. Had some pick & roll plays too and mostly went for a mid-range shot and was efficient in those attempts. Used his length smartly in defense and made a lot of deflections – averaged 1.6 steals per game. Has the tools to become a great shooting guard that can impact the game on both ends and players with that mix of tools and skills often hear their names get called on NBA draft nights.
Seydina Limamoulaye (PF/C | 207 cm | ’05) ~ Fundacion 5+11 Baskonia
Seydina was the most dominant big man at the tournament. He averaged 19.3 points and 13.8 rebounds and had a double double in all four matches. He played with a lot of energy, went for every rebound but his decision making was often bad. He relied mostly on his length and athleticism and has not shown the feel for the game you would expect for players in this age group. He attacked from post ups or with drives from top, also attempted some shots from distance but his release did not looked reliable. His skillset looked quite raw in general and there is a lot of room for improvements. His tools are intriguing but his game still needs a lot of polishing to achieve his potential.
Vit Hrabar (SG/SF | 202 cm | ’06) ~ Fundacion 5+11 Baskonia
A late bloomer that possesses a lot of smoothness in his game. He has the body archeatype that scouts are looking for in modern guards and when he grows into his body, adds more muscle and starts to play with more contact, he will be able to bring his game to a much high level. He showed great shooting touch in this tournament, created some shots for himself but most of them were catch & shoot shots. He avoided contact on drives due to his weaker upper body and opted often for mid-range shots instead of going all the way to the rim. His body control and start & stop game was good though. Dived for loose balls in defense and defended well but there is space for growth in his defensive game. The potential is there but also a lot of things can be improved but he is a prospect for sure that needs to be written down and his developments needs to be followed.
Alexsandr Savkov (F | 204 cm | ’05) ~ Fundacion 5+11 Baskonia
Alexsandr scored 20+ points in all three games in the group phase but 10 points in semifinals vs Real Madrid “dropped” his average to under 20 points. With 19.0 points per game he was still amongst the best scorers at the tournament. He was lethal from downtown, took a lot of shots and has not hesitated even for a second if he was left too open. His release is high and hard to contest but also has deep range and he let it fly from all distances. Showed some isolation game but the role of a off-ball shooting wing suits him better. Sometimes he lacked aggressiveness in defense and was focused only on offense. Probably not a player that could make a difference at the highest pro levels but could bring some good shooting numbers to his team.
Mario Saint-Supery (SG | 193 cm | ’06) ~ Unicaja Malaga
We have seen better tournaments from Mario Saint Supery than he showed here. Especially in group phase, he was reserved and struggled in offense but then exploded in the semifinal match vs Barcelona where he scored 30 points and reminded us on his high scoring potential. In the 4th quarter and overtime of the semifinal he just took the ball and all the responsibility in his hands. He was not scared of the big moment and this confidence after three bad/average performances could bring him far in his career. He is a good scorer on all three levels and capable of scoring in many different ways. Played solid defense too but often played too much with his hands and that was called as a foul. I’m still struggling with predicting his ceiling – he could have problems with the translation on the elite pro level or be great on that level too. Time will tell..
Dwayne Aristode (F | 197 cm | ’06) ~ Joventut Badalona
Probably the player that dissapointed the most in L’Hospitalet. I had high expectations on him, especially since Ruben Prey was out and everything was set up for Dwayne to step up. He couldn’t find his shooting touch and shot just 4/26 (15.4%) from deep. I think that all of his made shots came in the 4th quarter vs Unicaja and that was not enough for his standards. He is not that bad as shooter and also the shooting motion looks good and I believe that was just a bad tournament for him. Also played out of his role most of the time, on the PF spot as a stretch 4 even though he is more of a swingman (SG/SF). Had some good drives but for my taste he opted for a shot too often and he should attack the rim more often. He has the tools but will need to show more and be more consistent in next tournament(s).
Conrad Martinez (G | 180 cm | ’05) ~ Joventut Badalona
With Dwayne Aristode playing below his level and Ruben Prey being out, someone in Joventut roster needed to step up and that was Conrad Martinez. In the end, he was the top scorer of the tournament with 20.3 points per game and second best in assists per game (4.5 apg). He had the ball in his hands most of the time and created advantages with his quickness and ball handling skills. He read the defense well with finding open areas on the court and exploited that but made some unnecessary mistakes down the road too. His usage was high but I can’t imagine how Joventut would look without him. He was one of the best players at the tournament but I would say that his ceiling is lower than for most of the players on this list. He definitely can play though and he could get a decent role in Spanish teams in the future.
Ian Platteeuw (C | 205 cm | ’07) ~ Joventut Badalona
Ian needed to step in the shoes of missing Ruben Prey and he did a good job in that. He was one of the youngest players here but still managed to be amongst the best rebounders on the tournament. His game is still quite raw and his body is not fully developed yet so there is still a long way to go. He showed good feel for the game, wasn’t scared to play against older opponents and had a few nice post up plays. He showed potential and his name should be written down and his development needs to be followed in the next years.
Nazari Kulischenko (C | 209 cm | ’05) ~ Gran Canaria
Nazari played a good tournament and was one of the bright spots in Gran Canaria team. He showed good technique for a player his size and showed inside & outside game. He was stretching the floor often and made some mid-range shots with nice and balanced shooting motion – not a consistent shooter yet but I’m buying the potential. He has a soft jump hook touch too and created scoring opportunities with good footwork on post ups. He was usually at the right place to collect a rebound and was consistent in that aspect of the game too.
*Listed player sizes are from the official brochure. Players are listed in order of their teams placement and not ordered by talent/upside.
