Two tournaments of the U19 ABA League championship took place last weekend.
Our Marko Turk attended the one in Laktaši and followed the players live from the spot and here is the report on the players that stood out.
Date: 11th November – 13th November 2022
Location: Laktaši, Bosnia & Herzegovina
The format of the competition was a little different than in last seasons when there were two groups of six teams and the two best teams in each group advanced to the Final Four. This season there were four groups of three teams and just the winner of the group got the ticket to the Final Four. This means fewer games for each team and less room for errors.
Groups C and D were played in Laktaši. In Group C all three teams (Igokea, Krka, Split) won and lost one game and in the classification Igokea had the best point difference and finished first. Group D (Cedevita Olimpija, Zadar, Vojvodina) was decided in the last second with a game winning buzzer beater from Lon Ličan (Cedevita Olimpija) that led his team to a win and 1st place in the group.
Here are the players that stood out at the tournament:
Dušan Makitan (F | 204 cm | ’05) ~ Igokea
Igokea played the tournament without Ognjen Radošić (’06), Teodor Simić (’04) and Ognjen Stanković (’05) and Makitan needed to step up and be the leader of the team. He player mostly outside and attacked with drives from top. It was hard to stop him due to his mix of basketball IQ, technical skillset and athleticism and he usually managed to get to the rim easily where he went for a finish or draw a foul. He was great at selling the fouls and went to the free throw line often. His body control on those drives was also very good and the driving angles were quite sharp. Took a few shots from distance but the sample was too small for a good evaluation. On the defensive end he hasn’t really bought me. He was usually switching and didn’t show much effort. His body language and energy was poor in general and he was usually the last man to close the mid-court line. He played at one pace and I haven’t seen him made a short sprint at this tournament. Has the skillset in knowledge on the offensive end but he will need to show more effort on the defensive end if he wants to make it as a pro.
Vukašin Todorović (G | 202 cm | ’04) ~ Cedevita Olimpija
When he decided to aggressively attack the rim there were not many players that were able to stop him. His first step was explosive and with his length he was able to get solid looks and opportunities for finishes. He was also very active and hard to stop in transition and this fast pace system that Cedevita Olimpija played suited him perfectly. Delivered some sharp and precise passes and even though his assists numbers weren’t big, he showed the playmaking upside. Shooting from distance is still questionable and he will need to put more work on his shooting. Also has room for improvements in his defensive game. Grabbed some important rebounds on both ends and showed good feel for rebounding. Body language was bad at times. Intriguing prospects with nice tools but has some major weaknesses that could lower his ceiling.
Jurica Zagoršak (SG | 197 cm | ’05) ~ Zadar
One of the most talented scorers at this tournament and when he got the ball, you could expect that he will find a way to score the points. His scoring numbers weren’t that high though and he eliminated himself for a few minutes with foul trouble but the scoring talent was obvious when he got the ball. He is a confident shooter with good and repeatable shooting motion. Played most of the time without the ball and got the shots with good off-ball movement but had some isolations plays as well. He showed that he can be a good scorer on all three levels and this scoring versatility could bring him far in his career. Has the size to play good defense too and be a two-way guard.
Michael Ružić (F | 204 cm | ’06) ~ Zadar
In my opinion the player with by far the highest upside in Laktaši. Even though he was two years younger than most competition, he wasn’t shy to take the ball and make plays. Showed his inside and outside game, loved to play face up and attack from the outside and showed good ball handling skills for a player his size. He also has a soft shooting touch and was efficient in his shooting attempts from deep or free throw line. It is possible that he could still be growing and has a lot of space on his frame for more muscle mass in the future. Used his length well in defense and made some high IQ defensive plays. Definitely not a done player and can improve in so many aspects and areas of his game but one thing is sure; he is a player to follow – even for NBA scouts and executives.
Marino Dubravčić (C | 205 cm | ’04) ~ Split
Marino was doing the work in the paint. He rebounded, hustled, brought the energy to the floor and did his part in defense too. He is limited to finishes in the paint and didn’t show much of the ability to stretch the floor but with his size and strength that was enough for a dominant tournament. Marino also has the tools to be a good pick & roll player but we couldn’t see that at this tournament since Split didn’t have a good playmaker that could play PnR with Marino. He is a player teams in the region would like to have in their team because he doesn’t demand much but gets the job done.
Stefan Marjanović (C | 210 cm | ’07) ~ Vojvodina
One of the youngest players here and he showed some of his potential. He is listed as 210 cm but in person he looked smaller, probably closer to 205 cm so the size needs to be taken with a grain of salt. He moved well for his size and age and he understood the spacing principles. He was opening the passing lanes and received a few useful passes in the first match where he showed soft finishing touch at the rim. In the second match, his role was small and he didn’t get any touches in offense. Looked skilled in general, understands the game, moves well… there are things to like in his game but his role was too small for a bigger conclusion. A player to write down and to follow his development in next years
Honorable Mentions:
Toni Bilić (F | 204 cm | ’05) ~ Cedevita Olimpija
Lon Ličan (SG | 193 cm | ’05) ~ Cedevita Olimpija
Luka Anzulović (PG | 183 cm | ’04) ~ Krka
Ivan Njegovan (C | 210 cm | ’04) ~ Zadar
Mateo Tomašević (PF | 206 cm | ’05) ~ Split
Bogdan Zagrađanin (SG | 201 cm | ’04) ~ Vojvodina
Vasilije Erceg (C | 207 cm | ’04) ~ Vojvodina
