Jaylen Hoard doesn’t have to go far for advice about basketball. The U18 INSEP Paris wing’s father, mother and godmother all played the game - the latter two at the highest level for the France national team. With his share of basketball genes flowing through his blood, Hoard has already developed into a highly-regarded talent for the French youth national team and INSEP. And he showcased that in the opening game of the 2016 EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals when he scored 15 points with 2 assists and 3 steals in an 83-75 loss to Barcelona.

“Barcelona just stepped up in the second half. We were just under pressure and we didn’t really handle it well,” Hoard said. “We just have to take it as a learning experience. We can still be first in the group; we just have to win our other two games.”

Hoard said he did enjoy playing at the ANGT Finals for the first time, even though he struggled to contribute much in the second half after getting into foul trouble early in the third quarter. “It was fun. I like to play in settings like this. We all do,” he said. “I got frustrated but I cannot let that happen. I need to deal with frustration better.”

A native of Le Havre, Hoard remembers his American-born father playing in the French ProA and ProB leagues up until 2010. “I don’t remember the older days, but I remember seeing the end of his career,” said the younger Hoard, who joined INSEP last year.

His mother, Katia Foucade, played for France at the 1994 World Championship for Women, but she walked away from the game early, so he never saw her play. Hoard’s god mother is Edwige Lawson-Wade, who won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics for France and also was European champion in 2001.

“I was kind of in the whole basketball environment. Picking up the sport was pretty easy. From then, my love for basketball just grew,” said Hoard, the second-oldest of five children. “We talk a lot about basketball. It’s a passion we share.”

When asked what he takes from his parents, Hoard responded: “Just their experience and their knowledge of the game.”

INSEP holds a major place in the Hoard family. Mother Katia went there before heading to college in the United States to play at the University of Washington. And Hoard’s sister Anaia might be the next in line to play at a high level; she has joined INSEP as well. In addition to the family connection, INSEP’s track record of developing top talent made picking the institution an easy choice for Hoard.

“I just wanted to get better and since my mom went to INSEP, I kind of knew what to expect and knew the environment,” Hoard said. “It’s just the facilities and the way of functioning and the practices. And it’s a national team environment. A lot of the coaches are coaches of the national teams. That’s what makes it pretty good.”

Hoard has seen his game improve over the past year and said he really needs to work on producing game in, game out. “I’ve been pretty good. I still need to work on being consistent. I’ve had good games, but also had ones where I’m not as effective and not have a big impact on the game. If I play more consistently I can do better.”

Hoard believes he has gotten better at reading the game and has worked on his physique as well as his defense. “But I really have to work on everything.”

One comfort is knowing that his family is there if he needs any advice.



All in the family for INSEP's Hoard

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After his name appeared in this space one year ago, Luka Doncic went on to lead Real Madrid to the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT championship, earn tournament MVP honors and become a regular for Madrid’s senior squad this season. Doncic is just the latest example of how great a stepping stone this event can be, with such a high quality of talent on display every year at the ANGT Finals. Here’s a primer on which future stars to follow in Berlin.

### U18 FC Barcelona Lassa: Sergi Martinez

Martinez is playing his first ANGT this season. He played a major role in getting Barcelona to the ANGT L’Hospitalet final by averaging 14.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The Barcelona native, who is a year younger than the rest of the competition, also helped Barcelona win this season’s Spanish U18 national championship by averaging 10.8 points and 10 rebounds in the finals. Martinez, whose older brother David also plays in the Barcelona system, played the last two summers for Spain at the FIBA U16 European Championship. He averaged 21.3 points, 11 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game last summer. Martinez has solid size and build for both forward positions, though he might be a small forward later. The 2.01-meter forward has good explosiveness with good lateral speed and is a good rebounder. Martinez can play one-on-one from the outside and also likes to get out in transition.

### U18 INSEP Paris: Jaylen Hoard

Hoard is playing in his first ANGT season and averaged 13 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game for INSEP at the ANGT Kaunas. The 2.04-meter wing is considered one of Europe’s top talents in the 1999-born generation. He played for France at last summer’s FIBA U16 European Championship and collected 7.7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. The Le Havre native helped France qualify for the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship. Hoard’s mother Katia Foucade played for France at the 1994 World Championship for Women and his godmother is 2001 European champion and 2012 Olympic silver medalist Edwige Lawson-Wade. Hoard is loaded with athleticism, explosiveness and leaping ability. He is excellent at driving to the rim and finishing. Hoard also likes to get out in transition and play in the open court. When in the half-court offense, he also can find the open player if he drives to the lane. Defensively, his biggest assets are his size and length, and his wingspan gets him a lot of rebounds.

### U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade: Marko Pecarski

Pecarski is considered one of Europe’s top talents from the 2000-born generation and he is playing in his third ANGT season, despite still being two years younger than much of the competition. He played in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 editions for U18 Zemun Belgrade before moving to Mega. He shined with 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game as Mega won the ANGT Rome to reach its first ANGT Finals. Pecarski’s father, Miroslav Pecarski, starred for Yugoslavia’s juniors in late 80s and won the 1996 Euroleague with Panathinaikos. The younger Pecarski was born in Gijon, Spain, where his father was still playing in 2000. Pecarski, who helped Mega win the U17 Serbian club title this season, played for Serbia at last summer’s FIBA U16 European Championship and averaged 12 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. The 2.06-meter big man has lots of tools. Pecarski is not overly athletic, but is mobile and well-coordinated. He has an array of moves around the basket and can even step out beyond the three-point line successfully. Pecarski still is working on his defense, but he uses his smarts to get in good position.

### U18 Zalgiris Kaunas: Arnas Velicka

Velicka is playing his second ANGT season and was named to the All-Tournament Team for Zalgiris in winning the 2015-16 ANGT Kaunas by averaging 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The 1999-born point guard collected 18 points and 16 assists in the ANGT Kaunas title game. A 1.92-meter playmaker, he also helped Lithuania to second place at the 2015 FIBA U16 European Championship by averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The Kaunas native has good size for a playmaker as well as a strong upper body, which allows him to take contact in the lane. Velicka does not have great explosiveness, but he does have good speed. Velicka is a true floor general, who can slash to the rim and has good court vision. He doesn’t shy away from defense, but he still struggles with his shooting.

### U18 ALBA Berlin: Philipp Herkenhoff

Herkenhoff is on loan to ALBA for the ANGT Finals and playing in his first ANGT season. He was ALBA’s second-leading scorer at the ANGT Belgrade with 12.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.3 steals and 2 blocks per game. The 1999-born forward was one of Germany’s leaders at the 2015 FIBA U16 European Championship, where he averaged 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1 blocked shot per game. The Mettingen native averaged 15.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks this season for the Artland Young Dragons in the U19 NBBL league. Herkenhoff has good length at 2.05 meters, but still needs to put more weight on his skinny frame. He is playing power forward now, but long term he may be destined for the small forward position, especially if he can improve his outside shooting. Herkenhoff runs the floor well and can finish on the break. He still needs to improve his aggressiveness and confidence, but there is a lot of potential there.

### U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius: Aistis Pilauskas

This is the second ANGT campaign for Pilauskas, who also played at the 2013-14 ANGT Kaunas. The 1.88-meter point guard averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game for Lietuvos Rytas at this season’s ANGT Kaunas. The Vilnius native played last summer for Lithuania at the FIBA U18 European Championship and averaged 5.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game despite being a year younger than much of the competition and helped Lithuania to a third-place finish. Pilauskas, who has signed a long-term contract with Lietuvos Rytas, is a pesky defender with quick feet on defense. He is a good rebounder from the guard position, aided by his quickness and solid build. Pilauskas has good speed to get to the basket and solid ball-handling skills. Pilauskas also has a good outside shot and he can hit some three-pointers, too.

### U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade: Stefan Dordevic

Dordevic is playing his first ANGT season and played a major role in Zvezda winning the ANGT Belgrade title by averaging 15.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 62.1 percent from the field and 85.7% from the free throw line. The 2.03-meter center had his first experience with the Serbian national team by averaging 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 13 minutes per game at the 2016 Albert Schweitzer Tournament. Dordevic has been playing basketball seriously for less than two years and moved to Zvezda after a season with second division club Zdravlje Leskovac. He is a couple centimeters shorter than most center prospects, but has a long wingspan. Dordevic is not flashy, but does not do things he cannot do – roaming too far from the basket or handling the ball. He is a great rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. Dordevic also has good shot-blocking instincts. He still gets down on himself when he makes mistakes, but his confidence level is building.

### U18 Real Madrid: Samba Ndiaye

Ndiaye is playing in his fourth ANGT season after helping Real Madrid win the ANGT title last season, when he averaged 6.9 points and 10.4 rebounds, including 6 points and 11 rebounds in the Championship Game victory over U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade. The 2.02-meter big man collected 5.6 points and 8.2 rebounds at the 2015-16 ANGT L’Hospitalet, including 7 points and 16 rebounds in the final over U18 Barcelona Lassa. The Senegalese native has also played this season with Madrid’s second team in the EBA and posted 3.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, including a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds against Estudiantes. Ndiaye lives off his defense and rebounding in the paint for the reigning ANGT champion. He is considered to be a tremendous rebounder with his good physique and positioning. He also does a good job on defense thanks to those same traits. Offensively he is still raw, getting most of his points on put-backs from offensive rebounds. Ndiaye does need to improve his shooting from the free throw line.

ANGT Finals players to watch

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Felipe Dos Anjos headlines a list of five U18 Real Madrid players who will take the floor at the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT for the second season in a row. He is joined by fellow centers Samba Ndaye and Domagoj Proleta, guard Miki Fons and forward Ignacio Ballespin to make Los Blancos a serious contender to repeat as tournament champ next week in Berlin. Of them all, no player has come from farther away than the 2.18-meter Dos Anjos.

A native of Brazil, the long, lanky Dos Anjos has come a long way since leaving his homeland to join Real Madrid’s youth system. He had already shown so much promise as a youth with Brazilian club Esporte Clube Pinheiros that Madrid welcomed him in 2012 at age 14 – a year younger than compatriot and three-time All-Euroleague center Tiago Splitter was when he moved to Baskonia in 2000.

Dos Anjos worked his way up Madrid’s youth ranks year by year and reached a highlight in his adopted hometown last season by winning the 2015 ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT title – the first in the club’s history. Although the Sao Paolo native was a non-factor in the final against U18 Crevena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade, he played a major role in getting Madrid to that spot. Dos Anjos collected 11 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks in the final group game at the ANGT Finals against U18 VEF Riga and averaged 5 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks at the ANGT Finals. Hes had averaged 8.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks at the 2014-15 ANGT Qualifying Tournament – L’Hospitalet.

This season, Dos Anjos has not only dominated on the junior scene but has more than held his own on one of Madrid’s related senior teams. He collected the MVP trophy from the ANGT L’Hospitalet this season after starring with 9.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 77 percent from the field. And for Madrid’s second team in the EBA this season, he has posted 9.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, including making 3-of-7 three-pointers in his last four games.

Dos Anjos knows nothing except for winning in the ANGT thus far – winning all 14 of the games his team has played over the past season and a half. And the Brazilian doesn’t want to stop that streak in Berlin.

"My expectation is the same as at the ANGT L’Hospitalet. If we keep working hard, we will win the ANGT," Dos Anjos said. "We work hard every day on the court and off and we have a lot of discipline."

The professional coaching staff in the Madrid ranks has Dos Anjos on the right track and the center has also gained from the opportunity to see outgoing Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion Real Madrid work up close and to learn from its players.

During the season Dos Anjos got a bonus when he was invited to the Basketball without Borders Global Camp in Toronto in February. Dos Anjos, who turned 18 last month, received skills training in drills run by current and former pro players who had taken part in previous Basketball without Borders camps around the world.

"It was a very important opportunity for me to take part in this and compare myself against the biggest stars around the world," he said of the event. "I've learned so much: discipline, hard work. It’s a long list."

For Dos Anjos, the highlight of the trip was the opportunity to meet Yao Ming, who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer. "He's so tall," was Dos Anjos's initial response to his session in which Yao gave lessons on life. "He's a great person, his career was incredible. He is a role model for the players here. He was a great player."

Though he still has a long way to go to reach the accomplishments of stars like Yao, Splitter and Madrid’s current Brazilian big man, Augusto Lima, Dos Anjos can see the path he must follow to get there. And the next stop is Berlin.



Tower of power Dos Anjos leads Madrid to Berlin

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As the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT moves into its finals stage at the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in Berlin next week, a new group of future stars looks to build upon an annual tradition that has become the top international youth club competition in the world.

Many of Europe's greatest players have already played their roles in lifting the status of the ANGT, which culminates its 14th campaign in the German capital. A list of ANGT alumni reads like a who's who of European basketball elite: Milos Teodosic, Dario Saric, Jonas Maciulis, Luigi Datome, Alexey Shved, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Cedi Osman, Nihad Djedovic, Alessandro Gentile, Thomas Heurtel, Leon Radosevic, Mantas Kalnietis and Milan Macvan are just some of the past players who wowed fans at the ANGT over the previous 13 seasons.

A number of current NBA players also showcased their skills at the ANGT over the years, including Jonas Valanciunas, Mario Hezonja, Nikola Mirotic and Donatas Motiejunas.

Among the players who have captured both ANGT and Euroleague titles is Nikita Kurbanov of CSKA Moscow and his former teammate at both levels, Vasily Zavoruev, as well as Maciulis, who helped U18 Zalgiris Kaunas claim the first ANGT title in 2003 and captured the last Euroleague crown in 2015 with Real Madrid.

Zavoruev is one of two players who have won the ANGT MVP on two occasions, in 2004 and 2005 in the first two years of U18 CSKA Moscow’s three-peat from 2004 to 2006. The other was Dejan Musli as U18 FMP went back-to-back in 2008 and 2009.

CSKA is the only team to win three ANGTs in a row and is the record-holder with three championships, while FMP and Zalgiris (2003 and 2007) both have two crowns. FMP also owns the mark for consecutive appearances in the title game with four straight from 2007 to 2010.

Three teams – Zalgiris, CSKA and FMP – shared the first seven ANGT titles but there has been a new champion every year since 2009, in order: U18 INSEP, U18 KK Zagreb, U18 Lietuvos Rytas, U18 Joventut Badalona, U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade and U18 Real Madrid.

FMP's star Musli had two of the best performances ever in a final as he collected 25 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks for a 36 PIR against U18 AXA FC Barcelona in the 2008 title game and followed that with 31 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blocks for a 46 PIR in the 2009 final against Lietuvos Rytas.

Another of the great individual showings in a final came from Saric for in 2011 when he collected a triple-double of 19 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to go with 10 fouls drawn as U18 KK Zagreb beat Zalgiris in Barcelona.

The 2015 title bout between U18 Real Madrid and U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade was the closest final in ANGT history – and the first repeat of a finale since CSKA and Zalgiris faced off in 2005 and 2006. Luka Doncic took the MVP crown last year by guiding Real Madrid to a thrilling 73-70 victory over Zvezda by collecting 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Doncic also showed just how high the level of the competition is by graduating from the junior team and playing an important role for Madrid’s senior side this season in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Doncic’s opponent in last year’s final, Borisa Simanic of Crvena Zvezda, also moved from the junior team and appeared in a handful of Euroleague games this season.

And there are a number of players who are just a couple of years removed from the ANGT and are already leaving a major mark on the game including Marko Guduric, Berk Ugurlu, Livio Jean-Charles, Mam Jaiteh and Dragan Bender.

Get ready to see the future of European hoops again in Berlin from May 12 to 15!



ANGT Berlin will mark a path for future stars

U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade forward Borisa Simanic was named the MVP of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifying Tournament – Belgrade on Sunday. Simanic collected 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead Zvezda to a 92-88 title game victory over U18 Spars Sarajevo. Simanic averaged 22.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.6 assists in five games at the tournament.

Joining Simanic on the All-Tournament selection was his Zvezda teammate Aleksa Radanov. The other three players receiving All-Tournament honors were Sani Campara of U18 Spars Sarajevo, Dzanan Musa of U18 Cedevita Zagreb, and U18 Partizan Belgrade’s Milos Glisic, the tournament’s leading scorer with 27 points per game.

U18 Crvena Zvezda Borisa Simanic is ANGT Belgrade MVP!

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The final qualifying event in the 2015-16 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT series comes to basketball-crazy capital of Serbia this weekend for the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament – Belgrade. The three-day event tips off Friday and features dozens of basketball prodigies eager to showcase their skills on the continental stage. Learn more about who are some of the players to watch from the eight teams set to clash for a ticket to the ANGT Finals.

### U18 ALBA Berlin: Ferdinand Zylka

Zylka will be competing in his second ANGT after playing a major role for ALBA last season in Belgrade with 17.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals a game, including a 32-point outburst against U18 Vaerlose BBK. The 1.90-meter shooting guard played for Germany at the 2014 FIBA U16 European Championship and averaged 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Zylka is one of the club’s biggest young talents and has already practiced with the professional squad. The Berlin native leads the U19 NBBL team in scoring with 19.9 points, including 41% on three-pointers to go with 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.9 steals. He has an excellent scoring instinct and is a very good shooter, who can create his own shot. Zylka has a good pull-up jumper and can also drive to the basket and finish against bigger opponents. The area Zylka must improve the most in is defense.

### U18 FC Bayern Munich: Richard Freudenberg

Freudenberg will appear in his third ANGT; he was named to the All-Tournament Team at the ANGT Rome in 2013-14 and then averaged 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.0 blocks at the ANGT Kaunas last season. Freudenberg, who will be attending St. John’s University in New York next season, has played two summers for Germany’s youth national team ranks. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds at the 2015 FIBA U18 European Championship. The 2.02-meter forward has played three Beko BBL games for Bayern this season and leads its U19 NBBL team in scoring with 19.2 points a game to go with 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals. The Heidelberg native has great length with long arms and long legs. He is a great shooter with a positive attitude. Freudenburg can attack the rim and also defends well, using his athleticism to come up with big blocks and steals.

### U18 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica: Ognjen Carapic

Carapic enters his second ANGT after averaging 7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists at the 2013-14 tournament in Belgrade despite being two years younger than the rest of the competition. The 1.95-meter point guard played last summer at the 2015 FIBA U18 European Championship, where he averaged 16.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals for Montenegro. Carapic played in seven Eurocup games this season (2.6 points, 1.0 assists) and 12 Adriatic League contests (2.3 points, 0.2 assists) for Buducnost. He is intelligent, quick, sees the floor well and makes smart plays. He’s an above-average ball-handler with good size and leaping ability, who can drive to the basket and finish or shoot from long range, however his defense is at times suspect.

### U18 Cedevita Zagreb: Dzanan Musa

Musa will make his ANGT debut after joining Cedevita just shortly before last season’s ANGT campaign. The 16-year-old guard led Bosnia and Herzegovina to the 2015 FIBA U16 European Championship title – the country’s first international crown – and won MVP honors with 23.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks. The 2.03-meter guard is a member of Cedevita’s senior squad and has appeared in eight Turkish Airlines Euroleague games this season in which he has averaged 2.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists. Musa has also posted 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16 Adriatic League games. The Bihac native is a great one-on-one player and has excellent court vision and passing abilities. He is getting better at moving without the ball and has improved his shot. Musa still needs to improve on his patience.

### U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade: Borisa Simanic

Simanic will be competing at his third ANGT after he averaged 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in nine games in helping Zvezda to the ANGT Finals championship game last season. He posted 0.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks as Zvezda won the 2013-14 ANGT Finals crown. The 2.09-meter forward played two national team tournaments last summer, averaging 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for Serbia at the 2015 FIBA U18 European Championship and 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship. Simanic has also played in five Turkish Airlines Euroleague games this season, including a 10-point, 4-rebound, 2-block effort against Real Madrid, and has appeared in nine Adriatic League contests, too. Simanic is blessed with an excellent body for basketball with good agility and quickness. His shot ranges beyond the three-point line and he handles the ball well. Simanic can attack the rim or pull up for a jumper. He defends well and is a rim protector on defense, but plays more of a finesse game on offense.

### U18 Partizan Belgrade: Milos Glisic

Glisic will be playing at his fourth ANGT after averaging 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal last season. He collected 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.3 steals at the 2013-14 ANGT Belgrade. The 2.05-meter power forward played twice for Serbia last summer, averaging 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship as well as 7.7 points and 4.7 rebounds at the 2015 FIBA U18 European Championship. Last season, the native of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, made his Eurocup debut against CSU Asesoft Ploiesti. Glisic is a very intelligent player with a good feel for rebounding. He plays with a good energy and has a positive attitude. He possesses a solid mid-range shot, which doesn’t quite reach out to the three-point line, but does make him an effective inside-outside player. He still must touch up on his defensive deficiencies.

### U18 Spars Sarajevo: Amar Gegic

Gegic will be playing in his third ANGT campaign after averaging 8.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals in seven games last season, including the ANGT Finals, where he averaged 5.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals. The 1.97-meter shooting guard played for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s youth teams for the third straight summer last year and averaged 6.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists at the 2015 FIBA U18 European Championship. Gegic, who was born in Stuttgart, Germany, also has played at high level international exhibitions, participating in the Jordan Brand Classic as well as the Basketball Without Borders in Gran Canaria and the BWB Global Camp in Toronto. Gegic is playing this season with Spars’ Division 1 team and averaging 1.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 14 games. Gegic is very well built and a real athlete. He has a very strong feel for assists, though he has struggled with turnovers. Gegic also must work on his jump shot and his aggressiveness on defense.

### U18 Zemun Belgrade: Mateja Todoric

Todoric will be making his ANGT debut this season after coming to Zemun from Flash Belgrade last September. The 1.84-meter point guard, who has not played for Serbia’s youth national team ranks, led the Serbian cadet league in scoring last season. Todoric is a very creative playmaker, who is great in one-on-one play. He has excellent ball control and is very quick. He also does a good job changing the pace and direction and organizes the game very well. Todoric still must work on becoming stronger and the club is working hard to help him with that.

Players to Watch: ANGT Belgrade

U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade is shooting for its sixth consecutive Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifying Tournament – Belgrade title and with it a ticket to the EB ANGT Finals in Berlin. Zvezda is the only team in the ANGT Belgrade field to have won the continental title. Zvezda is joined by U18 Spars Sarajevo (2012-13 and 2014-15) and U18 ALBA Berlin (2008-09) as the three teams in Belgrade that have previously appeared at the ANGT Finals. The winner of the ANGT Belgrade tourney will secure a spot at the ANGT Finals in May along with U18 Mega Leks Belgrade, U18 Real Madrid and U18 Zalgiris Kaunas, which advanced by winning the ANGT Qualifying Tournaments in Rome, L’Hospitalet and Kaunas, respectively. The three-day ANGT Belgrade tips off on February 26.

The field in Belgrade has changed drastically from last season with just four teams returning – Zvezda, Berlin, U18 Partizan Belgrade and U18 Zemun Belgrade. New to the event in Belgrade are Spars, U18 FC Bayern Munich, U18 Cedevita Zagreb and U18 Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. The format has the eight teams divided into two groups, which will play a round-robin format, from which the top two teams of each group advance to the semifinals. ALBA, Buducnost, Zvezda and Spars will compete in Group A and Cedevita, Bayern, Partizan and Zemun square off in Group B.

The last team other than Zvezda to win the ANGT Belgrade was U18 FMP Belgrade in 2010 , which was the club’s third straight title in the Serbian capital. FMP also reached the 2010 final. Zvezda has owned the ANGT Belgrade since then with five titles in a row, including a 22-game winning streak going into this year’s competition. Zvezda’s last defeat at the ANGT Belgrade came during the 2010-11 season – 85-69 at the hands of U18 Beovuk 72. After winning the 2013-14 ANGT Finals crown, Zvezda returned to the title game last season before losing to Real Madrid. ALBA finished last season’s ANGT Belgrade in third place with a 3-2 record. The German club played at the 2008-09 ANGT Finals as the host. Buducnost returns to the competition after sitting out last season. The Montenegrin club was 2-2 and finished fifth in Belgrade in 2013-14. Spars reached the ANGT Finals last season with a wild card after grabbing third place at ANGT Rome with a 3-1 record. The Bosnia and Herzegovina club went 2-1 at the ANGT Finals last season with wins over Zalgiris and U18 Unicaja Malaga.

Cedevita finished fifth at the ANGT Rome last season with a 2-2 record. Bayern was 1-2 at ANGT Kaunas in 2014-15. Partizan lost to Zvezda in last season’s ANGT Belgrade final and finished with a 3-2 record, while Zemun was fourth in Belgrade last year at 2-3.

Crvena Zvezda shoots for sixth straight ANGT Belgrade title

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U18 Mega Leks Belgrade suffered a big blow ahead of its debut at the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals, losing former ANGT champion, guard Aleksandar Aranitovic for the rest of the season. Aranitovic (1.94 meters, 18 years old), who was the MVP of the Euroleague Basketball ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Torneo Citta di Roma in December, torn knee ligaments during an Adriatic League clash, playing for Mega Leks against Cedevita Zagreb last weekend. An MRI confirmed knee ligament injury that will sideline the young star for the remainder of this season.

For Aranitovic this was his third and final year playing ANGT tournaments, and he starred at ANGT Rome for U18 Mega Leks averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.5 steals. In the title game and 71-73 win against the host team, U18 Stellazzurra Basketball, he collected 28 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Aranitovic has previously won the ANGT title with U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade in 2014 in Milan and he scored 26 points in the ANGT title game last season in Madrid which U18 Zvezda lost against U18 Real Madrid. In 22 career ANGT games, Aranitovic has an average of 12.5 points, 4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 steals.

This season Aranitovic has been playing for Mega Leks on-loan from Crvena Zvezda. In 19 games in Adriatic League action, the 18-year old has posted 5.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

ANGT Rome MVP Aranitovic will miss finals in Berlin

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U18 Zalgiris Kaunas big man Isaiah Hartenstein was named the MVP of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifying Tournament – Kaunas on Sunday. Hartenstein registered a double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds, along with 3 assists and 3 blocks to lead Zalgiris in 87-76 title game win over archrival U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius. Hartenstein averaged 23.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals in four games at the tournament.

His Zalgiris teammate Arnas Velicka, who had 18 points and 16 assists in the championship game also received All-Tournament honors, along with Grantas Vasiliauskas of Rytas, Bathiste Tchouaffe of U18 INSEP Paris, and Jakub Tuma of U18 USK Future Stars Prague who was ANGT Kaunas leading scorer with 24.3 points per game.

Hartenstein earns ANGT Kaunas MVP honors

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