The 2015-16 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT series comes to basketball-mad Lithuanian this weekend for the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament – Kaunas. The three-day event tips off Friday and features dozens more 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 CIBONA ZAGREB: Kresimir Nikic

Nikic will be playing his first ANGT, because Cibona did not take part in the competition last season. The 17-year-old 2.14-meter center also did not play for the Croatian youth national team last summer after an injury caused him to miss the U16 European Championship. The Zagreb native was named MVP of the Croatian U16 Championship last year when he averaged 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the semifinals and final. Nikic has great wingspan along with his height, though there is still room to add muscle and mass to his frame. He has a hook shot with his right hand and does a good job keeping the ball high when he receives it near the basket. Despite his size, he’s not afraid of handling the ball and can even drive to the basket from the outside. He also isn’t afraid to battle for rebounds. Defensively Nikic’s length makes him a formidable shot blocker, who takes in a good number of rebounds.

### U18 FENERBAHCE ISTANBUL: Ahmet Can Duran

Duran will be playing his second ANGT after averaging 7.3 points and 7.5 rebounds last season in Kaunas, despite being two years younger than the competition. The 2.04-meter center also played his second U16 European Championship over the summer and finished as the top rebounder with 12.1 boards per game in helping Turkey to the bronze medal. He ranked third with 2.4 blocks per game and also averaged 12.0 points, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Duran’s most noticeable trait is his size – and not necessarily his height. The Afyonkarahisar native is blessed with good footwork around the basket and excellent coordination. He is efficient in the paint and doesn’t shy from contact, making him an excellent rebounder. He has good hands and a soft touch with a decent array of moves around the rim. Despite his size, Duran is quick and can get out in transition. He can still work on his body which would improve his entire package.

### U18 PORSCHE BASKETBALL ACADEMY LUDWIGSBURG: Mateo Seric

Seric will be playing his first ANGT, since Ludwigsburg did not take part in the competition last season. Seric played last summer for Germany at the U16 European Championship, where he averaged 1.6 points and 2.6 rebounds. Basketball is actually 17-year-old Seric’s second sport after playing for the German national team in tennis before taking up hoops in December 2013. Within 13 months, he was playing at the U16 Euros. Seric is very intelligent and professional for his age with a great attitude and work ethic. The 2.02-meter forward’s mid-range game has become very consistent, but he still needs to work on his fundamentals, including ball-handling and perimeter shooting. Considering that he’s only been playing basketball for two years, Seric has come a long way. He also boasts has good physical tools and is considered to be very strong mentally.

### U18 ZALGIRIS KAUNAS: Isaiah Hartenstein

Hartenstein will be playing his first ANGT as the German has yet to really join Zalgiris. The 2.10-meter power forward signed a long-term contract with Zalgiris in the off-season, but was kept in Germany on loan with Artland Dragons’ U19 NBBL and third division ProB teams. Hartenstein played for Germany at the 2015 U18 European Championship and averaged 11.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.4 assists and 0.8 blocks despite being a year younger than most of his competitors. Hartenstein is averaging nearly 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.8 blocks in the NBBL this season and 11.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in the ProB. He has fantastic length and a great motor. He can play inside and outside on offense with the ability to drive to the basket on slower big men, shoot over quicker wings guarding him or back them down with his improving body size. He also can hit three-pointers. Defensively, Hartenstein has good footwork and great length to help in all areas.

### U18 INSEP PARIS: Bathiste Tchouaffe

Tchouaffe will be playing in his second ANGT after averaging 13.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 steals while hitting 43%of his three-pointers over seven games last season at the ANGT Kaunas and ANGT Finals. Tchouaffe also had a strong summer with the French national team system for the second straight year. He averaged 9.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists despite being a year underage at the U18 European Championship. In 2014, he was named to the All-Tournament Team as France won the title at the U16 European Championship. The 1.96-meter shooting guard is a smart player who has a great outside shot and excellent quickness. The Poitiers native is an effective player in one-on-one situations. He has struggled this season from long range – hitting just 25% of his threes in the NM1 league and also still has lapses on defense, but Tchouaffe is working on becoming a better leader with a mental trainer.

### U18 LIETUVOS RYTAS VILNIUS: Grantas Vasiliauskas

Vasiliauskas will be playing his second ANGT after gradually getting more minutes on the court last season in Kaunas, where he was two years underage and averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds. The 2.02-meter forward totaled less than 5 minutes in the first two games at ANGT Kaunas and then had 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 14 minutes in the last game. Over the summer he helped Lithuania to the podium at the 2015 U16 European Championship with 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists. The Alytus native is currently playing for the Alytus team in Lithuania’s third division RKL. Vasiliauskas is a hard worker on the court. He’s a great athlete who can play inside or outside. He has a good jumpshot and passes the ball well. His strong and athletic body helps him do a good job of rebounding the ball, too.

### U18 USK FUTURE STARS PRAGUE: Jakub Tuma

Tuma will be playing at his second ANGT after averaging 8.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in Kaunas last year. The 1.93-meter point guard also made his debut in the Czech youth national team system last summer and averaged 1.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists at the U18 European Championship despite being a year underage. Tuma is currently playing in the second Czech 1.Liga league and averaging 6.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists. The Litomerice native has good ball-handling skills and can drive and shoot as well. He can both lead the team both by reading the game and being the scorer. Tuma is still skinny and has to improve his defense, including building up his strength and mass development.

### U18 VEF RIGA: Karlis Garoza

Garoza will be playing in his second ANGT after he averaged 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists at the ANGT Finals after joining VEF Riga from BK Saldus during last season and missing the ANGT Kaunas. The 2.05-meter center did not play in the Latvian youth national team system last summer after playing at the 2013 and 2014 U16 European Championships. He averaged 6.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in helping Latvia to second place at the 2014 U16 Euros. The Saldus native is efficient in the post on offense. He’s a good passer and a solid rebounder. Garoza is not über-athletic, but uses space effectively on offense. He can get out on the break and finish, though he’s not an above-the-rim guy. Garoza works hard on defense, seems to really care about it and is showing progress.

Players to Watch: ANGT Kaunas

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The third ticket for the 2015-16 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals in Berlin next spring will be handed out this weekend at the three-day EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Kaunas, which tips off on Friday. The eight-team field includes three former continental champions - U18 INSEP Paris, U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius and U18 Zalgiris Kaunas - and another team that reached the ANGT Finals title game, U18 Fenerbahce Istanbul. The biggest question going into the tourney will be if anybody can beat Zalgiris, which has never lost a game at three previous ANGT Kaunas tournaments. U18 VEF Riga has reached the ANGT Kaunas championship game in each of the last two seasons only to lose both times to the host team.

The team comes out on top at Zalgirio Arena will become the third club to claim a spot in the ANGT Finals in Berlin, joining the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Torneo Citta di Roma winner U18 Mega Leks Belgrade and the reigning continental champion U18 Real Madrid, which won the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Torneig de Bàsquet Junior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet. The fourth qualifier will be decided at the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Belgrade in February.

The Kaunas field is broken down into two four-team groups with the two group winners facing off in Sunday’s championship game and the second-placed sides meeting in the Third Place Game. Group A includes U18 Cibona Zagreb, Fenerbahce, U18 Porsche Basketball Academy Ludwigsburg and Zalgiris. The Group B teams are INSEP, Lietuvos Rytas, U18 USK Future Stars Prague and VEF Riga. Six of the eight teams are back in Kaunas from last season. Cibona and Ludwigsburg come to Lithuania after sitting out last season. They replace U18 Bayern Munich, which will compete next month at ANGT Belgrade, and U18 CSKA Moscow, which took part in ANGT Rome.

Cibona finished fifth at the ANGT Rome two seasons ago with a 3-1 record and before that was 0-3 at the 2012-13 ANGT Siauliai. Fenerbahce enters the event after finishing fourth last season in Kaunas with a 2-2 record. It was 2-2 at the ANGT Hospitalet in 2013-14 and then awarded a wild card for the ANGT Finals, where it went 0-3. Fenerbahce reached the title game of ANGT Rome in 2012-13, but fell to U18 KK Spars Sarajevo. And the Istanbul-based club was the runner-up in the competition when it reached the ANGT Finals championship game in 2011-12 before losing to Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius. Ludwigsburg returns to Lithuania after not competing in the ANGT last season. In 2013-14, the German club went 0-3 in Kaunas and was 1-2 at the ANGT Siauliai in 2012-13. The favorite going into the tournament is two-time continental champion Zalgiris, which prevailed in the ANGT Finals in 2002-03 and 2006-07. Zalgiris also reached the title game in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2010-11. Zalgiris has a perfect 12-0 record and three ANGT Kaunas titles from 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2014-15. The club lost to archrival Lietuvos Rytas in the ANGT Siauliai final in 2012-13 and was 4-1 at the ANGT L’Hospitalet in 2010-11. Zalgiris has reached the ANGT Finals every year except 2008-09 and 2012-13.

The 2009-10 junior continental champ INSEP lost just one game last season - in the final group game to Zalgiris and finished third. INSEP, which is the select team at France’s National Institute of Sport and Physical Education, had a 2-3 record at the ANGT Belgrade in both 2012-13 and 2013-14 after having finished fifth with a 4-1 record at the 2011-12 ANGT Belgrade. 2011-12 title winner Lietuvos Rytas was 1-2 in Kaunas last season after going 3-1 at both the 2013-14 ANGT Kaunas and 2012-13 ANGT Siauliai events. USK failed to win a game in Kaunas last season after having won at least one game in each of its previous four ANGT events - 2011-12 and 2013-14 tournaments in Kaunas and 2010-11 and 2012-13 tourneys in Belgrade. VEF was rewarded for consistency at the ANGT last season by getting a wild card for the ANGT Finals after losing only one game at the ANGT Kaunas for the second straight season - to host side Zalgiris in the final. VEF had previously finished third at the 2011-12 ANGT Kaunas and 2012-13 ANGT Siauliai.



Host Zalgiris among the favorites for EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Kaunas

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Big man Felipe Dos Anjos of U18 Real Madrid was named the MVP as the defending continental champions won their third consecutive title at the of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifying Tournament - Torneig de Bàsquet Junior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet on Wednesday. Felipe Dos Anjos chipped in 6 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks as Madrid held on in a defensive-minded final to defeat archrival U18 FC Barcelona Lassa 50-48. Dos Anjos, who stands 2.18 meters, led Madrid to a 5-0 record in the tournament with averages of 9.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. He also made 76.9% of his two-point shots.

Dos Anjos was joined on the all-tournament team by Aleix Font, who led Barcelona with 14.6 points per game; Isaac Bonga and Lars Lagerpusch of semifinalist U18 Brose Baskets Bamberg; and Yovel Zoosman from semifinalist U18 Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv, the leading overall scorer with 18 points on average.



U18 Real Madrid's Dos Anjos is ANGT L'Hospitalet MVP!

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The 2015-16 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT series moves to the second stage with the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Torneig de Bàsquet Junior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet tipping off on Monday in the Barcelona suburb with many of the best young players in Europe ready to showcase their skills. Learn more about some of the players to watch from the eight teams set to clash for a ticket to the ANGT Finals.

### U18 REAL MADRID: Felipe Dos Anjos

Dos Anjos will be playing in his second ANGT after averaging 6.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks over nine games during the ANGT L’Hospitalet and the ANGT Finals last season. The 2.18-meter center helped U18 Real Madrid to the title last season by collecting 5 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks per game at the ANGT Finals. Dos Anjos, who came to Real Madrid in 2012, has not yet played in the Brazilian youth national team system. He always has a positive attitude, is very well coordinated and runs up and down the court well for his size. He’s a great defensive rebounder and has developed a good mid-range game. The Sao Paolo native has gained in self-confidence, but needs to learn how to deal with facing difficult opponents.

### U18 UNION OLIMPIJA LJUBLJANA: Ziga Jurcek

Jurcek will be playing his third ANGT after averaging 4.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals last season at the ANGT L’Hospitalet. The 1.96-meter shooting guard averaged 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds during the 2013-14 ANGT L’Hospitalet. The Ljubljana native played last summer at the U18 European Championship Division B for Slovenia and averaged 6.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals. He is currently playing for Olimpija’s youth team in the third division – where he is averaging 14.3 points a game, as well as for the U19 team – for which he’s scoring 11 points a game. Jurcek has a very soft touch and is considered very technically skilled. He is versatile with the ability to drive to the basket. Jurcek is also a weapon in the open court.

### U18 FIATC JOVENTUT BADALONA: Josep Busquets

Busquets will be playing in his first ANGT, and the ANGT L’Hospitalet will be the first big tournament for the 1999-born player. The 1.96-meter shooting guard has not yet played in the Spanish youth national team system. But the Granollers native has been with Joventut since 2011 and already proven his talent. Busquets has a good body structure, which will be enhanced when he adds more muscle. He possesses a very reliable three-point shot and excels with mid-range, off-the-dribble jump shots. Busquets is very tough to stop in one-on-one situations and can finish at the rim. He also stands out in pick-and-roll situations. The Joventut staff considers him to be one of the best playmaker prospects of his generation. But Busquets must exhibit a strong character to lead the team and keep working on his defensive skills.

### U18 MACCABI TEDDY TEL AVIV: Yovel Zoosman

Zoosman will be playing his first ANGT event in Spain, but he has already spent a significant amount of time with training with Maccabi’s senior team, including joining it for the pre-season Euro Classic games in the United States and debuting this season in both the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Israeli League. The 1.97-meter guard has played the last two summers for the Israel youth national teams. He averaged 7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals as Israel took second place at the 2015 U18 European Championship Division B and was promoted to Division A. A summer earlier, the Kfar Saba native also helped Israel finish second at the U16 European Championship Division B to earn promotion to Division A. Zoosman arrived at Maccabi from the Wingate Basketball Academy. He has a huge wingspan in proportion to his height and possesses a consistent jump shot. Zoosman also rebounds and dribbles well and moves well without the ball. He can be a glue guy, contributing in every way and helping make his teammates better.

### U18 FC BARCELONA LASSA: Eric Vila

 Vila will be playing in his second ANGT after averaging 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds over five games last season for Barcelona. The 2.06-meter small forward has played the last two summers for Spanish youth national teams. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds as an underage player at the 2015 U18 European Championship. The Girona native last December became the youngest debutant for Barcelona’s professional team at 16 years and six months, lowering the mark which Jordi Soler had held since 1986. Vila is playing for Barcelona’s second team in the LEB Gold. He is a versatile all-around player with long arms, who can play shooting guard and both forward positions. Vila has a solid shot and can handle the ball, while also helping out on the glass. He still needs to improve his physical strength and get better with the consistency of his shot.

### U18 BALONCESTO SEVILLE: Leo Cizmic

Cizmic will be playing in his second ANGT after averaging 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in four games at last season’s ANGT L’Hospitalet. The 2.05-meter forward, who turned 17 in December, played one summer in the Croatian youth national team system, where he averaged 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds at the 2014 U16 European Championship. Cizmic, who was born in Israel, is the son of former Croatian youth international Teo Cizmic. The younger Cizmic has already made his Liga Endesa debut for Seville as the youngest player in club history at 17 years, 3 days. Cizmic’s biggest strength is his outside shot, which is a real weapon for his team. He has a good understanding of space and is very smart. If a defender gets too close, Cizmic can also drive to the basket and finish – though he’s not uber-athletic and doesn’t play above the rim.

### U18 TORRONS VICENS L’HOSPITALET: Daniel Garcia

Garcia will be playing his second ANGT after averaging 6.8 points and hitting 7-of-14 three-pointers to go with 1.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals at last season’s ANGT L’Hospitalet. The 1.83-meter guard has yet to play in the Spanish youth national team system. Garcia is a very skilled player who also is technically very gifted. Garcia is a difficult player to stop in one-on-one situations. Another strong characteristic is his remarkable court-vision, which makes him like a coach on the court and one of most important players for the L’Hospitalet team.

### U18 BROSE BASKETS BAMBERG: Arnoldas Kulboka

Kulboka will be playing his second ANGT after being a key player for Zalgiris Kaunas last season, when he averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds while hitting almost 56 percent from three-point range over seven games in the ANGT Kaunas and ANGT Finals. The 2.02-meter forward moved from Zalgiris to Bamberg after playing for Lithuania at the 2015 U18 European Championship, where he averaged 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. He is currently averaging 5.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in the German second division ProA and 21.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in the U19 NBBL. The Marijampoles native has a great touch on his shot – shooting 42 percent from three-point range in the NBBL - and has great length and wingspan. He still must work on his ball handling, passing and defense, but the club expects big things from him.

Players to Watch: ANGT L'Hospitalet

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The second ticket for the 2015-16 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals in Berlin next spring is up for grabs when the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Torneig de Bàsquet Junior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet tips off on Monday. The eight-team field in the Barcelona suburb features a number of top teams, including reigning champion U18 Real Madrid, 2013 winner U18 FIATC Joventut Badalona, 2008 and 2013 runner-up U18 FC Barcelona Lassa and 2003 runner-up U18 Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv.

The ANGT L’Hospitalet winner will join U18 Mega Leks Belgrade at the ANGT Finals from May 12-15 at the 2016 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in Berlin, Germany. The ANGT L’Hospitalet is second in a series of four ANGT qualifying tournaments that will be played across the European continent over the next two months. The third event, the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament – Kaunas takes place on January 15-17 with the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament – Belgrade running February 26-28.

The field at the ANGT L’Hospitalet has seen two changes compared to last season with U18 ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne and U18 Galatasaray Istanbul dropping out of the competition and Maccabi and U18 Brose Baskets Bamberg moving over from the ANGT Rome.

Reigning ANGT L’Hospitalet and ANGT Finals champion Real Madrid starts its defense of the crown in Group A along with U18 Union Olimpija Ljubljana, Joventut and Maccabi. Group B has Barcelona, U18 Baloncesto Seville, host U18 Torrons Vicens L’Hospitalet and Bamberg. The top two teams in the groups will face off in the semifinals with the winner of the final locking up a spot in the ANGT Finals.

Madrid enters the tournament with a nine-game ANGT winning streak and 20 victories in its last ANGT 22 games; it lost only the 2012-13 ANGT L’Hospitalet final against eventual champion Joventut and the 2013-14 ANGT Finals championship game against U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade. Madrid was undefeated last season and broke through for its first ANGT title by dethroning previous champion Zvezda.

Olimipja is at the ANGT L’Hospitalet for the fourth straight season. The Slovenian club went 1-3 in 2014-15 after reaching the semifinals in 2013-14 and losing to U18 Unicaja Malaga before finishing third. After two straight appearances in the ANGT Finals, Joventut finished fifth last season at the ANGT L’Hospitalet with a 2-2 record. Maccabi will be looking for its first ANGT victory since the 2012-13 season, when the Israeli club went 1-3 and beat L’Hospitalet. Maccabi was 0-4 at the ANGT Rome last season and did not take part in the competition in 2013-14.

The top team in Group B is Barcelona, which has not won the ANGT L’Hospitalet since 2010-11. Barcelona lost in the 2011-12 and 2014-15 ANGT L’Hospitalet finals; it won first four games last season. Seville is taking part in the competition for the fifth straight season. It went 2-2 last season losing to Barcelona in the ANGT L’Hospitalet semifinal. Seville won the ANGT Rome in 2013-14 after going 2-3 at the ANGT L’Hospitalet in both 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Torrons Vicens L’Hospitalet pulled off a rare victory last season, knocking off Galatasaray for its first win since beating Power Electronics during the 2009-10 ANGT L’Hospitalet. The victory snapped a 20-game losing streak. Bamberg is taking part in the competition for the seventh time in the last eight years. Last season the German team was 2-2 at the ANGT Rome and finished fourth. Bamberg returns to the ANGT L’Hospitalet after playing there in 2013-14 – and going 1-3. Bamberg played at the ANGT Rome in 2012-13 after competing at the ANGT Belgrade in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2011-12.



ANGT L'Hospitalet tips off Monday with eight teams from four countries

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Aleksandar Aranitovic would have to make a lot of room in his trophy case after leading U18 Mega Leks Belgrade to the 2015-16 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals in Berlin next spring by winning the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament – Torneo Citta di Roma on Tuesday. Aranitovic was voted tournament MVP and headlines the all-tournament team. Aranitovic dominated in the championship game against U18 Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, but it was just another in a series of big games for him. Aranitovic, who played an integral part in the title games of the last two ANGT Finals with Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade, averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.5 steals over four games in Rome.

Joining him on the all-tournament team were Sandro Mamukelashvili from Stellazzurra, Alessandro Pajola of third-place side U18 Virtus Bologna, Nemaja Dincic of U18 Armani Junior Milan and Ablaye Sow of U18 Unicaja Malaga. Mamukelashvili averaged 14.5 points on 8 of 18 three-point shooting (44.4%), 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals for the runner-up. Pajola tallied 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.3 steals per game. Dincic and Sow averaged double-doubles; Dincic posted 15.8 points and 11 rebounds per game and Sow was worth 16 points and 12 rebounds.

MVP Aranitovic heads all-tourney team

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The 2015-16 EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT tips off in now-customary fashion with the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament – Torneo Citta di Roma in the Italian capital from December 27 to 29 with reigning champion Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome hoping to defend its title and return to the ANGT Finals during the 2016 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in Berlin. The biggest name internationally in Rome is three-time winner U18 CSKA Moscow, which has not played in the finals since 2007 and last lifted the title in 2006. CSKA is the only former champion in the eight-team ANGT Rome field, which will produce the first of eight teams for the ANGT Finals in Berlin.

Teamed up with Stellazzurra and CSKA in Group A in Rome are U18 Anadolu Efes Istanbul and U18 Virtus Bologna. Group B features U18 Armani Junior Milano, U18 Mega Leks Belgrade, U18 Umana Reyer Venice and last season’s Rome finalist U18 Unicaja Malaga. Spanish club Unicaja joined Stellazzurra at last season's ANGT Finals at the 2015 Final Four in Madrid with a wild card. The two winners of the round-robin groups will face off in the final for a spot at the 2016 Final Four in Berlin from May 12 to 15, where they will be joined by the winners of the three other ANGT qualifying tournaments as well as four wild cards. The other three qualifying tournaments will take place on January 4 to 6 in L'Hospitalet, Spain; January 15 to 17 in Kaunas, Lithuania; and February 26 to 28 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The field at the ANGT Rome has seen a lot of changes compared to last season with U18 Spars Sarajevo and U18 Cedevita Zagreb moving from the tournament in the Italian capital to the one in Belgrade and swapping with Mega Leks and Venice. Also U18 Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv and U18 Brose Baskets Bamberg moved to L'Hospitalet and were replaced with CSKA, which played last season in Kaunas, and Efes.

Stellazzurra broke through last season with the Rome title after reaching the Rome final in 2013-14 and losing against U18 Cajasol Seville. Stellazzurra took fifth place in 2012 and fourth in 2011. CSKA went 0-3 last season in Kaunas after going 1-2 in 2013-14 in Lithuania and taking third place in Siauliai a year earlier. Efes's previous ANGT appearance was in the 2012 Finals, where it was given a wild card. Bologna finished last at ANGT Rome last season after missing the 2013-14 edition.

Milano finished sixth in Rome last season after playing in the ANGT Finals as the host club in 2013-14, when it finished third. Mega Leks is back in the ANGT for the fifth straight season. It was seventh in Belgrade last season, fourth in 2013-14 and reached the Belgrade final in 2012-13. Venice is back after taking eighth place last season in Belgrade. And Unicaja finally played at the finals again last season thanks to a wild card after taking second place at ANGT Rome a year after losing the ANGT L'Hospitalet final to Real Madrid.

Torneo Citta di Roma tips off new ANGT season

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The 2015-16 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT series tips off with the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament - Torneo Citta di Roma on Sunday in the Italian capital with many of the best young players in Europe eager to take the stage. Learn more about some of the players to watch from the eight teams about to clash for a ticket to the ANGT Finals.

### U18 Armani Junior Milano: Davide Toffali

Toffali will be playing his second ANGT event after averaging 8.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists over four games at ANGT Rome last season. The 17-year-old, 1.94-meter guard has yet to play for the Italian national team youth ranks, but he has made inroads for the senior teams, with whom he debuted in the Italian League against Scandone AV on October 19. Toffali, who plays regularly with Serie C Gold team Tessilform Bernareggio, is a hard worker and a good scorer with confidence coming off screens and shooting pull-up jumpers. He is improving his leadership skills on and off the court, as well as his defense. While his ability to read the game offensively has gotten better, he needs to work on consistently hitting a three-pointer. Toffali's coaches believe he could be one of the best players in his age group.

### U18 CSKA Moscow: Andrei Lopatin

Lopatin will be playing his second ANGT after he scored 6.7 points to go with 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals in three games at last season’s ANGT Kaunas. The 2.07-meter power forward played this past summer at the U18 European Championship at a year younger than the average and posted 2.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. After having played the U16 European Championship in 2013 and 2014, Lopatin was nominated for the FIBA Europe U18 All-Star Game at EuroBasket 2015. The 17-year-old is currently playing in the VTB Youth United League, which is a U21 championship. Lopatin reads the game well and is a good shooter for his position. He also passes well and looks for extra passes. He does a lot of dirty work on both ends of the court, plays defense and helps his teammates. Lopatin still needs to grow up physically and improve his post game.

### U18 Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome: Lazar Nikolic

Despite being just 16 years old, this will already by Nikolic's third ANGT. Last season, he helped Stellazzurra to the ANGT Finals and averaged 4.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.9 steals over seven games. The Serbian, who played for his country at the 2014 U16 European Championship, is an intriguing talent because he's a 2.02-meter playmaker. He's playing in the Italian Serie B and averaging 6.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists, including a 28-point outburst versus Maddaloni and a 12-assist game against Scauri. His coaches used the terms "genius" and "mastermind" in describing his basketball skills. Nikolic is like a coach on the court and does a good job controlling his teammates. He has a good jumper and passes the ball well. His drive to the basket and his defense are two areas where he needs work.

### U18 Mega Leks Belgrade: Novak Music

Music will be playing his second ANGT event after averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.8 steals over four games at ANGT Belgrade last season. The 1.89-meter guard did not play for any Serbian national team last summer after having played in the 2014 U16 European Championship, where he averaged 7.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Music is currently playing in the Serbian Junior League and averaging nearly 23 points per game while shooting 43 percent from long range with more than 2 steals per game. Nikolic, who practices with Mega Leks's first team, is extremely quick and excellent in one-on-one situations. He is truly the leader of the team and does a good job pressuring the opposing playmakers. Music still needs to gain muscle mass and must work on his shot.

### U18 Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Baran Avsar

Avsar is making his ANGT debut after Efes did not play in the competition last season. The 1.93-meter guard played for Turkey at the 2015 U16 European Championship for the second straight summer and averaged 5.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists as Turkey took third place. Avsar helped Efes win the U16 Turkish titles in 2014 and 2015. The 16-year-old is currently playing for Efes's U18 team and collecting 10.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He averaged 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season in the U16 Istanbul league. Avsar is a fearless player, who never gives up. He penetrates very well, which makes him a very important weapon in the open court. He also passes well. Avsar still struggles at times with shot selection on offense and is sometimes weak at one-on-one on defense.

### U18 Virtus Bologna: Danilo Petrovic

Petrovic will be playing his second ANGT after leading Virtus in scoring with 17.3 points while also getting 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists over four games at ANGT Rome in 2014. At that time, he started only the last two games, collecting 26 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists against U18 Armani Junior Milano and 20 points and 6 rebounds vs U18 Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv. The 16-year-old, 2.02-meter forward was in the mix to play for Serbia at this past summer’s U16 European Championship, but did not make the team. Petrovic, who used to play for Serbian youth powerhouse Crvena Zvezda, has a strong body, but doesn’t possess a lot of speed or athleticism. He has solid ball-handling and stays within the game. Petrovic makes up for his lack of athleticism with a high basketball IQ and good fundamentals on both offense and defense.

### U18 Umana Reyer Venice: Riccardo Visconti

Visconti will be playing his second ANGT event after averaging 16 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals over four games at ANGT Belgrade last season. The 1.95-meter guard played at the 2014 U16 European Championship and collected 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Last season he played at the U19 finals and scored 12.8 points and also averaged 23.7 points and 10.1 rebounds at the U17 finals. He made his professional debut this season with 3 points against Manital Torino for Umana's Italian League team. Visconti is a talented lefty guard with an unbelievable three-point shot and quick release. He can drive to the rim and finish in traffic even if he's off balance. Visconti also can find the open man on offense and has a very good work attitude. Visconti is still skinny and light and trying to bulk up his body.

### U18 Unicaja Malaga: Ablaye Sow

Sow will be playing his second ANGT after helping Unicaja reach the finals last season with a combined 2.7 points and 3.4 rebounds over seven games at both ANGT Rome and the ANGT Finals in Madrid. His two best games saw him collect 5 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals against U18 Spars Sarajevo and 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block against U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade. The 2.09-meter Senegalese big man has already played one game for the LEB Silver team Clinicas Rincon. Sow has excellent length and athleticism, which makes him a good rebounder. He’s willing to work hard on defense and has a decent feel around the rim. He still needs to gain some weight and mass, which will come with his age. Sow also must develop his offensive game around the basket.

Players to Watch: ANGT Rome

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The 37th annual "Torneig de Básquet Júnior Ciutat de L'Hospitalet" was presented on Tuesday in suburban Barcelona with the promise of more high-level competition in the fight to reach the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT at the 2015 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four that will be played in Berlin next May. The L'Hospitalet tournament will be held in the province of Barcelona between January 4 and 6, 2016. Organized by CB L'Hospitalet, the tournament is a time-tested holiday magnet for teams, fans and scouts from all over Europe and beyond. The follow comments were made during the tournament press conference on Tuesday:

Nuria Marin, Mayor of Hospitalet: "We are here again to present a date marked in red on all our calendars, the 37th edition of the Hospitalet Junior Tournament. The city of Hospitalet is really proud to support this event for another year and to welcome all the teams who will join us in January."

Joan Ramón Patón, President of Club Bàsquet L'Hospitalet: "We are all waiting for the 37th edition of our junior tournament. From January 4 to 6 our home court will welcome some of the most talented junior players in Europe to bring the best competition possible to the fans. We are aware that this tournament would be really difficult to organize but with the support of all our sponsors, Euroleague Basketball and the city of Hospitalet, we can make this tournament happen. Thank you all for coming and hope you enjoy the tournament."

Diego Guillén d’Arlot de Saint-Saud, Euroleague Basketball Competitions Director: "Euroleague Basketball is really proud to collaborate for the ninth year in a row with the Hospitalet Tournament that together with the other three tournaments that we organize around Europe – Belgrade, Kaunas and Rome – gather the most talented junior players of the continent playing to achieve a spot in the final, which will be played during the Final Four of Berlin. I would like to thank Adidas for being the sponsor of the tournament for the second year in a row and the Club Bàsquet L'Hospitalet for organizing such an prestigious tournament which is a reference in Europe."

Enric Prats, Catalan Basketball Federation Vice-President: "There is no need to make a presentation of the tournament that, with 37 editions, we all know because of its excellent organization and the talented players who have participated, whom we can watch now on a weekly basis playing in the top European competitions and domestic leagues."



L'Hospitalet tournament's 37th edition presented

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