Real Madrid’s young star Luka Doncic was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT after guiding Madrid to its first ANGT title. Doncic, who only turned 16 in February and was two years younger than many of the players he competed against, played a huge role in Madrid beating defending champion Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade in the final. He collected 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in the 73-70 win over Crvena Zvezda. For the ANGT Finals, Doncic was second on Madrid in scoring with 11.5 points per game, third in the event in rebounds with 9.0 per game and third with 5.8 assists per game.

Joining Doncic on the All-Tournament Team, which was selected by the competition’s coaches, were Edin Atic of Spars Sarajevo, Vojislav Stojanovic of Crvena Zvezda, Killian Tillie of INSEP Paris and his Madrid teammate Emanuel Cate. Atic guided Spars to two victories in group play and was second in the event in scoring with 18.7 points per game and third with 4.0 steals to go with 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Stojanovic captured the MVP honors at last season’s ANGT Finals and returned to the All-Tournament Team as he guided Zvezda back to the title game. Before fouling out against Madrid, he picked up 15 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He was the ANGT Finals leader with 6.8 assists, fifth with 2.8 steals, sixth with 7.8 rebounds and ninth in scoring with 14.3 points per game. INSEP also won two games in group play thanks to the strong play of Tillie, who tallied 14.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 3.7 steals. Cate collected 11 points, 8 rebounds and 8 blocks in the final victory over Crvena Zvezda and averaged 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.3 blocks for the ANGT Finals.

Real Madrid's young star Doncic named ANGT MVP

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If something is not right for Rodions Kurucs during a game, he will often look up to the stands. And with just a hand gesture by Vladimirs Kiselovs, everything will be alright again for the versatile VEF Riga star. Kiselovs is Kurucs’s grandfather, and his coach since he was 5 years old.

“My grandfather is a great person. He taught me everything I know about basketball. I’m very thankful for him because he put a lot of hard work into me. And I’m happy for that and appreciate that,” Kurucs said. “He is at our games and if I forget something, I look to him in the stands and he shows me how to do it with just a hand motion or something.”

Though grandpa Kiselovs is not in Madrid for the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT, Kurucs definitely bounced back from a subpar first game for VEF against INSEP for an outstanding showing against Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome in the second game. After collecting 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in a loss to INSEP, the 17-year-old had 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocks to lead VEF to a 61-92 victory over Stellazzurra. And he led his team with 16 points in their last game of the tourney against finalist Real Madrid.

That is a lot closer to what fans saw from him at the Kaunas ANGT qualifier, where he was selected to the All-Tournament Team. The 2.04-meter forward fancies his game after that of Team USA star and Olympic gold medalist Kevin Durant. “I like his moves. I try to play like him and copy his moves,” said Kurucs.

The VEF Riga player has talent scouts visioning his versatile skill set at a higher level, but Kurucs said he is trying to avoid hearing any of such talk: “I don’t think about it that much. I just do my work.”

Kurucs is also busy watching and marveling at his younger brother Arturs Kurucs, who is 15 years old and plays in Riga. “I think he’s a very good player. He has better legs, plays better defense and he jumps better than me. He’s a really good player. He can really do everything. He’s a point guard or shooting guard and number three, really versatile,” Rodions said of his younger brother.

The fact that VEF Riga is in Madrid for its debut in the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals means a lot to Kurucs, his team and Latvian basketball. “It’s very cool. All the guys are happy, and emotionally stronger. They want to fight for every ball.”

Kurucs does too. But if he ever loses his way for a moment, he knows that he can always look up to the stands if he needs a brief correction from his grandfather.



VEF Riga star Kurucs looks to stands for guidance

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Moving from the countryside to the big city to pursue a basketball career is one thing. But INSEP Paris big man Jonathan Jeanne took a voyage of more than 6,700 kilometers from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to the French capital for the hardwood. And he was just 15 years old.

“I remember it was very difficult. In Guadeloupe I had my family, and when I arrived in France, I didn’t have them,” said Jeanne, who made the trip to France in September 2012. “My family could not go to France because it was so far away. It was so scary before, but now it’s normal for me.”

Jeanne and his family decided it would be best to send him to France and the INSEP Paris institute because of its great reputation of developing players. “My family said I played basketball very well and said I need to go to France because this is the best school for basketball,” Jeanne said of INSEP, which he will leave at the end of this season and play next year with Le Mans.

Jeanne is a giant of a man at 2.12 meters. Before basketball, he dabbled in Guadeloupe in soccer, athletics and swimming. But very soon it was all basketball. “I don’t have a number two. It’s just basketball for me. I don’t know what my second sport was, it’s too long ago,” Jeanne said.

Guadeloupe is the home country to several successful basketball players such as Johan Petro and Mickael Gelabale. In fact, the Pietrus brothers, Florent and Mickael, and Ludovic Vaty are all from his home commune of Les Abymes. Still, Jeanne said he doesn’t know those players personally. “I did not watch basketball growing up. I only started when I came to France,” he admitted.

Adidas Next Generation Tournament fans who remember Jeanne from last season will hardly recognize him - besides of course his never-ending length. Jeanne has bulked up a little bit physically, but he improved his game even more and – most importantly – his confidence. Last season, he averaged 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.6 turnovers and zero blocks in a total of 60 minutes of action. Jeanne spent the summer with the French national team and displayed flashes of what is possible, averaging 4.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. His top games were 11 points and 8 rebounds against Japan and then 10 and 6 versus China.

“The Worlds gave me a lot of confidence to show I can play, I can shoot, I can drive. It was really good for me,” Jeanne said.

With the renewed confidence and some additional mass, Jeanne started to become a dominating force. With INSEP at the Kaunas qualifier, he averaged 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds but also collected 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals and a menacing 2.8 blocks per game. “[Before,] I didn’t have time to play basketball. But now I have a job playing basketball and to prove to my family and friends that I can play.”

To prove to the family and friends he so missed when he first left Guadeloupe.



Jeanne takes long voyage from Guadeloupe for French hardwood

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Euroleague Basketball joins the basketball community in expressing condolences at the passing of Belgacom Spirou Charleroi center Rasmus Larsen at the early age of 20. Larsen was found dead in his home on Wednesday. A promising big man, Larsen played the 2011-12 U18 Tournament in Kaunas with Vaerlose BBK of his native Denmark and averaged 6.3 points in three games. Larsen played for Sant Nicolau Sabadell and La Bruixa d'Or Manresa before joining Spirou last season. Euroleague Basketball has declared that a moment of silence be observed before each 2015 EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT game on Thursday in honor of Larsen.

Euroleague Basketball mourns Rasmus Larsen

Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade finally broke through last year to win the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT crown. Can the Serbian team become the first repeat champion since fellow Belgrade club FMP in 2009? Or can host Real Madrid grab its first title after losing to Crvena Zvezda in last season’s final? Will Zalgiris Kaunas pick up its third ANGT crown or does INSEP Paris have the goods to capture its second championship? Or will the fans in Madrid experience the ninth club to hoist the trophy to the heavens?

The answer is coming on May 17 just hours before the championship game of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four at Barclaycard Center, where the winners of Group A (INSEP, Real Madrid, Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome and VEF Riga) and Group B Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade, Spars Sarajevo, Unicaja Malaga and Zalgiris Kaunas) will face off in the ANGT title contest.

Crvena Zvezda is one of the main titles contenders in Madrid as the team brings back many of its leaders from last season’s championship-winning squad, including 2014 Finals MVP Vojislav Stojanovic. But Stojanovic is just one of the team’s leaders; he is joined by Nikola Rakicevic, Aleksandar Aranitovic and Borisa Simanic. And even though Crvena Zvezda is full of great players, those players are also unselfish and team-orientated, which makes them a tough team to stop on offense and score upon on defense. In the Belgrade qualifier, Crvena Zvezda averaged 88 points while allowing just 58.4 points per game in going undefeated.

Real Madrid knows a thing or two about not being able to score against Crvena Zvezda after losing the 2014 title game 55-42. Madrid has a few of its top players back from that team as well, including Santiago Yusta, Jonathan Barreiro, Samba Ndiaye and Emanuel Cate. On top of that, the Spanish team will have 16-year-old uber-talent Luka Doncic ready to showcase himself, while Felipe Dos Anjos can patrol the paint. Madrid, which was undefeated in winning the L’Hospitalet qualifying tourney, will not have history on its side as only two teams have won the ANGT crown on their home court - INSEP in Paris in 2010 and CSKA Moscow in Moscow in 2005.

Zalgiris Kaunas returns to the Finals for the 11th time in 13 years after winning the Kaunas event in undefeated fashion. The Lithuanians will be hunting for title number three after 2003 and 2007, which would pull the team even with CSKA Moscow for the most crowns. Zalgiris will have a strong team featuring qualifying tournament MVP Martynas Echodas, who was selected for the 2014 Finals All-Tournament Team, as well as Martynas Varnas, Laurynas Beliauskas and Laurynas Birutis. After winning or reaching the final in four of the first five ANGTs, Zalgiris has only played in one final since 2007; it lost in 2011 to Zagreb.

The other team to qualify directly for Madrid was Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome, which won the Torneo Citta di Roma qualifier to reach its first Finals. Stellazzurra also went undefeated and beat previously-undefeated Unicaja Malaga in the Rome final. While Stellazzurra does not score as potently as Crvena Zvezda, the Italian club does play tough defense as well, allowing just 50.7 points per game. The leader of the Rome club is the versatile Andrea La Torre, who was the MVP at the qualifier. Other leaders for Stellazzurra will be Todor Radonjic, Kristinn Palsson and youngster Njegos Sikiras.

The last of three past champions to compete in Madrid is INSEP, which foiled FMP’s three-peat attempt in the 2010 final in Paris. INSEP was awarded a wild card for Madrid after losing just one game at the Kaunas qualifier - in the deciding group game against Zalgiris - before finishing in third place. The French team has a tantalizing group of talent, including Kaunas All-Tournament Team member Bathiste Tchouaffe, power forward Stephane Gombauld and 2.12 center Jonathan Jeanne. The team will once again have the services of 17-year-old talent Killian Tillie – younger brother of Laboral Kutxa Vitoria forward Kim Tillie – who missed the qualifying tournament with an injury. If INSEP can win the title, the team would become the fourth to win two titles - after CSKA, Zalgiris and FMP.

Unicaja Malaga also received a wild card and will play at the Finals for the first time since 2009. The Spanish club lost in the final of the Rome qualifier against Stellazzurra - the team’s only defeat of the tournament. It was also the fourth time Unicaja lost in a qualifying final since 2009. Malaga point guard Carlos Corts was named to the All-Tournament Team, but the team also features Romaric Belemene, Viny Okouo and Rares Uta.

There are two teams making their ANGT debut: VEF Riga and Spars Sarajevo. VEF Riga was given a wild card after losing its only game in the Kaunas tournament against Zalgiris in the final. It was actually the second straight season in which VEF lost to Zalgiris in the final of the Kaunas qualifier. The Latvian club will have one of the most exciting players in the tournament in all-around talent Rodions Kurucs. But VEF is far from just Kurucs. Karlis Silins and Verners Kohs both provide the team with plenty of production and Zigmars Raimo can do so many things on the court.

Last but not least is Spars Sarajevo, which also received a wild card for its Finals debut after finishing third at the Rome qualifying tournament, losing just one game to Unicaja. The team’s star is Edin Atic, who was named to the Rome All-Tournament Team. But the Bosnian team has other weapons as well with the second big gun being Amar Gegic. Fahrudin Manjgafic and Atif Durak also must play well if Spars hopes to hoist the trophy to the Madrid heavens on May 17.



Can Crvena Zvezda repeat - and other questions going into the ANGT Finals

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There is a real chance that another ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT alum will be crowned Turkish Airlines Euroleague champion this season. After all, between Euroleague Rising Star Bogdan Bogdanovic of Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul, Jonas Maciulis of Real Madrid and Milos Teodosic of CSKA Moscow, three of the teams competing for the Euroleague crown this season have roots in European basketball’s most prestigious junior event for clubs. That serves as a great reminder of the quality of talent on display every year at the ANGT Finals. Here’s a primer on which future stars to follow in Madrid.

#### Zalgiris Kaunas – Laurynas Birutis

While Martynas Echodas and Martynas Varnas have the flashier and louder games, Birutis is the rock in the middle for Zalgiris. The 2.10-meter center, who won’t turn 18 years of age until late August, made a huge jump from last season with Zalgiris. During the 2013-14 season, the Siauliai native averaged 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in the ANGT qualifiers in Kaunas. But Birutis was not chosen for the ANGT Finals in Milan. During the summer of 2014, Birutis played for Lithuania at the U18 European Championship and averaged 4.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, including a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds against Latvia. That gave the big man confidence and Birutis was clearly more comfortable – and accordingly more productive – at this season’s ANGT qualifiers in Kaunas. He was 1 rebound short of three double-doubles and averaged 13.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks, while shooting 57.4% percent from the field and 89.5% percent from the free throw line. Birutis still can use some weight, which makes his work in the post sometimes difficult. But he is effective down low at both ends and also has a good sense of passing. Birutis also works hard on the offensive glass.

#### Crvena Zvezda - Vojislav Stojanovic

Stojanovic already has plenty of hardware in his trophy-case, including the MVP of the ANGT Finals from last year after he guided Crvena Zvezda to the title in Milan. He averaged 15.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in that event. Stojanovic followed that last summer by helping Serbia to third place at the FIBA U17 World Championship, where he averaged 12.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals. The 1.96-meter shooting guard came back to the ANGT circuit and won the MVP of the Belgrade qualifier for the second season in a row as Crvena Zvezda went undefeated in reaching the ANGT Finals for a fifth straight year. Stojanovic showed an ability to take over games, but also showed he is more concerned about winning; he excellently filled the role as facilitator in posting 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals. Stojanovic has a strong physical frame, which makes him a good rebounder as a guard. He has a strong handle and is comfortable – and effective – leading the offense, both on the break and in the half-court. He is a streaky shooter from outside, but seems to hit the big shots from long range. The Belgrade native is tough-as-nails and seems to thrive on defense.

#### INSEP – Jonathan Jeanne

Jeanne is a giant of a man at 2.12 meters, though his long, slender frame causes concerns inside. The 17-year-old Jeanne has made great strides in the last year. At the 2013-14 ANGT, he averaged 5.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.6 turnovers and zero blocks in a total of 60 minutes of action. The Guadeloupe native played for France at the FIBA U17 World Championship and showed flashes of what he could do, with 4.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Jeanne came back to the ANGT with INSEP with some additional weight – though by far still not enough – and more confidence in his game. He averaged 14.0 points while shooting 57.5% from two point range and grabbed 7.5 rebounds. But Jeanne also dished out 1.8 assists, picked up 1.5 steals and became a defensive menace with 2.8 blocks per game. Jeanne averaged nearly 29 minutes per game, showing he can run up and down the court the whole game. The big man obviously has great length and has learned to use that defensively. He also has a couple of moves around the basket – with upside when he improves those and learns more. Jeanne has shown an ability to shoot from long range and has good athleticism and quickness for a player of his length.

#### Real Madrid – Luka Doncic

The future is now for Madrid as Doncic is not only the club’s youngest player at the ANGT, but also one of the team’s biggest rising stars. The Slovenian is in third season with the club, turned 16 in February 28 and two months later became the youngest player to appear in a senior game in Madrid history. Doncic showed at the ANGT qualifiers in L’Hospitalet that he can already take over and dominate games – in a variety of ways. The 1.98-meter forward, who has yet to play for Slovenia internationally, led Madrid in scoring with 13.0 points while collecting 7.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals. Doncic had two double-doubles and averaged a performance index rating of 22.2, while shooting 60.6 percent from two-point range and 41.7% percent from long distance. Doncic made the All-Tournament Team, showing his a wide array of skills in L’Hospitalet. The son of former Euroleague player Sasa Doncic has good and is a good rebounder. He has strong ball-handling skills and can drive and finish around the basket and above the rim. Doncic also has a good feel for the game and knows when he needs to take the initiative or delegate to others.

#### Spars Sarajevo – Amar Gegic

Despite only turning 17 years old in mid-February, Gegic is playing in his second ANGT season. Last year, the 1.92-meter guard averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals. After that, Gegic returned to the Bosnia and Herzegovina U16 national team, which he helped earned promotion to Division A of the U16 European Championship in 2013. In Bosnia’s Division A debut, Gegic served as captain and collected 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds as well as team highs in assists (3.6 apg.), steals (2.4 spg.) and blocks (1.0 bpg.) as the team reached the quarterfinals. Gegic came back to Spars with more confidence and improved over the course of the Rome ANGT qualifiers, averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.3 steals and 0.5 blocks. He collected 27 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists and 8 steals in the final two games. Gegic, who was born in Germany, but moved to Bosnia while still a baby, can drive to the basket, but also can find and set up his teammates. He takes pride in his defense. One area where Gegic still needs to work is his shooting; he made just 42.8 percent of his shots from the field in Rome.

#### Stellazzurra Rome - Njegos Sikiras

Despite being two years younger than the competition, Sikiras held his own for Stellazzurra, averaging 3.3 points on 45.5 percent shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. Last summer he helped Bosnia and Herzegovina reach the quarterfinals of the U16 European Championship in the nation’s debut in the Division A. The 2.05-meter forward, who only turned 16 on April 11, averaged 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks; he had four games in which he scored in double digits. Sikiras played at the Pinar International U16 Tournament earlier this year and stood out with 15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks. The native of Pale also played at the Jordan Brand Classic and earned the MVP trophy for the Black Team as he nailed 2 three-pointers in scoring a team-high 14 points while collecting 8 rebounds (4 offensive) and 1 block in 16 minutes. Sikiras has been playing basketball for less than four years. He is a versatile big man who can play inside and out with three-point range. He has a big heart and has a good body. Sikiras has decent ball-handling skills, sees the floor well and has good passing skills. He is not overwhelmingly athletic, but gets out on the break.

#### VEF Riga – Zigmars Raimo

Raimo does not look like your typical prospect, but the Madonas native has plenty of game, serving almost as a Robin to Rodions Kurucs’s Batman for VEF Riga. The 1.97-meter Raimo had two outstanding games at the Kaunas ANGT qualifier and two subpar games in averaging 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals. He flirted with a triple double with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists against Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius while collecting 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists versus Fenerbahce. It was Raimo’s second ANGT campaign for VEF; he averaged 5.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals last season. Last summer Raimo played at the U18 European Championship and was worth 2.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals. Raimo is under-sized for a power forward, but has great court vision and an excellent feel for the game. He rebounds very well and has very good passing skills for a big man. Raimo is not a consistent threat from beyond the three-point line, though he can hit his share of threes. He works hard around the basket with the ball and while he doesn’t have a lot of moves, he can score. One of his biggest assets scoring-wise is his offensive rebounding.

#### Unicaja Malaga – Viny Okouo

Okouo is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 2.15-meter center has only been playing basketball about three years, but he has taken great strides. He was a strong presence for Unicaja in the Rome ANGT qualifier. After a lackluster first game, he twice collected 17 points and 8 rebounds and added 4 points and 10 rebounds in the final loss against Stellazzurra. For the tournament, he averaged 10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks, while shooting 65.2 percent from the field. Okouo has yet to play for his country internationally. The Rome ANGT was his second qualifying tournament after averaging 1.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in nearly 19 minutes at L’Hospitalet during the 2013-14 season. Okouo has grown in confidence and ability all season. In the Spanish LEB Gold, he averaged 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds and collected 12.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in the Spanish EBA. Okouo obviously has great length, which he is still learning to use on defense. He has developed a couple of moves around the basket, making him much more than just a dunker off offensive rebounds. He excels on the offensive glass.

Amar Gegic - Spars Sarajevo - NIJT Rome 2013

Amar Gegic - IJT Spars Sarajevo - Citta di Roma 2014

Njegos Sikiras - IJT Stellazzurra Rome - Citta di Roma 2014

Zigmars Raimo - U18 VEF Riga - Kaunas ANGT 2015 (photo Linas Silkaustas)

Viny Okouo - Unicaja Malaga - JT Hospitalet (photo Marta Forne Sala)

Vojislav Stojanovic - U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade - ANGT Belgrade 2015

Vojislav Stojanovic - U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade - ANGT Belgrade 2015 (photo Dragosla Zarkovic)

Laurynas Birutis - U18 Zalgiris Kaunas - Kaunas ANGT 2015 (Photo: Linas Silkaitis)

Laurynas Birutis - U18 Zalgiris Kaunas - Kaunas ANGT 2015 (photo Rokas Tenys)

Jonathan Jeanne - U18 FC INSEP Paris - Kaunas ANGT 2015 (Photo Migle Kaselyte)

Jonathan Jeanne - U18 FC INSEP Paris - Kaunas ANGT 2015 (Photo: Linas Silkaitis)

Luka Doncic - IJT Real Madrid - Ciutat de L'Hospitalet 2015 (photo Paco Largo)

Players to Watch: ANGT Madrid 2015

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The lineup for the 2015 EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT finals is set after INSEP Paris, Spars Sarajevo, Unicaja Malaga and VEF Riga accepted invitations to compete alongside the four teams that guaranteed their places via qualifying tournaments throughout the winter: Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome, Real Madrid, Zalgiris Kaunas and Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade.

These eight teams will compete to be crowned European junior club champion at the 13th edition of the annual tournament finals, which run from Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17 in conjunction with the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in Madrid, Spain. The first three days of the event will be played at Magarinos, however Sunday’s championship game will take place at Barclaycard Center on the same floor where later that evening the Euroleague champion will be crowned.

GROUP A
INSEP PARIS
REAL MADRID
STELLAZZURRA BASKETBALL ACADEMY ROME
VEF RIGA

GROUP B
CRVENA ZVEZDA TELEKOM BELGRADE
SPARS SARAJEVO
UNICAJA MALAGA
ZALGIRIS KAUNAS


ANGT MADRID 2015 information

The lineup for the 2015 EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT finals is set after INSEP Paris, Spars Sarajevo, Unicaja Malaga and VEF Riga accepted invitations to compete alongside the four teams that guaranteed their places via qualifying tournaments throughout the winter: Stellazzurra Basketball Academy Rome, Real Madrid, Zalgiris Kaunas and Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade.

These eight teams will compete to be crowned European junior club champion at the 13th edition of the annual tournament finals, which run from Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17 in conjunction with the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in Madrid, Spain. The first three days of the event will be played at Magarinos, however Sunday’s championship game will take place at Barclaycard Center on the same floor where later that evening the Euroleague champion will be crowned.

Stellazzurra was the first team to book a spot in the EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT finals, by winning the Rome qualifying tournament, where it beat Unicaja Malaga in the title game. Real Madrid did not lose a game in capturing its second straight L'Hospitalet title. Crvena Zvezda won its fifth consecutive title at the ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT 'Marko Ivkovic' Belgrade. Zalgiris won the Kaunas tourney by beating VEF Riga in the title game.

Like VEF Riga and Unicaja, INSEP also lost only one game – to Zalgiris – in its qualifying tournament. The same is true of Spars, which finished third to Stellazzurra and Unicaja in Rome despite winning all but one of its four games. Crvena Zvezda, Real Madrid and Zalgiris competed at the tournament finals in Milan, Italy, last season. Crvena Zvezda defeated Madrid for the 2014 crown. Zvezda will try to become the first team to repeat as champion since FMP in 2009.

As the place where future stars are born, the ANGT alumni club is already a who's who of European basketball greatness. Many players who participated in previous events can be seen on Turkish Airlines Euroleague and Eurocup rosters today, including Mirza Begic (Laboral Kutxa Vitoria), Nihad Dedovic (FC Bayern Munich), Mario Hezonja (FC Barcelona), Mantas Kalnietis (Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar), Lukas Lekavicius (Zalgiris Kaunas), Jonas Maciulis (Real Madrid), Milan Macvan (Partizan Belgrade), Cedi Osman (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), Dario Saric (Anadolu Efes Istanbul) and Milos Teodosic (CSKA Moscow), to name a few.

As always entrance to all games of the EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT finals is completely free of charge, which allows local and visiting fans to be the first to see many of the upcoming elite talents in European basketball compete against each other, all in the same place.



Four invitees complete ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT finals field

The ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT ‘Marko Ivkovic’ Belgrade event tips off Friday with many of the best young players in central Europe eager to take the stage. Learns more about some of the stars to watch from the eight teams about to clash for a ticket to the ANGT finals.

### Crvena Zvezda – Nikola Rakicevic

This will be Rakicevic’s third ANGT. After averaging 3.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 2013, he averaged 7.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals for the title-winning team in 2014. Rakicevic helped Serbia win the bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship last summer and was selected for the All-Tournament Team after averaging 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals. In the semifinals and third place game, Rakicevic collected 38 points (on 21 of 22 free throws), 12 rebounds and 6 steals. The 1.96-meter guard is not flashy or overly athletic, which allows others to steal the headlines and attention. But Rakicevic was the Serbian player of his generation who was invited to the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in New York City. He does a good job creating scoring opportunities on the drive, where he also can find his teammates. Rakicevic can shoot from the outside and has a knack of being in the right place at the right time with a healthy dose of intensity.

### Zemun – Nikola Cirkovic

Cirkovic will be playing at his second ANGT after he averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals for Zemun at the Belgrade tournament last season. He was a role player for the Serbia national team at the FIBA U17 World Championship last summer, where he averaged 2.9 points plus 1.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists in less than 10 minutes per game. The Belgrade native is a 1.92-meter combo guard, whose biggest strength is his one-on-one play. Cirkovic can score a variety of ways and is averaging more than 20 points in the Serbian junior league. He is also known for his high basketball IQ. Cirkovic still lacks strength in his upper body, but that doesn’t stop him from keeping players in front of him. Cirkovic is Zemun’s go-to guy – not only scoring-wise, but also because of his talent level.

### Canarias - Menno Dijkstra

Dijkstra will be at his second ANGT, but the Dutch big man did not play for Canarias in Belgrade last season. The 2.10-meter center has taken some big steps forward since then. The Standaarbuiten native played last summer for the Netherlands at the U18 European Championship Division B and averaged 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 block. He collected 24 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the final two games of the tournament. Dijkstra has a high basketball IQ and seven kilograms of additional muscle has given him more confidence in the paint. The big red head’s arsenal features a good jump hook off his left shoulder and an effective jumper out to five meters. Dijkstra has very good footwork, a great attitude and superb work ethic.

### Mega Leks – Novak Music

The 16-year old Music will be playing in his first ANGT tournament. A native of Belgrade, he was one of Serbia’s leaders at the 2014 U16 European Championship, where the guard averaged 7.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals, including a game with 22 points against Lithuania. The 1.89-meter point guard practices with the Mega Leks professional team in the morning sessions. He is exceptionally aggressive at both ends. Music is known to apply tremendous on-ball pressure on defense and has a very easy time creating scoring opportunities for himself and others. Music also is a very good shooter; he nailed 10 of 21 three-pointers (47.6%) at the U16 Euros last summer.

### Partizan – Vanja Marinkovic

Marinkovic is appearing in his third ANGT. In 2013, he averaged 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. Last season, he upped those numbers to 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals. He collected two international medals last summer, helping Serbia to the silver at the 2014 U18 European Championship (8.2 ppg., 2.3 rpg.) and bronze at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship (9.0 ppg., 2.1 rpg.). The Belgrade native plays beyond his years, and he has great confidence. He is a strong and intelligent player as well as a tremendous shooter. Marinkovic has already advanced to Partizan’s senior team with whom he has averaged 5.5 points and 1.9 rebounds in the Eurocup and 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in the Adriatic League – despite only turning 18 in January. He scored 19 points in the Eurocup against Asesoft CSU Ploiesti and poured in 20 points in the Adriatic League against MZT Skopje.

### ALBA Berlin – Moritz Wagner

Wagner will be playing in his first ANGT. He played for Germany last summer at the U18 European Championship Division B, where the team went undefeated to earn promotion to Division A. The Berlin native averaged 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds, including 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals against Austria. The 2.07-meter power forward has excellent athleticism, which along with his length he uses well in various areas on the court. Wagner can put the ball on the floor and finish in the paint against stronger players. He also has good range on his jumper, though he doesn’t shoot much from beyond the three-point line. Wagner has already appeared in two Euroleague games and in three German League games he scored 3 points. In the U19 NBBL league, Wagner is averaging 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.1 steals.

### Venice – Leonardo Tote

Tote will be appearing in his first ANGT. He played at two international tournaments for Italy last summer. The 2.07-meter center averaged 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds at the U18 European Championship. His biggest game was against Croatia when he collected 5 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block in 19 minutes. At the FIBA U17 World Championship, the Negrar native averaged 8.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, including a 22-point, 8-rebound showing against United Arab Emirates. Tote is versatile and mobile for his size and has shown that he has some strong leaping ability. He is still a bit skinny, but has solid mechanics and actually has good three-point range. Tote’s post game is still a work-in-progress, but the humble young man appears eager to improve.

### Vaerlose – Jacob Larsen

Larsen will be playing in his first ANGT. The 2.06-meter power forward did not play for Denmark’s U18 team last summer after having guided the U16 team to promotion to Division A in 2013, when he averaged a tournament high 20.0 points and 4.0 blocks as well as 12.1 rebounds. Without Larsen this summer, the Danish U16 team dropped back down to Division B. Larsen is the younger brother of 1994-born talent Rasmus Larsen. Jacob has a good motor, is a fighter and is active. Larsen, who just participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in New York City, prefers playing in the paint area, but he can also face up and drive to the basket from the high post.

ANGT Belgrade players to watch 2015

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