U18 talents undertake a battle for supremacy starting January 26

Paris, Dubai and Podgorica join Belgrade as ANGT qualifier hosts!

The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament is pleased to announce its schedule of qualifiers for 2024, which brings the world-class showcase for elite young basketball talents to three exciting new host cities: Paris, France; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Podgorica, Montenegro. The fourth qualifier will be in Belgrade, marking the 16th consecutive season that the Serbian capital welcomes the tournament.

The format stays the same, with the winner of each ANGT Qualifying Tournament advancing to compete for the continental junior club crown at the 2024 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, Germany.

At each qualifying stop, a new Next Generation Team made up of young stars from clubs not affiliated with other ANGT clubs will be among the eight participants, ensuring that a full range of the continent’s best talent will be represented in the tournament. Former EuroLeague star Petteri Koponen will resume his role from last season as head coach for all four of the Next Generation Teams, sharing his wealth of experience with the players. This season, the Next Generation Select Team will not participate in the eight-team ANGT Finals. Its spot will be filled by a different team through a wild card.

The first qualifying event this season will take place from January 26 to 28 in Podgorica, with SC Derby serving as the host club. This marks the debut of the ANGT qualifiers to the Montenegrin capital. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade will host the second tournament in its home city from March 1 to 3. Having hosted a qualifying round since the introduction of that phase in the 2008-09 season, Belgrade continues its legacy as a showcase city for rising stars.

A first-time ANGT qualifier outside continental Europe will come to Dubai from March 22 to 24, with local squad Dubai Basketball Academy as the event host. The tournament will be played at Coca Cola Arena in Dubai, with a capacity for 17,000 spectators. The fourth and final qualifier will run from March 29 to 31 in Paris, to be hosted by SKWEEK with coordinated support from adidas and Paris Basketball. The ANGT returns to the French capital for the first time since hosting the 2010 Finals. The qualifier will be played at the new adidas Arena in Paris.

This season marks the 22nd edition of the ANGT. The competition has seen a who's who of basketball stars come through its ranks, including future EuroLeague and NBA stars such as Goga Bitadze, Omri Casspi, Luigi Datome, Luca Doncic, Vasilije Micic, Nikola Mirotic, Donatas Motiejunas, Dario Saric, Milos Teodosic, Domantas Sabonis, Kristaps Porzingis, Jonas Valanciunas and Victor Wembanyama, among others.

Turk Telekom Ankara is not down for the count

After losing Coach Erden Can and Tyrique Jones to Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Jerian Grant to Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Turk Telekom Ankara knew that it had to step up to continue the progress made last season in the BKT EuroCup.

The Turkish club knew that it needed depth and experience and, despite a 1-8 record to start the season, things seem to be turning around with back-to-back wins, one by 11 points at home against U-BT Cluj-Napoca and the second on the road at Buducnost VOLI Podgorica by 23.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/trademarks/1599016/turk-telekom-ankara-is-not-down-for-the-count/)

Despite a poor start to the season and a 3-8 record, last season’s BKT EuroCup runner-up is still alive and kicking.

Veolia Towers Hamburg showed great character and determination to grab its second win of the season, an 81-83 triumph over the London Lions in the English capital. Small forward Will Christmas has been heating up recently and made some key plays for the Towers in the win. 

Will Christmas, Hamburg: 'We are a team that you have to respect'

In his first EuroCup season, [Will Christmas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/william-christmas/012580/) has averaged 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds for a PIR of 7.9 and he has boosted his numbers to 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and a PIR of 12.5 in the last few games. Born in California, Christmas played in Luxembourg and in the German second division before joining Hamburg. And, of course, around this time of the year, he gets many Christmas jokes related to his surname, as he told Javier Gancedo of the official EuroCup website in this interview. "I have been dealing with it essentially my whole life, and I wouldn't even say dealing with it, that kind of puts it in a negative light," Christmas said. "But I have heard it and I appreciate it. I think people do it more out of appreciation than anything, so it doesn't bother me at all."

**Congratulations on beating London on the road. You had a strong start and regained the lead in the end. What was the key to not losing control and holding on down the stretch?**

"I would say probably just staying on point with the things that we practice and the things that were points for the game, obviously. We came in there with a lot of energy and they came out kind of sluggish, but they are a good team. So we knew that they were going to make a run and just stay consistent with what we were doing all game and trusting the process throughout that. And that was able to help us come out of that with a win."

**This is your second win. How much of a turning point could it be, and what do you need to do to keep winning?**

"The EuroCup is tough and especially our group is incredibly competitive. So for us it's just about moving forward from this game with confidence that we have what it takes on our team to compete. But for us, against some of the better teams in the EuroCup that are in our group is just about... we've got a small margin of error, so we have to be extremely detailed and make sure that we maintain that level of focus that we went into London with for the rest of the season."

"The EuroCup is tough and especially our group is incredibly competitive." 

**This is your first EuroCup season. How do you like the experience until now, playing against big European teams night in and night out?**

"I think it's fun, it's a blast. And as a young player, that's all you ever want, just to have the opportunity to, at least for me, to compete against whoever is considered some of the best players in the world. And obviously, we play against very high quality European teams and some of the best players in Europe and across the world. So it's an awesome experience for me. It's a learning experience, for sure."

**You played in Luxembourg two seasons ago. Does coming from a lower league make you appreciate playing the EuroCup more, knowing that you earned your spot in this league?**

"Definitely. It is a journey, and the work that you put in is what makes the rewards that much sweeter. So coming from Luxembourg, coming from ProB \[second division\] in Germany and finding my way, working my way up into this level is definitely rewarding. It feels good. And I just do my best to cherish and appreciate the opportunities that I have been given."

**Benka Barloschky is the youngest coach in the EuroCup. What's the best thing about him?**

"First of all, I think he has a great, great energy. He's extremely positive and is very good at giving energy. And he is a high-quality communicator. He is very clear about what he wants. He is very honest and very open with us. And I think that enables us to trust him and the things that he tells us to do and then go out and try to execute those things to the best of our ability."

William Christmas is in his first BKT EuroCup season with Veolia Towers Hamburg.

2023-24 EuroCup highlights: William Christmas, Hamburg

**Do you think that his being so young is an advantage, in terms of what goes through his players' minds?**

"Yes, definitely. sometimes being closer in age to some of the players makes it probably a little bit easier for him to relate than the coach that was maybe into his 50s or 60s or whatever. But I also think that having that youth on your side in the coaching world is something that gives him a little extra edge in terms of his hunger and his drive and commitment to not only helping us become better, but also his own journey to improving as a coach and moving up into higher levels of coaching. So I think that works in his favor, for sure."

**Up next, Hamburg travels to Paris to face the top-ranked team in the group. How much are you looking forward to it and how much of an opportunity is it for your team?**

"I am definitely looking forward to it. Obviously, we played them already and the result was not the one that we wanted. Paris is a phenomenal team, they have had a lot of games with a very large margin of victory, us being included in that. And so I think it's just a great opportunity, first of all, to show how much we have improved over that time period since we played them. It is also a chance to learn from a team that plays at a very high level on how to compete and hopefully be able to take that experience and use it moving forward to help us in games, obviously domestically and other EuroCup games as well."

**Not a bad month of December for Hamburg in terms of traveling: London last week, Paris next week. How are you enjoying this?**

"It's awesome, man. And before this year, there were a lot of these places I had never been to. And in terms of cities, I think that we got a really, really good \[EuroCup regular season\] group. Like you said, we just went to London, we are going to Paris. We were in Barcelona, Istanbul, Venice... We have been to some good cities that we were able to see. Aside from the basketball, just from the human aspect of it, the ability to just travel and see different places and experience different cultures and just add experiences to my ledger as a person is awesome. It leaves me with a lot of stories to tell, hopefully when I get a little bit older."

"The work that you put in is what makes the rewards that much sweeter."

**For someone who grew up in California, how different is Christmas in Hamburg compared to how you celebrate back home?**

"It's a little bit different. Out here, I noticed that they do the opening of Christmas presents the day before, so that's a thing that we don't do in the States. But in California around this time, it's not snow. They don't really have the winter markets. And I think that honestly, it adds an element of Christmas that feels like it's supposed to be there. You associate that stuff with the snow and with the cold weather and getting warm inside by the fireplace, all those kinds of things. The Christmas trees, the lights in California around this time, it's still probably... you're going to have some days with some sun out, good weather. So, it's definitely different, but I like it."

**I am sure people do this all the time, but do you get a lot of Christmas jokes here and there?**

"Yeah, but by this time I'm used to it. I have been dealing with it essentially my whole life, and I wouldn't even say dealing with it, that kind of puts it in a negative light. But I have heard it and I appreciate it. I think people do it more out of appreciation than anything, so it doesn't bother me at all. It's definitely a lot for sure, especially more so around this time when Christmas comes around. That's when people are going to really mostly get a lot of their jokes and their little things off, you know. But once we get past this season, we get more into the springtime... People are people, they forget all about it."

**Now that you have played everybody in Group A and the team has more momentum, how dangerous can Hamburg be in the remaining seven regular season games?**

"I think that last week, we proved that we have gotten better and that we are going to continue to get better and that, as far as the teams in our group go, that we can be a tough opponent that you might not want to play on in a tough week, that we are capable of going in any gym, playing against anybody and competing and giving teams a fight, just a team that you have to respect for sure. I think that's already a huge step from where we started this EuroCup journey. I think that if we can improve, we might be able to pick up a few more wins here or there."

After suffering the shock of last week’s home loss to Hamburg, the ambitious London Lions will seek a quick response with a visit from playoff-chasing Prometey B.C. (6-5), which has won four of its last five in the EuroCup.

Preview: London Lions vs. Prometey B.C.

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/london-lions-prometey-slobozhanske/U2023/111/#roster) | [Notes and Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs12-game-notes-facts-lli-pmt/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs12-prequotes-lli-pmt/) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/tv-listings-ec/)

Last week’s MVP [Ondrey Balvin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/ondrej-balvin/002644/) will again look to control the paint for the visiting team and his battle inside with [Gabe Olaseni](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/gabe-olaseni/006600/) (17.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game) won't be for the faint-hearted. [Matthew Morgan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/matthew-morgan/012585/) is another weapon for the visiting to be aware of after he blasted 21 points in an 87-99 road win at Prometey in Round 3.

[London Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/london-lions/statistics/lli/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Prometey Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/prometey-slobozhanske/statistics/pmt/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Gabe Olaseni vs. Ondrej Balvin: Two of the EuroCup's centers are ready for a big battle in the paint.

Prometey Slobozhanske-London Lions | Round 3 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup   

After suffering the shock of last week’s home loss to Hamburg, ambitious London will seek a quick response with a visit from playoff-chasing Prometey (6-5), which has won four of its last five. 

London Lions seeking a response against a much-improved Prometey side

London Lions v Prometey Slobozhanske (2023-12-20T19:30:00.000Z)

On the back of a thrilling and heroic road win at London last week, the Hamburg Towers (2-9) will aim to cause another shock with a trip to Group A leader Paris Basketball (10-1), which by tipoff will know if it can secure a EuroCup playoff berth with a win. 

Preview: Paris Basketball vs. Hamburg Towers

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/paris-basketball-veolia-towers-hamburg/U2023/112/#roster) | [Notes and Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs12-game-notes-facts-prs-ham/) | Quotes |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/tv-listings-ec/)

If Wolves lose earlier in the day, Paris is through to the next stage with a victory. Paris enjoyed a 69-105 rout when the teams faced off in October, based on inside dominance with a whopping 33 two-point shots converted on 50 attempts. [Tyson Ward](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/tyson-ward/012610/) is one of the many frontcourt weapons for the French team; he was 7-of-7 from two-point range in last week’s win over Reyer and Hamburg will need a heroic effort from the likes of [Aleksander Dziewa](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/aleksander-dziewa/011168/) to have any chance of a road upset.

[Paris Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/paris-basketball/statistics/prs/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Hamburg Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/veolia-towers-hamburg/statistics/ham/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Tyson Ward vs. Aleksander Dziewa: An impactful EuroCup rookie faces a big test against Hamburg's wily big man.

Veolia Towers Hamburg-Paris Basketball | Round 3 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup   

On the back of a thrilling and heroic road win at London last week, Hamburg (2-9) will aim to cause another shock with a trip to Group A leader Paris (10-1), which by tipoff will know if it can secure a playoff berth with a win. 

Paris has the playoffs in its sights when Hamburg visits the French capital

Paris Basketball v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2023-12-20T19:30:00.000Z)

Slask Wroclaw (1-10) is aiming for its first home win with a visit from Buducnost VOLI (4-7), which needs a second road victory to boost its playoff ambitions. 

Preview: Slask Wroclaw vs. Buducnost VOLI

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/slask-wroclaw-buducnost-voli-podgorica/U2023/117/) | [Notes and Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs12-game-notes-facts-wro-bud/) | Quotes |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/tv-listings-ec/)

This looks like a low-scoring encounter between the second- and fourth-least potent offenses in the competition, averaging 76.2 and 77.9 points respectively. Buducnost didn’t have those problems when the teams met in Round 3, reaching triple figures in a 103-89 victory, and big man [Jacorey Williams](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jacorey-williams/010432/) will look to reproduce his dominance after posting 18 points and 11 rebounds in that game. Slask’s muscle in the paint comes from [Dusan Miletic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/dusan-miletic/009896/), who had 16 points and 8 boards in last week’s narrow loss to Cluj.

[Slask Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/slask-wroclaw/statistics/wro/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Buducnost Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/buducnost-voli-podgorica/statistics/bud/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Dusan Miletic vs. Jacorey Williams: A big clash in the paint awaits when these two step onto the floor.

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica-Slask Wroclaw | Round 3 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup 

Slask (1-10) is aiming for its first home win with a visit from Buducnost (4-7), which needs a second road victory to boost its playoff ambitions. 

Rising Buducnost keen to continue its momentum at Slask

Slask Wroclaw v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2023-12-20T19:00:00.000Z)

In this rematch from last season's EuroCup Quarterfinals, Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. (8-2) has the motivation of keeping hold of second place as it receives a visit from Reyer Venezia (4-7), which lies two games outside the playoff zone after losing three of its last four. 

Preview: Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. vs. Reyer Venezia

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv-umana-reyer-venice/U2023/113/#roster) | [Notes and Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs12-game-notes-facts-hta-vnc/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/neven-spahija-venice-we-have-to-do-many-things-to-stop-them) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/tv-listings-ec/)

Hapoel has enjoyed a four-game winning surge behind the second-best offense in the league (95 points per game), powered by the red-hot [Jaylen Hoard](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/jaylen-hoard/006835/) (17.6 points per game). Trying to stop him will be Reyer forward [Aamir Simms](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/aamir-simms/011928/), who has averaged 12 points over his last six games, and [Alexander O’Connell](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/alexander-o-connell/012587/) after he netted 13 points with just one miss last week against Paris.

[Hapoel Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/statistics/hta/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Reyer Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/umana-reyer-venice/statistics/vnc/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Jaylen Hoard vs. Aamir Simms: Two high-flying forwards want to continue making an impact for their teams.

Umana Reyer Venice-Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv | Round 3 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup   

In this rematch from last season's quarterfinals, Hapoel (8-2) has the motivation of keeping hold of second place as it receives a visit from Reyer (4-7), which lies two games outside the playoff zone after losing three of its last four. 

Hapoel, Reyer come head-to-head in playoff rematch

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv v Umana Reyer Venice (2023-12-20T17:30:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona (6-5) will aim for a fourth straight victory as it travels to a BC Wolves team (4-6) that has suffered three consecutive defeats in the EuroCup. 

Preview: BC Wolves vs. Joventut Badalona

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/wolves-vilnius-joventut-badalona/U2023/114/#roster) | [Notes and Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs12-game-notes-facts-wol-jov/) | [Quotes](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs12-prequotes-facts-wol-jov/) |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/tv-listings-ec/)

Joventut won an overtime thriller 107-98 when the teams met in Round 3 powered by 22 points from [Vladimir Brodziansky](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/vladimir-brodziansky/010458/), who provided a big boost to the Spanish team by returning from injury for last week’s victory over Cedevita. He faces a good battle with Wolves big man [Christian Mekowulu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/christian-mekowulu/012576/), who grabbed his first double-double of the season in last week’s loss to Hapoel (14 points, 11 rebounds).

[Wolves Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/wolves-vilnius/statistics/wol/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Joventut Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/joventut-badalona/statistics/jov/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Christian Mekowulu vs. Vladimir Brodziansky: Two contrasting forwards prepare to battle in Vilnius.

Joventut Badalona-Wolves Vilnius | Round 3 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup   

Joventut (6-5) will aim for a fourth straight victory as it travels to a Wolves team (4-6) that has suffered three consecutive defeats. 

The Wolves are looking for a reaction against Joventut

Wolves Vilnius v Joventut Badalona (2023-12-20T17:00:00.000Z)

High-flying Ulm (8-3) faces a testing trip to Lietbakelis (4-7), one of four teams currently tied for fifth place in Group B, in Round 12 of the BKT EuroCup.

Preview: 7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. ratiopharm Ulm

[Rosters](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys-ratiopharm-ulm/U2023/119/#roster) | [Notes and Facts](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/ec2324-rs12-game-notes-facts-lkb-ulm/) | Quotes |[ TV](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/tv-listings-ec/)

Lietkabelis has lost three games in a row, while Ulm has been on a much better path with four wins out of five behind a smooth offense that has scored at least 84 points in all of those games. Ulm cruised the Round 3 meeting between the teams 99-74 as [Trevion Williams](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/trevion-lamon-williams-/012604/) recorded one of his eight double-doubles of the season with 15 points and 11 boards. Stopping him will be a major challenge for Lietkabelis big man [Nikola Popovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/nikola-popovic/006230/), who has scored in double digits in three of the last four games.

[Lietkabelis Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/7bet-lietkabelis-panevezys/statistics/lkb/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases) | [Ulm Stats](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/teams/ratiopharm-ulm/statistics/ulm/?season=2023-24&phase=All%20phases)

Nikola Popovic vs. Trevion Williams: Power in the paint

7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys vs. ratiopharm Ulm | Round 3 Highlights | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

High-flying Ulm (8-3) faces a testing trip to Lietbakelis (4-7), one of four teams currently tied for fifth place in Group B.

Lietkabelis looks to end slide against Ulm

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v ratiopharm Ulm (2023-12-19T17:00:00.000Z)