U18 Next Generation Team Varese started its Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese campaign with a comfortable 63-80 win over host side and debutant U18 Varese Academy. NGV gained control of the Group A game with a 5-19 run in the third quarter. Zacharie Perrin was NGV’s leading scorer with 19 points to go with 12 rebounds and 8 fouls drawn for a 32 PIR while Leonardo Marangon had 15 points and Ege Tan Yildizoglu chipped in 7 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Wei Zhou was Varese’s top scorer with 13 points along with 4 assists and 5 steals and Valdo Guimdo had 10 points.

NGV pulls away from host Varese in third quarter

NGV started the game with the first seven points and it took Varese more than 2 minutes to finally score through Filipovic Jovan and a Lorenzo Dell’Anna three-pointer made it 6-9. The selection team responded with the next 10 points for a 6-19 lead. Karl Poom picked up four points at the other end in a 9-0 spurt to pull within four points and the score was 15-21 after 10 minutes. Perrin started the second quarter scoring with Vuk Bogunovic cutting the gap to 19-23. Varese went 4 minutes without a point and NGV moved ahead 19-27. Giorgio Franceschi’s triple made it 23-32 and the score was 27-33 at intermission.

EB ANGT Varese Round 1 Highlights: U18 Varese Academy-U18 Next Generation Team Varese

Dell’Anna scored the first basket of the second half but NGV started the third quarter strongly with a 5-19 run including six points each from Perrin and Dorde Curcic for a 33-52 lead. Varese got some defensive stops and Benjamin Marchiaro drained a three-pointer to get the host side within 41-52. NGV finished the quarter with the final six points and it was 41-58 after 30 minutes. Mattia De Martin opened the final frame with a three-pointer and NGV extended the advantage to 41-65. Guimo made sure Varese would not give up without a fight with five points and Jovan and Zhou drained three-pointers and the deficit was just 58-70 with 3 minutes to play. But that was the closest the game would get.

Zacharie Perrin - U18 Next Generation Team Varese - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 Varese Academy v U18 Next Generation Team Varese (2022-04-01T14:00:00.000Z)

U18 Joventut Badalona started the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese with a convincing 42-77 victory over U18 Panathinaikos OPAP Athens in Group A. The 2013 continental champion Joventut used a 3-21 run bridging halftime to gain control of the game. Ruben Prey paced the winners with 16 points while Jordi Rodriguez chipped in 13 points and Albert Garrido had 10 points. Panathinaikos, which managed only 13 points in the second half, was led by Emmanouil Dimou with 18 points and Neoklis Avdalas picked up 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

Joventut dominates Panathinaikos in first win

Prey scored the first points of the game for Joventut with Georgios Xoxakos doing the honors for Panathinaikos. Conrad Martinez knocked down two three-pointers and the Spanish side led 4-10. Dimou responded with two triples of his own to knot the game 10-10. And after failing behind 10-15, the Greens held Joventut scoreless for the final 5 minutes of the first quarter and it was 15-15 after 10 minutes. Rodriguez opened the second quarter with a three-pointer but Joventut went 4 minutes without a score and Avdalas scored four points as Panathinaikos jumped ahead 23-18. A Dimou three-pointer had the Greek side up 26-21 but Joventut put together the biggest run of the game as Prey and Rodridguez both had five points in a 0-15 surge to lead 26-35. Avdalas drained a three-pointer to snap the nearly 4-minute scoreless drought and it was 29-35 at the break.

EB ANGT Varese Round 1 Highlights: U18 Panathinaikos OPAP Athens-U18 Joventut Badalona

Joventut scored the first seven points of the second half to pull ahead 29-42, and Panathinaikos did not score until Avdalas’ three-pointer more than 5 minutes into the third quarter. Aristode Dwayne had a three-point play and three-pointer as Joventut remained in control and led 37-52 after 30 minutes. Garrido picked up five points in Joventut’s 0-11 start to the fourth quarter for a 37-63 advantage and the game was finished for good.

Ruben De Oliveira - U18 Joventut Badalona - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 Panathinaikos OPAP Athens v U18 Joventut Badalona (2022-04-01T12:00:00.000Z)

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris rolled to a comfortable 76-50 victory over U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan to tip off its Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese campaign. The two-time continental champion PFYM, which did not participate in the competition last season, raced away with a 20-2 run in the second quarter and never looked back in the Group B game. Mael Hamon Crespin paced PFYM with 20 points and 7 rebounds while Rayan Rupert collected 15 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals and Melvin Ajinca picked up 12 points and 7 rebounds. The margin could have been even larger had PFYM not converted just 23-of-38 free throws (60.5%) and hit just 3-of-22 three-pointers (13.6%). Lionel Abega scored 14 points, Samuele Miccoli had 11 points and Andrea Leoni chipped in 10 points for Milan, which committed 26 turnovers.  

PFYM rolls past Milan in opener, 76-50

Marco Restelli started the scoring for Milan while Hamon Crespin followed with the next seven points at the other end. Milan picked up the next six points to reclaim the lead only to see Hamon Crespin pick up five more points in a 13-5 surge to put PFYM up 20-13. Lionel Abega hit a three-pointer for Milan and the Italian side trailed 24-19 after 10 minutes. Milan could not get anything going offensively in the second quarter, going nearly 3 minutes before an Abega layup snapped an 6-0 run before Ajinca hit two three-pointers early on in a 14-0 surge for a 44-21 advantage, which was 44-23 at halftime.

EB ANGT Varese Round 1 Highlights: U18 PFYM INSEP Paris-U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan

Leoni tallied the first five points of the second half but Ajinca countered with four points in an 8-0 run as PFYM seized control again. A Miccoli three-pointer trimmed the deficit to 20 points - 56-36 - and it was 63-41 after 30 minutes. Little changed in the fourth quarter as even PFYM’s reserves limiting Milan’s offense and the French side rolling to the win.

Mael Hamon Crespin - U18 PFYM INSEP Paris - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris v U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan (2022-04-01T10:00:00.000Z)

U18 ratiopharm Ulm opened the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese with a hard-fought 62-56 victory over U18 Casademont Zaragoza. Ulm fended off every Zaragoza comeback attempt to take the opening game in Group B. Tobias Jensen led the way with 24 points while Dominykas Pleta scored 11 points and Jacob Ensminger chipped in 7 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Manuel Zapater was the only Zaragoza player in double figures with 12 points with Aday Mara collecting 8 points, 5 rebounds and 7 blocks and Gonzalo Rodriguez adding 4 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists.

Ulm opens ANGT Varese with win over Zaragoza, 62-56

Pleta scored the first four points of the tournament for Ulm and it took more than 4 minutes for Zaragoza to finally score through Mara. Lucas Langarita drained the first triple of the game for Zaragoza before Ulm got a three-pointer from Lenny Liedtke for a 16-10 lead, which was 16-12 after 10 minutes. After Mara evened the game 16-16 early in the second quarter, Liedtke hit a second three-pointer. Zaragoza had major problems scoring, failing to produce a point for nearly 5 minutes while Jensen had four points and Ulm led 26-20. Javier Fernandez hit a three-pointer at the buzzer and it was 26-24 at the break.

Rodriguez tied the game to start the second half only to see Jensen bury two triples and Ensminger also hit from deep for a 37-26 cushion. Zaragoza countered with a Zapater three-point play and three-pointers from Rodriguez and Alejandro Moreno to get within 44-41. Ulm however was up 50-43 after 30 minutes. Ulm went scoreless for more than 2 minutes to start the fourth quarter but Zaragoza only got a three-pointer from Pavle Stosic to pull within 50-46. Pleta finally got the German side on the board with two scores and the margin was 54-46. Stosic knocked down another triple to trim the gap to 54-51 but Jensen and Simeon Dimitrov scored to reestablish a seven-point lead. Dimitrov added a layup with 31 seconds to end any doubts at 62-54.

Tobias Jensen - U18 ratiopharm Ulm - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 Ratiopharm Ulm v U18 Casademont Zaragoza (2022-04-01T08:00:00.000Z)

Watch the ANGT Varese games live!

Noah Penda - U18 PFYM INSEP Paris - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament qualifiers move to Italy this week. The ANGT Varese tips off on Friday, April 1. Here are some of the young talents to keep an eye on.

ANGT Varese players to watch

### Neoklis Avdalas U18 Panathinaikos Athens 

Avdalas will be playing at his first ANGT event. The 2006-born guard has also not yet played for Greece’s youth national teams, but he has made his debut for Panathinaikos’s first team. Avdalas in December 2021 became the youngest Greek player to score in the EuroLeague when he did so against ALBA Berlin. He is already 2.00 meters tall and still growing. Avdalas has good ball control for his height as well as great court vision and basketball IQ. He also is a good midrange pull-up jumper. Once he becomes stronger that will help him be more aggressive and attack the rim more as his drive and finishing around the basket still must improve.

### Jacob Ensminger U18 ratiopharm Ulm

Ensminger will be playing in his third ANGT after he collected 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a combined 30 minutes in two games at the 2019-20 ANGT Munich and then averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals at the 2020-21 ANGT Valencia. Ensminger, who is the younger brother of former ANGT participant Zach Ensminger and the son of long-time German League star Chris Ensminger, is currently averaging 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals in the German third division. He is also playing in the fourth division Regionalliga and the U19 NBBL league. Ensminger is a 2.04-meter point guard who is a team player and can impact the game in a variety of ways, including rebounding, passing, defending multiple positions and scoring from the perimeter or inside. He also has an excellent basketball IQ.

### Aday Mara U18 Casademont Zaragoza

Mara will be lining up for his second ANGT after he collected 8.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks at the 2020-21 ANGT Istanbul, including 18 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks in the opening game against U18 Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The 2005-born big man has yet to play for Spain at the national team level because his generation did not play internationally last summer. The 2.18-meter tall Mara plays predominantly in the Spanish fourth division, where he has averaged 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocks. He has also played in the Spanish second division and also made his FIBA Europe Cup debut with 2 points and 2 rebounds in 7 minutes against Reggio Emilia. Mara is a smart player with a great basketball IQ who must improve his strength and his hook shot in the paint.

### Benjamin Marchiaro U18 Varese Academy 

Marchiaro will be making his second ANGT appearance after he played on loan with U18 Stellazzurra Rome at last season’s ANGT Istanbul and he averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals. The native of Argentina came to the Varese Academy in 2020 from Ceres, Santa Fe, where he won the national U15 championship in 2019. Marchiaro can play as a combo-guard, relying on very good shooting range plus the ability to finish close to the basket with both hands. He can also pull up from mid-range or find an open man for the assist. 

### Samuele Miccoli U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan

Miccoli will be making his ANGT debut in Varese. The 2006-born Miccoli is 1.90 meters tall and can play both guard positions. He has averaged 17.5 points, 3.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 steals in the U17 Italian League as well as 10.1 points, 2.7 assists, 4 rebounds and 2.2 steals in the U19 Italian League. He was named the MVP at the last Iscar Tournament with the U16 Italian national team and was the top scorer with 20.3 points. Miccoli is an explosive player with great game vision, and he is a good passer. He can play well in one-on-one situations thanks to his great athletic skills and physical power. Miccoli is also a solid on-ball defender. 

### Jordi Rodriguez U18 Joventut Badalona

Rodriguez is playing in the ANGT for the second time after contributing 3.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists at the ANGT Valencia. He played at the FIBA U18 European Challenger 2021 and averaged 14.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game for Spain. The Barcelona native has been with Joventut since he was 4 years old. The shooting guard mainly plays on Joventut’s fourth division team - where he averages 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals - but also has appeared in seven games in the second division LEB Gold. Rodriguez has great skills as a shooter and also has the offensive talent to create his shot. He is still developing his passing skills though.

### Zacharie Perrin U18 Next Generation Team Varese

Perrin will be playing his first ANGT tournament. The French power forward plays for French club Antibes Sharks. He played at the FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021 and averaged 9.2 points. 6.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks. The left-handed big man likes to get out and run - and immediately looks to get out in transition - and can handle the ball in the open court. He’s quick for his size, likes to finish at the rim, including on alley-oops. Perrin is a crafty passer with good vision, which he often uses to look for quick outlet passes after rebounds. He is a good shot-blocker and rebounder.

### Rayan Rupert U18 Paris PFYM INSEP Paris

Rupert will be playing in the ANGT for the second time after appearing at the ANGT Belgrade in 2019-20 at two years under the maximum age. He compiled 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 18 minutes over two games. Rupert played for France at the FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021 where he averaged 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals. The PFYM captain has been worth 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game in the French third division this season. Rupert is an all-around excellent offensive player and the shooting guard has a great pull-up jumper as well as a strong mentality.

jacob-ensminger-u18-ratiopharm-ulm-photo-miguel-angel-polo-jt20-b7re9viwse55ffsp

The first-ever Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Varese will be headlined by two former continental champions as well as a debutant and three teams that did not play last season in the global 18-and-under showcase. 

Past champs headline ANGT Varese starting Friday

The eight-team field in the northern Italian city includes 2010 and 2017 winner U18 PFYM INSEP Paris and 2013 champ U18 Joventut Badalona as well as the first-time participant and home side U18 Varese Academy. The other teams are U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan, U18 Casademont Zaragoza, U18 Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, U18 ratiopharm Ulm as well as the U18 Next Generation Tournament Varese selection.

The breakdown of the groups are Joventut, NGV, Panathinaikos and Varese in Group A while Group B is made up of Milan, PFYM, Ulm and Zaragoza. The teams will play all others in their group in round-robin style. The top finisher in each group will face off in the first-place game on Sunday. The winner of that game will secure a spot at the ANGT Finals during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four from May 19 to 21 in Belgrade, where they will join U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne and U18 Stellazzurra Rome, which grabbed first place at the ANGT Belgrade and ANGT Patras, respectively.

In Group A, Joventut is the club with the most experience, participating in the event for the 15th season and having won the continental crown in 2013. The Spanish club reached the ANGT Valencia first-place game in 2020-21 after taking third place at both ANGT Valencia 2018-19 and ANGT Kaunas 2019-20. Varese will be playing in the competition for the first time as it hosts the event. NGV is the third selection chosen by Adidas of players not participating in the qualifiers with their own clubs, following Next Generation Team Belgrade and Next Generation Team Patras. Panathinaikos is back in the competition after not participating in the ANGT last season. It will the fourth appearance for the Greek club, which finished eighth at ANGT L'Hospitalet 2016-17, ANGT Munich 2018-19 and ANGT Belgrade 2019-20.

In Group B, Milan is also making its return to the competition after a previous run of three straight appearances stopped in 2015-16. The Italian side finished third at the ANGT Rome 2013-14 followed by sixth place in 2014-15 and then fourth place in 2015-16. PFYM is another returnee to the ANGT after missing last season for the first time since it started participating in 2009-10. In the previous two seasons, the French side finished third at the ANGT Kaunas 2018-19 and lost in the ANGT Belgrade 2019-20 first-place game. Ulm will be playing in the competition for a fifth straight season after the German side placed third at the ANGT Valencia in 2020-21. Zaragoza meanwhile is making its third appearance, going winless for eighth place at ANGT Kaunas 2019-20 and taking fifth at ANGT Istanbul last year.

Matteo Visintin enjoying the spotlight of the Most Valuable Player trophy after helping U18 Stellazzurra Rome finish first at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Patras is actually out of character for him. Major attention has been glaring upon him for many years, and it was actually his fortitude to avoid distractions that helped him to now enjoy the special moment in Patras.

Stellazzurra's Visintin saw the fruits of his labor as ANGT Patras MVP

Visintin was the clear leader of Stellazzura as the Italian team beat U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv 62-74 in the first-place game to book a ticket to the ANGT Finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. He collected 25 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in the first place game and for the tournament averaged 21.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.8 steals for a PIR of 25.2 per game

"It's an amazing feeling. I'm very, very happy, but I have to thank all my teammates," Visitin said about winning the MVP award after he ranked first in the qualifier in PIR, second in scoring, third in assists and first in steals.

The ANGT Patras was actually Visintin's fifth event in the competition. He played at three previous qualifying tournaments as well as the ANGT Finals in 2021. But this was Visintin's first victory in a big game, after having lost in the first-place game at the 2019-20 ANGT Munich and 2020-21 ANGT Istanbul, both times against U18 Real Madrid. Stellazzurra as a club had also lost in the first-place game at the 2015-16 ANGT Rome and 2017-18 ANGT Kaunas as well as the 2018 ANGT Championship Game.

"I'm grateful and proud. Finally we won and that came from my team," he said. "Last year, we were close to the win, but we were a year younger."

Visintin knows about being under age – and under the spotlight. The native of Trieste has been considered at or near the top of Italy's 2004-born generation since he was 14 years old. But he never got caught up in all the praise and just kept his head down and worked on his game.

"Since I was a little child, I've been focusing only on me and my improvements. I work hard every day at the Stellazzurra facility to be the best player I can be," he said.

When asked where that hard-working mentality comes from, Visintin said: "Since I've been young. I like working and improving during practice. My parents push me all the time to get the best out of me."

Stellazzurra head coach Germano D'Arcangeli has accompanied Visintin all those years and helped him make it easier to avoid the spotlight by working with him.

"The adversities faced over the years have built his character and left him with the composure to play these kind of games," D'Arcangeli said after the win over Maccabi. "A talented player is someone who can learn and grow from mistakes and live through hard times without getting crushed."

Lots of attention over the years can often turn into a negative, but it's a testament to Visintin that he can now enjoy the glaring lights of victory.

Matteo Visintin - All-Tournament team ANGT Patras (photo Nikos Karapanos - Patras) - JT21

Alexandros Samontourov has shown fans watching the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Patras why he is considered one of the biggest prospects in Greek basketball. And after making the all-tournament team playing for the select U18 Next Generation Team Patras, he cannot wait to take the next step in his development with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens.

Samontourov looking forward to next step with Panathinaikos

In the ANGT Patras group stage, Samontourov led the NGP team in scoring (19.0 ppg), rebounds (8.3 rpg), steals (2.7 spg), blocks (2.7 bpg) and performance index rating (29.7) and also contributed 2.0 assists.

"I am very excited to be part of this tournament," said Samontourov, who won't celebrate his 17th birthday until late next month. "I can become better by playing against these players and with such great teammates and for this head coach."

The native of Thessaloniki said it was of great value to be playing for the legendary Vassilis Spanoulis, who is serving as the coach of all the Adidas select teams in this season's qualifying tournaments. 

"He has helped me both on and off the court with his advice and his influence is making me want to be a better player," Samontourov said.

The 2.10-meter big man felt great to even be chosen for the NGP team.

"I am honored to be picked in one of these teams, and it is very important for players like me to have the opportunity to play in this level."

EB ANGT Patras All-Tournament Team

Samontourov made big headlines a week before ANGT Patras when he signed a long-term contract until 2028 with Panathinaikos.

"The fact that Mr. \[Dimitris\] Diamantidis and Mr. \[Fragiskos\] Alvertis are at Panathinaikos played a big role in my decision," the young talent said of the two Panathinaikos legends who are serving as co-general managers. "I believe they are going to help me become a better player just like it happened with Nikos Hatzivrettas."

Hatzivrettas, a two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion who also helped Greece win FIBA EuroBasket 2005 gold and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006 silver medals, has mentored Samontourov from his beginnings.

"Everything I know about basketball I have learned from Nikos, and he still continues to support me," Samontourov said of Hatzivrettas, whose EuroLeague titles came in 2007 and 2009 with Panathinaikos.

The Greens got a first-hand look at Samontourov just before signing him as the big man dominated the Greek U18 Rising Stars tournament in leading the Deka Academy in Thessaloniki to the title. Samontourov recorded 25 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 blocks against PAOK in the quarterfinals and followed that with 32 points and 12 rebounds, including 6 three-pointers, in a semifinals victory over Panathinaikos. Samontourov then tallied 30 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists in the final to beat Olympiacos.

"It felt great winning every game, but the next day I was focused on the next game and I believe that helped me and my team to win the trophy," said Samontourov, who took home the MVP trophy.

Samontourov hopes he can win more trophies soon with Panathinaikos.

Alexandros Samontourov - U18 Next Generation Team Patras - ANGT Patras (photo Konstantinos Katsiras - Patras) - JT21