The 2022 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament will boast star power beyond just the top young talents on the continent with the announcement today that recently retired legend Vassilis Spanoulis will serve as the head coach of specially selected Next Generation Teams at each qualifying tournament and the finals in Berlin, Germany.

Spanoulis returns to basketball courts as Adidas Next Generation Tournament head coach

Spanoulis, the all-time top scorer in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, ended his playing career with Olympiacos Piraeus last summer after having reached the heights of European basketball as a three-time EuroLeague champion and the only three-time Final Four MVP this century.

Now, Spanoulis will coach the Next Generation Teams organized by adidas from the top 18-and-under talents in Europe whose club teams are not already playing in one of the four qualifying tournaments that start in late January 2022. Spanoulis will also lead the Next Generation Team that participates in the ANGT Finals, which will run parallel to the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin.

"Basketball has given me so much, and to give something back, I couldn't resist the great opportunity that adidas offered to coach some of the young players who are now starting out with the same dreams I had when I was their age," Spanoulis said. "This tournament has continually grown in stature for almost two decades and it will be a true honor for me to work with some of the future stars of our sport. I can't wait to get started."

Spanoulis will have close friends, Dusan Vukcevic, himself a former EuroLeague star, and Babis Skouzis, of the Olympiacos youth academy, working at his side throughout the tournaments.

The first ANGT qualifying event will be held in Munich, Germany from January 21 to 23 and include the host team, FC Bayern and fellow German club ALBA, as well as Basket Brno of Czech Republic, Casademont Zaragoza and Real Madrid of Spain, Orange1 Bassano of Italy, Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania and the Next Generation Team Munich to be coached by Spanoulis.

The second qualifying event is ANGT Belgrade from February 25 to 27, hosted for the 15th time by Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, whose 18-and-under team will compete against fellow Serbian squads Partizan NIS Belgrade, Mega Mozzart Belgrade, ASVEL Villeurbanne of France, Lietkabelis Panevezys of Lithuania, Tofas Bursa of Turkey, Valencia Basket of Spain, and Spanoulis's Next Generation Team Belgrade.

One of the two new cities on the ANGT agenda – Patras, Greece – will welcome the third qualifying event from March 25 to 27 as host club Promitheas Patras will measure itself against fellow Greek club Olympiacos Piraeus, FC Barcelona of Spain, Helsinki Basketball Academy of Finland, Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel, Stellazzurra Rome of Italy, and the Next Generation Team Patras coached by Spanoulis.

The final ANGT qualifying makes its debut in Varese, Italy, from April 1 to 3 as that city's Varese Academy hosts the event that also features fellow Italian squad AX Armani Exchange Milan, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia, Joventut Badalona of Spain, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens of Greece, PFYM INSEP Paris of France, ratiopharm Ulm of Germany, and Next Generation Team Varese with Spanoulis on the bench.

Many of the biggest and brightest stars of basketball were seen first by an international audience at the ANGT. The ever-growing list of players currently on EuroLeague rosters who previously dazzled in the ANGT includes Marcus Eriksson, Jonas Mattisseck, Stefan Peno, Tim Schneider and Yovel Zoosman (ALBA Berlin), Vasilije Micic and Yigitcan Saybir (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), Danilo Andjusic, Rudy Demahis, Donatas Motiejunas and Armel Traore (AS Monaco), Davide Alviti, Luigi Datome, Riccardo Moraschini and Giampaolo Ricci (AX Armani Exchange Milan), Simone Fontecchio and Vanja Marinkovic (Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz), Ognjen Dobric, Marko Gusic, Stefan Lazarevic, Branko Lazic, Luka Mitrovic and Aleksa Uskokovic (Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade), Marius Grigonis, Alexander Khomenko, Nikita Kurbanov, Andrei Lopatin, Nikola Milutinov and Alexey Shved (CSKA Moscow), Michael Caicedo, Rokas Jokubaitis, Nikola Mirotic and Sergi Martinez (FC Barcelona), Nihad Dedovic, Jason George, Ognjen Jaramaz, Leon Radosevic, Adreas Obst and Zan Sisko (FC Bayern Munich), Ismet Akpinar, Tarik Biberovic, Metecan Birsen and Marko Guduric (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul), William Howard, Elwin Ndjock, Matthew Strazel and Victor Wembanyama (LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne), Mathias Lessort and Ante Zizic (Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv), Livio Jean-Charles (Olympiacos Piraeus), Eleftherios Mantzoukas and Nemanja Nedovic (Panathinaikos OPAP Athens), Alberto Abalde, Thomas Heurtel, Juan Nunez and Tristan Vukcevic (Real Madrid), Mario Hezonja and Artem Komolov (UNICS Kazan), Marek Blazevic, Niels Giffey, Mantas Kalnietis, Lukas Lekavicius, Karolis Lukosiunas and Edgaras Ulanovas (Zalgiris Kaunas), and Arturas Gudaitis and Dmitry Kulagin (Zenit St Petersburg).

Brand new Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament logo unveiled


2021-22 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament participants announced

The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament enters its 20th edition this season with teams from 28 clubs and academies representing 13 different countries competing to reach the finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, Germany, where this season's champion will be crowned on May 29, 2022.

The road to Berlin will see four cities hosting three-day qualifying tournaments: Munich, Germany from January 21 to 23; Belgrade, Serbia from February 25 to 27; Patras, Greece from March 25 to 27; and Varese, Italy from April 1 to 3.

Each qualifier will feature eight teams, seven clubs or academies plus one Next Generation Team specially constructed by adidas from players whose teams did not make the final list below. The winner of each qualifier earns an automatic berth to the finals. In the event that a Next Generation Team wins any qualifier, a wild card will be awarded to another team coming from that same qualifying tournament.

In addition to the four berths earned by the ANGT Qualifiers winners, there will be a spot in the finals for a Next Generation team consisting of the best players from all the Next Generation Teams. Three additional teams will receive wild-card invitations to challenge for the U18 continental crown in Berlin.

Among the 28 sides selected to compete in this season's ANGT Qualifiers are U18 squads from 12 EuroLeague and seven EuroCup clubs.

### Munich (January 21-23)

ALBA Berlin

Basket Brno

Casademont Zaragoza

FC Bayern Munich

Next Generation Team Munich

Orange 1 Bassano

Real Madrid

Zalgiris Kaunas

### Belgrade (February 25-27)

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

ASVEL Villeurbanne

Lietkabelis Panevezys

Mega Mozzart Belgrade

Next Generation Team Belgrade

Partizan NIS Belgrade

Tofas Bursa

Valencia Basket

### Patras (March 25-27)

ZPA Tbilisi

FC Barcelona

Helsinki Basketball Academy

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Next Generation Team Patras

Olympiacos Piraeus

Promitheas Patras

Stellazzurra Rome

### Varese (April 1-3)

AX Armani Exchange Milan

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana

Joventut Badalona

Next Generation Team Varese

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

PFYM Paris

ratiopharm Ulm

Varese Academy

The addition of Next Generation Teams for the first time coincides with brand new logo that emphasizes the tournament's fresh, urban and modern appeal. The new logo gives a classic basketball look with a new twist that focuses on rising status of the tournament participants. Just like those young players, basketball is about evolution and progress, and so is the new ANGT logo.

The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament is a breeding ground for tomorrow's biggest and brightest basketball stars. Some of the names who now are on EuroLeague rosters but previously dazzled in the ANGT are Marcus Eriksson and Yovel Zoosman (ALBA Berlin), Vasilije Micic (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), Luigi Datome (AX Armani Exchange Milan), Branko Lazic (Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade), Nikita Kurbanov and Alexey Shved (CSKA Moscow), Nikola Mirotic and Sergi Martinez (FC Barcelona), Leon Radosevic and Nihad Dedovic (FC Bayern Munich), Alberto Abalde and Thomas Heurtel (Real Madrid), Livio Jean-Charles (Olympiacos Piraeus), Nemanja Nedovic (Panathinaikos OPAP Athens), Niels Giffey (Zalgiris Kaunas), and (Arturas Gudaitis (Zenit St Petersburg), among others.

Adidas to select Next Generation Teams comprised of top European talent outside the tournament pool to compete at each qualifying event.

ANGT Qualifiers hosts, dates and introduction of Next Generation Teams announced

The road to the 2022 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals will pass through Munich, Germany; Belgrade, Serbia; Patras, Greece; and Varese, Italy.

Those four cities have been chosen by Euroleague Basketball to host this season's four ANGT qualifying events, to be held in each of the first four months of 2022.

The talent at each of the four sites will be greater than ever before with Adidas sending specially selected Next Generation Teams to be one of the eight teams at each weekend event. The new Next Generation Teams will be staffed by Adidas, which will recruit 12 top European talents whose clubs are not competing at any of the ANGT qualifiers. The addition of the Next Generation Teams ensures that all of the best young players across the continent will have a chance to compete in the ANGT.

The ANGT Finals will be held in conjunction with the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin, Germany, at the end of May, where the participants coming from the qualifiers will be joined by wildcard entries to set the eight-team field that will play to become the 2022 ANGT Champion.

The first qualifying event will be held in Munich and run together with FC Bayern Munich on January 21-23. This marks the fourth time Munich will host the event – a streak that was interrupted last year by COVID-19 restrictions, which forced it to be relocated to Istanbul. Bayern has competed in the ANGT seven previous times and last reached the ANGT Finals in 2019 in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The Serbian capital will host this season's second qualifying event with Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade on February 25-27. Belgrade was the site of the first-ever qualifying tournament for the 2007-08 season and has done so every season since. Accordingly, this marks the 15th consecutive year this event will take place and the 11th in a row with Zvezda as a host. Zvezda has participated in the ANGT in each of the past 14 seasons, is a three-time finalist and was the champion in 2014.

Patras, home to one of the finest youth programs in Greece, will host its first ANGT qualifying event for the first time together with Promitheas Patras on March 25-27. This season will be the third in which Promitheas competes in the ANGT as it attempts to reach the Finals for the first time.

An ANGT qualifying event will take place in Italy for the first time since December 2015 when the city of Varese together with Varese Academy host this season's final event on April 1-3. This will also mark Varese Academy's debut in the ANGT. The previous Italian host of the event was Rome.

The nearly two decades of the ANGT have seen a host of tomorrow's biggest and brightest stars pass through. The ever-growing list of players currently on EuroLeague rosters who previously dazzled in the ANGT includes Marcus Eriksson, Jonas Mattisseck, Stefan Peno, Tim Schneider and Yovel Zoosman (ALBA Berlin), Vasilije Micic and Yigitcan Saybir (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), Danilo Andjusic, Rudy Demahis, Donatas Motiejunas and Armel Traore (AS Monaco), Davide Alviti, Luigi Datome, Riccardo Moraschini and Giampaolo Ricci (AX Armani Exchange Milan), Simone Fontecchio and Vanja Marinkovic (Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz), Ognjen Dobric, Marko Gusic, Stefan Lazarevic, Branko Lazic, Luka Mitrovic and Aleksa Uskokovic (Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade), Marius Grigonis, Alexander Khomenko, Nikita Kurbanov, Andrei Lopatin, Nikola Milutinov and Alexey Shved (CSKA Moscow), Michael Caicedo, Rokas Jokubaitis, Nikola Mirotic and Sergi Martinez (FC Barcelona), Nihad Dedovic, Jason George, Ognjen Jaramaz, Leon Radosevic, Adreas Obst and Zan Sisko (FC Bayern Munich), Ismet Akpinar, Tarik Biberovic, Metecan Birsen and Marko Guduric (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul), William Howard, Elwin Ndjock, Matthew Strazel and Victor Wembanyama (LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne), Mathias Lessort and Ante Zizic (Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv), Livio Jean-Charles (Olympiacos Piraeus), Eleftherios Mantzoukas and Nemanja Nedovic (Panathinaikos OPAP Athens), Alberto Abalde, Thomas Heurtel, Juan Nunez and Tristan Vukcevic (Real Madrid), Mario Hezonja and Artem Komolov (UNICS Kazan), Marek Blazevic, Niels Giffey, Mantas Kalnietis, Lukas Lekavicius, Karolis Lukosiunas and Edgaras Ulanovas (Zalgiris Kaunas), and Arturas Gudaitis and Dmitry Kulagin (Zenit St Petersburg).

In a decision taken in consultation with German national and local authorities in the interests of the health and safety of all participants, the 2020-21 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals have been postponed a week and relocated to Valencia, Spain.

Field and new host set for postponed 2020-21 ANGT Finals

In addition, five teams have been awarded wildcard entries to join the three others that had already punched their tickets to the finals by winning qualifiers played across Europe in recent months.

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne, U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, U18 Stellazzurra Rome, U18 Valencia and U18 Zalgiris Kaunas were invited to compete alongside already-qualified U18 FC Barcelona, U18 Real Madrid and U18 Mega SoccerBet Belgrade.

The 18th edition of the ANGT Finals, originally scheduled to run alongside the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Cologne, Germany, will now be held from June 3 to 6 at the state-of-the-art L'Alqueria del Basket facility in Valencia, where the first of this season's three qualifying tournaments was staged successfully, as well.

The field features four past champions who won six of the previous 17 ANGT titles. Zalgiris hoisted the trophy in 2003 and 2007, Zvezda was the 2014 champion, Real claimed the crown in 2014 and 2019, and Barcelona took the title in 2016.

The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four, which will play a round-robin format during the first three days of the event. The two group winners will square off in Sunday's championship game to crown the U18 continental champion.

Group A of the ANGT Finals is comprised of ANGT Istanbul winner Real, ANGT Belgrade runner-up Zvezda, ANGT Istanbul third-place finisher Zalgiris and ANGT Valencia sixth-placed team ASVEL. Group B features ANGT Belgrade winner Mega, ANGT Valencia victor Barcelona, ANGT Istanbul runner-up Stellazzurra and host Valencia, which placed seventh in the first qualifier on its own court.

Among the players currently on EuroLeague rosters who previously dazzled in the ANGT are Marcus Eriksson and Niels Giffey (ALBA Berlin), Vasilije Micic (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), Luigi Datome (AX Armani Exchange Milan), Borisa Simanic and Branko Lazic (Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade), Nikita Kurbanov (CSKA Moscow), Nikola Mirotic and Sergi Martinez (FC Barcelona), Diego Flaccadori, Leon Radosevic, Nihad Dedovic and Sasha Grant (FC Bayern Munich), Alexey Shved (Khimki Moscow Region), Yovel Zoosman (Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv), Livio Jean-Charles (Olympiacos Piraeus), Nemanja Nedovic (Panathinaikos OPAP Athens), Alberto Abalde and Usman Garuba (Real Madrid), Klemen Prepelic, Vanja Marinkovic and Guillem Vives (Valencia Basket), and Arturas Gudaitis (Zenit St Petersburg).

For those Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament fans saddened that the 2021 ANGT Finals are over and wishing they could watch more of the stars from this past season, you are in luck. 

Plenty of 2020-21 ANGT stars expected back next season

That is because many of the top players from the just-completed season will likely be back for 2021-22 since they were born in 2004... or even later.

There are many benefits to pushing a player from a younger generation and having them play with older players. One of them is that they learn by watching others and have less pressure to perform. And then those youngsters have the experience to call upon when it’s their time to shine for their own generation.

Many players born in 2004 or later excelled during the 2020-21 campaign, leaving ANGT fans’ appetites whetted for how they will perform next season.

Those ANGT fans and participants hoping freshly-crowned champion U18 Real Madrid will not be as strong in 2021-22 will not find much solace in the fact that the majority of the team that claimed the club’s third ANGT title and second in a row will be back.

Seven of the players from the team in Valencia were born in 2004, including ANGT Finals MVP Eli Ndiaye and top guards Juan Nunez and Urban Klavzar and Sediq Garuba. Jan Vide was born in 2005 and center Amadou Traore is a cadet from Real’s 2007 generation.

Real’s opponent in the ANGT Championship Game, U18 FC Barcelona, also has reason to look forward to next season after its young players showed they can perform. Big man James Nnaji was named to the ANGT Finals all-tournament team as he averaged nearly a double-double to go with 3.3 blocks. Rafa Villar is an unselfish point guard, exhibited by nearly a double-double against U18 Valencia Basket with 8 rebounds and 9 assists and 0 points with just 1 missed three-pointer. There is also big man Teodor Simic from the younger generation.

U18 Mega SoccerBet Belgrade was hoping to finally pick up its first ANGT title but came up short, losing to Barcelona in the key group stage game. But the two-time finalist will be returning one of its absolute leaders in Nikola Djurisic, who was named to the all-tournament team and should be that much better next season.

The other team to nearly make the ANGT Championship Game was U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, which had only two of its 11 players born in 2003 but still gave Real a challenge in its game group. All-tournament team selection Kymany Houinsou is a model of the idea of pushing a player as this was his third ANGT season despite still being a generation younger. Daryl Doualla was also a leader from the 2004 group and ASVEL had several 2005-born players who impressed over long stretches of the ANGT Finals, including Killian Malwaya, Zaccharie Risacher and Francois Wibaut. Many of ASVEL’s top players also got to experience even older competition during the season, playing in and winning the U21 French League.

U18 Stellazzurra Rome had the bad luck of having to face Barcelona and Mega in its group, but the tournament was a learning experience, especially for the trio of 2004-born players Fabrizio Pugliatti, Rokas Jocys and Matteo Visintin. U18 Zalgiris Kaunas will have the duo of Paulius Murauskas and Motiejus Krivas back next season and U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade’s 2004-born guard Ognjen Matovic performed well with nearly 10 points, more than 5 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

There were also younger players who excelled during the season for teams that did not reach the ANGT Finals. U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Ido Menchel is from the 2004 generation and he poured in 20.8 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists. U18 Casademont Zaragoza’s 2005-born big man Aday Mara was dominant at times as he collected 8.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks despite being two years younger. Also two years younger and dominating was Kany Tchanda of U18 Herbalife Gran Canaria with 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.

Looking at the number of younger players who shined in 2020-21 and knowing they will be back to show even more next season makes the wait for the 2021-22 campaign at least a little easier.

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Parents and family members are always excited and nervous while watching their loved ones compete in sports at a high level. 

It's all in the family for young talents at ANGT Finals

But for more than a handful of young stars at the 2021 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals, their mothers, fathers or siblings know very much what they are going through because they have been on the big stage, too.

It should be no surprise if European basketball fans spent some time during the ANGT Finals on Google and Wikipedia checking to see if one of the young stars fighting for the 2021 ANGT title was related to someone they had heard of or watched play in the past. And more times than not, the answer was yes.

Watching 2021 champion U18 Real Madrid play in Valencia, it was hard to not notice an undersized, compact powerful player give his team one energetic play after the next - both on offense and defense, below and above the rim. Surely, a lot of people were reminded of Usman Garuba when they were observing his younger brother Sediq Garuba race around the court for Real. Usman, 19, has already made his name with the club’s senior team and was chosen as this season's EuroLeague Rising Star award winner.

U18 Mega SoccerBet Belgrade had three players with famous parents. Nikola Djurisic, who was named to the all-tournament team, could call on advice from both of his parents. His mother, Vesna Citakovic was a great for Serbia and Montenegro in volleyball, helping the country to a silver medal at the 2007 European Championship and bronze at the 2006 World Championship. She also won league and/or cup titles in Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey and Italy besides also playing in Israel, Germany, Romania, Poland, Indonesia and Serbia before retiring in 2016. Djurisic’s father, Dusko Djurisic, played football in Serbia, Switzerland, Belgium - where Nikola was born in 2004 - Israel, Germany and Cyprus before he hung up his boots in 2010.

One of Djurisic’s backcourt mates in Valencia was Luka Bogavac, whose father Nebojsa Bogavac played for Serbia and Montenegro at EuroBasket 2003. Nebojsa also played two seasons in the EuroLeague with Le Mans and one each in the EuroCup with Hemofarm Vrsac and ASVEL Basket.

Finally, Filip Stanojevic of Mega is the son of Jovo Stanojevic, who played four seasons in the EuroLeague with Partizan Belgrade, ALBA Berlin and Prokom Trefl Sopot.

Another ANGT Finals connection to the 2003 EuroBasket in Sweden comes from Freds Bagatskis of host U18 Valencia Basket. His father is Ainars Bagatskis, who played at four EuroBaskets for Latvia, including placing second in scoring in 1997 and averaging 14.3 points in 2003. He also competed professionally in Latvia, Norway, Poland, France, Russia and Lithuania. He appeared in 29 games in the EuroLeague for Zalgiris Kaunas from 2003 to 2005.

Ainars Bagatskis then became a successful head coach, serving as the play-caller for Zalgiris in the EuroLeague in 2006 and 2007 and also guiding Ukrainian side Budivelnyk, Nizhny Novgorod of Russia and Israeli giant Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague. He was the Latvian senior national team head coach from 2011 to 2017 and guided it to three EuroBaskets.

Speaking of Zalgiris, the Lithuanian powerhouse had a family connection as well. Titas Sargiunas’s older brother Ignas Sargiunas played the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons in the ANGT. He appeared in the ANGT Finals in 2016 and served as the team’s captain.

U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne meanwhile featured the son of a former Olympic medallist in Zaccharie Risacher, whose father not only won silver at the 2000 Sydney Games but also played 96 games over six seasons in the EuroLeague for Olympiacos and Unicaja Malaga before retiring in 2010.

U18 Stellazzurra Rome also had a father-son connection, though Kaspar Kuusmaa’s father may not be as well known. Aivar Kuusmaa played professionally for nearly 20 years - most of them in his native Estonia. The elder Kuusmaa also played three seasons with Panathinaikos in the 1990s. His third campaign was in 1996 when the Greens won the EuroLeague.

From Sediq Garuba to Kaspar Kuusma, many of the top talents at the ANGT Finals knew they had family members rooting for them who understood exactly what they were going through.

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Members of the U18 Real Madrid team very well may have looked themselves in the mirror after Anadolu Efes Istanbul claimed its much-anticipated 2021 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crown and said: "Now it’s our turn."

Real finishes unfinished business with ANGT title

Just like Efes, which saw the COVID-19 pandemic cancel the remainder of a 2019-20 EuroLeague campaign it expected to win, Real’s future talents were left a void after not getting an opportunity to defend their Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament title last season despite being a favorite.

The 2021 ANGT Finals in Valencia gave Real the chance to finally get some closure and finish the unfinished business from last season. And the Spanish powerhouse ended up doing just that, outlasting archrival U18 FC Barcelona 81-78 in overtime of the 2021 ANGT Championship Game to claim the club’s third U18 continental crown.

"Before the game, we talked about how for the whole year we had been fighting and working together and we wanted to win so bad," said Real guard Urban Klavzar, who contributed 16 points and 4 rebounds in the win over Barcelona.

After surviving the battle with Barcelona, Klavzar raced around the court and then knelt on the court and banged his hands on the court, before getting up to celebrate with his teammates. It was similar to the relief that Efes expressed in Cologne after downing FC Barcelona to win the EuroLeague crown.

Klavzar had a huge release of relief after finally getting the crown: "Our goal was to win this. It feels incredible," he added.

Klavzar was one of seven players on the 2021 ANGT Finals team who took first place at the ANGT Munich in 2019-20 with a comfortable 16-point win in the last game to qualify for the ANGT Finals for a seventh straight year. The others were Sediq Garuba, Konstantin Kostadinov, Eli Ndiaye, Juan Nunez, Matteo Spagnolo and Tristan Vukcevic. Nunez and Vukcevic were not on hand for the end of the ANGT Finals as both were with Real’s senior team. Vukcevic did not play at the ANGT Istanbul for the same reason. Owen Aquino was on hand at both of the last two qualifiers, but missed the ANGT Finals

"We worked all year just for this," added Spagnolo, who was the only member of the Real team that won the 2019 ANGT title in Vitoria-Gasteiz and played in Valencia.

Spagnolo was hampered in this season’s finals and only played in the championship game, where he tallied 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. It was Spagnolo's third appearance in the title bout; he also played for U18 Stellazzurra Rome in the 2018 ANGT Championship Game, a loss to U18 Rytas Vilnius.

The playmaker also became just the 10th player to win two ANGT trophies. Anatoly Kashirov, Vasily Zavourev, Artur Urazmanov and Iliya Astafiev all won the crowns for U18 CSKA Moscow in 2004 and 2005 and Iliya Gusev was part of CSKA’s winning teams in 2005 and 2006. Besides the CSKA three-peat, the only other club to win back-to-back ANGT trophies was U18 FMP Belgrade in 2008 and 2009. The quartet of Dejan Musli, Branislav Djekic, Aleksandar Ponjavic and Nikola Vukasovic was part of both winning sides.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Real is considered a favorite to win the title again in 2022 considering that Klavzar is one of nine players born in 2004 or later, including the MVP Ndiaye, Nunez and Garuba, while Jan Vide was born in 2005 and Amadou Traore was in 2007.

With its unfinished business now finished, Real can start thinking about matching CSKA with a historic three-peat.

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Check out all the champions and MVPs of the Euroleague Basketball U18 Tournament over the 19 years in which it has become the greatest gathering of young basketball talent in the world!

Euroleague Basketball U18 Tournament champions (2003 - 2021)

[2021 - Valencia, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2020-21%20VALENCIA%20FINALS&team=All%20teams)

U18 Real Madrid **81 - 78** U18 FC Barcelona

*Finals MVP: Eli Ndiaye, Real Madrid*

[2019 - Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2018-19%20VITORIA-GASTEIZ%20FINALS&team=All%20teams)

U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade **76 - 95** U18 Real Madrid

*Finals MVP: Mario Nakic, Real Madrid*

[2018 - Belgrade, Serbia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2017-18%20BELGRADE%20Finals&team=All%20teams)

U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius **76 - 71** U18 Stellazzurra Rome

*Finals MVP: Deividas Sirvydis, Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius*

[2017 - Istanbul, Turkey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2016-17%20ISTANBUL&team=All%20teams)

U18 CFBB Paris **65 - 58** U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Ivan Fevrier, CFBB Paris*

[2016 - Berlin, Germany](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2015-16%20BERLIN&team=All%20teams)

U18 FC Barcelona Lassa **90 - 82** U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Borisa Simanic, Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade*

[2015 - Madrid, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2014-15&team=All%20teams)

U18 Real Madrid **73 - 70** U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Luka Doncic, Real Madrid*

[2014 - Milan, Italy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2013-14&team=All%20teams)

U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade **55 - 42** U18 Real Madrid

*Finals MVP: Vojislav Stojanovic, Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade*

[2013 - London, United Kingdom](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2012-13&team=All%20teams)

U18 Club Joventut Badalona **82 - 59** U18 FC Barcelona Regal

*Finals MVP: Agustí Sans, Club Joventut Badalona*

[2012 - Istanbul, Turkey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2011-12&team=All%20teams)

U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius **88 - 70** U18 Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul

*Finals MVP: James Metecan Birsen, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul*

[2011 - Barcelona, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2010-11&team=All%20teams)

U18 KK Zagreb **76 - 65** U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

*Finals MVP: Dario Saric, KK Zagreb*

[2010 - Paris, France](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2009-10&team=All%20teams)

U18 FMP Belgrade **73 - 83** U18 INSEP Paris

*Finals MVP: Livio Jean-Charles, INSEP Paris*

[2009 - Berlin, Germany](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2008-09&team=All%20teams)

U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius **110 - 123** U18 FMP Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Dejan Musli, FMP Belgrade*

[2008 - Madrid, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2007-08&team=All%20teams)

U18 AXA FC Barcelona **70 - 80** U18 FMP Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Dejan Musli, FMP Belgrade*

[2007 - Athens, Greece](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2006-07&team=All%20teams)

U18 FMP Belgrade **74 - 78** U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

*Finals MVP: Donatas Motiejunas, Zalgiris Kaunas*

[2006 - Prague, Czech Republic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2005-06&team=All%20teams)

U18 CSKA Moscow **59 - 55** U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

*Finals MVP: Ivan Nelyubov, CSKA Moscow*

[2005 - Moscow, Russian Federation](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2004-05&team=All%20teams)

U18 CSKA Moscow **97 - 64** U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

*Finals MVP: Vasily Zavourev, CSKA Moscow*

[2004 - Tel Aviv, Israel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2003-04&team=All%20teams)
U18 Montepaschi Siena **62 - 90** U18 CSKA Moscow

*Finals MVP: Vasily Zavourev, CSKA Moscow*

[2003 - Barcelona, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2002-03&team=All%20teams)

U18 Zalgiris Kaunas **87 - 80** U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv

*Finals MVP: Rolandas Alijevas, Zalgiris Kaunas*

### Real outlasts Barcelona in OT thriller for 3rd ANGT title

U18 Real Madrid captured its third title at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament when it prevailed in an 81-78 overtime thriller against Spanish archrival U18 FC Barcelona in the 2021 ANGT Championship Game. Konstantin Kostadinov led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds while MVP Eli Ndiaye collected 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in 44:47 minutes played. Urban Klavzar chipped in 16 points and Sediq Garuba tallied 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks in the victory. Real pulled even with U18 CSKA Moscow for a record three ANGT crowns following triumphs in 2015 and 2019. Real also became the first repeat champion since U18 FMP Belgrade won back to back in 2008 and 2009. It was the first time that the ANGT Championship Game went to overtime. The 2016 continental champion Barcelona came up just short despite Michael Caicedo pouring in 25 points with 11 rebounds. Gael Bonilla added 16 points and Agustin Ubal had 11 points.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/game-center/2020-21-valencia-finals/u18-real-madrid-u18-fc-barcelona/JTF420/13/#boxscore)

EB ANGT Finals, Championship Game Highlights: U18 Real Madrid-U18 FC Barcelona

Caicedo scored the first points of the game on the break and Ian Granja added an inside layup before James Nnaji made it 0-6. Real could not get any rhythm offensively as Nnaji was a force in the paint for Barcelona with 2 blocks. The reigning champion came up empty on its first eight possessions with four turnovers until Ndiaye’s jumper after 4:29 minutes. After the early lead, Barcelona was held scoreless for more than 4 minutes and watched as Real scored the next 7 points - including a three-point play by Garuba. Caicedo stopped the Barcelona drought with a three-pointer and was answered by a Ndiaye triple. Bonilla and Kostadinov both hit from long range for their teams and the game was knotted 17-17 after 10 minutes. Klavzar hit a pair of three-pointers early in the second quarter as Real mounted its first mini-run at 8-0 to go up 27-19. Barcelona called a timeout and brought Nnaji back into the game and punched back with a 0-8 run. After a timeout of its own, Real went to Matteo Spagnolo who had 6 points in an 11-4 close to the first half for a 38-31 advantage at the break.

EB ANGT Finals MVP Highlights & Interview: Eli Ndiaye, U18 Real Madrid

A Nnaji three-point play started the second half but Kostadinov struck for 4 points as Real pushed the margin to double digits, 46-36. Barcelona raced back once again with two Caicedo baskets and back-to-back triples from Ubal to pull within 49-46. Klavzar knocked down two more triples at the other end to fend off Caicedo’s fight and keep Real ahead 60-56 after 30 minutes. Teodor Simic came off the bench for 7 points as Barcelona started the fourth quarter with a 0-9 run to pull ahead. Garuba finally got Real on the board after more than 3 minutes with a three-pointer and Kostadinov hit from deep for a 68-67 lead. Caicedo answered with a triple but the lead switched hands again on Henri Veeshaar’s three-point play for a 71-70 score with 2 minutes left. Caicedo swiped the ball from Spagnolo with 55 seconds left and Bonilla came down and nailed a three-pointer to make it 71-73. Both teams failed to convert allowing for Veeshaar to tie the game with on a layup with 1.4 seconds left. Caicedo’s tip-in off the in-bounds past went just off target to send the game to overtime - a historic first time in the history of the ANGT Championship Game.

Bonilla got Barcelona on the board first in the extra session but Garuba hit four points in a 6-0 run as Real went ahead 79-75. A Klavzar jumper had the reigning champs up 81-76 with 94 seconds left. Nnaji cut the deficit to 3 points, but Garuba and Ndiaye both came up with blocks in the final 13 seconds to secure the title.