Zoran Paunovic, who led U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade to the title at Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Belgrade, was named the tournament’s MVP on Sunday. 

Paunovic named ANGT Belgrade MVP

Paunovic ranked first in the tournament in scoring with 24.5 points, including a team-high 26 points in Zvezda’s victory in the final over U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade. The guard also topped all players in the tournament in performance index rating at 33.3, while leading in steals as well with 3.3 per game and hitting 55.6 percent of his three-pointers, which was best in the field. Paunovic also averaged 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 blocks.

Joining Paunovic on the All-Tournament Team were Marko Pecarski of U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade, Kenan Kamenjas of U18 Spars Ziraat Bank Sarajevo, Federico Miaschi of U18 Umana Reyer Venice and Luka Cerovina of U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade. Pecarski was fourth in index rating at 24.2 while scoring 18.3 points to go with 8.5 rebounds and shooting 60.5% from inside the three-point line. Kamenjas finished second in index rating at 27.8 while topping the tournament in rebounds with 14.3 per game. He also averaged 13.8 points, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks. Miaschi was the second-best scorer, averaging 23.3 points while also collecting 9.3 rebounds - third-best in the tournament - for an index rating of 25, also third-best in Belgrade. He chipped in 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals, too. Cerovina averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists, the latter ranking third in the competition. And he was second in steals (2.5 spg) and blocks (1.5 bpg).

ANGT Belgrade features teams from the host country as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy and Turkey. Moreover, the rosters are stacked with top talents from those countries and many more. 

ANGT Belgrade Players to Watch 2018

The last of the four Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT qualifying series comes to Serbia this weekend. Here's a primer on some of the players to watch from the eight teams in action this weekend.

#### U18 Anadolu Efes Istanbul: Mustafa Kurtuldum
Kurtuldum will be playing his first ANGT. The 1.96-meter guard has played at two FIBA U16 European Championships for Turkey; he helped his nation to the bronze medal in 2016 and fifth place in 2017. Last summer, he averaged 11.7 points and 2.3 rebounds as Turkey qualified for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018. Kurtuldum is a natural scorer with quick and accurate shooting ability, who can penetrate to the basket and finish with strength. He excels in offensive transition and finishes nicely on the break. Kurtuldum uses his strength and toughness to make an impact defensively, too.

#### U18 Cibona Zagreb: Dino Bistrovic
Bistrovic will be playing his second ANGT after averaging a team-high 16.5 points plus 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals last year in Coin. He also has international experience with Croatia; Bistrovic produced 0.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016. The 1.90-meter shooting guard has been with Cibona since childhood and is one of the club’s most promising prospects. Bistrovic has led his teams to numerous medals in the youth categories and has been selected many times as the best player of the season. The Zagreb native is effective in attacking the basket and can play off contact. He has a quick release and has extended the range of his outside shot.

#### U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade: Zoran Paunovic
Paunovic will be playing his second ANGT after making the All-Tournament Team at ANGT Belgrade last year. Despite being a year below age, Paunovic averaged 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.5 steals to help Zvezda win the tourney. At the ANGT Finals, the 2.00-meter guard collected 10.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Paunovic has represented Serbia at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016, where he tallied 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals. The Zvezda team captain makes his biggest mark at the defensive end. Paunovic also has good quickness to get past his defender and is a solid finisher around the basket, though he is still working on improving his outside shot.

#### U18 GBA Prague: Mark Jaakson
Jaakson will be playing his first season in the ANGT. The 18-year-old, who joined GBA in early December, is a 1.96-meter wing. Jaakson has not yet played for the Estonian national team, though he is expected to play a role at this summer’s FIBA U18 European Championship 2018, Division B. Jaakson is a good slasher and shooter and a physical defender, who is working on finishing around the rim and ball distribution.

#### U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade: Bogdan Nedeljkovic
Nedeljkovic will be playing his third ANGT after averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 2016 and 4.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks last year. The 2.02-meter forward had games of 11 points and 8 rebounds against U18 Real Madrid and 9 points and 10 rebounds versus U18 Zalgiris Kaunas in the ANGT Finals. Nedeljkovic also played for Serbia at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016, where he posted 3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Nedeljkovic has taken over a leadership role with Mega. He has an excellent basketball body and physical predisposition and participates in all facets of the game - rebounding, scoring, assisting and blocking. He also has proven to be very good in crucial moments. He continues to work on the consistency of his jump shot.

#### U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade: Marko Pecarksi
Pecarski will be playing his fifth ANGT after two years with U18 Zemun Belgrade in 2014 and 2015. He helped U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade to the ANGT Rome title in 2016 and then averaged 19.7 points and 14.3 rebounds for U18 FC Bayern Munich at the ANGT Coin last year, including grabbing a record-tying 24 rebounds against U18 Cibona Zagreb. Pecarksi has played three summers for the Serbian national teams, including helping Serbia to the title at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017 with 12.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Pecarski’s father Miroslav Pecarski won the EuroLeague in 1996 with Panathinaikos Athens and the 1989 Korac Cup with Partizan. Marko has been playing with Partizan’s first team this season and averaged 4.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.6 steals in 13 minutes in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Pecarski, who stands 2.08 meters, has a great three-point shot. He also has great timing on the offensive glass. Pecarski, who was born in Gijon, Spain, continues to work on his one-on-one defense.

#### U18 Spars Sarajevo: Tarik Biberovic
Biberovic will be playing his third ANGT despite still being a year younger than the rest of the competition this year. Last year he averaged 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks for Spars at ANGT Belgrade. Biberovic also has played for Bosnia and Herzegovina; he recorded 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016. The 2.01-meter forward signed a long-term deal with Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul earlier this season, but remains at Spars on loan. He comes from a basketball family and has strong work habits. He can shoot equally well from inside and beyond the three-point line. Biberovic’s good energy contributes to the team spirit and helps make his teams better.

#### U18 Umana Reyer Venice: Federico Miaschi
Miaschi will be playing his second ANGT after averaging 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 steals at the 2015-16 ANGT Rome despite being two years younger than most of the competition. The Genova native played for Italy at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016 and collected 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks. Last summer Miaschi averaged 3.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017. The 1.95-meter guard has a good shooting technique and a quick release. He also handles the ball well with good court vision and passing skills to help out at the point guard spot. Miaschi also has a quick first step and is determined, tenacious and always ready to lead the team.

dino-bistrovic-u18-cibona-zagreb-angt-coin-2017-jt16-photo-antonio-orozco.jpeg

tarik-biberovic-u18-spars-sarajevo-angt-belgrade-2017-jt16-7mxl5yys3drv7fx9.jpeg

The fourth and final automatic ticket for the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals is up for grabs this weekend at ANGT Belgrade. 

Can Zvezda make it eight straight ANGT Belgrade titles?

The 2014 continental champion, U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, is the event host and winner of the last seven qualifying tournaments held in the Serbian capital. Zvezda is the only former champion in an eight-team Belgrade field that also includes U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade, which lost to U18 CFBB Paris in last year’s ANGT Championship Game. Zvezda and Mega, who met in last year’s ANGT Belgrade final, headline the two groups of four teams each. In Group A with Zvezda are U18 Anadolu Efes Istanbul from Turkey, U18 Spars Ziraat Bank Sarajevo from Bosnia and Herzegovina and U18 Umana Reyer Venice from Italy. Group B’s other three teams are U18 Cibona Zagreb from Croatia, U18 GBA Prague from the Czech Republic and U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade from Serbia. The teams will play each other in their group round-robin style with the two first-place teams to face off on Sunday at Zeleznik; the winner will receive a ticket to the ANGT Finals along with ANGT L’Hospitalet winner U18 Divina Seguros Joventut, ANGT Kaunas champion U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius and ANGT Munich victor U18 Real Madrid.

Zvezda enters the tournament as a seven-time reigning champion, having won each year from 2011 to 2017. The Serbian power won the ANGT Finals in 2014 and lost in the ANGT Championship Game in both 2015 and 2016. Zvezda also comes into the event with a 31-game winning streak in qualifying tournaments, dating back to an 85-69 loss to U18 Beovuk 72 in the 2011 edition. Efes is back in the competition after not playing last year. In 2016, the Turkish club was 0-4 at ANGT Rome in its first appearance since the 2012 ANGT Finals. Spars is playing in the ANGT for the seventh straight year. It finished fourth in Belgrade last year, one year after losing to Zvezda in the 2016 ANGT Belgrade final. Spars appeared in the ANGT Finals in 2013 and 2015. Venice is making its third go-around in the competition after placing last in Belgrade in 2015 and finishing seventh in Rome in 2016. The club did not compete in the ANGT last year.

Mega is a growing power in the ANGT; it lost just twice last year - in the ANGT Belgrade final to Zvezda and in the ANGT Championship Game to U18 CFBB Paris. Mega claimed victory in the ANGT Rome tournament and reached the ANGT Finals in 2016. It also lost to Zvezda in the ANGT Belgrade final in 2013. Cibona is appearing in the ANGT for the fifth time in six years - and will be playing at a different location for the fifth straight time. It was fifth at ANGT Coin last year after taking third at ANGT Kaunas in 2016. In 2014, Cibona played in Rome and a year earlier participated in ANGT Siauliai. GBA will be playing in the ANGT for the second time after finishing sixth last year in Belgrade with one victory in its maiden showing. Partizan is coming off its worst performance in going 0-4 for an eighth-place finish last year in Belgrade. Partizan, which has never played in the ANGT Finals, reached the ANGT Belgrade final twice, losing to Zvezda in 2012 and 2015.

u18-crvena-zvezda-mts-belgrade-champ-angt-belgrade-2017-jt16.jpg

Nikos Arsenopoulos grew up as an Olympiacos Piraeus supporter, so it has been pretty special for him this season to observe and face off against his role model, Vassilis Spanoulis, in practice. 

Watching Spanoulis an honor for Olympiacos talent Arsenopoulos

The combo guard built on that experience to earn a spot on the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Munich All-Tournament Team.

With Olympiacos competing in Europe’s elite U18 club competition this season for the first time since 2007, Arsenopoulos led the Reds to a fourth-place finish by averaging 23.5 points per game, which were the second-most in the weekend tourney. The highlight was a 41-point showing against U18 Brose Bamberg, which also helped him rank third in performance index rating at 22.8 after averaging 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 6.8 fouls drawn.

"It’s a great competition. The level of competition is huge. Coming here and getting two victories is important for us and Olympiacos. It shows our work and dedication from the whole year," said Arsenopoulos, who turns 18 years old in May. “This tournament means a start for me and every guy on the team. We hope to have a great future here."

Arsenopoulos started playing the game at about 5 years of age. He said the Reds were always his team of choice. “I was always an Olympiacos fan, always a fan of the guys. And now to be a part of this team is a huge honor,” said Arsenopoulos, who joined Olympiacos in the summer of 2016 and signed a six-year deal. “I’m still thinking about it. It’s kind of hard to realize where my position is right now, but I am just trying to do my best."

The 1.98-meter guard has already appeared in five Greek A1 league games for Olympiacos during which he has averaged 1.2 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists over 5.2 minutes per game. “It’s a very tense experience,” he said of playing for the Reds senior squad. “But the easy part was my teammates were great. They supported me. They are great guys. Playing basketball with them is a really big honor.”

Arsenopoulos said that when he was growing up, his role models were NBA stars like Steph Curry and James Harden. But Spanoulis held a major spot in his heart as well. Spanoulis has not played in any of the five official games in which Arsenopoulos has appeared this season though they did play some friendly games before the season together.

“The only thing I have to do is just keep looking to him and watching him and learn everything from him. And hopefully I can be a great player like him one day,” said Arsenopoulos.

He said he is really watching Spanoulis and his step-side move. But there is so much to the legend to follow and observe. “His character; that’s the most important thing about him. That’s why I think he’s the best player in Europe,” Arsenopoulos said.

When asked how it is to try to guard Spanoulis in practice, Arsenopoulos laughed and offered: “He’s unguardable. You can’t guard him.”

Arsenopoulos did a good job showing at the ANGT Munich that he’s pretty tough to guard too. But the young talent is trying to stay grounded with regard to his dreams and hopes. “My dream right now is to play in the first team. Until then, that’s the first goal. I want to have smaller goals and just improve all the time.”

With that in mind, Arsenopoulos has the advantage of facing a legend – and a role model – on the practice floor on a regular basis to get better and reach the next level.

Nikos Arsenopoulos grew up as an Olympiacos Piraeus supporter, so it has been pretty special for him this season to observe and face off against his role model, Vassilis Spanoulis, in practice.

nikolaos-arsenopoulos-u18-olympiacos-piraeus-angt-munich-2018-photo-matthias-stickel-fcbb-jt17-8j47prq8fg4s5mma.jpg

The Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals in Belgrade in May will have special meaning for Mario Nakic.

ANGT Munich MVP awaits return home for finals with Madrid

Not only will he be returning home to his native Serbia, but Nakic will also be hoping to lead U18 Real Madrid to its second continental title. That dream became possible when they won ANGT Munich together last weekend and he claimed that qualifying tournament's MVP award.

Nakic averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal in Munich. He scored a team-high 23 points to go with 9 rebounds and 5 assists in Madrid's 77-57 win over host team U18 FC Bayern Munich in the final.

"Winning the MVP means a lot. It's a boost in your confidence," said Nakic, who was playing in his first ANGT event. "But I look at it in another way. I look at it that we got a win in the final, which is what we came here for."

Madrid has now reached the ANGT Finals for the fifth consecutive year, having won the title in 2015 after losing the continental championship game in 2014.

"We're in the ANGT Finals for the fifth year in a row, but it doesn't mean anything," Nakic said confidently. "Last year we lost. This year we're going to win again."

When asked what Madrid must do to add a 2018 trophy to the one from 2015, the 1.99-meter forward said: "We need to go in there and play hard. Nobody is going in there soft. The EuroLeague Final Four will only be the best teams at U18 in Europe after the qualifications, so we have to go there with a go-hard mentality and fight hard. We have to play like a team as we did in [ANGT Munich] and hopefully things will go like this one."

The 2018 ANGT Finals will also mean heading back to his homeland, which he left in 2015 to join the Real Madrid organization.

"I cannot wait to go and witness [the Final Four] because the atmosphere in Serbia is great, as people know when Partizan or Zvezda play," said Nakic, who will turn 17 in June.

"I'm very excited to go there and live that experience because I have never been to a Final Four. We're all going there with a lot of excitement and expectations."

Nakic learned the game from his father Ivo Nakic, who won the EuroLeague crown three times: with Cibona Zagreb in 1985 and 1986 and with Partizan in 1992. The younger Nakic, who was born in Belgrade, started his basketball career with Belgrade club Zemun. Nakic stayed there for four years until he was 12 years old.

"I always wanted to play at Partizan and one day my dad called me and asked if I wanted to play at Partizan and I said yes," Nakic remembered.

Nakic played at Partizan for one season and then tried out with Real Madrid, which then asked him to join the club at 14 years of age in August 2015.

"I knew like everyone else that it's a great club, the greatest club in Europe, the biggest club in Europe with the biggest reputation. It's a club that wins; it's a club that wants to win everything, every game, every tournament. I kind of knew what I was going in for," Nakic said.

He also said that a few familair faces already with the club, helped his adjustment.

"I was very excited and very happy when I got there. It was easy my first year because I had a lot friends there from my region: Dino [Radonic], Luka [Doncic], Domagoj [Proleta]. So they helped me a lot in my first year and I am very grateful for that."

Next up for Nakic is returning home to Belgrade with his new group of friends from Madrid to try to win an ANGT title.

mario-nakic-u18-real-madrid-angt-munich-2018-photo-matthias-stickel-fcbb-jt17-8j3nfpvnqapqlb6y.jpg

Mario Nakic, who led U18 Real Madrid to the title at the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Munich, was named the tournament’s MVP. 

MVP Nakic of U18 Real Madrid leads Munich all-tourney team

Nakic ranked eighth in the tournament in scoring with 15.3 points, including a team-high 23 points in Madrid’s victory in the final over U18 FC Bayern Munich. The 2001-born Nakic ranked first in the tournament in two-point field goal accuracy at 79% and also averaged 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals.

Joining Nakic on the All-Tournament Team are his Madrid teammate Usman Garuba, Kilian Binapfl of U18 FC Bayern Munich, Henri Drell of U18 Brose Bamberg and Nikos Arsenopoulos of U18 Olympiacos Piraeus. Garuba was fifth in the tournament in performance index rating at 22.3 while averaging 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks. Binapfl finished third in scoring at 19.8 points per game and was tops in steals at 2.8; second in blocks at 1.3; and second in index rating at 25.5. The Bayern leader also averaged 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Drell led the tournament in scoring at 27.0 points per game including games of 40 and 36 points. He also was tops in index rating at 26.3 while shooting 42 percent from three-point range and collecting 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks. Arsenopoulos ranked second in scoring at 23.5 buoyed by a 41-point showing. He also was third-best in index rating at 22.8 as he averaged 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals.

ANGT Munich features teams from the host country, Germany, as well as Greece, Spain and Turkey. Moreover, the rosters are stacked with top talents from those countries and many more.

ANGT Munich Players to Watch in 2018

The Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT qualifying series comes to Munich for the first time this weekend. Here's a primer on some of the players to watch from the eight teams in action this weekend.

#### U18 ALBA Berlin: Hendrik Drescher
Drescher will be playing his third ANGT after averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds at ANGT Belgrade in 2016 and then 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds at ANGT L’Hospitalet in 2017. The 2.06-meter center also has played multiple summers for German national teams. Drescher collected 9.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017. The Berlin native has a strong body, which has allowed him to be on the bench for ALBA BBL games; he made his debut in October. Drescher is working on his outside shooting, which will allow him to be an inside-outside player. The MVP of the German U19 NBBL league All-Star Game, Drescher set a new NBBL record with 50 points to go with 17 rebounds.

#### U18 Brose Bamberg: Kay Bruhnke
Bruhnke will be making his debut in the ANGT and is considered one of Germany’s biggest talents from the 2001-born generation. The 1.98-meter forward played last summer for Germany at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2017 and had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in the first game before getting injured and missing the rest of the tournament. The Weiden native shows a lot of heart and desire on the court and is a good finisher, who can also light it up from outside. Bruhnke, who has Polish roots, has improved greatly his defense and still has potential to get even better there. Even though he doesn’t turn 17 years until July, Bruhnke is playing in Germany’s second division ProA. He is playing more at the point guard position to create for others; he runs the pick-and-roll very well as he is a good passer.

#### U18 Darussafaka Istanbul: Mert Akay
Akay will be competing in his second ANGT after averaging 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in Coin last year. The point guard also has played for the Turkish national team the past two summers. In 2016, he had 2.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in helping Turkey take bronze at the FIBA U16 European Championship and then collected 4.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists (second-best in the tournament) and 1.4 steals as Turkey finished fourth at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017. Akay is averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game in Turkey’s U18 league this season. He has good size for a playmaker with great court vision and passing skills. Akay is mature for his age and is working on improving his three-point shooting. His long arms allow him to be aggressive on defense.

#### U18 FC Bayern Munich: Matej Rudan
Rudan will be playing his second ANGT after he averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds for U18 Cibona Zagreb at ANGT Coin last year despite being two years younger than the rest of the opposition. Last summer he collected 17.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in helping Croatia finish fourth at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2017 and qualify for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2017. The 1.96-meter forward moved to Bayern in December and is averaging 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.8 blocks in the U19 NBBL league. His mother, Gordana Cato, played during the 1990s and helped KK Split to a number of national championships. His father, Josko Rudan, played domestically and cousin Teo Cizmic played for KK Split's golden generation with Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja and Velimir Perasovic. Rudan has a very nice touch and can handle the ball well. He possesses very good passing skills.

#### U18 Olympiacos Piraeus: Aleksej Pokusevski
Pokusevski will play his first ANGT as Olympiacos is back in the competition for the first time since 2007. The 2001-born Pokusevski hails from Novi Sad, Serbia, and has been with the Greek powerhouse since January 2016. Pokusevski only turned 16 years old on December 26 and has yet to play for the Serbian national team. The point guard is a great passer and creates for his teammates from a variety of different angles. Because of his height, he is still weaker physically, but he seems to always find a way to put the ball in the basket.

#### U18 ratiopharm Ulm: Mate Fazekas
With Ulm making its ANGT debut, this will also be the first appearance in the competition for Fazekas. He has played two summers for the Hungarian national teams - in Division B of the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2015 and 2016. In the 2016 edition, the center averaged 11.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He has been with Ulm’s program for four years. Fazekas is averaging 13.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals this season in the German U19 NBBL league. The native of Gyor has great hands and can shoot well for his size. He has been working on developing his large body frame. Fazekas still needs to be more consistent and work on his footwork on defense.

#### U18 Real Betis Energia Plus Seville: Andrzej Pluta
Pluta will be appearing in his second ANGT after he was named to the ANGT Coin All-Tournament Team last season for averaging 17.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals despite being a year younger. The 1.91-meter combo guard has played two summers for Poland’s national team. In 2015 he helped Poland to promotion with 6.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in the FIBA U16 European Championship Division B. A year later he averaged 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals at the FIBA U16 European Championship. Pluta is averaging 15.3 points for Betis’ EBA team. He is the son of Andrzej Pluta, who played 11 years for the Polish national team and appeared at the 1997 and 2007 FIBA EuroBaskets. The younger Pluta is a great shooter and also can organize the game as a point guard.

#### U18 Real Madrid: Melwin Pantzar
Pantzar will be playing in his second ANGT after helping Madrid win ANGT Coin crown last year by averaging 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals. At the ANGT Finals in Istanbul, the Swedish guard collected 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals. He has played one summer for the Swedish national team, with which he averaged 7.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016. Pantzar, who is currently playing for Madrid’s EBA team, can play both guard positions. He’s very athletic, which allows him to be a great defender and play at a very high pace. Pantzar can finish near the basket, but still needs to improve his three-point accuracy

melwin-pantzar-u18-real-madrid-angt-final-four-istanbul-2017-eb16-7tkin89ho5lk3un7.jpg

The globe’s premier youth club basketball competition comes to Germany when the first-ever Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Munich tips off this weekend. 

Munich hosts its first ANGT qualifier

Among the headliners will be 2015 continental champion U18 Real Madrid, which is the only previous title-winner in the eight-team field. Madrid joins U18 ALBA Berlin, U18 Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul and ANGT debutant U18 ratiopharm Ulm in Group B. Group A also has two German clubs with host side U18 FC Bayern Munich and U18 Brose Bamberg as well as U18 Olympiacos Piraeus and U18 Real Betis Energia Plus Seville. The teams will all play each other in their group round-robin style with the group winners facing off in Sunday’s ANGT Munich final. The victor of that game will book its ticket to the ANGT Finals at May’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade. The winner will be the third participant to guarantee its place at the eight-team ANGT Finals field along with U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona and U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, which won the ANGT Ciutat L’Hospitalet and ANGT Kaunas events, respectively.

In Group A, Bayern will host an ANGT for the first time at the Audi Dome after playing in the competition in the last four editions. Bayern finished 1-3 and in seventh place in Coin last year after posting the same record and a sixth-place finish in Belgrade in 2016. Bamberg returns to the competition after missing last year’s event. In 2016, Bamberg lost to Real Madrid in the L’Hospitalet semifinals. The club’s best finish came in 2013, when it grabbed third place in Rome. Even though Olympiacos has achieved great things in the EuroLeague, the Greek giant will be making just its second-ever appearance in the ANGT following its 0-3 showing in the ANGT Finals in 2007. Betis is a regular in the competition though it has played under different names in the past. The club took fourth place in Coin last year with a 2-2 record. As Cajasol Seville, it reached the ANGT Finals in 2010 and 2014.

Madrid enters Group B having won its previous four qualifying tournaments - L’Hospitalet in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and Coin in 2017. Madrid has not lost an ANGT qualifying game since being defeated by U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona in the final of the 2013 ANGT L’Hospitalet - an on-going streak of 19 games. ALBA has played in two ANGT Finals - both as EuroLeague Final Four host in 2009 and 2016. In 2017, ALBA took sixth place at L’Hospitalet with a 1-3 record after taking fifth place and third place in 2016 and 2015, respectively in Belgrade. Darussafaka will be making its second-ever appearance in the ANGT after finishing eighth in Coin last year with a 1-3 record. Ulm is making its debut in the competition.

Deividas Sirvydis has already etched his name in the annals of Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius history. But the star talent can add another mark as the first player to lead the U18 team to the title at the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Kaunas, which he did as the captain and MVP. 

Sirvydis keeps etching his name in annals of Rytas history

Sirvydis led Rytas in scoring with 17.0 points a game to go with 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals as Rytas knocked off U18 Stellazzurra Rome in the ANGT Kaunas final to book its ticket to the ANGT Finals in Belgrade in May.

"It's an amazing feeling," said Sirvydis, who recorded 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in the final against Stellazzurra. As was winning the MVP trophy: "It means a lot. A lot of great players from throughout Europe have played here and won the MVP title. It's the best thing I've ever had."

It was Sirvydis's third time playing in the ANGT after the 2016 ANGT Finals in Berlin and ANGT Kaunas last year, where he played just one game and then returned home because he was sick. So, he was extra excited to play and win the title this time.

"We wanted to win the tournament and we won the tournament and now we are going to Belgrade. And we will have the same goal," Sirvydis exclaimed.

The goal will be to help Rytas to its second-ever ANGT continental title following the crown in 2012 in Istanbul. And a championship would give Sirvydis a leg up on one of the club's biggest names - Jonas Valanciunas. The star center came up just short of winning the ANGT title in 2009 at the Final Four in Berlin, where Rytas lost to U18 FMP in the ANGT championship game.

Sirvydis has already eclipsed Valanciunas in two other aspects. The 2.00-meter guard made his Lithuanian LKL league debut on May 29, 2017, days before his 17th birthday, surpassing Valanciunas as the youngest player in Rytas history to play in the LKL. And on December 5, 2017, Sirvydis got into Rytas's 7DAYS EuroCup game against Partizan NIS Belgrade, which saw him overtake Valanciunas as the club's youngest debutant in the EuroCup.

The personable Sirvydis laughs when those facts are brought up. "I feel good. Valanciunas is a big star in the NBA and I was younger than him."

While many see a bright future for the youngster, Sirvydis's past was spent as a young globetrotter around Europe with his basketball-playing father. Virginijus Sirvydis was playing in Vilnius for Sakalai when Deividas was born in 2000. But the wingman father spent Deividas's young days bouncing around Europe, playing three years in Russia, two years in Germany and one season each in Cyprus and the Czech Republic.

"It was kind of fun," Deividas recalls of his time in other countries. But the younger Sirvydis really can't remember much specifically. And what about watching his father play? "Not really. I was a little boy and was sleeping during the games. After the games I could dribble and shoot on the court though," said Sirvydis, who would do the same at his father's practices.

It was those practices and after-game settings that brought Deividas into the game, which he began to play in earnest at around 7 years of age. And there was always his father to talk about the game. After retiring in 2012, Virginijus became a coach and is currently the assistant coach at LKL team Pieno Zvaigzdes Pasvalys.

"He gives me some advice. He watches every game and after each game, he talks to me and tells me what I did wrong," Deividas said.

What definitely was not wrong in Sirvydis's eyes was signing a long-term contract with Rytas. "It's everything. I was born in Vilnius and I want to play in Vilnius," he said.

And Sirvydis is already steeped in the tradition of Lithuanian basketball and talks of Zalgiris Kaunas as the archrivals, making it all the better to win the club's first ANGT qualifying tournament title since ANGT Siauliai 2013.

"It's the best feeling. All the time it's like the clasico, Rytas and Zalgiris. And we won the championship in Kaunas."

Just another mark for Sirvydis in the annals of Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius history.

deividas-sirvydis-u18-lietuvos-rytas-vilnius-angt-kaunas-2018-jt17.jpeg