The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2024-25 season makes its next stop this weekend in Ulm, so here are some of the names to look out for.

NextGen EuroLeague Ulm: Players to watch

The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2024-25 season makes its next stop this weekend in Ulm with the German city hosting the event for the first time. The tournament features past continental champions [U18 FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-fc-barcelona/jba/) and [U18 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-zalgiris-kaunas/jza/) as well as host club [U18 ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-ratiopharm-ulm/jru/), [U18 ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-alba-berlin/jbe/), [U18 Dubai Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-dubai-basketball/jdu/), [U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/jas/), [U18 Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-olympiacos-piraeus/jol/) and [U18 Next Gen Team Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-next-gen-team-ulm/ngu/). 

The teams will compete over three days at the Orange Campus in Ulm from February 7 to 9 with the goal of reaching the NextGen EuroLeague Finals, which will be played at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in May.

Here are some of the names to look out for from the teams in Ulm.

### Lukas Klein – U18 ALBA Berlin

[Lukas Klein](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/lukas-klein/013613/) will be making his debut in the NextGen EuroLeague after moving to ALBA from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. The 2008-born big man won the German U16 JBBL league Defensive Player of the Year last season, after which he averaged 7.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024. This season the center is collecting 7.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in the U19 NBBL league and had two appearances in the ProB third division with Lot Bernau – eight months after playing in the U16 league. Klein still needs to add weight to his body but he is getting better every day due to his knowledge of the game, IQ and good hands.

### Tomislav Vuckovic – U18 Dubai Basketball 

[Tomislav Vuckovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/tomislav-vuckovic/013676/) will be competing for the first time in the NextGen EuroLeague. He collected 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 blocks for Croatia at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024. The 2008-born Croatian moved to Dubai from KA Mrav Zagreb and had been averaging 25.4 points in the Croatian U17 league. This season he tallied 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.3 steals in the U19 ABA League. He is a sharpshooter who understands the game and has good anticipation and athleticism. 

### Mathieu Grujicic – U18 FC Barcelona 

[Mathieu Grujicic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/mathieu-grujicic/012103/) will be playing in his third NextGen season after the 2022-23 campaign with his first big club, ALBA Berlin. The point guard, who moved to Barcelona in 2023, averaged 15.2 points and 3.0 rebounds at the Belgrade qualifier last season. He helped ALBA to the German U16 JBBL title and was the Final Four MVP. Grujicic averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals in helping Germany finish fifth at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 to help the country qualify for the FIBA U17 World Cup for the first time. This season Grujicic is one of the main leaders of the second team with 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists - including twice in the last five games hitting 4 three-pointers. Grujicic is great at creating scoring situations on 1on1 and off screens. He has good touch near the rim and wide range in the catch-and-shoot and pull-ups. He loves to play through contact. He’s improving his ball handling to add the pick-and-roll. He also gained a lot of activity on his defense on the ball and understands off-ball positioning. Grujicic should focus on his shot selection and be regular with the basics to be the best version of himself.

### Davi Remagen – U18 Next Gen Team Ulm 

[Davi Remagen](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/davi-remagen/013648/) will be making his NextGen debut. He starred for Germany at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals. Remagen has struggled with injuries, missing the entire 2023-24 season and most of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns for the RheinStars Köln. When he was healthy, the point guard shined and won the U16 JBBL 2022-23 league MVP after averaging 31.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.7 steals in the season and guiding his club to the JBBL Final Four for the first time. Back healthy for this season, he is collecting 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in the ProB third division this season while dominating the U19 league with 28.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.6 steals. Remagen has elite scoring ability with his speed and offensive skillset. The dynamic guard has a strong explosive frame and good ball-handling, allowing him to finish through contact. He is a relentless attacker of the rim with a great motor. Remagen also has a great impact at the defensive end. 

### Georgios Bourneles – U18 Olympiacos Piraeus

[Georgios Bourneles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/georgios-bourneles/013141/) is one of the few Olympiacos players with past NextGen experience as he had 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in Paris last season. The guard has yet to play for the Greek national team, but he already made his senior team debut for Olympiacos in November against PAOK Thessaloniki. Bourneles has averaged 19.0 points with 35 percent on three-pointers, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the Greek U18 league. Bourneles is a point guard with a very good pull up shot, reads the game very well, and is strong on defense with leadership characteristics.

### Adam Atamna – U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

[Adam Atamna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/adam-atamna/012268/) will be playing at his third NextGen tournament after he picked up 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games in Dubai, having been unable to show his full potential due to a broken hand. The guard played for France at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 and won bronze as he averaged 6.3 points and 1.7 assists. After dominating the French U21 league last season at age 16, Atamna was sent to play with LyonSO in the third division NM1 and is averaging 9.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Atamna has great maturity in his game and a strong understanding of it. His main offensive weapon today is his shooting, making him a formidable attacker. He also has the ability to organize and structure the game.

### Teo Milicic – U18 ratiopharm Ulm

[Teo Milicic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/teo-milicic/013624/) will be making his NextGen debut. He comes from a strong basketball family as his father Igor Milicic is the Polish national team head coach while his older brother Igor Milicic Jr. plays for Tennessee in the NCAA and with the Polish senior national team, and 2006-born brother Zoran Milicic plays for Ulm and was in the NextGen tournament last year. Teo helped Ulm reach the U16 JBBL league Semi-Finals last season. Milicic this season is averaging 18.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals in the NBBL and 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in the Regionalliga fourth division. He can score in multiple ways, is extremely competitive, has a great work ethic and is a leader on the court – an extension of the coach and extremely vocal. He has a great motor at both ends and his high IQ allows him to read the game at a high level. Milicic still needs to improve his three-point shot and become more patient.

### Dominykas Daubaris – U18 Zalgiris Kaunas  

[Dominykas Daubaris](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/dominykas-daubaris/012185/) did not play in the NextGen EuroLeague last season after getting into two games in 2022-23 in Munich. The forward big man had averaged 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 but then missed all of last season with a knee injury. He has returned this season and is averaging 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in the NKL second division. The 2.08 meter Daubaris is a versatile stretch big with a lot of upside. His low-post presence combined with floor stretching abilities makes him a true opponent’s headache. He also has intangibles such as calmness, natural basketball IQ and solid work ethic.

Here are eight top talents to keep an eye on at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Ulm 

The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague returns for its third stop of the 2024-25 season and makes its debut in Ulm, Germany, with BKT EuroCup club ratiopharm Ulm hosting the event for the first time on February 7-9, 2025

NextGen EuroLeague makes its Ulm debut with two former champs

The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague returns for its third stop of the 2024-25 season and makes its debut in Ulm, Germany, with BKT EuroCup club ratiopharm Ulm hosting the event for the first time. The February 7-9 qualifying tournament features former champions [U18 FC Barcelona](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-fc-barcelona/roster/jba/?season=2024-2025%20Ulm) and [U18 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-zalgiris-kaunas/roster/jza/?season=2024-2025%20Ulm), which headline a loaded eight-team field looking to lock up a ticket to the NextGen Finals.

The 2016 continental champion Barcelona and 2003 and 2007 winner Zalgiris will face a tough challenge. Host [U18 ratiopharm Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-ratiopharm-ulm/roster/jru/?season=2024-2025%20Ulm) hopes to make more history in front of its home fans while [U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne/roster/jas/?season=2024-2025%20Ulm) and [U18 Next Gen Team Ulm](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-next-gen-team-ulm/roster/ngu/?season=2024-2025%20Ulm) have an argument to make as well. And don’t count out [U18 ALBA Berlin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-alba-berlin/roster/jbe/?season=2024-2025%20Ulm), [U18 Dubai Basketball](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-dubai-basketball/roster/jdu/?season=2024-2025%20Ulm) or [U18 Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-olympiacos-piraeus/roster/jol/?season=2024-2025%20Ulm).

The tournament winner will book a spot in the season finale at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four from May 23-25 in Abu Dhabi. The first berth went to two-time continental champion [U18 Mega MIS Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-mega-mis-belgrade/jmv/) after taking first place at the NextGen Istanbul event in December. U18 Next Gen Team Munich won the qualifying tournament in Munich in January but was not eligible to secure a NextGen Finals ticket.

The eight teams in Ulm are broken down into two groups of four. Each team plays the others in its group in a round-robin fashion. The top teams in each group will then face off in Sunday’s first-place game, with the winner of that matchup securing a spot at the NextGen Finals.

The breakdown of the eight teams is as follows: Group A has host Ulm, ASVEL, Dubai and Zalgiris while Group B features Barcelona, ALBA, Next Gen Ulm and Olympiacos.

Ulm will be hosting a NextGen event for the first time and that comes after the team made history by taking first place at the NextGen Dubai tournament last season. Ulm became the first German club to win a qualifying tournament and lock up a spot at the NextGen Finals, where it went 0-3. Ulm is competing in the competition for the eighth straight time since 2018. ASVEL also has a streak of eight straight appearances and 11 in total. The French side won the Belgrade 2022 tournament and then lost in the first place game in Patras 2023. Last season ASVEL went 2-2 in Dubai for fourth place.

Dubai will be making its second appearance after debuting as host in 2024, where it went 1-3 for eighth place - with the historic first victory coming against eventual tournament winner Ulm. Zalgiris has never missed the competition - taking part in all 23 seasons. In addiiton to the Lithuanian powerhouse's two continental titles, Zalgiris took second place in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Last season, Zalgiris lost to Ulm in the Dubai 2024 first place game.

Barcelona won the 2016 NextGen crown and reached the championship game in 2008, 2013 and 2021. The Spanish giant is making its 20th appearance and 18th in a row. Barcelona has won its last two qualifying tournaments - Zadar in 2023 and Belgrade in 2024. ALBA is on board for the 15th time, including the 11th time in the last 12 seasons. The German side went 1-3 to finish fifth at the NextGen Podgorica and then 0-3 at the Finals as host club.

Olympiacos was given a spot for the ninth time and seventh in the last eight years. The Reds went 2-2 and finished fifth in Paris last season. The Next Gen Team Ulm will try to match what the Munich selection group did and become the third team picked by Adidas to win a qualifying event.

2016 winner Barcelona and two-time champ Zalgiris headline third qualifying event this season 

NextGen Munich MVP Vilkas inspired by former Barcelona youth star Jakucionis

Lithuania has no shortage of great players and one of the next ones on the radar could be Arminas Vilkas, who took home the Most Valuable Player honor after helping the U18 Next Gen Team Munich take the title at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich. And the center draws a bit of inspiration from a player who left a major mark on the competition in the last two years - Kasparas Jakucionis.

Vilkas averaged 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.8 blocks and a 19.2 PIR as NGM defeated U18 Valencia Basket 88-100 to take first place in the second qualifying tournament of the season. He ranked third in PIR, fourth in rebounds, second in blocks and second in offensive rebounds with 3.5.

“It really means a lot. It was unexpected for me. We had a lot of really great players on this team. So it really means a lot. And I appreciate it very much,” said Vilkas, who collected 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steal and 5 blocks for an index rating of 36 in the first place game.

“I had 12 players in my head and trying to give them fair minutes so they could get the best exposure out of this tournament. Arminas really stood out. He really deserved the minutes he got. I had to keep him in the game. This guy was incredible all tournament long - offensively and defensively. He helped us so much,” NGM head coach Dogus Balbay said about Vilkas.

This was the second time Vilkas was playing in the competition after he was an invited player for U18 Zalgiris Kaunas at the NextGen Dubai tournament last season.

“The city of Dubai was great, and the whole experience was great. Zalgiris is a great system. We played great, too. We lost in the final, sadly. But it was a great experience,” said Vilkas, who averaged 4.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in Dubai, where the team lost to U18 ratiopharm Ulm in the first place game.

Vilkas is a Kaunas native and started playing the game in second grade and grew up playing for Tornado Kaunas. He is still playing for the team - though only at the U18 level. This season he is also playing for Vilkaviskio in the Lithuanian second division.

Vilkas last season played with Zalgiris as an invited player, but this time he was chosen by Adidas for the Next Gen team for the Munich tournament.

“It means that people see me and they think I can play. I really appreciate that. And I am really happy to be here,” he said.

Vilkas was seen on the international stage twice last summer playing for his country. He averaged 1.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in helping Lithuania finish fifth at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024 as part of his own 2007-born generation. But he also played a year up and picked up 1.7 points and 1.0 rebounds as part of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024 for the 2006-born generation.

“It was a really good experience. The (U18) team plays different basketball than Under-17. So I had to adapt because I came right after the World Cup ended. So I had to adapt quickly,” said Vilkas, whose final game of the U17 World Cup was July 7 and the opener of the U18 EuroBasket was on July 27.

Vilkas said it was exciting to play along great players on the U18 team like Jakucionis and Nojus Indrusaitis, both of whom have moved to college in the United States. That 2006-born Lithuanian generation won the title at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022 and then finished sixth at the U18 continental tournament.

It was especially meaningful to interact with Jakucionis, who starred two seasons in the NextGen competition for U18 Barcelona. The guard won the MVP of the NextGen Zadar in 2022-23 and then repeated the honor at the NextGen Belgrade event in 2023-24. Jakucionis also made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut in 2023-24 and played two games in the Spanish League.

“He was a really great guy. He's friendly. He talks. You would think like a star would be up here (signals above him), like, he wouldn't talk to you because you're too low for him. But he's a friendly guy. He’s like a friend. You can talk to him like a friend. And you don't see that he's a star, that everybody knows him,” Vilkas said of Jakucionis, who dominating for Illinois in college with 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals.

“It really inspires me to be a good guy and to reach for my dreams.”

And the performance adds Vilkas to a list of Lithuanian talents to watch for the future.

Vilkas played with two-time NextGen qualifier MVP at FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024

Arminas Vilkas was named Most Valuable Player of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich after helping the U18 Next Gen Team Munich finish in first place

Arminas Vilkas takes home MVP for Next Gen team 

[Arminas Vilkas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/arminas-vilkas/012982/) was named Most Valuable Player of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich after helping the U18 Next Gen Team Munich finish in first place.

Vilkas collected 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steal and 5 blocks for an index rating of of 36 in the 88-100 win over U18 Valencia Basket. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by NGM teammate [Mathias Vazquez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/mathias-vazquez/013598/), [Tomas Talcis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/tomas-talcis/013530/) of Valencia, [Ignacio Campoy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/ignacio-campoy/012803/) of U18 Real Madrid and U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana’s [Mark Morano](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/mark-morano/012331/).

For the tournament, the Lithuanian Vilkas averaged 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.8 blocks and a 19.2 PIR. He ranked third in PIR, fourth in rebounds and second in both blocks and offensive rebounds (3.5).

Arminas Vilkas 

Mathias Vazquez

Tomas Talcis 

Ignacio Campoy 

Mark Morano

Vazquez tallied 19 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block for a PIR of 19 in the first-place game. He averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks for an 11.8 PIR over the weekend.

Talcis did all he could for Valencia against NGM but his 22 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist for a PIR of 24 were not enough. He collected 14.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 16.2 PIR. He was fifth in PIR, sixth in points and fifth with 2.5 offensive rebounds.

Morano led the tournament in scoring with 21.0 points and was first in PIR at 21.5 while also going for 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals.

Campoy collected 11.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals for a PIR of 18.8. He ranked fourth in PIR, third in rebounds, first in steals and third with 3.0 offensive rebounds.

The Lithuanian shined brightest in the first-place game 

U18 Next Gen Team Munich is the winner of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament after defeating U18 Valencia Basket 88-100 in the first-place game

Next Gen Team Munich claims first place at NextGen EuroLeague Munich with win over Valencia 

U18 Next Gen Team Munich is the winner of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament after defeating U18 Valencia Basket 88-100 in the first-place game. NGM became the second selection team to win a qualifier following last year’s NextGen Paris event. Mathias Vazquez scored a team-high 19 points with 6 rebounds, Arminas Vilkas and Guillermo Del Pino both scored 16 points and Reino Saivosalmi added 13 points. Valencia missed a chance to win its second qualifier in club history after it had claimed first place at the NextGen Valencia in 2018-19. Tomas Talcis had 22 points for Valencia and Pau Torrens had 15 points, but the team’s two leading scorers - Javier Viguer and Nicolas Gomez - were held to a combined 13 points - 14.7 points below their combined average.

Game News

NGM’s defense was strong to start, giving up just one basket in building a 2-9 lead over 3 minutes. The selection team got two scores from Vilkas and back-to-back three-pointers from Saivosalmi for a 12-27 advantage. Dogus Balbay’s team led 17-31 after 10 minutes.

Conrado Heilmann opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and the Spanish side was able to score a bit more consistently and the team’s second-leading scorer Viguer finally scored his first points to make it 24-35. Another Vazquez three-pointer helped the cushion grow to 24-39. Valencia fought back into the game thanks to two Victor Iglesias three-pointers and 7 points by Talcis to close within 40-43. Talcis added another three-point play and Iglesias put Valencia back in front 47-46. NGM responded with nearly 2 minutes of tough defense while Ricards Aizpurs hitting a triple and Vilkas converted a three-point play for a 47-54 lead. And the teams went into the locker room with Valencia down 49-54.

Aizpurs hit a triple to start the second half but Valencia went on a 9-0 run to reclaim the lead 58-57. A Torrens triple had Valencia up 63-61 and it was 65-65 with under 4 minutes left in the third quarter. NGM scored the next nine points and was up 70-77 after 30 minutes.

After a Vilkas basket, Torrens scored the next 5 points to get Valencia as close as 75-79. NGM showed its offensive firepower with a 2-10 surge as Del Pino and Saivosalmi hit three-pointers and it was 77-89. Valencia would not give up and made it 84-90 with about 4 minutes to play. Valencia stuck within striking range with a Talcis three-point play and an Alex Blanco three-pointer to pull the deficit to 88-95. But Del Pino delivered the dagger three-pointer with 57 seconds to play.

NGM becomes second selection team to win a qualifier 

U18 Valencia Basket v U18 Next Gen Team Munich (2025-01-19T15:45:00.000Z)

U18 Real Madrid bounced back from its historic loss in the final group stage game and comfortably beat U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 82-98 to clinch third place at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich

Real routs Cedevita to take third place 

U18 Real Madrid bounced back from its historic loss in the final group stage game and comfortably beat U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 82-98 to clinch third place at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich. Real pulled away for good with a 0-18 run spanning the first and second quarters. Ignacio Campoy scored 23 points with 8 rebounds, Fabian Kayser scored 17 points and Adrians Andzevs had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Mark Hukic nailed 6 three-pointers in scoring a team-high 20 points in a losing effort. 

Cedevita was ahead 10-6 and it was 12-10 when Real scored 6 straight points. The Balkan side trimmed the deficit to 16-18 only to see Real reel off 11 straight points for a 16-29 lead after 10 minutes. The run continued until Real led 16-36. Another run of 8 points increased the margin to 28-52 and the Spanish powerhouse reached the 30-point lead mark at 33-63. Real went into the halftime break up 36-65. 

Cedevita tried to get back into the game with 7 straight points to make it 43-68 and it finished the third quarter with an 8-2 spurt to make it 55-76 after three quarters. Cedevita could not get closer than 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Two-time reigning champion bounces back from loss in style 

U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana v U18 Real Madrid (2025-01-19T13:30:00.000Z)

U18 FC Bayern Munich finished the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich in fifth place after defeating U18 SC Derby Podgorica 77-64

Bayern grabs fifth place after beating Derby 

U18 FC Bayern Munich finished the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich in fifth place after defeating U18 SC Derby Podgorica 77-64. The game was tight for the first three quarters until Bayern pulled away in the final frame. Nikolas Sermpezis poured in 21 points and Andrija Susic added 11 points. Derby won just one game for sixth place. Ognjen Brajovic and Marko Popovic both scored 10 points.

The game was close for most of the first quarter with Bayern up 14-9. Derby went on a 0-8 run to take a 14-17 lead but the game was tied 17-17 after 10 minutes. Bayern went scoreless for nearly 4 minutes and fell behind 19-25. The hosts went on an 8-0 surge and it was 33-27 at halftime.

Derby stayed close and then scored six straight points and took a 39-42 advantage. Bayern however led 49-48 after three quarters. Bayern took control of the game with a 9-0 run to lead 60-50. Derby made it a 5-point game but Bayern again led by double figures at 69-59 with 3 minutes left to decide the game.

The hosts finish the tournament with two wins 

U18 FC Bayern Munich v U18 SC Derby Podgorica (2025-01-19T11:15:00.000Z)

U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki secured seventh place at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich by defeating U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna 73-62. Aris controlled the game throughout for its second victory of the event. Vasileios Kazamias led Aris with 16 points and 6 assists, Vassilis Pourlidas had 15 points and Nikolaos Keramitsopoulos added 14 points. Matteo Lenci was Virtus’ leading scorer with 24 points. Virtus did not win a game in Munich. 

 

Pourlidas scored 8 points as Aris opened a 17-4 lead and the margin was 14 points at 20-6 before the first quarter ended with the Greek side ahead 20-7. Virtus tried to fight back into the game and was down 22-15 and then 29-23. Aris responded and led 37-25 at the break.

 

Aris had the better start to the second half and extended the cushion to 19 points at 49-30. Virtus managed to cut the deficit to 52-38 but the score was 54-38 after 30 minutes. Virtus was still not finished, multiple times pulling within eight points, the last one being 67-59 inside the final 2 minutes. But Pourlidas nailed a dagger three-pointer to decide the game.

Greek club picks up two victories in tournament 

Aris grabs seventh place with comfortable win over Virtus 

U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki v U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-01-19T09:00:00.000Z)

Caspar Vossenberg accepting his roles on different teams for FC Bayern Munich Basket basketball at the NextGen EuroLeague

Caspar Vossenberg accepting his roles on different teams for Bayern 

Caspar Vossenberg has been following the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague for the last two years and he was excited to play this year at the continent’s top youth club competition. Despite being two years younger than the rest of the players, the FC Bayern Munich talent has shown why he is one of the next big hopes in German basketball.

Vossenberg was born in 2009, making him available to play in the next two editions of the NextGen EuroLeague. But he hasn’t played like a youngster not ready for the moment. He is averaged 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals through his first three games for an average performance index rating of 15.0.

“My expectations were high since it’s the biggest U18 tournament in Europe. The competition is very good and you can tell that every team gives their all and wants to win,” Vossenberg said.

Vossenberg has followed the last two years of the competition, admitting even watching the Friday games while at school before taking in the weekend games. And he also watched the NextGen Finals in Berlin last year.

Vossenberg is spending his first season with Bayern, havinf made the move to southern Germany on a multi-year deal after playing 2023-24 with German second division team ART Giants Dusseldorf.

It was there that he learned his first real lessons in taking different roles with different teams as he starred for Dusselfdorf’s U16 JBBL team and also practiced with the pro team in the ProA.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="nl" dir="ltr">Okay Caspar Vossenberg, DAMN 🤯<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NextGenEuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NextGenEuroLeague</a> I <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/adidasbasketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#adidasbasketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/31IAlxILKt">pic.twitter.com/31IAlxILKt</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1880644516073677000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“I learned just how much of a different level the ProA is compared to the JBBL. But I also learned how to accept two different roles. You can be the leader in the JBBL, but you can’t show up in the ProA and just say give me the ball and do what you want. You have to take a different role and accept it,” said Vossenberg, who averaged 24.3 points and 12.4 rebounds in the U16 league but did not make an appearance in the ProA.

Vossenberg started with football like almost all German youngsters while growing up in Duisburg and was about 5 or 6 years old when he decided to play basketball. He says he was 12 or 13 when he first dreamed of becoming a professional basketball player.

He joined Düsseldorf in 2023 but then after last season was looking for another club and one of his main choices was Bayern.

“When my parents and I were in Munich, we didn’t need much time to decide that we will go to Munich. When we were there it was pretty clear I would transfer to Munich,” he remembered. “One of the most important reasons was the FC Bayern Campus. It’s crazy that you can live there in the dormitories. It’s giant, big rooms, good food and other requirements you need as an athlete. On top of that, I had heard positive things about FC Bayern.”

Vossenberg also liked the idea that Bayern would give him a chance to play in different teams over the course of his development. This is his final season at the U16 level and he has averaged 28.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in three games in the JBBL. He has been worth 5.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in the U19 NBBL league and has also 1.9 points in 7 minutes in seven games in the third division ProB.

“You can see the difference of the levels between U16, U19 and then third division. I have a different role in each team - which I would like to change long term. That would be important for my career because it’s important for me to take different roles in the higher level teams,” he said.

I have a different role in each team - which I would like to change long term. That would be important for my career

Of course, there is also Bayern’s pro team that plays in the German League and the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. And the management has shown a commitment to play young players. Ivan Kharchenkov, who starred for Bayern last season at the NextGen EuroLeague, is averaging more than 7 minutes per game in the EuroLeague. And fellow 2006-born talent Ivan Volf also made his EuroLeague debut at 18 years of age.

But being in Munich also has had its challenges for Vossenberg. Whereas Dusseldorf was less than 30 kilometers from his hometown of Duisburg, Munich is nearly 650 kilometers away.

“It’s really far away from home, and you have to leave all your family and friends back home. But that was not going to stop me from transferring because it would get in the way of my dream. So I decided to leave everything behind and start the next step of my career here,” he said,

Vossenberg also has already made his first in-roads in the German youth national team ranks. He played last spring in the famous U18 national team competition Albert Schweitzer Tournament for a German U17 team. And he is expected to be one of the leaders of the German team this summer at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025. Vossenberg is part of a very highly talented 2009 generation, including Fabian Kayser, who is also playing at the NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament with U18 Real Madrid, Roko Jerkic, Djordje Klaric, Jona Drücke and Lucai Anderson.

“I think it’s mega cool that our 2009 generation is so strong. Of course, our goal is to qualify for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup and also win a medal this year,” Vossenberg said of the U16 EuroBasket, from which the top five teams book their tickets to the 2026 U17 World Cup. “But it’s important for us to have a good 2009 generation in general for German basketball. And it is fun to have a strong generation and play with the best players from your country.”

And to have another role to play and figure out how he fits within the team - just like he has started doing in earnest in the last two seasons.

The 2009-born talent is one of Bayern’s leaders already at the U19 level domestically