ANGT Finals, Live Blog: U18 Real Madrid vs. U18 Zvezda

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ANGT Finals, Blog: U18 Real Madrid 85-81 U18 Zvezda

U18 Real Madrid v U18 Crvena Zvezda Belgrade (2023-05-18T08:15:00.000Z)

ANGT Finals, Live Blog: U18 Barcelona vs. U18 Panathinaikos

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ANGT Finals, Blog: U18 Barcelona 67-66 U18 Panathinaikos

U18 FC Barcelona v U18 Panathinaikos Athens (2023-05-18T06:00:00.000Z)

The Adidas EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament Finals begin on Thursday in Kaunas, Lithuania. The top junior club teams on the continent will come together seeking glory led by the stars of tomorrow. Here are some names to watch out for from each of the eight teams.

[Neoklis Avdalas, U18 Panathinaikos Athens ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/neoklis-avdalas/010798/)

Neoklis Avdalas is playing his second ANGT season and his first ANGT Finals. The point guard averaged 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.0 steals at the ANGT Munich. He played in one Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game this season, with 1:37 minutes against Real Madrid. That came after he made six EuroLeague appearances last season and tallied 2 points and 1 assist in 15 minutes. Avdalas also played for Greece at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 and averaged 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 steals. He has good size with great length and long arms. He is a good creator who can pass the ball really well. Avdalas is a good shooter off the catch. Defensively he is a good shot-blocker but needs to continue to improve his body and his on-ball defense.

 

[Mohamed Diawara, U18 Next Generation Select Team ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/mohamed-diawara/010801/)

Diawara will be playing for the Select team for the fourth time in the last two seasons. He averaged 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals at the ANGT Finals last year, including 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in the ANGT Championship Game. The French wing averaged 11.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists at the ANGT Munich. Last summer he helped France take third place at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022, contributing 4.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 steals. Diawara this season played for Paris Basketball and compiled 9 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in 14 games in the 7DAYS EuroCup. he is a good team player and is very versatile with the ability to play multiple positions. Diawara is very good on defense and rebounding the ball. He still needs to become a more consistent three-point shooter. 

[Hugo Gonzalez, U18 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/hugo-gonzalez/011649/)

Gonzalez dominated at the ANGT Munich earlier this season, averaging 19.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 steals to earn the Most Valuable Player award. It was his first time appearing in an ANGT event. Gonzalez scored 22 points in the ANGT Munich first-place game. The wing has already played four games for Real’s first team and scored 6 points in a combined 9 minutes as the fourth-youngest player to play for *Los Blanco*s. Gonzalez also starred for Spain at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup, tallying 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists, including 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals against the United States in the final. Gonzalez has a strong athletic frame, impressive explosiveness and excels in finishing on the break. He relentlessly attacks the basket when given the chance and also is a good outside shooter. Gonzalez has an excellent basketball IQ and good defensive instincts - both inside as a shot blocker and intercepting balls on the wings. He still needs to polish his decision-making. 

 

[Kasparas Jakucionis, U18 FC Barcelona ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/kasparas-jakucionis/012197/)

Jakucionis is playing his first ANGT season and he shined at the ANGT Zadar, collecting 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals to win the Most Valuable Player award. The Lithuanian left Vilnius prior to the 2021-22 season and he is spending his second season with Barcelona, where he plays for the club’s team in the fourth division EBA and averages 9.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals. Jakucionis also made his Spanish League debut, playing 1 minute and hitting a triple for 3 points against Granada in mid-April. The guard helped Lithuania to the title at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022, tallying 9.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.4 steals. Jakucionis is an excellent shooter - including on pull-ups, catch-and-shoot or in movement. He also can finish at the basket thanks to his solid frame. Jakucionis excels with his aggressive on-ball defense. He needs to work on his play-making and ball-handling. 

[Filip Jovic, U18 Mega MIS Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/filip-jovic/011356/)

Jovic is playing his second ANGT season and he will be playing his second ANGT Finals. He played for the U18 Next Generation Select Team at the ANGT Finals last season and averaged 7.5 points, 6 rebounds and 1.8 assists, including 11 points and 6 rebounds in the ANGT Championship Game against Mega. He moved to Mega for this season and averaged 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in the ANGT Belgrade. The 2.05-meter power forward helped Mega win the U19 ABA League Championship with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the final against Crvena Zvezda Belgrade. Jovic tallied 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals for Serbia at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022. This season he has played for both OKK Belgrade and Mega in the Serbian League. Jovic is a great athlete, who can defend multiple positions. On offense, he is excellent at driving to the basket and is a great spot-up shooter. 

 

[U18 Joventut Badalona, Conrad Martinez ](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/conrad-martinez/010710/)

Martinez is playing his third ANGT season and will be appearing in the ANGT Finals for the first time. He starred for Joventut at the ANGT Patras, averaging 15.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals. The point guard helped Spain take second place at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 with 9.1 points and 3.9 assists per game. Martinez spent this season playing for Joventut’s EBA fourth division team (17.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg 3.3 apg) as well as Prat in Spain’s second division (4.2 ppg 2.2 apg). He also guided Joventut to defend its Spanish U18 championship with 20.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists including 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in the final against Real Madrid. Martinez is an undersized guard but tough as nails and possesses a great basketball IQ. He has a killer instinct - both shooting from the outside and driving to the basket. He is an excellent long-range shooter. Martinez defends adequately but could use a bit more quickness. 

[Justas Stonkus, U18 Zalgiris Kaunas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/justas-stonkus/011643/)

Stonkus is playing his second ANGT season and he starred at the ANGT Munich with 17.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals. The forward also helped Lithuania reach the semifinals of the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022, where he averaged 12.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Stonkus played this season for Zalgiris's teams in the second and third divisions, averaging 14.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the third division. He is a good shooter and a good penetrator. Stonkus is physically advanced for his age and has excellent toughness. He still needs to work on his decision-making in traffic and shot selection as well his general defense. 

 

[Andrija Vukovic, U18 Crvena Zvevda Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/andrija-vukovic/010989/)

Vukovic is playing in his third ANGT season and will be appearing in his third ANGT Finals. After totaling 4 points and 5 rebounds at the 2021 ANGT Finals, the center averaged 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds at the 2022 ANGT Finals. He collected 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks at this season’s ANGT Belgrade. Vukovic has played in four ABA League games for FMP, compiling 6 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes. He is a traditional big man with good size at 2.09 meters who excels at the pick-and-roll game, on which he almost always attacks the rim for dunks. He also rebounds well and plays solid one-on-one defense in the paint. Vukovic does not yet have reliable a mid-range shot and is not strong on the offensive glass.

ANGT Finals: Players to Watch

Reigning champion U18 Mega MIS Belgrade faces a major battle to defend its Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament title as the 2023 ANGT Finals field features six past winners. 

Six past winners fighting for title at 20th ANGT Finals

Reigning champion U18 Mega MIS Belgrade faces a major battle to defend its Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament title as the 2023 ANGT Finals field features six past winners. The tournament, held alongside the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas from May 18-21, features U18 Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, U18 FC Barcelona, U18 Joventut Badalona, U18 Real Madrid and host U18 Zalgiris Kaunas, all of which have hoisted the trophy at least once and would love to be crowned in the 20th edition of the continent’s elite youth club competition. The field also includes ANGT Finals debutant U18 Panathinaikos and the star-studded U18 Next Generation Select Team.

The eight teams are divided into two groups of four and will play round-robin style action over the first three days. The two teams finishing atop their respective groups will face off in the ANGT Championship Game on May 21 at the legendary Kaunas Sports Hall. Group A consists of Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Real and Zvezda and Group B is made up of Joventut, Mega, NGS Team and Zalgiris.

 Rokas Jokubaitis, FC Barcelona: 'The ANGT gave me a lot of experience' 

The action in Group A is highlighted by four repeats of past championship games. Zvezda beat Real for the 2014 crown, but lost the rematch between the teams in 2015. Barcelona then beat Zvezda for the 2016 title, and Real defeated Barcelona in an El Clasico showdown in 2019. Barcelona is in the Finals for the 10th time and in addition to the title in 2016, the Spanish side reached the championship game in 2008, 2013 and 2021. Panathinaikos will be making its maiden journey in the Finals. Real has become a regular in the deciding tournament, playing in the Finals for the 10th time and ninth edition consecutively. Los Blancos won the trophy in 2015, 2019 and 2021 and finished second in 2014. Should Real win on May 21, it would take over sole possession on the list of teams with the most championships; it is currently tied with U18 CSKA Moscow. Zvezda has the current longest streak of Finals appearances at 12 straight - and is making its 13th overall. The Serbian powerhouse made the championship game three years in a row, reaching the summit in 2014 but losing the following two seasons.

Donatas Motjeiunas, AS Monaco: ‘Just relax and enjoy the moment and show your best basketball’

The Group B teams don’t quite have as much history, but the group features the two finalists from last season when Mega beat NGS Team for the trophy. Mega is in the ANGT Finals for the seventh straight edition and has reached the finale three times, breaking through in 2022 after losing in 2017 and 2019. Like Zvezda and Mega, 2013 winner Joventut is also hoping to become the sixth club with at least two ANGT titles. The team from Badalona returns to the Finals for the fourth time and the first since 2018. Zalgiris missed the Finals last season but has played in the deciding tournament 16 times - reaching the most championship games, winning in 2003 and 2007 and losing in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Zalgiris would become the third team with three titles should it win. And the club is also hoping to win at home - something only CSKA Moscow (2005) U18 PFBB INSEP Paris (2010), Real (2015) and Mega (2022) have accomplished. Meanwhile, this will be the second ANGT Finals with the NGS Team competing.

The champions of the 2022-23 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals will celebrate the title in one of the most famous buildings in Lithuanian sports history and Kaunas folklore, Kaunas Sports Hall, which recently received a major facelift.

[**BUY TICKETS FOR THE 2023 ANGT KAUNAS HERE**](https://www.bilietai.lt/eng/tickets/sportas/adidas-next-generation-tournament-84757/)

Eight teams will battle it out for the U18 continental crown from May 18 through 21 in the hallowed hall, which is located in the art deco-styled district Zaliakalnis. But whichever team hoists the trophy will be only the latest to shed tears of joy in the arena.

The Kaunas Sports Hall was built in just six months - and just in time - to host EuroBasket 1939. The host team Lithuania went undefeated to win the title and defend its crown from 1937, with games drawing 11,000 spectators even though the hall had only 3,500 seats.

The arena itself - the first hall in Europe designed specifically for basketball - became the first modern sports hall in Lithuania and is referred to as the “Mecca of Lithuanian basketball”. It was praised architecturally for, among other highlights, its four riveted steel arches. The hall hosted many different sports over the years including handball, boxing, volleyball and futsal.

Kaunas Sports Hall, which is also known as the S. Darius and S. Girenas Hall, was also the first home to the country’s powerhouse basketball club Zalgiris Kaunas. The club played its home games in the hall from its foundation in 1944 until 2010, winning the Lithuanian championship eight times between 1946 to 1958 as well as 15 times between 1991 and 2008, to go with five Soviet Union League titles. Zalgiris and its fans at the Kaunas Sports Hall also celebrated the 1998-99 EuroLeague crown and finishing as runners-up in 1985-86. During that time, Zalgiris claimed the Saporta Cup in 1997-98 and the Intercontinental Cup in 1986, too. Zalgiris left the hall in 2011 when the club’s current home, Zalgirio Arena, opened.

Another highlight for the Kaunas Sports Hall was the FIBA U16 European Championship 2015, where Lithuania reached the final but lost 85-83 to Bosnia and Herzegovina in front of 4,500 spectators.

In 2007, the complex of buildings of the S.Darius and S.Girenos sports center entered the Register of Cultural Values and became protected by the state. And Kaunas Sports Hall was awarded the European heritage mark in 2014.

Still, the arena needed renovations - with partial reconstruction from 1958 to 1962 to replace the wooden tribunes with reinforced concrete stands, improvement of the building’s insulation and installation of a heating system.

Major reconstruction began in June 2019.

Over three years of work, facades were renovated and insulated; the roof and supporting structures were repaired; the entire premises were set up with modern equipment; the layout of the rooms was changed; rooms were installed on the second floor; fixed and telescopic grandstands for 2,500 spectators were installed; and special acoustic curtains were added to divide the space into four smaller zones so that different activities can take place simultaneously.

A new multi-purpose floor was also laid with markings for various sports besides basketball, including handball, volleyball, tennis, badminton and futsal.

At the same time, the builders made sure to keep the building’s original appearance with valuable features including the arches, doors and windows having been preserved and restored.

After three years of reconstruction, Kaunas Sports Hall reopened on September 24, 2022, with a concert and dancing performance. City officials say sports will initially take a back seat in terms of usage of the hall, which will serve the needs of the urban community with exhibitions, concerts, non-formal education, cultural events and community activities.

But from May 18-21, Kaunas Sports Hall will once again return to its original roots and host the ANGT Finals to determine the best on the continent - just like when it opened in 1939.

Former Zalgiris home, venue for EuroBasket 1939 to host ANGT Finals

France-based live streaming and VOD platform SKWEEK has acquired the exclusive global rights to the 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania from May 18 to 21.  SKWEEK also holds the exclusive rights in France and Monaco to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup.

All Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals games to be broadcast worldwide exclusively on SKWEEK

### Fans can watch the top young European stars for free all weekend long

France-based live streaming and VOD platform SKWEEK has acquired the exclusive global rights to the 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania from May 18 to 21.  SKWEEK also holds the exclusive rights in France and Monaco to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup.

Oleg Petrov, CEO FEDCOM MEDIA, said: "We are thrilled to offer the Adidas Next Generation Tournament to all basketball fans around the world and give them the opportunity to discover the rising stars of the future. With this new acquisition, we will extend our offering to a new global audience, delivering premium content and contributing to the growth of this exciting tournament."

All games at the ANGT Finals will be streamed live for free upon registration for the service. All games will have commentary in English and French. Exclusive behind-the-scenes and off-court content will also be available on SKWEEK's social media accounts during the whole tournament.

“We are thrilled to partner with SKWEEK to bring one of the most prestigious U18 tournaments globally to all fans worldwide," Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Euroleague Basketball Marketing and Communication Senior Director, stated. "The Adidas Next Generation Tournament is where stars are born. The SKWEEK audience will be able to meet the next Micic, Wembanyama, Sabonis, Mirotic, Doncic or Jokic, as well as enjoy additional exclusive content on the players and the tournament."

The Adidas Next Generation Tournament annually brings together the top youth teams and players across Europe for a series of four qualifying tournaments, which culminate in the ANGT Finals, held in conjunction with the EuroLeague Final Four. For two decades, the event has been a who's who of future stars, with past participants going on to win countless titles and accolades on both sides of the Atlantic.

The names Vasilije Micic, Nikola Mirotic, Milos Teodosic, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis and Victor Wembanyama, the projected number one NBA draft pick this year, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the long list of future stars who have graced the courts of previous ANGT tournaments.

This season's participants will be Real Madrid, Joventut Badalona and FC Barcelona from Spain; Mega MIS Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade from Serbia; Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos Athens; Zalgiris Kaunas from Lithuania; and the Next Generation Select Team, which features players from specially selected Next Generation teams at the four qualifying events.

The 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals will begin on Thursday, May 18 and feature a total of 13 games, all played at Kaunas Sports Hall. The championship game is set for 12:30 local time on Sunday, May 21.

ANGT Finals games to be broadcast worldwide exclusively on SKWEEK

The best and most exciting prospects in European basketball have a perfect opportunity to showcase their potential at the 2023 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, as the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals comes to Kaunas, Lithuania from May 18 to 21. Now in its 20th year, Europe's premier junior basketball event will feature clubs from this season's four qualifying events.

Eight teams will take part in the ANGT Finals, with four sides having booked their place in the tournament by winning one of the four qualifying events: Real Madrid (ANGT Munich), Joventut Badalona (ANGT Patras), FC Barcelona (ANGT Zadar) and Mega MIS Belgrade (ANGT Belgrade). Three of the remaining spots have gone to teams that received a wild card – Zalgiris Kaunas, Panathinaikos Athens and Crvena Zvezda Belgrade – and the last place has gone to the Next Generation Select Team, which features players from specially selected Next Generation teams at the four qualifying events.

These eight teams are split into two groups, with Real, Barca, Panathinaikos and Zvezda comprising Group A and Joventut, Mega, Zalgiris and the Next Generation Select Team making up the teams in Group B.

A combined nine ANGT Finals trophies have been won by the six clubs involved in the 2023 edition of the tournament. Three have been won by Real, who lifted the trophy in 2015, 2019 and 2021. Zalgiris claimed the first ever ANGT title in 2003 and added a second in 2007. Joventut became ANGT champion in 2013, while Zvezda won its only crown one year later in 2014. Barcelona tasted glory in 2016 and Mega enters this year's showpiece event as the reigning champ, having won the title in Belgrade in 2022. Will one of these teams add to their existing silverware, or will a new winner be crowned?

In Kaunas, 12 group games will be played over the first three days – from May 18 to May 20 – at the legendary Kaunas Sports Hall, which will also host Sunday's ANGT Championship Game between the two group winners.

Over the last 20 years, many stars – past and present – have passed through, and this year's Finals is a chance to see the stars of the future. At present, the players who have shined at the ANGT and are currently on EuroLeague rosters are:

• Louis Olinde, Gabriele Procida, Tim Schneider, Marcus Eriksson, Yovel Zoosman, Jonas Mattisseck, Nils Machowski, Malte Delow, Elias Rapieque, Rikus Schulte, Linus Ruf (ALBA Berlin)

• Vasilije Micic, Ante Zizic, Karahan Efeoglu and Egehan Arna (Anadolu Efes Istanbul)

• Donatas Motiejunas, Matthew Strazel and Mohammad Amini (AS Monaco)

• Vanja Marinkovic, Daniel Diez (Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz)

• Nemanja Nedovic, Luka Mitrovic, Branko Lazic, Ognjen Dobric, Stefan Lazarevic, Miroslav Raduljica (Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade)

• Luigi Datome, Giampaolo Ricci and Davide Alviti (EA7 Emporio Armani Milan)

• Nikola Mirotic, Rokas Jokubaitis, James Nnaji, Oriol Pauli, Sergi Martinez, Kasparas Jakucionis, Dame Sarr and Martin Iglesias (FC Barcelona)

• Ognjen Jaramaz, Isaac Bonga, Andreas Obst, Niels Giffey and Niklas Wimberg (FC Bayern Munich)

• Marko Guduric, Ismet Akpinar, Tarik Biberovic and Metecan Birsen (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul)

• Zaccharie Risacher (LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne)

• Tomer Agmon (Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv)

• Veniamin Abosi and Panagiotis Tsamis (Olympiacos Piraeus)

• Eleftherios Mantzoukas, Georgios Kalaitzakis, Alexandros Samontourov and Neoklis Avdalas (Panathinaikos Athens)

• Danilo Andjusic, Aleksa Avramovic and Tristan Vukcevic (Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade)

• Alberto Abalde, Hugo Gonzalez and Eli Ndiaye (Real Madrid)

• Klemen Prepelic, Xabi Lopez-Arostegui, Guillem Fernando, Millan Jimenez, Sergio de Larrea, Pablo Navarro and David Barbera (Valencia Basket)

• Milos Teodosic, Alessandro Pajola, Leo Menalo, Ismael Bako, Mam Jaiteh and Gora Camara (Virtus Segafredo Bologna)

• Lukas Lekavicius, Edgaras Ulanovas, Arnas Butkevicius, Tomas Dimsa, Laurynas Birutis, Karolis Lukosiunas, Kajus Kublickas, Liutauras Lelevicius and Motiejus Krivas (Zalgiris Kaunas)

[Tickets for the ANGT Finals are now available for purchase](https://www.bilietai.lt/eng/tickets/sportas/adidas-next-generation-tournament-84757/), with single-day tickets costing 8 € for the first three days, and 13 € for the Finals on May 21. Should you wish to attend the entire event, Tournament Packages will be available for a price of 23 €.

To purchase ANGT Finals tickets, please click [here](https://www.bilietai.lt/eng/tickets/sportas/adidas-next-generation-tournament-84757/).

Lineup for 2022-23 ANGT Finals confirmed

The basketball gods have a strange way of working sometimes and Nikola Topic experienced that firsthand during his Most Valuable Player award-winning performance for U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade. 

ANGT Belgrade MVP Topic will forget missed free throw and 'get back to work'

The basketball gods have a strange way of working sometimes and Nikola Topic experienced that firsthand during his Most Valuable Player award-winning performance for U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade.

Topic made his first 32 free throws of the ANGT Belgrade - including a record-setting 20-of-20 to get Zvezda into the first-place game against fierce local rival U18 Mega MIS Belgrade. Free throw number 32 tied the game 72-72 with 1.8 seconds left in regulation. Another would give Zvezda its first ANGT Belgrade title since 2017-18. The basketball gods had other plans though and Topic missed for the first - and only - time in the tournament and Zvezda ended up losing 79-80 in overtime.

Even though his team failed to take first place, Topic was named MVP after he averaged 26.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 6.2 fouls drawn for a PIR average of 33.5.

"I would be happier if we won it all. It’s always nice to get an individual trophy like this, but it really doesn’t matter that much because we didn’t win it all," Topic said.

About his performance, the guard said: "I think I did good. I think there were some minutes I could have done better but at the end of the day we are humans. I played with an injury and I think I did good. We just came up a little bit short."

After the game ended, Topic left the court and fled to the locker room and had to be brought back by a team official for the award ceremony.

Topic was matter-of-factly talking afterward about the missed free throw: "It was the first one of the tournament. I will think about it today, but tomorrow I will get back to work."

Topic certainly went to work at the ANGT Belgrade - his third appearance in this competition. The biggest highlight was the game against U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade. He scored 49 points in 43:15 minutes of Zvezda’s 95-96 overtime win. In addition to making all 20 of his free throws, he added 3 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals and 11 fouls drawn for an index ranking of 65.

Topic’s 49 points tied the ANGT record for points in a single game. Lefteris Mantkoukas had previously done so with U18 Promitheas Patras in 2020-21. Topic’s 65 PIR ranks tied for third all-time with Mantzoukas from the same game.

This wasn’t Topic’s first heartbreaking loss to Mega in an ANGT Belgrade first-place game. He was on the Zvezda team that wasted a 19-point second-half lead and ended up losing 82-80 in 2021.

When asked about losing to Mega, Topic said just: "I hate them."

Topic actually plays for Mega's second team, OKK Belgrade, on loan in the Serbian League.

In terms of getting back to work, Topic said he hopes Zvezda receives a wild card for the ANGT Finals: "It would be nice to go there. It’s an honor to play at such a tournament like this. We learn so much and I hope we will get a wild card."

That would give Topic another chance to see what the basketball gods have in store for him - hopefully better the second time around.

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade guard Nikola Topic was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Filip Jovic of Mega, Sergio De Larrea of U18 Valencia Basket, U18 PFBB INSEP Paris's Noa Essengue and David Mirkovic of U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade.

Zvezda star Topic wins MVP despite loss to Mega

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade guard Nikola Topic received the Most Valuable Player award of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade for his record-setting performance despite his team losing to U18 Mega MIS Belgrade in the first place game.

Topic was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Filip Jovic of Mega, Sergio De Larrea of U18 Valencia Basket, U18 PFBB INSEP Paris's Noa Essengue and David Mirkovic of U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade.

Topic collected 18 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 12 in Zvezda’s 79-80 overtime loss to Mega. For the tournament, Topic averaged 26.8 points while shooting 52.9 percent on three-pointers and 32-of-33 free throws (97.0%), 3.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 6.2 fouls drawn for a PIR average of 33.5.

During the tournament, Topic tied the ANGT all-time single-game scoring record with 49 points and tied for third all-time with a PIR of 65 in Zvezda’s group stage win over NGT Belgrade. His PIR ranked first for any of this season’s ANGT events.

Jovic missed most of the second half and overtime of the first-place game with an injury and still had 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal for an index rating of 20. Over the four games, Jovic was worth 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 blocks for a PIR of 19.2.

De Larrea finished the tournament with 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and a 20.0 PIR. Essengue tallied 13.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals for a 18.0 PIR. And Mirkovic averaged 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks resulting in a 20.5 PIR.