European basketball’s brightest future stars will come together for the 2017-18 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals from May 17-20, 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia. Three teams – U18 FC Bayern Munich, U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade and U18 Stellazzurra Rome – were invited to complete the eight-team slate for the finals of Europe's premier junior club competition. They join this season's four ANGT qualifying tournament winners as well as the reigning continental champion.

The 16th edition of the event will see five former champions join three teams looking to write their own piece of history. The three invitees join ANGT L'Hospitalet winner U18 Divina Seguros Joventut, ANGT Kaunas champion U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, ANGT Munich victor U18 Real Madrid, ANGT Belgrade titlist U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade and reigning ANGT Finals champ U18 CFBB Paris.

CFBB won the title in 2010 and 2017, Rytas was the continental junior champion in 2012, Joventut reached the pinnacle in 2013, Zvezda did so in 2014 and Madrid took home the trophy in 2015. The teams coming to this year's finals have claimed six of the 15 titles to date.

In Belgrade, 12 group games will be played over the first three days at the storied Aleksandar Nikolic Hall. For the Championship Game on Sunday, the two group winners will move to Stark Arena, site of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four, to play for the trophy on the same floor where the continental men's club champion will be crowned later the same night.

ANGT alumni continue to be a who’s who of tomorrow’s legends. Many alumni can be seen playing major roles on Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup rosters, including Luigi Datome (Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul), Luka Doncic (Real Madrid), Thomas Heurtel (FC Barcelona Lassa), Nikita Kurbanov (CSKA Moscow), Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos Piraeus) and Dejan Musli (Brose Bamberg).

Entrance to all Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals games is free of charge, allowing both local and visiting fans to see many elite young talents in European basketball compete against each other, the future stars of the EuroLeague and EuroCup.

<table class="table" style="width: 100%;" width="100%">
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th style="padding: 8px; border-bottom: 2px solid #ddd; background-color: #ccc;" colspan="2"><strong>GROUPS</strong></th>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <th style="padding: 8px; border-bottom: 2px solid #ddd; background-color: #ccc; text-align: center; width: 50%'">            
            Group A
            </th>
            <th style="padding: 8px; border-bottom: 2px solid #ddd; background-color: #ccc; text-align: center; width: 50%;">
            Group B 
            </th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody style="background-color: #ffffff;">
        <tr>
            <td style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;">            
            U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius             
            </td>
            <td style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;">
            U18 FC Bayern Munich 
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;">            
            U18 CFBB Paris             
            </td>
            <td style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;">
            U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;">          
            U18 Real Madrid           
            </td>
            <td style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;">
            U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona 
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;">          
            U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade             
            </td>
            <td style="padding: 8px; text-align: center;">
            U18 Stellazzurra Rome 
            </td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

### GAME SCHEDULE

#### Thursday 17 May 2018

09:00 U18 CFBB Paris vs. U18 Real Madrid

11:00 U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius vs. U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade

13:00 U18 Stellazzurra Rome vs. U18 FC Bayern Munich

15:00 U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade vs. U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona

#### Friday 18 May 2018

09:00 U18 Real Madrid vs. U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius

11:00 U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade vs. U18 CFBB Paris

13:00 U18 FC Bayern Munich vs. U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

15:00 U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona vs. U18 Stellazzurra Rome

#### Saturday 19 May 2018

09:00 U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius vs. U18 CFBB Paris

11:00 U18 Real Madrid vs. U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade

13:00 U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade vs. U18 Stellazzurra Rome

15:00 U18 FC Bayern Munich vs. U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona

#### Sunday 20 May 2018

10:00 1st Place Group A vs. 1st Place Group B

European basketball’s brightest future stars will come together for the 2017-18 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals from May 17-20, 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia.

2017-18 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals field announced

Aleksandar Langovic may come from the small Serbian town of Prijepolje, but U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade's stud prospect can draw motivation from a basketball great who also hails from the same place. Langovic was named MVP of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade after helping Mega to first place over the weekend, but the 2.06-meter forward still has a long way to go to match the career accolades of fellow Prijepolje native Vlade Divac.

ANGT Belgrade MVP Langovic draws motivation from fellow Prijepolje native Divac

"I don't have any connection, we don't have any family connection. but I would love to meet him and talk to him," Langovic said of Divac, who was also born in the town of about 15,000 people near the Montenegro border in southwestern Serbia.

Knowing that Divac – who won a pair of world championships, three FIBA EuroBasket titles and two Olympic silver medals as a player – is also from Prijepolje gives Langovic reason to believe anything is possible.

"It's a big motivation for me. I am pretty sure that Prijepolje is burning now. They cheer for me and this is a motivation for me too to continue to improve and work hard," Langovic said.

Now in his fourth season with Mega, Langovic's hard work is starting to bear fruit. This season he has played in the top Serbian league, the KLS, for OKK Belgrade.

"It’s a really big experience for me. I'm playing against older, stronger and more experienced men and I'm trying to learn as much as I can. And some of the things I learn there I can use here at this level," said Langovic, who is averaging 8.2 points and 5.3 rebounds with OKK.

Langovic used that experience in leading Mega to a historic victory over local rival U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, 73-63 in the ANGT Belgrade first-place game. It marked the first time Mega has beaten Zvezda in this competition.

"It’s a big honor to beat Zvezda on its home court and for me it's an honor to participate in this tournament," said Langovic, who collected 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists in the first-place game – Zvezda's first loss at ANGT Belgrade since 2011, ending a streak of eight straight tournament wins.

Langovic averaged 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in four games at ANGT Belgrade. Those numbers helped Mega get back to the ANGT Finals for a fourth straight time. Langovic and co will be aiming to at least match the result of the 2016-17 team, which reached the ANGT Championship Game and lost to U18 CFBB Paris in Istanbul.

"For every team the main goal is to win the tournament. We will for sure give our best to win. The tournament is a long time away, but we will prepare well for it," Langovic said.

The versatile big man knows he will likely need another MVP-worthy performance for Mega to win the ANGT Finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Vitoria-Gasteiz. But Langovic also says it must be a team effort.

"It’s a good feeling to win this [MVP] award, but I play for the team and our goal is to win as a team. Players don't win games, teams win games," he maturely stated.

The win over Zvezda was also special for Langovic because it was against players he knows very well; five of the Zvezda players were his teammates on the Serbian national team at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018.

"Of course it will be a little joke from my side, but we are good friends and it won't be anything serious. When we play as the national team, we are one," Langovic said.

The ANGT Finals and the national team are just two chances for Langovic to win big games - just like the many his fellow Prijepolje native Vlade Divac won.



Aleksej Pokusevski just played at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament for the second season in a row, but this time at ANGT Belgrade was a lot more special for the U18 Olympiacos Piraeus talent than last year's showing in Munich. 

Olympiacos talent Pokusevski relishes in return home

Not only did the 2.11-meter guard earn a spot on the tournament Best 5 team, but Pokusevski relished playing back home in Serbia.

Pokusevski led the tournament both with 3.5 blocks per game and in three-point shooting percentage at 52.6%. He ranked second with 2.3 steals and fourth in performance index rating at 22 in addition to 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Pokusevski's efforts played a big role in the Reds finishing with a 3-1 record and in third place overall.

"It's a big tournament and a big experience for the whole team," said Pokusevski, who averaged 10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks last season at ANGT Munich. He said he learned a lot from last year's tournament in Germany that helped him become one of Olympiacos's leaders.

"I was the youngest on the team last year and I was learning from the other players, so it helped me. Those were tough games and they helped me learn to stay confident and play for the team," he explained. "I want to help other players get better. I am trying to be the best player on the team and to win every game."

Olympiacos may have been one of the road teams in Belgrade, but there was definitely a large welcoming committee for Pokusevski.

"There are 20 family and friends here. It's really nice to play in front of them," said Pokusevski, who was born in Belgrade in 2001. "I was very excited to see that we would be playing in Belgrade because I knew that everyone would be really excited to be able to see me play."

Pokusevski's family fled the war in Kosovo in 1999, going from Pristina first to Podgorica, Montenegro, which is where Pokusevski's older brother Onjegin was born in 1999. They moved to Belgrade in 2001, where Aleksej was born and about a year later they moved to Novi Sad in northern Serbia.

It was in Novi Sad where Pokusevski started his basketball playing at age 6. Pokusevski's father, who was a coach at smaller clubs in Serbia, would take video clips of all of Aleksej's games. And those YouTube clips ended up bringing Pokusevski to Greece.

"Some coach from Olympiacos saw them and called my father," Aleksej recalled.

He was only 13 years old when he moved to Athens. Pokusevski said initially he didn't realize what it meant to be going to Olympiacos. "It is a club with a big history, but I was young and I didn't know that. I was like okay, I will go there and play there and do what I do best," Pokusevski said.

His mother accompanied him for the first two weeks and then Pokusevski was alone for about two months before his father and then brother came. Now, the whole family is with Pokusevski in Greece.

"It was tough. I was alone in a new country, a new city, a new language and culture. It was tough to be there and play basketball with any concentration," Pokusevski said about his first season in 2016-17. "After a year, I knew that there was a pressure and that it was a big team and you have to do your best to win."

One of the people who made Pokusevski's transition easier was Olympiacos center Nikola Milutinov, who has been with the club since 2015 and hails from Novi Sad.

"When I was young, he was practicing on the same court with me. Now after about 10 years or so we are together. He's helping me to read the game and see the game in other ways," Pokusevski said of the 24-year-old Milutinov.

Pokusevski worked out about twice a week with Olympiacos's senior team last season. This year he is practicing solely with Coach David Blatt's senior squad. He has not played in any regulation games, but did appear in some friendlies. The youngster has been all eyes and ears trying to learn from some of the club's legendary leaders.

"Playing alongside Vassilis Spanoulis and Georgios Printezis, they are unbelievable. The concentration of Spanoulis is unbelievable. Every single practice he is 100 percent focused," Pokusevski said.

Kostas Papanikolaou is another great example for Pokusevski, who said about the two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion: "I learn from his energy and defense."

Pokusevski said he is working his hardest to get into a game for the Reds: "I am just trying my best in practices and trying to play smart and not make any turnovers, play good defense and help the team so that coach will believe in me and put me in a game,” Pokusevski said. "It's going be a great experience. To play for Olympiacos in any game… to play with Spanoulis, Printezis and Milutinov will be amazing."

Another memorable moment came for Pokusevski in his first game at this event. Pokusevski made his debut with the Serbian national team last summer at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018, where he averaged 7.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.0 blocks.

Olympiacos's ANGT Belgrade opener was against U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade and proved to be a reunion for Pokusevski with several of his teammates from that Serbian U17 team in Argentina - Stevan Karapandzic, Marko Pavicevic, Nemanja Popovic, Lazar Vasic and Lazar Zivanovic. That made ANGT Belgrade even more special for Pokusevski.



aleksej-pokusevski-u18-olympiacos-piraeus-angt-belgrade-2019-photo-dragoslav-zarkovic-jt18-9hk69mrs6bldqcix.jpg

Aleksandar Langovic was chosen MVP of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade after leading U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade to first place. 

Mega Bemax forward Langovic named ANGT Belgrade MVP

Langovic posted 18 points and 11 rebounds in racking up a performance index rating of 30 in Mega’s 63-73 win over U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in the first place game. He averaged 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists for an index rating of 18.3 over four games at the tournament. Langovic finished third at the event in rebounding. Joining Langovic in the tournament's Best 5 were Nemanja Popovic from Zvezda, Davide Casarin of U18 Umana Reyer Venice, Aleksej Pokusevski from U18 Olympiacos Piraeus and Djordje Topolovic of U18 Spars Sarajevo.

Popovic collected 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocks over the weekend. He ranked third in blocks seventh in index rating. The 2003-born Casarin averaged 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. He was the tournament’s fifth-leading scorer, third in assists and tied for second in steals. Pokusevski tallied 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 3.5 blocks. He ranked second in steals, first in blocks, first in three-point percentage (52.6%) and fourth in index rating. Topolovic averaged 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists with an index rating of 24.5. The big man was fourth in scoring and first in index rating.

Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade features eight teams from seven countries with some of the top young talent available in the region. 

ANGT Belgrade: Players to watch 2019

It's an excellent opportunity to see these top prospects in action with each team guaranteed at least four games. Let's get to know some of the players to watch.

#### U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade - Aleksandar Langovic
Langovic will be appearing in his second ANGT after he averaged 14.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game at ANGT Belgrade last season. At the ANGT Finals, he was worth 8.3 points and 7.3 rebounds for Mega. The 2.03-meter power forward has been with Mega since 2015 and also has international experience. He helped Serbia to third place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2017 with 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds and then collected 9.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018. This season he averaged 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds for Mega at the U19 ABA Junior League qualifications and tallied 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in the Serbian top flight for OKK Belgrade. Langovic is explosive and has good awareness on offense. He also is a good shooter.

#### U18 Olympiacos Piraeus - Aleksej Pokusevski
Pokusevski will be playing at his second ANGT after he averaged 10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks at last season's ANGT Munich. The Serbian played at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018 and averaged 7.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals plus a tournament-leading 3.0 blocks per game. The 2.11-meter forward is an all-around player who can go out on the perimeter and is a very good ball-handler, shooter and passer. One of this biggest strengths is his sense for and understanding of the game. Pokusevski is dominant defensively as a great shot-blocker and rebounder, though he must work on his strength and conditioning.

#### U18 Petrol Olimpija Ljubljana - Alen Malovcic
Malovcic will be making his ANGT debut, but has already played internationally at the national team level at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018. He averaged 18.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks there for Slovenia. He also already made his debut with Olimpija's senior team last season. Listed at 1.99 meters, Malovcic plays predominantly as a guard, where he can take advantage of his skill set and physical strength in one-on-one situations. The 2002-born player still needs to work on his shot consistency, something that will come with time in practice and on the court.

#### U18 Spars Sarajevo - Nikola Micic
This will be Micic's second ANGT after he collected 2.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals in two games at ANGT Belgrade last season. Micic has played for Bosnia and Herzegovina internationally; he tallied 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2017, Division B as an underage player. The 2002-born guard is 2.02 meters tall and can guard multiple positions. He has a pretty good three-point shot and a good understanding of the game.

#### U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Nemanja Popovic
Popovic will be playing in his second ANGT after he averaged 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds at ANGT Belgrade last season. At the ANGT Finals, the 2.03-meter big man improved those numbers to 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds. Popovic also has played a role in Serbian success, collecting 5.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals as Serbia finished third at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2017. And then he averaged 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists as Serbia took 10th place at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018. Popovic is a very talented player with strong one-on-one skills and has a great feeling for space as well as blocking opponents' shots.

#### U18 Umana Reyer Venice - Luca Possamai
Possamai will be playing in his second ANGT after he averaged 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds at last season's ANGT Belgrade. The 2.11-meter center has not yet played for Italy's youth national teams. He has great height with a strong body. Possamai is a very good rebounder at both ends of the court. On offense, he can play one-on-one with his back to the basket and finish with a baby hook with both hands. On defense, he is a good shot-blocker. Possamai still has room to improve and can continue to work on his body and his general skill set.

#### U18 Cedevita Zagreb - Aleksa Gataric
Gataric will be making his ANGT debut for Cedevita. The 1.90-meter guard has played internationally, helping Bosnia and Herzegovina take second place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018 Division B. He averaged 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game there. Gataric can play both guard spots and has a strong scoring instinct. He knows how to change the rhythm of the game and has a high basketball IQ. He's also a good ball-handler with a reliable pull-up jumper and is self-confident, fast and agile. One area where Gataric continues to need improvement is stretching his shooting range out to the three-point line.

#### U18 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul - David Mutaf
Mutaf will be appearing in his second ANGT after averaging 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists at ANGT Kaunas last season. The 1.96-meter shooting guard, who will still be a year younger than the rest of the competition as a 2002-born player, helped Turkey finish third at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018 with averages of 11.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Mutaf is an excellent shooter, both spot-up and off the dribble. The lefty has good court vision and is especially effective attacking with creativity to his left. He is not as comfortable with his right and needs to improve in that area. Mutaf has good size for his position, but struggles to defend quick guards.

aleksandar-langovic-u18-mega-bemax-belgrade-angt-belgrade-2018-jt17.jpeg

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade will be aiming to win its ninth straight Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade and make another trip to the ANGT Finals. 

Crvena Zvezda goes for 9th straight ANGT Belgrade win

The 2014 continental champion hopes to extend its ANGT Belgrade winning streak to 39 games and book a ticket to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in May in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Among the teams shooting to dethrone Zvezda in the games in the Serbian capital from February 22-24 are U18 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, which reached the ANGT Championship Game in 2012, and U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade, the runner-up at the ANGT Finals in 2017. The other teams are U18 Cedevita Zagreb, U18 Olympiacos Piraeus, U18 Petrol Olimpija Ljubljana, U18 Spars Sarajevo and U18 Umana Reyer Venice. The eight teams are split into two groups that will play round-robin style with the top-placed teams in each group facing off in the first-place game for a spot in the ANGT Finals along with ANGT Valencia winner U18 Valencia Basket, ANGT Munich champ U18 Real Madrid and ANGT Kaunas winner U18 Zalgiris Kaunas. The two teams that finish second in the groups will play in the third-place game, the third-placed teams from the groups will square off in the fifth-place game and the two fourth-placed teams will play in the seventh-place game.

Group A includes Cedevita, Olympiacos, Venice and Zvezda. Croatia's Cedevita returns to the competition after not playing last season, snapping a streak of seven straight years dating back to the 2010-11 campaign. Its most recent appearance was in 2017 at ANGT L’Hospitalet where it finished fifth. Greek giant Olympiacos made its return to the competition last season, finishing fourth at ANGT Munich in its first appearance since 2007. Italy's Venice is back for the fourth time; it placed sixth at ANGT Belgrade last season after playing at ANGT Rome in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. Those three teams will be shooting to knock off Zvezda. Its last defeat came at the hands of U18 Beovuk 72 in the 2010-11 season.

Group B includes Fenerbahce, Mega. Olimpija and Spars. Fenerbahce, which lost to U18 Rytas Vilnius in the ANGT Championship Game in 2012, is playing in the competition for the ninth straight season. Its last four campaigns were at ANGT Kaunas. Last year the Turkish powerhouse finished eighth. Mega is two seasons removed from playing in the ANGT Championship Game and losing to U18 CFBB Paris. The Serbian club finished third last season after appearing in the ANGT Belgrade first-place game the previous campaign. This will be Mega's seventh appearance in the competition. Slovenian side Olimpija makes its return to the event after missing last season and will be playing a 12th time. It last played at ANGT L'Hospitalet in 2016-17 and finished seventh. It is now seven straight appearances for Bosnia and Herzegovina's Spars, which has played in Belgrade the last three seasons. It finished seventh last year and played in the first-place game in 2015-16.



u18-crvena-zvezda-mts-belgrade-champ-angt-belgrade-2018-jt17-8kbjea3upneqbrke.jpg

Not many players get the chance to face their father in a professional basketball game. But Kerr Kriisa still remembers his father Valmo Kriisa nailing a three-pointer in his face and that has motivated him to become a better player – a player who took home the MVP award in helping U18 Zalgiris Kaunas win the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Kaunas.

ANGT Kaunas MVP Kriisa learned much from father

Kriisa collected 27 points with 4 three-pointers to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a performance index rating of 32 in Zalgiris's 92-79 win in the first-place game against rival and last season's ANGT champion, U18 Rytas Vilnius. For the tournament, Kriisa averaged 19.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals for a performance index rating of 23.0 while ranking third in the competition in scoring, second in assists, first in free throw percentage (88.9%) and second in PIR.

"This is my first time playing in this tournament so I really didn't know what to expect. After the first game, I realized it's really just a normal type of game. The names are strong, but really it's just a basketball game. Game after game I started to feel more comfortable and I am really satisfied that we won this tournament," said Kriisa, who hails from Estonia. "We're very happy that we won. Before the tournament, we really weren't expecting to win this. But we kept believing in ourselves. The win is really big, especially against Rytas."

Zalgiris reclaimed its status as ANGT Kaunas winner after finishing third last season - with Rytas winning the event. Now Zalgiris is headed back to the ANGT Finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Kriisa said the current 2001-born generation now has bragging rights over last season's group.

"We all wanted to get there. Last year there were 2000-born guys, so now it's good to tell them that they didn't get [to the ANGT Finals], but we did," Kriisa said.

Kriisa is spending his first season in Kaunas after a difficult 2017-18 season that saw him move from Estonia to the Brose Bamberg system in Germany. But he really didn't play at all because he was dealing with injuries all season.

"It was my worst year ever. I had shin splints. I had to come back to Estonia. Last year was the worst year of my life," he said.

That proved to be an end to an eventful 2017 calendar year. In August, he helped Estonia remain in Division A at the FIBA U16 European Championship by finishing in in 12th place.

On February 24, 2017, Kriisa got into an Estonian Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML) game for Tartu Ulikool against BC Valga-Valka/Maks & Mooritsa. The game was special because Valga's team included Valmo Kriisa, a 42-year-old role player at the end of his 24-year career during which he played in Sweden, Netherlands and Latvia. Tartu won 85-69 and Kerr Kriisa collected 2 points, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 rebound in his fifth game. His father tallied 4 points, four assists, 1 rebound and a steal - not to mention a big shot with Kerr guarding him.

"I remember he missed all his shots and then when I was guarding him he made a three-pointer right in my face. That's basically all I can remember and that still really hurts," Kerr admitted.

Kriisa said he learned a lot of things from his father – one being to never stand still. "You always have to keep moving: after practice, you stretch, then you eat. You just can't sit and watch TV. This really influences your future life and how long you can play."

Valmo Kriisa knows plenty about that; he played for the Estonian national team from 1995 to 2011 and retired in 2017 after 24 years of play.

"He has a hotel business, but he's missing basketball. He's thinking about returning soon … we'll see," Kriisa said.

Kerr Kriisa seems to have reached a point where he would not face his father again in a professional game should Valmo Kriisa actually return to the game. But the elder Kriisa has already left a distinguished mark on his son – one that has turned him into a leader for Zalgiris's youth teams. And one that will make him a big part of Zalgiris's chances at the ANGT Finals in May in Spain.

kerr-kriisa-u18-zalgiris-kaunas-photo-zalgiris-jt18-9gfuup9b5cewjiy9.jpg

Juhann Begarin has come a long way in the last two years, going from a youngster looking to get out of Guadeloupe to becoming one of France's top talents in his generation and taking over a leadership role for U18 CFBB Paris at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Kaunas.

CFBB's Begarin has come a long way since leaving home

Begarin was named to the all-tournament team in Kaunas after leading his team to a third-place finish and leading the event with 4.3 steals per game. He also ranked second in scoring (19.8 ppg.) and tied for fifth in rebounding (6.5 rpg.).

"It means a lot to play here because international competition is strong and it's always good to show up," said Begarin, who has come up with all this production despite being a year younger than the majority of competition; he won't turn 17 until mid-August 7.

This was actually the 1.94-meter guard's second go-around at ANGT Kaunas after he collected 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks in 23 minutes over three games at least season's event.

"I learned how to be hard and be tough. Also to be fearless and go to war and not be afraid of anybody," Begarin said through a teammate acting as interpreter.

A year earlier, Begarin was still at home in Guadeloupe in the southern Caribbean. Despite having produced basketball talents such as Rodrigue Beaubois, Mickael Gelabale and the brothers Florent and Mickael Pietrus, the insular region of France is not that big in the sport.

"On the island, the level is not that high, so I was trying to get to France as quickly as possible," said Begarin, the youngest of four brothers. One of those brothers is Jessie Begarin, who currently plays with French second division side Rouen after having played parts of four seasons in the top level, including the previous two with ESSM Le Portal Cote d'Opale. Juhann is also following in his big footsteps as the 30-year-old Jessie played with CFBB – then known as INSEP – from 2004-2006 after coming to France as 16-year-old.

"My brother pushes me a lot, but I cannot see him a lot because we have a lot of practice and a lot of games in the [third division]," Juhann said of seeing his older brother, who lives about an hour and a half away by train.

Juhann lives in the French capital, Paris, with his parents, who accompanied him on the journey from Guadeloupe. He said he values the top level experience and training he is getting at the famed French program.

"It’s the best opportunity in France. It has the best facilities and everything around it," Begarin said.

ANGT Kaunas was the latest step in his development and an important chance to implement some of the things he learned when he went through a disappointing finish to the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018. Playing in his first national team event, Begarin led the French team in scoring with 15.6 points while also collecting 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.3 steals. The team went into the semifinals undefeated and hopeful of winning back-to-back U16 continental crowns, but lost to eventual champion Croatia in the semis and then to Turkey in the third-place game to leave Novi Sad, Serbia, empty-handed.

"I learned that everything is on the team. I did some good things, but without a good team, you cannot win. So now I am trying to play for the team and trying to be a leader," Begarin said.

Remember his name, because has come far already and his basketball journey is just getting started.



juhann-begarin-u18-cfbb-paris-photo-zalgiris-jt18.jpg

Kerr Kriisa was named MVP of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Kaunas after leading U18 Zalgiris Kaunas to the victory. Kriisa collected 27 points with 4 three-pointers to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a performance index rating of 32 in Zalgiris's 92-79 win in the first-place game against rival and reigning ANGT Finals winner U18 Rytas Vilnius.

Kriisa named MVP of ANGT Kaunas

For the tournament, the Estonian guard averaged 19.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals for a PIR of 23.0. Kriisa, who also shot 60.0% from two-point range, 48.0% from three-point range and 88.9% from the free throw line, was third in the competition in scoring, second in assists, first in free throw percentage and second in index rating. Joining Kriisa on the All-Tournament Team were teammate Modestas Kancleris, Azoulas Tubelis of Rytas, Juhann Begarin of third-placed U18 CFBB Paris and Yannick Nzosa of U18 Stellazzurra Rome.

Kancleris averaged 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.3 blocks for an index rating of 16.0. He was third in the tournament in rebounds and blocks. Tubelis amassed 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 5 blocks for a 31 index rating in the first-place game. For the tournament, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 3.0 steals, 2.8 blocks and 24.5 PIR. Tubelis led the event in index rating and blocks, was fourth in steals and tied for fifth in rebounds. Begarin averaged 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 4.3 steals and 1.0 blocks for an index rating of 17.0. He ranked second in scoring, tied for fifth in rebounding and first in steals. Nzosa tallied 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.5 blocks over the weekend for an index rating of 16.8. He ranked second in blocks and first in two-point shooting percentage (67.7%).

