ANGT Patras players to watch | Euroleague Basketball

The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament series continues on Friday, February 10 with the second qualifying tournament at Dimitris Tofalos Arena in Patras, Greece. With eight clubs from five countries and players hailing from dozens of nations, it will be a true international basketball celebration. Here's a primer on some of the top talents to keep an eye on in Patras.

ANGT Patras welcomes another Wembanyama on Friday

Veniamin Amposi, U18 Olympiacos Piraeus

Amposi will be playing in his second ANGT despite still being a year younger than the age cut-off. At last season’s ANGT Patras, the guard averaged 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Last summer Amposi helped Greece take fourth place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 with 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds. He also made his Greece League debut on December 27, 2022, versus Karditsas. Amposi is a wing who can defend all four guard and forward positions. He is very athletic, can get to the rim and excels in transition. Amposi is very intelligent and has a high-level understanding of the game. The weakness in his game is outside shooting.

Johann Gruenloh, U18 RASTA Vechta

Gruenloh will be making his ANGT debut as is Vechta. He averaged 5.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 block at the FIBA U16 European Challenger 2021. The 2.10-meter center was the U19 German League Rookie of the Year in 2022 and helped Vechta reach the U19 championship game last season. Gruenloh has made five appearances in the German second division while averaging 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 3.4 blocks in the third division as well as 11.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in the U19 league. Gruenloh practices every day with the pro team in the second division and is very ambitious with great character. One of his biggest strengths is his anticipation for blocking shots. He also rebounds well. Gruenloh's work ethic stands out and his shot is improving, though he still needs to work on positioning and adding more offensive moves.

Matteo Porto, U18 Orange1 Bassano

Porto will be playing in his second ANGT after he tallied 10.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season at ANGT Ljubljana. He did not play a lot of minutes but he will be the go-to guy this season. The 2.01-meter guard is a two-dimensional scorer who is very powerful in one-on-one penetrations thanks to his big-time athleticism. Porto’s power helps him in situations in the post and he also rebounds well. He still needs to work on his defense, both on and off the ball.

Ruben Prey, U18 Joventut Badalona

Prey will be playing in his third ANGT season after he went for 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks last year at ANGT Varese. The Portuguese center averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks at ANGT Valencia in 2020-21. Last summer, he played at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2022 and collected 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks. He is playing predominantly with Joventut’s fourth-division team and is averaging 14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals. Prey is very versatile and explosive with his size, allowing him to make an impact at both ends of the court. He can dribble the ball from the outside and is improving his finishing near the rim. Prey also is working on his three-point shot.

Tidjane Salaun, U18 Cholet Basket

Salaun will be making his debut in the ANGT with Cholet, which is also a debutant in the competition. The athletic 2.05-meter wing moved from CFBB Paris to Cholet last year and is flourishing in the U21 France League, averaging 13.4 points on 38.7% three-point shooting, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He also took part in the Basketball Without Borders European camp last June. Salaun is a good three-point shooter and is active without the ball while being a good presence on the glass. He also has good physical and athletic abilities. He still needs to work on his ball-handling, using the pick-and-roll, and patience.

Ben Saraf, U18 Next Generation Team Patras

Saraf will be playing for the Next Generation Team Patras for a second season after he collected 9.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season. The 2006-born guard played for Israel at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 and led the tournament in scoring with 24.3 points and ranked fourth in assists 4.1 to go with 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals. He is playing for Maccabi Netanya in the Israeli second division and is collecting 13.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Saraf is one of the best offensive players in his age group. He can score in many different ways; he’s a great three-point shooter and loves to attack the basket. Saraf needs to improve his understanding of when he needs to play more for his teammates than himself and to improve on defense.

Yohann Sissoko, U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

Sissoko will be making his debut in the ANGT as a player one year younger than the competition's age cut-off. The 1.92-meter shooting guard is averaging 6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in the U21 French League after helping the club win the U18 French League title last season. Sissoko is a strong finisher with excellent one-on-one skills. He has a quick first step and burst as well as good athleticism and ball-handling skills. He still must improve his knowledge of the game as well as his outside shooting.

Nikolaos Vasileiou, U18 Promitheas Patras

Vasileiou is playing his third ANGT season after playing 3 minutes in one game in 2019-20 and then averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 2021-22. The 1.97-meter shooting guard also has played two seasons for Patras in the 7DAYS EuroCup, averaging 2.5 points in 12 minutes per game over eight contests. Vasileiou is very athletic, can drive to the rim and cuts well to the basket. He is also a good ball-handler and spot-up three-point shooter. Vasileiou excels in shooting threes off screens. On defense, he is helped by his good size.