### Sirvydis's late heroics lead Rytas to EB ANGT title

In a thriller that came down to the final minute, U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius won the 2017-18 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament championship. Rytas U18 Stellazzurra Rome 76-71 at Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sunday morning to become the ANGT champion for the second time in club history. Rytas, which first won the title in 2012, became the fifth team to win multiple EB ANGT titles, joining Zalgiris Kaunas, CSKA Moscow, FMP Zeleznik and CFBB Paris. Deividas Sirvydis netted 5 of his 18 points in the final 36 seconds to seal his team's win after Stellazzurra rallied from a double-digit deficit to tie the game late. Marek Blazevic paced the winners with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Domantas Vilys scored 11 points for Rytas. Luca Conti led Stellazzurra with 22 points, Dalph Adem Panopio had 18 and Paul Eboua posted 17 points and 13 rebounds for Stellazzurra, which was the first Italian team to reach the title game since Montepaschi Siena in 2004.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/game-center/2017-18-belgrade-finals/u18-lietuvos-rytas-vilnius-u18-stellazzurra-rome/JTF417/13/#boxscore)

EB ANGT Championship Game Highlights: U18 Lietuvos rytas Vilnius - U18 Stellazzurra Rome

Vilys got Rytas going with a driving layup and a three-pointer. Sirvydis added a bomb from downtown for a 9-2 lead. Stellazzurra's fiery guard Dalph Adem Panopio revived his team with a driving layup and a jumper. Once Eboua heated up with a power basket and a dunk, Stellazzurra closed the gap to 11-10. Eboua kept pushing Stellazzurra and his layup tied it at 16-16, but a close basket by Mykolas Astrauskas and a wild buzzer-beating triple by Sirvydis restored a 21-16 Rytas lead after 10 minutes. Luca Conti hit a jumper early in the second quarter, Eboua dunked and a three-pointer by Lorenzo Donadio tied it again, 23-23. Sirvydis insisted from downtown and got help from Blazevic and Sarunas Valunta to make it 35-28. Russel Tchewa hit a jump hook and Alessandro Cipolla split free throws, but Blazevic gave Rytas a 38-31 advantage at halftime.

EB ANGT Finals MVP: Deividas Syrvidis, U18 Lietuvos rytas Vilnius

Blazevic and Gediminas Mokseckas combined for all the points in a 6-0 run that gave Rytas its first double-digit lead, 44-31, right after the break. Eboua struck from beyond the arc and a three-point play by Conti gave Stellazzurra hope, but Blazevic kept pacing Rytas and free throws by Dilys made it 52-39 margin. Conti hit free throws and back-to-back three-pointers by Panopio brought Stellazzurra within 55-48. A jumper by Eboua and a tip-in by Erikas Jermolajevas fixed the score at 57-50 after 30 minutes. Rytas struggled to score early in the fourth quarter, while Panopio got Stellazzurra within 59-57 with less than seven minutes left. Blazevic hit 4 free throws and Sirvydis added an off-balance jumper, but Conti made it 67-65 with three minutes to go. A layup by Yannick Nsoza and a big basket by Panopio tied the game at 69-69 with a minute and a half to go. Sirvydis stepped up with the go-ahead three-pointer and free throws by Astrauskas sealed the outcome.

ANGT Finals 2018 Belgrade

The future stars of European basketball learned some valuable lessons about the game at the annual Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Players Educational Session, which focused on giving the players tips about their motivation for playing the game as well as dealings off the court in terms of business and fan interaction.

Education sessions helps ANGT stars meet their goals

All eight teams from the ANGT were given the chance to mingle at the courtyard setting of the Dorkol Platz in Belgrade before hearing presentations from Euroleague Basketball, Adidas and two-time EuroLeague champion Nikola Vujcic.

Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Senior Director, Marketing & Communications for Euroleague Basketball, talked about the importance of the players interacting with fans, the need for players to feel comfortable in the spotlight, and the advisability that they be authentic in their dealings with fans and media.

"These players are about to cross the door into their main teams, so this is a good time for them to get advice to understand where they are going," Ferrer said.

Adidas's presentation talked about how the company deals a lot with many other sports throughout the world and urged the players to be creative and innovative. The tournament – and the educational session – also provides the players with a chance to interact others from teams spread around Europe.

"This also gives them the opportunity to mingle," Jelena Soce, Senior Sports Marketing Manager for Global Basketball at Adidas, said. "The guys get here and play each other, but they don't really get a chance to really meet each other. What is a tournament about? Of course you want to win that title but you also want to give the kids a chance to meet each other and see other cultures."

Vujcic meanwhile talked to the players about the proper focus in terms of being a professional athlete – to concentrate on winning titles.

"Choose your dreams, make sure your dreams are correct," said Vujcic, who won two EuroLeague titles as a player with Maccabi Tel Aviv and also one as Maccabi's general manager. "Hard work is the most important thing. Respect your coaches, even if you don't like them. They have your best in mind and want to help you."

Vujcic told the players to be aware of how they act at all times – both on and off the court.

"We know everything about you," he said. "We in management want people who our kids will want to have as role models."

The former EuroLeague great relished in the opportunity to talk to the future stars of the game.

"I tried to give them some of the right things to do or think. Hopefully I helped one or two of the kids about how to think in the future for their careers from my experience. These are great kids and great talents and for sure they are the future of the EuroLeague," he said.

The messages definitely hit home with many of the players.

"Everything was important – even the business part," Pedro Barros from U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona said. "For me, the most important information was from Nikola. He has been at the highest level so these things come from someone who has been there. For us, it feels like motivation. The guy is here and we feel important. He is giving advice to us."

Yohan Choupas, the captain of the U18 CFBB Paris team, said one of the most important things he learned was to keep the focus on basketball and all of the side things will come from that.

"It's interesting to hear their lessons because we are young," Choupas said. "We have to learn what we have to do to become professionals. You reflect on what you are doing right now and that is a big help."

After guiding U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius to the title at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals, Deividas Sirvydis was named Most Valuable Player of the event. 

Rytas guard Sirvydis named ANGT MVP

Sirvydis collected 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal as Lietuvos Rytas beat U18 Stellazzurra Rome 76-71 in the ANGT Championship Game, giving the Lithuanian club its second ANGT crown. Sirvydis averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals in the ANGT Finals.

Joining Sirvydis on the All-Tournament Team were his Lietuvos Rytas teammate Marek Blazevic, Stellazzurra point guard Dalph Adem Panopio, Mario Nakic of U18 Real Madrid and Joel Parra of U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona. Blazevic posted 20 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game and finished with averages of 13.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks. Panopio was second in the finals in scoring with 17.8 points per game and third in assists with 5.5 per game while also averaging 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Nakic tallied 17.3 points, which was third in the finals, while also averaging a competition-best 2.7 steals as well as 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Parra was the leading scorer with 22.0 points and second with 8.7 rebounds in addition to 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals for Joventut, including a 29-point, 16-rebound showing against U18 FC Bayern Munich. Madrid's 2002-born talent Usman Garuba was named 2017-18 ANGT Rising Star. To qualify for the award, a player must have been born after January 1, 2001. In two games at the ANGT Finals, Garuba averaged 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds 1.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks.

In a thriller that came down to the final minute, U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius won the 2017-18 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament championship. Rytas U18 Stellazzurra Rome 76-71 at Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sunday morning to become the ANGT champion for the second time in club history. Rytas, which first won the title in 2012, became the fifth team to win multiple EB ANGT titles, joining Zalgiris Kaunas, CSKA Moscow, FMP Zeleznik and CFBB Paris. Deividas Sirvydis netted 5 of his 18 points in the final 36 seconds to seal his team's win after Stellazzurra rallied from a double-digit deficit to tie the game late. Marek Blazevic paced the winners with 20 points and 11 rebounds and Domantas Vilys scored 11 points for Rytas. Luca Conti led Stellazzurra with 22 points, Dalph Adem Panopio had 18 and Paul Eboua posted 17 points and 13 rebounds for Stellazzurra, which was the first Italian team to reach the title game since Montepaschi Siena in 2004.

Vilys got Rytas going with a driving layup and a three-pointer. Sirvydis added a bomb from downtown for a 9-2 lead. Stellazzurra's fiery guard Dalph Adem Panopio revived his team with a driving layup and a jumper. Once Eboua heated up with a power basket and a dunk, Stellazzurra closed the gap to 11-10. Eboua kept pushing Stellazzurra and his layup tied it at 16-16, but a close basket by Mykolas Astrauskas and a wild buzzer-beating triple by Sirvydis restored a 21-16 Rytas lead after 10 minutes. Luca Conti hit a jumper early in the second quarter, Eboua dunked and a three-pointer by Lorenzo Donadio tied it again, 23-23. Sirvydis insisted from downtown and got help from Blazevic and Sarunas Valunta to make it 35-28. Russel Tchewa hit a jump hook and Alessandro Cipolla split free throws, but Blazevic gave Rytas a 38-31 advantage at halftime.

Blazevic and Gediminas Mokseckas combined for all the points in a 6-0 run that gave Rytas its first double-digit lead, 44-31, right after the break. Eboua struck from beyond the arc and a three-point play by Conti gave Stellazzurra hope, but Blazevic kept pacing Rytas and free throws by Dilys made it 52-39 margin. Conti hit free throws and back-to-back three-pointers by Panopio brought Stellazzurra within 55-48. A jumper by Eboua and a tip-in by Erikas Jermolajevas fixed the score at 57-50 after 30 minutes. Rytas struggled to score early in the fourth quarter, while Panopio got Stellazzurra within 59-57 with less than seven minutes left. Blazevic hit 4 free throws and Sirvydis added an off-balance jumper, but Conti made it 67-65 with three minutes to go. A layup by Yannick Nsoza and a big basket by Panopio tied the game at 69-69 with a minute and a half to go. Sirvydis stepped up with the go-ahead three-pointer and free throws by Astrauskas sealed the outcome.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/game-center/2017-18-belgrade-finals/u18-lietuvos-rytas-vilnius-u18-stellazzurra-rome/JTF417/13/#boxscore)

In a thriller that came down to the final minute, U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius won the 2017-18 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament championship. 

Sirvydis's late heroics lead Rytas to EB ANGT title

U18 LIETUVOS RYTAS VILNIUS v U18 STELLAZZURRA ROME (2018-05-20T08:00:00.000Z)

The Kinexon tracking system will be in use at the 2017-18 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals.

Kinexon to track player movements at U18 Tournament Finals

It will measure detailed movements of players and game officials as the former vie for the title of European junior club champion, in parallel with the 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade, Serbia. The use of the Kinexon tracking system is another example of Euroleague Basketball embracing the latest technological innovations and seeking ways to integrate them for the betterment of players and fans alike.

The players and game officials will be fitted with Kinexon's small and lightweight sensor between their shoulder blades. Using unique RF technology, the sensors will record and transmit position and movement data accurate to the centimeter, which will allow Kinexon to track player movements including speed, acceleration and jumps.

In the future, this technology may be used in real time to provide coaching staffs with up-to-the-second information, to allow medical staffs to monitor and evaluate players' condition, and to create integrated data and graphics for television broadcasters and social media platforms.

The first tipoffs during the Final Four in Belgrade this week will be at the city's historic Aleksandar Nikolic Hall when the 16th annual Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals open bright and early on Thursday, May 17.

ANGT Finals bring best young players to Belgrade

Five past U18 continental champions are part of the eight-team field, which also includes one newcomer to Europe's most elite youth club competition. The eight teams will be hoping to hoist the trophy in the championship game on Sunday, to be held at Stark Arena just hours before a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion will be crowned on the same court.

The teams are broken down into two four-team groups. Each group will play round-robin games and the first-placed team in each will face off in the Sunday's championship game. Group A includes reigning champion and two-time winner U18 CFBB Paris, 2012 champ U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, 2015 winner U18 Real Madrid and 2017 finalist U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade. Group B is made up of 2014 champion U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, 2013 winner U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona, first-timer U18 FC Bayern Munich and U18 Stellazzurra Rome. There is free admission to all the games.

With three former title-winners together, Group A is expected to have plenty of fireworks.

Reigning champ CFBB will be looking for crown number three after also taking the trophy in 2010 – then under the name INSEP. The French academy is making its seventh appearance overall, and fourth consecutively, in the ANGT Finals. CFBB received a wild card for the Belgrade spectacle as title-holder after finishing fifth at the ANGT Kaunas qualifying event. CFBB ended U18 FMP's attempt for a three-peat in 2010 and this year is shooting for the first repeat since FMP went back-to-back in 2008 and 2009.

Group A also features some revenge games. CFBB's victory in the 2017 ANGT championship game came over Mega, so the Belgrade team will be extra motivated to knock off the French side this time around. Mega is making its third straight appearance after receiving a wild card following a third-place finish at the ANGT Belgrade qualifying tournament. The 2012 continental champion Lietuvos Rytas missed the 2017 ANGT Finals but is back for its sixth showing in the final round of games after winning ANGT Kaunas. Lietuvos Rytas beat U18 Fenerbahce in the 2012 championship game after having lost to FMP in the 2009 title bout. The other Group A team is 2015 champion Real Madrid, which is appearing in its fifth straight ANGT Finals and sixth in total. Madrid, which lost in the 2014 ANGT championship game to Crvena Zvezda, will be out for some revenge, too, after losing to Mega in the first game of group play last year to miss out on returning to the final. Madrid qualified for Belgrade after winning the ANGT Munich event.

Group B is topped by 2014 champion Crvena Zvezda, which is playing in its eighth straight ANGT Finals after winning eight straight ANGT Belgrade titles. Zvezda reached three consecutive ANGT championship games, winning in 2014 before losing to Real Madrid in 2015 and to Barcelona in 2016. In the 2017 ANGT Finals, Zvezda lost all three group games and will be looking to use the home fans to get back to its winning ways.

Joventut won the continental crown in 2013 and came back to the ANGT Finals in 2014 as reigning champ. This year is the first time that the Spanish club has made it back to the big stage, thanks to claiming the trophy in the ANGT L'Hospitalet. Group B also includes the only debutant as Bayern Munich makes its maiden journey to the ANGT Finals after reaching the ANGT Munich final and receiving a wild card. This is just the third time that a German team is taking part in the ANGT Finals after U18 ALBA Berlin hosted the event in 2009 and 2016. And the final team in Group B is Stellazzurra, which reached the ANGT Finals for the second time after playing in Madrid in 2015. Stellazzurra was granted a wild card after finishing second at the ANGT Kaunas, where the Italian club became the first team in competition history to beat U18 Zalgiris Kaunas as the host team in Kaunas.

The first tipoffs during the Final Four in Belgrade this week will be at the city's historic Aleksandar Nikolic Hall when the 16th annual Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals open bright and early on Thursday, May 17. 

Living abroad is an enriching experience that teaches you about life and yourself. It also offers up a fair share of hardships and it was some of those tough times that led Lazar Zivanovic to U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade and a once-in-a-lifetime chance at the 2018 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals.

Hardship abroad leads Zivanovic to Zvezda and once-in-a-lifetime experience

Zivanovic helped 2014 ANGT champion Zvezda win the ANGT Belgrade for the eighth straight time in February when he averaged 10.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. His best game came against U18 Umana Reyer Venice with 18 points. This is actually Zivanovic’s second season on the ANGT circuit; he posted 2.5 points at the 2017 ANGT Belgrade tourney and totaled 4 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in three games at the ANGT Finals last year in Istanbul.

The action in the Turkish metropolis was something that Zivanovic and the rest of the Zvezda team would like to forget, as they lost all three group stage games after having reached the ANGT Championship Game the previous three years.

"It was a lesson. You can only win when you play as a group and when you give your maximum," said Zivanovic, who was born in 2001 and is still a year younger than the rest of the competition.

Zivanovic and Zvezda are hoping for better results this time around, even though it will not be easy; the team has been drawn into Group B with ANGT L’Hospitalet winner and 2013 ANGT champion U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona, U18 FC Bayern Munich and U18 Stellazzurra Rome.

"It will be a very tough tournament. All of the teams are very even in my opinion and everybody has their chance," said Zivanovic, who stated that his and his team's goal is to reach the ANGT Championship Game, which will be played at the Stark Arena on the day of the final of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

"We always aim high. We need to give all we have on the defensive end and then easy baskets and confidence will come," Zivanovic said.

The situation this season is very different as the ANGT Finals will be played in Belgrade - making it a home tournament for Zvezda.

"It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent our club and country on the biggest stage and all that in front of our people who are crazy about basketball. We are super excited," Zivanovic said. "It is extra motivation for us to defend our home court and everybody on my team will give 100 percent."

The fact that Zivanovic is playing for Zvezda in this month’s ANGT Finals actually has its origins to him facing a tough time abroad. In 2015, a 14-year-old Zivanovic was playing for OKK Sabac in his home city of Sabac - located about 70 kilometers west of Belgrade. Real Madrid called and asked if he would come to Spain for a tryout. He played two tournaments with Madrid before Los Blancos, understanding his great potential, asked him to stay in Spain.

"At that moment, my family and I thought that Madrid was the best option," he said. "I learned so much about basketball and about life. A lot of good friendships and good people."

But Zivanovic didn’t turn 15 until January 19, 2016, and the distance from his family - his mother is a doctor and his father an engineer - proved too much.

"Being so far from home at such a young age, I wasn’t ready to overcome some hardships," he admitted. "At that moment, the people from Zvezda called me and I decided to move back to Serbia. And that was a great decision for me. Zvezda’s youth school is the best in Europe and being close to my family really means a lot to me."

But his time in Spain was a great learning experience for Zivanovic. "Apart from Spanish, living in a foreign country alone, being part of a big club and organization and getting to know so many new people all are the amazing things that basketball gave to me," he explained.

Zvezda and Real Madrid were not in the same group at the 2017 ANGT Finals and that is the case again this year. And while he was very diplomatic about who he would like to face if Zvezda did reach the title game, Zivanovic couldn’t help letting out a secret desire - namely a repeat of the 2014 and 2015 ANGT Championship Games, won by Zvezda and Madrid, respectively.

"We respect every team that will be at the ANGT. They all fought for their place in the final eight so we treat them equally and there is no difference when you play against Real Madrid or anybody else there," he said. "Of course it would be a great opportunity to see my friends and have a good time."

Among Zivanovic’s former cadet teammates at Madrid still on the team are Usman Garuba, Mario Nakic, Kareem Queeley and Golden Dike. Still, Zivanovic knows the focus for Zvezda throughout the tournament must be on their own team.

"We are a talented group where everybody is willing to do what is best for the team," Zivanovic said as the reason why Zvezda could hoist its second U18 continental crown.

And Zivanovic can call upon the lessons learned during those hardships abroad.

lazar-zivanovic-u18-crvena-zvezda-mts-belgrade-angt-belgrade-2018-8k56ffkasok7ydm8.jpg

Luka Cerovina did not play in the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Championship Game last season, but the multi-faceted forward hopes to take the lessons of watching from the sidelines and guide U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade to an impressive double title at the junior level this year.

Cerovina wants to lead Mega to junior double

Cerovina is a major reason that Mega has chances of hoisting the trophy in Belgrade, especially after he averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in helping Mega to a third-place finish at the ANGT Belgrade tournament. Cerovina’s performance earned him a spot on the All-Tournament Team. It also gave him confidence heading into the ANGT Finals, which Mega received a wild card to and will play against U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, U18 CFBB Paris and U18 Real Madrid in Group A.

“The ultimate goal is clear, and it is up to us to play at a high quality with strong defense and with concentration in the attack,” said Cerovina.

The 2.01-meter forward also believes the team will get more confidence with the home fans in the stands.

“Playing at home in front of your audience is a special experience and everyone in the club is eagerly awaiting the start of the tournament. For all of us, this represents the highest point in our junior career and we will strive to give our maximum,” he added.

Cerovina will have extra motivation to play a leading role for Mega in Belgrade after receiving a DNP in all four of the club’s games at the 2017 ANGT Finals in Istanbul, including the title game loss against U18 CFBB Paris. That came after he had averaged 1.3 points and 3.7 rebounds at ANGT Belgrade last year.

“I did not get into the [Championship Game], but the experience I got following and cheering for my teammates was very important. We were very close to the goal, but unfortunately we lost to a very high-quality opponent,” he said.

Mega will get another chance against CFBB in Belgrade since they are in the same group.

“We will be motivated from our side to get the win,” Cerovina said of the repeat of the 2017 ANGT Championship Game. He hopes that a victory over CFBB can boost Mega to the 2018 title. It would be a major step in an already superb junior career.

Cerovina was born in Kragujevac and lived with his parents in Zvecan, a small town in Metohija in southwestern Kosovo. He started playing basketball at age 7 after previous playing tennis and football.

“My uncle talked me into it, and since then, this passion for basketball will never stop,” said Cerovina, who played two years of basketball at KK Polet Kraljevo before moving to Mega in 2016.

That same uncle was a professional handball player, playing abroad in Finland, Portugal and Israel. But when it came to role models, Cerovina looked to some of the past Yugoslav basketball greats like Dejan Bodiroga, Toni Kukoc, Predrag Danilovic and Aleksander Djordjevic as well as NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Cerovina’s said his current role model though is Alexey Shved from Khimki Moscow Region.

“I am delighted with his game and I think he is maybe the best player in the EuroLeague,” he said. “Next to him, there is, of course, the NBA trio of Milos Teodosic, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jokic.”

The decision to move to Mega was an easy one for Cerovina. “Mega Bemax is a club very well-known not only in our country, but also in the whole world because of its great work with young talents. And a large number of players who have proven themselves in Europe and the NBA have emerged,” Cerovina said.

He praised especially the conditions at the club. “The club organization and top coaching staff contribute to the development of young players and is something I think no other club can provide at this level. So the decision to go to Mega was very fast and easy.”

It has also led to success for Cerovina. While he and the club were unable to win the ANGT last year, the team did win the recent Junior ABA League title, knocking off city rivals Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in the final in Laktasi in the first edition of the competition.

“I had a noticeable role on the team and I am very proud of that success,” Cerovina said. And he would love to make it a junior double in Belgrade at the ANGT Finals.

“Winning the ANGT title would mean a lot, especially since we recently won the junior ABA league tournament. A double crown would be an incredible feeling and we will do everything we can to achieve this success.”

And those lessons from last season’s ANGT Championship Game will certainly help as well.



luka-cerovina-u18-mega-bemax-belgrade-angt-belgrade-2018-jt17-8k5olh8jklriylte.jpg

Kilian Binapfl’s performance at the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Munich could probably be considered a breakout of sorts.

Bayern's Binapfl eager to just play his game in Belgrade

But the U18 FC Bayern Munich guard was just taking the opportunity to play his game. And he is eager to show what he can do again at the ANGT Finals.

Binapfl was hardly an unknown commodity going into ANGT Munich as he had played for Germany at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016 and was one of the leading players all season for Bayern’s team in the U19 NBBL league. But Binapfl played almost otherworldly in the Munich qualifier, helping Bayern reach the final and being named to the All-Tournament Team after he averaged 19.8 points while shooting 65.3 percent from the floor plus 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks.

"It was kind of like a breakout. Nothing really just clicked though. I just played my game and wanted to show what I can do," Binapfl said. "I tried to do a little bit of everything for the team - offensively and defensively, rebounding, defending on the ball, getting offensive rebounds and attacking the basket. Just playing an all-around game."

Part of being able to stand out at such a high-level tournament was a result of experience. Binapfl was appearing in his second ANGT tournament after averaging 2.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals at ANGT Coin last season.

"Coin was one of my first international tournaments. I was a little more shy and not as confident. But I saw that I could play with them," he said. "And that helped me looking forward to this one, where I said to myself 'just play with confidence and show what you can do.'"

Binapfl has been playing basketball since he was 6 years old after seeing a flyer in school in Friedberg, near Augsburg, looking for kids interested in trying the game. It was the first organized sport Binapfl tried and he and his two older brothers were hooked right away.

He ended up playing for TV Augsburg, which is about 15 minutes from his hometown of 30,000 residents. Eventually, he gained interest from bigger clubs such as Bayern, ratiopharm Ulm and Brose Bamberg. One factor in his decision for Bayern, explained Binapfl, was his ability early on to live at home and commute to Munich - about an hour’s drive away.

"But the main factors were the coaches and the professionalism at Bayern," said Binapfl, who joined the club in 2015.

Playing for Bayern is also special for Binapfl, who grew up watching Bayern's world-renowned football team.

"Bayern is the most well-known football team in the world. It’s an honor to play for the team and to live here," he said.

There has also been some interaction with the football giants, especially last season when Bayern’s youth teams practiced at their old gym on Saebener Strasse, which is located close to Bayern football’s headquarters.

"We saw all the players as they passed by," Binapfl said. "They also say hello to younger players like us, and you can see you need to stay humble and not be arrogant. I met Jerome Boateng in the hall and he shook my hand and said hello. I didn’t think that would happen. I thought he wouldn’t even notice me."

The 1.95-meter guard has not had much interaction with Bayern’s professional basketball team, though he was called upon twice to practice with the main team. Binapfl said his biggest basketball challenge was facing Bayern’s star guard Jared Cunningham in those practices. However, he has practiced all season with older players on Bayern's second team, which plays in the third division ProB, even though his main team is the one in the U19 NBBL league.

"Matching up in ProB practice against Amar Gegic and Karim Jallow, I have to play physically. The first time I played against them I really didn’t have a chance. After a while, you develop and see that you can play against them. Everything is faster and tougher and you have to be more concentrated," said Binapfl, who averaged 13.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.1 steals this season with the NBBL team and has Bayern on the brink of the NBBL Final Four.

But before that, Binapfl has the ANGT Finals in Belgrade, where Bayern will face U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona and U18 Stellazzurra Rome in Group B after receiving a wild card to participate.

"There are no easy teams in the final eight. They are all top teams and it will not be easy to play against any of them. But I think we can do something special if we all play our best and we play as a team. I don’t see us as favorites, but I think we can compete with every team," Binapfl said.

Binapfl is very happy to be just playing at the moment. In early April, he was hit in the head while playing for Germany’s U18 national team at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Mannheim. He suffered a concussion, whiplash and a strained neck muscle, which kept him out of practice for more than two weeks. All that is forgotten now and Binapfl is ready for Belgrade.

"I really can’t wait to play in the tournament and face the top eight teams in Europe. It’s something really special. The whole team was really happy about getting the wild card. And now we want to show how good we can play," Binapfl said.



Kilian Binapfl’s performance at the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Munich could probably be considered a breakout of sorts. 

kilian-binapfl-u18-fc-bayern-munich-angt-munich-2018-photo-stickel-fcbb-jt17-8ixs9cduisxnwugy (1).jpg