The first-ever Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament qualifier held in Greece starts on Friday, March 25, in Patras. Here are some of the young talents to keep an eye on.
ANGT Patras players to watch
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Teodor Simic, U18 FC Barcelona
Simic will be playing his third ANGT season after he averaged 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists at the ANGT Valencia last season and picked up 8.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists at the ANGT Finals, where Barcelona lost in the ANGT Championship Game to U18 Real Madrid. He also played at the ANGT Valencia in 2019-20. The 2.16 meter center hails from North Macedonia plays for Barcelona’s second team in the fourth division and tallies 9.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Simic has also already played for the North Macedonia senior national team. He scored 18 points with 2 rebounds against Spain in a FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers game in November 2021. He is a smart player, very balanced and can play in low post, but he also is a good shooter. Simic is improving the use of his body close to the basket to be more dominant and is working on his quickness, which is already not bad for someone for his size.
Luka Alavidze, U18 ZPA Tbilis
Like his team, Alavidze will be making his first ANGT appearance. He made headlines last summer with Georgia at the FIBA U16 European Challenger, where he averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.2 steals as that tournament's MVP. The 2005-born guard is the youngest player in Georgia's top league, picking up 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 14 minutes a game. His biggest strengths are court vision, basketball IQ and feel for the game. He is a pure point guard who is unselfish and creative. He is working on his strength and conditioning and trying to gain more experience.
Miro Little, U18 Helsinki Basketball Academy
Like his team, Little will be appearing in the ANGT for the first time. The dynamic point guard played for Finland at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2019 Division B and averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals as a 15-year-old. He made his debut with the Finnish senior national team last month in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers, scoring 5 points with 3 rebounds and 6 assists in 19 minutes over two games. He is currently averaging 21.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.6 steals in Finland's second division. Little has outstanding athleticism and a strong body but he is still working on his decision-making.
Beniamin Amposi, U18 Olympiacos Piraeus
A 2006-born wing, Amposi will make his ANGT debut as one of the younger players in Patras. He averages 5.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in the Greek U18 league. He can handle the ball and run plays as a point guard. Amposi's athleticism makes him a great defender and shot-blocker who can cover space and deflect balls. One of his strengths on offense is his transition game, where he can go coast to coast and finish or create for teammates. He can flourish in set offenses as well, finishing with drives at the rim or floaters and mid-range jumpers. Amposi still must improve his consistency from three-point range.
Nikos Vasileiou, U18 Promitheas Patras
Vasileiou will be playing in the ANGT for a second time. The 2005-born guard played 3 minutes in one game at the ANGT Munich in 2019-20. Vasileiou played in three EuroCup games in 2020-21, collecting 11 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 55 minutes. The combo guard also has two EuroCup appearances this season, including scoring 5 points with 2 assists in Round 9 against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. Vasileiou is a good passer and a great shooter with a good feel for the game. Vasileiou knows how to move without the ball and make strong cuts to the basket. He is a good defender who can switch and guard multiple positions thanks to his good size. He must improve on his shot off the dribble and be more aggressive offensively.
Fabrizio Pugliatti, U18 Stellazzurra Rome
Pugliatti will be playing in his second ANGT after having collected 5.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals at the Istanbul qualifier last year. He went on to post 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists at the ANGT Finals. The 2.00-meter playmaker is contributing 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 12 minutes in the Italian second division. The Venezuelan is spending his third season with Stellazzurra. He is an all-around excellent offensive player with a solid three-point shot. He is an excellent scorer who can also drive to the basket. He is able to create opportunities for himself and his teammates. He moves well without the ball and does a good job crashing the offensive glass. He still needs to work on his individual defense.
Tomer Agmon, U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv
An ANGT returnee, Agmon averaged 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists at the Belgrade qualifier last season, including picking up 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists against U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade. Agmon is a strong candidate for Israel's U18 national team this summer. He is playing in the Israeli U18 league and has averaged 17.5 points on 39% shooting from three-point distance. He is a shooting guard who can create for himself. He is a very smart player on the pick-and-roll and can pass to the big man. He also reads defenses very well.
Alexandros Samontourov, NGT Patras
Samontourov will be making his ANGT for the Next Generation Team Patras. The 2.09-meter big man recently helped DEKA Thessaloniki win the Greek U18 domestic title. Samontourov had a great run in the playoffs, picking up 25 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 blocks against PAOK in the quarterfinals and following that up with 32 points, 12 rebounds with 6 three-pointers in the semifinals against Panathinaikos. In the final versus Olympiacos, Samontourov tallied 30 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists. Samontourov, who was born in Thessaloniki to Georgian parents, averaged 25.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 blocks for the season. He has a great combination of size, agility and skills. He is fairly mobile and can run the floor well. Samontourov has good instincts as a shot-blocker. He still needs to work on the consistency of his shot and his one-on-one defense.