One of the world's premier youth basketball showcases begins with the first of four qualifiers in the Montenegrin capital.
ANGT Podgorica players to watch
This season's Euroleague Basketball Adidas EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament gets underway with the first of four qualifiers being held from Friday to Sunday in Podgorica, Montenegro, a first-time host of the event. Subsequent qualifiers are scheduled for Belgrade (March 1 to 3), Dubai (March 22 to 24) and Paris (March 29 to 31). The top junior club teams and individual players 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 in Podgorica.
David Mirkovic, U18 SC Derby Podgorica
Mirkovic will be appearing in the ANGT for a second season after playing for the select Next Generation team in ANGT Belgrade and the ANGT Finals in 2022-23. The 2.07-meter big man averaged 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in Belgrade and then 7.5 points and 6.0 rebounds at the ANGT Finals. Last summer he collected 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals in helping Montenegro finish third at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023, Division B to earn promotion to Division A. Mirkovic also picked up 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds at the FIBA U20 European Championships 2023 as a 17-year-old. Mirkovic has played this season for Derby in the ABA Adriatic League and the Montenegrin League, averaging 14.2 points and 10.7 rebounds in the latter. Mirkovic has a good mix of size, strength and coordination with great body control and great touch to make him a threat from all positions on the court. He has good footwork and can create for himself in the paint and for others with his back to the basket. Mirkovic can also play on the wing as a solid three-point shooter who make plays, handle the ball and finish with both hands.
Pietro Iannuzzi, U18 Umana Reyer Venice
Pietro is making his second appearance at the ANGT after finishing ANGT Belgrade with 21.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists as the fourth-best scorer of the competition with 4.5 triples per game. The Venetian guard also made his debut in the Italian league in Milan at the beginning of November while he scored his first points the following game against Reggio Emilia. The 1.94-meter guard also made his debut in the BKT EuroCup with 1 minute against Veolia Towers Hamburg. Iannuzzi is an excellent 3-point shooter both off the blocks and off the dribble. He also has greatly improved his pick-and-roll reads and his ability to finish or pass the ball in traffic after penetration.
Romain Valakou, U18 Cholet Basket
Romain will be playing his first ANGT event. The 1.92-meter guard is averaging 21.4 points in 22 minutes in the French U18 championship while shooting at 50% on three-pointers. He is also collecting 8.5 points with 35.7% on three-pointers to go with 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the U21 championship. Valakou played last summer the FIBA U17 3X3 Europe Cup and helped France finish third. He can score on the fastbreak, driving to the basket, one-on-one or from the outside. Valakou still must improve on his toughness, especially on defense. But he is an elegant player who plays with ease when he has the ball and is a hard worker wanting to get better every day and help the team win.
Amon Doerries, U18 ALBA Berlin
Doerries will be playing in his third ANGT season as one of the club's top prospects. He totaled 4 points and 1 steal in 29 minutes at the 2021-22 ANGT Ljubljana, and then averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals at the 2022-23 ANGT Munich. The 2.10-meter forward helped ALBA win the German U19 league title in 2023. Doerries is averaging 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals in the U19 league this season and is also tallying 3.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in 16 minutes per game in the German third division. Doerries is a versatile forward who has the potential to play also at the center and guard positions. His seven-foot wingspan allows Doerries to influence games both offensively and defensively. He can play one-on-one facing the basket and from the post. He still needs to get consistency on his shot but has good court vision and good shot-blocking ability. Doerries missed nearly two months of action from late November to mid-January but has returned to the court.
Hugo Gonzalez, U18 Real Madrid
Gonzalez will be playing in the ANGT for the second season after helping Real win the title in 2023. The 1.98-meter forward was named MVP of the ANGT Munich qualifier, where he averaged 19.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks. He then collected 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.8 blocks in the ANGT Finals. Gonzalez helped Spain finish second at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022 and the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023, averaging 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks at the latter. The wing has played 10 games in the Spanish League this season and also appeared in four EuroLeague contests. Gonzalez has a strong physique, which gives him an advantage against his opponents. He has excellent versatility and can contribute in all facets of the game. The son of a former professional player, Gonzalez has a deep understanding of the game and a strong desire to continue learning and improving. He is also a fierce competitor. Gonzalez can still improve on reading the game offensively as well as his ball-handling and defensive focus to minimize errors.
Mark Morano, U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana
Morano will be competing in the ANGT for a second consecutive season after averaging 7.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals at the ANGT Zadar qualifier against opponents who were two years older. He is averaging 12.8 points in the Slovenian third division and 14.9 points in the Slovenian U20 league. He was the best scorer at FIBA U16 European Championship 2023, averaging 20.6 points to go with 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1 steal, 0.6 blocks for Slovenia. Morano is a multi-level threat when catching the ball on the perimeter. His combination of 1.97-meter size and fluid ball-handling ability allows him to get to his spots on the floor and makes him hard to contain for opposing defenders. His shooting ability, however, might be his biggest selling point, as he shows tremendous efficiency in tough shots off the dribble.
Ivan Volf, U18 FC Bayern Munich Basketball
Volf will be playing in his second ANGT after he collected 4.5 points and 1.5 rebounds at the ANGT Munich. The 2.01-meter wing averaged 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals for Croatia at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022. Volf is playing this season for Bayern's second team in the German third division, tallying 9.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 47.4% on three-pointers. Volf has natural mechanics, long arms and legs, and broad shoulders. In the future, he might emerge as an elite spot-up threat due to his incredibly smooth shooting mechanics. His aim is to develop into an offensive weapon who can score in a variety of ways, and he is working hard on spot-up, off-screen, off-the-dribble and pick-and-roll situations. He is also attacking closeouts more. Volf is a late bloomer physically and is still a little weak in terms of dealing with contact.
Jack Kayil, U18 Next Generation Team Podgorica
Kayil will be competing in his second ANGT season after he was named to the All-Tournament Team for the ANGT Munich for picking up 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.8 steals with ALBA Berlin. The 1.91-meter guard, who this off-season moved to RASTA Vechta, helped Germany win the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022, Division B to get the country promoted to Division A. Last summer, Kayil collected 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023, where Germany finished third for their first-ever podium result in the competition's history. Kayil this season is averaging 11.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists for Vechta in the German second division. He is also picking up 18.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.2 steals in the German U19 league. Kayil stands out with his leadership and he can score in many different ways. He still needs to improve his playmaking and his defense.