European Prospects

The Spanish team was present but of course without their absolute superstar of the 1990 generation Ricky Rubio. The team from coach Jota Cuspinera presented however a nice combination of talent and was probably one of the deepest teams present in Mannheim. We took a particular at one of the most talented players of the team in particular and give some information about the other players too.

Alberto Jodar (2m05 – Forward – Spain)

Jodar is defintely the most interesting prospect of the Spanish team. Being 2m05 tall and born in 1991, already his physical characteristics document the potential that this young forward is about. The problem is actually what position Jodar should play in the future. He was essentially used as Power Forward in Mannheim because of the lack of centimeters in the Spanish team. However, Alberto mostly played like a wing by shooting from outside instead of going for the paint.

What is interesting is his rebounding presence and block shot abilities. With his developed athleticism, Jodar has the necessary defensive presence on the Junior level but his thin frame will probably prevent him for doing so on the professional basis.

Coming to his showing in Mannheim, Jodar essentially scored with his jump shot. He has a nice shot release and due to his athleticism and length, he is a hard match-up for some smaller wing players. However, his game is nearly outside so that he does not use his size to play his defender inside.

What is interesting is his presence on the defensive end. He looks like being really focused by his tasks over there, he made the impression that for every turnover or missed shot he makes, he directly wants to go for the defensive play to gain back the ball. Jodar should develop into one of the most promising players of the 1991 generation within the next year.

David Garcia played some interesting defense and gave a lot of problems to the opposing team’s guards. The 1m91 tall player from Real Madrid essentially scores on the offensive end with three point shots and it was him that made the break during the final game against Sweden with his defense and threes.

Alejandro Hernandez showed some interesting skills on the PG position. The thin but highly energetic playmaker controls the game very well and has a good eye for his team mates. He has very fluid moves and can go for the Navarro-like tear drop shots. However, he is not very dangerous from behind the arc as he only took 5 shots from there during the whole tournament.