This Easter weekend is once again packed with interesting tournaments and events around European Youth basketball. I try to give a short preview about all the stuff that you can follow throughout the net over the upcoming days.
- The main event may be the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland. The World team is this team made of mainly European players and it features some of the most prolific prospects around. While the US eyes will probably be mostly on Donatas Motiejunas, the roster features some future Euroleague players like Milan Macvan or Nikos Pappas. Draftexpress is covering the event live from Portland and has a first look at some of the major Europeans (Motiejunas, Macvan, Jackson) in the event. The excellent Blazer’s Edge is also covering the days as the event is happening at their home base in Oregon. They cover Motiejunas too in their first article about the world team but give also a first look at Mamadou Samb. The main sponsor of the event has of course also big coverage from Portland and gives the writing pen to some of the players of the event. Read here what Donatas Motiejunas (again him) tells us about his first time in United States and also what the French Edwin Jackson has to report
- The second place to be these days is Vilagarcia in Spain where one of the biggest U18 tournaments is played these days. Spain, Angola, Russia, Germany, Italy, France, New Zealand and the Czech Republic are playing here to see who has the best cards for the upcoming Summer Championships. Next to the official website, our Spanish friend Jaime Martinez Lafargue at Solobasket gives a great coverage of the Tournament, unfortunately only in Spanish. Read his scouting report of the first day right here.
- Eurobasket.com reports briefly about the Final tournament of Serbian U17 teams in Belgrade
- It has been last weekend already, but Serbia has won the prestigious Bellegarde tournament for U16 teams in France. Second place was for Greece while Turkey finished third and France on the last place. This weekend, Serbia plays in Ragusa (Italy) another U16 tournament against Spain, Russia and the home team of Italy. The opening game of the tournament saw Spain beat Italy 77-63.
- To stay in Italy, the 5th edition of the Memorial Graziano Barila is taking place these days and feature a couple of interesting teams. Team Ohio, the Sabonis Basketball School or Olimpija Ljubljana are the most notable names coming to the tournament to fight against the local youth teams from Italy. You can follow the results and check the rosters right here.
- The Cholet Mondial Basket Tournament will start today in Western France and will feature some very interesting teams too. Despite the withdrawals of some teams before the tournament for different reasons, the organization has managed to bring in such talented squads like Real Madrid (without Nikola Mirotic though), BCM Ostrava or Stella Azzurra Roma next to the traditional French professional Farm teams. Follow the tournament on the official website
- Finally, the German U19 league is looking for its last Final Four participants this weekend after the qualification of ALBA Berlin and Paderborn Baskets. In a highly anticipated (some considered it as a potential Final) game between Trier and Urspring, the team around Maik Zirbes tries to go for a decisive game after having lost the opener of the series one week ago and Maurice Stuckey’s team. The other quarter-final should see TSV Tröster Breitengüssbach qualify against Bayern Munich.
13 responses so far ↓
1 Andrea Varese // Apr 14, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Olimpija Lubiana shines again in memorial barila in Varese, I saw semifinal game and i was impresed with performance of Radulovic, Petrovic, Micic, Span and Gezim. Does anybody knows something more about them. Nobody played last year at memorial barila. and i must say-great game of Robur Fides Varese. Congratulation.
2 Christophe // Apr 15, 2009 at 7:19 pm
@Andrea
Jan Span won the MVP of the tournament. He is not a Olimpija Ljubljana player though but he played with them during the tournament
http://www.union.olimpija.com/4/11/6667/
3 albiongate // Apr 16, 2009 at 1:48 am
Jan Span [PG, 187, 1992] Slovenia U16 in 2008.
Bojan Radulovic [C, 210, 1992] Slovenia U16 in 2008.
Filip Petrovic [SF,200, 1992]
Bosnia U16 in 2008.
Djordje Micic [SG/SF, 199, 1993] Bosnia U16 in 2008. Very talented swingman. He was at the Jordan Brand classic in Vilnius last month.
Gezim Morina [PF, 202, 1992], although he is not slovenian, he will probably play for Slovenia U18 next summer.
4 Matej // Apr 16, 2009 at 11:19 am
albiongate, Bojan Radulović is Serbian.
5 albiongate // Apr 16, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I know that he is serbian but he played for Slovenia U 16 side last summer. Filip Petrovic and Djordje Micic are also ethnic serbians from Bosnia.
6 albiongate // Apr 16, 2009 at 3:32 pm
My mistake, you’re right he didn’t play for Slovenia U16.
7 Matej // Apr 17, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Đorđe Mičić (200cm, 1993) is one of the most talented guys in Olimpija youth system, if not the most talented one.
He was scouted during the summer (he came from club Budućnost Bijeljina from Republika Srpska – part of Bosnia and Herzegovina) and has signed multi-year agreement with the club (6 years contract). I was told that all Serbian clubs, including few clubs from other parts of ex-Yugoslavia and few European clubs wanted him.
In my opinion he is able to play all backcourt positions if needed. Pretty similar player to Emir Preldžić if I have to compare. Mičić posseses an amazingly skilled technique for his age and seems to have high basketball IQ. To become a great player for first team he needs to work on his shooting, to be more consistant from long range, also better defensive tehnique wouldn’t do him harm. In my opinion he could develop into something similar as Emir Preldžić is developing in the moment.
8 Green // Apr 18, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Dorde Micic will play for national selection of Serbia on upcoming U16 EC.He spent some time with them 3 weeks ago. The only problem for him is LOC from Bosnian federation and the fact that he will have to fight for position in Serbian tim whic is very strong
9 albiongate // Apr 18, 2009 at 5:47 pm
If it’s true, it’s a great news. It will great to see him with Miljenovic, Cvetkovic, Avramovic. Hope that Dusan Bogdanovic (Real Madrid) and Radosavljevic (Alba) will also agree to play for Serbia.
10 Green // Apr 18, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Dusan Bogdanovic is great prospect but I don t think that he will play for any national selection. His father told me that Real Madrid is the most important thing.
I have not seen Radosavljevic in last 3 years when he left for Germany where his father lives. He might play but dont belive.
11 albiongate // Apr 18, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Only few people, even among basketball fan know what a LOC is. I know what it means, so you probably works for a basketball federation.
BTW, Germans wants Radosavljevic to play for them. They offer him money and citizenship. But they don’t ask serbian federation for the LOC yet.
About Bogdanovic, I’m almost certain he will play for Serbia but probably not this summer.
12 Christophe // Apr 19, 2009 at 10:43 am
I can confirm that Germany tries to get a German passport for Radosavljevic.
Don’t know though where they are in the process. He does not play for ALBA though but for ALBA Urspring.
Urspring is a basketball academy in the South of Germany and they are sponsored by ALBA Berlin (the team). ALBA is the sponsor of ALBA Berlin.
Radosavljevic did not play that much this season in U19 league in Germany but according to what I heard on him, he is really an interesting prospect
13 albiongate // Apr 19, 2009 at 5:23 pm
I know all this about Alba Urspring. Radosavljevic did play until his injury (in february), playing less than ten minutes per game. He was the tallest and one of the youngest player in this league.
Actually, he is no more in Germany.
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