Yannick Kraag is just the latest in a long line of young talents who have got the chance to shine early at Joventut Badalona.

Joventut's commitment to youth helps Kraag take next step

It shouldn't be a shock at all that, despite his young age, swingman [Yannick Kraag](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/yannick-kraag/010161/) is producing well for Joventut Badalona in the BKT EuroCup. A major reason for the 21-year-old's strong performance has been the club's commitment to its own youthful talent.

Playing his second full season in the EuroCup with the Spanish club, the Netherlands international has really taken a step forward. Through six games, Kraag is averaging 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 20 minutes per appearance. That came after his learning experience last season, in which he picked 4.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9 minutes per game in 11 EuroCup appearances.

"I learned from last season that every game in the EuroCup matters," says Kraag, who twice this season has already matched his 2022-23 scoring high of 12 points. "It's a tough competition. You can win anywhere and you can lose anywhere."  

This is Kraag's fifth season with Joventut since moving from BC Triple Threat Haarlem to Spain in 2019. 

"I have developed very good here. It was a great decision to come here and they helped me with everything basketball related. I can continue to grow here and stay for a couple more years," says Kraag, who also made single EuroCup appearances in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. 

Joventut has a long, storied and successful history of not only developing talented players but then giving them an opportunity to play. 

The list is long with the likes of Ricky Rubio, [Rudy Fernandez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/rudy-fernandez/bmt/), Raul Lopez, [Alberto Abalde](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/alberto-abalde/003733/), Alex Mumbru, Albert Ventura and Nacho Llovet. The current team includes [Pau Ribas](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/pau-ribas/jug/) and [Guillem Vives](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/guillem-vives/002361/), both of whom started at Joventut as kids and have returned after distinguished careers elsewhere. Other Spanish players who came up through Joventut recently include [Joel Parra](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-parra/007464/) and [Xabi Lopez-Arostegui](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/xabi-lopez-arostegui/005356/).

Yannick Kraag Top Plays from 09/30/2023 to 11/10/2023

Joventut's youth system has also produced many talents from other countries, including Simon Birgander, Nenad Dimitrijevic, Arturs Zagars and Zsombor Marinka. The current pro squad also includes 24-year-old Josep Busquets and Spanish youngsters like Miguel Allen, Jordi Rodriguez and Ruben Prey – all of whom are 20 years or younger.

"When you get older you naturally develop, and for me it was easier here because it was not only me coming from the youth team," Kraag says. "There are a lot of players I have played with for many years. So the transition for me was a lot easier than for a lot of people." 

Also helping youngsters succeed when they arrive at Joventut's main team are veterans from whom they can learn, such as the 36-year-old duo of Ribas and Ante Tomic as well as 32-year-old DeShaun Thomas and the 30-year-old Vives.

"A lot of great players have played here and a lot of great players play here now. It's all about listening to the older guys. They give you a lot of tips if you ask them. Just ask and they will help you," Kraag said. 

The Netherlands talent feels he can bring something to this Joventut team that it didn't have otherwise.

"I will be able to help on the fastbreak, push the pace of the team, and make sure we play a little bit faster than last year," he said. 

Some of his confidence to take the added responsibility came from Kraag playing a leading role for the Netherlands national team at the last window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers in February 2023. 

"It's a totally different team. I play with more ball responsibility and a lot more scoring responsibilities," said Kraag, who averaged 19.5 points on 45% three-point shooting, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32 minutes against Georgia and Ukraine.

"But playing-style-wise, I think I can do a lot of the same things: running and rebounding, defending, getting some steals. I can bring that to this team as well."

And with Joventut, Kraag can do all those things with the confidence that other youngsters before him were given the same opportunity to shine – and soared from there.

Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 6 by checking out the best photos of the week!

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 6

Petar Mijovic steps down as Buducnost head coach

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica has confirmed that Petar Mijovic has resigned from his position as head coach. In his first season in charge, the 41-year-old guided Buducnost to a 2-4 record in the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

The team currently sits seventh in Group B, one place outside the playoff zone, and is on a three-game losing run. Under Mijovic, Buducnost went 2-1 in Podgorica, winning 75-65 in Round 1 against 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and 103-89 in Round 3 against Slask Wroclaw, but it is 0-3 on the road.

“Petar Mijovic has submitted his resignation, a decision that has been accepted by Buducnost VOLI’s Board of Directors,” Buducnost said in a statement. “The Club will inform the public about further steps in a timely manner. Buducnost VOLI thanks Petar for his dedicated work and wishes him a successful future in his career.”

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Mijović podnio ostavku, Upravni odbor je prihvatio.<br><br>Petar Mijović je podnio ostavku, Upravni odbor KK Budućnost Voli prihvatio. O daljim koracima Klub će blagovremeno obavijestiti javnost.<br>Budućnost Voli se zahvaljuje Petru na predanom radu i želi uspješan nastavak karijere. <a href="https://t.co/azcC5y13qP">pic.twitter.com/azcC5y13qP</a></p>&mdash; KK Budućnost VOLI (@KKBuducnostVOLI) <a href="https://twitter.com/KKBuducnostVOLI/status/1722735172628398157?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The team has gone a disappointing 2-4 through the first six games of the season.

Win or lose, some of the standout performances of Round 6 in the BKT EuroCup featured players 27 or younger making things happen for their teams.

Roll call: 20-somethings are stepping up

### Alviti stepped up to guide Trento past Slask

Dolomiti Energia Trento secured its third straight BKT EuroCup win on Wednesday night [after beating Slask Wroclaw 75-84 on the road](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/slask-wroclaw-dolomiti-energia-trento/U2023/58/), with small forward Davide Alviti playing a key role in the triumph. The 27-year-old finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 0 turnovers in what was a near-perfect performance. As a result of his heroics, Alviti recorded a 25 PIR, more than double his previous best. There are many reasons behind Trento's recent uptick in performances, and the play of Alviti is certainly one of them.

Davide Alviti scored 15 points as Dolomiti Energia Trento beat Slask Wroclaw 75-84 in Round 6 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Alviti stepped up to guide Trento past Slask

### Ward did it all for undefeated Paris

The appeal of a player like Tyson Ward is that he can do it all on the floor, and in [Paris Basketball's 114-87 romp over previously undefeated Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/paris-basketball-hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/U2023/55/), Ward did exactly that. In 24 minutes on the floor, he posted 20 points on 4-for-8 three-point shooting for a PIR of 20, which were all personal bests in his debut EuroCup campaign. Ward, 26, played to his strengths, shooting either close to the basket or from behind the arc on the left wing, thus stretching the floor for his teammates or taking advantage of openings inside. He also grabbed 5 rebounds and posted a team-high plus/minus of plus-22. When Ward puts it all together at both ends like he did on Wednesday, Paris is a very dangerous team.

Tyson Ward did it all for undefeated Paris Basketball against Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv

Tyson Ward did it all for undefeated Paris

### Aris rookie Bankston left his mark in Podgorica

Kris Bankston has only played a handful of games in his professional career. He was still playing in college last season and signed for Israel club Hapoel Beer Sheva over the summer. After the Israeli League was delayed due to the war there, Bankston was loaned to Aris Midea Thessaloniki, and [in just his third game he played a key role against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/buducnost-voli-podgorica-aris-midea-thessaloniki/U2023/60/). Bankston, 24, did not miss a shot in scoring 14 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in 19 minutes. His PIR of 18 was the best on his team. Bankston did most of his work in the first half, but the effort he put forth in the paint and on the glass not only kept Aris close when it was struggling, but paid dividends when his teammates completed the comeback. 

Aris Midea Thessaloniki rookie Kris Bankston left his mark against Buducnost in Podgorica.

Aris rookie Bankston left his mark in Podgorica

### Brussino channeled his inner playmaker

In a rematch of last year's EuroCup Final, Dreamland Gran Canaria managed to [once again down Turk Telekom Ankara, winning 69-82](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/turk-telekom-ankara-dreamland-gran-canaria/U2023/57/). Sylven Landesberg may have been the only Gran Canaria player to reach double figures in points, but one member of Jaka Lakovic's squad who really stood out was Nico Brussino. The Argentinian international scored 8 points, the joint-third most on the team, but he also grabbed 3 rebounds and dished a career-high 7 assists, while not committing a single turnover. In just 18 minutes on the floor, it was a good night's work by Mr. Brussino. 

Nicolas Brussino had 8 points and 7 assists as Dreamland Gran Canaria beat Turk Telekom Ankara 69-82 in Round 6 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season.

Brussino channeled his inner playmaker

### Despite defeats, Slask's Miletic keeps impressing

He keeps showing up in the roll call because center Dusan Miletic keeps putting up special numbers despite Slask Wroclaw falling to its sixth loss in as many games with a late collapse [to lose 75-84 against visiting Trento](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/slask-wroclaw-dolomiti-energia-trento/U2023/58/). It certainly wasn't for lack of effort by the 25-year-old Miletic, who posted one of the most impressive lines of the season: 19 points on 8-for-9 two-point and 1-for-1 three-point shooting to go with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a EuroCup season-high 5 blocks. It has been nearly a year since anyone has blocked that many in the EuroCup. With his 34 PIR on Wednesday, Miletic now has 25 or higher in half of this season's games and 15 or higher in all six of them. 

Dusan Miletic (19 points) Highlights vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento, 11/08/2023

Despite defeats, Slask's Miletic keeps impressing

Rasheed Sulaimon earned MVP of the Round honors for the first time in his 24-game BKT EuroCup career after leading Wolves Vilnius to an 85-71 win against Prometey Slobozhanske in Round 6 of the 2023-24 regular season.

Round 6 MVP: Rasheed Sulaimon, Wolves Vilnius

The 29-year-old [finished with a career-high 36 PIR, the most of any player in Round 6](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/wolves-vilnius-prometey-slobozhanske/U2023/51/), after scoring a personal-best 30 points on a career-best 6 three-pointers. In addition, Sulaimon added game highs of 7 assists and 3 steals in 29 minutes on the floor. He had 2 rebounds and 6 fouls drawn, too.

Rasheed Sulaimon | Round 6 MVP | 2023-24 BKT EuroCup

In second place is 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys forward Deividas Sirvydis, who had a career-best performance in his side’s 100-96 win over the visiting Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. The 23-year-old scored a career-high 27 points, having made a club-record 11 free throws without a miss. He also dished a career-best 5 assists. pulled down 4 rebounds, had 1 steal and drew 6 fouls for a personal-best 35 PIR. In third spot, with a 34 PIR, is Dusan Miletic, who had a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double in Slask Wroclaw’s 75-84 loss at home to Dolomiti Energia Trento. He also had 3 assists, 3 steals and 5 blocks. Gabe Olaseni of the London Lions recorded a 30 PIR after posting 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in his side’s 76-87 win at Joventut Badalona. Rounding out Round 6’s best performers is Paris Basketball’s Collin Malcolm, who had 23 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block and didn’t commit a single turnover as his team beat Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv 114-87.

Wolves Vilnius v Prometey Slobozhanske (2023-11-08T17:00:00.000Z)

Here are the leaders in the main statistical categories for Round 6 of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup Regular Season. 

Round 6, individual highs: Klemen Prepelic, Cedevita, 14 assists

[Points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=score)

Rasheed Sulaimon of Wolves led all players in scoring with 30 points in Round 6. He is also the competition's top scorer at 20.2 points per night.

[Rebounds](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=totalRebounds)

Three players - Trevion Williams of ratiopharm Ulm, Dusan Miletic of Slask and Steven Enoch of Turk Telekom Ankara – had 11 rebounds, the most in Round 6. Williams leads the overall standings with 11.4 boards per game.

[Assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=assistances)

Klemen Prepelic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana led all players in Round 6 with 14 assists. TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball ranks first overall with 7.7 assists per contest.

[Steals](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=steals)

Three players had 4 steals this round: Isiaha Mike of Bourg, Mo Soluade of the London Lions and LJ Figueroa of Ulm. Mike and Paris’s Shorts are tied for first place overall, each with 2.5 steals per game.

[Blocks](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=traditional&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=perGame&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=blocksFavour)

Miletic of Slask had a round-high 5 blocks. Miletic and Paul Biligha of Dolomiti Energia Trento are the competition's leading shot blockers at 2.2 per game.

[Double-doubles](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/stats/expanded/?size=1000&viewType=miscellaneous&seasonCode=U2023&statisticMode=accumulated&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&statistic=doubleDoubles)

Five players had a double-double in Round 6: Miletic of Slask (19 points, 11 rebounds), Angel Delgado of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul (16 points, 10 rebounds), Williams of Ulm (17 points, 11 rebounds), TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball (15 points, 10 assists), Enoch of Turk Telekom (14 points, 11 rebounds), and Prepelic of Cedevita (12 points, 14 assists).

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2023-11-08T18:00:00.000Z)

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v ratiopharm Ulm (2023-11-08T17:00:00.000Z)

Slask Wroclaw v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2023-11-08T19:00:00.000Z)

Turk Telekom Ankara v Dreamland Gran Canaria (2023-11-08T17:00:00.000Z)

7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (2023-11-07T17:00:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball v Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv (2023-11-08T19:30:00.000Z)

Joventut Badalona v London Lions (2023-11-08T19:30:00.000Z)

Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2023-11-08T17:00:00.000Z)

Umana Reyer Venice v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2023-11-07T19:00:00.000Z)

Paris Basketball rewrote its record book in offensive production in a convincing win over Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and nearly set two BKT EuroCup all-time records. Still the French side was not satisfied with its performance.

Paris not satisfied after record-breaking performance

[Paris beat Hapoel 114-87](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/game-center/2023-24/paris-basketball-hapoel-shlomo-tel-aviv/U2023/55/) to remain undefeated in Group A and in doing so set a number of new club highs - including points scored (114), three-pointers (19), assists (28), turnovers (3) and performance index rating (140). 

In addition, the 19 three-pointers and 3 turnovers were each just one off the all-time EuroCup records. 

The team was happy with the victory and beating a tough team like Hapoel, which was also undefeated and the number one offense in the league coming into the game. But Paris still talked about things it must improve upon looking forward.

“There are still some things we can clean up. We gave up a lot of points in transition. Their transition offense is incredible,” said Paris forward Collin Malcolm, referring to Hapoel scoring 14 fast break points. 

“Coach said it best before the game: When you play really good teams like this one you get to see what you need to improve on. And that is definitely something we need to improve on in the next game.”

Paris Basketball Top 3-pointers vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv, 11/08/2023

Paris head coach Tuomas Iisalo said his team has done well since the beginning thanks to recruiting a solid group of players.

“We have a very clear idea of play. We have a very strong culture. You can see that how guys work,” he said. “The rest of the stuff will take care of itself.”

Paris not only has a 6-0 record but it has been playing good basketball all-around, especially at the offensive end. Iisalo’s team came into the Hapoel game ranked second in team PIR (117.2) and scoring (98.6 ppg) - both behind Hapoel, first in fewest turnovers (10.2) and two-point shooting (60.5%). The team was sixth in assists per game (19.6) and seventh-best in three-point shooting (36.7%). 

Iisalo also talked about the team having improvements to be made.

“Obviously making a lot of three-point shots everybody looks a lot better offensively but there’s always stuff we can do better and we should do better,” the coach explained. 

With Paris already setting offensive records and still not being satisfied, the rest of the EuroCup had take notice.

Paris not satisfied after record-breaking performance 

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge offers weekly prizes to the top team manager, so get in the game and go for the gold!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 2 winner

Congratulations to Donatas Rusinas, the Round 6 winner in [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home)! Donatas's team Chairmander posted a score of 228.75.

The team featured the following lineup: team captain Rasheed Sulaimon of Wolves Vilnius, Marco Spissu of Umana Reyer Venice, Gediminas Orelik of 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys, Karlo Matkovic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and Samuel de Sousa of Aris Midea Thessaloniki; TJ Shorts of Paris Basketball as sixth man; Leyton Hammonds and Samet Yigitoglu of Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, DJ Seeley of U-BT Cluj Napoca and Christian Mekowulu of the Wolves as bench players; and Dusan Alimpijevic of Besikltas as head coach.

His prize for finishing first in Round 6 is a free subscription to Euroleague TV for the 2023-24 season!

The overall leader after six rounds is a new one as Avantasia.Arctica, has his team Temperance ahead of everyone else with 1134.60 fantasy points.

Trades are now open for Round 7. Remember, three trades are allowed before each round until the end of the regular season, and you can also trade your head coach.

Make new teams now or improve your existing ones and try to become [EuroCup Fantasy Challenge's](https://eurocupfantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) next winner!

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 6 winner

The London Lions celebrated an impressive 76-87 win at Joventut Badalona in Round 6 of the BKT EuroCup Regular Season after Gabe Olaseni reigned supreme amid the absence of Joventut’s injured duo of Ante Tomic and Vladimir Brodziansky.

Gabe Olaseni took advantage of shorthanded Joventut’s paint woes

The London Lions celebrated an impressive 76-87 win at Joventut Badalona in Round 6 of the BKT EuroCup Regular Season after they overcame a 28-20 first-quarter deficit on the back of ironclad defense for the rest of the rip-roaring contest in Spain.

The visitors thrived on a balanced workload on offense and supremacy in the paint, where Gabe Olaseni reigned supreme amid the absence of Joventut’s injured duo of Ante Tomic and Vladimir Brodziansky. London’s big man racked up a game-high 21 points and 9 rebounds, as the visitors made their advantage in size count.

Gabe Olaseni of London Lions overpowered Joventut Badalona with 21 points and 9 rebounds in Round 6.

Olaseni overpowered Joventut

The Lions outrebounded Joventut 42-35 but more importantly, they collected an avalanche of offensive boards when the chips were down The home team failed to recover from a 15-point deficit despite a heroic effort from Andrew Andrews and Deshaun Thomas.

“When you come to a historic place like this, you want to win,” Olaseni, who earned a PIR of 30, said in a post-game interview. “The coach and his staff gave us a great game plan and we were fortunate enough to execute it.”

Olaseni’s effort was complemented by that of Matthew Morgan, who amassed 15 points and 4 assists, while Tarik Phillip racked up 13 points, 5 rebounds and as many assists. Conor Morgan added 12 points and 8 rebounds to underline Lions' depth, with Joventut overly reliant on Andrews (20 points) and Thomas (17).

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">HUGE game by <a href="https://twitter.com/agolaseni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@agolaseni</a> to secure the W in Badalona 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreLondon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreLondon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToGreatness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToGreatness</a> <a href="https://t.co/l8D7Pc9XAb">pic.twitter.com/l8D7Pc9XAb</a></p>&mdash; London Lions (@LondonLions) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonLions/status/1722389589392781433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Moreover, London generated a whopping 25 assists to Joventut’s 14 as the visitors shared the ball selflessly on offense, while Andrews ran out of steam in the final quarter when he tried to start and finish everything much too often.

“It’s a very big satisfaction to win here despite the injuries Joventut has had,” Lions head coach Petar Bozic said. “They are a young team unafraid to play hard. It’s a very important win for us and I want to congratulate my players for the way they controlled the game. We’ll take it one game at a time. It’s true we had high expectations coming here but we still have to improve in many ways.”

Bozic’s Joventut counterpart Carles Duran conceded his team was second-best on the night.

“Congratulations to London, they played better than us and we need to improve many things in our game,” he said.

Joventut is next at home to Group A leader Paris Basketball, which tops the section with a perfect 6-0 record, while London visits Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul.

More London Lions News

The absence of the home side’s key centers paved the way for London’s big man to dominate.

Joventut's commitment to youth helps Kraag take next step

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 6

Petar Mijovic steps down as Buducnost head coach

Roll call: 20-somethings are stepping up

Round 6 MVP: Rasheed Sulaimon, Wolves Vilnius

Round 6, individual highs: Klemen Prepelic, Cedevita, 14 assists

Paris not satisfied after record-breaking performance

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge: Round 6 winner

Gabe Olaseni took advantage of Joventut’s paint woes