Euroleague Basketball is excited to confirm the 32 teams who will compete to be crowned European U18 club champions, as well as the 2017-18 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifier hosts.

2017-18 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Qualifier hosts, participants announced

FC Bayern Munich will be one of those qualifier hosts, marking the first time that Germany will see that early phase of the tournament take place on its territory. In addition to Munich, the traditional cities of L'Hospitalet, Kaunas and Belgrade will hold qualifiers whose winners qualify automatically to the Finals next May in the Serbian capital, during the 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four!

A total of 32 different U18 teams will participate across the four qualifiers, with each city seeing eight teams divided into two groups of four during the first two days, followed by first-, third-, fifth- and seventh-place games on the last day.

The Munich qualifier will take place in the historic Audi Dome, the host venue for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games basketball events, and since 2011 the home of FC Bayern Munich. The arena has seen Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, 7DAYS EuroCup and easyCredit BBL games, and next February will also be able to witness Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT games.

The first qualifier, in L'Hospitalet, Spain from January 5 to 7, 2018, will feature 2016 champion FC Barcelona Lassa, 2013 champion Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona as well as ASVEL Villeurbanne, Herbalife Gran Canaria, Promitheas Patras, Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet, Unicaja Malaga and Virtus Bologna.

The second qualifier, in Kaunas, Lithuania from January 19 to 21, will feature three-time continental champion CSKA Moscow, two-time champion Zalgiris Kaunas, two-time champion CFBB Paris, and 2012 champion Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, as well as Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul, Khimki Moscow Region, Stellazzurra Rome and VEF Riga.

The third qualifier, in Munich, Germany from February 9 to 11, will feature 2015 champion Real Madrid as well as ALBA Berlin, Brose Bamberg, Darusafaka Istanbul, FC Bayern Munich, Olympiacos Piraeus, ratiopharm Ulm and Real Betis Energia Plus Seville.

And the fourth and final qualifier, in Belgrade, Serbia from February 23 to 25, will feature 2014 champion Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade as well as Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Cibona Zagreb, GBA Prague, Mega Bemax Belgrade, Partizan NIS Belgrade, Spars Sarajevo and Umana Reyer Venice.

The Finals will be held in parallel with the 2017-18 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade from May 17 to 20, 2018.

Going into its 16th edition, the alumni of the Euroleague Basketball U18 Tournament are a who's who of EuroLeague stars including Thomas Heurtel (FC Barcelona Lassa), Luka Doncic (Real Madrid), Mantas Kalnietis (AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan), Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos Piraeus) and Luigi Datome (Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul), among many others.

The 2017 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals were the culmination of the club season for the continent's premier junior squads, as their coaching and support staffs were able to learn more about the players' in-game performance than ever before thanks to the introduction of WIMU PRO sensors from RealTrack Systems.

WIMU PRO tracking delivered data on ANGT stars in Istanbul

WIMU PRO was used to monitor the movements of every player in every game at the ANGT Finals, one of the parallel events at the 2017 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Istanbul, Turkey, and provided great amounts of data.

The players each wore small sensors, which tracked their movement during the games. Afterwards, the program's software was able to provide information on the players' running, jumping and movement. WIMU PRO tracked the vertical distance and hang times for jumps as well as the number of such leaps during the game. It provided both the cumulative and per-minute distance covered; acceleration, deceleration and maximum running speeds; and also compiled the impact and load for each player over the course of the game. The data, which can be viewed from a spreadsheet, can also be shown in conjunction with the game feed to present information for specific plays.

Once parsed, coaches and trainers can see how their teams stack up against the competition in terms of player load, running, jumping ability and hustle stats. The data can be viewed by individual, by position or by team. Likewise, it can see how fatigue affected players by looking at how performance varied by quarter. A heat map gives coaches another tool showing where on the court players spent the most time.

“We would like to thank RealTrack Systems for their support in performing such an innovative test,” Eduard J. Scott, Chief Operations Officer for Euroleague Basketball, said. “Since the creation of the U18 Tournament in 2002-03, Euroleague Basketball have always looked for ways in which technology can be applied to provide increased data for fans, media, clubs and leagues alike. WIMU PRO has validated its functionality for use in professional basketball by clubs as well as officiating departments. We will continue evaluating this and other technological solutions that potentially improve performance analysis for the benefit of all stakeholders in the sport, with improving our competitions for the benefit of fans remaining the ultimate objective.”

Among the scores of information the final report from the ANGT Finals shows is that Sergi Martinez of U18 FC Barcelona Lassa, who was selected to the All-Tournament Team, covered the most distance during the event by running 4.98km. Martinez also scored the highest through the WIMU PRO Basketball High Performance Index, which takes data from the sensors and forms a score that can be used to simplify the analysis of player performance. Finals MVP Ivan Fevrier of U18 CFBB Paris was the fastest man on the court with his average max speed reaching 21.3 km/h.

"We are proud to have written a new page in basketball history with Euroleague Basketball," Carlos Padilla, Technical Director for RealTrack Systems, said. "WIMU PRO has proven itself to work at the highest level and with the most advanced and dependable technology during four days, 13 games, 96 players and referees in two different venues. There was no margin for error for offering data in real time and big-data reports one hour after each game. It was a tough test that we come out of very satisfied for having reached a high level of precision."

The 2017 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals were the culmination of the club season for the continent's premier junior squads, as their coaching and support staffs were able to learn more about the players' in-game performance than ever before thanks to the introduction of WIMU PRO sensors from RealTrack Systems. 

The latest edition of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT ended with U18 CFBB Paris as the deserved champion of the competition, which began back in January in Spain.

CFBB title closes chapter on the 15th ANGT season

CFBB hoisted the trophy to the heavens in Istanbul by beating U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade in a continental championship game that lived up to its billing and culminated a thrilling 15th anniversary for the tournament.

The CFBB coaching staff deserves major praise in a couple of regards. First off, Jean-Aime Toupane and his coaches formed a team that was willing to get after it on defense but also shared the ball in playing true team offense, too.

Toupane's men lost two games at the EB ANGT Qualifying Tournament Kaunas, to U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius in group play and then to U19 Zalgiris Kaunas in the final in Lithuania. After receiving a wild card for Istanbul, Toupane came to Turkey without Yves Pons, a major athletic presence and his second leading scorer from Kaunas, who was injured, as was a major role player, Nicolas Dorez. Three roster changes that CFBB made for Istanbul saw three players born in 2001 come on, making four total who can play in this tournament the next two seasons, as well. And yet, CFBB was unstoppable in Istanbul despite having just four 1999-born players.

CFBB opened the ANGT Finals with a 19-point win over the reigning champion U18 FC Barcelona Lassa. The French team then took down U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, which won the 2014 title and reached the EB ANGT Championship Game in 2015 and 2016, by 15 points. Then, CFBB handled U18 CSKA Moscow by 12 points to reach the title game. There, this young team remained composed, with just 8 turnovers, to grab the organization's second trophy, following 2010, when it won as U18 INSEP Paris.

One more point on what makes the CFBB title all the more impressive. This group of players really does not know what it's like to win games. As part of its agreement with French basketball leaders, CFBB plays in the country's third division against adult teams and cannot be relegated. And against that older competition, the future leaders of French basketball went winless this season: that’s right, 0-34. So this CFBB team's only wins all season came in the EB ANGT.

However, the trio of CFBB leaders – Ivan Fevrier, the EB ANGT Finals MVP; fellow All-Tournament Team member Yanik Blanc; and Timothe Bazille – share a common bond: one victory in the French third division wearing the CFBB colors. They teamed together to beat Caen 93-87 on April 16, 2016. That victory snapped a four-year (!) losing streak of 142 games dating back to January 21, 2012. And CFBB has now lost 36 games in a row since then.

So, a tip of the hat to CFBB. Félicitations!

The CFBB-Mega championship game matchup was not one many people would have picked coming into Istanbul. Both teams were wild cards, having lost the EB ANGT Kaunas and EB ANGT Belgrade finals, respectively. Mega's duo of Goga Bitadze, who made the All-Tournament Team with an outstanding tournament, and Nikola Miskovic carried Mega as far as they could.

Mega was able to knock off U18 Real Madrid by 10 points on the first day of action in Istanbul, which proved to be one of the most exciting group-stage days in EB ANGT history.

Not only did Mega beat Madrid – considered by many as the favorite to win the title – but CSKA started the day by surprising Zvezda. CFBB followed up that upset by beating Barcelona. Then, after the Mega win over Madrid, host team U18 Fenerbahce Istanbul upended U18 Zalgiris, leaving the four qualifying tournament winners trying to make up the numbers the rest of the way.

CSKA Moscow remains the EB ANGT record champion with three titles, having won back-to-back-to-back in 2004, 2005 and 2006. But 2007 was the last time the Russian giant played in the EB ANGT Finals. The team definitely deserved to be in Istanbul on a wild card after a third-place finish in Kaunas.

This CSKA team gave Moscow fans reason to be excited after they had not seen much young talent come up through its own ranks recently. The guard trio of Aleksandr Ershov, Alexander Khomenko and Yury Umrikhin gets hearts racing just watching them play the fast-paced style that made CSKA the top scoring team in the ANGT qualifiers. After being named the ANGT Kaunas MVP – including one game with 37 points – Ershov averaged a shade under 15 points as CSKA beat two of the last three continental champions with comeback wins over Zvezda and Barcelona. Oh, and Ershov is 2000-born, meaning he can play in the ANGT next season as well.

As we close the latest chapter of the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT and look forward to the 2018 EB ANGT Finals in Belgrade, let's look back briefly at some other memories that will fill the pages of the 2016-17 history book.

The 2016-17 season witnessed the birth of a new qualifying tournament in Coin as well as the EB ANGT debuts of U18 Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, U18 Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, U18 Get Better Academy Prague and U18 Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens.

EB ANGT L'Hospitalet host team U18 Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet gave the home fans plenty to celebrate as it reached the semifinals just two seasons after picking up its first-ever ANGT victory in 2014-15.

The L'Hospitalet qualifier also saw U18 Herbalife Gran Canaria Las Palmas' 2.15-meter center Aleksander Balcerowski compete in the three-point shooting contest.

The ANGT Kaunas will be fondly remembered for the Chinese trio from U18 Canarias Basketball Academy Las Palmas. And, of course, for Zalgiris winning its fourth straight qualifier at home. Zvezda meanwhile extended its EB ANGT Belgrade winning streak to seven straight titles. And Madrid won its third qualifier in a row, this time in Coin, after two crowns from L'Hospitalet.

The 2016-17 season was full of excitement throughout and now we can all look forward to next season.

Theo Maledon averaged 10 points in four games to help U18 CFBB Paris reach the ANGT title

Nikola Miskovic - U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Nikola Miskovic had 61 points for U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade in four games, including the championship game

Martynas Arlauskas - U18 Zalgiris Kaunas - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Martynas Arlauskas and U18 Zalgiris Kaunas could not show their usual dominance in the tournament

Dmitrii Gusenkov - U18 CSKA Moscow - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Dmitrii Gusenkov and U18 CSKA Moscow had a couple of big comebacks but they didn't make the final game

Khadim Sow - U18 Real Madrid - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Khadim Sow of U18 Real Madrid averaged 6.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in Istanbul

Cengizhan Ivedi was one of U18 Fenerbahce Istanbul's main players with 10.3 points per game, but the team could not make the title game

Andrija Marjanovic - U18 FC Barcelona Lassa - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 - Andrija Marjanovic and U18 FC Barcelona Lassa could not defend the title they won back in 2016

Stefan Momirov - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - ANGT Final Four Istanbul 2017 -  Stefan Momirov and U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade were far from being the dominant team they usually are in Istanbul

Yanik Blanc was one of the main factors of U18 CFBB Paris to reach the title

Yury Umrikhin of U18 CSKA Moscow averaged 10 points in the three games played by his team

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Check out all the champions and MVPs of the Euroleague Basketball U18 Tournament over the 15 years in which it has become the greatest gathering of young basketball talent in the world!

Euroleague Basketball U18 Tournament champions (2003 - 2017)

[2017 - Istanbul, Turkey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2016-17%20ISTANBUL&team=All%20teams)

U18 CFBB Paris **65 - 58** U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Ivan Fevrier, CFBB Paris*

[2016 - Berlin, Germany](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2015-16%20BERLIN&team=All%20teams)

U18 FC Barcelona Lassa **90 - 82** U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Borisa Simanic, Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade*

[2015 - Madrid, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2014-15&team=All%20teams)

U18 Real Madrid **73 - 70** U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Luka Doncic, Real Madrid*

[2014 - Milan, Italy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2013-14&team=All%20teams)

U18 Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade **55 - 42** U18 Real Madrid

*Finals MVP: Vojislav Stojanovic, Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade*

[2013 - London, United Kingdom](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2012-13&team=All%20teams)

U18 Club Joventut Badalona **82 - 59** U18 FC Barcelona Regal

*Finals MVP: Agustí Sans, Club Joventut Badalona*

[2012 - Istanbul, Turkey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2011-12&team=All%20teams)

U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius **88 - 70** U18 Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul

*Finals MVP: James Metecan Birsen, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul*

[2011 - Barcelona, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2010-11&team=All%20teams)

U18 KK Zagreb **76 - 65** U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

*Finals MVP: Dario Saric, KK Zagreb*

[2010 - Paris, France](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2009-10&team=All%20teams)

U18 FMP Belgrade **73 - 83** U18 INSEP Paris

*Finals MVP: Livio Jean-Charles, INSEP Paris*

[2009 - Berlin, Germany](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2008-09&team=All%20teams)

U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius **110 - 123** U18 FMP Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Dejan Musli, FMP Belgrade*

[2008 - Madrid, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?season=2007-08&team=All%20teams)

U18 AXA FC Barcelona **70 - 80** U18 FMP Belgrade

*Finals MVP: Dejan Musli, FMP Belgrade*

[2007 - Athens, Greece](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2006-07&team=All%20teams)

U18 FMP Belgrade **74 - 78** U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

*Finals MVP: Donatas Motiejunas, Zalgiris Kaunas*

[2006 - Prague, Czech Republic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2005-06&team=All%20teams)

U18 CSKA Moscow **59 - 55** U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

*Finals MVP: Ivan Nelyubov, CSKA Moscow*

[2005 - Moscow, Russian Federation](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2004-05&team=All%20teams)

U18 CSKA Moscow **97 - 64** U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

*Finals MVP: Vasily Zavourev, CSKA Moscow*

[2004 - Tel Aviv, Israel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2003-04&team=All%20teams)

U18 Montepaschi Siena **62 - 90** U18 CSKA Moscow

*Finals MVP: Vasily Zavourev, CSKA Moscow*

[2003 - Barcelona, Spain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/?round=Game%204&season=2002-03&team=All%20teams)

U18 Zalgiris Kaunas **87 - 80** U18 Maccabi Tel Aviv

*Finals MVP: Rolandas Alijevas, Zalgiris Kaunas*

u18-cfbb-paris-is-the-new-champ-angt-final-four-istanbul-2017-eb16-7tp9s4sfqawxvaoe.jpg

### U18 CFBB Paris wins ANGT title!

U18 CFBB Paris is the 2016-17 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT champion after defeating U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade 65-58 in the championship game on Sunday morning at Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul. It is CFBB's second EB ANGT title after the 2010 event, which it won under its former name INSEP Paris. CFBB dominated the fourth quarter 24-12 to stage a come-from-behind victory. Ivan Fevrier led the way with 17 points, Yanik Blanc scored 15 and dished 5 assists and Theo Maledon added 13 points for the new champs. Goga Bitadze dominated inside for 17 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks for Mega, which as a team outrebounded CFBB 28-45. However CFBB moved the ball well and totaled 22 assists and just 8 turnovers, while Mega turned the ball over 19 times. Nikola Miskovic added 15 points and Altin Islamovic had 11 in defeat.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/game-center/2016-17-istanbul/u18-cfbb-paris-u18-mega-bemax-belgrade/JTF416/13/#boxscore)

EB ANGT Finals Championship Game Highlights: U18 CFFB Paris-U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade

Blanc got CFBB going with a fast break layup but Miskovic bettered that with a triple and Bitadze added an acrobatic basket for a 2-5 Mega lead. Bitadze hit a jumper and got help from Aleksa Matic and Miskovic to boost Mega's lead to 6-13. Sofiane Briki struck from downtown, igniting a 13-0 run in which Fevrier and Blanc combined for seven points to give CFBB a 19-13 edge. A layup by Bitadze and dunk by Miskovic brought Mega within 19-17 after 10 minutes. CFBB made its opponent go scoreless for almost six minutes. Meanwhile, Fevrier had six points in an 11-0 run which Maledon capped with a three-pointer, making it a double-digit game, 30-17. Mihailo Jovicic had five points in an 0-8 run that brought Mega within 30-25. Blanc buried a rainbow triple but Jovicic and Bitadze kept their team within 33-28 at halftime. 

EB ANGT Finals MVP: Ivan Fevrier, CFBB Paris

Fevrier and Maledon scored around the basket soon after the break but Miskovic and Bitadze fueled a 1-16 run that Jovicic capped with a layup, good for a 38-44 Mega lead. Maledon hit a three-pointer but a put-back layup by Bitadze fixed the score at 41-46 after 30 minutes. Islamovic followed a layup with a jumper but Timothe Bazille and Fevrier kept CFBB closer, 45-50. CFBB found a go-to guy in Briki, who struck twice from downtown in a 12-0 run that put his team ahead for good, 57-50. Islamovic and Bitadze tried to change things for Mega but three-pointers by Maledon and Blanc seemed to seal the outcome, 63-54, with three minutes left. An Islamovic jumper made it a 5-point game, but Mega went on to miss its last five shots and Fevrier’s jumper in the final minute wrapped up the win.

ANGT Finals 2017 Istanbul

After leading U18 CFBB Paris to its second-ever title at the Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Finals on Sunday, Ivan Fevrier was named MVP.

ANGT MVP Fevrier of Paris headlines All-Tournament Team

Fevrier, 18, was fifth in the tournament in scoring with 16.8 points per game, including a team-high 17 in Sunday’s championship game victory over U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade. He scored in double figures in all four games in Istanbul as Paris marched through undefeated. Fevrier also contributed 5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2 steals per game.

Joining Fevrier on the All-Tournament Team are teammate Yanik Blanc, U18 Real Madrid’s Dino Radoncic, Sergi Martinez of U18 FC Barcelona Lassa and Mega center Goga Bitadze. Blanc led the tournament with 2.8 steals per game. He was tied for eighth in scoring with 15.3 points after making 10 of 19 three-point attempts (52.6%) and tied for seventh in assists with 4.0 per game. Radnoncic, Martinez and Bitadze were first, second and third in scoring, respectively, in Istanbul. Radoncic ranked in the top 10 in scoring (26.0 ppg.), rebounding (eighth, 6.3 rpg.), assists (fifth, 4.7 apg.), steals (seventh, 2.0 spg.) and blocks (fifth, 0.7 bpg.). Martinez ranked second in both scoring (22.0 ppg.) and steals (2.3 spg.). He also produced 5.3 points and 2.7 assists for Barcelona. Bitadze dominated inside to lead the competition in rebounding (10.0 rpg.) and blocks (3.8 bpg.) in addition to his 17.7 points. He helped Mega reach the championship game and produced 17 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks in defeat. Luka Samanic, who is a year younger than most of the players in the event, earned the Rising Star Trophy after averaging 8.7 points and 6 rebounds for Barcelona.

U18 CFBB Paris is the 2016-17 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT champion after defeating U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade 65-58 in the championship game on Sunday morning at Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul. It is CFBB's second EB ANGT title after the 2010 event, which it won under its former name INSEP Paris. CFBB dominated the fourth quarter 24-12 to stage a come-from-behind victory. Ivan Fevrier led the way with 17 points, Yanik Blanc scored 15 and dished 5 assists and Theo Maledon added 13 points for the new champs. Goga Bitadze dominated inside for 17 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks for Mega, which as a team outrebounded CFBB 28-45. However CFBB moved the ball well and totaled 22 assists and just 8 turnovers, while Mega turned the ball over 19 times. Nikola Miskovic added 15 points and Altin Islamovic had 11 in defeat.

Blanc got CFBB going with a fast break layup but Miskovic bettered that with a triple and Bitadze added an acrobatic basket for a 2-5 Mega lead. Bitadze hit a jumper and got help from Aleksa Matic and Miskovic to boost Mega's lead to 6-13. Sofiane Briki struck from downtown, igniting a 13-0 run in which Fevrier and Blanc combined for seven points to give CFBB a 19-13 edge. A layup by Bitadze and dunk by Miskovic brought Mega within 19-17 after 10 minutes. CFBB made its opponent go scoreless for almost six minutes. Meanwhile, Fevrier had six points in an 11-0 run which Maledon capped with a three-pointer, making it a double-digit game, 30-17. Mihailo Jovicic had five points in an 0-8 run that brought Mega within 30-25. Blanc buried a rainbow triple but Jovicic and Bitadze kept their team within 33-28 at halftime. Fevrier and Maledon scored around the basket soon after the break but Miskovic and Bitadze fueled a 1-16 run that Jovicic capped with a layup, good for a 38-44 Mega lead. Maledon hit a three-pointer but a put-back layup by Bitadze fixed the score at 41-46 after 30 minutes. Islamovic followed a layup with a jumper but Timothe Bazille and Fevrier kept CFBB closer, 45-50. CFBB found a go-to guy in Briki, who struck twice from downtown in a 12-0 run that put his team ahead for good, 57-50. Islamovic and Bitadze tried to change things for Mega but three-pointers by Maledon and Blanc seemed to seal the outcome, 63-54, with three minutes left. An Islamovic jumper made it a 5-point game, but Mega went on to miss its last five shots and Fevrier’s jumper in the final minute wrapped up the win.

### [Game Info](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/game-center/2016-17-istanbul/u18-cfbb-paris-u18-mega-bemax-belgrade/JTF416/13/#boxscore)

U18 CFBB Paris is the 2016-17 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT champion after defeating U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade 65-58 in the championship game on Sunday morning at Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul. 

U18 CFBB Paris wins ANGT title

U18 CFBB PARIS v U18 MEGA BEMAX BELGRADE (2017-05-21T07:00:00.000Z)

Talent is good to have, but possessing a strong character and making yourself into a well-rounded, educated individual is even more vital to having success in basketball. 

Blatt, Osman give EB ANGT players lessons about character

Those were the messages the future stars of European basketball learned at the 2017 Euroleague Basketball ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT Players Educational Session.

The players from the eight teams at the EB ANGT were given the opportunity at the session to learn life lessons from former Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion head coach David Blatt of Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul and Cedi Osman from EuroLeague side Anadolu Efes Istanbul.

"Character is the most important thing I learned – to have confidence, to study and to have character," U18 CFBB point guard Sofiane Briki said. "It was a big opportunity to learn from Osman and his experience. I really learned a lot." U18 FC Barcelona Lassa guard Arnas Velicka called Blatt's messages "inspiring".

"Coach Blatt’s talk was really motivational and inspiring," Velicka said.

"We need to work hard every day and just be a good person - not only on the basketball court but off the court too. It was very inspiring."

Blatt and Osman were invited to talk to the EB ANGT players at the annual educational session. And the former Maccabi head coach Blatt enjoyed the gathering as much as the players did.

"After this talk that we all had together I feel better than I do after most wins. Because it’s very meaningful and very important when you get a chance to interact and to learn from other people and to have some impact on kids’ lives. It means a lot to me," Blatt said.

The Darussafaka coach’s biggest messages were having character and being educated. Blatt was aware that many of the players on hand did not understand everything he was saying. But that made his point that much more important. "There is nothing more important for your career if you want to get to a high level than to learn English. To communicate wherever you go," Blatt told the session.

"Before you take your next shot, get your next rebound, or open your phone and play all those dumb games you play, I want you to get an application to teach you words. Learn them in your free time instead of playing games. You’re going to need it."

He talked about the players having coaches from other countries in the future, teammates from multiple countries and living in other countries. And the main communication avenue is the English language.

"English is critical and you need to take it seriously," he said.

Blatt also said that a player having good character is crucial.

"Your reputation is what people think you are. Your character is who you really are inside."

Have heart and desire and a strong work ethic, urged the coach. And reach for a book instead of a smartphone.

"Understand you have to educate yourself. Your life is not only about basketball. Your mind must become more than just the basket and the ball," said Blatt.

Osman told the players of his tough beginnings in the game as he moved from FYROM to Bosnia and Herzegovina and then to Turkey.

"I always played to win. And then playing in the second division in Turkey, I didn’t lose my faith. You need to believe in yourself and always give your best," said Osman, who played at the EB ANGT in 2011-12.

The 22-year-old also told the players to start taking care of their bodies. And the Anadolu guard added that his approach is team first: "I am always thinking about how to help my team. The team is always first."

The third speaker in the session was Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Brand and Communication Director for Euroleague Basketball, who talked to the players about how to better understand what it means to be and become a professional.

"When you come to the EuroLeague and its clubs, what you find is a totally different world than what you know beforehand," Ferrer said.

"You have to do your job – the game on the court and off the court. … Our job is to grow the business and the fan base, and you play a special role."

Blatt finished the session off with a task for the players: "I suggest everybody here make five new friends, and not players from your country."

He said that is a major help in character building.

Six former winners have come to Istanbul looking to have their names engraved on the trophy as the 2016-17 EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT champions in this historic 15th edition of the annual under-18 showcase event.

EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL ADIDAS NEXT GENERATION TOURNAMENT preview

U18 FC Barcelona Lassa is the reigning champion and the Spanish giant is hoping to become the first repeat winner since U18 FMP went back-to-back in 2008 and 2009. Seven different teams have won the crown in the seven years since FMP last hoisted the hardware – and all seven of them had won the title for the first time in club history.

That is just one of the many storylines as the ANGT Finals tip off on Thursday, May 18 at Ahmet Comert Arena, adjacent to the Sinan Erdem Dome – site of this weekend’s Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four as well as the ANGT Championship Game.

The breakdown of round-robin play has Barcelona playing in a Group A with three other past continental champs: U18 CSKA Moscow, which has won a record three titles as well as the only three-peat from 2004 to 2006; U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, which has reached the title game in each of the past three years and won it in 2014; and 2010 winner U18 CFBB Paris. Barcelona and Zvezda are two of the four ANGT Qualifiers winners; Barcelona won the title at ANGT L’Hospitalet and Zvezda claimed victory at ANGT Belgrade.

Group B has two former ANGT trophy-holders in U18 Zalgiris Kaunas, the ANGT Kaunas winner, which won the inaugural tournament in 2003 and added a second title in 2007; and U18 Real Madrid, which won its first crown in 2015 and enters the ANGT Finals as winner of the ANGT Coin event. The other two teams in the group are the only ones to have not planted a flag at the summit of European junior basketball. U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade is making its second ANGT Finals appearance after reaching the final at ANGT Belgrade; while U18 Fenerbahce Istanbul is the host club and also reached the championship game in 2012.

Istanbul could witness one club taking home two trophies for just the third time as three of the teams in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four also have sides in the ANGT Finals – CSKA, Madrid and Fenerbahce. CSKA and Madrid have both won the EuroLeague-ANGT double; CSKA accomplished it in 2006 and Madrid in 2015.

While every game in the group stage will be hotly-contested, perhaps the most intriguing game could be the last one in Group A when Zvezda takes on Barcelona in a repeat of last year’s title game – and a battle that will include a number of key players back from the fateful day in Berlin. There are also several enticing potential championship game matchups, including Barcelona versus Madrid in a battle of Spanish powers; the Belgrade derby between Zvezda and Mega; and CFBB against Zalgiris, which would be a repeat of the ANGT Kaunas final.

The ANGT Championship Game hours before the EuroLeague title game could also be a precursor for the same game later in the evening as CSKA could match up against either Fenerbahce or Madrid in both finals.

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