The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament qualifiers move to Italy this week. The ANGT Varese tips off on Friday, April 1. Here are some of the young talents to keep an eye on.
ANGT Varese players to watch
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Neoklis Avdalas U18 Panathinaikos Athens
Avdalas will be playing at his first ANGT event. The 2006-born guard has also not yet played for Greece’s youth national teams, but he has made his debut for Panathinaikos’s first team. Avdalas in December 2021 became the youngest Greek player to score in the EuroLeague when he did so against ALBA Berlin. He is already 2.00 meters tall and still growing. Avdalas has good ball control for his height as well as great court vision and basketball IQ. He also is a good midrange pull-up jumper. Once he becomes stronger that will help him be more aggressive and attack the rim more as his drive and finishing around the basket still must improve.
Jacob Ensminger U18 ratiopharm Ulm
Ensminger will be playing in his third ANGT after he collected 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a combined 30 minutes in two games at the 2019-20 ANGT Munich and then averaged 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals at the 2020-21 ANGT Valencia. Ensminger, who is the younger brother of former ANGT participant Zach Ensminger and the son of long-time German League star Chris Ensminger, is currently averaging 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals in the German third division. He is also playing in the fourth division Regionalliga and the U19 NBBL league. Ensminger is a 2.04-meter point guard who is a team player and can impact the game in a variety of ways, including rebounding, passing, defending multiple positions and scoring from the perimeter or inside. He also has an excellent basketball IQ.
Aday Mara U18 Casademont Zaragoza
Mara will be lining up for his second ANGT after he collected 8.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks at the 2020-21 ANGT Istanbul, including 18 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks in the opening game against U18 Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The 2005-born big man has yet to play for Spain at the national team level because his generation did not play internationally last summer. The 2.18-meter tall Mara plays predominantly in the Spanish fourth division, where he has averaged 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocks. He has also played in the Spanish second division and also made his FIBA Europe Cup debut with 2 points and 2 rebounds in 7 minutes against Reggio Emilia. Mara is a smart player with a great basketball IQ who must improve his strength and his hook shot in the paint.
Benjamin Marchiaro U18 Varese Academy
Marchiaro will be making his second ANGT appearance after he played on loan with U18 Stellazzurra Rome at last season’s ANGT Istanbul and he averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals. The native of Argentina came to the Varese Academy in 2020 from Ceres, Santa Fe, where he won the national U15 championship in 2019. Marchiaro can play as a combo-guard, relying on very good shooting range plus the ability to finish close to the basket with both hands. He can also pull up from mid-range or find an open man for the assist.
Samuele Miccoli U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan
Miccoli will be making his ANGT debut in Varese. The 2006-born Miccoli is 1.90 meters tall and can play both guard positions. He has averaged 17.5 points, 3.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 steals in the U17 Italian League as well as 10.1 points, 2.7 assists, 4 rebounds and 2.2 steals in the U19 Italian League. He was named the MVP at the last Iscar Tournament with the U16 Italian national team and was the top scorer with 20.3 points. Miccoli is an explosive player with great game vision, and he is a good passer. He can play well in one-on-one situations thanks to his great athletic skills and physical power. Miccoli is also a solid on-ball defender.
Jordi Rodriguez U18 Joventut Badalona
Rodriguez is playing in the ANGT for the second time after contributing 3.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists at the ANGT Valencia. He played at the FIBA U18 European Challenger 2021 and averaged 14.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game for Spain. The Barcelona native has been with Joventut since he was 4 years old. The shooting guard mainly plays on Joventut’s fourth division team - where he averages 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals - but also has appeared in seven games in the second division LEB Gold. Rodriguez has great skills as a shooter and also has the offensive talent to create his shot. He is still developing his passing skills though.
Zacharie Perrin U18 Next Generation Team Varese
Perrin will be playing his first ANGT tournament. The French power forward plays for French club Antibes Sharks. He played at the FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021 and averaged 9.2 points. 6.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks. The left-handed big man likes to get out and run - and immediately looks to get out in transition - and can handle the ball in the open court. He’s quick for his size, likes to finish at the rim, including on alley-oops. Perrin is a crafty passer with good vision, which he often uses to look for quick outlet passes after rebounds. He is a good shot-blocker and rebounder.
Rayan Rupert U18 Paris PFYM INSEP Paris
Rupert will be playing in the ANGT for the second time after appearing at the ANGT Belgrade in 2019-20 at two years under the maximum age. He compiled 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 18 minutes over two games. Rupert played for France at the FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021 where he averaged 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals. The PFYM captain has been worth 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game in the French third division this season. Rupert is an all-around excellent offensive player and the shooting guard has a great pull-up jumper as well as a strong mentality.