The guard heads to the finals for the third straight season
Mega’s Kroflic thrilled with chance to play ANGT Finals after injury
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U18 Mega MIS Belgrade has become one of the most successful teams in the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament. And Urban Kroflic is thrilled to have a chance to show the continent why that’s the case at the ANGT Finals after coming back from an injury.
Mega claimed the ANGT crown in 2022 and reached the ANGT Championship Game in 2017 and 2019 - making the Serbian side one of just eight teams to reach the title bout at least three times. U18 Real Madrid is the only one to match the feat since 2017.
Kroflic was thrilled to hear the news that Mega was given one of the wild cards for the season-ending tournament that takes place as part of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four.
"When I heard that we received a wild card, I was very happy and excited. Mega is a regular at the ANGT Finals from 2016 and I am glad we are continuing that streak,” said Kroflic, who will be playing at the ANGT Finals for a third time after helping the U18 Next Generation Select Team reach the ANGT Championship Game in Belgrade in 2022 and playing with Mega in 2023.
Kroflic in 2021-22 played for two Next Generation teams, initially playing at the ANGT Ljubljana event. One of the biggest things he looked back on from that season was getting to play under select team head coach Vassilis Spanoulis.
“The experience was amazing. I couldn’t believe that I was able to talk with great Vassilis Spanoulis. He helped me a lot through every game - both on offense and on defense,” he said about his time as a 16-year-old in 2022.
The games in Berlin later this month will be Kroflic’s first ANGT action since last season’s ANGT Finals in Kaunas as the Slovenian missed this season’s ANGT Belgrade tournament with an injury.
“Being unable to play at ANGT Belgrade was so frustrating for me because I couldn’t help my team on the court and I had to watch it from the sidelines,” said Kroflic.
The wing said Mega feels comfortable going into the ANGT Finals in Germany.
“Coming to the tournament, we don’t feel much pressure. I think if we play like a team and give everything on the court, I am sure that we can be very successful,” he said.
Kroflic and some of the Mega players will come into the tournament on a high note after the club won the U19 Adriatic League for a fourth straight time. The games at the U19 ABA Final Four in Novi Pazar, Serbia in mid-April were actually Kroflic’s first games returning from his knee injury.
He scored 20 points to go with 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the U19 ABA final - a 79-60 win over SC Derby.
The U19 ABA Final Four came about a week after Kroflic signed a multi-year contract with Mega, where he joined in 2022.
“When I got the offer from Mega, I set down with my family and we decided that I have to go because Mega is the best basketball club for young players to develop and chase their dreams,” he said about joining Mega after previously playing two seasons in Spain at Spanish Basketball Academy. “I stayed here in Belgrade because I want to develop myself into a better basketball player and at the same time a better person.”
Mega has built a major reputation of developing young players with a number of them reaching the NBA, including former EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic and reigning EuroLeague MVP Nikola Jokic.
“Through the history of Mega, I would say it’s their system that makes it so special. Everybody in the club is very dedicated to players. We have great conditions in the club and players get the chance to play at a very high level of basketball at a young age,” he said.
Kroflic and Mega now have another chance in Berlin to show what makes them so special.