LIVE BLOG: U18 Next Generation Team Dubai vs. U18 Valencia Basket

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U18 Next Generation Team Dubai 82-67 U18 Valencia Basket

U18 Next Generation Team Dubai v U18 Valencia Basket (2024-03-22T09:30:00.000Z)

LIVE BLOG: U18 ratiopharm Ulm vs. U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki

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U18 ratiopharm Ulm 83-67 U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki

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LIVE BLOG: U18 Dubai Falcons Basketball Academy vs. U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

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U18 Dubai Falcons Basketball Academy 60-88 U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

U18 Dubai Falcons Basketball Academy v U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-03-22T05:00:00.000Z)

One of the world's premier youth basketball showcases will be played in the United Arab Emirates for the first time.

ANGT Dubai players to watch

Qualifying for the Euroleague Basketball Adidas EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament Finals continues this weekend in a new location with the third of the four qualifiers being held in Dubai for the first time. The United Arab Emirates will see eight top-tier junior teams arrive for the event and they will seek to join ANGT Podgorica winner U18 Real Madrid and ANGT Belgrade winner U18 FC Barcelona, which already secured their spots at the ANGT Finals to be played in May alongside the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin. The last of the qualifying events will be in Paris on March 29-31. One thing that all ANGT events have in common is that it is a stage for tomorrow's top talents to shine on. Here are some names to watch out for from each of the eight teams in Dubai.

### Matteo Baiocchi, U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna

Baiocchi will be playing in the ANGT for the first time. The 2007-born Bologna native is a 1.96-meter combo guard. He missed out on the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with an injury but participated in every camp for the Italian 2007-born players. Baiocchi has averaged 13 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the U19 Italian LBA Next Gen Tournament while also posting 16.1 points in the Italian U17 championship and 12.3 points in the domestic U19 championship. Baiocchi is a talented and physical player, who is versatile and can cover different positions. He still needs to improve his pull-up jumper and his post-up game to become a complete player. 

### Jorge Carot, U18 Valencia Basket

Carot will be playing his third ANGT after he averaged 4.5 points and 2.0 rebounds at the ANGT Belgrade last season. The 2.05-meter big man can play both the power forward and center positions. He helped Spain take second place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022 with 9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. Carot is splitting time this season between Valencia’s second team in the Spanish third division and third team in the fourth division. He has been worth 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds for Horta Godella in the third division and 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in the fourth league. Carot is strong and can defend multiple positions - both inside and outside. He is physical and can rebound well. Carot can play in the low post with a variety of moves and he plays through physicality. He can also run the court and sometimes attacks from the outside. 

Jorge Carot, U18 Valencia Basket

### Noa Essengue, U18 ratioipharm Ulm

Essengue will be playing his third ANGT season after he averaged 13.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals at the ANGT Belgrade for PFYM Paris. The 2.05-meter forward moved to Germany in the off-season to join ratiopharm Ulm. Before that, he helped France reach the semifinals of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2023 with 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.1 steals. In nine German League games with the professional first team, Essengue has averaged 3.0 points and 0.4 rebounds in 4.4 minutes. He has also been worth 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.3 minutes over seven BKT EuroCup contests. He has been playing predominantly for Ulm’s team in the third division and dominating with 19.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks. Essengue twice has scored 30 or more points and has four games with 13 or more rebounds. Essengue is capable of defending multiple positions because of his length and athleticism. Offensively he has developed his shot and ball handling since his arrival in August. He still needs to improve his three-point shot as well as passing off the dribble.

### Miikka Muurinen, U18 Next Generation Team Dubai 

Muurinen is one of the top Finnish talents since Lauri Markkanen and the 2.08-meter forward will be making his ANGT debut in Dubai. The 2007-born Muurinen starred at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023, where he averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 2.0 blocks. He spent the 2022-23 season in Spain playing for Zentro Basket and this season is playing at Sunrise Christian High School in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States. Muurinen is long and mobile and shoots the ball very well. He possesses great athleticism and can finish above the rim. 

### Nedas Raupelis, U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

Raupelis will be competing in his second ANGT season after he averaged 2.0 points and 1.8 rebounds at the ANGT Munich. At the ANGT Finals, the 2.05-meter center stepped up his game and had 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block. Raupelis helped Lithuania take the title at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022 with 8.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. This season he has averaged 3.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in the Lithuanian second division, including a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds on March 11. Raupelis is a mobile big man who is a great shot blocker and pick-and-roll player. He is also a good rebounder and passer. He is still working on his shooting and his lateral movement. 

Nedas Raupelis, U18 Zalgiris Kaunas

### Yohann Sissoko, U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

Sissoko will be playing in the ANGT for a second straight season after he starred at the ANGT Patras, averaging 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists to earn All-Tournament Team honors. In the French U21 league this season, the 1.94-meter guard has averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He has six times attempted 10 or more free throws in a single game. Sissoko is a very good one-on-one player, a great driver, and has a strong ability to create for himself and his teammates. He needs to develop his shooting, which is currently unstable, but Sissoko is seen as a true team leader.

### Filippos Tsachtsiras, U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki 

Tsachtsiras will be making his ANGT debut, just like Aris. The 2.05-meter power forward averaged 10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.7 steals at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2022, where Greece reached the semifinals. Tsachtsiras is playing this season for APS Navarchos Votsis in the Greek fourth division and has also played in the Greek U18 league, where he averaged 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals. The big man understands the game well, has a good post-up game and also can shoot from the outside. He is a tenacious rebounder despite lacking elite athleticism. One of his weaknesses is his dribbling skill which if improved would make him an even greater threat when playing with his face to the basket.

### Aleksa Vlajic, U18 Dubai Falcons Basketball Academy

Vlajic will be making his second appearance in the ANGT after he played 2:50 minutes over two games for Crvena Zvezda Belgrade at last season’s ANGT Belgrade. The 2.07-meter Serbian center has also played for Mega Belgrade and is competing this season with Dynamic Belgrade, having already debuted in the Serbian first division. In the Serbian U19 league, Vlajic is averaging 12.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists for Dynamic. For Dubai in the U19 ABA Adriatic League, Vlajic tallied 20.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in three games. He is a modern big man who can play both power forward and center while playing the low post or with his face to the basket. Vlajic has good pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop games thanks to his good shooting from three-point range. He is an excellent rebounder and is improving from a physical standpoint. 

One of the world's premier youth basketball showcases will be played in the United Arab Emirates for the first time 

Former Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament champion U18 Zalgiris Kaunas will headline the first-ever ANGT Dubai with an eight-team field in the United Arab Emirates’ largest city also including powerhouse U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and first-time participants U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki and U18 Dubai Falcons Basketball Academy. The winner of the March 22-24 tournament will be the third team to lock up a ticket to the ANGT Finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Berlin following ANGT Podgorica winner U18 Real Madrid and U18 FC Barcelona, which finished first at the ANGT Belgrade. 

The eight teams have been divided into two four-team groups and they will face each other in round robin style. The two teams finishing first in their respective groups will square off Sunday in the first-place game at the Coca-Cola Arena, with the winner of that game advancing to the ANGT Finals. Group A has ASVEL, Aris, Dubai and U18 ratiopharm Ulm while Group B consists of Zalgiris, U18 Valencia Basket, U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna and U18 Next Generation Team Dubai. 

ASVEL is competing in the competition for the 10th time and seventh in a row. Last season the French team lost to U18 Joventut Badalona in the ANGT Patras first place game. Ulm has played in the last six ANGTs with the German team finishing a best third place in 2020-21 Valencia. Last season, Ulm ended the ANGT Munich in sixth place with a 1-3 record. The Aris senior team is playing in the BKT EuroCup this season for the first since the 2015-16 season, while its youth team will be making its ANGT debut. Also making its debut will be local host side Dubai, which also played in the U19 ABA Adriatic League this season. 

The favorite in Group B will be the only continental winner in the field, 2003 and 2007 champion Zalgiris, which also finished as runner-up in 2005, 2006 and 2011. The Lithuanian side has participated in the ANGT competition every season since its inception in 2002. The last time Zalgiris won a qualifying tournament came at the ANGT Kaunas in 2018-19. Zalgiris lost to U18 Real Madrid in the ANGT Munich first-place game last season and then went 1-2 at the ANGT Finals. Valencia will be playing in the ANGT for the eighth time and the third in a row. The Spanish club won the ANGT Valencia in 2018-19 and had 2-2 records in taking fifth place the last two seasons at the ANGT Belgrade. Valencia knocked off Virtus in the 2018-19 Valencia first-place game, which was the last time the Italian club played in the competition. Virtus will be making its eighth appearance. The fourth team is the NGD select team which will be coached by Petteri Koponen. 

The three-day event will tip off on March 22.

Zalgiris, debutants highlight first-ever ANGT Dubai

The FC Barcelona talent put up some monster numbers in lifting his team to the ANGT Finals.

ANGT Belgrade MVP Jakucionis has taken his leadership to another level

[Kasparas Jakucionis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/kasparas-jakucionis/012197/) already possessed an MVP award from a Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament last season. But the U18 FC Barcelona guard stepped up his all-around game to add another from the ANGT Belgrade.

Jakucionis showed just how versatile his game has become in nearly registering a triple-double in Barcelona’s 104-85 victory over U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the first-place game. 

“I am happy that I can do my best, but I am more happy that the team won,” said Jakucionis, who scored 24 points to go with 11 rebounds and 9 assists for a performance index rating of 37 against Milan.

It would have been the eighth triple-double in ANGT history. 

The Lithuanian averaged 17.0 points on 27-of-27 free-throw shooting, 7.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 6.0 fouls drawn for an average PIR of 29.2 in the tournament.

<center>blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">1st place winning team at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AdidasNGT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AdidasNGT</a> Belgrade U18 <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBbasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBbasket</a> also had the MVP of the tournament, super talented prospect Kasparas Jakucionis 👀👏<br><br>The future is bright for Barcelona! 📈🔥 <a href="https://t.co/DBHP210rHh">pic.twitter.com/DBHP210rHh</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1764545817480692215?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“I’m doing great. I can lead the team. But with only me, we would lose. We need the whole team,” said Jakucionis, who last season won the ANGT Zadar MVP after tallying 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals for a PIR of 25.0. 

“He used to be a scorer but now he is an all-around player,” said Barcelona head coach Carlos Marin about Jakucionis. “He can get rebounds, he can score from three, He can lead the team, setting them up with good passes. He has developed his game at the highest level, trying to match the physicality of the first team. He keeps improving but also the other guys around him. He’s a great player.”

The 1.93-meter guard has dominated this season for Barcelona’s second team in the Spanish fourth division, averaging 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals. He also registered a triple-double of 26 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists against Navas on February 11.

That excellence along with injuries to Barcelona’s guards on the pro team resulted in Jakucionis getting some experience with the professionals. He made his Spanish ACB League debut last season on April 19, 2023, hitting a three-pointer for 3 points in 30 seconds against Granada. At 16 years, 10 months and 18 days old, Jakucionis was the third-youngest player to debut for Barcelona behind only Eric Vila (16 years and 6 months) and Dame Sarr (16 years, 6 months and 18 days).

This season he made his only three-point attempt in scoring 3 points in 3 minutes against Girona on November 26. On January 12, Jakucionis made his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut, playing 1:34 minutes against Zalgiris Kaunas, hitting his only shot for 2 points to go with 1 rebound in front of the home fans at Palau Blaugrana. 

The first basket of Kasparas Jakucionis's EuroLeague career

First basket of Kasparas Jakucionis's EuroLeague career

“It was really nice to play against Zalgiris,” said Jakucionis, who hails from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, and came to Barcelona in the summer of 2021. “I had practiced a few days before and they said I would be registered because there were no other players to play. I was really happy that I got the opportunity. I tried to use it.”

About hearing his name called to enter the EuroLeague game, he said: “It was weird. It was the first time in a EuroLeague game. There were a lot of people and it was just a different game - a professional game and atmosphere.”

Jakucionis played his second Spanish League game of the season nine days later and shot 2-for-2 on three-pointers for 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 3 minutes against Granada.

About playing with the pro team, Jakucionis said: “It was an amazing feeling. It’s a different level and I understand that I have to work a lot more to reach that level.”

U18 FC Barcelona head coach 

“He used to be a scorer but now he is an all-around player.”


Jakucionis is practicing less often with the pro team now because Barcelona’s injured players have returned. Still, he learned a lot from his time with the top team, especially from his fellow Lithuanian Rokas Jokubaitis as well as Jabari Parker and Willy Hernangomez.

“They just give me more confidence and advice about what I should or shouldn’t do on the court and off the court. We also talk about life,” he said. “How to make better decisions, what to do on defense if I get lost or something, they help me to get back.” 

Jakucionis’s experience with the pro team helped him lead the U18 team in Belgrade.

“We completed the objective for now, but we still have another goal to go in Berlin,” Jakucionis said referring to Barcelona booking its ticket to the ANGT Finals in Berlin in late May. “We will celebrate a little for now but then work again hard in practices.”

Jakucionis and Barcelona will be returning to the ANGT Finals and looking for the big prize - to win the continental trophy. 

“We want to win. That’s it.”

ANGT Belgrade MVP Kasparas Jakucionis was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Denis Badalau of Milan, U18 Partizan Belgrade guard Savo Drezgic, Abdramane Siby of U18 Mega MIS Belgrade and Aleksa Stanojevic from U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade.

MVP Jakucionis leads ANGT Belgrade All-Tournament team

Kasparas Jakucionis had double the reason to celebrate at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade as he took home the Most Valuable Player trophy after helping U18 FC Barcelona grab first place in the event.

Jakucionis is used to collecting ANGT hardware after the Lithuanian was named MVP of last season’s ANGT Zadar tournament. The 1.93-meter guard nearly registered the eighth triple-double in ANGT history in Barcelona’s 85-104 victory over U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the first place game with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists to go with 2 steals and 8 fouls drawn for a PIR of 37. For the tournament, he averaged 17.0 points including a perfect 27-of-27 on free throws, 7.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 6.0 fouls drawn for an average PIR of 29.2. Of all players at the ANGT Belgrade, Jakucionis ranked second in PIR and assists, third with 7.2 defensive rebounds, tied for fourth with 6.0 fouls drawn, seventh in steals and eighth in scoring.

Jakucionis was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Denis Badalau of Milan, U18 Partizan Belgrade guard Savo Drezgic, Abdramane Siby of U18 Mega MIS Belgrade and Aleksa Stanojevic from U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade.

Kasparas Jakucionis is ANGT Belgrade MVP

In the first-place game, Badalau collected 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks for an index rating of 27. For the tournament, the 1.97-meter forward tallied 21.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 5.5 fouls drawn for a PIR of 22.5. The Romanian talent was second in scoring, tied for second with 4.8 offensive rebounds, fourth in rebounds and sixth in PIR.

Drezgic made the ANGT Belgrade All-Tournament Team for a second straight edition as he produced 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.8 steals, 8.5 fouls drawn and a 32.5 PIR. He was tops in index rating and fouls drawn, third in scoring, second with 7.5 defensive rebounds, tied for second in steals, fourth in assists and eighth in rebounds.

Mega's 2.14-meter center Siby finished with 18.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.8 blocks for a PIR of 28.8. The Mali-born big man was fifth in scoring, second in blocks, third in PIR, third in total rebounds and tied for fourth in fouls drawn with 6.0. 

Stanojevic led the select team with 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.2 blocks for a 23.5 average index rating. He was tied for second in offensive rebounds with 4.8, fourth in PIR, third in blocks, sixth in rebounds and 10th in scoring.

The ANGT Belgrade MVP All-Tournament Team

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ANGT Belgrade: U18 FC Barcelona beats Milan 85-104 in the final

U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v U18 FC Barcelona (2024-03-03T15:30:00.000Z)

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ANGT Belgrade: U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade 72-81 U18 Partizan Belgrade

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