The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament series continues on Friday, February 10 with the second qualifying tournament at Dimitris Tofalos Arena in Patras, Greece. With eight clubs from five countries and players hailing from dozens of nations, it will be a true international basketball celebration. Here's a primer on some of the top talents to keep an eye on in Patras.

#### [ANGT Patras welcomes another Wembanyama on Friday](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/one-team/news/angt-patras-welcomes-another-wembanyama-on-friday/)

### Veniamin Amposi, U18 Olympiacos Piraeus

Amposi will be playing in his second ANGT despite still being a year younger than the age cut-off. At last season’s ANGT Patras, the guard averaged 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Last summer Amposi helped Greece take fourth place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 with 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds. He also made his Greece League debut on December 27, 2022, versus Karditsas. Amposi is a wing who can defend all four guard and forward positions. He is very athletic, can get to the rim and excels in transition. Amposi is very intelligent and has a high-level understanding of the game. The weakness in his game is outside shooting.

### Johann Gruenloh, U18 RASTA Vechta

Gruenloh will be making his ANGT debut as is Vechta. He averaged 5.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 block at the FIBA U16 European Challenger 2021. The 2.10-meter center was the U19 German League Rookie of the Year in 2022 and helped Vechta reach the U19 championship game last season. Gruenloh has made five appearances in the German second division while averaging 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 3.4 blocks in the third division as well as 11.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in the U19 league. Gruenloh practices every day with the pro team in the second division and is very ambitious with great character. One of his biggest strengths is his anticipation for blocking shots. He also rebounds well. Gruenloh's work ethic stands out and his shot is improving, though he still needs to work on positioning and adding more offensive moves.

### Matteo Porto, U18 Orange1 Bassano

Porto will be playing in his second ANGT after he tallied 10.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season at ANGT Ljubljana. He did not play a lot of minutes but he will be the go-to guy this season. The 2.01-meter guard is a two-dimensional scorer who is very powerful in one-on-one penetrations thanks to his big-time athleticism. Porto’s power helps him in situations in the post and he also rebounds well. He still needs to work on his defense, both on and off the ball.

### Ruben Prey, U18 Joventut Badalona

Prey will be playing in his third ANGT season after he went for 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks last year at ANGT Varese. The Portuguese center averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks at ANGT Valencia in 2020-21. Last summer, he played at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2022 and collected 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks. He is playing predominantly with Joventut’s fourth-division team and is averaging 14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals. Prey is very versatile and explosive with his size, allowing him to make an impact at both ends of the court. He can dribble the ball from the outside and is improving his finishing near the rim. Prey also is working on his three-point shot. 

### Tidjane Salaun, U18 Cholet Basket

Salaun will be making his debut in the ANGT with Cholet, which is also a debutant in the competition. The athletic 2.05-meter wing moved from CFBB Paris to Cholet last year and is flourishing in the U21 France League, averaging 13.4 points on 38.7% three-point shooting, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He also took part in the Basketball Without Borders European camp last June. Salaun is a good three-point shooter and is active without the ball while being a good presence on the glass. He also has good physical and athletic abilities. He still needs to work on his ball-handling, using the pick-and-roll, and patience. 

### Ben Saraf, U18 Next Generation Team Patras

Saraf will be playing for the Next Generation Team Patras for a second season after he collected 9.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season. The 2006-born guard played for Israel at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 and led the tournament in scoring with 24.3 points and ranked fourth in assists 4.1 to go with 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals. He is playing for Maccabi Netanya in the Israeli second division and is collecting 13.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Saraf is one of the best offensive players in his age group. He can score in many different ways; he’s a great three-point shooter and loves to attack the basket. Saraf needs to improve his understanding of when he needs to play more for his teammates than himself and to improve on defense. 

### Yohann Sissoko, U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 

Sissoko will be making his debut in the ANGT as a player one year younger than the competition's age cut-off. The 1.92-meter shooting guard is averaging 6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in the U21 French League after helping the club win the U18 French League title last season. Sissoko is a strong finisher with excellent one-on-one skills. He has a quick first step and burst as well as good athleticism and ball-handling skills. He still must improve his knowledge of the game as well as his outside shooting. 

### Nikolaos Vasileiou, U18 Promitheas Patras

Vasileiou is playing his third ANGT season after playing 3 minutes in one game in 2019-20 and then averaging 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 2021-22. The 1.97-meter shooting guard also has played two seasons for Patras in the 7DAYS EuroCup, averaging 2.5 points in 12 minutes per game over eight contests. Vasileiou is very athletic, can drive to the rim and cuts well to the basket. He is also a good ball-handler and spot-up three-point shooter. Vasileiou excels in shooting threes off screens. On defense, he is helped by his good size. 

ANGT Patras players to watch

The Euroleague Adidas Next Generation Tournament returns to Patras with the second qualifying tournament of the season taking place in western Greece from February 10-12. Former champion U18 Joventut Badalona headlines an eight-team field that also includes two debutants while U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne will be looking to take first place in its qualifier for a second consecutive season. The winner of Sunday’s first-place game will grab the second ticket to the ANGT Finals, where it will join ANGT Munich winner U18 Real Madrid at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas from May 19-21, 2023.

The eight teams are broken down into two groups with each team taking on the others in its group round-robin style. The winners of the two groups will square off in the first-place game. The breakdown of the teams is as follows: Group A has host side U18 Promitheas Patras, 2013 continental champion Joventut and debutants U18 Cholet Basket from France and Germany’s U18 RASTA Vechta. Group B consists of French side ASVEL, U18 Olympiacos Piraeus of Greece, Italian team U18 Orange1 Bassano and the U18 Next Generation Team Patras, which will be coached by Petteri Koponen. 

The big name in Group A is Joventut, which has played in the competition every season since 2007-08 and is making its 16th appearance overall. The last time Joventut won a qualifying tournament was ANGT L’Hospitalet in 2017-18 when it beat U18 FC Barcelona in the first-place game. After third place finishes at ANGT Valencia and ANGT Kaunas, Joventut lost to Barcelona in the 2020-21 ANGT Valencia first-place game. Last season Joventut took third place at the ANGT Varese. Promitheas will be playing in the ANGT for the fourth time, taking eighth place at the 2017-18 ANGT L’Hospitalet and sixth place at 2019-20 ANGT Munich followed by eighth place without a victory as ANGT Patras host team last season. The other two teams in Group A are first-timers Cholet and Vechta. 

The team with the most ANGT appearances in Group B is ASVEL, which will be playing in the competition for the ninth time overall and sixth in a row. The French club had back-to-back showings in 2008-09 and 2009-10 and has been back every year since 2017-18. Despite finishing sixth at the 2020-21 ANGT Valencia, ASVEL was invited to the 2021 ANGT Finals and lost to eventual champion U18 Real Madrid by just 2 points. Last season was ASVEL’s big breakthrough, taking first place at the ANGT Belgrade. But in the ANGT Finals, ASVEL lost 83-82 in the second game to the Next Generation Select Team to miss out on the ANGT Championship Game. Olympiacos is playing in the competition for the seventh time overall and second straight. After playing in 2005-06 and 2006-07, the Reds returned in 2017-18 and took fourth place at ANGT Munich. That was followed by third place at ANGT Belgrade and sixth place at ANGT Valencia. After not playing in 2020-21, Olympiacos finished seventh at the ANGT Patras last season. Bassano is back for a second straight season. The emerging Italian program went winless at ANGT Ljubljana - albeit with two losses by 4 points or fewer in its debut. The fourth team is the NGT Patras team.

Joventut headlines ANGT Patras tournament

[Hugo Gonzalez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/hugo-gonzalez/011649/) showed at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Munich that he can be a leader. And part of the reason the young Real Madrid player could do that was because of his role with Spain at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022.

Gonzalez helped Real to first place at the ANGT Munich and won the MVP award after he averaged 19.2 points on 58.8% on two-point shooting and 62.2% on three-pointers to go with 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks.

"It’s an important tournament and I am really happy to have contributed to the team," said Gonzalez, who was playing in the ANGT for the first time and is one year younger than most of the competition.

Gonzalez poured in 22 points to go with 3 rebounds and 4 steals in Real’s 84-64 victory over Zalgiris in the first-place game. That locked up Real’s spot in the ANGT Finals, which will take place at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas in May.

"We achieved our goal. We came here for this and to reach the ANGT Finals. I am really happy about the team’s performance," he said. "I hope we can continue to play well in our \[domestic\] league and then in May arrive in Kaunas and win it - because we need to."

Gonzalez’s performance against Zalgiris isn’t the first time he played well on a big stage. Last summer, he averaged 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists at the U17 World Cup, which was also an event for the 2005-born generation. Gonzalez saved his best game for the final against the United States in which he collected 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 79-67 loss.

"Because I was playing with an older generation, I learned how to play without the ball, I learned to go hard for rebounds and how to contribute on defense. And I think I have improved in that stage," said Gonzalez, who showed he belonged on the court with the Americans with his highlight reel plays.

Gonzalez also has already made his debut in the Spanish League this season, scoring 4 points on 1-of-1 shooting and 2-of-2 on free throws for a PIR of 5 against Monbus Obradoiro. That made him the fourth youngest debutant in club history behind only Luka Doncic, Roberto Nunez and Usman Garuba. Gonzalez arrived at Real in 2017 from CB San Agustin de Guadalix. Both of his parents - Paco Gonzalez and Montserrat Pena - played basketball at Madrid club Estudiantes.

Gonzalez and Spain finished second last summer at the U17 World Cup. Gonzalez has now helped Real take first place at the ANGT Munich, but Real’s real goal can only be achieved in Kaunas at the ANGT Finals when Gonzalez hopes to lead Real to its third ANGT crown.

ANGT Munich MVP Hugo Gonzalez leans on lessons learned

Hugo Gonzalez was named the Most Valuable Player of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Munich after guiding U18 Real Madrid to first place and a spot at the ANGT Finals. Gonzalez was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Real teammate Jan Vide as well as Justas Stonkus from Zalgiris Kaunas, Jack Kayil from ALBA Berlin and Panathinaikos Athens forward Alexandros Samontourov. 

Gonzalez scored 22 points and added 3 rebounds and 4 steals in Real’s 84-64 victory over Zalgiris in the first-place game. For the tournament, Gonzalez averaged 19.2 points on 58.8% two-point shooting and 62.2% on three-pointers, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks for a PIR of 19.8. He was third in scoring, second in blocks, sixth in index rating and seventh in steals.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is the Best Starting Five from ANGT Munich!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AdidasNGT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AdidasNGT</a> <a href="https://t.co/uZeOdZJX7q">pic.twitter.com/uZeOdZJX7q</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1617215136443568128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

2021 ANGT champion Vide contributed 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks against Zalgiris and finished the tournament with 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks for an index rating of 21.5. Vide ranked third in PIR, tied for fifth in scoring and blocks and tied for eighth in assists.

Stonkos earned his spot on the All-Tournament Team as he tallied 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in the loss to Real. He averaged 17.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals and a PIR of 13.2. Stonkus was tied for fifth in scoring and was first in fouls drawn (7.0).

Kayil stood out for the fourth-place finisher, ALBA, pouring in 18.5 points to go with 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.8 steals for an index rating of 26.2. The German guard, who also shot 60.9% on two-pointers and 52.9% on three-pointers, ranked fourth in points, second in PIR, tied for fifth in assists and first in steals. 

Samontourov was the leader of a Panathinaikos team that won two games and finished fifth. The forward collected 22.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.5 blocks for a PIR of 27.2. He finished as the tournament’s leader in scoring and PIR and was tied for second in steals and blocks and eighth in rebounds.

Hugo Gonzalez named MVP as Real Madrid takes ANGT Munich crown 

U18 Real Madrid v U18 Zalgiris Kaunas (2023-01-22T15:00:00.000Z)

The final game of the EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament is upon us in Munich, Germany. Follow U18 Real Madrid and U18 Zalgiris Kaunas in the battle for the trophy and a ticket to the ANGT Finals. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented [players to watch](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/j2223-angt-munich-players-to-watch/) from the eight clubs in the tournament.

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ANGT Munich blog: Real Madrid advances to ANGT Finals after beating Zalgiris

The final day of the EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament is underway in Munich, Germany. Follow U18 ALBA Berlin and U18 Next Generation Team Munich in the battle for third place. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented [players to watch](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/j2223-angt-munich-players-to-watch/) from the eight clubs in the tournament.

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ANGT Munich blog: ALBA vs. NGT Munich

U18 ALBA Berlin v U18 Next Generation Team Munich (2023-01-22T13:00:00.000Z)

Renars Sondors - U18 Next Generation Team Munich - ANGT Munich 2023 (photo FCBB) - JT22

The final day of the EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament is underway in Munich, Germany. Follow U18 ratiopharm Ulm and U18 Panathinaikos Athens in the battle for fifth place. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented [players to watch](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/j2223-angt-munich-players-to-watch/) from the eight clubs in the tournament.

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ANGT Munich blog: Ulm vs. Panathinaikos

U18 ratiopharm Ulm v U18 Panathinaikos Athens (2023-01-22T11:00:00.000Z)

U18 FC Bayern Munich center Desmond Yiamu is playing at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Munich less than a year after fleeing his native Ukraine due to the ongoing war. He was living with his parents and older brother in Kharkiv, Ukraine, when Russia launched its invasion last February.

"I thought everything would be okay, but we had to flee,” Yiamu said.

The family left its house in Kharkiv on March 7, 2022, and traveled by train through Hungary to Berlin and then to Munich, where Yiamu’s father’s brother was living.

When asked what he took with him from home, Yiamu said: “Basketball shoes, jerseys and some clothing.”

Now nearly 11 months later, the house where the 16-year-old lived is no longer standing.

Yiamu still has friends back home and remains in contact with them.

"\[The war\] is horrible and I really hope it stops really soon,” Yiamu said.

Yiamu explained that he and his family do not want to go back to Ukraine. Although Yiamu was born there, his parents both hail from Nigeria and moved to the eastern European country more than 20 years ago to study at the university.

Yiamu is still very new to basketball. After previously playing left back in football, he only started playing basketball in 2019. But he quickly took to the game and rose in the ranks in Ukraine.

Last summer, he played for his homeland at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2022 Division B and averaged 12.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his first international competition.

After arriving in Munich, Yiamu went to the Bayern campus in April and contacted the club’s U16 coach and started training with the team. This season he is playing with the U19 team and is averaging 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 20 minutes.

Bayern’s coaches included Yiamu in the roster for the ANGT Munich, and he has peaked a lot of interest with his strong play as one of the team's top players with 10.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals through Bayern's first three games.

“I like playing in this competition because there are a lot of good players, and it’s a good chance to watch other good players and good teams,” Yiamu said.

The big man prospect admitted that he had never heard of the ANGT while in Ukraine but he had high hopes in basketball: “I always wanted to be a professional player from when I started."

That was back in 2019 when Desmond Yiamu’s world was still in order.

Bayern’s Yiamu focuses on basketball after fleeing Ukraine

The final day of the EuroLeague Adidas Next Generation Tournament is underway in Munich, Germany. Follow U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and U18 FC Bayern Munich next in the battle for the seventh place. Here's your guide to some of the young and talented [players to watch](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/j2223-angt-munich-players-to-watch/) from the eight clubs in the tournament.

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Follow live commentary of the ANGT Munich qualifier all weekend long.

ANGT Munich blog: Milan vs. Bayern

U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v U18 FC Bayern Munich (2023-01-22T09:00:00.000Z)