Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese MVP Zacharie Perrin was the talk of the event.

Perrin’s route to Antibes helps him become ANGT Varese MVP

Perrin took the ANGT Varese by storm for the Next Generation Team Varese and averaged 17.7 points on 62.4% two-point shooting, 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 6.0 fouls drawn for an index rating of 23.0. NGV reached the first-place game at ANGT Varese to become the first Next Generation Team to get that far.

One of the things that separates Perrin from the many top talents in France is that the center’s rise came at a second division team and not at one of the country’s youth talent powerhouses.

“I am really happy about this because it’s really hard to be named MVP of the ANGT because there are a lot of good players,” said Perrin, who ranked first in scoring and PIR and second in rebounds and fouls drawn.

Perrin tallied 11 points and 7 rebounds in the first-place game, which his team lost to U18 PFYM INSEP Paris. It was a game that meant a lot to the 2.07-meter big man because it was against the famed French institution, which included five players who were his teammates on France’s team at the FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021.

“I was happy about playing against them. I know them really well and it was really cool,” said Perrin, who had played with Rayan Rupert, Melvin Ajinca, Alexandre Bouzidi, Simon Correa and Mael Hamon Crespin.

EB ANGT Varese MVP Highlights: Zacharie Perrin, U18 Next Generation Team Varese

Those players are also playing at PFYM, which is one of the most established and successful producers of French players. Perrin did not receive that opportunity. Nor did places like LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Cholet or SIG Strasbourg come calling for the big man who hails from Besancon, which is located in eastern France near the border with Switzerland.

“The very well-known places did not really see my potential at the time as I was not developed yet,” said Perrin, who started playing the game at age 9 and eventually headed down to the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice to join Antibes. “The offer that Antibes made me was very fitting and I thought it was a great way for me to develop as a player and as a person.”

Playing for the ProB second division club also gave the youngster more chances.

“It’s been great for me because it gives me an opportunity to play for different categories - U18, U21 and professional. I also train with the pros and have been in a few games,” said Perrin, who has collected 4 points and 4 rebounds in 7 minutes over two games in the second division. “Instead of playing with a well-known first division team where playing time would be limited, Antibes is much more interested for me to develop.”

That’s not to say that Perrin automatically was able to shine with Antibes’s first team.

“It was pretty tough at the beginning. The difference between the younger categories and the pros was a big jump for me. But I’ve been training for four or five months now and I have adapted and the coach has shown a lot of trust in me,” he said. “It has helped me develop physically - to play tougher, stronger, and develop my tactical vision and technical skills. The physicality is much tougher so I have to show my skills as well to earn some minutes.”

Perrin said his style of play - an inside-outside offensive game while blocking shots and getting steals on defense - is very similar to his role model.

“I’ve always worshipped and watched Anthony Davis because he’s a tall player who is very versatile, has a great shot, handles and skills. That is something that has always inspired me. Not to just be a big man that can score under the basket but also shoot from the three-point line and be versatile,” Perrin said.

The world is definitely seeing Perrin and his game now - even if that wasn’t the case early on.

Zacharie Perrin - U18 Next Generation Team Varese - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

Aday Mara has already accomplished some big things in his young career and the U18 Casademont Zaragoza big man draws inspiration from someone else from the northeastern Spanish city who has reached big heights early as well - Carlos Alocen.

Mara finds inspiration from fellow Zaragoza native Alocen

Mara had some highs and lows at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese. He collected 7.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocks for an average performance index rating of 11.5 Those stats ranked him eighth in rebounds and first in blocks as one of the most talented big man prospects in Varese.

A major reason Mara was able to shine was his experience from the ANGT Istanbul last season, when he posted 8.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks despite being two years younger than the rest of the competition.

“Last year’s ANGT helped me a lot mentally. Since I already had the experience of facing a high level of competition, my concentration off the court grew and that helped me to be more focused on it,” said Mara, whose best game in Varese saw him tally 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists for an index rating of 25 against U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan.

The ANGT Varese is Mara’s second major highlight this season - the first coming on November 17 when he made his Zaragoza first team debut in the FIBA Europe Cup.

“When the game started, I thought I would play 1 or 2 minutes at the end of the game. When \[head coach\] Jaume \[Ponsarnau\] called me to go in, I got really surprised because the game was at the beginning and it was tied. I started really nervous, but then I get used to it,” said Mara, who finished with 2 points and 2 rebounds in 7 minutes against Reggio Emilia.

The big man said playing in that game was a great experience and serves as a major motivation for him.

“To play and practice at that level helps me a lot. The game is faster and harder and every mistake is penalized. You need to be more focused on the game to take better and faster decisions when playing,” he said.

Zaragoza is a club that does not shy away from putting in young players if they are ready. Alocen is the club’s youngest debutant at 15 years and 10 months and the third-youngest player in Spanish League history. He served as Zaragoza’s captain at just 18 years of age and in the summer of 2019 signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid.

“What Carlos did is really difficult. To play in the ACB is really difficult, but to perform like him and at such an important club, is even more difficult,” Mara said of Alocen, who is spending his second season with Real but is currently out for the season injured. “He is an inspiration and makes me also want to do what he did. Thanks to that, I am working even harder to achieve it.”

Just like Alocen, Mara not only hails from Zaragoza but he has sports in his blood. His father, Francisco Javier Mara, played in the Spanish League for Zaragoza while his mother Angelica Gomez was one of Spain’s best volleyball players, competing for many years on the national team.

“My mother, and my father as well, help me a lot off the court. Her advice from her competitive experiences is really helpful,” said Mara, who was already 2.18 meters tall at 16 years of age. “What they insist the most is to play without pressure, focus on having fun when going on the court and take advantage of these experiences that make me grow as a player and person.”

Armed with bloodlines of two athletes as parents, a club that gives youngsters chances to shine and inspiration from a EuroLeague player from his same city, Aday Mara should expect a career full of highlights.

Aday Mara - U18 Casademont Zaragoza - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

Zacharie Perrin was named the Most Valuable Player of the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese qualifying tournament for helping guide U18 Next Generation Team Varese to the first-place game.

NGV's Perrin named MVP at ANGT Varese

Perrin collected 11 points and 7 rebounds in that game though it was not enough as U18 PFYM INSEP Paris prevailed 41-71. Still, Perrin was the leading figure on the first of the three Next Generation Teams to advance to the first-place game thus far. Perrin was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Noah Benda and Melvin Ajinca from PFYM as well as Ruben Prey and Jordi Rodriguez from third-place finisher U18 Joventut Badalona.

Perrin averaged 17.7 points on 62.4% two-point shooting, 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 6.0 fouls drawn for an average performance index rating of 23.0. He led the tourney in scoring and PIR and ranked second in rebounds and fouls drawn.

Penda came off the bench in the first-place game and collected 13 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. He averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 14.5 PIR for the weekend, ranking third with 3.5 offensive rebounds, third in steals, fifth in PIR and sixth in rebounds. Ajinca tallied 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in the first-place game. All told, he averaged 10.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.8 steals and a 13.0 PIR. Ajinca ranked fourth in steals.

Prey finished the tournament with 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds - including 3.2 on the offensive glass, 0.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks for a PIR of 14.0. He was third in scoring, fourth in offensive rebounds and blocks, sixth in index rating and tied for eighth in steals. His teammate Rodriguez finished the tournament with 15.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.2 steals and a 13.2 PIR while shooting 44.7% on three-pointers - including making 7 in one game, which was just one off the single-game ANGT record. Rodriguez ranked second in scoring, first in triples made per game (3.8), tied for eighth in steals and ninth in index rating.

Zacharie Perrin MVP - U18 Next Generation Team Varese - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

All-Tournament team ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

Best 5, Noah Penda - U18 PFYM INSEP- ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

Best 5, Ruben Prey - U18 Joventut Badalona - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

Best 5, Zacharie Perrin - U18 Next Generation Team Varese - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

Best 5, Melvin Ajinca - U18 PFYM INSEP- ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

Best 5, Jordi Rodriguez - U18 Joventut Badalona - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

[U18 Next Generation Team Varese 41-71 U18 PFYM INSEP Paris](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2021-22-varese/u18-next-generation-team-varese-u18-pfym-insep-paris/JTV21/16/)

Two-time continental champion PFYM held NGV scoreless for more than 9 minutes in the third quarter and reeled off 19 straight points to take control of the game. Aurele Brena-Chemille led PFYM with 14 points while Noah Penda came off the bench for 13 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Zacharie Perrin was the leading scorer for NGV with 11 points to go with 7 rebounds and David Gomez scored 10 points in the loss.

[U18 Joventut Badalona 52-43 U18 Casademont Zaragoza](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2021-22-varese/u18-joventut-badalona-u18-casademont-zaragoza/JTV21/15/)

Joventut, the 2013 continental champion, held Zaragoza scoreless for the final 4:53 minutes and forced 29 turnovers to get the victory. Ruben Prey poured in 22 points with 6 rebounds and Conrad Martinez added 13 points for the winners. Miguel Flores tallied 11 points and Manuel Zapater added 10 points for Zaragoza, which despite the loss still had its best-ever ANGT finish of fourth place after taking fifth at ANGT Istanbul last year.

[U18 Varese Academy 70-57 U18 ratiopharm Ulm 70-57](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2021-22-varese/u18-varese-academy-u18-ratiopharm-ulm/JTV21/14/)

Varese went on a 10-0 run in the final 3 minutes to collect its second victory in its maiden appearance in the competition and finish in fifth place. Benjamin Marchiaro scored 17 points with 8 rebounds, Zhao Wei had 16 points and Karl Poom tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Ulm was paced by 16 points from Simeon Dimitrov.

[U18 Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 49-51 U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2021-22-varese/u18-panathinaikos-opap-athens-u18-ax-armani-exchange-milan/JTV21/13/)

Milan captured seventh place with the win. Lionel Abega decided the game on a three-pointer with 58 seconds left as Milan collected its second victory of the event. Abega paced the winners with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Lamine Tandia added points and 9 boards. Panathinaikos, which did not win a game in Varese, was led by Emmanouil Dimou with 13 points.

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris locked up its spot at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals by defeating U18 Next Generation Team Varese 41-71 in the ANGT Varese first-place game. 

PFYM takes first place at ANGT Varese!

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris champ 3ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris locked up its spot at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals by defeating U18 Next Generation Team Varese 41-71 in the ANGT Varese first-place game.

PFYM takes first place at ANGT Varese, books ticket for ANGT Finals

The two-time continental champion held NGV scoreless for more than 9 minutes in the third quarter and reeled off 19 straight points to take control of the game. Aurele Brena-Chemille led PFYM with 14 points while Noah Penda came off the bench for 13 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, Melvin Ajinca had 12 points and 7 rebounds and Wilson Jacques added 6 points and 11 rebounds. Zacharie Perrin was the leading scorer for NGV with 11 points to go with 7 rebounds and David Gomez scored 10 points in the loss.

PFYM went to Brena-Chemille early on with two layups among 5 points for a 2-5 lead. The rest of the team struggled to find their range while Gomez knocked down 2 three-pointers and NGV was up 8-5. After Brena-Chemille added a steal and dunk, Stellan Rajaofera scored twice at the other end to put NGV up 12-7. It took more than 8 minutes for someone other than Brena-Chemille to score with Mael Hamon Crespin’s steal and dunk after PFYM had made just 3 of 16 shots. Jacques also hit for the French side but Gomez’s layup had the selection team up 18-11 after 10 minutes.

NGV failed to score on its first three possessions of the second quarter and Penda’s dunk cut the deficit to 18-15. The PFYM scoring difficulties came back and NGV moved ahead 23-15. Perrin’s three-point play made it 28-19. Penda came up with a three-point play for PFYM but NGV kept coming and Perrin’s layin made it a double-digit game, 33-23. PFYM had missed its first six three-pointers, but Ajinca and Alexandre Bouzidi hit from deep and the score was 33-31 at the break.

Gomez scored the first basket of the second half on the team’s first possession, but PFYM turned up its defense. NGV failed to score for the final 9:23 minutes of the third quarter, missing 4 two-pointers, 4 three-pointers and 6 free throws while committing 8 turnovers. Brena-Chemille and Penda combined for 10 points in a 0-19 run to pull ahead 35-50 after 30 minutes.

Ajinca opened the fourth quarter with a score and Ege Tan Yildizoglu finally scored again for NGV - snapping an 11:04-minute scoreless drought. PFYM was not ready to give up the game and scored another 14 straight points in the final frame to decide the game for good.

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris champ 4ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 Next Generation Team Varese v U18 PFYM INSEP Paris (2022-04-03T16:00:00.000Z)

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris champ ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris champ 2ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris champ 5ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris champ 7ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 PFYM INSEP Paris champ 6ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 Joventut Badalona secured third place at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese by fending off U18 Casademont Zaragoza 52-43 in an all-Spanish battle.

Joventut beats Zaragoza for third place

Joventut, the 2013 continental champion, held Zaragoza scoreless for the final 4:53 minutes and forced 29 turnovers to get the victory. Ruben Prey poured in 22 points with 6 rebounds and Conrad Martinez added 13 points for the winners. Miguel Flores tallied 11 points and Manuel Zapater added 10 points for Zaragoza, which despite the loss still had its best-ever ANGT finish of fourth place after taking fifth at ANGT Istanbul last year.

Flores opened the scoring for Zaragoza and Zapater made it 0-6. Joventut failed to score for nearly the first 6 minutes before Jordi Rodriguez finally put the team on the scoreboard. Prey followed with 2 three-pointers to knot the game at 8-8 before Carlos Alias netted the final 4 points of the first quarter and Zaragoza led 8-12 after 10 minutes. Neither team scored in the first 2 minutes of the second quarter until Gerard Bosch’s free throw. After Pavle Stosic made it 9-14, Prey scored 4 points and Martinez knocked down a triple to make it 16-14. Alejandro Moreno and Flores both hit from deep and Zaragoza went to the locker room ahead 20-23.

Prey continued his strong game with another triple among his 5 points as Joventut went up 29-25. Prey added 6 more points as the lead grew to 35-29. The game remained tight and Flores knocked down a pair of three-pointers and Zaragoza tailed just 40-37 after 30 minutes. Martinez scores 5 points early in the fourth quarter as the cushion swelled to 46-39. Zapater trimmed it to 48-43 with under 5 minutes to play, but Zaragoza could not score the rest of the game and Joventut added 3 more free throws for the win.

Ruben Prey - U18 Joventut Badalona - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 Joventut Badalona v U18 Casademont Zaragoza (2022-04-03T14:00:00.000Z)

Host U18 Varese Academy clinched fifth place at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese after defeating U18 ratiopharm Ulm 70-57. Varese went on a 10-0 run in the final 3 minutes to collect its second victory in its maiden appearance in the competition. 

Debutant Varese beats Ulm for fifth place

Benjamin Marchiaro scored 17 points with 8 rebounds, Zhao Wei had 16 points, Karl Poom tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds and Valdo Guimdo added 11 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Ulm was paced by 16 points from Simeon Dimitrov, and Samuel Schally had 15 points.

Poom scored 4 points as Varese jumped ahead 6-2. Marchiaro buried 2 three-pointers and Mauro Villa also hit a triple in an 18-4 close to the first quarter for a 26-10 lead. Loic Bosso connected from deep and the cushion grew to 31-12 early in the second quarter. Ulm struggled to stay close and trailed 38-24 at intermission.

Ulm had a great start to the second half with Dimitrov, Lucca Bretz and Schally all hitting three-pointers in a 3-17 run to pull ahead 40-41. Marchiaro knocked down another triple to stop the surge and Varese led 45-43 after 30 minutes. Varese looked to put the game away to start the fourth quarter with the first 7 points for a 52-43 cushion. Ulm pulled as close as 55-50 and it was 60-54 when Zhao hit a three-pointer and 4 free throws in the deciding 10-0 run that decided the contest.

Benjamin Marchiaro - U18 Varese Academy - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 Varese Academy v U18 Ratiopharm Ulm (2022-04-03T12:00:00.000Z)

U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan captured seventh place at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Varese by knocking off U18 Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 49-51. 

Milan downs Panathinaikos for seventh place

Lionel Abega decided the game on a three-pointer with 58 seconds left as Milan collected its second victory of the event. Abega paced the winners with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Lamine Tandia added points and 9 boards. Panathinaikos, which did not win a game in Varese, was led by Emmanouil Dimou with 13 points and Neoklis Avdalas had 11 points and 5 rebounds in the defeat.

 

Davide Trovarelli knocked down a pair of three-pointers as Milan jumped ahead 2-12 in the first 3 minutes. Dimou and Ioannis Avdalas both hit triples for the Greens before Marco Restelli connected from deep at the other end. Georgios Xoxakos scored 7 points as Panathinaikos finished the first quarter on a 10-2 run to lead 18-17 after 10 minutes. Dimitrios Deimezis pushed the lead to 20-17 to start the second quarter. Milan answered with the next 5 points to move back ahead only to see Panathinaikos get a three-pointer from Ioannis Avdalas and lead 28-26 at the break.

 

Neoklis Avdalas knocked down a three-pointer for a 33-28 lead and a Dimou triple had the Greens ahead 38-32. Samuele Miccoli and Restelli both hit from long range and the game was even again 40-40 with the score 41-40 after 30 minutes. Panathinaikos scored the first 3 points of the fourth quarter and a Neoklis Avdalas triple extended the lead to 47-42. After Restelli’s three-pointer evened the game 47-47 with 81 seconds remaining, Neoklis Avdalas hit a runner in the lane with 68 seconds left only to have Abega knock down a triple and put Milan up 49-50 with 58 seconds to play. Panathinaikos failed to score on its next possession and Abega split free throws with 10 seconds left. Neoklis Avdalas missed a layup in the final second.

Lionel Abega - U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan - ANGT Varese 2022 (photo Alessia Doniselli) - JT21

U18 Panathinaikos OPAP Athens v U18 AX Armani Exchange Milan (2022-04-03T10:00:00.000Z)