Malwaya led ASVEL with 22 points in its 73-80 victory over U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade as the club took first place in an ANGT event for the first time in its history. Malwaya also headed the Best 5 of the tournament, where he was joined by Luka Vudragovic of Zvezda, Sergio De Larrea from U18 Valencia Basket, Luka Krajnovic of U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade and Ege Demir from U18 Tofas Bursa.

 

Malwaya finished with 20.0 points per game while shooting 68.6% on 2-pointers, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks for an index rating of 19.8. He was third in points and PIR and 10th in two-point shooting percentage.

Vudragovic finished the first-place game with 19 points on 6 three-pointers and 6 rebounds. His tournament averages were 17.5 points on 44.8% three-pointers, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals for a PIR of 16.8. The Zvezda guard ranked tied for fourth in scoring, fourth in 3-point shooting and ninth in index rating.

 

De Larrea collected 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks for a PIR of 22.8. He was tied for fourth in scoring, third in rebounds, tied for third in assists and second in index rating. Krajnovic averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists for an index rating of 12.2. He was eighth in scoring and ninth in assists. Demir finished the tournament with 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.2 blocks for a PIR of 17.5. The Tofas big man led the tournament in blocks and was ranked 11th in scoring, ninth in rebounds and seventh in index rating.

Killian Malwaya took home the Most Valuable Player award after helping guide U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne to a first-place finish at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade. 

Malwaya named ANGT Belgrade MVP

Killian Malwaya, MVP - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5 - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Sergio De Larrea - U18 Valencia Basket - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Ege Demir - U18 Tofas Bursa - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Killian Malwaya - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Luka Krajnovic - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Best 5, Luka Vudragovic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 73-80 U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne

ASVEL held Zvezda scoreless for the final 5:53 minutes to bring home the win and take first place at an ANGT for the first time in club history. With the victory, ASVEL will be playing at the ANGT Finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. Killian Malwaya scored 22 points to pace five ASVEL scorers in double figures. Francois Wibaut had 15 points, Kymany Houinsou collected 14 points and 10 rebounds, Romain Parmentelot added 13 points, 7 assists and 5 steals and Yaacov Noam chipped in 10 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. It marked the fourth straight season that Zvezda did not finish first at its home ANGT after eight straight first place showings previously. Luka Vudragovic led Zvezda with 19 points but only had one point after the first quarter. Ognjen Matovic tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds and Lazar Djokovic had 10 points in the loss.

Vudragovic sandwiched three-pointers around a Matovic triple and Zvezda led 9-0 as ASVEL was held scoreless its first four possessions until Houinsou’s emphatic dunk. The Zvezda barrage continued with a Djokovic triple and two more Vudragovic three-pointers for an 18-5 lead. ASVEL was able to punish Zvezda’s miscues, getting 9 points off 5 turnovers and getting within 22-18. Vudragovic wasn’t done with 2 more three-pointers as Zvezda went ahead up 28-20. Felix De Almeida and Malwaya connected from long range at the other end and the score was 30-26 after 10 minutes. The frantic pace settled in the second quarter with Noam hitting a three-pointer and Malwaya converting a three-point play to give ASVEL its first lead 30-32. Zvezda needed nearly 4 minutes to finally get on the scoreboard in the second quarter through Matovic. Another basket by Matovic had Zvezda up 37-34 as the scoring game to a screeching halt and the misses started to mount on both sides. Zvezda avoided the turnovers and was able to convert; Vladimir Pavlovic made a three-pointer and three-point play as the lead grew to 48-39 at the break.

 

ASVEL was the team hot from the outside to start the second half with Parmentelot hitting two three-pointers and his layup put the French side back ahead 50-52. It remained tight the rest of the quarter with 4 points being the biggest lead after Filip Radakovic’s triple to make it 64-60. Zvezda held a 67-65 lead after 30 minutes. The gravity of every possession grew and Wibaut scored twice to even the game, 71-71. Nikola Topic put Zvezda ahead 73-71, but the ASVEL defense shined the rest of the way, stopping the host team on the final 12 possessions, including 7 turnovers, and Wibaut scored 4 points before Houinsou’s big fastbreak dunk for a 73-79 lead with 31 seconds to play.

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne booked the first ticket to the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals by fighting past host U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade 73-80 to take first place at the ANGT Belgrade. 

ASVEL is ANGT Belgrade winner!

Luka Vudragovic celebrates - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade v U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne (2022-02-27T15:30:00.000Z)

Kymany Houinsou - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Ognjen Matovic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Romain Parmentelot - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Killian Malwaya - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Kymany Houinsou 2- U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Luka Vudragovic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Ognjen Matovic 2- U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Pavle Misic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Nikola Topic - U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Francois Wibaut - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Romain Parmentelot 2- U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Romain Parmentelot celebrates - U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ 2- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ 4- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ 3- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne Champ 5- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Tofas Bursa - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Eight teams will participate in the first Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament qualifier of the season from February 25 to 27 at Basket City in Belgrade, Serbia.

ANGT Belgrade 2022 calendar

### SUNDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2022

7th Place: [U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade 79-95 U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/u18-partizan-nis-belgrade-u18-lietkabelis-panevezys/)

Lietkabelis secured its first-ever victory at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament by knocking off Partizan 79-95 to take seventh place at the ANGT Belgrade as Rokas Jocys poured in 26 points.

5th Place: [U18 Valencia Basket 101-74 U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/u18-valencia-basket-u18-mega-mozzart-belgrade/)

Valencia finished the ANGT Belgrade on a high note, defeating Mega 101-74 to secure fifth place. Valencia pulled away for good in the second quarter and never was threatened the rest of the way as David Barbera paced five Valencia players in double figures with 15 points.

3rd Place: [U18 Tofas Bursa vs. U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/news/u18-tofas-bursa-u18-next-generation-team-belgrade/)

Tofas grabbed third place in the ANGT Belgrade qualifier by defeating NGB 61-57 after scoring 16 straight points in the fourth quarter. Tofas finished the tournament with three wins after having lost all four games in both of its previous two ANGT appearances.

Final: [U18 Crvena zvezda mts Belgrade 73-80 U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/game-center/2021-22%20Belgrade/u18-crvena-zvezda-mts-belgrade-u18-asvel-villeurbanne/JTB21/16/), 1st place

ASVEL rallied past host Crvena Zvezda 73-80 to take first place. ASVEL held Zvezda scoreless for the final 5:53 minutes to bring home the win. Killian Malwaya scored 22 points to pace five ASVEL scorers in double figures. Francois Wibaut added 15 points and Kymany Houinsou collected 14 points and 10 rebounds. Luka Vudragovic led Zvezda with 19 points but only had one point after the first quarter.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Killian Malwaya, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/adidasNGT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#adidasNGT</a> Belgrade&#39;s MVP 🐐<a href="https://twitter.com/LDLCASVEL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LDLCASVEL</a>&#39;s guard was in beast form as he is named the MVP of the tournament! <a href="https://t.co/yhLCw58bNe">pic.twitter.com/yhLCw58bNe</a></p>&mdash; Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague/status/1497996097008119815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

ASVEL rallied to win ANGT Belgrade title!

Tofas scored 16 straight points in the fourth quarter and Omer Engin hit 2 free throws with 20 seconds left as Tofas finished the tournament with three wins after having lost all four games in both of its previous two ANGT appearances. Kerem Konan led the way with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks while Ege Demir picked up 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks in the win. NGB, which was coached by legendary playmaker Vassilis Spanoulis, finished the tournament with two wins in its debut. Luka Krajnovic paced the selection team with 18 points while Samet Yigitoglu had 6 points and 9 rebounds and Filip Malesevic added 3 points and 11 rebounds.

NGB needed more than 2 minutes to score and Demir tallied 4 points for Tofas in building an 11-3 lead after more than 4 minutes. The selection team held Tofas scoreless for 4 minutes and Krajnovic's three-pointer evened the score at 11-11. It was 13-13 after 10 minutes. Tofas had the better start to the second quarter, leading 19-15. But NGB's defense again held tough while David Pavin and Toni Bilic hit three-pointers in a 0-13 run over 6 minutes to lead 19-28. Pavin hit another triple and the halftime score was 20-31.

Tofas trailed 24-33 when it went scoreless for more than 3 minutes and Filip Jovic scored 4 points in helping NGB push the cushion to 24-40. Konan stopped the rut and hit for 7 points to bring Tofas within 33-42. Yigitoglu responded with two scores and NGB led 37-47 after 30 minutes. Eray Buyukcangaz increased the lead to 12 points to start the final frame before Tofas kept NGB scoreless for more than 5 minutes while Demir and Can Cevikel both had 6 points in a 16-0 run to go in front 53-49. Yigitoglu finally got NGB back on the board and 4 points from Buyukcangaz trimmed the deficit to 58-57 with 73 seconds remaining. After 3 straight turnovers and a NGB missed shot, Engin made both free throws for a 60-57 cushion with 20 seconds left and Cem Kucukozkan split two with 7 seconds to play for the win.

 

U18 Tofas Bursa grabbed third place in the ANGT Belgrade by defeating U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade 61-57. 

U18 Tofas Bursa 61-57 U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade

Luka Krajnovic - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Zinedin Mulic - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Tofas Bursa v U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade (2022-02-27T12:00:00.000Z)

Omer Alp Engin - U18 Tofas Bursa - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Eray Buyukcangaz - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Ege Demir - U18 Tofas Bursa - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Vuk Zivanovic - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Can Cevikel 2- U18 Tofas Bursa - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Arda Konuk - U18 Tofas Bursa - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Can Cevikel - U18 Tofas Bursa - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Luka Krajnovic 2- U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Samet Yigitoglu - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Vassilis Spanoulis - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Tofas Bursa celebrates 2- Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Tofas Bursa celebrates - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Valencia pulled away for good in the second quarter and never was threatened the rest of the way as the Spanish side won two of its four games in the Serbian capital. David Barbera paced five Valencia players in double figures with 15 points while Lucas Mari collected 12 points, 7 rebounds and 12 assists. Pablo Navarro picked up 12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals, Pablo Luengo and Adrian Salvador both scored 11 points, and Sergio De Larrea chipped in 7 points and 10 rebounds. Mega, which finished first at the ANGT Belgrade in 2019 and 2021, was led by Asim Djulovic with 17 points. Petar Avlijas scored 12 points and Nikola Djapa had 9 points and 11 rebounds.

Mega had a slightly better start to the game, leading 2-4 and 5-7 before Valencia went on a 12-2 run to go ahead 17-9. The advantage was 22-15 after 10 minutes. Navarro and Mari both hit three-pointers early in the second quarter as the cushion grew to 30-15. A trio of triples from Luengo made it 48-24 and the score was 52-31 at the break.

Mega did not have the power to get back into the game as Barbera scored 6 points in helping Valencia remain in control 63-37. The Serbian side managed to cut the gap to 19 points but trailed 72-49 after 30 minutes. Little changed as Pablo Silla hit 2 three-pointers early in the fourth quarter to make it 79-53, after which the teams just played out the rest of the game.

U18 Valencia Basket finished the ANGT Belgrade on a high note by defeating U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade 101-74 to secure fifth place.

U18 Valencia Basket 101-74 U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade

Lucas Mari - U18 Valencia Basket - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Valencia Basket v U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade (2022-02-27T10:00:00.000Z)

Asim Djulovic - U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Sergio De Larrea - U18 Valencia Basket - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Sergej Jeremic - U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Jorge Carot - U18 Valencia Basket - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Andrej Paunovic - U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Pablo Navarro- U18 Valencia Basket - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Andrej Musicki - U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Lietkabelis, which was making its debut in the competition, never trailed in the game, bending a couple of times but never breaking to get the historic win. Rokas Jocys poured in 26 points with 5 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the winners while Nojus Lebskas scored 19 points. Kristupas Keinys added 16 points, Kajus Leliukas picked up 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Rytis Sakaitis chipped in 9 points and 11 assists. Partizan, which finished first at the ANGT Belgrade in 2020, did not win a game this time around. Viktor Mikic tallied 26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and Ognjen Stankovic had 22 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals in the loss.

Jocys scored 4 points as Lietkabelis went ahead 2-9 and the Lithuanian side pushed the lead to 11-21. Partizan answered with a 9-0 run over the final 3 minutes of the first quarter to make it 20-21 after 10 minutes. Lietkabelis scored the first 6 points of the second quarter and extended the lead to 20-29. But Partizan responded with the next 8 points to trim the deficit to one point again. Lebskas knocked down 2 three-pointers to keep Lietkabelis ahead and the debutant tallied the final 6 points of the first half to lead 40-52 going into the break.

Partizan used the long ball to get back into the game with Efe Tahmaz hitting 3 triples and Mikic and Marko Krstic hitting another each to pull within 62-63. Lietkabelis remained resilient with a 2-8 close to the quarter to lead 64-71 after 30 minutes. Partizan started the final frame with the first 4 points to pull within 68-71. Keinys and Lebskas hit back-to-back triples as the answer and Lebskas added 2 more three-pointers as the cushion rose to 75-90 with under 4 minutes left. Partizan could not get closer than 11 points over the rest of the game.

U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys secured its first-ever victory at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament by knocking off U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade 79-95 on Sunday to take seventh place at the ANGT Belgrade.

U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade 79-95 U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys

U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade v U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys (2022-02-27T08:00:00.000Z)

Nojus Lebskas - U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Rytis Sakaitis - U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Efe Tahmaz - U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Viktor Mikic - U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Bogdan Zagradanin - U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Momir Tonic - U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Rokas Jocys - U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Marko Tojagic - U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Kristupas Keinys - U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

Tahmaz is playing at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade for a second time, averaging 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in the group phase, during which Partizan went 0-3 in Group A and also lost the seventh-place game to Lietkabelis Panevezys.

The 2.01-meter forward is spending his fourth season with Partizan, coming to Belgrade in 2018 after previously playing in the Besiktas Istanbul system.

"I decided to come to Serbia because of the basketball mentality here. At the same time, it was a huge opportunity for me to play in Serbia, and I didn't want to miss it," said Tahmaz, who picked up 4.8 points and 4.0 rebounds at the ANGT Belgrade last season.

Tahmaz not only was coming to a new team and country but he was making history at Partizan as the first foreign-born player in the club's youth system.

"The adjustment was pretty hard in the beginning because it is a different culture, a different religion, different country. It took me nearly a full season for me to adapt," he admitted.

Helping Tahmaz in the transition was his mother Funda Tahmaz, who played the game at a high level and coached in the Besiktas women's system before the move with her son to the Serbian capital. She coached Partizan's U16 women's team in the family's first year in Serbia and now is working with the Marina Maljkovic academy.

"It was much easier for me having her here because I had more comfort when I was trying to adapt to the system and the country itself," Tahmaz said.

His father is also in basketball and works as an individual skills trainer back in Istanbul.

"One of my first memories of basketball was playing in a fathers and sons tournament with my dad," said Tahmaz, who began with the game around age 9.

Tahmaz enjoys playing in Serbia more than Turkey: "In Turkey, the game is a little more strict with specific game plays. Players in Serbia have more freedom to create on their own."

Despite being outside the country, Turkey's basketball leaders have not lost track of Tahmaz, who played at the FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021 and averaged 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds.

"It was a pretty challenging tournament because we were playing against players one year older than us. I can say it helped me improve my basketball mentality and my outlook on the game," he said of the event, which was for the 2003-born generation.

Even though the ANGT was in Belgrade, he had a feeling of home this weekend as Tahmaz and Partizan faced U18 Tofas Bursa in the first game of the tournament. Tofas players Berke Buyuktuncel and Kerem Konan both played with Tahmaz at the FIBA U18 European Challengers last summer.

"It was so much fun playing against my teammates from the national team and a Turkish team that I really know well," he said.

Tahmaz loves being in Serbia and with Partizan.  

"I cannot say how much it means for me to be playing in such a big club like Partizan for four seasons," he said.

Tahmaz is playing this season for Partizan's U19 team in 1st Serbian division Jedinstvena liga, where he is averaging 11.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals. He has not yet practiced with Partizan's pro team.

Still, the fact that the club has many young players in the pro team – like Yam Madar, Uros Trifunovic, Balsa Koprivica, Gregor Glas and Tristan Vukcevic – gives Tahmaz hope.

"It motivates me a lot because I see if I work hard and put my all in, I know that I can be there and have a chance to play," Tahmaz said.

And it all goes back to his decision in 2018 to leave Turkey for Serbia.

 

Turkish basketball has produced its share of talented players, but the Serbian school of development is what attracted Efe Tahmaz to choose Belgrade over Istanbul. And he is making history at U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade.

Partizan's mentality attracted Turkish talent Tahmaz

ASVEL needed to win by at least 13 points to finish atop a three-way tiebreaker in Group B with Mega and U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade also at 2-1. ASVEL opened the fourth quarter scoring the first 18 points to get the job done. Killian Malwaya led all scorers with 26 points while Yaacov Noam had 15 points, Romain Parmentelot collected 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals and Kymany Houinsou tallied 8 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Mega, which had won the ANGT Belgrade in 2019 and 2021, could not get enough scoring as Asim Djulovic was the only player in double figures with 15 points. Aleksa Milenkovic added 8 points for Mega, which reached the ANGT Championship Game in 2017 and 2019.

ASVEL kept Mega scoreless for the first 3 minutes but only led 4-0. Bogoljub Markovic converted a three-point play and Djulovic hit a three-pointer to even the game 8-8. ASVEL answered with the next nine points for a 17-8 advantage and led 19-14 after 10 minutes. A triple by Parmentelot and Mervyn Muamba’s and-one pushed ASVEL ahead 27-18. Mega trimmed the margin to 27-23 only to see ASVEL put together a 12-2 surge for a 39-25 lead, which was 40-29 at the break.

ASVEL’s 14-point lead early in the second half was trimmed to 43-35. The French side was not fazed and used its athleticism to disturb Mega and extended the cushion to 56-40. And the gap was 59-44 after 30 minutes. ASVEL came out for the fourth quarter with high intensity and kept the Serbian side scoreless for 5 minutes while Malwaya and Houinsou combined for 16 points in an 18-0 run to open a 77-44 lead. Milenkovic finally scored for Mega but the ASVEL attack was not to be slowed down.

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne secured its spot in the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade first place game with a breathtaking 88-52 victory over U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade 88-52 to set up a matchup with host side U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade.

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne 88-52 U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade

U18 ASVEL Villeurbanne v U18 Mega Mozzart Belgrade (2022-02-26T19:00:00.000Z)

U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade secured its second straight victory at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade by knocking off U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys 73-90 in Group B. 

U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys 73-90 U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade

NGB took the first mini-lead at 5-9 after five straight points from Eray Buyukcangaz. Rytis Sakitis and Kristupas Keinys hit three-pointers to put Lietkabelis ahead 13-11, and a Jocys triple made it 20-14. The score was 20-16 after 10 minutes. Yigitoglu scored six points early in the second quarter to get the gap down to one point and Krajnovic’s three-pointer evened the game 28-28. Jocys answered at the other end with two three-pointers and two jumpers to keep NGB at bay and his side ahead 41-35 at intermission.

NGB had the stronger start to the second half with a 4-13 run to pull ahead 47-50. Four points from Pavin had the selection team up 51-56. Nojus Lebskas and Rimkus both hit three-pointers and the game was tied 59-59 after 30 minutes. Lietkabelis failed to score for the first 2 minutes of the final frame but led 63-62 and Lebskas’ three-pointer evened the game 66-66. NGB’s wealth of shot-makers paid off with Mulic hitting two three-pointers and Pavin knocking down one triple in a 0-13 run in just 1:59 minutes to lead 66-79 with less than 4 minutes to play. It wasn’t closer than eight points the rest of the game.

U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade secured its second straight victory at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade by knocking off U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys 73-90 in Group B. NGB, which is making its debut in this event, reeled off 13 straight fourth quarter points to finish group play with a 2-1 record. David Pavin and Zinedin Mulic both scored 18 points pace five NGB players in double figures. Luka Krajnovic had 14 points and 7 assists, Filip Jovic picked up 13 points and Samet Yigitoglu chipped in 11 points and 12 rebounds. Tournament debutant Lietkabelis dropped to 0-3 and will face off against U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade for 7th place on Sunday. Arunas Rimkus led Lietkabelis with 19 points, Rokas Jocys added 18 points and 8 assists and Kajus Leliukas tallied 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.

David Pavin - U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade - Belgrade 2022 (photo Djordje Kostic - Zvezda) - JTB21

U18 Lietkabelis Panevezys v U18 Next Generation Team Belgrade (2022-02-26T17:00:00.000Z)