U18 Next Gen Team Munich showed no signs of difficulties getting used to one another as it coasted to a 101-43 victory over U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna in its first game in Group B of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament. NGM scored 12 straight points in the opening minutes and was not tested the rest of the game. Dorian Rinaldo Komlan scored 19 points, Ricards Aizpurs had 17 points and Mathias Vazquez chipped in 10 points for the winners. Matteo Lenci was the only Virtus player in double figures with 14 points. 

 

Virtus stayed close for the opening moments but NGM raced away with a 12-0 run to lead 15-3. And the cushion was 23-6 and the selection side was ahead by as many as 19 points before ending the opening frame up 27-10. NGM did not let up in the second quarter with an 11-0 surge for a 38-11 margin. And Dogus Balbay’s team was up 50-18 at halftime. 

 

Virtus scored the first points of the second half only to see NGM pour in the next 11 points to lead 61-20. And a 12-0 run increased the lead to 75-24 with Virtus down 79-27 after 30 minutes. NGM did not slow down in the final frame as it worked towards playing better together and took the quarter 22-16. 

Game News

Selection side dominates Italians from the beginning

Next Gen team doesn’t give Virtus a chance 

U18 Next Gen Team Munich v U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna (2025-01-17T14:45:00.000Z)

U18 Real Madrid needed some time but cruised past U18 SC Derby Podgorica 89-49 in the opening game of Group B at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament. The two-time reigning champion put the game away with a 23-2 run in the third quarter. Gildas Gimenez was Real’s top scorer with 21 points, Fabian Kayser had 11 points and both Maximo Garcia-Plata and Sidi Gueye collected 10 points. Vladimir Komenovic had 9 points as Derby’s leading scorer. 

 

Real struggled early on scoring and Derby led 2-7. The Montenegro side was ahead 12-16 until Real came back for the final four points of the quarter to tie 16-16. Derby was still hanging tough in the second quarter and led 26-27. Real was finally able to wrestle away control with the next eight points and led 40-30 at halftime.   

 

Derby tallied the first three points of the second half but then Real took complete control with a 23-2 run to go ahead 63-35. The final seven points of the quarter went to Derby and it was 63-42 after three quarters. Derby failed to score for the first 7 minutes of the final frame and Real surged to an 81-42 lead. 

Defending champ shows class in second half

Real defense limits Derby in blowout

U18 Real Madrid v U18 SC Derby Podgorica (2025-01-17T12:30:00.000Z)

U18 Valencia Basket shrugged off a subpar first half to run away with an 84-57 victory over U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki in its first game of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich. Valencia had a 23-4 third quarter run to decide the Group A game. Javier Viguer was Valencia’s top scorer with 19 points while Tomas Talcis scored 16 points, Pau Torrens had 13 points and guard Didac Cebolla collected 3 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Vassilis Pourlidas picked up 19 points as Aris’ leading scorer.   

 

After Aris went up 3-6 early on, Valenica used a 7-0 spurt to take a 10-6 lead. The gap was 12-7 when Aris answered with seven straight points to lead 12-14 and Valencia grabbed a 16-14 advantage after 10 minutes. The game remained close though Valencia had a 25-18 cushion and was ahead 32-25. But Aris knocked down two three-pointers in the closing 31 seconds of the second quarter to make it 32-31 at the break. 

 

Aris temporarily took the lead to start the second half but Valencia started to dominate play. The Spanish side put together a 23-4 run in the third quarter to open a 20-point lead 59-39. And the advantage was 64-44 after three quarters. Aris scored the first basket of the final frame but did not get closer than 18 points the rest of the way. 

Valencia dominated the third quarter 32-13 in grabbing the win 

Valencia uses strong second half to blow out Aris

U18 Valencia Basket v U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki (2025-01-17T10:15:00.000Z)

U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljublajana opened the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich tournament with a convincing 78-98 victory over host team FC Bayern Munich in Group A. Cedevita pulled away in the second quarter and rolled to the win. Ian Lazarevski led the way with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists while Mark Morano and Luka Stojic both scored 21 points and combined for 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocks. Casper Vossenberg was Bayern’s leading scorer with 17 points and Nikolas Sermpezis had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Lazarevski scored 13 of Cedevita’s first 15 points and the Balkan side led 9-15. The cushion extended to 12-23 and it was 17-25 after 10 minutes. Bayern was able to cut the gap to 24-27 and it was 32-35 midway through the second quarter. Cedevita took more control again and used a 4-13 run to close the second quarter and led 36-48 at halftime.

Morano scored the first five points of the second half and Cedevita’s advantage grew to 36-54. He added two more triples and the lead swelled to 20 points - 43-63. The Slovenian side was up 61-80 after 30 minutes. Bayern was twice able to trim the margin to 13 points but never threatened Cedevita the rest of the way.

Three players scored 20+ points in convincing win for Cedevita

Cedevita cruises past Bayern 78-98 to open tournament 

U18 FC Bayern Munich v U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2025-01-17T08:00:00.000Z)

The second event of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2024-25 season has tipped off this morning at the BMW Park in Munich, where the continent’s top young talents will battle at the second in a series of four NextGen EuroLeague Qualifying Tournaments.

Watch LIVE: Day 1 of NextGen EuroLeague in Munich

The second event in the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2024-25 season tips off in Munich this weekend, so here are eight talents to keep an eye on at the tournament.

NextGen Munich players to watch

The second event in the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2024-25 season tips off in Munich this weekend. 

The tournament features reigning continental champion [U18 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-real-madrid/jrm/), host [U18 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-fc-bayern-munich/jmu/), [U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-aris-midea-thessaloniki/jar/), [U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana/jlj/), [U18 Next Gen Team Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-next-gen-team-munich/ngm/), [U18 SC Derby Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-sc-derby-podgorica/jpg/), [U18 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-valencia-basket/jva/) and [U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-virtus-segafredo-bologna/jvi/). 

They will play over three days at BMW Park in Munich from January 17 to 19 with the goal of reaching the NextGen EuroLeague Finals, which will be played at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in May.

Here are some of the names to watch out for from the teams in Munich.

### Matteo Accorsi, U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna 

[Matteo Accorsi](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/matteo-accorsi/013027/) is playing in his second NextGen tournament after he collected 16.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals at last season’s event in Dubai. 

The Bologna native has played the last two summers for Italy, winning silver at both the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 and FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024, averaging 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists on the global stage. 

This season he is producing 16 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in the Italian U19 championship. He is an excellent offensive player with a great three-point shot, but he has to improve defense and playmaking.

### Gildas Gimenez, U18 Real Madrid

[Gildas Gimenez](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/gildas-gimenez/012804/) is a NextGen EuroLeague champion as he helped Real win the title last season, picking up 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds over seven games in 2023-24. 

The small forward is also a continental champion at the national team level, having helped Spain win the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 crown with 14.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 steals. And last summer he collected 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024. 

Gimenez made his Spanish League debut in November against Murcia and is averaging 9.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in the Spanish fourth division. He is a great athlete with great physical capabilities. He is a very good defender, both on the ball and in passing lanes and recovering. Gimenez can help in rebounding at both ends of the court. 

Offensively, he is a good one-on-one player who finishes with strength – also against contact – or can stop and hit jumpers. He also is a good three-point shooter after a pass. He can play multiple offensive positions and can defend both guard positions and the small forward spot. 

### Mark Morano Mahmutovic, U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana 

[Mark Morano Mahmutovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/mark-morano/012331/) will be competing in the NextGen for the third consecutive season. After averaging 7.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in his debut season, he averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his second campaign. 

In the Slovenian third and U20 leagues, he is averaging 17.2 and 22 points, respectively. Morano was a key member of the Slovenian U18 national team, which secured a third-place finish at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024, picking up 8.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals. 

Morano is a multi-level threat when catching the ball in the perimeter. With the height of 1.97m and fluid ball-handling ability, he is able to position himself well and is hard to contain by opposing defenders. His shooting ability, however, might be his biggest selling point, as he shows tremendous efficiency in tough shots off the dribble.

### Danilo Nikezic, U18 SC Derby Podgorica

[Danilo Nikezic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/danilo-nikezic/012877/) will be competing in his second NextGen tournament after picking up 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in Podgorica last season. The forward has appeared in four games in the Montenegro league with 2.0 points per game. 

He played two summers for Montenegro, averaging 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024, Division B. Nikezic has a stable mentality and understands and knows the game, playing quite maturely. 

He is creative, solid on the ball, accepts advice and works on himself with individual dedication and is unselfish. He has improved his shooting mechanics but he still needs to work more on that and also becoming more decisive and aggressive defensively – especially on rebounds. 

### Vasileios Kazamias, U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki

[Vasileios Kazamias](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/vasileios-kazamias/013043/) will make his second NextGen appearance with Aris as the 1.97-meter point guard averaged 11.8 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals with 16.5 PIR in last year’s tournament in Dubai. Kazamias has also played five games in the BKT EuroCup and three times in the Greek League. 

This season with the U18 team he is averaging 14.8 points, 6 assists and 4.5 rebounds in three games, and he plays for APS Navarchos Votsis in the Greek fourth division where he tallies 17.4 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds. Kazamias participated in the Basketball Without Borders European camp. 

One of his biggest strengths is his great game understanding, which makes him ideal for handling the ball and setting up the team’s offense. Kazamias is also a fantastic one-on-one finisher and lockdown defender in one-on-one situations – besides being a great team defender, too. He has also improved this year his shooting after the dribble. His main weaknesses are the right-hand ball handling and spot up shooting – things that he is working on daily to improve. 

### Javier Viguer, U18 Valencia Basket

[Javier Viguer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/players/javier-viguer/013527/) will participate for the first time in the NextGen. He starred for the Spanish team that finished second at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024 with 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals. He is averaging 10.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals in the fourth division. 

Viguer is a complete player on offense, contributing in every aspect, from shooting to rebounding. He stands out with his wingspan and long arms, allowing him to make shots that are difficult to block. On defense, he can guard both perimeter positions and can also hold his own inside thanks to his physical attributes. 

His versatility and basketball IQ make him a player to watch, capable of adapting to various roles and playing styles. His leadership on the court and ability to perform in clutch moments show his potential to make a strong impact at the next level.

### Nikolas Sermpezis, U18 FC Bayern Munich 

[Nikolas Sermpezis](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/nikolas-sermpezis/012840/) collected 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 steals at last season’s NextGen Podgorica. The guard collected 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.1 steals for Greece at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023. 

Sermpezis is one of the leaders of Bayern’s second team with 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 steals. Sermpezis is typical of many Greek guards: very aggressive on offense, attacking the basket. He is improving his shot as well. 

His main strength is the defense and his aggressiveness, which allowed him to have a very good impact last year in the third division. He still has to improve his ball handling and his decision-making.

### Guillermo del Pino, U18 Next Gen Team Munich

[Guillermo del Pino](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/guillermo-del-pino/013574/) will be playing his first NextGen tournament. The guard helped Spain win the title at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with 14.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals to win the MVP trophy. 

Last summer he had 11.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup. He is currently playing in Spain’s third division and collecting 8.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals for Coto Cordoba. 

The point guard has great three-level scoring skills and playmaking upside. He has a high basketball IQ, is tough as nails and can handle and pass the ball. 

Here are eight top talents to keep an eye on at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Munich

The second stop of the 2024-25 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague tips off on Friday, January 17, and the reigning continental champion [U18 Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-real-madrid/jrm/) arrives at the NextGen Munich tournament as the heavy favorite for the much-coveted ticket to the NextGen Finals. Real has won the European crown the last two seasons and a record five times since 2015. 

*Los Blancos* will have a major target on its back for the other seven teams competing in Munich's BMW Park from January 17 to 19 – host [U18 FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-fc-bayern-munich/jmu/), [U18 Aris Midea Thessaloniki](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-aris-midea-thessaloniki/jar/), [U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-cedevita-olimpija-ljubljana/jlj/), [U18 SC Derby Podgorica](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-sc-derby-podgorica/jpg/), [U18 Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-valencia-basket/jva/), [U18 Virtus Segafredo Bologna](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-virtus-segafredo-bologna/jvi/), and [U18 Next Gen Team Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-next-gen-team-munich/ngm/). 

The tournament winner will book a spot in the season finale at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in May. The first spot has already been handed out as [two-time continental champion U18 Mega MIS Belgrade took first place at the NextGen Istanbul event](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/news/jt124-next-gen-istanbul-report-mega-next/) last December. 

The eight teams in Munich are broken down into two groups of four. Each team will face the others in its group in a round-robin fashion. The top teams in each group will then square off in Sunday’s first-place game, with the winner of that matchup securing a spot at the NextGen Finals.

The breakdown of the eight teams is as follows: Group A has Bayern, Aris, Cedevita and Valencia, while Group B is topped by Real and also includes Derby, NextGen Munich and Virtus.

### Evaluating Group A 

Bayern will be hosting a qualifying tournament for the fifth time following 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2023. Bayern is competing for the 10th time and took fourth place last season at the NextGen Podgorica and lost to Real in the 2019-20 NextGen Munich first-place game. 

Aris is back in the competition for a second season after making its debut at NextGen Dubai last year and taking sixth place. 

Cedevita is appearing for the 19th time, including the last seven and 17 of the last 18 seasons. The club went 1-3 at the NextGen Podgorica tournament last season and took seventh place. 

This will be Valencia’s 11th showing – and seventh in a row – after it took fifth place at the NextGen Dubai event last season. 

### Looking into Group B teams

Real has been the dominant force at the NextGen competition with a record five titles while also reaching the NextGen EuroLeague Championship Game in 2014. Real competes in the event for the 18th straight season and has won its qualifying tournament in each of the last 11 campaigns. The Spanish powerhouse needed a major comeback in the NextGen Podgorica first place game last season to knock off the NextGen Team. Real went on to claim last season’s crown at the NextGen Finals in Berlin. Real has won its last 17 NextGen games, dating back to the NextGen Finals in 2022 in Belgrade. 

Montenegro side Derby is making its second appearance in the competition after it debuted last season as host in the NextGen Podgorica and finished third with a 3-1 record. 

Virtus for its part is back for its ninth season and second in a row after claiming seventh place at the NextGen Dubai last year. That was the Italian club’s first time playing in the event since 2019. 

The NextGen selection team is in participating for a fourth season, with [Dogus Balbay](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/ngt/teams/u18-next-gen-team-munich/ngm/balbay-dogus/) coaching the team this season. 

 Los Blancos go into the NextGen EuroLeague Munich as heavy favorites 

Reigning champ Real Madrid starts defense of NextGen title in Munich

Despite being a last-minute replacement, Isaac Guedegbe became one of the most impressive players at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Istanbul

Isaac Guedegbe honored to be among France’s top young point guards 

France has become one of the biggest talent factories in basketball and Isaac Guedegbe showed at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Istanbul that he deserves to be considered among the country’s ever-growing list of top young point guards. 

Guedegbe helped the U18 Next Gen Team Istanbul finish second at the NextGen Istanbul by averaging 13.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists for an index rating of 16.5 and earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. He ended the tournament ranked second in assists and eighth in performance index rating. 

“I am just very happy to be competing here and very proud,” said Guedegbe, who was a last-minute replacement for the select team. 

When someone is asked about French playmakers born in 2007, a number of the country’s top young talents come to mind such as Maxence Lemoine, who was named to the All-Tournament Team of the NextGen Dubai last season, Soren Bracq, Adam Atamna and Akram Naji among others. 

Guedegbe was born on December 31, 2007 and is only starting to become a name in talent circles, having never been invited to a France youth national team training camp. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ICYMI: Isaac Guedegbe of Roanne was named as the replacement for Maxence Lemoine for the NGT Istanbul at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NextGenEuroLeague?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NextGenEuroLeague</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ANGT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ANGT</a> <br>Below is my review of the team rosters for the ANGE Istanbul which starts on Friday November 28<a href="https://t.co/pBKEeWjP04">https://t.co/pBKEeWjP04</a> <a href="https://t.co/r9wtucW41c">pic.twitter.com/r9wtucW41c</a></p>&mdash; David Hein (@heinnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/heinnews/status/1861707309438710181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“There are a lot of great players in France and I am honored to be included among them,” Guedegbe said. 

And the 1.79-meter point guard says playing for his country would be special.

“The national team is just an extra. I would be very happy to be there but I am motivated to every day surpass myself,” he said.

Guedegbe was born in the village of Montverdun, located about 40 kilometers west of Lyon and home to about 1,300 people. 

“It’s my village so of course I liked growing up there,” he said. “I started basketball because my father was a basketball player in France.”

Guedegbe’s father, Innocent Guedegbe, played briefly with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in the mid-1990s.

Isaac was 10 years when he joined the youth program of Roanne, which is about 30 kilometers northwest of Montverdun. 

“I like that family side of the club,” Guedegbe said. 

Guedegbe’s teammate at Roanne is Robin Pluvy, whose father, Laurent Pluvy, played with Innocent Guedegbe during his decade-long career at ASVEL. 

The Guedegbe and Pluvy sons have been successful as well, playing together and helping Roanne win the French U17 Cup in 2023 - their sixth year adjoined on the court. 

“The French Cup was my best memory in basketball because I won this title with my friends,” said Guedegbe.

The point guard recalled his favorite moment of the U17 event as Zakaria Mechergui hitting a buzzer-beater in an 84-83 victory over ASVEL in the semifinals to reach the title game.

Guedegbe is playing mainly in the U21 league in France this season but he is practicing regularly with Roanne’s pro team, which last season was relegated to the second division ProB. And one of the leaders of the pro side is the former French national team star Antoine Diot.

“He is a great player who I respect a lot. He has taught me a lot on and off the court. And I am very happy to practice alongside him,” Guedegbe said of the 35-year-old Diot. 

With a birthday on the last day of the year, Guedegbe is the youngest of any of France’s 2007-born point guards. But he is slowly making his way up the list of the best playmakers of his generation. 

The last-minute replacement became one of the most impressive players at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Istanbul

U18 Mega Basket star Ognjen Srzentic was named the MVP of the NextGen Istanbul tournament, but he has big goals ahead.

Ognjen Srzentic: 'I am motivated to finally win a NextGen title'

[Ognjen Srzentic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/players/ognjen-srzentic/012436/) has been at this place before, knowing he will be playing at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four with [U18 Mega MIS Belgrade](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/teams/u18-mega-mis-belgrade/jmv/). But this time, Srzentic wants to finally hoist the trophy as the continent’s best junior club when it’s all said and done.

Srzentic was named the Most Valuable Player after Mega [downed the U18 NextGen Team Istanbul 86-70](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/ngt/news/jt124-next-gen-istanbul-report-mega-next/) to take the crown at the NextGen Istanbul event and book a ticket for the Finals.

“It means a lot \[to be MVP\]. I put in so much work to be here,” said Srzentic, who collected 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals for an average PIR of 30.5 in helping Mega go undefeated in Istanbul.

“Ognjen is a good guy with a great personality. He also has really great skills at both ends of the court. And he’s definitely a leader of this team,” said Mega head coach Milan Vidosavljevic.

Srzentic was playing his third NextGen qualifying tournament and played his best one by far, scoring 25 or more points three times in Istanbul after totaling 38 points at the NextGen Belgrade tournament last season.

Mega will be playing in the Finals for the ninth straight edition and it will be the third for Srzentic, who played just 1 minute in the 2023 Finals in Kaunas before averaging 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in the 2024 Finals.

“I am extra motivated because I played twice in the Finals and both times only lost one game in the group stage and never played in the championship game. So I am motivated to win it all,” he said.

In Kaunas in 2023, Mega lost 89-81 to the NextGen Select Team in the group stage and was defeated 60-55 against U18 Real Madrid in the 2024 Finals group phase.

One season earlier, the 2017 and 2019 finalist Mega finally claimed its first – and still only – continental trophy in the competition, winning the 2022 crown as it downed the NextGen Select Team in the Championship Game. That was also Srzentic’s first season with Mega. And winning the youth title has been on his mind ever since.

“This is my fourth year in the club. From day one, when I came here, the goal was clear: to play in the NextGen tournament. That was the biggest goal for me as a 14-year-old kid who came to Mega. So it means the world to me to be a part of this tournament, and I would love to help my club win the second title.”

One of the things that makes Srzentic’s performance in Istanbul so much more impressive is that he doesn’t play with the Mega junior team this season. He has been playing on loan with Serbian first league side OKK Belgrade and averaging 8.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.9 steals, though he did play in all three of Mega’s games in the U19 ABA League. Still, the NextGen games were a chance to play with his old friends.

“This the fourth year that some of these guys have been my teammates, so I am really happy to be playing with them and I am really proud that we played together for four years,” he said.

But Srzentic has been helped by playing with OKK Belgrade. 

“Playing senior basketball is a really big experience for me. I play against players who are sometimes 20 years older than me, who play for money and have families who they have to support,” he said. “This year is really important for me to get experience at senior basketball.

I am really happy I was able to translate that experience to this level of youth basketball.”

And now Srzentic will get one last chance to lead his Mega teammates at the NextGen Finals – looking for that elusive second continental title for the club.

The 17-year-old is hungry to lead Mega to its second crown following 2022 success