Usman Garuba, Spain
Garuba enters this U18 European Championship as one of the most renowned players of his generation. He gained fame in 2016 when he led the Spanish U16 team to the championship podium at the European U16 Championship at just 14 years old. Moreover, he also won the MVP trophy and recorded a triple-double in the final match. Last summer, the forward born in 2002 led his team in the U16 championship, leading the tournament in rebounds (12.3/game). He also averaged 16.3 points per game, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.6 blocks in the Spanish team, which finished in second place. This performance earned him a spot in the tournament's best five players.
This season, Garuba played for Real Madrid's second team, averaging 14.6 points, 12 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1 steal, and 1.5 blocks. Usman also debuted for Real's main team, playing 2 matches at the beginning of the season, during which he averaged 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks in an average of 17 minutes played. Garuba enters this tournament as one of the most dominant young talents, undoubtedly aiming to do everything to help the Spanish team win the U18 trophy, which they haven't won since 2011. Below is a short video clip of this player's performances:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXP2xW6N_Ms
Jovan Kljacic, Montenegro
Kljacic will be playing in his second U18 European Championship. Last year, he debuted in the U18 championship in Latvia, where the Montenegrin team finished in 7th place. Kljacic averaged 13.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.3 steals in that championship. He posted similar numbers in the U17 World Cup, averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 steals, with the Montenegrin team finishing in 8th place in their first participation in this tournament.
This season, Kljacic represented Gran Canaria's second team, where he also posted solid numbers: 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1 steal per game. This year, he also debuted in the EuroLeague. Although he didn't play much, just stepping onto the court in such high-level games is a big plus for such a young player. In 2018, the player also debuted for the national men's team, scoring 2 points and grabbing 2 rebounds in a World Cup qualifier match against Spain. The Montenegrin, who plays in the small forward position, is undoubtedly one of the country's brightest young talents. Below is a video of this player's game highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9pYEESAGy0
Nikos Rogkavopoulos, Greece
After a poor performance last year, when the Greek team finished 14th in the U18 championship and barely avoided relegation to the B championship, this year the Greek team has gathered its best young players, who are already considered one of the favorites of the championship. Rogkavopoulos will undoubtedly be a player who will attract the most attention from basketball scouts and fans. The 203 cm tall forward, although only 17 at the time, already led the Greek U18 team in last year's U18 championship. He averaged 19.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. This summer, he also debuted in the U19 World Championship, where he posted solid numbers despite being younger than others: 13.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. The Greek team finished 10th in this tournament.
This season, Rogkavopoulos played for the main team of Athens AEK. In 16 games in the top Greek basketball league, he averaged 2 points and 1 rebound. Of course, this is not much, but considering that Greece plays one of the most physical basketballs in Europe, it takes more time for such a young player to adapt and start showing better results. Below you can see Rogkavopoulos' game highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgk8eTD8nJo
Ąžuolas Tubelis, Lithuania
The Lithuanian, who can play in both the small and power forward positions, is also included among the potentially best players of the tournament. Tubelis played in the U16 European Championships for two summers, where the Lithuanian team finished 6th and 7th, respectively. Last summer, Tubelis averaged 14.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists and was the best in the tournament in blocked shots – 2.7 blocks per game. Unfortunately, the Lithuanian team did not withstand the Croatian team in the quarterfinals, which later turned out to be the champion of that tournament.
The forward representing Vilnius “Perlas” in the NKL league averaged 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1 block per game last season. This is excellent statistics considering that Ąžuolas turned 17 only in March and has been playing against much older opponents for some time. Below we present Tubelis' game highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwR5s_GzZg0
Franz Wagner
F. Wagner did not play in youth championships last year, but he had already debuted for the national team earlier. In the 2017 European U16 Championship, the forward, who plays in both the small and power forward positions, averaged 7.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1 steal per game, with the German team finishing 13th despite being considered one of the most talented in Europe. Wagner is considered one of Germany's most talented players, and a great proof of this is the 17-year-old's debut in the Berlin Alba team, which showed excellent results this season. The 17-year-old averaged 4.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in an average of 12 minutes played in 35 matches in the strongest German league. Wagner also got playing time in the EuroCup. In the second strongest European basketball tournament, the young German averaged 3 points and 1.3 rebounds in just under 10 minutes. Franz is also the younger brother of Moritz Wagner, who currently plays in the NBA, and next year the younger Wagner will debut at the prestigious University of Michigan. Below are this player's game highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMVepdE12hY
Names to Watch
Among the most talented players of this year's U18 championship are also included the following names: Matej Rudan (Croatia), Malcolm Cazalon and Juhann Begarin (France), Ariel Hukporti and Len Schoormann (Germany), Augustas Marciulionis (Lithuania), Bojan Tomasevic (Montenegro), Keye van den Vuurst de Vries (Netherlands), Djordje Pazin (Serbia), Mustafa Kurtuldum (Turkey).
