by Yarone Arbel

Name: Nicolas Batum
2005-2006 Club: Le Mans
Nationality: FRA
Position:  Forward
Year of Birth: 14.12.1988

Statistics: 
U18 European Championship: 14.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.9 apg

There are some players that you just can't ignore. Just watching them is enough to know what you witness is special. Unique.

Often it's not something you can specifically point out. Sometimes you may consider it as nothing but "grace", but the bottom line is the same. Nicholas Batum falls in that category and in 2006 he blossomed into that spot.

When people watch new players, one of the first things they like to do is compare them to known players, and attach the infamous "the next _____". Can you count how many times you heard about "the next Nowitzki" or "the next Kirilenko"? Well, say hello to "the next Diaw".

Nicholas reminds to some people the French NBA baller for his style of play. He's not a great shooter, just as Diaw was back in his young age, but his game style is eye-catching and his athletic ability and basketball IQ is a true gift from the one above. With Batum it's not what he does, but how he does it.

Batum was born in France on mid December 1988. That makes him younger than almost any player in the youth categories. Two gold medals, one from the U16 in 2004 and another from the U18 championship in the last summer, prove age is no obstacle for the young prospect.

Hold it. Let's go a few steps back. 2006 was a very special year for Batum for many reasons. In the 2004, the U16 team that won the title and he already drew a lot of attention. But he was still raw. Despite producing 10 pts, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks in the title game win over Russia. He wasn't named to the All Tournament team, but it was clear there might be a bright future for the young kid. But too many kids in that position end up as "The next nothing special".

		Batum led France to the 2006 U18 title.

He started to play for Le Mans junior program, and already during last season participated in some official Pro A games. His first game and points came in late November 2005, but he still touched the first trophy in 2006.

Le Mans won "Semaine des As", a domestic cup competition, and Batum spent two minutes on the court before touching his first title of the year.

A little over than two months passed and the French U18 team traveled north to the prestigious Albert Schweitzer tournament in Mannheim, Germany. 30 points on opening night showed what is about to come. Batum finished the tournament with 19 points per game, the MVP award and on top of all his team finished with a perfect record and the gold medal.

The awarded Batum went back to Le Mans, but still didn't play more than 2-3 minutes here and there. Nevertheless at the end of the season there was another medal around his neck. Le Mans won also the domestic championship, and we have already counted three titles in 4 months for the young kid.

Then came July and the U18 team took the plane to Greece, they came close to elimination after losing two games in the first round, but luck was on their side, and from that moment on there was no stopping them. Batum led a very talented French side to another gold medal, and once again collected the MVP award.

Until the end of 2006 Batum won't add another award or honor to his already impressive collection, but he still used this time to catch the attention and gain respect of many basketball fans around Europe on the night of November 16th.

The Greek powerhouse Olympiacos arrived to Le Mans for a Euroleague match expecting an easy win. Batum who's playing around 10 mpg both in the French league and the Euroleague, had something else in mind. On that night he 25 minutes on court, and replied with a career high of 15 points, just one point short of the team's leading scorer, and added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Le Mans came close to upset the Reds but lost 81-88.

Nevertheless, the Young Men Player of the Year nominee gave further proof as to why is not just another “next nothing special”.

Instead, what is more likely is that in years to come, young prospects will be considered “the next Batum.”