Young Men - The CandidatesAs the old adage goes, numbers only tell half the story - something that rings true for Spanish U20 forward Alejandro Abrines. Despite only averaging 11.3 points a game, the FC Regal Barcelona player was the undisputed leader for the bronze-medal-winning Spaniards. In Slovenia, Abrines left his best for last, sinking a fade-away three-pointer with nine seconds to play, giving his country a dramatic one-point victory over Serbia. Abrines' star is now set to rise higher having already scored 30-plus points in an ACB League game at the age of 18 - a new record. |
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The Croatian wunderkind Dario Saric had another golden summer in the Croatian youth system, gaining MVP honours on the way to leading his country to gold at the U18 European Championship Men, with a double-double average of 25.6 points and 10.1 rebounds. Less than a week after completing his duties in Latvia and Lithuania, the forward was making a seamless transition into the Croatian senior men's team, averaging a shade less than 10 points a night as Croatia safely navigated the EuroBasket 2013 Qualification Round. |
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Davis Bertans was a notable omission from the Latvian U20 team lining up in Slovenia this summer. That was because he had much bigger fish to fry, namely helping the Latvian senior men's team qualify for EuroBasket 2013. Bertans was much more than just a benchwarmer, playing 17.6 minutes a night through the campaign as Latvia confirmed their spot in Slovenia next summer. Moving from Union Olimpija to Partizan during the season, Bertans is now experiencing regular minutes in the ABA Liga and the Euroleague, seeing his confidence grow immensely. |
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Starting at center for Lietuvos Rytas in three Final Four tournaments, as well as the Lithuanian League finals; Jonas Valanciunas endured a busy start to 2012, that also saw him feature in the Lithuanian League All-Star game, announced as Eurocup rising star, and named as a member of the All-Eurocup squad. Summer offered no rest for the NBA-bound rising star, who picked up significant minutes representing Lithuania at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and subsequently London. Valanciunas has now completed the year by cementing a starting spot at the Toronto Raptors. |
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With Slovenia set to host EuroBasket 2013, Klemen Prepelic has produced a 2012 to put him in contention to be taking centre-stage in his home country. The shooting guard fed of the home fans at the U20 European Championship, leading his team to seventh with a team-high 16.3 points and a shade under five assists. More impressive has been his role for Union Olimpija in the Euroleague, where, despite coming off the bench, has still seen nearly 23 minutes playing time through the Regular Season. |
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Making a second appearance at the U20 European Championship, French playmaker Leo Westermann was integral in leading Les Bleus to a gold medal clash with Lithuania, averaging a team-high 12.6 points and 4.3 assists a game. Alongside another player on this list, Davis Bertans, Westermann points towards a positive future for Partizan Belgrade. Despite only being 20, Westerman has already secured the place of starting point guard at Serbia's most celebrated club, standing on the court for opening tip-off in the Regular Season of the Euroleague. |
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As one of two Croatians to make this list, Mario Hezonja, along with Saric, is the reason why basketball fans up and down the Adriatic Coast are rightfully excited about the future of the sport in their country. Playing in Lithuania at the U17 World Championship, Hezonja was the standout European player, averaging 20.8 points and seven rebounds as he led Croatia to bronze, making them the best-finishing European club at the tournament. |
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Budocnost Podgorica were headed for the Last 16 of Eurocup and 18-year-old Nikola Ivanovic can rightfully take credit for some of this success. The Montenegrin guard has failed to allow his youth to be a barrier, averaging, at time of writing, 9.4 points a night for his country's biggest club in the Eurocup. The youngster also saw significant minutes for a Montenegrin senior side who swept through EuroBasket 2013 Qualification Round, famously hitting a buzzer-beating shot (see video below) to complete a shock upset victory over Serbia. |
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Shooting at 58% from the field at the U18 European Championship, Nikola Jankovic showed himself to be one of the sharpest shooters in Latvia and Lithuania, where despite his size, the Serbian was just as confident outside the perimeter, as he was driving the lane. The Belgacom Spirou player ended the tournament with a solid 14-point, 8.2-rebound average, good enough to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Jankovic has made a productive start to the Eurocup season for his Belgian club, averaging 8.6 points in his team's first five games. |
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A trip to the podium at the Summer Olympics capped a remarkable year for the '93 born Sergey Karasev whom, despite only being 18, played a significant role in helping Triumph Lyubersty to the EuroChallenge Final Four, the Baltic Basketball League post-season; and third place in the Russian PBL, averaging in double figures in all three competitions. Despite having limited minutes in London, the experience has the son of former Russian national team point-guard Vasily well-placed for a long future ahead in the Russian national team setup. |
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| All WinnersMen
2012: Andrei Kirilenko
2011: Dirk Nowitzki
2010: Milos Teodosic
2009: Pau Gasol
2008: Pau Gasol
2007: Andrei Kirilenko
2006: Theo Papaloukas
2005: Dirk Nowitzki Women
2012: Celine Dumerc
2011: Alba Torrens
2010: Hana Horáková
2009: Sandrine Gruda
2008: Maria Stepanova
2007: Anete Jekabsone-Zogota
2006: Maria Stepanova
2005: Maria Stepanova Young Men
2012: Jonas Valanciunas
2011: Jonas Valanciunas
2010: Jan Vesely
2009: Ricky Rubio
2008: Ricky Rubio
2007: Ricky Rubio
2006: Rudy Fernandez
2005: Nikolaos Zisis Young Women
2012: Alina Iagupova
2011: Emma Meesseman
2010: Nika Baric
2009: Alba Torrens
2008: Gintare Petronyte
2007: Sonja Petrovic
2006: Sandrine Gruda
2005: Anete Jekabsone |
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