By Paul Nilsen

EuroLeague Women teams are beginning to place more emphasis than ever on signing the best young talent in Europe and that has been further underlined after reigning Italian champions Cras Basket Taranto confirmed they are giving exciting teenager Stella Panella the chance to step out and showcase her skills on the big stage.

Stella Panella is representing Italy at youth level and Taranto put trust in her development into a senior player

Having impressed with her country at youth level, the Italian guard who has only just turned seventeen will now get to continue her education and development at the highest level.

She will step up from the second tier in Italy to play top flight basketball each week and that is sure to help a player whose potential has been recognised by Taranto. Panella has plenty of versatility offensively but is perhaps most capable at the defensive end with her tenacious approach and propensity for steals.

Elsewhere, it is a similar story with Halcon Avenida as they prepare to unveil two of their bright young hopes in Salamanca after drafting in both Laura Gil and Amaya Gastaminza.

Center Gil arrives full of confidence and after a highly impressive summer where she scooped two silver medals with the U18 and U20 Spanish national teams. She will also play in the top domestic league for the first time after averaging over 6 points peer game during 2009/10 with Segle XXI in Liga Femenina 2 last year.

Having claimed silver last year at the U19 World Championship, Gastaminza also won a silver medal in Liepaja with the U20 team and claimed a memorable double-double in the Final to add to enhance her reputation. She also has experience of playing with Segle XXI in the second division.

Quite how many minutes the trio will play for their respective teams during the coming campaign remains to be seen. However it is nevertheless terrific to see a definite upward curve in the number of youth stars being rewarded with their chance of one day becoming one of the headline acts in EuroLeague Women.