U18 Memorial Pascual Chulia Tournament | Recap
Last weekend was the Memorial Pascual Chulia U18 tournament in Torrent, Spain. Olimpia Milano won the final against Real Madrid. In the match for 3rd place, Barcelona won against Valencia. High level of the tournament and many players with the potential to play at a very high level. These are the players who, in my opinion, stood out the most. - Jakub Pietzrak
Real Madrid
Gildas Gimenez
Projected Level: HM+
Position: SF
Nationality: Spain
Birth year: 2007
Height:6’6
Active Hand- Right
Gildas is the best on-ball defender in 2007. His physical conditions combined with his mobility are a real nightmare for the opposing team's players.
In attack, sometimes he takes too little on himself, he is a great team player, he spreads the ball well. Solid court vision spreads the ball well when attacking the basket. Quite often he notices a weak side. Very strong and comes into contact strongly. He can attack left and right. He is great at creating a shot thanks to the quick first step. Great shooter, both catch and shoot and off the dribble.
Sidi Gueye
Projected Level: HM+
Position: C
Nationality: Senegal
Birth year: 2007
Height: 6’10
Active Hand: Left
During this tournament, Sidi showed that he is ready for college. He is very thin, but very strong. Long arms and great jump with both one and two legs. Great inside defender, amazing rim protector (best blocker of his age in Europe). He is quite mobile, but has a high center of gravity, which makes him difficult to defend against smaller opponents. A great rebounder on both sides of the court, his jump, aggressiveness and long arms make him a rebounding machine.
When attacking, he always does what he must do. Compared to, for example, Sayon Keita or Mohamed Dabone, Sidi does not make stupid decisions regarding passes or shots. He made two posters on average every match, and the one over Luigi Suigo (7'1 Italian prospect) was incredible. Solid in P&R actions and playing with his back to the basket. He is not a scorer; his skills are quite limited (lack of shot is his biggest problem). I think he may be in a similar situation to Ismael Diagne, who didn't have a big role in Real's offense, but can still average 10 PPG.
Adrians Andzevs
Projected Level: MM
Position: PG
Nationality: Latvia
Birth year:2007
Height:6’2
Active Hand:Right
Adrians is a player who is good at everything, but nothing really makes him stand out. It's hard to say what he's best at because he can basically do a little bit of everything. A very good defender (full court and half court), who presses the ball hard.
He attacks the basket aggressively; he can go left and right. He makes contact very strongly and finds space in the air for a layup nicely. A good playmaker with a solid overview of the field. He works well on P&R with Gueye. A solid shooter who can create shooting positions.
Maximo Garcia-Plata
Projected Level: HM-
Position: SG
Nationality: Spain
Birth Year: 2007
Height: 6’4
Active Hand: Right
Max came to Real Madrid this summer (he is from the Spanish academy "Estudiantes") and has already shown that he will be one of the leaders of this team this season. What stands out at first glance is his incredibly long arms. He plays with great energy both in defense and attack. A very good perimeter defender, and his wingspan helps him in intercepting the ball.
Offensively, his main weapon is a great 3-point shot. He can shoot off the dribble like I catch and shoot. He runs well on screens and is good at losing defenders on them. Max has the best pump fake in 2007, no matter who defends him, everyone jumps. This creates many open positions for shooting and driving to the basket. He can attack both left and right. He is not afraid of contact and plays very aggressively. Solid court vision, good in P&R actions, especially good understanding with Declan Duru. The game is very fast and constantly drives the game.
Fabian Kayser
Projected Level: HM+
Position: SG/SF
Nationality: Germany
Birth Year: 2009
Height: 6’5
Active Hand: Right
Fabian Kayser is a 6’5 swingman with high motor and basketball potential. Very mobile, thanks to which he can defend positions 1-3. He didn't stand out physically from the rest of the players and he is 2 years younger. Good defender who always presses the ball hard and aggressively.
Great shooter with perfect shooting form (catch and shoot/off the dribble). Very good at creating space for a shot. He is not afraid of contact and often initiates it. He showed that he can play as a PG, has very good court vision, has no problem with pressing defender. He is great at spreading the ball when he drives it to the basket.
FC Barcelona
Mohamed Dabone
Projected Level: HM+
Position: C
Nationality: Burkina Faso
Birth Year: 2011
Height: 6’10
Active Hand: Right
Mohamed Dabone, after very good performances, was selected for the All-star five of the tournament. An incredible athlete who bases his game on his athleticism. He has the best physical conditions of all the tournament players, and he is apparently born in 2011. He is good at coast-to-coast events, where he ends almost everyone with an impressive poster. Puts up good covers, average in P&R actions. Soft touch, can finish with both left and right hand. Not the worst form of shooting, but don't try to shot from a distance. He needs to improve his decision-making and expand his offensive bag. He cannot create space for a shot on his own, and he is not the best at playing with his back to the basket.
Brilliant rim protector, when he is on the pitch with Sayon Keita, there is no way to drive to the basket. Very mobile, which allows him to stand up against smaller rivals.
Sayon Keita
Projected Level: HM+
Position: C
Nationality: Mali
Birth Year: 2008
Height: 7’0
Active Hand: Right
Sayon was definitely one of the best defenders in this tournament. An incredible jump and crazy wingspan make it impossible to finish with a layup when he is in the three-second zone. Very mobile, fast and dynamic. The best shot blocker of his age (2008).
Every time he tries to finish with a dunk. An amazing jump with two and one leg. He accelerates very fast and literally jumps over defenders. The shooting form looks quite good, but Sayon is not a good shooter. He has problems finishing actions with his left hand. He needs to improve his decision making, he often makes stupid decisions with passes at key moments.
Mathieu Grujicic
Projected Level: HM-
Position: SG
Nationality: Germany/ Spain
Birth Year: 2007
Height: 6’5
Active Hand: Right
Mathieu is a very promising player, but he cannot count this tournament as a success. His disastrous 3-point shooting was very noticeable, but he is a very good shooter. He made physical progress over the off-season; he is much bigger and more dynamic. He was aggressively getting to the basket. In attack he made decisions very quickly and they were usually good ones.
He played very well in defense. Pressed the ball hard and made great progress in his mobility and physicality in defense. Thanks to his mobility and physicality, he can defend both taller and shorter opponents.
Valencia
Javier Viguer
Projected Level: MM
Position: SF
Nationality: Spain
Birth Year: 2008
Height: 6’7
Active Hand: Right
Great offensive potential with impressive physical conditions. Long arms and legs that he can use when he wants to score points. Solid shooter, he feels best in off the dribble actions. Creative player who is good at creating space for a shot. Makes decisions very quickly. Sometimes he forces his shots too much and plays a bit selfishly. He always plays well in important games; he is not afraid to take the brunt of the game in key moments.
He can defend when he wants, but he doesn't always give 100%. Good at interceptions. He's not very aggressive, he lacks physicality so far.
Olimpia Milano
Luigi Suigo
Projected Level: HM+
Position: C
Nationality: Italy
Birth Year:2007
Height: 7’1
Active Hand: Right
Luigi is definitely an amazing physical and basketball talent. Amazing rim protector and great inside defender. He is so mobile that Milan played a show defense with him more than once and it worked very well. Sometimes he focuses too much on blocking a player than on defending well. She is a bit soft, often runs away from contact, and is afraid of being aggressive. He lost matchup against Gueye on rebounds, who always plays incredibly aggressively.
A very talented and smart offensive player. Good catch and shoot shooter (average 1.7 triples per match). Soft touch and very good under-the-basket maneuvers. Very good court vision, especially in the post, it is good at doubling up. Very good at P&R actions, puts up strong screens. He runs very well on the counterattack. He is equally afraid of aggression when attacking, I have never seen him use all his strength. Schools such as Arkansas, Louisville and BYU are interested in him.
Mattia Cecatto
Projected Level: MM+
Position: SG
Nationality: Italy
Birth Year: 2007
Height: 6’5
Active Hand: Right
Cecatto showed that he is one of the best shooters of his age. Be able to hit both off the dribble and catch and shoot. He runs great on screens. He can create a shot and a space to drive to the basket. A solid playmaker, but he feels much better as a SG. Very good off ball player, he knows when to curl, when to take a pick and shoot straight away. He makes decisions quickly.
A solid defender who moves incredibly fast, but unfortunately is very skinny, which could be a problem for him in college or as a professional player. Smart and composed player, he doesn't get into fights or get angry, even when he was provoked by Mohamed Dabone in the semi-final.
Achille Lonati
Projected Level: HM
Position: SG
Nationality: Italy
Birth Year: 2007
Height: 6’5
Active Hand: Right
It was a great tournament performed by the leader of the Italian team. He always took responsibility at key moments. In my opinion, Lonati deserved the MVP award.
An incredibly aggressive player in attack. Always try to kill the defender. In the first game, in the first two actions, he tried to do poster dunk twice and was fouled twice. He plays great against players taller than him, Sidi and Dabone had a very big problem stopping him. He is great at creating space for shooting and drives. Very good shooter off the dribble/catch and shoot. Solid in P&R actions, knows when to attack and when to pass. Great court vision, amazing hook passes during drives. He makes decisions very quickly.
Very good and aggressive defender. Strong and mobile.
Diego Garavaglia
Projected Level: MM+
Position: SF
Nationality: Italy
Birth Year: 2007
Height: 6’7
Active Hand: Right
Diego is definitely one of the most combative players born in 2007. Great defender who is strong and mobile. Good shoot blocker, he blocked Sidi Gueye twice, who is 10 centimeters taller. He drives the game and always brings great energy to the court.
He plays patiently and maturely in attack. He is good at spotting a miss match. He can play both backwards and forwards to the basket, he has a very good fade away technique (he is very effective at this). Very good catch and shoot. He makes contact strongly and is great at finding space to finish the action.
Joventut Badalona
Ian Platteeuw
Projected Level: MM+
Position: C
Nationality: Spain
Birth Year: 2007
Height: 6’11
Active Hand: Right
Ian was definitely Joventut's best player at this tournament. High Iq rarely makes strange decisions when it comes to throwing or passing. Quite mobile for his height. A solid defender, but he doesn't always give 100%.
Talented offensively. Very smooth under-the-basket movements, he can finish with both his left and right hand. Very creative, he can sometimes play facing the basket. Reads P&R solidly, puts up good screens. Good court vision, does not force shots. He doesn't always want to take over the game, he is too passive.
Zalgiris
Dovydas Buika
Projected Level: MM+
Position: PG
Nationality: Lithuania
Birth Year: 2007
Height: 6’6
Active Hand: Right
Buika was Zalgiris' best scorer at this tournament. A playmaker with great size and mobility. Very strong and aggressive in attack and defense. A team leader who always brings great energy to the team, always gives 100%.
Great scorer based on his aggressiveness and great acceleration. He makes contact very strongly, so he always finds space to shoot. Average shooter, better off the dribble than catch and shoot. He is not the best playmaker, he has a problem with court vision (he is not creative, he passes very straight and obviously). Sometimes he forces shots too much, poor decision making.
Ignas Stombergas
Projected Level: MM+
Position: C
Nationality: Lithuania
Birth Year: 2008
Height: 6’9
Active Hand: Right
Ignas was one of the most outstanding players and was selected for the All-star five of the tournament. He fought hard on rebounds and played very hard. A solid defender, but he is not very mobile and has problems defending smaller opponents.
He played very wisely in attack, solid court vision. Good at P&R actions, not afraid of contact. Very strong and dynamic, he made an impressive dunk more than once after a short roll. He can play with his back and front to the basket (he attacks close-outs quite well). He can shoot for 3 from an open position, although his form looks quite strange.
Baskonia
Juom Maker Bol
Projected Level: HM
Position: PF/C
Nationality: South Sudan
Birth Year: 2008
Height: 6’11
Active Hand: Right
Juom played a very good tournament and was recognized as the tournament MVP. Incredible physical conditions. The best rebounder of the tournament, crazy wingspain, and amazing jump make it impossible to rebound any ball when he is near. Great defender and rim protector. Good off-ball defender.
Solid 3-point shooter with a very nice shooting form. In paint he is unstoppable, his jump combined with a very good fade away technique makes this shot impossible to block. He plays aggressively under the basket and tries to finish everything with a dunk. Very good basket maneuvers, soft touch around the rim. Average playmaker, with okey court vision.
Kaloyan Balkandzhiev
Projected Level: HM
Position: PF/SF
Nationality: Bulgaria
Birth Year: 2007
Height: 6’8
Active Hand: Left
Kaloyan is a player who looks like he played the best game of his life in every game. An incredibly talented 2-way scorer who always finds a way to score points. Great shooter, especially off the dribble. There will always be room for a shot (mid-range/3 point) thanks to the fact that he has an incredibly high release point. He can create space to shot with two quick crossovers. Good at coast-to-coast action. Makes contact very strongly, often followed by a fade away or finishes with a layup. He has big problems with court vision, he plays quite selfishly and it happened more than once that he made more shots than passes in a game.
A very aggressive defender, he always gives 100%. He returns to defense incredibly quickly (always sprinting). Due to the fact that he is mobile, he can defend players smaller than him.