The future is now: Five young players who stood out in the Regular Season

MUNICH (Germany) - There were a number of standout performances during the Regular Season, but the next generation also caught the eye as they offered an encouraging glimpse of the future.

We take a look at some of the top prospects and how they fared for their respective teams in the Group Phase.

Issuf SANON - BC Dnipro

 

SHOOTING GUARD

Birth date: October 30, 1999 (20 years old)
Height: 194cm / 6'5"
Club: BC Dnipro
Nationality: UKR

Statistics: 12.0 PTS, 3.8 REB, 1.7 AST in 25.8 MIN

The 44th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Issuf Sanon has backed up the faith of the Washington Wizards with a number of impressive showings for BC Dnipro.

Sanon was one of the leading scorers for his side during the Regular Season with 12.0 points per outing having announced himself with a 16-point display on 7-of-9 shooting on Gameday 1 against BC Kyiv Basket in an all-Ukrainian affair.

A best of 23 points came a month later as Sanon helped lead his side to a convincing victory over Tsmoki-Minsk with an efficiency rating of 26 having added 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block in the win.

Having enjoyed a breakout tournament at the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2017, Sanon showed out again at the U20 level this past summer where his commitment to the national team cause was evident following a stint in the NBA Summer League.

Sanon's FIBA Europe Cup journey ended in a disappointing loss as BC Dnipro bowed out in a 22-point home defeat on the final day of the Regular Season, but the Donetsk native has left his mark again.

Yordan MINCHEV - Levski-Lukoil

FORWARD

Birth date: October 17, 1998 (21 years old)
Height: 202cm / 6'8"
Club: Levski-Lukoil
Nationality: BUL

Statistics: 11.5 PTS, 6.2 REB, 1.5 AST in 26.7 MIN

Group F was blessed with more than one leading young talent with Yordan Minchev putting up 11.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for Levski-Lukoil as they went 3-3 in the Group Phase to finish in third place.

The Bulgarian saved his best for the final day with a season-high 19 points to lift his side to a dominant 83-61 victory on the road to help eliminate Sanon's BC Dnipro.

Minchev reached double figures in scoring in all but one game - when he was held scoreless against BC Kyiv Basket. He had 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the season opener for Levski-Lukoil.

The 21-year-old was fast-tracked into Bulgaria's senior side in 2017 with a couple of appearances during their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers campaign and has pushed his case to feature again in the upcoming window.

Mario IHRING - Inter Bratislava

POINT GUARD

Birth date: June 13, 1998 (21 years old)
Height: 192cm / 6'4"
Club: Inter Bratislava
Nationality: SVK

Statistics: 8.8 PTS, 3.0 REB, 2.0 AST in 20.2 MIN

Mario Ihring posted 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in five appearances during the Regular Season, but Inter Bratislava failed to make it out of the group with a 2-4 record.

The 21-year-old guard recorded a season-high of 15 points along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a defeat away at ZZ Leiden while also reaching 12 points on Gameday 6.

Ihring also had previous stints in the competition having made his debut three seasons ago with Prievidza as a teenager before going on to make his senior debut with Slovakia. In the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Pre-Qualifiers earlier this year, he averaged 9.4 points along with a team-best 3.7 assists per game.

 

Rafael LISBOA - SL Benfica

GUARD

Birth date: November 27, 1999 (20 years old)
Height: 182cm / 6'0"
Club: SL Benfica
Nationality: POR

Statistics: 7.5 PTS, 2.0 REB, 2.7 AST in 15.9 MIN

Rafael Lisboa is one top young player who will be heading into the Second Round, as SL Benfica advanced through their group with a strong 5-1 record.

The Portuguese prospect averaged 7.5 points and 2.7 assists per game having posted 15 points and 4 assists on two occasions including a perfect 5-of-5 shooting display against PVSK-Veolia.

Lisboa came into the 2019-20 season off the back of an incredible summer at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2019, Division B. He led Portugal to the title on home soil, earning the tournament MVP award with 17.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

The quest for more silverware continues with Benfica in Group I alongside Spirou Basket, medi Bayrueth and Bakken Bears as Lisboa adds to the strength in depth and is ready to take his chances.

Eidan Alber - Ironi Ness Ziona

GUARD

Birth date: January 25, 2000 (19 years old)
Height: 190cm / 6'3"
Club: Ironi Ness Ziona
Nationality: ISR

Statistics: 4.3PTS, 1.8 REB, 0.3 AST in 6.7 MIN

19-year-old Eidan Alber was another prospect to enjoy success in the summer with his national team after helping Israel triumph at the FIBA U20 European Championship in Tel Aviv.

Chances were few and far between in the Regular Season with Ironi Ness Ziona, however, and Alber seized his opportunity on Gameday 6 to stake a claim for more playing time in the next phase.

The shooting guard stepped up with a team-high 17 points along with 7 rebounds to help his side complete a perfect group campaign in beating Landstede Hammers Zwolle 94-88 on the road.

Alber faces a tough task to break through on a strong roster, but will be looking to stay ready for when his number is called as the competition heats up ahead of the Second Round.

 

Honorable mentions:

Cypriot guard Ioannis Giannaris had a strong campaign for Apoel Nicosia with averages of 8.2 points and 2.5 assists per game. 20-year-old Przemyslaw Kuzkow impressed at Legia Warszawa in finishing the group phase with 8.4 points per outing across five games with 14 points coming on Gameday 6.

Krisztofer Durazi had a 17-point outing for Egis Kormend with the Hungarian adding a further 15 points in their final game, while compatriot, and recently turned 17-year-old, Kristof Takacs saw 33 minutes of action in total. 2003-born Romanian forward Stefan Grasu had a best of 5 points in accumulating 39 minutes on the season at U-BT Cluj Napoca.

Ventspils' teenager Kristaps Kilps along with Onuralp Bitim of Pinar Karsiyaka, and BC CSU Sibiu guard Lucas Tohatan all registered game-highs in double figures for breakout displays in the Regular Season.

FIBA