FIBA Basketball

    10 young players stepping up in the European Qualifiers

    MUNICH (Germany) - The latest window provided another glimpse at the future as the next generation of talent stepped up for their nations, which tends to be something of a trend in these Qualifiers.

    MUNICH (Germany) - The latest window provided another glimpse at the future as the next generation of talent stepped up for their nations, which tends to be something of a trend in these Qualifiers.

    We have picked out 10 of the young stars that impressed in February's action of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.

    NICO MANNION - Italy

    GUARD

    Birth date: March 14, 2001 (20 years old)
    Height: 190cm / 6'3"
    Club: Segafredo Virtus Bologna (ITA)

    February Stats: 19.5 PPG, 4 APG, 50% 3PT in 27.1 minutes per game.

    Mannion already has the experience of playing at the Olympics under his belt and is set to become the focal point of the Italian backcourt for years to come. The 20-year-old guard is now the team's leading scorer in the Qualifiers after averaging just shy of 20 points per game across the two games with Iceland. Mannion finished with 23 points and 7 assists in the road loss before contributing 16 points in 19 minutes as Italy bounced back on home soil.

    KARLO MATKOVIC - Croatia


    POWER FORWARD

    Birth date: March 30, 2001 (20 years old)
    Height: 206cm / 6'10"
    Club: Mega Soccer Bet (SRB)

    February Stats: 8 PPG, 7 RPG, 58% FG in 18.5 minutes per game.

    Matkovic tasted senior international basketball for the first time and had a huge impact for Croatia. The 20-year-old who represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at junior level made his Croatia debut in the home loss against Sweden with 0-of-3 shooting in just nine minutes. However, Matkovic seized the opportunity in the reverse fixture with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds in an important road victory - also securing the head-to-head with a late putback dunk.

    MIKAEL JANTUNEN - Finland

    FORWARD

    Birth date: April 20, 2000 (21 years old)
    Height: 204cm / 6'8"
    Club: Filou Oostende (BEL)

    February Stats: 15 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 APG in 26.0 minutes per game.

    Jantunen had another strong window for Finland as they recorded successive wins over the reigning European champions, Slovenia. The emerging star produced a double-double from the bench with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the 10-point home win in Espoo before netting 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting as Finland completed an important double in their pursuit of a place in the Second Round.

    JUSTUS HOLLATZ - Germany

    POINT GUARD

    Birth date: April 21, 2001 (20 years old)
    Height: 191cm / 6'3"
    Club: Hamburg Towers (GER)

    February Stats: 12 PPG, 4.5 APG, 60% FG in 23.0 minutes per game.

    Hollatz stepped up for Germany in their opening game of the window with an impressive display to set the tone. The 20-year-old guard finished with 16 points and 8 assists in 30 minutes of action to help his side secure the first of two wins against Israel. Hollatz then contributed 8 points in 16 minutes in the return fixture with Germany moving onto the brink of a place in the Second Round.

    NIKOLA JOVIC - Serbia

    POWER FORWARD

    Birth date: June 9, 2003 (18 years old)
    Height: 208cm / 6'10"
    Club: Mega Bemax (SRB)

    February Stats: 6.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 APG in 14.8 minutes per game.

    The highly-rated teenager made a first appearance for Serbia in the current campaign, albeit his debut in Belgrade lasted less than two minutes on the floor. In the reverse fixture  against Slovakia however, Jovic was on the court for 28 minutes of the road game in Levice and posted 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in a solid display to help Serbia to an eight-point win as they moved onto the next phase of the European Qualifiers. They also had efficient contributions from 21-year-old duo Uros Trifunovic and Balsa Koprivica.

    YAM MADAR - Israel

    GUARD

    Birth date: November 26, 2002 (19 years old)
    Height: 190cm / 6'3"
    Club: KK Partizan (SRB)

    February Stats: 8 PPG, 1.5 APG in 24 minutes per game.

    Madar has quickly established himself as one of the most dependable players on the roster; averaging more minutes than any other player to feature in all four games for Israel so far. The talented teenager hit double figures with 12 points in his side's opening loss against Germany as they slipped back to .500 with a 2-2 record. Madar is only shooting at 30-percent from the floor and that will be an area to improve upon in future internationals for an added threat.

    JAIME PRADILLA - Spain

    CENTER

    Birth date: January 3, 2001 (21 years old)
    Height: 205cm / 6'9"
    Club: Valencia Basket Club SAD (ESP)

    February Stats: 8 PTS, 3 REB, 60% FG in 16 minutes.

    Pradilla is symbolic of Spain's new era as they look to integrate their next generation of talent. The Zaragoza native scored 8 points on 60-percent shooting in 16 minutes of action as Spain defeated Ukraine to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign. Only one player averages more than 20 minutes per game of the 14 used by Spain in three games so far, and the likes of Pradilla and Joel Parra are gaining valuable playing time to acclimatize to the level.

    ALEKSANDER BALCEROWSKI - Poland

    CENTER

    Birth date: November 19, 2000 (21 years old)
    Height: 215cm / 7'1"
    Club: BC Mega Basket Beograd (SRB)

    February Stats: 8 PPG, 75% FG in 16.5 minutes per game.

    Balcerowski may not have matched the production levels from the opening window, but still played a key part in helping Poland to end their losing run. The 21-year-old has already become an established part of the lineup and leads Poland in efficiency across the four games. Balcerowski netted 13 points in a defeat to Estonia, whilst adding 2 blocks in each encounter having fouled out in just eight minutes in the two-point victory.

    FURKAN HALTALI - Turkey


    CENTER

    Birth date: December 2, 2002 (19 years old)
    Height: 206cm / 6'9"
    Club: Besiktas Icrypex (TUR)

    February Stats: 4 PTS, 7 REB in 22 minutes.

    Haltali produced one of the plays of the February window with an emphatic block in the midst of a tough battle with Greece in Istanbul. The 19-year-old recorded 4 points and 7 rebounds along with the block in 22 minutes in a valuable experience of going up against top opposition in front of 14,500 fans - a European Qualifiers record. Haltali also featured in the first window and will hope to have another chance to build upon the increase in production in the summer.

    ZIGA SAMAR - Slovenia

    POINT GUARD

    Birth date: January 26, 2001 (21 years old)
    Height: 198cm / 6'6"
    Club: Montakit Fuenlabrada (ESP)

    February Stats: 8 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST in 25 minutes.

    Samar's display was a positive in the midst of a disappointing second window for Slovenia as they suffered two defeats against Finland. The young guard, who plays in Spain domestically, was inserted into the lineup for a debut on home soil for the second encounter and gave the team solid minutes off the bench. Samar put up 8 points along with 5 assists in 25 minutes of action, though his side would fall to a four-point defeat as they dropped to 2-2 in the group.

    Honorable mentions: Finland's Miro Little was the youngest player across the European Qualifiers in Window 2 and the 17-year-old handed out 6 assists in their victory over Slovenia on home soil.

    Emil Stoilov had another solid window for Bulgaria with averages of 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with 18-year-old compatriot Konstantin Kostadinov posting 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds across the two outings.

    Meanwhile, Adam Somogyi scored 7 points in a sole appearance for Hungary and point guard Lovro Gnjidic netted a personal best of 8 points for Croatia.

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