MIES (Switzerland) - One of the great things about the FIBA national team windows is that youngsters have a chance to shine for their country on a big stage, getting their feet wet with the senior team. The last window of the 2025 Continental Cup Qualifiers saw many of the top star talents across the globe - many of them still just teenagers - showcase their skills.
To highlight some of the world's next stars, we got out their teaching handbooks and graded the youngsters' performances.
Since we're firm believers of what Giannis Antetokuonmpo said about failures and that any opportunity on the court is always a step towards success in the future, don't expect any failing grades to be handed out.
Emmett Adair - 2006 - Australia - Grade B
vs Indonesia - 14 minutes, 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal vs Thailand - 9 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds
Emmett Adair will likely be one of Australia's leaders this summer at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 and what a chance to play up a level for the Boomers at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. Sure, the competition level wasn't at the same level as Australia, but the 19-year-old poured in 15 points against Indonesia in just 14 minutes. And in 9 minutes against Thailand, the forward picked up 4 points and 3 rebounds.
Izan Almansa - 2005- Spain - Grade B-
vs Latvia - 2 minutes vs Belgium - 22 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Izan Almansa was playing for the second FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers window and his grade could have been a bit higher but he only played 2 minutes in the first game - a loss to Latvia. The big man came back against Belgium and showed what he can do - scoring two baskets for 5 points and also grabbing 5 rebounds in 22 minutes. Almansa, who faces a strong level of competition in the Australian NBL league, did not seem overwhelmed at all.
Mohammad Amini - 2005 - Iran - Grade A+
vs India - 23 minutes 33 points, 14-15 field-goal shooting, 5-5 three-point shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block vs Kazakhstan - 25 minutes, 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal
Mohammad Amini did not play like a teenager as the 19-year-old dominated in helping Iran grab two wins at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. Amini, who plays his club ball in France, went nearly perfect against India in pouring in 33 points - which ranked as the fourth highest single game output in this Asia Cup Qualifiers. Amini showed his versatile game with 13 points and 7 rebounds in the second game against Kazakhstan. After playing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and leading the team in scoring there, Amini is now ready for his first big continental showcase this summer.
Jacob Furphy - 2006 - Australia - Grade B
vs Indonesia - 17 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block vs Thailand - 14 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Jacob Furphy was playing his second straight window in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers and the guard did not have the nerves from the November games. He showed a strong willingness to help his team in any way needed in two comfortable wins over Indonesia and Thailand, totaling 8 points and 5 rebounds in 31 combined minutes.
Hugo Gonzalez - 2006 - Spain - Grade A
vs Latvia - 18 minutes, 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block vs Belgium - 17 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
Hugo Gonzalez put together an impressive senior national team debut in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, showing he can play at both ends of the court. The Real Madrid talent did a good job playing within himself and to his strengths. He collected 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 18 minutes of a loss to Latvia - showing he can excel on defense as well. Gonzalez chipped in 9 points, 3 rebounds and his intense defense created 2 steals in 17 minutes in Spain's win over Belgium. It was certainly a strong debut and will give Spain head coach Sergio Scariolo another option as scorer and defender off the bench for this summer's showcase.
Karim Lopez - 2007 - Mexico - Grade A+
vs Nicaragua - 18 minutes, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steals vs Canada - 22 minutes, 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
What a difference a year makes! In the February 2024 window, Karim Lopez played just one minute. Since heading to Australia to play in the NBL, the 17-year-old's confidence has sky-rocketed and he was a critical part of Mexico grabbing two wins in the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers. He did it all in 18 minutes against Nicaragua with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and then played well against FIBA Americas powers Canada with 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 22 minutes. Watch out in the FIBA AmeriCup 2025!
Mathias M'Madi - 2005 - Madagascar - Grade A-
vs Cote d'Ivoire - 28 minutes, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steals vs Egypt - 27 minutes, 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals vs Central African Republic - 28 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals
Mathias M'Madi wrote another chapter in his still short history with Madagascar as the 19-year-old put together an excellent debut with the senior national team at the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. Two summers ago he poured in 24.1 points at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2024. Now he was dominating at the continental level. He scored 17 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists against Cote d'Ivoire and then helped the country beat Egypt with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. M'Madi struggled from the field against Central African Republic, hitting just 2 of 13 shots for 5 points. M'Madi's grade gets docked a bit because of two losses plus the subpar showing in the last game.
Jean Montero - 2003 - Dominican Republic - Grade A
vs Canada - 25 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals vs Nicaragua - 18 minutes, 16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Any doubts about Jean Montero's leadership ability have long been answered as he showed again at the FIBA AmeriCup 2025 Qualifiers, where Dominican Republic grabbed two wins. The point guard did not have the best shooting night against Canada but he had 9 points and also picked up 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals - doing the things his team needs to win. He only needed 18 minutes against Nicaragua to score 16 points.
Assemian Moulare - 2003 - Cote d'Ivoire - Grade A-
vs Madagascar - 17 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists vs Central African Republic - 16 minutes, 8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists vs Egypt - 18 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal
Assemian Moulare played in all six games of the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers for Cote d'Ivoire and he led them to a second 3-0 window this time around. The 22-year-old just had a balanced showing over the window, averaging 8.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Ousmane Ndiaye - 2004 - Senegal - Grade A+
vs Rwanada - 22 minutes, 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks vs Gabon - 24 minutes, 21 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block vs Cameroon - 23 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block
Man, you really don't have to say anything other than just look at those stats for Ousmane Ndiaye. The 20-year-old already showed at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament 2023 Nigeria what he can do in his senior national team debut with Senegal. And he absolutely dominated in the final window of the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, and he will be a beast this summer on the big stage.
Ben Saraf - 2006 - Israel - Grade A
vs Portugal - 21 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 5 assist, 2 steals vs Slovenia - 19 minutes, 8 points, 2 assists, 4 steals
Ben Saraf looks ready to take on as much leadership as Israel are willing to give him as the 18-year-old guided the team to two wins in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. He had 11 points and 5 assists against Portugal and then picked up 8 points, 2 assists and 4 steals in a win over Slovenia. Saraf, who plays in Germany, really showed his willingness to play defense - an important aspect considering his offensive game is already so advanced.
Mario Saint-Supery - 2006 - Spain - Grade B
vs Latvia - 22 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist vs Belgium - 23 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 5 steals
Speaking of more responsibility, Mario Saint-Supery was given more of a role for Spain in his second window with the senior team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. He played 9 minutes in his one game in November 2024 but he played 22 and 23 minutes for Spain this time around. He was not overly efficient against Latvia, making 2 of 10 shots for 4 points with 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 turnovers. But Saint-Supery scored 5 points, dished out 4 assists and swiped 5 steals against Belgium.
Matteo Spagnolo - Italy - 2003 - Grade A-
vs Türkiye - 27 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal vs Hungary - 31 minutes, 14 points, 1 rebounds, 5 assist
Matteo Spagnolo showed why he is one of the leaders of the next generations for Italy with two strong games in the final window of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers - his first games in the qualifying windows. He scored 14 points in both games - an Italy win over Türkiye and a loss against Hungary - and the reason his grade was bumped down a bit was a 1.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in the two games.
Hansen Yang -2005 - China - Grade B-
vs Japan - 2 minutes vs Guam - 17 minutes, 19 points, 7-9 field-goal shooting, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Hansen Yang was actually playing in his third window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers and the first game against Japan was the first time that he didn't play at least 11 minutes - getting onto the court for just two minutes and compiling no major stats. The center did play 17 minutes in the final game of the Qualifiers and was a pure force, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds versus Guam.
Fanbo Zeng - 2003 - China - Grade A-
vs Japan - 27 minutes, 13 points, 1 rebounds, 2 assist, 2 steals, 4 blocks vs Guam - 26 minutes, 2 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocks
Fanbo Zeng meanwhile was appearing in his second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers and played a major role in the win over Japan. The forward scored 13 points and also swatted 4 shots. In the game against Guam, Zeng was limited to just 2 points but he contributed 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
*This is is not an official award or ranking from FIBA. It is created solely to enhance the experience of the fans to show their support for their favorite players from the Continental Cup Qualifiers.
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