The last weekend of September saw the return of one of the marquee events in the U18 calendar in Europe: the Memorial Pascual Chulià International Tournament in Torrent, just outside the sunny and warm Mediterranean city of Valencia. In this case, the tournament hosts, NB Torrent, were joined by a murderer’s row, so to speak, of U18 European clubs, with both Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in attendance with almost their full rosters, Lithuanian youth-level staple Zalgiris Kaunas and Olimpia Milano’s excellent 2007 squad coming in from abroad, and three excellent U18 Spanish squads filling in the bracket in Joventut Badalona, Baskonia and Valencia Basket.
The tournament was a resounding success, with a superb level of basketball being played all 4 days, high-level prospects in attendance and an excellent work by the organising staff from NB Torrent in ensuring it all ran smoothly.
Eurohoops Scouting was in attendance, and will now review the best prospects in what turned out to be an excellent tournament to kickstart the 24-25 season in European youth basketball.
Luigi Suigo, 7’3 C · Class of 2026, 2007 · Olimpia Milano
After a successful FIBA U17 World Cup and FIBA U18 European Championship, Italian 7’3 big man Luigi Suigo showed his progress here in Torrent. Just a couple of months after competing in the FIBA U18 European Championships, Suigo already looks improved, with seemingly added strength and mobility to his already impressive physical profile. Suigo was very effective here in a setting packed with high-level big man prospects, and was able to use his size and added strength effectively to deter drives and finish plays around the rim. He continued to be a threat from outside, able to catch and shoot confidently from deep, and showed an improved, if still a bit raw, set of post moves, slowly wheeling for drop-step finishes but still being uncomfortable with counters. On defense, as well as his fantastic rim protection, Suigo was part of a Milano switching scheme at times and held his own for the most part when switched onto opposing guards, showcasing some improved lateral speed as well.
Suigo is already receiving interest from HM schools, and it’s no surprise considering his physical tools, progression over the last two seasons and upside as a rim protector with decent mobility and a workable jumpshot. He should be one of the key names in both ANGT and FIBA competitions this season as he finishes off a brilliant U18 stint with both Olimpia Milano and the Italian National Team.
Juom Maker Bol, 6’11 PF/C · Class of 2027, 2008 · Baskonia
The MVP of the tournament, 6’11 big man Juom Maker had a great few days in Torrent, despite his team disappointing somewhat with a 5th position finish. On a squad that was lacking some passing, Juom had to do plenty of work on his own, generating looks for himself in the post as well as adding his customary shooting from range en route to averaging 15 points and 14 rebounds per game in Torrent. Juom showcased everything that makes him special: the combination of size, length, touch inside and an intriguing jumpshot. The shooting remains the high-upside bet: Juom has an extremely high release point that basically enables him to get a shot off whenever he wants as he can simply pull up over his defender, and he showed here some ability to shoot on the move at 6’11, especially when coming off flare screens along the baseline. This ability to shoot at his size puts pressure on the defense, and, on top of that, Juom is coordinated and skilled enough that he can pump fake and take a one-dribble pull up if he senses a defender selling out on the closeout too.
On defense, his size, length and physicality caused all sorts of problems for opposing bigs, who struggled attacking him in the low block and even being able to get shots off, let alone make them at a decent clip. Although he remains a bit raw physically and needs to continue working on his lower body, his lateral quickness was actually quite decent, and his plus length and leaping ability allow him to cover plenty of ground and challenge shots around the paint as a help defender. Juom has also been the best rebounder at every tournament we’ve watched him at, and this one was no exception, as Juom has the size, the leaping, length and motor to be a very effective rebounder at every level.
Already looking poised to be one of the best U18 players in Europe, Juom Maker Bol’s name should be highlighted in every college coaches’ recruiting lists as one of the premier big men in the Class of 2027.
Achille Lonati, 6’5 G · Class of 2025, 2007 · Olimpia Milano
Achille Lonati already has a track record in Europe as one of the continents’ most consummate winners, with both a consistent resume of excellence and a spotless upward trajectory in the last three seasons. Listed as a 6’5 SG, Lonati has made strides every single time we’ve watched him, as is now a fully versatile offensive weapon who can seamlessly transition between playing on and off the ball. Lonati is a skilled and poised player who consistently makes the right decision but who nonetheless is a no-hesitation guy with motor and competitive fire who will try to dunk it on his opponents’ heads any time he finds himself going downhill. His shooting stands out: Lonati attempted 41 3-pointers in this 5 game tournament, a preposterous volume of 3s for a guy who does not carry the tag of being a ‘pure shooter’ and who the team does not actively look for in screening situations, floppy sets or pin-down screens. Perhaps even more importantly, Lonati was tasked with being Olimpia Milano’s main pick and roll operator and did not disappoint, picking his spots excellently, pulling the trigger from deep any time the defense went under, driving at the dropping big with a variety of jukes and snake dribbles, finding the roller with some exquisite pocket passes or simply going right at the big men and using his strength, touch and deceptive athleticism to finish at the rim or draw fouls.
Prospects with positional size, this level of competitive fire and track record of continuous improvement don’t grow on trees. Lonati has been a winner at every stage of his career, and given both his current level and his consistent development over time, he should feature prominently in college’s recruitment lists for the following season as a Class of 2025 recruit.
Kaloyan Balkandzhiev, 6’9 F · Class of 2025, 2007 · Baskonia
After not participating in summer FIBA competitions for Bulgaria, this was a chance for us to get a closer look at lefty F Kaloyan Balkandzhiev, and he absolutely did not disappoint. The Bulgarian was one of the more impressive players in Torrent, showcasing his athleticism and shot-making in every game we attended. Standing at 6’9, Balkandzhiev has good size and athleticism for a tweener forward, having good speed and leaping ability. He was relentless all weekend long, showing some gritty determination in going at his opponents and forcing the help to commit or otherwise just punishing inferior defenders by getting to his sweet spots and elevating for jumpers or short-range push-shots around the rim. While the passing vision and the use of the right hand remain works in progress, his positional size and athleticism, ability to create his own shot and shotmaking accuracy make him a very interesting target as a Class of 2025 recruit.
Sidi Gueye, 6’10 PF/C · 2007 · Real Madrid
A prospect that toes the line between known commodity and mystery man about as successfully as can be done, Sidi Gueye had a very solid tournament in Torrent, showcasing exactly what his fit in college or in the pros is likely to be. Still lanky, Sidi has nonetheless put plenty of strength and plays with unwavering toughness, fighting hard every single possession, moving with a purpose, setting some mean screens, being a force on the glass and aiming to dunk absolutely everything close to the rim. Now in his fourth season at European powerhouse Real Madrid, Sidi is now a no-nonsense big man who rarely forces the issue, avoiding bad shots, keeping the offense moving and generating offense around the rim for his team on rolls to the rim, post-ups against switches and smart cuts to open up passing lanes for his guards. With a huge catch radius, a revving motor and good, explosive leaping, he is always a target for lob passes and paces himself well as a roll man. On defense, more of the same, as Sidi has shown the ability to protect the paint with the best of them and, despite his thin legs, has continued to put on muscle in his upper body and is now perfectly capable of guarding the post against heavier, bulkier bigs.
With perhaps some unexplored offensive upside that likely won’t emerge as long as he plays for Real Madrid, Sidi may be a dark-horse candidate for landing in a top college programme this upcoming summer, if that’s the path he wants to take after completing his U18 stint in Spain.
Mohamed Dabone, 6’10 C · 2011 · FC Barcelona
After participating in FC Barcelona’s preseason, this was a bit of a disappointing outing for youth basketball phenom Mohamed Dabone – a bit of a crazy phrase to say considering he was on the All-Tournament Team while playing 4 years up in age. Dabone showed all the intrigue that we have come to expect, with his combination of size, length and ridiculous leaping showing up repeatedly in some crazy dunks, rebounds and blocks and some very impressive non-dunk finishes around the rim, covering outrageous amounts of space in a single jump and completing some extension finishes from unlikely angles. However, we already knew that Dabone could do all these things and he showed little else, with no attempts from the midrange or upper paint, no instances of faceup offense and indeed no offensive generation for himself or others at all and some stretches of the more competitive games where his impact was really muted by the physicality and high level of execution of the opposition.
None of this is a problem, of course, as Dabone still has four years left before a possible college stint and five before a potential NBA draft selection. If anything, the All-Tournament Team selection is a testament to his physical exhuberance, talent level and sheer productivity, and we will keep monitoring him throughout the season, as early as this upcoming weekend at the U16 La Orotava Tournament.
Honourable Mention
- Ian Platteeuw
- Mathieu Grujicic
- Dominykas Daubaris
- Diego Garavaglia
- Max García-Plata
- Sayon Keita
- Ignas Stombergas
- Daniel Osayi
- Declan Duru