August 2025

Belgrade, Serbia – It was a busy late July and all August for us. We were able to scout live the U18 Eurobasket Division A (Belgrade, Serbia) and Division B (Pitesti, Romania) as well as to take a deep first look at some of the better U16 players, playing at the U16 Eurobasket Division B in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Here are our scouting thoughts on some of the most promising prospects at the U18 Eurobasket Division A who are still unsigned or not committed and could be good additions to any D1 school in the classes of 2026 or 2027. Please note that any of the top prospects from the class of 2025 who already signed with D1 schools (Ian Platteeuw, Guillermo Del Pino, Achille Lonati, etc.) are not included in this article.

Pavle Backo (6’11”, c/o 2026, Serbia)

Backo is a very talented and extremely skilled big man with high basketball IQ. His back-to-the-basket game is expected to be elite thanks to his great footwork, methodical game blended with good number of counters and ability to get to his strong hand, being very efficient within the paint. Despite not being a freakish leaper, his size and great instincts and understanding help him come up with some timely blocks. Will be able to stretch the court very well thanks to a good-looking lefty stroke with range. Among the best and most skilled big men in the international class of 2026.

Stefan Joksimovic (6’7”, c/o 2026, Slovenia)

A gifted guard with great size for his position, who can spend time at both guard positions. Would be a tough mismatch for many of the guards at the next level as a primary ball handler due to his clear size and length advantage and ability to see, shoot and pass over opponents. Add to that he’s a year younger and his developing lengthy frame (long legs, long arms, big feet and hands) where adding strength and weight seems likely. Will be a one-on-one threat. A gifted passer and very good facilitator off pick and roll actions, Joksimovic displays promising blend of scoring instincts and ability to create for others.

Mark Morano-Mahmutovic (6’6”, c/o 2026, Slovenia)

A highly talented and skilled 6-foot-6 wing with good basketball genes. A 3-level scorer with deep bag of moves/ways to score a basket, he will not need the ball to be in his hands to impact the game. He can space the floor very well and hit shots off the catch or spot-ups or simply off cuts thanks to his great awareness and game understanding when without the ball. Will be a reliable and consistent shooter from long range. A good passer.

Dovydas Buika (6’6”, c/o 2026, Lithuania)

A well-known top guard in his generation with a lot of experience at the youth level, he made his debut for the senior team of the Lithuanian powerhouse, Zalgiris this past season. Expected to be more of a combo guard than a pure floor general, might even be utilized more as a two guard due to his scoring instincts and effective game off the ball, scoring off cuts, spot-ups or catch-and-drives. Needs to keep improving his motor. A crafty driver who knows how to manipulate defenses and play angles, Buika displays advanced footwork, maturity and understanding of the game. A solid passer and advanced handler in the pick and roll, he’s improved his mid-range game. A rim-oriented guard in the first several years we scouted him, now it seems he’s getting more confident shooting from outside, taking more shots and improving his numbers. Shooting is clearly his swing-skill, if he keeps improving his efficiency from long range with time his future could be really bright for him.

Diego Garavaglia (6’7”, c/o 2026, Italy)

Strong swingman who’s been consistently improving his game over the times we’ve scouted him in the past few years. Will turn defense into offense thanks to his great defensive awareness and level of engagement, coming up with steals and blocks combined with his ability to excel in transition. Tough, intense and plays with great motor. He’s improved his offensive game in the half-court set, will space the floor well thanks to his ability to knock down threes, cut well and attack closeouts hard. Improved his numbers from outside but needs to keep working on his efficiency. Two-way player who could be a nice glue guy. Garavaglia decided to move his talent to Germany and join Ratiopharm Ulm for the upcoming season. On paper it’s kind of an unorthodox destination for an Italian basketball youth player given the culture, style of living and language differences. Time will tell us if and how successful that move will be.

Meissa Faye (6’6”, c/o 2026, France)

A tall and athletic shooting guard, Faye, like Garavaglia, decided to hone his craft next season in Germany, playing for Ratiopharm Ulm. Choosing to play college basketball seems pretty unlikely for him at this stage, but his shooting prowess makes him a much needed addition to many D1 schools.

Jonas Boulefaa (6’9”, c/o 2026, France)

A designated stretch four who will display a smooth stroke from long range off spot-ups, pick and pop action and some movement. Extremely confident and ready to shoot the ball, feet set with repeatable mechanics. A perimeter-oriented power forward. He has good touch from mid-range too. Expected to be effective screen-setter and roller who can see the court and find his teammates off short rolls. He starts his pro path this upcoming season in the second men’s level in France.

Cameron Houindou (6’9”, c/o 2026/7, France)

A strong and physical 6-foot-9 big man with a 7-foot-1 wingspan who has nice hops. His combination of size, length, mobility and shooting potential given he played one year up makes him even more intriguing prospect to follow. Will be a very solid rebounder and a good rim protector thanks to his +4 wingspan and leaping ability. His shooting from long range is developing. The French big man moves his talent to Slovenia and will play for Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana in the upcoming season. Looks like Houindou is following Joan Beringer’s steps, another French big who got drafted after playing for one season there.

Honorable Mention:

Dominykas Daubaris (6’10”, c/o 2026, Lithuania)

Augustas Butajevas (6’10”, c/o 2026, Lithuania)

Hugo Yimga-Moukouri (6’8”, c/o 2026, France)

Ognjen Srzentic (6’7.5”, c/o 2026, Serbia)

Jamie Edoka (6’4”, c/o 2026, Germany)

Daniel Hinkov (6’6”, c/o 2027, Bulgaria)

Kaloyan Balkandzhiev (6’9”, c/o 2026, Bulgaria)

This article was written by Simeon Marinov, Director of European Scouting for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Scouting notes

Pitesti, Romania – It was a busy late July and all August for us. We were able to scouted live the U18 Eurobasket Division A (Belgrade, Serbia) and Division B (Pitesti, Romania) as well as the U16 Eurobasket Division B in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Here below are our scouting thoughts on some of the most promising prospects at the U18 Eurobasket Division B.

Klark Riethauser (6’8”, c/o 2026, Switzerland)

Playing one year up, Riethauser was one of the most intriguing prospects at the tournament with a breakout performance. He’s a legit 6-foot-8 talented player with length and promising versatility. The Swiss athletic forward can attack the rim and finish above it, shoot from mid and long range to go along with good ability to handle the ball, initiate an offense, while seeing the floor pretty well. Shooting wise Riethauser seems fully capable to be a reliable shooter at the next level from mid to long range off spot-ups, movement and even a few dribbles with time and more reps. He has a high upside to turn into an all-around versatile player. Defensively he is expected to be able to guard multiple positions thanks to his length, nice mobility and instincts for blocking shots. High-major schools should definitely keep track on his development going forward.

Kaur Tomann (6’9”, c/o 2026, Estonia)

Tomann is a well-known prospect who’s been honing his skillset in Stella Azzurra Rome. Standing at 6-foot-9 he has a pretty high upside as a skilled stretch four at the next level who might even be able to translate his point forward abilities. Extremely skilled he can put the ball on the deck and beat his guy off the dribble and create for himself or others. A c competitive and physical player, he’s expected to be a very reliable and consistent shooter who spaces the floor greatly. High majors which need some shooting and playmaking reinforcements from a 4-man better consider his name sooner than later.

Roman Avdejev (6’9”, c/o 2027, Estonia)

A promising 6-foot-9 power forward who’s got versatile offensive skillset (can put the ball on the floor and operate, make plays for his teammates, understands the game well). He has a developing three-point game which will only get better with time and more reps and turn him into even a better commodity. Avdejev will play for Layton Christian Academy this season, adjusting to the American game style.

Endurance Aiyamenkhue (6’11”, c/o 2026, Netherlands)

A well-known prospect, Endurance is a rim-running big man with eye-popping length (7’4.5” wingspan) and a good motor. A hard worker and competitor, he has high upside as a shot-blocking and rebounding center who controls the paint. He has a very good combination of size, length and mobility. Offensively his game is developing, he needs to keep honing his touch within the paint. Shooting is a work in progress. He already visited Baylor and holds an offer from Texas Tech.

Obinna Ekufu (6’5”, c/o 2026, Great Britain)

An athletic guard with a strong and muscular body to go along with great leaping ability and big hands. Among the better athletes at the event. Seems to be taking full advantage of his great athleticism on both ends of the floor – offensively he’s a slasher thanks to his explosive first step, great verticality combined with ability to finish strong around the rim, while defensively, despite being a guard, he showed impressive instincts for blocking shots, finishing seventh overall at the event (1.6 pg). Shooting and finding consistency there seems to be the area he has plenty of room to improve on.

Mate Khatiashvili (6’4, c/o 2026, Georgia)

A talented playmaker who will set the table for his teammates nicely. He has a crafty handle and plays with a ton of confidence. He’s a gifted passer with high basketball IQ and a below-the-rim finisher but shows good footwork and ability to get to the basket. He should be a reliable three-point shooter with range and is expected to be a very efficient handler off pick and roll plays. He sees passing lanes, showing active hands and good awareness.

Emmanuel Ahamefule (6’9”, c/o 2027, Great Britain)

A lean and lengthy wing with great athleticism. Has a developing offensive game, at times seems raw (soft dribble, relies much on his advantageous physical tools on his drives (great length, long strides). Shooting is a work in progress, capable of hitting threes, some of his misses are pretty bad though. On the defensive end he has good potential to turn into a versatile defender who can guard multiple positions thanks to his impressive length and athleticism but needs to be more focused and position himself better when he guards players off the ball. Being a year younger makes his profile even more intriguing to be tracked. Currently at NBA Global Academy.

Oliver Kullamae (6’3”, c/o 2026, Estonia)

A crafty and shifty floor general with good size and very good length for his position, Kullamae plays with swag, combining solid scoring and passing and the ability to play with pace. He can make threes with deep range off the dribble, screens and movement showing confidence, but he needs to work on his consistency. He will be a good facilitator off pick and roll actions. He’s got an elite passing touch and feel, making some difficult passes look really easy. Will be honing his craft this upcoming season in the States at SoCal Academy.

Zvonimir Dujakovic (6’9, c/o 2027, Croatia)

A year younger, Dujakovic’s game seems to be developing well and have promising upside. A lefty tall small forward with lean body and wide shoulders he runs the floor easily and very well. Displayed great efficiency and quick release from outside, shooting 42.3% on threes at the event, giving us high hopes he will be a reliable and consistent shooter at the next stage. If everything goes well, he could be among the many Balkan players, playing at a high-major school one day (likely after a few pro seasons in the Adriatic league)

Joost Dalgaard-Duus (6’6”, c/o 2026, Denmark)

A tall guard who’s more of a rim-oriented thanks to his athleticism, size and ability to get by people. Can make plays for his teammates and operate off the pick and roll. Shooting could be his swing skill, as of now he doesn’t seem to trust his shot from mid to long range despite hitting some occasionally. Solid improvements there could significantly boost his stock. For his senior year in high school Dalgaard-Duus decided to move his talent from the Spanish academy Zentro Basket Madrid to Layton Christian Academy in Utah this season.

Honorable mentions:

Ike Davids (6’10”, c/o 2027, Great Britain)

Maros Golian (6’10”, c/o 2026, Slovakia)

Emmanuel Agbason (6’9”, c/o 2027, Azerbaijan)

Peter Rosta (6’9”, c/o 2027, Hungary)

This article was written by Simeon Marinov, Director of European Scouting for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Top Players from the U18 Eurobasket Division A

FIBA U18 Eurobasket Division B (Pitesti, Romania)