Valencia, Spain – The second day of the Euroleague’s Adidas Next Generation Tournament at L’Alqueria del Basket in Valencia was opened with a strong performance in a game between LDCL Asvel Villeurbanne and the hosts of Valencia. Asvel clicked on all cylinders and ran past Valencia – 94-66. Killian Malwaya was all over the floor, finishing with 24 points, three boards and four steals, showcasing again his high-level athleticism and great upside. His teammate Kenny Kasiama (2003), a 6-8 energetic forward put up 16 points and grabbed seven boards, while Kymany Houinsou flirted with the triple-double, finishing with 14 points, eight boards and eight dimes. Noah Manet (2004), a 6-4 French guard had a nice all-around performance adding 11 points, eight boards and five assists for the winners.
Joventut Badalona secured its first place in Group B winning against Unicaja Malaga 60 – 55 in a close contest. Both teams displayed different philosophies – Unicaja plays fast-paced basketball with a lot of defensive pressure, trapping, aggressiveness on both ends, while Joventut prefers playing methodically, organizing its offense using the clock. Conrad Martinez had another solid showing, leading his team in scoring with 14 points, adding four rebounds and five assists, while his skinny Portuguese 6-8 teammate Ruben De Oliveira recorded a breakout performance putting up 12 points, seven boards and three steals competing with great energy on both ends of the floor. Bernard Edokpayi (2003), a lean, scoring and drive-first 6-0 guard scored 18 points in a losing effort, shooting 6-of-9 from the charity stripe (eleven fouls drawn).
Barcelona won third game in a row at the event after a blowout victory over the French team Nanterre – 89-50. Michael Caicedo (2003), an athletic 6-6 prospect with nice length and intriguing two-way potential, led the winners in scoring with 18 points, shooting 3-of-6 from outside and grabbed six boards. The Uruguayan 6-foot-6 guard Agustin Ubal (2003) helped his team get the win, recording 13 points (3-of-5 on threes), three assists and three steals providing length and energy on defense despite his thin build. Marc-Antoine Loemba (2003), an athletic 6-2 guard led Nanterre 92 in scoring with 17 points, adding five boards and three assists, while his teammate Maxime Raynaud recorded 14 points and eight rebounds, connecting on two of his five shots from deep.
In the next game Ratiopharm Ulm outplayed the favorites Gran Canaria – 70-58, demonstrating more energy on both ends of the floor and better team chemistry. Andrija Grbovic, a well-known 6-foot-9 prospect from Montenegro led Ulm in scoring with 17 points, shooting 3-of-9 from long distance, but hit all his threes in a row to seal the win for his team in the third quarter. Baylor commit Jeremy Sochan had another solid double-double – 15 points and an impressive 17 rebounds, but shot only 1-of-8 from deep. The Congo native Kany Tchanda put up 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a losing effort, while his teammate Jean Montero added ten points and five assists, but couldn’t connect on his shots from long distance, going 0-of-8.
The hosts of Valencia lost second game in a row, this time against Joventut Badalona – 86-74. Joventut controlled the pace and demonstrated good team basketball, having five players in double figures. Arnau Ramos (2004), a Spanish 6-7 frontcourt player led Joventut in scoring with 15 points and grabbed six rebounds (five offensive), showing nice back-to-the-basket moves with either hand. Freds Bagatskis scored 17 points for Valencia, but shot an inefficient 3-of-15 from deep, taking some ill-advised shots.
In the final game for the day Unicaja won over Asvel in a close game – 70-66. Bernard Edokpayi once again was the scoring leader for the winners with 14 points, using every opportunity to push the ball up on the court and drive aggressively down the rim. His teammate Rafa Santos (2003), a lefty 6-foot lead guard played with a lot of poise, adding ten points, four rebounds and three assists. Zaccharie Risacher (2005), a skinny 6-foot-7 forward, led Asvel in scoring with 18 points, connecting on four of his seven shots from deep and grabbed seven boards. Both Kymany Houinsou and Kenny Kasiama recorded 16 points, but shot a combined 2-of-10 from long distance.
On Tuesday, Barcelona will face Joventut Badalona in the final, while Unicaja Malaga and Ratiopharm Ulm will play for the third place. Herbalife Gran Canaria will compete against LDCL Asvel Villeurbanne in the game for the fifth place, while Nanterre 92 and Valencia will face each other to decide which team will run away from taking the last spot.
This article was written by Simeon Marinov, a scout and correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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