BELGRADE (Basketball Without Borders) - The 2018 Basketball Without Borders Europe Camp in Belgrade this week will be loaded with talented youngsters that have already begun making their marks for their countries.

While the likes of Serbia internationals Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica, Boban Marjanvoic, Ana Dabovic and Sonja Petrovic and Montenegro center Nik Vucevic will be on hand as instructors at the Zarkovo Sports Hall & Kosarkaski Centar August 15-18, the campers that aspire to be like them have had some early success. They have been making waves at various national team tournaments.

Many recently competed at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina or the FIBA U18 European Championship in Latvia. There are also players with famous familial connections, none more so than 17-year-old Alex Antetokounmpo. The 1.98m (6ft 6in) small forward is the younger brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greece national team star and one of the best players in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks.

As for those that featured for their respective countries at the U17 World Cup, two - Matthieu Gauzin and Maxime Carene - reached the Final with France. Gauzin is an electric and sweet-shooting 1.85m (6ft 2in) point guard, while Carene is a gifted 2.07m (6ft 9in) center. 

Gauzin Gauzin showed some hops at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Argentina

Guard Omer Can Ilyasoglu and center Tarik Sezgun were part of a Turkey side that reached the Quarter-Finals of the U17 World Cup in Argentina, where the former averaged 8.6 points, led his team in assists (4.4 assists) and ranked third in rebounding (4.9 rebounds).

Ilyasoglu played for fifth-place Turkey at the FIBA U17  Basketball World Cup

There were several players at the U17 event that won't have to travel far for BWB Europe 2018. They are Croatia's Matej Rudan, who led his country to a fourth-place finish at last year's FIBA U16 European Championship to qualify for the U17 World Cup while averaging more than 17 points per game. He helped Croatia reached the Quarter-Finals of the U17 World Cup, where they lost to eventual champions USA.

The Montenegro trio pf Bojan Tomasevic, Stefan Vlahovic and Jovan Kljajic featured at the U17 World Cup where they reached the Last Eight, while Serbia's Dorde Pazin - the leader of the side that finished third at the 2017 U16 European Championship - also featured at the U17 World Cup where his side finished 10th.

Rudan is on his way to becoming another successful Croatian in the game

One of the players from Israel's title-winning side at the FIBA U20 European Championship this summer, Deni Avdija, is attending the camp. A 17-year-old small forward, his father Zufer also played the game at a high level but with the former Yugoslavia. He was in the side that finished third at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 1982.

Camp attendee Avdija will arrive on the back of an U20 European Championship title run with Israel

Speaking of famous fathers, France has another camper with an interesting family connection in 6ft 5in (1.96m) Tom Digbeu, the son of former France and NBA player Alain Digbeu.

Representing Spain at the camp are Santiago Aldama and Golden Dike. Aldama's father, also Santiago, played for Spain at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Dike, a 2.00m (6ft 7in) center, has already represented Spain at this summer's U18 European Championship.

Russia, meanwhile, are sending one of their stars in the making in Pavel Zakharov. The 2.08m (ft 10in) center played at last year's U16 European Championship. Gregor Glas of Slovenia is an exciting 1.93m (6ft 4in) guard who helped his country at the U18 European Championship Division B win promotion with a second-place finish.

All eyes will be on Russia's promising young center Pavel Zakharov

Lithuania's Marek Blazevic, 2.06m (6ft 9in) center, turned heads at last year's U16 European Championship when he averaged 16 points and 10.6 rebounds.

The Netherlands have a promising point guard in Keye van der Vuurst, who this summer led the Dutch to promotion at the U18 European Championship, where they have been absent for nearly three decades.

Among the many bright talents on the women's side are Emily Bessoir of Germany, Kendra Chery of France and Awak Kuier of Finland.

Bessoir, a 1.92m (6ft 4in) small forward who earned a spot on the All-Star Five at last year's Women's U16 European Championship, also just played big minutes in the German side that won the U18 Women's European Championship in Udine, Italy.

Germany's Bessoir has been raising eyebrows in Europe

Chery, a winner of the 2017 Women's U16  European Championship, was immense for France at the recent FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup in Minsk, Belarus. Chery's gritty, all-round performances were a major factor for the French who made it all the way to the championship game and finished runners-up.

Chery excelled as France came from behind to stun Australia in a Semi-Final in Minsk

Kuier, who will celebrate her 17th birthday during the BWB Camp on August 18, has generated a lot of excitement with her athleticism and dunking ability. She averaged 17.4ppg and 12.1rpg for the Finns at the FIBA U16 Women's European Championship Division B last year. 

The promising Kuier is causing a real buzz in Finland

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