REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - The long awaited first step of the next era in international basketball is behind us as the first group of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers have been played around the world. And the new Competition System proved a major opportunity for many top youngsters from throughout the globe to gain invaluable experience.

Here is a breakdown of how some of the future stars performed during the first Qualifiers.

Hansel Atencia - Colombia - 1997

The 20-year-old point guard is a major part of Colombia's future and the country did a good job of giving him a chance to shine in the Americas Qualifiers - which he did to the tune of 19.5 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in losses against Venezuela and Chile. Not only did Atencia have other youngsters around him - Soren de Luque Bornacelly, Hector Martinez Prieto and Alejandro Minota Rodriguez are all 19 years old - but he also got guidance from veterans like 36-year-olds Eleuterio Renteria and Edgar Moreno.

Vlatko Cancar - Slovenia - 1997

With a number of players missing from Slovenia's FIBA EuroBasket 2017 title-winning team, the 20-year-old Cancar got his chance to shine - and the Denver Nuggets draft pick did just that. He averaged 19.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in Slovenia’s two games - a win over Belarus and a loss against Spain.

Emaunuel Cate - Romania - 1997

The big man helped Romania to win the title at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B this summer before then playing for the senior team at the home FIBA EuroBasket 2017. The 20-year-old now has excelled in the European Qualifiers with 16 points and eight rebounds in a loss at Italy before collecting 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in a big home victory over Holland. Cate is one of four Romanians 20 years or younger along with Bogdan Nicolescu, Nandor Kuti and Georges Darwiche as the future is looking up for Romanian basketball.

Dzanan Musa, Bosnia and Herzegovina - 1999

The wing talent starred as his country's main weapon against Russia with 18 points and seven rebounds in a critical win at home in a challenging Group E. Musa then learned a valuable lesson with a downright poor showing against France, missing all eight of his shots and scoring one point to go with three assists in a defeat. But it was another chance for Musa to be a leader as this Bosnia and Herzegovina group had four players 21 years or younger (Edin Atic (20), Amar Gegic (19), Aleksandar Lazic (21), Markus Loncar (21)).

Abudushalamu Abudurexiti/Sun Minghui - China - both 1996

Let's combine these two 21-year-old Chinese since they both played a major role in China grabbing two victories in the Asian Qualifiers. Abudurexiti averaged 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks while Sun collected 16 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals. Sun tallied 21 points in China's big win at Korea while Abudurexiti picked up 15 points and seven rebounds.

Those were just some of the top stories but there were plenty of other youngsters of note - here listed by continent:

Europe: 18-year-old Goga Bitadze of Georgia, Israel's 20-year-old Tamir Blatt, Ludde Hakanson of Sweden - still just 21 years old, 19-year-old Isaiah Hartenstein of Germany; 20-year-old Tryggvi Hlinason of Iceland and Serbia's 20-year-old Stefan Peno.

The 20-year-old Sebastian Herrera averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in Chile's two Americas Qualifiers.  

Americas: 19-year-old Juan Ducasse of Uruguay, Brazil's 18-year-old Yago Dos Santos and 20-year-old Sebastian Herrera of Chile.

Democratic Republic of Congo's 19-year-old Shekinah Munanga Shekina picked up 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists against Angola in the Africa Qualifiers.

Africa: 21-year-old Gerson Domingos and 20-year-old Joao Jungo of Angola, Egypt's 18-year-old Ahmed Khalaf and 19-year-old Shekinah Munanga Shekina of Democratic Republic of Congo.

Asia: India's 21-year-old giant Satnam Singh Bharama

David Hein

FIBA

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