RYTAS (Vilnius) - With the idea of growing the sport globally, FIBA is developing a new youth event, called the FIBA Next Gen Hoops Invitational.
The first edition will see the two-time Youth BCL champions Rytas Vilnius taking on a team called the Grind Session across two games in Lithuania on June 4 and 5.
The Grind Session
In partnership with FIBA's Youth Development Program, The Grind Session is the first-ever winter circuit for elite high school basketball players.
Nearly 3,000 Grind Session players have gone on to play in college or the NBA. You've heard of plenty of them, including the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar and the NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
His teammates Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins were also part of the Grind Session, and they are set to take on more Grind Session alumni in the NBA Finals, as Thomas Bryant and Isaiah Jackson are on the Indiana Pacers roster.
Players like Jayson Tatum, Paolo Banchero and Jamal Murray also made their mark in this circuit, so expect to see some of the names on this roster lighting it up in the NBA, too. And soon.
The roster
Among the players on this roster, there were five of them born in 2008, two born in 2007, one in 2006, while the forward Michael Jones will celebrate his 20th birthday on December 15 this year. He is coming off a year with 19.6 points and 14.0 rebounds per game with the CHI Prep.
The youngest member of the team is 2010-born Frank Robinson Jr, already getting a taste of international basketball.
Brandon Mason Jr is here to tell a unique story of ball boy to scholarship offer. He was a ball boy for the UNM Lobos while his father was on the coaching staff there, and now he could become a player for the Lobos, as he received an offer just before embarking on this trip to Europe.
Mason Jr averaged 15.8 points and 6.8 rebounds for Albuquerque Prep across 12 games in The Grind Session circuit this season.
Other players will draw your attention, for sure. Seven Spurlock is a big lefty guard who enjoys playing through contact and finishing close to the rim, but his long range shooting has also been impressive recently.
If he's having a good game, you will know about it, as his celebrations are all part of the unique watching experience when he's on the floor.
Another player to single out is Jaylin Conard, a point guard with plenty of rhythm to his dribbles, shots and drives. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists for DNA Prep this season, while shooting 40 percent from deep.
Keep an eye on the forwards from Winston Salem Christian. Bradley Floyd and Josiah Johnson-Freeman put up 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.0 steals between them in 15 games during the Grind Session circuit.
The Grind Session team is bringing a rock solid coaching staff to Lithuania, too, with Brian Clifton, Daniel Hudson, Frank Robinson, Brandon Mason and Antonio Jardine all on the initial list for this event.