ORADEA (Romania) - Another summer of men's youth EuroBasket competition is in the books following the conclusion of FIBA U16 EuroBasket, which culminated with Latvia claiming its first-ever title, led by a dominant performance from Benjamin Berrouet, who emerged as one of Europe's top prospects in recent years.
Beyond Berrouet, a number of players stood out in Oradea, making an impact for their teams and giving us a glimpse into the future of European basketball. In this piece, we highlight 10 prospects who broke out at FIBA U16 EuroBasket.
Benjamin Berrouet - Latvia
Forward
Birth Date: June 10, 2010 (16 years old) Height: 2.03m (6ft 8in) Tournament Stats: 23.6 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 3.6 BPG, 0.3 SPG
Berrouet came into the tournament with massive expectations around him, and he absolutely shattered them, being named MVP after finishing as the tournament's leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker while leading Latvia to its first-ever FIBA U16 EuroBasket title. The 16-year-old was unstoppable in the paint throughout the tournament, putting together one of the most dominant campaigns we've ever seen at the U16 level.
It's early, but after watching him in Oradea, it's hard not to project Berrouet as a cornerstone of the Latvian national team going forward and a future first-round pick in the NBA Draft.
Messie-Guethan Iwani - France
Power Forward
Birth Date: October 26, 2010 (15 years old) Height: 2.05m (6ft 9in) Tournament Stats: 14.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
After a relatively quiet Group Phase performance, Iwani emerged as France's top player, averaging 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds over the final four games in Oradea. The 15-year-old possesses a combination of size, length and agility that allowed him to dominate the glass and contribute on defense, while also displaying flashes as a transition ball-handler, passer and spot-up shooter.
With Iwani leading the charge, France secured an eighth consecutive top-five finish at the U16 level, proving once again that they're in the midst of a historic run as one of the best young talent factories Europe has ever seen.
Danielius Jasikevicius - Lithuania
Point Guard
Birth Date: January 27, 2010 (16 years old) Height: 1.80m (5ft 11in) Tournament Stats: 16.9 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5 RPG, 2.7 SPG
Lithuania continued their successful U16 EuroBasket run, making their fourth Semi-Finals appearance over the past five years. The team's key player was Jasikevicius, who was named to the All-Star Five after standing out as one of the top offensive engines in the tournament. The nephew of legendary coach and former player Sarunas Jasikevicius ranked second in assists, in the top five in steals and in the top 10 in points per game in Oradea.
With his quick ball-handling and elite passing vision, Jasikevicius could develop into one of the top guard prospects to come out of Lithuania in the past few years.
Markuss Jahovics - Latvia
Guard
Birth Date: February 17, 2010 (16 years old) Height: 1.97m (6ft 6in) Tournament Stats: 18.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Jahovics was named to the All-Star Five after playing a key role in Latvia's title run. He made the most three-pointers in the entire tournament, while also ranking in the top five in three-point percentage, and his floor-spacing was the perfect complement to Benjamin Berrouet's interior dominance.
With his performance in Oradea, Jahovics established himself as one of the best shooters in his age group. His ability to make an impact as an off-ball scorer and perimeter defender could be tremendously valuable for Latvia in the upcoming years.
Rhys Robinson - Spain
Forward
Birth Date: January 20, 2010 (16 years old) Height: 2.01m (6ft 7in) Tournament Stats: 11.4 PPG, 3.4 APG, 2.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Spain returned to the podium in Oradea after finishing in eighth place at last year's U16 EuroBasket, their worst final placement since 1999. It was a team effort, with Ryan Vincent providing two-way impact around the basket, Pablo Mera creating shots for teammates and Jan Cerdan rebounding and scoring in the paint, but it was Robinson who earned an All-Star Five nod after coming up clutch in the big moments, including a 17-point, 5-assist performance in the Quarter-Finals against Poland.
Robinson showed a level of offensive versatility as a three-point shooter and secondary creator that should make him a valuable piece for Spain in the near future.
Sebastian-Petru Lapuste - Romania
Guard
Birth Date: September 5, 2010 (15 years old) Height: 1.91m (6ft 3in) Tournament Stats: 20.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 6.9 APG, 5.0 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Few players were as productive in Oradea as Lapuste, who ranked third in points and assists per game, sixth in rebounds and first in steals per game. The 15-year-old was by far Romania's most impactful player and delivered some of the most impressive performances in the tournament, such as his 34-point, 10-rebound, 10-steal outing against Lithuania, in which he became only the fifth player in U16 EuroBasket history to record a triple-double.
With their eighth-place finish, Lapuste led Romania to its best-ever final placement in U16 EuroBasket history. With his all-around impact, it's hard not to project Lapuste as a future cornerstone of the Romanian national team.
Johan Meinberg - Germany
Center
Birth Date: July 30, 2010 (16 years old) Height: 2.11m (6ft 11in) Tournament Stats: 9.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.7 APG
Meinberg was one of the most impactful and efficient big men in the tournament. The Hamburg center finished fifth in rebounds and second in blocks per game, while also shooting a tremendous 75.7 percent from the field. Meinberg's size was a huge factor not only in the paint but also in the perimeter game, as he continuously set hard screens that generated space for ball-handlers.
Germany finished in fifth place, tying their best final placement at the U16 EuroBasket this century, and Meinberg's appearance in this tournament gives the national team yet another option at the five position in the upcoming years.
Andreas Barlos - Greece
Guard
Birth Date: February 19, 2010 (16 years old) Height: 1.95m (6ft 5in) Tournament Stats: 16.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Barlos finished in the top 10 in scoring and was one of the most lethal shooters in the competition, shooting a tournament-best 42.5 percent from three-point range. The 16-year-old wing is nearly automatic in the catch-and-shoot game with his quick release, but is also a threat to create off the dribble, both on jumpers and drives to the basket.
Barlos' versatile scoring led Greece to a sixth-place finish in Oradea, and it's easy to envision him developing into a dangerous perimeter weapon for the national team in the upcoming years.
Kuzey Baysal - Türkiye
Point Guard
Birth Date: May 03, 2010 (16 years old) Height: 1.81m (5ft 11in) Tournament Stats: 10.7 PPG, 8.6 APG, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Türkiye finished tenth, but they came away from this tournament with a number of interesting names for the future, such as Arda Ozturk, who stood out as a prolific rebounder and one of the most polished interior scorers; three-point sniper Yigit Mehmet Okur; and, especially, Baysal, who led the entire tournament in assists, proving to be one of the most advanced playmakers for others in his age group.
Even if the tenth-place finish wasn't the return to form that Türkiye might have expected, you can expect this age group to make noise in future tournaments and potentially bring more young talent to the senior national team down the line.
Maor Sela - Israel
Center
Birth Date: October 12, 2010 (15 years old) Height: 2.03m (6ft 8in) Tournament Stats: 16.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.9 BPG, 1.0 SPG
Israel flirted with disaster in Oradea, only avoiding relegation on the last day of competition after beating Belgium. In that game, Sela was masterful, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to become the sixth player in U16 EuroBasket history to record a triple-double. The 15-year-old, however, was excellent throughout the entire tournament. He finished in the top 10 in scoring and the top five in blocked shots, displaying a combination of interior scoring, rim protection and three-point potential that few other players in the tournament possessed.
Even if the team finished closer to relegation than they would've probably preferred, Sela's appearance is good news for Israel and the future of its national team.
FIBA