Team Focus: Igokea m:tel

DEBRECEN (Hungary) - The champions are back again, for year two of the Youth BCL.

Last year, Igokea m:tel were unstoppable as they went undefeated in the whole competition and finally took the title after beating Rytas Vilnius in the Semi-Final, and then Tofas Bursa in the Final.

Domestically, the senior team and youth program are dominant. The senior team has nine domestic championships and 10 domestic cup titles to their name. The youth academy is now becoming equally dominant and in recent seasons has been able to recruit top talent from across the Balkan region. 

Head coach Boris Jokanovic is making no effort to hide that they have championship ambitions once again in the Youth BCL. 

"It's a big pleasure for us to be here and we will try our best to win again, but the main thing is for us to get better and make the most of the experience," he said.

Youth BCL Players to Watch

Ognjen Radosic | Date of Birth: May 26,  2006 | SG

Igokea have six returning players from the championship team and last year's top scorer Ognjen Radosic may be the headline name. Radosic is a player that Igokea were able to recruit away from Belgrade and his development has been a real success story for the club.

Elsewhere in the squad,  Luka Jovicic, Andrej Acimovic and Vasilije Kuridza are also key returning players who made a big impact for the championship team last year and will be expected to draw attention again. 

Faruk Duvnjak is a new member of the squad and averaged 7.8 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina in last summer's FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division B, in Sofia.

Program Alumni

Dalibor Ilic starred for Igokea in the BCL.

Dalibor Ilic | Kosta Kondic | Darko Talic

Dalibor Ilic spent several years with Igokea, honing his skills and developing his talent in the club's youth program. He quickly established himself as one of the most promising players in the region and was even named captain of the Serbian U18 national team, helping them conquer the title at the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2018.