Sergi Martinez hopes 2017 will top great 2016

REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - Sergi Martinez had quite a 2016 both on the Spanish national team level and at the club level. The 17-year-old forward is hoping 2017 brings even more success - starting this weekend.

Martinez will be one of the leaders for FC Barcelona Lassa as the Spanish giants hope to defend their title at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) U18 club event. The quest begins with this weekend's qualifying tournament in the Barcelona suburb of L'Hospitalet, where Barcelona are the favourites to win their first qualifier since the 2010-11 season.

Martinez's great 2016 started in January when he helped Barcelona reach their second straight L'Hospitalet final - though they lost for the second straight year to Real Madrid.

Barcelona were given a wild card for ANGT Finals in May and Martinez picked up his game and averaged 14.1 points, 6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals as Barcelona won the title for the first time. Despite playing a year younger than the competition, Martinez collected 17 points and 7 rebounds in the final in Berlin.

The Barcelona native's stellar 2016 continued in June and July when he was named to the All-Star Five of the FIBA U17 World Championship 2016 after averaging 19.9 points and 12.9 rebounds for fourth-placed hosts Spain.

Martinez finished his year in strong fashion, putting together an All-Star Five-worthy showing of 16.2 points and 9.3 rebounds in helping under-manned Spain finish fifth at the FIBA U18 European Championship and qualifying for the FIBA U19 World Championship 2017.

Martinez looks to build on the U18 national team performance from December and finally get to the podium again this summer in Cairo at the FIBA U19 World Championship. Martinez now has two fourth-placed finishes and a fifth place in the last three tournaments since taking third at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2014.

Before returning to the Spanish national team, Martinez hopes to get Barcelona back to the ANGT Finals and become the first team to repeat since Dejan Musli went double MVP for Serbian side FMP in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Martinez and the club will have an easier time this weekend as two-time reigning L'Hospitalet champs Real Madrid will be playing in the qualifying tournament in February in Coin near Malaga. And Martinez will have plenty of help as Barcelona are loaded with talent.

The second major player will be Arnas Velicka, who had one heck of a 2016 for the Lithuanian youth national teams. He joined Martinez on the All-Star Five in guiding Lithuania to third place at the FIBA U17 World Championship. And he followed that up with a strong showing at the FIBA U18 European Championship where Lithuania grabbed second place - including a miracle winner over Russia in the Quarter-Finals. It will also be Velicka's first major tournament for Barcelona after moving to Spain from Lithuanian giants Zalgiris Kaunas.

Another highly regarded talent making his debut with Barcelona is Croatian Luka Samanic. The 2000-born all-arounder will face a challenge this summer in playing a year younger and trying to get Croatia back to Division A at the FIBA U18 European Championship after the country was relegated to Division B for the first time in the nation's history in December. Samanic was named to the All-Star Five at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016.

The other clubs at the L'Hospitalet tournament are Alba Berlin, Cedevita Zagreb, Divina Seguros Joventut Badalina, Herbalife Gran Canarias Las Palmas, ANGT debutants Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens, hosts Torrons Vicens L'Hospitalet and Union Olimpija Ljubljana.

National team fans looking ahead to this summer's FIBA U16 European Championship 2017 should take notice of Gran Canarias' Jovan Kljajic, who averaged 12.9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.4 steals as an underage player for Montenegro at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016. And Kljajic will be one of Montenegro's leaders this summer as they host the U16 tournament in Podgorica in hopes of qualifying for their first FIBA U17 World Championship - and first youth World Championship at all.

David Hein

FIBA

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