Zhou Qi, Spain top highlights at 2012 Albert Schweitzer Tournament

REGENSBURG (David Hein’s Eye on the Future) – Once again the Albert Schweitzer Tournament (AST) delivered in supplying great games, crowning a great champion and showcasing great young talents who will become great young stars in the very near future.

It was no real surprise that Spain won the title at the biennial U18 international tournament as the team was led by the refined guard-center combo of Josep Perez and Guillermo Hernangomez and well helped by the raw shot-blocking force of Ilimane Diop – the latter of whom is expected to star for Spain at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship.
 
Albert Homs cannot be forgotten as he poured in 18 points in the title game – a 76-65 victory over Serbia.

The Spanish were deserved winners as they knocked off Serbia twice in a span of three days for the country’s second AST title.

And it was clear that the Iberian youngsters were excited about having their names now bound in history along with the likes of 1998 AST winners Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon, Raul Lopez, Berni Rodriguez and Carlos Cabezas.

Serbia were led by lefty point guard Nikola Radisevic, who won the tournament's MVP award. The Serb big man combo of Dusan Ristic and Nikola Miluntovic were very efficient in the post while Luka Andusic proved he can be a game-changer outside.

Serbian forward Mihajlo Andric was selected to the All-Tournament Team, which was a questionable decision in light of other forwards at the tournament.

In addition to Radisevic, Andric and the Spanish pair of Perez and Hernangomez, the All-Tournament Team was rounded out by German forward Paul Zipser.

The native of nearby Heidelberg did nothing to dampen his status as one of the top players in his class. He carried Germany at times and did well to deal with the media, scouting and family stress of the event while just recently finishing his school exams.

Zipser, who currently plays in Germany's second division ProA, faces a difficult choice in the near future as to which top flight German club to join – he has already received offers. An important factor will be selecting a place where he can continue his development.

By far the biggest talent at the tournament was 16-year-old Chinese center Zhou Qi.

The Chinese team was made up exclusively of players born in 1995 and 1996 as they prepare for the FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania this summer. And Qi, who turned 16 in January, showed that he can already dominate older competition.

While he still needs to build body mass, he already has a strong feeling around the basket offensively, defends adequately for his weight, knows how to block shots and even boasts a bit of a mean streak. He has plenty of tools to work with and if he continues to work hard and with dedication, it’s easy to see him as a future star.

Turkey, who finished third in the competition, showcased wing James Metecan Birsen and big point guard Cedi Osman – both 17 years of age.

Osman was given the Burkhard Wildermuth Award as the most talented player by the teams’ coaches and has loads of promise to dream upon. Turkey have a great 1995 generation of guards with the Birsen-Osman duo as well as Kenan Sipahi, who did not play at the tournament.

One player who Eye on the Future was most interested in seeing at the AST was Denmark power forward Rasmus Larsen. Since the FIBA Europe U18 All-Star Game played in the Final Round of the 2011 EuroBasket last September, Larsen has added 12 kilos (26 pounds) of muscle – mostly to his upper body.

The 7-footer was never a quick mover though he could shoot the ball tremendously well from outside. The added mass does not seem to have affected his shooting abilities and now Larsen is learning to develop a low-post game – made possible with his new body.

The U.S. team once again struggled, finishing seventh out of 16 teams. But that’s not a surprise given that the players – all high school juniors – met for the first time at the airport in Dallas before coming to Germany. The top players were Stevie Clark, Darryl Hicks and Austin Nichols though there were much more talented players available for the tournament.

Eddie Ford, the organizer of the U.S. team, said he is committed to getting higher level players for future ASTs, which will raise the level of the American team.

David Hein

FIBA

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