Recap: U17 Hopes Valjevo

Last weekend we attanded U17 Hopes in Valjevo. This tournament in Valjevo built strong reputation during the past years. We had chance to see the best Ex-YU clubs competing between each other. We looked back at the Serbian players who stand out at this tournament:

Aleksandar Langovic PF ( Mega Bemax, 2001, 205cm)
MVP of the tournament, he led his team to the first place averaging 16.7Pts , 13Reb, 1.7Blk. Great tournament for him, thanks to his great athleticism and physicallity he was dominant at rebounding. He score a lot of his points after offensive rebound  (4.3 ORPG) where he didn’t have true competition. He improved his jump shoot and extended his range now to the 3PT line. He also made progress from free throw line, shooting very good 74% on the tournament. He was defensive anchor for Mega Bemax, he locked down the paint and made it difficult for opponents to find the way to the basket.

Nemanja Popovic PF/SF (Crvena Zvezda, 2001, 204cm)
Member of All Tournament team, Nikola Popovic averaging 16.3Pts , 8Reb , 3.7Ast , 1.7Blk. Long, mobile, well-coordinated, and fluid forward did everything for Crvena Zvezda on this tournament. He can score either with his back and face to the basket where he can attack with good change of directions and body control.
Very effective from low post from where he can score or hits open teammates. His court vision is outstanding, sees the floor really well and makes the right plays. Thanks to his lenght and good feel for block he protected the rim very well on this tournament. Still need to improve his jump shoot, which is his biggest weakness.

Dusan Tanaskovic C (Partizan, 2001, 206cm)
Also member of All Tournament team with 12.3Pts , 6Reb , 3Blk. The most dominant and skillest big man on the tournament. Improve his body a lot in last couple months, now it’s moving much quicker and gets off the ground much faster. He has shown a high level of post skills for his age. Has very soft touch and nice instincts on the glass, very effective on jump hooks. Great timing as a shot blocker. He had problem to fight for position on low post when smaller and quicker defender guarding him.  Need to add mid-range shoot to his game.

Jovan Kojic PF (Igokea, 2001, 201cm)
He played this tournament for Igokea as invited player from Spartak Subotica and he fit in really well. He averaged 15Pts and 8.6Reb. Still didn’t fully develop from physical standpoint, might have an inch or maybe even more left. Runs the floor well with great agility, has good footwork and body coordinadion. Great rebounder on both ends of the floor. Has soft touch around the basket and can score through the contact. Also has good jumpshot and ability to stretch the floor as PF.

Marko Andric PG (Mega Bemax, 2002, 186cm)
He played really good tournament as one year younger than the competition. He averaged 8Pts , 6Reb, 3Ast. His quickness and athleticism compensate his disadvantage in height and allows him to go to the basket on taller and bigger opponents. Andric controled the offense really good, he is good in changing the pace, knows when to speed up and when to slow down. Very good on pick n’ roll situations as the ball handler, can either find the rolling big or look for his own shot. Most effective from the mid-range,but need to extend his range to the 3 PT line. Able to impact the game as a rebounder from guard spot.

Marko Brekic PF/SF (Partizan, 2001, 198cm)
Brekic was Partizan’s one of the most reliable player. He averaged 12.7Pts and 5Reb. He is a team player, do lot of small stuff important for team. He averege athlete but very strong and use his body really well. He can attack from the perimeter and has an ability to finish low post plays – thanks to quick spins & good footwork. His good footwork makes him effective in pick n’ roll situations, but especially in pick n’ pop from where he can knock down open shots from mid-range and from 3PT line as well, or he can drive to basket where thanks to his strenght he can finish through contact.

Vukasin Masic PG (Crvena Zvezda, 2001, 190cm)
Masic averaged 13.7Pts , 5Reb, 3Ast. He improved a lot since last year.He become highly efficient and consistent scorer. Plays with great physicality, athleticism, and aggression. Does a great job of finding angles to get to the basket and changing directions to keep his defender off balance. Isn’t afraid of physicality and plays well through contact. Very effective in transition, had couple nice coast to coast plays. Plays hard on the defensive end, very aggressive on the ball. His shooting is good, but has room for improvment.

Stevan Karapandzic PG (Partizan, 2001, 189cm)
Lead his team in scoring with 15.7Pts and adding 3Ast per game. Karapandzic is quick PG with great great change of directions. When Partizan needed big shot he was there to knock it down. He is leader and competitor and loves to have ball in his hands when the big moment come. Plays with his head up and shows great vision in the half court and in transition. Good ball handler with a great change of pace dribble. Has great awareness, understands game plan and reads the game well, but still there is room for improvment in decision making. He can create his own shoot, but also effective from catch and shoot situations.

Other players notable mentions:

Lazar Stefanovic SG (Partizan, 2002, 195cm) – 8.7Pts, 6Reb
Nikola Manojlovic SG/SG (Crvena Zvezda, 2002, 197cm) – 9Pts, 5Reb, 2.7Ast
David Jankovic SG (Metalac, 2001, 188cm) – 20Pts, 7Reb, 3.3Ast
Vuk Boskovic SG/SF (Igokea, 2003, 195cm) – 14Pts, 5Reb, 2Ast
Novak Miskovic PF/C (Mega Bemax, 2001, 205cm) – 9Pts, 6.3Reb