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While many of Europe’s most promising players born in 1999 already call your side of the Atlantic “home”, such as Vorackova (CZE – Syracuse), Gulbe (LAT – Indiana), N.Sabally (GER – Oregon), Sissoko (FRA – Syracuse), Raca (SRB – Wake Forest), Pinzan (ITA – South Florida), Juhasz (HUN – Ohio St.), Jordao (POR – South Florida) to name just a few, the old continent still offers plenty of talented players to follow. Let’s take a minute to see how the most promising prospects from the 1999-2000 generation have fared in the early phase of this 2018-2019 season.

 

Zala Friskovec (SLO, G, 1999, Celje)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcHye46lvNt/

Friskovec, as the four following players on this list, has been featured in my previous piece right before the last window of EuroBasketWomen 2019 Qualifiers (https://bit.ly/2TZFDUP) where I had not enough words to explain how talented a player (the most talented of her generation?) she is and what a bright future lies ahead of her! I was expecting her numbers and role to rise significantly in those two games (only her 3rd and 4th with the senior NT ever) and she didn’t disappoint a second! In those two games she erupted for a combined 14,5pts on 7/9 FG3 (63%) while playing an average of 20min. Slovenia did qualify for the big event and it’s a real delight to know she will make her big debut at a major tournament next June.

 

Klara Lundquist (SWE, G, 1999, Sodertalje Telge)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp6mgP_ninQ/

Lundquist arrives at senior level strong of a well-deserved reputation of a free-scorer. It is absolutely true. What people don’t necessarily see or know is that she is a real do-it-all guard who contributes for her team in more than just one way. Dishing assists is another strong aspect of her game. With the NT, where she can count on numerous other players to score, she is showing just that: she finished with a fine 7 assists the game versus Macedonia, just one less than her teammate and ELW regular Elin Eldebrink. Sweden qualified for EuroBasketWomen and it is with delight we’ll be abale to watch Lundquist play on the biggest European stage in June. Being with the NT has given her a real boost apparently as this week, on her first game of ECW after the Qualifiers, she exploded for 32pts on 11/15FG2 & 3/6FG3. She averages now a superb 23,3ppg in the competition, making of her the 4th best scorer so far in the season!

 

Livia Gereben (HUN, SF, 1999, Szekszard)

It was expected that Gereben would make her debut with the senior NT for the Qualifiers and the expectations got proved. The ever improving SF had a minor contribution in those two games scoring-wise (4ppg) but got her coach’s trust as she spent over 17min per game on the court. In a strong and about to become ambitious Hungarian team, Gereben is at the right place to display her talent and to keep her learning curve going in the right direction. In ECW with Szekszard she is close to averaging in double digits with 9,5ppg. The future looks bright both for Hungary and Gereben.

 

Ilayda Guner (TUR, PF, 1999, Istanbul University)

Ilayda Guner grows slowly but surely with the NT, she played in 5 out of 6 games during the Qualifiers and has one WWC under her belt. Still in the making, the PF should start to impact more on the international stage rather sooner than later. With Turkey sealing its spot at EuroBasketWomen next June, she will have another opportunity to continue her progression and learning process. If her stats in what many people consider the 2nd best domestic league after the WNBA, the KBSL (Turkish league), are anything to go by (14ppg-5rpg on 53% FG2 + scored in double digits in every single game), she is ready for that next step!

 

Elena Tsineke (GRE, G, 1999, Lefkadas)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp1vEG3hcvg/

Tsineke was on Greece’s preliminary roster for the last window of EuroBasketWomen Qualifiers but didn’t make the last cut in contrary to the second window where she enjoyed (limited) court time. A well established offensive power at youth level, she plays this season for the first time at continental level with her club Niki Lefkadas in ECW. This week, against the reigning champions and European powerhouse Galatasaray she posted a fine 14pts on 4/7 FG3. So far in the season after four games she is averaging a very solid 11ppg-4rpg-3apg contribution in 32mpg.

 

Tima Pouye (FRA, PG, 1999, Tarbes)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjNbIhinkcK/

At just 19 Pouye has gotten the full trust of her coach (coach Gomez, also at the head of the Swedish NT) who has handed her the reins of LFB’s 2018 runners-up Tarbes as the starting PG . The strong and athletic guard is onto her second season at senior level and is debuting at continental level in ECW. Her physicality and solid frame allow her to contribute in many ways for her team, not least when taking care of the boards is involved. A good sign for any young PG is her taking care of the ball as she turns it over just over 2 times per game in more than 27 minutes of court time in both LFB and ECW. After six games in LFB she averages 8ppg-6rpg-2apg, including a 16pts effort this week against ELW side Flammes Carolo. After four games in ECW (where Tarbes already clinched a spot for the next phase) her numbers are very similar: 7ppg-5rpg-1.3apg.

Billie Massey (BEL, PF, 2000, Sint-Katelijne-Waver)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp98LQ1hF9E/

Billie Massey is on her second season at senior level in the Belgian league and debuts this year in ECW with her Sint-Kateelijne-Waver side. The 2017 U18 champion and MVP is on the rise. This summer she qualified for the 2019 U19 World Cup thanks to a 5th place finish at the 2018 U18 European Championship in Udine, she received her first selection for a senior NT camp ahead of WWC and at the end of the summer lifted yet another trophy by winning the 3×3 U18 European Cup in Debrecen, Hungary. The strong and talented PF, an Basketball Without Borders invitee, is taking the most of her first continental experience in ECW as her stats can tell, she is averaging an almost double-double of 11ppg-9,8rpg after four games and seems more than ready to impact also at the senior level internationally. In Belgian league theses numbers are not much different with 9,7ppg-5rpg.

 

Becky Massey (BEL, PF, 2000, Sint-Katelijne-Waver)

Becky Massey saw her twin sister Billie lift the MVP trophy in 2017 at the FIBA U18 European Championship, but this year it was she who received the title of best player of the tournament at the 3×3 U18 Europe Cup where Belgium finished on the highest step of the podium. Being a twin doesn’t help if you don’t like comparisons, but in this case it is hard not to compare both sisters as their paths have been literally almost identical. Just as her sister, Becky was also part of Belgium’s preliminary roster ahead of WWC, she also is onto her second season at senior level and similarly debuts in ECW this season. Where Billie has a more powerful and solid game, Becky displays more tonicity and speed. Not matter what their differences on the court are, both manage to impact greatly in both leagues. In ECW, Becky posts 10ppg-7rpg after four games and in Belgian League she reaches the double digits in both scoring and rebounding: 10,7ppg-11,5rpg.

 

Marie Vervaet (BEL, SF, 2000, Sint-Katelijne-Waver)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpz3EOjgHhP/

The third part of the golden 2000 born Belgian trio (U18 European champ too), Vervaet follows the steps of her club teammates. While she wasn’t on the 3×3 U18 Belgium team in September, she also did receive an invitation to join a senior NT camp before WWC. Similarly to the Massey’s she just started her second season at senior level with Sint-Katelijne-Waver and is making her debut in ECW. Still a reserve in her team, coming off the bench for Laure Résimont, Vervaet has made a habit of exploiting every chance she is being given and has a very interesting way of always impacting the games. Despite limited court time, 17min in ECW and 13min in Belgian 1st division, she manages to average 7,5ppg in ECW and 9,5ppg in domestic league. This is what I call efficiency!

 

Orsolya Toth (HUN, SF, 2000, Vasas Akademia)

Orsolya Toth has created a real buzz around her two summers ago when she made heads turn with her talent at the 2017 3×3 U18 European Cup when she won the gold medal with Hungary and got voted MVP of the competition. Videos of her feats and skills, not least her sick handles, have gone viral globally and have made of her, almost overnight, the princess of the social media in the basketball world. This summer she got another taste of a podium, claiming bronze at the U18 FIBA European Championship (meaning a participation at next year’s U19 World Cup too), where she pivotal in the last two games of action after a slow start to the competition. Toth is just this real exciting player to watch, capable of bringing magic at any given time thanks to her great instinct for the game. She has all the right qualities to transfer her talent at the senior level internationally in the very near future. In the meantime she plays for the third season already at senior level in the highly competitive Hungarian league for Vasas Akademia. Her progression is constant. From her first season to today she keeps on doubling her numbers: she went from 2ppg in 2016-2017, to 5ppg in 2017-2018 and so far this season is averaging over 10ppg, scoring in double digits in all games but one. If only she could add a reliable and consistent outside shot, she would become quite hard to guard given her quick first step and overall great athleticism.

 

 

 

On a final note, I am of course monitoring numerous other players from this age group who didn’t make the list this time but in whom I keep full confidence and am also excited about. I’m thinking for instance of Melissa Brcaninovic (BIH – Györ), Sara Heljic (BIH – Vasas Akademia), Sara Madera (ITA – Venezia), Valeria Trucco (ITA – Torino), Kamilla Ogun (RUS – Spartak Moscow), Anamaria Kroselj (SLO – Celje), Anezka Kopecka (CZE – Ostrava) and Barbora Jindrova (CZE – BLK Prague) in particular.

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Born to Polish PE teachers/coaches parents, involvement with sport and basketball was never a question. Eastern attention to fundamentals, athleticism, discipline and hard work eventually met Western standards through his development in the French system. Now a former player with a passion for the women’s game going back for more than 25 years, he uses his knowledge to bring insights and perspective on women's basketball internationally - with a strong emphasis on Europe and player development.

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