2023 adidas Eurocamp: Top ProspectsBy: Aran_Smith

VJ Edgecombe Jr. USA/BHS SG/SF 198 6’5″ 2005 Austin SE Elite USA

Despite the Eurocamp lacking a ton of International talent, scouts on hand were treated to the emergence of an American star in VJ Edgecombe. For longtime scouts in attendance, VJ’s three day performance was reminiscent of when Jaylen Brown played in Treviso as an 18 year old and and lit up the gym. Edgecombe announced his presence with a 29 point performance on day one, knocking down 4-of-6 threes, and showing the ability to score on explosive drives as well as from behind the arc. He also impacted the game defensively, impressively blocking a number of opponents shots on drives to the rim. We got the chance to see VJ play, when he was still an unknown, at the Hoop Hall West in Phoenix, Arizona in December, and he looked like the real deal then, despite not being on anybody’s top 50 recruiting rankings. With his performance in Treviso, along with a great spring, he has put himself in the conversation as the top player in the class. The improvement in his game in just 6 months is extremely impressive. The Bahamas born wing by way of New York is a tremendous kid with a great story and seems to have the perspective and humility to ultimately become a franchise cornerstone. Edgecomb wowed those in attendance, leading the younger USA team to a competitive showing, making the camp’s championship game, despite giving up 2-3 years of maturity and strength on average to their European competitors. He was also awarded camp MVP,  crashing Europe’s unofficial draft camp at just 18 years of age.

Top International Prospects

Nadir Hifi FRA PG/SG 185 6’1” 2002 Paris Basketball FRA

The top draft eligible prospect in Treviso, Hifi showed off his lefty shooting stroke and ability to create in isolation utilizing stepback jumpers and excellent ball handling ability. Hifi is a flashy lead guard who is fun to watch and knows both how to score and set up teammates. He’s got solid quickness but lacks ideal size and is not the most athletic player either. He will struggle defensively and with today’s NBA moving away from shorter point guards, he has an uphill battle to make it. Regardless, he is one of the few options as a stash player having signed a contract for next season with Paris basketball, making him a very real possibility in the late second round.

Nikos Rogkavopoulos GRE SG/SF 200 6’8” 2001 Yukatel Merkezefendi TUR

Rogkavopoulos is draft eligible which made him one of the players NBA scouts keyed on. Unfortunately it became apparent very quickly that he has not improved much and his chances at the NBA have decreased. He shot just 1-for-8 against the USA Select team, which was comprised of high school age kids 3-4 years younger than him. He followed that up with a 10 points, 3-for-5 three point shooting game against Next Gen. While he came in as one of the bigger names remaining in his class, he struggled to impress outside of shooting. He has a good feel for the game but lacks great athleticism, has a very unorthodox and unathletic body and despite being one of the better shooters of his generation, the lack of speed and athleticism is a huge hurdle for him.

Zsombor Maronka HUN SF/PF 212 6’10” 2002 Joventut Badalona ESP

The Hungarian playing in Spain, Maronka will be auto eligible next year and is one of the most interesting kids of his generation. While he didn’t have a standout Eurocamp, he displayed a solid feel for the game along with very good size and mobility. He’s in the 6’10 range, showing excellent height and moves well for a power forward. With length and solid foot speed, he should be able to develop on the defensive end over time. He showed some decent ball handling ability as well as passing. He struggled on day one going just 1-6 from the floor, but made amends in a later game with 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting from outside. On the final day he knocked down 2-of-6 from three and finishing with 10 points, granted it was in a blowout win against the second USA squad. Maronka is an interesting auto eligible player for next year as he’s got the makings of a solid face up four prospect.

Ousmane Ndiaye SEN PF 210 6’9” 2004 Baskonia ESP

Ndiaye pulled his name out of the draft on Tuesday so he will be a player scouts can track next season. Ndiaye is an incomplete player at this point and still must get stronger and tougher. Regardless, there is intrigue as he has excellent speed and fluidity and solid length. He also has very good touch and range to knock down shots from the perimeter. As he showed in his team’s match up with Next Gen players, he went for a game high 19 points and knocked down 4-7 three pointers. The key to unlocking his NBA potential will be adding more physicality to his game, and gaining the confidence to make plays on both ends of the floor with contact.

Daniel Onwenu 6’6 SG/SF 2002 Corinthians BRA

Onwenu’s best game at Eurocamp was his first game of camp where he scored 17 points on 5/8 shooting in 19 minutes of playing time in a one point loss to the USA Select. In that game he showed his speed and athleticism and shot making ability with efficiency. The Brazilian wing’s speed was noticeable at this event, as he could get past opponents in the open court with ease. He can be explosive on drives and was effective giving it to the post in pick and roll situations. In the first game he showed a good mid range game and was efficient from the line throughout his three games. He struggled offensively in the last two games he played scoring just 5 total points. In fairness both Eurocamp teams (1 & 2) had to play two games on the same day within three hours of each other. This led to most players having one good game and one way less effective game at this event. His handles can get loose and need some work for him to best utilize his amazing speed on the offensive end. He had a game-high 5 turnovers against the 3SSB Select team. His long wingspan and athleticism helped him on the defensive end helping him get 13 defensive rebounds in three games. A relative unknown to some scouts given he has had limited visibility in Europe or USA, as an early entrant candidate from Brazil, he showed some intrigue in Treviso.

Lucas Ugolin 6’5” SG/SF 197 2002 CSP Limoges FRA

Ugolin had a very steady Eurocamp averaging 12 points (and 7/11 from 3) in a little less than 14 minutes leading him to be voted as a top 5 performer in camp. As an older and more mature player, he was very efficient and has a good understanding of what he does well on the basketball court. Blessed with a very long wingspan, he had a few thunderous dunks and was an efficient shooter from beyond the arc. Not much of a self creator, given his limitations in terms of handles, he is a role player for the elite level. A willing defender with his long wingspan, has good ability to cause deflections and disrupt the passing lanes. Needs to add strength to add to his defensive ability when switched on post players. Overall he created a positive buzz for himself through this camp and will be one of the top auto eligible Internationals next season.

Ege Demir 6’9” C 210 2004 Tofas Bursa TUR

The former UCLA commit had some highlight real dunks and alley oops at Eurocamp. Has some girth to his frame but moves surprisingly well given that upper body mass giving him some potential as a pick and roll defender. He can be a terror if he gets the ball in the post versus weaker defenders. He’s a very inefficient shooter as he air balled both from the free throw and 3 point line during the event. Overall Demir showed his power and explosiveness, but has to continue to develop consistency in his offensive skill set for the NBA.

Mouhamet Diouf 6’9” PF/C 210 2001 Unahotels Reggio Emilia ITA

Diouf was voted as a top 5 performer at the camp. Averaging a little more than 9 points per game and going 10/15 from the field. He showed flashes of some high low passing ability and went 8/12 from the charity stripe. Did not demonstrate the ability to be a pick and pop player at this event. His in game opponents were also much less developed physically than the teams he could have faced.

Enzo Shahrvin 6’7 PF/C 201 2003 Pau Lacq Orthez FRA

One of 8 international early entrant candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft and one of two from this event. Went 9/11 in two games and 0/5 from the free throw line in two games and sat out the last game of the event due to a minor injury in his second game. While there is intrigue with his post game, his inability to shoot limits his long term intrigue.

Next Gen Prospects

Michael Ruzic 6’9” SF/PF 209 2006 Zadar CRO

Ruzic was the most offensively polished player on the Next Gen squad. He has soft touch both inside the key and beyond the three point line. On offense, he demonstrated a good understanding of reading defenses, making appropriate cuts and a variety of head fakes and counter moves when he had the ball in his hands. He is at best facing the basket. Ruzic is not the most explosive athlete and needs to add strength which was exposed on defense at times, in particular when rebounding the basketball. Ruzic was one of the youngest yet one of the most skilled players at the event. He averaged 12 points per game (5/7 from three).

Tidjane Salaun 6’9” PF 205 2005 Cholet FRA

Salaun was voted one of the most promising players at the event (Rising Star), showing a flurry of highlight level dunks. Blessed with a long wingspan, a high motor, and a penchant to run the lanes, his best moments were either on the fast break or in the half court with strong cuts to the basket. He’s at his strongest from the corner from three, and will give opponents a good head fake and drive baseline for a highlight level dunk or drive and dish. But overall his performance was inconsistent. The Next Gen team lacked good guard play, forcing Salaun and other post players to handle the ball more than they probably should have. At Eurocamp Salaun’s handles were exposed as he attempted to drive early in the first game and looked anything but a ball handling wing. He has a high dribble and his handles get loose. He also tends to over dribble the ball on the perimeter and shows some inexperience in read and react situations when he is handling the ball on off court sets. On the flip side his high motor and willingness to pass creates offensive opportunities for his team. He’s raw, but if he can slow the game down a bit, making him more efficient, he is among the prospects with the most potential at this event.

Ruben Prey 6’10” PF 215 2005 Joventud Badalona POR

Prey averaged 10 points at the event. He flashed the ability to finish strong to the hole when he had momentum and to make the occasional long distance shot (2/6 from 3). Other than the occasional jump shot, he scored most of his points off steals he made by having his hands in the passing lanes and on fast break occasions. NBA scouts will need to see development on scoring in half curt sets. rarely in triple threat, he turns his back to the ball often when he is on the perimeter and needs to continue to add leg strength so he can create more opportunities when in the post. Defensively he loves to run and guard opponent’s post players 3/4 up the court.

Mouhamed Faye 6’9” C 207 2005 Reggio Emilia SEN

Faye, who absolutely dominated ANGT, had mixed results in Treviso. A defensive enforcer, was not quite as good in that area against adult pros than at the youth level. The combination of strength and height of opponents made it more difficult for him to protect the paint as well as he had in youth events. However, he demonstrated great ability on the defensive boards and good switchability on pick and roll defense. On offense he showed good hands and quick finishing ability around the rim but he also showed he needs to continue to work on his skill on offense. He was caught travelling on an easy dunk on a fast break and didn’t show any offensive threat as a pick and pop option and went 5/9 from the free throw line.

Other top USA Prospects

Zoom Diallo USA PG/SG 196 6’4″ 2005 Beauchamp Elite USA

Diallo is a combo guard but has more of a scorers mentality than a passer. He will need to develop better off the ball skills as he has a tendency to use the dribble to look for his own shots and at times can disrupt the flow of the basketball. He’s a good shooter and has solid speed and athleticism. Diallo struggled shooting hitting just 1-of-6 from 3 and averaging just 8.3 ppg on 9/28 shooting (32%). granted, he was playing against players on aevrage a few years older than him, the truth is the quality of play at the guard position was not great and he still struggled with efficiency. But with a solid physical profile and a nice shot off the dribble, there’s potential for him to develop at the college level.

Annor Boateng SG/SF 198 6’5″ 2006 Arkansas Hawks USA

Boatang along with VJ helped lead the USA Select team to a championship game appearance at Eurocamp. His playmaking and ability to get physical with older and stronger players were keys to his team’s upset against Eurocamp team 1. Voted as a top 5 first team performer, Boatang averaged 11.3 points per game and went 6/13 from beyond the arc. His ability to be athletic, shoot, and handle the ball separates him from most of the prospects at this event. Blessed with a strong athletic build, he was able to guard taller post players and showed some real unselfishness playing more as a forward than as a guard in Treviso.

Mikel Brown Jr. 6’1″ PG 185 2006 Austin SE Elite USA

Brown along with Salaun was voted Rising Star. He showed a nice fluid shot at Eurocamp and steady playmaking ability for the 3SSB Select team. Has a nice crossover dribble and change of pace move averaging 11.67 point per game (7/19 from three). Not the tallest or most explosive for the elite level, needs to continue to work on being more efficient as a shooter.

Terrion Burgess 6’8″PF 206 2006 Arkansas Hawks USA

Burgess, a tall lanky player had his hands full against taller and older opponents but was able to sliver past them on occasions and finish plays off. Was frustrated at times by the sheer physical strength of the older teams but was still able to go 3/4 from the field on two of the three games he played in. Showed some touch free throw line extended and some ability as a passer in a high low set up.

Paul McNeil 6’6″ SG 197 2006 Garner Road USA

McNeil averaged 13 points per game (7/19 from three) at the event hitting some big shots early in first quarter to keep the 3SSB Select team in striking distance games against older opponents early on in games. Showed some good athleticism on the fast break finishing plays off strong with dunks. He displayed tunnel vision at times in terms of passing at this event as he only had 1 assist in 3 games and was not efficient shooting from the field.

Chidi Nwigwe 6’6″ SG 198 2007 Riverside Hawks USA

Nwigwe was one of the youngest players at the event (playing against opponents who were sometimes 6 years his senior) and saw limited action but showed some flashes as one of the top prospects in the event demonstrating good handles, has size for a guard, and good shooting form. In his team’s last game he hit a corner three showing a nice fluid motion and with 3 minutes remaining in the game he finishes a mid break occasion with a dotted line one handed slam.

**Eric Guilleminault contributed to this report