2018 Final Four Official Programme

THURSDAY MAY 17 – SUNDAY MAY 20 Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament The annual prelude to witnessing the top men’s club on the continent lift the trophy at the Final Four is seeing the latest European junior club champion crowned as well. Eight of the world’s finest Under 18 teams have come to Belgrade to battle for that Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament title, which will be decided at the Stark Arena hours before the newest Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion is revealed on the same court. The ANGT Finals are always among the highlights of the best weekend in world basketball, with the 13-game tourney giving fans an opportunity to see the stars of tomorrow in action today. In fact, each of this season’s Final Four squad has more than one ANGT alumni on its roster: Nikita Kurbanov andMikhail Kulagin for CSKAMoscow; Luigi Datome, Marko Guduric, and Egehan Arna for Fenerbahce Istanbul; Santi Yusta, Dino Radoncic and Luka Doncic for Real Madrid; in addition to VasilijeMicic, Axel Toupane, Edgaras Ulanovas for Zalgiris Kaunas. This year marks the 16th anniversary of the event, which debuted 2003 in Barcelona, Spain, attracting more and more dignitaries from the basketball world from year to year. This season’s Finals feature five former U18 Tournament champion teams, including the local winner, U18 Crvena Zvezda, which holds the record with eight participations in a row; and the two-times and 2017 Champion U18 CFBB Paris. Four of the competing squads secured their places via qualifiers held during the season in Hospitalet, Spain; Munich, Germany; in Kaunas, Lithuania and in Belgrade, Serbia. The remaining four sides were granted wild cards. U18Mega Bemax Belgrade is joined in Group A by defending champ U18 CFBB Paris, by U18 Real Madrid - the 2015 winner and by U18 Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, the 2012 champion. Group B is comprised of the newcomer FC BayernMunich, U18 Divina Seguros Joventut Badalona – the crowned in 2013 at The O2 in London, U18 Stellazzurra Rome and 2014 winner U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. The Group stage will take place over three days from Thursday, May 17 through Saturday, May 19, at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, formerly known as Pionir Hall. There is free admission to all games, including the Championship Game in Stark Arena, which gives all fans without tickets to the Final Four a chance to feel the atmosphere inside the arena too. The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament started with 32 different teams dreaming of becoming the 2017-18 junior champions of Europe. The next four days will leave us with one of them celebrating that honour. OFFICIAL PROGRAMME 50