Mid-Majors Dominated in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket Tournament
The FIBA U20 EuroBasket Tournament saw a plethora of mid-major talent raise their renown this summer. Here's some names to remember for the 2024-2025 NCAA Basketball season.
The FIBA U20 EuroBasket Tournament wrapped up in July and there were some notable performances by Mid-Major players coming into the 2024-2025 season.
Europe is always known for producing some incredible basketball talent. The love for the game is strong as many that are unable to make it to the NBA travel abroad to play for some of Europe’s top leagues and teams professionally. For many Mid-Major players, it’s their best shot at playing professionally and for some, it can be a lucrative option.
From a college perspective, coaches are always uncovering raw prospects that turn into legitimate power players or even NBA players. Some of my favorite Evansville Purple Aces teams included Egidijus Mockevicius out of Lithuania. He was pulled to Evansville by another member of the team that was from Lithuania as well and he dominated. In his senior year in the 2015-2016 season, Egidijus averaged 15.7 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. This is what makes European prospects so fun.
Let’s take a look at some European players that dominated overseas in the offseason as a part of the FIBA U20 EuroBasket Tournament headed to Mid-Major players next season:
Jakub Necas - Duquense
I covered Duquesne in an offseason review earlier this year (which you can read below) and I got several comments saying that I wasn’t high enough on Jakub Necas. Admittedly, I hadn’t watched Necas play much, but considering there were countless comments talking about him, I wondered if potentially I was wrong to assume he wouldn’t be a big factor.
Offseason Review: Can the Duquesne Dukes Continue the Magic?
The Duquesne Dukes are coming off back to back 20+ win seasons, including a 25-12 season last year where they won the A-10 tournament and went on to upset BYU as the 12-seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Following the end of the season, head coach Keith Dambrot retired and Associate Head Coach Dru Joyce III took over.
Boy…am I going to have to put my foot in my mouth on this one. Necas absolutely dominated in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket Tournament. In fact, he was named on the Top 10 Rising Stars FIBA U20 EuroBasket list. In the tournament, he averaged 18.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, making in the leading scorer of the tournament, while averaging 38.8% from beyond the arc. His contribution led Czechia’s top performance in team history. Here’s some highlights from the tournament:
I personally owe Necas an apology, and I now understand why Dukes fans were so high on him. He can shoot, run the floor, and alter the game on the defensive end. At 6’8 he provides excellent size and his ability to knock down baskets from 3pt, while also being able to create offense by driving low, makes him a versatile player.
He’s going to be an incredible addition to the Duquesne Dukes team in this upcoming season and I’m looking forward to watching him dominate in the A-10.
Gabriel Pozzato - Evansville
Gabriel Pozzato is an incoming freshman at the University of Evansville this coming fall. Along with Jakub Necas, he’s been playing in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament this summer. As a member of Italy, he’s averaged 8.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. However, Pozzato had an incredible 33 point performance in just 24 minutes on 12/16 shooting (5/8 3pt), to go along with 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 4 steals in the victory against North Macedonia. Here’s his first half highlights:
Pozzato had a bit of erratic playing time, seeing just two games with 20+ minutes and two games with 5 or less. However, when playing he took advantage. In two other games, he scored 13 points in 22 minutes and 9 points in 13 minutes. As a whole in the tournament he shot 45.7% overall and 36% from 3pt. At 6’6, he fits in as a great SG/SF with the ability to make an impact on the defensive end as well. Plus, this kid can put on a dunk highlight reel, as can be seen in the video above.
This is a prolific scorer that will be an immediate impact on a Purple Aces team that’s looking to take another step forward in their rebuild next season.
Dragos Lungu - San Diego
Dragos Lungu already saw some playing time as a freshman at San Diego last season, averaging 5.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while appearing in 30 games. That playing time will most likely continue to increase as he helped Romania win the FIBA U20 EuroBasket Division B tournament, allowing the team to return to Division A for just the third time in history.
Throughout the tournament, Lungu averaged 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. This was enough to secure the title of the Division B MVP, as well as a spot on the Top 10 Rising Stars FIBA U20 EuroBasket list. Here’s some highlights from the tournament:
Lungu is going to be a problem for the other teams in the WCC. He has a tremendous ability to create offense for himself whether he is taking a step-back shot or finishing a tough shot around the rim. At just 6’6 he is an excellent rebounder and a monster on the defensive end. He’s a blast to watch play.
For San Diego, they have to be pumped to have Lungu coming back. He flashed some signs last season, including a 20 point/6 rebound performance against Jackson State at the beginning of the season. Now, from the work he has put in during the offseason, there is no doubt that he’ll be looking to help the Toreros build off their 5th place finish in the WCC.
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