The inaugural Pangos All-Euro Camp is within the books and after two days of competitors and analysis, there’s a clear-cut Cream of the Crop performer in ahead Noah Penda (No. 50 within the photograph above) from Paris, France, who has aspirations to be a top-notch professional. Younger prospects shined whereas inside gamers had been desirous to be taught.
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The 55 gamers who got here from throughout Europe to the primary Pangos All-Euro Camp aspire to play on the highest degree attainable. The bulk have desires of enjoying NCAA basketball or at a big-time highschool in the US, however the participant who stood out from the remainder of the pack is effectively on his solution to reaching his professional dream.
Noah Penda, a 6-foot-7 18-year previous (2023) from Paris, France, is eligible to play collegiate basketball in 2023-24, however he feels the easiest way to a longtime professional profession is by enjoying skilled basketball. He informed Ballislife he can be enjoying for JA Vichy-Clermont Métropole Basket, a French professional workforce that performs within the Professional B league, France’s second division of professional basketball. Penda has loads of worldwide expertise and was essentially the most impactful participant on the two-day camp held at Basketaki Area in Athens, Greece.
Penda may have simply been one of many camp’s main scorers or been ball-dominant in opposition to lesser gamers. He was every part however that for his “Lakers” workforce, main them to an ideal 3-0 camp file with unselfish play, smarts and a relaxing presence. Penda would not drive any pictures and is at all times trying to make the straightforward play with glorious inside and hit forward passing ability. He averaged 10.7 ppg in three video games, however that does not start to inform his influence, as Penda made the correct learn 100% of the time and contributed loads of “hockey” assists. It is the strategy he took, and added extra to, from his expertise with the French 19U nationwide workforce.
“They anticipate me to do a little bit of every part, from rebounding to guarding the highest participant on the opposite workforce,” Pena mentioned. “I simply got here out right here to try to dominate and present what I can do.”
If there was any doubt or debate about whom the All-Euro Camp’s Most Excellent Participant was, Penda settled that within the Cream of the Crop All-Star Recreation reserved for the camp’s 30 finest gamers. Penda (who fashions his recreation after former NBA standout Carmelo Anthony and present star Luka Doncic) solely scored 5 factors, however he dominated the glass and created alternatives for others, ending with eight rebounds and 6 assists.
Predictably Penda’s Blue workforce received the sport, 81-68, and he put his stamp on the camp with a vicious standard 3-point play, two-handed energy dunk via the important thing proper earlier than halftime that gave his workforce a 45-31 halftime lead. The Gold workforce obtained inside seven factors (58-51) with 11 minutes remaining within the second half, however may get no nearer.
Penda simply may have been the sport’s MVP as effectively, however the {hardware} went to 6-foot-1 17-year previous (2026) Eldin Ejubovic of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The slick combo guard nailed three 3-pointers and completed with 15 factors. Ejubovic is raring to be taught the sport and enhance his ability degree. Most of the submit gamers obtained high quality enter from Zisis Sarikopoulos, a former professional participant from Greece who performed collegiately at UAB and Ohio State and was the lead teacher for the camp’s ability session. The MVP for the Blue workforce as chosen by the scouts in attendance was 6-foot-9 17-year previous (2024) Stavros Karpouzis of Thessaloniki, Greece. The rugged energy ahead had seven factors and 7 rebounds and did a great job of constructing his presence felt on protection.
Two of the camp’s extra athletic gamers additionally made an influence within the Cream of the Crop All-Star Recreation. For the profitable Blue Workforce that was 6-foot-3 18-year previous (2023) Alleia Ivan Mobio of Alba, Italy. The athletic wing participant made his mark with protection and power, ending with 9 factors, 5 rebounds and two steals. For the Gold Workforce, that participant was 6-foot-4 18-year previous (2024) Rodney Ekwoanya of London, England. He had 10 factors and a few spotlight reel blocks. The rangy athlete will play in 2023-24 at Evergreen Christian Faculty (Leesburg, Va.)
Scoring 12 factors for the Blue Workforce was six-foot 18-year previous (2023) Divine Nnadi of Athens, Greece. Nnadi is a sound capturing guard who can create offense and forces the protection to surrender actual property or make the officers name one thing due to his aggressive type.
Giorgos Giantsidis wasn’t at all times aggressive, however made his mark at this camp together with his outdoors capturing stroke. He was arguably the occasion’s prime marksman and the 6-foot-4 guard from Athens with the candy stroke has solely been 14 since Might. Giantsidis, who idolizes NBA star Steph Curry, completed with 10 factors, which he netted all in his first shift to comply with up on his terrific capturing efficiency throughout his Thursday morning camp recreation.
“My intent coming in to this camp was to simply play basketball, that is what I needed to do, I did not have some other expectations,” Giantsidis mentioned. “This was a great camp and I used to be making an attempt to do my finest. Throughout the week, I stand up 200 pictures a day and on the weekend, I stand up over 1,000. I haven’t got as a lot free time in the course of the week, .”
There have been loads of camp standouts who did not essentially have nice showings within the Cream of the Crop All-Star Recreation. Among the many gamers not talked about in our first Pangos All-Euro Camp report embody 6-foot-4 17-year previous (2024) Paris Papadatos of Athens, 6-foot-6 17-year previous (2024) Atanasij Trajanov of Macedonia, and 6-foot-4 15-year previous (2027) Lukas Novakovic of Stockholm, Sweden.
Papadatos displayed a pleasant crossover and covers floor with the dribble. Trajanov obtained downhill in addition to any wing guard in attendance and was a high quality board man. Novakovic obtained extra snug because the camp wore on and made stable reads with the ball.
Among the many gamers not chosen for the Cream of the Crop All-Star Recreation who made an influence with their stable all-around play and had been rated as one of many three finest gamers on their respective workforce in at the least two of the three camp video games embody 6-foot-3 16-year previous (2025) Stathis Karatzas of Patras, Greece and 6-foot-8 17-year previous (2025) Melchizedek Andre of London, England.
France u17 & INSEP’s Noah Penda with a magisterial smitty on the choice level, completely fooling the protection and the helpside. Such an underutilized transfer in slot PNR. pic.twitter.com/M6u0aFDmcE
— PD Net (@abovethebreak3) August 15, 2022
Ronnie Flores is the Nationwide Grassroots Editor of Ballislife.com. He will be reached at [email protected]. Do not forget to comply with him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
