Our U18 team at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament

Published on March 17, 2026

Last weekend, our U18 team headed to Bologna, Italy, to take on the top young talents in European basketball at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT).

Mohamed Diawara, Ilian Moungalla, Pacome Dadiet… All these players, products of the Paris Basketball youth system, burst onto the scene with some impressive performances during the ANGT. And for the second time, our Paris Basketball U18 team took part in this competition organized by the EuroLeague.

Friday marked the start of the tournament. Facing the eventual winner of the 2026 edition in their Group A opener, our young Parisians were no match for FC Barcelona (99-48). Still worth noting was the impressive double-double by our forward Dimitri Azema (18 points and 10 rebounds). Then, despite a solid first quarter fueled by Melvyn Vounang Nanfah’s 20 points, Paris fell again to the Italians from Trento (58-70). Finally, in their last group stage match on Saturday, our Espoirs more than held their own against Bayern Munich. After a slow start, our players came back strong in the second quarter. It was a hard-fought game that ultimately swung in favor of the Germans (75-82).

So Paris Basketball is playing for 7th place on Sunday at 9 a.m. against Panathinaikos! The upward trend we’ve seen since the start of the competition is now showing up on the scoreboard. Right from the tip-off, our Parisians took control. On offense, our team stifled a Greek defense that was on the ropes. Every one of our U18 players got on the scoreboard, while the Methalie-Nanfah duo scored 35 points. And defensively, our foundation was just as impressive. Held to just 7 measly points in the second quarter, our opponents today couldn’t withstand the Parisian pressure, as evidenced by the 22-rebound margin. Without a hitch, Paris concluded this continental adventure in the finest possible way with a 91-64 victory.

A formative experience for our future professionals!

This Saturday, the Paris Basketball U18 team returns to league action against JL Bourg at home. It’s a decisive matchup for Julien Mahé’s players, who have a lot riding on the line in the race for the Trophée du Futur.