The 44th Annual L’Hospitalet Tournament was held December 15-18th in Barcelona, Spain. The eight teams that participated in this year’s tournament were: Barcelona, Joventut Badalona, KK Crvena Zvezda, Fort Erie International Academy, Manresa, Real Madrid, Valencia, and the host CB Hospitalet. The Real Madrid team is considered the best team in Europe and is absolutely loaded. With talent on their team from all over the world, Real Madrid’s second unit probably could have made a semi final appearance at this event. Therefore, winning the event was no surprise. having to eek out a close 72-71 win over Barcelona in the final with a game winner with 0.5 seconds left in the game was. Here were the top prospects from this event:
Hugo Gonzalez Spain 6’6 SG Real Madrid 2006 Born Highlights
Hugo Gonzalez is the consensus top international 2025 NBA draft prospect. He has dominated the youth level and added another MVP and team championship to his trophy case, after this event. In the four game tournament, he averaged 18.5 points while going 28/47 (59.5%) from the field and 6/18 (33%) from three. Hugo is the focal point of the Real Madrid offense and their main playmaker. In half-court situations with the ball in his hands, he has great patience and a high basketball IQ. He waits for the screen and roll situation and quickly decides between using the screen for a drive and score or makes the perfect lob pass in a screen and dive. In addition, as a wing, he has ample experience running from the baseline off screens to catch the ball on the fly for a shot or making a quick pass/ lob to the post on a dive. There was a good example of this in the finals against Barcelona when Hugo passed it to Ismaila Diagne early in the 3rd quarter. In addition, off the ball, he’s excellent at reading defenses and making cuts at the right time for baseline or back door lay ins. Finally, he reloads well and sets himself up for a quick, catch and shoot opportunity. Making his feel for the game one of the things that make him such a high level prospect and a great player. In transition, he can finish the break strong with a dunk punch, but also has the agility to euro step around charges and has the unselfishness to give himself up for an assist. He has good shooting mechanics and is a 3 level scorer, but has room to improve from long distance. A decent but not great athlete, on occasion tested these limitations at this event with mild success. Defensively he has the fight in him and will to win. He will rebound and get the occasional weak side blocked shot and with his high basketball IQ gets some steals just by anticipating passes. Maturity has been a question mark at times,. He showed great leadership and maturity at this event. A likely lottery pick for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Dame Sarr Italy 6’6 SG Barcelona 2006 Born Highlights
Dame Sarr is the most intriguing two way prospect of the 2025 NBA Draft International class. Blessed with a plus wingspan, a good vertical, and lateral quickness that helps him both on offense and defense. He averaged 19 points per game for the 4 game tournament, while never scoring less than 16 and no more than 22 points. He has as much upside as anyone at this event, but he is a far less polished and efficient player than Hugo Gonzalez and the numbers from this event illustrate this: He went 28/65 from the field (43%), 6/26 from three (23%) and 14/21 from the free throw line (66%). At this event, he featured good handles, ability to get downhill on his own, and at times in pick and roll situations in half court sets. He has a great ability to get to the line and draw fouls. He can score at all three levels, from three, with a floater or one dribble mid range jump shot, and of course in the lane. Considering the amount of shots from three and his overall field goal percentage, the numbers, and his play, both indicate that he’s a good finisher around the rim. He was the most dangerous player at this event on fast breaks, finishing several occasions with and 1 dunks. However, his efficiency and basketball maturity is not at the level of Hugo Gonzalez and needs work as a prospect all around. He still is in the development stages and is mechanical at times in pick and roll opportunities and can make a wrong read, passing when he should drive or vice versa. His lack of experience in this area can make him passive getting downhill. His shot selection can also be an issue. In his more efficient games, he takes half the threes that he takes in his more efficient games. And its not just taking threes, it’s the level of difficulty of threes as well. In a game where he went 3/11 from beyond the arc, he shot a three from the logo with plenty of time left on the shot clock. He’s too good to settle for a shot like that. His form on his shot is good and his efficiency should improve over time. His follow through is inconsistent. On defense he is a menace and even Hugo Gonzalez did not score on him until the 4th quarter. He gets a ton of deflections, steals, and the occasional weak side blocked shot. On one occasion, he was a low side help defender and was able to stand his ground and alter the shot of a much taller Sidi Gueye. He’s a really talented player with a ton of upside and a potential 2025 lotto pick.
Karim Lopez Mexico 6’7 SF/PF Joventut Badalona 2007 Born Highlights
Karim Lopez is in the conversation as the top international draft prospect born in 2007. He displays a very smooth jump shot that can extend to NBA three point range. He is best in catch and shoot opportunities but also can pump fake the three, take a one dribble in and make the mid range jumper. If he’s not spotting up for a jump shot, he is most likely in the post, looking for opportunities around the rim. His shooting is potentially elite and with his height and length makes him an intriguing prospect. He is comfortable bringing the ball up the court and can get by a defender if they over play the shot. However, he tends to get into some dribbling issues, at times, when a secondary defender helps out. His hips are a little stiff and you can tell he is transitioning from the post to the perimeter and is more of a 4/3 than a 3/4 in these early stages of his career. On defense, he is a strong rebounder and can get the occasional block. He has good strength for his age and a high basketball IQ. His team’s better players are all forwards and centers which made it challenging at times to stay in games against the powerhouse Real Madrid and Barcelona teams.
Sidi Gueye Senegal 6’10 PF Real Madrid 2007 Born Highlights
Sidi Gueye is not only tall, but looks to have an enormous wingspan (somewhere in the range of 7’4 to 7’6). His length and agility to move up and down the floor make him a very intriguing prospect. Although not a focal point to the offense, he is one of the few younger prospects on Real Madrid who gets significant playing time. When Ismaila Diagne is subbed out, he becomes the primary player to set picks in pick and roll opportunities. The lefty has potential as a shooter, showing good form and going 14/15 from the free throw line. He even made a top of the key three pointer. He has a high motor, making him a nightmare to guard on the offensive boards. At this event, he was pushed around a bit, which prevented him from finishing some plays, including some alley oops. His handles are also fairly good for a player his size. Due to strength issues, he’s primarily a power forward, but has potential as a center due to length, once he adds some strength. Defensively he was able to switch on guards at this level, with ease, given his agility and length. With his shooting touch and size, he’s the type of player that scouts will continue to monitor until he’s draft eligible in 2026.
Egor Demin Russia 6’8 SF Real Madrid 2006 Born
Egor Demin îs playing point guard for the Real Madrid team this season now that Jan Vide has moved on to UCLA. While he has very good passing ability, he’s viewed more of a point forward, a la Toni Kukoc, than a true point guard for the NBA level. If Egor can truly man the point guard position, (he’ll have to demonstrate that somewhere at the pro level in Europe next season) then his stock as a prospect obviously increases. He showed some of that ability here with a tournament high 8 assists against Valencia. For the event, he was Real Madrid’s second leading scorer and became the primary playmaker when Hugo Gonzalez needed a breather. He can really capitalize on this opportunity, given the departure of Vide, and showcase his potential as a creator. He averaged 9 points at L’Hospitalet going 15/41 from the field (37%). His field goal percentage can be explained with his poor outside shooting from three 5/21 (24%). In pick and roll situations, he gets downhill using his length and angles and finishes plays by creating space and using his length to reach the edge of the backboard and some strong English to make lay ins. He’s an interesting prospect, as he fills out the stat sheet in areas other than scoring: (assists, rebounds, and steals).
Ismaila Diagne Senegal 7’0 C Real Madrid 2006 Born
Ismaila Diagne has already had a cup of tea with the pro club this season and looked very similar at that level as he did here. He’s long and athletic and a definite threat in pick and dive opportunities. He has good strength and can finish plays with power. A lefty, he showed no major mechanical flaws in his jump shot, but only went 13/26 from the line at this event. Sometimes rushing his shot and sometimes pulling the string and ending up short. On the flip side, he had games where he shot 7 and 8 free throws, showing a good ability to create contact and drawing fouls. He showed some polish, in his screens, and what to look for if he has the ball at the top of the key as a passer. A great rim runner, he has good hands and finishes plays off well on alley oops. Defensively, he’s polished and is where he’s suppose to be on weak side rotations. His length and vertical ability allowed him to block shots and be a defensive intimidator for Real Madrid.
Paul Ater Maker Bol South Africa 6’8 SF Manresa 2007 Born Highlights
Paul Ater Maker Bol has a long, wiry frame. His plus wingspan and agility makes him interesting as a prospect. He had one really good game versus Joventut where he scored 20 points and showcased his full potential. One of his intriguing aspects as a prospect is he has really good handles for a player his size, displaying a quick crossover and behind the back dribble. He can get downhill with ease on pick and roll situations and get blow by both smaller and taller opponents. Facing up, he has an assortment of jab steps and can hit the outside shot from the perimeter. With his length, he can easily finish plays off with dunks in fast break opportunities. However, he was inefficient from the field (18/60 or 30%). Many of his inefficiencies can be explained by simple lack of strength. A subtle body bump from a defender effects him more than most prospects. In addition, his shooting from three and at the free throw line is still very inconsistent. Not much of a post player due to his lack of strength, but he does battle for offensive and defensive rebounds. His agility and length on defense allows him to get deflections and to be mobile on pick and roll switches. The lack of strength and power also limits his effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball.
Declan Duru Germany 6’8 SF Real Madrid 2007 Born Highlight
Declan Duru played limited minutes for the loaded Real Madrid club. Already considered one of the best young prospects in Europe, Duru showed a strong frame and a plus wingspan. Coming off the bench, he was able to be effective for Real Madrid by rebounding the ball well on the defensive end, getting defections with his long arms, and pushing opposing players out of the post with his strong base. Offensively, his shooting mechanics look a little more refined than in FIBA U16 and even made a few threes. He has the ability to push the ball on fast breaks and is nearly impossible to stop if he has a lane to the basket with his vertical ability and power dunks. Perhaps it’s because he is playing with a much more talented team, but overall he looked much more polished than he previously did in at FIBA U16s.
Terence Kekenbosch Belgium 6’3 CG Joventut Badalona 2007 Born Highlight
Terence Kekenbosch came off the bench for Badalona and played both guard positions. Overall a good athlete, he displayed good speed and a good wingspan for his size, and was effective driving to the hole. Has a nice shooting stroke and won the event’s three point contest. Most effective from three from the corners and from the top of the key. He doesn’t look like he’s done growing and could end being a 6’4/6’5 point guard.
Gildas Gimenez Spain 6’6 SG/SF Real Madrid 2007 Born
Played very limited minutes for Real Madrid. When he did get his opportunity, he was very effective as a defender, pressing teams full court. He has the prototypical 2 way wing body, strong frame, plus wingspan, and is an excellent athlete. When he, Declan Duru, and Sidi Gueye were pressing together it made it nearly impossible for opposing teams to get past half court and get any semblance of running an offense. A little slow, but mechanically sound shooter, he is also one of the top 2007 born European prospects.
Honorable Mention:
Ousmane Diarra Mali 6’11 Center Manresa 2009 Born
The youngest prospect who showed out. He had an opportunity to play extended minutes against Joventut Badalona, with an injury to Ladji Coulibaly. He showed great length and athleticism. A mechanically sound runner with a great motor. He went 5/6 with 6 rebounds in just 12 minutes. Overall he was 6/8 for the tournament. Equivalent to many high school freshmen or eight graders, he is a great long term prospect to monitor.
Kasparas Jakucionis Lithuania 6’3 CG Barcelona 2006 Born
Kasparas Jakucionis was the most efficient and effective player for Barcelona against Real Madrid in the finals as he had 25 points while going 5/11 from three. He consistently showed his strength as a shooter.
Ian Platteeuw Spain 7’0 Center Joventut Badalona 2007 Born
Ian Platteeuw is sort of a poor man’s Aday Mara. His strongest game was against Manresa where he had 17 points and 13 rebounds while going 8/9 from the field
Sayon Keita Mali 7’1 Center Barcelona 2008 Born
Sayon Keita, who as a 2008 born was for the most part going head to head versus 2006 and 2007 born, played his best game versus Valencia where he went 6/6 from the field and scored 13 points. Was instrumental for Barcelona against Real Madrid as he was their one big man who could go head to head with their size and length. he finished with 9 points on 4/8 from the field in 23 minutes. Moved well athletically but did not always finish plays off cleanly.
Arturas Butajevas Lithuania 6’8 PF Barcelona 2007 Born
Arturas Butajevas had limited success at this event as he has started the process of being a primary post player on offense to a stretch four. In the long term, this is the right move, as he more likely to be 6’9/ 6’10 then 6’11 or above, but he was going through some transitional lumps at this event. However, there were flashes of his ability to be able to face up and score from the wing.
