Five sons of former players are excelling in Crete

Or Children’s National Team Heraklion is in the quarter finals of Crete’s EuroBasket U16 Today (14/8) faces Turkey (18:30, live streaming from FIBA ​​YouTube channel) A place in the top four is the prize.

A look at Turkey’s roster certainly brings back memories for the slightly older, as the star of the team, Omar Kudluai, Son of former AEK, Panathinaikos and PAOK player, Ibrahim Kudluai.

This fact led SPORT24 to search the roster of the 16 teams in Crete and find five players taking part in the tournament who are the sons of former players who played at the highest level.

So here are five players.

Omar Kutluai (15 years old, 1.93 meters, Turkey)

His EuroBasket U16 numbers: Averaged 19 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.3 steals in 29 minutes of participation.

Who is his father?: Ibrahim Kudluwai (50 years old, 1.98 meters). One of the best Turkish players and one of the best shooters in the history of European basketball, among others won the 2022 Euro League with Panathinaikos.

In a few words: Kutluai Turkey’s Benjamin (one of two 15-year-olds on the team, in an event featuring 16-year-olds) and currently the second-leading scorer at EuroBasket U16 certainly says a lot about the son. Turkish basketball legend.

He has been in Real’s academies since last year – when he was just 14 – after 50 in Turkey’s U14 match against Kosovo.

In this Turkey, Kutluai plays something between the 1 and 2, setting up most of the team’s pick-and-rolls because he combines execution and creation so well. For now, he’s going to the basket rather than shooting from the perimeter, and his shot mechanics show he still needs work in that area.

Vuk Danilovic (16 years old, 1.92 meters, Serbia)

His EuroBasket U16 numbers: Averaged 14.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 steals on 46.7% three-pointers in 24 minutes.

Who is his father?: Saša Danilović (54 years old, 2.01 meters). One of the top scorers/shooters in European basketball in the late 80s and early 90s. A modern shooting guard who can shoot from anywhere, he has, among other things, won two EuroLeague titles (1992 with Partizan, captained at the age of 22 and 1998 with Kinder Bologna), four EuroBasket gold medals and an Olympic silver medal.

In a few words: In the shadow of Real’s incredible Andrej Belik (22.8 ppg avg. 51.4% 3-pointers), his son – Outgoing – President of the Serbian Federation He has had his own opportunities to shine, playing both guard positions (although the ball was often dropped by Aleksei Ivkovic).

Guard Mega Mozart gets a lot of the ball in a pick-and-roll situation in Serbia, playing mainly an administrative role. Danilovic still needs to work on developing his own shot, but that didn’t stop him from punishing the Finn in the round of 16, who gave him three points on a pick-and-roll.

Randy Livingston Jr. (16 years old, 1.88 meters, Italy)

His EuroBasket U16 numbers: 13 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal with an average of 43.8% on 3-pointers in 21 minutes.

whichs his father: Randy Livingston (49 years old, 1.93 meters). A guard selected in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. Picked 42 and played a total of 11 years in the NBA, as an average backup with the Rockets, Hawks, Suns, Warriors, SuperSonics, Hornets, Clippers and Jazz. The point guard has career averages of 3.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2 assists per 14 minutes of participation. Towards the end of his career he played in the D-League (ancestor of the G-League), where he was named Most Valuable Player (2007) and Champion (2008).

In a few words: Italy showed immediate reflexes in the case of the young guard, from the moment it was announced that his mother was Italian, it made the necessary moves to integrate him into the small national team. The results are already showing with Isidore Neumann forming one of the tournament’s best keeper duos alongside Trento’s Federico Kattappan.

Livingston is a scoring guard with good connection to the basket, who has shown remarkable ability as a shooter off the dribble (from the 3-point line), as well as a passer, while setting up most of the Italians’ pick-and-rolls. . His finishing close to the basket needs work, though if he solidifies as a shooter, he’ll add to his game.

Ignaz Stobarkas (16 years old, 2.05 meters, Lithuania)

His EuroBasket U16 numbers: Averaged 10.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2.3 blocks in 21 minutes of action.

Who is his father?: Saulius Stobergas (51 years old, 2.04 meters). A collegiate forward who can play basketball in any season. An incredible three-point shooter who needed little space and time to shoot, with assists from Zalgiris, Kinder Bologna, Efes Pilsen (now Anatoly Efes), Unix Kazan, Ulgar. What further shows how special he is is that he has won three different European titles (EuroLeague, Saporta, EuroChallenge) while winning two medals at EuroBasket at national team level (Gold in 2003 and Silver in 1995). Olympic bronze medals (1996, 2000).

In a few words: Ignaz Stobergas is a player with completely different elements from his father. Young Zalkris plays a center in big Lithuania, doing most of his damage near the basket.

A good screener in pick-and-roll situations, a great rebounder, and a tall guy who protects the basket well (he’s currently the 4th best blocker in the league), Stobergas has good stuff. However, he needs to strengthen his body to finish better near the basket, while he can’t shoot from behind the three-point line and is shooting a dismal 55.6% from the field, things he needs to improve on to make up for it. up to

Emilis Prekevicius (16 years old, 1.90 meters, Lithuania)

His EuroBasket U16 numbers: Averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.8 steals on 38.1% 3-pointers in 27 minutes.

Who is his father?: Marius Precavicius (40 years old, 1.95 meters). A member of the generation of Lithuanian 84ers that featured Linas Kleisa and Palius Jankunas, he was a member of the Lithuanian Junior National Team that competed in the 2003 U18 World Championship in Thessaloniki. However, Pregavicius was generally a roller player throughout his career. In 2008 he played in the Euro League.

In a few words: Early signs of Emilis Prekevicius are starting to show that he will become a better player than his father. The young guard from Klaipeda is Lithuania’s key player and leading player of the tournament so far.

Measured in his movements, a great setter and good size for the point guard position, he showed promise as a passer and a pick-and-roll operator while also playing excellent on-ball defense. He shot well from a stop in this match, though his shot on the dribble looks like it needs work, and he could be a bit too aggressive.