P.I. [Euro] Pulse: Germany's Youth Basketball Landscape
- Pro Insight
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
In the latest edition of ‘P.I. Pulse’, Pro Insight’s Florian Kurth brings you the inside scoop on the latest happenings within the European basketball landscape. As the season kicks off, we’re excited to launch this new column, 'P.I. [Euro] Pulse,' dedicated to highlighting the noteworthy performances of emerging talent across the continent of Europe:
European Basketball is Back – and the ‘Next Wave’ is Here
Basketball season across Europe has been underway for several weeks, and as the first high-level youth tournaments tip off, it’s once again that time of the year when scouts, coaches, and fans spend countless hours watching games — whether through Synergy, live broadcasts or on-site.
Constant Movement in the Youth Scene
As always, the youth basketball scene hasn’t stood still during summer after the FIBA events. There’s been plenty of movement among promising prospects. Two familiar faces from Milano’s youth setup, Luigi Suigo and Diego Garavaglia, have both left Italy in pursuit of new challenges abroad. Meanwhile, a younger name is making waves at home — Cheick Niang — the younger brother of Saliou Niang, is already turning heads with impressive performances in Italy’s top league.
Germany has seen its own share of noteworthy transfers: Bayern Munich secured the talented Jerkic brothers from Ulm, while Marko Volf departed the Bavarian powerhouse. At the same time, Jack Kayil wasted no time proving himself in the BBL with ALBA Berlin, showing flashes of the impact he could bring to Gonzaga in the 2026–27 season.
Europe’s Talent Pipeline Keeps Flowing
Even though many players have already signed to U.S. colleges this summer, there’s no shortage of exciting talent to follow in Europe. Just a quick look at France and Spain makes that clear: young prospects such as Aaron Towo-Nnansi (still only a teenager!), Sergio de Larrea, Stefan Joksimovic, Hugo Yimga Moukouri, and Adam Atamna are all logging meaningful minutes with their respective pro teams, even some at EuroLeague level.
What to Expect from This Series
In this recurring series, Florian Kurth will be pointing out the standout performances (and even some of the underwhelming ones) — calling attention to what’s truly worth your time on Synergy or other video platforms. The goal is to keep you up to date with the most relevant developments in each national scouting scene.
As we are actively working with a bevy of professional organizations and college programs, we won’t dive too deep into the specifics here — after all, providing that level of detail would devalue the quality and exclusivity of our clients. Instead, consider this series a curated overview of key trends and performances worth monitoring.
To kick things off, let’s take a closer look at Germany’s youth basketball landscape — a scene that continues to evolve and produce talent at an impressive rate. It's not just German players who are coming through, but also foreign players, as was clearly demonstrated in Ulm with all the French NBA prospects.
Ulm @ Ankara: 96-93 (EuroCup)
3P-1R-0A-0TO in 11:37 MP
Ulm @ Lietkabelis: 98-94 (EuroCup)
5P-3R-2A-0TO in 6:46 MP
(+) Positional versatility
(+) Rim-running ability
(+) Tremendous length (esp. how it shows up, defensively)
(-) Body strength
(-) Far from being a knock-down shooter (despite high averages in EC)
(-) BBIQ
Summary: Currently getting limited playing time, but making the most of it. His focus should be on improving his physique in terms of muscle mass without losing his flexible athletic abilities.
Ulm 2 vs. Frankfurt 2: 84-64 (ProB)
18P-8R-1A-2TO in 29:21 MP
Ulm 2 @ Oberhaching: 73-92 (ProB)
7P-1R-2A-2TO in 22:14 MP
(+) Scoring instincts
(+) Athleticism
(+) Two-way versatility
(-) Range shooting consistency (despite improved mechanics)
(-) Lack of defined position
(-) Raw tactical understanding
Summary: Meissa is in the midst of the acclimatization process, which is understandable when someone of his age moves to a new, foreign country. He is playing between the U19 Bundesliga and ProB and is improving week by week. He was also able to accumulate a few professional minutes, with the number expecting to only increase.
Diego Garavaglia (2026 - 6’7” wing)
Ulm @ MBC: 71-75 (BBL)
8P-3R-1A-1TO in 17:39 MP
Ulm vs. Besiktas: 99-101 (EuroCup)
7P-2R-0A-0TO in 21:48 MP
(+) Fearless and communicative court presence
(+) 3-and-D value
(+) Straight-up energy boost for his team whenever he steps on the court
(-) Could be more productive when attacking closeouts
(-) Finishing touch
(-) Foul-prone (especially in EC)
Summary: It was easy to predict that an energetic and disciplined player like DG would need less time to get up to speed at the pro level, as he has always been known as a hard worker, especially on the defensive end.
Jared Grey (2026 - 6’8” wing)
Hamburg @ Aris: 76-98 (EuroCup)
7P-4R-0A-1TO in 18:33 MP
Hamburg vs. MBC: 85-93 (BBL)
7P-4R-2A-0TO in 19:33 MP
(+) Plus-length on the wing
(+) Increasingly stable range shooting threat
(+) Contribution on the glass
(-) Foul-prone
(-) Decision-making can appear rushed in transition
(-) Could provide more energy
Summary: This name has been familiar to everyone since last summer's U20 European Championship in Crete. With just under 20 minutes of playing time for the Eurocup team from Hamburg, the German-American is deservedly on several watch lists for the 2026 college class.
Alba Berlin vs. FC Bayern: 67-61 (BBL)
12P-5R-2A-0TO in 20:46 MP
Alba Berlin vs. Chalon: 92-97 (BBL)
0P-1R-2A-4PF in 11:37 MP
(+) Unafraid of the moment
(+) Positional rebounding on the defensive glass
(+) Excels in open floor situations
(-) Shot selection
(-) Occasional foul trouble
(-) Consistency at the FT line
Summary: Strong start in the BBL, while still calibrating in international competition. Consistency must be his focus this season. There is no question that he has strong physicality, solid game sense, and a good mentality, which should serve him well early and often at Gonzaga, next year.
Würzburg 2 vs. Frankfurt 2: 73-88 (ProB)
27P-1R-1A-1TO in 34:41 MP
Würzburg @ Heidelberg: 51-85 (BBL)
1P-1R-0A-1TO in 7:34 MP
(+) Obsessed with winning - tough and physical playstyle
(+) Overall touch
(+) Crafty offensive creator
(-) Weak hand usage
(-) Can get tunnel vision as a decision-maker
(-) Ability to decel
Summary: A kid who is fun to watch! Appears 101% committed in every game, which he emphasizes by regularly showing his emotions. 10/5/2 averages in ProB are quite impressive for someone who is one of the youngest rotational players on the Würzburg farm team.
Nikolas Sermpezis (2026 - 6’4” combo guard)
Bayern 2 vs. Würzburg: 87-75 (ProB)
31P-7R-2A-1TO in 29:51 MP
Bayern 2 @ Fellbach: 86-74 (ProB)
13P-3R-0A-5TO in 30:00 MP
(+) Versatile offensive production
(+) Low TO rate and improved decision making
(+) Relentless rim attacker
(-) Efficiency from 3PT and FT
(-) Speed of release off the catch from 3
(-) Weak hand usage
Summary: The German-Greek guard, who switched agencies this summer, is definitely on the upswing and even played twice for the Bayern 1st team. Definitely somebody to monitor for the 2026 college class.
Bayern 2 vs. Coburg: 57-72 (ProB)
2P-4R-2A-1TO in 18:39 MP
Bayern 2 @ Ulm: 75-78 (ProB)
13P-5R-3A-1TO in 27:58 MP
(+) Above-average processing speed for his age
(+) Huge off-ball cutting / backdoor threat
(+) Defensive versatility
(-) Physical strength
(-) Weak hand usage
(-) Overall consistency
Summary: The fact that Caspar was registered for Bayern's BBL team (at the age of 16) and will probably make his debut there, as we hear, speaks for itself! His body continues to develop, as does his game. Alongside Fabian Kayser, he is the most exciting talent of the 2009 generation.
Additional Names to Follow
Endurance Aiyamenkhue (2007), Alec Anigbata (2004), Jett Beard (2009), Nevio Bennefeld (2007), Daniel Biel (2007), Fin Borczanowski (2008), Jaron Braun (2010), Kemal Buljubasic (2010), Ivan Crnjac (2007), Lars Danziger (2008), Maxwell Dos Santos (2010), Finn Döntgens (2004), Jona Drücke (2009), Jamie Edoka (2008), Danny Egbe (2010), Leo Friedlein (2009), Levin Fröse (2011), Christoph Gördes (2009), Tobias Jensen (2004), Roko Jerkic (2010), Noah Kamm da Cruz (2010), Anton Kemmer (2008), Djordje Klaric (2009), Dion Kovacevic (2010), Leonard Kröger (2008), Epke Kruthaup (2008), Fynn Lastring (2008), Joel Lindsay (2008), Niclas “Nici” Mattner (2010), Johan Friedrich “Fiete” Meinberg (2010), Teo Milicic (2008) Valentino Monin (2010), Milo Murray (2007), Berin Nurkic (2011), Zacharie Perrin (2004), Paul Plato (2009), Justus Reintjes (2010), Racim Rezouani (2010) Fynn Rieck (2009), Jervis Scheffs (2007), Colin Schröder (2006), Yanu Slingerland (2008) Andrija Susic (2008), Yohann Tchouaffe (2009), Lukas Veller (2008), Marko Volf (2010), Kenan Youdom (2009), Liam Zwanbun (2009)
