The shadow the Olympics casts on basketball is massive every four years, enough to conceal the great hoops you can catch in the annual FIBA U18 Eurobasket tournament. This year’s final between Germany and Serbia features two highly-touted prospects set to debut in the NCAA mere months away.
Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson led his Germany squad past a red-hot Serbia team led by UGA’s Savo Drezgic, 89-76. The future Red Raider took over the game from tip-off, recording 31 points, four rebounds, and five assists in his 31 minutes of game time. The point guard destroyed Serbia in the paint and mid-range, shooting eight-for-nine from within the arc in the final.
Standing at 6’2, Anderson has hit a meaningful growth spurt from his former 5’10, 160 lb. frame. The Oak Hill guard finished his championship run averaging 18.5 points per game, ranked eight out of all Eurobasket players. The shifty ball-handler pushed his team past the semi-final by way of 25 points on 9/14 FG (64.3%), 4/6 3PM (66.7%) shooting. His scoring prowess doesn’t limit his passing game either, finishing 13th in the tournament for assists per game with five.
Despite the loss, the incoming Bulldog dropped 30 points, six rebounds, and seven assists with a game-high efficiency rating of 32. Drezgic excels at playmaking and shot-creating, notably putting Serbia on his back to reach the final by way of 35 points versus Israel in the Semis. Additionally, Drezgic’s range stretches far beyond the three-point line, finishing six-for-twelve from behind the arc in the finals loss alone.
Drezgic sets himself apart when considering the well-roundedness of his game. The 6’3 point guard averages 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists (7th) to complement his seventh-ranked 18.8 points per game. Aside from his 35 points versus Israel, his twelve assists and eight rebounds are nearly as impressive and impactful to the win.
These two may not face off donning their college threads, but they gave us a great look at the incoming talent FIBA is producing even amid the Olympics. Keep an eye out for these ascending point guards next season.
