More than 75 college basketball players will be playing for their countries in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket, which began Sunday and runs through July 21. There are 37 countries represented, and here is a look at the top 10 college players in the tournament.
All FIBA U20 EuroBasket games will be streamed free on the FIBA YouTube channel. Highlights and key performances will be posted on Hoops HQ social media accounts (@hhqsports on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok).
1. Alvaro Folgueiras, 6-foot-9 junior forward, Iowa (Spain)
Folgueiras, who is transferring from Robert Morris to Iowa, projects as the star of the Spanish team, ranked second in the world. He will have ample support, surrounded by five fellow Division I players.
Folgueiras is by far the most accomplished college player in this tournament. He was the 2024-25 Horizon League Player of the Year and was one of the most efficient players in college basketball last season, leading the Horizon League with a 65.1 percent true shooting percentage. Folgueiras topped the Horizon League in both offensive and defensive rating last season, one of only two players to lead a conference in both categories.
This will be his second U20 EuroBasket tournament, as he played limited minutes for Spain last year.
2. Neoklis Avdalas, 6-foot-8 freshman wing, Virginia Tech (Greece)
Avdalas made Hokies coach Mike Young happy when he withdrew from the NBA draft to play for Virginia Tech. He already has an impressive résumé in the Greek Basketball League. When he was 15, Neo broke the record for the youngest player to score in a EuroLeague game. He became a GBL All-Star at age 17 and was named the GBL’s best young player in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Avdalas also took home the GBL’s most improved player award this season despite being named an all-star the season before.
With extensive pro experience, Avdalas looks to be among the most polished incoming freshmen in college basketball. A true three-level scorer, Avdalas possesses top-notch ball control and positional versatility, allowing him to conduct the offense if necessary. His transitional speed is one of his biggest strengths; he also can stretch the floor. Greece is looking for its first U20 EuroBasket title since 2017.
3. Omer Mayer, 6-foot-4 freshman guard, Purdue (Israel)
He was the talk of the FIBA U19 World Cup last week after he had 33 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals against Team Cameroon in Israel’s first-ever round-of-16 victory. He left the quarterfinal game vs. Slovenia with a finger injury and missed the final three contests of the event. Mayer has been cleared to play in the U20 EuroBasket.
He was the second-leading scorer at the U19 World Cup, averaging 20 points per game while displaying impressive passing, ballhandling and leadership.
Mayer spent the past two years playing professionally for Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the Israeli League and the EuroLeague. Mayer became the youngest player to score for Maccabi Tel-Aviv when he debuted at 17. At 18, Mayer averaged 5.2 points, 2.1 assists and 1.1 rebounds while playing 12.6 minutes per game for the 2024-25 IBSL champions. Mayer will try to help build on Israel’s second-place finish in the 2023 tournament.
4. Mantas Juzenas, 6-foot-7 freshman wing, Saint Mary’s (Lithuania)
Saint Mary’s has a legacy of finding international gems hidden in plain sight. Juzenas is the latest.
At 18, he is among the youngest projected starters in this tournament but don’t underestimate him. Coming from the B.C. Zalgiris system, the top club in Lithuania, Juzenas has trained against former and future NBA players such as Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas and Alen Smailagic. Juzenas also was selected as one of just two Lithuanian players (Kasparus Jakucionis was the other) invited to the 2024 NBA Basketball Without Borders camp.
Juzenas stands out from other players on this list because he often makes his impact in the margins. A master of off-ball movement, zone defense and court spacing, Juzenas will disappear and reappear behind the defense or open on the wing. This year, Juzenas has been blessed with a wealth of high-level big men on the Lithuanian team with whom to work through. He has a nice frame and silky jump shot.
5. Fridrik Leo Curtis, 7-foot-1 freshman center, Nebraska (Iceland)
Iceland is 66th in the world rankings, but Curtis is a reason to think it could make some noise in the tournament.
The greatest Icelandic prospect of the past 50 years, Curtis spent his first 15 years in Reykjavik playing soccer before literally outgrowing the sport following a growth spurt. He is a 7-foot-1 17-year-old with outstanding agility. In 2024, he moved to the Boston area to play high school basketball at Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science, and developed into a consensus four-star recruit just outside the top 100 in the 2025 class.
After committing to Arizona State, he flipped and signed with Nebraska in May after receiving more than a dozen offers. He has a soft touch and guard skills reminiscent of Kristaps Porzingis. When Porzingis participated for a similarly ranked Latvia squad in 2013, he was able to carry them all the way to the tournament semifinals.
6. Melih Tunca, 6-foot-5 freshman guard, Penn State (Turkiye)
While Turkiye is not participating in the Division A U20 EuroBasket, it will be competing for promotion in the Division B tournament hosted in Armenia simultaneously.
The Division B tournament also has some talent, with Tunca a prime example. He burst onto the Turkish scene in 2024-25 for Turk Telecom, winning “Newcomer of the Year” honors after averaging 6.4 points and 2.2 assists in 25 league games in Turkiye’s highest division. He hit 96.3 percent of his free throws and 45.8 percent from beyond the arc.
In last year’s U20 EuroBasket, he averaged 17.6 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. He also had great production – 15.7 points, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds – in the 2023 U18 EuroBasket Division A tournament.
7. Jan Vide, 6-foot-6 junior guard, Loyola Marymount (Slovenia)
Despite playing two seasons of college basketball, Vide remains eligible for the U20 EuroBasket this year. He signed with UCLA as part of the 2023 class, then transferred to Loyola Marymount for last season.
Despite averaging only 6.2 points per game for the Lions, Vide is a talented scorer, especially when donning Slovenia’s colors. In 2023, Vide averaged 17.9 points for Slovenia in the U19 World Cup. In 2022, he led the U17 EuroBasket in points at 20.1 per game. And he had a 2023 MVP campaign at the EuroLeague Next Gen tournament for Real Madrid’s U18 side.
Perhaps this tournament is what Vide needs to break through next season for LMU. Slovenia is coming off its first U20 EuroBasket finals appearance in 20 years and will welcome Vide’s return for the first time since he left for college.
8. Aleksa Ristic, 6-foot-5 freshman guard, Indiana (Serbia)
Last week, Indiana rounded out its recruiting class with Ristic’s signing. Ristic has proven his ability with KK Dynamic, a senior club in Serbia’s top division. Playing alongside highly touted Kansas State commit Andrej Kostic, Ristic averaged 13.2 points, 4.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 38.6 percent from three-point range and 83.8 percent on free throws.
He says he fashions his game after guards such as Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards, and has genuine NBA hopes at the rate he is progressing. Ristic is a bit older than the average freshman, turning 20 before the season starts in November, and he will bring a wealth of experience and a polished playing style.
9. Christian Nitu, 6-foot-11 sophomore forward, Washington (Romania)
Nitu is a transfer in two ways: He left Florida State for Washington and Team Canada for Team Romania this year. Nitu played for Canada in the FIBA U17 World Cup, averaging 5.9 points and 1.7 rebounds.
His most impressive achievement is being selected for two Basketball without Borders camps, organized by the NBA. He is one of only a handful of players to be chosen twice for BWB camps.
This is Nitu’s first time representing Romania, as Canada doesn’t have any international opportunities for his age group. Nitu was effective in limited action as an FSU freshman, with a per-40-minute production of 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. But he struggled to find minutes in a crowded Seminoles frontcourt.
Romania is playing in the U20 EuroBasket for the third time in Division A after winning last year’s Division B title. They’ll look to avoid relegation and remain among the top 14 in this year’s tournament.
10. Elmeri Abbey, 6-foot freshman guard, Utah (Finland)
Abbey is not your typical European export. He is small and a one-position player. Still, he is a good scorer, averaging 15.3 points per game with the Finnish U20 squad last year. In the Finnish pro league, he has done even better, averaging 19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and a league-leading 2.7 steals per contest.
Abbey’s greatest strengths are his speed and physicality. He often uses his elite start-and-stop speed along with an advanced crossover to get a step on his defender, then punishes them with his off-shoulder on his way to the rim. He often embraces contact, putting his frame into defenders to create space to shoot, cut or pass. Abbey’s game resembles the American play style far more than most of his European compatriots, which should allow him to be an immediate impact player for Utah.
Others to watch
Salih Altunas, 6-foot-10 freshman center, Miami (Turkiye)
Peter Bandelj, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, Cal Poly (Slovenia)
Aleksas Bieliauskas, 6-foot-9 freshman forward, Wisconsin (Lithuania)
Martin Kalu, 6-foot-4 freshman guard, College of Charleston (Germany)
Amael L’Etang, 7-foot-1 sophomore center, Dayton (France)
Lefteris Liotopoulos, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, St. John’s (Greece)
Benjamin Michaels, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, Vermont (United Kingdom)
Lewis Obiorah, 7-foot-2 freshman center, Texas (United Kingdom)
Omer Suljanovic, 6-foot-7 freshman forward, UC Davis (Austria)
Olavi Suutela, 6-foot-10 freshman forward, Oregon State (Finland)
