Orange 1 Bassano at the tournament "La Orotava" U16.

L'Orange 1 Bassano U16 (2010 and 2011) participated in the tournament organized by CB San Isidro in Tenerife "La Orotava", a very important competition in its 27th edition. The participating teams, besides the orange and blacks, were: Real Madrid (SPA), Gran Canaria (SPA), Bayern Munich (GER), Cajasiete Canarias (SPA), Zalgiris Kaunas (LTU), Unicaja Malaga (SPA) and CB San Isidro (SPA). The Veneto team was placed in Group A with the home team, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid. The results were as follows:

W 36-90 vs CB San Isidro
L 65-77 vs Real Madrid
W 54-88 vs Bayern Munich
W 62-73 vs Cajasiete Canarias
L 86-68 vs Real Madrid

Here now is a more detailed focus on each of the boys who participated:

GIDEON SILAS HENRY (F, 6'8"/203cm, 2010, Nigeria)
Best player on the team and one of the most interesting in all of Europe. Gideon is a forward who combines very good fundamental skills with a dominant physical presence. He is very good at attacking the basket and finishing effectively. His ball-handling is excellent. His shooting is far behind; the mechanics aren't bad but are still ineffective. On defense, he can guard all positions thanks to his great foot speed, size, and weight. He is also a very vertical player and is a great rim protector.

MATTEO BENETTI (F, 6'7"/200cm, 2010, Italy)
The space for the forward from Asiago was limited, and when on the court, his only role was to set screens without ever being truly involved. He does his job on the boards and near the basket.

LORIS MANUEL VELEZ (F, 6'5"/195cm, 2011, Italy)
He was the least used player in this tournament. When called upon, he tried to contribute with drives and rebounds.

LUIGI NEMBRI (G, 5'11"/180cm, 2010, Italy)
Luigi is the primary ball-handler of this group, and he starts most of the possessions. His ball-handling is good, and he is very skilled at creating for himself, either by pulling up for mid-range shots or going all the way to the hoop. He possesses great athleticism that he also uses well on defense. His physique is still very slight, and his height is also modest, so he often suffers from the greater physicality of opponents on both ends of the court. His playmaking ability is still very limited, although he is good at managing his teammates' spacing on the court.

DEMARIO MAYFIELD JR (G, 5'10"/178cm, 2011, USA)
A left-handed player with great talent, equipped with a good perimeter shot and excellent feel for the game. In other aspects, he is still very raw, especially in playmaking and physical structure, which limits him considerably on defense. The foundations are good, but he is a player who still needs a lot of development, understandable given his very young age.

GALUAK MAJOK (C, 2010, South Sudan)
Galuak is a center who arrived in Europe this year, but despite that, he already shows a great understanding of the game and spacing. He has a long and slender physique that is still a work in progress. He is good at running the floor and has good foot speed. On offense, he plays almost exclusively as a screener and is good at finishing at the rim; in a couple of situations, he also showed some ability in pick-and-pop and shooting. Really high potential, both physically and technically.

ALESSANDRO FAVETTA (G/F, 6'5"/196cm, 2010, Italy)
Alessandro is a wing with excellent physical attributes and fundamental skills. He loves to attack the basket and has great technical tools and coordination to do so; he is not yet explosive and powerful enough to be dangerous all the way to the hoop. He does not rely on his shot at all (only 2 three-point attempts in the entire tournament), even though the mechanics aren't bad. On defense, he makes good use of his body and arms, and his foot mobility is also decent.

JEAN PAUL LOUNDJA (F, 6'6"/197cm, 2010, Italy)
The Tuscan forward has a good technical repertoire in all aspects but doesn't excel in any of them. His shot is good but often ineffective, he has a good first step but doesn't excel as a slasher, on defense he is solid but doesn't make a difference yet. The physical and technical foundations are there and are good, but he needs to find his niche to make the quality leap.

LEONE ORLANDI (G, 6'1"/185cm, 2010, Switzerland/Italy)
Very limited playing time for him, both in terms of minutes and involvement in the game. Despite this, he made himself noticed with rebounds, steals, and shots off kick-outs.

PIETRO CARETTA (G, 6'3"/189cm, 2010, Italy)
His playing time was limited, as were his individual initiatives. He showed little, although his physique and technique are at a decent level.

MARCO SPIZZIRRI (G, 5'11"/180cm, 2010, Italy)
Marco is the other Point Guard in this group besides Nembri and Mayfield. Compared to both, he is much more of a playmaker and capable of looking for his teammates. His shooting and touch are excellent, making him effective both from 3-point range and with floaters and finishes at the rim. On defense, he is active and good at putting pressure on opposing guards. However, his physique is still slight and underdeveloped, so he struggles against more physically ready players. His long limbs suggest further significant growth in height, which is promising given his technical foundations.

NICHOLAS CONTI (G, 6'5"/196cm, 2010, Italy)
The guard from Ancona played in this tournament on loan from Stamura Basket Ancona. Nicholas is a player with excellent technique in all aspects, although he doesn't yet excel in any of them or dominate. What slows down his impact is certainly his physique, which is still very slight and needs to be built up. However, the combination of the two factors is very interesting for the future; with improvements in his game and physical development, the potential is very high.

DAVID EZEMA (F/C, 6'8"/204cm, 2010, Nigeria)
David is another of the new arrivals at Bassano and is about to play his first season in organized basketball. He possesses a physique that is already very structured and powerful, putting him a cut above all opponents in this regard. Despite this, he much prefers perimeter play with drives to the basket or set shots off the catch (5/15 from 3 in the tournament). On defense, he uses his physique, although he is often passive against opponents' initiatives.