Spain, for the second time in its history, is once again world champion under-19 basketball thanks to a great generation of young talents. The national team prevailed in a disputed final against France with a group of players who have become the worthy successors of Navarro, Pau Gasol, Raúl López and company.
Those baptized as 'golden juniors', champions in 1999, began the triumphant path of a Spain that has established itself as a power in basketball, both in the lower and senior categories. Now, 24 years after the successful generation of 1980, the batch of 2004-2005 begins its own path. These are some of the players called to leave their mark on the sport of the basket:
He was MVP of the Under-17 World Cup, the Under-18 European Championship and this past Sunday he was also named the best of the Under-19 World Cup. The pivot, just turned 18 and 2.07 tall, is the son of former basketball player Steve Horton, who played for two seasons at CB Murcia. Izan was raised in Murcia by his mother and his grandmother, to whom he dedicates all his triumphs. After taking his first steps in soccer, he opted for basketball very soon, at the age of nine, the age at which he joined UCAM Murcia.
His physique and his increasingly developed painting skills soon drew attention and Real Madrid recruited him for their youth categories in 2019. Two seasons later, he crossed the pond to enroll in the Overtime Elite Academy in Atlanta (United States). and just a few days ago he made his signing for the Ignite Nevada of Las Vegas official, of the NBA Development League.
"This is the best step to improve my game, play against adults and also work on my body," he explained about his signing for the Nevada team, the previous step for the jump to the NBA. Some predictions already place him in the top 20 of the next draft. At the moment, he continues to reap success with Spain.
In the World Cup held in Hungary, he averaged 16.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 recoveries for a PIR of 16.9 in 26 minutes per game. In the game for the title against the French, he broke down physically, with 41 minutes on court, and finished with 14 points despite ending up diminished by a strong blow from Sarr.
The umpteenth academy player from Joventut de Badalona, a club that has always been characterized by giving youngsters opportunities, does not stand out for his physical strength, but for his creativity and intelligence on the court. Virtues that allow him to create his own shots, like the one that forced extra time against France at the limit of possession. He finished the game as the top Spanish scorer, with 18 points, and was included in the ideal five.
The green and black club ensured the permanence of the shooting guard (1.99m), with a contract extension until 2027, but various reports suggest that his future is in the NBA. In the 2021-22 season he completed his training at CB Prat, with whom he played in the EBA League and LEB Plata, and this past year he already made his debut in the Endesa League with La Penya. The Catalan made his debut against Barça on matchday eight and played a few minutes in a total of six games. In the U-19 World Cup he has averaged 13.6 points, 2.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds.
The Mallorcan forward, with a Senegalese father and a mother of English origin, is a physical wonder, all his movements are very balanced despite his 2.11 meter height, and he also has good shooting mechanics. When Spain was worse in the final, with France dominating the rhythm of the game and better physically, Miller contributed 8 points in a row in the last quarter that redoubled the team's morale and play. In Hungary he averaged 9.4 points, six rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Miller, 19, took his first steps in basketball at the Imprenta Bahía San Agustín youth academy in Palma de Mallorca, but soon went to live with his mother in Madrid, where he joined the Real Madrid youth academy in 2016. When he was already at the gates of the first team, after having made his Euroleague debut on December 23, 2021 under the command of Pablo Laso, he decided to continue his training in the United States. "Europe is very good to compete, but not to develop," he said after landing in the country of stars and stripes.
In June 2022, he joined the NCAA Florida State Seminoles, but his debut was delayed due to a 16-game ban. Having already signed with the Florida team, he accepted an invitation to train on a campus in Texas, something totally prohibited. Miller, oblivious to these regulations, returned the money, a rectification that did not help him avoid the sanction. His bitter start on American soil has not eroded the ambition of a player aiming for the NBA next season.
His leadership in extra time, at the limit of his forces after an exhausting game, was decisive for Spain to end up sealing the world title. The Catalan, one of the team captains, in charge of lifting the trophy together with Garuba, became the protagonist at the most tense moment. The point guard had the clear-sightedness and mettle necessary to lead the team in the final moments and he was also successful with his shot. Villar scored 8 of the team's 10 points in overtime and finished the tournament with an average of 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
The 18-year-old and 1.91m tall from Barcelona has trained at Barça, with whom he made his Euroleague debut in 2021 against Zalgiris and in the Endesa League in 2022 against Baxi Manresa. In the middle of last season, since December, he played on loan to Força Lleida Club Esportiu in the LEB Oro League. He finished seventh in the regular season with the ilerdenses and next season he will return to a Barça in full restructuring. If the Barcelona entity decides to give him a place in the first team, Roger Grimau, until last season the coach of the Barça subsidiary, will be his new coach.
Spain won the final against France starting from a great defense and the leader of that choral intensity was, without a doubt, the Catalan guard. Nogués, 19 years old and 1.96 meters tall, finished the game with six points, but even more important were his six steals, the last one at the start of an extra time that ended up winning the title for the Spanish.
Nogués is another player formed in the infinite academy of Joventut de Badalona. Next season, however, he will play on loan at Club Baloncesto Peñas Huesca of LEB Plata.
