pic credit: Martin Vogel & Hello.Itsjana

One of the basketball highlights in the youth sector every year is the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation tournament that is held every year in January. It is contested between the best basketball clubs in Europe in the under 18 age group. The first ANGE was held in 2003 and in the last 5 years Real Madrid has dominated the tournament winning 4 out of 5 tournaments. Over the years ANGT has seen big upcoming talents that became big time players like Luka Donic, Dario Saric and Dejan Musli while the last 2 MVP´s were Jan Vide and Hugo Gonzalez. This years tournament saw an array of great players again including German Ivan Crnjac who plays for the Frankfurt Skyliners. He had the special honor to suit up with FC Bayern Munich. He was one of the older kids on the team as there were many very talented players from the years 2008-2009 In the end, FC Bayern Munich couldn´t win the title, but reached a very satisfying 5th place and gained added valuable experience playing against the best young players in Europe. Ivan Crnjac was in Munich for a week training with FC Bayern Munich and then played 4 games last weekend. It was an exciting time, but also stressful at times. “It was ok. The days were slow and fast depending on how much training we had. The first day was long. We had 2 games and we had to get up at 6.15 AM”, stressed Ivan Crnjac (203-F-2007)

Usually the teams only have the players from that team, but every once in a while, teams will add talented guys from other teams so they will get a chance to compete since their normal team wasn´t invited. In the case of Ivan Crnjac, it was strange in a way to be training with FC Bayern Munich, but in a way also familiar. “It was strange having other teammates, but I mean I knew many of the guys already. It was strange practicing in a different training facility, but I got used to it”, stated Ivan Crnjac So how did a day look for him leading up to the weekend where he would play 4 games? “It wasn´t always that exciting. I woke up at 9.00Am and had breakfast. I usually relaxed then or went for a walk. In the afternoon we had practice starting with work in the weight room. Then I went back to the hotel and slept. There were no wild times. The Munich players all had school”, said Ivan Crnjac Was the team able to generate chemistry in such a short period of time? “I felt we did do that. But you did notice that the team was young and inexperienced. You saw it at times in games. An older point guard would react differently”, commented Ivan Crnjac Was he able to see any of the easyCredit BBL players like rising young star Ivan Khartchenkov who is getting good minutes with the BBL team? Is a guy like Khartcehnkov a role model for him? “I watched a BBL practice and saw all the players. I also saw Gordie Herbert walking around. I saw Ivan but didn´t talk to him. I wouldn´t necessarily say he is a role model for me, but he is definitely a player where I would strive to have a career like him”, expressed Ivan Crnjac

FC Bayern Munich lost the first game to Cedivita 98-78 as Ivan Crnjac had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. “That was a tough first loss. It was early in the morning and we didn´t play well as a team. They hit their shots well. It was a weak game and not the type of game that you want to start a tournament with”, said Ivan Crnjac FC Bayern Munich finally got on the winning track beating Aris 74-54. Ivan Crnjac produced 9 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. “This was our second game of the day and it was at night. We were mad after losing the first game. We put more emotion into the game. We were able to play our game. We defended harder and our offense was better”, added Ivan Crnjac They then fell to 1-2 as they lost to Valencia 103-82. “You wouldn´t think so from the result, but it was a tight game. The game was tied after 3 quarters. It was a real competitive game. We got tired in the fourth quarter”, stated Ivan Crnjac In the loss he filled the stat sheet well scoring 9 points, grabbed 10 boards, dished out 3 assists, blocked 2 shots and got a steal. FC Bayern Munich buckled down in the 4th game beating Derby 77-64. He had 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and a block. “We gave all we had because we wanted to end the tournament with a win. We struggled at the start, but played a lot better in the second half”, added Ivan Crnjac He was really impressed by 15 year olds Marko Volf (7/2/2) and Caspar Vossenberg (12/3) who held their own and were important players for the team. “Both are very talented. Volf has great skills and physical while Vossenberg is very strong and athletic. They both played great”, warned Ivan Crnjac Did the many practices and games take a toll on their energy as a team which led to poor team shooting percentages? “The practices were hard, but not so much that we were tired going into the games. All 4 games were played at a high intense level. I think our fatigue came from the games”, said Ivan Crnjac

The young German who lists Declan Duru as his toughest cover so far in his career has developed very well the last years and has taken the next step this season averaging 20,7ppg, 7,5rpg, 2,0apg, and 2,0spg in the NBBL (U-19) and in the Pro B averaging 11,4ppg, 4,4rpg, 1,8apg and 1,1spg. With what kind of a focus did he come to Munich and ANGT? “I wasn´t assigned a role coming in, but developed a defensive role as the tournament went on. I always had to defend the other team´s best player”, stressed Ivan Crnjac Nikolas Sermpezis was the captain, but Crnjac was one of the older guys on the team. Did he feel like one of the leaders? “I felt that a little bit. I supported him and once in a while was vocal”, said Ivan Crnjac His stat line during ANGE in 4 games was 8,8ppg, 6,0rpg, 2,5apg and 1,3spg in 28,5 minutes. Was he content with his game against the best of Europe? “I think that my game was solid. I feel like I did everything except score. I wasn´t as focused on scoring. I really did all that I wanted to, but wish that I could of scored more”, stressed Ivan Crnjac He also noticed rapidly what he has to better in the future in order to reach the next level. He had 9 turnovers in the last 2 games. “I have to work more on my ball handling. Coach actually wanted me to play more at the guard position, but in the end I was playing the 3-5 positions. I really had problems with ball handling. I have to improve that”, warned Ivan Crnjac He had many great moments, but one that he won´t forget. “Our second win in the fourth game was my fondest moment. We finished fifth. It was a cool moment and the mood was better”, expressed Ivan Crnjac The 17 year old 3 level scorer and universal genius doesn´t have long to reflect on the enriching weekend, but was back on the court a few days later. Then he faced another team BBA Porsche Ludwigsburg in Pro B action that was full of young talents. He faced off against talented Julis Baumer who has BBL experience. Crnjac made another jump scoring a pro high for him with 29 points in a massive win. The grind never ends for the universal genius Ivan Crnjac