In what might have been the weakest edition in several years, the LHospitalet Tournament nevertheless featured a nice group of very interesting international players that could make some noise in the future. All of them played for Spanish teams, while the four foreign squads didnt bring that much excitement, although Alexey Shved came away with the MVP trophy thanks to his huge efficiency ratings. The Russian, a 6-5 skinny point guard with a good wingspan, some athletic ability and very raw offensive skills, missed our top-5 selections for the tournament that was picked, as always, based on potential.
On our list we find four well-known guys for the veteran DraftExpress readers. Among them, Víctor Claver had his comeback party after some forgettable summer performances, while Ricard Rubio keeps defying all logic considering his age. We also introduce you to African-Spanish sensation Mamadou Samb.
Read DraftExpress coverage of the 2005 LHospitalet Tournament last year.
Special thanks to R.Tomas of Zona131.com for the excellent photographs.
VICTOR CLAVER, Pamesa Valencia; SF; 6-9; 1988
13 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 4 spg
Claver has been doing his best Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde impersonation over the past few months. After an almost invisible performance at the European Junior Championships in Belgrade last summer, this time we saw Víctor Claver at his absolute best once again on his home soil. Back in Pamesa Valencia, where hes the cut-clear leader, Víctor was easily the most impressive player seen in the tournament, even surpassing the excellent showing he delivered in last years edition. Just for the sake of comparison, we could say that Claver played at a similar level at this same tournament displayed by eventual lottery pick Yaroslav Korolev one year ago.
More clearly than in past occasions, Claver showed that hes a pure small forward, the position where Pamesa is wisely developing and playing him. He enjoys most of the tools he needs to maximize his potential at that position, whether physical or technical.
His strengths and weaknesses remain rather constant from what we told you one year ago at the previous edition of the LHospitalet tournament. But lets rehash for a quick reminder.
Claver is a gifted athlete, a 6-9 wing with a solid frame and excellent quickness for his size. Hes a very complete face-up offensive player, enjoying a surprisingly good jump-shot, with good fluid mechanics, being able to deliver it off the dribble, in turnaround fashion, or even with a fade-away movement. Hes far from being a pure shooter, but hes rather skilled in this department and his size makes him hard to stop. Also a very nice slasher, Claver has an excellent first step and the ball-handling skills to get the job done. He feels more comfortable driving with his right hand, but can also change directions if he starts the movement with his left. On defense, he shows accurate lateral movement, although he perhaps lacks a bit of aggressiveness.
With the ups and downs that Víctor has showed in the past year, his consistency is an important question mark. In LHospitalet, he played only one real game. After a ridiculously easy debut against the Dominican Republic, where he was rested on the bench for the most part, Claver and Pamesa faced Real Madrid in a decisive contest. He dominated the game from the opening tip-off right until his teammates decided to go away from him, although Reals off the ball defense also played a part in this. Víctor got frustrated at that point, making some questionable decisions when the game was already lost.
However, the final impression was excellent. He was extremely positive for his team whenever he had the ball in his hands, showing a great basketball IQ, a rather improved character and intensity and leaving everybody in LHospitalet drooling over his potential.
More clearly than in past occasions, Claver showed that hes a pure small forward, the position where Pamesa is wisely developing and playing him. He enjoys most of the tools he needs to maximize his potential at that position, whether physical or technical.
His strengths and weaknesses remain rather constant from what we told you one year ago at the previous edition of the LHospitalet tournament. But lets rehash for a quick reminder.
Claver is a gifted athlete, a 6-9 wing with a solid frame and excellent quickness for his size. Hes a very complete face-up offensive player, enjoying a surprisingly good jump-shot, with good fluid mechanics, being able to deliver it off the dribble, in turnaround fashion, or even with a fade-away movement. Hes far from being a pure shooter, but hes rather skilled in this department and his size makes him hard to stop. Also a very nice slasher, Claver has an excellent first step and the ball-handling skills to get the job done. He feels more comfortable driving with his right hand, but can also change directions if he starts the movement with his left. On defense, he shows accurate lateral movement, although he perhaps lacks a bit of aggressiveness.
With the ups and downs that Víctor has showed in the past year, his consistency is an important question mark. In LHospitalet, he played only one real game. After a ridiculously easy debut against the Dominican Republic, where he was rested on the bench for the most part, Claver and Pamesa faced Real Madrid in a decisive contest. He dominated the game from the opening tip-off right until his teammates decided to go away from him, although Reals off the ball defense also played a part in this. Víctor got frustrated at that point, making some questionable decisions when the game was already lost.
However, the final impression was excellent. He was extremely positive for his team whenever he had the ball in his hands, showing a great basketball IQ, a rather improved character and intensity and leaving everybody in LHospitalet drooling over his potential.