LAKTASI (Bosna and Herzegovina) - Group D is set to be one of the most fiercely contested in this year's edition of the Youth Basketball Champions League.
Tofas Bursa, Telekom Baskets Bonn, and Spartak Office Shoes all have key returning players, all have the know-how when it comes to winning games in this competition, and all finished in the Top 8 last time around.
Telekom Baskets Bonn and Spartak Office Shoes will get this group tipped off on Tuesday, April 7, but all of these teams will know that one win in the Group Phase won't be enough to guarantee a spot in the Semi-Finals, and one slip could be very costly.
Tofas Bursa
Turkish giants Tofas Bursa are now Youth Basketball Champions League royalty - they have reached the Semi-Final or better in every edition of this competition.
They reached the Final as hosts in the inaugural season before eventually coming unstuck against an Igokea team that still ranks amongst the strongest teams assembled in the YBCL.
Following that, they fell to Turkish rivals Galatasaray in 2024, and last year met the back-to-back champions Rytas Vilnius in the Semi-Finals, before eventually finishing third for the second consecutive season.
This year, Tofas head coach Firat Yavuz has no less than seven returning players from last year's squad; Mustafa Bagadir, Kerem Corumlular, Orkun Dayioglu, Emir Karabulut, Riza Pasaoglu, Alp Sancakli, and Alp Yuceturk.
Of those seven, four of them played more than 14 minutes in Riza Pasaoglu, Kerem Corumlular, Mustafa Bagadir, and Alp Sancakli.
Pasaoglu led the team for efficiency rating at 18 per contest, and Corumlular left a lasting impression on the competition with his highlight plays and third-best scoring average of 9 points.
There can be no second guesses about Tofas' intention at the YBCL when you see this roster, they are here for the gold.
It all begins for Tofas on April 8, at 20:00 CET against Spartak Office Shoes.
Telekom Baskets Bonn
Bonn picked up two wins in their four games last time around, with one of those losses being against eventual finalists, Oostende, with the other being against Italian talent factory Pallacanestro Reggiana.
This year's squad has a very different look to it, with only two returning players, in Dusan Ilic and Leonard Franzen.
The positive for Bonn is that both of those were key parts of coach Francesco Tubiana's roster last year. Franzen played 15 minutes per game and shot 50 percent from the field.
His teammate Dusan Ilic was absolutely integral to Bonn last year, putting up 11.5 points and dishing 5 assists in 26 minutes.
Ilic also went on to have a strong tournament with Germany U18's in last summer's U18 EuroBasket. Coach Tubiana will undoubtedly be leaning heavily on Ilic's leadership and playmaking abilities this year.
Marvin Nduche, Remi Volkers, and 2009-born point guard Tom Viehofer will also be expected to play major roles based on the minutes they have played recently for Team Bonn in the German N-BBL Play-Offs.
Bonn have landed themselves the favorable schedule in the Group Phase, as they will be the only team that doesn't play back-to-back games. They open with a game against Spartak Office Shoes on April 7, then enjoy a day off whilst their rivals face each other, before a potential group decider against Tofas Bursa on April 9.
Spartak Office Shoes
Serbia's Spartak Office Shoes are back and another year more prepared for what this competition can throw at them.
After winning their first game against ERA Nymburk last year, Spartak struggled to adapt life in the YBCL and didn't win again on their way to an eighth-place finish.
They did also meet their Group D opponents Tofas Bursa in the Group Phase last year, with the Turkish club coming out on top, 86-74.
2008-born Aleksandar Nedeljkovic had 15 points on 55 percent shooting in that game. He's back again this year and will be Spartak's captain this year.
Head coach Nikola Nikolic is back again and has a new look to his squad.
Alongside captain Nedeljkovic, Nikolic will have three returnees from his 2008-born generation; Croatian big man Srdan Bakula, Simon Grubanov, and Luka Kockar.
2009-born Nemanja Muhadinovic will also return from last year and look to continue his development at this level.
The ones to watch will be Luka Kockar, 2010-born Serbian U16 international Vukasin Velimirovic, and local talent Malik Skalonjic.
1.96m shooting guard, Velimirovic, will be one of the most exciting 2010-born talents at this year's event and recently had 24 points against Mega Super in the United Serbian Youth League.