BERLIN (Germany) - The German national team had never climbed up the ranks all the way to the podium in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup before 2025. This past summer, at the end of a prominent four-year cycle, they went only one victory away from a historic gold medal on the world stage.
Jack Kayil was there, applauding his teammates Christian Anderson and Hannes Steinbach for getting introduced into the competition’s All-Star Five. His face was saying it all: he wanted to be on that first step with a gold medal around his neck so bad.
At the end of the day, he knew they could have had a chance against Team USA. He knew it deep down, because he was the heart and soul of the group, the new precious generation of German basketball.
Leader among his peers, professional among still raw talents.
By the time the U19 German national team made their way to Lausanne for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, he already had one season in Serbia, playing for Mega Basket in the ABA League.
Once the summer ended, he made his way back home. To learn even more.
“It's awesome. It’s exactly how I wished, how it should be. I got a really warm welcome. I knew a lot of guys before in the whole organization, and I really like it here,” Kayil tells the Basketball Champions League on returning to his hometown to play for ALBA BERLIN.
Back to his comfort zone in a different environment
After growing in one of the most attractive youth systems in European basketball, the 2006-born guard first moved to Rasta Vechta’s second side and then got his feet wet in Belgrade, getting to know more with Mega Basket.
However, he couldn’t miss the opportunity of cherishing ALBA’s first season in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL.
While already committing for the 2026-27 season by the Gonzaga Bulldogs - where another former BCL star in the making, Mario Saint-Supery, is hooping - getting some more experience in his tank before moving to the NCAA sounded perfect to both Jack and ALBA.
“I’ve got a really good connection with the new teammates that came in and with the coaches. Obviously, playing in front of my family and my friends every home game, in the arena where I was watching games when I was young, is just a great feeling.”
“I tried to go to every derby against Bayern in my childhood and early days to feel that intensity coming from the crowd. Playing the same game just by myself was pretty special,” he recalls.
ALBA are very well known for their youth system, connecting young talents with the first team. Coming here a few years in the making, it just feels the same again. Everything is so connected, and everybody's on the same page. It’s just great to be around this club.
As 2026 approaches, ALBA aren’t only competing among the top contenders in their domestic league, but they have also clinched a spot in the BCL Round of 16.
After their first defeat in the Regular Season to Elan Chalon, the German powerhouse have bounced back, exploiting their tools, winning five straight games. The result? They will now go up against AEK BC, Tofas Bursa and Karditsa Iaponiki in Group J.
The 2006-born German talent had a huge impact on his team’s growth, as his 19-point and 9-assist performance in the anticipated clash with Chalon, a true battle for pole position, demonstrated.
Moreover, he hasn’t been the only point guard returning to Berlin in recent times.
Bringing ice-cold plays back to the German capital, the Icelandic 31-year-old Martin Hermannsson has been nothing but a significant helping hand to Jack Kayil.
How to be a point guard, as told by Martin Hermannsson
“What impressed me the most about him is how mature his body is. He's super strong and athletic, a great defender on the ball. His ability to get to the basket and finish around the basket is something that is hard to teach,” the experienced teammate opens up.
Hermannsson had to make his way out of Iceland to improve his capacities and express himself as a high-level point guard in European basketball.
In Berlin, playing from 2018 to 2020, he made sure everybody could understand his progress, earning his way to Valencia Basket, where he stayed until 2024 while putting his country on the map as the Icelandic national team’s leader.
While it might have been way too bold for Martin to return to Reykjavik to become a better player, Jack’s move looks not only understandable but the best one, too.
“It's the perfect situation. Coming back home and being home is always the best feeling for everybody. It was good for him to move abroad and see how it was in Serbia, but coming back is the perfect situation,” his older teammate states.
“He’s still young in a club that has produced a lot of young players in recent years. Himar [Ojeda] is probably one of the best GMs working with young guys in Europe. At the same time, he's a big piece in our puzzle: we expect a lot from him.”
“He's able to make mistakes and to take a lot of shots having the ball in his hands in a club like ALBA, which have a lot of history and are a well-respected club in Europe,” he adds.
That’s key for a young player: having the opportunity to commit mistakes.
To keep taking good shots even though they’re not falling, to keep going in difficult moments. Hermannsson perfectly embodies such an attitude.
“Mart is really a great guy. I can learn a lot of things from him, especially being a point guard. You can see the difference between him and me; you can really see that he has played the game for a long time. He sees different stuff and has always had this calmness,” Kayil says.
“That's the biggest thing I can get from him: to really focus on the game, stay calm, and play basketball. It doesn’t matter if it's good or bad; you can see he never seems to be stressed at all,” the young German guard explains.
“If shots don’t fall, he motivates everybody to be calm and looks for the bigger picture. I love his leadership and calmness. I would say that's a huge thing. I hope it will also come with the years. I think you can't be that calm if you haven't played that long.”
At the same time, Kayil hasn’t lost his true self.
“I think it's normal that I still behave as a young player sometimes, but I admire his mentality: he comes down, gives me the ball, says I should shoot it with confidence. He’s great at making others better around him,” he states.
While on one side, he’s already getting better mentality-wise, if Jack Kayil wants to become elite at running the team, he really needs to feel like the head of the snake.
“He needs to get into the point guard mindset of running the team, controlling the next play, thinking always one step ahead: getting the ball to the ones who need it and getting others to the right spots, reading the game earlier and better,” Hermannsson says.
“He’s a quick learner; he picks up things very fast. He’s willing to listen, and he’s a hard worker. He’s always in the gym one hour before practice, working out with our individual coach. His work ethic speaks for itself.”
When a young guy with so much talent is putting in a lot of work, that’s something that really impresses me.
“He’s not taking his talent for granted, and he's not just thinking that everything will fall in his place. He's really working for everything he has, and that will take him a long way,” the Icelandic point guard comments.
“Being a point guard means you have to be the head of the snake, the head of the team; you have to make sure everybody's on the same page. That's something I'm trying to teach him.”
There’s a former teammate of Martin Hermannsson that really reminds him of his current backcourt partner: Chris Jones, who was with the 31-year-old in Valencia from 2022 to 2024. That’s a pretty promising comparison.
“The strength, the body, and the first quick step that they both have. Chris is a better passer, more experienced obviously, but I think that’s something Jack will gain. He will be able to read the defense better, find the right pass sometimes.”
“It’s definitely a sensible comparison body-wise, for power, quickness, speed, and even their underestimated ability of defending multiple positions,” Hermannsson also adds.
The mastermind guiding him in Berlin
Having a guide on the court helps, but it’s not enough. Luckily for Jack Kayil, he has the perfect mastermind on the sideline, bringing the royal tradition of Spanish head coaches into the developing system of German basketball.
“I’m really glad to have Pedro. He's given me a lot of trust and freedom. That's what we like about him,” the 19-year-old says about Pedro Calles, who has taken up the mantle in the yellow-and-blue German club from Aito Garcia Reneses and Israel Gonzalez.
“We struggled a little bit at the beginning, but I think that's normal for a new team. Now we have put all the pieces together, and we’re getting better and better every game. We’re all on the same page because it’s really easy to play under Pedro.”
Results are the best evidence for this: after losing three of their first four games this season, ALBA BERLIN went on to win 17 of their next 20 in all competitions ahead of the BCL Round of 16 tip-off.
Two of those last three defeats were by single possession margin, too.
“He really sees the talent in guys and tries to make them better. Every day in practice and games, he tries to give us as much trust as he can to help the team,” he adds.
If Kayil likes to play for the Spanish head coach, there's a mutual feeling of appreciation coming from the mastermind on the bench as well.
“The first thing that got my attention is his maturity as a person and as an athlete. We are talking about a 19-year-old guy, but his mind and body aren’t those of a 19-year-old. This is the first thing that got my attention,” ALBA’s head coach comments.
He’s already a leader, as we have figured it out. And he’s embraced by his people.
“Being at home is helping him a lot. He is familiar with the system and the organization. I truly believe that playing for ALBA is helping him express his best basketball thus far.”
If that wasn’t enough, playing both the BBL and BCL is perfect for a guy in his position.
“What the BCL offers for players like Jack is a balanced combination of practice time and competition. Moreover, he is playing at a good level in international competition as well.”
Martin Hermannsson isn’t only conscious about Jack’s ability to have an impact in the near future, but he believes coach Calles is the right guidance too.
“He's in good hands with Pedro. Basketball is not only physical, but it's also very mental. That's something that he will have to improve, something that will come with experience.”
“Being so young and still having a lot of responsibility is only going to make him better and make him grow. This year for him is going to be a key to his success in the future, because the most important thing for young guys is to play and be able to make mistakes.”
“Pedro gives you that freedom; he allows you to make mistakes and to play a little bit with the weapons that you have. But at the same time, you have to come to practice every day focused, ready to go, and he really keeps you on your toes,” Hermannsson adds.
“That’s a perfect fit for a young guy like him, to be able to be demanded by the coach that he has to work and practice while being focused all the time and not being afraid of mistakes. That’s the perfect cocktail.”
Cheers to that, then.
The mastermind guiding him in the national team
We started Jack Kayil’s journey back to Berlin with a specific image: his pride and bitterness following the final loss in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
He wasn’t the only one believing in bringing home a gold medal: Coach Alan Ibrahimagic wanted to win with that group of young talents as well. He would go on and do it in a couple of months, leading the German national team to glory at FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
“He’s a great person with an amazing personality. He really cares about others, and this will make him a great leader,” Ibrahimagic says about Jack Kayil.
“He has been our captain for the past two summers, and everybody respects him. It’s not only about basketball and how we play for Jack. It’s about people. Whenever I talk with him, I can really see that he wants everyone around him to feel comfortable.”
He really cares about others, and this will make him a great leader. It’s not only about basketball and how we play for Jack. It’s about people.
Together both in the golden run at FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024 and as runners-up in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, Ibrahimagic and Kayil grew together in different roles.
“He's a really great coach. What I really appreciate about him is that he's even a better person. We’ve built a really good connection with all the guys involved, too. That makes the job on the court just easier because he can trust us and we can trust him,” Kayil comments.
“He's really just giving us all the confidence because he knows what we are capable of. I think that was also the same with the seniors. Everybody likes and supports him.”
“We started with him in the U18, and this year in the U19, we really became a team. Everybody accepted and liked their role. We all sticked to those roles and the spirit, how we wanted to play, how we wanted to act for the whole two years.”
“He really brought his personality into the team’s dynamic, as we as players were all together on the same page, having fun with each other,” ALBA’s point guard finally says.
Trusting the 19-year-old as the leader of the U19 German national team in Lausanne, Alan Ibrahimagic believes there are two specific aspects where Kayil could vastly improve. The first one is, once again, related to strengthening his calmness on the court.
“He improved on various levels, especially in decision-making. He still needs to be a little bit calmer. Sometimes he rushes himself. Being calm doesn’t mean being passive, so he still needs to keep the same kind of aggressiveness he has developed,” Ibrahimagic says.
On the other end, while he’s certainly improving playmaking-wise, the 47-year-old head coach believes he can bring his scoring game to another level.
“Sometimes he’s a little bit too unselfish: he always tries to find another teammate before looking at himself. He could be a much better scorer than he is right now. But with that said, he’s one of the best two-way guards in Germany,” he adds.
2026 just started, but Jack Kayil has already listed his New Year’s resolutions. Improving as a point guard, becoming a better leader, and continuing to trust the ones guiding him.
Surely, he wants to tick off from a bucket list written years ago another wish: winning a trophy at home, playing for ALBA.
The journey to another international success starts from the Sweet 16: one of the contenders for the Best Young Player of the Season is ready for more.