LAKTASI (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - For the third time in three years, the Youth Basketball Champions League trophy will bear the name Rytas Vilnius on it.
The Lithuanians looked every bit as dominant for the three-peat as they had done in every one of the two previous title runs. On this occasion, a 77-54 win in the final over Igokea was the crowning performance in an unblemished campaign.
The story of Rytas' tournament reads: four games, four wins, an average of 91 points scored, and an average winning margin of 31 points across the four games.
Everything started with a 105-59 win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg. That was followed by a 96-57 demolition of Galatasaray MCT Technic and a spot in their fourth Semi-Finals out of four YBCL tournaments.
The Semi-Final brought a spirited Telekom Baskets Bonn to the challengers' table. And challenge they did. Rytas had to work as hard as any Rytas team in the last three editions to get over the line with an 86-70 win.
The scoreline showed a 16-point win, but it betrays a game in which the Germans held the lead as late as the last minute of the third quarter.
Then came the Final against the hosts Igokea m:tel. Until this point, the highest winning margin in a YBCL final was Rytas 36 point win over Galatasaray in 2024.
Rytas didn't better that in this final but still came out with a dominant performance. Gabrielius Buivydas went from role player in 2025 to lynchpin and talisman in 2026, and deservedly won the MVP award.
"It is a step up and proof that hard work pays off, but winning the MVP wouldn’t be possible without the team, and its effort," Buivydas exclaimed.
He put up sterling numbers in the event, averaging 17 points, 7.5 assists, and 19.5 efficiency on 57 percent shooting.
Buivydas was also named to the tournament All-Star Five.
Joining him in the All Sar Five were Igokea's Djordje Djukanovic, Oostende's Tim Waerniers, Bonn's Maximilian Von Saldern, and Sabah's Emmanuel Agbason.
Djukanovic recorded 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. Waerniers put up 15.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. Maximilian Von Saldern dropped 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. Emmanuel Agbason ended the tournament as the top scorer with 24.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks.
In the Third-Place Game, Coretec Basketball Academy from Oostende defeated Telekom Baskets Bonn 80-78, KK Borac Banja Luka secured fifth with a win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg, and BC Sabah claimed a win over Tofas Bursa for seventh spot.
Final standings
Rytas Vilnius
Igokea m:tel
Oostende Coretec Basketball Academy
Telekom Baskets Bonn
KK Borac Banja Luka
EWE Baskets Oldenburg
BC Sabah
Tofas Bursa
Galatasaray MCT Technic
Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg
Spartak Office Shoes
ERA Nymburk
This year's edition of the Youth Basketball Champions League took place in the Laktasi Sports Hall in Laktasi, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The previous events were in Manisa (Türkiye), Debrecen (Hungary), and Bursa (Türkiye).