International Division I Prospects Part 4
After a few Adidas Next Generation tournaments, there is an increased number of undiscovered talent out there. Here's an in-depth review of the lesser-known prospects that stood out to me:
Introduction
College basketball coaches face considerable obstacles in scouting talent amid their demanding schedules, making it challenging to personally assess prospects overseas. As a result, they increasingly depend on European-based scouts and agents to identify and engage with promising athletes.
The advent of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights has significantly altered the college basketball landscape. This development enhances the appeal of the U.S. collegiate system for young European players, offering them a scholarship to pursue higher education while also earning income from their basketball abilities.
Through Ersin’s NBA Draft Newsletter, I will continue to highlight emerging talents from across Europe, encouraging them to consider the collegiate route. This pathway provides not only academic opportunities but also a robust platform for basketball growth, laying a strong foundation for their future professional careers.
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Below are five prospects that every Division I program should prioritize on their watchlist.
1. Tomas Talcis — Valencia (2026)
Small Forward— 6’5” — Lithuania
Date of Birth: 22 September 2007 — 16 years old — Player Bio and Stats
Talcis’ combination of strength and craft makes him one of the better scorers in the European youth scene. At 6-foot-5, he has good positional size to play the two and the three. He has decent handles with enough creativity to be a self-creating wing at the next level. He’s a tough finisher at the rim who relentlessly attacks defenders in their chest. His core strength is decent, as he mastered keeping his body balanced.
That led to him averaging close to seven free-throw attempts per game during the ANGT in Münich earlier this year. On top of that, Talcis understands that games are won by the margins. His active cutting and the gravity of his physicality give him good leverage to thrive with his relocations, especially considering the lesser spacing in college basketball.
Talcis lacks a few inches to spread his game out to the four. But he has decent verticality and is a good athlete. His lateral quickness adds a new dynamic of defending against quicker guards. His rotations are consistent, but at times, he can look overwhelmed when playing against much older competition, which is natural considering his young age. Talcis should draw attention from mid-major programs.
Video Source: Eurohoops Scouting
2. Matheo Hermann — ALBA Berlin (2025)
Shooting Guard — 6’4” — Germany
Date of Birth: 21 December 2007— 17 years old — Player Bio and Stats
At 6-foot-4, Hermann is a long and fluid athlete with a smooth three-point jumper. He fits into the mold of a volume shooter who thrives on playing with fewer on-ball reps. He’s an excellent floor-spacer who recognizes angles and does well relocating to always be in a passer’s vision. He has long arms and enough room in his frame to bulk up to a three-positional defender. He’s too skinny to defend outside of his position. He’s a good example of what a four-year program can develop him into.
Hermann is quick to set his feet on his jumpers. However, he’s not balancing out his body well with how close his feet are to each other in his shot profile. He has an unnatural release, which needs some work. He’s good at making plays out of closeout, showing a degree of creativity there. However, he’s best in serving as an off-ball weapon where he’s comfortable shooting while coming off screens or actively cutting to get to his spots on the perimeter.
Defensively, his coordination and long arms form the base to develop into a great team defender; individually there is room for growth, and a large reason is his slim frame. His length, timing, and rotations make it feasible for him to play a role as a freshman. I expect Hermann to draw interest from low-major and mid-major programs throughout the season.
Video Source: InStat
3. Vassilis Pourlidas — Aris Thessaloniki (2025)
Shooting Guard — 6’4” — Greece
Date of Birth: 23 May 2007 — 17 years old — Player Bio and Stats
Pourlidas is a gifted scorer. His touch around the basket, combined with his habit of keeping the ball high at all times, makes him a potentially special scorer for the collegiate level. Pourlidas is a classic Greek guard with a fundamentals and decision-making-dominant game. He’s a decent athlete with good speed, but outside of that, he doesn’t have outlier physical tools to work with.
His handles and height give Pourlidas confidence to find ways to get two feet inside the paint. He’s creative with his finishes, preferring hooks or layups with both hands. He has enough counter moves for defenders to focus on eliminating one style of finish. That’s his gravity to grow into a volume shooter at the next level. His high-arcing release with a smooth process makes it even more feasible that his offense will translate.
An area of development is his slow release. He’s quick to set his feet, but powering up for his jumper takes time. The intriguing part is he’s much faster in his execution when coming off screens rather than shooting from a standstill. His recognition of angles of rotations forms the base to grow into a stable team defender, but college programs are primarily buying offense with Pourlidas. I expect him to garner interest from many low-major programs.
Video Source: Eurohoops Scouting
4. Rrezon Elezay (2025) — Beşiktaş
Power Forward/Center — 7’2” — Türkiye/Kosovo
Date of Birth: 22 May 2007 — 17 years old — Player Bio and Stats
The Turkish youth development system flourished for decades in developing big men. Elezay is next in line. At over 7 feet, his mobility and fluidity are two major unique selling points. His footwork is beyond his years, and he’s mostly thriving on sealing off opponents in the paint and using his size to be efficient around the basket. He’s a good screener but slow-footed when diving to the rim. To make the offense work, he has to play as a roll man out of pick-and-roll sets.
Despite his long and lanky build, Elezay has good core strength and a great feel to position himself for rebounds. He’s often feasting off offensive rebounds and putbacks. His game is built to dominate in the paint, and thus, he shouldn’t be used as a floor-stretcher even if he can develop a jumper in the next few years. Defensively, Elezay serves as a rim deterrent and is a confident shot-blocker. However, his slow feet make him vulnerable in defending in space, but he’s showing improvement compared to roughly two years ago when I saw him for the first time.
Elezay is a true four-year big man who’ll have mid-major programs all over him in the recruitment process.
Video Source: Can Peker Pekcan
5. Helmuts Petrovics — Joventut Badalona (2025)
Point Guard — 6’3” — Latvia
Date of Birth: 21 September 2007— 17 years old — Player Bio and Stats
Petrovics is one of the best point guards in the European youth scene. He has a complete package of both a crafty and creative scorer on top of top-tier playmaking. He’s a wizard out of ball screens, leveraging his creativity and quick first step to force defenders into making decisions early. His composure is beyond his years, and he made a good decision to move to Spain, where he’s continuing to develop a traditional approach to the game where the guard is still dictating the game.
Petrovics’ burst and first step makes him a deadly scorer. His composure and using his feet to deceive defenders fit the style of advantage creation to help play-finishers find high-quality looks inside. His court vision is top-notch, and it helps he has the size to decently see over defenders. He’s turnover-prone but not afraid to make high-risk high-reward passes. His fearless style of play will get better as he continues to grow into his body.
Defensively, Petrovics is a safe player who shies away from contact at times. He’s mostly attacking a scorer’s feet to force early decisions. That’s to avoid too much physicality, especially around the basket. As a pick-and-roll defender, he’s improving his screen navigation. But the lack of upper body strength is telling as he’s giving up separation often on that end. As a team defender, he’s consistent in rotations but doesn’t gamble on deflections. Petrovics focuses on playing the right way rather than focusing on counting stats such as steals.
He’s a high-major guard, no doubt. Whether it’s him immediately drawing attention or building his way up by starting his college career outside of a power-five program.