LEB Gold
U20 Category
Ramon Carbonell from Scoutbasketball provides an update and reviews four more U20 players to watch in LEB Gold this season. Players are listed in no particular order. To see all previous player reviews click here.
Cristian Diaz
Profile
Club UB La Palma (On loan from Gran Canaria 2014)
Competition LEB Gold
Position Guard/Shooting Guard
Height 6’2’’
D.O.B 23.03.1992
Hometown Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
History & Stats
2009-2010 La Caja Gran Canaria EBA-B: 6.4 ppg 1.2 rpg 1.1 apg 1.0 spg
U18 Spanish Clubs Championship: 18.0 ppg 2.6 rpg 2.1 apg 2.0 spg
European U18 Championship: 2.5 ppg 0.7 rpg 0.5 apg 1.5 spg
2010-2011 U.B La Palma Leb Gold: 2.5 ppg 0.4 rpg 1.3 apg 0.6 spg
U18 International player, Cristian Diaz is a left handed combo guard who developed his whole career in Gran Canaria 2014. In U18 categories he played as shooting guard but he’s actually improving his game as point guard. In the 09-10 season he played in EBA-B league, where he began to show his talents and in the 2010 U-18 Spanish Clubs Championship he showed his scoring skills. These skills allowed him to be one of the youngest players in LEB Gold last season. This season he’s proving his workability with great performances averaging 7.2 ppg with great shooting percentages.
Strengths
General A versitile player, is able to play guard and shooting guard.
Fast and explosive.
Offense Great dribbling skills in one on one action.
Good passing skills emphasizing bounce pass.
He is dangerous at three point range off the pass at the wings.
He penetrates strong to the basket, able to take fouls and score.
Has improved his free throw percentage.
Defense A high intensity defender.
Has great footwork in lateral movement.
His quick hands allow him to steal a high number of balls.
Good player in off ball defence and blind screens.
Weaknesses
General Has to raise his stamina.
Needs to work on his consistency.
Offence Has to improve his passing decisions to avoid turnovers.
His shot selection could be improved.
Defense Has to avoid foul trouble using his hands.
Has to develop his help defence concepts and positioning.
Needs to be more focused in defensive rebounds.
Video Click on the video number to watch Cristian Diaz in action
1 (Player number 5)
2 (Player number 5)
Samuel Faifr
Profile
Club Clinicas Rincon Benahavis(Unicaja Malaga 2nd Team)
Competition LEB Gold
Position Forward
Height 6’7’’
D.O.B 08.02.1993
Hometown Prague, Czech Republic.
History & Stats
2009-2010 Unicaja Malaga EBA-D: 4.5 ppg 2.0 rpg 0.3 apg 0.4 spg 0.2 bpg
U18 Spanish Clubs Championship: 4.6 ppg
2010-2011 Unicaja Malaga EBA-D: 7.4 ppg 4.0 rpg 0.8 apg 0.9 spg 0.2 bpg
U18 Spanish Clubs Championship: 11.6 ppg 5.3 rpg 0.7 apg 2.0 spg 0.7 bpg
European U20 Championship Div B: 2.6 ppg 1.0 rpg 0.6 apg 1.0 spg 0.2 bpg
International in European U20 Championship 2011, Samuel Faifr arrived to Spain in 08-09 season signed by Joventut, the next season he was signed by Unicaja Malaga to play in EBA league at the early age of 16. He had the good physical conditioning to play as forward and is actually moving on in this position from the paint, where he used to play in younger categories. After two seasons in EBA he’s in the LEB Gold roster this season and is showing his shooting skills and improving his basketball IQ at this level. However he needs to work on his defensive lateral movement and ballhandling to take the next step.
Strengths
General Good size for a forward.
Offense Good shooter form the three point line, especially from the wings.
Fast shooting mechanics and great footwork.
Good passing skills.
His size and physical conditioning allow him to be a solid offensive rebounder.
Defense Has good concepts in low post help defense.
His size allows him to be a good defensive rebounder.
Weaknesses
General His consistency could be improved.
Needs to raise his confidence in his game.
Offence Needs to improve his off ball game and be more agressive in cuts.
Needs to work on his left hand.
His penetrations could be improved.
Defense His lateral movement could be improved.
Needs to be quicker in help defense.
His off ball defensive positioning could be improved.
Needs to improve his defensive flash decisions.
Video Click on the video number to watch Samuel Faifr in action
1 (Player number 7)
2 (Player number 7)
Luis Conde
Profile
Club Clinicas Rincon Benahavis (Unicaja Malaga 2nd Team)
Competition LEB Gold
Position Shooting Guard
Height 6’3’’
D.O.B 17.02.1993
Hometown Malaga, Spain..
History & Stats
2008-2009 European U16 Championship: 2.4 ppg 1.2 rpg 0.8 apg 0.6 spg
2009-2010 Unicaja Malaga EBA-D: 7.3 ppg 1.6 rpg 1.4 apg 0.7 spg
U18 Spanish Clubs Championship: 4.4 ppg
U17 World Championship: 3.9 ppg 2.3 rpg 0.7 apg 0.4 spg
2010-2011 Unicaja Malaga EBA-D: 11.7 ppg 3.1 rpg 2.6 apg 1.6 spg
Clinicas Rincon Leb Gold: 1.9 ppg 0.7 rpg 0.4 apg 0.2 spg U18 Spanish Clubs Championship: 6.9 ppg 3.1 rpg 2.1 apg 1.7 spg
Born in Malaga, Luis Conde has been developing his whole career in Unicaja Malaga. Luis was considered a talented player from an early age, playing in the European U16 Championship and U17 World Championship with the Spanish National Team. In the 09-10 season he made his debut in the EBA league averaging 7.3 ppg, the next season he showed his progression increasing his numbers to 11.3 ppg and making his debut in the LEB Gold league. This season he is showing improvements in defence and activity level but he needs to regain his shooting confidence to be a better player and continue being a good prospect.
Strengths
General Fast explosive player.
Good technical player.
Offense Great ball handling and dribbling with both hands.
Can play naturally as a point guard.
Good penetrator in one on one situations.
Defense Good defender in pick and roll actions.
Great lateral footwork.
High intensity defender.
Weaknesses
General Has to raise his consistency.
Offense Has to improve his shot selection.
Has to raise his three point percentage and confidence.
Needs to keep working off the ball.
Defense Needs to be more focused.
Lacks decisiveness in zone defence.
Has slow hands, needs to work on the passing lines to steal more balls.
Video Click on the video number to watch Luis Conde in action
1 (Player number 6)
2 (Player number 6)
Alberto Diaz
Profile
Club Clinicas RIncon (Unicaja Malaga 2nd Team)
Competition LEB Gold
Position Point Guard
Height 6’2’’
D.O.B 23.04.1994
Hometown Malaga, Spain.
History & Stats
2009-2010 U16 Spanish Clubs Championship: 11.7 ppg 4.8 rpg 2.8 apg 4.8 spg
2010-2011 Unicaja Malaga EBA-D: 7.9 ppg 2.2 rpg 2.9 apg 1.4 spg
U18 Spanish Clubs Championship: 8.1 ppg 3.9 rpg 3.3 apg 4.4 spg
Alberto Diaz has been a surprise in the LEB Gold league improving his performances as the season goes on at only 17 years old. In 2010 he showed himself to be a complete player in the U16 Spanish Clubs Championship. He’s a point guard with good passing skills and court vision, but has to improve his offensive contribution. In defence he has quick hands, as he showed in U18 Spanish Clubs Championship averaging 4.4 spg, and has great footwork allowing him to be a pesky defender. He’s smart with a high basketball IQ making him a workable player, without doubt he is a great prospect to follow closely for the future.
Strengths
General Good basketball IQ.
Powerfull lower body.
Offense Nice court vision and leadership.
Good ball handling skills.
Smart player to draw and take fouls.
Able to be a good penetrator.
Great in fast breaks and fast transitions.
Defense Good footwork in off the ball game.
Quick hands.
Knows how to stop fast breaks with intelligent fouls.
Great defensive attitude.
Pesky defender in one on one.
Weaknesses
General Has to continue to develop his upper body.
Has to control his protesting to referees.
Offence His passing selection has to improve to avoid turnovers.
Needs to raise his shooting percentages.
Has to improve his left ball handling.
Defense His pick and roll defence could be improved.
Has to continue working in help defence..
Could be a better defender in flash actions.
Video Click on the video number to watch Alberto Diaz in action
1 (Player number 5)
2 (Player number 5)