By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
They have already made an impression, some of them are game-changers and all of them are turning heads all over Europe. Eurohoops presents some of the best rookies in the competition.
Here they are, starting from the youngest (24) to the oldest (34).
YOUSSOUPHA FALL
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | Center | January 12, 1995 | Senegal
4.8 pts | 6.5 reb | 0.3 ast | 0.3 stl | 1.8 blk | 2 tov | 18:12 min | 7.5 PIR | 4 G
He spent the first year of his contract with KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on loan to Strasbourg. There probably isn’t going to be another such season for Youssoupha Fall, who, as his playing time shows, has the confidence of Velimir Perasovic. His height of 2.21 meters makes his job under the basket easier and a bit harder from the free throw line, but there is definitely a lot of room for improvement for the 24-year-old Senegalese center.
TONYE JEKIRI
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | Center | July 23, 1994 | Nigeria
10.5 pts | 9.8 reb | 2 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 0.3 tov | 23:46 min | 19.8 PIR | 4 G
He had to wait for his fourth season in Europe and his first with LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne to make his debut in the EuroLeague, but the wait was worth it for Tonye Jekiri. The 25-year-old Nigerian center was one of the key players in the consecutive wins over two legendary teams in the competition, Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, as ASVEL returned to the top European club competition after nine years. He continues with the same momentum on both ends of the court with performances that have placed him in the top positions in performance index rating.