The young Bayern team finishes fifth at the NextGen

The first day of the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague at the BMW Park is complete: the opening round was marked by decisive results. The NGT Munich team ruthlessly rolled over Bologna’s youth squad (101:43), and favorites Real Madrid claimed a similarly clear victory over Podgorica (89:49).

The hosts also lost their debut, 78:98 (36:49) against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana. The young team led by coach Federico Perego—cheered on by around 1,800 spectators—struggled in the early morning hours to stop the Slovenian drives to the basket. In the first 20 minutes, Olimpija converted 20 successful attempts at the rim out of 25 tries (overall 76.3% on two-pointers). Munich’s physical resistance improved, but the composed opponent hit crucial shots from distance as well (10/26). Despite the loss, the fighting spirit of the Munich players was beyond reproach.

FCBB U18: M. Volf 5, Susic 9, Sermpezis 16/6 rebounds/5 assists, Vossenberg 17/3 steals, Grenz, Fischer 10, Marcin, Roesinger 2, Crnjac 10, Glenewinkel 5, Muratovic 2, Dück 2.

In the second game of the evening, Munich faced Thessaloniki from Greece, who also had no chance in their opening game against Valencia (57:84). With a 74:54 (35:30) win, the FCBB talents kept alive their chances for a top placement game on Sunday. On Saturday (3:45 PM), they face Valencia, who defeated Olimpija 81:80 in the evening.

After an evenly matched first quarter, the Bayern youngsters managed to pull away slightly before halftime thanks to a three-pointer from Vossenberg (35:25, 18th minute). Alongside guard Vossenberg, just 15 years old, captain Nikolas Sermpezis and Andrija Susic led FCBB to a halftime lead.

In the third quarter, a three-pointer from guest player Crnjak (Frankfurt) made it 47:32, the largest lead at that point (24th minute). The ball movement was strong, and rebounds largely went Bayern's way (42:33). With Aris surpassing the foul limit as early as seven minutes before the end, everything pointed to success (48:33). The top scorer was Sermpezis with 18 points, while young Marko Volf, only 14 years old, hit three of his five three-point attempts.

“Our start was very tough against the strong Cedevita team, but our squad is still very young, and many of our boys have never played at this level before,” Perego said in the evening. “But in the second game, we fought back and defended better as well.”

FCBB U18: M. Volf 12/5 rebounds, Susic 6/7/5 assists, Sermpezis 18, Vossenberg 9, Grenz, Fischer 4, Marcin 2, Roesinger, Crnjac 9, Glenewinkel 7, Muratovic 4, Dück 3.

Late Decision Against Finalist Valencia

Bayern’s U18 team will compete for 5th place on Sunday against Podgorica from Montenegro. In a true battle for a spot in the final, the hosts lost to the unbeaten Valencia team on Saturday afternoon despite a valiant effort, 83:102 (50:52).

Following Olimpija’s surprise loss to Thessaloniki (71:77), Bayern suddenly had a chance at the final. At 39:31 midway through the second quarter, things looked promising in front of around 800 spectators at the BMW Park. However, the Spaniards leveraged their more mature gameplay to take control. Valencia will face the U18 selection of the Next Gen Team Munich in the final.

Tied at 73:73

Bayern showed great heart against Valencia, twice tying the game. But after a 53:53 deadlock, the visitors quickly pulled away to 69:59 (27th minute). Even Bayern’s celebrated run to tie it again at 73:73 (30th minute) was answered emphatically by Valencia. The final quarter started with an 8-0 run for the Spanish team, and at 77:88 (35th minute), the game was effectively decided.

Despite the loss, Bayern, led by the duo of Sermpezis and Vossenberg (combining for 48 points), displayed strong resilience and were ultimately defeated by an unflattering margin, with the final quarter ending 10:29. Missed opportunities at the free-throw line (17 missed attempts) proved costly. Valencia, with a more balanced roster, showcased 24 assists and superior efficiency near the basket.

FCBB U18 Roster: M. Volf 4, Susic 4, Sermpezis 27/7 assists, Vossenberg 21/5 rebounds, Grenz, Fischer 9/7, Marcin, Roesinger 9, Crnjac 9/10, Glenewinkel, Muratovic, Dück.

The young U18 Bayern basketball team finished in fifth place on Sunday, with a 77:64 (33:27) win over Derby Podgorica from Montenegro in the placement game in front of 500 spectators. It was their second victory in four games under coach Federico Perego.

After a balanced first quarter, the home team managed to pull ahead before halftime. 17-year-old youth national player Sermpezis led his team with his drive to the basket and 16 points. In the third quarter, they made several turnovers (a total of 27), and the game remained close – 49:48 (30th minute).

Second victory for FCBB

In the final ten minutes, the Munich team pulled away for good (69:59/37th). They had a rebound advantage (47:35). Big men like Moratovic and Dück also contributed offensively this time. Sermpezis (14.6 PPG) and Caspar Vossenberg (15/12.5 PPG) were the top scorers for FCBB over the weekend.

In their group, the hosts suffered an opening loss to Ljubljana (78:98) but went on to defeat the youth team of Aris Thessaloniki 74:54. In a true must-win game for a possible final berth, they lost to Valencia 83:102 after a 73:73 tie at halftime.

“I think we had a good tournament, as we were probably the youngest team and gave a lot of playing time to players like Marko Volf and Caspar Vossenberg,” said Perego. “The first game against Cedevita was a tough loss, but in the second game against Valencia, we had 30 strong minutes and showed that we’re moving in the right direction. We now want to continue developing our players.”

FCBB U18 vs. Podgorica: M. Volf 9 /3 three-pointers, Susic 11, Sermpezis 21/7 assists, Vossenberg 3/5 rebounds, Grenz, Fischer 2, Marcin, 2 Roesinger 9, Crnjac 7/4 assists/4 steals, Glenewinkel 9/10 rebounds, Muratovic 8/6, Dück 5/7.