For three days at Ulm’s OrangeCampus, the adidas NextGen EuroLeague returned to what it does best: compress the future into a weekend. Coaches barked coverages like it was May, not February. Scouts watched body language as closely as box scores. And a building built for development turned into a proving ground where reputations were either confirmed or created.
When it ended on Sunday, U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana were the ones holding the most important prize: the Ulm qualifier title and a berth at the NextGen Finals, which will be staged alongside the EuroLeague Final Four in Athens later this spring.
Cedevita’s breakthrough had a face and a force behind it. French center Cameron Houindo, already a known name on the youth circuit, authored the defining performance of the tournament in the championship game; 24 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, plus a block-and-rim presence that tilted possessions even when he didn’t touch the ball. Cedevita beat U18 Mega Super Belgrade 82–73 in the first-place game, and Houindo was named tournament MVP after leading the event in both scoring and performance index rating.
The final itself carried the signature rhythm of this competition: talent everywhere, but discipline deciding the last 10 minutes. Mega had scoring punch, Vuk Danilovic finished the title game with 21 points, but Cedevita played like a team with a plan, not just a collection of prospects with freedom. Houindo’s interior gravity opened lanes, and Maks Ciperle delivered the other headline line of the final: 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a two-way statement that kept Mega from ever fully flipping the game.
The weekend mattered in Ulm for more than the trophy. This stop is always one of the most revealing qualifiers because of the mix: club academies with identity, a host program that treats youth basketball as a philosophy, and independent “Next Gen” selections designed to give top prospects a stage. The home side, U18 Ratiopharm Ulm, didn’t reach the championship, but it still gave the crowd a reason to stay loud until the final buzzer on Sunday.
Ulm secured third place with a 92–84 win over U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, in a game that showcased why point guard Teo Milicic has become one of the tournament’s most watchable connectors. Milicic flirted with a triple-double – 23 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, plus 3 steals – controlling tempo, manipulating help defenders, and delivering late-game answers when ASVEL briefly threatened.
By the end of the weekend, the event’s All-Tournament Team underscored the spread of influence across the bracket: Houindo and Ciperle for the champions; Danilovic for Mega; Milicic for Ulm; and ASVEL guard Appolinaire Loussavouvou, who led the tournament in assists and filled the margins with steals and disruption.
That’s the lasting impression Ulm leaves every year: the margins are thin, the level is real, and the players are closer than fans think. For Cedevita Olimpija, the weekend was historic; its first NextGen qualifying title and a trip to Athens secured. For everyone else, Ulm still served its purpose. In February, the season is long and the future feels abstract. At OrangeCampus, it showed up in uniform, and played like it wanted a timetable.
