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I’m Can Peker Pekcan. I’m 20 years old and addicted to basketball. I have been a writer on several sites and currently appear in videos about Türkiye’s youth league on the Stop Press Medya YouTube channel. I share articles on my Twitter and Medium accounts. I want to be professional scout.
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Hello everyone, in this article I wrote about 10 of my favorite prospects from U18 Asia Cup. I also mentioned the other good prospects in the last part of the article. I am waiting for your comments and opinions.
MOHAMED MASSAMBA NDAO – QATAR
Position: G
Team: Al Ahli Sports Club
Date of birth: 13.03.2007
Height: 6’4″ / 194
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 4 games | 36.7 MIN | 22 PTS | %59 2PT FG (25/44) | %14 3PT FG (4/28) | %62 FT (26/42) | 11.5 REB | 2.5 AST | 1.8 STL | 3.5 BLK | 4.5 TO | 22 EFF
Mohamed Massamba Ndao left behind a tournament in which he competed for the lead in many categories. He is PPG Leader, REB Leader, BLK Leader, EFF Leader.
Reminder: He is a guard.
High-motor player. He left his everything on the court. As an athletic guard, drives well to the rim and finishes effectively despite contact. Good ball-handling. Always active on rebounds.
His defensive potential is really intriguing. Strong defensive instincts. Uses his wingspan well, 3.5 BLK just amazing. I have rarely seen a prospect so active in both offense and defense.
He needs to improve his shooting and free throws. Needs to make better shot selections. Gets fouled often and if he can improve his free throw shooting, his points will increase. Also be careful about turnovers.
I really enjoyed when I watch Ndao’s game. His ambition and energy amazing.
TAMATOA ISAAC – NEW ZEALAND
Position: G
Team: Canterbury Rams
Date of birth: 27.12.2006
Height: 6’2″ / 188
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 6 games | 29 MIN | 17.3 PTS | %43 2PT FG (27/63) | %32 3PT FG (8/25) | %79 FT (26/33) | 6.7 REB | 5.7 AST | 1.7 STL | 2.3 TO | 19 EFF
Isaac selected to the All Star-Five U18 Asia Cup. He is AST Leader, 2nd in EFF and AST. A versatile guard, he showcased his abilities throughout the tournament.
One of the best playmaker in the tournament. Nice court vision and good passer. With a 2.4 AST/TO, he effectively control the pace of the game. Drives and finishes well with both hands. Active on rebounds. Good on FT.
Needs to be consistent on threes. He has a good shooting threat but inconsistent. I expected him to play better in the final as well.
I believe we will see him playing as a PG for the New Zealand national team in 2-3 years.
ABDULLA YASSIN MOUSA – QATAR
Position: G
Team: Al Rayyan
Date of birth: 26.06.2008
Height: 6’2″ / 188
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 4 games | 37.6 MIN | 20.8 PTS | %50 2PT FG (19/38) | %20 3PT FG (8/41) | %84 FT (21/25) | 4.8 REB | 2 AST | 3.3 STL | 3.5 TO | 13.5 EFF
Despite being two years younger than most players in the tournament, Mousa showed really good performance. He is 2nd in PPG and 2nd in STL.
He can create his shot, drives well to the rim and good on FT. Active hands on defense and helps the rebounds. Good perimeter defender.
Needs to be more consistent on threes. I think he has good shooting mechanics. Needs to be careful about turnovers. He is eligible to play in the 2026 Asia Cup.
He already played with Al Rayyan and became youngest player ever to play in a WASL (West Asia Super League) game.
Younger brother of another Qatari prospect, 2006-born Hamad Mousa.
CARTER HOPOI – NEW ZEALAND
Position: F
Team: Whai
Date of birth: 14.04.2006
Height: 6’9″ / 205
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 29.1 MIN | 17 PTS | %60 2PT FG (37/62) | %15 3PT FG (3/20) | %50 FT (19/38) | 10.3 REB | 1.3 AST | 1.5 BLK | 3.2 TO | 17.5 EFF
Carter Hopoi led New Zealand to the silver medal with Tamatoa Isaac. Two-way forward.
An athletic player, Hopoi has good footworks and finishes well despite contact. Highly effective in the paint and active on rebounds. Uses his wingspan well. Makes a significant impact on offense and defense.
He needs to more consistent on FT and improve his threes. While he has shown potential in ball handling, there is room for improvement. Also needs to be careful about turnovers.
JACOB FURPHY – AUSTRALIA
Position: G
Team: Centre of Excellence
Date of birth: 05.08.2006
Height: 6’4″ / 193
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 23.8 MIN | 16.8 PTS | %59 2PT FG (26/44) | %46 3PT FG (13/28) | %100 FT (10/10) | 4.2 REB | 2.3 AST | 1.8 TO | 17 EFF
Furphy selected to the All Star-five U18 Asia Cup.
He can scores at all 3 levels. Nice shooting mechanics, one of the best shooters in U18 Asia Cup. %59/%46/%100 really impressive for all tournaments. Drives well to the rim and strong finisher in the paint.
He may not be the most athletic player, but he compensates for it with his scoring ability.
I think we will see him NCAA or NBL Next Stars program in the 2025-2026 season, as he is already drawing interest from NCAA teams.
SAIF AL-DEEN SALEH – JORDAN
Position: F
Team: Knox School
Date of birth: 18.07.2006
Height: 6’8″ / 203
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 7 games | 33.1 MIN | 16.9 PTS | %44 2PT FG (31/70) | %36 3PT FG (8/22) | %74 FT (32/43) | 10.9 REB | 1.6 AST | 1.1 STL | 1.4 BLK | 3.7 TO | 19 EFF
Saif Al-Deen Saleh led Jordan to qualify for the U19 World Cup.
He has good size, drives well to the rim and strong finisher around the basket. Good on FT. He has a nice 3PT threat. Always active on both defensive and offensive rebounds.
Needs to be careful with turnovers and improve his ball-handling skills.
He has a potential to be good two-way forward. He can impact both areas. Nice shot blocker.
Saleh is currently dominating in USA high-school basketball and has the potential to become an NCAA D1 player.
EMMETT ADAIR – AUSTRALIA
Position: F
Team: Centre of Excellence
Date of birth: 25.01.2006
Height: 6’9″ / 205
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 6 games | 21.5 MIN | 13.3 PTS | %61 2PT FG (30/49) | %38 3PT FG (3/8) | %46 (FT) | 7.7 REB | 1.7 BLK | 16.8 EFF
MVP!
Adair is a strong rebounder, particularly active on offensive rebounds. Effective in the paint. He has a shooting threat but he did not attempt too much. I would like to see him take more shots. He can impact both offense and defense and provides good rim protection.
He needs to improve his FT. Australia’s lack of competitive games and dominance in the tournament makes it hard to fully evaluate the players’ weaknesses.
We’ll see where they go at next year’s U19 World Cup.
BOYUAN ZHANG – CHINA
Position: F
Team: Shanxi Fenjiu Basketball Club
Date of birth: 22.01.2007
Height: 6’8″ / 204
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 6 games | 22.1 MIN | 17.2 PTS | %53 2PT FG (19/38) | %43 3PT FG (16/37) | %77 FT (17/22) | 2.8 REB | 1.3 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0.8 TO | 15.3 EFF
Boyuan Zhang led China to the bronze medal, continuing his strong performance from the U17 World Cup into the U18 Asia Cup.
He is one of the best shooters in the U18 Asia Cup and in his generation, consistently showing his shooting prowess in every tournament. Zhang has excellent shooting mechanics, is effective in catch-and-shoot situations, and can create his own shot. He drives well to the rim and finishes through contact, and is reliable from the free-throw line.
Defensively, he contributed with blocks and steals but needs to maintain his focus more consistently.
He has strong potential as a 3&D wing.
JACK WHITBOURN – AUSTRALIA
Position: C
Team: Victoria State
Date of birth: 21.02.2006
Height: 6’11” / 210
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 6 games | 21.7 MIN | 7.2 PTS | %55 FG (17/31) | %69 FT (9/13) | 11 REB | 1.8 AST | 1 BLK | 0.8 TO | 17.8 EFF
Jack Whitbourn was the EFF Leader for the champion Australian team.
Whitbourn is a standout rebounder, using his size effectively and staying active on the offensive boards. He showed promising defensive capabilities and has the potential to improve his free-throw percentage, which is already a decent 69%.
He needs to develop a better touch around the basket, as he sometimes misses easy shots.
LEON WATANABE – JAPAN
Position: C
Team: Ohori Senior High School
Date of birth: 02.04.2006
Height: 6’8″ / 204
U18 Asia Cup Stats: 7 games | 26.3 MIN | 13.4 PTS | %68 2PT FG (27/40) | %44 3PT FG (4/9) | %65 FT (28/43) | 7.1 REB | 2 AST | 1.4 TO | 16.9 EFF
Leon Watanabe had a strong tournament with Japan.
He is effective in the paint, with a nice touch around the rim and active on offensive rebounds. Used his size well. His shooting threat is important. I wonder what his percentages will be like when he attempts more 3PT. Additionally, he showed good passing skills, particularly against Japan and Korea.
He needs to improve defensivelyz as he recorded only 2 STL and 1 BLK in 7 games. I would like to see him be more with his hands and more of a deterrent in the paint.
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