UNC commit Sayon Keita dominates EuroLeague U18 tournament
· Yahoo Sports
Incoming North Carolina center Sayon Keita used the Adidas Next Generation EuroLeague U18 tournament to showcase why the Tar Heels believe he can make an immediate impact in Chapel Hill.
The explosive 7-footer led FC Barcelona to the Adidas Next Generation EuroLeague U18 title, averaging 9.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in Athens while shooting 50 percent from the field (13-for-26, all 2-pointers) and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line (10-for-13). In pool play alone, he averaged 10.5 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
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The Blaugrana opened with a 97-83 win Thursday over Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, as Keita posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in just over 18 minutes. He followed that with seven points, 12 rebounds and a block in Barcelona’s 110-80 win over Zalgiris Kaunas.
Those performances set up a highly anticipated qualifier against the Americans from 3SSB, led by UNC target Nasir Anderson. Barcelona and 3SSB were tied 47-47 at halftime before the Spaniards blew it open with a 34-11 third quarter in a 104-83 win. Keita played just under 16 minutes, finishing with 10 points on five shot attempts, five rebounds and two blocks.
He shared the frontcourt spotlight with another future star in 16-year-old Mohamed Dabone, who had 25 points and nine rebounds, and Duke commit Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
That run pushed Barcelona into Sunday’s final against rival Real Madrid, where Barca defeated its archrival 85-77. Keita played 18 minutes, finishing with five points and seven rebounds while going 1-for-4 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Incoming UNC big man leads Barca to EuroLeague title