The second edition of the Pangos All-Euro Camp took place at the AEK BC Academy Sports Center in Ano Liosia, a town just outside the Northern region of Athens, Greece. The bi-annual two-day camp was highly anticipated by college and pro hopefuls from Greece and other counties in Europe. In all, young players from 14 different countries descended on Athens to showcase their basketball abilities.
In the first edition of this camp in 2023, camp director Dinos Trigonis and the assembled scouts and coaches did not know what to expect, but this time around the players exhibited a bit more confidence and know-how from the start. There was some basic apprehension, but a vast majority of the 60 plus attendees settled in and got comfortable with the skill instruction led by former UAB and Ohio St. big man Zisis Sarikopoulos, a Greece native with pro ball experience.
Just as was the case in 2023, the forwards with some size, girth and muscle were the event’s standouts after one day of competition. Perhaps a guard will turn heads on the second day, but the leading candidates in the running to be named All-Euro Camp Most Outstanding Player (MOP) after the conclusion of Thursday’s Cream of the Crop All-Star Game reserved for the top performers is likely to be one of the talented forwards in attendance.
There might be a few more polished, and there is definitely more experienced players, but nobody has the raw ability of 6-foot-10 15-year old (2028) Mohamed Sylla of Athens, Greece via French Guiana in South America. Sylla was discovered by a local Greek scout and reportedly has only been playing organized ball for a year. He’s been in Greece for approximately six months and it didn’t take but a few possessions to realize Sylla has some real potential.
Sylla attacks everything around the basket and displayed the capability to knock down jumpers. He does need to work on his mid-range touch, but Sylla finishes with authority around the rim and reminds us a bit of former NBA forward LaPhonso Ellis in his young days the way he can quickly finish a play around the rim with authority. He also can catch the ball relatively well in traffic, but most importantly, plays with a sense of urgency that somme of the local campers lacked.
Sylla knows the game is his ticket to a better life.
Sylla had 18 points in the first game and went up against one of the better forwards in attendance in 6-foot-8 18-year old (2026) Dimitris Ntapsis of Athens, Greece in his second game. Sylla got the best of Ntapsis by beating him to the prime real estate and by running the floor better so his guards could find him in transition. Ntapsis had his moments and is a strong player around the basket, but is more methodical and less dynamic than Sylla. Ntapsis finished the game with eight points, while Sylla netted 17, including a few points of the spectacular variety.
Ntapsis is headed to play in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League in 2025-26 with Veritas Prep of Southern California.
Another forward who is one of the elite prospects of this year’s All-Euro Camp is 6-foot-8 17-year old (2026) Swann Penda of France. He came in as arguably the most heralded prospect and did not disappoint with his nice combination of size, skill and approach. Penda knows what he is and best effective at, has a nose for the ball and is a terrific rebounder because of his agility to go get the ball and his steady hands.
The reason Penda’s presence was so anticipated was his older brother Noah Penda was the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) of the inaugural camp two years ago. Noah Penda showed enough promise in the past year for the Le Mans Sarthe Basket, a team in France’s top-tier league, that he developed into the No. 32 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. His younger brother is not quite the physical specimen in terms of using his body to punish defenders, but does has some of the similar traits as a big bodied wing that can score away from the basket as well. Penda scored a combined 28 points in his two camp games and will be in the running for MOP honors at the camp’s conclusion on Thursday.
Some of the other forwards that performed well on day one include 6-foot-5 16-year old (2027) George Sakkkorafas of Thessaloni, Greece, 6-foot-5 17-year old (2027) Giannis Pourmaras (PICTURED) of Athens, Greece and 6-foot-9 17-year old (2025) Georgios Tsipourlianos of Athens, Greece. Sakkkorafas was making plays on both ends of the floor, Pourmaras was making his shots from the outside and playing within himself, while Tsipourlianos has solid post moves and loves to pass out of the interior. Tsipourlianos is headed to St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn., USA) for a post-grad year to continue his development.
Pourmaras definitely solidified his status as one of the camp’s Top 10 performers because of his shooting and defensive ability. In fact, he rates as one of the camp’s best overall outside shooters along with 6-foot-3 17-year old (2025) Anthony Caris of Floral Park (New York, USA), and 6-foot-1 16-year old (2026) Konstantinos Katsampoxakis of Canterbury School (New Milford, Conn., USA)
Another besides Pourmaras who made noise defensively was 6-foot 16-year old (2027) Yiannis Augustt of Haarlem, Netherlands. Augustt has a nice change of pace dribble, plays with experience and has the best set of feet to sit down and play 94 feet of any camper in attendance.
There wasn’t a wow, head-turning lead guard, but plenty that showed promise. A handful displayed good feel, but lack the first step quickness necessary to make a future impact in major D1 college basketball or in the EuroLeague. Still there is plenty of time for the young guards to develop.
Some of the day one guard standouts included 6-foot 17-year old (2026) Ektoras Marcelos of Athens, Greece, 5-foot-8 18-year old post-graduate Emir Kaan Soral of Cooper Academy in Southern California (USA) via Turkey, and 6-foot 14-year old (2029) Konstantinos Giatras of Patras, Greece. Giatras has plenty of ability and perhaps as good as court vision as any of the campers in attendance, but just needs strength and maturity to make a big impact against this level of competition.
Giatras has been playing basketball for nine years (or since he was 5) and it shows in his performance so far. He really likes Lakers star Luka Doncic and patterns his game after the Cavs’ Darius Garland and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Giatras definitley has a bright basketball future and the same can be said for a handful of the 65 players in attendance at this camp.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
