The Youth Basketball Champions League (YBCL) is a European basketball competition for men's junior teams organised by FIBA Europe. The league is contested by junior teams of selected Basketball Champions League member teams which can field players younger than 18 years old. The establishment of the league was announced in January and the inaugural season began in April 2023.[1]
| Organising body | FIBA Europe |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| First season | 2023 |
| Country | FIBA Europe members |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Current champions |  Rytas (1st title) (2024) |
| Most championships |  Igokea Rytas (1 title each) |
 2024 Youth Basketball Champions League | |
The inaugural 2023 season took place with ten teams in Bursa, Turkey, and was won by Igokea.[2] The second edition expanded to 13 teams and was held in Debrecen, Hungary.[3] The second championship was won by Rytas.[4]
Winners
edit| Season | Year | Host city | Final | Third and fourth place | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | Score | Second place | Third place | Score | Fourth place | |||||
| 1 | 2023 | Bursa | 
|
73–66 | 
|
|
78–73 | 
| ||
| 2 | 2024 | Debrecen |
|
98–62 |
|
|
93–89 |
| ||
All-time participants
editThe following is a list of clubs who have played in the Basketball Champions League Americas at any time since its formation in 2019 to the current season.
| 1st | Champions | |||||
| 2nd | Runners-up | |||||
| 3rd | Third place | |||||
| 4th | Fourth place | |||||
| SF | Semifinalists | |||||
| QF | Quarterfinalists | |||||
| RS | Regular season | |||||
| Q | Qualified for upcoming season | |||||
| Team | 2023 | 2024 | Total seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
 Oostende
|
7th | — | 1 |
 Bnei Herzliya
|
9th | — | 1 |
 Nymburk
|
10th | 7th | 2 |
| Opava
|
— | 8th | 1 |
 UCAM Murcia
|
8th | — | 1 |
| Lenovo Tenerife
|
6th | 5th | 2 |
 Riesen Ludwigsburg
|
5th | 11th | 2 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem
|
4th | 12th | 2 |
| Rytas
|
|
|
2 |
 Galatasaray
|
— | 
|
1 |
| Tofaş
|
|
|
2 |
| Igokea
|
|
4th | 2 |
| Oldenburg
|
— | 6th | 1 |
 AEK
|
— | 10th | 1 |
| Promitheas Patras
|
— | 13th | 1 |
 Debrecen
|
— | 9th | 1 |
All-Star Team and MVP
editAt the end of each season, FIBA Europe selects one most valuable player and names five players to the All-Star Team.[5]
| Season | MVP | All-Star Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dusan Makitan (Igokea) |
|
[5] |
| 2024 | Ignas Urbonas (Rytas) |
|
[6] |
References
edit- ^ "BCL launches the brand new Youth Basketball Champions League". Eurohoops. 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ "Igokea shine brightest, defeat Tofas for first-ever YBCL title". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ "Debrecen hosts the expanding Youth Basketball Champions League". Eurohoops. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ "Rytas Vilnius celebrate their first Youth BCL title in Debrecen". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b "MVP Makitan will always remember Igokea's magical YBCL run in Bursa". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ "MVP Urbonas of Rytas Vilnius headlines All-Star Five". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-04-09.