Three former Grind Session standouts are proudly representing their countries at the 2025 FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament, continuing their rise through the ranks of international basketball while showcasing the elite player development pipeline of the Grind Session.
Alvaro Folgueiras (Spain)
According to FIBA, Folgueiras is one of 10 players to watch at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2025.
Folgueiras, currently a junior at Iowa, is representing Spain. He began his basketball career playing for Unicaja Baloncesto in Spain before leaving for the United States to play in the Grind Session with DME Academy (FL). After his one season (2022-2023) at DME Academy, he committed to playing college basketball at Robert Morris University, where he was named the Horizon League Player of the Year as a sophomore and helped lead the Colonials to their first NCAA Tournament bid in a decade. In April, he announced his decision to transfer to Iowa to play for the Hawkeyes.
Peter Bandelj (Slovenia)
Bandelj, now a sophomore and emerging star at Cal Poly, is suiting up for Slovenia. Bandelj played his senior year of prep basketball (2023–2024) with Royal Crown School (ON, CAN). There, he not only competed against top-tier talent under the Grind Session spotlight but also helped the school to the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association title.
Christian Nitu (Romania)
Nitu, a promising sophomore at the University of Washington, is representing Romania. He sharpened his skills during his junior and senior high school seasons (2022–2024) at Fort Erie International Academy (ON, CAN). Following his time on the Grind Session circuit, he played in 22 games as a freshman for Florida State before entering the transfer portal in May and subsequently signing with the Washington Huskies.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our alumni competing at the U20 EuroBasket level. Their progression from our circuit to high‑stakes international tournaments speaks volumes about their talent, work ethic, and the strength of our development pathway. We couldn’t be prouder watching them represent on the European stage,” said Grind Session co-founder and CEO Scott Waldrop.
All You Need to Know About the 2025 FIBA U20 EuroBasket
The annual competition is taking place in Heraklion, Greece this summer, from July 12-20.
A total of 16 teams will compete for the title. They have been split into four groups of four. The Group Phase is as follows:
- Group A: Poland, Spain, Israel, Finland
- Group B: Czechia, Lithuania, Greece, Romania
- Group C: Germany, Belgium, Italy, Ukraine
- Group D: Serbia, France, Slovenia, Iceland
The Group Phase will take place across the opening three days of the tournament before a day of rest on July 15. Teams will then be seeded for the Round of 16 stage based on their group position. The competition will continue in the form of a bracket until the Final on July 20, with Classification Games also determining each of the 16 positions.
How to Watch?
All the action will be available to watch live on the FIBA YouTube channel, and can also be accessed via the respective game pages on the website.
