The Junior ABA League, officially known as the U19 ABA League Championship, is a regional boy's youth age basketball tournament that is contested between the youth selections of basketball clubs from the ABA League. It is run by the ABA League JTD. It is a regional competition between men's teams from six countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.
| Founded | July 2017 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2017–18 |
| Country | |
| Confederation | FIBA Europe |
| Divisions | 2 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1st |
| Current champions |  Mega Basket U19 (2nd title) (2020–21) |
| Most championships | 3 titles Mega Basket U19 |
History edit
The ABA League Assembly, held on July 24, 2017 in Belgrade, Serbia, decided to organize the Junior League with a desire to strengthen its position as the main power for development of basketball in the region.[1] On October 26, 2017, participants, hosts and dates for the inaugural tournament was confirmed.[2]
Mega Bemax became champions of the first-ever U19 ABA League Championship Final Four tournament, which took place in Laktaši in 2018, as they have beaten Crvena zvezda. In 2019, the second Final Four tournament took place in Slavonski Brod, where Cibona became champion beating Crvena zvezda in the final.
On 12 March 2020, the ABA League Assembly temporarily suspended the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] On 27 May 2020, the ABA League Assembly canceled indefinitely the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Finals edit
| Season | Host city | Champion | Runner-up | Score | MVP | Champion's Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Laktaši
|
Mega Bemax U19 |
Crvena zvezda U19 |
82–60 |  Goga Bitadze |
Vlada Vukoičić
| |
 Slavonski Brod
|
Cibona U19 |
Crvena zvezda U19 |
73–68 | Roko Prkačin |
Ivan Juran
| |
| Belgrade
|
Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Not awarded | None | |||
| Čajetina
|
Mega Soccerbet U19 |
 Budućnost VOLI U19 |
92–83 | Nikola Jović |
Dragoljub Avramović
| |
 Ljubljana
|
Mega Mozzart U19 |
SC Derby U19 |
88–74 | Andrija Grbović |
Dragoljub Avramović
| |
Records and statistics edit
By club edit
| Club | Won | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Basket
|
3
|
0
|
2018, 2021, 2022 | — |
| Cibona
|
1
|
0
|
2019 | — |
| Crvena zvezda
|
0
|
2
|
— | 2018, 2019 |
| Budućnost
|
0
|
1
|
— | 2021 |
| Studentski centar
|
0
|
1
|
— | 2022 |
By country edit
| Club / Nation | Won | Runner-up | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serbia
|
3
|
2
|
5
|
| Croatia
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
| Montenegro
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
 North Macedonia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Slovenia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Awards edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "The ABA League Second Division will start from the 2017/18 season". aba-liga.com. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ "Beginning of ABA League season meets highest standards, Junior Tournaments system confirmed". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ "ABA competitions suspended". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ "Conclusions of the ABA League j.t.d. Assembly". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020.