Union Olimpija Ljubljana is the London Nike International Junior Tournament 2010 champ! In the title game played Saturday, the Slovenian team defeated USK Future Stars Prague by 76-60. Olimpija's Gezim Morina was also named MVP of the tourney. Despite a slow start in the first quarter, which ended 8-21 for USK Future Stars, Union Olimpija reacted in the second quarter outscoring the Czech team by 27-13. Later, in the second half, Union Olimpija managed to build double-digit leads and controlled them until the final buzzer. Morina led the champs with 26 points, including 4 of 6 triples, and 11 rebounds. Klemen Prepelic and Jan Span added 12 points apiece for Union Olimpija. For USK, only Jaroslav Moravek scored in double digits, hitting 11. With this win, Union Olimpija qualifies for the final phase of the Nike International Junior Tournament, to take place in Paris, France on May, coinciding with the Euroleague Final Four. Olimpija's big guy Gezim Morina won the MVP of the competition following a big performance throughout the entire tournament. He posted double-digits in points in all 5 games and reached the peak in the title game with 28 points, 11 rebounds and an index rating of 34. Morina displayed his ability to score from the arc, mid-range and around the rim and play a key role on his team's journey to the top place in the games. MORE

For the second year in a row, The Eternal City opened the NIJT series action with the Torneo Città Di Roma, which Zalgiris Kaunas dominated with four victories by an average of 32 points each - including a 79-55 title-game win over Benetton - to clinch a spot in the Nike International Junior Tournament during the 2010 Final Four in Paris next May!

The 31st annual Torneig de Bàsquet Júnior "Ciutat de L'Hospitalet", played in suburban Barcelona from January 4 to 6, 2010, produced a first-time champion, Cajasol of Seville which completed its undefeated run through the tournament by outlasting Unicaja, its archrival, by 70-72 in the final.

For the third year in a row, the winner of the Belgrade Nike International Junior Tournament is none other than host FMP, which downed INSEP 77-69 in Sunday's title game. FMP's victory will make one other team happy, too.

The newest entry on the Nike International Junior Tournament circuit takes the qualifying challenge off the European mainland to the United Kingdom. The Barking Abbey Academy Euroleague Basketball Junior Classification Tournament will be held February 18 to 20 in the northeast London suburb of Dagenham.