The 13-year-old boy who threatens to break all of Barça's precocious records
Mohamed Dabone's impact is decisive, but the club wants to distance him from the expectations he generates
BarcelonaHe is only 13 years old, but everyone is talking about him. Mohamed Dabone has become the great hope for the future of a Barça that tries to protect him as much as possible. The Blaugrana club is aware that his impact is decisive in the youth categories, but wants to distance him from the expectations that he generates. The objective is for him to become the best player possible in a few years. The latest feat of the young promise, who is currently recovering from an injury, came a few days ago in the final of the Minicopa Endesa, in which he added 12 points and 9 rebounds in just 11 minutes and 39 seconds of play against Real Madrid.
Dabone, who has already trained with the first team, is ready to break a handful of records for precocity. The young man from Burkina Faso has already made his debut with Barça Atlètic, a team that competes against senior rivals in the Tercera FEB. Although he is still a junior, he won the Euroleague Next Generation tournament qualifying round with the junior team. His average was 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Dabone is 2.10 metres tall and is still growing. On September 22, the young center played 17 minutes of a match for the reserve team in the Catalan League against SD Espanyol. He has played 14 games with the junior team, averaging 16 points and shooting 66% from two points.
"He is the best player in the world at his age," say the experts. Some scouts NBA players who were following the Copa del Rey in Las Palmas went to see the final of the Barça children's team in the Minicopa Endesa, where for the second consecutive year it was decisive. Pau Gasol, Mario Hezonja and Leandro Bolmaro are the former Barça players who were once chosen in a higher position in the draft of the NBA, and the expectation that Dabone generates is similar to that aroused by Victor Wembanyama, who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
Alex Terés, code name
Barça's youth system took a leap forward with the arrival of Àlex Terés. The technical secretary of youth basketball shook up the structure started by Juan Carlos Navarro and Mario Fernández, organising the distribution of players in a very disruptive way. His method has served to recover a dominant voice in a youth environment in which Real Madrid had become very strong.
The results of the 2023-24 season were historic, as the mini, children's, cadet and junior teams achieved the double in the Catalan and Spanish Championships. Eight titles out of eight possible, something unprecedented, in addition to the Minicopa Endesa in Malaga and the preliminary phase of the Next Generation Junior in Belgrade.
"The balance was very positive for many things, although what draws the most attention are the results. We make a balance that goes beyond the titles and we analyze whether the players and the teams have been evolving and if we feel that they are more prepared. Winning practically everything we play makes the final balance sweeter, which we all have Alzamora as right hand.
The technical director of the quarry highlights an element that characterizes the daily work in the Barcelona youth basketball: transversality. With the objective of seeking competitiveness, the growth of the players and the maximum possible games during the weekends, the youngsters of Barça are not assigned by default to a single team, coach or teammates. "From the point of view of the technicians, the complete transversality that we have gives a sense of identity," he argues.