By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – Bronze in 2023, gold in 2024, at least Semi-Finals in 2025. Germany’s trajectory at a youth level, both at back-to-back editions of U18 EuroBasket and at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, has been extremely brilliant.
Among other players, the common aspect in the three consecutive summer appointments for the German national team answers to the name of Jack Kayil, one of the main reasons behind this success.
At the end of the day, he’s not only Germany’s leader of the control room but also the absolute dominator of assists shared in the whole competition, gifting 7.4 dimes per game to his teammates. 12 of them came against Australia in the Quarter-Finals.
“I love to play with these guys. We came here to win everything and go all the way. Before the tournament, we said that we wanted to arrive until the end,” he said to Eurohoops after the win.
Germany managed to survive and advanced to the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, but almost wasted a 23-point lead. “It’s basketball, it’s always a game of runs, it goes up and down. But we are family, we stayed together and brought it to an end. I’m really proud of our team,” Kayil added.
Between them and the Final, there’s Slovenia, which they already beat in last year’s U18 EuroBasket Semi-Finals. “They have also been playing together for the last three or four years in the summer. They’re a good team, and we just have to be mentally ready and focused. It’s going to be a good game,” he said.
HIT THE ROAD, JACK! 🤑#U18EuroBasket x @DBB_Basketball 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/7EUw4S2O3T
— NextGen Hoops (@NextGenHoops) August 4, 2024
When it comes to controlling Germany’s tempo, he has a pretty unique reference in mind, who does the same thing for the senior national team: the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup MVP.
“I like to be the leader, like Dennis Schroeder. He has always been there for the national team, and he gives everything he has. Hopefully, I can also follow in his footsteps to play for the national team. I love this team and will also be great to play in the next years, to serve our country together,” Kayil added.
Alongside Kayil and Christian Anderson, another gem for Germany is Hannes Steinbach, who had a monster double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds against Australia.
“He’s great. He doesn’t play selfishly. He always wants to win, to do the big plays and the dirty work at the same time, trying to crash the board. He helps me find him close to the basket, and he screens my guys,” the playmaker commented.
“It’s a back-and-forth process: I help him, he helps me, and together we both help the team. It’s great and easy to play with him,” he also said about the 19-year-old future Washington Huskie.
Unlike Steinbach, he won’t move to the NCAA next year, as he decided instead to come back to his hometown, Berlin. “The opportunities are always there, but I choose to go back to my hometown, play there one more year, and next year we’ll see,” Kayil commented.
WELCOME HOME, JACK! 🏠💛💙
Nach zwei Jahren bei Vechta und KK Mega Basket kehrt der 19-jährige Point Guard Jack Kayil auf Leihbasis zurück nach Berlin. Schön, dass du wieder da bist, Jack! 🥹✨
🔗 Alle Infos zu Jack über: https://t.co/LVFH1zM0it pic.twitter.com/pmtnnljBC0
— ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) June 11, 2025
Moving to ALBA in the Basketball Champions League, the 19-year-old playmaker will debut for the first time in a European competition, doing it with familiar colours: yellow and light blue.
“The club is great. I played there when I was young, and the whole organization is really great. I know the people, they’re all nice. For me, it’s a good opportunity; I haven’t played in a European competition such as the Basketball Champions League, it’s gonna be another step for me,” he commented.
Transitioning to the Bundesliga and the Basketball Champions League could have been difficult from the youth competitions, but Jack Kayil is already used to playing among professionals.
In the 2024-25 season, he stayed in the ABA League with Mega, going up against teams like BC Dubai, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, and Buducnost VOLI. And delivering.
“I learned a lot of things. I played on a high level, the highest I have played thus far. It was great and a good opportunity to improve my game, to get more physical, to play against older and stronger people, against EuroLeague teams, for example,” Jack Kayil commented.
“You don’t get that chance every time. It was really a great experience and I learned really much. I grew a lot. There were some injuries, and I haven’t played the whole season, but it was still a great year for me.”
The future, whether it will be painted in yellow and blue with ALBA Berlin in the Basketball Champions League, or in full black or full white with the German national team, is bright for him. And for his teammates, as long as he’s the one sharing dimes.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA