La Masía is not just football: The talents of Barcelona that will shine in the NCAA

The FC Barcelona academy has become a source of talent for the NCAA, the American collegiate league that serves as a springboard to the NBA. The club sees more and more players trained at La Masia crossing the Atlantic to continue their development, and it can also boast that some of them eventually reach the best league in the world. This is the case of Kasparas Jakucionis, who currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 2026-2027 NCAA season begins this Sunday with numerous players who have passed through the youth ranks of Barça. Some have just left the club, while others are entering their second year in American collegiate basketball. Among them are junior European champions, players who have already debuted with the first team, and young talents aspiring to make the jump to the NBA.

The junior EuroLeague champions heading to the United States

Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, a potential number one draft pick

Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, born in 2009, has the potential to become the number one pick in the 2028 draft. If he achieves this, he would be the first player trained in Barça's academy to reach that position. The pivot himself has acknowledged that it is one of his major goals.

The 2.11-meter tall center will debut in the NCAA with the Duke Blue Devils, where he will coincide with another former Barça player, Dame Sarr. Boumtje Boumtje, 17 years old, spent three seasons at La Masia without making his debut with the first team. However, he stood out in the U League, averaging 15.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 25 minutes per game. His shooting percentages were 48.6% in field goals and 37.7% in three-pointers.

His talent and family background fuel expectations about his future. He is the son of Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, who played in the NBA from 2001 to 2004 after being selected 50th in the 2001 draft.

His versatility and physique make him one of the great hopes of American basketball, which is looking for modern big men capable of contributing in different facets of the game. Additionally, Joaquim has already demonstrated his potential with the United States national team. Last summer, he was the champion and MVP of the U17 World Cup.

Nikola Kusturica will earn more than LeBron James

Nikola Kusturica, also born in 2009, was Boumtje Boumtje's opponent in the U17 World Cup final. The Serbian forward, 17 years old and 2.03 meters tall, played with his national team, which finished as the runner-up, and will now continue his career at UCLA after spending three seasons at Barça.

Kusturica has reportedly signed a two-year, 12 million dollar contract with the Californian university. This amount exceeds the eight million dollars for two seasons that LeBron James will receive with the Philadelphia 76ers.

During his time in Barcelona, the Serbian left a historic mark by becoming the youngest player in the club to score a basket in the ACB, at 16 years and 162 days old. He was also a key player in winning the last junior Euroleague. In the final against Real Madrid, he recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds.

His international career also includes the runner-up finish in the under-17 World Championship last summer and the title at the under-16 Eurobasket in 2025, where he was named MVP. He will now join a university with a distinguished history in American basketball. UCLA is the team with the most NCAA men's titles, with 11, and has produced legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Reggie Miller, and Russell Westbrook. Aday Mara also played there during his first two seasons in the NCAA.

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Sayon Keita, another pivot with NBA potential

Sayon Keita, born in 2008 and 2.13 meters tall, was also part of the Barça team that won the junior Euroleague. After joining the Blaugrana club in 2023, the player from Mali will face his first college season with the North Carolina Tar Heels, coached by Michael Malone, the coach who led Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023.

His combination of height and athletic ability makes him an interior player with attractive characteristics for the NBA. At North Carolina, he will take the place of Henri Veesaar, a Real Madrid youth player who was selected in the draft by the Atlanta Hawks.

Keita made his debut with the Barça first team in 2025 under Joan Peñarroya. Last season, in the U League, he averaged nine points and five rebounds in 19 minutes, with a 62.5% shooting accuracy from the field.

Arturas Butajevas follows in the footsteps of Kasparas Jakucionis

Arturas Butajevas, born in 2007, is another Lithuanian talent aiming to reach the NBA through college basketball. With the precedent of Saras Jasikevicius and the recent example of Kasparas Jakucionis, Barça has become an attractive destination for players from his country. However, the 19-year-old power forward, standing at 2.05 meters, has chosen to continue his career in the United States.

Butajevas seemed to have earned a chance with the first team after a productive loan at Unicaja. In the U League, he averaged 15.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 27 minutes, with 50% shooting from the field and 28% from three-point range.

Despite this, after three years at Barça, he signed with the Florida Gators. During his time at the club, he also made his debut with the first team in 2024, under Joan Peñarroya. That same year, he was named MVP of the l’Hospitalet Junior Tournament.

Now he will look to his compatriot Kasparas Jakucionis, who is already playing in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, as a reference.

Mohamed Keita, an alternative before reaching the NCAA

Mohamed Keita, born in 2008, was another member of the Barça junior team that won the European title against Real Madrid. The 18-year-old Malian forward, who stands 2.03 meters tall, also spent three seasons at the Catalan club before moving to the United States at the end of the last season.

His path will be different from that of his former teammates. Instead of going directly to a university, he will play at Spire Academy in Ohio, a possible intermediate stage before making the jump to college basketball.

In his farewell, Keita expressed his gratitude to FC Barcelona. In the U League, he averaged 11 points and six rebounds. He also left his mark in the junior EuroLeague final against Real Madrid, where he scored seven points and reached a valuation of 10. He did not make his debut with the first team.

Roger Fàbrega, six years of training at Barça

Roger Fàbrega, born in 2005, is one of the players who spent the most time in Barça's youth categories. The 21-year-old point guard, standing 1.88 meters tall, was with the club for six seasons, although his transition to American college basketball has not been direct.

In 2023, he signed with Cultural Leonesa, then in Tercera FEB, with which he achieved promotion to Segunda FEB. After two years with the Castilian team, he joined TAU Castelló, also in Segunda FEB. Now he will face his first season in the NCAA with the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Fàbrega, a native of Calella de Palafrugell, has also been part of the lower categories of the Spanish national team. Last season, he averaged 8.3 points, four rebounds, and four assists in 24 minutes per game in the third category of Spanish basketball. His shooting percentages were 51% in field goals and 44% in three-pointers.

Players entering their second year in the NCAA

James Nnaji, an exceptional case in college basketball

James Nnaji, born in 2004, will play his second season in the NCAA, this time with the George Mason Patriots after his time with the Baylor Bears.

The Nigerian center, 22 years old and 2.13 meters tall, has an unusual career trajectory. Last season, he became the first player in history chosen in the NBA draft who later went on to play in the NCAA, following the reverse path of what is usual.

Nnaji joined the youth categories of Barça in 2020 and debuted with the first team in 2022, with Saras Jasikevicius as coach. In 2023, he was selected 31st in the draft by the Detroit Pistons, who immediately traded him to the Charlotte Hornets.

However, he did not make the leap to the NBA, and his progress stalled in Barcelona. In the 2024-2025 season, he was loaned to Girona and later to Merkezefendi, of the Turkish second division. The New York Knicks acquired his draft rights and gave him an opportunity in the Summer League of 2025, the same summer he left Barça.

After spending a few months without a team, he surprised everyone by signing with Baylor. His first college campaign was modest: he averaged 1.4 points and two rebounds in eight minutes per game.

Dame Sarr, one of the great prospects for the NBA

Dame Sarr, born in 2006, is one of the former Barça players entering his second year in the NCAA with greater prospects of reaching the NBA. The 20-year-old Italian forward, who stands 2.03 meters tall, decided not to enter the draft to continue another season at Duke, where he will play alongside Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.

Sarr still has room for improvement on offense, but he already stands out for his defensive versatility. In his first college season, he averaged 6.4 points, four rebounds, and one assist in 23.5 minutes per game. He recorded 40% shooting from the field and 32% from three-point range, averaging 3.5 attempts from beyond the arc.

The player, of Senegalese roots, arrived at Barça in 2022 and was one of the youth players who debuted with the first team under the command of Saras Jasikevicius. He made his debut with the senior team in 2023 and his departure from the club in 2025 was surrounded by some controversy after he left to compete in the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland without permission from Barça.

Despite this, he bid farewell to the blaugrana entity with an emotional message in which he described his years in Barcelona as "unforgettable."

Raúl Villar maintains his connection with Barça

Raúl Villar, born in 2007, represents the blue and claret sentiment. The guard from L'Hospitalet, 19 years old and 1.94 meters tall, made his debut with the first team in 2025 and became the first player in Barça's history to complete the entire journey from the minibasket categories to the professional team.

At the end of the 2024-2025 season, he decided to try his luck in the NCAA with the Charlotte 49ers. After having little prominence on the North Carolina team, he will face his second college year with the Elon Phoenix.

An international with Spain at youth levels, Villar averaged 3.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 12 minutes per game during his first season. He is the brother of Rafa Villar, also a former Barça player and currently with Manresa. Raúl acknowledged to Mundo Deportivo that returning to the blue and claret club would be a pleasure.

Mathieu Grujicic looks to leave behind a difficult first season

Mathieu Grujicic, born in 2007, initially trained at Alba Berlin, but finished developing his potential during his two seasons at Barça, between 2023 and 2025. During that period, Joan Peñarroya gave him the opportunity to debut with the first team.

The German shooting guard, 19 years old and 1.96 meters tall, had a very complicated first season in the NCAA with Ohio State. Injuries affected his season, and he could only play six games, averaging five minutes of play.

He will now try to leave that experience behind in a new stage with Radford. The player, who also has French and Serbian roots, does not rule out returning to FC Barcelona in the future, as he explained to Mundo Deportivo.

Iker Garmendia, between Barça and Joventut

Iker Garmendia, born in 2006, went through the lower categories of Barça before joining the Joventut youth team in 2022. The forward, who is 20 years old and 2.06 meters tall, will face his second season in the NCAA and will return to Elon University, where he will share the court with Raúl Villar.

Garmendia will seek to have a more important role after averaging only 4.6 minutes in 15 games during his freshman year.

The Catalan player became known in the United States, especially in 2024, when he participated in the Basketball Without Borders event in Indianapolis, a showcase for young high school talents organized by the NBA during All-Star weekend. He has also been international with the younger categories of the Spanish national team.

The talent drain also affects Joventut and Real Madrid

Kasparas Jakucionis, now with the Milwaukee Bucks, has become a reference for young players trained at Barça who dream of reaching the NBA. The American league is also closely following Mohamed Dabone, another of the great prospects emerging from La Masia, who is already 2.10 meters tall at just 15 years old.

The departure of players to the NCAA does not only affect FC Barcelona. Other major youth academies in Spanish basketball, such as those of Joventut and Real Madrid, are also facing this trend.

In the case of the Penya, several players trained in its youth categories are playing in U.S. college basketball. Among them are Jordi Rodríguez and Miguel Allen, with the Charlotte 49ers; Ian Platteuw, with the Davidson Wildcats; and Conrad Martínez, with the High Point Panthers. This list is joined by the latest player who has headed to the NCAA to join the LSU Tigers.

Real Madrid has also seen young talents depart. This season, Egor Amosov has joined the UConn Huskies and Izan Almansa will play with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The NCAA is thus establishing itself as an increasingly used pathway for young basketball talents from Spain to continue their training and move closer to the goal of reaching the NBA.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La Masía no solo es fútbol: Los talentos del Barcelona que brillarán en la NCAA