Mahamadou Landoure: Getting to know Real Madrid talent / News - Basketnews.com

The 13-year-old Malian player became a worldwide sensation after his amazing performance in the MiniCopa Endesa, and now many consider him the next Victor Wembanyama. But is the hype justified? Can Mahamadou Landoure become the next big player coming out of the Real Madrid Cantera?

Credit: ACB Media Credit ACB Media

Over the years, Minicopa Endesa has become much more than just a youth tournament. Some of the brightest talents of the last decade have sprung from this competition, and the attention around the tournament has become greater and greater, attracting scouts and executives from all over the world.

3-pointers this season

37%9,3Points made:9,3Accuracy:37,0%Place in standings:9Record max:18Record min:3Most made 3FGs:Mario HezonjaTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Born simply as the youth version of the Copa del Rey, Minicopa has become an equally important event, bringing thousands of people to watch youth competitions.

Just to name a few, the likes of Ricky Rubio, Luka Doncic, Usman Garuba, and Victor Wembanyama have participated in this competition.

The edition staged in February, the 19th in the competition's history, certainly did not disappoint and brought the name of young talent we will surely hear a lot about in the coming years, Malian Mahamadou Landoure.

The young African player is only 13 years old but can already boast impressive physical stature. The African prospect is 211 centimeters tall and dominated the last edition of the MiniCopa.

His performances in the competition have gone around the world, and it is easy to see why. In the tournament final, Landoure ended the game with absolutely impressive numbers.

56 points, 33 rebounds, 14 drawn fouls, 5 blocks, and 82 EFF.

Yep, you're reading them correctly, this is not a typo. His incredible performance also landed him on SportsCenter, ESPN's main sports news program. For several days it was all anyone was talking about, not only in Spain but also in the rest of the basketball world.

However, Landoure's case is slightly different. The Malian player already had experience in the MiniCopa, having played it last season but with the jersey of Real Madrid's historical rivals, Barcelona.

The Malian prospect had been invited by Barcelona to play in the Granada Minicopa. Although he had already shown some interesting things and ended the competition averaging 13 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, Landoure had not looked as dominant as he did with Real Madrid.

It was only after that tournament Landoure moved to Real Madrid, which outcompeted the Catalans.

Born in 2009 in Mali, Landoure soon caught the attention of international scouts in his country because of his rapid growth.

The player was brought to Spain in 2020 with the help of Salva Mendez, the director of scouting of the Spanish-based agency Romaior Sports. After arriving in Spain, Landoure attended the Spanish Basketball Academy, based near Madrid.

During his time at the academy, the Malian prospect worked on his game and began to polish his skills. After the tryout period with Barcelona last summer, Landoure joined Real Madrid as he felt it was the best decision for him moving forward.

During February's MiniCopa, Landoure showed all his main qualities -- an impressive physical presence, especially in this age category, with an unparalleled ability to dominate at rebounds and good foot speed for a player of his size.

"Right now, Mahamadou is more of a traditional big man, dominant around the rim and with a great frame," a EuroLeague scout told BasketNews. "He doesn't really have a mid-range game for the moment, and he's still kind of raw in some situations, but that's pretty normal for a guy of that age."

In talking with several scouts, the general opinion is that it is too early to burden Landoure with too much responsibility anyway.

"I saw already videos in which Mahamadou is already considered as a new version of Wembanyama, but that's ridiculous," another EuroLeague scout told BasketNews. "He's 13 years old, it's way too early to make any kind of prediction on what his career could look like. You can see that he's improving and has great foundations to work on, but let's not jump to conclusions just because of his performance in the MiniCopa".

"Don't get me wrong, I like his potential, and his frame is absolutely impressive for a guy his age," another EuroLeague scout told BasketNews.

"But I'm not a great fan of these kinds of competitions where a kid with a certain type of size can dominate easily and put up great numbers. I think these tournaments tend to create false expectations.

You have a kid averaging crazy numbers, and then when maybe he's unable to do the same at the higher level, he's immediately labeled as a disappointment. I think that Landoure definitely has interesting potential, but I won't say he's the next Wembanyama or stuff like that. It's way too early."

Real Madrid, for its part, is confident that they have a player of very high potential, and for this reason, they want to let Landoure grow calmly without putting too much pressure on a boy so young and who is at a crucial stage of his growth.

"So far, they're happy with the improvements that Mahamadou has made since he joined the club last summer," a source close to Real Madrid has told BasketNews.

"They're confident that he has the potential to become an exciting player, and Mahamadou knows that he's in the perfect situation to improve. There won't be pressure on him. Of course, his numbers in the MiniCopa drew a lot of attention, but the coaches know there's still a long way to go before turning Mahamadou into a complete package."

However, the Malian boy did not hide his ambitions after the MiniCopa. Like all boys his age, his dream is to play in the NBA one day, trying to emulate his idol, Shaquille O'Neal.

"Shaq is one of the best players ever, and I really like his style of play," Landoure said in an interview with El Mundo Deportivo. "I watch his old videos often, and they inspire me to improve. I, too, play as a pivot, and I'd love to have a great career like Shaq."

Despite his young age, Landoure already has high hopes for his future and has made it clear that he wants to play in the NBA one day.

"I want to become a professional player at a high level. Regarding the future, I don't want to put any limits, I dream of playing at the highest level possible, the NBA," said the 13-year-old.

While it is far too early to make any kind of speculation regarding Landoure's NBA future, it is equally clear that this guy will be extremely interesting to follow in the coming years.

We have seen players of extreme quality arrive several times who went on to become stars, even at the EuroLeague level, from Real Madrid's Cantera.

Could Mahamadou Landoure be the next addition to this list? Only time will tell. What is certain is that Mahamadou Landoure has put his name on the map after his incredible performance at MiniCopa Endesa, and now everyone's eyes are on him.

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