Amosov (UConn), Frolov (Arkansas), Almansa (Gonzaga) and Grinvalds (UCLA) leave Valdebebas to play at American universities. Almansa is already listed on the Bulldogs' roster for 2026-27.
The Real Madrid Basketball loses four young talents who have decided to continue their training in the NCAA instead of making the leap to European professional basketball. The information, reported by solobasket.com, details that they are Egor Amosov (UConn), Ilia Frolov (Arkansas), Izan Almansa (Gonzaga) and Gunars Grinvalds (UCLA).
The case of Baba Miller opened the door. The academy player was one of the first to cross the Atlantic without debuting in the European professional league, and his departure was explained at the time by Solobasket. Since then, other players trained in Valdebebas have followed the same path.
Egor Amosov, 18 years old and of Russian nationality, was one of the sensations of the academy last season. In his only year as a Madrid player, he was a key piece in winning the U22 League. He is now under the orders of Dan Hurley at UConn, where he will share a locker room with Braylon Mullins and aims to bring the Huskies back to the top after the titles in 2023 and 2024.
His compatriot Ilia Frolov, also 18 years old, arrives at Arkansas with more experience in the white academy. He joined the Cadete A in 2023 and last season averaged 10 points and 4.8 rebounds in the ANGT. At the Razorbacks, he will be coached by John Calipari and will be teammates with the European Miika Muurinen. The goal is to surpass the Sweet Sixteen reached last season.
Izan Almansa, 21 years old, has already received eligibility and appears on the Gonzaga Bulldogs roster for the 2026-27 season. The Murcian, who trained at UCAM Murcia and Real Madrid since 2019, could debut from the bench in Mark Few's system. His career includes stints with Overtime Elite, NBA G League Ignite, and the Australian NBL.
The Latvian Gunars Grinvalds, 18 years old, is the bet of Mick Cronin for UCLA. He arrived at Valdebebas in 2021 at the age of 13 from BS Riga and completed all training up to junior level in 2024-25. A year later, he made the jump to U22. His progress allowed him to debut with the first team on October 5, 2025 against Gran Canaria in the Liga Endesa, at the age of 17 years and eight months: he played 1:06 minutes, scored one point, and Real Madrid won 81-71 at the Movistar Arena.
Among the veterans, Jan Vide, 21 years old and of Slovenian nationality, continues at Loyola Marymount, where he is entering his second season after averaging 4.2 points and 2.1 assists in the 2025-26 campaign.
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