Monte announce academy squad

7-11-2023 18:22

The top-10 side have made moves to invest in young European talent.

Gizmy previously featured for Viperio at the BLAST Paris Major EU RMR

Monte have revealed their new academy team, going by the name Monte Gen, in an announcement on Twitter. The lineup features an eclectic mix of players from multiple nationalities, and every member of the starting roster is aged 20 or under.

Leading the squad will be Roberts "⁠shield⁠" Tipsis, one of the more recognizable names, a 20-year-old AWPer from Latvia. The sniper briefly featured for MOUZ NXT towards the end of 2022, and had been playing with The Prodigies since the start of this year.

Taking up the entry-fragger position is 18-year-old Vladyslav "⁠leen⁠" Stepanov. The Ukrainian has played with the likes of Trasko in the past, but most recently was playing with L&G.

Roman "⁠n0te⁠" Hamze will be fulfilling the anchor role for the team. The 17-year-old Belgian has been without a full-time team since mid-way through last year, when he was playing for EC Brugge.

Lurking duties will be undertaken by Lithuanian Gytis "⁠ryu⁠" Glušauskas, the 19-year-old having most recently featured for Genk throughout 2022 and 2023.

Rounding out the squad is Jack "⁠Gizmy⁠" von Spreckelsen, a 19-year-old Brit who was designated as the team’s "playmaker" in their announcement. The rifler has turned out for a number of UK squads in the past, like Coalesce and Viperio, but had been playing alongside shield in The Prodigies since September.

Ivan "⁠AiyvaN⁠" Semenets has been tasked with coaching the young Monte Gen side as the Ukrainian makes his first foray into the role. Previously the 27-year-old was a player in the CIS scene, having represented the likes of pro100 and HellRaisers in the past.

Monte Gen are:

Jack "⁠Gizmy⁠" von Spreckelsen
Vladyslav "⁠leen⁠" Stepanov
Roman "⁠n0te⁠" Hamze
Gytis "⁠ryu⁠" Glušauskas
Roberts "⁠shield⁠" Tipsis