Keravnos Strovolos eased past struggling Omonoia at the Eleftheria - Nov 18, 2009 (by Nemanja Bjedov)
Lonnie Cooper poured in 22 points including six three-pointers as Keravnos Strovolos trounce Omonoia Nicosia 98-70 in the last game of the national basketball championships Round 4 on Monday night at the Tassos Papadopoulos Eleftheria Athletic Center [read more]
Lonnie Cooper poured in 22 points including six three-pointers as Keravnos Strovolos trounce Omonoia Nicosia 98-70 in the last game of the national basketball championships Round 4 on Monday night at the Tassos Papadopoulos Eleftheria Athletic Center.
The Strovolos team took off to a 15-5 lead in the opening stages of the game as their post player Panayiotis Trisokkas and Joseph Garcia dominated the proceedings, but the hosts quickly replied with an 18-3 run to close the first quarter leading by five at 23-18. They then had a six-point lead early in the second period at 28-22 but Adi Azoulays men responded with a 16-0 streak to take a 10-point lead at 38-28 which was eventually stopped by Linas Juknevicius who made two free throws to make it 38-30 with 4:14 left in the first half. However, the visitors made 10 of 13 three-point shot attempts in the first half to provide themselves with a comfortable 16-point cushion at the half time interval 52-36.
They then continued in the same rhythm after the break and outscored Omonoia Nicosia 27-15 in the third quarter to enter the final ten minutes leading by 77-51. The last period was a mere formality as the one the main title contenders cruised to their third victory of the season in style.
Anthony Harris led Omonoia Nicosia with 27 points and five assists, while Brandon Jenkins chipped in with 18 points and eight rebounds. Nikola Tutus finished the game with 11 points.
Carmelo Lee and Samuel Jones had 16 points apiece for Keravnos Strovolos. They were both on fire on the night as Lee hit four for five from behind the arc, while Jones did not miss at all six for six from the field and two for two from the charity stripe. Bryant Smith had 12 points.
Keravnos Strovolos is off in the next round this coming weekend, while has a difficult test against their ex-head coach Renos Pittalis and his new team BMC AEK at the Kition Athletic Center in Larnaca. SOURCE: www.cybasketball.com
Ilian Evtimov Looking to Burn Up The League In Cyprus With His Swish - Nov 17, 2009 (by Eurobasket)
Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.) is a 26 year old 201 cm forward playing his first season in Cyprus. He has the French-Bulgarian citzenships and played at North Carolina State from 2001-2006. In his senior year, he played 31 games averaging 10.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FG: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT. After a short stint with Estudiantes Madrid in 2006, he played at VidiVici Bologna in the 2006-2007 season [read more]
Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.) is a 26 year old 201 cm forward playing his first season in Cyprus. He has the French-Bulgarian citzenships and played at North Carolina State from 2001-2006. In his senior year, he played 31 games averaging 10.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FG: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT. After a short stint with Estudiantes Madrid in 2006, he played at VidiVici Bologna in the 2006-2007 season. He played FIBA EuroCup playing 15 games averaging 6.3ppg, 2.4rpg, 2FGP: 65.4%, 3FGP: 47.1%, FT: 72.2%; and playing15 games in the Italian league averaging 3.1ppg, 2.1rpg. In 2007-2008, he moved to The Deutsche Bank Skyliners playing 10 ULEB Cup games averaging 14.5ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 40.7%, FT: 85%; and in the German League playing 44 games averaging 13.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 41.4%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 86.2%. Last season, he continued playing in Frankfurt playing 10 EuroChallenge: games averaging 8.3ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 70.0%; and in the German League playing 34 games averaging 8.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 43.6%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 74.6%. This season, he is playing for Proteas EKA AEL Limassol and spoke to Eurobasket about his new life in Cyprus.
Last week was the 20 year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. You are playing in Cyprus this season and there is a bit of conflict there with the Greeks and Turks. Have you noticed any of this in your daily life?
When you are living day to day, you dont really notice it. I live in the Greek part and in the north of the country is where the Turks are, but not so many are living there. I am living in Limassol and I sense no conflict. The people are nice.
I miss very much to yell Ilian swishhhhhhhhhh Evtimov in my Skyliner telecasts.
That was a Miles special. I am missing it too. Maybe one day we can hear it again.
I am sure that you miss many teammates, but I imagine that Greg Jenkins is high on your list.
Yes I miss Greg and his humour very much. I keep in touch with Derrick Allen and it is great that he is having a good season. I also talked with Anthony King yesterday. He still stays in touch with Greg Jenkins.
Do you still think about what it would be like playing for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners?
I dont really think about it. We separated last summer and they went in a new direction with new goals and budget. I am really happy for them how well they are playing and it is good to see that they are one of the best teams in the BBL.
What do you miss the most about Germany?
Well Germany was very organized and everything always happened fast and I will never forget their discipline. Cyprus is a lot different. I miss my friends in Germany and still stay in touch over phone and internet. But that is the life of a Basketball player. One season you are there and in the next season somewhere else.
It took some time before finding a team in Cyprus. Why did it take so long?
The market was really slow this summer. Many teams waited a long time before completing their roster. I had some opportunities, but they werent the best. We stayed patient and then I got interest from AEL Limossal and took it. They played Final Four in the Eurochallenge last season.
Did you not get any offers from Germany?
I got no real offers. I was in contact with teams, but there were no negotiations or real offers.
How is life in Cyprus?
Life is good. It is 23 celsius and it feels like late summer. Limassol is on the beach which is nice for walks and there are many restaurants. It is all laid back here.
I bet you are wearing shades now what you couldnt do in November in Germany.
I never wore shades in Germany in November, but am wearing shades now.
What have you experienced in Cyprus what you havent ever seen in your life before?
Here in Cyprus, I visit coffee shops and go there with my American teammates. We just hang out and talk sometimes for 1-2 hours. In Germany and France, you cant really do it often because of the bad weather. When it is cold and dark in Germany, you cant sit outside anymore, but the coffee shops are always open here.
How would you compare the BBL to the Cyprus league?
The leagues are very much different. The BBL is up and down and very fast. I would compare the league in Cyprus to the Turkish league which is slower. But I am very impressed by the quality of the league. I did not think that it would be as good as it is.
Your team has five Americans including ex BBL player Miah Davis. How is it playing with him? I am sure you have a lot to talk about.
Davis is a good player. He is probably my best friend in the team. He is an extremely good point guard that really understands the game of basketball. We often talk about our Germany days especially the playoff series where we played Bonn. We talk about that crazy night where he became a father and what a crazy moment that was for him. I often remind him of his four free throws that he made to beat us by one point. We often stay after practice and shoot around and conduct our own three point contests.
You are playing together with American Courtney Fells. He was a NCAA rookie and your teammate as you were a senior at North Carolina State. Now he is a professional rookie playing with you again. How is it like playing with him again. Many say he has NBA potential.
He is extremely good and very athletic and very quick. I also think that he has NBA potential. We played together as he was a freshman at North Carolina State and he always listened to what I told him, because I was more experienced. He is doing well as a pro now and I am happy to be playing with him. For me it is like a reunion playing with Courtney and Miah.
You played against ex Deutsche Bank Skyliner center Anthony King last week. How did you guys play?
We won by two points in the last seconds. Anthony had a great game and we had problems stopping him. He has started well into the season as well. I didnt have a good shooting game. We were down by 9 points with one minute to play. I tied the score with a three pointer. In the last seconds, Miah Davis penetrated to the hoop and got fouled. He made the game winning free throws. It was an emotional win, because we were trailing the whole game and came back and won at the end.
What do you do on an off day in Cyprus?
I am still shopping for my house. I relax a lot and you need to recover after games: The weather kind of helps with that.
Where were you as Michael Jackson died?
I was in the States. It was sad that he died. He will always be remembered as the king of pop and will always be a legend.
What current film are you looking forward to seeing?
I am looking forward to seeing 2012 with John Cusack. There has been a lot of promotion for this film and I want to check it out.
What was the last DVD that you saw?
I saw spread with Ashton Kutcher. It is a movie about this guy that gets all the girls and uses them to stay at their houses. He is like a jigalo.
Thanks Evti for the chat. Good luck in Cyprus. Thanks Miles.
ROUND 4- RESULTS AND TOP SCORER! - Nov 17, 2009 (by Dr. Nasios Orinos)
ROUND 4 Highlights..
No specific highlight characterizes this round besides the fact that all title contenders had easy victories against their opponents.
Big game next week with Ael and Apoel meeting for the 1st time after the super cup game.
ROUND 4 - TOP SCORER
Strikland - Aek = 30 points
ROUND 4 - RESULTS
Apollon (84 ) - Aek (76 )
Omonoia (70) - Keravnos (98)
Enad (75) - Ael (82)
Apoel (69) - Achilleas (49) DAY-OFF: ETHA [read more]
ROUND 4 Highlights.. No specific highlight characterizes this round besides the fact that all title contenders had easy victories against their opponents. Big game next week with Ael and Apoel meeting for the 1st time after the super cup game.
Copyright (c) 1998-2009 Eurobasket Inc. Disclaimer
WARNING:
Do not copy, redistribute, publish or otherwise exploit information that you download from the site !
Do not encumber, license, modify, publish, sell, transfer or transmit, or in any way exploit, any of the
content of the site, nor will you attempt to do so.
