AEL Limassol signs former Panathinaikos assistant - Aug. 16, 2007
Proteas EKA AEL has signed the former Panathinaikos assistant coach
Dimitris Papadopoulos on a two year contract with the second year coming
into action if the Limassol team competes in the Greek A1 league next season,
according to basketblog.gr.
Papadopoulos was an assistant coach at Panathinaikos with his work focused on
scouting the opponents of Zelimir Obradovic's team. His work played a major role
for Panathinaikos winning this year's treble, Euroleague, Greek A1 title and
Greek cup.
Dimitris Papadopoulos will join AEL after the 2007 EuroBasket since he is also
an assistant coach of Panagiotis Giannakis at the Greek National Team.
FIBA Euro Cup Draw 2007-08 - Aug. 5, 2007
The draws for FIBA Europe Cup 2007/2008 took place
in Kempinski Hotel in Munich, Germany.
A total of 115 clubs will be participating in the EuroCup, EuroLeague Women and
EuroCup Women.
EuroCup Elimination Round 1 starts on October 30, 2007.
EuroCup Elimination Round 2 starts on November 20, 2007.
EuroCup Qualifying Round starts on December 11, 2007.
Click here for the results of EuroCup draw.
European opponents for Cypriot teams revealed - Aug. 5, 2007
The 2007-08 European season has officially started with the draw in Munich,
Germany on Sunday (5th of August).
Three Men's teams and One Women team will compete in this seasons FIBA's
competitions.
All three men's teams have advanced with a bye to the second knock-out round,
one step away from the group stages.
Men's champions Proteas EKA AEL Limassol will face either
ELBA Timisoara
of Romania or
Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk of Ukraine.
Cyprus cup winners Keravnos Cyprus College will travel to
Finland to take on
Lappeenranta
NMKY.
Championship runner ups Dentalcon APOEL Nicosia will make the
trip to Ukraine to face
SK Cherkassy
Monkeys.
Cyprus champions in the women league K.V. Imperial AEL Limassol
will face Dunav
Rouse.
FIBA All-Star Game 2008 back in Cyprus! - Aug. 4, 2007
FIBA Europe announced on Saturday (4th of August) during the board meeting in
Munich that Cyprus will host the 2008 FIBA All-Star Day
for a fourth year in a row! Proteas EKA AEL Limassol and the "Spyros Kyprianou"
arena will play hosts again with the game taking place on March 25th. With the
past experience of three competitions, the 2008 event is sure to be yet another
success!
Icelandic champion adds Samir Shaptahovic - Jun. 30, 2007
Icelandic champion KR Reykjavik
signed reinforcement at point-guard position. One of the best players in Kosovo
Samir
Shaptahovic (174-G-81, agency:
Interperformances) has signed for KR who will participate in FIBA EuroCup
next season. He was member of AS Prishtine in last season
averaging 21.4ppg and 7.7apg in Kosova Superleague.
FIBA Europe decided to evaluate EuroCup format - May. 17, 2007
The FIBA Europe Competitions' Commission met last
Saturday in Girona, Spain to discuss the 2006/2007 season and upcoming plans for
European club competitions.
One idea under consideration for the EuroCup is subsidizing participating teams
in the competition.
“As demonstrated by web site statistics and attendance levels in EuroCup
continues to increase in popularity each year,†said FIBA Europe Secretary
General Nar Zanolin.
“We will use all the means at our disposal to be sure that this trend continues
and that as many basketball fans as possible have the opportunity to see the
first-class players taking part in our competitions.
TThe Commission decided that the EuroCup Challenge will discontinue.
source: fibaeurope.com
The FIBA EuroCup has a new champion, and it is none other than Akasvayu of
Spain! They triumphed
79-72 over Azovmash Mariupol on its own court in Girona in the EuroCup Final
on Sunday and got their first ever piece of European silvereare. Arriel
McDonald (191-G-72) led the winners in another unforgottable performance: 25
points (5-of-7 behind the arc), 4 rebounds and two assits, enough to be voted by
the media as Final Four MVP (american veteran finished with 46 points on 13/19
shooting in the semi-finals and final).
"This means a lot becouse I am 35 and it shows I still work hard," said
McDonald.
Gregor
Fucka (214-C-71) added 12 points and 5 rebounds,
Marc
Gasol (212-C-85) became a main factor with 12 points off the bench.
Khalid
El-Amin (178-G-79) topscored Azovmash with 16, while Bosnian forward
Kenan
Bajramovic (206-F-81, agency:
Beo
Basket) and Greek guard
Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) added 15 points apiece.
Arriel McDonald's jump shot allowed Girona to go into half time with a 40-36
lead. Spanish team took double-digits lead (54-41) after 9-0 run in third
quarter.
Robert Gulyas (213-C-74) and Liadelis were catalyst of the Azovmash's
comeback to 67-67 tie with 4 minutes to go, but once again McDonald's free
throw, three pointer and another consecutive 4 points of Gasol helped to got
75-67 lead which Spaniard never gave back.
Virtus crush Estudiantes and take third place in EuroCup - Apr. 15, 2007
Estudiantes Madrid -
Virtus Bologna
62-80 (20-27, 17-20, 8-16, 17-17)
Virtus Bologna made up for some of the disappointment of Friday's EuroCup
semi-final loos with a victory on Sunday against Estudiantes Madrid in the game
for third place. "I am happy that we showed resolve after losing in the semifinals. (...) We
especially were strong on defense and that made the difference. It was also key
for us that our young players came in and gave us solid minutes which allowed
our veterans to rest," said Virtus Head Coach
Zare
Markowski . Travis
Best was the key man for the Italian club with 4-of-8 shooting and 3-of-3
from the free throw line. He also led Virtus' playmaking with 4 assits.
Fabio Di
Bella and
Vlado
Ilievski who came off the bench scored also 12 and 10 points respectively
for the winners while
Guilherme Giovannoni grabbed 8 rebounds.
William
McDonald was top-scorer of the game with 15 points.
Sergio
Sanchez added 13 points with 1-of-5 behind of arc. Spanish team committed 23
turnovers. They also struggled from long range and hit just 17.6% of their
three-pointers.
Estudiantes: McDonald 15, Sanchez 13, Garnett 11, Mendiburu 7, Iturbe 5,
Suarez 4, Clark 3, Torres 3, Sanikadze 1.
Virtus: Di Bella 12, Best 11, Ilievski 10, Drejer 9, Blizzard 6, Crosariol 6,
Gugliotta 6, Michelori 6, Vukcevic 6, Evtimov 4, Giovannoni 4.
Girona smashes Estudiantes to reach the Final - Apr. 14, 2007
Girona-Estudiantes 89:58 (26:14, 15:16, 22:12, 26:16)
Girona celebrated an easy win over Estudiantes in the semifinal game of Eurocup.
Supported by almost 5000 fans, the host team set a new EuroCup Final Four
record. An 89:58 win sent Girona to the Final of Eurocup, where it will be a
favorite with the Ukrainian Azovmash. The 58 points scored by Estudiantes will
be written until new notice as the fewest points scored in a game. Both Mc
Donalds top-scored for their teams.
Arriel
McDonald (191-G-72, college:
Minnesota)
led the winners with 21 points. San Emeterio chipped in 15, while
Dainius
Salenga (197-F-77) and
Marko
Marinovic (183-G-83) added 11 points each.
William
McDonald (207-C-79, college:
S.Florida)
nailed 11 points in defeat.
This game was seen twice as many spectators as the first one. The performance
shown in another one was highly valued by the fans.
Girona easily won the opening tip and finished the first quarter with 26:14.
Estudiantes somehow was stronger in the second quarter winning it 15:16. With
lots of mistakes and turnovers the latter could not struggle in the second half
at all. Girona advantaged with 10 points deficit in each quarter to win 89:58.
The hosts of Final Four will play in the Final which is scheduled for tomorrow.
Led by 18 points Azovmash luckily escaped with 74:73 win over Virtus - Apr. 14,
2007
Virtus-Azovmash 73:74 (14:29, 21:21, 17:8, 21:16)
Ukrainian Azovmash triumphed in the semifinal game of Eurocup after a 74:73 win
over Virtus. Azovmash held a 15-point lead after a huge first quarter, but in
the following 10 minutes the future winners showed a different type of game.
Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) led the winners with 24 points.
Ricardo
Powell (201-F-83, college:
S.Carolina)
posted in 16, while Lischuck and
Kenan
Bajramovic (206-F-81, agency:
Beo
Basket) contributed with 11 points each. Travis
Best (180-G-72, college:
Georgia Tech)
was the best in the losing effort.
UUkrainian champions made six of their first eight shots from the field to jump
out to a quick 12:3 lead. A 13-0 run by Azovmash helped them to advantage with
29:14 after the opening quarter.
The team from Mariupol played better the second quarter as well, however tied it
at 21:21 that gave them 50:35 lead at the half. In the third quarter Virtus
showed a tough defense and won that period 17:8.
With 3 minutes to play in the last quarter, Travis
Best nailed a big three pointer to give Virtus a 71:70 lead. In the final
minute of the game
Kenan
Bajramovic missed two free throws and another clutch shot that could have
cost the game with 11 seconds on the clock, but he was also on the defensive
rebound right after Virtus missed their last shot. A 74:73 win, that could be
considered as a lucky one, however deserved, was reached by Azovmash. Virtus:Travis
Best 14,
Andrea
Michelori (202-F/C-78) 12+9 rebs,
Brett
Blizzard/A> (191-G-80, agency:
Octagon,
college:
NC-Wilmington)) 11
Azovmash:
Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) 24,
Ricardo
Powell 16, Lischuck 11+11 rebs,
Kenan
Bajramovic 11
Pavello Fontajau opens the doors for Final Four - Apr. 13, 2007
Fiba Eurocup holds the Final Four of the tournament
tonight.
Akasvayu Girona
and MMT
Estudiantes Madrid will make up the Spanish semifinal, while
VidiVici
Bologna
will face
Azovmash Mariupol.
Eurobasket suggests to have a look at the road to Final Four of each team.
Let us start with the hosts. Akasvayu Girona
did not lose any game in the Group D having a 6-0 record. The team repeated its
record with 6-0 in the second round in Group L. Panionis from Greece could upset
Girona for the first time in Quarterfinals, however lost two games in Spain.
With this result, plus the support of the home fans,
Akasvayu Girona
has an advantage in the tournament. MMT Estudiantes
Madrid that will play with Girona in the first semifinal game finished Group
A with 5-1 record. The Spanish team repeated the record in Group I with 5-1.
Dynamo from Moscow region lost to
MMT Estudiantes
Madrid two times in a row that made the latter also favorite of Final Four.
Italian
VidiVici Bologna won Group H with 5-1 record. It participated in Group L
together with
Akasvayu Girona, but finished second with 4-2. In the Quarterfinal series
Italian team swept Turk Telekom to qualify to Final Four.
Ukrainian
Azovmash Mariupol is the underdog in Final Four, however many specialists
predict not to think so and put Ukrainian side on the top. With 4-2 record
Azovmash
Mariupol ended in Group C. Later on in Group J it increased to 5-1 leaving
Dynamo MR, Kalev and Maroussi behind. The team from Mariupol overcame AEL in
three games in Quarterfinals.
Eurobasket Monthly Scouting Report for March just released - Mar. 30, 2007
Eurobasket released another issue of it's monthly
scouting report (March edition is ...117 pages long). It's the most in-depth
scouting report available in the World with focus on the top prospects from
outside of the U.S.
In March edition: One of the last 2006-07 reviews of top young prospects in many
countries (mostly European) around the World and continuation of international
championships for U18 and U16 teams.
You can get a copy on
http://www.eurobasket.com/report1.asp
FIBA All-Star Game 2007: It was magical! - Mar. 20, 2007
It was all perfect! The 2007 FIBA All-Star Game is now only a magnificent
memory. Limassol was once again the perfect stage for the event and the 7
thousand fans that packed the “Spyros Kyprianou†arena pushed players and
entertainers to reach their limits and provide the fans with high class
basketball.
For the third consecutive year DTL EKA AEL Limassol and Cyprus managed to host
the event with success. The stadium was once again packed with excited fans,
while the choice to bring popular singer Michalis Hatzigiannis
proved very successful since it kept the spectators to their seats until the
very end of the event with his after game concert being a major hit
Tuesday, 20th of March proved to be a thrilling day for us basketball
enthusiasts and journalists.
Delightfully long day
A long night sleep wasn't enough for what we were to face in Cyprus' basketball
capital. The interesting “How to create and maintain a Champion team†symposium
meant that the departure from Nicosia was set at 7:30 in the morning. The “Four
Seasons†hotel was the ideal place to kick-off the All-Star Day. Basketball
journalists from the island and abroad, clubs and FIBA officials were there to
listen to the excellent speakers.
Morning symposium
First up was
Michael Loizides, the man who along with a team of partners created the DTL
EKA AEL we see dominating today in Cypriot basketball. He presented the AEL case
and the reasons why the Limassol team managed to come back from the decay of the
90's and become a new coming European powerhouse.
The All-Star Day organizer said that “it's harder to reach the top than to
remain there and not the other way aroundâ€. He also presented the five steps of
a basketball team with DTL EKA AEL starting as nobody and passed by the stages
of contender and winner to become champions. The fifth step which is the dynasty
stage is the next goal for the Limassol team.
Next to the podium was Sasa Volkov, the Ukrainian legend and
chairman of Kiev B.C. His subject of how to build an Olympic Gold medalist team
turned into a personal story of the Soviet Union's painful preparation for the
1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
The last two speakers were Dr. Titos Christofidis, president of
the Cyprus Sports Authority and Kostas Mpatis on behalf of the
Greek General Secretary of Sports Stavros Douvis. Dr. Christofidis spoke of the
role the government should have in sports and especially about the Cyprus case.
Lunch of surprises
A necessary relaxation in the hotels lounge after a rich feast was needed to
charge the batteries for the rest of the day. The lunch was full of different
interesting happenings. Amongst them was the meeting of Iraqi Freddy John-Paul,
the Apollon Limassol football chairman (up until a few days ago when he
resigned), and Canadian Nar Zanolin, FIBA Europe Executive
Director, who had a long conversation before Michael Loizides joined them.
Keravnos coach Vassilis Fragias and former Keravnos coach Memos Ioannou shared
the same table along with the well known Greek journalist Vassilis Skountis.
Arrival at the venue
The arrival at the stadium about two and a half hours before the event meant
that we were from the first people there. We arrived the moment Michalis
Hatzigiannis was on the stage doing his final preparations for his concert after
the match. The television crew was already in place with more than 10 cameras
covering the game, promising a great view for the millions that watched the
event live.
The presence of the Chicago Bulls Matadors and
Luvabulls and the Russian cheerleading group of Khimky
gave a perfect opportunity for interviews and the necessary… photographs next to
the girls. While talking to the Luvabulls, it was time for the Matadors to make
their appearance in the stadium in preparation for the event. With red pointy
hair, afro cuts, sun glasses that resembled Christmas lights but most important
very huge waist lines, they brought many laughter before even getting out of the
locker rooms.
The “Spyros Kyprianou†arena was already packed a few minutes before the
jump-ball. It was time for the show. The lights went off and the event started.
First up was Michalis Hatzigiannis who sang two of his popular songs to the
excited crowd while next was Dave the Horn Guy who drove people
crazy with the stuff he can do using just… horns!
Team presentation
The team presentations followed with the Chicago Luvabulls welcoming the Rest of
the World and the Khimky cheerleaders the players of Europe. The most noise was
recorded during the presentation of AEL members
Milutin
Aleksic of Europe,
Jeron
Roberts of Rest of the World and coach
Igors
Miglinieks of Europe. The two Turkish players
Tutku
Acik and
Bekir
Yarangume received applaud by the fans besides the tension between Cyprus
and Turkey proving once again that sports unites.
Three-point competition
Between the first and second period the three-point competition took place with
the local favorite Andreas Pilavas of ENAD Agios Dometios beating all odds and
winning the competition. Pilavas shot last and managed to tie
Arvydas
Cepulis at 14 points and beat
Laurent
Sciarra who had 13. In the final Andreas once with amazing calm and with the
support of the crowd managed to score 15 points and overcome his opponent.
Pilavas talked to Eurobasket Cyprus after the event and told us
that he has been practicing since Saturday when he found out that he will take
part in the competition. With the help of ENAD captain Marios Argyrou, Pilavas
trained his shot at the ENAD stadium to be ready for the All-Star Game.
He said that he believed he could win despite others saying that he will have
the same fate with the other Cypriots that took part in the 2005 and 2006
three-point competitions.
Dunking competition
At halftime it was time for the fans favorite, the dunking competition. Three
players that compete in the Cyprus league, Isaac Burton of Achilleas Kaimakliou,
Ryan
Randle of AEL and
Duke
Tshomba of Omonia Nicosia, alongside with two members of the Slamnation
group took part. It was a hard battle with many impressive dunks and Ryan Randle
the winner although Duke Tshomba could win the "motivate the fans" award with
his performance with the microphone! If he didn't miss the dunk then he could
have won the competition.
We watched a dunk over four Matadors, a player kicking the ball while stuck
between the hoop and the back-board. Two hands back dunks were also on the
schedule.
All-Star Game!
The game itself stored many thrills to the spectators with the Rest of the World
winning 105-95. Team Rest of the World managed to finish the first period with a
big 15 point lead (19-34) and kept the lead until the end of the third period.
At halftime Rest of the World were in front by 14 points (45-59) while at the
end of the third quarter the margin dropped down to 12 (69-81).
In the last period Europe managed to come close and even tie the score at 94-94
a couple of minutes to go. But Rest of the World with Erwin Dudley in great form
secured their win (105-95) giving the Rest of the World a 4-0 lead over Europe
in the European All-Star Games since 2004.
Erwin
Dudley of Turk Telekom was voted MVP after he scored 23 points and gathered
4 rebounds. Other five players had double digit points.
Marque
Perry, Kennedy Winston and Andre Hutson had 14 points each, Ariel McDonald
made 13 and Khalid El-Amin scored 11 points.
For Team Europe, Ukrainian star Serhiy Lishchuk scored 15 points while
Arvydas
Cepulis followed with 12 points.
Periods: 19-34, 45-59, 69-81, 95-105 Europe (Svetislav Pesic): Sciarra 11 (3), Padius, Loncar 8,
Aleksic 9, Drozdov 10 (2), Drejer 7, Valters 4, Acik 3 (1), Lishchuk 15,
Yarangume 7 (1), Cepulis 12 (1), Gasol 9. Rest of the World (Zare Markovski): Perry 14 (2), Millage 2,
El-Amin 11 (3), Conlan, Lux 6, Roberts 2, McDonald 13 (1), Reed 4, Giovannoni 2,
Dudley 23, Winston 14 (2), Hutson 14.
When the match was over it was time for the awards with Andreas Pilavas, Ryan
Randle and Erwin Dudley accepting the honours from the hosts.
The end of the event had the Chicago Luvabulls and Matadors and the Khimky
cheerleaders dancing Zorbas with the local folklore group of
Dionysos along with the cheers of the 7 thousand fans in the
evenings most emotional moment
A truly magical night with the hope that FIBA Europe will entrust Cyprus to host
the 2008 FIBA All-Star Game.
FIBA All-Star Game 2007: It's time! - Mar. 19, 2007
It's only a few hours away! Cyprus is all ready to host the FIBA All-Star Day
2007 which is set to take place in the "Spyros Kyprianou" arena in Limassol on
March 20th.
Everything is in place. Eurobasket Cyprus traveled to Limassol on Monday (19/3)
to witness the preparations for the event. The arena is going under the last
touch and everything is ready for the 8 thousand lucky fans that will watch the
All-Star Game live.
The coaches and 24 players are already in Cyprus and so are the entertainment
groups. The Chicago Bulls Luvabulls and Matadors were in a tight schedule with
all the events on Monday while the Russian cheerleaders of Khimky found some
time to pop over to the "Spyros Kyprianou" arena and prepare for Tuesday's
showdown. Popular singer Michalis Hatzigiannis came from Greece and spent Monday
at his home in Nicosia.
In the mean time Limassol is all ready for the event. Banners are hanging in the
seafront avenue while the excitement is high for the European Basketball's
celebration.
Press conference
In the press conference that took place on Monday (19/3) the organizing
committee president Michael Loizides said that it's going to be a great event to
witness and was sure that the arena will be sold out just like the previous two
years the All-Star Game took place in Cyprus.
"Their's a lot of countries that want this event but it's not easy with low
temperatures and bad weather conditions for something like this to be successful
in all levels. Cyprus is a fun country! It's a welcoming place with welcoming
people and everyone knows that they will have fun here. With the excellent team
of my partners who have proven that they can organize such an event
successfully, we provide the necessary and good conditions for the event to take
place here", said Michael Loizides about why Cyprus is the right place for the
All-Star Day.
It's the day!
Tuesday (20/3) is expected to be a long and beautiful day. Two interesting
seminars will take place in the morning, the All-Star coaching seminar and the
Convention of European Basketball. Eurobasket Cyprus will be at Limassol from
early in the morning and bring all action to basketball enthusiasts.
Akasvayu Girona became the last team to clinch a EuroCup Final Four berth by
demolishing Panionios Athens 83-49 in front of crowd of 4100 in Pavello Fontajau
in the third and last game of their quarterfinals play-off. Spanish team gained
their advantage over Greek side in second quarter when they limited vistitors to
just two points. In third quarter they delivered a knockout punch beating their
rivals 29-14.
Marko
Marinovic (183-G-83) (3-for-7 behind the arc) and
Fernando
San Emetrio (6 rebounds) led a balanced Akasvayu scoring attack with 11
points.
Gregor Fucka added 10 points. Akasvayu dominated also the boards, winning
that battle 33-16.
Damir
Maljkovic and
Andre
Hutson had 10 ponts apiece for Panionios. Team from Athens must now focus
all of their attention on reaching the Greek play-offs.
Girona: Marinovic 11, San Emetrio, 11, Fucka 10, Bagaric 9,
Gabriel 8, Gasol 8, Mc Donald 8, Thornton 5, centerton 4, Salenga 4, Sada 3,
Keselj 2. Athens: Hutson 10, Miljkovic 10, Dragojlovic 9, Perperoglou 9,
Winston 5, Angelopoulos 2, Kafkis 2, Subara 2.
FIBA EuroCup: AEL lost in Ukraine and finished a very successful European
campaign - Mar. 14, 2007
It was over before it even started. AEL's dream to qualify to the Final-4 of the
FIBA EuroCup will have to wait one more year. The Cypriot champions suffered a
heavy loss 97-69 by Azovmash in Mariupol and lost 2-1 the quarterfinal series
against the Ukrainian side.
A very successful European season came to an end for AEL and now the Limassol
team will focus on the domestic titles and the FIBA All-Star Game which they are
organizing.
AEL traveled to Ukraine with the support of 100 fans and the hope that they can
break Azovmash's home court following the win last Friday (9/3) in Limassol. But
it was the home side that started the game in a great manner and took the lead
12-2 early on. AEL seemed to be lost in the court and the Ukrainians quickly
built a big lead which they kept to the end. The first period finished with
Azovmash in the lead 31-7 following a 12-0 run!
In the next three periods the two teams were pretty much equal. But the large
margin of the first period put an early end to the game.
Khalid El-Amin was by far Azovmash's top player. The American guard scored 26
points, gathered 5 rebounds and gave 5 assists. Kenan Bajramovic scored 19
points, gathered 7 rebounds and gave 3 assists.
For AEL after the tragic first period, Mike King scored 13 points and gathered 6
rebounds. Urbonas scored 12 points all in the second half while Aleksic and
Randle had 10 points each. But the bad first period didn't allow AEL to fight
for the win.
FIBA All-Star Game 2007: Tickets on sale - Mar. 11, 2007
The organizers of the FIBA EuroCup All-Star Day 2007 that will take place in
Limassol, Cyprus on March 20th announced the pre-selling of the tickets for the
event. The ticket sales will start on Monday (12/3) after 15:00.
The tickets will be sold around the island in chosen places.
In Nicosia:
1. Mad Music Store, City Plaza, Makareiou Ave. (tel.00357-22750505) In Limassol:
1. Alambra kiosk, Gladstonos Str. (tel. 00357-25353221)
2. Valentinos kiosk, Christaki Kranou Str., Germasogeia (tel. 00357-25879992)
3. Ntinos kiosk, Omonia Ave. (tel. 00357-25560249)
4. Valentinos kiosk, Old harbour across dock, (tel. 00357-25355565)
5. In all Musical Paradise (tel. 00357-25392411 and 00357-25324025)
6. LTV-Nikos Solomonides arena
In Larnaka:
1. Michalis Theodotou kiosk, Municipal garden entrance (tel. 00357-24664546)
In Paphos:
1. Antros kiosk, opposite Paphos Fire department (tel. 00357-26953820).
Dynamo Moscow Region said bye to Eurocup - Mar. 10, 2007
Dynamo Moscow Region- Club Estudiantes 74-78 (30-15, 10-19, 14-26, 20-18)
Dynamo Moscow Region had to stop their participation in Eurocup. A pity 74:78
loss at home from Club Estudiantes qualified the latter to the semifinal of the
Eurocup. Club Estudiantes won the first game at home as well 80:70. The series
ended up without the third decisive game.
Roderick
Blakney (181-G-76, college:
S.Carolina St.)and
Nikolai
Padius (197-G-80) top-scored for Dynamo with 14 points.
Marlon
Garnett (188-G-75, college:
Santa Clara)
led the winners with 22 points.
Dynamo had one of the best openings in the Eurocup this season. It finished the
first quarter with 30:15. Estudiantes however started the second quarter on an
18-3 run that tied the game up at 33:33. Dynamo luckily moved through the gears
again and the hosts were 40:34 ahead at half-time.
Club Estudiantes had a better third quarter and won 14:26. In the end of the
last
Nikolai Padius made the score 72:70 with 1:09 on the clock. It was
Marlon
Garnett and
Iker
Iturbe (200-F/C-76, agency:
Court Side,
college: Clemson)
who made the free throws to down Dynamo 78:74. Russian team was eliminated from
Eurocup in the quarterfinal stage. The semifinals of Eurocup will be without
Russian teams. Dynamo Moscow Region:Roderick
Blakney 14,
Nikolai
Padius 14,
Giedrius
Gustas (190-G-80, agency:
Interperformances) 11 Club Estudiantes:Marlon
Garnett 22, McDonald 12
FIBA EuroCup: Inspirational Aleksic sends AEL back to Ukraine for the decisive
match - Mar. 9, 2007
AEL Limassol is right back on track after tying the quarterfinals series of the
FIBA EuroCup to 1-1. The Cypriot side took a thrilling win against Azovmash and
will return to Ukraine for a third all-decisive game on Wednesday (14/3).
In a packed LTV - Nikos Solomonides arena on Friday (9/3) AEL couldn't go wrong
and didn't. The Limassol team took their season's biggest win (until the next
one of course) and won the right to travel back to Mariupol to face Azovmash.
The game: But the game in Limassol had Azovmash written al over it in the beginning.
The visitors took the lead 0-5 and 9-14 while they finished the first period in
front 18-22. In the second quarter Azovmash managed to brake away and take an
eleven point lead (29-40) halfway through the period. But AEL came 5 points
clear (39-44) at the buzzer.
The third period featured an AEL taken out of every Limassol's fans wildest
dreams. The home side with an 11-5 run and the support of their magnificent fans
took the lead 50-49 after a Van de Hare basket. From that point on and until the
end of the game AEL took control over the Ukrainians. The “yellows†took their
biggest lead (63-56, +7) and closed the period in front 65-61.
The final period was exciting. AEL took the lead 67-61 at the beginning but
Azovmash with a 0-7 run regained the lead (67-68). Palalas with a three-pointer
put AEL in front again (70-68). Another three-pointer by Hlebowicki tied the
score at 73-73 while the last time Azovmash had the lead was at 3'57'' before
the end (76-78).
A dunk by Randle tied the score 78-78 and Mike King with a jump shot put AEL
in front 80-78 with 2'35'' remaining. Roberts gave a 5 point cushion to AEL
(83-78) with 1'18'' remaining thanks to a basket-foul. The final 85-79 came with
42'' seconds to go thanks to free-throws by MVP Milutin Aleksic.
Stand-outs:
Milutin Aleksic was AEL's top man. The Serbian forward scored 21 points,
gathered 7 rebounds and gave 5 assists in a splendid show. Jerome Roberts
followed with 20 points while Ryan Randle made 13 and took 5 rebounds.
Turning points:
AEL played great basketball in the third period and turned things around thanks
to Aleksic and Roberts. In a close fought battle, it was AEL's slight better
shooting that gave them the opportunity to edge their opponents.
Virtus reached FIBA EuroCup Final Four with an intense 59-54 low-scoring victory
over Turk Telekom at home in Bologna, Italy on Thursday. Virtus swept the
best-of-three quarterfinal series 2-0 and will face the winner of
Akasvayu-Panionios series in the semifinals.
Christian Drejer (206-F-82) paced home side with 15 points and 8 rebounds.
Top scorer of Game 1
Travis
Best (180-G-72, college:
Georgia Tech)added
11 while
Andrea Michelori (202-F/C-78) noted double-double with 12 points and 10
grabbed rebounds for the winners. German international
Jan-Hendrik Jagla (213-F-81, college:
Penn St.,
agency:
Priority Sports) poured in 13 points and
Haluk
Yildirim (200-F-72, agency:
Interperformances) scored 10 points and had game-high 5 turnovers in loosing
effort for visitors.
Panionios Forthnet Athens -
Akasvayu Girona
82-69 (12-16, 21-23, 18-15, 31-15)
Panionios Forthnet survived its first do-or-die battle of the Quarterfinal
Playoffs and retained hope for a Final Four by downing Akasvayu Girona 82-69 at
home in Athens in Game 2 of their best-of-three series on Thursday. Greek side
tied the series 1-1. The decisive third game will be played next Wednesday in
Girona.
Kennedy Winston (198-F-84, agency:
Priority
Sports, college:
Alabama) led
the winners with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting and 7 rebounds.
Dragan
Dojcin (204-F-76, agency:
BeoBasket)added 18 points with three 3-pointers,
Andre
Hutson (202-F-79, college:
Michigan)scored
15 points while usually bench
Damir
Miljkovic (193-G-80) had 10 of his 14 for Panionios in final quarter.
Bootsy
Thornton (194-G-77, college:
St.John's)
led the way for the Girona with 14 points, 6 rebounds and
Darius
Salenga (197-F-77, agency:
ProTalent) added 11 points.
Akasvayu Girona and Virtus Bologna might qualify to the Final Four of Eurocup
tonight - Mar. 8, 2007
Two games
out of four are scheduled tonight in Eurocup. Panionios hosts Akasvayu Girona,
while Virtus Bologna will play against Turk Telekom. Akasvayu Girona and Virtus
Bologna having already one win can celebrate the semifinal qualification
tonight.
Virtus Bologna was the only team that won the first game away. Italian team
overcame Turk Telekom 95:87 in Turkey. Due to this Bologna has better chances to
advance and might be the first team in the Final Four. In the first game
Travis
Best (180-G-72, college:
Georgia Tech)
led the winners with 24 points and 5 assists.
Erwin
Dudley (204-F/C-81, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Alabama)
poured in 25 points in defeat. By the way Telekom led 67:61 after third quarter
but Virtus came back from the six-point deficit thanks to 22 points combined by
Travis
Best and Brett Blizzard in the final quarter.
The undefeated Akasvayu Girona will also have better chances to step into Final
Four than Panionios. Panionios was defeated 76:68 by Akasvayu in Girona in the
first leg of their best-of-three series.
Gregor
Fucka (214-C-71, agency:
Interperformances) top-scored for the winners with 13 points.
Andre
Hutson (202-F-79, college:
Michigan St.)
paced vistors with double-double 22 points and 10 rebounds. Spanish team will
try to sweep Panionios in order to stay unbeaten. 08.03.2007
Panionios - Akasvayu Girona
Virtus Bologna - Turk Telekom
First Leg of Quarterfinals - Mar. 7, 2007
Turk
Telekom Ankara -
Virtus Bologna
87-95 (26-20, 16-17, 25-24, 20-34)
Virtus Bologna took a big step forwards to reach the Final Four by beating Turk
Telekom 87-95 on the road in overcrowded Ataturk Spor Salonuat Ankara.
Travis
Best (180-G-72, college:
Georgia Tech)
led the winners with 24 points and 5 assits,
Vlado
Ilievski added 18 points with 7 for 11 shooting while
Christian Drejer had 16 points. 25 points of Top scorer of EuroCup
Erwin
Dudley wasn't enough for Turkish side,
Tutku
Acik added 11 points for the hosts. Telekom led 67-61 after third quarter
but Virtus came back from the six-point deficit thanks to 22 points combined by
Travis
Best and
Brett
Blizzard in the final quarter. Akasvayu Girona
- Panionios
Forthnet Athens
76-68(23-19, 21-26, 15-14, 17-9)
With its five starters playing an average of 31 minutes each, Panionios was
defeated 76-68 by Akasvayu in Girona on Tuesday in first leg of their
best-of-three series. 7-0 run at the start of fourth quarter gave the led for
Spanish side and the control of the game until the final buzzer. Only three
Akasvayu's players finished the game with double digits in scoring.
Gregor
Fucka,
Darius
Salenga and
German
Gabriel scored 13, 11 and 10 points respectively, but they got great
35-points support (combined to 11-bench points of Panionios) from the bench.
Andre
Hutson paced vistors with double-double 22 points and 10 rebounds while
Kennedy
Winston added 16 but he was fouled out in 37 minute. MMT
Estudiantes Madrid -
Dynamo Moscow
Region
80-70 (19-21, 23-18, 19-16, 19-15)
Estudiantes Madrid hopes for EuroCup title took a key step forward with an 80-70
home win against Dynamo on Tuesday in the first game of their best-of-three
Quarterfinal Playoffs series. The series moves now to Moscow Region on Thursday,
where if Estudiantes wins, it will advance to the Final Four.
Sergio
Sanchez led Spanish side with 13 points including 3-for-4 behind the arc.
Hernan
Jasen and
Gonzalo
Martinez added 11 points apiece. Argentina international also pulled down 9
rebounds.
Goran
Nikolic who came off the bench popped in 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.
Nikita
Morgunov poured in 20 points (4-for-5 three-pointers) in loosing effort for
vistitors while
Nikolai
Padius scored 15 points.
FIBA EuroCup: Second half tragedy for AEL in Ukraine - Mar. 6, 2007
AEL Limassol suffered a heavy loss in the first game of the quarterfinal round
of the FIBA EuroCup. The Cypriot team lost in Ukraine against Azovmash by 25,
88-63 and now trails the series 1-0. The visitors crumbled in the second half
after an even first part which both teams were tied 34-34.
The second game will take part in Limassol on March 9th and AEL needs the win to
tie the series and return to Ukraine for an all decisive third game. If the
Cypriot champions play like they did in the first half then they have every
right to hope for a win against Azovmash.
The game:
Both teams started the game evenly with AEL leading 2-6 at the beginning.
Azovmash regained the lead at 13-12 and built a 8 point lead, 22-14 a few
moments before the end of the period. AEL with a basket came six points behind
22-16 at the end of the first quarter.
The second period belonged to AEL mainly thanks to King and Randle. The
visitors, who traveled to Ukraine with a support of 100 fans, tied the score
halfway through the period (28-28) and remained near to the home side until the
end of the half (34-34). The second part was predicted to be a thriller.
But no thriller occurred. Azovmash returned on the court decisive to regain a
big margin and did exactly that. With a 14-2 run the Ukrainians shot their lead
to a double figure and never looked back. The difference grew to 15 points
(56-41) a minute before the end of the period. Liadellis and Bajramovic were
impressive while El-Amin also helped a lot.
The rest of the game went by with the margin around 25 points and AEL unable to
come close. So Azovmash took a well deserved victory and now aims to finish the
series in Limassol. But AEL has proven this season that they are capable for
anything and one thing is for sure, they won't give up.
Game analysis:
AEL lost the game thanks to their bad percentage and the lack of concentration
at the beginning of the third period when Azovmash created some impressive runs.
2/19 three-pointers is an unacceptable stat for a leading team in Europe and the
main reason they lost the game. 10 missed free-throws (17/27) are also a lot.
Azovmash had 2 rebounds more (38-36) than AEL while assists and turnovers were
also close for both teams. So it's obvious that the bad shooting was the main
factor for the loss.
Standouts: Three players for Azovmash finished the game with 15 points.
Khalid
El-Amin (178-G-79) also gave 5 assists; Liadellis helped a lot in the
organizing factor while Bajramovic dashed down 8 rebounds. Botichev's 9 rebounds
and 3 assists were also positive for the Ukrainians.
For AEL, the second half was a tragedy they would want to forget as soon as
possible. Randle and King were the top scorers with 18 and 14 points
respectively.
Periods: 22-16, 34-34, 56-43, 88-63
PIZZAEXPRESS Vs CSK-VVS SAMARA - Mar. 1, 2007
FIBA CUP
PIZZAEXPRESS Vs CSK-VVS SAMARA 77-75 ( 25-19, 19-21, 17-16, 16-19 )
match on 28.02.07
Short Stats:
PIZZAEXPRESS: Shelton III 15, Oden 14, Tomeljak 12, Damjanovic 20, Hadzija 3,
Vukicevic 12, Kandic 1
CSK-VVS SAMARA: Gibbs 9, Shabalkin 34, Cook 40, Osipov 12, Baranov 1
About the game:
34 points from up-and-coming star Nikita Shabalkin were not enough for CSK-VVS
Samara to defeat Pizza Express Apollon Limassol in game one of their EuroCup
Challenge semi-final.
Instead it was home side Limassol who sneaked a 77-75 victory inside the final
minute and will take a two-point lead into the second game in Samara on 8th
March.
The 21-year old Shabalkin kept his side in contention almost single-handedly in
the first half. He hit nine of his first 10 field goal attempts for 24 points as
Limassol took a 44-40 lead into the break.
A 12-4 run saw Limassol take a double digit lead midway through the third
quarter, but thanks to some strong inside play from center Taras Osipov (eight
points in four minutes), Samara cut the lead to three points at the start of the
final quarter (61-58).
An Evgeny Voronov dunk plus foul then tied the scores at 61-61.
It was then back to Limassol as the Cypriot side reeled off eight straight
points to go back in front, 69-61.
After a lay-up from Kelvin Gibbs, Shabalkin got back on the scoresheet with a
three-pointer. Omar Cook split a pair from the line and a lay-up from Shabalkin
saw Samara pull to within one point, 70-69, with three minutes to play.
Both teams traded free throws before Shabalkin struck again, converting a lay-up
plus foul and free throw to give Samara a 73-71 advantage.
Shabalkin turned from hero to villain on the next play when his turnover gifted
Limassol two free throws, and Earnest Shelton duly tied the game.
A second turnover from Shabalkin gave Limassol another opportunity at the line
and Johnathan Oden obliged with two free throws to give the home side a 75-73
lead.
With just 10 seconds to play, Gibbs missed a lay-up forcing Samara to foul.
Sheldon took advantage once again and Limassol increase the lead to four points,
77-73.
Shabalkin, however, was not quite done and his dunk inside the last 10 seconds
cut the deficit to just two points for the final score 77-75.
Aleksandar Damjanovic led Limassol with 20 points while Shabalkin finished with
impressive 14/15 from the field for his 34 points.
FIBA All-Star Game 2007: Rosters announced by FIBA Europe - Feb. 23, 2007
FIBA Europe announced the rosters of the 2007 FIBA All-Star Game that will take
place in Limassol, Cyprus on March 20th.
From hosts AEL, two players will participate while head coach Igor Miglinieks
will pair up with Svetislav Pesic of Girona on the bench of Europe. Milutin
Aleksic will compete for Team Europe while Jeron Roberts will play for the Rest
of the World.
FIBA All-Star Game: It's back and it's bigger! - Feb. 23, 2007
The organizers of the 2007 FIBA All-Star Game
that will take place in Limassol, Cyprus on the 20th of
March presented the event to press and fans during a press conference
that took place in Nicosia on Friday (23/2). An event that Eurobasket will be
present and give all basketball fans the latest from Cyprus' basketball capital!
With the 8000 tickets expected to sell out fast, the organizers
DTL EKA AEL Limassol unveiled the program of the All-Star Game and the artists
that will appear in Limassol during the event.
The biggest name that will take the stage at “Spyros Kyprianou†arena is Cypriot
singer Michalis Hadjigiannis who will present seven well known
songs to the fans. Hadjigiannis is very popular in Cyprus and Greece and has
been awarded many times while his albums and CD's have high sales in the two
countries.
What promises to be a magical night, many surprises and thrills are expected for
the fans! Dave the Horn Guy promises to dazzle people away with the music he can
create using… horns while beautiful cheerleaders, the Luvabulls of the Chicago
Bulls and the girls from Khimky Russia, will entertain during halftime and time
outs.
The fans favorites from the 2006 event, the Chicago Matadors will be back with
their excessive… weight and are sure to create a lot of smiles to the
spectators! Speaking of the fans, they will participate in this year's event
with many contests inside and outside of the field!
In the main event, Team Europe will face Team Rest of the World promising an
action packed match.
But the FIBA All-Star Day 2007 won't be only show but will feature many more.
The All-Star Day will start from Sunday, 18th of March and will last for three
days with many events outside the court and around Limassol. Referee, Coaching
and European basketball seminars will take place with the participation of some
big names of basketball in the continent while the official grand opening of
AEL's home arena, the LTV-Nikos Solomonides stadium, will also take place by the
president of FIBA Europe Mr. Georgios Vasilakopoulos.
The entire program of the All-Star Day:
Day 1: Sunday 18th of March 2007
1. Referee Seminar
Miguel Betancor and Richard Stokes (FIBA Europe)
Day 2: Monday 19th of March 2007
1. Press conference (11:30)
Four Seasons hotel
2. Grand opening of the Athletic Center “LTV - Nikos Solomonides†(18:00)
- Speeches
- Placing of plaque by FIBA Europe president Mr. Vasilakopoulos
- Tour of the grounds
- Short game with kids from the academy and with the participation of AEL
Limassol players
3. Gala Dinner (20:30)
- Four Seasons hotel
- Presenters: Kostas Troullouris and Ray Clay (Chicago Bulls)
- Entertainment (Music-show)
Day 3: Tuesday 20th of March
1. Convention of European Basketball (9:00-14:00)
“How to Build Up & Maintain A Champion Teamâ€
Speakers:
- Simon Mizrahi, President Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Michael Loizides, President DTL EKA AEL Limassol B.C.
- Alexander Volkov, President of B.C. Kyiv Ukraine & Olympic Champion 1988
- Philippos Syrigos, Leading Greek Sports Journalist
- Stavros Douvis, Greek General Secretary of Sports
- Dr. Titos Christofidis, President of Cyprus Sports Organization.
2. All-Star Game Coaching Seminar
- Michael Schwartz, Zare Markoviski and Svetislav Pesic.
3. Main event: All-Star Game (19:00-22:00)
Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Center
Entertainment part:
- Three-point competition
- Slam Dunk competition (also with the participation of players from the Cyprus
league)
- Cheerleaders (Luvabulls - Khimky)
- Chicago Matadors
- Robe Acrobats
- Fan intervention - Hocus Pocus
- Dave the Horn guy
- Presenters: Kostas Troullouris & Ray Clay (Chicago Bulls) / In English Richard
Mahorn
- Michalis Hadjigiannis
4. Official Party
At Pebbles with DJ Mathew Charles.
Round 2: Day 6 - Feb. 21, 2007
Week 6, the last one the FIBA EuroCup 2nd Round,
has given up the name of the last two qualifiers to the play-offs.
Dynamo Moscow
Region and
Panionios Athens are the luckier which will continue their EuroCup's
challenge. Tuesday evening also solved the problem of first and second places in
all groups.
In Group I Estudiantes got
73-87 road win at Liege behind 21 points from
William
McDonald (207-C-79, college:
S.Florida).
25 points for Belgian side got
Stephane
Pelle. AEL had beaten BC Siaulai at Limmasol
94-85 thanks to 25 points of
Milutin
Aleksic. Spanish finished with 5-1 record atop Group I because of a superior
points differential in the two meetings with Cypriot side and both teams went to
next round, while Liege and Siauliai dropped to 1-5.
In Gorup J fourth quarter come back (13-22) of Dynamo MR helped
to defeat
73-76 Maroussi Athens. Azovmash Mariupol thrashed ASK
57-79 at Riga what cut all Latvian chances for play-offs. Ukrainian had won
group with 5-1 record and advanced with Dynamo (4-2). ASK Riga finished season
with 3 wins and 2 looses, while Maroussi had lost six straight games in second
round.
In Group K Lokomotiv tried to find way to play-offs but they
had lost
92-80 with Turk Telekom at Ankara. Top scorer of EuroCup
Erwin
Dudley paced Turk with 25 points. Panionios got important victory
80-68 over Charleroi which improved their record to 3-3 and helped advanced
to elimination round. Turkish side stayed atop Group K with 5-1 record.
Lokomotiv Rostov had 3-3 but they had lost twice against Panionios what placed
them outside the play-offs.
BC Kalev stayed winless in Group K. Estonian side had lost with
JDA Dijon
68-64 after fourth quarter come back (18-6) French side. Akasvayu Girona
stayed only unbeaten team in EuroCup after
84-89 win over Virtus. Team from Bologna finished Second Round with 4-2
record and also advanced to play-offs.
Analysis of Azovmash Mariupol, opponent of AEL Limassol in the last 8 - Feb. 20,
2007
Azovmash Mariupol of Ukraine (www.btazovmash.com) is AEL Limassol's opponent
in the quarterfinals of the FIBA EuroCup. Following the results of day 6 of the
second group stage of the competition, AEL finished second in group I' and will
face team ranked 1st in group J' which is the Ukrainian outfit.
For day six Azovmash beat ASK Riga in Latvia 57-79 and completed their 5-1
record in the stage. In this year's FIBA EuroCup Azovmash has 9 win and 3 losses
(them by Lokomotiv Rostov, Banvit and Dynamo Region).
Players: Khalid
El-Amin (178-G-79) is the top scorer for Azovmash in this season's
competition. The American guard has 14.5 ppg (12 games) while Bosnian
International Kenan Bajramovic follows with 11.6 ppg.
Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) and
Serhiy
Lishchuk (210-C/F-82) also have double digit point average in the
competition. The Greek former international has 10.6 while the Ukrainian
international follows with 10.4. The latest also has 103 rebounds in 12 games
this season.
Newcomer
Ricardo Powell (201-F-83) is another player on the team's roster which also
features a third American
Jermaine
Jackson (195-G-76) with a long NBA career (Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors,
Atlanka Hawks, NY Knicks, Chicago Bulls and the Milwaukee Bucks).
Slaven
Rimac (195-G-74) from Croatia is also another well known player on
Azovmash's roster.
Head coach:
Head coach of the team is Lithuanian Rimas Girskis (b. 1949) since December of
2004.
Home arena:
Home court of the team is the Azovmash Arena with a capacity of 1580 fans.
Trophy room:
The team has three Ukrainian Superleague titles (2003, 2004, 2006) and two
Ukrainian Cups (2002, 2006).
FIBA EuroCup: AEL beat BC Siauliai in a stylish matter! - Feb. 20, 2007
AEL finished their group stage of the FIBA EuroCup in a stylish matter. The
Limassol team beat Lithuanian side BC Siauliai 94-85 on Tuesday (20/2) evening
in a fan packed, boiling LTV-Nikos Solomonides arena.
The win for the Cypriot champions came after a brake in the last seven minutes
of the final period when the 68-68 score line was the last time both teams were
in touch. Mike King and Milutin Aleksic were the standouts for the home side in
the final period while Ryan Randle was also a key player for the Limassol
victory.
Mike King entered the last period with 2 points but finished the game
with 11, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Milutin Aleksic was game MVP with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a
thumping 25 points with great percentage (7/9 free-throws, 9/11 two-pointers,
0/1 three-pointers). Ryan Randle finished the game with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2
assists.
The game
AEL led 15-10 halfway through the first period but Siauliai finished the quarter
in front 19-25. In the second period Siauliai with a 0-9 run took a 30-37 lead
but AEL went to the lockers with a 2 point lead, 43-41, thanks to an Aleksic
lay-up.
The Serbian forward finished the first half with only 5 points but in the second
half he was amazing. He scored 11 points in the third period (and another 9 in
the fourth) but both teams remained close by thanks to some good plays by
Cepulis and Vaiciunas for the visitors.
The final period featured an improved Mike King and AEL followed foot. The last
time the two teams were in touch was at 68-68. The Limassol side with a 20-5 run
made the score 88-73 and put an end to the game. The final 94-85 came after an
opened last two minutes of the match.
Periods: 19-25, 43-41, 62-61, 94-85
AEL Limassol: Urbonas 14 (1), King 11 (1), Aleksic 25, Randle
20, Roberts 11 (3), Palalas 4, Kounounis 2, Perentos, Van de Hare, Hlebowicki 7.
Eurocup holds last round in the groups tonight - Feb. 20, 2007
Today will be the last day for 8 teams in Eurocup.
Eight other teams however will be luckier as they continue the struggle for the
trophy in the quarterfinals.
GROUP I
In group I everything was clear even during the last games. It is for sure that
Club Estudiantes and AEL qualified to the quarterfinals. The only question they
will solve about the first and the second places.
GROUP J
Azovmash is 99% in the quarterfinal from Group J. The only miracle that leaves
them out of it will be loss of more then 35 points to ASK Riga and the win of
Dynamo over Maroussi Athens. So, mostly Dynamo and ASK Riga are finding out the
situation for the second place.
20.02.2007
Maroussi Athens-Dynamo Moscow Region
ASK Riga -Azovmash
GROUP K
Turk Telekom feels safety with 4-1 in group K. Lokomotiv Rostov and Panionios BC
have chances to advance to the quarterfinals and to join the Turkish team.
20.02.2007
Turk Telekom -Lokomotiv Rostov
Panionios BC -Spirou Charleroi
GROUP L In Group L Virtus will play against Akasvayu Girona in order to find
out the leader of the group. Both teams qualified to the quarterfinals over the
last games.
20.02.2007
JDA Dijon-BC Kalev
Virtus -Akasvayu Girona
Round 2: Day 5 - Wednesday - Feb. 14, 2007
GROUP L
Akasvayu Girona - JDA Dijon
117-83 (30-15, 38-22, 20-25, 29-21)
Akasvayu Girona registred an 117-83 blowout in a Pavello Fontajau. Spanish side
showed intentions of getting ready for play-offs quarterfinals. Akasvayu stayed
only unbeaten team in EuroCup's 2nd Phase, while Dijon is 1-4 with no chances
for next round. Fernando San Emeterio scored season-high 39 points with
10-for-11 behind the arc. 23-years old Spanish swingman noted also 5 rebounds
and 4 assists.
Arriel
McDonald (191-G-72, college:
Minnesota)
and Gabriel added 14 points (4 for 6 triples) and 13 points (3 for 5
three-pointers) for the winners. Maleye N'Doye with his season-high 31 points
led the visitors, while Sciarra dished out 12 assits and steal 5 balls in
loosing effort.
BC Kalev - Virtus Bolognia
82-85 (26-17, 15-14, 20-24, 21-30)
Virtus Bologna got important 82-85 away victory over Kalev which keep their
chances for first place in GROUP L still alive. Visitors improved their record
to 4-1 while Estonian joined Maroussi as only winnless team in 2nd Round.
Blizzard led five double digits scorers of Bologna with 18 points, Evtimov and
Ilievski poured in 17 and 16 points respectively. Danish forward
Christian Drejer (206-F/G-82, college:
Florida)
noted 11 points while
Andrea
Crosariol (212-C-84, college:
Fairleigh
Dickinson) added 10 points and 9 rebounds for Italian side. Burlacu paced
home side with 23 points and EuroCup's top scorer
Travis
Reed (203-C-79, agency:
Court Side,
college: Long
Beach St.) had double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Round 2: Day 5 - Feb. 14, 2007
GROUP I
Liege Basket - DTL EKA AEL Limassol
58-77 (10-17, 14-17, 22-14, 12-29)
AEL Limassol of Cyprus got a commanding 58-7 rad win that didn't leave the
decision of who qualifies from Group I for final week of 2nd Round. AEL is now
atop group standings at 4-1 , while Liege drops to 1-4. After Pelle jump shot at
the start of fourth quarter was tie 48-48, but then 4-18 run of Cypriot side
help to get full control of the game.
Mike
King (193-G-78, college:
George
Washington) scored 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 8
rebounds.
Ryan
Randle (206-F-81,
agency:
Passing Lane, college:
Maryland) (8
rebounds) and
Jeron
Roberts (194-G/F-76, agency:
Gross Zeev
ISA, college:
Wyoming)
also did a great job with 16 and 14 points apiece and 12 for 16 2P FG.
Stephane
Pelle (204-C/F-80, college:
Colorado)
scored game-high in EuroCup 25 points and added 13 rebounds while
Xavier
Collette (184-G-85) led the team playmaking with 9 assits in loosing effort.
Club Estudiantes - BC Siauliai
95-70 (26-15, 23-19, 20-18, 26-18)
The Mariano De Pablos era at Estudiantes began with a 25-points victiory over BC
Siauliai. The convincing win improved Estu's record to 4-1, thus clinching a
place in the quarter-finals.
William
McDonald (207-C-79,
college:
S.Florida) led the winners with 17 points and 5 rebounds, while Silvera
Torres added 16-of-43 bench points.
Goran
Nikolic (205-C-76, agency:
Beo
Basket) was also helpful with his 12 points.
Arvydas
Cepulis (195-G-79, agency:
Court Side)
paced visitors with 15 points inluding three 3-pointers but the Lithuanian fell
to 1-4 in Group I.
GROUP J
Dynamo Moscow Region - Azovmash Mariupol
68-51 (25-11, 16-11, 15-16, 12-13)
First quarter won 25-11 by Dynamo was key to 68-51 victory over Azovmash.
Ukrainian side is now 4-1 while hosts improve their record to 3-2 and keep alove
their chances of reaching the next stage of competition. What's more, Dynamo
managed to erase all the 11 points of difference thet Azovmash had won by when
the teams firts met in Ukraine.
Roderick
Blakney (181-G-76, college:
S.Carolina St.)
was Dynamo's high man on Tuesday, scoring 16 points (10 of 12 free throws) and
he pulled down 5 rebounds to go with 3 steals.
Igor
Zamansky (202-F-77) and
Nikita
Morgunov (211-F-75, agency:
Interperformances) who came of the bench had 13 and 10 points respectively.
Kenan
Bajramovic (206-F-81, agency:
Beo
Basket) poured in 16 points for visitors and grabbed 7 rebounds. The only
other double-figure scorer for the Ukraine side was
Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74), who collected 12 points.
Maroussi Athens - ASK Riga
68-70 (19-19, 19-12, 13-23, 17-16) Curtis
Millage's (186-G-81, college:
Arizona St.)
jump shot with just one second remaining lifted ASK Riga to a 70-68 triumph
againts Maroussi at Athens. Greek are still winnles in Group J, while Riga
improved to a 3-2 record, the same as Dynamo who are in second place becouse of
a superior points differential in the two meetings between the clubs. American
point guard who got the victory for the visitors scored 18 points while
Sandis
Valters (193-G/F-78, agency:
Arik Krayn
Services) noted 11 points with only 2-for-12 shooting.
Raitis
Grafs (210-C-81, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Valparaiso)
and
Steponas Babrauskas (197-G/F-84) chipped in 10 points apiece.
Renaldas
Seibutis (196-G-85) nailed 12 points for the hosts.
GROUP KK Turk Telekom - Panionios BC Athens
78-77 (21-22, 18-14, 22-24, 17-17)
The dream season of Turkish league leaders continued 78-77 thriumph over
Panionios. Telekom clinched a place in quarter-finals of EuroCup. Greek side
with 2-3 record still has the chances for next round cause a superior points
differential in the two meetings with Lokomotiv. They will play next week with
Spirou at Athens.
Erwin
Dudley (204-F/C-81, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Alabama) led
four Turk scorers in double figures with 18 points.
Derrick
Alston (208-C/F-72, agency:
Priority Sports, college:
Duquesne)
added 14 points and 6 rebounds, while
Tutku
Acik (193-G-80) who dished out 5 assits and
Jan-Hendrik Jagla (213-F-81, agency:
Priority Sports, college:
Penn St.)
got 11 and 10 respectively.
Kennedy
Winston (198-F-84, agency:
Priority
Sports, college:
Alabama)
popped in game high 20 points for visitors and
Andre
Hutson (202-F-79, college:
Michigan St.)
had 16.
Lokomotiv Rostov - Spirou Charleroi
75-66 (17-12, 16-14, 18-20, 24-20)
Spirou Charleroi stayed without option to advance to Quarterfinal Playoffs after
Lokomotiv defeated Belgian side 75-66. They are now on the bottom of Group K
with 1-4 record while Lokomotiv got second spot with 3-2.
Kresimir
Loncar (210-F-83) and
Sergei
Toporov (197-F-81) led the winners with 16 points each, they also pulled
down 13 rebounds together. For guests,
Kris
Sergeant (193-G/F-78) led the way with 14 points including 4 for 4 triples.
Club Estudiantes rolled over Siauliai 95:70 and advanced to the
quarterfinals - Feb. 14, 2007
Club Estudiantes- Siauliai 95:70 (26-15,
23-19, 20-18, 26-18)
Siauliai lost the fourth game in Eurocup and eliminated from the tournament. The
team will play one more game, however it will be only the prestigious game. In
the fifth game Lithuanian team was upset in Spain by Club Estudiantes 70:95.
Spanish team dominated in all four quarters and won truthfully.
Will
McDonald (196-F) led the way with 17 points.
Arvydas
Cepulis (195-G-79, agency:
Court Side)
was the top-scorer for Lithuanians with 15 points.
Siauliai could qualify to the quarterfinals. The team had two tasks-to beat
Spanish team and in the last game overcome AEL in Cyprus. That was impossible
looking at the first result. Club Estudiantes started to play offensive
basketball from the first minutes of the game. Lithuanians lost the first 15:26,
however it was not time for them to give up. Darius Pakamanis and Marius
Prekevicius hit back-to-back three-pointers as Siauliai trimmed Spanish lead to
28:23 with 7:53 to play in the first half. However
Goran
Nikolic (205-C-76, agency:
Beo
Basket) and McDonald scored their team's next six points as Estudiantes
opened up a double-digit lead again and a 49:34 lead at half-time. Later on the
Spanish team could control the game. They won the third 20:18 and advantaged in
the last with 26:18.
Next game Siauliai will play in Cyprus against AEL on February 20th. Estudiantes
meets Liege from Belgium.
Curtis Millage makes Latvian dreams come true scoring a jump shot with just one
second remaining - Feb. 14, 2007
Maroussi Athens-ASK Riga 68:70 ( 19-19, 19-12, 13-23, 17-16 )
ASK Riga celebrated the third win in Eurocup last night. Latvian team had a
tough road victory over Maroussi Athens 68:70. Due to the third quarter that
they won 23:13 they could keep the score for good.
Curtis
Millage (186-G-81, college:
Arizona St.)
led the winners with 18 points. It was him who made a jump shot with just one
second remaining.
Renaldas
Seibutis (196-G-85) top-scored for the hosts with 12 points.
ASK Riga shows two different strategies and the basketball itself in the
tournaments they participate. ASK Riga is on the bottom of BBL, however
struggles hard in Eurocup. Latvian team proved their opportunities to fight for
the second place in Group J beating Greek team.
ASK had a promising start and scored the game's first seven points. Maroussi
Athens tied the score in the end of the opening quarter and went ahead in the
second. Before the second half the board showed 38:31 for the hosts. In the
third quarter Latvians overwhelmed Greek team 23:13. It helped them to tie and
to control the game for a while. In the end of the game
Curtis
Millage made Latvian dreams come true scoring a jump shot with just one
second remaining. Riga won 70:68 and increased at 3-2 in the group.
With only one game remaining ASK Riga must win at home against Azovmash in their
last game, and hope Maroussi do them a favour by winning at home over Dynamo.
FIBA EuroCup: AEL through to the quarterfinals after a 58-77 win in
Belgium - Feb. 13, 2007
AEL is through to the FIBA EuroCup quarterfinals after their emphatic 58-77 win
against Liege in Belgium on Tuesday (13/2). The Cypriot champions had control of
the game and showed character when the home side managed to tie the score in the
beginning of the last period. With a great run in the last minutes AEL secured
the win and claimed their advancement to the next round.
AEL had the lead at the end of the first period with 10-17 but Liege with an 8-0
run went ahead (18-17) for the last time in the match. At halftime the Cypriots
were in front 24-34.
The third period belonged to the home side. Liege managed to come close thanks
to Stephane Pelle who scored 10 points in the quarter and helped his team trail
by just 2, 46-48 at the end of the third period.
The Cameroonian center with a jump-shot in the beginning of the fourth period
tied the score at 48-48 which was the last time AEL and Liege had contact. From
that point on the visitors from Cyprus re-took control and brushed aside their
opponents.
A 0-8 run put AEL in front 48-56 with King, Urbonas, Randle and Roberts guiding
their team to safety. A 12-29 score in the last period, with the final basket
coming from a dunk by King, gave the win to the Limassol side and sent them to
the quarterfinals.
Mike
King (193-G-78) with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, Ryan Randle with
16 points and 8 rebounds and Jerome Roberts with 14 points and 3 assists were
the standouts for the winners. For Liege, Pelle's 25 points and 13 rebounds
would have easily given him the MVP title if he wasn't on the loser's side.
Periods: 10-17, 24-34, 46-48, 58-77 Liege: Delva, Souchy 11 (1), Kabeya 2, Collette 4, Conlan 2,
Huggins 4, Lhoest 10, Darmont, Pelle 25. AEL Limassol: Urbonas 9, King 17 (3), Aleksic 8, Randle 16,
Roberts 14 (1), Palalas 5, Kounounis, Van de Hare 8, Hlebowicki.
FIBA EuroCup: AEL won in OT and continues to impress! - Jan. 31, 2007
AEL Limassol continued to impress in this seasons FIBA EuroCup. The Cypriot
champions forced another European powerhouse to leave Cyprus with a defeat in
their packages. The new victims of the “yellows†are the Spanish side Club
Estudiantes. The game on Tuesday (30/1) was as dramatic as a basketball game can
get with the Cypriots winning 63-62 in OT thanks a buzzer block by
Mike
King (193-G-78) who stopped Sergio Cardenas' potential game winning lay-up.
The game was a tough contest with the visitors from Spain having a slight upper
hand. Estudiantes led at halftime 29-38 but AEL, with a good run in the third
period and with the support of 2500 fans that packed the arena, took the lead
42-41 with less than three minute remaining for the end of the third quarter.
The rest of the game had both teams near by. Estudiantes had a 57-59 lead, 42
seconds to go. Ryan Randle took a three-pointer but missed with Jeron Roberts
rebounding and giving to King who scored a jump-shot, drawing the game. Iker
Iturbe's three-pointer at the end didn't hit target so the game went to OT.
American Mike King scored a two-pointer and then a free-throw in the final
moments turning the 60-62 lead of the Spaniards to a 63-62 score for the home
side. The American completed a great game with the game determine block-shot at
the end.
Mike King was obviously the game MVP, not only for his actions in the last
seconds but for the 16 points and 5 rebounds he finished the game with. Milutin
Aleksic scored 15 points, gathered 4 rebounds and gave 3 assists. Dutch center
Van de Hare dashed down 10 rebounds.
AEL is now second the group, tied with Estudiantes at 3 wins and 1 loss. Liege
and Siaulai have 1 win and 3 losses. The Cypriot team is very close to
qualification since a win against the Lithuanians in Limassol may settle the
matter.
Periods: 13-12, 29-38, 44-45, 59-59, 63-62 AEL Limassol: Urbonas 2, King 16, Ceranic, Aleksic 15, Randle
8, Roberts 8, Palalas 7 (1), Kounounis 3, Van de Hare 4, Spyrou, Hlebowicki. Club Estudiantes: Martinez 2, Silveira 8, Sanchez 12, Nikolic
4, Sanikidze, McDonald 10, Mendiburu 2, Garnett 7 (1), Jasen 12 (1), Iturbe,
Suarez 5 (1).
Round 2 - Day 4 - Jan. 31, 2007
GROUP I
BC Siauliai - Liege Basket t
87-82 (21-25, 21-20, 18-17, 27-20) DTL EKA AEL Limassol - Club Estudiates Madrid
63-62OT (13-12, 16-26, 15-7, 15-14, 4-3)
Great performance of
Arvydas
Cepulis (195-G-79, agency:
Court Side)
who scored 13 of his 30 points in fourth quarter gave 87-82 home victory for BC
Siauliai over Liege Basket.
Tadas
Klimavicius (204-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) noted 3rd straight double-double in 2nd round of EuroCup
with with 12 points and 11 rebounds while
Arturas
Masiulis (210-C-80) noted 15 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Travis
Conlan (194-G-75, college:
Michigan)
led Belgian playmaking with 17 assists.
Karim
Souchu (198-F-79, college:
Furman) and
Roger
Huggins (200-F-67, agency:
Gross Zeev
ISA, college:
Hawaii-Pacific)
topscored visitors with 23 and 22 points respectively.
AEL Limassol got ist 3rd win in Group I beating 63-62 Estudiantes.
Mike
King (193-G-78, college:
George
Washington) (15 points, 5 rebounds) had put Cypriot side in front with 22
seconds left when he split 2 free throws and blocked a potential game-winning
lay-up by
Sergio
Sanchez (189-G-81) (12 points, 0-for-4 behind the arc) at the end of
overtime.
Madrid and Limassol are atop group standings with 3-1 records while Liege Basket
and BC Siauliai with 1-3 have only theoretical chances for play-offs.
GROUP J Azovmash Mariupol - Maroussi Athens
78-72OT (16-16, 21-17, 13-15, 11-13, 17-11) ASK Riga - Dynamo Moscow Region
68-63 (15-18, 13-16, 16-12, 24-17)
Azovmash need overtime, but finally beat Maroussi 78-72. Greek Kaimakoglu (14
points, 7 rebounds) with his jump shot made a 61-61 tie in the game, he also
missed potential game-winning 3-pointer three seconds before end of regular
time.
Khalid El-Amin (178-G-79, agency:
Beo
Basket, college:
Connecticut)
led Azovmash with 20 points, he got a lot of help from Lishchuk who scored 11
points and grabbed game-high 11 rebounds.
Renaldas
Seibutis (196-G-85) and
Danya
Abrams (201-F-74, college:
Boston Coll.)
had 17 points each for visitors.
23 points with 9-for-17 from the field of
Curtis
Millage (186-G-81, college:
Arizona St.)
helped to get 68-63 victory over Dynamo.
Sandis
Valters (193-G/F-78, agency:
Arik Krayn
Services) added 15 points for the winners.
Roderick
Blakney (181-G-76, college:
S.Carolina St.)
with his 15 points was only player with double digits in scoring for lossing
side Moscow Region.
Azovmash improved its record to 4-0. On the other side of standings in Group J
is Maroussi with 0-4. Riga's victory gave 2-2 record and keep the chances for
next round still alive while Dynamo dropped to 2-2.
GROUP K Panionios Athens - Lokomotiv Rostov
75-57(16-20, 20-9, 19-13, 20-15)
Spirou Charleroi - Turk Telekom73-77 (27-23, 18-19, 14-16, 14-19)
Panionios used a great second quarte to thrashed Lokomotiv 75-57. Russian side
committed 19 turnovers, compared to just seven for the hosts.
Kennedy
Winston (198-F-84, agency:
Priority
Sports, college:
Alabama) and
Andre
Hutson (202-F-79, college:
Michigan St.)
who came back after injury led Greek side with 18 and 12 points respectively.
American power forward added also nine rebounds.
Omar
Sneed (198-F-76, college:
Memphis)
paced Rostov with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Turk Telekom defeated Spirou Charleroi on the road in a breathtaking game and
moved back to the first place in Group K after Panionios' victory over Lokomotiv
Rostov. Despite Jan Hendrik Jagla's early foul trouble and
Corey
Brewer (188-G-75, college:
Oklahoma)'s
big effort for the hosts Turk Telekom managed to outplay Spirou Charleroi front
court in the decisive minutes thanks to
Erwin
Dudley (204-F/C-81, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Alabama)&Derrick
Alston duo and grabbed a cruical 77-73 victory.
Erwin
Dudley finished the game with 23 points, 6 boards and 7 turnovers as
Tutku
Acik (193-G-80) added 12 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and 3 boards. Former
Aris guard
Corey
Brewer notted a team high 20 points and dished out 6 assists for the hosts.
(posted bySerdar Ortakuyu).
Telekom with 3-1 record took a leading in Group K after road victore. Panionios
and Lokomotiv after Day4 of EuroCup are with 2-2, while Charleroi dropped to
1-3.
GROUP L JDA Dijon - Virtus Bologna
78-94 (19-16, 22-27, 18-24, 19-27)
Virtus played with the pressure after consecutive defeats to Akasvayu and Varese
in Lega A, but took a giant step towards EuroCup quarter-fianls by registring a
superb 78-94 win over Dijon.
Kris Lang (211-F/C-79,
agency:
SportsTalent, college:
N.Carolina)
noted game-high 25 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for Bologna.
Travis
Best (180-G-72, college:
Georgia Tech)
and
Dusan Vukcevic (201-F-75, agency:
Interperformances) who came off the bench popped in 13 and 12 points
respectively for the vinners.
Abdoulaye M'Baye (187-G-88) and
Vakhtang
Natsvlishvili (203-F-76) poured in 19 points apiece in the loosing effort.
Italian are now with 3-1 record while this lose dropped French to 1-3.
BC Kalev will play with Akasvayu Girona on 31.01.2007
Dynamo MR takes a win over Maroussi in FIBA EuroCup - Jan. 24, 2007
Dynamo MR - Maroussi Athens 63 : 54 (17:18, 16:12,
14:10, 16:14)
Group J, Moscow Region (RUS)
Referees: Gianluca Mattioli(ITA), Mehmet Keseratar(TUR), Janusz Calik(POL)
Dynamo Moscow Region survived a furious fourth-quarter fightback to win 63-54
over Maroussi in Tuesday's EuroCup action.
The Russians prevailed for the second time in three Round II games and condemned
the Greek outfit to their third defeat in Group J, leaving them needing to win
three straight to have a chance of progressing to the next phase of the
competition.
Roderick Blakney, facing his former team, made a lay-up with 6:12 remaining to
lift the Moscow Region side into a 56-46 lead and the victory looked to be
heading the way of the home team.
But Donya Abrams knocked down a three-pointer and a lay-up, and Christoforos
Stefanidis then stepped up and buried a shot from the arc to trim the deficit to
56-54 with 2:41 remaining in the contest.
Veteran Russian international Nikita Morgunov steadied Dynamo's nerves with a
jump shot, and after misses for both teams and a Maroussi turnover, Blakney's
lay-up and a three-pointer by Nikolai Padius put the result beyond doubt.
Maroussi's biggest lead in the game came early on when a Renaldas Seibutis
basket made it 9-1.
Dynamo Moscow Region stormed back and ended up taking the lead for good on
Joshua Davis' three-ball two minutes and 17 seconds into the third quarter,
although the game was close until the end.
Abrams led all scorers with 18 points, while Davis paced the Russian team with
16 points and 11 rebounds.
Dynamo did enjoy a big advantage on the boards, out-rebounding Maroussi 34-22.
Short stats of the game:
DYNAMO MOSCOW REGION: Blakney 7, Giedraitis 6, Zamansky 15, Demeshkin 2,
Morgunov 5, Davis 16, Khloponin 2, Padius, N. 7, Gustas 3
MAROUSSI ATHENS: Noeas 5, Kyritsis 4, Seibutis 10, Abrams 18, Stefanidis
11,Kaimakoglou 4, Giannoulakos 2
Round 2 - Day 3 - Jan. 23, 2007
GROUP I
BC Siauliai - DTL EKA AEL Limassol
79-85 AEL Limassol registered its second win in Group I by beating BC
Siauliai 79-85. Cypriot side improved to 2-1, while Lithuanian dropped to 0-3
and will likely run out of chances to reach the next round if it loses any of
its three remaining games.
Jeron
Roberts (194-G/F-76, agency:
Gross Zeev
ISA, college:
Wyoming) led
four of AEL's double-digits scorers with 18 points. King added 14 points and
grabbed 6 rebounds.
Milutin
Aleksic (202-F-82) posted double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds while
Ryan
Randle (206-F-81, agency:
Passing Lane, college:
Maryland)
got 18 points and season-high 9 rebounds.
Tadas
Klimavicius (204-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) noted his 4th double-double with 18 points and 12
rebounds for home side.
Club Estudiates Madrid - Liege Basket
93-81
Top EuroCup's scoring performance this week of
Karim
Souchu (198-F-79, college:
Furman) (29
points - 8 of 9 two pointers and 4 triples) wasn't enough to get victory and
Liege had lost in Madrid 93-81. Estudiates made important step on its way to
next round and is now with 3-0 record.
William
McDonald (207-C-79, college:
S.Florida)
paced hosts with 17 points, while
Hernan
Jasen (198-G-78) bagged in double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
GROUP J Azovmash Mariupol - ASK Riga
87-58
Azovmash stayed atop Group J standings with 3-0 record after thrashing ASK Riga
87-58 in Mariupol.
Kenan
Bajramovic (206-F-81, agency:
Beo
Basket) came off the bench and poured in 21 points with 7-for-10 shooting
and grabbed 8 rebounds for Ukrainin side.
Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) added 15 points with great 6-for-6
two-pointers, while Croatian veteran
Slaven
Rimac (195-G-74) noted 11 points.
Arnis
Vecvagars (200-F-74) led visitors with 12 points and only 1-for-7 behind the
arc. A.J.
Bramlett (208-C-77, agency:
Priority Sports, college:
Arizona) and
Ugis
Vilums (191-G-79) scored 11 points apiece in the loosing effort.
Dynamo Moscow Region - Maroussi Athens
63-54
Dynamo MR prevailed 63-54 for the second time in three Round 2 games and
condemned the Greek outfit to their third defeat in Group J. Maroussi need to
win three remaining games to keep its playoff chances alive.
Josh
Davis (203-C/F-80, college:
Wyoming) led
the winners with his first EuroCup's double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds).
Igor
Zamansky (202-F-77) popped in 15 on 6 of 8 two-pointers for Dynamo.
Danya
Abrams (201-F-74, college:
Boston Coll.)
scored 19 points for visitors.
GROUP K Lokomotiv Rostov - Turk Telekom
83-72
Lokomotiv jumped back into Group K race for playoff by beating previously
undefeated Turk Telekom 83-72 in Rostov. Both teams now have 2-1 record. Turk
Telekom lost its first Round II game as
Kresimir
Loncar and
Asim Pars (212-C-76,
agency:
World Sport Agency) managed to slow
Erwin
Dudley for his second worst effort in EuroCup and
Omar
Sneed (198-F-76, college:
Memphis)
shined in the offensive end. American scored 18 points including 2-for-3
three-pointers and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Sergei
Vorotnikov (196-G-78) added 13 points and 3 triples, while
Kresimir
Loncar and
Asim Pars
scored 14 and 13 points respectively. Yildirim led the vistitors by scoring 15
points and game-high 6 assits
Erwin
Dudley finished the game with 14 points.
Spirou Charleroi - BC Panionios Athens
71-64
Spirou Charleroi came back to playoff's race defeating 71-64 Panionios Athens.
It was first win for Belgian side in Round II, while visitors noted its second
lose and now both teams are with 2-1 record. The key to the victory was
outrebounding the rivals 32-22.
Greg
Grays (185-G-79, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Detroit Mercy)
noted game-high 18 points. He got a lot of help from
Corey
Brewer (188-G-75, college:
Oklahoma)
who led Spirou's playmaking with 5 assits and added 15 points.
Kennedy
Winston (198-F-84, agency:
Priority
Sports, college:
Alabama)
scored 14 for Panionios.
GROUP L BC Kalev - JDA Dijon
74-75
JDA Dijon keep ist chances for next round alive after thrilling 74-75 victory
over BC Kalev. French side improve its record to 1-2 while Estonian dropped to
0-3 in Group L standings.
T.J. Lux (207-F/C-77,
college:
N.Illinois) nailed a pair of free throws with four seconds left and gave
one-point advantage for visitors. American center finished the game with 17
points and 5 grabbed balls.
Abdoulaye M'Baye (187-G-88) added 15 and
Maleye
N'Doye (203-F-80, college:
Furman)
scored 14 for the winners. Leader of all-EuroCup's scorers
Travis
Reed (203-C-79, agency:
Court Side,
college: Long
Beach St.) paced Kalev with 18 points and 9 rebounds.
Akasvayu will play with Virtus Bologna tomorrow at Girona.
Interview: Turk Telekom - Head Coach Ercument Sunter Irfan Yucesoy - Jan. 20,
2007
After a few years of silence Turk Telekom of Ankara
is back to their winning days just like they did in the past when they were
competing in Euroleague and making to finals in Turkey. Ankara giants finally
got on track last year and had an impressive season. They are topping the TBL
competition and having the best record in FIBA EuroCup this year and to find out
the reasons check out interview.
Head coach h
Ercument Sunter , a milestone in the history of Turk Telekom and
Irfan
Yucesoy , a former player of the Ankara side who is taking the general
manager position at the club this year expressed their feelings and pointed at
truth behind their success.
You have been with the Ankara side for years. Turk Telekom must be meaning “more
than a club†to you…
EC: Exactly. I'm feeling like I was born in here because I have always been
a part of this community during my career. Except serving for the national team
and Ulker I have always worked with them and I belive it's something about
respecting each other and doing well for each other. Our relationship has always
been good and I have enjoyed every minute and tried to give my best over here
since the 90s. It's an honour…
You came back to Turk Telekom last year and it seems like you're more motivated
and more ambitious than ever.
EC: Not exactly like that though. I have always been the same and it's a
little bit about the results. With the full support of our management and Ankara
fans we're just back to those winning days although Turk Telekom did well in the
near past too. Our current winning record and the success at European area are
getting media's attention but like I said Turk Telekom is a team that made it to
finals in Turkey and also took place in Euroleague in near past.
You've got many options on the roster. Which criterions were important in
picking the right players and do you think they have competely adjusted to this
up-tempo system ?
EC: Last year we didn't have many options but now it's different I can say.
We were a club sending its stars - such as Alper Yilmaz - to other teams but
last year we started to transfer the stars. The first shot was Haluk Yildirim
who has a huge experience in every area. He joined us and others like Tutku Acik
and Muratcan Guler followed him too. Our last addition has been Alper Yilmaz who
had ben one of Telekom's symbols in 90s. In making a choice, we wanted to get
the best players with our budget which is not huge but good enough to attract
players at this calibre. They are all good people and decent players who can
play the both sides of the game and also have the ability to pass because our up
tempo game style is based on passes although people find it similiar to Phoenix
Suns. We're playing transition and getting up-tempo but our main system is based
on delivering the ball and finding the open man as you know. We're never in a
hurry. The adjustment has not been so easy but we're playing the way I want now.
Haluk Yildirim and Alper Yilmaz, the veterans. They must be affecting the team
in a good way.
EC: Yeah just like I said we started bringing the stars unlike our previous
days. Signing Haluk fired the torch last year and people started to think we got
on the right way. Haluk and Alper are both important to us because they are not
just experienced, they are experienced and talented. They are both good shooters
and defensive threats. Especially Haluk's passing ability is an important part
of our game and he's been dishing out many assists for a forward and satisfying
all of us.
Last year you also had a great record in regular season but during the playoffs
u got knocked out by Banvit in a serie discussed because of the incidents
happened in Game 4. Do you think it was unfair?
EC: I don't want to think like that. Banvit started the series 1-0 ahead
because they were holding the regular season advantage and despite losing the
first game in the “best of five†series we grabbed two games in a row and tied
the series at two and then travelled to Bandirma for the decisive game and lost
it. What happened there was not something nice though but I don't consider
things that way. Our starting point guard Tutku Acik missed the entire series
due to injury and his absence affected us. If he was healthy it would be no big
problem to win that competetive series.
What do you think is the highest limit for this roster? How far do you think you
can go?
EC: We are aware of the expectations. We have been doing fine and holding
the best record in TBL, Turkish Cup and FIBA EuroCup. Our board is also
expecting our best from us just like our fans who are filling the tribunes every
game. It's all about meeting the expectations. We've done well so far and we'll
try to keep it this way. Last year we didn't take place in any European
competitions but this season we are always travelling due to our busy schedule.
We're going to go as far as we can.
Turk Telekom organization has dissapointed its fans over the last years and the
club management seemed like they gave up on the team untill the last season but
now it's all different…
IY: I don't consider it like that because Turk Telekom has been a part of
the league for 16 years and always aimed for the top. We have such a serious
structure and unlike the public companies the entire organization got more
dynamic after the privatasion of Turk Telekom company. They are considering this
as an advertisement&public relations issue and making things work easier. It's
about dynamism and experience. People perceived it differently.
How satisfying is the budget? What's the club's financial policiy?
IY: We don't have any problems with the budget and it's not based on the
team's performance. We're not willing the increase the budget if we keep winning
and fighting for a title. It's all about having a strong club structure, a good
management and a good team chemistry. When they all get even better in time,
everything will get better. Spending too much money will not guarantee you
anything. What really matters is doing the right things with the an acceptable
budget.
How supportive is the club board? Can you say the management and the technical
staff are very well communicated and connected?
IY: There's a great harmony. Ersin Eroglu, institutional manager of the
company is a member of the club board and things are working very well so we
have the ability to make quick decisions and it's bringing the success. We're
feeling confident and comfortable.
Can you exactly say the club management and the technical staff are aiming for
the same goals? What's the main expectation?
IY: Definitely. Our record both in domestic and European competitions is
proving it too. The expectations are high. It's simply playing for the title
both in Turkey and Europe but it's not something that quickly happens. It just
doesn't mean we are lowering the expectations this year. We're just willing to
make every part of our organization including our structure and roster much
stronger in time.
What do you think about the fans? Are you working on any events to attract the
community?
IY: Exactly. We started it this year. Light shows and musical events… We're
focusing on it more in FIBA EuroCup games. We're also working on some promotions
and a few shows to get the fans involved. We're very happy with the audience.
We're playing every game in a packed arena.
Any “off the court†events?
IY: We're working on it too but they are not our short term plans for now.
When we're done with “on the court†events, we'll have the opportunity to get
together with our fans off the court as well.
Everything about the senior team looks right. What about the youth teams?
IY: It's also related to senior team I can say. We're doing fine. Every year
Turk Telekom presents its youth team players anyway. Mutlu Akpinar came off our
junior team and right now he's an important member of our seniors. Umut Lafatan
and Serhat Gunes are also from our youth teams. We're searching the country very
carefuly and many good youngsters from our current cadet team are set to shine.
What do you think about the foreign player rules?
IY: Turkish clubs are allowed to sign 4 foreign players with no Bosman
restrictions but in FIBA EuroCup we are only allowed to sign 2 Bosman and 2
Non-European players while there is no restrictions in ULEB Cup so it was tough
to make a decision. We didn't want to play with different players in TBL and
FIBA so we tried to pick the ones who can play in both competitions. They need
to find a way a common way to solve this problem.
What else would you like to add?
IY: Our basketball team and Ankara community became one. There have been
many speculations in basketball community but there's no such idea of moving to
Istanbul in our short or long term plans. It's also something the company tells
us. Turk Telekom will remain as Ankara's team. We are very happy with the fans.
Istanbul teams are not able to fill the tribunes but we are playing in a packed
arena every week. I, Our basketball branch president and our head coach are all
graduates of Ankara College. Ercument Sunter coached me at junior and senior
level when I was a player. In every way we have a very good relationship. All
our players including the foreign ones have a great friendship too. That's one
of the main reasons of our success. Our budget might be ¼ of what the two
strongest ones in TBL have but we are the summit. Every department of our
organization are working very well and we have one of the biggest companies of
the country behind us. We are aware of its responsibility and confidence. It's
also increasing the expectations but like I said when you have such a great
company behind you, you will always feel comfortable and confident…
FIBA Europe discuss All Star Game plans with Cypriot organisers - Jan. 19, 2007
FIBA Europe met with local organisers of the 2007 EuroCup All Star Game to
discuss preparations for the event scheduled for March 20, 2007 in Cyprus at the
Spyros Kyprianou arena in Limassol.
Along with the game itself, an array of events will be taking place, including a
gala dinner, coaching clinic, referees clinic, European basketball conference
and community relation activities.
A plethora of notable names are scheduled to take part in the various
activities. Panagiotis Yiannakis, head coach of the defending EuroBasket
champion Greek team, is among those scheduled to take part in the basketball
conference, which is titled "How To Build Up & Maintain A Championship Team".
Yiannakis is also scheduled to take part in the coaching clinic.
Back by popular demand, the Matadors, a group of overweight
male cheerleaders who perform for the Chicago Bulls, will be returning to Cyprus
to take part in the All Star Game entertainment.
A dunking show and three-point shootout are also on the slate.
"The All Star Game in Cyprus is getting bigger and bigger each year", said FIBA
Europe Secretary General Nar Zanolin.
"Last year's event was phenomenal and I am confident that as they have done each
year, the Cypriot Basketball Federation together with DTL EKA AEL Limassol will
build on previous successes and create an even better event".
The game will be transmitted on television to a targeted
50 countries and FIBA Europe is planning to stream the game
live on fibaeurope.com.
"We aim to promote the basketball game's values and ideals as well as enhance
basketball internationally", added LOC President Michael Loizides.
"We strive to do this by offering top-class basketball and entertainment".
This will mark the third consecutive year that Cyprus is hosting the FIBA All
Star Game. The format for the game will once again be Europe vs. Rest of
the World.
The starting five will be determined based on a vote from fibaeurope.com, while
the remaining seven players from each team will be selected by FIBA Europe.
Past Results: 2006 - Limassol, Cyprus
Rest of the World - Europe 97-89 2005 - Nicosia, Cyprus
Rest of the World - Europe 106-102
2004 - Kiev, Ukraine
Rest of the World - Europe 91-84
Courtesy: fibaeurope.com.
EuroCup - Round 2 - Day 1 - Jan. 10, 2007
GROUP I
Club Estudiantes - DTL EKA AEL
70-60 (20-18, 12-12, 22-20, 16-10)
Estudiantes passed ist first test of the 2nd Stage of FIBA EuroCup by staying
few steps ahead of AEL Limassol all night until it had an 70-60 victory to begin
Group I. Naturalized Spanish 20-years old
Caio
Silveira Torres (211-C-87) and
William
McDonald (207-C-79, college:
S.Florida)
scored 14 and 13 points respectively for Estudiantes.
Sergio
Sanchez (189-G-81) added also 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the
winners. Cypriot side got 14 points each from
Milutin
Aleksic (202-F-82) and
Jeron
Roberts (194-G/F-76, agency:
Gross Zeev
ISA, college:
Wyoming).
Limassol suffered through a cold shooting night, making just 3 of 16
three-pointers.
Liege Basket - BC Siauliai
104-97 (22-21, 22-23, 25-24, 9-10, 10-10, 16-9)
Liege Basket started their EuroCup Round II campaign with a double overtime
victory over BC Siauliai. Belgian side triumphed 104-97, thanks to French guard
Karim
Souchu (198-F-79, college:
Furman), who
poured on 34 points.
Roger
Huggins (200-F-67, agency:
Gross Zeev
ISA, college:
Hawaii-Pacific)
was also helpful with his 26 points and 9 rebounds. Naturalized Belgian
Ronald
Ellis (184-G) finished with his 2nd double-double in EuroCup (15 points, 13
rebounds).
Travis
Conlan (194-G-75, college:
Michigan)
led the hosts' playmaking with 14 of 38-team assists. For vistitors
Arvydas
Cepulis (195-G-79, agency:
Court Side)
noted 22 points with 4-for-6 behind the arc and
Tadas
Klimavicius (204-F-82, agency:
Interperformances) also weighed in with 18 points and 8 rebounds.
GROUP J Dynamo Moscow Region - ASK Riga
91-68 (18-17, 20-22, 30-12, 23-17) Dynamo MR stepped strong into the Round II as it blew out visiting ASK
Riga 91-68 at home. Latvians were in the game by two quoters but they had list
30-12 3rd part of the game.
Josh
Davis (203-C/F-80, agency:
Larry Fox
Services, college:
Wyoming)
enjoyed the starring role of home team with game-high 24 points.
Roderick
Blakney (181-G-76, college:
S.Carolina St.)
followed him with 21 points while
Nikolai
Padius (197-G-80) added 17. For visitors
Curtis
Millage (186-G-81, college:
Arizona St.)
and usually bench player
Ugis
Vilums (191-G-79) were only two with double digits in scoring. They had 20
and 12 points respectively.
Maroussi Athens - Azovmash Mariupol
72-83 (25-21, 16-16, 14-26, 17-20)
Azovmash made an important step to start the play-off round by taking the first
Group J road of the new phase, 72-83 over Maroussi in Athens.
Kenan
Bajramovic (206-F-81, agency:
Beo
Basket) with 19 and
Khalid
El-Amin (178-G-79, agency:
Beo
Basket, college:
Connecticut)
with 18 led the winners. They combined for 18 points in 3rd quarter when
Mariupol had built their advantage.
Serhiy
Lishchuk (210-C/F-82) added 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Top scorer of
Maroussi was American center
Danya
Abrams (201-F-74, college:
Boston Coll.)
with season-high 16 points and 5-for-10 from the field.
GROUP K Lokomotiv Rostov - Panionios BC
60-62 (10-9, 18-17, 12-18, 20-18)
Panionios won in Russia last night (60-62) against Lokomotic Rostov.
The game was a derby from the beginning, the players of Head Coach
Luka
Pavicevic were focused and with simply basketball got a small difference
from the initial stages of the second half and just kept it with control basket
and very good team work until the end, even though the Russians tried to answer
back in the last stages of the game but they simply minimise their loss to 2
points. The Serbian players of Panionios, Milkovic and
Vladislav Dragoljovic (206-C-79, agency:
Beo
Basket) gave a good performance and they were the top scorers together with
Kennedy
Winston (198-F-84, agency:
Priority
Sports, college:
Alabama), as
they score 16 and 9 and 10 points respectively with great defence and big
passion when needed, Panionios players cover up the bad day of their top scorer
Hudson (he finished the game with 6 points). posted by Chris Mammides
Turk Telekom - Spirou Charleroi
81-71 (18-14, 21-17, 24-18, 18-22)
The first game of the Round II played in Ankara this season fell on Telekom's
side, as it defeated Charleroi by 81-71 in Group K. Erwin
Dudley (204-F/C-81, agency:
Interperformances, college:
Alabama)
bagged a powerful double-double of 28 points (12-for-14 FG), 12 boards and led
Turkish side to victory.
Haluk
Yildirim (200-F-72, agency:
Interperformances) and
Jan-Hendrik Jagla (213-F-81, agency:
Priority Sports, college:
Penn St.)
who came off the bench popped in 11 points apiece for hosts. For vistitors
Ralph
Biggs (199-F-76, agency:
Court Side,
college: Towson
St.) scored 21 points. He recived some support from Bosnian forward
Damir
Krupalija (205-F/C-79, college:
Illinois)
who paced Spirou with 16 points and 7 grabbed rebounds.
GROUP L Virtus Bologna - JDA Dijon
95-77 (22-19, 20-16, 26-20, 27-22)
Virtus Bologna showed that it's ready for bigger challenges in the 2nd stage of
EuroCup when it dominated visiting JDA Dijon 95-77 to open Group L for both
teams on Tuesday.
Andrea
Michelori (202-F/C-78) led the home side with 18 points (7-for-9 from the
field).
Brett Blizzard (191-G-80, agency:
Octagon,
college:
NC-Wilmington) added 17 while NBA-experienced playmaker
Travis
Best (180-G-72, college:
Georgia Tech)
scored 13 and had 6 assists.
T.J. Lux (207-F/C-77,
college:
N.Illinois) had one of the best performance this week in EuroCup with
double-double 26 points and 11 boards but it weren't enough for Italian side.
Akasvayu Girona - BC Kalev
107-82 (27-18, 33-16, 21-26, 26-22)
Akasvayu Girona bounced back from their shock loss in domestic competition
last weekend with a convincing 107-82 success over Estonian outfit BC Kalev on
Wednesday night. The home team turned a 17-16 advantage into a twenty point lead
just before half-time to kill off any chances of a shock win for the visitors.
Dalibor
Bagaric (217-C-80) was the star man for Girona racking up 19 points and
pulling down seven rebounds although all 12 players on the home roster managed
to trouble the scorers at some stage of the contest.
Josh Davis lighted up with 24 points for Dynamo - Jan. 10, 2007
In Eurocup Russian Russian representatives brought
one out of two wins. Even though that both of them played at home they could not
celebrate the victories together. In Group K Lokomotiv Rostov lost only two
points to Panionis 60:62. The top scorer for our team was
Sergei
Toporov (197-F-81) with 19 points.
Damir
Miljkovic (193-G-80) led the winners with 16 points. The hosts had led for
much of the game, but the margin was never more than a handful of points.
In group J Dynamo had only some difficulties in the first half with ASK
Riga. Later dynamo advantaged and won 91:68. Dynamo would go on to outscore
their opponents 53-29 in the second half. The best player in Russian team
Josh
Davis (203-C/F-80, agency:
Larry Fox
Services, college:
Wyoming),
who had only six points to his name at half-time before finishing with 24, also
added five rebounds and one assist in a fine display.
Curtis
Millage (186-G-81, college:
Arizona St.)
poured in 20 points for Latvians.
Next games will be played on the 16th of January. Dynamo Moscow Region will
go to Mariupol to play with Azovmash, while Lokomotiv will play aginst
Charleroi.
Group J
Dynamo Moscow Region-ASK Riga 91:68
Dynamo Moscow Region:
Josh
Davis 24 points, Blakney 21, Padius 17
ASK Riga:
Curtis
Millage 20 points, Vilums 12
Group K
Lokomotiv Rostov-Panionis 60:62 Lokomotiv Rostov:
Sergei
Toporov 19 points, Loncar 14+8 rebs
Panionis:
Damir Miljkovic 16 points, Angelopoulos 10
BC Siauliai lost the opening game in Eurocup Round 2 - Jan. 10, 2007
Liege Basket- BC Siauliai 104:97 2OT
BC Siauliai started the second round of Eurocup with a loss. Lithuanian team was
defeated in a double overtime thriller by Liege Basket 104:97.
Karim
Souchu (198-F-79, college:
Furman) was
unstoppable for the winners with 34 points.
Arvydas
Cepulis (195-G-79, agency:
Court Side)
topscored for Siauliai with 22 points.
An outstanding performance was shown by two teams in the first game of the
second round. With a great offensive basketball, the teams finished in a tough
defense. The first quarter was led by the hosts, however in the second the
visitors tied the game. The teams went with 47:47 at the half. Scoring almost 25
points during each of the three quarters Belgians and Lithuanians were satisfied
only with 9:10 in the last. First overtime they finished with 10:10 and in the
second Liege Basket advanced with 16:9. Francois Lhoest dunked to make it
101:95, a deficit from which there was no way back for the Lithuanians. It gave
hosts the first win in Eurocup Round II 104:97. In another game of the group
Club Estudiantes overcame AEL 70:60.
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Akasvayu Girona won Fiba EuroCup Championships for Men 2007 (Photo: Fiba)
