EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 11/15/2007

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Men News

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ABA

Rainmen add the cherry on the cake -by Gianni Pascucci
On the eve of their season opener, the Halifax Rainmen announced to have added to their roster Toronto point guard Jermaine Anderson (6'2''-G-83, college: Fordham), a player with five years of Team Canada experience on his resume. He graduated from Fordham in 2006 and played a year overseas in Poland, and is used to playing against top-flight competition. He played a key role for the Canadian senior men's team at the Pan-American Games in Brazil this past summer, averaging 30.3 minutes and 11.4 points per game while matching up with NBA players such as Carlos Arroyo, Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd, and he also played for Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell on the Raps' summer league team in Vegas. Anderson joined the team on Friday, leaving him less than a week to acclimatize himself before the Rainmen open the season on tomorrow, Thursday 15, against the Boston Blizzard at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Gladiators release roster -by Gianni Pascucci

The Orange County Gladiators of the American Basketball Association announced their opening day roster along with several final organizational moves leading into their inaugural road game against the San Diego Wildcats tonight, November 14th. Below is the opening day roster:
Name (Hgt-POS-age, school)
Hondre Brewer (7'0''-C-80, college: USF)

Jeremy Vague (6'9''-F/C-79, college: Utah St.)

Tony Farmer (6'10''-F/C-70, college: Nebraska)
Imani Mackie (6'8''-F/C-84, college: Cal State Los Angeles)
Amani Daanish (6'7''-F-83, college: Indiana State, agency: Ronsport)

Louis Patrick Levros (6'5''-F-83, college: Rhode Island)

Saul Lankster (6'5''-G/F-83, college: Cal.St.-Dominguez H.)
Brett Melton (6'5''-G-81, college: San Diego)
Phillip Givens (6'2''-G-83, college: Cal.St.-Dominguez H.)

Kevin Houston (5'11''-G-85, college: Long Beach St.)

Additionally, the organization has come to terms with power forward Tony Farmer, who will be the team's new Head Coach while also bringing in Edgar Mendez as the team's new Assistant Coach.



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ANGOLA

Champions Clubs Cup Postponed -by Carlos Pereira
The African cup champions clubs in basketball, scheduled for November 23 and December 02 this year, in Luanda, has been postponed for mid December, due to organisational reasons, ANGOP has learnt.
This is due to the fact that some countries will only know their representatives to this competition today, on Tuesday said the Angolan Basketball Federation secretary-general, Antonio Sofrimento.
Thus, the championship will take place on December 13-22, this year, with the participation of Petro de Luanda (title holders) and 1ş de Agosto, both of Angola.

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AUSTRIA

New face for WBC Wels -by Stefan Heinrich
According to Eurobasket - Germany the Austrian WBC Wels signed a new player to replace the injured Flagan Prince (202-F-78, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Le Moyne). The new player is Kyle Wilson (206-F-83, agency: Warren Sports, college: Wichita St.), who was released by the German TBB Trier lately. Last season he played for Wichita State where he scored 13.7 ppg and grabbed 5.2 rpg.

CEBL: 2nd win for Klosterneuburg -by Stefan Heinrich
The Klosterneuburg Dukes also won their second game in the CEBL. Today they beat A Plus Brno from the Czech Republic with 99:73.

Klosterneuburg: Calvin Watson (196-G-85, college: N.Texas) 17, Sam Spann (198-F-79, college: Fairfield) 17, Nagler 15, Martin 15, Hamidovic 9, Hetzmannseder 9, Fritz 6, Diwald 6, Gartner 5
Brno: Jan Wiedner (199-F-81) 20, Jakub Skala (200-F-78, college: N.Mexico Highlands) 15, Norwa 11, Gajdosik 10, Parcha 10, Vrbul 4, Sismilch 2

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BARBADOS

Freshaz, Big Guns move on to UWI final -by Justin Marville
Led by a game high 22 points from Lakers Under-21 swingman George Farrell, the freshman team “Freshaz” weathered a torrid fourth quarter performance from Adrian Allman before outlasting perennial title contenders Zionites 60-56 in the first semi-final of the UWI basketball competition on Monday night.

Playing at the Cave Hill campus, Freshaz, a team mostly consisted of current Division 1 Tridents players, struggled offensively to begin the game; falling behind 11-2 in the first three minutes of the first quarter as Farrell and company failed to connect on the open perimeter looks they were given.

They didn't fare any better at the other end of the floor either as Zionites forward Doneal Thomas scored at will in the low blocks while guards Gavin Robinson and Kayode Branch made the freshmen pay from the outside when they collapsed to crowd the Canadian born Thomas.

A couple of Jamar King jumpers late in the quarter were the only things that kept the score-line respectable as Zionites threatened to run away with the game after leading 19-8 at the end of the first period.

The Freshaz, however, were not ready to concede defeat and the first year UWI students went about orchestrating a brilliant second quarter comeback.

With Robinson settling for too many ill-advised long range jump shots and Thomas not getting the same touches as in the pervious period, the Zionite offence fell apart, leading to a subsequent 13-2 Freshaz run that levelled the scores at 21 apiece midway through the second quarter.

Fresh from winning the recently concluded Under-21 final with the Clapham Bulls, combo guard Stefan Yarde relentlessly attacked the basket in both the half court and in transition, as he and Farrell got out in the open court for easy baskets by turning up the defensive intensity and creating several turnovers.

Clearly missing their best player in Division 1 Lakers shooting guard Adrian Allman, Zionites were held to just four second quarter points while the duo of Yarde and Farrell combined for 20 points in the period, leading the Freshaz to a 32-23 advantage heading into the half-time break.

With Allman leading the Zionites to start the third quarter Thomas got the ball on the inside once again while Robinson and Richard Lynch attacked the bucket with more frequency to lift their once listless offence.

But they failed to reduce their deficit in the period as the freshmen continued to capitalise on some needless Zionite turnovers; resulting in yet more transition points for Farrell as the Freshaz extended their lead to seven, 48-41, by the end of the third.

That advantage quickly dissipated in a matter of minutes however, as Allman took the game in his own hands, scoring all of Zionite's points in a 9-4 run to reduce his side's deficit to two points in the first four minutes of the ensuing period.

Allman transformed the Cave Hill court into his personal playground as the diminutive shooting guard scored from just about anywhere in the fourth quarter, exploding for 13 points in the period, the last of which came on a deep three pointer over the outstretched hands of a Freshaz player that kept his side within three, 59-56, with 55 seconds left to play.

But that is as close as the Zionites would get the rest of the way as they turned over the ball on two subsequent possessions while Farrell added a clutch free throw down the stretch to seal the victory.

Yarde finished with 13 points, all of which came in the second quarter, while King added a further 11 for the triumphant Freshaz. Allman ended the night with a team high 17 points, Robinson scored 14 and Thomas netted 12.

In the second semi-final, tournament favourites Big Guns survived a 12 point fourth quarter effort from Tridents and Under-21 Lakers shooting guard Keefe Birkett to defeat Bonafide 78-66 behind a team high 23 points from Division 1 Deacons forward Ormond Haynes.

Former junior national Levar Greaves chipped in with 13 points while current national and Tridents Division 1 centre Akeem Marsh added a further 12. Birkett led all scorers on the night with 27 points and Division 1 Lakers point guard Derek Browne finished with 16 points for Bonafide.

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BELARUS

Premiere League Third Round Stats -by Viktar Tkachou
3 Round. 9-10 November, 2007

Sozh - Vitalyur

53:95 (12:31, 7:20, 16:19, 18:25)
Sozh: Tsialiapneu - 10
Vitalyur: Dadykin - 25, Gubanov - 18, Bibik - 15, Yeremenko - 11, Shustau - 10

60:90 (19:13, 13:27, 12:29, 16:21)
Sozh: Gerasimovic - 16, Shurmel - 13
Vitalyur: Trastsianetsky - 23, Shustau - 14, Pogrebnev - 11, Yeremenko - 11

Lokomotiv-KiS - Temp-OSHVSM

82:73 (17:20, 16:16, 19:18, 30:19)
Lokomotiv-KiS: Sapegin - 24, Sivalko - 17, Korolev - 12, Pishchulenok - 11
Temp-OSHVSM: Batvenkov - 22, Yakovitsky - 18, Krivonos - 14

80:85 (11:27, 23:20, 20:17, 26:21)
Lokomotiv-KiS: Sapegin - 36, Sivalko - 14, Kets - 12
Temp-OSHVSM: Lavrinenko - 29, Krivonos - 17, Batvenkov - 17, Yakovitsky - 17

Minsk-2006 - BNTU

85:42 (24:9, 21:9, 22:17, 18:7)
Minsk-2006: Shilovich - 20, Skripko - 16
BNTU: Kazakevich - 11

91:66 (22:15, 21:20, 23:19, 25:12)
Minsk-2006: Chemiakin - 14, Shilovich - 10, Konushenko - 10
BNTU: Volk - 14, Shilin - 11, Orlov - 11, Maistruk - 11

Grodno-93 - OZAA

81:67 (21:20, 17:14, 26:12, 17:21)
Grodno-93: D.Sviridov - 21, Mastou - 19, Yafremau - 16, Duvakin - 10
OZAA: Maksimovic - 15, Kandrusevich - 14, Ristic - 11, Maksimov - 10

72:87 (15:23, 20:14, 18:31, 19:19)
Grodno-93: Mastou - 14, Duvakin - 10
OZAA: Kandrusevich - 22, Ristic - 17, Maksimov - 14, Maksimovic - 13

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BRAZIL

American ball player vanishes in Brazil -by Gustavo Cardoso
A former NCAA college basketball star has vanished in Brazil. Tony Harris, a 36 year old forward, came to Brazil on October 31st to play for Universo Brasilia during the South American Club Championships. However, since the beginning of Novermber, the player hasn't been seen.

Rede Globo, Brazilian largest TV network, reported on the Harris case during the Saturday (November 10th) edition of its nationwide broadcasted Jornal Nacional (http://jornalnacional.globo.com/Jornalismo/JN/0,,AA1661698-3586-753218,00.html). One of the interviewees, Universo Brasilia's supervisor, reported that the player was acting strangely during the tournament. “He said nonsense things, and cried copiously”, said the supervisor who at one point went up to the player's room in a hotel to calm him down before Harris vanished.

Last week, after playing just three games for Brasilia, the player left the team and tried to embark on a plane heading to Natal, a city in the Brazilian northeast, but was enabled by authorities because his passport was with the team. He then hopped on a bus to Goiânia (about 130 miles south of Brazil's capital Brasilia) where he hired a cab to drive him to Salvador, more than 1,000 miles west, on the coast of Bahia state.

However, during a stop by the cab driver to withdraw money on an ATM with Harris' card, in the city of Bezerra, about 160 miles west of Goiânia, the player vanished leaving his laptop, and credit card behind. Jose Lindomar de Jesus, the cab driver, said that Harris left wearing two t-shirts and a grey pair of sweats. Globo journalists also heard people from the city of Bezerra who spotted the player in the city.

Universo Brasilia, according to Globo's report, contacted the American Embassy and already sent them Harris' laptop and passport.

Harris has played in Brazil for three years in Uberlândia and was returning to the country for a couple of games in a new team, Brasilia. Between 2001 and 2004 he was one of Uberlândia's top scorer recording averages of over 15 points per game. In the 1994/1995 season, according to Latin Basket's database, Harris played 3 games for the NBA Boston Celtics.

According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/339415_robert13.html), until yesterday, his family hadn't heard from the Brazilian team yet. Tony will turn 37 next Sunday.

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BULGARIA

Lukoil basket-show in Sofia -by Valentin Anguelov
Lukoil Academic won it's consecutive game with a huge point difference. And this time, in order to make it more interesting, the Students killed not some poor Bulgarian team, but the german vice-champion - Artland Dragons. The difference was amazing for an ULEB Cup game - 44 points, 109-65.
After playing really bad in their first game in Riga, now the champions were in their fury, showing all of their amazing basketball skills. In the first quarter it became clear, that Lukoil won't hav any problems, after their scored 32 points and showed some really nice field goal percentage.
Artland was close to the Students just for a few minutes. After leading the score 8-9, the Dragons fell asleep and the home side responded with a 18-0 run, and took control of the things on the court. At halftime, the difference in Academic's favor was plus 21, and the only question was what will be the margin at the end of regulation. This time, Lukoil Academic didn't let their aggressive defense break through, and after being more aggressive in the second half, the difference grew up to 40 points.
Lukoil's latest signing - American playmaker Willie Deane III (186-G-80, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Purdue), who was the motor of the team in the beginning and had a great contribution to the great difference in the result. The 27-year old guard arrived on Saturday, but that didn't stop him for turning into the leader that was missing for Lukoil, after just two days in Bulgaria's capital. He finished the game with 16 points, 12 assists and 3 steals. Fantastic game for Pero Antic with 24 points, Nenad Canak with 23, Donta Smith with 16 and Riste Stefanov and Murilo Da Rosa, who finished with 12 each.
The only minus in this brilliant Lukoil Academic game was the contribution of the Bulgarian players on the team - just 3 points, scored by the captain Todor Stoykov, who played just 8 minutes.. Chavdar Kostov didn't manage to score a basket, and Banev, Zafirov and Hristov didn't get a chance from Zeljko Lukajic, besides the big difference in the result. But that's normal, in games like this you try to get a bigger result, and you play serious until the last second, and besides that the team, who finishes fourth, will probably have it's goal difference to be better in order to go through. This win put back on line the chances for the Students to finish with success their ULEB campaign and go through to the next round.

The guests started the game with big desire, and even if they tried to come back in the game a few times, they were totally outplayed by Lukoil. Their defense looked funny against the home side, who was exactly on fire, from everywhere on the field. Their head coach will surely have some video to watch this week. The defense of the “Americans from Germany” didn't cause any trouble to some of Academic's players to play for the great fans. They had some really attractive combinations, and also shot great - they mad 12 out of 27 attempts from beyond the arc. No one saw the missed free throws today.

Just two of the Americans managed to score in double digits - Lamont McIntosh, who impressed with his jumpshot, and Terrance Thomas both scored 11 points Lukoil got 21 rebounds more (45-21) and dished out 20 assists more than the German vice-champions (30-10). Right after the game everybody was asking the question, why did this good team slept during their game in Riga last week, against a team, that is not better than our side. This is Lukoil Academic's biggest victory in the European club competitions since 1974, when the Students crushed Berkane Tangier from Morroco with 112-53, as at this time Morroco had participants in FIBA Europe The next task in Lukoil's calendar is a tough away game in Treviso, against Benneton, and the German side is playing at home against ASK Riga. Both games are next Tuesday.

by Alexander Sotirov - BulgarianBasket.com

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CAMEROON

Bitee Parfait and Joe Mbang up to an encouraging start... -by Yann Tientcheu
The 2007/2008 campaign of NCAA DIV I has already been launched everywhere in the United States, and our countrymen are proudly lifting up Cameroonians
colors through their performances. Bitee Parfait (6-2, 190lbs guard senior) and Joe Bang (6-7, 235lbs Forward senior) both from Yaounde are incontrovertible
parts of the Rhode Island men's basketball program. The rams of rhode Island univesity overcame the Bears of Florida Atlantic University duing the Rams
season opener on november 9th. Bitee scored 8pts and tied his career-high 8 assists, while Joe Mbang registered 12 points and 6 rbds.

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CANADA

Rainmen add the cherry on the cake -by Gianni Pascucci
On the eve of their season opener, the Halifax Rainmen announced to have added to their roster Toronto point guard Jermaine Anderson (6'2''-G-83, college: Fordham), a player with five years of Team Canada experience on his resume. He graduated from Fordham in 2006 and played a year overseas in Poland, and is used to playing against top-flight competition. He played a key role for the Canadian senior men's team at the Pan-American Games in Brazil this past summer, averaging 30.3 minutes and 11.4 points per game while matching up with NBA players such as Carlos Arroyo, Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd, and he also played for Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell on the Raps' summer league team in Vegas. Anderson joined the team on Friday, leaving him less than a week to acclimatize himself before the Rainmen open the season on tomorrow, Thursday 15, against the Boston Blizzard at the Halifax Metro Centre.

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CHINA

Xinjiang Takes Over CBA Lead With Win Over Fujian -by Arthur Volbert
Xinjiang took over undisputed first place in the CBA with a 7-1 record with a 101-91 win over Fujian.

Mengke Bateer (210-C-75) led Xinjiang with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. David Jackson had 27 points and 8 rebounds while Xu Guozhong scored 21 points and Xue Yuyang added 19. Chris Porter led Fujian with 26 points and 6 rebounds.

Bateer is the key to Fujian's success. He can score, pass and rebound and is probably better than any import center in the league. He is right now the leading candidate for the 12th man on the Olympic team though he is strictly a center, not a power forward.

Xue Yuyang will never make it to the NBA but is very useful as a power forward in the CBA. He may not be an aggressive rebounder but, due to his height, he gets his share. He is an excellent scorer when teams cannot concentrate on stopping him.

Mai Wulan, who made the CBA all-star game two years ago as a Xinjiang native, is an adequate power forward reserve. This enables Xinjian to give full import playing minutes to swingman David Jackson, often limiting big man Brandon Cole to one quarter per game. Jackson is now third in the league in scoring at 26.3 points per game.

Xu Guozhong is an excellent perimeter scorer even if he does not have the all-round game of China's very best shooting guards. Class of '78, Jin Lipeng was once China's best young point guard before suffering a series of injuries but is now healthy and still one of the better point guards in the league. Xinjiang native Mulati Adilijiang is a promising young perimeter reserve.

Xinjing's talent, experience and depth makes it a strong candidate to win the CBA championship this season.

Anthony Myles scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Dongguan defeated Guangsha 120-106. Wang Jing scored 24, Franz Steyn scored 20 and Zhang Kai scored 19. Yu Junkai led Guangsha with 30 points.

Xinjiang 101
Xu Guozhong 21p+1r+2a+1s, Jin Lipeng 5p+2r+2a+1s, Xue Yuyang 19p+4r+1a+2s+1bl, Mengke Bateer 25p+9r+7a, David Jackson 27p+8r+4a, Brandon Cole 5p+3r+1a+2s, Mai Wulan 6p+5r
Fujian 91
Gong Songlin 9p+3r+3a+1s, Lu Xiaoming 10p+7r+5a+1s, Chris Porter 26p+6r+2a+1s, Yang Chao 11p+2r+2a, Wesley Wilson 4p+5r, Yang Genglin 6p


Dongguan 120
Zhang Kai 19p+8r+1s+2bl, Qiu Biao 13p+2r+3a, Wu Songwei 2p+4r+3a+2s, Wang Jing 24p+2r+4a+3s, Anthony Myles 26p+11r+2a+1bl, Yu Ning 13p+4r+1s, Franz Steyn 20p+14r
Guangsha 106
Garnett Thompson 17p+6r+2a+3s+1bl, Yu Junkai 30p+4r, Zhang Nan 18p+7r+1a+3s, Ying Kui 15p+3r+5a+2s+5to, #8 6p+1r+4a+2s

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COLOMBIA

Eight teams ready for the second round in the International Saludcoop Cup -by Victor Garcia
In a brotherhood and friendship night the Saludcoop Cup organization made a meeting with the twelve teams, Rosco the Argentinian LPB mascot was part of the show for the young players coaches and referees.
The organization also give souvenirs to the players and coaches, in the same meeting the schedulle of the second round was published:
The following are the eight teams:

Group A:
Colombia
Chile
Uruguay
Venezuela

Group B:
Brazil
Argentina
Paraguay
Miami Tropics

6th International Saludcoop Cup Day 2 results -by Victor Garcia
Group Bogota:

Miami 76 - Willy Martinez 25 pts
Costa Rica 60 - Pablo Echeverry 19 pts

Colombia 57 - Gianlucca Bacci 19 pts, Divier Perez 11 pts
Paraguay 55 - Mario Gonzalez 13 pts, Luis Peralta 12 pts
Luis Fernando Mina´s jumper with 3 seconds left give the victory to Colombia.

Group Medellin

Dominican Republic 66
Panama 65

Brasil 87
Venezuela 83

Group Cali:

Chile 77 - Felipe Oyarzun 17 pts
Mexico 71 - Juan Favena 33 pts

Argentina 68 - Mateo Gaynor17 pts
Uruguay 48 - Martin Ibarra 16 pts

6th International Saludcoop Cup Day 3 results -by Victor Garcia
Group Bogota

Costa Rica 59 - Andres Aldo 21 pts
Paraguay 77 - Rodrigo Franco 14 pts

Miami Tropics 42 - Willy Martinez 14 Pts
Colombia 78 - Divier Perez 19 pts

Group Medellin

Venezuela 89 - Diego Ruiz 22 pts
Panama 78 - Johnatan King 27 pts

Brasil 86 - Enrique Bramorsky 17 Pts
Dominican Republic 48 - Kevin Valdez 12 pts


Group Cali

Uruguay 64 - Andres Pińeiro 17 pts
Chile 52 - Osven Ledesma 11 pts

Argentina 84 - Andres Landoni 22 pts
Mexico 62 - Juan Favela 22 pts

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CROATIA

Coaches changes! -by Dani Erceg
Cedevita released head coach Jaksa Vulic and named Zdravko Radulovic as his replacement.

Alkar Sinj released head coach Goran Caktas.

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D-LEAGUE

Recent NBA --> D-League Player Assignments -by Surujh Roopnarine
November 8th: Rookie guard Ramon Sessions (6'3''-G-86, college: Nevada-Reno) assigned to Tulsa by the Milwaukee Bucks
November 10th: Kyrylo Fesenko (7'0''-C-86, agency: Arik Krayn Services) assigned to Utah by the Utah Jazz
November 11th: Second year forward Steve Novak (6'10''-F-84, college: Marquette) assigned to Rio Grande Valley by the Houston Rockets.
November 13th: Rookie forward Brandon Wallace (6'9''-F-85, college: S.Carolina) assigned to Utah by the Boston Celtics.

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ECUADOR

Guayas Local League Standings! -by Carlos Mino
ESPOL defeats Uruguay in an exciting game to dispute the first place of the group B for 83-80 (1OT). In the end of the regular time, Eric Cardenas (206-C-73, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Oklahoma Baptist) made an three points shoot to reach the advantage what Uruguay had obtained with 15 seconds remaining. This game was a massive attendance in the Colisseum of Yaguachi on last wednesday night .

Currents Standings
1.- La Salle Guayaquil (A) 4 - 0
2.- Cameroon (A) 3 - 1
3.- ESPOL (B) 2 - 1
4.- Uruguay (B) 2 - 1
5.- ANAI 1 - 3
6.- Dep. Guayas 0 - 3
7.- Ferroviarios 0 - 4

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EGYPT

Egypt with Iraq today -by Andrew Youssef
At 19:00 (CLT) 17:00 (GMT) Egyptain team will play with Iraqi team at the begining of basketball competition in All ARAB games at Egypt.
12 Players that represent Egyptian team are (Wael Badr,Ramy Guinedi,Tarek El Gahnnam,Mody ElGarhy,Ahmed Khaled El Siad,Mo'men Abo ELEnin,Ashraf Rabie',Mostafa Mesheel,Ibrahim El Gamal,Mohamed Said,Karim Shamsia,Mohamed Khorshid)

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: The first quarter almost in the package -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 11: The First Quarter out of the regular season is done now by five Teams. The favourite Teams are on the top, no big surprises by now.
Several Teams have suffered with injuries. Probably the worst situation in that way is in Uusikaupunki, as Korihait got only seven players on the court tonight.
Visitor ToPo, Helsinki, # 1 in the league right now, had no difficulties to win by 20 pts: 81-101. ToPo had five players in double figures. Josh Gonner (188-G-82, college: S.Carolina) and Maurizio Pratesi (190-G-75) led ToPo with 20 pts each. Honka, Espoo beat Karhu, Kauhajoki by 32 pts, 95-63. YMCA Lahti defeated Pyrinto, Tampere 99-90 and Kataja, Joensuu upset Kouvot, Kouvola 76-73.

Honka - Kauhajoki 95-63 (43-30) (Petteri Koponen 23, Monte Cummings 19 - Darryl Hudson 20, Cedric McGowan 13/10).

Kataja - Kouvot 76-73 (42-39) (Sami Lehtoranta 26/10, Andre Foreman 24 - Wayne Bernard 22, Samu Kaaresvirta 16).

YMCA Lahti - Pyrinto 99-90 (41-34) (Ville Makalainen 25, Pierre Jallow 20/13 - Eric Washington 32/10, Damon Williams 21).

Korihait - ToPo 81-101 (35-45) (Kyle Shiloh 27, Jussi Kumpulainen 17/11 - Josh Gonner 20, Maurizio Pratesi 20).



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GERMANY

Kyle Wilson leaves Trier -by Thomas Wolfer
Kyle Wilson (206-F-83, agency: Warren Sports, college: Wichita St.) has to leave 1. Bundesliga team TBB Trier. The wingman played for TBB since september but did not satisfy the club on the court. Wilson is already in contact with another team. He signed a try-out-contract with austrian WBC Kraftwerk Wels

Baron left Danish side again -by Moritz Korff
The German Forward Mike Baron (197-F-81, college: Hawaii-Pacific) has left Horsens IC of the Danish First Division recently. In seven games for HIC Baron, member of the 2006 Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga All-Newcomers Team, averaged 7.0 points and 3.2 boards per contest.

Boumtje Boumtje signs with Oldenburg -by Moritz Korff
The EWE Baskets Oldenburg (1. Bundesliga) have announced today to have come to an agreement with Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (212-C-78, college: Georgetown). The 29-year-old Center signed a contract until the end of 2007. Boumtje Boumtje, who averaged 6.7 points and 5 rebounds in 37 Bundesliga-games for ALBA Berlin through the 2006-2007 season, replaces Dan McClintock (212-C-77, college: N.Arizona) who suffered a Syndesmosis rupture in October and will be sidelined for the rest of the year.

Mensah Taylor back in Treis-Karden -by Moritz Korff
Mensah Sadikki Taylor (198-F-80, college: Gardner-Webb) has returned to TuS Treis-Karden (Regionalliga South-West) after splitting up with Mitteldeutscher BC (2. Bundesliga Pro A) at the end of October.
Taylor already played for Treis-Karden during the 2005-2006 season. He will make his comeback in a home game against TSV Gruenberg on Sunday.

Jan Wieland to Heidelberg -by Moritz Korff
USC Heidelberg (2. Bundesliga Pro A) strengthend its roster by the addition of Jan Wieland (188-G-78, college: Goldey-Beacom). The German-Finnish Guard averaged 2.4 points per contest for Korisliiga-team Vantaan Pussihukat in 2006-2007 and recently had to overcome some injury problems. Wieland played basketball in the 2. Bundesliga for Limburg, Speyer and Sechtem until 2000, before starting a collegiate career in the USA.

Deutsche Bank Skyliners receive a bitter loss -by Kristian Santiago

Players, coaches and the staff of the host-team were stunned after yesterday's dramatic 65-67 loss against WTK Anwil Wloclawek from Poland.
Frankfurt's head coach Murat Didin took a time-out with five seconds on the clock before the final whistle and changed players shortly before.
Jimmie Hunt (187-G-82, college: Franklin Pierce) was supposed to sit down but didn'd get the news and bounced the ball in before the referees reacted and called a technical foul against the Deutsche Bank Skyliners.
Anwil's best player on the court , experienced point guard Andrzej Pluta (182-G-74, agency: Court Side), converted both free throws and sealed the win for the Polish guests.
Derrick Allen (203-F-80, college: Mississippi) and Dominik Bahiense de Mello (190-G-85) excelled on the court for Deutsche Bank Skyliners Frankfurt with 21 and 14 points respectively and kept their hopes of the first win alive before the crucial situation mentioned above.
Anwil, led by Pluta with 20 points and effective post player Zbigniew Bialek (203-F-82) (14) deserved the better end thanks to their great inside-outside game which the hosts never were able to control. With two losses, the Skyliners need to win next week in Russia to keep their chances of advancing to the next round alive while Wloclawek is travelling to Valencia to meet Pamesa in the third round of Group D.

Official Box Score: http://www.ulebcup.com/ulebcup/competition/results/showgame?gamecode=39



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GREECE

Second Division: Week 6 - Near East is leading the race -by Chris Mammides
Anagennisi Floga - Doukas 88-80
With an amazing Christos Zarogiannis (203-F-77), Coach Touloumis team had problems only during the first quarter other than that; they took an easy win over Linoxilakis's team.
Quarters: 21-23, 45-37, 67-57, 88-80
Anagennisi Floga (Touloumis): Moisiadis 18, Touloumis 2, Sidiropoulos 9, Christos Zarogiannis 27, Spiropoulos 9, Pallis 10, Thymios 13
Doukas (Linoxilakis): Tsohlas 15, Apostolos Matzioris (201-F-84) 21, Petrakis 18, Arsenis 7, Karatzios 10, Achis 9 (1).

Amyntas - Ikaroi Serron 66-62
In a real derby, Coach Vlahos's team “escaped” with the positive result after facing troubles for nearly 37 minutes. Samothrakis in his top performing game led the winners while from the fighting team of Spanos, Costas Sdrakas (188-G-72) was everything for his team, with his 8 three pointers led his team and kept it in the game until the end.
Quarters: 12-14, 31-32, 46-44, 66-62.
Amyntas (Vlahos): Zoupas 8, Barbas 2, Samothrakis 16, Grammatikos 9, Christofakis 8, Dorkofikis 5, Vogiatzis 12, Moumouris 6.
Ikaroi Serron (Spanos): Pehlivanis 3, Costas Sdrakas 28 (8), Georgantzas 7, Paralikakis 8, Giavropoulos 2, Teventzidis 6, Topouzis 8.

Ikaros Kallitheas - Makedonikos 79-74
In another derby of the sixth week, Makedonikos, with very strong peripherals (Michalis Tanakidis (191-F-85), Giannis Mitsakis (181-G-81) and Giorgos Karipidis (193-F-84)) in a great day, were leading Baxevanis's team until the last two minutes were they “collapsed” while Ikaros polyphony in the scoring led by Martzos ended the game on behalf of the home team. Difficult win for Ikaros
Quarters: 10-24, 39-48, 60-63, 79-74.
Ikaros (Haritatos): Tsopokis 3, Martzos 16, Georgiou 2, Emmanouilidis 10, Papadakis 3, Katranas 5, Delichristos 10, Karastamatis 2, Evangelitsis 8, Katoufas 11.
Makedonikos (Baxevanis): Dalpas 4, Michalis Tanakidis 18 (4), Giannis Mitsakis 18 (2), Kogias 2, Goulas 3 (1), Giorgos Karipidis 19 (4), Boindas 1, Samourelis 9.

Alimos - KAOD 71-73
KAOD succeed his first road win this season with Dimitris Maslarinos (195-G-82) leading the way and Giorgos Filiousis (198-G-77) together with Sotiris Bourdanos (187-G-86) following, while on behalf of Coach Panoulias team, probably the weakest team in the league together with Olympiakos Volou, Yfantis tried with Tsolakis but they were all alone.
Quarters: 19-20, 43-36, 54-55, 71-73.
Alimos (Panoulias): Moutoupas 5, Anthis 12, Tsolakis 17, Ifantis 21, Kallimanas 6, Tzougarakis 10.
KAOD (Grigoriadis): Sotiris Bourdanos 14, Papadopoulos 2, Kiosses 2, Giorgos Filiousis 17, Michaelides 5, Dimitris Maslarinos 21, Koukouravas 2, Daliaris 10.

Aigio - Milonas 92-78
Much more effective in offence, Coach Skarafingas team thrashed Milonas without havign any problems and with the two top scores of the league Prokos and Giorgos Tirlas (198-F-80) scoring 445 points in another productive night for both of them…
Quarters: 27-27, 50-38, 72-56, 92-78.
Aigio (Skarafingas): Deraos 1, Prokos 27, Gioupis 4, Giorgos Tirlas 18, Stamatopoulos 10, Liggos 6, Mandalakis 8, Manolas 5 and Stavroulakis 13.
Milonas (Paralikas): Kalaitzakis 4, Ventouris 17, Karababas 5, Vlavianos 12, Kiritsis 5, Moumbarak 6, Efstratiou 8, Ballas 11, Despotou 4, Bikas 6.

Lavrio - Ermis Lagkada 65-55
Coach Serelis team took the lead from the very beginning and finished the game quite easy against Ermis who had only Papakonstantinou in a moody day.
Quarters: 12-14, 33-27, 53-43, 65-55.
Lavrio (Serelis): Trikaliotis 10, Rallis 4, Kassanos 4, N. Kousoulas 11, Bakas 8, Giannakopoulos 13, Notis 5, Psileas 9.
Ermis (Karadimos): Troulialis 10, Kloutzos 5, Paritsis 3, Papakonstantinou 11, Siolios 10, Gamouras 3, Akepsimaidis 5, Dimitriadis 8.

Komotini - Olympiakos Volou Â. 92-75
The home team took the lead from the beginning and by the end had not troubles against the weakest team in the league.
Quarters: 24-20, 27-15, 19-30, 92-75
Komotini: Mastrokostopoulos 4, Mouzakitis 8, Lehoudis 20, Dinas 18, Holevas 9, Koutsovassilis 12, Tsakonitis 1, Souflias 14, Halil 6.
Olympiakos Volou (Vlioras): Vogiatzis 6, Politis 6, Nanis 18, Arnaoutakis 6, Tsourelis 18, Tsolis 21.

Near East - Goumenissa 79-63
Near East is probably the strongest team in the league and proves it day by day (with one exception), in the game against another strong team of the league after the 17th minute took the lead and kept it by increasing the final difference at the end with Gavanopoulos being the top scorer.
Quarters: 17-19, 35-29, 52-39, 79-63
Near East (Karnesis): Nikou 16, Lykogiannis 4, Neofytou 12, Kouklakis 5, Papoulidis 7, Fasoulopoulos 2, Gavanopoulos 22, Paraskevopoulos 13.
Goumenisa (Nitsis): Baggi 13, Imeridis 3, Matenidis 2, Klepkos 16, Andreadis 16, Antoniadis 13.

Top scorers after the first six weeks:

1. Dimitris Prokos of Aigio 142 points
2. Giorgos Tirlas of Aigio 116 points
3. Panagiotis Tsolis (194-F-81) of Olympiakos Volou 113 points
4. Nick Psileas of Lavrio 109 points
5. Panagiotis Nanis (195-F/G-80) of Olympiakos Volou 108 points
6. Dimitris Karatzios of Doukas 104 points
7. Nicos Papakonstantinou of Ermis Lagkada 102 points
8. Giorgos Filiousis of KAOD 101 points
9. Konstantinos Pehlivanis (192-G-79) of Ikaroi Serron 101 points
10. Tasos Dimitriadis of Ermis Lagkada 100 points
11. Tassos Bagi (187-G-75) of Goumenissa 99 points
12. Sotiris Katoufas of Ikaros Kallitheas 96 points
13. Michalis Tanakidis (190-G-81) of Makedonikos 96 points
14. Mihalis Ifantis (204-F-72) of Alimos 91
15. Kostas Dinas of Komotini 88 points

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HOLLAND

Galatasaray blasted Capitals away 60-93 -by Fred Roggen
Through five points of Guido Gruenheid (206-F/C-82, agency: LimeLight), the Capitals take the lead in the beginning of the first quarter 10-5 but Galatasaray came back in the game with seven straight points by Dee Brown (185-G-84, college: Illinois) and take the lead after first quarter with 18-27. Robert Hite (188-G-84, college: Miami, FL) maintained the cushion for Galatasaray in the second quarter as Kevin Melson (199-F-78, college: Wright St.) was a one-man army for the Capitals, and that wasn't enough as the board showed a 33-45 at the break. The third quarter Galatasaray run on the hand of Hite, Brown and Gaines to a 8-21 score, thanks to a very bad defense of the Capitals.
Galatasaray started the fourth quarter with a 0-9 run with five points by Gaines and never looked back and play the game easy to the end 60-93.
Kevin Melson was the best man for the Capitals with 15 points, Guido Gruenheid added 13 and Alton Mason (185-G-77, agency: Court Side, college: Arizona St.) had 11. Robert Hite led Galatasaray with 23 points, Dee Brown added 19, Charles Gaines (201-F-81, college: S.Mississippi) 18, Chris Owens (204-F-79, college: Texas) had a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Rotterdam Challengers Remain Hot, Win On Road In Leeuwarden -by Sanders Jackson

In Leeuwarden on Tuesday night, Rotterdam Challengers remain on the up and up in their recent surge, taking control of the tempo in the 2nd quarter, capping things off with a strong 4th quarter finish, winning over last-place Aris Friesland 86-68. The Rotterdammers were led in scoring by Sullivan Sykes (193-G/F-81, college: St.Joseph, IN) with 19 pts. with Djoenie Steenvoorde (195-G/F-81, agency: R.H.Consultancy) adding 16 pts. and 7 assists. Current FEB leading scorer Roy Booker (191-G-83, college: SE Missouri St.) led all scorers with 25 pts. Rotterdam forced 30 Aris turnovers, and the three-point line was not friendly to the home team (6 of 23), as well as the free throw line (10 of 22). It was Rotterdam's 4th straight win, bringing their record to 5-4, while Aris Friesland falls to 1-9.

ULEB Cup Action: Eiffel Towers Win Convincingly Over Hapoel Jerusalem; Hanzevast Capitals Thumped By Galatasaray -by Sanders Jackson


Tuesday night in ULEB Cup play for the Dutch representatives Eiffel Towels and Hanzevast Capitals, in the second game in the ULEB Cup for both teams, there were contrasting results, the thrill of victory for one, and the agony of defeat for the other.


In the Maaspoort the defending Dutch champions built a 51-46 halftime lead only to hand it in at the end of the 3rd quarter, with both teams being tied at 74-74. But the team of Randy Wiel found their extra gear, zooming past Hapoel Jerusalem en route to an impressive 101-94 win. Travis Young (184-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Marshall) put his Superman cape on, ringing Hapoel Jerusalem up to the tune of a game-high 29 pts., including 8 of 8 FG. Kees Akerboom (199-F-83, agency: R.H.Consultancy) added 18 pts., with Darrell Tucker (206-F-80, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: USF) scoring 17. Eiffel also only committed 6 turnovers. Eiffel are now 1-1.


In the Martiniplaza on Tuesday night it was a different story. Hanzevast Capitals, coming off a Sunday upset win over ULEB brethren and FEB adversary Eiffel Towers, were shot back down to earth by a formidable Turkish Galatasaray team, falling behind by nine points at the end of the 1st quarter, 45-33 at halftime, going on to lose in a 93-60 blowout. The guests made 3rd quarter runs of 21-8 and 18-5 in the 4th quarter, with the score increasing to 84-46. Kevin Melson (199-F-78, college: Wright St.) led Donar with 15 pts. Hanzevast are now 0-2 in ULEB Cup play.



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HUNGARY

Round 6, Awards -by Tamas Deri
MVP: Julien Mills (193-G-84, agency: Warren Sports, college: Ball St.)
American Guard scored 25 points and lead his team to a victory in Zalaegerszeg last saturday. He scored 13 points and made 3/3 pointers in the last quarter, grabbed also very important rebounds in the last two minutes.

Best Five
Point Guard: Julien Mills, 25 points (3/8 2pt's, 4/7 3pt's, 7/8 FT's), 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 8 fouls against, 3 steals, 3 assists, 34 VAL, 39 minutes
Shooting Guard: Robert Laslo (194-G-84), 29 points (13/16 2pt's, 0/1 3pt's, 3/4 FT's), 6 rebounds, 7 steals, 37 VAL, 40 minutes
Small Forward: Jeff Viggiano (198-F-84, college: Massachusetts), 26 points (9/12 2pt's, 1/4 3pt's, 5/6 FT's), 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 6 fouls against, 3 assists, 35 VAL, 33 minutes
Power Forward: Stanley Ocitti (203-F/C-80, college: Binghamton), 14 points (4/7 2pt's, 2/4 3pt's), 15 rebounds, 1 steal, 25 VAL, 36 minutes
Center: Nikola Aliakseyeu (212-C-78, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents, college: Buffalo), 19 points (6/11 2pt's, 4/12 FT's), 19 rebounds, 8 fouls against, 31 VAL, 33 minutes

NYKK lost the second game in CEBL! -by Tamas Deri
Marso-Vagep NYKK-Geofin Novy Jicin (Czech Republic) 82-86
(20-24, 30-21, 17-14, 15-27)
Nyiregyhaza, Att.: 600, Referees: Forrai, Bognar, Torok
NYKK: Savic 15/3, Robert Laslo (194-G-84) 24, Mouton 9, Sitku 11/3, Trepak 7/3, Srdjan Helbich (205-F/C-76) 16, Krasznai, Coach: Deri Csaba
Novy Jicin: Chapman 11/9, Gavlak 4, Reinberger 9/6, Sarovic 18/6, Pelikan 7, Stec 8, Venta 9, McMillan 7, Soska 13/3, Coach: Zbynek Choleva

KKK: Horvath is the new head coach -by Tamas Deri
After breaking the contract with ukrainian coach Viktor Bereznoj the management decided get Imre Horvath as a new head coach.

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IBL

Gary Steelheads join International Basketball League -by Trask Frost
The International Basketball League is excited to announce that the Gary Steelheads will be joining the IBL for the 2008 season. League commissioner Mikal Duilio—“we have received application and now payment from Gary and we are pleased today to accept the Gary Steelheads into the International Basketball League”. The Steelheads were formed in 2000 and have played previously in the CBA and USBL. They will continue to play home games at the Genesis Center in Gary, Indiana. A news conference will be scheduled to occur at the Genesis Center within two weeks.

Former Steelhead Moon shines for Raptors -by Trask Frost
Jamario Moon (6'8''-F-80, college: Meridian CC), a standout for the Gary Steelheads last season, has moved into the starting rotation for the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Moon has taken advantage of the opportunity, scoring 21 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking two shots in his first two outings as a starter.

Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell appreciates the 6'8” rookie's impact on the Raptors' team defense. “He deflects passes, he can get in the passing lane and change shots—it's the kind of thing we've been missing since I've been here,” said Mitchell.

Moon was among the league (USBL) leaders in several categories for the Steelheads in 2007. Moon finished sixth in scoring (16.7 ppg) fifth in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and second in blocked shots (2.1 bpg). Moon was also in the top ten in free throw and three point shooting percentage.

Steelheads' CEO Jewell Harris Jr.--“Jamario is very deserving of the opportunity he has with the Toronto Raptors. During his time in Gary, he demonstrated a unique ability to remain focused and professional. I wish him well with his NBA career.”

The Steelheads' inaugural season in the IBL kicks off in March of 2008.

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INDIA

TDBA announces cash Awards for State Basketball Championships -by Anil Kumar
The Trivandrum District Basketball Association Executive Committee which met yesterday decided to announce a cash award of Rs. 10000/- each to the Trivandrum Men and Women Teams if the team wins in the State Basketball Championship being held at Thalassery from 13th to 18th November 2007
It was also decided to give a cash incentive of Rs. 1000/- each to any player of the Trivandrum District selected to the State Team and participates in the national Basketball Championship to be held at Pondicherry in December 2007
The following players were selected for the Trivandrum District team based in their performance at ‘A' Division League which concluded on Saturday.

Men Team
Mr. Bobit Mathew, Mr. Vijobi Vackachan, Mr. Mansoor Ahamed all from (BSNL)
Mr. Abhilash T.S, Mr. Manoj both (KSEB)
Mr. Kiranjith A. (Nets)
Mr. Bony Paul (CYM)
Mr. Alan A Alex (Mar. Baselious)
Mr. Loluck Baby (LNCPE)
Mr. Subin Salimkutty (Sri. Chithira Tirunal Engg College)
Mr. Joby Johnes, Mr. Lijesh James both (P.A.AZIZ College)
Coach: Mr. Bevin Chacko.

Women Team
Ms. Anjana. S.S, Ms. Sonia Joseph, Ms. Seena Joseph, Ms.Nimmy Thomas,
Ms. Litty Mathew (all KSEB)
Ms.Anumol Joseph, Ms.Liji Sebastian, Ms.Akhila R.B all (G.V.Raja Sports School)
Ms. Arathy R (Arya Central School)
Ms. Arya P.S (Carmel School)
Ms. Agibet Mathews, Ms. Sarika Sajeevan (LNCPE)

Coach: Bevin Chacko
Lady Manager: Mrs. Mary Bevin

Trivandrum ousts Ernakulam -by Anil Kumar
Ernakulam fought hard but there was no stopping Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday night. The reining men's champion won the high-scoring encounter 106-81 and topped Pool ‘A' on its way to the quarterfinals of the 52nd Sea Star State senior basketball championship at the Municipal Stadium.

Ernakulam, which had to play as many as three games in the day, too made it to the last eight. Also making the grade from the same Pool is Thrissur, though it won only just one game.

In the women' section, Kollam and host Kannur entered the quarterfinals from Pool ‘B'. When the two teams met this evening, Kollam won 38-27.

Thiruvananthapuram was ahead by just one point — 31-30 at the end of the first quarter, but it had the match under control before the second quarter came to a close. R. Manoj led the scoring for Thiruvananthapuram with 34 point, including four three-pointers. B. Manzoor Ahmed, Vijobi Vakkachan and T.S. Abhilash also often found the target. S.S. Deepu and Sunny Thomas did the bulk of the scoring for Ernakulam, with 26 points each.

The results (preliminary league):

Men: Pool ‘A': Thiruvananthapuram 106 (R. Manoj 34, B. Manzoor Ahammed 26, Vijobi Vakkachan 18, T.S. Abhilash 17, Bobit Mathew 10) bt Ernakulam 81 (S.S. Deepu 26, Sunny Thomas 26); Thiruvananthapuram 53 (R. Manoj 20, Manzoor Ahmed 10) bt Wayanad 36 (K.M. Babu 14, M. Suresh 14).

Ernakulam 65 (S.S. Deepu 21, Joseph John 16, Sunny Thomas 12) bt Thrissur 31 (Geo John 10).

Ernakulam 23 (Anoop Francis 10) bt Wayanad 12.

Pool ‘B': Pathanamthitta 83 (V.G. Ajith 25, K.R. Nikhil 15, Albin Baby 13) bt Idukki 74 (E.S. Dibumon 27, Bobin Mathew 22, Nirmal K. Mathew 15).

Pool ‘C': Kottayam 46 (Chinchu Punnoose 12, Ron Geogi 10) bt Palakkad 22.

Pool ‘D': Kasaragod 56 (C.V. Ratheesh 15, Sreejesh 10, P. Rahul 10) bt Kollam 22.

Women: Pool ‘B': Kollam 38 (R.K. Smruthi 13, P. Lijimol 11) bt Kannur 27 (M. Thahira 13).

Pool ‘C': Thrissur 48 (Greesha Varghese 13) bt Alappuzha 21 (Soji Varghese 13). Ernakulam 47 bt Pathanamthitta 22.



Easy win for Andheri YMCA -by Santhosh Kumar
Results of BECC basketball tournament being held in Mumbai: Men: Nagpada Neighbourhood House (Mazhar Khan 16 and Sameer SK 14) 72 bt VDudes (Swapnil Shetty 16) 44. Bandra YMCA (Joel top 16 points and Oneil 11) bt Mumbai Railway Police 65-64 (Ajaj Shaikh 21). Andheri YMCA (Sahil, Gaurav and Akshay (13 each)) 81 bt Savio Club (Toshant 22) 50.
Thursday's matches:6.30 p.m. Men's Savio Club vs NNH; 8.00 p.m. Men's Chembur YMCA vs Bandra YMCA

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INDONESIA

Malaysia national team drubs Indonesia-Aspac Club -by Hector Santos
The SEA Games-bound Malaysian national team opened their campaign in the Johor Invitational championship with a 93-77 victory over Indonesia at the Larkin Basketball stadium tonight.

The architects of the Malaysian victory over the Indonesians, who were represented by the Aspac team, a strong club team in the Indonesian Basketball League, were Hoo Won Francis Loh (190-C-82) and Soo Eng Heng, who between them contributed 32 points to tame the Indonesians.

"But it's still early days in the tournament and the SEA Games in Korat is our ultimate aim. But we have four matches in the championship to work things out before we leave for Korat," said Malaysian National Team coach Sim Sin Heng.

The other teams in the tournament, organised by the Johor Basketball Association, are Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and the Philippines.

In the earlier matches, Singapore national team, playing under the name of Home United team defeated China's Parklane Club 86-63 while the Philippines beat Hong Kong 90-61.

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ISRAEL

Hapoel Jerusalem suffers first loss in ULEB Cup -by Eurobasket News
Eiffel Towers - Hapoel Jerusalem 101:94

Hapoel Jerusalem slowed down a bit in the ULEB Cup action as they were beaten in Netherlands yesterday. It was the first loss to Israeli team in Group I and they fell to 1-1 record. Hapoel could not maintain Travis Young (184-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Marshall) who burst out with 29 points for Dutch side and led them to their first victory in ULEB season.
Hapoel enjoyed an early 10:5 lead but the hosts quickly regained control and closed the gap. The teams ended the first quarter all square at 25. Hapoel found the touch from beyond the arc in the second frame and three long bombs from Israeli players lift Jerusalem to 44:36 advantage. However it was once again Eiffel Towers to finish the period strongly as they produced a 15:2 rally to grab a 51:46 halftime lead. It was a close battle in the third stanza as Jamie Arnold (203-F-75, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Wichita St.) kept dropping shots for Hapoel to keep them close. Guy Pniny (201-F-83) capped the third stanza with a pair of free throws to tie the teams at 74. Hapoel even surged ahead at the start of the final period but Eiffel Towers tightened defense in the late stages and did not allow Hapeol to celebrate victory.
Kees Akerboom (199-F-83, agency: R.H.Consultancy) secured 18 points for Eiffel Towers. Guy Pniny provided 23 points and 5 assists for Jerusalem. Jamie Arnold had 22 points and 8 rebounds in defeat.
Hapoel shot 55%from the field but lacked accuracy from charity stripe hitting just 66%. They committed 13 turnovers.
Hapoel will take on Unics Kazan in the next round of action in Group I.

Eiffel Towers: Travis Young 29, Kees Akerboom 18
Hapoel: Guy Pniny 23, Jamie Arnold 22+8 boards, Timothy Bowers 14

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ITALY

Even Veroli changes coach -by Gianni Pascucci
Lega 2 team Prima Basket Veroli announced that coach Franco Gramenzi has been fired. The team officials replaced him with coach Luigi Gresta , who will direct his first practice session today in Frosinone.

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KOSOVO

According to withdrawal of BC “Vëllaznimi” from competition in Super League of Kosova in basketball, commissar of league Mr. Mit'hat Belegu made a decision -by Ardian Jusufi

According to withdrawal of BC “Vëllaznimi” from competition in Super League of Kosova in basketball, commissar of league Mr. Mit'hat Belegu made this decision:

According to section 45 point 9 of Competition Propositions all results of BC”Vllaznimi” are rescinded of played matches and upcoming matches will be registered with result 2:0. BC “Vëllaznim” will be in end of standing table for this season and in the edition 2008/09 will start in lower position league of competitions.



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LATVIA

Ventspils brings home win from Portugal -by Eurobasket News
Ovarense - Ventspils 68:92

Ventspils rebounded after a starting loss in ULEB Cup and made a successful trip to Portugal. They overwhelmed local Ovarense to improve to 1-1 record and adjusted themselves in the middle of Group B ladder. The loss at the same time dropped Portuguese side to 0-2 record in the standings. Latvian team were aggressive right from the start as they outscored the hosts 10:2 early in the game and held on to the lead in the first frame 22:15. Ovarense simply went completely draught early in the second stanza and Ventspils used it to clear off to a massive 40:19 distance. The hosts trailed by 20 points at halftime 24:44 and looked hapless. Ventspils never slowed down after the main break as they continued to mount the pressure on the home side and capitalized on their poor shooting. The margin reached a 65:39 mark and the teams just cruise till the final buzzer.
Seven Ventspils players scored in double figures. Justin Love (189-G-78, college: St.Louis) nailed 15 points for the winners. Jimmy Baxter (198-G-80, college: S.Florida) had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Latvian side. Cordell Henry (176-G-80, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: Marquette) notched 31 points in a loss.
Ventspils sank impressive 55% from the field and 75% from free throw line. They outrebounded Ovarense 37:28 and forced them to 15 turnovers.
Ventspils will now face Koeln in the third round of ULEB Cup.

Ovarense: Cordell Henry 31, Rui Damota 10
Ventspils: Justin Love 15, Jimmy Baxter 14+10 boards, Pavels Veselovs (206-F-83, agency: Interperformances) 12

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LEBANON

Hunter to Join Champville -by Eurobasket News
Source: PMA-Basketball.com

Andrew Hunter (201-F-79, college: Sacred Heart) is on his way to Beirut. The 27-year-old forward from Canada will arrive in the early morning of November 15, 2007.

At the airport, Champville (LEB-Div.A) officials and head coach Ghassan Sarkis will be waiting for him.

“He looks good on tape, but of course I prefer to see him in action,” Sarkis said. “I liked his game, and he's the kind of player I'm looking for.”

Hunter has been to a lot of places in the world, but not Lebanon. His expectations about the country and basketball are pretty low at the moment.

“This will be my first time in the Middle East so I am not too sure of what to expect,” Hunter said. “But I am looking forward to it.”

This dynamic athlete is not coming though without any prior knowledge. Former friends who have played in Lebanon in the past have given the league a good rep.

Their feedback helped Hunter make his decision.

“I am not sure how the league is but I do have some friends who have played in it, and they say it is very competitive. I have heard really positive things.”

Hunter sees Lebanon as a good choice for him right now, as it gives him “some Middle Eastern exposure, which might prove valuable in the future.”

Hunter is a 6'7” small forward from Ontario, Canada. He averaged 11.5ppg and 5.7rpg at Sacred Heart (NCAA), where he graduated with a degree in Computer Science.

During his professional career, Hunter played in elite leagues such as the French ProA league, as well as in Germany, Hungary and Portugal.

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LITHUANIA

Siauliai fall to 0-2 record in ULEB Cup -by Eurobasket News
Alba Berlin - Siauliai 85:70

Siauliai are still looking for their European wins as they were beaten by Alba Berlin in the second ULEB Cup encounter. The hosts meanwhile celebrated their first win at the tournament. Alba got to a slightly better start as they were ahead 13:9 early in the opening frame. Antonio Grant (196-F-77, college: S.Carolina) was the main figure in Siauliai offensive schemes and later he responded with 7 straight points for the visitors to put them in front 18:15. However gradually Alba found the touch from the outside and soon they enjoyed a narrow lead 47:40 at halftime.
The third quarter changed the complexion of the game as the hosts quickly cleared off to a safe distance and limiting Antonio Grant's offensive presence piled up a 18-point advantage before the final term. Siauliai replied with an 11:0 rally early in the final period and the gap grew thin. Baskets from Arturas Masiulis (210-C-80, agency: Interperformances) and Gediminas Maceina (188-G-84) closed the margin to just 6 points midway through the fourth quarter. But finally Julius Jenkins (187-G-81, college: Georgia Southern) hit a couple of important jumpers to ensure the win for Alba.
Dijon Thompson (201-G/F-83, college: UCLA) finished with 22 points for Alba. Julius Jenkins delivered 21 points in a winning effort. Antonio Grant paced Siauliai with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Saulius Kuzminskas (210-C/F-82, college: California) tallied 13 points in defeat.
Siauliai won the battle under the rims 31:27 but converted only 22.7% from three-point line. They also committed 18 turnovers.
Siauliai fell to 0-2 record in the ladder and hope to gain the first win against Bosna in the next round.

Alba: Dijon Thompson 22, Julius Jenkins 21
Siauliai: Antonio Grant 18, Saulius Kuzminskas 13

*****************************************************
MALAWI

THE LONG WAITED MOMENT -by Blena Chisenga
The moment everybody was expecting during the last whole season arrived in Lilongwe on 08/11/07 at African bible College where all the qualifying teams from the three regions met to battle out for the 2007 Championship.

In the southern region, the team which qualified were Bricks, Magang'a and Crazy Warriors but Bricks didn't manage to come instead ABC went into their place. In the Central region, Mimbulu (the 2004 champions), Capital blazers and Bunda College managed to qualify while in the Northern region three teams managed to qualify but only two were needed to participate in the finals and these two teams were Dynamites and Pistons.

The games started on well with Mimbulu taking on Magang'a, Pistons against African Bible College (ABC), Dynamites against Bunda and Crazy warriors against Capital Blazers. In the first round, Mimbulu won while Magang'a lost, Pistons lost while ABC won, Dynamites won while Bunda lost and Crazy Warriors won while Capital Blazers lost.

*****************************************************
MALAYSIA

Johor International Invitation Game-Malaysia Win NBC-SCO 87:85 -by Chong Jzen

Malaysia NT are continue their good performance after win over Philippines semi-pro league team NBC Spring Cooking Oil by 87:85. Even SCO is a semi-pro team, but the team consist of several ex-PBL and PBA players, overall level is not much different with Malaysia NT. Before, Malaysia NT also beat SCO in last month Taiwan Hualian Invitation game in fighting for 9-10 place.


The Phillipinas was lead over Malaysia NT in the half-time by 39:35. SCO is still able to keep 6 point leading after start of 3rd quater, until Malaysia NT Forward Ang Tun Kaw(193-F-84) is scored before the whistle to give Malaysia NT just 1 point lose before going into the final quater.


When the game in last 7 minutes, Malaysia NT main player Tan Kian Hoong(192-G/F/83) is contrbuted 2 block, the NT also have a 7-0 run over SCO and successfully lead back SCO by 73-71. After that, Tan Kian Hoong (192-G/F-83) continue in acting a crucial role in this game.Tan is more mature after joined Johor Segamat Rimba Timor, significant improve by Tan definately confirmed his status in the Malaysia NT. The steady play by Malaysia NT is able to lead the SCO until the end of match. So, Malaysia NT is currently have 2 win in the Johor International Invitation Game.


Game Result

Malaysia NT 87:85 NBC-SCO(Philippines)

Home Unted (Singapore) 71:69 Hong Kong NT

Dong Gun Poning(China) 91:81 IBL All-Star(Indonesia)


Standings

Malaysia NT 2-0

Home United 2-0

NBC-SCO 1-1

Dong Gun Poning 1-1

IBL-All-Star 0-2

Hong Kong NT 0-2



Malaysian ace player to play in SEA Games -by Hector Santos

The arrival of Chee Lee Wei from China is eagerly awaited by the Sea Games-bound men's basketball squad as the countdown to the Games begins.

The 1.96m Lee Wei, an undergraduate at Fujian University in southern China, is scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on November 28 and after a couple of days of training, he is expected to leave with the rest of the squad for Korat.

Lee Wei, according to national coach Sim Sin Heng, is a key player in his plans to achieve the silver medal target.

"His height and experience, not to mention his skills, is vital to the team. I wish I could have him earlier but he has his studies, and his commitment to his varsity team in the Inter-College League takes first preference," said Sim.

Word has it that the Kuala Lumpur-born Lee Wei who has been a member of the national team for the past three years, is an influential member of his varsity team together with another Malaysian undergraduate there, K. Guganeswaran.

Both helped steer their team to the province's Inter-Collegiate title last year.

But the bad news is that Guganeswaran, a point guard, has declined Sim's invitation to join the Korat-bound team.

"He told me that his brother is getting married in Kuala Lumpur in December and is therefore not available for the national team during the Sea Games.

"We certainly could use his services. But it's not meant to be," said Sim who is here with the national team for the five-team Johor Invitational Basketball championship at the Larkin Basketball Stadium.

They beat a league selection from Indonesia 93-77 in their opening match and play their second match against a National Basketball League selection from the Philippines.

The other teams taking part are Singapore's Home United, the Hong Kong National Juniors and the Parklane Club side from China.

"We have two warm-up tournaments, the Penang Invitational last month and now this tournament here and they're very useful. I have no complaints as far as the team's preparation is concerned.


"Our target is the silver medal in Korat and I believe we will get there," said Sim.

Malaysia will take on Indonesia in their opening match followed by the match against host Thailand. Then Cambodia comes next before their final match against the Philippines, the gold medal favourite.

"It's a five-team tournament played on a round-robin format and the medals will be decided on the final standings. So, it means we have to win three matches and can afford to lose one, if we are to stay on course for the silver medal," added Sim.


Malaysian National News Agency



Malaysia NT edge IBL All-star in Johor international invitation game -by Chong Jzen

Since the Thailand SEA game is coming soon, Malaysia NT is try to improve their teamwork and confirm the squad in this tournament. Before, Malaysia NT are lost to neighborhood Thailand and Singapore in the Penang minister invitation game. Even the poor result in that tournament but the Malaysia national team head coach Sim Sin Heng still aim to get silver in the coming Thailand SEA Game. He mention " Except the unbeatable Philippies, Malaysia still able to sustain their level with Thailand and Indonesia.Malaysia is well prepared for SEA game, after finished the NBL, Malaysia NT was participated in Taiwan HuaLian Invitation(1 win 4 lose) and Penang minister Invitation game(2 win 3 lose).

Malaysia NT is successfully win Indonesia league All-star by defeated them 93-77 yesterday in Larkin indoor stadium. The IBL All-Star also consist of several Indonesia National Player, this might helped in looking the performance of the main opponent(Indonesia) in SEA game.


Johor International Invitation game result

Dong Gun Poning(China) 63-86 Home United(Singapore)

NBC-SCO(Philippines) 90-61 Hong Kong NT

Malaysia NT 93-77 IBL All-Star(Indonesia)



Schedule for Johor international basketball invitation game -by Chong Jzen

Participant team
Malaysia NT
Hong Kong NT
Dong Gun Poning (China)
Home United(Singapore)
NBC Spring Cooking Oil (Philippines)
IBL All-Star( Indonesia)


venue: Johor Larkin indoor stadium


13/11/2007

Dong Gun Poning VS Home United

Hong Kong NT VS NBC-SCO

Malaysia NT VS IBL All-Star


14/11/2007

IBL All-star VS Dong Gun Poning

Home United VS Hong Kong NT

NBC-SCO VS Malaysia NT


16/11/2007

Dong Gun Poning VS Malaysia NT

Home United VS NBC-SCO

IBL All-Star VS Hong Kong NT


17/11/2007

NBC-SCO VS IBL All-Star

Hong Kong NT VS Dong Gun Poning

Malaysia NT VS Home United


18/11/2007

Home United VS IBL All-Star

Dong Gun Poning VS NBC-SCO

Malaysia NT VS Hong Kong NT




*****************************************************
NBA

Boston Celtics win 6th in a row -by Eurobasket News
Boston Celtics have a new look this season and this one definitely suits well. The Celtics entered the season firing with all guns as they gained 6 consecutive victories and occupied the top spot in the East. Yesterday Indiana Pacers became another victim of the dangerous Celtics falling short 86:101 at home. Ray Allen scored 15 out of his 17 points in the third quarter to put the Celtics up by 11 points 76:65. The hosts closed the gap to just 7 points midway through the final period but Kevin Garnett made a jumper and then James Posey and Ray Allen added 4 straight points to lift Boston to safe distance.
Paul Pierce (6'7''-F-77, college: Kansas) finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds for Boston. Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Danny Granger (6'8''-F-83, college: N.Mexico) responded with 24 points in a losing clause.
San Antonio limited LA Lakers offense and held Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) to just 18 points to grab their 7th win in the season. Lamar Odom was back into the Lakers' squad after he missed the start of regular season with an injured shoulder. He had 12 points for the Lakers but it had little impact on the complexion of the game as San Antonio dominated the game from tip off and easily cruised past the visitors. Bruce Bowen sparked with 23 points hitting 6/6 from beyond the arc. Tony Parker (6'0''-G-80) led the Spurs with 26 points and 9 assists. The Lakers outrebounded their opponents 50:40 but shot just 28% from the field and committed 19 turnovers.
Pat Riley claimed he was ready to suit up for the Heat as their struggling form continued in Charlotte yesterday. The Bobcats handed the 6th defeat to Miami beating them 91:76. Shaquille O'Neal (7'2''-C-72, college: LSU) was the only bright spot on the Heat roster nailing 17 points in a loss. Gerald Wallace (6'7''-F-82, college: Alabama) had 19 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Jason Richardson sank 18 points as the Bobcats improved to 4-3 record in the ladder. Dwayne Wade was still sidelined and is questionable for the upcoming game against Seattle.

Indiana - Boston 86:101
Indiana: Danny Granger 24, Jamaal Tinsley 14
Boston: Paul Pierce 31+11 boards, Kevin Garnett 18+11 boards, Ray Allen 17

Orlando - Seattle 103:76
Orlando: Rashard Lewis (6'10''-F-79) 22, Hedayet Turkoglu 17, Keith Bogans 16
Seattle: Nick Collison (6'9''-F-80, college: Kansas) 15, Jeff Green 12

Charlotte - Miami 91:76
Charlotte: Gerald Wallace 19, Jason Richardson 18, Emeka Okafor 13+10 boards
Miami: Shaquille O'Neal 17, Udonis Haslem 10

Memphis - Houston 105:99
Memphis: Pau Gasol (7'0''-F/C-80) 26, Darko Milicic 20, Mike Miller 17
Houston: Tracy McGrady (6'8''-G/F-79) 41, Yao Ming 22

Dallas - Philadelphia 99:84
Dallas: Jason Terry (6'2''-G-77, college: Arizona) 25, Dirk Nowitzki 21+12 boards, Josh Howard 18
Philadelphia: Samuel Dalembert (6'11''-C-81, college: Seton Hall) 18, Willie Green 16

San Antonio - LA Lakers 107:92
San Antonio: Tony Parker 26, Brue Bowen 23, Emanuel Ginobili 17
LA Lakers: Kobe Bryant 18, Jordan Farmer 16

Phoenix - New York 113:102
Phoenix: Amare Stoudemire (6'10''-F-82) 26+12 boards, Shawn Marion 23, Leandrinho Barbosa 23
New York: Jamal Crawford (6'5''-G-80, college: Michigan) 21, Fred Jones 19

Portland - Detroit 102:94
Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge (6'11''-C-85, college: Texas) 22+10 boards, Brandon Roy 20, Jarrett Jack 20
Detroit: Tayshaun Prince (6'9''-F-80, college: Kentucky) 20, Chauncey Billups 19

NBA's Fast Start........ -by Alex Yams
The start of the NBA season has been out of the ordinary to say the least. In a season, where the only undefeated team is the Boston Celtics (6-0), the top rookie out for the season (G.Oden) and another struggling to hit his stride (K.Durant), while his team is still searching for their first win of the season. The soap opera that is playing out in Laker land, coupled by a hot start by that “other” Los Angeles team make for several interesting stories thus far.

The NBA has grown in popularity but more so from a global standpoint, fueled by international icons Yao Ming and his fellow countrymen Yi Jianlian, who is quietly having a productive first year for Milwaukee. Several teams are decimated by key injuries, Wade for Miami, Carter for New Jersey to name a few. The East is already seen as a two horse race, with Boston and Detroit vying for conference supremacy, yet playing second fiddle to a top heavy Western conference, anchored by defending champions San Antonio and the Texas two-step of Houston and Dallas.

This will once again be a very exciting NBA season showing the world once again, why “We Love This Game.”

*****************************************************
NCAA

Arizona victorious without coach -by Eurobasket News
Arizona Wildcats opened their NCAA season with a hard fought win over Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 76:69. The Wildcats entered the season without their long-time Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson. Olson missed the opener because of some personal reasons and was replaced by his assistant Kevin O'Neill. The Lumberjacks kept it close throughout the first half but a pair of accurate jumper late in the half allowed the Wildcats enjoy an 11-point advantage at halftime. Northern Arizona cut the margin to just 3 points with under two minutes to go in regulation. Chase Budinger (6'7''-F) responded with two free throws to make it 74:69 for the Wildcats. The Lumberjacks could not convert their attempt and the Wildcats pulled away with a win. Chase Budinger finished with 25 points for Arizona. Jerryd Bayless added 18 points for the Wildcats as they improved to 1-0 record. The Lumberjacks answered with 17 points from Nate Geiser and Kyle Landy apiece.
Northern Arizona outrebounded their opponents 37:30 but committed 15 turnovers during the game.
Ranked #7 UCLA clinched their 3rd straight win as they beat California State - San Bernadino 76:41. The Bruins were nearly perfect defensively in the opening half as they limited their opponents to just 11 points and held to a 36:11 lead at halftime. Kevin Love (6'10''-C) stepped up for the Bruins in the second half as he poured in 16 points and helped UCLA to ease to an overall victory. He ended up with 18 points for the winners. Josh Ship had 16 points as UCLA improved to 3-0 record. Marlon Pierce netted 10 points for the Coyotes.

*****************************************************
PANAMA

Forbes ready for Stardom at UMASS -by Miguel Sanchiz

After playing against the likes of Duke and North Carolina at Virginia, Panama´s Gary Forbes was billed as a big-time player when he transferred to Massachusetts men's basketball team two years ago. After sitting out the 2005-06 season, Forbes had a large hand in the success of the Minutemen last year - a season that resulted in a co-Atlantic 10 regular season championship and a berth into the NIT. But this will be the season Forbes becomes that star player UMass coach Travis Ford was looking for. Last year it was Stephane Lasme who claimed the spotlight. Forbes will do the same now. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward excelled at times last season, but wasn't the consistent offensive threat that stars are. His 13 points and 5.8 rebounds per game both ranked third on the team in 2006-07, but he struggled with his overall shooting and he settled for too many jump shots. Forbes entered last year as an Atlantic 10 Preseason Second Team selection, and despite his inconsistency, he was named Newcomer of the Year by Sporting News after the season ended. This season, Forbes was recently named to the conference preseason third team. Based on his numbers from last year, Forbes probably deserves the third-team selection. But his statistical output, not to mention other variables that won't show up on a stat sheet, will greatly improve this year. His preseason ranking should reflect that. For some reason, it doesn't, and the coaches tabbed him for the third team.

Forbes will also be a much better player this season after his experience playing for his native country Panama in the FIBA Americas Championship this summer. He excelled playing against better competition, averaging 17.8 points per game in four contests, and almost hit the last shot which would have helped Panama beat Olympic Champions Argentina in the last game when they were tied at 85 points, and that would have sent Puerto Rico home.

"It's helped a lot; I think I approach the game differently," Forbes said of the experience. "I think I look at the game from a more mature perspective and more seriously than I did last year. It helped out a lot to see what it takes at a higher level. "A lot was on the line, so guys played with a different passion than guys do in college," he added. "It's just a different game, a lot more thinking and more physical." Although the A-10 is particularly talented this season, I highly doubt coach Travis Ford would rather have Stanley Burrell (second team) of Xavier on his roster. Forbes says he doesn't feel slighted, but he probably should.




*****************************************************
PHILIPPINES

Philippine national team stops Aussie pro squad -by Hector Santos
SINGAPORE—Like a David to a Goliath.

Drawing strength from a once dormant defense and a vicious running game, Team Philippines slaughtered the Singapore Slingers, 100-93, Tuesday night before a predominantly Filipino crowd at the Jurong East Sports and Cultural Centre here.

Cheered by some 2,000 of their countrymen, the Nationals quickened the pace in the second half with a sleek attack and solid interior defense to pull the rug from under the Slingers, who led almost almost all throughout the match before disintegrating in the final stretch.

“The team showed mental toughness, they really want to prove something,” said an impressed RP team coach Junel Baculi.

RP also smothered the Singapore national squad, 90-42, Sunday, and a United States Navy selection, 105-58, Monday but Tuesday's victory was considered the biggest since the Slingers are an all-professional team competing in the tough, Australian-based National Basketball League.
“This is a huge, huge win,” said an ecstatic Harbour Centre team owner and amateur basketball godfather Mikee Romero.

So jubilant was Romero, who was here to personally oversee the team along with assistant manager Erick Arejola, that he gave each member of the team $100.

“They all worked and fought really hard, they deserve this bonus,” said Romero.

Reigning UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz, who mushroomed against the Aussie, American and Macedonian giants of the Slingers, came through with the biggest effort of the game—23 points and 12 rebounds that underscored how the RP big men matched up well with their bigger foes.

Fil-Am Alex Crisano had some unnecessary fouls but kept his cool enough to help the team with six points and five rebounds while Allan Salangsang, Chad Alonzo and Beau Belga combined for 23 points and 11 boards, performances that should bode well for an RP team going for the gold medal in the 24th Southeast Asian Games slated Dec. 7-13 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

The small but lightning quick duo of Jason Castro and Al Vergara provided the spark as the two combined for 27 points and eight assists to ease the pressure off their big men inside.

Their biggest moments came late in the fourth quarter when Castro scored the basket that knotted the count at 90-all and Vergara, a late addition from Harbour Centre, drained a booming triple that gave RP the lead for good.

After the win, Filipinos—most of them came from work far and near—who came to watch the game hugged, shook hands and give high fives with the Nationals while some pose pictures with all the players with Crisano, Cruz, Castro, Vergara and Tiu getting the most accolades.

But Baculi and assistants Louie Alas, Ryan Dy and Beaujing Acot were quick to caution that they haven't achieved anything yet.

“Yes we're happy but we haven't accomplished anything yet, our real goal is to win the SEA Games gold in Thailand,” said Baculi.

The scores:

RP 100 - Cruz 23, Castro 16, Salangsang 12, Vergara 11, Alonzo 7, Tiu 7, Crisano 6, Belga 4, dela Cuesta 3, Bautista 2, Cabahug 0, Chan 0, Tan 0

Singapore Slingers 93 - Allen 15, Janev 15, Helms 13, Fitzgerald 11, Cameron 9, McDondald 9, Knight 9, Grizzard 8, Donaldson 0

Quarterscores: 12-23; 39-50; 67-72; 100-93

http://www.mypbl.com

NBC-Spring blasts Hong Kong National Team -by Hector Santos
JOHOR, Malaysia - The NBC-Spring Cooking Oil blasted Hongkong National Team 90-61 Tuesday to open its campaign in the 2007 Johor Invitational Basketball Tournament at the Larkin Indoor Stadium here.

The Cooking Oil Masters of NBC President Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla and Tagaytay Mayor/league EVP Bambol Tolentino got a huge lift from former PBA player Henry Fernandez (180-G-73) and Ronald Lamocha, who were added from Montana Pawnshop-Davao.

The prolific duo combined for 32 points while holdovers Nani Epondulan and Nino Marquez added 13 apiece for the Filipinos' rousing start.

The NBC quintet had a slow start as they only manage to score 15 first quarter points. However, their defense held Hongkong to just nine in the opening canto.
The Filipinos raised their game starting in the second period as they hit their stride from the perimeter.

“Our new players (Fernandez and Lamocha) gave us a huge lift. We'll have a score to settle against the Malaysians. With a healthy and complete lineup, hopefully, we'll get the job done this time,” Coach Boysie Zamar said.

The Malaysian's rode barely defeated an injury-riddled NBC-Spring Cooking Oil team, 82-80, on Soo Eng Heng's buzzer-beater in Hua Lien Probation Basketball Tournament in Taiwan last month.

The Malaysian National Team drubbed Indonesia's Aspac, 93-77 to underscore its serious bid to win the crown on their home soil. In the other game, Singapore, National Team, represented here by under the name of Home United routed China's Parklane Club.

The NBC-Spring Cooking Oil, whose campaign here is bankrolled by the league and supported by Montana Pawnshop of Armando Quibod, Malabon City Mayor Tito Oreta, Sulpicio Lines and official outfitter Champion Sportswear, are playing the Malaysian National Team as off presstime.

A second straight win will give them a good chance of landing in the finals in the single round robin tournament organized by Malaysia's National Basketball League.

The Scores:

NBC-Spring Cooking Oil 90 - Fernandez 17, Lamocha 15, Marquez 13, Epondulan 13, Capobres 12, De Castro 10, Villamin 6, Quibod 3, Reyes 1.
Hong Kong NT 61 - Wung 17, Ting 15, Fung 8, Yee 8, Hung 3, Wai 3, Ki 3, Sheng 2.
Quarters: 15-9, 38-26, 66-43, 90-61.

(Other Game)
Singapore National Team 86 - Kohmeng 20, Awchi 12, Pathman 12, Koong 8, Mitchel 8, Sun 8, Loo 7, Chua 6, Tankee 5.

China-Parklane 63 - Jing 16, Wang 16, Sun 11, Xi Wang 8, Mo 6, Zhou 6.
Quarters: 17-18, 40-30, 70-49, 86-63.

http://www.nbcphilippines.com

*****************************************************
POLAND

Shakur and Stanojevic in Prokom, Urlep fired!!! -by Karol Machera

Mustafa Shakur (190-G-84, college: Arizona) and Jovo Stanojevic (207-C-77, agency: Beo Basket) are new players of Prokom Trefl Sopot. They have replaced Travis Best and Ruben Wolkowyski. Shakur played in todays Euroleague game vs VidiVici Bologne and scored 2 point had 3 asists in 14 minutes on the court. Stanojevic would come to Poland during this week.


Andrej Urlep was fired from ASCO Slask Wroclaw due to loses of the team which has the worst record in last ten years. The President of the Club says Urlep quit the job but Urlep denies saying that the owner of the team fired him. ASCO Slask Wroclaw which has 17 Polish League Championship titles is on the last position in the league with only one victory in 6 games. Urlep is also the coach of Polish National Team and he's working in Poland for 10 seasons in a row and never left the team in the middle of the season. The Polish Basketball Federation forced Urlep to decide if he stays in Slask for season 2008/2009 or he works only with the National Team.


According to www.polskikosz.pl



*****************************************************
PORTUGAL

Ovarense looses again in ULEB Cup -by Sergio Silva
n the 2nd day of the ULEB Cup, Ovarense was defeated yesterday in his homecourt by BK Ventspils. The final result was 68-92. The latvian team entered in the game playing an agressive basketball and reached the decision over the final result in the 2 first quarters. The result at the halftime was 24-44. In the 2nd half and despite the effort of Cordell Henry (176-G-80, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: Marquette), who scored 31 points, Ovarense only was able to maintain the difference near the 20 points. In Ventspils team, 7 players made more than 10 points and the best one was Justin Love (189-G-78, college: St.Louis) with 15. Ovarense is now the last of the group with 2 games lost, although only one team has 2 wins (Besiktas Cola Turka). The 20th of November, Ovarense will host the French team Elan Chalon in Ovar.

*****************************************************
PUERTO RICO

Sanchez in Guaynabo and Boricuas Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana
Conquistadores de Guaynabo signed Angel Sanchez for one season. Angel Sanchez played already in Guaynabo in 1999. Last year He played in Bayamon with 1,5 pts (41% 2pts, 44% FT) and 1,6 rebs. Sanchez is an expert player who played also in Dominican Republic (where He can play as native in the Liga) and in Paraguay.
Penarol Mar de La Plata released Erick Rodriguez . Our Boricua played in Argentina 11 games with 8,6 pts and 1,3 assists.

BORICUAS ABROAD:
In Uleb Cup, Besiktas won easily against Koln 79-60. Christian Dalmau scored 12 pts (6/8 2pts, 0/4 3pts, 0/1 FT) with 5 rebs, 1 assist but also 4 turnovers in 25 minutes. "The Wizard" Rick Apodaca played 31 minutes with 7 pts (1/7 2pts, 0/2 3pts, 5/6 FT), 5 rebs and 7 assts. Besiktas has now a 2-0 standings in Ulep Cup.
Turow was defeated by Zadar Zara 85-74. Andres Rodriguez scored 2 pts (1/3 2pts, 0/2 3pts) with 3 rebs, 2assts and 2 steals in 24 minutes. Turow has a 1-1 standings in Uleb Cup.
In NBA, Orlando won against Seattle 103-76. Carlos Arroyo played 20 minutes with 5 assists but 0 pts (0/3 2pts). Dallas won against Philadelphia 99-84. Jose Juan Barea played only 9 minutes with 2 pts (1/3 2pts, 0/1 3pts) and 1 assist.
A. Fontana

*****************************************************
RUSSIA

News of the day -by Aleksandra Sanders


ULEB : CSKA breaks the ‘black series'

The game was a tough one and it was expected by both of the rivals. The way back from the two losses is not easy. And CSKA showed it pretty well. Olympiacos still has problems with the team play. But none of the rivals surprised another with something that could determine the winner long before the end of the game so the key were the last minutes.

CSKA vs. Olympiacos: 88-79 (22-23 23-17 16-22 27-17)

Ettore Messina, CSKA head coach:

- The game was difficult for the both teams but more for CSKA. We expected Olympiacos to use zone defense and they did it. I am pleased that in the game when Smodis was absent we got so much help from Goree and Zisis. Zisis took the leadership in the crucial moments. Goree gave us some consistency.

info presented by CSKA officials


Superleague A results:

Universitet - Lokomotiv Rst: 73-78 (21-22 12-23 14-14 26-19)

Samara - Spartak St.P: 80-69 (15-14 24-15 28-19 13-21)

*****************************************************
SERBIA

Crvena Zvezda won, FMP and Hemofarm STADA lost in ULEB Cup -by Dragan Jankovski
Crvena Zvezda succeeded to beat Panelinios Athens with double digits 79-69 in it's 50th appearance in ULEB Cup. Red and white team opened the game with run 10-0 and couple of minutes later they countinued with one more 14-0 making advantage of 16 points at the end of the first quarter. Later, they extended lead to 20 points (41-21) but after that point Panelinios get closer and had a small chance until middle of the last period when Zvezda definitely resolved question about the winner. Once again Tadija Dragicevic (205-F-86) led his team scoring 22 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Mamadou N'Diaye (212-C-75, college: Auburn) added 26 points and 7 rebounds for the Greek team. Crvena Zvezda is undefeated after two rounds while Panelinios has 1-1.

As it was expected Akasvayu Girona made victory over Hemofarm STADA 87-61. Spanish team finished the game with 47 rebounds and 19 assists matched with Hemofarm's 33 rebounds and only 5 assists. Jackson Vroman (208-C/F-81, college: Iowa St.) was the best for Girona as he added 17 points and 10 rebounds while on the other side center Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) collected 18 points and 9 rebounds. Both teams have one win and one defeat so far.

Elan Chalon outplayed FMP 96-79 thanks to 35 points by Shawnta Rogers (162-G-76, college: George Washington). FMP got 26 points and 10 rebounds from Zoran Erceg (211-C/F-85). These two teams also have the same score, 1-1.


Crvena Zvezda - Panellinios 79-69
(29-13,16-22,18-22,16-12)

Crvena Zvezda: Dragicevic 22 (6 rebs), Bakic 14 (3 st), Misanovic 11 (4 rebs)
Panellinios: N'Diaye 26 (7 rebs), Karampoulas 14 (4 rebs)


Akasvayu Girona - Hemofarm STADA 87-61
(27-14,24-20,17-12,19-15)

Akasvayu Girona: Vroman 17 (10 rebs), Drobnjak 15 (5 rebs), McDonald 10 (5 as)
Hemofarm STADA: Vukosavljevic 18 (9 rebs), Jagodnik 11, Joksimovic 10


Elan Chalon - FMP 96-79
(18-15,27-19,32-23,19-22)

Elan Chalon: Rogers 35 (4 rebs, 4 as), Guice 20 (5 rebs)
FMP: Erceg 26 (10 rebs), Djerasimovic 18 (6 rebs), Krstovic 12 (6 as)

Jovan Koprivica joins Ergonom Nis temporarily -by Dragan Jankovski
Participant of Serbian A league, Ergonom Nis, agreed terms with ex player of Igokea Partizan, Panelinios Athens and Crvena Zvezda, Jovan Koprivica (198-G/F-82, agency: Beo Basket). Contract is signed with option that the player can leave at any time when he got an offer from some foreign club.

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SINGAPORE

Philippine national team stuns Singapore Slingers -by Hector Santos
SINGAPORE - Overall, the Philippine team is four inches shorter than the Singapore Slingers. But it was the Filipinos who played more like giants Tuesday. In what could be their biggest test before the SEA Games, the Harbour Centre-backed RP team, averaging only 6-foot-1 and a half, dazzled the taller and heftier professionals from Australia with its gutsy plays to pull off a remarkable 100-93 come-from-behind win before a roaring crowd at the Jurong Sports Hall here.

“That's the killer's instinct that I have been telling you guys. They already have that kind of mentality,”
said an ecstatic coach Junel Baculi. “You can't underestimate the heart of my players right now.” Not only their character and rebounding that was marvelous but also the fluidity of their offense.

Even Harbour Centre owner and amateur basketball godfather Mikee Romero was elated with the performance of the Nationals, especially Jervy Cruz, Jason Castro, Al Vergara, Allan Salangsang and Chris Tiu.

“This is a morale-boosting win for us but we achieved nothing yet from this win. We still have to work hard,” said Romero, who arrived here with lovely wife, Sheila, on Sunday to personally oversee the team's training.

The 6-foot-4 Cruz, this year's UAAP MVP, stood tallest for the RP team as he produced a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds, eight of them offensively, in a performance that drew raves from nearly 2,000 Filipino migrants.

Even the Slingers coach, Gordon McLeod, was impressed with the passing and rebounding skills of the Filipinos, saying: “They played hard in the second half, their energy level is very high that's why we're distracted.”

The Filipinos, who also played a series of exhibition games in Brunei and South Korea, started tentatively, falling to a 37-22 hole in the second quarter.

But when they found their offensive rhythm, there was no stopping them as they rallied mightily behind the efforts of Cruz, Castro and Tiu to knot the count at 75-all.

After two more deadlocks, the RP team, out to retain its title in the regional sports spectacle, jolted the Slingers after Vergara, the smallest on the court at 5-foot-7, knocked in a booming trey that gave them a 93-90 lead.

Salangsang sealed the win for the Nationals when he outfoxed two Slingers to follow-up a missed drive by the 5-foot-10 Castro, 95-90, only 53 ticks left.

Castro was only 5-of-14 from the field but he made 6-of-8 from the stripes to finish with 16, while Vergara and Salangsang combined for 23 points. Tiu wasalso a revelation with seven points.

The win was the third straight for the RP team which used a three-guard rotation -- Castro, Tiu and Vergara -- most of the second half after center Beau Belga got into foul trouble.



The scores:

RP 100 - Cruz 23, Castro 16, Salangsang 12, Vergara 11, Alonzo 7, Tiu 7, Crisano 6, Belga 4, dela Cuesta 3, Bautista 2, Cabahug 0, Chan 0, Tan 0

Singapore Slingers 93- Allen 15, Janev 15, Helms 13, Fitzgerald 11, Cameron 9, McDondald 9, Knight 9, Grizzard 8, Donaldson 0

Quarters: 12-23; 39-50; 67-72; 100-93

http://www.mypbl.com

Singapore trashed China -by Hector Santos
JOHOR, Malaysia - Singapore, National Team, represented here by under the name of Home United routed China's Parklane Club, 86-63, Tuesday to open its campaign in the 2007 Johor Invitational Basketball Tournament at the Larkin Indoor Stadium here.

In the other game, the Malaysian National Team drubbed Indonesia's Aspac, 93-77 to underscore its serious bid to win the crown on their home soil.

A second straight win will give them a good chance of landing in the finals in the single round robin tournament organized by Malaysia's National Basketball League.

The Scores:

Singapore National Team 86 - Kohmeng 20, Awchi 12, Pathman 12, Koong 8, Mitchel 8, Sun 8, Loo 7, Chua 6, Tankee 5.

China-Parklane 63 - Jing 16, Wang 16, Sun 11, Xi Wang 8, Mo 6, Zhou 6.
Quarters: 17-18, 40-30, 70-49, 86-63.



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SWEDEN

First part of round 8 -by Frankie Afzelius
First two games went off on tues. The first game was between Uppsala and the defending champions Plannja. Plannja was sporting a new lineup Dan Oppland (203-F-84, agency: Sports Plus International, college: Valparaiso) instead of the injured Marcus Jackson (202-F-82, college: Marquette). The game started at a furious pace by the home team that could do nothing wrong. With threes and alley-ops the hometeam jumped out to a 11-2 lead after just three minutes. After the time out the defending champions came out more poised and behind point guard Hakan Larsson (184-G-74) started the comeback and made a 13-2 run on their own which put the teams at 26-21after the first quarter. The second quarter goes both ways. The team trades points all the way through except in the alst 3 min when Hakan Larsson and Dee Ayuba (198-F-86, college: Mo.-Kansas City) start dominating giving Plannja de lead at half. The second half was all Plannja. The home team tried to get back into the game with some runs but was allways answered by either a three or a layup from the champions. The player of the game was Hakan Larsson who ended with 26 pts. Dan Oppland had a good fist showing aswell with 15 pts and 8 reb. Fred Drains (195-F-71, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Kean) added 13 pts 11 reb. For the home team Fredrik Jonzen (207-C/F-78, college: Oklahoma St.) had 22 pts and got help from Danny Gathings (193-F-80, college: High Point) with 18 pts.

Uppsala: Fredrik Jonzen 22, Danny Gathings 18, Thomas Jackson 13, Justinas Pavlavicius 13, Yasin Merzoug 7, Fredrik Rosen 5, Urban Soderman, Anton Gaddefors.
Plannja: Hakan Larsson 26, Daniel Oppland 15, Fred Drains 13, Oladapo Ayuba 13, John P Rosendahl 11, Terry Williams 8, Jim Enbom 6, Mats Olsson 5, Filip Claesson 2.

In the second game Öresundskraft hosted Solna Vikings. Solna coming of two wins was trying to contiune the streak agains the team from the south. The game started slow and both teams where trading basket in the first quarter. Rudy Mbemba (181-G-87) started well for the away team with 9 pts in the first but was still behind 19-16 after the horn. The second quarter continued in the same way. Hard defense from both teams kept the score low and it looked like none of th teams could make a basket. To start the second half Solna pulls away to take a 10 point lead. But after a time out from the home team everything changes. Damon Jackson (195-G-80, college: Fresno St.) steps up and turns it all around for the home team. Starting a 19-0 run to end the third quarter. Damon Jackson scores 29 pts and hits 9/14 from three to carry his team to victory 80-63. He got help from Johan Akesson (209-C-84) who chipped in 15pts. For the away team Brandon McKnight (188-G-83, college: Purdue) had 16 pts and Rudy Mbemba 14pts.

Öresundskraft Basket: Damon Jackson 29p, Johan Akesson 15p, Jens Stĺlhandske & Anders Ronndahl 11p, Herman Favors 10p, Jonas Christensen och Srdjan Vukovic 2 p var.
Solna Vikings: Brandon McKnight 16p, Rudy Mbemba 14p, Martin Pahlmblad 10p, Trevor Harvey 9p, Lesli Myrtil 8p, Mohmmed Neffati 4p & Mikael Hermansson 2p.

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TANZANIA

Kili RBA Deal Out Tomorrow -by Carlos Pereira
Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) is tomorrow expected to unveil its sponsorship of the 2007/8 Kili RBA basketball championships.
Basketball Dar es Salaam director Mbaga Mwamboma said yesterday the sponsorship package would be announced ahead of the start of the championships on November 17 at Dar es Salaam's National Indoor Stadium.
"Prizes and incentives to be offered will all be known on Wednesday. We hope that this year's package will be better that than previous one,"he said.
He added that the announcement of the sponsorship had been delayed because TBL's Kilimanjaro Premium Lager brand manager Oscar Shelukindo was out of the country.
TBL has been sponsoring the league through the brand for seven years.
Last year's men's winners JKT pocketed Sh3 million while Savio and Oilers took home Sh2 million and Sh1 million after finishing second and third, respectively.
The top three women's teams and their cash prizes were JKT (Sh2 million/-), Jeshi Stars (Sh1 million) and Cargo Ladies (Sh500,000).
The best men's player was Savio's George Tarimo, who received Sh2 million in addition to the Sh100,000 he got for pulling down the most rebounds.
The team with the best disciplinary record took home Sh300,000 while the top scorers in both the men's and women's competitions pocketed Sh100,000 each and the MVPs received Sh200,000 each.
Tubert Matiku of JKT was awarded Sh200,000 after he was named the best coach.
Mbaga said the 10 teams that would vie for the men's title were JKT, Savio, Oilers, Vijana 'City Bulls', Chui, ABC, UDSM Outsiders, Mgulani JKT, CTW and Chang'ombe Boys.
Women's teams lined up for action are JKT Stars, Jeshi Stars, Don Bosco Lady Lions, Cargo Ladies and PTW.

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TURKEY

Harvey At Banvit -by Serdar Ortakuyu
Banvit reinforced its front court with former Besiktas Cola Turka power forward Donnell Harvey (203-C-80, agency: Octagon, college: Florida) who got waived from Utah Jazz after pre season games. Harvey, a first round pick of New York Knicks in 2000 NBA Draft, spent 5 years playing in NBA and arrived in Europe for Panionios. He finished the last year at Besiktas Cola Turka and added 14.1ppg, 8.8rpg in 16 games.

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U.S.VIRGIN ISL.

Krauser signs with CBA -by David Edole
The Pittsburgh Xplosion of the Continental Basketball Association announced the signing of former University of Pittsburgh standout Carl Krauser (188-G-81, college: Pittsburgh), pending league approval.
One of college basketball's most exciting players, Krauser became the face of the Pitt basketball program over the course of his five years with the Panthers. As the point guard and leader on the floor, Krauser often displayed fearless leadership and a desire to make big plays in a game's most critical situations.
Krauser was named Second Team All-Big East in each of his final three seasons with Pitt. In 2003-04, Krauser was named the Big East's Most Improved Player while picking up Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention honors. In his junior season of 2004-05, Krauser won the John Wooden Award, was named a Naismith All-American, and finished as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.
"We are very happy and excited to have a guy of his caliber on our team," head coach Carlos Knox said. "We are very excited to have him contribute both in the community and on the court."
Krauser became the first Panther in school history to surpass 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. For his career, Krauser finished ninth on the school's all-time scoring list (1,642 points), fourth in assists (568), and eighth in steals (190). He averaged 13 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 126 games.
The Xplosion picked Krauser in the sixth round of the 2006 CBA College Draft. Teams own the CBA rights of their draft choices for two seasons.
Krauser spent the 2006-07 season in Germany with EWE Baskets Oldenburg, where he averaged 6.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals in 34 games.
Krauser joins former Panthers Antonio Graves and John DeGroat on the camp roster.
The Xplosion open the season Friday night at the Petersen Events Center at 7:05 PM against East Kentucky.

Peterkin off to Portugal -by David Edole
Omari Peterkin (203-F/C-83, college: Boston U.) is off to Portugal for a tryout with Lusitania and if the team like him he will sign for the rest of the season. Peterkin is a graduate of Boston University and averaged 8.0ppg, 6.4rpg, 1.6bpg, FGP: 47.7%. Peterkin originally signed with Viking Gdynia of the Polish league but the team went bankrupt the same month.
Lusitania is off to a slow start as the team has only won one game in three of four chances. Lusitania sits in sixth place in the UZO League standings.

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UAE

Jones signs for Al Ahli -by Ali Ahmed
Al Ahli basketball team management agreed terms with the American Center Vincent Jones (210-C-77, agency: Court Side, college: Jackson St.) (210-C-77, agency: Court Side, college: Jackson St.) to play for them this season.

Vincent Jones, An extremely large and powerful post player that surprises opponents with his quickness and athletic ability. Can dominate games with his strength, intensity and ability to get good post position. An unselfish player who knows how to distribute the ball. Very good shot blocker.


Awards/Achievements:
SWAC Tournament Winner -00
SWAC 2nd Team -00
SWAC Defensive Player of the Year -00
Russian League Defensive Player of the Year -01
Russian League All-Defensive Team -01
Turkish League Regular Season MVP -02
Turkish Cup Finalist -02
Polish Cup Semifinals -04
Polish League Semifinals -04
Asian Club Championships -06 (Finalist), 07 (Finalist)
Asia-Basket.com All-Asian Clubs Championships 2nd Team -07
Syrian Cup Winner -07
Syrian League Champion -07
Syrian League Regular Season Champion -07

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ULEB CUP

Crvena Zvezda won, FMP and Hemofarm STADA lost -by Dragan Jankovski
Crvena Zvezda succeeded to beat Panelinios Athens with double digits 79-69 in it's 50th appearance in ULEB Cup. Red and white team opened the game with run 10-0 and couple of minutes later they countinued with one more 14-0 making advantage of 16 points at the end of the first quarter. Later, they extended lead to 20 points (41-21) but after that point Panelinios get closer and had a small chance until middle of the last period when Zvezda definitely resolved question about the winner. Once again Tadija Dragicevic (205-F-86) led his team scoring 22 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Mamadou N'Diaye (212-C-75, college: Auburn) added 26 points and 7 rebounds for the Greek team. Crvena Zvezda is undefeated after two rounds while Panelinios has 1-1.

As it was expected Akasvayu Girona made victory over Hemofarm STADA 87-61. Spanish team finished the game with 47 rebounds and 19 assists matched with Hemofarm's 33 rebounds and only 5 assists. Jackson Vroman (208-C/F-81, college: Iowa St.) was the best for Girona as he added 17 points and 10 rebounds while on the other side center Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) collected 18 points and 9 rebounds. Both teams have one win and one defeat so far.

Elan Chalon outplayed FMP 96-79 thanks to 35 points by Shawnta Rogers (162-G-76, college: George Washington). FMP got 26 points and 10 rebounds from Zoran Erceg (211-C/F-85). These two teams also have the same score, 1-1.


Crvena Zvezda - Panellinios 79-69
(29-13,16-22,18-22,16-12)

Crvena Zvezda: Dragicevic 22 (6 rebs), Bakic 14 (3 st), Misanovic 11 (4 rebs)
Panellinios: N'Diaye 26 (7 rebs), Karampoulas 14 (4 rebs)


Akasvayu Girona - Hemofarm STADA 87-61
(27-14,24-20,17-12,19-15)

Akasvayu Girona: Vroman 17 (10 rebs), Drobnjak 15 (5 rebs), McDonald 10 (5 as)
Hemofarm STADA: Vukosavljevic 18 (9 rebs), Jagodnik 11, Joksimovic 10


Elan Chalon - FMP 96-79
(18-15,27-19,32-23,19-22)

Elan Chalon: Rogers 35 (4 rebs, 4 as), Guice 20 (5 rebs)
FMP: Erceg 26 (10 rebs), Djerasimovic 18 (6 rebs), Krstovic 12 (6 as)



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Women News

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BOSNIA - Women

A1 divison serb.part 1-st week fixtures -by Emil Suceska
24.11.2007

Kozara - Brcko DC
Vrbas - Bijeljina
Rudar - Borac IEFK
Trebinje - Mladost

Eight teams will be played for one place in first division of Bosnian and Herzegovian league

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EUROLEAGUE (W) - Women

TTT Riga edges Lille Metropole in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
TTT Riga -Lille 83:65

TTT Riga improved their position in Group A of FIBA Euroleague after they cruised past Lille Metropole at home. TTT Riga entered this encounter after a hurting loss to CSKA and needed a win to pump up their ambitions. Eglite sank a three-pointer at the start of the game and set the tone for the hosts. Lille though stayed close in the first frame and Fatimatou Sacko (185-F-85) nailed 5 straight points for French side to put them in front 16:14 after 10 minutes of action. Olena Zherzherunova (191-F-78, agency: LBM Management)'s trey sparked TTT Riga to a 13:0 run and they spurred ahead 29:21 midway through the second stanza. Olena Zherzherunova netted 15 points for Riga in the second quarter and allowed the home team to enjoy a 35:28 advantage at halftime.
Ieva Tare (185-F-74) and Elina Babkina (172-G-89) opened the third quarter with three long jumpers to enlarge the gap to 44:33. TTT Riga maintained the gap throughout the third term and headed into the final part of the game with a 61:44 cushion. Micaela Jacintho (180-F-79) chipped in a couple of jump shots for the hosts and TTT Riga cleared off to a 20-point distance. Lille finally surrendered and TTT Riga cruised to an overall victory at the end.
Olena Zherzherunova poured in 21 points to lead TTT Riga. Ieva Tare had 16 points, while Micaela Jacintho contributed 15 points for the winners. Ljubica Drljaca (190-F-78) nailed 17 points and 7 rebounds for Lille. Shala Crawford (193-C-79, college: Life) added 13 points and 9 rebounds in a losing clause.
TTT Riga converted impressive 55% from beyond the arc. They were outrebounded by the visitors 32:34 but forced Lille to 18 turnovers.
TTT Riga will play against Fenerbahce away from home.

TTT Riga: Olena Zherzherunova 21, Ieva Tare 16, Micaela Jacintho 15
Lille: Ljubica Drljaca 17+7 boards, Shala Crawford 13+9 boards

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ICELAND - Women

Iceland Express games -by Siggi Hjorleifsson
KR beat Grindavik tonight 83-75. Good win for home team . KR moves now to third place in he league. Main different between the teams where rebounding. KR 47 Grindavik 30
Leading scorers for KR. Monique Martin (180-G, college: Brewton Parker) 32. Hildur Sigurdardottir 22.. Sigrun Amundadottir 17. For Grindavik. Tiffany Roberson 25. Joanna Skiba 20 Olof Palsdottir 14

Hamar 70. Keflavik 81. Keflavik playing without Takesha Watson. Knee injury. Leading scorers for Hamar. LaKiste Barkus 25. Fanney Gudmundsdottir 13. For Keflavik. Palina Gunnlaugsdottir 19. Margret Kara Sturludottir 18. Ingibjorg Elva Vilbergsdottir 14. Hronn Thorgrimsdottir 14

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LATVIA - Women

TTT Riga edges Lille Metropole in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
TTT Riga -Lille 83:65

TTT Riga improved their position in Group A of FIBA Euroleague after they cruised past Lille Metropole at home. TTT Riga entered this encounter after a hurting loss to CSKA and needed a win to pump up their ambitions. Eglite sank a three-pointer at the start of the game and set the tone for the hosts. Lille though stayed close in the first frame and Fatimatou Sacko (185-F-85) nailed 5 straight points for French side to put them in front 16:14 after 10 minutes of action. Olena Zherzherunova (191-F-78, agency: LBM Management)'s trey sparked TTT Riga to a 13:0 run and they spurred ahead 29:21 midway through the second stanza. Olena Zherzherunova netted 15 points for Riga in the second quarter and allowed the home team to enjoy a 35:28 advantage at halftime.
Ieva Tare (185-F-74) and Elina Babkina (172-G-89) opened the third quarter with three long jumpers to enlarge the gap to 44:33. TTT Riga maintained the gap throughout the third term and headed into the final part of the game with a 61:44 cushion. Micaela Jacintho (180-F-79) chipped in a couple of jump shots for the hosts and TTT Riga cleared off to a 20-point distance. Lille finally surrendered and TTT Riga cruised to an overall victory at the end.
Olena Zherzherunova poured in 21 points to lead TTT Riga. Ieva Tare had 16 points, while Micaela Jacintho contributed 15 points for the winners. Ljubica Drljaca (190-F-78) nailed 17 points and 7 rebounds for Lille. Shala Crawford (193-C-79, college: Life) added 13 points and 9 rebounds in a losing clause.
TTT Riga converted impressive 55% from beyond the arc. They were outrebounded by the visitors 32:34 but forced Lille to 18 turnovers.
TTT Riga will play against Fenerbahce away from home.

TTT Riga: Olena Zherzherunova 21, Ieva Tare 16, Micaela Jacintho 15
Lille: Ljubica Drljaca 17+7 boards, Shala Crawford 13+9 boards

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NCAA - Women

Maryland grabs third straight victory -by Eurobasket News
Maryland added one more successful outing to their record as they rolled past Delaware 91:43. The win saw Maryland Terrapins advance to the semifinal of the Women's National Invitation tournament. The Terrapins were without All-American Team forward Crystal Langhorne as she missed this one because of a sprained ankle. Kristi Toliver came up big for Maryland producing 19 points and 10 assists in a winning effort. The Terrapins led 46:21 at halftime and later tipped off the second half with a 17:2 rally to clear off for good. Marissa Coleman (6'1''-G/F-87) delivered 16 points for the winners. Vanessa Kabongo posted 11 points for Delaware as they slid to 1-1 record. Maryland were huge in the paint as they pulled down 52 rebounds. They also shot impressive 92.6% from charity stripe and limited the Blue Hens to only 24% from the field. The Terrapins will now face Notre Dame in the semifinal on Friday.
Ranked #9 Georgia poured in 105 points to dismantle Georgia Southern for the third success in the season. The high-scoring attitude from the Lady Bulldogs was never evenly matched by the Southern Eagles and they had to lose their second game in the season. Tasha Humphrey (6'3''-F-85) led the action with 18 points for Georgia. Christy Marshall scored career-high 17 points coming off the bench. Shawnda Atwood (5'10''-F-86) delivered 16 points for the Eagles. The Eagles missed suspended All-Southern Conference Team player Tiffany Brown for the game.

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PORTUGAL - Women

Esgueira has new players -by Luis Rocha
Esgueira starts the season with a new pair of foreign players. They decide to sign Zhanna Chubis from Pombal (plays in 1st division), she plays as a center and can perform well inside, and Katie Sandefur (183-F) to play as forward, and help the team like an all around player.

Povoa has a new player -by Luis Rocha
Povoa its really determined to get back to some years ago when they won the Portuguese Title. Now they sign Jessica Maria Butler (191-C) a good center to add stenght and height to the roster. Jessica comes with some International experience, and seems capable to help Povoa to reach higher stages this season.

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PUERTO RICO - Women

Juncos defeats Morovis, Juncos is 2-0 with the "Cabrera Power" -by Alessandro Fontana
Juncos defeated Morovis 74-67 in the second game of the Finals BSF 2007. Juncos has to win only another game to win the BSF 2007. Las Valencianas played a perfect game yesterday. Our MVP was Yahimilly Cabrera with 20 pts (6/8 2pts, 8/10 FT), 7 rebounds and also 9 assists in 39 minutes. The game was decided in the fourth quarter, when Juncos won 22-7 with a great intensity in defense. In the last period The "Cabrera Power" Yoliana and Yahimilly and Pietra Gay (-F/C-74) were unstoppable, they had a good shot percentage and they could keep down the power of Amy Denson , the best player of Morovis with 22pts+10 rebs. Next game will be on 15th November and if Juncos win, Las Valencianas will be the new champions of BSF 2007.
JUNCOS-MOROVIS= 74-67
J= Ya. Cabrera 20, Yo. Cabrera 16, Gay 15 (10rebs), Rodriguez 7, Guerra 5
M= Denson 22, Lindsay Gonzalez 17, Mendez 9, Willis 7, Colon 6, Osorio 6.
A. Fontana

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SWEDEN - Women

Telge follows the leader -by Eurobasket News

The rest of the games of Round 4 were played recently and one more game is scheduled for tonight. Telge stays undefeated and follow Solna with 4-0 record.
Telge smashed Umea Comets 103:57 with 34:15 in the opening quarter. Frida Eldebrink (174-G-88) nailed 25 points for the winners. Erica Blomgren ended up with 17, while Josefin Olheim brought 15. Amy Mohr (165-G-83, college: Chattanooga) produced 21 points in the losing effort.
Sundsvall Saints had a road win over Marbo Basket 76:78. Only due to the last quarter the guests could grab the victory. Lonniya Bragg (183-G/F-79, agency: Spectrum Sports, college: Arkansas) poured in 25 points and remains the top-scorer in Sweden. Vera Janjic netted 18, while Latreece Bagley added 17. Lindsey Hicks (185-F-81, college: Purdue) top-scored for the hosts with 21 points.
Visby Ladies overcame Eskilstuna Basket 73:66 as Katherine Flecky scored 21 points. Alyssa Wahl (188-F/C-84, college: N.Arizona) followed her with 20 and 2 other players added 9 points each. Mirenda Wilson led the visitors with 17 points.
Lulea Basket won in the game of winless teams beating Jamtland Basket 59:78 away. Leah Rush (185-F-84), Frida Grahn and Elin Sцderstrцm top-scored with 15 points each. Camilla Fagerberg (181-F-86) ended up the night with 18 points in defeat.

Telge - Umea Comets 103-57
Telge: Frida Eldebrink 25, Erica Blomgren 17, Josefin Olheim 15, Elin Eldebrink 14, Frida Fogdemark 13, Sofia Еstrцm 9, Linda Stеhlberg 5, Salome Kabengano 4, Stefanie Yderstrцm 1
Umeе Comets: Amy Mohr 21, Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen 10, Frida Jonsson 8, Sanna Malm 7, Caroline Sigefelt 4, Annica Nybom 3, Ida Sцdersten 2, Jennie Brandt 2, Anna Wiren 0, Sara Granberg 0

Marbo Basket - Sundsvall Saints 76-78
Marbo Basket: Lindsey Hicks 21, Emma Nilsson 18, Johanna Kдllman 12, Ashley Key 8, Maria Gustavsson 7, Caroline Danielsson 6, Johanna Ericsson 4, Therese Andersson Broman 0, Karin Inger 0
Sundsvall Saints: Lonniya Bragg 25, Vera Janjic 18, Latreece Bagley 17, Hanna Renkse 11, Patricia Aguirre-Nylйn 4, Madeleine Malmbom 3, Caroline Bergsten 0

Visby Ladies - Eskilstuna Basket 73-66

Visby Ladies: Katherine Flecky 21, Alyssa Wahl 20, Erika Persson 9, Marie Sцderberg 9, Agnes Nordstrцm 8, Joanna Ausmann 4, Olga Kjelsson 2, Hanna Munthe-Gottberg 0, Josefine Loob 0
Eskilstuna Basket: Mirenda Wilson 17, Kelsey Blair 14, Madelene Feldt 13, Emma Gunnarsson 10, Jenny Andersson 8, Kimona Boussard Larson 4, Marie Еstrцm 0

Jamtland Basket - Lulea Basket 59-78
Jamtland Basket:Camilla Fagerberg 18, Cisti Greenwalt 14, Stina Nilsson 10, Angelina Aliri 6, Sarah Costello 5, Malin Aasa 3, Sofie Andersson 2, Emma Skarle 1
Luleе Basket: Leah Rush 15, Frida Grahn 15, Elin Sцderstrцm 15, Frida Johanna Aili 13, Eszter Csontos 8, Annica Grafstrцm 6, Eva Hдgg-Myntti 3, Anna-Lisa Vestin 3