EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/12/2008

Copyright © 1997-2007 Eurobasket
WARNING:
Do not copy, redistribute, publish or otherwise exploit information that you download from the site!
Do not encumber, license, modify, publish, sell, transfer or transmit, or in any way exploit, any of the
content of the report, nor will you attempt to do so.
More info:www.eurobasket.com


Men News

*****************************************************
ABA

Manchester Millrats signs Charles Mason and releases John Huggins -by Eurobasket
Manchester Millrats signed 33-year old forward Charles Mason (6'8''-F-75, college: Bunker Hill). Mason played most recently at CSM Leonardo Oradea (Romania).
Millrats released John Huggins (6'2''-G-82, college: Amer.Internat.)

Last ABA transactions -by Gianni Pascucci
After signing Charles Mason, the Manchester Millrats added to the roster Al Stewart (5'10''-G-83, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Drake) too. The Montreal Royal signed three new players: Claude Delmas (6'11''-G, college: N.Michigan), David Dubois (6'9''-F-80, college: Maine) and Muhammed Fall (6'9''-F/C, college: District of Col.). Delmas outstood in his first game, scoring 24 pts in the win over the Westchester Phantoms.

Frost Heaves Sweep Back-To-Back Meetings Against Rainmen -by Surujh Roopnarine
The Vermont Frost Heaves swept a two game meeting with the host Halifax Rainmen, coming away with the 107-99 victory last night at the Metro Centre.
Paced by a team high 23 points from Terrance Green (6'4''-G/F-81, college: Nevada) along with blistering 15-30 from behind the arc, Vermont was able to build a 21 point fourth quarter lead before holding off Halifax's late comeback attempts. Vermont improves to 17-3 on the season, while Halifax, who were led by Blandon Ferguson (6'4''-F/G-80, college: Illinois)'s game high 33 points, fall to 7-11.
FROST HEAVES: Terrance Terrance Green (23p+12rb), Dokun Akingbade (18p+9rb), Antonio Burks (15p), Dwayne Lee (12p)
RAINMEN: Blandon Ferguson (33p), Jermaine Anderson (18p+9rb+6as), Brian Silverhorn (17p), Eric Crookshank (15p+14rb+8as)

*****************************************************
BAHRAIN

Manama Club Champions -by Yousef Ahmed

Manama lifted the Bahrain Basketball Cup when they overcame Muharraq 83-75 in the final last night at the Gulf Finance House (GFH) Sports Hall in Umm Al Hassam. Muharraq led for large portions of the match thanks largely to their star American forward Rah-Shun Roberts, who contributed 21 points for his team's cause. But his suspension in the dying minutes, combined with Manama's superior experience, ensured they lived up to expectations and emerge victorious.
Roberts opened the scoring for Muharraq, before Ahmed Al Doy added a three-pointer to give their team a dream start. Nooh Najaf (186-F-67) hit-back with Manama's first score of the game, but Roberts added another basket to open up a 2-8 lead.
Najef mounted an early comeback, scoring a triple to reduce the deficit to just two points after five minutes of play. And their work rate continued, with Mohammed Najef putting Manama in the lead for the first time 16-15.
But Mohammed Abdulmajeed was to have the last laugh of the quarter for Muharraq, landing a perfectly weighted three-points in the dying seconds to give his team an 18-20 advantage at the interval.
The underdogs continued their good performance in the second quarter, with Abdulmajeed firing a triple, increasing their lead to 18-24 after just two minutes, forcing Manama's coach Salman Ramadan to use his time-out.
But Abdulmajeed could not be tamed, he scored again shortly after play resumed, but Ahmed Abdulaziz did not let them out of sight, adding three points to reduce the gap to three.
A number of triples were slotted by both sides in the penultimate stages of the half, and Hassan Ibrahim scored for Manama with seconds remaining on the clock to see his side go into the break 37-35 down.
The third quarter saw the rate of play accelerate, and it took Manama just 12 seconds to equalise the scores. And they took the lead once more through Mohammed Hassan Abbas' triple 44-41.
But Robert's scored two baskets in quick succession to regain the lead for Muharraq.It was to be the story of the quarter, as both teams took the lead, only to lose it moments later.
Hamad Hassan's triple in the fifth minute was matched by Roberts' in the following attack, giving Muharraq a 50-49 lead. Hassan Ibrahim regained the lead before Roberts snatched it back once again.
A late flurry of goals from Muharraq sent their fans into raptures when they went into the interval with a 65-59 lead.
Roberts opened the final quarter in spectacular style, snatching the rebound off the backboard, and in a single movement he dunked the ball over the opposing rebounder's heads.
But his efforts weren't enough, as Hassan Ebrahim scored twice in quick succession to claw back within two points. And it was Ibrahim that re-took the lead for Manama, before his team mate Mahmood Qahiri extended it from a superb flowing move.
And they never looked back, using their superior experience to bar Muharraq from re-entering the game.

source: Bahrain Tribune

*****************************************************
BELIZE

Lennox Cayetano to play for Southwest Assemblies of God University!!! -by David Magana
News from the University of Belize is that Lennox Cayetano has received a full basketball scholarship to Southwest Assemblies of God University, a NAIA school that is located just outside of Dallas. Lennox is 6'8 and 245 pounds . He will have two and half years of eligibility to play in the States. UB looks forward to sending more student-athletes to universities in the States on basketball scholarships. This will definately help the development of basketball in Belize. UB will be able to bring more players in to the university plus when the players get there degree from foreign schools, then they will be able to come back and help teach the game to younger kids. UB's program has been successful in its two years of existence. They have had student-athletes graduate with BA and AA degrees. The overall GPA of the student-athletes right now is 2.65. We wish the best to Lennox hoping he is one of the many to migrate this year to the US on scholarships!!!

*****************************************************
BOSNIA

KK Zenica Celik sign Abdurahman Kahrimanovic -by Eurobasket
KK Zenica Celik added to their roster 33-year old domestic guard Abdurahman Kahrimanovic (197-G-75, agency: Court Side). Kahrimanovic played most recently at Pizza Express Primetel Apollon (Cyprus). He has a very extend experience playing previously in Greece, Kosovo, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Belgium and Slovenia.

Bosna ASA BH Telecom Sarajevo sign Jeremy Veal -by Eurobasket
Bosna ASA BH Telecom Sarajevo strengthened their roster with addition of 32-year old American guard Jeremy Veal (191-G-76, college: Arizona St., agency: SportsTalent). Veal played most recently at Nuova Pallacanestro Pavia (Italy). He has lots of international experience. He played already in Dominican Rep., Holland, Italy, Australia, Germany, Israel and many pro leagues in the States.

BC Igokea Partizan Aleksandrovac sign Myron Allen -by Eurobasket
BC Igokea Partizan Aleksandrovac agreed terms with 29-year old American guard Myron Allen (180-G-79, college: Lee JC). Allen played most recently at Lobos Grises de la UAD Durango (Mexico). Despite he graduated college already 9 years ago, it's just his second season in Europe. He joined last March Elitzur Ashkelon in Israel. All previous years he played in the States with short periods in Mexican League. Last season while playing in Israel, he averaged in 7 games: 11.6ppg, 3.6rpg, 4.3apg, and 1.4spg.

Bosnians abroad -by Nedzad Kladusak

L Hospitalet: Nihad Djedovic (198-G-90, agency: Beo Basket) and Hodzic shine in Spain
Bosnia-Hercegovina had always great basketball prospects. Unfortunately only a few of them play later for their country. No one takes notice of these young guys. Neither the bosnian basketball association, nor the ultra-strong basketball schools of bosnian 'powerhouses'. So we don t need to wonder if self-proclaimed draftexperts of minor basketball blogs talk about great croat talents like Stanko Barac, Damir Omerhodzic, slovenian superstars like Mirza Begic or declare that Emir Preldzic is not 'hot' but that Bojan Tanjevic (reminds me a little bit of coach K and the famous number 4…) is good for his development.

In L Hospitalet has been played the traditional Nike IJCT, a tournament hosting some of the best junior teams in Europe. Dino Hodzic and Nihad Nihad Djedovic, some of the greatest bosnian prospects participated with their teams Cibona respectively Barcelona showing excellent performances.

D.Hodzic 16, 8rebs vs. Joventud
N.Nihad Djedovic 25 (5/11), 6 rebs vs.Estudiantes

N.Nihad Djedovic 29 (5/8) , 4 rebs, 21 min, vs. Pau
D.Hodzic 28 (FG 12/19) 5 rebs, 5 ass, vs. Unicaja

N.Nihad Djedovic 22,5rebs
D.Hodzic 3,4 rebs

Nihad Djedovic 12, 5/20,5ass,4st,7rebs vs. FMP

Greece: Kojadinovic and Jazvin defeat Vasiljevic on the road
An interesting game has been played in Athens between the rivals AEK and Maroussi. It has been the first duel of Sasa Vasiljevic on one side against Felix kojadinovic and Ermin Jazvin. Jazvin and Kojadinovic had more luck and won 80-76. Jazvin had 2 points in 11 minutes when he had to leave the court after picking up his 5th PF. His team mate Kojadinovic played only 10 minutes sinking a triple. Vasiljevic played 24 minutes and scored 2 points and dished out 4 assists.

Mujezinovic and Markovic helpless against Panathinaikos
Nenad Markovic and Haris Mujezinovic had great 3 quarters agaisnt Panathinaikos but in the last quarter Spanioulis, Becirovic and Tsartsaris lead the greens to another victory.
Former NT-Player Haris Mujezinovic had 6 points in 14 minutes.

Teri Castle aka Teri Bosanac shows excellent performance

Terry Castle had large 16 points and 4ass in an easy 72-55 win against AGOR.



Spain: Teletovic in excellent shape
One of the runner up of the 2007/2008 series in Spain is definitely Mirza Teletovic who became one of the major pillars of Neven Spahija.
I tough fight against Granada Teletovic had 14 points and 5 rebs shooting in 32 minutes.

Opacak and Murcia without a chance in Valladolid
Ivan Opacak and Polaris Murcia had no chance against Valladolid which netted 12 threes. Opacak had 4 points and 1 reb in 23 minutes.

France: Excellent Krupalija not enough to prevent humiliation of Dijon
Damir Krupalija plays a good season so far but his team Dijon, formerly known as one of the gretest names in french basketball is still on the last position of the french championship. This weekend Pau Orthez swept them away with a thunderous 99-69 victory. Krupalija had 10 points and 8 rebs and 5 TO in 29 minutes.

Germany : Cologne ends Mutapcic winnig streak
Emir Mutapcic and his Phantoms Braunschweig are the biggest surprises in the german championship. They are currently holding the 5th rank. Cologne with the bosnian center Nedzad Sinanovic stopped them on saturday in a tough match. Sinanovic had 2 points in 3 minutes action.

Belgium: Oostende surprises Charleroi
Despite a poor shooting night of Elvir Ovcina (6, pts, FG 2/8) Oostende is still on top of the belgian league with a surprising road win against Charleroi.

NLB: Gordic and Princ shine in home victories of their teams
Nemanja Gordic scored 11 points (FG 4/7) and grabbed 5 rebounds in a well deserved win against Hemofarm.
Vedran Princ had 14 points in a tough win against Red Star Belgrade. He missed only two of his shots.Elmedin Kikanovic spent most of the time on the bench playing only 8 minutes and scoring 2 points (1/1) converting a put back.



*****************************************************
BULGARIA

First win for Lukoil in year 2008 -by Valentin Anguelov
Lukoil Academic recorded first win for 2008 defeating Yambol today in Pravets 105-85.
Today the best team for the month of December in Bulgaria recorded 15th win in the championship. The winner in this game was never in doubt. Despite this the champions had only six point advantage with 6 and a half minutes to play in the game. However at the end the margin went up to 20.

Lukoil not only secured the first place in this first phase of the championship but also there is not a chance to be passed to the end of the regular season.

Lukoil Academic will play BC Kyiv in tuesday in Game 9 from the ULEB Cup and a win will qualify them for the second phase.

Yambol secured a place in the Top 8 and can't move higher than 7th place. Excellent game for the visitors had Vadim Reka as he finished with 31 points and 20 rebounds. The best player in Yambol for 2007 Stanislav Govedarov added 19 points and Martin Durchev 17.

For Lukoil Academic two players had double-double. Willie Deane III (186-G-80, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Purdue) had 23 points and 12 assists and Pero Antic finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds.

FULL STATS FROM THE GAME LUKOIL ACADEMIC - YAMBOL

INDIVIDUAL STATS IN MEN FIRST A-1

TEAM STATS OF MEN FIRST A-1

CURRENT STANDING IN MEN FIRST A-1

CSKA took revenge -by Lubomir Neshev
After losing the previous derby game by 30 points, today CSKA Interlogic took revenge defeating Levski 85-78 in front of 1000 spectators.
Levski took an early lead at 11-5 but then CSKA hit back at 15-14. After four new lead changes the players of Rosen Barchovski were in front 26-22 ten minutes of play.
Georgi Davidov (204-C-76) and Mike Henderson kept CSKA in front at the beginning of the second quarter but then both teams couldn't score for three minutes. Levski broke the deadlock and tied the game, then even took the lead at the half, 41-42.
The third quarter was the most dinamic with a number of lead changes with none of the teams being able to lead by more than three points. CSKA first did this at 63-58, but after 3 successfull free throws by Levski's players the score was 63-61 after thirty minutes.
In the last quarter at 69-65 there were new three minutes without score. This time CSKA scored first making a deciding step towards the victory. First Davidov and then Henderson with four minutes to go made the score 73-65. Levski hit back and cut the score to 78-81 with 10 seconds to go, but had time for nothing more as Nikolov and Stoyanov hit their free throws that settled the victory for the hosts tonight.
For the winners Georgi Davidov had double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Henderson and Hristo Nikolov though were the top scorers scoring 23 apiece.
For Levski Stanislav Slaveykov was the top scorer with 20 adding also 11 rebounds and Zlatin Georgiev and Rob Preston both scored 11.

*****************************************************
CHINA

CHINESE TEAM JOINS IBL FOR 2008 SEASON! -by Ogoh Odaudu

Portland, OR—The International Basketball League has announced that the Shanxi Kylins from the Chinese Basketball Association will join the league for the 2008 season. The Chinese Basketball Association has produced current NBA players Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) and Yi Jianlian (Milwaukee Bucks). The Kylins will compete as full-fledged members of the IBL in 2008, playing an 18 game road schedule. The full 2008 IBL schedule will be released on January 15.

Based in Xi'an, Shaanxi, the Kylins play in the CBA's North Division. The Kylins were founded in 2000 by the Xi'an Dongsheng Group.

IBL Commissioner Mikal Duilio—'It has always been my goal to have legitimate international play in the IBL. Coming off our most successful season last year, we really expect 2008 to be outstanding—having Shanxi on board definitely adds to that.'

The IBL is uniquely able to offer Asian teams an efficient and affordable option to compete in an American professional basketball league. The IBL's system of organizing teams in regional clusters makes it possible for the league to offer an overseas team the same ‘one flight guarantee' it gives its domestic owners. The Kylins will be based at the USBA in Springfield, Oregon, and play its 18 game schedule in the IBL's northwest cluster, beginning on April 18 versus the Central Oregon Hotshots.

Adding the Kylins to the 2008 schedule is a direct result of the recent creation of the IBL's Asian Expansion Department, headed by former Shanghai resident David White (See ‘IBL Adds Asian Expansion Department' news release on the Shanxi Kylins page at www.iblhoopsonline.com).

'This is an exciting first step towards our eventual goal of adding several teams from the region as permanent members of the IBL,' said White.

Joining White in the IBL's Asian Expansion Department is Sadachika Yoshioka, the IBL's Director of Japanese Relations. Commissioner Duilio spent a week with Yoshioka in Japan last December, visiting with members of the Japanese basketball community and watching a few JBL games. Rounding out the Asian Expansion Department is Eric Cuadra, the Director of Philippines Relations.

About Xi'an

Xi'an, a city of over eight million, borders the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains to the south, and the banks of Wei River to the north. Hua Shan, one of the five sacred Taoist mountains, is located 100 km away to the east of the city. Xi'an is the capital city of the Shaanxi Province. Xi'an has been the capital of eleven dynasties for more than 2000 years. Along with Rome and Constantinople, this city played a vital role in bridging the gap between east and west. There are important sites and relics in this city. The Terracotta Army of Qin Emperor, is regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. The Tomb of Yang Yuhuan and Huaqing Pool all date back to Tang Dynasty, the peak of China's federal period. Famen Temple in Xi'an is the only temple in mainland China storing true relics of Buddha Sykyamuni.


# # #

CBA Issue -by Robert Wang

The Guan Xiu Chang issue will be finished today. It is an important issue to all CBA clubs. If China wants to develop the level of the CBA, then it is important to see how they handle such a result with Xin Jiang.

The CBA had released the rule (2 imports) for all clubs to allow inviting 2 imports. But Guan is the 3rd since his nationality is not Chinese at all. His official registered name was completely fake. Xin Jiang's team registered him as a Hei Long Jiang province citizen, but this citizen is not his real nationality. I recall that I have released such info last month and it has been proven now.

We really hope the agency who represented him will stop doing such business and not mess up the CBA! I am not only a reporter but also an agent and I know it is not good for the reputation of agents. This is also a pity for Guan that he can't ever play in any basketball league in China for the rest of his life.



*****************************************************
D-LEAGUE

Latest Roster Moves -by Surujh Roopnarine
NBA --> D-League Player Assignments
The Cleveland Cavaliers re-called second year forward Cedric Simmons (6'9''-F/C-86, college: N.Carolina St.) from Rio Grande Valley, and assigned second year guard Shannon Brown (6'3''-G-85, college: Michigan St.) to the Vipers.
The Phoenix Suns re-assigned former Big 10 Player of the Year Alando Tucker (6'6''-F-84, college: Wisconsin) to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, while re-calling rookie D.J. Strawberry (6'5''-G-85, college: Maryland).

Player Movement
In the rarest of D-League transactions, the Bakerfield Jam and Utah Flash made a trade. The Jam traded recently signed Britton Johnson (6'10''-F-79, college: Utah) to Utah for Michael Cuffee (6'4''-F-83, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Middle Tenn.St.).
Colorado re-acquired former Colorado State standout Brian Greene (6'9''-F-81, college: Colorado St.) who was previously waived due to injury. To make room, they waived veteran guard Lou White.

*****************************************************
ETHIOPIA

Score Board -by Yoseph Zemede

Saturday's first game was held between last year's champion Water Design and their opponent Cherokee. Water Design started leading the game from the first seconds and took an easy win by the score of 141-58. Highlights included a beautiful reverse dunk and a left handed slam dunk by UMAD .

The second game was very interesting, as last year's second place team EIG and Thestis competed (carlos team he is from USA ) They were tied at the end of the first quarter of the game but at the end of each quarter took a big 6 point lead. Thestis top scorer Carlos led his team with 20 points while Addis and Eskender added 20 and Eig simon and Ebrahim gave their best performances to dominate the game.



*****************************************************
EUROLEAGUE

Summary of Week 11 -by Eurobasket News
Five teams in Group A of Euroleague made it to the Top 16 already even though all of them will have 3 more games to play.
Olympikos bumped CSKA Moscow in Piraeus to guarantee Top 16 birth. They now share the second spot in Group A together with Zalgiris, Tau and Montepschi at 7-4 record. Even despite loss CSKA seats comfortably atop with a 9-2 record. Both teams were missing some key performers on the squad. CSKA were without services of injured Matjaz Smodis, while Alexei Savrasenko (215-C-79) received a limited time on court. Meanwhile Olympiakos lost their key scorer Arvydas Macijauskas (192-G-80) as he was sidelined with an ankle injury. He however appeared on the court to get the Euroleague Player of the Month trophy before the game.
Bourousis and Milos Teodosic stepped up for the hosts to lead them past dangerous CSKA. The teams fought closely in the opening minutes as Zisis ignited an 8:0 run for CSKA that was well-matched by Woods and Giorgos Printezis for a 15:15 tie. Later Olympiakos erupted with a 14:0 rally that saw CSKA unable to score for about 5 minutes. The home side grabbed a 30:17 advantage but just to see David Andersen (212-C-80) score 10 points in a row to cut the margin to 27:34. Ramunas Siskauskas dragged CSKA even closer with a trey but Milos Tedosic had the last word in the half bringing Olympiakos to a 39:33 halftime lead. Trajan Langdon was unstoppable early in the third stanza as he drained 11 points for the visitors to square up teams at 46. However Milos Teodosic and Ioannis Bourousis nailed a couple of solid baskets late in the quarter to restore a 58:51 advantage after 30 minutes. J.R. Holden did not give up as his impressive three-pointer early in the fourth quarter pumped it up for CSKA. Milos Teodosic had to leave the floor with a sprained ankle midway through the frame but it Olympiakos continued to roll. They extended the lead to 8 points but Ramunas Siskauskas and David Andersen revived the intrigue. They cut the deficit to only 2 points 67:69 with 22 seconds left in regulation. Lynn Greer found Giorgos Printezis in the paint for a dunk to seal the winning outcome. Milos Teodosic topscored for Olympiakos with 20 points marking his best result for Olympiakos so far. Ioannis Bourousis provided 18 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. David Andersen responded with game-high 21 points and 12 boards for CSKA. Trajan Langdon had 17 points in a losing effort.
Olympiakos will now travel to Poland to take on Prokom next week. CSKA will play against Zalgiris in Kaunas.
Montepaschi also clinched a Top 16 berth with a big 83:71 home win over Tau Ceramica. Terrell McIntyre (175-G-77, college: Clemson) drilled 6 three-pointers en route to matching his season-highs with 20 points and 7 assists.
Lithuanian Zalgiris needed a win in Ljubljana to advance to the Top 16 round of Euroleague. And they did just that edging Olimpija away from home behind 22 points from Marcus Brown (192-G-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Murray St.). The victory also gave a sigh of relief for Tau and Olympiakos as they now also qualified for the next round of action. Olimpija fell to 3-8 record with little chances to advance. Marcus Brown kept mum for the major part of the encounter but his word appeared to be decisive for the outcome. He scored 11 points including 3 triples in a 16:0 run that put Zalgiris up by 12 points early in the fourth period 54:42. Brown's onslaught continued as he later added another 4 points and issued an assist to Paulius Jankunas to ensure a 17-point cushion for Zalgiris midway through the last frame. Ronell Taylor and Jasmin Hukic however did not say die as their trebles returned Olimpija fans back to life. But there were no remedy against Marcus Brown in Ljubljana that night. He converted a free throw, while Paulius Jankunas rebounded after a miss and sank another 2 points to make it 70:57. Zalgiris soon found themselves up by 16 points before the hosts exploded with a 10:0 run but with little impact on the result though.
Marcus Brown finished with 22 points to pace Zalgiris. Jonas Maciulis delivered 14 points, while Goran Jurak had 13 points and 10 boards in a win. Maurice Bailey (183-G-81, college: Sacred Heart) replied with 15 points for Olimpija. Ronell Taylor and Marko Milic scored 13 points apiece in a losing clause. Zalgiris will now clash with CSKA at home next week. Olimpija now travels to Spain to take on Tau in a must-win fixture next Thursday.
Milan Gurovic reminded of his star status yesterday when he led struggling Prokom to the second win in the Euroleague season. Prokom dismantled La Fortezza 79:59 behind 25 points for Serbian sniper. Prokom improved to 2-9 record and dropped La Fortezza to the bottom of Group A. Prokom got to a better start and Harissis and Milan Gurovic lifted the hosts to a 20:12 lead late in the opening frame. But Fabio Di Bella and Andrea Michelori cut it to 16:20 at the end of the first quarter. The teams traded the baskets in the second stanza with neither side able to clear off. Donatas Slanina capped the first half with a triple to give Prokom a 39:36 halftime lead. Milan Gurovic and Donatas Slanina teamed up early in the third frame to extend the gap to 9 points 49:40. The visitors did not give up as Andrea Crosariol and Donnie McGrath nailed baskets to climb back within 7 points after three quarters. Milan Gurovic would not stop in the fourth term as his back-to-back trebles allowed Prokom to maintain a 68:55 advantage with under 7 minutes to go. Filip Dylewicz (202-F-80) slammed the ball in to deepen the gap to 15 points as Prokom felt pretty comfortable at the moment. Filip Dylewicz highlighted the game with another dunk in a 6:0 run from the hosts as buried any chance for La Fortezza to win this one.
Donatas Slanina contributed 18 points for Prokom. Filip Dylewicz had 17 points and 9 boards, while Harissis added 7 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Donnie McGrath answered with 14 points for La Fortezza. Prokom outrebounded the visitors 33:29 and limited them to 38% from the field. Prokom will next play against Olympiakos at home. La Fortezza takes on Montepaschi in Italian derby on Thursday.

In Group B Maccabi Elite won its second straight game under new head coach Zvika Sherf, defeating Unicaja 87:68 in Tel Aviv. Marcus Fizer (203-F-78, college: Iowa St.) scored 16 first-period points and finished with 19 for the hosts.
Lietuvos Rytas improved to 9-2 in Group B and became the first team to reach such a record in the group. A 7-point advantage in the second half lifted Lithuanian titan on top. Kenan Bajramovic (206-F-81, agency: Beo Basket) led the winners with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Hollis Price netted 14, while Chuck Eidson scored 10. Jeremiah Massey ended up with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Aris dropped to 6-5, but keeps all its chances to advance to the Top 16.
Aris TT Bank and Lietuvos Rytas started the game looking quite nervous. Terry triple put the home team ahead at the end of the quarter at 15:12. Aris fixed the final outcome of the time at 36:32. In the beginning of the third quarter the hosts opened an 8-point run capped by Bracey Wright (191-G-84, college: Indiana) and Dimitris Tsaldaris. Aris managed to push for the first time to the double digits with 64:54 but then it was Lithuanian time. Kenan Bajramovic drilled triple in transition to balance the score at 69:68. Chuck Eidson sent the live ball away from the basket in the last second as Rytas celebrated the 9th victory. Unicaja might tie Lietuvos if they win the thriller in Israel tonight.
Le Mans were inches away from the initial win in the Euroleague season lost concentration and were severely punished by David Blatt's outfit. Efes Pilsen proved some heroics denying a 13-point deficit early in the fourth term to force overtime and then celebrate an unbelievable win. This success moved them even closer to a desired Top 16 spot. They now need either a victory or Cibona's loss to qualify. Le Mans plays now just for fun or pride as they still searching for their first win at the tournament at 0-11 record. Le Mans looked obviously dominant throughout the first part of the encounter as Alain Koffi and Nebojsa Bogavac (199-G-73, agency: Beo Basket) led the hosts to a 51:40 advantage at halftime. Sam Clancy was decisive at both ends of the floor and Le Mans soon extended the gap up to 17 points. Efes Pilsen outplayed 4 points late in the frame and headed into the final one trailing by 13. David Blatt seemed to shake team up in the last intermission as Efes Pilsen concentrated on aggressive defense. Meanwhile Scoonie Penn and Kuqo scored three consecutive triples to brighten it up for the visitors. Alain Koffi answered with a jumper for the home side but it would not scare off a storming Turkish side. They netted 8 straight points to grab an 80:78 lead. Bokolo however penetrated under the rim to convert a layup and forced extra time. Nicolas Batum opened overtime with a jump shot for Le Mans, while Sam Clancy added pain to Efes Pilsen with a layup. But the visitors quickly denied the effort with a 10:0 rally that saw them take an unassailable lead and drive to the victory at the end.
Kenny Gregory led Efes Pilsen with 19 points. Scoonie Penn contributed 18 points, while Loren Woods (215-C-78, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Arizona) was impressive with 16 points and 18 boards for the winners. Nebojsa Bogavac responded with game-high 20 points for Le Mans. Sam Clancy had 18 points and 7 boards in a loss. Le Mans will now look for a win against Unicaja in Spain. Efes Pilsen will take on Lietuvos Rytas at home next Wednesday.
Cibona registered its first road win of the season by edging Armani Jeans 63:72 in Milan. Chris Warren paced the winners with 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Panathinaikos now has the best record in the Euroleague this season after edging Barcelona 55:56 in Spain. Group C champion and now with a 10-1 record lead the group by two victories.
Real Madrid stormed into the Top 16 from Group C by holding on for a 72:80 road win over Partizan Igokea. Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) scored 15 to lead the winners.
Turkish Fenerbahce made another confident step towards the next round of the Euroleague competition as they overcame struggling Roanne at Abdi Ipekci Sports Hall. They now improved to 6-5 record and hold a tight grip of the 4th spot in Group C. Chorale Roanne suffered their 8th defeat in the season but still foster a chance to make it through. The hosts did not wait for too long before bringing down their offensive avalanche on the visitors. Fenerbahce quickly built a 14:2 lead to set the tone. Will Solomon (187-G-78, college: Clemson) connected from afar and Vidmar came up with another jumper to extend the margin to 24:8. Roanne finally recovered their breath and started to look for some answers. French team ignited a 5:0 rally to cut the gap but Mirsad Turkcan quickly reacted with an impressive dunk to make it 28:13 after 10 minutes. Roanne had a momentum early in the second stanza as Brion Rush drained a three-pointer and Ron Hale converted a layup. Marc Salyers and Brion Rush were accurate from the field as the visitors saw the gap narrowed to just 8 points. However Fenerbahce addressed the ball to Damir Kaan as he knocked down back-to-back trebles to restore a safe distance. Marc Salyers completed his 18-point performance for the first half with two more points to finalize a 36:44 distance at halftime.
Laurent Cazalon hit a jump shot early in the third frame to give the visitors hope. However the home team quickly denied with 5 unanswered points to keep it cool. Barak later nailed consecutive three-pointers to ice the French players and Fenerbahce entered the fourth period with an 11-point cushion. The game was not over yet as Roanne revived in the fourth term. Ron Hale and Brion Rush were once again big at the start of the final quarter and the gap was cut to just two points midway through it. But Will Solomon responded with 7 straight points for the hosts as they ran away for good.
Will Solomon finished with 19 points to lead the action for Fenerbahce. James White contributed 12 points, while Omer Onan had 11 points for the winners. Marc Salyers delivered game-high 20 points for Roanne. Brion Rush added 12 points in a losing effort. Roanne will next travel to Greece to take on Panathinaikos. Fenerbahce will play against Bamberg in Germany in Round 12.
Lottomatica Roma remained strong in the battle for a spot in the Top 16 with a 59:73 road win at Bamberg. Erazem Lorbek (210-F/C-84, college: Michigan St.) led the winners with 16 points and David Hawkins and Alan Ray added 15 points apiece.

Real Madrid celebrates in Belgrade 72-80 -by Dragan Jankovski

In front of almost 7.000 people at Belgrade's Hall 'Pionir' Partizan Igokea lost against Spanish Real Madrid 72-80 and dropped their record to 4-7 while Real improved to 8-3. After a fantastic performance in Athens against PAO in the last round, Partizan once again did not disappoint as they gave a decent performance against the Spanish giant.

Real had a four point advantage at halftime and at the beginning of the third quarter extended their lead to 11. In the last quarter, mostly owing to Tepic, Kecman and fantastic support of black and white fans, Partizan made a 15-4 run and equalized the score at 68:68. After that point the hosts missed a couple of open 3-pointers while on the other side Reyes netted 6 consecutive points and brought an important win to his team.

Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) added 15 points and 5 rebounds for Real while Alex Mumbru (201-F-79) pitched in 14 points and 4 rebounds. Real also got 12 points and 6 rebounds from Lazaros Papadopoulos (210-C-80). Dusan Kecman (197-G/F-77, agency: Beo Basket) and Milton Palacio (190-G-78, college: Colorado St.) all of whom scored 13 points each for Partizan while Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) followed them scoring with 10 points. Partizan currently has the same score as Lottomatica Roma and most probably they will need two wins in the next three rounds to qualify for the TOP 16.


Partizan Igokea - Real Madrid 72:80
(17:21,21:20,15:20,19:19)

Partizan: Palacio 13 (4 rebs, 4 as), Kecman 13 (6 rebs), Tepic 10 (3 as)
Real Madrid: Rejes 15 (5 rebs), Mumbru 14 (4 rebs), Papadopulos 12 (6 rebs)



CSKA shifts to lower gear in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News

Olympiakos - CSKA 71:67

Olympikos bumped CSKA Moscow in Piraeus to guarantee a Top 16 berth. They now share the second spot in Group A together with Zalgiris, Tau and Montepschi at 7-4 record. Even despite loss CSKA sits comfortably atop with a 9-2 record. Both teams were missing some key performers on the squad. CSKA were without the services of injured Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79), while Alexei Savrasenko (215-C-79) received a limited time on court. Meanwhile Olympiakos lost their key scorer Arvydas Macijauskas (192-G-80) as he was sidelined with an ankle injury. He however appeared on the court to receive the Euroleague Player of the Month trophy before the game.

Bourousis and Milos Teodosic (196-G-87) stepped up for the hosts to lead them past dangerous CSKA. The teams fought closely in the opening minutes as Zisis ignited an 8:0 run for CSKA that was well-matched by Woods and Giorgos Printezis (205-F-85, agency: FCM) for a 15:15 tie. Later Olympiakos erupted with a 14:0 rally that saw CSKA unable to score for about 5 minutes. The home side grabbed a 30:17 advantage but just to see David Andersen (212-C-80) score 10 points in a row to cut the margin to 27:34. Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) dragged CSKA even closer with a trey but Milos Tedosic had the last word in the half bringing Olympiakos to a 39:33 halftime lead.

Trajan Langdon (192-G-76, college: Duke) was unstoppable early in the third stanza as he drained 11 points for the visitors to square up teams at 46. However Milos Teodosic and Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83, agency: FCM) nailed a couple of solid baskets late in the quarter to restore a 58:51 advantage after 30 minutes. J.R. Holden (185-G-76, college: Bucknell) did not give up as his impressive three-pointer early in the fourth quarter pumped it up for CSKA. Milos Teodosic had to leave the floor with a sprained ankle midway through the frame but Olympiakos continued to roll. They extended the lead to 8 points until Ramunas Siskauskas and David Andersen revived the intrigue. They cut the deficit to only 2 points 67:69 with 22 seconds left in regulation. Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) found Giorgos Printezis in the paint for a dunk to seal the winning outcome.

Milos Teodosic topscored for Olympiakos with 20 points marking his best result for Olympiakos so far. Ioannis Bourousis provided 18 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. David Andersen responded with game-high 21 points and 12 boards for CSKA. Trajan Langdon had 17 points in a losing effort.
Olympiakos will now travel to Poland to take on Prokom next week. CSKA will play against Zalgiris in Kaunas.

Olympiakos: Milos Teodosic 20, Ioannis Bourousis 18+9 boards, Giorgos Printezis 11
CSKA: David Andersen 21+12 boards, Trajan Langdon 17



Efes Pilsen holds off Le Mans in overtime -by Eurobasket News
Le Mans - Efes Pilsen 84:91 (OT)

Le Mans were inches away from the initial win in the Euroleague season lost concentration and were severely punished by David Blatt's outfit. Efes Pilsen proved some heroics denying a 13-point deficit early in the fourth term to force overtime and then celebrate an unbelievable win. This success moved them even closer to a desired Top 16 spot. They now need either a victory or Cibona's loss to qualify. Le Mans plays now just for fun or pride as they still searching for their first win at the tournament at 0-11 record. Le Mans looked obviously dominant throughout the first part of the encounter as Alain Koffi (205-C-83) and Nebojsa Bogavac (199-G-73, agency: Beo Basket) led the hosts to a 51:40 advantage at halftime. Sam Clancy (201-F-80, college: USC) was decisive at both ends of the floor and Le Mans soon extended the gap up to 17 points. Efes Pilsen outplayed 4 points late in the frame and headed into the final one trailing by 13. David Blatt seemed to shake team up in the last intermission as Efes Pilsen concentrated on aggressive defense. Meanwhile Scoonie Penn (178-G-77, college: Ohio St.) and Kuqo scored three consecutive triples to brighten it up for the visitors. Alain Koffi answered with a jumper for the home side but it would not scare off a storming Turkish side. They netted 8 straight points to grab an 80:78 lead. Bokolo however penetrated under the rim to convert a layup and forced extra time. Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) opened overtime with a jump shot for Le Mans, while Sam Clancy added pain to Efes Pilsen with a layup. But the visitors quickly denied the effort with a 10:0 rally that saw them take an unassailable lead and drive to the victory at the end.
Kenny Gregory (197-G/F-78, college: Kansas) led Efes Pilsen with 19 points. Scoonie Penn contributed 18 points, while Loren Woods (215-C-78, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Arizona) was impressive with 16 points and 18 boards for the winners. Nebojsa Bogavac responded with game-high 20 points for Le Mans. Sam Clancy had 18 points and 7 boards in a loss. Le Mans will now look for a win against Unicaja in Spain. Efes Pilsen will take on Lietuvos Rytas at home next Wednesday.

Le Mans: Nebojsa Bogavac 20, Sam Clancy 18
Efes Pilsen: Kenny Gregory 19, Scoonie Penn 18, Loren Woods 16+18 boards

Zalgiris joins Top 16 -by Eurobasket News
Olimpija - Zalgiris 74:83

Lithuanian Zalgiris needed a win in Ljubljana to advance to the Top 16 round of Euroleague. And they did just that edging Olimpija away from home behind 22 points from Marcus Brown (192-G-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Murray St.). The victory also gave a sigh of relief for Tau and Olympiakos as they now also qualified for the next round of action. Olimpija fell to 3-8 record with little chances to advance. Marcus Brown kept mum for the major part of the encounter but his word appeared to be decisive for the outcome. He scored 11 points including 3 triples in a 16:0 run that put Zalgiris up by 12 points early in the fourth period 54:42. Brown's onslaught continued as he later added another 4 points and issued an assist to Paulius Jankunas (204-F-84, agency: Interperformances) to ensure a 17-point cushion for Zalgiris midway through the last frame. Ronell Taylor (196-G-82, college: UAB) and Jasmin Hukic (204-G/F-79, agency: Beo Basket) however did not say die as their trebles returned Olimpija fans back to life. But there were no remedy against Marcus Brown in Ljubljana that night. He converted a free throw, while Paulius Jankunas rebounded after a miss and sank another 2 points to make it 70:57. Zalgiris soon found themselves up by 16 points before the hosts exploded with a 10:0 run but with little impact on the result though.
Marcus Brown finished with 22 points to pace Zalgiris. Jonas Maciulis (200-G/F-85, agency: Interperformances) delivered 14 points, while Goran Jurak (203-F/C-77) had 13 points and 10 boards in a win. Maurice Bailey (183-G-81, college: Sacred Heart) replied with 15 points for Olimpija. Ronell Taylor and Marko Milic (199-G-77) scored 13 points apiece in a losing clause. Zalgiris will now clash with CSKA at home next week. Olimpija now travels to Spain to take on Tau in a must-win fixture next Thursday.

Olimpija: Maurice Bailey 15, Ronell Taylor 13, Marko Milic 13
Zalgiris: Marcus Brown 22, Jonas Maciulis 14, Goran Jurak 13+10 boards

Prokom thumps La Fortezza to snap losing streak -by Eurobasket News

Prokom - La Fortezza 79:59

Milan Milan Gurovic (207-F-76, agency: Beo Basket) reminded fans of his star status yesterday when he led struggling Prokom to the second win in the Euroleague season. Prokom dismantled La Fortezza 79:59 behind 25 points from the Serbian scorer. Prokom improved to 2-9 record and dropped La Fortezza to the bottom of Group

A. Prokom got off to a better start and Harissis and Milan Gurovic lifted the hosts to a 20:12 lead late in the opening frame. But Fabio Di Bella (187-G-78) and Andrea Michelori (202-F/C-78) cut it to 16:20 at the end of the first quarter. The teams traded the baskets in the second stanza with neither side able to clear off. Donatas Slanina (192-G-77) capped the first half with a triple to give Prokom a 39:36 halftime lead.

Milan Gurovic and Donatas Slanina teamed up early in the third frame to extend the gap to 9 points 49:40. The visitors did not give up as Andrea Crosariol (212-C-84, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) and Donnie McGrath (193-G-84, college: Providence) nailed baskets to climb back within 7 points after three quarters. Milan Gurovic would not stop in the fourth term as his back-to-back trebles allowed Prokom to maintain a 68:55 advantage with under 7 minutes to go. Filip Dylewicz (202-F-80) slammed the ball in to deepen the gap to 15 points as Prokom felt pretty comfortable at the moment. Filip Dylewicz highlighted the game with another dunk in a 6:0 run from the hosts as they buried any chance for La Fortezza to win this one.

Donatas Slanina contributed 18 points for Prokom. Filip Dylewicz had 17 points and 9 boards, while Harissis added 7 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Donnie McGrath answered with 14 points for La Fortezza. Prokom outrebounded the visitors 33:29 and limited them to 38% from the field. Prokom will next play against Olympiakos at home. La Fortezza takes on Montepaschi in Italian derby on Thursday.

Prokom: Milan Gurovic 25, Donatas Slanina 18, Filip Dylewicz 17+9 boards
La Fortezza: Donnie McGrath 14, Luca Garri (207-C/F-82) 9



Panathinaikos and Olympiakos beat their opponents -by Chris Mammides

Both Panathinaikos and Olympiakos beat Barcelona and CSKA in pairs which could have easily characterised as final four pairs, as it is admited by many basketball experts that these teams are probably the best teams in the European courts for 2008.
The triple crowners of Obradovic with Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) in a great day beat the Catalonians in Barcelona 55-56 and they are very close to finish at the top spot in their Group with all the advantages which comes with the spot. The game was tough with strong defences from both sides but with Panathinaikos getting the victory due to a three pointer from Vasilis Spanoulis (193-G-82) 28 seconds before the end of the game. The quarters were: 15-16, 31-23, 44-44, 55-56 . Top scorer from Barca was Grimau with 17 followed by the ex green player Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) who scored 9 while from Panathinaikos after the 20 points from Kostas Tsartsaris, Diamantidis and Vasilis Spanoulis scored 8.

In Peace and Friendship court Gershon's reds beat CSKA 71-67 with the talented Serb, Milos Teodosic (196-G-87) proving why last summer both teams Panathinaikos and Olympiakos wanted to add him in their rosters. The young guard played an amazing game against one of the best teams in Europe tha last five years, he scored 20 points and done really great job in the PG postition, 18 points were added by Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83). The quarters of the game were: 15-15, 39-33, 58-51, 71-67

Aris lost in Alexandreion from the Lithuanians of Lietuvos Rytas with 69-72 commiting a suicide in a game which had the total control in nearly 34 minutes and took a difference of over 18 points up to a point. Fatal player was Bracey Wright (191-G-84, college: Indiana) who missed the last and most crucial lay up of the game.



*****************************************************
FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Mike King again to Finland -by Rauno Hurmalainen
Kataja (Joensuu) has called Mike King (201-F-74, college: Ill.-Chicago) to join Team's roster for the time being. King will replace Terry Black (198-F-78, agency: CAA Sports, college: Baylor), who is on injured (thigh) list. King will arrive to Finland on Saturday (tomorrow) and play the same day vs Kauhajoki. King has played a few seasons earlier in Finland (in Karkkila and Tampere) and this season King started in Israel. Tarmo (Porvoo) is looking forward to get replacement for injured American PG Martin Samarco. Tony Bennett (185-G-84, college: Bradley) should be back in Finland and Porvoo next Wednesday. Bennett started this season by playing 13 games on Ura-Basket (Kaarina) roster one level lower (I-div).

*****************************************************
FYR MACEDONIA

Taliek Brown joins Feni industri -by Todor Chalovski
American guard Taliek Brown has joined Feni Industri. The team from Kavadarci leads the table in Macedonia.

Brown has had a solid career in the NCAA, followed by a decent spells in Pinar Karsiyaka, Turow, Cibona and Lukoil Acadamic. He will be the fifth foreign player in Feni Industri, who have his compatriot Donald Cola and Serbian players Bosko Jovovic, Milan Prekovic and Vladimir Popovic.

Arsic is the new coach od Cherkaski Mavpy -by Todor Chalovski
Macedonian NT coach Jovica Arsic is the new coach of the Ukrainian team Cherkaski Mavpy.
Gjorgji Cekovski, who is a Macedonian international player, plays for Cherkaski Mavpy.
Arsic will coach the team until the end of the season. His goal is to take the team to third place in the table, and to play well in the FIBA Eurocup.

Mavrovo qiuts First league -by Todor Chalovski
Mavrovo quit their participation in the First Macedonian basketball league.
The Gostivar side lost all their 16 games in the first part of the season, and were left bottom of the league with 15 points. They had financial problems, which led to their decicion.
Mavrovo will be relegated automatically, and will play in the Macedonian Second league next season.

The departure of Mavrovo left the First Macedonian league with 8 teams. This narrows the calendar for four games.

The season in the First league will continue on February 2nd, with games from Round 19.

*****************************************************
GERMANY

Bamberg: Ffriend suspended -by Moritz Korff
Recently signed Kimani Ffriend (211-C-77, college: Nebraska) has been suspended by his team Brose Baskets Bamberg due to disciplinary reasons and bad performance in practice. The Jamaican Center joined the German Champion only two weeks ago. He scored 8 points in one Bundesliga-appearance and also wore the Bamberg jersey in the Euroleague twice. The 30-year-old will not be part of the roster on Sunday, when the troops of Coach Dirk Bauermann take on TBB Trier.

Injured John Bynum leaves Heidelberg -by Moritz Korff
Team captain John Bynum (191-G-78, agency: LimeLight, college: Metro St.) and USC Heidelberg (2. Bundesliga Pro A) have agreed on terminating their contract. Bynum suffered a heavy shoulder-injury lately and it is not sure, how long it will take him to recover. The 29-year-old returns to the USA on Tuesday, while the Heidelberg officials are now looking for a new Pointguard.

Artland Dragons: Leon Rodgers has arrived -by Moritz Korff

Leon Rodgers (199-F-80, college: N.Illinois) has been added to the roster of Bundesliga-side Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck. The 27-year-old Wing from Columbus, Ohio started his career as a professional in Germany back in 2002, when suiting up for Brandt Hagen and earning Bundesliga Allstar-Honors. Since he left Germany Rodgers has enjoyed a successful career in Europe, that took him to teams in France, Holland and the Ukraine.

In 2006 and 2007 Rodgers was named the Eurobasket.com All-Dutch Eredivisie Player of the Year and led the Eiffel Towers Den Bosch to two championship-titles. He appeared in 33 games of the Eredivisie during this past season and produced impressive stats: 23.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.1 spg, FGP: 51.1%, FT: 81.4%, 3Pts: 46.0%. Rodgers also played ten times in the ULEB-Cup and scored 22.6 points per contest. In November 07 he got waived by the Ukrainian team SK Cherkassy Monkeys.



*****************************************************
GREECE

Panathinaikos and Olympiakos beat their opponents -by Chris Mammides

Both Panathinaikos and Olympiakos beat Barcelona and CSKA in pairs which could have easily characterised as final four pairs, as it is admited by many basketball experts that these teams are probably the best teams in the European courts for 2008.
The triple crowners of Obradovic with Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) in a great day beat the Catalonians in Barcelona 55-56 and they are very close to finish at the top spot in their Group with all the advantages which comes with the spot. The game was tough with strong defences from both sides but with Panathinaikos getting the victory due to a three pointer from Vasilis Spanoulis (193-G-82) 28 seconds before the end of the game. The quarters were: 15-16, 31-23, 44-44, 55-56 . Top scorer from Barca was Grimau with 17 followed by the ex green player Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) who scored 9 while from Panathinaikos after the 20 points from Kostas Tsartsaris, Diamantidis and Vasilis Spanoulis scored 8.

In Peace and Friendship court Gershon's reds beat CSKA 71-67 with the talented Serb, Milos Teodosic (196-G-87) proving why last summer both teams Panathinaikos and Olympiakos wanted to add him in their rosters. The young guard played an amazing game against one of the best teams in Europe tha last five years, he scored 20 points and done really great job in the PG postition, 18 points were added by Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83). The quarters of the game were: 15-15, 39-33, 58-51, 71-67

Aris lost in Alexandreion from the Lithuanians of Lietuvos Rytas with 69-72 commiting a suicide in a game which had the total control in nearly 34 minutes and took a difference of over 18 points up to a point. Fatal player was Bracey Wright (191-G-84, college: Indiana) who missed the last and most crucial lay up of the game.



*****************************************************
HOLLAND

Eiffel Towers Den Bosch dismissed Jayson Wells and Greg Stevenson -by Fred Roggen
Greg Stevenson (198-F-78, agency: SportsTalent, college: Richmond) and Jayson Wells (202-F-76, agency: SportsTalent, college: Indiana St.) has been dismissed at EiffelTowers Den Bosch by direct. Eiffel Towers Manager Peter Vogelaar: Both players are no longer appropriate in the technical plan for the rest of the season of coach Randy Wiel.
Eiffel Towers will not attract new players for the rest of the season

Magixx 's Dirk Schouten stops with basketball -by Fred Roggen
According to the online basketballmagazine 'Powerforward.nl' has Matrixx Magixx pointguard Dirk Schouten (183-G-89), one of Holland most talented youth players, decided to stop with basketball by direct and has chosen for his study.

Magixx-coach Michael Schuurs has not been enthusiastically concerning the decision of Dirk Schouten. I think, if you are 18-years young , you can very well combine topbasketball and study.

Matrixx Magixx Blows Out Aris Landstede -by Sanders Jackson

The last time Matrixx Magixx and Landstede faced each other on November 15, 2007 in Zwolle, Landstede got a much needed win over Matrixx, winning 75-69 to break a four-game losing skid. Thursday night in the Horstacker, with Landstede in the same predicament, thirsting for a win on the heels of a six-game losing streak, Matrixx would keep Landstede in the wilderness, winning in a 99-68 blowout. It would be like old times in the Horstacker for Alhaji Mohammed (192-G-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Louisville), who scored a game-high 25 pts. with 8 rebounds. Chris Copeland (203-F-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: Colorado) added 22 pts.,with Tyler Smith (203-F-80, agency: Players Group, college: Penn St.) added 17 pts. and 12 rebounds. Darnell Wilson (198-F-85, college: Canisius) led Landstede with 23 pts. Matrixx are now 12-7, while Landstede suffered its seventh straight defeat.

West-Brabant Giants Clobber Eiffel Towers -by Sanders Jackson

The defending Dutch champions are starting to look vulnerable right now.

In Bergen-op-Zoom Thursday night, a hot start by the home team was the pacesetter for West-Brabant Giants, which Eiffel could not overcome, with West-Brabant Giants winning 104-90. The Giants raced out to a 35-18 lead at the end of the 1st quarter and led 52-37 at the half. Eiffel once again coughed up the ball a lot (26 turnovers), offsetting excellent shooting from both the three-point line (10 of 21) and the free throw line (16 of 17). West-Brabant had good balanced scoring, led by Patrick Pope (183-G-81, college: St.Augustine) with 20 pts. to lead five Giants in double figures. Darrell Tucker (206-F-80, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: USF) continues his recent strong and consistent play, leading all scorers with 27 pts. (4 three-pointers), with newcomer Damone Brown (204-F-79, college: Syracuse) adding 19 (4 three-pointers). The Giants are now 12-7, with Eiffel mired in a rare two-game FEB losing streak and are now 13-5.

Rotterdam Challengers Roll Over Aris Friesland -by Sanders Jackson

In the Topsportcentrum on Thursday night, Rotterdam Challengers did what needed to be done, sparked by a big 2nd quarter (50-30 at halftime), winning its third in a row and cruising to an 86-71 win over Aris Friesland. Sullivan Sykes (193-G/F-81, college: St.Joseph, IN) was the man, scoring a season-high 33 pts (13-18 FG) and snatching down 12 rebounds. Nick Meyers (206-F/C-82, college: Akron) added 14 pts., and Chaz Twan Briggs (201-F-80, college: W.Virginia) was a stat-sheet-stuffer, barely missed out on a triple-double ( 9 pts., 12 rebounds, 9 assists, also 3 blocks). Jesse Kimbrough (183-G-82, college: Jacksonville) led Aris with 19 pts. Rotterdam are now 9-8.

MyGuide Amsterdam Gets Revenge, Blows Out Hanzevast Capitals -by Sanders Jackson


MyGuide Amsterdam are taking over the Dutch FEB, putting themselves in distance from the rest of the pack. The team of Arik Shivek made a statement Thursday night in the Sporthallen-Zuid vs. previously hot Hanzevast Capitals, who were riding heading into the matchup a five-game winning streak. In the end, MyGuide reminded Hanzevast that it still has some work to do outside the friendly confines of the Martiniplaza if it wants to be considered a Dutch title contender, seizing early the edge, jumping out to a 28-8 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, and cruising to a 97-66 blowout win.


MyGuide, who suffered an embarrasing loss at the hands of Hanzevast in their first matchup in Groningen in November, led the game from start to finish, having the early tone set on the inside by Dutch international Peter Van Paassen (210-C/F-78, agency: Court Side, college: St.Bonaventure) (16 pts., 15 rebounds), and Trent on the outside. MyGuide also forced 18 of 23 Hanzevast turnovers in the 1st half, with MyGuide scoring 25 pts. from the turnovers. MyGuide had more scoring punch from the bench (34-18 difference), dominated the paint (41-22 rebounding difference) and shared the rock (24 assists). Tamien Trent (183-G-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) led MyGuide with 17 pts. Kevin Melson (199-F-78, college: Wright St.) led Donar with 15. MyGuide improves to 16-3, extending their lead over Eiffel Towers in the FEB standings to a 2 1/2 game lead, while Hanzevast are now 11-7.



*****************************************************
IBL

Lightning Strikes -by Trask Frost
A few more things of note following today's Daily News column about the upcoming season for the International Basketball League's Los Angeles Lightning, which will play its games at Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks starting in April: Owner/general manager Mark Harwell may have a history in Hollywood dealings, and even had some acting roles, but he hardly seems like the too-slick type that's trying to sell a bag of marbles to a fan base expecting to watch some diamonds in the rough trying to get back to NBA status. Harwell's track record doesn't show that he's afraid of having a few obstacles put in his way. The last two seasons of his college basketball career, for example, were spent as a point guard at Prairie View A&M. That's the same historically all-black school that plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference against Grambling, Mississippi Valley State, Southern and Alcorn State. Harwell, who played as a freshman at Texas Wesleyan and as a sophomore at Ventura College, was recruited to come to Prairie View A&M and became the only white player on the team. 'When I was young, I saw that Bruce Jenner movie, 'Grambling's White Tiger' ,' said Harwell of the 1981 made-for-TV movie that told the story of white player Jim Gregory playing quarterback for the all-black school (Harry Belafonte even played coach Eddie Robinson).

'I was thinking, 'How cool would it be to do that?'' said Harwell. 'I took them up on their offer and it was an amazing experience.'
Harwell said the highlight may have been when Robinson himself, after a Prairie View A&M-Grambling game, put his arm around his shoulder and told him: 'Son, I'm real proud of you. Not many would do what you've done.'
Harwell ended up averaging double-digits in scoring and almost eight assists a game from 1983-'85. It earned him the nickname 'White Lightning' and drew attention from ABC's 'Wide World of Sports' and Howard Cosell's 'Sportsbeat.'
That, in part, is how Harwell came to name his team the Los Angeles Lightning.
Harwell ended up breaking both his legs playing basketball, which ended any sort of thoughts about joining a league after his college days ended. He also survived a life-threaning car accident about six years ago that has had a profound impact on how he looked at life.
'All my life I had done things that might be a little crazy, like running up Pike's Peak, or dribbling a basketball while running the L.A. Marathon to raise money for charity,' he said.
'The way I was raised, if you take care of everyone around you, life will take care of you. Everything that meant anything to me growing up was playing basketball, or going to movies. And now I've combined the two. And I think I can help other guys who want to get back to the NBA keep their dreams alive. And when they play for the Lightning, they'll feel like they're in the NBA -- first-class catering, travel bags, warmups ... all the little things that they'd get a taste of as if they're in the show.
As for the International Basketball League, a 22-franchise organization that's heading into its fourth year of existence has entries such as the Central Oregon Hotshots, the Snohomish City Explosion and the Battle Creek Knights, who are the first visitors to the Lightning in April. There's also the Arizona Flame, Las Vegas Stars and Portland Chinooks. The lure of playing in the IBL may be its fast-paced approach and inclusion of teams outside the U.S. A traveling team from China plans to play in the league, as well as one representing Holland. The rules are much more international as well -- no ref-checks as the ball is brought in bounds, for one. There's a 22-second clock and only one time out per team per 12-minute quarter. The squads generally average 120 points a game, and can get as high as 180. Yet, the implicit goal in the owners' manual is to get games over in two hours. Last season, Fred Vinson, who most recently got a taste of NBA play with the Clippers on their 2005-06 preseason roster, set a league record with the Santa Barbara Sounders by hitting 15 3-pointers in a game. 'The fans have really been impressed with the quality of play,' said Harwell. 'The game just flies.' The league also has a commitment to getting players back into either the NBA (leading into the summer leagues) and playing overseas by holding an 'international exposure camp' in May

From Tom Hoffarth's award winning 'Farther off the Wall' Blog-- http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/

*****************************************************
IRAN

Saba & Mahram pack bags for Dubai tournament -by Houman Bagheri
Courtesy Khaleej Times
UAE basketball gets big boost

DUBAI (8 January 2008) — The Dubai International Basketball Tournament, to be held this month, got a major boost when ETA Ascon Star pledged their support for the third straight year.

The nine-day event, which starts on January 18, has attracted top teams from the Middle East. Abdul Hakim Al Bannay, general manager of cooperate affairs of ETA Ascon, addressing the media at the Renaissance Hotel, said it had been a great honour to be associated with the tournament over the years.

'We thank the UAE Basketball Association for giving us the chance to be part of the tournament during the past three years. The event gives us a good image,' he said.

Al Bannay hinted that ETA Ascon would invite six top basketball players from Europe and the US to participate in the tournament. The company's financial support, according to the general manager, would also be increased.

Abdullah Ansair, secretary general of the UAE Basketball Association, thanked ETA Ascon for their continuous support and called on other companies to sponsor the tournament. 'We want more companies to come and sponsor the event to help the sport and youth activities in the countries.' The tournament, according to the general secretary, is growing stronger and competitive every year. Hosts UAE, to be sponsored by Al Boom, will field the same national team that competed in the Arab Games hosted by Egypt last two months. Dubai's Al Ahli will also compete in the championship but the national team players in the team will feature for UAE.

The other teams that have confirmed their participation in the event include the defending champions Mahram of Iran, who will be sponsored by Sama Emirates Real Estates, Saba Battery, also from Iran, to be supported by Emirates Airlines, Lebanon's Al Riyadi (Steelfab); Al Hikman of Lebanon (Plus Real Estates), Ittihad of Syria (Continental Real Estates), Al Jala of Syria (Dubailand), Fast Link of Jordan (Dubai Duty Free) and Al Jazeira of Egypt (Aramex).

*****************************************************
JAMAICA

SIC routs Lake Land -by Leonard Whyte
Nattoon, IL (1-11-2008) - National player, Andree Wilson, formerly of St. George's Slayers in the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)/National Basketball League (NBL), led six players in double-figures as Southeastern Illinois College led wire-to-wire in a 93-59 rout of Lake Land College last night. Wilson finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds (12 in the first half) as SIC out-rebounded their opponents 61-40. SIC (14-2) now prepares to face its biggest challenge so far this season when undefeated and 15th ranked Kaskaskia College come calling on Saturday afternoon in SIC's home and conference opener.

Samuels set to star in the Nike Super Six Invitational -by Leonard Whyte
Miami, FL (1-11-2008) - Fresh off their shock defeat at the hands of Academy of the New Church on Tuesday, Samardo Samuels and No. 1-ranked St. Benedict's Prep will return to the court this weekend in the Nike Super Six Invitational tournament at Madison Square Gardens in New York City. The tournament features the top boys basketball teams in the New York City and northern New Jersey areas and will include four of the ranked teams in USA Today's Super 25 rankings - No. 1 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, NJ), No. 5 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, NY), No. 8 St. Raymond (Bronx, NY) and No. 12 Rice (New York City). St Benedict's (13-1) will play the final game on Sunday against Rice (8-1).

*****************************************************
JORDAN

Round eight of Excellent League -by Mohammed Malas
The 8th round of Jordan's Excellent League games were today...Zain, Al Riyadi/Aramex, Orthodox and Arena Amman had their wins to increase their role in the league's table.

Al Riyadi/Aramex 92 - Al Wihdat 84 (Qs: 20-19, 39-37, 63-57 & 92-84)

Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman struggled too hard to snatch the win over Al Wihdat in the last quarter thanks to the big efforts from Wesam Sous, Ali Jamal and veteran Hussam Lutfi (198-F/C-73) which turned things to their side despite the huge effort from Anthony Steward, Moussa Al Awadi and ahmed Shaker but that was'nt enough to keep the gap close at the end.

Zain 94 - Al Awdeh 29 (Qs: 17-9, 49-16, 68-19 & 94-29)

Without Sam Daghlas, Nate Johnson and Zaid Al Khas, Zain did'nt find hard time in playing against the 'bottom of the table' Al Awdeh who lost by 65 points...

Bench players Dshamal Schoetz, Khaldon Abo Rukayeah, Fadi Al Saqa, Moussa Basheer and Mohammad Hamdan played most of the time with stable performance from the titleholders and that made Al Awdah's inxeperienced players be scared from scoring to find themselves behind with this big range.

Orthodox 110 - College SC 59 (22-10, 50-26, 77-42 & 110-59)

Jamal Ward and Ty Brunson's big effort with College Sports Club in each game are not easy if the local players are not doiung their job, That scenario was repeated today and this time against Orthodox who knew how to put College's players under pressue esspecially from Kelly Wise, Ayman Idais and Chad Hendrick or Chris Campbell and that helped in controling the whole game until the final whistle.

Arena Amman 86 - Hussein Erbid 59 (Qs: 28-9, 43-18, 65-38 & 86-59)

Easy game was for the yellows in Erbid, Josh Cooperwood and Mark Strickland were having a big beginning in the 1st quarter with big help from Zeid Abbas, Hamzeh Khalili and Nifal Shareef, All that made things more easier to handle at the last quarters although the effort which was given from Glen Summeral and Robbie Banks in the game but did'nt reflect much on the team's ablilites in general to loose their game on their home.

# Zain to get ready for Dubai in Cyprus

Zain Basketball Team will leave tomorrow mourning to Nicosia, Cyprus to have a camp which resumes until next Wednesday to prepare for Dubai International Tournament which will begin on the 18th of january until 26th of the same month.

Three games will be played there against Keravnos tomorrow, AEK Laranca on Monday, And finally Apollon on Tuesday.

*****************************************************
LIGA AMERICAS

Mancield will play Liga Americas for Defensor Sporting -by Hector Lopez
Mike Manciel (196-F-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Cent.Michigan) was signed by Defensor Sporting to play the League of the Americas, the team announced. Mancield arrived yesterday to Montevideo. Defensor Sporting will play Jan. 17 against Penarol Mar del Plata the first quarter final game, in Montevideo. The second game will be played in Mar del Plata Jan 22 and, if necesary Jan. 23.

*****************************************************
LITHUANIA

Zalgiris joins Top 16 -by Eurobasket News
Olimpija - Zalgiris 74:83

Lithuanian Zalgiris needed a win in Ljubljana to advance to the Top 16 round of Euroleague. And they did just that edging Olimpija away from home behind 22 points from Marcus Brown (192-G-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Murray St.). The victory also gave a sigh of relief for Tau and Olympiakos as they now also qualified for the next round of action. Olimpija fell to 3-8 record with little chances to advance. Marcus Brown kept mum for the major part of the encounter but his word appeared to be decisive for the outcome. He scored 11 points including 3 triples in a 16:0 run that put Zalgiris up by 12 points early in the fourth period 54:42. Brown's onslaught continued as he later added another 4 points and issued an assist to Paulius Jankunas (204-F-84, agency: Interperformances) to ensure a 17-point cushion for Zalgiris midway through the last frame. Ronell Taylor (196-G-82, college: UAB) and Jasmin Hukic (204-G/F-79, agency: Beo Basket) however did not say die as their trebles returned Olimpija fans back to life. But there were no remedy against Marcus Brown in Ljubljana that night. He converted a free throw, while Paulius Jankunas rebounded after a miss and sank another 2 points to make it 70:57. Zalgiris soon found themselves up by 16 points before the hosts exploded with a 10:0 run but with little impact on the result though.
Marcus Brown finished with 22 points to pace Zalgiris. Jonas Maciulis (200-G/F-85, agency: Interperformances) delivered 14 points, while Goran Jurak (203-F/C-77) had 13 points and 10 boards in a win. Maurice Bailey (183-G-81, college: Sacred Heart) replied with 15 points for Olimpija. Ronell Taylor and Marko Milic (199-G-77) scored 13 points apiece in a losing clause. Zalgiris will now clash with CSKA at home next week. Olimpija now travels to Spain to take on Tau in a must-win fixture next Thursday.

Olimpija: Maurice Bailey 15, Ronell Taylor 13, Marko Milic 13
Zalgiris: Marcus Brown 22, Jonas Maciulis 14, Goran Jurak 13+10 boards

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

San Antonio inks Jeremy Richardson -by Eurobasket News
The San Antonio Spurs announced the signing of guard/forward Jeremy Richardson (6'7''-G/F-83, college: Delta St.). Richardson was previously signed by the Memphis Grizzlies in late December. However he was waived four days ago as he went scoreless in 3 games for Memphis. Prior to signing with the Grizzlies Jeremy Richardson played for the Fort Wayne Mad Antz in the NBDL. There he was outstanding with league-high 28.5 points per game. The 23-year-old spent 2006-2007 season with the Forth Worth Flyers in the D-League scoring 17.4 points and pulling down 3.0 rebounds per game. He then attended the Miami Heat preseason camp but was axed on October 29.
Meanwhile the Memphis Grizzlies added Bobby Jones (6'6''-F-84, college: Washington) to the squad. The team signed forward to a 10-day contract. Bobby Jones had stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets. He appeared in 67 games in two years averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds. The Nuggets decided to waive Bobby Jones four days ago as he produced 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in the current season. He was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2006 and sent to Philadelphia the same night for the 2007 second round draft pick and cash. Bobby Jones graduated from the University of Washington and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in his senior year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers recalled forward Cedric Simmons (6'9''-F/C-86, college: N.Carolina St.) from the NBDL's Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Simmons was assigned there on January 2. The Cavs will need his inside presence as Anderson Varejao (6'9''-C-82) is sidelined with an injury for their next game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Cedric Simmons played in 4 games with Cleveland this season averaging 2.7 boards per game.

*****************************************************
NCAA2

GNAC Scores For January 10th -by Sanjey Noriega
Saint Martin's 71, Western Washington 67
Bellingham, Washington

SMC(2-1 in GNAC)
Bill Richardson- 21pts and 6 rebs
Jake Linton (5'10'')- 13 pts

WWU(1-2 in GNAC)
Ira Graham- 23 pts
Steve Alford- 13 pts


Seattle Pacific 56, Seattle University 52
Seattle, Washington Connolly Center

SPU(2-1 GNAC)
JoJay Jackson (6'5''-F)-13pts and 5 rebs
Marques Echols (6'2''-G)-11pts and 4 rebs

SU(1-1 GNAC)
Leigh Swanson- 7pts and 10 rebs


Northwest Nazarene 94, Montana State-Billings 69
Billings, Montana

NNU(2-1 GNAC)
Louie Beech-13pts and 8 rebs
Joel Ryman- 13pts

MSUB(0-2 GNAC)
Troy Ruff-12pts and 4 rebs
Aaron Terry-15pts and 5 rebs



Central Washington 97, Western Oregon 79
Ellensburg, Washington

WOU(0-3 GNAC)
Travis Kuhns (6'8''-F)- 19pts
Dane Johnson-12pts

CWU(2-1 GNAC)
Jake Beitinger-20pts
Brandon Foote-16pts

*****************************************************
PBL

Three new names in Rockford -by Gianni Pascucci
The Rockford Fury (formerly indicated as the Rock River Fury) signed three new players, as follows: veterans John Jackson (6'7''-F-74, college: Mississippi) and Mike Hadley (6'4''-G/F-75, college: N.C.Central) and Kyle Myrick (6'0''-G, college: Lincoln (PA)).

Impact wins on friday night -by Gianni Pascucci
Yesterday night, the Arkansas Impact defeated the Jacksonville Jam 89-84, led by Jeremy Bell (6'0''-G-83, college: Williams Baptist), who scored 25 pts. Brian Bunche (6'8''-C/F-76, college: SE Missouri St.) added 17 pts and 4 rebs at the winning side, while Jerry Williams (6'6''-F-79, college: Cumberlands) scored 22 points in losing effort

*****************************************************