EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/3/2008

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Men News

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ABA

Latest ABA Power Rankings -by Surujh Roopnarine
** As of Sunday, December 30th **

1. San Diego Wildcats
2. Vermont Frost Heaves
3. Beijing Aoshen Olympian
4. Texas Tycoons
5. Manchester Millrats
6. Jersey Express
7. Long Beach Breakers
8. Westchester Phantoms
9. Orange County Gladiators
10. Halifax Rainmen
11. Quebec Kebewka
12. Boston Blizzard
13. West Texas Whirlwinds
14. Montreal Royal
15. Houston Takers

Mike Williams Joins Millrats -by Jay
Manchester, New Hampshire: The Manchester Millrats of the American Basketball Association (ABA) announce that 6'11 center Mike Williams (6'11''-C-82, college: Bryant) been added to their roster.

Williams is a 2005 graduate of Bryant University where he was an All-Conference performer in the Northeast-10, and posted averages of 11.2 points and 7.5 rebounds. He is also Bryant's all time leader in blocked shots.

His professional career included stints in Portugal, the ABA, Switzerland, and Italy. In Switzerland, Williams' team won the Swiss National League title in 2006. He began the 2006-2007 with the Italian club Aget Imola, and was leading the First Division in rebounding before being sidelined last December by back problems.

After a year away from the game, Williams recently began working out in the Hartford, CT men's league. He was brought in for one game to help bolster the Millrats frontcourt for Sunday's critical game against the Vermont Frost Heaves. His presence had an indisputable impact on the Millrats 108-95 victory with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Following the game, Williams was offered a full time position on the Millrats, and he accepted. The Millrats ownership have made arrangements to get him to Singapore to join them against the Beijing Aoshen Olympians on the 7th and 8th.
Courtsey of manchestermillrats.com

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ARGENTINA

Last news -by Facundo Iatzky
-Belgrano san Nicolas released Cheik YaYa Dia (11.5 pts 6.4 rebs 1.2 bl 51.5 % 2p in 12 games) Coach Dastugue decided the team needed a scorer player so they signed Roland Lamont (193-G-78, college: LSU). Belgrano had also released Gabriel Dominguez in December.
YaYa Dia could continue his carreer in Boca Juniors, because this team cut Jarret Stephens.

-Luis Orono is the new head coach of Ben Hur Rafaela. He will replace Facundo Muller. The team is fighting for staying in Liga A.

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AUSTRIA

Roster changes in Austria -by Stefan Heinrich
The Klosterneuburg Dukes released Sam Spann (198-F-79, college: Fairfield) due to unprofessional behavoir during the Cup Quarterfinal against Traiskirchen. Spann was responsable for 8.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg in 13 games for the Dukes during the season. Today the team presented to well known players. The new players are the 2 US players of the Worthersee Piraten from this year: Melvin Creddle (186-G-82, college: Mount Olive) and Marquis Wright (203-F/C-80, college: Alabama). Creddle should help the Dukes to improve the PG spot, while Wright should replace Spann. Creddle had 21.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 6.4 apg while Wright had 16.4 ppg and 5.4 rpg.

Furstenfeld didnt extend the contract with Dustin Brown (202-F-83, college: Loyola Marymount), who left the team before the game against St. Polten. Brown scored 8.0 ppg and grabbed 6.2 rpg in 14 games for the Panthers.

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BAHRAIN

Sitra and Muharraq move on to the semi-finals -by Yousef Ahmed

HOLDERS Sitra advanced to the semi-finals of the Bahrain Basketball Cup with a nail-biting 70-68 win over unlucky Nuwaidrat last night at the Umm Al Hassam sports complex.

Also making it into the final four was Muharraq, who rolled over Al Ittihad 96-66 in yesterday's other game.

Sitra's victory kept their hopes of a repeat Cup title alive. Leading 69-68 with under 20 seconds to play, Sitra's US professional Jamal Coachman forced his compatriot and Nuwaidrat counterpart Wayne Houston into a poor shot on a potential game-winning play. Houston contested that he was fouled, but the referees made no call.

His miss was rebounded by Sitra's Younis Kowaid, who was later fouled on the ensuing inbounds and then made the first of two free-throws for a two point lead with three seconds to go. Kowaid's miss on the second was grabbed by Houston, but Nuwaidrat had no time-outs remaining and the towering centre was forced to make a desperation heave that was well short as the buzzer sounded.

Defence

"It was a very tough game, but I think that we were able to play very good defence and that won it for us," Sitra's veteran Bahraini coach Najah Isa told the GDN.

"Nuwaidrat is a very good team with excellent players, and we have a young team that still has to reach its potential."

Sitra used a 12-4 run at the end of the third quarter to build a 60-51 lead. Forward Abdulaziz Abdulbaqi sparked the rally with five straight points, and after Nuwaidrat got back to within a field goal, 64-62, the bulky forward connected on a timely triple to give Sitra a 67-62 advantage with three minutes left.

Nuwaidrat tried valiantly to narrow the deficit, but their misfortunes were evident in one single possession when three of their top players - namely Houston and guards Hussain Taqi and Hussain Ali - had five successive attempts, after successive offensive rebounds, narrowly fall short.

But their persistence paid off on their next possession, as Houston scored on a three-point play to cut Sitra's lead to 67-65 and under two minutes remaining. Coachman then scored to put Sitra ahead 69-65, and after a Mohammed Saad free-throw and Taqi fast-break basket which cut Sitra's lead to 69-68, Kowaid clumsily turned the ball over. Defensive His mistake, however, paved the way for Coachman's key defensive play. Coachman also top scored for Sitra with 24 points while also taking down 18 rebounds, while Kowaid had 15 and Abdulbaqi 14. Houston paced Nuwaidrat with 26 markers, followed by Taqi's 21 and six turnovers, and Ali's 15. Sitra won last year's Cup with an upset victory over favourites Manama in the final. They will likely meet again in this year's final four, as Manama will be heavy favourites in their Cup quarter-final this evening against Al Najma. The game is set to tip off at 5.30pm at the same venue. In yesterday's other game, Rah-Shun Roberts (202-F-75, college: California (PA)) scored 30 points to spearheaded Muharraq to their 30-point rout of Ittihad. They now await the winner of tonight's other Cup tie between Al Ahli-Al Hala at 7.30pm for their opponent in the final four, which will be played on Sunday and Monday. The championship game will be held next Friday, January 11.

SOURCE: GDN

Jamal is back! -by Ali Surgeon

Jamal Holden (206-C-80, college: UALR) is back with Al-Ahli.
The American player was instrumental in winning the league last season.
Afterthat he lift to Al-Arabi in Kuwait but left 3 days back to join Al-Ahli for the Cup competition.
He is expected to play today against Hala his first game.


Outlook:
Jamal Holden is a very athletic player who plays the 4,5 position and can run the floor. He can shoot the 3 pointer and has good touch from 15 to 17 feet around the basket. Any ball around the basket he dunks and finishes. He can also handle the ball for his size and has post moves down low. Hes a good offensive player and is unselfish with teammates. Hes the oldest of 10 children.
2006-2007: Al Ahli Manama (BHR-Premier League): 18 games: 21.5ppg, 11.5rpg, 1.6bpg
2006-2007 Al Ahli (GCC Tournament): 4 games played 19.1ppg,, 9.0rpg, 1.0bpg

Awards/Achievements:
Lebanese Cup Semifinals -06
Syrian League Final 4 -06
Plata Tournament with Mellios De Sur Champion (DOM-Puerto Plata) -06
Bahrain League Regular Season Champion -07
Bahrain League Champion -07



Ahli and Manama in Semis -by Yousef Ahmed

FAVOURITES Al Ahli and Manama barged into the semi-finals of the Bahrain Basketball Cup with contrasting victories in their respective games last night at the Umm Al Hassam sports compleAhli survived a nail-biting finish to squeeze by Al Hala 71-66, while Manama coolly thrashed Al Najma 90-47.

Ahli controlled their contest from the start and had a narrow 50-47 edge at the end of the third quarter. Hala, however, led by Nigerian professional Boniface Edeghe, found a way back and took a one-point lead late in the payoff period.

Ahli's end-game experience, however, showed in the game's closing moments, as they took advantage of a pair of crucial Hala turnovers and converted several pressure-packed free-throws to seal the win.

"It was a hard game that shouldn't have been as close as it was in the end," Ahli's star point guard Hussain Shaker told the GDN. "We allowed them to come back, but we just stuck to our game plan and made our free-throws in the end. That was crucial for us."

Shaker finished the game with 16 points, while backcourt mate Sadeq Mahdi had a game-high 20. American Jamal Holden (206-C-80, college: UALR), who was playing his first game with the team after replacing Antoine Hyman as their professional player, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Holden was a key contributor in Ahli's title-run in last year's league.

They now face Muharraq in their final-four contest on Monday.

"It's going to be a tough game, but we'll be ready especially now with Holden back," Shaker said. "He was a big piece of our team last year and we have good chemistry with him."

Edeghe had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Hala, while Ahmed Mirza had 13 and Ahmed Ali Hussain finished with seven and nine assists.

In Manama's victory, the former Cup holders used a scintillating second quarter during which they doubled Najma's output (27-13) to take a commanding 45-28 heading into the break.

They then widened their advantage to 23 points, 65-42, at the end of the third, and in the final period, led by an energetic second unit, sealed the 43-point mauling.

Hassan Ibrahim top scored for the victors with 22 markers off the bench, while Donald Little had 14 to go with 15 rebounds.

Manama go against Cup holders Sitra in their semi-final tie scheduled for Sunday. It will be a re-match of last year's final.

"Sitra is a good team with good young players who play together, but we'll be prepared for them," team official Ahmed Hamza said. "Last year is behind us now. We've already beaten them once this season in the league, and we can do it again."

Both semi-final games are scheduled to tip off at 6.30pm on their respective dates. The final will be played on Friday, January


SOURCE: GDN



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BOSNIA

3rd Sarajevo Intl tournament begins tomorrow -by Sead Buljina

Third annual "Sarajevo Youth Basketball Festival" starts tomorrow with around 1,000 participants playing for U18, U16, U14 and U12 teams from seven countries. Close to 1,000 boys and girls will compete in a four-day tournament recognized by FIBA Europe. Games will be played in three gyms in Sarajevo. There are 48 teams in all youth categories, boys and girls. This year participants come from Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, England, Germany, Greece, Macedonia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Teams taking part in the tournament are the following:


ALBA Berlin (Germany)
BOSNA, Sarajevo (Bosnia)
AUSTRIA U16, U18 National teams

Basketball Academy ULM (Germany)

PAOK (Greece)

PLAY OFF, Sarajevo (Bosnia)

BARKING ABBEY Basketball Academy, London (U.K.)

GREEN DRAGONS Inzersdorf (Austria)

ASKO KARNTEN (Austria)

ZKK Zeljeznicar (Bosnia)

JUNIOR, Skopje (Macedonia)

IMPULS, Sarajevo (Bosnia)

SPARS (Bosnia)

KAMNIK (Slovenia)

PLOCE (Croatia)

LIVNO (Bosnia)

SBK LUKY, Bratislava (Slovakia)



Mirza Teletovic excellent in Spain -by Sead Buljina

Mirza Teletovic continues to play well for TAU Ceramica. In 14th round of the Spanish ACB league, Teletovic scored 14 pts and pulled down 8 boards for his team win of 80:73. In the previous round vs. Valadolid, one of our top players recorded 23 points and 6 rebounds. Good game in 14th round had Ivan Opacak who scored 15 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 1 assist in a surprise Mursia`s home loss to Fuenlabrada 72:73. Stanko Barac continues to play well for Pamesa.



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CHINA

PLAYOFF TEAMS!!! -by Ogoh Odaudu
With one more game to go in the cba,there is a clearer picture of the teams who are going to be in the playoffs.Leading the pack as at the end of games last night are last year`s finalists,Guandong who share the top of the table with Xinjiang.Each have 25 wins to their credit and both lost 4 games.Guangdong who lost Yi Jianlian to the Nba still have a couple of guys who can ensure they make it to the finals again this year.With Du Feng,Zhu fangyu,Wang Shipeng playing well,we will certainly see them going far in the playoffs.Xinjiang also have a good chance of making it to the finals.With David Jackson on fire every night and veteran Mengke Bateer having a fantastic season,its certainly going to be a good playoff series for them.Coming in at 3rd is Jiangsu who have won 20 games and lost 9.Liaoning and DongGuan are close behind in 4th and 5th positions with both teams having the same number of wins(18) and each having lost 11 games.Shangdong,Bayi who are the defending champions and Fujian make up the rest of the group in the playoffs.Each has won 17 games so far but Shangdong is in front with 11 losses while Bayi and Fujian each lost 12.Matchups for the playoffs will be available after the last games on friday.

Guangdong Edges Jiangsu, Xinjiang Crushes Zhejiang -by Arthur Volbert
Guangdong and Xinjiang continued to share the CBA lead with one round to go.

Guangdong defeated Jiangsu on the road 125-114 as Zhu Fangyu (201-F-83) scored 29 points and Wang Shipeng and Lamond Murray each scored 21. Raheim Brown led Jiangsu with 26 points, Tang Zhengdong scored 25 and Han Shuo scored 24.

Han was the high scorer among the guards from the class of '89. Liu Xiaoyu, whose game is pass first, had 6 points in 34 minutes along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 turnovers. Chen Jianghua scored 4 points in 14 minutes and had 1 steal.

Xinjiang destoyed Zhejiang 108-75 going deep into its bench. David Jackson had 25 points and Mengke Bateer had 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Guan Xiu Chiang has not played for the past 4 games. He, or Xinjiang, may have done something untoward in registering him as a native player, but I have not heard of anything officially announced. Meanwhile, Zhang Shu, class of '91, is seeing substantial minutes at point guard and appears to have a very promising future.

Zhejiang, however, appears to have given up for the season. Only Ding Jinhui is performing up to his talent and he led Zhejiang today with 16 points.

Shandong defeated Dongguan 120-113 as Herve Lamizana scored 29 and Mack Tuck had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.

Dongguan was led by 30 points from Anthony Myles, 28 from Mike Harris and 26 from Wang Jing. But Zhang Kai did not play, and he will be key to how Dongguan performs in the playoffs.

Guangsha beat Shaanxi 101-91 as Zhang Nan and Yu Junkai each scored 24. Rodney White had 24 points and Garnett Thomson had 23 while each grabbed 11 rebounds. Tian Yu led Shaanxi with 28 points and Hiram Fuller added 20.

Olumide Oyedeji had 38 points and 21 rebounds to lead Beijing to a 99-96 victory over Jilin. Chen Lei added 20 points. Wang Bo scored 26 points for Jilin and DaJuan Tate had 21.

Liaoning, going deep into its bench, nevertheless trounced Shanxi Zhongyu 127-97. Li Xiaoxu and Yang Ming each scored 18 points. Sun Chunlei scored 18 for Zhongyu.

Li Nan scored 26 points, Wang Zhizhi scored 22 and Wang Lei scored 20 as Bayi crushed Yunnan 125-99. Nigel Dixon led Yunnan with 36 points and 13 rebounds.

Liu Yudong, one of the few veterans who have shown that they can keep up with the changes in Chinese basketball, scored 28 points to lead Fujian to an 88-84 victory over Shanghai. Yang Chao contributed 24 points.

Xu Yong (204-F-89) led Shanghai with 35 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. Xu is a very athletic 204 cm small forward who is China's next NBA prospect. Right now he is clearly ahead of Chen Jianghua, who has not yet shown the productivity who would make him a prospect. As I have previously noted, there may be more than one NBA prospect from the class of '89. But Xu, who played one year of U. S. high school ball, is clearly the head of the class.

Cai Liang played 39 minutes for Shanghai and scored 9 points. Cai is class of '92 and while one must be highly suspicious that he is just turning 16, he likely is about three years younger than most of the '89's. He has outdistanced his more heralded class of '92 teammate, Tian Yuchen, who has not grown in 2 years. Cai may also be an NBA prospect but sometimes these kids stop improving so it is too soon to say,

Guangdong 125
Zhu Fangyu 29p+1s, Wang Shipeng 21p+7r+3a+1s, Liu Xiaoyu 6p+5r+5a+1s+2to, Jason Dixon 14p+15r+5a+2s+1to, Ji Le 9p+1r+5a+1s, Chen Dawei 4p+5r, Lamond Murray 21p+8r+1a+2s+1to, Chen Jianghua 14min+4p+1s, Du Feng 9p+4r+2a+1s
Jiangsu 114
Zhang Cheng 6p+2r+3a+1s, Tang Zhengdong 25p+8r+3a+3bl, Han Shuo 24p+6r+6a+1s+1bl+4to, Fang Hui 9p+4r+3a, Yang Li 11p+3r+5a+2s, Raheim Brown 26p+8r+3a+1s, Meng Da 13p+5r+1a+1s


Xinjiang 108
Mengke Bateer 21p+14r+4a+1s+2bl, Zhang Shu 44min+13p+4r+3a+3s+2to, Xue Yuyang 6p+5r+2a, David Jackson 25p+3r+1a+2s, Mulati Adilijiang 17p+10r+2a+3s, Jin Lipeng 15min+6p+2a+2s, Aaron McGhee 8p+2r+1a+1s, Mai Wulan 4p+6r+1s
Zhejiang 75
Liu Weiwei 7p+3r+2a+1s, Deng Li 10p+3r+1a+1s+1bl, Wang Shilong 9p+2r, Soumaila Samake 8p+10r+3a+1s+1bl, Ding Jinhui 16p+3r+3a+5to, Ju Peng 3p+4r+2a, Wang Nan 10p+2r,


Shandong 120
Wang Gang 17p+3r+3a+2s, Sun Jie 15p+5r+5a+1s, Hou Bing 12p+7r+1a, Herve Lamizana 29p+5r+1a+4bl, Lou Yandong 17p+3r+2s, Mack Tuck 23p+11r+9a, Cao Zhenhua 9p+4r+2s
Dongguan 113
#23 4p+5r+2a, Chen Kai 10p+3r+1a, Wang Jing 26p+6r+1s, Meng Duo 10p+2r+2a+1s, Anthony Myles 30p+7r+4a+3s, Mike Harris 28p+11r+1a+1s+1bl


Guangsha 101
Garnett Thompson 21p+11r+2a+1s+1bl, Yu Junkai 24p+2r+3a+2s, Zhang Nan 24p+6r+2a+1s, Ying Kui 5p+1r+4a+4s, Rodney White 23p+11r+2a
Shaanxi 91
Tian Yu 28p+12r+3a, Liu Jiulong 12p+2r+5a, Dai Yong 2p+2r+8a+3to, Zhang Wei 24p+12r+2a, Hiram Fuller 20p+18r+1bl, Bai Fan 5p+1r+2a+3s


Beijing 99
Chen Lei 20p+1a, Zhao Yonggang 9p+5r+1a+1s, Olumide Oyedeji 38p+21r+1a+1s+4bl, Zhang Yunsong 11p+5r+1s, Ji Zhe 16p+8r+4a+2bl
Jilin 96
Liu Wei2 8p+6r+1a+1s+1bl, Wang Bo 26p+7r+2a+3s, Ma Yansong 8p+3a+5s+1to, DaJuan Tate 21p+7r+4a+3s, Zhao Anan 15p+1a+1s, Babacar Camara 15p+6r+3bl


Liaoning 127
Bian Qiang 3p+4r+4a+3s, Liu Xiangtao 15p+1r+1a, Yang Ming 18p+3r+8a+4s+2to, Jamal Sampson 13p+11r+1bl, Li Xiaoxu 18p+12r+4a+1s, Zhang Qingpeng 7p+1a, Patrick Simpson 13p+6r+1a+1s+2bl, Lu Wei 15p+2r+3a, Lu Yao 13p+2a+1s, Wang Dayong 8p+2r+2a+1s, Han Dejun 2p+4r+2s
Shanxi Zhongyu 97
Sun Chunlei 18p+6r+1a, Zhang Xuewen 7p+8r+4a+2bl, Yu Xuelin 6p+3r, Zhai Jinshuai 12p+4r+1s, Major Wingate 14p+3r+3a+1s, Yu Tao 8p+2r, Pan Jiang 14p+5r+2a, Damon King 6p+4r+2a+1s+1bl


Bayi 125
Li Nan 26p+1r+3a+3s, Mo Ke 10p+2r+2a+3s, Wang Zhongguang 7p+4a+3s+3to, Wang Zhizhi 22p+3r+5a+1s+3bl, Wang Lei 20p+6r+2a, Yao Kaifu 4p+7r+5a+3s, Chen Chen 15p+2r+1a+1s, Hu Ke 10p+5r+2a+1s+1bl, Wu Qian 8p+1r
Yunnan 99
Yang Huai 7p+2r+1s, Liu Hao 15p+2r+2a+2bl, Yen Hsing-Su 6p+2r+2a+2s, Nigel Dixon 36p+13r+1a+1s+5to, Chen Zhaosheng 11p+10r+1a+1s, Wang Hsin-Kai 5p+1r+5a+1s+4to, Liu Xiqui 8p+2r+5a+1bl,

Fujian 88
Gong Songlin 10p+1r+1a+1s, Lu Xiaoming 13p+6r+6a+3s+4to, Yang Chao 24p+3r+2a, Liu Yudong 28p+7r+2a+2s, Jameel Watkins 11p+10r+1s+3bl
Shanghai 84
Luo Xudong 3p+2r+1a+2s, Xu Yong 35p+8r+4a+4s+3bl, Wu Yang 8p+3r+2a, Cai Liang 9p+3r+1a+3s+1bl, Jerod Ward 20p+7r, Pig Miller 3p+6r+4a+1s

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CYPRUS

Transfer news -by Chris Mammides
Ydra Asfalistiki ENAD agreed terms with the American power forward/center Johnny Phillips (204-F/C-79, college: Texas Tech) and the Serbian forward Borislav Gordgic. Both players arrived in Cyprus and they allready trained with the rest of the team under coach Christos Stylianidis

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EGYPT

Second round results -by Andrew Youssef

-Smouha beat Zamalek 87-78 in a big surprize at the begining of the Egyptian league.


-Alahly beat Gazco 69-48 in an easy game for Alahly and Tarek elGhannam return to play after his injury in Zamalek match at the final of Cairo and Giza zone champion also Mody ElGarhy , Eslam Aly and Ibrahim elGamal not play because of their Injured.


-Itthad beat Shourta 83-78.

-Gezira vs Eastern company 75-62.

-Sporting beat Geish 70-76.

-ElShams vs Damenhor 80-62.

thanks for Mr/ Alaa Ahmed and Sherif Soliman for giving us the result of the second round in the Egyptian league.



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EUROLEAGUE

Game 10: Panathinaikos - Partizan 67-66 in a thrilling game! -by Chris Mammides
Panathinaikos continued his successful European results in the Athens Indoor Olympic Arena (OAKA) when it hosts Partizan for a Group A clash. The defending champs, who haven't played at home in nearly a month, are currently leading the group with a 9-1 record. One of the Greens' toughest wins this season came in tonight (the second toughest was in Belgrade against the Serbian champs in November of 2007). Panathinaikos suffered from a different player this time as two months ago their “headache” was Partizan's dominant center Nikola Pekovic, who finished with 28 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds, this time was Dusan Kecman who finished the game with 22 points and 8 of 9 shooting and 8 rebounds, the same scenery we had also with the Croat Andrija Zizic, who fouled out in less than eight minutes against Pekovic, in the match 2 months ago and now was actually finished the game three minutes from the start as he fouled his 3rd foul 7.10' minutes before the end of the first quarter!
Panathinaikos's dejà vu continue with the top performer of the game who was no other than Sarunas Jasikevicius, who lead (like in Serbia) the Euro-champs once more with his 17 points and 5 of 9 shooting and 2 steals. Meanwhile Partizan proved once more that is a tough team and that it was so close to win in OAKA only if veteran point guard Milt Palacio could “run away” from the top European Defender Dimitrios Diamantidis in the last offence of the game and with 2.7 seconds to go, the Greek super star simply stole the ball and gave the victory to his team. Dusan Kecman and Nikola Pekovic gave another lesson to the Greek players. It is worth mentioned the presence of the Green captain, Alvertis Fragiskos scored 8 points in 9 minutes with 1 steal and 1 block shot “pushing” his team in a difficult moment proving that his experience and his brain and shooting ability gives him a vital position in the European champions and that is why Obradovic counts on him and trust him.

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Korihait win after 2 OT in Porvoo -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 23: Korihait (Uusikaupunki) never leading the game in Porvoo vs hosting Tarmo during the regular time (40 minutes), but however Korihait
won the game after 2 OT 117-128! American Guards Kyle Shiloh (190-G-85, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Nevada) (treys 6/9) and Glenn Stokes (170-G-76, college: American) (treys 5/13) arranged the OTs and finally the victory. Korihait made 19 treys in the game, but only one during the first half. Altogether 119 rebounds were compiled on statistics (Tarmo 65 - Korihait 54)! ToPo (Helsinki) has won now 20/21 games this season out of them 17 in a row! And Helsinki-Team will get still more help on the Team. Coming Friday (Jan 4) and Saturday (Jan 5) Scottie Pippen will join the roster as ToPo will meet Tarmo (Porvoo) and Honka (Espoo). Honka took victory # 14 this season tonight without Ivan Cubela (no more on the roster), Kouvot (Kouvola) defeated KTP (Kotka) and Kataja (Joensuu) won without the fired Head Coach Antti Papinaho, as Pyrinto (Tampere) lost by 24 pts. The Player of December Damon Williams (Pyrinto) DNP.

Tarmo - Korihait 2OT 117-128 (111)(95) (45-30) (Mark McCarroll 34/23, Travis Leech 26/18 - Glenn Stokes 33, Kyle Shiloh 30).

Kataja - Pyrinto 98-74 (49-33) (Andre Foreman 22, Anssi Kinnaslampi 18 - Eric Washington 16, Antero Lehto 13).

Kouvot - KTP 106-85 (48-36) (Corey Smith 27, Peter Cipriano 25/13 - Jermaine Spivey 21/11, Steve Smith 21/10).

Honka - YMCA Lahti 87-72 (42-35) (Jukka Matinen 22, Petteri Koponen 21 - Ilkka Vuori 16, Pierre Jallow 16).

Kauhajoki - ToPo 85-102 (43-45) (Darryl Hudson 25, Mario Porter 24 - Timo Heinonen 22, Josh Gonner 21).



KORISLIIGA: Damon Williams The Player of December -by Rauno Hurmalainen
American F Damon Williams (199-F-73, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Colorado St.-Pueblo) has been named The Player of December. Williams helped his Team Pyrinto (Tampere) to a 3-3 record in December by averaging 27,8 ppg and 9,2 rpg. Williams is the leading scorer in Finland right now, as he has scored 24,1 ppg and grabbed 11,7 rpg in 37:03 mpg.

KORISLIIGA: Kataja fired Head Coach Antti Papinaho -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Kataja (Joensuu) has fired Head Coach Antti Papinaho , 30. Team management was not happy with the new Head Coach by now. Kataja has won only seven (7)
games out of 22 contests. Papinaho's contract was model 1+2 years. When the season goes on tonight, Kataja will be coached by assistant Coach Antti Hurri and
Team Captain Sami Lehtoranta, who is on injured list (shoulder). Kataja will name the new Head Coach in the near future. Three Head Coaches have now been fired

this season on Finnish Top level. Team Componenta (Karkkila) started "the show" and fired Eero Nikkarinen in the middle of December. Then KTP (Kotka) fired Head Coach Ray Ailus during Christmas and now Kataja made a hard decision on New Year's Day.



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GERMANY

Bochum adds Parrish Brown -by Moritz Korff
BG Suedpark Bochum (Regionalliga West) added Parrish Brown (185-G, college: Maryland) to the roster for the second half of this season. Brown graduated from the University of Maryland in 2007 after averaging 3.1ppg and 1.3 rebounds in 31 games as a senior.

MBC: Chavis replaces Jacobson -by Moritz Korff

Mitteldeutscher BC (2. Bundesliga Pro A) has made another roster move and will not keep Ben Jacobson (188-G-83, agency: Octagon, college: N.Iowa) for the remainder of the season. Jacobson joined MBC in early December and played four Bundesliga-games for the Wolves, in which the team suffered three defeats. As a consequence the club-officials used a clausel to finish the cooperation with Jacobson after one month.

Will Chavis (181-G-81, college: Texas Tech) was represented as the new playmaker instead. The native of Philadelphia, Pa. turned 27 years old on the first day of the new year. He owns a lot of experience in European basketball. During his pro-career Chavis already played for sides in France, Iceland, Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic, Holland and Cyprus. He started the 2007-2008 campaign with Omonia Nicosia (First Division Cyprus), but left in November after only two games played (4.0ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.0 apg). The season before Chavis attended the All-Star Game of the Dutch Eredivisie, while being a member of the Astronauts Amsterdam.



2008 Bundesliga Allstar-Teams announced -by Moritz Korff
The fans had voted the starting line-ups for this years' Bundesliga Allstar Game (January 19 in Mannheim); now the two Coaches have made their choice to fill the remaining spots of the selection-teams. And here they are: The 2008 Bundesliga Allstars:

North:
Bobby Brown (188-G-84, college: Cal.St. Fullerton) - Berlin
Julius Jenkins (187-G-81, college: Georgia Southern) - Berlin
Jan Rohdewald (194-G/F-73, agency: Court Side) - Quakenbruck
Aleksandar Nadjfeji (203-F-76) - Koeln
Patrick Femerling (216-C-75, college: Washington) - Berlin

Tim Black (178-G-81, agency: LimeLight, college: Barton (NC)) - Paderborn
Jeb Ivey (190-G-80, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Portland St.) - Goettingen
Rickey Paulding (196-G-82, college: Missouri) - Oldenburg
Zygimantas Jonusas (200-F-82) - Bremerhaven
Andrew Drevo (202-F/C-81, agency: Warren Sports, college: Nebraska) - Braunschweig
Nate Fox (203-F-77, agency: Interperformances, college: Maine) - Leverkusen
Adam Chubb (207-F/C-81, college: Pennsylvania) - Quakenbrueck

Coach: Luka Pavicevic - Berlin

South:
Steffen Hamann (194-G-81) - Bamberg
Demond Greene (185-G-79, agency: Court Side) - Bamberg
Konrad Wysocki (202-F-82, college: Princeton) - Ulm
Derrick Allen (203-F-80, college: Mississippi) - Frankfurt
Darren Fenn (208-C-80, college: Canisius) - Bamberg

Pascal Roller (180-G-76) - Frankfurt
Brandon Woudstra (191-G-80, college: Northwestern (IA)) - Ludwigsburg
Alexander Seggelke (198-F-79, agency: LimeLight) - Jena
Rouven Roessler (200-F-80) - Giessen
Jason Conley (196-G-81, college: Missouri) - Bonn
Caleb Green (203-F-85, college: ORU) - Trier
Rasko Katic (208-C/F-80) - Tuebingen

Coach: Dirk Bauermann - Bamberg

Q&A with Avery Oliver -by Moritz Korff
It is obvious that TV Hohenlimburg has dominated the action in the NRW-Landesliga 5 so far in this 2007-2008 season. Loosing only one of 13 games the team from Hagen ranks first in the table looking to move up to the next level. The main reason, why TV is so impressive stands 1,93m tall, is 24 years of age and comes from Massachusetts.
Avery Oliver (193-F-83, college: Indiana, PA), a versatile Guard/Forward, is the go-to-guy of Hohenlimburg. He spent the final two years of his collegiate career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a D2-school, and averaged 11.8 points, 5.7 boards and 1.8 assists in 22 games as a senior. He is currently in his first year in Europe. Eurobasket Germany had the chance for an interview.

Have you enjoyed your holidays?

Yes, my holidays were great. I spent 10 days in the states for christmas with family and friends, which is exactly what I needed for this time of year. Then I flew back into Germany the day after christmas, it felt good to be back at my second home in Hohenlimburg. My first European New Years was a good time, also I spent 3 days in Amsterdam. The atomosphere was real nice, they had a simliar ceremony to New York City but not with one million people. I had the best of both worlds for the holidays, America and Europe, so I can't complain.

You have been playing for Hohenlimburg from the Landesliga so far this season: How is the level of competition in this minor league?

The level of competition is very low for me throughout the whole league. After every game my opponets are asking me why I am in the Landesliga. I let them know that it was a foot in the door for me and I'im just here until I get the oppurtunity to leave. My teammates have even asked me occasionally. All the 40 points games, triple doubles (maybe even a quadruple double or two) and highlight dunks do not add up to much in this league. With that being said it is also better than sitting at home right now wondering what the basketball is like over here.

It looks like if you are much better than most of the opponents in your league. Do you think you could also keep up with the players in a higher German league?

I am positve that I can do well and keep up with the other leagues in Germany. It would be very different if I was on the outside looking in and was saying this, but I have had the oppurtunity to workout with other teams while Hohenlimburg has off days. I practice with the Pro B Iserlohn Kangaroos two times a week, every week. I have also practced with 1st Regionalliga BBV Hagen on a few occasions when both teams are off that day. The best oppurtunity I had to judge my talent level was around Thanksgiving time when I worked out with Ratiopharm Ulm of the Bundesliga for a whole week. I obviously did not dominate like I do in the Landesliga but I held my own and can see myself contributing at that level in a few years down the road. It was just a amazing experience for any player in his first year abroad.

Are you available right now or are you going to stay in Hohenlimburg for the remainder of this current season?

Yes I am available at the moment, I have actually been available since day 1. My coach explained to me how playing at this level and for the team TV Hohenlimburg is a favor to my organizaton and I am not obliged to stay when a higher level team shows interest. Although I am treated good here and it would be difficult to leave some of my teammates, fans, and sponsers it is just a step that has to be made to establish a career in Europe. As of right now the team is in first place and capable of winning the league to move up, so I would be leaving the team on a high note. If I do have to stay for the remainder of the season my main goal is to win the league regardless of the level of competition. Seeing these guys move up would be nice because they came so close last season but failed.

How would you describe yourself as a person and as a basketball player?

Well, as a person I would have to say I'm straight forward with a good sense of humor and can get along with all different types of people. I want to say I'm a people person but people have told me I seem to be intimadating when I'm not smiling. Once they got to know me those same people noticed that I am far from intimadating and am fun to be around. I just like the whole experience of being in a different country far from home and having the chance to see another culture along with everything else that is involved with being here.

As a basketball player I'd say I'm a teammate first and basketball player second. What I mean is I'm just in it to help the team and my teammates get better. I can work as hard as I can on my game but you have to elevate those around you also. Very hardnosed player that likes to score but is not very fond of getting scored on. I can play inside and outside, I just let whoever is guarding me determine that. Most of all I like to win and will do anything fo the team to make that happen, I've just been blessed to always have a important role on the past teams that I played for. After the begining of this year; being a role player off the bench in a higher league would not be a bad thing to me at all. I'm a competitor and want to play at the highest level that I can. It's good to face a challenge and see how you react... I want to rise to the level of those I'm playing with and against.

Avery Oliver can be contacted by e-mail at a_junior@tmail.com

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GREECE

Transfer news -by Chris Mammides

PAOK agreed tersm with the Turk international guard Ibrahim Kutluay. This is the third Greek team for the veteran Kutluay after AEK and Panathinaikos.
A.J. Guyton (187-G-78, college: Indiana) is replacing LaMarr Greer (196-G-76, college: Florida St.) in Olympia Larissas
Olimpiada Patras dismiss the Lithuanian Tomas Nagys (208-F-80, college: Clemson) adn agreed terms with the Serbian Zoran Osmokrovic (189-G-81)



Changes at AEP Olimpias Patron -by Eurobasket
AEP Olimpias Patron agreed terms with 37-year old American guard Anthony Goldwire (186-G-71, college: Houston). Goldwire played most recently at Lokomotiv Rostov na Donu (Russia). He will replace another American guard - Dewayne Jefferson (191-G-79, college: Miss.Valley St.). Goldwire is a former NBA player, who is already familiar with Greek League as he played last season at Panellinios Athens. Olimpias added also another point guard - Serb Zoran Osmokrovic (189-G-81, agency: Beo Basket). However they lost Lithuanian Tomas Nagys (208-F-80, college: Clemson), who left in December.

Aris Thessaloniki sign Vladimir Boisa -by Eurobasket

Aris Thessaloniki signed 27-year old Georgian power forward Vladimir Boisa (209-F/C-81, agency: World Sport Agency). Boisa played most recently at Spartak Primorie Vladivostok (Russia). Boisa had extremely successful season last year, when he won Italian SerieA Championship together with Montepaschi Siena. But for last two seasons he had problems with making it to starting five as team from Siena was extremely strong. This year he signed with Spartak Primorie from faraway Vladivostok in Russia. But Greece is way closer to Georgia than Vladivostok...



Game 10: Panathinaikos - Partizan 67-66 in a thrilling game! -by Chris Mammides
Panathinaikos continued his successful European results in the Athens Indoor Olympic Arena (OAKA) when it hosts Partizan for a Group A clash. The defending champs, who haven't played at home in nearly a month, are currently leading the group with a 9-1 record. One of the Greens' toughest wins this season came in tonight (the second toughest was in Belgrade against the Serbian champs in November of 2007). Panathinaikos suffered from a different player this time as two months ago their “headache” was Partizan's dominant center Nikola Pekovic, who finished with 28 points on 8-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds, this time was Dusan Kecman who finished the game with 22 points and 8 of 9 shooting and 8 rebounds, the same scenery we had also with the Croat Andrija Zizic, who fouled out in less than eight minutes against Pekovic, in the match 2 months ago and now was actually finished the game three minutes from the start as he fouled his 3rd foul 7.10' minutes before the end of the first quarter!
Panathinaikos's dejà vu continue with the top performer of the game who was no other than Sarunas Jasikevicius, who lead (like in Serbia) the Euro-champs once more with his 17 points and 5 of 9 shooting and 2 steals. Meanwhile Partizan proved once more that is a tough team and that it was so close to win in OAKA only if veteran point guard Milt Palacio could “run away” from the top European Defender Dimitrios Diamantidis in the last offence of the game and with 2.7 seconds to go, the Greek super star simply stole the ball and gave the victory to his team. Dusan Kecman and Nikola Pekovic gave another lesson to the Greek players. It is worth mentioned the presence of the Green captain, Alvertis Fragiskos scored 8 points in 9 minutes with 1 steal and 1 block shot “pushing” his team in a difficult moment proving that his experience and his brain and shooting ability gives him a vital position in the European champions and that is why Obradovic counts on him and trust him.

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HOLLAND

Nenad Cvjetkovic to ZZ Leiden -by Fred Roggen
Nenad Cvjetkovic (202-F-83, agency: Court Side), the forward who had no team after the bankruptcy of Omniworld Almere, finishes the season at ZZ Leiden, which in Cvjetkovic also sees an option for the next season.

Mike Nahar almost certainly to Aris-Friesland -by Fred Roggen
The arrival of Mike Nahar (211-C-71, agency: Court Side, college: Wright St.) to Aris-Friesland is almost round. The experience center of the bankrupt Omniworld Almere arrived Thursday in Leeuwarden. Only his achillestendon-injury can ensure still problems.
"Nahar however thinks to expect to be able to play next week '', thus manager Schurer of Aris-Friesland.

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HUNGARY

New head-coach arrived in Kormend -by Csilla Kantor
Krivacsevics Dragoljub (Montenegro) became the new head-coach of team Kormend. Hencsey Tamas and Mihajlo Miljanics are helping him to achieve the main goal in this season, taking part in upper-house play-off. Krivacsevics used to be a player of Falco 1990-1995, 1996-1999. He has been working as a coach since 2005.

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IRELAND

Demons part with head coach Matt Chlebek -by Pete Strobl
Official club statement:
"It is with great regret that we announce the departure of Coach Matt Chlebek. Some of the results this term have been excellent but overall the team has performed below expectations. The massive blow with the early departure from the Cup coupled with the intense scrutiny and some unfair criticism of the Coach and the Club has led to the decision that in the best interest of both parties that Coach Chlebek will leave with immediate effect. 6 wins in 9 games leave Demons well placed in the League but with back-to-back local derby games against Neptune, we enter a vital stage of the season. We need to be more consistent if we are to make an honest run for the league, an ambition that is not beyond this current group".

Club Chairman Michael O'Leary with take control of Superleague affairs for the foreseeable future. Michael O'Leary himself no stranger to the role of Coach having served with great success as Senior team Coach at a lower level for a number of years prior to the appointment of Pat Price. He also Coached the Under 20 to National Cup success last season.

Courtesy: bluedemonsbc.com

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ITALY

Coach Dragan Sakota Signs with Fortitudo Bologna -by Interperformances
Upim Fortitudo Bologna started the new year with a new coach. The society decided to release Andrea Mazzon and hire Serbian coach from Belgrade Dragan Sakota . He has coached at high level in Greece for many years. and coached KK Crvena Zvezda Beograd for the past two years. Has been coach of both the Yugoslavian and Serbia/Montenegro National Teams.

Last market news -by Gianni Pascucci
Angelico Pallacanestro Biella and Walter Santarossa (200-F-78) agreed to part ways. The player is now free agent. Pierrel Capo d'Orlando decided not to extend the agreement with Martynas Mazeika (192-G-85), who is now free agent he too. Pierrel will wait for the full recover of Colin Falls (196-G-85, college: Notre Dame), who has now an Irish passport and shoul be ready to play in some weeks. Jaime Lloreda (201-F-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: LSU) did not join back Lega 2 team Ignis Novara. There are rumors he is negotiating with Cimberio Varese.

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JAMAICA

Jordan flirts with a triple-double -by Leonard Whyte
Tulsa, OK (1-2-2008) - Center Jerome Jordan came close to his first ever triple-double over the weekend when he scored 12 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and blocked seven shots in Tulsa University's 71-46 rout of Mississippi Valley State University. The seven blocks by the 7' 0” sophomore tied him for third on the school's all-time single-game blocked shots list. Jordan has been the dominant inside scorer in Tulsa's past four games, including a 5-of-6 performance against MVSU, and is shooting 80 percent (20-of-25) in that span.

Samuels racks up another MVP award -by Leonard Whyte
Charlotte, NC (1-2-2008) - With uncertainty surrounding his participation, Samardo Samuels, the No. 1 center in the high school class of 2008, shrugged off an ankle injury to lead USA Today's top-ranked team, St. Benedict's Prep, to a resounding 56-45 victory over Moeller High and capture the Bojangles Shootout tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina over the weekend. Samuels scored a game-high 23 points and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. He also joined teammate Gregory Echenique on the All-Tournament Team.

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KUWAIT

Jamal Holden Leaves Arabi Club -by Sadik Abdullah
Jamal Holden, the Arabi import who has been with Al Arabi since the beginning of the year is leaving the team.

Holden will most likely be heading back to Bahrain, to play with his former team (Al Ahli).

Here is the outlook on Jamal Holden:

Jamal Holden is a very athletic player who plays the 4,5 position and can run the floor. He can shoot the 3 pointer and has good touch from 15 to 17 feet around the basket. Any ball around the basket he dunks and finishes. He can also handle the ball for his size and has post moves down low. Hes a good offensive player and is unselfish with teammates. Hes the oldest of 10 children.
2006-2007: Al Ahli Manama (BHR-Premier League): 18 games: 21.5ppg, 11.5rpg, 1.6bpg
2006-2007 Al Ahli (GCC Tournament): 4 games played 19.1ppg,, 9.0rpg, 1.0bpg

Awards/Achievements:
Lebanese Cup Semifinals -06
Syrian League Final 4 -06
Plata Tournament with Mellios De Sur Champion (DOM-Puerto Plata) -06
Bahrain League Regular Season Champion -07
Bahrain League Champion -07

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LEBANON

Riyadi lands Bland -by Eurobasket News
By: Mohammed Malas

Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut have agreed terms with Tony Bland (196-G-80, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: San Diego St.) to play with the team for the upcoming season which begins next thursday, The player will arrive soon to beirut to begin preperations with the team esspecially for Dubai International Tourmnament which begins in 18th of january.

The american point guard Bland was a member of the D-League champions Albuquerque Thunderbirds season 2005-2006, He also has a good experience in playing in Greece, Russia and Croatia.

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POLAND

Ed Cota in Ostrow -by Karol Machera
Ed Cota (187-G-75, college: N.Carolina) has signed contract with Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski till the end of the season. Cota is the star of the Euroleague and last season he spent in Hapoel Jeruzalem playing in ULEB Cup (5.3ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.3 apg). He will replace Gregorry Harrington who didn't play much in coach Andrzej Kowalczyk 's team. Harrington propably would move to Polonia SPEC Warszawa.

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PORTUGAL

Barreirense conquer the under18 tournament of Pedrajas -by Bruno Baltazar
That tournament had the fallowing teams :Barreirense , Estudiantes, G. Capitol, Castilla y Leon, Gestiberica Vigo and portuguese national team of under16 .
Placed near Valladolid-Spain a very good tournament of formation,the portuguese team did a fantastic work elevating the portuguese basketball.

In the first day of competition Barreirense won against Estudiantes due to a strong second half 84/68 .

Scoring for Barreirense :Felipe Pinheiro ( 4pts; 2/3 2pts; 0/2 3 pts) Henrique Sico (9 pts 2/4 2pts 1/2 3 pts 3 Rst), Joao Guerreiro (12 pts 3/5 2 pts 2/3 3 pts 0/3 LL 8 Rst); Antonio Rocha (11 pts 5/6 2 pts 0/1 3 pts 1/2 LL); Eric 2 pts 1/1 2 pts 0/1 3 pts 2 Roub); Eugenio Silva (9 pts 2/3 2 pts 1/3 3 Pts 2/43 LL 3 Ress,3Assi, 2 Rou); Claudio Carvalho (2 pts 1/1 2 pts), Alexandre Coelho (178-G-90) (24 pts 5/6 2 pts 3/6 3 Pts 5/6 LL 2 Reb,5 Ass, 3 stls, MVP ); Carlos Sico (2 Pts 1/3 2 pts, 6 Reb); Miguel Queiroz (3 Reb); Tiago Raimundo (9 pts 2/4 2 pts 0/2 3 pts 5/8 LL)

In the second day Barreirense defeated G.Capitol 71-58,the game balanced always for Barreirense that struggled a liltle on the shots in the 3rd quarter due to a great defese of Capitol.

Scorers:Felipe Pinheiro ( 7pts; 3/4, 2pts; 0/2 1/2 ll, 4 steals, 3 ass) Augusto Miranda (2 pts 1/2 ;2 pts) Henrique Sico (8 pts 4/6, 2pts 0/2, 3 pts 7 Reb, 2 stl, 2 ass), Joao Guerreiro (14 pts 7/8, 2 pts 0/1, 3 pts, 8 Rb)MVP; Antonio Rocha (4 pts 2/5, 2 pts ); Eric (2 pts 1/1, 2 pts); Eugenio Silva (4 pts 2/3, 2 pts 3 Ress, 3Assi, 2 Rou); Ruben Dias (2 pts 1/1, 2 pts), Alexandre Coelho (8 pts 1/1, 2 pts 2/4 ,3 Pts, 2 Ress, 5 Ass, 3 roub ); Carlos Sico (6 Pts 3/6, 2 pts, 6 Rst); Miguel Queiroz ( 2 pts 1/1 2pts,3 Ress); Tiago Raimundo (10 pts 4/5, 2 pts 0/2 3 pts 2/3; LL, 7 ress, 4 assis, 4 roub)

In the final Barreirense had a easy vitory against Castilla y Leon selection,they were leading during the game by 20pts of difference in a clear win 67-53.
Filipe Pinheiro ( 15pts; 4/8, 2pts; 1 /2, 3pts 4/6 ll, 4 roub, 3 Ass) Augusto Miranda (0/2;2 pts, 2 roub) Henrique Sico (2 pts 1/1, 2pts 0/2, 3 pts 14 Rst, 2 roub, 2 Ass), Joao Guerreiro (4 pts 1/2, 2 pts 0/1, 3 pts, 8 Rst); Antonio Rocha (0/2, 2 pts, 2 Ass); Andre Agipa (0/1,2 pts 2 Assi); Eugenio Silva (4 pts 2/3, 2 pts, 0/1 3pts, 2Ress, 3Ass, 2 Rou); Ruben Dias (1 roub, 2 Ass), Alexandre Coelho (19 pts 4/8, 2 pts 2/7,3 Pts, 5/8 LL 2 Ress, 7 Ass, 3 roub); Carlos Sico (4 Pts 2/5, 2 pts, 4 Rst, 3 roub); Miguel Queiroz (6 pts 3/5 2pts,6 Ress); Tiago Raimundo (13 pts 5/9, 2 pts, 3/6; LL, 4 ress, 2Assis, 1 roub)
Legend- LL-FT ; Ress-rebounds ; roub-Steals

MVP OF THE TOURNAMENT - Alexandre Coelho(Barreirense)
The team also got invited for the next year edition and invited to tournaments of Estudiantes and Capitol,considered by everyone as the best team ever to be in that tournament

Final classification:1-Barreirense
2-Castilla y Leon
3-Vigo
4-Estudiantes
5-Capitol
6-Portugal under16 national team

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PUERTO RICO

Arroyo in the States -by Alessandro Fontana
In NBA Orlando Magic defeated Chicago Bulls 112-110. It was a great game for Carlos Arroyo who finally played 21 minutes with 14 points (7/7 2pts) and 4 assists. Arroyo was one of the best players of the game. The MVP was Hidayet Turkoglu with 17 points.
In this NBA Season Carlos Arroyo is scoring 6,2 points per game (43 % 2pts, 33% 3pts, 77% FT) with 2 rebs and 4 assts per game.
In the last three games "El Magnifico" scored 14,3 pts (13 pts with Miami, 16 pts with Charlotte, 14 pts with Chicago) with 5,0 assts per game.
A. Fontana

Boricuas in the States and BSN News -by Alessandro Fontana
In NBA Orlando Magic was defeated by New Jersey Nets 96-95. For Carlos Arroyo another good game, He played 30 minutes with 16 pts (5/8 2pts, 0/1 3pts 6/6 FT) with 3 rebs and 7 assts. Orlando has now a 22-12 standings.
Dallas Mavericks won against Golden State Warriors 121-99 but Jose Juan Barea did not play.
In Puerto Rico Brujos de Guayama began the trainings for next BSN 2008 who will start on 28th february. Carlos Escalera , Melvin Simon and Angel Sanchez (196-F-78) are almost ready to start an exciting season in Puerto Rico.
A. Fontana

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SERBIA

Coach Dragan Sakota Signs with Fortitudo Bologna -by Interperformances
Upim Fortitudo Bologna started the new year with a new coach. The society decided to release Andrea Mazzon and hire Serbian coach from Belgrade Dragan Sakota . He has coached at high level in Greece for many years. and coached KK Crvena Zvezda Beograd for the past two years. Has been coach of both the Yugoslavian and Serbia/Montenegro National Teams.

Osmokrovic in Greece, Fortitudo Bologna hires Sakota -by Dragan Jankovski
Point guard Zoran Osmokrovic (189-G-81) agreed terms with Greek A1 team AEP Olimpia from Patras. Osmokrovic will leave Belgrade today and most probably will have debut for his new team on Saturday.

After waiving Andrea Mazzon, management of Italian team Upim Fortitudo Bologona immediately hired Serbian coach Dragan Sakota as a new head coach. In the past Sakota used to work in many Serbian and Greek teams including Yugoslavian and National Team of Serbia and Montenegro.

National Cup "Radivoj Korac": Final Eight in Nis -by Dragan Jankovski
Serbian Basketball Federation announced that city of Nis will be the host of the Final 8 tournament of Serbian National Cup. Partizan, Crvena Zvezda, Hemofarm STADA, FMP, Vojvodina Srbijagas, Borac, Swisslions Takovo and Zdravlje Actavis or Radnicki 034 Group or Vojvodina Zlatiborac will have a chance to fight for the first trophy this season. Which one of the last three mentioned teams will participate on the Final 8 will be decided in the other BFS Cup.

Tournament will be played in gym Cair which capacity is around 5.000 seats.

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SLOVAK REP.

Oresansky released with Nitra -by Martin Galajda

Former Slovak NT center Tomas Oresansky (210-C/F-78, agency: Court Side, college: Freed-Hardeman) released with BK Casta Nitra. Team and player closed contract because personal reasons. Oresansky is four time Slovak league champion and two times FHU's Most Improved Player.




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SPAIN

Bruesa-Guipuzcoa BC sign Rod Brown -by Eurobasket
Bruesa-Guipuzcoa BC (LEB Gold) added to their roster 30-year old American guard Rod Brown (186-G-78, college: W.Michigan, agency: TASM). Brown played most recently at AEP Olimpias Patron (Greece). Rod score for last year at AEL Larissa (GRE-A1): 11 games: 5.9ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.6apg

LEB News -by Francisco Martinez
LEB Gold
- Bruesa GBC has signed Rod Brown (186-G-78, agency: TASM, college: W.Michigan). THe player has british passport and he played formerly in Spain with Inca and Menorca.
- Jacobo Odriozola (195-F-73) has joined Alerta Cantabria to fill the hole left for Stacey.

LEB Silver
- Jose Amador (210-F-83, agency: Duran International) has left Bruesa GBC to join Akasvayu Vic.
- Xavier Forcada (195-G-88) will not play for L'Hospitalet in the remainder of the season because he has signed by Alimentos de Palencia

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SWITZERLAND

Sdent BBC Nyon sign Willie Taylor -by Eurobasket
Sdent BBC Nyon strengthened their roster with addition of 27-year old American guard Willie Taylor (194-G-81, college: Va Commonwealth, agency: Players Group). Taylor played most recently at Atomeromu SE Paks (Hungary). He is a very experienced player. Switzerland is his 6th country he has played pro basketball. He spent some time playing in Italy, Greece, Portugal, Hungary and multiple semi-pro leagues in the States. Last year he lead Lusitania to Portuguese League Semifinals. He also played in the Portuguese League All-Star Game. Taylor will try to do a big comeback in Switzerland. When he played last time in Swiss League at Monthey, he was voted Most Spectacular Player of the Year by Eurobasket.com.

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TANZANIA

Kili RBA lists 08 Super Cup event entrants -by Carlos Pereira
By Oliver Albert

Teams eligible to compete in this year�s edition of the Super Cup basketball championship have been announced.
Kili RBA league coordinator Manase Zablon said yesterday that Super Cup teams as title holders JKT, Savio, Vijana 'City Bulls,' Chang'ombe Boys, ABC and Chui.
The teams qualified to compete in the event after finishing within six positions of the current Kili RBA league standings now at the semi finals stage.
The Super Cup event will be staged early next month at the National Indoor Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Super Cup berth contest failures include Tanzania Prisons, UDSM Outsiders and Oilers.
RBA Kili league semi finals are set for Saturday and the final on Sunday. JKT meet ABC while Vijana 'City Bulls' play Savio in the other clash.
The basketball championships are sponsored by Tanzania Breweries under the Kilimanjaro beer banner.

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U.S.VIRGIN ISL.

Dragons Use Big Second Half to Outlast UNC Wilmington, 70-60 -by David Edole
Drexel used a 17-3 second-half run to come from behind and beat UNC Wilmington, 70-60, as Head Coach Bruiser Flint picked up his 200th career win.

The Seahawks (8-6, 1-1 CAA) led by as many as 14 points in the game and 11 points in the second half before Drexel (8-6, 1-1) made its run. Freshman Gerald Colds nailed two three-pointers to ignite the offense. He had eight points during the stretch and put the Dragon up for good at 42-41 with 10:19 remaining. The Dragons extended the lead to seven, but UNCW made it a one-point game at 53-52 with just under five minutes to play after Daniel Fountain knocked down a pair of treys. Drexel scored the next four points and held on for its first conference win of the year.

UNCW jumped out to an early 11-0 lead and held the Dragons off the board until Kenny Tribbett scored at 15:04. The Seahawks shot a blistering 52 percent in the first half as they took a 34-25 lead to intermission. Vladimir Kuljanin led the way, scoring all 10 of his points in the first half.

Drexel won despite shooting just 35 percent from the floor. The Dragons won the game at the line, converting 27 of their 40 attempts, and committed just three turnovers after the break. Both teams struggled shooting in the second half. The Dragons managed to shoot just 10-for-28 from the floor, but did make four three-pointers. UNCW made just nine field goals in the final 20 minutes.

Frank Elegar (206-C-86) led the Dragons with his fourth double-double of the year. The senior had 21 points and 11 rebounds, but shot just 4-for-13 from the floor. He was also 13-fo-20 from the free-throw stripe and had two blocked shots to give him 100 in his career. Scott Rodgers added 13 points and had three assists. The Seahawks were led by T.J. Carter, who had 18 points and seven rebounds. Fountain added 16 points, including four three-pointers.

The Dragons had key contributions from their bench in the win. Tramayne Hawthorne grabbed five rebounds, handed out four assists and had four steals. Rob Hampton had his best game as a collegian with six points, four rebounds and three assists. Hampton was 6-for-6 from the line, with all of his free throws coming down the stretch.



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Women News

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ARGENTINA - Women

Velez Sarsfield puts on the crown -by Eurobasket News
Velez Sarsfield became the champion of Argentinean Women's Basketball Liga Nacional. The outcome for the tournament was decided in the Final Four and Velez Sarsfield claimed the trophy. The team opened the final round of the championship with a confident 90:63 victory over Talleres. At the same time Union Florida secured a hard 51:47 win over Lanus to advance to the Final Game. The two clashed in the title decider and Velez Sarsfield drove to an impressive 64:53 victory. Lanus claimed the third spot beating Talleres 72:55. The win marked the second consecutive title for Velez Sarsfield as they enjoyed the same trophy last season.

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CAMEROON - Women

Njonkou Aka Double-double... -by Yann Tientcheu
Amina Njonkou (185-F-88), who is currently averaging 12.2 pts, 7 rbds, 1 asts and 1.6 stl a game added another double-double performance to her
endless series of double figures prowesses for the account of this season. Her impressive numbers of 12pts, 11 rbds, 2 asts, 1 blk and 1 stl were not enough
to guarantee a win when her Arizona University Wildcats confronted the UCLA Bruins on Dec. 30th. Beatrice Bofia (201-C-84) who is her
teammate and another cameroonian we should be proud of; brought in a contribution of 3 pts, 4 rbds and 1 blk in 13 mns of action.

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CROATIA - Women

Croatia U18 clinches 3rd spot in Romania -by Eurobasket News
Croatian U18 team celebrated the third place at the Balkan Games in Romania that wrapped up the calendar year in European basketball. Croatia started the action in Group A and managed to occupy the second spot to qualify for the 3rd place game. Croatia opened the tournament on a high note overcoming Bulgarian team 84:78. Croatia led by just 2 points at the equator but a strong third stanza allowed Croatia to tilt the balance. They outscored their opponents 25:13 and later withstood all the efforts from Bulgaria to seal a hard-fought 84:78 win at the end. Tomica Bacic (182-F-90) provided 22 points, 9 boards and 7 assists for Croatia. Mia Carapina (190-F-90) finished with 20 points in a win.
In Round 2 Croatia were opposed by Macedonia. Croatian players faced little problems en route to the second straight win as they bruised Macedonia 68:45. Three Croatian players scored 10 points to pace the winners. Josipa Zovko produced 10 points and 10 boards, while Lenka Kusic (183-F/C-90) delivered 10 points and 6 boards in a winning clause. The win came as Croatian team had an obvious advantage under the rims 50:30 and forced Macedonia to as many as 22 turnovers.
Finally the Final ticket was raffled off in Round 3. Croatia took on hosting Romania and had to surrender at the end 77:88. Croatia began the game aggressively and claimed a 19:15 advantage after the first quarter. But it all went draught after the break as Romania took over the control and ensured the winning outcome at the end. Petra Ercegovic (182-C-90) and Josipa Zovko netted 17 points apiece for Croatia. Mia Carapina drained 14 points and grabbed 6 boards in a loss.
However the defeat remained the only one at the tournament for Croatia. They rebounded quickly enough to upset Greece in the game for 3rd spot 74:57. Croatia overcame a 1-point deficit after the opening frame to succeed at the end. Tomica Bacic netted 16 points, while Petra Ercegovic drilled 14 points for the winners. Mia Carapina had 13 points and 7 boards as Croatia clinched the third place.

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FINLAND - Women

SM-SARJA: Elena Reshetko The Player of December -by Rauno Hurmalainen
Russian F Elena Reshetko (185-C-86) has been named The Player of December. Reshetko helped her Team Catz (Lappeenranta) to 4-0 record in December by averaging 20,5 ppg and 8,0 rpg. Reshetko has netted this season 15,3 ppg and grabbed 8,4 rpg in 30:07 mpg.

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ROMANIA - Women

Romania U18 finishes second at Balkan Games -by Eurobasket News
City Sports Hall in Giurgiu became the battlefield of the 2007 edition of Balkan Games in the last week of the year. Eight teams clashed for the main trophy in this annual tournament. They were divided into two groups and the winners of the groups were scheduled to play in the Final Game on December 30. Romanian U18 team started action in Group A. They got rolling on December 27 being opposed by Macedonia. The hosts controlled the game from tip off and deservedly posted the initial victory 73:56. Elizabeth Pavel came up with 19 points to lead Romanian squad. Doinita Panait (185-C-90) added 13 points and 9 boards in a win.
Romania next faced Bulgarian team and the game turned out to be one of the most exciting encounters at the tournament. Neither team had an advantage in the opening frame and it resulted in 17:17 score at the end of it. The complexion did not change after the first intermission however Romania held on to a tiny 38:37 advantage at the interval. The home side tightened up defense in the third term and managed to extend the gap to 6 points heading into the fourth period. But Aleksandra Kancheva (184-F-90) and Stefka Nikolova (170-G-90) turned things upside down. Being well fed by Stanislava Stankova (170-G-90) who dished out 14 assists they nailed a bunch of vital baskets late in regulation and forced overtime. But Romanian side were luckier that night as Elisabeth Pavel (192-C-90) sealed the win in the extra time completing her mad stats on the night. Elisabeth Pavel finished with 39 points, 30 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks to ensure the win for the hosts. Elena Luminita Manta (190-C-90) had 14 points, 7 boards and 5 blocks for the winners.
Romania completed the group action against Croatia and finalized their Final birth in style. Led by unstoppable Elisabeth Pavel the hosts posted a 28:15 second frame to decide the outcome. Pavel netted 23 points and collected 9 rebounds to pace Romania. Alina Chivu (180-F-90) had 22 points and 8 rebounds in a winning effort.
Romania clashed with Serbian players in the Final game. Serbia proved to be real threat at the tournament and looked too tough for the hosts. Romania got to a slightly better start to this one leading by 3 points after the first frame. However Serbia solved the key problem as they limited Elisabeth Pavel to just 10 points on the night and it influenced the game. Serbia raised the tempo in the second half and ran away for good in the third frame. Romania looked weary and were unable to organize any sort of comeback effort late in the game. Serbia triumphed 78:62, while Romania could be satisfied as they claimed the second spot. Mihaela Mihai (165-G-90) knocked down 19 points, while Bianca Barbu (169-G-90) scored 18 points in the Final game.

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SERBIA - Women

Serbian U18 team wins Balkan Games -by Eurobasket News
Serbian U18 National team triumphed at the 2007 edition of the Balkan Games. The competition took place in Romania as 8 teams were divided into two groups with the winners of the groups to clash in the final game. Serbian youngsters got off to a flying start as they thrashed Romania B U16 squad 112:40. Sara Krnjic (194-C-91) came off the bench for 20 points and 5 boards. Tina Jovanovic (191-F/C-91) delivered 12 points and 12 boards for the winners. The winning attitude continued for Serbian team in the second matchup as they faced Greece. Leading by 11 points at the interval Serbia spurred ahead after the break and confirmed yet another impressive win 89:59. Sara Krnjic appeared in the starting five and dropped 13 points to lead the winning side. Finally Serbian selection ensured the Final birth edging Turkey in the third game in Group B. And once again the dominance of Serbian players was pretty obvious as they limited their opponents to just 4 points in the second stanza building a 44:19 lead at halftime. Turkish players never recovered afterwards and allowed Serbia to the title decider.
Serbia had to overcome a tough challenge from hosting Romania in the Final to claim the title. The hosts looked better early in the game and grabbed a 19:16 advantage 10 minutes into the game. Serbian players however found the way to tie the scoreline at 34 at halftime. The outcome was decided in the third stanza as the visitors pulled the trigger accumulating 26 points and clearing off to a 10-point distance. Romania struggled offensively in the fourth period and had to surrender at the end losing 62:78. Sara Krnjic came off the bench to produce 21 points and 9 boards for the winners. Nikolina Nikolic (178-G-91) had 17 points for talented Serbian U18 squad. Mihaela Mihai (165-G-90) secured 19 points in a loss.