EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/5/2008

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Men News

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ABA

Frost Heaves Pound Express to Improve to 14-3 -by Surujh Roopnarine
Taking advantage of a weak Jersey Express frontline, the Vermont Frost Heaves thumped the visiting Express 129-73 in Barre, VT last night. Jersey started strong, connecting on two "3-D" three-point shots against Vermont in the first quarter, but the Frost Heaves composed themselves and then maintained control throughout. Three Frost Heaves players (John Bryant (6'7''-F-82, college: St.Joseph's), Issa Konare (6'8''-F-80, college: High Point) and Dokun Akingbade (6'9''-F-84, college: George Washington)) tallied double-doubles, highlighting Vermont's 77-32 domination of the backboards. Mark Jarrell-Wright (6'6''-G-81, college: Fordham) led the Express with a game high 26 points while Terrance Green (6'4''-G/F-81, college: Nevada) led a balanced Vermont with a team high 21 on 8-13 shooting.
EXPRESS: Mark Jarrell-Wright (26p), Alan Watson (13p+5rb+5as+7st), Robert Skipper (10p), Duquan Everett (8p+7rb),
FROST HEAVES: Terrance Green (21p+8rb), Issa Konare (19p+12rb+5as), John Bryant (10p+14rb), Antonio Burks (19p)

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Vojvodina Srbijagas wins over Zagreb CO -by Dragan Jankovski
Vojvodina Srbijagas celebrated against Zagreb CO at home 91-88 improving its score in Adriatic league to 7-9 while Zagreb has 4-12. Third period of the game maybe was the most important as Tulips finished it having advantage of 7 points. But visitors succeeded to come on 87-86 in the last minute. Clutch player of the game was Dusan Djordjevic who netted last two free throws after what Vladovic missed 3-pointer which could bring over time to Split. Ivan Ivanovic (205-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) nailed 21 points for Vojvodina while Vladimir Golubovic (212-C-86) followed him adding 15 points and 5 rebounds. On the other side Jakov Vladovic (187-G-83) collected 24 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.


Vojvodina Srbijagas - Zagreb CO 91-88
(23-22,23-29,26-14,19-23)

Vojvodina Srbijagas: Ivanovic 21, Golubovic 15 (5 rebs), Paunic 14 (4 st)
Zagreb CO: Vladovic 24 (4 rebs, 4 as), Garma 15, Dundovic 14

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ANGOLA

Coach Covilha to Remain As Luis Magalhaes Aid -by Carlos Pereira
Jaime Covilha, with 1º de Agosto, winner of recently held 2007 edition of the African Cup Winners Cup of Basketball for men, is expected to continue as aid to the Portuguese coach, Luis Magalhaes, who will lead the group in the next three years.
The information was supplied to ANGOP by the club's director, Fernando Barbosa. According to the official, Covilha will remain in the team assisting the Portuguese or take a course overseas.
Jaime Covilha whose contract with 1º de Agosto finish at the end of this season, won six national titles with the team, as assistant of Mario Palma, two African Club of Champion cup, besides various African Cups of Nations under Angolan team.
On both seasons as 1º de Agosto coach (2006/2007) lost the National Championship and Champions Cup to rival Petro de Luanda.
In 2007 he got a gold medal in the Pan-African Games of Algiers (Algeria) with the country's main team.

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BELGIUM

Leuven Transfer News -by Peter Buyse


Spotter Leuven has reached an agreement with J.J. Sullinger (196-G-82, agency: 540 Sports, college: Ohio St.) for the rest of the season to replace the departed Boggan.
Sullinger a teammate of Ron Lewis at Ohio State started the season in Poland for Slask Wroclaw but only played 4 games there.

Played 28 games in the CBA for the Indiana Alley Cats and averaged 19.6ppg and 7.5rpg.

He scored 22 pts and grabbed 9 rebs in the 2007 CBA All Star Game.



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BOSNIA

Suprise in Skenderija! -by Elvir Halilovic
Bosnian League 13, 13TH round:
Bosna ASA BH TELECOM - Borac Nektar 77:78
(21:18, 20:21, 23:21, 13:18)
Sarajevo, SD Skenderija; Att.: 600; Ref.: Drmic, Coric, Milicevic
BOSNA ASA BHT: Greer 3, Sehovic 6, Ikonic 16, Bavcic 11, Bailey 7, Suljagic, Rahimic 8, Majstoric, Pasalic 3, Veal 11, Zimic, Williams 12
BORAC NEKTAR: Atanckovic 12, Jovanovic Z. 18, Stupar 13, Rothbart 10, Jovanovic V., Gemaljevic, Pavlovic, Milinovic, Velimirovic 16, Ugrekhelidze 9

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CAPE VERDE

Cape Verde NT loses Head Coach -by Pedro Gomes

The Cape Verdian national team is officially without a head coach. Emanuel Travoada a, who had dismissed reports that he was leaving, has finally left to Angola to join Desportivo da Huila, in the Angola national championships.

With the pre olympic qualifying tournament only a few monhths away, the National Basketball Federation has been hit with another problem to resolve.

The speculation about the move, began in October, but Fiba-AFriba had reported in November, that Emanuel Travoada a denied the move.

"It is just speculation. It is true that they contacted me, but I am still Cape Verde coach," he told PA Sport.

We have just received the confirmation that Emanuel Travoada will leave to Angola tommorrow to join his new team.



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CHINA

Guangdong, Xinjiang Lead as Regular Season Ends -by Arthur Volbert
The CBA ended its regular season with Guangdong and Xinjiang sharing the league lead with 26-4 records.

Guangdong smashed the young Shanghai team 102-73 as it too made substantial use of its young stars. Unlike Bayi, Guangdong's upcoming players have significant talent.

Jason Dixon led Guangdong with 16 points but class of '89 stars Liu Xiaoyu, Chen Jianghua and Zhou Peng each scored 8 points. Su Wei, also class of '89, had 5 points and 5 rebounds.

For Shanghai, Cai Liang, class of '92, led the scoring with 15 points. He outdistanced his class of '92 teammate, Tian Yuchen who had no points and 6 turnovers in 19 minutes.

Peng Fei, class of '87, Wu Yang, class of '88, Luo Xudong, class of '88, Gu Aoke, class of '88, Xu Yong, class of '89, and Meng Lingyuan, class of '89, also saw significant playing time.

Xinjiang gained its share of the CBA lead with a 120-108 victory over Yunnan. Aaron McGhee had 32 points and David Jackson scored 23. Nigel Dixon led Yunnan with 40 points.

Zhang Shu, class of '91, shared point guard duties for Xinjiang with Jin Lipeng as Guan Xiu Chiang is still absent.

Zhejiang defeated Shaanxi 112-105. Liu Weiwei scored 21 points and Soumaila Samake and Sui Xiaolong each had 20. Liu Jiulong scored 28 points for Shaanxi while Hiram Fuller and Tian Yu each had 22.

Wang Zhizhi scored 30 points and Wang Lei scord 28 as Bayi defeated Fujian 94-79. Lu Xiaoming scored 26 for Fujian whiel Jameel Watkins scored 21 and grabbed 22 rebounds.

Wang Lei, class of '86, is an outstanding young player for Bayi but he was not developed in the Bayi system. Wang Zhongguang, class of '87, starts at point guard but may be 23. He has not improved from last year, and is in the second tier of CBA starting point guards.

Delehei, listed as class of '89 in the World Junior Championships but now listed in the CBA as class of '87, had 9 points today but has rarely played this season. Bayi is not developing young talent the way it used to. Perhaps its army mentality makes it too conservative in adapting to the international style of play in the junior ranks.

Guangsha beat Jilin as Zhang Nan scored 35 points and Rodney White scored 31. DaJuan Tate scored 38 for Jilin and Nie Jinqiang had 22.

Yang Ming, class of '87, who was once regarded as the best young point guard in China, scored 30 points to lead Liaoning to a 100-90 win over Beijing. Olumide Oyedeji led Beijing with 30 points and Chen Lei scored 27.

Jiangsu edged Dongguan 127-124 as Tang Zhengdong (213-C-84) scored 47 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Han Shuo scored 22 and Ryan Forehan-Kelly scored 20. Sharone Wright replaced Raheim Brown on the Jiangsu roster. Mike Harris scored 46 for Dongguan, Anthony Myles scored 23 and Wang Jing had 21.

Mack Tuck scored 31 points and Wang Gang notched 26 to lead Shandong to a 131-99 bashing of Shanxi Zhongyu. Yu Xuelin scored 25 and Major Wingate had 22 for Zhongyu.


Guangdong 102
Su Wei 5p+5r+1bl, Chen Dawei 12p+2r, Zhu Fangyu 13p+5r+1a+2s+1bl, Wang Shipeng 2p+1r+2a+3s, Liu Xiaoyu 8p+4r+4a+3s+2to, Jason Dixon 16p+7r+1s+1bl, Ji Le 15p+3r+2s, Lamond Murray 15p+8r, Zhou Peng 8p+3r+1bl, Chen Jianghua 8p+1r+1s+3to
Shanghai 73
Pig Miller 12p+9r, Luo Xudong 3p+5r+5a+2s+4to, Xu Yong 12p+3r+3a+1s+4bl+5to, Wu Yang 6p+3r+1a+1bl, Cai Liang 30min+15p+2r+3s+2to, Jerod Ward 8p+2r+1a+1s, Meng Lingyuan 13p+3r+1s, Peng Fei 4p+6r+1bl, Tian Yuchen 19min+0p+4r+1s+6to


Xinjiang 120
Xue Yuyang 10p+3r, Zhang Shu 4p+4r+1a+2to, Mengke Bateer 19p+13r+4a+5s+1bl, Xu Guozhong 11p+5r+2a+3s, David Jackson 23p+2r+3a+1s, Jin Lipeng 15p+1r+2a+1to, Mulati Adilijiang 6p+1r+1s, Aaron McGhee 32p+5r+3a
Yunnan 108
Chen Zhaosheng 22p+5r+3a, Liu Xiqui 6p+5r+3a+1s, Liu Hao 14p+4r+1a+3s, Wang Hsin-Kai 13p+10r+7a+2s+2to, Yang Tao 8p+2r+1a, Nigel Dixon 40p+9r+3a+1s+5to,


Zhejiang 112
Ding Jinhui 16p+11r+2a+2s+2bl, Soumaila Samake 20p+12r+2a+2s+1bl, Deng Li 12p+3r+1s, Liu Weiwei 21p+3r+4a+3to, Sui Xiaolong 20p+2r+2a+3s, Wang Nan 15p+2r+1a+2s, Ju Peng 3p+4r
Shaanxi 105
Dai Yong 12p+1a, Zhang Wei 10p+9r+2a, Hiram Fuller 22p+13r+1a+2s+6to, Liu Jiulong 28p+7r+4a, Tian Yu 22p+7r+1a+2s, Hu Guang 7p+1s


Bayi 94
Wang Lei 28p+8r+1a+1s, Wang Zhizhi 30p+11r+2a+4s+2bl, Wang Zhongguang 2p+4a+1s+6fl, Mo Ke 10p+11r+6a+1s, Li Nan 10p+8r+2a+1bl, Delehei 9p+6r
Fujian 79
Jameel Watkins 21p+22r+2a+1s+2bl, Yang Chao 3p+4r+1a+1s, Lu Xiaoming 26p+1r+3a+2s, Sun Tiannong 4p+7r+1s, Gong Songlin 7p+2r+1a, Zhu Shilong 11p+3r+1a

Guangsha 116
Garnett Thompson 15p+9r+2a+1s, Yu Junkai 15p+1r+1a+1s, Li Meng 5p+9r+1a+6s, Yao Peng 8p+2r+1a+1s, Zhang Nan 35p+2r+1a+1s+1bl+5to, Ying Kui 5p+1a+2s, Rodney White 31p+10r+5a+2s+2bl
Jilin 105
Liu Wei2 15p+9r+1a+1bl, Lu Yan 6p+2r, Babacar Camara 13p+7r+1a, #9 2p+4r+1a+4s, DaJuan Tate 38p+4r+1a+2s+1bl, Nie Jinqiang 22p+5r+2a+3s


Liaoning 100
Bian Qiang 13p+1r+3a+2s, Liu Xiangtao 11p+3r+1a+2s, Yang Ming 30p+4r+3a+1s, Li Xiaoxu 8p+4r+2a, Jamal Sampson 17p+15r+1a+3bl, Zhang Qingpeng 8p+2r+1a, Gu Liye 4p+5r, Patrick Simpson 9p+3r+1a+1s+1bl
Beijing 90
Jiao Jian 5p+2r+2a, Zhang Yunsong 8p+1r+2a+1s, Chen Lei 27p+1r+3a, Xie Libin 5p+1r+1a, Men Wei 9p+1r+1a, Ji Zhe 4p+3r+1a, Olumide Oyedeji 30p+14r+1a+3s


Jiangsu 127
Ryan Forehan-Kelly 20p+3r+3a+2s, Fang Hui 6p+6r+2a+2s, Yang Li 17p+9r+7a+3s, Han Shuo 22p+5r+4a+3s+1bl+1to, Tang Zhengdong 47p+13r+3a+3s, Meng Da 13p+1r+2a, Sharone Wright 2p+3r+1bl
Dongguan 124
Chen Kai 5p+3r+1a, Wang Jing 21p+1r+3a+10to, Anthony Myles 23p+8r+1a+2bl, #5 2p+4r+3a+2s, Yu Ning 16p+3r, Mike Harris 46p+26r+2a+2s+3bl+7to, #23 6p+3r+3a


Shandong 131
Wang Gang 26p+3r+3a, Sun Jie 17p+4r+5a+4s, Li Lin 5p+3r+1s, Hou Bing 4p+4r+1a+1s, Herve Lamizana 15p+6r+1s+4bl, Cao Zhenhua 17p+6r+3a+1bl, Mack Tuck 31p+3a+3s+1bl
Shanxi Zhongyu 99
Yu Xuelin 25p+7r+1a+1s+5to, Sun Chunlei 16p+5r+3a+5to, Zhai Jinshuai 12p+3r+1a+1s+1bl, Pan Jiang 12p+2r+2a+1s, Major Wingate 22p+16r+1a+1s, Li Minggang 8p+4r+1bl

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CROATIA

Cibona loses 4th straight game in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
Cibona - Aris 76:83

Croatian champs losing skid continued yesterday as they were traumatized by Aris at Basketball Centre Drazen Petrovic. It was the 4th consecutive defeat for Croatian powerhouse and they are on the brink of elimination from the Eurolegue competition. Cibona fell to 3-7 record and remained only with a slender chance of making it to the Top 16. Aris meanwhile strengthened their positions improving to 6-4 record and occupy the 4th spot in Group B.
Chris Warren (196-F-81, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: S.Carolina) and Larry Ayuso (190-G-77, agency: Edge Sports, college: USC) led Cibona from tip off but it turned to be insufficient for an overall victory. They combined 5 points early in the game to give the hosts a 5:2 lead. Larry Ayuso continued to pour in big shots as his second trey made it 8:4. However Aris kept it close as Dimitris Tsaldaris (196-F-80) and Terrell Castle (182-G-72, agency: Court Side, college: Nicholls St.) marked their presence with jumpers. Soon Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) and Giorgos Kalaitzis (195-G-76) sealed the winning outcome for Aris after the opening frame 24:20. Reyshawn Terry (203-F-84, college: N.Carolina) drilled a trey to enlarge the margin to 5 points at the start of the second term. Giorgos Kalaitzis and Dimitris Tsaldaris turned the momentum in favor of Aris midway through the second period as Greek side grabbed a 41:30 advantage. Larry Ayuso and Chris Warren were not taken aback and iced Aris with 5 points to cut the deficit. But Jeremiah Massey still found another basket and marked it at 48:41 for the visitors at the interval. It was Cibona who opened the second half aggressively. Luka Zoric (211-C/F-84) and Chris Warren buried 5 points in a row and Cibona got back into the game. But defense was still loose for the hosts as Aris replied quickly posting a 7:0 run and maintaining the distance at 58:48. Hoskin, Chris Warren and Larry Ayuso refused to surrender as they stepped up with a 10:0 rally to tie the game at 58. Reyshawn Terry hit a treble and Jeremiah Massey dunked the ball home to restore a 63:58 gap. Cibona entered the final stanza trailing by 6 points 62:68 and conceded 5 straight points from Aris to be down by as many 11 points. However the hosts once again showed the character as Chris Warren and Larry Ayuso masterminded an 8:0 run to climb within 3 points from their opponents. Hanno Mottola (208-F-76, college: Utah) converted a jump shot off the offensive rebound and Dimitris Tsaldaris connected from afar to deny any comeback efforts from Cibona at the dying stages. Jeremiah Massey ended the game with 20 points and 7 boards for Aris. Dimitris Tsaldaris added 18 points, while Bracey Wright (191-G-84, college: Indiana) dropped 13 points for the winners. Chris Warren recorded game-high 29 points for Cibona. Larry Ayuso knocked down 23 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in a losing clause. Cibona travels to Italy to take on Armani next week.

Cibona: Chris Warren 29, Larry Ayuso 23
Aris: Jeremiah Massey 20, Dimitris Tsaldaris 18, Bracey Wright 13

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CZECH REP.

Nymburk keeps on winning -by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic NBL resumed its games after the new year pause. Round 19 enjoyed 6 games with all the leaders claiming their respective victories. Nymburk improved to 18-1 record on top of the ladder as they edged Pardubice 94:85 at home. The visitors quite unexpectedly fiercely challenged Nymburk in the first half. The teams were all square at 24 after the opening frame but Jiri Jelinek (202-F-87, agency: PPGroup) and then Levell Sanders (189-G-75, agency: Stanley International, college: Seton Hall) carried Pardubice in front 31:29 early in the second stanza. The lead later changed hands for a couple of times before Levell Sanders notched 7 points at the dusk of the first half to seal a 46:43 lead for the visitors at halftime. The teams continued to trade baskets at the beginning of the third frame. Finally Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-78, college: St.Cloud St.) stepped up with 4 points and Monty Mack (191-G-77, agency: Interperformances, college: Massachusetts) added two more to give Nymburk a 64:56 lead. The home side maintained it till the end of the third quarter and headed into the fourth term with a 9-point cushion. Levell Sanders hit a trey for Pardubice to cut the gap to 8 points with under 3 minutes remaining in regulation. He later converted a three-point play to make it 78:85, while Jiri Novotny (199-F-77) added two more free throws to revive hope for Pardubice at 80:85 with less than 2 minutes left. However Ladislav Sokolovsky (201-F-77, agency: PPGroup) connected from afar and Radoslav Rancik was perfect from the stripe at crunch time to secure the win for Nymburk. Radoslav Rancik netted 24 points and pulled down 9 boards to pace the hosts. Monty Mack and Arthur Lee (185-G-77, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Stanford) added 17 points apiece for Nymburk. Levell Sanders poured in 36 points to lead all scorers. Tarvis Williams (205-F/C-78, college: Hampton) had 20 points as Pardubice skid to 11-8 record in the NBL table.
Geofin stayed just behind Nymburk in the ladder as they eased past Sadska 102:71 at home. Joe Chapman (193-G/F-84, agency: AMI, college: Marquette) delivered 21 points for the hosts, while Ondrej Soska (208-C-78) notched 16 points and 6 boards in a winning effort. David Spicka (199-F-72) posted 14 points in defeat. Geofin improved to 16-3 record and would face USK Praha in Round 20. Sadska fell at 6-13 and host Nymburk on January 5.

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D-LEAGUE

Jelani McCoy Rejoins LA D-Fenders -by Surujh Roopnarine
The Los Angeles D-Fenders have re-signed veteran center Jelani McCoy (6'10''-F/C-77, college: UCLA) after his stint with the Denver Nuggets. To make room they waived center Robert Whaley (6'10''-C-82, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: Walsh (OH)) due to injury.
McCoy appeared in two games with Los Angeles prior to his call-up by Denver, where he averaged 8.0 points, 6.5 rebounds 4.0 blocks and 3.5 assists.
Whaley averaged 5.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 13 games for the D-Fenders.

The Anaheim Arsenal re-acquired former University of Miami dynamo Guillermo Diaz (6'2''-G-85, college: Miami, FL). Diaz was released on December 27th due to injury.

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ESTONIA

4th edition of Baltic Sea Basketball Cup starts in Tallinn -by Eurobasket News
Both U18 and U16 Estonian teams got under way in the annual Baltic Sea Basketball Cup held in Tallinn. The tournament comprised U18 and U16 squads from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden and U18 men's team from Poland. The competition will be held during 4 days and the teams will play in round-robin system.
The hosting U18 team started the competition quite shaky as they hardly beaten by Polish team 66:88. Polish players looked confident from the start and accumulated a 48:39 lead at halftime. The home side was unable to take over the initiative in the second half and had to surrender at the end. Piotr Pamula (190-G-90) scored 15 points to pace the visitors. Sebastian Szymanski (182-G-91) had 11 points, while Piotr Wojdyr (214-C-90) secured 10 points in a winning effort. Siim Raudla (179-G-90) scored 17 points for Estonia. Kristjan Penjam (185-G-90) delivered 15 points in defeat.
Yesterday Estonian U18 team faced their Finnish counterparts and suffered the second straight loss. Finland stunned the hosts in the opening frame outscoring them 25:11 and never looked back afterwards. Finnish players won all four quarters to finalize a 78:55 victory at the end. Matti Nuutinen (198-F-90) provided 20 points and 11 boards in a win. Roope Ahonen netted 13 points in a win. Kristjan Kitsing (201-F/C-90) notched 12 points and 6 boards, while Kristjan Evart (183-G-90) produced 12 points in the second loss for Estonian side. Estonian team will face Latvia later tonight in search for the initial win at the tournament.
Estonian U16 team looks more convincing these days as they began their campaign with a 56:42 win over Sweden. Rannar Raap tallied 13 points for Estonia to lead them to the victory. But the key facet of the success was a tight defense from Estonian team. They limited Sweden to 31% from the field and forced those to massive 36 turnovers. Alfred Johansson responded with 10 points for Sweden. Estonian team faces Finland today.

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EUROLEAGUE

Week 10 MVP: Scoonie Penn, Efes Pilsen -by Eurobasket
Veteran point guard Scoonie Penn (178-G-77, college: Ohio St.) posted the best individual performance in his rich Euroleague career on Thursday to earn Week 10 MVP honors. Penn scored a career-high 30 points and tallied a 38 index as he won the weekly award for the third consecutive season. However the achievement is bittersweet for Penn, as Efes Pilsen lost the game to rival Maccabi Tel Aviv 68-83. The veteran playmaker, who didn't have a club one week before the season began, made 6-of-9 two-pointers and 4-of-7 threes to go with 6 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Terence Morris of Maccabi was on the winning side in that game and finished second to Penn in the weekly index list. Morris recorded a huge double-double of 16 points and 19 rebounds for an index rating of 30. Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) of Olympiacos with 23 points and 6 assists and Aris TT Bank's Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) with 20 points, 7 boards and 4 steals both had index ratings of 29, and Nikola Pekovic (210-C-86, agency: Beo Basket) of Partizan Igokea had 28 to complete the top individual performances of the week.

Individual highs: Mirsad Turkcan (206-F-76) reaches the 1000-rebound mark
The statistical number of the week was, without a doubt, the 1,000 rebounds mark reached by Mirsad Turkcan, making him the first player ever in Euroleague Basketball competition since 2000 to surpass that milestone. Turkcan started the week with 994 rebounds and the 13 he pulled in a win at Lottomatica Roma were more than enough to earn him the distinction of being the first player in the 1,000-rebound zone. Turkcan is also the top rebounder so far this season with an average of 9.8 boards per night. Meanwhile, Penn was not only the Week 10 MVP, but also top scorer of the week together with Marc Salyers (205-F-79, college: Samford) of Chorale Roanne with 30 points apiece. Salyers remains this season's top scorer with an average of 22.6 points per game. Maccab's Morris was the undisputed rebound king of the week with his 19 boards, while three players dished 7 assists this week: Unicaja's Carlos Cabezas (186-G-80), AXA FC Barcelona's Pepe Sanchez (193-G-77, college: Temple) and Virtus VidiVici rookie Stevan Stojkov (182-G-89). De Juan Collins (188-G-76, college: Tuskegee) of Zalgiris is the best passer so far this season with an average of 5.2 assists. Louis Bullock (186-G-76, college: Michigan) of Real Madrid had more steals than anyone else as his 5 were good enough for the top spot. Shaun Stonerook (203-F/C-77, college: Ohio) of Montepaschi Siena is still at the top of this category with an average of 2.5 per game. And ten different players recorded 2 blocks this week, making the first place really crowded, but Andrea Crosariol (212-C-84, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) of Virtus VidiVici still stands out in this category with an average of 1.78 blocks per game. In addition to Morris and Turkcan; Salyers, Pekovic, Jordi Trias of Barcelona, Ben Eze of Montepaschi and Olympiacos's Marc Jackson also recorded double-doubles this week.

Courtesy of Euroleague.net

Cibona loses 4th straight game in Euroleague -by Eurobasket News
Cibona - Aris 76:83

Croatian champs losing skid continued yesterday as they were traumatized by Aris at Basketball Centre Drazen Petrovic. It was the 4th consecutive defeat for Croatian powerhouse and they are on the brink of elimination from the Eurolegue competition. Cibona fell to 3-7 record and remained only with a slender chance of making it to the Top 16. Aris meanwhile strengthened their positions improving to 6-4 record and occupy the 4th spot in Group B.
Chris Warren (196-F-81, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: S.Carolina) and Larry Ayuso (190-G-77, agency: Edge Sports, college: USC) led Cibona from tip off but it turned to be insufficient for an overall victory. They combined 5 points early in the game to give the hosts a 5:2 lead. Larry Ayuso continued to pour in big shots as his second trey made it 8:4. However Aris kept it close as Dimitris Tsaldaris (196-F-80) and Terrell Castle (182-G-72, agency: Court Side, college: Nicholls St.) marked their presence with jumpers. Soon Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) and Giorgos Kalaitzis (195-G-76) sealed the winning outcome for Aris after the opening frame 24:20. Reyshawn Terry (203-F-84, college: N.Carolina) drilled a trey to enlarge the margin to 5 points at the start of the second term. Giorgos Kalaitzis and Dimitris Tsaldaris turned the momentum in favor of Aris midway through the second period as Greek side grabbed a 41:30 advantage. Larry Ayuso and Chris Warren were not taken aback and iced Aris with 5 points to cut the deficit. But Jeremiah Massey still found another basket and marked it at 48:41 for the visitors at the interval. It was Cibona who opened the second half aggressively. Luka Zoric (211-C/F-84) and Chris Warren buried 5 points in a row and Cibona got back into the game. But defense was still loose for the hosts as Aris replied quickly posting a 7:0 run and maintaining the distance at 58:48. Hoskin, Chris Warren and Larry Ayuso refused to surrender as they stepped up with a 10:0 rally to tie the game at 58. Reyshawn Terry hit a treble and Jeremiah Massey dunked the ball home to restore a 63:58 gap. Cibona entered the final stanza trailing by 6 points 62:68 and conceded 5 straight points from Aris to be down by as many 11 points. However the hosts once again showed the character as Chris Warren and Larry Ayuso masterminded an 8:0 run to climb within 3 points from their opponents. Hanno Mottola (208-F-76, college: Utah) converted a jump shot off the offensive rebound and Dimitris Tsaldaris connected from afar to deny any comeback efforts from Cibona at the dying stages. Jeremiah Massey ended the game with 20 points and 7 boards for Aris. Dimitris Tsaldaris added 18 points, while Bracey Wright (191-G-84, college: Indiana) dropped 13 points for the winners. Chris Warren recorded game-high 29 points for Cibona. Larry Ayuso knocked down 23 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in a losing clause. Cibona travels to Italy to take on Armani next week.

Cibona: Chris Warren 29, Larry Ayuso 23
Aris: Jeremiah Massey 20, Dimitris Tsaldaris 18, Bracey Wright 13

Home Sweet Home -by Eurobasket News
Zalgiris - Montepschi 75:69

Zalgiris extended their perfect run at home this season as they edged Montepschi Siena in Round 10 of the Euroleague. The win saw Zalgiris tie Montepaschi as well as Olympiakos with 6-4 record at the third spot in Group A. The game was a close battle with the outcome unknown till the final seconds. Siena had a slight 9:7 advantage early in the first quarter but Michael Bradley (208-F/C-79, college: Villanova) and De Juan Collins (188-G-76, college: Tuskegee) sparked an 11:0 run from the hosts to claim an 18:9 lead late in the frame. Bootsy Thornton (194-G-77, college: St.John's) uttered the last word in the period nailing a jumper and sealing it at 18:11. Zalgiris backcourt players dominated the scene in the second quarter as they drove Kaunas team as the gap was extended to 13 points. Hector Romero (202-F-80, college: New Orleans) marked his debut in style as he converted a three-point play to pump it up for the visitors. Terrell Mcintyre scored 4 straight points as Siena curved their way back into contest 32:36. Zalgiris used a dunk from Eurelijus Zukauskas (218-C-73, agency: Interperformances) to close the first half with a 39:33 cushion.
Sato and Terrell McIntyre (175-G-77, college: Clemson) came up with back-to-back trebles early in the third stanza as the visitors cut the deficit to 2 points 41:43. The game remained extra close in the dying minutes for the third term and Montepaschi finally got in front on Shaun Stonerook (203-F/C-77, college: Ohio)'s three-pointer. However Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) dropped two free throws to keep Zalgiris up at halftime 55:54. Terrell McIntyre hit once again from downtown to start the final period but it was well-matched by Paulius Jankunas (204-F-84, agency: Interperformances). Terrell McIntyre was not shy as he drained another big time trey to keep Siena hot offensively. Marko Popovic responded with a triple of his own to continue the exchange of baskets. Zalgiris got off to a 70:67 advantage in the dying moments and Marko Popovic capitalized on Siena's miss to drill a spectacular three-pointer. Marcus Brown than sealed the outcome with two free throws and Zalgiris celebrated their 6th success at the tournament.
Marko Popovic finished with 15 points to lead the home side. Paulius Jankunas had 13 points and 6 boards, while Goran Jurak (203-F/C-77) and Eurelijus Zukauskas posted 10 points each in a winning effort. Terrell McIntyre scored 19 points for Siena. Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) delivered 11 points in defeat.

Zalgiris: Marko Popovic 15, Paulius Jankunas 13, Goran Jurak 10, Eurelijus Zukauskas 10
Montepaschi: Terrell McIntyre 19, Vlado Ilievski 11

Lietuvos Rytas tramples down Le Mans -by Eurobasket News
Lietuvos Rytas - Le Mans 85:50

Lietuvos Rytas dismantled Le Mans in Vilnius to claim their Top 16 spot. The Siemens Arena in Vilnius never turned out to be a battlefield yesterday with the hosts driving to the win pretty one-sidedly. The victory marked an 8-2 record for Lithuanian team as they booked the ticket to the next round of competition. Le Mans suffered their 10th consecutive loss and looked quite doomed down the stretch. Antoine Diot (192-G-89) put the visitors ahead 4:3 early in the game but it was the only bright spot for French team on the night. Chuck Eidson (202-F-80, college: S.Carolina) scored 5 straight points as the hosts took over for good. Soon Lietuvos Rytas appeared winning 17:7 and were little scared by a three-pointer from Sam Clancy (201-F-80, college: USC). The home side accumulated 6 consecutive points to cap the first stanza and led by as many as 13 points after 10 minutes. Hollis Price (186-G-79, college: Oklahoma) hit from downtown to get things going for Lietuvos Rytas in the second frame. Numerous misses from Le Mans kept them far away from any glimpse of hope throughout the second quarter. Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79) drained a couple of treys late in the first half and the hosts finished it ahead 48:26. The things could hardly change after the break as Lietuvos Rytas' offense was obviously dominant at this time. Le Mans struggled to limit their opponents. Matt Nielsen (208-F/C-78) scored 9 straight points to the delight of the crowd to make it 72:35 for the hosts. With the intrigue buried deep the teams just rolled to the final buzzer in the fourth term. Luka Bogdanovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) and Limonad cut the margin to 30 points, but the crowd asked for more from the hosts and they replied with an 11:2 rally to clear off to a 39-point advantage. Le Mans just saw it erased to 35 points but it still was a massive victory for Lithuanian side. Matt Nielsen topscored with 20 points for Lietuvos Rytas. Marijonas Petravicius (207-F/C-79, college: S.Carolina) contributed 14 points and 7 boards, while Mindaugas Lukauskis and Chuck Eidson sank 11 points apiece in a win. Raviv Limonad (192-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) answered with 11 points for Le Mans. Philip Ricci (202-F-80, college: Oregon St.) had 10 points and 6 boards in a loss. Le Mans shot just 37% from the field and got outrebounded 33:42 to go with 17 turnovers.
Lietuvos Rytas will now travel to Greece as the Group B leaders to take on Aris next Wednesday. Le Mans will look for the initial victory against Efes Pilsen at home.

Lietuvos Rytas: Matt Nielsen 20, Marijonas Petravicius 14, Mindaugas Lukauskis 11, Chuck Eidson 11
Le Mans: Raviv Limonad 11, Philip Ricci 10

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Ray Ailus will coach now Kataja -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Ray Ailus 34, will replace Antti Papinaho as the Head Coach of Kataja (Joensuu). Both gentlemen have been fired during this season. Ailus was
fired during Christmas time by KTP (Kotka) and Papinaho on New Year's Day by Kataja. Now Kataja and Ailus have found eachother for the rest
of the season. Ailus is coaching his 4th season on top level with record 81-62 (56,6%). Ailus will start his new job on coming Sunday, Jan 6, when

Kataja will meet Honka (Espoo).



KORISLIIGA: Scottie Pippen back in action -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 24: Pyrinto (Tampere) won second time on the road this season, when defeating KTP in Kotka 87-90. YMCA Lahti won over Kauhajoki 106-78.
In Helsinki ToPo won 18th game in a row as Tarmo (Porvoo) lost by 12 pts (93-81). And who scored those 12 pts? Yes, Scottie Pippen (202-G/F-65, college: Cent.Arkansas)! Pippen was back in action after three years break. ToPo had invited ex-NBA-superstar to Finland and Pippen accepted the invitation. Pippen played 23 minutes, scored 12 pts, grabbed seven rbs and gave four assists. Pippen will play his second game in Finland on Saturday, Jan 5.

ToPo - Tarmo 93-81 (49-44) (Josh Gonner 24, Jerald Fields 20/10 - Mikael Holme 22, James Wright 19).

KTP - Pyrinto 87-90 (48-43) (Steve Smith 23, Manny Dies 19/16 - Damon Williams 32/12, Damion Dantzler 20/9).

YMCA Lahti - Kauhajoki 106-78 (55-46) (Davont Jackson 28, Pierre Jallow 22 - Darryl Hudson 34, Mario Porter 16).



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FRANCE

Boulazac Basket Dordogne sign Zhivago Nicolls -by Eurobasket
Boulazac Basket Dordogne (ProB) signed 34-year old Bahamian forward Zhivago Nicolls (206-F-74, college: Florida Intern., agency: HM Sports Agency). Nicolls played most recently at Trotamundos de Carabobo (Venezuela). He did not play basketball since last March, where in Venezuela in 7 games he averaged 20ppg, 12.5rpg and 2.3apg. It will be his second time to play in France. He played with Ajaccio ...11 years ago.

Limoges CSP Elite sign Jerome Robinson -by Eurobasket
Limoges CSP Elite (ProB) added to their roster 29-year old Canadian swingman Jerome Robinson (191-G/F-78, college: Bradley, agency: Interperformances). Robinson played most recently at Etendard de Brest (ProB). Robinson already played in France last two season at Quimper and Brest (both ProB). He had very solid stats while at Quimper he averaged 16.2ppg and 13.2ppg at Brest. So it will be his third season in France. He played also in Austria and Belgium before. He was even voted Import Player of the Year while playing for Oberwart Gunners in Austria. LImoges signed also Daniel Oyono (196-F-83), who came from Fos Ouest Provence (Nationale 1).

Reims Champagne Basket sign David Bell -by Eurobasket
Reims Champagne Basket (ProB) signed 27-year old American guard David Bell (186-G-81, college: Montana). Bell played most recently at Dodge City Legend (USBL) in the U.S. He played already in Europe in the leagues in Switzerland and Finland. He tried to make it to one of pro leagues in the U.S. last summer with mixed results. He had very successful last season while playing for Butte Daredevils in the CBA. He took part in the CBA All-Star Game where he won 3-Points Shootout.

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GERMANY

Schalke hires Tyler Chaney -by Moritz Korff
FC Schalke 04 (2. Bundesliga Pro A) added Tyler Chaney (196-G-84, college: Missouri St.) to the roster. The 23-year-old Guard arrived in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday. Chaney averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per contest for the Missouri State University (NCAA1) in the 2006-2007 season. His first game for the Royal Blues is schedulued for Saturday, when S04 takes on Cuxhaven.

New player for Rhoendorf -by Moritz Korff
The SOBA Dragons Rhoendorf (2. Bundesliga Pro A) have signed Chris Woods (196-F/G-80, agency: Court Side, college: Weber St.). The versatile Guard/Forward, who is 27 years of age, spent the past two years in Holland and was named to the Eurobasket.com All-Eredivisie 2nd Team in 2006 after leading the league in points per contest (23.0ppg) and also averaging 8.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in 26 games for Solskin Weert. For the 2006-2007 campaign Woods moved to Hanzevast Capitals Groningen. He appeared in 40 games for Groningen, scored 9.1 points per contest and grabbed 5.8 boards on average.

Jena adds Lavelle Felton -by Thomas Wolfer
After one week try-out Bundesliga-side Science City Jena decided to keep PG Lavelle Felton (193-G-79, agency: Octagon, college: Louisiana Tech) and waived Chaz Carr (183-G-82, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Boston U.). Felton replaces Blake Shelton (198-G/F-80), who left the club just a week ago. Coming from AEK Athens Lavelle Felton brings in a lot of experience on european top level and was signed to help 1-13 Jena to stay in the first division. At Athens the 6'4'' guard averaged 7.8ppg, 1.8rpg and 1.2apg.

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GUATEMALA

Elite Sport prepares itself for Apertura Tournment -by Gianni Pascucci
Head Coach and GM Walfred Corado disclosed to media the roster changes in Elite Sport team for the 2008 season. The "Apertura" tournment of Metropolitan League will allow only domestic players, this is why Elite Sport will point on a group of young and motivated players, led another time more by Enrique Samayoa (193-F-82), who will stay in the team. Veterans Walter Morales, Fernando Marroquin, Juan Pablo Trigueno Foster, Paul Rosales and Estuardo Arriola will leave the team, the new names in roster are the ones of Hector Vandenveire, Pablo Cano, Josian Duarte, Angel Estrada, Walter Orellana, Paulo Castillo and Luis Garcia. The Apertura edition of "Liga Metropolitana de Baloncesto" will feature only four teams, all of them at an high level of competition.

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HOLLAND

Mike Nahar signed definitive with Aris-Friesland -by Fred Roggen
Mike Nahar (211-C-71, agency: Court Side, college: Wright St.) has signed a contract for the rest of the season with Aris-Friesland. Nahar (36) comes over from the bankrupt Omniworld Almere. After his stay at Wright State, he played for several teams in Europe.
His european career started in Portugal where he played for Queluz and Benfica, then he played for Aris and Iraklis Thessalonica in Greece , Montecatini (Italy), Dafni Athens (Greece), BC Oostende (Belgium), Bamberg (Germany), Panellinios (Greece) and again Bamberg.
After his return in the Netherlands, Nahar played one and a half season for Omniworld Almere. He played 48 games for the Dutch National team.

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IBL

IBL announces two exposure camps for 2008 season -by Trask Frost
Portland, OR—The International Basketball League has scheduled two separate exposure camps for players interested in earning a roster spot on an IBL team for the 2008 season. The first camp will take place on Friday, March 14, and Sunday, March 16 at the Genesis Center in Gary, Indiana. The second camp will be held at Woodburn High School, just south of Portland, Oregon on Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23.

Each camp offers several guarantees for players who attend:
• Attendees will play in actual pre-season IBL games
• At least 8 IBL teams will be in attendance
• At least 5 agents will be in attendance

Additionally, each player will be given a thorough evaluation. Camp Directors and coaches will give each player feedback on whether that player's skills are sufficient to play in the American minor leagues, and/or whether that player can expect to earn a contract overseas.

Following the 2007 season, the IBL had over 100 players earn contracts with overseas teams. The IBL expects this number to grow to at least 125 players following the 2008 season.

2008 IBL Exposure Camp Information:

Camp 1
March 14 and 16
Genesis Center (1 Genesis Center Plaza, Gary, IN)
Camp begins at 9:30am on both dates

Camp 2
March 22 and 23
Woodburn High School (1785 N. Front Street, Woodburn, OR)
Camp begins at 9:30am on both dates.

The cost for each camp is $250. To learn more or register, contact Terrance Dickens at (503) 805-3311, or visit the ‘Tryouts' section of the IBL website at www.iblhoopsonline.com.

Ahrens returns as Blast's Head Coach -by Trask Frost
Holland, MI— Tom Moore, General Manager of the Holland Blast, announced today that Michael D. Ahrens would return as Head Coach for the 2008 season.

“I am delighted to make this announcement today,” said Moore. “Coach Ahrens and I go back to my beginnings in professional sports and I have always admired him for his professionalism, his interpersonal skills, and his ability to build a winning team. This is a fine addition to the Holland Blast.”

Ahrens, a native of Manchester, Michigan, has a. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University ('74). His background includes coaching at the following high schools: Cass City, Onaway, Central Montcalm, Muskegon Catholic Central and Orchard View. Ahrens has served as an assistant coach at Adrian College and was head coach at Jordan College.

From 1990 through 1998, the Grand Rapids HOOPS (CBA) provided valuable experience for Ahrens in evaluating players for the CBA draft at Free Agent Camps. The annual Muskegon Post Player Camp under the direction of Ahrens has attracted more than 300 players from Michigan and Ohio in the last eight years.

In the IBL, Ahrens has served as an Assistant Coach for the Grand Rapids Flight, and Head Coach of the Holland Blast in their 2006 inaugural season.

“I am excited to come back and lead the Blast again,” said Ahrens. “I have watched the ownership group and I want to be part of this team. I am proud to be associated with the Blast because of the commitment they have demonstrated to the community. It is exciting to be returning.”

IBL's defending champs set to return to China -by Trask Frost
After winning their second consecutive International Basketball League Championship in July of 2007, the Elkhart Express headed to China to play five exhibition games against teams in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The trip was so successful that Express President/Head Coach Daimon Bethea was asked to join the CBA's Shanghai Sharks as a guest coach for the season. Current NBA star Yao Ming is a former member of the Sharks.

The Express are now slated to return to China in April for five more exhibition games against CBA competition. An area youth basketball team is expected to join the Express on the trip. Specific dates and opponents will be released in coming weeks.

The Express' return trip to China is another exciting development in the IBL's growing relationship with the CBA, and the league's Asian expansion efforts. Elkhart's trip in April will mark the third such excursion for an IBL team (the IBL sent the Central Oregon Hotshots for a five game series against the Yunnan Honghe Running Bulls scattered across southern China last October). In 2008 the Shanxi Kylins will play 18 IBL games as members of the league.

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IVORY COAST

Charles Abouo signs to play for BYU -by Kristian Santiago
The next Ivorian to play for a big school in the States is Charles Abouo.
The talented 6-4 guard/forward, who preps currently at well-known Brewster Prep on the east coast, signed a letter of intent to play the 2008-2009 season at Brigham Young University in Utah.
He started his high school-career in Logan,Utah so he is already known to the staff at BYU and the area as well.We wish this kid also a career in the Elephants-national team in the future and a great career on the collegiate-level.
Charles : http://www.lhs.logan.k12.ut.us/sports/basketball/charles%20alone.jpg

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JAMAICA

Pikeville winning streak at 10 games -by Leonard Whyte
Mansfield, OH (1-4-2008) - Pikeville College opened the second half with a 24-8 run to pull away for an easy 115-85 win over Ohio State University-Mansfield last night and extended their winning streak to 10 games. Junior forward Ewan Linton, formerly of Running Rebels in the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)/National Basketball League (NBL), notched his eighth double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. The victory moved Pikeville to 13-2 overall this season.

UDC survives in triple OT -by Leonard Whyte
Washington, DC (1-4-2008) - University of the District of Columbia earned their first victory of 2008 when they defeated Millersville University 86-83 in triple overtime last night. Center Don Powell added eight points and six rebounds as UDC improved to 7-2.

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JAPAN

All-Japan: Day Three Update -by J.D. Greene
The early rounds of the All-Japan tournament were completed (January 1-3) and, the new addition of the “one import player on the court” rule (the proposed format for next year's regular JBL season) has proven to be a big difference thus far. All DIV1 teams advanced to the quarterfinals, including Hitachi Sunrockers, who was knocked out in the earlier rounds of last year's tournament.

Most games resulted in huge blowouts of 30+ points for the JBL1 teams, with the exception of OSG Phoenix, where both foreigners watched their team walk away with a 20 point victory from the bench.

The only notable match-up of day 3 was the contest between the undersized JBL2 Tochigi Brex (who will be advancing to JBL1 next year) and Mitsubishi. The Brex, led by former JBL1 player Ken Tanaka (188-G-81, college: Whittier), performed well but ran out of gas toward the end of the game. At times, Tochigi's Japanese players showed they are JBL1-bound. However, without the much-needed presence of a solid import, they fell victim to Mitsubishi who utilized their foreign players well, including Jerald Honeycutt (205-F/C-74, college: Tulane) who is in his second year with the team.

As for this year's possible contenders, the OSG Phoenix may have momentum as they muscled their way up in the standings to tie the Toyota Alvark for second place in the JBL regular season right before the break. Aisin has been sitting comfortably in first place and still has the upper-hand with newly-converted J.R. Sakuragi (206-C-76, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: UCLA). But we can't count out the defending champions, the Toyota Alvark. One thing is for sure: having only one import on the court at a time will make the tournament more interesting.

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JORDAN

Round six of Excellent League -by Mohammed Malas
The 6th round of Jordan's excellent league was full of joy and action today after having a better show from all the 8 teams this time...

Al Riyadi/Aramex 89 - Orthodox 78 (Qs: 17-21, 36-40, 62-58, 75-75 & OT:89-78)

The overtime witnessed the brilliant success of Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman who decided not to sign with any imports for the 2nd consecutive time, Orthodox players did'nt know how to handle the game esspecially that the plans and balls were concentrated on one player more than others which made some gap in performance between both teams.

Wesam Sous (181-G-83)' 27 points was one of the most important keys of the win adding to the experienced touches from Hussam Lutfi (20 points) and improving abilities fro mthe youngester Ali Jamal (12 points).

In the other side, Ayman Idais (27 points), Chris Campbell (17 points) and Kelly Wise (10 points) did the best they can to avoid the lost but the smart tactics of Al Riyadi's coach Sameer Morcos made them away from concentration at the end.

Zain 102 - Arena Amman 78 (Qs: 18-17, 46-44, 75-63 & 102-78)

Again, Titleholders Zain showed a nice game and this time against the developed team Arena Amman who were competing very well at the beginning.

The best from Zain were Nate Johnson with 29 points and Enver Soobzokov, Rasheim Wright and Zaid Al Khas for 14 points for each of them and that shows the teamwork which covers the team's plays, While Zeid Abbas (22 points) and Nisal Shareef (19 points) played well despite the loss alongside with Mark Strickland (13 points) and Josh Copperwood (13 points).

Al Wihdat 80 - Al Awdeh 65 (Qs: 19-7, 36-21, 54-36 & 80-65)

Inexperienced team Al Awdeh did their 1st good game although they lost by 15 against Al Wihdat who needed this win to secure an early place in the Final 6.

Best performance from both sides were Malcolm Battles, Anthony Steward and Muhannad Talal and Ahmed Abu Shama, Hussam Al-Turk and Robin Abu-Leil from Al Awdeh's side.

Hussein Erbid 83 - College SC 78 (Qs: 16-12, 36-37, 62-60 & 83-78)

Hussein Erbid's american import Glen Summerall (30 points) did his best game ever until now this year after helping his team made this essential win against their rivals College Sports Club who was looking to keep a place for them between the top 6 this year.

College's Jamal Ward and Ty Brunson were trying to make the gap closer with some help from their teammates Abdullah Ramini and Samer Qardan and succeeded to make the game tie and take the lead in some parts but the abilities and experience of Hussein Erbid players esspecially Summerall and Robbie Banks made things going to the way they want at last to move on in Excellent League.

ASU adds their 2nd import -by Mohammed Malas
After the arrival of Andre Laws yesterday, The american power forward Demetris Montgomery (203-F-72, college: Lynn) landed to amman today to join ASU Sports Club for preparing for Jordan Cup which starts in 15th of january..

Demitris has a good base of knowledge in basketball due to his big career in playing in Spain, Australia, South Korea and Mexico.

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LATVIA

Latvian youngsters participate in Baltic Sea Cup -by Eurobasket News
Latvian U18 and U16 teams travelled to Tallinn to take part in the annual Baltic Sea Cup. Both teams have already started the action and enjoyed some remarkable results at early stages.
Latvian U18 squad was perfect in two opening matchups in Tallinn. They got to a winning start against Finland on January 2. A strong performance under the rims and tight defense resulted in a comfortable 70:53 victory for Latvian players. Latvia limited their opponents to just 9 points in the first quarter building an 11-point advantage 10 minutes into the game. They maintained the lead later on, while Finnish players struggled to threaten it. Girts Celms (182-G-90) led the action with 17 points for Latvia. Kristers Zeidaks (200-F-90) tallied 14 points and 14 boards in a win. Sasu Salin (187-G-91) answered with 14 points and 11 boards for Finland.
Latvia extended their winning run yesterday as they upset Sweden 73:63. Andreas Person (187-G-91) was active for Sweden as he produced 22 points, 8 steals and 6 boards but it never helped his side to succeed at the end. Latvian players were just luckier when it mattered the most and claimed the second win in a row. Kristers Zeidaks came up with 16 points and 12 boards for Latvia. Lauris Blaus (204-C-90) had 13 points for the winners.
Latvia U16 also grabbed two wins at the start. First they held off Finland 77:65. Edmunds Dukulis (197-F-92) carried Latvia with 20 points and 18 boards. Arturs Bremers added 12 points in a winning attempt. Latvia also withstood 16 points from VilleMatti Kopio and Markus Molenius. Latvian U16 team continued with winning ways a day later when they edged Sweden 76:58. Edmunds Dukulis was a leader with 24 points and 13 boards. Davis Bertans contributed 23 points for Latvia. Jakob Sjoberg responded with 13 points for Sweden.

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LEBANON

Thurman in dubai?!?!! -by Mohammed Malas
Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut had finally reached an agreement with the american forward Scotty Thurman (196-G/F-74, college: Arkansas) to join the team in Dubai International Tournament (18-26 January) as a third ijmport along with Tony Bland and Ismail Ahmed.

Thurman is a very known player in the region as he played in Lebanon for 3 seasons and Jordan, He stopped playing basketball since season 2005-2006 but he's in shape and ready for challenge.

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LITHUANIA

Lietuvos Rytas tramples down Le Mans -by Eurobasket News
Lietuvos Rytas - Le Mans 85:50

Lietuvos Rytas dismantled Le Mans in Vilnius to claim their Top 16 spot. The Siemens Arena in Vilnius never turned out to be a battlefield yesterday with the hosts driving to the win pretty one-sidedly. The victory marked an 8-2 record for Lithuanian team as they booked the ticket to the next round of competition. Le Mans suffered their 10th consecutive loss and looked quite doomed down the stretch. Antoine Diot (192-G-89) put the visitors ahead 4:3 early in the game but it was the only bright spot for French team on the night. Chuck Eidson (202-F-80, college: S.Carolina) scored 5 straight points as the hosts took over for good. Soon Lietuvos Rytas appeared winning 17:7 and were little scared by a three-pointer from Sam Clancy (201-F-80, college: USC). The home side accumulated 6 consecutive points to cap the first stanza and led by as many as 13 points after 10 minutes. Hollis Price (186-G-79, college: Oklahoma) hit from downtown to get things going for Lietuvos Rytas in the second frame. Numerous misses from Le Mans kept them far away from any glimpse of hope throughout the second quarter. Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79) drained a couple of treys late in the first half and the hosts finished it ahead 48:26. The things could hardly change after the break as Lietuvos Rytas' offense was obviously dominant at this time. Le Mans struggled to limit their opponents. Matt Nielsen (208-F/C-78) scored 9 straight points to the delight of the crowd to make it 72:35 for the hosts. With the intrigue buried deep the teams just rolled to the final buzzer in the fourth term. Luka Bogdanovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) and Limonad cut the margin to 30 points, but the crowd asked for more from the hosts and they replied with an 11:2 rally to clear off to a 39-point advantage. Le Mans just saw it erased to 35 points but it still was a massive victory for Lithuanian side. Matt Nielsen topscored with 20 points for Lietuvos Rytas. Marijonas Petravicius (207-F/C-79, college: S.Carolina) contributed 14 points and 7 boards, while Mindaugas Lukauskis and Chuck Eidson sank 11 points apiece in a win. Raviv Limonad (192-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) answered with 11 points for Le Mans. Philip Ricci (202-F-80, college: Oregon St.) had 10 points and 6 boards in a loss. Le Mans shot just 37% from the field and got outrebounded 33:42 to go with 17 turnovers.
Lietuvos Rytas will now travel to Greece as the Group B leaders to take on Aris next Wednesday. Le Mans will look for the initial victory against Efes Pilsen at home.

Lietuvos Rytas: Matt Nielsen 20, Marijonas Petravicius 14, Mindaugas Lukauskis 11, Chuck Eidson 11
Le Mans: Raviv Limonad 11, Philip Ricci 10

Home Sweet Home -by Eurobasket News
Zalgiris - Montepschi 75:69

Zalgiris extended their perfect run at home this season as they edged Montepschi Siena in Round 10 of the Euroleague. The win saw Zalgiris tie Montepaschi as well as Olympiakos with 6-4 record at the third spot in Group A. The game was a close battle with the outcome unknown till the final seconds. Siena had a slight 9:7 advantage early in the first quarter but Michael Bradley (208-F/C-79, college: Villanova) and De Juan Collins (188-G-76, college: Tuskegee) sparked an 11:0 run from the hosts to claim an 18:9 lead late in the frame. Bootsy Thornton (194-G-77, college: St.John's) uttered the last word in the period nailing a jumper and sealing it at 18:11. Zalgiris backcourt players dominated the scene in the second quarter as they drove Kaunas team as the gap was extended to 13 points. Hector Romero (202-F-80, college: New Orleans) marked his debut in style as he converted a three-point play to pump it up for the visitors. Terrell Mcintyre scored 4 straight points as Siena curved their way back into contest 32:36. Zalgiris used a dunk from Eurelijus Zukauskas (218-C-73, agency: Interperformances) to close the first half with a 39:33 cushion.
Sato and Terrell McIntyre (175-G-77, college: Clemson) came up with back-to-back trebles early in the third stanza as the visitors cut the deficit to 2 points 41:43. The game remained extra close in the dying minutes for the third term and Montepaschi finally got in front on Shaun Stonerook (203-F/C-77, college: Ohio)'s three-pointer. However Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) dropped two free throws to keep Zalgiris up at halftime 55:54. Terrell McIntyre hit once again from downtown to start the final period but it was well-matched by Paulius Jankunas (204-F-84, agency: Interperformances). Terrell McIntyre was not shy as he drained another big time trey to keep Siena hot offensively. Marko Popovic responded with a triple of his own to continue the exchange of baskets. Zalgiris got off to a 70:67 advantage in the dying moments and Marko Popovic capitalized on Siena's miss to drill a spectacular three-pointer. Marcus Brown than sealed the outcome with two free throws and Zalgiris celebrated their 6th success at the tournament.
Marko Popovic finished with 15 points to lead the home side. Paulius Jankunas had 13 points and 6 boards, while Goran Jurak (203-F/C-77) and Eurelijus Zukauskas posted 10 points each in a winning effort. Terrell McIntyre scored 19 points for Siena. Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) delivered 11 points in defeat.

Zalgiris: Marko Popovic 15, Paulius Jankunas 13, Goran Jurak 10, Eurelijus Zukauskas 10
Montepaschi: Terrell McIntyre 19, Vlado Ilievski 11

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MEXICO

Yesterday results LNBP -by Charles Elwes

Yesterday had some very good games with playoff implications.

In a very dramatic game Galgos de Tijuana (23-20) took care of Dorados Chihuahua (24-19) 88- 87.Galgos gave a great effort and never gave up , and like always the star of the team was LeRoy Hickerson (196-G-82, college: Cumberlands) with 27 pts, followed byFranco Harris (183-G, college: Boise St.) with 24 pts. The leader for Dorados was sharp shooter Florentino Chavez (190-G/F-71) with 24 pts.


The game between Tecos UAG and Pioneros Cancun went to the wire in the final seconds and the victory was in favor of Tecos thanks to a last second shot of Jason Osborne (203-F-83, agency: Duran International, college: St.Francis,PA) to win the game 100 to 99.Now Tecos have a record of (27-16) and Pioneros of ( 22 -21).


In the best looking game from yesterday , Fuerza Regia Monterrey (28-15) went to "Auditorio del Pueblo" in Durango and beat Lobos UAD 89 - 84. In the third period Durango had the lead at 72 -70 but Fuerza Regia had other plans. And took the victory added another win en route to the playoffs. The leader for Lobos UAD (33-10) was Alfonse Dyer (213-C-85, college: Northwestern St.) 22 pts and for the Regios was Monty Wilson (197-F-73, agency: Edge Sports, college: Tennessee St.) with 25 pts.


In Chuk Skarshaug's first game as coach of Halcones Rojos Veracruz he achieved his first victory. The game was against Mayas de Yucatan, who's season is almost over due to their poor record. The final score was 87 - 72 for Halcones Rojos . The leader for the Mayas was Ruben Nembhard (191-G-72, agency: Duran International, college: Weber St.) with 21 pts and for Halcones Rojos was "Mr Love" Casey Love (203-F/C-80, college: Robert Morris) with 25 pts and 8 boards.


In other results:


Soles Mexicali 93 Algodoneros Torreon 69

Lobos UAC 98 Union Zacatecas 91

Santos Reales S.L.P 92 Venados Nuevo Laredo 90

Correcaminos Victoria 102 Bravos Piedras Negras 98

Lechugeros Leon 100 Angeles Puebla 87

Halcones Xalapa 122 Bucaneros Campeche 81



Lobos Can't Hold Off Fuerza Regia -by Justin Brink
A balanced offensive effort help Fuerza Regia bring in the new year with an 87-84 victory over the second place Lobos Grises of Durango. Fuerza's Monty Wilson (197-F-73, agency: Edge Sports, college: Tennessee St.) led all scorers with 25...click here for more of last night's LNBP results.

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PARAGUAY

Pilar League first results -by Gianni Pascucci

Club Social y Deportivo Obrero dominated the first three rounds of Pilar League, and is yet undefeated, followed by the other favourite, 1 de Mayo, while traditional powerhouse America Pilar Basquet Club, that is competing with a very young team, is in the middle of the table.
Day 1
deportivo obrero - 1º mayo 61-57
gral. diaz - capitan bado 64-55
Day 2
sport crucecita - gral. diaz 56-43
deportivo obrero - america 85-58
1º mayo - capitan bado 91-51
Day 3
1º mayo - gral. diaz 83-60
deportivo obrero - sport crucecita 101-62
amèrica - capitan bado 91-77
STANDINGS:
Dep-.Obrero 3-0
1° Mayo 2-1
America 1-1
Sport Crucecita 1-1

1 de Marzo 0-0
General Diaz 1-2
Capitan Bado 0-3



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PBL

The PBL has started -by Gianni Pascucci
The Premier Basketball League has regularly started tonight, as it seems with all the 10 teams announced. In the league opener, one of the favourite teams, the Rochester RazorSharks took al large, 101-84 win on the road over the Jacksonville Jam, led by James Reaves with 20 points. The other best performers in the Sharks were Keith Friel (6'4''-G-77, college: Virginia) with 15 points (4-6 from behind the arc in the first half), Vidal Massiah (6'6''-G/F-79, college: St.Bonaventure), with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Marlin Johnson (6'4''-F-75, college: Monroe CC), who finished the game with 7 rebounds.

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PUERTO RICO

Wingate in Guayama, Morales for Cariduros and Boricuas Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana
Brujos de Guayama signed Wingate Major for this BSN 2008 season. Wingate Major is a young american center (1983) who played collegge at Tennessee (his best season with 10 pts+4rebs per game). After the college He played in Europe, in Greece for Makedonikos (with 10pts+4 rebs per game) and in Turkey for Tofas Bursa (with 6pts+6rebs per game). This season He was playing in China for Shanxi and He was scoring almost 14 pts per game with 1,8 blocks.
Brujos de Guayama will be one of the most ambitious teams in the next BSN with great players as Steve Parillon, Rafael Perez, Eric Rodriguez and Matt Freije. Matt Freije will be the second american of the team. Freije is a strong power forward with already experiences in Puerto Rico.

Cariduros de Fajardo signed the free agent Elie Samuel Morales, an interesting player who played last season for Conquistadores de Guaynabo with 8,1 points per game (50% 2pts, 31% 3pts, 68%).
Criollos de Caguas are interested in a strong player, the names are Brandon Hunter or Tang Hamilton.

BORICUAS ABROAD:
Cibona was defeated in Euroleague by Aris Thessaloniki 76-83. Larry Ayuso played 37 minutes with 23 points (5/7 2pts, 3/10 3pts, 4/4 FT), 7 rebs and 3 assts. Cibona has now a 3-7 standings.
A. Fontana

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SERBIA

Red Star added Marko Lekic -by Nenad Ilijev
Marko Lekic (212-C-85) becomes new member of Red Star roster. Strong center started this season with Vojvodina Srbijagas averaging 3.7ppg and 1.6rpg in Adriatic League. He started his career at Partizan Belgrade winning Yugoslavian League in 2002. He was a part of SCG U-18 National team.

Vojvodina Srbijagas wins over Zagreb CO -by Dragan Jankovski
Vojvodina Srbijagas celebrated against Zagreb CO at home 91-88 improving its score in Adriatic league to 7-9 while Zagreb has 4-12. Third period of the game maybe was the most important as Tulips finished it having advantage of 7 points. But visitors succeeded to come on 87-86 in the last minute. Clutch player of the game was Dusan Djordjevic who netted last two free throws after what Vladovic missed 3-pointer which could bring over time to Split. Ivan Ivanovic (205-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) nailed 21 points for Vojvodina while Vladimir Golubovic (212-C-86) followed him adding 15 points and 5 rebounds. On the other side Jakov Vladovic (187-G-83) collected 24 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.


Vojvodina Srbijagas - Zagreb CO 91-88
(23-22,23-29,26-14,19-23)

Vojvodina Srbijagas: Ivanovic 21, Golubovic 15 (5 rebs), Paunic 14 (4 st)
Zagreb CO: Vladovic 24 (4 rebs, 4 as), Garma 15, Dundovic 14

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TANZANIA

Tanga to Host Basketball Tournament -by Carlos Pereira
by Majuto Omary

Tanga municipality is the next host of this year's edition of the Mainland basketball club championship.Lawrence Cheyo, the secretary general of the Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF) said yesterday that the championship will be held in March, with actual schedules being worked out.
Budget estimates for the championship are still being computed, and all regions are supposed to stage competitions so as to select their club representatives, he said.Out of 15 regions sending representative teams only Dar es Salaam is staging a championship to determine the teams for the national championship.
The ongoing Kili RBA league that reaches its climax on Sunday will produce the representative for Dar es Salaam region for both men and women teams, he said.Commenting on the performance of the federation in the past year, Cheyo said close to 90 per cent of the calendar was adhered to despite that BFT failed to call the annual general meeting.
"We successfully managed to stage the club championship, Taifa Cup and the Union league, a remarkable development," he said.He lamented that local firms shun sponsoring basketball championships, hailing Tanzania Breweries for supporting Kili RBA, the Dar es Salaam tourney.
Other firms would do well to emulate TBL's initiative in providing sponsorship packages for basketball championships as in soccer, he added.

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TUNISIA

ESR wins away at JSK -by Carlos Pereira

After CSCheminots during the previous day, it is the turn of ESRades to create the winning feeling by outclassing USMonastir. ESR looked even better by being completely dominant to JSKairouan and brushing the 100 point marker (98 points).

After two wins of this calibre in five days ESR looks to go up a classification. It seems to be a sure thing now.


RESULTS
ASM-CSC 59-61
ASH-ESS 52-72
DSG-SN 49-74
EZZ-CAB 78-65
USM-CA 73-72
JSK-ESR 83-98



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TURKEY

Week 10 MVP: Scoonie Penn, Efes Pilsen -by Eurobasket
Veteran point guard Scoonie Penn (178-G-77, college: Ohio St.) posted the best individual performance in his rich Euroleague career on Thursday to earn Week 10 MVP honors. Penn scored a career-high 30 points and tallied a 38 index as he won the weekly award for the third consecutive season. However the achievement is bittersweet for Penn, as Efes Pilsen lost the game to rival Maccabi Tel Aviv 68-83. The veteran playmaker, who didn't have a club one week before the season began, made 6-of-9 two-pointers and 4-of-7 threes to go with 6 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Terence Morris of Maccabi was on the winning side in that game and finished second to Penn in the weekly index list. Morris recorded a huge double-double of 16 points and 19 rebounds for an index rating of 30. Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) of Olympiacos with 23 points and 6 assists and Aris TT Bank's Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) with 20 points, 7 boards and 4 steals both had index ratings of 29, and Nikola Pekovic (210-C-86, agency: Beo Basket) of Partizan Igokea had 28 to complete the top individual performances of the week.

Individual highs: Mirsad Turkcan (206-F-76) reaches the 1000-rebound mark
The statistical number of the week was, without a doubt, the 1,000 rebounds mark reached by Mirsad Turkcan, making him the first player ever in Euroleague Basketball competition since 2000 to surpass that milestone. Turkcan started the week with 994 rebounds and the 13 he pulled in a win at Lottomatica Roma were more than enough to earn him the distinction of being the first player in the 1,000-rebound zone. Turkcan is also the top rebounder so far this season with an average of 9.8 boards per night. Meanwhile, Penn was not only the Week 10 MVP, but also top scorer of the week together with Marc Salyers (205-F-79, college: Samford) of Chorale Roanne with 30 points apiece. Salyers remains this season's top scorer with an average of 22.6 points per game. Maccab's Morris was the undisputed rebound king of the week with his 19 boards, while three players dished 7 assists this week: Unicaja's Carlos Cabezas (186-G-80), AXA FC Barcelona's Pepe Sanchez (193-G-77, college: Temple) and Virtus VidiVici rookie Stevan Stojkov (182-G-89). De Juan Collins (188-G-76, college: Tuskegee) of Zalgiris is the best passer so far this season with an average of 5.2 assists. Louis Bullock (186-G-76, college: Michigan) of Real Madrid had more steals than anyone else as his 5 were good enough for the top spot. Shaun Stonerook (203-F/C-77, college: Ohio) of Montepaschi Siena is still at the top of this category with an average of 2.5 per game. And ten different players recorded 2 blocks this week, making the first place really crowded, but Andrea Crosariol (212-C-84, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) of Virtus VidiVici still stands out in this category with an average of 1.78 blocks per game. In addition to Morris and Turkcan; Salyers, Pekovic, Jordi Trias of Barcelona, Ben Eze of Montepaschi and Olympiacos's Marc Jackson also recorded double-doubles this week.

Courtesy of Euroleague.net

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U.S.VIRGIN ISL.

XPLOSION WIN FIRST ROAD GAME, 108-104 -by David Edole
A Carl Krauser (188-G-81, college: Pittsburgh) steal with under a minute to play sealed the Xplosion's first road win of the season, as Pittsburgh defeated Albany,108-104, tonight. With Pittsburgh leading, 102-101, Krauser's steal of Lucious Jordan led to an Albert Wh