EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 10/12/2008

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  ARGENTINA   


Liga A round 3 highlights - by Facundo Iatzky
*Atenas showed a high level and overcame Regatas very easily 91-66
Libertad defeated their classic rival Ben hur in a low score game 68-63
BB Estudiantes is the surprisse in the beggining of the league. Despite they do not have one of the best rosters, they are the only one unbeaten after a great victory over Boca jrs 82-74
Penarol won 89-71 to Gimnasia
Independiente defeated Quilmes 79-73 with an excellent last quarter
Lanus got their first victory against El nacional
Olimpico Surprissed Obras in Buenos Aires
Quimsa won to Sionista

Best 5:
Jonathan Treise (186-G-85) 27 pts 7/10 3p
James Moore (203-C-82, agency: Duran International, college: N.Mexico St.) 10 pts 11 reb
Gabriel Mikulas (201-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: E.Carolina) 12 pts 10 reb
Djibril Kante (201-C-80, college: Indiana St.) 11 pts 13 reb
Terrell Taylor (203-C-81, college: Virginia Tech) 28 pts 7 reb

Second team:
Sebastian Ginobili (190-G-72, agency: Interperformances)
Juan Manuel Rivero (192-G-85)
Andre Laws (186-G-80, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: San Diego)
Diego Cavaco (202-F-79)
Ralphy Holmes (192-G-79, college: Cal.St. Fullerton)

Market and Injury Report Updates - by Raul Ruscitti
Gibson out for a month
Lanus big man Wendell Gibson (201-F/C-83, college: Hofstra) will be out of action for at least a month with a sprain left knee. Even though the team had no plans of releasing him, theyve already hired a temporary replacement, bringing former Belgrano and Regatas player, Sylbrin Robinson (201-F-80, college: Northeastern).

El Nacional bring Holmes for Wadley
After performing a MRI, teams doctor determined that starting shooting guard Quincy Wadley (193-G-78, agency: CAA Sports, college: Temple) will not be able to play at least this weekend because an injury in his right knee. In order to cover his absence, the team decided to add former Libertad Ralph Holmes as a temporary replacement. Holmes was recently waived by the team of Sunchales after playing only two games.

Quimsa to play without Mazzaro and Cajal
Last year runner up, Quimsa from Santiago del Estero will not count this weekend with the services of starting sharpshooter Julio Mazzaro (186-G-79) and Victor Hugo Cajal (179-G-80). Mazzaro, who could not finish last week game against Olimpico will be out approximately three weeks whit a leg injury while Cajal is expected to miss about a month. Coach Fernando Duro is exploring his options and thinking about the possibility of bringing Diego Gerbaudo (182-G-89) as a replacement

Cilclista Olimpico waived Good
American big man Harry Good (208-C-81, college: Fresno St.) became a new record-man for the Argentinian basketball. In his two games in Olimpico, Good played a total of 1:40 minutes and did not score a single point breaking a record as the less productive import player in the history of the Liga Nacional.

Standings - LigaA
LigaA Standings
North
 1. Atenas 2-1 
 2. Libertad 2-1 
 3. Quimsa 2-1 
 4. Cicl.Olimpico 2-1 
 5. Sionista 2-2 
 6. Regatas C. 1-2 
 7. Ben Hur 1-2 
 8. Obras 0-3 
South
 1. Estudiantes 3-0 
 2. Penarol 2-1 
 3. Independ.N. 2-1 
 4. Boca Jrs 2-1 
 5. Quilmes MP 1-2 
 6. Lanus 1-2 
 7. Gimn.CR 1-2 
 8. El Nacional 0-3 


Standings - TNA
TNA Standings
North
 1. La Union 1-0 
 2. Alma Juniors 1-0 
 3. Union 1-0 
 4. San Mart.C. 1-0 
 5. Obera TC 0-1 
 6. A.Italiana 0-1 
 7. A.Espanola 0-1 
 8. Atl.Echague 0-1 
South
 1. Ciclista 1-0 
 2. Argentino 1-0 
 3. Firmat SF 1-0 
 4. Belgrano SN 1-0 
 5. San Mart.MJ 0-1 
 6. P.Echague 0-1 
 7. C.Entrerriano 0-1 
 8. GimnasiaLP 0-1 


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  AUSTRALIA   


Dusty Rychart wins the game for Wollongong - by Eurobasket News
Dusty Rychart (201-F-78, college: Minnesota) nailed a massive three-pointer with 2 seconds left to propel the Wollongong Hawks to an impressive 85:82 victory over the Perth Wildcats. Perth however never looked like the losing side during the game. The Wildcats jumped to 7:2 lead early on. But Glen Saville (197-G/F-76) nailed 12 straight points for the hosts as they claimed a 24:22 lead at the end of the first frame. Wollongong relied mainly on defense in the second quarter and it paid off. Perth scored just 15 points in the quarter and Wollongong grabbed a 46:37 advantage at halftime. Mat Campbell stretched the gap to 15 points early in the third stanza however Perth stayed in the race. Darnell Hinson (186-G-80, college: Northeastern St.) and Shawn Redhage (202-F-81, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Arizona St.) fired a 14:1 rally to draw things level at 55. The teams traded baskets before Glen Saville sealed three-quarter outcome at 63:62 for the home team. Perth went on a 13:0 surge that put them up midway through the fourth quarter. This time the hosts had to bounce back and they did. They squared things up at 82 with 23 seconds left and set up the scene for Dusty Rychart who dropped the biggest basket of the game. Glen Saville notched 19 points and 14 boards for the Hawks. Anthony Petrie (203-F/C-83) and Dusty Rychart drained 18 points apiece for the winners. Shawn Redhage answered with game-high 31 points for the Wildcats. Darnell Hinson and Isiah Victor finished with 15 points each in the loss.
Meanwhile the Gold Coast Blaze suffered the fifth loss in a row as they came up short against the Sydney Spirit 92:98 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. The Blaze looked like cruising to the initial win in the season building an 18-point advantage at the interval. But the Spirit showed character and won the battle. Liam Rush (198-F/G-82, agency: Interperformances) knocked down 14 out of his 25 points in the fourth term when the Spirit surged ahead for good. Julian Khazzouh provided 18 points and 10 boards for the winners. James Harvey (196-G/F-79) answered with 24 points for the hosts. Shane Heal finished with 20 points and 8 assists in defeat.

NBL Round: 4 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Tigers - Wildcats 101-105
In the opener of round four, Perth Wildcats grabbed road victory in Melbourne improving its score on 3-3. Shawn Redhage was totally unstoppable for the winners draining 31 points including 11 boards and 4 assists. On the other side, Melbourne Tigers, which dropped on 3-2, got 29 points and 10 rebounds from Chris Anstey. Rod Grizard also was good for the hosts collecting 23 points and 9 rebounds but it was not enough for the win.

Breakers - Taipans 111-122
Cairns Taipans celebrated in a high-scoring game over New Zealand Breakers registering third win in NBL, 3-2. The Taipans had 6 players with 14 or more points. The top one was Darnell Mee, who drained 26 points, grabbed 5 boards and dished out 7 assists. New Zealand Breakers didn't succeed to remain unbeaten in their fourth appearance despite wonderful performance by Rickert, Jones, Penney and Bruton, which delivered 95 points together.

Hawks - Wildcats 85-82
Wollongong Hawks recorded second victory in NBL thanks to game winning three-pointer by Dusty Rychart for the final 85-82 against the Perth Wildcats at the WIN Entertainment Centre. Rychart finished the game with 18 points and 14 rebounds while Glen Saville had one point more than him and also 14 boards. Shawn Redhage shined for the Wildcats draining 31 points including 6 boards. Wollongong Hawks currently have 2-3 while Perth Wildcats are on 3-4.

Blaze - Spirit 92-98
Gold Coast Blaze remained winless after 5 games in NBL. This time Sydney Spirit was better than GCB mostly owing to 25 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists registered by Liam Rush. The host team got 24 points and 5 boards from James Harvey. After this round, the Spirit improved its score on 3-3.

Tigers - 36ers 119-91
Melbourne Tigers took it easily against Adelaide 36ers draining impressive 119 points. David Barlow top-scored for the winners with 29 points at the same time having 6 rebounds for 31 minutes. Luke Schenscher had 25 points and 10 boards for the visitors. Thus, Tigers currently have 4-2 while 36ers are on 2-3.

Spirit - Wildcats 101-86
Comfortable 15-point victory for the Spirit for 3-3 in NBL. Derrick Low was key player in his team collecting 25 points and 4 rebounds. Wildcats suffered second defeat in two days dropping on 3-5. In this one they got 20 points from Stephen Waigh as well as from Ben Knight.



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  AUSTRIA   


Klosterneuburg lands Zoran Helbich - by Cueneyt Tuerk
Klosterneuburg Dukes stronged up its frontline with the signing of Zoran Helbich (204-F/C-74, agency: K-M Sports) Helbich arrives from Osijek, where he averaged 15 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5apg in 26 games. Zoran will bring a lot of experience in coach Werner Sallomon's team this year. He made a number of stops in europe, playing for Slavonski Brod in Croatia, Ovarense in Portugal, Troglav Livno in Bosnia, TBB Trier in Germany, Vellaznimi in Kosovo, USK Praha in Czech Republic, Apollon Limassol in Cyprus, and Ives Brno in Czech Republic.

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  BOSNIA   


Zadar blasts Bosna ASA BHT in Adriatic league - by Eurobasket News
Zadar - Bosna ASA BHT 101-57

Current Croatian champion was too strong for reining Bosnian champ in round three. Zadar waited Bosna ASA BHT in excellent mood, especially after magnificent victory over Cibona in the last round and signing of Marlon Garnett (188-G-75, college: Santa Clara). Bosnians had many problems in this game. They committed 19 turnovers and also scored only 4 of 23 attempts from behind the arc. The biggest problem was sure was defense as Croatian champion succeeded to drain 101. The hosts were very motivated to remain perfect after three rounds, thus they entered into this game strongly. Zadar's defense looked impressive while Bosna struggled with running the plays. It seems they couldn't adapt on such aggressive defense by the host team. Everything resulted with only 6 points by Bosnian champion in the first quarter while Zadar scored 23. Visitors recovered from this shock during the following ten minutes finishing it 17-23. That was all from Bosna in this game as Zadar once again took total control on it ending second half with impressive 61-28. Macedonian center Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances) nailed 23 points for the winners. Julius Johnson (196-G-81, college: Miami, OH) had 22 while ex player of Split, Marlon Garnett, scored 18. Bosna ASA BHT got 14 points and 6 rebounds from Seid Hajric (203-F-83) dropping on 1-2.

Zadar: Todor Gecevski 23, Julius Johnson 22, Marlon Garnett 18
Bosna ASA BHT: Seid Hajric 14+6 boards, Ivan Ivanovic (205-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) 12+ 5 boards, Muhamed Pasalic (192-G-87) 11

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  CROATIA   


Zadar blasts Bosna ASA BHT in Adriatic league - by Eurobasket News
Zadar - Bosna ASA BHT 101-57

Current Croatian champion was too strong for reining Bosnian champ in round three. Zadar waited Bosna ASA BHT in excellent mood, especially after magnificent victory over Cibona in the last round and signing of Marlon Garnett (188-G-75, college: Santa Clara). Bosnians had many problems in this game. They committed 19 turnovers and also scored only 4 of 23 attempts from behind the arc. The biggest problem was sure was defense as Croatian champion succeeded to drain 101. The hosts were very motivated to remain perfect after three rounds, thus they entered into this game strongly. Zadar's defense looked impressive while Bosna struggled with running the plays. It seems they couldn't adapt on such aggressive defense by the host team. Everything resulted with only 6 points by Bosnian champion in the first quarter while Zadar scored 23. Visitors recovered from this shock during the following ten minutes finishing it 17-23. That was all from Bosna in this game as Zadar once again took total control on it ending second half with impressive 61-28. Macedonian center Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances) nailed 23 points for the winners. Julius Johnson (196-G-81, college: Miami, OH) had 22 while ex player of Split, Marlon Garnett, scored 18. Bosna ASA BHT got 14 points and 6 rebounds from Seid Hajric (203-F-83) dropping on 1-2.

Zadar: Todor Gecevski 23, Julius Johnson 22, Marlon Garnett 18
Bosna ASA BHT: Seid Hajric 14+6 boards, Ivan Ivanovic (205-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) 12+ 5 boards, Muhamed Pasalic (192-G-87) 11

Nice start of Cedevita in Croatian championship - by Eurobasket News
Cedevita - Borik Puntamika 86-70

Cedevita started A1 league in style. In the season opener Cedevita easily beat Borik Puntamika in Zagreb with plus 16. Since the very beginning the hosts were slightly better. They ended first quarter 23-19 while the next one also belonged to Cedevita. Ramel Bradley (188-G-85) and Frano Colak (205-C-77, agency: Court Side) were in a game mood. Actually, Bradley was great from behind the arc making 5 of 7 attempts in this game, 16 points in the first half. Borik Puntamika demonstrated some of its qualities after the breather. Miro Dundov (194-G-75), Ante Devic (193-G-86) and Marino Sarlija (204-F/C-89) shined leading their team on just minus 2, 54-52. Thus Cedevita's 11-point lead melted and it seemed it will be exciting game until the very end. However, the hosts didn't have the same thoughts. Without Bradley and Nino Primorac (196-F/G-82) on the court, in the finish of third stanza, the hosts made 8-0 run taking back advantage of 10 points once again, 62-52. The rest of the game was just the formality. Ramel Bradley was the best scorer in Cedevita with 21 points. Frano Colak dominated in the paint collecting 14 points and 7 boards while Hrvoje Kovacevic (191-G-86) and Milan Parezanovic (210-F/C-75) had 10 points each. Ante Devic netted 18 poinst for Borik Puntamika.

Cedevita: Ramel Bradley 21, Frano Colak 14+7 boards, Hrvoje Kovacevic 10+7 rebs+ 4 as, Milan Parezanovic 10+5 boards
Borik: Ante Devic 18, Miro Dundov 17, Marino Sarlija 15+6 boards

Cibona wins in thriller against Zagreb CO, Split defeated in Podgorica - by Eurobasket News
Zagreb CO - Cibona 88-89
Cibona finally grabbed the first win in Adriatic league. After two defeats, against Hemofarm Vrsac and Zadar, Velimir Perasovic and his players celebrated in city derby against Zagreb CO. It was exciting game, which is decided at the very end. Zagreb had 88-87 in the last minute after what Rawle Marshall (200-G-82, college: Oakland) missed a jump shot. Earl Calloway (191-G-83, college: Indiana) grabb the ball but he also missed a lay-up. Cibona had third opportunity as Vedran Vukusic (205-F-82, college: Northwestern) made an offensive rebound quickly scoring the winning basket for the first joy for Cibona this season.
Zagreb dominated at the begging 26-20 but Cibona melted its lead until the half time 47-45. Croatian Euroleague team showed much better performance after the breather. It managed to tie the score on 66-66. In the last 90 seconds of third stanza Marin Rozic (201-F-83) and Earl Calloway made 5-0 for their team, keeping it until the end of the period. Interesting that during the last 10 minutes Cibona had advantage of 7 points few times. Anyway, Mario Dundovic (200-F/C-77, agency: Court Side) and Krunoslav Simon (197-G/F-85) led Zagreb CO to extremely exciting finish. Cibona's latest acquisition Rawle Marshall paced his team to victory draining 29 points. Davor Kus (192-G-78) and Marin Rozic had 14 points each while big guy Luksa Andric (209-C/F-85) registered double-double, 10 points and 10 boards. Ante Tomic (217-C-87) was the best in Zagreb collecting 21 points and 9 rebounds. Zagreb CO still waits for the first win in regional championship.

Zagreb CO: Ante Tomic 21+9 boards, Krunoslav Simon 17+4 boards+8 as, Mario Dundovic 15
Cibona: Rawle Marshall 29, Davor Kus 14+4 as, Marin Rozic 14, Luksa Andric 10+10 boards


Buducnost - Split CO 85-68
In the last game of Adriatic league round 3, Montenegrin champion Buducnost Podgorica outplayed Split CO. It means that Buducnost improved on 3-0 keeping top position together with Partizan Igokea, Crvena Zvezda and Zadar. Montenegrins had another great game. As a reminder, in the first round they beat Union Olimpija while in the last one they took a road win in Novi Sad. Since the very beginning it was clear that the hosts are motivated to continue the same trend. They managed to create double digit lead already in the first half. Split CO saw the light at the end of the tunnel in third frame. Sinisa Stemberger (195-G-79) helped it to come closer on minus 7. Game is decided in the last frame. Players of head coach Goran Radonjic intensified defense letting Split to score only 10 points. On the other side Marko Simonovic (202-F-86, agency: Beo Basket) and his teammates nailed 20 taking this one easily.
Marko Simonovic scored the most in Buducnost, 15 poinst including 6 rebounds. Nemanja Gordic (194-G-88) had 14 while Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) and Nenad Misanovic (217-C-84) followed with 12 points and 7 rebounds apiece. Sinisa Stemberger collected 23 points and 4 rebounds for the losing side, which now has 1-2.

Buducnost: Marko Simonovic 15+6 boards, Nemanja Gordic 14, Vladimir Dasic 12+7 boards, Nenad Misanovic 12+7 boards
Split CO: Sinisa Stemberger 23+4 boards, Antonio Grant (196-F-77, college: S.Carolina) 17+4 boards, Andrija Stipanovic (208-C-86) 14+4 boards

Veteran Slaven Rimac again in France - by Eurobasket News
Experienced Slaven Rimac (195-G-74) agreed terms with French Pro A team Le Havre. 33-year old player spent last season in Cedevita Zagreb. He had 31 appearances in Croatian A1 averaging 15.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 2.5 apg. Cedevita also played 2 games in FIBA EuroCup, where Rimac added very similar digits. Playing in Pro A won't be news for Rimac as he already spent some time there as a member of Paris Basket Racing on season 06/07. Actually he played only 4 games for Paris as he join in March 07. His average digits were 8.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.3 apg. Rimac is a player with great basketball experience from various countries. Two seasons ago he played for Ukrainian Azovmash Mariupol. From 2004 to 2006 he played in Greece as a member of Makedonikos and AEK. He also used to play for Adecco Milano, Juventut Badalona and Tofas Bursa. His first foreign team was at that time powerful Bursa, where Slaven Rimac arrived after many years in Cibona Zagreb. He captured two championship titles in Turkey as well as one National Cup. Rimac also has 8 titles of Croatian Championship in his 'pocket'. He played for Team Croatia on the Olympic Games 1996 and EuroBasket 1997.

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  CZECH REPUBLIC   


NBL Round: 2 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Decin - Podebrady 77-65
Decin overcame Podebrady 77:65 in the only game on Friday. Hatcher William led the winners with 16 points for 2-0 record. Alic Admir and Ofoegbu John followed him with 12 points apiece. Benes Pavel produced 21 points in defeat.

Prostejov - Ostrava 85-64
Prostejov defeated Ostrava 85:64 for 2-0 record after two games played. Stanek Pavel top-scored for the winners with 16 points, while Arnold Marcus netted 19 for the guests.

Opava - Pardubice 83-81
Opava and Pardubice struggled until the last seconds and Opava survived for 83:81 win. Pumprla Pavel was unstoppable with 26 points for the winners. Gaidamavicius Tomas scored 19 in defeat and Gamma Kemaldin posted 16.

Nymburk - Geofin 99-84
Nymburk overcame Geofin 99:84 behind 21 points from Lee Arthur. Schilb Blake shined with 20 and Walker Kenny produced 25 in the losing effort.

USK Praha - Liberec 89-74
USK Praha closed the win of all the hosts against Liberec, 89:74. Platt Roderick paced all the winners with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Landa, Robert had 19 points for the visitors that fell at 0-2.



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  DENMARK   


Kristian Norsgaard scores 45 and Peter Johansen just short of triple double. - by Thomas Soltau

Newcomers Roskilde BC came to BK Amager today in hopes of a small upset, and for a while it looked like it could happen. Roskilde BC battled a small BK Amager lead the entire game, but made a strong run to get themselves back at the end.

The game went into overtime, but slowly slipped out of the hands of Roskilde BC after a well playing Dean Thibodeau (204-C-70, college: Dalhousie) fouled out shortly into the extra time. The game ended 116-108. BK Amager won.

Kristian Norsgaard (190-G-79) was amazing today. The crafty combo guard hardly missed from the outside, and found wholes everywhere in the Roskilde BC defense, drawing fouls at will, and making all 15 of his free throws.

An almost perfect game from Norsgaard, scoring a career high 45 point on 13/20 shooting, was a true highlight of this young season, but that was not all the BK Amager gym had to offer today.

The game saw an incredible 6 players put up big numbers.

For Roskilde BC Dean Thibodeau (204-C-70, college: Dalhousie) scored 30 points after returning from injury, and both US guards Keith Bogans and Luke Granato also showed off some fine play, with 29 and 20 points respectively.

But besides the tremendous scoring outburst of Kristian Norsgaard and the stellar play of BK Amager's US forward Joseph Smith (198-F-82, college: Hamilton), the game was another clear proof of just how important BK Amager's cornerstone forward/center Peter Johansen (204-F/C-80, agency: Arik Krayn Services) is to this team.

Coming one rebound and one assist shy of the famous triple double, Johansen again put his stamp on a game from start to finish.

As a spectator one might watch Johansen tip toe around the court and not think much of it, but once the ball is put into play, there is no other player as fierce as him in the Danish League.

Peter Johansen (204-F/C-80, agency: Arik Krayn Services) has been a dominating 20 and 10 guy for years, but adding a good outside shot and the ability to find open teammates from the post, Johansen is now the most versatile frontcourt player in the Canal Digital League.

Being a force in the middle, rebounding and blocking shots, a floorleader and playmaker on the offensive end, there is very little his team does not get from him.

Securing Johansen, Norsgaard and Smith for another season, BK Amager and head coach Jesper Sorensen has done a great job in keeping their best players.

BK Amager also added top Danish point guard Andreas Bloch (183-G-83), a couple of big-men to the 08/09 roster.

Dreams of medals are more than realistic to this team.



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  ESTONIA   


Kalev/Cramo wins Estonian Cup - by Eurobasket News
Kalev/Cramo overcame TTU KK 90:61 to claim the Estonian Cup title. The Estonian powerhouse dominated the Final game and posted well-deserved win at the end. Kalev grabbed the initiative early on. A.Le Coq Sport Arena saw Kalev lead by as many as 13 points after ten minutes of action. TTU KK gradually slowed down their opponents and managed to remain 13 points behind at the interval. But Kalev never allowed TTU KK to take over after the big break. Kalev looked too good for their counterparts in the second half and clinched the win at the end. John Linehan (175-G-78, college: Providence) came up with 18 points for Kalev/Cramo. Gregor Arbet (194-F/G-83) dropped 16 points, while Josh Pace (198-G/F-83, agency: Dynasty Sports, college: Syracuse) knocked down 15 points and grabbed 11 boards for the winners. Kristo Orula (186-G-85) and Illimar Pilk (195-F-88) netted 11 points apiece for TTU KK.
Tallinna Kalev grabbed the third spot as they held off Parnu 70:55 in Tartu. Tallinna Kalev piled up a 40:33 lead at halftime. Parnu failed to bounce back in the second half. They scored just 22 points after the break and had little chances to save the game. Erki Kivinukk (199-F-73) led Tallinna Kalev with 11 points. Heiko Niidas, Romil Jermakov, Indrek Reinbok and Johnny Gray finished with 10 points each in the win. Raido Ringmets (204-C/F-83) tallied 12 points and 11 boards for Parnu.

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  EUROBASKET SUMMER LEAGUE   


PANEVEZYS TECHASAS signed Demarius Bolds and JJ Tauai from the Eurobasket Summer League - by Darryl Reshaw

Panevezys Techasas from the Lithuanian League scouted the Eurobasket Summer League in Chicago this summer and initially signed three outstanding players from the ESL.


Aurimas Matulevicius the head coach of Panevezys Techasas was based in Chicago most of the summer and had an opportunity to recruit some of the best talent from the Greater Chicago area and all these players participated in the ESL event at Attack Athletics.

After the ESL was completed Aurimas stayed in the Chicago area and worked out several players from the ESL and provided these guys an opportunity to showcase their games in Europe.


J.J. Tauai (190-G-85, college: Bradley) ) the former Bradley University star played in the ESL in Chicago and also played in the ESL in Las Vegas where he made the All Tournament team is begining his career for the small club in Lithuania.
The league provides an excellent start for young players due to the fact that they will playing against teams like Zalgiris and LIETUVOS RYTAS from the Euroleague and usually a couple of other teams from the Lithuanian league will play in the lesser European Cup competitions.
Demarius Bolds (170-G-84, college: Missouri Western) the outstanding big guard who was very impressive at the ESL in Chicago and made the All Tournament 1st Team scored 26 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and had 3 steals in his first contest on Wednesday night.
Demarius Bolds is a former NCAA II All-American and a very athletic guard who was the best rebounding guard that the ESL scouts witness all summer and also he is an dynamic scorer who likes to slash to the basket.
In the ESL event in Chicago he had the most spectacular dunk during that particular event and we were amazed by his quickness and defensive ability.
He has the type of talent to reach the highest level in Europe after getting some international experience in a quality league like Lithuania.
These signings is another example of how the Eurobasket Summer League facilitated opportunities for a couple of talented players who were a little under the radar and probably would not be playing in Europe this season.



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  FINLAND   


KORISLIIGA: Korihait upset Honka - by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 4: All 12 Top League Teams have now won at least one game and there are only two teams (YMCA Lahti and Kataja (Joensuu) undefeated. Tonight UU-Korihait (Uusikaupunki) caused the first loss to defending Finnish Champion Honka (Espoo) by winning 84-82. American F-C Mark Zoller (200-F-85, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Pennsylvania) was the game MVP: 31 pts and 11 rbs. Bosnian PG Bojan Sarcevic (190-G-88) netted 19 pts. Honka got 21 pts from NT F Kimmo Muurinen (202-F-81, college: UALR) during the first half, but Muurinen hurt his left ankle at the end of third quarter and could not play anymore. Akeem Scott (186-G-83, college: High Point) scored today 20 pts. Monte Cummings was on injured list and DNP (knee).
YMCA Lahti was playing at home again. This time visitor Kouvot (Kouvola) had to admit, that Lahti sporthall is a difficult place to win. YMCA Lahti was ahead all the time
and the final difference was 13 pts (77-64). Ilkka Vuori (181-G-86) led Lahti with 21 pts and Calvin Walls (201-F-85, agency: Court Side) Kouvot with 20 pts/11 rbs.
In Karkkila Team Componenta and Pyrinto (Tampere) needed one OT and then TC had won the first game of the season: 97-93 (85). Clifton Jones (201-F-78, college: Oregon St.) scored his season best 21 pts for TC. Kurtis Rice (198-F-82, agency: Court Side, college: Charleston So.) tallied 30 pts and took 11 rbs for Pyrinto.

UU-Korihait - Honka 84-82 (42-49) (Mark Zoller 31/11, Bojan Sarcevic 19 - Kimmo Muurinen 23, Akeem Scott 20, Jukka Matinen 18).

YMCA Lahti - Kouvot 77-64 (44-25) (Ilkka Vuori 21, Sami Pekkola 16, Jari Vanttaja 11 - Calvin Walls 20/11, Ronny LeMelle 12, Roope Suonio 10).

Team Componenta - Pyrinto OT 97-93 (85) (47-37) (Clifton Jones 21, Frank Richards 20/8a, Sami Syrjala 18 - Kurtis Rice 30/11, Antti Nikkila 18/13, Antero Lehto 16).



Korisliiga Round: 4 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
ToPo - Tarmo 63-53
ToPo produced 63:53 over Tarmo on Friday for the first win in the league. Lehtinen Eero led all the winners with 14 points. Lind Ville-Pertti produced the same number of points in the losing effort.

LrNMKY - FoKoPo 95-88
LrNMKY beat FoKoPo 95:88 to tie at 2-2 record in the standings. Brown Demtrius shines with 27 points, whilst Coleman HL collected 21points and 10 rebounds. Cunningham Ray resisted with 26 points for the guests.

Korihait - Honka 84-82
Korihait survived over Honka 84:82 and handed them their first loss. Zoller Mark ruined the guests with 31 points and 11 boards. Muurinen Kimmo had 23 in defeat and Scott Akeem added 20.

Namika Lahti - Kouvot 77-64
Namika Lahti improved to 3-0 record after the home 77:64 win over Kouvot. Vuori Ilkka paced all the winners with 21 points. Walls Calvin shined for the visitors with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Componenta - Pyrinto 97-93
Componenta celebrated the first win after three losses and beat Pyrinto 97:93. Jones Clifton and Richards Frank combined 41 points for the winners as Rice Kurtis had 30 in defeat.



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  FRANCE   


ProA Round: 2 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
ASVEL - Pau 92-75
Adecco ASVEL demonstrated great performance against Pau-Orhez celebrating the first win in Pro A 08/09. As a reminder, both teams suffered defeats in round 1. Eric Campbell top-scored for the winning side with 19 points. Laurent Foirest also shined adding 16 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Pau-Orthez got 17 points from Thomas Heurtel.

Besancon - Le Havre 80-65
Besancon remains perfect after second round in Pro A. Antwon Hoard was the best scorer in the winning team with 18 points. John Ford and Justin Hawkins had one point less than him. Le Havre is winless yet, despite 20 points by T.J. Thompson.

Vichy - Strasbourg 47-73
Strasbourg devastated Vichy on the road for the first joy this season. Brion Rush demonstrated wonderful performance collecting 26 points and 4 rebounds for 28 minutes. He missed only 2 shots during the entire time. Nobody in Vichy had more than 9 points, what is the main reason of the second and extremely painful defeat.

Le Mans - Chalon 82-58
Easy one for Le Mans, which improves on 2-0. Couple of its players were in a game mood but the best scorers are Joao Paulo Batista and David Bluthenthal with 12 points apiece. At the same time it is the first defeat for Chalon, which got also 12 points but from Moussa Badiane.

Dijon - Rouen 74-65
Both teams suffered defeats in the first round. Zeb Cope shined in Dijon adding 20 points and 8 boards. Rouen got the most from Michel Nascimento, who registered double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Orleans - Roanne 80-53
Orleans smashed Roanne at home keeping perfect record after two games. Cedrick Banks helped his team with 21 points while Ryvon Covile also was great delivering 18 points including 9 boards. Chris Monroe had 13 points in Roanne but his team slipped on 1-1.

Cholet - Gravelines 78-54
And another comfortable victory by the host team in this round. Nando De Colo paced Cholet first win in Pro A draining 26 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Cyril Akpomedah shined in Gravelines with 18 points and 8 boards but it wasn't enough for the second joy.

Hyeres-Toulon - Nancy 81-73
Croatian Hrvoje Perincic and Austin Nichols were the key players for Toulon in its second victory in Pro A. Perincic added 19 points and 7 rebounds with pretty good shot percentage while Nichols had two points and one rebound less. Nancy, which got 19 points from Lamayn Wilson, currently has 1-1.



ProB Round: 3 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
St-Etienne - Nantes 74-81
Nantes grabbed a road victory against St-Etienne improving to 2-1 in Pro B. Mehdi Labeyrie was the key player in Nantes collecting 21 points and 4 rebounds. On the other side, Nate Carter and Josiah James netted 15 points each but it was not enough for the first joy of St-Etienne.

Evreux - Clermont 61-57
Evreux made it at home against Clermont mostly owing to James Mathis, who drained 17 points and grabbed 6 boards. Thus after 3 rounds in Pro B, Evreux has 2 wins and 1 defeat. Clermont slipped on 1-2 despite 16 points and 6 assists by Lesly Bengaber.

Le Portel - Charleville 55-51
Third round, third victory for Le Portel. This time Charleville was the team which faced with Le Portel's power. Interesting is that only two players, Maxime Boire and Zach Gourde, had more than 10 points for the winning team. Boire scored 13 while Gourde stopped on 11 points. Charleville got 17 points and 6 rebounds from Chris Davis but it stays on just one win so far.

Maurienne - Brest 67-75
Brest surprised Maurienne as a visitor thus both teams now have the same score, 2-1. Georgi Joseph shined for the winners posting 19 points and missing only one rebound for double-double. Sherman Gay and Corneillus Richardson had 42 points together in Brest.

Quimper - Boulazac 51-79
Both teams were winless before this round. Boulazac grabbed first victory mostly owing to Kelvin Howell, who netted 24 points and collected 8 boards for 31 minutes. Quimper Ujap got 11 points and 6 rebounds from Kelyn Block. None of his teammates had more than 7 points.

Poitiers - Bourg 76-87
Poitiers and Bourg entered into this game with strong willingness to stay perfect in Pro B. However, Bourg demonstrated better performance managing to do it. Gary Chathuant and Justin Ingram scored 19 points apiece for the wining team. Kenny Younger had 20 points and 5 boards for the hosts.

Nanterre - Antibes 85-77
Nanterre took this one improving to 2-1 in Pro B. On the other side, Antibes is in totally different situation still looking for the first win. Ivan Almonte paced Nanterre to second victory with impressive 24 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists. Gabriel Kennedy was better than the others in Antibes adding 22 points and 14 boards.

St.Vallier - Paris-Levall. 66-76
Paris-Levallois continued where it stopped in the last round. This time St. Vallier faced with Paris-Levallois' power staying on one win so far. Joachim Ekanga-Ehawa led his team to third victory nailing 26 points including 6 rebounds. He drained 5 triples in this game. Cedric Melicie had 21 points and 5 boards in St. Vallier.

Limoges - St.Quentin 81-62
Limoges CSP Elite recorded second consecutive victory taking place high on Pro B standings. Alhaji Mohammed top-scored for Limoges with 18 points. Saint-Quentit didn't have a reason for a joy yet despite 24 points and 8 boards by Danny Horace.



Veteran Slaven Rimac again in France - by Eurobasket News
Experienced Slaven Rimac (195-G-74) agreed terms with French Pro A team Le Havre. 33-year old player spent last season in Cedevita Zagreb. He had 31 appearances in Croatian A1 averaging 15.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 2.5 apg. Cedevita also played 2 games in FIBA EuroCup, where Rimac added very similar digits. Playing in Pro A won't be news for Rimac as he already spent some time there as a member of Paris Basket Racing on season 06/07. Actually he played only 4 games for Paris as he join in March 07. His average digits were 8.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.3 apg. Rimac is a player with great basketball experience from various countries. Two seasons ago he played for Ukrainian Azovmash Mariupol. From 2004 to 2006 he played in Greece as a member of Makedonikos and AEK. He also used to play for Adecco Milano, Juventut Badalona and Tofas Bursa. His first foreign team was at that time powerful Bursa, where Slaven Rimac arrived after many years in Cibona Zagreb. He captured two championship titles in Turkey as well as one National Cup. Rimac also has 8 titles of Croatian Championship in his 'pocket'. He played for Team Croatia on the Olympic Games 1996 and EuroBasket 1997.

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  FYR MACEDONIA   


Todor Gecevski shines in Zadar - by Eurobasket News
Center of Macedonian National Team Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances) demonstrates great performance at the beginning of Adriatic league in jersey of Croatian champion Zadar. In the last round, which was played tonight, Zadar smashed Bosnian champion Bosna ASA BHT 101-57. Todor Gecevski was the best player in his team. He spent 21 minutes on the court nailing 23 points. He also had pretty good shot percentage recording 7/10 FG2, 2/3 3-pts and 3/5 FTs. His team took control on Bosna ASA BHT from the early beginning. Gecevski dominated in the paint on both sides of the court. Mostly owing to him Bosna's guards were far away from the paint in this game. Interesting is that Bosnians succeeded to score only 6 points in the first quarter. Zadar demonstrated its power in the second half. Namely, the Croatian team ended it 61-28.
Todor Gecevski also was good in the second round, when Zadar outplayed Cibona in Zagreb. He played almost 30 minutes in that game adding 20 points. At the same time he had 6 more rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
In the season opener, Zadar registered another easy win. Its rival was Split CO and Gecevski helped his team with 6 points. Interesting is that these two teams met each other in the play-off final of Croatian championship last season. Zadar won it 3-2.

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  GERMANY   


ULM RUIN KONRAD WYSOCKI HOMECOMING WITH 66 TO 63 WIN OVER FRANKFURT - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
THE DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS were looking to keep their unbeaten road record alive, but instead ran into a Ulm roadblock in the fourth quarter scoring only eight points and giving the lead and game to Ulm down the stretch. With the win, Ratiopharm remain the only unbeaten team in the BBL together with ALBA Berlin and are at the top of the BBL standings for at least 22 hours. Frankfurt had their two game winning streak snapped and are stranded at position ten. The game also marked the return of Ulm fan favourite Konrad Wysocki (202-F-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Princeton), who was stuck in a three game slump of having made only 7 points and nine rebounds in 44 minutes, but he had a new fire in his eyes and responded with a fine effort of 14 points. I cant be happy about my game simply because we lost. It was nice to return back to Ulm to play, but we couldnt get the offensive rebounds and we rushed too much down the stretch, which cost us the game, said German Konrad Wysocki . Even ex Wysocki coach Mike Taylor had nice words for his ex player. It was nice to see him have a good game. We wish Konrad all the best. The Ulm defense was good all through out the game, but it shifted into higher gear in the fourth quarter. We did a good job on defensive pressure, especially Per Gunther (185-G-88, agency: Rasmussen Services). Keith Triplett (191-G-80, college: Toledo) (191-G-80, college: Toledo) did a fantastic job with pressure defense and causing turnovers. Our tough defense was the key to the win in the fourth quarter, expressed American Dru Joyce (183-G-85, college: Akron).
THE DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS starting with Konrad Wysocki was no real surprise. But keeping Lorenzo Gordon (201-F-83, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Oklahoma City) out of the starting lineup was. Frankfurt started the game on the wrong foot as Ulm raced out on a six to zero run. American Romeo Travis (201-F-84, agency: Edge Sports, college: Akron) quickly left Konrad Wysocki forgotten as he scored four points at Wysockis old position.We are hoping that Travis can fill the position of Wysocki this season, said Ulm manager Thomas Stoll . However it didnt take Konrad the professor Wysocki long before he demonstrated that he not only knows how to play inside, but that he can also bury his outside shot. Before any Ulm fan could really enjoy the six-zero lead, Wysocki struck with two three pointers knoting the score at six. However, it wasnt Gibbs in the early going, who was making damage, but rather Lebron James friend Romeo Travis , who scored again giving Ulm the eight to six lead. Then it was finally time for Derrick Allen (203-F-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Mississippi), to take a short break from his outside shot love affair and go back to the basics with his slick ballerina moves. Allen had little problem getting around Gibbs, who looked like he was ready to ask Allen for lessons. Gibbs countered inside and with a free throw. Ulm led 11 to 8, before Allen scored again inside. Frankfurt stayed close thanks to Allen, who scored again with a mini hook and another ballerina move. Ulm still led 16 to 14 and would keep the lead. Ulm led 21 to 16 with a minute to play in the first quarter, but Frankfurt ended the quarter with a four to zero run highlighted by a spirited two handed monster dunk by Wysocki and a Roller shot as the buzzer sound. Ulm had a narrow 21 to 20 lead. Both teams were shooting very high, but Frankfurt had problems under the basket.
THE DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS got stronger in the second quarter as they outscored Ulm 15 to 7. Ulm also missed many open shots and easy buckets inside. Lorenzo Gordon came in and got on the score board quickly with a pretty move inside and giving Frankfurt its first lead 22 to 21. Ulm retook the lead again 23 to 22 on a Travis mid distance jumper. The fans then witnessed a monster block by Jeff Gibbs (188-F-80, college: Otterbein) on Wysocki. However Frankfurt was fortunate to get the ball back and Evtimov hit a three pointer. Frankfurt mixed it up with transition Basketball as Simmons scored on a De Mello steal and Evtimov followed with a layup from a sweet Simmons pass. Frankfurt led 29 to 23, but could not pull away. American Lee Humphrey (188-G-84, college: Florida), who was Mr three pointer at Florida couldnt hit the side of a barn in the early going finally scored, and would make noise with his three pointer later in the game. Travis scored again and Ulm trailed only 29 to 28. However Frankfurt closed out the second quarter with a six to zero run fuelled by the strong Allen, who hit from outside and in the zone with a baby hook shot. Frankfurt led 35 to 28 at halftime. Frankfurt was shooting very well at 57%, but was weak rebounding as Ulm had a 21 to 12 advantage. And what was even more scary was that Frankfurt had 0 offensive rebounds at halftime.
THE DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS were a little asleep opening up the third quarter as Ulm sped to a four to zero run with a dunk by Travis and then another hoop after grabbing an offensive rebound from Simmons. The game now got a bit quicker and scoring also increased. The fans also were fed with spectacular plays every now and then including a perfect alleyop pass from Joyce to Finn for the dunk. Frankfurt kept answering never getting stopped more than once on offense. Allen made a reverse layup, Wysocki a three pointer and Joyce a three pointer. Frankfurt still led 41 to 37. American Lee Humphrey tied the score at 41, hitting a three pointer. Frankfurt then had a perfect display of fast break Basketball with Gordon passing to Simmons and Allen making the layup. Frankfurt led again 43 to 41 and at this point, either team deserved to win as it was a pretty even game. German 20 year old talent Per Gunther, who might be the heir to the German National team point guard job in the future made a beautiful running floater in the lane, that would of even got the thumbs up from Chris Paul. Then American Adam Emmeneckar finally got rid of his outside shooting shyness and teed up a three pointer that saw nothing but net. Frankfurt led again 46 to 43. Down the stretch, Frankfurt retained the lead thanks to a timely Evtimov three pointer, but American Keith Triplett answered with a three pointer and Frankfurt led only 53 to 52. At this point, coach Murat Didin must have been wondering how his team could ever pull away, because the heart of Ulm was just growing and growing on this night. The last 20 seconds had some controversy after Roller hit a running floater, there were four seconds left and Gnther made a layup, but time had run out. The Ulm fans werent amused by the basket not counting, but Frankfurt was elated as they still led 55 to 52.
This had been a tightly fought battle for 30 minutes with Frankfurt having slight advantages, but in the fourth quarter, Frankfurt lost momentum and energy. Ulm went on an eight to one run, retook the lead and would never look back again. The weak Frankfurt defense in the zone was at fault in the first few minutes. American Jeff Gibbs showed his blue collar type qualities under the hoop fighting for position with his 188m and some how scoring over two Skyliners. Per Gunther then skipped into the zone at his own leisure leaving Emmencker in the dust and making an easy layup with no Skyliner coming over to help. Gibbs then scored under the hoop after retrieving a perfect pass from Gnther. Then it was Gibbs again, taking away the offensive rebound from Wysocki and scoring. Ex Skyliner assistant and Giessen coach Simon Cote always stressed that rebounding has to do with effort and this was something that was lacking in this phase. Ulm now led 60 to 56, but there was enough time left. Evtimov sunk a three pointer and it was suddenly only 60 to 59 for Ulm. In the last few minutes, Ulm seemed to get some extra needed energy on defense as Frankfurt just couldnt score. Keith Triplett was a huge factor down the stretch pressuring the ball severely and causing turnovers by the Skyliners. After Keith Simmons (196-G-85, college: Holy Cross) made a two handed dunk, it seemed like Frankfurt may of got some momentum back, but Lee Humphrey broke the Skyliners neck with a three pointer. Ulm led 66 to 61 and were as good as home free. Frankfurt responded again with a Gordon basket and Frankfurt was down only 66 to 63. Frankfurt then made a huge defensive stop, but on the next offensive possession, Gordon couldnt make an easy bucket down low. Frankfurt was defeated and their faces showed disbelief of what had happened in the last quarter, while Ulm was in heaven and coach Taylor and manager Stoll could hug each other again with possibly one silently dreaming if this might be the special Ulm season that every one in the region have been waiting for.
Ratiopharm Ulm was led by American Romeo Travis with 15 points and 11 rebounds. American Jeff Gibbs chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds. American Dru Joyce had a fine comeback with 12 points and four assists. THE DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS were led by American Derrick Allen with 16 points. German Konrad Wysocki had 14 points. Ilian Evtimov had 12 points and Pascal Roller (180-G-76) ten points.
This was a very bitter loss for THE DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS, who really played very well for three quarters, but lost intensity in the fourth quarter, while Ulm stepped it up a notch on offesne and defense. The biggest problem was the rebounding, which was simply unacceptable. Ulm out rebounded Frankfurt 36 to 25. Frankfurt had immense problem with boxing out. These are the type of games one can lose now, but will be unacceptable four months from now. This will be a good learning experience for Frankfurt. Ulm played a smart game in the fourth quarter, and a Basketball game lasts 40 minutes. Ulm was a bit more clever in the fourth quarter and their defense cost Frankfurt the game. THE DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS next play in the Euro Challenge against MBC Mykolaiv on Tuesday October 14th in the Ukraine and next in the BBL at home on Saturday October 18th against BG Gttingen at 18:30.

Moritz Wohlers(Bremerhaven) Interview - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Hi Moritz, thanks for talking to www.eurobasket.com. This is your first season in Bremerhaven. What were the main reasons why you chose to come to the Eisbren?

After living seven years in foreign countries, I wanted to play in Germany again and the Eisbren were really successful in recent years. So I thought it would be a good fit to come to this club that has proven to be winning games.

How comfortable do you feel in Bremerhaven? Have you found a comfortable place in the city where you can relax?

I am getting more and more comfortable and I really like living in Germany again. I needed some time to get used to the new area, but after I had explored the city more and more I must say there are some nice spots to relax and get back the energy for the games ahead of us.

The team started at 1-2. You are on a two game losing streak. The team scored under 60 points in the last two games. Does the team have a scoring problem?

I dont think we have a scoring problem at all. Most of the players are new to the team and we simply need some time to get used to each other. We got a good combination and soon everybody will see that we can score from everywhere on the floor. Also I think we could have won all of our games so far and we beat ourselves in both losses.

The team looked frightening weak against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners. Besides the weak field goal percentage, why couldnt the team play better?

We could not get a break during that game and about everything that could go wrong went wrong. We talked a lot after the game and it might have been the early wake up call we needed at the beginning of the season to let us know that the we have to compete hard in every game.

You next play the EWE Baskets Oldenburg in a derby game in the AWE Dome. How excited are you about this game? I am sure family and friends will come?

For the club and fans its a really important game in order to see who is true number 1 in north Germany. And we also want to make up for our home loss against Dusseldorf. All in all I think its going to be a very exciting game in front of a great crowd.
My parents and friends started coming since the first game in Braunschweig, which is only 10 minutes away from my hometown Wolfenbttel. It is nice to see everybody more often now since I am back home.

What exactly is your role in the team?

When I come in, the first priority is playing good defense and bringing intensity to the court on both ends. And then I just try to do whatever is needed for the team to be successful.




The team has good centers with Elegar and Nicholson and a great PF with Slaughter. You will have to fight for playing time. Do you see yourself having a realistic chance of getting playing time?

We have very good big guys, but we have good players on every position. This makes us a team that can go deep. In order to be really successful, some sacrifices to be made. However I am confident in my abilities and thats why I think I will be getting playing time.

You do many things well for a big man. But what is your greatest strength that you have as a player?

I think my greatest strength is my shot.

How is your relationship to coach to Sarunas Sakalauskas? What have you learned from him?

We have a good relationship and there is always something to learn from him. He stops practice all the time when he thinks that someone should be doing something a little different.

How is your relationship to the Americans? Your not a typical German player, simply because you played college ball in the states? Do they treat you any different?

We all get along very well. I think thats really important for the team so that we can have success during the season. But nobody on the team gets treated different based on where they are from or where they have lived.

There have been quite a number of young German big men, who went to play college ball in the states, but had problems adjusting to the BBL. Why do you think this is?

Well college ball is a lot different and the coaches there mainly want big men to play right under the basket and a certain way. The whole playing style in Europe is different and after all those years developing over there it is a new situation. Americans at times have just the same problem when they first get out of college, so its not just a German thing.

You are from Wolfenbttel. How did you get involved with Basketball?

My father always took me to his games and at the age of five, I started playing basketball in a club. My parents always supported me to be involved with sports. I also tried some other sports, but basketball was simply the most fun.

Who were your Basketball idols growing up?

I spent a lot of time playing with my father and he taught me a lot, so I looked up to him. When I started to follow the NBA, it was Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.

With 17, you went to USA to play high school ball and then college ball. Why did you make this decision?

I always wanted to go to high school for one year, because basketball is from there and I heard so many things about the USA in general. I went to a really small high school and when I got offered a scholarship for college, I decided really quick to stay there. Looking back, I think it was the best way to combine studying and playing basketball.

You played at Lewis & Clark, Mckendree, and at Montana State. Why did you play for three schools?

Well Lewis and Clark was a junior college, a college which you attend for only two years and than you finish up your degree at another school. So afterwards, I went to McKendree, but it just wasnt the right place for me. So for my senior year I transferred to Montana State.

At Montana State, you had good stats with 19,4 points and 8,0 rebounds per game. What was it like living in the middle of nowhere in Montana? At least, there you could focus on school and Basketball.

Montana was way different than all the other places. It was just the city Billings with 100.000 people living there and than there was nothing around for hours. Luckily we travelled a lot during basketball season. But it really wasnt bad.The people were very friendly and I had a really good time there.

What were your nicest memories at Montana State?

How nice everybody treated me from the first day I was there. It really was like a big family atmosphere.

Who were some of the best players that you played against in college that might be in the NBA or in Europe?

I dont really keep track with opponent players. But for example, I played against Lorenzo Gordon from Frankfurt in college.

You played for the Scottish Rocks the last two years. What was it like living in the UK, after living a few years in the states?

Living in Scotland was a lot different than in five years in the States. The people were also very friendly, otherwise I wouldnt have stayed there for two years.

What did you like more, USA or the UK?

Its hard to compare. In the USA, I went to college and played Basketball.Glasgow was my first team as a professional player, so it was a different situation. Both countries had their nice sides.

Last season, you averaged 13,1 points and 7,3 rebounds per game. You must have a lot of confidence coming into the BBL.

The two years in Scotland were good for me and I gained a lot of confidence there and during the summers playing with the A2 national team.



How would you compare the British league to the BBL?

Most teams dont go as deep in the British league and there are only a couple real centers. Other than that there are also some very good players.

What was your best experience in your two years in the UK?

We were in both the cup final and the playoffs final, unfortunately we lost both. But it was a great experience to be in two finals in my first season. My second season, we had too many injuries that stopped us from returning to those big games.

What would you like to do after your Basketball career?

I am not sure yet. I could see myself going into some kind of business or stay around basketball as a coach or manager. But as of right now, I like to keep my options open.

What are your hobbies?

Talking or hanging out with friends and family.
I also like to watch movies and be on the internet.

Thank you Moritz for the chat!!!!All the best in Bremerhaven!!!!

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  GREECE   


Stats Leaders - A1
A1 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1.Tsaldaris, Aris 21
2.Schultze, Olympia 19
3.Bogdanos, Trikala 18
4.Radenovic, Panellinios 17
5.Nikolaidis, Trikala 16
6.Childress, Olympiakos 16
Rebounds Per Game
1.Bourousis,Olympiakos 10
2.Papaioakim,Olympia 7
3.Kolokas,Olympia 7
4.Arigbabu,Olympia 7
5.Golemac,Panellinios 7
Assists Per Game
1.Avery,Trikala 9
2.Papaloukas, Olympiakos 7
3.Grundy,Panellinios 6
4.Nelson, Aris 6
5.Goldwire, Egaleo 5
Steals Per Game
1.Nelson, Aris 4
2.Iliadis, Aris 4
3.Gizogiannis, Egaleo 3
4.Radenovic, Panellinios3
Blocks Per Game
1.Bogdanos, Trikala 1
2.Kolokas, Olympia 1
3.Barlos, Aris 1
4.Bourousis,Olympiakos 1
5.Nelson, Aris 1
2FGP
1.Schultze,Olympia100%
2.Massie, Trikala 100%
3.Sekulic,Aris 83%
4.Printezis, Olympiakos 83%5.Newlwy, Panellinios 75%
3FGP
1.Pelekanos, Olympiakos 75%
2.Kaklamanos,Trikala 67%
3.Gizogiannis, Egaleo 60%
4.Tsaldaris,Aris 56%
Free Throws
1.Batis, Olympia 100%
2.Iliadis,Aris 100%
3.Childress,Olympiakos 100%
4.Bracey, Egaleo 83%
5.Schultze, Olympia 80%
Ranking
1.Pelekanos,Olympiakos 1.226
2.Printezis,Olympiakos 0.951
3.Gizogiannis,Egaleo 0.753
4.Bourousis,Olympiakos 0.745
5.Schultze, Olympia 0.740


Stats Leaders - A2
A2 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1.Ceskovic, I.C.B.S. 28
2.Athineu, Ilisiakos 27
3.Mandic, MENT 25
4.Henjak, Rethymno 23
5.Kourtis, I.C.B.S. 22
Rebounds Per Game
1.Koutroulias, N.East 14
2.Latovic, Pagrati 12
3.Dimitriadis, Ermis L. 11
4.Ayuba, Iraklis 11
5.Grundberg, I.C.B.S. 11
Assists Per Game
1.Liakopoulos,Iraklis 10
2.Koronidis,Apollon 8
3.Kefalas,Keravnos Aigio 7
Steals Per Game
1.Fogel, MENT 4
2.Grundberg, I.C.B.S. 4
3.Maslarinos, KAOD 3
Blocks Per Game
1.Deligiannis, DASH 4
2.Loupos, Panerythraikos 2
3.Henjak, Rethymno 2
2FGP
1.Kartelo, KAOD 100%
2.Totsios, Iraklis 100%
3.Nikou, N.East 83%
4.Athanasoulas,Ilisiakos 83%
3FGP
1.Apostolopoulos, Panerythraikos 100%
2.Kadic, Xanthi 100%
3.Bucci, DASH 100%
Free Throws
1.Deligiannis, DASH 100%
2.Godopoulos,Ermis L. 100%
3.Kitsoulis, KAOD 100%
Ranking
1.Godopoulos,Ermis L. 1.029
2.Psathas, Panerythraikos 0.989
3.Bucci, DASH 0.899
.


Standings - A2
A2 Standings
 1. DASH Perist. 1-0 
 2. Dafni 1-0 
 3. Iraklis 1-0 
 4. Near East 1-0 
 5. Ilysiakos 1-0 
 6. Rethimno 1-0 
 7. Ermis L. 1-0 
 8. Panerythrai. 1-0 
 9. Ionikos Lamias 0-0 
 10. Ikaroi Serron 0-0 
 11. MENT 0-1 
 12. KAOD 0-1 
 13. Olimpias 0-1 
 14. ICBS 0-1 
 15. Keravnos Aigio 0-1 
 16. Xanthi 0-1 
 17. Apollon 0-1 
 18. HSBC Pagrati 0-1 


Standings - A1
A1 Standings
 1. Olympiak. 1-0 
 2. Aris 1-0 
 3. Olimpia L. 1-0 
 4. Marousi 0-0 
 5. Kolossos 0-0 
 6. PAOK 0-0 
 7. Panionios 0-0 
 8. AEK 0-0 
 9. AEL 0-0 
 10. PAO 0-0 
 11. Panorama 0-0 
 12. Panellinios 0-1 
 13. Trikalla 0-1 
 14. Egaleo 0-1 


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


SNOHOMISH COUNTY EXPLOSION CONFIRM HOME DATES FOR 2009 - by John Gary
courtesy oursportscentral.com Just two days before season tickets go on salwe for the Explosion Basketball team,the first of three major announcements has been released to the press. Since the departure of the Seattle SuperSONICS and the NBA, basketball fans from king county have been turning to Snohomish County and the IBL for a place to watch live mens professional basketball. The Explosion have confirmed the following home dates for 2009, 4-18, 4-25, 5-2, 5-30, 6-6, 6-19, 6-20, 6-24, 6-26, 6-28.

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  ICELAND   


Nemanja Sovic is back in Breidablik - by Einar Johannsson
Nemanja Sovic (198-F-77, agency: IceBasket, college: Pfeiffer) has deceided to play for Breidablik this season. Sovic was released from Stjarnan last weekend as so many other foreign players in Iceland.

Last season Sovic played for Breidablik in 1st division and had great season scoring 22,1 ppg and grabbing 8,0 rpg - shooting 63,8% fg and 53,6% 3 pt fg.
He will join up with his former team which had to release foreign players Darrell Flake (193-F-80, agency: IceBasket, college: McKendree) and Igor Beljanski (201-C-78, college: Chaminade) last monday.

Captain of Breidablik team last season, Loftur Einarsson (194-F-76) has also deceided to return so Einarsson and Sovic will help Breidablik team inside.

Breidablik starts at home in first round of Icleand Express league against Skallagrimur.

Darrell Flake signs for Tindastoll - by Einar Johannsson
Darrell Flake (193-F-80, agency: IceBasket, college: McKendree) who was released from Breidablik on monday night has signed for Tindastoll in Iceland Express league.
Flake was voted best foreigner of the league last season and has had very good career in Iceland so far. This is his fifth season in Iceland and Tindastoll will for sure push hard for top spot this season. Other foreign players on Tindastoll team are Ben Luber (183-G-84, college: Penn St.) and Soren Flaeng (207-C-85, agency: Rasmussen Services).
Tindastoll is the only icelandic team in Iceland Express league that has more than one foreigner after most of the teams had to make changes cause of financial situation in Iceland.

Flake and his team, Tindastoll will play their first game in Iceland Express on friday night against Snaefell away.

*****************************************************
  ISRAEL   


Ramat Gan inks Anthony Myles, completes roster - by Yehonatan Eliahu
Ironi Kfar Hamaccabia Ramat Gan announced it's last signing for the upcoming season: American Forward Anthony Myles (206-F/C-82, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Xavier). former graduate of Xavier, Miles played previously in Italy and Spain's second division, before moving to China, where he played successfully for the last three seasons. He averaged last season 26.6 points. He recently signed with French side Hyeres-Toulon Var Basket, but sacked shortly, and now he is headed to Ramat Gan. Ramat Gan will take on Iscar Naharia on Monday in the Winner Cup( pre-season tournament) opening .

*****************************************************
  ITALY   


Benetton Treviso sign Bobby Dixon - by Eurobasket
Benetton Treviso strengthened their roster with addition of 25-year old American guard Bobby Dixon (178-G-83, college: Troy). Dixon started this season at SK Cherkasy Monkeys in Ukrainian League. Last season he played for Polpak Swiecie in Poland, where he was it top 5 best scorers with 16.6ppg and was the best passer in the league with 5.1apg. He helped his team to make it to the league semifinals, the biggest achievement in club's hisrtory. Two years ago he played one season in France. It is his third year in professional basketball.

*****************************************************
  JAPAN   


New regulation in the bj-League - by Kenji Hilke
October 6th, the bj league has announced that they will have a new regulation for the up coming 08-09 season.
The new regulation will be limiting the number of foreign players that each team can have on floor at once.

1. Each team is allowed to have up to three players on the court at once who have nationality outside of Asia area.

2. Each team may have one non-Japanese Asian nationality player on the floor with the three foreign(Non-Asian) players at the same time.

3. Each team must have at least one Japanese player on the court at all times.

This regulations purpose is to give the Japanese players more playing time and to develop the skills of the Japanese players. Although, this regulation will bring a huge advantage to teams that hold decent Asian players such as the Hamamatsu Phoenix and Ming Ming Sun (235-C-83, agency: Passing Lane).

Standings - JBL
JBL Standings
 1. Panasonic 3-1 
 2. Aishin 3-1 
 3. Hitachi S. 2-1 
 4. Toshiba 2-2 
 5. Toyota 2-2 
 6. Mitsubishi 2-3 
 7. Hokkaido 1-3 
 8. Tochigi Brex 0-3 


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


Christensen To Become Jordanian, Signs with Zain - by Mohammed Malas
Mike Christensen (203-G/F-85, agency: Pro Management Agency) might not look like a typical Jordanian, but his fair skin could fit in with the rest of the national team players.

The 23-year-old American guard will carry the Jordanian passport, after the federations decision to naturalize him to be a backup for Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) in future.

Along with the national team, Mike signed a deal to play for Premier League powerhouse, Zain.

Christensen is a talented player who can play all positions on the floor. Long and lean, he can drive as well as shoot. Besides his scoring abilities, he can rebound and dribble full court.

Even at 68, Christensen can play the point guard position, where he can handle the ball and use his court vision to pass effectively.

Christensen was a four-year letterman at New Hampshire.

Source: Pro Management Agency

*****************************************************
  KUWAIT   


Day 2: 2nd FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup - by Mohammed Malas
* Friday 10/10:

Jordan 69 - India 48

KUWAIT (FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup): Zeid Abbas (203-F-83) scored 13 points in the second quarter as Jordan shrugged off a sluggish start to beat India 69-48 in the second FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup here on Friday.

Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.), playing his first international tournament in a long time, was the leading scorer for Jordan with a game-high 24 points.

But it was Abbas spree that injected the pace for a slow-starting Jordan.

Abbas went on to finish with 16 points, apart from collecting seven boards five in defense and was named MVP for the game.

They denied us the pace initially and we struggled to get into rhythm, Jordan coach Mario Leonel Palma said.

We didnt get to see the ball as much as we would have liked, but then we also didnt press hard enough, the Portuguese said.

Trideep Rai (190-F-83) sank back-to-back three-pointers to put India ahead early in the game and the Middle Asia nation seemed to hold fort as they closed the first quarter 15-13.

Trideep went on to finish with a team-high 17 points, sinking five of his eight attempts from behind the arc.

India continued to lead and Wrights double free throws twice in succession brought helped Jordan regain the lead (21-23) midway through the second quarter.

Abbas took over after that for the rest of the first half and pulled away to a 37-27 lead at the end of the first half.

The rest of the game saw India play catching up, but ran out of breath against the much better coordinated opposition.

Im happy with the way we started without any fear of the opposition, India coach Aleksandar Bucan said.

Also happy with the way we finished, he added.

I think we played far better than we did yesterday and thats what matters for us. Lets not forget this is a much better opposition, the Serbian said.

Its important for us to learn from these games in the overall scheme of things.

Jordan play Qatar on Saturday, while India have a rest day.

Scores

Jordan 69 (Rasheim Wright 24, Zeid Abbas 16)
India 48 (Trideep Rai 17, Robinson 10).

Quarterwise Scores: 13-15, 37-27, 58-36.

S Mageshwaran
Courtesy of FIBA Asia

Kuwait 88 - Qatar 70

KUWAIT (FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup): Saqer Hasan (183-G-81) shot an impressive seven three-pointers in his game-high 23 points to lead hosts Kuwait to an 88-70 win over fellow Gulf rivals Qatar in the second FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup on Friday.

Hasen, who won the MVP for the game, received splendid support from his Al Qadsia clubmate Abdullah Al Sarraf (194-F-82).

Alsarraf scored 22 points, including four from behind the arc, as Kuwait raced away to their second win in the tournament.

Kuwait had beaten India on the opening day.

For Qatar, who lost to Kazakhstan on Thursday, the defeat meant a virtual shut-out of their hopes to win the tournament.

Kuwait take on Kazakhstan, after Qatar play Jordan, on Saturday.

Qatar, who lost to Kuwait by two points in the King Abdullah tournament in July, seemed determined to avenge that defeat in the initial stages of the game.

Erfan Ali Saeed (200-F-83) who scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half, looked in form as Qatar held a 11-5 lead midway through the first quarter.

It was at this juncture that Kuwait began to unleash their scoring spree.

Hasan sunk three three-pointers in a row to help Kuwait take a 25-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Ahmad Albrahim came into his own with eight points, including two long rangers as Hasan continued to torment the Qataris with his shooting.

Having taken a 48-40 lead going into the changing rooms, Kuwait built a massive 60-42 lead with about five minutes left in the third quarter, as Alsarraf began to fire in.

The hosts thence held on to their advantage.

I have to confess this result is totally unexpected, Hasan said.

To beat a team like Qatar by such a big margin and that too in front of your own club crowd is really exciting, the point guard added.

Kuwait coach Zoran Kreckovic expressed satisfaction with the way things worked out.

Yes, its exciting to get such a result against Qatar. But Im more satisfied with the way the boys played, he said.

Any defeat, no matter by what margin, hurts, Qatar coach Kent Davison said.

We knew they were going to attack us with their shooting. And they were brilliant tonight, the American added.

Well, playing hard has been the greatest asset of my team. Im not sure if we played hard enough tonight, he said.

Scores

Kuwait 88 (Saqer Hasan 23, Abdullah Al Sarraf 22, Ahmad Albrahim 16)
Qatar 70 (Erfan Ali Saeed 19, Ali Turki 19).

Quarterwise Scores: 25-21, 48-40, 72-54.

S Mageshwaran
Courtesy of FIBA Asia

*****************************************************
  LATVIA   


Ventspils outgun ASK Riga in LBL Round 4 - by Eurobasket News
Ventspils - ASK Riga 73:68

Ventspils secured their perfect start to the season as they held off ASK Riga yesterday. The win marked the fourth straight success for Ventspils. The last season finalists ASK Riga meanwhile fell to 1-2 record in the ladder.
Ventspils trailed by 5 points early in the game but quickly denied the deficit. Akselis Vairogs (196-G/F-85) put the hosts in front and they rolled confidently to a 24:14 lead at the first break. Andrius Mazutis and Ernests Kalve cut the distance to 6 points early in the second term. But Ventspils continued to dominate and built a 15-point advantage at the interval. However ASK Riga were far from being done. They changed the complexion of the game drastically in the third quarter. The visitors stiffened defense and limited their opponents to just 6 points. ASK Riga capitalized surging ahead by 5 points. Georgios Tsiakos (204-F-82, agency: FCM) accounted for some important buckets at the start of the fourth period and Ventspils trimmed the sudden deficit to just a single point. The home team went on a decisive 7:0 run to jump to a 72:66 advantage late in the game. ASK Riga had little time to recover and surrendered at the end. Georgios Tsiakos tallied 18 points and 14 boards for Ventspils. Ronalds Zakis (205-F/C-87) contributed 14 points, while Akselis Vairogs managed 13 points for the winners. Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) responded with 14 points and 8 rebounds for ASK Riga. Sandis Valters (193-G/F-78, agency: Arik Krayn Services) accounted for 11 points in defeat.

Ventspils: Georgios Tsiakos 18+14 boards, Ronalds Zakis 14, Akselis Vairogs 13
ASK Riga: Corey Brewer 14, Sandis Valters 11

LBL Round: 4 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Liep.Papirs - ASK/Juniors 87-80
Liep.Papirs beat ASK/Juniors 87:80 on Thursday as Freimanis Arturs led the winners with 24 points. Mejeris Mareks collected 20 points and 10 boards, while Ate Artis netted 19.

Jurmala - Zemgale/Juniors 89-81
On that day Jurmala won over Zemgale/Juniors 89:81. Ozols Atis top-scored for the winners with 23 points and Krumins Kalvis posted 21 in defeat.

Ventspils - ASK Riga 73-68
Ventspils secured their perfect start to the season as they held off ASK Riga. The win marked the fourth straight success for Ventspils. Georgios Tsiakos tallied 18 points and 14 boards for Ventspils. Ronalds Zakis contributed 14 points, while Akselis Vairogs managed 13 points for the winners. Corey Brewer responded with 14 points and 8 rebounds for ASK Riga. Sandis Valters accounted for 11 points in defeat.

Cesis - Keizarm.U21 81-82
Oskars Ernsteins top-scored with 36 points for Keizarmezs in a 82:81 win over Cesis. Tiss Martins finished the night with 23 points and 8 rebounds in defeat.

Barons/LMT - Liepajas 66-89
Barons/LMT sensationally lost to Liepajas 66:89 on Saturday. Ansons Klavs led the winners with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Vilums Ugis posted 15. Skele Armands ended up with 14 points in the losing effort.

Saldus - Livani 100-90
Kaspars Zalkovskis led Saldus over Livani in a 100:90 victory. Toms Celmins produced 23, while Gargazins Gatis netted 27 in defeat.

VEF Riga - Zemgale 100-68
VEF Riga did not have any difficulties over Zemgale smashing them 100:68. Freimanis Rolands poured in 22 points for the winners. Kolesnikov Evgeniy nailed 18 and Jeromanovs Edgars notched 15.



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


LKL Round: 3 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Zalgiris - Techasas 92-71
Zalgiris remained perfect in LKL campaign as they posted the second straight win at the start. They had little problems against Techasas 92:71 at home. The hosts recover from recent Baltic League woes to send Techasas to 0-2 record. Dainius Salenga fired 23 points for the defending champions. Jonas Maciulis and Ratko Varda came up with 17 points apiece for the winners. Chris Hill answered with 22 points for Techasas.

Alytus Alita - Sakalai 98-86
Alytus recovered from a bitter start to their LKL campaign with a 98:86 win over Sakalai. Andruis Aleksandrovas led balanced offense with 22 points. Zydrunas Urbonas added 20 points, while Nerijus Varnelis had 19 points as Alytus improved to 1-2 record. Sakalai answered with 14 points and 8 boards from Rolandas Matulis in the first loss in the season.

Lietuvos - Siauliai 81-77
Lietuvos Rytas held off Siauliai in the key matchup of the third round in LKL. Lietuvos Rytas nearly wasted an 18-point halftime advantage before pulling away with a narrow 81:77 victory over Siauliai. Chuck Eidson led the winners with 22 points, 7 assists and 6 boards. Mindaugas Lukauskis delivered 17 points in the win. Gintautas Vileita knocked down 16 points for Siauliai.

Kaunas Tr. - Neptunas 103-73
Kaunas Triobet climbed to 2-1 record as they took care of Neptunas 103:73 at home today. Vytenis Lipkevicius scored 17 points to lead 6 Kaunas players in double figures. Vytenis Jasikevicius added 16 points for the winners. Neptunas were not helped by 24 points and 9 boards from Valdas Vasylius.



*****************************************************
  MONTENEGRO   


Buducnost remains perfect in Adriatic league - by Eurobasket News
Buducnost - Split CO 85-68

In the last game of Adriatic league round 3, Montenegrin champion Buducnost Podgorica outplayed Split CO. It means that Buducnost improved on 3-0 keeping top position together with Partizan Igokea, Crvena Zvezda and Zadar. Montenegrins had another great game. As a reminder, in the first round they beat Union Olimpija while in the last one they took a road win in Novi Sad. Since the very beginning it was clear that the hosts are motivated to continue the same trend. They managed to create double digit lead already in the first half. Split CO saw the light at the end of the tunnel in third frame. Sinisa Stemberger (195-G-79) helped it to come closer on minus 7. Game is decided in the last frame. Players of head coach Goran Radonjic intensified defense letting Split to score only 10 points. On the other side Marko Simonovic (202-F-86, agency: Beo Basket) and his teammates nailed 20 taking this one easily.
Marko Simonovic scored the most in Buducnost, 15 poinst including 6 rebounds. Nemanja Gordic (194-G-88) had 14 while Vladimir Dasic (208-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) and Nenad Misanovic (217-C-84) followed with 12 points and 7 rebounds apiece. Sinisa Stemberger collected 23 points and 4 rebounds for the losing side, which now has 1-2.

Buducnost: Marko Simonovic 15+6 boards, Nemanja Gordic 14, Vladimir Dasic 12+7 boards, Nenad Misanovic 12+7 boards
Split CO: Sinisa Stemberger 23+4 boards, Antonio Grant (196-F-77, college: S.Carolina) 17+4 boards, Andrija Stipanovic (208-C-86) 14+4 boards

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


CSKA fall to Orlando on the USA tour - by Eurobasket News
Orlando - CSKA 94:66

CSKA arrived to the USA to play two exhibition games against NBA teams. They tipped off the tour against the Orlando Magic in Florida. However the start was not a memorable one for the Moscow outfit. Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) exploded with 28 points and 10 rebounds to propel the Magic to an impressive victory. The hosts looked the better team right from the start. They accounted for 37 points in the opening stanza and piled up an 18-point advantage. CSKA managed to slow their opponents down in the second term but scored just 10 points themselves. Orlando rolled to a 52:29 lead at halftime. Orlando never loosened the grip after the long break. Hidayet Turkoglu (6'9''-F-79) and Rashard Lewis (6'10''-F-79) paced the Magic as they stretched the margin to as many as 23 points before the fourth stanza. The hosts breezed to the victory in the final stanza. Hidayet Turkoglu provided 16 points for Olrando. Rashard Lewis added 15 points, while Brian Cook knocked down 7 for the winners. Terence Morris (6'9''-F-79, college: Maryland) replied with 16 points and 7 rebounds for CSKA. Trajan Langdon (6'4''-G-76, college: Duke) chipped in 12 points in the loss. CSKA outrebounded their opponents 39:37 but committed 22 turnovers and shot 40% from the field.
CSKA will next take on the Toronto Raptors on October 14.

Orlando: Dwight Howard 28+10 boards, Hidayet Turkoglu 16, Rashard Lewis 15
CSKA: Terence Morris 16, Trajan Langdon 12

*****************************************************
  NORWAY   


Standings - 1Div.
1Div. Standings
 1. Sandvika 3-0 
 2. Froya 2-0 
 3. Stavanger 1-0 
 4. NTNUI 1-1 
 5. Persbraaten 1-1 
 6. Langhus 1-1 
 7. Centrum 1-1 
 8. Varden 1-2 
 9. OSI 1-2 
 10. Kristiansand 0-1 
 11. Trondheim 0-3 


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


Mario Jorge out - by Portugal Eurobasket
Mario Jorge (190-G/F-77) will be out of action for 3 weeks after he underwent surgery on his left hand. The player who resigned with CAB Madeira this summer broke the hand in practise and will be major blow for Joao Freitas team as they travel to Torres Vedras to face former Proliga champions Fisica. With only 10 players in the roster - 9 as Mario Jorge can't play - the Madeira island coach has also Nuno Perdigao as a concern but can already play with Bobby Madison.

Brito ran to Angola - by Portugal Eurobasket
Angola-based Camby Brito (202-C-83) left Academica in the last days to join CR Libolo from the Angolan Championship. According to portuguese press, the player received an offer from the angolans and immediatly left Coimbra missing practises in order to join Libolo practises. But as he had a 2-year contract with Briosa, Camby Brito will only be allowed to play if he cash-compensates Academica which can appeal FIBA as a result of the player's fairwell. Academica will only face FC Porto next Wednesday on day 3 of LPB

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


Reyes with excellent performance in Uruguay - by Luis Ramirez
Angelo Reyes (205-F/C-81) scored 38 points and captured 21 rebounds as his team Hebraica Macabi beat Cordon 90-84 in the Uruguayan League. Reyes shot 15 out of 17 from the field and hit 8 out of 10 from 3 point range. Currently is second in scoring with an average of 23.3ppg and second in rebounds with 13.5 per game. In other news from BSN Fernando Gutman scored 11 points and captured 7 rebounds as his team Ciclista Olimpico won against Obras Sanitarias in the Argentinean League. Over in the Mexican League, Orlando Santiago scored 20 points and had 7 assists as Panteras beat Bucaneros 92-81. Santiago shot 6 out of 11 from the field and made 5 three points to help his team, teammate Gabriel Colon scored 9 points and had 6 rebounds.
Another great performance from in the Mexican League was that of Samuel Villegas who scored 35 points but his team would not be able to beat Los Potros as Los Potros beat Los Dorados 104-89, Keenan Jourdon scored 17 points in that game and Jeff Aubry who was playing his first game scored 8 points with 7 rebounds and 1 block.

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  RUSSIA   


Rostov, Samara and Lyubersti open Superleague 2008/2009 - by Eurobasket News
Three games opened the Superleague 2008/2009 last night. Rostov, Samara and Lyubersti welcomed three other teams but as a result the guests won the majority.
Unics had a road win over Lokomotiv Rostov 68:90. The hosts however opened the game with 24-18 in the opening quarter and had 7 points advantage entering the third period. Unics found its game right at that time and after the confident wins in the third and the last quarters celebrated the initial victory. Kirksay and Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) led the winners with 20 points. Zamanskiy nailed 15 and two other players netted 10. Fred House (196-F-78, college: S.Utah) top-scored for Lokomotiv Rostov with 17 points.
Ural Great survived over Samara 83:84 away from home. In that game the decisive period was the second one when the guests won 25-17. Dalmau and Vanja Plisnic (207-F/C-80, agency: Beo Basket) led the winners with 19 points. Surovtsev posted 14 and Liholitov ended up with 13.
Triumph was the only team to win at home in the start of the Superleague. The team from Lyubertsi overcame University Surgut 100:85. The hosts won the first three quarters and did not take care too much about the rest of the game. Sergei Toporov (197-F-81) top-scored for the winners with 19 points. Andersen had 16 and Bremer posted 15. Slavko Stefanovic (206-F-81, agency: Beo Basket) finished the night with 21 points in defeat.

CSKA fall to Orlando on the USA tour - by Eurobasket News
Orlando - CSKA 94:66

CSKA arrived to the USA to play two exhibition games against NBA teams. They tipped off the tour against the Orlando Magic in Florida. However the start was not a memorable one for the Moscow outfit. Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) exploded with 28 points and 10 rebounds to propel the Magic to an impressive victory. The hosts looked the better team right from the start. They accounted for 37 points in the opening stanza and piled up an 18-point advantage. CSKA managed to slow their opponents down in the second term but scored just 10 points themselves. Orlando rolled to a 52:29 lead at halftime. Orlando never loosened the grip after the long break. Hidayet Turkoglu (6'9''-F-79) and Rashard Lewis (6'10''-F-79) paced the Magic as they stretched the margin to as many as 23 points before the fourth stanza. The hosts breezed to the victory in the final stanza. Hidayet Turkoglu provided 16 points for Olrando. Rashard Lewis added 15 points, while Brian Cook knocked down 7 for the winners. Terence Morris (6'9''-F-79, college: Maryland) replied with 16 points and 7 rebounds for CSKA. Trajan Langdon (6'4''-G-76, college: Duke) chipped in 12 points in the loss. CSKA outrebounded their opponents 39:37 but committed 22 turnovers and shot 40% from the field.
CSKA will next take on the Toronto Raptors on October 14.

Orlando: Dwight Howard 28+10 boards, Hidayet Turkoglu 16, Rashard Lewis 15
CSKA: Terence Morris 16, Trajan Langdon 12

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


Partizan wins in Vrsac, FMP beats Vojvodina - by Dragan Jankovski
Hemofarm STADA - Partizan Igokea 73-74
(27:13, 19:22, 8:22, 19:17)

Last season's triple finalists met today in Vrsac and as it was in 07/08 Partizan Igokea once again celebrated. These two teams battled for three titles last season: Serbian championship, National Cup and Adriatic league. Black-and-whites won today thanks to Novica Velickovic (205-F-86) but also center Zarko Rakocevic (205-F-84) and Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket), which were focused at the very end. It was a game with two totally different half times. The first belonged to Hemofarm 46-35. Triple-crown holder smashed the orange team in third quarter 8-22. Velickovic, Cedomir Vitkovac (201-F-82) and Milenko Tepic shined in this period. Hemofarm succeeded to equalize the score at the middle of the last period. After two FTs by Serbian hot prospect Boban Marjanovic it was 61-61. Very quick Partizan made 9-2 run but Hemofarm once again answered in style. After 3-pointer by Stefan Markovic (194-G-88) the score was 73-74 with less than a minute to go. Actually Hemofarm had the last chance but Slovenian guard Nebojsa Joksimovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) missed it at the very end.
Novica Velickovic, who demonstrated wonderful performance in jersey of Team Serbia this summer, led Partizan scoring 20 points. Gabonese Stephane Lasme (203-F-82, college: Massachusetts) and Milenko Tepic followed him adding 13 points apiece. Stefan Markovic was better than the others in Hemofarm collecting 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. PG Miljan Pavkovic (178-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) had 11 points while Milivoje Bozovic (210-C/F-85, agency: Beo Basket) added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Partizan is undefeated after three rounds while Hemofarm is on 2-1.

Hemofarm STADA: Stefan Markovic 17 (7 rebs, 5 st), Miljan Pavkovic 11, Milivoje Bozovic (210-C/F-85, agency: Beo Basket) 10 (10 rebs)
Partizan Igokea: Novica Velickovic 20 (5 rebs), Stephane Lasme 13 (5 rebs), Milenko Tepic 13 (4 rebs)
---


FMP - Vojvodina Srbijagas 99-90
(23:30, 16:8, 24:23, 23:25, 13:4)

In the other Serbian derby FMP was better than Vojvodina Srbijagas in over time. Panthers ended these extra five minutes in style 13-4. Tandem of big guys Dragan Labovic (207-C/F-87) - Miroslav Raduljica (213-C-88, agency: CAA Sports) added 51 poinst and 20 rebounds together for FMP. Filip Covic (180-G-89) also was good with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Goran Bajic (207-C-83) shined in Vojvodina scoring 20 points and grabbing 6 boards. Marko Pekovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) and Dejan Borovnjak (208-F-86) netted 16 points each. It is the first win for FMP while Vovodina has 1-2.

FMP: Dragan Labovic 29 (9 rebs), Miroslav Raduljica 22 (11 rebs), Filip Covic 21 (5 rebs)
Vojvodina: Goran Bajic 20 (6 rebs), Marko Pekovic 16 (4 rebs, 6 as), Dejan Borovnjak 16 (6 rebs)

A league: Masinac beats Radnicki 034 in round 3 opener - by Dragan Jankovski
Masinac Kraljevo registered second victory in A league. This time its rival was Radnicki 034 Group, which players went to Kraljevo little bit tired due to last game of Balkan league on Wednesday. As a reminder, Radnicki suffered home defeat against Mac-champion Feni Industri.
Anyway, Masinac took this one 80-72 mostly owing to nice played last quarter as well as big guy Uros Mirkovic (205-F/C-82, agency: Beo Basket). Visitors had much better beginning. Ivan Milosevic (192-G-78) of Radnicki drained 5 triples during the first ten minutes leading his team to 22-27. Very soon Uros Mirkovic warmed up cutting the margin on just 1 point until the half time, 35-36. During the following ten minutes the hosts controlled rhythm of the game. Mirkovic still dominated while Bojan Popovic (195-G-86) and Slaven Cupkovic (205-F-88) also were good. On the other side Ivan Milosevic totally stopped after impressive first quarter. The hosts scored 4 triples in just few minutes at the middle of the last frame creating comfortable lead and resolving question about the winner.
Current MVP of A league Uros Mirkovic drained 28 points in total missing only one board for double-double. Bojan Popovic had 13 while Slaven Cupkovic helped his team adding 11 points and 4 rebounds. Ivan Milosevic top-scored in Radnicki with 22 poins, only five after opening quarter. Uros Duvnjak (190-G-86) followed with 14 points and 4 rebounds.


Masinac - Radnicki 034 Group 80-72
(22-27, 13-9, 17-13, 28-23)

Masinac: Mirkovic 28 (9 rebs), Popovic 13, Cupkovic 11 (4 rebs), Tutus 10 (7 rebs)
Radnicki 034: Milosevic 22, Duvnjak 14 (4 rebs), Draskovic 8 (9 rebs)

Crvena Zvezda handles Union Olimpija in Belgrade - by Dragan Jankovski
Crvena Zvezda remains perfect after three rounds in Adriatic league. This time the players of head coach Svetislav Pesic outsmarted Slovenian champion Union Olimpija in Pionir 84-77. Slovenians opened the game better. After few minutes they suceeded to make 8-13. Crvena Zvezda responded quickly and after triple by Marko Marinovic (183-G-83) took 2-point lead after first quarter. At the middle of the second stanza Leroy Andre Owens (192-G-80, college: Houston) and Boris Bakic (195-G-86, agency: Beo Basket) netted two consecutive 3-pointers extending Zvezda's lead on 10 points, 31-21. Head coach of Union Olimpija, Aleksandar Dzikic, faced with another problem. Namely, each of two big guys Vladimir Golubovic (212-C-86) and Mirza Begic (218-C-85) committed 3 personal fouls. However, young Mirza Sarajlija (185-G-91) shined for Olimpija and together with Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) and Marko Milic (199-G-77) in just couple of minutes made a turn. Thus the first half belonged to Olimpija 40-42. Zvezda was a way better in the finish of third quarter when Leroy Andre Owens, together with Elmedin Kikanovic (206-C-88, agency: Beo Basket), Boris Bakic and Marko Marinovic, made few baskets for plus 7, 65-58. It was not the end of story as Olimpija managed to tie the score in 35th minute, after triple by Miha Zupan (206-F/C-82, agency: Interperformances), 71-71. Game is decided in the last minute and a half, when Marinovic and Owens made 7-0 run for 84-75.
Leroy Andre Owens was the top scorer of this game with 24 points. Marko Marinovic was behind him netting 18 points and dishing out 6 assists. Slovenian champion got 18 points from Miha Zupan as well as from Marko Milic. Zupan had 5 rebounds more while Milic had one less. Macedonian PG Vlado Ilievski stopped on 13 points and 9 assists. Union Olimpija remains on one win so far.

Crvena Zvezda- Union Olimpija 84-77
(20:18, 20:24, 25:16, 19:19)

Crvena Zvezda: Leroy Andre Owens 24, Marko Marinovic 18 (6 as)
Union Olimpija: Miha Zupan 18 (5 rebs), Marko Milic 18 (4 rebs), Vlado Ilievski 13 (9 as)

*****************************************************
  SLOVENIA   


Olimpija losses in Belgrade while Krka wins in Domzale - by Eurobasket News
Crvena Zvezda- Union Olimpija 84-77
Crvena Zvezda remains perfect after three rounds in Adriatic league. This time the players of head coach Svetislav Pesic outsmarted Slovenian champion Union Olimpija in Pionir. Slovenians opened the game better. After few minutes they suceeded to make 8-13. Crvena Zvezda responded quickly and thanks to triple by Marko Marinovic (183-G-83) took 2-point lead after first quarter. At the middle of the second stanza Leroy Andre Owens (192-G-80, college: Houston) and Boris Bakic (195-G-86, agency: Beo Basket) netted two consecutive 3-pointers extending Zvezda's lead on 10 points, 31-21. Head coach of Union Olimpija, Aleksandar Dzikic, faced with another problem. Namely, each of two big guys Vladimir Golubovic (212-C-86) and Mirza Begic (218-C-85) committed 3 personal fouls. However, young Mirza Sarajlija (185-G-91) shined for Olimpija and together with Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) and Marko Milic (199-G-77) in just couple of minutes made a turn. Thus the first half belonged to Olimpija 40-42. Zvezda was a way better in the finish of third quarter when Leroy Andre Owens, together with Elmedin Kikanovic (206-C-88, agency: Beo Basket), Boris Bakic and Marko Marinovic, made few baskets for plus 7, 65-58. It was not the end of story as Olimpija managed to tie the score in 35th minute, after triple by Miha Zupan (206-F/C-82, agency: Interperformances), 71-71. Game is decided in the last minute and a half, when Marinovic and Owens made 7-0 run for 84-75.
Leroy Andre Owens was the top scorer of this game with 24 points. Marko Marinovic was behind him netting 18 points and dishing out 6 assists. Slovenian champion got 18 points from Miha Zupan as well as from Marko Milic. Zupan had 5 rebounds more while Milic had one less. Macedonian PG Vlado Ilievski stopped on 13 points and 9 assists. Union Olimpija remains on one win so far.

Crvena Zvezda: Leroy Andre Owens 24, Marko Marinovic 18 (6 as)
Union Olimpija: Miha Zupan 18 (5 rebs), Marko Milic 18 (4 rebs), Vlado Ilievski 13 (9 as)



Helios Domzale - Krka 56-75
Krka recorded the first win in Adriatic league 08/09. After two defeats at the beginning against Crvena Zvezda and Partizan Belgrade, players of head coach Ivan Sunara shined in Domzale. Experienced Davor Marcelic (200-F/G-69, college: S.Utah) and American Richard Shields (193-G-82, college: Rutgers) were the key players of Krka in this game.
Everything started good for the visitors. They scored 22 points in the first frame while Helios had just 14. Krka's joy didn't last long as Helios started to play much better. Vjekoslav Petrovic (193-G/F-81) and Nicholas Jacobson (194-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Utah) led their team to 26 points in the second quarter while Krka stopped on 16. It means that the host had 2-point lead at the half time. Third quarter was the low-scoring one as both teams netted 20 points together. However, Davor Marcelic and his teammates totally trashed Helios during the last 10 minutes letting them to score just 9 points. On the other side Krka drained 24 celebrating more than comfortable victory. Veteran Davor Marcelic paced Krka to win adding 18 points and 6 boards. Richard Shields was behind him with 15 points and 4 assists. Vjekoslav Petrovic had 13 points and 7 rebounds for the hosts. Helios remains winless after 3 rounds.

Helios Domzale: Vjekoslav Petrovic 13+7 boards, Nicholas Jacobson 10
Krka: Davor Marcelic 18+6 boards, Richard Shields 15+4 as, Simon Petrov (191-G-76) 10

Liga UPC Round: 2 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Epic Misel - Zlatorog 59-98
Zlatorog Lasko demonstrated its power against Epic Misel Postojna staying perfect after two rounds in Liga UPC. Ante Masic and Uros Lucic drained 19 points each for the winners. On the other side, Postojna got 15 points from Tilen Zalar but it needed a way more in order to grab the first victory.

Luka Koper - Alpos S. 79-64
Luka Koper had an easy job at home improving to 2-0. Drazen Bubnic, Ales Kunc and Denis Toroman had 12 points each for the hosts. Luka Lapornik added 19 points and 6 rebounds in Alpos Sentjur but it will have to wait for another chance in order to win the first this season.

TCG Mercator - Zagorje 76-58
Both teams entered into this game with 0-1. TCG Mercator had couple of players in a game mood but the best one for sure was Leko Nicaj, who delivered 21 points and grabbed 6 boards for 25 minutes. Gill Goodrich was better than the others in Zagorje with 12 points and 7 rebounds.

Nova Gorica - Polzela 69-82
Another team with perfect score after two rounds is Hopsi Polzela. Also CPG Nova Gorica became one more winless team in Liga UPC. Clutch player of the game with 27 points and 9 rebounds was Shawn King. Except of him, Polzela had only Uros Godler with more than 10 in this game. Marko Marcetic registered 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the loosing side.

Slovan - Elektra 81-72
Slovan made it at home against Elektra thus both teams have 1-1 now. Marko Lekic was the best in Slovan with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Ivanovic Nikola shined for Elektra scoring 27 points.

Helios - Krka 56-75
Second win for Krka and first defeat for Helios. Veteran Davor Marcelic paced Krka to win adding 18 points and 4 boards. Richard Shields was behind him with 15 points and 5 assists. Vjekoslav Petrovic had 13 points and 6 rebounds for the hosts.



Slovenes in NBA - by Jan Flac
In the season 2008/2009 Slovenia will have four representatives in NBA. In the preseason period three of them shoved they may be a very impoortant part of their team. Dragic alredy played three games for Phoenix Suns and scored 5 points in average and spent 22 minutes on the court on average. Nesterovic played one game for Indiana Pacers and scored 4 points in 16 minutes, while Udrih scored 8 points in 20 minutes in one game for Sacramento Kings. Sasha Vujacic is injured and did not play any preseason game yet. Source: kosarka.si

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  TAIWAN   


2008-09 HBL season set to begin - by Chris Wang
2008-09 high school basketball season is set to begin next Monday with 22 men's teams and 13 women's teams battling for the bragging rights of Taiwan high school ball. All eyes will be on Nanshan High School and Haishan High School, the defending men's and women's champions.

'Shan' means 'mountain' in Chinese. In the past years, Nanshan and Haishan have become two mountains that are difficult for their opponents to conquer, with Haishan winning three straight women's finals and Nanshan taking home two men's titles.

The new season will start with the Northern Division preliminaries, which will be played in Nanhu High School in Taipei from Oct. 13-19. Eleven of 15 teams in the division advance to the second round. Five of the seven teams in the Southern Division advance to the second round after a preliminiary round in Fengshan Vocational High School from Oct. 15-18 in southern Taiwan.

The 16-team men's second round will start Dec. 25 in Banciao, Taipei. Women's preliminary round will start on the same day and conclude on the final day of the year. Organizers decided to push back the women's schedule because Taiwan will be sending its national team to the Asian U-18 Women's Championship in Indonesia in Novermeber.

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  UKRAINE   


Superleague Round: 2 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
BC Donetsk - Azovmash 69-76
Azovmash and BC Donetsk showed both great game as the favorites cruised with 76:69 away from home. El-Amin Khalid led the winners with 21 points for 2-0 record. Thompson Dijon netted 15, while Salyers Marc scored 11. Tucker P.J. top-scored for the hosts with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Pulsar - Poltava 97-61
Pulsar won the initial game sending Poltava to 0-2 record after 97:61. Dubnyuk Anatoli paced the winners with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Ulyanko Pavel scored 16 for the win, whilst Guinn had 16 in defeat.

Mykolaiv - BC Kyiv 68-104
BC Kyiv stormed past Mykolaiv 68:104 in a road game. Bajramovic Kenan paced all the winners with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Markoishvili Manuchar netted 17, while Hilevych Ivan top-scored in defeat with 19 points.

Khimik - Sumykhimpr. 98-78
Khimik desired to score 100 but enjoyed 98:78 win over Sumykhimprom. Famutimi Olu collected 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Greene Brian ended up with 29 points in defeat.

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  UNITED KINGDOM   


Friday 10th October 2008 - by Andy Webb
The Newcastle Eagles are the early pacesetters in the BBL Championship table after maintaining their 100% start to the season with an 81-87 victory over the Marshall MK Lions at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Friday evening. Andrew Bridge (193-F-79) was the star man for the Eagles with 22 points for the eventual victors, but it was Eagles' Trey Moore (192-G-75, college: Mississippi St.) who held his nerve from the foul-line to make 4 from 4 in the final 30 seconds of the game which sealed the victory for Fabulous Flournoy side.

Sheffield Sharks bounced back from losing their opening game of the season with a comfortable 109- 78 victory over BiG Storage Cheshire Jets at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday evening. The Sharks were never really troubled by the Cheshire side as Matt Gorman and Chris Sanders (202-F-82, college: Master's) put on a dominant performance with a combined 40 points and 25 rebounds between them to help Atiba Lyons (198-F-82, college: Pace) to his first victory as Sharks Head Coach.

In the other game from Friday night, the Everton Tigers kept up their 100% start to the season as well with a comfortable 107-69 victory over strugglers PAWS London Capital at the Greenbank Academy. Andre Smith (203-F-85, college: N.Dakota St.) was in fine form for the Tigers as he netted 33 points for the home side in the victory.

BBL Championship
Everton Tigers 107 (26,53,81) (Smith 33, Jones, 14, Bailey 13)
PAWS London Capital 69 (19,33,52) (Knight 15, Mills 13, Popoola 12)

Everton Tigers maintained their 100% start to their BBL Championship campaign thanks to a 107-69 victory over the PAWS London Capital at the Greenbank Academy on Friday night. Both sides traded baskets in the opening exchanges, but it was the Tigers who ended the first period on top 26-19. The second quarter saw the home side open up with an 8-2 burst to take the score out to 33-21. The Tigers broke the game open with a 15-4 tear midway through the second quarter to take the score out to 48- 25. The home side held onto their lead at 53-33 going in at the half. The third period saw the Tigers extend their lead further thanks to an 11-1 start to the period to take the score out to 64-34. The visitors attempted to fight their way back into the game, and enjoyed a 12-4 burst of their own to cut the deficit to fourteen points at 78-52. A James Jones three- pointer on the buzzer saw the Tigers take an 81-52 lead into the final stanza. The final period saw the Tigers stamp their authority on the game still further with an 11-3 run to take the score out to 96-60. Despite a valiant effort by the visitors, a further 11-3 run by the Tigers gave them their biggest lead of the game at 107-67 as they ran out comfortable victors. Andre Smith led all scorers in the game with a personal tally of 33 points for the Tigers, while Marcus Knight led the Capital scoring with 15.

BBL Championship
Marshall MK Lions 81 (13,33,63) (McNally 17, Brown 16, Williams 13)
Newcastle Eagles 87 (20,42,65) (Bridge 22, Moore 17, Stewart 16)

Newcastle Eagles sit proudly at the top of the BBL Championship table with 3 wins from 3 games as they defeated the Marshall MK Lions 81-87 at the Bletchley Leisure Centre on Friday night. A 6-0 start for the Lions was immediately followed by a 10-0 response from the Eagles to give them an early 6-10 advantage. Both sides traded baskets throughout much of the remaining opening two quarters, but it was the visitors who went into the locker rooms much the happier side leading 33-40 at the half. The second half saw the Lions explode out of the blocks, and a 10-2 start to the third period gave them a slender 43-42 lead. It remained close for the rest of the quarter with the lead changing hands on a number of different occasions, but it was again the Eagles who were slightly the happier side as they lead 63-65 going into the final stanza. In the final period, Carl McNally tied the game immediately at 65- 65 before a 7-2 burst by the Eagles gave them a 67- 72 lead. Five points from McNally tied the game again at 72-72 before an 11-5 Eagles tear gave the visitors a 77-83 advantage going into the closing stages. Yorick Williams and McNally got the Lions to within two points at 81-83 with 30 seconds remaining, but Trey Moore secured the victory from the Eagles netting four consecutive free-throws down the stretch to give the visitors the 'W'. McNally led the Lions scoring with 17 points, but it was Andrew Bridge who led all scorers in the game with 22 points for the Eagles.

BBL Championship
Sheffield Sharks 109 (34,54,83) (Gorman 22, Sanders 18, Whyte 17)
BiG Storage Cheshire Jets 78 (19,32,54) (Marks 21, Myers 17, Virgil/Stegall 11)

Sheffield Sharks picked up their first victory of the season thanks to a convincing 109-78 defeat of the early pacesetters in the BBL Championship BiG Storage Cheshire Jets at the EIS, Sheffield on Friday evening. In a game that the Sharks dominated from start to finish, the home side bounced out to an early 22-12 lead off the back of a 9-4 run midway through the opening period. The Jets trimmed the deficit back to ten points at 34-24 with a 5-0 burst at the start of the second quarter, but the Sharks broke the game open with a 13-0 tear of their own to take the score out to 47-24. The Sharks held onto their comfortable lead as they went into the locker rooms leading 54-32 at the half. The second half saw the visitors try to get themselves back into the game and an 8-3 burst got the score back to 57-40. The Sharks got their outside shooting game going towards the end of the period, and a trio of three-pointers from Perry Lawson, Joel Burns and James Whyte gave the Sharks an 83-54 lead going into the final stanza. In the final period, the Sharks kept control of the game, and enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 97-63. Despite a valiant effort to close the deficit by the Jets, the home side held on for the comfortable victory. Matt Gorman led all scorers in the game netting 22 points for the Sharks, while Chez Marks led the Jets scoring with 21 points personal.

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  URUGUAY   


Atenas beat Bigua, the last champions - by Hector Lopez
Atenas, the current leaders, defeated Bigua, the last champions, 84-82 for the 14th round of the Uruguayan League. The results for all the games were as follow:
Atenas 84 - Gustavo Barrera (194-G-85) 26 points, Marques Lewis (203-F-83, college: UAB) 6 points and 4 rebounds, Darryl Dora (206-F-85, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Texas Tech) 2 and 2
Bigua 82 - Leandro Garcia Morales (186-G-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Texas A&M) 20 points, Kevin Young (206-C-84, college: Missouri) 14 and 12, Duke Freeman-McKamey (208-F-80, college: Fordham) 9 and 7
- -
Defensor Sporting 75 - Chris Jackson (208-C-81, college: N.Mexico St.) 22 and 14, Brian Woodward (191-G-81, agency: Passing Lane, college: Rhode Island) 17 and 2
Malvin 74 Jarrett Stephens (200-F/C-77, agency: Duran International, college: Penn St.) 19 and 8, Anthony Washington (206-F/C-83, agency: Duran International, college: Portland St.) 11 and 7
- -
Bohemios 92 - Gilsinho 14 and 6, Albert Burditt (203-F-72, college: Texas) 9 and 6
Paysandu 85 - Austin Montgomery (196-G, college: Bowling Green) 14 and 3, Rob Summers (213-C-84, college: W.Virginia) 5 and 4
- - -
Olimpia 86 - Greg Dilligard (203-F-85, agency: Warren Sports International) 19 and 7, Reque Newsome (203-C-82, college: S.Indiana) 10 and 5
Union Atletica 58 - Tarrie Monroe (202-F-77, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Lewis) 10 and 6, Juan Bautista Araujo (206-F/C-83) 4 and 2
- - -
Trouville 71 - Ollie Bailey (201-F-85, college: Oklahoma City) 28 and 14, Levi Stukes (188-G-84) 6 and 4
Welcome 63 - JR Morris (196-G-82, college: Seton Hall) 24 and 6, Brad Kanis (218-C-84) 10 and 12
- --
Tabare 85 - Ryan Blankson (198-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Loyola, IL) 19 and 12, Clarence Matthews (201-F-82, agency: 22ft, college: Tennessee St.) 10 and 3
Sayago 74 - Howard Wilkerson (198-F-84, college: Wofford) 15 and 10, Brandon Hassell (209-F-86, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Penn St.) 9 and 3
- - -
Hebraica 90 - Angelo Reyes 38 and 21, Roland Roberts 2 and 4
Cordon 84 - Andrew Washington (191-G-84, agency: Promotex, college: Delaware) 29 and 1, Chris Sockwell (203-F/C-80, college: St.Francis,NY) 14 and 3- - -

Standings - LUB
LUB Standings
 1. Atenas 12-2 
 2. Defensor 10-4 
 3. Hebraica 9-5 
 4. Olimpia 9-5 
 5. Tabare 9-5 
 6. Bigua 8-6 
 7. Malvin 8-6 
 8. Bohemios 6-7 
 9. Trouville 6-7 
 10. Paysandu 5-9 
 11. Sayago 4-9 
 12. Un.Atletica 4-10 
 13. Welcome 3-11 
 14. Cordon 3-11 




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Women News

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  CZECH REPUBLIC - Women  


Stats Leaders - Women
ZBL Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1. Hariss Rebecca 23.50
2. Maltsi Evanthia 22.00
3. Horakova Hana 18.50
4. Ferancikova 18.25
5. Misurova Darina 17.00
Rebounds Per Game
1. Reisingerova 9.33
2. Le Drean 8.50
3. Feranckova 8.25
4. Matic Ivanika 8.25
5. Svobodova 8.00
Assists Per Game
1. Zirkova Zuzana 4.50
2. Nezdarilova 4.00
3. Bartonova 3.50
4. Emmelova 3.50
5. Whalen Lindsay 3.50
3FGP
1. Hartigova 100.0
2. Morka 100.0
3. Vteckova Eva 75.0


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  FINLAND - Women  


Standings - Women
D1 Standings
 1. FoA 2-0 
 2. Huima 2-0 
 3. S-Hameen. 1-0 
 4. Espoo Team 1-1 
 5. Catz 1-1 
 6. PeKa 1-1 
 7. PuHu 0-1 
 8. BC Nokia 0-2 
 9. HoNsU 0-2 


SM-SARJA: Huima defeated PeKa 68-42 - by Rauno Hurmalainen

SM-sarja, Round 2: Huima (Aanekoski) almost crushed defending Finnish Champion PeKa from Kotka today. Huima took care of the rbs (50-39) and
made the escape by winning the third quarter 22-2! PeKa scored two pts in 10 minutes. At the end the difference was 26 pts: 68-42 (34-30). PeKa's
shooting % was poor: 2 - 27,8%, 3 - 15,4%. Huima was led by Erneisha Bailey (175-G-86) (19 pts). Carrie Bacon (182-F-80, college: Wyoming) added 14 pts. PeKa had only two players in double figures: Dionne Pounds (174-F-84, college: Lamar) (13) and Shanika Freeman (183-F/C-83, college: Jacksonville St.) (12 pts/14 rbs).
Jymy (Orimattila) using the sponsor's name Team S-Hameenmaa played today the first game on top level ever. And did it well enough to win vs BC Nokia 87-75.

Home Team's Jazz Covington (185-F-85, college: Louisville) was the game MVP. Covington netted 28 pts and grabbed 20 boards. Aino Tuomi (165-G-90) added 18 pts. Kristin Higy (185-F-85) led BC Nokia with 26 pts.

Catz (Lappeenranta) won over Espoo Team 73-63 and Alku (Forssa) is still undefeated. This time FoA beat HoNsU (Jyvaskyla) 81-70.

Huima - PeKa 68-42 (34-30) (Erneisha Bailey 19, Carrie Bacon 14, Kenya Robinson 12/14 - Dionne Pounds 13, Shanika Freeman 12/14).

Catz - Espoo Team 73-63 (40-30) (Joi Scott 17, Yelena Solovyeva 16/18, Rene Haynes 13 - Ashley Haynes 22/12, Henna Salomaa 13, Whitney Allen 11).

S-Hameenmaa - BC Nokia 87-75 (45-35) (Jazz Covington 28/20, Aino Tuomi 18, Kieraah Marlow 13 - Kristin Higy 26, Calisha Yates 16, Tiia Huuhka 13).

FoA - HoNsU 81-70 (45-25) (Alexia Castro 15, Tonique Frasier 13, Juta Jahilo 13 - Raquel Collier 23/14, Amanda Decoud 19).




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  LATVIA - Women  


Stats Leaders - Women
LSBL Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Ieva Vitola Turiba 20.0
2 Niedola Liepajas 19.0
3 Troina TTT Riga 18.0
4 Steinberga Jun 17.5
5 Kublina TTT Riga 17.3
Rebounds Per Game
1 Steinberga Jun 14.5
2 Vitola Turiba 13.0
3 Veinberga Turiba 12.0
4 Niedola Liepajas 11.0
5 Vitola SK "Riga" 11.0
Assists Per Game
1 Burian TTT Riga 5.3
2 Troina TTT Riga 4.7
3 Sarja Juniores 4.0
4 Strikasa RTU 4.0
5 Priede Juniores 3.5
Steals Per Game
1 Troina TTT Riga 4.3
2 Krumberga TT Riga 4.3
3 Jevsejeva DU 3.0
Blocks Per Game
1 Borodavko DU 2.5
2 Kublina TTT Riga 1.7
3 Surkusa Juniores 1.5


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  POLAND - Women  


PLKK Round: 7 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Duda Leszno - Lotos PKO BP 53-84
Duda Leszno lost to Lotos 53:84 with 6-22 in the start. Beard led the winners with 17 points to 5-1 record. Leciejewska netted 15, while Jujka scored 13. Curry top-scored in defeat with 18 points.

Cukierki - CCC 53-91
CCC celebrated the win over Odra 53:91 away from home. Carter ended up with 19 poins and Jeziorna netted 17 for the winners.Tulikihihifo produced 14 points for the home side.

MUKS Pozn. - LKS 53-48
MUKS defeated LKS Lodz 53:48 trailing 8-14 after the opening quarter. Semmler posted 19 points to lead all the winners. Perlinska top-scored with 20 points in the losing effort.

Utex Row - AZS Gorzow 80-82
AZS Gorzow remained undefeated even after a battle over Rybnik 82:80. Taylor finished the night with 22 points and Breitreiner had 20 for the winners. Perkins was the best in the losing effort with 23 points.

PTK Pabian. - Wisla Can-Pak 56-75
PTK Pabianice lost to the favorite Wisla 56:75. The latter improved to 5-1 record as Kobryn top-scored with 17 points. Szemraj resisted with 14 points for the home side.



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  RUSSIA - Women  


Saturday rich for 5 games - by Eurobasket News
Saturday wrote down the history for five games in the start for the majority of the Superleague teams. The day brought some easy wins, but Kursk and Orenburg enjoyed the games until the last minutes.
Orenburg beat Dynamo Moscow in a key game of the first round. An updated roster of Dynamo in comparison with the previous year did not work well from the start. Orenburg opened the game with 21-17 in the opening quarter, but the Dynamo managed to win the second. The hosts held the guests to 20 points in the third and the last periods, while they produced 26 and 23 respectively. Orenburg wins the opener and proves the ambitions for the upcoming season. Olga Ovcharenko (184-F-79) led the winners with 20 points and 3 rebounds. Tamane had 18 and Verameyenka collected 17 points and 16 rebounds. Belinda Snell (182-F-81) resisted for the visitors with 28 points.
Chevakata stole a victory from Dynamo Kursk 67:76. The hosts of the game controlled the match until the last period when they fell at 5-19. Tatiana Bokareva (191-C-86) top-scored in the game with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Evgenia Belyakova (182-G-86) netted 18 and Volkova posted 12. Bell and Varvara Psareva (195-C-85) ended up with 12 points apiece in the losing effort.
In another games the defending champions Spartak Moscow Region overcame Dynamo N 55:79 away from home. CSKA thrashed Spartak St. Petersburg 94:41, while UMMC destroyed Slavyanka 106:60.

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  TAIWAN - Women  


2008-09 HBL season set to begin - by Chris Wang
2008-09 high school basketball season is set to begin next Monday with 22 men's teams and 13 women's teams battling for the bragging rights of Taiwan high school ball. All eyes will be on Nanshan High School and Haishan High School, the defending men's and women's champions.

'Shan' means 'mountain' in Chinese. In the past years, Nanshan and Haishan have become two mountains that are difficult for their opponents to conquer, with Haishan winning three straight women's finals and Nanshan taking home two men's titles.

The new season will start with the Northern Division preliminaries, which will be played in Nanhu High School in Taipei from Oct. 13-19. Eleven of 15 teams in the division advance to the second round. Five of the seven teams in the Southern Division advance to the second round after a preliminiary round in Fengshan Vocational High School from Oct. 15-18 in southern Taiwan.

The 16-team men's second round will start Dec. 25 in Banciao, Taipei. Women's preliminary round will start on the same day and conclude on the final day of the year. Organizers decided to push back the women's schedule because Taiwan will be sending its national team to the Asian U-18 Women's Championship in Indonesia in Novermeber.