Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 10/15/2008

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Men News

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ARGENTINA

first transactions - by Facundo Iatzky
After two weeks of competition some teams have not got the performance they expected. For this reason, El Nacional Monte Hermoso released Donzell Rush who just played 4 games with 7.6 pts and 3 reb, and signed James Moore (203-C-82, agency: Duran International, college: N.Mexico St.), recently released by Quimsa (5.5 pts 5.5 reb)
Quimsa decided replace Moore with DeMarco Johnson (204-F-75, agency: Megasport, college: Charlotte), a former NBA. They are also looking for a replacement for Victor Cajal, this could be Diego Gerbaudo.

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AUSTRALIA

Henry stoked with Kendall signing - by Eurobasket News
Perth Wildcats coach Conner Henry is thrilled by signing Luke Kendall (193-G-81, college: Metro St.) as he tries to get his team healthy and over a run of poor last quarters.

The Wildcats beat the Melbourne Tigers in Melbourne last week in impressive fashion, but then suffered final quarter fadeouts in Wollongong and Sydney to go down to the Hawks and Spirit and be sitting at 3-5.

That, combined with Paul Rogers' indefinite absence with a knee problem, Brad Robbins injury issues, Peter Crawford missing the last two games and Adam Caporn also suffering a knee injury, means Kendall's signature has come at a good time for Henry.

The Wildcats have been struggling at handling the ball and getting it to the right spots at crucial times and that is one of a host of areas Henry is confident Kendall can help in.

'We've spoken to him quite a lot over the last month and a half on his conditioning and what he's doing and have heard good reports from (Kendall's mentor) Billy Tomlinson,' Henry said on Tuesday.

'He told me Luke was ready to go and we are excited to have him. He will add toughness, balance and will be a good addition.'

'He will play tomorrow night. He won't start because he doesnt know our stuff system-wise but he will suit up.'

'He is familiar with some of the stuff we run, so it won't take him long and we will get him into the game at some point tomorrow to give him a go.'

'We've had an opportunity to now get a high-level starting-type player and with our injuries at the moment, it's a natural fit. We have a good side but just havent been able to close out four quarters and I think Luke can bring some balance and leadership when we need to grind out wins in the fourth.'

Don't expect Henry to make excuses for those disappointing losses either as all he is focused on is getting his team putting in better fourth quarter performances and being an improved team on the road.

The Cats have now have just one win on the road this season and after hosting Wollongong on Wednesday night, heads on another road run against the Townsville Crocodiles (Friday), Adelaide 36ers (October 25) and New Zealand Breakers (October 30).

'We could make excuses but the bottom line is we werent a good road club last year and it's my job to get them playing a certain way on the road, and to grind out wins in the fourth quarter,' Henry said.

'We had Wollongong right where we wanted it and the same with the Spirit, but we did not find a way to win.'

As for the injuries, Rogers might not return until early next year due to his knee, Robbins is still a couple of weeks away but Crawford could line up against the Hawks.

'My gut tells me he (Rogers) will play this year. Paul is feeling as mentally fresh and bouncy as possible and has finally started to do a little bit physically. The knee is still tender but it is definitely getting better. I expect Brad back quite soon, but until he can do three or four full hit outs I won't bring him back,' he said.

'There's no reason to bring anyone back too soon and try to manage them on a day-to-day basis. When guys are healthy and 100 per cent, we will bring them back but not until then.'

Courtesy of http://sportal.com.au

Darnell Mee named 'Player of the Week' for round four - by Eurobasket News
The National Basketball League has named Cairns Taipans star Darnell Mee (197-G-72, college: W.Kentucky) as the Player of the Week for Round Four after leading his team to a tough road win over the ladder-leading New Zealand Breakers.

Mee led the team by scoring 26 points, 16 of which were made in the second half, as well as adding seven assists, five rebounds and two steals as the Taipans scored a 122-111 victory over the New Zealand Breakers at the North Shore Events Centre on Thursday night.

Mee was an integral part of the Taipans surge in the third quarter, as he racked up points in quick order including making eight consecutive free throws.

The naturalised Australian guard made an impressive 12-of-14 free throws for the game, and shot the ball at 50% from the field (6-of-12).

Wollongong Hawks duo Dusty Rychart and Glen Saville, along with Sydney Spirits David Gruber were also red-hot contenders for the NBLs weekly honour. Rychart had 18 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, one block, and one assist in his teams upset win over the Perth Wildcats. Rychart also made the game winning shot, a three-pointer that brought the crowd at the WIN Entertainment Centre to their feet.

Rycharts teammate Saville had 19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, one block, and four steals in the same game against the Wildcats.

Gruber meanwhile helped the Spirit to a pair of impressive wins for the round, over Gold Coast and Perth. He averaged 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in his two games this round.

Others in consideration for Player of the Week included Chris Anstey (Melbourne), Rob Grizzard (Melbourne), Shawn Redhage (Perth), Darnell Hinson (Perth), Peter Crawford (Perth), Dave Thomas (Cairns), Ian Crosswhite (Cairns), Rick Rickert (NZ), Liam Rush (Syd), Julian Khazzouh (Sydney), Derrick Low (Syd), Shane Heal (Gold Coast), James Harvey (Gold Coast), Luke Schenscher (Adelaide), and Adam Ballinger (Adelaide).

NBL Championship Player of the Week 2008/09
Round 1 Kirk Penney (New Zealand)
Round 2 Corey Williams (Townsville)
Round 3 Mark Worthington (South)
Round 4 Darnell Mee (Cairns)

Courtesy of http://www.nbl.com.au

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AUSTRIA

UBSC Graz - by Stefan Heinrich

Kollik

Soskic

The team out of the styrian captial finished on the last place in the new season but for this season their goals are higher. They brought back 2 Austrian players and they changed all of their Import players as well as the coach.

4 Felix Kubin (180-G-87)
5 Julian Mascoll (193-G-84)
6 Bryan Grier (196-F)
7 Paul Niederbichler (198-F-90)
8 Anton Maresch (-91)
9 Alexander Lanegger (192-G-86)
10 Dusan Virijevic (206-C-86)
11 Josip Petricevic (193-G-89)
12 Marvin Achatz (-86)
13 Christoph De Marinis (194-F-88)
14 Markus Galle (196-F-83)
15 Mladen Soskic (202-F-84)
16 Reinhard Lanegger (196-F-81)
17 David Posch
18 Christian Kollik (203-G/F-80)

Coach: Dejan Kreclovic

okoStadt Gussing Knights - by Stefan Heinrich

Chappell

Thomas

Ledoux

Knor

Unger

The okoStadt Gussing Knights had their most successful season in the history of the club in 2007/08 and they continue their way to develope young Austrian players into players that are able to take responsibility in the ABL. The didnt change much in the roster with only 2 new players.

4 Sebastian Koch (204-C-91)
5 Christoph Knor (195-F-85) (C)
6 Lukas Unger (192-G-86)
7 Wolfgang Trager (200-F-82)
8 Jermaine Thomas (187-G-84)
9 Manuel Jandrasits (183-G-87)
10 Thomas Klepeisz (180-G-91)
11 Matthias Klepeisz (189-G-89)
12 Marqus Ledoux (203-F-80)
13 Philipp Horvath (175-G-87)
14 Yao Schaefer (202-C-73)
15 Jason Chappell (208-F/C-83)
16 Christoph Astl

Coach: Gerald Volger
Ass. Coach: Laszlo Ori

Gmunden crushed Tartu Rock - by Stefan Heinrich
The Allianz Swans Gmunden celebrated 86:64 home vicotry over Tartu Rock from Estonia. Man of the match was Deteri Mayes (189-G-74, agency: Court Side, college: Murray St.) with 23 Points, 6 Rebounds and 2 Assits. The rematch will be play in Estonia on October 22 and the winner will face Crvena Zvezda Beograd in the second qualification round.

Gmunden: Mayes 23, Anthony Fisher (191-G-83)r 15+8 Ass, Mayer 14, Schoninger 9, Colwell 8+11 Reb, Hutter 8, Huffman 7, Palmer 2
Tartu: Giorgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) 18, Tanoka Beard (205-F/C-71, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Boise St.) 14, Sanikidze 12, Talts 9, Leppik 5, Doronin 4, Paade 2

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BALTIC LEAGUE

Rytas too strong for Kalev/Cramo - by Janar Filippov
The season's second visit to Estonia became almost as hard for Lietuvos Rytas as the first one, resulting with shocking loss at Tartu. This time Lithuanian powerhouse managed to blow out their first-half 19-point lead against BC Kalev/Cramo but could maintain the cool heads in last quarter and built up a firm victory 91:76.

Rytas dominated first 15 minutes as Lithuanian best clubs have used to dominate against Estonian teams. A 12:0 run in first quarter took them ahead 15:5 as Kalev/Cramo had 4 turnovers, already. The hosts came back to minus 5 but Rytas won first quarter 25:16. In 2nd, another 11:0 run made the numbers 40:21 and seemed that the game was as good as over.

The hosts finally found out the way to opposite basket and finished the quarter with a 9:0 run, ending the first half 37:45.

3rd quarter was like a dream for the hosts as they outscored Rytas 9:2 in first three minutes making the numbers 46:50. Two baskets from Justas Sinica held the guests ahead by 7, but Kalev made another 9:3 run during a single minute (!) and came within a single point - 59:60. Kristjan Kangur (202-F-82) had the chance to even the game from a charity line but he missed both shots and Rytas les 63:61 with a quarter to play.

4th quarter belonged to the guests. Lukauskis and Nielsen combined a 7;2 run in the opening minute. Two more baskets from Bjelica and with 6 minutes left, Rytas had a double-digit lead after a while. John Linehan (175-G-78, college: Providence) made a three-pointer but on the next attack he made an unsportmanlike foul and that became a crucial moment. Rytas went from plus 7 to plus 14 within two minutes and stayed uncatchable.

Matt Nielsen (208-F/C-78) led the winners with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79) added 16 points and 4 steals, shooting 4/6 for three. Gregor Arbet (194-F/G-83) nailed 5 three-pointers and finished with 21 points. John Linehan added 16 points. Kalev/Cramo were 10/30 for three, Rytas was 24/36 for two and 9/20 for three point shots. At the same time, Rytas was only 16/28 for free throws, incl. 1/7 from Marijonas Petravicius.

Tallinna Kalev edges Valga Welg 71:59 - by Eurobasket News
Tallinna Kalev -Valga Welg 71:59

Tallinna Kalev edges Valga Welg 71:59 in the only game scheduled this week in Challenge Cup. In a back-to-back game the hosts spurted 24-13 in the end to seal the outcome. Dorbeg led the winners with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Ivo Uibukant (197-F-80) netted 18, while Erki Kivinukk (199-F-73) scored 10. Antti Vasar (195-F-79) collected 15 points and 9 rebounds in defeat, while Veljo Vares (200-F/G-81) and Sven Kaldre added 12 each.
The guests went on an early lead and won the opening tip with 5-2. Later in the period Tallinna Kalev took a control of the game and produced 19:15 by the end of the first. Ivo Uibukant with a jump-shot made it 32:24 but then it was silence for the hosts side for a long time. Welg created a 9-0 run to take a lead at 33:32 as Vasar scored two from the field. Jermakov however gave Tallinna Kalev 36:33 finishing the first half of the game.
In the third period Kalev made five shots in a row, whereas Welg missed five in a row, letting hosts make a 14:0 run and take a lead 54:46. Anderson pulled his team back to 56:52 but Kalev made a crucial 13:0 run in last five minutes, taking advantage of opponents' five consecutive turnovers. Tallinna Kalev edged Valga Welg 71:59 and improved to 2-1 in the standings.

Tallinna Kalev: Dorbeg 20+7 rebs, Ivo Uibukant 18, Erki Kivinukk 10
Valga Welg: Antti Vasar 15 +9 rebs, Veljo Vares 12, Sven Kaldre 12

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BELGIUM

BRAZIL

BULGARIA

Benetton inks great Bulgarian kid Pavlin Ivanov - by Eurobasket News
Benetton Treviso announced signing of Bulgarian prospect Pavlin Ivanov (194-G-93, agency: Beo Basket) on a long-term contract. Young Ivanov arrives to Treviso from Bulgarian team Tiger Yambol, where he played for youth selections. He was a member of U16 Bulgarian National Team on European Championship division B in Sarajevo this summer leading it to Bronze medal. He appeared 9 times at this event averaging 15.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 1.9 apg. Unfortunately it was not enough for his team to reach the promotion for Division A. As a reminder, top two teams in Sarajevo were Germany and Montenegro. The Germans stopped Bulgaria in the semis 64-61 but in the battle for the Bronze Pavlin Ivanov and his young teammates beat Sweden 81-61.

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COLOMBIA

Crisis in Norte de Santander - by Victor Garcia
After a promising begining, 7 straight losses put on the edge Norte de Santander ticket to the semifinals.
The team that made the biggest moves in the preseason hiring a great coach like Julio Toro, and put togoether a very good group of Colombian players leaded by Edgar Moreno, is now falling in the standings.
The change of imports did not have a good effect, Tapipa Barrios had some good games but is not consistent enough, and the arrival of Delvin Thomas could help, but the problem looks to be the motivation of the players, in the friday game against Bucaros the defensive attitude was not according the challenger, to many open shots allowed, to many rebounds missed, and things like these let the image of a team without soul, yet Julio Toro is not coaching with the same pasion.
According unoficial sources the team is having a delay in the payments that may affect players motivation on the court, but the team manager Nury Smith in a statement to the media said that the team is updated in the payments to the players and coaches, Julio Toro offered his resignatio but was not accepted.
There are a big WHY in the air, but not answers yet, but in front of the eyes of the Basketball people, something should be happening beyond the court in Norte

Federation Cup, Octuber 10 day 21, results: - by Victor Garcia
Norte fall for the 8th straight game, this time Bucaros in Bucaramanga blasted Norte easily leaded by Cruz Salcedo, Norte look like a ghost in the harwood, Julio Toro team did execute the ofensive and did not play good defense, allowing Bucaros to hurt them from all the court, Delvin Thomas show good things but not enough to rise Nortes level, again Edgar Moreno was the best in Norte.
Bucaros 90 - C. Salcedo 21 pts
Norte 52 - E. Moreno 16 pts.

Arrieros fall against a surprising Patriotas in Tunja, Jorge Diaz with a buzzer beater three pointer give the victory to the Patriotas, for Arrieros was just the fourth lost and is still in the top of the standings, Arrieros played without Jermaine Walker who is the US looking for some family issues.
Patriotas Proactiva 66
Arrieros 65

Islanders continues as a hurricane in the Island and this time past over Piratas, the Piratas fight to keep the game alive but at the end the ofensive power of Islanders was too much, Flores lead Islanders and Camper Piratas.
Islanders Sopesa 97- A. Flores 23 Pts + 17 rebs
Piratas 91- V. Camper 29 pts.

Indervalle is closet he fourth place after defeat Ovni in Cali 92-75, the red team is playing its best basketball of the cup
Indervalle 92
Condores 75

Federation Cup 2008, Octuber 13 Day 23, results. - by Victor Garcia

Arrieros is close to clinch the first seed for the semifinals after defeat Bucaros in Bucaramanga, Arrieros lead the first three quarters, but in the last Bucaros made a big effort and sent the game to overtime, in the overtime the experience of Diego Guevara was the key factor for the Arrieros victory.
Bucaros Freskaleche 89

A. Reyes 16, M. Marriaga 18, M. Fleming 16, C. Salcedo 15, R. Washington 14, R Sanz 7, D Garcia 4
Arrieros 93

D. Guevara 22, N. Aragon 22, E. Guevara 17, H. Soler 11, D. Perez 8, N. Carabali 9, A. Arcila 3, F. Montoya 2

Islanders is now alone in the second place, the team of the Island defeated a hard Ovni Team in the Pink Coliseum.
Islanders Sopesa 102
Ovni Alcaldia de Tenjo 92

Indervalle arrive to the fourt place thanks to its victory over Piratas, Indervalle had some problems in defense, but at the end D. Gouard leaded the red team.
Indervalle 103
Piratas 93

Patriotas give another hit defeating Norte, the 10th straight loss for Norte team, and now they fall to the 5th place, with 5 games remaining Patriotas need more than a miracle to get into the playoffs.
Patriotas Proactiva 81
Norte de Santander 75

Federation Cup 2008, the race for the fourth place - by Victor Garcia
Three teams, three different situations, Indervalle, Norte de Santander and Patriotas are trying to get the last place for the semifinals in the 2008 Colombian Basketball Federation Cup.
Looking the schedulle Norte have the best chances, the black and red team will receive the last teams in the standings Piratas and Condores in its home, while Indervalle has to face a tough schedulle visiting Patriotas Proactiva in Tunja and Bucaros in Bucaramanga, Patriotas needs more than a miracle they are alredy 4 games behind Indervalle and three behind Norte, and just five games remains.
But the truth of the teams shows Norte falling in his level, out of motivation needing more from players like Eleuterio Renteria and Alejandro Barrios, the hard words of the management did not have effect the team fall against Patriotas in Tunja.
In Cali for Indervalle the things are a little different, after defeat Norte and Condores in Cali the team is confident, the schedulle is hard and need at least win four of the five games remaining, three of them are against teams below them in the standings Piratas and Patriotas, but the last two are against one of the top teams Bucaros in Bucaramanga.
We can not make a bet, just wait the next results, but no matter if is Norte or Indervalle the one who qualifies will be a hard one to beat in the semifinals.

Federation Cup 2008, Octuber 11 Day 22, results. - by Victor Garcia
Norte improve its game but was not enough to avoid its 9th straight loss, Bucaros with another good colective performance but specially the talent of Rogers Washington and Miguel Marriaga defeated Norte and sent him to share the 4th place with Indervalle.
Bucaros Freskaleche 93 - M. Marriaga 23 pts
Norte de Santander 84 - D. Thomas 18 pts

Arrieros won the revenge in Tunja in another exciting game, the game finished in the middle of controversy because a basket of Patriotas at the buzzer was not valid for the referees.
Patriotas Proactiva 69
Arrieros 70

Islanders Sopesa looks udefeateable at home, in the Pink Coliseum defeated again Piratas and put him in the bottom of the standings.
Islanders Sopesa 106
Piratas 95

Indervalle wants to be in the semifinals and is fighting to get that place, in Cali defeated Condores for the second straight game, George Baker leaded Indervalle.
Indervalle 88 - G. Baker 21 pts.
Condores 80

Standings

Copa Federacion Standings

1. Arrieros	19-4
2. Islanders	16-7
3. Bucaros	15-8
4. Canoneros	11-12
5. InderValle	11-12
6. Alcaldia	8-15
7. Condores	6-17
8. Piratas	5-18

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CROATIA

Cedevita Zagreb- SAOS Hyeres 92:82 - by Eurobasket News
Cedevita Zagreb- SAOS Hyeres 92:82

Cedevita Zagreb overcame SAOS Hyeres 92:82 in the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1. Croatian team produced a massive opening quarter to seal the 92:82 victory. Ramel Bradley (188-G-85) led the winners with 27 points and 5 assists. Frano Colak (205-C-77, agency: Court Side) finished the night with 20 points and Ivan Novacic (201-F-85) added 16. Pierre Pierce (193-G-83, college: Iowa) top-scored for the French side with 24 points and Austin Nichols (198-F/G-82, agency: ACMT, college: Humboldt St.) nailed 17.
Cedevita Zagreb does not have a loud name in the International arena but tries to start in EuroChallenge Cup this season. They made first step, but will have to prove the victory next week in France. Cedevita Zagreb opened the game scoring almost everything the players shot. Croatian side took 33:21 at the end of the first quarter and did not look behind later. In the second quarter the hosts increased to four more points after 20:16 in the period. Both teams went to the lockers with 53:37 for the Croats.
SAOS Hyeres bettered the chances after 29-20 in the third stanza. French side realized that reducing the gap in Croatia would help them in France. Cedevita Zagreb however realized the importance of the opener as well and closed the game at 19-16 in the last period. Game 2 will be played in France and SAOS Hyeres to bounce back from minus 10 in order to advance to EuroChallenge.

Cedevita Zagreb: Ramel Bradley 27+5 ast, Frano Colak 20, Ivan Novacic 16
SAOS Hyeres: Pierre Pierce 24, Austin Nichols 17

KK Zagreb edges BK Prostejov in the opener - by Eurobasket News
BK Prostejov - KK Zagreb 61:69

KK Zagreb won the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 first-leg at BK Prostejov. The latter tried hard but could not stay in race with Croatian team in the last period. Ante Tomic (217-C-87) paced all the winners with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Krunoslav Simon (197-G/F-85) netted 11, while Vedran Morovic (185-G-83, college: Olney CC) posted 10. Hurl Beechum (196-F-73, college: Iowa St.) ended up with 14 points in the losing effort, whilst Richard Lesko (204-F-81, college: Ill.-Chicago) notched 9. The teams will meet again next week back in Croatia.

Czech Republic welcomed the first team away from home in the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 and applauded Pruitts dunk for 16:14 in the opening tip of the game. Croatian side however was stronger in the end of the frame and Stimac made it 21:26. KK Zagreb improved to 13 points advantage after 23-15 in the second period. Krunoslav Simon sent the teams to the lockers for 36:49.
It was not time to give up for the hosts and they had great defensive skills in the third period. Hurl Beechum buried back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth quarter, he put the hosts on top at 54:53. For them it was however the last lead in the game. Vedran Morovic made it 55:6 for the guests with less than three minutes to go. Richard Lesko was the last to score in the game for 61:69 in the first leg.

BK Prostejov: Hurl Beechum 14, Richard Lesko 9
KK Zagreb: Ante Tomic 16+14 rebs, Krunoslav Simon 11, Vedran Morovic 10

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CYPRUS

Draw in Donetsk - by Eurobasket News
BC Donetsk-Proteas EKA AEL 65:65

BC Donetsk and Proteas EKA AEL could not find a winner in their EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 clash. Both teams played well deserving a win but finished at 65:65. P.J. Tucker (196-F-85, agency: CAA Sports, college: Texas) led the hosts with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Chris Owens (204-F-79, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Texas) netted 13, while Rodriguez Fernandez scored 12. Quincy Taylor was the best for the visitors providing 24 points. Haris Mujezinovic (205-F-74, agency: Beo Basket, college: Indiana) posted 13 and Vujadin Subotic

(198-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) ended up with 10 points. The second leg will be played next week in Limassol.
Proteas EKA AELis more experienced team in the International arena and the team from Cyprus started to prove it from the first minutes. Quincy Taylor made a jump shot as his team had 19-13 after the opening quarter. Trailing 13:21 in the second Ukrainian side tied the game at 27:27 in the middle of the period. After 20-13 in the quarter Chris Owens gave his team 33:32 advantage at the end of the first half.
In a back-to-back period Haris Mujezinovic scored for 44:44 in the middle of the third. The Ukrainian team went on top 52:48 late in the third quarter and was still in front when Quincy Taylor closed the period at 54:49. The score was tied three times in the last period and the last one saw 65:65 when BC Donetsk closed for the last. P.J. Tucker's two free throws brought the draw in the first game of their EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1.

BC Donetsk: P.J. Tucker 20+8 rebs, Chris Owens 13, Rodriguez Fernandez 12
Proteas EKA AEL: Quincy Taylor 24, Haris Mujezinovic 13, Vujadin Subotic

10

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CZECH REPUBLIC

KK Zagreb edges BK Prostejov in the opener - by Eurobasket News
BK Prostejov - KK Zagreb 61:69

KK Zagreb won the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 first-leg at BK Prostejov. The latter tried hard but could not stay in race with Croatian team in the last period. Ante Tomic (217-C-87) paced all the winners with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Krunoslav Simon (197-G/F-85) netted 11, while Vedran Morovic (185-G-83, college: Olney CC) posted 10. Hurl Beechum (196-F-73, college: Iowa St.) ended up with 14 points in the losing effort, whilst Richard Lesko (204-F-81, college: Ill.-Chicago) notched 9. The teams will meet again next week back in Croatia.

Czech Republic welcomed the first team away from home in the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 and applauded Pruitts dunk for 16:14 in the opening tip of the game. Croatian side however was stronger in the end of the frame and Stimac made it 21:26. KK Zagreb improved to 13 points advantage after 23-15 in the second period. Krunoslav Simon sent the teams to the lockers for 36:49.
It was not time to give up for the hosts and they had great defensive skills in the third period. Hurl Beechum buried back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth quarter, he put the hosts on top at 54:53. For them it was however the last lead in the game. Vedran Morovic made it 55:6 for the guests with less than three minutes to go. Richard Lesko was the last to score in the game for 61:69 in the first leg.

BK Prostejov: Hurl Beechum 14, Richard Lesko 9
KK Zagreb: Ante Tomic 16+14 rebs, Krunoslav Simon 11, Vedran Morovic 10

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DENMARK

SISU grabs the first win - by Eurobasket News
SISU - Horsholm 79ers 70-68

In the last game of round 2, SISU was better than Horsholm 79ers 70-68 improving to 1-1. On the other side, it was the first game of the season for Horsholm. As a reminder SISU suffered serious home defeat in the opening round against Bakken Bears 58-83. SISU grabbed this one mostly owing to Mychal Kearse (193-G-83, college: Mt.St.Mary's), who was totally unstoppable at the offensive end.
Anyway, opening quarter was totally leveled, 19-19. The 79ers managed to take 2-point lead until the half time mostly owing to Jimmy Binnie (201-F-86, college: Dayton) and Miljan Petrovic (-G). SISU's players showed up after the breather with totally different attitude. They started to play more aggressively in defense while almost every signle offensive set was run for Mychal Kearse. Fortunately to the hosts, he was pretty good leading them to 24-15 in this period. When it seemed that SISU is closer and closer to victory, Horsholm came back into the game. At the end the hosts were more focused, what was enough for tight first victory in Basketligaen.
Mychal Kearse paced his team to win draining 30 points and grabbing 8 rebounds for 31 minutes. However, his shot percentage wasn't so brilliant. Interesting is that he was the only player in the winning team with more than 7 points. Jimmy Binnie was better than the others in Horsholm adding 22 points and 8 boards. Miljan Petrovic followed him with 18 points. In the next round SISU will meet Amager BK while 79ers will take on Aabyhoj.

SISU: Mychal Kearse 30+8 boards
Horsholm: Jimmy Binnie 22+8 boards, Miljan Petrovic 18

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D-LEAGUE

D-League draft order determined today - by Eurobasket News
The Erie BayHawks will find out today where they'll select in the Nov. 7 NBA D-League draft.

The draft order will be determined by lottery drawing at the D-League's annual coaches meetings in Dallas. Players must have signed a standard player contract with the D-League to be placed in its player pool and be eligible for the entry draft.

The BayHawks selected second in the league's expansion draft in September, selecting the rights to 10 players including former West Virginia guard Mike Gansey in the first round. If those players elect to sign a D-League contract, the BayHawks will have the first opportunity to sign them.

The Colorado 14ers won the 2007 draft lottery and selected Eddie Gill (6'0''-G-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Weber St.), a guard who played at Weber State. Gill earned call-ups with the New Jersey Nets and Seattle Sonics during his rookie season. More than two-thirds of the players selected in the 2007 first round also participated in NBA training camps. Overall, 37 players selected in D-League drafts have earned NBA call-ups.

The D-League draft will be televised Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. on NBA TV as well as streamed at www.nba.com/dleague.

The BayHawks will reveal their home and road uniforms Wednesday.

Courtesy of http://www.goerie.com

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EBA

Wilkes Barre tryouts announced - by Gianni Pascucci

Rob McDonald, of the new EBA team named Wilkes Barre Triple Threat, sent us the announcement of his team tryouts, scheduled for November 16th at the Kingston Recreation Center, 655 Third Ave, Kingston, PA 18704. For Forms Contact: triplethreatbtb@yahoo.com or the team website www.triplethreatbtb.com as soon as it will be ready. The Eastern Basketball Alliance league games are only played on weekends and the 2009 season will begin in January.

The EBA to become a tougher League - by Gianni Pascucci
We all at Usbasket.com believe that the Eastern Basketball Alliance will become one of the toughest minor leagues this upcoming season. The level of competitio is clearly soaring. Well organized team Elmira Bulldogs has joined the league along with the Maryland Suns featuring And 1 superstar Hugh Jones (6'3''-F-80), nicknamed 'Baby Shaq' and other strong teams from Cincinnati, Ohio, New Jersey and Virginia. And please, do not forget the Alexandria Avengers, who will come back to the EBA, featuring all their top players, like Justin Moore (5'9''-G-80, college: St.Augustine), Tyree Harris (6'1''-G-79, college: Pfeiffer) and Daryl Owens (6'2''-G-76, college: Nova CC), who has signed a one year contract to play again. Despite his limited size, Owens led the NPBL and the EBA in steals and rebounding and is ready to outstand again.

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ERITREA

Thomas Kelati shines in ACB league - by Eurobasket News
Thomas Kelati (195-G/F-82, college: Washington St.) demonstrated wonderful performance in the first 3 rounds of Spanish ACB league. Since he joined Unicaja Malaga from Polish Turow this summer, Kelatti became one of the team's leaders.
In the opening round of ACB Unicaja Malaga was better Real Madrid at home with huge 82-65. Thomas Kelati spent 22 minutes on the court scoring 8 points. However, in the next game Unicaja played on the road vs dangerous Cajasol Sevilla. The team from Malaga grabbed big 31-point win while Kelatti helped it draining 17 points. He had 3/3 for FG2, 3/7 for 3-pts and 2/3 from the free throw line. He got 26 minutes in this game by the well respected coach Aito Garcia. The last game, which was played this week-end, Unicaja Malaga faced with last season's Euroleague semifinalists Tau Ceramica. The team of Dusko Ivanovic is in a great shape at the beginning of ACB. Serbian star Igor Rakocevic led Tau from the first round and nothing has changed against Unicaja 69-75. However, one of the players who was capable to compete against powerful Tau was Eritrean Thomas Kellati. He played 24 minutes in this game scoring 8 points. At the same time he had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. In the next round Unicaja will meet Bilbao.

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ESTONIA

Tallinna Kalev edges Valga Welg 71:59 - by Eurobasket News
Tallinna Kalev -Valga Welg 71:59

Tallinna Kalev edges Valga Welg 71:59 in the only game scheduled this week in Challenge Cup. In a back-to-back game the hosts spurted 24-13 in the end to seal the outcome. Dorbeg led the winners with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Ivo Uibukant (197-F-80) netted 18, while Erki Kivinukk (199-F-73) scored 10. Antti Vasar (195-F-79) collected 15 points and 9 rebounds in defeat, while Veljo Vares (200-F/G-81) and Sven Kaldre added 12 each.
The guests went on an early lead and won the opening tip with 5-2. Later in the period Tallinna Kalev took a control of the game and produced 19:15 by the end of the first. Ivo Uibukant with a jump-shot made it 32:24 but then it was silence for the hosts side for a long time. Welg created a 9-0 run to take a lead at 33:32 as Vasar scored two from the field. Jermakov however gave Tallinna Kalev 36:33 finishing the first half of the game.
In the third period Kalev made five shots in a row, whereas Welg missed five in a row, letting hosts make a 14:0 run and take a lead 54:46. Anderson pulled his team back to 56:52 but Kalev made a crucial 13:0 run in last five minutes, taking advantage of opponents' five consecutive turnovers. Tallinna Kalev edged Valga Welg 71:59 and improved to 2-1 in the standings.

Tallinna Kalev: Dorbeg 20+7 rebs, Ivo Uibukant 18, Erki Kivinukk 10
Valga Welg: Antti Vasar 15 +9 rebs, Veljo Vares 12, Sven Kaldre 12

EuroCup: TU/Rock gets blasted in Austria - by Janar Filippov
Estonian hopes at second-strongest European contest were seriously hurt today as Estonian champion TU/Rock lost to Gmunden Swans in Austria 64:86 (45:46). Rock led the game for first five minutes (6:2, 10:6) and won the 1st quarter 25:24. In 2nd, back-to-back three-pointers from Deteri Mayes (189-G-74, agency: Court Side, college: Murray St.) took Swans ahead 42:37 but Rock held on and a buzzer-beater by Marek Doronin (200-F/G-83) had the hosts leading only 46:45 before the intermission.
In 3rd, the hosts made a 6:0 run in first 3 minutes and another 7:2 in next three minutes, going ahead 59:47. Still, 65:52 with a quarter to go was a tiny gap, considering home+away system.
in 4th, three baskets in a row from Giorgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) brought Rock within only 6 points (66:60) with 7 and half minutes left. That was enough to wake up the hosts as they answered with a 10:2 in next 3 minutes and made a humiliating 10:0 during last 3 and half minutes of the game.
Mayes scored 23 for the winners, Anthony Fisher (191-G-83) added 15+8 assists. For TU/Rock, Tsintsadze scored 18, Tanoka Beard (205-F/C-71, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Boise St.) 14. Rock was 2/17 for three, Swans were given 33 FT, Rock - 17.
'We are a young team and obvisouly we are not ready to play in a top european league,' head coach Ullar Kerde said after the game. But let's stick to the words of Deteri Mayes - 'in Estonia it is Zero:Zero again.'
To take back 22 points in 40 minutes - nothing impossible.

Rytas too strong for Kalev/Cramo - by Janar Filippov
The season's second visit to Estonia became almost as hard for Lietuvos Rytas as the first one, resulting with shocking loss at Tartu. This time Lithuanian powerhouse managed to blow out their first-half 19-point lead against BC Kalev/Cramo but could maintain the cool heads in last quarter and built up a firm victory 91:76.

Rytas dominated first 15 minutes as Lithuanian best clubs have used to dominate against Estonian teams. A 12:0 run in first quarter took them ahead 15:5 as Kalev/Cramo had 4 turnovers, already. The hosts came back to minus 5 but Rytas won first quarter 25:16. In 2nd, another 11:0 run made the numbers 40:21 and seemed that the game was as good as over.

The hosts finally found out the way to opposite basket and finished the quarter with a 9:0 run, ending the first half 37:45.

3rd quarter was like a dream for the hosts as they outscored Rytas 9:2 in first three minutes making the numbers 46:50. Two baskets from Justas Sinica held the guests ahead by 7, but Kalev made another 9:3 run during a single minute (!) and came within a single point - 59:60. Kristjan Kangur (202-F-82) had the chance to even the game from a charity line but he missed both shots and Rytas les 63:61 with a quarter to play.

4th quarter belonged to the guests. Lukauskis and Nielsen combined a 7;2 run in the opening minute. Two more baskets from Bjelica and with 6 minutes left, Rytas had a double-digit lead after a while. John Linehan (175-G-78, college: Providence) made a three-pointer but on the next attack he made an unsportmanlike foul and that became a crucial moment. Rytas went from plus 7 to plus 14 within two minutes and stayed uncatchable.

Matt Nielsen (208-F/C-78) led the winners with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79) added 16 points and 4 steals, shooting 4/6 for three. Gregor Arbet (194-F/G-83) nailed 5 three-pointers and finished with 21 points. John Linehan added 16 points. Kalev/Cramo were 10/30 for three, Rytas was 24/36 for two and 9/20 for three point shots. At the same time, Rytas was only 16/28 for free throws, incl. 1/7 from Marijonas Petravicius.

Standings - KML

EMKL Standings

1. TU/Rock	0-0
2. Kalev/Cramo	0-0
3. Rakvere	0-0
4. Pirita	0-0
5. TTU KK	0-0
6. Parnu	0-0
7. Valga Welg	0-0
8. Kalev Tallinn	0-0
9. Kuremaa	0-0

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EUROCHALLENGE

EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 - by Eurobasket News

BK Prostejov - KK Zagreb 61:69

KK Zagreb won the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 first-leg at BK Prostejov. The latter tried hard but could not stay in race with Croatian team in the last period. Ante Tomic (217-C-87) paced all the winners with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Krunoslav Simon (197-G/F-85) netted 11, while Vedran Morovic (185-G-83, college: Olney CC) posted 10. Hurl Beechum (196-F-73, college: Iowa St.) ended up with 14 points in the losing effort, whilst Richard Lesko (204-F-81, college: Ill.-Chicago) notched 9. The teams will meet again next week back in Croatia.

Czech Republic welcomed the first team away from home in the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 and applauded Pruitts dunk for 16:14 in the opening tip of the game. Croatian side however was stronger in the end of the frame and Stimac made it 21:26. KK Zagreb improved to 13 points advantage after 23-15 in the second period. Krunoslav Simon sent the teams to the lockers for 36:49.
It was not time to give up for the hosts and they had great defensive skills in the third period. Hurl Beechum buried back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth quarter, he put the hosts on top at 54:53. For them it was however the last lead in the game. Vedran Morovic made it 55:6 for the guests with less than three minutes to go. Richard Lesko was the last to score in the game for 61:69 in the first leg.

BK Prostejov: Hurl Beechum 14, Richard Lesko 9
KK Zagreb: Ante Tomic 16+14 rebs, Krunoslav Simon 11, Vedran Morovic 10

CSU Atlassib- Banvit BC 67:74
Banvit wins EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 first leg in Romania. Turkish side opened the game confident and after the win in three quarters led to 67:74 road win. Joe Crispin (186-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Penn St.) led the winners with 21 points, while Yunus Cankaya (199-F-85) and Johnson nailed 14 each. Cortney Scott (196-F-82, college: Oakland) top-scored for the hosts with 23 points. Johnson collected 15 and 10 rebounds in defeat, while Michael Harrison (206-F-84, agency: Interperformances) gathered 14 points and 10 boards. The teams will meet again next Tuesday in Turkey for the second leg.
Romanian side scored first 4 points in the game as Michael Harrison made a jump-shot at 4:0. Turkish side closed the quarter with the same run for 19:23. Banvit only led 33:30 with 1 minute to go in the first half but then went on a 16-0 run to seemingly take control. Williams was the last to score in the hosts disaster at 30:49. The Romanian club reduced the deficit to 53:39 when Cortney Jermain Cortney Scott buried a three. CSU Atlassib limited Banvit to just two points over the first seven and a half minutes of the final quarter to close the gap to 58:56. Banvit however never looked behind in the second half and led the game to the winning end. Joe Crispin made the Final score 67:74 as his team triumphed in the game.

CSU Atlassib: Cortney Scott 23, Johnson 15+10 rebs, Michael Harrison 14+10 rebs
Banvit BC: Joe Crispin 21, Yunus Cankaya 14, Johnson 14

U-Mobitelco-Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 60:86
German Ewe Baskets Oldenburg celebrated the win in the International arena by beating U-Mobitelco in Romania. The latter hosted the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 and lost 60:86. Rickey Paulding

(196-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Missouri) led German side with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Je'Kel Foster (191-G-83, agency: Court Side, college: Ohio St.) netted 18, while Jason Gardner

(178-G-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) scored 15. Branko Cuic (196-G-78) ended up with 17 points in defeat, whilst Bambale Osby (203-F-86, college: Maryland) collected 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Ewe Baskets Oldenburg opened up a 21:16 advantage by the end of the opening quarter. About 3000 spectators tried to support the locals as loud as they could, but in the second period the picture did not change as well. Ewe Baskets Oldenburg produced 19-14 in it to take 40:30 advantage at the halftime.
The visitors increased the lead even more in the third quarter before delivering the knockout punch over the final 10 minutes. The teams finished thirty minutes of the game at 61:45 for the German side and it became clear that the guests would take the win. Another 25-15 in the last frame probably sent them to EuroChallenge Cup. U-Mobitelco however outrebounded Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 37-34. German team made 13 assists against 11 and had 9 steals versus 3 from the home side.
Game 2 is scheduled in Germany but even now Ewe Baskets Oldenburg can feel more comfortable.

U-Mobitelco: Branko Cuic 17, Bambale Osby 9+9 rebs
Ewe Baskets Oldenburg: Rickey Paulding

20+5 rebs, Je'Kel Foster 18, Jason Gardner

BC Donetsk-Proteas EKA AEL 65:65
BC Donetsk and Proteas EKA AEL could not find a winner in their EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 clash. Both teams played well deserving a win but finished at 65:65. P.J. Tucker (196-F-85, agency: CAA Sports, college: Texas) led the hosts with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Chris Owens (204-F-79, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Texas) netted 13, while Rodriguez Fernandez scored 12. Quincy Taylor was the best for the visitors providing 24 points. Haris Mujezinovic (205-F-74, agency: Beo Basket, college: Indiana) posted 13 and Vujadin Subotic

Energy Invest Rustavi - BC Sumykhimprom 81:110
Energy Invest Rustavi tried hard but could not make the levels even with the Ukrainian side. BC Sumykhimprom won the opening game of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 in Tbilisi. Brian Greene (196-G/F-84, college: Florida A&M) paced all the winners with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Osvaldas Macernis (197-F-82) nailed 17, while Linas Lekavicius (185-G-84, college: American) added 16. Bojan Vukadinovic (205-F-78, agency: 011 Sports) top-scored for the hosts with 23 points and Paul McPherson (193-G-78, college: De Paul) posted 18.
Sumykhimprom played with the winner of the Georgian basketball. Ukrainian side however was not in the first places last season but this year already has 1-1 record. BC Sumykhimprom opened the game with 29-25 lead closing the first frame. Energy Invest Rustavi did not allow Ukrainian team to go on a big lead and stayed within some points even at the halftime. BC Sumykhimprom produced 24-21 to go to the lockers for 53:46.
In the second half the picture of the game had changed especially in the last period. If in the third Energy Invest Rustavi lost 19-25, then in the last one they did not have any strength to resist. BC Sumykhimprom ended up with the massive 32-16 run and won the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1. Game 2 is scheduled in Ukraine.

Energy Invest Rustavi: Bojan Vukadinovic 23, Paul McPherson 18
BC Sumykhimprom: Brian Greene 22+6 rebs+6 ast, Osvaldas Macernis 17, Linas Lekavicius 16

Cedevita Zagreb- SAOS Hyeres 92:82
Cedevita Zagreb overcame SAOS Hyeres 92:82 in the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1. Croatian team produced a massive opening quarter to seal the 92:82 victory. Ramel Bradley (188-G-85) led the winners with 27 points and 5 assists. Frano Colak (205-C-77, agency: Court Side) finished the night with 20 points and Ivan Novacic (201-F-85) added 16. Pierre Pierce (193-G-83, college: Iowa) top-scored for the French side with 24 points and Austin Nichols (198-F/G-82, agency: ACMT, college: Humboldt St.) nailed 17.
Cedevita Zagreb does not have a loud name in the International arena but tries to start in EuroChallenge Cup this season. They made first step, but will have to prove the victory next week in France. Cedevita Zagreb opened the game scoring almost everything the players shot. Croatian side took 33:21 at the end of the first quarter and did not look behind later. In the second quarter the hosts increased to four more points after 20:16 in the period. Both teams went to the lockers with 53:37 for the Croats.
SAOS Hyeres bettered the chances after 29-20 in the third stanza. French side realized that reducing the gap in Croatia would help them in France. Cedevita Zagreb however realized the importance of the opener as well and closed the game at 19-16 in the last period. Game 2 will be played in France and SAOS Hyeres to bounce back from minus 10 in order to advance to EuroChallenge.

Cedevita Zagreb: Ramel Bradley 27+5 ast, Frano Colak 20, Ivan Novacic 16
SAOS Hyeres: Pierre Pierce 24, Austin Nichols 17

Standings

3QL Standings

1. Eiff.Towers		0-0
2. Mykolaiv		0-0
3. KK Zagreb		0-0
4. APOEL		0-0
5. AEL		0-0
6. Olimpia L.		0-0
7. Spartak SP		0-0
8. Hyeres-Toulon		0-0
9. Kormend		0-0
10. CSU Atlassib		0-0
11. Spartak P.		0-0
12. Keravnos		0-0
13. Vichy		0-0
14. M.Hainaut		0-0
15. Ventspils		0-0
16. BoracNektar		0-0
17. EWE Baskets		0-0
18. CSK VVS		0-0
19. Bakken		0-0
20. Zlatorog		0-0
21. Cedevita		0-0
22. Energy		0-0
23. Siroki Eronet		0-0
24. Liege		0-0
25. Ploiesti		0-0
26. U.Mobitel. CN		0-0
27. Kalev/Cramo		0-0
28. Dt.Bank SKY		0-0
29. Antalya		0-0
30. Khimik		0-0
31. Svendborg		0-0
32. Sumykhimpr.		0-0
33. Lok.Rostov		0-0
34. BC Donetsk		0-0
35. Banvit		0-0
36. Prostejov		0-0
37. La Fortezza		0-0
38. AMMAK SP		0-0

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EUROCUP

EuroCup Qualifying Round 1 - by Eurobasket News

BC Siauliai -Galatasaray Cafe Crown 73:73

BC Siauliai and Galatasaray tied in Lithuania in the first leg of their EuroCup qualifier. Gintautas Vileita (194-G-75, college: Monmouth) scored a free throw for 73:73 as the teams will get ready for another battle. Gintautas Vileita top-scored for the hosts with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Gintaras Kadziulis (193-G-80) nailed 19, while Andrius Slezas (200-F-75) added 14. Antonio Graves (190-G-85, agency: Octagon, college: Pittsburgh) netted 25 for the Turkish team, whilst Dejan Milojevic (200-F-77, agency: Beo Basket) collected 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Lithuanian team opened the game very comfortable for the 23:13 after the first ten minutes. Gintaras Kadziulis was the last to score in the opening quarter, while Antonio Graves was the first to dunk in the second. BC Siauliai had stunned their visitors early on by building a huge lead that reached 38:21. Gintautas Vileita closed the half at 46:29 for the home team. Galatasaray Cafe Crown did not panic and came back into the game. Dejan Milojevic pulled his team to 61:56 with 7.51 to go. Trailing 63:73 with 3 minutes in the game Lithuanian team sparked a 10-0 run that closed the game to 73:73.

Game is scheduled for October 21st. It will be Turkish side to host the opponents in Istanbul.

BC Siauliai: Gintautas Vileita 23+6 rebs, Gintaras Kadziulis 19, Andrius Slezas 14
Galatasaray Cafe Crown: Antonio Graves 25, Dejan Milojevic 20+12 rebs

Energa Czarni - Unics 76:62

Energa Czarni surprised Unics in Poland in the first leg of their EuroCup qualifier. Polish side beat Russian titan 76:62 and feels more comfortable advancing to the EuroCup stage after the first game. Demetric Bennett (193-G-85) and Jason Straight (188-G-83, agency: Edge Sports, college: Wyoming) led the winners with 15 points apiece. Jack Ingram (207-C/F-83, college: Illinois) and Mantas Cesnauskis (189-G-81, agency: LimeLight) followed them with 12 points each for the grand win. Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83) top-scored for the guests with 26 points and Veremeenko added 10.
Energa Czarni opened the game offensively and had 16:6 in the middle of the first period. Mantas Cesnauskis with a lay-up made it 24:17 as the teas finished the first ten minutes of the game. Kresimir Loncar's first 4 points in the second frame pulled his team back to 24:19 and it was him again for 34:30. The hosts did not feel to give up and after 22-17 in the second had 12 points advantage. Jason Straight's three gave Polish side 46:34 at the halftime.
It seemed that Russian squad should bounce back right after the break. The hosts however kept them tough and controlled the game in the third. Veremeenko could only cut to 66:49 after three quarters played. Energa were up 76:55 after Rolando Howell sank a jump-shot with less than five minutes to go, but those would be the final points the hosts would score. Popovic and Kirksay made the final 76:62 as the teams left the court in Poland.

Energa Czarni: Demetric Bennett 15, Jason Straight 15, Jack Ingram 12, Mantas Cesnauskis 12
Unics: Kresimir Loncar 26, Veremeenko 10

BC Triumph Lyubertsy - Base BC Oostende 78:78

Base BC Oostende survived in the opener of EuroCup Qualifying Round 1. Belgian team tied the game in Russia against the favorite BC Triumph Lyubertsy. The latter has a fabulous roster this season but could not win at home. As a result BC Triumph Lyubertsy could only come up to 78:78 and as there is another game scheduled the draw was allowed after the fourth quarter. Alan Anderson (198-G/F-82, college: Michigan St.) scored 17 points for the hosts, Nenad Krstic (214-C-83) collected 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Kerem Tunceri (190-G-79) added 12. Rashid Atkins (182-G-75, agency: Interperformances, college: St.Joseph's) top-scored for the visitors with 24 points and Jimmy Baxter (198-G-80, college: S.Florida) nailed 14.

When Jimmy Baxter nailed a three in the opening tip, 2500 spectators seemed nothing to worry about. In the end of the first period however they were shocked as Paunic made it 15:31. BC Triumph Lyubertsy woke up in the beginning of the second period and had 9-0 run to reduce the gap. Right before the break Kerem Tunceri pulled the hosts back for 45:46.
Base BC Oostende went on a lead again later in the third and enjoyed 57:61 entering the last frame. The visitors remained in front until the last two minutes when Alan Anderson tied at 72:72. Bremers free throws set up the final, 78:78 draw.

BC Triumph Lyubertsy: Alan Anderson 17, Nenad Krstic 13+10 rebs, Kerem Tunceri 12
Base BC Oostende: Rashid Atkins 24, Jimmy Baxter 14

Panellionis -Telekom Baskets 69:54
Greek Panellionis won the opener of EuroCup Qualifying Round 1 in Athens. The home side beat German Telekom Baskets 69:54. Jurica Golemac (209-F-77) led the winners with 16 points. Anthony Grundy (189-G-79, agency: Strategic Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) notched 14, whilst Djuro Ostojic (211-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) and Brad Newley (199-G-85) added 12 each. Earl Rowland

(188-G-83, college: St.Mary's, CA) was the only one to reach double digits for the guests, scoring 11 points and Brandon Bowman (204-F-84, agency: David Lee services, college: Georgetown) had 9.
It was Brandon Bowman to give his team the first lead in the game. Panellionis however replied with seven consecutive points for 7:2 spurt. Greek side pushed the tempo and was too good for the opponent in the opening quarter. Anthony Grundy closed the frame at 29:14 from far behind the basket. The second period became more defensive in the half and both teams scored only 21 points together. Panellionis had 11:10 in it and led to 40:24 at the halftime when Jurica Golemac made a free throw.
In the third period German squad looked better in the court and it was time when they started to cut the margin. After 19-11 in the frame Flomo made 51:43 after thirty minutes in the game. With more strength to go Greek side increased the lead in the last period. After 57:48 Panellionis suggested a 6-0 for 63:48. Brandon Bowman was the last to score in the game for the final 69:54 score.

Panellionis: Jurica Golemac 16, Anthony Grundy 14, Djuro Ostojic 12, Brad Newley 12
Telekom Baskets: Earl Rowland

11, Brandon Bowman 9

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EUROLEAGUE

Olympiacos prepares an offer for Kobe - by Kostas Papadopoulos
According to the Italian site basketcentral.it, an inner source from Olympiacos has revealed that the Reds are working on an extraordinary project: a super offer to propose to Kobe Bryant (198-G-78) for the next summer. Aggelopoulos' Bros would offer to the Lakers super star a contract of three years for 60 million dollars in total, with the option in the favour of the player to the term of every season.
Incredible, furthermore, seem the long series of benefits that would be included in the contract: from the villa on the Mediterranean, to the payment of the taxes all to expenses of the club, to the payment of the parcel of the agent in order to arrive to one boat with a lot of crew already specified. The final project of the owners of Olympiacos is to make a new arena (with a capacity of 15-20 thousand people), like the ones of the clubs of NBA, which when becoming true will be combined with the purchase of a private jet for the needs of the team.

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FINLAND

INTERNATIONAL: Samuel Haanpaa still optimistic - by Rauno Hurmalainen
Italian Top League Serie A regular season got started last Sunday, Oct 12. There are now 16 teams as Napoli and Capo d'Orlando were rejected. Italian civil law
will handle the rejection this week Thursday, Oct 16. By then there are still 5-6 Capo d'Orlando players waiting for the final decision. Among these players
is Finnish NT sharpshooter (pos 2-3) Samuel Haanpaa (203-G-86), who is ready and anxious to start his pro career anywhere in Central or Southern Europe.

FINNISH CUP: Honka defeated Kouvot again - by Rauno Hurmalainen

Finnish Cup, Quarter-Finals; Honka (Espoo) seems to be too difficult opponent for Kouvot (Kouvola). Both last spring in the finals, in the tip off season opener beginning of October and today in the quarter-final game of Finnish Cup. Tonight Honka was winning 83-69 (35-34). Quarters: 13-19, 22-15, 20-13, 30-22.
Honka had all three Americans and NT F Jukka Matinen (203-F-78) in double figures. NT F Kimmo Muurinen DNP (injured, ankle). Monte Cummings (193-G-76, college: Florida St.) led Honka with 22 pts. Ben Perkins (200-F-79, college: Mc Neese St.) and Matinen netted both 19 pts. Kouvot had three players over 10 pts: Calvin Walls (201-F-85, agency: Court Side) (18), Ronny LeMelle (196-G-81, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Auburn) (15) and Tuomas Iisalo (195-G-82) (11).
Three quarter-final games on Wednesday, October 15: ToPo - FoKoPo, Kataja - YMCA Lappeenranta and Team Componenta - Vilpas (Salo).

Honka - Kouvot 83-69 (35-34) (Monte Cummings 22/7, Ben Perkins 19/8, Jukka Matinen 19/5, Akeem Scott 15/5 - Calvin Walls 18/6, Ronny LeMelle 15/4, Tuomas Iisalo 11/3).

Torpan Pojat Helsinki sign Isaac Spencer - by Eurobasket
Torpan Pojat Helsinki signed 30-year old American forward Isaac Spencer (198-F-78, college: Murray St., agency: Tank Sports). Spencer played most recently at Team Sofia (Eurobasket) in the U.S., where he was selected to all-league team. Spencer is a very experienced player and in previous seasons he played in Dominican Rep., Korea, France, Philippines, Holland, Spain and few pro leagues in the States.

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

FRANCE

GEORGIA

BC Sumykhimprom celebrates in Georgia - by Eurobasket News
Energy Invest Rustavi - BC Sumykhimprom 81:110

Energy Invest Rustavi tried hard but could not make the levels even with the Ukrainian side. BC Sumykhimprom won the opening game of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 in Tbilisi. Brian Greene (196-G/F-84, college: Florida A&M) paced all the winners with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Osvaldas Macernis (197-F-82) nailed 17, while Linas Lekavicius (185-G-84, college: American) added 16. Bojan Vukadinovic (205-F-78, agency: 011 Sports) top-scored for the hosts with 23 points and Paul McPherson (193-G-78, college: De Paul) posted 18.
Sumykhimprom played with the winner of the Georgian basketball. Ukrainian side however was not in the first places last season but this year already has 1-1 record. BC Sumykhimprom opened the game with 29-25 lead closing the first frame. Energy Invest Rustavi did not allow Ukrainian team to go on a big lead and stayed within some points even at the halftime. BC Sumykhimprom produced 24-21 to go to the lockers for 53:46.
In the second half the picture of the game had changed especially in the last period. If in the third Energy Invest Rustavi lost 19-25, then in the last one they did not have any strength to resist. BC Sumykhimprom ended up with the massive 32-16 run and won the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1. Game 2 is scheduled in Ukraine.

Energy Invest Rustavi: Bojan Vukadinovic 23, Paul McPherson 18
BC Sumykhimprom: Brian Greene 22+6 rebs+6 ast, Osvaldas Macernis 17, Linas Lekavicius 16

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

GERMANY

Hornets, Wizards set for preseason game in Berlin - by Eurobasket News
Chris Paul (183-G-85, college: Wake Forest), who won a gold medal with the U.S. national team at the Beijing Olympics in August, leads the New Orleans Hornets against the Washington Wizards in an NBA preseason game Tuesday in the German capital.

Paul had a breakout season in 2007-2008, averaging 21 points and four rebounds a game. He helped lead the Hornets to a 56-26 finish, and the team is considered a contender for the NBA title this season.

Hornets coach Bryon Scott said he would use the game at Berlin's new O2 World arena to evaluate players and strategy ahead of the regular season opener against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 29.

Washington coach Eddie Jordan said the matchup was the continuation of a friendly rivalry dating back to when he and Scott spent time together coaching the New Jersey Nets.

The Wizards and Hornets will play again Friday in Barcelona, Spain.

In other NBA preseason games in Europe, the New Jersey Nets beat the Miami Heat 100-98 in overtime in Paris last week. The Nets beat the Heat 94-92 in London on Sunday.

Courtesy of http://en.ce.cn

Lamont Mcintosh(Artland Dragons) Interview - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Hi Lamont McIntosh

(191-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia St.), thanks for taking some time to talk to www.eurobasket.com. This is your third
season with The Artland Dragons. What are the main reasons why you have remained and not
left?

I'VE REMAINED AN ARTLAND DRAGON, BECAUSE ITS A GREAT ORGANIZATION
THAT HAS CONSISTENTLY IMPROVED TO BECOME ONE THE ELITE TEAMS IN
THE BBL.

As an American, what is the most difficult thing about living in such a small town like
Quackenbrck?

THE ONLY DIFFICULTY OF BEING IN QB IS THE LIMITATIONS OF
SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES, BUT ITS MINOR COMPARED TO THE LOVE AND
SUPPORT THAT THE QB COMMUNITY SHOWS THE TEAM.

You have a bike. Is there any place besides your own four walls where you can flee to where
you can be alone?

TO THIS PLACE NEAR A DAM, ALONG THIS WALKING/BIKE
ROUTE BEHIND THE ARTLAND ARENA IF ITS NICE OUT! ITS PEACEFUL THERE
AND SCENIC, A GOOD PLACE TO REFLECT.

The team has eight Americans and six Germans. How is the team togetherness and with
whom do you hang out the most?

OUR TEAM SHARE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP. WE
HAVE ALOT OF FAMILIAR FACES SO IT FEELS LIKE A REUNION OF SUCH. BUT
I'D HAVE TO SAY I HANG OUT WITH D HALL AND PAUL JOHNSON THE MOST.

The team is off to a slow start at 1-3. What have been the main reasons for the poor start?

RIGHT NOW WE'RE STRUGGLING TO REBOUND AND DEFEND. BUT WE'LL
RIGHT THE SHIP HERE SOON. WE HAVE THE WORK ETHIC AND PERSONNE TO
BE SUCCESSFUL THIS SEASON.

You guys were lucky against Giessen slipping by with a one point win. It seems like the
team shoots well, but the problems lie in other phases of the game like in rebounding or
turnovers. Are these problems something you can correct quickly or will it take longer?

I BELIEVE WE CAN CORRECT THESE ISSUES QUICKLY. AS PROS, ITS MORE
ABOUT THE MENTAL, MORE SO THAT THE PHYSICAL TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.
WITH OUR TEAM'S EXPERIENCED PLAYERS, THE TRANSITION SHOULD BE
RATHER QUICK

On paper, you seem to have a very strong team again that has talent at every position. What
are the biggest strengths of team?

OUR STRENGTHS ARE OUR BASKETBALL I.Q. AND
OUR ABILITY TO SHOOT THE BALL. I'D PERSONALLY LIKE THAT WE ADD
'DEFENSIVE PROWESS' TO OUR REPERTOIRE

Darius Hall is the elder statesman and leader of team. This is your third year with club. How
do you see your role? Are you also someone who wont shy away to get loud in the dressing
room?

I'M A LEADER AND HAVE BEEN, ON EVERY TEAM I'VE BEEN APART OF
THUS FAR IN MY CAREER. I'M VERY VOCAL AND I ALSO LEAD BY EXAMPLE
THROUGH MY ENERGY LEVEL AND WORK ETHIC. I HAVE NO RESERVATIONS
ABOUT GETTING 'LOUD' IF IT'S NECESSARY AND EFFECTIVE TO MOTIVATE MY
TEAM

The next game doesnt get any easier as you go to Bonn . They kicked you out of playoffs last
season. I expect the team will really be motivated to win. What will be the key to victory?

WITHOUT REVEALING TOO MUCH OF OUR GAME PLAN, I BELIEVE IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE A GREAT START, BE CONFIDENT, AND BE POISED
IN SITUATIONS THAT ARE NOT FAVORABLE TO US.

Two season ago, Adam Hess tore up the league in the first half of season and then cooled
down in the second half. Last season he played in France with Roanne. Now he is back. Could
he be the X-factor in the team?

HESS IS A MAJOR PART OF OUR TEAM AND HIS PLAY
IS CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS. HE DOES NOT HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDEN
HIMSELF THOUGH. WE HAVE PAUL JOHNSON WHOM HAS COME ALONG
NICELY TO HELP HIM AT THAT 3 SPOT AND JAN ROHDEWALD WHO BRINGS
DEAD-EYE SHOOTING AND VETERAN EXPERIENCE TO THE TABLE.

You also have a strong point guard duo with Zack Whitting and Drew Neitzel. Neitzel is being
touted as the best player coming from college. How is his development coming along?

DREW IS ALREADY A HERALDED SHOOTER AND HE'S BECOMING BETTER AT
CREATING FOR HIMSELF AND OTHERS. DREW IS VERY HUMBLE AND EAGER TO
LEARN DURING THIS, HIS ROOKIE SEASON.

The successful era of Chris Flemming is over. You have a new coach with Thorsten
Leibenath. What are the main differences between the two coaches and how is your
relationship with him?

THORSTEN IS A VERY ENERGETIC AND FUN COACH. HE'S KNOWLEDGABLE
AND ALSO EAGER TO LEARN HIMSELF. COACH LEIBENATH WILL MOLD US
INTO A SUCCESSFUL TEAM ALONG WITH THE HELP OF JAMES DUNCAN AND
RALF REHBERGER. I RESPECT BOTH CHRIS AND THORSTEN A LOT AND I'LL
SAY THEIR MAJOR DIFFERENCES IS THEIR NATIONALITIES AND AGE! HAHAHA

Your from Georgia . What was your childhood like and how did you get attracted to
Basketball?

I GREW UP PLAYING AMERICAN FOOTBALL THROUGH MY HIGH
SCHOOL YEARS BECAUSE IT HAS SUCH A HUGE PRESENCE IN THE SOUTH. I WAS
INTRODUCED TO BASKETBALL BY MY STEPFATHER, DION PETTUS I, GOD REST
HIS SOUL, WHO PLAYED COLLEGIATELY AND 2 YEARS OVERSEAS.

Who were your Basketball idols growing up?

MAGIC JOHNSON AND MICHAEL JORDAN BECAUSE OF THE PERFORMANCE ON
THE COURT AND THEIR PERSONALITIES OFF COURT.

You played college ball at Georgia State . What were your nicest memories of your time at
college?
IN MY FRESHMAN SEASON MAKING IT TO THE NCAAS AFTER PLAYING
A GREAT GAME OFF THE BENCH TO WIN OUR CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONSHIP. WE WENT ON TO BECOME THE ONLY GSU TEAM TO WIN A
GAME IN THE NCAAS

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

JAMEER NELSON, HOLLIS PRICE AND JUAN DIXON

Before you came to the Artland Dragons, you had a super season in Belgium for Verviers-
Pepinster where you averaged 15,0 points and shot 51% from the field. What are the main
differences between the BBL and Belgium league and what is stronger?

THE BBL HAVE MORE TRADITIONAL BIG MEN AND THE TEAM DEFENSE IS
STRONGER. I'D HAVE TO SAY THE BBL IS THE STRONGER LEAGUE.

Your friend Derrick Allen plays for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners. Last season he was the go
to guy and this season Lorenzo Gordon is the go to guy. This is a new role for Allen since
wherever he played as a pro he was the first scoring option. He wants to win as badly as
anyone I know. But how is he handling this new role out of your perspective? Do you think he
will score more again this season?

DERRICK ALLEN IS THE CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL AND ONE OF THE
HARDEST WORKING BASKETBALL PLAYERS I KNOW. HE'S MAKING THE BEST
OF HIS ROLE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE PLAYER AND PERSON HE'S
ALWAYS BEEN; PROFESSIONAL, RESPECTFUL, AND PRODUCTIVE!

How excited are you about the Frankfurt series? You lost both games last season!

ITS ALWAYS FUN TO COMPETE AGAINST D.A. BUT TO ME ITS ABOUT GETTING
THE WINS.

You won the BBL cup last season with the Artland Dragons. What was the first thought you
had as the buzzer sounded ending the game?

'I GOT MY FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP...ONE MORE TO GO....'

If you and Adam Hess stood behind the three point line and fired 50 three pointers each, who
would hit more and how many?

I RELUCTANTLY, BUT HUMBLY SAY HESS! HE'S VERY CONSISTENT SHOOTING
REP SHOTS. I'D SAY HE'D HIT A MINIMUM OF 40. 42 IS PROBABLY MORE LIKELY
THO!

What do you want to do after your Basketball career is over?

HEAD A COMPANY THAT I'M HELPING MY MOTHER START. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING AND WORK IN
SOME REALM OF THE SPORTS WORLD.

What are your hobbies?

WATCHING A LOT OF MOVIES, TV PROGRAMS AND SPORTS. READING A LITTLE
AND SPENDING TIME ON THE SOCIAL SITES ON THE NET.

Thanks for the chat and good luck this season!!!!!!

Ewe Baskets Oldenburg writes the history in Europe - by Eurobasket News
U-Mobitelco-Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 60:86

German Ewe Baskets Oldenburg celebrated the win in the International arena by beating U-Mobitelco in Romania. The latter hosted the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 and lost 60:86. Rickey Paulding

(196-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Missouri) led German side with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Je'Kel Foster (191-G-83, agency: Court Side, college: Ohio St.) netted 18, while Jason Gardner

20+5 rebs, Je'Kel Foster 18, Jason Gardner

15

David Bunts is back in Bielefeld - by Daniel Poerschke
David Bunts (189-G-79, college: Pacific) is back with TSVE Dolphins Bielefeld! At least for one game...The teams top-scorer the last four seasons in both the 1. Regionalliga West as well in the Pro B, re-joined the current win-less 1. Regionalliga squad last Saturday. Because of the sicknnes of Dejan Cvjetkovic (205-F/C-77) the TSVE Dolphins Bielefeld had one open foreigner spot. The management called Bunts up and asked him, if he wants to help them out for the game versus BG Dorsten. Bunts, who is staying in the Bielefeld area and waits for a new pro ball job, agreed and suited up for the Dolphins. His 19 Points could not keep his team from loosing 83:89 to Dorsten, but his presence was felt on the court. It is unknow yet, if the 2008 Eurobasket.com All-Pro B 2nd Team member Bunts will continue to play for TSVE Dolphins Bielefeld.

In the 1. Regionalliga South Phillip Freeman (211-C-79) joined back his former team Hapa Ansbach. Freeman played for them in the latter half of last years Pro B season and started this season with BG Hagen in the 1. Regionalliga West, but was let go there after three games.

In the 2. Regionalliga West TV Ibbenbueren scooped up the experienced playmaker James Hannah (183-G-74, college: Grambling St.) for the current season.

Panellionis edges Telekom Baskets in Athens - by Eurobasket News
Panellionis -Telekom Baskets 69:54

Greek Panellionis won the opener of EuroCup Qualifying Round 1 in Athens. The home side beat German Telekom Baskets 69:54. Jurica Golemac (209-F-77) led the winners with 16 points. Anthony Grundy (189-G-79, agency: Strategic Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) notched 14, whilst Djuro Ostojic (211-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) and Brad Newley (199-G-85) added 12 each. Earl Rowland

11, Brandon Bowman 9

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

GHANA

Dynasty Basketball starts developmental leagues - by Isaac kwapong
Dynasty Basketball Association has started two developmental basketball leagues in two high schools in Ghana. These leagues are the first of its kind, to introduce the youth to consistent and competitive basketball instead of the normal one day events during vacations. These leagues are In-School whereby Dynasty forms four teams within the school to play against each other over a period of two months, Regular Season games , Playoffs knockouts and Championship round. DBA has tipped off the two leagues which are Sunbeam Basketball League SBL and Mays Basketball League MBL . The leagues justs ended the regular season games and now preparing for the knockout playoffs. Both teams have within it four teams with the same team names VIPERS, SHARKS, CROCODILES & SHARKS. Every week there is one practice day and a game day. The leagues are producing some young prospects who have a bright future in basketball. Dynasty will be developing these prospects in their fundamental games and also to practise and play more games. The leagues are mixed with boys playing alongside girls in one team. Youth basketball is currently DBA's focus because it is the foundation of basketball in any country and DBA lives by the phrase 'Playing on a strong foundation' hence we are building the foundation of Ghana basketball. visit www.dynastyhoops.com for full scores and info on the leagues.

Dynasty Basketball start developmental leagues in high schools - by Isaac kwapong

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

GREECE

Panellionis edges Telekom Baskets in Athens - by Eurobasket News
Panellionis -Telekom Baskets 69:54

Greek Panellionis won the opener of EuroCup Qualifying Round 1 in Athens. The home side beat German Telekom Baskets 69:54. Jurica Golemac (209-F-77) led the winners with 16 points. Anthony Grundy (189-G-79, agency: Strategic Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) notched 14, whilst Djuro Ostojic (211-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) and Brad Newley (199-G-85) added 12 each. Earl Rowland

11, Brandon Bowman 9

Olympiacos prepares an offer for Kobe - by Kostas Papadopoulos
According to the Italian site basketcentral.it, an inner source from Olympiacos has revealed that the Reds are working on an extraordinary project: a super offer to propose to Kobe Bryant (198-G-78) for the next summer. Aggelopoulos' Bros would offer to the Lakers super star a contract of three years for 60 million dollars in total, with the option in the favour of the player to the term of every season.
Incredible, furthermore, seem the long series of benefits that would be included in the contract: from the villa on the Mediterranean, to the payment of the taxes all to expenses of the club, to the payment of the parcel of the agent in order to arrive to one boat with a lot of crew already specified. The final project of the owners of Olympiacos is to make a new arena (with a capacity of 15-20 thousand people), like the ones of the clubs of NBA, which when becoming true will be combined with the purchase of a private jet for the needs of the team.

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. Rethymno	1-0
7. Ermis L.	1-0
8. Panerythrai.	1-0
9. MENT	0-1
10. KAOD	0-1
11. Olimpias	0-1
12. ICBS	0-1
13. Keravnos Aigio	0-1
14. Xanthi	0-1
15. Apollon	0-1
16. HSBC Pagrati	0-1

Standings - A1

A1 Standings

1. Panathinaikos	1-0
2. Olympiakos	1-0
3. Aris	1-0
4. AEK	1-0
5. Olimpia L.	1-0
6. Kavala/P.	0-0
7. AEL 1964	0-0
8. PAOK	0-0
9. Panionios	0-0
10. Panellinios	0-1
11. Marousi	0-1
12. Kolossos	0-1
13. Trikalla	0-1
14. Egaleo	0-1

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

IRELAND

Standings - EBS Division I

Division Standings

North Conference
1. Tolka Rovers	15-0
2. Falcons	8-7
3. Portlaoise	6-9
4. Sligo	5-10
5. Queens	1-14
6. Ballina	0-0
7. Ballon	0-0
8. Lisburn	0-0
South Conference
1. St.Brendan	10-2
2. Moycullen	9-3
3. St.Mary's	7-5
4. Titans BC	3-9
5. Waterford	1-11
6. Limerick	0-0
7. Taste of Eu.	0-0
8. St. Pauls	0-0

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

ISRAEL

Jordan leaves Ashkelon - by Tamar Goldman
The American Guard, Michael Jordan

(183-G-78, agency: Court Side, college: Pennsylvania) was released earlier this week from Ironi Ashkelon after the guard was unable to adjust himself to the club and its players on the social level. Coach Adi Azoulay is already looking for a replacement having the league starting in less than two weeks. More bad news for Ashkelon comes from the injured list, where Rahshon Turner (200-F-75, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) was placed after the teams tournament in Europe. Turner is suffering from a tear in lower back part of his left leg. Turner might not be fully fit to the seasons opening on Oct. 26th

Hapoel Kiryat Tivon sign Alphonso Pugh - by Eurobasket
Hapoel Kiryat Tivon (National L.) signed 24-year old American forward Alphonso Pugh (198-F-84, college: Chattanooga, agency: Ronsport). Pugh played most recently at Rilski Sportist Samokov (Bulgaria). It will be his second year in professional basketball. He had a very successful college career, where he won with his team (Chattanooga) Southern Conference and was also selected to all-conference 1st team.

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

ITALY

JORDAN

Zaid ALKHAS: Target Turkey - by Mohammed Malas
KUWAIT (FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup): There are a few players in basketball whose contribution to their team's success goes beyond the mundane statistics. Jordanian Zaid Al Khas (205-C-76, college: Gannon) belongs to that rare breed.

The 32-year-old Zain center did nothing notable in this tournament as far as statistics were concerned, but was the driving force that kept his team together and perform to the optimum level on the court.

We caught up with him moments after Jordan won the second FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup, thus booking an automatic entry into next year's FIBA Asia Championship.

Excerpts:

Q: Your first thoughts on the triumph

A: This is the first time Jordan are winning an official FIBA Asia tournament.

We have won the Arab championship and the William Jones Cup a couple of times. But this is our first success in an official tournament. So obviously there's a great sense of satisfaction.

It was a nerve wracking game today. Kuwait are very hard to play against especially at home. We had to strain every sinew to keep our focused for the entire 40 minutes.

I think overall we played rather well, especially in defense.

Q: You qualify for the FIBA Asia Championship directly

A: That's the bonus.

We don't have go through the zonal qualifiers now. And in our case, we don't have to fight it out with the great teams like Iran and Lebanon in WABA. That takes the pressure off us.

But then our target is to qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Which means there are no luxuries in Asian basketball.

So we have to remain focused on that target, put out heads together and prepare ourselves.

Q: Jordan are called the chokers in big tournaments. Is it unfair?

A: That kind of a tag is both right and wrong.

We are ranked somewhere in the top 40s in the world (Jordan are ranked 42 in the FIBA rankings as on Monday). But we have beaten many teams that are ranked above us many times in the last two years.

Having said that, I must confess that we blew our chances for final four finish at Tokushima (FIBA Asia Championship) last year.

One bad half in our game against Japan (in the Quarterfinal round) undid a lot of hard work (Jordan eventually finished fifth).

So that way I will say our results have not reflected our hard work.

Q: Can you take us through Jordan basketball in the last years?

A: Tthere are a lot of positive developments that have taken place in the last two years.

Naturalizing Rasheim (Wright, an American by birth) has brought a lot of verve into the team.

(Coach Mario) Palma has brought the extra edge into our plays. Most importantly, the team itself has put in a lot of sacrifices.

Now, with this win, I think we have made the right turnaround to take Jordan basketball to the next level.

Q: What are the special qualities of the team in this period?

A: One thing for sure is our ability to learn.

There are no stars in our team. Each of us have realized the importance of playing together as a team.

There was a time when I used to finish as the top scorer in tournaments, but Jordan would finish lowly.

Individual awards don't matter to me any more. I'm happy if I can contribute to a winning cause.

We have improved with every tournament. We have learnt from every defeat.

And even when we have lost, it has not been for want of effort. More often than not, we have lost to the better team on the court on that day.

Q: What must Jordan team to qualify for the World Championship?

A: Competition will be intense at next year's FIBA Asia Championship.

I think we need to get healthier. Three of our main team players are out injured. Their comeback combined with the return of a couple of the guys who are playing in the NCAA should provide us the boost.

But most importantly, we need to keep our heads down and work hard.

S Mageshwaran
Courtesy of FIBA Asia

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

KBDL

KBDL Coach moves on to College hoops - by Thom McQueen
Generals Coach B.J. Aldridge has moved on to the college coaching ranks of Rockford College, in Rockford Illinois. His bio on the college web site states that B J '...also brings professional experience to the Regents' sideline as head coach and general manager of the Southern Indian Generals of the Kentucky Developmental Basketball League, where his responsibilities include coaching, marketing, and general team management.'

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

KUWAIT

Jordan: The new born champion in Asia - by Mohammed Malas
KUWAIT (FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup): Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.)'s tournament-high 41 points led the way as Jordan put paid to hosts Kuwaiti ambitions with a clinical 87-69 win to annex the second FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup on Monday.

The win, which completed a 4-0 run for Jordan in the five-team tournament, also booked them an automatic place in next year's FIBA Asia Championship.

Wright began the scoring for the game with a crisp three-pointer and that began Jordan's rampage.

The 27-year-old guard, of American descent, added another to close the first quarter. In all, Wright scored 15 points in the first ten minutes that put Jordan in firm control.

Mousa Alawadi came off the bench to score all his 10 points and Zaid Abbas added as many points and Jordan left Kuwait gasping for breath going into the changing rooms 43-33 ahead.

Abbas finished with 21 points.

Abdullah Alsarraf attempted to stem the rot with a couple of long rangers, bringing Kuwait 52-55 close, with 3:30 left in the third quarter.

Kuwait kept themselves in the race keeping the deficit to 57-64 going into the final ten minutes.

But in the opening minutes of the final quarter, Jordan came back in full force to take the wind off Kuwait's sails.

Jordan captain Zaid Alkhas stood rock-like in defense as Wright sunk a three-pointer and Abbas' swift drove in the lane to cap a 10-0 run.

Abdulaziz Mohammad tipped a ball in to break Kuwait's barren run, but that spree preceded by their overall dominance saw Jordan through.

'This team has been on the move for the last two years. And this victory is only the next logical step in our progression,' Jordan coach Mario Palma said.

'Our target is reaching the 2010 FIBA World Championship. I think we are moving well in that direction,' the Portuguese added.

'I think we played better basketball overall. Rasheim's return from injury has been a boost. We still have three more players in the injured list. Once they are back, we will focus more on our preparations,' Palma said.

Commenting on the final, Palma said, 'Kuwait are a dangerous team.'

'We didn't want to give them any chance right from the beginning. Look at the way they fought back in the third quarter. I'm happy we held on,' he said.

Scores

Jordan 87 (Rasheim Wright 41, Zaid Abbas 21, Mousa Alawadi 10)
Kuwait 67 (Abdullah Alsarraf 16, Ahmad Albrahim 13, Ahmad Almutairi 13).

Quarterwise Scores: 23-12, 43-33, 64-57.

FINAL RANKINGS
1.Jordan
2.Kazakhstan
3.Kuwait
4.Qatar
5.India

S Mageshwaran
Courtesy of FIBA Asia

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

LITHUANIA

BC Siauliai and Galatasaray tied in Lithuania - by Eurobasket News

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

LUXEMBOURG

Musel Pikes defeats defending DBBL Champ Sparta! Racing notches first win! - by Alex Meyers
Sunday, October 12, 2008

Musel Pikes 75 - Sparta 74

Sparta suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of Musel Pikes last Sunday afternoon in Remich. In this back and forth affair in front of 350 specators, Musel Pikes had the stronger finish and came away with the victory. Laurent Schwartz and Guy Schmit each had a huge game for Pikes with a game high 25 and 20 points respectively. Samy Picard also scored 10 points. Import Chris Braier (195-F-84, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Lawrence) only had 9 points but he played monster defense pulling down 16 defensive boards and added 5 steals and 3 assists.

Julien Hublart led Sparta's attack with 23 points and missed the double-double by 1 point with 9 rebounds. Larrie Smith (195-F-75, college: Tennessee Tech) had a quiet double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Laurant Nittler had 11. No other sparta players were able to reach double figures. Sparta, who is playing without shooting guard Tom Wagner struggled at some crucial moments from the field as well as from the free throw line.

Musel Pikes' head coach Frank Baum told newspaper, the Luxemburger Wort, 'Its nice to play a team like Sparta. We had a good week in preparation for this game. All our players are understanding their roles on the court.' Musel Pikes visit Racing Luxembourg next and Sparta will meet Contern at home this coming Saturday, October 18th.

Musel Pikes: 23 field goals, 6 three pointers, 23/28 free throws, 38 rebounds, 19 fouls and 10 turnovers
Schwartz 25, Picard 10, Braier 9, G. Schmit 20, Kirch 2, also Dentzer 4, Kox, T. Schmitz 3 and C. Schmit 2
Sparta: 27 field goals, 8 three pointers, 12/20 free throws, 25 fouls and 17 turnovers
Hublart 23, Smith 18, Wulff 4, De Marchi 5, Palumbo, also Nittler 11, Hoffmann 5, Engel 8, and Evans

Score by quarters: 1st Q 17-18, Halftime 46-47, 3rd Q 55-62, Final 75-74
350 Spectators

Residence 68 - Racing 92

Racing improved its record to 1-1 last Sunday in Walferdange where they gave Residence its second loss in as many tries. Eric Grand(Racing) was not able to play due to injury. Racing's coach Toni Ostojic got a strong performances out of import Jordan Brady (198-F-83). Brady took 9 rebounds and blocked a shot while scoring 29 points to lead his team to the win. Several others picked it up offensivley as well. Dave Schroeder had 13, Steve Close had 11 and Vincent Weynandt had 10. William Brand (196-F-80, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Albany) led Residence with 29 points followed by Pitt Koster(broken nose) with 11. Racing's maximum lead in the blowout victory was 24 points just near the end of the game. Racing hosts Musel Pikes and Residence goes next to Heffingen. Both games are on Saturday, October 18th.

Residence: 27 field goals, 4 three pointers, 10/14 free throws, 26 rebounds, 23 fouls and 16 turnovers
Koster 11, Brand 25, F. Mangen 7, Abdiu 9, Leschek 9, also Kayser, Hemmen 4 and Felten 1
Racing: 33 field goals 12 three pointers, 12/24 free throws, 39 rebounds, 17 fouls and 14 turnovers
Weynandt 10, Schroeder 13, Brady 29, Pires 10, Haas 3, also Klose 11, Garcia Bourne 8, Weber, and Schmit 3

Score by quarters: 1st Q 11-30, Halftime 28-50, 3rd Q, 44-62, Final 68-92
250 Sectators

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MADAGASCAR

SEBAM replaced by Seychellan team - by Kristian Santiago
CCCOI-champs SEBAM won't be travelling to the African Club Championships after all. The lack of funds is the reason for their cancellation, so a team from the Seychelles is going to replace them in the quest for glory on the club level.
Sotrata, the women's champions of the CCCOI do not longer exist, but the Malagasy-team will be replaced by Club Mahamasina founded of former players and they are going to travel to Kenya for the same competition format which SEBAM refused to travel to.

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MONTENEGRO

Montenegrin 1A Division schedule 2008-2009 - by Dragan Scepanovic
I ROUND
Niksic - Ulcinj
Mogren - Rudar
Mornar Basket - ABS Primorje
Primorje - Danilovgrad
Lovcen - Jedinstvo

II ROUND
Ulcinj - Jedinstvo
Danilovgrad - Lovcen
ABS Primorje - Primorje
Rudar - Mornar Basket
Niksic - Mogren

III ROUND
Mogren - Ulcinj
Mornar Basket - Niksic
Primorje - Rudar
Lovcen - ABS
Jedinstvo - Danilovgrad

IV ROUND
Ulcinj - Danilovgrad
ABS Primorje - Jedinstvo
Rudar - Lovcen
Niksic - Primorje
Mogren - Mornar Basket

V ROUND
Mornar Basket - Ulcinj
Primorje - Mogren
Lovcen - Niksic
Jedinstvo - Rudar
Danilovgrad - ABS Primorje

VI ROUND
Ulcinj - ABS Primorje
Rudar - Danilovgrad
Niksic - Jedinstvo
Mogren - Lovcen
Mornar Basket - Primorje

VII ROUND
Primorje - Ulcinj
Lovcen - Mornar Basket
Jedinstvo - Mogren
Danilovgrad - Niksic
ABS Primorje - Rudar

VIII ROUND
Ulcinj - Rudar
Niksic - ABS Primorje
Mogren - Danilovgrad
Mornar Basket- Jedinstvo
Primorje - Lovcen

IX KOLO
Lovcen - Ulcinj
Jedinstvo - Primorje
Danilovgrad - Mornar Basket
ABS Primorje - Mogren
Rudar - Niksic

MNT Cup 1/8 Final : Easy win for Primorje in Podgorica - by Dragan Scepanovic
In first game of Montenegrin 1/8 Final Cup Basketball Club Primorje win in city of Podgorica against new Montenegrin Basketball Club Podgorica member of MNT2 division in season 2008-2009 100-67 ( 33-13,18-17,18-20,31-17).In team of Basketball Club Primorje best was Slobodan Miljanic ho score 25 points.Good game play Dusan zambelic with 21 points , 4 rebounds and Milan Stojanovic (191-F/G-83) with 20 points.Head coach of Basketball Team Primorje Zoran Glomazic play this game without best players Boris Lalovic (206-C-81), Stevovic Ratko, Goran Pejovic (203-F-77) , Najdenov form Bulgaria and Radenko Mihajlovic.First game for Basketball Club Primorje play new basketball player for season 2008-2009 Zarko Dragicevic , ex basketball player of Basketball Club Mogren.

BC PRIMORJE H.Novi : Arapovic , Najdenov , Sinisa Tepavcevic (201-F-86) 13 ppg - 2 aspg-7 rpg, Miljanic 26p., Milan Stojanovic (191-F/G-83) 20ppg-3 aspg-3spg, Stevovic , Goran Pejovic , Dusan Zambelic 21p., Mihajlovic , Zarko Dragicevic (188-G-81) 8p.- 1aspg, Kovacevic 13p., Boris Lalovic

Montenegrin 1B Division schedule 2008-2009 - by Dragan Scepanovic

I ROUND
Teodo - Kotor
Centar - Mornar Basket II
University Mediteran - Zeta Ljubovic - Studentski Centar
Niksic II - Gorstak

II ROUND
Kotor - Gorstak
Studentski centar - Niksic II
Zeta - Ljubovic
Mornar Basket II - University Mediteran
Teodo Centar
III ROUND

Centar - Kotor
University Mediteran - Teodo
Ljubovic - Mornar Basket II
Niksic II - Zeta

Gorstak - Studentski Centar

IV ROUND
Kotor - Studentski Centar
Zeta - Gorstak

Mornar Basket II - Niksic II
Teodo - Ljubovic

Centar - University Mediteran

V ROUND
University Mediteran - Kotor
Ljubovic - Centar
Niksic II - Teodo Gorstak - Mornar Basket II
Studentski Centar - Zeta

VI ROUND
Kotor - Zeta
Mornar Basket II - Studentski Centar
Teodo - Gorstak
Centar - Niksic II

University Mediteran- Ljubovic

VII ROUND Ljubovic - Kotor
Niksic II - University Mediteran
Gorstak - Centar
Studentski Centar - Teodo
Zeta - Mornar Basket II

VIII ROUND
Kotor - Mornar Basket II
Teodo - Zeta

Centar - Studentski Centar

University Mediteran - Gorstak

Ljubovcc - Niksic II

IX ROUND
Niksic II - Kotor
Gorstak - Ljubovic
Studentski Centar - University Mediteran
Zeta - Centar
Mornar Basket II - Teodo

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MOZAMBIQUE

Latest results from the LNB - by Kristian Santiago
Latest results from the LNB:

5th round
Fer. Beira-Desp. Maputo 90-74
Desp. Beira-Fer. Maputo 50-90
Costa do Sol-APolitecnica 94-70
Maxaquene-Sport Club 70-52

6th round
Desp. Beira-Desp. Maputo 61-80
Fer. Beira-Fer. Maputo 56-88
Maxaquene-APolitecnica 109-78
Costa do Sol-Sport Club 106-59

Next round:
Desp. Maputo-Costa do Sol
Maxaquene-Fer. Maputo
Sport Clube-APolitecnica
Fer. Beira-Desp. Beira

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NBA

Minnesota waives Brazilian Rafael Araujo - by Eurobasket News
Minnesota Timberwolves decided to release big guy Rafael Paulo Araujo (6'11''-C-80, college: BYU) meaning that the team's roster now stands at 18 players. 28-year old center agreed terms with the Timberwolves on September 29th. He appeared twice in preseason games getting just 5 minutes in total.

Araujo spent last season in Russian team Spartak St. Petersburg averaging 9.9 ppg and 6 rpg for 9 games in FIBA EuroCup. He also demonstrated nice performance in Russian Superleague ending it as a fourth best rebounder with 7.8 rpg. At the same time he also had 11.9 ppg shooting 59% for FG2 and 62.3 from the free throw line. Before Spartak, he had 3 NBA seasons with Toronto and Utah. On 06/07 Araujo added 2.6 ppg and 2.4 rpg for 28 regular season games with the Jazz. His digits were almost the same in 5 play-off appearances. Utah was NBA Western Conference Finalist that season. From 2004 to 2006 he was a member of Toronto. Rafael Paulo Araujo came out from Birgham Young University in 2004. At the same year he was selected as 8th overall pick by Toronto Raptors. He ended senior season at BYU with 18.2 ppg, 12 rpg and 1.2 apg and was named 'All-MWC Co-Player of the Year -04'. Araujo was member of Brazilian NT three times (05, 06, 08). He played on America Cup 2005 in Dominican Republic.

Oklahoma City grab the first win - by Eurobasket News
Oklahoma City used 26 points from Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas) to impress the crowd on Tulsa, Oklahoma beating the Houston Rockets 110:104 in home debut. Kevin Durant scored 20 points in the final eight minutes of the game to pace the Thunder to the first preseason victory. Nick Collison provided 21 points, while Desmond Mason secured 16 for the winners. Aaron Brooks (6'0''-G-85, agency: CAA Sports, college: Oregon) answered with 20 points for the Rockets. D.J. Strawberry added 16 points in the loss.
Kevin Durant put the Thunder up 103:102 with just over a minute left in the game. Later the Rookie of the Year added two free throws to keep the hosts in front 107:104 before blocking Aaron Brooks jumper. Nick Collison then sealed the winning outcome for the Thunder from the charity stripe.
The Atlanta Hawks secured the third preseason win as they prevailed against the Charlotte Bobcats 88:87 at home. Acie Law (6'3''-G-85, college: Texas A&M) drained a bucket with 4.5 seconds left to ensure the victory for the Hawks. Law finished with 12 points starting for the hosts. Joe Johnson led the charge with 17 points, while Josh Smith produced 16. Jason Richardson (6'6''-G-81, college: Michigan St.) answered with 19 points for the Bobcats as they dropped the third in a row.
O.J. Mayo (6'5''-G-87, college: USC) fired 26 points to pace the Memphis Grizzlies to a 103:95 win over the Indiana Pacers. The third NBA Draft pick buried six three-pointers and allowed the Grizzlies to grab the second preseason win. Marc Gasol (7'0''-C-85, agency: Interperformances) had 14 points and 10 boards for the winners. T.J. Ford (5'10''-G-83, college: Texas) answered with 18 points for the Pacers.

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NCAA1

MTSU picked to win Sun Belt - by Eurobasket News
MTSU men's basketball coach Kermit Davis wanted high expectations for his team.

He got exactly what he wished for.

The Blue Raiders are the favorite to win the Sun Belt title, drawing 11 of a possible 13 first-place votes in the East Division in the preseason coaches poll released at Sun Belt Media Days Monday.

'I think everybody in this room has expectations of going to the NCAA Tournament,' Davis said from Summit Arena, the site of the 2009 Sun Belt Tournament.

'We all work to create these kinds of expectations in our program. We know it's going to be a tough league, but I'm excited about where we are.'

MTSU returns all five starters and nine lettermen from last season's team that finished 11-7 in Sun Belt play, third-best in the league overall.

Most coaches said Monday that the Sun Belt should be a balanced league, yet MTSU was the overwhelming choice to win the East Division, regarded as the strongest side of the conference.

Davis said MTSU's returning talent and its run through the Sun Belt Tournament last season which included a win over NCAA Tournament at-large team South Alabama and a close loss to Sweet 16 squad Western Kentucky in the championship game influenced the preseason voting.

'I told our team, 'I think that coaches around the league respect how you guys played the last 15 games,'' Davis said. '... I think they appreciated our players' toughness and how they finished the season. That's why we got 11 first-place votes.'

South Alabama garnered two first-place votes for second in the East Division, followed by Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Troy.

Arkansas-Little Rock and North Texas tied for the top spot in the West Division. Louisiana-Lafayette was a close third place, followed by Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, Denver and New Orleans.

'This league has always had parity, and probably more so this year than any,' UALR coach Steve Shields said. 'I think you can make an argument for any of four, five or six teams to represent this league in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, you start that by talking about Middle Tennessee.'

Sun Belt Conference

Men's Preseason Poll (Voted on by head coaches)

East
1. MTSU (11) 76

2. South Alabama (2) 60

3. WKU 52

4. FAU 38

5. FIU 33

6. Troy 14

West
1. UALR (6) 76

1. North Texas (4) 76

3. UL-Lafayette (3) 75

4. Arkansas State 43

5. UL-Monroe 39

6. Denver 35

7. New Orleans 20

First-place votes in ()

Courtesy of http://www.dnj.com

Louisville lands top center again - by Eurobasket News
Less than a year after landing one of the top centers in the nation, the University of Louisville men's basketball program has scored a commitment from a major post player in the Class of 2010.

San Diego High School junior Jeremy Tyler (6'9''-F) confirmed to The Courier-Journal Monday night that he will play for the Cardinals. The 6-foot-10 center is considered one of the top 10 prospects in his class, and recruiting analysts predicted he will have the same impact as current U of L freshman Samardo Samuels.

'It just happened,' said Tyler, who visited U of L in late August and picked the Cards over UCLA, Arizona, Memphis and a number of others. After the visit, he said Louisville coach Rick Pitino was a big reason why he was interested in the school, and last night he reiterated that.

'Coach Pitino was a huge part,' said Tyler, who said he wouldn't answer a lot of questions until he'd met with his high school coach.

He's ranked No. 7 in the 2010 class by Scout.com, No. 9 by Rivals.com and No. 5 by Hoop Scoop.

'Any time you can get a top-10 prospect it's a huge deal, and it's really big for Louisville after getting Samardo last year,' Scout.com analyst Evan Daniels said. 'He'll fill the void after (Samuels) leaves. Walter McCarty did a great job recruiting Tyler. Not a lot of people knew that Louisville was that involved, and they got him.'

Last season Tyler was rated the best sophomore in California after averaging 23 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks per game.

Courtesy of http://news.cincinnati.com

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

PBL

Rainmen target big man with first pick - by Eurobasket News
The Halifax Rainmen will be in the market for a big man as they begin to shape their 2009 roster at the Premier Basketball League entry draft on Thursday.

Through the luck of a lottery draw, the Rainmen will have the No. 2 pick behind the Detroit Panthers. The team also picks 25th as the 13 teams in the draft select in reverse order in the second round.

Rainmen owner Andre Levingston said his squad will be looking for some size when they go on the clock.

'Weve got a couple of guys on the board wed really like to take,' said Levingston. 'Were not so in a rush to sign a point guard, at this point. Wed like to sign a big guy, since theyre so scarce.'

The Rainmen dont have any players under contract yet for their first season in the PBL, which begins in January. But they have first rights to re-sign four key figures from last year: forwards Eric Crookshank and Kadiri Richard, sharpshooter Brian Silverhorn and point guard Jimmy Twyman, who joined the team with seven games remaining last year.

The team has had conversations with each and is optimistic theyll be able to bring them back, Levingston said.

Its a bonus for the Rainmen that Crookshank is available. The California native signed a contract to play in Finland back in the summer, but he has left the Finnish league

Crookshank was a first-team all-star in the ABA last year, leading Halifax with 20.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

'Weve been talking to Crookshank almost every day now,' Levingston said. 'He considers Halifax his home, and he wants to be back here.'

Levingston was in Toronto scouting players last week and plans to make other trips to look for talent, rather than bringing in a host of potential players as the Rainmen did last year. But he said the team does plan to hold an open tryout in Halifax in early November.

Overall, hes not in a rush to fill out the roster right away.

'What weve been doing is just being really, really patient,' he said. 'Theres a lot of movement right now with other leagues, NBA teams are making their cuts. We dont want to jump the gun too quick. Were just being patient and evaluating players.'

Levingston said the league schedule is expected to be released shortly. The Rainmen will play most of their games against northeast opponents such as Vermont, Manchester, Quebec and Rochester, N.Y.

Courtesy of http://thechronicleherald.ca

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POLAND

Energa Czarni surprised Unics in Poland - by Eurobasket News
Energa Czarni - Unics 76:62

Energa Czarni surprised Unics in Poland in the first leg of their EuroCup qualifier. Polish side beat Russian titan 76:62 and feels more comfortable advancing to the EuroCup stage after the first game. Demetric Bennett (193-G-85) and Jason Straight (188-G-83, agency: Edge Sports, college: Wyoming) led the winners with 15 points apiece. Jack Ingram (207-C/F-83, college: Illinois) and Mantas Cesnauskis (189-G-81, agency: LimeLight) followed them with 12 points each for the grand win. Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83) top-scored for the guests with 26 points and Veremeenko added 10.
Energa Czarni opened the game offensively and had 16:6 in the middle of the first period. Mantas Cesnauskis with a lay-up made it 24:17 as the teas finished the first ten minutes of the game. Kresimir Loncar's first 4 points in the second frame pulled his team back to 24:19 and it was him again for 34:30. The hosts did not feel to give up and after 22-17 in the second had 12 points advantage. Jason Straight's three gave Polish side 46:34 at the halftime.
It seemed that Russian squad should bounce back right after the break. The hosts however kept them tough and controlled the game in the third. Veremeenko could only cut to 66:49 after three quarters played. Energa were up 76:55 after Rolando Howell sank a jump-shot with less than five minutes to go, but those would be the final points the hosts would score. Popovic and Kirksay made the final 76:62 as the teams left the court in Poland.

Energa Czarni: Demetric Bennett 15, Jason Straight 15, Jack Ingram 12, Mantas Cesnauskis 12
Unics: Kresimir Loncar 26, Veremeenko 10

Sagadin out, Griszczuk replaces - by Michal Falkowski
Zmago Sagadin is no longer a headcoach of Anwil Wloclawek! Very experienced coach was fired due to the inteview he gave in one of the Polish newspapers. In that conversation Sagadin said that he is completely usatisfied with the roster of Anwilu. However, it is worth underlining he created this roster on his own! Moreover he complaint about the lack of funds to bring new center up to the team in case of Milos Paravinjas injury. Besides, Slovenian coach indicated that the teams young players have done no progress since the coach joined the team.
In this situation the board of Anwil had no choice and made a decision of terminating contract with that coach. Actually, the contract was terminte by mutual agreement.
After this case, the board of Anwil decided to hire a new coach. Only two names were considered Andrej Urlep and Igor Griszczuk . Finally, the club gave an opportunity to the second option so Griszczuk comes back to Wloclawek after three years break. In that time he was a headcoach of Energa Czarni Slupsk. Before that time he had been an assistant in Anwil. He had finished his career in 2002 after playing 11 years in Anwil team.

Standings - DBE

DBE Standings

1. Polpharma	5-0
2. Turow	4-0
3. Kotwica	4-1
4. Prokom	3-1
5. Atlas Stal	3-1
6. Polonia	3-2
7. Anwil	2-2
8. Sportino I.	2-2
9. En.Czarni	2-2
10. Znicz J.	2-3
11. PBG Basket	1-4
12. AZS Koszalin	1-4
13. Bank BPS	1-4
14. Gornik W.	0-5

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ROMANIA

Banvit wins EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 first leg - by Eurobasket News
CSU Atlassib- Banvit BC 67:74

Banvit wins EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 first leg in Romania. Turkish side opened the game confident and after the win in three quarters led to 67:74 road win. Joe Crispin (186-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Penn St.) led the winners with 21 points, while Yunus Cankaya (199-F-85) and Johnson nailed 14 each. Cortney Scott (196-F-82, college: Oakland) top-scored for the hosts with 23 points. Johnson collected 15 and 10 rebounds in defeat, while Michael Harrison (206-F-84, agency: Interperformances) gathered 14 points and 10 boards. The teams will meet again next Tuesday in Turkey for the second leg.
Romanian side scored first 4 points in the game as Michael Harrison made a jump-shot at 4:0. Turkish side closed the quarter with the same run for 19:23. Banvit only led 33:30 with 1 minute to go in the first half but then went on a 16-0 run to seemingly take control. Williams was the last to score in the hosts disaster at 30:49. The Romanian club reduced the deficit to 53:39 when Cortney Jermain Cortney Scott buried a three. CSU Atlassib limited Banvit to just two points over the first seven and a half minutes of the final quarter to close the gap to 58:56. Banvit however never looked behind in the second half and led the game to the winning end. Joe Crispin made the Final score 67:74 as his team triumphed in the game.

CSU Atlassib: Cortney Scott 23, Johnson 15+10 rebs, Michael Harrison 14+10 rebs
Banvit BC: Joe Crispin 21, Yunus Cankaya 14, Johnson 14

Ewe Baskets Oldenburg writes the history in Europe - by Eurobasket News
U-Mobitelco-Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 60:86

German Ewe Baskets Oldenburg celebrated the win in the International arena by beating U-Mobitelco in Romania. The latter hosted the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 and lost 60:86. Rickey Paulding

(196-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Missouri) led German side with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Je'Kel Foster (191-G-83, agency: Court Side, college: Ohio St.) netted 18, while Jason Gardner

20+5 rebs, Je'Kel Foster 18, Jason Gardner

15

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RUSSIA

Base BC Oostende survives in the opener - by Eurobasket News
BC Triumph Lyubertsy - Base BC Oostende 78:78

Base BC Oostende survived in the opener of EuroCup Qualifying Round 1. Belgian team tied the game in Russia against the favorite BC Triumph Lyubertsy. The latter has a fabulous roster this season but could not win at home. As a result BC Triumph Lyubertsy could only come up to 78:78 and as there is another game scheduled the draw was allowed after the fourth quarter. Alan Anderson (198-G/F-82, college: Michigan St.) scored 17 points for the hosts, Nenad Krstic (214-C-83) collected 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Kerem Tunceri (190-G-79) added 12. Rashid Atkins (182-G-75, agency: Interperformances, college: St.Joseph's) top-scored for the visitors with 24 points and Jimmy Baxter (198-G-80, college: S.Florida) nailed 14.

When Jimmy Baxter nailed a three in the opening tip, 2500 spectators seemed nothing to worry about. In the end of the first period however they were shocked as Paunic made it 15:31. BC Triumph Lyubertsy woke up in the beginning of the second period and had 9-0 run to reduce the gap. Right before the break Kerem Tunceri pulled the hosts back for 45:46.
Base BC Oostende went on a lead again later in the third and enjoyed 57:61 entering the last frame. The visitors remained in front until the last two minutes when Alan Anderson tied at 72:72. Bremers free throws set up the final, 78:78 draw.

BC Triumph Lyubertsy: Alan Anderson 17, Nenad Krstic 13+10 rebs, Kerem Tunceri 12
Base BC Oostende: Rashid Atkins 24, Jimmy Baxter 14

Energa Czarni surprised Unics in Poland - by Eurobasket News
Energa Czarni - Unics 76:62

Energa Czarni surprised Unics in Poland in the first leg of their EuroCup qualifier. Polish side beat Russian titan 76:62 and feels more comfortable advancing to the EuroCup stage after the first game. Demetric Bennett (193-G-85) and Jason Straight (188-G-83, agency: Edge Sports, college: Wyoming) led the winners with 15 points apiece. Jack Ingram (207-C/F-83, college: Illinois) and Mantas Cesnauskis (189-G-81, agency: LimeLight) followed them with 12 points each for the grand win. Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83) top-scored for the guests with 26 points and Veremeenko added 10.
Energa Czarni opened the game offensively and had 16:6 in the middle of the first period. Mantas Cesnauskis with a lay-up made it 24:17 as the teas finished the first ten minutes of the game. Kresimir Loncar's first 4 points in the second frame pulled his team back to 24:19 and it was him again for 34:30. The hosts did not feel to give up and after 22-17 in the second had 12 points advantage. Jason Straight's three gave Polish side 46:34 at the halftime.
It seemed that Russian squad should bounce back right after the break. The hosts however kept them tough and controlled the game in the third. Veremeenko could only cut to 66:49 after three quarters played. Energa were up 76:55 after Rolando Howell sank a jump-shot with less than five minutes to go, but those would be the final points the hosts would score. Popovic and Kirksay made the final 76:62 as the teams left the court in Poland.

Energa Czarni: Demetric Bennett 15, Jason Straight 15, Jack Ingram 12, Mantas Cesnauskis 12
Unics: Kresimir Loncar 26, Veremeenko 10

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

RWANDA

Play-Offs Put On Hold - by Kristian Santiago
by Julius Mbaraga

This year's National Basketball League play-offs initially scheduled to kick off today have been put on hold by the sport's local governing body, Ferwaba due to the ongoing refurbishment work at Amahoro's indoor stadium.

According to an official from the federation, the indoor stadium is undergoing renovation to make it more adaptable to rainy conditions.
'In the past, many games have had to be called off or delayed because of rain so the renovation work going on is partly to curb on that,' the official said before conceding that he was not sure when the stadium would be ready.
'It's difficult to say when the stadium will be ready for use but we are hoping that it will be soon,' he added.
This year, there is only one change from the quartet that took part in last year's play-offs. APR who are in for Espoir join the trio of defending champions Marine, CSK and Rusizi.
Marine cruised to last year's title after a compelling 3-0 game series victory over CSK but if the former can repeat that feat remains to be seen.
In the run to the play-offs, APR has been in impeccable form. The Indomitable Lions rewrote history when they became the first club in the history of Rwandan basketball to finish unbeaten in the regular season.

In the ladies' play-offs; defending champions APR, National University of Rwanda (UNR), ISAE and Rusizi's Gillbarham will also be in contention for the top prize.

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SENEGAL

Senegal's U-18 roster announced - by Kristian Santiago
Led by Basketball without Borders MVP Thierno Ibrahima Niang (played also in Douai 2008), the group also consists of three players currently playing abroad and some of them are having the experience of playing in Nike Global Challenge in the US this past summer.

The team looks as follows:

Guards : Thierno Ibrahima Niang (Pikine BC), Adama Louis Adams (Jeanne D'Arc Dakar), Mbaye Thiam (US Rail Thies-Seed Academy).

Forwards : Habib Ndoye (US Rail Thies-Seed Academy), Aboubacar Casse (US Rail Thies-Seed Academy), Selle Diagne Hann (Jeanne D'Arc Dakar), Pape Samba Ndao (Montverde Prep,Florida -USA)

Centers : Arfand Eric Diouf (Jeanne D'Arc Dakar), Cheikh Amadou Tidiane Sane (AS Douanes Dakar), Daniel Gomis (US Rail Thies-Seed Academy), Mansour Kasse (Real Club Nautico de Tenerife, EBA-Spain), Papa Abdoulaye Mbaye (Unio Basquet Sabadell,EBA and Regal FC Barcelona, Sub-20-Spain).

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

SERBIA

Bojan Ljubojevic moves from Mega HL to Hungary - by Dragan Jankovski
Experienced big guy Bojan Ljubojevic (204-C-78) will continue career in Hungary. 30-year old player agreed terms with Soproni Sordogok, who has 8 more days to get ready for Hungarian top division.
Ljubojevic arrives to Soproni from Serbian team Mega Hypo Leasing. He played 3 games for Mega HL in A1 league averaging 7.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg. His team also had 2 appearances in Balkan league registering one win and one defeat but Ljubojevic got just 7 minutes in total. Mega met Rilski Sportist suffering thriller defeat in historical BIBL opener. Two days later Mega played another road game, this time against Levski Sophia. It was another thriller, which belonged to Serbian team thanks to impressive performance by Miroslav Markovic (201-F-75, agency: Beo Basket) and his winning triple at the buzzer.
Ljubojevic entered into 07/08 season as a member of French Pro A team Chalons but later he parted ways with the team. As a player of Paris-Levallois Ljubojevic demonstrated pretty good performance in Pro B. For 34 games he had 11.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 1.2 apg. In the past he also played for Mornar Bar and Cypriot Keravnos. From 2003 to 2005 he was member of Ergonom Nis while fours seasons before that he spent in Zastava Kragujevac. Ljubojevic grew up as a player in Borac Cacak.

Serbian B league last match of 2. round: Crvena Zvezda II beats Kikinda - by Zoran Popovic
Crvena Zvezda II-Kikinda 84-79 (19-26, 21-22, 23-13, 21-18)

Crvena Zvezda II made first won this season in Serbian B league. First two quarters guests from Kikinda played much better then young team of Crvena Zvezda II. The third quarter domestic players started more aggressive and took advantage and saved it to the end of the match. Young Dejan Majstorovic was most efficient for Crvena Zvezda II and scored 19 points and for the guests Simic scored 24 points.

Crvena Zvezda II: Nekovic 14, Sepa 5, Milosevic 2, Stevovic 4, Radosavljeic 10, Papic 1, Rondovic 10, Djukic 6, Kovacevic 13, Dj.Majstorovic 4, Lukic 4, D.Majstorovic 19.
Kikinda: Mladenovic 4, Ilic 14, Bogdanovic 6, Cerina, Krajnovic 4, Bokic 15, Cvetkovic 1, Tesla, Trkulja, Simic 24, Zeljkovic 7, Mihajlovic 4.

FMP today in EuroCup qualifications - by Dragan Jankovski
First EuroCup qualification round begins today. Serbian representative FMP Zeleznik will take on Dutch Amsterdam on the road at 20h. Interesting is that FMP got a 'wild card' for the EuroCup 08/09 as it needed just one more point in order to secure it regularly last season in Adriatic league. Anyway, FMP's rival is not any easy one. Amsterdam is reining Dutch champion, which has 6 Americans in its roster. Head coach of the team is Arik Shibak from Israel. Second leg is scheduled for October 21st in Zeleznik. If FMP succeeds to get through the first stage it will take on Russian Ural Great Perm in the second qualification round.
Crvena Zvezda already waits there. Zvzda's rival will be Estonian Tartu Rock or Austrian Gmunden. Second qualification round starts on November 4.
Serbia will have another representative in EuroCup. It is last season's triple finalist Hemofarm STADA. The team from Vrsac is placed directly to the regular season Group H. Participants of the same group are Bilbao Basket, Nymbirk and Buducnost or Galatasaray or Siauliai.

Mega Hypo Leasing and Radnicki 034 Group tomorrow will play their games of the Balkan league, second round. Mega HL will meet Macedonian Fersped Rabotnicki, who celebrated in the first game against Dinamo Bucharesti. Radnicki 034 Group will play on the road against Bulgarian Cherno More. Third Serbian team in BIBL, Swisslions Takovo, is free in this round.

Stats Leaders - 1B

1B Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

1 J. Bajic (Vrbas) 27
2 D. Kruscic (Beogr) 22.5
3 D. Mitrovic (Beogr) 22

Rebounds Per Game

1 D. Vujacic (Vrbas) 9
2 S. Vokic (Kikinda) 9
3 N. Knezevic (Vojvod) 8

Assists Per Game

1 B. Markovic (Vrba) 11.5
2 V Zarkovic (Prolet) 7.5
3 N Korac (Beograd) 5

Standings - B Liga

B League Standings

1. FMP II	2-0
2. Crnokosa	2-0
3. Superfund	2-0
4. Radnicki O.	1-1
5. Mladost C.	1-1
6. Crvena Zv. 2	1-1
7. Vojvodina Z.	1-1
8. Beograd	1-1
9. Vrbas	1-1
10. Sloboda U.	1-1
11. Proleter Naft.	1-1
12. Maraton	0-2
13. Kikinda	0-2
14. Beovuk 72	0-2

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SPAIN

Injured players - by Robert Mayor
- Spanish center German Gabriel (207-C-80) will remain sidelined three months due a lateral ligament injury of the ankle. Unicaja Malaga player got injured last weekend during the game that his team lost against Tau Vitoria.

- C.B. granada main star, Curtis Borchardt (211-C-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Stanford) will remain out of courts for a month after reciving a hit that broke one of his right hand fingers.

- Josh Fisher (189-G-80, agency: SportsTalent, college: St.Louis), Kalise Gran Canaria guard, will also miss the next game against Regal F.C. Barcelona due a virus that forces him to rest.

Stefanov says goodbye to Menorca - by Robert Mayor
Vrbica Stefanov (188-G-73, agency: Interperformances) is not ViveMenorca player anymore. Guard and island club decided to finish the contract and international Fyrom player will return to his country in order to have some rest. Guard assured 'that is very tired after 15 years without holidays, and that is not sure that he can play at top level during all season'. Stefanov added: 'I'd like to thank the fans for their support during my estance in the island. They have very good players and excelent guards that will show that can play and win against any team'.

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TPBL

"TPBL" taking on " ABA" - by Chris Cardenas

San Antonio,Tx - will be the sight in which may end up being one of the best exhibition games yet of 2009. The ABA SOUTH TX SHOWBOATS will be hosting the 3 time TPBL champion SAN ANGELO CHAPARRALS in San Antonio at the ANTIOCH SPORTS COMPLEX. Chaps head coach chris cardenas says ' We thank the South Tx Showboats for wanting to host this exhibition game and we also thank the city of San Antonio for coming out to this match up that promises to be an old fashioned tx shoot out ' . The Showboats will be making their 3rd pre season showing of the year , while the chaps will be playing their 1st exhibition of the season.

exhibition info:
game time: 5:45 tip off
location: antioch sports complex (SAN ANTONIO, TX)
admission : $6 at the door
for more information contact the chaparrals at : 325-763-6630
or south tx showboats at : 210-897-0379

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TUNISIA

Tunisia prepares for Arab Nations Championship - by Kristian Santiago
Changes in the format of the tournament are expected after the withdrawal of the Yemen.
Group B consists currently of hosts Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Algeria and Yemen was supposed to play in that group.
It could be, that one team of Group A (Six Teams) could be moved into Group A, but this has to be approved by the organizing committee.

The national-team flew to Madrid for preparations and is facing Real Madrid, Rayet Guadalajara and another opponent to be determined soon.
Fourteen players made the trip with the exception of Mohamed Hdidane (205-F-86) who stayed in Tunisia due to administrative reasons, but will later join them in Madrid.

Here is the list of the chosen ones :
Amine Rezig (198-G/F-80), Bechir Hdidane (201-C-84), Mohamed Hdidane, Nizar Knioua (189-G-83), Marouane Lahmar (179-G-82), Hichem Ezzahi (200-F-81), Omar Mouhli (190-G-86), Hamdi Braa (208-C-86), Djamel Benramdane (193-F-82), Walid Manai (-80), Atef Maoua (198-F-81), Marouan Laghnej (190-G-86), Mokhtar Ghayaza (204-C-86), Marouana Kechrid (180-G-81) and Naim Dhifallah (196-F/G-82).

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TURKEY

BC Siauliai and Galatasaray tied in Lithuania - by Eurobasket News

Bad news for Efes Pilsen - by Furkan Yunkul
Efes Pilsen have been suffering from the injuries of Mario Kasun (213-C-80) and Kaya Peker (207-C/F-80, agency: Court Side) when there are a short time to beginning of the Turkish Basketball League.

Croatian center, Mario Kasun, won't be on courts next 3 weeks due to injury of the right hand's wrist.

Besides Efes Pilsen's experienced player, Kaya Peker, is suffering from shoulder injury and he are being tried to recover his injury until the first league game.

Banvit wins EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 first leg - by Eurobasket News
CSU Atlassib- Banvit BC 67:74

Banvit wins EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 first leg in Romania. Turkish side opened the game confident and after the win in three quarters led to 67:74 road win. Joe Crispin (186-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Penn St.) led the winners with 21 points, while Yunus Cankaya (199-F-85) and Johnson nailed 14 each. Cortney Scott (196-F-82, college: Oakland) top-scored for the hosts with 23 points. Johnson collected 15 and 10 rebounds in defeat, while Michael Harrison (206-F-84, agency: Interperformances) gathered 14 points and 10 boards. The teams will meet again next Tuesday in Turkey for the second leg.
Romanian side scored first 4 points in the game as Michael Harrison made a jump-shot at 4:0. Turkish side closed the quarter with the same run for 19:23. Banvit only led 33:30 with 1 minute to go in the first half but then went on a 16-0 run to seemingly take control. Williams was the last to score in the hosts disaster at 30:49. The Romanian club reduced the deficit to 53:39 when Cortney Jermain Cortney Scott buried a three. CSU Atlassib limited Banvit to just two points over the first seven and a half minutes of the final quarter to close the gap to 58:56. Banvit however never looked behind in the second half and led the game to the winning end. Joe Crispin made the Final score 67:74 as his team triumphed in the game.

CSU Atlassib: Cortney Scott 23, Johnson 15+10 rebs, Michael Harrison 14+10 rebs
Banvit BC: Joe Crispin 21, Yunus Cankaya 14, Johnson 14

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U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

2008 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Hotel Rooms and Tickets on Sale Now - by David Edole
Remaining rooms at Marriott Frenchmen's Reef host hotel expected to sellout quickly

The 2008 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam at the University of the Virgin Islands announced today that few rooms remain at the host hotel during the men's event. Competition begins on November 21st with consecutive-day action culminating in the championship round on November 24th. The unparalleled and award-winning Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort ( http://MarriottFrenchmansReef.com/) is the tournament home for teams, the media, and the event organizers. Room and ticket packages are available through Basketball Travelers.
See http://www.paradisejam.com/images/download/MensFactSheet.pdf for a men's fact sheet. For more detailed information, call 425-776-2775 or visit the Paradise Jam website at http://www.paradisejam.com/pages/m_travelpackage.htm to find an option that works for you.
The 9th annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Tournament at the University of the Virgin Islands features its most impressive men's field ever, with four participants earning berths to the 2008 NCAA tournament. Wisconsin, Connecticut, Miami and San Diego each competed in the NCAA tournament. Although these four NCAA-hardened squads bring high expectations to the islands this November, they will be hard-pressed by the other four teams also seeking early season success. Valparaiso, Southern Mississippi, La Salle and Iona round out the eight-team Paradise Jam field, making it one of the most competitive, neutral court, early season tournaments in America. Two former Paradise Jam champions will return to islands to defend their titles: Wisconsin (2005 Champion) and Miami (2001 Champion).
The men's bracket is http://www.paradisejam.com/images/men/brackets/2008Bracket.pdf and all games will be played at the state-of-the-art University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.
After the conclusion on the men's games, the equally strong women's field takes the court: Baylor, California, Iowa, South Florida, Texas Tech, Villanova, Wisconsin, and Central Florida.
About the Paradise Jam and Basketball Travelers Visit http://www.paradisejam.com or http://www.basketballtravelers.com. You can also e-mail info@basketballtravelers.com or call 425-776-2775. Basketball Travelers was established in 1985 to arrange domestic and international basketball competition. Today, over 200 collegiate and high school teams participate annually in tours and tournaments organized by Basketball Travelers, Inc.

PRO REPORT - by David Edole
BOSNIA
In the last game of round 1 of Bosnias Division I, Igokea Partizan outlasted Omari Peterkin and Borac Nektar, 74-65. Peterkin tallied 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and five steals.
Partizan used a second half rally as well as knowing Borac played without their starting point guard. The beginning of the game totally belonged to Borac, who made impressive push by scoring the games first twelve points. Igokea managed to cut the margin to 8 points, 9-17 at the end of that frame. Borac kept their lead until the last two minutes of the second stanza, when Igokea Partizans Marko Djerasimovic and Milos Mirkovic connected for a 31-30 lead. However, both teams went into halftime at 35 a piece. Igokea started to press and trap in the second half that resulted in a 14-5 run. Borac tried to make a push but the host team shifted gears and thwarted their efforts that resulted with a 16-point advantage for Igokea.

FRANCE
Josiah James got his first start of the season and was very impressive. The St. Johnian had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, eight boards, three blocks and two steals as St. Etienne lost to Nantes, 74-81. St. Etienne has begun Pro B play with thee consecutive losses.

GERMANY
Frank Elegar and Bremerhaven (1-3) lost to EWE Baskets, 75-89, at home on Sunday in German Bundisliga First Division play. Bremerhaven went into the season as favorites to make the playoffs and presently sits in three-way tie for last place. . Elegar had 10 points on 4-0f-7 shooting and 2-of-5 at the free throw line. The Virgin Islander limited by foul trouble also chipped in with five boards.

SPAIN
What has happened to Cuthbert Victor? Following his 30-point effort, Victor finished with 22 points to lead Mellila to tough win over Plus Pujol, 89-76. Mellila grabbed their third win in LEB Gold thanks to wonderful last quarter against Plus Pujol, 27-14. Victor is playing like an MVP candidate was 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-2 from down town. Melilla suffered a tight two-point defeat in the last weeks game versus La Laguna on the road. Mellilas only defeat thus far.

UKRAINE
Kitwana Rhymer and Kryvbasbasket have been steam rolling pass team in the UBL. This week game versus BC Odessa was no different. Kryvbasbasket romps favorite BC Odessa 100-78 at home to remain undefeated. Rhymer had six points, three rebounds, two blocked in only16 minutes played. Kryvbasbasket sits in first place with a 4-0 record.

MEXICO
The clash of Virgin Islanders took place Thursday night when Ja Ja Richards and Barreeros Zacatecas knocked off Jason Edwin and Cancun Pioneers (4-8), 84-75, in Mexicos LNBP. Richards, who is one of the best rebounders in all of Mexico, had five points and 7 boards. Edwin had a bad shooting night but managed11 points and four boards.
On Saturday, Richards rebounded with 12 caroms, three blocks and three assists to lead Barreteros (10-2) to a win over Bucaneros, 111-104.
Richard snow sits in second place in rebounding with a 9.83 average.

JAPAN
Carl Thomas and Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins bounced back after losing the previous day before handing Panasonic Trians their first lost, 75-69. Thomas had five points and three rebounds in only fifteen minutes played. On Friday, the Dolphins fell to Panasonic, 51-85. Thomas had six points and eight boards in the contest.
Japan recently changed their import rules and only allows one import per team on the court. Mexicos Adam Parada is the teams starting center.

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UGANDA

Malinga inspires Falcons win over Power - by Kristian Santiago

By Charles Mutebi

MTN-FUBA league

Results:

Men
Falcons 48 Power 46
Lions 48 Miracle 46

Women
A1 56 Bucks 28

Wandegeya, today

Men
KIU v Canons
Warriors v Hawks

Women
Rhino v Leopards

Henry Malinga (193-F) pulled down Allan Tawdas last ditch shot in midair to grant the Mogas Falcons a 48-46 victory and deny what Sadolin Power felt should have tied their MTN-FUBA league encounter on Independence night.
According to Power players the ball was above the rim when Malinga pulled it down, an act that should legally have transferred two points to their account, but both match umpires protested being un-sighted on the occasion.
Power protested the result, captains signature on match form and all.
But Malinga, who spent the better part of the match rocking Powers defence on the way to a game-high 16 points, will rest assured that his teams latest points are safe.
And safe is what the champions playoffs qualification quest increasingly appears to be. Victory meant the Falcons put their post season on the right course, not very dissimilar from that of Power, who used the match to celebrate what would have been the 29th birthday of Wilbrod Oketcho (196-F) - their teammate who passed away in April.
Also, the KCC Lions recorded a 48-46 surprise victory over the Miracle Eagles, who will join them in the second division next season if they continue to lose.

Today at Wandegeya, KIU take on the UCU Canons while the Warriors face the Gulu Hawks in the mens top division.

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UKRAINE

BC Sumykhimprom celebrates in Georgia - by Eurobasket News
Energy Invest Rustavi - BC Sumykhimprom 81:110

Energy Invest Rustavi tried hard but could not make the levels even with the Ukrainian side. BC Sumykhimprom won the opening game of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 in Tbilisi. Brian Greene (196-G/F-84, college: Florida A&M) paced all the winners with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Osvaldas Macernis (197-F-82) nailed 17, while Linas Lekavicius (185-G-84, college: American) added 16. Bojan Vukadinovic (205-F-78, agency: 011 Sports) top-scored for the hosts with 23 points and Paul McPherson (193-G-78, college: De Paul) posted 18.
Sumykhimprom played with the winner of the Georgian basketball. Ukrainian side however was not in the first places last season but this year already has 1-1 record. BC Sumykhimprom opened the game with 29-25 lead closing the first frame. Energy Invest Rustavi did not allow Ukrainian team to go on a big lead and stayed within some points even at the halftime. BC Sumykhimprom produced 24-21 to go to the lockers for 53:46.
In the second half the picture of the game had changed especially in the last period. If in the third Energy Invest Rustavi lost 19-25, then in the last one they did not have any strength to resist. BC Sumykhimprom ended up with the massive 32-16 run and won the opener of EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1. Game 2 is scheduled in Ukraine.

Energy Invest Rustavi: Bojan Vukadinovic 23, Paul McPherson 18
BC Sumykhimprom: Brian Greene 22+6 rebs+6 ast, Osvaldas Macernis 17, Linas Lekavicius 16

Draw in Donetsk - by Eurobasket News
BC Donetsk-Proteas EKA AEL 65:65

BC Donetsk and Proteas EKA AEL could not find a winner in their EuroChallenge Qualifying Round 1 clash. Both teams played well deserving a win but finished at 65:65. P.J. Tucker (196-F-85, agency: CAA Sports, college: Texas) led the hosts with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Chris Owens (204-F-79, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Texas) netted 13, while Rodriguez Fernandez scored 12. Quincy Taylor was the best for the visitors providing 24 points. Haris Mujezinovic (205-F-74, agency: Beo Basket, college: Indiana) posted 13 and Vujadin Subotic

10

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UNITED KINGDOM

Week 3 - Team of the Week - by Andy Webb
A fine performance in Worthing Thunder's first victory in the BBL helped Janis Ivanovskis (201-F-80, college: Cumberland) seal a place in the BBL team of the week.

The Lithuanian poured in 27 points and collected 13 rebounds as Thunder won 97-91 at BiG Cheshire Jets on Sunday evening.

Thunder coach Gary Smith had praise for the forward: 'Janis was immense and I genuinely believe he will develop into being one of the stars in this league. The support he had from everyone was just as important though, as we cannot allow him to be the whole focus of our offense, we need the opposition to worry about all our players.'

The other forward position in the team was taken by Everton Tigers' Andre Smith (203-F-85, college: N.Dakota St.) who finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds as his team hammered PAWS London Capital 107-69 on Friday evening. Smith also scored 26 points and took 11 boards as Tigers made it a double weekend success with a 78- 73 overtime victory at Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders the following evening.

Andrew Bridge (193-F-79) takes one of the guard spots as Newcastle Eagles continue their winning start to the season.

The Englishman finished with 22 points and four rebounds in 37 minutes as Eagles won 87-81 at Marshall MK Lions on Friday evening.

A 32 point haul against Worcester Wolves saw Plymouth Raiders' Andrew Lasker (188-G-82, college: Point Loma) named as top scorer for the week and take the other guard position.

Lasker converted 65 percent of his floor shots and added three rebounds as Raiders won 89-77 at the University of Worcester on Sunday.

Sheffield Sharks' centre Mathew Gorman (203-C-84, college: Syracuse) completes the line-up having scored 22 points and pulled down 14 boards in their 109-78 victory against BiG Storage Cheshire Jets.

The 6'8' South Carolina-born player went to one of the top colleges in the United States, Syracuse, and joined the Sharks in the summer after a season in the Irish League with Neptune.

Jivens delighted with Capital First Win - by Andy Webb
PAWS London Capital coach Malik Jivens was a delighted man after his side recorded their first victory of the season by beating Guildford Heat 92-87 on Saturday night.

'It feels great to get that first win under our belts, and I am happy that the team are believing in the strategy that we are trying to play with.'

'I'm especially happy to get the win after losing by 20 points yesterday, and makes it even more special to beat an established team like Guildford.'

Capital had suffered a heavy defeat at Everton Tigers on Friday evening, and Jivens was pleased with how they bounced back: 'I thought we learn some huge lessons from the Everton game and we were able to came back and show true character in the Guildford game.

'We looked like two different teams over the weekend. In the Everton game we were sluggish and at times confused. However, in the Guildford game we were lively and focused.'

Jivens' team will travel to BiG Cheshire Jets on Sunday in the first round of the BBL Cup, and they will face a team who have been on the end of a tongue lashing from their coach after defeats against Sheffield Sharks and Worthing Thunder over the weekend:

Cheshire coach Paul Smith expects his side to show an improvement when they face Guildford on Saturday night before hosting Capital the following day:

'Both games were really frustrating. We have to start focusing on playing defence, and individuals need to take responsibility for that. We have to up our work- rate in training, and improve in many areas' he said.

Jets' home loss against Thunder was the south coast side's first victory in the BBL, and coach Gary Smith was ecstatic with the result: 'We are getting better and better as the weeks go on, and last night showed what we are capable of. Everybody who came onto the court contributed, particularly at the defensive end as we stifled out their inside presence. The players are getting to know their roles and come on and execute them. We have a tendency to get overexcited when we are up in a game, which showed itself last night, and allow the opposition back in the game, but I always felt we were good enough to win yesterday, even when we were 10 down in the third.'

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Women News

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AUSTRALIA - Women

Triple-double hands Deanna Smith 'Player of the Week' title - by Eurobasket News
Deanna Smith (179-G-80, agency: LBM Management) has been named the Nivea 'Player of the Week' for Round 2 in the Australian Defence Force Womens National Basketball League (WNBL) off the back of a triple-double that led the Perth Lynx to their first win of the season.

Smith posted 36 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in Perths 101-95 victory. She added four steals to her tally and was lethal from the charity stripe converting 17/18 free throws, including four in a row with the game in the balance.

The 179cm guard has returned to the ADF WNBL with a bang after three years overseas; she starred for Perth in Round 1, grabbing 39 points over two games on the road.

In addition to leading the Lynx on court, Smith is also the Ambassador of the team. The ADF WNBL Ambassadors provide a role model for young fans and establish links in the community.

Smiths triple-double gave her the nod in a week of outstanding individual performances in the ADF WNBL.

Sydney Uni Flames guard Alicia Poto was knocking on the door of the Nivea Player of the Week title after she top-scored in two games on the weekend.

Poto played the full 40 minutes against the Canberra Capitals on Friday and repeated the feat against the AIS on Saturday to post the game-high scores (21 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 3-of-5 three-point attempts against Canberra and 29 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block against the AIS).

Jess Foley was another standout; she backed up from a game-high performance in Round 1 to provide the spark for Adelaide Lightning on Friday night with a career-high 32 points including 4/7 three-point attempts.

Courtesy of http://www.wnbl.com.au

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BULGARIA - Women

No mercy for visitors in A1, round1 - by Eurobasket News
Bulgarian A1 league started this week-end. There was four games and four comfortable victories by the hosts.

In game number 1, Lukoil Neftochimik trashed NSA Delta 96-45. Difference in quality level between these two teams was huge and it is interesting that the visiting team managed to score only 3 points during the entire second quarter. On the other side Lukoil had 31. Olena Samburska (172-G-89, agency: LBM Management) top-scored for the winning team collecting 20 points as well as 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Reining champion Dunav Ekont had an easy job against Montana 2003 81-57. Bulgarian champ was better from the very beginning creating plus 9 until the half time. Second half was even better for Dunav, who ended it 41-26. Zornitza Kostova (176-G-82) had 15 points and 4 assists for Dunav while Veronika Bortelova (170-G-78) added one point less but with 6 assists. MVP of the game was Vera Perostiyska (196-C-82, college: Florida Intern.) of Montana 2003 nailing 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. At the same time she had 4 more assists.

Beroe 07 destroyed Toni 7 92-65. Galina Georgieva (185-C-88) shined for the hosts collecting 19 points and 12 rebounds. Ralitsa Naneva (178-F-86) also netted 18 points for the wining side. Toni 7 got 24 points and 5 rebounds from Gergana Koleva (170-G-82).

In the last game of round 1, Rilski Sportist was better than Slavia 65-58. Despite Slavia had 31-37 at the half time, it couldn't take it. The hosts had impressive third frame 16-6 while in the last one they just sealed this victory. Stefka Miteva (190-C-89) paced Rilski Sportist to win adding 22 points and 9 boards. Hristina Ivanova (184-F-89) helped her team with 18 points and 4 boards. Teodora Petrova (180-G-79) had 21 points and 5 rebounds in Slavia.

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DENMARK - Women

Horsholm and Aabyhoj gain consecutive wins - by Eurobasket News
Horsholm and Aabyhoj stayed on top of the Dameligaen ladder as they posted victories in the second round of action.
Horsholm overcame SISU 83:75 on the road. The reigning champions jumped to a 29:18 lead after the opening stanza and controlled the tempo at the moment. SISU gradually came back to life and the teams traded baskets throughout the second frame. The 79ers managed to maintain the distance as they led by 11 points at halftime. Horsholm capitalized on a bunch of misses from the hosts to stretch the gap to 14 points before the fourth term. And through Melissa Manzer (168-G-86) helped SISU to outscore their opponents in the fourth quarter it was not enough at the end. Nicole Piggott (180-F-85, college: Oakland) was once again pivotal with 26 points for the 79ers. Anne Thorius (179-G-77, college: Michigan) added 21 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Melissa Manzer replied with 20 points for SISU as they fell to 1-1 record.
Aabyhoj also played away from home as they faced Horsens. The visitors limited their counterparts to only 10 points in the first quarter and piled up a 9-point advantage at the first break. The Pirates struggled offensively accounting for just 8 points in the second stanza. Aabyhoj opened a 12-point lead at the interval. The hosts recovered in the third frame as they outgunned Aabyhoj 18:14 to trim the deficit but the visitors never allowed the Pirates to develop the success. They tightened defense and cruised to the victory at the end. Stephanie Jensen (180-G-90) and Ida Preetzmann (178-G-90) knocked down 16 points to lead the charge. Bianca Christiansen (178-G-90) added 11 points for the winners. Kaja Laursen answered with 21 points and 11 rebounds for Horsens.

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FINLAND - Women

Roukanoja broke limit - by Richard
PuHus player Heli Roukanoja (186-C-73) (186-C-73),35, is the fourth player to broke 3.000 rebounds limit in Finland's women league. She had on sunday 11 rebounds in the match against BC Nokia. The total amount of her rebounds is now 3.006. She has played 255 matches in Finnish league. So the average rebounds is 11,8 per match.
All time list is now Auli Nyman (-70) 4.324, Lea Hakala 4.104, Kenya Robinson (182-C-70, college: New Orleans) 3.430 (still playing, now in Huima team), Heli Heli Roukanoja 3.006 and Terhi Airas-Jrventaus 2.949.
Heli Roukanoja has named three times (in 2001, 2002 and 2007) the best player in Finnish league.

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GERMANY - Women

Standings - 2.Bundesliga - by Cornelius Damm

2.Bundesliga Standings

North
1. Opladen	4-0
2. Jena	4-0
3. Osnabrucker	3-1
4. Koeln	3-1
5. Bielefeld	3-1
6. Rist-Wedel	2-2
7. Quakenbrueck	2-2
8. Hagen SV	1-3
9. Berlin Baskets	1-3
10. Bonn	1-3
11. Hagen Phoe.	0-4
12. Gotha	0-4
South
1. Leimen	4-0
2. Wuerzburg	4-0
3. Mainz	3-0
4. Rhein MB	3-1
5. Gruenberg	2-2
6. Sandhausen	2-2
7. Speyer	2-2
8. Herzogenaur.	1-2
9. Viernheim	1-3
10. Ludwigsburg	1-3
11. SV Fellbach	0-4
12. Keltern	0-4

TV Saarlouis remains perfect after 4 rounds - by Eurobasket News
TV Saarlouis Royals and Chemcats Chemnitz celebrated in the last two games of DBBL - round 4.

TV Saarlouis Royals met BC Pharmaserv Marburg at home registering easy victory 77-63. The hosts entered into this game strongly creating double digit lead already in the first frame, 25-14. Fantasia Goodwin (179-G/F-85, agency: LBM Management) and her teammates didn't stop after that. They continued with smashing Marburg extending lead to 16 points until the half time, 48-32. It seems the hosts were satisfied with this lead so they slowed down after the breather. Pharmaserv Marburg exploited that chance to come a little bit closer but it was not enough even for a small treat. Fantasia Goodwin led TV Saarlouis Royals to 4-0 in DBBL collecting 25 points and 6 boards for 27 minutes. Pharmaserv Marburg got 11 points from Sandra Weber (183-G/F-85) dropping on 1-3.

In the last game of round 1, Chemcats Chemnitz outsmarted BC Wildcats Wolfenbttel on the road 80-74. It was a game between two winless teams meaning that Chemcats finally made it in DBBL this season. On the other side the Wildcats will have to look for another chance. Chevon Evette Keith shined for the winners pouring in 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Martina Bozikov (188-F-84) also was good with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Wildcats Wolfenbttel got double-double, 15 points and 10 boards, from Anita Teilane (196-C-85).

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HUNGARY - Women

MKB Euroleasing score 147 in the win - by Eurobasket News
MKB Euroleasing came up with a enchanting performance as they trounced Cegledi 147:50 in the fourth round of Hungarian A League. It was the fourth straight win for MKB Euroleasing as they remained on top of the standings. The fourth round encounter turned into a one-way traffic for MKB Euroleasing as they dominated from the start till finish. The hosts opened the game scoring 36 points in the first quarter and building a 22-point cushion. They stretched the margin to 38-point mark at the interval and never slowed down after the long break. MKB Euroleasing leashed their opponents to 6 points in the third stanza scoring massive 43 themselves. The Sopron outfit then cruised to the stunning victory to stay perfect in the championship. Eight MKB Euroleasing players scored in double figures. Amber Holt (183-G/F-85, college: Middle Tenn.St.) paced the victorious team with 24 points. Kathleen Macleod (166-G-86) added 21 points, while Dora Horti (195-C-87) had 19 for MKB Euroleasing. Klara Tiba (193-F-81) answered with 9 points for Cegledi.
BSE stayed spotless as they held off BEAC 76:39 at home court. The teams looked well-matched in the starting stanza with BSE leading by just 3 points at the end. However BEAC scored just 7 points in the following two quarters to find themselves trailing by as many as 36 points heading into the fourth quarter. BSE easily secured the winning outcome in the closing stages. Mina Maksimovic (190-F/C-83) netted 18 points to lead the winners. Allyson Hardy (170-G-83, college: Bowie St.) added 13 points for the home team. BEAC were paced by 13 points from Melinda Bagi (190-F/C-86).

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IRELAND - Women

Start of the season! - by Eurobasket News
SuperLeague opened the doors for another season in Ireland. Four games were played to open a new 2008-2009 season.
UL Aughinish had a road victory over Iona BC 45:64. Iona came within four points of the Shannosiders midway through the second quarter, however a purple patch by UL a minute to the half saw them enter the dressing room with a 10-point lead. ONeill led the winners with 25 points, while Ahern added 10. Rachael Vanderwal (176-G-83) top-scored for the hosts with 22 points and Williams netted 18.
Hotel Cork also celebrated the victory away from home beating Tolka Rovers 43:80. The Cork side had a combined effort of 47 points from American Jennifer Strong (183-F-84, college: Dayton), Niamh Dwyer and Marie Breen (185-G/F-85) that pushed Team Montenotte too far for Tolka to catch up with. Cunningham top-scored in defeat with 18 points, while Niland nailed 11.
Waterford Wildcats edged out Meteors 60:54 as Cathy Kavanagh (187-F-90) and Michelle Aspell (168-G-75) combined for 31 points to boost their side to victory.
Mercy smashed Killester 69:37 to open their season with a massive victory. Martin and Fox led the winners with 16 points, while Peat added 13.

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SERBIA - Women

A league: Hemofarm victorious in round 1 - by Dragan Jankovski
Defending champion Hemofarm STADA continued where it stopped last season. Players of head coach Marina Maljkovic were better than newcomer Celarevo on the road 105-72. The hosts had pretty good first quarter succeeding to resist against powerful Hemofarm. However, Biljana Stankovic (176-G-74) and Tamara Radocaj (168-G-87) woke up after that moment. They took care for the points in the second frame leading their team to 31. On the other side Celarevo stopped on 20. Nothing has changed after the breather. Hemofarm still was the team which dominated. Visitors had another high-scoring quarter reaching 29 points while Celarevo had 17. It means that before the last ten minutes Hemfoarm already had plus 24. It was a clear signal that this game is already over for the visiting team and the only question was how big difference it will be at the end.
Biljana Stankovic was the best scorer of this game with 26 points. Tamara Radocaj also shined adding one point less. Maja Skoric had 23 points in Celarevo. In the next round Hemfoarm STADA will meet Loznica.

In the other games of Round 1, Vojvodina NIS beat Radivoj Korac on Friday 81-56 while Loznica suffered home defeat against Partizan 56-70. Proleter from Zrenjanin also grabbed road victory but against Usce in Belgrade 77-52 while Kovin won in Kraljevo 56-53. Last game of round 1 is scheduled for today, Spartak - Crvena Zvezda.

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SLOVENIA - Women

Merkur Celje tip off season with comfortable win - by Eurobasket News
The SKL defending champions Merkur Celje opened the new season with a confident home win over Jezica. Iva Ciglar (170-G-85) knocked down 17 points to pace Celje to a 86:47 victory. Kristina Verbole (193-F/C-88) added 15 points, while Nika Baric (168-G-92) had 14 points and 7 assists for the winners. Tina Trebec (189-F/C-90) tallied 13 points and 8 boards for Jezica in the loss.
Merkur Celje opened the game aggressively and built a 24:10 lead at the first break. Jezica struggled to slow their opponents down and appeared trailing by 21 points at the interval. The complexion of the game never changed after the long break as Celje breezed to the victory.
AJM Maribor trounced Rogaska in the opener. Ljubica Kure (176-G-81) was impressive with 28 points to pace AJM to a 118:41 success. Katarina Ilijev (177-G-81) added 25 points, while Andreja Tisler (178-G-85) had 21 points and 11 boards for the winners. Mateja Baloh (173-F-87) replied with 15 points for Rogaska. Maribor piled up a 17-point advantage after ten minutes of action and cruised to the victory at the end. The most stunning was the third stanza when the hosts limited Rogaska to just two points and outscored 32:2.
HIT Kranjska Gora held off Konjice 83:60 at home. Khaili Sanders (191-F-82, college: Clemson) came up with pivotal performance as notched 24 points and 19 rebounds. Renata de Oliveira (183-F/C-78) added 14 points for the winners. Ursa Kvas (179-G-86) accounted 18 points and 8 boards for Konjice.

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SWITZERLAND - Women

LNA, round 2 - Riva and Neuchatel remain undefeated - by Eurobasket News
Riva Basket and Neuchatel remained undefeated after two rounds in Swiss top division, LNA.

Riva Basket grabbed road victory against Fribourg 73-70 thanks to wonderful performance by Leslie Knight (185-F-86). Riva was better in the first half finishing it with plus 4, 28-32. Its players tried to create some bigger difference but it was not an easy job as Fribourg had Simona Soda (185-F-74) and Tereza Brantlova (172-G-82) in a game mood. However, Riva Basket managed to keep its lead until the end, what for sure was the main goal before this game. Leslie Knight was totally the best player in this game. She drained 20 points and grabbed magnificent 21 rebounds. Fribourg got 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists from Simona Soda.

Neuchatel outplayed BBC Troistorrents at home 70-63. Cameo Hicks (178-G-84, agency: LBM Management, college: Washington) led her team to win collecting 13 points and 7 boards. BBC lost this one despite 33 points and 4 rebounds by Lori Crisman (186-C/F-82, college: W.Michigan).

Sdent Sierre trashed Pully with huge 47 points, 102-55. Maria Villarroel (174-G/F-78, college: Oklahoma) was great for the winning team adding 24 points including 5 rebounds and 11 assists.

Nyon also had an easy job against Helios 88-50. Jinga Gosschalk (172-G/F-79, agency: LBM Management, college: Long Beach St.) was better than the others in Nyon scoring 24.

Next round is scheduled for October 18/19.

Elfic Fribourg: Myisha Bannister cut - by Dimitri Toumayeff
Following Bannister's poor performances in the first two games of the season, Elfic Fribourg decided not to extend her contract. The team's only American player (but one of 4 foreigners) original try out period expired last Sunday. The former Michigan State player already went back to the US. Bannister (1984, 191, 4-5) only averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games. Elfic is now looking for another inside player to replace her.

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TURKEY - Women

Galatasaray Wins The Presidency Cup - by Cem Guvener
Galatasaray took one step further to pass Fenerbahce in total Presidency Cups won. Last year's TBBL finalist Galatasaray defeated last year's champion Fenerbahce 71-55 to win the first cup of the season. The game took place at Ankara. Galatasaray had the control of the game from the beginning. WNBA star Seimone Augustus (185-G-84, college: LSU) scored 23 points for Galatasaray and she was the leading scorer of the game. WNBA Champion Detroit Shock's Taj-McWilliams Franklin had 10 points and 6 rebounds and Turkish point guard Isil Alben had another all around game with 10 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

After losing Cappie Pondexter Fenerbahce seemed to have difficulties on the offensive end. Tammy Sutton Brown had 12 points as well as new transfer Matee Avajon. Avajon had a minor injury in the last minute of the game. Fenerbahce was without WNBA Star Nicole Powell and Turkish guard Birsel Vardarli. With their addition Fenerbahce will be a strong candidate for championship as usual. San Antonio Silver Star's Vickie Johnson did not play for Galatasaray in this game.