EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 10/30/2008

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Men News

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


Mack signs with Texas City Rangers - by Gianni Pascucci
(courtesy of Galveston County Daily News) - Adrian Mack (6'1''-G-85) is coming home. The La Marque grad signed to play for the newly formed Texas City Rangers of the American Basketball Association, which begins play in December. Mack had been playing with the Harlem Stars entertainment basketball team since last October. The ABA is the league just below the NBA, Mack said. My goal is to get to the NBA, and I feel like me taking this next step is the way to get to that point. Mack was a three-year letterman at La Marque as a member of the football team. But when he began attending Texas Southern University, Mack opted to spend his free time playing basketball. After playing in several all-star games, Mack was recruited by the Stars last fall. Mack said he averaged almost 18 points for the team. Playing for the Stars was great for my career because it was the first professional team I signed with, Mack said. It got my name out there a little more. Mack said he intends to become a leader for the Rangers in their first season. Im going to do what the coach wants out of a point guard, Mack said. Its going to be a fun season. I cant wait.

*****************************************************
  ARGENTINA   


Market News - by Raul Ruscitti
Olimpico adds new foreigner
Almost three weeks after waiving Harry Good (208-C-81, college: Fresno St.), Olimpico de la Banda finally decided for a replacement. The team opted to sign American center James Williams (204-F-79, college: Brown Mackie) (204-F-79) to a contract. With this addition Olimpico completes the maximum of three foreign players per team. Williams, who is expected to arrive on Tuesday, comes from playing in Kuwait last season and also registers stops in countries like Israel and Mexico.

Smith for Johnson in Quimsa
The team coached by Fernando Duro agreed to sign Jon Smith (203-F-82, college: Bowie St.), a 25 years-old power forward out of Maryland as a replacement to DeMarco Johnson (204-F-75, agency: Megasport, college: Charlotte). Smith played collegiality in Virginia Tech where he spent three seasons before transferring to Bowie State in the NCAA Division II. His last team was Mayaguez in Puerto Rico where he averaged 17.8 ppg. and 8.7 rpg.

Ben Hur still undecided
Despite the rumors of the possible addition of Durelle Brown (202-F-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Manhattan) and Brazilian swingman Thiago da Silva (192-F-82), Ben Hur has not confirmed yet who will be the players that will take the places left by the departures of Cedric McGuinnis and James Life. Both foreigners were released two weeks ago for not playing the way they were expected to do.

Penarol reach the first position - by Facundo Iatzky
Penarol Mar del Plata won to BB Estudiantes in a game of the 7th round and now both teams share the first position of the south group. It was an impressive game defined in the last second. Estudiantes had the chance of win the game but they could not do it. David Jackson (196-G-82, college: Penn St.), one of the best foreigners of the league, was the best scorer of Penarol. Pablo Sebastian Rodriguez (188-G-78) had a good game leading his team.

Baha Blanca Estudiantes (78): Pedro Franco 2, Juan Manuel Rivero 9, Juan Cangelosi 11, Jamaal Levy 20 Ed Nelson 17 (starters); Leonardo La Bella 7, Leandro Cecchi 9, Lucas Bianco 3 Gerardo Barrera 0. coach: Marcelo Richotti.

Penarol (79): Pablo Sebastian Rodriguez 15, David Jackson 22, Marcos Mata 3, Byron Johnson 14 Roman Gonzalez 9 (starters); Alejandro Diez 8, Sebastian Vega 0, Lucas Picarelli 3, Alejandro Reinick 0 Jose Muruaga 5. coach: Sergio Hernandez.

Libertad started strong in Guayaquil - by Raul Ruscitti

In the first round of the Sudamericano de Clubes, the only team of Argentina, Libertad Sunchales beat Brazilian powerhouse and tournament favorite Joinville Univille by 89-77. The match marked the debut of both teams in this year edition of the tournament which will be played in Ecuador from October 28th to November 1st. Libertad was lead by Sebastian Ginobili (190-G-72, agency: Interperformances), Bryant Markson (198-F-83, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Utah) (198-F-83, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Utah) and Gustavo Orona (196-G-75), with 15 points each.
The first quarter started with an 8-0 streak by the team coached by Roberto Bial but ended with just a three point lead by Joinvile with a score of 23-20.
The second period saw Libertad taking the lead by five for a while but thanks to the strong contributions of Jefferson Souza and Andre Luis Rodrigues the Brazilians took back the lead and first half ended 41-39.
The start of the second half was dominated by Joinville in part because of the scoring ability of Cyprian Williams who finished the game with 19 points, but then coach Julio Cesar Lamas played Markson and the foreigner responded extremely well with 11 points in the quarter and Libertad took the lead 63-58.
In the last period, the team of Sunchales controlled the pace of the game and maintained the lead despite the three point shots of Jefferson Souza and the presence of Tiago in the low post.
It was 89-77 for Libertad who will face Liceo Mixto of Chile in the second round, tonight.

Libertad (89): Sebastian Ginobili 15, Pablo Moldu 3, Bryant Markson 15 (x), Andres Pelussi 8, Jason Osborne 13 (Starters); Marcos Saglietti 11, Gustavo Orona 15 Alejandro Zilli 7, Juan P. Sartorelli 2 y Andres Landoni 0. Coach: Julio Cesar Lamas .

CISER/Univille/Joinville EC (77): Espiga 10, Cyprian Williams 21, Shilton 0 (x), Andre Luis 11 (x), Thiago 10 (x) (Starters); Andre 6, Jefferson Souza 19 (x), Jefferson Socas 0, Viegas 0 (x) y Cleiton 0. Coach: Alberto Bial.



Standings - Liga B
Liga Standings
North Region-Northeast
 1. Sport Club 2-0 
 2. Rocamora 2-0 
 3. Almagro 1-1 
 4. Estudian.C. 1-1 
 5. La Union 1-1 
 6. Alvear 1-1 
 7. Union Fuerza 0-2 
 8. Colon SF 0-2 
North Region-Northwest
 1. Anzorena 2-0 
 2. Banda Norte 2-0 
 3. Brown SV 1-1 
 4. Sportivo 7 J. 1-1 
 5. Barrio Parque 1-1 
 6. Facundo 1-1 
 7. Union E. 0-2 
 8. Sargento 0-2 
South Region-Center
 1. Gimnasia VP 2-0 
 2. Nautico Hacoaj 2-0 
 3. Velez Sarsfield 1-1 
 4. Racing G. 1-1 
 5. Rosario Cent. 1-1 
 6. Gimnasia BR 1-1 
 7. San Martin J. 0-2 
 8. Banco Nacion 0-2 
South Region-South
 1. Deportivo M. 2-0 
 2. Ciud.Bragado 1-1 
 3. Independ.T. 1-1 
 4. Huracan 1-1 
 5. Jorge Newbery 1-1 
 6. El Sureno 1-1 
 7. Union Vecinal 1-1 
 8. Atletico Regina 0-2 


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


*****************************************************
  AUSTRALIA   


Bzdelik lands another Aussie - by Eurobasket News
Bill Self was happy to hold court with reporters and answer the same set of questions over and over again at the Big 12 media days last week in Oklahoma City.

The head coach of the reigning NCAA champions understands how much interest there is in all things Kansas basketball and spent a large chunk of his offseason being treated like a rock star at various functions and writing a book about the magical March run.

And Jeff Bzdelik ?

Well, Colorado's second-year head coach flew all the way to Oklahoma City to politely answer a grand total of six questions at his press conference before meeting one-on-one with a couple of familiar faces from back home.

Bzdelik didn't mind the lack of attention because, well, he had a plane to catch and more important matters at hand.

Shane Harris-Tunks, an intriguing 6-foot-11 center/forward from Australia, had made the trip from Down Under to Boulder lastThursday and was waiting to visit with the coach.

The Camera has learned that Harris-Tunks -- who was also receiving interest from Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Washington State -- is the third recruit in the 2009 class to give CU a verbal commitment.

According to a bio for the Australian Institute of Sport, '(Harris-Tunks) is a good passer and has the ability to score in a variety of ways but it will be his presence at the defensive end of the floor that (his current) team will depend on him.'

The Buffs had already landed Alecs Burks, a 6-4 shooting guard from Grandview, Mo., and Keegan Hornbuckle, a 6-6 forward from Los Angeles. Burks chose CU over Big 12 rival Kansas State while Hornbuckle's list of suitors included Arizona.

Per NCAA rules, coaches are not allowed to talk about recruits until they sign national letters of intent on Nov. 12.

Bzdelik, however, said programs like Kansas deserve an assist in helping lure talent to the Big 12. Even the long suffering program picked to finish 12th.

'It has helped us in recruiting,' Bzdelik said of the Jayhawks' national title. 'We had a very good recruiting class last year, and we feel good about the prospects for another excellent recruiting class. We can offer a young student-athlete a chance to play in what we think is the best league in the nation, and as we recruit internationally, in the world.'

Harris-Tunks will join Nate Tomlinson, CU's first recruit from Down Under and likely starting point guard, in Boulder next year. Bzdelik made what now appears to be a very successful recruiting trip to Australia last summer.

The Buffs will likely only sign Harris-Tunks, Burks and Hornbuckle during the early period and perhaps add another player during the spring period.

CU opens the season on Nov. 14 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at the Coors Events Center.

Courtesy of http://www.dailycamera.com

*****************************************************
  AUSTRIA   


BSC Raiffeisen Furstenfeld Panthers sign Bryan Lucas - by Eurobasket
BSC Raiffeisen Furstenfeld Panthers added to their roster 30-year old American power forward Bryan Lucas (203-F/C-78, college: N.Texas). Lucas played most recently at BC Igokea Partizan Aleksandrovac (Bosnia), but he left just after 2 games. He had two very successful seasons in Germany playing for ratiopharm Ulm. In 2006-207 he averaged 11.9ppg and 5.6rpg and last year his stats were 12.1ppg and 4.6rpg. It will be his come back to Austrian Bundeslige where he played three years ago for Worthersee Piraten (19.3ppg, 12.5rpg). At that time he was selected to Eurobasket.com All-Austrian Bundesliga A 1st Team.

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


BBF Holds Coaching Session for Secondary School Basketball Coaches!!! - by David Magana
The Belize Basketball Federation held a one day training session for Belize City secondary school basketball coaches at the Belize City Center on Saturday Ocotber 25, 2008. The workshop was facilitated by FIBA certified coaching instructor Mr. Kevin Siroki (178-G-70, college: Westminster), who is also coach for the University of Belize Black Jaguars Basketball Team.
Nine participants from six secondary schools in Belize City participated in the workshop. The workshop covered the role of a coach, coaching ethics, and fundamentals and skills for basketball. Players of the UB Black Juagers assised Coach Siroki by demonstrating a variety of plays and defensive and offensive systems.
The BBF is preparing a four year strategic plan which inlcudes more workshops and coaching clinics for all sectors including primary and secondary schools in the districts.

Press Release: BBF

The Belize Basketball Federation is seeking players to form a National Under 12!!! - by David Magana
The Belize Basketball Federation is seeking players to form a National Under 12 years male basketball team to play in a Central American tournament in Guatemala in December 2008.

Players who were born in 1996 or after and who wish to participate in the tournament can try out for the team on Sunday November 2, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the Belize City Center.

Parents are encouraged to accompany their children for the tryout or they may contact Brads Neal, Vice President of the BBF at 610-4710 or Julian Murillo Secretary General of the BBF at 667-1881 for more information.

Parents of players who are selected will be required to sign a consent form giving permission for their children to participate in the tournament.

Press Release: BBF

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


D1: Summary of Round 4 - by Eurobasket News
Five games of Round 4 were played last night. Zrinjski HT Mostar and Sloboda Dita easily cruised past their rivals. Siroki faced with the second defeat in three days while Slavija and Posusje also were victorious.

Zrinjski HT Mostar trashed Vitez at home 86-60 staying perfect in D1 with record 4-0. Mladen Glogora top-scored for the winners with 17 points. Milan Brecic (193-G-86) followed him with 15 while Zdravko Vuckovic (197-F-79) finished the game with 11 points. Interesting is that Brecic and Vuckovic missed only one shot during the entire time. Zrinski's top player Josip Sesar (197-G/F-78, agency: Court Side) this time stopped on 14 points. He had poor shooting night from behind the arc, 0/7. Newcomer to Bosnian D1, Vitez, got 19 points from Ivan Bakovic (197-G-81) (5 triples). His team remains winless after 3 games.

Siroki Eronet and head coach Josip Vrankovic are in big troubles already at the beginning of the championship. They suffered second defeat in 3 days staying on just 1 win, 1-3. After shock therapy and releasing of head coach Badnjarevic and three more players, Igokea Partizan celebrated on the road 86-71 jumping on 3-1. Marko Djerasimovic (200-F/G-84) paced Igokea to victory scoring 26 points. Kevin Braswell (188-G-79, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgetown) and Ivan Siriscevic (198-G/F-87) combined 50 points for Siroki, but it was not enough for their team.

Sloboda Dita recorded fourth consecutive victory staying on top of D1 with Zrinski HT Mostar. Sloboda was better than Novi Grad 84-67.

Posusje outsmarted Mladost MG 87-82 moving up on 2-2. Mladost still looks for the first joy.

Slavija improved on 2-1 thanks to victory against Hercegovac at home 79-71. The team from Bileca has 1-3.

Today Borac Nektar will meet Grude.

Standings - BIH League
D1 Standings
 1. Sloboda Dita 4-0 
 2. Zrinjski MC 4-0 
 3. SL IAT Leotar 3-0 
 4. Igokea 3-1 
 5. Slavija 2-1 
 6. BoracNektar 2-1 
 7. Posusje 2-2 
 8. Siroki Eronet 1-2 
 9. Grude 1-2 
 10. Hercegovac 1-3 
 11. Vitez 0-3 
 12. Novi Grad 0-4 
 13. Mladost MG 0-4 
Will join on later stage:
 1. Bosna S. - 


KK Bosna coach Alen Abaz resigns! - by Nedzad Kladusak
Alen Abaz is no more coach of KK Bosna! Yesterday he announced his retreat.
After only five official matches he decided to leave KK Bosna where he has been assistant under several
headcoaches. He stated that the main reason are the lacking payments of KK Bosna. However he certainly knew
that the payments have rarely been on time in KK Bosna. It is more likely that the fact KK Bosna did not provide the funds
for the PG and C he has been promised.
The team will be temporarily probably coached by Goran Sehovac,Dejan Parezanin or Senad Redzovic.

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


Hristo Zahariev back in Italy - by Vladi Lazarova

One of the greatest Bulgarian basketball talents Hristo Zahariev (197-G/F-90) is back in Italy. 198 cm tall guard/forward arrived in Bologna yesterday after couple of days vacation with his family in Sofia. Zahariev, who celebrated his 18th birthday on 27th October, is still recovering from a hip injury, but hoping that soon will be able to play. Hristo signed a contract with one of the biggest clubs in Italian Serie A1 Upim Fortitudo, but in the beginning will participate with the young team. 'I feel very well there and I feel happy. Everybody is trying to help me and I have an ambition to grow and show my best in the future, said Zahariev, who spent the last season in Bulgaria with Levski, but started playing basketball in Slavia. He also has 16-years old twin brothers, who are playing basketball for The Blues.




*****************************************************
  CANADA   


FIBA INTRODUCES BEACH BASKETBALL - by John Gary
courtesy basketball canada The national flag of India was raised yesterday for the first time in international basketball when the Indian boys team won the gold medal of the inaugural Asian Beach Games in Bali Indonesia. In the fianl, India defeated the Phillipines 23-17,while Malaysia clinched the bronze. In the girls tournament,Japan took gold by beating Thailand 33-27 and India claimed the bronze. Played on a synthetic court on the beach in Bali and using the 30n 3 half court concept known as FIBA 33,the tournaments served as a test event for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games to be held in Sinapore.

*****************************************************
  CBA   


East Kentucky Miners sign Joe Buck for 2008-09 season - by Eurobasket News
Another player with vast professional experience has signed to play for the East Kentucky Miners. California native Joe Buck (6'7''-F-81, college: USC) has signed to play for the Miners during the 2008-09 season.

Buck, a 6-7 forward, played for USC (University of Southern California) following an exceptional high school career. A player with Kentucky ties, Buck currently resides in Lexington. Buck made a great first impression on the Miners organization during a free agent camp held earlier in the year. Buck dominated on the glass and played with a strong inside presence during the free agent camp.

'Joe played really well at our open free agent camp,' said East Kentucky Coach Kevin Keathley. 'He rebounded well and did a lot of little things that impressed myself and those who were evaluating the camp.'

Buck has played professionally in the United States and Canada. In his most recent professional season - the 2006 campaign - Buck played in the IBL (International Basketball League) for the Tri City Ballers. He played for the CBA's Minot Skyrockets during the 2005-06 season.

'Joe is going to be an exciting player to watch,' Kevin Keathley added. 'He brings a lot of energy and he's a guy that is in magnificent shape.'

The Miners organization has signed seven players for the 2008-09 season. Others who have signed to play for the Miners during the upcoming season are legendary Kentucky Wildcat Wayne Turner, Jermaine Blackburn, Alonzo Hird, Mike Crain, Jason McLeish and Mike Dean. East Kentucky will open the 2008-09 season on the road Dec. 12 versus Pittsburgh.

Courtesy of the East Kentucky Miners

*****************************************************
  CHILE   


Dimayor: Chapman replace Williams - by Daniel Valencia
After eight games with the team, the leaders of Boston College decided to end the contract with the american forward/center Eric Williams (207-C-78, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Massachusetts). He averaged 7.6 points during his playing time with Boston.

To replace Williams, Boston College signed the american Joe Chapman (193-G-84, agency: AMI, college: Marquette). The 24 years old guard from Marquette has playing experience in Chezch Republic, Colombia and Mexico. In his first two games with the club he averaged 8.5 points per game.

Dimayor: Osorno defeated Llanquihue - by Daniel Valencia
Provincial Osorno defeated Provincial Llanquihue on tuesday night 103-93 in a game from round 14 of the national phase of Dimayor 08/09. Playing with only one foreigner during three quarters (Zimmerman as ejected in the first) Osorno was able to recovered from a ten point deficit and led by Rodrigo Zuniga (198-F-76) (31 points) reach the victory.

Provincial Llanquihue 93 - Provincial Osorno 103
Llan: John A. Thomas 37 pts. JR Morris 26 pts. Anthony Knox 24 pts.
Oso: Rodrigo Zuniga 31 pts. Jermaine Robinson 27 pts. Pablo Coro 19 pts.

SouthAmerican Championship: Liceo opens with a victory - by Daniel Valencia

In the first day of action of the Southamerican championship for clubs, Liceo Mixto defeated the host Barcelona Sporting Club (ECU) 78-65. Patrick Saez (191-G/F-71) was the leading scorer for Liceo with 21 points. Liceo was very effective from the court with 59% in the field goals and 50% from the three point line.

Day 1

Barcelona Sporting Club (Ecu) 65 - Liceo Mixto (Chi) 78
Bar: Mark Strickland 23 pts. Raul Cardenas 13 pts. Milone Clark 8 pts.
Lic: Patrick Saez 21 pts. Patricio Briones 15 pts. Lino Saez 13 pts.

In the second night of the tournament Liceo Mixto will face the argentinian champion Libertad de Sunchales.



Dimayor: Marlow left Castro - by Daniel Valencia
The leaders of Deportes Castro ended the contract with the american Jackson Marlow (214-C-81, college: Fresno St.). The center from Fresno State played 25 games with the team averaging 9.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.7 assists per game.

Castro is currently in third place of the standings with a 8-6 record during the national phase. This weekend the team will travel to Ancud to play against Deportes Ancud and also will host Universidad Catolica.

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


Standings - CBA
CBA Standings
North
 1. Shanxi Zh. 0-0 
 2. Jilin 0-0 
 3. TianJin R. 0-0 
 4. Shaanxi 0-0 
 5. Xinjiang 0-0 
 6. Liaoning 0-0 
 7. Shangdong 0-0 
 8. Beijing 0-0 
 9. Qingdao DS 0-0 
South
 1. Zhejiang G. 0-0 
 2. Guandong 0-0 
 3. Zhejiang C. 0-0 
 4. Shanghai 0-0 
 5. Jiangsu 0-0 
 6. Bayi 0-0 
 7. Fujian 0-0 
 8. DongGuan 0-0 
 9. Yunnan 0-0 


CBA imports - by Mohammed Malas

Up-to-date signings (still subject to change though)

- Dongguan -- Malick Badiane (211-F/C-84) and Michael Harris (198-F-83, college: Rice)
- Tianjin -- Theron Smith (203-F-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Ball St.) and Chris Booker (208-F/C-81, college: Purdue)
- Zhejiang Horses -- Hoskin Sam (206-F/C-79, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: De Paul) and Shammell Stallworth (197-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF)
- Jilin -- Soumaila Samake (215-C-78, agency: CAA Sports) and Leon Rodgers (199-F-80, college: N.Illinois)
- Fujian -- Porter Chris (201-F-78, college: Auburn)
- Zhejiang Lions -- Nigel Dixon (210-C/F-80, college: W.Kentucky) and Kasib Powell (201-F-81, agency: Court Side, college: Texas Tech)
- Jiangsu -- Donnell Harvey (203-C-80, agency: Octagon, college: Florida) and Butch Brian (211-F/C-84, agency: Edge Sports, college: Wisconsin)
- Shandong -- Mack Tuck (198-G/F-75, agency: China-Hoop, college: Cent.Oklahoma) and Priest Lauderdale (221-C-73, college: Central State)
- Liaoning -- Awvee Storey (198-G/F-77, agency: Priority Sports, college: Arizona St.) and Jamal Sampson (209-F/C-83, agency: Octagon, college: California)
- Xinjiang -- Juan Mendez (202-F-81, college: Niagara) and Allen Myron (180-G-79, college: Lee JC)
- Guangdong -- Amaya Tyler (199-F-82, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: W.Washington) and Jason Dixon (205-C-73, college: Liberty)
- Yunnan -- Rick Apodaca (192-G-80, college: Hofstra)
- Beijing -- Jones Dontae (202-F-75, college: Mississippi St.) and David Harrison (213-C-82, college: Colorado)
- Shaanxi -- Lee Benson (208-F/C-73, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Brown Mackie) and Robinson Brandon (202-F-81, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Auburn)
- Qingdao -- McCaskill Amal (211-F/C-73, agency: Huss Sport Agency, college: Marquette) and Frans Steyn (218-C-82, agency: N.E.T., college: SW Baptist)
- Shanghai -- DaJuan Tate (196-G/F-81, college: Mountain St.) and Reda Rhalimi (213-C-82, college: St.Mary's, CA)
- Shanxi -- Olumide Oyedeji (208-C/F-81) and Donta Smith (201-G-83, college: SE Illinois JC)

Asian imports (count as domestic player):
Shaanxi: Kamran Jamshidvand (IR Iran)
Tianjin: Saman Veisi (IR Iran)
Qingdao: Park Sung Jin (S Korea)
Shanxi: Sun Huan Po (Taiwan)
Yunnan: Wang Hsin Kai (Taiwan)
Jilin: Yang Yu Min (Taiwan)


Source: Interbasket Forum



*****************************************************
  COLOMBIA   


Federation Cup 2008, Semifinals game 4, series tied - by Victor Garcia

NORTE VS ARRIEROS

Arrieros did not find a way to beat Norte defense and fall again the Cucuta, Arrieros either did not find how to stop Norte ofense, at the begining Eleuterio Renteria hitting the net from the sides and Eduardo Torres slashing the zone then Edgar Moreno and Monty Wilson hurt Arrieros defense , and in the boards Carlos Rogers is taking the defensive rebounds to avoid the second chances.
Jermaine Walker looks to have thebasket closed , and the team is not going to the paint enough with his big men, H. Bayona is doing the best job in Arrieros, while in Norte the team work is the better for them in the season.

Norte de Santander 72- E. Torres 22pts, E. Renteria 19pts
Arrieros 56 - H. Bayona 14pts + 10 rebs.
Series tied 2-2

ISLANDERS VS BUCAROS
Bucaros yet without Rogers Washington find a way to defeat Islanders in San Andrs, the combination of Adan Reyes, Daniel Garca and Marcus Flemming had a great night, specially running the court for the yellow team.
Islanders again had in Alejandro Flores his best player in the night, and Marcus Flemming leaded Bucaros.

Islanders Sopesa 78 A. Flores 21pts, + 11 rebs
Bucaros Freskaleche 82 M. Flemming 26pts.
Series tied 2-2



*****************************************************
  CROATIA   


Mario Kasun undergoes surgery - by Eurobasket News
Bad news for Croatian big guy Mario Kasun (213-C-80) and his team Efes Pilsen. Kasun, who joined Efes this summer from Barcelona, suffered hand injury and he undergoes surgery today. According to some rumors there is a possibility that Kasun miss the entire Euroleague regular season. In that case he will for sure be ready for the TOP 16. Kasun had couple of good games during the off-season for Efes. Unfortunately, he didn't appear in any official one so far. According to Turkish media, Efes Pilsen already started to search for his replacement.

Meanwhile, Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83) succeeded to get through the 1/16 finals of Russian Cup. His UNICS Kazan outplayed ex team of head coach Niksa Bavcevic, Avtodor Saratov, 85-65 (first match 88-61). Loncar was the key player of the game netting 24 points and grabbing 9 rebounds for 30 minutes. The other Croatian in UNICS, Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC), skipped this one.

Lokomotiv Rostov, of head coach Daniel Jusup, also managed to reach 1/8 finals. His team was better than Spartak St. Petersburg in the second leg 73-64. Lokomotiv also celebrated in the first one with plus 11. Ex player of Cibona Zagreb Andrew Wisniewski (191-G-81, college: Centenary) had 4 points in Spartak. Lokomotiva's rival at the next stage will be powerful Triumph.

*****************************************************
  CYPRUS   


Stats Leaders - A2
A2 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Prokopiou (Anagen) 16
Ioannidis (Digenis) 15
Hatzifedonos (Olym) 15
Hristodoulou (Anagen) 15
Kyle (Digenis) 14
Antoniou (APOP) 14
Georgiadis (Philips) 13
Grigoriou (Anagen) 13
Papadopoulos(Paral)13
Rebounds Per Game
Koutsoloukas (Philips) 8
Papadopoulos (Paral) 7
Alexandrou (Anagen) 7
Hristodoulou (Anagen) 7
Grigoriou (Digenis) 6
Assists Per Game
Prokopiou (Anagen) 3
Georgiadis (Philips) 3
Hatzifedonos (Olym) 2
Daniel (APOP) 2
Ioannidis (Anagen) 2
Steals Per Game
Hristodoulou (Anag) 2
Alexandrou (Digenis) 2
Kyle (Digen) 2
Achilleos (Agros) 2
Blocks Per Game
Christodoulou (Anagen) 2
Papadopoulos (Paral) 1
Hatzifedonos (Olymp) 1
Hristodoulou (Anagen) 1
Koutsoloukas (Philips) 1
Zagorov (Philips) 1


A1 Stats Leaders
A1 - Regular Season Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Greer, Keravnos 29
2 Mijovic, Omonia 26
3 Smith, Omonia 26
4 Anderson, AEK 25
5 Bradford,Achilleas 25
Rebounds Per Game
1 Trisokkas, Kerav. 10
1 Damjanovic, Kerav 10
2 Van De Hare,AEK 9
2 Sims, Apollon 9
3 Radunovic, Apoel 8
4 Trepalovac, ETHA 7
5 Grgac, Achilleas 7
Assists Per Game
1 Greer, Keravnos 5
2 Mijovic, Omonia 5
3 Collins, Etha 3
4 Hart, Keravnos 3
5 Neofitou, Omonia 3
Steals Per Game
1 Panteli, AEK 3
2 Greer, Keravnos 3
3 Sims, Apollon 3
4 Anderson, AEK 2
5 Collins, Etha 2
Blocks Per Game
1 Trepalovac, Etha 2
2 Damjanovic, Keravno 1
3 Van De Hare, AEK 1
4 Grgac, Achilleas 1
5 Sims, Apollon 1
2FGP
1 Greer, Keravnos 75%
2 Mijovic, Omonia 70%
3 Damjanovic, Kerav 65%
3 Radunovic, Apoel 65%
4 Smith, Omonia 65%
5 Sims, Apollon 65%
3FGP
1 Greer, Keravnos 50.0
2 Neofitou, Omonia 40.0
3 Sims, Apollon 40.0
4 Anderson, AEK 40.0
5 Mijovic, Omonia 40.0
Free Throws
1 Greer, Keravnos 80.0
2 Sims, Apollon 80
2 Radunovic, Apoel 80
3 Smith, Omonia 80
4 Neofitou, Omonia 75
5 Damjanovic, Kerav 75
Ranking
1 Greer, Keravnos
2 Mijovic, Omonia
2 Radunovic, Apoel
3 Anderson, AEK
4 Smith, Omonia
5 Sims, Apollon


Standings - Division B
Division B Standings
 1. A.Yermasogias 1-0 
 2. Achilleas Agrou 1-0 
 3. Philips Coll. 1-0 
 4. Olympos A. 1-0 
 5. Digenis 1-0 
 6. Paralimni 0-0 
 7. A.Yeroskipou 0-0 
 8. Asteras 0-1 
 9. Enosis K. 0-1 
 10. APOP Paphou 0-1 
 11. Argonaftes 0-1 
 12. Onisilos 0-1 
 13. Doxa 0-1 


*****************************************************
  CZECH REPUBLIC   


NBL Round: 7 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Pardubice - Kolin 105-75
Pardubice overcame Kolin 105:75 for the initial win in the league after seven rounds. Sirvydis Virginijus led the winners with 22 points and Sanders Levell collected 20 points and 10 boards. Brown Jonas and Rogers Jon had 14 points each in defeat.

Podebrady - Geofin 100-102
Podebrady tried hard for the second victory but lost to the favorite Geofin 100:102 at home. Walker Kenny top-scored for the winners with 27 points and 8 boards. Tomanec Jan ended up with 20 points in the losing effort.

Ostrava - Liberec 79-100
Liberec improved to positive 4-3 record after 100:79 over Ostrava. Hampton Maurice was unstoppable with 30 points for the winners. Arnold Marcus posted 21, while Stuchly Marek and Korytek had 11 each.

Prostejov - Nymburk 74-96
Schilb Blake led Nymburk to 6-0 record after 96:74 over Prostejov. He poured in 26 points, whilst Lee Arthur added 16. Stanek Pavel produced 16 points in defeat.

Decin - Opava 101-85
Decin edged Opava 101:85 for 4-2 record. Hatcher William paced the winners with 27 points and Houska Pavel collected 14 points and 11 boards. Hruby, Tomas finished the game with 28 points in the losing effort.



*****************************************************
  DENMARK   


The return of the Bear - Soren Ege is back in Bakken. - by Thomas Soltau
The former Bakken great did not stay retired long.

Bakken Bears announced today, that forward/center Soren Ege Hansen (204-C-79) is officially back with the team, after having been 'out of the game' since the end of last season.

Ege could play right away, as his license was never moved to another team.

Bakken Bears will look for him to work his way back into the rotation, while providing experience and scoring, as he has done it in so many past Championship-years.

After a tough week for Bakken, losing to Team FOG Naestved and dismissing Jamar Nutter, this is finally some good news for the Aarhus-team.

One step at a time - Interview with Danish FIBA referee Rune Larsen. - by Thomas Soltau

Rune Larsen - the introduction:


Rune Larsen is well known to spectators of Danish and Swedish basketball, as an animated referee with a highly serious approach to the game.

Always striving towards a higher level of excellence, Rune Larsens professional demeanor, along with his calm court awareness and experience, over 2000 called games, makes him a favorite amongst most players.

As one of the two currant Danish FIBA referees Rune Larsen not only officiate in the Danish league, but also regularly in the Swedish League and in International competition.

Internationally Larsen is making steps up the ladder as well, calling National Team competitions and games in the Euroleague for women.

This past Tuesday yet another International season started for Larsen, as he was flown to Italy to call the womens Euroleague game Beretta Famila VS Lattes Montpellier.

Eurobasket Denmark was able to correspond with Rune Larsen after the game.


Rune Larsen the interview.


Eurobasket: Hi Rune, you have just called your first Euroleague game for women in the new season, what was this experience like?

It was great. It was a close game, with two exited teams, Schio from Italy and Montpellier from France. Both really wanted to win, and Famila Schio had some very good fans.

Eurobasket: It must be exciting getting to call a game of such a great importance, how do you handle the pressure?

It is always great to get the chance to officiate a game on the highest level of basketball. For women there is the WNBA and then the FIBA Euroleague. The thing is, not to get too excited - a little bit is ok, but you need to stay calm. Experience and having good teachers is the answer to that.

Eurobasket: You have been calling games since a very young age, what makes refereeing fun for you?

As a referee there is always room to develop and improve. It is like an education. The day I put down my whistle, is the day, I feel I cannot improve anymore, and that is what makes it fun the challenge to continue to get better.

Also having great colleagues all over Europe is another thing that keeps me going.

Eurobasket: Are there any bad sides to your job?

The worst thing is, when you make a wrong call, and it decides a lot. Referees are faced with having to make difficult calls every game, and unfortunately we also make mistakes from time to time. Besides misinterpreting a play that potentially could decide the outcome of the game, the worst thing is when we see great athletes getting hurt.

Eurobasket: To spectators it sometimes seems like referees have the most ungrateful job in the world the referee can never make all parties in the game happy how do you deal with that?

Well, my job is not to make everybody happy. More important is that I act in a fair and correct manner, treat everybody equal and that the game follows the essential rules of basketball.

It can be ungrateful, and therefore you need to possess a strong character as a referee, so that you do not take the negative things with you, when you leave the court. A referee must not dwell on his mistakes, but learn from them.

Eurobasket: What is your best experience with refereeing?

There are so many, but surely every time the referee-team collectively has a good game. It is a great feeling to referee in competitive games, where the atmosphere is difficult, but I am very much a team-oriented-guy. It is all about teamwork, which it also why I prefer being three referees on the floor, opposed to only two.

Also, at the moment, I really enjoy being allowed to officiate in both the Danish and Swedish league, as well as the FIBA competitions, because I feel it is really developing for me.

Eurobasket: I know you are a very ambitious person, so what are your goals when it comes to your refereeing career?

I think it is difficult to put up specific goals like say: I wish to officiate in one particular final etc. That is not what it is about for me. I want to do so well, that I can measure myself with the best, and in Europe that means the mens Euroleague competition.

But hey, as Michael Jordan said: if you can dream it, you can do it, so why not the NBA? I know I can dream a lot :-)



- Thomas Soltau (c)



Standings - 1st Division
1st Division Standings
 1. Skjold 3-0 
 2. Aalborg 3-0 
 3. Herlev 3-0 
 4. Hobas 2-1 
 5. Aarhus BF 2-1 
 6. Virum 1-2 
 7. Odense 1-2 
 8. Falcon 1-2 
 9. Lemvig 1-2 
 10. ALBA 1-2 
 11. Solroed 0-0 
 12. Jonstrup 0-3 
 13. Vaerlose 0-3 


*****************************************************
  EBA   


Standings
EBA Standings
 1. Delaware D. 0-0 
 2. Harrisburg H. 0-0 
 3. New Jersey B. 0-0 
 4. Elmira B. 0-0 
 5. Alexandria A. 0-0 
 6. Hampton 0-0 
 7. Maryland S. 0-0 
 8. NJ Lightning 0-0 
 9. Salem M. 0-0 
 10. Virginia W. 0-0 
 11. Cincinnati C. 0-0 
 12. Metro 0-0 
 13. Newark 0-0 
 14. Wilkes-Barre 0-0 
 15. New York W. 0-0 


AVENGERS TRY-OUT SUCCESS - by Justin Moore
THIS PAST WEEKEND THE Alexandria Avengers HELD TRY-OUTS IN ALEXANDRIA WITH 30 PLAYERS IN ATTENDANCE WITH WAS A REAL SUCCESS HERE IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE PLAYERS AND SOME OF THE STANDOUTS FROM THIS SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND.

Ryan Hughes (6'1''-G) (6'1''-G)-GREAT SLASHER AND A NATURAL SCORER, SHOWED IT ALL THRU CAMP BUT LEFT DAY 2 WITH AND ANKLE INJURY.
Wade Dunston (6'4''-G, college: St.Bonaventure) (6'4''-G, college: St.Bonaventure)-SOLID ALL AROUND LEFTY WITH SOLID HANDLE,GOOD DEFENDER(MO PETERSON-CLONE)
CURTIS CREWS- 6'5 BANGER DOWN LOW,HARD WORKER AND RUNS THE FLOOR WELL.
Gus Durr (6'6''-F-85, agency: Promotex) (6'6''-F-85, agency: Promotex)-INSIDE/OUT PF HAS GOOD BASKETBALL IQ IS A HIGH-FLYER AND SOLID REBOUNDER
TONY GALLOWAY-PRETTY SOLID GUARD WITH A NICE OUTSIDE TOUCH
Johnathan Collins (6'2''-G, college: Hawaii)-GREAT DEFENDER AT 6'10 AND A SOLID SHOT-BLOCKER,VERY ATHLETIC PLAYS WELL WITH BACK TO THE BASKET AND SOLID FROM MID-RANGE
Jeff Daisley (7'2''-C-83, college: Mercyhurst) (7'2''-C-83, college: Mercyhurst)-CAME THRU SINCE HE JUST MOVED TO THE DC AREA HE CAME IN TO GET SOME WORK RUNS WELL FOR A 7 FOOTER JEFF IS USING THIS SEASON AS A WAY TO STAY IN SHAPE WITH OVERSEAS SCOUTS CALLING.
Angelo Hernandez (6'3''-G) (6'3''-G)-SHOWED HE IS A GREAT ATHLETE AND AT 6'3 CAN JUMP OUT THE GYM.
Steven Miles (6'2''-G-81, college: American)-STEVE SHOWED UP AND STILL SHOWCASED THAT GREAT OUTSIDE SHOT HE POSTED 14.2PTS,5.3AST,2.4STLS LAST SEASON AND WAS THE AVENGERS LEADING ASSIST MAN.
Tyree Harris (6'1''-G-79, college: Pfeiffer) (6'1''-G-79, college: Pfeiffer)-1ST TEAM ALL-EBA LAST SEASON BROUGHT HIS 19.9PTS,6.5REBS,2.7AST,2.6STLS TO THE TWO DAY EVENT TO GET UP AND DOWN AND SHOWED WHY HE IS ONE OF THE BEST COMBO GUARDS AROUND.
Justin Moore (5'9''-G-80, college: St.Augustine) -JUSTIN WAS IN ATTENDANCE 16.5PTS,5AST,2STLS LAST SEASON BUT SAT OUT WITH AN OFF-SEASON BACK STRAIN BUT SHOULD BE BACK TO FULL STRENGTH SOON.
OWNER Dominic Manuel AND NEWLY NAMED HEAD COACH CHAZ DUDLEY DID A AWESOME JOB DURING THE TRY-OUT AND LEFT VERY EMPRESSED WITH THE TALENT LOOK FOR THE AVENGERS TO CONTINUE THERE UP-AND -DOWN TEMPO AND LAST SEASON POSTED THE MOST POINTS IN THE EBA WITH 152!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Angelo Hernandez 6'3' 185 North Carolina A&T
Curtis Crews 6'5' 220 Frediric High/Germantown CC
Tony Galloway 6'2' 195 UVA / Miami Dade College
Ryan Hughes 6'3' Mt. Vernon High/ Hampton Univ
David Pierce 6'4' 218 Dunbar High / C Jr. College
Zack Van Dyke 6'4' 190 DE Valley College/Montgomery College
Jarrell Cathcart 6'3' 210 UMUC
Shawn Jones 5'10' 180 Calvert High
Nathaniel Jones 5'5' 150
Kevin Hammack 6'0' 195 North County High/The Citadel
Gus Durr 6'6' 220 Archbishop Spabling/Mt. St. Mary's Univ
Wade Dunston 6'4' 210 St. Bonaventure University
Justin Brown 5'9' 185 Potomac High School
NyJuan Hall 6'3' 188 Roanoke College / NC A&T
Donald Eason 6'7' 200 T.C. Williams / Hartford CC
Dominque Wilson 5'10' 150
Jeff Daisley 7'2' 285 MERCYHURTS
Elyon Bush 6'6' 185 DE State Univ / Frederick CC
Johnathan Collins 6'9' 215 University of Richmond
Brian Faulcon 5'10' 180 North Carolina A&T / Norfolk State Univ
Jesse Williams 6'2' 195 CCAC Allegheny

EBA Referee Certification Clinic - by EBA Media
The EBA will be holding a Referee Certification Clinic, Saturday, November 22nd from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in Harrisburg, PA.

The morning session is from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and the afternoon session is from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM. The classroom session will cover rules, interpretation, and points of emphasis.

A controlled scrimmage for officiating will be held from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM. The uniform for the controlled scrimmage is grey shirt with pin stripes (bring a black & white shirt as a back-up), black referee shoes, blue or black beltless trousers, and whistle (lanyard optional).

An NBA Rules Exam will be held Sunday, November 23rd from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. All officials chosen for the staff are required to take the exam. A test critique and Q&A period will be held from 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM. Final remarks and the camps closing will be completed by 12:15PM.

Jesse Thompson, the EBA Commissioner, will conduct the camp.

Please complete the registration from below. You will be notified of the camps location along with special hotel rates for participants by Saturday, November 22nd.

Go to the EBA Website for more information.

*****************************************************
  ECUADOR   


National League Standings
National League Standings
 1. UTE 0-0 
 2. ESPE 0-0 
 3. Ciudad de Quevedo 0-0 
 4. Importadora 0-0 


*****************************************************
  EGYPT   


Gabriel Hughes Sign for Al Itthad and the team is going to Dubai - by Mohamed Hafez
Gabriel Hughes (213-F/C-80, college: California) has arrived just yesterday to Alexandria to join Al Ittihad Alexandria cub , Gabriel Hughes or ' GABY ' as he likes to be named is an african american player and was playing last season for Al Wasl one of the clubs in the UAE league , after playing only eight games in AL WAsl , he had an injury and returned back to the states , Al Ittihad Alexandria also had dismissed another american player Jason Koltz a 207 cm player after a not showing a good preformane especially in defence as , Amr Abo Elkheir Al Ittihad Alexandria coach said

On another issue a press conference was held at the Itthad Club to announce the participation of Itthad at Dubai Basketball tournement on 20 december with the participation of most powerfull teams in the middle east , also the team will join another friendly tournement ' Halab tournement ' at syria on 7 november

*****************************************************
  ERITREA   


Teschm top-scores in Germany - by Kristian Santiago
Promising shooting guard Quflom Teschm (182-G-82) scored season-high 21 points in his team's 120-95 winner at home against the SKG Rossdorf Torros in the Regionalliga Southwest-North in Germany.
The Eritrean netted in three shots from beyond the arc as well as three from two-point range and stayed nearly perfect from the foul-line (6/7 FT) to lead all players in scoring in the game.

Other Eritreans active abroad were:

- Thomas Kelati (195-G/F-82, college: Washington St.) top-scored in Malaga with 14 points (He converted three 3 point-shots) in their 76-66 winner over DKV Joventut Badalona.The star of Eritrean hoops averages currently 10,6 ppg in the Spanish ACB for the Euroleague-team Unicaja Malaga.
- Joe Tesfaldet (186-G-80, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) collected three points in nine minutes for Giants Noerdlingen in the German BBL. His team lost to the other Giants (Duesseldorf) by the score of 79-60.
- Robel Atoberhan (188-F-85) scored two points for VfB 1900 Giessen Pointers in the 100-98 winner over TuS Treis-Karden in the Regionalliga Southwest in Germany.
- Robel's brother Alexander Atoberhan (189-G-85) netted in 12 points (Three of them were 3-point shots) in a 82-61 rout of MTV Kronberg against TV Lich II last Saturday.
- In the same game, Jonathan Mesghna (199-F-89) managed to score two points for MTV Kronberg.
- Guard Dahlak Tesfahiwet scored five points in a terrible 85-51 loss of his ACT Kassel against SC Bergstrasse in the Oberliga Hessen.

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


Panionios - CSKA Moscow 52-86 - by Kostas Papadopoulos
CSKA didn't leave any chance to Panionios, not even to think about having any chance to win tonight's game here in Athens. It dominated him, even from the first period and the final difference seems quite normal according to what we saw tonight.
Both teams entered the game making many mistakes but CSKA managed to take a 11-point lead (9-20) due to its better defense and a 14-2 serie after implementing its plays very well in the field (mainly on Erazem Lorbek (210-F/C-84, college: Michigan St.) who scored 10 points at that time). Panionios reduced the difference to 6 (14-20) after Giannis Kalambokis (195-G-78, agency: FCM) scored 6 points, but a lucky 3-point shot by J.R. Holden (185-G-76, college: Bucknell) ended the first period at 23-14 for the Russians.
The difference at the beginning of the second period was shaped at double digits (16-29, 6:45 before the end, and 20-40 later), since CSKA's percentages were much better (19/33 v. 9/30 at this half), while Panionios mistakes were increasing continuously, having not scored for almost 4 minutes. Nikos Zisis (195-G-83) scored 8 points at that time (4/4 shots) and with only 10 points at defense in this period, the score at the half was 24-45.
The difference extended to 22 points early in the third period (26-48) and 31-53 later, since Panionios couldn't take advantage of some Russian mistakes in order to come closer. Actually, it reached even 24 points (31-55) before shaping at 23 (40-63) at its end.
The whole situation didn't change at the last period. The last season's champions were dominant, their defense strengthened even more and the final score (52-86) and the final difference of 34 points seem quite reflective of the whole picture of the game.

Panionios: Xanthopoulos, Branko Cvetkovic (200-G/F-84) 14 (1), Miles 7, Baxter 4, Goran Nikolic (205-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) 10 (2), Giannis Kalambokis 11, Raicevic, Kendall 4, Georgalis 2, Kanonidis, Dreliozis, Parayios
CSKA: J.R. Holden 8 (2), Trajan Langdon (192-G-76, college: Duke) 10 (2), Erazem Lorbek 17 (1), Siskauskas 6, Khryapa 2, Terence Morris (206-F-79, college: Maryland) 9 (2), Planinic 9 (1), Savrasenko 4, Nikos Zisis 14, Vorontsevich 4, Keyru 3 (1), Kaun,

After the game, both coaches gave their respect to their opponent.
Aleksandar Trifunovic congratulated CSKA 'not only for their win, but also for their performance. I am the last one who will try to find something as an excuse for our poor performance, but the truth is that there were some things that influenced the level of our performance tonight. We had some problems with our big guys. Baxter stayed all night in the hospital with stomach flu, whereas Raicevic and Kendall faced also some problems that did not allow us to prepare for tonight's game. Plus Giannoulis was off with an injury. Although all these problems, I am not satisfied with our effort, especially on the defensive end. We shouldn't have allowed ourselves to be defensively outplayed by CSKA. The best example for this is Erazem Lorbek , who scored 17 points in the first half, but our frontcourt players did not even try to foul him. The guys who were guarding him had committed only one foul each. Euroleague should be a lesson for us, which will help us to become stronger and play better in the Greek Championship'.
On the other hand, Ettore Messina stated that 'we respect Panionios. We knew that they are well organized and disciplined on the court. We knew that we had to play a good game in order to win and so we did. We played very good defense and we stayed concentrated throughout the whole game. We play without Papaloukas this season; and although, in the beginning we weren't very happy with his decision to return to Greece, finally his departure gave us the opportunity to bring three new players to the team. It's easy to think about the glory days of the past, but we moved on and now we are starting to progress as a team and to get a better chemistry. Regarding Nikos Zisis, I'm very happy with his appearance. It wasn't easy for him in the first year and also this summer probably was not his best summer with the national team. However, now he is playing with more confidence and he is more aggressive. I hope that he will go on like that, without putting too much pressure on himself''.

Yannakis: We should stay concentrated - by Kostas Papadopoulos

Panagiotis Yannakis and Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) stated today their opinion about tomorrow's game for the Group A of Euroleague against Unicaja Malaga, on the official site of the competition.

Firstly, the Reds' coach emphasized that 'I keep telling my players that Unicaja Malaga is a great team with tradition in the Euroleague; so our mind has to stay on the court and not on what is happening in the stands. There is no doubt that we want to perform very well in front of our crowd and we know that the Peace and Friendship Hall will be available to our fans for the first time in this season. I always say, though, that the secret of a great team is to play in the same way under any circumstances; in an empty or a full arena, at home or on the road. The secret for us is to stay concentrated and drift for no reason, while our fans have to be patient with the team'.
On the other hand, Lynn Greer admitted that 'this game is between two good teams. We know they came here to play hard and it will be the first tough battle in front of our fans. We have to defend our home court, since Unicaja and Olympiacos have the same goal, which is to win the first place in the group. Thats the reason why the game is so important. In addition, we have to double our Euroleague wins to please our fans. It is the first time they will come to watch us and I am sure they are looking forward to filling the hall and supporting Olympiacos'.



Olimpija inks Smith and Robinson - by Zeljko Zule

Union Olimpija inked Americans JaJuan Smith (188-G-85, agency: Court Side, college: Tennessee) till end of the season and Frank Robinson (193-G-84, college: Cal.St. Fullerton) for two months. He will replace injured Jasmin Hukic.

Smith has been released by Dallas Mavericks and Roinson has been released by Atlanta Haws two weeks ago.


.



*****************************************************
  FRANCE   


Ewing and his Prokom blast Nancy at home - by Eurobasket News
Asseco Prokom - SLUC Nancy 91-62

Polish champion Asseco Prokom blasted SLUC Nancy at home registering the first in Group B this season. As a reminder, in the first round Prokom suffered defeat against Montepaschi Siena in Italy. On the other side, Nancy faced with another fiasco. Seven days ago Spanish giant Regal Barcelona trashed Nancy in France 82-54. Anyway, Daniel Ewing (191-G-83, college: Duke) of Prokom was unstoppable tonight. He spent 33 minutes on the court draining 32 points, including 6 triples from 8 attempts. Of course MVP award belongs to him as he reached index value 35. David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) and Patrick Burke (208-C-73, college: Auburn) also shined for the winners. Logan had 18 points and 4 assists while experienced Burke stopped on 16 points and 4 boards. Nancy got the most from Cyril Julian (205-F/C-75, agency: Octagon), who scored 17 points and needed one more rebound for double-double. Lamayne Wilson (204-F-80, college: Troy) followed him with 16 points and 5 boards.
Despite pretty good beginning by Nancy, 14-19 in the first frame, Polish champion very soon took control on its opponent. After the breather, which was almost equalized 32-21, Daniel Ewing and his teammates totally smashed Nancy. They ended third quarter 28-16 while the last one was even better 31-15. In the next round Asseco Prokom will play another game in the front of its fans but this time against Lithuanian champ and National Cup holder Zalgiris Kaunas. SLUC Nancy will take on Greek PAO and the possible first joy by the French team should be counted as a real miracle.

Asseco Prokom: Daniel Ewing 32, David Logan 18+4 as, Patrick Burke 16+4 boards
SLUC Nancy: Cyril Julian 17+9 boards, Lamayne Wilson 16+5 boards, Steed Tchicamboud (193-G-81) 14

*****************************************************
  GEORGIA   


Nikoloz Tskitishvili joins Alta Gestion Fuenlabrada - by Eurobasket News
Georgian center Nikoloz Tskitishvili (212-C/F-83) signed 3-month deal with Spanish team Alta Gestion Fuenlabrada. It means that Tskitishvili returned to ACB after one season in Italian Teramo. Georgian giant appeared 27 times for Siviglia Wear Teramo in Serie A averaging 10.7 ppg and 4.6 rpg. In Fuenlabrada he supposes to replace injured Rafael Vidaurreta (205-F-77, college: Wake Forest).
25-year old Nikoloz Tskitishvili spent second half of the season 06/07 in Caja San Fernando Sevilla. He played 18 games in ACB adding 6.8 ppg and 3.1 rpg. Tskitishvili is a player with NBA experience as he was a member of Phoenix, Golden State and Denver. In 05/06 he appeared in 12 regular season games for the Suns collecting 2.8 ppg and 1.7 rpg. He had very similar digits from 2003 to 2005 with Denver. In February the Nuggets decided to trade him to the Golden State. Tskitishvili was originally 5th overall pick on 2002 NBA Draft selected by Denver. His last European season, before he went overseas, was in Benetton Treviso. His team grabbed championship title that year. In the past he also played for Slovenian Geoplin Slovan and Sukhumi.

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


Coach Magdowski sacked in Luxembourg - by Moritz Korff
German Kevin Magdowski has been sacked as coach of Residence Walferdange following the results and performances in first four games of this current season. With one win and three losses Residence is currently ninth of ten teams in the DBBL. Will Brand (196-F-80, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Albany), who previously played in Germany for Wolfenbuettel and MBC, has been named Magdowski's successor. The 28-year-old American is currently suffering from a knee-injury and thus is unable to play.

Skyliners sign Titus Ivory - by Manuel Schust
Deutsche Bank Skyliners Frankfurt announced the signing of Titus Ivory (193-G-79, college: Penn St.) today. After severe injury trouble on the Shooting Guard position with Jimmy McKinney (192-G-83, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Missouri) being out until December probably and Keith Simmons (196-G-85, college: Holy Cross) not coming back for 4-6 weeks, Ivory will fill this gap and signed a contract for two months including an option to keep him for the rest of the season.
Ivory is a familiar face in the german league: The american veteran spent one season with Koeln 99ers in 2005/06 and was part of the championship team. Ivory averaged 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 42 contests for Cologne. After some games with Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, Ivory joined Base Oostende and could win the championship in Belgium in 2007 and won the Belgium Cup with Oostende last season.

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


Panionios - CSKA Moscow 52-86 - by Kostas Papadopoulos
CSKA didn't leave any chance to Panionios, not even to think about having any chance to win tonight's game here in Athens. It dominated him, even from the first period and the final difference seems quite normal according to what we saw tonight.
Both teams entered the game making many mistakes but CSKA managed to take a 11-point lead (9-20) due to its better defense and a 14-2 serie after implementing its plays very well in the field (mainly on Erazem Lorbek (210-F/C-84, college: Michigan St.) who scored 10 points at that time). Panionios reduced the difference to 6 (14-20) after Giannis Kalambokis (195-G-78, agency: FCM) scored 6 points, but a lucky 3-point shot by J.R. Holden (185-G-76, college: Bucknell) ended the first period at 23-14 for the Russians.
The difference at the beginning of the second period was shaped at double digits (16-29, 6:45 before the end, and 20-40 later), since CSKA's percentages were much better (19/33 v. 9/30 at this half), while Panionios mistakes were increasing continuously, having not scored for almost 4 minutes. Nikos Zisis (195-G-83) scored 8 points at that time (4/4 shots) and with only 10 points at defense in this period, the score at the half was 24-45.
The difference extended to 22 points early in the third period (26-48) and 31-53 later, since Panionios couldn't take advantage of some Russian mistakes in order to come closer. Actually, it reached even 24 points (31-55) before shaping at 23 (40-63) at its end.
The whole situation didn't change at the last period. The last season's champions were dominant, their defense strengthened even more and the final score (52-86) and the final difference of 34 points seem quite reflective of the whole picture of the game.

Panionios: Xanthopoulos, Branko Cvetkovic (200-G/F-84) 14 (1), Miles 7, Baxter 4, Goran Nikolic (205-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) 10 (2), Giannis Kalambokis 11, Raicevic, Kendall 4, Georgalis 2, Kanonidis, Dreliozis, Parayios
CSKA: J.R. Holden 8 (2), Trajan Langdon (192-G-76, college: Duke) 10 (2), Erazem Lorbek 17 (1), Siskauskas 6, Khryapa 2, Terence Morris (206-F-79, college: Maryland) 9 (2), Planinic 9 (1), Savrasenko 4, Nikos Zisis 14, Vorontsevich 4, Keyru 3 (1), Kaun,

After the game, both coaches gave their respect to their opponent.
Aleksandar Trifunovic congratulated CSKA 'not only for their win, but also for their performance. I am the last one who will try to find something as an excuse for our poor performance, but the truth is that there were some things that influenced the level of our performance tonight. We had some problems with our big guys. Baxter stayed all night in the hospital with stomach flu, whereas Raicevic and Kendall faced also some problems that did not allow us to prepare for tonight's game. Plus Giannoulis was off with an injury. Although all these problems, I am not satisfied with our effort, especially on the defensive end. We shouldn't have allowed ourselves to be defensively outplayed by CSKA. The best example for this is Erazem Lorbek , who scored 17 points in the first half, but our frontcourt players did not even try to foul him. The guys who were guarding him had committed only one foul each. Euroleague should be a lesson for us, which will help us to become stronger and play better in the Greek Championship'.
On the other hand, Ettore Messina stated that 'we respect Panionios. We knew that they are well organized and disciplined on the court. We knew that we had to play a good game in order to win and so we did. We played very good defense and we stayed concentrated throughout the whole game. We play without Papaloukas this season; and although, in the beginning we weren't very happy with his decision to return to Greece, finally his departure gave us the opportunity to bring three new players to the team. It's easy to think about the glory days of the past, but we moved on and now we are starting to progress as a team and to get a better chemistry. Regarding Nikos Zisis, I'm very happy with his appearance. It wasn't easy for him in the first year and also this summer probably was not his best summer with the national team. However, now he is playing with more confidence and he is more aggressive. I hope that he will go on like that, without putting too much pressure on himself''.

Yannakis: We should stay concentrated - by Kostas Papadopoulos

Panagiotis Yannakis and Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) stated today their opinion about tomorrow's game for the Group A of Euroleague against Unicaja Malaga, on the official site of the competition.

Firstly, the Reds' coach emphasized that 'I keep telling my players that Unicaja Malaga is a great team with tradition in the Euroleague; so our mind has to stay on the court and not on what is happening in the stands. There is no doubt that we want to perform very well in front of our crowd and we know that the Peace and Friendship Hall will be available to our fans for the first time in this season. I always say, though, that the secret of a great team is to play in the same way under any circumstances; in an empty or a full arena, at home or on the road. The secret for us is to stay concentrated and drift for no reason, while our fans have to be patient with the team'.
On the other hand, Lynn Greer admitted that 'this game is between two good teams. We know they came here to play hard and it will be the first tough battle in front of our fans. We have to defend our home court, since Unicaja and Olympiacos have the same goal, which is to win the first place in the group. Thats the reason why the game is so important. In addition, we have to double our Euroleague wins to please our fans. It is the first time they will come to watch us and I am sure they are looking forward to filling the hall and supporting Olympiacos'.



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  ITALY   


Efes Pilsen too strong for AJ Milano in Italy - by Eurobasket News
AJ Milano - Efes Pilsen 71-81

Great victory by Efes Pilsen, who remains perfect in Group D after 2 games. AJ Milano suffered huge defeat last week against CSKA in Moscow and tonight's game was an opportunity for the first win but it was not an easy job against tough Efes. As it was in the first game against Partizan Belgrade, point guard Milos Vujanic (192-G-80) once again shined for his team collecting 19 points and 4 rebounds for 30 minutes. Marvis Thornton (194-G-77, college: St.John's) likes Italy and he was in a game mood finishing it with 17 points, 4 assists and 4 steals. Charles Smith (193-G-75, college: N.Mexico) helped Efes Pilsen adding 14 and 5 boards. David Hawkins (193-G-82, agency: CAA Sports, college: Temple) top-scored for the loosing side with 20 points but not so brilliant shot percentage. Jobey Thomas (193-G-80, college: Charlotte) had 14 while Marco Mordente (191-G-79) netted one point less.
Efes Pilsen had great 14/20 for FG2, 12/30 from behind the arc and 17/21 from the free throw line in this game. AJ Milano registered much lower digits. Except of the last quarter, Efes Pilsen controlled rhythm of the game. Actually, Turkish team did it also in the last ten minutes as AJ Milano couldn't get any closer than 6 points. Milos Vujanic and Marvis Thornton immediately stepped up for their team sealing the very important victory. In the next round Efes Pilsen will host Panionios On Telecom. AJ Milano will travel to Belgrade for the game vs Partizan.

AJ Milano: David Hawkins 20, Jobey Thomas 14, Marco Mordente 13
Efes Pilsen: Milos Vujanic 19+4 boards, Marvis Thornton 17+4 as+4st, Charles Smith 14+5 boards

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  JAPAN   


Japan Blog 4 - Ty Smith - by Tyler Smith
While growing up, Halloween was my favorite holiday. That is, unless I got some really sweet gift for Christmas like a bike or remote control car then Christmas was my favorite holiday. But, up through October of any given year, Halloween was #1.

My whole childhood revolved around getting candy. It was a scarce commodity. The candy in our home was either hidden by my mom, off-limits by my mom, or it was the nasty candy that you wondered why it was still in the drawer. Thanks mom.

But, on October 31st... it was a whole new ballgame. Endless amounts of candy all throughout the town. And people were just giving it away from their front doors! What a glorious holiday for high-energy boys and girls. If there had been some sort of prize for the most doorbells rang on Halloween, Im sure I would have been All-State. I can remember just being in an all-out sprint from one house to the next.

I was always a tall kid which made me appear older than I was. So, the neighbors would always give me a hard time, Arent you a little big to be trick-or-treating? Just give me the candy, lady. Ive got a lot of houses to hit before my 7:30pm curfew. And dont tell my mom that I took off my winter coat that she made me wear over my costume.

Our team is 4-4 right now in the middle of the pack. The league seems very balanced so far and we have played very strong at times and kind of scattered at others. Coach Shuji Ono made a great point to us this week: The very good teams are not perfect, but they are consistent. We are working on becoming a more consistent team at home and on the road. Knowing who you are and what you do well as a team is very important to helping you win games. Since the season is young, I think many teams are still looking to find out what makes them successful. With the talent and work ethic of our team, I think we can have a very solid year.

The fans have been excellent and its great to see how excited they are during and after the games. Its amazing to see how dedicated they are and how long they will wait for autographs or a handshake after a game.
Having split our games last week 1-1 with Hokkaido, we have our work cut out for us on Saturday against a really good Toshiba team. It will be nice to be back in our home at Yoyogi! And with the support of all the Hitachi fans, hopefully it will be a game that helps us take 1 step closer to becoming a consistent team and getting a W.

P.S. Now that Im a dad, I can understand why my mom wouldnt let me eat unlimited Snickers and Reeses. Only rice cakes and saltines for my daughter until shes 21.

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  LEBANON   


New format for the Championship - Round up on the Clubs - by Asia-Basket Lebanon



The much anticipated championship will start on November 22nd 2008 , this year anew format will be adopted which will bring more intensity to the game and will create bigger competition .

In the first round the 10 teams will play against each other on a home and away format .
From the 1st round the first 8 teams will qualify to the 2nd round and they will be divided into 2 groups A & B:

A : 1st , 3rd , 6th , 8th
B : 2nd , 4th , 5th , 7th

The teams in the groups will play each other on a home and away format, the teams will be classified after this round in each group .

The 3rd round will the playoffs and will be played as follows:

Group A : A1 ,A2 ,A3 ,A4

Group B : B1 ,B2 , B3 , B4

The games will be played with a best of 3 format.

PO 1 : A1-B4
PO 2: A2-B3
PO 3: B1-A4
PO 4: B2-A3

The 4th round will be the Final 4 which will join the winners from the playoffs round with a best of 5 format :

SF 1 : W . PO1 W. PO4
SF2 : W. PO2 W. PO3

The winners of the two series will meet each others in the Finals with a best of 7 format.

For this reason the clubs are strengthen their rosters with foreign players . the current image of the clubs is as follows :

1 Riyadi : Ismail Abed El Menhem , Nate Johnson
2 Moutahed : Darren Kelly , Tony Williams
3 Sagesse : Samaki Walker , Testing Shuan Stegall
4 Blue Stars : William Byrd
5 Campville : Testing Chris Charles
6 Feytroun : Jay Joseph , Testing Patrick Culver
7 Antranik : Lucious Wagner
8 Tebnine : Chudney Gray
9 Kharaba : Larry Cox , Jerone Mcciskill
10 Anibal : Alvin Simms , Testing Joe Powell



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  LITHUANIA   


Varda and Woods under the question mark for tomorrow - by Eurobasket News
Lithuanian champ and National Cup holder, Zalgiris Kaunas, faced with problems at the beginning of Euroleague. Namely, Loren Woods (213-C-78, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Arizona) is slightly injured and it is not known yet will he be able to play against Italian powerhouse. Another problem is shoulder injury of Serbian center Ratko Varda (216-C/F-79). Currently the top scorer of Lithuanian championship with 26.5 ppg got injured during the first Euroleague game against Panathinaikos in Athens. According to the rumors he for sure won't be able to play vs Montepachi. Zalgiris Kaunas suffered huge defeat in the first round against Greek champion PAO 71-58. Victory against Montepacshi would be a great result, especially because of above mentioned problems.

In the meantime, Simas Jasaitis (202-F/G-82) once again shined in Spanish ACB. Unfortunately, his DKV Joventut was defeated on the road by strong Unicaja 76-66. Jasaitis got 28 minutes scoring 21 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. Second scorer of the team was Bracey Wright with 14 points. Jasaitis had pretty good shot percentage making 3/3 for FG2 and 5/8 from behind the arc. It is competition-high for Lithuanian small forward this season in ACB. He appeared in all 5 games so far adding 11 ppg and 2.4 rpg. It means that he improved his numbers significantly that it was last season in Tau Ceramica.

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  LUXEMBOURG   


Coupe de Luxembourg: 1/16 finals Racing out! DBBL's T71 and Heffingen advance! - by Alex Meyers

During the week, the 1/16th final of the Cup of Luxembourg was played. Arantia of Larochette of Luxembourg's National 3 surprised visiting Mondorf of National 2. DBBL's Racing Luxembourg(Coach Toni Ostojic ) was ousted by National 2 team Basket Esch and N3's Red Miners of Red Miners Kayl slipped past BBC Nitia of Bettembourg. In other action, Heffingen crushed BC Mess as expected and T 71 destroyed Preizerdaul. Coach Goran Lukic, Sean Black (199-G/F-75, college: Florida A&M) and company of Bascharage(N2) advanced past Black Frogs(N3) which features none other than the 1967 born Derek Wilson (200-F/C-67, college: Co.Carolina). Elsewhere, in a battle of 2 N3 teams Petange romped over Mamer and Arlon held off coach Tom Kries' pesky Grengewald squad to win by a point.

Tuesday October 21, 2008

Mamer(N3) - Petange(N3) 69:102
Arantia(+10)(N3) - Mondorf(N2) 87:56

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

BC Mess(N2)(+10) - Heffingen(DBBL) 71-106
Preizerdaul(N3)(+20) - T 71 (DBBL) 63-90
Red Miners(N3)(+10) - BBC Nitia(N2) 83-80
Black Frogs(N2) - Bascharage(N2) 61-71
Basket Esch(+10) (N2) - Racing(DBBL) 93-73

Thursday, October 23, 2008


Grengewald (N3)(+10) - Arlon(N2) 73-74

Several teams got a bye until the 1/8th final round: Black Star, Soleuvre, Sparta, Musel Pikes, Amicale, Etzella, Rsidence and Contern



Residence loses match and its Coach Kevin Magdowski(D) - by Alex Meyers

Residence 72 - Amicale 76

Walferdange, Luxembourg

Residence lost at home to Amicale because of a poor start. They had a hard time buying even a bucket in the first quarter but played Amicale fairly even the rest of the way, losing by only 4 in the end. With the loss, Residence dropped to 1-3 in the DBBL and the club decided after to part ways with its coach Kevin Magdowski . As it seems, their 28 year old American player, William Brand (196-F-80, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Albany), is injured now and will take over as interim head coach. Pit Koster led Residence with 21 points. In his final game as player, Brand scored 15 points, followed by Thierry Abdiu and Frank Mangen with 12 points each. Christopher Jones led Amicale with 21 points, followed by Travis DePree (201-F/C, college: Albion) with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Christian Schartz added 15 points and Olivier Haan 10. Sam Ney played for less than 9 minutes and did not contribute in scoring or rebounding. Residence will face T71 on Friday in Dudelange and Amicale(2-2) will go to Luxembourg City Saturday night where they will face Racing Luxembourg.

Resdidence:28 field goals, 6 three pointers, 10 for 11 free throws, 27 rebounds, 19 fouls and 15 turnovers
Koster 21, F. Mangen 12, Brand 15, Juilen, Abdiu 12, also Leschek 8, Felten 4 and Hemmen
Amicale: 30 field goals, 6 three pointers, 10 for 13 free throws, 24 rebounds, 18 fouls and 10 turnovers
Jones 19, Schartz, DePree 17, Haan 10, Scholtes 4, also Ney, Kartheiser 6, Rausch 5 and Birenbaum

Score by quarters: 1st Q 9-14, Halftime 29-33, 3rd Q 50-55, Final 72-76
280 Spectators



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  NBA   


And the show begins! - by Eurobasket News
The NBA new season tipped off yesterday with three games. The reigning champions Boston Celtics began their title defense with a hard-fought win over the Cleveland Cavaliers 90:85 at home. The Cavaliers finished the last season at the same venue losing the seventh game of the exhausting playoff series against future champions. This time they looked for revenge. They seemed to be en route to the aim as they led by four points at halftime. But Paul Pierce (6'7''-F-77, college: Kansas) scored 11 points in the third frame and the Celtics opened the quarter on a 12:2 rally to surge ahead. The close game continued in the fourth term as the Cavaliers trailed by just two points late in the game. However Leon Powe dunked the ball and then Ray Allen was accurate from the charity stripe to seal the win for the hosts. Paul Pierce finished the game with 27 points. Rajon Rondo (6'1''-G-86, college: Kentucky) added 14 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds for the winners. LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) answered with 22 points for Cleveland. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.
Luol Deng (6'7''-F-85, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Duke) had 21 points, while Derrick Rose (6'4''-G-88, college: Memphis) debuted with 11 points and 9 assists for Chicago as they outgunned the Milwaukee Bucks 108:95 in the opener. Ben Gordon (6'2''-G-83, college: Connecticut) was solid with 18 points off the bench for the Bulls. Michael Redd (6'6''-G-79, college: Ohio St.) answered with 30 points for the Bucks.
In the meantime the LA Lakers cruised to a 96:76 victory against Portland. Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) secured 23 points, 11 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Portland long-awaited rookie Greg Oden (7'0''-C-88, college: Ohio St.) injured his foot early in the game and left the court. The Trail Blazers never found the rhythm and trailed by 15 points at halftime. The intrigue was never revived in the second half and the hosts eased to the victory. Pau Gasol (7'0''-F/C-80) dropped 15 points for the winning side. Travis Outlaw (6'9''-F-84) answered with 18 points for Portland. Rudy Fernandez (6'6''-G-85) had 16 points in defeat.

Latest market news - by Eurobasket News
Dallas Mavericks exercised the option on forward Shawne Williams (6'9''-F/C-86, college: Memphis) for the season 09/10.
The Mavs acquired Williams in a trade with Indiana Pacers almost 3 weeks ago. He was originally 17th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft selected by Indiana. He appeared 65 times with the Pacers last season averaging 6.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg. At his rookie year Williams had 3.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg. During the pre-season he registered 2 ppg and 1.6 rpg in 5 games.

San Antonio Spurs signed contract with forward Linton Johnson (6'8''-F-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Tulane). Per club policy terms of the contract were not released.
Johnson started last season in Spanish Tau Ceramica but after 8 games in total he was released. In February he signed 10-day deal with the Suns adding 2.6 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 8 games. In March he inked another one and after that he got one more 10-day contract but with Toronto. He already played for the Hornets on season 05/06 appearing in 54 games with average digits 4.2 ppg and 3 rpg. Johnson graduated at Tulane. He went unpicked in the 2002 NBA Draft after averaging 9.0 points and 6.5 boards as a senior during the 01/02 season. In 2003 he got a contract with the Bulls.

Miami Heat exercised the third year player option on Daequan Cook (6'5''-G-87, college: Ohio St.). Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cook appeared in 59 regular season games adding 8.8 ppg, 3 rpg and 1.3 apg. Last season, Cook set new Miami's rookie records in both three-point field goals made (79) and attempted (238) while shooting 33.2 percent accuracy from beyond the arc, which was the fourth highest single-season percentage for a Heat rookie.

Latest complete signings and waivings before the season that started yesterday - by Bruno Baltazar
The Bobcats have waived forward Jermareo Davidson (6'10''-F-84, college: Alabama).
Davidson was slow in learning coach Larry Brown's system and appeared in only three of eight exhibition games. He fell behind journeyman Andre Brown in Larry Brown's rotation.
Davidson was taken by Golden State in the second round in 2007, and was acquired in a draft-night trade that sent Jason Richardson to Charlotte. The Bobcats picked up the second-year option on Davidson's deal before this year's draft.
The move gives the Bobcats room to add another forward to spell Sean May, who has struggled with his conditioning since returning from right knee surgery.

The Toronto Raptors exercised the fourth-year option Monday on forward Andrea Bargnani (6'10''-F/C-85) (6'10''-F/C-85), the first overall pick in the 2006 draft.
Raptors had until Friday to exercise their option on the 23-year-old. Bargnani, who is from Italy, was the first European-born player to be selected with the top pick in the draft. He is now under contract through the 2009-10 season.
Bargnani was named to the league's all-rookie first team and finished as runner-up to Portland's Brandon Roy in rookie of the year voting in 2006-07, when he averaged 11.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 65 games. He averaged 10.2 points and 3.7 rebounds last season.

The Washington Wizards exercised their third-year options on forward Oleksiy Pecherov and guard Nick Young (6'6''-G/F-85, agency: Priority Sports, college: USC) .
Young was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2007 draft, and Pecherov was chosen 18th overall in 2006, but he played the 2006-07 season overseas before joining the Wizards.
Young averaged 7.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 75 games as a rookie, while Pecherov averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 35 games.
Both players signed standard first-round draft pick contracts. The first two seasons are guaranteed, while the third and fourth seasons are option years at the discretion of the team.

Others signing and waiving before the season start were:
L.A. Lakers exercise fourth-year option on Jordan Farmar (6'2''-G-86, college: UCLA).

Milwaukee claims Austin Croshere (6'9''-F-75, college: Providence) off of waivers and waives Adrian Griffin (6'5''-G/F-74, college: Seton Hall).

Minnesota waives Blake Ahearn (6'2''-G-84, agency: SportsTalent, college: Missouri St.), Chris Richard (6'9''-F/C-84, college: Florida) and David Harrison (7'0''-C-82, college: Colorado).

Utah waives Gerry McNamara (6'2''-G-83, college: Syracuse).

Chicago re-signs Michael Ruffin (6'8''-F-77, college: Tulsa).

Golden State waives Rob Kurz.

L.A. Lakers waive Coby Karl (6'4''-G-83, college: Boise St.).

New York waives Patrick Ewing, Jr.

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  NCAA1   


Purdue's Hummel Tabbed As Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year - by Bruno Baltazar
Purdue swingman Robbie Hummel (6'8''-G/F-89) was named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year by a 22-member media panel. Hummel's Boilermakers were tabbed as the preseason favorite for the 2008-09 men's basketball season by the media panel.

Hummel was chosen as the Preseason Player of the Year after earning first-team All-Conference and All-Freshman Team accolades last year. He led the Big Ten in three-point field percentage in conference games while averaging 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in all games. He becomes the first Purdue standout to earn Preseason Player of the Year accolades since Chad Austin received the honor in 1997.

The Boilermakers welcome back all five starters from a year ago, returning 82 percent of their scoring overall. Purdue finished with a 25-9 record and a 15-3 conference mark. Entering his fourth season at the Boilermakers helm, Matt Painter will aim to lead the Boilermakers to a conference crown for the first time since 1996. Painter has led his squad to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

With the return of three starters and three of its top four scorers from last season, Michigan State garners a second-place showing in the preseason poll. The Spartans finished fourth in the Big Ten last year with a 12-6 mark and 27-9 overall record under veteran head coach Tom Izzo. Michigan State is led by a talented trio in Raymar Morgan (6'8''-F-88), Kalin Lucas and Goran Suton, accounting for 47 percent of the team's offensive production in 2007-08.

Wisconsin, the defending Big Ten and Big Ten Tournament champion, earned the remaining votes for the No. 3 preseason slot. Head coach Bo Ryan guided the Badgers to a school-record 31 wins last season and a berth into the Sweet Sixteen. Ryan's Badgers are one of only five teams in the country to win 30 or more games in each of the last two seasons.

he five-man Preseason All-Big Ten Team is highlighted by one first-team All-Big Ten returnee in Hummel, while Michigan's Manny Harris (6'5''-G-89), Michigan State's Morgan and Purdue's E'Twaun Moore were named to the second team by the coaches and media. Wisconsin's Landry is the fifth member of the Preseason All-Big Ten Team and was named to the second team by the coaches before being named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player.



2008-09 Top Three Preseason Picks

Team 2007-08 Final Records (Finish)
1. Purdue 25-9, 15-3 Big Ten (2nd)

2. Michigan State 27-9, 12-6 Big Ten (4th)

3. Wisconsin 31-5, 16-2 Big Ten (1st)

2008-09 Big Ten Preseason All-Conference Team

Player 2007-08 Final Stats
Manny Harris, MICH, So., G 16.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg

Raymar Morgan, MSU, Jr., F 14.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg

Robbie Hummel, PUR, So., F 11.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg

E'Twaun Moore, PUR, So., G 12.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg

Marcus Landry (6'7''-F-85), WIS, Sr., F 10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg


2008-09 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Robbie Hummel, PUR

Doctor: Former Arizona Coach Lute Olson Had Stroke - by Bruno Baltazar
Lute Olson doctor says the former Arizona basketball coach had a stroke within the last year and he advised him to retire.

The 74-year-old Olson suddenly announced his retirement last week, two days after he appeared at the Wildcats' media day. He said at the time he was 'energized' and looking forward to his 25th season with Arizona.

Dr. Steven Knope said Tuesday an MRI confirmed the stroke, which left Olson with severe depression and impaired judgment.

Olson took a leave of absence last season for what he later termed a 'medical condition that was not life-threatening.'

Bzdelik lands another Aussie - by Eurobasket News
Bill Self was happy to hold court with reporters and answer the same set of questions over and over again at the Big 12 media days last week in Oklahoma City.

The head coach of the reigning NCAA champions understands how much interest there is in all things Kansas basketball and spent a large chunk of his offseason being treated like a rock star at various functions and writing a book about the magical March run.

And Jeff Bzdelik ?

Well, Colorado's second-year head coach flew all the way to Oklahoma City to politely answer a grand total of six questions at his press conference before meeting one-on-one with a couple of familiar faces from back home.

Bzdelik didn't mind the lack of attention because, well, he had a plane to catch and more important matters at hand.

Shane Harris-Tunks, an intriguing 6-foot-11 center/forward from Australia, had made the trip from Down Under to Boulder lastThursday and was waiting to visit with the coach.

The Camera has learned that Harris-Tunks -- who was also receiving interest from Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Washington State -- is the third recruit in the 2009 class to give CU a verbal commitment.

According to a bio for the Australian Institute of Sport, '(Harris-Tunks) is a good passer and has the ability to score in a variety of ways but it will be his presence at the defensive end of the floor that (his current) team will depend on him.'

The Buffs had already landed Alecs Burks, a 6-4 shooting guard from Grandview, Mo., and Keegan Hornbuckle, a 6-6 forward from Los Angeles. Burks chose CU over Big 12 rival Kansas State while Hornbuckle's list of suitors included Arizona.

Per NCAA rules, coaches are not allowed to talk about recruits until they sign national letters of intent on Nov. 12.

Bzdelik, however, said programs like Kansas deserve an assist in helping lure talent to the Big 12. Even the long suffering program picked to finish 12th.

'It has helped us in recruiting,' Bzdelik said of the Jayhawks' national title. 'We had a very good recruiting class last year, and we feel good about the prospects for another excellent recruiting class. We can offer a young student-athlete a chance to play in what we think is the best league in the nation, and as we recruit internationally, in the world.'

Harris-Tunks will join Nate Tomlinson, CU's first recruit from Down Under and likely starting point guard, in Boulder next year. Bzdelik made what now appears to be a very successful recruiting trip to Australia last summer.

The Buffs will likely only sign Harris-Tunks, Burks and Hornbuckle during the early period and perhaps add another player during the spring period.

CU opens the season on Nov. 14 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at the Coors Events Center.

Courtesy of http://www.dailycamera.com

NCAA rejects ACC basketball suggestion - by Eurobasket News
The great ACC shot-blockers of yesteryear - think Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) - would have been impressed with the Division I men's basketball committee's rejection of commissioner John Swofford's attempt at a political boost for the ACC.

Like a driving layup attempt that wasn't quite strong enough, Swofford's request to include conference rating percentage index (RPI) a measure of relative strength among the selection criteria for the NCAA Tournament has been denied.

Swofford's request was aimed at expanding the conference's stature and the number of teams that get in when the NCAA picks teams at tournament time.

The committee has told Swofford that conference affiliation will not be considered, ruling that each team's schedule conference and nonconference already is factored into the selection decisions.

Swofford is disappointed.

Who you have to play as a member of a conference is every bit as important as who you choose to play in the nonconference, he said in an interview. And you just don't want to see that overlooked.

The ACC has the prohibitive national championship favorite in North Carolina. It has a probable top-15 preseason team in Duke.

Many experts consider Wake Forest, Clemson, Miami and Virginia Tech likely to reach the NCAA Tournament.

But the ACC also enters 2008-09 with something to prove. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said the ACC's expansion opened the door for the Big East to become the premier basketball conference.

After Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College left for the ACC, the Big East added ex-Conference USA powers such as Marquette and Louisville. Bilas said it's possible that the 11th-best Big East team would have a legitimate shot at the NCAA Tournament.

That's as good a league as I can imagine. said Bilas, a former Duke player.

Swofford's idea could have strengthened the ACC's hopes of crowding the tournament brackets.

Last season, the ACC had the nation's highest conference RPI, but placed just four teams in the tournament. The Big East, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC each got more teams in.

ACC coaches have long argued that it's more difficult for ACC teams to distinguish themselves because they don't have one or two bottom-dwellers that yield certain wins to any conference opponent with a pulse.

Courtesy of http://www.charlotteobserver.com

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


Division II Bulletin Tabs "Super 16" - by Eurobasket News
The Division II Bulletin has announced its 'Super 16' 2008-09 Preseason All-American selections. The list includes two players from each of the eight regions in NCAA, Division II men's basektball. Jeff Bostic is the preseason player of the year.


Super 16

East Region
Kendrick Easley (6'1''-G), Mount Olive
Ted Scott, West Virginia State

Great Lakes Region
Jeff Bostic, Findlay*
Brandon Dagans, Lewis

Northeast Region
Jason Westrol, Bentley
Jonathan Schmidt, C.W. Post

North Central Region
Kevin Ratzsch, Northern State
Drake Beranek, Nebraska-Kearney

South Region
Rob Eldridge, Florida Southern
Nick Kohs, Christian Brothers

South Atlantic Region
Anthony Hilliard, Elizabeth City State
Chris Commons, South Carolin-Aiken

South Central Region
Matthew Rogers, Southwest Baptist
Dejan Sencanski, Abilene Christian

West Region
Larry Gordon, Cal Poly-Pomona
Lucas Alves, Brigham Young-Hawaii
*-preseason player of the year


Honorable Mention
Malcolm Ingram, Philadelphia
Thomas Fraise, North Alabama
Antonio Houston, Catawba
Jake Morrow, Minnesota State-Mankato
Hunter Henry, Northwest Missouri State
Stan Hall, Alderson-Broaddus
Ben Madgen, Augusta State
Billy Arre, Lock Haven
Lew Finnegan, Bentley
Kenny Boyd, Morehouse
Stephen Dennis, Kutztown
Garrett Siler, Augusta State
Tony Gugino, Hillsdale
Kenny Barker, Alaska-Anchorage
Jesse Wagstaff, Metropolitan State
Pierce Caldwell, Incarnate Word
Jason Genova, Lewis
Jake Linton, St. Martins
Darren Duncan, Merrimack
Jake Beitinger, Central Washington

http://www.d2basketball.com/

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


Standings - BLNO
BLNO Standings
 1. Tromso 6-0 
 2. Ulriken 5-1 
 3. Harstad 4-2 
 4. Asker 3-2 
 5. 3B 2-5 
 6. Ammerud 1-2 
 7. Gimle 1-5 
 8. Fjellhamar 0-5 


Tromso earn the sixth straight win - by Eurobasket News
Tromso consolidated their position on top of the ladder as they thrashed Fjellhamar 116:67 at home. The victory marked the sixth straight success for the Storm. Tromso got 21 points and 16 rebounds from Taj Finger (203-F-86) and had little problems en route to another impressive victory. Ronald Timus (198-G/F-84, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Morgan St.) added 21 points in the win. Xavier Mestag answered with 25 points for the Stallions.
The hosts dominated right from the start and piled up a 30-point cushion at halftime. The Stallions never recovered and suffered a massive defeat at the end. Dag Christensen (201-F/C-80) notched 12 points and 13 rebounds for the winners.
Ulriken stayed in the second place as they held off Gimle 86:67. Peter Bullock (198-F-82, college: Alaska-Anch.) stepped up with 25 points and 8 rebounds for the Eagles. Delano Thomas (203-F-82, college: Shawnee St.) was helpful with 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winning side. A stifling defense in the opening term allowed the home team to grab a 19:8 advantage at the first intermission. Gimle struggled to find the right rhythm and had to surrender at the end. Brede Ellingsen (188-G-88) topscored with 26 points for Gimle.
The defending champions Asker Aliens pulled away with a tough 82:81 victory against Ammerud. Ronny Karlsen (203-F-78, college: Independence CC) knocked down 25 points for the Aliens. Frank Nyborg (195-F-83) secured 19 points in the win. Miilah Kombat (200-F-88) replied with 21 points and for Ammerud.

*****************************************************
  PALESTINE   


Orthodoxi Bethlehem with straight wins to the finals - by Tamara Awartani
Orthodoxi Bethlehem vs. Thaqafi Beit Sahour 86 73
An exciting close game, lead by Orthodoxi Bethlehem throughout the game to assure their qualifications to the finals. Both teams were testing the water in the 1st quarter, but Bethlehem got into the game fast & lead 19-10. Thaqafi played better in the 2nd quarter but Bethlehem stayed in the lead 19-14, Thaqafi kept going strong in the 3rd quarter, giving Bethlehem a hard time but Bethlehem were still able to stay in the lead 19-18. 4th quarter was exciting & fun to watch, as Thaqafi were still fighting to the last second which forced Bethlehem to play even harder, leading 31-29.
Orthodoxi Bethlehem best players were Jared Soles (signing off each game with a number of 3points), Basem Freij, Basheer Shatara, Khader Jackman, Awad AlHreimi, Osama Abu Jaber
Thaqafi Beit Sahour best players were Elias Kokali, Mike AlAma, Husam KoKali, Majd Banoura,Majdi Abu Sadi, Jack Sabat.

Ibdaa vs. Orthodoxi Beit Sahour game for the final four on the 29th of Oct. got cancelled - Details to follow.



Standings - Men
PBBA Standings
 1. Bethlehem 5-0 
 2. Ibdaa 4-0 
 3. Orthodoxi B.S. 2-2 
 4. Thaqafi B.S. 2-3 
 5. Qalandia 1-2 
 6. De La Salle 1-2 
 7. Arab O. 1-2 
 8. Orthodox 0-0 
 9. Hathen 0-0 
 10. Al Fara 0-0 
 11. Takafi 0-0 
 12. Hawar 0-0 
 13. Aramax S. 0-0 
 14. Ebal 0-0 
 15. Oscar Camp 0-0 
 16. Balata 0-0 
 17. Jensafot 0-0 
 18. Terrasanta 0-0 
 19. Al Ahli 0-0 
 20. Al Bira 0-3 
 21. Catholic A. 0-3 


*****************************************************
  PAN ARAB GAMES   


Day 4 - 18th Arab Cup - by Mohammed Malas
* Tuesday 29/10:

Jordan 83 - Morroco 70 (Qs: 23-16, 40-29, 62-45 & 83-70)

Libya 70 - Iraq 59 (Qs: 19-28, 37-31, 49-46 & 70-59)

Egypt 131 - Sudan 50 (Qs: 39-8, 69-28, 101-34 & 131-50)

# Standings:
- Group A:
Jordan 3-0
Egypt 2-0
Morroco 1-3
Sudan 0-2
- Group B:
Tunisia 3-0
Libya 1-2
Algeria 1-1
Saudi Arabia 1-1
Iraq 0-2

# Day 5 - 18th Arab Cup:
Wednesday 29/10:
Sudan X Syria
Egypt X Morocco
Libya X Saudi Arabia
Iraq X Algeria

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


Two other signings for the Millrats - by Gianni Pascucci
The Manchester Millrats announced the return of Charles Mason (6'8''-F-75, college: Bunker Hill) to the team. 'Charles is a veteran player who still has tremendous athletic ability to go with deep shooting range,' stated Millrats Principal Owner Jason Briggs. Mason was a final cut by the Denver Nuggets in 2004, and has played abroad in places such as Ireland, South America, Romania, and China. A member of the final four-bound Manchester Millrats last season, Mason averaged 15.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game on 37% field goal percentage from behind the arc. The Millrats also announced the agreement with Derek Coleman (5'11''-G-84, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Robert Morris), out from Robert Morris, where he was named to the All-NEC Rookie team in 2004. As a senior, he averaged 12.8 points, 5.4 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game.'D.C. is an ultra-competitive fireplug who wreaks havoc on opposing defenses with his ball pressure,' explained Millrats GM Ian McCarthy, 'he possesses a solid outside shot and is a natural ball distributor.' Last season, Coleman ran the offense for Upstairs Weert in the Netherlands.

*****************************************************
  PHILIPPINES   


Gary David's buzzer-beater lifts Air21 over Alaska - by Eurobasket News
Gary David (187-G/F-78) buried a three-point shot with no time left and the Air21 Express pulled off a stunning 109-107 victory over the Alaska Aces Wednesday night in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was the third straight victory for the Express, who blew a 12-point lead in the final 4:54 and came close to picking up their fourth defeat after Willie Miller put Alaska ahead, 107-106 with one second to play.

Apparently, the Express had one trick left under their sleeves.

After a timeout, Ranidel de Ocampo inbounded the ball to David, who quickly took the shot as soon as he got the ball. Miller, who came late to contest the shot, followed the flight of the ball that swished the net as the buzzer sounded.

'I think we deserved to win. We worked hard defensively and never gave up even when things didn't look good,' said Air 21 head coach Bo Perasol during the post-game interview.

It could have been an easy win, he said, but his closers Santos, David, De Ocampo, Wynne Arboleda and Homer Se played too cautious in the closing minutes.

'My last five who was supposed to be my best five didn't do well in ending the game. When we were up by 12 they played not lose,' Perasol observed.

It was the second straight loss for the Aces (4-2) and coach Tim Cone might need to reflect on the those setbacks before the situation worsens.

Santos scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds his first double-double job of the season -- and David added 18 inclusive of a 3-of-7 shooting from the 3-point range.

Arboleda scored 15 points and had five assists, Se added 13 and De Ocampo accounted for 10 points and 11 boards for the Express, who started the conference 0-and-3.

Alaska dominated the game early as Joe De Vance scored 15 points in the first quarter on 6-of-6 shooting to help the Aces built at 37-23 lead after one quarter.

Alaska extended the margin to 39-23 early in the second period but thing started to sour, enabling the Express to get back into the game.

Alaska held a 61-57 lead four minutes into the third when De Ocampo knocked in a three and Arboleda hit another then completed a steal off L.A. Tenorio to spark a15-2 blast that shoved the Express ahead. Air21 entered the final the quarter up, 84-77.

The Express appeared to have game all wrapped up when De Ocampo made a basket that made the count, 104-92, with 5:54 to play.

But they blew that lead so quickly by committing six of their 21 turnovers in that stretch.

Joe Devance led Alaska with a second career-best 25 points. Miller scored 20 points but managed only three in the final quarter. (DBC)


The scores:

Air21 109 - Santos 25, David 18, Arboleda 15, Se 13, De Ocampo 13, Quinahan 7, Cruz 5, Kramer 4, Canaleta 4, Sta. Maria 4, Billones 4, Villanueva 0.

Alaska 107 - De Vance 25, Miller 20, Fonacier 16, Tenorio 13, Thoss 11, Ferriols 9, Hugnatan 7, Cariaso 4, Dela Cruz 2, Dela Pena 0, Borboran 0.

Quarterscores: 23-37, 53-53, 84-77, 109-107.

Courtesy of http://www.pba.ph

*****************************************************
  POLAND   


Barnes left Gornik - by Filip Gracek
American Chad Barnes (191-G-83, agency: Promotex, college: New Orleans) will not be Victoria Gornik Walbrzych player. The club activists decided, that they didn't renew the contract with the player. Barnes is 25 year-old and he was born in New Orleans. He played at Gornik in four matches averaging 5,5 points and 4,3 rebounds. Last season he spent in Venezuela Guaros de Lara, where he was playing in starting five regularly. Barnes will not play in today's match and he will leave from Walbrzych soon.

1Liga Round: 8 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
LKS Lodz - Prokom II 79-93
Prokom II surprised one of the league leaders beating Lodz 93:79 away from home today. It was just the second win for Prokom II in the season. Mateusz Kostrzewski was outstanding with 33 points for Prokom II. Jakub Zalucki added 21 points for the winners. Jakub Dluski answered with 21 points and 8 rebounds for Lodz as they slipped to 5-3 record.

Big Star - AZS Kalisz 84-61
Big Star posted the seventh win in the season as they cruised past Kalisz 84:61 at home court. Krzysztof Mielczarek led the winners with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Lukasz Pacocha dropped 14 points for the league leaders. Kalisz answered with 14 points from Jakub Dryjanski.

Sudety JG - Stal SW 66-59
Sudety celebrated the fourth win in the tournament as they overcame visiting Stal 66:59 tonight. Mariusz Matczak delivered 16 points to pace the hosts. jakub Czech was responsible for 14 points in the winning case. Rafal Partyka and Piotr Ucinek dropped 15 points each in the win.

Siarka T. - Znicz Basket 84-77
Siarka overcame Znicz in Round 8 and leapfrogged them in the standings. Bartosz Krupa nailed 27 points to pace Siarka to the fourth win in the championship. Michal Baran contributed 19 points and 6 rebounds for the home team. Tomasz Briegmann responded with 27 points and 9 rebounds for Znicz as they fell at 3-5.

MMKS DG - AZS AWF K-ce 72-74
MMKS Dabrowa could not handle Katowice at home today and suffered the third defeat in the season. The visitors surged ahead in the first half and built a 9-point lead at halftime. MMKS failed to overcome the margin and had to surrender at the end. Marcin Sroda led the winners with 17 points. Mariusz Piotrkowski nailed 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for Katowice. Marcin Malcherczyk responded with 22 points for Gornicza outfit.

Sokol L. - MOSiR Kr. 71-74
MOSiR Krosno stayed next to the league leading Big Star with a 74:71 win against Sokol in the round. The game was never an easy contest for MOSiR as they trailed by 7 points at the interval. But MOSiR finally managed to pull away with a hard-fought win and stayed at the second spot in the standings. Piotr Pluta secured 22 points for MOSiR. Marcin Salamonik contributed 21 points in the win. Michal Kulyk replied with 20 points for Sokol.



Ewing and his Prokom blast Nancy at home - by Eurobasket News
Asseco Prokom - SLUC Nancy 91-62

Polish champion Asseco Prokom blasted SLUC Nancy at home registering the first in Group B this season. As a reminder, in the first round Prokom suffered defeat against Montepaschi Siena in Italy. On the other side, Nancy faced with another fiasco. Seven days ago Spanish giant Regal Barcelona trashed Nancy in France 82-54. Anyway, Daniel Ewing (191-G-83, college: Duke) of Prokom was unstoppable tonight. He spent 33 minutes on the court draining 32 points, including 6 triples from 8 attempts. Of course MVP award belongs to him as he reached index value 35. David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) and Patrick Burke (208-C-73, college: Auburn) also shined for the winners. Logan had 18 points and 4 assists while experienced Burke stopped on 16 points and 4 boards. Nancy got the most from Cyril Julian (205-F/C-75, agency: Octagon), who scored 17 points and needed one more rebound for double-double. Lamayne Wilson (204-F-80, college: Troy) followed him with 16 points and 5 boards.
Despite pretty good beginning by Nancy, 14-19 in the first frame, Polish champion very soon took control on its opponent. After the breather, which was almost equalized 32-21, Daniel Ewing and his teammates totally smashed Nancy. They ended third quarter 28-16 while the last one was even better 31-15. In the next round Asseco Prokom will play another game in the front of its fans but this time against Lithuanian champ and National Cup holder Zalgiris Kaunas. SLUC Nancy will take on Greek PAO and the possible first joy by the French team should be counted as a real miracle.

Asseco Prokom: Daniel Ewing 32, David Logan 18+4 as, Patrick Burke 16+4 boards
SLUC Nancy: Cyril Julian 17+9 boards, Lamayne Wilson 16+5 boards, Steed Tchicamboud (193-G-81) 14

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


Raymond Dalmau to Coach in Venezuela - by Luis Ramirez
According to local press reports, Raymond Dalmau will become the Head Coach of Venezuelan Team Gaiteros de Zulia. According to this report, Dalmau accepted an offer from this team and will return to coach in Venezuela for 2009. Dalmau had coached already coached this team back in 1999. Dalmau will join fellow countrymen Julio Toro, and Flor Melendez who will also be coaching in this league. All three Puerto Rican Coaches share the fact that all of them have at one time or another been the head Coach of the Puerto Rico National Team. Dalmau was recently honored with the naming of a new Basketball Arena in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, a town for which Dalmau played for many years as one of the most beloved players by the Quebradillas fans.

*****************************************************
  RUSSIA   


CSKA Moscow cruises past Panionios in Athens - by Eurobasket News
Panionios On Telecoms - CSKA Moscow 52-86

Another amazing performance by the reigning champion. On the other hand, first Euroleague home game of the decade for Panionios was unsuccessful. In the opening day Russian powerhouse smashed AJ Milano with plus 26 and now the final difference was even higher, 34 points. Greek representative will have to look for some other chance in order to reach the first win in Euroleague this season. It can maybe happen in the next round of Group D against Efes Pilsen on the road, what for sure will be extremely difficult job for head coach Aleksandar Trifunovic and his players. On the other side, CSKA Moscow will play in Madrid.
Thanks to Holden and his triple, Russian giant ended first frame 14-23. After Nikos Zisis (195-G-83) came off the bench, Russian machine touched the sky. He warmed up with a jumper and later, after his another basket, it already was 20-40. At that point of game it was clear that CSKA will take this one without any extra efforts. The only question was how big difference it will be at the end. Erazem Lorbek (210-F/C-84, college: Michigan St.) netted 17 points for the winners while Nikos Zisis stopped on 14. The same number of points had Branko Cvetkovic (200-G/F-84), but in Panionios. Giannis Kalambokis (195-G-78, agency: FCM) and Goran Nikolic (205-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) scored 10 points each.

Panionios: Branko Cvetkovic 14, Giannis Kalambokis 10, Goran Nikolic 10
CSKA: Erazem Lorbek 17, Nikos Zisis 14

*****************************************************
  SCOTLAND   


McINNES STEPS DOWN AS SCOTTISH CHAIR AFTER 18 YEARS - by Sandy Sutherland

Colin Pearson, a founder member of Penicuik BC and the former Director of Developing Potential with Sportscotland, has succeeded GB Chair Bill McInnes, who has stood down after 18 years as chairman of BasketballScotland.
Pearson was elected unopposed at yesterday's annual general meeting in Glasgow which heard concern expressed from several quarters over the alarming decline in the numbers of senior national league teams.
The withdrawal on Friday of Grampian Flyers, as forecast in these columns, has left the league with only six teams, equal to the lowest number since it was founded with 11 teams in 1966.
At one point in 1977-78 the league had 30 clubs in four divisions.

The previous day the clash between Edinburgh Kings and Troon Tornadoes at Portobello High School was called off late on the Friday afternoon after the club were told that emergency repairs were having to be made to the Games Hall.
Frantic efforts to find an alternative venue proved in vain but Kings were able to play their junior game with St Mirren at Portobello and enjoyed an astonishing 75-22 triumph over a team who took them to overtime in their previous encounter.
Kings led 43-11 at half-time, with a rapier-like Lee Reilly scoring 29 points, Ally McKay 13 and Calum Nicol 10.
Kings now go through along with St Mirren and Perth Phoenix, whom they also beat last week, to the top division of the RAF-sponsored league which now splits.









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


Partizan Igokea waits Real Madrid with optimism - by Dragan Jankovski
Reigning Serbian champion Partizan Igokea will host Spanish giant Real Madrid today in Belgrade's hall Pionir at 20:45h. Head coach of Serbian team Dusko Vujosevic stated it is the right time for Partizan to beat strong Real after 12 consecutive defeats. Number 13 could be the lucky one for the Black-and-whites.

'It is a big and extremely organized club. On each position Real possesses two great players. Few times happened that we enter into the last minute with plus 5 but at the end Real take that one. The reason for those 12 consecutive failures against 'Spaniards' for sure is quality of Real's players but also luck, from times to times. If today's game also become exciting one until the end, I hope luck will be on our side. My players have to control rhythm of the game and to stop fast breaks. They also have to stop Real's offensive rebounds. If that really happen, we will have a chance to celebrate first victory this season. I am sure it will be real basketball spectacle, as many times before, and our fans will have an opportunity to enjoy', said Dusko Vujosevic.

As a reminder, Partizan played on pretty high level in the first Euroleague game against Efes Pilsen in Istanbul. Turkish team celebrated at the very end thanks to Milos Vujanic as well as few missed lay-ups by Partizans guard's.

Rasic and Tepic lead Partizan to miracle against Real Madrid - by Eurobasket News
Partizan - Real Madrid 81-77

Partizan Belgrade took care for the sensation in Group D by beating Real Madrid in the front of 6.128 spectators in Pionir. It means that after thriller defeat in the first round in Istanbul, Partizan improved the record on 1-1. Real Madrid is at the same one. Guards Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) and Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) were the key players of the game. They combined 7 triples, also making many problems for Real's defense by penetrating and assisting to their teammates. Giant Slavko Vranes established his defensive presence from the early beginning, what at the end resulted with only 11 points by Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80).
Partizan entered into this game in style. The hosts created 21 -13 in the first stanza. During the following 10 minutes Spaniards succeeded to cut the margin on 6 points, 44-38. Felipe Reyes and Louis Bullock (186-G-76, college: Michigan) shined for Real in third quarter helping it to make a turn at the first point and later to grab plus 8, 47-55. However, Aleksandar Rasic, Novica Velickovic (205-F-86) and Cedomir Vitkovac (201-F-82) made 8-0 run for the hosts tying the score on 55-55. Mostly owing to Aleksandar Rasic, Partizan managed to take 74-71 with less than two minutes to go. Milenko Tepic made maybe decisive triple of this game but question about the winner is definitely decided at the very end after Hosley wrapped Tripkovic up and was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul.
Aleksandar Rasic top-scored for the winning team with 19 points. It was his best performance in Partizan so far. Milenko Tepic also was on a great level collecting 16 points and 6 assists. Novica Velickovic followed with 13 points and 6 boards. Sergio Llull (178-G-87) netted 19 points for Real Madrid. Quinton Hosley (198-G/F-84, college: Fresno St.) contributed 14 points and 8 rebounds. It was the first win for Partizan against Real Madrid after 12 consecutive defeats.

Partizan: Aleksandar Rasic 18, Milenko Tepic 16+5 as, Novica Velickovic 13+6 boards
Real Madrid: Sergio Llull 19, Quinton Hosley 14+8 boards, Felipe Reyes 11+5 boards

*****************************************************
  SEYCHELLES   


Sanken Basketball Cup - by Carlos Pereira
MBU ROCKERS completed the semifinal line-up in the mens Sanken Cup with a narrow win on Monday at Victoria Gymnasium.

The Rockers left it late, winning the fourth quarter 26-16, to come out on top of RC Dynamics on a 78-73 score to set up a semifinal date with Mens Division One League champions Baya. The match is scheduled for tomorrow at 5.15pm at Victoria Gymnasium.
Swingman Cyril Agrippine led all scores with 27 points and playmaker Nigel Sinon added 24 in the Rockers victory.
As for RC Dynamics, who led 21-12 at the end of the first quarter, 33-32 at half-time and 57-52 at the start of the fourth quarter, they were paced by Jean-Paul Camille with 24 points, and James Joubert made an 18-point contribution.
Baya walked over Juniors last Saturday and dumped Beau Vallon Heat 85-50 on Sunday to seal a place in the semifinals.
Todays first semifinal is between PLS Hawks and Anse Etoile. Defending champs Hawks trounced Division Two winners Mont Fleuri Dawgz 89-30 last Saturday and the following day they got the better of former league and cup winners Premium Cobras on an 89-78 score.
As for second division outfit Anse Etoile, they walked over two top-flight teams Cascade Bullets and Razors during the weekend.


G. G. from nation.sc

*****************************************************
  SLOVAKIA   


Nitra signed Votroubek - by Michal Maslany

Czech NT player Stanislav Votroubek (213-C-81) will stay with Nitra for this season. 'We were looking for player on position 4. We needed one big player to Hill and Tomek and we find out, that Votroubek will fit on that position,' said manager Juraj Polak for www.eBasket.sk. 27-year old center or power forward already played two matches for Nitra and score 9 and 6 points. In past Votroubek played for Nymburg and also for Prostejov.



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


Olimpija inks Smith and Robinson - by Zeljko Zule

Union Olimpija inked Americans JaJuan Smith (188-G-85, agency: Court Side, college: Tennessee) till end of the season and Frank Robinson (193-G-84, college: Cal.St. Fullerton) for two months. He will replace injured Jasmin Hukic.

Smith has been released by Dallas Mavericks and Roinson has been released by Atlanta Haws two weeks ago.


.



Liga UPC Round: 5 (Regular Season) - by Uros Vujic

Hopsi Polzela-Krka 73-79: Davor Marcelic scored 20 points and Simon Petrov added 15 points for the 5th consecutive win for Krka. Shawn King (208-C, college: ORU) was the main figure of the match, scoring 22 points and collecting incredible 17 rebounds for Hopsi, Klemen Lorebek finished the game with 20 points.
Zagorje KD FT-Helios 53-73: Ivan Todorovic scored 21 points and collected 8 rebounds, Ziga Zagorc and Alvin Snow each produced 13 points for Helios victory at Zagorje. Gilbert Goodrich scored 13 points and Milos Savkovic contributed 12 points for the home team. Zagorje KD FT is testing young Serbian prospect Filip Pavlovic (209-C-88) and is negotiating to sign David Paris (206-F/C-84) for the rest of the season.

The management of KK Krka Novo Mesto decided that guard Bruce Price (191-G 83), did not meet their expectations and was released.



*****************************************************
  SOUTH AMERICAN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS  


Standings
8 Standings
 1. Joinville 0-0 
 2. D.San Jose 0-0 
 3. Minas 0-0 
 4. Libertad 0-0 
 5. Bigua 0-0 
 6. Liceo Mixto 0-0 
 7. Duros 0-0 
 8. Barcelona 0-0 


*****************************************************
  SPAIN   


Rasic and Tepic lead Partizan to miracle against Real Madrid - by Eurobasket News
Partizan - Real Madrid 81-77

Partizan Belgrade took care for the sensation in Group D by beating Real Madrid in the front of 6.128 spectators in Pionir. It means that after thriller defeat in the first round in Istanbul, Partizan improved the record on 1-1. Real Madrid is at the same one. Guards Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) and Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) were the key players of the game. They combined 7 triples, also making many problems for Real's defense by penetrating and assisting to their teammates. Giant Slavko Vranes established his defensive presence from the early beginning, what at the end resulted with only 11 points by Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80).
Partizan entered into this game in style. The hosts created 21 -13 in the first stanza. During the following 10 minutes Spaniards succeeded to cut the margin on 6 points, 44-38. Felipe Reyes and Louis Bullock (186-G-76, college: Michigan) shined for Real in third quarter helping it to make a turn at the first point and later to grab plus 8, 47-55. However, Aleksandar Rasic, Novica Velickovic (205-F-86) and Cedomir Vitkovac (201-F-82) made 8-0 run for the hosts tying the score on 55-55. Mostly owing to Aleksandar Rasic, Partizan managed to take 74-71 with less than two minutes to go. Milenko Tepic made maybe decisive triple of this game but question about the winner is definitely decided at the very end after Hosley wrapped Tripkovic up and was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul.
Aleksandar Rasic top-scored for the winning team with 19 points. It was his best performance in Partizan so far. Milenko Tepic also was on a great level collecting 16 points and 6 assists. Novica Velickovic followed with 13 points and 6 boards. Sergio Llull (178-G-87) netted 19 points for Real Madrid. Quinton Hosley (198-G/F-84, college: Fresno St.) contributed 14 points and 8 rebounds. It was the first win for Partizan against Real Madrid after 12 consecutive defeats.

Partizan: Aleksandar Rasic 18, Milenko Tepic 16+5 as, Novica Velickovic 13+6 boards
Real Madrid: Sergio Llull 19, Quinton Hosley 14+8 boards, Felipe Reyes 11+5 boards

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  SWEDEN   


Gothia wins in Round 7 opener - by Eurobasket News
Boras - Gothia 75-85

Gothia surprised Boras on the road in the opening game of Round 7 improving its score in Basketligan on 2-4. On the other side, Boras dropped on 3-4. Jonathan Moore (203-F/G-82, agency: LimeLight, college: N.C.Central) was the key player of the game for Gothia. He spent 37 minutes on the court registering double-double, 21 points and 10 boards. Emil Salon (190-G-85) was the second best scorer for the winners with 13 points. Ian Johnson (206-F-84, college: Davidson), Benson Callier (198-G-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: W.Kentucky) and Michael Bree (184-G-80, agency: Stanley International, college: Davidson) also helped netting 12 points each. Boras got the most from Ryan McDade (201-F-80, college: N.Arizona), who drained 27 points and grabbed fantastic 18 rebounds. Dennis Springs (171-G-82, college: Ferris St.) had 18 while Henrik Carlsson (193-G-80) stopped on 11 points for the hosts.
Gothia Basket was a better team since the very beginning. Jonathan Moore and his teammates created plus 5 after opening ten minutes, 16-21. The hosts struggled at the defensive end giving an opportunity to Gothia to score decent number of points once again and to go on the half time with 32-41. Third stanza was the only one which belongs to Boras. Ryan McDade was totally unstoppable in offense and most of Boras' plays were run for him. His team succeeded to cut the margin on 4 points before the last frame but it was Boras' maximum in this game. Visitors had another nice ten minutes grabbing the second win this season.

Boras: Ryan McDade 27+18 boards, Dennis Springs 18, Henrik Carlsson 11
Gothia: Jonathan Moore 21+10 boards, Emil Salon 13, Ian Johnson 12+6 boards

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  SWITZERLAND   


Rhone Herens Basket sign Cam-Ron Clay - by Eurobasket
Rhone Herens Basket added to their roster American forward Cam-Ron Clay (203-F). Clay played most recently at Verdirrojo (Uruguay). He comes from not very well-known Chicago State University, where he helped his team to make it to MCC Tournament Final two years ago. In his senior season he averaged 10.9ppg, 4.7rpg and 2.0bpg. In his first game (loss to the Starwings) in Switzerland he played 25 minutes scoring 4 points and grabbing 8 rebounds

Latest LNB signings - by Eurobasket News
Martigny-Rhone Basket announced signing of Davide Garruti (189-G-89) and Darko Ristic (201-F-75) for the rest of the season.
Davide Garruti is coming from LNA team Herens Basket, where he got only 3 minutes this season in total. During the summer Garutti played for U20 Switzerland on European Championship division B in Targu Mures. In 6 games he averaged 7.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1.7 spg.
Experienced Serbian player Darko Ristic spent previous 3 seasons in LNB team Pages Jaunes Pully Basket. He ended the last one with 25 ppg and 18 rpg in 34 appearances. In the past, experienced Ristic changed many teams: BBC Kehlen, KFI Reykjavik, Skallagrimur Borgarnes, Godel - Rabotnicki Skopje, COB Saint Brieuc and Zastava Kragujevac. Interesting is that the last season he played and also worked as assistant coach in Pages Jaunes Pully Basket. He was a head coach of junior team.
Both players will made debut at the front of Martigny's fans this week-end against Chene.

In the meantime Etoile Sportive Vernier also signed a new player. It is Christopher Blachut, who can be used on positions 3 and 4. Blachut is coming from University of Toronto. In the next round Vernier will take on Luzern on the road.

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  TURKEY   


Kasun Out Longer Than Expected - by Serdar Ortakuyu
Efes Pilsen center Mario Kasun (213-C-80) who has not been able to play any official game for the Istanbul giants yet due to a wrist injury he picked up in preseason, finally underwent surgery the other day. The doctors say it was a succesfull operation but the Croatian center will be out of action for at least three monts and leave his front court mates Kaya Peker (207-C/F-80, agency: Court Side), Kerem Gonlum (208-C/F-77) and Michail Kakiouzis (206-C-76) alone probably till the end of Euroleague regular season. Kasun was expected to have a key role in Coach Ergin Ataman's plans but now the beermen will have to find another solution to fill his place on the team.

Efes Pilsen too strong for AJ Milano in Italy - by Eurobasket News
AJ Milano - Efes Pilsen 71-81

Great victory by Efes Pilsen, who remains perfect in Group D after 2 games. AJ Milano suffered huge defeat last week against CSKA in Moscow and tonight's game was an opportunity for the first win but it was not an easy job against tough Efes. As it was in the first game against Partizan Belgrade, point guard Milos Vujanic (192-G-80) once again shined for his team collecting 19 points and 4 rebounds for 30 minutes. Marvis Thornton (194-G-77, college: St.John's) likes Italy and he was in a game mood finishing it with 17 points, 4 assists and 4 steals. Charles Smith (193-G-75, college: N.Mexico) helped Efes Pilsen adding 14 and 5 boards. David Hawkins (193-G-82, agency: CAA Sports, college: Temple) top-scored for the loosing side with 20 points but not so brilliant shot percentage. Jobey Thomas (193-G-80, college: Charlotte) had 14 while Marco Mordente (191-G-79) netted one point less.
Efes Pilsen had great 14/20 for FG2, 12/30 from behind the arc and 17/21 from the free throw line in this game. AJ Milano registered much lower digits. Except of the last quarter, Efes Pilsen controlled rhythm of the game. Actually, Turkish team did it also in the last ten minutes as AJ Milano couldn't get any closer than 6 points. Milos Vujanic and Marvis Thornton immediately stepped up for their team sealing the very important victory. In the next round Efes Pilsen will host Panionios On Telecom. AJ Milano will travel to Belgrade for the game vs Partizan.

AJ Milano: David Hawkins 20, Jobey Thomas 14, Marco Mordente 13
Efes Pilsen: Milos Vujanic 19+4 boards, Marvis Thornton 17+4 as+4st, Charles Smith 14+5 boards

Standings - TBL
TBL Standings
 1. T.Telekom 2-0 
 2. Fener.Ulker 2-0 
 3. Galatasaray 2-0 
 4. Efes Pilsen 1-1 
 5. Karsiyaka 1-1 
 6. Besiktas 1-1 
 7. Oyak Renault 1-1 
 8. Erdemir 1-1 
 9. Antalya 1-1 
 10. Banvit 1-1 
 11. Mersin 1-1 
 12. Aliaga 1-1 
 13. Selcuk Uni. 1-1 
 14. Kepez Bld 0-2 
 15. Darussafaka 0-2 
 16. TED Koleji 0-2 


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  U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS   


Duncan savors current status - by David Edole
On Halloween night 1997, Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest) walked onto an NBA floor for a regular-season game for the first time.
He did so without expectation.

I think that was probably best for me, Duncan said. I could come in, and just play.

Eleven years later, the gym in which he made his debut Denver's McNichols Arena is a parking lot. The four players who joined him in the Spurs' starting lineup David Robinson, Avery Johnson, Sean Elliott and Vinny Del Negro have long since retired.

Meanwhile, Duncan has won four NBA titles, two MVP awards, and in a blink has become the kind of grizzled veteran he once looked up to.

When the Phoenix Suns visit the AT&T Center tonight, it will mark Duncan's 12th season opener. At 32, he straddles the divide between two generations of dominating NBA big men.

One is on its way out, the other on its way in. The circle of NBA life.

As you get older, everybody else gets younger, Duncan said. I'm going to have to face a lot of young, very talented individuals over the next couple of years. That's how it's always going to be.

If he needed reminding of the short shelf life of an NBA big man, Duncan ought to get it before October is out.

Against Phoenix, he will often find himself wedged between Shaquille O'Neal, at 36 the last of the old guard, and Amare Stoudemire, who at 26 hasn't hit his career crescendo.

Before the week ends, Duncan will also be privy to Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, one barely old enough to drink, the other barely old enough to vote.

In between the two extremes is Duncan. No longer a spring chicken, not yet an old man, he's snuggled in basketball's version of middle age.

Every year, you end up going back to basketball, and it's a little more fun, Duncan said. I probably enjoy playing now more than before, and I've been a basketball junkie all along.

Duncan is coming off a season in which he averaged 19.3 points per game, only the second time he finished below 20. Yet he remains the kind of showpiece big man every team covets, but few possess.

He's still one of the top three big men in basketball, and you can make an argument he's the best, said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, who was on the Phoenix bench last season. His game is great. I don't mean good I mean great.

Duncan isn't unstoppable every night anymore, but he can be unstoppable any given night. Just ask the Suns, who saw him climb into the way-back machine and drop 40 points on them in last season's playoffs.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich traces the incremental decline in Duncan's scoring to the rise in Manu Ginobili's. Ginobili, the Spurs' leading scorer for the first time last season, was rolling so well at times that Duncan didn't need to impose his will on the scoreboard.

I think in some situations, he's entirely too team-oriented, if that's possible, Popovich said. He probably tries, overly so, to get other people involved.

With Ginobili out until at least mid-December with an ankle injury, the Spurs are expecting Duncan to accept more of the scoring load again.

You'll find him, I think, trying to be more aggressive on the offensive end, Popovich said. That's something we wanted to attack this year, whether (the injury) happened to Manu or not.

For a lesson in how quickly and cruelly Father Time can claim a dominant big man, Duncan need only to glance across the court tonight. Just two seasons removed from averaging 20 points for the champion Miami Heat, O'Neal scored just 13.6 per game last season the fewest of his career while playing on bad knees.

D'Antoni doesn't foresee the same kind of breakdown on the immediate horizon for Duncan.

He's got three or four more great years, for sure, D'Antoni said. Then it's really up to him and how long he wants to play.

Duncan's contract runs through the end of the 2011-2012 season, when he'll be 36. There's no telling what happens after that.

For now, Duncan is thinking only about this season. He will approach it like his first.

Without expectation, he will just play.


By Jeff McDonald - Express-News

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  UNITED KINGDOM   


Leopards open with a victory - by Dave Ryan
Leopards overcame foul trouble to maintain their winning start to the season and open the EBL Division One season with a 103-90 victory against Taunton Tigers on Sunday.
Carl Latham-Henry, Robert Gilchrist and Gareth Laws all fouled out during the game, and with Hrvoje Pervan and Leigh Greenan finishing on four fouls, at one stage it appeared that the Big Cats may finish the game with only four men.
Pervan again led the Leopards with 38 points, the second highest individual score in the clubs history, while Latham-Henry and Gilchrist each scored 16 and Lukas Volskis added 13. Taunton were led by 23 Paul Yabsley points, with Kevin Anderson adding 16.
Most of the damage for the home side was done during the second period as Tigers were outscored 31-10 indeed it was the only quarter that the Leopards actually won, with both second half periods finishing level.
Meanwhile, Reading Rockets and Manchester Magic both kept their 100 percent records intact with contrasting victories in the National Trophy.
Rockets hammered Cardiff Celts 83-34 as Simon Kearney poured in 19 points. Terell Smith added 15 and David Watts (206-F) and Jason Sayers each finished on ten. Mike Gregory was the only Celt in double figures with 12, while Asa White finished with nine.
After a slow start Celts shared the spoils at the end of the first quarter, 14-14, but were then overwhelmed by Rockets in the next two periods as Rockets took them 235 and 29-4 respectively.
This enabled coach Dave Titmuss to again give significant court time to the four young Rockets who have graduated to the seniors this year, each contributing well and ensuring Rockets won the last quarter 17-11.
Eighteen points from debutant point guard Joe Montgomery couldnt prevent Derby Trailblazers from slipping to a 71-66 home defeat against Manchester Magic, but Clarence Wiggins side came agonisingly close to pulling off the major upset they were seeking.
A fourth quarter rally saw the Trailblazers come from 43-54 down, to lead 62-61 with just two minutes left to play.
A steal and an assist from Baker, coupled with a basket from Spencer concluded that stunning sequence of offensive play from Derby, but the Magic were quickly back in front, thanks to baskets from Taner Adu (-F) and Stefan Gill. The Trailblazers subsequently missed three out of four free-throw attempts and couldnt find a way to get back out in front in the closing stages.

McINNES STEPS DOWN AS SCOTTISH CHAIR AFTER 18 YEARS - by Sandy Sutherland

Colin Pearson, a founder member of Penicuik BC and the former Director of Developing Potential with Sportscotland, has succeeded GB Chair Bill McInnes, who has stood down after 18 years as chairman of BasketballScotland.
Pearson was elected unopposed at yesterday's annual general meeting in Glasgow which heard concern expressed from several quarters over the alarming decline in the numbers of senior national league teams.
The withdrawal on Friday of Grampian Flyers, as forecast in these columns, has left the league with only six teams, equal to the lowest number since it was founded with 11 teams in 1966.
At one point in 1977-78 the league had 30 clubs in four divisions.

The previous day the clash between Edinburgh Kings and Troon Tornadoes at Portobello High School was called off late on the Friday afternoon after the club were told that emergency repairs were having to be made to the Games Hall.
Frantic efforts to find an alternative venue proved in vain but Kings were able to play their junior game with St Mirren at Portobello and enjoyed an astonishing 75-22 triumph over a team who took them to overtime in their previous encounter.
Kings led 43-11 at half-time, with a rapier-like Lee Reilly scoring 29 points, Ally McKay 13 and Calum Nicol 10.
Kings now go through along with St Mirren and Perth Phoenix, whom they also beat last week, to the top division of the RAF-sponsored league which now splits.











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Women News

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  CROATIA - Women  


Jinks pulls Sibenik over Prague - by Eurobasket News
Jolly JBS Sibenik -ZVVZ USK Prague 76:70

Jolly JBS Sibenik beat ZVVZ USK Prague 76:70 for the second win in Group C of Euroleague campaign. A 21-15 in the last period was decisive in the game as Croatian side grabbed the win. Constance Jinks (170-G-81, college: UNLV) paced all the winners with 26 points and 6 boards. Ivana Jurcevic (174-G-81) netted 17, while Kerri Gardin (186-F-84, agency: Regeneracom Sports, college: Virginia Tech) collected 10 points and 11 rebounds. Lindsay Whalen (173-G-82, college: Minnesota) top-scored in defeat with 21 points and Michaela Ferancikova (190-F-77) had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jolly JBS Sibenik improved to 2-1 record sending ZVVZ USK Prague to 1-2.
Le Drean opened the game for the guests and then Greek international Maltsi made it 5:1. The hosts woke up immediately and won the opening quarter 24:17 as Constance Jinks made a jump-shot in the end. Trailing in the majority of the second period ZVVZ USK Prague tied the game at the end for 37:37. Again Constance Jinks was the last to send the teams for the second half. The picture did not change in the third period as the teams stayed even at the end of the period. Matic posted a free throw for 55:55 after thirty minutes. Prague were on top 66:62 but weren't able to press home the advantage. Constance Jinks drilled a three-pointer to put Jolly JBS into a 67:66 lead. Lindsay Whalen went in for a lay-up to knot the game at 68:68. Maltsi reduced the deficit to 72:70 but Constance Jinks and Veselovski made a pair of free throws to ice the win.

Jolly JBS Sibenik: Constance Jinks 26+6 rebs, Ivana Jurcevic 17, Kerri Gardin 10+11 rebs
ZVVZ USK Prague: Lindsay Whalen 21, Michaela Ferancikova 12+12 rebs

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  CZECH REPUBLIC - Women  


Jinks pulls Sibenik over Prague - by Eurobasket News
Jolly JBS Sibenik -ZVVZ USK Prague 76:70

Jolly JBS Sibenik beat ZVVZ USK Prague 76:70 for the second win in Group C of Euroleague campaign. A 21-15 in the last period was decisive in the game as Croatian side grabbed the win. Constance Jinks (170-G-81, college: UNLV) paced all the winners with 26 points and 6 boards. Ivana Jurcevic (174-G-81) netted 17, while Kerri Gardin (186-F-84, agency: Regeneracom Sports, college: Virginia Tech) collected 10 points and 11 rebounds. Lindsay Whalen (173-G-82, college: Minnesota) top-scored in defeat with 21 points and Michaela Ferancikova (190-F-77) had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jolly JBS Sibenik improved to 2-1 record sending ZVVZ USK Prague to 1-2.
Le Drean opened the game for the guests and then Greek international Maltsi made it 5:1. The hosts woke up immediately and won the opening quarter 24:17 as Constance Jinks made a jump-shot in the end. Trailing in the majority of the second period ZVVZ USK Prague tied the game at the end for 37:37. Again Constance Jinks was the last to send the teams for the second half. The picture did not change in the third period as the teams stayed even at the end of the period. Matic posted a free throw for 55:55 after thirty minutes. Prague were on top 66:62 but weren't able to press home the advantage. Constance Jinks drilled a three-pointer to put Jolly JBS into a 67:66 lead. Lindsay Whalen went in for a lay-up to knot the game at 68:68. Maltsi reduced the deficit to 72:70 but Constance Jinks and Veselovski made a pair of free throws to ice the win.

Jolly JBS Sibenik: Constance Jinks 26+6 rebs, Ivana Jurcevic 17, Kerri Gardin 10+11 rebs
ZVVZ USK Prague: Lindsay Whalen 21, Michaela Ferancikova 12+12 rebs

Gambrinus upset the favorite of Group B - by Eurobasket News
Gambrinus - CSKA Moscow 70:65

Gambrinus overcame CSKA Moscow in Round 3 of Euroleague in Czech Republic. The hosts were too good in the first half and celebrated 70:65 victory. Timea Beres (192-C-76) led the winners with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Zuzana Zirkova (175-F/G-80) netted 13, whilst Petra Kulichova (198-C-84) posted 12. Rebecca Khammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) produced 18 points for the Russian team and Katie Douglas (185-G/F-79, college: Purdue) had 16. Both teams are 2-1 in Group B sharing the top position.
Katie Douglas opened the scoring account for the guests giving them 2-0 from the start. Rebecca Khammon later could only tie for 17:17, while Gambrinus got four more points in the period. Timea Beres gave her team 21:17 after the first ten minutes. Horakova brought the hosts 30:18 in the middle of the second. Petra Kulichova sent the teams to the lockers for 39:31 advantage.
Ann Wauters poured in five straight points in the third quarter and Rebecca Khammon drilled a three as CSKA knotted the game at 39:39 finishing 8-0 run. Timea Beres buried back-to-back jump shots for a 45:39 lead. Stepanova closed the third period at 53:47 for Gambrinus. CSKA tied the game again at 57:57 but missed a 7-0 run from the hosts. Zuzana Zirkova brought her team a great 70:65 victory for 2-1 record.

Gambrinus: Timea Beres 15+10 rebs, Zuzana Zirkova 13, Petra Kulichova 12
CSKA Moscow: Rebecca Khammon 18, Katie Douglas 16

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  EUROLEAGUE - Women  


Euroleague Round: 3 (Qualifying Round) - by Eurobasket News
Familia Schio - M.Broker 60-76
Broker Kosice is the only undefeated team in Group D. In their latest game of Euroleague Slovakian team overcame Beretta Famila 60:76 in Italy. Spencer top-scored for the winners with 25 points and 7 boards. Cohen netted 18 and Frohlich scored 11. Macchi produced 17 points ion the losing effort.

Montpellier - TEO Vilnius 67-78
TEO Vilnius won the second game in Group D of Euroleague beating Lattes Montpellier away from home. French team saw 67:78 loss due to the last period. Streimikyte led the winners with 18 points to 2-1 record. Langhorne nailed 14, while Petronyte posted 12. Mosch netted 19 in defeat and Whittington had 18.

Gambrinus - CSKA 70-65
Gambrinus overcame CSKA Moscow in Round 3 of Euroleague in Czech Republic. The hosts were too good in the first half and celebrated 70:65 victory. Beres led the winners with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Zirkova netted 13, whilst Kulichova posted 12. Khammon produced 18 points for the Russian team and Douglas had 16. Both teams are 2-1 in Group B sharing the top position.

MKB Eurol. - ESB Villeneu. 81-57
MKB Euroleasing joined the leaders in Group B of Euroleague. The team from Hungary beat ESB Lille Metropole 81:57 for 2-1 record. Holt top-scored for the winners with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Milovanovic nailed 20 and Horti added 18. Anderson ended up with 19 points in defeat, while Robert had 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Hungarian outfit left ESB Lille Metropole winless in Group B.

Sibenik - USK Praha 76-70
Jolly JBS Sibenik beat ZVVZ USK Prague 76:70 for the second win in Group C of Euroleague campaign. A 21-15 in the last period was decisive in the game as Croatian side grabbed the win. Jinks paced all the winners with 26 points and 6 boards. Jurcevic netted 17, while Gardin collected 10 points and 11 rebounds. Whalen top-scored in defeat with 21 points and Ferancikova had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jolly JBS Sibenik improved to 2-1 record sending ZVVZ USK Prague to 1-2.

Spartak V MR - Fenerbahce 95-52
Spartak Moscow Region beat Fenerbahce 95:52 in Russia for 2-1 record in Group D. Jackson returned to the roster with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Fowles collected 18 points and 11 rebounds in a win, while Shchegoleva added 17.

UMMC - Ros Casares 89-81
Ekaterinburg enjoyed an overtime thriller of their local team UMMC that beat Spanish Ros Casares in Round 3. Russian titan overcame Ros Casares 89:81 in overtime for 3-0 record. Pondexter paced all the winners with 23 points. Bibrzycka netted 22, while Gruda added 13. Valdemoro posted 22 in the losing effort and De Souza Machado had 16 points and 15 boards.

Besiktas - Halcon A.Per. 61-67
Halcon Avenida had a tough but productive road victory over Besiktas Cola Turka in Turkey. Round 3 of Euroleague saw the Spanish side taking 61:67 victory due to the last period. Willingham top-scored for the winners with 15 points, while Dominguez and Snow followed her with 13 points each. Besiktas Cola Turka fell at 1-2 while the winners took 2-1 record in Group A.

Bourges - Nadezhda O. 79-45
Bourges Basket tested the Russian newcomers in Euroleague for an easy 79:45 win. A 24-5 in the second period shocked the guests that never recovered in the game. Miyem and Lelas top-scored for the winners with 16 points apiece. Santos and Dumerc followed them with 9 each for 3-0 record. Tamane was the only one for the visitors to reach double digits scoring 12 points.

Umana Reyer - TTT Riga 74-65
Italian Umana Reyer is a leader of Group B after a home win over TTT Riga in Venice. Umana Reyer improved to 3-0 after 74:65 over the Latvian team in Round 3. Hayden-Johnson and Jokic led the winners with 12 points each. Giauro and Ballardini netted 10 points each for the favorites. Carson top-scored in defeat with 30 points and 7 rebounds.



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  FRANCE - Women  


Bourges Basket tests Russian newcomers - by Eurobasket News
Bourges Basket - Nadezhda 79:45

Bourges Basket tested the Russian newcomers in Euroleague for an easy 79:45 win. A 24-5 in the second period shocked the guests that never recovered in the game. Endene Miyem (188-F-88) and Ana Lelas (183-G/F-83) top-scored for the winners with 16 points apiece. Alessandra Santos (200-C-73) and Celine Dumerc (168-G-82) followed them with 9 each for 3-0 record. Zane Tamane (196-C-83, college: W.Illinois) was the only one for the visitors to reach double digits scoring 12 points.
Ndongue closed a 6-0 run from the very beginning when the favorites proved their ambitions. Garcia reduced to 10:7 for the guests but then French champion produced another 7-0 run for 17:10. Burik made a lay-up for 27:15 when the teams finished first period of the game. Bourges Basket looked great in the second quarter as they stun the opponents 24-5 in the second quarter. Ana Lelas made it 51:20 at the halftime.
The tempo fell down in the third period as the teams were killing the time. The result was known already in the first half and Bourges Basket was just controlling the game. Melain brought 62:27 after three quarters played. In the last period Nadezhda managed to score some good baskets and even won the period 18-17. Prozorova set up the final 79:45 score as the tams left the court.

Bourges Basket: Endene Miyem 16, Ana Lelas 16, Alessandra Santos 9, Celine Dumerc 9
Nadezhda: Zane Tamane 12

MKB Euroleasing joined the leaders in Group B - by Eurobasket News
MKB Euroleasing - ESB Lille Metropole 81:57

MKB Euroleasing joined the leaders in Group B of Euroleague. The team from Hungary beat ESB Lille Metropole 81:57 for 2-1 record. Amber Holt (183-G/F-85, college: Middle Tenn.St.) top-scored for the winners with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Jelena Milovanovic (191-F/C-89) nailed 20 and Dora Horti (195-C-87) added 18. Jolene Anderson (173-G-86, agency: Regeneracom Sports, college: Wisconsin) ended up with 19 points in defeat, while Geraldine Robert (184-F-80) had 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Hungarian outfit left ESB Lille Metropole winless in Group B.
MKB Euroleasing went on an 8-0 run in the beginning of the opening quarter. The visitors resisted a lot and Rejchova closed the first period at 17:14. The French team battled back to draw level at 29:29 but Dora Horti sparked a 9-0 spurt with a jumper that the visitors never recovered from. It was her to close the first half at 41:30 for the favorites.
An 18-13 in the third period lifted the hosts to 59:43 entering the last stanza. Evtoukhovitch opened it with a lay-up for 59:45 but Dora Horti made it 61:45 immediately in the beginning of the last. Amber Holt made two free throws at the end to seal the second victory for MKB Euroleasing.

MKB Euroleasing: Amber Holt 23+13 rebs, Jelena Milovanovic 20, Dora Horti 18
ESB Lille Metropole: Jolene Anderson 19, Geraldine Robert 14+11 rebs

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  GERMANY - Women  


Odnovolenko leaves Leipzig Eagles - by Moritz Korff
DBBL-outfit BBV Leipzig and Svetlana Odnovolenko (188-C-87) have agreed on terminating their contract. The 21-year-old Russian center did not live up to the expectations of the club-officials and therefore received only limited playing time. In her last game for the Eagles on Sunday she spent only 2:30 minutes on the hardwood and remained scoreless. In the 2007-08 season she had averaged 10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds for Leipzig. Odnovolenko has already found a new place to play - she will take her game to Slovakia.

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  HUNGARY - Women  


Uniqua NB1/A - Round 6 - Krivacevic was on the court! - by Patonay Adam

Tijana Krivacevic (190-F-90) signed from Pecs to Sopron on the summer, but she couldn't play on the first 5 round, because Pecs still think that Krivacevic is their player and they have contract. Sopron thinks that the player is their, but the young player really has contract with Pecs... The two big club and the federation can't make the decision, but the young player was on the court against Savaria. The GM of Pecs is very angry and told that this is not the final decision... We'll see...
The other big surprise was in Budapest. The legend and the icon of the hungarian women basketball, Sandor Tursics wasn't on the bench! The coach has got medical problems with his heart. We hope that his heart will be ready and the 'heart of Csata' will be on the becnh again!
Szolnok played very close game at Szeged, while Pecs and Sopron won easily again, BSE beat their biggest rival from the last season by 24 points and Gyor won again.

Mizo Pecs 2010 - BEAC Ujbuda 100:51
Pecs: Ivanyi D. 17/3 (9 stl, 10 ass), Queenan B. 15, Somogyi A. 13/3, Coelho G. 20
BEAC: Kisvari B. 14/12, Bagi M. 12 (7 reb), Karasz L. 17

Cegledi EKK - Atomeromu Szekszard 56:90
Cegled: Serban A. 10
Szekszard: Reka Balint (181-F-91) 21/3, Ievtushenko A. 18, Wilhelmina W. 16 (10 reb), Bozoki B. 14

MKB Euroleasing Sopron - Savaria BC Helios 137:43
Sopron: Milovanovic J. 27/9, Holt A. 12, Hadarics K. 15/3, Eordogh E. 15/3, Lilla Horvath (182-F-90) 14, Horvath Zs. 10, Tijana Krivacevic 15
Savaria: Sandor I. 13/3, Robinson R. 11/3, Gardner A. 12/3

BSE - Zala Volan ZTE 90:66
BSE: Zsofia Koncz (184-F-85, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) (184-F-85, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 19/12 (10 reb), Szlimak H. 15/3, Milkova L. 16, Zsovar O. 11
Zala Volan: Horvath Zs. 18, Pungor K. 11/6, Stanoeva Z. 12/6, Gavrilovska M. 11, Rita Rasheed (182-F-89) 8

Szeviep Szeged - Szolnoki NKK 76:73
Szeged: Nemeth B. 12/3, Desire A. 12, Zherzherunova O. 13
Szolnok: Csilla Darida (175-G-78) 19/9, Angela Djelmis (176-G-75, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 19/9, Kalmar-Nagy D. 10

Vasas Csata - Seat Foton Gyor 51:78

Csata: Anna Lakloth (182-G-88) (182-G-88) 15, Fritz J. 12
Gyor: Vida A. 10/3, Borovickova B. 11/9, Izsak J. 11/9



MKB Euroleasing joined the leaders in Group B - by Eurobasket News
MKB Euroleasing - ESB Lille Metropole 81:57

MKB Euroleasing joined the leaders in Group B of Euroleague. The team from Hungary beat ESB Lille Metropole 81:57 for 2-1 record. Amber Holt (183-G/F-85, college: Middle Tenn.St.) top-scored for the winners with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Jelena Milovanovic (191-F/C-89) nailed 20 and Dora Horti (195-C-87) added 18. Jolene Anderson (173-G-86, agency: Regeneracom Sports, college: Wisconsin) ended up with 19 points in defeat, while Geraldine Robert (184-F-80) had 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Hungarian outfit left ESB Lille Metropole winless in Group B.
MKB Euroleasing went on an 8-0 run in the beginning of the opening quarter. The visitors resisted a lot and Rejchova closed the first period at 17:14. The French team battled back to draw level at 29:29 but Dora Horti sparked a 9-0 spurt with a jumper that the visitors never recovered from. It was her to close the first half at 41:30 for the favorites.
An 18-13 in the third period lifted the hosts to 59:43 entering the last stanza. Evtoukhovitch opened it with a lay-up for 59:45 but Dora Horti made it 61:45 immediately in the beginning of the last. Amber Holt made two free throws at the end to seal the second victory for MKB Euroleasing.

MKB Euroleasing: Amber Holt 23+13 rebs, Jelena Milovanovic 20, Dora Horti 18
ESB Lille Metropole: Jolene Anderson 19, Geraldine Robert 14+11 rebs

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  ISRAEL - Women  


Second Round first team - by Gil Goshen



The M.V.P of the second round is C.Houston from Bnot Hsharon with 20 points and 12 rb. Led her team to win a great game vs. Ramat Hsharon ( away ) and great defence on Ebony Hoffman ( 10 points 3 rb. ).

J.Dickson Bnot Hsharon 23 points, 4rb.
C. Houston Bnot Hsharon ( second time in a row ) 20 points, 12 rb.
T. Moore agency GG basketball Maccabi Ashdod (second time in a row ). 18 points, 12 ast. 6 rb. Almost triple double !!!!
J. Humprey Maccabi Ashdod 27 points, 12 rb.
L. Ogrodnika Elitzur Ramla 20 points, 4rb.
Charde Houston (185-F-86, college: Connecticut)

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  ITALY - Women  


Lupe remains pointless - by Juliane Hoehne
Even after the fourth game of the season, the team of San Martino Di Lupari could not achieve a victory.
After an embarrassing loss against Le Mura Lucca (48-88) on October 18th, San Martino Di Lupari showed also against Cantina Sociale Broni (Oct 25th) major difficulties in offense. Not only did San Martino Di Lupari score only 37 points in the whole game, but also did they turn the ball over 21 times, which was mainly due to passing mistakes.
Although the team of Head Coach Sandro Sinigallia showed improvement in defense Cantina Sociale Broni scored only 40 points and topscorer Katharina Fikiel (193-F/C-87) ( average 19ppg&11rpg) was hold to 10pts and 7 reb; the team will have to work harder to get their first win.
Topscorer against Cantina Sociale Broni was Juliane Hoehne (191-F/C-83, college: IPFW) with 8 points. She also led the team in rebounds with 9. For Cantina Sociale Broni, Leva scored 12 points.
On Saturday, November 1st, San Martino Di Lupari will travel to Tecno Allarmi Cervia, which is 4-4, and try to get their first two points.

Umana Reyer is the only team with a perfect record in Group B - by Eurobasket News
Umana Reyer - TTT Riga 74:65

Italian Umana Reyer is a leader of Group B after a home win over TTT Riga in Venice. Umana Reyer improved to 3-0 after 74:65 over the Latvian team in Round 3. Vanessa Hayden-Johnson (194-C-82, college: Florida) and Daliborka Jokic (185-F-81) led the winners with 12 points each. Eva Giauro (204-C-86) and Simona Ballardini (183-F-81) netted 10 points each for the favorites. Essence Carson (183-G-86, college: Rutgers) top-scored in defeat with 30 points and 7 rebounds.
TTT Riga did not taste the victory so far but started with four consecutive points in the game. Tatyana Troina (188-F/C-81, college: S.Carolina) made it 12:3 as her team won the opening tip of the game. Essence Carson with a jump shot brought her team 25:20 after the opening quarter. Italian Umana Reyer created an 8-0 run to have 28:25 in the beginning of the second. Latvian side however remained in front in the end of the second period as they finished with 5-0 run. Kublina sent the teams to the lockers for 42:37.
The third period was decisive in the game as the hosts looked very good. Vanessa Hayden-Johnson tied the game first at 44:44 and then 13-0 run lifted them up to 57:44. Essence Carson closed the period at 57:50 at the end of the third stanza. It was her again to reduce to 57:55 but then the hosts took a control of the remainder.

Umana Reyer: Vanessa Hayden-Johnson 12, Daliborka Jokic 12, Eva Giauro 10, Simona Ballardini 10
TTT Riga: Essence Carson 30+7 rebs, Tatyana Troina 15

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  LATVIA - Women  


Umana Reyer is the only team with a perfect record in Group B - by Eurobasket News
Umana Reyer - TTT Riga 74:65

Italian Umana Reyer is a leader of Group B after a home win over TTT Riga in Venice. Umana Reyer improved to 3-0 after 74:65 over the Latvian team in Round 3. Vanessa Hayden-Johnson (194-C-82, college: Florida) and Daliborka Jokic (185-F-81) led the winners with 12 points each. Eva Giauro (204-C-86) and Simona Ballardini (183-F-81) netted 10 points each for the favorites. Essence Carson (183-G-86, college: Rutgers) top-scored in defeat with 30 points and 7 rebounds.
TTT Riga did not taste the victory so far but started with four consecutive points in the game. Tatyana Troina (188-F/C-81, college: S.Carolina) made it 12:3 as her team won the opening tip of the game. Essence Carson with a jump shot brought her team 25:20 after the opening quarter. Italian Umana Reyer created an 8-0 run to have 28:25 in the beginning of the second. Latvian side however remained in front in the end of the second period as they finished with 5-0 run. Kublina sent the teams to the lockers for 42:37.
The third period was decisive in the game as the hosts looked very good. Vanessa Hayden-Johnson tied the game first at 44:44 and then 13-0 run lifted them up to 57:44. Essence Carson closed the period at 57:50 at the end of the third stanza. It was her again to reduce to 57:55 but then the hosts took a control of the remainder.

Umana Reyer: Vanessa Hayden-Johnson 12, Daliborka Jokic 12, Eva Giauro 10, Simona Ballardini 10
TTT Riga: Essence Carson 30+7 rebs, Tatyana Troina 15

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  NCAA1 - Women  


NKU women to open exhibition season - by Eurobasket News
The Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team travels across the Ohio River on Saturday night to meet the University of Cincinnati in an exhibition game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena.

NKU captured the NCAA Division II national championship last season and returns three starters in 2008-09. The Norse posted a 28-8 overall record last season and also won the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division.

NKU is ranked No. 1 in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll. The Norse also have been picked to repeat as GLVC East Division champions in the preseason poll.

On Nov. 1, 2007, Cincinnati built a 21-point lead and held off a furious NKU rally to post a 69-67 victory in Fifth Third Arena.

NKU will play Louisville in an exhibition game Nov. 8 in The Bank of Kentucky Center's inaugural contest at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets for that Nov. 8 men's/women's doubleheader with Louisville can be purchased at the box office inside The Bank of Kentucky Center or through Ticketmaster.

Courtesy of http://news.cincinnati.com

Xavier men, women picked to win A-10 - by Eurobasket News
Xavier University's men's and women's basketball programs have never won conference regular-season titles in the same season.

They're both predicted to finish first in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season, however, based on polling results that were announced Tuesday. Atlantic 10 media and coaches selected both Musketeer squads to win league titles while naming three women and five men to preseason all-conference teams.

For the men, winning a league title has become common. The Musketeers are the two-time defending regular-season champions in the A-10 and have won six regular-season A-10 titles since joining the league in 1995. In Tuesday's poll, Xavier received 44 of 61 first-place votes.

'It's a tribute to the program we're trying to continue to build here,' men's coach Sean Miller said.

Senior B.J. Raymond will be trying to reach the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time; junior Derrick Brown for the third time. Brown, a 6-foot-8 forward, was named to the A-10's preseason first team and defensive team. Senior C.J. Anderson was a third-team selection, and three freshmen, Kenny Frease, Terrell Holloway and Mark Lyons, were named to the all-rookie team, although Lyons is unlikely to be eligible to play this season.

Women's forward Amber Harris also is expected to miss most of the season because of a knee injury. The voting for the women's poll was conducted before she underwent surgery last week, but several A-10 coaches suggested Tuesday that Xavier, which received 15 of 16 first-place votes, remains the league favorite. Sophomore center Ta'Shia Phillips was a first-team selection along with Harris. Senior guard Jerri Taylor was named to the third team.

'I'd like to sit here and say the preseason polls are a good indicator of what's going to happen,' said Xavier women's coach Kevin McGuff. 'But how we approach each game and each opponent will determine our success this year. We've got a high ceiling, but there's still a long way to go.'

Courtesy of http://news.cincinnati.com

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  RUSSIA - Women  


Gambrinus upset the favorite of Group B - by Eurobasket News
Gambrinus - CSKA Moscow 70:65

Gambrinus overcame CSKA Moscow in Round 3 of Euroleague in Czech Republic. The hosts were too good in the first half and celebrated 70:65 victory. Timea Beres (192-C-76) led the winners with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Zuzana Zirkova (175-F/G-80) netted 13, whilst Petra Kulichova (198-C-84) posted 12. Rebecca Khammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) produced 18 points for the Russian team and Katie Douglas (185-G/F-79, college: Purdue) had 16. Both teams are 2-1 in Group B sharing the top position.
Katie Douglas opened the scoring account for the guests giving them 2-0 from the start. Rebecca Khammon later could only tie for 17:17, while Gambrinus got four more points in the period. Timea Beres gave her team 21:17 after the first ten minutes. Horakova brought the hosts 30:18 in the middle of the second. Petra Kulichova sent the teams to the lockers for 39:31 advantage.
Ann Wauters poured in five straight points in the third quarter and Rebecca Khammon drilled a three as CSKA knotted the game at 39:39 finishing 8-0 run. Timea Beres buried back-to-back jump shots for a 45:39 lead. Stepanova closed the third period at 53:47 for Gambrinus. CSKA tied the game again at 57:57 but missed a 7-0 run from the hosts. Zuzana Zirkova brought her team a great 70:65 victory for 2-1 record.

Gambrinus: Timea Beres 15+10 rebs, Zuzana Zirkova 13, Petra Kulichova 12
CSKA Moscow: Rebecca Khammon 18, Katie Douglas 16

Bourges Basket tests Russian newcomers - by Eurobasket News
Bourges Basket - Nadezhda 79:45

Bourges Basket tested the Russian newcomers in Euroleague for an easy 79:45 win. A 24-5 in the second period shocked the guests that never recovered in the game. Endene Miyem (188-F-88) and Ana Lelas (183-G/F-83) top-scored for the winners with 16 points apiece. Alessandra Santos (200-C-73) and Celine Dumerc (168-G-82) followed them with 9 each for 3-0 record. Zane Tamane (196-C-83, college: W.Illinois) was the only one for the visitors to reach double digits scoring 12 points.
Ndongue closed a 6-0 run from the very beginning when the favorites proved their ambitions. Garcia reduced to 10:7 for the guests but then French champion produced another 7-0 run for 17:10. Burik made a lay-up for 27:15 when the teams finished first period of the game. Bourges Basket looked great in the second quarter as they stun the opponents 24-5 in the second quarter. Ana Lelas made it 51:20 at the halftime.
The tempo fell down in the third period as the teams were killing the time. The result was known already in the first half and Bourges Basket was just controlling the game. Melain brought 62:27 after three quarters played. In the last period Nadezhda managed to score some good baskets and even won the period 18-17. Prozorova set up the final 79:45 score as the tams left the court.

Bourges Basket: Endene Miyem 16, Ana Lelas 16, Alessandra Santos 9, Celine Dumerc 9
Nadezhda: Zane Tamane 12

Dynamo win second straight in EuroCup Group A - by Eurobasket News
MBK Ruzomberok - Dynamo Moscow 44:104

Dynamo Moscow secured the second straight victory in the EuroCup preliminary round competition in Pool A. Today they thrashed MBK Ruzomberok 104:44 in Slovakia. Seven Dynamo players scored in double figures en route to the stunning win. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota (177-G-83) fired 23 points for the ambitious Moscow outfit. Anda Jelavic (175-G-80) and Jannell Burse (197-C-79, college: Tulane) had 14 points each in the victory. Simona Podesvova (186-F-83) and Klaudia Lukacovicova (193-C-90) contributed 13 points apiece for MBK.
Dynamo used a three-pointer from Kuzina and a three-point play from Anete Jekabsone-Zogota to jump to an early 6:0 lead. Latvian player secured 12 points in the first period and Dynamo piled up a 27:13 advantage. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota secured 7 more points early in the second period as the visitors stretched the gap to 25 points. Dynamo maintained the lead and was up 50:25 at halftime.
Jannell Burse, Kuzina and Anete Jekabsone-Zogota lifted the visiting team to a 61:31 lead at the start of the third stanza and the game was pretty much over for Ruzomberok. The hosts entered the final period down by as many as 37 points and had no chances to save this one.
Laine Selwyn (170-G-81, college: Pittsburgh) added 12 points for the winners. Tye'sha Fluker (196-C-84, college: Tennessee) had 10 points and 11 boards for MBK in defeat. Dynamo outrebounded their opponents 43:34 and held them to miserable 25% from the field.
MBK Ruzomberok will next take on Municipal Targoviste in Romania. Dynamo will face Gorzow on the road on November 5.

MBK: Simona Podesvova 13, Klaudia Lukacovicova 13
Dynamo Moscow: Anete Jekabsone-Zogota 23, Anda Jelavic 14, Jannell Burse 14

An overtime thriller in Ekaterinburg - by Eurobasket News

UMMC Ekaterinburg - Ros Casares 89:81 OT

Ekaterinburg enjoyed an overtime thriller of their local team UMMC that beat Spanish Ros Casares in Round 3. Russian titan overcame Ros Casares 89:81 in overtime for 3-0 record. Cappie Pondexter (175-G-83, college: Rutgers) paced all the winners with 23 points. Agnieszka Bibrzycka (184-F/G-82, college: Abil.Christian) netted 22, while Sandrine Gruda (191-F/C-87) added 13. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) posted 22 in the losing effort and De Souza Machado had 16 points and 15 boards.
Ros Casares looked impressive in the start of the game and won the opening quarter 20-12. The Valencia outfit led 43-28 at half-time and did not think of any other result than a win. They were however pegged back in the third quarter when Ekaterinburg outscored them 24-9 to leave the game knotted at 52:52. In the last period the teams stayed close and finished the fourth period at 76:76. Amaya Valdemoro was the last to score in the period. In overtime Russian team looked better outscoring the opponents 13-5. Ros however out-rebounded Ekaterinburg 40-30 while the Russians shot the ball better from long range. Ekaterinburg improved to 3-0 while Ros Casares fell at 1-2.

In another games of the group Jolly JBS Sibenik beat ZVVZ USK Prague 76:70, while Union Hainaut Basket faces LOTOS PKO BP tomorrow.

UMMC Ekaterinburg: Cappie Pondexter 23, Agnieszka Bibrzycka 22, Sandrine Gruda 13
Ros Casares: Amaya Valdemoro 22, De Souza Machado 16+15 rebs



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  SLOVAKIA - Women  


Dynamo win second straight in EuroCup Group A - by Eurobasket News
MBK Ruzomberok - Dynamo Moscow 44:104

Dynamo Moscow secured the second straight victory in the EuroCup preliminary round competition in Pool A. Today they thrashed MBK Ruzomberok 104:44 in Slovakia. Seven Dynamo players scored in double figures en route to the stunning win. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota (177-G-83) fired 23 points for the ambitious Moscow outfit. Anda Jelavic (175-G-80) and Jannell Burse (197-C-79, college: Tulane) had 14 points each in the victory. Simona Podesvova (186-F-83) and Klaudia Lukacovicova (193-C-90) contributed 13 points apiece for MBK.
Dynamo used a three-pointer from Kuzina and a three-point play from Anete Jekabsone-Zogota to jump to an early 6:0 lead. Latvian player secured 12 points in the first period and Dynamo piled up a 27:13 advantage. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota secured 7 more points early in the second period as the visitors stretched the gap to 25 points. Dynamo maintained the lead and was up 50:25 at halftime.
Jannell Burse, Kuzina and Anete Jekabsone-Zogota lifted the visiting team to a 61:31 lead at the start of the third stanza and the game was pretty much over for Ruzomberok. The hosts entered the final period down by as many as 37 points and had no chances to save this one.
Laine Selwyn (170-G-81, college: Pittsburgh) added 12 points for the winners. Tye'sha Fluker (196-C-84, college: Tennessee) had 10 points and 11 boards for MBK in defeat. Dynamo outrebounded their opponents 43:34 and held them to miserable 25% from the field.
MBK Ruzomberok will next take on Municipal Targoviste in Romania. Dynamo will face Gorzow on the road on November 5.

MBK: Simona Podesvova 13, Klaudia Lukacovicova 13
Dynamo Moscow: Anete Jekabsone-Zogota 23, Anda Jelavic 14, Jannell Burse 14

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  SPAIN - Women  


Halcon Avenida beat Besiktas Cola Turka in the opener of Round 3 - by Eurobasket News
Besiktas Cola Turka - Halcon Avenida 61:67

Halcon Avenida had a tough but productive road victory over Besiktas Cola Turka in Turkey. Round 3 of Euroleague saw the Spanish side taking 61:67 victory due to the last period. Le'Coe Willingham (183-C-81, college: Auburn) top-scored for the winners with 15 points, while Silvia Dominguez (166-G-87) and Michelle Snow (196-C-80, agency: Merit Sports, college: Tennessee) followed her with 13 points each. Besiktas Cola Turka fell at 1-2 while the winners took 2-1 record in Group A.
Le'Coe Willingham and Silvia Dominguez gave the visitors the first lead in the game for 4:0. The latter scored the last points also in the period for 14:12 for the guests. Besiktas Cola Turka opened the second quarter with 7-0 run for 19:14. Turkish side played better and after 18-14 the score was 30:28 for the hosts.
The game remained tough in the second half and brought 1 points advantage for the guests after three quarters. Silvia Dominguez made a jump-shot for 47:46 lead. Korana Zanze (195-C-73) gave her team the last lead in the beginning of the last period at 48:47 with 8.23 to go. De Mondt nailed a three and then her Halcon Avenida kept the score for good until the end. Silvia Dominguez closed the game at 67:61 for Halcon Avenida that improved to 2-1 in Group A.

Besiktas Cola Turka: Shay Doron (175-G-85, college: Maryland) 17, Harper 10+10 rebs, Korana Zanze 9, Alexis Hornbuckle (180-G-85, college: Tennessee) 9
Halcon Avenida: Le'Coe Willingham 15, Silvia Dominguez 13, Michelle Snow 13+16 rebs

An overtime thriller in Ekaterinburg - by Eurobasket News

UMMC Ekaterinburg - Ros Casares 89:81 OT

Ekaterinburg enjoyed an overtime thriller of their local team UMMC that beat Spanish Ros Casares in Round 3. Russian titan overcame Ros Casares 89:81 in overtime for 3-0 record. Cappie Pondexter (175-G-83, college: Rutgers) paced all the winners with 23 points. Agnieszka Bibrzycka (184-F/G-82, college: Abil.Christian) netted 22, while Sandrine Gruda (191-F/C-87) added 13. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) posted 22 in the losing effort and De Souza Machado had 16 points and 15 boards.
Ros Casares looked impressive in the start of the game and won the opening quarter 20-12. The Valencia outfit led 43-28 at half-time and did not think of any other result than a win. They were however pegged back in the third quarter when Ekaterinburg outscored them 24-9 to leave the game knotted at 52:52. In the last period the teams stayed close and finished the fourth period at 76:76. Amaya Valdemoro was the last to score in the period. In overtime Russian team looked better outscoring the opponents 13-5. Ros however out-rebounded Ekaterinburg 40-30 while the Russians shot the ball better from long range. Ekaterinburg improved to 3-0 while Ros Casares fell at 1-2.

In another games of the group Jolly JBS Sibenik beat ZVVZ USK Prague 76:70, while Union Hainaut Basket faces LOTOS PKO BP tomorrow.

UMMC Ekaterinburg: Cappie Pondexter 23, Agnieszka Bibrzycka 22, Sandrine Gruda 13
Ros Casares: Amaya Valdemoro 22, De Souza Machado 16+15 rebs



Standings - LFB
LFB Standings
 1. Rivas Ecopolis 5-0 
 2. Mariana 4-1 
 3. Ros Casares 4-1 
 4. Hondar.-Irun 3-2 
 5. Halcon A.Per. 3-2 
 6. Olesa 3-2 
 7. Cadi la Seu 2-3 
 8. EBE Ibiza-PDV 2-3 
 9. Real C.Vigo 2-3 
 10. Mann Filter 2-3 
 11. Extrugasa 2-3 
 12. Estudiantes 1-4 
 13. San Jose 1-4 
 14. Gran Canaria 1-4 


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  SWITZERLAND - Women  


BBC and Sdent Sierre post wins - by Eurobasket News
BBC Troistorrents secured the third victory in the season as they outgunned Riva Basket 71:56 in Round 4. The teams stayed close in the first frame and BBC led by just a single point 16:15 after ten minutes. But the hosts stepped on the gas in the second frame. They surged ahead 24:10 to accumulate a 15-point cushion at halftime. BBC controlled the situation after the long break and cleared off to a 21-point distance before the fourth stanza. The hosts cruised to the victory then and improved to 3-1 record in the ladder. Egle Moix (170-G-79) topscored with 17 points for BBC. Lori Crisman (186-C/F-82, college: W.Michigan) delivered 16 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Keisha Moore (189-C-83, agency: LBM Management, college: Washington St.) answered with game-high 21 points and 9 rebounds for Riva Basket.
Sdent Sierre overcame Nyon 77:58 in a home encounter. The win allowed Sierre stayed in the leading group at 3-1 record. Maria Villarroel (174-G/F-78, college: Oklahoma) provided 21 points to pace the home team. Katrien Vercauteren (170-G-84, agency: LBM Management) knocked down 16 points in the win. Sakellie Daniels (170-G-84, college: Charlotte) notched 23 points for Nyon in defeat. Leading comfortably 21:12 after the starting frame Sdent Sierre successfully wasted the bigger part of the advantage and were in front by just two points at halftime. But a storming 27:11 third frame put Sierre back in the driving seat and they never looked back en route to the third win in the season.

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  TURKEY - Women  


Halcon Avenida beat Besiktas Cola Turka in the opener of Round 3 - by Eurobasket News
Besiktas Cola Turka - Halcon Avenida 61:67

Halcon Avenida had a tough but productive road victory over Besiktas Cola Turka in Turkey. Round 3 of Euroleague saw the Spanish side taking 61:67 victory due to the last period. Le'Coe Willingham (183-C-81, college: Auburn) top-scored for the winners with 15 points, while Silvia Dominguez (166-G-87) and Michelle Snow (196-C-80, agency: Merit Sports, college: Tennessee) followed her with 13 points each. Besiktas Cola Turka fell at 1-2 while the winners took 2-1 record in Group A.
Le'Coe Willingham and Silvia Dominguez gave the visitors the first lead in the game for 4:0. The latter scored the last points also in the period for 14:12 for the guests. Besiktas Cola Turka opened the second quarter with 7-0 run for 19:14. Turkish side played better and after 18-14 the score was 30:28 for the hosts.
The game remained tough in the second half and brought 1 points advantage for the guests after three quarters. Silvia Dominguez made a jump-shot for 47:46 lead. Korana Zanze (195-C-73) gave her team the last lead in the beginning of the last period at 48:47 with 8.23 to go. De Mondt nailed a three and then her Halcon Avenida kept the score for good until the end. Silvia Dominguez closed the game at 67:61 for Halcon Avenida that improved to 2-1 in Group A.

Besiktas Cola Turka: Shay Doron (175-G-85, college: Maryland) 17, Harper 10+10 rebs, Korana Zanze 9, Alexis Hornbuckle (180-G-85, college: Tennessee) 9
Halcon Avenida: Le'Coe Willingham 15, Silvia Dominguez 13, Michelle Snow 13+16 rebs

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  UNITED KINGDOM - Women  


Women's preview - by Dave Ryan
EBL Womens Division One leaders Team Northumbria will be looking for their fourth straight win when they host Solent Suns on Saturday. In contrast, Suns have lost their opening games, and London Heathrow Acers and champions City of Sheffield Hatters. Both games between the pair resulted in narrow wins for Deidre Hayes Northumbria side last season with the aggregate margin only six points.
After a free week in the schedule, the Manchester Mystics return to business with a difficult double header this weekend which sees them go away to UWIC Archers and then again away to Leeds in the National Cup.
The Mystics are expecting a difficult game on Saturday where they face UWIC. Last season the Manchester team was able to fight out two narrow victories in tough games in the league against the welsh side and Sergio Lara-Bercial is sure that coach Jennings will be preparing his team for revenge in this one.
Hatters will look to move to 3-0 when they visit a London Heathrow Acers side still smarting from a 93-60 loss at the hands of UWIC. The equivalent game ended in a 78-59 win for Hatters last season, while the Yorkshire side romped to an 80-48 win in their home game at All Saints School.
Saturdays Division One games are completed in the capital where London Mets and Nottingham Wildcats meet for the first time. Mets are still looking for their first win in the top flight having suffered narrow losses against Manchester and Barking Abbey Rhondda Rebels in their opening two games while Wildcats have split their first two league matches.