EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 2/14/2008

Copyright © 1997-2007 Eurobasket
WARNING:
Do not copy, redistribute, publish or otherwise exploit information that you download from the site!
Do not encumber, license, modify, publish, sell, transfer or transmit, or in any way exploit, any of the
content of the report, nor will you attempt to do so.
More info:www.eurobasket.com


Men News

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

Cairns completes playoff picture -by Eurobasket News
The Cairns Taipans secured a 116:95 road win over the Wollongong Hawks to fill in the last available playoff spot. They now clinched the 8th place and completed the Top 8 that would proceed to the post season action. It was not an easy one though. The Wollongong Hawks overcame a sloppy start when they trailed 0:5 and raced ahead. Larry Davidson (207-C-83, college: Boise St.) scored 5 straight points and Kavossy Franklin (188-G-75, college: Augusta St.) fired some more to get the Hawks flying. They piled up a 33:22 lead after the first frame and looked dominant at the moment. The Hawks stretched the lead to 18 points midway through the second quarter but Cairns managed to stay in visibility trailing by 13 points at halftime. Nathan Jawai (207-C-86, college: Midland CC) and Stephen Black (186-G-80) ignited a 13:5 run from the visitors early in the third period as the Taipans climbed within 5 points from the home team. Cairns later received some help from Dwayne Vale (193-F-85) as he notched 7 consecutive points and the visiting side were down by only 3 points 78:81 with one quarter ahead of them. Soon the Taipans leveled things at 85. Nathan Jawai scored a jumper to put the visitors in front and they then went on a wild 20:2 run to clear off for good in this one. Jared Newson (196-G/F-84, college: Tennessee-Martin) topscored for the Cairns with 24 points and 9 boards. Nathan Jawai dropped 20 points in a decisive victory for the Taipans. Kavossy Franklin buried game-high 29 points for Wollongong. Larry Davidson had 19 points in defeat.
Meanwhile the league leaders Sydney Kings stretched their winning streak to 7 games as they bruised the New Zealand Breakers 103:93. Seven Sydney players delivered in double figures. Dontaye Draper (180-G, college: Charleston) stepped up with a triple-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to pace the Kings. Kirk Penney (194-G-80, college: Wisconsin) scored 23 points for the Breakers. Derrick Alston (208-C/F-72, college: Duquesne) had 16 points as the Breakers fell to 16-13 record. Isiah Victor (206-F-78, college: Tennessee) accounted for 17 points as Sydney consolidated their leading position and can become the second team in the league's history to win over 90 percent of the regular season matchups.

*****************************************************
BAHRAIN

Ahli and Nuwaidrat Move up on Standings -by Walter Neto
REIGNING champions Al Ahli recorded a hard-fought 78-69 victory over Muharraq last night to regain the lead in the Bahrain Basketball League. The crucial match, which was held at the Umm Al Hassam's Sports Complex, was witnessed by a full-house crowd who enjoyed a high-class basketball between two of the top teams in the Kingdom.

Having back powerhouse Hussain Shaker who recovered from a pelvis injury, Al Ahli had the upper hand as they moved back on top with 25 points from 13 matches, two ahead of Manama who have a postponed match against Al Najma. Jamal Holden of the US was the top scorer for Al Ahli with 22 points. Shaker finished with 19 points.

Others who played a key role in Al Ahli's victory were Holden, Maytham Jameel, Sadeq Mahdi, Ahmed Malalla and Sayed Hashim. Muharraq, on the other hand, were vying to claim their 10th win in 13 matches and share second place with Manama. Instead, they remained third on 22 points. Mohammed Hassan top-scored for Muharraq with 23 points. Muharraq were also represented by Abdulmajeed Ali 'Shahram', Rah-Shun Roberts of the US, Yasser Bonaffor and captain Ahmed Al Doy.

In another match, Nuwaidrat moved up to fourth place following a 77-55 victory over Isa Town. It was the eighth win for Walter Pereira's side who now have 21 points from 13 matches, one ahead of Sitra who went down to fifth. Isa Town suffered their 11th defeat and remained second from bottom with 15 points.

Wayne Houston (205-F-73, college: S.Indiana) of the US was the top player for Nuwaidrat scoring 22 points. Captain Mohammed Mlaih (19 points) and playmaker Hussain Taqi (19) were also in high form for the winners.

For Isa Town, coached by Aqeel Milad, their most prominent player was Mahmood Ali who scored 12 points while Hussain Ismail (10 points) was the second top scorer for Isa Town.

SOURCE: GDN - By RAMI Hulayyel

*****************************************************
BALTIC LEAGUE

SEB Baltic Basketball League -by Gunars Gailitis

SEB Baltic Basketball League

February, 12

Elite Division

Rock Tartu - ASK Riga 68-70 (16-18; 9-14; 19-16; 24-22)

Talts 18, Tein 15, Tsintsadze 13; Millage 14, Bramlett 13


Challenge Cup


Sakalai - Liepajas Lauvas 63-66 (9-25; 18-12; 18-8; 18-21)


Labuckas 27, Lekavicius 10; Mareks Jurevicus (198-F-85) 21, Hamilton 19


Techasas - VEF Riga 76-87 (24-24; 12-14; 17-24; 23-25)


Bundzinauskas 19, Williams 15, Smith 14; Jeromanovs 19, Sheleketo 16, Aleksejevs 14+10reb


Arvi/Suduva - Bumerangs/Gulbene/ASK 99-85 (36-17; 25-22; 17-26; 21-20)


Joneliunas 24, Sirutavicius 19, Dundjerski 15; Rudzitis 18, Poznaks 17, Klavins 13, Kazaks 13



*****************************************************
BELGIUM

Transfer and Injury News -by Peter Buyse


Two changes took place at Bree, Scott Emerson (206-F-80, college: Mercer) has left the team and is headed to the French ProB league where he will play for Besancon.

The incoming player is Ronnie McCollum (192-G-78, college: Centenary) who has already played for several Belgian teams in the past, most recently Liege in 06-07.


Optima Gent had to do without John Turek (206-F/C-83, college: Nebraska) this weekend in their road game vs Leuven.

Turek who suffers from a back injury tried to warm up for the game but to no avail.

The coaching staff hopes to have him back for the game vs Oostende this coming weekend.



Charleroi News -by Peter Buyse

Spirou Charleroi has released head coach Eddy Casteels . The team will for now be coached by present assistant coach Jacques Stas.
According to the team's management they are looking at various candidates but this weekend against Leuven Stas will be head coach.
They also added not to be in a rush to sign a new coach.

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

TAU surprises In Vilnius with a 84-81 win -by Nedzad Kladusak


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

A blue hurricane went through Botevgrad -by Valentin Anguelov
A blue hurricane went through Botevgrad. After one close first quarter, nobody in front of the TV or in the hall expected exactly this game to turn around in a way like that. Thanks to their terrific defense, Levski smashed the opposition and that was Balkan's biggest loss for the season. They didn't lose with that difference even to Lukoil Academic. In the end it was 29 points for Levski (86-57) but in some moments it was over 30.

Levski's win gives them advantage in the battle for the second place. They already have two wins against their direct opposition, and only one loss. There's one more game between the two teams before the end of the regular season, and it's in Sofia. Besides having more wins, the Blues have much better point difference in the direct games.

Lubomir Minchev's players did exactly what their coach said and with tight defense and perefct fastbreak they overcame the home side in the second and third period of the game. Both coaches gave chance to some of their younger players in the last 10 minutes.

Dwayne Morton and Pavle Bolkovac were the only two players from Balkan to finish in double digits - both of them had 12 points. Balkan's players shot terrible from 3-point land (2/20 - 10%) and from the free-throw line (15/26 - 58%). They also had less rebounds - 24 for Balkan against 38 for Levski.

Stanislav Slaveykov was the best player for the guest team with 21 points, and Yulian Radionov (188-G-79) scored a season-high 14 points. Stefan Georgiev had 14 too, as he added 9 rebounds. Rob Preston was the team's best addition from the bench, finishing with 9 points and 5 rebounds.

Levski does not have any time for celebrations as they are hosting Lukoil Academic in Sofia on Friday. Balkan is playing away from home - at Pleven on Saturday.

by Alexander Sotirov - BulgarianBasket.com

Even Abrams couldn't help Spartak Pleven -by Valentin Anguelov
Even the debute of their latest American addition Melvin Abrams did not help Spartak Pleven to go over their label 'weak guest'. They lost to CSKA 81-72 and continue to be unstable in their games away from Pleven. Now Spartak have only 3 wins after 12 games away from home. Those wins are against Dunav, Sliven and a 1-point win against Rilski Sportist. They don't have a win against a team from the first 6 in the table, which means, that Spartak has some serious trouble outside of Pleven.

Today Spartak Pleven's players were really close to winning, but as their previous trip to Sofia a few days ago against Levski, they had one not so good second half and they didn't make it. In the first 20 minutes they dictated the tempo in Hristo Botev in Sofia and were leading at halftime (33-40).

Rosen Barchovski's players looked different in the second half. After a three from Ludmil Hadjisotirov 4:10 minutes before the end of the third CSKA managed to go ahead 49-48. Two minutes later they were leading it 57-48 after a 15-0 run. 5 consecutive points by Bojo Barac made it 59-54 after 30 minutes.

5:28 before the end of the game Spartak was ahead 62-63 after a basket by Sasa Topchov. A minute and 47 seconds before the end CSKA lead it 74-72, but from here until the final the guests only scored 3 free throws and nothing more. Michael Henderson (196-F, college: Chicago St.) (4/4 from FT in the last 9 seconds) sealed the win for CSKA. This is second win for CSKA over Spartak in 2008.

Abrams scored 7 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and made 3 assists. He played 26 minutes. Hrisimir Dimitrov scored 23 points, being the top scorer in the game. Croatian Barac had his first double-double for Pleven. Iliya Stankov was disappointing, only scoring 2 points.

For CSKA Michael Henderson and Hristo Nikolov both had 21 points.

Spartak is hosting Balkan on Saturday, and CSKA is visiting Yambol

by Alexander Sotirov BulgarianBasket.com

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

Guangdong Smashes Liaoning 111-92 in Finals Opener -by Arthur Volbert
Guangdong jumped off to a 26-10 first quarter lead and never looked back as it smashed Liaoning 111-92 in the opening game of the CBA finals. Zhu Fangyu (201-F-83) led the way with 33 points, hitting 11 of 15 shots. As a team, Guangdong hit 43 of 75 shots compared to 26 of 68 for Liaoning.

Guangdong led 59-41 at the half and 86-62 after three quarters as the game was never even close.

Bian Qiang hit only 3 of 14 shots, Liu Xiangtao only 4 of 15 and Yang Ming missed all 6 shots he took as Guangdong's defense stifled Liaoning. Olumide Oyedeji hit 10 of 14 shots for 25 points and Zhang Qingpeng scored 18, hitting all 10 of his free throws, as the only bright spots for Liaoning.

Chen Jianghua had another good game for Guangdong as he is outperforming teammate Liu Xiaoyu at point guard. He had 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and no turnovers. Chen may be realizing his very high potential and the only question is whether his body can hold up under the pressures of high-level basketball.

Lamond Murray added 17 points and 7 rebounds for Guangdong and Jason Dixon had 12 points and 9 rebounds. Murray played 26 minutes and Dixon played 32.

Oyedeji played 31 minutes for Liaoning. Jamal Sampson had 14 rebounds in 28 minutes but only took 2 shots and only scored 6 points.



Guangdong 111
Zhu Fangyu 33p+4r+3a, Liu Xiaoyu 6p+3r+1a+2s+2to, Zhou Peng 8p+2r+1a+1bl, Jason Dixon 12p+9r+1a+3s, Du Feng 8p+4r+2a+1bl, Chen Jianghua 17p+3r+3a+3s+0to, Wang Shipeng 8p+3r+1a+1s, Lamond Murray 17p+7r+1bl
Liaoning 92
Bian Qiang 14p+1r+1s, Liu Xiangtao 15p+1s, Yang Ming 2p+1r+3a+2to, Li Xiaoxu 4p+8r, Olumide Oyedeji 25p+7r+2a+1s, Gu Liye 6p+1r+1bl, Jamal Sampson 6p+14r+5to, Zhang Qingpeng 18p+4r+2a+2s

Guangdong 26 33 27 25 111
Liaoning---- 10 31 21 30 92

Liao ning lost in the 1st game in Finals -by Robert Wang

Liao Ning lost big to Guang Dong by the score of 111-92. Liao Ning was playing from behind from the beginning to the end of game with the biggest deficit being over 30 points. The first quarter was finished at 26:10. Only Odeji and Zhang Qing peng played well.

This Friday will be the 2nd game betweem these 2 teams. The finals will set at 2-2-1-1-1 between 2 teams. The first team to win four games will earn the title. Jason Dixon and Chen Jiang hua has been playing well. Yang Maing made many turnovers whch is obviously not good for a point guard. Liu Xiang tao from Liao ning injured his ankle. The whole situation made it seem like Liao ning really has a long path to go in the CBA. Hopefully the 2 teams will play an exciting game in the finals for the fans in China. Good luck for all!



GUANDONG TAKE THE LEAD IN CBA FINALS!!!! -by Ogoh Odaudu
Zhu Fangyu (201-F-83) with his 6 of 9 shooting from 2pt range and 5 of 6 from 3pts led the Guandong Tigers today as they roared past Liaoning Panpan in the first game of the championship series. Zhu ended up with 33pts as Guandong beat Liaoning 111-92. The game in which all three referees came from Europe saw Guandong stamping their authority early in the 1st period,holding their opponents down to only 10pts while they scored 26. They also took the 2nd quarter winning by 33-31 bringing scores at the break to 59-41. On resumption,Liaoning Panpan,obviously spurred on by the pep talk they got in the locker room cut down the deficit to 9pts with great play from Zhang Qingpeng (189-G-85) (189-G-85) who was a perfect 10 for 10 from the freethrow line. Guandong kept their cool and weathered out the pressure. Murray Lamond (201-F-73, agency: Interperformances, college: California) and Chen Jianghua (188-G-89) each scored 17pts to compliment Zhu while Dixon Jason (205-C-73, college: Liberty) added 12pts and grabbed 9 rebounds. For Liaoning,Oyedeji Olumide (208-C/F-81) scored 25pts to lead scoring and grabbed 7rebs. Zhang Qingpeng and Liu Xiangtao (202-F/C-80) added 18 and 15pts each while Bian Qiang (192-G-79) scored 14. Game 2 will be played on Friday,the 15th.

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

New addition for Alkar Sinj! -by Dani Erceg
Alkar Sinj signed Paolo Ticina (195-G-85) who played few games this season for BiH D1 team Posusje. He spent last season playing for Borik Puntamika and averaging 8.1ppg, 1.3rpg, 2.1apg, 1.4spg in 29 games.

*****************************************************
CZECH REP.

Market news -by Ondra Simecek
As it was announced today Geofin Novy Jicin is releasing Mario Bennet from the one month try out. The club will keep on searching for another player on this position.

BK Pardubice announced a new player to the roster. Thirty years old Slovakian national player Stefan Svitek (203-F/C-77) is joining the club this week coming from German Karlsruhe.

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

Ahly lost the last three games -by Sherif Soliman
Ahly lost again on their home court, this time against Itthad by the score of 76-80.They couldn't recover from Tarek EL Gannam's injury, losing most of the rebounds under the rim. Itthad players are getting better every game and they are sending a clear message to everyone that they will do something this season. Mohanad el sabagh played a great game last night scoring from everywhere.Ahmed El Sabagh (-85)

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

Panathinaikos loses in Turkey! -by Chris Mammides
Drew Nicholas (191-G-81, college: Maryland) played a deadly second quarter and the absence of Prkcin and Tsartsaris were the reasons of the third defeat in the European courts for Obradovic's Panathinaikos. The final score was 74-64, with Panathinaikos playing amazingly bad in both defense and offense. Diamantidis and Spanoulis shot 2/12 on three pointers and had a total of only 15 points. On the other hand, Nicholas was unstoppable tonight with his 29 points in 32 minutes not only helped his team to succeed in a very crucial game but he also gave a 10 points deficit over the Greens which is an added value for the continuation in the Group. The quarters were: 17-21, 46-35, 63-48 and 74-64. Panathinaikos had one of his worst games this season during the second quarter of the game, the Greens scored only 14 points while the Turks, or the Americans better (there are 6 Americans in the Turkish team!!!) overcame the Greens with more double the points as they scored 29.
Top scorers:
EFES: Nicholas 29 points, Hutson 10 and Gonlum 9
PAO: Jasikevicius 12, Batiste 12 and Spanoulis 10.
Team records:
EFES 1-0, PAO 0-1

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

Prob Round 21 - Defeat of the leader -by Maxime Lory
Yesterday Night, there was the 21th round of French second division. Cedric Melicie (198-F-79, agency: ACMT) ( 20p, 11rbs, 2asts, 1blk ), the forward of JL Bourg Basket, with a top ranking of 29, is the MVP of the day !

Saint-Etienne B. C. (4th, before this round) 81-62 SPO Rouen Basket (1)
From the beginning, to the end, Saint-Etienne B. C. lead vs the leader, where only 3 players scored 10p. SPO Rouen Basket was dominated by SEB in the paint.
Yuanta Holland : 20p, 6rbs, 3asts
Ronald Dorsey : 21p, 1rb, 2ats

Saint Vallier Basket Drome (16) 79-96 JL Bourg Basket (2)
Big game of JL Bourg Basket en Bresse with 6 of his 8players with 10p. Cedric Melicie & Kareem Reid posted both a double-double. JL Bourg Basket is now co-leader with SPO Rouen Basket.
Kareem Reid : 12p, 15asts, 4rbs, 1stl
Malick Badiane : 21p, 5rbs, 1blk, 1stl

Hermine Nantes Atlantique (8) 73-68 JSF Nanterre (3)
Without Karim Ouattara, and in spite of the big double double of Adrien Moerman, JSF Nanterre lost vs Hermine Hermine Hermine Nantes Atlantique Atlantique where Oliver Bardet scored 15p, grabbed 7rbs, dished out 5asts and stealed 5balls.
Rashaun Freeman : 12p, 10rbs, 1blk
Adrien Moerman : 17p, 14rbs

Limoges CSP Elite (7) 69-61 Besancon Basket Comte Doubs (12)
Discontinued line for Limoges CSP Elite. After 3 defeats, the CSP win at home vs Besancon Basket Comte Doubs without their new player, Scott Emerson.
Thomas Larrouquis : 12p, 5rbs, 3asts, 5stls
Gabriel Kennedy : 18p, 6rbs

Union Poitiers Basket 86 (5) 72-65 Etendard de Brest (11)
Tight game between 2 defensive teams. Union Poitiers Basket 86 finished the game with 33% and Etendard de Brest with 40%.
Pierre-Yves Guillard : 11p, 12rbs
Shermann Gay: 15p, 7rbs, 2blks

The other games :

Aix-Maurienne Savoie Basket (9) 79-69 ESPE Chalons-en-Champagne Basket Pro (14)
Reims Champagne Basket (18) 87-81 ALM Evreux Basket (10)
Quimper UJAP (13) 93-82 ESSM Le Portel Cote d'Opale (17)
Boulazac Basket Dordogne (6) 65-74 Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball (15)

French National Team for Eurobasket 2007 -by Maxime Lory
#s#
#e#6


Parker


Gomis


Diaw


Pietrus


Weis

4 Joseph Gomis (180-G-78) of Grupo Capitol Valladolid (ESP)
5 Pape Badiane (211-F/C-80) of Chorale de Roanne Basket
6 Sacha Giffa (195-F/G-77) of Strasbourg IG
7 Yohann Sangare (193-G-83) of Adecco ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
8 Yakhouba Diawara (200-F-82) of Denver Nuggets (USA)
9 Tony Parker (183-G-80) of San Antonio Spurs (USA)
10 Cedric Ferchaud (195-F-80) of Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez
11 Florent Pietrus (202-F-81) of MMT Estudiantes Madrid (ESP)
12 Tariq Kirksay (199-F-79) of Unics Kazan (RUS)
13 Boris Diaw (203-F/C-82) of Phoenix Suns (USA)
14 Ronny Turiaf (208-C/F-83) of Los Angeles Lakers (USA)
15 Frederic Weis (217-C-77) of Iurbentia Bilbao Basket (ESP)


Head Coach: Michael Gomez


Assistants: Jean-Louis Borg of JA Vichy Val d'Allier Auvergne basket and Jacky Commeres



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

German Cup: Newcomer Anthony Tolliver guides Bremerhaven to Quarterfinals -by Moritz Korff
Bremerhaven - Frankfurt 81:66

Bremerhaven has made the next step to its second consecutive participation in the Top Four of the German Cup-competition. Recently added Anthony Tolliver (206-C-85, college: Creighton) led all scores in only his second game for the hosts and netted 18 points, shooting 7/9 from the field. Additionally 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals made it a good night for the 22 year old Post Player. Frankfurt's defense was unable to keep the Eisbaeren-attack from scoring in the first half, who put in 59 points within 20 minutes. Thus, the home team was ahead 59:34 after two quarters. The Skyliners jumped out to a 19:8-run in the final period but couldn't close the gap and finally dropped out of the BBL-Cup. Koko Archibong (202-F-81, college: Pennsylvania) and Jimmy McKinney (192-G-83, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Missouri) each had 14 points for Frankfurt, Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.) posted the only double-double of the night, finishing the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Tony Bobbitt (193-G-79, college: Cincinnati) made his debut for Bremerhaven. The 28-year-old had worked out with the team during the past two weeks and put his autograph under a contract for the remainder of this current season prior to the game against Frankfurt. He got 6:39 minutes on the court in his first apperance and scored 2 points.

Herten signs Dustin Pfeifer -by Moritz Korff
Dustin Pfeifer (173-G-83, college: Findlay (OH)) has left the Benslips Baskets Salzkotten of the Regionalliga West and signed a contract with Hertener Loewen (2. Bundesliga Pro B). Herten needed a new Point Guard after releasing Kasey Ulin (185-G-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Dickinson St.) and Chris Bond (198-F-81, college: Cent.Washington) on Friday, because both had been tested positive for cocaine. Pfeifer spent his collegiate career at D2-school Findlay and was named a NCAA Division 2 All-American after his senior-season. He moved to Denmark for his first year as a pro and averaged 18.0 points, 5.5 assists, 2.8 steals over 22 games for Team Sjaelland, being recognized as the 2006-2007 Eurobasket.com All-Danish Basketliga Guard of the Year.

Subotic and Stefanovic to leave ALBA Berlin -by Moritz Korff
ALBA Berlin (1. Bundesliga) decided to waive two players after signing Immanuel McElroy (193-G-80, college: Cincinnati) and Aleksandar Nadjfeji (203-F-76) last week. Both Vujadin Subotic (198-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) and Slavko Stefanovic (206-F-81, agency: Beo Basket) are not going to suit up for ALBA anymore. Subotic came to the German capital from Braunschweig in pre-season, Stefanovic joined the team in December 07.

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

Panathinaikos loses in Turkey! -by Chris Mammides
Drew Nicholas (191-G-81, college: Maryland) played a deadly second quarter and the absence of Prkcin and Tsartsaris were the reasons of the third defeat in the European courts for Obradovic's Panathinaikos. The final score was 74-64, with Panathinaikos playing amazingly bad in both defense and offense. Diamantidis and Spanoulis shot 2/12 on three pointers and had a total of only 15 points. On the other hand, Nicholas was unstoppable tonight with his 29 points in 32 minutes not only helped his team to succeed in a very crucial game but he also gave a 10 points deficit over the Greens which is an added value for the continuation in the Group. The quarters were: 17-21, 46-35, 63-48 and 74-64. Panathinaikos had one of his worst games this season during the second quarter of the game, the Greens scored only 14 points while the Turks, or the Americans better (there are 6 Americans in the Turkish team!!!) overcame the Greens with more double the points as they scored 29.
Top scorers:
EFES: Nicholas 29 points, Hutson 10 and Gonlum 9
PAO: Jasikevicius 12, Batiste 12 and Spanoulis 10.
Team records:
EFES 1-0, PAO 0-1

*****************************************************
HUNGARY

Hungarian Cup: 1/4 Finals -by Tamas Deri
Yesterday the 1/4 finals of the Hungarin Cup were set by the Federation. The games will be played on the 27th of February and 5th of March between:
FALCO KC - PECS
DOMBOVAR - ALBACOMP
NYKK - KORMEND
UNIVER - ATOMEROMU SE


ASE: two americans on tryout -by Tamas Deri
As we publiced some days ago, american guard Cedric Brooks (185-G-80, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Pittsburg St.) just arrived some hours ago to Budapest, and will have his first practice tonight. The management of the team invited also american forward Greg Stevenson (198-F-78, agency: SportsTalent, college: Richmond) for a tryout, who played for Eiffel Towers in Holland and ULEB Cup till January, when he got released.

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

Market news -by Gianni Pascucci
Montepaschi Siena and Keith McLeod (188-G-79, college: Bowling Green) agreed to part ways. The player is now free agent.In Lega 2, import Shawnta Rogers (162-G-76, college: George Washington) will join tomorrow Agricola Gloria Montecatini, where he will replace Daryl Wilson. Prima Veroli is testing Slavko Duscak (195-G-74, agency: Global Sports Plaza), and could register him in time for the weekend games.

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

Cornell rocking with Sun Rockers -by Kenny
Hitachi C Peter Cornell (211-C-76, college: Loyola Marymount) might as well change his first name to Chris as he's been rockin' and rollin' like the former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman since the start of the 2nd half of the JBL's 2007-08 season. Since joining the team on 12/15, Cornell has led his team to a 6-5 record. Not impressive you say? Well, it is if you consider the fact that Hitachi got off to a 5-13 start. Although they are currently mired in 7th place in the JBL, at 11-18 they are still in the playoff hunt, albeit with a slim chance.

Cornell, an athletic 6-11 center with blazing speed, has been solid in the middle and has shown why he was the leading rebounder in the JBL in the 2005-06 season with more than 15 rebounds a game. In Monday's game against Toshiba, Cornell scored 17 points and grabbed 18 boards in a 74-70 loss to Toshiba. In the game before that he put up 17 and 12 in a 88-67 win over Toshiba while he scored 19 pts and pulled down 15 rebounds the week before that in a 82-79 win over Hokkaido.

PG Cliff Hawkins also had 2 big games over the weekend. The lighting quick OSG point guard from Kentucky was lights out in their 2 losses over the weekend against Panasonic. On Sat. (2/9), Hawk had 27 points and 8 assists in a 108-94 loss to the Trians and he followed that up with 35 points and 10 dimes in another loss to Panasonic on Sun (2/10), a game that OSG lost 109-102.


Notes: Each team in the JBL now has only 6 games left in the regular season. Aisin has already clinched a playoff berth while OSG and Toyota are both closing in on a playoff berth. 4th place Mitsubishi controls their own destiny and needs to win 3 more games or needs 5th place Panasonic to lose 3 more games in order to clinch a spot in the playoffs. 6th place Toshiba and 7th place Hitachi are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt, but they'll need lots of help in order to make it.

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

SEB Baltic Basketball League -by Gunars Gailitis

SEB Baltic Basketball League

February, 12

Elite Division

Rock Tartu - ASK Riga 68-70 (16-18; 9-14; 19-16; 24-22)

Talts 18, Tein 15, Tsintsadze 13; Millage 14, Bramlett 13


Challenge Cup


Sakalai - Liepajas Lauvas 63-66 (9-25; 18-12; 18-8; 18-21)


Labuckas 27, Lekavicius 10; Mareks Jurevicus (198-F-85) 21, Hamilton 19


Techasas - VEF Riga 76-87 (24-24; 12-14; 17-24; 23-25)


Bundzinauskas 19, Williams 15, Smith 14; Jeromanovs 19, Sheleketo 16, Aleksejevs 14+10reb


Arvi/Suduva - Bumerangs/Gulbene/ASK 99-85 (36-17; 25-22; 17-26; 21-20)


Joneliunas 24, Sirutavicius 19, Dundjerski 15; Rudzitis 18, Poznaks 17, Klavins 13, Kazaks 13



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

Denver chills the resurging Heat -by Eurobasket News
Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) scored 6 points in overtime to silent the American Airlines Arena in Miami as Denver bumped the hosts 114:113. The Heat looked recharged and ready to fight with Shawn Marion (6'7''-F-78, college: UNLV) providing necessary depth in the starting lineup. Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette) fired 29 points and issued 10 assists for the Heat but it still was not enough. J.R. Smith (6'6''-G-85) knocked down career-high 8 trebles to burn the hosts for 28 points and led the Nuggets to a spectacular victory. Miami led comfortably by 14 points in the first half but wasted the advantage. J.R. Smith notched 4 three-pointers at the start of the fourth period to put the teams on lever terms. Allen Iverson (6'1''-G-75, college: Georgetown) could have denied the extra period but Dorell Wright blocked his jump shot. Carmelo Anthony took over in the overtime and put Denver up. But Ricky Davis (6'7''-G-79, college: Iowa) nailed a trey to cut the gap to just a single point in the dying seconds. Anthony Carter (6'2''-G-75, college: Hawaii) then missed a jump shot to give the hosts a chance to save the encounter. Dwyane Wade had a chance to win it for the Heat but missed a long jumper.
Kenyon Martin (6'8''-F/C-77, college: Cincinnati) posted 24 points and 6 boards, while Marcus Camby (6'11''-F/C-74, college: Massachusetts) had 12 points, 16 boards and 7 blocks for the winners. Shawn Marion ended with 23 points and 18 rebounds in a loss.
Meanwhile the Detroit Pistons ensured their 9th straight win in the season as they defeated Atlanta 94:90 at the Phillips Arena. The Hawks maintained a three-point lead heading into the fourth period but Chauncey Billups (6'3''-G-76, college: Colorado) netted 12 points in the final term to ignite the Pistons comeback effort. It was enough to overcome a 30-point night from Josh Smith (6'9''-F-85). Atlanta suffered their 3rd consecutive loss. Rasheed Wallace (6'10''-F/C-75, college: N.Carolina) produced 21 points for the winning side. Chauncey Billups had 16 for Detroit as they improved to 38-13 record for the season.

The Diesel will Probably Play his First Game Against his Old Team. -by Bryan Floyd
It only seems fitting for Big Shaq to make his debut with his new team in LA on the 20th. Even Shaq admits he is not quite ready. 'I want to be a little more in tune before I step out on the court, because as you watch this team without me, they're like a great flowing machine,' O'Neal said after practice Tuesday at US Airways Center. 'I don't want to be the kink in the machinery.He has been out since Jan. 21 with a hip injury. Shaq went through his second Suns practice on Tuesday morning, participating in a full-court workout before the team left for California in the afternoon. 'I haven't done anything in a month and a half,' O'Neal said. 'I'm in great human shape. I'm in OK basketball shape. I've just got to get into basketball shape.'Coach Mike D'Antoni said the team would make a decision on O'Neal's availability for the game against the Warriors after an individual workout before the game, but it appears doubtful that O'Neal will play.'He's not quite ready,' D'Antoni said. 'He wants to be comfortable with the offense. He knows it's going to be a big splash when he goes out the first time.'D'Antoni said it's 'possible' O'Neal could play against the Mavericks on Thursday night. O'Neal injured his hip diving for a loose ball against Utah on Dec. 22. He returned Jan. 16 but was sidelined again five days later. An MRI showed inflammation in the left hip, shutting him down from all basketball activity.'The big fella will play when he's ready to play,' point guard Steve Nash said. 'There's no rush. We've got a couple of months here to figure it out.'O'Neal's teammates are stressing patience. But they can't help looking ahead to life with one of the greatest centers in NBA history.'I've never played with a post player before,' Nash said. 'So it's going to be interesting. But what a great player to play with. It's going to be a lot of fun to try to figure it out.'There'll probably be some indecision and some uncertainty at times,' Nash said. 'But we've got a couple of months, so it'll all come together.'

*****************************************************
NCAA

Butler squirts past Wisconsin-Milwaukee -by Eurobasket News
The tenth-ranked Butler needed an overtime to prove the strength against Wisconsin-Milwaukee yesterday. Mike Green (6'1''-G-85, college: Towson) nailed 10 out of his 24 points in the extra period to lead the Bulldogs to a come-from-behind victory. The Bulldogs that now possess the highest rank in the school history denied a 12-point first half deficit to celebrate a hard victory at the end. Butler even got in front late in regulation but Ricky Franklin fired a jumper to tie things up with less than a second to go. But Mike Green was deadly from the charity stripe in the overtime and buried the Panthers. Pete Campbell (6'7''-F-84, college: IUPU-Ft.Wayne) and Willie Veasley (6'3''-G/F-87) tallied 12 points apiece to back up the winning effort. Marcus Skinner (6'6''-F) bruised Butler for career-high 25 points and 10 boards. Allan Hanson (6'0''-G) contributed 18 points for the Panthers as they slipped 12-11 record.
North Carolina climbed to 23-2 record as they narrowly surpassed Virginia 75:74 at the John Paul Jones Arena. The Tar Heels met a surprisingly fierce opposition from the Cavaliers that lost 9 out of their 10 last games. The Cavs led by a single point in the dying seconds but Tyler Hansbrough (6'9''-F-85) hit a jump shot to claim the lead for good for North Carolina. Wayne Ellington (6'4''-G-87) delivered 19 points, while Deon Thompson (6'8''-F-88) had 12 points for the winners. Sean Singletary (6'0''-G-85) answered with 27 points for the Cavs.
Marquette used a 23-point and 9-rebound haul from Lazar Hayward (6'6''-F-86) to snap a 2-game losing skid with an 89:64 victory over Seton Hall. The Golden Eagles climbed to 17-6 record, while the Pirates fell to 15-10. Marquette led 21:4 early in the game and piled up a 40:22 halftime break. They later extended the lead to 28 points and eased to an overall win at the end. Jerel McNeal (6'3''-G-87) and Wesley Matthews (6'5''-G-86) dropped 14 points apiece for Marquette. Jeremy Hazell (6'5''-G-86) converted 18 points for the Pirates.

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

PBL announces Super Scouting Showcase -by Gianni Pascucci

The Premier Basketball League announced it will be holding the Triple 'S'-Super Scouting Showcase at the Attack Athletics Arena in Chicago, Illinois. This unique opportunity for the PBL will take place the week of March 3rd with several companies sponsoring this PBL Showcase event. All the PBL Teams will come to Chicago and compete in regular season games over the course of three days. These games will be selected from the regular season schedule to be played at this event. It is a unique opportunity for every player in the PBL to showcase their talents in front of scouts, agents, team owners both nationally and internationally. All games will be broadcast worldwide via the PBL Virtual Stadium at www.pblproball.com In addition the games will be televised throughout the U.S. on Fanz-TV www.fanztvnetwork.com We agree with the league Chairman, Dr. Severko Hrywnak, that, thanks to this weekent of games, the league has the this opportunity to showcase PBL players on a world stage.



Jacksonville team changes roster, coach -by Gianni Pascucci

After the PBL took over the team, a few of the Jam players agreed stay around and form the SLAM. The PBL put the Jacksonville Slam in the hands of Scott Cooper , who is the coach and is serving also as GM. The team started moving forward, travelling to Chicago with only 6 players last weekend. The guys played with great heart but came up short. Some more players have been added in last days, and the team should find soon a new home court in Jacksonville. Usbasket.com is now able to show the new Jacksonville Slam roster, that is as follows:
Anthony Lumpkin (6'1''-G-78, college: SW Oklahoma St.)
Antonio Lawrence (6'5''-F-83, college: San Jose St.)
Anthony Hatcher (6'4''-G/F-82, college: Brevard)
Chad Johnson (6'5''-F-79, college: Pittsburg St.)
Berry Jordan (6'7''-F/C, college: Southern)
Alex Hill (6'7''-F)
LaShawn Mitchell (6'2''-G, college: Florida CC)

TheAnthony Haymon (6'7''-F/C-78, college: Austin Peay St.)
Xavier Morton (6'9''-F/C-80, college: Clark Atlanta)
DeVenchie Battle (6'5''-G/F-78, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Paine)
Golden Ingle (5'11''-G-81, college: Kennesaw St.)
Donald Harris (6'5''-F-76, college: Texas Arlington)
Head Coach - Scott Cooper
Associate Head Coach - Scott Below
Assistant Coach - Karim Shepherd
Assistant Coach - Dareyl Brown
Player/Coach - Gary Anderson
Player Personnel Director - Bobby Rouse
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator - Jayson Sledge



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

ASCO Slask Wroclaw sign Pawel Mroz -by Eurobasket
ASCO Slask Wroclaw added to their roster 24-year old Swedish center Pawel Mroz (216-C-84). Mroz played most recently at Norrkoping Dolphins (Sweden).

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

Bremer stays with Vladovostok -by Aleksandra Sanders
JR Bremer (Higher Vision Sports) has passed up several good offers in Euroleague and the ULEB CUP to stay with the Club Spartak-Primorie. 'The team did a good job of convincing me to stay so I told my agent that I won't be going anywhere soon,' said Bremer. 'Actually the player had a heart for this team and did not want to leave them in such a bad situation, ' said Craig McKenzie the Player's agent. The team had fans camp out at the Players apartment and fullfiled some of its contract obligations before the team was to play Ural Great. Spartak then won against Ural Great and the Player Bremer had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Bremer now leads the Russian league in assists and he is also one of its top scorers

Victor Khryapa - 4.5 years contract with CSKA -by Marina Vyalova
PBC CSKA signed 4.5 years contract with the Russian National team forward Victor Khryapa (25 y.o., 203 cm). Officially the player became free agent this night but CSKA was in time to send all the documents to the Euroleague and Superleague.

- Everyone knows that the injuries of our players put us in a very difficult situation, - says CSKA CEo Andrei Vatutin.
- CSKA plays without Smodis and Savrasenko for the third month in a row. In the Euroleague we can compensate the absence of the players
but the Superleague the pressure on the Russian players is too heavy. Kryapa is a high class player and he is motivated, so we clearly need him.
I think for Khryapa the contract with CSKA is a step up in his career. Besides, he would get some playing time before the Olympics.

info presented by CSKA officials

*****************************************************
SWITZERLAND

National Cup : Semi-finals ( 13 and 14/02) -by Maxime Lory
The two semi-finals of National Cup will be play tonight and tomorow evening.

13/02 : At 8pm, SAV Vacallo Basket will play vs BBC Monthey.
For Monthey, Matt Schneiderman (205-F/C-81, college: N.Iowa) and David Michellod (178-G-83) ,who didn't play last week-end because of injuries, are back.

14/02: At 7:30 pm, Birstal Starwings will play vs Lugano Tigers.

Damon Thornton out ! -by Maxime Lory
The American forward of Benetton Fribourg Olympic, Damon Thornton (202-F-77, college: N.Carolina St.) is injured. He suffered an ankle sprain and missed the game vs BC Boncourt last Saturday. He is uncertain for the Final of the 'Coupe de la Ligue' and is set tol miss the next game in the championship.

*****************************************************
TURKEY

Efes Pilsen Handed Panathinaikos In The Opener -by Serdar Ortakuyu

Despite a shocking loss at the hands of the relegation fighters Oyak Renault at Turkish Cup Final Four last week Efes Pilsen made a good start to Top 16 round by defeating the defending champions Panathinaikos at Abdi Ipekci Arena.

After an even start the visitors started to struggle against the zone and back to back baskets by Drew Nicholas (191-G-81, college: Maryland) who stepped up in Serkan Erdogan (190-G-78, agency: Interperformances)'s absence once again and finished the first half with 23, created a huge 29-14 serie down the stretch in the second quarter for Efes Pilsen. In the rest of the first week's Top 16 clash the hosts opened the gap up to 19 points but a last quarter effort by the Greens determined the final score 74-64.

Drew Nicholas nailed a game high 29 points becoming the only player for the home side to register double figures in scoring while Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland) and Michael Batiste (203-F-77, college: Arizona St.) both chipped in 12 for the visitors.

Efes Pilsen(74): Drew Nicholas 29, Scoonie Penn 3, Loren Woods 7, Kenny Gregory 3, Kerem Gonlum 9, Rashad Wright 0, Ermal Kuqo 8, Ender Arslan 6, Andre Hutson 10
Panathinaikos(64): Fragiskos Alvertis 2, Vassilis Spanoulis 10, Sani Becirovic 6, Michael Batiste 12, Andrija Zizic 4, Nikos Hatzivrettas 6, Demos Dikoudis 7, Dimitris Diamantidis 5, Kennedy Winston 0, Sarunas Jasikevicius 12

(17-21, 46-35, 63-48, 74-64)



*****************************************************
U.KINGDOM

National Shield preview -by Dave Ryan
Derby Trailblazers II and Worcester Wolves II will take to the court for the first time in a final on Sunday afternoon when they meet in the Men's National Shield at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester.
Wolves are have the longer tenure of the two clubs in the EBL, as following the promotion of their first team EBL Division 1, a second team was entered into Division Three (West) in 2004. They moved to the midlands section of the for the 2005-6 campaign, and when EBL Division Four was introduced in 2006, they retained their status in the third tier - moving to the southern section. Their first three seasons in the competition saw them win (and lose!) 25 of their 50 games. This season has seen them save their best performances for the Shield, as they currently occupy bottom spot in the able with four wins from 17 games, and having played more matches than their rivals in the bottom half of the table, they will need a major improvement if they are to avoid finishing in the relegation zone.
Trailblazers are in their second year in the National League, having entered Division Four Midlands/South last season. That first campaign saw them finish fifth in the nine team division with seven wins from 16 games. With Trailblazers' first team having gained promotion to Division One, the second team have been strengthened this year, and they are currently top of the table with only one loss - at fellow title contenders Westminster Warriors - in 12 outings, and they are one of three teams vying for the league title.
With Wolves in the higher division they received a bye in the first round, while Trailblazers made light work of West Anglia Fury II - winning 86-38 in King's Lynn. The second round proved particularly sweet for Derby as they face Lunar Mansfield Stars who had already knocked their first team out of the National Cup. Trailblazers upset the formbook by knocking their big spending neighbours out of the competition with a thrilling 87-84 victory. In contrast, the Wolves had little difficulty as they knocked Division Four side UWIC Archers out of the competition with a 67-52 home victory.
The third round saw Wolves receive a bye as Glamorgan Gladiators were unable to raise a team for either of their scheduled visits to the University of Worcester. Meanwhile, Derby gained another third division scalp with an 89-87 victory against Brooke Sports Oxford. Derby trailed 14-13 at the first break, before establishing a 39-32 half-time lead, aided by a pair of three-pointers from Lascelles. Trailblazers saw the lead cut to four at the final break, but they held on take the win. Mike McLeod top scored for Derby, with 27 points,
The quarter-finals saw Trailblazers host holders Leeds met Carnegie, and they progressed with a 98-89 win. Carnegie went into the final break up by two points, but the opening four minutes of the final quarter saw Derby produce their best basketball of the game. An early basket from Simon Allaway was cancelled out by a reply from Holland, before Trailblazers hit 12 without reply, to lead 80-70. That sequence was started and finished by another pair of three-pointers from veteran Tim Lascelles, who converted five of his eight attempts from downtown.
It was over two minutes before either side scored again, with Leeds finally breaking the deadlock through Supola and Holland, who combined for six unanswered points.. A Derby time-out followed, and although Leeds initially closed the gap to 83-79, before a pair of treys from Allaway - who led the Derby scoring with 28 points - saw Derby restore a ten-point lead, after which the result was never really in doubt
Wolves also produced a fine performance to reach the final four, winning 73-63 at Division Three South leaders Southampton Trailblazers. The Fleming Park side led 21-16 at the first break, only to see the Wolves fight back to lead 34-33 at half-time. The teams were knotted at 57 going into the final period, before Worcester finished strongly to wrap up a place in the last four
The semi-final saw Wolves host Bradford Dragons, and eventually won an overtime thriller 80-77. Led by 20 points from Oliver Turner, Wolves led for most of the game - going into the first break 22-20 ahead before stretching that lead to eight at half-time. Dragons fought back to only trail 58-56 at the end of the third period before the sides reached the end of regulation time tied at 69. Ben Potts finished with 19 as Wolves won the extra period 11-8 to reach the final of the competition for the first time. O'Hare led Bradford with 23, while Davis added 16.
Derby made it four wins from four against sides from the next division with a 106-95 victory at London Towers to reach Sunday's final. Trailblazers were 83-69 ahead going into the final period, but some strong play from high-scoring Karolis Stepanovicius and Tom Adorian helped Towers gradually chip away at Derby's advantage and a three point play from Stepanovicius reduced the deficit to 91-88 with four minutes to play. But whilst Towers became more and more riled by the pressure, Derby kept their cool and a trey from Mike McLeod restored a 10 point lead with two minutes left in the game. Towers again cut the gap to five , before Dave Attewell sealed the win from the charity stripe, with four out of six successful free-throws from successive fouls. Simon Allaway finished with 32 points and 6 assists, but a trio of junior players played strong supporting roles. Jake Clulow finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, Damien Cope had eight points and five rebounds, and Mikey Manghum scored nine points as well as dishing off an astonishing 12 assists to his team-mates.

Plymouth reaches the second spot -by Eurobasket News
The Plymouth Raiders secured their 13th win in the BBL season and clinched the second spot in the standings. They beat the Leicester Riders 73:70 in a closely fought clash in Plymouth. The Riders looked better through the major part of the contest. They won three out of quarters and led comfortably 59:51 after 30 minutes of action. The visitors were still up by 4 points in the dying minutes 70:66 but Plymouth made a push for a win. Gaylon Moore (200-F-78, college: Union (TN)) scored a jumper and later Anthony Martin and Andrew Lasker (188-G-82, college: Point Loma) combined for 5 straight free throws to seal the winning outcome for the home team. Andrew Lasker finished with game-high 25 points for the Raiders. Anthony Martin (186-G-80) had 18 points in a win. Terrence Woodyard (206-F/G, college: W.Carolina) answered with 22 points, while Chad McKnight (201-F-84, college: Morehead St.) dropped 15 points in a losing clause.
The Newcastle Eagles kept the leaders' pace with an overwhelming win 112:82 road win over the Cheshire Jets. The Eagles posted a 16:3 lead early in the game and secured a 30:14 buffer after 10 minutes of action. The visitors stretched the advantage to as many as 21 points at the interval and never looked back afterwards. Flournoy notched 20 points to pace Newcastle. Steve Leven (197-G-82, agency: Interperformances, college: Wyoming) scored 17 points for the winners. Jayson Obazuaye (188-G-84, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Colorado) replied with 20 points, while Gianni Costantiello (201-F/C-80, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents, college: Ottawa) added 17 in a loss.
The Guildford Heat managed to outscore the Birmingham Panthers 107:88 at the Spectrum. The teams exchanged massive runs in the opening frame as first the Heat fired 13:1 run to grab the lead. However the Panthers quickly responded with an 18:5 rally of their own to enjoy a 29:24 advantage at the first intermission. Birmingham did not slow down in the second period and extended the margin to 7 points. But the hosts were not about to give this one up. They organized a 19:3 run to cap the third frame and regain a 78:62 lead. Guildford then drove to a confident win and registered their 12th success in the season. Tony Dorsey (200-F-70, college: N.Alabama) scored 24 points. Daniel Sandell (195-G, college: Amer.Internat.) knocked down 21 points for Birmingham.

*****************************************************
U.S.VIRGIN ISL.

Duncan quietly takes over -by David Edole
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News

CLEVELAND — Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest) has been the MVP of the NBA Finals three times. He's won two regular-season MVP awards. Later this week, he will make his 10th consecutive appearance in an NBA All-Star Game.
Depending on how he's classified, some would argue that he is the best power forward in the history of the game.

And yet, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says, he remains underappreciated on his own team.

'There are nights when he'll score 18 points and have 12 rebounds,' Popovich said, 'and we'll look at him like, 'What the hell did you do tonight?' We just come to expect it.'

Duncan has been at his understatedly brilliant best of late.

In 21 games since the start of the new year, Duncan is averaging 21.6 points and 12.9 rebounds. His season scoring average has crept up to 19.8 points, taking over the team lead held alternately this season by Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

Yet it's been Parker and Ginobili who have generated the most headlines of late — the former because of his injured heel, the latter because of a 34-point, 15-rebound opus against Toronto.

All Duncan has done lately is post three consecutive games with at least 21 points and 13 rebounds.

'Tim's a guy we tend to take for granted and ignore,' Popovich said. 'He gets beat up just about every night and he takes it, and he makes it easier for the other guys to play. He really is the center of everything we do.'

Just not the center of attention.

*****************************************************
UKRAINE

The best -by Lena Liashenko
On the results of the Cup of Ukraine Viacheslav Kravtsov (Kyiv) was given award as the best young player among men, Egor Mesheryakov (Azovmash) - Cup Final Four MVP; Rimantas Endrijatis (Sumykhimprom) was recognized as the best coach, Panagiotis Liadellis (Azovmash) - the best guard, Robert Archibald (Azovmash)- the best center and Artur Drozdov (Kyiv)as the best forward.

*****************************************************
URUGUAY

Garcia Morales leads Bigua -by Hector Lopez
Leandro Garcia Morales (186-G-80, college: Texas A&M) netted 10 points in a row, during three minutes, leading Bigua to beat Malvin 85-68. The game was interrupted last week when Bigua was ahead 57-51 with 9.22 remaining, after incidents. Bigua is already classified for the semifinal playoff with numer 1, but Malvin, the last champiosn are near to te eliminated. The two last rounds of the regular season will be played on Friday 15 and Monday 18

The interrupted game MAlvin-Bigua will be continued -by Hector Lopez
The FUBB decided to play the 9.22 minutes remaing in the game Malvin-Bigua, interrupted two weeks ago, after discussions among the referees, the Police and Malvin fans. Bigua waas ahead 57-51. But Malvin was fined with 1.600 dollars.

*****************************************************
VENEZUELA

Steve Logan off for three days -by Wolfgang Lucena
Marinos de Oriente wrote the first name in the list of injuries players. Its imported point guard Steve Logan, could be out for three days due to injured on his knee. 'We will monitor his discomfort, our doctors staff has recommended him to stay away from practices for three days' Domingo Cirigliano, president of the Club
27 years old point Guard Steve Logan from Cleveland, brings to Marinos de Oriente a brilliant basketball experience earned in many basketball leagues, including the NBA and D-league.
Marinos is still moving its local pieces and looking for a shooting guard and center for the upcoming 2008 professional basketball season.




LPB, Federation and referees to reach a deal -by Yelitza La Torre
Professional Basketball League, Venezuela Basketball Federation and the new basketball's Referee National Association; should schedule a meeting looking for agreements to run the upcoming 2008 professional basketball season.
With less than 15 days remaining to open the 2008 season those three professional organizations haven't reach yet a common idea. Rolando Urdaneta, president of the professional league, Carmelo Cortez President of the Venezuela Basketball Federation and David Papo, leader of the referee association, are going to be facing each other on the following days looking solutions to some differences.
Players, coaches, basketball fans, private companies, TV network, etc are waiting for the upcoming and renovated 2008 professional basketball season and hoping that those parties as LPV, FVB and ASONAB, get to final idea for the benefit of the sport they love.




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

Women News

*****************************************************
AUSTRIA - Women

Flying Foxes and Herzogenburg march confidently -by Eurobasket News
Both Flying Foxes and Herzogenburg appeared victorious in the third round of the qualifying round of Austrian Bundesliga. Herzogenburg took on Klosterneuburg and posted a confident 67:51 road win. Klosterneuburg fought bravely but could hardly match their opponents. The visitors grabbed a 26:15 lead after the opening frame. Later Herzogenburg switched to a tighter personal defense and limited the hosts to just 4 points in the second period. Herozgenburg led by as many as 17 points at the break. Nevertheless the home team never gave up and continued to fight it out. They forced the visiting side to numerous mistakes in the third stanza and outscored them 22:19 to trim the deficit a bit. But Herzogenburg quickly retained the initiative and restored an insurmountable distance between the sides. Gabriella Szoke (186-C-68) paced Herzogenburg with 21 points. Humphries drained 17 points for the winners. Sophia Plank (179-G/F-83) responded with 24 points for Klosterneuburg. Viktoria Prudnikova (195-C-65) nailed 8 points in a loss.
Flying Foxes overcame Wels in an interesting clash away from home. Wels tried to maintain their opponents defensively in the first frame and it worked out as the Foxes managed just 15 points. But Wels were not too successful on the other end of the floor coming up with 12 points and trailing by 3 after 10 minutes. The visitors held Wels to 8 points in the second quarter and built a 29:20 lead at halftime. Finally the teams broke the scoring drought after the break teaming up for 46 points in the third period. Flying Foxes were once again better offensively as they stretched the advantage to 15 points heading into the fourth period. Wels could not recover at the final moments and lost the battle. Esmary Vargas (191-C-81, agency: Next Level, college: Emporia St.) provided 21 points for the Foxes. Martina Remler (185-F/C-75) had 19 points for the winners.

*****************************************************
GERMANY - Women

Davidson earns contract-extension at Marburg -by Moritz Korff
DBBL-side BC pharmaserv Marburg has announced to have come to an agreement with Amanda Davidson (170-G-83, college: Indianapolis) to extend the contract for one more season. Thus, Davidson will also spend the 2008-2009 campaign as a member of the Blue Dolphins. Up to now Davidson, who came to Marburg from TSV Noerdlingen in summer, has averaged 14.9 points, 3.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 14 games of this current season.

*****************************************************
ISRAEL - Women

Round 17th first team -by Gil Goshen






Round 17 MVP - Sheri Sam
Led her team to win the give vs. Ramay Hsharon. had 22 points.
Round 17 First Team

Bat El Lazmi - Help her team to win the game vs. Ramat Hsharon with 9 points.

Shiran Zairy - scored a season high of 17 points in Holon's big win over Ramat Hen, added 4 assists, 2 steals .

Dionnah Jackson - 31 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes as Bnei Yehuda overcame Tel Kabir in O.T

Sheri Sam - led Ashdod to win at Ramat Hasharon with 22 points.

Michelle Woods - 32 points including three 3-pointers on great shooting and 8 boards and 5 steals .
Shiran Zairy (170-G-86)

*****************************************************
NORWAY - Women

Ullern wastes the chance to close on Gimle -by Eurobasket News
Ullern got a major setback in their race for the top spot in the Kvinneligaen. They visited Baerums Verk and suffered a 58:73 loss that denied their chance to close the distance on the league-leading Gimle. The hosts meanwhile improved to 7-3 record just a point away from the second-ranked Ullern. Baerums Verk got to a slightly better start of the game and kept in front throughout the first stanza. They led 18:16 after 10 minutes of action and the gap reached 4 points at halftime 37:33. Ullern tried to stay at a striking distance but the lead inevitably grew throughout the third period. The visitors managed just 12 points in the quarter but still trailed by only 6 points heading into the fourth term. Nevertheless the hosts proved the difference in the final minutes. They raised the tempo and Ullern could not match it. Baerums Verk celebrated an important victory and occupied the third spot in the ladder. Nanna Sand (-77, college: Arizona St.) was impressive with 34 points and 14 boards for Baerums Verk. Karianne Oysted posted 11 points for the winners. Ingvild Knudsen (-77) answered with 24 points for Ullern. Tori Halvorsen scored 16 points in a losing effort. The home team outrebounded the visitors 39:30 and held those to 33% accuracy from the field.
Ammerud came from behind in the fourth term to stun Nordstrand away from home 66:64. Nordstrand overcame a sloppy first period to accumulate a 50:42 lead entering the final frame. But Anne Tryggestad and Ingrid Engebretsen (178-F-82) ensured the winning outcome for the visiting side in the crunch time. Ingrid Engebretsen registered 16 points for Ammerud. Tiffany Lopes had 12 points, while Anne Tryggestad tallied 10 points and 11 boards for the Queens. Ellen Aas notched game-high 25 points for Nordstrand. Kari Theting dropped 18 points in defeat.

*****************************************************
RUSSIA - Women

BC Moscow grabs the 11th win in the season -by Eurobasket News
BC Moscow improved to 11-4 record in the Superleague standings after a hard-fought win over Shelen away from home. Moscow outfit had to make a trip to Krasnoyarsk to face Shelen and the visitors looked weary in the opening stanza. Shelen capitalized picking up a 22:19 lead. But BC Moscow eventually took over and surged ahead in the second quarter. Monique Currie (183-G/F-83, agency: Ronsport, college: Duke) paced her teammates to a 45:39 halftime lead. Shelen refused to surrender and trimmed the difference to just 4 points after 30 minutes of action. But BC Moscow withstood and celebrated a narrow win in a high-scoring fourth period 93:86. Monique Currie shone for the visitors with game-high 31 points. Plenette Pierson (188-F/C-81, college: Texas Tech) contributed 15 points, while Milena Vukicevic (188-F/C-80) and Elena Danilochkina (184-G-86) added 13 points apiece for the winners. Kseniia Kolosovskaia (179-G-82) answered with 27 points and 11 steals for the home side. Natalya Myasoedova (192-C-87) delivered 22 points in defeat.
Dynamo Kurks clinched the 7th success in the season as they bumped Spartak Saint Petersburg 92:74 on the road. Dynamo dominated from the start as they accumulated a 26:21 lead after 10 minutes. The margin grew to 15 points at the interval as Dynamo Kurks completely controlled the tempo of the game. Spartak lost at every corner of the court and trailed by as many as 21 points heading into the fourth period. The hosts were unable to recover and lost the 13th game in the season. Svetlana Makhlina (180-G-85) scored 15 points for Dynamo. Anastasia Bocharova (180-F-77) produced 13 points and 9 boards, while Natalja Vedlya (193-C-80) crafted 12 points in a winning case. Natalia Alekseeva (190-C-72) and Olga Speranskaya (178-G-78) notched 19 points apiece for Spartak. Grishina tallied 12 points for the home side.

*****************************************************
SWITZERLAND - Women

Round 18 wrap up -by Eurobasket News
The latest round of Swiss LNA brought little surprises as all the leaders gained predictable victories. Neuchatel improved to 17-1 record as they beat Pully 104:61 away from home. The dominance of the visitors was obvious throughout the game. Neuchatel outscored their opponents 29:14 in the first frame and extended the lead to 16 points at halftime. Pully ran out of steam shortly after the start of the second half and Neuchatel easily ran away to an unassailable distance. Nina Crelot (170-G/F-87) finished the game with 24 points. Taisiia Bovykina (190-C-89, agency: LBM Management) contributed 20 points for the winners. Raeven King (175-G/F-81, college: Wichita St.) answered with game-high 26 points for Pully. Fatou Kine N'Diaye (198-C-85) notched 13 points and 22 boards in the 18th consecutive loss for the home team.
BBC also played on the road and handled Meyrin 87:63. The teams were all square at 16 after the starting stanza but BBC stepped on the gas in the second term and claimed a decisive 39:26 lead at halftime. The visitors never looked back in the second half and cruised to their 15th win in the season. Lori Crisman (186-C/F-82, college: W.Michigan) provided 21 points, 10 boards and 7 assists for BBC. Lara Donnet (155-G-88) added 12 points in a winning case. Meyrin slipped to 5-13 record despite 22 points from Jessica Chevillat (165-G-87).
Riva Basket were also victorious bruising Fribourg 81:70 at home court. The outcome was pretty clear by the main break as Riva Basket accumulated a 42:26 advantage at the interval. Fribourg won the second half 44:39 but it had little impact on the final result. Jocelyn Logan-Friend (189-F/C-83, college: Virginia) dropped 20 points for Riva Basket. Jessica Smith (183-F/C-85, college: Stony Brook) tallied 19 points and 9 boards for the hosts. Simona Soda (185-F-74) answered with 24 points for Fribourg.

*****************************************************
U.KINGDOM - Women

Hatters and Rebels warm up for big clash -by Dave Ryan
The top two in Women's Division One, Rhondda Rebels and City of Sheffield Hatters, will look to maintain their perfect league records as they build towards next week's top-of-the-table showdown in Sheffield with home games on Saturday.
Rebels host a Sevenoaks Suns side who have found the transition to life in Division One - with their two wins from 13 outings both coming against basement side London Towers. When the sides met in early December, Andrea Congreaves side strolled to a 111-36. victory in Kent. The game was over as a contest by the end of the first period as the visiting Rebels side rushed into a 29-4 lead, and by half-time they were 54-15 ahead. The third period saw Rhondda outscore the home side 31-17, and the victory was wrapped up with a 26-4 final stanza. Martina Gandzalova (25), teenager and former Sun Harriet Yea (24), and Kirby Copeland (20) did most of the damage for Rebels, while Arek Deng was the only Sun in double figures with ten points.
Hatters will look to make it a hat-trick of victories against Team Northumbria when the sides met at All Saints High School. While Hatters have a perfect 11-0 record, third placed Northumbria have won nine of their 14 league games.
The teams met in the last 16 of the National Cup, with Hatter eventually winning 91-79 away fro home. Led by 30 points from American Jaye Colbert, the home side led 20-19 at the first break but went into the locker room at half time trailing 40-36 after a strong quarter from Betty Codona's team.
Hatters extended that lead by a point in the third period to lead 66-61 at the final break before stepping up in the fourth quarter to outscore the hosts by seven. Loui Hall added 24 for Northumbria, while Stephanie Gandy (right) led all scorers with 31 for the Hatters. Helen Naylor added 25 for Sheffield, while Karoline Zagorna chipped in with 19 for the Hatters
Led by Hall's 25 points, Northumbria made Hatters fight all the way again when the teams met in league action - Sheffield eventually winning 66-59. The visitors led 49-44 going into the final quarter, and Hatters opened the fourth with a three pointer from Great Britain's starting point guard Lisa Hutchinson (173-G-83), but the hosts went back to Hall who hit two buckets closing the gap to four points. Sheffield again responded. Northumbria had found new heart and pride in the second half and they again closed the gap to four points. It was a margin that Northumbria could not overcome as two free throws from the visitors sealed the final margin as Northumbria lost their second league game of the season. Stephanie Gandy led all scorers with 26 points, with Zagorna adding 10, while Zoe Vickers also scored ten for the hosts.
It's fourth versus fifth at the Nottingham Wildcat Arena, where the home side face Manchester Mystics. The home side have eight wins from 12 games, while Mystics are 7-5, and both sides still have reasonable hopes of a home play-off spot.
Wildcats will look to continue their good run, and gain revenge for their 82-70 loss against the Mystics in December meeting between the teams. Led by 22 points Joanna Clayden and 21 from Georgia Jones the home went into the locker room at half tome 43-35 aheadafter a brilliant half court shot at the buzzer by Amelia Reynolds.
The scoring was even throughout the third quarter, but the Mystics got a lift off their bench from Kelsey Bardsley who scored a key three pointer and as well as a pair of free throws to end the quarter with the Mystics up 59-52. The fourth final periord was tight all the way through as Manchester was only up four points with 23 seconds left. Jones scored on consecutive possessions with a lay-up and then two free throws. The Mystics got two more lay-ups in the remaining seconds to end the game winning by 12 points.
Jill Glessner led the visitors with 22 and seven rebounds, while Hannah Shaw and Kate Butters chipped in with 16 and 15 respectively.
The league games between the sides last season both proved to be close affairs won by the visitors. Nottingham won 68-58 at the Amaechi Centre in October, before Mystics gained revenge with a thrilling 71-70 win in January.
London Towers are still searching for their first league victory of the campaign after 12 attempts, and things don't get any easier for the capital team as they host a UWIC Archers side who are sixth in the table with a 6-6 record.
The sides met for the first time in December and 20 points from Stephanie Collins helped Archers picked up their second win of the season with a comfortable 86-43 victory. The Welsh side built on their 21-11 first period lead to go into the locker room 40-23 ahead. The game was effectively over by the end of the third period as Archers led 62-31, and they outscored Towers 24-12 in the final stanza to wrap up the win. Morton was the only Tower in double figures with 13.