EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 2/19/2008

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Men News

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BAHRAIN

Nuwaidrat Win Hala in 2OT -by Walter Neto
NUWAIDRAT held on for a thrilling 102-97 double-overtime victory over Al Hala last night in the Bahrain Basketball League. Towering American professional Wayne Houston (205-F-73, college: S.Indiana) scored 30 points to lead his team to the grueling victory, which was their ninth of the season.

Wayne Houston played an important role in this historical win for the Nuwaidrat franchise, finishing the game with 30 points and scoring key baskets and free-throws in the final seconds of the 2nd overtme, where the victors outscored their rivals 15-10 to seal the win. Also coming up big for Nuwaidrat were court general Hussain Taqi , Murad, Mohammed Saad and small forward Hussain Ali. Wayne Houston this season has proven to be a versatile player, a positive role model and an asset to Nuwaidrat players and to the Bahrain Basketball League.

The Walter Carvalho-coached winners came back from down 31-43 at half-time to forge a 55-all tie heading into the final period, and then remained deadlocked at 76-apiece at the end of regulation. It was again tied at 87-all after the first overtime, forcing the additional five-minute period. Hala's Nigerian centre Boniface Edeghe paced his squad with a game-high 34 markers in the losing effort.

The result kept alive Nuwaidrat's hopes for a place in the Golden Square semi-final round, while shattering Hala's chances as coach Ahmed Salman's team dropped their eighth game.
In yesterday's other game, Rah-Shaun Roberts led all scorers with 33 points to lead Muharraq to an 88-42 domination of Isa Town.

The winners clinched their 10th win of the year and solidified their hold of third place on the table, while Isa Town registered their 12th loss of the year. Basem Ali was their top scorer with nine points.

Al Ahli remained in first place with 13 victories after thrashing winless Bahrain Club 111-80 late Sunday evening. The defending champions had big performances from Hussain Taqi, Ahmed Malallah, and professional Jamal Holden.

In another game Sunday, cup holders Manama overcame a tough challenge from Ettihad to win their contest 82-76.
Source:GDN

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BALTIC LEAGUE

Challenge Cup is ready for Final Four -by Eurobasket News

Challenge Cup Final Four will be held on 29th of February and 1st of March. Nevezis Kedainiai and Panevezys Techasas will play in the first semifinal, while VEF Riga will meet Liepajas Lauvas in the second. This means that we will enjoy the Lithuanian and Latvian battles in the semis and the Final will consist of Lithuanian-Latvian squads.

Liepajas Lauvas captured a ticket to the Final Four by overcoming Suduva/Arvi 92:62. Mareks Jurevicus (198-F-85) scored 18 points in this crucial contest. The team won 5 games in a row to reach the Final Four. VEF Riga finished the season with 15-5 with the last 4 games won.

Nevezis Kedainiai is the favorite as the team finished the season on the first spot even though the team has the same record, 15-5 with VEF Riga. Nevezis Kedainiai won the last 6 games including 85:89 in the last game over Triobet. Its opponent Panevezys Techasas stayed on top for some time in the League but finished with three losses in a row. The team however was lucky to advance with 12-8 record, the one that 2 other teams had but did not qualify.

Estonia will not be represented in the last stage of the tournament as two teams from the country finished far behind from the first four. Dalkia/Nybit with 8-12 finished on the 9th spot, while Tar.Fausto with 4-16 on the 10th.
The venue of the Final Four is to be decided.



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BRIT.V.ISLANDS

Penn had 15 blocks in two games -by David Edole
Kleon Penn (211-C-86) had seven blocks in the game to go along with his eight last game, giving him a total of 15 in the last two games as the Cowboys became only the second conference team to beat Texas-Arlington on their home court by a score of 74-69.
The Cowboys improve to 10-12 on the year, 4-6 in Southland action while the Mavericks fall to 16-8, 5-6 in SLC play.
'This was our first road win in conference play,' said Cowboys coach Dave Simmons, 'all the kids gave a tremendous effort tonight.'
The Cowboys led 38-35 at the half while never letting the Mavericks within four points once the second half began.

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COLOMBIA

Norbey Aragon to Guaiqueries in Venezuela's LPB -by Victor Garcia
Colombian SG/SF, Norbey Aragon arrived to Venezuela on Sunday as new player of the Venezuela's LPB Champion Guaiqueires de Margarita, Aragon played in the last CBF Cup with Arrieros de Antioquia and was one its most important players.
Aragon played in the USA College Basketball with Lon Morris JC , Tarleton St and Georgia Southwestern, Aragon is a versatile and skilled Guard/Forward very athletic quick and good shooter.

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CUBA

LSB-time and Cuban Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana
LSB-Time in Cuba, Ciego de Avila and Capitalinos won their own games and They are sure to be qualified for the LSB Semifinals as Guantanamo. Guantanamo was 'the surprise of this season', Guantanamo is still 'the leader' of the LSB with a 15-5 standings with a great Henry Simon (199-F-79), one of the best players in Cuba, a candidate to win the 'LSB Best Player 2008' Award. Guantanamo was defeated by Camaguey 99-73. Camaguey is still fighting to reach the fourth place to qualify for the LSB Semifinals but Matanzas seems to have something more, thanks to great players as Allens Jemmott (193-G-80) and Danys Torrientes (190-G-85). Camaguey was defeated also by Villa Clara last week and with a 10-10 standings is very difficult to reach the 4th place.
The Results:
Ciego de Avila- Metropolitanos= 87-77 ( CAV= Perez 19, Silvestre 18, Granda 11; M= Borlot 17, Dube 13)
Camaguey- Guantanamo= 68-76 (C= Polas 17, Jaca 14; G= Simon 21, Elias 15, Castilla 9)
Villa Clara- Santiago de Cuba= 99-104 (VC= Rodriguez A. 25, Rodriguez 22; S= Del Toro 27, Echevarria 25, Martinez 23)
Ciego de Avila- Metropolitanos= 84-60 (CAV= Granda 15, Silvestre 13, Reyes 13; M= Casanas 12, Cairo 8)
Camaguey- Guantanamo= 99-73 (C= Polas 21, Jaca 19, Batista 15; G= Simon 23, Elias 19)
Villa Clara- Santiago de Cuba= 106-108 (VC= Rodriguez A. 24, Rodriguez L. 16; S= Del Toro 33, Martinez 20, Garcia 16)
Villa Clara- Camaguey= 55-90 (VC= Boffill 10, Arcia 10; C= Ramos 20, Polas 15, Francis 14)
Guantanamo- Santiago de Cuba= 82-68 (G= Simon 23, Elias 18, Masso 16; S= Martinez 24, Area 12)
Metropolitanos- Capitalinos= 75-88 (M= Borlot 15, Muniz 14; C= Valdes 18, leguen 17, Lima 17)
Villa Clara- Camaguey= 77-67 (VC= Boffill 22, Rodriguez L. 14, Rodriguez A. 9; C= Jaca 17, Jimenez 14)
Guantanamo- Santiago de Cuba= 104-92 (G= Simon 25, Pons 15, Soria 14; S= Caballero 32, Martinez 25)

CUBAN ABROAD
Lazaro Borrell's team, Obras was defeated two times last week end in Argentina. Obras was defeated by Atenas 80-73. For Lazaro Borrell 6 pts (3/12 2pts, 0/2 FT) and 9 rebs in 26 minutes. In the second game Obras was defeated by Quisma 99-75. For Borrell 8 pts (2/7 2pts, 0/1 3pts, 4/4 FT) and 4 rebs in 22 minutes. Obras has now a 20-12 standings and They are at the fourth place of the Liga. Lazaro Borrell is scoring 16.8 ppg.A.Fontana

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CYPRUS

AEL: the road to success continues - European Pre-Game analysis -by Chris Mammides
Both AEL and Khimik did a great job until now in the EuroCup but the Cyprus site has a home court advantage in the EuroCup quarter-final round, the Limassol team is enjoying a spectacular rise from the FIBA Europe Regional Challenge Cup to Eurocup's quarter-final and together with the Yellow fan element seems to be closer than ever to a possible qualification in the final four of the competition which could be taking place in Limassol. The Limassol team will possibly submit its application to host the specific prestigious event.

This new phase is also spiced up by some roster moves as the Croat Sundov is already history and the Dutch Van de Hare arrived in the island to take over the air traffic of the team. Whatever cannot be predicted, it is safe to say that a road win by the Ukrainians of Khimik is not really very easy as few teams travel to the island to play AEL and come away with a victory and that bodes well for the forthcoming eighth-finals showdown with Khimik since the first and third game (if necessary) will be in Limassol. Virtus Bologna, Estudiantes, Azovmash, Asvel Villeurbanne, Spartak St Petersburg are some of the teams visited the island and lost. Much of the credit should go to coach Charles Barton, who came in when the team wasn't playing well and helped stabilize things, moreover, with his experience all these years he added his own philosophy and style in the team. The star of the team and the top performer is the Serbian (who is becoming more and more Cypriot after so many years in the island) Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82), Aleksic is currently the third leading scorer in the Eurocup with 18.6 points per game. Milutin is a great athlete and has a lot of energy and passion which helps his team-mates upon difficult situations, if Milutin is in a good day tomorrow then Khimik will be in a not so good situation.
Khimik is currently at the fourth positioning the Ukrainian league, beaten by Barons in their penultimate game after blowing a big fourth quarter lead, the Ukrainian team kept its focus and won a do-or-die showdown against pre-tournament favourites Lokomotiv Rostov.
Among his top performers is a player that passed by the Limassol courts, the American Wykeen Kelly, the experienced guard was a huge reason for Khimik's success in Group D. The talented American is averaged nearly 14 points per game, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Furthermore, the top scorer of the team is the Serbian Sasa Bratic, an all around forward who can shoot, dribble, rebound and assist with the same forbearance, he is averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists per game, his strong point is his parameter shot and his very strong first step in the penetration.
Everyone is 0-0 again, so may the best teams win - by proving it on the court!
Eurobasket.com is wishing all the best to the Cyprus site.

No unknowns for Cyprus on road to EuroBasket 2009 -by Nemanja Bjedov
The draws for the EuroBasket 2009 Divisions A and B, EuroBasket Women 2009 Qualifying Rounds and the Youth European Championships 2008 took place over the weekend in Venice.

A total of 78 teams in six senior level divisions and 221 youth teams that entered the 14 youth championships this year were anxious to find out what opposition they would have to face.

The Cypriot national men's basketball team will compete in the EuroBasket 2009 Division B Qualifying Round Group B against Romania, Switzerland, Albania and Belarus. The Cypriots open their European campaign against Romania away from home on the September 6th, while four days later they host Switzerland.

Cyprus already played both Romania and Switzerland in the qualifications for the last European championship and suffered four defeats. Romania won 79-64 in Cluj-Napoca, while in Strovolos they topped the hosts 68-65. Led by Thabo Sefolosha of the Chicago Bulls, Switzerland also beat Cyprus on both occasions 64-46 in Nicosia and 76-67 in Switzerland. The Cypriot national basketball team faced the other two teams in the group, Albania and England, in the qualifications for the EuroBasket 2005.

The U16 National Team will feature at the FIBA U16 European Championship Men's Division B that will be held in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, from 15th to 24th of August. Cyprus was drawn into the Group C together with Romania, Switzerland, Slovenia, England and Bulgaria who will also be the first opponents for the Cypriot youngsters.

SOURCE: CyBasketball.com

AEL's changes -by Chris Mammides
Proteas EKA AEL just after the first title of the seazon proceeded in some major changes, the succesfull Croat center Bruno Sundov (220-C-80) will continue his career in the Spanish league as both parties, the club and the player decided to split ways with the most friendly way as the Croat will be playing in a m,uch better league than the Cypriot one. The Limassol club a day after this change proceeded in another transfer as the ex giant from the Netherlands, Remon Van de Hare (222-C-82) is returning in the Cyprus team after nearly six months.
Further to the above news, the veteran captain of the team, Christos Spirou (183-G-75) will retire right after the European game (Fiba Europe Cup) against the Ukrainian Kimik, a game which will take place tomorrow at the Melford arena. Spyrou, played for 8 years in the Limassol team while before that he was playing in PAO Limassol and Achilleas Agrou. Spyrou was AEL's captain during the amazing year of 2003, when the Cyprus team made proud the island after succeeding to win the european title. Spirou will stay in the team as he will be joining the women's team as an assistant coah of Linos Gabriel .

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CZECH REP.

Market news -by Ondra Simecek
Geofin Novy Jicin continues in searching for a player to replace McMillian who did not come back from the Christmas holiday. After releasing Mario Bennet from the try out, Geofin is now signing trial with Kenny Walker (206-F/C-80, college: Alabama), who is coming to the Czech Republic from French ProA.
BK Pardubice is not signing a contract with Konstantinos Stavropoulos after his try out. The club decided to release Danilo Smigic, who did not become a backup for Levell Sanders on point guard as it was expected.

Nymburk improves to 28-1 record -by Ondra Simecek

In the games that were played yesterday Nymburk improved to 28-1 record after a road 54:83 win over BK Kondoři Liberec. The first quarter was a disaster for the hosts that lost 2:24. Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-78, college: St.Cloud St.) led the winners with 23 points. Jan Pastyrik (208-C-83) ended up with 16 points in the losing clause. Kolin beat Usti Labem 98:66, Ostrava overcame USK Praha 77:69. Decin was stronger than Sadska 100:70 and Prostejov won over A Plus 102:74.

In last game o 29th round Mattoni NBL Pardubice won 77-59 over Novy Jicin. Geofin scored first points as last as 6th minute and lost first quarter 30-5. Home team had edge over visitors more than 30 points, but later in the game Pardubice lost concentration and Geofin revised score. Very good performance in winner‘s team demonstrated Kamaldin Gamma (10 pts and 9 rebounds) and Jiri Novotny (16 pts). Robert Sarovic in Geofin's jersey ended up game with 17 points (message from Geofin by Radek Horak)
Czech Republic will play in Group D in the next EuroBasket that will take place in Poland from 7th through 20th September 2009. So the draw of the qualifying stage in Division A was held in Italy. Seventeen teams were distributed into 4 groups. Three groups will comprise 4 teams and one will consist of 5 contenders. The top team in each group and three more best-ranked squads will automatically qualify for EuroBasket. One more spot will be raffled off in an additional qualifying tournament.
Group A drawn together Italy and Serbia that will definitely fight for the top spot. Alongside this obvious favorites Bulgaria will try to make impact. Hungary and Finland can also come up with some sort of surprises.
Group B will enjoy the battle of last EuroBasket participants Latvia and Portugal clash together. Macedonia and Estonia will also fight for the lucky ticket.
Group C seems as the toughest possible one. Turkey and France are obvious favorites, while Ukraine and Belgium are ambitious teams that are capable of sensation at this stage.
Group D brought together Czech Republic, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Great Britain.
The draw of the preliminary round of U20 European championship was performed in Venice, Italy. Division B tournament will take place in Targu Mures, Romania in early August. The teams were distributed in 4 groups with 5 teams in Groups A, B and C and 4 teams in Group D. Two best teams out of each group will advance to the qualifying round. In Group B Czech Republic will play against Ireland, Germany, Sweden and Azerbaijan.



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DENMARK

Bakken grab two wins in Basketligaen -by Eurobasket News
The Bakken Bears wrapped up a successful week in Basketligaen. They recorded two victories in 3 days and remained on top of the ladder at 19-2 record. They opened up their week with a 100:90 win over Horsens. The fifth-ranked visitors were never intimidated at the hostile dwelling and clinched a 26:22 lead after the opening frame. The Bears stayed at a striking distance but were unable to come any closer to Horsens throughout the second stanza. But the hosts' defense was the key to success. Bakken tightened the pressure and it paid off after the break as the Bears limited their opponents to 12 points and surged ahead 66:63 at the end of the third period. The teams fired from all guns in the fourth as they combined for 61 points but the Bears were a bit more accurate as they celebrated an impressive 100:90 win. Jason Siggers (193-G/F-85, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Albany) came up with 26 points for Bakken. Chris Christoffersen (218-C-79, college: Oregon) and Nicolai Iversen (204-F-80, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: San Jose City JC) dropped 16 points apiece for the winners. Spencer Ross (181-G-81, college: Queens (NC)) paced Horsens with 28 points in their 13th loss in the season.
Bakken extended their winning streak in two days as they bruised SISU 85:66 away from home. And here the Bears had to overcome a sloppy start to the game to finally register a win. SISU used a low accuracy from the visitors to jump to 19:13 lead after 10 minutes. But the Bears denied the deficit easily in the second quarter and opened up a double-digit lead after the intermission. SISU were unable to revive the intrigue in the late stages. Nicolai Iversen scored 18 points for Bakken. Jason Siggers had 15 points in a winning effort. Trent Wurtz (203-F-83, college: Indiana St.) and Andreas Heinung (179-G-84) notched 15 points apiece in defeat.

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Honka - Kataja 86-80 -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 33-34: Honka (Espoo) defeated Kataja (Joensuu) 86-80 on Monday's TV-game. Honka got a slow start (1st quarter 19-29),
but won all three other quarters and the contest. Honka had all starters in double (13-21 pts) figures. Matt Williams (200-F-77, college: Montana) led Honka both in pts (21) and in rbs (11). Kataja won the rbs 27-38, but had 18 TOs (Honka only seven). Louis Hinnant (193-G-84, college: Boston Coll.) scored 22 pts for Kataja.

Honka - Kataja 86-80 (37-46) (Matt Williams 21/11, Jukka Matinen 15 - Louis Hinnant 22, Andre Foreman 19).



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FYR MACEDONIA

Results from Round 17 in the Second league -by Todor Chalovski
Results from Round 17 in the Second league

POP SPORT VSA - HERAKLEA 74:68,
TORUS - GOCE DELCHEV 77:82,
ABA - VARDAR CENTAR 80:84,
TETEKS - PLEJMEJKER KUBUS 69:68,
KOZUV - NEGOTINO 96:79.


Summary of Round 21 in the First league -by Todor Chalovski
Strumica 2005 beat Fersped Rabotnicki 97:81 in derby match in the Round 21 od the First Macedonian basketball league.
Macedonian champions gained their third win of the season against their opponents, which gives them a 1:0 lead if they meet in the playoffs.
Damir Latovic scored 24, while Dime Tasovski added 21 for the champions.

Feni Industri continued their winning streak, beating Vardar Osiguruvanje 76:65.
Kavadarci team did not let their opponents to cause an upset, taking their opportunities after Vardar Osiguruvanje's veteran forward Pero Blazevski went out injured in the first half.
Donald Cole was Feni Industri's top scorer with 14 points, while all of his teammates, who played in this match, put their names on the scoresheet.

MZT FON Skopje won against Ama for the first time this season, beating their opponents 77:66 in their first home game of 2008.
Marjan Lazovski team built most of its lead in the third quarter, led by Muhamed Thaci, who became top scorer of this round with 30 points.

Swisslion Pelister avoided a huge upset at home, beating bottom of the league Karpos Sokoli 2000 87:79.
Away team, led by Sasko Vasilev and Edis Nuri, played an excellent first quarter, and kep their team in the game until the third period. Still, they sufferd their narrowest defeat of the season, going down 79:87.
Keoni Watson scored 27 points for Swisslion Pelister, one les than the game's top scored, Sasko Vasilev from Karpos Sokoli 2000, who scored 28.

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GEORGIA

Jovan Stefanov 15 points in 3 minutes / Giorgi Shermadini - MVP -by Levan Mikeladze

Energy Invest finally beats TSU


After two consecutive losses against TSU (cup and regular season) leading Georgian team, Energy, managed to beat TSU. For Energy nice show had experienced Zviadi Babiashvili (200-F-78) with 23 points and 12 rebounds and Jovan Stefanov (208-F-83, college: Ill.-Chicago) with 21 point, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. For TSU excellent game had Davit Barbakadze (204-F-82) he scored 22 points and Shalva Khetsuriani (197-G/F-83) came up with 19.

With the score 84:84 and 3:25 seconds left on the clock in the second half Jovan Stefanov entered the game and scored his final 15 points to seal the game (that included a three pointer four lay-ups and four free throws).


Avia's fourth quarter comeback secures an important win


At the end of the third quarter Dinamo had a solid lead of 12 points, but that wasn't enough. Avia's great shooting in the final period of the game was main weapon for this win. Final score was 94:86 in favor of Avia. Konstantine Tugushi (193-G-84) had another great game, while Viktor Sanikidze's (203-F-86) help did not result in a win. After the game there was a big quarrel between the Dinamo's coach players and referees. Luckily everything was resolved peacefully.


Shermadini GREAT again...

Vita is playing well as of late. This time it was a close 75:73 win over Maccabi that proved that. Vita was led by Mikheil Berishvili (205-F-87, agency: Naiditch Entertainment) 21 points and 7 rebounds and Giorgi Markhvashvili (190-G-85) 19 points.

On the other end Giorgi Shermadini (216-C-89, agency: Life Sports) had 47 points and 15 rebound. It is this season's new scoring record. This young man seems like he is getting in a real good shape and looks like he is ready for this year's NBA draft. However that wasn't enough for his struggling team. Maccabi just doesn't have anyone else to help him. Giorgi Shermadini was named as MVP of this round.



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GERMANY

Bundesliga News -by Moritz Korff
Demond Greene (185-G-79, agency: Court Side) of Brose Baskets Bamberg has suffered a fatigue fracture in the left foot. The German International will miss up to ten weeks because of the injury. The Bamberg officials are now looking for a replacement.

BG 74 Goettingen has parted with Nigel Moore (191-F/G-81, college: Alabama A&M). The 26-year-old left the town Sunday. He appeared in 18 Bundesliga-games this season and averaged 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists.

Derrick Taylor new Head Coach in Bayreuth -by Moritz Korff
Derrick Taylor has been promoted to Head Coach of BBC Bayreuth (2. Bundesliga Pro A) today. He will make that job for the remainder of this current season. The 44-year-old American with German passport previously worked as the Coordinator of the clubs' youth-program and as an Assistant of Marco Amelow who stepped back from his position after the loss against Cuxhaven. Taylor enjoyed an outstanding career as a player in the USA, Germany, France and Italy and retired in 2004, but made a comeback in the following season. He served as the Head Coach of TSV Breitenguessbach during the 2004-2005 season and was a member of the coaching squad of Brose Baskets Bamberg the following two years. In 2007 Taylor returned to Bayreuth, where had spent three seasons as a player from 1993 to 1996.

Regionalliga Notes -by Moritz Korff
North:
#1 P4two Ballers Osnabrueck got back on track after last weeks' loss against Hannover and crashed #3 Lok Bernau 82:69 on the road to keep the lead in the North-division. Osnabrueck's Lamar Morinia (183-G-81, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Montana St.-Northern) led all scores with 22 points, Jason Boone (198-F/C-85, college: New York U.) added 11 points for Bernau in defeat. Also runner-up UBC Hannover came up with a big away-win. The Tigers stormed past SG Wolfenbuettel 114:78 and were paced by Tim Haley (188-G-82, college: Chico St.) who netted 30 points, Jason Van Eck (197-G/F-83, college: Chico St.) added 27. Wolfenbuettel got 22 points from Junior Denson (180-G-85, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement). BG Magdeburg edged SC Rist Wedel 86:80 and improved to an 8:8-record. Peter Van Rij (206-C-76, agency: Court Side, college: Charleston So.) and Bennie Miller (183-G) each collected 18 points for the Febro Eagles, Stacy Pearson-Taylor (198-F-83, college: Bemidji St.) had 37 points (including 4 treys) for Rist in the loss. The Itzehoe Eagles held off EBC Rostock at home (110:93) to change places in the ladder. Itzehoe's John Waller (193-F-82, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: ODU) drilled in 5 shots from beyond the arc to finish the game with 39 points, his teammate Ivan Jenkins (180-G-83, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Lambuth) added 27, while Robert Schmidt (190-G/F-82) scored 28 for Rostock that had parted with Coach Bjoern Barchmann prior to the game. 37 games (6 threes) by Eddie Jackson (183-G-84, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Pittsburg St.) helped the Aschersleben Tigers defeating Central Hoops Berlin 72:65. Daniel Hoenicke (201-F/C-79) had 14 points for Berlin in the losing effort.

West:
League-leading Schwelmer Baskets clinched another victory and overcame BG Suedpark Bochum 99:94. Though suffering an injury during the game Kristofer Speier (206-F-81, college: Lewis-Clark) made some big points for Schwelm in the last quarter. He had 22 totally, Keith Harris (196-G/F-85, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: Oklahoma Christian) added 26 points, including 5 triples. Bochum was once again led by Parrish Brown (185-G, college: Maryland) who dropped 31 points in the loss, Cory McJimson (201-F-84, college: Northwood) only had two points less than his fellow countryman. Meanwhile, SVD Dortmund gained an easy triumph against Meckenheimer TuS (107:67) and had 6 players in double-digits scoring, led by Frank Benson (196-F, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: Oklahoma Baptist) with 27 points. He and Gary Johnson (188-G-82, college: Cent.Florida) combined for ten treys and 50 points. The Elephants Grevenbroich secured their third spot in the ladder by defeating GV Waltrop 98:69. Grevenbroich's Brian Graves (188-G, college: Catawba) posted an impressive triple-double with 30 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, Timo Verwimp (202-F-81, college: Catawba) added 18 points, Chris Wooldridge (198-F, college: Catawba) had 17 pts, 5 rbs, while Andre Bynum (188-G-82, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Radford) produced 14 points plus 13 boards. Even without Dustin Pfeifer (173-G-83, college: Findlay (OH)), who moved to Hertener Loewen (2. Bundesliga Pro B) last week, the Benslips Baskets Salzkotten were able to hold off BBV Hagen 82:76. BSV Wulfen overcame Capone Duesseldorf in a 89:77-away win and finally secured to stay in the league. BSV-Wing Robert Franklin (195-F-81, college: N.Mexico Highlands) topscored with 25 points. The NVV LIons Moenchengladbach cruised to a 95:56-win past the Bergheim Bandits. Brad Shove (183-G, college: St.Rose (NY)) scored 26 points for the Lions, Chet Johnson (193-F/G, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.) added 18.

South-West:
A wave of influenza had hit the Schwenningen Panthers only a couple of days before the clash with ASC Theresianum Mainz. Thus, some of the Schwenningen players were not in full shape as they suffered defeat (78:87) on the road. Thanks to the win Mainz is now 4 points ahead of Weissenhorn and Schwennigen and seems to be ready for the championship. Mainz-Center Edjuan Green (203-F-82, college: Texas A&M) led all scores in the top-game. He netted 26 points, Ilija Ickert (201-C-81) added 23. Dusan Cvetkovic (193-G-78) nailed 6 shots from three point-land to tally 23 points for the Panthers. BC Groer Recycling Weissenhorn used Schwenningens loss to improve to the second place in the ladder by getting a 87:69-victory at DJK/MJC Trier. Raheim Lamb (198-F-80, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: Massachusetts) produced 23 points for the guests, Mario Simic (198-F-83) (198-F-83) added 20 and Lorenzo Williams (191-G-84, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: Rice) put in 18. Trier was paced by Center Clint Driftmier (208-C-83, college: Central) who scored 14 points. Mensah Sadikki Taylor (198-F-80, college: Gardner-Webb) was impressive and contributed 36 points when his team TuS Treis-Karden held off MTV Stuttgart 80:69. Also the supporters of Union Shops Rastatt witnessed a great individual performance when their team defeated TV Konstanz at home 97:88. Thorsten Kustos (188-G-79) hit 4 threes and made 14/16 from the line. On the other end Brian Lang (191-G-81, college: S.Nevada CC) scored 24 points for Konstanz. 24 points of Jens Hirschberg (198-F-88) and four other players in double figure-scoring helped SG Heidelberg-Kirchheim on its way to a 87:81-triumph over TS Goeppingen that was led by Victor Morris (185-G-85, college: Cleveland St.) and Marlo Saunders (196-F-84, agency: IceBasket, college: Texas-PB) who each netted 23 points.

South-East:
FC Bayern Muenchen keeps its top-position after racking up a 90:59-win on the road against FC Baunach. Tony Thomason (188-G-85, college: Minn.St.-Mankato) led 5 Bayern-players in double-digits and hit 5 treys to tally 17 points. Bernd Endres (203-C-78) had 20 points for Baunach in the loss. Also #2 TG Renesas Landshut maintained victorious and earned a 109:75 home-win in the encounter with SpVgg Rattelsdorf. Landshut's Brandon Crawford (198-F/C-84, college: Albion) topscored with 20 points, Michael Mayr (194-G/F) and Arnold Tchiegne (200-F-76) had 16 apiece, while Ratteldorf's Darryl Sommerset (206-F-84, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Cent.Missouri St.) finished with 18 points. The Gotha Rockets fell short to the Dachau Spurs in an overtime-thriller (110:109). Calvin Wooten (186-G-84, college: Oakland) was impressive for Dachau and drained 7 jumpers from beyond the arc. He had 37 points totally, while Benny Brendli (186-G-81) added 30 points (including 6 triples). Gotha was led by Dainius Pleta (202-C-71) with 29 points, Phillip Hillstock (202-F, college: Barber Scotia) added 23, Sebastian Schmieder (190-G/F-85) 22. The young squad of Breitenguessbach II had no chance in an away-game at Wuerzburg and got thrashed 56:101. Wuerzburg's Hrvoje Pervan (203-F-84, college: Mercer) made 6 long-range shots to tally 22 points, while veteran Mike Moten (203-C-71, college: Rhode Island) added 21 points. Tobias Stark (198-F-88) had 19 points in defeat. Matt Benson (196-F-83, college: Point Loma) was outstanding when BG Leistershofen/Stadtbergen beat TuS Jena 74:55 at home. Benson hit 8 threes and finished the game with 26 points. Another superb individual effort was decisive in Zwickau, where hosting BC Energie suffered defeat (97:103) against the COOCOON Baskets Weiden. Stephen Cramer (188-G, college: Hope (MI)) scored 41 points (5 threes) for the visitors, while Chris Brown (201-F-83, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: Chattanooga) netted 34 in the loss.

Coco Cofield in Freiburg -by Moritz Korff
USC Freiburg (2. Bundesliga Pro B) has signed Coco Cofield (184-G-81, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: N.Dakota St.) for the remainder of this season. The contract includes also an option for the following campaign. As Freiburg already has two other import players on the roster at least one of them has to sit out every game. Coffield played for BG Leitershofen/Stadtbergen in 2005-2006 and had an average of 27.6 points through 11 games. After leaving Germany Cofield suited up for teams in the ABA, CBA and WBA.

2. Bundesliga Pro A: Highlights of Gameday 21 -by Moritz Korff
Play of the Day: Quentin Pryor (193-G/F-83, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Morehead St.) - Schalke: 28 pts, 12/16 FG, 3/4 FT, 6 rbs, 6 st, 1 as

Points: Nick Stapleton (186-G-79, agency: Court Side, college: Austin Peay St.) - Duesseldorf: 31

Rebounds: Ty Shaw (202-F/C-79, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Albertson) - Noerdlingen: 15

Assists: Whit Holcomb-Faye (185-G-84, college: Radford) - Kaiserslautern: 8

Steals: Quentin Pryor - Schalke: 6

Blocked Shots: Yusuf Baker (203-F/C-84, college: Mountain St.) - Chemnitz: 4

For all stats and scores please visit the official website of the 2. Bundesliga: click

Amelow no longer Coach of BBC Bayreuth -by Moritz Korff
Directly after the loss (57:71) Saturday at home against the Cuxhaven BasCats Marco Amelow has stepped back from his position as a Head Coach of BBC Bayreuth (2. Bundesliga Pro A). Amelow took over the Bayreuth helm in February 2003 as a follower of Bruce Enns. Bayreuth is currently 10th in the ladder of the 2. Bundesliga Pro A and has only won two of the past ten games played in the league.

2. Bundesliga Pro B: Highlights of Gameday 21 -by Moritz Korff
Play of the Day: Torvoris Baker (201-F-83, college: Detroit Mercy) - Herten: 24 pts, 16 rbs, 3 as, 1 as

Points: Mihajlo Pesic (206-F/C-81, agency: Court Side) - Ansbach: 31

Rebounds: Andreas Hornig (212-C-80, agency: LimeLight, college: Murray St.) - Kirchheim: 19

Assists: Goran Petrovic (185-G-77) - Ansbach: 9

Steals: Goran Petrovic - Ansbach: 5

Blocked Shots: Christoph Jungbauer (208-C-87) - Breitenguessbach; Jordan Foebel (208-C-83) - Freiburg; Elias Harris (202-F-89) - Speyer, Sebastian Schroeter (207-C-83, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) - Essen, Andreas Hornig - Kirchheim: 2 apiece

For all stats and scores please visit the official website of the 2. Bundesliga: click

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GREECE

Second Division - Match Day 19: Near East lost and the race becomes tougher! -by Chris Mammides
Near East lost the +2 points advantage as they added another negative result and the gap with the other four team minimised to only one point. Ermis Lagkada beat Karnesis's team 77-69 having in a great day the sixth scorer of the league, Nikos Papakonstantinou. Lavrio is kept its winning crescent by adding another road win this time in Doukas's court, having in a great day its top scorer Nick Psileas with 21 points.
The results and the scorers are as follows:

Olympiakos Volou - Ikaros Kallitheas 72-98
Quarters: 21-27, 33-48, 57-70, 72-98.
Olympiakos Volou: Politis 4, Nanis 23, Arnaoutakis 9, Tsourelis 26, Tsolis 5, Fountas 5 (1).
Ikaros Kallitheas: Marzos 16, Georgiou 11, Krasopoulos 6, Vasilis Emmanouilidis (185-G-77) 24, Papadakis 2, Katranas 2, Delichristos 2, Karastamatis 2, Katoufas 16, Koukouras 14, Hiolios 1, Agelopoulos 2.

Ikaroi Seron - Aigio 87-80
Quarters: 27-22, 43-40, 66-53 and 87-80.
Ikaroi Seron: Pehlivanis 25, Costas Sdrakas (188-G-72) 15, Papoudas 2, Tsanakas 4, Giavropoulos 2, Giorgos Asimakis (196-F-84) 18, Thanasis Topouzis (205-F/C-78, college: S.Illinois) 21
Aigio: Dimitris Prokos (192-G-74) 27, Tirlas 15, Manolas 14, Stamopoulos 8, Christoforos Stavroulakis (202-F-82) 16

Goumenissa - Komotini 44-46
Quarters: 19-15, 22-21, 34-31, 44-46
Goumenissa: Bagi 2, Hatzinikolaou 7, Klepkos 8, Yiorgos Andreadis (203-F-76) 26, Antoniadis 1.
Komotini: Mouzakitis 7, Mastrokostopoulos 2, Lehoudis 3, Dinas 10, Koutsovasilis 3, Tsakonitis 9, Deli 2, Souflias 8, Halil 2.

KAOD - Amyntas 97-64
Quarters: 25-16, 50-38, 71-47, 97-64
KAOD: Papadopoulos 7, Kalaboukas 4, Kiosses 3, Filiousis 15, Michaelidis 10, Maslarinos 17, Koukouravas 18 and Daliaris 23.
Amyntas: Zoupas 11 (2), Barbas 6 (2), Samothrakis 6, Grammatikos 13, Boutros 3, Dorkofikis 7 (1), Korizis 2, Moumouris 11, Vogiatzis 5.

Ermis Lagkada - Near East 77-69
Quarters: 17-23, 43-36, 60-53, 77-69
Ermis Lagkada: Troulialis 2, Kloutzos 2, Paritsis 15, Papakonstantinou 17, Siolios 10, Gamouras 6, Akepsimaidis 13, Dimitriadis 12.
Near East Nikou 8, Michalos 10, Lykogiannis 9, Kouklakis 15, Papoulidis 12, Neofytou 4, Gavanopoulos 2, Sizopoulos 5, Papargyropoulos 4.

Anagennisi/Floga - Alimos 81-73
Quarters: 25-20, 52-34, 66-55, 81-73
Anagennisi/Floga: Moisiadis 10, Galanidis 9, Pittakas 4, Sidiropoulos 18, Zarogiannis 11, Pallis 25, Spyropoulos 4.
Alimos: Moutoupas 10, Giannis Tsolakis (195-F-83) 21, Bourousis 3, Ifantis 10, Kallimanas 13, Tsougarakis 9, Vrinas 7.

Doukas - Lavrio 78-99
Quarters: 25-17, 45-40, 57-69, 78-99
Doukas: Tsohlas 5, Kamariotis 3, Petrakis 15, Arsenis 9, Kouvaris 6, Kritsalos 19, Matzioris 15, Birdas 2, Koutsouvas 4
Lavrio: Rallis 12, Giannakopoulos 18, Drakakis 2, Agapitos 9, Notis 6, Kassanos 2, Giorgos Bakas (201-F-80) 17, Psileas 21, Trikaliotis 12.

Milonas - Makedonikos 57-56
Quarters: 12-10, 25-31, 38-41, 57-56
Milonas: Kalaitzakis 5, Ventouris 2, Vlavianos 1, Despotou 3, Kiritsis 5, Bourazanis 3, Efstratiou 1, Bikas 11, Zois Ballas (204-F-87) 22.
Makedonikos: Dalpas 7, Tanakidis 11, Giannis Mitsakis (181-G-81) 15, Kogias 5, Karipidis 9, Pappoulidis 2, Samourellis 7.

Top scorers after 19 weeks:
Dimitris Prokos (192-G-74) of Aigio 420 points
Panagiotis Nanis (195-F/G-80) of Olympiakos Volou 349 points (in 18 games)
Nick Psileas (200-F-80) of Lavrio 342 points
Panagiotis Tsolis (194-F-81) of Olympiakos Volou 306 points (in 18 games)
Giorgos Tirlas (198-F-80) of Aigio 305 points
Konstantinos Pehlivanis (192-G-79) of Ikaroi Serron 293 points
Nicos Papakonstantinou (182-G-84) of Ermis Lagkada 291 points
Kostas Dinas (189-G/F-80) of Komotini 276 points
Sotiris Katoufas (206-F-79) of Ikaros Kallitheas 271 points
Giorgos Filiousis (198-G-77) of KAOD 270 points
Michalis Tanakidis (190-G-81) of Makedonikos 266 points
Tassos Baggi (187-G-75) of Goumenissa 247 points
Tasos Dimitriadis (201-C-82) of Ermis Lagkada 238 points
Dionysios Giannakopoulos (195-G/F-82) of Lavrio 228 points
Theologos Vlavianos (196-G-86) of Milonas 222 points (in 18 games)
Nikos Michalos (192-G-77) of Near East 212 points
Mihalis Ifantis (204-F-72) of Alimos 212 points
Nikos Moisiadis (180-G-80) of Anagennisi Floga 209 points
Nikos Kritsalos (192-G-77) of Doukas 199 points
Dimitris Karatzios (202-F-78) of Doukas 184 points (in 17 games)

Panathinaikos beat Olympiakos in SEF and is unbeaten after 16 weeks! -by Chris Mammides

Panathinaikos having an amazing Kennedy Winston (198-F-84, college: Alabama) in its roster thrashed Panagiotis Giannakis team in its home court with 64-82 in a game with the difference going as high as 25 points. The Green three point bombings were amazing and with 16 successfull shots, 7 of which from Kennedy, Obradovic's team added anothe road win and its winning record to16-0. Top scorer was the American Kennedy Winston with 27 points (MVP of the 16th week too) followed by Spanoulis and Batiste with 14 and 13 respectively. On the other hand, the talented Serbian Milos Teodosic (196-G-87) was the red stand out, scoring 12 points being the only player with double digits. Second scorer was Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) with 8 points while Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) finished the game pointless.
The other games of the week had the following results:

Rethymno-Olympia Larissas 78-71

Top scorers: Sotiris Karapostolou (195-G-80, college: S.New Hampshire) 16 and Mike King (193-G-78, college: George Washington) 13

PAOK - Marousi 65-70

Top scorers: Dimitris Verginis (194-G-87) 13, Branko Milisavljevic (193-G-76, agency: Beo Basket) 18

Panionios - Olimpiada Patras 95-67

Top scorers: Aleksandar Capin (186-G-82) 17, Vasilis Soulis (208-C-76) 17

Panellinios - Kolossos Rodou 97-77

Top scorers: Anthony Grundy (189-G-79, agency: Strategic Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) 22, Giorgos Diamantopoulos (195-F-80) 20

AEL 1964 - Egaleo 69-79

Top Scorers: Billy Keys (188-G-77, college: N.Mexico St.) 19, Prodromos Nikolaidis (201-F-78) 18

AEK - Aris 77-62

Top scorers: Alexandros Kyritsis (195-G-82) 23 and from Aris Thessalonikis Bracey Wright (191-G-84, college: Indiana) 19



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HUNGARY

Round 19: ASE's big win -by Tamas Deri
BODROGI BAU VASARHELY KOSARSULI - ATOMERŐMŰ SE 86-130
(18-27, 21-34, 21-36, 26-33)
Hodmezővasarhely, Att.: 500, Referees: Kapitany, Csősz, dr. Pali
VASARHELY: Drahos 21/6, D. Brooks 12/3, Kovats 10 , Freeman 15/3, Gemes 11/3, Babut 2, Kukla 2, Boszormenyi 9/3, Szogi, Csorba 4, Coach: Czuprak Laszlo
ATOMERŐMŰ: Meszaros 3, Murray 6, Kiss Zs. 6/6, Horvath Z. 11/3, GULYAS 23/3, CEDRIC BROOKS 22/6, TOROMAN 20/12, STEVENSON 26/6, Csaplar-Nagy 2, Panta 7/3, Morgen 2, Horanyi 2, Coach: Sabali Balazs

Round 19: FALCO won by 43 points in Budapest -by Tamas Deri
MAFC - FALCO KC-SZOMBATHELY 69-106
(18-25, 15-27, 17-32, 19-22)
Budapest, Att.: 200, Referees: Papp P., Torok R., Franyo P.
MAFC: JITIM YOUNG 25/9, Radovics 6, Wehner 10/6, Vavra A. 10/6, Kecskes 10, Fulop 5, Mate, Fodor K., Bodrogi 3, Coach: Dinnyes Attila
FALCO: KALMAN 23/12, DOYNE 24/3, Draughan 13/3, KAZLAUSKAS 17/9, Aliakseyeu 21, Feigl, Varadi 8/3, Will, Csiszar, Szanati, Coach: Srecko Sekulovic

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IBL

Alex Hartman and Jimmy Watts return to Volcanoes -by Trask Frost
Vancouver, WA —The Vancouver Volcanoes have announced that Alex Hartman (6'7''-G/F-85, agency: Tank Sports, college: Concordia (OR)) and Jimmy Watts will be back in Volcanoes' jerseys in 2008.

Hartman, 6'7', was a consistent performer for the Volcanoes last season, averaging 15.8 points and 1.3 steals per game. Hartman played in Germany this off-season, averaging 22.9 points per game for TS Goeppingen. There is highlight footage of Hartman (and other members of the '07 Volcanoes) available at www.iblhoopsonline.com.

Watts, 6'8', played at Willamette University in Salem before moving on to the IBL. Watts played for the Portland Chinooks in 2006 and the Central Oregon Hotshots a season ago, but got his first look as a professional with the Volcanoes in 2005.

The Vancouver Volcanoes fourth season in the International Basketball League kicks off on Saturday, March 15 with a trip to the Monroe Sports Arena to take on the Snohomish County Explosion. For more information, contact the Volcanoes at (360) 719-7163 or visit the Volcanoes' revamped website at www.vancouvervolcanoes.com.

Steelheads believe unproven big man has big future -by Trask Frost
Gary, IN—The Gary Steelheads have announced that the team's most recent acquisition is 6'9' Forward/Center Courtney Williams (6'9''-F-84, agency: Strategic Sports).

Williams attended Schoolcraft Junior College (Missouri), averaging 15.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game, before finishing his collegiate career at UNC Charlotte.

This will be Williams' first stint as a professional, and the Steelheads' front office and head coach Rob Spon believe Williams has a tremendous upside.

'Courtney simply needs the right opportunity, and I believe he will excel,' said Spon. 'He has all the attributes to be not just a good, but a great player.'

The Steelheads' inaugural IBL season gets underway at the Genesis Center on Friday, March 14. Tickets start at $5—for more information, contact the Steelheads at (219) 883-3000 or visit www.steelheadshoops.com.

Bellingham Slam building roster with familiar faces -by Trask Frost
Bellingham, WA—The Bellingham Slam may be playing in a new league, but the team will feature several familiar faces as four players who starred with the team during its tenure in the American Basketball Association have been re-signed for the Slam's first season in the International Basketball League.
Veterans Brian Dennis (6'7''-F/C-80, college: W.Washington), Brandon Hartley, and Jacob and Jared Stevenson are the first four players to be re-signed for the 2008 season. The Slam begin the season on the road against the Snohomish County Explosion on March 8, with the team's home opener scheduled for March 28 against the Tacoma Jazz.
Dennis, 27, started nearly every game at center for the Slam during the team's two seasons in the ABA. Last season he led the team in field goal shooting (61.3 percent), rebounds (11.0 per game), and blocked shots (3.3 per game). Dennis, a four-year starter at Western Washington, still holds the PacWest/Great Northwest Athletic Conference record for career field goal percentage at 62.2 percent.
Hartley, 26, was the Slam's third-leading scorer during the 2006-07 season with 20.7 points per game. Hartley scored a career high 35 points on Dec. 17, 2006 against King County. Last summer, Hartley played in the World Basketball Association, helping the Mayas-USA team win the league championship. Prior to joining the Slam, Harley starred at Saint Martin's College and currently ranks seventh among GNAC career scoring leaders.
Jacob Stevenson, 27, started every game at the shooting guard position for the Slam last season, and was the teams second leading scorer with 21.4 points per game. The Bellingham native and former Western Washington standout scored a career-high 41 points against Fresno on Dec. 13, 2006 and was also the team's most accurate free throw shooter, sinking 81.7 percent of his shots from the line.
Jared Stevenson, 30, appeared with the Slam last season in a reserve role at point guard. He averaged 9.3 points per game and proved to be one of the Slam's most accurate long-range shooters, connecting on 39.2 percent of his three-point shots. His career high came during the Slam's first season, when he notched 22 points against Tim Hardaway's Florida Pit Bulls on Feb. 19, 2006.
Season tickets for the Slam's home schedule are currently on sale, and single game tickets will go on sale March 1. For more information, contact the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.

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ITALY

Lega2-20th Day -by Gabriele Fioretti
New point guard for Montecatini (Mike Nardi (186-G-85, college: Villanova) 31 pts), Shawnta Rogers (162-G-76, college: Otis George (205-C-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Louisville) Washington) led his team to victory against Fabriano (Luis Flores (188-G-81, college: Manhattan) 19 pts). Big success for Reggio Emilia (Paul Marigney (192-G-82, college: St.Mary's, CA) at 22 scored) that won at Caserta (22 both by Randolph Childress (190-G-72, college: Wake Forest) and Tutt). Livorno (Troy Ostler (209-F-78, college: Hawaii) at 23 scored) won another time on the road at Novara (Brandon Bowman (204-F-84, agency: David Lee services, college: Otis Georgetown) at 22 scored). Ferrara (Andre Collins (183-G-82, college: Loyola, MD) 22 scored) defeated Pavia (BJ McKie (188-G-77, college: S.Carolina) at 21) with a great second half. At the overtime Tim Pickett (193-G/F-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Florida St.) (27 pts +9 reb) led Imola to success on Rimini (Rashad Bell (200-F-82, college: Boston U.) 18 pts). Pistoia (Ronald Davis (190-G-82, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) 20 pts) came back in the second half and defeated Casale (Otis George 22+10). 22 scored both by Keith Carter (194-G-76, college: Mississippi) and Tyrone Grant (202-F-77, college: St.John's) weren't enough for Veroli that lost at Jesi (5 players in double figure). In sunday tv-game, Sassari (six players in double figures) won at Soresina (7 players in double figure) scoring 100 pts on the road.
Agr.Glo.Mont.-Indesit Fab 85-75
Pepsi Caserta-Trenkwalder RE 77-89
Ignis Novara-TDShop.it LI 78-81
Carife FE-Edimes PV 83-65
Aget Imola-Coopsette RN 80-71
Carmatic PT-Fastweb Casale 60-58
Fileni Jesi-Prima Veroli 94-87
Vanoli Soresina-BancoSardegna 99-100
See complete boxscores at www.legaduebasket.it

Great Sunday for Interperformances Players in Italy -by Interperformances
It was a great Sunday for our players yesterday in Italy. Alex Righetti was once again decisive in the Avellino road victory in Biella with his 17 points. Roger Powell with 19 pts was a key factor for Teramo's victory against Rieti. Romel Beck was the best player of Capo D'Orlando leading the club to an historical win against Lottomatica Rome. Tim Pickett, the current leading scorer of the Italian Legadue posted 30 pts against his former team Coopsette Rimini leading his club to an other important victory, while Marco Verginella scored 18 pts in a Sassari win in Soresina.

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JAMAICA

UDC dumps Cheyney State for the second time this season -by Leonard Whyte
Washington, DC (2-17-2008) - Center Don Powell was one of six players in double figures as the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) defeated Cheyney State University (CSU) 90-78 last night for its second win over CSU this season. UDC improved to 13-8 with the victory. This was UDC's second straight win as they turned the tables on Virginia Union University last week after falling to them earlier in the season.

Florida Southern stops FIT; Leads SSC -by Leonard Whyte
Melbourne, FL (2-17-2008) - Florida Southern College (FSC) took a big step towards capturing the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) title last night when they made all their free throws down the stretch to hold off Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) 87-79 to take a one game lead in the standings over the University of Tampa who were shocked by winless Barry University on Saturday afternoon. FSC improved to 19-7 overall and 10-3 in the SSC, and need just one more win to equal the greatest one-year turnaround in league history. Senior forward Andrei Grant added eight points and six rebounds.

Notre Dame sweeps a pair of games in NY -by Leonard Whyte
Houghton, NY (2-17-2008) - A trip to the 'Big Apple' was just what the doctor ordered, as after losing its last three games, Notre Dame College swept a pair of weekend games in the city to get back on track in the American Mideast Conference (AMC) North Division. First they turned back Roberts Wesleyan College 63-54 then returned last night to take care of Houghton College 70-60 to move to 5-3 in the AMC. Sophomore center Karim McFarlane finished with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting while grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. McFarlane also had five assists and got able assistance from freshman Paul Spencer formerly of Urban Knights, the reigning KFC)/NBL champions. Over NDC's last seven games, the 6' 7' McFarlane is averaging 16.3 points and 10.1 rebounds while shooting 57.7 percent from the field. For the season, McFarlane is averaging 12.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and is ranked in the league's Top-10 in rebounding, field goal percentage, and blocked shots.

Valparaiso too strong for Youngstown State -by Leonard Whyte
Valparaiso, IN (2-17-2008) - Valparaiso University used a late first-half run to take a ten-point halftime lead, then extended the lead to as many as 20 points in the second half on its way to an easy 77-58 victory over Youngstown State University last night in a Horizon League game. Freshman Michael Rogers , formerly of St. George's College, put together one of the best games of his young career, playing a career-high 23 minutes and going for eight points and six rebounds, both career bests. Valparaiso improved to 15-11 overall and 6-8 in conference play.

Decatur Christian takes conference title -by Leonard Whyte
Decatur, GA (1-17-2008) - Senior Demeatrio Wade, formerly of Excelsior High, scored 15 points to help Decatur Christian Decatur Christian win the East Central Illinois Conference title over the weekend with an easy 58-38 victory over Uni High. When both teams met earlier in the season it took overtime to separate them, but Decatur prevailed 63-60. Uni, a winner of three conference titles, was no match for Decatur this time around, as Decatur wrapped up conference play with an 11-1 record and 22-3 overall.

Samuels gives Louisville fans a preview of next season -by Leonard Whyte
Louisville, KY (2-17-2008) - Samardo Samuels, making his first appearance in front of his future University of Louisville fans, gave them a sneak preview of what to expect next season. Before 2,500 fans at Louisville Gardens, the 6' 9' Samuels had 26 points and 15 rebounds, including 10 for 10 from the free-throw line, to pace St. Benedict's Prep over Cincinnati Princeton High 56-48 last night. St. Benedict's (22-1) ranked No. 3 in the USA Today poll, had to rally from a first-half deficit, but Samuels scored his team's first six points and had six points to seal it in the final 1:39, including a fierce dunk.

Southeastern Illinois gets revenge against Rend Lake -by Leonard Whyte
Harrisburg (2-17-2008) - After losing to Rend Lake College earlier in the season, Southeastern Illinois College (SIC) gained sweet revenge with a 73-62 victory in its Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) encounter last night. Sophomore forward Andree Wilson finished with 15 points as SIC moved to 22-5 overall and 10-3 in the GRAC. They will travel to Wabash Valley College this Wednesday to try and win their eight game in their last nine tries.

Tulsa routs UTEP -by Leonard Whyte
Tulsa, OK (2-17-2008) - Sophomore center Jerome Jordan had nine points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to help the University of Tulsa rally from an early 12-point deficit to rout the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) 73-50 last night in a Conference USA game. Jordan's inside basket ignited a 24-5 run at the start of the second half to overcome a 32-23 halftime deficit. Tulsa improved to 13-10 and 5-6 in the conference and were winning their third straight game. They previously defeated East Carolina University and Southern Mississippi University.

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

Final 4 to begin today -by Mohammed Malas

The round 1 of Final 4 of Excellent League will begin today, Titleholders Zain will meet the 4th place team Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman, While Orthodox will be waiting Arena Amman who did super finish of the regular season following their win over Zain by 10 points...


- The Final Four of Excellent League schedule:

* Round 1 (Tuesday 19/2):
Zain - Arena
Al Riyadi/Aramex - Orthodox

* Round 2 (Sunday 24/2):
Arena - Orthodox
Zain - Al Riyadi/Aramex

* Round 3 (Wednesday 27/2):
Arena - Al Riyadi/Aramex
Orthodox - Zain

* Round 4 (Friday 29/2):
Arena - Zain
Orthodox - Al Riyadi/Aramex

* Round 5 (Sunday 2/3):
Orthodox - Arena
Al Riyadi/Aramex - Zain

* Round 6 (Wednesday 5/3):
Al Riyadi/Aramex - Arena
Zain - Orthodox


# JJ out of Zain


The american center of Zain Jonathan Jones (211-C-79, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM)) will today after taking his release from the team according to the player himself.....

JJ said that he is looking for a chance to be back to europe and he support his team and hope for them the best in the reminder of the league and upcoming tournaments.

Zain is now searching for a center with big career to replace JJ......



*****************************************************
KOREA

How times have changed for the ET land. -by Sean Choi
There was a team when the team was so desperate for any kind of star power, it would readily trade one of its key players to get a marquee name in return. But when the ET land acquired foward Trimmingham Leon (200-F-71, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Briar Cliff) (200-F-71, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Briar Cliff) from Daegu Orions in a deal that was pending league approval, they didn't give up any of their core players and didn't even surrender a future first-round draft pick.
Why did the ET land make the trade? Simple. They needed a inside player who can play the post with Shannon Terrence (203-F-79, agency: Naiditch Entertainment, college: Elgin CC), and Trimmingham Leon is a proven inside and outside also.
we will see what happen on this march.

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

SEB Baltic Basketball League -by Gunars Gailitis

SEB Baltic Basketball League

Challenge Cup

February, 16

VEF Riga - Sakalai (Vilnius) 92-72

Gulbis 18, Jeromanovs 14, Aleksejevs 11; Kurtinaitis 20, Matulis 20, Sinica 12


Liepajas Lauvas - Arvi/Suduva (Marijampole) 92-62 (30-11; 26-16; 17-15; 19-20)


Jurevicus 18, Pusaudzis 15, Johnson 11; Tatarunas 21, Sirvydis 13, Joneliunas 11


Bumerangs/Gulbene/ASK - Alytus 90-70 (23-15, 21-9, 21-28, 25-18)


Uldis Rudzitis (192-G-78) 20, Poznaks 18+12reb, Sokolovs 14; Varnelis 19, Adomavicius 11, Golokvoscius 11


Final standings

1. Nevezis 15-5

2. VEF Riga 15-5

3. Liepajas Lauvas 13-7

4. Techasas 12-8

5. Arvi/Suduva 12-8

6. Aisciai/Atletas 12-8

7. Sakalai 9-11

8. Alytus 8-12

9. Triobet/Dalkia 8-12

10. Fausto 4-16

11. Bumerangs/ASK 2-18


'Final Four'

Nevezis - Techasas

VEF Riga - Liepajas Lauvas



*****************************************************
LUXEMBOURG

Sparta loses the second straight game -by Eurobasket News
The DBBL defending champions Sparta Bertrange got to somehow distressing star of the playoff stage. They lost straight games and raised numerous questions about his conditions. Yesterday they faced Amicale at home and suffered a painful 66:87 blow. Amicale looked confident from the start and soon they accumulated a 44:34 halftime lead. Sparta failed to adjust their game after the break and Amicale continued to stretch the advantage. The visitors entered the fourth period up by 15 points and easily secured an overall victory. Travis DePree (201-F/C, college: Albion) tallied 30 points, 14 boards and 5 assists to pace Amicale. Christian Schartz (184-G-86) contributed 18 points for the winners. Larrie Smith (195-F-75, college: Tennessee Tech) answered with 23 points for Sparta. Tom Wagner (181-G-79) had 11 points in a losing case.
Etzella drove to their second straight win as they narrowly overcame Musel Pikes 78:75 at home. The first and the third frames become the key for Etzella's success. They outscored the visitors 49:34 at these 20 minutes to build a decisive lead. Musel Pikes played some sparkling basketball in the fourth term but they were not able to catch up with the hosts. Marcus Kennedy (193-F-84, college: Montevallo) accounted for 23 points and 18 boards to lead Etzella. Tim Giver (185-G-80) scored game-high 24 points for the home team. Chris Braier (195-F-84, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Lawrence) secured 22 points and 8 boards in a loss.
Residence thumped Contern 100:63 on the road. Will Brand (196-F-80, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Albany) was outstanding with 28 points and 17 boards for Residence. Frank Mangen (189-G/F-81) provided 19 points in a win. Eric Jeitz (190-G-86) answered with 22 points for Contern.

*****************************************************
MEXICO

Majic Dorsey Landing in Venezuela -by Justin Brink
It's been a few months since there's been a 'Hurricane' MaJic Daryl Dorsey (185-G-81, college: S.Indiana, EDGESPORTS INTL.com, Diego Yacullo) sighting in Mexico. He started this season, (September) with the LNBP's Mayas de Yucatan, and now has scored a significant contract with Guaro's in Venezuela's top division. Daryl Dorsey, who has a copy written move, 'Da Majic Tornado,' will do his part to lead the Guaro's to the promised land in Venezuela. Daryl Dorsey has averaged over 30 points in two LNBP 'tours' Mexico and averaged 12.5 points and nearly 6 dimes for the 'D' Leagues Anaheim Arsenal. Check back early and often for Daryl Dorsey's progess in Venezuela.

Gallos continue to be the best in TPBL -by Charles Elwes

Gallos de Pelea Cd.Juarez continue unstoppable in the
Texas Professional Basketball League (TPBL). And this past
saturday and sunday , went on the road against the other top candidate
in the TPBL to win the championship , the Lake Jackson Lakers.
In the first game at the Brazoswood gym the Lakers fought against the
Mexican team , that have the most experience players in the TPBL.
At the end of the first period the game was 30 - 28 , but in the second

quarter Omar Duran (173-G-81, college: UTEP) had the hot hand , with 3

consecutives 3 point shots while Leonard Owens (198-F, college: UTEP)

finished that qurter with 11 points , at halftime the lead was 66 - 50 Gallos.


In the third quarter the Lakers came back thanks to Ruben Owens and helping

the Lakers to close the gap 88 - 77.But Gallos in the fourth quarter made another

run 13 - 4 and maked there way to another win. Finishing the game 121 - 107 Gallos.


The best players for Lake Jackson were:

Jonah Broussard (178-G-83, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Lubbock Christian) with

20 points

Sylvester Simple (202-F/C-82, college: Wiley) with 19 points.


The top scores for the Juarez team were:

Leonard Owens (198-F, college: UTEP) with 32 points

Omar Duran (173-G-81, college: UTEP) 16 points.


In sunday's game Lake Jackson came back and now they dint waste time and tried to win

the game for there fans , and they did ! they won the game by a score of 106 - 95 and break

the 11 winning streak for the Juarez team in the league. The top player for Gallos sunday was

Toraino Johnson (194-F/G-80, college: Utah St.) with 22 pts followed by

Daniel Anaya (180-G-78, college: W.New Mexico) with 16 points.


In more news Gallos de Pelea added one week ago , mexican center

Enrique Gonzalez (205-C-68) ' el palmita' has return to one of his home's

to the Gallos team , now in the TPBL. 'Palmita' how he's called played with Gallos from 2000 to 2004

in the CIMEBA and LNBP and it's one of the fans favorites in the Juarez team.



First news from LIMEBA -by Charles Elwes

In some news from the LIMEBA , that its just around the corner
to open the season in march 7. The Pioneros of Delicias are back to the league
with the help of local government and industralists from Delicias the Pioneros
will have another chance to win the LIMEBA since the last played in 2005 were
they won the championship that year.

Some of the players that are expected to return to Pioneros are the fan favorites
who played in the 2005 season with Pioneros are:
Wiyle Petty (197-F-79, college: Johnson C. Smith)

Victor Orona

Marco Spears (194-G-79, agency: TASM, college: Johnson C. Smith)

and more local players.


In the teams expected to play this 2008 season are:

Lenadores Madera

Panteras Tec Chihuahua

Apaches Cuathemoc

Dorados UACH

Serranos Namiquipa

Lobos Jimenez

Soles Ojinaga

Pioneros Delicias

and to confirm in these day's are Gallos De Pelea Cd.Juarez.



*****************************************************
NAIA

NAIA I Leaders as of Feb. 19 -by Brandon Woudstra
Here are the leaders in various categories in the NAIA I

Scoring:

James Spencer (6'4''-G-84, college: Wyoming) - Mountain State 25.0 ppg
Czyz Bennett - Texas College 24.1
Keithdrick Harris - Tougaloo 23.8
Matt Neaville - Union 23.44
Josh Porter - LSUS 22.3

Rebounding:

Jameus Hartsfield - Texas College - 11.9 rpg
Bayo Arigbon - San Diego Christian -11.6
Danny Storey - Wayland Baptist 10.8
Jamon Morris - LSUS 10.8

Assists:

Danny Reeder - Westminster - 7.2 apg
Greg Scott - Vanguard - 5.9
Derek Boykin - Crichton - 5.7
Jarvis Jackson - Mountain State - 5.6

Blocks:

S. Dowdie - Williams Baptist - 3.36 bpg

Steals:

Xavier Yates - Pikeville - 3.5

more detailed stats can be found here

Top Games from past week and upcoming week -by Brandon Woudstra

One NAIA men's basketball team looks to survive and go undefeated in 2007-08. In Division I, No. 2 Georgetown (Ky.) is 25-0 and next plays at Campbellsville (Ky.) on Saturday. Three clubs fell from the undefeated ranks last week. No. 1 Morningside (Iowa) in Division II had its 23-0 start snapped on Feb. 6. In Division I, No. 3 Lee (Tenn.) lost for the first time (Feb. 8) in 21 games and No. 1 Mountain St. (W.V.) had gone 24-0 before a loss to Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) on Feb. 12.

In the next week (Feb. 14-20), there are eight games scheduled with both teams ranked in the current NAIA Coaches' Poll.

DIVISION I
Thursday, Feb. 14
#3 LSU-Shreveport - LA 71 @ #8 Xavier - LA 55, FINAL
#24 Oklahoma Baptist 60 @ #10 Oklahoma City 88, FINAL
Tuesday, Feb. 19
#5 Concordia - CA @ #16 Point Loma Nazarene - CA

DIVISION II
Saturday, Feb. 16
#21 Oklahoma Wesleyan 61 @ #8 Ozarks - MO 89, FINAL
Wednesday, Feb. 20
#18 (tie) Northwestern - IA @ #1 Morningside - IA
#14 Grace - IN @ #10 Bethel - IN
#16 Northwood - FL @ #17 Embry-Riddle - FL
#24 Valley City State - ND @ #18 (tie) Jamestown - ND


from www.naia.org




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

New Orleans waives to All Star Game -by Eurobasket News
East-West 134:128

An amazing event, an exciting game, Slam -Dunk contest and this is not the end of the Show that was held last night in New Orleans. East edged West 134:128 in a great ending of the campaign. Ray Allen (6'6''-G-75, college: Connecticut) scored 28 points, but LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) poured in 27, including a dunk in the last minute to and earn MVP honors. The winner also added nine assists and eight rebounds in the game. For the East Amare Stoudemire (6'10''-F-82), Brandon Roy (6'6''-G-84, college: Washington) and Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) scored 18 points apiece.

The game started with 34:28 for the East after the opening quarter. Bryant, who won MVP honors last year, played a bit more that 2 minutes so he could rest his injured pinkie. From the first five in the West only Carmelo looked truthfully as the three players who top-scored for the team joined the game later.
East produced 40:37 in the second quarter to take 9 points advantage at the half. The game remained hot for the hosts, but the end of it was outstanding. Ray Allen and LeBron James led the East for the win and deserved a special word afterward. First however Chris Paul gave the West a 122:119 lead. Ray Allen, the final player added to either roster, knocked down his second 3-pointer in 48 seconds to tie it before Paul answered with another three. Ray Allen finally missed and LeBron James slamed it for the honor.

Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) became a slam dunk champion. Orlando's man was the most creative and his dunks were amazing. Using a variety of props as well as teammate Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard received perfect scores from judges.

East: Kidd 2, Wade 14, Bosh 14, LeBron James 27, Dwight Howard 16, Ray Allen 28, Billups 6, Hamilton 9, Wallace 3, Pierce 10, Johnson 3, Jamison 2
West: Iverson 7, Bryant 0, Duncan 4, Carmelo Anthony 18, Yao 6, Brandon Roy 18, Paul 16, Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) 13, Amare Stoudemire 18, Nash 8, Boozer 14, West 6

NBA All Star Weekend Sunday -by Darryl Reshaw
The New Orleans Arena was rocking on Sunday evening and after the previous days of success expectations were very high.
There is no league in the sporting world that provides quality entertainment like the NBA.
As usual the performers that sang the national anthems of the USA and Canada were amazing.

The game was the icing on the cake after a great weekend for the city of New Orleans and the NBA.
LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) and Ray Allen (6'6''-G-75, college: Connecticut) put on impressive performances to lead the East to a 134-128 victory over the West to win the bragging rights for this years contest.
King James scored 27 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 9 assists to capture his second NBA All Star Game MVP in three seasons.
Ray Allen scored 28 points and hit all of the big 3pt shots down the final two minutes where the East had to fight off the West and Chris Paul (6'0''-G-85, college: Wake Forest)'s amazing comeback.

In defeat Chris Paul almost stole the game for the West with his overall floor game of scoring, stealing and passing the ball displaying why he is one the point guards in the NBA.
His final stats were 16 points, 14 assists and 4 steals combined with some very flashy skills that had the crowd in New Orleans going crazy.
Brandon Roy (6'6''-G-84, college: Washington) in his first all star game scored an impressive 18 points showcasing his enormous potential.

The game was a even contest with the East team holding a slight margin in the first quarter.
However in the second quarter LeBron James, Jason Kidd (6'4''-G-73, college: California) and Dwight Howard (6'10''-F-85) put on a fastbreak dunkshow.
Having those three guys on the same team should be against the law.
The East held a 74-65 lead at halftime with Dwight Howard leading the way.

The East All Stars held a 106-93 advantage after the end of three quarters with LeBron leading the way.
Going into the fourth quarter the East appeared to coasting to a victory but the West came back and took the lead in an exciting thrilling finish.
Chris Paul hit a couple of 3pt shots that gave the West the lead but Ray Allen's shooting and LeBron impressive drive and dunk took the life out of the West hopes.

The weekend was a big win for both the city of New Orleans and the NBA especially after the the Hurricane Katrina tragedy.
The Big Easy was the place to be on this very special basketball weekend.

By Darryl Reshaw</