Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 2/20/2008

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Men News

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ABA

Vermont to host the ABA All-Star weekend -by Gianni Pascucci
The Vermont Frost Heaves won another ABA game on Sunday afternoon, destroying 123-78 the Halifax Rainmen, remaining in this way undefeated (17-0) in the Blue Conference Northeast. The Frost Heaves also announced the team will host the 2008 ABA All-Star game on March 21 and 22, at the storied Barre Municipal Auditorium. The weekend will begin with Slam-Dunk and Three-Point Contests on Friday night, followed by an East vs. West game on Saturday afternoon. Each event will highlight the ABA's most talented players. As finalists in the 2007 ABA Championship Game and two of the top three teams in the current ABA Power Rankings, Vermont and Texas will send their head coaches — the Frost Heaves' Will Voigt and the Tycoons' Jean-Paul Afif — to lead the East and West, respectively. The composition of the East and West teams and the Dunking and 3points contest players will be released over the forthcoming days.

A spring-summer league for the ABA ? -by Gianni Pascucci

Some weeks ago, the American Basketball Association (ABA) agreed in principle with the Global Basketball Alliance (GBA) to explore the possibility of creating both Men's and Women's Spring-Summer Basketball Leagues. The GBA is a league being re-launched by Moose Lewis, a well-known boxing and wrestling promoter, who created two entities, the Global Basketball Alliance (GBA) and the Women's Global Basketball Alliance (WGBA), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Lewis has recruited several teams already and announced official league tryouts for both men and women in the Bronx, New York City, on March 16, 2008 for one day only. The tryouts will be run by coaching personnel of the 'Bronx Breakouts', the 'Harlem Hammer', and the 'Brooklyn Brawlers', the GBA newest men's teams, as well as women players for the female version of these teams. We investigated a lot more about this GBA, and discovered that Mr Lewis tried to launch a spring-summer league even in 2001, holding even a players' draft, but the season was cut short due to an heart attack suffered by Moose Lewis the same. Also, checking the official website http://www.gbahoops.com/ it seems that the entering fee for a team owner is $6,500.00 for a men's team and $3,000.00 for a women's team, not exactly a warrantee for a top level competition... However, the Global Basketball Alliance, LLC is also announcing a new broadband broadcast network in partnership with Mizlou Sports & News Network, Inc. -also known as 'MSNN'- to broadcast their spring basketball games. (website www.MizlouSports.tv ). Let's see what will happen...

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AUSTRIA

Gmunden lost to Badalona -by Stefan Heinrich
In today's ULEB Cup Last 32 series the Austrian Champion of Gmunden faced the Spanish top team DKV Joventut Badalona. Before the game the Swans' topscorer Deteri Mayes was out due to an injury that didnt allow him to play in this game. Badalona dominated the game and they finally won 59:89.

Gmunden (59): Peter Hutter 15, Mayer 13, Johnson 7, Schoninger 6, Sullivan 5, Stelzer 3, Helmigk 2
Joventut (89): Demond Mallet (186-G-78, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Mc Neese St.) 28, Jerome Moiso (208-C/F-78, college: UCLA) 15, Barton 11, Fernandez 10, Ribas 9, Hernandez-Sonseca 8, Lavina 6, Rubio 2

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BELGIUM

Division II Results - Regular Season (Round 19 and postponed games) -by Bertrand Larsimont

Played on Feb. 9th and 10th:

Royal Alsec Nivelles vs. Falco Ghent 73-77
Nivelles: --
Falco: Breca 6; De Schepper 23; Dhont 11; T. Foucart 6; Selhorst 15; J. Van de Vondel 16.

Bent Schoenen Waregem vs. Power Liefmans Wevelgem 77-86
Waregem: Bwatu 14; Cleymans 12; Dewilde 12; Fiers 11; Steinbach 3; Van Vooren 4; Verdickt 11; Vermeiren 10.
Wevelgem: Flanders 16; Guillemyn 14; Lebon 4; R. Naudts 2; S. Naudts 7; Robeyst 17; T. Van de Keere 23; Vendenberghe 3.

Round 19:

CEP Fleurus vs. Falco Ghent 60-62
The local team led by Van Esse, Semijejero and Pourtoit was in front 53-43 with five minutes remaining in the game. Kosovo's player of Falco, Fahri Breca (190-G-85), became unstoppable and was the clutch player in this close game. Falco now joins CEP Fleurus and BS Waregem at the first spot of the Belgian Division II.
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 9-7, 27-17, 45-30 and 60-62.
Fleurus: Van Esse 17; Tison 5; Penninck 3; Moris 11; Rozewicz 5; Buja 2; Semijejero 10; Pourtoit 7.
Ghent: Dhondt 9; Huyghe 2; Vanderkimpen 12; Breca 15; T. Foucart 8; De Schepper 3; J. Van de Vondel 5; Selhorst 6; Seghers 2.

Kangoeroes Willebroek vs. BBC Boom 81-76
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 26-22, 44-43, 58-61 and 81-76.
Kangoeroes: Gorremans 9; Roelandts 15; Casteels 12; Bocevski 9; Dhaens 8; Coulanges 12; De Wachter 15.
Boom: Van Wert 4; Bayer 19; Salden 19; Kitieu 6; Van Den Brande 14; Van Den Eynde 15.

Jaga Radiators Hasselt vs. Sint-Jan Antwerpen 96-88
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 30-26; 46-45, 72-69 and 96-88.
Hasselt: Geysen 2; Hendrix 18; Sterk 14; Van Poelgeest 11; Vanhove 23; Bijnens 17; Maes 9; Cox 2.
Sint-Jan: Gorremans 7; Van Rillaer 15; Lemaire 6; Van Schil 9; Reichardt 2; Verrept 15; Ceyssens 34.

Power Liefmans Wevelgem vs. Royal Alsec Nivelles 84-57
Angelo Flanders (201-F-77, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Bradley) of Wevelgem grabbed 19 rebounds and scored 25 points during this game.
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 22-12, 38-26, 61-43 and 84-57.
Wevelgem: Delepeleire 2; S. Naudts 12; T. Van de Keere 17; Robeyst 13; Guillemyn 5; Lebon 8; R. Naudts 2; Flanders 25.
Nivelles: --

BC Ninane vs. Bent Schoenen Waregem 76-84
By winning away in Ninane, BS Waregem of Bart Cleymans (195-G/F-74) joins CEP Fleurus and Falco at the first rank of the competition.
Maurice Notelaers (from Alleur) will be the new head coach of BC Ninane next season.
Ninane: Lhote 5; Vandenbergen 5; R. Delhaes 4; Offerman 10; Delsaute 30; Hawley 12; Lebecque 2; Muric 3.
Waregem: Van Vooren 7; Steinbach 11; Bwatu 5; Verdickt 17; Cleymans 23; Dewilde 9; Fiers 2; Vermeiren 10.

De West Hoek Zwevezele vs. Xenia Tours Sint-Truiden 55-69
Zwevezele: Bobb 27; Bourdeaux 8; Hamers 6; Mylleville 6; Tandt 4; Van Hulle 4.
Sint-Truiden: Baert 15; Pipeleers 8; Souverijns 12; Thoelen 7; P. Van Hoecke 12; Willegems 15.

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BOSNIA

ULEB Cup 1/16 finals: Bosna - Gran Canaria 89:82 (50:51) -by Sead Buljina

In the first game of the ULEB Cup 1/16 finals in Sarajevo, Bosna ASA BHT won against a strong Gran Canaria team. Supported by 6,000 fans Bosna players put up a good fight and deserved to win tonight. In a game with poor defense on both sides, Bosna was a better team in the second half. Both teams shot unusually high percentage for games of this importance (I.e Bosna shot 62.5% 2FG, 46% 3 FG and 76% FTs0. Gran Canaria also had a great shooting night with 58% for 2FGs, 45% for 3FGP and 73 FTP). Of course, Bosna got outrebounded by taller Spanish players 20:29. However, guests had twenty (20) turnovers vs. Bosna`s 12 and that might have decided the game outcome. Teams had same number od steals, same number of free throws, almost the same FG percentage. It appears that host players wanted this win more than guests and that was the key. Bosna players and coaching staff deserve all the credit for tonight`s win.

Game notes: Seid Hajric (203-F-83) who joined Bosna two days ago played briefly but in a short period on the court Hajric showed that Bosna has brought a quality player who will be a significant reinforcement till the rest of the season. It was obvious tonight that he is getting adjusted to the new teammates, does not know plays, yet. However, Hajric showed that he is an excellent rebounder, hussler and an experienced player who will help at position 3. Since Bosna had no player who can play at a high level at that position since the beginning of the season, Hajric`s arrival must be a true relief to Bosna coaching staff.

Although Goran Ikonic (196-G-80) (22 pts, game-high), Lance Williams (206-C-80, college: De Paul) (17pts) and Dzenan Rahimic (205-C/F-74) (16 pts) led the way for Bosna in scoring, Suad Sehovic (198-G-87) (11 pts, 6 rbs, 3 stls) showed that he has matured and deserves a lot of credit for tonight`s Bosna win. Not only Sehovic played a hard-nosed defense as he is capable of, but he also showed his offensive skills drilling three pointers at a crunch time. Suad Sehovic (1987) showed that his MVP award at last year`s U20 European Championship was not accidental. Primary point guard backup, Muhamed Pasalic (1987) tried to help his team playing injured, but that was not Pasalic we`re used to watch. Hopefuly, he will be recovered and fit for the game in Spain in seven days. It`s interesting to mention that Spaniards at tonight`s game had support of around two hundred fans. Deciding game is scheduled for next Tuesday in Spain.The winner of this match up will play in the 1/8 finals vs. the winner between Asvel Basket and Galatasaray. There was no winner in the first game in France. Score was 69:69.

Bosnian Lower Divisions -by Elvir Halilovic

First place on the table in Bosnian A1 League after twelve rounds is Sarajevo's team Novi Grad Atal. They have lost only one game since the beginning of the season. Another team with only one loss is Cazin Limometal, but they have two postponed games. Too close is Kakanj and Brcko District with 9-3 and 9-2 records, respectively.

In League of Herceg-Bosna Vitez is on first place with a 10-1 record. Their only rival is Mostar who has 8 wins and 3 losses. This weekend started second part of season and there is much time until the end.

Five teams in First League of Republika Srpska have ambitions for Title. First of them iz Mladost from Mrkonjic Grad with only two losses after 15 rounds. Other teams are Radnik and Varda HE with 11-4 and Rudar and Bratunac with 10-5. First League of Republika Srpska is only Lower Division where they use a playoff.

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BRAZIL

Pitagoras/ Minas and Unitvates/ Bira won the 2 last games of Nacional Masculino.- -by Ed Goodman
Last Monday night Pitagoras won over Inesul/ FEL/ Londrina 84-72 obtaining their 5fth win this season, Johnson and Wanderson were the best of Minas with 17 Pts. both and Guto with 20 Pts. by Londrina. Today Univates/ Bira defeated Saldanha da Gama 85-84 keeping 1 point lead over the strong effort of Saldanha in the 4th quarter, the best scorers of the game were Audrei 27 Pts. by Univates and Ricardo 16 Pts. by Saldanha.

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CBA

Moves around the CBA -by Brandon Martin
This month's Transactions

2/13/08
The Albany Patroons signed G Lucious Jordan and F Dayshawn Wright. Waived G Ashanti Cook.
The Butte Daredevils activated G Jibril Hodges. Placed G Aaron Cook on Inactive Reserve.

2/12/08
The Yakama Sun Kings activated G Ray Weathers. Placed C Kipp Christianson on Inactive Reserve.

2/11/08
The Pittsburgh Xplosion signed F Dujuan Tate. Waived C Simplice Njora.
The Rio Grande Valley Silverados signed F Cedric McGinnis. Placed C Walt Waters on Inactive Reserve.

2/8/08
The East Kentucky Miners sign F Steve Thomas. Released F Byron.
The Albany Patroons signed F Dabo Kabov and C Chad Bell. Released G Lucious Jordan and F Anthony Bruin.

2/7/08
The Yakama Sun Kings signed C Kipp Christianson and F Jamaal Williams. Placed C Anthony Washington and G Ray Weathers on Injured Reserve.

2/4/08
The Rio Grande Valley Silverados signed F Greg Morton. Placed C Johnny Tyson on Injured Reserve.

2/2/08
The Pitsburgh Xplosion waived F John Strickland.
The Albany Patroons signed G Ashanti Cook and G Ian Young. Placed F Rashad Powell on Injured Reserve. Placed C Amal McCaskill on Inactive Reserve.
The Great Falls Explorers signed G Pele Paelay, C Lamont Arrington, and F Junior Burrough. Waived G Vinson Smith

2/1/08
The Pittsburgh Xplosion signed G Lincoln Glass. Placed G Carl Krauser on Injured Reserve.
The Atlanta Krunk waived F Steve Thomas.

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CHINA

CBA Last Game -by Robert Wang
The game between Liao ning and Guang dong might be the last game for the CBA this season tonight. Even CBA has brought Champion trophy to Liao Ning. Liao ning still plays at their home and guang dong only has 1 game win to the champion. It seemed that it would be very hard for liao ning win tonight. The most expensive foreigner in China history Jamal Sampson has not played the last game and he did not practise for 3 days. He has injury on his shoulder but the team stuff really hope he can play tonight but he refused. The manager and coach were very mad on his attitude. But the coach still try to win tonight and would not give up althought it might be the last game for them this season. Good luck for both 2 teams!

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CYPRUS

A' Division: Keravnos finished at the top of the league in the regular season -by Chris Mammides

Keravnos Strovolou succeeded it 6th road win and finished at the top of the league in the regular season. Keravnos's captain, Giorgos Anastasiadis (194-G/F-77) was amazing with 6 three pointers and 22 points proved once more that he is in a great shape even though he is not used in the team as the previous years. On the other hand, Theocharidis was great too as he scored the unbeleivable number of 7 out of 7 three pointers and a total of 27 points.

In the Cyprus league there is for a second consecutive year, a unique phaenomenon, there is no relegation!!! Achilleas Kaimakli is the only team in the world which will not be relegated in the second division even though was finished in the last position of the regular season with a record of 2-14 (exactly like last year which happened the same with Etha Engomis) simply because the Cyprus Basketball Federation decided so at the beggining of the seazon!

The quarters of the specific game were: 21-31, 34-47, 53-67 and 82-86.
Top scorers:
Frederick Achilleas: Bonu 4, Zujovic 14, Stylianou 7, Wallas 4, Zotovic 5, Garner 25, Theocharidis 23 (7 out of 7 three pointers).
Keravnos Strovolou: Stefanovic 3, Pilavas 7, Giorgos Anastasiadis 22, Smith 12, Lee 18, Damianovic 7, Trisokkas 9, Kosanovic 2, Radojevic 6.

Pizza Express Primetel Apollon - Ydra Asfalistiki ENAD 65-57
Quarters: 17-10, 29-30, 49-39, 65-57
Top scorers: Chris Kaskiris (206-C/F-79) 27 points, 13 rebounds, 3 block shots, Hatzitheodosiou 12, Kazoulis 8, Markou 6, Foklas 5, Ierodiakonou 7
ENAD: Achilleos 8, Elhadji 7, Stavrinou 3, Konstantinou 4, Pilakoutas 3, Kupros Koutsokoumnis (180-G-88) 17, Frageskou 11, Ioannou 4.

Omonoia - BMC AEK Larnakas 109-104
Quarters: 21-23, 41-38, 61-58, 89-89. OT 109-104
A great game took place in Nicosia where the home team beat in the extra time the Larnaka team with the NBA like score 109-104
Top scorers were: Davis 17, Jankevicius 17, Zaric 6, Mouhtaris 6, Darrin Fowlkes (198-F-67, college: Butler) 17, Prjstojevic 18, and Stone 28.
BMC AEK: Fantousis 3, Kouzapas 2, Cvetkovic 2, Kuprjanov 3, Isaac Burton (191-G-73, college: Arizona St.) 19, Dann 28 (4), Kandic 18 (4), Panteli 23 (4), Simunovic 6.

Aspis Apoel - Proteas EKA AEL 78-71
Quarters: 26-15, 44-34, 63-47, 78-71
Top scorers:
Aspis Apoel: Van Dorpe 7, Hansen 2, Miceta 3, Jones 19, Lopatka 9, Radunovic 11, Weeller 10, Pantouris 2, Garcia 15
Proteas EKA AEL: Liatsos 7, Zianveni 4, Souchu 4, Aleksic 9, Randle 12, Sudov 15, Ilunga 3, Woodwort 17 (2).

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FRANCE

NM1 Day 22: The top 3 travels well -by Chris Spiesser
For the first time since a few weeks, the leaders remained strong. All collected bright wins on the road. Among the other results we can note that Bordeaux ended its losing streak with a win inAndrezieux. This is quite a good move for Davis' boys as Feurs and Longwy clinched an eighth win. Now, Mulhouse is really in danger again after its home loss against Boulogne.

Angers 81-87 Charleville
The top game of the week between the team on the rise and the leader. Rajnak was at his best (23pts, 6rbs) and the game tight. But in the final minute, coach Hay collected a technical foul and Charleville took advantage of those extra points to secure its top spot. The leader was especially efficient at the FTs (26/30) like Minet (12pts 10/12FT, 9rbs, 2stl, 5ass).

Lievin 71-77 Antibes
Jump start by the azureans which were leading by 19pts at halftime (28-47). Despite some difficulties afterwards, Mollinari (22pts, 3rbs, 4stl, 5ass) and Cornett (11pts, 12rbs) led their team to a precious win.

Golbey-Epinal 79-84 Blois
Big win for Blois in the final minutes with incisive Blot (32pts, 4rbs, 3stl) and Brazil (25pts, 3rbs). The leaders handled quite better the huge foul trouble over this game unlike Caskill (26pts, 10rbs, 5fo) and Co. But for the upcoming games, Blois will lose Blot against Andrezieux and Orr for the same week-end but also for two more. Against the GET, the center collected a 4th personnal technical foul which led him to this huge suspension.

Andrezieux 56-80 Bordeaux
The girondins join a group of team with a tie balance (11-11) that remain far but not out of reach of Longwy's or Feurs' comeback. The victory was necessary against the already condemned liguerians. If Mathieu Bigote didn't shake (23pts 4/4 3pts, 3rbs, 3stl), Anthony Kent secured the paint (12pts, 14rbs), this was too much for Andrezieux.

Lille 71-78 Challans
Between those two strong teams of the league, the best ranked kept its status with polyvalent players like Wagner (11pts 4/5, 6rbs, 7ass), Geay (13pts, 3rbs, 3ass), Boutry (12pts, 5rbs, 3stl) or Judith (13pts, 8rbs, 7to, 6ass). On the other side, Malet had the same efficiency (17pts, 6rbs, 8ass) but Lille's accuarcy is a deep problem. Over the season, the nordists do not reach 50% at 2pts (48.2%), flirt just above the 30% line at 6.25m (31.3%) and are totally desperate at the FT line (60.6%). Against Challans, the nordists shot at 35%!!

Fos 75-55 Centre Federal
Quite expected, this result will at least provide some confidance to the provencals. Dia took advantage of the situation with 23pts, 4rbs and 3blk.

Toulouges 97-113 Longwy
Defense wasn't the main word in Toulouges, the two teams being in the bottom of the defensive rankings. After this offensive festival Toulouges is the worst D of the league (88.0papg) and Longwy, the 15th with 80.3papg . Ragauskas (26pts 8/12 3pts) and as usual, Altier (23pts 10/13, 11rbs, 5ass) made a brilliant game but Longwy found even more efficient arguments. The N°01 was Jonathan Godin (184-G-82) who posted 29pts 5/6 3pts plus 4rbs and 3ass but Traore has to be mentionned once more: 13pts, 8rbs, 3stl, 6ass! For the catalans, the situation is critical, Mulhouse being 5 wins ahead...

Mulhouse 57-74 Boulogne
...but only two wins ahead Feurs and Longwy, Mulhouse desperately needed a win to remain safe. But against Boulogne, the alsatians only shot at 37%. If Adell is expected for the next game, their offensive power remain bad (70.8ppg) and will need to be improved to handle the end of the season. For Boulogne, the victory drives them to join the group of teams with a tie balance. Fabien Calvez was the plus element (13pts, 4rbs, 9ass) in addition to Kante's presence in the paint (22pts 8/11).

Feurs 70-63 Saint-Chamond
Surprise in the Loire, where Feurs confirmed its good shape, especially Herve Jalce (21pts, 7rbs, 2stl, 2blk). The forezians are undefeated in their arena in 2008 and only tolerated 64pts to their opponents over those victories. St-Chamond remained in those standarts with a negative ass/to ratio (-6) that Feurs raised up to +5.

Sumpter signs for Vichy -by Maxime Lory
To replace Seth Scott who has left the club 2 weeks ago, Vichy signed the American forward Curtis Sumpter. He played in summer league with Denver and was a free agent since he left the Koln 99ers in October '07, where he played only 1 game because of personal problems.

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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 was not happy with his play time in Goettingen and therefore decided to leave. Moore is now looking for a new team. Until Sunday he is going to be in Germany. Teams that are interested can contact him by email or phone: nigel3030@yahoo.com, 0176-29988735. Moore appeared in 18 Bundesliga-games this season and averaged 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists.

Transactions in Germany -by Kristian Santiago
Clifford Franks (201-F-83, college: Prairie View A&M) left SG Mannheim in January , he has been replaced with Bruce Zabukovec (209-C-75, college: Seattle Pacific). In two games for Mannheim , Franks averaged 11 ppg.
Robert Stafford (196-F-76), who was waived by Dimplex Falke Nuernberg early in the season , moved to TK Universa Bamberg in the 2. Regionalliga Southeast-North where he currently posts 10,7 ppg in six games.
Predrag Gavran (210-C-80) moved from SpVgg Rattelsdorf to Basket Srbija Munchen (2. RL Southeast-South). The same team has Andrija Djuricic (180-G-80) ,Christian Marcu (179-G-82) ,Kandala Nzanzala and Victor Walker (178-G) on the roster.
Bernard Johnson (196-F-77) is now with Teutonia Hausen (Landesliga) and top-scored with 26 points last weekend.

Patrick agrees to contract extension with Goettingen -by Moritz Korff
Head Coach John Patrick and BG 74 Goettingen (1. Bundesliga) have agreed on a two-year contract extension. Patrick's contract now runs until 2010. The 39-year-old American led the Violets to the first division by winning the championship in the 2. Bundesliga North last year and was named the 2006-2007 Eurobasket.com All-2.Bundesliga North Coach of the Year.

Koeln 99ers withdraw from Bundesliga-action immediately -by Moritz Korff
It's all over now. As the club announced today the Koeln 99ers have finally folded for economic reasons and will stop the action immediately. Thus, all results of the games in which Koeln took part this season will be deleted and the 99ers are the first team to be relegated from the 1. Bundesliga. The Koeln 99ers had filed for insolvency at the end of January.

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ICELAND

Two top league games. -by Siggi Hjorleifsson
Grindavik beat Fjolnir last night 89-83. This results will make it very difficult for Fjolnir to keep their spot in top league. Only 4 games left in regular season, they need to win them all and Stjarnan loose all their games.
Top scorers for Grindavik. Jonathan Griffin 29. Pall Axel Vilbergsson 29. For Fjolnir Anthony Drejaj 23. Sean Knitter 18 + 15 rebs. Pete Strobl 17.

IR upset KR in their game by beating them 87-83. Too many turnovers in fourth quarter from KR players. KR did not get Joshua Helm involved enough in the game in second half. Helm did not miss a shot.Nate Brown (183-G-80, agency: IceBasket, college: St.Peter's) playing very well for IR 21 pts. 9 rebs. 10 assist 7 steals.. Hreggvidur Magnusson 18 for IR. Joshua Helm 20. Helgi Magnusson 17. Brynjar Bjornsson 15 for KR.

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JAMAICA

Alliman's career-high propels Cedarville over Wilberforce -by Leonard Whyte
Cedarville, OH (2-19-2008) - Ricardo Alliman scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to lead Cedarville University to a 101-71 win over American Mideast Conference (AMC) South Division rivals Wilberforce University last night. It was the sixth victory in the last seven games for the NAIA Division II No. 22-ranked team who improved to 18-7 overall and 8-4 AMC. Alliman connected on 10-of-12 free throws and was assisted by fellow countryman Daniel Rose who came off the bench to score 16 points and snag eight rebounds also. Another Jamaican, Orville Perkins, formerly of Tivoli All Stars in the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)/National Basketball League (NBL), finished with four points and four rebounds for Wilberforce.

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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):
Arena - Orthodox
Zain - Al Riyadi/Aramex

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

* 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......

# ASU's imports to Al Riyadi/Aramex!!

Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman had succeeded to have the signning of ASU Sport Club's imports Andre Laws (186-G-80, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: San Diego) and Demetris Montgomery (203-F-72, college: Lynn) untill the end of the season...

Laws and Montgomry participated with ASU in Jordan Cup and were out following their defeat from Arena Amman in quarter finals........

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JUCO

Cecil continues their dominance. -by Brandon Martin

Cecil continues their dominance. Cecil community college of North East Maryland is the #1 ranked D-II JUCO and has been atop of the NJCAA ranks for the past three years and are now working on their fourth. National Champions in 2006, have won the region XX championship five of the last nine years. While sending 30 players to division I school and many others to D-II and D-III school. Cecil has not lost a league game in the past three years, while competing in the highly competitive MDJUCO which consist of teams such as Allegany College (Steve Francis's school before Maryland), Hagerstown, and always tough Prince George's County and is undefeated once more this year in and out of conference. They have played six D-I JUCO and have bet the all handily. They have posted no less 31 win per season since the 04-05 season and look to be heading to another 30 plus win year, as they are 19-0, with their last win coming over Dundalk 99-72 on, January 26th. Antonio Haymon (6'5' SF) led the way with 23 point. Haymon is averaging 14 point and 7 rebound per game while shooting 65% from the field and 77% from the free throw line. Coach Bill Lewit, will be looking to se if Haymon and the rest of his talented squad can head back to the national tournament and bring yet another title back to North East, Maryland.

Joey Parker is dropping dime after dime -by Brandon Martin

The nations assist leader in the NJCAA, Joey Parker is having maybe the best season of his career. Despite the Blue Storm of Southwestern Illinois College, losing their last three games after winning eleven straight games before that. The blue Storm have are sitting at 23 - 4, and Parker a 6'1' Guard from, Centralia, IL who has always played the shooting guard until coming to Southwestern Illinois College and is averaging 9.8 assist per game. That is more than three assist higher than what he passed out last year, and he has had six games with eleven assist or better. Parker is also fourth on the team in scoring putting in about 10 points per game which is a basket shy of what he was scoring last year, but with Devron Bostick dropping 19ppg as he did last year scoring is not all that important for the passer. As the Blue Storm head into the home stretch of the season head coach Jay Harrington, hopes that sophomores Parker and Bostick can continue there play and carry them into nationals.

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KOSOVO

Thursday festive game between Republic of Kosovo and Republic of Albania -by Alban Salihu
In frame of festive days of the Independence of Kosovo , Basketball Federation of Kosova in co-operation with Albanian Basketball Federation organise match among states between representatives of Republic ok Kosovo and Republic of Albania in two competitions.

This match has thanks giving character of Albanian poeople in the road of Kosovo's Independence.

On date 21 February at 18.00 females copmetition
On date 21 February at 20.00 male competition
in Prishtina.

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MEXICO

LICOMUBA standings . -by Charles Elwes

After 10 games played in the season , the leader in the LICOMUBA
are Faraones Nuevo Casas Grandes with a record of (9-1). They are
follow by the surprise of the season Dorados Chihuahua (8-2) with all local players.

While Choriceros Camargo are resurging in the season actual champion started slow

the season but recently have done a good work and are in third place in the league , thanks

to good players like Mike Thompson (198-F-77, college: Salem Intern.) ,

Jose Escobedo (202-F-78, college: UTEP) and all the young players that play good basketball

There coach is Rufo Torres , legendary person in Mexican basketball.

In some other news Mineros Parral have there new import finally , in the person of

Melvin Williams (201-F-82) who last played in the PBL. Mineros changed coach too

and now Edgardo Cepeda (183-G-75) its the new coach for Parral in substitution of

Alejandro Lopez.

The standings are :

Faraones Nvo. Casas Grandes 9 - 1

Dorados Chihuahua 8-2

Choriceros Camargo 6 -4

Mineros Parral 5-5

Liebres ITCJ 5- 5

Guerreros Saucillo 3-7

Indios UACJ 2-8

Nogaleros Jimenez 2-8

Cordoba reacts and beats Xalapa -by Charles Elwes

In the third game of the southern finals in the LNBP, Halcones Cordoba
react and beat Halcones Xalapa in front of a packed house in ' El Mexicano'
arena.

In the first quarter action sharp shooting by both teams made the score 30 -26
in favor of Cordoba. Players like Demetric Shaw (191-G-78, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Kent St.)

Hiram Lopez , Jose Portillo (200-G/F-74, college: N.Mexico Highlands) and

Dallas Logan (193-G-82, college: Northwood) made the diference with the help of Cordoba fans

to route there way to a a key win in the series with a 114-99 final score in favor of Cordoba.

Score's by quarter's

first 30 - 26 Cordoba

Second 62 -59 Cordoba

Third 93 -78 Cordoba

Final score 114 - 99 Cordoba.

The top players for Halcones Xalapa were :

Michael Johnson (183-G-76, college: Oklahoma) 22 pts

Jermaine Watson (193-G-81, college: Boston Coll.) 22 pts

Gustavo Ayon (211-F/C-85, college: San Jose St.) 21 pts.

Halcones Cordoba:

Jesus Lopez (203-F-83, college: SW Baptist) 24 pts

Demetric Shaw (191-G-78, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Kent St.) 25 pts.

The series is still in favor of Xalapa (2-1) next game its today in Cordoba Veracruz.

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NBA

Jason Kidd is close to Dallas -by Eurobasket News
The novel about Jason Kidd (6'4''-G-73, college: California) moving to Dallas seems to be near the end as New Jersey president Rod Thorn reported about the deal as being 'a go'. Jason Kidd missed the first Nets' practice after the All-Star break and would probably soon arrive to Dallas. After days of negotiations the teams obviously found the solution to get round all the obstacles and make another mega-deal a reality. So the deal has been reported to send Jason Kidd and Malik Allen (6'9''-F/C-78, college: Villanova) to Dallas. Devin Harris (6'3''-G-83, college: Wisconsin), DeSagana Diop (7'0''-C-83), Trenton Hassell (6'5''-G/F-79, college: Austin Peay St.), Maurice Ager (6'4''-G-84, college: Michigan St.) and Keith Van Horn (6'10''-F-75, college: Utah) together with first-round draft picks in 2008 and 2010 and $3 million in cash will head into the opposite direction. The changes for the initial deal options include replacement of Jerry Stackhouse (6'6''-G-74, college: N.Carolina) by Trenton Hassell. Dallas also released Nick Fazekas (6'11''-F-85, college: Nevada) to make room for signing Keith Van Horn and then trading him. If the league OKs the trade Jason Kidd is expected to don the Mavericks' jersey against New Orleans on Wednesday.

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NIGERIA

Nestle Milo School Basketball dunks-off -by Olusegun Ikuesan
All is now set for the commencement of the 10th edition of the Nestle Milo Secondary schools' Basketball championship, an annual event targeted at youths in secondary schools nationwide.

The Category Business Manager, Beverages and Confectionery, Walter Okafor told newsmen in Lagos that the submission of entry forms, earlier collected from state Ministries of Education, Sports Councils and other approved channels, ends on February 14.

State preliminaries of the competition will run from February 15 to March 4, with no fewer than 3,000 schools competing nationwide. This would be followed by the conference finals where finalists from the state preliminaries would compete in six regions between June and July.

At the end of the conference finals, he said, 'We will be left with 12 teams in the boys and girls category. The 12 teams will compete in the national finals, to produce the overall winner in the boys and girls categories. This will run through the 22nd to 27th of September, 2008.'

Okafor said, in line with the organisation's culture of celebrating winning moments, the first placed teams in both boys and girls categories would be given a branded basketball court each. 'This is unprecedented in the history of the competition.

The court will be constructed in their schools. However, where any of the winning school(s) already has a basketball court, we shall undertake to brand and refurbish it to good standards. In the event where the two first placed teams are from the same school, only one court shall be given, and the other team will receive a handsome reward', he said.

The second and third placed teams in both categories will receive upward reviews in the prize money from the previous sums of N100, 000 and N75, 000 to N150, 000 and N100, 000 respectively.

The individual prizes include medals to each member of the three teams, trophies to the most valuable players, fair play trophy to the schools, trophy award to the best three-point shooter in both categories, as well as best in slam dunk.

Nestle's Managing Director and Chief Executive, Klaus Wachsmuth said the championship had become a veritable platform for promoting social interaction, teamwork, talent identification and nurturing among youths. 'I would like to assure you that Nestle Milo would continue to support the development of sport in Nigeria because we believe that it is a very strong platform for unity, social interaction and good sportsmanship', he said.

National President of the Nigerian School Sport Federation (NSSF), Dr. Thomas Adeleke called on school sports officers, Principals and Parents Teachers Association (PTA), to register their schools for the championship. 'Students should embrace sports for the development of the brain, brawn and enviable strength of character and see the opportunity provided by the organisation as an epitome of co-existence of sports, academics and excellence', he said.

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PANAMA

Jamal Levy and Antonio Garcia in Estudiantes de Bahia Blanca in Liga A of Argentina.- -by Eddie Munoz
Two panamanians members of the National Team are playing in Argentina in Estudiantes de Bahia Blanca, Levy have played 32 games and have the following figures: 13.6 Pts. , 8.5 Reb. 1.1 Blocks.in 31.0 Minutes per game. Antonio Garcia was playing in the Mexican League and now he had played 4 games for Estudiantes with the following avgs. 10.8 Pts. 10.0 Reb. in 21.8 Minutes per game. Congratulations and good luck for both panamanians.

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PBL

Important changes in Dallas -by Gianni Pascucci
As we told Sunday night, the Dallas Defenders should end the PBL season, after all. This will happen under a direct control from the Premier Basketball League. It seems that Erin Patton is no longer the owner of the team, and a new ownership group is working to take over the Defenders, and this should be announced quickly. The team roster has also changed. coach Chuck Davisson left the team becuase of the financial unstableness, as well as point guard lonnie randolph, due to illness. The Interim Head Coach is Willie McCray , and two new players, Rashad McGee (5'11'-G-83, college: Winston Salem State) and Devin Mooring (6'3''-G-84, college: Elizabeth City) have joined the team. Unlucky, the leading big man O'Neal Mims (6'10''-F-83, college: Angelo St.) suffered a major ankle sprain through the Chicago game, and did not play against Quad Cities. He is still with the team, but it is not sure when he will be able to come back.

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PORTUGAL

PROLIGA results round 22 -by Bruno Baltazar

Benfica didnt played this weekend and Vitoria, with their win, came closer from the top of Proliga, Portugal's 2nd league.

Complete results:
CTM Vila Pouca Aguiar X Queluz Sintra PMundial / 51 - 65
Galitos FC X VSC -M.Couto Alves / 85 - 89
Cv. Alianca/Sangalhos X Atletico/Slimcei / 65 - 47
Maia Basket X Angra/Susiarte/Samsung / 66 - 79
Ass.Academica Coimbra X Esgueira /Oli / 63 - 53
Illiabum X Fisica T. Vedras / 94 - 73
Sampaense/Tec.Coimbra X Seixal FC /Slimcei / 74 - 51

No relevant surprises in this round.

Round 15 recap -by Bruno Baltazar
In the 15th round of portuguese league surprises almost happened in close games as now its the last 1/3 of portuguese championship before the playoffs,no team want to lose and others want to rotate players to rest them for the begining of the playoffs.

Barreirense 65 - Ovarense 77
Great basketball game everyone in Barreiro could witness,Barreirense the last team in the standings against the team everyone thinks will win the champ-Ovarense.
Barreirense arena almost was full of people ,Barreirense dominated during 3 quarters and lost the game in the last quarter in what for sure would be the biggest surprise so far in the season.
Barreiro team in the 1st quarter 24-13 was leading the game and kept the lead untill the last minuts of the 3rd quarter ,during the 4th quarter Ovarense showed why they a better team.
Miguel Miranda and Nuno Cortez 13pts,Ben Reed with 12 and Cordell Henry with 11pts were the better players for Ovar team .
In Barreirense the usual suspects-Darrell Harris showing he is the dominant center in Portugal (12pts,13rebounds,5blocks)EJ Drayton the better player in Portugal(14pts and 6 rebounds)Chris Alexander with 15pts and 5 rebounds.

In a Madeira island derby between CAB and Lusitania(75-64),CAB won the game because a strong defense from the start of the game and the poor shooting game of Lusitania(in the 1st and 3rd quarter they just scored 11 and 9pts)Jose Costa with 18pts for CAB and for Lusitania Gerson Monteiro with 20pts were the game leaders.

Porto keeps persuing Ovarense for the 1st place and won easily against Belenenses(90-84)its a fake final result because Porto were leading during 3 quarter for over 18pts and Belenses tried a final chance to win the game in the last quarter but when they waked up was too late to win the game.
Paulo Cunha with 26pts,8 rebounds and 5assists was the biggest Porto player,Diogo Carreira with 23pts for Belenses showed good moments.

Vagos79-67 Ginasio
Vagos is surprising everyone as they in the 3rd place in the standing ,Tyrone Levett (195-G/F-80, college: Alabama St.) once again the MVP of the 15th round(25pts,7rebounds),and Rico Hill with 20pts,7rebounds,7assists),for Ginasio Nate Daniels with 29pts and 5 rebounds tryied to balance the game.
The 2nd quarter was the key moment on the game due the fact Vagos did a partial of 20-8.

Joao Betinho Gomes putting a show in LEB ORO -by Bruno Baltazar
What the Denver Nuggets(NBA) scout witnessed was a great exhibition from Joao Gomes (199-F-85), the former Barreirense player in Spain. He led his team the Cantabria Lobos to another win. It seems that the team wants to get way from the last place in LEB ORO with the help of Betinho.
He scored 17pts and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 94-88 win over Hospitalet. So far this season he is averaging 8.9pts and 4.4 rebounds per game.

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PUERTO RICO

Conquistadors sport a new roster -by Luis Ramirez
With only 3 players returning to the Guaynabo Conquistadors from last year's roster, the Conquistadors will present basically a new squad this year in the BSN. One of last year's returning players will be Carmelo Lee (200-F-77, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Long Beach St.). Lee was deemed untouchable last year as the franchise looked to renew its roster. Accompanying Lee will be import player Monty Wilson a veteran player in the BSN along with Community Player Kevin Sheppard as point guard. Island players include Carlos Escalera who was acquired from the Bayamon Cowboys, Angel Sanchez, Sened Padilla, Andy Ortiz and Melvin Simon among others. Guaynabo will be competing against the likes of Carolina, Humacao, Fajardo and Santurce, so as you can see their plight will be steep in trying to obtain a postseason position. Currently we think that with the way these other teams have composed their teams Guaynabo will needs lots of luck to reach the next round of play.

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ROMANIA

News from Miodrag Perisic -by Bogdan Bocaniala
Hi Misa, how are you? How is it going for you?
I'm very well, thanks. I've been in Macedonia for nearly 2 months now, which is enough time to get accommodated with the new country, team and league. So, things are going just fine.

How did you find the team?
I was fairly satisfied with the team that I found when I arrived here. We've brought 4 more players (3 foreigner's and 1 Macedonian) so I think we have a pretty strong team now, capable of achieving good results this season.

Do you have an objective for this year (having in mind that you took the team only from the second part of the championship)?
I think that the team has the opportunity to play final of championship and also national Cup. We work hard to get there and, why not, to win it…

I've saw that you won last game and now you are on third position in championship?
We've had a really good start, we won for the first time in the club's history in front of K.K. Rabotnicki (multiple champion's of Macedonian league) in Skopje. This victory brought us on third position and in the same time gave us the ambition to go further.

Is Basketball sport number one in Macedonia?
Football is the most popular sport, and after that came basketball and handball. Macedonia was part of former Yugoslavia so it's also part of Yugoslav's basketball school/family. Here is a tradition of watching basketball, just like anywhere in the former Yugoslavians country.

Tell us a few things that you miss from Cluj?
I'm a professional so I don't have the privilege of missing things, It's something you have to be aware when you choose this job. Bitola is a new chapter in my life. I spent more than 3 years in Cluj-Napoca, so, naturally, I made a loot's of friends. Along with my girlfriend, who is also Romanian, I missed them most.

Which is biggest difference between U- Mobitelco team and Swisslion Pelister?
They are both top clubs in their's countries, they share the same ambition and both have great supporters.
Every place it's a different experience, I always try to focus on positive things that have happened to me. This is something that keeps me going on, along with my family and friends. It is a famous Serbian song which says that, as we get older, good things push away bad things that have happened to us. Hopefully, when I get old there will be much more good things to look back at.

Is Macedonian championship stronger then Romanian? Is it different?
Macedonian league has only 8 teams whereas there are 14 in Romanian. Romania is a bigger country, its clubs have bigger budgets which consequently reflects on the championship. On the other hand, 7 out of 8 Macedonian clubs are very close in terms of quality, something that is not the case in Romania. There can be only 4 foreign players in Macedonian clubs and 5 in Romanian so there are more opportunities for native players here. Best Macedonian clubs could participate well in Romanian league, just like the best Romanian clubs could play here in Macedonia. So, I'd say they are equally strong.

Name one thing that you will always take with you?
I take all the times with me a gold neck less, a gift from my parents for my 18th birthday.

I hope that you will achieve your goals with Swisslion Pelister and everything best to you.
I hope that basketball in Romania will continue its expansion and soon you guys have your teams in some of the strongest European competition, on club or national team level. I would also like to say 'hi' to all my friends and basketball fans in Romania, thank you for everything.

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RUSSIA

Unics, Dynamo and Khimky are comfortable after the opening leg of Top 32 -by Eurobasket News
Three out of four Russian representatives in ULEB Cup drove to confident victories in the first leg of the sixteenth-final. Only Triumph was not able to succeed playing against German Artland Dragons away from home. But Triumph also secured strong chances of making it to the Top 16 stage.
Dynamo Moscow visited Poland to take on Slask. The Russian outfit led from the start but was not able to build a decisive margin. Wroclaw team stayed close and challenged the visitors throughout the action. The teams traded baskets in the first frame and were all square at 25 after 10 minutes. The closest possible game continued after the intermission as the teams were going hand-in-hand. Dawan Robinson (189-G-82, agency: Megasport, college: Rhode Island) gave the hosts a 33:32 advantage for a fraction of time but Robertas Javtokas (211-C-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) capped the first half with a jumper to put the visitors ahead 42:39 at halftime. Dynamo tried to spur away at the start of the third stanza as Milos Vijanic came up with a couple of impressive buckets to open up a double-digit lead 51:41. But Slask were alert and Geidraitis and Oliver Stevic (201-F-84) trimmed the deficit back to a single point. Moscow side still dominated and headed into the fourth period with a 63:59 lead. It all went down to the crunch time where Dynamo proved the difference. Milos Vujanic (190-G-80) and Travis Hansen (198-G/F-78, college: BYU) teamed up for 5 straight points to give the guests a 79:72 advantage late in regulation. Dawan Robinson fired from downtown but it was too late to change the outcome. Dynamo sealed a 85:78 victory and made the first step towards the next stage. Robertas Javtokas was outstanding with 28 points and 7 boards. Milos Vujanic added 14 and Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) posted 13 points for the winners. Dawan Robinson accounted for 21 points in defeat.
Khimky sent another strong message to all the teams in the tournament claiming their favorite status. They crushed the Koeln 99ers 91:72 in Germany and virtually decided the task of advancing to the next round. An upbeat tempo introduced by Khimky was hardly matched by the hosts as they conceded 30 points in the first frame. The visitors led by 5 points at the interval but the 99ers tried to avoid the loss as they cut the gap to 3 points in the third quarter. But it was a just a short momentum for the hosts as Khimky took over in the final period and thrashed Koeln for an overall 19-point advantage. Maciej Lampe (210-C-85, agency: Edge Sports) notched 23 points for Khimky. Daniel Ewing (191-G-83, college: Duke) scored 18 points, while Clay Tucker (194-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) and Kelly McCarty (201-F-75, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: S.Mississippi) had 13 points apiece. Milko Bjelica

(207-C-84, agency: Beo Basket) answered with 26 points and 9 boards for Koeln.
But probably the biggest surprise came from Kazan where the local Unics thumped dangerous Turk Telekom 91:65. Aco Petrovic team was struggling for the right form throughout the major part of the season but it seemed they now had started to find it. Unics opened the game aggressively and limited Turkish team to only 10 points in the first frame building a 13-point lead. Turk Telekom however was not taken aback as Khalid El-Amin (178-G-79, agency: Beo Basket, college: Connecticut) paced his teammates back into contest. The visitors responded with a 28:14 second quarter to surge ahead. But it never intimidated the hosts. Unics relied on impressive performances from Darjus Lavrinovic (212-C-79) and Tariq Kirksay (199-F-79, college: Iona) to regain the lead. The home side restored an 11-point cushion heading into the fourth stanza and completed the task late in the game. Tariq Kirksay tallied game-high 31 points and 8 boards for the winners. Darjus Lavrinovic had 21 points, 8 boards and 5 assists as Unics strengthened their chances to advance. Khalid El-Amin was a usual contributor for Turk Telekom with 19 points. Erwin Dudley (204-F/C-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Alabama) scored 17 points in a loss.
Triumph lost but remained with solid prospects before the return leg. Triumph opened their encounter against Artland Dragons on a high as they accumulated a 24:16 lead after 10 minutes. But the hosts gradually changed the complexion of the game and cut the deficit to a single point with a quarter to play. The German side went ahead in the fourth stanza and rolled to a 6-point victory at the end. Leon Rodgers (199-F-80, college: N.Illinois) netted 16 points and collected 7 boards for the home team. John Goldsberry

(191-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: NC-Wilmington) added 14 points in a win. Mire Chatman (187-G-78, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: UTPA) poured in 16 points for Triumph. Igor Zamansky (202-F-77) delivered 12 points in a losing clause.

Drazen Anzulovic leaves Ural Great -by Eurobasket News
Ural Great head coach Drazen Anzulovic surprised the team's management, players and fans with the decision to leave the franchise. He left Perm a couple of days ago and have reportedly signed a contract with Charleroi already. It all happened just days before Ural Great EuroCup quarterfinal series against TU/Rock. The team held press-conference yesterday, where they claimed that Drazen Anzulovic decision was not a preplanned one. And that he still has obligations on his contract with Ural Great. So now the team will be prepared by Roman Dvinyaninov for the clash against TU/Rock in Tallinn. Roman Dvinyaninov will be assisted by Vyacheslav Shushakov .

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SAUDI ARABIA

Stevic signs for Al Hilal -by Ali Ahmed
Al Hilal basketball team management agreed terms with the Serbian Dusan Stevic (208-F/C-71, agency: Interperformances, college: Armstrong Atlantic) to play for them this season.

Stevic has a soft touch and rebounds but often fouls troubles ,A true 6-10, he now supplies a great presence under the boards at the both sides of the court.

Awards/Achievements:
Slovenian All-Star Game -99
Swiss League All-Bosman 1st Team -00
Swiss League Champion -00,01,02
Swiss Cup Winner -01
Swiss LNA Finals MVP -01
All-Swiss LNA 1st Team -01
EuroCup Challenge Quarterfinals -06
Lebanese Cup Winner -06
Arab Club Championships Winner -06
Lebanese League Regular Season Champion -06
Lebanese League Champion -06

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SERBIA

Kraski Zidar inked Mitar Trivunovic -by Dragan Jankovski

Slovenian team Kraski Zidar from Sezana signed contract until the end of the season with shooting guard Mitar Trivunovic (196-G-77), ex player of Bosnian team Leotar from Trebinje. In the past Trivunovic used to play for Inter Bratislava, Intercollege Etha Engomis, Masinac, Sloga and Spartak.

At the moment Kraski Zidar is, together with Zagorje, on the last place in Slovenian A league with score 3-15.

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SPAIN

Week 20: Edward Santana MVP LEB-Silver and David Ortega MVP LEB-Bronze -by Daniel Fernandez

Edward Santana (203-F-80) (Alimentos de Palencia) was the MVP in the 20th round in the Adecco LEB-Silver with 35 of efficiency. In the Adecco LEB-Bronze the MVP was David Ortega (-84) (AB Merida) with 31 of efficiency.

Week 20: TOP 5 by efficiency LEB Silver

Edward Santana (Palencia): 35 (25pt + 4rb)

Ed Nelson (203-F-82, college: Connecticut) (CB Ourense): 30 (27pt + 8rb)

Jesus Castro (190-G-83) (Almeria): 29 (25pt + 4rb + 5as)

Manuel Guzman (203-F-82) (Sabadell): 28 (16pt + 14rb)

Daniel Rodriguez (180-G-84) (Huesca): 26 (32pt + 2rb)

Week 20: TOP 5 by efficiency LEB Bronze

David Ortega (AB Merida): 31 (19pt + 14rb)

Brett Beeson (193-G-72) (Archena): 30 (28pt + 5rb)

Robert Joseph (204-C-78) (Coruna): 29 (15pt + 9rb + 5bk)

Javier Alarcon (190-G-73) (Torrealta Molina): 29 (27pt + 4rb)

Manel Nunez (190-G-81) (AB Esplugues): 28 (22pt + 5rb)

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ST.KITTS

St. Pauls Big Nash Makes A Big Splash In Alaska -by Jay
There have been few bright spots for the University of Alaska Nanooks who are currently in the middle of a 10-game losing streak. But Alaska's newest addition, Nashorn 'Big Nash' Maynard (198-F-86) provided some during Alaska's 82-71 loss at Western Washington.
'We finally found a big guy,' said Coach Clem Johnson.
That big guy was 6'-5' 185 pound Maynard, the St.Kitts, St.Pauls Tuff Knots and SKABA product who recorded 10 points and three rebounds -- all on the offensive end -- in his third game in Blue and Gold.
'Ooooh yeah, that was Mr. Nash. I saw things from him that we're going to love to see in the future,' Johnson said. 'It's just his natural instincts for the ball. That amazed me. That's something we've been trying to get through to our individuals since September.
'Our guys get the rebound when it comes to them. Nash chases it down.'
Since Maynard's been with the team for so little time, he has yet to understand the offense. So, instead of getting his points on plays designed for him, he just let those instincts take over.
'That's what impressed me. I'm sitting here thinking what I taught him about the offense, and that's the thing -- he wasn't getting it off offense,' Johnson said. 'It was just natural instinct. It was like, let's just go play basketball and he did.'
And with the kid called Nash giving Johnson the widest smile, the Nanooks turned in a performance that left their coach a lot happier than he was two days prior in a blowout at Central Washington.
'To be honest with you, I can't tell you what was going on in that young man's mind,' Johnson said. 'I used to not have anyone who was good enough to push him, now, he's got competition Johnson said of Maynard
And after Saturday, Johnson's determined to make sure he has Maynard around for three more years.
'I told him, if I have to go to Saint Kitts and find him myself, he'll be back,' Johnson said.
Prior To earning a scholarship to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nash played one season at Sandy Point High School, where he averaged 21.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, along with 4.9 blocks, 3.0 steals, and 2.5 assists per game...and was named Team MVP for the local High School Championships in 2002-03. He Played club ball for St. Paul's Tuff Knotts between 2005-2007, averaging 24.3 ppg, 19.7 rpg, and 4.1 blocks per game, making him the leading scorer and rebounder of the St. Kitts Amateur Basketball Association (SKABA) Premier Division in 2007.Big Nash was Named 2007 SKABA Premier Division Finals Most Valuable Player.
Nash made his debut with the UAF Nanooks against Alaska Anhorage on February 9th.

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SWITZERLAND

Marcario uncertain for next round -by Maxime Lory
Absent last saturday for the game of Vevey Riviera Basket vs Nyon ( 70-81), the italian guard Domenico Marcario (180-G-79, agency: ACMT) is very uncertain for the next round. Next Sunday, Vevey Riviera Basket will play vs the second of LNA : Lugano TIgers. He sufferes from a back's problem. This year, he scores in average 11,4p and dishes out 2,6 asts for a ranking of 10,7. It's a bad news for Vevey which is last of the standings.

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TPBL

lakers / gallos split series - chaparrals run away from west tx storm -by Chris Cardenas

Lake Jackson 's team splits series

Lake Jackson, Tx — There is a reason why the Gallos de Pelea from Juarez-El Paso are so good — chemistry the Gallos have used to stake themselves to a 10-0 start in the Texas Professional Basketball League. The Lake Jackson Lakers are a first-year team trying to make a name for itself in the league. So far, the Lakers have opened some eyes with their 4-1 start.
Saturday night Feb. 16 showed the Lakers they still have a ways to go. The Gallos' explosive offense ran all over Lake Jackson , 121-107, at Brazoswood Gym, leaving the Lakers a bit winded in the end, But in a two-game series against the front-runners of the league, the Lakers bounced back Sunday afternoon to take a 106-95 win to split. Lake Jackson still trail El Paso (11-1) but certainly served notice that the Lakers are a force to be reckoned with.

saturday feb. 16
gallos 121 - lakers 107

sunday feb. 17
lakers 106 - gallos 95

san angelo chaparrals run away with a win

Snyder ,Tx - The San Angelo Chaparrals got back into the swing of things with sharp shooting, good passing and pressure defense when they took on always scrappy West Texas Storm, who were without their toughest player Matt Fambro. The Chaparrals came in and ran away with the game 136-111with deep 3 point shoot from Tony Allen who finished with game high 37 points and Tracy Braziel who finished with 26 points.

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U.S.VIRGIN ISL.

Antilles Wins Four Games at Home in Private-School Basketball Tourney -by David Edole
While the public schools went to the big island to battle it out in basketball, the territory's private schools filled the Mark C. Marin Center at Antilles School over the weekend for a two-day, round robin varsity boys basketball tournament.
Participating this weekend were All Saints Cathedral School, Antilles, Sts. Peter and Paul, Seventh Day Adventist and St. Joseph's from St. Croix. The tournament got underway with the All Saints Vikings taking on the Saints from St. Joseph's. The Vikings won by 10, beating the Saints 42-32.
In the second game, Antilles scraped by Sts. Peter and Paul 42-40. Following with another nail biter, Seventh Day Adventist squeezed out a 36-34 victory over All Saints. Antilles then took on St. Joseph's, with the Saints losing by 10 again, 31-21. In Saturday's final game, Sts. Peter and Paul topped the Seventh Day Adventist Crusaders 48-43.
After the first day, Antilles won both of their games, followed by All Saints, Sts. Peter and Paul and Seventh Day, all of whom had a 1-1 record. St. Joseph's rounded out the group, going 0-2 for the day.
On Sunday, Antilles and All Saints started the day in an overtime thriller. After a back-and-forth battle for a majority of the game, the score was tied at 32 with under two minutes left on the clock. A layup by Brian Brady gave the Vikings a two-point lead. On the next possession, Antilles' Gerard Wiley brought the ball upcourt, gave a bounce pass through two All Saints defenders and hooked up with Alex Blyth, who took a short jumper to tie the score at 34. Both teams were unable to score for the remainder of regulation, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, free throws were the key to victory, as Antilles hit 10 of 11 to carry them to the 46-42 win.
David LaRochelle led the Hurricanes with 17 points. Blyth followed with 12. For All Saints, Brady got 10, followed by Justin King and Kai Smith with nine apiece.
After beating Seventh Day 43-30 later in the afternoon, Antilles finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record. All Saints, Sts. Peter and Paul and Seventh Day all finished with 2-2 records, while St. Joseph's left the Rock winless.
LaRochelle was also named the tournament's most valuable player. Named to the all-tournament team were Sts. Peter and Paul's Michael Venzen (6-5, Soph. F/C), All Saints' John McDonald, Seventh Day's Jack Gumbs, Antilles' Wiley and St. Joseph's Charles Moorehead (6-2, Jr., G/F).
Speaking later, tournament organizer Charles Davis said he was pleased with the weekend's outcome. The games were evenly contested, he noted, with multiple games going into overtime and one making it to triple overtime.

by James Gardner

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UKRAINE

BC Odesa begins to change -by Alexander Muzyka
- Vladyslav Podolian (195-G-86) has gone to BC Odesa. There were rumours about Podolian's loan to Budivelnyk but the young guard who has appeared for Odesa Vitali Lebedintsev is working. Plus BC Odesa invited Marcus Wilson (192-G-77) from Spirou Charleroi instead of Aleksei Goliakhov (190-G-84). BC Odesa's headquarters want to say thanks to Yevhen Tkachenko (202-F-83), too. Oleg Yushkin (195-G/F-75) is injured for a while.

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ULEB CUP

Unics, Dynamo and Khimky are comfortable after the opening leg of Top 32 -by Eurobasket News
Three out of four Russian representatives in ULEB Cup drove to confident victories in the first leg of the sixteenth-final. Only Triumph was not able to succeed playing against German Artland Dragons away from home. But Triumph also secured strong chances of making it to the Top 16 stage.
Dynamo Moscow visited Poland to take on Slask. The Russian outfit led from the start but was not able to build a decisive margin. Wroclaw team stayed close and challenged the visitors throughout the action. The teams traded baskets in the first frame and were all square at 25 after 10 minutes. The closest possible game continued after the intermission as the teams were going hand-in-hand. Dawan Robinson (189-G-82, agency: Megasport, college: Rhode Island) gave the hosts a 33:32 advantage for a fraction of time but Robertas Javtokas (211-C-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona) capped the first half with a jumper to put the visitors ahead 42:39 at halftime. Dynamo tried to spur away at the start of the third stanza as Milos Vijanic came up with a couple of impressive buckets to open up a double-digit lead 51:41. But Slask were alert and Geidraitis and Oliver Stevic (201-F-84) trimmed the deficit back to a single point. Moscow side still dominated and headed into the fourth period with a 63:59 lead. It all went down to the crunch time where Dynamo proved the difference. Milos Vujanic (190-G-80) and Travis Hansen (198-G/F-78, college: BYU) teamed up for 5 straight points to give the guests a 79:72 advantage late in regulation. Dawan Robinson fired from downtown but it was too late to change the outcome. Dynamo sealed a 85:78 victory and made the first step towards the next stage. Robertas Javtokas was outstanding with 28 points and 7 boards. Milos Vujanic added 14 and Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois) posted 13 points for the winners. Dawan Robinson accounted for 21 points in defeat.
Khimky sent another strong message to all the teams in the tournament claiming their favorite status. They crushed the Koeln 99ers 91:72 in Germany and virtually decided the task of advancing to the next round. An upbeat tempo introduced by Khimky was hardly matched by the hosts as they conceded 30 points in the first frame. The visitors led by 5 points at the interval but the 99ers tried to avoid the loss as they cut the gap to 3 points in the third quarter. But it was a just a short momentum for the hosts as Khimky took over in the final period and thrashed Koeln for an overall 19-point advantage. Maciej Lampe (210-C-85, agency: Edge Sports) notched 23 points for Khimky. Daniel Ewing (191-G-83, college: Duke) scored 18 points, while Clay Tucker (194-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) and Kelly McCarty (201-F-75, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: S.Mississippi) had 13 points apiece. Milko Bjelica

(191-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: NC-Wilmington) added 14 points in a win. Mire Chatman (187-G-78, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: UTPA) poured in 16 points for Triumph. Igor Zamansky (202-F-77) delivered 12 points in a losing clause.

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URUGUAY

Defensor, Atenas and Hebraica advanced to playoff -by Hector Lopez
Bigua will face Defensor Sporting and Hebraica will play against Atenas in the best-of-five semifinals playoff for the Uruguayan League. Hebraica, DAtenas, and Defensor advanced to the semifinals during the last round of the regular season. Atenas beat 77-67 Malvin, the last chamipons. Hebraica defeated Defensor Sporting 80-70 and Union Atletica beat Trouille 88-82, buy both teams were eliminated. The playoff will begin next Thursday and all the games will be played at Palacio Penarol, an stadium with 6.000 seats,
The main scorers (incluidign import players) were:

Atenas 77 - Wendell Gibson (201-F/C-83, college: Hofstra) 17 points and 14 rebounds, Hakeem Rollins (202-C/F-83, agency: CAA Sports, college: Washington) 15 points and 10 rebounds
Malvin Lee Benson (208-F/C-73, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Brown Mackie) 21 points and 16 rebounds, Kim Adams (203-F/C-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Arkansas St.) 8 points and 8 rebounds
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Hebraica 80 - Grady Reynolds (198-F-80, agency: Strategic Sports, college: St.John's) 24 points and 9 rebounds, Letheal Cook (208-C/F-80, college: Bowie St.) 10 points and 4 rebounds
Defensor Sporting 70 - David Jackson (196-G-82, college: Penn St.) 17 points Nathan Mielke (210-F-81, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) 12 points and 14 rebounds.
- - -
Union 88 - Not available
Trouville 82 - Thurman Zimmerman (196-F/G-83, agency: AMI, college: S.Carolina St.) 14 points and 11 rebounds Delano Thomas (203-F-82, college: Shawnee St.) 0 and 2 rebounds

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Women News

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CYPRUS - Women

New Head Coach for Etha Engomis -by Chris Mammides

The Serbian Nemanja Bjedov (192-F/G-77) is the new head Coach of the Women's team of Etha Engomis. The young coach will try to help the young women's team in the difficult continuation of the league. Nemanja Bjedov is an ex player who spent the last part of his career in the Cyprus courts, mostly in the Second division. This will be his first job as a coach in a team.

Other news

The team of Apoel Nicosia has withdraw from the Cyprus league due to financial reasons, so after AYMA (At the beggining of the seazon) another team added in the 'problematic' situation. The league currently consist of only 6 teams, AEL, Keravnos, Etha, Anagennises Yermasogeias, Achilleas Kaimakli and ENAD. It is worth mentioned that Achilleas Kaimakli split ways with the two foreign players due to financial reasons, from now on the Kaimakli team will continue only with the Cyprus staff.

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FYR MACEDONIA - Women

Vigor Skopje leads in Macedonia -by Eurobasket News
Vigor Skopje stretched their winning streak to 8 games as they defeated Biljana 71:46 in Round 13. Ana Zhivkovic (183-F/C-87) paced the league leaders with 25 points. Ana Tanturovska (170-G-90) and Zorica Ackovska (171-G-88) drained 13 points apiece for the winners. Vesna Balazoska (172-G-81) responded with an outstanding 32 points for Beljica as they slipped to 4-7 record.
Meanwhile Lisici posted their 4th win in the season as they bruised Kumanovo 59:51 away from home. Edina Musa (170-G-91) netted 17 points, while Kristina Stojanovska (159-G-91) nailed 15 points for Skopje outfit. Sanja Kostova (175-F-83) poured in 11 points for Kumanovo.
In Round 14 Vigor will take on the second-ranked Mladines.

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HOLLAND - Women

Amazone stay strong against Grasshoppers -by Eurobasket News
Amazone remained at the second spot in the Eredivisie ladder after thrashing Grasshoppers 102:57 at home in the last round. The hosts pulled the strings early in the game as Tyler McIlwraith (185-G-85, college: St.Louis) and Marloes Renskers (170-G-81, college: Armstr.Atlantic) gave them a 7:0 lead. Amazone never stopped and soon enjoyed a 23:8 advantage. Ingrid Van der Plas (178-F/C-91) scored for the visitors to trim the deficit but the home continued to mount the pressure. Judy Wright (172-G-84) and Patricia Chukwuma (186-F/G-85) combined a bunch of points as Amazone reached a 47:29 lead at halftime. Grasshoppers tried to stay in contest after the break as Kee Briniks and Carola de Jong (173-G-83) notched 6 points and the visitors trailed by 11 points. But Amazone quickly reacted with a 19:3 rally to clear off to a comfortable distance. Finally the home team registered 100 points and celebrated their 12th win in the season. Judy Wright tallied 20 points and 9 steals for Amazone. Maaike van de Bovenkamp (178-F-85) contributed 19 points, while Patricia Chukwuma scored 16 points for the winners.
Yellow Bike secured their top spot with a cruising 103:62 win over Perik Jumpers. Yellow Bike played at home and never trailed en route to the 13th win in the season. The hosts built a 50:37 lead at halftime but fired with a 21:6 third stanza to accumulate an unassailable lead before the fourth period. Anna Vicenzetto (183-C/F-77) led all scorers with 28 points. Laura Kooij (183-F-82) and Leonie Kooij (187-F-86) scored 18 points apiece in a winning effort.

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ICELAND - Women

Hamar vs KR -by Siggi Hjorleifsson

Hamar finally won one the top teams when they beat KR 80-75. Bad loss for KR who have been fighting for the top seat.Both teams with new foreign players Hamar have added on the roster Iva Mileoj
KR replaced Monique Martin with Candace Futrell.Both players did well.
Top scorers for Hamar LaKiste Barkus 26. Iva Mileoj 21. For KR Candace Futrell 25. Hildur Sigurdardottir 23

Next sunday is the Lysing Cup final where Grindavik face last years Cup winner Haukar.

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IRELAND - Women

Hotel Cork are trumped the regular season champions -by Eurobasket News
Hotel Cork won their 15th straight game in the Irish Superleague and clinched the regular season title. It became the second title for Hotel Cork in the season as they previously put on the Superleague Cup crown. The 15th victory was much of an easy jog for the league favorites as they thrashed Tolka Rovers 95:47 at home. The hosts made a strong impact in the first half building a 43:26 buffer. Tolka Rovers could hardly match their opponents' tempo and finally lost the battle. Jennifer Strong (183-F-84, college: Dayton) was a usual top contributor for Hotel Cork with 18 points. Marie Breen (-G) was helpful with 16 points in a winning case. Jolie McKiernan (188-C) responded with game-high 24 points for Tolka Rovers.
UL Aughinish grabbed their 11th win in the season as they beat Dart Killester 74:49 on the road. Killester was punished for a sloppy start as they trailed 6:24 early in the encounter. The things never changed afterwards as UL Aughinish were in full control and accumulated a 46:25 advantage at the interval. The third quarter was not a scorcher either with both teams combining for only 18 points. The visitors headed into the fourth period with a 56:33 lead and cruised to an overall victory at the end. Caitlin Oneill (175-G) nailed 25 points, while Sarah Jillian Aherne (176-F-74) added 14 points for the winners. Malcolm poured in 20 points for Killester.
DCU Mercy proved strength against Wildcats 87:46. Mary Fox (180-G-83) accounted for game-high 31 points for the hosts. Lindsay Peat (170-G-80) contributed 14 points as Mercy improved to 12-3 record. Kathryn McNamara (186-C-83, college: Vermont) netted 21 points in a loss.

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ISRAEL - Women

Round 19th results.