Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 2/5/2008

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

Men News

*****************************************************
ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Jagodnik has knee surgery -by Zeljko Zule
Slovenian NT member Goran Jagodnik (202-F-74, agency: Beo Basket) of Hemofarm Stada underwent knee surgery and will be sidelined at least four months. He averaging 27,2 minutes, 14,1 points (2P 62-109, 3P 28-82, FT 45-62), 4,5 rebounds, 1,2 assists, 1,3 steals, 0,2 blocks and 0,9 turnovers in 18 games of NLB Adriatic League.

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

Liga A round 16 -by Facundo Iatzky
The round 16 had a negative side in Bahia Blanca where Estudiantes and Ben hur, two teams fighting for stay in First division, could not play their game due to one of the 24 seconds clock did not work. The A-D-C must decide but it seems that Ben hur will win the game. In the rest of the round Libertad won again in Neuquen against Independiente with a 3 point shoot of Mariano Ceruti in the last second. Penarol defeated Regatas Corrientes in the game of the round. It was neccesary two overtimes. Atenas Codoba won in overtime too against Gimnasia comodoro. Obras Sanitarias remains in a good level after have beat Sionista. Gabriel Cocha reached the 10000 points in his career in this game. El nacional got a huge victory on the road over Quimsa and Quilmes (central entrerriano) and Boca jrs (belgrano) won on the road too.

best 5:
Leonardo Gutierrez (200-F-78) of boca
Marcus Fleming (204-F-78, college: Alcorn St.) of blegrano
Jimmy Boston (201-F-77, college: N.C.Central) of gimnasia
Quincy Wadley (193-G-78, agency: CAA Sports, college: Temple) of penarol
Djibril Kante (201-C-80, college: Indiana St.) of el nacional

points:
Leonardo Gutierrez 35
Quincy Wadley 35
Jimmy Boston 34
Marcus Fleming 31
Sebastian Acosta (178-G-82) 25

rebounds:
Antonio Reynolds (200-F-77, college: Rhode Island) 15
Damian Tintorelli (202-C-81, agency: Players Group) 13
Djibril Kante 12
Jimmy Boston 11
Robert Battle (200-C-81, college: Drexel) 10

assists:
Pablo Sebastian Rodriguez (188-G-78) 10
Leonardo La Bella (180-G-86) 8
Nicolas Ferreyra (185-G-85) 7
Charles Jones (191-G-75, college: LIU Brooklyn) 7
Juan Sartorelli (190-G-83) 6

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

OBL Round 23 -by Stefan Heinrich
After the first cut during this season the league was split into the Top 8 and the Bottom 4. This weekend was the first round of 14 before the playoffs will start and the only suprise was the home victory of Traiskirchen against Gmunden, all the other games were won by the favorites (Furstenfeld, Wels and Oberwart). Next weekend there will be the Cup Final4 in Furstenfeld and the league will continue on February 13 and 14.

WBC Wels - Klosterneuburg Dukes 75:68
Elijah Palmer (201-F-81, agency: Court Side, college: Duquesne) 17, Woschank 11, Archibald 11, Wilson 10, Stanek 9, Anderson 9, Davis 4, Pargfrieder 4 ; Watson 18, Creddle 13, Martin 10, Nagler 9, Diwald 9, Wright 9

UBC St. Polten - Furstenfeld Panthers 73:90
Kohlmaier 16, Schreiner 14, Jandl 12, Speiser 10, Kollik 7, Wagenlechner 6, Kerschbaummayr 4, Bauch 2, Kugerl 2 ; Mike Fraser (203-C, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Oklahoma Baptist) 19, Goljovic 18, Colwell 17, Grum 13, Shavies 11, Dale 7, Smith 3, Hensley 2

Traiskirchen Lions - Gmunden Swans 79:73
Davor Lamesic (205-F-83, agency: Interperformances) 24, Paliashchuk 15, Zekovic 10, Danek 9, Rhynes 8, Milosevic 6, Geisler 6, Nicoara 1 ; Boylan 22, Johnson 20, Mayer 10, Mayes 8, Helmigk 4, Hutter 3, Schoninger 2, Murati 2, Sullivan 2

Oberwart Gunners - Kapfenberg Bulls 89:78
Adam Boone (190-G-81, college: Minnesota) 23, Artner 19, Johnson 15, Moric 11, Youngblood 11, Ochsenhofer 7, Gaspar 3 ; Ray 26, Hall 17, Suljanovic 12, Zeleznik 9, Hallett 6, Knabl 5, Josipovic 3

Bottom 4:
Gussing Knights - BasketClubs Vienna 102:61
Jason Chappell (208-F/C-83, agency: Heinrich Sports, college: Wisconsin) 17, Calvin 17, Miletic 16, Poller 11, Ledoux 11, Jandrasits 10, Koch 5, Trager 5, Knor 3, N'Diaye 3, Unger 2, Mullner 2 ; Rajkovic 22, Dockner 17, Seel 10, Mullner 5, Laska 4, Pinterits 3

*****************************************************
BELARUS

Vitalyur proves the superiority -by Eurobasket News
The weekend round was expected more than anything else as Vitalyur and OZAA met each other in the derby. Vitalyur won both games, however the results were really tight. In the first game Vitalyur celebrated 77:75 victory and then 80:74.
Uladzimir Veremeyenka (208-F-84) hurt his shoulder in the ULEB Cup game against Pamesa and did not play in the battle against CSKA. His Khimky stayed with 14-1 record before the game with CSKA but lost the campaign. Moscow team started with 13:15 in the opening quarter, but then replied with 22:12 in the second. Khimky stayed calm and produced 12:19 in the third quarter to bring the intrigue back to the game. CSKA led 58:52 with 4.50 remaining in the game and then 63:54. But Khimky used the hosts turnovers to reduce to 63:61 with a minute to go. Andersen made two free throws to make it 65:61. Anton Ponkrashov scored with a foul for the guests to get back 65:64. With 23 seconds in the game Trajan Langdon made one free throw for 66:64 and then Daniel Ewing did not score a lay-up. Trajan Langdon rebounded the ball and made two free throws to set up the final score.
Aleksei Lashkevich (203-F-78) was the second in the scoring list for Helios in Slovenia against Kraski zidar Jadran. His team overcame the opponent 102:73 as he poured in 16 points. In Adriatic league Helios was in the saddle against FMP until the middle of the third period but then received more then 50 points in 15 minutes. As a result Helios suffered a 76:82 loss. Aleksei Lashkevich nailed 6 points for Slovenia team.

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

Final Tournament of Cup BiH in Sarajevo -by Elvir Halilovic
Final Four of Cup Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2008 year will played in Sarajevo. Two Semifinal's game is on program at Saturday. Grude after great win against Igokea Partizan 87:84, played with Borac Nektar. In second Semifinal played two bigest Bosnian team, Bosna ASA BH Telecom and Siroki Prima Pivo. Final game is on Sunday.

*****************************************************
CAMEROON

Collegiate News...The Cameroonian pair carries Rhode island University.... -by Yann Tientcheu
The National triangle can boast of having a plethora of talents abroad. In fact our young players evolving in the best Collegiate league in the world, NCAA, keep showing
pride and efficacy and growth.
Rhode Island finds an irremplacable value in the games of Parfait Bitee (188-G-85) and Joe Mbang (198-F-86, college: Monroe CC). Mbang overflowed the competition on feb. 2nd meeting of the Rams, punctuating the confrontation
with a game high 21pts, and adding 8rbds. Parfait Bitee, who has been consistent in bringing in solid numbers throughout this season, had 15pts, 4rbds and 3 asts. Prior to
the Feb. 2nd game against the University of Dayton, Bitee parfait was coming off a 12pts-5asts-2rbds performance against Richmond University of our countrymen Gaston Moliva (201-F-85) (Jan. 30th). The Rams helped a 82-70 on the scoreboard at the end of the game besting the Flyers of Dayton on feb. 2nd
Yves Mekongo Mballa (6-7, forward) of Lasalle University fought a temerarious fight against Xavier University on feb. 2nd posting double-double numbers of 13pts and 11rbds. Unfortunately,
Xavier had the final word of the meeting with a score of 75-62 at the end of the 4th quarter. Mballa is currently the best rebounder of the Explorers with 6.2 catches per game.
Brice Nengsu (193-G-83, college: Angelo state Univ), evidently found his niche in the Angelo State University men's basketball program. Nengsu who is presently averaging 10.3pts (3rd best scorer of the team) and
6.2rbds (2nd best rebounder) had 9pts and 11rbds against Tarleton State (62-71 loss of Angelo state) on Feb. 2nd, adding on to his 17pts-5rbds-2blks of Jan. 30th against Midwestern
State University.
Stephane Bakinde (203-F-87) had 12pts and 8rbds in the Feb. 2nd loss of the Indians against Carson-Newman (89-92).

*****************************************************
CAPE VERDE

Cape Verde enthusiastic about FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament's draw -by Pedro Gomes
Cape Verde was already long shots heading into the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament before Thursday's draw.

After falling into Group B with Germany and New Zealand, though, the task looks even harder.

With three places up for grabs for the Beijing Games, the African nation will attempt to win one of their two games to reach the quarter-finals and then spring an upset against tournament hosts Greece, Brazil or Lebanon.

'Germany is the strongest team of the group,' said Cape Verde power-forward Rodrigo Mascarenhas (198-F-79) to FIBA after the draw.

'They are led by a fabulous player Dirk Nowitzki. It will not be easy for us.

'I do not know too much about New Zealand's game, I just know that they have been regulars at Olympics and World Championships, lately.'

'This might be an indication that they deserve some attention,' added Mascarenhas, who was voted to the all-tournament team at last year's FIBA Africa Championship.

The Cape Verde Basketball Federation is planning to strengthen the squad with players from abroad who have Cape Verde roots.

This is a positive, according to Mascarenhas.

One of the best known players who could suit up for Cape Verde is Ryan Gomes of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.

'Personally, I think that he is more than welcome,' Mascarenhas said.

'I do not know him, but I just spoke with some people who know him, and I heard positives things. Despite him not being born there (Cape Verde), he is very keen in his cultural heritage. If he can join and help us, why not?'

Cape Verde shocked the bookmakers after wining the bronze medal at FIBA Africa Championship 2007, but they will face much stiffer competition this summer.

'I followed the draw with some national team-mates here in Luanda (Angola),' he said. 'And it was interesting as we will have the chance to measure our potential against high-class players.'

Julio ChitundaFIBA

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

XPLOSION SET SCORING HIGH -by Brandon Martin
The Pittsburgh Xplosion returned home on the 1st of Febuaury after being on a 10-game road trip. The Atlanta Krunk came to town and got punished 158-110 at the Petersen Events Center.
The 158 points was a season high for the Pittsburgh Xplosion. Pittsburgh has been putting up some points lately as they scored 133 in a win over Great Falls in January. A few new comers to the team have started to help already, Lincoln Glass had 16 points, Darnell Miller had 13 points and 16 assists. Even though the Xplosion fans where happy to see the new guys playing well it was Chaz McCrommon's (6'6''-F/G-82, college: Robert Morris) 41 point night that had everyone buzzing. A player who has been with the team all since December and has been scoring 15 points a game until this out burst. The Pittsburgh area product played at Robert Morris and shot 15-of-20 shooting helping lead the Xplosion to a 73-47 half time score. The fact that Atlanta had 18 first half turnover added to Atlanta's problems. The Pittsburgh Xplosion are 20-15 and will face this same Atlanta team on the Febuary 4th. The Atalanta Krunk who are coached by former NBA star Kenny Anderson are 9-23 and will try to bounce back from the loss, and are also looking to end their 8 game losing streak.

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

Pardubice and Ostrava testing new players -by Ondra Simecek
Two new faces are going to appear in the Czech Republic. Greek player with an experience in the Greek and German league, Konstantinos Stavropoulos, is coming for a two weeks try out to Pardubice. Ostrava is testing for the same period Kenny Wilson (193-G) to substitute Jaroslav Prasil that left Ostrava to join Prostejov until the end of the season.

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

Round 8 -by Eslam Mohamed
In the last seconds Wael Badr made 2 successful free throw Zamalek wins 68-67.
This is the first lose for Ahly this season
on the other games

Gasco lose from Shams 69-64 after Shams shows a big ability for being a new big team.
Mostafa meshaal scored 23 points and shams capten sameh Tawfik scored 21 points.

In Alexandria Army lose from al Ittihad.
It was only 7 points difference before the end of the game but only in 1:30 mins al ittihad finish the game 84-67.

In Damnhor Damnhor lose from ittihad al shorta
66-56.

Gezira won 80-65 in her game against Smoha.

In Alexandria Sporting finish her game with Eastern company with 72-58.

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

Top 16 Draw Results -by Eurobasket News

The Euroleague season reached the Top 16 stage. The draw for the stage was held just an hour ago in Madrid. Four groups with 4 teams in each were sorted out. The teams will play in round-robin system and two best teams of each group will qualify for quarterfinals. The Top 16 stage will tip off on February 13 and the games will be played through March 20. The Final Four participants will be decided in the best-of-three series played from April 1 through April 10. The Final Four will take part in Madrid on May 2-4.
So the draw brought the following results:

Group D: Panathinaikos, Montepaschi Siena, Efes Pilsen, Partizan

Group E: Lietuvos Rytas, Tau, Fenerbahce, Aris

Group F: Real, Maccabi, Zalgiris, Olympiakos

Group G: CSKA, Unicaja, Barcelona, Lottomatica Roma

Euroleague: Draws - Just as expected..... -by Chris Mammides

The draws took place earlier today and the new groups are the following:

GROUP D: Panathinaikos, Sienna, Efes Pilsen and Partizan Beograd

GROUP E: Lietuvos Rytas, TAU, Fenerbahce, ARIS

GROUP F: Real Madrid, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Zalgiris Kaunas, Olympiakos Piraeus

GROUP G: CSKA Moscow, Malaga, Barcelona and Roma

In regards to the Greek teams, Panathinaikos already played against Partizan beating it twice but very difficult both times while the ITalians of Sienna and the Turks of Efes Pilsen are very tough opponents with the Italians being more dangerous than the Turks.

In regards to Aris Thessalonikis, the team of Gordon Herbert has many chances to qualify in the next round, the Greeks from Thessaloniki played twice agaisnt the Lithuanians of Rytas and lost but they fought quite hard before the final result in both courts, now in regards to TAU and Fener Bahce they are very good teams but in Thessaloniki Aris is always very strong and the games will be big derbies, Alexandreion Melathron together with the Yellow fans is a very hard court for any opponent.

Lastly, In regards to Oympiakos Piraeus, Coach Panagiotis Giannakis and his coaching team already begun working on many aspcts, one of the majore areas is the psychology, the 'Dragon' had to pass to all his players the winning spirit, by the end of February there is possibility to get the Big Sofo back so he will definetely 'knock' all the games and especially the ones against Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Reds under Giannakis management they will be stronger than ever...

Eurobasket.com wishes to all the Greek teams to do the best they can and finally to have at least two teams in Madrid!!!

Tomic in the coaching team of Olympiakos -by Chris Mammides
Milan Tomic (192-G-72) is the newest member of Olympiakos coaching team to assist Head Coach Panagiotis Giannakis.

In the mean time. Kostas Tsartsaris will be operated and will be stayed out of the courts for at least two months. These news are actually dicreasing Panathinaikos power in the paint and Coach Obradovic will try to 'close' this hole as soon as he can.

*****************************************************
FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Kouvot - YMCA Lahti 86-71 -by Rauno Hurmalainen

Korisliiga, Round 30: Only one TV-game tonight. YMCA Lahti played without starting PG Ilkka Vuori (fever) and that hurt a lot. Kouvot was so much better
especially with the Guards and won 86-71 (47-40). Kouvot had four players (three guards) in double figures. Team was shooting 3-pointers 50,0% (12/24),
visitor Lahti only 30,0% (6/20). Tuomas Iisalo (195-G-82) led Kouvot with 23 pts. Pierre Jallow (203-F-79, college: William Jewell) from Gambia led YMCA Lahti with 29 pts and 10 rbs.

Kouvot - YMCA Lahti 86-71 (47-40) (Tuomas Iisalo 23, Wayne Bernard 19 - Pierre Jallow 29/10, Davont Jackson 16).

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

Byars and Cazalon out for the AS ! -by Maxime Lory
The two forwards of Chorale de Roanne Basket will miss the 'semaine des AS' which begin next Thursday in Toulon. Derrick Byars (202-G/F-84, agency: Beo Basket, college: Vanderbilt) sufferes from a toe's fracture, and Laurent Cazalon (195-G-79), from a pulled muscle. Chorale de Roanne Basket will play his first game, next friday, vs Cholet Basket (6 p.m).

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

Vincent Yarbrough to Ludwigsburg -by Moritz Korff
Vincent Yarbrough (201-F-81, college: Tennessee) has been added to the roster of EnBW Ludwigsburg (1. Bundesliga). The 27-year-old Guard played for Bamberg last season and averaged 7.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.7 apg in 46 Bundesliga-games. Before the start of this current campaign Yarbrough worked out with Russian top-team CSKA Moscow, but ended up not signing a contract.

Giessen: Try-out with Aaron Johnson -by Thomas Wolfer
Bundesliga-side LTi Giessen 46ers sigend Aaron Johnson (203-F-83, college: N.Mexico) for a two week tryout-phase. After former center Ed Nelson left in December, the club searched for a new big man. Johnson started the 2007-2008 campaign at Aget Imola (ITA-Lega2). The 24-year-old went to the University of New Mexico (NCAA) before, he averaged 6.3ppg, 7.3rpg and 1.4apg in 32 competitions of his last year.

TS Goeppingen adds Marlo Saunders -by Moritz Korff
Marlo Saunders (196-F-84, agency: IceBasket, college: Texas-PB) has joined TS Goeppingen (Regionalliga South-West) and had a perfect start, scoring 30 points, including 5 three-pointers, in a Cup-game against Sandhausen on Saturday. Saunders is the follower of his fellow countryman Alex Hartman (201-G/F-85, agency: Tank Sports, college: Concordia (OR)) who returned to the States after having averaged 22.9 points in 9 contests for Goeppingen.
Saunders was a NAIA Division One All-American Honorable Mention in 2006, when he played for the University of Texas - Permian Basin and added 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds per game for the UTPB Falcons, being ranked third in 3Point-FG-Percentage (50.6%, 81/160) in the entire NAIA. The 24-year-old Guard/Forward, whose brother Marcus Saunders (203-F/C-84, agency: IceBasket, college: Texas-PB) plays professionally in the Spanish LEB, then moved to England for the following campaign, leading the Paws London Capitals (EBL) in scoring (25ppg) through the 2006-2007 season.

Regionalliga Notes -by Moritz Korff
North:
Only two make-up games took place this weekend in the North-division. The Itzehoe Eagles made a big step away from the relegation-spots by overcoming the Aschersleben Tigers 78:76 at home. The victory marked the third triumph for the Eagles after the Christmas Break. John Waller (193-F-82, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: ODU) paced the home-side with 25 points, Ivan Jenkins (180-G-83, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Lambuth) and Tony Champion (208-C-80, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: Sacramento St.) added 18 and 16 respectively. Aschersleben was led by Bryan Harrison (188-G-84, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Georgia Coll.) who scored 25 points, followed by Eddie Jackson (183-G-84, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Pittsburg St.) with 20 and Dustin Kinney (201-F-83, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Charleston Univ.) with 16. In another encounter Oldenburger TB took on Central Hoops Berlin and came out with a 101:88-victory, hitting 13 shots from beyond the arch. Five OTB-players scored in double figures, led by veteran Jens Schaefermeyer (200-F-75) who tallied 17 points. Marco Adamczewski (192-F-81) followed with 15, Jasper Knoch (193-F-86) and Joleik Schaffrath (206-C-88) each had 14, while Maximilian Endres (200-F-86) netted 13 points. Berlin's Dilin Onyia (195-F-79) was impressive in the first half, when dropping 22 points. He finished the game with 25 (4 treys). Daniel Hoenicke (201-F/C-79) added 17 points, Edwin Ofori-Attah (192-G-85, college: William & Mary) had 14, Peter Meiners (192-G/F-80) 12 in the loss.

South-East:
While no games were scheduled in the West and South-West-division at the weekend the South-East came up with some exiciting match-ups.
Ali Thomas (188-G-79, college: USF) missed two free-throws and a three in the clutch for Heimerer Schulen Basket Landsberg, which gave Weiden the win in a close game (92:90). However, Thomas finished the game with 24 points and thus shared topscoring-honors with teammate Larry Johnson (191-G-79, college: Niagara). Przemyslaw Migala (202-C-77) added 16 points in the defeat, while Weiden's Guard Stephen Cramer (188-G, college: Hope (MI)) provided another huge performance and netted 35 points. Four of his teammates joined him in double digits with Mario Matic (202-C-79) and Jan Selinger (197-G/F-85) adding 13 apiece.
Bayern Muenchen underlined its leading position by outclassing BG Leitershofen/Stadtbergen 113:73. Anton Kazarnovski (205-F/C-85, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) was unstoppable and led Bayern's point-production with 26, Mirko Virijevic (201-F-81, college: Freed-Hardeman) tallied 22, Antonio Lang (190-G-86), David Rotim (197-F-85) and Tony Thomason (188-G-85, college: Minn.St.-Mankato) each had 16. Leitershofen's Kyle Kunkel scored 18 points in the loss, Matt Benson (196-F-83, college: Point Loma) drilled 4 shots from the arch and finished with 17 points. Also second ranked TG Renesas Landshut claimed a big win this weekend, cruising to a 85:55 at FC Baunach. Landshut's Arnold Tchiegne (200-F-76) led all scores with 23 points, Jon Simon (180-G-84, college: Colgate) added 13. Bernd Endres (203-C-78) was best for Baunach, he chipped in 17 in defeat. BIG Oettinger Gotha held off Breitenguessbach II 101:63 and assured its third place in the ladder. Michael Rost (183-G-85) paced the Rockets with 22 points, Sascha Maeder (195-F/C-80) and Dainius Pleta (202-C-71) each scored 17 points, while Phillip Hillstock (202-F, college: Barber Scotia) ended up with 15. Tobias Stark (198-F-88) netted 13 for Breitenguessbach.
Though Coach Ivo Nakic missed the game for personal reasons his SCH Wuerzburg Baskets overcame SpVgg Rattelsdorf at home 93:69. Hrvoje Pervan (203-F-84, college: Mercer) showed great shooting-skills nailing 6 three-pointers and finishing the game with 32 points totally. Big man Grant Billmeier (208-C-84, college: Seton Hall) produced 18 points for Wuerzburg, his countryman Darryl Sommerset (206-F-84, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Cent.Missouri St.) came up with 23 in the loss, Daniel Aas (180-G-85) had 17. Recently hired Christopher Brown scored 20 points in his debut for BC Energie Zwickau and helped the Rascals to a 86:78-triumph over the Dachau Spurs. Marko Neddermeyer (193-F-81) dropped 17 points in the win, also Louis Angora (198-C) and Jeremy McCulloch (212-C, college: E.Washington) created double figures and had 16 points apiece. On the other end Calvin Wooten (186-G-84, college: Oakland) ran the show once again tallying 27 points (5 treys) in the loss. Marco Hillebrecht (197-F) added 14 points for the Spurs.

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

Panagiotis Giannakis's coaching team -by Chris Mammides
Everythign is official now! Pini Gershon was officially released this weekend and he will be receiving for that one million Euros. In his position will be the Coach of the Hellenic National team, Mr. Panagiotis Giannakis untill the Summer of 2010 as his contact is for 2,5 years! Giannakis will keep Giannis Sferopoulos and Chris Marmarinos but he already agreed with the Red managements to release the Technical Manager Maniatis and one of the assistant coaches brought from Israel by Gershon, so Erez Endelstein is history. The new memebrs of Giannakis's coaching team will be, the ex head coach of DASH Peristeri Athens, Manos Manouselis (who was actually quit on Saturda y night after the negative result of his team agaisnt the last team in the A2 league, Sporting Athens) furthermore, the new technical Manager to replace Stavros Elliniadis will probably be Nicos Linardos , Linardos belongs to the Technical team of Panionios ON Telecoms Athens but he could be moving as Panagiotis Giannakis wishes so. Panagiotis Giannakis 's first statements after became the HC of Olympiakos were simply the following: ' I believe in the players of Olympiakos, they are amogn the top players in Europe. Together we will try to win everything, locally and in Europe'. Later today, Eurobasket will inform you about the newest changes in the Red team.

Euroleague: Draws - Just as expected..... -by Chris Mammides

The draws took place earlier today and the new groups are the following:

GROUP D: Panathinaikos, Sienna, Efes Pilsen and Partizan Beograd

GROUP E: Lietuvos Rytas, TAU, Fenerbahce, ARIS

GROUP F: Real Madrid, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Zalgiris Kaunas, Olympiakos Piraeus

GROUP G: CSKA Moscow, Malaga, Barcelona and Roma

Eurobasket.com wishes to all the Greek teams to do the best they can and finally to have at least two teams in Madrid!!!

Second Division: Lavrio for A2!! -by Chris Mammides
During the 17th week of the Second division's league Lavrio prove to be a tough nut for the top favorite team for promotion in A2 team of Near East. Serelis's team beat very easy the top seated team of Tolis Karnesis and gave a different taste to the overall league as firstly got into the path for A2 moreover prove to all the teams in the division that there is still long way to the end and that any team can be promoted. Giannakopoulso was the MVP of the seventeenth week as he was the top scorer against Near East and among the top scorers of the league this week. All the games in details were as follows:
Lavrio - Near East 72-60
Quarters: 18-14, 35-34, 57-43, 72-60
The differene went up to 20 points with Lavrios's Rallis, Psileas and Giannakopoulso being the top performers.
Top scorers were:
Lavro: Giannakopolos 22, Psileas 17 and Rallis 13
Near East: Michalos 13, Neofytou 11 and Papoulidis 10

Goumenisa - Ikaros Kallitheas 60-65
Quarters: 9-14, 24-32, 43-51, 60-65
A great road win succeeded, for Ikaros Kallitheas with the help of the very good performance of Karastamatis on behalf of Ikaros Kallitheas
Top scorers were:
Goumenisa: Klepkos 13, Andreadis 10 and Bagi 9
Ikaros Kallitheas: Karastamatis 15, Tsopokis 9.

KAOD- Aigio 76-60
Quarters: 20-14, 33-24, 63-43, 76-60
The Dramas team easily stunned Skarafingas, Aigio from the very beginning and by the end of the first half it was already set the basis of a victorious result.
Top scorers were:
KAOD: Koukouravas 21, Papadopoulos 16 and Daliaris with Maslarinos 12 each.
Aigio: Stavroulakis 19, Prokos 13 and Tirlas 12.

Ermis Lagkada - Komotini 71-78
Quarters: 12-22, 24-40, 45-53, 71-78
Another great road win from the team of head Coach Lemonidis, this time the Ermis Lagkada was the victim, Dinas made an unbelievable game and with his 29 points put a tombstone in Coach Karadimos's team.
Top scorers:
Ermis Lagkada: Papakonstantinou 25, Troulialis 12
Komotini: Dinas 29, Koutsovasilis 13 and Holevas 10

Anagennisi/Floga - Amyntas 84-81
Quarters: 20-18, 41-39, 58-64, 84-81.
A very strong and sometimes tough game took place in Anagennisi/Floga's court with the home team finally earning two very important points over Amyntas who was in the game and was fighting for the victory until the last minute of the game.
Top scorers were:
Anagennis/Floga: Zarogiannis 27, Moisiadis 14 and Pallis 12
Amyntas: Samothrakis 15, Moumouris 11, and Dorkofikis 22.
Olympiakos Volou - Milonas 98-94
Quarters: 24-17, 48-42, 75-68, 98-94.
The first victory after 16 consecutive loses for Coach Vlioras's team. The Volos team with 6 players on double digits beat Coach Paralikas team and push Milonas to a possible dead -end.
Top scorers:
Olympiakos Volou: Tsolis 16, Nanis 22, Polits 11 and Michos 16
Milonas: Karababas 22, Vlavianos 27, Ventouris 15.

Alimos - Doukas 88-82
Quarters: 16-20, 43-37, 78-60 and 88-82.
Top scorers:
Alimos: Anthsi 21, Tsolakis 21, Yfantis 14 and Kallimanas 10
Doukas: Petrakis 25, Arsenis 18 and Kritsalos 11.

Ikaroi Serron - Makedonikos 79-63
Quarters: 22-20, 18-10, 17-6, 22-27, 79-63.
Top scorers:
Ikaroi Serron: Sdrakas 22, Asimakis 14
Makedonikos: G. Karipidis 18, Mitsakis 10, Samourelis 16 and Bohoridis 9.

Top scorers after 17 weeks:
Dimitris Prokos (192-G-74) of Aigio 367 points
Panagiotis Nanis (195-F/G-80) of Olympiakos Volou 310 points (in 16 games)
Nick Psileas (200-F-80) of Lavrio 302 points
Panagiotis Tsolis (194-F-81) of Olympiakos Volou 294 points (in 16 games)
Giorgos Tirlas (198-F-80) of Aigio 273 points
Konstantinos Pehlivanis (192-G-79) of Ikaroi Serron 261 points
Michalis Tanakidis (190-G-81) of Makedonikos 236 points
Giorgos Filiousis (198-G-77) of KAOD 248 points
Nicos Papakonstantinou (182-G-84) of Ermis Lagkada 260 points
Sotiris Katoufas (206-F-79) of Ikaros Kallitheas 239 points
Tassos Baggi (187-G-75) of Goumenissa 242 points
Kostas Dinas (189-G/F-80) of Komotini 246 points
Tasos Dimitriadis (201-C-82) of Ermis Lagkada 218 points
Dionysios Giannakopoulos (195-G/F-82) of Lavrio 190 points
Dimitris Karatzios (202-F-78) of Doukas 184 points
Mihalis Ifantis (204-F-72) of Alimos 187 points
Nikos Moisiadis (180-G-80) of Anagennisi Floga 184 points
Theologos Vlavianos (196-G-86) of Milonas 201 points
Nikos Michalos (192-G-77) of Near East 174 points
Nikos Kritsalos (192-G-77) of Doukas 172 points

One more change in Olimpiada -by Serafim Karaiskakis
The changes never end for this season in Olimpiada Patras, after Luis Flores,Kelvin Gibbs,Tomas Nagys,Maurice Whitfield,Rod Brown and Danya Abrams one more player left the team. Tautvydas Lydeka will go to Bosnia to have a try-out in BC Igokea. The team from Patra while struggling to avoid the relagation in A2, announced today a transfer.Ernest Brown agreed to join the team. Meantime they try to convince Nikos Ekonomou to be back in the courts.

Market latest news -by Chris Mammides

Milan Tomic (192-G-72) is the newest member of Olympiakos coaching team to assist Head Coach Panagiotis Giannakis.

In the mean time. Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) will be operated and will be stayed out of the courts for at least two months. These news are actually dicreasing Panathinaikos power in the paint and Coach Obradovic will try to 'close' this hole as soon as he can.

Reda Rhalimi (213-C-82, college: St.Mary's, CA) is the newest arrival in PAOK, the Morocan center agreed terms with PAOK untill the end of the seazon.

Marousi agreed terms with Toby Bailey (196-G/F-75, college: UCLA)

Olympiada PAtras agreed terms with the American center Brown Ernest (213-C-79, college: Indian Hills CC) and is very close to sign the American veteran NiNikos Ekonomou (206-F-73)

Olympia Larissas agreed terms with Mike Penberthy (191-G-74, college: Master's)

AEL 1964 and Anastasios Traianos (195-F/G-87) split ways. The young guard will try to sign a contract in anotehr European league.

Kolossos Rodou agreed terms with the ex PAOK's forward Vladimir Vuksanovic (205-F-78)

Panellinios agreed terms with Tre Kelley (183-G-85, college: S.Carolina) to replace the African Mamandu N'Diaye

*****************************************************
HOLLAND

Dutch Cup Action: Eiffel Towers, MyGuide Amsterdam, Rotterdam Challengers Advance -by Sanders Jackson

This weekend in Dutch Cup action, defending Dutch champions Eiffel Towers, current FEB leader MyGuide Amsterdam, and Rotterdam Challengers have joined West-Brabant Giants to get closer to determining the Final Four of the Dutch Cup. Eiffel will still have to play Matrixx Magixx to wrap up the final spot.

In the Vijfmeihal on Saturday night, Eiffel's strong 2nd quarter run and hot shooting from the three-point line put the pressure on ZZ Leiden, which ZZ had no answer for, with Eiffel coasting to a 98-89 win. Darrell Tucker (206-F-80, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: USF) led Eiffel with 23 pts., with Marcel Aarts (212-C-83, agency: R.H.Consultancy) adding 15. Eiffel made half of their three-pointers, going 13 for 26, with 26 assists.

In the Sporthallen-Zuid in the MyGuide-Hanzevast Capitals matchup, it was mismatch heaven for the team of Arik Shivek, as MyGuide Amsterdam overcame a Hanzevast run in crunch time, advancing with an 83-74 win. A Hanzevast team, missing four players due to injury and playing their fourth game in seven days,

gave MyGuide their best shot, were so near but yet so far away from the complete MyGuide team. Hanzevasthad difficulties containing MyGuide off the dribble, particularly Tamien Trent (183-G-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) and Jeron Roberts (194-G/F-76, agency: Gross Zeev ISA, college: Wyoming), who were adapt at finding the open spaces in Hanzevast's interior defense, finding the open man and getting to the free throw line. As a result, MyGuide shot 68.8% FG and had six players in double figures, led by Trent and Roberts with 17 pts. each. Hanzevast were led in scoring by Alton Mason (185-G-77, agency: Court Side, college: Arizona St.) with 21 pts.

In Zwolle, Rotterdam Challengers gained the final spot by winning over Landstede 2 by the score of 84-65.

Matchups in the Dutch Cup semifinals:

MyGuide vs. West-Brabant Giants

Eiffel Towers-Matrixx Magixx winner vs. Rotterdam Challengers

The Dutch Cup final will be held in the Martiniplaza in Groningen on March 30th.

*****************************************************
IBL

IBL going global with addition of Asian Expansion Department -by Trask Frost
Portland, OR—The International Basketball League is gearing up for what will undoubtedly be the league's biggest season in 2008. The IBL's most significant change heading into its fourth season is the recent addition of its Asian Expansion Department, which has resulted in the addition of a team from China joining the IBL for the 2008 season. The IBL will also add its first Japanese team in 2009, in addition to an expected second Chinese team. IBL Commissioner Mikal Duilio - 'Having the IBL make this type of progress with respect to becoming a genuinely international league is tremendously exciting. The response from our owners has been fantastic, and I think the intrigue associated with international play will really energize our fans as well.'

Having teams from other nations join the league will not change the IBL's core principles of offering owners the most efficient opportunity to run a team (most efficient relative to the minor league basketball industry) while providing fans with an up-tempo, high energy brand of basketball. The league's commitment to efficiency makes the IBL a uniquely viable option for teams from overseas to join— 'having our teams in geographic clusters enables the IBL to offer our owners a guarantee of one flight per season' said Duilio. 'The Asian teams receive the same guarantee (1 flight); an Asian team can come to the U.S. and play all of their away games within one flight.'

The first Asian team on board, the Shanxi Kylins, is a team in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The CBA has produced NBA superstar Yao Ming, and Yi Jianlian—the number six overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. The Kylins will play a full 20 game IBL schedule; the Chinese team will house and be based at one of the premier basketball training facilities in the world- the United States Basketball Academy in Oregon.

The Kylins will join the Edmonton Chill (Alberta, Canada) as the IBL's first international teams, with Japan (mentioned above) and Vancouver British Columbia following suit in 2009. IBL Commissioner Duilio 'the IBL's two features—extreme efficiencies in scheduling and fast paced play have worked for us over the past three years but adding a third feature- true international play and the intrigue therein—is really the IBL's future'.

Elgin Racers set to return to IBL in 2008 -by Trask Frost

Elgin, IL—The Elgin Racers have announced that they will return to the IBL in 2008, which will mark the team's third season in the league. The Racers had initially intended to skip the 2008 season and return in 2009, but Racers' owner Bob Fischer ultimately decided the team would play this season.

IBL Commissioner Mikal Duilio - 'Because minor league basketball is such a tough industry to compete in, we have been supportive of some of our owners taking a year off to revamp their marketing efforts and get their financial situation in order. It looked as though Elgin might be exploring that route, but the Racers are committed to playing in 2008. This is great for the league because Elgin is a great team and Bob is a great owner.'

The Racers' 2008 schedule will be released later this week.

Explosion announce 2008 game day giveaways -by Trask Frost
Monroe, WA- The Snohomish County Explosion will have a giveaway for each of the 14 home games at the Monroe Sports Arena this spring. The giveaways will be handed out to the first 500 fans except where noted.

2008 Giveaway Schedule

Date Opponent Giveaway

3/1 Seattle Magnetic Schedule

3/8 Bellingham BOOM Fan Stix

3/15 Vancouver Mascot Poster

3/22 Bellingham Bumper Sticker*

3/29 Tacoma Team poster

4/5 Vancouver BOOM Cloth Lanyards*

4/12 Tacoma Child Sized T-Shirts*

4/19 Portland Fan License Plate

4/26 Eugene BOOM Car Poster

5/10 China BOOM Fan Stix

5/17 Central Oregon Nylon Backpack

5/31 Las Vegas Child Baller Bands*

6/14 Eugene Collectors Pin*

6/21 China Fan Appreciation Night

*First 200 fans through the doors.

The April 12th and May 31st giveaways will be handed out to the first 200 children through the door.

All giveaways are subject to change without notice.

Steelheads name Rob Spon as new head coach -by Trask Frost

The Gary Steelheads have announced that Robert Spon will be on the sidelines as the head coach for the team's first season in the International Basketball League.

Spon was an assistant coach with Steelheads last season, which fueled his desire to return to Gary.

'It's always good to be part of a team in a city where the fans know the game,' said Spon. 'Steelheads' fans are great not just because they support the team, but also because they are knowledgeable.'

Spon was instrumental in recruiting much of the Steelheads' talent in 2007, including Jamario Moon, currently with the NBA's Toronto Raptors.

Spon has been a coach for over twenty years at a variety of levels, with a proven track record in the professional ranks both on the sideline and in the front office. Spon has worked as an assitant coach in the CBA for the Dakota Wizards, Indiana Alleycats, and Pittsburgh Xplosion. In the now defunct IBA, Spon led the Saskatchewan Hawks to a turn-around 19 win season in 2000, following a 9 win campaign in 1999.

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.

Hotshots add Cliff White to 2008 roster -by Trask Frost
The Central Oregon Hotshots have announced that another key member of the 2007 squad will rejoin the team for the coming season. Cliff White (6'2''-G-80, college: Cascade) is the latest member of last year's high-scoring Hotshots team to commit to return in 2008, joining Phillip Freeman and Terry Horton.

White, a 6'2' guard from Cascade College in Portland, Oregon, averaged 19.9 points per game for the Hotshots last season.

Like many of his 2007 teammates, White continued to play professional basketball in the off-season outside the U.S. White played in Mexico's premier pro league, the LNBP, for the Bravos Piedras Negras.

Hotshots' owner Mikal Duilio—'I'm really happy to get Cliff back—it really helps with continuity and chemistry to have key players return. Cliff is a great scorer and an aggressive defender that will help us on both ends of the floor.

Central Oregon's 2008 IBL season kicks off on Friday, April 25 with a home game against the Shanxi Kylins. Season tickets are available now. For more information, contact the Hotshots at (541) 350-8939 or visit the Hotshots' team page at www.iblhoopsonline.com.

*****************************************************
IRAN

Iran, in the same group with Serbia & Argentina in FIBA Diamond Ball -by Houman Bagheri
Geneva- FIBA and the Chinese Basketball Association are happy to announce the composition of groups and the competition schedule for the 3rd FIBA Diamond Ball for Men which will be played in the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center, in Nanjing City (China), from 29th July to 1st August 2008.

The FIBA Diamond Ball for Men is an invitational tournament played once every four years.

1. COMPOSITION OF GROUPS:

Group A: Angola, Australia and China
Group B: Argentina, Iran and Serbia

2. SCHEDULE:

Please note that all hours listed on the below schedule are local time in Nanjing City:

29th July 2008:

16:00 hours: Argentina vs. Iran
19:30 hours: China vs. Angola

30th July 2008:

16:00 hours: Iran vs. Serbia
19:30 hours: Australia vs. China

31st July 2008:

16:00 hours: Serbia vs. Argentina
19:30 hours: Angola vs. Australia

1st August 2008:

14:00 hours: A3 vs. B3
16:00 hours: A2 vs. B2
19:30 hours: A1 vs. B1

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

Lega2-18th Day -by Gabriele Fioretti
Caserta won easily against Montecatini (Andrea Niccolai (196-G/F-68, agency: Interperformances) at 20 scored) thanks to 5 players in double figure. 24 by Alvin Young (191-F-75, agency: SportsTalent, college: Niagara) led Reggio Emilia to victory to success at Novara (Brandon Bowman (204-F-84, agency: David Lee services, college: Georgetown) at 18 pts). Mauricio Aguiar (196-F-83, agency: Players Group) scored 25 pts and Livorno won at Imola (Jason Parker (188-G-81, college: Tulsa) at 21 pts). Brent Darby (185-G-81, college: Ohio St.) scored 31 pts and decided the game at home against Pavia (BJ McKie (188-G-77, college: S.Carolina) 23 pts). Pistoia (Ronald Davis (190-G-82, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) at 36 pts with seven 3pt shots) defeated Soresina (12 scored by Silvio Gigena (200-F-75)) thanks to its defense. 28 by Luis Flores (188-G-81, college: Manhattan) weren't enough for Fabriano that lost at Rmini (Darrel Lewis (192-G-76, college: Lincoln (MO)) at 23 and Rashad Bell (200-F-82, college: Boston U.) at 20). 5 on 7 by 3pt line by Taquan Dean (193-G-83, college: Louisville) and Casale won against Veroli (Tyrone Grant (202-F-77, college: St.John's) at 22 scored). In tv sunday match, Jesi (Michele Maggioli (212-C-77) at 32) lost at home after one overtime against Ferrara (Andre Collins (183-G-82, college: Loyola, MD) at 26 pts).
Pepsi Caserta-Agr.Glo.Mont. 105-79
Ignis Novara-Trenkwalder RE 68-73
Aget Imola-TDShop.it LI 81-85
BancoSardegna-Edimes PV 78-67
Carmatic PT-Vanoli Soresina 79-59
Coopsette RN-Indesit Fab 88-72
Fastweb Casale-Prima Veroli 91-78
Fileni Jesi-Carife FE 96-98
See complete boxscores at www.legaduebasket.it

*****************************************************
JAMAICA

Cumberland University demolish Blue Mountain -by Leonard Whyte
Lebanon, TN (2-4-2008) - Rodney James would not be left out as he scored 12 points in Cumberland University's 101-62 blowout of Blue Mountain College last night. NAIA #16 Cumberland is now 14-6 on the season and 8-3 in TranSouth Conference play.

Cedarville edge Ohio Dominican -by Leonard Whyte
Columbus, OH - (2-4-2008) - The Jamaica trio of Christopher Walker, Ricardo Alliman, and Daniel Rose were at it again over the weekend as they combined for 39 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists to pace Cedarville University to an exciting 82-80 victory over Ohio Dominican University last night in an American Mideast Conference (AMC) South Division encounter. After 11 ties, Cedarville held the hosts without a field goal for the last 5:45 of the game contest to improve to 15-6 and overall and 5-3 AMC.

*****************************************************
KUWAIT

Oatis signs for Kazma -by Ali Ahmed

Kazma basketball team management agreed terms with the Amrican Center Donald Oatis (206-F/C-79, agency: China-Hoop, college: Wilberforce) to play for them this season and deside to release .

A dependable rebounder and defender. A solid, consistent player in the middle, who uses his athletic body to score in the paint. Very good rebounder, is also a very good shot-blocker and intimidator, who rarely is fouled out.

Donald played before in Bahrain, Mexico and Jordan.

*****************************************************
LIBERIA

LBF halts league -by Numennie Williams
The Liberia Basketball Federation (LBF) has halted it 2007-08 national league to give way to the national County Meets basketball version. The LBF suspended it league on Saturday Feburary 4. The national county meet is expected to run for the period of nine days.

County Meet kicks off -by Numennie Williams
The basketball version of the national County Meet kicks off over the week end at the Sports Commission on Broad Street in the Liberian Capital Monrovia. The Meet is an annual events which is intended to unify citizens of the 15 counties of the country. In the opening match on Saturday, Lofa County fell to Bong County 37-48 points in an exciting encounter. On Sunday, Sinoe County whipped Maryland 58-37 points in an all south eastern affairs. The league will continue today with Grand Kru welcoming River Gee county in the first match while the second encounter will bring Gbarpolu against Cape Mount

*****************************************************
MONTENEGRO

MNT1B : New win for BC Budva in Podgorica with new Sport Director -by Dragan Scepanovic
Leader of MNT1B Division basketball club Budva Mega Promet win in derby game of 13 Round of MNT1B division against Buducnost 2 Podgorica 75-65 (20-24,16-17,11-15,29-8) leaded by new Sport Director Mr. Mijuskovic D. Rasa ex Director of BC Niksic.In team of BC Budva best was Filip Goranovic (208-F/C-85) 19 points,11 rebounds.Good game play Igor Kunjic 16 p;pints and Zeljko Maricic 10 points.In team of Buducnost 2 Podgorica good game play Arso lekovic 23 points and Sead sehovic 19 points.

Rasa Mijuskovic new Sport Director of BC Budva Mega Promet -by Dragan Scepanovic
Basketball Club BUDVA Mega Promet announced that new Sport Director of BC Budva will be Mijuskovic Rasa. Contract was singed on January 28,2008 to the and of basketball season 2007-2008.In letter which we received from BC Budva Mega Promet , club informed all media that after 4 year of cooperation with DELFI SMG Agency they decide that employed Mr. Mijuskovic to help BC BUDVA to be champion in MNT1B Division in season 2007-2008.Before BC Budva Mijuskovic Rasa was Director or General Manager of many basketball club in Montenegro BC Junior Podgorica (MNT Junior League, 2004-2005), BC Mogren Budva ( SCG1B, 2005-06) , BC BUDVA (MNT2, 2006-2007) and BC Niksic (MNT1A, 20007-2008)

MNT1A : Danilovgrad win in Ulcinj -by Dragan Scepanovic

Basketball club Danilovgrad win in first game of 13 Round of MNT1A Opportunity division in city of Ulcinj against BC Ulcinj 85-75.In team of BC Danilovrad best was once again Vasilije Seferovic (193-G/F-85) with 17 points and 5 still ball.Good game play Nikola Razic wit 18 points and Danilo Vojvodic wit 17 points.In team of BC Ulcinj good game play Andrija Pejovic wit 19 Points and Marko Sekulic with 19 Points.

MNT1A : Nikisc win against Primorje 86-69 -by Dragan Scepanovic
Basketball club Niksic win agains Primorje H.Novi 86-69 in the game of 13 Round of MNT1A Opportunity Division.In team of BC Niksic best was Nemanja Vranjes (188-G/F-88) with 19 points.Good game play Goran Gajovic (199-G-88) 14 points,6 rebounds,Nikola Pavlicevic 16 points and Marko Kuveljic 13 Points.In team of Primorje best was new player from USA, G-F Baldwin wit 13 points

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

Detroit limits Dallas to 67 points in win -by Eurobasket News
The Detroit Pistons made sure the visiting Dallas Mavericks score their season-worst 67 points to outlast them 90:67 at the Palace of Auburn Hills yesterday. The Mavericks struggled to pass through a tense Detroit's defense during the game and sank only 30% from the field to fall to 31-15 record for the season. The Mavericks were particularly agonizing from the range in the first half converting 29%. The Pistons capitalized piling up a 44:38 lead at the interval. It all went from bad to worse for the visitors as the gap marked a 15-point depth after three quarters of action. Dirk Nowitzki went scoreless in the third period and had a woeful night on the whole shooting just 3/18 FG. Detroit finalized victory in the fourth period and improved to 34-13 record. Rasheed Wallace (6'10''-F/C-75, college: N.Carolina) added headache for Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) as he scored 21 points and grabbed 9 boards being guarded by the German forward. Tayshaun Prince (6'9''-F-80, college: Kentucky) secured 16 points and 7 boards for the winners. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard (6'6''-F-80, college: Wake Forest) answered with 15 points apiece for the Mavericks.
Meanwhile Pau Gasol (7'0''-F/C-80) was still having some rest and did not dress for the Lakers' game against Washington. His help was not badly needed as the Lakers cruised past the Wizards 103:91. Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) scored 19 points in the first frame as the visitors built a 30:15 lead and later accumulated a 30-point haul to pace Los Angeles. Vladimir Radmanovic (6'10''-F-80) added 15 points, while Lamar Odom (6'10''-F-79, college: Rhode Island) had 14 points in the 30th win for the LA Lakers. Antawn Jamison (6'9''-F-76, college: N.Carolina) responded with 21 points and 11 boards for Washington. Nick Young (6'6''-G/F-85, college: USC) and Roger Mason (6'5''-G/F-80, college: Virginia) came off the bench to provide 14 points each in the 22nd defeat for the hosts.

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

North Carolina loses Ty Lawson in victory -by Eurobasket News
The fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels got a big boost from Tyler Hansbrough (6'9''-F-85) to surpass Florida State 84:73 in overtime. The junior forward tallied 21 points and career-high 21 boards as the Tar Heels improved to 21-1 record for the season. It was however shadowed by the loss of their starting point guard Ty Lawson (5'11''-G-87). He collided with Ryan Reid (6'9''-F-86) and sprained his left ankle 4 minutes into the game. The Seminoles used his absence to capitalize on numerous turnovers from the Tar Heels to stay close. The hosts trailed by just 2 points at halftime despite shooting just 34% from the field in the half. It all went even closer in the second half. Tyler Hansbrough hit two free throws to give North Carolina a 66:58 advantage with over two minutes remaining in regulation. But Isaiah Swann (6'2''-G-85) fired from downtown and Toney Douglas (6'1''-G-86, college: Auburn) added three points to trim the difference to minimum. Wayne Ellington (6'4''-G-87) made it a three-point cushion for the visitors but Ryan Reid sent the game into overtime as he drilled a trey with 11 seconds on the clock. Tyler Hansbrough scored 8 points in the extra period and silenced the crowd at the Donald Tucker Center bringing the Tar Heels to victory. Danny Green (6'5''-G/F-87) provided 19 points for the winners. Jason Rich (6'3''-G-86) banked 22 points for the Seminoles. Isaiah Swann and Toney Douglas scored 12 points apiece as Florida State dropped to 13-10 record.
The third-ranked Duke had no difficulties overcoming Miami 88:73 to climb to 19-1 record. The Blue Devils dictated the pace and never looked threatened en route to another impressive win. DeMarcus Nelson (6'4''-G-85) delivered 19 out of his 21 points in the second half to preserve a strong finish for his side. Greg Paulus (6'1''-G-86) added 16 points in a winning case. James Dews (6'3''-G) answered with 15 points for Miami as they fell to 15-6 record. So next in the menu is the real treat as Duke and North Carolina clash in the regular season crème de la crème battle.

*****************************************************
NIGERIA

Road Game return for Nigeria league -by Olusegun Ikuesan

The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) and club owners of the men's Premier League clubs had a parley last weekend in Abuja, the country capital city and chose March 23 as the start off date for their flagship championship - The Premier League. The league is expected to run through the month of July just as the 2008 Beijing Olympics gets around the corner.

The Technical Director of the Federation Dr. Adamu Ahmed assured the gathering that the detail fixtures will be worked within the next two weeks.

'Having agreed on the date and the exact period matches will hold, working out the fixtures should become much easier and that should be released within the next two weeks,' he said.

By the schedule adopted at the parley, all matches will be played by the weekend - running between Fridays and Sundays in all locations. After the debates on options available for the league format, the teams settled for a single home and away games plus the Road Trips in the regular season.

This will be followed by the play off season. But there was a proviso to the format with the teams agreeing to step up to two home and away games each in the regular season should there be the need when sponsorship is secured for the league.

'If playing the double games will still keep us within the period ending in July or early August then it should be okay otherwise we may have to go with the single games and try the double next season,' Adamu said.

Unlike the past when the regular season games held without any physical presence of security personnel, the teams and the NBBF voted to have security men on ground before any match can be approved by the match commissioner. A minimum of 6 personnel was accepted. The meeting agreed that any club that violates basic security measures will be sanctioned heavily with the possibility of being banished.

When the league starts next month, it will be returning to full season after the abridged type last season.

www.fiba-afrique.org

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

PBL takes over operations In Jacksonville -by Gianni Pascucci
The Premier Basketball League announced that the Jacksonville Jam organization has been terminated and removed from the league. It is unfortunate that the Jacksonville Jam organization has failed to meet its obligations to maintain its status in the league, league officials stated. As PBL league rules dictate in situations such as this, the league officials assume administration of a team in Jacksonville. This provision of the PBL rules assures continuity of game schedules. 'While we do not like having to take this action, the PBL has mandatory requirements and rules, and should any organization falls short the league will take the necessary action to ensure the credibility and stability of the league. The owners were in unanimous agreement with the league office that this was the proper action to take at this time' stated PBL CEO Tom Doyle . 'The PBL will not tolerate organizations that do not meet their obligations.' Doyle added.

Other weekend results -by Gianni Pascucci
Led by Sammy Monroe (6'6''-F-85, college: Newberry), who scored 24 points, the Rochester RazorSharks kept their streak alive at the Blue Cross Arena defeating 107-97 the Wilmington Sea Dawgs. Jerice Crouch (6'0''-G, college: Chattanooga) added 21 points in the Rochester victory, while the best in the Sea Dawgs were Cedric McGinnis (6'9''-C-77, college: Georgia Southern) with 22 points and 13 rebounds and Alexander Harper (6'4''-G-82, college: Va Commonwealth) with 21 points. In another weekend game, tha Arkansas Impact defeated the Chicago Throwbacks 132-118. In some way, the Dallas Defenders managed to go on the court, falling to Chicago 103-98 and the day after to Maryland, 127-101, giving the first win in the season to the Nighthawks. But these two games of the Defenders were both played in Chicago...

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

Boricuas Abroad and Freeman in Carolina -by Alessandro Fontana
BORICUAS ABROAD
In NBA, there was the 'Boricuas-Time', Carlos Arroyo vs. Jose Juan Barea. Dallas won against Orlando 107-98. Jose Juan Barea played 19 minutes with 3 pts (0/2 2pts, 0/1 3pts, 3/4 FT) with 4 rebs and 4 assts. Carlos Arroyo played 29 minutes with 12 pts (2/6 2pts, 2/2 3pts, 2/2 FT), 1 reb and 3 assts.
In D-League, Arsenal Anaheim was defeated by Idaho Stampede, Guillermo Diaz scored 18 pts (5/14 2pts, 0/6 3pts, 8/10 FT)+3 rebs+1 assist in 39 minutes.
In Turkey, Besiktas won against Mersin 84-77. The MVP of the game was 'The Wizard Apocadabra' Rick Apodaca who scored 15 pts (4/8 2pts, 1/2 3pts, 4/6 FT) +9 assists+ 2 rebs. Christian Dalmau in 25 minutes scored 11 pts (375 2pts, 1/2 3pts, 2/2 FT) + 3assts.
BSN: FREEMAN IN CAROLINA
Duke Freeman-McKamey can be probably the second american (the first is Darius Rice) of los Gigantes de Carolina. Freeman is a power forward who played last season already in Puerto Rico (6 games) with Capitanes de Arecibo with 14.0 ppg and 10.8 rpg. Duke Freeman-McKamey is a journey-man who played college at Fordham and after the college He had experiences in NBDL, USBL, WBA, Argentina, Mexico and Lithuania one of his best seasons with Panevezys where He was the best rebounder of the League with 13.4 rpg + 17.6 ppg.
Freeman is not yet sure to be signed by Carolina.
A. Fontana

Monty Wilson in Guaynabo and Boricuas Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana

Conquistadores de Guaynabo signed Monty Wilson, an american forward, good scorer. Monty Wilson is a 'journey-man' who played already in Puerto Rico (Guayama, Santurce, Cayey), in Venezuela, Argentina, Israel and in the 'US Minors' as ABA and IBL. In 2007 He played for Trotamundos de Carabobo in Venezuela where He scored 13 ppg +2.8 rpg.

With Monty Wilson, Conquistadores de Guaynabo have a great strong 'starting five': Kevin Sheppard, Carlos Escalera, Carmelo Lee, Monty Wilson and Ward Jerod.
On Saturday Diego Guevara, the new player of Los Vaqueros de Bayamon, arrived in Puerto Rico. Diego Guevara played this season in Delfines de Miranda with 14, 9 pts (60% 2pts, 42% 3pts, 85% FT) and 3,9 assts.
BORICUAS ABROAD
In Spain, Unicaja Malaga won against Leon 91-81. For Daniel Santiago 12 pts (6/6 2pts) and 1 reb in 13 minutes. Fuenlabrada won against Cajasol Sevilla 76-69. Peter John Ramos played only 5 minutes with 2 pts (1/3 2pts), 6 rebs and 1 steal.
In Poland Polpharma won against Kotwica 93-89. Donald Copeland scored 18 pts (6/9 2pts, 6/7 FT) and He was the MVP of the game. Andres Rodriguez scored 4 points + 8 assists and his team Turow won an important game against Czarni Slupski 79-68.
In the Adriatic League, Siroki was defeated by Cibona 83-81. Sharif Fajardo played a great game with 20 pts (3/7 2pts, 3/7 3pts, 5/6 FT), 3 rebs and 2 assts. In Germany Paderborn was defeated by Bayer Leverkusen 76-74, for Nathan Peavy only 2 pts and 2 rebs.
In NBA, Dallas was defeated by Detroit 67-90. Jose Juan Barea played 13 minutes with 1 steal and 0 pts (0/3 2pts, 0/1 3pts). In D-League Idaho defeated Arsenal Anaheim 95-91, Guillermo Diaz came back to Anaheim from L.A. and He scored 15 pts (3/11 2pts, 2/6 3pts, 3/3 FT) with 3 assts.
A. Fontana

*****************************************************
ROMANIA

UMobitelco falls just short of upsetting CSU Ploiesti -by Eurobasket News
UMobitelco were close of handing the league leading CSU Ploiesti the second defeat in the season. But Tab Baldwin's guys wasted a chance losing 78:79 in the basketball scorcher on Saturday. The matchup was fiercely close with CSU Ploiesti grabbing a 17:16 lead 10 minutes into it. However the hosts managed to change the complexion of the game as Zoran Krstanovic (205-C-82) paced them to a 39:37 advantage at the break. It was went even more smoothly for UMobitelco in the third frame as they accumulated a 6-point cushion heading into the fourth period. The home team maintained the gap and were up 77:76 in the dying seconds. Arvydas Cepulis (195-G-79) fired from the outside to put Ploiesti in front, while UMobitelco did not find the proper answer and the lost the clash. De'Angelo Alexander (198-G-84, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Charlotte) scored 16 points and pulled down 7 boards for CSU Ploiesti. Reggie Elliott (196-G-73, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Mercer) and Arvydas Cepulis netted 15 points apiece for the winners. Zoran Krstanovic answered with game-high 24 points for the hosts. Uchechukwu Iheadindu (194-F-79, agency: Court Side) had 16 points in the 6th defeat for UMobitelco in the season. CSU Ploiesti retained the leading position at 14-1.
Meanwhile CSU Sibiu remained at the second spot with an overwhelming 115:76 win over Targoviste. CSU Sibiu dominated every facet of the game and piled up a 25:12 lead after the opening stanza. The home team never looked back afterwards and completed their 12th success in the season. Darnell Clavon (188-G-72, college: Chaminade) led six CSU Sibiu players to score in double digits with 22 points. Octavian Calota (185-G-84) contributed 19 points for the winners. CSU Sibiu will travel to Brasov to take on the local team next week.

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

A league - Three teams on top after 15 rounds -by Dragan Jankovski
After 15 rounds of Serbian A league Swisslions Takovo, Mega Aqua Monta and Radnicki 034 Group share top position while Ergonom and Zdravlje Actavis remains the two last ranked teams.

Swisslions Takovo grabbed important road win over Sloga 83-75 showing strong willingness to qualify for the Superleague. Visitors made 13-0 run in the last quarter resolving question about the winner in this game. PG Vukasin Aleksic (185-G-85, agency: Beo Basket), who is MVP of the round with index rate 39, led Swisslions to 11th win collecting 28 points and 8 assists. Marko Popovic (193-G-84) added 20 points and 5 assists for Sloga.

In the game between two teams from Belgrade, Mega Aqua Monta and Vizura, younger club surprised the older one and beat it on their home court 83-94. Vizura keeps making surprises this season as their main goal this year was not to be relegated. Scoring machine Vladimir Vuksanovic (205-F-78, agency: Interperformances) netted 24 points including 5 rebounds for the winners. Two Mega's ‘golden kids' shooting guard Stefan Stojacic (192-G-89), who scored 16 points, and PF Uros Nikolic (207-F-87), who added 15 points and 6 rebounds, was better tan the others.

Radnicki Invest Inzenjering made easy win over Napredak Rubin 93-80. The team from Novi Sad dominated from the beginning touching plus 23 after three quarters. Krsto Bjelica (191-G-88) netted 20 points for Radnicki while experienced Dragan Markovic (202-F-74, agency: Beo Basket) of Napredak had 19 points and 6 rebounds.

Almost the same picture was seen in Kragujevac where Radnicki 034 Group beat Masinac 80-64 and in Nis where Novi Sad smashed Ergonom like visitor 86-62. Radovan Pesic (185-G-72, agency: Beo Basket) lead Radnicki with 22 points and 5 assists while Goran Martinic (187-G-87) was the best in Novi Sad adding 27 points and 4 rebounds.

Borac outplayed Zdravlje Actavis on Friday 88-71.

Sloga - Swisslions Takovo 75-83
(18-19,26-20,18-20,13-24)

Sloga: Popovic 20 (5 as), Dasic 15 (7 rebs), Trivunovic 13
Swisslions Takovo: Aleksic 28 (8 as), Markovic 20 (5 rebs), Marjanovic 15 (5 rebs)

Mega Aqua Monta - Vizura 83-94
(19-29,26-26,18-19,20-20)

Mega Aqua Monta: Stojacic 16, Nikolic 15 (6 rebs), Markovic 12
Vizura: Vuksanovic 24 (5 rebs), Sinovec 17, Avlijas 16 (4 as)

Radnicki Invest Inzenjering - Napredak Rubin 93-80
(27-17,25-17,20-15,21-31)

Radnicki: Bjelica 20, Rajkovic 17 (7 rebs), Popovic 17, Bolic 16 (4 rebs, 5 st)
Napredak Rubin: Markovic 19 (6 rebs), Miletic 17

Radnicki 034 Group - Masinac 80-64
(25-15,16-15,24-15,15-19)

Radnicki 034 Group: Pesic 22 (5 as), Milosevic 13, Veljovic 11 (9 rebs)
Masinac: Mirkovic 23 (5 rebs), Habus 16

Ergonom - Novi Sad 62-86
(15-23,14-22,16-24,17-17)

Ergonom: Koprivica 21 (5 rebs), Mikic 18 (8 rebs), Majstorovic 14
Novi Sad: Martinic 27 (4 rebs), Sutalo 20, Radenkovic 15 (12 rebs)

*****************************************************
SLOVAK REP.

Round 22 results and stats -by Eurobasket News
Round 22 brought the key game between SKANSKA Pezinok and ESO CLUB Lucenec, two teams from the top. In a battle of the favorites, the home team advantaged with 76:63 victory.
ESO CLUB Lucenec started the game better and took 10:17 lead after the opening quarter. SKANSKA Pezinok needed a quarter to come back and after 23:9 in the second was in front of the game. The game still reminded carousel as in the third the guests played again better. SKANSKA Pezinok used a 29:18 in the last quarter to finish the winning campaign. Dusan Snopko (195-G-75) paced the winners with 22 points. Micuda nailed 17, while Kozlik posted 13. Antonio Bicvic (199-F-82) and Sykora ended up with 13 points in the losing effort.
Inter Bratislava grabbed an important win away from home to take the second spot of the league. The team overcame MBK Handlova 77:70 as Dusan Pandula (195-F-84), Novak and Micka produced 16 points each. Milosevic top-scored for the hosts with 29 points.
HBK Prievidza overcame MBK Rieker Komarno 83:68. Hrvoje Puljko (193-G-83, agency: Interperformances) top-scored for the winners with 29 points and Immink netted 11. Slovintegra Levice won over Slavia TU Kosice 93:68 with 19 points from Marko Samanovic (206-C-85) and Pohanka. Viliam Ridzon (193-G-75) led Nova Ves over Chemosvit Svit 82:66 with 19 points.

HBK Prievidza - MBK Rieker Komarno 83:68 (23:21, 16:23, 28:14, 16:10)
HBK Prievidza: Hrvoje Puljko 29, Immink 11, Vucic 10
MBK Rieker Komarno: Stipe Pivac (204-F/C-78, agency: Heinrich Sports) 18, Barisic 12, Fapso 11

Slovintegra Levice - Slavia TU Kosice 93:68 (23:19, 25:17, 28:18, 17:14)
Slovintegra Levice: Marko Samanovic 19, Pohanka 19, Kucsa 15, Klein 15
Slavia TU Kosice: Misinsky 22, Baťka 16, Utľak 11

Nova Ves - Chemosvit Svit 82:66 (20:12,14:15, 26:15, 22:24)
Nova Ves: Viliam Ridzon 19, Pesta 12, Madaj 12
Chemosvit Svit: Martin Bilik (194-F-87) 13, Klaric 12, Hundert 9

SKANSKA Pezinok - ESO CLUB Lucenec 76:63 (10:17, 23:9, 14:19, 29:18)
SKANSKA Pezinok: Dusan Snopko 22, Micuda 17, Kozlik 13
ESO CLUB Lucenec: Antonio Bicvic 13, Sykora 13, Kovacevic 10

BK Dolny Kubin - BK CASTA SPU Nitra 70:102 (14:32, 23:25, 9:23, 24:22)
BK Dolny Kubin: Petrovic 22, Bacic 11, Findura 11
BK CASTA SPU Nitra: Gillespie 24, Seman 18, Jankovic 15

MBK Handlova - Inter Bratislava 70:77 (22:17, 21:23, 14:15, 13:22)
MBK Handlova: Milosevic 29, Golian 18, Smacko 10
Inter Bratislava: Dusan Pandula 16, Novak 16, Micka 16

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

Jagodnik has knee surgery -by Zeljko Zule
Slovenian NT member Goran Jagodnik (202-F-74, agency: Beo Basket) of Hemofarm Stada underwent knee surgery and will be sidelined at least four months. He averaging 27,2 minutes, 14,1 points (2P 62-109, 3P 28-82, FT 45-62), 4,5 rebounds, 1,2 assists, 1,3 steals, 0,2 blocks and 0,9 turnovers in 18 games of NLB Adriatic League.

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

LEB Bronze Week 19: Julian Horacio Lopez MVP -by Daniel Fernandez

Julian Horacio Lopez was the MVP in the 19th round in the Adecco LEB Bronze with 37 of efficiency. Gestiberica Vigo win 66-60 vs Balneario Archena and they are leading this league. Rayet Guadalajara lost 79-80 vs AB Esplugues, and Rayert Guadalajara are now in the second place.

Week 19: TOP 5 by Efficiency LEB Bronze

Julian Lopez (ADT Tarragona): 37 (29pt + 4rb + 4as + 6st)

Eduardo Ruiz (205-C-83) (ADT Tarragona): 32 (19pt + 17rb)

Gustavo Mascaro (185-G-80) (CB Canasta Jerez): 26 (25pt + 3rb)

DeSean Hadley (193-G-77) (CB Tijola): 26 (18pt + 13rb)

Joseba Aramburu (204-C-81) (HNV Navarra): 24 (11pt + 8rb)

Adecco LEB Silver CUP: Akasvayu Vic is the winner -by Daniel Fernandez

Akasvayu Vic won in the Final to CB Illescas 66-64 and they are the winner in the Adecco LEB Silver CUP. Eulis Baez (201-F-82, college: W.Illinois) (Akasvayu Vic) was named MVP of the Cup, and in the Final he scores 18 points and grabs 9 rebounds.

In the first Semifinal Akasvayu Vic won to Farho Gijon 78-69. Jose Amador (19pt + 4rb) and Eulis Baez (9pt + 10rb) was the best in the catalonian team. In Farho Gijon Sony Vazquez scores 17 points and Adrian Garcia scores 15 points.

In the second Semifinal CB Illescas won to Alimentos Palencia 80-65. In CB Illescas Dexter Lyons scores 22 points and Duane Virgil scores 17 points. In the Palencia Team Sebastian Maio scores 17 points.

FINAL

CB Illescas 64 (18+18+13+15): Claudio Charquero (4), Adrian Barrero (4), Duane Virgil (24), Francisco J. Gonzalez (0), Juan Jose Lopez (2), Dexter Lyons (9), Juan Jose Jimenez (15), Sergio Sanchez (0), Jose M. Alonso (6), Gorka Gonzalez (0)

Akasvayu Vic 66 (15+14+14+23): Ionut Dragusin (2), Eduard Jimenez (0), Albert Sabat (11), Sergio Soria (3), Marti Nualart (3), Jesus Aranda (3), Albert Teruel (7), Eulis Baez (18), Eduard Riu (7), Jose Amador (12)