The National Cup quarterfinals tipped off in Bulgaria. The teams clashed in the best-of-three series for a chance to advance to Final Four. The A1 leaders Lukoil Academic took on Spartak Pleven. Lukoil got to a better start but Spartak managed to stay in visibility. The visitors trailed by 11 points at halftime but failed to cut the deficit after the break. Lukoil looked too confident to give up an inch of the initiative and eased to an 88:71 victory at the end. Pero Antic (210-F-82, agency: Interperformances) produced 24 points and 17 boards for Lukoil. Riste Stefanov (198-G-83, agency: Interperformances) dropped 21 points for the winners. Hrisimir Dimitrov (197-G/F-74, agency: Interperformances), Vladimir Jojic (181-G-75), Iliya Stankov and Todor Todorov (199-F-82) all scored 13 points apiece in a loss. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday.
Balkan dismantled Cherno More 90:70 in the first game of the quarterfinal series. Ivan Lilov (196-F-88) paced the hosts with 24 points and 8 assists. Atanas Radev (200-F-81) and Dwayne Morton (200-F-71, agency: Interperformances, college: Louisville) netted 12 points apiece in a win. Cherno More answered with 20 points from Bryce Sheldon (193-G/F-84, agency: Interperformances). The teams will play again later today.
CSKA overcame Yambol 89:85 in a heated battle at home. Leading comfortably by 10 points at the start of the final frame CSKA wasted the major part of the buffer and were on the brink of the elimination. But due to an impressive performance from Hristo Nikolov (200-F-85). He finished with 25 points, 7 assists and 5 boards. Georgi Davidov (204-C-76) provided 16 points and 11 boards in a winning effort. Vadim Reka (208-F/C-83) answered with 21 points and 10 rebounds for Yambol.
Levski outpaced Rilski 89:85 at home to take the lead in the series. Stefan Georgiev (206-C/F-78, agency: Interperformances) led the hosts with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Aleksandar Gruev (187-G-83) responded with 20 points in a loss.

Cup Quarterfinals:

Lukoil - Spartak 88:71

Balkan - Cherno More 90:70

Levski - Rilski 89:85

CSKA - Yambol 89:85

The reigning champions of Ferreteria Brenes Barva were introduced to local media some days ago. The team will be again sponsored by Ferreteria Brenes and the clear score of the playeras and coaches is only one: to threepeat, winning the National League even in 2008. The team coach wil be again Luis Blanco , who stated that all his players are working hard in practice sessions and will be very effective on the court. Franklyn Ferguson (198-C/F-77, college: Ks Wesleyan) will be again in the team as soon as he will end his Swiss commitment, and Isaac St.Rose (190-G-84, college: John Brown) has been confirmed in the import spot. The new players in roster are Amir Alvarado (198-G/F-84, college: Marshalltown CC), who comes back in Barva from Liceo, Cristian Chavarria (177-G-78) and Dave Milliner (195-C-81), they too from Liceo and Jefferson Dixon (196-C-85), from Saprissa. The other members of Ferreteria Brenes Barva 2008 are Andres Barrantes (183-G/F-80), one of the leaders on and off the court, Luis Castillo (185-G/F-78), Jose West (203-C-86), Federico Barrantes (180-G-81), Marlon Fonseca (G/F), Roberto Arguedas (190-F-88), Cesar Carrillo (F), Peter Hidalgo (F), David Carnegie (192-F-85), Jose Pablo Coto (F/C) and Frank Brown (188-C-76). The techincal staff is made of Luis Blanco (Head Coach), Jimmy Garcia and Luis Diego Arguedas (Coach Assistants) and Alexander Arias (Trainer)

There were two winners in Nicosia on Tuesday night as Aspis Apoel Nicosia beat Proteas EKA AEL 91-84, but the Cyprus Basketball confirms its upgrading structure as the Limasol team might loose after five years the chance to win the Cyprus league for sixth consecutive year but there are many chances to add another golden page for Cyprus Basketball as the spot in the Semifinals of the FIBA EuroCup which will take place in Melford Arena in Limasol gives many chances to the host team to bring a unique trophy in Cyprus as the teams from the Baltic Sea, the Estonian TU Rock, the Latvian Barons together with the Belgian Dexia Mons Hainaut (of the 8 Americans!!) are opponents which are very much respected by the Cyprus Basketball fans but there is no doubt that these opponents are not 'forbidden' zone for AEL, especially in its own home court.

The defending Cyprus league champions gave their best shot to win a thrilling game that went down against them from the very first quarter. The game was a back-and-forth battle with the home team of Head Coach Kyriakos Yiangoulis coming out red-hot from downtown as they built slowly - slowly a 6-7 points lead in the first 13 minutes. AEL stormed back to cut the deficit up to 1-2 points but by the halftime the score went down to 7 points 46-39. Aspis Apoel Nicosia with Wheeler in a great night being the man of the game was scoring unstoppable and keeping his team in the leading role but AEL never quit down to the last minutes but an unproductive 3 minutes driven APOEL to a 10-0 series which was the final countdown for Limassol Yellows and Coach Charles Barton . The quarters were: 23-20, 46-39, 67-63 and the final 91-84. Tyson Wheeler (183-G-75, college: Rhode Island) led Aspis Apoel Nicosia with 28 points on 12-for-18 shooting. The American veteran was the Top performer and the MVP of the game, he can easily characterized as the man who stopped AEL in the Cyprus league.

When the going gets tough, there isn't a team on the planet that wouldn't want power forward Mike Michael Batiste (203-F-77, college: Arizona St.) of Panathinaikos in uniform. The defending champs have had it so tough in the Top 16 that they must win against Partizan in Belgrade on Wednesday or give up the Euroleague crown. But they have Michael Batiste in uniform, and his personal Top 16 couldn't be much better. He ranks third among all Top 16 players in performance index rating and second in two-point shooting accuracy while leading the Greens in both scoring and rebounding. A stand-up performer on the court, Michael Batiste was just as professional off it while talking with Euroleague.net about the situation that the champs must confront on Wednesday in Belgrade. 'The road to a Final Four is never picture perfect,' Michael Batiste said. 'There are always going to be bumps and bruises along the way. This is just part of the scenario we have to go through. We put ourselves in this situation, and the only way to get back to normal is to work our way out of it. We understand the situation, we're focused and we're ready to play.'

Everyone wants to know how you guys feel going to Belgrade to try to keep the season alive against Partizan?

'We feel good, but at the same time, we do not underestimate Partizan at all. They are a good team and a young team that plays with a lot of energy and fights every single second they are on the court. If we don't match their energy it will be a long night for us. We know it will be difficult, but we have been in a lot of difficult situations before and we are willing to get the job done tomorrow.'

You've had three previous games with Partizan this season, all close, but you won them all. Is that a good sign for you?

'Yeah, but at same time Partizan knows that without making one turnover or getting one extra possession they could have won those games. We have to really be careful against them. They are a dangerous team. But like you said, we beat them three times, so we know we can do the job for the fourth.'

After three games against them, what do you expect from Partizan on Wednesday?

'I expect, first of all, for them to play extremely hard. The crowd they play in front of at home is one of the most unbelievable crowds in Europe. The people of Serbia love basketball and they push their team to play to the best of their ability. But we've played in hostile environments before and we know what we've got to do.'

And what exactly does Panathinaikos need to do to win in a tough gym like in Hala Pionir this time?

'First of all, we've got to make sure not to let them have second-chance points. They are a good offensive rebounding team. We also have to avoid turnovers, which are one of big reasons why we've been struggling in this round. We're averaging almost 17 turnovers a game. We're the kind of team that needs to score to put pressure on an opponent, so we have to cut to down the turnovers, and if we can do this tomorrow night, it'll be an advantage for us.'

Is you team's experience an advantage going into the game?

'Of course, we've got to make experience work for us against such a good team. This is a team that fights and has talent. Their post man, Nikola Pekovic, is having a great season. Milt Palacio at guard keeps the fire going for them. Then you got Uros Tripkovic, Milenko Tepic and Dusan Kecman on the perimeter, all of them dangerous. Of course, they know they are playing against a better team, but at the same time, they aren't the kind of players to complain. They just fight hard, and that's the reason they win. They go 100% until the game is over and what happens- happens.'

Is it fair to say Panathinaikos didn't expect to be in this situation? Looking back, did you realize it was such a tough Top 16 draw?

'I can say yes and no. It was tough but fair because of the players we have. Regardless, the road to a Final Four is never picture perfect. There are always going to be bumps and bruises along the way. This is just part of the scenario we have to go through. We put ourselves in this situation, and the only way to get back to normal is to work our way out of it. We understand the situation, we're focused and we're ready to play.'

As a frontcourt guy, you would know better than anyone: how much have the injuries to big men Dejan Tomasevic (208-F/C-73) and Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) affected Panathinaikos in the Top 16?

'They have really affected us a lot, especially for a guy like me, playing inside, who now must carry most of the load instead of getting help from them. They are guys who know their roles on the team and what's expected of them. Dejan was out most of the season, but Kostas is someone we are really missing in this round. He's another defender down low, another rebounder and another three-point shooter. He can guard the five, four and even three spots if needed. His versatility as a big man is something. We're missing a lot with him out.'

Hala Pionir might be the closest in crowd similarity to OAKA in the entire world. Some players prefer that loud atmosphere, even as visitors, because it gets their adrenaline working. How about you?

'It's the same for me, yeah. We play for the fans, first of all, whether in Greece, Italy, Spain or Serbia. And the energy that the Serbian fans of Partizan bring to the game is unbelievable. There are 8,000 or so of them, not an empty seat, and they are singing and chanting, on their feet, behind their team every minute. That gives the opposing team energy, too. I love to play these types of games in a full gym with so warm atmosphere, and I'm eager to play this one.'

Now that you are in the thick of trying to do it for the first time, what can you say about how difficult it is to repeat as Euroleague champion?

'It's more difficult than you think. Last year, we were the hunter. We were hungry and wanted to go out and win everything. We are still hungry, but at the same time, we are the hunted now. Every team in Europe and every domestic team wants to beat you. It's like you are a marked man every single game. To become the Euroleague champ means making history for any team. For that reason, there's a lot more pressure this year than last.'

Interview given to Frank Lawlor for Euroleague.net

Parklji Bezigrad (B1) have parted ways with coach Muharem Vugdalic and replaced him with former NT assistant coach Franci Podlipnik ex Triglav.
Triglav (B1) announced Mitja Steblaj as new head coach.

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