EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 4/9/2008

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ARGENTINA

Liga A: Quarter finals -by Facundo Iatzky
Quarterfinals series:

1 Libertad sunchales - Quilmes Mar del plata (1st game: 4/11)
2 Boca Jrs - Obras sanitarias (1st game: 4/13)
3 Regatas corrientes- Quimsa santiago DE (1st game: 4/11)
4 Penarol MDP - El Nacional MH (1st game: 4/09)

The winner of Libertad-Quilmes will face the winner of Penarol- El nacional in semifinals and the winner of Boca-Obras will face the winner of regatas-Quimsa. All the series are to the best of 5 games.
Libertad, Boca, Regatas and Penarol are the favorites but ithe other 4 teams are very dangerous and any of them could be the surprisse.

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AUSTRALIA

Maric & Bruce to strut their stuff for NBA scouts -by Sohail Nasri

2008 Australia Post Boomer squad members Aleks Maric and Aaron Bruce have been selected to play at this week's Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) in Virginia, one of the most important scouting events before the NBA Draft.

Each year for 55 years the P.I.T has invited 64 of the best college basketball players (seniors) from across the nation to participate in a four-day, twelve game tournament in front of representatives from every NBA team.

Maric has just completed his senior year (fourth year) with the University of Nebraska and Bruce a 2006 World Championship player, was a senior with Baylor University.

Recognized by the NBA and European scouts as the premier showcase for future professional players, the P.I.T. is the only tournament for college seniors to participate in and be evaluated by the National Basketball Association prior to the NBA's pre-draft camp in Orlando.

The 64 invited players are divided into eight teams of eight players with most teams bearing the name of tournament sponsors.

Maric will play as the lone centre for Sales System LTD team while Bruce is one of four guards in the Tidewater Sealants outfit.

Both will be in action on the opening night - Wednesday, April 9 - with Maric and co facing the Norfolk Naval Shipyard team at 9pm local time and Bruce and the Tidewater Sealants playing the Portsmouth Holiday Inn team at 7pm local time.

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AUSTRIA

Round 35 -by Stefan Heinrich
Kapfenberg Bulls - Klosterneuburg Dukes 86:82

Bulls: Kevin Nelson (192-G-84, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Park) 21, Forrestal 19+14reb, Grgat 18, Knabl 9, Zeleznik 7, Josipovic 6, Lanegger 4, Seilern 2
Dukes: Christoph Nagler (193-G-84) 17, Wright 13, Creddle 13, Watson 11, Martin 9, Hamidovic 8, Hetzmannseder 4, Sallomon 3, Gartner 2, Diwald 2


UBC St. Polten - Gmunden Swans 89:86

UBC: Thomas Schreiner (195-G-87) 23+10reb+12as, Speiser 21+10reb, Kerschbaummayr 15, Kollik 11, Kugerl 8, Wagenlechner 6, Bock 3, Bauch 2
Swans: Deteri Mayes (189-G-74, agency: Court Side, college: Murray St.) 34, Boylan 20, Johnson 19, Mayer 12, Hutter 5, Schoninger 4, Sullivan 2


Furstenfeld Panthers - WBC Wels 93:83

Panthers: Milan Goljovic (203-F-71, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents) 22, Grum 19, Shavies 17, Colwell 13, Fraser 12+16reb, Ocokoljic 8, Hensley 2
WBC: Tilo Klette (205-C/F-77) 21, Archibald 20, Davis 17, Pargfrieder 8, Prince 6, Woschank 5, Palmer 4, Stanek 2


Traiskirchen Lions - Oberwart Gunners 104:95

Lions: Joey Vickery (180-G-67, college: Brandon) 17, Zekovic 16, Lamesic 15, Danek 15, Milosevic 12, Rhynes 11, Bjelica 7, Nicoara 6, Paliashchuk 5
Gunners: Jay Youngblood (196-G-84, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Kent St.) 30, Johnson 20, Moric 16+12reb, Boone 14, Crawford 9, Ochsenhofer 4, Gaspar 2

Standings - A Bundesliga
A Standings
Hauptrunde 1
1. Oberwart 25-10
2. Furstenfeld 25-10
3. Gmunden 24-11
4. Arkadia 23-12
5. Kapfenberg 22-13
6. Wels 19-16
7. Klosterneub. 17-18
8. St.Polten 12-23
Hauptrunde 2
1. Worthersee 6-3
2. Gussing 6-3
3. Vienna 4-5
4. UBSC Graz 2-7


Stats Leaders
Hauptrunde 1 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Mayes, Swans 23.9
2 Youngblood, Gunners 20.9
3 Miletic, Panthers 19.8
4 Dale, Panthers 19.2
5 Lamesic, Lions 19.1
6 Watson, Dukes 18.2
7 Goljovic, Panthers 17.4
8 Suljanovic, Bulls 17.3
8 Kohlmaier, UBC 17.3
10 Ray, Bulls 17.3
Rebounds Per Game
1 KJohnson, Swans 10.1
2 Fraser, Panthers 9.4
3 JJohnson, Gunners 8.9
4 Martin, Dukes 8.8
5 Moric, Gunners 8.0
Assists Per Game
1 Schreiner, UBC 7.7
2 Shavies, Panthers 7.1
3 Zeleznik, Bulls 5.0
4 Danek, Lions 4.8
4 Boylan, Swans 4.8
Steals Per Game
1 Artner, Gunners 2.6
2 Schreiner, UBC 2.2
3 Shavies, Panthers 2.2
4 Boylan, Swans 2.1
5 Ray, Bulls 1.8
Blocks Per Game
1 Colwell, Panthers 1.9
2 Martin, Dukes 1.5
3 Kohlmaier, UBC 1.2
4 Fraser, Panthers 1.1
5 Anderson, WBC 1.0
2FGP
1 Fraser, Panthers 67.9
2 JJohnson, Gunners 63.0
3 Bjelica, Lions 60.0
4 Suljanovic, Bulls 59.6
5 Kohlmaier, UBC 59.4
3FGP
1 Goljovic, Panthers 50.9
2 Diwald, Dukes 46.4
3 Bjelica, Lions 45.5
4 Danek, Lions 44.4
5 Nagler, Dukes 44.2
Free Throws
1 Vickery, Lions 96.5
2 Forrestal, Bulls 95.0
3 Nagler, Dukes 93.0
4 Mayes, Swans 86.4
5 Goljovic, Panthers 85.6
Ranking
1 Schreiner, UBC 20.5
2 JJohnson, Gunners 20.0
3 Lamesic, Lions 19.7
4 Kohlmaier, UBC 19.4
5 KJohson, Swans 19.2


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BAHRAIN

U.S coach waiting GOYS approval -by Yousef Ahmed


HIGH-PROFILE American basketball coach Jamie Angeli would cost Bahrain BD25,000 over 10 months should he sign as national team head coach, a Bahrain Basketball Association (BBA) official has revealed.

Angeli was an assistant with the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team, who play Division 'I' basketball in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) of the US. He spent three years with Al Rayyan in Qatar, who he guided to their most successful period over his four-year stay.

He is reportedly close to being signed by the BBA. They are awaiting approval from the General Organisation for Youth and Sports (Goys), who they have asked for assistance in shouldering Angeli's monthly salary, according to sources. Former national team coach Bahraini Salman Ramadhan's salary was also borne by Goys.

It is believed that Angeli has been offered a 10-month contract with a monthly salary of roughly BD2,260 (or $6,000). BBA treasurer Hameed bin Abbas said the remuneration, plus other expenses, would eat up a significant portion of the BBA's annual budget.

'Apart from his pay, we also have to factor in expenses for his home and transportation, and that would cost BD25,000 for just 10 months,' bin Abbas told the GDN yesterday. 'But he is a high-calibre coach, and we need a person like him to improve our national team.'

SOURCE : GDN

AHLI WINS 3RD PLACE -by Yousef Ahmed

AL AHLI overcame a late-game deficit to defeat Sitra 74-70 last night and clinch third place in the Bahrain Basketball League, reports PATRICK SALOMON.

The victors came back from three points down in the fourth quarter, and secured the consolation place as the dethroned defending champions.

American professional Jamal Holden (206-C-80, college: UALR) scored a game-high 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win, but couldn't lead his team to a repeat finals appearance after bowing to Muharraq in their Golden Square semifinal series.

Holden's compatriot, Jamal Coachman, paced Sitra in yesterday's loss with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Coachman's team succumbed to cup holders and 15-time champions Manama in their final four assignment.

Sitra began the tie for third on the offensive, as they took a 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter behind solid play from Coachman and young guard Younis Hassan.

But Ahli, coached by Nigerian Fred Femi, banked on the interior play of Holden and veteran forward Ahmed Malallah to bounce back and tie the scores at 31-apiece heading into the halftime break.

Sitra regained the upper hand when they managed to take a narrow 49-46 lead after the third period. But in the fourth, Ahli raised the tempo and Sitra, coached by Bahraini Najah Isa, could not match their pace. They then held off a late comeback from their rivals to seal the win, but still ended the national season without any silverware.

Ahli outscored Sitra 28-21 in the high-scoring payoff period. Guard Maytham Jameel did well to make up for the virtual absence of star guard Hussain Shaker, who was held to just two points.

Jameel scored 15, while Malallah finished with 13 and eight rebounds. Hassan contributed 12 points for Sitra in the losing effort, while forward Zuhair Hubail added 15.

Ahli now head to Doha where they will represent Bahrain in the GCC Clubs Basketball Championship slated between April 24 and 30.

Meanwhile, Muharraq hope to clinch the league title when they take on Manama at 7.30pm today in game two of the best-of-three finals series.

Muharraq, coached by American John Wojtak, won game one 86-76 after a blistering perimeter-shooting display that saw them sink 15 three-pointers. They have yet to clinch a league title in the modern era, but were cup champions in 2003 and 2004.

Manama, on the other hand, guided by former national team head Salman Ramadhan, last won the league in 2006 before Ahli took the title last year.

source: GDN



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BELIZE

E Three Stars still undefeated in BECOL Tournament!!! -by David Magana
Week seven continued in the BECOL Tournament at the Falcon Field in San Ignacio Town featuring a U-20 game between West Side (1-3) and Young Stars (2-2). West Side was able to obtain their first victory by 48 - 36 after having a three game losing streak. For the winning team, Halil Alcoser scored 19 pts, 4 assists and 3 steals while Evan Brown 11 pts, 8 rebs, 4 assists and 2 steals. In a losing effort, Zamir Usher ended with 11 pts, 4 rebs, 3 assists while Regis Morris 8 pts, 6 rebs and 2 steals.
In the O-35, Belmopan Bandits (4-1) beat ICB Veterans (2-2) by a score of 68 - 55. For the Bandits, Austin Flores scored 15 pts, 5 rebs, Clive Sutherland 15 pts, Winston Arzu 12 pts, 3 rebs and Arden Diego 10 pts and 3 rebs. In a losing effort, Elvis 'Tiger Usher scored 13 pts, 8 rebs and 2 assists while Oscar 'Jordan' Quewell came up with a big game of doubles, 25 pts, 10 rebs, and 6 assists.
The main Attraction of the night was a Senior game between E Three Stars (4-0) and the Patriots (0-4). Everybody thought that the Patriots, without Richard Troyer, were going to be an easy steak for E Three Stars but it wasn't so. The Patriots led the whole game except in the final and most crucial quarter; they saw the lead vanish, becoming a heart breaking three point loss. This loss means the actual elimination of any playoff hopes for the Patriots. For the winning team, Mark O'Brien again had big numbers, 16 pts, 11 rebs, Jason Daly (183-G) 9 pts, 5 rebs and Jimmy Rudon 12 pts, 7 rebs and 5 steals. In a losing effort, Jovian 'Grease' Urbina scored 14 pts, 6 rebs, steals and 2 blocks, Calvin 'Bindo' Welch with a double double,12 pts, 14 rebs, 3 assists and 2 steals while Justin 'Erbs' Urbina 10 pts, 6 rebs and 3 assists.

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BRAZIL

Barbosa shines without Hilario -by Eurobasket News
In NBA Denver did not wait for too long to take a revenge for a loss to Phoenix. Two Brazilian players played against each other. The teams moved to the Pepsi Center yesterday and the hosts rolled to a crucial 126:120 victory to leapfrog the Golden State Warriors back into playoff territory. The teams were close in the dying minutes but Denver capitalized on the visitors' misses. First Steve Nash missed a jumper and Carmelo Anthony grabbed a rebound and sank two free throws being fouled. Then Leandrinho Barbosa (190-G-82) also missed a potentially tying three-pointer and Carmelo Anthony once again secured a defensive rebound to be put to the stripe later on and to convert two more free throws that put the hosts away for good. Allen Iverson scored 31 points to lead the Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony had 25 points and 8 boards for the winners. Brazilian Leandrinho Barbosa secured 27 points for the Suns in defeat. produced 4 points and 5 rebounds for 10 minutes of the game.
The Denver Nuggets' playoff hunt received a setback yesterday when talented rookies from Seattle doomed the Nuggets at the Key Arena. Kevin Durant scored career-best 37 points, while Jeff Green added his best 35 points to carry the Supersonics past shocked Denver 151:147 in two overtimes. The win never seemed likely as the Nuggets beat Seattle by an average of 37 points on three previous occasions. Nene Hilario (207-C-82) got injured with right groin strain.

Standings - BNL
BNL Standings
1. Flamengo 16-1
2. Minas 14-4
3. Universo/BRB 12-4
4. Joinville 12-7
5. Saldanha 11-8
6. Uberlandia 11-8
7. Ulbra 10-7
8. Univates 8-11
9. CETAF 7-12
10. Londrina 5-15
11. FTC EAD 4-14
12. Iguacu 0-19


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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Chino and Sheffield secures a playoff spot/video -by David Edole
Randy George (200-F-81, college: Henderson St.) and SHEFFIELD Sharks confirmed their spot in the BBL Championship Playoffs after they beat the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders 83-66 live on Setanta Sports 1, and recorded their third consecutive win.
Here are the links to this week's highlights packages from the BBL featuring the Sheffield Sharks v the Leicester Riders:

Video One
Video Two
Video Three


SHEFFIELD wins fourth consecutive!

There's no stopping Sheffield Sharks at the moment as they made it four wins in a row with a superb performance at Worcester Wolves last night.
The victory is their sixth in nine matches since an horrific start to 2008 and now they are favourites to clinch sixth spot in the BBL with an outside chance of pipping Scottish Rocks to fifth.

Impressively the Sharks average winning margin during their four match tear is more than 20-points, which shows major improvements at both ends of the court.

Last night it was defence that pleased coach Peter Scantlebury as Sheffield restricted a free-scoring Wolves offence to just 69 points.

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CAMEROON

CAMEROONIANS ABROAD NEWS -by Gilles Bouwe
UCLA have play the final four for the third consecutive years. Unfortunately there have lost at the semifinal for the second consecutive year in front of Menphis 78-63. Our countrymen who are the first africans to take part at three consecutives final four were involved in this game ; LUC RICHARD MBAH a MOUTE score 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 34 minutes and Alfred Aboya played just 6 minutes score two points and grabbed one rebound.
MENPHIS on his side lost to KANSAS in the final this is the big return of KANSAS after twenty years.

Cameronians abroad news: -by Gilles Bouwe
UCLA will play in the Final Four for the third consecutive year. Unfortunately they have lost at the semifinal for the second consecutive year in front of Memphis 78-63. Our countrymen who are the first Africans to take part at three consecutive Final Fours were involved in this game ; Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 34 minutes and Alfred Aboya played just 6 minutes but scored two points and grabbed one rebound.
Memphis lost to Kansas in the final. This is the big return of Kansas after twenty years.

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CANADA

Stats Leaders
CIS Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Morin, Laval 24.5
2 Bakovic, Ryerson 23.9
3 Posey, Lakehead 23.6
4 Nasajpour, Winni. 22.6
5 Ansah, Manitoba 22.6
Rebounds Per Game
1 Saintil, Acadia 13.85
2 Bekkering, Calgary 11.5
3 Morin, Laval 11.7
4 Spagrud, Saska. 10.7
5 I.Bakovic, Ryers. 10.1
Assists Per Game
1 Steer, Windsor 7.5
2 Rootes, Brock 7.4
3 Degiorgio, Toronto 7.3
4 Ross, Saint Mary's 7.1
5 Curtis, Western 6.2
Steals Per Game
1 Nkrumah, C.Breton 3.8
2 Nasajpour, Winnip. 3.3
3 Charlery, Brandon 2.9
Blocks Per Game
1 S.Haynes - York 2.7
2 A.Penny. - Laurier 2.5
3 D.Dessur. - Ottawa 2.3
2FGP
1 H.Fraser, 60.2
2 Atangana, UQAM 57.5
3 Jaspers-F., C.Bret. 56.9
3FGP
1 Handsor, Windsor 53.1
2 Swift, UNB 49.3
3 Harrison, Laurier 47.9
Free Throws
1 McLau., St.Mary's 91.8
2 J.Price, Calgary 87.8
3 El-Zanaty, McGill 85.9


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CAPE VERDE

Mario Jorge Wins 6th Man Award for March -by Pedro Gomes
Mario Jorge (190-G/F-77), the Cape Verdean national team player, was awarded with the 6th man award for the month of March in the portuguese UZO league. During this month, Mario averaged 10.25pts, and 6.5rebounds, with 1 double-doble game, and he finished With 13.7 efficiency rating for the month of March. Mario helped his team,CAB Madeira, to maintain the 4th spot in the league table. He was also named to the league's second team for the month of March.

Mario is averaging 4.6pts, 3.8rebounds, with 7.5 efficiency for the season.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

Standings - NBL
NBL Standings
1. Nymburk 39-1
2. Geofin 31-9
3. Prostejov 28-12
4. Decin 25-15
5. Pardubice 24-16
6. Ostrava 20-20
7. A Plus B. 17-23
8. USK Praha 16-24
9. Sadska 16-24
10. Liberec 12-28
11. Kolin 9-31
12. Usti n/Labem 3-37


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DENMARK

Svendborg will play in the Final -by Eurobasket News
Svendborg - Amager 96:66

The Svendborg Rabbits advanced to the Basketligaen Final series after overpowering BK Amager in the 7th game of the semifinal series. The teams put up a sizzling performance in the series raising the intrigue temperature to the maximum. It all came down to the decider after Amager stole a narrow win at the 6th game. But the brave Amager obviously ran out of steam and virtually could not match the hosts' tempo in the last encounter. The teams kept it close in the first frame as Svendborg led by a single point 21:20. But the next two quarters proved deadly for the visitors. The Rabbits ran away to a 13-point distance at the interval. Turnovers and low accuracy did not allow Amager to deny the deficit as Svendborg stretched the margin to as many as 26 points. The home side coasted to an overall success in the final stanza and guaranteed their birth in the final. Jarrett Howell (188-G-84, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Texas Arlington) led all scorers with 32 points and 6 assists. Ivan Hoger (225-C-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza) contributed 16 points and 11 boards, while Claus Magaard (194-G/F-86) had 13 for the winners. Mads Rasmussen (190-G-86) nailed 17 points for Amager. Matt Cooper (201-F-85, college: Le Moyne) produced 15 points and 6 boards in defeat. Svendborg limited their opponents to 34% from the field and sank 53% themselves. Amager outrebounded Svendborg 34:31 but committed 16 turnovers down the stretch. The Rabbits will now take on the Bakken Bears on Thursday.

Svendborg: Jarrett Howell 32, Ivan Hoger 16, Claus Magaard 13
Amager: Mads Rasmussen 17, Matt Cooper 15

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Santiago Scores... -by Ozell Wells
In sunday's action CUPES defeated Plaza 90-82. Best players for CUPES were Darnell Miller (195-G-82, college: W.Georgia) with 28 pts, 8 rebounds & 8 assists. Osvaldo Lopez (189-G/F-83) with 14 pts, Fausto Alex Sime (192-G-79) with 13 pts & Hugo Rodriguez (195-F-81) with 10. For Plaza, Tai Crutchfield (200-F/G-78, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Philadelphia) had 18 points as did Robert Sanders (201-F-83, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Providence) who also had 7 rebounds. Jose Frias (188-G, college: Maine-Fort Kent) added 19 pts and Charlie Rodriguez (202-F/C-78) 12 pts with 13 rebounds. The loss counts as Plaza's 8th in the standings and they are no longe rin playoff contention.
In the second game of the night, Sameji defeated CDP soundly 113-75. Behind 28 pts from Amaury Filion (206-C/F-81) & 17 from Joel Ramirez (191-G-81) CDP had no answers the entire night, as they were only able to ride the John Jackson (201-F-74, college: Mississippi) 26 pts but there was no help for him as both Franklin Matos (190-G-82) & Jesus Martinez (195-F-73) only added 11 pts each.

TONIGHT'S GAMES: GUG vs CPN

STANDINGS:
GUG 6-3, Sameji 6-4, Cupes 6-4 CDP 5-5 CPN 4-5, Plaza 2-8

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ETHIOPIA

score board -by Yoseph Zemede
last sunday water desing beat jou lalypop 84-60,the game was exteremly aggresive and more poweful movments two players sent of from joy lalypop side and one player from water design.the addis ababa basket ball federation announce that this players should punsih.joy lalypo coach Solomon said the game was good but some players make it colorless,water design coach Samuel said nothing about his player bad reaction to the refere.biniyam and Gebril from joy lalypop and Gosaye from water design sent of by ref wallelge.Estifanos scores 16 points ,dereje added 14 and mesfin hit four three point shot to water design yoseph and sami scores 30 points . still Ethio Investement and water design unbeaten by other team.next saterday will interesting games between Thestis and joylolypop.the Ethiopian sport commesioner Zerihun Byadglege supports Addi ababa basket ball federation movements.send your comments to yosephzemede@yahoo.com,or 251-911379861.this page will refresh every week

score board -by Yoseph Zemede
last sunday water desing beat jou lalypop 84-60,the game was exteremly aggresive and more poweful movments two players sent of from joy lalypop side and one player from water design.the addis ababa basket ball federation announce that this players should punsih.joy lalypo coach Solomon said the game was good but some players make it colorless,water design coach Samuel said nothing about his player bad reaction to the refere.biniyam and Gebril from joy lalypop and Gosaye from water design sent of by ref wallelge.Estifanos scores 16 points ,dereje added 14 and mesfin hit four three point shot to water design yoseph and sami scores 30 points . still Ethio Investement and water design unbeaten by other team.next saterday will interesting games between Thestis and joylolypop.the Ethiopian sport commesioner Zerihun Byadglege supports Addi ababa basket ball federation movements.send your comments to yosephzemede@yahoo.com,or 251-911379861.this page will refresh every week

score board -by Yoseph Zemede
last sunday water desing beat jou lalypop 84-60,the game was exteremly aggresive and more poweful movments two players sent of from joy lalypop side and one player from water design.the addis ababa basket ball federation announce that this players should punsih.joy lalypo coach Solomon said the game was good but some players make it colorless,water design coach Samuel said nothing about his player bad reaction to the refere.biniyam and Gebril from joy lalypop and Gosaye from water design sent of by ref wallelge.Estifanos scores 16 points ,dereje added 14 and mesfin hit four three point shot to water design yoseph and sami scores 30 points . still Ethio Investement and water design unbeaten by other team.next saterday will interesting games between Thestis and joylolypop.the Ethiopian sport commesioner Zerihun Byadglege supports Addi ababa basket ball federation movements.send your comments to yosephzemede@yahoo.com,or 251-911379861.this page will refresh every week

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FRANCE

Round 24 Round Up -by Sean Davis
Roanne 82 - 78 ASVEL

Thanks to Derrick Byars late basket Ronanne was able to defeat ASVEL
82-78. Byars finished with 9pts on 3 of 4 shooting from the field,
but Brio Rush was the star for Roanne taking over the game and scoring
23pts and dishing out 5ast. Chevy Troutman led ASVEL with 22pts on
9-13 shooting and also grabbed 7rebs. Uche Nsonwu-Amadi chipped in
with a double double with 14pts and 10rebs. With the win Ronanne is
now tied with ASVEL for 2nd place.

Hyeres-Toulon 89 - 83 Paris

In a very important victory for Hyeres-Toulon Austin Nichols (198-F-82, agency: ACMT, college: Humboldt St.) was
absolutely sensational scoring 42 pts while shooting 13 of 19 from the
field, 7 of 9 from 3, and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Tony
Williams had a solid game scoring 19pts and grabbing 12rebs. Cyril
Akpomedah led the way for Paris with 25pts and 5ast in a losing
effort.

Le Havre 101 - 85 Nancy

Entering the 4th qt Nancy trailed by 2pts. In the 4th qt Le Harve
went off scoring 31pts on their way to a 16pt victory. T.J. Thompson
led the way with 22pts and 10ast while John Cox added 18pts and 6rebs.
Ali Traore had a double double with 14pts and 11rebs. Ricardo Greer
tried to keep Nancy in the game by scoring 25pts but it was not enough
for the win. Victorr Samnick added 15pts and Michael Bauer scored
14pts.

Dijon 93 - 70 Clermont

Clermont packed it in early as usual trailing by 29pts on their way to
a 23pt loss. Dijon kept playoff hopes alive by winning their 10th
game of the season. Dijon earned the victory by shooting 59% from the
field and forcing 18 turnovers. Maleye Monclar led the Dijon to
victory by scoring 29pts on 10 of 16 shooting from the floor. Laurent
Sciarra contributed to the win by scoring 17pts on 6 of 7 shooting.
Jerry Johnson and Tony Skinn led the way for Clermont scoring 13pts
each.

Le Mans 94 - 87 Chalon

In a double over time thriller Le Mans prevailed with a 7pt home
victory. Le Mans forced 21 turnovers proving to be the difference.
Nicolas Batum has come alive late in the season and played a big role
in the victory scoring 19pts dishing out 9ast. Luka Bogdanovic scored
17pts while Sam Clancy recorded a double double with 15pts and 12rebs.
John Ford led the way for Chalon with 16pts and 10rebs, while Darrel
Mitchell chipped in with 17pts.



Pau-Orthez 75 - 68 Strasbourg

Antonio Graves led Pau to a huge victory putting them in position for
a chance to make the playoffs by scoring 19pts, grabbing 6rebs, and
dishing out 3ast. Deji Akindele added a double double with 17pts and
10rebs and Jeff Trepagnier added 13pts. Reb Lewin was the high scorer
for Strasbourg with 17pts and 11rebs.

Gravelines 77 - 80 Cholet

Cholet squeaked out a 3pt road victory keeping them in playoff
contention. Nando De Colo led the way for Cholet by scoring 21pts on
9 of 12 shooting. Justin Doellman score 15pts and Claude Marquis
added 14pts. Tony Stanley led Gravelines with 24pts on 8 of 10
shooting from the field. Vincent Grier added 17pts in the loss.

Orleans 56 - 69 Vichy

Vichy rolled over Orleans with a 13pt road victory. Curtis Sumpter
had his first big game of the season scoring 17pts on 8 of 9 shooting
from the field. Jimmal Ball scored 15pts while Zach Moss and William
Gradit scored 12 each. One player showed up for Orleans which was
Benjamin Dewar who was the only player to reach double figures with21pts.

Standings - ProA
ProA Standings
1. Le Mans 17-6
2. Nancy 16-7
3. ASVEL 16-7
4. Roanne 15-8
5. Le Havre 13-10
6. Vichy 13-10
7. Cholet 12-11
8. Strasbourg 11-12
9. Hyeres-Toulon 11-12
10. Orleans 10-13
11. Chalon 10-13
12. Pau 10-13
13. Dijon 9-14
14. Gravelines 9-14
15. Paris-Levall. 8-15
16. Clermont 4-19


*****************************************************
GHANA

Cape Coast Hoops updatings -by Gianni Pascucci
The new team from Cape Coast, a town of the Central Region on the coast south of the Ghana capital town Accra, will make its debut in the Ghanaian Men First Division in 2008. The team is named Cape Coast Hoops , will be coached by Claudius Thompson and its line-up will feature some imports players from Nigeria, like Mbah Ifeanyi (206-F-90), Ajibola Taiwo (198-F) and others, Liberia and Burkina Faso. According with Coach C, the Cape Coast Hoops would challenge the reiging Ghana champions Braves of Ceps, who triumphed in the 2007 edition of the Ghanaian league. In fact, these teem has been winning as far back as the Ghanaian obervers can remember, and they are the main reason that the Hoops team was born: a tentative to challenge their supremacy in the country.

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

Pfizer Greek All Star Game 2008 -by Serafim Karaiskakis
Esake announced the participants for this year All Star Game in the city of Amaliadas. The big game will start at 16:00 the coming Sunday (13/4). Greek Stars vs The Rest of the World and many happenings are scheduled. For further infos visit Esake webpage here.

Greek Stars:

Dimitris Diamantidis (Panathinaikos)
Vassilis Spanoulis (Panathinaikos)
Stratos Perperoglou (Panathinaikos)
Kostas Tsartsaris (Panathinaikos)
Dimos Dikoudis (Panathinaikos)
Kostas Vassiliadis (Olympiakos)
Panagiotis Vassilopoulos (Olympiakos)
Giorgos Printezis (Olympiakos)
Giannis Bouroussis (Olympiakos)
Dimitris Tsaldaris (Aris)
Giorgos Tsiaras (Olympia Larissa)
Giannis Giannoulis (Panionios)

Coaches:
Panagiotis Giannakis (Olympiakos)
Thanassis Skourtopoulos (Aigaleo)

Rest of the World:

Sarunas Jasikevicius (Panathinaikos)
Mike Batiste (Panathinaikos)
Kennedy Winston (Panathinaikos)
Lynn Greer (Olympiakos)
Quintel Woods (Olympiakos)
Amara Sy (AEK)
Jeremiah Massey (Aris)
Bracey Wright (Aris)
Brad Newley (Panionios)
Anthony Grundy (Panellinios)
Tadas Klimavicius (AEL)
Billy Keys (AEL)

Coaches:
Zelijko Obradovic (Panathinaikos)
Gordon Herbert (Aris)


3-Point Contest:

Kostas Vassiliadis (Olympiakos)
Dimitris Tsaldaris (Aris)
Dusan Sakota (Panionios)
Brad Newley (Panionios)
Nikos Kaklamanos (Trikala)
+ Rookie 3P Champion

Dunk Contest:

Jeremiah Massey (Aris)
Quintel Woods (Olympiakos)
Kennedy Winston (Panathinaikos)
Amara Sy (AEK)
Giorgos Printezis (Olympiakos)
Vangelis Margaritis (Peristeri)

Rookies South:

Aris Tatarounis (Panathinaikos)
Vladimiros Jankovic (Panionios)
Alexandros Sigounas (Panionios)
Dimitris Katiakos (Panionios)
Nikos Pappas (Panellinios)
Stavros Toutziarakis (Maroussi)
Petras Noeas (Maroussi)
Epameinondas Papantoniou (Maroussi)
Marios Matalon (Kolossos Rhodes)
Simos Ioakeimidis (Olympiada Patras)
Giorgos Theodorakos (Olympiada Patras)
Dionysos Georgiopoulos (Amaliada)

Coaches:
Dimitris Itoudis (Panathinaikos)
Chris Hugaz (Panionios)

Rookies North:

Michalis Tsairelis (Aris)
Dimitris Karadolamis (Aris)
Gaios Skordilis (Aris)
Kostas Papanikolaou (Aris)
Dimitris Verginis (PAOK)
Charis Giannopoulos (PAOK)
Giannis Vassiliou (PAOK)
Charis Galasoulas (PAOK)
Giorgos Trichopoulos (Olympia Larissa)
Giannis Karavasanis (Olympia Larissa)
Nikos Theodorakos (Olympia Larissa)
Grigoris Trifonopoulos (Krestena)

Coaches:
Giannis Sfairopoulos (Olympiakos)
Dimitris Priftis (AEK)

Rookie 3-Point Contest:

Nikos Theodorakos (Olympia Larissa)
Nikos Pappas (Panellinios)
Vladimiros Jankovic (Panionios)
Dimitris Karadolamis (Aris)
Charis Giannopoulos (PAOK)
Dimitris Verginis (PAOK)
Spyros Moschonas (Lechaina)

*****************************************************
GUATEMALA

Sat-Cybertech wins again, dismissing Universidad Rafael Landivar -by Victor Padilla
In their road of preparation for what will be a tough Torneo de Apertura - where at least 3 teams are counted as favorites to win it all (Leones, Elite and SAT)- , the current Guatemalan representative in the Central American region, Sat-Cybertech, defeated Universidad Rafael Landivar (URL) with a final score of 84 - 35, limiting the college players to what is possibly the lowest offensive production of a team in this tournament. Victor Padilla 18, Ricardo Amaya 17 pts and Enrique Samayoa 13 led the cause for the winners. And Melchor contested with 11 points at the losing sight. The computerized team will see no more action in the coming two weeks, as they will concentrate in preparing for the final matches that await them at Liga Centroamericana de Clubes 2008, where they have gained a spot in the Final Four event scheduled for April 17-20.

*****************************************************
ISRAEL

Round 20 First Team -by Netanel Dahan
#s#
#e#5


Burtt


Campbell


Dixon


Ebi

Round 20 MVP: Ndudi Ebi(206-F-84, college: Arizona) of Bnei Hasharon


First team:

Ndudi Ebi Amazing game for Ebi, scored 23 points and 15 rebounds, leading Bnei Hashsron to a big win agains Maccabi.
Malik Dixon (187-G-75) of Hapoel Holon, Malik played only 22 minutes but scored 24 points and aslo extorted 5 fouls.
Eric Campbell (199-F-76) of Hapoel Holon, Eric scored 20 points in 28 minutes and took 9 rebounds.
Steve Burtt (185-G-84) of Eldan Ashkelon, Steve scored 32 points in 34 minutes he extorted 13 fouls!,and pass 5 assits.

Chris Massie (206-F-77college: Memphis)

Chris scored 17 points and took 11 rebounds at 32 minutes.


The other players:
Omri Casspi (204-F/G-88), The Israeli youngster scored 21 points, and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Cedrick Banks (190-G-81, college: Ill.-Chicago), Cedrick scored 36 points in 34 minutes, and took 4 rebounds.
Brian Tolbert (188-G-74, college: E.Michigan). Brian scored 35 points in 34 minutes, grabbed 7 reabounds, and 5 assits.
Tunji Awojobi (201-F-73, college: Boston U.). Tunji scored 18 points and lead Gilboa/Afula to amaizing win over Jerusalem.
Gil Mosinzon (200-F/G-78), Gil scored 17 points at 19 minutes, and took 5 rebounds



Standings - National League
National L. Standings
1. Macc.Netanya 20-5
2. Givat Shmuel 19-6
3. Elitzur Q.Ata 16-9
4. Maccabi Haifa 15-10
5. Elitzur Yavne 14-11
6. Hap.B-Sheva 13-12
7. Hap.Y./Megido 13-12
8. Hap.N.Elite 12-10
9. Macc.H.Hash. 11-14
10. Macc.Ashdod 11-14
11. Benyamina 10-15
12. Elitzur Ramla 10-15
13. Hap.L.Hashar. 8-17
14. Macc.Shoham 3-22


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

Standings - Lega 2
Lega2 Standings
1. Carife 21-6
2. Pepsi 18-9
3. Trenkwalder 17-10
4. Banco Sard. 17-10
5. Vanoli 17-10
6. Fastweb 16-11
7. Carmatic 16-11
8. Fileni 15-12
9. Coopsette 13-14
10. TDShop.it 12-13
11. Edimes 12-15
12. Aget 10-17
13. Prima Veroli 10-17
14. Indesit 9-18
15. Agricola G. 6-21
16. Ignis 5-22


Lega2-27th Day - monday games -by Gabriele Fioretti
Jesi won against Soresina (Quadre Lollis (200-F/C-73, college: Montana St.) (16+16reb) and J.R. Reynolds (188-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Virginia) (18 pts). This was thanks to great balance in offense (five players in double figures) and a great game by Michele Maggioli (212-C-77) (25+11reb) and David Moss (196-F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: Indiana St.) (17+9 reb). In the other game played yesterday night, Novara (Brandon Bowman (204-F-84, college: Georgetown) (20 pts+9 reb), Njegos Visnjic (199-F-79, agency: Players Group) (12+8reb) lost at home defeated by Imola lead by Tim Pickett (193-G/F-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Florida St.) (23 pts) and 17 pts by the young guard Roberto Rullo (192-G-90). Novara, with this loss, got relegated and next season will play in Serie B.
Fileni Jesi-Vanoli Soresina 89-82
Ignis Novara-Aget Imola 85-87
See complete boxscores at www.legaduebasket.it

Pescara will host the Mediterranean Games 2009 -by Gianni Pascucci

The Italian town of Pescara, Abruzzo Region, will host the 16th edition of the Mediterranean Games from June 26 to July 6, 2009. As it is usual in this competition, the Men and Women basketball tournments will be one of the most attractive for the local fans, featuring traditional European basketball powerhoses like host team Italy, Spain, Greek, Turkey and France being challenged by exotic, enthusiatsic teams like Cyprus, Tunisia, Algeria, Maroc and others. Eurobasket.com staff should attend the Games and will cover the basketball competitions. The organizing committee of Pescara 2009 has just chosen a bear in swimsuit as the official mascotte, and the official website is yet working at www.pescara2009.it



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

BJ League Regular Season Finale -by John Scribe
This is where things get tough. The pressure is heavy. The oven is hot. And the beginning of the end.

The BJ League regular season is in its last week, and there still alot to play for, if you ask most teams.

In the East, Sendai has clinched the number one seed for the playoffs and will automaticaly advance to Tokyo's Ariake Coliseum.
However, Tokyo is tied with Niigata at second place with respective 25-17 records. At the moment, Niigata has the tie breaker but both teams will be playing their final two games to secure the number second seed and host the wildcard game at their respective homes.

But things aren't so easy for Tokyo as the Oita Heatdevils will be visiting Ariake with desperate homes of clinging on to its position of making the west wildcard game as the third seed. As of late, Oita has lost three in a row, and has Fukuoka breathing down their necks. As of today, Rizing have won two games in a row and is only one game behind the Heatdevils.

At the helm in the west, Osaka and Takamatsu are battling hard for the number seed, which allows to advance to Tokyo, and not having to deal with the stress of playing either the Heatdevils or the sometimes explosive Rizing.

This has to be one the most exciting regular season finale for the third year-old league and the playoffs will me a must watch affair.

2007-2008 Asia-Basket.com Japan JBL Awards -by John Scribe

Player of the Year: Shinsuke Kashiwagi, Aisin Seahorses
Guard of the Year: Shinsuke Kashiwagi, Aisin Seahorses
Forward of the Year: Charles O'Bannon, Toyota
Center of the Year: Marquis Estill, OSG Phoenix
Newcomer of the Year: Kousuke Takeuchi, Aisin Seahorses
Most Improved Player of the Year: Takuya Sato, MItsubishi Diamond Dolphins
Import Player of the Year: Marquis Estill, OSG Phoenix
Domestic Player of the Year: Shinsuke Kashiwagi, Aisin Seahorses
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Ace Custis, Panasonic Trians & Cliff Hawkins, OSG Phoenix
Coach of the Year: Kimikazu Suzuki, Aisin Seahorses


1st Team All-JBL

Kimikazu Suzuki Shinsuke Kashiwagi Kosuke Takeuchi Marquis Estill Charles O Alpha Bangura


Shinsuke Kashiwagi, Aisin Seahorses
Alpha Bangura, Aisin Seahorses
Kousuke Takeuchi, Aisin Seahorses
Charles O'Bannon of Toyota Alvark
Marquis Estill, OSG Phoenix



2nd Team All-JBL

Cliff Hawkins Takehiko Orimo Michael Takahashi


Cliff Hawkins, OSG Phoenix
Takehiko Orimo (190-G-70), Rera Kamuy Hokkaido
Michael Takahashi (198-F-74),Toyota Alvark
Jawad Williams, Rera Kamuy Hokkaido
Ace Custis, Panasonic Trians

All-Domestic Players Team
Kei Igarashi, Hitachi Sunrockers

Takehiko Orimo, Rera Kamuy Hokkaido
Joji Takeuchi, Hitachi Sunrockers
J.R. Henderson-Sakuragi, Aisin Seahorses
Kousuke Takeuchi, Aisin Seahorses

Takuya Kawamura, OSG Phoenix


All-Imports Team
Cliff Hawkins, OSG Phoenix
Alphas Bangura, Aisin Seahorses

Ace Custis, Panasonic Trians
Charles O'Bannon, Toyota Alvark
Marquis Estill, OSG Phoenix

All-Defensive Team

Kei Igarashi, Hitachi Sunrockers
Shinsuke Kashiwagi (183-G-81), Aisin Seahorses
Ace Custis, Panasonic Trians
Kousuke Takeuchi, Aisin Seahorses

Marquis Estill, OSG Phoenix



All-Newcomers Team
Kousuke Takeuchi, Aisin Seahorses

Joji Takeuchi, Hitachi Sunrockers

Yusuke Okada, Toyota Alvark

Shohei Kikuchi, Toshiba Bravethunders

Akihito Inoue, OSG Phoenix

Takumi Ishizaki, Toshiba Bravethunders



Standings - BJ League
BJ League Standings
1. 89ers 29-13
2. Evessa 29-13
3. Five Arrows 29-13
4. Apache 25-17
5. Albirex 25-17
6. Broncos 20-22
7. Heat Devils 19-23
8. Fukuoka 18-24
9. Golden Kings 10-32
10. Grouses 6-36


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

Interview with John "Mookie" Thomas -by Mohammed Malas
Eurobasket correspondent Surujh Roopnarine made an interview with Zain's point guard John III Thomas (175-G-76, college: St.Francis,NY) 'Mookie' before few days, Thomas spoke about his current career with the jordanian champions adding to other related issues....

Currently helping lead Zain in the Excellent League Finals against Orthodox (Up 1-0 in series after 96-89 victory on Friday) John III Thomas (5'9''-G-76, college: St.Francis,NY) or 'Mookie' as he is affectionately known, is half-way across the world doing what he does bestet.balling. The Brooklyn born point guard out of St. Francis College took some time to answer a few questions in the days leading up to the Championship series. Starting point guard for the Strong Island Sound (ABA) in their last weeks of operation (ceased operations in December '07) I had the pleasure of getting to know Mook personally and wanted to catch up with him during this very exciting and important time of his career.

Hey 'Mookie' congratulations on reaching the Finals. How did you end up playing in Jordan with Zain?

- I ended up in Jordan because of this guy that I played for when I graduated from college named 'Shoes' Vetrone. He found out that I was home so he said he has a job for me and the coach for the Zain team is a close friend of his and he just hooked me up. Thanks again Shoes.'

How has the transition been with your teammates and coach?

- The transition has been good between me and the team and coach. I came in a little bit out of shape and didn't have much time to get ready but we(me and coach) made it work.. Coach has put me through extra workouts, extra running, extra shooting… and extra minutes! When I got here we were down 0-1 in the series (Semi-Finals against Al Riyadi) and we needed to win the next game. Nate Johnson (6'7''-F-77, college: Louisville), superstar of the team and league, didn't play so I had to play 40 minutes and I did it for the first two games and we won both. I have a great team and my teammates are great guys too. They welcomed me in with open arms.'

What were you doing to keep busy after the Sound ceased operations?

- After the sound ceased operations I was playing with the Harlem Wizards. I traveled with them to Taiwan (Thanks again E. Jones). It was fun and a way for me to keep in shape a little bit.'

Did the situation with the Sound catch you by surprise?

- The situation with the Sound really broke my spirit for this game because me and Darren (the owner) spoke and that he wanted me all season so I left France (Quimper) to come home and play at home and be with my family. When it ended I couldn't even get a phone call or an apology. Luckily I had a cool coach who kept me posted…thanks Dytanya Mixson (Sound Head Coach). I could see if he would have paid us up to date and then let us go but he said no money. The crazy thing about it is that some people on the team were really affected by it because everything happened around Christmas time and they were counting on those pay checks, but I guess he didn't care because from what I understand he didn't reach out to anyone. That lack of communication really hurt but I understand that this is a business and it is what it is, so I moved on.'

Ok, now focusing on your present situation…What are you doing to prepare for the upcoming championship series against Orthodox?

- Well what I'll be doing to prepare myself for the championship is making my way back to 100%, so that means extra hard work this week and getting mentally prepared and focused.'

You have won championships in Britain and the USBL. Is there anything you can use from those experiences for this upcoming series?

- Yes there are plenty of things I can use. I know that I have to be aggressive and every possession counts, so if I mess up I have to get it back. In championship games, defense wins so I have to get back to my defense. The saying is that offense wins games and defense wins championships, so I really want to up my defense.'

How has the competition been in Jordan?

- The competition in Jordan has been good. Every game I am either playing against an American or a Jordan national team player, so my game has to be at its very best each and every time out.'

How have the fans/arenas been...typically excited/frantic international crowds that we are used to hearing about?

- The crowds been decent but I know that for the championship series it will get crazy.
I hope the crowds get more excited… I really thrive in that atmosphere.'

Is there anything you have had to change in your approach in this league?

- Yes and no. I have to be more of a passer at times here because either I have the best player in the league to give the ball too in Nate Johnson or the tallest in Soumaila Samake (7'1''-C-78,) But on the other hand I still have to be aggressive at times and I also have Jordan national team players as teammates that can really play so it's not all about me…basically I am running a great team!'

What are your plans once the series is over?

- Once the series is over I plan on going home and being with my family and seeing my newborn nephew Shawn John (Former teammate and close friend Shawn 'Murder' Simpson's newborn son) Also staying in the same great shape I've gotten into thanks to coach Maz!
I want to give a shout out to my family.. Tammie, Jawon Tyriek Jaida... My mother and step father (get well soon) and all my brothers and sisters. My son Matthew and finally to my Diamond family 100%.'


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

LBL standings
LBL Standings
Division I
1. Valmiera 13-8
2. BK Ventsp. 12-2
3. Barons/LMT 11-2
4. VEF Riga 11-9
5. ASK Riga 10-3
6. Liep.Lauvas 10-11
7. Bum./ASK 3-19
8. Keizarmezs 2-18
Division II
1. Zemgale 27-5
2. Ventspils au. 25-7
3. RNS-D/Livani 20-12
4. ASK/Juniors 20-12
5. Jurmala 14-18
6. LU/Ridzene 13-19
7. Roja 12-20
8. Saldus 7-25
9. Cesis/Remarks 6-26


Stats Leaders
LBL Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Ozols (Jurmala) 21.5
Kanbergs (VA) 20.0
Berkis (Zemgale) 17.8
Rudzitis (Bum.) 17.6
Mizis (LU/Ridz.) 17.6
Rebounds Per Game
Stimac (Valmiera) 11.3
Ed.Eglitis (LU/Ridz.) 8.8
Neilands (Roja) 8.4
Licitis (Saldus) 8.4
Alexander (Barons) 8.1
Assists Per Game
Slesers (Livani) 7.6
Tiss (Saldus) 4.5
Buskevics (ASK) 4.4
Olivero (Valmiera) 4.4
R.Eglitis (Cesis) 4.0
Steals Per Game
Slesers (Livani) 3.3
Skele (Barons) 2.5
Love (Ventspils) 2.5
Blocks Per Game
J.Rozitis (ASK/Jun.) 2.7
D.Rozitis (Cesis) 2.4
Rich (Liepaja) 2.4
Ranking
Stimac (Valmiera) 21.7
Kanbergs (VA) 21.1
Raiskums (Zemgale) 20.0


Standings - LBAL
LBAL Standings
Austrumi 1-4
1. Valmiera-2 10-1
2. DU/Hansabanka 7-4
3. Maksis/LTI 5-6
4. Madona 0-11
Austrumi 5-7
1. Preili 5-2
2. Jekabpils 3-3
3. Ezerzeme 2-5
Centrs 1-4
1. ASK Kadeti 5-1
2. Keizarmezs-2 3-3
3. Jurmala 2 3-3
4. Ogre/Sonora 1-5
Centrs 5-8
1. Kursa/MRU 4-0
2. Turiba 3-2
3. LU 2-3
4. VIA Riga 0-4
Centrs 9-12
1. VEF Riga 4-0
2. Ridzene 89 1-1
3. Salacgriva 1-2
4. Saulkrasti 1-4
Centrs 13-16
1. I.O.S. 3-1
2. Ridzene M. 2-2
3. ASK Kadeti-2 2-3
4. 3.BJSS 2-3
Centrs 17-20
1. DSN 2-0
2. Ridzene 91 1-1
3. LNSF 0-2
Rietumi 1-4
1. Liepajas Papirs 8-4
2. Kandava 6-6
3. Variants 6-6
4. Dartija 4-8
Rietumi 5-9
1. Perkons 11-2
2. Zemgale/Juniors 11-3
3. Talsi 5-7
4. Baldone 3-10
5. Olaine 3-11


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

April Fool's Prank stirred up a lot of discussion. -by Alex Meyers

www.Basketnews.lu published an article on their website siting the following news in Luxembourg basketball world:

Black Star Mersch can still possibly be relegated to National 2.!

It has been confirmed by several sources that Black Star Mersch's use of Aleksandar Dulovic, was not correct because of a problem with his FLBB player's licence. AS Soleuvre officials have filed a protest with the FLBB and the Luxembourg basketball world will have to await the decision made by the federation as to whether or not the game will be declared a forfeit. If Black Star loses the game by forfeit, Zolwer will get two points for the win and Mersch will get no points. Zolwer would then have 20 points and Mersch 18.5 points and the upcoming weekend's results would not be a factor.


Hundreds of readers were fooled by this very tricky stunt. Eurobasket.com says great job and tips their hats to the ones who came up with this idea. It fooled us too... for a while. April Fool's day can be lots of fun. Good going guys. Keep up the good work. Your coverge of basketball in Luxembourg is impecable.



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

Romel Beck Now Playing for Pierrel in Italy's Serie A -by Justin Brink

by Albert Asker:

Mexican National Team member Romel Beck (203-G/F-82, agency: Interperformances, college: UNLV) has recently terminated his contract with Pallacanestro (Cimberio) Varese and is now currently playing for Pierrel Capo d'Orlando of the Italian League. Pallacanestro (Cimberio) Varese is currently at the bottom of the standings, 18th place, in Serie A which is Italy's top basketball league. Romel Beck's new club, Pierrel Capo d'Orlando, is currently in 5th place in Serie A. Romel Beck was averaging 20.3 points a game for Pallacanestro (Cimberio) Varese while shooting an eye-popping 70.9% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 81.5% from the charity stripe. Comment on Beck's hoops prowess here. Is the best Mexican player not in the NBA?



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

MNT Super league 3.Round: In derby Mogren-Lovcen 63-71 -by Dragan Scepanovic
In derby game of MNT Super-League in city of Budva Basketball Club Mogren lose against Basketball Club Lovcen from Cetinje 63-71 (16-22,11-21,19-14,17-14).In best game of the saeson Basketball Club Lovcen in all 4 period of game have 10-15 points more than Mogren.In team of Mogren Budva good game play Aleksandar Smiljanic with 16 points (bad score for 3 points 1/9 - 11%) , Samir Leric (204-F/C-74) and Zarko Dragicevic (188-G-81) score 12 points.In team of Lovcen best was Aleksa Popovic (201-G/F-87) with 18 points and 7 rebounds and Ljubo Jovanovic with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Standings - 1A
1A Standings
Superleague
1. Niksic 2-0
2. Buducnost 2-0
3. Lovcen 2-1
4. Mogren 1-2
5. Danilovgrad 0-2
6. ABS Primorje 0-2
Play-Out
1. Jedinstvo 4-1
2. Mornar Bar 3-2
3. Rudar 3-2
4. Ulcijn 3-2
5. Primorje-M. 2-3
6. Kotor 0-5


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

Standings
NBA Standings
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Div.
1. Boston C. 62-15
2. Philadelphia 39-38
3. Toronto R. 38-39
4. New Jersey N. 32-45
5. New York K. 22-56
Central Div.
1. Detroit P. 55-22
2. Cleveland C. 42-35
3. Indiana P. 34-44
4. Chicago B. 30-47
5. Milwaukee B. 26-51
Southeast Div.
1. Orlando M. 48-29
2. Washington W. 40-37
3. Atlanta H. 36-42
4. Charlotte B. 30-48
5. Miami H. 14-64
Western Conference
Northwest Div.
1. Utah J. 52-26
2. Denver N. 47-31
3. Portland T.B. 39-39
4. Minnesota T. 19-58
5. Seattle S. 18-60
Pacific Div.
1. Los Angeles L. 53-25
2. Phoenix S. 52-26
3. Golden St. 47-31
4. Sacramento K. 36-42
5. Los Angeles C. 23-55
Southwest Div.
1. N.Orleans H. 54-23
2. San Antonio S. 53-24
3. Houston R. 52-25
4. Dallas M. 49-29
5. Memphis G. 21-57


The Western playoff rodeo continues -by Eurobasket News
The things are far from being clear in the Western conference playoff hunt. The main three contenders for the last available spot grabbed victories yesterday. Denver rolled to a confident 117:99 win over the LA Clippers to remain tied with the Warriors at the 8th spot in the conference. It is all set up now for a showdown when Golden State takes on Denver in Oakland on Thursday. Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) launched 36 points and the Nuggets coasted to a needed win yesterday. Allen Iverson (6'1''-G-75, college: Georgetown) contributed 21 points, 9 assists and 7 boards to provide support, Linas Kleiza (6'8''-F-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Missouri) had 15 points for the winners. The visitors outplayed Los Angeles 63:47 in the first half and never doubted the final outcome after the break. Cuttino Mobley (6'5''-G-74, college: Rhode Island) answered with 25 points for the Clippers. Elton Brand (6'8''-F-79, college: Duke) gradually getting fit as he finished with 17 points in defeat.
Golden State meanwhile overcame Sacramento in a scorcher. The Warriors knocked down season-high 140 points to tame the Kings 140:132 and remained in the quest for playoff birth. Baron Davis (6'2''-G-79, agency: Life Sports, college: UCLA) led the action with 33 points and 9 assists. Stephen Jackson (6'8''-F-78, college: Butler County CC) secured another 20 points and the Warriors survived. Golden State outgunned their opponents 39:32 in the first frame and never trailed afterwards. Francisco Garcia (6'7''-F-81, agency: Octagon, college: Louisville) matched his career-high 31 points to pace the Kings. Kevin Martin (6'7''-G/F-83, college: W.Carolina) had 29 points in a loss for Sacramento, who played without Brad Miller and Ron Artest.
Dallas took care of Seattle 99:83 at American Airlines Center and consolidated their position at the 7th spot in the West. Jason Terry (6'2''-G-77, college: Arizona) had 22 points and Josh Howard (6'6''-F-80, college: Wake Forest) netted 17 for the Mavs to remain two games ahead of Denver in the Conference table. Seattle in the meantime lost the franchise-record 60th game of the season. Earl Watson (6'1''-G-79, college: UCLA) provided 22 points and 8 assists in a losing effort.
Atlanta wasted the chance to book their playoff birth as they lost to Indiana 98:112. The Pacers now trimmed the distance to the Hawks to two games and revived the intrigue in the playoff hunt in the East. Mike Jr. Dunleavy (6'9''-G/F-80, college: Duke) came up with 28 points and the Pacers posted their third straight win. Ronald Murray (6'4''-G-79, college: Shaw) contributed 20 points and 10 assists for the winning side. Joe Johnson (6'8''-F-81, college: Arkansas) answered with 30 points for the Hawks. With four games remaining the Pacers still have much to prove to get as far as to the playoff zone. They face difficult trips to Washington and Philadelphia in the reminder of the regular season.

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NCAA1

Memorial Fund in memory of Marvin Stone -by Eurobasket
Net Worth Sports, a business advisory group has teamed up with international agent, Dozie Mbonu to create a Memorial Fund in memory of Marvin Stone (6'10''-C-81, college: Louisville), who most recently was playing in Saudia Arabia and suffered a fatal heart attack. I cannot thank our friends, family and the international basketball community enough, especially his team in Saudia Arabia for all of their support, ' said Lois Stone, mother of Marvin. For more information on the Memorial Fund visit www.networthsports.com
As previously announced on Eurobasket, Marvin Stone died after halftime of a game in Saudi Arabia, collapsed in the locker room while the coach was talking to the team. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead (heart attack).
His teammate and former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (6'1''-G-69) said Ittihad's coach was talking to the team Tuesday in the locker room at Jiddah's Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium at halftime against Ohud when Stone 'started sliding down from bench' and soon 'was on to the floor.'
'At first I think people thought he was having a seizure,' said Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, of Atlanta. 'We put him on floor. I was rubbing his head trying to calm him down and some people were pouring water on his face. Then some five or six guys picked him up and put him in an SUV and they drove him off.'
He said the team got word at the end of the game that Stone had passed away.
The 26-year old Stone played his senior season at Louisville, where he averaged 10.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in 2002-03.
Stone was a McDonald's All-American at Grissom High in Huntsville, Ala., where he was selected Mr. Basketball in 1999. He spent three seasons at Kentucky before transferring to Louisville.

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PARAGUAY

Preparing the National League -by Gianni Pascucci
Some of the main teams have yet sarted practicing to prepare as best as possible their players for the upcoming National League, that will start on April 25. America de Pilar announced the agreement with local stars Ricardo Ozuna (185-G/F-82), Gustavo Torres (175-G-80) and Victor Brizuela (195-F-76), and should announce soon the signing of two import players, one of them could be Argentinean Jose Fabio (198-F-77). Sol de America added to the roster Renzo Ferrari (191-G/F-84) and Felix Perez Cardozo welcomed back Anderson Villamayor (192-F-80) and Miguel Mora (186-G/F-82). These last two teams agreed also to play some friendly games. Libertad and Deportivo San Josè, instead, haven' t yet started practicing, due to various reasons. San Josè, for example, hasn' t yet inked the Argentinean coach the team is talking with, the deal will be announced soon.

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PUERTO RICO

Rodriguez in Caguas?... and BSN Boxscores -by Alessandro Fontana
Santurce was defeated by Carolina, MVP of the game was Alejandro Carmona with 23 points and for Santurce an incredible 'Jefe' Larry Ayuso, for him 35 points.
Guaynabo won an important game against San German and Guayama defeated Ponce 75-74 with a great game of Rafael Perez, our MVP with 21 pts.
Caguas won against Humacao with an unstoppable Ricardo Melendez who scored 38 points. It was worth to mention also the game of Shawn Redhage, 36 points for the australian. Criollos de Caguas are looking for a playmaker, They are very interested in Andres Rodriguez, 'our Boricua' who is playing now in Poland with Bot Turow and He will play on thursday the Uleb Final Eight in Turin, in Italy with his team.
Bayamon defeated Mayaguez and Dan Langhi began very good his new adventure in Puerto Rico with his new team, 15 points for the american.
BSN BOXSCORES
SANTURCE-CAROLINA=91-93
S= Ayuso 35, Traylor 16, Dalmau 10, Falcon 7, E. Santiago 6, Rivas 6, Watson 5, Ra. Dalmau 4, Narvaez 2, Ricardo Melendez 0, O. Santiago 0
C= Carmona 23, Ere 20, Reyes 16, Cruz 10, Edwards 8, Rivera 8, Brown 3, Rosa 2, Villafane 2, Hiraldo 1
GUAYNABO-SAN GERMAN= 75-67
G= Escalera 18, Sheppard 18, Wilson 16, Lee 12, Sanchez 7, Simon 4, Ortiz 0, Paniagua 0
SG= Lugo 23, Lazor 16, Caro 11, S. Villegas 7, J. Villegas 5, Alvarado 3, De Jesus 2, Dyer 0, Avila 0
PONCE-GUAYAMA= 74-75
P= Pagan 21, Thompson 14, Martinez 14, Colon 14, Aubry 6, Padilla 3, Rosario 2, Latimer 0, Curbelo 0, J. Colon 0
G= Frejie 22, Perez 21, Beard 16, Herrera 6, Parillon 6, Ricardo Melendez 2, Solano 2, Oliver 0
HUMACAO-CAGUAS 110-114
H= Guzman 34, Nieves 26, Wingate 12, K. Sanchez 11, Ayala 9, Jackson 6, Morales 6, R. Sanchez 5, Orozco 1, J. Nieves 0, Vazquez 0
C= Ricardo Melendez 38, Redhage 36, Ramos 11, Ortiz 9, Bryant 6, Rosas 6, Alamo 6, Martinez 2, McSweeney 0
BAYAMON-MAYAGUEZ= 97-97
B= Hinson 29, Western 16, Langhi 15, Vega 15, Valenzuela 8, Anderson 7, Lopez 7, J. Lopez 0, Salgado 0
M= White 25, Jourdon 17, Caballero 15, Erazo 9, Jimenez 8, Lopez 6, Venzen 5, Zayas 2, Caraballo 0, Rosa 0, Acevedo 0
BORICUAS ABROAD
In Turkey, Besiktas was defeated by Fenerbahce 75-68. Rick Apodaca scored 6 points (2/5 2pts, 0%4 3pts, 2%3 FT) in 19 minutes.
A. Fontana

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SAUDI ARABIA

Memorial Fund in memory of Marvin Stone -by Eurobasket
Net Worth Sports, a business advisory group has teamed up with international agent, Dozie Mbonu to create a Memorial Fund in memory of Marvin Stone (6'10''-C-81, college: Louisville), who most recently was playing in Saudia Arabia and suffered a fatal heart attack. I cannot thank our friends, family and the international basketball community enough, especially his team in Saudia Arabia for all of their support, ' said Lois Stone, mother of Marvin. For more information on the Memorial Fund visit www.networthsports.com
As previously announced on Eurobasket, Marvin Stone died after halftime of a game in Saudi Arabia, collapsed in the locker room while the coach was talking to the team. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead (heart attack).
His teammate and former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (6'1''-G-69) said Ittihad's coach was talking to the team Tuesday in the locker room at Jiddah's Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium at halftime against Ohud when Stone 'started sliding down from bench' and soon 'was on to the floor.'
'At first I think people thought he was having a seizure,' said Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, of Atlanta. 'We put him on floor. I was rubbing his head trying to calm him down and some people were pouring water on his face. Then some five or six guys picked him up and put him in an SUV and they drove him off.'
He said the team got word at the end of the game that Stone had passed away.
The 26-year old Stone played his senior season at Louisville, where he averaged 10.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in 2002-03.
Stone was a McDonald's All-American at Grissom High in Huntsville, Ala., where he was selected Mr. Basketball in 1999. He spent three seasons at Kentucky before transferring to Louisville.

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SERBIA

Panellinios extends contract with Djuro Ostojic -by Dragan Jankovski
Center Djuro Ostojic (211-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) extended his contract with Greek team Panellinios from Athens, who is currently in fourth place in Greek A1 League with 14 wins and 9 defeats. Ostojic started the season in French team Gravelines Dunkerque Grand Littoral and later in February joined Panellinios. Before Gravelines he used to play for Mornar, Buducnost, Lovcen, Breogan, Besiktas and PAOK.

The new contract will keep Ostojic in Panellinios until the end of the season 08/09.

Standings - A Liga
A League Standings
1. Radnicki 034 13-9
2. Mega AM 12-10
3. Sloga 12-10
4. Novi Sad 11-11
5. Masinac 10-12
6. Napredak 9-13
7. Zdravlje 9-13
8. Radnicki NS 9-13
9. Ergonom 2-12
10. Swisslion Tak. 1-0
11. Crvena Zv. 1-0
12. Hemofarm 1-0
13. FMP 0-0
14. Partizan 0-0
15. Vojvodina 0-1
16. Borac 0-1
17. Vizura 0-1


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SLOVENIA

Union Olimpija won against Zlatorog Lasko with 85 : 80 -by Jan Flac
In the 4th round of The UPC Telemach League For The Champion Union Olimpija played against Zlatorog Lasko on Sunday. Union Olimpija won with 85 against 80. Union Olimpija: Dragic 10, Rizvic 11, Bailey 26, Zupan 13, Taylor 11. Zlatorog Lasko: Masic 15, Jevdzic 12, Nuhanovic 11, Harris 14, Mason 15. Maurice Bailey hit 6 threepointers; Sasa Doncic assisted 6 times. Union Olimpija struggled to win this game, as they focus more on playing on The NLB Final Four on April 25th.

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SWITZERLAND

Monthey and Boncourt tie their quarterfinal series -by Eurobasket News
Monthey and Boncourt recovered from the starting losses in the LNA quarterfinals. They claimed victories in the second round of the stage and revived their chances of making it to the next round.
Monthey rebounded after the opening home defeat to Vacallo Basket and beat them 77:69 away from home. Trailing by 3 points at halftime and 16 points after three quarters of action Monthey did not say die. They put on a strong defensive performance in the second half and celebrated a vital success at the end. Matt Schneiderman (205-F/C-81, college: N.Iowa) topscored with 31 points and 9 boards for Monthey. Maxime Jaquier (180-G-80) delivered 13 points and 7 boards for the winners. Martin Mihajlovic scored 18 points for Vacallo.
Boncourt narrowly defeated Birstal Starwings 83:78 at home court to even the series. The second-ranked Starwings got to a better start and were up by 4 points at the interval. But Boncourt threw everything for it after the long break and pulled away with an important win. Stephen Sir (198-G-82, college: N.Arizona) led the hosts with 27 points and 9 boards. Guillaume Sene and Kevin Corre (202-F-85) notched 14 points apiece for the victors. Jared McCurry answered with 31 points, 5 assists and 4 boards for the Starwings. Ray Henderson added 17 points in a loss.
The Lugano Tigers deepened the distance to Herens edging them 73:60 in Game 2. The Tigers built a 16-point cushion at the halftime break and it proved unassailable for the home team. Jean-Baptiste Bah tallied 22 points and 10 boards for Lugano. Dusan Mladjan (200-G-86, agency: Interperformances) had 20 points for the winners. Herens were led by 17 points and 9 rebounds from Juozas Ramasauskas.
Fribourg also grabbed a 2-0 lead with an 82:62 victory over Geneva on the road. Harold Mrazek (191-G-73) canned 16 points, while Dave Esterkamp (200-F-78, college: Bowling Green) and Erroyl Bing (198-F-82, college: E.Carolina) secured 15 points apiece for Fribourg. The Devils received 18 points from Franck Frank Bennett (200-F-82, college: Georgia Southern).

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SYRIA

Jalaa beat Karama for cup game -by Bashar Nashef
Yesterday Jalaa beat Karama from homs, in the cup game quarter final game while as we know that jalaa misses most of its valuable players like Micheal Maadanli, acl injury. Sharif Sharif with waiste injury, Hikmat Haddad with Acl but recovering and was able to play alittle. The game started with Karama trying to take over the game but the new stars of the team were Rami Merjaneh, Aboud chacour, Sari Papazian first quarter was 29-23 for Jalaa second quarter 46-41 third quarter 73-54 fourth quarter 101-89 but the refs were very bad they gave jalaa 29 fouls in ONE quarter but still Jalaa won without problems. Now next week they will have to play another game in Homs to go to Semi Finals, and this will show the best team for the cup.

Final Four Starts this week end -by Bashar Nashef
This week end Syrian final four will start in syria on the 10-11-12 april with two foreigners in court. The teams are as follows Army,ittihad,Jalaa,Karama the first round would be in homs were the fourth team is located Karama. All teams are getting ready especially after they allowed the Jalaa second import to play tommy smith, after they had forced jalaa to cut off Derrick tarver without logical reason. Teh matches will be as follows
Thursday
Jalaa*Ittihad
Karama*Army
Friday
Jalaa*Army
Karama*Ittihad
Saturday
Army*Ittihad
Karama*Jalaa
We will support the final four with results on the spot

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TPBL

SURPRISE !!! MIDLAND HEAT VS SAN ANGELO CHAPARRALS TPBL CHAMPIONSHIP -by Chris Cardenas

BIG SURPRISE TEXAS!!! The San Angelo Chaparrals , took care of business! The Midland Heat, took care of business......both series 2-0 !! Now , in a repeat of the 2007 series , both teams will battle in an all west texas shoot out. Both teams players are healed up from mid season injuries, both teams are loaded, and both teams are ready to shoot the lights out. 2008 TPBL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SCHEDULE :

GAME 1 : SAN ANGELO CHAPARRALS @ MIDLAND HEAT FRIDAY APRIL 11 8:00 PM

GAME 2 : MIDLAND HEAT @ SAN ANGELO CHAPARRALS SATURDAY APRIL 12 7:30 PM

GAME 3 : MIDLAND HEAT @ SAN ANGELO CHAPARRALS SUNDAY APRIL 13 3:00 PM (IF NECESSARY)

THANKS!! To all the teams this year for playing so hard and giving the fans ot the TPBL something to cheer about. Chris Cardenas ' Guys , theres no other league like us! Be proud of what we've accomplished!! we're just getting started!!! Fans, the TPBL thanks you for your continuous support and we'll see guys again in 2009 with 6 new entries into the TPBL '

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TURKEY

Interview with Sean Marshall -by Max Brodsky
Q. First of all, please comment on that historical match against Efes Pilsen.
Sean Marshall (198-G/F-85, college: Boston Coll.): The game with Efes Pilsen was a very big game for us. We have lost to a couple of teams that we feel we should not have and it made the Efes game huge. They have a lot of talent on their team and anytime you play a team like that its going to be tuff. We did a great job of playing as a team and came out with the important win. Its a game that I'm sure KSK fans will always remember.

Q. Do you think that you were the reason of firing David Blatt from Efes Pilsen as it was written in Turkish press?
Sean Marshall: Its hard to answer that question. I feel like the Efes Pilsen management thought they should not have been beat by a team like us. We are very young and dont have a budget like they do. Im sure it upset the management with the loss but I think there were other factors that lead to him being fired. I wish David Blatt the best of luck. He seemed like a good guy from the time I spent with him at the All-Star Game...

Q. What sort of impact has this season had on your career?
Sean Marshall: This season has been huge for me. I've had the chance to show some of the things I do well. This is a very young team accept for our caption Asim so there is a lot of playing time for me. Coming out of college I wanted to prove that I was a better player than people thought. I played with great players in college. For example, Craig Smith, Jared Dudley, Sean Williams, Tyrese Rice and Louis Hinnant, so I was always just a role player. Playing in Karsiyaka has given me the chance to show I can be more than that if the situation presents itself.

Q. Did you adjusted European style of basketball easily?
Sean Marshall: I think European basketball is similar to the style of play of what we did at Boston College. To be a successful team in europe its more important to play as a team rather than try to do it all individually. We played that way at BC so it was not to hard to adjust to turkey. It is a little more physical than I thought it would be but I have also tried my best to adjust to it as well.

Q. What's your opinion about the competitive level you have found in TBL?
Sean Marshall: In my opinion, The TBL is one of the top leagues in Europe this year. If you look at the foreign players we have in this league, its as good as anywhere else. For example, Quinton Hosley, Dee Brown, Preston Shumpert, Khalid El-Amin, Will Solomon, James White, Tarence Kinsey among so many others. Having a great group of americans and a great group of turkish players makes this league very strong. If you look at the past years, it was not as close in terms of wins and loses. This year anyone can lose to anyone.

Q. Sean, how do you approach your role as a team leader?
Sean Marshall: I feel like I always have to be ready to play. I can't have a game where I just don't feel like playing. Like I said we have a very young team so myself, Quinton Hosley, Geno Carlisle, Asim Pars, Baris Ermis and Valentin Pastal always have to have strong games in order for us to do well. If we get the game going the way we want then the younger guys that come off the bench can follow.

Q. Please shortly remind some recent or past funny story.
Sean Marshall: Well I found this funny maybe other people just had to see it. There is this teamate of mine. His name is Emre. He's a young guy, I think he's 20. Hes always talking to much and saying the most confusing things in english. So we are on the bus in instanbul and Emre says we have everything here man. So I said like what? He says we have pizza hut, nice clubs, and donald duck. Maybe you don't know what donald duck is but he's a cartoon character. So I said you have Donald duck? ' yes we have Donald duck'. So we laugh at him and it tunrs out he was trying to say Dunkin Donuts.

Q. What chances Pinar Karsiyaka has in current season?
Sean Marshall: Currently we are in 6th place and locked in for the playoffs which is very good because this club has not been in two years. We can possibly finish as high as 4th place if we win out and a couple other teams lose a game or two. Going into the playoffs we are very confident with what we can do. If you look at our wins. We have beat Besiktas, Efes, Fenerbache and Galatasaray. Those are all the top teams in our league so there are no teams we can't beat if we are playing well. Its a matter of us playing together and being confident.

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U.S.VIRGIN ISLANDS

a look back at Kansas and Milt Newton -by David Edole

Kansas won their third men's basketball national title outlasting Memphis, but for sheer drama, it's going to be hard for the Jayhawks to top what they did a bit more than 20 years ago. Current Jayhawks fans need a refresher course on what happened April 4, 1988, in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., all they need to do is ask one of their coaches. Current KU assistant Danny Manning had a front-row seat that night.

Manning had 31 points and 18 rebounds as Kansas finished off one of the most improbable NCAA tournament runs of all time with an 83-79 upset of Oklahoma for the national title.

'We had the best player playing at the highest level of his career and finally just saying, ‘I'm gonna do this, just follow me,' ' then-coach Larry Brown told the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World earlier this year. 'I remember saying in timeouts, ‘Get us to the last five minutes, and he (Manning) will find a way to win.' '

Kansas lost 11 games that season, the most ever by an NCAA champion. In the title game, the sixth-seeded Jayhawks beat an Oklahoma team that was 35-3, seeded first in the Southeast Region and ranked fourth in the nation in the poll just prior to the tournament.
That Kansas was in the tournament at all was somewhat surprising. They opened the season 12-8. They were 21-11 after losing to archrival Kansas State in the semifinals of the Big Eight tourney.
OU had beaten KU twice in the regular season, by a combined 20 points. The Sooners had rolled through the tournament behind King, Grant and point guard Mookie Blaylock, winning their five tourney games by an average margin of 15 points per game.

It was assumed then-KU coach Larry Brown would have his team try to slow the pace to keep OU from piling up transition baskets. The Sooners had a potent fast break and twice that season scored at least 150 points in a game. Instead, Brown told his team to go full-throttle. The result was a sublime first half of basketball, one of the best in Final Four history. It ended in a 50-50 tie.

The pace did slow in the second half, but one constant remained: Oklahoma could not stop Manning. Fittingly, he iced the victory with two free throws with five seconds left for the final 83-79 margin.

For his part, Sooners coach Billy Tubbs professes to not be a 'what might have been' guy.

'The only time I think about it is when I get asked about it,' he told reporters earlier this year, when Oklahoma honored the 1988 team. 'I thought we stuck to our game plan and played hard. We just didn't make the right plays at the right time. It was a great effort on our part … Basically, you can't change it, so I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.'

That Kansas team is affectionately referred to as 'Danny and the Miracles' by KU fans, and Manning (who scored 163 points in the tourney) had some help in the final. Milt Newton (now vice president of player personnel for the Washington Wizards) was 6-for-6 from the field and scored 15 points. Kevin Pritchard (now GM of the Portland Trail Blazers) was 6-for-7 from the field and scored 13 points. Chris Piper had eight points, seven rebounds and three steals. Clint Normore - a football player who joined the team in the middle of the season after KU suffered a spate of injuries - came off the bench and had a career-high seven points and four assists.

As for the main reason the Jayhawks won, Kansas' starters were an incredible 30 of 45 from the field - good for 66.7 percent.


20 years, 20 similarities
There seem to be few heart-tugging stories with the 2008 Kansas Jayhawks. They're a 1-seed, they're supposed to get to the Final Four.
There's also no Ryan Gray, a young fan with a brain tumor dubbed KU's 'lucky charm' in 1988 by Larry Brown. There's no injured player such as Archie Marshall in '88.
But there are plenty -- and we mean plenty -- of similarities between the 1988 Jayhawks' run to the national championship and the 2008 version. Most are insignificant, but if you believe in karma, consider these 20:


1988
Assigned by the NCAA to the Midwest Regional.
First- and second-round games held in Nebraska (Lincoln).
First-round opponent had a nickname describing a type of soldier or fighter (Xavier Musketeers).
Second-round opponent had a nickname beginning with R (Murray State Racers).
Defeated a Lon Kruger-coached team (Kansas State) during the tournament.
Faced a team with the nickname Wildcats in the regional (Kansas State).
Midwest Regional semifinal (and possibly final) game held in Michigan (Pontiac).
Midwest Regional semifinal (and possibly final) game held in the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions (Pontiac Silverdome).
Midwest Regional semifinal game against a team starting with a V (Vanderbilt).
Regional semifinal opponent didn't finish in the top four of its conference (Vanderbilt fifth in SEC).
Starting lineup had a local kid (Danny Manning and Chris Piper, Lawrence), an Oklahoman (Kevin Pritchard) and a player from a big city on the East Coast (Milt Newton, Washington).
Coach (Larry Brown) was in his fifth season.
One player had NBA bloodlines (Scooter Barry's dad Rick).
Danny Manning was part of the program.
Marquee player wore No. 25 (Manning).
Final Four berth meant a national semifinal against ACC opponent (Duke).
Team had a Buford on the bench (assistant R.C.).
Team had a player who is the son of a KU coach (Manning, son of assistant Ed).
Team had a player whose father was on the coaching staff (Manning).
Final Four was played in a venue (Kemper Arena) where KU had lost its previous game before the Final Four ('88 Big Eight semifinals).


2008
Assigned by the NCAA to the Midwest Regional.
First- and second-round games held in Nebraska (Omaha).
First-round opponent had a nickname describing a type of soldier or fighter (Portland State Vikings).
Second-round opponent had a nickname beginning with R (UNLV Runnin' Rebels).
Defeated a Lon Kruger-coached team (UNLV) during the tournament.
Facing a team with the nickname Wildcats in the regional (Villanova).
Midwest Regional semifinal (and possibly final) game held in Michigan (Detroit).
Midwest Regional semifinal (and possibly final) game held in the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions (Ford Field).
Midwest Regional semifinal game against a team starting with a V (Villanova).
Regional semifinal opponent didn't finish in the top four of its conference (Villanova eighth in Big East).
Starting lineup has a local kid (Brandon Rush, KC), an Oklahoman (Darnell Jackson) and a player from a big city on the East Coast (Russell Robinson, NY).
Coach (Bill Self) is in his fifth season.
One player has NBA bloodlines (Brandon Rush's brother Kareem).
Danny Manning's part of the program.
Marquee player wears No. 25 (Brandon Rush).
Final Four berth could mean national semifinal against ACC opponent (North Carolina).
Team has a Buford on the bench (walk-on Chase, R.C.' s son).
Team has a player who is the son of a KU coach (Brennan Bechard, son of volleyball coach Ray Bechard).
Team has a player whose father is on the coaching staff (Mario Chalmers).
Final Four is to be played in a venue (Alamodome) where KU had lost its previous game before the Final Four (2001 Midwest Regional semifinal).



Spurs: Limiting Duncan's workload a priority -by David Edole
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer


One of the best lines never uttered about pro basketball has been verified as apocryphal by someone who should know.

Bill Sharman, who coached the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers to 69 victories, recently denied the existence of a quote attributed to Wilt Chamberlain about the relative importance of the game-day shootaround.

It was Sharman who introduced the shootaround during that amazing season, which produced a 33-game win streak and an NBA title and made instant copycats of every other NBA coach.

Chamberlain was Sharman's star center. As the story goes, the legendary late-night carouser was less than thrilled about having to get up, mid-morning, for a practice. Soon, a story began circulating that Chamberlain's response to Sharman's morning practices was to send the team trainer to the coach with a message: 'I'll show up at the arena once today. He can have me for the shootaround or the game. His choice.'

Sharman recently said he has heard the story hundreds of times over the years but that it isn't true. Chamberlain, he insisted, agreed to the morning practices as long as the Lakers won consistently.

Somehow, though, the verity of the 'practice or game' quote retains near-universal acceptance.

Even Spurs coach Gregg Popovich remains duped.

As he explained his practice of limiting Tim Duncan (208-F-76, college: Wake Forest)'s physical load on off days, Popovich leaned on The Wilt Ultimatum.

'He has to be rested,' Popovich said. 'You can't beat him up in practice. That wouldn't be very smart. Like Wilt said: 'Do you want me in the game, or do you want me in practice?'

'The game is the right answer.'

Lightening Duncan's off-day workload has been beneficial this season. Quietly, he is having his best season since he was voted Most Valuable Player in 2003. No longer battling plantar fasciitis in both feet, he has been quicker and more explosive than his past two seasons. He continues to be one of the league's best rebounders and shot blockers. The Spurs' offense continues to run through him most of the time, even when Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker share the court with him.

'He's playing with the same energy,' Popovich said, 'and his body looks quicker, and more explosive, probably like it was three or four years ago.'

With only five games left in the regular season and a top four finish in the Western Conference standings looking more secure, Duncan acknowledged some self-satisfaction at how his season has gone.

Mostly, he likes how healthy he feels as the playoffs approach.

'This season's been good for me,' he said. 'With the exception of that one injury, which I had early in the season, it's really been pretty good.'

An ankle sprain kept him out of four games in early December, but he has had no lingering effects. In fact, sitting out nearly two weeks then may have him slightly fresher now.

Duncan's health is one reason Popovich has watched with equanimity the ups and downs of the Spurs' position in the Western Conference standings over the past five weeks. Since early March, they have occupied first, second, third, fifth and sixth places.

Popovich has maintained for weeks that playoff positioning has been secondary to crisp execution and, more importantly, good health.

'I feel great,' he said after the Spurs defeated Portland on Sunday despite producing their second-lowest point total of the season less than 48 hours after producing the lowest point total in franchise history. 'We may win (the championship). We may not. And life will go on, either way. But we'll give it our best shot, and so are the other seven teams that are going to be in the playoffs, and all of them are just as good as we are.

'I don't think there's anybody that has anything over anybody else. I honestly don't. It's just going to be who can play the best over a seven-game series, and usually, the best team wins. Almost always, the best team will win a seven-game series, and that will tell the tale.'

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UBL

UBL Weekend #1 Update -by Mac Claire
San Antonio, TX - The United Basketball League finally opened its inaugural season after two plus years of preparation on Friday Evening, April 4, 2008 at 7:10 PM.
Both the San Marcos Knights and the host San Antonio Soul were introduced to the crowd of about 200. The Knights came into the game with frontcourt injuries and were never really in it as San Antonio rolled to an impressive 126-82 victory.

Some first in the league:
San Antonio's Ben Conwell scored the first ever UBL field goal off the first offensive rebound .
Big Ben also will go down as the first UBL player to score on a dunk. He actually got a pair.

What to look for if you want to watch the Soul play: San Antonio has a great set of guards in Leonard Brown and Brandon Knight. They are quick and wil hound their opposite number defensively.
Marcus White is an excelent guard off Coach Kirk Brown's bench. Brown loses nothing when White enters the game for one of the starting guards.

Saturday Evening in Little Rock, the Warriors took advantage of the North Missouri Hawks long trip from Tarkio and won easily,
The Warriors are one of the leading teams in the league when it comes to advertising and promoting. They are a class organization.

On Sunday, the Wranglers opened at home vs cross division rival Dallas Outlaws and won by the score of 132-102.

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VENEZUELA

Standings - LPB
LPB Standings
1. Trotamundos 14-3
2. Gatos 12-5
3. Guaiqueries 9-6
4. Cocodrilos 8-5
5. Dep.Tachira 7-7
6. Marinos 7-9
7. Gaiteros 7-9
8. Guaros 6-11
9. Gigantes 5-11
10. Panteras 4-13




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Women News

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BULGARIA - Women

Standings - Women
A1 Standings
1. Dunav 17-1
2. Lukoil 16-2
3. Rilski Sportist 9-9
4. Beroe 2007 8-10
5. Slavia 5-13
6. Montana 2003 5-13
7. NSA 0-12


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DENMARK - Women

Standings - Dameligaen
Dameligaen Standings
1. Horsholm 16-4
2. Amager 16-4
3. SISU 16-5
4. Vitus B. 14-6
5. Aabyhoj 7-13
6. Virum 7-14
7. Falcon 3-16
8. Vaerlose 2-19


The semifinal stage tips off tomorrow -by Eurobasket News
The regular season came to an end in the Dameligaen. Horsholm and Amager finished the season atop the ladder and would have home-advantage in the semis. Horsholm celebrated a confident 70:50 victory over Vaerlose in the final round. The 79ers led from the start and eased to their 16th win in the season. Kristine Jensen dropped 22 points to lead the winners. Therese Deemand (176-G-83, college: Binghamton) had 14 points in a win.
Amager also rolled to a 16-4 record with a thrashing 98:65 win over Virum at home. The hosts were paced by Sussie Kruuse (192-C-83) with 22 points. Emilie Ramberg (173-G-79) netted 19 points for the winning side. Sarah Mahan (185-F-85, college: Lynn) answered with 13 points and 11 boards for Virum.
Amager will face SISU in the semis. SISU overcame Aabyhoj 91:85 on the road in the final round. The game turned out into a dramatic contest with two overtimes. Renee Petersen (182-F-89) secured the winning outcome for SISU with 24 points. Anette Johansen (180-81) had 21 points and 12 boards and Ida Rosendal (180-G/F-87) dropped 13 points in a winning effort. Bianca Christiansen responded with 23 points for Aabyhoj.
Vitus surpassed Falcon in the last round of action of the regular season. Astrid Gadeberg (168-G-78) poured in 20 points to lead Vitus. Cecilie Homann (185-F-89) nailed 24 points for Falcon in defeat.

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HUNGARY - Women

Standings - Women
A Standings
1. MKB Eur. 20-1
2. Pecsi 19-0
3. Szeged 18-4
4. BSE 15-6
5. ZTE 14-8
6. Szolnok 13-8
7. Foton 12-9
8. Atomeromu 7-14
9. Vasas-Csata 6-15
10. Cegledi EKK 5-15
11. Kanizsa 3-18
12. BEAC 3-18
13. Savaria 1-20


Stats Leaders - Women
UNIQUA NB1/A Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1. Williams, Cegledi 20.6
2. Aties, BSE 16.4
3. Iglesias, BSE 16.2
4. Djelmis, Szolnok 16.1
5. Varga, Kanizsa 16.1
Rebounds Per Game
1. Williams, Cegledi 12.8
2. Turoczi, ZTE 9.9
3. Aties, BSE 8.8
4. Keller, Szolnok 8.8
5. Varda, Szekszard 7.1
Assists Per Game
1. Ivanyi, Pecs 7.7
2. Bukovszki, Szekszard 4.7
3. Djelmis, Szolnok 4.5
4. Iglesias, BSE 4.2
5. Creamer, ZTE 3.9
Steals Per Game
1. Iglesias, BSE 5.7
2. Koncz, Vasas 3.8
3. Borovickova, Gyor 3.4
4. Furesz, BSE 3.4
5. Aties, BSE 3.4
Blocks Per Game
1. Williams, Cegledi 2.5
2. Tomova, Szeged 1.2
3. Keller, Szolnok 1.2
4. Varda, Szekszard 1.1
5. Milkova, ZTE 0.9


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ISRAEL - Women

25th round results -by Gil Goshen

On the 25th round:

Ramla won vs. Ramat Hsharon - 72:65
Ramt Chen won vs. Bnot Hsharon- 78:68.

its the final four time !!!!!

The first series is 1:1
and the secaond is 2:0 !!!!!


For Ramla:
Shay Doron 21 pts
Katia Abramzon 15 pts
Sherill Baker 14 pts
Jackie Johnson 9 pts
Laine Selwyn 6 pts
Ina Gourevitch 4 pts
Michelle Snow 2 pts

For Ramat Hasharon:
Monique Coker 22 pts
Dada Vilipic 12 pts
Jia Perkins 9 pts
Nomi Kolodny 7 pts
Limor Mizrachi 6 pts
Merav Dori 5 pts
Tatyana Troina 4 pts


For Ramat Hen:
Taj McWilliams Franklin 20 pts, 13 rebs
Edwina Brown 16 pts, 10 rebs
Chen Shtain 14 pts
Shiri Sharon 9 pts
Armintie Price 6 pts played only the first half due an injury in her knee.
Sharon Zeevi 3 pts

For Raanana Hertzeliya:
Misite Williams 19 pts, 7 rebs
Abiola Wabara 15 pts, 5 rebs
Tanisha Wright 13 pts, 6 rebs
Katia Levitzky & Neda Djuric 6 pts each
Ornit Shwartz 5 pts
Chen Nusel 4 pts

Standings (W)
D1 Standings
Upper Playoffs
1. Ramat hen. 14-9
2. ramat hsharon 16-7
3. Ramla . 17-6
4. bnot hsharon 16-7
5. M.Ashdod 10-11
6. Elitzur Holon 8-13
Lower Playoffs
1. B.Yehuda 8-12
2. M.Tel Kabir 4-14
3. Hap.T-A 3-18


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LATVIA - Women

Standings - LSBL
LSBL Standings
1. Cesis 28-1
2. Avantis T. 20-10
3. Liepajas met. 18-12
4. RTU/Klond. 17-13
5. TTT Riga 15-1
6. TTT/Rapa 14-16
7. Ridzene 10-20
8. SK Riga 5-25
9. LU/US 0-29


SK Cesis and TTT Riga make the Finals -by Gunars Gailitis
Latvian Woman`s League

Semi-finals, 2.games

Liepajas metalurgs - SK Cesis 54-99 (22-29; 6-29; 7-24; 19-17), series 0-2

Sabine Niedola (182-F-91) 23+10reb, Nazarova 7; Willnett Crockett (188-F/C-84, college: Connecticut) 17, Sales 16, Krumberga 15, Cinite 13, Derevjanik 13

Avanits/Turiba - TTT Riga 41-102 (15-23; 9-23; 6-25; 11-29), series 0-2

Ieva Vitola (189-C-85) 11, Lapsina 10; LaTanya White (170-G-82, college: Mississippi St.) 21+8as, Krumina 20, Riley 18+12reb, Tare 15

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LUXEMBOURG - Women

Basket Esch sneeks past Amicale to remain on top of DBBL!! Contern wins in Walferdange!! -by Alex Meyers

Title Group

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Amicale - Basket Esch 65-71

Basket Esch won again on the road vs. Amicale in Steinsel to imrove its record to 16-3 with a 3.5 point lead over second placed Musel Pikes. However, it wasn't all that easy because Amicale played one of their best games of the season and never gave up the fight throughout the contest. Lisa Lee (183-F-84, college: Charleston So.) had a marvelous game. Krisztina Bernath took over at times in the second half giving Basket Esch the advantage they needed to bring home the victory. Amicale's Lisa Lee notched another double double with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Jill Bausch came from the bench to boost her team with 20 points. Anne Menster nearly had a double double with 8 points and 10 rebounds. For Basket Esch, Leah Metcalf (173-G-83, college: N.Carolina) scored 30 points followed by three others in double figures: Gaelle Pousseur 13, Krisztina Bernath 12 and Cynthia Dohn 11. Amicale dropped to 7-12 to remain in 5th place in the title group just 1 point ahead of Contern.

Amicale: 24 field goals, 6 three pointers, 11 for 13 free throws, 34 rebounds, 17 fouls and 14 turnovers
Lee 31, Mangen, Menster 8, VanDyck, R. Meintz, also Bausch 20, Grethen, Fehlen and T. Meintz 2.
Basket Esch: 25 field goals, 9 three pointers, 12 for 16 free throws, 26 rebounds 9 fouls and 16 turnovers.
Pousseur 13, Bernath 12, Dohn 11, Metcalf 30, Kovacova 1, also Wewer 2, Schulte 2, Noesen 0 and Biever.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 13-11, Halftime 35-32, 3rd Q 42-50, Final 65-71
80 Spectators


Residence - Contern 56-67

Residence was maybe a little too comfortable at the half with a 4 point lead and the home court advantage. Contern came out with defense in mind during the third quarter holding their opponent to only 7 points. and held on for the big road win to boost morale. Carrie Bacon (183-F-80, college: Wyoming) led the way for Contern with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Veronique Kieffer added 12 and Anne Ludwig 10 for the visiting victors. Bacon hit 3 of 5 three point attempts and shot 9 for 10 from the charity stripe, adding a steal and a blocked shot. Sally Debra had good numbers for Residence shooting7 for 10 from 2fg range while grabbing 4 rebounds, dishing for 3 assists and adding 3 steals. Catherine Scanlon had 15 points also and tore down 9 rebounds and had 7 big steals. Veronique Kohnen had 12 points and Katje Claes had 10 points and 8 rebounds. Two key points were the reason for Contern's win. Contern shot 18 for 20 from the free throw line for 90% and took good care of the basketball committing only 8 turnovers. Residence on the other hand shot only 8 for 12 for 67% and committed 18 big turnovers.

Contern(6-13) remains in the last spot of the playoff group trailing Amicale by one point. Residence dropped to 10-9 and is a half point ahead of T71 remaining in 3rd place. Contern plays at home against T71 on Saturday, April 12th at 6:30pm. Residence will travel to Lallange to play against Basket Esch on Sunday, April 13th at 4:00pm.

Residence: 23 field 2 three pointers, 5 for 8 free throws, 34 rebounds, 13 fouls and 18 turnovers.
Bach 2, Claes 10, Scanlon 15, Debra 15, Kohnen 12, also Orban, Kremer 2 and Fritz.
Contern: 21 field goals, 7 three pointers, 18 for 20 free throws, 34 rebounds, 18 fouls and 8 trunovers.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 17-20, Halftime 35-31, 3rd Q 42-49, Final 56-67



Sunday, April 6, 2008

Musel Pikes - T71 Dudelange 85-61

Musel Pikes led throughout, cruising to an easy 24 point home win against T71. T71 committed too many turnovers(22) and shot poorly from behind the 3 point
arc(3 for 17) and only scored 19 2-point baskets compared to Musel Pikes' 32. Pikes' Amanda Stowe scored 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added 2 asststs, a steal and a blocked shot. Irina Mazjoukhina helped with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Sandra Bertand and Carine Cigrang each score 14 points. Cigrang also added 4 assists,5 steals and 2 blocked shots. Musel Pikes goes to Steinsel to play Amicale on Saturday, April 12th at 6:30pm.

Katie Donovan had a great game for T71 with a big double-double notching 14 rebounds and scoring 27 points. Alexandra Kugener contributed with 12 points but had 6 costly turnovers. No other T71 player hit double figures in scoring. T71 is in the fourth position in the playoffs just a half of a point behind Residence. Tony Ostojic has Musel Pikes fit and looking good to finish the playoffs in 2nd place with hopes of still winning the double.

Musel Pikes: 34 field goals, 2 three pointers, 15 for 23 free throws, 33 rebounds, 15 fouls and 13 turnovers.
Cigrang 14, S. Bertrand 14, Mazjoukhina 17, Stowe 27, Schmit 7, also Haris, A. Bertrand 2, Meyander 4 and Willems.
T71: 19 field goals, 3 three pointers, 14 for 20 free throws, 39 rebounds, 18 fouls and 22 turnovers.
Donovan 27, Kugener 12 R. Wagener 5, Bruck 4, A. Wagener 2, also Zeyen 4, Weynandt, Hut 3 and Lagoda 2.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 23-14, Halftime 48-31, 3rd Q 63-44, Final 85-61


Poule Maintien

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Etzella - Schieren 95-61

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Grengewald Hostert - BC Mess 86-35
Schieren - Wasserbillig 69-94
Racing - Etzella 50-94



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MONTENEGRO - Women

MNT Super - League 1.Round: Jedinstvo-Castel Nuovo 72-51 -by Dragan Scepanovic
In firts game of 1 Round of Montenegrin woman Super-League in city of Bijelo Polje Basketball Club Jedinstvo B.Polje win against Basketball Club Castel Nuovo from Herceg Novi 72-51 (23/14,14-11,23-9,12-17).In team of Basketball Club Jedinstvo B.Polje best was Jeknic with 24 points and good game play Knezevic with 16 points, Vucinic with 14 points and Jasmina Bigovic 11 points.In team of Basketball Club Castel Nuovo best was A. Rakovic with 12 points , Irena Maras and Vujicic score 10 points.

Standings - Women League
League Standings
Superleague
1. Jedinstvo 1-0
2. Roling Niksic 0-0
3. Buducnost 0-0
4. BC Kastel 0-1
Premier League
1. BC Rozaje 0-0
2. BC H.Novi 0-0
3. Kotor 0-0
4. Rudar 0-0


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NCAA1 - Women

Tennessee wins National Championship !!! -by Eurobasket
Injured or not, that bum left shoulder wasn't enough to stop Candace Parker (6'4''-F/C-86) from hoisting that championship trophy one last time.
Parker scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help Tennessee capture its eighth championship with a 64-48 victory over Stanford on Tuesday night. The Lady Vols also became the first repeat champs since Connecticut won three straight from 2002-04.
'It's been an emotional last three days, obviously, just rehabbing my shoulder,' Parker said, 'but it was all worth it to win an eighth national championship.'
The Associated Press player of the year will leave the Lady Vols (36-2) with a year of eligibility remaining, but has accomplished one of her goals by winning multiple national titles.
'You know, it's funny because some players don't get one, and I'm fortunate enough to have two,' Parker said with both hands raised and two fingers up on each. 'It's that simple. It's that simple.'
Parker also became the fourth player to win back-to-back Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four honors. She joined Connecticut's Diana Taurasi (2003-04), Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw (6'2''-F-77) (1997-98), and Southern Cal's Cheryl Miller (1983-84).
Stanford's loss ended Candice Wiggins' (5'11''-G-87) remarkable run through the NCAA tournament. She scored 14 points and finished with 151 over the six games _ the fourth-best total in tournament history. Sheryl Swoopes (6'0''-F-71) holds the record with 177 points, when she led Texas Tech to the championship in 1993. Wiggins is the first player to have two 40-point games in the tournament.
Wiggins ended her stellar career by taking the Cardinal (35-4) further than they'd been since 1992, when the program won it all. Stanford hadn't reached the Final Four since 1997 or advanced to the championship game since the '92 team.
'I'm sad that it's over because of how much I love this program, this institution, this team, and my coaches teammates,' Wiggins said, breaking into tears. 'It's that amazing. This season, I could not ever have dreamed of this, so it's more than I could ever ask for.'
She came in averaging 27.4 points in the tournament and opened the game with a 3-pointer, but couldn't find an open look after that. The All-American finished 6-for-16 from the field and left to a standing ovation with just over a minute left in her college career.
Parker struggled with her shooting in the semifinals when she went just 6-for-27 from the field, but gutted out the championship game not letting her injured shoulder bother her. For the second straight game, the All-American wore a long-sleeve shirt under her uniform to try, as she said, to not focus on the injury.
While still clearly not 100 percent healthy, the expected No. 1 pick in Wednesday's WNBA draft didn't shoot nearly as many jumpers as Sunday night, instead taking the ball to the basket on an array of moves. She converted one steal in the second half into a pretty layup that gave the Lady Vols' a 10-point advantage. She then followed it up with a three-point play on a driving layup. The Cardinal, who had a season low for points, would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.
With the game in hand and a minute left, Parker went to the Tennessee bench for the final time, holding up four fingers on each hand to signify the eight titles the Lady Vols have won.
Unlike earlier games in the tournament when Parker had to carry the Lady Vols, her supporting cast came through. Shannon Bobbitt (5'2''-G-85) scored 13 points and Nicky Anosike added 12 points, eight rebounds and six steals for the Lady Vols.
Bobbitt scored all of her points in the first half as the Lady Vols jumped out to a 37-29 advantage. Trailing by one early, Tennessee used a 13-4 run to take a 17-9 lead midway through the half. Bobbitt hit two 3-pointers and made a nifty layup to cap the spurt. The teams traded baskets before two free throws by Bobbitt gave the Lady Vols a 35-25 lead their biggest of the half.
She also harassed Stanford into 14 turnovers by the break. The Cardinal looked tight on offense, committing more turnovers in the first half than they did in the semifinal win over UConn. They finished with 25 for the game.
'We did not play well. We did not handle the pressure well,' Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. 'The turnovers absolutely killed us.'
Wiggins and Jayne Appel provided the only offense for Stanford, combining for 17 of their 29 first-half points.
Appel finished with 16 points to lead the Cardinal, whose 23-game winning streak the longest in the nation_ ended. The Pac-10 champs hadn't lost since dropping consecutive road games to UCLA and USC in the first week of January.
The Lady Vols advanced to the championship game by beating LSU 47-46 on Sunday night on Alexis Hornbuckle's (5'11''-G-85) putback with seven-tenths of a second remaining. The Cardinal shocked UConn 82-73 in the other semifinal. The victory redeemed the Lady Vols' 73-69 overtime loss to the Cardinal when the teams met Dec. 22 at Stanford.
Tennessee is 8-5 in championship games after barely making it to No. 13. The Lady Vols ended a nine-year drought with their championship last season. They won their other titles in 1987, `89, `91, `96, `97, and `98.

Courtesy of NCAA

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ROMANIA - Women

Standings - Women
D1 Standings
1. Arad 21-1
2. Sf.Gheorghe 20-2
3. Rapid CFR 15-7
4. Cluj Napoca 15-7
5. Alexandria 15-7
6. S.Studentesc 13-9
7. Govora 12-10
8. Oradea 8-14
9. Iasi 6-16
10. Olimpia 4-18
11. Targoviste 2-20
12. Dej 1-21


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RUSSIA - Women

Spartak is ready for the EuroLeague -by Eurobasket News

The battle for the first place in the regular championship between the CSKA team and Spartak promised to be hot. Spartak lost no games last year, which lowered the CSKA optimism. The Spartak player Irina Osipova (196-C-81) got 12 points in the first quarter, and as a result the score before the second opening quarter was 23:14. The main CSKA coach Gundars Vetra kept being anxious while the Spartak coach Natalia Hejkova was calmly observing her team's progress that ended up with the score 43:30.
As the game went on Spartak kept on winning, and by the 6th minute of the third quarter the gap between them and CSKA got sort of a humiliating character. It's a fact that a coach is the reflection of the team, and that made Gundars Vetra mad and he couldn't help arguing with the judges whenever possible. The last ten minutes were held on equal terms. Moreover Spartak could no more worry about the results. Anyways, the game was finished with the score 86:63, and Spartak could do nothing but wait for the play-off in high spirits.
Right after the final siren the center Spartak player Irina Osipova was interviewed. She reported that she couldn't call the game easy, moreover with CSKA, but a little percentage of luckiness took place. The team had a purpose to win with a deserving gap (which they did) not less than 15 points. Irina liked the way the whole team participated since many players got more than 10 points of their own. This time she confronted her constant opposing rivalries - Ann Wauters (194-C-80) and Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) which were pretty tough. Despite Spartak gained plenty of fouls, in the end they could relax realizing the victory was in their hands. The outcome of the forthcoming play-off with CSKA is not clear yet, even judging by that match. Undoubtedly, the team is motivated to win at least the EuroLeague, but apply much effort to the championship match.



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SERBIA - Women

Serbian Cup shelude -by Dragana Vukovic

From the 11th of April till the 13th of April,Subotica will host final tournament of Serbian Cup.The first six teams from the Regular season will play the tournament.


Shelude:


Day one,11th of April
A1: Spartak - Vojvodina Nis Naftagas
A2: Partizan -Proleter


Day two,12th of April
Semi-final : Crvena Zvezda - Winner of A1
Semi-final : Hemofarm Stada - Wiinner of A2


Day three,13th of April
Final game



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SLOVAKIA - Women

Standings - Women
Extraliga Standings
1-6 Places
1. Kosit 2013 28-0
2. MBK Ruz. 21-7
3. Nitra 17-11
4. UMB B.B. 12-14
5. Viktoria K. 12-15
6. Cassovia K. 8-17
7-10 Places
1. Poprad 13-10
2. Roznava 11-12
3. Slovan 3-20
4. Myjava 2-21


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SPAIN - Women

Standings - LFB
LFB Standings
1. Ros Casares 20-3
2. Perfumerias 17-6
3. EBE Promoc. 17-6
4. Acis-Incosa 16-7
5. Rivas Futura 15-8
6. Real C.Vigo 13-10
7. Extrugasa 11-12
8. Olesa 9-14
9. Cajacanar. 9-14
10. Cadi la Seu 9-14
11. Hondar.-Irun 8-15
12. Mann Filter 6-17
13. Badajoz 6-17
14. Burgos 5-18


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SWEDEN - Women

Solna completes sweep against Norrkoping -by Eurobasket News
The Solna Vikings swept the semifinal series against Norrkoping to claim the spot in the Final. They prevailed 79:68 in Game 3 at home to book their place in the championship series. The Vikings dominated for the most part of the encounter and deservedly registered yet another successful basketball game. Solna drove to a 47:36 lead at halftime and never allowed the visitors to come any closer after the break. Elisabeth Egnell (185-F-87, college: Boston Coll.) netted 23 points and collected 7 boards to lead the Vikings. Michaela Livijn (184-C-81) notched 15 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Fatima Maddox (168-G, agency: 540 Sports) had game-high 28 points and 7 rebounds for the Dolphins in a loss. Norrkoping outrebounded the home team but sank only 32% from the field.
Meanwhile it's just getting hotter in the second semifinal matchup. Telge and 08 Stockholm will go for the 5th game in the series after 08 outgunned their opponents in Game 4. Stockholm outfit posted a 61:46 win to force decisive clash on Wednesday. Trailing by one point at the long break 08 recovered well after it and rolled to a vital win. Jocelyn Penn (186-F-79, agency: Merit Sports, college: USC) ensured the positive outcome with 20 points and 10 boards. Amber Petillon (193-C-82, college: Richmond) added 13 points in a win. Frida Eldebrink (174-G-88) scored 12 points for Telge in a losing effort. Shelley Hammonds (188-F-83, agency: LBM Management) finished with 8 points and 8 boards for Telge. The hosts had an obvious advantage under the rims 45:32 and sank 45% from the field. They also forced Telge to 20 turnovers.

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TURKEY - Women

TBBL Playoffs -by Cem Guvener
Regular season ended at TBBL as well as the Turkish Cup so playoffs are starting on April 9th. The most crucial part of the 2007-2008 season will start with no:1 Fenerbahce playing against no:8 Burhaniye Belediyesi. No:4 Pankup TED Kayseri will match up against cup finalist Botas, No:2 Galatasaray will play against No:7 Ceyhan Belediyesi and finally no:3 Besiktas will be facing no:6 Mersin Belediyesi.

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U.KINGDOM - Women

Rhondda and Sheffield enter semifinal stage -by Eurobasket News
The playoff favorites the Rhondda Rebels and the Sheffield Hatters continued their journey to the Final with comfortable wins at the quarterfinal stage. The EBL champions Sheffield Hatters thumped the London Heathrow Acers 93:70 to advance. Sarah Naylor (183-F-83) notched 33 points to pace the Hatters. Sheffield were up by 13 points at the interval and never looked back in the second half. Stephanie Gandy (178-F-82, college: Michigan) contributed 22 points and Helen Naylor (180-F-87) scored 11 in a win. Aintzane Marquez (176) answered with 25 points for the Acers.
Meanwhile the Rhondda Rebels took care of UWIC Archers 82:61 in another quarterfinal. The sloppy first stanza from the Rebels saw them led by just 3 points. However they stepped on the gas in the second frame and stretched the gap to as many as 17 points. The Rebels eased past their Welsh counterparts in the second half. Kirby Copeland (178-G-85, agency: LBM Management, college: Virginia Tech) finished with 17 points for the Rebels. Harriet Yae contributed 15 points for the winning side.
Rehana Khalil (173-G-86) netted 29 points to propel the Manchester Mystics past Nottingham 79:71. Georgia Jones (169-G-90) had 16 points for the Mystics as they would next face Sheffield in the Final Four.
The Solent Suns overcame Team Northumbria 94:88. Team Nortumbria were up by 3 points before the fourth frame but the Suns denied the deficit and pulled away an impressive victory. Caroline Turner (184-F) scored 25 points for Solent. Jessica Brookfield (168-G-90) poured in 24 in a win. Ellen Hall (183-F-84, college: Duquesne) responded with 30 points for Team Northumbria.

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UKRAINE - Women

Eurobasket.com All-Ukrainian Higher League Awards 2007-08 -by Eurobasket
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Yegorova


Savina


Robbins


Yakhina


Biryuk
Player of the Year: Inna Yegorova (173-G-82) of Tim-Scuf
Guard of the Year: Inna Yegorova of Tim-Scuf
Forward of the Year: Yelena Savina (186-F-84) of Tim-Scuf
Center of the Year: Yuliya Yakhina (187-C-80) of Dnipro
Newcomer of the Year: Olga Lyashkova (185-G-80) of Dnipro
Most Improved Player of the Year: Iryna Biryuk (178-G-78) of Kozachka
Bosman Player of the Year: Tetyana Shablinska (191-C-74) of Kozachka
Import Player of the Year: Jillian Robbins (185-F-84) of Dnipro
Domestic Player of the Year: Inna Yegorova of Tim-Scuf
Defensive Player of the Year: Jillian Robbins of Dnipro
Coach of the Year: Maryna Tkachenko of Tim-Scuf

1st Team
Inna Yegorova of Tim-Scuf
Iryna Biryuk of Kozachka
Yelena Savina of Tim-Scuf
Jillian Robbins of Dnipro
Yuliya Yakhina of Dnipro

2nd Team
Natalia Isachenko (183-G-79) of Tim-Scuf
Olga Lyashkova of Dnipro
Natalia Silyanova (173-G-71) of Kozachka
Irina Krasnoshchek (190-F-81) of Tim-Scuf
Jennifer Fleischer (191-C-84) of Tim-Scuf

All-Domestic Players Team
Inna Yegorova of Tim-Scuf
Iryna Biryuk of Kozachka
Yelena Savina of Tim-Scuf
Olena Fenko (187-F-76) of Kozachka
Yuliya Yakhina of Dnipro

All-Defensive Team
Natalia Silyanova of Kozachka
Iryna Biryuk of Kozachka
Yelena Savina of Tim-Scuf
Jillian Robbins of Dnipro
Yuliya Yakhina of Dnipro

All-Newcomers Team
Olga Dubrovina (170-G-87) of Dnipro
Olga Lyashkova of Dnipro
Dzhennifer Odzhey (178-G-90) of Tim-Scuf
Olena Karmazina (180-G-90) of Tim-Scuf
Maryna Sazonenko (172-G-86) of Dnipro