EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 5/2/2008

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Men News

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ARAB CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Day 9 - 21st Arab Clubs Champs (April 23 - May 5 Amman, Jordan) -by Mohammed Malas
* Group E:

Zain (JOR) 102 - Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (LEB) 95 (Qs: 23-26, 51-56, 77-77 & 102-95)

# Best performance:
- Zain:
Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) (28 pts, 2 ast, 2 stl)
Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) (21 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast)
John III Thomas (175-G-76, college: St.Francis,NY) (19 pts, 9 ast)
- Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut:
Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) (32 pts, 2 ast, 6 reb)
Ahmad Ismail (201-F-76) (20 pts, 3 ast)
Ace Custis (202-F-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Virginia Tech) (18 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast)

Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut (LEB) 75 - Maghreb de Fes (MOR) 60 (Qs: 20-15, 33-22, 57-32 & 75-60)

* Group F:

An Nasr (UAE) 89 - Al Nasr (LBA) 78 (Qs: 32-19, 58-43, 75-67 & 89-78)

# Best performance:
- An Nasr:
Amal McCaskill (211-F/C-73, agency: Huss Sport Agency, college: Marquette) (25 pts)
Justin Murray (198-F-81, agency: Tank Sports, college: Washington St.) (20 pts)
Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) (18 pts)
- Al Nasr:
Marwan Abu Gheelah (16 pts)
Abdelhalim Kaw'an (15 pts)
Ilija Zolotic (208-F/C-86) (14 pts)

# Day 10 - 21st Arab Clubs Championship:
- Friday 2/5:
16:30 Zain - Maghreb de Fes
18:30 Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut - Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut - Al Hekmeh Beirut
20:30 Orthodox - Al Kuwait SC

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ARGENTINA

Libertad did it again -by Facundo Iatzky
Libertad Sunchales won the second game of semifinals against Pearol and advantaged 2-0 in the serie. The game was similar to the first one. In the first half both teams played very well in offense but in the third quarter Libertad won 27-11 and the game was over. Laron Profit (196-G/F-77, agency: Octagon, college: Maryland) was outstanding this time.

Libertad (102): Sebastin Ginobili 7, Pablo Moldu 17, Laron Profit 27, Andres Pelussi 17 Robert Battle (200-C-81, college: Drexel) 23 (st); Jorge Benitez 3, Juan Pablo Sartorelli 0 Marcos Saglietti 7. coach: Julio Lamas.

Pearol (79): Sebastian Rodriguez 12, Quincy Wadley (193-G-78, agency: CAA Sports, college: Temple) 24, Juan Manuel Locatelli 6, Jason Osborne 10 Roman Gonzalez 13 (st); Marcos Mata 4, Lucas Picarelli 6, Alejandro Diez 4 Alejandro Konstatd 0. coach: Sergio Hernandez.

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BELGIUM

Division II - Second stage (latest results) -by Bertrand Larsimont

While the very intense Division I season continues and Dexia Mons Hainaut was playing the FIBA EuroCup final last weekend (a memorable moment in Belgian basketball history; see www.fibaeurope.com for more info), the Division II playoffs and playdowns are keeping Belgian basketball fans busy. The second round of the competition continues with Sint-Jan Antwerp of Thomas Van De Vondel (197-F/G-80, agency: Stanley International) and BT Power Liefmans Wevelgem of the second round's top scorer Tom Van de Keere (20.6 ppg so far) leading in Division A; Boom BBC and very experienced guard Paul Bayer (192-G-70) will host coach Fulvio Bastianini's CEP Fleurus next weekend for the top spot in Division B.


Some surprising news also came out two weeks ago when Division II observers learned that Xenia Tours Sint-Truiden of former Belgian Lion Herbert Baert (202-F-75) would most probably not play the last games of the season. The previous week, Sint-Truiden finished the game against the Kangoeroes with only three players on the floor in a 114-66 blowout. (Matthias Desaever led the Kangoeroes with 24 points in that game.)

In Division C playdowns, the final days of competition were not favorable for Royal Alsec Nivelles. On the other hand, BC Ninane finished strong as the team from Province Liege defeated coach Dirk D'Haese's JR Hasselt and West Hoek Zwevezele led by Broderick Bobb (202-C-75, college: Abil.Christian) of the US in the final two rounds.

Results of the final rounds of the Division II second stage were as follows:

Division A
Sint-Jan Antwerp 72:58 BT Power Liefmans Wevelgem

Bent Schoenen Waregem 84:74 BBC Falco Ghent


Bent Schoenen Waregem 73:82 BT Power Liefmans Wevelgem
BBC Falco Ghent 77:71 Sint-Jan Antwerp


Sint-Jan Antwerp 82:63 Bent Schoenen Waregem
BT Power Liefmans Wevelgem 88:69 BBC Falco Ghent


Standings
Sint-Jan Antwerp, 4-1
BT Power Liefmans Wevelgem, 4-1
Bent Schoenen Waregem, 1-4
BBC Falco Ghent 1-4,

Division B
Xenia Tours Sint-Truiden 66:114 BBC Kangoeroes

CEP Fleurus 80:84 Boom BBC

CEP Fleurus 20:0 Xenia Tours Sint-Truiden

Boom BBC 72:68 BBC Kangoeroes


Xenia Tours Sint-Truiden 0:20 Boom BBC

BBC Kangoeroes 89:94 CEP Fleurus

Standings
Boom BBC, 4-1
CEP Fleurus, 4-1
BBC Kangoeroes, 2-3
Xenia Tours Sint-Truiden, 0-5

Division C
Royal Alsec Nivelles 78:106 BC Ninane
De West Hoek Zwevezele 75:93 Jaga Radiators Hasselt


De West Hoek Zwevezele 86:56 Royal Alsec Nivelles
Jaga Radiators Hasselt 75:78 BC Ninane

BC Ninane 82:77 De West Hoek Zwevezele
Royal Alsec Nivelles 70:73 Jaga Radiators Hasselt

Standings
BC Ninane, 4-1
JR Hasselt, 4-1
De West Hoek Zwevezele, 1-4
Royal Alsec Nivelles, 1-4


(Edited by Os Davis)



Sint-Jan and CEP Fleurus in Division II Play-Off Finals! -by Bertrand Larsimont


Division A:

BT Power Liefmans Wevelgem vs. Sint-Jan Antwerp 70-72
Thanks to a last basket by Ward Lemaire (196-F-80), Sint-Jan qualifies for the Division II Play-Off Finals for the second time in a row (against Ghent last year).
Sint-Jan will go to Fleurus on Friday and will host CEPF in Hoboken for the honorific title (no Division II team will join Division I next season) four days later.
Score at the half: 34-37.
Wevelgem: Robeyst 12; S. Naudts 6; Van de Keere 21; Flanders 18; Vandenberghe 3; Guillemyn 10.
Sint-Jan: Gorremans 4; Van Rillaer 12; Lemaire 7; Van Schil 15; T. Van de Vondel 16; Dekkers 4; Verrept 5; Ceyssens 9.

Falco Ghent vs. Bent Schoenen Waregem 97-84
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 27-25, 55-51, 79-65 and 97-84.
Falco: Vanderkimpen 9; T. Foucart 12; Breca 7; De Schepper 29; J. Van de Vondel 9; Selhorst 5; Seghers 4; Brysse 6; Huyghe 16.
Waregem: Van Vooren 5; De Leersnijder 5; Steinbach 15; Colpaert 6; Verdickt 8; De Wilde 14; Cleymans 13; Fiers 18.

Division B:

BBC Boom vs. CEP Fleurus 59-64
The men of Coach Fulvio Bastianini will play for the Division II title and will host Sint-Jan in Bonsecours on Friday, May 2nd at 20:30 for the first leg of the Play-Off Finals. The second leg (return game) will take place in Hoboken next Tuesday. The champion will be the winner in aggregate after both legs.
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 18-16, 33-25, 46-50 and 59-64.
Boom: Van Wert 3; Bayer 11; Lambreghts 15; Salden 19; Leten 4; Van den Eynde 7.
Fleurus: Vanesse 4; Tison 2; Moris 15; Jadin 13; Rozewicz 18; Buja 1; Semijejero 4; Pourtoit 7.

BBC Kangoeroes vs. Xenia Tours Sint-Truiden 20-0
The Canaries of Sint-Truiden did not show up.

Division C:

BC Ninane vs. Royal Alsec Nivelles 73-71
This close loss by Nivelles means the last rank in Group C for the visitors.

Jaga Radiators Hasselt vs. De West-Hoek Zwevezele 87-76
Thanks to this win, Hasselt finishes first in Group C.
Quarter by quarter score evolution: 24-15, 39-34, 66-59 and 87-76.
Hasselt: Geysen 14; Hendrix 14; Sterk 10; Van Poelgeest 12; Koonings 4; Vanhove 24; Maes 3; Gijbels 3.
Best scorers for Zwevezele: Bobb 21; Tandt 15 and Bourdeaux 18.

Standings

Division A

Sint-Jan Antwerp 5-1
Wevelgem 4-2
Falco Ghent 2-4
Waregem 1-5

Division B

CEP Fleurus 5-1
BBC Boom 4-2
Kangoeroes Willebroek 3-3
Xenia Sint-Truiden 0-6

Division C

JR Hasselt 5-1
BC Ninane 5-1
West Hoek Zwevezele 1-5
RA Nivelles 1-5



Tom Van de Keere from Wevelgem to Kangoeroes -by Bertrand Larsimont

It is now official, Tom Van de Keere (201-G/F-78, college: Fairleigh Dickinson) will play for Kangoeroes Willebroek of Coach Paul Vervaeck next season. According to a press release from the BT Power Wevelgem staff, Tom Van de Keere will leave the club where he spent 8 seasons and will join Kangoeroes, another Division II club with great ambitions. Tom Van de Keere and BBC Kangoeroes reached agreement for one season. After some college experience in the USA, Tom Van de Keere arrived with his brother Wim in Wevelgem in 2000. He played for Wevelgem in Division I and had an average of 7.8 ppg and 2.5 rpg. In 2007-08 (Division II), he finished the season with 19.1 ppg and 7.5 rpg.

The official press release also mentions that despite losing former team captain Van de Keere, BT Power Wevelgem will try to replace him (under budget), go on with its youth policy and would like to offer more new opportunities for young players to take part into the 2008-09 Division II season.

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BOSNIA

Mladost MG, Vitez and Novi Grad new members of Bosnian Division One -by Elvir Halilovic
Novi Grad Atal Sarajevo, Vitez and Mladost Mrkonjic Grad are new Champions of Bosnian Lower Divisions and new members of Bosnian Division One in next season.
In A1 League of HB, two weeks before end the Champion is Vitez. They had only one missed game till now and with 15 win already have title in their hands. This is best results for this club which founded 1966.
In A1 League of BiH champions title goes to Sarajevo, for Novi Grad Atal (20-2). They was runing dead race with Cazin Limometal which was ended four round before end of season (Novi Grad win in game against Cazin and make two win more).
Mladost Mrkonjic Grad had hardest road to Division One. After regular season they was first in First League of RS, with 19 win and 3 lose game (both against Radnik and one against Glasinac). For loses games Mladost was revenge in Final of Play-Off, which was get with 2-0 against Radnik (87:69 and 74:90). Before that, they was better than Varda HE with 2-1.
Radnik, together with five other teams, have second chance for the best Bosnian Division. Next season in Bosnian Division One will be 14 teams, one more than this season. That place belongs to best team from qualifying round (which playing three last placement teams from this season in Division One Capljina, Leotar and Vogosca MIMS, and second placed teams from lower divisions Radnik, Cazin Limometal and Mostar).

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BRAZIL

(Video) So Paulo and New York: partners in hoops -by Gustavo Cardoso


(Video) So Paulo and New York: partners in hoops -by Gustavo Cardoso


(Video) So Paulo and New York: partners in hoops -by Gustavo Cardoso


(Video) So Paulo and New York: partners in hoops -by Gustavo Cardoso


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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Guns Fahie says East, Young Legs are the teams to beat -by David Edole
As the 2008 BVI Basketball Federation league prepares to open, more and more talk is being generated on who will win the championship this season, particularly in the senior divison.

The Guns in particular has generated the most interest because of the players they have picked up during the off season.

Andrew Fahieperhaps the most high profiled coach because hes also the Minister of Sportshas been coaching long before entering politics and has produced teams that have had stellar regular seasons only to flop in the playoff.

Entering this season as well, Fahie can take solace in the fact that he does have a championship under his belt as his long suffering West End Warriors are the BVI Softball Associations reigning champs after years of futility.

Could the new additions be the catalysts that put the Guns on top?

I see it helping us, Fahie said. But I still dont have us at the team to beat. The team to beat is still the East. They are the champions and Young Legs are a former champion. What we have done is try to put a team together to get past the playoffs.

Fahie recalled that his squads have had problems in the playoffs and one of his team made it to the championships in the past but were cut short from winning that coveted tile.

We are known to be a good regular season team, he said. We have put a team together that should beat the teams that everyone should be watching, which is the East and Young Legs.

What does he see now as the strength of the team with the additions? Fahie said he sees veteran leadership, in terms of court leadership. He said that is something they have lacked during close gamesespecially in the playoff.

I think thats what we have added, Fahie stated. We realize that its not automatic and we have to fight very hard. East has gotten stronger and Young Legs has gotten stronger also, so we added some leadership on and off the court.

The league opens on Saturday, May 10.

LeSean Moses honing his basketball skills at UVI -by David Edole
When LeSean Moses registered as a University of the Virgin Islands student in the spring of 2006, he went to look for coach Sean Georges and told him he wanted to play basketball for the Bucs. Georges told him everyone has to tryout which he did, but could not play, because freshmen arent allowed to according to league rules.

Moses was allowed to practice with the team and this past season made the cut. While he has not had lots of playing time, he made the best of the time he had in whatever role hes called on to play.

In a Bucs game against Caribbean, with an 83-80 lead after several starters fouled out and four players on the court had foul trouble, Moses who was in the game earlier, was called up on to step to the line. He made a valuable contribution to the Bucs, as his free throws gave them their first victory of the season, 85-80 as time ran out on Caribbean.

Im very proud or Moses. He really stepped up, Georges said. It was a growing point for the guys. In past situations, something like that would happen and wed normally lose the game.

Moses said that was the highlight of the season.

We really didnt have any highlights at that point. A lot of people called and they tapped me up at the gym, he recalled. Ive changed from playing a power forward role on Tortola to the guard position, so I had to get more accustomed to dribbling the ball. Ive gotten more accustomed to the outside game, so the role is coming to me.

Moses says he likes playing with the Bucs and said the atmosphere is like a family and he gived it his all.

Im a Buccaneer to the ground, the computer science major said. When I came down I came to the team and said I would stay two years then transfer, but I said nah. Im going to remain a Buccaneer for four years until I get my Masters.

Before matriculating at UVI, Moses played with And One and said its a big difference in games. At home he knew everyone and what they could do. With UVI, hes meeting players for the very first time.

You dont know the strong points of the players so you go in with a blank slate, until you get in a game and see what they can do, he pointed out. You see somebody at 62, thats the average height for a guard. You know he can dribble the ball and shoot treys, but you play him hard. If you have a bigger man you adjust your game accordingly.

In preparing for games with the Bucs, there was a big difference tan what he was accustomed to. There was a lot of running, fast break drills, plays, free throw and defensive drills. Practices run between 2-2 hours.

Its a lot different to training here. Up here, you run two courts laps, do some stretches then get into practicing, he explained. During the off season, I worked in the gym, run some miles on the treadmill. We also ran on the beach in the loose sand and in the water.

What advice does he have for young players aspiring to play collegiate ball?

You cant forget your school work. To play on a college team you have to get the work done, he noted. At UVI, you must have a minimum 2.25 GPA in order to play. So, you cant forget the schoolwork while in school. If you are playing basketball, you are on the team for a reason because you love the sport. If you dont love the sport, you dont belong there, he noted. When you are on the team, you have a role. You cant play around with it or take it for granted because theres no guarantee youll be on the team next year. You play hard this year, to try and be safe for next year.

By DEAN GREENAWAY, BVI News Senior Sports Correspondent 01.MAY.08

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CAMEROON

National University Games -by Gilles Bouwe
The national university games took place at Douala from the 19 to the 26 of March 2008.With all the universities of the country and several high schools. This is the standing at the end.
1- UNIVERSITY of Yaounde II
2-University of Douala
3-IAI
BANGA of IAI was the best scorer of the tournament and MBIDA of Yaounde II was elected MVP of the tournament.
The university of Yaounde I was disqualified for the final because they have put a non student on their roster.

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CUBA

Cubans Abroad -by Alessandro Fontana
CUBANS ABROAD
In Puerto Rico, Indios de Mayaguez were defeated by Capitanes de Arecibo= 80-93, Angel Caballero (192-G-70, agency: Paris Global Sports) did not play. Caballero played in this BSN 2008 26 games with 10.1 ppg and 6.8 rpg.
Brujos de Guayama, the team of Roberto Carlos Herrera (190-G-74, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Hartnell JC), was defeated by Criollos de Caguas 83-72. For 'El Habanero' 12 minutes (0/1 2pts) and 1 assist.
In Argentina, Obras Buenos Aires, the team of Lazaro Borrell (202-F-72, agency: Interperformances), reached the Semifinals of the Liga Argentina. They qualified for the Semifinals after defeating Boca Juniors (3-1). In the fourth game against Boca Juniors, the MVP was 'Our Cuban' Lazaro Borrell with 20 points and a great intensity and defense in the painting area.
Obras will play now the Semifinals Series against Quimsa and with so a geat Lazaro, they can really dream and conquer the Liga.
A. Fontana

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EUROLEAGUE

Madrid-all is set for the Final Four -by Eurobasket News
May 2nd will be a start of 2008 Euroleague Basketball Final Four. CSKA, Montepaschi Siena, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Tau Ceramica are ready to fight for the gold.
Montepaschi Siena became the first team to advance to the Euroleague Final Four as Italians swept the series over Fenerbahce . Ksystof Lavrinovic (210-C-79) and Bootsy Thornton (194-G-77, college: St.John's) led the winners with 18 points. Terrell McIntyre netted 16 points and Romain Sato collected 13 points and 8 rebounds. Omer Asik ended up with 12 points in the losing clause. Montepaschi Siena came to Turkey with 1-0 in the series and did not desire to come back to Italy for another game. Terrell McIntyre's basket made it 2:9 in the opening tip of the game. With another 0-9 run Siena finished the quarter at 15:25. A comeback from the hosts saw the game within three points at the half. At first Damir Mrsic cut the gap to 28:33 and then Fenerbahce had closed the deficit to 34:37. It seemed that Fenerbahce would benefit from the game, however Montepaschi Siena had another opinion. Italians capped a 0-16 run for 36:51. At that time the game was over. Thomas Ress layup that ended the third quarter at 45:62. Nothing had changed in the last period as Turkish side could not stay closer.
Maccabi Tel-Aviv was the fourth team, which booked the ticket to the Euroleague Final Four. In the 3rd quarterfinal game, they defeated CF Barcelona 88:75 in Nokia Arena in Tel-Aviv and ended the series 2-1. The real heroes was bench duo Will Bynum (180-G-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgia Tech) and David Bluthentha, who scored more points than entire starting five combine.
CSKA Moscow will take on Spanish representative that expect local support, Tau. CSKA Moscow needed three games over Olympiacos Piraeus not to spoil the season. In the decisive third game Russian squad was stronger 81:56. The winners were in control for the entire game and thanks to 5000 spectators won the home game after the loss from Greek team in the opener. Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) led CSKA with 24 points. Matjaz Smodis netted 13 and Theodoros Papaloukas added 12. Panagotis Vasilopoulos scored 17 points for Olympiacos. CSKA had to prove the ambitions for the winning the title and could not stop in that stage. Matjaz Smodis with a three gave the hosts 14:9 in the opening tip. Lynn Greer limited the damage to 22:16. The second period belonged to the Russian team that started to increase the lead. With 19:13 in it CSKA had 41:29 at the half time.
Panagotis Vasilopoulos triples brought Olympiacos Piraeus back to the game in the third for 50:41. The guests remained in the game even after 53:46 and all of us expected an intrigue in the end. CSKA used some good moments to spurt for 11 points advantage after 30 minutes of the game.Having a tough defense in the last period CSKA allowed Greek side to score only 6 points in the quarter. Russian team posted 20 points for 81:56 win and a ticket to Final Four.
Spanish Tau Ceramica deserved a place in Euroleague Final Four in the decisive game over Partizan Igokea. Tau were too good in the second half and led to 85:68 advantage to make the score 2-1 in the series. Pete Mickeal (198-F-78, college: Cincinnati) paced the winners with 19 points. Tiago Splitter (211-C/F-85, agency: Interperformances) collected 18 points and 9 rebounds, while Igor Rakocevic nailed 15. Uros Tripkovic finished the night with 16 points for Serbian squad. After a loss in the second game in Serbia Tau still had a home court advantage and better chances to advance. Partizan did not take it too serious and won the opening tip 7:14. A pair of free throws by Pekovic closed the first quarter with Partizan leading 16:19. It was the last lead for the guests as TAU grabbed the way to control the game Vranes made it 23:19. Pablo Prigioni and Tiago Splitter increased to 38:29 entering the last minute of the first half. Milt Palacio was the last to score in the second quarter making the margin at 38:32.In the third quarter Partizan stayed tough and trailed 5-7 points. Before the last 10 minutes of the game the guests were behind, 60:53. To make the things better in the game Pete Mickeal brings the hosts for 65:56. Pablo Prigioni sank 2 free throws for a 72:57 advantage and the game was over at that time. The guests came within 79:66 but they could not take Tau's spot in the Final Four. Spanish squad led the game to 85:68 and advanced with 2-1 in the series.

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FRANCE

Batum on Draft -by Umberto Scogni
The young French starlet Nicolas Batum (201-F-88) declared that; he will enter the draft in this year. Player stated that; it will be difficult; but he will push for doing the best. He seems confident to be drafted; and declared the most important issue is not to sit in the bench. As it seems; he made his decision in March; but wait till then to declare it. As to the authorities; Batum's stocik is not as up as the last year; but he is still expected to be a lottery pick.

Pro A Days 27 + 28: Le Mans digs the gap -by Chris Spiesser
Two ProA days took place this week. Le Mans made a big step to the first spot, Hyeres-Toulon secured its first ever playoff ticket, Strasbourg is collapsing and the relegation battle remains highly confused.

On top of the league, Le Mans struggled to grab two wins in Paris and against Vichy as they lost 43 balls. But with one more win (@Strasbourg or against Dijon), the westerners will secure home court advantage for the play-offs.
Behind the leader, Nancy, ASVEL and Roanne are competing for the second spot. Nancy defeated the ASVEL last friday with a brilliant Amagou (15pts, 3rbs, 6ass), a result that put those three teams tie at the second place. Roanne is finding a more defensive way to play with less accuracy and the integration of Kone and Byars. But it works, the ligerians remain on a 3 wins streak.
Just behind this group of three is Le Havre, in embush, looking for its best rank ever. The STB, its group of underdog players and its druid looking coach is on an incredible 7 wins streak with a +14.71pts differential! Over its two last victories, Ali Traore netted 45pts (21/26!) increased by 11 rebounds.
Behind those teams Vichy and Toulon will play the post-season. The azureans grabbed this ticket thanks to their 5-2 trend. Driven by Daniel Horton (15.1ppg, 5.7apg), they found a new equilibrium that reveals a devasting offensive power (191pts over the two last days). Alexis Ajinca's increasing presency is also a strong fact, the long man compelled 32pts and 15rbs against Gravelines and Pau.
Cholet should be the last play-off participant and can still hope to win all 2007/2008 competitions (As, Cup, PO). De Colo's injury is harming the team as well as the tremendous french cup adventure but the reds preserve 2 wins more then the teams at place 9.
A huge gap that is surprisingly concerning Strasbourg. The SIG is totally elsewhere (1-9 trend) and will miss the PO for the first time in five years. Despite McCord and Lewin's efforts, the alsatians are missing a go-to-guy and constancy since the beggining of the year and will soon be on holidays. In Pau, coach Mopsus said that his team is playing smoother since they could have reached the PO and their loss against Toulon should drive them out of the postseason.
Orleans, Chalon and Dijon are also nesteled at place 9 and can expect a quiet season ending. Orleans ratified its ProA ticket in Strasbourg with a brilliant Aldo Curti (15pts, 3rbs, 3stl) and a shortened roster after Heath having been waived. Dijon validated it in... Orleans on the shoulder of its swiss knife, Damir Krupalija: 23pts, 13rbs, 4ass, 3stl and 35rkg points. Chalon is mathematically safe after a difficult year and a win in Gravelines thanks to Darrell Mitchell, his 24pts (4/4 3pts), 5rbs and 7ass. Despite that 12th victory, the burgundians could be in trouble with the Kone's case (see April, 21st news).
Gravelines and Paris will fight to avoid place 15. The nordists fell from their good trend with those two losses that reveal a deeply rooted defensive problem (81.21papg, 16th). Nevertheless, we can underline Schmitt (17pts 100%, 4rbs, 2ass, 3stl vs Toulon) and Dubiez (26pts 10/15, 5rbs, 5ass, 3stl vs Chalon)'s performances. Paris is still competing to be the only capital town in the world with no team enrolled in the country main sport's first divisions. But if the PSG seems to recover a bit before playing a crucial game in Toulouse, the Paris-Levallois couldn't overcome Le Mans and Roanne. The task was hard and gaps tiny but the PL is missing a leader, someone that could put some crazyness in the game, a player like... Milisavljic? An eye on the calendar gives no clear advice, Gravelines will play twice on the road (@Pau, @Orleans) while Paris will welcome the ASVEL and visit Cholet. But Gravelines' one win advantage could be the key point, waiting for a precise way out in the Kone / Chalon case. This unnecessary affair could give birth to typical french juridical postseason. Wait and see.
Clermont is officially in ProB since a few weeks, released Joe Johson to spare some money and gets kicked. Tony Skinn is the only one to have fun: 43pts and 10rbs over the two last spankings.

Standings - ProB
ProB Standings
 1. Bourg 23-9 
 2. Rouen 21-11 
 3. Poitiers 20-12 
 4. Limoges 20-12 
 5. Nantes 18-14 
 6. Saint-Etienne 18-14 
 7. Nanterre 18-14 
 8. Brest 17-15 
 9. Maurienne 17-15 
 10. Besancon 17-15 
 11. Evreux 16-16 
 12. Boulazac 14-18 
 13. Quimper 14-18 
 14. Le Portel 13-19 
 15. St.Quentin 13-19 
 16. St.Vallier 12-20 
 17. Chalons 11-21 
 18. Reims 6-26 


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GERMANY

Standings - 1. Bundesliga
1.Bundesliga Standings
1. Berlin 52-14
2. Leverkusen 48-18
3. Art.Dragons 48-18
4. Bamberg 46-20
5. Frankfurt 42-24
6. Bonn 42-24
7. Oldenburg 42-24
8. Bremerhaven 36-30
9. Braunschweig 34-32
10. Ludwigsburg 30-36
11. Ulm 30-36
12. Koeln 30-36
13. Paderborn 30-36
14. Goettingen 24-42
15. Tuebingen 20-46
16. Giessen 18-48
17. Trier 12-54
18. Jena 10-56


Standings - Regionalliga
Regionalliga Standings
North Group
1. Osnabrueck 40-4
2. Hannover 38-6
3. Bernau 28-16
4. Wedel 24-20
5. Magdeburg 24-20
6. Itzehoe 18-26
7. Berlin 18-26
8. Oldenburg 18-26
9. MBC II 16-28
10. Wolfenbuettel 14-30
11. Aschersleben 14-30
12. Rostock 12-32
South-East Group
1. Muenchen 50-2
2. Landshut 48-4
3. Wuerzburg 38-14
4. Gotha 34-18
5. Baunach 34-18
6. Weiden 26-26
7. Landsberg 26-26
8. Dachau 26-26
9. Dresden 20-32
10. Leitershofen 18-34
11. Zwickau 14-38
12. B'guessbach II 14-38
13. Rattelsdorf 10-42
14. Jena II 6-46
South-West Group
1. Mainz 46-6
2. Schwenningen 42-10
3. Weissenhorn 40-12
4. Konstanz 28-24
5. Kronberg 28-24
6. Treis-Karden 28-24
7. HD-Kirchheim 26-26
8. Giessen 26-26
9. Stuttgart 22-30
10. Rastatt 22-30
11. Goeppingen 20-32
12. Trier 16-36
13. Gruenberg 14-38
14. Lich II 6-46
West Group
1. Dortmund 44-8
2. Grevenbroich 42-10
3. Schwelm 42-10
4. Bochum 32-20
5. Salzkotten 30-22
6. Wulfen 30-22
7. BBV Hagen 26-26
8. M'gladbach 26-26
9. BG Hagen 24-28
10. Waltrop 22-30
11. Leverkusen II 20-32
12. Bergheim 14-38
13. Capone D. 12-40
14. Meckenheim 0-52


Per Guenther to play for Ulm -by Moritz Korff
The German U20-National Team Player Per Guenther (187-G-88, agency: Rasmussen Services) will leave Phoenix Hagen of the 2. Bundesliga Pro A and is going to join ratiopharm Ulm (1. Bundesliga) for the 2008-2009 season. The 20-year-old Point Guard was named the 2007-2008 Eurobasket.com All-2. Bundesliga Pro A Domestic Player of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year. He also received All-League 2nd Team-honors. Guenther averaged 14.5 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 29 appearances for Hagen during this past season.

Matkevicius-family stays in Cuxhaven -by Moritz Korff
Vilmantas Matkevicius, Head Coach of the Cuxhaven BasCats (2. Bundesliga Pro A), signed a contract extension through the 2009-2010 season. The same did his son and Assistant Benas Matkevicius.
Matkevicius senior, who came to Cuxhaven in 1996, and his son led the BasCats to the second place in the league and to the quarterfinal of the German Cup. Though finishing the season on a spot which qualified the team for promotion to the 1. Bundesliga, the club-officials decided to stay in the second division.

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HUNGARY

The play-offs started -by Tamas Deri

In Szekesfehervar the fans of the home team did not really like the performance of the referees, so they had the leave the arena with the help of the security guards. Even there was a close game for three quarters, but the guests had one amazing 15-5 run in the last ten minutes and could win the game. Key of their victory was the better shooting performance, scored the field goals with 56%, the home team only with 47%. Player of the game was Nile Murry, the american guard scored 22 points (5/5 3pointers)!

The winner of the regular season, FALCO KC could not win as easily as excepted againts the 8th place team of Nyiregyhaza. After 20 minutes the home team was up only by 7 points, but leaded by Kalman scored 26 points and Kazlauskas 28 points, 6 threes! could even won the second half and the game.

In Pecs the all-in-one team of the last season had a very big chance to win and make a big step into the quarterfinals. The guests were up by 1 point 69-68 - in the 33rd minute, when the home team made one amazing 12-0 run and decided the game. There was one other very interesting moment during the game: the head coach of the home team and our national team Stojan Ivkovic got closed out after two technicals int he 27th minute of the game.

In Dombovar 1.700 fans could see a very exciting sold out game. Mike English who had 11 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists - decided to take the last shoot, but missed it, so Krmend could win by 2 points. The home team played still without Julien Mills, the best scorer of the league arrived back to Hungary two days ago and could not step on the court. It was a very tied game, only Krmend could make a 19-5 run int he second quarter. Key players of the guests were Jermaine Thomas (187-G-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: La Salle), who scored 25 points and Kenneth Henderson (201-F-82, college: Texas Arlington), he had 12 points and 9 rebounds in 15 minutes ont he court.


ALBACOMP - ATOMERŐMŰ SE 77-86
(20-20, 22-24, 17-18, 18-24)
Szekesfehervar, Att.: 2700, Referees: Vigh P., Bodnar P., Kapitany G.
ALBACOMP: Balazs SIMON 19/6, Bradford 10/6, Radovic 5, Chad McClendon (199-F-73, college: Appalachian St.) 12, Zoltan Bencze (213-C-81) 15, Adam Hanga (200-G/F-89, agency: FCM) 7/3, Boozer 5, Dvid G. 4, Sos, Coach: Peresztegi-Nagy Akos
ASE: Zalan Meszaros (190-G-74) 11/3, Nile Murry (193-G-83, college: TCU) 22/15, Toroman 3/3, Horvath 9, Robert Gulyas (213-C-74) 16/3, Greg Stevenson (198-F-78, agency: SportsTalent, college: Richmond) 12, Brooks 7, Kiss Z. 6/6, Panta, Coach: Sabali Balazs
Series: 0-1


PVSK-EXPO CENTER PECS - SZOLNOKI OLAJ KK 85-75
(16-16, 24-20, 24-27, 21-12)
Pecs, Att.: 1800, Referees: Hartyni, Bognr, Farkas
PVSK: Jovanovic, Williams 10, Gabor Denes (197-F-82) 16/12, Peter Grebenar (211-C-81) 8, Lapov 14/6, Kutasi 7/3, Dragan Aleksic (196-G-70, agency: Beo Basket) 18/6, Toth N. 6, Laszlo Czigler (215-C-71) 6, Hosszu, Coach: Stojan Ivkovic
SZOLNOK: Thomas Kelley (188-G-76, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Michigan St.) 27/3, Cziczas 6/6, Vernard Hollins (192-G-80, agency: Warren Sports, college: Wright St.) 21/3, Sabaliauskas 3/3, Gobi 2, Andrius Jurkunas (205-F-76, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services, college: Clemson) 9/3, Harazin 7, Coach: Por Peter
Series: 1-0


FALCO KC SZOMBATHELY - MARSO VAGEP NYKK 107-93
(27-27, 33-26, 23-19, 24-21)
Szombathely, Att.: 2500, Referees: Palla, Benczur, Torok
FALCO: Laszlo Kalman (186-G-72, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 26/3, Doyne 13/3, Ciric 18/6, Arnas Kazlauskas (204-C/F-76, agency: Court Side) 28/18, Nikola Aliakseyeu (212-C-78, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents, college: Buffalo) 13/3, Pankar 3/3, Feigl, Borszeki 6, Coach: Srecko Sekulovic
NYIREGYHAZA: Savic 16/9, Buchanan 5/3, Ross Mouton (201-G/F-85, college: La-Lafayette) 24/6, Erno Sitku (208-C-72, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 20/3, Trepak 5/3, Srdjan Helbich (205-F/C-76) 16/3, Siska 5/3, Krasznai 2, Coac: Deri Csaba
Series: 1-0


PLANET LEASING DOMBOVAR KC - POLAROID LAMI-VED-KORMEND 68-70
(18-15, 8-21, 25-16, 17-18)
Dombovar, Att.: 1700, Referees: Adam, Forrai, Hegedus
DOMBOVAR: Dek 9/9, Balogh L. 4, Sanders 10, English 11, Du Juan Wiley (206-C-75, college: Michigan St.) 23/9, Molnr M., Simon 11/6, Bodi, Coach: Dzunic Branislav
KORMEND: Fodor M. 6, Jermaine Thomas 25/6, Ferencz 5/3, Ocitti 11/3, Kenneth Henderson 12, Vavra 9, Trummer 2, Kocsis, Coach: Dragoljub Krivacevic
Series: 0-1



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IBL

Steelheads guard charged with Nine Felonies -by John Gary
courtesyoursportscentral.com Gary Steelheads guard DeAnthony Bowden, was one of two men charged wednesday with nine felonies for allegedly breaking into the home of his childs mother and beating up her current boyfriend according to a probable cause affidavit. Bowden 27,of Hammond, faces three counts of felony criminal confinement and one count each of bulgary,intimadation battery,pointing a firearm and residental entry for the april 29th incident records show. GARY RESIDENT Quincy Taylor,27,was also charged with the same nine felonies records show. THE TWO MEN BROKE INTO THE WOMANS HOME THROUGH A WINDOW, HAMMOND POLICE said.

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ITALY

First Serie A Season Awards Given -by Gianni Pascucci
The Serie A league announced that Matteo Boniciolli has been awarded as the Coach of the Year for the 2007-08, thanks to guiding underrated team Air Avellino to an unexpected third place at the end of the Regular Season and to winning the Tim Italy Cup 2008. As it was expected, Danilo Gallinari (202-G-88, agency: Players Group) has been named the season MVP and the Best Under 22 player of the league. Danilo performed till now for 17.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2 spg and 1.3 apg in Serie A and 14.9 ppg and 4.2 rpg in Euroleague, 1 and is expected to make better in the playoffs with his Armani Jeans Milano. For the second time in a row, Ferdinando Minucci has been named Executive of the Year. No surprise at all, because the succcessful season of Montepaschi Siena is a consequence of the great job of this man.

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JORDAN

Zain, Orthodox: another games, another victories -by Eurobasket News
Zain and Orthodox both celebrated another victories in 21st Arab Clubs Championship. The win of the first team was a great event in the country as the hosts beat the defending champions of the tournament.
Zain looked a bit stressful in the beginning of the game as Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut took 23:26 lead. The latter controlled the first half and finished it with 56:51 advantage. Zain replied with 5 points victory in the third quarter as both squads were tied at 77. A final spurt lifted up the hosts to the win over Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut and remained them undefeated in the tournament with 102:95. Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) led the winners with 28 points. Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) scored 21 and John III Thomas added 19. Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) produced 32 points in the losing clause.
Orthodox beat An Nasr from UAE 100:84. The hosts dominated the court and never let the spectators think of another result, but positive. They opened the game with 27:21 following 46:39 into the second half. Rob Anderson (196-G/F-79, college: George Mason) paced the winners with 25 points. Wesam Sous (181-G-83) and Ayman Idais (205-C-78, agency: Court Side) scored 22 points apiece. An Nasr was led by Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) 's 24 points.

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KAZAKHSTAN

Tigers taste Gold -by Eurobasket News
Tigers celebrated the win in the Final series over Almaty after fourth game between the teams. After 1-1 in the series Tigers won the third game to take 2-0 lead after 84:76. Raheim Brown (208-F-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Florida Atlantic) showed a good game for the winners, while Zaykin Aleksandr shined in the losing effort. The first quarter ended up at 18:17 and then Tigers increased to 43:40. When the spectators saw 72:59 after the third quarter it became clear that the hosts would not fail in the game.
In the fourth game and as it became clear last, Tigers trailed 19:20 after the opening quarter. They however answered with some good lay-ups for 41:38 at the half time and then spurted to 63:51. Almaty created a 10-0 run and reduced to 73:69. The game heard the last whistle with 76:69 when Justin Bailey (188-G-77, college: Hartford) held the ball until the end of the period. Tigers tasted national Gold and triumphed in the series.
In the series for the third spot Tobol was stronger than TSM Kapshagay in three games. The latter decided to play the games without the foreigners giving more time and opportunities for the junior players. Tobol did not experience with the roster and grabbed the win. The scores of the games are the following: 108:84, 100:65, 100:75.

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KUWAIT

Doha did not allow Al Qadsia win in GCC -by Eurobasket News
Al Qadsia finished second in GCC tournament being upset in the Final by Al Arabi Club in an action packed final at Al-Garaffa Stadium in Doha 76:80. Al Arabi started off very strong, racing to an early 8 point lead (16-8) behind the strong play of Mohammed Salah, who had 11 points in the first 6 minutes of the first quarter. He finished the game with 13 pts, 5 reb and 2 blk, and had a very big defensive game alongside Hashem Zaidan (211-C-80) (8 pts and 8 reb), as they took turns holding Al Qadsia's big man J Williams, who went off for 35 pts and 20 reb in the semis, to just 16 points and 8 rebounds. Lamar Grimes (182-G-83, college: Indiana St.) led the offensive charge for Al-Arabi. Going into the 4th quarter though, Grimes only had 13 pts, 6 ast and 7 rebounds and Al Arabi were down by 4, but when the game was on the line, he stepped up to lead his team to victory, finishing the game one rebound short of a triple-double as he recorded 20 pts, 10 ast, and 9 rebounds. He started off the 4th quarter charge with a crucial 3 pointer that cut the Al Qadsia's lead to 1. Then he grabbed 2 offensive rebounds which resulted in Mohammed Al Derazi treys that put Al Arabi up for good. Grimes then iced the game by hitting 4 crucial free-throws in the dying moments of the game to make sure that there would be no last second heroics on the Al Qadsia side. Baker Ahmad Mohammed (198-F-86) played his heart out adding 13 pts, 7ast and 8 reb, while Al Derazi finished the game with 20 points, hitting some important shots down the stretch.

Group F saw another win of Al Kuwait SC that remains undefeated in 21st Arab Clubs Championship. Al Kuwait SC overcame Al Nasr 103:77 with however a tough opening. Al Nasr struggled a lot and trailed only 18:16 after the opening quarter. When the board showed 46:32 the game was almost over and Al Kuwait SC benefit from the campaign. Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) led the winners with 34 points and 5 steals. Ira Clark (203-F/C-75, college: Texas) supported him with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Al Nasr was paced by Khlaed Mohammad's 18 points and Salem Za'toot's 15.

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LEBANON

Tebnine 1-0 ENB / Antonins 0-2 Kahraba -by Rony Daccache
In the first game, Tebnine easily won against ENB, with a score of 73-60. The competition was not at its highest during this game, since Tebnine players were clearly underestimating their rivals most of the time. However, ENB players arduously tried to reduce the difference, especially the bench players whose performance was remarkable, contrary to those of Tebnine, who couldnt maintain the high difference. The second game is scheduled for tonight at Michel El Murr Stadium, at 20:00.

From the other side, Kahraba made again another miracle, beating Antonines by 2 points, and coming close to the finals. Offensively, both teams were highly tensed and did not score many points. Kahraba suffered from the absence of George Rizk, who got injured during the last game, but this wasn't an obstacle for the victory. In the 3rd and 4th quarter, Patrick Saba succeeded in organizing the team and Souhail Doumit prevented Antonines players from reaching the basket, through his accurate block shots. As for Antonines team, most of the players were not into the game, particularly Anis Feghali who was subject to high pressure defense, which prevented him from leading his team. Finally, as usual, experienced players have their final say. Mark Kozah succeeded in scoring the four winning points for his team during the last 40 seconds of the game.

It is worthy to mention that Dr. Robert Abi Abdallah and the Secretary General of FLB, Fares Medawar, are the only members of FLB regularly attending the 2nd division games. Yesterday, most coaches and trainers were attending, in addition to the members of Kahraba management looking forward to break through the 1st division.

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LIBYA

Al Kuwait SC and An Nasr upset Al Nasr -by Eurobasket News
Group F saw another win of Al Kuwait SC that remains undefeated in 21st Arab Clubs Championship. Al Kuwait SC overcame Al Nasr 103:77 with however a tough opening. Al Nasr struggled a lot and trailed only 18:16 after the opening quarter. When the board showed 46:32 the game was almost over and Al Kuwait SC benefit from the campaign. Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson) led the winners with 34 points and 5 steals. Ira Clark (203-F/C-75, college: Texas) supported him with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Al Nasr was paced by Khlaed Mohammad's 18 points and Salem Za'toot's 15.
Tonight Al Nasr was beaten by An Nasr from UAE 78:89. The latter opened the game in an offensive style taking 32:19 from the early beginning. UAE squad held 58:43 as the teams disappeared in the lockers. Al Nasr tried to recover in the second half but could not tie the game. Amal McCaskill (211-F/C-73, agency: Huss Sport Agency, college: Marquette) led the winners with 25 points. Justin Murray nailed 20 and Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) posted 18. Marwan Abu Gheelah ended up with 16 points in the losing effort. Abdelhalim Kaw'an scored 15, while Ilija Zolotic had 14.

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LUXEMBOURG

Etzella loses again! Amicale gets past Musel Pikes to take over 3rd place! Sparta showing consistency, balance and depth earning top spot! -by Alex Meyers
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Contern 88 - Etzella 87

Etzella has lost now four of its last five title group games. The last several without injured guard Jairo Delgado who brings defense, scoring and athleticism. Former Etzella playmaker Gilles Becker, besides going 0 for 5 from downtown, had a good game against his former teammates. Becker score 19 points on 7/8 shooting from inside the three point line, 5/6 from the charity stripe, dished for 8 assists and grabbed four rebounds. But most importantly, Becker and his teammates consistently found Yves Braun open at the three point line where he nailed 6 of 10, winding up with a team high 22. Braun hit his biggest three at the buzzer for the win. Eric Bissener added 13 points and Eric Jeitz along with Dave Mallon added 10 points each. Mallon also contributed 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Etzella's Marcus Kennedy (193-F-84, college: Montevallo) led all scorers in the contest with 31 points while tearing down 10 boards. Nelson DelGado had 21 and Tim Giver 19 for Etzella. Noone else from Etzella reached double figures. Etzella lost the game during the third quarter where Contern dominated on home turf out-scoring Etzella 13-28. Etzella made a marvelous comeback in the fourth but Contern played smart enough down the home stretch, hanging on for the thrilling one point victory behind some Braun heroism. Bench scoring was a key factor where Contern won the stat category 14-4.

With the loss, Etzella drops to second place in the DBBL giving way to the defending Champs Sparta who take over the top spot. Both teams have identical 19-7 records. However, in their first playoff meeting in Bertrange. Sparta thumped Etzella hard 89-75. So, in the DBBL standings, Sparta has 29.5 points compared to Etzella's 28.5. The big showdown for the top seed going into final four will be on Sunday, April 20th at 5:15 in Ettelbruck. Etzella vs. Sparta! You'd better get there early if you want a good seat. Contern will travel to Remich to play against Musel Pikes. That game is slated for 6:00pm.

Contern: 36 field goals, 6 three pointers, 10 for 12 free throws, 32 rebounds, 20 fouls and 15 turnovers.
Mallon 10, Jeitz 10, Becker 19, Braun 22, Bisener 13, also Donnersbach 8 and Herber 6.
Etzella: 27 field goals, 11 three pointers, 22 for 29 free throws, 23 rebounds 16 fouls and 13 turnovers.
N. DelGado 21, Kennedy 31, Giver 19, Schroeder 7, Garganese 5, also Benseghir, Ittenbach 4, Kerger and Pravisani.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 24-20, Halftime 45-42, 3rd Q 58-70, Final 88-87



Sparta 92 - Residence 76

Sparta had another successful night out by dropping Residence by 16 in a game where import Larrie Smith was able to rest up, playing for only 19 minutes. Residence, who is playing without its import William Brand, E.U. player Marko Leschek and Steve Mangen was led by Frank Mangen who topped all scorers with 22 points. Gilles Kayser and Thierry Abdiu notched 15 and 14 respectively. Nearly every player from Sparta scored but Christian Wulff took honors with 22 points followed by Larrie Smith 15, Pit hoffmann 15, Christophe Baustert 11 and Sohrab Ziai 10. After losing their first two games in the playoffs, Sparta has now won six straight and have an enormous amount of momentum going into the next game in Ettelbruck on Sunday, April 20th at 5:15 where they will face their arch rivals a struggling Etzella team.

Sparta: 33 field goals, 11 three pointers, 13 for 21 free throws and 28 fouls (no other game stats are available)
Smith 15, Wulff 22, Ziai 10, Hoffmann 15, Baustert 11, also Palumbo 2, Evans 3, Wolzfield, Tripodo 3, Rupil 7, Nittler 2 and Klein 2.
Residence: 26 field goals, 7 three pointers, 17 for 24 free throws, and 23 fouls(no other game stats are available)
F. Mangen 25, Kayser 15, Abdiu 14, Julien 6, Felten 9, also Bichel 2, Torres 1 and Ludwig 4.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 22-20, Halftime 44-36, 3rd Q 70-54, Final 92-76



Amicale 69- Musel Pikes 66

Amicale outplayed Musel Pikes enough in the first half to take a 13 point lead into the locker room with them. Good thing

becaused it was mostly Pikes who controlled in the second half winning the final 2 quarters by 5 points, 25-30. Musel Pikes

ran out of time and Amicale hung on for the win. travis Depree had a monster of a game for the home squad scoring 18 points

and taking 20 big rebounds. The American also had 2 assists, blocked 4 shots and had 6 steals. Christopher Jones had 16 and

Christian Schartz 11 points and 7 assists in this low scoring affair. Samy Picard shared scoring honours with Guy Schmit for

Musel Pikes who with the loss drop the the fourth position in the playoffs just half of a point behind Amicale. Both teams

have 15-11 win/loss records. Musel Pikes' import Christopher Braier had another low scoring game with only 9 points but he

took 13 rebounds and 3 steals. Amicale will play at Residence this weekend on Saturday, April 19th at 8:30pm. Musel Pikes

will entertain Contern on sunday, April 20th in Remich at 6:00pm. though both teams are in for the final four, they still

fight for a 3rd or 4th regular season finish and a higher positon for the final four.

Amicale: 27 field goals, 8 three pointers, 7 for 13 free throws, 31 rebounds, 17 steals and 14 turnovers

schartz 11, Scholtes 9, Depree 18, Jones 16, Ney 8, also Birenbaum 7, Dangelo, Kartheiser and Rausch.

Musel Pikes: 22 field goals, 11 three poiters, 11 for 19 free throws, 30 rebounds, 15 fouls and 13 turnovers

Score by quarters: 1st Q 20-10, Halftime 44-31, 3rd Q 55-50, Final 69-66



Sparta earns tie for top spot with 5th win in a row!! Etzella falters losing at Musel Pikes! -by Alex Meyers
Since mid-February when Sparta suffered huge back to back losses to Musel Pikes and Amicale they have gone on a winning streak of 5 games in a row in the playoffs. One of those wins was a 14 point home win over Etzella. Sparta's latest victim was Amicale. With Residence, Etzella and Contern remaining on their schedule, Sparta is looking more and more like the team to beat again for this season's DBBL title.

Amicale 60 - Sparta 69

Larrie Smith continued his dominating ways last evening in Steinsel by once again carrying his team across the finish line with a 9 point lead by the end of the game. Smith finished with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot. Smith got some help from teammates Sohrab Ziai and Christian Wulff with 16 and 10 points respectively. Sparta struggled from the free throw line(13 for 27) throughout the game to keep Amicale(14-11) within striking distance.Amicale had a decent first half going into intermission down by only 3 points. Amicale continued its success against the visitors in the 3rd period and tied things up by the quarter's end at 47 all. Sparta(18-7) then cranked up its defensive intensity holding Amicale to only 13 while scoring 22 themselves to get the 9 point road victory.

Amicale: 23 field goals, 8 three pointers, 6 for 11 free throws, 25 rebounds, 20 fouls and 10 turnovers.
Depree 15, Ney 10, Scholtes 17, Schartz 7, Jones 5, also Steinmetz, Rausch, Kartheiser, Gillardin and Birenbaum 6.
Sparta: 25 field goals, 6 three pointers, 13 for 27 free throws, 20 rebounds, 11 fouls and 6 turnovers.
Smith 29, Ziai 16, Wulff 10, Baustert 8, Hoffmann 2, also Palumbo 2 and Evans.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 15-18, Halftime 26-29, 3rd Q 47-47, Final 60-69

Etzella loses third in a row as Sparta's win streak hits 7! Musel Pikes dominate Contern! Amicale blows out Residence! -by Alex Meyers

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Etzella 70 - Sparta 74

After a poor start, Nelson DelGado brought Etzella back into the game and had his team looking like it would finally break Sparta's spirit as well as their winning streak, up by 5 points at the break and going up by as many as 11 pointsearly in the third quarter. Then Etzella could only put 10 points on the board in the final stanza mostly due to Sparta's defensive efforts. Zohrab Ziai, Christian Wulff and Larrie Smith all hit key shots from the perimeter to help the Red and White of Bertrange to its 7th straight win with the Final four so close ahead.

Etzella's Tim Giver could not find the center of the rim from the field, where he went 1 for 6 from 2 point and 3 point range and scoring just 7 points but added 6 assists and 2 steals. Nelson DelGado led all scorers with 23 points. Marcus Kennedy also had a nice game with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Cedric Schroeder had a double-double of his own with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Larrie Smith and Co. had nice balance in scoring throughout the game. Smith scored 22 points and took 11 rebounds to lead the way, followed by Sohrab Ziai with 19 points. Pit Hoffmann also added 11 points and 7 rebounds. Looking closely at the statistics, you can see that this game was won by Sparta from the free throw line where they capitalized on 15 of 25 shots. Sparta was only called for 12 fouls during the entire match, allowing Etzella to shoot only 7 free throws. Etzella made them all.

Sparta will fine tune for the semi-finals, playing at Contern, on Saturday, April 26th at 8:30pm. Etzella must win at Amicale to finish second or third for the final four. If they lose, they will have to face Sparta in the semi-finals.

Etzella: 28 field goals, 7 three pointers, 7 for 7 free throws, 32 rebounds, 24 fouls and 7 turnovers.
J. DelGado 4, N. DelGado 23. Giver 7, Schroeder 10, Kennedy 22, also Garganese, Ittenbach and Kerger 4.
Sparta: 57 field goals, 7 three pointers, 15 for 25 free throws, 32 rebounds, 12 fouls and 16 turnovers.
Smith 22, Ziai 19, Hoffmann 11, Wulff 8, Baustert 7, also Palumbo 5, Wolzfeld 2 and Evans.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 23-25, Halftime 42-43, 3rd Q 60-55, Final 70-74


Musel Pikes 80 - Contern 65

Contern, coming off a huge win over Etzella last weekend, cound not find its form away from home and struggled against a hot shooting Musel Pikes team. coach Fank Baum gave the green light as Musel Pikes shot 30 three pointers in the match making good on nearly half of them. Samy Picard hit 6 of 13 from behind the arc and finished with a game high 27 points. Chris Braier had one of his better games with a huge double-double notching 21 points and 11 rebounds. Guy Schmit added 15 and Laurent Schwartz 10 for the winners from the Moselle River Valley. For Contern, it was brick city as they could only manage to sink 2 of 14 from the 3 point arc, but they were magnificent from the charity stripe where they went 19 for 20. Dave Mallon stepped it up big time with 25 points and 19 big rebounds. Only Eric Jeitz cound manage double figures in scoring with 12. Gilles Becker and Yves Braun were held to 8 points each. With a win against Rsidence this coming Saturday, Musel Pikes(16-11) will finish in third place ahead of either Etzella of Amicale and find itself playing one of those two teams in the semi finals of the DBBL's final four. Contern(11-16) will host Sparta(20-7) to end their season in 5th place.

Musel Pikes: 31 field goals, 12 three pointers, 6 for 10 free throws, 33 rebounds, 16 fouls and 15 turnovers
Schwartz 10, Picard 27, Braier 21, Kirch 7, G. Schmit 15, also Schmitz, and Dentzer.
Contern: 22 field goals 2 three pointers, 19 for 20 free throws, 40 rebounds, 17 fouls and 16 turnovers.
Mallon 25, Jeitz 12, Braun 8, Becker 8, Bissener 6, also Donnersbach 6, Kafer and Herber.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 11-16, Halftime 41-26, 3rd Q 58-51, Final 80-65

Rsidence 52 - Amicale 101


Rsidence: 15 field goals, 2 three pointers, 20 for 25 free throws, 29 rebounds, 18 fouls and 21 turnovers
Felten 17, F. Mangen 12, Julien 10, Abdiu 9, Kayser 4, Torres, also Bichel, Ludwig and Schmit
Amicale:(no stats available)
Schartz 4, Depree 30, Ney 18, Scholtes 13, Jones 13, also Birenbaum 12, Gillardin 2, d,Angelo and Steinmetz


Score by quarters: 1st Q 19-24, Halftime 29-42, 3rd Q 39-69, Final 52-101

Final four standings:

1 Sparta 20 7 31.50
2 Amicale 16 11 29.50
3 Etzella 19 8 29.50
4 Musel Pikes 16 11 29



Etzella goes from 1st to 4th place in just a few weeks ending playoffs with 4 game skid! Sparta wins 8th in a row. Amicale gains momentum for title run!!! -by Alex Meyers
Since mid-February when Sparta suffered huge back to back losses to Musel Pikes and Amicale they have gone on a winning streak of 5 games in a row in the playoffs. One of those wins was a 14 point home win over Etzella. Sparta's latest victim was Amicale. With Residence, Etzella and Contern remaining on their schedule, Sparta is looking more and more like the team to beat again for this season's DBBL title.

Amicale 60 - Sparta 69

Larrie Smith continued his dominating ways last evening in Steinsel by once again carrying his team across the finish line with a 9 point lead by the end of the game. Smith finished with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot. Smith got some help from teammates Sohrab Ziai and Christian Wulff with 16 and 10 points respectively. Sparta struggled from the free throw line(13 for 27) throughout the game to keep Amicale(14-11) within striking distance.Amicale had a decent first half going into intermission down by only 3 points. Amicale continued its success against the visitors in the 3rd period and tied things up by the quarter's end at 47 all. Sparta(18-7) then cranked up its defensive intensity holding Amicale to only 13 while scoring 22 themselves to get the 9 point road victory.

Amicale: 23 field goals, 8 three pointers, 6 for 11 free throws, 25 rebounds, 20 fouls and 10 turnovers.
Depree 15, Ney 10, Scholtes 17, Schartz 7, Jones 5, also Steinmetz, Rausch, Kartheiser, Gillardin and Birenbaum 6.
Sparta: 25 field goals, 6 three pointers, 13 for 27 free throws, 20 rebounds, 11 fouls and 6 turnovers.
Smith 29, Ziai 16, Wulff 10, Baustert 8, Hoffmann 2, also Palumbo 2 and Evans.

Score by quarters: 1st Q 15-18, Halftime 26-29, 3rd Q 47-47, Final 60-69

Etzella oultlasts Sparta in 2 overtimes taking 1-0 lead in Semi finals series!!! Musel Pikes upends Amicale also in overtime! -by Alex Meyers

Wednesday, April 30, 2008


Etzella 101 - Sparta 93 2OT

Nelson DelGado, Marcus Kennedy (193-F-84, college: Montevallo) and company achieved part 1 of what I called last week a possibly 'truly amazing feat'. They got all of the non-believers to believe again last night in Ettelbruck with a thrilling 2 overtime 101-93 home victory in game one of the best of three semi finals playoff series. After sufffering through a four game losing streak, Tim Giver, Jairo DelGado and Cedric Schroeder decided to contribute more than usual as of late, and stepped up to the occasion and proving that Etzella is still a force to be reckoned with. With the 2008 Cup Championship already under their belts, Etzella really has much less to lose. Sparta is the defending Champion of the DBBL and must now play against their arch-rival Etzella not only on a neutral court in Dudelange, but they must win the next two games to advance to the final championship series. As I stated in my last article, anything is possible!


Etzella Jumped out to a 1-0 lead in this DBBL semi-final series after bruising the defending champions Sparta in the opening game. Sparta won the last several battles with Etzella in the playoffs, but it was a different story yesterday. Sparta was more accurate from the field(2point fg range) in the starting frame and throughout the contest, but it was the three point line and the free throw line where Etzella was deadliest.

It was nearly a dead heat after the first ten minutes of play with Etzella up by only 1 point 24-23. The visitors from Bertrange struck hard in the second period out-pacing the home team 15-28 to grab a 12-point advantage going into the intermission. After thre quarters, Sparta still controlled and went up by 8 going into the 4th. Etzella out-played the rest of the way knocking Sparta off balance for the humongous double overtime win.

Nelson DelGado had an awesome game ending with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Tim Giver also had one of his better games in recent weeks by adding 26 points and 3 steals. Marcus Kennedy gave Sparta problems with his 22 points and 11 rebounds. Cedric Schroeder dropped 14 points and Jairo DelGado 11. Etzella was out-rebounded 39-34, but they only committed 5 turnovers compared to Sparta's costly 16. Sparta's Larrie Smith was one rebound short of a double-double with 32 huge points and 9 rebounds. Christophe Baustert and Sohrab Ziai scored 14 a piece and Christian wulff scored 11. Pivot player Pit Hoffmann also had 9 points and 9 rebounds.


Etzella: 32 field goals, 14 three pointers, 21 for 25 free throws, 34 rebounds, 16 fouls and 5 turnovers.
Kennedy 22, Giver 26, N. DelGado 28, Schroeder 14, J. DelGado 11, also Garganese and Kerger.
Sparta: 37 field goals, 9 three pointers, 10 for 17 free throws, 39 rebounds, 17 fouls and 16 turnovers.
Smith 32, Wulff 11, Ziai 14, Baustert 14, Hoffmann 9, also Rupil. Palumbo 7 and Nittler 6.


Score by quarters: 1st Q 24-23, Halftime 39-51, 3rd Q 60-68, 4th Q 79-79, 1OT 87-87, 2OT Final 101-93


Game 2 is scheduled for Friday, May 2, 2008 at 8:30pm at the sports hall Grimler in Dudelange.


Musel Pikes 68 - Amicale 60 1OT

Musel Pikes: 26 field goals, 6 three pointers, 10 for 19 free throws, 50 rebounds, 13 fouls and 18 turnovers.
Braier 13, Kirch 16, Picard 8, Schwartz 22, G. Schmit 9, also Dentzer, Schmitz and C. Schmit
Amicale: 22 field goals, 8 three pointers, 8 for 14 free throws, 28 rebounds, 19 fouls and 8 turnovers.
Jones 10, Schartz 5, Ney 7, Scholtes 6, Depree 18, also Birenbaum 14, D'Angelo, Rausch and Kartheiser


Score by quarters: 1st Q 20-15, Halftime 36-32, 3rd Q 50-45, 4th Q 58-58, 1OT Final 68-60



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MEXICO

Aluxes finally unveiled -by Gianni Pascucci

After some weeks of uncertainty, Aluxes de Cancun officials announced to media that they finally decided to participate to Liga del Sureste 2008. The team should be coached by Manuel Vigueras or by Miguel Parra (it is not yet sure who will be chosen at the end) and their home courth will be the Gimnasio de usos mltiples Kuchil Baxal. The import players will be three well-known veterans: Timmy Gibbs (191-G-67, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Weber St.) (yet signed), Eric Carr (200-F-71, college: Penn St.) and Michael Saulsberry (203-F-64, college: La-Monroe) (both yet negotiating with the team), and the Aluxes should make their debut on saturday, May 3, vs. Dorados de Playa del Carmen. The decision of Aluxes will beef up a little the league line-up, till now only four teams had see action in LSB and one of them, Peppers de Progreso, had complained a lot for their games directions, threatening the LBS officials to leave the league.

The current Liga del Sureste standings are as follows:
1. Peppers de Progreso 2-2
2. Dorados de Playa del Carmen 2-2
3. Leopardos de Merida 1-1
4. Marineros de Cozumel 1-1
5. Aluxes de Cancun 0-0



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MOROCCO

Maghreb de Fes loses two in a row -by Eurobasket News
Maghreb de Fes lost two games ion the last two days in 21st Arab Clubs Championship. Both games the team from morocco was upset from the Lebanon representatives.
In Group E second day Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut beat Maghreb de Fes 92:69. It was a pleasure to see how the latter struggled in the game especially when the teams went to the lockers. At first Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut took 24:19 lead but in the second quarter Maghreb de Fes reduced the gap to 1 point. Even though Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut shined in the game Maghreb de Fes went to the lockers trailing only 41:40. In the second beginning of the second half the team from Morocco stayed tough, but then could not struggle any more. Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut enjoyed 64:59 after the third period and then finished the game with 92:69. Ace Custis (202-F-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Virginia Tech) led the winners with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) nailed 22, whilst Ahmad Ismail (201-F-76) 13 points and 13 rebounds. Macktar M'Baye (185-G-84) top-scored for Maghreb de Fes with 20 points and Alpha Traore scored 19.
Tonight Sagesse - Al Hekmeh Beirut overcame Maghreb de Fes 75:60. In that game the team from Lebanon took the advantage in the very beginning and never looked behind. Both squads went to the lockers with 33:22 and then the winning team kept 10-15 points deficit.

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NBA

Cleveland fails to close out series against Washington -by Eurobasket News
The Washington Wizards pulled at 2-3 in the series versus Cleveland after escaping with a last-second 88:87 win at the Quicken Loans Arena yesterday. Caron Butler (6'7''-F-80, college: Connecticut) drained a difficult layup with 3.9 seconds remaining in regulation to avoid elimination for the Wizards. LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) had a chance to end it all for Washington but his layup in the dying seconds was off the mark. The hosts were up by 5 points with just under two minutes left in the game but never capitalized. The Wizards scored the last six points of the game to keep things rolling in the series. Caron Butler provided 32 points for the winners. DeShawn Stevenson added 17 points for the home side. The Wizards were without Gilbert Arenas (6'3''-G-82, college: Arizona) who announced the season was over for him because of constant problems with his knee. Antawn Jamison was held to only 8 points and 11 boards down the stretch. LeBron James led all scorers with 34 points and 10 rebounds but came up short on a crucial shot of the game. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7'2''-C-75, agency: Interperformances) scored 19 points in defeat. The series moves back to Washington for could-be decisive Game 6 on May 2.
Boson left all the Atlanta-failures behind them to storm past the Hawks at the Banknorth Garden. Boston overwhelmed their opponents 110:85 to grab a 3-2 lead in the series. The hosts trailed just once at 5:6 early in the game before going up and rolling confidently to the victory. Paul Pierce (6'7''-F-77, college: Kansas) came up with 22 points, 7 boards and 6 assists for the winners. Kevin Garnett (6'10''-F-76) scored 20 points, while Ray Allen had 19 for the Celtics. Joe Johnson (6'8''-F-81, college: Arkansas) answered with 21 points for Atlanta. Josh Smith (6'9''-F-85) had 18 points in a losing clause and now the Hawks face a must-win test back at home on May 2.

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PANAMA

Joel Munoz outstands in FTC EAD victory.- -by Eddie Munoz

Joel Munoz leaded his team FTC EAD to a needed victory in the brazilian league over CETAF GAROTO 71-58 Joel Munoz (179-G-80) helped his cause with 14 Points and 4 Assistances and he has the following figures in 7 games played 10.9 Points, 6.6 Assistances, 4.0 Rebounds, 2.0 Steals in 37 Minutes erp game. FTC EAD is in the 9th position with a record of 2-6. The other victory of FTC EAD was over Pitagoras Minas in overtime.



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PORTUGAL

Interview with John Winchester -by Bruno Baltazar
We had the chance to make a exclusive interview for www.eurobasket.com with Vitoria player John Winchester (193-G-83, college: Robert Morris) (193-G-83, college: Robert Morris) that told us what he thinks about Portugal and about the differences of portuguese LIGA UZO basket and PROLIGA competition and the key to the team sucess as well his personal great level of game he been showing.

Bruno Baltazar-Hey how are you John?
Before you signed with Vitoria what you expected to find in Portuguese basketball and what you knew about it and so far how you find everything such as the weather, the people, team conditions and league competition?
John Winchester - Well,before i got the job to play in Portugal. I really didnt know anything about Portuguese Basketball,the only thing i knew about Portugal is where its located in Europe.
Portugal is a beautiful country. The people are very nice and the weather is great too.
The team conditions are great. Our apartment is right downtown next to the mall and are resturants are close as well.
The league competition is good from top to bottom and there's alot of good portuguese players in this league.


Bruno Baltazar - At the personal level you doing a great job with Vitoria, you also won the PROLIGA slam dunk competition, played well in the all star game, goals to the personal and team level yet to be achieved such as the playoffs?
John Winchester - Coming into the season,my individual goals were to be the best guard in the league,an all star and to win the dunk contest.
My team goals were to win the regular season and championship.

Bruno Baltazar - Do you expect to return to Portugal for next season?
John Winchester - Honestly,i would love to come back and play for Vitoria Sports Club in the great city of Guimaraes because i love the coach,teammates,the city and the people but at the end of the day,its a business.


Bruno Baltazar - Every one connected with basketball in Portugal are trying to find new solutions to organize the next year championship(the LIGA UZO teams and PROLIGA teams will be most likely in the same competition) in your view what role model of competition you think it would be the best?
John Winchester - I feel that the top league next year should add the top 4 or 5 team from the PROLIGA.

Bruno Baltazar - Vitoria won the Portuguese cup when nobody expected it, defeating Fisica and Liga UZO teams including the European team of Ovarense and Porto as well, what was the solution to win against them and before the competition any of you believed the cup could be yours?
John Winchester - I didnt really know what the cup games were.
I was playin the cup games,like every game I play,believing i can win. Our game plan before the game was to play hard defense,box out and play inside out on offense. We stuck to the game plan and most importanly,we played as a TEAM.

Bruno Baltazar - That cup proved that LIGA UZO and PROLIGA teams didnt have a bigger difference of potential between them?
John Winchester - Yeah,I agree that this year it wasn't a big difference between the LIGA UZO and PROLIGA

Bruno Baltazar - What was the biggest achievement in your basketball career? Future plans?
John Winchester - I have to say before being on the first team in european basketball history to win the country's cup coming from the second division. It had to be we when i was a senior in high school and I was a member of the 2002 Parade All-American Team.
My future goals are to be one of the top american guards in Europe and maybe have chance to play in the NBA in the near furture.

We would like to thank John Winchester to take the time to answer our questions.

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PUERTO RICO

Gabriel Colon sinks 3 pointer to give Lions Win over Athletics -by Luis Ramirez
With just 3.1 seconds left in the game Gabriel Colon made a 3 point shot to give the Ponce Lions a much needed win over the San German Athletics 78-76. The game seemed to be headed for overtime as the score was tied at 75 points when Colon's 3 pointer brought the Pachin Vicens Arena down. The win was crucial as it gives the Lion a 1/2 game lead over the Athletics in 3rd place and gives the Lions hope of not having to go into suicide games if they end up in the 4th slot. The game opened with the Lions taking the 1st quarter 22-12, but the Athletics came back in the 2nd quarter to trim the Lions lead as the half ended 38-33 in favor of the Lions. In the 2nd half, Omar Alvarado (180-G-83, agency: Next Level) got hot from 3 point range and pulled the Athletics into the lead. A couple of key rebounds gave the Lions an opportunity to tie the game and set up the dramatic basket by Colon. For Ponce, Joel Jones (196-G/F-81, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Sacramento St.) scored 17 points followed by Matt Freije with 15 points and 13 rebounds. For San German, Omar Alvarado scored 17 points followed by Samuel Villegas with 15 points.

In other BSN action Arecibo beat Mayaguez 93-80. Arecibo took the 1st quarter 24-21 and kept adding to their lead as the game went on. The half ended 50-43. For Arecibo, Angel Figueroa (196-G/F-81, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Dowling) scored 24 points followed by Rodney White with 18 points. For Mayaguez, Giovanni Jimenez (187-G-82, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: St.Johns River CC) scored 19 points while Gilberto Venzen scored 13 points.

In the last game of the night, Caguas was just too much for the Guayama Brujos as they beat the Brujos 83-72. Caguas took the 1st quarter 26-13 and never trailed after that. For Caguas, Marlyn Bryant (193-G-82, agency: Champion Sports Management, college: S.Florida) scored 20 points followed by Shawn Redhage with 19 points. For Guayama, Angel Lopez was the top scorer with 12 points.

Standings - BSN
BSN Standings
Island
 1. Arecibo 20-9 
 2. Caguas 18-11 
 3. Ponce 13-16 
 4. San German 12-16 
 5. Guayama 6-22 
 6. Mayaguez 6-22 
Metro
 1. Carolina 17-11 
 2. Santurce 16-11 
 3. Humacao 16-12 
 4. Fajardo 16-12 
 5. Guaynabo 15-13 
 6. Bayamon 14-14 


Stats Leaders - BSN
Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Melendez (Caguas)23.8 Figueroa (Arecibo) 21.6
White (Arecibo) 21.0
Ayuso (Santurce) 20.2
Ramos (Caguas) 19.4
Rebounds Per Game
Benson (Bayamon) 14.9
Ramos (Caguas) 10.3
Aubry (Ponce) 9.2
Figueroa (Arecibo) 9.1
Reyes (Carolina) 9.0
Assists Per Game
Caro (Guayama) 7.8
Pagan (Ponce) 6.0
Guzman (Humacao) 5.8
Rivera (Carolina) 5.7
Hatton (Arecibo) 5.3
Steals Per Game
Figueroa (Arecibo) 2.1
Guzman (Humacao) 1.6
Padilla (Ponce) 1.6
Blocks Per Game
Ramos (Caguas) 2.6
Traylor (Santurce) 2.2
Benson (Bayamon) 1.7
3FGP
Avila (S. German) 52.6%
Alamo (Caguas) 48.7%
Wilson (Guaynabo)47.2%
Free Throws
Cortes (Arecibo) 100%
Ra. Dalmau (San.) 92.3%Rice (Carolina) 90.9%


All Star Game News and BSN Boxscores -by Alessandro Fontana
ALL STAR GAME AND BSN BOXSCORES
The coaches for the BSN All Star Game on 10th May in Fajardo will be Joe Katz, coach of Los Gigantes de Carolina, and David Rosario, coach of Capitanes de Arecibo.
In BSN Arecibo won against Mayaguez 93-80, MVP of the game was 'Buster' Angel Figueroa with 24 points. Ponce won a difficult game against San German and with this victory Ponce has now a 12-16 standings and the team can still reach the Super 6 BSN. MVP of the game was Joel Jones, great game for 'our Boricua' with 17 points. It was also worth to mention the game of Matt Freije , 15+13.
Criollos de Caguas won against Guayama with a great game of the four musketieers: Marlyn Bryant (20), Shawn Redhage (19), Ricardo Melendez (17) and 'Snoop Dogg' Peter John Ramos (15+10 rebs).
MAYAGUEZ-ARECIBO= 80-93
M= Jimenez 19, Venzen 13, Smith 11, White 9, Caraballo 8, Lopez 7, Zayas 6, Erazo 3, Acevedo 2, Crispin 2, Rosa 0
A= Figueroa 24, White 18, Rodriguez 14, Rosario 14, Hatton 9, Rosa 6, Cruz 3, Rivera 3, Jourdon 2
SAN GERMAN-PONCE= 76-78
SG= Alvarado 17, S. Villegas 15, De Jesus 12 (13 rebs), Lugo 7, Avila 6, J. Villegas 6, Farmer 5, Dyer 4, Caro 3, Torres 1
P= Jones 17, Frejie 15 (13 rebs), Colon 8, Martinez 7, Padilla 7, Aubry 6, J. Colon 6, Heywood 6, Pagan 4, Rosario 2
CAGUAS-GUAYAMA= 83-72
C= Bryant 20, Redhage 19, Ricardo Melendez 17, Ramos 15, Ortiz 5, Garcia 3, McSweeney 2, Rosas 2, Alamo 0, Casablanca 0, Konecny 0, H. Martinez 0
G= Lopez 12, Soto 10, Solano 10, Parillon 10, N. Rivera 7, Liriano 5, Oliver 5, A. Rivera 4, Aponte 3, Brignoni 3, M. Rivera 3, Herrera 0, Ricardo Melendez 0.
BORICUAS ABROAD
In Poland, Turow was defeated in the second game of the Semifinals Series of the Polsh League. Slask Wroclaw won 78-72. Andres Rodriguez played 21 minutes with 2 points and 7 assists.
A. Fontana

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QATAR

Al-Arabi Are GCC Champions After Beating Al-Qadsia of Kuwait in a Hard Fought Battle 80-76; Al-Rayyan Crush Al-Wasl of the UAE in the Consolation Final 113-69 to Claim 3rd Spot. -by Amir Abou-El-Kheir

Al Arabi Club can now add GCC champions to their recent list of accomplishments under Coach David Ingram, as they held off Al Qadsia of Kuwait in an action packed final at Al-Garaffa Stadium in Doha 80-76. Al Arabi started off very strong, racing to an early 8 point lead (16-8) behind the strong play of Mohammed Salah, who had 11 points in the first 6 minutes of the first quarter. He finished the game with 13 pts, 5 reb and 2 blk, and had a very big defensive game alongside Hashem Zaidan (211-C-80)(185-G-86) (8 pts and 8 reb), as they took turns holding Al Qadsia's big man J Williams, who went off for 35 pts and 20 reb in the semis, to just 16 points and 8 rebounds. Lamar Grimes (182-G-83, college: Indiana St.) led the offensive charge for Al-Arabi. Going into the 4th quarter though, Grimes only had 13 pts, 6 ast and 7 rebounds and Al Arabi were down by 4, but when the game was on the line, he stepped up to lead his team to victory, finishing the game one rebound short of a triple-double as he recorded 20 pts, 10 ast, and 9 rebounds. He started off the 4th quarter charge with a crucial 3 pointer that cut the Al Qadsia's lead to 1. Then he grabbed 2 offensive rebounds which resulted in Mohammed Al Derazi (192-F) treys that put Al Arabi up for good. Grimes then iced the game by hitting 4 crucial free-throws in the dying moments of the game to make sure that there would be no last second heroics on the Al Qadsia side. Baker Ahmad Mohammed (198-F-86) played his heart out adding 13 pts, 7ast and 8 reb, while Al Derazi finished the game with 20 points, hitting some important shots down the stretch. Credit also has to be given to Boney Watson (183-G, college: Sam Houston St.), Al-Arabi's injured professional, as he helped coach the team and get them mentally and emotionally prepared for this big international competition. Who knows, maybe there is a future for Watson in the coaching ranks after his playing days are over!!!

In the days other games, Al Rayyan routed Al Wasl in the 3rd place match 113-69 to win the bronze. Ali Turki (200-F-82) (200-F-82) led Rayyan with 23 pts. Marlon Parmer (191-G-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Ky Wesleyan) added 17 pts to go along with 8 ast. Al Wasl were led by Abdulla Sabeel's 19 pts and 4 ast. Al Ahli Manama got their revenge on Al Arabi of Kuwait, who had beaten Al Ahli in the group stages to knock them out of a place in the semis, beating them 72-65 to finish 5th and 6th respectively. In the match for 7th and 8th place, Al Ansar of Saudi beat Al Nizwa of Oman 91-65, behind a huge 42 point performance by Akeem Wright (198-G-84, college: Kansas St.). Wright who is just out of college, looks to have a very bright future ahead of him.


Gold Medal Match

Al Arabi Club 80-76 Al Qadsia

Bronze Medal Match

Al Rayyan 113-69 Al-Wasl

5-6th Place Match

Al Ahli Manama 72-65 Al Arabi

7-8th Place Match

Al Ansar 91-65 Al Nizwa



Interview with Rayyan's Marlon Parmer -by Amir Abou-El-Kheir

A day after Al Rayyan's Emir Cup victory, point guard Marlon Parmer (191-G-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Ky Wesleyan) kindly sat down with me for an interview.

Amir: What's up Marlon? Congratulations on your victory yesterday.
Marlon: Thanks Amir. It feels good.

What made you decide to come back to Qatar?
Well, I felt that Rayyan would be a good situation for me and I felt that I could come in and help this team.


I have to ask you then: How would you rate the competition here in Qatar:
Overall, Qatar has a pretty competitive league. I believe that the level is not as good as it could be because of the one-import rule, but I don't believe that I've played in a more athletic league.


You were in Estonia earlier this year. How was your experience there?
Life was great there and the people were very nice. The playing, though, was not where I expected it to be. On the whole, it was a great experience.


So why did you leave?
The team felt that they could save money. It was a business move.


When you left, your former team BC Kalev/Cramo Tallinn were undefeated in the league and in first place. However, since then, they've lost three crucial games and ended up losing the league title to rivals Tartu likool/Rock. What did that tell you?
It makes you understand your worth as a player. You feel bad for the players because they are good people, but I saw it coming because Rock is a great team.

Then you come to a Rayyan team that lost the league title to Al Jaysh Army SC and you were expected to come in to help them win the Heir Apparent and Kings Cups, right away. Did you feel any added pressure?
Sure, of course I felt pressure, even though I have played under similiar circumstances before. There were nights where I couldn't sleep because I was anxious, but with leader like Yaseen Ismail (204-F-80), it makes the adjustment that much easier.


So you play your first game, you foul out and Rayyan loses. What was going through your mind at that moment?
Not only did I lose, I lost to my former team (Qatar Club). I was a bit down, which is normal, but I knew that it was just a matter of time before it clicked. The only problem was that we didn't have much time and I was just hoping that it would be sooner than later.


You got a rematch with Qatar in the finals of the Heir Apparent Cup, but this time you guys got the better of them when it counted most, with you scoring 23 points and playing an great game overall. Tell me about that.
It felt great! My teammates were great. It was a team effort and when it was money time we knew what we had to do.


But come on; don't tell me that this victory wasn't that much sweeter because it was Qatar.
It was real sweet, definitely. Being in battle and winning the Emir's Cup with them last year, and now being on the other side of the court and doing battle against them and coming out victorious again; it was special.


Then you faced Qatar again in the Emir Cup round robin, this time with Daoud Musa (193-G-82) in the lineup. Once again they beat you guys, and this time pretty handily, might I add, but again you guys beat them in the final. Was giving them a sense of false hope part of the strategy?
Yeah, it was. When we played them in the round robin, it wasn't important. They were trash talking like they had already won the cup and I said to my teammates that we would meet again when the stakes were higher and that we would take care of business then.


Last year you finished third in the league and won the Emir's Cup with Qatar; this year, Rayyan finishes second and you win both the Heir Apparent and Emir's Cups. I don't believe that any player has come here and won so many medals in such a short time. How does that make you feel?
It makes me feel good. They were all great accomplishments and that's why I work so hard. I just want to be remembered as a winner.


Now you have the GCCs and the Asian Club Championships up next. What are your predictions?
I don't really know who we're facing. We will just take it one game and one tournament at a time, but I have confidence in my team.

To change the subject a bit, let me ask you: With your resume and talent, why do you think you still haven't had a chance to ply your trade in the NBA?
I would like to believe that it's about being at the right place at the right time, but I don't believe that I was ever given a fair opportunity. Seeing people in the NBA that I played against and knowing that, when I played against them I totally dominated them, makes me question things sometimes. But, hey, I'm not going to dwell on it. When one door closes another opens, and there are many leagues out there where I can go out and do my thing. That's all I can do, and if that isn't enough to get me there, then at least I will go out with my head held high.


Do you think that not being in the NBA has anything to do with some immature acts on your part? Things that when a more mature, more experienced you reflects back on, would do over if given the chance.
Of course, man. Everybody does, don't they? We are all prone to make mistakes. I wish that my coach and I would have had a better relationship. I think that things were blown out of proportion. I just wanted more freedom out on the court to do things that I knew I could. But I never regret anything; you live and learn and I hold no grudges. I just love the game of basketball and want to play. It did really humbled me though.


When you say 'coach,' are you talking about your former coach at University of New Mexico, Fran Fraschilla ?
Yeah. Coach Fran.


How is your relationship with him now? Have you seen him ever since, and if so how was it?
Everything is good. I saw him in Minnesota at the Summer League.

How does the story end this year?
Well, I hope with two more championships and hopefully going back to play in the NBA summer league. And from there, we'll see.

Do you want to give a shout out to anyone?
Firstly, I need to thank God because without Him, we wouldn't be here today. My parents who taught me to never give in to anything that I didnt believe in; Rayyan management for giving me this chance; my college coach at Kentucky Wesleyan, Ray Harper, for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to repay his trust. Coach Fran for teaching me the X's and O's of the game; and my current coach Brian Lester for making me feel at ease right away, trusting me as a player and coaching a masterful game yesterday.


Thanks for your time, good luck for the upcoming tournaments, and hopefully we could do another one after you win the GCCs and the Asian Club Championships.
Let's hope so.



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RUSSIA

CSKA Moscow takes on Tau in Final Four semifinal -by Eurobasket News
Today, May 2nd CSKA Moscow will take on Spanish representative in 2008 Euroleague Basketball Final Four. Spanish Tau expects local support from Madrid, the place the Final Four will be held. As you remember CSKA Moscow needed three games over Olympiacos Piraeus not to spoil the season. In the decisive third game Russian squad was stronger 81:56. The winners were in control for the entire game and thanks to 5000 spectators won the home game after the loss from Greek team in the opener.
Spanish Tau Ceramica deserved a place in Euroleague Final Four in the decisive game over Partizan Igokea. Tau were too good in the second half and led to 85:68 advantage to make the score 2-1 in the series. Pete Mickeal (198-F-78, college: Cincinnati) paced the winners with 19 points. Tiago Splitter (211-C/F-85, agency: Interperformances) collected 18 points and 9 rebounds, while Igor Rakocevic (191-G-78) nailed 15. Uros Tripkovic finished the night with 16 points for Serbian squad. After a loss in the second game in Serbia Tau still had a home court advantage and better chances to advance. Partizan did not take it too serious and won the opening tip 7:14. A pair of free throws by Pekovic closed the first quarter with Partizan leading 16:19. It was the last lead for the guests as TAU grabbed the way to control the game Vranes made it 23:19. Pablo Prigioni and Tiago Splitter increased to 38:29 entering the last minute of the first half. Milt Palacio was the last to score in the second quarter making the margin at 38:32.In the third quarter Partizan stayed tough and trailed 5-7 points. Before the last 10 minutes of the game the guests were behind, 60:53. To make the things better in the game Pete Mickeal brings the hosts for 65:56. Pablo Prigioni sank 2 free throws for a 72:57 advantage and the game was over at that time. The guests came within 79:66 but they could not take Tau's spot in the Final Four. Spanish squad led the game to 85:68 and advanced with 2-1 in the series.

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SERBIA

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


Superleague, round 7 - No surprises -by Dragan Jankovski
Hemofarm STADA was better than Swisslions Takovo 78-68 in local derby between two teams from Vrsac. Hemofarm played fantastic first quarter while Swisslions surprised them in the second finishing it 15-25. Game is decided in the third period in which the orange team let visitors to score only 9 points. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) netted 20 points for Hemofarm while young prospect Stefan Markovic (191-G-88) followed him adding 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Swisslions got 15 points from Ivan Vukadinov (193-G-81).

After winning the second trophy this season black-and-white machine, Partizan Igokea, smashed Borac on the road 90-68 remaining undefeated in Superleague with score 5-0. Slavko Vranes (229-C-83), who had 16 points and 4 rebounds, and Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket), who added 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, were better than the others in Partizan. Nikola Ilic (207-C/F-85) had 16 points and 7 rebounds in Borac.

Crvena Zvezda from Belgrade succeeded to beat very inconvenient team Vojvodina Srbijagas 93-77 thanks to fantastic played last quarter 26-12. Bosnian hot prospect Elmedin Kikanovic (210-C-88, agency: Beo Basket) was the MVP of the game as he netted 25 points. Zvezda's captain Tadija Dragicevic (205-F-86, agency: Beo Basket) had an excellent return after short break having 23 points and 6 rebounds. Very important role also had Omar Cook (186-G-82, college: St.John's), who registered double-double, 10 points and 13 assists. Power forward Ivan Ivanovic (205-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) was the best for the Tulips with 23 points and 7 rebounds. Zvezda improved its score to 5-2 while Vojvodina remains on 4 wins so far.


Hemofarm STADA - Swisslions Takovo 78-68
(30-15,15-25,14-9,19-19)

Hemofarm: Marshall 20, Markovic 14 (6 rebs, 4 st), Savovic 12, Macvan 10 (5 rebs)
Swisslions: Vukadinov 15, Aleksic 12 (6 rebs, 6 as), Dragojlovic 12 (5 rebs)


Borac - Partizan Igokea 68-90
(8-27,27-26,15-21,18-16)

Borac: Ilic 16 (7 rebs), Plicevic 15, Micic 13
Partizan: Vranes 16 (4 rebs), Tepic 12 (6 rebs, 4 as), Pekovic 10


Crvena Zvezda - Vojvodina Srbijagas 93-77
(26-23,23-17,18-25,26-12)

Zvezda: Kikanovic 25, Dragicevic 23 (6 rebs), Cook 10 (13 as)
Vojvodina: Ivanovic 23 (7 rebs), Bojovic 17 (4 as)

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SLOVAKIA

Nova Ves gains 2-0 lead in Extraliga playoffs -by Eurobasket News
Nova Ves made another confident step towards the semifinal stage in Slovakian Extraliga. They overcame Lucenec 82:76 at home to grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. The teams were all leveled at 19 after the opening stanza but Lucenec went on a run after the intermission. They outpaced the hosts 25:12 to enter the second half with a comfortable 13-point cushion. But Nova Ves changed the complexion of the game after the long break. A high-scoring energetic attitude turned out as surprise for the visitors. Nova Ves denied the deficit and breezed to an overall victory at the end. Igor Pesta (203-F/C-84) provided 22 points for Nova Ves. David Demecko (192-G/F-81) scored 16 points, while Jordan Mason (189-G-80, agency: Pro Agents-Basketball Careers) added 12 points for the winners.
Inter Bratislava performed a breathtaking comeback in the fourth stanza to knock down Komarno 85:84 on the road. Inter thus enjoys 2-0 lead in the quarterfinal series. Bratislava outfit got to a slightly better start as they were up by a single point with 10 minutes gone in the game. Komarno shook off sloppiness in the second stanza and raised the tempo. They denied the deficit and rolled to a 3-point advantage at halftime. The hosts went for Inters blood in the third stanza stepping on the gas and stretching the margin to 12 points. But it was not over yet. Inter were back in the driving seat in the fourth period firing 33 points and snatching a narrow improbable 85:84 victory. Dusan Pandula (195-F-84) accounted for game-high 28 points and 10 boards for Inter. Martin Micka (180-G-81, agency: Promotex) and Daniel Novak (201-F/G-78, agency: Interperformances) scored 13 points apiece for the winners. Ivan Barisic (200-C, agency: Heinrich Sports) nailed 24 points in a defeat.
Nitra pulled away with a close 77:76 victory over Pezinok to stay alive in the series. Lorenzo Williams (191-G-84, college: Rice) exploded with 20 points to pace the hosts. Glen Whisby (203-C/F-72, college: S.Mississippi) came up with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the winning side.
Handlova also got things knotted against Svit with a 103:90 home win. Six players scored in double figures for Handlova en route to important success. Nenad Milosevic (188-G-83) produced 20 points for Handlova. Milan Golian (207-C-74) canned 19 in a win.

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SLOVENIA

Top teams roll to wins -by Zeljko Zule
Olimpija in first quarter led as many as by 15 points and easily defeated Krka 87-69. Marko Milic (199-G-77) posted 23 points and Chris Booker and Goran Dragic added 15 while Marko Rakocevic had 14 points for Krka.
Slovan grab road win against Elektra 71-65. DeMarco Johnson finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Simon Petrov scored 18 points. Zan Vrecko netted 22 points including five 3-pointers for Elektra and Ales Kunc scored 16 points before he fouled out.
Helios outrebounded Mercator by 14 on the road to win 82-60. Marijan Mance scored 19 points and Ziga Zagorc added 18 while Mensud Julevic led the home team with 15 points.

Standings - 1A
1A Standings
Places 1-8
 1. Olimpija 9-0 
 2. Helios 8-2 
 3. Slovan 6-4 
 4. Zlatorog 6-4 
 5. Krka 4-6 
 6. Luka Koper 3-7 
 7. TCG Mercator 2-7 
 8. Elektra 1-9 
Places 9-13
 1. Alpos S. 12-18 
 2. Polzela 12-18 
 3. Zagorje 11-19 
 4. Kraski Zidar 9-21 
 5. Rogla 6-24 


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U.S.VIRGIN ISLANDS

Vote for TIGANN! -by David Edole

Vote for Kevin Sheppard (182-G-79, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Jacksonville) as an all star in the Puerto Rican Basketball League. He is the starting point guard for the Guaynabo Conquistadors and also the president of the Choices Basketball Association.
The CBA preseason tournament is scheduled for June 13-15, 2008 to find two new teams to complete the 2008 field. Hoyas won the championship last season and are back to back champions.

Click Here to VOTE!

Dominican Republic
Darnell Miller and Cupes lost to Club Gergorio Urbano Gilbert (GUG), 120 -116, in double overtime of the XVIII Torneo de Baloncesto Superior de Santiago. Miller had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. GUG takes a two games to none lead.



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UGANDA

Standings
MTN D1 Standings
 1. Mogas Falcons 0-0 
 2. Power 0-0 
 3. Warriors 0-0 
 4. KIU 0-0 
 5. Marines 0-0 
 6. Miracle 0-0 
 7. Gulu Hawks 0-0 
 8. Crane 0-0 
 9. UCU Canons 0-0 
 10. KCC Lions 0-0 


Standings Div.2
MTN D2 Standings
 1. Makerere 0-0 
 2. Bush Court 0-0 
 3. Livingstone 0-0 
 4. Knight Riders 0-0 
 5. Vegeterians 0-0 
 6. Bugema 0-0 
 7. Berkley 0-0 
 8. Lubiri 0-0 
 9. MBC Rocks 0-0 
 10. Rhinos 0-0 


*****************************************************
UKRAINE

Khimik, Kyiv takes 1:0 semifinal leads -by Alexei Naumov

BC Khimik Yuzhniy started the 2008 Superleague Semifinals with a 81:84 upset of the defending champions Azovmash Mariupol, taking a 1:0 lead in the series.

Azovmash had an 8:7 lead midway through the 1st quarter, but went on a 15:7 run to close out the stretch up by 9. They stayed in control in the second quarter, extending the advantage to 18 points with 5 minutes to go in the half. The visitors, however, replied with an 8:18 run to cut Mariupols lead to 8.

The game evened up in the second half after Yuzhniy finally caught up with Azovmash. The third quarter ended 61:59 for the hosts.

Khimik got a 5-point lead with 2:30 to go in the 4th, Azovmash reduced it to 1 with 1:30 to go and was forced to put the visitors on the line to stop the clock. Clutch free throws allowed Khimik to hold on to the lead.

Olu Famitimi scored 21 for the winners. Robert Archibald had game-high 24 points in the losing effort.

BC Kyiv, meanwhile, cruised past Politekhnika-Galychyna 98:68.


Game stats are available on the official website of the Ukrainian Basketball Federation.



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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Al Wasl finishes fourth in GCC, An Nasr wins over Al Nasr -by Eurobasket News
Tonight An Nasr won over Al Nasr 89:78 in 21st Arab Clubs Championship. UAE team opened the game in an offensive style taking 32:19 from the early beginning. UAE squad held 58:43 as the teams disappeared in the lockers. Al Nasr tried to recover in the second half but could not tie the game. Amal McCaskill (211-F/C-73, agency: Huss Sport Agency, college: Marquette) led the winners with 25 points. Justin Murray nailed 20 and Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) posted 18. Marwan Abu Gheelah ended up with 16 points in the losing effort. Abdelhalim Kaw'an scored 15, while Ilija Zolotic had 14.

Al Rayyan routed Al Wasl in the 3rd place match 113-69 to win the bronze. Ali Turki (200-F-82) led Rayyan with 23 points. Marlon Parmer (191-G-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Ky Wesleyan) added 17 points to go along with 8 assists. Al Wasl were led by Abdulla Sabeel's 19 points and 4 steals. In the Final game Al Arabi Club held off Al Qadsia of Kuwait in an action packed final at Al-Garaffa Stadium in Doha 80:76. Lamar Grimes (182-G-83, college: Indiana St.) led the offensive charge for Al-Arabi. He stepped up to lead his team to victory, finishing the game one rebound short of a triple-double as he recorded 20 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds.

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VENEZUELA

Venezuela men's basketball head coach Sergio Rouco -by Wolfgang Lucena
Originally from Cuba, he moved to USA with his Parents when he was three years old. At 26, he began to build a great basketball career in the United States of America. He then crossed the seas to South America and the Caribbean.
Sergio Rouco is a strong candidate to take Venezuela's basketball responsibilities. His basketball career started at Miami Loyola High School as a Head Coach (1986-87) and then, Florida International University, Assistant Coach (1987-91), Miami Norland High School, Head Coach (1991-95), Club Mauricio Baez, Dominican Republic, Head Coach (1995), Club Los Minas, Dominican Republic, Head Coach (1996), Club Trotamundos de Carabobo, Venezuela, Head Coach (1996-97), Florida International University, Assistant Coach (2000-03), University of Texas-El Paso, Assistant Coach (2003-04) and Florida International University, Head Coach (2004-present).
Sergio Rouco has 4 more years of contract with Florida International University which is one of the biggest Universities of the United State of America with 35 thousand Students from every corner of the world.

'I am really excited' ' It is an honor to take this responsibility' 'I am Venezuelan as well as my family, my father -in- law calls me son' 'Venezuela adopted me'

Sergio Rouco's wife, Kelly Rouco Torres is from Valencia, Carabobo. They are parents of a great baseball player named Sergio Alesandro, who is seven years old.

Guaiqueries too much for Deportivo -by Yelitza La Torre
Guaiqueries de Margarita looks huge versus Deportivo Tachira in the Island. Rogers Washington (202-F-77, college: LSU) led the offense for the tribe with 27 points, to like this, move with his team to the second place of the classification. This victory was not a surprise for Guaiqueries de Margarita, due Deportivo Tachira looks weaker in every game with seven falls on line.
The final score was: Guaiqueries 80 Deportivo 66. The scorers on this game were. Guaiqueries; Roger Washington with 27 points, Jose Mora (188-G-73) 15. Deportivo Tachira; Vernon Cotton with 22 points and Kevin Mickens 16

Gatos couldn't in Valencia -by Wolfgang Lucena
Gatos de Monagas fell versus Trotamundos de Carabobo 111 - 77. Trotamundos dominated since the first minute of the game while Alejandro Flores (203-F-81, college: E.Oklahoma St. JC) and Duke Freeman-McKamey (208-F-80,college: Fordham) were trying to do something for their team.
Lawrence Wallace was the best man for Trotamundos with 22 points, followed by Jose Vargas with 19 points and Tomas Aguilera with 17.
Gatos de Monagas had its best man once again in Alejandro Flores who finished the game with 16 points. Duke Freeman made 12 points and Ernesto Mijares 11.
Trotamundos de Carabobo doesnt want drop the first spot of the classification as well as Gatos de Monagas is trying to stay in the second place.

Ruben came back with 25 -by Wolfgang Lucena
Ruben Nembhard came back with 25 points versus Marinos de Oriente after of taking few days off because a discomfort in one of his knees.
Gaiteros Del Zulia defeated Marinos de Oriente 95 - 82, helped by the return of Ruben Nembhard as well as with the new foreign player, Scooter McFadgon with his 22 points on this game.
Gaiteros Del Zulia is looking for its winning spirit of the last campaign, while Marinos de Oriente still doesn't find the way to climb up.
The scoring keeper got busy with Gaiteros players; Ruben Nembhard (191-G-72, college: Weber St.) 25 points, Scooter McFagdon (198-G-82, college: Tennessee) 22, Pablo Gil (188-G-78)l 14 and Enielsen Guevara (204-F/C-82) 13 units. Marinos De Oriente had its best men on Kevin Sowell (190-G-81) with 20 points, Kevin Young (206-C-84, college: Missouri) 14, and Axiers Sucre (198-F-78) 13 points.

Standings - LPB
LPB Standings
 1. Trotamundos 22-5 
 2. Guaiqueries 17-8 
 3. Gatos 16-10 
 4. Cocodrilos 14-9 
 5. Marinos 14-12 
 6. Gaiteros 13-12 
 7. Guaros 11-16 
 8. Dep.Tachira 9-15 
 9. Panteras 7-20 
 10. Gigantes 5-21 




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Women News

*****************************************************
CAMEROON - Women

National University Games -by Gilles Bouwe
The national university games took place at Douala from the 19 to the 26 of March 2008.With all the universities of the country and several high schools. The female basketball tournament have seen the participation of 9 teams .The final took place on the 26 of April 2008 between UNiversity of yaounde I and the university of Douala. This is the final standing.
1-University of Douala
2-University of Yaounde I
3- INJS
The MVP was DOUMA of the University of Douala

*****************************************************
FRANCE - Women

Montpellier and Bourges will play in championship series -by Eurobasket News
Bourges proved their favorite status outgunning Villeneuve 72:44 in the second game of the semifinal series. The regular season champions had little problems en route to a comfortable win. They accumulated a 24:7 lead after the starting frame. Villeneuve failed to spark any kind of intrigue in the second frame trailing by 23:41 at halftime. Bourges obviously slowed down after the break and the visitors used the momentum to trim the deficit. But the final quarter was not a successful one for Villeneuve. They managed just 9 points and surrendered at the end. Belinda Snell (182-F-81, agency: LBM Management) topscored for Bourges with 14 points. Endene Miyem (188-F-88) scored 12 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, while Celine Dumerc (169-G-82) added 8 points for the winners. Geraldine Robert (184-F-80) responded with 13 points and 6 rebounds for Villeneuve. Shala Crawford (193-C-79, college: Life) notched 10 points and 10 boards in a losing effort.
Bourges will take on Montpellier in the Final series. The third-ranked Montpellier handled USVO 68:66 on the road to book their spot in the title decider. Valenciennes got to a slightly better start to the game as they led 23:21 after 10 minutes of action. Montpellier surged ahead in the second period outscoring the hosts 21:15 and accumulating a 4-point cushion at the long break. The visitors kept on mounting the pressure and enjoyed an 8-point buffer before the fourth stanza. USVO fought bravely in the dying moments cutting the deficit to minimum. But Montpellier withstood in the crunch time and celebrated a narrow win. Grace Daley (170-G-78, college: Tulane) finished with 18 points for Montpellier. Sandra Dijon (195-C-79) knocked down 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Gunta Basko (181-F-80, college: Siena) potted 11 points for the winning side. Reka Cserny (190-F-81, agency: LBM Management, college: Harvard) nailed 15 points for USVO. Francesca Zara (177-G-76) and Nicole Ohlde (193-F/C-82, college: Kansas St.) netted 10 points in a loss.
The championship series tip off on May 7.

*****************************************************
POLAND - Women

Finals FGE: Lotos PKO BP - Wisla Can-Pack 2:3 -by Wojciech Strzebinczyk
Lotos PKO BP Gdynia - Wisła Can-Pack Krakow 82:91 (23:15, 18:26, 15:28, 26:22)
Lotos: Chamique Holdsclaw 33, Magdalena Leciejewska 15, Dominique Canty 14, Anna Breitreiner 10, Slobodanka Maksimovic 4, Alana Beard 4, Jekaterina Snicyna 2, Natalia Waligrska 0, Marta Jujka 0.
Wisła: Anna DeForge 24, Jelena Skerovic 17, Candice Dupree 15, Anna Wielebnowska 14, Kara Brown Braxton 9, Agnieszka Pałka 7, Marta Fernandez 5, Ewelina Kobryn 0.

*****************************************************
SWITZERLAND - Women

Canti Riva Basket Ceresio triumphs in LNA -by Eurobasket News
The third team of the regular season Canti Riva Basket Ceresio won the Play-offs Finals in LNA. The fourth game in the series was the last over Universit BC Neuchtel as a new born champion won the game 78:67. The team really deserved a win and will be a representative in European arena from the Switzerland next year. Canti Riva Basket Ceresio won the first half 37:35 and led the game to the happy end.
The road to the crown was really tough for Canti Riva Basket Ceresio as in the semifinal Riva Basket and BBC could continue their struggles on and on. Being third after the regular season Riva Basket decided to finish the campaign at home with 72:70. Having 42:35 after the first half Riva Basket kept the same difference until the last quarter. BBC had nothing to lose in the game and answered with 15:20 in the last quarter, but could not catch up the opponent. Jocelyn Logan-Friend (189-F/C-83, college: Virginia) led the winners with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Jessica Smith (183-F/C-85, college: Stony Brook), Matea Brezec and Viola Augugliaro added 14 points apece. Lori Crisman collected 19 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.
Even though the regular season champions Neuchatel got to a winning start of the LNA Final series, Riva Basket won the next three games. Riva Basket knocked out BBC in the semifinal stage and hoped to take a scalp of another league leader. The hosts started the game aggressively and built a 23:14 lead after the opening stanza. The defense worked hard in the second period for Neuchatel and they limited Riva to just 9 points. It allowed the home side to accumulate a massive 17-point cushion at the interval. Riva Basket however fought bravely and refused to give up. They answered with their own piece of stifling defense and held Neuchatel to 8 points in the third period. The gap was trimmed to 9 points but Riva Basket failed to come any closer in the fourth period. In a low-scoring intense fourth term Neuchatel managed to keep Riva at distance and celebrated a tough win at the end. Cameo Hicks (178-G-84, agency: LBM Management, college: Washington) produced 20 points and 8 boards for Neuchatel. Alexia Rol scored 19 points and Sophie Charlier notched 15 points, 7 boards and 6 assists in a win. Riva Basket were paced by 17 points and 18 boards from Jocelyn Logan-Friend. Jessica Smith added 12 points and 9 boards in defeat.

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UKRAINE - Women

Kiev sends the teams to the decisive game in Dnepropetrovsk -by Eurobasket News
After 1-1 in the series between Dnipro an Tim-Skuf both squad moved to Kiev for the next two games. They were not the last in the best-of-five series as the teams exchanged the victories. Dnepropetrovsk will see the decisive game between Dnipro an Tim-Skuf on May 3rd.
Dnipro took 2-1 in the series after 68:76 in a road game. Tim Skuf had nothing to lose and advantaged in the fourth game with 81:76. It was another interesting battle of the best two teams in the Ukrainian league. In the beginning of the third quarter Dnipro used a 15-5 run to go on a lead. Tim-Skuf held the moment and replied with their run finishing the third quarter at 61:57. In the end of the game Tim Skuf had 72:70 but Olga Lyashkova (185-G-80, agency: LBM Management) sent the game into overtime. Kiev side was in front for the whole time in the extra period and won the campaign 81:76. Inna Yegorova (173-G-82) paced the winners with 23 points. Yelena Savina (186-F-84) nailed 20, while Fleicher collected 14 points and 18 rebounds. Yuliya Yakhina (187-C-80) top-scored for Dnipro with 19 points and Lisdevi poured in 15 points and made 15 boards.