EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 5/30/2008

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Men News

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AUSTRIA

Stats Leaders
Hauptrunde 1 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Mayes, Gmund. 24.0
2 Youngblo., Ober. 21.4
3 Miletic, Gussing 21.0
4 Lamesic, Arkadia 19.2
5 Rajkovic, Vienna 18.6
Rebounds Per Game
1 Rhodes, UBSC 11.7
2 Rajkovic, Vienna 10.1
3 Johnson , Gmund. 10.0
4 Fraser, Furst. 9.6
5 Johnson, Ober. 8.8
Assists Per Game
1 Schreiner, Polten 7.6
2 Shavies, Furst. 6.5
3 Boylan, Gmund. 5.2
4 Danek, Arkadia 4.8
5 Christen., Vienna 4.7
Steals Per Game
1 Artner, Ober. 2.2
2 Schreiner, Polten 2.2
3 Boylan, Gmund. 2.2
Blocks Per Game
1 Colwell, Furst. 1.6
2 Martin, Klos. 1.5
3 Kohlmaier, Polten 1.2
2FGP
1 Fraser, Furst. 67.2
2 Johnson, Ober. 62.1
3 Klette, Wells 59.7
3FGP
1 Goljovic, Furst. 51.0
2 Moric, Oberwart 45.8
3 Diwald, Klos. 45.1
Free Throws
1 Nagler, Klos. 92.7
2 Vickery, Arkadia 92.1
3 Forrestal, Kapfen. 89.7


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BELGIUM

Mons Transfer News -by Peter Buyse


So far the only certainty of players leaving is George Evans and Jim Cantamessa.

There was a rumor that Evans could possibly go play in Germany for his former coach Yves Defraigne in Trier. But we now learned that George has offers from teams in 3 countries, one being Belgium.

Cantamessa is retiring from basketball and is going to continue his studies.
Evans came to Belgium after a succesfull last year at George Mason during the 2000-2001 season and played for Mons-Hainaut ever since.
He was twice voted to the Eurobasket All Star Teams.

Mons will next year be once again led by point guard Travis Conlan. Another guard Nate Reinking (183-G-73, college: Kent St.) is also on the roster next season as well as Ben Ebong the team's leading rebounder. Reinking was the team's 3rd leading scorer behind Justin Gray and George Evans.

Also on the roster will be veteran Jim Potter who is about to start his 12th year at Mons, only interrupted by 2 years at Charleroi..



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CAMEROON

Sow is close to win with Prokom -by Eurobasket News
Pape Sow (208-F-81, college: Cal.St. Fullerton) and his Prokom won the third game in a row in the Final series over Turow. Trailing 0-2 after the first two games away from home Prokom is now 3-2 after 59:66 in Game 5. An outstanding last period lifted them closer to the trophy as they host Game 6. Filip Dylewicz top-scored for the winners with 26 points. Krzysztof Roszyk nailed 15, while Mustafa Shakur scored 8. David Logan poured in 15 points in defeat, Dragisa Drobnjak had 14 and Robert Witka posted 13.
Turow looked really well at home and another proof for it was the first three quarters. Prokom could not stay tough in the start of the game playing without Gurovic that was suspended for one game after fighting in Game 4. PGE Turow Zgorzelec opened the game with 17:16 and increased the lead to 3 points at the half. After halftime Dragisa Drobnjak hit 2 triples in the third period as Turow went ahead by 10. After 17:12 in the third period Turow remained in front of the game dominating the court. Prokom Trefl Sopot woke up in the last period as they limited Turow to just 5 points in the period. Filip Dylewicz and Krzysztof Roszyk made three-point plays to seal the victory. Pape Sow nailed 7 points for the winners.
Before that Prokom Trefl Sopot won the second game at home to tie the series over PGE Turow Zgorzelec. The latter opened the game in a better style, but 21:10 in the final period brought 73:70 for the hosts. Donatas Slanina and Filip Dylewicz top-scored for the winners with 18 points apiece. Simonas Serapinas supported them with 10 points. David Logan nailed 21 points for Turow and Thomas Kelati scored 16.
It was another 'must-game' win for the defending champions that remained alive in the Final series. From the very beginning however it was Turow that started to bring one win home. Pape Sow provided 8 points in the winning effort. Zgorzelec had 22:16 in the end of the opening quarter thank to David Logan and Thomas Kelati's efforts.
Turow increased to 12 points advantage at the half time and looked forward to step closer to the trophy. Prokom Trefl Sopot had probably nothing to lose at that time as the team scored some important baskets. With 21:17 the hosts reduced the gap to 8 points, but the final push was suggested in the last period. Prokom Trefl Sopot tied the game at 68:68 and then due to 21:10 in the period won the game 73:70.

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CANADA

Senior Men's National Team holds open tryout -by Simon Yau

TORONTO - Forty basketball players converged on Humber College's basketball courts on May 27, vying for the attention of Senior Men's National Team head coach Leo Rautins and his staff during an open tryout. The prize? An impressive showing could net an invitation to join Team Canada's 2008 training camp roster, and perhaps, a chance to be an Olympian this summer in Beijing.

'When you come to an open tryout, you never really know what you're going to get,' said Rautins. 'Over the years we've had some surprises, and you also get some guys who might not belong here. But you give a fair opportunity to everybody who comes out and you try to whittle it down so the better players can compete and show what they can do.'

The tryout attracted several familiar names who have all previous played for one of Canada's teams. John House, Boris Bakovic (201-F-88), Jason Faulknor (201-F-80, college: Bradley), Jordan Sabourin (212-C-81, college: Oakland) and Tristan Blackwood (183-G-85) were all there, as were Evaldas Zabas, Ty Nurse (182-G-90), Mangisto Arop (197-G-90) and Mike Allison (206-F-90) of the National Elite Development Academy (NEDA).

'Players that have played for Canada in some capacity, you expect those guys to stick out. If not, they won't have a look,' explained Rautins bluntly. 'They have experience and are supposed to be the better players.

'And I love the fact that the [NEDA] kids came out,' continued the head coach. 'Realistically they aren't going to be selected for the National Team this year, but it's a great experience to go through a tryout like this and get banged up a bit against bigger guys.'

'I just wanted to get a run in and have some fun,' agreed Arop, a lanky 6'6' Albertan who has committed to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., in 2009. 'Anytime there's competitive basketball going on I just want to go in and have fun and try and learn from some of the older guys here.'

Rautins and his staff will have plenty of time to decide if any of those hopefuls made a lasting impression.

The senior men's team will open training camp June 20 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre before kicking off their summer schedule with the Jack Donohue International Classic (JDIC) June 30-July 5, hosting Lebanon and New Zealand in a five-game exhibition series in Hamilton and Toronto.


For more information, visit: www.basketball.ca



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CHINA

Zhang Kai Scores 20 as China Defeats Memphis 87-80 -- Updated -by Arthur Volbert

Zhang Kai (211-C-82) scored 20 points to lead the Chinese National Team to an 87-80 victory over the NCAA Division I Memphis Tigers.

However Memphis was not the team that was runner-up in this year's NCAA championship. The three best Memphis players -- Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey -- are preparing for the NBA draft.

This squad contains Memphis players who would not be drafted as well as some good conference USA players who also are not NBA prospects. The team wore 'Conference USA' on its uniforms rather than 'Memphis' which further indicates the nature of the team.

The game was close throughout, with several lead changes, despite the absence of the Memphis NBA-caliber players. But Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian were also absent. Wang Zhizhi also did not play. China went ahead for good at 75-74.

However this game does indicate that Zhang Kai is very likely to make the Olympic team, barring injury, and may see significant playing time. Zhang is a thin but very athletic 6-11 late-bloomer and may do well in international competition. I predicted during the CBA season that Zhang was likely to make the Olympic team. It would not shock me to see Zhang take playing time away from Wang Zhizhi, especially when the team needs defense and rebounding rather than offense.

-

Zhang had 10 rebounds to go along with his 20 points and played 30 minutes. He hit 9 of 11 shots. Zhu Fangyu had 17 points, 6 reboundS and 3 assists in 40 minutes. Liu Wei played 27 minutes with 10 points and 3 assists. Du Feng had 7 points and 7 rebounds but made only 3 of 17 shots.

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China----- 16 21 21 29 87
Memphis 18 22 17 23 80

-

Ding Jinhui 12min+2p+3r+1a, Liu Wei 27min+10p+1r+3a, Li Xiaoxu 16min+2p+2r, Zhu Fangyu 40min+17p+6r+3a, Wang Shipeng 17min+8p+4r, Wang Lei 6min+2p+1a, Zhang Kai 30min+20p+10r, Sun Yue 15min+4p+2r, Liu Xiaoyu 8min+7p+1r+1a, Li Nan 18min+6p+3r, Chen Jianghua 11min+2p+1r+2a, Du Feng 26min+7p(3-17)+7r+1a



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CROATIA

Split ties final series vs Zadar on 1-1 -by Eurobasket News
At second game of Croatian play-off final Split CO beat Zadar 81-77 equalizing the score on 1-1. It was a very interesting game with many turns. Split finished the game with only 6 players but still it was enough for the very important victory.

Split went into the last stanza with plus 11 but Zadar made come-back thanks to unusual move by, until that moment the best player of the game, Hrvoje Peric (203-F-85). After great 14-1 run made by his team, Peric tried to defend his teammate Stipanovic strongly pushing Brewer on the floor. Referees made a decision that his move was too strong and totally unnecessary sending him out for the rest of the game. Beside him refs also sent of Mladenov, Delas, Klaric and Sobin because they run on the floor to help Peric. Juby Johnson (196-G-81, college: Miami, OH) netted four FTs for Zadar after what he drained 3-pointer for 64-60. Very soon Split increased its lead but Zadar made one more killing 10-0 run for 68-70. Rok Stipcevic (189-G-86) scored 8 of Zadar's 10 points. It seemed that Split gave up as its another player had to leave the court. It was Marko Batina who sprained his ankle but head coach Slobodan Subotic succeeded to give some power to his players in order to finish this game celebrating. With 30 seconds remaining Split made 5-0 run setting the score on 78-74. Just 6 seconds before the end Johnson scored his third triple giving one more chance to Zadar 78-77. At FT finish Split's player was cool as ice and tied the score at the play-off final on 1-1.

Marlon Garnett (188-G-75, college: Santa Clara) led the winners scoring 20 points. Strong Andrija Stipanovic (207-C-86) had 18 points and 8 rebounds while Deian Ivanov (205-C-86) registered double-double, 10 points and 10 rebounds. Hrvoje Peric, who spent on the court 25 minutes, added 17 points, 5 assists and 6 boards. Visitors outrebounded Split as they had 7 more rebounds but Split made 13 steals more than its opponent.
Zadar got 21 points from Juby Johnson while Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances), Rok Stipcevic and Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) scored 11 points each.


Split CO - Zadar 81-77
(23-17,18-20,19-14,21-26)

Split: Garnett 20 (4 rebs), Stipanovic 18 (8 rebs), Peric 17 (5 as, 6 st)
Zadar: Johnson 21 (5 rebs), Gecevski 11 (8 rebs), Brewer 11, Stipcevic 11

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CYPRUS

Big question mark for the captain -by Chris Mammides

Giorgos Anastasiadis (194-G/F-77) is a player of Keravnos according to his contract up until the 1st of August, 2008; it seems that the beloved Strovolos captain will not continue his career in the Keravnos team.

The experienced and most successful Cypriot player is most wanted in the Cyprus league from more than one team, other than Keravnos. There are Greek sites which already wrote that the Cyprus player has already agreed financial terms with Omonoia Nicosia, this is NOT TRUE!! The captain of Cyprus NT didn't sign with any other team as his contract with his current club is still valid. There is though, a true part in this article as the Nicosia team already spoke to the player and offered him a much better package than his current team, the player didn't answer yet.
For more valid information in the Anastasiadis serial, eurobasket.com will inform its readers very soon.



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CZECH REPUBLIC

Geofin gets past Prostejov -by Eurobasket News
Geofin - Prostejov 73:68

The NBL finals picture was completed yesterday as Geofin joined Nymburk in the championship series. Geofin needed 5 games to surpass Prostejov and qualify to the main event of the NBL season. Prostejov dramatically survived in the series in Game 4 beating Geofin in overtime. But this time they failed to repeat the trick. The teams entered the game trading baskets just before Robert Sarovic (205-F-78) and Chapman scored 4 points for the hosts to give them an 11:6 lead. However 4 points from Tomaszek and a three-pointer from Savanovic made it 15:14 for Prostejov late in the quarter. However Robert Sarovic bridged the frames with 7 points for Geofin as they retained the lead. Soon Marton Bader (212-F/C-80, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) took the floor as he knocked down 8 points for the visitors and paced to a 37:31 advantage at halftime. Marton Bader came up with four more points at the start of the third period to keep the hosts at distance. Nevertheless the home side soon cut the deficit. A trey from Stec squared things up at 51 late in the quarter. Venta then scored three free throws in a row and Geofin headed into the fourth term leading by 1. The teams continued to exchange blows early in the fourth frame with Geofin ahead by 3 points with less than 2 minutes left in regulation. Rashaan Ames (184-G-77, college: Shaw) knocked down a free throw to drag Prostejov within two points from the home team. Kenny Walker (206-F/C-80, college: Alabama) answered with two freebies for Geofin, while Rashaan Ames could not convert a long bomb. Robert Sarovic grabbed the rebound and was sent to charity stripe. He sank one of two free throws to seal the winning outcome for Geofin. Robert Sarovic finished the game with 22 points and 9 boards for Geofin. Hurl Beechum (196-F-73, college: Iowa St.) scored 11 points in a winning case. Rashaan Ames answered with game-high 25 points for Prostejov. Marton Bader had 14 points and 6 boards in a loss.
Geofin will tip off the finals against Nymburk on Saturday away from home.

Geofin: Robert Sarovic 22, Hurl Beechum 11, Kenny Walker 9+13 boards
Prostejov: Rashaan Ames 25, Marton Bader 14

New GM for BK Pardubice -by Ondra Simecek
BK Pardubice announced to sign a contract with new General Manager Pavel Stara . Pavel Stara has been a GM of BK Decin for six seasons and during his era Decin reconstructed their arena and the team moved to the top of Czech Mattoni NBL. Stara, who is a manager of Czech NT as well was contacted by Pardubice already during the off season last year, but that time he was not thinking about a change. The offer came back during the regular season and Stara agreed to start his work for Pardubice from this July.

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EL SALVADOR

ExSal wins even Game 2 -by Jaime Arevalo
Prevailing over Denver 99-70 in Game 2 of the Apertura Finals, ExSal made an important step towards the Liga Superior title. The aggregate result is now 2-0 for ExSal, and this team need of only another win to be crowned. Another time more, Miguel Banos (186-F/C-84) was the game top performer. The winner of the 'Espiga Dorada' national award scored 23 points, and teammates Nathan Watson (191-G-83, agency: TASM, college: Auburn) and Dion Harper (202-F/C-74, college: Texas Arlington) added 16 and 13 points, respectively. The best in Denver were Marcus Robinson (198-F, college: N.Georgia) with 18; Bob Hunter (193-F-76) with 13 and Carlos Espinal (175-G-76), with 11

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FYR MACEDONIA

Feni Industri takes charge -by Todor Chalovski
Feni Industri beat Strumica 2005 89:80 to take a 3:1 lead in the 'best of seven' final series. This brings the Kavadarci based side within one game from winning their first ever championship title.
Home team took the charge early on, but captain Bogoev and Latovic brought Strumica 2005 back in the game. The two sides were even until the third quarter, when Gocevski took advantage of the great play from his guards. He was followed by Samardziev and Prekovic, who had a great shooting display, making the Feni Industri lead in double figures.

Home team kept this advantage until the end, bringing the game to a close with a 89:80 final victory.
Macedonian NT centar Zlatko Gocevski, who was last year's MVP of the finals playing for Strumica 2005, scored 24 points against his former club.

The next game will be played in Strumica on saturday.

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GERMANY

German Men's National Team roster announced -by Moritz Korff
Head coach Dirk Bauermann selected 19 players for the German Men's National Team who will attend a training camp in Mallorca, Spain and play two scrimmage games against Poland (June 28 in Halle and June 30 in Berlin). Alongside many well-known faces and veterans also some newcomers will have the chance to make the final roster which will participate in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (July 14-20). The following players were named:

Dominik Bahiense de Mello (190-G-85) - Frankfurt
Mithat Demirel (181-G-78) - Bamberg
Patrick Femerling (216-C-75, college: Washington) - Berlin
Robert Garrett (193-G-77, agency: SportsTalent) - Bamberg
Gordon Geib (180-G-83, agency: LimeLight) - Leverkusen
Demond Greene (185-G-79, agency: Court Side) - Bamberg
Guido Gruenheid (209-F/C-82) - Groningen, Holland
Steffen Hamann (194-G-81) - Bamberg
Johannes Herber (197-G-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: W.Virginia) - Berlin
Yassin Idbihi (208-F-83, college: Buffalo) - Koeln
Jan-Hendrik Jagla (213-F-81, agency: Priority Sports, college: Penn St.) - Badalona, Spain
Dirk Nowitzki (211-F-78) - Dallas Mavericks, USA
Tim Ohlbrecht (211-C/F-88) - Bamberg
Ademola Okulaja (202-F-75, college: N.Carolina) - Bamberg
Pascal Roller (180-G-76) - Frankfurt
Sven Schultze (208-C-78, agency: Court Side) - Udine, Italy
Julian Sensley (206-F-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Hawaii) - last team: Colorado 14ers, USA
Konrad Wysocki (202-F-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Princeton) - Ulm
Philip Zwiener (198-F-85, agency: Court Side) - Berlin

Head Coach: Dirk Bauermann
Assistant Coaches: Achim Kuczmann, Hansi Gnad, Volker Stix

Bundesliga Semifinals Results Thursday May 29th! -by Michael Taylor
Thursday night action in the Bundesliga Semifinals saw ALBA Berlin take control of their series with Ewe Baskets Oldenburg while Telekom Baskets Bonn evened their series against the Deutsche Bank Skyliners.

Thursday May 29th
Telekom Baskets Bonn 73 Deutsche Bank Skyliners 57 (Series even 1-1)
John Bowler scored 16pt and Winsome Frazier added 12pt as Telekom Baskets Bonn evened their Bundesliga semifinals series with Deutsche Bank Skyliners at 1-1 in Tuesday nights 73-57 Bonn win. Head Coach Michael Koch saw his team shoot 50% from the floor while limiting Frankfurt to 31% accuracy. After an even 1Q, Bonn's strong 2Q gave the hosts a 43-36 halftime lead. Taking control in the 3Q, Bonn outscored the Skyliners 15-8 building a 58-44 lead heading into the 4th. Artur Kolodziejski added 11pt and Ronnie Burrell chipped in 8pt 12reb to the win. Pascal Roller continued his outstanding postseason play pacing Skyliners scoring with 14pt and Derrick Allen added 10pt 7reb. Game 3 is scheduled for 3pm tipoff Sunday June 1st at Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt.

ALBA Berlin 79 Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 66 (ALBA leads Series 2-0)
ALBA Berlin outscored Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 50-31 in the second half to earn a hardfought 79-66 road win in Game 2 of their Bundesliga Semifinal series Thursday night at Ewe Arena in Oldenburg. tarting strong on their home floor, Oldenburg raced to a 21-14 lead after 1Q before taking a 35-29 lead at half. Head coach Luka Pavicevic and his ALBA team made their adjustments at halftime and responded to outscore the Thunderbirds 26-15 in the 3Q to take a 55-50 lead into the 4th. The second half Berlin surge continued as ALBA finished strong outscoring Oldenburg 24-16 to earn the win. Bobby Brown led Berlin with a strong 17pt 4reb 4ast night while Julius Jenkins added 16pt and Aleksandar Nadjfeji chipped in 13pt 5reb. Goran Nikolic drilled 5 of 6 shots to total 11pt 6reb and Immanuel McElroy 10pt for ALBA who shot 53% from the floor, outrebounded Oldenburg 35-32 and dished out 15ast to only 8turnovers. Branimir Longin led Oldenburg with 17pt with help from Jason Gardner's 11pt 7ast and Rickey Paulding's 11pt. With ALBA leading the series 2-0, the scene shifts back to MaxSchmellinghalle for Game 3 Sunday night June 1st at 5:30pm.

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GREECE

Play offs - Finals: Panathinaikos - Olympiakos 78-67 and 2-1 for the Greens -by Chris Mammides

Panathinaikos beat Olympiakos and is now leading in this final stage of the best of five games, 2-1. The next game will take place in SEF. In regards to the gaem now, the two teams were more or less equall in the first twenty minutes but then the home team of Panathinaikos with Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) in the leading role passed by their opponents with an amazing 10-0 and took the lead which was really very crucial as it stayed like that untill the end of the game. The quarters were: 14-14, 42-42, 68-54 and the final 78-67.

Top scorers for the two teams were:

Panathinaikos: Vasilis Spanoulis (193-G-82) 15 points and 2 assists, Dimitris Diamantidis 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 block shots in 36 minutes!!

Olympiakos: Lynn Greer (186-G-79, college: Temple) 16 points, Milos Teodosic (196-G-87) 12 points and 4 assists and 2 steals in 21 minutes.


For the game for the 3rd and 4th position, Panionios survived as Markovic's players beat those of Markopoulos by 89-82, Panionios was much better but Marousi mainly with Glyniadakis tried to sweep the series but couldn's do it as Kalambokis was really great with his 19 points followed by Giannoulis in his best game in Play-offs, the veteran center scored 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in less than 23 minutes!! The series are now moving to Marousi with the result being 2-1 for them...



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HOLLAND

Ties Theeuwkens stay in Rotterdam -by Fred Roggen
Ties Theeuwkens (190-G-85, agency: Court Side) will stay with the team of Rotterdam Challengers for another season. The 23-year old guard has agreed terms and he has renewed his contract with the team of the Rotterdam Challengers a day ago.
Ties Theeuwkens has been with the Rotterdam Challengers since 2006 when he moved from Den Helder to Rotterdam.
Beside Ties Theeuwkens also the Dutch players Slor, van Vilsteren and Maxwell and also the Americanplayers Richardson, Sykes en Grant already signed agreements for the coming season.

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HUNGARY

Albacomp won the Game 1 for the 3rd place -by Tamas Deri
Albacomp had one easy 22 poinst-victory over Szolnok but did not look like that as Olaj started the game better and was leading after 8 mintus. But than the home team could find the rhythm and was leading 26-18 after ten minutes.

Olaj could not get closer in the second quarter either, and Albacomp was up by 14 in the halftime already. The third quarter the guests started with a 24-11 run (59-55), but could not tie the game. Simon and his teammates got a new power, Velibor Radovic was unstoppable and Alba could beat Szolnok by 22 points in the first game for the bronze medal.
The second game of the best-of-three series will be played on Saturday, at 6pm in Szolnok.

ALBACOMP-SZOLNOKI OLAJ KK 90-68
(28-18, 20-16, 23-24, 19-10)
Szeskesfehervar, Att.: 1700, Referees: Dr. Valovics, Kothay, Bognar T.
ALBACOMP: Balazs Simon (188-G-80, agency: Court Side) 17/3, Cory Bradford (191-G-78, agency: Edge Sports, college: Illinois) 15/9, Velibor Radovic (202-F/G-72, agency: Beo Basket) 22, Chad McClendon (199-F-73, college: Appalachian St.) 18, Bencze 4, Hanga 8/3, Boozer 4, David G. 2, Antal, Keller, Coach: Peresztegi Nagy Akos
SZOLNOKI OLAJ KK: Thomas Kelley (188-G-76, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: Michigan St.) 17/9, Cziczas, Vernard HOLLINS 17/9, Sabaliauskas 7, Jurkunas 6, Molnar A. 4, Harazin 1, Gobi 10, Cseh 6/6, Toth V., Gaal R., Coach: Por Peter

Falco could use the home-court advantage -by Tamas Deri
Falco started the game very hard and with the easy baskets made by the foreigners they were up 21-10 after 8 minutes already. Int he second quarter the guests could get closer, after Vavra made a three, the score was 33-27. In the last two minutes coach Krivacevic and Trummer got technicals, the home team could make 8 easy points and was leading by 14 after 20 minutes.
Kormend started the second half with one amazing 9-2 run and was close to tie the game, but missed a lot of shots, so Falco could keep 6 points and win the first game.

Game two will be played in Kormend on Saturday at 7pm!

FALCO-SZOVA KC Szombathely - Polaroid-Lami-Ved-Kormend 80-74
(27-17, 23-19, 14-23, 16-15)
Szombathely, Att.: 3.100, Referees: Bodnar P., Benczur T., Torok R.
FALCO-SZOVA KC Szombathely: Kalman 13/3, Bam Doyne (193-G-84, college: Mississippi) 25/6, Andrija Ciric (199-G-80, agency: Beo Basket) 15, Kazlauskas 8/6, Nikola Aliakseyeu (212-C-78, agency: Globalsports/Globalevents, college: Buffalo) 13, Varadi, Borszeki 4, Pankar, Feigl 2, Coach: Srecko Sekulovic
Polaroid-Lami-Ved-Kormend: Thomas 4, Ferencz 9/6, Fodor 9/9, Henderson, Ocitti 9, Marton Fodor (191-G-81, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) 22/3, Vavra 10, Coach: Dragoljub Krivacevic

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IBL

Streaking Slam Cruise to tenth Straight Win -by John Gary
courtesy oursportscentral.com The Bellingham Slam used a strong first half as they cruised to their tenth consecutive victory 138-117 over the Central Oregon Hotshots in an IBL contest monday afternoon at Whatcom Pavilion. The Slam used a 21-9 run during the middle stages of the first quarter to establish a 37-23 lead after the first 12 minutes. Bellingham futhered its lead to 32 by holding the Hotshots scoreless for the first 4;21 OF the second quarter. The Slam rattled off 16 points in the run coming from Paul Hafford.

IBL - USBA camp -by Carl Berman
The IBL in conjunction with the United States Basketball Academy in Blue River, OR is conducting an exposure camp May 27th-29th. Over 100 top players are participating, including over 60 IBL stars. They will be playing before representatives from Chinese, Japanese, South Korean, South American and European leagues and teams as well as a number of agents. Players scheduled to participate include the IBL's leading scorer, David Lucas (6'8''-F-82, agency: TASM, college: Oregon St.), former NBA player God Shammgod (6'1''-G-76, agency: Passing Lane, college: Providence), D-League players, Brad Stricker (6'11''-C/F-77, college: Georgia St.) and Kris Clack (6'5''-G-77, college: Texas) as well as IBL stars, Terry Horton (6'3''-F-81, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Alabama A&M), Shane Thorson (6'6''-F-83), Tyler Amaya (6'6''-F-82, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: W.Washington), Larry Smith (6'4''-G/F-83, college: East Central), Paul Hafford (6'4''-G-84, college: Portland St.) and Dean Browne (6'9''-C-80, college: Nevada). Eurobasket will write an article on who we consider to be the top 12 players at the camp.

Standings
IBL Standings
East
 1. Elkhart E. 11-1 
 2. Holland B. 8-6 
 3. Battle Creek K. 7-6 
 4. Windy City S. 7-10 
Midwest
 1. Gary S. 13-3 
 2. Elgin R. 5-6 
 3. G.Rapids F. 5-9 
 4. USA All-Stars 1-19 
Southwest
 1. Las Vegas 9-4 
 2. Portland C. 9-11 
 3. C.Oregon H. 6-12 
 4. Los Angeles 4-6 
 5. Shanxi Zh. 0-5 
West
 1. Vancouver V. 13-4 
 2. Bellingham S. 12-2 
 3. Snohomish C. 9-8 
 4. Edmonton C. 6-2 
 5. Tacoma J. 5-10 


Stats Leaders
IBL Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1. Lucas Portland 39.2
2. Springs Holland 30.0
3. Dunn C. Oregon 26.9
4.Diggs Bellingham 26.8
5. Shaw G. Rapids 25.0
6. Moodie Elkhart 24.8
7. Rhinehart W.City 24.7
8. Watkins Elgin 24.5
9. Murray L.A. 24.0
10.Horton C. Oregon 23.5
Rebounds Per Game
1.Murray L.A. 11.6
1.Charles Elkhart 11.6
3.Horton C. Oregon 10.7
4.Gayden Elgin 10.4
5.Shaw G.Rapids 10.3
6.Harris Tacoma 9.7
7.Dennis Bellingham 8.7
Assists Per Game
1.Hall Las Vegas 9.9
2.Bradford W.City 8.3
3.Springs Holland 8.1
4.Kyle B.Creek 6.8
5.Troupe Vancouver 6.6
5.Parran Gary 6.6
5.Tyner Vancouver 6.6


*****************************************************
INDIA

IBS NRI League Results -by Anil Kumar
A disciplined Hoofbeatz Hustlers struck form at the right moment with their Tamil Nadu State player Shankar and Kerala State player Jean Manaloor nullifying the star studded Al Jaleeb Tea City Fives' effect comprehensively as they defeated them 66:54 in their last league outfit of the Indian Basketball League Tournament played at Al Shaab Sports Club, Sharjah.

City Fives was expected to put up a good fight, but its resilience vanished into thin air when the Hustlers' cagers started pouring baskets. The match between the former champions which was supposed to be a high voltage clash did not live up to the expectation. Hustlers led the first quarter 14:10 and continued that tempo in the second quarter as well by scoring 17:9. Both the teams scored 35:35 in the second half of the game. Hustlers remain unbeaten in the league round and will meet DPS, Sharjah in the semi finals.

DPS, Sharjah secured the 4th position in the league table as they sunk Titan Shipping 74:64 in their last league match. Kunal Vohra led the winners with 23 points. Ali Hussain netted 19, whilst Kenneth scored 18. Jassim answered with a game-high 36 points in the losing effort. DPS led 41:23 in the first half and Titan Shipping scored 41:33 in the second half.

Arabian View Saintz lost against Ahalya Exchange Abu Dhabi Indians 53:73 in their goodbye match. Joseph was top scorer for Ahalya Exchange with 30 points. Tom Thomas contributed 18 points for the winners. Melwin Chandy answered with 24 points for Arabian View Saintz.

Hoopers, Dubai steamrolled Street Legends 67-41 and qualified to meet Al Jaleeb Tea City Fives in the Semi Finals.

In the u13 boys league match Emirates National School, Sharjah beat DPS, Sharjah 29:23. ENS led 16:4 in the first half. DPS scored 19:13 in the second half. Aamir was the top scorer for ENS, Sharjah. Raj Vaswani netted 14 points for DPS, Sharjah.

Results:
U13 Boys: ENS, Sharjah 29 (Aamir 9, Nihal 4, Aliston 4, Bobby 2, James 4, Sanjith 4, Ubaid 2) beat DPS, Sharjah 23 (Raj Vaswani 14, Jimmy 3, Adeeb 2, Dev 2, Abdul Rehman 2)

Men Division:
Hoopers, Dubai:67 (Ivan 11, Usman 10, Hestin 10, Rakesh 13, Shajahan 8, Shilbert 6, Cyril Miranda 5, Welly 2 and Jude 2) beat Street Legends:41 (Nasruddin 12, Mohammed 12, Bala 8, Amjad 5 and Nashat 4)

DPS, Sharjah 74 (Kunal Vohra 23, Ali Hussain 19, Kenneth 18, Sideek Razak 11, Harsh 3) beat Titan Shipping 64 (Jassim 36, Ameen 8, Zayed 6, Anas 2, Ismail 2, Faizal 8, Shafeeque 2)

Hoofbeatz Hustlers, Dubai: 66 (Shankar 20, Deepak 15, Jean 12, Rijo 9, Nithin 6, Beslin 4) beat Al Jaleeb Tea City Fives: 54 (Manoj 19, Jolly Peter 10, Mathew 10, Bimal Raj 7, Jinesh 4 and Sanu Thomas 4)

Ahalya Exchange Abu Dhabi Indians 73 (Jospeh 30, Tom Thomas 18, Vishal 7, Benson 6, Allen 10, Roopesh 2) beat Arabian View Saintz, Dubai 53 (Melvin Chandy 24, Siddique 15, Zaheer 10 and Jashir 4)


IBS NRI League Results -by Anil Kumar
A disciplined Hoofbeatz Hustlers struck form at the right moment with their Tamil Nadu State player Shankar and Kerala State player Jean Manaloor nullifying the star studded Al Jaleeb Tea City Fives' effect comprehensively as they defeated them 66:54 in their last league outfit of the Indian Basketball League Tournament played at Al Shaab Sports Club, Sharjah.

City Fives was expected to put up a good fight, but its resilience vanished into thin air when the Hustlers' cagers started pouring baskets. The match between the former champions which was supposed to be a high voltage clash did not live up to the expectation. Hustlers led the first quarter 14:10 and continued that tempo in the second quarter as well by scoring 17:9. Both the teams scored 35:35 in the second half of the game. Hustlers remain unbeaten in the league round and will meet DPS, Sharjah in the semi finals.

DPS, Sharjah secured the 4th position in the league table as they sunk Titan Shipping 74:64 in their last league match. Kunal Vohra led the winners with 23 points. Ali Hussain netted 19, whilst Kenneth scored 18. Jassim answered with a game-high 36 points in the losing effort. DPS led 41:23 in the first half and Titan Shipping scored 41:33 in the second half.

Arabian View Saintz lost against Ahalya Exchange Abu Dhabi Indians 53:73 in their goodbye match. Joseph was top scorer for Ahalya Exchange with 30 points. Tom Thomas contributed 18 points for the winners. Melwin Chandy answered with 24 points for Arabian View Saintz.

Hoopers, Dubai steamrolled Street Legends 67-41 and qualified to meet Al Jaleeb Tea City Fives in the Semi Finals.

In the u13 boys league match Emirates National School, Sharjah beat DPS, Sharjah 29:23. ENS led 16:4 in the first half. DPS scored 19:13 in the second half. Aamir was the top scorer for ENS, Sharjah. Raj Vaswani netted 14 points for DPS, Sharjah.

Results:
U13 Boys: ENS, Sharjah 29 (Aamir 9, Nihal 4, Aliston 4, Bobby 2, James 4, Sanjith 4, Ubaid 2) beat DPS, Sharjah 23 (Raj Vaswani 14, Jimmy 3, Adeeb 2, Dev 2, Abdul Rehman 2)

Men Division:
Hoopers, Dubai:67 (Ivan 11, Usman 10, Hestin 10, Rakesh 13, Shajahan 8, Shilbert 6, Cyril Miranda 5, Welly 2 and Jude 2) beat Street Legends:41 (Nasruddin 12, Mohammed 12, Bala 8, Amjad 5 and Nashat 4)

DPS, Sharjah 74 (Kunal Vohra 23, Ali Hussain 19, Kenneth 18, Sideek Razak 11, Harsh 3) beat Titan Shipping 64 (Jassim 36, Ameen 8, Zayed 6, Anas 2, Ismail 2, Faizal 8, Shafeeque 2)

Hoofbeatz Hustlers, Dubai: 66 (Shankar 20, Deepak 15, Jean 12, Rijo 9, Nithin 6, Beslin 4) beat Al Jaleeb Tea City Fives: 54 (Manoj 19, Jolly Peter 10, Mathew 10, Bimal Raj 7, Jinesh 4 and Sanu Thomas 4)

Ahalya Exchange Abu Dhabi Indians 73 (Jospeh 30, Tom Thomas 18, Vishal 7, Benson 6, Allen 10, Roopesh 2) beat Arabian View Saintz, Dubai 53 (Melvin Chandy 24, Siddique 15, Zaheer 10 and Jashir 4)

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

Regular Season ends -by Netanel Dahan

The regular season of the BSL finished, Gilboa/Afula go down to the National League(D2).
Hapoel Holon finished at the first place, Maccabi Tel Aviv at the second place.

Maccabi Haifa,Maccabi Givat Shmuel,and Elitzur Qiryat Ata,advance to the Bsl,Maccabi Givat Shmuel won at the National League(D2) champion.

Those are the teams that advance to the Final Four:
Hapoel Holon.
Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Bnei Hasharon.
Ironi Nahariya.

The Final Four games:
Hapoel Holon-Ironi Naharia.
Maccabi Tel Aviv Bnei Hasharon.
The Final Four games will be start at May 27.

Round 27 First team:

Round 27 MVP:Jermaine Hall (196-F-80, college: Wagner)


Jermaine Hall (196-F-80, college: Wagner) Jermaine was great and lead Afula to their first win since 5 games; he scored 23 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 4 steals.
Elton Brown (206-F/C-83, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Virginia) Elton scored 21pts in just 27 minutes; 7 rebounds, 8 fouls and 2 assists.
Terence Morris (206-F-79, college: Maryland) Terence scored 18 pts,10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.
Yotam Halperin (196-G-84, agency: Arik Krayn Services) Yotam scored 17 points, 2 rebounds, 7 fouls, 7 assists, and 2 steals.
John Gilchrist (187-G-84, college: Maryland) John scored 24 points in just 23 minutes, 2 rebounds, 7 fouls, 3 assists and 1 steal.



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

Serie B: Venezia and Brindisi will battle for Lega 2 -by Gianni Pascucci
It seems that this season Serie B1 officials decided to challenge some American minor leagues (like the ABA, for example) for the worse Playoff format ever. In fact, tonight will start the so-named 'B1 Finals', and their format can be only labeled 'strange'. Listen to this: the four teams survived from the Semifinals have been divided into two series: one, named FINAL 1 between Reyer Umana Venezia and New Basket Prefabb.Pugliesi Brindisi, the best two placed teams in each Group at the end of Regular Season, and the winner of this Series will be promoted to Lega 2. Another one, named TIE-BREAKER FINAL, between the other two teams yet in the race, Intertrasport Blu Basket Treviglio and Banca Nuova Trapani, and the winner of this Series will play again the... loser of FINAL 1 to earn the second ticket to next season Lega 2. If you do not find this enough comic, consider that both these series are not true playoff, but these teams will play two games only, and the aggregate result will decide the winner, like it was years ago in European Cup competition. In our opinion, this all is very unfair for teams like Banca Nuova Trapani, whose playoff record is till now 5-0 and with only one large loss could be out. Could be also very unfair for a team like Reyer Venezia, that battled all regular season long to earn the home advantage in the playoffs, and with two consecutive bad losses could lose it all... Game 1 of each playoff will be played tonight at 21:00, Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday, June 1.

*****************************************************
LITHUANIA

Klimavicius will join Lietuvos rytas? -by Erildas Budraitis
Greek media say that Tadas Klimavicius (204-F-82, agency: Interperformances) will join Vilnius Lietuvos rytas. Last season Klimavicius played in Larissa AEL 1964 and Greek league all-star game. The 26 year old lithuanian averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds. Klimavicius has already played in Zalgiris, Alytus, Siauliai and Fabriano Basket. Klimavicius is the fourth new player in Lietuvos Rytas. Before Klimavicius the team from Vilnius signed Marius Prekevicius (196-F-84, agency: Interperformances, college: S.Florida), Donatas Zavackas (203-F-80, college: Pittsburgh) and Steponas Babrauskas (197-G/F-84).

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

Leopardos beat Pepeprs on the road -by Gianni Pascucci
Leopardos de Merida confirmed their 'second force' ranking clearly defeating on the road over Peppers de Progreso, 106-82. Harold Arceneaux (198-F-77, college: Weber St.) was the game top scorer at 30 points, but Reggie Jordan (193-G-68, college: N.Mexico St.) supplied another great performance with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. The other best scorer were Eric Martin (197-F-76, college: Cincinnati) with 15 and Nick Jones (190-G-81, college: UCSB) with 17, while Peppers were led by Forrest Fisher (193-G-84), who scored 25 points. If Jordan goes on in this way, no doubt he will be named the league MVP...

Standings - Lower Leagues
Other Standings
CIMEBA Northern
 1. Cuervos 0-0 
 2. Aztecas 0-0 
 3. Chamanes 0-0 
 4. Titanes 0-0 
CIMEBA Southern
 1. Coras 0-0 
 2. Caudillos 0-0 
 3. Indios 0-0 
 4. Guerreros 0-0 
Liga del Sureste
 1. Dorados 9-5 
 2. Leopardos 8-5 
 3. Peppers 6-5 
 4. Marineros 5-5 
 5. Aluxes 0-10 


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

Doug Collins to Coach Bulls -by Bryan Floyd
The Chicago Bulls' next head coach will reportedly be a familiar face.Numerous media outlets reported Thursday that the Bulls will hire Doug Collins as their new head coach.Earlier this month, Collins told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that he had 'no interest' in coaching again.Collins, currently an NBA analyst with TNT, last coached in 2002 with the Washington Wizards. He also coached the Detroit Pistons and the Bulls, compiling a 332-228 record. He has a career 15-23 record in the postseason.Collins was fired by the Bulls in 1989, despite leading the team to the Eastern Conference finals. He was replaced by Phil Jackson, who went on to coach the team to six NBA titles.Expected to contend in the Eastern Conference after reaching the second round of the playoffs last season, Chicago plummeted, losing 49 games. Coach Scott Skiles got fired in December, and interim coach Jim Boylan lost his job after the season finale. But suddenly, luck seems to be smiling on the Bulls.Chicago will pick first overall in the 2008 draft after winning the draft lottery. I would be willing to bet that the 1st selection in the draft helped change his mind.

Fines will Be Enforced Next Season for Flopping. -by Bryan Floyd
The NBA announced to its teams this week at its annual pre-draft camp that fines will be imposed on players starting next season for Flopping. The league office has yet to determine exact fine amounts for offending flops and how fines might escalate for repeat offenders, but in-game arena observers and video reviewers will be instructed to report instances of theatrical flopping for potential punishment as part of postgame reports on officiating and other matters. The league's pledge to crack down on flopping was conveyed to team representatives at Tuesday's competition committee meeting in Orlando. NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson confirmed the new policy Wednesday night saying: 'What was clearly expressed to the committee is that we would begin imposing fines next season for the most egregious type of flops. When players are taking a dive, for lack of a better term.'

Boston steps closer to NBA finals -by Eurobasket News
Boston - Detroit 106:102

The Boston Celtics surged in front in the Eastern conference finals beating Detroit at home yesterday. Ray Allen (6'6''-G-75, college: Connecticut) came up with arguably the best performance in the postseason firing 29 points including 4 within the final minute to propel the Celtics to a narrow victory. Detroit got to a better start to the game as they tallied a 13:2 run to grab the lead early in the second period. They enjoyed a 6-point advantage midway through the frame but the Celtics finally shook off the sloppiness. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce chipped in back-to-back trebles to ignite an 11:0 run that saw the hosts grabbed the lead for good in this one. Ray Allen continued to deliver points as his consecutive three-pointers in the third stanza gave the Celtics a 14-point cushion. When the home side stretched the advantage to 17 points in the third period it seemed the Pistons were done. However the experienced visitors found the arguments to stay in the fight. Richard Hamilton (6'7''-G-78, college: Connecticut) launched 13 points in a 21:8 run that dragged the Pistons within 4 points from Boston with under 5 minutes left in regulation. Rodney Stuckey hit a three pointer to make it a 99:100 game with just over a minute remaining. Ray Allen responded with a long jumper and then sank two free throws to secure the winning outcome for the hosts. Kevin Garnett (6'10''-F-76) led all scorers with 33 points for Boston. Kendrick Perkins (6'10''-C-84) had 18 points and 16 boards, while Paul Pierce added 16 points in a win. Chauncey Billups (6'3''-G-76, college: Colorado) answered with 26 points and 6 assists for the Pistons. Richard Hamilton had 25 points, while Rasheed Wallace contributed 18 points in defeat. The Celtics outmuscled the Pistons on the boards 42:25 and converted 50% from the field. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday in Detroit.

Boston: Kevin Garnett 33, Ray Allen 29, Kendrick Perkins 18+16 boards
Detroit: Chauncey Billups 26, Richard Hamilton 25

Byron Scott, Gregg Popovich agree to extension -by Eurobasket News
Byron Scott and the New Orleans Hornets have agreed on the terms of two-year extension. Byron Scott led the Hornets to a successful season where the Hornets posted a franchise-high 56 victories. They overcame Dallas in the opening round of the playoffs and led 2-0 against the defending champions San Antonio before losing to the Spurs in seven games. Byron Scott was mulling over the possibility of his wage raise. He was making about $3.5 million a year, while the highest paid coach in the league Phil Jackson made $10.3 million per season.
In the meantime Gregg Popovich also inked the contract extension with the Spurs. Gregg Popovich will remain at the helm of the team through the 2011-2012 season. Gregg Popovich won four NBA title with the Spurs in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Gregg Popovich has been coaching the Spurs since 1996. He accumulated a 632-302 regular season record with the team.
The Atlanta Hawks decided to invite Rick Sund for the general manager position. Rick Sund has a vast experience working in the offices of Milwaukee, Detroit, Dallas and Seattle. He worked as the general manager with the Supersonics from 2001 to 2007. Last season he became the consultant in the team before replacing Billy Knight as the general manager of the Hawks. Atlanta had talks with the Cleveland's assistant general manager Chris Grant and former general manager Pete Babcock.
The Sacramento Kings decided to exercise their club option for president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie. The team committed to him through 2009-2010 season. Petrie has been working for the Kings for 14 years already and was twice voted for as the NBA executive of the year.

*****************************************************
NCAA1

Gainde Classic: Lions beat SMU 62-54 -by Kristian Santiago
A national selection of players from Senegal beat on Tuesday the SMU 62-54 at the Stadium Marius Ndiaye.
The selection, coached by Parfait Adjivon led after the first quarter by three points (15-12) and the 'Lions' had a tough second quarter against the visiting students from Dallas.
Propelled by the late addition of Mouhammad Faye (208-F-85) (Senegalese player of SMU), the hosts led at halftime by two points (27-25) and after a strong showing by Biyago Diouf (188-G-88) and Mouhamadou Diop (210-C-87), they led by 12 after the third (48-36).
SMU bounced back eventually thanks two made three-point shots to close the gap(50-48), but Senegal's player kept playing controlled basketball and widened the gap to eight points until the final whistle.
Senegal takes on Athletes in Action today before departing to Mali for another tourney.

Green to remain in NBA Draft -by Kyle Stefan
Fueled by projections as a potential lottery pick, Syracuse forward Donte Green will remain in the NBA Draft after signing with an agent earlier this week.

Green, who averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds as a freshman last season for the Orange, announced Thursday that he signed with Bill Strickland earlier this week.

According to WSYR TV in Syracuse, Green has workouts scheduled for seven different lottery teams, including Milwaukee, Charlotte, New Jersey, New York, Sacramento, Portland, and Los Angeles to meet with the Clippers.

ESPN.com's Andy Katz projects Green to be chosen between 10 and 20 in the June 26 draft. NBADraft.net has Green pegged as the No. 20 pick to the Denver Nuggets, while DraftExpress.com has Green going No. 17 to the Toronto Raptors.

*****************************************************
NEW ZEALAND

Wellington conquer regular season title -by Eurobasket News
Wellington grabbed their 9th home win in the season and claimed the regular season crown. The Saints handled the Auckland Stars 96:90 at home and used the Waikato Pistons' loss to Harbour to clinch the top seed in the regular season. It means the undefeated at home Wellington will have the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Saints got 21 points from Ernest Scott (200-F-82, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Valdosta St.) en route to a 96:90 win over Auckland at the TSB Bank Arena. The hosts dominated the game and enjoyed a 17-point advantage in the final quarter before wasting almost all of it. The Stars went on a fierce comeback effort cutting the deficit to 2 points with under 2 minutes remaining. Nevertheless the home side prevailed snatching a narrow yet so important victory. Lindsay Tait, Nick Horvath, Arthur Trousdell and Luke Martin all scored 12 points apiece to pace the Saints. Casey Frank (203-F-77, college: N.Arizona) answered with game-high 25 points and 6 boards for the Stars.
Meanwhile the Pistons could not cope with the Harbour Heat at the Te Awamutu Events Centre. Oscar Forman (205-G/F-82) knocked down 22 points and collected 8 boards to help the Heat gain their 11th win in the season. They now just one victory shy of the second-ranked Waikato. The Pistons suffered the third straight loss and fell to 12-5 record. Hayden Allen notched 19 points, while Tim Behrendorff added 15 for the winners. Jason Crowe (193-G-76, college: Cal.St. Northridge) was once again close to triple-double finishing with 24 points, 10 boards and 9 assists.
The Nelson Giants leapfrogged the Hawkes Bay Hawks in the ladder as they edged the Dynamos Taranaki 81:72 at the Trafalgar Centre. Mike Fitchett (183-G-82) nailed 21 points to lead the charge for the Giants. Michael Harrison netted 17 points and Nelson climbed to the 4th spot. Aaron Nowell (195-G-81) replied with 24 points for the Dynamos.
The Bay Hawks fell short against Canterbury 79:86 at the Cowles Stadium. Jeremy Kench (184-G-84) bruised the Bay Hawks for 22 points. John Whorton contributed 19 points and 15 boards as the Rams snapped a 7-point losing streak at home. Kareem Johnson (205-C-80, college: Cincinnati) answered with 20 points in a loss.

Standings Men
NBL Standings
 1. Wellington 13-4 
 2. Waikato 12-5 
 3. Harbour Heat 11-6 
 4. Nelson 10-6 
 5. G&H Hawks 9-7 
 6. Auckland 8-7 
 7. Taranaki 7-9 
 8. Canterbury 5-12 
 9. Manawatu 4-11 
 10. Otago 2-14 


*****************************************************
NICARAGUA

ACB Standinga
D1 Standings
ACB
 1. Tigres 1-0 
 2. Vikingos de V. 1-0 
 3. Delfines 1-1 
 4. Halcones 0-0 
 5. Pumas 0-1 
 6. Tiburones 0-1 
Liga Premier
 1. Jaguares 3-1 
 2. American Coll. 2-1 
 3. Fupade Coast 1-2 
 4. Caimanes 1-3 


Vikingos win in debut -by Gianni Pascucci
Vikingos de Pizza Valenti's largely defeated Delfines de la BICU-Inatec 103-87, in their first game of the Asociacion de Clubes de Baloncesto, 2008 edition. After a bad start, Vikingos came back during t eh second quarter keeping the lead in teh score, and never looked back. Jasser Jimenez (176-G-83) and Carlos Rocha (-G/F) led the way, scoring 19 points each, Carlos Collado (182-G-74) added 15 pts at the winning side. The best in Dolphions was Windell Sloan (-F/C), who took the game top scoring honors at 21 points. Rupert Walter added 20 points and Michael Simonnet 18.

*****************************************************
NORWAY

Vikings look for new coach -by Kaare Vangen
Harstad Vikings will have to find a new coach. Tore Berset has been a part of the Vikings coaching team for seven years, the last two as head coach. Now he is looking for a new life.

Vikings have been in six consecutive BLNOfinals and got one title. No other male Norwegian team have copied that for many years. No doubt, Berset has been important for the Vikings organization and deserves credibility and honor for that. He has not accomplished one important thing though - no new local players have made it into the rotation the two years he led the team. Maybe developing new local talents can be even more challenging than taking Vikings to finals?

*****************************************************
PARAGUAY

National League Standings
National Standings
Group A
 1. Sol de Am. 2-0 
 2. D.San Jose 1-1 
 3. Libertad 0-2 
Group B
 1. America 2-0 
 2. Sacachispas 1-1 
 3. Felix Perez 0-2 


National League restarts tonight in Asuncion -by Gianni Pascucci
The Group 'A2' of Paraguayan National League will restart tonight at 21:00 in Asuncion, when Sol de America and Libertad will meet themselves at the 'Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb' arena. In this second round, Sol will try to mantain its unbeaten status, while Libertad needs of two wins to climb the table, otherwise wil be eliminated from the 'Semifinal Round' of the competition.The teams of the Group 'B2' will take another bit of rest, and will restart playing next week, in Encarnacion, where local team Sacachispas, led by Argentinean sensation Enzo Ruiz (193-F-88), will try to win both the games played in front of its fans to claim the qualification to the Semifinals

*****************************************************
PHILIPPINES

Singapore Slingers-bound Castro Powers Harbour to Clinch PBL Crown -by Hector Santos
BATANGAS CITY - Jason Castro (173-G-86) put on another brilliant performance yesterday as Harbour Centre downed Hapee Toothpaste, 86-73, to win the Philippine Basketball League Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup - its fifth straight championship - at the Batangas City Sports Center here.

The 5-foot-9 Castro, who will be playing for the Singapore Slingers starting in August, tallied 13 points, 9 assists and three rebounds in a big follow-up to his 28-point performance in Game 3.

A big explosion midway in the second quarter and a strong finish was what Harbour Centre all needed to wrap up the best-of-five series, 3-1.

Trailing the Complete Protectors, 24-22, Castro scored two free throws to spark a bristling 19-0 run to post 41-26 lead at the break. That run was helped by Hapee's numerous turnovers.

The Batang Pier even padded their lead 22, 59-37, as Boyet Bautista, Sol Mercado, Jeff Chan and Jerwin Gaco joined the scoring orgy.

Hapee, also beaten by Harbour Centre in two previous championships, managed to cut Harbour's lead to 48-59 but that proved to be their last hurrah as the Batang Pier came through with a 4-0 run capped by Al Vergara's triple.

For his splendid showing in the series, Castro also clinched the Finals MVP trophy, thus completing his glorious season in the country's premier amateur basketball league.

'Our aggressiveness from start to finish paid off. I told the boys that only way to beat Hapee is to play aggressive in both ends of the court,' said coach Jorge Gallent. 'This is perhaps my sweetest win so far.'

Hapee, still without a title since winning back-to-back championships in the 2003-04 season, took Game 1, 74-73, but Harbour Centre won the next three games to become the fastest team in league history to win five straight championships.

Harbour Centre joined the league in the last conference of the 2005 season.

'This title is doubly sweet,' said a jubilant Romero, wearing his lucky green polo short. 'This is the reward for their hard work and patience.'

Likewise, the win boosted Harbour Centre's tag as the greatest team in recent history. It won its fifth straight title in only seven conferences in the league.

Banners proclaiming Harbour Centre's latest victory were gleefully unfurled with still more than two minutes left as the Batang Pier valiantly protected their lead.

Castro was held to just four points in the first quarter but played like a wounded tiger in the last six minutes of the second quarter where he scattered seven points, including two free throws that sparked that vicious run.(PBL)

Aside from giving coach Louie Alas a lot of headaches with his gorgeous moves in the shaded lane, Castro was equally impressive at the defensive end where his two steals was translated into baskets by Al Vergara.

He also finished the half with six assists and two rebounds, factors that boosted their confidence going into the final half.

While Harbour showed great resolve in that stretch, Hapee was a complete opposite. After only two quarters, they already committed 15 errors against only five for the Batang Pier. They also had more assists, 12-6.

Chan, one of five Habour players who scored in double figures, was named as the Pivotal Player of the series. He scored 10 points, most of them came in the second period.

With Castro and Sol Mercado alternated in shadowing Gabe Norwood, the 6-foot-5 Fil-Am was reduced to a mere spectators in the first half. He scored only six points.

Meantime, Harbour Centre's Ty Tang was the last player given a special Commissioner's Choice Award for his outstanding attitude towards sharing.

For giving back his allowances and much of his scholarship grant and making those same funds available for the use of others, Tang received a Civic Consciousness Award from Commissioner Chino Trinidad during halftime.

The scores:
Harbour 86 - Bautista 16, Castro 13, Alonzo 11, Chan 10, Gaco 10, Vergara 9, Mercado 7, Fernandez 7, Asoro 2, Belga 1, Tang 0, Gamboa 0.
Hapee 73 - Rodriguez 18, Norwood 16, Juntilla 14, Saguindel 14, Espiritu 3, Daa 3, Borboran 3, Viray 2, Cruz 0, Quinday 0, Tan 0, Mercado 0, Grijaldo 0.
Quarters: 14-13, 41-26; 65-50; 86-73.

Standings - PBA Fiesta Conference
PBA Standings
 1. Coca-Cola 7-4 
 2. Talk N Text 7-5 
 3. Red Bull 7-5 
 4. Air21 7-5 
 5. Sta Lucia 6-5 
 6. Purefoods 5-5 
 7. Alaska 5-6 
 8. Magnolia 5-6 
 9. Ginebra 4-7 
 10. Welcoat D. 3-8 


*****************************************************
POLAND

Third win in a row lifts Prokom to 3-2 -by Eurobasket News
PGE Turow Zgorzelec - Prokom Trefl Sopot 59:66 (17:16, 20:18, 17:12, 5:20)

Prokom won the third game in a row in the Final series over Turow. Trailing 0-2 after the first two games away from home Prokom is now 3-2 after 59:66 in Game 5. An outstanding last period lifted them closer to the trophy as they host Game 6. Filip Dylewicz (202-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) top-scored for the winners with 26 points. Krzysztof Roszyk (200-F-78) nailed 15, while Mustafa Shakur (190-G-84, college: Arizona) scored 8. David Logan (184-G-82, college: Indianapolis) poured in 15 points in defeat, Dragisa Drobnjak (200-F-77, agency: VTBM/SRBM) had 14 and Robert Witka (205-F-81) posted 13.
Turow looked really well at home and another proof for it was the first three quarters. Prokom could not stay tough in the start of the game playing without Gurovic that was suspended for one game after fighting in Game 4. PGE Turow Zgorzelec opened the game with 17:16 and increased the lead to 3 points at the half. After halftime Dragisa Drobnjak hit 2 triples in the third period as Turow went ahead by 10. After 17:12 in the third period Turow remained in front of the game dominating the court. Prokom Trefl Sopot woke up in the last period as they limited Turow to just 5 points in the period. Filip Dylewicz (202-F-80, agency: Beo Basket) and Krzysztof Roszyk made three-point plays to seal the victory. It was a great end for Prokom, but in order to triumph they need another victory.

PGE Turow Zgorzelec:David Logan 15, Dragisa Drobnjak 14, Robert Witka 13
Prokom Trefl Sopot:Filip Dylewicz 26, Krzysztof Roszyk 15, Mustafa Shakur 8

Andrej Podkovyrov a new coach of Energa Czarni -by Michal Falkowski
The official website of Energa Czarni Slupsk announced the board of the club signed one-year deal with Andrei Podkovyrov . This 47-year-old Ukrainian coach has just arrived to Slupsk.
Podkovyrov his coach career began in 1994. He coached Basket Kiev (until 1998) and later CSKA Rico Kiev (until 2000). In 2000 he started the season in PAEEK Nicosia but in November he moved to Aris Thessaloniki, however after a week returned to PAEEK. In the season 2001/2002 he was an assistant coach in CSKA Moscow where achieved Euroleague TOP 16. After that time he came back to his homecountry to coach Azovmash Mariupol. In his first two season he has achieved Ukrainian Championship twice and Ukrainian Cup once. Next season he acted as an assistant coach, however in December of 2004 he was hired by Euras Ekaterinburg. Since 2005 he has been a headcoach of Ukrainian team - Cherkassy Monkeys.
Furthermore he was named as a coach of the year four times (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004). He was also a headcoach of Ukraina NT on two Eurobasket competitions (1998, 2002).

*****************************************************
PORTUGAL

Eurobasket.com All-Portuguese League Awards 2007-08 -by Eurobasket
#s#
#e#6


Harris


Carreira


Drayton


Levett


Soderberg
Player of the Year - Darrell Harris (208-C-84, agency: Worldwide Hoops, college: Rhode Island) of FC Barreirense
Guard of the Year - Diogo Carreira (180-G-78) of Belenenses
Forward of the Year - E.J. Drayton (204-F-82) of FC Barreirense
Center of the Year - Darrell Harris (208-C-84) of FC Barreirense
Newcomer of the Year - Sergio Correia (197-F-85) of Casino Figueira Ginasio
Most Improved Player of the Year - Daniel Monteiro (182-G-82) of Belenenses
Bosman of the Year - Lee Jeka (187-G-83) of Lusitania
Import Player of the Year - Darrell Harris (208-C-84) of FC Barreirense
Domestic Player of the Year - Diogo Carreira (180-G-78) of Belenenses
Defensive Player of the Year - Graham Brown (205-C-84) of Ovarense Aerosoles
Coach of the Year - Alberto Babo (Porto)

1st Team
Diogo Carreira (180-G-78) of Belenenses
Tyrone Levett (195-G/F-80) of AD Vagos Lusavouga
E.J. Drayton (204-F-82) of FC Barreirense
Lance Soderberg (206-F/C-82) of Belenenses
Darrell Harris (208-C-84) of FC Barreirense

2nd Team
Daniel Monteiro (182-G-82) of Belenenses
Deforrest Riley-Smith (198-G/F-84) of FC Barreirense
Nate Daniels (201-F-83) of Casino Figueira Ginasio
Fred Gentry (201-F-77) of FC Porto Ferpinta
Graham Brown (205-C-84) of Ovarense Aerosoles

Honorable Mention
Pedro Nuno (190-G/F-71) of AD Vagos Lusavouga
Nuno Marcal (205-F-75) of FC Porto Ferpinta
Paulo Cunha (199-G/F-80) of FC Porto Ferpinta
Greg Stempin (203-F-79) of Ovarense Aerosoles
Brandon Voorhees (201-F-84) of Casino Figueira Ginasio
Thiago Labbate (208-C-83) of Casino Figueira Ginasio
Julian Terrell (206-F-84) of FC Porto Ferpinta
Omari Peterkin (204-F/C-83) of Lusitania

All-Domestic Players Team
Diogo Carreira (180-G-78) of Belenenses
Nuno Marcal (205-F-75) of FC Porto Ferpinta
Paulo Cunha (199-G/F-80) of FC Porto Ferpinta
Mario Goncalves (208-F-80) of Casino Figueira Ginasio
Elvis Evora (205-C-78) of Ovarense Aerosoles

All-Imports Team
Cordell Henry (178-G-80) of Ovarense Aerosoles
Tyrone Levett (195-G/F-80) of AD Vagos Lusavouga
E.J. Drayton (204-F-82) of FC Barreirense
Lance Soderberg (206-F/C-82) of Belenenses
Darrell Harris (208-C-84) of FC Barreirense

All-Defensive Team
Daniel Monteiro (182-G-82) of Belenenses
Tyrone Levett (195-G/F-80) of AD Vagos Lusavouga
Paulo Cunha (199-G/F-80) of FC Porto Ferpinta
Fred Gentry (201-F-77) of FC Porto Ferpinta
Graham Brown (205-C-84) of Ovarense Aerosoles

All-Newcomers Team
Francisco Destino (190-G/F-89) of FC Barreirense
Joao Balseiro (192-F-87) of AD Vagos Lusavouga
Joao Soares (197-F-90) of Ovarense Aerosoles
Sergio Correia (197-F-85) of Casino Figueira Ginasio
Nuno Silva (202-F/C-75) of AD Vagos Lusavouga Dewalt

Mario Leite is the new Ovarense head coach -by Bruno Baltazar
After many invitations from the Ovarense staff Mario Leite finally acepted team request to be the new head coach of the 3 time portuguese champions.
Earlier in the season after Luis Magalhaes left the team to Angola he coached them for a few games included ULEB CUP games and 4 wins in 4 games in LIGA UZO,but he didnt had the time to be their coach due to two facts ,his job besides basket and due the fact he had no assistant coach,so team hired Manuel Povea and he was their assistant coach,but now he finally found out time on his professional career to acept this challange for next year in a new competition with a different orcament(substancial reduced).
This week will take place a meeting with all the players from this season to decide their future,the only confirmated player for next season is the young portuguese Joao Soares (197-F-90) that have contract till 2012.

Carlos Pinto will be his assistant coach,another person from Ovar that knows the team really well.

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

Standings - BSN
BSN Standings
Super 6
1. Carolina 13
2. Santurce 13
3. Guaynabo 10
4. Arecibo 10
5. Caguas 8
6. Fajardo 6
Others
1. Bayamon 16-16
2. Humacao 16-16
3. Ponce 15-17
4. San German 15-17
5. Mayaguez 7-25
6. Guayama 6-26


Arecibo succumbs to Carolina -by Luis Ramirez
The Carolina Giants rolled past the Arecibo Captains 92-84. Arecibo did not have a good shooting game as they managed to only make 8 out of 31 shots from 3 point range for a measly 26%. The Captains nonetheless managed to take the 1st quarter 28-26. In the second quarter both teams struggled to find the basket but Carolina managed to take the lead at the end of the 1st half 43-42. In the 2nd half the Giant's Ebi Ere (195-G/F-81, college: Oklahoma) continued to have a good offensive night helping his team to get the victory. Ebi scored 22 points for the Giants followed by 16 points from Chris Burgess with 13 rebounds. For Arecibo, Carlos Rivera (188-G-83, agency: TASM, college: Hofstra) had a big night scoring 25 points followed by David Cortes with 16 points. This loss puts Arecibo in 3rd place with just 10 points.

Over at Guaynabo, the Caguas Criollos defeated the Conquistadors 83-75. Caguas started a strong offensive game as they kept the Conquistadors to just 14 points in the 1st quarter while they would go on to score 21 points. In the 2nd quarter both teams played at an even level as they both scored 18 points in that quarter, this gave the 1st half to the Criollos 39-32. In the 3rd quarter the Criollos continued with their offensive run and at the end of the quarter were leading 66-52. The Conquistadors tried to comeback in the 4th quarter but were never able to mount a serious threat against the Criollos. For Caguas, Brian Bracey (201-F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Oregon) scored 22 points with 10 rebounds followed by Marlyn Bryant and Ricardo Melendez both with 17 points. For Guaynabo, Terrence Shannon (203-F-79, agency: N.E.T., college: Elgin CC) scored 16 points followed by Carmelo Lee with 12 points. Bracey was playing his first game with the Criollos as he replaced import player Bobby Brannen.

*****************************************************
RUSSIA

UNICS Kazan keeps Aco Petrovic -by Eurobasket News
UNICS Kazan agreed terms with Serbian coach Aco Petrovic for one more year. The main target for UNICS next season will be to return at the top 3 teams of Russian Superleague.

Aco Petrovic became a head coach of UNICS Kazan in December 2007. Before UNICS he had two successful years in Lokomotiv Rostov na Donu. Petrovic was included in couple of projects of Serbian National Team. He was an assistant coach of Svetislav Pesic at the World Championship in Indianapolis on 2002 when Yugoslavia went gold.

UNICS ended this season at the play-off quarterfinals where they suffered 2 defeats from Ural Great Perm. Despite good job in regular season and very good third position UNICS was not able to come through quarterfinals.

*****************************************************
RWANDA

Rusizi Silences Espoir -by Kristian Santiago

by Julius Mbaraga

Espoir continued to show signs of vulnerability against the top sides after crumbling to a 72-85 defeat against Rusizi over the weekend.

Leon Ngaboyakema had 31 points, five rebounds and four assists to hand the western province club a strong start in this year's league campaign. Two other Rusizi players were in double figures.

Meanwhile, Jean Umutoni (-82) top scored for Espoir with 21 points while Platini Gatete added 17. In a post game comment, Rusizi's coach Pierre Kiza said that the guys wanted a good start and they got it.
'It is always important to win away from home and we did that. And winning against a team like Espoir is a bonus for us because it raises our confidence,' he said.
After the Espoir win, Rusizi who are only making their second appearance in the league also registered a convincing 78-59 win over struggling Basketball United Generation (UGB).
The win left Rusizi level with APR BC and Espoir on points, although the latter have played more games. Despite losing out to Rusizi, USC/UGB St.Louis had earlier broken their losing streak with a 54-47 win over hapless Kigali Institute of Education.
Although Marine overshadowed Rusizi's display after winning the 2007 league, statistics show that Rusizi had one of the best ever debut performances in the history of the league. The student-studded club reached the play-offs after out-playing the likes of APR BC.

League results
Espoir 72-85 Rusizi
UGB 54-47 KIE
UGB 59-78 Rusizi



*****************************************************
SENEGAL

Gainde Classic: Lions beat SMU 62-54 -by Kristian Santiago
A national selection of players from Senegal beat on Tuesday the SMU 62-54 at the Stadium Marius Ndiaye.
The selection, coached by Parfait Adjivon led after the first quarter by three points (15-12) and the 'Lions' had a tough second quarter against the visiting students from Dallas.
Propelled by the late addition of Mouhammad Faye (208-F-85) (Senegalese player of SMU), the hosts led at halftime by two points (27-25) and after a strong showing by Biyago Diouf (188-G-88) and Mouhamadou Diop (210-C-87), they led by 12 after the third (48-36).
SMU bounced back eventually thanks two made three-point shots to close the gap(50-48), but Senegal's player kept playing controlled basketball and widened the gap to eight points until the final whistle.
Senegal takes on Athletes in Action today before departing to Mali for another tourney.

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

Superleague, round 13 - Hemofarm STADA crushes Partizan Igokea -by Dragan Jankovski
Hemofarm STADA made surprise in Vrsac outplaying Patizan Igokea 74-70. Partizan's head coach Dusko Vujosevic warned his players before this game but it seems that Hamofarm, especially Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland), was too strong for Partizan at the moment. The orange team played very good second period of the game finishing it 21-11. Hemofarm touched the biggest lead after two free throws by Vladan Vukosavljevic. It was plus 11 in 34th minute. But it wasn't the end of this game as Partizan made great 10-2 run coming closer on minus 1. Hemofarm's PG Miljan Pavkovic (178-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) stopped current Serbian champion to make a turn as he was very concentrated from the FT line at the very end.
Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) paced the winners adding 28 points, 4 rebounds and 7 steals. Miljan Pavkovic followed him netting 17 points. Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) collected 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for Partizan. Hemofarm secured 3rd position before the play-off while Partizan has a nice chance to finish regular season on top as they will meet Borac in Pionir at the last round.
Head coach of Partizan Igokea Dusko Vujosevic was not satisfied with performance of his players last night. 'We missed a lot of free throws in this game and we committed many turnovers. I am not satisfied how we played but I think that this defeat will help us in order to finish this season as we planned it. We have a good chance to finish regular season on top, what will be very important later when play-off start' - said Vujosevic.

Crvena Zvezda made extremely tough win against Swisslions 96-94 at home thus red-and-white team is almost sure participant of Superleague play-off. Vujadin Subotic (198-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) led Zvezda adding 22 points and 5 rebounds while Omar Cook (186-G-82, college: St.John's) had 21 points and 4 rebounds.

Vojvodina Srbijagas grabbed the road win vs Vizura in Belgrade 71-61 but the Tulips still have chance to finish regular season of 4th position if they beat Zvezda at the next round with more than 16 points. Ivan Paunic (194-G-87) scored 15 points for the winners.

FMP had an easy job against Borac smashing them in Cacak 95-79. Zoran Erceg (211-C/F-85) nailed 19 points for Panthers.


Hemofarm STADA - Partizan Igokea 74-70
(18-21,21-11,14-18,21-20)

Hemofarm: Marshall 28 (4 rebs, 7 st), Pavkovic 17, Markovic 9
Partizan: Tepic 18 (6 rebs, 6 as), Pekovic 17 (7 rebs), Vranes 6 (9 rebs)


Crvena Zvezda - Swisslions Takovo 96-94
(24-37,32-19,19-18,21-20)

Zvezda: Subotic 22 (5 rebs), Cook 21 (4 rebs), Kikanovic 13 (4 rebs), Raicevic 12
Swisslions: Jorovic 21 (6 rebs, 4 st), Aleksic 16 (13 as), Markovic 16


Vizura - Vojvodina Srbijagas 61-71
(11-23,21-14,14-14,15-20)

Vizura: Lucic 20 (8 rebs), Glintic 10 (5 rebs), Mandic 7 (4 rebs)
Vojvodina: Paunic 15, Ivanovic 14, Nemeth 12, Bojovic 10


Borac - FMP 79-95
(19-19,20-24,11-31,29-21)

Borac: Ilic 22 (8 rebs), Micic 17, Radetic 12
FMP: Erceg 19, Djerasimovic 16 (4 rebs), Labovic 12 (5 rebs), Protic 10

Ivan Paunic joins Telindus Oostende -by Dragan Jankovski
Guard of Vojvodina Srbijagas, Ivan Paunic (194-G-87), agreed terms with Belgian team Telindus Oostende to join them after he finishes participation in Serbian Superleague. Paunic became a player Vojvodina Srbijagas during the summer 2006. He played 25 games for Vojvodina this season averaging 8.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 1.8 spg. He was one of the best defensive players of the league.

Paunic won three gold medals on European Championships with Serbian young selections. On 2005 he won U18 EC in Belgrade while a year later in Turkey he done the same with U20 NT. Finally, previous summer Paunic once again became European champion this time with Serbian U21 National Team. Later he played on World University game in Bagkok.

Paunic's team Vojvodina Srbijagas already reached its target for this season what was to earn a spot for Adriatic league 08/09.

Standings - A Liga
A Standings
Superleague
 1. Partizan 11-2 
 2. FMP 11-2 
 3. Hemofarm 9-4 
 4. Crvena Zv. 8-5 
 5. Vojvodina 7-6 
 6. Swisslion Tak. 3-10 
 7. Borac 2-11 
 8. Vizura 1-12 
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 


*****************************************************
SLOVAKIA

Inter make it to the Final -by Eurobasket News
Inter - Nova Ves 87:78

Inter are returning to where they belong. The Bratislava outfit edged Nova Ves in the fifth game of the semifinal to advance to the championship series of the Slovakian Extraliga after a year pause. Inter jumped to an early lead as they played aggressively and easily passed through Nova Ves defense. The hosts knocked down 32 points in the opening stanza and built a 15-point lead. The gap just kept on growing with Nova Ves struggling to slow down the home team. Inter stretched the gap to 19 points late in the second period. Nova Ves capped the half with several accurate attempts to trail by 16 at halftime. The game however was far from being over. Nova Ves threw all they had in the third period tallying a massive 26:8 run. The visitors denied the deficit and tied the score at 71. Inter regained the lead but were up by just 8 points heading into the fourth term. The encounter turned into a dogged fight in the fourth quarter but Inter survived due to solid performance from Daniel Novak (201-F/G-78, agency: Interperformances) and Dusan Pandula (195-F-84). They finished with 25 and 23 points respectively to pace Inter to the victory. Miroslav Futo (207-C-80, agency: Promotex) poured in 18 points for the winners. Jordan Mason (189-G-80, agency: Pro Agents-Basketball Careers) answered with 25 points for Nova Ves. Marcel Madaj (200-F-78) had 23 points in defeat. Inter will tip off the title series against Pezinok on Saturday away from home.

Inter: Daniel Novak 25, Dusan Pandula 23, Miroslav Futo 18
Nova Ves: Jordan Mason 25, Marcel Madaj 23

Slovakian quartet advance to the Final -by Eurobasket News
Juraj Gavlak (185-G-79), Ondrej Soska (208-C-78), Marek Stec (193-G-80, college: Jacksonville JC) and Matej Venta (187-G-84) will play in the Final of Czech Republic. The NBL finals picture was completed yesterday as Geofin joined Nymburk in the championship series. Geofin needed 5 games to surpass Prostejov and qualify to the main event of the NBL season. Prostejov dramatically survived in the series in Game 4 beating Geofin in overtime. But this time they failed to repeat the trick. The teams entered the game trading baskets just before Robert Sarovic and Chapman scored 4 points for the hosts to give them an 11:6 lead. However 4 points from Tomaszek and a three-pointer from Savanovic made it 15:14 for Prostejov late in the quarter. However Robert Sarovic bridged the frames with 7 points for Geofin as they retained the lead. Soon Marton Bader took the floor as he knocked down 8 points for the visitors and paced to a 37:31 advantage at halftime. Marton Bader came up with four more points at the start of the third period to keep the hosts at distance. Nevertheless the home side soon cut the deficit. A trey from Marek Stec squared things up at 51 late in the quarter. Matej Venta then scored three free throws in a row and Geofin headed into the fourth term leading by 1. The teams continued to exchange blows early in the fourth frame with Geofin ahead by 3 points with less than 2 minutes left in regulation. Rashaan Ames knocked down a free throw to drag Prostejov within two points from the home team. Kenny Walker answered with two freebies for Geofin, while Rashaan Ames could not convert a long bomb. Robert Sarovic grabbed the rebound and was sent to charity stripe. He sank one of two free throws to seal the winning outcome for Geofin. Robert Sarovic finished the game with 22 points and 9 boards for Geofin. Hurl Beechum scored 11 points in a winning case. Rashaan Ames answered with game-high 25 points for Prostejov. Juraj Gavlak and Marek Stec nailed 6 points apiece. Ondrej Soska posted 2, while Matej Venta ended up with 7 points.

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

NT without Nachbar, Udrih and Lorbek -by Zeljko Zule

Bostjan Nachbar (207-G/F-80, agency: Interperformances) of New Jersey Nets, Beno Udrih (194-G-82) of Sacramento Kings and Erazem Lorbek (210-F/C-84, college: Michigan St.) of Lotomattica Roma will not particapte in the Olympic Qualiyfing Tournament. Nachbar and Udrih are NBA (unrestricted) free agents and Lorbek canceled participation due a back injury.
GUARDS: Sani Becirovic (195-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) of Panathinaikos, Aleksandar Capin (186-G-82) of Panionios, Goran Dragic (192-G-86, agency: Interperformances) of Union Olimpija, Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) of Barcelona, Domen Lorbek (198-G/F-85) of Estudiantes, Nebojsa Joksimovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) of Hemofarm, Jaka Klobucar (199-G-87) of Geoplin Slovan.
FORWARDS: Goran Jagodnik (202-F-74, agency: Beo Basket) of Hemofarm, Emir Preldzic (206-F-87, agency: Beo Basket) of Fenerbahce Ulker.
CENTERS: Radoslav Nesterovic (212-C-76) of Toronto Raptors, Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) of CSKA Moscow, Uros Slokar (210-F/C-83) of Triumph, Miha Zupan (206-F/C-82, agency: Interperformances) of Union Olimpija.
RESERVES: Sandi Cebular (196-G-86) of Rosalia, Samo Udrih (195-G-79) of Granada, Zeljko Zagorac (204-F-81, agency: World Sport Agency) of Anwil.

HEAD COACH: Ales Pipan. ASSISTANTS: Aleksander Sekulic, Gasper Okorn.



*****************************************************
SWITZERLAND

Benetton Fribourg Olympic gets new reinforcement -by Eurobasket News
Benetton Fribourg Olympic announced signing of new player for season 2008/2009. It is USA center Ramel Allen (210-C-79, college: Bridgeport), who played previous season in Mexico. He was named to be the best import player of Mexican championship. Allen graduated at University Bridgeport on 2005. Later he played in Spanish LEB2, Puerto Rico and Romania.

As a member of Santos Reales de San Luis Potosi Allen averaged 16.9 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 1.4 apg and 2.6 bpg in Mexican league. It was the best year in his career so far.

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

Ukrainian NT begins training / NT's schedule / Podkovyrov to Poland -by Alexander Muzyka
Ukrainian NT had a first camp during May 26-29. There were the following players there:
Artem Butskyi (185-G-81)
Rostyslav Kryvych (198-F-78)
Oleksandr Panchenko (184-G-84)
Dmytri Zabirchenko (191-G-84)
Serhi Gladyr (196-G/F-89)
Ihor Silkovskyi (194-G-85)
Viktor Kobzystyi (200-F-79)
Oleksi Onufriev (200-F-82)
Vitali Kovalenko (201-F-84)
Yaroslav Zubrytskyi (202-F-74)
Hryhori Khyzhniak (216-C-74)
Maksym Kornienko (201-F/C-87)
Andri Agafonov (207-F-86)
There were Viacheslav Kravtsov (210-C-87) and Volodymyr Gurtovoi (207-C-75) at this camp, too. Kravtsov had a trainings but than went to Treviso to the Reebok Camp. Gurtovoi wasn't allowed for trainings because of injury.
Ukrainian NT friendlies schedule:
May 31 (Rottenburg) training camp
June 5-8 (Verona) training camp, vs Italy, Czech, Belarus
June 9-10 (Treviso) vs Reebok Camp, Italy
July 14-20 (Yuzhnyi) training camp, vs SportPower
July 25-27 (Moscow) Mechel Cup, vs Russia, Serbia, Latvia
Aug. 8-9 (Helsinki) vs Finland
Aug. 15-16 (Kyiv) vs Georgia
Aug. 20-22 (Kyiv) Nezalezhnist Cup, vs Estonia, Belarus, Slovakia
Aug. 2? (Tallinn) vs Estonia, Hungary, Israel
---------------------------------------------
Andri Podkovyrov was announced as a head coach of Polish Energa Czarni Slupsk.

Stats Leaders - Men
Superleague (after Round 21) Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 R.Kryvych, Sumi. 20.5
2 Kobzistiy, Dnipro 16.2
3 Kojenets, Sumi. 15.8
4 Dubnyuk, Pulsar 15.4
5 Cakic, Khimik 15.4
Rebounds Per Game
1 Korniyenko, Dnipro 8.2
2 Buford, Azovma. 7.7
3 Kojenets, Sumi. 7.6
4 Kobzistiy, Dnipro 7.2
5 Lishchuk, Azovma. 6.9
Assists Per Game
1 Edney, Azovma. 4.5
2 McLinton, Cherk. 4.2
3 Barlow, Odess. 3.9
4 Raevskiy, MBK 3.6
5 Panchenko , Dnipro 3.5
Steals Per Game
1 I. Kryvych, Sumi. 2.1
2 Golubev, Lvovskaya 1.8
3 Kryvych, Sumi. 1.7
Blocks Per Game
1 Lishchuk, Azovma. 1.6
2 Khizhniak, Dnipro 1.5
3 Zubritskiy, Lvov. 1.4
2FGP
1 Drozdov, Kyiv 72.0
2 I. Kryvych, Sumi. 70.0
3 Kuznetsov, Odess. 68.0
3FGP
1 Gurtoviy, Lvov. 75.0
2 Silkovskiy, MBK 62.0
3 Balashov, Odess. 60.0
Free Throws
1 McLinton, Cherk. 94.0
2 Maravic, Kyiv 92.0
3 Diatlovskiy, Pulsar 92.0


Ukrainian NT begins training / NT's schedule / Podkovyrov to Poland -by Alexander Muzyka


Eurobasket.com All-Ukrainian Superleague Awards 2007-08 -by Eurobasket
#s#
#e#6


Archibald


Krivych


Drozdov


Jeter


Cakic
Player of the Year - Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Illinois) of Azovmash Mariupol
Guard of the Year - Rostislav Krivych (198-F-78) of BK Donetsk
Forward of the Year - Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) of BC Kyiv
Center of the Year - Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80) of Khimik-OPZ Yuzny
Newcomer of the Year - Sergiy Gladyr (196-G/F-89) of MBK Mykolaiv
Most Improved Player of the Year - Maxym Korniyenko (201-F/C-87) of Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk
Import Player of the Year - Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80) of Azovmash Mariupol
Domestic Player of the Year - Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) of BC Kyiv
Defensive Player of the Year - Maxym Korniyenko (201-F/C-87) of Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk
Coach of the Year - Valentin Voronin of Lvovskaya Politekhnika Lvov

1st Team
Eugene Jeter (179-G-83) of BC Kyiv
Rostislav Krivych (198-F-78) of BK Donetsk
Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) of BC Kyiv
Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80) of Khimik-OPZ Yuzny
Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80) of Azovmash Mariupol

2nd Team
Tyus Edney (178-G-73) of Azovmash Mariupol
Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) of Azovmash Mariupol
Rodney Buford (196-G-77) of Azovmash Mariupol
Yaroslav Zubrytskyi (202-F-74) of Lvovskaya Politekhnika Lvov
Oleg Kojenets (208-C-77) of Sumihimprom Sumy

Honorable Mention
Sergiy Gladyr (196-G/F-89) of MBK Mykolaiv
Marko Maravic (201-F-79) of BC Kyiv
Tomas Delininkaitis (192-G-82) of Azovmash Mariupol
Yegor Mescheriakov (205-F-76) of Azovmash Mariupol
Marcus Faison (196-G-78) of BC Kyiv
Manuchar Markoishvili (196-G-86) of BC Kyiv

All-Domestic Players Team
Rostislav Krivych (198-F-78) of BK Donetsk
Sergiy Gladyr (196-G/F-89) of MBK Mykolaiv
Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) of BC Kyiv
Andriy Agafonov (207-F-86) of Khimik-OPZ Yuzny
Volodymyr Gurtovoy (207-C-75) of Lvovskaya Politekhnika Lvov

All-Imports Team
Eugene Jeter (179-G-83) of BC Kyiv
Panagiotis Liadelis (193-G-74) of Azovmash Mariupol
Rodney Buford (196-G-77) of Azovmash Mariupol
Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80) of Khimik-OPZ Yuzny
Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80) of Azovmash Mariupol

All-Defensive Team
Eddy Barlow (185-G-81) of BS Odessa
Igor Krivych (199-F-78) of BK Donetsk
Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) of BC Kyiv
Rodney Buford (196-G-77) of Azovmash Mariupol
Maxym Korniyenko (201-F/C-87) of Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk

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USBL

Its Official;No Cagerz THIS YEAR -by John Gary
COURTESY oursportscentral.com The Kansas Cagerz nine year run in Salina is on hold at least for a year. Whether their hiatus becomes their demise remains to be seen. One thing does appear certain-the Cagerz will be under new ownership if and when they return. 'The Kansas Cagerz will not return to Salina,Kansas this season,' OWNER Gordon Kasparson said on Monday.'The USBL has folded and that puts us out of a place to play. Kasparson also said he is no longer interested in owning the franchise and would entertain offers from interested parties.



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Women News

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ANGOLA - Women

Tall Ferns pip Angola in the European tour opener -by Eurobasket News
New Zealand - Angola 63:55

Tall Ferns opened their European tour against Angola in Madrid. Tall Ferns are getting fit before the Olympic Games, where they will play in Group B alongside China, Mali and the USA. Angola meanwhile are preparing for the Olympic Qualifying tournament to be held in Madrid in early June. The African team will take on Argentina and Czech Republic in the chase for the Olympic Games birth. Tall Ferns never looked exhausted after flying from all over the world as they opened the game with intensity. They held their opponents to 10 points in the starting frame and accumulated a 13:10 lead ten minutes into the game. New Zealand stretched the lead to 6 points at halftime. Tall Ferns kept on pushing and soon piled up a 14-point advantage. However the athletic Angolan side kept the tempo high and eventually it paid off. Tall Ferns simply ran out of steam and gradually Angola cut the deficit. They headed into the final period trailing by just 3 points and stayed within a striking distance from the Kiwis. But Angela Marino (166-G-86) came up with some clutch plays down the stretch to secure the initial win for Tall Ferns in Europe. Angela Marino and Jillian Harmon (185-F-87) scored 14 points apiece to lead Tall Ferns. Harmon also contributed 9 rebounds for the winners. Nassecela Mauricio (-F-80) answered with 13 points, while Angela Cardoso (180-F-79) nailed 11 points in a loss. Tall Ferns will next take on Spain in Valencia.

New Zealand: Angela Marino 14, Jillian Harmon 14+9 boards
Angola: Nassecela Mauricio 13, Angela Cardoso 11

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ARGENTINA - Women

Argentina beats Venezuela to play in the Final in Ecuador -by Eurobasket News
Argentina - Venezuela 108:77

Argentinean team completed their preliminary campaign at the South American Championship in Loja in style. They routed Venezuela and secured their spot in the tournament's title game. Thus Argentina booked the spot in the FIBA America Championship 2009 to be held in Brazil. Las Gigantes opened the game confidently scoring 31 points in the first frame and accumulating an 8-point lead. The high-scoring game continued in the second period as Argentina stretched the lead to 12 points while the teams combined for 110 points by halftime. However Argentinean players accentuated the defense in the third period and held their opponents to 12 points. It allowed Las Gigantes to clear off to a 31-point distance. Venezuela never recovered in the final term and suffered a bitter loss. They will now have to fight for the FIBA Americas Championship ticket in the game against Chile later today. Erica Sanchez (182-F/C-76) led all scorers with 21 points. Stephany Thomas (179-F-89) poured in 17 points, while Veronica Soberon (177-G/F-77) provided 15 for the winners. Roselis Silva (-G-91) answered with 20 points for Venezuela. Cleider Blanco (-C-90) dropped 12 points in a loss.
Argentina will take on Brazil in tonight's Final. The teams already met in the preliminary round with Brazil winning the game 73:67. Venezuela will try to repeat their second round success against Chile (101:92) to advance to 2009 Americas Championship.

Argentina: Erica Sanchez 21, Stephany Thomas 17, Veronica Soberon 15
Venezuela: Roselis Silva 20, Cleider Blanco 12

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BRAZIL - Women

Brazil advance to the Final undefeated -by Eurobasket News
Brazil - Chile 100:55

The South American Championship reached its final stages. Yesterday the teams completed the preliminary round with four of them qualifying for the next stage. Brazil marched through the preliminary games untamed posting five straight victories and ensuring their birth in the Final. In the last round of action Brazilian team faced Chile and drove to a confident 100:55 victory. Brazil got to a usual unhurried start. Chile kept it within striking distance and trailed by just 6 points after the starting frame. But the things returned to expected as Brazil raised the tempo and easily ran away to a 50:26 distance at halftime. Chile however never collapsed and challenged their opponents in the third term. The teams exchanged the blows and Brazil narrowly outgunned the counterparts. But the intensity abated in the final quarter and Brazil finalized a comfortable win at the end. Chuca Ferreira (180-F/G-79) knocked down 20 points and pulled down 5 boards to pace Brazil. Karla da Costa (173-G-78) led all scorers with 23 points. Ziomara Morrison (193-C-89, agency: Players Group) answered with 16 points for Chilean team. Paola Naranjo (182-F/C-78) secured 9 points in defeat. Brazil will take on their archrivals Argentina in the Final tonight. Chile will fight against Venezuela for the last available ticket to FIBA Americas Championship 2009.

Brazil: Karla da Costa 23, Chuca Ferreira 20, Soeli Garvao (187-C-77) 14
Chile: Ziomara Morrison 16, Paola Naranjo 9

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CHILE - Women

Brazil advance to the Final undefeated -by Eurobasket News
Brazil - Chile 100:55

The South American Championship reached its final stages. Yesterday the teams completed the preliminary round with four of them qualifying for the next stage. Brazil marched through the preliminary games untamed posting five straight victories and ensuring their birth in the Final. In the last round of action Brazilian team faced Chile and drove to a confident 100:55 victory. Brazil got to a usual unhurried start. Chile kept it within striking distance and trailed by just 6 points after the starting frame. But the things returned to expected as Brazil raised the tempo and easily ran away to a 50:26 distance at halftime. Chile however never collapsed and challenged their opponents in the third term. The teams exchanged the blows and Brazil narrowly outgunned the counterparts. But the intensity abated in the final quarter and Brazil finalized a comfortable win at the end. Chuca Ferreira (180-F/G-79) knocked down 20 points and pulled down 5 boards to pace Brazil. Karla da Costa (173-G-78) led all scorers with 23 points. Ziomara Morrison (193-C-89, agency: Players Group) answered with 16 points for Chilean team. Paola Naranjo (182-F/C-78) secured 9 points in defeat. Brazil will take on their archrivals Argentina in the Final tonight. Chile will fight against Venezuela for the last available ticket to FIBA Americas Championship 2009.

Brazil: Karla da Costa 23, Chuca Ferreira 20, Soeli Garvao (187-C-77) 14
Chile: Ziomara Morrison 16, Paola Naranjo 9

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GERMANY - Women

Coach Matt Dodson leaves Koeln, heads to Quakenbrueck -by Moritz Korff
Matt Dodson leaves DJK Koeln-Nord (2. DBBL) to join the program of TSV Quakenbrueck, where he will become the coach of the Youth-teams. QTSV is cooperating very closely with the Artland Dragons of the Men's 1. Bundesliga. The 37-year-old Australian was the Koeln-head coach since 2006. in Quakenbrueck Dodson takes over the job of Ritz Ingram, who left the QTSV-program after several years and signed with the BBV Leipzig Eagles.

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HUNGARY - Women

PLAY-OFF 2008 - Sopron is the Champion! -by Adam Patonay
After the 3rd game, when Pecs played excellent and beat Sopron by 27 everybody waited a big come back from Pecs. The tired team can't make the wonder against the great Sopron. Nemeth lead her team and they won the 4th game and the championship after the cup! So, Soporn could double again like last year!

MKB Eruoleasing Sopron - Mizo Pecs 2010 83:70
(23-16, 24-16, 17-18, 19-20)
Sopron: Bernadett Nemeth (173-G-80) 16, Honti 9/9, Gorbunova 11, Karolyi 6/6, Branzova 13 Sub.: Milovanovic 4, Horti 7, Semsei 3/3, Eordogh 14/6, Horvath Zs. -, Kocsis -
Pecs: Ivanyi 7/6, Fegyverneky 14/3, Vajda 15/3, Podrug 15, Coelho 8 Sub.: Somogyi -, Richter -, Krivacevic 5, Meszaros 6/6

PLAY-OFF 2008 - Final: 2:1 Pecs have the chance again, because they beat Sopron! -by Adam Patonay
This final started like in the last year. Just now Sopron and not Pecs stared with 2:0, but Pecs could won at home court. Usually 4-5.000 fans wait the teams in Lauber Dezso Arena, but now it' sonly was 2.500. Mizo started fantastic with excellent defense. Fegyverneky and Podrug was fantastic and they have the chance again for the title. Next game in Sopron at wednesday.

Mizo Pecs 2010 - MKB Euroleasing Sopron 69:42
(21-10, 21-18, 15-5, 12-9)
Pecs: Ivanyi 5, Zsofia Fegyverneky (178-G-84) 19/6, Podrug 14, Vajda A. 6, Coelho G. 14. Sub.: Richter D. -, Krivacevic T. 8, Somogyi A. -, Mszros K. 3/3, Kopcsi B. -, Kovts N. -
Sopron: Nmeth B. 5, Honti K. 2, Gorbunova O. 8, Krolyi A. 2, Branzova A. 7 Sub.: Erdgh E. -, Horti D. 7, Milovanovic J. 7, Semsei B. -, Horvth Zs. 4, Kocsis B.

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MALI - Women

Ruiz names 36 players for Beijing -by Kristian Santiago
Mali's head coach Jose Ruiz called up 36 players for preparations to lay also a fundament for the future of the women's national team of Mali:

Hamchetou Maiga (185-G/F-78, college: ODU) - Brno/Houston Comets (Czech Rep./USA)
Kadiatou Kanoute (-F) - La Tronche Meilhan (France)
Nare Diawara (198-C-83, college: Virginia Tech) - San Antonio Silver Stars/Mondeville (USA/France)
Aminata Konate (168-G-90) - Valenciennes Olympic (France)
Hadizatou Maiga (USA)
Djeneba DJ Sissoko (188-F/C) - Union University USA)
Diana Gandega (171-F-83) - RC Strasbourg (France)
Marietou Diarra - DUC (Senegal)
Meiya Tirera (-86) - Cap Bon (Tunisia)
Maimouna Dabo (170-G) - York University (USA)
Adam Sissoko (Morocco)
Kadia Toure - ASPTT (Algeria)
Sadio Sangare (191-C-80, college: Oklahoma City) - Poprad Straknice (Slovakia)
Diene Diawara (192-F/C-88) - Limoges (France)
Nagnouma Coulibaly (192-F/C-89) - Pleyber Christ (France)
Fatoumata Bagayoko CAT(Mali)
Aminata Sininta - USFAS (Mali)
Laoudy Maiga - AS Police (Mali)
Kadia Sacko - AS Commune III (Mali)
Fanta Toure -DAC (Mali)
Assata B Maiga - DAC (Mali)
Madjoula Kante - Real (Mali)
Bamokan Diakite - Real (Mali)
Nassira Traore DAC (Mali)
Mineta Keita -DAC (Mali)
Aminata Dabo - Commune VI (Mali)
Aminata Mariko - DAC (Mali)
Ramata Diakite - Real (Mali)
ssata Tolo - Commune I (Mali)
Sadio Konate - CAT (Mali)
Lalla Keita -CAT (Mali)
Assata Djibo - Stade Malien (Mali)
Kankoun Coulibaly - Commune III (Mali)
Fatoumata Konate - DAC (Mali)
Fatoumata Sanou - CAT (Mali)
Mama Traore -DAC (Mali)

There are even more players expected during the different phases of preparation, as he is going to take the team to Tunisia (Tunis) , France (Bordeaux) ,Spain and then back to France Montpellier).Besides the regular training sessions , they will be playing friendly matches against Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Guinea in Bamako and against Belarus, Spain, Sweden and Canada later in Europe.

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NEW ZEALAND - Women

Tall Ferns pip Angola in the European tour opener -by Eurobasket News
New Zealand - Angola 63:55

Tall Ferns opened their European tour against Angola in Madrid. Tall Ferns are getting fit before the Olympic Games, where they will play in Group B alongside China, Mali and the USA. Angola meanwhile are preparing for the Olympic Qualifying tournament to be held in Madrid in early June. The African team will take on Argentina and Czech Republic in the chase for the Olympic Games birth. Tall Ferns never looked exhausted after flying from all over the world as they opened the game with intensity. They held their opponents to 10 points in the starting frame and accumulated a 13:10 lead ten minutes into the game. New Zealand stretched the lead to 6 points at halftime. Tall Ferns kept on pushing and soon piled up a 14-point advantage. However the athletic Angolan side kept the tempo high and eventually it paid off. Tall Ferns simply ran out of steam and gradually Angola cut the deficit. They headed into the final period trailing by just 3 points and stayed within a striking distance from the Kiwis. But Angela Marino (166-G-86) came up with some clutch plays down the stretch to secure the initial win for Tall Ferns in Europe. Angela Marino and Jillian Harmon (185-F-87) scored 14 points apiece to lead Tall Ferns. Harmon also contributed 9 rebounds for the winners. Nassecela Mauricio (-F-80) answered with 13 points, while Angela Cardoso (180-F-79) nailed 11 points in a loss. Tall Ferns will next take on Spain in Valencia.

New Zealand: Angela Marino 14, Jillian Harmon 14+9 boards
Angola: Nassecela Mauricio 13, Angela Cardoso 11

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RUSSIA - Women

Vologoda-Chavakata extends Evgenia Belyakova -by Eurobasket News
Forward Evgenia Belyakova (182-G-86) extended contract with her club Vologoda-Chavakata. Belyakova played 7 games for Vologoda in A Superleague this season adding 8.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg. She joined her current team during the previous summer. Before Vologoda, Belyakova spent 3 years in Baltiyskaia Zvezda St.Petersburg (now Spartak St. Petersburg). With Russian U20 National Team Belyiakova won European Championship on 2006 having 11.5 ppg. She also played on U21 World Championship 2007 which was held in Moscow region.

Vologoda-Chavakata finished this season at 5th place of Russian A Superleague with score 12-10. Later Spartak MR knocked them out at the play-off semifinals.

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SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - Women

South American Championship. Day 5 -by Eurobasket News
Brazil - Chile 100:55
The South American Championship reached its final stages. Yesterday the teams completed the preliminary round with four of them qualifying for the next stage. Brazil marched through the preliminary games untamed posting five straight victories and ensuring their birth in the Final. In the last round of action Brazilian team faced Chile and drove to a confident 100:55 victory. Brazil got to a usual unhurried start. Chile kept it within striking distance and trailed by just 6 points after the starting frame. But the things returned to expected as Brazil raised the tempo and easily ran away to a 50:26 distance at halftime. Chile however never collapsed and challenged their opponents in the third term. The teams exchanged the blows and Brazil narrowly outgunned the counterparts. But the intensity abated in the final quarter and Brazil finalized a comfortable win at the end. Chuca Ferreira (180-F/G-79) knocked down 20 points and pulled down 5 boards to pace Brazil. Karla da Costa (173-G-78) led all scorers with 23 points. Ziomara Morrison (193-C-89, agency: Players Group) answered with 16 points for Chilean team. Paola Naranjo (182-F/C-78) secured 9 points in defeat. Brazil will take on their archrivals Argentina in the Final tonight. Chile will fight against Venezuela for the last available ticket to FIBA Americas Championship 2009.

Brazil: Karla da Costa 23, Chuca Ferreira 20, Soeli Garvao (187-C-77) 14
Chile: Ziomara Morrison 16, Paola Naranjo 9


Argentina - Venezuela 108:77
Argentinean team completed their preliminary campaign at the South American Championship in Loja in style. They routed Venezuela and secured their spot in the tournament's title game. Thus Argentina booked the spot in the FIBA America Championship 2009 to be held in Brazil. Las Gigantes opened the game confidently scoring 31 points in the first frame and accumulating an 8-point lead. The high-scoring game continued in the second period as Argentina stretched the lead to 12 points while the teams combined for 110 points by halftime. However Argentinean players accentuated the defense in the third period and held their opponents to 12 points. It allowed Las Gigantes to clear off to a 31-point distance. Venezuela never recovered in the final term and suffered a bitter loss. They will now have to fight for the FIBA Americas Championship ticket in the game against Chile later today. Erica Sanchez (182-F/C-76) led all scorers with 21 points. Stephany Thomas (179-F-89) poured in 17 points, while Veronica Soberon (177-G/F-77) provided 15 for the winners. Roselis Silva (-G-91) answered with 20 points for Venezuela. Cleider Blanco (-C-90) dropped 12 points in a loss.
Argentina will take on Brazil in tonight's Final. The teams already met in the preliminary round with Brazil winning the game 73:67. Venezuela will try to repeat their second round success against Chile (101:92) to advance to 2009 Americas Championship.

Argentina: Erica Sanchez 21, Stephany Thomas 17, Veronica Soberon 15
Venezuela: Roselis Silva 20, Cleider Blanco 12


Ecuador - Colombia 63:67

Standings
South American Championships Standings
1. Brazil5-0
2. Argenti.4-1
3. Venezue.3-2
4. Chile2-3
5. Colombia1-4
6. Ecuador0-5


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SWITZERLAND - Women

Giroud Vins BBC Troistorrents inks two players -by Eurobasket News
Giroud Vins BBC Troistorrents agreed terms with two new players for season 2008/2009. It is power forward Alexandra Vollmeier and guard Audrey Gattoni (175-G-88).

Alexandra Vollmeier is close to came out from Montevallo University (NCAA2). Interesting is that before Montevallo University she played two years for Wallaby Basket Zurich-Regensdorf in 1LN. For two seasons she averaged almost the same digit - 10.6 points per game. She will join her new team in December.

The second reinforcement for Giroud Vins BBC Troistorrents is Audrey Gattoni. She played last season at Elfic Fribourg Basket averaging 9.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 1.2 apg in LNA. Three years before she won Suisse LNA with Fribourg but she didn't have a lot of chance to play. At the same year Fribourg reached the final of National cup. A year later they did not succeed to come through play-off semifinals.
Gattoni is a member of Suisse U20 National Team. She played for them on U20 European Championship division B in Lithuania. For 5 games she averaged 6 ppg, 1.6 rpg and 1.6 spg. It is not sure yet will Gattoni play for BBC Troistorrents next season. Namely, she has an opinion in her contract that she can leave if she decides to study in USA.

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VENEZUELA - Women

Argentina beats Venezuela to play in the Final in Ecuador -by Eurobasket News
Argentina - Venezuela 108:77

Argentinean team completed their preliminary campaign at the South American Championship in Loja in style. They routed Venezuela and secured their spot in the tournament's title game. Thus Argentina booked the spot in the FIBA America Championship 2009 to be held in Brazil. Las Gigantes opened the game confidently scoring 31 points in the first frame and accumulating an 8-point lead. The high-scoring game continued in the second period as Argentina stretched the lead to 12 points while the teams combined for 110 points by halftime. However Argentinean players accentuated the defense in the third period and held their opponents to 12 points. It allowed Las Gigantes to clear off to a 31-point distance. Venezuela never recovered in the final term and suffered a bitter loss. They will now have to fight for the FIBA Americas Championship ticket in the game against Chile later today. Erica Sanchez (182-F/C-76) led all scorers with 21 points. Stephany Thomas (179-F-89) poured in 17 points, while Veronica Soberon (177-G/F-77) provided 15 for the winners. Roselis Silva (-G-91) answered with 20 points for Venezuela. Cleider Blanco (-C-90) dropped 12 points in a loss.
Argentina will take on Brazil in tonight's Final. The teams already met in the preliminary round with Brazil winning the game 73:67. Venezuela will try to repeat their second round success against Chile (101:92) to advance to 2009 Americas Championship.

Argentina: Erica Sanchez 21, Stephany Thomas 17, Veronica Soberon 15
Venezuela: Roselis Silva 20, Cleider Blanco 12