EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 6/11/2008

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Men News

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ABA

Mario Kinsey First and Only PBL player to be named one of the top 20 minor leaguers -by Jean-Paul Afif
Mario Kinsey (6'2''-G-82, college: Sam Houston St.) of the Texas Tycoons and the Dallas PBL team is the first player in the PBL's inaugural season to be named to Pro Basketball News top 20 minor leaguers. Mario is the first and only player with any PBL experience to be acknowledged on this well respected list of the top 20 minor league players in the country. Pro Basketball news composes the list of players from all US based minor leagues, including the NBA D-League, CBA, ABA, PBL and IBL as well as all other US minor leagues. Mario was rated the 14th best player in the country from the top 20 player list.

When asked about being considered indirectly the best player in the PBL Mario was humble about his accomplishment. 'Their is a lot of great talent in the PBL, it is quite an honor for me to be considered the only player from that league to make the top 20 list. I have a lot of work to do still, to obtain my dream of playing in the NBA.' Mario averaged close to 30pts a game in the PBL for Dallas, to help resurrect the season. For more information and to see the complete list please visit http://probasketballnews.com/minorstop20_042508.html

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ALGERIA

The play-offs are heating up -by Kristian Santiago

Mouloudia Club Alger, who gained one bonus point for winning the regular season, defeated easily Na Hussein Dey by 41 points (104-63) thanks to the coaching-duo of Cuban Pandev and Algerian Aktouf and remain unbeaten.
Their main rivals for the Algerian Championship, CRB Dar El-Beida, edged current champs N.B. Staoueli 88-86, while third placed ASPTT had no trouble to overcome O Batna by trouncing them 79-65.

The results of the second day of the play-offs in Algeria:


O Batna - ASPTT Alger 65-79
USMM Hadjout - Widad Boufarik 88-97
Mouloudia Club Alger - Na Hussein Dey 104-63
CRB Dar El-Beida - N.B. Staoueli 88-86

Standings:
1. Mouloudia Club Alger 5 points
2. CRB Dar El-Beida 4p.
2. ASPTT Alger 4p.
4. Widad Boufarik 3p.
4. O.Batna 3p.
6. N.B. Staoueli 2p.
6. USMM Hadjout 2p.
6. Na Hussein Dey 2p.



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AUSTRIA

Youngblood agree on a contract extension -by Cueneyt Tuerk
The Macabido Macabido Oberwart Gunners announced on Wednesday, that the Gunners signed their successful guard Jay Youngblood (196-G-84, college: Kent St.) to a one-year contract extension.

The 2007-08 MVP Youngblood, who is currently entering his 3rd season in Austria, had a great year and led the Gunners to the finals. The six-foot-five has averaged 21.4 points (.507FGs, .352 3FGs, .724 FTs), 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

'Jay showed that he fits in our programm here in Oberwart. He has a tremendous work ethic and dedication to the game, great attitude and never gives up.' gunners manager Leitner said.

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BALKAN LEAGUE

The BIBL schedule announced -by Eurobasket News

The newly organized Balkan International Basketball League held its official draw procedures in Sofia, Bulgaria over the weekend. The league is scheduled to start on October 8. Serbia and Macedonia will be presented by three teams apiece, while Romania, Bulgaria and Greece will introduce two more teams each to complete the picture. Greece however is yet to delegate two teams that will participate. The teams were distributed into two Pools with 6 teams in each of them. The sides will play in round robin system in the group with the best ones qualifying to the playoffs. Group A will comprise Cherno More of Bulgaria, Rapid Bucharest of Romania, Serbian Radnicki, Feni Industries of FYR of Macedonia, Swisslion Takovo of Serbia and a Greek team. Levski of Bulgaria, Dinamo Bucharest of Romania, Macedonian Rabotnicki and Strumica, Mega Aqua Monta from Serbia and another Greek team will play in Group B.

Group A
Rapid Bucharest (Romania)
Radnicki 034 Group (Serbia)
Cherno more Eurohold (Bulgaria)
Feni Industries (FYR of Macedonia)
Swisslion Takovo (Serbia)
Greek club

Group B
Dinamo Bucharest (Romania)
Fersped Rabotnicki (FYR of Macedonia)
Mega Aqua Monta (Serbia)
Levski (Bulgaria)
Strumica 2005 (FYR of Macedonia)
Greek club


Courtesy of Balkanleague



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BELGIUM

Div 1 Transfer News -by Peter Buyse


Spirou Charleroi is working hard at keeping this year's Championship team together.
They have now resigned Justin Hamilton (191-G-80, college: Florida) for another season. Hamilton scored the final basket of the 08-09 season winning the Championship for Charleroi.
The past season he averaged 9.5ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.1 apg.
According to the team's website they are still negotiating with Matt Walsh (197-F/G-82, college: Florida), this year's Eurobasket Playoff MVP.

Antwerp Giants has resigned Alex Alexander Lichodzijewski (200-C-84) for 2 more years. Licho is a member of the Belgian National team and averaged 6.9 ppg and 4.2 rpg for Antwerp this past season.


Lionell Bosco (176-G-81) will not be playing for Leuven this coming season.


According to the Bree website the team will again be coached by the same coaching staff as this year.

Don Beck Eurobasket Belgium's Coach of the Year has another year left on his contract and now an agreement was found with Pero Vucica and Jamie Duncan



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BOSNIA

Bosnian Final - Bosna ASA leading -by Elvir Halilovic
Bosna ASA BH Telecom- Igokea Partizan 84:79
(21:25, 22:17, 22:22, 19:15)
Sarajevo, SD â€zMirza Delibasic'; Att. 3.000; Ref.: Obradovic, Kralj, Kunosic
BOSNA ASA BHT: Jefferson 2, Sehovic 6, Tomovic 2, Ikonic 22, Bavcic 12 (7 reb., 2 bl.), Djurasovic, Bailey 7 (5 as.), Rahimic, Hajric 6 (6 reb.), Pasalic, Jackson, Williams 27
Coach: Jurij Zdovc
IGOKEA P.: Tosic, Patterson 4, Bocka 14 (3 as.), Stazic 15 (9 reb., 3 as.), Djurica, Vucurovic 8, Cup 1, Wright, Lydeka 7 (7 reb.), Stefanovic 10, Kovacevic 12, Allen 8
Coach: Drago Karalic

Next match is on Saturday June 14TH in Aleksandrovac

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BRAZIL

TAU Ceramica extends Tiago Splitter -by Eurobasket News
After wonderful year, management of Spanish TAU Ceramica decided to extend contract with Tiago Splitter (211-C/F-85, agency: Interperformances), who was one of the best TAU's players during the entire season.

TAU demonstrated fantastic performance in the play-off of Spanish ACB league. After not so good 4th place in regular season they were better than Pamesa 2-1 in the quarterfinals. At the next stage Unicaja Malaga suffered two defeats. In the play-off final TAU touched the sky. They smashed AXA Barcelona 3-0. After first two wins in Palau Blaugrana it was already known who will be the new winner of Spanish championship as the last game in Vitoria was just a formality. It is not the only title for Tiago Splitter and TAU this season. They already won Spanish SuperCup at the beginning and Splitter was named to be the MVP. Later they participated in the final of 'Copa del Rei' and Euroleague final 4 in Madrid.

As it was mentioned above, the player of Brazilian national Team, Tiago Splitter, led his TAU this year to the title. He played 33 games in ACB regular season averaging 13.5 ppg and 5.2 rpg while in play-off he had even better digits 15 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 2.5 apg. He also had 25 appearances in Euroleague averaging 14 ppg and 5 rpg.
Splitter signed new 4-years contract with TAU but he has an option to sign with some NBA team after first year. San Antonio Spurs picked him on NBA Draft 2007 (1rd/28). During the season he showed strong willingness to try himself in NBA but at the end he decided to stay in TAU for at least one more year.

Team Brazil in big troubles -by Eurobasket News
Brazilian National Team really doesn't have luck before FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament as some of their best players won't be able to help this summer. After official confirmation that Anderson Varejao (205-C-82) and Nene Hilario (207-C-82) are unable to play for NT, another problem for them came up. NBA star Leandrinho Barbosa (190-G-82) is still under the big question mark.

One of the best players of NBA team Phoenix Suns feels pain in his right knee. His Suns want from him to undergo test to see is surgery is necessary. Naturally, Suns want to be sure that their star will be 100% ready for the next season and they do not want to take risk. Barbosa announced he will travel to the USA for these tests and he hopes everything will be ok.

Anyway, people from Brazilian Basketball Federation had a meeting with Barbosa. The player showed strong willingness to help NT on Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He said that he is not the only one who will make this decision. He has to get a green light from his NBA team. Barbosa had 82 appearances in NBA regular season averaging 15.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.6 apg. For 5 games in play-off he had 10.4 ppg, 4.rpg and 1.8 apg.

On the other had head coach of Brazilian National Team Moncho Monsalve for sure will count on experienced, Marcelo Huertas, Marchelinho, Alex and Tiago Splitter. He would be glad to see Barbosa on the court on June 16th. Moncho Monsalve stated that he knows that decision is not only up to Barbosa but he hopes everything will be ok and that his club will let him play for his country.

Stats Leaders - BNL
CBB BNL Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 Marcelinho, Flam. 26.1
2 Jonhson, Minas 21.1
3 Soro, Minas 19.6
4 Williams, Joinville 19.6
5 Jefferson, Cetaf 19.0
Rebounds Per Game
1 Shilton, Joinville 9.9
2 Joao, Londrina 7.8
3 Cipriano Universo 7.1
4 Brian, Saldanha 7.0
5 Newsome, FTC 7.0
Assists Per Game
1 Sucatzky, Minas 10.3
2 Valtinho, Universo 6.0
3 Munoz, FTC 5.5
4 Espiga, Joinville 5.3
5 Marcelinho, Flam. 5.0
Steals Per Game
1 Duda, Flam. 2.8
2 Williams, Joinville 2.8
3 Rafinha Iguacu 2.8
Blocks Per Game
1 Estevam Universo 1.3
2 Adriano, Uberlandia 1.1
3 Roberto, FTC 1.1


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CAMEROON

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute starts working out for NBA teams -by Cyril Empig
Following the conclusion of the Pre-NBA Draft Camp in Orlando, Florida, UCLA forward and Yaounde native Luc Richard Mbah a Moute started working out for NBA teams. According to Luc's brother, Armel Minyem (Minyem is overseeing Luc's workout schedule), the teams that have indicated interest in bringing in Luc for a personal workout include the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, and Toronto Raptors, and possibly the Portland Trailblazers. Luc has until June 16 to decide whether he will remain in the NBA Draft or return to UCLA for his senior (and final) season with the basketball team. According to Minyem, at this point, Luc is truly undecided about whether he will remain in the draft or not. Obviously, it will depend on what he hears from these teams that have chosen to invite him to their home arenas for a workout. Two things we could be sure of: First, if any of these teams could guarantee that they would draft him even in the second round, Luc will remain in the draft and not return to UCLA. Luc has said this much previously. Second, we will know his decision on June 16.
Updates on Luc are courtesy of the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News online.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (200-G/F-88)

Parfait Bitee, Joe Mbang have great closing year to USA college careers -by Cyril Empig
Parfait Bitee (PG, 6'2', 185) and Joe Mbang (F, 6'7', 220), both Yaounde natives, closed their US NCAA college careers impressively this year. Bitee and Mbang played for The University of Rhode Island Rams (Kingston, Rhode Island, USA; the school that produced current NBA Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom) in the always tough Atlantic 10 conference. The Atlantic 10 boasts storied basketball programs such as Xavier, St. Joseph's, Saint Louis and George Washington, several of which are regular participants in post-season tournaments such as the NCAA tournament and the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). In terms of tournaments, the NIT is second tier to the NCAA tournament. Schools that do not make it to the NCAA tournament might still get invited to play post-season basketball in the NIT.
A lot was expected of both Bitee and Mbang at the start of the season. In the previous year, Bitee was thrusted into the PG position and did well. As a result, Bitee was assigned to run the Rams offense this year, his senior season. He did not disappoint. Bitee averaged 11.8 points, 4.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 0.2 blocks and 0.8 steals per game for the 2007-2008 season. He also made 50% of his 3-point shot attempts. During the regular season, Bitee had monster games against Xavier and Saint Joseph's, scoring 25 and 19 points, respectively, in those games. Throughout the Rams season, there were a number of stretches of games in which Bitee scored in double digits and also dished out more than 5 assists in a game.
Mbang also had an impressive third year last season with the Rams and was expected to bring punch to the post offense this year, also his senior season. He finished the 2007-2008 season with a respectable 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds per game average, even hitting close to 30% of his 3-point shot attempts. Mbang had monster games during the regular season, lighting up New Hampshire for 22 points and Dayton for 21 points.
Closing out the Atlantic 10 conference season, Rhode Island lost in the first round of the conference tournament to the NIT-bound UNC Charlotte 49ers. Bitee had 10 points and 6 assists in the game, although he had 5 turnovers.
With a commendable 21-11 regular season record, the Rams were invited to play in the post-season NIT as a #6 seed. They faced the #3 seed Creighton Bluejays of Omaha, Nebraska (21-10, Missouri Valley Conference) in the first round. The Rams lost the game by one point, 74-73. Bitee scored 7 points, had 2 assists but committed 3 turnovers. Mbang did not play. The Rams closed the season with a final record of 21-12.
Because of his stellar season this year, Bitee was invited to play at the annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a tournament which invites top seniors from across the country for a 4-day competition in front of representatives of NBA teams. Hopefully, players at the PIT would be invited to pre-NBA draft camp or to individual workouts with an NBA team. At the PIT, Bitee averaged 8.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3 assists, and an impressive 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, in a span of 3 games. Unfortunately, despite these respectable numbers, Bitee was not invited to the pre-NBA Draft camp in Orlando, Florida, where he could have met up with fellow Yaounde native, UCLA Bruins' Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
Finally, Bitee is slotted to play for Cameroon in the upcoming Olympic qualifier tournament in Greece this summer, where he does get to play with Mbah a Moute.
We are all proud of what Bitee and Mbang had accomplished this year donning the powder blue and white jerseys of Rhode Island. Good luck to these fine men, wherever their careers (basketball or otherwise) might take them.
Parfait Bitee (188-G-85)

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COSTA RICA

Quartertfinals updating -by Gianni Pascucci
While Barva and Perez Zeledon are yet waiting to start their series, all the teams winner in Game 1 advanced to the semifinals. Liceo defeated San Luis Gonzaga 79-71 in Game 2 of the Quarterfinals with Kendrick Jones (190-G-83, college: Columbus St.) leading again the way at 33 points and Alejandro Grijalba (187-F-82) scoring 25 in losing effort. Limon destroyed UCR 86-68 led by Rayner Archer (-G), with 14 points and Santa Cecilia easily beat Escazu with Daniel King (203-F-87) outstanding at 15 points, while Rogerio Barker (182-G-75) scored 24 in Escazu. The semifinal pairings are now as follows:
Liceo - Limon
Santa Cecilia - winner of Barva-Perez Zeledon

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CROATIA

Marko Tomas returns to Real Madrdid -by Eurobasket News
After he spent one season as a loaned player in Fuenlabrada, Real Madrid decided to return Croatian NT player Marko Tomas (200-G-85) to its roster. Tomas had much bigger chance to play in Fuenlabrada that it was in Real Madrid. It seems that he exploited this chance very good. For 29 appearances in Spanish ACB league he averaged 13.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 1.9 apg. He was the top scorer of his team this season in ACB. He also was MVP of the 28th round of ACB so all these things probably were in mind of people from Real, who decided to take him back.

Real Madrid did not meet expectations this season. They had bright moments during the year and it seemed that they are capable to win the championship but that didn't happen. Real Madrid finished the season without any trophy and its hands. They even missed to qualify for Euroleague quarterfinals while Real was one of the biggest disappointments in 'Copa del Rei'. The team from Madrid finished ACB regular season on top with impressive score 29-5 but they couldn't handle Unicaja Malaga in the play of quarterfinals.

Marko Tomas signed contract with Real Madrid in 2005, after the finished successful season with Zagreb. After two years they decided to send him on loan in Fuenlabrada. It was a right decision of Real's management as after first season on loan they immediately take him back.

All Star Games 2007-08 -by Richard

South
Chris Warren (196-F-81, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: S.Carolina) of Cibona
Luksa Andric (209-C/F-85) of Cibona
Marin Rozic (201-F-83) of Cibona
Larry Ayuso (190-G-77, agency: Edge Sports, college: USC) of Cibona
David Grbesic (194-G-79) of Svjetlost
Jakov Vladovic (187-G-83) of Zagreb CO
Ante Tomic (217-C-87) of Zagreb CO
Krunoslav Simon (198-G/F-85) of Zagreb CO
Krunoslav Rimac (195-G-84) of Svjetlost
Tomislav Culjak (204-F/C-80) of Dubrava
Slaven Rimac (195-G-74) of Cedevita
Jurica Spahija (203-F/C-83) of Svjetlost
Robert Lez (200-F-79) of Zabok
Reserve:
Nikola Garma (203-F-85) of Zagreb CO

Coach:
Daniel Jusup of Zagreb
Mladen Vuskovic of Svjetlost

North
Andrija Stipanovic (207-C-86) of Split CO
Damjan Rudez (207-F-86) of Split CO
Tony Akins (180-G-80, college: Georgia Tech) of Split CO
Jure Lalic (212-C-86) of Zadar
Juby Johnson (196-G-81, college: Miami, OH) of Zadar
Pankracije Barac (196-G-81) of Zadar (MVP)
Corey Brewer (188-G-75, college: Oklahoma) of Zadar
Shammell Stallworth (197-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF) of Zadar
Luka Drezga (194-G-87) of sibenik
Marijan Mance (197-G-78) of Kvarner NR
Toni Caktas (192-G-81) of Alkar
Mate Mrva (195-F-83) of Borik Puntamika
Maro Lucic (202-C-80) of Dubrovnik
Reserve:
Zoran Vrkic (203-G/F-87) of sibenik

Coach:
Aleksandar Petrovic of Zadar
Zoran Kalpic of sibenik

NORTH - SOUTH 125:117

(27:31, 31:34, 31:34, 36:18)



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EUROLEAGUE

Serkan Erdogan joins Turk Telekom -by Eurobasket News
It seems it will be hot summer in Turkey as important signings already started. This time one player left Efes Pilsen and it is Serkan Erdogan (190-G-78, agency: Interperformances). Experienced shooter decided to return home signing two years contract with TBL runner-up Turk Telekom.

Erdogan learned first basketball steps as a kid in TED Ankara College. Later he spent 3 season in Tuborg Izmir after what he joined Tofas Istanbul. For two years in Tofas he became championship winner twice and also won National Cup in 1999. His next move was Ulker Istanbul. In July 2005 he agreed terms with TAU Ceramica. In 2006 they won Spanish 'Copa del Rey' and also participated at the ACB league final and Euroleague semifinals. The brightest moment in his career maybe could be Euroleague quarterfinals 2006 when he destroyed Panathinaikos in Athens. He scored 24 points for 25 minutes leading his team to Final 4 in Prague. With 179 triples Erdogan is on the 13th place on Euroleague all-time charts. He underwent knee surgery last year and because of it he missed big part of the season. He recovered in April when Efes Pilsen took him on loan from TAU. He played 8 games in Euroleague averaging 6.8 ppg and 1.9 rpg. For 20 games in TBL he added 8.7 ppg and 2.2 rpg but his Efes wasn't able to reach the play-off final.

Erdogan was a member of Turkish National Team more than 5 years.

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FRANCE

Pro A : Claude Marquis extends with Cholet for 3 more years -by Aurelien Hipp
*Local star Claude Marquis (201-F/C-80, agency: Octagon), who was back in his team after 1 season with Strasbourg, has extended his contract for 3 more seasons with Cholet. He posted 13.17ppg 7.6rpg this season with Cholet. His team ended the season at the 8th place, eliminated by Le Mans at the playoffs first round.Cholet also signed Christophe Leonard (199-F-90) from INSEP. Leonard also comes from French Guyana, as Marquis does. Leonard will play with both pros and U21 teams at Cholet.

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FYRMACEDONIA

Fantastic welcome for new champion in Kavadarci -by Eurobasket News
Feni Industry grabbed the first championship title in club's history. Just couple of minutes after the decisive game in Strumica more than hundred people went to the center of Kavadarci to celebrate this historical success of their team. Very soon Feni's fans from around the country came to Kavadarci. As soon as their team returned to its home city there was almost 7.000 people who were grateful to them because they brought title to their town. Feni's head coach Emil Rajkovic thanked everyone for their support during the entire season and especially in the play-off final against Strumica 2005. Rajkovic especially thanked to those fans which after the third defeat at their home court showed up during the team's practice to give them support before the decisive game in Strumica. President of the club Amir Abed was delighted because of this success. Abed also said that he is very excited about the Balkan league (BIBL), where Feni will participate next season.

Of course this night couldn't finish without questions about the team roster for the next season. Management of the club stated that from tomorrow they will start negotiations with each player. It is not sure will the best player of Feni, Donald Cole (204-C-81, agency: Edge Sports, college: Sam Houston St.), stay in the club. It would be very difficult task for Feni as Cole played the best season in his career. Naturally he will have another offers but Feni's management stated they will give their best to keep him for the next season.

After the last game of the play-off final Feni Industri sent the official statement to the media where they want to congratulate Strumica on good performance and fair battle. Feni also stated that every game in Strumica was organized on the highest level.

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GERMANY

TBB Trier stays in the 1. Bundesliga -by Moritz Korff
Sometimes it just doesn't matter that you finished the season on a relegation-spot. TBB Trier was 17th after a season with only 7 wins and 27 defeats and will stay in the 1. Bundesliga anyway. The league announced today that TBB will receive the wildcard for the 2008-2009 campaign, which had been advertised because the Cuxhaven BasCats had decided not to move up to the first division. Trier has to pay 100.000 Euro to be reincorporated into the group of the 18 best basketball-teams in Germany and to go into its 19th straight year in the Bundesliga.

Herten hires Spalke, keeps Lukenda -by Moritz Korff
Hertener Loewen of the 2. Bundesliga Pro B added Andre Spalke (190-G-82) to the roster for the 2008-2009 campaign. The 25-year-old Guard was a member of the Dresden Titans in this past season and averaged 15.9 points per contest in the Regionalliga South-East. Meanwhile, Franjo Lukenda (191-G-87) has put his name under a contract extension with the Lions. Lukenda, only 20 years of age, had 11 appearances in his first season in Pro B-play and scored 0.4 points a game. Coach Anton Mirolybov has currently these players on his roster for the upcoming season: Philipp Stachula (185-G-87), Dario Fiorentino (205-C/F-86), Tim Schulze Buxloh (192-G-87), Dustin Pfeifer (173-G-83, college: Findlay (OH)), Jasper Knoch (193-F-86), Andre Spalke and Franjo Lukenda.

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GREECE

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


Jasikevicius


Stevenson


Bourousis


Jaaber


Massey
Player of the Year - Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76) of Panathinaikos Athens
Guard of the Year - Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76) of Panathinaikos Athens
Forward of the Year -Jarod Stevenson (200-F-75) of Costa Cafe Marousi
Center of the Year - Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus
Most Improved Player of the Year - Dusan Sakota (209-F-86) of Panionios ON Telecoms Athens
Bosman Player of the Year - Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76) of Panathinaikos Athens
Import Player of the Year - Ibrahim Jaaber (188-G-84) of Egaleo AO
Domestic Player of the Year - Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus
Defensive Player of the Year - Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus
Coach of the Year - Soulis Markopoulos of Costa Cafe Marousi

1st Team
Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76) of Panathinaikos Athens
Ibrahim Jaaber (188-G-84) of Egaleo AO
Jarod Stevenson (200-F-75) of Costa Cafe Marousi
Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82) of Aris Thessaloniki
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus

2nd Team
Branko Milisavljevic (193-G-76) of Costa Cafe Marousi
Lynn Greer (186-G-79) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus
Qyntel Woods (204-F/G-81) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus
K'Zell Wesson (201-F/C-77) of AEK Athens
Michael Batiste (203-F-77) of Panathinaikos Athens

Honorable Mention
Billy Keys (188-G-77) of Costa Cafe Marousi
Anthony Grundy (189-G-79) of Panellinios Athens
Dusan Sakota (209-F-86) of Panionios ON Telecoms Athens
Kostas Kaimakoglou (206-C/F-83) of Costa Cafe Marousi
Ian Vouyoukas (212-C/F-85) of Ago Rethimno Almeco

All-Imports Team
Ibrahim Jaaber (188-G-84) of Egaleo AO
Lynn Greer (186-G-79) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus
Jarod Stevenson (200-F-75) of Costa Cafe Marousi
K'Zell Wesson (201-F/C-77) of AEK Athens
Michael Batiste (203-F-77) of Panathinaikos Athens

All-Domestic Players Team
Vasilis Spanoulis (193-G-82) of Panathinaikos Athens
Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) of Panathinaikos Athens
Panagotis Vasilopoulos (202-F-84) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus
Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) of Panathinaikos Athens
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus

All-Bosmans Team
Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76) of Panathinaikos Athens
Branko Milisavljevic (193-G-76) of Costa Cafe Marousi
Ivan Zoroski (195-G-79) of Panionios ON Telecoms Athens
Amara Sy (202-F-81) of AEK Athens
Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82) of Aris Thessaloniki

All-Defensive Team
Vasilis Xanthopoulos (188-G-84) of Panionios ON Telecoms Athens
Dimitris Diamantidis (196-G-80) of Panathinaikos Athens
Amara Sy (202-F-81) of AEK Athens
K'Zell Wesson (201-F/C-77) of AEK Athens
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus

Nar Zanolin: Balkan League has a good future -by George Manousidis

FIBA Europe General Secretary Nar Zanolin took part at Balkan basketball league`s Board meeting in Sofia.
'I think it`s going to be good competition. People that are involved are serious people, they are professionals. Now with the participation and the cooperation of all the clubs, I think that this League has a good future. I think it has the possibility to expand as well, because the Balkan include number of other countries too, so I think definitely it has a future and also future for extension', said Nar Zanolin.

Eurobasket.com: What is the main thing that people that run the Balkan league should know?
Nar Zanolin: Just to make sure, that the competition is run properly and fairly and just to work hard to draw whole families in the gym, because then you know what a wonderful sport the basketball should be.

Eurobasket.com: Maybe that`s why you proposed that rule for the home player?
Nar Zanolin: Yes, I do that, because like I said before I`m Canadian, but I`m European too. The fact is that the club must have a recognition point. And a recognition point could be only a person, a player from that country. That`s why I`m really pushing that, because I believe in European basketball. The main thing is identification and recognition of aspect of having that player on the court.


From BIBL



Giorgos Sigalas will be new head coach of the Greek National U-21 men's team. -by Simon Varvakis
Giorgos Sigalas (200-F-71) will be the new head coach of the Greek National U-21 team. The greek veteran started officially his new job as head coach of the U-21 team. His goal is to get the team ready for the U-21 European Championship that will take place in Riga of Latvia between 1-10 of August 2008. Giorgos Sigalas stated : 'It is a great honour and a great opportunity for me. It's a way for me to show that I want to start a new endeavour with a team of gifted youngsters. It is a great challenge and my goal is to get the team as high as possible'.

He also said that he knows most of the players and that he will need the help of the federation in his first steps as a basketball, which is something that he always wanted to go. Giorgos Sigalas is quite passionate about his new post and he said that if he fails he will be the first one to admit that.

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HOLLAND

Hanzevast Capitals inks Zoran Krstanovic -by Fred Roggen
Hanzevast Capitals signed the sixth player for the upcoming season, 25-year-old Serbian Zoran Krstanovic (205-C-82) will join the Capitals next season.
Krstanovic a powerforward/center played last season in Romania for Univ Mobitelco Cluj Napoca. He finished last season, averaging 21.1 points and 9 rebounds for UMobitelco and got two Eurobasket.com-awards: 'All-Romanian League Bosman Player of the Year' and 'All-Romanian League 1st Team'.

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IBL

2008 IBL All-Star Festival set to get underway in Gary -by Trask Frost
Gary, Indiana- On Thursday, June 12th the IBL All-Star Festival will be held at the Genesis Convention Center. The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with the doors opening at for fans at 5 p.m. The evening will begin preliminary rounds of the Three Point Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest. The game will tip off at 7:15. The exhibition will feature the best players from the Southwest and West Divisions battling the best players from the Midwest and East Divisions. Their will be FREE ADMISSION for children under the age of 12. Tickets will be on sale for as little as $5.

Five teams from the western divisions of the IBL will have representatives competing in the All-Star Festival. The Bellingham Slam, Los Angeles Lightning, Edmonton Chill, Portland Chinooks, and the Central Oregon Hotshots will be coming in 2-0, winning both years of the IBL East-West All-Star games.

The East will be dressing an impressive roster with six teams represented in the game. Fans from the Elkhart Express, Battle Creek Knights, Holland Blast, Grand Rapids Flight, Windy City Soldiers, and the home team Gary Steelheads will be looking to break the West's winning streak.

As mentioned earlier, the night will be filled with exciting contests like the Slam Dunk Competition. The early favorite would have to be the Gary Steelheads' Royce Parran (5'9''-G-85, college: Chicago St.). The standout point guard placed third in the NCAA dunk contest in 2007. The most impressive fact about Parran is that the high flying rookie guard stands at about 5 foot 9 inches. His electrifying energy will keep every fan in attendance on the edge of their seats.

The Three Point Contest will feature competitors including local standout Eric Rhinehart (Valparaiso High School). The 6'9' sharp shooter will be trying to show off his range in front of the hometown faithful. One person that could steal the show would be UCLA alum Billy Knight. The Los Angeles star and former Bruin will be sure to put on a shooting clinic during the 2008 Three Point Shootout.

2008 IBL All-Star Game Starting Lineup

East

G Shaun Fountain Gary
G Kenny Langhorne Grand Rapids
F Eric Rhinehart Windy City
F Bobby Madison Battle Creek
C Wu Yong Elkhart

West

G Tyler Amaya Bellingham
G Zach Ramey Central Oregon
F Wayne Oliver Los Angeles
F Shohn Williams Portland
C Lee Scruggs Edmonton

For additional information, feel free to call the Gary Steelheads front office at
(219) 883-3000. Also, you can log on to the IBL website at www.iblhoopsonline.com

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ITALY

Lega 2 market news -by Gianni Pascucci
Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari announced the extension of the agreements with coach Demis Cavina and with Manuel Vanuzzo (203-F-75), who will stay in the team in the 2008-09 season. Cimberio Varese annouced the agreement with coach Stefano Pillastrini, who inked a three-year contract. The team GM will be ex player Francesco Vescovi (200-F-64). Antonello Riva agreed to serve as the new GM of Prima Veroli for the next two seasons. Carmatic Pistoia is expected to announce soon the extension of the pact with Fiorello Toppo (198-F/C-80) for at least another season

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JAMAICA

Standings
NBL Standings
 1. Urban K. 0-0 
 2. Tivoli Wizards 0-0 
 3. Arnett GR 0-0 
 4. Slayers 0-0 
 5. Blazing P. 0-0 
 6. Catherine AS. 0-0 
 7. Runnin' R. 0-0 
 8. JDF 0-0 
 9. Linkup All-S. 0-0 
 10. Majestic G. 0-0 
 11. W.Cumberland 0-0 
 12. Port Royal 0-0 


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LEBANON

Nate Johnson To Al-Riyadi -by Hassan Thini
Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut 'Lebanon's champion basketball in the last four years' signed the american player Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) for three years.
Johnson will be the second foreign with the team captain the egyption player Ismail Ahmed. Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut earn a high quality player and hope to restore Arab Championship and win the Asian Clubs Championship for the first time in history. The American player has Contributed significantly By Zain Arab Clubs Championship held in Amman, the beginning of last month.

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MBEL

About MBEL -by Richard
The Mississippi Basketball Exposure League is a league that is primarily designed to function as a vehicle that captures a player's artistic performance on the basketball court and, ultimately, make that performance available to an agent and/or any one of the many professional organizations that are considering signing that player as a member of its team.
Courtesy of mbelhoops


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MONTENEGRO

1-0 for Goran Nikolic in German final -by Eurobasket News
Power forward / center Goran Nikolic (205-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) and his team ALBA Berlin grabbed the first win in the final of German play-off. They were better than Telekom Basket Bonn at home 78-69. ALBA Berlin has home court advantage because they had much better result in Bundesleague regular season. Goran Nikolic and his teammates finished it on top with score 54-14. On the other side Bonn was the 6th ranked team with 42 wins and 26 defeats.

The first game of the final series started good for ALBA as after couple of minutes it already was 17-11. Mostly owing to Serbian center Aleksandar Nadjfeji ALBA closed the first frame with 25-19. Second period did not change anything as ALBA's players picked up where they left of in the first ten minutes. After points by Goran Nikolic , the hosts went on plus 11, 37-26. Bonn somehow succeeded to score at the buzzer finishing first half with deficit of 9 points. Visitors entered into the third period much stronger which resulted with 42-38 but they couldn't handle ALBA any longer as Dragan Dojcin shined brining plus 6 to ALBA very soon. Actually it was the last hope for visitors in this game as after that they did not even threaten.

Goran Nikolic had important role in his team. He played 24 minutes netting 8 points. At the same time he grabbed 6 defensive rebounds.

Next game will be played in Bonn on Wednesday.

Omar Cook receives Montenegrin citizenship -by Eurobasket News
According to the Montenegrin media USA point guard Omar Cook (186-G-82, college: St.John's) officially became the citizen of Montenegro. He received the passport what means that NT of Montenegro got big reinforcement for the future.

'This is big opportunity for me. Montenegro has couple of very good players and of course head coach Dusko Vujosevic. It is a chance for me to improve my skills. It was not an easy decision for me but I finally decided to accept offer from Montenegro and I am sure now I made a good choice' - said Cook at his arrival on Podgorica's airport.

Cook stated that Montenegrin National Team will make success in future projects. 'We have a lot of talented players in the roster. We also have the best Euroleague center Nikola Pekovic with us. With him in the paint it will be much easier to play, especially to me as I am PG. I don't know exactly all names which will be called for NT but I would be glad to play together with Pekovic. Until today we were on opposite sides as he played for Partizan Igokea and me for Crvena Zvezda but we were good friends outside the gym' - said Cook.

Director of the Montenegrin Basketball league and director of Buducnost Podgorica, Danilo Mitrovic, believes that Montenegro has a good chances to pass through Division B. Their rivals will be Iceland, Holland, Austria and Danmark.

'I think we will able to go through Division B. Experienced players like Djuro Ostojic, Vlado Scepanovic, Predrag Drobnjak and others will help us. The good thing is that our youngsters will become better with them. Our target is to reach Eurobasket 2011 but I know it will be very difficult task' - said Mitrovic.

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NBA

Arenas opts out of contract with the Wizards -by Eurobasket News
Gilbert Arenas (6'3''-G-82, college: Arizona) decided to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Washington Wizards. The move was pretty much expected as Arenas talked about the desire for some time. He had a 6-year contract worth $65 million with the Wizards and would be able to negotiate with any team from July 1. He has however already expressed the desire to stay in the capital. He also wished the team would re-sign Antawn Jamison as the forward becomes a free agent soon. Gilbert Arenas missed the major part of the last season because of a knee injury. Three-time All-Star averaged 22.8 points, 5.5 assists and 4.2 boards per game in his NBA career.
Meanwhile the Chicago Bulls seemed to reach an agreement with Vinny Del Negro about his taking the position of the Bulls' head coach. Numerous sources reported that the deal was finalized. Vinny Del Negro had a rich NBA player career as he had been playing for 12 seasons in the league. He had stints with Sacramento, Golden State, Milwaukee and Phoenix averaging 9.1 points and 3.2 assists per game. Recently he worked as the Phoenix Suns assistant general manager. He had no previous coaching experience but still surpassed Chuck Person and Dwane Casey for the position. The official announcement is expected to arrive later in the week.
Michael Curry stepped up as the Detroit Pistons next head coach. He signed a three-year contract with the Pistons. He took over Flip Saunders at the helm after the latter one was axed last week. The deal was reported to be worth $2.5 million a year. Michael Curry was an assistant coach with the Pistons last season.

New head coach in Detroit Pistons -by Eurobasket News
After leaving of Flip Saunders, the hot seat on the bench of Detroit Pistons was open. But it seems it won't be empty any more. Pistons decided to hire Michael Curry as a new head coach. Curry joined Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach in 2007 after he finished season at Troy (NCAA). He was a professional player who spent 10 seasons in NBA. Actually 6 of these 10 he played for Detroit Pistons. As a player Curry was a champion of Central Division twice. His biggest success was the final of Eastern Conference in 2003.

'Michael proved himself as a leader at the time when he was a player. Later as an assistant coach he worked very hard and was very confident person. We have on our mind all these facts and his basketball knowledge and we are sure he is the right person who deserves to get a chance to be the head coach of Detroit Pistons' - said Joe Dumars, GM of the team.

Pistons finished regular season in Central Division on top with score 59-23. The team showed nice performance in the quarterfinals of Eastern conference beating 76ers 4-2. Their next rival was Orlando, who was even easier opponent for Pistons as they finished semifinal series 4-1. Pistons lost in the final of Eastern Conference 4-2 against Boston. After 2-2 they lost two games in a row after what Joe Dumars was really angry. These two games were the main reason for change on Detroit's bench.

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NCAA1

Leaving Lexington: Second Kentucky player transfers -by Kevin Cochran

Morakinyo Williams (6'11''-C) one of Kentucky's top recruits last season, is leaving the Wildcats, and will transfer to Duquesne. He chose the Dukes over Tulane and Pennsylvania, and says a lack of playing time was his biggest reason for leaving.

'I had a lot of fun here [at Kentucky], but I was ready to get out of here,' Williams said. 'I want to play a lot more minutes -- I just wanted to play a lot more. Hopefully when I do start playing at Duquesne, I can be an impact player.'

Williams played almost 20 minutes in the Wildcats season opener, then played only 11 minutes the rest of the season. He finished with averages of 0.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. Williams is a native of Solihull, England, and is the sixth player to sign with Duquesne this offseason.


In addition to losing Williams, the Wildcats will also be without Derrick Jasper (6'6''-G-88), who will transfer to a school closer to his family in California.



Agel takes over at Brown -by Kevin Cochran
After 19 years as a Division I assistant, Jesse Agel is finally a head coach. Brown promoted the longtime assistant to replace Craig Robinson, who left to become head coach at Oregon St.. Agel has been a Brown assistant the past two seasons, and helped the Bears to a second place finish in the Ivy League last year. Before comng to the Bears, Agel spent 17 seasons as a Vermont assistant, the final eight as the associate head coach.

'I am absolutely delighted to have Jesse Agel as our head coach,' said Brown Athletic Director Michael Goldberger. 'Jesse brings a wealth of basketball knowledge and years of experience to the position. He has demonstrated that he knows what it takes to be successful at this level. Jesse views coaching to be about teaching, and that's something that Brown is all about and what I look for in all of our head coaches.'

'I embrace the opportunity to continue to work with a group of extraordinary young men at such a prestigious university as Brown,' said Agel. 'Our goal will remain the same, which is the relentless pursuit of the Ivy League Championship. It's been an honor to work in an outstanding athletic department that has so many exceptional people and educators. I want to thank former coach Craig Robinson for all he has done for me personally and for leaving me a team that expects to win every time it steps onto the court.'

Shipp comes back in to UCLA -by Kevin Cochran
UCLA guard Josh Shipp (6'5''-G-86) has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft, and will return to the Bruins for his senior season.

'I am glad I went through this process,' Shipp said in a statement Tuesday. 'But at the end of the day, I wanted to come back and make another run for the championship. We've been close three times and a goal of mine is to win the NCAA championship.'

Shipp has struggled with hip injuries during his career, but averaged 12.2 points per game last year while setting a UCLA record by starting 39 games. Coach Ben Howland has high expectations for his final season in Westwood.

'I expect him to have his best year as a Bruin, and not just because of his talent, but because this is the first summer in the last three that he can focus on his game as opposed to having to rehab from hip surgery,' Howland said.

Three other Bruins--Kevin Love (6'10''-C-88) Russell Westbrook (6'3''-G-88), and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6'7''-G/F-88)--remain in the draft. But the Bruins still are one of the favorites for a fourth consecutive Final Four. In addition to Shipp, point guard Darren Collison (6'0''-G-87) returns, and the Bruins highly rated recruiting class has just added big man J'Mison Morgan. A 6-foot-10 center, Morgan averaged 13.5 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots for South Oak Cliff High in Dallas last season. He originally signed to play at LSU but was released from that commitment last month.

Burton signs extension at Cal State Fullerton -by Kevin Cochran

Head Coach Bob Burton has signed a contract extension that will keep him in charge of the Cal.St. Fullerton men's basketball program through the 2012-13 season.

Burton has compiled a 92-60 record in five seasons with the Titans including two wins in the 2005 Post-Season NIT and a first-round loss to Wisconsin in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Fullerton's first berth since 1978. Last year's team won the Big West Conference post-season tournament after sharing in the school's first regular-season conference title since 1976.

'I think Bob's record speaks for itself and we are delighted we are able to keep him at Fullerton,' said Director of Athletics Brian Quinn. 'Not only have we enjoyed four consecutive winning seasons, but seven of his players are graduating in 2008.'

With a .605 percentage, Burton is the winningest coach in school history. He was selected the NABC District 15 Coach of the Year for 2007-08.

'I appreciate the commitment from Brian and the University,' said Burton. 'They gave me a chance out of the community college ranks and I'm happy everything has worked out so well.'

Burton's first Titan team in 2003-04 was 11-17 primarily with players inherited from predecessor Donny Daniels . The 2004-05 team went 21-11 and won NIT games at Oregon St. and USF before losing at Georgetown After a 16-13 season in 2005-06, the Titans have posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time at 20-10 in 2006-07 and 24-9 last season.

Courtesy: Cal St. Fullerton Sports Information



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NEW ZEALAND

Stars return -by Eurobasket News
Youthtown Auckland Stars have been re-instated after an 11th-hour protest against their disqualification from the Dominion Finance NBL playoffs. The Stars were declared ineligible for the quarterfinals after failing to meet a deadline to complete payment of their participation fee. That deadline was extended over last weekend, the franchise had still not made the payment by lunchtime yesterday and was subsequently withdrawn from the post-season. But discussions between lawyers representing the Stars and the NBL board have allowed Auckland back in on a technicality.
'We are very disappointed with this outcome,' said Basketball New Zealand chief executive Dale Stephens. 'This is not an issue that has arisen in the past couple of weeks … the Stars are now 15 weeks overdue with their final payment. 'We feel we have given them every opportunity to meet their financial responsibility to the NBL and took appropriate measures to defend the league's credibility. 'If we fought this protest in the courts, we are confident we could eventually win it … but this game must take place in just 24 hours. This action could prevent that happening and, at the end of the day, the show must go on. 'We still believe we were right and at the very least, this outcome should serve as a warning that we are prepared to take extreme steps to preserve the integrity of the NBL.'
The result is bad news for Devon Dynamos Taranaki, who were edged by the Stars on a countback for the sixth and final post-season spot, but were called up for duty when the Stars were disqualified. The Dynamos have already traveled north for their anticipated clash with Appliance Shed Harbour Heat in tomorrow night's second quarterfinal at the North Shore Events Centre, but will now hand that spot back to the Stars.
Courtesy of: www.basketball.org.nz

The defending champions stay in the title race -by Eurobasket News
Hawkes Bay Hawks - Nelson Giants 75:78

The NBL reigning champions Nelson Giants overcame forecasts and left sloppy regular season performance behind to steal a narrow win over the Bay Hawks at the Pettigrew Green Arena today. Thus the Giants advanced to the semifinal to take on the regular season champions Wellington Saints on Thursday. The Bay Hawks wrapped up their ambitious and hopeful season with a sour aftertaste as they unpredictable fell short in Taradale. The teams entered the game trading baskets. The hosts accumulated a lead but 13 points from Phill Jones (196-G-74) kept the Giants at a striking distance. Nelson trailed 18:20 after the opening stanza but things started to deteriorate for the visitors right after the first intermission. The conceded 8 straight points early in the second term and the Bay Hawks opened a double-digit lead midway through the term. The hosts maintained the dominance and rolled to a 40:32 advantage at halftime. Nelson came back to life late in the third quarter. They exploded with a 9:2 surge that propelled them to a 57:54 lead at the start of the final frame. The Bay Hawks went on level terms once again at 63 following Kevin Smith's treble midway through the final quarter. The visitors jumped ahead 76:75 inside the final minute of regulation. Kareem Johnson (205-C-80, college: Cincinnati) was fouled but missed both free throws with 23 seconds left. The Bay Hawks however secured an offensive board to set up an open trey for Paora Winitana. His possible go-ahead attempt rimmed out and Phill Jones picked the loose ball. He drained two freebies with 2.8 seconds remaining to seal the winning outcome for Nelson. Phill Jones finished the game with 27 points to pace the Giants. Michael Harrison (206-F-84, agency: Interperformances) added 22 points and 8 boards, while Mike Fitchett (183-G-82) had 14 points in a win. Kareem Johnson answered with 23 points for the bay Hawks. Aidan Daly (182-G-78) provided 15 points in a losing effort.

Bay Hawks: Kareem Johnson 23, Aidan Daly 15
Nelson: Phill Jones 27, Michael Harrison 22, Mike Fitchett 14

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NICARAGUA

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


Tiburones take the lead -by Gianni Pascucci
In the last round of ACB league, Tiburones Bancentro defeated 101-95 Tigres de la UdeM, thanks to 31 points from Johnny Lampson (198-F/C-80) and 17 from Hernol Hall (205-C-82, college: Lon Morris JC), who garbbed also 11 rebounds. The best in Tigres were Jason Walters (196-G-71, college: Mt.Senario) with 27 pts, Martin Amador (193-F-75) with 23 and Keyshawn Reed (183-G-84) with 22. The bad new is that Noel McKenzie (188-G-78) showed again his bad habits, being banned from the game for elbowing Keyshawn Reed with unnecessary violence. Will he manage to end the season without being suspended again ?? However, thanks to this result Tiburones are now at the top of the league, followed by Tigres.

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PARAGUAY

National League Standings
National Standings
Group A
 1. Sol de Am. 5-0 
 2. D.San Jose 2-3 
 3. Libertad 1-5 
Group B
 1. America 4-0 
 2. Sacachispas 2-2 
 3. Felix Perez 0-4 


National League updating -by Gianni Pascucci
America de Pilar ended the second leg of 'Group B2' defeating Sacachispas, 115-105, at the end of a very spectacular game in Encarnacion. Derrick Miller (202-C/F-78, college: Georgetown, KY) scored 35 pts to be the game top scorer in losing effort, Ricardo Ozuna (185-G/F-82) was the main performer in America with 30 points. This Group 'B2' will restart on thursday, June 12, for its last round of games. In 'Groupo A2', Libertad played its last game of the competition defeating Deportivo San Jose 76-75. The best players were Daniel Perez (190-G/F-84) with 21 and Leonardo Maier (198-C-72) with 20 in Libertad and Miguel Isola (198-F-83) with 14 and Carlos Jorge Riveros (190-G-85) with 13 in San Jose.

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PBL

Mario Kinsey First and Only PBL player to be named one of the top 20 minor leaguers -by Jean-Paul Afif
Mario Kinsey (6'2''-G-82, college: Sam Houston St.) of the Texas Tycoons and the Dallas PBL team is the first player in the PBL's inaugural season to be named to Pro Basketball News top 20 minor leaguers. Mario is the first and only player with any PBL experience to be acknowledged on this well respected list of the top 20 minor league players in the country. Pro Basketball news composes the list of players from all US based minor leagues, including the NBA D-League, CBA, ABA, PBL and IBL as well as all other US minor leagues. Mario was rated the 14th best player in the country from the top 20 player list.

When asked about being considered indirectly the best player in the PBL Mario was humble about his accomplishment. 'Their is a lot of great talent in the PBL, it is quite an honor for me to be considered the only player from that league to make the top 20 list. I have a lot of work to do still, to obtain my dream of playing in the NBA.' Mario averaged close to 30pts a game in the PBL for Dallas, to help resurrect the season. For more information and to see the complete list please visit http://probasketballnews.com/minorstop20_042508.html

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PUERTO RICO

Ansel Guzman Selected As MVP for 2008 -by Luis Ramirez
Well, the votes are in and the MVP for 2008 goes to Ansel Guzman (175-G-84, agency: Next Level) who played this year for the Humacao Grays. Guzman was selected over Angel Figueroa of Arecibo, Lee Benson of Bayamon, Ricardo Melendez and Peter John Ramos both of Caguas Criollos. Guzman averaged 18.9 points per game this year with 6.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds. Other selections for this year included Most Improved Player, Angel Figueroa of Arecibo, Coach of the Year, Leonel Arill of Caguas, Defensive Player of the Year, Richard Lugo of San German, Rookie of the Year, Darnell Hinson of Bayamon Cowboys, Player who showed most progress, Sammy Villegas of San German. Given the Gentlman Award was Luis Rivas of Santurce and Team Owner of the Year, Julio Vega of Guaynabo.

BSN All-Star team was: Ansel Guzman, Ricardo Melendez, Angel Figueroa, Lee Benson and Peter John Ramos.

BSN Defensive Team was: Eddin Santiago, Alejandro Carmona, Gabriel Colon, Richard Lugo and Jeff Aubry.

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RUSSIA

Triumph Lyubertsy extends 3 players -by Eurobasket News
After contract extension with Ognjen Askrabic, management of Triumph Lyubertsy decided to extend three more players.

First player who extended contract with Triumph is center Igor Krotenkov (212-C-83). He didn't have a lot of chance to play last season but it seems that the team counts on him a lot for the next 3 years. Before Triumph, Krotenkov played for Dynamo St. Petersburg and UNICS Kazan.

The team also announced contract extension with National Team member Egor Vyaltsev (190-G-85). He was one of the most talented young players in Russia. Vyaltsev started basketball career in BC Lagoda from St. Petersbugr. CSKA Moscow signed 5-years contract with the player in 2002. He spent 2 seasons in CSKA after what he was loaned to Samara. His next destination was Ural Great Perm after what he moved to Triumph. He was a member of all Russian NT selections. With U20 National Team Vyaltsev won European Championship in Moscow on 2005. He was named to be in 'All-Tournament 1st Team' by Eurobasket.com.

Third player who got contract extension is Sergei Toporov (197-F-81), who joined Triumph last year from Lokomotiv Rostov na Donu. For 23 games in Russian Superleague last season he averaged 11.9 ppg, 3 rpg and 1.6 apg. Toporov had 8 appearances in ULEB Cup adding almost the same digits 11.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 1.4 apg. Before Rostov he used to play for Unics Kazan and CSK VVS Samara. He was called for Russian National Team in 2004.

Market news - Khimki in double Swoop -by Andrei Maminov
Khimki Moscow have signed Partizan Belgrade point guard -Milton Palacio (190-G-78, college: Colorado St.).the Belize have signed a two years contract with Khimki.
Palacio had a good season with Partizan by leading the team to the Euroleague final 8 for the first time.Palacio stats were 28 games in Adriatic league avereging: 12.5ppg, 2.3rpg, Assists-3.9apg, 1.4spg,in the Euroleague: 23 games: 12.5ppg, 2.7rpg, 3.3apg, 1.3spg,

Khimki is also closing a deal with TBL MVP of the year - American forward - Quinton Hosley (198-G/F-84, college: Fresno St.) who played last year with Turkish side Karsiyaka.avereging 22.9ppg, Reb -11.7rpg, 3.6apg, 1.9spg with deal estimated at 500.000 Euros per year.

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SCOTLAND

Scotland plays series of friendlies in Durham -by Eurobasket News
The Scottish National team enjoyed a series of friendlies as the part of build-up for the upcoming European championship in Division in C in Edinburgh. Scottish team played three teams. On the opening day of their tour they faced the England Universities' Team. The Students were steered by Martin Ford and challenged the Scots and led throughout three quarters. England Universities entered the final frame up by 8 points 59:51. But Keith Bunyan (189-G-77) exploded with 4 treys in the final term to propel Scotland to a narrow yet impressive 83:74 victory at the end. Bunyan topscored for Scotland with 27 points. Gareth Murray (199-F-84, college: Kalamazoo Valley CC) dropped 17 points for the winners. Pape Demba Kasse answered with 14 points for England Universities.
Next day Scotland faced the hosting Durham Wildcats that play in the England Basketball National League third division. Scots widely used their reserves in the encounter and the Wildcats capitalized going up 56:53 at the end of three quarters. The starters appear on court in the final period for Scotland but Durham never allowed Scots to deny the deficit. Moreover the hosts finalized an 80:70 victory. James Nicholson (183-G) provided 27 points to pace the home side. Paul Elderkin (-87) notched 12 points for the winners. Ronald Gordon (207-C-81, college: Findlay (OH)) responded with 12 points for Scotland. Andrew Steven had 10 points in defeat.
Later in the week the action moved to Spennymoor where Scotland took on England Universities once again. Scots were in control as they outgunned their opponents 27:11 in the opening frame. But the Students looked confident and closed the gap to even the game at 48 with a quarter to go. The teams traded baskets in the fourth period but England Universities team proved a bit luckier in the dying seconds to snatch a narrow victory. Matt Morley led the charge with 17 points for the Students. Tayo Ogedengbe nailed 13 points in a win. Nick Collins replied with 20 points for Scotland.
Finally England Universities defeated the Durham Wildcats on the final day of friendly tourney. Daniel McSweeney scored 12 points and the Students celebrated a 73:69 victory at the end.

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

Hemofarm STADA joins Partizan Igokea in the final ! -by Dragan Jankovski

In third decisive game of the play-off semifinals FMP suffered defeat at their home court against Hemofarm STADA 78-80. Thus the score in the semifinals series in 2-1 for the orange team, who will meet Partizan Igokea in the final.

Hemofarm STADA had much better percentage from behind the arc, what was one of the main reasons for this fantastic victory. Visitors had 12 of 23 while Panthers had just 4 of 19. With 1:42 to go the score was equalized 74-74. Nemanja Protic (182-G-86) of FMP took care for that from the free throw line. After that Labovic missed two triples while Nemanja Protic also had one unsuccessful shot. On the other side Miljan Pavkovic (178-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) made a basket. Young Stefan Markovic (191-G-88) and Slovenian guard Nebojsa Joksimovic (193-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) were concentrated from the FT line and it was 80-74 with 10 seconds remaining. Zoran Erceg (211-C/F-85) made a steal and scored at the buzzer but it wasn't enough for over time. It is important to be mentioned that in the first half we saw two totally different quarters. It was Hemofarm who dominated in the first one ending it 13-26. But for the next ten minutes FMP took control on them 26-17.
Center Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) was the best for the winning team nailing 18 points. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82, college: Oakland) followed him delivering 16 points. FMP's captain Zoran Erceg added 29 points and 7 rebounds for his team.

The first game of the play-off final is scheduled for Thursday at 20h. Partizan will have home court advantage as they finished regular season on top.


FMP - Hemofarm STADA 78-80

(13-26,26-17,20-19,19-18)

FMP: Erceg 29 (7 rebs), Protic 17 (4 as), Krstovic 10 (4 rebs, 4 as), Samardziski 9

Hemofarm STADA: Vukosavljevic 18, Marshall 16, Bozovic 14 (6 rebs)



Ukrainian Kyiv hires coach Sasa Obradovic -by Dragan Jankovski
Champion of Ukrainian Superleague regular season BC Kyiv got a new head coach. The team agreed terms with Sasa Obradovic, who spent 3 successfull years in German Rhein Energie Koln.

BC Kyiv finished regular season on top with almost perfect score 21-1 but they wasn't able to win the championship title. Azovmash was better than Kyiv in play-off final 3-1. Thus it was the third season without the championship title for Kyiv what was the main reason why they decided to split with Slovenian coach Tomo Mahorcic.

Obradovic is one of the Serbian basketball legends. He played more than 10 years for Yugoslavian and later S&M National Team. It was a golden era of Yugoslavian NT when they totally dominated in all international competitions. As a player Obradovic also had many successful seasons in Crvena Zvezda, ALBA Berlin, Buducnost Podgorica and Rhein Energy Koln. After 4 years in Koln as a player, management of the team decided to hire him but this time as a head coach. At his first season as Koln's head coach Obradovic became the Bundesleague champion. A year later his team won German National Cup. On season 06/07 Koln participated in Euroleague what was their biggest success ever. As a reminder, Koln started to compete in Bundesleague on 2001 when they bought license from Rhondorfer.

Obradovic signed 2 years contract with BC Kyiv.

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SLOVENIA

Union Olimpija extends Jasmin Hukic -by Matej Bergant
According to Beobasket Agency which represents their client Jasmin Hukic (204-G/F-79, agency: Beo Basket), the player extended the contract with Slovenian Cup and League Champion Union Olimpija for another two seasons. Hukic was one of the main players of Union Olimpija averaging 13.4ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.4apg in 14 Euroleague games, 12.4ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.6apg, 1.0spg in Adriatic League and 10.2ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.4apg in 19 games of Slovenian Championship.

Eurobasket.com All-Slovenian 1B Awards 2007-08 -by Eurobasket
#s#
#e#6


Klepo


Marcetic


Tusek


Pusic


Kosec

Player of the Year - Milan Klepo (211-F/C-80) of Misel Postojnska jama Postojna
Guard of the Year - Marko Marcetic (186-G-79) of Nova Gorica
Forward of the Year - Tadej Tusek (194-F-80) of GD Hrastnik
Center of the Year - Milan Klepo (211-F/C-80) of Misel Postojnska jama Postojna
Newcomer of the Year - Sinisa Bilic (201-F-89) of Triglav Kranj
Most Improved Player of the Year - Dejan Milasinovic (179-G-89) of Jance STZ Ljubljana
Defensive Player of the Year - Stefan Kosec (195-F/C-83) of Parklji Bezigrad
Coach of the Year - Gregor Pokleka of Misel Postojnska jama

1st Team
Dragan Pusic (193-G-84) of Parklji Bezigrad
Marko Marcetic (186-G-79) of Nova Gorica
Tadej Tusek (194-F-80) of GD Hrastnik
Stefan Kosec (195-F/C-83) of Parklji Bezigrad
Milan Klepo (211-F/C-80) of Misel Postojnska jama Postojna

2nd Team
Boban Tomic (190-G-88) of GD Hrastnik
Matic Ribic (186-G-85) of Konjice
Zoran Lazarevski (194-G-76) of Misel Postojnska jama Postojna
Roman Dominko (200-F/C-79) of KK Radenska Creativ Murska Sobota
Dejan Cikic (202-F-81) of Nova Gorica

Honorable Mention
Ales Lenassi (185-G-75) of Misel Postojnska jama Postojna
Dalibor Petrovic (198-F-75) of Nova Gorica
Roman Horvat (200-F-71) of Parklji Bezigrad


All-Defensive Team
Uros Ninic (187-G-86) of Misel Postojnska jama Postojna
Jure Ravnihar (190-G-76) of Konjice
Dejan Godicelj (188-G-83) of GD Hrastnik
Dusan Dolinar (204-C-81) of Tinex Medvode
Stefan Kosec (195-F/C-83) of Parklji Bezigrad

All-Newcomers Team
Jure Pelko (190-G-90) of GD Hrastnik
Jan Petrovcic (194-F-90) of Nova Gorica
Sinisa Bilic (201-F-89) of Triglav Kranj
Jernej Pesic (201-F-89) of Terme Rogaska
Luka Snoj (200-F-90) of Jance STZ Ljubljana



*****************************************************
TANZANIA

Tanga ready for EA inter-cities basketball championships -by Carlos Pereira
By Renatha Msungu

Tanga have confirmed to compete in the East Africa Inter-Cities basketball championships set to take place between June 24 and 28.
The tournament will be staged in two venues, National Indoor Stadium and TCC Chang`ombe grounds in Dar es Salaam.
The president of East Africa Inter-Cities basketball tournament`s committee, Simon Msofe, said that the championships will include both men and women teams.
Other Cities which have confirmed to compete in those championships are Mwanza, Arusha, Zanzibar, Nairobi, Mombasa, Kampala, Lusaka, Addis Ababa, Kigali, Bujumbura and hosts Dar es Salaam.
According to Msofe, preparations for the championships, to a large extent, have been completed but more sponsors were neededto make the championship more successful.
``We still request more sponsors to come out and sponsor the championships,`` he stated.
Meanwhile, Msofe has said that every city that will take part in the championships is required to send names of two referees who are going to officiate in the competitions.
The city which will fail to comply with the requirement is going to be fined US$50,000 that will be used to pay the referees who are going to officiate on their behalf.

*****************************************************
TOGO

International Tournament at Bamako (Mali) -by Carlos Pereira

The national team of Togo have played in a international tornament at Bamako.
They have lost all the games, but the rivals are very strong, especially with the 'Athletes in Action' from the USA.

Results


1st round
Togo-Senegal : 53-75
Guinea-Mali : 56-59
Rest: Athletes in Action

2nd round
Athletes in Action-Togo : 65-53
Mali-Senegal : 54-56
Rest: Guinea

3rd round
Guinea-Athletes in Action 76-68
Togo-Mali 63-83
Rest: Senegal

4th round
Senegal-Athletes in Action 62-73
Togo-Guinea 73-83
Rest: Mali

5th round
Senegal-Guinea 66-58
Mali- Athletes in Action 52-76
Rest : Togo

STANDING
1st USA 8 points
2nd Senegal 7 points
3rd Mali 6 points
4th Guinea 5 points
5th Togo 4 points



*****************************************************
TUNISIA

Nabeul wins also the cup ! -by Kristian Santiago

Stade Nabeulien wins the Tunisian Cup after beating Ezzahra Sport Rades 73-69 in the final.
Even though Rades led through most of the game, Nabeul was able to bounce back and led the first time in the game with 3.40 minutes remaining on the clock by one point (68-67) to extend their lead to four point until the final whistle.

ESR led by as many as nine points at halftime and even widened the gap to 15 (40-25) but Nabeul's Mohamed Hdidane (205-F-86) who was clearly the best player on the court and Nizar Knioua (189-G-83) together with Naim M'Barek (193-G-79) helped SN to get back into the game and cut short the outside game of Mokhtar Ghayaza (204-C-86) and Dge Dge to lead Nabeul to another title.



*****************************************************
TURKEY

Serkan Erdogan joins Turk Telekom -by Eurobasket News
It seems it will be hot summer in Turkey as important signings already started. This time one player left Efes Pilsen and it is Serkan Erdogan (190-G-78, agency: Interperformances). Experienced shooter decided to return home signing two years contract with TBL runner-up Turk Telekom.

Erdogan learned first basketball steps as a kid in TED Ankara College. Later he spent 3 season in Tuborg Izmir after what he joined Tofas Istanbul. For two years in Tofas he became championship winner twice and also won National Cup in 1999. His next move was Ulker Istanbul. In July 2005 he agreed terms with TAU Ceramica. In 2006 they won Spanish 'Copa del Rey' and also participated at the ACB league final and Euroleague semifinals. The brightest moment in his career maybe could be Euroleague quarterfinals 2006 when he destroyed Panathinaikos in Athens. He scored 24 points for 25 minutes leading his team to Final 4 in Prague. With 179 triples Erdogan is on the 13th place on Euroleague all-time charts. He underwent knee surgery last year and because of it he missed big part of the season. He recovered in April when Efes Pilsen took him on loan from TAU. He played 8 games in Euroleague averaging 6.8 ppg and 1.9 rpg. For 20 games in TBL he added 8.7 ppg and 2.2 rpg but his Efes wasn't able to reach the play-off final.

Erdogan was a member of Turkish National Team more than 5 years.

Kinsey for National Team -by Sinan Can
According to news on Turkish media, Fenerbahce player Tarence Kinsey (200-G-84, college: S.Carolina) will get a Turkish passport and play for Turkish NT at European Championship Qualifiers. There had been some rumours that Fenerbahce's Will Solomon might be the one to be get a Turkish passport, but it's been said that Turkish Basketball Federation President Turgay Demirel avoided him because of some off the court issues. Kinsey averaged 10.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals for champions Fenerbahce Ulker.

*****************************************************
U.KINGDOM

Training squad of Team Great Britain announced -by Eurobasket News
The training squad of the Team Great Britain is announced. 26 players will try to earn a place in GB National Team for Eurobasket 2009 qualifications. The selection camp will take a place in London and it is scheduled for August.

Head coach of National Team Chris Finch showed happiness because it will be the strongest GB National Team ever. He counts the most on NBA stars Luol Deng (201-F-85, college: Duke) and Ben Gordon (188-G-83, college: Connecticut). Deng had fantastic pervious season with Chicago Bulls. For 63 games in NBA he averaged 17 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 2.5 apg. It was his third season with Bulls, who picked him on NBA draft 2004. Deng graduated on Duke where he also was one of the best players. Another star of GB National Team, Ben Gordon, is Deng's teammate in Chicago what is another plus for Finch's team as they know each other very well. Gordon had even better digits previous season than Deng. He had 72 appearances in NBA adding 18.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3 apg. Interesting is that Bulls picked these two players at the same year on NBA draft.
Except these two stars of Chicago Bulls, Chris Finch will count on experienced European players Robert Jr. Archibald (211-C/F-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Illinois), Andrew Betts (216-C-77, college: Long Beach St.) and Andrew Sullivan (203-F-80, college: Villanova). All of them posses precious international experience in European competitions. Finch also called couple of young prospects to join NT selection camp.


Team Great Britain training squad

Robert Archibald
Betts Andy
Boateng Eric
Boyd Flinder
Deng Luol
Forbes Germayne
Freeland Joel
George Nick
Hansell Steve
Mensah-Bonsu Pops
Midgley Richard
Reinking Nate
Sullivan Andrew
Williams Yorick
Achara Kieron
Lenzly Mike
Clark Dan
Eaves Ben
Gordon Ben
Guede Paul
Guymon Matt
Hart Jarrett
Leven Steve
Richards Ryan
Robinson Justin
Walker Shane

In Eurobasket 2009 qualification GB will play in group D. Its rivals will be Czech Republic, Israel and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Scotland plays series of friendlies in Durham -by Eurobasket News
The Scottish National team enjoyed a series of friendlies as the part of build-up for the upcoming European championship in Division in C in Edinburgh. Scottish team played three teams. On the opening day of their tour they faced the England Universities' Team. The Students were steered by Martin Ford and challenged the Scots and led throughout three quarters. England Universities entered the final frame up by 8 points 59:51. But Keith Bunyan (189-G-77) exploded with 4 treys in the final term to propel Scotland to a narrow yet impressive 83:74 victory at the end. Bunyan topscored for Scotland with 27 points. Gareth Murray (199-F-84, college: Kalamazoo Valley CC) dropped 17 points for the winners. Pape Demba Kasse answered with 14 points for England Universities.
Next day Scotland faced the hosting Durham Wildcats that play in the England Basketball National League third division. Scots widely used their reserves in the encounter and the Wildcats capitalized going up 56:53 at the end of three quarters. The starters appear on court in the final period for Scotland but Durham never allowed Scots to deny the deficit. Moreover the hosts finalized an 80:70 victory. James Nicholson (183-G) provided 27 points to pace the home side. Paul Elderkin (-87) notched 12 points for the winners. Ronald Gordon (207-C-81, college: Findlay (OH)) responded with 12 points for Scotland. Andrew Steven had 10 points in defeat.
Later in the week the action moved to Spennymoor where Scotland took on England Universities once again. Scots were in control as they outgunned their opponents 27:11 in the opening frame. But the Students looked confident and closed the gap to even the game at 48 with a quarter to go. The teams traded baskets in the fourth period but England Universities team proved a bit luckier in the dying seconds to snatch a narrow victory. Matt Morley led the charge with 17 points for the Students. Tayo Ogedengbe nailed 13 points in a win. Nick Collins replied with 20 points for Scotland.
Finally England Universities defeated the Durham Wildcats on the final day of friendly tourney. Daniel McSweeney scored 12 points and the Students celebrated a 73:69 victory at the end.

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

Kudrautsau, Thompson, Annenkov, Poltorarskyi and Sokur changed their teams -by Alexander Muzyka
- Politekhnika-Halychyna officialy announced about Alexander Kudrautsau's (190-G-80) inking.

- Israeli mass-media talks Brian Tolbert (188-G-74) from Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan can join BC Odesa, basket.com.ua has found.

- Azovmash and ex-ALBA forward Dijon Thompson (201-G/F-83) will defend 'lions' colours. Basketnews.lt set Azovmash is interested in Mindaugas Lukauskis (198-G-79).

- Yevhen Annenkov (187-G-77) changed Politekhnika-Halychyna to Cherkasy Monkeys. So did Oleksei Poltoratskyi (208-F-74) from BC Odesa and Stanislav Sokur (205-C-82).

- Rumours say Vadym Matiukevych (208-C-80) has left Dnipro already.

- Ukrainian NT has got a victory over Italy-2 77:59 at the Memorial Vicenzi tournament in Verona. Yesterday Ukrainians played vs Reebok EuroCamp selection and lost 70:74 (20:16, 22:12, 23:26, 5:20) (Agafonov 16, Zubrytskyi 10)

Market news and rumours -by Alexander Muzyka
- BC Donetsk has inked Martynas Andriukaitis (204-F-81), Segodnia newspaper said. Basket.com.ua plused Anatoli Dubniuk (202-F-76) to Donetsk, too. Rumours join Rodney Buford (196-G-77) there.

- Jovan Koprivica (198-G/F-82) joined Politekhnika-Halychyna this Saturday

- Justin Love (188-G-78) from BK Ventspils became BC Odesa player.

- Khimik saved Sasa Bratic (202-F/G-81), Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80), Wykeen Kelly (186-G-79), Andri Korochkin (194-G-82), Andri Ahafonov (207-F-86), Oleksandr Kolchenko (200-F/G-88) and inked Edgaras Zhelenis (210-89) from SC Adzhalyk. Aleksandar Djuric (210-F/C-82) has left Khimik.

- Ukrainian NT lost another game to Czech Republic 75:82. I think it's normal result 'cause NT hasn't a lot of key players - Oleksi Pecherov (212-C-85) and Kyrylo Fesenko (213-C-86) still are in NBA camps, Artur Drozdov (198-G-80) and Serhi Lischuk (210-C/F-82) are injured. Young Viacheslav Kravtsov (210-C-87), Maksym Kornienko (201-F/C-87), Maksym Vilkhovetskyi (190-G-88) and Oleksandr Kolchenko are showing theirselves in Treviso Reebok EuroCamp.

- Rumours say Sasa Obradovic will rule BC Kyiv. This info was proved by Obradovic's ex-team Koeln 99ers but BC Kyiv keeps silence about this.

*****************************************************
VENEZUELA

Standings - LPB
LPB Standings
 1. Trotamundos 35-6 
 2. Cocodrilos 29-13 
 3. Guaiqueries 25-14 
 4. Gaiteros 25-16 
 5. Marinos 23-18 
 6. Gatos 22-17 
 7. Guaros 16-26 
 8. Dep.Tachira 13-28 
 9. Gigantes 9-33 
 10. Panteras 8-34 


*****************************************************
ZIMBABWE

U/18 Zone VI at City Sports Centre -by Carlos Pereira
U/18 Zone VI at City Sports Centre

11/06/2008 Wednesday
15:00 hrs Zimbabwe vs Angola girls game I
17:00 hrs Zimbabwe vs Mozambique boys game I

12/06/2008 Thursday
15:00 hrs Zimbabwe vs Angola girls game II

13/06/2008 Friday
08:00 hrs Mozambique vs Angola girls game II
17:00 hrs Mozambique vs Zimbabwe boys game II


14/06/2008 Saturday
08:00 hrs Mozambique vs Zimbabwe girls game II



*****************************************************

Women News

*****************************************************
ANGOLA - Women

Olympic Qualifiers: Senegal bow to Latvia -by Olusegun Ikuesan
The hope of Senegal Women national team of featuring at the basketball event of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games suffered a serious setback Monday in group-A opening game against Latvia.

The Senegalese were pummeled in all four quarters by the European who put up a classical basketball display 29-05, 15-10, 28-11 and 22-08 for a cumulative score-line of 94-34 points.

Latvia guard Anete Jekabsone-Zogota led other players with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, Gunta Basko contributed 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assist, Ieva Tare recorded 11 points 4 rebound and 4 assists to her credit while the duo of Ieva Kublina and Zane Teilane-Tamane added 10 points each with Teilane-Tamane pulling 8 rebounds.

Only Senegalese forward Aya Traore recorded double points in her side futile effort scoring only 11 points and 2 rebounds.

In other games decided Monday Czech Republic defeated Argentina by 77-55 points to stay one match clear of an Olympic ticket, host Spain was ruthless against Fiji Island with an emphatic 113-42 points spanking while Cuba kept the hope of the Americas alive with 96-79 points win over Chinese Taipei.

Africa second representative in the Women Olympic Games qualifiers, Angola will file out against Argentina in a group-B game today (Tuesday), just as Senegal tries her luck against Japan in her second and last group-A game.

Other matches on the bill Tuesday includes Cuba will attempt to seal her place for the Beijing Olympic proper when it files out against Belarus while Fiji Island tries her luck against Brazil.Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue)

*****************************************************
ARGENTINA - Women

Czech Republic holds off Argentina in Madrid -by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic - Argentina 77:55

Czech Republic posted their first win at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Madrid yesterday. They edged Argentina in the first round encounter in Pool B. Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) scored 16 points and Czech Republic overcame a slow start to deliver a first class performance in the second half upsetting the Latin American side. Argentina got to a flying start as they outgunned Czechs 25:18 in the first stanza. However the moment did not last too long as the European team struck back in the second period. They thumped Argentina 20:10 to pick up a 38:35 lead at halftime. A woeful shooting accuracy did not allow Argentina to spark any sort of intrigue in the third quarter as Czech Republic easily cleared off to a 16-point distance entering the final frame. Czech team held their opponents to 9 points in the fourth quarter and celebrated an impressive success on the opening night of the competition. Katerina Elhotova (179-G-89) knocked down 15 points for Czech Republic. Jana Vesela (194-F-83) provided 13 points and 9 boards in a win. Erica Sanchez (182-F/C-76) answered with 18 points for Argentina. Marcela Paoletta (170-G-79) had 9 points in defeat. Czech Republic held their opponents to 28% accuracy from the field. Moreover Argentina hit only 56% from charity stripe and were outrebounded 35:40.
Argentina will face Angola in do-or-die encounter later tonight.

Czech Republic: Hana Machova 16, Katerina Elhotova 15, Jana Vesela 13
Argentina: Erica Sanchez 18, Marcela Paoletta 9

*****************************************************
BELARUS - Women

Cuba topples Belarus, advances to quarterfinals -by Eurobasket News
Cuba - Belarus 68:58

Cuban National team grabbed the second straight win at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Madrid. They beat Belarus and advanced to the quarterfinal stage meaning they became just a step away from Beijing. Belarus meanwhile suffered their first loss setting up a must-win encounter against Chinese Taipei tomorrow.
The teams entered the game trading the baskets. Boulet, Yakelin Plutin (186-F-79) and Gelis gave Cuba an 8:2 lead but just to see Belarus cutting it to 9:12 midway through the first frame. Marina Cress capped the opening quarter with 4 straight points and Belarus trailed by one 13:14 at the end. Snytsina and Yelena Leuchanka (196-C-83, college: W.Virginia) scored 4 quick points early in the second frame and Belarus surged ahead 17:16. However Yakelin Plutin nailed a three-pointers several minutes later to retain the advantage for the Latin American team 25:23. Cuba followed it with 5 unanswered points to enjoy a 30:23 lead. Nevertheless Yelena Leuchanka and Troina cut the deficit to 3 points at halftime 28:31. Yakelin Plutin and Yamara Amargo (178-F-85) kept Belarusian side at distance throughout the third stanza and stretched the gap to 15 points after back-to-back trebles from Yamara Amargo. Padabed replied with three freebies and Olga Masilionene (181-F-80, agency: LBM Management) crowned the third frame with a trey as Belarus were down 11 points heading into the final period. Sviatlana Volnaya (187-G/F-79, college: Virginia) and Yelena Leuchanka hit 5 points in a row for Belarus midway through the fourth term to drag the team within 4 points at 53:57. Yakelin Plutin reacted with a free throw and followed it with a bomb from beyond the arc to give some breathing space for Cuban team. Anastasiya Verameyenka (191-C-87) refused to give in as she canned a three-pointer to get the intrigue burning. However Yakelin Plutin and Suchitel Avila (183-F-82) nailed 3 freebies, while Marchanka could not connect twice in a row from downtown and Cuba celebrated victory at the end. Yakelin Plutin topscored with 23 points for Cuba. Yamara Amargo had 12 points, while Suchitel Avila nailed 10 for the winners. Yelena Leuchanka answered with 13 points for Belarus. Olga Masilionene provided 9 points in defeat.

Cuba: Yakelin Plutin 23, Yamara Amargo 12, Suchitel Avila 10
Belarus: Yelena Leuchanka 13, Olga Masilionene 9

*****************************************************
BURKINA FASO - Women

Update championship results, the Amazons of ASFA-Y lead the competition -by Michel Pacere

Saturday Mai 24, 2008
AS-Sonabel # ASTY
Score: 32-06
Best scorer Yolande O. (AS-Sonabel), 17 points

Sunday Mai, 2008
ASFA-Y # AS-Sonabhy
Everybody was waiting for this match to know who is who... after the changes in all the teams, the public wanted to know who is the new favourite of the championship. Another change in the female competition is that coach Michel PACERE went to the amazons of ASFA-Y. The petroliers of coach BALDE started faster with Marietou KOULIBALY, Diane PODA, Sonia BASSOLET, Alice KONE and A. KIENTEGA. The starting five of the amazons was: Mariam TRAORE, Adeline KONDE, Danya SOMDA, Samira OUEDRAOGO and Joceline NYANKENE.
The first and the second quarter were dominated by the petroliers as they took advance, sometimes, with 14 points. Diane PODA, Inoue KUNIKO and their teammates did the show. At the halftime the score was: 14-25 for the petroliers.
In the third and fourth quarter, substitution after substitution, Coach Michel found the best combination to reduce the score. The man to man defence changed and became a zone defence. Slowly, they reduce the score. At the end of the third quarter there was only 2 points between the two teams. In the fourth quarter, the amazons played faster and defend hard; Mariam TRAORE, Danya SOMDA and Honorine NOUDOFININ found the way to score. They won by 43-39.
Best scorer: Mariam TRAORE (ASFA-Y): 24 points

Saturday Mai 31, 2008
Asfa-Y # AS-Sonabel
Score: 37-27 for the amazons of ASFA-Y
Best scorer: Yolande OUEDRAOGO (AS-Sonabel): 13 points

Sunday Juin 1st, 2008
AS-Sonabhy # ASTY
For this match, the petroliers did not play. The players of ASTY were late! AS-Sonabhy won without playing.
Score 20-00;

Saturday Juin 07, 2008
AS-Sonabel # AS-Sonabhy
A little match between the third and the second team of the championship.
Score: 15-26 for AS-Sonabhy;
Best scorer:

Sunday Juin O8, 2008
ASTY # ASFA-Y
The first team of the capital did not work hard to win the match! Face to the little team of ASTY, the amazons did many substitutions as they want to give time of play to the young players of the team. Nothing to say, just a training match for ASFA-Y.
Score 76-06 for ASFA-Y, best scorer: Jocelyne NYANKENE (ASFA-Y): 14 points

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CUBA - Women

Cuba topples Belarus, advances to quarterfinals -by Eurobasket News
Cuba - Belarus 68:58

Cuban National team grabbed the second straight win at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Madrid. They beat Belarus and advanced to the quarterfinal stage meaning they became just a step away from Beijing. Belarus meanwhile suffered their first loss setting up a must-win encounter against Chinese Taipei tomorrow.
The teams entered the game trading the baskets. Boulet, Yakelin Plutin (186-F-79) and Gelis gave Cuba an 8:2 lead but just to see Belarus cutting it to 9:12 midway through the first frame. Marina Cress capped the opening quarter with 4 straight points and Belarus trailed by one 13:14 at the end. Snytsina and Yelena Leuchanka (196-C-83, college: W.Virginia) scored 4 quick points early in the second frame and Belarus surged ahead 17:16. However Yakelin Plutin nailed a three-pointers several minutes later to retain the advantage for the Latin American team 25:23. Cuba followed it with 5 unanswered points to enjoy a 30:23 lead. Nevertheless Yelena Leuchanka and Troina cut the deficit to 3 points at halftime 28:31. Yakelin Plutin and Yamara Amargo (178-F-85) kept Belarusian side at distance throughout the third stanza and stretched the gap to 15 points after back-to-back trebles from Yamara Amargo. Padabed replied with three freebies and Olga Masilionene (181-F-80, agency: LBM Management) crowned the third frame with a trey as Belarus were down 11 points heading into the final period. Sviatlana Volnaya (187-G/F-79, college: Virginia) and Yelena Leuchanka hit 5 points in a row for Belarus midway through the fourth term to drag the team within 4 points at 53:57. Yakelin Plutin reacted with a free throw and followed it with a bomb from beyond the arc to give some breathing space for Cuban team. Anastasiya Verameyenka (191-C-87) refused to give in as she canned a three-pointer to get the intrigue burning. However Yakelin Plutin and Suchitel Avila (183-F-82) nailed 3 freebies, while Marchanka could not connect twice in a row from downtown and Cuba celebrated victory at the end. Yakelin Plutin topscored with 23 points for Cuba. Yamara Amargo had 12 points, while Suchitel Avila nailed 10 for the winners. Yelena Leuchanka answered with 13 points for Belarus. Olga Masilionene provided 9 points in defeat.

Cuba: Yakelin Plutin 23, Yamara Amargo 12, Suchitel Avila 10
Belarus: Yelena Leuchanka 13, Olga Masilionene 9

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CZECH REPUBLIC - Women

Czech Republic holds off Argentina in Madrid -by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic - Argentina 77:55

Czech Republic posted their first win at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Madrid yesterday. They edged Argentina in the first round encounter in Pool B. Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) scored 16 points and Czech Republic overcame a slow start to deliver a first class performance in the second half upsetting the Latin American side. Argentina got to a flying start as they outgunned Czechs 25:18 in the first stanza. However the moment did not last too long as the European team struck back in the second period. They thumped Argentina 20:10 to pick up a 38:35 lead at halftime. A woeful shooting accuracy did not allow Argentina to spark any sort of intrigue in the third quarter as Czech Republic easily cleared off to a 16-point distance entering the final frame. Czech team held their opponents to 9 points in the fourth quarter and celebrated an impressive success on the opening night of the competition. Katerina Elhotova (179-G-89) knocked down 15 points for Czech Republic. Jana Vesela (194-F-83) provided 13 points and 9 boards in a win. Erica Sanchez (182-F/C-76) answered with 18 points for Argentina. Marcela Paoletta (170-G-79) had 9 points in defeat. Czech Republic held their opponents to 28% accuracy from the field. Moreover Argentina hit only 56% from charity stripe and were outrebounded 35:40.
Argentina will face Angola in do-or-die encounter later tonight.

Czech Republic: Hana Machova 16, Katerina Elhotova 15, Jana Vesela 13
Argentina: Erica Sanchez 18, Marcela Paoletta 9

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GERMANY - Women

German U20-NT to play six international games -by Moritz Korff
Julia Gajewski, Head Coach of the German U20-National Team, selected the following players for six international games that will take place in June. Germany will meet Hungary (3 games) and will then travel to France to take on the U20-teams of France, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

Ireti Amojo (173-G-90) - Berlin Baskets
Wiebke Bruns (176-F-90) - evo NB Oberhausen
Nora Bueschemann - evo NB Oberhausen
Nicole Dietz (183-F-88) - SV Halle
Jacqueline Fatsawo (179-F-88) - TV Langen
Franziska Hoere (171-G-88) - USC Freiburg
Tina Menz (175-G-88) - TuS Jena
Sabrina Moeller (174-F-88) - USC Freiburg
Hanna Muegge (173-G) - Hopkins High School, USA
Maria Neufurth (176-F-88) - ASC Theresianum Mainz
Nadja Proetzig (178-F-89) - SV Halle
Anna-Lisa Rexroth (173-G-90) - TV Hofheim
Tanja Schaeffner (163-G-88) - TuS Jena
Julia Trogele (188-G/F-89) - Penn State, USA
Mirijam Unger (190-C/F-88) - TSV Noerdlingen

Reserve players:
Charlotte Hoere (175-F-88) - USC Freiburg
Hannah Eitel (174-F-89) - BSG Ludwigsburg
Sibylle Wessels (183-F-88) - BC Wolfenbuettel

Head Coach: Julia Gajewski
Assistant Coach: Torsten Rothaemel

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JAPAN - Women

Japan survives over Senegal -by Eurobasket News
Senegal-Japan 69:71 (19-22, 8-17, 20-20, 22-12)

Japan survived a battle against Senegal in Day 2 o FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women. Asian team opened and sealed a place in the quarter-finals in the process after 71:69. Senegal tried hard in the end, but 22;12 in the last period was not enough for them. Koiso led the winners with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Yuko Oga (170-G-82) and Masanobu Yano (180-G-78) supported her with 13 points each in a win. Bineta Diouf (186-C/F-79) collected 20 points and 11 rebounds. Fatou Dieng (166-G-85) ended up with 18, while Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue) nailed 17.

Group A saw a battle of two teams from different continents with different styles of the game. The Latvians beat Senegal by 60 points on the opening day, so just a victory was enough for Asians. Japan opened the campaign with 22:19 in the opening tip and looked better than the opponent. Another 17:8 lifted them up to 12 points at the halftime. Senegal hit back and at first produced 20:20 in the third period. The last quarter saw a real battle as African team leveled the scores four times, the last at 69:69. Japan scored two points and had 71:69 in the end. Senegal had a chance to tie but Fatou Dieng's jumper from bounced off the rim.

Senegal: Bineta Diouf 20+11 rebs, Fatou Dieng 18, Aya Traore 17
Japan: Koiso 18+10 rebs, Yuko Oga 13, Masanobu Yano 13

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LATVIA - Women

Latvia cruises past Senegal in Madrid -by Eurobasket News
Latvia - Senegal 94:34

Latvia got to a victorious start of their Olympic Qualifying tournament campaign in Madrid. They stunned Senegalese team to go on top in Group A. Bineta Diouf (186-C/F-79) opened the game with a three-pointer but it was the only bright spot for the African side in the game. Latvia answered with 27 straight points to grab a 29:5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Senegal evened the tempo in the second period as they limited Latvia to just 15 points. But the margin was still stretched to 29 points at halftime. Latvia continued to dominate after the break as they outgunned Senegal 28:11 in the third period to accumulate an insurmountable 46-point lead after three quarters of action. The Baltic side then breezed to their initial win at the tournament. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota (176-F-83) led all scorers with 19 points. Gunta Basko (181-F-80, college: Siena) provided 17 points, while Ieva Tare (185-F-74) had 11 for the winners. Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue) was the only Senegalese player to score in double figures as she nailed 11 points in a loss. The next was Bineta Diouf with just 5 points in defeat. Diodio Diouf (170-G-84) fell on the floor in the fourth term and was taken off court for possible injury examinations. Latvia outrebounded their opponents 36:20. They shot 50% from the field, while limiting Senegal to only 20%. The African team also committed deadly 28 turnovers down the stretch. Senegal will try to rebound after a sour loss against Japan later tonight.

Latvia: Anete Jekabsone-Zogota 19, Gunta Basko 17, Ieva Tare 11
Senegal: Aya Traore 11, Bineta Diouf 5

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OLYMPIC GAMES - Women

Day 2. First games -by Eurobasket News

Senegal-Japan 69:71 (19-22, 8-17, 20-20, 22-12)

Japan survived a battle against Senegal in Day 2 o FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women. Asian team opened and sealed a place in the quarter-finals in the process after 71:69. Senegal tried hard in the end, but 22:12 in the last period was not enough for them. Koiso led the winners with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Yuko Oga (170-G-82) and Masanobu Yano (180-G-78) supported her with 13 points each in a win. Bineta Diouf (186-C/F-79) collected 20 points and 11 rebounds. Fatou Dieng (166-G-85) ended up with 18, while Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue) nailed 17.

Group A saw a battle of two teams from different continents with different styles of the game. The Latvians beat Senegal by 60 points on the opening day, so just a victory was enough for Asians. Japan opened the campaign with 22:19 in the opening tip and looked better than the opponent. Another 17:8 lifted them up to 12 points at the halftime. Senegal hit back and at first produced 20:20 in the third period. The last quarter saw a real battle as African team leveled the scores four times, the last at 69:69. Japan scored two points and had 71:69 in the end. Senegal had a chance to tie but Fatou Dieng's jumper from bounced off the rim.

Senegal: Bineta Diouf 20+11 rebs, Fatou Dieng 18, Aya Traore 17
Japan: Koiso 18+10 rebs, Yuko Oga 13, Masanobu Yano 13



Cuba - Belarus 68:58

Cuban National team grabbed the second straight win at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Madrid. They beat Belarus and advanced to the quarterfinal stage meaning they became just a step away from Beijing. Belarus meanwhile suffered their first loss setting up a must-win encounter against Chinese Taipei tomorrow.
The teams entered the game trading the baskets. Boulet, Yakelin Plutin (186-F-79) and Gelis gave Cuba an 8:2 lead but just to see Belarus cutting it to 9:12 midway through the first frame. Marina Cress capped the opening quarter with 4 straight points and Belarus trailed by one 13:14 at the end. Snytsina and Yelena Leuchanka (196-C-83, college: W.Virginia) scored 4 quick points early in the second frame and Belarus surged ahead 17:16. However Yakelin Plutin nailed a three-pointers several minutes later to retain the advantage for the Latin American team 25:23. Cuba followed it with 5 unanswered points to enjoy a 30:23 lead. Nevertheless Yelena Leuchanka and Troina cut the deficit to 3 points at halftime 28:31. Yakelin Plutin and Yamara Amargo (178-F-85) kept Belarusian side at distance throughout the third stanza and stretched the gap to 15 points after back-to-back trebles from Yamara Amargo. Padabed replied with three freebies and Olga Masilionene (181-F-80, agency: LBM Management) crowned the third frame with a trey as Belarus were down 11 points heading into the final period. Sviatlana Volnaya (187-G/F-79, college: Virginia) and Yelena Leuchanka hit 5 points in a row for Belarus midway through the fourth term to drag the team within 4 points at 53:57. Yakelin Plutin reacted with a free throw and followed it with a bomb from beyond the arc to give some breathing space for Cuban team. Anastasiya Verameyenka (191-C-87) refused to give in as she canned a three-pointer to get the intrigue burning. However Yakelin Plutin and Suchitel Avila (183-F-82) nailed 3 freebies, while Marchanka could not connect twice in a row from downtown and Cuba celebrated victory at the end. Yakelin Plutin topscored with 23 points for Cuba. Yamara Amargo had 12 points, while Suchitel Avila nailed 10 for the winners. Yelena Leuchanka answered with 13 points for Belarus. Olga Masilionene provided 9 points in defeat.

Cuba: Yakelin Plutin 23, Yamara Amargo 12, Suchitel Avila 10
Belarus: Yelena Leuchanka 13, Olga Masilionene 9


Olympic Qualifying tournament. Day 1 -by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic - Argentina 77:55
Czech Republic posted their first win at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Madrid yesterday. They edged Argentina in the first round encounter in Pool B. Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) scored 16 points and Czech Republic overcame a slow start to deliver a first class performance in the second half upsetting the Latin American side. Argentina got to a flying start as they outgunned Czechs 25:18 in the first stanza. However the moment did not last too long as the European team struck back in the second period. They thumped Argentina 20:10 to pick up a 38:35 lead at halftime. A woeful shooting accuracy did not allow Argentina to spark any sort of intrigue in the third quarter as Czech Republic easily cleared off to a 16-point distance entering the final frame. Czech team held their opponents to 9 points in the fourth quarter and celebrated an impressive success on the opening night of the competition. Katerina Elhotova (179-G-89) knocked down 15 points for Czech Republic. Jana Vesela (194-F-83) provided 13 points and 9 boards in a win. Erica Sanchez (182-F/C-76) answered with 18 points for Argentina. Marcela Paoletta (170-G-79) had 9 points in defeat. Czech Republic held their opponents to 28% accuracy from the field. Moreover Argentina hit only 56% from charity stripe and were outrebounded 35:40.
Argentina will face Angola in do-or-die encounter later tonight.

Czech Republic: Hana Machova 16, Katerina Elhotova 15, Jana Vesela 13
Argentina: Erica Sanchez 18, Marcela Paoletta 9


Latvia - Senegal 94:34
Latvia got to a victorious start of their Olympic Qualifying tournament campaign in Madrid. They stunned Senegalese team to go on top in Group A. Bineta Diouf (186-C/F-79) opened the game with a three-pointer but it was the only bright spot for the African side in the game. Latvia answered with 27 straight points to grab a 29:5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Senegal evened the tempo in the second period as they limited Latvia to just 15 points. But the margin was still stretched to 29 points at halftime. Latvia continued to dominate after the break as they outgunned Senegal 28:11 in the third period to accumulate an insurmountable 46-point lead after three quarters of action. The Baltic side then breezed to their initial win at the tournament. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota (176-F-83) led all scorers with 19 points. Gunta Basko (181-F-80, college: Siena) provided 17 points, while Ieva Tare (185-F-74) had 11 for the winners. Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue) was the only Senegalese player to score in double figures as she nailed 11 points in a loss. The next was Bineta Diouf with just 5 points in defeat. Diodio Diouf (170-G-84) fell on the floor in the fourth term and was taken off court for possible injury examinations. Latvia outrebounded their opponents 36:20. They shot 50% from the field, while limiting Senegal to only 20%. The African team also committed deadly 28 turnovers down the stretch. Senegal will try to rebound after a sour loss against Japan later tonight.

Latvia: Anete Jekabsone-Zogota 19, Gunta Basko 17, Ieva Tare 11
Senegal: Aya Traore 11, Bineta Diouf 5


Spain - Fiji 113:42
Spanish National team opened their Olympic Qualifying campaign with a cruising win over Fiji. The teams got into Pool C together with the world's 4th rank Brazil. Two best teams from the Pool advance to the quarterfinal stage and the winners of the quarterfinals go to Beijing. The event took place in Madrid and the home crowd supported Spain well. Fiji however managed to surprise their opponents as Valerie Nainima (165-G-86) nailed a trey to give the Oceania side a 3:0 lead early in the game. Spain reacted with a 19:0 run fueled by 11 points from Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76). Fiji finally got their seconds basket as Valerie Nainima nailed a jumper but Spanish side was merciless. Amaya Valdemoro completed her first period 17-point tally and the hosts led by 33:9 after the starting frame. Valerie Nainima remained the only scorer for Fiji in the second period as she dropped 3 points, while Spain accumulated a massive 60:12 lead at halftime.
Spanish side loosened their defensive grip in the third frame allowing Valerie Nainima to get things going a bit smoother for Fiji. A 22-year-old guard of Long Island University accounted for 6 points in the third stanza but the visitors entered the final frame trailing by as many as 65 points. Robanakadavu and Valerie Nainima scored 5 straight points for Fiji early in the fourth term to sweeten the pill. However Cindy Lima (192-C-81) and Amaya Valdemoro kept on cruising past Fiji defense piling up impressive stat digits. Spain breezed to a stunning victory at the end getting their campaign started in style. Amaya Valdemoro led all scorers with 24 points. Cindy Lima provided 17 points, while Alba Torrens had 16 for the winners. Valerie Nainima came up with 23 points for Fiji. Letava Whippy was the next scorer with just 7 points in defeat. Spain forced Fiji to massive 35 turnovers and outrebounded their opponents 50:24. Fiji will face Brazil tomorrow.

Spain: Amaya Valdemoro 24, Cindy Lima 17, Alba Torrens 16
Fiji: Valerie Nainima 23, Letava Whippy 7


Cuba-Chinese Taipei 96:79
Cuba wins the opener in FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women defeating Chinese Taipei 96:79 in Group D. It was a tough game for both teams, but due to 32:24 Latin American team grabbed the win. Alberto Zabala's team led 52:51 midway through the third quarter but finally woke up and beat the opponents from the Far East. Suchitel Avila (183-F-82) top-scored for the winners with 20, points. Yakelin Plutin (186-F-79) collected 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Clenia Noblet scored 14. Chien Wei Chuan (171-G-71) finished the night with 18 points and 6 assists. Chiang Feng Chun (184-F-81) erupted with 16 and Cheng Hui Yun netted 13.
Group D drew together Cuba, Belarus and Chinese Taipei. Cuba finished second at the last season's FIBA Americas Championship edition, while Belarus claimed the Bronze Medals at the Eurobasket. From the very beginning Chinese Taipei disagreed with it and produced 21:19 in the opening quarter. The team remained close to the opponent but a rush in the end of the second led Cubans to 24:18 in the period. The team from Latin America enjoyed 43:39 as the teams disappeared in the lockers.
The third quarter saw the teams step to step at 52:51. Right after that Cuba suggested their game and ended up the quarter at 21:16. It gave them 9 points advantage to enter the last period. With a massive 32:24 Cuba led the game to 96:79 and the first win in FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women.
Cuba will take on Belarus on Tuesday and Chinese Taipei will face the same opponents on Wednesday.

Cuba: Suchitel Avila 20, Yakelin Plutin 19+13 rebs, Clenia Noblet 14
Chinese Taipei: Chien Wei Chuan 18+6 ast, Chiang Feng Chun 16, Cheng Hui Yun 13

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POLAND - Women

Poland U18 Team started their preperations -by Maciej Schwarz
Polish Women Junior team started their preperations last week with a camp in Walcz, Poland. Head coach, Roman Skrzecz called 16 junior girls for a camp:
Aleksandra Dziwinska (170-G-91),
Olivia Olivia Tomialowicz (178-G-90) (178-G-90)
Magda Kaczmarska (183-F-90),
Paulina Antczak (180-F-90),
Ewelina Gala (185-F-90),
Barbara Skowronek (189-F/C-90),
Agnieszka Agnieszka Sniezek (175-G-91) (175-G-91).,
Roze Ratajczak (178-G-91),
Klaudia Sosnowska (184-F-90),
Natalia Pacula (185-F-90).
Marta Oledzka (196-C-91),
Iwona Szarzynska (171-G-91)
Agnieszka Modelska (181-F-90)
Monika Lelek (184-F/C-90)
Anna Soszynska (187-F/C-90)
Agata Bogusz (193-C-90)


7-day hard work programme is now to be checked with the friendly games against Slovakia U18. Three games were schedulded and after 2 games, the series is tied 1-1. First game was won by the Poland Team 65-78, with the best scorers: Magda Kaczmarska 23, and Ewelina Gala 12 of Poland and Maria Felixova (191-C-90) 14, Barbora Novocka (165-G-90) 12 of Slovakia. In second game Slovakia won 68-70, and the best preformers were: (Pol) Olivia Tomialowicz 21, Agnieszka Sniezek 10 and (Slovakia) Klaudia Lukacovicova (192-C-90) 19, Maria Felixova 17. 3rd game is to be played on wenesday June 11th.

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SENEGAL - Women

Japan survives over Senegal -by Eurobasket News
Senegal-Japan 69:71 (19-22, 8-17, 20-20, 22-12)

Japan survived a battle against Senegal in Day 2 o FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women. Asian team opened and sealed a place in the quarter-finals in the process after 71:69. Senegal tried hard in the end, but 22;12 in the last period was not enough for them. Koiso led the winners with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Yuko Oga (170-G-82) and Masanobu Yano (180-G-78) supported her with 13 points each in a win. Bineta Diouf (186-C/F-79) collected 20 points and 11 rebounds. Fatou Dieng (166-G-85) ended up with 18, while Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue) nailed 17.

Group A saw a battle of two teams from different continents with different styles of the game. The Latvians beat Senegal by 60 points on the opening day, so just a victory was enough for Asians. Japan opened the campaign with 22:19 in the opening tip and looked better than the opponent. Another 17:8 lifted them up to 12 points at the halftime. Senegal hit back and at first produced 20:20 in the third period. The last quarter saw a real battle as African team leveled the scores four times, the last at 69:69. Japan scored two points and had 71:69 in the end. Senegal had a chance to tie but Fatou Dieng's jumper from bounced off the rim.

Senegal: Bineta Diouf 20+11 rebs, Fatou Dieng 18, Aya Traore 17
Japan: Koiso 18+10 rebs, Yuko Oga 13, Masanobu Yano 13

Olympic Qualifiers: Senegal bow to Latvia -by Olusegun Ikuesan
The hope of Senegal Women national team of featuring at the basketball event of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games suffered a serious setback Monday in group-A opening game against Latvia.

The Senegalese were pummeled in all four quarters by the European who put up a classical basketball display 29-05, 15-10, 28-11 and 22-08 for a cumulative score-line of 94-34 points.

Latvia guard Anete Jekabsone-Zogota led other players with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, Gunta Basko contributed 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assist, Ieva Tare recorded 11 points 4 rebound and 4 assists to her credit while the duo of Ieva Kublina and Zane Teilane-Tamane added 10 points each with Teilane-Tamane pulling 8 rebounds.

Only Senegalese forward Aya Traore recorded double points in her side futile effort scoring only 11 points and 2 rebounds.

In other games decided Monday Czech Republic defeated Argentina by 77-55 points to stay one match clear of an Olympic ticket, host Spain was ruthless against Fiji Island with an emphatic 113-42 points spanking while Cuba kept the hope of the Americas alive with 96-79 points win over Chinese Taipei.

Africa second representative in the Women Olympic Games qualifiers, Angola will file out against Argentina in a group-B game today (Tuesday), just as Senegal tries her luck against Japan in her second and last group-A game.

Other matches on the bill Tuesday includes Cuba will attempt to seal her place for the Beijing Olympic proper when it files out against Belarus while Fiji Island tries her luck against Brazil.Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue)

Latvia cruises past Senegal in Madrid -by Eurobasket News
Latvia - Senegal 94:34

Latvia got to a victorious start of their Olympic Qualifying tournament campaign in Madrid. They stunned Senegalese team to go on top in Group A. Bineta Diouf (186-C/F-79) opened the game with a three-pointer but it was the only bright spot for the African side in the game. Latvia answered with 27 straight points to grab a 29:5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Senegal evened the tempo in the second period as they limited Latvia to just 15 points. But the margin was still stretched to 29 points at halftime. Latvia continued to dominate after the break as they outgunned Senegal 28:11 in the third period to accumulate an insurmountable 46-point lead after three quarters of action. The Baltic side then breezed to their initial win at the tournament. Anete Jekabsone-Zogota (176-F-83) led all scorers with 19 points. Gunta Basko (181-F-80, college: Siena) provided 17 points, while Ieva Tare (185-F-74) had 11 for the winners. Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue) was the only Senegalese player to score in double figures as she nailed 11 points in a loss. The next was Bineta Diouf with just 5 points in defeat. Diodio Diouf (170-G-84) fell on the floor in the fourth term and was taken off court for possible injury examinations. Latvia outrebounded their opponents 36:20. They shot 50% from the field, while limiting Senegal to only 20%. The African team also committed deadly 28 turnovers down the stretch. Senegal will try to rebound after a sour loss against Japan later tonight.

Latvia: Anete Jekabsone-Zogota 19, Gunta Basko 17, Ieva Tare 11
Senegal: Aya Traore 11, Bineta Diouf 5

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SERBIA - Women

Hemofarm STADA grabs the first win in the final -by Dragan Jankovski
Hemofarm STADA smashed Crvena Zvezda in first game of the play-off final 81-58. At the front of their fans Hemofarm registered an extremely easy win. From the beginning it was clear that players of head coach Marina Maljkovic had only one thing in their mind - to win. They started the game very aggressively which resulted with just 11 points by Crvena Zvezda in this period. Hemofarm finished it 21-11. In the second frame visitors show a bit better performance but still it wasn't enough against strong Hemofarm, who extended lead to 11 points until the half time. Later, Crvena Zvezda scored most of its points from the free throw line struggling a lot with Hemofarm's defense. The orange team looked very confident so in 25th minute they made plus 17. After 7-0 run at the opening of the last period it was plus 22 and practically the end of this game.
Dajana Butulija (175-G-86) paced the winners adding 18 points and 3 rebounds. Biljana Stankovic (176-G-74) and Tamara Radocaj (168-G-87) scored 17 points each for the winning team. Crvena Zvezda got 14 points and 6 rebounds from Jelena Velinovic (193-C-81). Tijana Zupancic (181-G-84) was the last player with double digits in Zvezda.

After the game head coach of Crvena Zvezda, Dragomir Bukvic said that his team have to forget this game very quickly and to focus on the next one. He also said his team needs to play much tougher in order to compete for the title.


Hemofarm STADA - Crvena Zvezda 81-58 (1-0)
(21-11,16-15,28-17,16-15)

Hemofarm: Butulija 18 (3 rebs), Stankovic 17 (5 as, 3 rebs), Radocaj 17 (3 rebs), Kovacevic 13
Crvena Zvezda: Velinovic 14 (6 rebs), Zupancic 10, Bogicevic 9 (4 rebs)

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U.KINGDOM - Women

Training squad of Team Great Britain announced -by Eurobasket News
Head coach of GB National Team, Mark Clark, announced which players will participate on training camp at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff next month. Clark is pleased with the quality of the players which will show up in Cardiff.

The top players of GB NT for sure will be Megan Moody (188-G/F-83, college: Tulsa), Rosalee Mason (180-F/G-79, college: Manhattan) and Lisa Hutchinson (173-G-83). Moody played last season in Spanish LFB team Cadi la Seu D'urgell. In 2006 she reached quarterfinals of WNBA with Houston Comets. For 32 games in WNBA she had 13 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.2 apg. Mason started previous season in Israeli team Hapoel Tel-Aviv while later she joined Sierre Basket. With Sierre she won Swiss National Cup. Hutcinson spent last 7 year with Sheffield Hatters. They captured two titles while for the last two years Sheffieled was a regular season champion. Clark is also excited to have Julie Page and Jo Leedham in his squad.

GB NT will participate on Eurobasket 2009 qualification. It is placed into group A together with Germany, Ukraine, Lithuania and Israel. In the first game GB will meet Ukraine on the road while in the second round they will wait Lithuania. Their next rival will be Germany.


Training squad of Team Great Britain

Jones Georgia
Hutchinson Lisa
Handy Chantelle
Collins Stephanie
Kaznica Sally
Leedham Johannah
Butters Kate
Mason Rosalee
Butler Kim
Moody Megan
Hoffman Meagan
Page Julie
Yea Harriet
Claydon Joanna
Luckhurst Nikki
McKay Sarah