EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 7/23/2008

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Men News

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  ABA   


More tryout dates as team are looking for players and Georgia Gwizzlies signed Stanley Ndefo - by Bruno Baltazar
The West Texas Whirlwinds have announced that their first tryout camp will be held July 26-27 at Permain High School in Midland, Texas with a second camp shortly thereafter.
According to Cleveland Phelps, owner of the West Texas Whirlwinds, 'This will be an unusual tryout camp. Each player will participate in three games as well as slam dunk and three point shooting contest with cash prizes. We will get a chance to see the players in action as the tryout will be in front of team sponsors and Whirlwind fans. We are looking for 30 players to take to veterans camp in September.'
The cost of the tryout will be $100; it is a great opportunity.
For complete details contact Cleveland Phelps at (432) 212-9036, email phelpscleveland@yahoo.com, or visit www.texaswhirlwinds.com.

The new expansion West Virginia Blazers that begin play in December have announced their first Tryout Camp for Sunday, August 10th at 1pm. Registration begins at 12noon and will run until 6pm.
The tryout will be held at Princeton Senior High School, Stafford Drive, Princeton WV 24740. The Blazers home games will be held at the Raleigh County Armory in Beckley WV. A second tryout will be held in the Beckley area later in August.
The tryout fee will be $50, cash or money order only, no checks accepted.
To obtain a registration form, email wvblazers@live.com or call (304) 325-9653.

The Macon-based Georgia Gwizzlies today announced the signing of 24-year old Nigerian born 7'0, 255 lb Stanley Ndefo.
'He has a great attitude on and off the court, is willing to learn the game and will play the power forward position,' stated team owner Embry Malone. 'We hope to hve two more 6'11 or taller players and hope to announce them shortly.'
The Gwizzlies, with an international look, have also signed 5'11 slam-dunking Iranian-American guard Behdad Sami (5'11''-G-86) (5'11''-G-86) and 6'3' sharpshooterChris Watson.Additional positions will be filled during tryout camps.

ABA TO PLAY IN TEXAS CITY, TEXAS THIS SEASON - by Bruno Baltazar
The American Basketball Association announced that the league would begin play in Texas City, Texas starting in December with the addition of the Texas City Rangers.

According to Joe Newman, ABA CEO, 'The Rangers are set to bring a wealth of excitement and opportunities to the Southeast Texas area. The Rangers are owned by two equally ambitious and motivated young entrepreneurs, Markeith R. Borwn and Silvester W. Simple, Jr. Mr. Brown will serve as the CEO/President and Mr. Simple will serve as the Vice-President - and both are great young people with the absolute right vision. We are very pleased.'

Markeith Brown has lived the game of basketball since the age of 5. His love for the game, matched with his God given talent, led him to be an outstanding guard on the 1998 Class 5A Mississippi State Championship Squad at Provine High School in Jackson, Mississippi. In addition, Markeith was a starter at East Central Community College and Division 1 Nicholls State University.

He was the Assistant Varsity and Head Freshman Coach at Central LaFourche High School in Raceland, LA from 2004-2006. In 2006 he was named head basketball coach at Vermillion Catholic High in Abbeville, LA where his team was Bi-District Champions and Regional Finalists. After the season, Markeith was named Vermillion Parish Coach of the Year. During the year, Markeith started MB Ball where he trained Louisiana's finest basketball talent. After moving to Southeast Texas, he continued to train players including several recent Division 1 signees. Moreover, Markeith used his available time to develop Lake Jackson, Texas' first semi-professional basketball team, The Lake Jackson Lakers. After creating the team, recruiting investors, and negotiating with sponsors, the Lakers joined the TPBL, while Brown decided to relegate himself to coaching and occasional playing duties. 'It was then that we decided we were ready to join the ABA, and we couldn't be happier with the decision,' stated Brown. 'We've developed a lot of business and community contacts, we know what it takes to be successful on and off the court, and Silvester and I are definitely up to the challenge.'

'Sylvester Simple Jr is a beast! Ask anyone who has had the task of guarding him in the post and I am sure they would agree,' added Brown. 'Standing at 6/7 and weighing 260 lbs, Simple was a two-time All-Conference Player at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas averaging over 21 points and 11 rebounds a game for two years consecutively. In addition, he was also named NAIA National Player of the Week and was a member NAIA All-America Honorable Mention team.'

Professionally, Simple loaned his services to the Arkansas Archangels (WBA), Mexico Lobos (LNBP) and Lake Jackson Lakers where he averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds. He will be in charge of evaluating talent, front office duties, and staff development...and who knows, he might be needed in the paint.'

For more information, email markeithb@gmail.com, call (979) 236-1573.

Last team news - by Gianni Pascucci
A special arrangement between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Harlem Starz Entertainment Basketball Team has made it possible for the Harlem Starz to bring their unique sports entertainment show to the teams of the ABA. The Starz have been described as the 'Generation X Harlem Globetrotters'. 'We are honored by this invitation,' commented Brian Abeyta, Vice President of the Harlem Starz. 'Providing a memorable night of sports, fun and entertainment throughout the league will be exciting for our organization and the ABA.' The Modesto ABA team, till now called Modesto Sabers, announced a change of ownership: the new owner is Head Coach T.J. Walker (6'1''-G-75, college: Azusa Pacific), who replaces Saber Knott, who was the owner when Modesto was awarded an ABA franchise and held its first tryout June 13 at Modesto Christian High. Knott said he did everything in his power to build the team while juggling the task of handling issues with his father's estate. Knott's dad passed away on the day of the team's first tryout, six months after his mom died. Walker's first order of business was to change the team name from Sabers to Modeato Bearcats.

Many ABA team news such as tryout dates and player movements - by Bruno Baltazar
The Winston-Salem Storm will be hosting a Slam Dunk Contest and All Star Basketball Game free to the public following tryouts at Gateway YMCA on Saturday, July 26th.
Tryouts will be open to the public and begin at 9:30 am. The Slam Dunk Contest and All Star Basketball Game begins at 3pm. The first 50 fans will receive a free ticket to the team's inaugural home game.
Player registration begins at 9 am with $100 registration fee payable by cash or money order. You can obtain the application form or ask questions by emailing info@winstonsalemstorm.com or download it online at www.winstonsalemstorm.com.

The new Phoenix Fury announced today tryout dates for the 2008-2009 team. The tryouts will be hosted Saturday, August 9th and Sunday, August 10th from 10am to 4pm at Greenway High School located at 3930 W. Greenway Road, Phoenix AZ 85053.
On-line pre-registration at www.thephoenixfury.com begins Monday, July 21st and is $75 until August 5. After August 5, registration is $100. Only 200 slots are available for the tryouts, so all interested players are encouraged to register as early as possible. Tryouts are open to basketball players 18 and older. Athletes 18-21 must have a legal guardian sign the registration form, per ABA rules. All interested players should come prepared with:

1. A resume of athletic and basketball experience
2. Head shot or photo (non-returnable)
3. Video of play (if available, also non-returnable)
4. Two forms of identification (to verify age and work eligibility)
5. Appropriate practice attire, ready to play.
The ideal Phoenix Fury player candidate will have varsity high school, junior college, collegiate or professional league basketball experience, as well as a strong commitment to the Phoenix community and professional ambition.
'We are looking for players who have ambitions of being professional on and off the court,' said Robert Newman, Phoenix Fury General Manager. 'The Phoenix Fury will get its character from the diverse backgrounds of players and their strong presence in the community.'
For additional information about the Phoenix Fury tryouts or to pre-register visit, www.thephoenixfury.com or contact Robert Newman via email at robertnewman@thephoenixfury.com.

The Macon-based Georgia Gwizzlies today signed 23 year old Ralph Hishaw (6'7''-F), a 6'7, 220 forward, as the team works to build a team with unusual diversity, having previously signed an Iranian and Nigerian.
'We think Ralph, a Native American player of extraordinary talent,' can do some amazing things - he's almost like a 'point-forward playing the white square on the backboard,' said Embry Malone, team owner. 'We compare him to Jamario Moon, now with the Toronto Raptors, and think the fans will be very excited to see him in action.'

The WV Blazers (operated by Bluefield Housing Authority) and the ESPN Drug Free All Star Basketball Team (operated by Community Connections) have partnered in an effort to pool resources to better serve young people in many southern WV counties.
'Both organizations are in the business of providing drug, alcohol, and crime prevention programs for area youth,' said Greg Puckett, Director of Community Connections and an All Star player. 'We felt since we were both working towards a common goal, a partnership would pull together our resources and provide more opportunities for youth and young men and women in Southern West Virginia,' added Cindy Preast, Executive Director of the Blue Field Housing Authority.
The WV Blazers team, formed just this month, is West Virginia's first professional basketball team in the ABA. The Blazers will play home games at the Raleigh County Armory in Beckley, WV. Net income derived from the Blazers team (through sponsorships, advertising, ticket sales, and donations) will be used to provide programs for low-income youth in Mercer County and surrounding areas. The All Stars are funded by various grants and generous donations from business in the area, and they provide entertaining educational programs for school-aged children to discourage drug, alcohol, and tobacco use. The All Stars have played against high school students, teachers, and other groups to raise awareness and educate youth about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
'We are really pleased that the All Stars are willing to work with us to make our program successful. They are established and do many good things in the community. We are honored to partner with them. We hope we can provide as much support for their programs as they will for the Blazers - we look forward to working with them,' said Preast.
The All Stars and the Blazers hope to kick off a great season in the fall by playing an exhibition basketball game to introduce the community to the new Blazer players and draw community support for programs operated by both agencies.
For information on sponsoring or advertising contact Greg Puckett by email at drugfree@ccifrn.org or call (304) 324-0456 or contact Cindy Preast by email at cindybha@comcast.net or call (304) 325-9653.

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  ARGENTINA   


Spain narrowly defeats Argentina in exhibition game - by Eurobasket News
Spain - Argentina 90:88

Spanish and Argentinean National teams are preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games at the moment. They play a string of friendly games and one of them took place in Madrid yesterday. Spain hosted Argentina in a mouth-watering contest of one of the worlds top squads. Spain managed to prevail in a well-matched competition that saw teams fighting bravely throughout the action. There was good news for Argentina before the game as Emanuel Ginobili (198-G-77, agency: Interperformances) got ready to dress up for the encounter. He spent 20 minutes in the court topscoring for Argentinean team with 18 points. Spain used an 11:4 run in the last 5 minutes of the first period to earn a 23:13 advantage. Spain continued to mount pressure in the second frame and Jorge Garbajosa (205-C/F-77, agency: Interperformances) marked a 15-point lead for Spaniards at halftime 45:30. However Argentina soon adjusted their offense and gradually began cutting the deficit. They outscored the hosts 25:18 in the third period to trail by 8 points heading into the fourth quarter. Emanuel Ginobili shaved the distance to 4 points with under 2 minutes remaining in regulation 83:87. Juan Gutierrez followed it with two freebies to make 85:87 with 41 seconds left. Ricard Rubio (192-G-90) stretched the cushion to 89:86 seconds later however Emanuel Ginobili got fouled while shooting three-pointer and went to the line. He knocked down 2 free throws and Ricard Rubio sealed the winning outcome from the charity stripe. Paolo Quinteros (185-G-79) had a chance to win for Argentina but his triple went off mark. Jose Manuel Calderon (190-G-81) poured in 18 points to pace Spain. Marc Gasol (212-C-85, agency: Interperformances) had 12 points, while Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) and Raul Lopez (182-G-80) delivered 11 points each in a win. Carlos Delfino (199-G-82) provided 15 points for Argentina. Roman Gonzalez (211-C-78, agency: HM Sports Agency) added 13 points and 6 boards in defeat.

Spain: Jose Manuel Calderon 18, Marc Gasol 12, Pau Gasol 11, Raul Lopez 11
Argentina: Emanuel Ginobili 18, Carlos Delfino 15

Transactions update - by Facundo Iatzky
Finally, Estudiantes Bahia Blanca decided to participate in the next season of Liga A and started to complete their roster: they inked Pedro Franco (187-G-81), Gerardo Barrera (201-F-77), Juan Manuel Rivero (192-G-85), Lucas Bianco (198-F-80) and Leonardo La Bella (180-G-86). Marcelo Richotti will be the head coach.
Ben hur rafaela: signed Patricio Rodriguez (193-F-84, agency: Players Group) James Life (194-G-83, college: Massachusetts), Ariel Hillebrand (196-F-89), Antonino Forte (190-G/F-90) and Alexis Abrate (199-F/C-91).
El Nacional: signed Santiago Gonzalez (203-C-83), Quincy Wadley (193-G-78, agency: CAA Sports, college: Temple), Fabian Sahdi (189-G-89) and Alexis Elsener (196-G-88).
Independiente Neuquen: signed Brice Assie (201-F-83, college: W.Connecticut), Juan Levrino (188-G-90) and Pablo Heit (205-F/C-89).
Lanus: signed Carlos Cedeno (193-G/F-85, college: Frank Phillips JC), Sebastian Chaine (201-C-86) and Nicolas Laprovittola (191-G-90).
Obras: signed Angel Caballero (192-G-70, agency: Paris Global Sports), Cristian Cortes (185-G-90) and Franco Rivero (191-G-90).
Ciclista Olimpico: signed Mariano Byro (196-G-82) and Leonel Schattmann (194-G-87) and Ronald Ramon (185-G-86, agency: CAA Sports).
Penarol: signed Alejandro Reinick (203-C-78).
Quimsa: signed Ron Selleaze (197-F-76, college: CSU Bakersfield).
Regatas Corrientes: resigned Alejandro Montecchia (180-G-72, agency: Interperformances).
Sionista: signed Pablo Rizzo (200-F/C-84) and Ramiro Iglesias (186-G-90).


TNA:
Argentino Junin: signed Pablo Espinoza (195-F-87) and Ryan Edwards (196-F-83, college: Missouri Baptist).
Asociacion Espanola: signed Claudio Sollberg (183-G-74), Christian Schoppler (180-G-86), Mauro Rotschy (192-G-77), Martin Pasquinelli (201-F/C-75) and Juan Manuel Ruiz (189-F-77).
Asociacion Italiana: signed Juan Angel Lopez (191-G/F-84), Fernando Small (184-G-77), Fernando Mendez (200-C-71), Hernan Etchepare (178-G-86) and Phillip Lockett (202-F-88).
Ciclista Juninense: signed Hakeem Rollins (202-C/F-83, agency: CAA Sports, college: Washington), Pablo Moya (206-C-83), Julian Aprea (208-C-87) and Nicolas Boeri (193-F-89).
Obera TC: signed Daniel Clavell (188-G-75), Eduardo Gamboa (190-G-84), Roman Memo Rodriguez (192-G-85), Denis Gomez (194-F-88) and Nicolas Martinez (180-G-89)
Gimnasia La Plata: signed Mariano Pizzo (194-G/F-80) and Lisandro Villa (197-C-87)
La Union Formosa: signed Pablo Fernandez (197-G/F-82)

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  AUSTRALIA   


Blaze returns Whitehead, Crocodiles extends Ellis - by Eurobasket News
Gold Coast Blaze announced signing of American Luke Whitehead (199-F-81, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Louisville) on a one-year contract. Whitehead started last season in NBDL team Iowa Energy and later, actually in January, he joined the Blaze for the rest of the NBL season. At that time he supposed to replace injured Juaquin Hawkins. Whitehead is a player with nice international experience. Before NBDL he spent half of the season in German team ALBA Berlin. He sowed pretty good performance for 27 games in domestic championship scoring 7.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 1 apg. At the same time he played 5 games in ULEB Cup adding 7.6 ppg, 6 rpg and 1 spg. Three months after his arrival to Berlin he suffered knee injury and was sidelined for about a month. His team grabbed the trophy in German National Cup and played in the final of 1. Bundesleague. Before ALBA, Whitehead used to play in Korean team Seoul SK Knights and Daegu Orions. He graduated at Louisville four years ago.

Townsville Crocodiles announced signing of Rosell Ellis (199-F-75, agency: SportsTalent, college: Mc Neese St.) on a one-year contract extension. Ellis missed the most of the last season after he suffered a freak injury to his pectoral muscle. He had only 2 appearances last season in NBL recording 28.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 apg and 2.5 spg. He already spent two seasons in Australia as a member of Perth Wildcats and the South Dragons. On season 06/07 he demonstrated wonderful performance with the South Dragons finishing competition as a top rebounder. He played 28 games in NBL averaging 18.3 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.1 bpg. In the past he grabbed two trophies in CBA with Yakima Sun Kings.

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  BULGARIA   


Third Bulgarian club most probably in BIBL - by Valentin Anguelov


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  D-LEAGUE   


Former D-Leaguers at Rocky Mountain Revue Day 3 - by Surujh Roopnarine
Dallas Mavericks (84) vs. San Antonio Spurs (77)
MAVERICKS: Gerald Green (6'8''-G/F-86) (27p+5rb+5to), Aaron Miles (7p+8as), Darryl Watkins (9p+7rb), Courtney Sims (8p)
SPURS: Ian Mahinmi (6'9''-F/C-86) (17p+10rb+5to), Devin Green (7p+6rb), Brian Morrison (6p)

New Jersey Nets (84) vs. Golden State Warriors (108)
NETS: Julius Hodge (6'7''-G-83, college: N.Carolina St.) (20p+10rb), Brian Hamilton (4p+5rb)
WARRIORS: N/A

D-League Ambassadors (70) vs. Atlanta Hawks (74)
AMBASSADORS: Glen McGowan (6'9''-F-81, college: Pepperdine) (17p+5rb), Josh Gross (12p+5rb), Carl Elliott (10p+5as), Cecil Brown (7p+6rb)
HAWKS: Luke Jackson (6'7''-F/G-81, college: Oregon) (13p), Kevinn Pinkney (7p+9rb), Jeremy Richardson (6p)

Iranian National Team (57) vs. Utah Jazz (82)
IRAN: N/A
JAZZ: Hiram Fuller (6'9''-F-81, college: Fresno St.) (11p+8rb), Kevin Lyde (6p+14rb), Morris Almond (10p), Earl Calloway (6p)

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  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   


LIDOBA: Sunday's Results - by Jaime Gomez
Cocolos de San Pedro de Macoris 88, Constituyentes de San Cristobal 87.

For Cocolos de San Pedro de Macoris de San Pedro, Henry Lalane (199-F-78, college: St.Francis,NY) 27 points, Alberto Ozuna (203-F-82) 19 points, Sammy Villegas (198-G-83, agency: Next Level, college: Toledo) 19 points, Malcon Batlle 14 points.

For Constituyentes de San Cristobal de San Cristobal, Franklin Western (200-F-72, college: Providence) 33 points and 12 rebounds, Hansel Salvador (186-G-80) 30 points (6-9 3PT), Jorge Rivea 5 points and 11 boards.

Metros de Santiago 111, Marineros de Puerto Plata 104.

For Metros de Santiago , Alejandro Salas 25 points and 9 rebounds, Osvaldo Lopez (189-G/F-83) 22 points (6-9 3PT), Joel Ramirez (191-G-81) 19 points and 8 assists, Angel Sanchez (196-F-76) 14 points, Antoine Broxie 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.

For Marineros de Puerto Plata de Puerto Plata, Carlos Morban (187-G-82, college: Florida Intern.) 27 points, Jamaal Thomas (202-F-80, college: Angelo St.) 25 points and 9 rebounds, Kelvin Pena (193-G-81, college: Southeastern CC) 23 points and 10 assists, Olivier Gonzalez 16 points.

Caneros de La Romana 85, Panteras del Distrito Nacional 68.

For Caneros de La Romana de La Romana, Marlon Dumond 23 points, Reggie Charles (200-F-81) 20 points, Andy Williams (195-G/F-80, agency: Court Side) 15 points, Justin Austin 12 points and 5 assists, Edward Santana 9 points and 10 boards.

For Panteras del Distrito Nacional de Santo Domingo, Juan Bautista Araujo (206-F/C-83) 27 points, Manuel Fortuna (187-G) 14 points.

Standings - LIDOBA
LIDOBA Standings
North Division
 1. Reales 3-0 
 2. Metros 2-1 
 3. Marineros 1-2 
 4. Indios SF 0-3 
South Division
 1. Cocolos 2-0 
 2. Caneros 1-1 
 3. Constituyentes 1-1 
 4. Panteras DN 0-2 


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  EUROBASKET SUMMER LEAGUE   


Interested in playing overseas? - by Eurobasket
Here we had the first chance to get real summer camp for the American players who want to play overseas.
The first edition of Eurobasket Summer League is the combination of four summer camps in four cities: Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Salt Lake City.
Three first camps ended with a big success. Some of the players, which attended the camp already signed the contract for upcoming season, while many others are currently negotiating it.
The camp in Salt Lake City will start tomorrow. Stay tuned for the details.

Here you can find some footage from the previous camps. The video is provided by Mouthpiece.com

- Interview with Eurobasket Summer League manager - Darryl Reshaw
- So you want to play in Europe ?
- The International Game with John Griffin


Here is some statistics about college graduates playing overseas in 2007-08

Eurobasket has the most complete basketball database with over 165,000 profiles of players and coaches from over 400 leagues around the World.

The total number of U.S. colleges graduates (both men and women), who played basketball overseas in 2007-08 season: 4,176
The total number of U.S. colleges graduates (both men and women), who played basketball in Europe in 2007-08 season: 3,097
The total number of U.S. colleges graduates (both men and women) with American citizenship, who played basketball overseas in 2007-08 season: 2,827
The total number of U.S. colleges graduates (both men and women) with American citizenship, who played basketball in Europe in 2007-08 season: 2,100

The total number of U.S. colleges graduates (just men), who played basketball overuses in 2007-08 season: 3,681
The total number of U.S. colleges graduates (just men), who played basketball in Europe in 2007-08 season: 2,644
The total number of U.S. colleges graduates (just men) with American citizenship, who played basketball overseas in 2007-08 season: 2,531
The total number of U.S. colleges graduates (just men) with American citizenship, who played basketball in Europe in 2007-08 season: 1,819

Standings
Eurobasket Standings
Chicago
1. London 3-0
2. Berlin 2-1
3. Warsaw 2-1
4. Madrid 2-1
5. Athens 1-2
6. Amsterdam 1-2
7. Rome 1-2
8. Paris 0-3
Las Vegas
1. Monaco 2-0
2. Venice 1-1
3. Brussels 1-1
4. Geneva 0-2
New York
1. Stockholm 0-0
2. Riga 0-0
3. Budapest 0-0
4. Helsinki 0-0
5. Istanbul 0-0
6. Kiev 0-0
7. Moscow 0-0
8. Prague 0-0


Eurobasket Summer League (ESL) New York City - Day 1 - by Darryl Reshaw
The Eurobasket Summer League (ESL) in New York City Day 1:

The ESL on Saturday ventured to New York City which is considered the most dynamic location in the United States.

The event took place at Fordham University where Dereck Whittenburg the former North Carolina State standout who won the NCAA National Championship with the Wolfpack is the head coach. Whittenburg took that famous last shot that Lorenzo Charles dunked in for the victory.

The location was perfect for the Eurobasket event as over eighty players embarked on the old Jesuit University and its beautiful campus in the heart Bronx.

The players competed all day in eight games where all the teams played twice either in the Rose Hill gym where Fordham competes in the highly regarded Atlantic 10 conference or in the very hot downstairs gym where the players came up looking for air conditioning.

The games were very competitive but in the second rounds you could see players suffering from a little fatigue and making mental mistakes.

Dwayne Shackleford (178-G-81, college: USC) led Budapest victory in both of their games by controlling the tempo and using his veteran leadership, making great decisions and knocking down that smooth jump shot to earn a place in Sundays championship game.

However he had a lot of help because the Budapest team was loaded with talent as Michael St. John was outstanding all weekend just overpowering opponents and was probably the best rebounder in the tournament and scored well. I guess he will be going back to Europe for season two.

Eric Vierneisel (201-F-85, college: California) who was on the ESL All Tournament Team in Chicago just blistered the Stockholm team with 23 points in the semi-final and showed why he would be an excellent small forward in Europe with his shooting skills and we like the fact that he takes it too the basket as well.

I was really impressed by Trayvon Lathan (201-G-84, agency: AI Sports MM, college: Chowan Univ.) and his assertion around the basket, athleticism, rebounds and his overall game. He was the X-Faxtor on the Budapest team. Felipe Barrios (193-G/F-82, college: Barry) from Columbia was an outstanding player who did everything and is a very strong guard who just a tough and hard nose player. He was everywhere and did everything from scoring, rebounding, attacking the paint and played good defense.

The Stockholm team was excellent their first game and they featured a lot of talent including Bambale Osby (203-F-86, college: Maryland) (203-F-86, college: Maryland) from Maryland.
We definitely saw why he averaged great number in the ACC as people were calling him baby Ben Wallace as he was a beast on the boards and he has terrific energy.
They may have been the most talented team in the tournament as six of their players played in Sundays All Star game.
Dwayne Birden (196-F/G-84, college: N.Colorado) was a smooth shooting left handed wing player that hit some nice med-range jumpers that looked pro-like all weekend and showed nice athleticism,

Nate Connolly (196-G/F-77, college: St.Rose (NY)) looked good and shot well and you could see why he has over three years of professional experience in Europe and is looking to land a new contract.

Stockholm also had the tallest player in the ESL featuring Shagari Alleyne (221-C-84, college: Manhattan) at 7'3' who hails from the University of Kentucky and according to coach Whittenburg has made some serious improvement from the player he watched a few years ago.

They also had the NPBL leading scored David Ruffin (193-G/F-84, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Hartford) who averaged over 35ppg in the minor league who intrigued scouts with his long range shooting ability but unfortunately hurt his ankle in the ESL but continued to play but you could see his performance was hampered by the injury.

Last but not least their team featured James St.Robert (203-F/C-86, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Dowling) who was probably the strongest and most athletic big guy in the ESL. He will definitely get a contract from the ESL because his was a bona-fide talent.

The Kiev team was loaded with talent as Kenya Carruthers (201-F-79, college: Ks Wesleyan) who played in Argentina and other international markets show-cased his talent unique. This guy is a great European league prospect. He has a nice inside and outside game with a great physical presence.

Ryan Jones (190-G-84, college: Stony Brook) was super athletic and was a nice surprise in the ESL as he was a late entry who showed why he definitely belonged and was one of the best scorers in the New York City event and he was always taking the ball to the basket.

Robert Igbawau looked really good in day one and he was a amazing athlete who played aboved the rim and scored well.

Kiev also had one of the best point guards in the ESL in New York in Drew Gibson (188-G-85, college: Wofford) from Wofford. This slick, athletic left handed point guard could develop into a big time player in Europe. He scored and made great decisions all weekend.

Helsinki had some really nice players and did extremely well as they featured the very athletic Cedrick Hensley (196-F/G-83, college: Minnesota St. Univ.) who played and won a championship in Austria last year.
Travis Lay put up some nice numbers and played well and showed why American University made the NCAA this past season.

Derick Payne (198-F-83, college: Bowie St.) was an amazing talent with skills and size. I saw his do probably one of the nicest cross-over moves and finished in the ESL.
Chris Sockwell who played in South American was talented had had some nice moments in the ESL.

Riga had a couple of guards who were very talented and has unlimited potential as professional basketball players on the international market.
Tony Murphy (193-G-86, college: Norfolk St.) (193-G-86, college: Norfolk St.) from Norfolk State who averaged 19ppg in the MEAC this season and was snubbed by the Portsmouth selection committee is a strong, athletic combo guard who can flat out score. He is a great prospect for Europe and will get a job soon.

Andrew Washington (191-G-84, college: Delaware) may have been the most talented and athletic guard in the ESL in New York. He bullied the little guards with skills and athleticism in day one. He finished on big men and he dunked on people throughout the weekend. Once he gets more experience he will make a lot of money in Europe. Calvin Brown (206-C-83, agency: Court Side, college: Norfolk St.) is a big guy with a wide body who just knows how to play. He reminded me of Billy Singleton from St Johns who had a great career in Europe using the body to perfection.

The Prague team unfortunately played in the bottom gym and did not get scouted well all weekend but Greg Bienemann (201-F-86, college: Washington & Lee) was an excellent forward who would do extremely well in some of the entry level markets in Europe with his range of moves, skills and knowledge of the game which was impressive.

James Hyppolyte was a serious athlete who knocked down some nice shots while I briefly watched them. Tony Tate (180-G-82, college: Florida A&M) was a sleeper for the scouts who did not venture to the basement and put up nice numbers all weekend. He was a quality athletic guard with skills.

Tyler Relph (183-G-84, agency: Profibasketball.de, college: St.Bonaventure) one of NYCs finest legends was a heady point guard with nice skills, shooting ability and great court awareness.

Istanbul had some players of significance as Fred Harrison (196-G-86, college: Wilmington) (196-G-86, college: Wilmington) was a serious shooter with crazy leaping ability. He was one of the pure shooters in the ESL and he was super athletic. He was probably one of the most talented players in the ESL in NYC.

Justin Marshall (203-F-85, college: Iona) dominated opposition all weekend was long and athletic and showed why he will be successful in Europe this coming season in his second year out.
Brandon Giles a true point guard was very smart and played solid all weekend. Thioune is a big man with a sweet mid-range jump shot which is his bread and butter move. He probably had the best inside shooting touch of any big man in the ESL I New York City.

The Moscow team was under scouted during the weekend as well because of the two game system as Dayshawn Wright (198-F-85, college: Mountain St.) put up some serious numbers and should have made the all star game. Marlon Smith maybe was the most talented point guard in the ESL but only played in day one because of a communication error. Playing downstairs too many games hurt this team from receiving maximum exposure.

Shammond Williams (187-G-75, college: N.Carolina) was at Fordham University to give support to his younger brothers as they play in the ESL and was solid in their performances.

The box scores of all of the first day and second days game will be featured in the next article.

Accumalated Statistics ESL - New York - by Darryl Reshaw
ESL Game Stats:


Team: BUDAPEST

Dwayne Shackleford (178-G-81, college: USC) - 14ppg; 2rpg; 4apg
Ronald Stokes- 7ppg; 2rpg
Marquis Brooks- 6ppg;
Felipe Barrios- 14ppg; 2rpg; 2apg
Justin Griffin- 8ppg; 2rpg
Marcus Dixon- 5ppg; 2rpg
Trayvon Lathan (201-G-84, agency: AI Sports MM, college: Chowan Univ.)- 14ppg; 4rpg
Eric Vierneisel (201-F-85, college: California)- 13ppg; 3rpg
Michael St. John- 10ppg; 7rpg


Team: STOCKHOLM

Shagari Alleyne- 10ppg; 6rpg
Dwayne Birden (196-F/G-84, college: N.Colorado)- 12ppg; 2rpg
Nate Connolly- 13ppg
Chaz Franklin- 6ppg; 2rpg
Antjuan Koger- 9ppg
Bambale Osby (203-F-86, college: Maryland)- 10ppg; 9rpg
David Ruffin (193-G/F-84, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Hartford)- 11ppg
James St. Roberts- 11ppg
Eric Williams- 0ppg
John Baiano- 2ppg


Team: ISTANBUL

Rashaun Banjo- 7ppg; 3rpg
Anthony Giles- 7ppg
Adam Gonzalez- 8ppg
Fred Harrison (196-G-86, college: Wilmington)- 14ppg 2rpg
Justin James- 4ppg; 3rpg
Joseph Mackey- 4ppg
Justin Marshall- 11ppg 6rpg
Belgium Rose- 3ppg; 2rpg
Woody Souffrant- 10ppg
Ibrahima Thioune- 9ppg; 4rpg
Japhet McNeil- 9ppg


Team: MOSCOW

Mikhail Kareev- 3ppg
Marlon Smith (183-G-85)- 17ppg
Anwar Coleman- 11ppg
Willie Coleman- 9ppg
Charles Easterling- 11ppg; 5rpg
Eric Ferguson- 2ppg
Kenyon Jones- 5ppg
Mark McCarroll- 3ppg
Jerome Richardson- 10ppg
Greg Tyson (196-G-86, college: Heidelberg)- 14ppg
Dayshawn Wright (198-F-85, college: Mountain St.)- 15ppg 2rpg


Team: KIEV

Rocky Batista- 8ppg
Kenya Caruthers- 13ppg
Ryan Jones- 10ppg 2rpg
Drew Gibson (188-G-85, college: Wofford)- 10ppg
Robert Igbawau- 14ppg
Tav Ikpah- 0ppg
Larry Kearney- 6ppg
Darren Travis- 3ppg
Devon Sullivan- 8ppg 2rpg
Rome Holley- 2ppg
Dillon Daley- 0ppg
5ppg



Team: PRAGUE

Greg Bienemann- 8ppg 2rpg
Andrew David- 3ppg
Ronnie Davis- 1ppg 2rpg
Wade Dunston- 10ppg 5rpg
James Hippolyte- 8ppg
Robert Patterson- 8ppg
Tyler Relph- 8ppg 2apg
Tony Tate (180-G-82, college: Florida A&M)- 11ppg
Justin Walker- 6ppg 4rpg
John Quintana- 8ppg
Alfred Williams Jr. - 10ppg 3rpg


Team: HELSINKI

Michael Parker- 7ppg
Damian Gay- 7ppg
Cedric Hensley- 7ppg
Robert Kelly- 11ppg
Travis Lay (196-F-85, college: American)- 13ppg
Derick Payne- 9ppg
Eugene Pettway- 8ppg
Justin Skipwith- 0ppg
Chris Stockwell- 8ppg
Eric Williams- 9ppg


Team: RIGA

Mike Binns- 4ppg 4rpg
Calvin Brown- 14ppg 7ppg
Kyle Garrison- 5ppg 6rpg
Willis Kettrell- 4ppg 4rpg
Tony Murphy- 8ppg
Patrick Grayson- 0ppg 2rpg
Andrew Washington (191-G-84, college: Delaware)- 22ppg 2rpg
Joshua Wentz- 7ppg 2rpg
Adrian Woodard- 5ppg 4rpg
Mark McDonald- 9ppg 4rpg

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  EUROLEAGUE   


Latest signings - by Eurobasket News
Panionios On Telecoms officially announced singing of experienced guard Giannis Kalambokis (195-G-78, agency: FCM) on one-year contract extension. Kalambokis helped his team to make great success averaging 12.4 ppg, 3 rpg and 1.7 apg in regular season and later 11.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 1.1 in play-off. At the same time Kalambokis had 12 appearances in ULEB Cup adding almost 14 ppg. It will be his second season with Panionios as he joined the team in 2007 from PAOK. In the past he spent two years in Olympiakos and one in AEK. In 2007 Kalambokis was named to be 'Domestic Player of the Year' by Eurobasket.com.

ALBA Berlin signed 1+1 contract with American point guard Rashad Wright (189-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia). Wright arrives to Berlin as a free agent. Namely he started last season in Efes Pilsen but during the Euroleague TOP 16 he left the team. He played 9 games for Efes in European elite competition averaging 3.2 ppg and 2 rpg. He registered much better digits for 9 games in Turkish league. Before Efes, Wright grabbed the championship title of Belgium with Telinuds Oostende. In 2006 he reached the ULEB Cup semifinals with Serbian team Hemofarm Vrsac.

Montepaschi Sienna also continued with signings this summer. Italian champion agreed terms with MVP of ULEB Cup regular season Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois). American-Bosnian point guard signed 1-year contract with an option for another one. He played 16 games in ULEB Cup last season recording 20.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.3 apg and 2 spg. Domercant ended it as a top scorer of the competition shooting fantastic 57.1 % from downtown. In the past he used to play for Olympiakos and Efes Pilsen, winning the championship as well as the National Cup of Turkey.

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  FRANCE   


Pro A Trades: News of the week - by Chris Spiesser
After having inked Gauthier Darrigand (184-G-82) for one more year, Strasbourg found its other PG. Coach Sarre didn't search far as he add Steeve Essart (180-G-78) to his roster, both started last season in Gravelines where Essart went for 4.3ppg, 3.6apg. The offensive impact of the french PG duo will have to be raised to drive the team to the playoffs...

Darrell Tucker (206-F-80, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: USF) will join Toulon. This power-forward is well-known in France after having spent one year in Clermont in 2005/2006 where he posted 11.5ppg. Last year he had good figures in the dutch league with the Eiffel Towers and will try to replace Tony Williams with a slightly more defensive profile.

Dijon's new center will be John Oden (206-F/C, agency: Strategic Sports, college: S.Indiana). This massive big man, good defender, posted 9.3ppg and 6.8 rpg in only 23 mns for the Atlas Stal Ostrow which ended the season at place 6 in the polish DBE league.

With the end of some NBA summer leagues, a wave of NCAA players is joining Europe. This means especially rookie inside players which are always awaited in France. Though, there is always a huge risk of non-adaptation, they shall represent what french teams are looking for: affordable and efficient recruits.

So, Le Havre completed its paint with Kentrell Gransberry (206-C-85, college: LSU) who left South Florida with good figures: 16.0ppg, 10.8rpg. Undrafted, he played only two minutes for the Pistons in Las Vegas. He is well-known for his rebounding skills and low position impact but lacks in athleticism.

Pau also hired a rookie inside player, Josh Duncan (206-F-86) who ended his college carrer for Xavier (12.4ppg, 7.0 rpg). This power-forward is also a great 3pts shooter who is quite the opposit of the other physical players Pau already hired (Thomas, Fuller). This signing could be wise as it will stretch the opponents defenses.

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  FYR MACEDONIA   


U20 Montenegro beats U20 FYROM in a friendly game - by Eurobasket News
U20 FYROM - U20 Montenegro 93-67

U20 National Team of Montenegro was better than U20 FYROM in a friendly game 93-67. Montenegrins showed much better performance in this game. They opened it strongly making plus 8 after first ten minutes. Macedonians had a lot of troubles at the defensive end as Sead Sehovic (200-G-89), Krsto Bjelica (191-G-88) and Vladimir Dasic (209-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) scored many easy points. In the second stanza the hosts showed slightly better performance what was enough only for minus 6 at the half time. After the breather Montenegro totally took control on its opponent. Macedonians had solid performance in offense but at the other end of the court they were totally hopeless. After 19-3 run, Montenegrins entered into the last quarter having advantage of 23 points. Visitors succeeded to net fantastic 29 points in third frame. After first couple of minutes of the last stanza Montenegro made another run setting the score on unreachable 48-79. The rest of the game was just the formality.

Sead Sehovic shined for the winners scoring 15 points. Bjelica Krsto followed him with 13 points while Nemanja Vranjes (188-G/F-88) stopped on 11 points. On the other side Aleksandar Kostoski (188-G-88, agency: Octagon) was the best in Macedonia netting 14 points. Kiril Nikolovski (210-C-88) was behind him with 12 while Igor Atanasovski (188-G-88) added 10 points.


U20 FYROM - U20 Montenegro 93-67
(14-22, 18-16, 13-29, 22-26)

FYROM: Aleksandar Kostoski 14, Kiril Nikolovski 12, Igor Atanasovski 10
Montenegro: Sead Sehovic 15, Krsto Bjelica 13, Nemanja Vranjes 11

Strumica 2005 gives up of Balkan league, Gecevski stays in Zadar - by Eurobasket News
Bad news showed up yesterday from Macedonian runner-up Strumica 2005. Management of the club announced that the team won't take a place at the opening season of Balkan Basketball League. During the last month there was many stories about Strumica 2005 and its participation in BIBL but officials from the club stated that their team will compete next season in regional championship. It seems it was not correct information as member of management board of BIBL, Ilija Merdzanovski, confirmed that Strumica won't be one of the participants next season. He stated that president of Strumica, Panagiotis Karapiperis, officially let him now that his team canceled participations for season 08/09.
It is not known yet officially which team will take Strumica's place in BIBL. According to the rumors the biggest chances has Bulgarian team Balkan. BIBL's officials announced that PAOK confirmed participation for the next season still there is no any news about the second Greek team in BIBL. All names of the teams which will play in Balkan Basketball league next season will be known until August 10.

Meanwhile, center Todor Gecevski (209-C-77, agency: Interperformances) finally agreed terms with Croatian team Zadar. There was many speculations these day will Gecevski stay in Croatian champion. At the one point it was almost sure that he won't. Namely, his expectations were too high for Zadar so the team announced that they gave up on Gecevski last week. However, totally different kind of new showed up yesterday. Gecevski and Zadar agreed terms to extended contract for more year. Nothing is officially signed yet but it is expected to happen very soon.

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  GEORGIA   


Georgian U20 finishes the tournament of four nations - by Eurobasket News
Georgia U20 participated in the international tournament of four nations in Italy. At first the team lost the opener to the hosts, Italians 55:64. Giorgi Shermadini (216-C-89, agency: Life Sports) from Maccabi Tbilisi was the best player for Georgian team. He poured in 21 points, 20 rebounds. Levan Shengelia (203-F/C-90) posted 17 points and made 4 rebounds, while Richard Matiashvili (210-C-89) added 5 points and 7 rebounds.
In the second game Georgia U20 were beaten by Greece 75:82. Richard Matiashvili injured his leg, while Patsatsia missed another game with the same problem as in the first encounter. Giorgi Shermadini top-scored for the team with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Levan Shengelia collected 17 points and 6 rebounds, while Giorgi Gulisabedashvili (195-G-88, agency: Court Side) added 13 points. Giorgi Shermadini was the star of the game, as the young center had 26 points, another double double and 7 blocked shots. Georgian U20 National Team beat Slovenia 71:65 in the last game of the tournament of four nations. Giorgi Shermadini was named the MVP of the event, while also getting top scorers title. Tsekvava had 15 points and Tsivtsivadze scored 12.
It was a great tournament and a good preparation for the upcoming championship.

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  GERMANY   


ALBA Berlins lands Rashad Wright - by Moritz Korff
The German champion ALBA Berlin signed Rashad Wright (189-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia). The 26-year-old Guard inked a contract for one season, including a clausel for another year. Wright played college-basketball at the University of Georgia (NCAA1) and was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the 2004 NBA-Draft. He already played in Greece, Serbia, Belgium and most recently in Turkey. He started this past season with Efes Pilsen Istanbul, but missed some months due to an injury. That's why he only appeared in 9 Euroleague-games (3.2ppg, 2.0rpg) and 9 encounters of the Turkish League (7.3ppg, 2.2rpg, 1.7apg, 1.4spg).

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


Greeks are the winners - Shermadini is MVP - by Eurobasket
International tournament was recently over in Italy where U20 National Teams of 4 respectful countries were competing each other: Italy, Slovenia, Georgia and Greece. Hellenics headed by Greek National Team ex-player Giorgos Sigalas successfully finished the tournament by 3 wins and finally took the cup.
Georgian National Team center Giorgi Shermadini (216-C-89, agency: Life Sports) became MVP and TOP scorer of the tournament averaging 26.6 minutes - 22.3ppg, 16.3rpg, 1.6apg, 4.0spg and 3.6bpg. Interesting was a game between Greeks and Georgians where Shermadini was leading his team 63:60 in last quarter over Greek NT but got 5th foul and Hellenics won 75:82.
So National Team of Greece won the cup and Shermadini won one more MVP in his brief career (he is playing basketball just 3.5 years). There are some rumors though that Georgian star who is ranked as TOP internationals born in 1989 by draftexpress.com will continue his career in Greece or in Israel.

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  HAITI   


Voila National Standings
Division 1 Standings
 1. Exposant 4-0 
 2. ASBA 3-1 
 3. Giants 3-1 
 4. Bazooka 2-2 
 5. Topaz 2-2 
 6. Bota's House 1-3 
 7. Ninja 1-3 
 8. Dynamic 0-4 


Stats Leaders
Division 1 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Not Available


*****************************************************
  HOLLAND   


Bryan White to Upstairs Weert - by Fred Roggen
Upstairs Weert announced today the signing of powerforward Bryan White (201-F, agency: Court Side), coming from Lehigh University. The young american player posted 10.5ppg and 8.2rpg for his senior season. White was one of the top athletes in the Patriot League and led the Patriot League in rebounding as a senior.
He has been scouted at the Court Side Pro Camp in Frankfurt, GER (Team USA), where a lot of Dutch coaches go for their summer market.

Torey Thomas interview: "become the best guard in the Netherlands" - by Fred Roggen
Eurobasket had the chance to talk with American point guard Torey Thomas (180-G-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Holy Cross). He was one of the top guards in the Swedish Basketligan last season and played for Akropol BBK. He averaged 25.6ppg and 6.6apg in his first season in Europe. Thomas has now moved to the Netherlands to play for the Hanzevast Capitals.

1. How was your first pro experience in Europe this season?
My first pro experience was definitely a journey. I traveled from Hungary for two days, Turkey for about two months, Landed in Sweden for four months and cap it off in France for two months. This European season I learned a tremendous patience and perseverance.

2. You quickly emerged as one of the top-scorers in the Swedish Basketligan and achieved awards like Eurobasket.com 'player of the year', did you expect that?
Coming into the Sweden I had one thing on my mind and that was to help Akropol win some games. I knew that I had to showcase my game to the best of my ability in order to continue to play in Europe. I expected my play to stand out but It was truly an honor to be selected Eurobasket Player of the Year, I would like to thank Frankie Afzelius for sending my tape to Akropol. Akropol allowed me to play my style of game and I reaped the rewards.

3. Compare NCAA college basketball with pro basketball in Europe.
NCAA Basketball and Pro Basketball in Europe have similarities and differences. They are similar because of the crowd atmosphere, its like a student-body is out in Europe cheering for you, knowing all about who plays for their team. The difference in Europe is playing once a week, that is a big difference because in the NCAA you play a minimum of twice a week. Ultimately, in Europe you have to adjust your game to the rules and the fast paced nature of the game.

4. What are your strengths and weaknesses on and off the court?
My Strengths on the court include my leadership, defense,my ball handling ability, My consistent and developing three-point shot, and my ability to break down the defense off the dribble. My developments include being a threat on the offensive in at all times. Off the court I am really involved in my hometown, White Plains, New York. I am a co-founder of the New York Blaze Athletic and Enrichment Club, it is a non-profit organization for youths 8-18.

5. Now you have signed with Hanzevast Capitals, do you know something about the Capitals and basketball in the Netherlands?
I have heard great things about Hanzevast Capitals. I know that they are in Groningen which is in the north of Holland. I Know that they have the BEST fans in the Netherlands and I am very excited to be apart of the tradition. I have heard that Basketball in the Netherlands is very competitive and there are a few teams that compete in Uleb cup games.

6. What are your goals in the Netherlands?
My goals in the Netherlands are very simple. I want to win games. I want to make the playoffs, take it game by game and series by series. I want to be a Dutch Champion. My personal goal is to become the best guard in the Netherlands.

Eurobasket would like to thank Torey Thomas for taking the time to do this interview.

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  IBL   


Bellingham Wins IBL Title - by Carl Berman
The Slam ended a 61-year professional basketball title drought for the city as they shook off a poor start to upset the Elkhart Express, 118-111, in the International Basketball League Championship Game in front of a sold-out Whatcom Pavilion on Friday.

It appeared as if the two-time defending champion Express were going to easily cruise to a third title, as they jumped out to 9-0 and 22-8 leads early in the first quarter. But Paul Hafford (6'4''-G-84, college: Portland St.) came off the bench to provide a much-needed spark, hitting a trio of three-pointers late in the quarter, with his third coming with 13 seconds left to give the Slam a 30-28 lead. Elkhart opened up the quarter with 22 points in the first six minutes to build their early lead, but the Slam defense held them to just six points in the last six minutes as the Slam offense mounted a comeback.

Their early jitters over with, the Slam used solid all-around play from Hafford and Tyler Amaya (6'6''-F-82, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: W.Washington) to build on their lead in the second quarter. Bellingham went into halftime with a nine-point lead, at 62-53, after Brian Dennis converted a put-back as time expired for his only points in the game. In the third quarter, the Slams lead reached as high as 11 with 2:03 gone before Elkhart scored 13 of the games next 16 points to re-take the lead at 72-71 with under four minutes left in the period. Ryan Diggs (6'2''-G-83, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: W.Washington) stopped the Express run by scoring Bellinghams next seven points and the Slam maintained a two-point lead, at 83-81, going into the final quarter.

The Slam knew Elkhart was fully capable of mounting a fourth-quarter comeback, and protected their lead by coming through with some of their finest basketball of the season. Lukas Henne opened the quarter with one of his signature step-back three-pointers and the Slam didnt look back after that. Bellingham held Elkhart to just 33 percent field goal shooting in the quarter to stymie their comeback attempt. A Ryan Diggs jumper off a Hafford pass gave the Slam their biggest lead of the game at twelve with 5:27 left to play, but Elkhart was able to trim the lead down to five, at 110-105, with 1:19 left to play on a Lincoln Glass three-pointer. But the Slam used perfect free-throw shooting in the final minute to preserve the victory and send the Whatcom Pavilion fans into a confetti-launching frenzy as time expired.

Hafford and Amaya shared the games Most Valuable Player honors thanks to their gritty efforts. Hafford finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds while Amaya contributed with 20 points and 13 boards. Jacob Stevenson (6'4''-G-81, college: W.Washington) also had a strong title game for the Slam, scoring 24 points. The Express were led by Cedric Moodie (6'2''-G-78, college: Indianapolis), who scored 20 points despite a 2-for-14 performance from beyond the arc. Coleco Buie (6'4''-F-73, college: Missouri St.) scored 17 points while Glass added 15. Despite their size advantage, Elkhart lost the battle of the boards to Bellingham, 59-48.

The championship is the citys first in pro basketball since the Fircrests won the Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League title in 1947.

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  IRAN   


Iran left to wonder what could have been - by Ali Karimi
Salt Lake City, Utah, JULY 21, 2008 - Morris Almond opened the scoring for the Jazz with a two point bucket and Iran answered immediately. The teams were feeling each other out and played tight with the score tied at 4 with 7 minutes left in the first. Iran then begin to pull away. Halfway through the first Iran lead 10-5. The Iranian offense was clicking early and extended the lead to 15-9 with 2:30 left in the quarter. The whistle happy refs called 9 fouls on each team, at least during this juncture they were calling it even. Iran was getting to the line and was 6-8 at the line while the Jazz went 3-6. Hamed Ehadadi was looking silky smooth in the first going a perfect 3-3 on his FG attempts chalking up seven points. Iran outscored the Jazz 10-6 in the paint and out rebounded them 10-7. Ehadadi had seven of those caroms. I was wholly unimpressed with the Jazz frontline. The quarter ended with Iran leading 22-14. Samad Nikkhah lead all scores with 11 points for Iran while Almond added 6 for the Jazz. The Jazz shot a morbid 5-17, 29.4% for the period while Iran went 8-14 for 57.1%.

The Jazz started the second with much more fire. Lead by Hiram Fullers four points they cut the gap to 24-20. Ehadadi suffered an injury and Iran's second team couldn't keep pace. The Jazz went on a 17-4 run. Utah lead 35-26 with two minutes to play. Iran fouled Jazz G Kevin Kruger on a 3-point attempt, he was injured on the play and would not return to the game. Due to the injured player rule Iran choose the shooter. Toroman choose Kyrylo Fesenko, he missed 2 of 3. Iran panicked and let the second quarter get away from them after the loss Ehadadi. Turnovers were a killer as they had 10 in the second. For the period Iran was outscored 24-7 and went into the locker room down 38-29.

The third began with a quick bucket for Iran. Almond responded with a dunk for the Jazz and the tone for set was for a blistering pace in the quarter. With less than 7 minutes to play the score was Utah 41 Iran 35. Iran called a timeout with 6:30 left to draw up a play. F Haminn Quaintance crashed the party with a steal and converted a 3-point play. This is when the referring took a questionable turn. The refs called 6 fouls on Iran to Utah's 2. The second half calls were absolutely horrible, totally favoring the home standing Jazz. Iran really didn't play poorly, they shot 45.9% for the quarter and gained valuable playing time for their backups in the frontcourt with Ehadadi out. The Jazz shot 48% and took a 61-45 lead into the fourth.

The fourth would see a scorching pace for both teams but in reality the Jazz lead was insurmountable. However, to the Iranians credit they still kept playing for their large contingent of fans. The refs called a bunch of fouls late, when the game was out of hand, to make it seem like they called it even. Their officiating was skewed for the home team in the second half. All the other games were called even, not today however. Without Ehadadi playing Iran had no shot to win, with him in the game it could have been a different outcome. The Jazz took advantage of a thin and inexperienced frontcourt. Even so Koufos and Fesenko were non-factors combing for 10 points. Kevin Lyde picked up the slack with 14 rebounds. This was the first time Iran played zone. It may be a strategy they will employ in the future to try and elongate games. Again tonight they took a lot of international 3's costing them points on the scoreboard. Their ultimate goal is to get better and experiences like these can only help the team when the Olympics roll around. Nikkhah lead all scorers with 23 and Fuller would lead the Jazz with 11. Final Score Utah 82 Iran 57

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  ITALY   


Lega2 - Last market news - by Gabriele Fioretti
After an incredible number of official signs by Legadue teams some rumours close to be reality: Chris Heinrich (208-C-77, college: St.Louis) could be the bigman from the bench for Reggio Emilia, after the come back of Filippo Masoni (190-G-82). Another bigman close to sign is Manuele Mocavero (204-C-80) at Brindisi. Giovanni Perdichizzi is already talking about him as a good prospect for the team. Personal reasons moved Alessandro Bencaster (193-G-80, agency: Players Group) to leave Pistoia, that now is looking for a point guard, while the team coached by Maurizio Lasi is waiting for the answer by Elton Tyler (205-F/C-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) and is looking between Kevin Braswell (188-G-79, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgetown) and Dawan Robinson (189-G-82, college: Rhode Island) for the guard spot. Veroli hae mybe found the US player for the paint: Kyle Hines (198-F-86) from the college of North Carolina Greensboro.

Last market news - by Gianni Pascucci
It seems that Virtus Bologna will be in need of a new PG soon. In fact, there are rumors that Will Bynum (180-G-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgia Tech) will sign a two year contract with Detroit Pistons in next hours. Montepaschi Siena officially announced the signing of Henry Domercant (192-G-80, college: E.Illinois). Angelico Biella agreed to terms with Joe Smith (193-G-77, agency: Priority Sports, college: Al.-Huntsville), who inked a two year contract. Snaidero Udine officially announced the signing of Bernardo Musso (193-G-86) and Lorenzo D'Ercole (190-G-88). In Lega 2, Cimberio Varese inked Simone Cotani (201-G/F-81) with a two year contract. Prima Veroli announced the signing of Kyle Hines (198-F-86). Pallacanestro Roseto 1946 signed Fabio Ruini (186-G-80) and Vanoli Soresina inked Matteo Rossetti (192-G-85).

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  JORDAN   


Nate Johnson to be naturalized? - by Mohammed Malas
Some sources related to The Jordanian Basketball Federation (JBF) & Al Ghad Newspaper confirmed that the federation is looking to finialize a deal with Nate Johnson (199-F-77, college: Louisville) to get the Jordanian passport and play for Jordan National Team, This action was taken to find a replacement for Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) who still needs time to recover in Jordan National Team 'FIBA allows One naturalized player only for each national team'.

Nate who refused to sign with Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon was one of the keys of Zain's success in the last 2 seasons leading them to Asian Clubs Championship in 2006 & Arab Clubs Championship last season.

The senior men national team will have some rest until the 22nd of August, Jordan National Team 'B' will take the seniors place in the 7th King Abdullah Cup which will begin next friday.

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  MONTENEGRO   


U20 Montenegro beats U20 FYROM in a friendly game - by Eurobasket News
U20 FYROM - U20 Montenegro 93-67

U20 National Team of Montenegro was better than U20 FYROM in a friendly game 93-67. Montenegrins showed much better performance in this game. They opened it strongly making plus 8 after first ten minutes. Macedonians had a lot of troubles at the defensive end as Sead Sehovic (200-G-89), Krsto Bjelica (191-G-88) and Vladimir Dasic (209-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) scored many easy points. In the second stanza the hosts showed slightly better performance what was enough only for minus 6 at the half time. After the breather Montenegro totally took control on its opponent. Macedonians had solid performance in offense but at the other end of the court they were totally hopeless. After 19-3 run, Montenegrins entered into the last quarter having advantage of 23 points. Visitors succeeded to net fantastic 29 points in third frame. After first couple of minutes of the last stanza Montenegro made another run setting the score on unreachable 48-79. The rest of the game was just the formality.

Sead Sehovic shined for the winners scoring 15 points. Bjelica Krsto followed him with 13 points while Nemanja Vranjes (188-G/F-88) stopped on 11 points. On the other side Aleksandar Kostoski (188-G-88, agency: Octagon) was the best in Macedonia netting 14 points. Kiril Nikolovski (210-C-88) was behind him with 12 while Igor Atanasovski (188-G-88) added 10 points.


U20 FYROM - U20 Montenegro 93-67
(14-22, 18-16, 13-29, 22-26)

FYROM: Aleksandar Kostoski 14, Kiril Nikolovski 12, Igor Atanasovski 10
Montenegro: Sead Sehovic 15, Krsto Bjelica 13, Nemanja Vranjes 11

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  NBA   


Players movement - by Bruno Baltazar

New Jersey Nets have acquired guard Keyon Dooling (6'3''-G-80, college: Missouri) from the Orlando Magic in exchange for cash considerations.
'Keyon is a versatile NBA veteran, and we are pleased to add him to our roster,' said Thorn. 'His ability to play both the point and shooting guard positions will add flexibility and depth to our backcourt rotation.'

Dooling, a 6-3, 195 pound guard, averaged 8.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 72 games, including one start, for Orlando during the 2007-08 season. The eight-year NBA veteran has appeared in 465 games with the Clippers, Heat and Magic, holding career averages of 6.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Originally drafted with the 10th overall pick out of Missouri in the 2000 NBA Draft, Dooling has averaged 7.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29 career postseason contests for the Heat and Magic.

San Antonio Spurs re-signed forward/center Kurt Thomas (6'9''-F-72, college: TCU).

The 6-9, 235-lb Thomas joined the Spurs on 2/20/08 in a trade with the Seattle Sonics in exchange for Brent Barry and Francisco Elson . He appeared in 28 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 4.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game. Thomas saw action in all 17 playoff games, averaging 4.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest. The former Texas Christian University standout started the season with the Sonics where he played in 42 games, averaging 7.5 points and 8.8 rebounds.

For his career Thomas has played for six NBA teams (Heat, Mavericks, Knicks, Suns, Sonics and Spurs). In 817 career games he has averaged 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in 27.3 minutes.

Boston Celtics have re-signed guards Eddie House (6'1''-G-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Arizona St.) and Tony Allen (6'4''-G-82, college: Oklahoma St.), two role players from their title-winning team.Contract terms were not immediately disclosed..
House averaged 7.5 points in 19 minutes during the regular season, and Allen averaged 6.6 points. But both saw their roles diminished in the playoffs.

The Suns signed 28-year-old free agent Matt Barnes. Last season, Barnes averaged 6.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 19.4 minutes, which was a slight dip from his career-best 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 2006-07.

However, the former UCLA-product proved himself to be a clutch player throughout the 2007 playoffs, averaging 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals during that time. He also demonstrated the ability to connect from 3-point land, nailing 42 percent of his attempts from downtown during that run.
The 6-7, 226-pound Barnes is expected to sign for the veterans minimum, which allows the Suns to save a bit of cap room.



Bayless named Vegas Summer League MVP and last day recap - by Bruno Baltazar
Minnesota Timberwolves never trailed as they defeated the New York Knicks, 111-91, in the first of five games in the final day of competition.
Knicks guard Nate Robinson (5'9''-G-84, college: Washington) was honored with a ceremonial jersey-retirement during halftime of the game in recognition of his contributions to the NBA Summer League during the last three years.

Alando Tucker (6'6''-F-84, college: Wisconsin) scored 25 points Sunday and the Phoenix Suns held the Washington Wizards to just six fourth-quarter points in an 88-69 victory .
D.J. Strawberry (6'5''-G-85, college: Maryland) scored 20 points for the Suns ,.Wallace scored 15 points for the Suns. Dee Brown scored 10 points and Nick Young (6'6''-G/F-85, agency: Priority Sports, college: USC) and Dominic McGuire (6'8''-F/G-85, college: Fresno St.) added nine apiece for the Wizards.

Milwaukee Bucks squad won their final game defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 88-72.
Darius Washington (6'2''-G-85, college: Memphis) who finished with 12 on 6-of-10 shooting; Luc Mbah a Moute (6'7''-G/F-88, college: UCLA), Matt Freije, Roderick Wilmont and Trey Johnson (6'5''-G, agency: Priority Sports, college: Jackson St.), each scoring 11; and Joe Alexander (6'8''-F-86, college: W.Virginia), who tallied 10 points in the win.
The Cavaliers were led by Hicksons 24 points and the duo of Clay Tucker (6'5''-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) and Romel Beck (6'8''-G/F-82, agency: Interperformances, college: UNLV) who scored 14 apiece in the loss.

J.R. Pinnock (6'5''-G-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: George Washington) scored a game-high 30 points and led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 78-63 win over the New Orleans Hornets.
Four players scored in double-figures for the Hornets, including Derrick Byars (6'8''-G/F-84, college: Vanderbilt) with a team-high 15 points off the bench.

Donte Greene (6'9''-F-88, college: Syracuse) scored 22 points as the Houston Rockets defeated the Sacramento Kings, 98-91.Rookie Maarty Leunen (6'9''-F-85) scored 21 points and second-year guard Aaron Brooks (6'0''-G-85, agency: CAA Sports, college: Oregon) added 20 for the Rockets .
Hawes scored 22 points, rookie Jason Thompson (6'11''-F-86, agency: CAA Sports, college: Rider) contributed 21 and nine rebounds and Shelden Williams (6'9''-F-83, college: Duke) added 20 and nine for Sacramento.


Jerryd Bayless (6'3''-G-88, college: Arizona) was presented with the T-Mobile NBA Summer League Top Rookie trophy prior to the start of the game. Bayless, who was also named to USA Basketballs select team on Sunday, did not play after practicing with the select team earlier in the day.
Bayless, who erupted for 36 points and buried the game-winning basket on Saturday, was named the T-Mobile NBA Summer League Top Rookie. He ranked No. 1 in scoring (29.8 ppg) in Las Vegas and helped lead the Blazers to a 3-2 record.

Rocky Mountain Revue recap from day 3 - by Bruno Baltazar
The Mavericks won against the Spurs 84-77.
Gerald Green (6'8''-G/F-86) continued his quest for RMR08 MVP, with some hot shooting and great overall play: 27 pts, 2 steals, 2 assists, 5 rebounds.

New Jersey took on Golden State 108-84. Warriors Anthony Marlow 23, Dowell had 20, and Anthony Randolf with 16. The biggest lead came with the Warriors 27.

Atlanta was led in a balanced attack by Othello Hunter (6'8''-F-86, agency: David Lee services) and Luke Jackson (6'7''-F/G-81, agency: Priority Sports, college: Oregon) each with 13 points. The D-League Ambassadors were led by Glen McGowan (6'9''-F-81, college: Pepperdine) with 19 points to lead all scorers. Final Score: Atlanta 74 D-League 70.


Bahrami was Irans leading scorer with 11 points.
Utah shot 34 points in the paint, Iran 24. Second chance points scored: Utah 18, Iran 9. Leading scorers were Mohanmmad Nikkhah with 23 for Iran, while Utah spread the lead; Hiram Fuller (6'9''-F-81, agency: Octagon, college: Fresno St.) 11, and Morris Almond (6'6''-F-85, college: Rice) 10. Final Score: Utah 82, Iran 57.

NBA Restructures Referee Operations Department - by Bruno Baltazar
The NBA today announced that it has restructured the leagues Referee Operations department, appointing Bernie Fryer to the position of Vice President and Director of Officials, Joe Borgia to the position of Vice President, Referee Operations, and Ronnie Nunn to the position of Director of Development.
Fryer, who served as the NBA's Assistant Director of Officials and Crew Chief Coordinator during the 2007-08 season, will be responsible for the day-to-day management and on-court performance of NBA referees, reporting to Senior Vice President of Referee Operations, Ron Johnson. Borgia, who has served for the last four years as the league's Director of Officiating Programs and Development, will be responsible for administering all other aspects of the officiating program, including recruiting, training programs, team communications and oversight of the D-League and WNBA officiating programs, also reporting to Johnson. Nunn, who served as the NBA's Director of Officials for the past five seasons, will be responsible for the teaching and development of the NBA's less-experienced referees and the transition of referees from the D-League to the NBA, reporting to Fryer.

Both Fryer and Borgia will relocate to the NBA's New York headquarters. Nunn is already based in New York.

This restructuring, together with the recent hiring of Ron Johnson, ensures that our referees are being managed, trained and developed by a group of first-rate, dedicated professionals,' said NBA President, League and Basketball Operations, Joel Litvin. 'Working under Ron, the team of Bernie, Joe and Ronnie brings years of experience as both referees and managers to these new roles along with a deep commitment to maximizing the performance of our referees every time they step on the floor.'

An NBA referee for 28 seasons, Fryer holds the distinction of being one of only three people to both referee and play in the NBA (Leon Wood and Stan Stutz are the others). During his career as an NBA official, Fryer refereed 1,696 regular season games, 157 playoff games and 12 Finals games. Prior to becoming an official, Fryer spent two seasons playing in the NBA, earning All-Rookie Team honors in 1974 playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. Fryer was an All-Western Athletic Conference first team selection from 1970-72 as a member of the Brigham Young University basketball team. He is a native of Port Angeles, Wash.

Borgia, who has worked as a manager in the leagues officiating program for the past 10 years, was an NBA referee for 10 seasons (1988 to 1998) until an injury forced him to retire. The New Rochelle, N.Y. native officiated in the Continental Basketball Association for eight seasons before joining the NBA officiating staff in 1988.

Nunn was an NBA referee for 19 seasons, officiating 1,134 regular season games and 73 playoff games, including four Finals games. Nunn received his undergraduate degree from George Washington University where he played basketball and was inducted into George Washingtons Hall of Fame in 1997. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native also holds a masters degree in special education from the College of New Rochelle and a masters degree in administration from Queens College.

Earlier this month, the league announced the hiring of General Ronald L. Johnson to head the leagues officiating program. General Johnson, a two-star General, recently retired from active duty as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Cortesy of www.nba.com

Rocky Mountain Revue recap from day 4 - by Bruno Baltazar
In the first game of day 4 of the Rocky Mountain Revue the San Antonio Spurs (2-1) hosted the undefeated Atlanta Hawks (3-0). The Hawks were without their most productive player of the revue (Othello Hunter (6'8''-F-86, agency: David Lee services) 14.3 ppg 6.3 reb) who was out due to an injury.
Both teams continued to battle during all the game and Acie Law (6'3''-G-85, college: Texas A&M) scored a layup to bring the Hawks to within two points at 81-79 with 31.7 seconds left in the game. Malik Hairston turned the ball over on the inbounds pass. Law attacked the rim, drew the defense and passed the ball to Thomas Gardner (6'5''-G-85, agency: Octagon, college: Missouri) who hit a three and put the Hawks up 82-81 with 21.4 remaining. Luke Jackson then fouled the Spurs George Hill (6'2''-G-86) with 6.9 seconds left in the quarter. Hill who had struggled all game long (1-7 FG) calmly hit both free throws and the Spurs regained the lead 83-82. Hill then stepped up on the defensive end forcing a jump ball with Acie Law with only 2 seconds left. Hill then slapped the ball to the other end of the court and the Spurs knocked off the undefeated Hawks 83-82.
Acie Law finished the game with 27 points and 4 assists to lead all scorers. The Spurs were led by Anthony Toliver who had 21 points and 5 rebounds off the bench.

The Nets were without point guard Marcus Williams (6'3''-G-85, college: Connecticut) who had been traded to the Golden State Warriors earlier in the day for a future first round draft pick.
Brazelton scored and Morris Almond (6'6''-F-85, college: Rice) added two more free throws and the Jazz completed the comeback wining the game 87-79.
The Jazz were led by Morris Almond who scored 14 of his game high 24 points from the free throw line. Tyrone Brazelton (5'11''-G, college: West Plains JC) scored 16 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 4 assists off the bench.
Jaycee Carroll (6'2''-G-83, agency: Priority Sports) led the Nets with 22 points and Ryan Anderson (6'10''-F-88, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: California) finished the game with 18 points and 9 rebounds in defeat.

Warriors took the game with a score of 90-73 against the Dallas Mavericks due to the partial made in the last quarter (27-11).

Warriors sign Marcus Williams,Blazers sign Nicolas Batum and Minnesota keep Telfair - by Bruno Baltazar

Golden State Warriors have acquired guard Marcus Williams (6'3''-G-85, college: Connecticut) (6'3''-G-85, college: Connecticut) from the New Jersey Nets in exchange for a conditional first round draft choice.

Williams, 22, was a member of the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team with New Jersey following the 2006-07 campaign, when he averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 assists in 79 games (16.6 mpg). He was selected to play with the rookie squad in the 2007 Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas and his season assist total (260) represented the third-most all-time for a Nets first-year player.

Last season (2007-08), Williams averaged 5.9 points and 2.6 assists in 53 games with the Nets (16.1 mpg), highlighted by a season-high 25 point performance 2/20 vs. Chicago and career-best 13 assist outing 2/23 vs. Indiana. Additionally, the 63 guard averaged 11.7 points and 4.6 assists in 17 outings last season when logging at least 20 minutes. He missed the first 23 games of the campaign due to a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

A two-year NBA veteran, Williams was originally selected by the Nets in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft (22nd overall). He appeared in a total of 132 games during his two-year stint with New Jersey, averaging 6.4 points and 3.0 assists. Prior to entering the NBA, Williams played three years at the University of Connecticut, where he was a member of the Huskies NCAA Championship team in 2004 and registered the highest career assist-per-game average in school history (7.3 apg).

After the signing of Corey Maggette (6'6''-G-79, college: Duke) and Ronny Turiaf (6'10''-C/F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) the Warriors keep building their roster after the Baron Davis (6'2''-G-79, agency: Life Sports, college: UCLA) lost they get a PG like Marcus Williams and the Nets signed Dooling to replace the same position.


Portland Trail Blazers signed rookie forward/guard Nicolas Batum (6'7''-F-88). The 25th overall pick in this year's draft, from Houston in a Draft Day trade in exchange for the draft rights to Darrell Arthur (27th overall pick) and Joey Dorsey (33rd overall).
Batum, 19, played the last three seasons for MSB Le Mans in the French ProA League, averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.33 steals in 2007-08. Additionally, he posted averages of 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in Euroleague play this past season.
The 6-8, 190-pound Batum averaged 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 27.2 minutes in five games during last week's NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.


Minnesota Timberwolves and guard Sebastian Telfair (6'0''-G-85) have agreed in principle on the terms of a new contract. Telfair is expected to be in Minneapolis tomorrow and will meet with Twin Cities media at Target Center.
The Timberwolves acquired Telfair on July 31, 2007 in a trade with Boston. In his lone season with Minnesota, the 6-0 guard averaged 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and a career-high 5.9 assists per game, finishing the season ranked 10th in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.20-to-1). Telfair appeared in 60 games for the Wolves, starting 51, before missing the final 21 contests with a sprained left ankle.



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  NORWAY   


Eckhoff goes East - by Kaare Vangen
Matthias Eckhoff + Jamtland Basket = TRUE. Eckhoff will be the new head coach for Jamtland Basket in the Swedish Basketligan. He is leaving Sandvika that he took from Div 2 to Div 1 this spring. The new contract is 1+1 year. Eckhoff has also been coaching in Luxembourg before he came back to Norway and Sandvika. Sandvika applied for a spot in BLNO the upcoming season after they won Div 2 but were turned down.

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  PARAGUAY   


Sol de America wins National League - by Gianni Pascucci
Defeating America de Pilar 92-90 in Game 5 of the Finals, Sol de America became the 2008 Paraguayan National Champion. Sol stayed ahead almost all the game (the quarters ended 24-18; 29-22; 21-17; 17-23) confirming the supremacy showed all season long. The main performers of the last game were Eulalio Ramoa (175-G-74), who scored 17 pts, Daniel Perez (190-G/F-84), who added 16 and Jamaal Levy (206-C/F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wake Forest), who scored 15 pts. Jose Fabio (198-F-77) was the game top scorer at 30 pts and Gustavo Torres (175-G-80) added 28 at the losing side.

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  PORTUGAL   


Portugal under18 list of players for the European - by Bruno Baltazar

The list of players for the portuguese under 18 team was announced and they already working for the European division B that will be held in the city of Debrecen,Hungry from July 25th to August the 3rd.

Andre Pereira from Porto
Diogo Correia (185-G-90) Benfica
Eugenio Silva (190-G-61) Barreirense
Filipe Pinheiro Barreirense
Joao Guerreiro (204-F-90) (204-F-90) (204-F-90) Barreirense
Joao Soares (197-F-90) Ovarense
Joao Torrie Vasco da Gama
Jose Barbosa Oliveirense
Marco Rosa (192-F-90) Ginasio
Miguel Tinoco Queiroz (196-F-91) (196-F-91) Barreirense
Pedro Catarino Porto
Tiago Raimundo Barreirense

Head coach is Alvaro Amiel
Assistant coach is Julio Silva

To note Barreirense is the team with more players with 5 in total that shows the good work they doing in the youth teams.
Portuguese team will leave tomorrow for Hungry .

Portugal will have their games:
July26th vs England at 4pm
July 27th vs Belarus at 1.35pm
July 28th vs Romania at 4pm
July 29th vs Poland at 1.45pm



Portugal under20 results - by Bruno Baltazar
Portuguese under20 team was in the Espinho City Tournament to prepare the European,they played against Tunisia under24 , Holland under20 and Bask Country.

Tunisia with a older team won this tournament,tall players with a good body and level of maturation was the key to the win.
Portugal showed they can win close games and play like a team,without some tall players(Claudio Fonseca and Joao Ferreirinho)that wont be able to be in the european either.

Portugal won 66-64 against Holland and Bask Country 79-74 and lost in the final of the tournament to Tunisia 60-49.

Portugal sub20 roster - by Luis Rocha
The roster of the sub 20 has been decided. th eplayers have been training and now they will leave to play division B, and try to get a place in division A.
the players are: Manuel Sico (202-F/C-88), Jose Silva (195-F-89) and Pedro Pereira (185-G-89) (all from Barreirense), Tiago Pinto (183-G-88), Cristovao Cordeiro (201-F/C-89) and Gil Costa( from Queluz), Luis Pires and Nuno Oliveira (both from Pvoa), Andre Boavida (198-F-88) (Porto), Samuel loio (Esgueira), Aylton Medeiros (194-F-88) (Belenenses) and Fabio Lima (196-C-88) (Pamesa). In this roster it is noticed the absence of the injured Claudio Fonseca, a great loss, because he will be the one truly able to play center cleanly, all the others will be adaptations to that spot.

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  SEBL   


Atlanta Speedboys and ServPro are streaking, Baseline clings on, Lakers slipping... - by David Archer
Cartersville, GA - Games continued in the SEBL Metro A-League Conference. ServPro-1 has been on fire in the North Division, breezing to their third consecutive blowout! The Atlanta Speedboys, with four straight victories has moved into first place in the South Division. The BC Lakers have dropped two straight and Baseline-1, the defending champions, are the only undefeated team left -- but their wins are not coming easy!

----------------------------------------------
Sun., July 20th @ JH Morgan Gym

ServPro-1 97 BC Force 77...

BC Celtics 70 Supreme 67...

Baseline-1 92 Marietta 89 (2OT)...

Skyline 76 Knicks-1 60...
----------------------------------------------

Mon., July 21st @ Clayton State

Black Monop 90 DOTS 83... Superstar Sports Cafe's Black Monop squad moved to 3-3 win a nice win over a short-handed DOTS team. Richard Lusane had 25 and Edward Lockhart 13 for Black Monop. For DOTS, David Graham and Miguel Morton each downed 30. DOTS plummetted to 0-6 on the summer. Hard to believe this was the squad that went 10-2 last summer to reach the finals.

Tri-County 88 Young Gunz 75... Tri-County got out to a good first half lead and basically hung on the rest of the way for the win. The Young Gunz, who were with out Brent Benson and Jesse Wheeler, kept things close for a stretch in the second half, but Tri-Couny's Jon Rogers took control downm the stretch. Rogers led the Crusaders with 21 pts, while Jason Thomas had 16. For the Young Gunz, Frank Davis had 22 and B.J. Puckett 17.

Atl. Speedboys 57 BC Lakers 51... The Speedboys took over first place with a tough win over the Lakers. Brandon Kelley, Mike Sloan and Martice Moore each contributed 13 points with a balanced attack that was hard to best. For the Lakers, Freddie Williams had 12 and Brian Kelley had 10.
-------------------------------------------------

Standings
SEBL Standings
City B-East
 1. Summ.Hill BD 5-0 
 2. Owen FH 2-2 
 3. BC Sixers 2-3 
 4. BC Howren 1-3 
 5. Polk Co. 0-4 
City B-West
 1. Metro Tech 4-0 
 2. Cedart.B. II 2-2 
 3. BC Dalton 2-3 
 4. BC Knicks-2 1-3 
 5. Rockmart 1-3 
Metro A-North
 1. Cartersville W. 4-0 
 2. BC Skyline 3-1 
 3. ServPro-1 3-1 
 4. BC Force 2-2 
 5. BC Celtics 2-2 
 6. Marietta O. 1-2 
 7. Smyrna K. 0-3 
 8. Supreme 0-4 
Metro A-South
 1. Speedboys 5-1 
 2. BC Lakers 4-2 
 3. Young Gunz 3-3 
 4. Tri-County 3-3 
 5. Black Monop 3-3 
 6. D.O.T.S. 0-6 


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  SERBIA   


Krstovic in Hemofarm for next three seasons? - by Zoran Popovic
Bojan Krstovic (194-G-80) is very close to verify agreement with KK Hemofarm Stada Vrsac. According to Serbian daily journal 'Sport' KK Hemofarm Stada Vrsac offered to Krstovic concrete conditions and contract on next three seasons. Bojan Krstovic is still on the wide list of candidates for Serbian National team and he spent last three weeks in Italy on prepration for qualification for European championship next year, but with Radivojevic and Popovic, he is not on the list of 14 players on tournament in Russia and Diamond ball in China.
Bojan Krstovic played for Buducnost Pec 1997-1998, Borac Cacak 2001-2003, FMP Zeleznik 2003-2008. In his last season for FMP Zeleznik Krstovic scored average in ULEB Cup 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.9 assistants, in Adriatic league 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.2 assistants and in Serbian Superleague 10.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.1 assistants per game. With FMP Zeleznik Krstovic was Adriatic league Champion 2004 and 2006, also winner of National Cup Radivoj Korac 2005 and 2007.

Osmokrovic signed for Romanina champion - by Zoran Popovic
Zoran Osmokrovic (189-G-81, agency: Beo Basket) is new member of Romanina champion CSU Asesoft. In Serbia Osmokrovic played for OKK Beograd 2000-2001, Napredak Krusevac 2003-2004, Borac Cacak 2004-2007, but in March 2007 he moved in FMP Zeleznik. Season 2007-2008 Osmokrovic started in FMP Zeleznik and in December 2007 signed contract with AEP Olimpias Patron. For AEP Olimpias Patron Osmokrovic scored on 16 games average 9.6 points, 1.7 rebound, 2.9 assistant per game.

Kojadinovic in Ukraine - by Zoran Popovic
Feliks Kojadinovic (197-G-79, agency: World Sport Agency) signed contract with Cherkassy Monkeys from Ukraine. Kojadinovic started his international career in VVS Samara Russia in season 2006-2007, but in November he moved in PAOK Greece where he finished season. In season 2007-2008 Kojadinovic moved in Costa Caf Marussie and in FIBA Cup he scored average 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assistants per game, in Greek league 4.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.5 assistants per game. Kojadinovic also played for Borac Banja Luka 1997-2004 and Vojvodina 2004-2006.

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  SPAIN   


Spain narrowly defeats Argentina in exhibition game - by Eurobasket News
Spain - Argentina 90:88

Spanish and Argentinean National teams are preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games at the moment. They play a string of friendly games and one of them took place in Madrid yesterday. Spain hosted Argentina in a mouth-watering contest of one of the worlds top squads. Spain managed to prevail in a well-matched competition that saw teams fighting bravely throughout the action. There was good news for Argentina before the game as Emanuel Ginobili (198-G-77, agency: Interperformances) got ready to dress up for the encounter. He spent 20 minutes in the court topscoring for Argentinean team with 18 points. Spain used an 11:4 run in the last 5 minutes of the first period to earn a 23:13 advantage. Spain continued to mount pressure in the second frame and Jorge Garbajosa (205-C/F-77, agency: Interperformances) marked a 15-point lead for Spaniards at halftime 45:30. However Argentina soon adjusted their offense and gradually began cutting the deficit. They outscored the hosts 25:18 in the third period to trail by 8 points heading into the fourth quarter. Emanuel Ginobili shaved the distance to 4 points with under 2 minutes remaining in regulation 83:87. Juan Gutierrez followed it with two freebies to make 85:87 with 41 seconds left. Ricard Rubio (192-G-90) stretched the cushion to 89:86 seconds later however Emanuel Ginobili got fouled while shooting three-pointer and went to the line. He knocked down 2 free throws and Ricard Rubio sealed the winning outcome from the charity stripe. Paolo Quinteros (185-G-79) had a chance to win for Argentina but his triple went off mark. Jose Manuel Calderon (190-G-81) poured in 18 points to pace Spain. Marc Gasol (212-C-85, agency: Interperformances) had 12 points, while Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) and Raul Lopez (182-G-80) delivered 11 points each in a win. Carlos Delfino (199-G-82) provided 15 points for Argentina. Roman Gonzalez (211-C-78, agency: HM Sports Agency) added 13 points and 6 boards in defeat.

Spain: Jose Manuel Calderon 18, Marc Gasol 12, Pau Gasol 11, Raul Lopez 11
Argentina: Emanuel Ginobili 18, Carlos Delfino 15

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  SWITZERLAND   


Monthey inks Sebastien Maio, Boncourt lands Pierry Valmera - by Eurobasket News
Belgian player Sebastien Maio (190-G-78, agency: LBM Management) agreed terms with BBC Monthey for the upcoming season. Maio spent last one in Spanish team Alimentos de Palencia. He had 29 appearances in LEB Sliver averaging 8.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg and 2.7 apg. His team registered solid results but it was stopped in the semifinals. Before Palencia, Maio spent half of the season in Real Madrid II, which competed in the same league. He played 17 games for Real II adding 10.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 3.8 apg. In the past he also used to play for Zaragoza, Verviers Pepinster, Tubingen, Vilvoord and Leuven. He grabbed the trophy in German 2. Bundeslieague with Tubingen in 2004.

BC Boncourt announced signing of Pierry Valmera (203-C-81) on a one year contract. Valmera is a center who graduated at Union University (NAIA) in 2007. At his senior year with Union Valmeira averaged 14.2 ppg, 6 rpg and 0.5 apg. His school made nice record succeeding to reach NAIA D1 Elite Eight last year. He spent some time at the pre-season with Portuguese team Esgueira / Oli but he left before any official game. Valmera was a member of Haitian National Team in 2002.

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  TURKEY   


Agudio At Banvit - by Serdar Ortakuyu
TBL side Banvit announced the official agreement with CAAC conference top scorer Antoine Agudio (191-G-85) of Hofsta. 1985 born guard averaged 22.7ppg, 3.9rpg, 2.9apg and 1.1spg in his senior year and is known with his ability the shoot the ball. Most recently Agudio attended the draft work outs with New Orleans Hornets of the NBA and is expected to make a major contribution to Banvit back court with Joe Crispin (186-G-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Penn St.) who's another decent shooter.

Chris Lofton joins Mersin - by James Mullins
Mersin Buyuksehir Belediyesi added firepower to their team this week by the signing of Chris Lofton (188-G-86). This signing is sure to help Mersin improve from their 13-17 record in order to make the playoffs this year. Lofton was a fan favorite at the Tennessee with his remarkable shooting capability and craftiness. During his time at Tennessee he broke school records in 3-pointers made (431), 3-point attempts (1,021), and 3-pointers per game (3.37).

Last season Loften scored 15.5 ppg and was given several awards to celebrate his play. He went undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft, but played for the Denver Nuggets summer league team.

This year will be Lofton's first year of professional basketball. His inexperience combined with his physical limitations (height) will be difficult obstacles to overcome. However, Lofton is used to overcoming obstacles because played a portion of last season with cancer. He is now considered cancer-free and is ready for a professional basketball career. It will be interesting to watch Lofton's quest to develop into an NBA player and Mersin's quest to win a championship intersect in the 2008-2009 season.

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  UBL   


New Website for UBL - by Mac Claire
The UBL has launched a new website. The Love 4 Hoops site will give upto date information on all things involving the UBL.
Currently the site is still under construction in some areas, but we urge you to take a look anyway.
With the UBL Championship Games coming up July 26th, the site will have plenty of playoff news.
For more information, please visit www.love4hoops.com, email info@love4hoops.com, or call 210-566-7103.

UBL Season Ends. Post Season Games Jul. 26th - by Mac Claire
The Texas Wranglers will host the UBL Championship Playoff games in Addison, TX on July 26 at the Green Hill School.

The Wramglers, Arkansas Warriors, and Central Texas Stars will join a fourth team, likely the San Antonio Soul in the quest for the UBL Championship. The playoffs will be preceded by an exhibition game between the North Missouri Hawks and the Dallas Outlaws.

San Antonio is the likely choice to replace Oklahoma City who will be unable to participate. Many of the Hoopsters will be taking part in the NBDL tryouts, leaving the team short of players. While it would hve been great to have them in the playoffs, the UBL is proud of the Hoopsters who have the opportunity to advance their careers.

The first game is scheduled to tip off at 11:00 AM. For details, please call
210-566-7103 or 972-781-8120 or go to www.love4hoops.com.

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  UKRAINE   


Standings - Superleague
Superleague Standings
 1. BC Kyiv 21-1 
 2. Azovmash 18-4 
 3. Khimik 15-7 
 4. Polit.Lviv 14-8 
 5. Sumykhimpr. 13-9 
 6. Mykolaiv 9-12 
 7. Cherkasy 8-13 
 8. Dnipro 8-14 
 9. Kryvbasbasket 7-15 
 10. Budivelnyk 7-15 
 11. BC Odessa 7-15 
 12. Pulsar 4-18 


Budivelnyk - half an American team / Bosnian to Cherkasy / Vacations have ended - by Alexander Muzyka
- Budivelnyk continues to shock its fans believed the legendary team is a really Ukrainian one. Michael Chappell (205-F/G-78) joined American colony in Kyiv growing to the seven ones (note Slipenchuk played the season in USA, too). Duke and Michigan former played a long time in Australia and New-Zealand with the breaks for Portugal, Lebanon and Japan. Left Adelaide 36ers at December 2007.

- Cherkasy Monkeys announced Feliks Kojadinovic (197-G-79) from Marousi is in Ukraine. Bosnian shooting guard made 4,0 apg scoring 3,5 ppg in FIBA EuroCup last season.

- MBC Mykolaiv had first trainings with Oleksandr Raievskyi, Oleksi Beskov, Ivan Hilevych, Ihor Krivtsov, Maksym Shepil and Yevhen Bondarenko (206-C-84) (try-outs). Six more players of Mykolaiv are working with different NT's.

- Politekhnika-Halychyna is back from vacation at Aug. 1 for going to Slovakia. Lviv players will have camps outside of Ukraine because of their arena re-building for EuroCup Challenge games.

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  UNITED KINGDOM   


Martin is First Signing for Riders - by George Manousidis
Rob Paternostro has made his first signing as Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders head coach with the capture of American Matt Martin.

The 23-year-old, 6'0' guard, joins the Riders after four years at the University of Montana in America.

'Matt is multi-talented guard who over his four-year career at Montana was able to excel at both guard positions,' said Paternostro. 'I think he has the type of game our fans will really enjoy watching. Montana is a solid Division I team and he helped them reach the NCAA tournament twice.

'Everyone I spoke with had great things to say about his competitive nature, so I think he'll be a great fit for us. I'm looking forward to working with Matt both on and off the floor.'

Last season he averaged 11 points per game for the Grizzlies and he left the university as one of their all- time assist leaders. He also posted a career average of almost 38% in three-point shooting.

For his part, Martin, who also was a star American football quarterback in high school, is looking forward to coming to Leicester.

'I am really excited to have the opportunity to play professional basketball in the UK,' he said. 'It has been a dream of mine to play professionally and I am very happy for this opportunity.

'The Leicester Riders are an up and coming team in the BBL and I look forward to playing for Head Coach Rob Paternostro. Coach Paternostro is a player's coach, who will encourage the up-tempo style, which will fit my game perfectly. I look forward to helping the Riders become the best team possible.'

Paternostro is continuing to assemble his side ahead of the new season, with further announcements expected shortly. Riders are also finalising their pre- season plans with further details to be confirmed this week.
Matt Martin (188-G-85, college: Montana)

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  URUGUAY   


Carryl Dora, Donnovan Smith and Pop Thornton will play the LUB - by Hector Lopez
Darryl Dora (206-F-85, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Texas Tech) will be playing for Atenas during the Uruguayan League scheduled to start Aug. 18th, it was announced today by his new team. Also Sayago said they already inked Donnovan Brown (206-F-82). At the same time Cordon announced Isadore 'Pop' Thornton (201-F-74, college: W.Kentucky) as his new foreign player. Each one of the 14 teams playting the LUB championship has the possibility to ink two imort players. The LUB will finish at mid-march.



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Women News

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  AUSTRALIA - Women  


Jackson joins Australian National Team - by Eurobasket News
Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) is ready to help her Australian National Team that has good chances for the gold in the Olympics. The top player left her Seattle Storm in WNBA and started to prepare with her national team.
Without her the Storm posted their 7th straight win overcoming the Indiana Fever 65:59 away from home. The Fever got to a confident start of the game and enjoyed a 17-point advantage in the first half. But Seattle recovered after the long break. Sue Bird scored all her 11 points in the second half to pace the visitors to yet another impressive win. Sheryl Swoopes got more playing time after Lauren Jackson left to train with Australian National Team. She finished with 15 points and 6 boards for the winners. Camille Little nailed 13 points and 7 boards for the Storm. Tammy Sutton-Brown answered with 12 points and 7 boards for the Fever. Katie Douglas got 11 points as Indiana slipped to 10-11 record.
In the latest game the Storm needed Lauren Jackson as they had nothing to do with the Mystics. Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 22 points and Alana Beard tied a career-high with nine assists as the Washington Mystics, in their first game following a coaching change, snapped the Seattle Storm's seven-game winning streak with a shocking 89:57 win on Sunday.
Australian National team is heading to Beijing with just two changes in the roster since the history-making World Championship win in 2006. The team will consist of six Olympians in Lauren Jackson, Kristi Harrower, Penny Taylor, Belinda Snell, Suzy Batkovic and Laura Summerton and hope also for the other players.

The Gems post 2-1 record at the William Jones Cup - by Eurobasket News
Australian U18 National Team travelled to Taiwan to take part in the annual prestigious international tournament William Jones Cup. The Gems opened their action against Malaysia on Monday. Australian youngsters got to a brilliant start as they outscored their opponents 16:3 in the opening minutes. The Gems cruised later on building up a 42:24 lead at the interval. Dean Kinsman allowed the bench to log on some more minutes as the Gems eased to an overall 81:62 victory at the end. Caitlin Rowe (-91) led the charge with 12 points and 7 boards, while Elizabeth Cambage had 12 points and 5 boards. Tess Magden delivered 11 points and 6 boards in a win.
Next the Gems took on Korea. Australian Juniors once again dominated in the opening stanza to pile up a decent 24:17 advantage. They stretched the margin to 11 points in the second period and looked comfortable in front. The pressure mounted as the Gems raised the tempo in the third frame and extended the gap to 17 points. However Korea bounced back in the fourth period as they fired from downtown and narrowed the gap to just 4 points with under a minute remaining. But the Gems showed some iron nerves late in the game and pulled away with a 76:72 win. Elizabeth Cambage had 24 points and 10 boards to lead Australia. Tess Magden added 10 points in a win.
Today the Aussies faced hosting Chinese Taipei and failed to deliver coming up short 73:80. Taipei exploded with 29 points in the opening term and earned a 15-point lead. Australian team cut the deficit to 5 points with a quarter to go but Taipei stepped on the gas in the fourth stanza and ran away with an impressive 80:73 victory. Kate Gaze (172-G-90) secured 13 points for Australia. Kate Oliver notched 10 points and 6 boards, while Stephanie Cumming added 12 points in defeat. The Gems will face Korea tomorrow.

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  BELARUS - Women  


Belarus overcomes Italy in thriller - by Eurobasket News
Belarus U18 - Italy U18 62:58 (OT)

These are do-or-die games for the teams in the classification round. Four teams fight to avoid relegation into Division B at the European Championship in Slovakia at the moment. Today Belarus earned some more chances to stay as they defeated Italy in the dramatic clash that needed 45 minutes to decide on the winner. Italy jumped to an early lead as Federica Tognalini (183-F-91) nailed 7 points in a 13:3 run at the start of the encounter. Belarus however trimmed the deficit and trailed by just 4 points at the first intermission. Maryia Filonchyk (187-F-92)s trey early in the second frame gave Belarus their first lead of the game 21:20. Veranika Valeuskaya (169-G-91) followed it with 4 points in a row to put Belarus in the driving seat. Belarus remained in control and finished the first half up by 7. Fassina netted 10 points in the third frame as Italy remained at a striking distance as they trailed by 2 points heading into the final stanza. Federica Nannucci (170-G-91) quickly leveled teams at the start of the final quarter to set up a dogged fight over the final ten minutes of action. Italy were up by as many as 6 points with less than 4 minutes to go but Belarus bounced back. Karalina Padshyvalava (164-G-92) drained a big-time three-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in regulation to force the extra period. Italy looked shocked at the fact and failed to deliver a single point in overtime. Adamik and Padhyvalava thus sealed the winning outcome for Belarus with 4 points. Veranika Valeuskaya secured 16 points for Belarus. Karalina Padshyvalava, Katsiaryna Kashlei (166-G-90) and Maryia Filonchyk scored 10 points apiece for the winners. Alessandra Tava (184-F-91) answered with 14 points for Italy. Federica Tognalini contributed 12 points and 18 boards in defeat. Italy will face winless Croatia next. Belarus will take on Romania in the second game at the classification round.

Belarus U18: Veranika Valeuskaya 16, Karalina Padshyvalava 10, Katsiaryna Kashlei 10, Maryia Filonchyk 10
Italy U18: Alessandra Tava 14, Federica Tognalini 12+18 boards

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  BRAZIL - Women  


Brazilian National Team for Fiba Americas U18 Championships in Buenos Aires - by Kasia
#s#
#e#6


Lima


de Souza


Ferreira


Siqueira


Ribeiro
Cristiane Lima (192-F/C-91)
Fabiana de Souza (192-F/C-91)
Monica Nascimento (189-F/C-91)
Leidilania Ferreira (187-F/C-91)
Bruna Siqueira (182-F/C-90)
Leila Zabani (187-G/F-91)
Tatiane Nascimento (178-G/F-90)
Joseane Bazilio (177-G/F-91) of Botafogo Rio de Janeiro
Tassia Carcavali (175-G-92)
Patricia Ribeiro (175-G/F-90)
Taina da Paixao (170-G-91)
Debora da Costa (165-G-91)
Head Coach: Luiz Claudio Tarallo
Coach Assistant: Maria Ferreira

Santos shines in the Storm - by Eurobasket News

Kelly Santos (192-C-79) recorded 7 points for her Storm adding also 3 rebounds and 1 steal. Last night however the Storm had nothing to do with the Mystics. Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 22 points and Alana Beard tied a career-high with nine assists as the Washington Mystics, in their first game following a coaching change, snapped the Seattle Storm's seven-game winning streak with a shocking 89:57 win on Sunday.
Before that the Storm posted their 7th straight win overcoming the Indiana Fever 65:59 away from home. The Fever got to a confident start of the game and enjoyed a 17-point advantage in the first half. But Seattle recovered after the long break. Sue Bird scored all her 11 points in the second half to pace the visitors to yet another impressive win. Sheryl Swoopes got more playing time after Lauren Jackson left to train with Australian National Team. She finished with 15 points and 6 boards for the winners. Camille Little nailed 13 points and 7 boards for the Storm. Kelly Santos had 5 points showing 100% from the field. Tammy Sutton-Brown answered with 12 points and 7 boards for the Fever. Katie Douglas got 11 points as Indiana slipped to 10-11 record.

Kelly Santos improved her stats to 2.4 points per game. She also averages 0.6 rebounds and 0.1 assist.



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  BULGARIA - Women  


France stay undefeated - by Eurobasket News
France U18 - Bulgaria U18 90:44

French Junior Team earned their fourth straight success at the European Championship in Slovakia. They thrashed Bulgaria at the start of the qualifying round. France thus enjoy a 3-0 record on top of the Group F, while Bulgaria dropped to 0-3 record at the bottom of the ladder. Five players scored in double figures as France experienced no difficulties en route to a comfortable victory. France opened the game with a 17:0 run to drop any possible questions about the outcome. Bulgaria found themselves trailing 10:23 at the end of the first quarter. The second frame was tipped off with an 11:3 rally from French team as they cleared off to a 21-point distance. Bulgaria were stunned and fell behind by 22 at halftime. The long break brought little relief for Bulgarian team as France continued to dominate and piled up a 68:33 advantage at three quarter time. They cruised to an overall victory at the end. Allison Vernerey (191-C-91) led balanced offense with 14 points and 7 boards. Diandra Tchatchouang (187-F/C-91) added 13 points, while Laurie Datchy (175-G/F-90) secured 11 points in a winning effort. Stanislava Stankova (168-G-90) dropped 15 points for Bulgaria. Stefka Nikolova (170-G-90) had 8 points in a losing clause. France outrebounded their opponents 53:24 and forced Bulgaria to 24 turnovers down the stretch. France take on Spain, while Bulgaria face Sweden tomorrow.

France U18: Allison Vernerey 14, Diandra Tchatchouang 13, Laurie Datchy 11
Bulgaria U18: Stanislava Stankova 15, Stefka Nikolova 8

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  CANADA - Women  


Canada's Development Team is swept by China - by Eurobasket News
Canadian Development Team could not post a single victory in their three-game exhibition series against Chinese National Team in Asia. Yesterday the hosts completed the sweep of the series beating Canada 75:69. However the game showed a dramatic turnaround for Canadian team after a 40-point loss in the second game. This time Canada threw all they had and managed to challenge one of the Worlds basketball powerhouses. China opened the third game in a commanding manner and drove to a 24:16 advantage after the first frame. But Canada never allowed the home side to feel comfortable. The visitors finally won the frame as they outscored China 16:13 in the second period. China bounced back in the third quarter as they outgunned Canada 23:21 to enjoy a 7-point distance from the visiting side at three-quarter time. But Canadian Development Team kept it at a striking distance and managed to trim the deficit by one points at the end. Natalie Doma (191-C-86, agency: LBM Management) led the charge with 14 points and 9 boards. Vanessa Kabongo (175-G-89) had 13 points, while Kadie Riverin (175-G-86) and Miranda Ayim (190-F/C-88) secured 12 points apiece in defeat. The teams were well-matched on the boards with 35 caroms apiece. Canada converted 42% from the field and hit 6/6 from charity stripe. China sank just 38% of field goals but chipped in 20 freebies down the stretch.

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  CENTROBASKET - Women  


Stats leaders of Centrobasket 2008 - by Eurobasket News
Eurobasket is glad to present you the stats leaders of Centrobasket Championship 2008 which was held in Puerto Rico. Interesting that golden Cuba doesn't have any player on the list of Top 3 scorers.

Number one on the list with the top scorers belongs to Cynthia Valentin (173-G-84, agency: LBM Management, college: Indiana) of Puerto Rico. Velentin demonstrated wonderful performance during the entire event. Her team easily walked though Group A with score 3-0. At the semifinals Puerto Rico was too strong for Dominican Republic but they faced with strong Cubans in the final game.
Blanca Amado (-80) of Guatemala is the second scorer of the competition with 20.4 ppg. Her team ended it as a seventh ranked team registering two victories.
Third place is reserved for Patrice Edwards (198-C-84, college: Texas Tech), who netted 20 ppg. Her Trinidad & Tobago started the competition with 0-3 in Group B. However, Edwards and her teammates had much better performance in the classification rounds. They outplayed Barbados and later Guatemala grabbing the fifth position.

Top rebounder of Centorbasket 2008 is Jamila Griffith (183-G/F-82, college: Md-Eastern Shore) from Barbados with amazing 14.6 rpg. Costa Rican Liliana Lewis (-80) is on the second position having 9.6 rpg while exactly the same number had Marlen Cepeda (193-C-85) of Cuba.

Yahimilly Cabrera dished out the most assist on the championship, 9 apg. Oyanaisis Gelis (171-G-83) followed her with 7.2 apg while Arlenys Romero (176-G-84) had 6 apg.

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  CROATIA - Women  


Romania beats Croatia in the classification round in Nitra - by Eurobasket News
Romania U18 - Croatia U18 63:58

Romanian Junior National Team made the first step towards securing the spot in Division A of the European Championship. They defeated Croatia to celebrate the first victory in Slovakia and grabbed the lead in the classification round. Two teams that finish at the bottom of classification round group would be relegated into Division B. Romania notched a 10:0 run late in the first period to open a 16:9 lead. Croatia trailed 14:17 at the end of the first stanza. Elisabeth Pavel (192-C-90) kept Romania rolling with 6 straight points in the second frame. She completed her 12-point tally in the quarter and Romania enjoyed a 32:29 advantage at halftime. Romanian team posted an 11:2 run to open the third frame and stretched the gap to 12 points. Croatia answered with 7 unanswered points to stay in the race. Tea Buzov (172-G-90) and Cilic cut the deficit to 4 points with under 3 minutes remaining. Tea Buzov added 4 more points and dragged Croatia within 2 points with just over a minute left. However Andreea Pop (185-C-90) converted a three-point play and led Romania to the win at the end. Elisabeth Pavel knocked down 21 points to lead the charge. Alina Chivu (180-F-90) had 15 points and 11 boards, while Andreea Pop delivered 12 points and 7 boards for the winners. Tomica Bacic (182-F-90) answered with 17 points and 7 rebounds for Croatia. Josipa Zovko (186-F-90) nailed 12 points in a losing case.

Romania U18: Elisabeth Pavel 21, Alina Chivu 15+11 boards, Andreea Pop 12
Croatia U18: Tomica Bacic 17, Josipa Zovko 12

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  CZECH REPUBLIC - Women  


Spain needs overtime to edge Czech Republic in Vidnoje - by Eurobasket News
Spain - Czech Republic 66:63 (OT)

Spanish National team celebrated a thrilling victory over Czech Republic at the start of the international exhibition tournament in Vidnoje, Russia. Spain got 15 points for Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) to prevail against determined Czech Republic squad. Czechs played tightly throughout three starting quarters and seemed to be en route to a win. But a massive fourth term rally from Spain allowed them to force extra period. There Spaniards proved stronger and snatched a narrow victory at the end. Czech Republic dominated at the start and piled up a 20:15 advantage after the first frame. Spain failed to strike back in the second quarter and the gap was stretched to 6 points at the interval. Czech team did not loosen the grip and mounted an 8-point cushion heading into the fourth stanza. But eventually Spain recovered. They held their opponents to just 6 points in the final frame and managed to send the game into overtime. There Spaniards were just more accurate and pulled away with a narrow win. Elisa Aguilar (178-G-76, college: George Washington) scored 14 points in a winning case. Jana Vesela (194-F-83) answered with 11 points for Czech Republic. Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) nailed 9 points in defeat. Czech Republic will take on hosting Russia tonight. Spain will be opposed by Israel in another todays game.

Spain: Ana Montanana 15, Elisa Aguilar 14
Czech Republic: Jana Vesela 11, Eva Viteckova 9

Czech Republic upset Poland in Qualifying round - by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic U18 - Poland U18 91:58

Czech Republic Junior Team opened their Qualifying round campaign with win. They defeated Polish counterparts at the European Championship to topple qualifying Pool E. Polish team got to a flying start as they tipped off the encounter with an 11:0 run. However Hanusova and Bartonova scored 9 points to get Czech team back to life. Michaela Stara (172-G-90) and Renata Brezinova (189-C-90) capped the first period with 4 straight points and Czech Republic trailed by just one point at the first intermission. Pulpanova scored the first points of the second frame to give Czech Republic their first lead of the game. Czech team never loosened the grip and drove to a 45:40 advantage at halftime. Barbara Skowronek (189-F/C-90), Olivia Tomialowicz (182-G-90) and Sosnowska cut the deficit to a single point midway through the third stanza. But Czechs capped the frame with an 11:0 rally to make it 61:49 entering the final stanza. Behalova and Eva Skutilova (182-F-90) extended the advantage to 15 points early in the final stanza. Poland were done after a 19:0 run from Czech Republic midway through the term. Czechs built a massive 30-point advantage and never looked back again. Michaela Stara scored 12 points to pace Czech Republic. Eva Skutilova had 11 points, while Renata Brezinova and Karolina Elhotova (179-G-92) knocked down 10 points apiece in a win. Olivia Tomialowicz secured 21 points for Polish U18 Team. Skowronek had 8 points and 7 boards in defeat.

Czech Republic U18: Michaela Stara 12, Eva Skutilova 11, Renata Brezinova 10, Karolina Elhotova 10
Poland U18: Olivia Tomialowicz 21, Barbara Skowronek 8

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  D.R. CONGO - Women  


Ngoyisa is 11-11 with her Fever - by Eurobasket News
Bernadette Ngoyisa (195-C-82) played only 2 minutes for the Fever in the game over the Seattle Storm. The latter showed they can win without Lauren Jackson. The Storm posted their 7th straight win overcoming the Indiana Fever 65:59 away from home. The Fever got to a confident start of the game and enjoyed a 17-point advantage in the first half. But Seattle recovered after the long break. Sue Bird scored all her 11 points in the second half to pace the visitors to yet another impressive win. Sheryl Swoopes got more playing time after Lauren Jackson left to train with Australian National Team. She finished with 15 points and 6 boards for the winners. Camille Little nailed 13 points and 7 boards for the Storm. Tammy Sutton-Brown answered with 12 points and 7 boards for the Fever. Katie Douglas got 11 points as Indiana slipped to 10-11 record.
After that a rebound and an assist from Bernadette Ngoyisa helped the Fever over the New York Liberty in the WNBA's first outdoor game. On a basketball court laid on top of the tennis court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Katie Douglas scored nine of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, Tamika Catchings had 15 points and nine rebounds, and the Fever (11-11) beat the Liberty 71:55.

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  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U18 - Women  


Division A. Qualifying round Day 1 - by Eurobasket News
Group E
Czech Republic U18 - Poland U18 91:58
Czech Republic Junior Team opened their Qualifying round campaign with win. They defeated Polish counterparts at the European Championship to topple qualifying Pool E. Polish team got to a flying start as they tipped off the encounter with an 11:0 run. However Hanusova and Bartonova scored 9 points to get Czech team back to life. Michaela Stara (172-G-90) and Renata Brezinova (189-C-90) capped the first period with 4 straight points and Czech Republic trailed by just one point at the first intermission. Pulpanova scored the first points of the second frame to give Czech Republic their first lead of the game. Czech team never loosened the grip and drove to a 45:40 advantage at halftime. Barbara Skowronek (189-F/C-90), Olivia Tomialowicz (182-G-90) and Sosnowska cut the deficit to a single point midway through the third stanza. But Czechs capped the frame with an 11:0 rally to make it 61:49 entering the final stanza. Behalova and Eva Skutilova (182-F-90) extended the advantage to 15 points early in the final stanza. Poland were done after a 19:0 run from Czech Republic midway through the term. Czechs built a massive 30-point advantage and never looked back again. Michaela Stara scored 12 points to pace Czech Republic. Eva Skutilova had 11 points, while Renata Brezinova and Karolina Elhotova (179-G-92) knocked down 10 points apiece in a win. Olivia Tomialowicz secured 21 points for Polish U18 Team. Skowronek had 8 points and 7 boards in defeat.

Czech Republic U18: Michaela Stara 12, Eva Skutilova 11, Renata Brezinova 10, Karolina Elhotova 10
Poland U18: Olivia Tomialowicz 21, Barbara Skowronek 8


Slovakia U18 - Turkey U18 53:57
The European Championship in Slovakia reached the qualifying stage with 12 teams remaining in the race for the title. Slovakia and Turkey tipped off their qualifying round campaign earlier today. Slovakia suffered their second straight defeat at the tournament coming up short at the end. The hosts got to a better start of the game as they enjoyed an 8:2 lead early on. Turkey shaved the deficit a bit but still trailed 13:16 at the first intermission. Slovakia opened a double digit lead midway through the second quarter when Maria Felixova converted a layup. Veronika Cernakova (174-G-90) capped the half with a three-pointer and Slovak Republic maintained a 10-point buffer at the interval. But Turkey turned a different team after the long break. They cut the distance to 2 points at the end of the third stanza. The teams traded baskets throughout the final stanza. The tension grew high but Turkey got the best out of it. Ozge Yavas (169-G-91) converted a three-point play to pull Turkey up by 2. Later Tugce Canitez (188-F-90) and Ozge Yavas nailed 4 freebies to make it 55:49 fir Turkey with less than 2 minutes remaining. Veronika Cernakova hit a jumper but Saylar answered with her jump shot to ice Slovakian effort with under a minute left. Ozge Yavas chipped in 19 points to pace Turkey. Tugce Canitez produced 11 points and 11 boards for the winners. Veronika Cernakova had 19 points in defeat. Klaudia Lukacovicova (193-C-90) provided 15 points and 16 rebounds for Slovakia. The hosts will take on Lithuania, while Turkey will clash with Czech Republic tomorrow.

Slovakia U18: Veronika Cernakova 19, Klaudia Lukacovicova 15+16 boards
Turkey U18: Ozge Yavas 19, Tugce Canitez 11+11 boards, Gamze Takmaz (182-F-91) 10


Lithuania U18 - Ukraine U18 71:52
Lithuanian Junior National Team celebrated their fourth straight win at the European Championship in Slovakia. Today they tipped off their qualifying round campaign with a comprehensive victory over Ukraine. Marina Solopova (180-G-90) scored 16 points, collected 5 boards and dished out 4 assists to pace Lithuania. The win allowed Lithuanian team to stay at the helm of the qualifying Group E. Lithuania easily rolled to a 16:9 advantage at the first intermission. Marina Solopova and Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90) drained three-pointers to open a double digit lead early in the second frame. Ukraine could hardly match their opponents tempo and trailed by 24 points at halftime. Two triples from Marina Solopova at the start of the third stanza fueled another run from Lithuanian team as they easily kept Ukraine at bay. Zavidna and Hanna Yeremeychuk (178-G-90) fired from downtown midway through the fourth term and Ukraine trimmed the deficit to 13 points. Kristina Alminaite and Marina Solopova immediately answered with 5 points in a row to silence Ukrainian team. Aurime Rinkeviciute provided 12 points and 8 boards, while Giedre Paugaite (192-C-90) had 9 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Ol'ha Maznichenko (186-F-91) secured 18 points for Ukraine. Hanna Yeremeychuk nailed 10 points in defeat.
Ukraine plays against Poland, while Lithuania takes on hosting Slovakia tomorrow.

Lithuania U18: Marina Solopova 16, Aurime Rinkeviciute 12, Giedre Paugaite 9
Ukraine U18: Ol'ha Maznichenko 18, Hanna Yeremeychuk 10


Group F
Spain U18 - Serbia U18 76:64
Spanish U18 National Team toppled Serbian counterparts in what could-be called European Championship classics. The teams played in the last three finals of the event with Serbia winning two of them. However Spain avenged for the last years loss beating Serbia earlier today in the qualifying round matchup. The game turned out into a tight battle right from the start. The lead changed hands for several times in the opening stanza before Serbia capped it with a 10:0 run to claim a 19:13 lead. Sara Krnjic (193-C-91) converted a three-point play to tip off the second period and stretched the margin to 9 points. Leonor Rodriguez (177-G-91) scored 5 points late in the half and Spain trailed by 5 points at the interval 26:31. However they went out of the dressing room firing from all guns. Leonor Rodriguez and Vega Gimeno (183-F-91) teamed up for 8 points and Spain surged in front 34:31. Another impressive 9:0 run at the end of the third stanza allowed Spaniards to accumulate a 55:45 advantage before the fourth term. Jovana Popovic (173-G-90) and Nevena Jovanovic gave Serbian team hope as they trimmed the deficit to 6 points. Serbia later came as close as 4 points with just over 3 minutes remaining. But Spain withstood the effort. Miriam Bolivar, Leonor Rodriguez and Isabel Perez sealed the winning outcome for Spanish team at the end. Leonor Rodriguez led Spain with 17 points. Marta Xargay (180-G-90) had 13 points and 9 boards, while Vega Gimeno added 11 points and 10 boards for the winners. Jovana Popovic led all scorers with 20 points for Serbia. Sara Krnjic secured 14 points and 17 rebounds in a losing case.

Spain U18: Leonor Rodriguez 17, Marta Xargay 13, Vega Gimeno 11+10 boards
Serbia U18: Jovana Popovic 20, Sara Krnjic 14


Sweden U18 - Russia U18 65:56
Swedish Junior Team came up with the biggest surprise of the day when they knocked down previously undefeated Russia at the European Championship today. Cleopatra Forsman (180-G-91) nailed 26 points, dished out 4 assists and made 4 steals to propel Sweden to the second win at the tournament. Russia meanwhile suffered the initial loss at the competition and this one came pretty unexpectedly. The turning point of the encounter came in the third stanza when Cleopatra Forsman exploded with an impressive scoring outburst. She nailed 13 straight points for Sweden to turn a 4-point lead into a 13-point cushion before the final term. Russia were not done just yet. They kept their opponents scoreless for almost 8 starting minutes of the final stanza and cut the deficit to 4 points. But Danielle Hamilton Carter (187-C-90, college: Fayetteville) converted a three-point play and Forsman dropped jumper to seal the winning outcome for Sweden at the end. Danielle Hamilton Carter and Stefanie Yderstrom (172-G-90) secured 13 points apiece for the winners. Tatiana Petrushina (185-F-90) answered with 13 points for Russia. Anastasia Logunova (192-C-90) provided 10 points and 9 boards in a losing effort. Swedish team outrebounded their opponents 43:41, while both teams committed 16 turnovers. Russia accounted for only 1/15 three-pointers. They finished shooting just 34% from the field. Russia will take on reigning champions Serbia next. Sweden will look for more wins when they take on Bulgaria tomorrow.

Sweden U18: Cleopatra Forsman 26, Danielle Hamilton Carter 13, Stefanie Yderstrom 13
Russia U18: Tatiana Petrushina 13, Anastasia Logunova 10


France U18 - Bulgaria U18 90:44
French Junior Team earned their fourth straight success at the European Championship in Slovakia. They thrashed Bulgaria at the start of the qualifying round. France thus enjoy a 3-0 record on top of the Group F, while Bulgaria dropped to 0-3 record at the bottom of the ladder. Five players scored in double figures as France experienced no difficulties en route to a comfortable victory. France opened the game with a 17:0 run to drop any possible questions about the outcome. Bulgaria found themselves trailing 10:23 at the end of the first quarter. The second frame was tipped off with an 11:3 rally from French team as they cleared off to a 21-point distance. Bulgaria were stunned and fell behind by 22 at halftime. The long break brought little relief for Bulgarian team as France continued to dominate and piled up a 68:33 advantage at three quarter time. They cruised to an overall victory at the end. Allison Vernerey (191-C-91) led balanced offense with 14 points and 7 boards. Diandra Tchatchouang (187-F/C-91) added 13 points, while Laurie Datchy (175-G/F-90) secured 11 points in a winning effort. Stanislava Stankova (168-G-90) dropped 15 points for Bulgaria. Stefka Nikolova (170-G-90) had 8 points in a losing clause. France outrebounded their opponents 53:24 and forced Bulgaria to 24 turnovers down the stretch. France take on Spain, while Bulgaria face Sweden tomorrow.

France U18: Allison Vernerey 14, Diandra Tchatchouang 13, Laurie Datchy 11
Bulgaria U18: Stanislava Stankova 15, Stefka Nikolova 8


Classification round
Belarus U18 - Italy U18 62:58 (OT)
These are do-or-die games for the teams in the classification round. Four teams fight to avoid relegation into Division B at the European Championship in Slovakia at the moment. Today Belarus earned some more chances to stay as they defeated Italy in the dramatic clash that needed 45 minutes to decide on the winner. Italy jumped to an early lead as Federica Tognalini (183-F-91) nailed 7 points in a 13:3 run at the start of the encounter. Belarus however trimmed the deficit and trailed by just 4 points at the first intermission. Maryia Filonchyk (187-F-92)s trey early in the second frame gave Belarus their first lead of the game 21:20. Veranika Valeuskaya (169-G-91) followed it with 4 points in a row to put Belarus in the driving seat. Belarus remained in control and finished the first half up by 7. Fassina netted 10 points in the third frame as Italy remained at a striking distance as they trailed by 2 points heading into the final stanza. Federica Nannucci quickly leveled teams at the start of the final quarter to set up a dogged fight over the final ten minutes of action. Italy were up by as many as 6 points with less than 4 minutes to go but Belarus bounced back. Karalina Padshyvalava (164-G-92) drained a big-time three-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in regulation to force the extra period. Italy looked shocked at the fact and failed to deliver a single point in overtime. Adamik and Padhyvalava thus sealed the winning outcome for Belarus with 4 points. Veranika Valeuskaya secured 16 points for Belarus. Karalina Padshyvalava, Katsiaryna Kashlei (166-G-90) and Maryia Filonchyk scored 10 points apiece for the winners. Alessandra Tava (184-F-91) answered with 14 points for Italy. Federica Tognalini contributed 12 points and 18 boards in defeat. Italy will face winless Croatia next. Belarus will take on Romania in the second game at the classification round.

Belarus U18: Veranika Valeuskaya 16, Karalina Padshyvalava 10, Katsiaryna Kashlei 10, Maryia Filonchyk 10
Italy U18: Alessandra Tava 14, Federica Tognalini 12+18 boards


Romania U18 - Croatia U18 63:58
Romanian Junior National Team made the first step towards securing the spot in Division A of the European Championship. They defeated Croatia to celebrate the first victory in Slovakia and grabbed the lead in the classification round. Two teams that finish at the bottom of classification round group would be relegated into Division B. Romania notched a 10:0 run late in the first period to open a 16:9 lead. Croatia trailed 14:17 at the end of the first stanza. Elisabeth Pavel (192-C-90) kept Romania rolling with 6 straight points in the second frame. She completed her 12-point tally in the quarter and Romania enjoyed a 32:29 advantage at halftime. Romanian team posted an 11:2 run to open the third frame and stretched the gap to 12 points. Croatia answered with 7 unanswered points to stay in the race. Tea Buzov and Cilic cut the deficit to 4 points with under 3 minutes remaining. Tea Buzov added 4 more points and dragged Croatia within 2 points with just over a minute left. However Andreea Pop (185-C-90) converted a three-point play and led Romania to the win at the end. Elisabeth Pavel knocked down 21 points to lead the charge. Alina Chivu (180-F-90) had 15 points and 11 boards, while Andreea Pop delivered 12 points and 7 boards for the winners. Tomica Bacic (182-F-90) answered with 17 points and 7 rebounds for Croatia. Josipa Zovko (186-F-90) nailed 12 points in a losing case.

Romania U18: Elisabeth Pavel 21, Alina Chivu 15+11 boards, Andreea Pop 12
Croatia U18: Tomica Bacic 17, Josipa Zovko 12

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  FRANCE - Women  


France stay undefeated - by Eurobasket News
France U18 - Bulgaria U18 90:44

French Junior Team earned their fourth straight success at the European Championship in Slovakia. They thrashed Bulgaria at the start of the qualifying round. France thus enjoy a 3-0 record on top of the Group F, while Bulgaria dropped to 0-3 record at the bottom of the ladder. Five players scored in double figures as France experienced no difficulties en route to a comfortable victory. France opened the game with a 17:0 run to drop any possible questions about the outcome. Bulgaria found themselves trailing 10:23 at the end of the first quarter. The second frame was tipped off with an 11:3 rally from French team as they cleared off to a 21-point distance. Bulgaria were stunned and fell behind by 22 at halftime. The long break brought little relief for Bulgarian team as France continued to dominate and piled up a 68:33 advantage at three quarter time. They cruised to an overall victory at the end. Allison Vernerey (191-C-91) led balanced offense with 14 points and 7 boards. Diandra Tchatchouang (187-F/C-91) added 13 points, while Laurie Datchy (175-G/F-90) secured 11 points in a winning effort. Stanislava Stankova (168-G-90) dropped 15 points for Bulgaria. Stefka Nikolova (170-G-90) had 8 points in a losing clause. France outrebounded their opponents 53:24 and forced Bulgaria to 24 turnovers down the stretch. France take on Spain, while Bulgaria face Sweden tomorrow.

France U18: Allison Vernerey 14, Diandra Tchatchouang 13, Laurie Datchy 11
Bulgaria U18: Stanislava Stankova 15, Stefka Nikolova 8

Gruda breaks the 5-game losing streak - by Eurobasket News
Sandrine Gruda (192-F/C-87) and her Connecticut broke their 5-game losing streak as they held off Chicago 74:67 at home. Asjha Jones nailed 23 points to lead the Sun to the 14th win in the season. Lindsay Whalen provided 20 points, 8 boards and 6 assists for the winners. Armintie Price dropped 15 points for the Sky. Jones delivered 11 points in the final frame as Connecticut held on to win the game. The Sun was just one point up 64:63 with almost 4 minutes remaining in the game. But the Sky could not succeed. Amber Holt chipped in a three-pointer and then scored all of her 7 points of the game in the dying minutes to ensure the winning outcome for the home team. Sandrine Gruda collected 4 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in a win.
The Chicago Sky held off the Connecticut Sun 73:65 two days earlier to hand the 5th defeat in a row to the ailing Sun. Jia Perkins nailed 15 points to pace balanced offense in a win. Chasity Melvin secured 13 points, while Kristen Sharp delivered 12 points for the Sky. Asjha Jones netted 18 points for the Sun who slipped to 13-10 record. The Sky led comfortably by 13 points late in the third stanza. However Connecticut went on a 15:2 rally to cut the deficit. Later the visitors spurred ahead but Jia Perkins nailed two free throws to square things up 60. Kristen Sharp drained a three-pointer to carry the hosts in front. Jia Perkins and Kristen Sharp secured the winning effort in the dying seconds. Tamika Whitmore produced 13 points in defeat. Sandrine Gruda had a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

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  GERMANY - Women  


Saarlouis Royals land 2008 Daktronics DII Player of the Year Celeste Trahan - by Cornelius Damm
The departure of Julie Page and Desire Almind seemed to put DBBL runner-up TV 1872 Saarlouis into deep trouble, especially underneath the basket on both ends of the game. Now it looks like they eventually filled that gap in the best possible way as the Royals announced the signing of Celeste Trahan (188-C-85, agency: LBM Management). A three year All-American and four year All-Conference player and first women in NCAA II history to record more than 2000 points and 1500 rebounds overall the Elizabeth City State University graduate is expected to dominate in the paint. She amassed 84 career double-doubles in 109 career games; averaging a double-double for career of 19.7 points and 14.1 rebounds per game. Her senior stats show an impressive 23.7 PPG and 15.9 RPG while shooting .522 from the field and .747 from the foul line adding 2.1 BPG, 2.4 SPG and 1.4 APG. Furthermore she was named the conferences Defensive Player of the year showing that she's got the total package of offense and defense. With a GPA of 3.3 majoring in Education and so an All-Academic (District Third Team) as well Trahan also shows that she doesn't forget about the life besides basketball.

National Team: third game third loss - by Cornelius Damm
The last of three tests against neighbour France was lost just as well 44-63. Still head coach Imre Szittya sees these first games of the preparation period in a positive way. Until halftime the German squad was within reach at 28-31. In second half Szittya admitted that the team had to pay the price for the highly intense training camp he had put his girls through. The defense stayed on an acceptable level while the offense almost completely collapsed. We ran out of power Szittya tried to explain.

Sarah Austmann (evo NB Oberhausen, 1), Katja Bavendam (Botas Spor/Trkei), Anne Breitreiner (KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzow/Polen, 8), Annika Danckert (7), Magdalena von Geyr (TSV Wasserburg), Petra Glaeser (evo NB Oberhausen), Natalie Gohrke (BC Pharmaserv Marburg, dnp), Cornelia Janzon (BBV Leipzig, 7), Alexandra Mueller (BG Donau-Ries, 3), Lisa Koop (BC Pharmaserv Marburg, 9), Sabine Loewe (Basket Club Bolzano/Italien, 4), Lea Mersch (evo NB Oberhausen), and Dorothea Richter (10)

Thursday the team will head on to Turkey where they will participate in an international tournament. Alexandra Mueller will stay in Germany because tests at university are waiting for her home. Meanwhile Natalie Gohrke who sat out due to an injury on her hand she suffered in the game a day before is expected to be back on the team in Turkey. After the trip to the Bosporus the team will take on Slovakia for another test.

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  ISRAEL - Women  


Russia opens VTB Cup with win over Israel - by Eurobasket News
Russia - Israel 84:69

Russian National Team got to a winning start at the VTB Cup in Vidnoje, Russia. Russian team easily dealt with Israeli team in the first round of action. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) and Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) scored 18 points apiece to pace Russia to the win. Israel enjoyed a better start to the game as they outscored the hosts 18:17 in the opening frame. But soon the home team took over and rolled to a 5-point lead at halftime. The breakthrough for Russian team came in the third stanza. The hosts exploded with a 29:10 run to pile up an insurmountable 24-point advantage before the fourth term. Israel never said die and fought back to trim the distance to 14 points. But Russia never panicked and secured the winning outcome at the end. Marina Karpunina (180-F-84) scored 13 points for the winners. Svetlana Abrosimova (188-F-80, college: Connecticut), Tatiana Bokareva (191-C-86) and Irina Osipova (196-C-81) all nailed 6 points apiece in a win. Liron Cohen (173-G-82) answered with game-high 25 points for Israel. Liad Suez-Karni (191-F/C-81, college: Villanova) dropped 18 points in defeat. Isreal will take Spain, while Russia will face Czech Republic today.

Russia: Tatiana Shchegoleva 18, Maria Stepanova 18, Marina Karpunina 13
Israel: Liron Cohen 25, Liad Suez-Karni 18

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  ITALY - Women  


Belarus overcomes Italy in thriller - by Eurobasket News
Belarus U18 - Italy U18 62:58 (OT)

These are do-or-die games for the teams in the classification round. Four teams fight to avoid relegation into Division B at the European Championship in Slovakia at the moment. Today Belarus earned some more chances to stay as they defeated Italy in the dramatic clash that needed 45 minutes to decide on the winner. Italy jumped to an early lead as Federica Tognalini (183-F-91) nailed 7 points in a 13:3 run at the start of the encounter. Belarus however trimmed the deficit and trailed by just 4 points at the first intermission. Maryia Filonchyk (187-F-92)s trey early in the second frame gave Belarus their first lead of the game 21:20. Veranika Valeuskaya (169-G-91) followed it with 4 points in a row to put Belarus in the driving seat. Belarus remained in control and finished the first half up by 7. Fassina netted 10 points in the third frame as Italy remained at a striking distance as they trailed by 2 points heading into the final stanza. Federica Nannucci (170-G-91) quickly leveled teams at the start of the final quarter to set up a dogged fight over the final ten minutes of action. Italy were up by as many as 6 points with less than 4 minutes to go but Belarus bounced back. Karalina Padshyvalava (164-G-92) drained a big-time three-pointer with 2 seconds remaining in regulation to force the extra period. Italy looked shocked at the fact and failed to deliver a single point in overtime. Adamik and Padhyvalava thus sealed the winning outcome for Belarus with 4 points. Veranika Valeuskaya secured 16 points for Belarus. Karalina Padshyvalava, Katsiaryna Kashlei (166-G-90) and Maryia Filonchyk scored 10 points apiece for the winners. Alessandra Tava (184-F-91) answered with 14 points for Italy. Federica Tognalini contributed 12 points and 18 boards in defeat. Italy will face winless Croatia next. Belarus will take on Romania in the second game at the classification round.

Belarus U18: Veranika Valeuskaya 16, Karalina Padshyvalava 10, Katsiaryna Kashlei 10, Maryia Filonchyk 10
Italy U18: Alessandra Tava 14, Federica Tognalini 12+18 boards

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  LITHUANIA - Women  


Lithuania holds off Ukraine to remain on top of Group E in Nitra - by Eurobasket News
Lithuania U18 - Ukraine U18 71:52

Lithuanian Junior National Team celebrated their fourth straight win at the European Championship in Slovakia. Today they tipped off their qualifying round campaign with a comprehensive victory over Ukraine. Marina Solopova (180-G-90) scored 16 points, collected 5 boards and dished out 4 assists to pace Lithuania. The win allowed Lithuanian team to stay at the helm of the qualifying Group E. Lithuania easily rolled to a 16:9 advantage at the first intermission. Marina Solopova and Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90) drained three-pointers to open a double digit lead early in the second frame. Ukraine could hardly match their opponents tempo and trailed by 24 points at halftime. Two triples from Marina Solopova at the start of the third stanza fueled another run from Lithuanian team as they easily kept Ukraine at bay. Zavidna and Hanna Yeremeychuk (178-G-90) fired from downtown midway through the fourth term and Ukraine trimmed the deficit to 13 points. Kristina Alminaite (204-C-90) and Marina Solopova immediately answered with 5 points in a row to silence Ukrainian team. Aurime Rinkeviciute provided 12 points and 8 boards, while Giedre Paugaite (192-C-90) had 9 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Ol'ha Maznichenko (186-F-91) secured 18 points for Ukraine. Hanna Yeremeychuk nailed 10 points in defeat.
Ukraine plays against Poland, while Lithuania takes on hosting Slovakia tomorrow.

Lithuania U18: Marina Solopova 16, Aurime Rinkeviciute 12, Giedre Paugaite 9
Ukraine U18: Ol'ha Maznichenko 18, Hanna Yeremeychuk 10

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  MALI - Women  


Mali loses two friendlies in Europe - by Eurobasket News
Mali National Team travelled to Europe to play several friendlies as part of the build-up for the upcoming Olympic Games. First they took on Spanish team and put up a worthy fight before falling short at the end. Kadiatou Kanoute (-F) and Fatoumata Bagayoko (-G-88) carried Mali in front early in the game. However Spaniards eventually drew things level and spurred ahead 17:16 after the starting frame. But the African powerhouse stayed in the race and paced by Nare Diawara (198-C-83, college: Virginia Tech), Tireira and Sissoko built a 26:25 lead at halftime. Spain used back-to-back triples from Elisa Aguilar (178-G-76, college: George Washington) to fuel a 12:1 rally and enjoy a 46:40 advantage at three-quarter time. Spain wisely kept Mali at bay throughout the fourth term and celebrated a 66:55 win at the end. Laia Palau (178-G/F-79) had 13 points for the hosts. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) and Elisa Aguilar contributed 12 points apiece in a win. Nare Diawara led all scorers with 18 points. Sissoko provided 10 points in defeat.
Later in the week Mali took on Canada in France. Canada dominated throughout the action and piled up a 35:24 lead at halftime. Mali never rebounded and suffered their second loss 49:72.

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  PARAGUAY - Women  


Insfran goes to USA - by Gianni Pascucci
Sol de America player Tamara Insfran (-F) agreed to play the next four seasons in Cumberland University, in Lebanon, Tennesse, USA. The Cumberland Lady Bulldogs team is one of the highest ranked in NAIA and hope to receive a big boost from Insfran, who is a Team Paraguay member starting from 2005.

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  POLAND - Women  


Czech Republic upset Poland in Qualifying round - by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic U18 - Poland U18 91:58

Czech Republic Junior Team opened their Qualifying round campaign with win. They defeated Polish counterparts at the European Championship to topple qualifying Pool E. Polish team got to a flying start as they tipped off the encounter with an 11:0 run. However Hanusova and Bartonova scored 9 points to get Czech team back to life. Michaela Stara (172-G-90) and Renata Brezinova (189-C-90) capped the first period with 4 straight points and Czech Republic trailed by just one point at the first intermission. Pulpanova scored the first points of the second frame to give Czech Republic their first lead of the game. Czech team never loosened the grip and drove to a 45:40 advantage at halftime. Barbara Skowronek (189-F/C-90), Olivia Tomialowicz (182-G-90) and Sosnowska cut the deficit to a single point midway through the third stanza. But Czechs capped the frame with an 11:0 rally to make it 61:49 entering the final stanza. Behalova and Eva Skutilova (182-F-90) extended the advantage to 15 points early in the final stanza. Poland were done after a 19:0 run from Czech Republic midway through the term. Czechs built a massive 30-point advantage and never looked back again. Michaela Stara scored 12 points to pace Czech Republic. Eva Skutilova had 11 points, while Renata Brezinova and Karolina Elhotova (179-G-92) knocked down 10 points apiece in a win. Olivia Tomialowicz secured 21 points for Polish U18 Team. Skowronek had 8 points and 7 boards in defeat.

Czech Republic U18: Michaela Stara 12, Eva Skutilova 11, Renata Brezinova 10, Karolina Elhotova 10
Poland U18: Olivia Tomialowicz 21, Barbara Skowronek 8

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  PORTUGAL - Women  


Patricia's team sends Detroit to the first home loss - by Eurobasket News
Patricia Penicheiro (180-G-74, college: ODU) together with Sacramento showed balanced offensive effort at the Palace of Auburn Hills to send the Detroit Shock to the first home loss in the season. Five Monarchs scored in double figures as Sacramento prevailed 88:85. The Monarchs enjoyed a 9-point lead after three quarters of action. But Detroit recovered in the fourth term. The hosts went on an 8:0 run midway through the period to surge ahead 80:79 with just over 2 minutes remaining. Sacramento however regained the lead and cleared off to an 86:82 distance with 18 seconds left. Deanna Nolan gave hope for the Shock as she drained a three-pointer. Nicolle Powell answered with two freebies and Deanna Nolan missed a potential tying trey to seal the winning outcome for the visitors. Rebekkah Brunson notched 18 points and 7 boards to pace the Monarchs. Patricia Penicheiro added 17 points, while Kara Lawson and Crystal Kelly had 12 points apiece in a win. Deanna Nolan led all scorers with 27 points for Detroit. Cheryl Ford secured 18 points and 10 rebounds in defeat.
Before that Crystal Kelly scored 15 points for the Monarchs, who held off the Atlanta Dream on Friday night for a 77:73 victory and moved into fourth place in the Western Conference where the top four teams make the playoffs. Patricia Penicheiro ended up with 6 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals.

Portugal under16 and 18 results - by Bruno Baltazar
The Espinho International Tournament had the final games in the past Sunday .
The under16 team of Portugal played against the under18 of Portugal in a good matchup,players with difference of 2 years old,it was a close game and the defensive zone putted by the under18 team created many problems to the under16 team,at the half the under18 was leading 14-17 and the final result 32-49 ,a game that didnt counted many points for both teams and the biggest difference was made in the final seconds.

Note:It was a shame that Romania under18 team could not be in this tournament because it would put up the quality of this tournament it for sure.

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  ROMANIA - Women  


Romania beats Croatia in the classification round in Nitra - by Eurobasket News
Romania U18 - Croatia U18 63:58

Romanian Junior National Team made the first step towards securing the spot in Division A of the European Championship. They defeated Croatia to celebrate the first victory in Slovakia and grabbed the lead in the classification round. Two teams that finish at the bottom of classification round group would be relegated into Division B. Romania notched a 10:0 run late in the first period to open a 16:9 lead. Croatia trailed 14:17 at the end of the first stanza. Elisabeth Pavel (192-C-90) kept Romania rolling with 6 straight points in the second frame. She completed her 12-point tally in the quarter and Romania enjoyed a 32:29 advantage at halftime. Romanian team posted an 11:2 run to open the third frame and stretched the gap to 12 points. Croatia answered with 7 unanswered points to stay in the race. Tea Buzov (172-G-90) and Cilic cut the deficit to 4 points with under 3 minutes remaining. Tea Buzov added 4 more points and dragged Croatia within 2 points with just over a minute left. However Andreea Pop (185-C-90) converted a three-point play and led Romania to the win at the end. Elisabeth Pavel knocked down 21 points to lead the charge. Alina Chivu (180-F-90) had 15 points and 11 boards, while Andreea Pop delivered 12 points and 7 boards for the winners. Tomica Bacic (182-F-90) answered with 17 points and 7 rebounds for Croatia. Josipa Zovko (186-F-90) nailed 12 points in a losing case.

Romania U18: Elisabeth Pavel 21, Alina Chivu 15+11 boards, Andreea Pop 12
Croatia U18: Tomica Bacic 17, Josipa Zovko 12

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  RUSSIA - Women  


Russia opens VTB Cup with win over Israel - by Eurobasket News
Russia - Israel 84:69

Russian National Team got to a winning start at the VTB Cup in Vidnoje, Russia. Russian team easily dealt with Israeli team in the first round of action. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) and Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) scored 18 points apiece to pace Russia to the win. Israel enjoyed a better start to the game as they outscored the hosts 18:17 in the opening frame. But soon the home team took over and rolled to a 5-point lead at halftime. The breakthrough for Russian team came in the third stanza. The hosts exploded with a 29:10 run to pile up an insurmountable 24-point advantage before the fourth term. Israel never said die and fought back to trim the distance to 14 points. But Russia never panicked and secured the winning outcome at the end. Marina Karpunina (180-F-84) scored 13 points for the winners. Svetlana Abrosimova (188-F-80, college: Connecticut), Tatiana Bokareva (191-C-86) and Irina Osipova (196-C-81) all nailed 6 points apiece in a win. Liron Cohen (173-G-82) answered with game-high 25 points for Israel. Liad Suez-Karni (191-F/C-81, college: Villanova) dropped 18 points in defeat. Isreal will take Spain, while Russia will face Czech Republic today.

Russia: Tatiana Shchegoleva 18, Maria Stepanova 18, Marina Karpunina 13
Israel: Liron Cohen 25, Liad Suez-Karni 18

Sweden outwit Russia at the start of the qualifying round - by Eurobasket News
Sweden U18 - Russia U18 65:56

Swedish Junior Team came up with the biggest surprise of the day when they knocked down previously undefeated Russia at the European Championship today. Cleopatra Forsman (180-G-91) nailed 26 points, dished out 4 assists and made 4 steals to propel Sweden to the second win at the tournament. Russia meanwhile suffered the initial loss at the competition and this one came pretty unexpectedly. The turning point of the encounter came in the third stanza when Cleopatra Forsman exploded with an impressive scoring outburst. She nailed 13 straight points for Sweden to turn a 4-point lead into a 13-point cushion before the final term. Russia were not done just yet. They kept their opponents scoreless for almost 8 starting minutes of the final stanza and cut the deficit to 4 points. But Danielle Hamilton Carter (187-C-90, college: Fayetteville) converted a three-point play and Forsman dropped jumper to seal the winning outcome for Sweden at the end. Danielle Hamilton Carter and Stefanie Yderstrom (172-G-90) secured 13 points apiece for the winners. Tatiana Petrushina (185-F-90) answered with 13 points for Russia. Anastasia Logunova (192-C-90) provided 10 points and 9 boards in a losing effort. Swedish team outrebounded their opponents 43:41, while both teams committed 16 turnovers. Russia accounted for only 1/15 three-pointers. They finished shooting just 34% from the field. Russia will take on reigning champions Serbia next. Sweden will look for more wins when they take on Bulgaria tomorrow.

Sweden U18: Cleopatra Forsman 26, Danielle Hamilton Carter 13, Stefanie Yderstrom 13
Russia U18: Tatiana Petrushina 13, Anastasia Logunova 10

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  SERBIA - Women  


Spain shoots down Serbia in Nitra - by Eurobasket News
Spain U18 - Serbia U18 76:64

Spanish U18 National Team toppled Serbian counterparts in what could-be called European Championship classics. The teams played in the last three finals of the event with Serbia winning two of them. However Spain avenged for the last years loss beating Serbia earlier today in the qualifying round matchup. The game turned out into a tight battle right from the start. The lead changed hands for several times in the opening stanza before Serbia capped it with a 10:0 run to claim a 19:13 lead. Sara Krnjic (193-C-91) converted a three-point play to tip off the second period and stretched the margin to 9 points. Leonor Rodriguez (177-G-91) scored 5 points late in the half and Spain trailed by 5 points at the interval 26:31. However they went out of the dressing room firing from all guns. Leonor Rodriguez and Vega Gimeno (183-F-91) teamed up for 8 points and Spain surged in front 34:31. Another impressive 9:0 run at the end of the third stanza allowed Spaniards to accumulate a 55:45 advantage before the fourth term. Jovana Popovic (173-G-90) and Nevena Jovanovic (179-G-90) gave Serbian team hope as they trimmed the deficit to 6 points. Serbia later came as close as 4 points with just over 3 minutes remaining. But Spain withstood the effort. Miriam Bolivar (188-C-90), Leonor Rodriguez and Isabel Perez (184-F-90) sealed the winning outcome for Spanish team at the end. Leonor Rodriguez led Spain with 17 points. Marta Xargay (180-G-90) had 13 points and 9 boards, while Vega Gimeno added 11 points and 10 boards for the winners. Jovana Popovic led all scorers with 20 points for Serbia. Sara Krnjic secured 14 points and 17 rebounds in a losing case.

Spain U18: Leonor Rodriguez 17, Marta Xargay 13, Vega Gimeno 11+10 boards
Serbia U18: Jovana Popovic 20, Sara Krnjic 14

Coach Antonic and three more U20 players continue with senior National Team - by Dragan Jankovski
Serbian U20 National Team returned from the European Championship celebrating a Bronze. It is not a medal which all players as well as the head coach Jovica Antonic wanted but however it is a pretty nice success. As a reminder U20 Serbia suffered defeat in the semifinals against Russia. In the battle for third place ex European championship blasted Spain 73-46.

After arrival to Belgrade's airport, coach Antonic immediately joined preparations of Serbian senior National Team. Interesting is that Sonja Petrovic (189-F-89), Jelena Milovanovic (191-F/C-89) and Maja Miljkovic (176-G-88) will also continue to practice with the seniors. As a part of preparation for Eurobasket 2009 qualifications Serbia will played couple of friendly games. Their first destinations is Turkey where Serbia will take on the host team, Belgium and France. After these three games Serbia will play another one against Turkey. As soon as they return to Belgrade, Montenegrins and Macedonians will wait them for a friendlies.
Rivals of the Team Serbia on Eurobasket 2009 qualifications will be Bulgaria, Greece and Belgium. First game is scheduled for August 27th and it will be played in the city of Nis.

In the meantime U20 as well as a senior NT head coach Jovica Antonic agreed terms with Crvena Zvezda. The team has a plan to stop total domination of Hemofarm STADA in the near future.


NATIONAL TEAM OF SERBIA
Marija Eric
Tamara Radocaj
Maja Miljkovic
Danijela Rizvic
Miljana Musovic
Sonja Petrovic
Andrijana Knezevic
Ines Kresovic
Jelena Milovanovic
Zorica Mitov
Jovana Rad
Dara Kovacevic
Ana Perovic
Jela Vidacic

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  SLOVAKIA - Women  


Turkish Junior National Team victorious against Slovakia - by Eurobasket News
Slovakia U18 - Turkey U18 53:57

The European Championship in Slovakia reached the qualifying stage with 12 teams remaining in the race for the title. Slovakia and Turkey tipped off their qualifying round campaign earlier today. Slovakia suffered their second straight defeat at the tournament coming up short at the end. The hosts got to a better start of the game as they enjoyed an 8:2 lead early on. Turkey shaved the deficit a bit but still trailed 13:16 at the first intermission. Slovakia opened a double digit lead midway through the second quarter when Maria Felixova (190-C-90) converted a layup. Veronika Cernakova (174-G-90) capped the half with a three-pointer and Slovak Republic maintained a 10-point buffer at the interval. But Turkey turned a different team after the long break. They cut the distance to 2 points at the end of the third stanza. The teams traded baskets throughout the final stanza. The tension grew high but Turkey got the best out of it. Ozge Yavas (169-G-91) converted a three-point play to pull Turkey up by 2. Later Tugce Canitez (188-F-90) and Ozge Yavas nailed 4 freebies to make it 55:49 fir Turkey with less than 2 minutes remaining. Veronika Cernakova hit a jumper but Saylar answered with her jump shot to ice Slovakian effort with under a minute left. Ozge Yavas chipped in 19 points to pace Turkey. Tugce Canitez produced 11 points and 11 boards for the winners. Veronika Cernakova had 19 points in defeat. Klaudia Lukacovicova (193-C-90) provided 15 points and 16 rebounds for Slovakia. The hosts will take on Lithuania, while Turkey will clash with Czech Republic tomorrow.

Slovakia U18: Veronika Cernakova 19, Klaudia Lukacovicova 15+16 boards
Turkey U18: Ozge Yavas 19, Tugce Canitez 11+11 boards, Gamze Takmaz (182-F-91) 10

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  SPAIN - Women  


Spain shoots down Serbia in Nitra - by Eurobasket News
Spain U18 - Serbia U18 76:64

Spanish U18 National Team toppled Serbian counterparts in what could-be called European Championship classics. The teams played in the last three finals of the event with Serbia winning two of them. However Spain avenged for the last years loss beating Serbia earlier today in the qualifying round matchup. The game turned out into a tight battle right from the start. The lead changed hands for several times in the opening stanza before Serbia capped it with a 10:0 run to claim a 19:13 lead. Sara Krnjic (193-C-91) converted a three-point play to tip off the second period and stretched the margin to 9 points. Leonor Rodriguez (177-G-91) scored 5 points late in the half and Spain trailed by 5 points at the interval 26:31. However they went out of the dressing room firing from all guns. Leonor Rodriguez and Vega Gimeno (183-F-91) teamed up for 8 points and Spain surged in front 34:31. Another impressive 9:0 run at the end of the third stanza allowed Spaniards to accumulate a 55:45 advantage before the fourth term. Jovana Popovic (173-G-90) and Nevena Jovanovic (179-G-90) gave Serbian team hope as they trimmed the deficit to 6 points. Serbia later came as close as 4 points with just over 3 minutes remaining. But Spain withstood the effort. Miriam Bolivar (188-C-90), Leonor Rodriguez and Isabel Perez (184-F-90) sealed the winning outcome for Spanish team at the end. Leonor Rodriguez led Spain with 17 points. Marta Xargay (180-G-90) had 13 points and 9 boards, while Vega Gimeno added 11 points and 10 boards for the winners. Jovana Popovic led all scorers with 20 points for Serbia. Sara Krnjic secured 14 points and 17 rebounds in a losing case.

Spain U18: Leonor Rodriguez 17, Marta Xargay 13, Vega Gimeno 11+10 boards
Serbia U18: Jovana Popovic 20, Sara Krnjic 14

Spain needs overtime to edge Czech Republic in Vidnoje - by Eurobasket News
Spain - Czech Republic 66:63 (OT)

Spanish National team celebrated a thrilling victory over Czech Republic at the start of the international exhibition tournament in Vidnoje, Russia. Spain got 15 points for Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) to prevail against determined Czech Republic squad. Czechs played tightly throughout three starting quarters and seemed to be en route to a win. But a massive fourth term rally from Spain allowed them to force extra period. There Spaniards proved stronger and snatched a narrow victory at the end. Czech Republic dominated at the start and piled up a 20:15 advantage after the first frame. Spain failed to strike back in the second quarter and the gap was stretched to 6 points at the interval. Czech team did not loosen the grip and mounted an 8-point cushion heading into the fourth stanza. But eventually Spain recovered. They held their opponents to just 6 points in the final frame and managed to send the game into overtime. There Spaniards were just more accurate and pulled away with a narrow win. Elisa Aguilar (178-G-76, college: George Washington) scored 14 points in a winning case. Jana Vesela (194-F-83) answered with 11 points for Czech Republic. Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) nailed 9 points in defeat. Czech Republic will take on hosting Russia tonight. Spain will be opposed by Israel in another todays game.

Spain: Ana Montanana 15, Elisa Aguilar 14
Czech Republic: Jana Vesela 11, Eva Viteckova 9

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  SWEDEN - Women  


Sweden outwit Russia at the start of the qualifying round - by Eurobasket News
Sweden U18 - Russia U18 65:56

Swedish Junior Team came up with the biggest surprise of the day when they knocked down previously undefeated Russia at the European Championship today. Cleopatra Forsman (180-G-91) nailed 26 points, dished out 4 assists and made 4 steals to propel Sweden to the second win at the tournament. Russia meanwhile suffered the initial loss at the competition and this one came pretty unexpectedly. The turning point of the encounter came in the third stanza when Cleopatra Forsman exploded with an impressive scoring outburst. She nailed 13 straight points for Sweden to turn a 4-point lead into a 13-point cushion before the final term. Russia were not done just yet. They kept their opponents scoreless for almost 8 starting minutes of the final stanza and cut the deficit to 4 points. But Danielle Hamilton Carter (187-C-90, college: Fayetteville) converted a three-point play and Forsman dropped jumper to seal the winning outcome for Sweden at the end. Danielle Hamilton Carter and Stefanie Yderstrom (172-G-90) secured 13 points apiece for the winners. Tatiana Petrushina (185-F-90) answered with 13 points for Russia. Anastasia Logunova (192-C-90) provided 10 points and 9 boards in a losing effort. Swedish team outrebounded their opponents 43:41, while both teams committed 16 turnovers. Russia accounted for only 1/15 three-pointers. They finished shooting just 34% from the field. Russia will take on reigning champions Serbia next. Sweden will look for more wins when they take on Bulgaria tomorrow.

Sweden U18: Cleopatra Forsman 26, Danielle Hamilton Carter 13, Stefanie Yderstrom 13
Russia U18: Tatiana Petrushina 13, Anastasia Logunova 10

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  TURKEY - Women  


Turkish Junior National Team victorious against Slovakia - by Eurobasket News
Slovakia U18 - Turkey U18 53:57

The European Championship in Slovakia reached the qualifying stage with 12 teams remaining in the race for the title. Slovakia and Turkey tipped off their qualifying round campaign earlier today. Slovakia suffered their second straight defeat at the tournament coming up short at the end. The hosts got to a better start of the game as they enjoyed an 8:2 lead early on. Turkey shaved the deficit a bit but still trailed 13:16 at the first intermission. Slovakia opened a double digit lead midway through the second quarter when Maria Felixova (190-C-90) converted a layup. Veronika Cernakova (174-G-90) capped the half with a three-pointer and Slovak Republic maintained a 10-point buffer at the interval. But Turkey turned a different team after the long break. They cut the distance to 2 points at the end of the third stanza. The teams traded baskets throughout the final stanza. The tension grew high but Turkey got the best out of it. Ozge Yavas (169-G-91) converted a three-point play to pull Turkey up by 2. Later Tugce Canitez (188-F-90) and Ozge Yavas nailed 4 freebies to make it 55:49 fir Turkey with less than 2 minutes remaining. Veronika Cernakova hit a jumper but Saylar answered with her jump shot to ice Slovakian effort with under a minute left. Ozge Yavas chipped in 19 points to pace Turkey. Tugce Canitez produced 11 points and 11 boards for the winners. Veronika Cernakova had 19 points in defeat. Klaudia Lukacovicova (193-C-90) provided 15 points and 16 rebounds for Slovakia. The hosts will take on Lithuania, while Turkey will clash with Czech Republic tomorrow.

Slovakia U18: Veronika Cernakova 19, Klaudia Lukacovicova 15+16 boards
Turkey U18: Ozge Yavas 19, Tugce Canitez 11+11 boards, Gamze Takmaz (182-F-91) 10

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  UKRAINE - Women  


Lithuania holds off Ukraine to remain on top of Group E in Nitra - by Eurobasket News
Lithuania U18 - Ukraine U18 71:52

Lithuanian Junior National Team celebrated their fourth straight win at the European Championship in Slovakia. Today they tipped off their qualifying round campaign with a comprehensive victory over Ukraine. Marina Solopova (180-G-90) scored 16 points, collected 5 boards and dished out 4 assists to pace Lithuania. The win allowed Lithuanian team to stay at the helm of the qualifying Group E. Lithuania easily rolled to a 16:9 advantage at the first intermission. Marina Solopova and Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90) drained three-pointers to open a double digit lead early in the second frame. Ukraine could hardly match their opponents tempo and trailed by 24 points at halftime. Two triples from Marina Solopova at the start of the third stanza fueled another run from Lithuanian team as they easily kept Ukraine at bay. Zavidna and Hanna Yeremeychuk (178-G-90) fired from downtown midway through the fourth term and Ukraine trimmed the deficit to 13 points. Kristina Alminaite (204-C-90) and Marina Solopova immediately answered with 5 points in a row to silence Ukrainian team. Aurime Rinkeviciute provided 12 points and 8 boards, while Giedre Paugaite (192-C-90) had 9 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Ol'ha Maznichenko (186-F-91) secured 18 points for Ukraine. Hanna Yeremeychuk nailed 10 points in defeat.
Ukraine plays against Poland, while Lithuania takes on hosting Slovakia tomorrow.

Lithuania U18: Marina Solopova 16, Aurime Rinkeviciute 12, Giedre Paugaite 9
Ukraine U18: Ol'ha Maznichenko 18, Hanna Yeremeychuk 10

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  WNBA - Women  


Punches fly in the Sparks win over the Shock - by Eurobasket News
The Los Angeles Sparks sent the Detroit Shock to the second straight home loss yesterday. Candace Parker (6'4''-F/C-86, college: Tennessee) scored 21 points and the Sparks held off Detroit 84:81 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Los Angeles got to a terrific start to the game as they piled up a 42:21 lead in the second period. But the hosts struck back denying the deficit. They came as close as a single point 75:76 with less than 2 minutes remaining. Marie Ferdinand-Harris knocked down 4 free throws and Kiesha Brown (5'11''-G-79, college: Georgia) added two more in the dying minutes to seal the win for the Sparks. However the most talked event of the game happened with seconds left in regulation. First Candace Parker got into some kind of a wrangle with Cheryl Ford (6'3''-F/C-81, college: Louisiana Tech). In the next possession Kiesha Brown got into charity stripe and sank both free throws while Candace Parker got into brawl with Plenette Pierson (6'2''-F/C-81, college: Texas Tech) as she punched her while Pierson responded running into the Sparks rookie sparking a skirmish on the court. As a result Candace Parker, Plenette Pierson and Delisha Milton-Jones (6'1''-F-74, college: Florida) got ejected together with Detroits assistant coach Rick Mahorn who appeared in the middle of the brawl.
In the meantime there was some peaceful action around the league yesterday. Houston battled back from a double-digit deficit to topple Phoenix at home. The Mercury led 52:43 at halftime and stretched the gap to 11 points in the third stanza but the Comets recovered. They opened the final stanza on a 10:4 run to surge in front and maintained it till the final buzzer. Tina Thompson (6'2''-F-75, agency: Merit Sports, college: USC) had 19 points and 7 rebounds for the Comets. Michelle Snow (6'5''-C-80, agency: Merit Sports, college: Tennessee) contributed 16 points, while Matee Ajavon had 12 points in a win. Diana Taurasi (6'0''-G-82, college: Connecticut) paced the Mercury with 31 points. Kelly Mazzante and Cappie Pondexter secured 15 points apiece in defeat.
Seattle tied San Antonio with the best record in the West as they held off Minnesota 76:73 away from home. Sue Bird (5'9''-G-80, college: Connecticut) came up with 22 points to allow the Storm got back to winning ways. The Storm were interrupted in their 7-game winning streak losing to Washington on Sunday. But Seattle quickly rebounded and upset the Lynx. Camille Little (6'2''-F/G-85, college: N.Carolina) dropped a pair of freebies to secure the winning outcome for the Storm late in the tight encounter. Little finished with 17 points in a win. Charde Houston answered with 16 points for the Lynx. Seimone Augustus was limited to just 10 points in a loss.

Monarchs re-signed DeMya Walker - by Bruno Baltazar
The Sacramento Monarchs today announced the team has re-signed unrestricted free agent DeMya Walker (6'4''-F/C-77, college: Virginia). Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

On May 15, 2008, the franchise requested waivers on Walker after she suffered a right knee patella fracture on April 27, 2008, while playing with her team, Nadezhda, located in Orenburg, Russia. She underwent successful surgery on May 2, 2008, under the care of Monarchs Team Doctor Richard Marder.

Walker, who was expected to be out six months, went through rehabilitation and has been cleared by team doctors to play the remainder of the 2008 season.

I am honored and blessed to be back with the Monarchs, said Walker. I know my faith in God along with my family and the organizations faith in me, including the fans support, is the reason I was able to recover so quickly.

Walker has played five seasons with the Monarchs after being selected by the franchise as the fifth overall pick in the 2003 WNBA Dispersal Draft. She started five games for the Monarchs in 2007 before being sidelined with a knee injury. Prior to her injury, she was averaging 21 minutes, 8.8 points, 5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.

Through eight WNBA seasons, Walker has played in 200 games and averaged 21.1 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. Additionally, the 2005 WNBA All-Star selection was an integral part of the Monarchs 2005 WNBA Championship team.

We are extremely pleased to have DeMya back on the team, said Monarchs General Manager John Whisenant . We look forward to seeing her in a Monarchs uniform for the remainder of her career.

Standings
WNBA Standings
Eastern
 1. Detroit S. 16-9 
 2. Connect. S. 14-10 
 3. New York L. 12-10 
 4. Indiana F. 11-12 
 5. Washingt. M. 9-14 
 6. Chicago Sky 8-15 
 7. Atlanta D. 3-22 
Western
 1. S.Antonio SS 16-8 
 2. Seattle S. 16-8 
 3. L.Angeles S. 14-10 
 4. Sacram. M. 13-11 
 5. Houston C. 12-12 
 6. Minnesota L. 11-12 
 7. Phoenix M. 11-13