EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 7/24/2008

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Men News

*****************************************************
  ADRIATIC LEAGUE   


Tulips ink Marko Popovic, Krstovic in Hemofarm STADA - by Dragan Jankovski
Another player arrived to Vojvodina Srbijagas in just couple of days. After Marko Jovanovic and Marko Sutalo, another guy with first name Marko will play in Novi Sad next season. It is point guard Marko Popovic (193-G-84), ex player of Sloga Kraljevo. Popovic joined Sloga last summer from Ergonom Nis. He averaged 15.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 4.5 apg and 1.5 spg for 20 games in A1 league previous season. In the past he also played for Ergonom Nis, Ibon Niksic, Zastava Kragujevac and Beopetrol Belgrade. As a member of Zastava he was young prospects on point guard position but very soon he suffered serious knee injury after what he was sidelined almost 6 months. Popovic put signature on 1+1 deal with Vojvodina Srbijagas.

Bojan Krstovic (194-G-80) confirmed for Serbian media that he agreed terms with Hemofarm STADA.

'I didn't sign anything yet but we agreed all terms. Thus I suppose to stay in Hemofarm for the next three years. I can say that I am very satisfied with this transfer. Hemofarm is a big club which accepted all my conditions without hesitation. I hope next season will be very successful for us' -said Krstovic.

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  AUSTRALIA   


Nielsen leads Boomers - by Eurobasket News
Former Sydney Kings star Matt Nielsen (208-F/C-78) has been rewarded for his remarkable commitment to the Australian men's basketball team by being named captain for next month's Beijing Olympic Games, AAP reports.

The European-based Nielsen, a former championship winner with the Sydney Kings and one of the best big men Australia has produced, was prevented from competing at the 2006 world championships due to an insurance bungle with his Lithuanian club Lietuvos Rytas.

The situation was again threatening to stop him being part of Beijing, so the 30-year-old decided to put forward his own money to cover the difference and guarantee he could be a part of his second Olympic Games.

Nielsen is understood to have contributed about one third of the asking price from his own pocket - well in excess of $10,000 - to satisfy Lietuvos, with Basketball Australia picking up the rest.

He acknowledges it was a less-than-ideal solution, but Nielsen simply wasn't prepared to miss another major tournament for his country.

'We worked it out in the end,' Nielsen told AAP at a function on the Gold Coast to honour Australia's male and female Olympic basketball teams.

'I ended up covering it, but I didn't want to live the rest of my life not going to an Olympics for that reason.'

'Not the ideal way to end up at the Olympics by paying it, but that's the way it is.'

Along with Milwaukee Bucks centre Andrew Bogut, European stand-out Dave Andersen and veteran Chris Anstey, Nielsen will form a potent frontline in Beijing that will cause plenty of problems for opposition countries.

A member of the 2004 Olympic team that failed to reach the second round, Nielsen is desperate for an improved showing in his first major competition as Boomers captain.

'Yeah big time. It's an honour to play for your country and something you aspire to when you're a kid,' he said.

'But to captain the team in an Olympics is the highest honour I think I can imagine.'

'It's something I take pretty seriously.'

Players, coaches and officials from both the Boomers and Opals were handed specially crafted rings to reward their participation in Beijing.

While the Opals are favoured to fight out the gold medal with the United States, expectations on the Boomers are far lower.

In a pool that includes powerhouse nations Russia, Argentina, Lithuania and Croatia, Nielsen knows they have a hard road ahead to achieve their goal of a first men's medal.

'Only four teams go through. If you've got Argentina, Russia, Lithuania and Croatia, someone's not going that's very decent, that's a fact,' he said.

'That's what happened to us last Olympics, we were the good team that got outed, so our main job is to get to that next round and then after that anything can happen.'

Courtesy of www.nbl.com.au

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  BELGIUM   


Liege Transfer News - by Peter Buyse


Belgacom Liege Basket has added American shooting guard/small forward Justin Cage (198-F-85, college: Xavier) to its roster.
Cage played college ball at Xavier between 2003 and 2007. His last 3 years at Xavier he averaged around 10.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg.
Played the past season D-league for the Colorado 14ers. At Colorado had averages of 12ppg and 5.9rpg (43games).

Was invited to the Portsmouth Invitation after his senior year in college. Cage was selected Atlantic Ten All Defensive team in his last 3 years at Xavier.

Xavier won the Atlantic Ten tournament in 2006 and was voted tournament MVP.



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  BOSNIA   


BiH NT tonight vs. Journalists` Selection - by Sead Buljina

Our National team shall start its preparations in Sarajevo with a humanitarian game tonight vs. Selection chosen by BiH journalists. Journalists have invited the following players: Ado Kahrimanovic, Muamer Taletovic, Faruk Basic, Muhamed Pasalic, Jadranko Jusufagic, Emir Zimic, Esmir Guzonjic, Elnis Prasovic, Asmir Sadibasic, Drasko Albijanic, Adnan Saric, Muris Memic, Dejan Jeftic, Dimitrije Matic, Emir Halimic, Damir Zeleznik, Elmir Forto, Armin Avdibegovic, Ognjen Bravo, Aldin Kadic, Milan Rodic, Amar Suljagic, Sindis Demic and Marko Batina as a special guest. Although invited it`s already known that players from Sloboda Dita will not play since they`ve got no permission from the club. Also, Emir Zimic and Milan Rodic are injured and not available for tonight`s game. Players from the U18 team are not available for the game since U18 European Championship starts in two days. Nedim Pajevic from UCSB (NCAA1) was supposed to play for journalists, but NT head coach invited him three days ago to join the National team.

Basketball federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (KS BiH), IMTEC company, Milka, web portali www.sportsport.ba and www.kosarka.ba, GAMA Security, Novi Grad municipality have made it possible to donate personal computers and other appropriate presents to children from SOS Kinderdorf and orphanage Bjelave. Game will be played at 'Ramiz Salcin' Arena, Mojmilo at 18:00 with entry free of charge.



Feliks Kojadinovic in Ukraine, Kisic close to Leotar - by Eurobasket News
Former member of Bosnian National Team Feliks Kojadinovic (197-G-79, agency: World Sport Agency) agreed terms with Ukrainian team Cherkassy Monkeys. Kojadinovic arrived to Cherkassy from Greek team Marousi Athens where he for 23 games in regular season averaged 4.4 ppg and 2.7 rpg. At the same time he dished out 3.5 apg finishing the competition as a fifth assistant. His team succeeded to reach play-off semifinals but Olympiakos beat them 3-2 in thriller finish. Later, Marousi had 2-0 lead in the battle for third place as well as for Euroleague but they lost it 3-2 against at that time Nenad Markovic's Panionios Athens. Before Marousi, Kojadinovic spent half of the season in PAOK while before that he played in Russian Samara. In 2006 he was named to be the 'Player of the Year' in Adriatic league as a member of Serbian team Vojvodina Srbiajgas. Kojadinovic grew up as a player in Borac Nektar from Banja Luka.

In the meantime Leotar from Trebinje is looking for the new head coach. It is already announced the Miroslav Popov won't seat on the bench of the senior team next season. He will continue as a coordinator of all young selection which owner is company Swisslions. One of the main candidates for the position of a new head coach is Radomir Kisic, who worked in Serbian team Novi Sad last season. In the past Kisic already was a head coach of Leotar registering solid results. Sport Director of the club Srecko Ducic didn't want to confirm neither to deny this news.

'I can only confirm that Leotar will announce name of the new head coach very soon. At this moment I do not want to talk about the names but we are working very serious on that. We decided to leave a new head to choose players for the next season but some of the them already showed willingness to stay in the club' - said Ducic.

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  BULGARIA   


Rilski Sportist men start summer training, building a strong squad - by Valentin Anguelov
The men's team of Rilski Sportist is the first in Bulgaria to start its preparation for the new season, says RilskiBasket.com. Today all players will undergo medical and tomorrow the new coach, Macedonian Aleksandar Todorov, will hold the first training session.

The players of Rilski Sportist are going to train in Samokov until mid September. Then the team is going to neighbouring Turkey to play several friendlies, as there will be just one month left to the start of the brand new National Basketball League of Bulgaria.

There are 3 new players starting with the team - Bulgarian shooting guards Bogdan Boev (196-G-82) and Ivan Nikolov (190-G-81), as well as the young Serb Dragoslav Papic (205-C/F-87, agency: Global Sports Plaza). The former two have already played in Samokov. Boev spent the last 3 seasons in Cherno More Varna, but just before that was a player of Rilski Sportist for 2 years (2003-2005). Nikolov has even longer experience in the team - from 2003 up till 2006, before he moved on to Balkan Botevgrad and Dunav Ruse.

Papic is coming from the USA, where he played basketball at high school and college, after starting out at Beopetrol Belgrad junior team in his native Serbia. At Odessa Junior College he had 16.9 ppg and 7.1 rpg duiring his second and final season. He was spotted at some tryouts in Macedonia by coach Todorov, who was impressed by the young man's potential.

Besides those new names, prior to the upcoming season Rilski Sportist has under contract guards Branko Mirkovic and Aleksandar Gruev, who have now extended their deals, as well as forward Asen Saraliyski, who already had a longer term one.

Seven youngsters of Rilski Sportist's junior team (champion of Bulgaria for the 1989 junior category season) are staying with the men's team - Lubomir Kirov, Krasimir Georgiev, Dimitar Morunov, Ivaylo Vuchkov, Darin Ivanov, Stanislav Vaklinov and Kiril Istilyanov. The latter two are currently with the U-20 national team and preparing for the U-20 European Championship in Latvia.

The club hasn't finalized its roster quite yet. The new coach will need another two strong frontcourt players, possibly import. Their names will most probably be known in 15 days time.

Three Bulgarian teams in Balkan league ? - by Eurobasket News
After official statement that Strumica 2005 from FYROM won't take a place in Balkan league next season, immediately was announced that another Bulgarian team could be invited to BIBL. Namely, Macedonian team had a strong willingness to compete in regional championship but they have problems with a sponsors yet what is the main reason why they gave up on Balkan league. According to Sport Director of BIBL, Shay Shtiks, Greek team PAOK Thessaloniki already confirmed its participation in Balkan league for the next season. Shtiks also stated that it is very possible that Bulgaria get three teams for the opening season. It means that except of Serbia and F.Y.R. Macedonia, Bulgaria will also have three representatives. Romania will have two teams while most probably PAOK will be the only team from Greece. According to some rumors third team from Bulgaria, which will participate in BIBL next season, could be Balkan Botevgrad but nothing is officialy announced yet. New of the team from FYROM, which will take Strumica's place, will be known soon. At the same time Shay Shtiks announced that until August 10th all sponsors of BIBL will be known.

Meanwhile, Cherno More is still looking for a big guy for the upcoming season. Member of the club's management board Borislav Tasev stated that the team will bring few players on a try-out.

'We will get couple of players on a try-out but we will pick just one of them. One player from Europe as well as one from USA and Nigeria will be our possible reinforcement. Beginning of the preparations is scheduled for August 4th thus until the end of that month we will make a decision. We are not the club which has enormous budget but on the other side we are the club which can help young players to develop very quick' - said Tasev.

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  CAPE VERDE   


SEVEN STARS TAKE 2-1 LEAD - by Pedro Gomes

Seven Stars took an important step in trying to conquer the Santiago South regional champions, by beating ABC 77 to 67, in the third game of the finals playoff series, in the Vava Duarte Pavilion.

ABC won the first period 20-12, but after the second period, Seven took charge of the game, which permitted them to take the lead going into the half, 35-32, winning the period 23-12.
Seven continued their good play, and maintained their lead through the third period, 59 to 48, closing the period 24 to 16.
Seven dominated the fourth period, but in the last 3 minutes, with the management of key players due to foul trouble, ABC reduced the advantage to 1 point.
But in the last minute, with the entrance of Ivan, Zeca and company, Seven recuperated their game to close out the quarter with a 10 point lead, losing the period by one point, but winning the game with the final result of 77-67.
Both teams will meet again in the fourth game of the playoff series, which could determine the Santiago south regional champions.



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  CAYMAN ISLANDS   


GTSC earns 4th consecutive CIBA men's basketball title - by Kristian Santiago
(Published by the Cayman News)

For four consecutive years George Town Sports Club (GTSC) has secured the championship in the Cayman Islands Basketball Association Mens Division One League. Sunday night (6 July) at the Digicel Court proved no different.

Perhaps the only change was that the victory wasnt a walk in the park as the finals against Shaolin went the entire three games - and all in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

The first night GTSC defeated Shaolin 90-80, then lost the next game 132-126. But that second game will go down in CIBA history as one of the most hotly contested finals on record, as it went into triple overtime before Shaolin emerged victorious. And by games end GTSC had only four players on the court as three of their stars - Antonio Thompson, Mike Morgan and Lloyd Samuels got into foul trouble

While the final game on Sunday played out in regulation time, it was no less competitive, and as National Technical Basketball Director Victor Voot OGarro told the players: Both teams can be proud of their performance tonight and throughout the series we have a record attendance and you both played excellent ball.

Shaolin began the scoring with two points by Jerome Narcisse, and Collin Anglin followed up with a three-pointer, making it Shaolin 5, GTSC 0. GTSCs Antonio Thompson nailed his first three-pointer, taking the score to 5-3 Shaolin. Lloyd Samuel followed with two points for GTSC, tying the score at 5-5, and so it went. Shaolin scored; GTSC answered back. In fact, the quarter ended at 26-26.

The fans were cheering and jeering, depending on who they were there to see. One thing was sure: none of the fans were bored. One was overheard to say, I love this game.

GTSC opened the scoring in the second quarter with three-pointers from Samuels and Thompson. Shaolin remained stuck on 26, and the clock was at 4:23 before the team penetrated GTSCs defence. The first points came from Sebastian Sache, and Anglin followed, bringing the score to 32-38.

But then GTSC seemed to go into overdrive to make some breathing room and managed to leap to a 10-point lead, 39-49.

A three-pointer from Shaolins main guy, Anglin, followed by a neat dip and tuck from Sache, allowed Shaolin to cut the lead to five points, 50-45. GTSC had the last word going into halftime when Jonathan Mitchell went to the basket for a lay-up but missed. Samuels snagged the rebound and tipped the ball in.

The score was 52-49 with Shaolin trailing. Collin Bodden equalised in the opening of the third quarter, 52-52, and the fans went wild. But Shaolins moment was short-lived as Mitchell took GTSC ahead by hitting a three-pointer that was all net. Both teams dialled up their game, and the score seesawed back and forth with Luigi Moxam tying it up for Shaolin 58-58. Samuels scored two lay-ups in quick succession, and his team managed to stave off Shaolins scorers with a high-pressure defence.
The fourth quarter started at 71-65 with GTSC in the drivers seat.

While Shaolin obviously wanted the win, it was equally clear that GTSC wanted it more, and with their talent as well as athleticism Shaolin just was unable to match their heart.

The stats also showed that GTSC had the board, scoring 11 three-pointers to Shaolins 8. Truth be told, GTSC only excelled on points as Shaolin outdid their opponents on rebounds 47-29, turnovers 15-10 and steals 7-6.

Samuels was GTSC top gun with 36 points, and Mitchell had 22 points and 5 rebounds. For Shaolin, Anglin led with 29 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds. Sache was second with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.

GTSC coach Andrew McField thanked his team for a great performance and the fans for attending. We do this all for you, he told the fans. Our team has grown together. We have a history of winning and in the end we wanted it more.

Shaolin coach Shomari Scott said, We gave it our best and came up short.




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  CENTRAL AFRICA   


Interview with Romain Sato of Montepaschi Siena - by Eurobasket News
His first Euroleague season has been a learning experience for Romain Sato (194-G-81, college: Xavier), but fortunately for his team, Montepaschi Siena, he's a quick learner. If that wasn't so, the 27-year-old forward could never have made the career moves necessary to come all the way from his homeland, the Central African Republic, to the heights of European basketball. Sato has jumped on the chance to play in the Euroleague with both feet, starting fulltime as Montepaschi made itself into a Final Four juggernaut as the season progressed. Along the way, player and team have gained the confidence needed to overlook their lack of Final Four experience and to challenge for a crown in Madrid. 'Yes, we don't have Final Four experience, like most of the teams there we'll play against, but it's always good to be an underdog,' Sato told Euroleague.net. 'We feel like underdogs, but our experience is having played already against a couple of teams going there. We know can work hard against and play against them, so if we keep going like all season, we can get it done.'


Hello, Romain. Congratulations for reaching the Final Four with Montepaschi Siena. This will be your Final Four debut, how do you feel about it?

'I feel pretty good. It's a great moment, really. I am so happy to make it this far. It's been tough to make it. In the Euroleague, you've got to learn quick and adjust quick. I tried do that in my first year, learn and get better always, improve myself and prove myself. It has been hard, but exciting.'


You've come a long way from the Central African Republic to be at the top of European basketball. Are people in your country aware of your success?

'A little bit, yes. They follow some Euroleague games on TV. Other than that, though, they don't know much about what Montepaschi has done. But it's good for basketball in my country for me to come here and play at the top level in Europe. Having someone from the Central African Republic on one of Europe's four best teams is good for them, and good for me.'


How happy are you to prove this season that you can be such an important contributor to a Final Four team?

I feel great about it. Nobody believed we would be going to the Final Four. We believed in ourselves and worked harder and harder, one game at a time. We knew that if we kept working, anything could happen. For me, I just come here to work hard, help team in any way I could. That was my goal from the beginning of the season, and I'm glad I was able to help.'


What has a young head coach, Simone Pianigiani done to bring out the best in you?

'It's my second year with him and he's a good coach. He wants for all of us, and him. to get better with each game and each year. He wants to prove himself as head coach just like we want to prove ourselves as players, so he tries to get us all ready for that. He gives us everything we need in practice to get better. As a team, he always puts our best option first, by which I mean the team goal first and the personal one second. He pushes us to work hard, play together and to get every small detail correct. That's something he taught us, in order to get better as a team. We've been doing that consistently and we appreciate what our coach has done for us.'


Very few people expected Montepaschi to reach this far at the beginning of the season. Which have been the key moments for the team in your opinion?

'For me, having our first regular season group as one of toughest in Europe was important. We had to play CSKA, Tau, Olympiacos, some of the toughest teams, with lots of players who have Final Four experience. To fight against them and try to finish first wasn't easy. We worked hard and kept trying to improve, and in doing so, played pretty well against such tough teams. As soon as we knew we could play against them, we knew we could play against anyone, and it made us work harder.'


Montepaschi overcame a tough situation when scoring leader Rimantas Kaukenas got injured. How did the team regroup then and stay so consistent?

'When he got hurt, it was tough right away and hard to adjust. We felt that we adjusted kind of quickly, however. We knew he was out for the rest of the season, and we didn't want to think about him maybe coming back. Every guy had to step up and bring everything he could to help make up for Rimantas not being there. We knew at that moment it would take everything we've got, and we did that: we gave it everything we have.'


Bootsy Thornton is the only Montepaschi player with previous Final Four experience. How can you guys deal with the issue of experience as you prepare for the Final Four?

'Bootsy is telling us and talking to us about how tough it is going to be in the Final Four. We're not just happy to go there: we want to go and win. He says it won't be easy, and we've got to work now, before we go, to get it done. Right now, we've worked too hard to get there to say we don't have the experience to challenge for the title. Yes, we don't have Final Four experience, like most of the teams there we'll play against, but it's always good to be an underdog. We feel like underdogs, but our experience is having played already against a couple of teams going there. We know can work hard against and play against them, so if we keep going like all season, we can get it done.'


Montepaschi's semifinal opponent is Maccabi. What do you know about Maccabi and what will it take to defeat them?

'I don't know that much, and we haven't had much of a chance to talk about them yet, but we will. Except to say it's a good team for sure, like all the teams there will be, I know that Maccabi is a big team that plays fast and spreads the floor. They are the kind of guys we'll have to cover a lot of ground to defend. They play with four shooters, even five sometimes, so we'll really have to cover ground and recover. But we'll know more about what we have to do before we play them.' 9. What is your personal approach to the Final Four opportunity before you? 'It's something that you might get only a few chances to do in your life, and that's if you're lucky. Lots of guys work hard their whole careers and never get there. I am getting that chance now, maybe there will be another, but you cannot think that way now, like you are sure to go again. You've just got to go there and give whatever you've got this one time. You can't tell what will happen in the future.' What would be mean for you to lift the Euroleague trophy as the 2008 champion? 'Man, that would be something. I don't know, but if it happened, that would be god's plan for us. I'll pray that hopefully that happens, because it would be unforgettable. For now, I can just cross my fingers and hope and play hard enough to have a chance. Then, we'll see.'

Courtesy of www.euroleague.net

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  CHINA   


Zhang Songtao, Yi Li Play in NBA Summer League - by Arthur Volbert
Zhang Songtao (213-C-85) of Beijing Aoshen and Yi Li (204-F/G-87) of Jiangsu both played in the NBA summer league in Las Vegas. Zhang played for the New York Knicks and Yi played for the Los Angeles Lakers. Zhang averaged 2 points and 2 rebounds in 5 games, one as a starter, while Yi averaged 3.5 points in 2 games, also one as a starter.

Zhang averaged 10 minutes per game and his best game was 6 points in 16 minutes in an 85-80 Knick win over Phoenix. He also had 7 fouls in those 16 minutes. You are allowed 10 fouls in the summer league. I saw Zhang on TV in a couple of those games while I was in New York and he looked very agile for a 7-footer but exceedingly soft. If he went to the weight room and could put on muscles he might make the Chinese National Team one day. But seeing how soft and undefined his body is currently, it is clear why he did not make the Olympic team this year.

Zhang was listed as being born on October 27, 1987 which coincidentally is Yi Jianlian's listed birthday. Zhang's birthday on the Aoshen roster is July 6, 1985. Zhang's player profile also says he went to college at Albany, N. Y. Zhang did not attend any college in America.

Yi Li's best performance was 5 points in 18 minutes in a 95-93 Laker win over Minnesota. He did not have any rebounds or assists. Yi scored 2 points in 6 minutes in his other game with no rebounds or assists.

Yi was listed as being born on November 7, 1985. On the Jiangsu roster he is listed as being born on November 7, 1987. As mentioned in an earlier article Yi would not have been eligible to play in the summer league had he really been born in 1987. Zhang was not born in 1987 either.

China Finishes Second in Stankovic Cup, Faces Germany and Greece in Olympics - by Arthur Volbert
I have returned from my two-week vacation in New York and can begin reporting on China's final preparations for the Olympics.

China finished second in the Stankovic Cup. It defeated non-Olympic-caliber teams from Serbia and Russia but lost to the Olympic team from Angola 72-71. Angola finished undefeated and won the tournament.

But as noted these games are practice and China is continuing to prepare for the Olympic tournament while working Ming Yao (226-C-80) into shape following his return from injury.

In a more important development, we now know the opponents for China in its Olympic group. Greece and Germany are now in Group B along with China, the United States, Angola and Spain.

Greece and Germany are the teams that China must defeat in order to gain a quarter-final berth, as it is much less likely to defeat the United States, Spain and Greece.

Germany has added Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers to its team, as he was born in Germany. Germany does such things while China does not. But Germany still is beatable.

Angola is also beatable despite China's loss in the Stankovic Cup. Ming Yao only played 20 minutes in that game and China used Sun Yue and Chen Jianghua at point guard giving Liu Wei a rest for that game. Liu is not a star internationally but, because of his experience, he still is China's most effective guard at running the team.

Zhou Peng has been cut from the national team. Reports state that Zhang Kai and Ding Jinhui are alternates and will make the team only in the event of injury to other players.

This means that Du Feng is the backup at power forward, but Yao will play center backed up by Wang Zhizhi, who will also back up Yi Jianlian at power forward. If Du has to see much playing time at power forward, it means that things will not be going well for China.

Wang Lei is a backup at small forward as he is better at that position than Ding or Zhou. Zhang Qingpeng has made the team, likely because of doubts about Chen Jianghua. Chen provides instant offense off the bench but Zhang may be the better choice when defense or team play is what most is needed should Liu Wei or Sun Yue get in foul trouble or otherwise need to be replaced.

Box Scores:
The columns, in order, are name, uniform number, starter, minutes, field goals attempted-made, three-pointers attempted-made, free throws attempted-made, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, assists, fouls, steals, turnovers, blocks,?, ?, ?, total points

China 96 Serbia 72
http://cba.sports.sina.com.cn/look_scores.php?m_id=2066

Angola 72 China 71
http://cba.sports.sina.com.cn/look_scores.php?m_id=2067

China 72 Russia 50
http://cba.sports.sina.com.cn/look_scores.php?m_id=2068

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  CROATIA   


Romel Beck signed for BC Zadar - by Marin Stipanic
Romel Beck(203-G-82) signed one year contract for BC Zadar. Last year was playing in Italy for BC Cimeberio Varese and BC Pierrel Capo D'Orlando and averaged 14,6 pts, uz 2 rpg,1apg. Romel is great player,at the moment is playing NBA summer league. If he not signs for one of NBA teams, fans of Zadar colud watch him more than only one year. After Kyle Hill,Sinisa Stemberger, Carl English, Zadar signed again very good guard.

Ivo Josipovic joins Josip Vrankovic in Siroki Prima pivo - by Eurobasket News
After head coach Josip Vrankovic, another Croatian will continue career in Siroki Prima pivo. This time it is a player Ivo Josipovic (205-F-75, agency: Court Side), who spent almost 12 years abroad. Josipovic played previous season for Greek team Kolossos from Rhodes adding 10.6 ppg and 3.2 rpg. It wasn't his first season in Greece as he already had a pretty good one in Apollon Patras finishing Greek championship as a one of the top scorers with 15 ppg. Except of these Greeks teams, Josipovic also played for Russian Universitet Surgut, UNICS Kazan and Ural Great Perm as well as for Belgian team Euphony Liege. His biggest achievement so far was a winning of Russian National Cup with Ural Great in 2004. In the past Josipovic also played 3 seasons in Telekom Basket Bonn. During this period his team reached the play-off final in German Bundesleague. Josipovic's last team in Croatia was Slvonski Brod, where played on season 1996/97.
According to some rumors Siroki Prima pivo showed serious interest in Ivan Siriscevic (198-G/F-87), who changed two team last season. Namely, he started it Split but in January he moved to Dubrovnik averaging 13.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg for 19 games. Siriscevic is a member of Croatian 'B' National Team.

In the meantime Cibona Zagreb is still looking for the new player on point guard position. Some of the candidates to take this place were Rashad Wright (189-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia) and Vonteego Cummings (192-G-76, college: Pittsburgh). Unfortunately to Cibona both of them already signed the contracts with other clubs over the past couple of days. Wright joined German champion ALBA Berlin while Cummings is a new acquisition of Spanish Estudiantes. As a reminder Wright already had some negotiates with Cibona last summer but he decided to joins Efes Pilsen.

Croatian flight to China - by Marin Stipanic

Croatian basketball team is on Olympic games after 12 years.Olympic games held in Atlanta were last OG for Croatian national team.Who would thought that after winning silver medal in Barcelona 1992.(In final Dream team won 117:85).Last medal is from Athene-EC 1995.In that time winnig the bronze was failure,noone did not think that this will be last medal for a very long time. Since then till now Cro NT didnt won any of medals on european championships( on WC as on OG we didnt qualify) eventhough always were close to semifinal with good team with several NBA players oftenly. Last summer,again same story. Few mistakes and dream about medal was gone. We were 6th,what was good enough to go on Qual.tournamet for OG. After Gordan Giricek,Nikola Vujcic,Andrija Zizic who cancelled playing for NT this summer coach Jasmin Repesa couldnt count on Mario Kasun(heart problems),also one of starting five with Giricek and Vujcic.Like that wasnt enough PF Damir Markota injured knee and went on surgery. Playing with injurey Zoran Planinic showed to all of guys who are cancelling playing for NT what does it mean to have a heart. Planinic,Tomas,Ukic,Loncar,Popovic,Kus,Rozic,Banic,Prkacin,Nicevic and Barac.when noone expected after all bad things which happened and not good game showed in friendly matches surprised basketball fans in Croatia and others as well. Without individuals in team as Nowitzki in Germany, Arroyo in Puerto Rico, we came on olympics with attractive game with good defense.
My opinion is CroatS still didnt show the best they know. So Argentina,Russia,Lithuania,Australia,Iran will play against very good opponent.

Marin Stipanic



*****************************************************
  D-LEAGUE   


Former D-Leaguers at Day 4 of Rocky Mountain Revue - by Surujh Roopnarine
Atlanta Hawks (82) vs. San Antonio Spurs (83)
HAWKS: Luke Jackson (6'7''-F/G-81, college: Oregon) (7p+4rb), Jeremy Richardson (5p+4rb), Kevinn Pinkney (5p)
SPURS: Anthony Tolliver (6'9''-C-85, college: Creighton) (21p+5rb), Brian Morrison (13p), Roger Powell (8p), Devin Green (4p+4rb)

Dallas Mavericks (73) vs. Golden State Warriors (90)
MAVERICKS: Gerald Green (6'8''-G/F-86) (17p), Aaron Miles (7p), Darryl Watkins (2p+8rb+4bs),
WARRIORS: N/A

New Jersey Nets (79) vs. Utah Jazz (87)
NETS: Julius Hodge (6'7''-G-83, college: N.Carolina St.) (14p+5rb), Brian Hamilton (5p+4rb)
JAZZ: Morris Almond (6'6''-F-85, college: Rice) (24p), Earl Calloway (8p+4st), Brian Jackson (4p+5rb), Kyrylo Fesenko (4p+5rb)

Spurs Sign Former Creighton Star Anthony Tolliver - by Surujh Roopnarine
Coming off an impressive conclusion to the Rocky Mountain Revue, where he posted a team high 21 points on 6-8 shooting (including a remarkable 5-6 from behind the arc), the San Antonio Spurs have rewarded Anthony Tolliver (6'9''-C-85, agency: Larry Fox Services, college: Creighton) with a contract. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed. Tolliver played in both Las Vegas and Utah for the Spurs Summer League entries and was impressive throughout. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 23.0 minutes while shooting .571 (12-21) from the field and .615 (8-13) from beyond the arc in three games in Las Vegas. At the Rocky Mountain Revue Tolliver appeared in all four games, averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 26.5 minutes while knocking down 53.3 percent (8-15) of his shots form beyond the arc.
Never utilized as much of an outside presence while at Creighton, the 6-8, 240-pound Tolliver completed his first professional season with Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in Germany (20 games: 14.3ppg, 7.3rpg, 2FGP: 54.0%, 3PT: 37.7%). An undrafted free-agent out of Creighton, Tolliver played in three pre-season games with Cleveland last season prior to being waived before opening night. He also spent 25 games with Iowa of the D-League where he averaged 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 50.2% from the field in 24 contests.

*****************************************************
  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   


LIDOBA: Tuesday's Results. - by Jaime Gomez
Reales de La Vega 83, Marineros de Puerto Plata 80

For Reales de La Vega, Damond Williams (197-F-80, agency: HM Sports Agency, college: Mc Neese St.) 15 points, William Gomez (198-F/G-81, agency: Court Side) 13 points and 11 rebounds, Bobby Pandy (198-F, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) 13 points.

For Marineros de Puerto Plata, Jamaal Thomas (202-F-80, college: Angelo St.) 28 points, Kelvin Pena (193-G-81, college: Southeastern CC) 25 points.

Metros de Santiago 100, Indios de San Francisco 96.
For Metros de Santiago, Alvin Snow (189-G-81, college: E.Washington) 28 points and 9 rebounds, Amaury Filion (206-C/F-81) 24 points and 10 rebounds, Osvaldo Lopez (189-G/F-83) 23 points, Alejandro Flores (203-F-81, agency: Strategic Sports, college: E.Oklahoma St. JC) 11 points and 9 rebounds.

At San Pedro de Macoris, the game between Cocolos de San Pedro de Macoris and Panteras del Distrito Nacional was stopped because of power failure. The game was tied at 97, going into overtime when the power went off.

LIDOBA: Indios sign Jamal Holden. - by Jaime Gomez
Indios de San Francisco announced the signing of Jamal Holden (206-C-80, college: UALR) and the release of Abe Keita (209-C-79, college: St.John's). Indios General Manager, Robert Bonnelly said that signing Holden will make the team stronger down the post. Holden arrives Wed afternoon and will inmediately take part in Wed practice. 'He knows the league', said Bonnelly, 'he was part of our team in 2005'.

Indios have lost 3 games in row to start the 2008 season.

LIDOBA: Constituyentes 85, Caneros 76. - by Jaime Gomez
For Constituyentes de San Cristobal, Franklin Western (200-F-72, college: Providence) 43 points (20-26 FG) and 8 rebounds, Edward Kyle 16 points and 11 rebounds, Hansel Salvador (186-G-80) 8 points and 6 assists.

For Caneros de La Romana, Edward Santana (203-F-80) 21 points and 9 rebounds, Reggie Charles (200-F-81, agency: Global Sports Plaza) 20 points and 6 rebounds, Andy Williams (195-G/F-80, agency: Court Side) 14 points and 8 rebounds.

Caneros's record is now 1-2 and Constituyentes de San Cristobal is 2-1, 1 game behind Cocolos de San Pedro de Macoris.

Reales de La Vega sign Alex Carcamo. - by Jaime Gomez
Reales de La Vega announced the signing of Alex Carcamo (200-F-77, agency: Gross Zeev ISA, college: E.Washington). Reales got off to a great start and they lead the North Circuit with a 3-0 record. They won the first LIDOBA Championship in 2005 but failed to reach the playoffs their last two seasons.

This year they started with a blowout victory over defending champions Metros de Santiago 111 - 82, follow that with a close victory 90-87 over Indios de San Francisco, and last night defeated Marineros de Puerto Plata 80-83.

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. Constituyentes 2-1 
 3. Caneros 1-2 
 4. Panteras DN 0-2 


Stats Leaders - LIDOBA
LIDOBA 2008 Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
Western, SC, 31.3
Thomas, PP, 23.3
Dean, SFM, 22.3
Pena, PP, 20.7
Morban, PP, 19.7
Salvador, SC, 18.7
Williams, LR, 17.7
Rebounds Per Game
Ferreira, SFM, 11.7
Santana, LR, 10.0
Gomez, LV 9.0
Western, SC, 8.7
Keita, SFM, 8.7
Thomas, PP, 8.0
Assists Per Game
Ortega, SFM, 7.0
Ramirez, STGO, 7.0
Fortuna, SC, 6.3
Pena, PP, 6.0
Ozuna, SPM, 5.5
Villegas, SPM, 5.5
2FGP
Western, SC, 72%
Araujo, DN, 71%
Dumont, LR, 63%
Thomas, PP, 56%
Williams, LV, 55%
3FGP
Lopez, STGO, 65%
Lalane, SPM, 59%
Coronado, LV, 54%
Ozuna, SPM, 50%
Snow, STGO, 47%
Free Throws
Charles, LR, 87%
Thomas, PP, 86%
Pena, PP, 84%
Ferreira, SFM, 80%
Minaya, SFM, 79%
Ortega, SFM, 67%


*****************************************************
  EUROBASKET SUMMER LEAGUE   


New York City - Eurobasket Summer League (Game Statistics) - by Darryl Reshaw

Game Stats

Prague: 78

Greg Bienemann- 4pts; 4rbs
Andrew David- 4pts; 2rbs
Ronnie Davis- 0pts
Wade Dunston- 5pts; 2rbs; 2ast
James Hyppolyte- 10pts
Robert Patterson- 9pts
Tyler Relph- 11pts; 4ast
Tony Tate- 8pts
Justin Walker- 4pts; 2rbs
Alfred Williams Jr.- 7pts; 2rbs; 3ast
John Quintana 13pts; 2rbs
Rome Holley- 2pts



Istanbul: 77

Rashaun Banjo- 10pts; 3rbs
Anthony Giles- 12pts; 2rbs
Adam Gonzalez- 4pts; 2rbs
John Grazioli- 0pts
Fredrick Harrison- 7pts
Justin James- 4pts; 2rbs; 3ast
Joseph Mackey- 8pts;
Justin Marshall- 4pts; 3rbs
Belgium Rose- 2pts
Woody Souffrant- 14pts
Ibrahima Thioune- 6pts; 4rbs
Japhet McNeal- 6pts

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Kiev: 76

Rocky Batista- 7pts
Kenya Carruthers (201-F-79, college: Ks Wesleyan) (201-F-79, college: Ks Wesleyan)- 7pts; 2rbs
Joseph Frazier- 2pts
Drew Gibson- 5pts
Robert Igbawau- 20pts
Tav Ikpah- 0pts; 3rbs
Larry Kearney- 5pts; 2rbs
Anthony Smith- 0pts; 2rbs
Devon Sullivan- 13pts; 3rbs
Rome Holley- 4pts; 3rbs
Justin Skipwith- 4pts
Joshua Wentz- 9pts; 3rbs




Istanbul: 68

Rashaun Banjo- 3pts; 3rbs
Anthony Giles- 3pts; 3ast
Adam Gonzalez- 0pts; 2ast
John Grazioli- 0pts
Fredrick Harrison- 11pts; 4rbs
Justin James- 6pts; 3rbs
Joseph Mackey- 0pts
Justin Marshall- 11pts; 8rbs
Belgium Rose- 6pts; 2rbs
Woody Souffrant- 5pts
Ibrahima Thioune- 11pts
Japhet McNeal- 12pts; 3rbs

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Riga: 71

Michael Binns- 4pts; 5rbs
Calvin Brown - 15pts; 5rbs
Kyle Garrison- 2pts; 5rbs
Willis Kettrell- 5pts
Tony Murphy- 13pts
Andrew Washington- 22pts; 2rbs
Joshua Wentz - 4pts
Adrian Woodard- 0pts
Mark McDonald- 6pts; 2rbs
Patrick Grayson- 0pts


Helsinki: 83

Michael Parker- 8pts; 3rbs
Damian Gray - 7pts; 4rbs; 3ast
Cedric Hensley- 6pts;
Robert Kelly- 13pts; 2rbs
Travis Lay- 12pts; 4rbs; 2ast
Derick Payne- 13pts; 5rbs
Eugene Pettway- 6pts; 2rbs
Justin Skipwith - 0pts
Chris Stockwell- 5pts; 3rbs
Eric Williams- 13pts


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Riga: 80

Michael Binns- 5pts; 2rbs
Calvin Brown - 13pts; 8rbs
Kyle Garrison- 8pts; 6rbs
Willis Kettrell- 3pts; 6rbs
Tony Murphy- 2pts
Andrew Washington- 17pts; 2rbs
Joshua Wentz - 10pts
Adrian Woodard- 10pts; 6rbs
Mark McDonald 12pts; 6rbs
Patrick Grayson- 0pts; 2rbs; 5ast



Stockholm: 93

Shagari Alleyne- 10pts; 7rbs
Dwayne Birden- 3pts; 2rbs
Nate Connolly- 14pts; 2rbs
Chaz Franklin- 6pts
Antjuan Koger- 10pts; 4rbs
Bambale Osby 12pts; 12bs
David Ruffin- 19pts
James St. Roberts- 14pts
Eric Williams- 0pts
Clive Williamson- 5pts; 2rbs


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Stockholm: 98

Shagari Alleyne- 16pts
Dwayne Birden- 18pts
Nate Connolly- 24pts
Chaz Franklin- 11pts
Antjuan Koger- 15pts
Bambale Osby- 4pts
David Ruffin- 5pts
James St. Roberts- 5pts
Eric Williams- 0pts
Clive Williamson- 0pts


Moscow: 92

Mikhail Kareev- 7pts
Anwar Coleman- 0pts
Willie Coleman- 15pts
Charles Easterling- 0pts
Eric Ferguson- 0pts
Kenyon Jones- 4pts
Mark McCarroll- 0pts
Jerome Richardson- 10pts
Greg Tyson- 19pts
Dayshawn Wright- 16pts
Rob Patterson- 6pts
Dean Rose- 15pts


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Moscow: 103


Mikhail Kareev- 0pts
Anwar Coleman- 13pts
Willie Coleman- 8pts
Charles Easterling- 10pts; 5rbs
Eric Ferguson- 0pts
Kenyon Jones- 5pts; 2rbs
Mark McCarroll- 0
Jerome Richardson- 13pts; 5rbs
Greg Tyson- 14pts
Dayshawn Wright- 16pts; 11rbs
Marlon Smith- 24pts



Kiev: 97

Rocky Batista- 6pts
Kenya Carruthers- 18pts; 3rbs
Ryan Jones- 16pts
Drew Gibson- 15pts
Robert Igbawau- 15pts; 4rbs
Tav Ikpah- 0pts
Larry Kearney- 6pts
Anthony Smith- 2pts
Devon Sullivan- 7pts; 3rbs
Jersey 22- 12pts
Rome Holley- 0pts


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Stockholm: 59

Shagari Alleyne- 4pts; 5rbs
Dwayne Birden- 14pts; 2rbs
Nate Connolly- 0pts
Chaz Franklin- 2pts; 3rbs
Antjuan Koger- 2pts; 2rbs
Bambale Osby 15pts; 10rbs
David Ruffin- 9pts
James St. Roberts- 15pts; 4rbs
Eric Williams- 0pts
Clive Williamson- 2pts




Budapest: 92

Dwayne Shackleford- 6pts; 5ast
Ronald Stokes- 10pts; 3rbs
Marquis Brooks- 5pts; 2ast
Felipe Barrios- 16pts; 3rbs
Justin Griffin- 10pts
Marcus Dixon- 4pts; 2rbs
Trayvon Lathan- 10pts; 6rbs
Eric Vierneisel- 22pts; 3rbs
Michael St. John- 9pts; 15rbs


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Team: Riga (79)

Michael Binns- 9pts
Calvin Brown - 8pts
Kyle Garrison- 8pts
Willis Kettrell- 6pts
Tony Murphy- 13pts
Andrew Washington- 21pts
Joshua Wentz - 5pts
Adrian Woodard- 7pts
Mark McDonald- 2pts



Prague: 90

Greg Bienemann- 13pts
Andrew David- 8pts
Ronnie Davis- 2pts
Wade Dunston- 16pts
James Hyppolyte- 10pts
Robert Patterson- 8pts
Tyler Relph- 7pts
Tony Tate- 9pts
Justin Walker- 6pts
Alfred Williams Jr. - 11pts


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Moscow: 89

Mikhail Kareev- 2pts
Anwar Coleman- 8pts
Willie Coleman- 3pts; 2rbs
Charles Easterling- 11pts; 5rbs
Eric Ferguson- 3pts
Kenyon Jones- 7pts
Mark McCarroll- 10pts; 3rbs
Jerome Richardson- 7pts
Greg Tyson- 9pts;3
Dayshawn Wright- 13pts; 5rbs
Marlon Smith- 9pts; 2ast
Eric Ferguson- 7pts; 2ast




Prague:

Greg Bienemann- 6pts
Andrew David- 0pts
Ronnie Davis- 2pts; 2rbs
Wade Dunston- 8pts; 7rbs
James Hyppolyte- 4pts; 3rbs
Robert Patterson- 7pts
Tyler Relph- 6pts; 2ast
Tony Tate- 17pts
Justin Walker- 8pts; 5rbs
Alfred Williams Jr. 11pts; 4rbs
Jersey ? - 2pts
John Quintana- 3pts


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Team: Kiev: 73

Rocky Batista- 11pts;
Kenya Carruthers- 13pts; 2rbs
Ryan Jones- 12pts; 4rbs
Drew Gibson- 11pts;
Robert Igbawau- 6pts; 3rbs
Tav Ikpah- 0pts
Larry Kearney- 8pts; 5rbs
Darren Travis - 6pts; 2rbs
Devon Sullivan- 4pts
Rome Holley- 2pts




Budapest: 92

Dwayne Shackleford- 21pts; 4ast
Ronald Stokes- 7pts; 2rbs
Marquis Brooks- 10pts
Felipe Barrios- 17pts; 2rbs; 2ast
Justin Griffin- 4pts; 3rbs
Marcus Dixon- 5pts; 2rbs
Trayvon Lathan- 12pts; 5rbs; 2ast
Eric Vierneisel- 7pts; 5rbs
Michael St. John- 9pts; 3rbs; 3ast

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Istanbul: 82


Rashaun Banjo- 4pts; 4rbs; 3ast
Anthony Giles- 9pts; 3ast
Adam Gonzalez- 12pts; 2rbs
Fredrick Harrison- 24pts
Justin James- 3pts; 3rbs
Joseph Mackey 0pts
Justin Marshall- 17pts; 5rbs
Belgium Rose- 7pts; 4rbs
Woody Souffrant- 0pts
Ibrahima Thioune 6pts; 2rbs



Helsinki: 72

Michael Parker- 6pts; 2ast
Damian Gray- 2pts; 4rbs; 3ast
Cedric Hensley- 15pts; 2rbs
Robert Kelly- 6pts; 2rbs
Travis Lay- 15pts; 4rbs
Derick Payne- 8pts; 8rbs
Eugene Pettway- 6pts; 3rbs
Justin Skipwith - 0pts
Chris Stockwell- 6pts; 4rbs
Eric Williams 8pts; 2rbs



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Team: Budapest

Dwayne Shackleford- 16pts; 3rbs; 4ast
Ronald Stokes- 7pts; 2rbs
Marquis Brooks- 2pts; 2rbs
Felipe Barrios- 8pts; 5rbs
Justin Griffin- 15pts; 3rbs
Marcus Dixon- 6pts; 3rbs
Trayvon Lathan- 20pts; 2rbs; 2ast
Eric Vierneisel- 9pts; 5rbs
Michael St. John- 12pts; 4rbs




Helsinki: 76

Michael Parker- 5pts; 2rbs; 2ast
Damian Gray - 6pts; 2rbs; 3ast
Cedric Hensley- 7pts; 2rbs
Robert Kelly- 8pts; 5pts
Travis Lay- 12pts; 5rbs; 2ast
Derick Payne- 9pts
Eugene Pettway- 9pts
Justin Skipwith - 0pts
Chris Stockwell- 15pts; 3rbs
Eric Williams 5pts; 2ast

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eurobasket Summer League (ESL) New York City All Star Game (Fordham University)

MVP: Kenya Carruthers





All Star Team: BLACK: 102


Calvin Brown- 10pts
Fredrick Harrison- 10pts; 2rbs
Tyler Relph- 6pts; 3ast
Andrew Washington- 26pts; 3rbs
Shagari Alleyne- 6pts; 2rbs
Felipe Barrios- 14pts
Justin Marshall- 2pts
Mike St. John- 12pts; 8rbs; 3ast
Dwayne Shackleford- 10pts; 3ast
Eric Vierneisel- 0pts
Bambale Osby- 6pts; 6rbs




All Star Team: WHITE: 110

Antjuan Koger- 3pts; 3rbs
Nate Connolly- 3pts; 4rbs
Dwayne Birden- 6pts; 3rbs
Tony Murphy- 14pts; 3ast
James St. Roberts- 9pts; 8rbs
Mark McDonald- 6pts; 2rbs
Drew Gibson- 14pts; 2ast
David Ruffin- 16pts; 3rbs
Cedric Hensley- 9pts; 7rbs
Ibrahima Thioune- 6pts; 3rbs
Kenya Carruthers- 24pts; 4rbs



*****************************************************
  EUROLEAGUE   


Olympiakos lands NBA star Josh Childress - by Eurobasket News
Olympiakos Piraeus announced signing of NBA star Josh Childress (203-G/F-83, college: Stanford) on a multiyear contract. Childress is coming from Atlanta Hawks where he added 11.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 1.5 apg in NBA regular season. He also had 7 appearances in play-off having 7.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.6 apg. It was Childress' fourth season with the Hawks since they selected him on 2004 NBA draft as a sixth overall pick. He registered the best digits in NBA on season 06/07 when he posted 13 ppg and 6.2 rpg in 55 appearances. Childress graduated at Stanford University in 2004 having almost 16 ppg and 7.5 rpg at his senior year. At the same time he was named the 'Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year'. Childress arrived to Athens at the beginning of the week to finalize all contract details with Olympiakos. In his first but very short interview Childress stated that he came to great city and as well as to great club where he already feels at home.

Meanwhile, Scandone Air Avelino inked Tamar Slay (204-G-80, college: Marshall) for the upcoming season. Slay arrives from Capo d'Orlando brining pretty good digits with him. For 18 games in Serie A he averaged 16.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg and 1.7 spg. It was Slay's best season since he came to Europe from Charlotte Bobcats in 2005. Before Capo d'Orlando, Slay was a member of Hapoel Jerusalem and Akasvayu Girona. As a reminder Avelino lost its two scoring machines from the last season Marques Green and Devin Smith, which moved to Turkish Fenerbahce Ulker.

*****************************************************
  FYR MACEDONIA   


Mirakovski in Rethimno, news from National Team - by Eurobasket News
As Eurobasket already published before, one of the best player of Fersped Rabotnicki Dimitar Mirakovski (180-G-81, agency: Global Sports Plaza) will leave the club. Mirakovski signed 2-year contract with Greek A2 team Rethimno from Crete, which was relegated from A1 league last season. Rethimno's target for the upcoming one is to grab the promotion to A1 once again. Mirakovski arrives to Rethimno as a 'Guard of the Year' in Macedonian championship. He played 28 games for Rabotnicki averaging 19.1 ppg, 3 rpg and 6 apg. At the same time he was named to be the 'Domestic player of the Year' by Eurobasket. In the past Mirakovski also played for Macedonian teams Nemetali Ograzden, Vardar, Skopje and Kumanovo as well as for Bulgarian team CSKA Sofia. Interesting is that Mirakovski didn't succeed to win any trophy in his career so far. His best achievement was the final of National Cup with Vardar in 2005.

In the meantime National Team of F.Y.R. Macedonia is looking forward to Eurobasket 2009 division B qualifications. Head coach of National Team Jovica Arsic announced that preparation officially starts on Tuesday, July 29. All players except of Vlado Ilievski (190-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency), Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) and most probably Pero Antic (210-F-82, agency: Interperformances) will show up on Tuesday. Massey and Ilievski got a green light to join the team later due to personal reasons. Actually Massey confirmed his arrival for July 31st while it is not known yet when Ilievski will join the team. There is also a possibility that Pero Antic will arrive to Skopje with couple of days delay because his obligations in Sofia.

*****************************************************
  GERMANY   


2. Bundesliga-News - by Moritz Korff

FC Bayern Muenchen, that will play in the 2. Bundesliga Pro A next season, announced the signings of Andrej Mangold (190-G-87) and Stuart Robbins (210-C-76, college: Wabash Valley CC) for 2008-09. Mangold had 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists for local rival Muenchen Basket in this past season. Robbins spent the past five seasons in Kaiserslautern and produced 9.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest during the 2007-08 campaign.


Patrick Elzie was named the new General Manager of the Bremen Roosters (2. Bundesliga Pro A), as the club announced on its website. Elzie, who came to Germany in 1984 and enjoyed a succesful career as a player in the Bundesliga, worked as a head coach of the Kirchheim Knights since January 2007 and led the team to the 2. Bundesliga Pro A by finishing the 2007-08 season with the Knights in second place in the Pro B-standings. He previously worked as a manager for the Hamburg Tigers.


Karim Aw (204-C-65) will play one more year for the Proveo Merlins Crailsheim in the 2. Bundesliga Pro B. The 43-year-old veteran averaged 3.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 28 games for the Merlins in this past season. In 2005 Aw was named the Eurobasket.com All-German 2. Bundesliga Defensive Player of the Year when helping Falke Nuernberg to a champion and to promotion to the 1. Bundesliga.


Stefan Eckhardt (212-C-88) joins RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (2. Bundesliga Pro B). The 20-year-old Post Player is a former member of TSV Breitenguessbach.


Oliver Hahn (198-F-88) moves from Essen to Herten and will suit up for Hertener Loewen (2. Bundesliga Pro B) in the 2008-09 season. The 20-year-old Forward saw action in 6 games of the Pro B in this past season and averaged 0.2 points for Essen.



2 new players for Haspe - by Daniel Poerschke
SV Haspe 70 in the 2. Regionalliga West announced the signing of US point guard Sutherlin. The guard played last season for Lemvig Basket in Denmark and will form a strong backcourt with returning canadian guard Edson Jones.
Forward Theo Ioannidis joins the club from the Iserlohn Kangaroos. Ioannidis is a product from Iserlohn and has 5 years of 2. Bundesliga experience already. The team is also interested in young guard-forward Max Wigger from BBV Hagen.

Jason Van Eck to Leverkusen - by Moritz Korff
Jason Van Eck (197-G/F-83, college: Chico St.) will follow his good friend Tim Haley (188-G-83, college: Chico St.) to Leverkusen and suit up for the Bayer Giants (Regionalliga West) in the 2008-09 campaign. Both are graduates of Chico State (NCAA2) and spent the past two years at UBC Hannover (Regionalliga North). Just like Haley, Van Eck made a deal for one year with the team of Coach Stephan Ruers. He had 17 RLN-appearances in 2007-08 with an average of 22.7 points per contest.

Bremerhaven inks Mike Gansey - by Manuel Schust
Eisbaeren Bremerhaven announced the signing of former Mountaineer iMike Gansey (192-G-82, college: W.Virginia). The 25-year old Gansey will replace american Nate Funk (190-G-83, agency: Octagon, college: Creighton) and signed a one year contract.
Gansey had a great college career at West Virginia, averaging 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his last NCAA season. One of his teammates at West Viriginia was german national player Johannes Herber (197-G-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: W.Virginia).
Gansey had signed a contract with the Miami Heat in 2006, but a serious infection in his knee forced hi to postpone his NBA dreams. After 2 weeks in hospital and losing 13 Kilos, Gansey had lost a whole year of his career. Last summer he returned to the court, playing NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers. After that he joined Indesit Fabriano, a team from italian Lega2, but soon joined Anaheim Arsenal (D-League), where he averaged just 2.8 points in 19 games.
According to Eisbaeren-Manager Jan Rathjen, Mike Gansey is good shape now and wants to show everybody that he is back in form!

Chad Prewitt remains with Artland Dragons - by Manuel Schust
Chad Prewitt (206-F/C-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Arizona St.) and the Artland Dragons continue their cooperation. The 28-year old Power Forward signed a 2-year contract with the team located in Quakenbrueck.
Prewitt joined Artland in the 2005-2006 campaign and very soon became a fan favourite. After Quakenbruecks sensational 06/07 season Prewitt signed Ago Rethimno, but left the greek team during pre-season. Soon afterwards he joined EnBW Ludwigsburg, but in December 2007 he re-signed with Quakenbrueck for the rest of the season.
Last season Prewitt 9.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and besides his fighting spirit, he impressed with his 50% shooting from down the arc.
The Artland Dragons got 10 players for the upcoming season: Chad Prewitt, Darren Fenn (208-C-80, agency: LimeLight, college: Canisius), Darius Hall (201-C/F-73, agency: Stanley International, college: W.Kentucky), Paul Johnson (198-F-83, college: Rider), Dirk Maedrich (211-C-83, agency: Court Side), Lamont McIntosh (191-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia St.), Leo Niebuhr (208-F-86, agency: Court Side), Jan Rohdewald (194-G/F-73, agency: Court Side), Flavio Stueckemann (187-G-85) and Zack Whiting (193-G-84, college: Chaminade).

*****************************************************
  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) 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.

U18 Men European Championship: All the looks in Greece - by George Manousidis
The future of European basket gives appointment for still a time in Greece. Pyrgos and Amaliada they will entertain the 25th U18 Men European Championship interval 25/7-3/8/2008, with the 16 better teams of Europe they promise rich spectacle and big emotions.



Program of the games:

PRELIMINARY ROUND

PYRGOS

FRIDAY 25 JULY

14.30 (B/2) ESTONIA - ITALY

16.45 (A/2) BELGIUM - ISRAEL

19.00 (A/1) HELLAS - SPAIN

21.15 (B/1) LITHUANIA SERBIA



SATURDAY 26 JULY

14.30 (C/4) RUSSIA - GERMANY

16.45 (D/3) TURKEY - LATVIA

19.00 (D/4) CROATIA - BULGARIA

21.15 (C/3) FRANCE - UKRAINE



SUNDAY 27 JULY

14.30 (A/6) ISRAEL - SPAIN

16.45 (B/5) LITHUANIA - ESTONIA

19.00 (A/5) HELLAS - BELGIUM

21.15 (B/6) ITALY - SERBIA





AMALIADA



FRIDAY 25 JULY

14.30 (D1) LATVIA - CROATIA

16.45 (C2) GERMANY - FRANCE

19.00 (C1) UKRAINE - RUSSIA

21.15 (D2) BULGARIA - TURKEY



SATURDAY 26 JULY

14.30 (A/4) SPAIN - BELGIUM

16.45 (B/4) SERBIA - ESTONIA

19.00 (A/3) ISRAEL HELLAS

21.15 (B/3) ITALY - LITHUANIA



SUNDAY 27 JULY

14.30 (D/5) LATVIA - BULGARIA

16.45 (C/5) UKRAINE - GERMANY

19.00 (D/6) TURKEY - CROATIA

21.15 (C/6) FRANCE RUSSIA





QUALIFYING ROUND



TUESDAY 29 JULY

PYRGOS

14.30 G/1: A/4-D/4

16.45 E/3: B/1-A/3

19.00 E/2: B/3-A/1

21.15 E/1: B/2-A/2



AMALIADA

14.30 G/2: B/4-C/4

16.45 F/2: D/3-C/1

19.00 F/1: D/2-C/2

21.15 F/3: D/1-C/3



WEDNESDAY 30 JULY

PYRGOS

16.45 F/5: C/1-D/2

19.00 F/4: C/3-D/3

21.15 F/6: C/2-D/1



AMALIADA

16.45 E/4: A/3-B/3

19.00 E/5: A/1-B/2

21.15 E/6: A/2-B/1



THURSDAY 31 JULY

PYRGOS

14.30 G/3: C/4-A/4

16.45 E/7: B/2-A/3

19.00 E/9: B/1-A/1

21.15 E/8: B/3-A/2



AMALIADA

14.30 G/4: B/4-D/4

16.45 F/7: D/2-C/3

19.00 F/9: D/1-C/1

21.15 F/8: D/3-C/2





SEMI - FINAL ROUND



SATURDAY 2 AUGUST

14.30 G/6: C/4-D/4

16.45 GAME 49: F/5-E/6

19.00 GAME 53: F/1-E/2

21.15 GAME 54: E/1-F/2



AMALIADA

14.30 G/5: A/4-B/4

16.45 GAME 50: E/5-F/6

19.00 GAME 51: F/3-E/4

21.15 GAME 52: E/3-F/4



FINALS

SUNDAY 3 AUGUST

PYRGOS

13.15 LOSERS 52-51 (Places 7-8)

15.30 WINERS 52-51 (Places 5-6)

17.45 LOSERS 54-53 (Places 3-4)

21.15 WINERS 54-53 (Places 1-2)



AMALIADA

13.15 LOSERS 50-49 (Places 11-12)

15.30 WINERS 50-49 (Places 9-10)

Coach Giorgos Vlassopoulos:We are going for a good appearance - by George Manousidis
Eurobasket.com has little chat with the architect of U18 Greek National team Coach Giorgos Vlassopoulos.

Eurobasket.com : We have won until now all the tournaments that we have participated are we going for the gold medal?
Giorgos Vlassopoulos:After ALBERT SCHWEITZER tournament, which was the first and the strongest test our progress is very good, shows that we are in a good way. From now on we must have a good appearance in the official games because as you know there are many differences between friendly and official games.

Eurobasket.com : Which ones do you believe are the strongest opponents?
Giorgos Vlassopoulos: Due to the results in the tournament two years ago in U16 I believe that Spain, Turkey, Serbia and Russia are very strong teams. After this group of teams Lithuania, Italy and Greece follows. And don't forget this team was in the 9th position two years ago. We have to try harder for better standing

Eurobasket.com : National Coaches' complain is that the players of the nationals teams doesn't't have many playing time in their teams that they belong. How did you manage this problem?
Giorgos Vlassopoulos: Correct, that is one problem that we have too. Apart from Mantzari and Slouka which have played 20-25 minutes in every game at their teams, the rest of the players had very little time playing. For this reason, we made a plan to participate in many friendly tournaments. Last year we participated approximately in 40 games. So we cover up that kind of weakness.

Coach Vlassopoulos select the follow 12 players to participate in the tournament:
Angelopoulos Giannis
Georgakis Georgios
Vlantimir Giankovits
Ioannis Karathanasis
Leonidas Kaselakis
Dimitrios Katsivelis
Evangelos Mantzaris
Nikolaos Pappas
Konstantinos Papanikolaou
Papantoniou E.
Sarikopoulos Zisis
Konstantinos Sloukas

<<>><<>>

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


ZZ Leiden lands Bubba Walther - by Fred Roggen
ZZ Leiden announced yesterday officially the signing of guard Bubba Walther (193-G-85, agency: Sports Plus International, college: Akron). Walther is coming out of two years playing for Ohio and he will make his first experience outside the States in Leiden . Bubba Walther, averaged 12.3 points and 3.7 assists as a Senior and he is known as a good shooter. He will share the two guard spots with Vincent Krieger and J.S. Nash.
With the attracting of Walther, ZZ Leiden has the team nearly round for the new season .

Khayri Battle - Ready to Return to Europe - by Aaron Reilly

Eurobasket had the opportunity to sit down with former Holland player Khayri Battle (195-F/G-81, college: William Paterson). Khayri described his game, explained the differences between South American and European basketball, and presented why he wants to come back to Europe.

Eurobasket: What is your name, position, and how do you describe your game?
Khayri: My Name is Khayri Battle. I am 6'5' and play the guard/forward positions. I am a natural two guard with the skills to play the point guard position. I have the length and the athleticism to play the forward position, as well. Defense is my main attribute. I love covering the opposing team's best player and create a number of turnovers. I try to mimic my game after Walt 'Clyde' Frazier from the New York Knicks. He was one of the most complete players ever to play the game.

Eurobasket: After playing in Holland, you played in South America for a number of years. Why do you want to play in Europe?
Khayri: As you mature and become a veteran in this business of basketball, you have to find your nitch. I have experienced success in the top South American leagues and I want to return to Europe. I believe my game fits the European style of play. I am a play maker and defender, which is highly recognized in the European market. The game is more defined in Europe when you're a play maker. South American teams normally look for specialty guys.

Eurobasket: You've been told that the competition in South America is not as good as Europe; having the opportunity to play in Holland and big leagues like Argentina, is there a difference?
Khayri: People think that South America isn't on the same level as Europe, and they are sadly mistaken. Of course some leagues are much better than others. Basketball is different everywhere, but the levels are the same in the top leagues. In South America, we faced a number of national team players, which really made it extremely competitive.
Since I played on both continents, I had the opportunity to see the differences. For instance, in Argentina it was more physical than Holland. But in Holland, the teams prided themselves on playing good, fundamental basketball. It is hard to say which was better since both leagues play at such a high level.

Eurobasket: What can you offer a team?
Khayri: I bring leadership with play making abilities. Some people pride themselves on being one dimensional, I am a complete player. Also my off the court presence is felt just as well as my on the court presence. I bring quality and energy, and most importantly, I represent myself the way the game is to be played.

Eurobasket: Any closing remarks?
Khayri: First, I want to thank Eurobasket for years of publication and updating the world on basketball updates. Secondly, I am a diamond in the rough that hasn't been found. The only thing I lack is the golden opportunity to showcase my talents. I promise, the team that brings me back to Europe will gain a terrific all around player who can play multiple positions and help a team win.

For more information on Khayri Battle, contact Aaron Reilly at areilly@aaronandallen.com or visit their website at www.aaronandallen.com.



*****************************************************
  IRAN   


Iranian rally falls short - by Ali Karimi
Let me clear a few things up about the games that Iran has played against the D-league Ambassadors. The games are more of an exhibition and the rules are summer league rules. Unlike the Rocky Mountain revue which is NBA regular season rules. For instance players get 8 fouls, yes 8. When a player commits his 7th or 8th the opposing team gets an extra foul shot. So if the player gets fouled and makes the shot, he gets 2 free throws not just one. For tonights game they suspended the defensive three-second violation.

LEHI, UT, JULY 20, 2008 - The game would open with a gift exchange, which has happened in all the games and I'm sure will happen again tomorrow against the Jazz. Iran would open the game on a 7-2 spurt with balanced scoring and good focus from the Iranian side. Iran would push the lead to 12-4 with six minutes remaining forcing Ambassador coach Joey Meyer to call a timeout. The timeout however would not cool the torrid early shooting of Iran as the lead grew to 15-6 with 4:35 left in the first. It would only go south from there. Iran had a major lapse and turnovers and silly fouls lead to a big Ambassador rally. Moosa Nabipoor would have 4 fouls in the first quarter alone, he didn't start the game. 10 fouls for the quarter and 5 turnovers lead to a 17-6 Ambassador run to end the first giving them a 23-21 lead. Neither team could keep the pace of the frantic first quarter. Iran managed to keep the fouls and turnovers under raps but the Ambassadors would push their lead to 8 before Iran would get it down to 6. Halftime score Ambassadors 37 Iran 31.

The third quarter would go up and down. Iran had to work hard for their points but couldn't get a defensive stop. The Ambassadors would extend their lead for the quarter but a turning point for the Iranian psyche was when Ambassador F Nick Lewis would receive a technical with 6:38 to play. He went to the bench visible upset. I made the comment to him after the game, 'You guys were really bangin out there and it was a real battle.' He replied, 'Just the way I like it.' Both teams gave it their all today and I tip my hat to both of them, it was a real pleasure. The quarter would end with the Ambassadors holding a 57-47 lead.

A quick bucket to start the fourth would see the Ambassador lead reach its peak of 12. The Iranians could have easily given up but they would do nothing of the sort and start a remarkable comeback. Lead by Nikkhah's 11 points they would increase their defensive intensity and make some big steals, one on an inbounds pass fueling their will to win. They would scratch and claw the lead to 8, 6 and then 7. With 3:15 to play Hamed Afagh was fouled on a three pointer and went to the line looking to cut the lead to 3. He made the shot but it was waived off due to a lane violation on Saeid Karekani taking the wind out of their sails. Iran has committed a lane violation in all three games I have watched and this couldn't have come at a worst time. The Ambassadors took advantage and pushed the lead back to 8, on a four-point play. This is where summer rules came into play, Ehadadi was called for his 7th foul giving the Ambassadors two free throws on top of the bucket. However Nikkhah wasn't going out without a fight. He drained a three and Iran was again in striking distance. Time wasn't on Iran's side and they couldn't trade 3's for two free throws, a questionable call on a deflected Nikkhah 3 point attempt seal their fate as the rally would fall short, Final Score Ambassadors 77 Iran 71.

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


Last Serie A market news and rumors. - by Gianni Pascucci
It seems that Jumaine Jones (201-F-79, agency: Octagon, college: Georgia) won't join Armani Jeans Milano. In fact, the player, after signing a 1+1 contract with the Italian team on July 4, is reported to have inked another pact with Russian team Ural Great Perm, and this team has just asked the FIBA registration. Italian media tells that the two agreements were negotiated by two different agents... Angelico Biella welcomes back import player Reece Gaines (198-G-81, college: Louisville), who inked a one year contract with the team. Virtus Bologna is negotiating with Keith Langford (193-G/F-83, college: Kansas), and could announce his signing soon. Tercas Teramo inked domestic player Alessandro Piazza (175-G-87), loan from Fortitudo Bologna.

*****************************************************
  JAMAICA   


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


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


Jordan National Team "B" - by Mohammed Malas
Below you will find the members of Jordan National Team 'B' who will take part the 7th King Abdullah II Cup (July 25-31) in Amman, Three players from team 'A' will add the power to the roster.

- Players:
Zeid Abbas (203-C-83) of ASU Sports Club
Mahmoud Abdeen (186-G-87) of Orthodox
Mohammad Hamdan (201-F-84) of Zain
Ibrahim Bassam (204-C-87) of Orthodox
Abdalla Abu Koura (202-C-84) of ASU Sports Club
Khaldon Abo Rukayeah (198-F-83) of Zain
Yousef Faqs (200-F-85) of Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman
Malek Khashan (185-G-85) of Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman
Omar Olivier Bilbesi (192-G-86) of Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman
Ali Jamal (204-F/C-88) of Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman
Amro Tkeidek (192-F-89) of Orthodox
Faisal Kheir (204-C-85) of Al Riyadi/Aramex Amman

- Coaching Staff:
* Head Coach: Muntaser Abu Al-Tayyeb
* Assistant: Mo'tasem Salameh

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


ACB Updating - by Gianni Pascucci
The las win of Vikingos de Pizza Valentis, 104-88 over Pumas de la Unival, allows this team to sit on the third chair in the table. Servio Abea (191-F-78) was the main performer, with 30 points, helped by Danny Gomez (-G), who scored 27 pts, Roberto Moody with 15 and Carlos Zamora 10. The best in Pumas were Jamarr Hardy (193-G-83, agency: 011 Sports, college: Lenoir CC) and Myles Guidry (193-F-85), with 26 and 23 points, respectively. In consequence of this loss, Pumas slip at the fourth place, and should meet in Semifinals first placed Tigres, while Vikingos should play #2 Tiburones

ACB Standinga
D1 Standings
ACB
 1. Tigres 16-5 
 2. Tiburones 15-6 
 3. Vikingos de V. 13-8 
 4. Pumas 11-11 
 5. Delfines 3-7 
 6. Halcones 0-11 
Liga Premier
 1. Fupade Coast 6-3 
 2. Jaguares 6-3 
 3. American Coll. 4-5 
 4. Caimanes 2-7 


*****************************************************
  NIGERIA   


Raptors promote Masai to AGM - by Olusegun Ikuesan
Good news for Nigerian basketball former national player and assistant coach of nation U19 national team, Masai Ujiri has just been promoted again by his NBA team, Toronto Raptors.

Masai as he is fondly called has been promoted to the rank of Assistant General Manager/Player Personnel.

Masai has proven quickly to be a trusted and important part of the player procurement process including all aspects of scouting, talent assessment and related data management, says Raptors president.

Masai, a former student of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria played in Senegal '97 African Nations Cup squad, he played professionally mainly in Europe before retiring into player scouting and development.

His specialty in scouting and developing young players endeared him to the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF and has served with various junior teams since 2002.

Young players and parents in Nigeria will remember him more for his twice yearly basketball camps - The Top-50 and Big-Man Camps.

The camps have held since 2003.

Congratulations Masai Ujiri for doing great!

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


Ginebra, Magnolia brace for tougher game 2 - by Eurobasket News
Coaches Joseph Uichico of Barangay Ginebra and Siot Tanquingcen of Magnolia are used to the playoff atmosphere.

So its not surprising at all that they are bracing themselves for a tough grind Wednesday night, totally different from the one their troops faced in the opener of their respective semifinal series.

With close to 11,000 spectators on hand at the Cuneta Astrodome, the Barangay Ginebra Kings dominated and silenced the Red Bull Barakos, 108-82, and Magnolia pounced on undermanned Air21, 113-87, Sunday to gain a headstart in the 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference best-of-seven series.

The Kings and the Beverage Masters were clearly in their best in Game 1, looking every inch certified title contenders. But neither Joseph Uichico nor Tanquingcen was ready to proclaim that this series which will send the winners into a championship showdown could end sooner than expected.


'It's always a relief to win the first game. But this doesn't mean anything,' offered Joseph Uichico , noting it would be a big mistake to count the Barakos out this early into the series.

Not even the Kings' nine-game winning streak, it seems, is enough to convince the two-time Coach of the Year that this series would be a simple walk in the park for his troops.

'We're not too concerned about the streak. Our goal has always been play to win,' Joseph Uichico said.

The fact that Red Bull managed to secure a seat in the Final Four without the so-called 'superstars' is a testament to the resiliency of the Barakos something that Joseph Uichico said should not be overlooked by the Kings.

'We know what Red Bull is capable of doing. We just have to match their intensity and keep our defensive mentality,' said Joseph Uichico , who expects their 4:50 p.m. encounter at the Araneta Coliseum to be a little bit more physical and aggressive.

Modesty aside, even Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao believes his charges should have no trouble bouncing back from Sunday's lopsided loss. But he also said they have to find a way to slow down Ginebra import Chris Alexander, who completely dominated Adam Parada in Game 1.

'He's big and quicker than Adam. He's a very big problem for us if we can't find a way to slow him down, Guiao said.

Alexander posted 16 points and 17 rebounds in Game 1 while holding Parada to just 6 points on 2-of-8 shooting.

Tanquingcen is also convinced that their 7:20 p.m. date with the Air21 Express won't be easy.

'Definitely, it will be a different story in Game 2,' said Tanquincen.

The Beverage Masters had an easier time controlling Game 1 mainly because Air21 import Steven Thomas wasn't around.

'He's back. So we're back in business,' said Bo Perasol, the low-keyed Express coach who was pleased to see his reliable reinforcement back in the lineup.

Thomas, who made himself available for Korean Basketball League draft, arrived early Monday morning from the U.S. and headed straight to the Xavier gym in San Juan to join the team in practice.

Without Thomas in Game 1, the Express gave up 25 markers on second chance points, 16 more than their average in the eliminations.

'We really had a tough time without him. But it will be an entirely different story on Wednesday,' Perasol said. (DBC)

Courtesy of www.pba.ph

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


News from Kotwica and Turow - by Eurobasket News
Kotwica Kolobrzeg announced signing of Tomasz Cielebak (203-C-76, college: Marist) on a contract extension. As a reminder Kotwica already agreed terms with American players Brandon Crone, Drew Naymick, Adam Liberty and Julien Mills. Cielbak joined Kotwica in October last year from Viking Gdynia. He had 27 appearances in DBE averaging 5.8 ppg and 2.7 rpg. In the past Cielbak changed many teams in Poland. Some of them are Polphamra-Pakmet Starograd, Legia Warszawa, Slask and Stal Ostrow. His best achievement so far is the title in Polish championship in 2001 with Slask Wroclaw. Interesting that except of two years at Marist College, Cielebak never played outside of Poland.

Big man John Turek (206-F/C-83, college: Nebraska) agreed terms with Turow Zgorzelec. Turek arrives to Poland from Belgian team Gent Dragons as the second scorer and third blocker of Belgian D2. He played 33 games for his team last season averaging 13 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.2 spg and 1.4 bpg. Before Gent, he spent two years in Holland. At his first one he was a member of Omniworld Almere while during the summer 2006 he joined Hanzevast Capitals. With the team from Groningen he succeeded to reach the final of Dutch Cup. Turek graduated at Nebraska University in 2005 adding 8 ppg and 5 rpg at his senior year.

*****************************************************
  SEBL   


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. 5-0 
 2. ServPro-1 4-1 
 3. BC Skyline 3-2 
 4. BC Force 3-2 
 5. Marietta O. 2-2 
 6. BC Celtics 2-3 
 7. Smyrna K. 0-4 
 8. Supreme 0-5 
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 


ServPro-1 continues roll, Force wins on buzzer beater... - by David Archer
#s#
#e#6


Nickerson


Wooten


Spivey


Cox


Hamilton
Cartersville, GA - Team are working for better playoff position as the Metro A-League North Division gets over the regular season hump.

Scores from Wednesday night are below...

Wed., July 23, 2008 @ JH Morgan Gym in Cartersville:

Marietta 80 Supreme 76... Supreme let another game slip through their finger tips. After leading down the stretch, Supreme coughed the ball up three consecutive times in the final minute to go from being three up to four down in the waning seconds. It marked the third straight game Supreme has led in the final minute. Marietta's young core played strong in pulling out the win and moved to 2-2 on the summer. Shannon Billings led Marietta with 25 points, while Brandon Chambers scored 19 of this 21 in the second half. DeAndre Washington also had 19. Markeith Cummings got eight and Stephon Padmore had 3 points and 8 blocks in the win for Marietta. For Supreme, Carlos Hampton (6'4''-F) had 18, Mike Carson (6'4''-G) 15, Ale Burt and Jazz Gregiore 13 each. Kenyatta Baylor had nine and Cedric Ward six.

BC Force 60 Skyline 57... Skyline led most of the way and had a 36-29 lead at the half. But, the sky went dark as their offense disappeared and the Force came back. Leading late, Skyline made several miscues with the Force took advantage of. Tony Cook hit several long threes to keep the Force within striking distance. First, up 57-54 with 35 seconds left, Skyline committed a violation while on the freethrow line. It was a 1-and-1 opportunity that could have gone a long way towards icing the game, but the ball went back to the Force. Kelvin McConnell got free going to his left to hit a long three pointer, knotting the score with 27 second remaining. On the ensuing play, Skyline ran the clock down and were unable to get a good look at the basket. The Force got the ball back with .4 remaining on the clock and advanced the ball to half-court. The inbounds found a wide open Marc Reese in the deep corner. He caught, squared up and shot the ball off the glass at the buzzer for the win. Cook led the Force with 21 points, while McConnell had 14 and Reese 10. Darrell Wilkins had six, Jon Allison four, Neon Winters three and Ced McClinic two. For Skyline, Jon-Michael Nickerson (6'6''-F-84) struggled his way to 17, while Nick Mattone had 11, J.D. Pollock nine and Mike Howren nine. Alex Cornett got six and Antone Anderson five.

Baseline-1 77 BC Celtics 66... Baseline remained undefeated after another tough win. Baseline, jumped out to a eight point lead early, but Andrew Jones got on a roll, hitting multiple threes in the first half. Jones scored 19 of this game high 24 in the opening half, to help the Celtics knot the score at 35-all by the mid-way point. Jones got a bucket to start the second half, putting the Celtics in the lead. Baseline shifted to a man defense, which made things a little tougher for the Celtics. Baseline's Ronell Wooten (6'4''-G-85) began to benefit from the defense as he slammed home several ally oops from Terrance Hundley out of transition. Jones was held to six points in the second half and Baseline outscored the Celtics 42-31 in the second half and Chris Jones got a monster slam at the buzzer to accentuate the win. Wooten finished with 21, while Jones had 15. Joe Hamilton (6'6''-F-79), Mike Linley and Kurtis Woods each tallied nine and Hundley debuted with eight. For the Celtics, Dexter Shaw (6'3''-G-89) and Jeff Croft (6'3''-G) had 12 and 11, respectively, to aid Jones' efforts. Reggie King fought for his nine points, while Kyle Hartsook had six and DeRon Davis four.

ServPro-1 93 Knicks-1 59... Servpro-1 has really established themselves as the team to beat in the North side of the SEBL Metro A-League. Despite currently sitting in second place in the Division, ServPro-1 has blown past it's last four opponents. The Knicks provided no resistance on this night either, as they played with out leading scorer Lance James, as well as, PF Marc Harp. It would've been tough enough for the Knicks-1 even if they were at full strength. ServPro-1 took a 45-21 lead into the intermission and cruised the rest of the way. Brandon Byers (6'5''-F-87) led the way with 20, while Shan Finley, Jermaine Spivey (6'3''-G-72) and Larry Cox (6'10''-C-84) all had 16. Spencer Dixon also got 8, Bobby Smith 5, Sandy Fields four and Rodney Stallings two. For the Knicks-1, Ricky James (6'3''-G-84) had 24 and Jonathan Johnson 21.
----------------------------------------------

SEBL Summer Invitational Classics are set.... - by David Archer

Cartersville, GA - Baseline Sports Management has announced the schedule of dates and tentative participants in the SEBL Summer Invitational Classic Series. Each Classic will consist of four teams, playing a one day round-robin style tournament. Each Classic will conclude with consolation and championship games. The schedule is listed below...

==================================================================
SEBL Cleveland Summer Invitational Classic I
Fri., Aug. 1st @ Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia
10:30am BC Bears vs BC Saints
11:30pm Young Gunz vs North Metro
12:30pm BC Bears vs Young Gunz
1:30pm BC Saints vs North Metro
2:30pm BC Bears vs North Metro
3:30pm BC Saints vs Young Gunz
4:30pm Consolation
5:30pm Championship

===================================================================
SEBL Morrow Summer Invitational Classic II:
Fri., Aug. 15th @ Clayton State Athletics & Fitness Center in Morrow, GA
10:30am BC Lakers vs BC Highlanders
11:30pm BC Bears vs North Metro
12:30pm BC Lakers vs BC Bears
1:30pm BC Highlanders vs North Metro
2:30pm BC Lakers vs North Metro
3:30pm BC Highlanders vs BC Bears
4:30pm Consolation
5:30pm Championship


===================================================================
Cartersville location is tentative and based on interest level: (Teams subject to Change...)

SEBL North Metro Tech Summer Invitational Classic III:
Fri., Aug. 29th @ JH Morgan Gym in Cartersville, GA
10:30am North Metro vs SH-Baseline
11:30pm BC Bears vs BC Lakers
12:30pm North Metro vs BC Bears
1:30pm SH-Baseline vs BC Lakers
2:30pm North Metro vs BC Lakers
3:30pm SH-Baseline vs BC Bears
4:30pm Consolation
5:30pm Championship
=================================================================


For more information, please contact David Archer, Jr. at darcherjr@yahoo.com

You can also visit http://www.leaguelineup.com/sebl




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


U16 National Team on tournament in Slovenia - by Dragan Jankovski
Serbian U16 National Team will take a place on international tournament in Slovenia which starts today. Except of the hosts, Serbian cadets will meet U16 Russia and U16 Czech Republic. This tournament is a part of preparation for U16 European Championship in Italy where Serbia will try to defend Gold medal.

First rival of Serbian cadets on tournament in Slovenia will be the host team and the game is scheduled for today at 18:00h. In the next round Serbia will take on Russia while the last day of the tournament is reserved for the game against Czech Republic. The good thing for Serbian U16 National Team is that all players are healthy and without any injuries. Head coach of U16 Serbia Dragan Vascanin stated that he is satisfied after more than a month since preparations has started.

'We played three games against Russians on a high level. Russia is a very good team which is for sure candidate for the Gold medal on the upcoming European Championship. We currently count on 14 players and I won't cut any of them until the day when we will depart for European Championship. My team possesses pretty good potential at the defensive end what was our most powerful weapon so far. We are really good in that basketball segment and the fact that our rivals averaged just 65 points so far just confirmed my thoughts. Anyway, we had some problems with shot percentage at the beginning but the situation is much better now. Except of these three games is Slovenia, we will play three more friendlies before the begging of EC. We are going to show good performance in Slovenia and we will try to register the best result we can' - said Dragan Vascanin for Serbian daily newspapers Sportski Zurnal.

Tulips ink Marko Popovic, Napredak Rubin adds Plicevic - by Dragan Jankovski
Another player arrived to Vojvodina Srbijagas in just couple of days. After Marko Jovanovic and Marko Sutalo, another guy with first name Marko will play in Novi Sad next season. It is point guard Marko Popovic (193-G-84), ex player of Sloga Kraljevo. Popovic joined Sloga last summer from Ergonom Nis. He averaged 15.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 4.5 apg and 1.5 spg for 20 games in A1 league previous season. In the past he also played for Ergonom Nis, Ibon Niksic, Zastava Kragujevac and Beopetrol Belgrade. As a member of Zastava he was young prospects on point guard position but very soon he suffered serious knee injury after what he was sidelined almost 6 months. Popovic put signature on 1+1 deal with Vojvodina Srbijagas.

Bojan Krstovic (194-G-80) confirmed for Serbian media that he agreed terms with Hemofarm STADA.

'I didn't sign anything yet but we agreed all terms. Thus I suppose to stay in Hemofarm for the next three years. I can say that I am very satisfied with this transfer. Hemofarm is a big club which accepted all my conditions without hesitation. I hope next season will be very successful for us' -said Krstovic.

Radenko Plicevic agreed terms with A1 team Napredak Rubin. Plicevic spent last season in B league playing for Proleter Naftagas.

*****************************************************
  SPAIN   


Market news - by Eurobasket News
28-year old American Spencer Gloger (203-F-80, college: Princeton) put signature on the contract with CB Breogan. Gloger arrives to Breogan from 10th ranked team in LEB Gold, Caja Rural Melilla. He had 30 appearances for his team last season averaging 13.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.1 apg. Gloger already has some experience from ACB as he played around three months for Girona on season 05/06. Actually he joined the team in October but after 14 games, where he added 4.8 ppg and 1.4 rpg, the team decided to release him. Gloger graduated at Princeton University in 2003.

At the same time Florent Pietrus (202-F-81, agency: Octagon), brother of NBA super start Mickael Pietrus (198-F-82, agency: Court Side), arrived to Valencia for a medical examination. If everything went ok Pamesa will get important acquisition for the next season. Pietrus is coming from Estudiantes with average stats 8.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 1 spg. It will be his fifth season in ACB as before Estudiantes he spent three years with Unicaja Malaga. During these three years with Unicaja Pietrus celebrated the title in Spanish ACB as well as 'Copa del Rey' in 2005. He played for France at the previous European Championship which was held in Spain adding 8.9 ppg and 3.7 rpg for 7 games.

Meanwhile, ex player of Pamesa Valencia Loukas Mavrokefalides (207-C-84) agreed terms with Maroussi from Athens. It is important news for Bilbao. Namely, if Bilbao succeeds to get through the second qualifying round, where its opponent will be Cholet Basket or ASK Riga, it will be placed to Group A of regular season where new Mavrokefalides' team will wait them. Except of Maroussi, Choralle Roanne and Zadar also are placed in the same group.

Market News from Estu, Bruesa and Menorca - by Paul Nilsen
Triple joy for MMT Estudiantes after the famous Madrid club received backing from their main sponsor MMT Insurances for many years finally safeguarding the future of Estu who have been rumoured to have been in deep financial trouble writes www.acb-basket.com.

Having lost several players and with the appointment of Luis Casimiro from near neighbours Fuenla, some believe that his appointment was because as well as being a talented coach, he is also used to working on low budgets, perhaps something that Estu now have to realise for a few seasons.

However despite this notion, Estu have swooped to sign a backcourt in the form of Slovenian shooter Samo Udrih (195-G-79) and American guard Vonteego Cummings (192-G-76, college: Pittsburgh). The pair will link up with MMT for next season. Udrih moves from CB Granada where he has performed well during the last couple of seasons averaging 9 points in his 60 games with the club having previously been with Girona. Cummings is an experienced player who played last year with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Euroleague and has some brief NBA experience.

This boost for Estu is significant having missed out on a number of bigger name targets mooted earlier in the summer including the likes of Pops Mensah-Bonsu.

There was also a lot of cheer in Bruesa as the San Sebastian club followed up promotion to the ACB with two more signings they hope can keep them there. They have brought in one of the oldest players in the league by clinching the signature of veteran Lou Roe (200-F-72, college: Massachusetts) from Polaris World Murcia and are now looking to strike a deal with Unicaja for the services of point guard Bojan Popovic (190-G-83, agency: Beo Basket) for one season. Popovic often played second fiddle to Carlos Cabezas last season and a move to the Basque country is certainly interesting as it parallels the move of Huertas who went to Bilbao and had an outstanding season having been overshadowed in Badalona.

Roe meanwhile played 13 games for Polaris World Murcia at the end of last year to help secure their ACB status on the final day and Bruesa will be hoping for a similar outcome so they do not slip back into LEB Oro.

Another team that survived by the skin of their teeth last year was ViveMenorca and they have signed up their influential Croatian player Mario Stojic (198-G/F-80, agency: Interperformances) for three years. Stojic will be captain and lead the team in the next few seasons with the club determined to build their team around the talented forward. The player himself has said he wants to grow with the club and the fans will certainly be happy if he can produce 14 points per game and an average valuation of over 12 every game next year.

*****************************************************
  TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO   


Fresh elections loom for NBFTT - by Don Farrell
The National Basketball Federation of Trinidad and Tobago (NBFTT) will attempt to bring an end to the rift within the organisation with fresh elections in the near future.

Following a meeting with the NBFTT on Monday, T&T Olympic Committee (T&TOC) president Larry Romany yesterday confirmed that a 'tentative date' had been set for the Federation's special general meeting, when officials will be elected for a two-year term.

The tenure of the Federation's current executive was scheduled to end in March of next year.

Romany, however, did not want to disclose particulars of the agreement between the two differing parties within the Federation, namely current president Earl John and presidential aspirant Brian Manning, son of Prime Minister Patrick Manning, saying that the NBFTT were dealing with the matter internally, while the T&TOC act as mediators.

The T&TOC instructed that John and some other NBFTT officials be re-instated earlier this year after they were ejected from the Federation by a group led by Manning.

The rift has resulted in Government's financial assistance to the NBFTT being cut and, according to John, the Federation have suffered as a result.

'At the moment we cannot fund our programmes,' John told the Express yesterday, 'because no funds are forthcoming.'

In a recent interview, John explained that the constitution required a special request for removal of officers by at least 30 per cent of the Federation's board to initiate election proceedings.

'Nobody within the Federation has so far requested (removal). They have to request removal of directors within the board,' John explained. 'When that is received, then the board will have a special general meeting according to the constitution.'express

*****************************************************
  U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS   


Lakers Stun Previously Undefeated Chosen Ones 105-102 in OT - by David Edole
The Lakers, still smarting from a shellacking they got at the hands of Guidance a few nights ago, knocked the league-leading Chosen Ones from the ranks of the unbeaten Monday night with a gut-checked 105-102 victory in the Choices Basketball Association summer league.
The game, arguably the best of the season, pitted two of the league's heavyweights against each in the Central High School Gym, with both swinging haymakers until the Chosen Ones missed and the Lakers were able to deliver the knockout punch in overtime.
The Lakers got a huge lift from forward Charles Moorehead in the second half, when he exploded for 14 points. At one stage of the game Moorehead scored 10 straight of his team's points. But this was by no means a one-man show, as the Lakers needed a total team effort to knock off a tough Chosen Ones squad. They got just that as they had five players in double figures. The big difference in the game showed up in the defensive stats, where the Lakers' defense forced 23 Chosen Ones turnovers to just eight for the Lakers. About five of those Chosen Ones turnovers turned into easy baskets for Moorehead in the second half.
The teams played the first half rather evenly, exchanging the lead several times between them before the Chosen Ones were able to get and hold a three-point lead, heading into the locker room ahead 44-41.
The Chosen Ones outscored the Lakers 12-6 to open the second half, and had a 56-47 lead with 5:37 left in the period. The Lakers responded with an 18-10 run, which included eight straight points by Moorehead, to close out the third period down by one at 66-65. Moorehead's hot shooting continued in the fourth quarter as he scored the first two points to give his team its first lead since the second quarter at 67-66.
The teams would battle hard throughout the fourth quarter, with the lead changing hands numerous times. After such a tough battle for 39-plus minutes the score was fittingly tied at 88 with 15 seconds on the clock and Chosen Ones' ball. Point Guard Nybo 'Tybo' Rogers brought the ball across the time line and set up for the game's final shot. With the clock down to five seconds, Rogers made his move to the basket, which was staunchly defended by the Lakers' big men. Unable to get to the basket, he had to pull up and tried a floater, which bounced off the front of the rim as time expired. It was on to overtime.
The Lakers opened the overtime on a 13-5 run, opening an eight-point lead at 101-93 with 2:30 left in the game. Their fans could smell the upset. It was an eight-point surge that, although the Chosen Ones tried their best, proved too much to overcome. The Chosen Ones got to as close as one point at 103-102 with 28 seconds left in the game, but Shane 'Sugar' Hodge hit two clutch free throws to give the Lakers a three-point cushion. On the Chosen Ones' final possession, several attempted three-pointers to tie missed their mark and their unbeaten record was now history.
What a comeback by the young Lakers after a blowout loss in their previous game. They proved that even the good teams can have an off night, but how they responded to such a night could be the difference between real contenders and pretenders. Monday night showed that these Lakers are the real deal and true contenders for the CBA 2008 championship.
The Lakers had five players in double figures, led by a game-high 23 points by Jerome 'Hives' Nathaniel. Carlos Solano dropped in 18, Hodge and Moorehead netted 17 apiece, and Glen Williams had 15. For the Chosen Ones, Joey Wallace dropped in 20 points and hauled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Andy Chelcher netted 20 points with 13 rebounds, Wilson Ferrance had 17 points, Rogers 15 and Calvin 'Moose' Percival dropped in 14 points.

by Dave Davis

Jam Squad to face Jah Youths for ABA hoops championship - by David Edole
ST. THOMAS - Jam Squad and Jah Youths will face off for the ABA Men's Summer Basketball League Championship after winning their respective semifinal series on Tuesday night at the BCB gym.

In the first game of the night, Jam Squad assured themselves a chance of defending their league title with a 102-95 win over V.I. Finest to complete a series sweep. Jam Squad was led by Akil Lewis (183-G-82, college: Lynn) with 33 points and 6 rebounds. He was followed by Malik Hodge with 28 points, Devon Lewis with 17 rebounds and Calvert White with 12 assists.

V.I. Finest's top performers were Fitzroy Dunrod with 23 points and 6 assists, Cameron Phillip with 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Wellington Buckley with 13 rebounds.

In the second game of the night, Jah Youths concluded their 3-game series with TWI with a 74-67 win. Jabahri Brown (209-F/C-79, college: Oklahoma) led Jah Youths with 29 points and 16 rebounds while Jamari Maduro added 17 points and 6 assists.

TWI was led by Kori Vialet with 22 points, and Robert Duck with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists.

Game 1 of the championship series is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the BCB gym.

*****************************************************
  UNITED KINGDOM   


Brown Back to Point Lions - by George Manousidis
Terrell Brown has become Vince Macaulay's second addition to his Milton Keynes Lions roster ahead of the 2008/09 season, returning for his third season with the club.

The 5'10' American guided the Lions to their first ever trophy last season, leading from the point guard position as they captured the BBL Cup at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.

Brown, 23, is a graduate of Charleston Southern University where he was the starting point guard for three years. An explosive point guard with great quickness and acceleration, whilst a solid shooter , his strength is in ball-handling and defensive quickness.

Lions' Head Coach Vince Macaulay commented, 'Terrell is just what we need, he has matured so much over the last two seasons, for me he now claims the title of the best point guard in the BBL. He shows up in the big games and runs the team with drive and energy'.

Last season Brown averaged 12points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists per game, his speed and quickness mesmerising opposition defenders as the Lions had a stellar year - also finishing in their highest ever league position (fourth) and reaching the BBL Championship Playoff final. 'I am glad to have Terrell here,' continued Macaulay, 'this young man is so fundamentally sound and is a joy to watch on the court, he is balanced, he cares about the team and he also wants to get better.'

Brown joins rookie Carl McNally on this year's team with another new face to be added this week.

Milton Keynes Lions Official Website - mklions.com

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


LPB 2008 Semifinals - Gameday 3: Gaiteros and Marinos take a 2-1 lead - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Gaiteros del Zulia and Marinos de Anzoategui celebrated their return to home land with victories against Trotamundos de Carabobo and Marinos de Anzoategui in Game 3 of the LPB 2008 Semifinals, as they took the lead in their respective series, 2-1.



SERIES A
MARINOS DE ANZOATEGUI 95 - COCODRILOS DE CARACAS 80
Naciones Unidas Park - Caracas, D.C.
(Marinos leads series 2-1)

Quarter by quarter
MAR: 22-24-29-20= 95
COC: 20-20-27-13= 80


Scorers
COC: Jack Michael Martinez (203-F/C-81) 21 points and 17 rebounds, Victor David Diaz (195-F-68) 19 points, Kevin Freeman (201-F-78) 12 points, Jesus Centeno (190-G-85) 10 points, Jeremy Veal (191-G-76) 9 points, Juan Herrera (197-F-81) 5 points, Luis Bethelmy (200-C-86) 4 points
MAR: Cordell Henry (178-G-80) 30 points and 6 assists, Axiers Sucre (198-F-78) 18 points, Elvis Montero (193-G-78) 13 points, Hector Romero (202-F-80) 10 points, Curtis Withers (203-F-84) 8 points, Jason Edwin (196-G/F-81) 8 points, Rafael Guevara (194-F-79) 4 points and 7 assists, Gregory Vargas (182-G-86) 4 points


SERIES B
GAITEROS DEL ZULIA 113 - TROTAMUNDOS DE CARABOBO 105
Forum of Valencia - Valencia, Carabobo
(Gaiteros leads series 2-1)

Quarter by quarter
GAI: 19-23-28-43= 113
TRO: 25-35-21-24= 105

Scorers
GAI: Ruben Nembhard (191-G-72) 31 points and 7 rebounds, Hernan Salcedo (198-F-80) 18 points and 10 rebounds, Askia Jones (196-G-71) 18 points, Christopher Jeffries (199-F-80) 18 points, Ricardo Melendez (180-G-83) 18 points, Luis Julio (199-F-80) 7 points, Jean Carlos Espinoza (190-G/F-74) 3 points
TRO: Jose Vargas (196-G/F-82) 32 points, J.R. Wallace (183-G-81) 22 points and 5 assists, Joe Shipp (197-F-81) 16 points, Facundo Sucatzky (176-G-72) 12 points and 7 assists, Tomas Aguilera (198-F-77) 12 points, Alejandro Barrios (205-F-79) 8 points, Pedro Brito (202-F/C-82) 3 points




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Women News

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


Argentinian National Team for FIBA Americas U18 Championships in Buenos Aires - by Kasia
4 Nayla Kraft (166-G-90) of Sunderland
5 Debora Gonzalez (170-G-90) of Lanus
6 Macarena Durso (170-G-91)
7 Rocio Rojas (168-G-91) of Union Florida
8 Nadia Flores (169-G-90) of Lanus
9 Paula Budini (177-G-90) of Velez Sarsfield
10 Agostina Burani (188-F-91) of Lanus
11 Melisa Pavicich (181-F-91)
12 Ornella Santana (184-F/C-90) of Velez Sarsfield
13 Macarena Rosset (178-F-90) of Velez Sarsfield
14 Camila Pagano (184-C-91)
15 Andrea Boguete
Head Coach: Eduardo Pinto
Coach Assistant: Ezequiel Valet
Coach Assistant: Hernan Amaya

Argentina starts U-18 with victory - by Leonardo Contieri
Opening day of action in Buenos Aires, for the U-18 tournament of the Amercicas, that provides four places for next year's world championship at Thailand.
USA defeated defeated Venezuela 112-49 on the opening match, and Canada took care of Brazil with a 67-47 victory next.
After a low scoring first period that ended with a narrow 8-7 advantage for the home team, Argentina outscored Puerto Rico 41-27 between the seond and third quarters to take control of the game.
Debora Gonzalez led all scorers with eighteen points despite shooting only 1 for 6 from downtown, but Argentina's best was Agostina Burrani, who finished with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blcoks despite shooting only 2 for 9 from the line. Roxyali Muoz Rivera led Puerto Rico with 13 points. Argentina will face Brazil tomorrow.

U18 Championship for Women - by Ana Soifer
Argentina beat Puerto Rico 64-52 in the first game played in Buenos Aires for the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women.
Tomorrow, Argentina will play against Brazil (7 pm) and Puerto Rico plays Venezuela (5 pm).
Debora Gonzalez (-86) led Argentina with 18 points while Agostina Burani (188-F-91) scored 10 points and took 17 rebounds.
For Puerto Rico Roxyali Muoz scored 13 points while Astrid Miranda had 10

*****************************************************
  BRAZIL - Women  


Canada U18 rout Brazil in Buenos Aires - by Eurobasket News
Canada U18 - Brazil U18 67:47

Canadian U18 National Team got to a winning start of the FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina. They held off Brazilian counterparts in the starting round of action in Buenos Aires. Six teams are to play in the round-robin system with 4 top teams getting tickets to U19 World Championship to be held in Thailand in 2009. Canada made the first step towards Thailand as they rolled past Brazil yesterday. Canada dominated inside the paint and it resulted in them taking a 16:8 lead after ten minutes of action. Brazil continued to struggle offensively and let Canada clear off to a 12-point distance at halftime. Brazil never recovered in the second half as Canadian Juniors looked confident and kept their opponents at bay. The lead was stretched to 17 points going into the final stanza and Canada easily secured the winning outcome at the end. Elyse Jobin (180-G-90) knocked down 11 points to pace Canada. Stephanie Macdonald (177-F) provided 10 points, while Justine Colley (175-G) added 9 points in a win. Tassia Pereira (175-G-92) answered with game-high 19 points for Brazil. Cristiane Simoes (192-F/C-91) nailed 10 points in defeat. Canada pulled down 48 rebounds including 17 offensive ones. They also shot solid 46% from beyond the arc. Canada will now take on the USA today. Brazil will try to bounce back against Argentina later tonight.

Canada U18: Elyse Jobin 11, Stephanie Macdonald 10, Justine Colley 9
Brazil U18: Tassia Pereira 19, Cristiane Simoes 10

*****************************************************
  BULGARIA - Women  


Sweden extend winning streak in Slovakia - by Eurobasket News
Sweden U18 - Bulgaria U18 73:60

Cleopatra Forsman (180-G-91) put on another sizzling performance and Swedish Junior Team left no chance for Bulgaria in todays action at the European Championship in Slovakia. Sweden toppled one of the tournaments favorites Russia yesterday and definitely got the taste of winning. Today Bulgaria became another victim of ambitious and talented Swedish team. Cleopatra Forsman tallied massive 22 points, 19 boards and 4 assists to propel Tre Krunur to the second straight win. Bulgaria in the meantime suffered the second loss in a row and remained at the bottom of the ladder in qualifying round Pool F. Bulgaria kept it in front at the start of the game through baskets from Stefka Nikolova (170-G-90) and Stanislava Stankova (168-G-90). However Sweden used back-to-back triples from Frida Fogdemark (185-F-91) and Jennifer Kucukkaya (158-G-91) to jump in front. Jennifer Kucukkaya and Frida Fogdemark followed it with 5 more points to build a 17:9 lead for Sweden. Swedish Juniors enjoyed a 21:13 advantage at the first break. Danielle Hamilton Carter (187-C-90, college: Fayetteville) scored 6 points in an 8:0 run to open the second period. The Scandinavian team controlled the tempo and easily cleared off to a 42:21 distance at halftime. Sweden maintained the margin well throughout the third stanza and finished thirty minutes of action up by 18 points. Forsman scored 10 points in the fourth term and though Sweden allowed Bulgaria to shave the deficit they looked too good for their opponents at the end. Danielle Hamilton Carter knocked down 14 points, while Stefanie Yderstrom (172-G-90) secured 13 in a win. Veronika Dzhikova (178-F-90) scored 18 points to pace Bulgaria. Stanislava Stankova contributed 15 points in a losing effort.

Sweden U18: Cleopatra Forsman 22+19 boards, Danielle Hamilton Carter 14, Stefanie Yderstrom 13
Bulgaria U18: Veronika Dzhikova 18, Stanislava Stankova 15

*****************************************************
  CANADA - Women  


Canadian U18 National Team 2008 - by Eurobasket
#s#
#e#6


Vaughan


Jobin


Wijenberg


Alexander


Seabrooks
4 Justine Colley (175-G)
5 Jennifer Vaughan (175-G-90)
6 Elyse Jobin (180-G-90)
7 Stephanie Macdonald (177-F)
8 Stephanie Vermunt (182-F)
9 Emilie Cloutier (182-G)
10 Abbey Duinker (188-F-91)
11 Natalie Achonwa (188-F-92)
12 Taryn Wicijowski (188-F/C)
13 Felicia Wijenberg (188-F-91)
14 Julie Seabrooks (193-C-90)
15 Kayla Alexander (195-F/C-91)
Head Coach: Rich Chambers
Coach Assistants: Dave Wilson , BELAND Mireille

Canada U18 rout Brazil in Buenos Aires - by Eurobasket News
Canada U18 - Brazil U18 67:47

Canadian U18 National Team got to a winning start of the FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina. They held off Brazilian counterparts in the starting round of action in Buenos Aires. Six teams are to play in the round-robin system with 4 top teams getting tickets to U19 World Championship to be held in Thailand in 2009. Canada made the first step towards Thailand as they rolled past Brazil yesterday. Canada dominated inside the paint and it resulted in them taking a 16:8 lead after ten minutes of action. Brazil continued to struggle offensively and let Canada clear off to a 12-point distance at halftime. Brazil never recovered in the second half as Canadian Juniors looked confident and kept their opponents at bay. The lead was stretched to 17 points going into the final stanza and Canada easily secured the winning outcome at the end. Elyse Jobin (180-G-90) knocked down 11 points to pace Canada. Stephanie Macdonald (177-F) provided 10 points, while Justine Colley (175-G) added 9 points in a win. Tassia Pereira (175-G-92) answered with game-high 19 points for Brazil. Cristiane Simoes (192-F/C-91) nailed 10 points in defeat. Canada pulled down 48 rebounds including 17 offensive ones. They also shot solid 46% from beyond the arc. Canada will now take on the USA today. Brazil will try to bounce back against Argentina later tonight.

Canada U18: Elyse Jobin 11, Stephanie Macdonald 10, Justine Colley 9
Brazil U18: Tassia Pereira 19, Cristiane Simoes 10

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  CZECH REPUBLIC - Women  


Czech Republic dismantle Turkey in Nitra - by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic U18 - Turkey U18 72:56

Czech Republic U18 Team overcame Turkish side in the qualifying round matchup at the European Championship today. The win allowed Czechs to improve to 3-1 record in Group E and moved them closer to the semifinal. Turkey meanwhile fell to 1-3 record at the bottom of the ladder. The teams got to a high-flying first frame as Czech team jumped to a 28:17 lead ten minutes into the game. Gamze Takmaz (182-F-91) and Firat closed the gap to 5 points but Klara Rosenbaumova (182-F-90) capped the first half with a jumper and Czech Republic enjoyed an 8-point lead at the interval. Czech Republic kept their opponents at bay throughout the third period and secured 55:47 advantage at three quarter time. Turkish team never threatened the gap in the fourth period and Czech Republic breezed to an overall win at the end. Katerina Bartonova (174-G-90) scored 16 points to lead Czech Republic. Klara Rosenbaumova had 13 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Gamze Takmaz answered with 19 points and 9 rebounds for Turkey. Ozge Yavas (169-G-91) had 12 points in a losing effort. Turkey outrebounded the winners 44:42 but suffered 15 turnovers. Czech Republic shot 42% from the field, while limiting their opponents to only 28% of field goals. Czech Republic will face Lithuania, while Turkey will take on Ukraine in the third qualifying round.

Czech Republic U18: Katerina Bartonova 16, Klara Rosenbaumova 13, Michaela Stara (172-G-90) 9
Turkey U18: Gamze Takmaz 19, Ozge Yavas 12

Russia secures second win at the VTB Cup - by Eurobasket News
Russia - Czech Republic 75:61

Russian National Team celebrated their second straight win at the prestigious VTB Cup in Vidnoje. The reigning European champions held off Czech Republic 75:61 to stay on top of the ladder. Czech Republic meanwhile suffered their second loss in a row at the tourney. Russia got to a better start but could not clear off substantially. Czech team stayed at a striking distance and trailed by just 3 points at the first intermission. However the pressure mounted over the second frame and well-balanced Russian offense started to prevail. The hosts gradually stretched the margin and enjoyed an 8-point lead at the sides change. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) ignited the home team as they opened a double digit lead in the third quarter. Czech team failed to answer and Russia sealed a 12-point advantage with one frame left in the game. The complexion of the encounter did not change in the fourth stanza as Russian team breezed to an overall victory at the end. Tatiana Shchegoleva came up with 17 points for Russia. Svetlana Abrosimova (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) had 14 points, while Irina Osipova (196-C-81) delivered 12 for the winners. Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) replied with 13 points for Czech Republic. Katerina Elhotova (179-G-89) netted 12 points in a losing case. Czech Republic will look for the initial win when they take on Israel today. Russia and Spain will clash in another todays game.

Russia: Tatiana Shchegoleva 17, Svetlana Abrosimova 14, Irina Osipova 12
Czech Republic: Eva Viteckova 13, Katerina Elhotova 12

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  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U18 - Women  


W-Standings - Group A
Standings
Group E
1. Lithuania4-0
2. Czech Repu.3-1
3. Poland2-2
4. Slovakia1-3
5. Turkey1-3
6. Ukraine1-3
Group F
1. France4-0
2. Russia3-1
3. Spain2-2
4. Sweden2-2
5. Serbia1-3
6. Bulgaria0-4
Classification
1. Belarus1-0
2. Romania1-0
3. Croatia0-1
4. Italy0-1


Division A. Qualifying round Day 2 - by Eurobasket News
Group E
Poland U18 - Ukraine U18 73:64
Polish Junior National Team grabbed their first win at the European Championship qualifying round. Today they held off Ukrainian team to improve to 2-2 record in Group E ladder. Ukraine suffered the second consecutive defeat and remained at the bottom of the table in the group. Natalia Pacula and Magda Kaczmarska (183-F/G-90) spurred Polish team to a 12:3 lead early on. Ukraine cut the deficit but still trailed by 5 points at the first intermission. Ukraine used a 12:6 run at the start of the second period to spur ahead. The lead then changed hands for several times and the teams were all square at 31 at halftime. Klaudia Sosnowska (186-F-90), Olivia Tomialowicz (182-G-90) and Magda Kaczmarska pulled Poland ahead early in the third term. But Ukraine stayed at a striking distance. Finally Magda Kaczmarska capped the period with a three-pointer giving Poland a 55:44 advantage with one quarter to go. Yeremeychuk fired 6 points and Ol'ha Maznichenko added two for Ukraine to narrow the gap to 5 points. Olivia Tomialowicz and Magda Kaczmarska were deadly from charity stripe in a key moments and Poland got away with the victory at the end. Magda Kaczmarska nailed 23 points to pace Polish team. Olivia Tomialowicz had 13 points, while Klaudia Sosnowska dropped 12 points in a win. Yuliya Berezynets (180-G-90) and Kateryna Dorogobuzova (187-F-90) scored 14 points apiece in a losing case. Ol'ha Maznichenko added 13 points for Ukraine. Ukraine enjoyed a massive advantage on the glass 34:20 but committed unforgivable 26 turnovers. Poland also converted 44% from the field and 80% from free throw line.

Poland U18: Magda Kaczmarska 23, Olivia Tomialowicz 13, Klaudia Sosnowska 12
Ukraine U18: Yuliya Berezynets 14, Kateryna Dorogobuzova 14


Slovakia U18 - Lithuania U18 52:55
Lithuanian Junior National Team grabbed their fifth win in a row at the European Championship in Nitra. Today they held off the hosts for the second win at the qualifying round of the tournament. Lithuania thus improved to 4-0 record on top of the Pool E. Slovak Republic slipped to 2-2 record and left with little chances of making it to the semifinal. The first frame turned out to be a low-scoring affair with both teams teaming up for 15 points. Slovakia rolled to a 9:6 advantage at the first intermission. Lithuania opened the second frame with a 9:0 run to grab the lead. Slovakia answered with an 11:0 advantage to regain the advantage. The roller-coaster first half finished with the hosts holding to a 23:21 lead. Maria Felixova and Veronika Cernakova (174-G-90) stretched the margin to as many as 8 points early in the third period. The Baltic team managed to tie the score for a couple of times throughout the third stanza but Slovakia pulled ahead 39:35 at three-quarter time. Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90), Gutkauskaite and Marina Solopova (180-G-90) made another push for Lithuania at the start of the fourth period as they clinched a 43:39 lead. Slovakia returned in the driving seat late in regulation but could not maintain the margin. Egle Siksniute (196-F-91) nailed a jump shot to put Lithuania in charge 52:53 with 46 seconds left. Aurime Rinkeviciute later sealed the winning outcome from charity stripe. Marina Solopova paced Lithuania with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Egle Siksniute had 11 points, while Aurime Rinkeviciute added 10 points in a win. Veronika Cernakova replied with 21 points for Slovakia in defeat. Slovak Republic will face Poland in a must-win fixture tomorrow.

Slovakia U18: Veronika Cernakova 21, Natalia Spodniakova (170-G-90) 9
Lithuania U18: Marina Solopova 18, Egle Siksniute 11, Aurime Rinkeviciute 10


Czech Republic U18 - Turkey U18 72:56
Czech Republic U18 Team overcame Turkish side in the qualifying round matchup at the European Championship today. The win allowed Czechs to improve to 3-1 record in Group E and moved them closer to the semifinal. Turkey meanwhile fell to 1-3 record at the bottom of the ladder. The teams got to a high-flying first frame as Czech team jumped to a 28:17 lead ten minutes into the game. Gamze Takmaz (182-F-91) and Firat closed the gap to 5 points but Klara Rosenbaumova (182-F-90) capped the first half with a jumper and Czech Republic enjoyed an 8-point lead at the interval. Czech Republic kept their opponents at bay throughout the third period and secured 55:47 advantage at three quarter time. Turkish team never threatened the gap in the fourth period and Czech Republic breezed to an overall win at the end. Katerina Bartonova (174-G-90) scored 16 points to lead Czech Republic. Klara Rosenbaumova had 13 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Gamze Takmaz answered with 19 points and 9 rebounds for Turkey. Ozge Yavas (169-G-91) had 12 points in a losing effort. Turkey outrebounded the winners 44:42 but suffered 15 turnovers. Czech Republic shot 42% from the field, while limiting their opponents to only 28% of field goals. Czech Republic will face Lithuania, while Turkey will take on Ukraine in the third qualifying round.

Czech Republic U18: Katerina Bartonova 16, Klara Rosenbaumova 13, Michaela Stara (172-G-90) 9
Turkey U18: Gamze Takmaz 19, Ozge Yavas 12


Group F
Sweden U18 - Bulgaria U18 73:60
Cleopatra Forsman (180-G-91) put on another sizzling performance and Swedish Junior Team left no chance for Bulgaria in todays action at the European Championship in Slovakia. Sweden toppled one of the tournaments favorites Russia yesterday and definitely got the taste of winning. Today Bulgaria became another victim of ambitious and talented Swedish team. Cleopatra Forsman tallied massive 22 points, 19 boards and 4 assists to propel Tre Krunur to the second straight win. Bulgaria in the meantime suffered the second loss in a row and remained at the bottom of the ladder in qualifying round Pool F. Bulgaria kept it in front at the start of the game through baskets from Stefka Nikolova and Stanislava Stankova (168-G-90). However Sweden used back-to-back triples from Frida Fogdemark and Jennifer Kucukkaya to jump in front. Jennifer Kucukkaya and Frida Fogdemark followed it with 5 more points to build a 17:9 lead for Sweden. Swedish Juniors enjoyed a 21:13 advantage at the first break. Danielle Hamilton Carter (187-C-90, college: Fayetteville) scored 6 points in an 8:0 run to open the second period. The Scandinavian team controlled the tempo and easily cleared off to a 42:21 distance at halftime. Sweden maintained the margin well throughout the third stanza and finished thirty minutes of action up by 18 points. Forsman scored 10 points in the fourth term and though Sweden allowed Bulgaria to shave the deficit they looked too good for their opponents at the end. Danielle Hamilton Carter knocked down 14 points, while Stefanie Yderstrom (172-G-90) secured 13 in a win. Veronika Dzhikova (178-F-90) scored 18 points to pace Bulgaria. Stanislava Stankova contributed 15 points in a losing effort.

Sweden U18: Cleopatra Forsman 22+19 boards, Danielle Hamilton Carter 14, Stefanie Yderstrom 13
Bulgaria U18: Veronika Dzhikova 18, Stanislava Stankova 15


Serbia U18 - Russia U18 55:74
Serbian Junior National Team failed to repeat their last seasons success at the European Championship. The reigning champions lost to Russia today and lost the chance to defend their title. Russia meanwhile rebounded after a bitter loss to Sweden yesterday and remained in the pursuit for the European trophy. Serbia ought to win the game to hope to advance to the semifinal and they entered the game fighting for every loose ball. Jovana Popovic (173-G-90) and Tina Jovanovic (191-F/C-91) put Serbia in charge 15:7 early in the encounter. Baltic capped the first frame with a jumper and Serbia enjoyed a 17:9 lead. However Russia bounced back as they opened the second frame on a 9:0 rally. The lead then changed hands for several times before Jovana Popovic sealed the first half outcome at 31:29 for the Balkan team. Anna Ostroukhova (170-G-90) tipped off the second half with 5 straight points to give Russia a 34:31 advantage. Tarasova later nailed two freebies to fuel an 11:0 run as Russia cleared off to a 45:32 distance. Russian team took over the initiative and secured a 54:43 advantage after three frames. Krnjic and Tina Jovanovic revived the hope for Serbian team early in the fourth stanza as they cut the deficit to 7 points. But Russia immediately replied with 12:0 run to build an unassailable 17-point lead with under 6 minutes remaining in regulation. Serbia looked distressed and never recovered in the final minutes. Anna Ostroukhova paced Russian team with 18 points. Anastasia Logunova (192-C-90) had 17 points and 13 boards, while Ekaterina Kiryanova (179-F/G-90) secured 11 points in a win. Jovana Popovic answered with 18 points for Serbia. Tina Jovanovic contributed 14 points in defeat.

Serbia U18: Jovana Popovic 18, Tina Jovanovic 14
Russia U18: Anna Ostroukhova 18, Anastasia Logunova 17+13 boards, Ekaterina Kiryanova 11


France U18 - Spain U18 62:58
French Junior National Team remained undefeated at the European Championship. Today they pulled away with a narrow win against Spain to improve to 4-0 record in the qualifying round Group F. Spain meanwhile fell to 2-2 record and drifted apart from the semifinal stage. Allison Vernerey (191-C-91), Diandra Tchatchouang (187-F/C-91) and Medelome Medenou spurred France to a 9:2 early lead. French team stayed in front through the rest of the frame and clinched a 16:12 advantage ten minutes into the game. Diandra Tchatchouang scored 11 points in the second period and France kept Spain at a 5-point distance at halftime. Garcia and Cristina Ouvina (173-G-90) fired up a 7:0 run early in the third stanza to draw things level at 38. But France never stopped and rolled to a 54:49 advantage heading into the fourth term. Xargay returned teams on level terms with just over 3 minutes remaining in regulation. Allison Vernerey and Bettina Kadila scored free throws to lift France up by two points. Allison Vernerey then converted a jump shot and French team cleared off to a 4-point distance. Tudanca cut the deficit to 2 points but Diandra Tchatchouang replied with two freebies and ensured the winning outcome for French Junior National Team. Diandra Tchatchouang scored 24 points and collected 8 boards to pace France. Allison Vernerey tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds for the winners. Leonor Rodriguez (177-G-91) had 12 points for Spain. Cristina Ouvina netted 10 points in defeat. Spain will take on Sweden, while France and Russia will clash in the battle of undefeated teams tomorrow.

France U18: Diandra Tchatchouang 24, Allison Vernerey 16+15 boards, Isabelle Strunc (177-G-91) 8
Spain U18: Leonor Rodriguez 12, Cristina Ouvina 10

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  FRANCE - Women  


France edges Spain to stay unbeaten - by Eurobasket News
France U18 - Spain U18 62:58

French Junior National Team remained undefeated at the European Championship. Today they pulled away with a narrow win against Spain to improve to 4-0 record in the qualifying round Group F. Spain meanwhile fell to 2-2 record and drifted apart from the semifinal stage. Allison Vernerey (191-C-91), Diandra Tchatchouang (187-F/C-91) and Medelome Medenou (188-F-90) spurred France to a 9:2 early lead. French team stayed in front through the rest of the frame and clinched a 16:12 advantage ten minutes into the game. Diandra Tchatchouang scored 11 points in the second period and France kept Spain at a 5-point distance at halftime. Garcia and Cristina Ouvina (173-G-90) fired up a 7:0 run early in the third stanza to draw things level at 38. But France never stopped and rolled to a 54:49 advantage heading into the fourth term. Xargay returned teams on level terms with just over 3 minutes remaining in regulation. Allison Vernerey and Bettina Kadila (184-F-90) scored free throws to lift France up by two points. Allison Vernerey then converted a jump shot and French team cleared off to a 4-point distance. Tudanca cut the deficit to 2 points but Diandra Tchatchouang replied with two freebies and ensured the winning outcome for French Junior National Team. Diandra Tchatchouang scored 24 points and collected 8 boards to pace France. Allison Vernerey tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds for the winners. Leonor Rodriguez (177-G-91) had 12 points for Spain. Cristina Ouvina netted 10 points in defeat. Spain will take on Sweden, while France and Russia will clash in the battle of undefeated teams tomorrow.

France U18: Diandra Tchatchouang 24, Allison Vernerey 16+15 boards, Isabelle Strunc (177-G-91) 8
Spain U18: Leonor Rodriguez 12, Cristina Ouvina 10

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  GERMANY - Women  


Newcomer Wolfenbuettel Wildcats announces first import player - by Cornelius Damm
Whitney Lewis (183-F-86) a 2008 graduate from Wright State University is one of the two imports 1.DBBL newcomer BC Wolfenbuttel announced today. Lewis comes in as NCAA Division 1 second best ranked shooter in Three-Point-Field-Goal-Percentage with an average of .475 (58/122). In her rookie year 2005 she was named Horizon League Newcomer of the Year averaging an immediate 8.9 PPG adding 6.4 boards per contest. She finished school this season with 11.1 PPG while shooting .466 from the field and .766 from the foul line adding 5.2 RPG and 1.2 SPG. Wright State finished with a record of 16-16. Coming in as an ESPN The Magazine Third Team Academic All-American by CoSIDA the 22 year old also showed some class outside the gym.

If the second import spot on the team will be suited by Shaina Zaidi (173-G-85, college: UCLA) who topscored for the Wildcats in 07/08 is undecided so far. Head coach Heiko Bischoff explained two possible ways for the Wildcats. Either Zaidi on the point and an European inside player or the other way around an American inside player and European guard.

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  ISRAEL - Women  


Israel beats Spain in Vidnoje - by Eurobasket News
Israel - Spain 69:58

Israel posted their first win at the VTB Cup in Vidnoje, Russia. With four teams participating in this exhibition tournament Israel rebounded after starting heavy loss to Russia to improve to 1-1 record. Spain meanwhile dropped their first game after they defeated Czech Republic at the start of the event. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) led all scorers with 25 points but received little help from her teammates and could not prevent Spain from falling. Liron Cohen (173-G-82) paced the winners with 20 points. Spain entered the game confidently and piled up a 16:8 advantage after the starting frame. But Israeli team gradually adjusted their game and answered with 21 points in the second period to cut the deficit to 3 points at halftime. Liad Suez-Karni (191-F/C-81, college: Villanova) and Mirav Dori (178-F-86) paced Israel in the third stanza as they got even closer to Spanish team and trailed by just 2 points with a quarter to go. The breakthrough came for Israel in the fourth period when they fired 25 points and held Spain to just 12. Israel surged ahead and posted an impressive victory at the end. Liad Suez-Karni knocked down 18 points for Israeli side. Mirav Dori secured 10 points for the winners. Laura Nicholls (189-C-89) had 6 points for Spain in defeat. Spain will face hosts Russia, while Israel will take on Czech Republic in the final round of action.

Israel: Liron Cohen 20, Liad Suez-Karni 18, Mirav Dori 10
Spain: Ana Montanana 25, Laura Nicholls 6

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  LITHUANIA - Women  


Lithuania keep the record spotless in Slovakia - by Eurobasket News
Slovakia U18 - Lithuania U18 52:55

Lithuanian Junior National Team grabbed their fifth win in a row at the European Championship in Nitra. Today they held off the hosts for the second win at the qualifying round of the tournament. Lithuania thus improved to 4-0 record on top of the Pool E. Slovak Republic slipped to 2-2 record and left with little chances of making it to the semifinal. The first frame turned out to be a low-scoring affair with both teams teaming up for 15 points. Slovakia rolled to a 9:6 advantage at the first intermission. Lithuania opened the second frame with a 9:0 run to grab the lead. Slovakia answered with an 11:0 advantage to regain the advantage. The roller-coaster first half finished with the hosts holding to a 23:21 lead. Maria Felixova (190-C-90) and Veronika Cernakova (174-G-90) stretched the margin to as many as 8 points early in the third period. The Baltic team managed to tie the score for a couple of times throughout the third stanza but Slovakia pulled ahead 39:35 at three-quarter time. Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90), Gutkauskaite and Marina Solopova (180-G-90) made another push for Lithuania at the start of the fourth period as they clinched a 43:39 lead. Slovakia returned in the driving seat late in regulation but could not maintain the margin. Egle Siksniute (196-F-91) nailed a jump shot to put Lithuania in charge 52:53 with 46 seconds left. Aurime Rinkeviciute later sealed the winning outcome from charity stripe. Marina Solopova paced Lithuania with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Egle Siksniute had 11 points, while Aurime Rinkeviciute added 10 points in a win. Veronika Cernakova replied with 21 points for Slovakia in defeat. Slovak Republic will face Poland in a must-win fixture tomorrow.

Slovakia U18: Veronika Cernakova 21, Natalia Spodniakova (170-G-90) 9
Lithuania U18: Marina Solopova 18, Egle Siksniute 11, Aurime Rinkeviciute 10

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  NCAA1 - Women  


United States Junior Team opens FIBA Americas Championship with victory - by Eurobasket News
USA U18 - Venezuela U18 112:49

Buenos Aires welcomed the participants of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Six teams hit the road in chase for the trophy. The teams also fight for 4 qualifying spots to the U19 World Championship to be held next year in Thailand. The USA team considered one of the main favorites for the title opened their campaign with a blowout victory over Venezuela. Kelsey Bone (6'5''-C-91) and Lynetta Kizer (6'3''-C-90) scored 13 points apiece to pace balanced United States team to an impressive success. Six players delivered in double figures in the win. Kelsey Bone scored 7 points in the first period as the USA went on 25:10 run. The United States never slowed down in the second frame and stretched the gap to 24 points at halftime 50:26. The North American team opened the second half with a 9:0 rally and then cruised to a 45-point cushion after three quarters of action. United States easily overcame a 100-point mark and secured a stunning win at the end. Alyssia Brewer (6'3''-C-90) and Nneka Ogwumike delivered 12 points apiece in a win. Roselis Silva (-G-90) answered with game-high 20 points for Venezuela. Germary Blanco (-90) notched 8 points in a losing case. The USA outrebounded their opponents 44:27 and forced Venezuela to 38 turnovers. The Latin American team also converted only 25% from the field. United States will face Canada, while Venezuela will take on Puerto Rico today.

USA U18: Kelsey Bone 13, Lynetta Kizer 13, Alyssia Brewer 12, Nneka Ogwumike 12
Venezuela U18: Roselis Silva 20, Germary Blanco 8

USA U18 National Team 2008 - by Eurobasket
4 Ashley Corral (5'9''-G-90)
5 Skylar Diggins (5'9''-G-90)
6 Samantha Prahalis (5'7''-G-90)
7 Nikki Speed (5'9''-G-90)
8 Kelly Faris (5'11''-F-91)
9 Shekinna Stricklen (6'2''-F-90)
10 Alyssia Brewer (6'3''-C-90)
11 Lynetta Kizer (6'3''-C-90)
12 Sarah Boothe (6'5''-C-90)
13 Nnemkadi Ogwumike (6'2''-F-90)
14 Joslyn Tinkle (6'3''-C-90)
15 Kelsey Bone (6'5''-C-91)
Head Coach: Carol Owens
Coach Assistants: Bill Fennelly , Terri Mitchell

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  POLAND - Women  


Poland hands Ukraine second straight loss - by Eurobasket News
Poland U18 - Ukraine U18 73:64

Polish Junior National Team grabbed their first win at the European Championship qualifying round. Today they held off Ukrainian team to improve to 2-2 record in Group E ladder. Ukraine suffered the second consecutive defeat and remained at the bottom of the table in the group. Natalia Pacula (188-F-90) and Magda Kaczmarska (183-F/G-90) spurred Polish team to a 12:3 lead early on. Ukraine cut the deficit but still trailed by 5 points at the first intermission. Ukraine used a 12:6 run at the start of the second period to spur ahead. The lead then changed hands for several times and the teams were all square at 31 at halftime. Klaudia Sosnowska (186-F-90), Olivia Tomialowicz (182-G-90) and Magda Kaczmarska pulled Poland ahead early in the third term. But Ukraine stayed at a striking distance. Finally Magda Kaczmarska capped the period with a three-pointer giving Poland a 55:44 advantage with one quarter to go. Yeremeychuk fired 6 points and Ol'ha Maznichenko (186-F-91) added two for Ukraine to narrow the gap to 5 points. Olivia Tomialowicz and Magda Kaczmarska were deadly from charity stripe in a key moments and Poland got away with the victory at the end. Magda Kaczmarska nailed 23 points to pace Polish team. Olivia Tomialowicz had 13 points, while Klaudia Sosnowska dropped 12 points in a win. Yuliya Berezynets (180-G-90) and Kateryna Dorogobuzova (187-F-90) scored 14 points apiece in a losing case. Ol'ha Maznichenko added 13 points for Ukraine. Ukraine enjoyed a massive advantage on the glass 34:20 but committed unforgivable 26 turnovers. Poland also converted 44% from the field and 80% from free throw line.

Poland U18: Magda Kaczmarska 23, Olivia Tomialowicz 13, Klaudia Sosnowska 12
Ukraine U18: Yuliya Berezynets 14, Kateryna Dorogobuzova 14

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  PUERTO RICO - Women  


Puerto Rico unable to match Argentina - by Eurobasket News
Argentina U18 - Puerto Rico U18 64:52

The first day of action at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship was closed with hosting Argentina taking on Puerto Rico. The teams opened the game slowly as they could not adjust for the major part of the opening stanza. The mistakes and missed shots plagued both sides in the first period. They combined for 15 points and Argentina led 8:7 at the end. However Argentina were the first to get things rolling. They opened the second frame on a 12:4 run to extend the gap. Soon the hosts opened up a double digit advantage and finished the first half leading by 11 points 28:17. Puerto Rico never came back to life in the second half. They committed too many mistakes down the stretch to hope for any kind of positive result. Argentina widened the margin to as many as 15 points heading into the final period. Puerto Rico finally showed character in the fourth term as they outscored the home team but it had little impact on the final outcome. Argentina were paced by 18 points from Debora Gonzalez (170-G-90). Agostina Burrani (188-C-90) had 10 points and 17 rebounds, while Andrea Boquete (178-F-90) added 10 points in a win. Roxyali Munoz (158-G-91) responded with 13 points for Puerto Rican team. Astrid Miranda (166-G-90) had 10 points and 5 boards in a losing effort. Argentina forced their opponents to as many as 34 turnovers. They also limited Puerto Rico to only 29% from the field.

Argentina U18: Debora Gonzalez 18, Agostina Burrani 10+17 boards, Andrea Boquete 10
Puerto Rico U18: Roxyali Munoz 13, Astrid Miranda 10

Puerto Rican U18 National Team 2008 - by Eurobasket
4 Astrid Miranda (166-G-90)
5 Katia Acevedo (155-G-90)
6 Roxyali Munoz (158-G-91)
7 Rita Acevedo (168-G-92)
8 Cristina Centeno (175-G-90)
9 Zoelis Vega (180-F/C-90)
10 Jaycilin Velazquez (181-C-91)
11 Lorraine Morales (180-C/F-90)
12 Yeidaris Flores (180-F/C-90)
13 Marlene Rivera (177-F-90)
14 Sheila Reyes (180-F/C-91)
15 Yoy Del Rosario (188-C-91)
Head Coach: Raymond Cintron
Coach Assistant: Luis Morillo , harry Lopez

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  ROMANIA - Women  


Standings - Women
D1 Standings
 1. Targoviste 0-0 
 2. Arad 0-0 
 3. Oradea 0-0 
 4. S.Studentesc 0-0 
 5. Olimpia 0-0 
 6. Cluj Napoca 0-0 
 7. Iasi 0-0 
 8. Dej 0-0 
 9. Rapid 0-0 
 10. Govora 0-0 
 11. Alexandria 0-0 
 12. Sf.Gheorghe 0-0 
 13. Satu Mare 0-0 
 14. Craiova 0-0 


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  RUSSIA - Women  


Russia secures second win at the VTB Cup - by Eurobasket News
Russia - Czech Republic 75:61

Russian National Team celebrated their second straight win at the prestigious VTB Cup in Vidnoje. The reigning European champions held off Czech Republic 75:61 to stay on top of the ladder. Czech Republic meanwhile suffered their second loss in a row at the tourney. Russia got to a better start but could not clear off substantially. Czech team stayed at a striking distance and trailed by just 3 points at the first intermission. However the pressure mounted over the second frame and well-balanced Russian offense started to prevail. The hosts gradually stretched the margin and enjoyed an 8-point lead at the sides change. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) ignited the home team as they opened a double digit lead in the third quarter. Czech team failed to answer and Russia sealed a 12-point advantage with one frame left in the game. The complexion of the encounter did not change in the fourth stanza as Russian team breezed to an overall victory at the end. Tatiana Shchegoleva came up with 17 points for Russia. Svetlana Abrosimova (188-F-80, college: Connecticut) had 14 points, while Irina Osipova (196-C-81) delivered 12 for the winners. Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) replied with 13 points for Czech Republic. Katerina Elhotova (179-G-89) netted 12 points in a losing case. Czech Republic will look for the initial win when they take on Israel today. Russia and Spain will clash in another todays game.

Russia: Tatiana Shchegoleva 17, Svetlana Abrosimova 14, Irina Osipova 12
Czech Republic: Eva Viteckova 13, Katerina Elhotova 12

Serbian title defense dreams evaporate - by Eurobasket News
Serbia U18 - Russia U18 55:74

Serbian Junior National Team failed to repeat their last seasons success at the European Championship. The reigning champions lost to Russia today and lost the chance to defend their title. Russia meanwhile rebounded after a bitter loss to Sweden yesterday and remained in the pursuit for the European trophy. Serbia ought to win the game to hope to advance to the semifinal and they entered the game fighting for every loose ball. Jovana Popovic (173-G-90) and Tina Jovanovic (191-F/C-91) put Serbia in charge 15:7 early in the encounter. Baltic capped the first frame with a jumper and Serbia enjoyed a 17:9 lead. However Russia bounced back as they opened the second frame on a 9:0 rally. The lead then changed hands for several times before Jovana Popovic sealed the first half outcome at 31:29 for the Balkan team. Anna Ostroukhova (170-G-90) tipped off the second half with 5 straight points to give Russia a 34:31 advantage. Tarasova later nailed two freebies to fuel an 11:0 run as Russia cleared off to a 45:32 distance. Russian team took over the initiative and secured a 54:43 advantage after three frames. Krnjic and Tina Jovanovic revived the hope for Serbian team early in the fourth stanza as they cut the deficit to 7 points. But Russia immediately replied with 12:0 run to build an unassailable 17-point lead with under 6 minutes remaining in regulation. Serbia looked distressed and never recovered in the final minutes. Anna Ostroukhova paced Russian team with 18 points. Anastasia Logunova (192-C-90) had 17 points and 13 boards, while Ekaterina Kiryanova (179-F/G-90) secured 11 points in a win. Jovana Popovic answered with 18 points for Serbia. Tina Jovanovic contributed 14 points in defeat.

Serbia U18: Jovana Popovic 18, Tina Jovanovic 14
Russia U18: Anna Ostroukhova 18, Anastasia Logunova 17+13 boards, Ekaterina Kiryanova 11

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  SERBIA - Women  


Serbian title defense dreams evaporate - by Eurobasket News
Serbia U18 - Russia U18 55:74

Serbian Junior National Team failed to repeat their last seasons success at the European Championship. The reigning champions lost to Russia today and lost the chance to defend their title. Russia meanwhile rebounded after a bitter loss to Sweden yesterday and remained in the pursuit for the European trophy. Serbia ought to win the game to hope to advance to the semifinal and they entered the game fighting for every loose ball. Jovana Popovic (173-G-90) and Tina Jovanovic (191-F/C-91) put Serbia in charge 15:7 early in the encounter. Baltic capped the first frame with a jumper and Serbia enjoyed a 17:9 lead. However Russia bounced back as they opened the second frame on a 9:0 rally. The lead then changed hands for several times before Jovana Popovic sealed the first half outcome at 31:29 for the Balkan team. Anna Ostroukhova (170-G-90) tipped off the second half with 5 straight points to give Russia a 34:31 advantage. Tarasova later nailed two freebies to fuel an 11:0 run as Russia cleared off to a 45:32 distance. Russian team took over the initiative and secured a 54:43 advantage after three frames. Krnjic and Tina Jovanovic revived the hope for Serbian team early in the fourth stanza as they cut the deficit to 7 points. But Russia immediately replied with 12:0 run to build an unassailable 17-point lead with under 6 minutes remaining in regulation. Serbia looked distressed and never recovered in the final minutes. Anna Ostroukhova paced Russian team with 18 points. Anastasia Logunova (192-C-90) had 17 points and 13 boards, while Ekaterina Kiryanova (179-F/G-90) secured 11 points in a win. Jovana Popovic answered with 18 points for Serbia. Tina Jovanovic contributed 14 points in defeat.

Serbia U18: Jovana Popovic 18, Tina Jovanovic 14
Russia U18: Anna Ostroukhova 18, Anastasia Logunova 17+13 boards, Ekaterina Kiryanova 11

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  SLOVAKIA - Women  


Lithuania keep the record spotless in Slovakia - by Eurobasket News
Slovakia U18 - Lithuania U18 52:55

Lithuanian Junior National Team grabbed their fifth win in a row at the European Championship in Nitra. Today they held off the hosts for the second win at the qualifying round of the tournament. Lithuania thus improved to 4-0 record on top of the Pool E. Slovak Republic slipped to 2-2 record and left with little chances of making it to the semifinal. The first frame turned out to be a low-scoring affair with both teams teaming up for 15 points. Slovakia rolled to a 9:6 advantage at the first intermission. Lithuania opened the second frame with a 9:0 run to grab the lead. Slovakia answered with an 11:0 advantage to regain the advantage. The roller-coaster first half finished with the hosts holding to a 23:21 lead. Maria Felixova (190-C-90) and Veronika Cernakova (174-G-90) stretched the margin to as many as 8 points early in the third period. The Baltic team managed to tie the score for a couple of times throughout the third stanza but Slovakia pulled ahead 39:35 at three-quarter time. Aurime Rinkeviciute (180-F/G-90), Gutkauskaite and Marina Solopova (180-G-90) made another push for Lithuania at the start of the fourth period as they clinched a 43:39 lead. Slovakia returned in the driving seat late in regulation but could not maintain the margin. Egle Siksniute (196-F-91) nailed a jump shot to put Lithuania in charge 52:53 with 46 seconds left. Aurime Rinkeviciute later sealed the winning outcome from charity stripe. Marina Solopova paced Lithuania with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Egle Siksniute had 11 points, while Aurime Rinkeviciute added 10 points in a win. Veronika Cernakova replied with 21 points for Slovakia in defeat. Slovak Republic will face Poland in a must-win fixture tomorrow.

Slovakia U18: Veronika Cernakova 21, Natalia Spodniakova (170-G-90) 9
Lithuania U18: Marina Solopova 18, Egle Siksniute 11, Aurime Rinkeviciute 10

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  SLOVENIA - Women  


Temnik extends with Bologna - by Zeljko Zule
Katja Temnik (188-C/F-78) extended her contract with La Libertas Meccanica Nova Bologna (A-2) for the upcoming season. She averaged 32,5 minutes, 9,2 points, 1,4 assists, 3,0 steals and league's leading 12,2 rebounds in 33 games of Division A-2. Temnik also announced her retirement from Slovenian National Team.
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  SPAIN - Women  


France edges Spain to stay unbeaten - by Eurobasket News
France U18 - Spain U18 62:58

French Junior National Team remained undefeated at the European Championship. Today they pulled away with a narrow win against Spain to improve to 4-0 record in the qualifying round Group F. Spain meanwhile fell to 2-2 record and drifted apart from the semifinal stage. Allison Vernerey (191-C-91), Diandra Tchatchouang (187-F/C-91) and Medelome Medenou (188-F-90) spurred France to a 9:2 early lead. French team stayed in front through the rest of the frame and clinched a 16:12 advantage ten minutes into the game. Diandra Tchatchouang scored 11 points in the second period and France kept Spain at a 5-point distance at halftime. Garcia and Cristina Ouvina (173-G-90) fired up a 7:0 run early in the third stanza to draw things level at 38. But France never stopped and rolled to a 54:49 advantage heading into the fourth term. Xargay returned teams on level terms with just over 3 minutes remaining in regulation. Allison Vernerey and Bettina Kadila (184-F-90) scored free throws to lift France up by two points. Allison Vernerey then converted a jump shot and French team cleared off to a 4-point distance. Tudanca cut the deficit to 2 points but Diandra Tchatchouang replied with two freebies and ensured the winning outcome for French Junior National Team. Diandra Tchatchouang scored 24 points and collected 8 boards to pace France. Allison Vernerey tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds for the winners. Leonor Rodriguez (177-G-91) had 12 points for Spain. Cristina Ouvina netted 10 points in defeat. Spain will take on Sweden, while France and Russia will clash in the battle of undefeated teams tomorrow.

France U18: Diandra Tchatchouang 24, Allison Vernerey 16+15 boards, Isabelle Strunc (177-G-91) 8
Spain U18: Leonor Rodriguez 12, Cristina Ouvina 10

U Turn by Badalona Allows Huertas Back To Beloved Bilbao - by Paul Nilsen
A fascinating twist in the long running Marcelo Huertas (191-G-83, agency: Edge Sports) saga writes www.acb-basket.com. Two seasons ago the Brazilian was an understudy at DKV Joventut before being given the opportunity to go out on loan at Bilbao where he emerged last season as a top ACB talent in the point guard spot. He proceeded a string of excellent performances across the season and fell in love with Bilbao and their fans with the feeling very much mutual.

Then, the situation dawned on him that DKV Joventut seemingly wanted him back and that is where he looked to be heading but the player himself made it quite clear a return to Catalunya was not on his agenda. He wanted to stay in Bilbao.

After much gesturing it looks as if a rumoured 1 million euros per season might now have been paid by Bilbao who have struck a deal with DKV Joventut for Huertas to spend next season back in the Basque Country.

Perhaps Badalona have realised that an unhappy player no matter how he played last season is a risk and not worth paying the money.

It is arguable that the real winner in this situation apart from Bilbao and their fans is Demond Mallett. The Badalona guard had also claimed he did not want to play for La Penya next year but he seems to have had a re-think, leaving the burning question why the sudden change of mind.

You have to therefore wonder how high his salary has been raised to keep him at the club. The talented American might have just negotiated himself a nice little raise out of the Huertas saga.

For ACB fans generally, hopefully both of these exciting point guards will enjoy good seasons again and I am sure most will be pleased at the turnout of events.

Israel beats Spain in Vidnoje - by Eurobasket News
Israel - Spain 69:58

Israel posted their first win at the VTB Cup in Vidnoje, Russia. With four teams participating in this exhibition tournament Israel rebounded after starting heavy loss to Russia to improve to 1-1 record. Spain meanwhile dropped their first game after they defeated Czech Republic at the start of the event. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) led all scorers with 25 points but received little help from her teammates and could not prevent Spain from falling. Liron Cohen (173-G-82) paced the winners with 20 points. Spain entered the game confidently and piled up a 16:8 advantage after the starting frame. But Israeli team gradually adjusted their game and answered with 21 points in the second period to cut the deficit to 3 points at halftime. Liad Suez-Karni (191-F/C-81, college: Villanova) and Mirav Dori (178-F-86) paced Israel in the third stanza as they got even closer to Spanish team and trailed by just 2 points with a quarter to go. The breakthrough came for Israel in the fourth period when they fired 25 points and held Spain to just 12. Israel surged ahead and posted an impressive victory at the end. Liad Suez-Karni knocked down 18 points for Israeli side. Mirav Dori secured 10 points for the winners. Laura Nicholls (189-C-89) had 6 points for Spain in defeat. Spain will face hosts Russia, while Israel will take on Czech Republic in the final round of action.

Israel: Liron Cohen 20, Liad Suez-Karni 18, Mirav Dori 10
Spain: Ana Montanana 25, Laura Nicholls 6

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  SWEDEN - Women  


Sweden extend winning streak in Slovakia - by Eurobasket News
Sweden U18 - Bulgaria U18 73:60

Cleopatra Forsman (180-G-91) put on another sizzling performance and Swedish Junior Team left no chance for Bulgaria in todays action at the European Championship in Slovakia. Sweden toppled one of the tournaments favorites Russia yesterday and definitely got the taste of winning. Today Bulgaria became another victim of ambitious and talented Swedish team. Cleopatra Forsman tallied massive 22 points, 19 boards and 4 assists to propel Tre Krunur to the second straight win. Bulgaria in the meantime suffered the second loss in a row and remained at the bottom of the ladder in qualifying round Pool F. Bulgaria kept it in front at the start of the game through baskets from Stefka Nikolova (170-G-90) and Stanislava Stankova (168-G-90). However Sweden used back-to-back triples from Frida Fogdemark (185-F-91) and Jennifer Kucukkaya (158-G-91) to jump in front. Jennifer Kucukkaya and Frida Fogdemark followed it with 5 more points to build a 17:9 lead for Sweden. Swedish Juniors enjoyed a 21:13 advantage at the first break. Danielle Hamilton Carter (187-C-90, college: Fayetteville) scored 6 points in an 8:0 run to open the second period. The Scandinavian team controlled the tempo and easily cleared off to a 42:21 distance at halftime. Sweden maintained the margin well throughout the third stanza and finished thirty minutes of action up by 18 points. Forsman scored 10 points in the fourth term and though Sweden allowed Bulgaria to shave the deficit they looked too good for their opponents at the end. Danielle Hamilton Carter knocked down 14 points, while Stefanie Yderstrom (172-G-90) secured 13 in a win. Veronika Dzhikova (178-F-90) scored 18 points to pace Bulgaria. Stanislava Stankova contributed 15 points in a losing effort.

Sweden U18: Cleopatra Forsman 22+19 boards, Danielle Hamilton Carter 14, Stefanie Yderstrom 13
Bulgaria U18: Veronika Dzhikova 18, Stanislava Stankova 15

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  TOURNAMENT OF THE AMERICAS U18 - Women  


FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Day 1 - by Eurobasket News
USA U18 - Venezuela U18 112:49
Buenos Aires welcomed the participants of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Six teams hit the road in chase for the trophy. The teams also fight for 4 qualifying spots to the U19 World Championship to be held next year in Thailand. The USA team considered one of the main favorites for the title opened their campaign with a blowout victory over Venezuela. Kelsey Bone (196-C-91) and Lynetta Kizer (191-C-90) scored 13 points apiece to pace balanced United States team to an impressive success. Six players delivered in double figures in the win. Kelsey Bone scored 7 points in the first period as the USA went on 25:10 run. The United States never slowed down in the second frame and stretched the gap to 24 points at halftime 50:26. The North American team opened the second half with a 9:0 rally and then cruised to a 45-point cushion after three quarters of action. United States easily overcame a 100-point mark and secured a stunning win at the end. Alyssia Brewer (191-C-90) and Nneka Ogwumike delivered 12 points apiece in a win. Roselis Silva (-G-90) answered with game-high 20 points for Venezuela. Germary Blanco (-90) notched 8 points in a losing case. The USA outrebounded their opponents 44:27 and forced Venezuela to 38 turnovers. The Latin American team also converted only 25% from the field. United States will face Canada, while Venezuela will take on Puerto Rico today.

USA U18: Kelsey Bone 13, Lynetta Kizer 13, Alyssia Brewer 12, Nneka Ogwumike 12
Venezuela U18: Roselis Silva 20, Germary Blanco 8


Canada U18 - Brazil U18 67:47
Canadian U18 National Team got to a winning start of the FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina. They held off Brazilian counterparts in the starting round of action in Buenos Aires. Six teams are to play in the round-robin system with 4 top teams getting tickets to U19 World Championship to be held in Thailand in 2009. Canada made the first step towards Thailand as they rolled past Brazil yesterday. Canada dominated inside the paint and it resulted in them taking a 16:8 lead after ten minutes of action. Brazil continued to struggle offensively and let Canada clear off to a 12-point distance at halftime. Brazil never recovered in the second half as Canadian Juniors looked confident and kept their opponents at bay. The lead was stretched to 17 points going into the final stanza and Canada easily secured the winning outcome at the end. Elyse Jobin (180-G-90) knocked down 11 points to pace Canada. Stephanie Macdonald (177-F) provided 10 points, while Justine Colley (175-G) added 9 points in a win. Tassia Pereira (175-G-92) answered with game-high 19 points for Brazil. Cristiane Simoes (192-F/C-91) nailed 10 points in defeat. Canada pulled down 48 rebounds including 17 offensive ones. They also shot solid 46% from beyond the arc. Canada will now take on the USA today. Brazil will try to bounce back against Argentina later tonight.

Canada U18: Elyse Jobin 11, Stephanie Macdonald 10, Justine Colley 9
Brazil U18: Tassia Pereira 19, Cristiane Simoes 10


Argentina U18 - Puerto Rico U18 64:52
The first day of action at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship was closed with hosting Argentina taking on Puerto Rico. The teams opened the game slowly as they could not adjust for the major part of the opening stanza. The mistakes and missed shots plagued both sides in the first period. They combined for 15 points and Argentina led 8:7 at the end. However Argentina were the first to get things rolling. They opened the second frame on a 12:4 run to extend the gap. Soon the hosts opened up a double digit advantage and finished the first half leading by 11 points 28:17. Puerto Rico never came back to life in the second half. They committed too many mistakes down the stretch to hope for any kind of positive result. Argentina widened the margin to as many as 15 points heading into the final period. Puerto Rico finally showed character in the fourth term as they outscored the home team but it had little impact on the final outcome. Argentina were paced by 18 points from Debora Gonzalez (170-G-90). Agostina Burrani (188-C-90) had 10 points and 17 rebounds, while Andrea Boquete (178-F-90) added 10 points in a win. Roxyali Munoz (158-G-91) responded with 13 points for Puerto Rican team. Astrid Miranda (166-G-90) had 10 points and 5 boards in a losing effort. Argentina forced their opponents to as many as 34 turnovers. They also limited Puerto Rico to only 29% from the field.

Argentina U18: Debora Gonzalez 18, Agostina Burrani 10+17 boards, Andrea Boquete 10
Puerto Rico U18: Roxyali Munoz 13, Astrid Miranda 10

Standings (Women)
Standings
1. Argentina1-0
2. Canada1-0
3. USA1-0
4. Venezuela0-1
5. P.Rico0-1
6. Brazil0-1


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  TURKEY - Women  


Czech Republic dismantle Turkey in Nitra - by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic U18 - Turkey U18 72:56

Czech Republic U18 Team overcame Turkish side in the qualifying round matchup at the European Championship today. The win allowed Czechs to improve to 3-1 record in Group E and moved them closer to the semifinal. Turkey meanwhile fell to 1-3 record at the bottom of the ladder. The teams got to a high-flying first frame as Czech team jumped to a 28:17 lead ten minutes into the game. Gamze Takmaz (182-F-91) and Firat closed the gap to 5 points but Klara Rosenbaumova (182-F-90) capped the first half with a jumper and Czech Republic enjoyed an 8-point lead at the interval. Czech Republic kept their opponents at bay throughout the third period and secured 55:47 advantage at three quarter time. Turkish team never threatened the gap in the fourth period and Czech Republic breezed to an overall win at the end. Katerina Bartonova (174-G-90) scored 16 points to lead Czech Republic. Klara Rosenbaumova had 13 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Gamze Takmaz answered with 19 points and 9 rebounds for Turkey. Ozge Yavas (169-G-91) had 12 points in a losing effort. Turkey outrebounded the winners 44:42 but suffered 15 turnovers. Czech Republic shot 42% from the field, while limiting their opponents to only 28% of field goals. Czech Republic will face Lithuania, while Turkey will take on Ukraine in the third qualifying round.

Czech Republic U18: Katerina Bartonova 16, Klara Rosenbaumova 13, Michaela Stara (172-G-90) 9
Turkey U18: Gamze Takmaz 19, Ozge Yavas 12

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  UKRAINE - Women  


Poland hands Ukraine second straight loss - by Eurobasket News
Poland U18 - Ukraine U18 73:64

Polish Junior National Team grabbed their first win at the European Championship qualifying round. Today they held off Ukrainian team to improve to 2-2 record in Group E ladder. Ukraine suffered the second consecutive defeat and remained at the bottom of the table in the group. Natalia Pacula (188-F-90) and Magda Kaczmarska (183-F/G-90) spurred Polish team to a 12:3 lead early on. Ukraine cut the deficit but still trailed by 5 points at the first intermission. Ukraine used a 12:6 run at the start of the second period to spur ahead. The lead then changed hands for several times and the teams were all square at 31 at halftime. Klaudia Sosnowska (186-F-90), Olivia Tomialowicz (182-G-90) and Magda Kaczmarska pulled Poland ahead early in the third term. But Ukraine stayed at a striking distance. Finally Magda Kaczmarska capped the period with a three-pointer giving Poland a 55:44 advantage with one quarter to go. Yeremeychuk fired 6 points and Ol'ha Maznichenko (186-F-91) added two for Ukraine to narrow the gap to 5 points. Olivia Tomialowicz and Magda Kaczmarska were deadly from charity stripe in a key moments and Poland got away with the victory at the end. Magda Kaczmarska nailed 23 points to pace Polish team. Olivia Tomialowicz had 13 points, while Klaudia Sosnowska dropped 12 points in a win. Yuliya Berezynets (180-G-90) and Kateryna Dorogobuzova (187-F-90) scored 14 points apiece in a losing case. Ol'ha Maznichenko added 13 points for Ukraine. Ukraine enjoyed a massive advantage on the glass 34:20 but committed unforgivable 26 turnovers. Poland also converted 44% from the field and 80% from free throw line.

Poland U18: Magda Kaczmarska 23, Olivia Tomialowicz 13, Klaudia Sosnowska 12
Ukraine U18: Yuliya Berezynets 14, Kateryna Dorogobuzova 14

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  VENEZUELA - Women  


United States Junior Team opens FIBA Americas Championship with victory - by Eurobasket News
USA U18 - Venezuela U18 112:49

Buenos Aires welcomed the participants of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Six teams hit the road in chase for the trophy. The teams also fight for 4 qualifying spots to the U19 World Championship to be held next year in Thailand. The USA team considered one of the main favorites for the title opened their campaign with a blowout victory over Venezuela. Kelsey Bone (6'5''-C-91) and Lynetta Kizer (6'3''-C-90) scored 13 points apiece to pace balanced United States team to an impressive success. Six players delivered in double figures in the win. Kelsey Bone scored 7 points in the first period as the USA went on 25:10 run. The United States never slowed down in the second frame and stretched the gap to 24 points at halftime 50:26. The North American team opened the second half with a 9:0 rally and then cruised to a 45-point cushion after three quarters of action. United States easily overcame a 100-point mark and secured a stunning win at the end. Alyssia Brewer (6'3''-C-90) and Nneka Ogwumike delivered 12 points apiece in a win. Roselis Silva (-G-90) answered with game-high 20 points for Venezuela. Germary Blanco (-90) notched 8 points in a losing case. The USA outrebounded their opponents 44:27 and forced Venezuela to 38 turnovers. The Latin American team also converted only 25% from the field. United States will face Canada, while Venezuela will take on Puerto Rico today.

USA U18: Kelsey Bone 13, Lynetta Kizer 13, Alyssia Brewer 12, Nneka Ogwumike 12
Venezuela U18: Roselis Silva 20, Germary Blanco 8

Venezuelan U18 National Team 2008 - by Eurobasket
4 Germary Blanco (-90) of Carabobo
5 Roselis Silva (-G-90) of Distrito Capital
6 Yosimar Corrales (-G-90) of Venezuela (CUB)
7 Dahilifer Iserny (-90)
8 Maria Requena (-G-90) of Guarico
9 Kiancy Barragan (-F-90) of Guarico
10 Ehykerling Leon (-91) of Miranda
11 Melina Pacheco (-91) of Guarico
12 Cleider Blanco (-C-90) of Venezuela (CUB)
13 Ayalexis Ilarraza (-90)
14 Endrina Bolivar (-F-90) of Guarico
15 Maria Cabrices (-C-90) of Miranda
Head Coach: Eduardo Gil
Coach Assistants: Oscar Velazquez , Jony Barragan

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  WNBA - Women  


Cheryl Ford suffered serious injury, Storm re-signed Kristen ONeil - by Eurobasket News
Bad was announced yesterday by Detroit Shock medical staff. Cheryl Ford will have to miss remainder of the season due to serious injury (right knee ACL). Ford suffered it on Tuesday during the game against Los Angeles when she tried to grab a rebound close to the end of the last stanza. It will be a big problem for the Shock as Ford was one of their leading players this season. She registered 24 appearances averaging 10.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 1 spg. Cheryl Ford s season high happened on June 22nd against Atlanta when she nailed 20 points. She was pretty close to this number just two days before the injury netting 18 points against Sacramento. It is not the first problem for Ford during the past period as she already micro-fracture surgery on her left knee at the off season.

Seattle Storm announced signing of Kristen ONeil on another seven-days contract. As a reminder ONeil already signed one 7-day deal with the team on July 1st. She appeared 6 times for the Storm getting just 3.8 minutes per game. Unfortunately she didnt succeed to score any points in WNBA so far. ONeil arrived to Seattle from Spanish team Arranz-Jopisa Burgos. It was her second season in Spain as she already spent on with Adecco Estudiantes. ONeil came out from University of Washington in 2006 as a fifth all-time player in 3-pointers.


Standings
WNBA Western Standings
 1. S.Antonio SS 16-7 
 2. Seattle S. 15-8 
 3. Detroit S. 15-8 
 4. L.Angeles S. 14-8 
 5. Connect. S. 14-10 
 6. New York L. 12-9 
 7. Sacram. M. 12-11 
 8. Houston C. 11-11 
 9. Phoenix M. 10-12 
 10. Indiana F. 9-11 
 11. Minnesota L. 9-12 
 12. Washingt. M. 9-15 
 13. Chicago Sky 8-13 
 14. Charlotte S. 0-0