EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 8/20/2008

Copyright © 1997-2008 Eurobasket
WARNING:
Do not copy, redistribute, publish or otherwise exploit information that you download from the site!
Do not encumber, license, modify, publish, sell, transfer or transmit, or in any way exploit, any of the
content of the report, nor will you attempt to do so.
More info:www.eurobasket.com


Men News

*****************************************************
  ABA   


Fairbanks will host pro basketball tourney - by Eurobasket News
Alaska Dream, Anchorage's new professional basketball team, needed a place to play preseason games in November around Thanksgiving.

The Sullivan Arena would have been ideal, but the biggest indoor basketball venue in town has been booked that time of year since 1984, hosting one of college basketball's longest-running tournaments, the Great Alaska Shootout.

So Trey Davis, owner of the Dream, searched north -- way north -- for an alternative basketball complex.

The Carlson Center in Fairbanks will host the Dream and up to six other American Basketball Association teams with a preseason tournament, Davis announced Monday.

The tournament, scheduled for Nov. 21-23, will fill the void of the Top of the World Classic, a college basketball tournament at the Carlson Center the University of Alaska Fairbanks canceled last month.

Although the Dream won't have a final roster until October when they start training camp, they do have ties to Fairbanks. They will be coached by former UAF men's basketball coach Al Sokaitis.

Davis said he committed to the three-day tournament with Kirk Patton, general manager of the Carlson Center. Playing it in late November in Anchorage just wasn't an option.

'We can't compete with the Shootout,' said Davis, a teen and outreach coordinator with the Boys and Girls Club in Mountain View. 'We just thought playing in Fairbanks was a perfect opportunity.'

The event was first reported by KTUU Channel 2, Davis said, which incorrectly said 16 teams would be there. But an event that big would take more than three days, Davis said.

Three ABA teams have already committed to traveling to Fairbanks -- the Las Vegas Aces, Maywood (Calif.) Buzz and San Diego Wildcats -- and three more are interested.

The Dream are expecting to cover most of the expenses, Davis said. He did not know the total cost of flying up to six basketball teams to Fairbanks or renting the Carlson Center.

Visiting teams will pay for some expenses with sponsorships, Davis said, and he will work with Alaska Airlines to get the best deals on airfare.

'Cost isn't a factor,' he said. 'We just want to fill in the hole that was left in Fairbanks.'

Davis said the tournament is also meant to get Fairbanks basketball lovers excited about hosting an ABA franchise for the 2009-10 season. Davis said those plans are in the works.

The event does not have a name yet. Ideas can be posted via the Dream's team Web site (www.thealaskadream.com) and a winner will be awarded with tournament tickets.

'We want the community of Fairbanks to name the tournament,' Davis said.

The ABA is a retro league brought back to life in 1999 and played games with red, white and blue basketballs.

Its regular season runs from November or December through March, but the league hardly resembles what it once was decades ago. Some teams don't even make it all the way through the season.

Even so, Davis said he is excited to see the league make its Alaska debut inside the Carlson Center, which had been the host of the Top of the World Classic since 1996.

'We've got big shoes to fill,' Davis said. 'And I'm sure that we will fill them well.'

Courtesy of www.adn.com

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


Partizan Igokea extends captain Petar Bozic - by Dragan Jankovski
Captain of reining Serbian and Adriatic league champion Petar Bozic (197-G-78) will stay in the club for one more season. Bozic arrived to Partizan Igokea from Hemofarm STADA in 2004. He was a 'joker' of head coach Dusko Vujosevic many times during this long period. He played 29 games in Adriatic league last season averaging 3.1 ppg. He had 4.1 ppg in Serbian Superlague and 1.9 ppg in Euroleague. Bozic is known as specialist for the defensive tasks in black-and-white team. Before Partizan Igokea and Hemofarm Stada, Bozic used to play for Radnicki Belgrade and Beobanka. With Partizan he won four titles in Serbian championship, two in Adriatic league and one in National Cup Radivoj Korac.

*****************************************************
  ARGENTINA   


Standings - Liga B
Liga Standings
Zona 1 Noroeste
 1. Banda Norte 8-2 
 2. Barrio Parque 7-2 
 3. Sportivo 9 J. 6-3 
 4. Juvenil Estud. 5-4 
 5. Alberdi 4-6 
 6. Independ.S. 2-7 
 7. Anzorena 1-9 
Zona 2 Noroeste
 1. Estudian.C. 7-4 
 2. Obera TC 6-5 
 3. Rocamora 6-5 
 4. Colon SF 6-5 
 5. Almagro 6-5 
 6. Brown SV 5-6 
 7. Union Fuerza 5-6 
 8. Union SF 3-8 
Zona 3 Centro Sur
 1. Firmat SF 10-1 
 2. San Martin J. 7-4 
 3. Banco Nacion 6-5 
 4. Sportivo Rojas 5-6 
 5. Rosario Cent. 5-6 
 6. Racing G. 5-6 
 7. San Andres 4-7 
 8. Sportivo E. 2-9 
Zona 4 Sur
 1. Velez Sarsfield 9-2 
 2. Gimnasia VP 7-4 
 3. El Sureno 7-4 
 4. Gimnasia BR 7-4 
 5. Ciud.Bragado 6-5 
 6. Atletico Regina 4-7 
 7. Estudian.SR 3-8 
 8. Independ.T. 1-10 


Standings - LigaA
LigaA Standings
 1. Libertad 63-0 
 2. Boca Jrs 62-0 
 3. Regatas C. 61-0 
 4. Penarol 60-0 
 5. El Nacional 59-0 
 6. Atenas 58-0 
 7. Quimsa 57-0 
 8. Obras 56-0 
 9. Sionista 55-0 
 10. Gimn.CR 54-0 
 11. Quilmes MP 53-0 
 12. Ben Hur 52-0 
 13. Independ.N. 51-0 
 14. Estudiantes BB 51-0 
 15. Belgrano SN 50-0 
 16. C.Entrerriano 49-0 


Standings - TNA
TNA Standings
 1. Union 11-3 
 2. Cicl.Olimpico 10-4 
 3. Lanus 9-5 
 4. Ciclista 9-5 
 5. P.Echague 9-5 
 6. La Union 8-6 
 7. San Martin MJ 8-6 
 8. San Martin C. 8-6 
 9. Asociacion I. 7-7 
 10. Echague Atl. 7-7 
 11. Regatas SN 6-8 
 12. Alma Juniors 6-8 
 13. Gimnasia LP 4-10 
 14. Argentino J. 4-10 
 15. Espanola 3-11 
 16. Olimpia C. 3-11 


*****************************************************
  ARMENIA   


Hyams: "Israel is my second home !" - by Kristian Santiago

Eurobasket was able to talk to Eban Hyams (193-G-81, college: Georgia Perimeter), who played professionally in Israel the past season.
Read here what he got to tell about his experience:

Eurobasket: Eban, you played only in a few games last year in Israel, what was the
reason?


Eban Hyams: Well, I took my break to go home, as the league had giving teams ten days
off in January 2008. Since I had some personal things to solve back home,
the coach and management gave me the ten days for a trip to Australia. I
stayed for days longer than previously expected and missed one game and was
cut from the team.

Eurobasket: So what happened next? Did you return to Israel?

Hyams: Yes, I went back to apologize for what happened, but it was
apparently not good enough for them.
The team did not pay the last wages, but eventually paid me some of it
later if I would sign the clearance form. I did so in the end just to go in
peace.

Eurobasket: What are your plans for the upcoming season?

Hyams: Im here in Sydney and finished playing in the off-season and I am
trying to get back to Israel again to play another season there.
Whats pretty confusing to me: There is a rumor in Israel that I went to
jail either there or here in Australia. I never have been to jail, so its
very annoying to hear these charges against me and its really affecting my
chances of signing with a team.
I'm really sad that people would come to this level when all I did was
leaving in peace and in all honesty.
All I did was miss one game and I was willing to pay a fine or do whatever
it took to make up for it.

Eurobasket: So what is your message to the teams out there?

Hyams: All I want is for my name to be cleared, so I can go back and play in
Israel.
I love the country and the people there and its my second home!
All my family in Israel is very supportive of me and they want to me there
as well and I hope that the teams wont believe such lies that are
spread just to destroy my name and career!

Eurobasket:
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us !



*****************************************************
  AUSTRALIA   


Standings - NBL
NBL Standings
 1. Sydney K. 27-3 
 2. Melbourne T. 22-8 
 3. Brisbane B. 20-10 
 4. Perth W. 18-12 
 5. Townsville C. 17-13 
 6. Cairns T. 16-14 
 7. N.Zealand B. 16-14 
 8. Gold Coast B. 15-15 
 9. Adelaide 36ers 14-16 
 10. W.Sydney R. 10-20 
 11. Wollongong 9-21 
 12. Singapore S. 6-24 
 13. Melbourne SD 5-25 


Standings - ABA
ABA SEABL Standings
 1. Ballarat M. 14-4 
 2. Bendigo B. 14-4 
 3. Forestville E. 12-1 
 4. Sandringham S. 12-1 
 5. Geelong S. 12-6 
 6. Sturt S. 11-2 
 7. Dandenong 11-3 
 8. Knox R. 11-5 
 9. Canberra G. 11-7 
 10. Sutherland S. 10-2 
 11. Warrnambool 10-5 
 12. Frankston B. 10-7 
 13. AIS 10-8 
 14. Rockhampton 9-0 
 15. Sydney C. 9-1 
 16. Parramatta W. 9-1 
 17. S.District S. 9-2 
 18. Melbourne 9-5 
 19. Eastern M. 8-6 
 20. Waverley F. 8-7 
 21. Cairns M. 7-3 
 22. Newcastle H. 7-4 
 23. Illawarra S. 7-5 
 24. Norwood F. 7-6 
 25. N.Adelaide R. 7-7 
 26. Woodville W. 7-7 
 27. Hume City 7-7 
 28. Hobart C. 7-10 
 29. Nunawading S. 7-10 
 30. Albury W.B. 7-11 
 31. Bundaberg B. 6-2 
 32. Bankstown B. 6-5 
 33. Ringwood H. 6-7 
 34. Eltham W. 6-8 
 35. Kilsyth C. 6-10 
 36. NW Tasmania 6-11 
 37. Townsville H. 5-3 
 38. Maroochydore 5-3 
 39. Ipswich E. 5-4 
 40. Gladstone P. 5-4 
 41. Toowoomba 5-4 
 42. Mackay M. 5-5 
 43. Canberra N. 5-6 
 44. N. Bears 4-6 
 45. Gold Coast G. 4-7 
 46. Northside W. 4-7 
 47. Cent.Coast P. 4-8 
 48. Manly Warr. 4-8 
 49. S.Adelaide P. 4-10 
 50. C.District L. 4-10 
 51. Diamond V.E. 4-11 
 52. Mt Gambier 4-13 
 53. Brisbane C. 3-8 
 54. W.Adelaide B. 3-11 
 55. Werribee W.D. 2-11 
 56. Latrobe City P. 2-12 
 57. Mildura M. 2-15 
 58. Maitland M. 1-10 
 59. Hornsby S. 1-11 
 60. Sherbrooke S. 0-0 
 61. Hervey Bay H. 0-0 
 62. Noarlunga 0-0 
 63. Penrith P. 0-0 
 64. Hills H. 0-0 
 65. Bulleen B. 0-0 
 66. ACT Academy 0-0 
 67. Blackburn V. 0-0 
 68. Shepparton G. 0-0 
 69. Gold Coast R. 0-0 
 70. SW Metro P. 0-12 


Standings - SBL
SBL Standings
 1. Stirling S. 0-0 
 2. Swan City M. 0-0 
 3. Perry Lakes H. 0-0 
 4. Willetton T. 0-0 
 5. Goldfield G. 0-0 
 6. Mandurah M. 0-0 
 7. Joondalup City 0-0 
 8. Eastside E. 0-0 
 9. Cockburn C. 0-0 
 10. Rockingham F. 0-0 
 11. Perth R. 0-0 
 12. Geraldton B. 0-0 
 13. Bunbury City 0-0 
 14. Lakeside L. 0-0 


*****************************************************
  AUSTRIA   


U16 EC, division B: Montenegro remains perfect after Austria - by Eurobasket News
U16 Austria - U16 Montenegro 86-104

Montenegro improved its score on 5-0 after the last game of Preliminary Round. Naturally, Montenegrins are the top ranked team in Group B which qualified for the next stage. They are placed into Group E together with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany and Belarus. The good thing for Montenegro is that it starts Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place with 1-0. The reason is victory against Bosnia at the first stage so it will need just one more for the semifinals.

Montenegro was better team during the entire game. After every quarter its advantage became bigger and bigger. Mladen Novakovic, Nemanja Djurisic (-92) and Armin Kalic were in a game mood, what was more than enough for comfortable victory. Montenegro ended this game having pretty good 59.6% for FG2 and 40% for 3-pts. Austrians also had good shot percentage but they committed 23 turnovers what was too much against the strong Montenegrins.

Interesting is that Montengero had 3 players with more than 20 points. Mladen Novakovic (-92) was the best one in this game adding 27 points and 5 rebounds. Nemanja Djurisic had 26 points and 4 boards while Armin Kalic stopped on 23 points and 7 boards. Carlos Novas Mateo shined for the loosing side finishing the game with 27 points and 7 rebounds. Claudio Vancura was a way behind him with 13 points.


U16 Austria - U16 Montenegro 86-104
(16-18, 26-32, 22-26, 22-28)

Austria: Carlos Novas Mateo 27 (7 rebs), Claudio Vancura 13
Montenegro: Mladen Novakovic 27 (5 rebs), Nemanja Djurisic 26 (4 rebs), Armin Kalic 23 (7 rebs)

Brandon Hartley signs contract to play in Austria - by Eurobasket News
Bellingham Slam have announced that guard Brandon Hartley (6'4''-G-81, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: St.Martin's) has signed a contract to play overseas this winter. Hartley will play with the Worthersee Pirates, a first-division team in Austria. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Hartley, one of three Slam players to still play with the team since its inception in 2005, will be starting his fourth professional season this winter. He is the first of what is expected to be several Slam players to sign a contact to continue playing basketball overseas this winter. He also spent a season with the World Basketball Association's Mayas-USA franchise last summer, helping the team to a league championship.

Hartley is regarded as one of the Slam's defensive leaders. His strong play late this season helped the Slam advance through the International Basketball League playoffs and capture the league championship against the Elkhart Express on July 18. Hartley finished this season averaging 11.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

A graduate of Saint Martin's college, Hartley ranks seventh among the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's career scoring leaders with 18.8 points per game and second in career steals average with two per game.

Hartley will depart for Austria at the end of the month to prepare for W?ersee's season, with runs from September to May.

Courtesy of IBL

*****************************************************
  BAHRAIN   


Al Manama sign Jarred Merrill - by Eurobasket
Al Manama strengthened their roster with addition of 27-year old American forward Jarred Merrill (206-F-81, college: Oklahoma Christian, agency: Pro Management Agency). Merrill is laready well-known in Middle East as last year he played for Champville (Lebanon) and two years ago at Al Ahli Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). He was 3rd best scorer in the league with 23.9ppg and was in top 5 for the rebounds averaging 11.8rpg. He played few seasons in USA for D-League, ABA and USBL teams. It will be his 4th professional season.

Al Hala adds American center to their roster - by Eurobasket
Al Hala agreed terms with 30-year old American center / power forward Jonathan Hopkins (208-F/C-78, college: Tex.A&M-Comm.), who spent last season at another Bahrain team Al Ittihad. Hopkins' career is mostly linked to Latin American basketball. He played most recently at Felix Perez Cardozo Asuncion (Paraguay), but has also experience in pro leagues in Mexico, Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay. Last season he was a leading player in Al Ittihad where he averaged 19.5 ppg and 10.2 rpg.

*****************************************************
  BELARUS   


U16 EC, division B: Belarus edges Belgium advancing to the second stage - by Eurobasket News
U16 Belarus - U16 Belgium 66-51

Belarus grabbed victory at the last day of the Preliminary Round on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. Byelorussians registsred 15-point win against Belgium, what was more than enough for the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place. Namely, Belarus, Belgium and Estonia have the same score 3-2 in Group A but Belarus has the best digits in this circle. Belgium wasn't lucky today and it will continue championship in Classification Round for 9th to 16th place.

Belarus played furious first half. After opening 0-5 for Belgium, Byelorussians immediately made 13-2 run led by Vitali Liutych (190-G-92). They ended first ten minutes 14-10. During the next period Belarus took total control on its opponent. At the half way of the second frame it already was 27-18. Belgians woke up after the breather. Anthony Goetgeluck and Amaury Gorgemans (202-C-92) had couple of nice decisions at the offensive end which resulted with 47-42 in 28th minute. However, Balarus managed to go into the last ten minutes with 51-43. Vitali Liutych and Henadziy Zakhar once again put into the fifth gear setting the score on unreachable 64-48.

Vitali Liutych paced Belarus to this important victory collecting 18 points and 8 rebounds. Henadziy Zakhar also demonstrated pretty good perfromace finishing the game with 16 points and 8 boards. Denis Azaare followed these two players with 12 points. Belgium got the most from, Anthony Goetgeluck who added 17 points and 6 rebounds. Amaury Gorgemans was behind him with 11 points and 5 boards.


U16 Belarus - U16 Belgium 66-51
(14-10, 25-17, 12-16, 15-8)

Belarus: Vitali Liutych 18 (8 rebs), Henadziy Zakhar 16 (8 rebs), Denis Azaare 12
Belgium: Anthony Goetgeluck 17 (6 rebs), Amaury Gorgemans 11 (5 rebs)

*****************************************************
  BELGIUM   


U16 EC, division B: Belarus edges Belgium advancing to the second stage - by Eurobasket News
U16 Belarus - U16 Belgium 66-51

Belarus grabbed victory at the last day of the Preliminary Round on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. Byelorussians registsred 15-point win against Belgium, what was more than enough for the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place. Namely, Belarus, Belgium and Estonia have the same score 3-2 in Group A but Belarus has the best digits in this circle. Belgium wasn't lucky today and it will continue championship in Classification Round for 9th to 16th place.

Belarus played furious first half. After opening 0-5 for Belgium, Byelorussians immediately made 13-2 run led by Vitali Liutych (190-G-92). They ended first ten minutes 14-10. During the next period Belarus took total control on its opponent. At the half way of the second frame it already was 27-18. Belgians woke up after the breather. Anthony Goetgeluck and Amaury Gorgemans (202-C-92) had couple of nice decisions at the offensive end which resulted with 47-42 in 28th minute. However, Balarus managed to go into the last ten minutes with 51-43. Vitali Liutych and Henadziy Zakhar once again put into the fifth gear setting the score on unreachable 64-48.

Vitali Liutych paced Belarus to this important victory collecting 18 points and 8 rebounds. Henadziy Zakhar also demonstrated pretty good perfromace finishing the game with 16 points and 8 boards. Denis Azaare followed these two players with 12 points. Belgium got the most from, Anthony Goetgeluck who added 17 points and 6 rebounds. Amaury Gorgemans was behind him with 11 points and 5 boards.


U16 Belarus - U16 Belgium 66-51
(14-10, 25-17, 12-16, 15-8)

Belarus: Vitali Liutych 18 (8 rebs), Henadziy Zakhar 16 (8 rebs), Denis Azaare 12
Belgium: Anthony Goetgeluck 17 (6 rebs), Amaury Gorgemans 11 (5 rebs)

*****************************************************
  BOSNIA   


U16 EC, division B: Bosnia a way better than Netherlands - by Eurobasket News
U16 Bosnia and Herzegovina - U16 Netherlands 92-66

The hosts of U16 European Championship division B Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrated its power against Netherlands in the last day of the Preliminary Stage. Thus Bosnians just sealed second position in Group B and participation in the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th position. Bosnians are placed into Group E together with Germany, Montenegro and Belarus. The bad news for Bosnians is that defeated against Montenegro will be transferred to this stage.

After 12-12 in the opening period, Bosnians made quick 6-3 run setting the score on 18-15 after ten minutes. Very soon Goran Vucic and Marko Miletic woke up for the hosts. In just few minutes they led 13-2 series for 31-17 in 15th minute. Netherlands came closer on 37-32 but Bosnia ended the first half in style with 7-0. It was 44-32 after 20 minutes. Game is decided in third frame. Bosnians picked up where they left of in the first half reaching pretty good 59-46 in 27th minute. Goran Vucic once again shined and together with Maksimovic brought 67-50 to his team before the last ten minutes.

Goran Vucic paced Bosnia to win scoring 22 points. Marko Miletic recorded double-double, 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Filip Petrovic (202-F-92) had 14 points and 6 boards. Netherlands got 15 points from Sven Burger. Sam de Haas followed with 12 points and 5 rebounds.


U16 Bosnia and Herzegovina - U16 Netherlands 92-66
(18-15, 26-17, 23-18, 25-16)

Bosnia: Goran Vucic 22, Marko Miletic 14 (11 rebs), Filip Petrovic 14 (6 rebs)
Netherlands: Sven Burger 15, Sam de Haas 12 (5 rebs)

*****************************************************
  BRAZIL   


Standings - Paulista, Carioca, Minas G. leagues
Carioca Standings
Carioca
 1. Fluminense 5-2 
 2. Flamengo 3-0 
 3. Vasco Da G. 3-0 
 4. Automovel CF 1-1 
 5. Iguacu 1-2 
 6. V.Redonda 1-3 
 7. L.Macaense 0-1 
 8. C.Municipal 0-5 
Minas Gerais
 1. Athletic EC 0-0 
 2. Ginasio 0-0 
 3. Praia Clube 0-0 
 4. Sete Lagoas 0-0 
 5. Mackenzie 0-0 
Paulista
 1. Sorocaba 0-0 
 2. S.Jose/Vinac 0-0 
 3. Limeira 0-0 
 4. Assis 0-0 
 5. Unifeob/S.Joao 0-0 
 6. AD Guaruja 0-0 
 7. Santo Andre 0-0 
 8. Araraquara 0-0 
 9. Franca 0-0 
 10. Paulistano 0-0 
 11. Sao Bernardo 0-0 


Standings - NLB
NLB Northern Div. Standings
 1. Objectivo 0-0 
 2. Tahitian N. 0-0 
 3. AD Guaruja 0-0 
 4. Paysandu 0-0 
 5. Teresinense 0-0 
 6. Saldanha 0-0 
 7. CETAF 0-0 
 8. Casa Branca 0-0 
 9. Winner/ Lim. 0-0 
 10. Rio Preto 0-0 
 11. Maringa 0-0 
 12. Sao Caetano 0-0 
 13. Hebraica 0-0 
 14. Uniara/Ar. 0-0 
 15. Sanjoanense 0-0 
 16. Corinthians 0-0 
 17. Ulbra 0-0 
 18. Sao Jose 0-0 
 19. Telemar 0-0 
 20. Liga Macaense 0-0 


*****************************************************
  BULGARIA   


U16 EC, division B: Bulgaria improves to 4-1 advancing to the next sage - by Eurobasket News
U16 Bulgaria - U16 Romania 89-67

Despite the second place in Preliminary Group C already was reserved for Bulgarians before this game, they played tough recording an easy win against Romania. Bulgaria advanced to the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place where it will compete in Group F. Its rivals will be Slovenia, Finland and Sweden. Bad news for Bulgarians is that defeat against Slovenia will be transferred to the next stage. Two best teams from this group will advance to the semis. Romania is fifth ranked team of Group C with score 1-4 and it will continue championship in Classification Round for 17th to 23rd place.

This game is decided already in the first half. Bulgarians took control on Romania from the early beginning. Antonio Iliev was on fire leading his team to 26-12 after ten minutes. Bulgarians had big advantage in the paint during the entire time. Actually, they finished the game with 36 boards matched with 25 by Romania. Nothing has chaned in the second frame except Pavlin Ivanov and Georgi Sirakov (184-G-92, agency: Interperformances) joined Iliev. Everyhting resulted with 48-28 at the half time. Romanians weren't able to come any closer until the end suffering fourth defeat in Sarajevo.

Antonio Iliev was totally the best player for the winning side. He spent 26 minutes on court pouring in 27 points and grabbing 6 boards. Pavlin Ivanov followed him with 18 points while Gaorgi Sirakov had two points less. Iosif Parlog posted 17 points for Romania while Norbert Pascu had 13.


U16 Bulgaria - U16 Romania 89-67
(26-12, 22-16, 22-19, 19-20)

Bulgaria: Antonio Iliev 27 (6 rebs), Pavlin Ivanov 18, Georgi Sirakov 16
Romania: Iosif Parlog 17, Norbert Pascu 13

*****************************************************
  CHILE   


Standings - DIMAYOR
DIMAYOR Standings
 1. U.Concepc. 20-0 
 2. Prov.Osorno 20-0 
 3. Puente Alto 19-0 
 4. Dep.Valdiva 19-0 
 5. Liceo Mixto 19-0 
 6. Dep.Castro 18-0 
 7. Dep.Ancud 18-0 
 8. Boston Coll. 18-0 
 9. Dep.Espanol 16-0 
 10. U.Catolica 16-0 
 11. Prov.Llanq. 16-0 
 12. UDE Temuco 14-0 


*****************************************************
  CHINA   


Olympic Games: Lithuania cruises past China for the semifinals - by Eurobasket News
Lithuania - China 94-68

After Spain which booked a spot for the semifinals earlier today, Lithuania done the same. The team which demonstrated the best performance in Preliminary Group A had an easy job against the hosts of the Olympic Games 2008. However, both teams made fantastic success so far. Lithuanians ended first stage registering 4 wins and 1 defeat and now it will have a chance to fight for one of the medals. On the other side, Ming Yao (226-C-80) and his teammates made magnificent success advancing to the quarterfinals. Lithuania will meet reining World Champion Spain in the semifinals, which is scheduled for Friday.

After triple by Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland), Lithuania grabbed 12-6 in fifth minute. China responded very quick and mostly owing to Liu Wei's (190-G-80) five points made 9-0 run. Later, experienced Sarunas Jasikevicius and Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) ended this frame with 4-0 for 19-17. Second period totally belonged to Lithuania. At the middle of it Sarunas Jasikevicius' 3-pointer ended another run, this time 7-0. At the last Lithuania's possession Ramunas Siskauskas drained a triple for 41-30 at the half time. Ming Yao shined in China after the breather but his teammates weren't able to compete against strong Lithuanians which resulted with huge 70-53 after 30 minutes. Until the end Lithuania extended its lead even more. The biggest problem for Chinese today was stroke from behind the arc as they made only 4 of 21 attempts. They also had poor 36% for FG2 and it seems that pressure before this game affected majority of China's players.

Experienced Sarunas Jasikevicius led his team to victory scoring 23 points and dishing out 6 assists for 25 minutes. Linas Kleiza (203-F-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Missouri) and Ramunas Siskauskas also were good posting 15 points each. Linas Kleiza had 7 more rebounds while Ramunas Siskauskas had two less. Simas Jasaitis helped his team scoring 12 points. Hero of the Chinese nation Ming Yao this time poured in 19 points and grabbed 7 boards for 34 minutes. Jianlian Yi (212-C/F-87) had 11 points and 9 rebounds while Liu Wei stopped on 10 points and 7 boards.


Lithuania - China 94-68
(19-17, 22-13, 29-23, 24-15)

Lithuania: Sarunas Jasikevicius 23 (6 as), Linas Kleiza 15 (7 rebs), Ramunas Siskauskas 15 (5 rebs), Simas Jasaitis (202-F/G-82) 12
China: Ming Yao 19 (7 rebs), Jianlian Yi 11 (9 rebs), Liu Wei 10 (7 rebs)

China face Lithuania - by Robert Wang
China National team will face against Lithuania team this afternoon at 4:45pm. China will play very hard against Lithuania in oder to go to top 4 and break the history for China. The foreing scout from China national team T. J has make some notes on Lithuanian team indicated that China could win the game if they play well on the Guard and SF position since the inside players is not as good as China inside because of Yao Ming is in. No matter China win or lose, hope the chinese players could play well as they could and do not give up and give the fans a good game.

China Ousted from Olympics With 94-68 Loss to Lithuania - by Arthur Volbert

China was knocked out of the Olympic tournament today with a 94-68 loss to Lithuania. China's inability to make or defend against the three-point shot was the key to their loss.

China made only 4 of 21 three-pointers while Lithuania connected on 13 of 31. Lithuania outscored China 39-12 on three-point shots, a 27-point margin.

Lithuania's defense prevented China's guards from consistently getting the ball to Yao Ming. Yao scored 19 points on 4 of 8 from the floor and 11 of 13 free throws. But he tired toward the end of the game in the face of Lithuania's defensive pressure.

Lithuania hit 21 of 32 two-point shots to 16 of 34 for China. China and Lithuania were even in rebounds at 31 apiece but China had 15 turnovers to 10 for Lithuania.

China trailed 19-17 after one quarter and 41-30 at the half. But Lithuania outscored China 29-23 in the third quarter and 24-15 in the fourth as China, sure of defeat, faded badly.

Yi Jianlian had 11 points on three of seven shooting and 9 rebounds but had 4 fouls in 23 minutes. Liu Wei had 10 points, 7 rebounds and no turnovers but hit only 4 of 14 shots.

Sun Yue had a very quiet game with 6 points on 1 of 4 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 turnover in 30 minutes.

Zhu Fangyu shot 2 of 7 for 7 points and committed 4 turnovers. Wang Shipeng was scoreless, missing both of his shots in 15 minutes. Li Nan had 2 points on 1 of 4 shooting. Wang Zhizhi had 4 points on 2 of 4 shooting, along with 3 rebounds, in 14 minutes.

Du Feng was the only Chinese player who exceeded expectations with 9 points on 3 of 5 shooting in 10 minutes. However he committed 3 fouls during that period. Both Chen Jianghua and Zhang Qingpeng barely played. Wang Lei did not play at all.

Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland) led Lithuania with 23 points on 7 of 8 shooting, He hit 5 of 6 three pointers and added 6 assists. Ramunas SISKAUSKAS and Linus Kleiza each scored 15 points. Siskauskas hit 3 of 7 three-pointers and Kleiza hit 2 of 4. Simas JASAITIS had 12 points, hitting 2 of 3 three-point shots.

China showed that it still has great difficulty with the intensity of the international game. It showed strong potential, and has made significant progress, but still has a long way to go in bringing its perimeter game up to top international standards.


Box Score:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/BK/C73/BKM400302.shtml#BKM400302


China---- 17 13 23 15 68

Lithuania 19 22 29 24 94



Standings - NBL
NBL Standings
 1. Heilongiang D. 7-2 
 2. TianJin R. 6-3 
 3. Qingdao D.S. 5-4 
 4. Jilin A. 4-5 
 5. Henan J. 4-5 
 6. Sichuan P. 1-8 
 7. DongGuang B. 0-9 


*****************************************************
  COLOMBIA   


Standings
Copa Federacion Standings
 1. Arrieros 0-0 
 2. Piratas 0-0 
 3. Bucaros 0-0 
 4. Alcaldia 0-0 
 5. InderValle 0-0 
 6. Condores 0-0 
 7. Islanders 0-0 


Soles wants the Championship, inks Sowell and Rufus - by Victor Garcia
Soles de San Andres wants the Championship this year, with the sponsorship of SOPESA, the team of the beautifull island inked two experienced americans, in Kevin Sowell (63' Guard), and Daryl Rufus (68F/C).
Sowell is a scorer guard, with a very good career in Chile, Argentina and Venezuela, in Venezuela with Marinos Sowell averaged 18 PPG.
Rufus is also a solid post player, with experience in Chile, Uruguay and Argentina.
The Soles coach will be Guillermo Lopez from Argentina, who coached Estudiantes de Bahia Blanca in the Argentinas Div1.Kevin Sowell (190-G-81)

*****************************************************
  CROATIA   


France U16 shows great defense over Croatian juniors - by Eurobasket News
France U16-Croatia U16 64:41

France U16 celebrated the win in the opener of Group F in the Qualifying Round. The team produced a great starts and finished on a defensive note for 64:41 over Croatia U16. Evan Fournier (196-G-92) led the winners with 14 points. Leo Westermann (196-G-92) netted 13, while Mathis Keita (191-G-92) scored 9. Roko Rogic (182-G-92) ended up with 10 points and Marko Ramljak (195-F-93) collected 7 points and 17 rebounds. The win moved France to a 2-1 record while Croatia dropped to 1-2. Today France will have a tough game against Turkey while Croatia will face Russia.
Najev and Zadravec scored for Croatia, but then for the next 8 minutes his team remained scoreless. France mounted in 15-0 run for 19:4 as Radjouki closed the opening quarter. Only in the second period Croatia played even basketball and even could win the period 16:15. The winners however remained in front as Labeyrie sent the teams to the lockers for 34:20.
Zadravec reduced to minus 12, but Evan Fournier gave France plus 20. The third quarter remained even again and France had 53:39 after thirty minutes of the game. In the last, defensive quarter France allowed the opponent to score only 2 points. Pernus opened the last period and then his team could not score for 9 minutes in the game. France celebrated an easy 64:41 victory for the top positions in the group.

France U16: Evan Fournier 14, Leo Westermann 13, Mathis Keita 9
Croatia U16: Roko Rogic 10, Marko Ramljak 7+17 rebs

Olympic Games: Pau Gasol leads Spain to the semifinals in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Spain - Croatia 72-59

Spain is the first semifinalist of the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) and his teammates were too strong for Croatia knocking them out of the competition easily. As a reminder, Croatia already made nice success in Beijing reaching the quarterfinals. They booked a spot for the Olympics at the FIBA Qualifying Tournament in Athens.

Pau Gasol opened this game in style. He scored 9 points for six minutes and together with Jorge Garbajosa (205-C/F-77, agency: Interperformances) led his team to impressive 12-1. Croatians showed their nerves which resulted with many mistakes and erratic shots. Thus first ten minutes ended 22-11 for Spain. Second frame was totally leveled. Actually Pau Gasol continued in the same rhythm setting the score on 35-21 after what Ricard Rubio (192-G-90) made a jump shot but Croatia through Marko Banic (204-F-84) ended this period 15-15. After triple by Jorge Garbajosa at the middle of third frame, Spain touched plus 19, 47-28. It was a clear signal that the first semifinalist is already known. Everything what Croatia succeeded to do unit the end was minus ten, which happened just once. Croatians struggled a lot with their stroke today having only 44% for FG2, 15 of 34. They also had just 6 of 19 from behind the arc.

Pau Gasol paced Spain to victory nailing 20 points and grabbing 10 boards for 26 minutes. He had 8 of 11 for FG2 and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. Center Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) helped the winning side with 13 points while Jose Manuel Calderon (190-G-81) had 10. Marko Banic was the best player of Croatia collecting 15 points and 5 rebounds. Zoran Planinic (198-G-82) was the last one with double digits as he added 12 points and caught 5 boards.


Spain - Croatia 72-59
(22-11, 15-15, 14-12, 21-21)

Spain: Pau Gasol 20 (10 rebs), Felipe Reyes 13, Jose Manuel Calderon 10
Croatia: Marko Banic 15 (5 rebs), Zoran Planinic 12 (5 rebs)

Kvarner adds Jurica Spahija and Josip Glavinic, Bogdanovic in CB Murcia - by Eurobasket News
After signing of contract extension with head coach Boris Pilepic, Kvarner added two players to its roster.

The first one is Jurica Spahija (203-F/C-83), who played last season in Svjetlost Slavonski Brod. He had 25 games in A1 league ending it as a fifth rebounder with 7.5 rpg. At the same time he averaged 15.8 ppg and 1.7 spg. Spahija got an invitiation to participate at the Croatian A1 league All-Star game in 2008. Interesting is that Spahija already played one season for Kvarner and it was 06/07. He had 29 appearances in A1 at that time adding 10.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg. On 05/06 he was a member of Dubrovnik while season before he spent in French team Gravelines, where he played only two games in Pro A and one in ULEB Cup.

The second player who joined Kvarner is Josip Glavinic (193-G-82). Glavinic is coming from Dubrovnik, where he played last two seasons. At his last one he averaged 11.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 2.6 apg for 20 games in A1. He played for Cedevita in 05/06 while from 02-05 he also was a member of Dubrovnik. Expect of these two teams he also used to play for Pula, Loka kava, Brotnjo Citluk (BIH) and Charleroi (BEL). His biggest achievement so far is the title in Belgian championship which he won with Charleroi as a 20-year old player as well semifinals of Croatian Cup in 2006. Glavinic signed 2-year deal with his new club.

Real Madrid sent young Bojan Bogdanovic (202-G/F-89) on loan to CB Murcia. Bogdanovic signed 4-year contract with Real Madrid in 2005 but he didn't have a real chance to play for the Spanish powerhouse.

*****************************************************
  CUBA   


Standings - LSB
LSB Standings
 1. Capitalinos 24-4 
 2. Ciego de Avila 20-6 
 3. Matanzas 19-9 
 4. Guantanamo 17-11 
 5. Camaguey 15-11 
 6. Metropolitanos 7-21 
 7. Villa Clara 5-23 
 8. Santiago 3-25 


Standings - TNA
TNA Central Div. Standings
 1. Ciego de Avila 21-3 
 2. Camaguey 19-5 
 3. Capitalinos 18-5 
 4. Santiago de C. 17-7 
 5. Guantanamo 16-8 
 6. Matanzas 13-9 
 7. Holguina 13-11 
 8. Metropolitanos 12-12 
 9. Villa Clara 12-12 
 10. Las Tunas 11-13 
 11. Pinar 9-14 
 12. Sancti Spiritus 6-18 
 13. La Habana 6-18 
 14. Granma 3-21 
 15. Cienfuegos 2-22 


*****************************************************
  CYPRUS   


U16 EC, division B: Slovenia ends Preliminary Stage with 5-0 - by Eurobasket News
U16 Slovenia - U16 Cyprus 76-57

Slovenia once again proved its quality on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. Slovenians showed much better performance that Cyprians ending Preliminary Round as a top team of Group C. It means that Slovenia continues championship in Group F of Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place together with Sweden, Finland and Bulgaria. Victory against Bulgaria will be transferred to this stage. On the other hand, Cyprus finished Preliminary Round winless and it will be moved to Classification Round for 17th to 23rd place.

Sounds strange but Cyprus showed better performance at the opening quarter. Mostly owing to Andreas Vlachos and Riginos Kasinopoulos (185-G-92), Cyprians ended it 17-21. Slovenians woke up after that creating quick 6-0 run. Cyprus made five points after that but Slovenia took care for another one 10-4 finishing first half 33-29. Question about the winner is resolved in the next frame. Matija Vravnik and Jure Besedic (204-F/C-92) stepped up for their team leading magnificent 20-3 run. It was 53-32 in 26th minute, when every Cypriot's hope for the first win immediately has gone.

Matija Vravnik was the best Slovenian in this game. He added 16 points and caught 9 rebounds for 19 minutes. Jure Besedic was behind him with 13 points while Luka Rupnik (180-G-93) had 11. Cyprus got the most from Riginos Kasinopoulos, who was the best scorer of the game with 20 points. Andreas Vlachos had 13 points and 6 boards.


U16 Slovenia - U16 Cyprus 76-57
(17-21, 16-8, 23-14, 20-14)

Slovenia: Matija Vravnik 16 (9 rebs), Jure Besedic 13, Luka Rupnik 11
Cyprus: Riginos Kasinopoulos 20, Andreas Vlachos 13 (6 rebs)

Transfer News - by Chris Mammides
Proteas EKA AEL announced officially the transfer of two great American athletes, the rookie Reggie Larry (198-F) (22 years small-power forward) who was just been 'cut' from the magic world of the NBA, (Golden State Warriors) agreed financial temrs with the Limassol club for the next two years, his conpatriot, ex player of Olimpia Ljubliana (Euroleague team) Ronell Taylor (196-G-82, college: UAB) (small forward) agreed also with the Limassol club for a two years contract.

BMC AEK Larnakas agreed financial terms with Anthony Anderson (180-G-81, agency: Passing Lane, college: Massachusetts), a point guard with experience in some European courts and in the ABA.

*****************************************************
  CZECH REPUBLIC   


Czech Republic U16 strike again in Italy - by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic U16 - Ukraine U16 72:49

Czech Republic U16 National Team earned their 4th straight win at the European Championship in Italy. Czech team is the main newsmaker at the tournament so far having piled up wins over defending champions Serbia and strong Greek squad. Yesterday it was Ukrainian team that was unable to tame striking Czechs. Ukraine entered the stage from the third spot in Group B but showed no fear before Czech Republic starting the game with a 15:4 rally. However Czech team soon came back to life and began paving their way back into the contest. They cut the distance to just 3 points at the first intermission and then used a 7:0 rally to surge in front 21:17 at the start of the second period. Czech team took over control and drove to a 32:27 advantage at the interval. The third frame turned out to be decisive for Czech Republic as they managed to hold their opponents to just 3 points and stretched the margin to massive 22 points before the fourth term. Ukraine cut the distance to 17 points early in the fourth quarter but it was as close as they could get in the game. Czech Republic secured a comfortable win at the end and stayed perfect in Group E of the Qualifying Round of the tournament. Martin Kriz (197-F-93) led all scorers with 18 points and 14 boards for Czech Republic. Milan Ryska (204-C/F-92, agency: PPGroup) provided 17 points and 12 boards for the winners. Olexandr Mishula (185-G-92) answered with 13 points for Ukraine. Oleksandr Prokopenko (192-F-92) had 12 in defeat. Czech Republic outrebounded their opponents 47:32 and converted 46% from the field in the win.

Czech Republic U16: Martin Kriz 18+14 boards, Milan Ryska 17+12 boards, Tomas Vyoral (187-G-92) 11, Vaclav Honomichl (186-G-92) 11
Ukraine U16: Olexandr Mishula 13, Oleksandr Prokopenko 12

*****************************************************
  DENMARK   


U16 EC, division B: Iceland too much for Denmark in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
U16 Denmark - U16 Iceland 52-76

Iceland outplayed Denmark in the last game of the Preliminary Round on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. However, this victory was not enough for Iceland to reach the next stage. It was enough only for third place in Group B with score 2-3. It means that Iceland will continue Championship in Classification Round for 9th to 16th place. Denmark ended the first stage on fifth place in the same group with score 1-4 and it will be transferred to Classification Round for 17th to 23rd position.

Denmark succeeded to resist against Iceland during the few opening minutes. It was 12-12 when Iceland created 12-7 run for 19-24 after first frame. Denmark showed slightly better performance during the following ten minutes. Mostly owing to Christoffer Fugmann they came on minus 1 but still Iceland managed to keep 33-36 at the half time. Haukur Palsson and Olafur Johnsson stepped up for Iceland after the breather. They made few jump shots ending this quarter with 8-0 run for big 41-54 before the last one. Nothing has changed after that as Iceland continued on its way finishing this game with plus 24.

Haukur Palsson was the best player for the winning team collecting 19 points and 10 rebounds. Olafur Johnsson was behind him with 15 points and 5 rebounds while Bjorn Kristjansson stopped on 14 points. Christoffer Fugmann of Denmark almost registered double-double. He added 12 points and 9 boards. Tue Nielsen finished the game with 10 points and 7 boards.


U16 Denmark - U16 Iceland 52-76
(19-24, 14-12, 8-18, 11-22)

Denmark: Christoffer Fugmann 12 (9 rebs), Tue Nielsen 10 (7 rebs)
Iceland: Haukur Palsson 19 (10 rebs), Olafur Johnsson 15 (5 rebs), Bjorn Kristjansson 14

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


Updates on Former D-Leaguers Glyniadakis and Monya at Olympics - by Surujh Roopnarine
Greek big man Andreas Gliniadakis (7'1''-C-81) (Albuquerque Thunderbirds) has fared better at the 2008 Summer Olympics than fellow ex-D-Leaguer Sergei Monya (6'9''-F-83) (Ft. Worth Flyers) of Russia. Greece has advanced to the quarterfinals after finishing as the third place team in Group A and will take on Argentina tomorrow.
Glyniadakis came off the bench in limited minutes for a deep and veteran laden Greek squad to tally 6.8 points, 2.8 rebounds while shooting 56.2% from the field in 10.3 minutes per contest (four games). His most impressive performance came during a 102-61 dismantling of Angola in which he scored 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds in 19 minutes.
Monya and Russia did not fare as well at these Olympics. The surprise 2007 European Champions will not advance to the quarterfinals after finishing fifth in Group A with a 1-4 record, managing to only defeat Asian Champions Iran on the opening day. A 95-80 thrashing at the hands of Australia was Russias downfall as a win in that game could have propelled them to the quarters. While Monya played more minutes for Russia (13.6mpg) than Glyniadakis (10.3), his output was not as impressive, averaging a paltry 2.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and not a single assist while shooting 23.8% from the field in five games. The 25-year old forward will look to improve his play this upcoming season for Russian team Dynamo Moscow.

*****************************************************
  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U16   


Division A. Qualifying Round Day 4 - by Eurobasket News
GROUP E
Lithuania U16 - Greece U16 97:67

Lithuanian U16 National Team climbed to 3-0 record in the Qualifying Round Group E at the European Championship in Italy. They defeated Greece at the start of the second tournaments stage and remained at the helm of the pool. Dovydas Redikas (193-F-92) nailed 22 point to pace Lithuania. Jonas Valanciunas (209-C-92) added 21 points and 11 boards for the winners. Giorgos Mavrogiannis (192-F-92) answered with game-high 26 points but once again his effort was insufficient to give Greece victory.
Lithuania opened the game with a 7:0 rally to step in front for good in this one. They eased to a 26:12 lead after ten minutes of action. Giorgos Mavrogiannis knocked down two trebles early in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 10 points but it was just a spark from Greek team. Lithuania continued their dominance and established a 47:29 advantage at the interval. Dovydas Redikas opened the second half with a three-pointer as the Baltic team stretched the gap to 21 points. All Greece could do was to cut the distance to 17 points at the end of the third quarter however Lithuania quickly restored a safe difference and cruised to the victory at the end. Vytenis Cizauskas (188-G-92) tallied 17 points and 9 rebounds for Lithuania. Panagiotis Papoulias (189-G-92) scored 11 points in defeat. Lithuania outrebounded their opponents 61:21 and limited them to 38% accuracy from the field. The winners sank 46% of field goals.

Lithuania U16: Dovydas Redikas 22, Jonas Valanciunas 21+11 boards, Vytenis Cizauskas 17
Greece U16: Giorgos Mavrogiannis 26, Panagiotis Papoulias 11

Spain U16-Serbia U16 50:48
Spain U16 overcame Serbia U16 50:48 in the first game of Group E in the Qualifying Round. It was a game that remained carousel and Spain was glad to finish the game up. Pedro Farina (196-F-92) led the winners with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Tomas collected 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Miguel Servera (195-F-92) scored 10. Strahinja Mladenovic (198-F-92) top-scored in defeat with 13 points and Djordje Drenovac (197-F-92) added 12. With the win Spain took a 2-1 record while Serbia dropped to 1-2 and will have to fight hard to make the semi-finals. Tomorrow Spain will face the surprising team from the Czech Republic while Serbia will face a difficult task against Lithuania.
Spain scored first 4 points in the game as Tomas posted his first points. Cvetkovic tied the game at 10:10 but Miguel Servera scored for 17:12 advantage. With 13:7 in the second period Spain enjoyed 30:19 at the halftime.
Serbia came back being another team in the beginning of the second half and opened the third period with 14-0 run. A 25:4 as a total in the quarter gave them 44:34 deficit before the last period. Nastic however scored the team's last points 7.46 in the period. Serbian team remained scoreless until the end of the game while Spanish 11-0 run brought them 50:48 victory.

Spain U16: Pedro Farina 15+11 rebs, Tomas 14+10 rebs, Miguel Servera 10
Serbia U16: Strahinja Mladenovic 13, Djordje Drenovac 12

Czech Republic U16 - Ukraine U16 72:49
Czech Republic U16 National Team earned their 4th straight win at the European Championship in Italy. Czech team is the main newsmaker at the tournament so far having piled up wins over defending champions Serbia and strong Greek squad. Yesterday it was Ukrainian team that was unable to tame striking Czechs. Ukraine entered the stage from the third spot in Group B but showed no fear before Czech Republic starting the game with a 15:4 rally. However Czech team soon came back to life and began paving their way back into the contest. They cut the distance to just 3 points at the first intermission and then used a 7:0 rally to surge in front 21:17 at the start of the second period. Czech team took over control and drove to a 32:27 advantage at the interval. The third frame turned out to be decisive for Czech Republic as they managed to hold their opponents to just 3 points and stretched the margin to massive 22 points before the fourth term. Ukraine cut the distance to 17 points early in the fourth quarter but it was as close as they could get in the game. Czech Republic secured a comfortable win at the end and stayed perfect in Group E of the Qualifying Round of the tournament. Martin Kriz (197-F-93) led all scorers with 18 points and 14 boards for Czech Republic. Milan Ryska (204-C/F-92, agency: PPGroup) provided 17 points and 12 boards for the winners. Olexandr Mishula (185-G-92) answered with 13 points for Ukraine. Oleksandr Prokopenko (192-F-92) had 12 in defeat. Czech Republic outrebounded their opponents 47:32 and converted 46% from the field in the win.

Czech Republic U16: Martin Kriz 18+14 boards, Milan Ryska 17+12 boards, Tomas Vyoral (187-G-92) 11, Vaclav Honomichl (186-G-92) 11
Ukraine U16: Olexandr Mishula 13, Oleksandr Prokopenko 12

GROUP F
Latvia U16-Russia U16 72:74
Russia U16 won the opener of the Group F of the Qualifying Round last night. Trailing 10 points after the opening quarter one of the favorites of the group stun Latvia U16 74:72. Dmitry Kulagin (194-G-92) paced all the winners with 20 points. Alexander Varnakov (184-G-92) netted 16, while Viktor Zaryazhko (198-F-92) added 11. Edmunds Dukulis (201-F/C-92) top-scored for Latvia with 17 points and 10 boards, while Davis Bertans (200-F-92) posted 15. With this win Russia jumps to a 3-0 record in Group F of the Qualifying Round while Latvia will look for their first group win today. Russia will face Croatia as Latvia will take on Israel.
Nikulichev opened the scoring list for the Russian squad but then Latvia took the control of the first period. The Baltic side had 12 points advantage but enjoyed 27:17 deficit after the opening period. Russia stormed past Latvia in the second quarter and produced 16-2 in the beginning of it. Alexander Varnakov tied the game at the halftime for 38:38. In the third period Russia played better and Dmitry Kulagin gave his team 53:47 after the thirty minutes. Vecvagars brought Latvia to 66:66 and then Davis Bertans scored for 72:72. Dmitry Kulagin's free throws were the last in the game as Russia celebrated 74:72 victory.

Latvia U16: Edmunds Dukulis 17+10 rebs, Davis Bertans 15
Russia U16: Dmitry Kulagin 20, Alexander Varnakov 16, Viktor Zaryazhko 11

Israel U16-Turkey U16 55:72
Trailing 13 points at the half Turkey U16 came back to beat Israel U16 in Group F of the Qualifying Round. It was a difficult win but it moved them to the top of the standings. Thanks to the win Turkey climbed to a 3-0 record in the group, as Israel fell to 0-3 at the bottom. Burak Yuksel (203-F-92) led the winners with 21 points. Safak Edge (185-G-92) netted 18, while Enes Kanter (205-C-92) collected 17 points and 19 rebounds. Bar Reuven (205-F-92) ended up with 13 points in defeat and Solomon together with Gay Lavie (188-G-92) added 9 each. Turkey will take on France in a key match today while Israel will take on Latvia in a game between two teams in search for the first win.

Turkey U16 won the opening tip, but Israel U16 tied at 14:14. With a 7-0 run Israel U16 closed the opening quarter at 21:14. They did not stop and also dominated the second period. A 39:26 saw the board when the teams went to the lockers.
In the third quarter Israel stopped at 42, while the Turks made a 20-0 run early in the second half to take over the game and never look back. Turkey won the third period 25:7 and had 51:46 after three quarters. Another 21:9 in the last period was too much for Israel that could not stay in the game. Turkey won 72:55 and becomes the leader of the group.

Israel U16: Bar Reuven 13, Solomon 9, Gay Lavie 9
Turkey U16: Burak Yuksel 21, Safak Edge 18, Enes Kanter 17+19 rebs

France U16-Croatia U16 64:41
France U16 celebrated the win in the opener of Group F in the Qualifying Round. The team produced a great starts and finished on a defensive note for 64:41 over Croatia U16. Evan Fournier (196-G-92) led the winners with 14 points. Leo Westermann (196-G-92) netted 13, while Mathis Keita (191-G-92) scored 9. Roko Rogic (182-G-92) ended up with 10 points and Marko Ramljak (195-F-93) collected 7 points and 17 rebounds. The win moved France to a 2-1 record while Croatia dropped to 1-2. Today France will have a tough game against Turkey while Croatia will face Russia.
Najev and Zadravec scored for Croatia, but then for the next 8 minutes his team remained scoreless. France mounted in 15-0 run for 19:4 as Radjouki closed the opening quarter. Only in the second period Croatia played even basketball and even could win the period 16:15. The winners however remained in front as Labeyrie sent the teams to the lockers for 34:20.
Zadravec reduced to minus 12, but Evan Fournier gave France plus 20. The third quarter remained even again and France had 53:39 after thirty minutes of the game. In the last, defensive quarter France allowed the opponent to score only 2 points. Pernus opened the last period and then his team could not score for 9 minutes in the game. France celebrated an easy 64:41 victory for the top positions in the group.

France U16: Evan Fournier 14, Leo Westermann 13, Mathis Keita 9
Croatia U16: Roko Rogic 10, Marko Ramljak 7+17 rebs

Classification Round
Italy U16 - Georgia U16 104:49
Italian U16 National Team proved their appearance at the Classification Round at home European Championship was a mere coincidence chopping up Georgia in todays game for the 13th-16th spots. Italy fought against bad luck at the preliminary round losing all their three games by narrow margins. The losses sent them to Classification Round with sad prospects of being relegated to Division B for the next year. However the first game moved them one step away from the precipice. Italy overwhelmed Georgia leaving their opponents not a single chance. Bokoishvili opened the game with a freebie however the hosts answered with an 18:2 rally to establish a comfortable lead. They knocked down 32 points in the first stanza and built a 32:13 advantage heading into the second quarter. Fabio Mian (192-F-92) stepped up with 10 points for Italy in the second frame and the home side arrived at halftime leading by 33 points. The things were just getting better for Italian team as they wisely kept Georgia at bay throughout the rest of the encounter and continued to pile up the advantage. Italy finalized a stunning victory and improved to 1-0 record in the Classification Group G. Marco Ceron (190-G-92) paced five Italian players to score in double figures with 20 points. Fabio Mian added 16 points, while Antonello Ricci (185-G-92) contributed 15 for the winners. Goga Javakhshvili (200-C-92) replied with 17 points for Georgia. Levan Eliadze (196-F-92) had 14 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. Italy outrebounded Georgia 42:28 and forced those to 30 turnovers. Italy will face Poland, while Georgia will play against Hungary on Thursday.

Italy U16: Marco Ceron 20, Fabio Mian 16, Antonello Ricci 15
Georgia U16: Goga Javakhshvili 17, Levan Eliadze 14

Hungary U16-Poland U16 68:95
Poland U16 won the opener of the Classification Round at European Championship in Italy. By winning all the quarters Polish juniors celebrated 95:68 win over Hungary U16. The last two quarters were twins as Hungary lost both with 16:28. Kacper Mlynarski (200-F-92) and Wojciech Leszczynski (187-G-92) led the winners with 23 points each. Kacper Stalicki (194-F-92) followed them with 16 points for 1-0 record. Tamas Koller (187-G-92) top-scored for Hungary with 14 points and Levente Misek (191-G-93) added 11.
Poland started too strong and achieved 7-0 in the start of the game. Kacper Stalicki shined in the opening tip of the game to push the tempo for his team. Varga tied the game for Hungary at 16:16 but Kacper Mlynarski gave Poland 21:19 after the first. Poland started to increase the lead in the second reaching 31:20. Hungary played again better in the end and reduced to 36:39 as Bodor made a jump-shot. With 28:16 in the third and respectively in the last period Polish squad got the winning streak. Karnowski closed the third period at 67:52 while Kacper Mlynarski gave plus 20 for his team in the fourth. Niedzwiedzki set up the final, 95:68 score for his team first win.

Hungary U16: Tamas Koller 14, Levente Misek 11
Poland U16: Kacper Mlynarski 23, Wojciech Leszczynski 23, Kacper Stalicki 16


M-Standings - Group B
Standings Div.B
Group A
1. Germany 5-0
2. Belarus 3-2
3. Belgium 3-2
4. Estonia 3-2
5. Slovakia 1-4
6. Luxemb. 0-5
Group B
1. Montene. 5-0
2. Bosnia 4-1
3. Austria 2-3
4. Iceland 2-3
5. Denmark 1-4
6. Holland 1-4
Group C
1. Slovenia 5-0
2. Bulgaria 4-1
3. Switzerl. 3-2
4. U.Kingd. 2-3
5. Romania 1-4
6. Cyprus 0-5
Group D
1. Sweden 4-0
2. Finland 3-1
3. FYR Mac. 2-2
4. Portugal 1-3
5. Ireland 0-4


*****************************************************
  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U18   


Stats Leader
Div .B Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
1 A. Kanervo, FIN 24.5
2 J. Taylor, SWE 21.3
3 S. Mjoes, NOR 20.1
4 L. Schwartz, LUX 18.8
5 Mahalbasic, AUT 18.6
Rebounds Per Game
1 C. Fonseca, POR 15.4
2 J. Vesely, CZE 12.4
3 J. Mwema, BEL 11.4
4 Mahalbasic, AUT 11.0
5 D. Sestic, BIH 10.6
Assists Per Game
1 N. Lalic, MNT 7.1
2 S. Sehovic, MNT 4.9
3 J. Steinbach, BEL 4.6
4 M. Lanegger, AUT 4.1
5 S. Kilmartin, IRL 3.9


*****************************************************
  FINLAND   


KORISLIIGA: Kouvot inked with Thomas Sanders - by Rauno Hurmalainen

Kouvot (Kouvola) has now three American players on the roster. Kouvot signed with Ronny LeMelle (196-G-81, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Auburn) and

Calvin Walls (201-F, agency: Court Side) already earlier and now American G Thomas Sanders (191-G, agency: Warren Sports International) will join Team roster. Sanders comes from Gardner Webb University, where he played two years and averaged 18,1 ppg, 10,8 rpg, 3,3 apg as a Sr. Finnish youngsters Sebastian Kaki and Joona Haaja have also joined Kouvot roster, which is coached by Jukka Toijala .



KORISLIIGA: Ty Harrelson from Germany to Finland - by Rauno Hurmalainen
After three seasons in Germany 2. Bundesliga (TV Langen and BBC Bayreuth) American PG Ty Harrelson (190-G-80, agency: Rasmussen Services, college: Wayland Baptist) has accepted an offer from Kataja (Joensuu) and will play coming 2008-09 season in Finland. Last season Harrelson averaged on BBC Bayreuth roster 10,6 ppg, 4,4 rpg, 4,0 apg and 1,5 spg. Harrelson comes from Wayland Baptist College (-03) and he was named 1st Team NAIA All-American -03. Kataja has now two American players, as C-F Jeremiah Wood (198-F-85, agency: Court Side) signed already earlier. Team Kataja is still after an American F.

1.DIV.: Newcomer Teams are almost ready - by Rauno Hurmalainen

JKS (Jarvenpaa) will play 2008-09 first time ever on the second highest level (1. Division) in Finland. JKS roster is about ready for coming season.
There are now 13 players on the roster, when Finnish F Toni Honka (194-F/C-84) and Canadian F Kevin Francis (203-F-84, college: Vincennes JC) joined the Team. Francis comes from Cleveland State University, where he averaged 4,3 ppg - 3,9 rpg in 34 games last season. JKS Head Coach is Olli-Pekka Auvinen.

LoKoKo (Korikonkarit, Loimaa), another newcomer from second division, has now 10 players on the roster. LoKoKo's American players are

Jonathan Heard (198-G/F-86, agency: David Lee services) and Eryk Thomas (198-F-85, college: E.Tenn.St.). Team will be coached by Juha Valkama (-73).

The third newcomer in Division 1. is Karhu from Kauhajoki. Kauhajoki played last season on Top level (Korisliiga) and Team's goal is to visit only shortly

in the second highest level. There are three American players and a bunch of Finnish players ready to take Kauhajoki back to Korisliiga. Karhu roster

2008-09: Lasse Hintsala (new), Santeri Latvala, Tuomas Tuominen (n), Maurice Horton (183-G-84, college: Mount Olive) (n), Ville Sihto (n), Brandon Polk (198-F-84, agency: Chris Pearson SM, college: Butler) (n), Eric Washington (192-F/G-74, agency: Interperformances, college: Alabama), Teemu

Panula (n), Kari Anttila (n), Ronnie Thomas (n) and Roni Leimu (n). Head Coach: Greg Gibson .



*****************************************************
  FRANCE   


Hermine Nantes Atlantique sign Vernard Hollins - by Eurobasket
Hermine Nantes Atlantique (ProB) agreed terms with 28-year old American guard Vernard Hollins (192-G-80, college: Wright St., agency: Warren Sports International). Hollins played last two seasons at Szolnoki Olajbanyasz (Hungary). In each of two seasons he was selected to Eurobasket.com All-Hungarian League 2nd Team. It will be his fifth professional season overseas. He previously played in FYR Macedonia, Mexico, Turkey and Germany.

France U16 shows great defense over Croatian juniors - by Eurobasket News
France U16-Croatia U16 64:41

France U16 celebrated the win in the opener of Group F in the Qualifying Round. The team produced a great starts and finished on a defensive note for 64:41 over Croatia U16. Evan Fournier (196-G-92) led the winners with 14 points. Leo Westermann (196-G-92) netted 13, while Mathis Keita (191-G-92) scored 9. Roko Rogic (182-G-92) ended up with 10 points and Marko Ramljak (195-F-93) collected 7 points and 17 rebounds. The win moved France to a 2-1 record while Croatia dropped to 1-2. Today France will have a tough game against Turkey while Croatia will face Russia.
Najev and Zadravec scored for Croatia, but then for the next 8 minutes his team remained scoreless. France mounted in 15-0 run for 19:4 as Radjouki closed the opening quarter. Only in the second period Croatia played even basketball and even could win the period 16:15. The winners however remained in front as Labeyrie sent the teams to the lockers for 34:20.
Zadravec reduced to minus 12, but Evan Fournier gave France plus 20. The third quarter remained even again and France had 53:39 after thirty minutes of the game. In the last, defensive quarter France allowed the opponent to score only 2 points. Pernus opened the last period and then his team could not score for 9 minutes in the game. France celebrated an easy 64:41 victory for the top positions in the group.

France U16: Evan Fournier 14, Leo Westermann 13, Mathis Keita 9
Croatia U16: Roko Rogic 10, Marko Ramljak 7+17 rebs

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


U16 EC, division B: Top of Group D belongs to Sweden - by Eurobasket News
U16 Sweden - U16 F.Y.R. of Macedonia 79-62

Sweden remained undefeated after the last game of Preliminary Round in Sarajevo. It means that Sweden advanced to the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th position. It is placed in Group F together with Slovenia, Bulgaria and Finland. The good thing for the Swedish is that victory against Finland is automatically transferred to the next round so they will most probably need only one win for the semifinals. On the other hand Macedonians will fight in Classification Round for 9th to 16th place.

After only few minutes it was clear that deference in basketball level between these two teams is huge. Sweden grabbed quick 13-0 extending it to 29-15 until the end of first frame. In this period Macedonia couldn't find a solution how to stop the killing trio Tuan Nguyen - Jonathan Person - Jonathan Antonsson. Interesting is that following 20 minutes belonged to Macedonians. They ended the second one 11-16 and third 17-24 what was enough for minus two, 57-55. Actually during third quarter they had plus 2 couple of times. The Swedesh entered into the last frame with 16-3 run resolving question about the winner. Sweden totally outrebounded Macedonia having 25 boards more at the end.

Sweden got the most from Tuan Ngyen, who drained 17 points and 4 rebounds. Johnathan Person also shined for the winning team with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while Johnathan Antonsson had 14 points and 5 boards. The best scorer in Macedonia was Gorjan Markovic, who netted 15. Darko Gjorgjievski had 11 plus 8 rebounds.


U16 Sweden - U16 F.Y.R. of Macedonia 79-62
(29-15, 11-16, 17-24, 22-7)

Sweden: Tuan Nguyen 17 (4 rebs), Jonathan Person 15 (5 rebs, 4 as), Jonathan Antonsson 14 (5 rebs)
Macedonia: Gorjan Markovski 15, Darko Gjorgjievski 11 (8 rebs)

*****************************************************
  GEORGIA   


Italy dismantle Georgia in Classification Round - by Eurobasket News
Italy U16 - Georgia U16 104:49

Italian U16 National Team proved their appearance at the Classification Round at home European Championship was a mere coincidence chopping up Georgia in todays game for the 13th-16th spots. Italy fought against bad luck at the preliminary round losing all their three games by narrow margins. The losses sent them to Classification Round with sad prospects of being relegated to Division B for the next year. However the first game moved them one step away from the precipice. Italy overwhelmed Georgia leaving their opponents not a single chance. Bokoishvili opened the game with a freebie however the hosts answered with an 18:2 rally to establish a comfortable lead. They knocked down 32 points in the first stanza and built a 32:13 advantage heading into the second quarter. Fabio Mian (192-F-92) stepped up with 10 points for Italy in the second frame and the home side arrived at halftime leading by 33 points. The things were just getting better for Italian team as they wisely kept Georgia at bay throughout the rest of the encounter and continued to pile up the advantage. Italy finalized a stunning victory and improved to 1-0 record in the Classification Group G. Marco Ceron (190-G-92) paced five Italian players to score in double figures with 20 points. Fabio Mian added 16 points, while Antonello Ricci (185-G-92) contributed 15 for the winners. Goga Javakhshvili (200-C-92) replied with 17 points for Georgia. Levan Eliadze (196-F-92) had 14 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. Italy outrebounded Georgia 42:28 and forced those to 30 turnovers. Italy will face Poland, while Georgia will play against Hungary on Thursday.

Italy U16: Marco Ceron 20, Fabio Mian 16, Antonello Ricci 15
Georgia U16: Goga Javakhshvili 17, Levan Eliadze 14

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


U16 EC, division B: Germany blasts Slovakia in Sarajevo for 5-0 - by Eurobasket News
U16 Germany - U16 Slovakia 96-56

Germany continued its domination on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. This time Slovakia was faced with German's power suffering 40-point defeat. It means that Germany ended Preliminary Round with perfect score 5-0 in Group A. Germans will continue championship in Group E of the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place. Two top teams from this group will advance to the semifinals. On the other hand Slovakia is a fifth ranked team in Group A so it will be transferred to the Classification Round for 17th to 23rd place.

Slovakia had surprisingly good first quarter ending it 14-17. It was a sign the Germans to wake up what they immediately done. Mostly owing to him Phillip Neumann (206-C-92), Germany created impressive 16-0 run for 30-17 at the middle of the second frame. Slovakia succeeded ot made some points but very soon Erik Muller joined Phillip Neumann helping Germany to end this frame with another 12-0 series for huge 46-25 at the half time. At that point of game it was already clear that Germany will stay undefeated in Sarajevo after five days. Germany played another 10 minutes on a high level setting the score on 71-34 before the last frame.

This time Germany got the most from Phillip Neumann, who collected 22 points and 8 boards. Erik Muller was behind him with 15 points and 6 boards while Kevin Bright (193-F-92) had 13 points. Slovakia had only one player with double digits and it was Tomas Kisel'a with exactly ten points. Tomas Suska followed him scoring one point less.


U16 Germany - U16 Slovakia 96-56
(14-17, 32-8, 25-9, 25-22)

Germany: Phillip Neumann 22 (8 rebs), Erik Muller 15 (6 rebs), Kevin Bright 13
Slovakia: Tomas Kisel'a 10, Tomas Suska 9

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


Lithuania edge Greece for 3-0 record in Italy - by Eurobasket News
Lithuania U16 - Greece U16 97:67

Lithuanian U16 National Team climbed to 3-0 record in the Qualifying Round Group E at the European Championship in Italy. They defeated Greece at the start of the second tournaments stage and remained at the helm of the pool. Dovydas Redikas (193-F-92) nailed 22 point to pace Lithuania. Jonas Valanciunas (209-C-92) added 21 points and 11 boards for the winners. Giorgos Mavrogiannis (192-F-92) answered with game-high 26 points but once again his effort was insufficient to give Greece victory.
Lithuania opened the game with a 7:0 rally to step in front for good in this one. They eased to a 26:12 lead after ten minutes of action. Giorgos Mavrogiannis knocked down two trebles early in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 10 points but it was just a spark from Greek team. Lithuania continued their dominance and established a 47:29 advantage at the interval. Dovydas Redikas opened the second half with a three-pointer as the Baltic team stretched the gap to 21 points. All Greece could do was to cut the distance to 17 points at the end of the third quarter however Lithuania quickly restored a safe difference and cruised to the victory at the end. Vytenis Cizauskas (188-G-92) tallied 17 points and 9 rebounds for Lithuania. Panagiotis Papoulias (189-G-92) scored 11 points in defeat. Lithuania outrebounded their opponents 61:21 and limited them to 38% accuracy from the field. The winners sank 46% of field goals.

Lithuania U16: Dovydas Redikas 22, Jonas Valanciunas 21+11 boards, Vytenis Cizauskas 17
Greece U16: Giorgos Mavrogiannis 26, Panagiotis Papoulias 11

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


Aris Friesland signs Jayme Miller - by Fred Roggen
Aris Friesland signed Jayme Miller (203-F-85, agency: Passing Lane) who will play for the team in the upcoming season. Miller comes from the University of California State Northridge, where he averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds a game.
Aris Friesland has attracted Miller especially to strengthened up the frontcourt of the team of coach Pete Miller.
Miller will be joining the team at the end of August, in time for the team's pre season training to begin.

U16 EC, division B: Bosnia a way better than Netherlands - by Eurobasket News
U16 Bosnia and Herzegovina - U16 Netherlands 92-66

The hosts of U16 European Championship division B Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrated its power against Netherlands in the last day of the Preliminary Stage. Thus Bosnians just sealed second position in Group B and participation in the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th position. Bosnians are placed into Group E together with Germany, Montenegro and Belarus. The bad news for Bosnians is that defeated against Montenegro will be transferred to this stage.

After 12-12 in the opening period, Bosnians made quick 6-3 run setting the score on 18-15 after ten minutes. Very soon Goran Vucic and Marko Miletic woke up for the hosts. In just few minutes they led 13-2 series for 31-17 in 15th minute. Netherlands came closer on 37-32 but Bosnia ended the first half in style with 7-0. It was 44-32 after 20 minutes. Game is decided in third frame. Bosnians picked up where they left of in the first half reaching pretty good 59-46 in 27th minute. Goran Vucic once again shined and together with Maksimovic brought 67-50 to his team before the last ten minutes.

Goran Vucic paced Bosnia to win scoring 22 points. Marko Miletic recorded double-double, 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Filip Petrovic (202-F-92) had 14 points and 6 boards. Netherlands got 15 points from Sven Burger. Sam de Haas followed with 12 points and 5 rebounds.


U16 Bosnia and Herzegovina - U16 Netherlands 92-66
(18-15, 26-17, 23-18, 25-16)

Bosnia: Goran Vucic 22, Marko Miletic 14 (11 rebs), Filip Petrovic 14 (6 rebs)
Netherlands: Sven Burger 15, Sam de Haas 12 (5 rebs)

*****************************************************
  HUNGARY   


Poland U16 wins the first game of the Classification Round - by Eurobasket News
Hungary U16-Poland U16 68:95

Poland U16 won the opener of the Classification Round at European Championship in Italy. By winning all the quarters Polish juniors celebrated 95:68 win over Hungary U16. The last two quarters were twins as Hungary lost both with 16:28. Kacper Mlynarski (200-F-92) and Wojciech Leszczynski (187-G-92) led the winners with 23 points each. Kacper Stalicki (194-F-92) followed them with 16 points for 1-0 record. Tamas Koller (187-G-92) top-scored for Hungary with 14 points and Levente Misek (191-G-93) added 11.
Poland started too strong and achieved 7-0 in the start of the game. Kacper Stalicki shined in the opening tip of the game to push the tempo for his team. Varga tied the game for Hungary at 16:16 but Kacper Mlynarski gave Poland 21:19 after the first. Poland started to increase the lead in the second reaching 31:20. Hungary played again better in the end and reduced to 36:39 as Bodor made a jump-shot. With 28:16 in the third and respectively in the last period Polish squad got the winning streak. Karnowski closed the third period at 67:52 while Kacper Mlynarski gave plus 20 for his team in the fourth. Niedzwiedzki set up the final, 95:68 score for his team first win.

Hungary U16: Tamas Koller 14, Levente Misek 11
Poland U16: Kacper Mlynarski 23, Wojciech Leszczynski 23, Kacper Stalicki 16

*****************************************************
  IBL   


Brandon Hartley signs contract to play in Austria - by Eurobasket News
Bellingham Slam have announced that guard Brandon Hartley (6'4''-G-81, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: St.Martin's) has signed a contract to play overseas this winter. Hartley will play with the Worthersee Pirates, a first-division team in Austria. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Hartley, one of three Slam players to still play with the team since its inception in 2005, will be starting his fourth professional season this winter. He is the first of what is expected to be several Slam players to sign a contact to continue playing basketball overseas this winter. He also spent a season with the World Basketball Association's Mayas-USA franchise last summer, helping the team to a league championship.

Hartley is regarded as one of the Slam's defensive leaders. His strong play late this season helped the Slam advance through the International Basketball League playoffs and capture the league championship against the Elkhart Express on July 18. Hartley finished this season averaging 11.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

A graduate of Saint Martin's college, Hartley ranks seventh among the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's career scoring leaders with 18.8 points per game and second in career steals average with two per game.

Hartley will depart for Austria at the end of the month to prepare for W?ersee's season, with runs from September to May.

Courtesy of IBL

*****************************************************
  ICELAND   


U16 EC, division B: Iceland too much for Denmark in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
U16 Denmark - U16 Iceland 52-76

Iceland outplayed Denmark in the last game of the Preliminary Round on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. However, this victory was not enough for Iceland to reach the next stage. It was enough only for third place in Group B with score 2-3. It means that Iceland will continue Championship in Classification Round for 9th to 16th place. Denmark ended the first stage on fifth place in the same group with score 1-4 and it will be transferred to Classification Round for 17th to 23rd position.

Denmark succeeded to resist against Iceland during the few opening minutes. It was 12-12 when Iceland created 12-7 run for 19-24 after first frame. Denmark showed slightly better performance during the following ten minutes. Mostly owing to Christoffer Fugmann they came on minus 1 but still Iceland managed to keep 33-36 at the half time. Haukur Palsson and Olafur Johnsson stepped up for Iceland after the breather. They made few jump shots ending this quarter with 8-0 run for big 41-54 before the last one. Nothing has changed after that as Iceland continued on its way finishing this game with plus 24.

Haukur Palsson was the best player for the winning team collecting 19 points and 10 rebounds. Olafur Johnsson was behind him with 15 points and 5 rebounds while Bjorn Kristjansson stopped on 14 points. Christoffer Fugmann of Denmark almost registered double-double. He added 12 points and 9 boards. Tue Nielsen finished the game with 10 points and 7 boards.


U16 Denmark - U16 Iceland 52-76
(19-24, 14-12, 8-18, 11-22)

Denmark: Christoffer Fugmann 12 (9 rebs), Tue Nielsen 10 (7 rebs)
Iceland: Haukur Palsson 19 (10 rebs), Olafur Johnsson 15 (5 rebs), Bjorn Kristjansson 14

*****************************************************
  INDONESIA   


Standings - Kobatama
Kobatama Standings
 1. Buls Inowo 13-1 
 2. Bogor 9-5 
 3. Pupuk Isk. 8-6 
 4. Biangbola M. 8-6 
 5. Scorpio J. 7-7 
 6. Halim Kediri 5-9 
 7. Pacific 5-9 
 8. Mahameru 1-13 


Standings - IBL
IBL Standings
 1. ASPAC 18-0 
 2. Panasia 13-5 
 3. Satria Muda 13-5 
 4. IM Panasonic 11-7 
 5. Bhinneka 11-7 
 6. CLS Good Day 8-10 
 7. Bima Sankti 8-10 
 8. Kalila 5-13 
 9. Angsapura 3-15 
 10. Citra Satria 0-18 


*****************************************************
  IRELAND   


U16 EC, division B: Portugal edges Ireland for the first win - by Eurobasket News
U16 Ireland - U16 Portugal 57-66

Portugal succeeded to grab the first win on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. Unfortunately to Portuguese it happened to late for any better than fourth place in Preliminary Group D. The good thing for Portugal is that with this victory it avoided battle for 17th place. It will have a chance to participate in Classification Round for 9th to 16th position. Ireland is the last ranked team in Group D with score 0-5 and it will fight for the survival in division A against six other teams.

First frame belonged to Portugal 15-24. After five minutes of it, the score was 9-16 for Portuguese. Ireland started to play much better during the following ten minutes. After lay-up by Murphy, at the middle of the second frame the score was tied 28-28. Portugal somehow succeeded to recover from it setting the score on 33-35 at the half time. Third frame was almost leveled. Nether of these two teams had more than 2-point lead. Portugal played pretty good last five minutes of the game creating 11-2 run led by Bruno Cunha for the final score 57-66.

Bruno Cunha led Portugal to win recording double-double, 18 points and 11 boards. Mansour Anne had 11 points and 9 rebounds. Ireland got the most from Padraig Lucey, who finished the game with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Peter Herron followed him scoring 13 points.


U16 Ireland - U16 Portugal 57-66
(15-24, 18-11, 14-12, 10-19)

Ireland: Padraig Lucey 14 (13 rebs), Peter Herron 13
Portugal: Bruno Cunha 18 (11 rebs), Mansour Anne 11 (9 rebs)

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


Hapoel Kiryat Tivon sign Adrian Uter - by Eurobasket
Hapoel Kiryat Tivon (National L.) added to their roster 24-year old Jamaican power forward Adrian Uter (201-F/C-84, college: Hofstra, agency: Hart Sports Mngm). Uter started the last season at French Saint Vallier (ProB), where he played till December. In March this year he joined Illiabum (Portugal) to help them in the final stage of the Portuguese League. His stats in France were 11 games: 5.2ppg, 2.8rpg and in Portugal 4 games: 19.8ppg, 11.8rpg. He played also one season in Austria for Allianz Swans Gmunden. It will be his third season in professional basketball.

Trailing 13 points at the half Turkey U16 came back to beat Israel U16 - by Eurobasket News
Israel U16-Turkey U16 55:72

Trailing 13 points at the half Turkey U16 came back to beat Israel U16 in Group F of the Qualifying Round. It was a difficult win but it moved them to the top of the standings. Thanks to the win Turkey climbed to a 3-0 record in the group, as Israel fell to 0-3 at the bottom. Burak Yuksel (203-F-92) led the winners with 21 points. Safak Edge (185-G-92) netted 18, while Enes Kanter (205-C-92) collected 17 points and 19 rebounds. Bar Reuven (205-F-92) ended up with 13 points in defeat and Solomon together with Gay Lavie (188-G-92) added 9 each. Turkey will take on France in a key match today while Israel will take on Latvia in a game between two teams in search for the first win.

Turkey U16 won the opening tip, but Israel U16 tied at 14:14. With a 7-0 run Israel U16 closed the opening quarter at 21:14. They did not stop and also dominated the second period. A 39:26 saw the board when the teams went to the lockers.
In the third quarter Israel stopped at 42, while the Turks made a 20-0 run early in the second half to take over the game and never look back. Turkey won the third period 25:7 and had 51:46 after three quarters. Another 21:9 in the last period was too much for Israel that could not stay in the game. Turkey won 72:55 and becomes the leader of the group.

Israel U16: Bar Reuven 13, Solomon 9, Gay Lavie 9
Turkey U16: Burak Yuksel 21, Safak Edge 18, Enes Kanter 17+19 rebs

Hyams: "Israel is my second home !" - by Kristian Santiago

Eurobasket was able to talk to Eban Hyams (193-G-81, college: Georgia Perimeter), who played professionally in Israel the past season.
Read here what he got to tell about his experience:

Eurobasket: Eban, you played only in a few games last year in Israel, what was the
reason?


Eban Hyams: Well, I took my break to go home, as the league had giving teams ten days
off in January 2008. Since I had some personal things to solve back home,
the coach and management gave me the ten days for a trip to Australia. I
stayed for days longer than previously expected and missed one game and was
cut from the team.

Eurobasket: So what happened next? Did you return to Israel?

Hyams: Yes, I went back to apologize for what happened, but it was
apparently not good enough for them.
The team did not pay the last wages, but eventually paid me some of it
later if I would sign the clearance form. I did so in the end just to go in
peace.

Eurobasket: What are your plans for the upcoming season?

Hyams: Im here in Sydney and finished playing in the off-season and I am
trying to get back to Israel again to play another season there.
Whats pretty confusing to me: There is a rumor in Israel that I went to
jail either there or here in Australia. I never have been to jail, so its
very annoying to hear these charges against me and its really affecting my
chances of signing with a team.
I'm really sad that people would come to this level when all I did was
leaving in peace and in all honesty.
All I did was miss one game and I was willing to pay a fine or do whatever
it took to make up for it.

Eurobasket: So what is your message to the teams out there?

Hyams: All I want is for my name to be cleared, so I can go back and play in
Israel.
I love the country and the people there and its my second home!
All my family in Israel is very supportive of me and they want to me there
as well and I hope that the teams wont believe such lies that are
spread just to destroy my name and career!

Eurobasket:
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us !



Micheal Jordan in Ashkelon - by Tamar Goldman

The American guard, Michael Jordan (183-G-78, agency: Court Side, college: Pennsylvania) joins Elitzur Ashkelon. The 30 years old guard that has the same name like the basketball legend, had to add the name Hakim in order to prevent confusion. Jordan made his debut out of the states in France on 2001/02 season. Before arriving to Germany (where he played for four years) he played in Poland and Spain. During his stay in Germany he won two championships (2003 and 2006). In the summer of 2006 he signed with Tisettanta Cantu from Italy. Jordan began 2007/08 season in Belgium and in March moved to Greece where he played for PAOK Marfin Thessaloniki. In Greece he averaged (in 5 games) 5 7.4ppg, 2.2rpg, 3.6apg, 1.4spg.

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


Italy dismantle Georgia in Classification Round - by Eurobasket News
Italy U16 - Georgia U16 104:49

Italian U16 National Team proved their appearance at the Classification Round at home European Championship was a mere coincidence chopping up Georgia in todays game for the 13th-16th spots. Italy fought against bad luck at the preliminary round losing all their three games by narrow margins. The losses sent them to Classification Round with sad prospects of being relegated to Division B for the next year. However the first game moved them one step away from the precipice. Italy overwhelmed Georgia leaving their opponents not a single chance. Bokoishvili opened the game with a freebie however the hosts answered with an 18:2 rally to establish a comfortable lead. They knocked down 32 points in the first stanza and built a 32:13 advantage heading into the second quarter. Fabio Mian (192-F-92) stepped up with 10 points for Italy in the second frame and the home side arrived at halftime leading by 33 points. The things were just getting better for Italian team as they wisely kept Georgia at bay throughout the rest of the encounter and continued to pile up the advantage. Italy finalized a stunning victory and improved to 1-0 record in the Classification Group G. Marco Ceron (190-G-92) paced five Italian players to score in double figures with 20 points. Fabio Mian added 16 points, while Antonello Ricci (185-G-92) contributed 15 for the winners. Goga Javakhshvili (200-C-92) replied with 17 points for Georgia. Levan Eliadze (196-F-92) had 14 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. Italy outrebounded Georgia 42:28 and forced those to 30 turnovers. Italy will face Poland, while Georgia will play against Hungary on Thursday.

Italy U16: Marco Ceron 20, Fabio Mian 16, Antonello Ricci 15
Georgia U16: Goga Javakhshvili 17, Levan Eliadze 14

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


Jordan All-Stars arrives in Brunei - by Mohammed Malas
Written by Rano Iskandar

Can Jordan All-Stars (Jordan 'B' Team) make it to the second round this year?

Last night, Jordan All-Stars, the first team of the Brunei Cup 2008 lands in Brunei Darussalam in preparation for the upcoming tournament this Friday. They have the slight advantage with two days to settle in before their opening match against Mail and More Philippines.

Jordan All-Stars have yet to reach the semi-finals in this competition but they are aiming to reach the second round after gaining experience for the past two years. Abdalla Abu Koura (202-C-84), the captain, is optimistic that Jordan All-Stars can make it to the last four or even the finals.

'We have a better squad than last year and we also have two new players,' said Abdalla. 'The Philippines are known for their pace but we have our physique and height to slow them down.'

Jordan All-Stars have competed in the King Abdullah's Cup, coming fourth and also played some competitive matches in Turkey before coming to the Sultanate for the Brunei Cup 2008.

jordanairport.jpg



Brunei Cup 2008 (Update) - by Mohammed Malas
Jordan 'B' National Team will play under the name of 'Jordan All-Stars' in the upcoming Brunei Cup 2008 which will be help in the capital city of Brunei Darruassalam under the participation of 6 teams and will begin from 22nd of August till the 30th of the same month...

- Participating teams:
Quezon Red Oilers (Phil)
Singapore Slingers (Aus)
Darwin Airport Resort All-Stars (Aus)
Jordan All-Stars (Jordan)
LG Sakers (Korean)

Mail and More Philippines (Phil)

- Jordan 'B' team roster in Brunei Cup 2008:
Imad Qahwash (188-G-87) of University of Central Arkansas (NCAA)
Abdalla Abu Koura (202-C-84) of ASU Sports Club
Amro Tkeidek (192-F-89) of Orthodox
Arafat Abu Khadra (187-G-85) of Orthodox
Ibrahim Bassam (204-C-87) of Orthodox
Faisal Kheir (204-C-85) of Al Riyadi/Aramex
Ali Jamal (204-F/C-88) of Al Riyadi/Aramex
Omar Olivier Bilbesi (192-G-86) of Al Riyadi/Aramex
Fares Saqf-AlHait (202-F-88) of Al Riyadi/Aramex
Malek Khashan (185-G-85) of Al Riyadi/Aramex
Khaldon Abo Rukayeah (198-F-83) of Zain
Ali El-Zubi (182-G-89) of Zain


Head Coach: Muntaser Abu Al-Tayyeb


- Official Website: www.bruneicup.com/

- Games Schedule-

schedule2008.jpg



*****************************************************
  LATVIA   


Russia U16 remains perfect - by Eurobasket News
Latvia U16-Russia U16 72:74

Russia U16 won the opener of the Group F of the Qualifying Round last night. Trailing 10 points after the opening quarter one of the favorites of the group stun Latvia U16 74:72. Dmitry Kulagin (194-G-92) paced all the winners with 20 points. Alexander Varnakov (184-G-92) netted 16, while Viktor Zaryazhko (198-F-92) added 11. Edmunds Dukulis (201-F/C-92) top-scored for Latvia with 17 points and 10 boards, while Davis Bertans (200-F-92) posted 15. With this win Russia jumps to a 3-0 record in Group F of the Qualifying Round while Latvia will look for their first group win today. Russia will face Croatia as Latvia will take on Israel.
Nikulichev opened the scoring list for the Russian squad but then Latvia took the control of the first period. The Baltic side had 12 points advantage but enjoyed 27:17 deficit after the opening period. Russia stormed past Latvia in the second quarter and produced 16-2 in the beginning of it. Alexander Varnakov tied the game at the halftime for 38:38. In the third period Russia played better and Dmitry Kulagin gave his team 53:47 after the thirty minutes. Vecvagars brought Latvia to 66:66 and then Davis Bertans scored for 72:72. Dmitry Kulagin's free throws were the last in the game as Russia celebrated 74:72 victory.

Latvia U16: Edmunds Dukulis 17+10 rebs, Davis Bertans 15
Russia U16: Dmitry Kulagin 20, Alexander Varnakov 16, Viktor Zaryazhko 11

Latvian U18 National Team 2008 - by Gunars Gailitis
#s#
#e#6


Steinbergs


Krumins


Laksa


Zeidaks


Blaus
4 Girts Celms (182-G-90) of SK Kandava
5 Ricmonds Vilde (200-F-90) of ASK Kadeti
6 Martins Steinbergs (187-G-90) of ASK Kadeti
7 Kalvis Krumins (182-G-90) of BK Zemgale Jelgava
8 Kristaps Brigmanis (185-G-90) of LU/Ridzene
9 Martins Laksa (196-F-90) of ASK Kadeti
10 Armands Osins (190-G-91) of Ridzene/Barons 91
11 Oto Osenieks (201-F-90) of ASK Kadeti
12 Maris Ziedins (198-F/C-90) of Valmiera-2
13 Kristers Zeidaks (201-F-90) of LU/Ridzene
14 Lauris Blaus (204-C-90) of BK Keizarmezs
15 Davis Rozitis (206-C-90) of Cesis / Remarks
Head Coach: Varis Krumins
Coach Assistants: Ivars Bambis , Aigars Brigmanis

Latvian U16 National Team 2008 - by Gunars Gailitis
#s#
#e#6


Bremers


Misters


Bertans


Magone


Dukulis
4 Sandis Bets (189-G-92) of Ogres BS
5 Arturs Bremers (186-G-92) of Ridzene/Barons 91
6 Andris Misters (192-G-92) of BK Zemgale/Juniors
7 Svens Vilks (202-F-92) of Ogres BS
8 Davis Bertans (200-F-92) of ASK Kadeti-2
9 Renars Magone (198-F-92) of Ogres BS
10 Janis Timma (194-F-92) of DU/Hansabanka
11 Niks Saknitis (202-F-92) of ASK Kadeti-2
12 Edmunds Dukulis (201-F/C-92) of ASK Kadeti-2
13 Niks Neverciks (185-G-92) of Ventspils 'Spars'
14 Martins Zarans (180-G-92) of Ogres BS
15 Kaspars Vecvagars (188-G-93) of ASK Kadeti-2
Head Coach: Raitis Silarajs
Coach Assistant: Peteris Ozolins

Latvian U20 National Team 2008 - by Gunars Gailitis
#s#
#e#6


Silavs


Bertans


Kuksiks


Freimanis


Selakovs
4 Janis Strelnieks (185-G-89) of BK Ventspils
5 Janis Kaufmanis (185-G-89) of SK Valmiera
6 Oskars Virsis (190-G-89) of Ventspils augstskola
7 Sandis Silavs (193-G-88) of BK Keizarmezs
8 Kristaps Kanbergs (190-G-88) of Ventspils augstskola
9 Dairis Bertans (192-G/F-89) of ASK Riga
10 Rihards Kuksiks (197-F-88) of Arizona State University (USA)
11 Rolands Freimanis (208-F/C-88) of ASK Riga
12 Andrejs Selakovs (209-C-88) of VEF Riga
13 Arturs Berzins (202-C/F-88) of BK Keizarmezs
14 Zintis Plivda (207-C-88) of Bumerangs/Gulbene/ASK
15 Toms Celmins (195-F-88) of Bumerangs/Gulbene/ASK
Head Coach: Agris Galvanovskis
Coach Assistant: Gints Fogels

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


Olympic Games: Lithuania cruises past China for the semifinals - by Eurobasket News
Lithuania - China 94-68

After Spain which booked a spot for the semifinals earlier today, Lithuania done the same. The team which demonstrated the best performance in Preliminary Group A had an easy job against the hosts of the Olympic Games 2008. However, both teams made fantastic success so far. Lithuanians ended first stage registering 4 wins and 1 defeat and now it will have a chance to fight for one of the medals. On the other side, Ming Yao (226-C-80) and his teammates made magnificent success advancing to the quarterfinals. Lithuania will meet reining World Champion Spain in the semifinals, which is scheduled for Friday.

After triple by Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-G-76, college: Maryland), Lithuania grabbed 12-6 in fifth minute. China responded very quick and mostly owing to Liu Wei's (190-G-80) five points made 9-0 run. Later, experienced Sarunas Jasikevicius and Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) ended this frame with 4-0 for 19-17. Second period totally belonged to Lithuania. At the middle of it Sarunas Jasikevicius' 3-pointer ended another run, this time 7-0. At the last Lithuania's possession Ramunas Siskauskas drained a triple for 41-30 at the half time. Ming Yao shined in China after the breather but his teammates weren't able to compete against strong Lithuanians which resulted with huge 70-53 after 30 minutes. Until the end Lithuania extended its lead even more. The biggest problem for Chinese today was stroke from behind the arc as they made only 4 of 21 attempts. They also had poor 36% for FG2 and it seems that pressure before this game affected majority of China's players.

Experienced Sarunas Jasikevicius led his team to victory scoring 23 points and dishing out 6 assists for 25 minutes. Linas Kleiza (203-F-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Missouri) and Ramunas Siskauskas also were good posting 15 points each. Linas Kleiza had 7 more rebounds while Ramunas Siskauskas had two less. Simas Jasaitis helped his team scoring 12 points. Hero of the Chinese nation Ming Yao this time poured in 19 points and grabbed 7 boards for 34 minutes. Jianlian Yi (212-C/F-87) had 11 points and 9 rebounds while Liu Wei stopped on 10 points and 7 boards.


Lithuania - China 94-68
(19-17, 22-13, 29-23, 24-15)

Lithuania: Sarunas Jasikevicius 23 (6 as), Linas Kleiza 15 (7 rebs), Ramunas Siskauskas 15 (5 rebs), Simas Jasaitis (202-F/G-82) 12
China: Ming Yao 19 (7 rebs), Jianlian Yi 11 (9 rebs), Liu Wei 10 (7 rebs)

Zalgiris begins new season preparations - by Gediminas Slipkus
Zalgiris Kaunas start their training camp in Kaunas, with their physical training coach Sigitas Kavaliauskas.
There will be only 4 players in the first practice - Paulius Jankunas (204-F-84, agency: Interperformances), Mantas Kalnietis (196-G-86, agency: Interperformances), Dainius Salenga (197-F-77) and Tadas Klimavicius (204-F-82, agency: Interperformances).
Willie Deane III (186-G-80, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Purdue) and youngster Zygimantas Janavicius (195-G-89, agency: Interperformances) will be joining the team by the end of the week, while veteran Marcus Brown (192-G-74, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Murray St.) and Loren Woods (215-C-78, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Arizona), returning to Zalgiris lineup after a year at Efes Pilsen and Houston Rockets, will come in the first week of September.
The training will be held in Kaunas for now, but when the foreign players join the team, it will go to Klaipeda, and then, on the 13th of September, Zalgiris leaves to a friendly tournament in Italy.
Zalgiris is still looking for a shooting guard and a big man. The main candidate for the guard spot a couple of weeks ago was Alex Garcia (191-G-80, agency: Interperformances), according to various sources.

Lithuania edge Greece for 3-0 record in Italy - by Eurobasket News
Lithuania U16 - Greece U16 97:67

Lithuanian U16 National Team climbed to 3-0 record in the Qualifying Round Group E at the European Championship in Italy. They defeated Greece at the start of the second tournaments stage and remained at the helm of the pool. Dovydas Redikas (193-F-92) nailed 22 point to pace Lithuania. Jonas Valanciunas (209-C-92) added 21 points and 11 boards for the winners. Giorgos Mavrogiannis (192-F-92) answered with game-high 26 points but once again his effort was insufficient to give Greece victory.
Lithuania opened the game with a 7:0 rally to step in front for good in this one. They eased to a 26:12 lead after ten minutes of action. Giorgos Mavrogiannis knocked down two trebles early in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 10 points but it was just a spark from Greek team. Lithuania continued their dominance and established a 47:29 advantage at the interval. Dovydas Redikas opened the second half with a three-pointer as the Baltic team stretched the gap to 21 points. All Greece could do was to cut the distance to 17 points at the end of the third quarter however Lithuania quickly restored a safe difference and cruised to the victory at the end. Vytenis Cizauskas (188-G-92) tallied 17 points and 9 rebounds for Lithuania. Panagiotis Papoulias (189-G-92) scored 11 points in defeat. Lithuania outrebounded their opponents 61:21 and limited them to 38% accuracy from the field. The winners sank 46% of field goals.

Lithuania U16: Dovydas Redikas 22, Jonas Valanciunas 21+11 boards, Vytenis Cizauskas 17
Greece U16: Giorgos Mavrogiannis 26, Panagiotis Papoulias 11

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


Halcones UV Xalapa sign Abdul Mills - by Eurobasket
Halcones UV Xalapa (LNBP) agreed terms with 29-year old American guard Abdul Mills (191-G-79, college: Nebraska-Omaha). Mills played most recently at Albuquerque Thunderbirds (D-League) in the U.S., where in 39 games averaged 7.6ppg, 2.4rpg and 3.6apg. It will be his fourth season in professional basketball. Previously he played at Panevezys Aukstaitija (Lithuania), Apollon Patras (Greece), Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), and U.S. pro teams: Strong Island Sound (ABA) and Brooklyn Kings (USBL). His best year was probably in USBL, where he was voted to All-USBL 1st Team, USBL All-Tournament Team when he helped the Kings make it to the finals.

*****************************************************
  MONTENEGRO   


U16 EC, division B: Montenegro remains perfect after Austria - by Eurobasket News
U16 Austria - U16 Montenegro 86-104

Montenegro improved its score on 5-0 after the last game of Preliminary Round. Naturally, Montenegrins are the top ranked team in Group B which qualified for the next stage. They are placed into Group E together with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany and Belarus. The good thing for Montenegro is that it starts Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place with 1-0. The reason is victory against Bosnia at the first stage so it will need just one more for the semifinals.

Montenegro was better team during the entire game. After every quarter its advantage became bigger and bigger. Mladen Novakovic, Nemanja Djurisic (-92) and Armin Kalic were in a game mood, what was more than enough for comfortable victory. Montenegro ended this game having pretty good 59.6% for FG2 and 40% for 3-pts. Austrians also had good shot percentage but they committed 23 turnovers what was too much against the strong Montenegrins.

Interesting is that Montengero had 3 players with more than 20 points. Mladen Novakovic (-92) was the best one in this game adding 27 points and 5 rebounds. Nemanja Djurisic had 26 points and 4 boards while Armin Kalic stopped on 23 points and 7 boards. Carlos Novas Mateo shined for the loosing side finishing the game with 27 points and 7 rebounds. Claudio Vancura was a way behind him with 13 points.


U16 Austria - U16 Montenegro 86-104
(16-18, 26-32, 22-26, 22-28)

Austria: Carlos Novas Mateo 27 (7 rebs), Claudio Vancura 13
Montenegro: Mladen Novakovic 27 (5 rebs), Nemanja Djurisic 26 (4 rebs), Armin Kalic 23 (7 rebs)

*****************************************************
  NAIA   


Former NBA player Mike Iuzzolino joins Bearcat staff - by Eurobasket News
Mike Iuzzolino (5'11''-G-68, college: St.Francis,PA), an Altoona native and second round pick in the 1991 NBA draft, has joined the Bearcat staff as an assistant coach.

A star in his hometown of Altoona, Mike was named First Team All State in 1986, and played in the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic. After playing two years for Penn State University, he transferred to Saint Francis University in Loretto, and was a two-time First Team Academic All-American. In 1991, he was the CoSIDA All-Academic Player of the Year.

Following his stellar college career, he was drafted in the second round (35th overall) by the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA and played two seasons. A point guard, he averaged 9 points, 4.3 assists and 2 rebounds in 122 games. He ranked fourth in the NBA in 3-point percentage, shooting at a 43.4 percent clip (59-136) during the 1991-92 season.

He then played two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association before moving on to Italy's first division, where he spent the next six seasons. He concluded his playing career after two seasons in Spain, then went into coaching.

Mike's first coaching experience came at Duquesne University, where he worked under Coach Dan Durkin. After two years with the Lady Dukes, he spent last year as an assistant with George Mason University's women's program.

At Saint Vincent, he will coordinate recruiting efforts, along with game preparation and working with the offense.

'I knew about the Saint Vincent program from former players that have been here, and theyve had nothing but the best things to say about the program and the school,' said Iuzzolino. 'Its kind of a place that reminds me of my college days, a small campus, a small town, but with great pride and tradition. Thats the type of environment Ive always thrived in.'

He added, 'I am very excited to be part of Coach Harris staff, an very excited to be part of the Saint Vincent community. There is lot of great tradition in basketball here, Im hoping to help continue to keep that tradition rolling as they make the transition from NAIA to Division III.

According to Coach DP Harris, 'Im very happy to attract the caliber of coach and most importantly the quality person that Mike is. I think hell bring a wide range of knowledge to our staff and be able to bring out the best in our players, especially as a top notch player from the NBA to the college level. His great academic background will also benefit our players.'

Iuzzolino noted, 'I think one of the things I bring is that Ive been coached by a lot of great coaches, both in the NBA and overseas. I think I bring some new ideas to both game preparation and practice. I think that Im still young enough to relate to the players as far as recruiting them, and hopefully they look at me as a teacher because Ive been through it as a player. Sometimes I have a different prespective because Ive been a player for so long and I can relate to the players that way.'

Iuzzolino officially began his duties on August 18.

Courtesy of www.stvincent.edu

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


Southeastern Louisiana University adds Rodney Jones - by Eurobasket News
Southeastern Louisiana University coach Jim Yarbrough got an early start to his 2009-10 recruiting class as he announced Monday that former Peabody Magnet High star Rodney Jones (6'3''-G) has transferred from Ole Miss.

Jones, the 2006 Class 4A State Player of the Year and McDonalds All-America nominee, will sit out the 2008-09 campaign to fulfill the NCAA transfer rule. Later, he will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Jones, a 6-foot-3 guard, spent two seasons at Ole Miss where he played in 24 games, including 16 as a freshman. Jones averaged 1.8 points per game last season for the Rebels with a career-high six points coming against LSU. As a freshman, Jones averaged 6.4 minutes off the bench.

As a three-year starter at Peabody, Jones helped lead the Warhorses to 108 wins, including a 41-0 record and the 2004 Class 4A state championship. In his senior season, Jones averaged 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Warhorses, who finished with a 34-5 record, and was a first-team All-State selection and team captain.

Courtesy of www.2theadvocate.com

Kevin Kuwik named coordinator of basketball operations at Butler - by Eurobasket News
Kevin Kuwik, who spent the past seven seasons as an assistant basketball coach at Ohio University, has been named Coordinator of Basketball Operations at Butler. He's taking over the spot vacated by Micah Shrewsberry, who was recently promoted to assistant coach at Butler.

Kuwik brings 13 years of collegiate basketball coaching and administrative experience, which he coordinated around a 10-year military service. He was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004, and he was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service, the highest award given by the Army. He received an honorable discharge from the military in April of 2006.

'We are thrilled to announce Kevin as our Coordinator of Basketball Operations,' said Butler men's basketball head coach Brad Stevens. 'Kevin has a tremendous reputation, and his experience in all administrative aspects of college basketball, combined with this work ethic, intelligence and selflessness, made him a great fit for this program.'

Kuwik joined the coaching staff at Ohio University in 2001 and helped the Bobcats to a 120-95 record, including a pair of 20-win seasons, and two of postseason tournament appearances during his tenure. He was on leave of absence in 2004-05 to fulfill an 18-month mission as an Army engineer captain, but he returned to the bench to help Ohio win the 2005 MAC Tournament championship and advance to the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. He also helped the Bobcats to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational last year.

During his time as an assistant coach at Ohio, Kuwik handled a variety of duties, including monitoring the team's academic progress. Of the 25 seniors who completed their eligibility while he was serving on the Ohio staff, 24 earned a degree. He also successfully recruited four players who went on to receive MAC All-Freshman Team honors.

Kuwik began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Christian Brothers University in 1998. He spent two seasons at Christian Brothers, before taking an assistant coach position at Saint Michael's in 2000. He helped lead Saint Michael's to a 27-4 record, the best in school history, and a berth in the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Final. Saint Michael's was third in the final 2001 Division II national poll.

A native of New York, Kuwik attended the University of Notre Dame, where he served as a student assistant under men's basketball coach John MacLeod for three seasons, 1993-96. He graduated summa cum laude with a mechanical engineering degree (`96) and was a Distinguished Military Graduate in Notre Dame's Army ROTC program.

Courtesy of www.cstv.com

Tom Crean signs ten-year contract with Indiana University - by Eurobasket News
Indiana University has officially signed Tom Crean to lead the Hoosiers men's basketball program to a 10-year contract that will pay him $600,000 per year in base salary and an additional $17.6 million in outside marketing and promotional income during the life of the deal. The agreement is retroactive to April 2, 2008 and expires on June 30, 2018.

'I left a very special situation at Marquette when Indiana offered me this opportunity,' said Crean. 'I wanted to make sure that if I left, I would be going to a place that would be a destination for my family and allow me to build a program for the long haul with the same security.'

Crean also could earn an additional $560,000 per year in incentives should the Hoosiers win the Big Ten and NCAA Championships in the same season.

'I appreciate the confidence that President McRobbie and the University have shown in me by offering the two additional years to the agreement,' said Crean. 'It is a great responsibility to lead this program and I look forward to the challenge of bringing the program the respect it deserves. The process of restoring this great program is going to take a lot of time, more than probably any of us anticipated.'

When Crean was hired in April, it was announced he had agreed to an eight-year relationship in a letter of understanding. Two years were added to the deal, not because of the NCAA's Failure to Monitor allegation, but because of administrative changes on campus.

Should Crean decide to leave IU he would owe the University $3 million after years one thru three of the agreement, $2 million after years four thru five, and $1 million for years six thru 10.

'It is very easy to sell the tradition that is Indiana basketball knowing that we are committed to IU for a long time and that the University believes in what we are trying to accomplish,' added Crean. 'I'm especially grateful for the way Rick Greenspan, former players, supporters and the entire Hoosier Nation have made my family feel welcome and helped us during this transition.'

Courtesy of www.iuhoosiers.com

Mikalauskas out, Soroye back at Virginia - by Eurobasket News
Laurynas Mikalauskas (6'8''-F-85), one of the more popular players at the University of Virginia, was dismissed from the team by coach Dave Leitao on Monday, while he announced that Tunji Soroye (6'11''-C-84) will return next season.

Leitao said that Mikalauskas, a 6-foot-8 native of Lithuania, is no longer a member of the team because he has not lived up to the standards set by the program. Leitao said he will not elaborate.

Mikalauskas played in just 20 games last season because of injuries, but averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. He shot 65.4% from the field and was usually greeted by fans with a rousing welcome.

The 6-11 Soroye, native of Nigeria, played in two games last season because of an injury and applied for a medical hardship waiver that was granted. He averaged 1.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 81 career games.

Virginia was 17-16 last season, 5-11 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Courtesy of www.usatoday.com

Calvin Chitwood, Jonathan Heard, Jayme Miller to play overseas - by Eurobasket News
Shortly after the end of the 2007-08 basketball season, three outstanding graduating senior members of the Big West champion Cal State Northridge basketball team were weighing their options to play professional basketball overseas.

Calvin Chitwood (6'8''-F-86, agency: Passing Lane, college: Cal.St. Northridge), Jonathan Heard (6'6''-G/F-86, agency: David Lee services) and Jayme Miller (6'8''-F-85, agency: Passing Lane) all had several offers to play professionally, and now all three have made their decisions. Chitwood, Heard and Miller are packing their suitcases and getting the passports in order to begin their new journey.

Chitwood had several offers to play in Europe, but has spurned those offers to play professionally in Japan. Chitwood will play for Niigata Albirex BB. Chitwood, who was a four-year starter, and ended his career as the school's No. 10 all-time leading scorer (1,170 points), says he is excited to continue his basketball career where basketball is growing in popularity.

'I am just truly blessed and honored to play basketball in Japan,' said Chitwood. 'To have the opportunity to play basketball overseas will be a fun and exciting experience. A lot of players don't get the opportunity to continue their careers after college. I'm just truly blessed to have this opportunity.'

Chitwood says pre-season games will begin in September. The regular season starts in mid-October and extends until late April. His new team chalked up a 26-17 record last year, and will be a top contender for championship honors in 2008-09.

Heard, who ended his four-year Matador career as the school's No. 3 all-time leading scorer (1,362 points) and No. 9 all-time rebounder (534), has signed a contract play professionally for Team LoKoKo in Finland. Jayme Miller, who started all 30 games in 2007-08, and provided strength and leadership during his senior season, will be playing professionally for Aris Friesland (Holland) in the Dutch Professional League.

Chitwood, Heard and Miller each played a major role in helping Cal State Northridge to a 20-10 overall record and a share of the Big West title with a 12-4 mark. This trio of seniors combined to play 295 games, score 2,943 points and grab 1,267 rebounds during their Matador careers.

During the 2007-08 season, Heard gained first team All-Big West honors. Chitwood was accorded Honorable Mention All-League status, while Miller was the winner of the Pete Cassidy Coaches Award.

Courtesy of www.cstv.com

*****************************************************
  NCAA2   


St. Andrews announces staff changes for 2008/09 - by Eurobasket News
St. Andrews Presbyterian College - First year head coach Richie Schueler brings in a pair of new coaches for the 2008/09 school year. Troy Forbes will be added to the Knights men's basketball staff as Associate Head Coach. Forbes spent five seasons as the assistant coach and head junior varsity coach at Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, Ill.). He also has coaching experience as an assistant coach at Lake Superior State University and Northwest Missouri State University. Forbes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education - Mathematics at Emporia State while playing on the Hornets basketball team. Forbes also has a Masters degree from Northwest Missouri State University.

'I am very pleased to hire Troy Forbes as our Associate Head Coach', said Schueler. 'Troy has several years of coaching experience with a strong reputation for his recruiting efforts and development of basketball players. He is a tireless worker who emphasizes all aspects of the student-athlete experience.'

Schueler has also hired Brandon Williams as an assistant coach for the Knights men's basketball team. Williams joins the St. Andrews athletics department after spending the past year as a student assistant coach and head junior varsity coach at Methodist University (Fayetteville, N.C.). Williams played on the Monarchs hoops team for four years before graduating from Methodist with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management.

Schueler added, 'I am excited that Brandon has joined our staff to continue his young coaching career. Brandon is eager to hit the ground running and get his feet wet coaching in our program. He is a man of integrity who is known for stressing academics to his former players.'

Courtesy of www.sapc.edu

*****************************************************
  NCAA3   


Josh King joins Vassar as an assistant coach - by Eurobasket News
Fresh off a successful playing career at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, Josh King (6'0''-G) joins the Vassar as an assistant coach. Head coach Del Harris made the announcement.

At Vassar, King will be in charge of recruiting, scouting, on-the-floor coaching, and player development.

'I am very excited to have Josh join the Vassar basketball family', said Harris. 'I truly believe Joshs passion and work ethic as a player will carry over to making him a great young coach.'

This past summer, following his graduation in May, King honed his coaching skills while working summer basketball camps at the University of Florida, North Carolina State, Virginia Commonwealth, Eckerd College, and High Point University.

A 2008 graduate of Eckerd College with a B.A. in Business Management, King served as co-captain in his senior year, starting all 28 games. From 2006-2008, he led the team in made three-point field goals (136) and free-throw percentage (85 per cent), and in 2008 he ranked second on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg). Eckerd reached the NCAA Division II Tournament from 2006-2008, making an appearance in the Sweet 16 in the 2006-07 season. King arrived at Eckerd in 2006, after transferring from Division I East Carolina University.

King graduated from Trinity High School, where he is the schools all time leading scorer with 2,577 points. In his senior year at Trinity, King was honored as the 2004 AP Player of the Year, North Carolinas Mr. Basketball, as well as being named the Class 3A Player of the Year and the Western Regional Tournament MVP. He was named All Conference and All County all four years in high school, and was the Conference Player of the Year for three consecutive years (2002-04). King holds the North Carolina high-school record for three-pointers made (416), and is the third-ranked all time leading scorer in the state.

Courtesy of www.athletics.vassar.edu

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


BLNO update - by Kaare Vangen
One month to the season starts. Here are the latest news and rumors.

Ulriken Eagles have signed Christer Fonnes (183-G-83) from Harstad Vikings. Fonnes has played for Eagles earlier and has also been in Froya Ambassadors. Fredrik Bryne (194-F) comes from 3B. Frank Nyborg (195-F-83) is expected to go to Asker Aliens.

Troms Storm look strong and have also signed American forward Taj Finger (203-F-86).

Harstad Vikings have signed former player and assistant coach Alex Bray (182-G-77) as new head coach. Thomas Vangen (190-G-79) might leave the club and head south to Oslo. Mario Woodsen will not continue for the club.

Ammerud lose Rodney Hawthorne (195-F-75, college: UMKC) but might get Orji Okoroafor (184-G/F-80) and Thomas Vangen. Both have played for Ammerud earlier in their careers.

Asker Aliens might get Frank Nyborg from Ulriken. Mustafa Mahnin (182-G-80, agency: EM-PA) has been wanted in some German clubs and he is reported to check the market. If Mahnin leaves the move will open for Stian Mjos as new starting PG.

Fjellhamar Stallions lose big man Aleksandar Paunovic (205-F/C-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza) and may also lose Orji Okoroafor to Ammerud.

3B must play without Ronald Timus (198-G/F-84, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Morgan St.) (to Troms), Bendik Myhrer (191-G-85) (Harstad), Fredrik Bryne (Ulriken) and Julian Hasti (178-G-91) (Gimle).

Gimle have lost Nima Taheri to Ulriken but got back Fredrik Gnatt (-84). Julian Hasti comes from 3B.

*****************************************************
  OLYMPIC GAMES   


Standings
Standings
Group A
1. Argentina 4-1
2. Lithuania 4-1
3. Croatia 3-2
4. Australia 3-2
5. Russia 1-4
6. Iran 0-5
Group B
1. USA 5-0
2. Spain 4-1
3. Greece 3-2
4. China 2-3
5. Germany 1-4
6. Angola 0-5


*****************************************************
  PALESTINE   


28th Martyrs Basketball Champhionship - by Tamara Awartani
Ramallah Group has organized its 28th Martyrs Basketball Champhionship for men, that will take place in Ramallah from the 15/8 - 31/8/2008
16 teams will take part in this big event divided into 4 groups:

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4
Terrasenta - Jerusalem AlAhli - Jerusalem Sirrieh - Ramallah De La Salle - Jerusalem
Al'Amal - Bethlehem Orthodoxi Beit Jala Orthodoxi Bethlehem Far'a -
Hiteen - Nablus M'alia - 48 Gensafot - Qalqilia AlBireh
Orthodoxi Ramallah Eibal - Nablus Khadamat AlBreij Gaza Riyadi


Unfortunately due to the circumastances in Gaza, two teams weren't able to participate: Gaza Riyadi and Khadamat AlBreij.


Day 1 - 15th of August : The opening of the martyrs 28th basketball tournament:


An exciting day that everyone was waiting for, it included kids performances followed by dabkeh then the torch lighting finally with an amazing game between the palestinian & jordanian national teams.

Palestine vs. Jordan Game : 87-100
The game started off with a fast pace, close game most of the time. Palestinian team was first presented by Mahdi Eid, Ahmad Bson, Ibrahim Habash, Sanni & Salim Sakakini, while the Jordanian Team was first presented by Arafat Abu Khadra, Malek Khashan, Khaldun Abu Ruquaih, Zaid Abbas and Ayman Deis. It was a good game for both teams.
Sanni Sakakini, Ibrahim AlBandak & Ammar Nofal were the top scorers for the Palestinian Team, while Ali Jamal, Malek Khashan, Zeid Abbas, Khaldun Abu Ruquaih& Ayman Deis were the scorers for the Jordanian team in addition to 4 blocks and 2 great dunks for Ali Jamal. Beautiful dunks for Khaldun Abu Ruquaih & Zaid Abbas as well.
The scores for the quarters were 23-26, 26-32, 20-19, 23-18
The opening was held on the15th of aug followed by an opening game between the Jordanian National Team and Palestinian National Team.


Day 2 - 16th of Aug

De la Salle vs. Far'a 104 - 78
Labib Faidi, Fadi Yaghmour, Ammar Nofal were the top scorers for De La Salle, while Ahmad Said, Fares Taye and Qasem Abadi were the top scorers for AlFar'a.

Sirriyeh vs. Jensafot 88-61
Salim & Sanni Sakikini, Ghassan Habash and Jack Tannous were the top scorers for sirriyeh while Shadi Shobaki, Saed Haji and Ahmad Sabra were the top scorers for Jensafot.


Day 3 - 17th of Aug
Terrasanta vs. Al'Amal 80-74 -
The game was a close game till the 3rd quarter with Terrasanta in the lead then Al'Amal made a great come back with fastbreaks but ended with Terrasanta winning. Terrasanta was represented by Tony Abu Ali, Peter Qandalt, Daoud Halimeh, Mike Aboudi, Rafiq Nassrallah, with Peter, Maurice and Rafiq as the top scorers & great block shots and rebounds from Rafiq. Al'Amal was represented by Issa Qara'a, Evan Kossa, Shadi Mhanna, Yassin Sharabati, Michael Kossa, with Shadi, Evan and Yassin as top scorers. Great fastbreaks and drives from Shadi.


Day 4 - 18th of Aug

Orthodoxi Ramallah vs. Hiteen 88-85 (OT)
A very intense breath taking game It wasnt an easy game for orthodoxy to win, Hiteen fought & played with their hearts till the last second. Orthodoxy was represented by Ahmad Amin, Ghasan Elayan, Ahmad Dib, Bryan Sigafoz and Michael Khayat, with the last three being the top scorers. As for Hiteen it was represented by Asad Afouri, Maisara Atmeh, Shadi Takrimi, Saed Darwazeh and Mohammed Hilu with the last three as the top scorers. All in all it was an interesting game.
Orthodoxi Beit Jala vs. Al Ahli 86-78
Started with a tie in the first quarter until Orthodoxi Beit Jala took the lead for two straight quarters which was enough for them to win the game because AlAhli were leading in the last quarter 23-23, 24-19, 21-16, 18-20, all in all it was a good game for both teams, noticeable moves. Orthodoxi Beit Jala was represented by Raed Abu Roman, Josh Holy, Osama Abed Rabo, Charlie Qattan, Kamal Karkar, with Raed, Charlie and Kamal as the top scorers.
As for Ahli, it was represented by Raed Diyab, Ammar Baghdadi, Mahdi Eid, Ismael Sweiti and Sameh Hdeib with Mahdi as the top scorer.


Day 5 - 19th of Aug

Orthodoxi Ramallah vs. Terrasanta 68-60
A close slow pace low score game specially in the first two quarters, then Orthodoxi had a major jump in the 3rd lead that also guaranteed their win in the last quarter. The results were: 16-16,15-10, 29-16, 8-18. Orthodoxi was represented by Ahmad Amin, Adel Assis, Ramzi AlMasu, Bryan Sigafoz, Michael Khayat, with Brayn, Michael, Mohammed Khalili and Ammar as top scorers, great block shots from Ramzi, Bryan and Michael. As for Terrasanta, great come back in the last quarter but wasnt enough to win, the team consisted of Tony Abu Ali, Daoud Halimeh, Peter Qandalaft, Maurice Salman and Rafiq Nasrallah, with Tony, Rafiq and Maurice as top scorers.
Tomorrow's games (20th 0f aug) are: Ma'lia vs. AlAhli at 6.30, Orthodoxi Beit Jala vs. Eibal at 8



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


Libertad tops the table undefeated - by Gianni Pascucci
The last two rounds of the 'Top 5 Tournment' ended very well for Libertad, winner over UAA 99-68 and then over Sol de America 99-86. Thanks to this last win, Liberatd is at the top yet undefeated and can really point to the final win. The best players in the win over Sol were Daniel Perez (190-G/F-84), who topped the scoring at 22 pts, Aldo Acosta (192-F-76), who scored 21 pts, Elias Sosa (196-F/C-82) and Ricardo Ozuna (185-G/F-82), who added 15 pts each. Peter Kiganya (197-F-72, college: Abil.Christian) was the game top performer with 25 pts in losing effort. The other games ended as follows: Sol de America - Dep.San Jose 69-57 and Dep.San Jose - FPC 84-70. The standings are now as follows:
1. Libertad 4-0
2. Sol de America 3-1
3. Deportivo San Jose 2-3
4. UAA 1-3
5. FPC 0-4

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


No ifs, no but, Wednesday is coronation night - by Eurobasket News
The 2008 Smart PBA Fiesta Conference championship will be in possession of the team that wants it more.

Just which team that would be remains a big question mark as Barangay Ginebra and Air21 lower the curtains on their titular showdown with a final act a deciding seventh game Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

What many thought would be a ho-hum best-of-seven series has shaped up into an epic duel as the Kings, walking wounded as their coach Jong Joseph Uichico keeps on saying, refused to let go, giving credence to their never-say-die spirit that has endeared them to their multitudes.

A huge crowd mostly Ginebra diehards is expected to show up for the 7 o'clock showdown and fill every nook and cranny of the historic Big Dome to rally behind the Kings, who saved their season and stayed on course for a ninth championship by rallying from 16 points to stun the Express, 80-75, in Game 6.

That remarkable comeback certainly provided the Kings a huge psychological boost as they battle the Express for all the marbles and the possible return of Jayjay Helterbrand in the lineup should lift up the spirit and energize the franchise aiming to reclaim the title it won in 2004-05.

Apparently, Helterbrand, who sustained a hamstring pull late in Game 2, tried to play in Game 6 but the injury still bothered him.

'But who knows? We might play him in Game 7,' hinted Joseph Uichico, seeking an eighth career championship and his second title with the Kings.

Joseph Uichico anticipates the Final Act to be a battle but claims there's no need for adjustments.

'This (Game 7) is a players' game. It's their wanting to win that will make the difference,' Joseph Uichico said.

'Sheer heart. That's what has kept us alive. I just hope we could play again that way on Wednesday.'

Air21 coach Dolreich Perasol said their loss in Game 6 has provided them insights on how to improve on some areas of their game.

Air21 is eyeing its first PBA championship and the Express appear to have the skills and the ability to accomplish their goal. But after throwing away a golden opportunity last Sunday, some observers wonder if the Express still have the heart to go all the way.

Dolreich Perasol, who has the chance to claim the most valuable jewel in his coaching career, said his troops were 'sad and very frustrated after losing Game 6' but suggested the Express have only themselves to blame for the defeat.

'(Ginebra) did nothing special to beat us. We lost because we gave them a lot of second chance points and we made a lot of poor shot selections,' Dolreich Perasol explained.

But what apparently puzzled the Air21 coach was his troops' move to abandon the full court defense that has kept the Kings struggling on offense for most part of Game 6.

'I really don't think we have to feel bad. That would be a negative feeling going into Game 7. We know exactly what happened there. All we have to do is to play together to pull this through,' Dolreich Perasol said.

Hopefully, its not too late for the Express to get their acts together.

Courtesy of www.pba.ph

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


Poland U16 wins the first game of the Classification Round - by Eurobasket News
Hungary U16-Poland U16 68:95

Poland U16 won the opener of the Classification Round at European Championship in Italy. By winning all the quarters Polish juniors celebrated 95:68 win over Hungary U16. The last two quarters were twins as Hungary lost both with 16:28. Kacper Mlynarski (200-F-92) and Wojciech Leszczynski (187-G-92) led the winners with 23 points each. Kacper Stalicki (194-F-92) followed them with 16 points for 1-0 record. Tamas Koller (187-G-92) top-scored for Hungary with 14 points and Levente Misek (191-G-93) added 11.
Poland started too strong and achieved 7-0 in the start of the game. Kacper Stalicki shined in the opening tip of the game to push the tempo for his team. Varga tied the game for Hungary at 16:16 but Kacper Mlynarski gave Poland 21:19 after the first. Poland started to increase the lead in the second reaching 31:20. Hungary played again better in the end and reduced to 36:39 as Bodor made a jump-shot. With 28:16 in the third and respectively in the last period Polish squad got the winning streak. Karnowski closed the third period at 67:52 while Kacper Mlynarski gave plus 20 for his team in the fourth. Niedzwiedzki set up the final, 95:68 score for his team first win.

Hungary U16: Tamas Koller 14, Levente Misek 11
Poland U16: Kacper Mlynarski 23, Wojciech Leszczynski 23, Kacper Stalicki 16

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


U16 EC, division B: Portugal edges Ireland for the first win - by Eurobasket News
U16 Ireland - U16 Portugal 57-66

Portugal succeeded to grab the first win on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. Unfortunately to Portuguese it happened to late for any better than fourth place in Preliminary Group D. The good thing for Portugal is that with this victory it avoided battle for 17th place. It will have a chance to participate in Classification Round for 9th to 16th position. Ireland is the last ranked team in Group D with score 0-5 and it will fight for the survival in division A against six other teams.

First frame belonged to Portugal 15-24. After five minutes of it, the score was 9-16 for Portuguese. Ireland started to play much better during the following ten minutes. After lay-up by Murphy, at the middle of the second frame the score was tied 28-28. Portugal somehow succeeded to recover from it setting the score on 33-35 at the half time. Third frame was almost leveled. Nether of these two teams had more than 2-point lead. Portugal played pretty good last five minutes of the game creating 11-2 run led by Bruno Cunha for the final score 57-66.

Bruno Cunha led Portugal to win recording double-double, 18 points and 11 boards. Mansour Anne had 11 points and 9 rebounds. Ireland got the most from Padraig Lucey, who finished the game with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Peter Herron followed him scoring 13 points.


U16 Ireland - U16 Portugal 57-66
(15-24, 18-11, 14-12, 10-19)

Ireland: Padraig Lucey 14 (13 rebs), Peter Herron 13
Portugal: Bruno Cunha 18 (11 rebs), Mansour Anne 11 (9 rebs)

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


Standings - SuperLeague 25
SuperLeague 25 Standings
 1. Fajardo 4-4 
 2. Guayama 4-4 
 3. Mayaguez 4-4 
 4. Barceloneta 4-4 
 5. San Juan 4-4 


*****************************************************
  ROMANIA   


U16 EC, division B: Bulgaria improves to 4-1 advancing to the next sage - by Eurobasket News
U16 Bulgaria - U16 Romania 89-67

Despite the second place in Preliminary Group C already was reserved for Bulgarians before this game, they played tough recording an easy win against Romania. Bulgaria advanced to the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place where it will compete in Group F. Its rivals will be Slovenia, Finland and Sweden. Bad news for Bulgarians is that defeat against Slovenia will be transferred to the next stage. Two best teams from this group will advance to the semis. Romania is fifth ranked team of Group C with score 1-4 and it will continue championship in Classification Round for 17th to 23rd place.

This game is decided already in the first half. Bulgarians took control on Romania from the early beginning. Antonio Iliev was on fire leading his team to 26-12 after ten minutes. Bulgarians had big advantage in the paint during the entire time. Actually, they finished the game with 36 boards matched with 25 by Romania. Nothing has chaned in the second frame except Pavlin Ivanov and Georgi Sirakov (184-G-92, agency: Interperformances) joined Iliev. Everyhting resulted with 48-28 at the half time. Romanians weren't able to come any closer until the end suffering fourth defeat in Sarajevo.

Antonio Iliev was totally the best player for the winning side. He spent 26 minutes on court pouring in 27 points and grabbing 6 boards. Pavlin Ivanov followed him with 18 points while Gaorgi Sirakov had two points less. Iosif Parlog posted 17 points for Romania while Norbert Pascu had 13.


U16 Bulgaria - U16 Romania 89-67
(26-12, 22-16, 22-19, 19-20)

Bulgaria: Antonio Iliev 27 (6 rebs), Pavlin Ivanov 18, Georgi Sirakov 16
Romania: Iosif Parlog 17, Norbert Pascu 13

Standings - D2
Div.B Standings
Serie I
 1. Arges Pitesti 3-3 
 2. CSU Craiova 2-4 
 3. S.Studentesc 2-5 
 4. Rovinari 0-0 
 5. Baschet Time 0-0 
Serie II
 1. Granitul Buc. 5-1 
 2. Politehnica 4-2 
 3. CSU Ploiesti 4-3 
 4. CSU Giurgiu 2-5 
 5. Metropola B. 1-6 
 6. Laguna 0-0 
Serie III
 1. Corona Bra. 4-2 
 2. Sf Gheorghe 3-3 
 3. Miercurea C. 0-0 
 4. Galactica 0-0 
 5. Brasovia 0-0 
 6. Tg Secuiesc 0-6 
Serie IV
 1. Baia Mare 10-1 
 2. T.Gladiator 9-2 
 3. Magic Sibiu 7-4 
 4. Timba Timis. 3-8 
 5. U Mobitelco 2 2-9 
 6. West Petrom 1-10 
Serie V
 1. Galati 6-0 
 2. Gama Cahul 5-1 
 3. Poli Iasi 4-2 
 4. Galati 3-3 
 5. Rapid II Buc. 1-5 
 6. Municipal 0-0 


Standings
Div.A Standings
 1. Dinamo Buc. 0-0 
 2. CSU Sibiu 0-0 
 3. BCM Tim. 0-0 
 4. CSM Oradea 0-0 
 5. Rapid Buc. 0-0 
 6. Tg Mures 0-0 
 7. CSU Ploies. 0-0 
 8. UMobitelco 0-0 
 9. CSU Brasov 0-0 
 10. BCM Pitesti 0-0 
 11. Gaz Metan M. 0-0 
 12. Rm Valcea 0-0 
 13. Rovinari 0-0 
 14. CS Otopeni 0-0 
 15. Targoviste 0-0 


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


Russia U16 remains perfect - by Eurobasket News
Latvia U16-Russia U16 72:74

Russia U16 won the opener of the Group F of the Qualifying Round last night. Trailing 10 points after the opening quarter one of the favorites of the group stun Latvia U16 74:72. Dmitry Kulagin (194-G-92) paced all the winners with 20 points. Alexander Varnakov (184-G-92) netted 16, while Viktor Zaryazhko (198-F-92) added 11. Edmunds Dukulis (201-F/C-92) top-scored for Latvia with 17 points and 10 boards, while Davis Bertans (200-F-92) posted 15. With this win Russia jumps to a 3-0 record in Group F of the Qualifying Round while Latvia will look for their first group win today. Russia will face Croatia as Latvia will take on Israel.
Nikulichev opened the scoring list for the Russian squad but then Latvia took the control of the first period. The Baltic side had 12 points advantage but enjoyed 27:17 deficit after the opening period. Russia stormed past Latvia in the second quarter and produced 16-2 in the beginning of it. Alexander Varnakov tied the game at the halftime for 38:38. In the third period Russia played better and Dmitry Kulagin gave his team 53:47 after the thirty minutes. Vecvagars brought Latvia to 66:66 and then Davis Bertans scored for 72:72. Dmitry Kulagin's free throws were the last in the game as Russia celebrated 74:72 victory.

Latvia U16: Edmunds Dukulis 17+10 rebs, Davis Bertans 15
Russia U16: Dmitry Kulagin 20, Alexander Varnakov 16, Viktor Zaryazhko 11

Gordan Giricek changes direction to Fenerbahce Ulker - by Eurobasket News
Despite it was officially announced in Russian media, Gordan Giricek (197-G-77) won't continue career in Triumph Lyubertsy. He signed two-year contract with Turkish Euroleague team Fenerbahce Ulker.

Giricek is coming from Phoenix Suns with 5.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg and 1.1 apg for 56 games last season in total. He started it in Utah Jazz but in December he was traded to 76ers for Kyle Korver. Finally in March he joined the Suns. Giricek already has nice experience from Russia. In Europe, he played for Cibona as well as for CSKA Moscow on season 01/02 draining 22.9 ppg for 18 Euroleague games. After that season he moved to USA. At the first point he played for Memphis Grizzlies and later for Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz. The best digits in NBA Giricek registered as a player of Orlando Magic. He ended that season having 14.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.1 spg for 27 games in Orlando's jersey. His biggest achievement in NBA is the final of Western Conference in 07.

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


Partizan Igokea extends captain Petar Bozic - by Dragan Jankovski
Captain of reining Serbian and Adriatic league champion Petar Bozic (197-G-78) will stay in the club for one more season. Bozic arrived to Partizan Igokea from Hemofarm STADA in 2004. He was a 'joker' of head coach Dusko Vujosevic many times during this long period. He played 29 games in Adriatic league last season averaging 3.1 ppg. He had 4.1 ppg in Serbian Superlague and 1.9 ppg in Euroleague. Bozic is known as specialist for the defensive tasks in black-and-white team. Before Partizan Igokea and Hemofarm Stada, Bozic used to play for Radnicki Belgrade and Beobanka. With Partizan he won four titles in Serbian championship, two in Adriatic league and one in National Cup Radivoj Korac.

Spain U16 edges Serbia U16 in a carousel game - by Eurobasket News
Spain U16-Serbia U16 50:48

Spain U16 overcame Serbia U16 50:48 in the first game of Group E in the Qualifying Round. It was a game that remained carousel and Spain was glad to finish the game up. Pedro Farina (196-F-92) led the winners with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Tomas collected 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Miguel Servera (195-F-92) scored 10. Strahinja Mladenovic (198-F-92) top-scored in defeat with 13 points and Djordje Drenovac (197-F-92) added 12. With the win Spain took a 2-1 record while Serbia dropped to 1-2 and will have to fight hard to make the semi-finals. Tomorrow Spain will face the surprising team from the Czech Republic while Serbia will face a difficult task against Lithuania.
Spain scored first 4 points in the game as Tomas posted his first points. Cvetkovic tied the game at 10:10 but Miguel Servera scored for 17:12 advantage. With 13:7 in the second period Spain enjoyed 30:19 at the halftime.
Serbia came back being another team in the beginning of the second half and opened the third period with 14-0 run. A 25:4 as a total in the quarter gave them 44:34 deficit before the last period. Nastic however scored the team's last points 7.46 in the period. Serbian team remained scoreless until the end of the game while Spanish 11-0 run brought them 50:48 victory.

Spain U16: Pedro Farina 15+11 rebs, Tomas 14+10 rebs, Miguel Servera 10
Serbia U16: Strahinja Mladenovic 13, Djordje Drenovac 12

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


U16 EC, division B: Germany blasts Slovakia in Sarajevo for 5-0 - by Eurobasket News
U16 Germany - U16 Slovakia 96-56

Germany continued its domination on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. This time Slovakia was faced with German's power suffering 40-point defeat. It means that Germany ended Preliminary Round with perfect score 5-0 in Group A. Germans will continue championship in Group E of the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place. Two top teams from this group will advance to the semifinals. On the other hand Slovakia is a fifth ranked team in Group A so it will be transferred to the Classification Round for 17th to 23rd place.

Slovakia had surprisingly good first quarter ending it 14-17. It was a sign the Germans to wake up what they immediately done. Mostly owing to him Phillip Neumann (206-C-92), Germany created impressive 16-0 run for 30-17 at the middle of the second frame. Slovakia succeeded ot made some points but very soon Erik Muller joined Phillip Neumann helping Germany to end this frame with another 12-0 series for huge 46-25 at the half time. At that point of game it was already clear that Germany will stay undefeated in Sarajevo after five days. Germany played another 10 minutes on a high level setting the score on 71-34 before the last frame.

This time Germany got the most from Phillip Neumann, who collected 22 points and 8 boards. Erik Muller was behind him with 15 points and 6 boards while Kevin Bright (193-F-92) had 13 points. Slovakia had only one player with double digits and it was Tomas Kisel'a with exactly ten points. Tomas Suska followed him scoring one point less.


U16 Germany - U16 Slovakia 96-56
(14-17, 32-8, 25-9, 25-22)

Germany: Phillip Neumann 22 (8 rebs), Erik Muller 15 (6 rebs), Kevin Bright 13
Slovakia: Tomas Kisel'a 10, Tomas Suska 9

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


U16 EC, division B: Slovenia ends Preliminary Stage with 5-0 - by Eurobasket News
U16 Slovenia - U16 Cyprus 76-57

Slovenia once again proved its quality on U16 European Championship division B in Sarajevo. Slovenians showed much better performance that Cyprians ending Preliminary Round as a top team of Group C. It means that Slovenia continues championship in Group F of Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th place together with Sweden, Finland and Bulgaria. Victory against Bulgaria will be transferred to this stage. On the other hand, Cyprus finished Preliminary Round winless and it will be moved to Classification Round for 17th to 23rd place.

Sounds strange but Cyprus showed better performance at the opening quarter. Mostly owing to Andreas Vlachos and Riginos Kasinopoulos (185-G-92), Cyprians ended it 17-21. Slovenians woke up after that creating quick 6-0 run. Cyprus made five points after that but Slovenia took care for another one 10-4 finishing first half 33-29. Question about the winner is resolved in the next frame. Matija Vravnik and Jure Besedic (204-F/C-92) stepped up for their team leading magnificent 20-3 run. It was 53-32 in 26th minute, when every Cypriot's hope for the first win immediately has gone.

Matija Vravnik was the best Slovenian in this game. He added 16 points and caught 9 rebounds for 19 minutes. Jure Besedic was behind him with 13 points while Luka Rupnik (180-G-93) had 11. Cyprus got the most from Riginos Kasinopoulos, who was the best scorer of the game with 20 points. Andreas Vlachos had 13 points and 6 boards.


U16 Slovenia - U16 Cyprus 76-57
(17-21, 16-8, 23-14, 20-14)

Slovenia: Matija Vravnik 16 (9 rebs), Jure Besedic 13, Luka Rupnik 11
Cyprus: Riginos Kasinopoulos 20, Andreas Vlachos 13 (6 rebs)

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


Spain U16 edges Serbia U16 in a carousel game - by Eurobasket News
Spain U16-Serbia U16 50:48

Spain U16 overcame Serbia U16 50:48 in the first game of Group E in the Qualifying Round. It was a game that remained carousel and Spain was glad to finish the game up. Pedro Farina (196-F-92) led the winners with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Tomas collected 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Miguel Servera (195-F-92) scored 10. Strahinja Mladenovic (198-F-92) top-scored in defeat with 13 points and Djordje Drenovac (197-F-92) added 12. With the win Spain took a 2-1 record while Serbia dropped to 1-2 and will have to fight hard to make the semi-finals. Tomorrow Spain will face the surprising team from the Czech Republic while Serbia will face a difficult task against Lithuania.
Spain scored first 4 points in the game as Tomas posted his first points. Cvetkovic tied the game at 10:10 but Miguel Servera scored for 17:12 advantage. With 13:7 in the second period Spain enjoyed 30:19 at the halftime.
Serbia came back being another team in the beginning of the second half and opened the third period with 14-0 run. A 25:4 as a total in the quarter gave them 44:34 deficit before the last period. Nastic however scored the team's last points 7.46 in the period. Serbian team remained scoreless until the end of the game while Spanish 11-0 run brought them 50:48 victory.

Spain U16: Pedro Farina 15+11 rebs, Tomas 14+10 rebs, Miguel Servera 10
Serbia U16: Strahinja Mladenovic 13, Djordje Drenovac 12

Olympic Games: Pau Gasol leads Spain to the semifinals in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Spain - Croatia 72-59

Spain is the first semifinalist of the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) and his teammates were too strong for Croatia knocking them out of the competition easily. As a reminder, Croatia already made nice success in Beijing reaching the quarterfinals. They booked a spot for the Olympics at the FIBA Qualifying Tournament in Athens.

Pau Gasol opened this game in style. He scored 9 points for six minutes and together with Jorge Garbajosa (205-C/F-77, agency: Interperformances) led his team to impressive 12-1. Croatians showed their nerves which resulted with many mistakes and erratic shots. Thus first ten minutes ended 22-11 for Spain. Second frame was totally leveled. Actually Pau Gasol continued in the same rhythm setting the score on 35-21 after what Ricard Rubio (192-G-90) made a jump shot but Croatia through Marko Banic (204-F-84) ended this period 15-15. After triple by Jorge Garbajosa at the middle of third frame, Spain touched plus 19, 47-28. It was a clear signal that the first semifinalist is already known. Everything what Croatia succeeded to do unit the end was minus ten, which happened just once. Croatians struggled a lot with their stroke today having only 44% for FG2, 15 of 34. They also had just 6 of 19 from behind the arc.

Pau Gasol paced Spain to victory nailing 20 points and grabbing 10 boards for 26 minutes. He had 8 of 11 for FG2 and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. Center Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) helped the winning side with 13 points while Jose Manuel Calderon (190-G-81) had 10. Marko Banic was the best player of Croatia collecting 15 points and 5 rebounds. Zoran Planinic (198-G-82) was the last one with double digits as he added 12 points and caught 5 boards.


Spain - Croatia 72-59
(22-11, 15-15, 14-12, 21-21)

Spain: Pau Gasol 20 (10 rebs), Felipe Reyes 13, Jose Manuel Calderon 10
Croatia: Marko Banic 15 (5 rebs), Zoran Planinic 12 (5 rebs)

*****************************************************
  SWEDEN   


U16 EC, division B: Top of Group D belongs to Sweden - by Eurobasket News
U16 Sweden - U16 F.Y.R. of Macedonia 79-62

Sweden remained undefeated after the last game of Preliminary Round in Sarajevo. It means that Sweden advanced to the Qualifying Round for 1st to 8th position. It is placed in Group F together with Slovenia, Bulgaria and Finland. The good thing for the Swedish is that victory against Finland is automatically transferred to the next round so they will most probably need only one win for the semifinals. On the other hand Macedonians will fight in Classification Round for 9th to 16th place.

After only few minutes it was clear that deference in basketball level between these two teams is huge. Sweden grabbed quick 13-0 extending it to 29-15 until the end of first frame. In this period Macedonia couldn't find a solution how to stop the killing trio Tuan Nguyen - Jonathan Person - Jonathan Antonsson. Interesting is that following 20 minutes belonged to Macedonians. They ended the second one 11-16 and third 17-24 what was enough for minus two, 57-55. Actually during third quarter they had plus 2 couple of times. The Swedesh entered into the last frame with 16-3 run resolving question about the winner. Sweden totally outrebounded Macedonia having 25 boards more at the end.

Sweden got the most from Tuan Ngyen, who drained 17 points and 4 rebounds. Johnathan Person also shined for the winning team with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while Johnathan Antonsson had 14 points and 5 boards. The best scorer in Macedonia was Gorjan Markovic, who netted 15. Darko Gjorgjievski had 11 plus 8 rebounds.


U16 Sweden - U16 F.Y.R. of Macedonia 79-62
(29-15, 11-16, 17-24, 22-7)

Sweden: Tuan Nguyen 17 (4 rebs), Jonathan Person 15 (5 rebs, 4 as), Jonathan Antonsson 14 (5 rebs)
Macedonia: Gorjan Markovski 15, Darko Gjorgjievski 11 (8 rebs)

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


U16 EC, division B: Thriller win for Switzerland against England in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
U16 Switzerland - U16 England 65-63

Switzerland managed to beat England in the last game of the Preliminary Round on U16 European Championship division B. Thus, after this victory Switzerland grabbed third place in Group C with score 3-2 but it was not enough for the second stage. The reason is defeat against Bulgaria 61-67 in third game. Switzerland is transferred to the Classification Round for 8th to 16th place. Same scenario is written for the British, but unfortunately to them this defeat will also be transferred to the next round.

Beginning of the game belonged to Switzerland. It ended first frame 17-14. Zoran Zivanovic (200-F-92) led his team to 9-3 run for 26-17 in 15th minute. However, Switzerland couldn't keep these nine points until the half time, 32-26. England tried to do something through James Blandford and Devon Van Oostrum coming on 44-42 and later 60-60. Koludurovic made one free throw for Switzerland after what Brian Savoy (186-G-92) made a jump shot but on the other side George Colwill drained a triple and it was 63-63. At the next England's possession Geramipoor missed a jump shot while Brian Savoy netted two FTs. Devon Van Oostrum had a chance to tie the score but he missed a lay-up at the buzzer.

Brian Savoy paced Switzerland to victory collecting 24 points and 4 rebounds. As a reminder Savoy also showed pretty good performance on U18 EC division B which was held this summer. Zoran Zivanovic helped the winning team with 14 points and decent 9 rebounds. James Blandford was the best scorer in England with 13 points. Devon Van Oostrum and George Colwill had 10 points each.


U16 Switzerland - U16 England 65-63
(17-14, 15-12, 12-11, 21-26)

Switzerland: Brian Savoy 27 (4 rebs), Zoran Zivanovic 14 (9 rebs)
England: James Blandford 13, Devon Van Oostrum 10 (5 as), George Colwill 10

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


Trailing 13 points at the half Turkey U16 came back to beat Israel U16 - by Eurobasket News
Israel U16-Turkey U16 55:72

Trailing 13 points at the half Turkey U16 came back to beat Israel U16 in Group F of the Qualifying Round. It was a difficult win but it moved them to the top of the standings. Thanks to the win Turkey climbed to a 3-0 record in the group, as Israel fell to 0-3 at the bottom. Burak Yuksel (203-F-92) led the winners with 21 points. Safak Edge (185-G-92) netted 18, while Enes Kanter (205-C-92) collected 17 points and 19 rebounds. Bar Reuven (205-F-92) ended up with 13 points in defeat and Solomon together with Gay Lavie (188-G-92) added 9 each. Turkey will take on France in a key match today while Israel will take on Latvia in a game between two teams in search for the first win.

Turkey U16 won the opening tip, but Israel U16 tied at 14:14. With a 7-0 run Israel U16 closed the opening quarter at 21:14. They did not stop and also dominated the second period. A 39:26 saw the board when the teams went to the lockers.
In the third quarter Israel stopped at 42, while the Turks made a 20-0 run early in the second half to take over the game and never look back. Turkey won the third period 25:7 and had 51:46 after three quarters. Another 21:9 in the last period was too much for Israel that could not stay in the game. Turkey won 72:55 and becomes the leader of the group.

Israel U16: Bar Reuven 13, Solomon 9, Gay Lavie 9
Turkey U16: Burak Yuksel 21, Safak Edge 18, Enes Kanter 17+19 rebs

Gordan Giricek changes direction to Fenerbahce Ulker - by Eurobasket News
Despite it was officially announced in Russian media, Gordan Giricek (197-G-77) won't continue career in Triumph Lyubertsy. He signed two-year contract with Turkish Euroleague team Fenerbahce Ulker.

Giricek is coming from Phoenix Suns with 5.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg and 1.1 apg for 56 games last season in total. He started it in Utah Jazz but in December he was traded to 76ers for Kyle Korver. Finally in March he joined the Suns. Giricek already has nice experience from Russia. In Europe, he played for Cibona as well as for CSKA Moscow on season 01/02 draining 22.9 ppg for 18 Euroleague games. After that season he moved to USA. At the first point he played for Memphis Grizzlies and later for Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz. The best digits in NBA Giricek registered as a player of Orlando Magic. He ended that season having 14.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.1 spg for 27 games in Orlando's jersey. His biggest achievement in NBA is the final of Western Conference in 07.

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


Czech Republic U16 strike again in Italy - by Eurobasket News
Czech Republic U16 - Ukraine U16 72:49

Czech Republic U16 National Team earned their 4th straight win at the European Championship in Italy. Czech team is the main newsmaker at the tournament so far having piled up wins over defending champions Serbia and strong Greek squad. Yesterday it was Ukrainian team that was unable to tame striking Czechs. Ukraine entered the stage from the third spot in Group B but showed no fear before Czech Republic starting the game with a 15:4 rally. However Czech team soon came back to life and began paving their way back into the contest. They cut the distance to just 3 points at the first intermission and then used a 7:0 rally to surge in front 21:17 at the start of the second period. Czech team took over control and drove to a 32:27 advantage at the interval. The third frame turned out to be decisive for Czech Republic as they managed to hold their opponents to just 3 points and stretched the margin to massive 22 points before the fourth term. Ukraine cut the distance to 17 points early in the fourth quarter but it was as close as they could get in the game. Czech Republic secured a comfortable win at the end and stayed perfect in Group E of the Qualifying Round of the tournament. Martin Kriz (197-F-93) led all scorers with 18 points and 14 boards for Czech Republic. Milan Ryska (204-C/F-92, agency: PPGroup) provided 17 points and 12 boards for the winners. Olexandr Mishula (185-G-92) answered with 13 points for Ukraine. Oleksandr Prokopenko (192-F-92) had 12 in defeat. Czech Republic outrebounded their opponents 47:32 and converted 46% from the field in the win.

Czech Republic U16: Martin Kriz 18+14 boards, Milan Ryska 17+12 boards, Tomas Vyoral (187-G-92) 11, Vaclav Honomichl (186-G-92) 11
Ukraine U16: Olexandr Mishula 13, Oleksandr Prokopenko 12

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


Swanson Latest Addition For Riders - by George Manousidis
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders Rob Paternostro has added American forward Tommy Swanson (208-F-84, college: Baylor) to his line-up for the 2008/09 BBL season.

At 6'10', the 24-year-old will offer Riders plenty of size inside, but he is also capable of making outside shots as well.

'When I set out to get an inside player this year I was looking for a guy to do a variety of things and Tommy Swanson is that the type of player,' said Paternostro, speaking from his scouting trip in America. 'He can get out and run the floor, which is something we are looking to do, and he offers some real versatility at both ends of the court.

'To get a player who played major minutes in the Big 12 Conference is a step in the right direction for us. That's American college basketball at its highest level.'

Swanson played four years at Baylor University in Alabama before being drafted to the NBA's development league. Last season he trained with the then reigning NBA champions, San Antonio, in his role as Player Development Assistant with the Spurs.

With two of his overseas signings secured, plus another couple of domestic signings all but completed, Paternostro is pleased with how things are going in his first summer as coach.

'I'm excited about the way things are shaping up and really forward to getting our pre-season under way.

'It has been challenging coming in and building a new team, but I'm looking forward to working with the guys we are bringing in.'

Airwaves Raiders Announce Final Signing - by George Manousidis
The Airwaves Plymouth Raiders have finished recruiting their team for the 2008/09 season, with the exciting announcement that 6'8' Kwbana Beckles (203-C/F-81, college: Lee) will be joining the team at the end of August, in time for the team's pre season training to begin.

Beckles comes to the Raiders with a very impressive CV which has seen him twice work out with NBA teams (Atlanta Hawks in 2005 and the Toronto Raptors this past summer), and play for some very good teams in Europe.

Beckles played last season in the Swiss premier league with Lausanne, where he averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds a game. He has a reputation as being a very talented offensive player with both an array of moves close to the basket, and the shooting range to be a reliable 3 point shooter. He also shoots a very high percentage from the free throw line, making a huge difference to the Raiders in tight games. However, it's not just what he can do on the offensive end of the basketball court that impressed Raiders coach Gary Stronach. He's a very tough defender, strong rebounder and he blocks more than his fair share of shots as well.

Originally from Hamilton in Ontario, Beckles has a joint British and Canadian passport which fits perfectly with Raiders needs for the coming season. He's the power forward that Raiders' Head Coach Gary Stronach has been looking for, and chasing for a large proportion of the summer. 'I'm absolutely over the moon to have got Kwbana for the coming season,' said Stronach. 'He's a very talented player and he'll be a huge hit in the BBL and with the Plymouth fans. He's got a pretty impressive European pedigree and comes with a great reputation. I've watched a lot of game tape and spoken to a lot of people about him, and heard nothing but good things. He's a great athlete, extremely competitive and he's going to make a huge impact on the team this year.'

The 235lb 27 year old forward will fill out a very strong front line for the Raiders, who have already re-signed forwards Terrence Durham, Gaylon Moore, DeAntoine Beasley, James Noel and Pat Fitzpatrick. 'It's going to be the best team we've ever put onto the floor here in Plymouth,' added Stronach. 'Practice is going to be better than ever before with 10 strong players going against each other every day. I'm very excited about the coming season and I hope the Raiders fans are too. Its been a great summer, with the sponsorship announcements last week and the news about Kwbana this week.'

Wolves Sign TJ - by George Manousidis
The Worcester Wolves are pleased to announce the signing of American/British 6'5'' Guard Tommy Johnson (196-G/F-81, agency: Passing Lane, college: Texas Wesleyan).

Johnson, a versatile swingman who provides the complete package, has the ability to do multiple things on the basketball court. His shooting range saw him set six school records, including 109 three pointers made in a season to go along with 80 steals while earning NAIA All-America honours at Texas Wesleyan University in 2004.

Johnson began his professional career in Belgium 1st Division in 2005. During his first season while playing for Basket Groot Leuven he scored 8.5 points per game (ppg) from the field. While competing in the FIBA Euro Cup, he also averaged 8.5 ppg. Before the 2006/2007 season Johnson moved to Royal Atomia Brussels and became the clubs top scorer off the bench, while backing up the leagues top scorer. He averaged 8.3 points while shooting 62% for the field. Johnson's fine Belgian League play saw him secure a contract with Keflavik of Iceland's top division. While at the club Johnson scored over 20 ppg a while leading the team to the League Championship, as well as the Playoff Championship, in which Johnson was named Playoff Finals MVP. He was also named to the All- Bosman 1st Team.

As the non-import player, Johnson will look to make his mark on the ever improving Wolves side. Head Coach Skouson Harker feels that Johnson is a key factor in the clubs success. 'As a British passport holder Tommy brings a lot to the table. He has done very well in Belgium, which we all know is extremely competitive. He led Keflavik to a title, and he is an All- American. We expect Tommy to be a major factor for us this season. His offensive ability coupled with the fact that he is a very good defender, will make him a very effective player in the BBL. He will be in a leadership role for us, and we will rely on him to lead our team. As a coach I fully anticipate that Tommy, along with point Guard Will Funn, will be a top backcourt tandem in the BBL. Both players have very good size, strength and skills that will see them do very well in our system.'

The Wolves are set to begin pre-season training in early September, just days before a pre-season friendly tilt at Plymouth Pavilions Sept. 13th. Further signings are to be announced shortly.

U16 EC, division B: Thriller win for Switzerland against England in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
U16 Switzerland - U16 England 65-63

Switzerland managed to beat England in the last game of the Preliminary Round on U16 European Championship division B. Thus, after this victory Switzerland grabbed third place in Group C with score 3-2 but it was not enough for the second stage. The reason is defeat against Bulgaria 61-67 in third game. Switzerland is transferred to the Classification Round for 8th to 16th place. Same scenario is written for the British, but unfortunately to them this defeat will also be transferred to the next round.

Beginning of the game belonged to Switzerland. It ended first frame 17-14. Zoran Zivanovic (200-F-92) led his team to 9-3 run for 26-17 in 15th minute. However, Switzerland couldn't keep these nine points until the half time, 32-26. England tried to do something through James Blandford and Devon Van Oostrum coming on 44-42 and later 60-60. Koludurovic made one free throw for Switzerland after what Brian Savoy (186-G-92) made a jump shot but on the other side George Colwill drained a triple and it was 63-63. At the next England's possession Geramipoor missed a jump shot while Brian Savoy netted two FTs. Devon Van Oostrum had a chance to tie the score but he missed a lay-up at the buzzer.

Brian Savoy paced Switzerland to victory collecting 24 points and 4 rebounds. As a reminder Savoy also showed pretty good performance on U18 EC division B which was held this summer. Zoran Zivanovic helped the winning team with 14 points and decent 9 rebounds. James Blandford was the best scorer in England with 13 points. Devon Van Oostrum and George Colwill had 10 points each.


U16 Switzerland - U16 England 65-63
(17-14, 15-12, 12-11, 21-26)

Switzerland: Brian Savoy 27 (4 rebs), Zoran Zivanovic 14 (9 rebs)
England: James Blandford 13, Devon Van Oostrum 10 (5 as), George Colwill 10



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

Women News

*****************************************************
  AUSTRALIA - Women  


Japanese team JOMO Sunflowers heads for Australia - by Eurobasket News
September Games to be played at Canberra and AIS Dont miss out on pre-season WNBL Games

JOMO Sunflowers arrive in Australia 1st September beginning with 3 games in Melbourne and 3 games in Canberra

4th Game - AIS
4.30pm Wednesday 10th September
Training Hall
Leverrier Street Bruce

5th Game - AIS
2.00pm Thursday 11th September
Training Hall
Leverrier Street Bruce

6th Game - Canberra Capitals
5.00pm Friday 12th September
Southern Cross Stadium
Cnr Cowlishaw Street & Athlon Drive Greenway

2008/09 WNBL schedule released - by Eurobasket News
Basketball Australia has announced the 2008/09 WNBL full season schedule. Reigning champion Adelaide and runner-up Sydney Uni will open it on Friday October 3.

New franchise Logan Thunder will play its first game the following day with a home fixture against Perth.

With the late withdrawal of the Christchurch Sirens, the competition will be contested by 10 teams. Each of them will play 22 regular season games.

The top 5 teams will then advance to the post season, with seeds 4 and 5 contesting a sudden-death playoff for the right to face seed 3 in a sudden-death playoff, and seeds 1 and 2 contesting the other game.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) will continue to broadcast games live on Friday nights, beginning with the season opener between the Lightning and the Flames.

Click here for the full schedule

Courtesy of www.wnbl.com.au

*****************************************************
  GERMANY - Women  


Adlerova from Leipzig to Herne - by Cornelius Damm
After two years with BBV Leipzig Eagles Czech forward Anna Adlerova (181-G/F-85) will tie her shoes for Herner TC this season. Being picked up as a development player by Leipzig in her first season 2006/07 Adlerova grew to a solid first league player in her second season averaging 9.6 PPG and 4.7 RPG. She was also named the team captain of the young 2007/08 Eagles squad. For Herne she is already the third newcomer for this season after Katja Zberch (189-C-78, agency: LBM Management) and Katarina Flasarova (170-G-85) came from Chemnitz and Leipzig as well. Still the West German club is looking out for two more players, one point guard and one center having the teams two import spots still opened. Lucie Balandis (187-C/F-81), Lena Hoffarth, Mirja Goddemeier, Emina Karic (178-G/F-91) and Kirsten Veith (168-G-85) from last years team will return this season while Maren Dolle (182-F-81), Verena Stemmermann, Marianna Kuras (181-G-81), Natalie Nakase (158-G-80, college: UCLA) and Abby Radunske (180-F-85, college: Canisius) left the team. The status of eurobasket.com All-Domestic Team Selection Anna-Christine Gorg (190-F-87) is undeclared so far.

Player movements in Wolfenbuettel - by Cornelius Damm
See-saw changes with Alexandra Riecka. After introducing her as a returnee some days ago, Wolfenbuttel now declared at the official team presentation that Riecka will not come to the Wildcats. According to unconfirmed rumours she will follow her boyfriend to Bratislava and found a contract there as well. In result the Wildcats are currently looking out for a forward with a European passport.

Meanwhile head coach Heiko Bischoff presented two European post players that are supposed to strengthens his front court around eurobasket.com 2.DBBL 2007/08 First Team selection Anita Teilane. Both newcomers have quite a few things in common, both come from Russia, both are named Elena and both are taller than 1.90m. Elena Chernyi comes from Czech first league club Starkonice and Elena Parshina saw some action with Shelen in the Russian Superleague A. If the two of them will eventually turn out as the clubs needed boost towards its goal of making the Play Offs remains to be seen. While Parshina never had a real impact in Shelen, Chernyi already tried to play in Germany in 2006/07 with BBV Leipzig Eagles but was waived right after preseason.


*****************************************************
  ISRAEL - Women  


Maccabi Ashdod sign Jennifer Humphrey - by Eurobasket
Maccabi Ashdod signed 24-year old American power forward Jennifer Humphrey (191-F/C-84, college: Kentucky). Humphrey played most recently at LKS Women Basket Lodz (Poland) where she was the best rebounder in the league with 10.4rpg. She scored also 14.1ppg in 31 games. Previous summer she tried to make it to WBA and was tried by Indiana Fever. It seems that the core of her professional career will be playing overseas. Maccabi completed their roster by adding Humphrey.

*****************************************************
  JAPAN - Women  


Japanese team JOMO Sunflowers heads for Australia - by Eurobasket News
September Games to be played at Canberra and AIS Dont miss out on pre-season WNBL Games

JOMO Sunflowers arrive in Australia 1st September beginning with 3 games in Melbourne and 3 games in Canberra

4th Game - AIS
4.30pm Wednesday 10th September
Training Hall
Leverrier Street Bruce

5th Game - AIS
2.00pm Thursday 11th September
Training Hall
Leverrier Street Bruce

6th Game - Canberra Capitals
5.00pm Friday 12th September
Southern Cross Stadium
Cnr Cowlishaw Street & Athlon Drive Greenway

*****************************************************
  LATVIA - Women  


Latvian U20 National Team 2008 - by Gunars Gailitis
#s#
#e#6


Eglite


Ozolina


Neimane


Vitola


Steinberga
4 Baiba Eglite (175-G-89) of TTT Riga
5 Sabine Niedola (182-F-91) of Liepajas metalurgs
6 Diana Ozolina (179-F-89) of TTT/Rapa
7 Anete Klintsone (176-G-90) of RTU/Klondaika
8 Signe Langenfelde (179-F-88) of TTT/Rapa
9 Madara Upeniece (182-F-88) of RTU/Klondaika
10 Liene A. Neimane (176-G-88) of SK Cesis
11 Kristine Vitola (196-C-91) of SK Riga
12 Karline Nimane (189-F-90) of SK Cesis
13 Anna Gailite (197-C-90) of TTT/Rapa
14 Liene Jekabsone (188-F/C-88) of Florida International University (USA)
15 Anete Steinberga (192-C-90) of TTT Riga
Head Coach: Aivars Vinbergs
Assistant Coach: Nikolajs Romanenko

Latvian National Team 2008 - by Gunars Gailitis
#s#
#e#6


Eglite


Teilane-Tamane


Basko


Jansone


Jekabsone-Zogota
4 Elina Babkina (172-G-89) of TTT Riga
5 Anda Eibele (170-G-84) of Avantis/Turiba Riga
6 Zane Eglite (170-G-84) of TTT Riga
7 Zane Teilane-Tamane (194-C-83) of Nadezhda Orenburg (RUS)
8 Gunta Basko (181-F-80) of Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration Basket (FRA)
9 Liene Jansone (192-F/C-81) of Gambrinus Sika Brno (CZE)
10 Anete Jekabsone-Zogota (176-F-83) of Dynamo Moscow (RUS)
11 Aija Putnina (191-F-88) of Set 96 C.B. Olesa (ESP)
12 Dita Krumberga (183-G/F-84) of SK Cesis
13 Ieva Tare (185-F-74) of TTT Riga
14 Ieva Kublina (193-C-82) of Dynamo Moscow (RUS)
15 Aija Brumermane (191-C-86) of TTT Riga
Head Coach: Ainars Zvirgzdins
Coach Assistants: Aigars Nerips


Latvian U16 National Team 2008 - by Gunars Gailitis
#s#
#e#6


Eida


Pagrode


Kirsteine


Ozolina


Stauere
4 Kristiana Pumpure (167-G-92) of BJSS Ridzene/Barons
5 Arita Priedniece (177-F-93) of BJSS Ridzene/Barons
6 Ieva Eida (177-G/F-92) of SK Riga
7 Linda Pagrode (168-G-92) of BJSS Ridzene
8 Alise Samite (176-G-92) of TTP BS/DSN
9 Anete Kirsteine (178-F-92) of SK Riga
10 Laura Ozolina (173-G/F-92) of SK Riga
11 Daiga Kuzmane (178-F-93) of TTP BS/Riga
12 Madara Saleniece (185-C-82) of TTP BS/Riga
13 Katrina Epnere (177-G-93) of TTP BS/Riga
14 Kristiana Stauere (189-C-92) of SK Riga
15 Ilze Teilane (195-C-92) of 3.BJSS
Head Coach: Maija Kublina
Assistant Coach: Daiga Zvirble

*****************************************************
  OLYMPIC GAMES - Women  


Quarterfinals results and stats - by Eurobasket News

Russia - Spain 84:65
Russian National Team came from behind to nip Spain in the last quarterfinal of the day at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. The game was a rematch of the last EuroBasket Final and Russia denied Spanish team a chance to avenge of the loss. Russia recovered after a stunning first quarter to come up strong in the second half and seal the winning outcome. Spain got to a storming start to the game. They outscored Russia 21:10 to accumulate a comfortable lead. Russia were down by 16 points in the second quarter however managed to come back to life. They European champions trimmed the deficit to 8 points at halftime. Spain stayed in front for some time in the third period before Rebecca Hammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) stepped up for Russia. She nailed 5 points in a 9:0 rally that put Russia ahead 50:49. Russian team entered the fourth period ahead by one 56:55. However the intrigue did not live for long in this one. Russia whipped out Spain 28:10 in the fourth quarter and celebrated an impressive win at the end. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) knocked down 19 points and 7 boards for Russia. Rebecca Hammon nailed 17 points, while Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) had 12 points and 10 boards for the winners. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) replied with 16 points for Spain. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) added 13 points in defeat. Russia dominated on the boards 40:29 and forced Spain into 16 turnovers. Russia sank 49% from the field, while Spain answered with 40% accuracy. Russia will now take on the USA on Thursday.

Russia: Tatiana Shchegoleva 19, Rebecca Hammon 17, Maria Stepanova 12+10 boards
Spain: Amaya Valdemoro 16, Ana Montanana 13

Australia - Czech Republic 79:46
Australian National Team had no problems en route to a comfortable win over Czech Republic in todays quarterfinal in Beijing. The Opals pounded their European opponents to set up a mouth-watering clash against hosting China in the semifinal on Thursday. Lauren Jackson (196-F/C-81) paced the Opals with 17 points and 12 boards. Belinda Snell (182-F-81, agency: LBM Management) provided 15 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Ivana Vecerova (194-C-79) and Hana Machova (182-F/G-79) topscored for Czech Republic with just 8 points apiece. Australia had an overwhelming dominance in every facet of the game. They got to a quick start and built a massive 23:10 lead after the starting period. The Aussies kept rolling smoothly and established a 38:17 lead at the interval. However the winning flow of the game was overshadowed by the injury of Penny Taylor (185-F-81). One of the Opals leaders sprained her ankle early in the third period and was helped off court. She did not appear in the game and is now doubtful for the upcoming games. Her injury however did not slow the world champions down as they widened the margin to 34 points before the fourth quarter. Czechs never came back to life and suffered a massive defeat at the end. Rohanee Cox (182-F-80) netted 10 points for the winners. Eva Viteckova (190-F-82) and Marketa Mokrosova (178-F-81) had 6 points each in defeat. Australia outrebounded their opponents 58:37 and forced the European team to 19 turnovers. Czech Republic also converted just 25% from the field.

Australia: Lauren Jackson 17+12 boards, Belinda Snell 15, Rohanee Cox 10
Czech Republic: Ivana Vecerova 8, Hana Machova 8

China - Belarus 77:62
Chinese National Team paved their way into semifinal at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. They defeated Belarus earlier today in the first quarterfinal game of the day. Miao Li Jie (180-G-81) came up with pivotal performance scoring 28 points to pace China past hapless Belarus. China put a great pressure on Belarus from the start and it helped the hosts to establish a 19:13 lead ten minutes into the game. The turnovers plagued Belarusian team as they struggled to find the rhythm. In the meantime Miao Li Jie was superb in offense for China tallying 12 points in the first half and giving China a 38:25 halftime lead. The complexion of the game did not change radically after the long break as China dominated. They stretched the margin to 22 points at one point at the third frame however Belarus found the way to answer. The European side went on an 8:0 run to trim the deficit back to 13 points heading into the fourth stanza. China though did not allow Belarus to improve and kept them at bay throughout the final period. Chen Xiaoli (193-C-82) knocked down 15 points for China. Bian Lan (182-G-86) added 8 points in the win. Tatyana Troina (188-C-81, college: S.Carolina) answered with 15 points for Belarus. Anastasiya Verameyenka (191-F/C-87) and Yelena Leuchanka (196-C-83, college: W.Virginia) had 13 points each and teamed up for 23 rebounds in defeat. Belarus outrebounded their opponents 41:22 but committed woeful 27 turnovers. China converted 48% from the field, while limiting Belarus to 42% accuracy.

China: Miao Li Jie 28, Chen Xiaoli 15, Bian Lan 8
Belarus: Tatyana Troina 15, Anastasiya Verameyenka 13+10 boards, Yelena Leuchanka 13+13 boards

USA - South Korea 104:60
The United States National Team ensured their semifinal birth at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. They eased past South Korea in the third quarterfinal of the day in Beijing. Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85, college: LSU) nailed game-high 26 points and pulled down 14 boards to pace the North American powerhouse. She netted 12 points in the first half when the USA went on a decisive run. Korea entered the game energetically and kept up with the USA pace. The teams traded baskets and trailed by 4 points at the end of the starting period 21:25. However the USA used a 16:4 rally to clear off to a 16-point distance. The margin grew to 21 points at the interval. The USA began the second half rolling on all cylinders and their 11:4 outburst put them up by 28 points. The United States built an unassailable 38-point advantage before the fourth quarter and never looked back again. Diana Taurasi (6'0''-G-82, college: Connecticut) knocked down 12 points for the USA. Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers) and Kara Lawson (5'8''-G-81, college: Tennessee) had 11 points apiece for the winners. Kim Kwe Ryong (6'3''-C-79) answered with 14 points for Korea. Jung Sun Min (6'1''-C-74) and Beon Yeon Ha (6'0''-F-80) delivered 13 points each in defeat. The USA outrebounded their opponents 50:24 and committed only 8 turnovers down the stretch. The North American team converted 56% from the field, while Korea replied with 39% accuracy.
The USA will now take on the winner of Russia vs. Spain clash in the semifinal.

USA: Sylvia Fowles 26+14 boards, Diana Taurasi 12, Cappie Pondexter 11, Kara Lawson 11
South Korea: Kim Kwe Ryong 14, Jung Sun Min 13, Beon Yeon Ha 13


*****************************************************
  RUSSIA - Women  


Russia topple Spain for the semifinal spot in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Russia - Spain 84:65

Russian National Team came from behind to nip Spain in the last quarterfinal of the day at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. The game was a rematch of the last EuroBasket Final and Russia denied Spanish team a chance to avenge of the loss. Russia recovered after a stunning first quarter to come up strong in the second half and seal the winning outcome. Spain got to a storming start to the game. They outscored Russia 21:10 to accumulate a comfortable lead. Russia were down by 16 points in the second quarter however managed to come back to life. They European champions trimmed the deficit to 8 points at halftime. Spain stayed in front for some time in the third period before Rebecca Hammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) stepped up for Russia. She nailed 5 points in a 9:0 rally that put Russia ahead 50:49. Russian team entered the fourth period ahead by one 56:55. However the intrigue did not live for long in this one. Russia whipped out Spain 28:10 in the fourth quarter and celebrated an impressive win at the end. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) knocked down 19 points and 7 boards for Russia. Rebecca Hammon nailed 17 points, while Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) had 12 points and 10 boards for the winners. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) replied with 16 points for Spain. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) added 13 points in defeat. Russia dominated on the boards 40:29 and forced Spain into 16 turnovers. Russia sank 49% from the field, while Spain answered with 40% accuracy. Russia will now take on the USA on Thursday.

Russia: Tatiana Shchegoleva 19, Rebecca Hammon 17, Maria Stepanova 12+10 boards
Spain: Amaya Valdemoro 16, Ana Montanana 13

*****************************************************
  SOUTH KOREA - Women  


USA breeze past South Korea - by Eurobasket News
USA - South Korea 104:60

The United States National Team ensured their semifinal birth at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. They eased past South Korea in the third quarterfinal of the day in Beijing. Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85, college: LSU) nailed game-high 26 points and pulled down 14 boards to pace the North American powerhouse. She netted 12 points in the first half when the USA went on a decisive run. Korea entered the game energetically and kept up with the USA pace. The teams traded baskets and trailed by 4 points at the end of the starting period 21:25. However the USA used a 16:4 rally to clear off to a 16-point distance. The margin grew to 21 points at the interval. The USA began the second half rolling on all cylinders and their 11:4 outburst put them up by 28 points. The United States built an unassailable 38-point advantage before the fourth quarter and never looked back again. Diana Taurasi (6'0''-G-82, college: Connecticut) knocked down 12 points for the USA. Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers) and Kara Lawson (5'8''-G-81, college: Tennessee) had 11 points apiece for the winners. Kim Kwe Ryong (6'3''-C-79) answered with 14 points for Korea. Jung Sun Min (6'1''-C-74) and Beon Yeon Ha (6'0''-F-80) delivered 13 points each in defeat. The USA outrebounded their opponents 50:24 and committed only 8 turnovers down the stretch. The North American team converted 56% from the field, while Korea replied with 39% accuracy.
The USA will now take on the winner of Russia vs. Spain clash in the semifinal.

USA: Sylvia Fowles 26+14 boards, Diana Taurasi 12, Cappie Pondexter 11, Kara Lawson 11
South Korea: Kim Kwe Ryong 14, Jung Sun Min 13, Beon Yeon Ha 13

*****************************************************
  SPAIN - Women  


Russia topple Spain for the semifinal spot in Beijing - by Eurobasket News
Russia - Spain 84:65

Russian National Team came from behind to nip Spain in the last quarterfinal of the day at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. The game was a rematch of the last EuroBasket Final and Russia denied Spanish team a chance to avenge of the loss. Russia recovered after a stunning first quarter to come up strong in the second half and seal the winning outcome. Spain got to a storming start to the game. They outscored Russia 21:10 to accumulate a comfortable lead. Russia were down by 16 points in the second quarter however managed to come back to life. They European champions trimmed the deficit to 8 points at halftime. Spain stayed in front for some time in the third period before Rebecca Hammon (168-G-77, college: Colorado St.) stepped up for Russia. She nailed 5 points in a 9:0 rally that put Russia ahead 50:49. Russian team entered the fourth period ahead by one 56:55. However the intrigue did not live for long in this one. Russia whipped out Spain 28:10 in the fourth quarter and celebrated an impressive win at the end. Tatiana Shchegoleva (193-F/C-82) knocked down 19 points and 7 boards for Russia. Rebecca Hammon nailed 17 points, while Maria Stepanova (202-C-79) had 12 points and 10 boards for the winners. Amaya Valdemoro (184-F-76) replied with 16 points for Spain. Ana Montanana (186-F-80, college: George Washington) added 13 points in defeat. Russia dominated on the boards 40:29 and forced Spain into 16 turnovers. Russia sank 49% from the field, while Spain answered with 40% accuracy. Russia will now take on the USA on Thursday.

Russia: Tatiana Shchegoleva 19, Rebecca Hammon 17, Maria Stepanova 12+10 boards
Spain: Amaya Valdemoro 16, Ana Montanana 13

*****************************************************
  WNBA - Women  


USA breeze past South Korea - by Eurobasket News
USA - South Korea 104:60

The United States National Team ensured their semifinal birth at the Olympic Games basketball tournament. They eased past South Korea in the third quarterfinal of the day in Beijing. Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85, college: LSU) nailed game-high 26 points and pulled down 14 boards to pace the North American powerhouse. She netted 12 points in the first half when the USA went on a decisive run. Korea entered the game energetically and kept up with the USA pace. The teams traded baskets and trailed by 4 points at the end of the starting period 21:25. However the USA used a 16:4 rally to clear off to a 16-point distance. The margin grew to 21 points at the interval. The USA began the second half rolling on all cylinders and their 11:4 outburst put them up by 28 points. The United States built an unassailable 38-point advantage before the fourth quarter and never looked back again. Diana Taurasi (6'0''-G-82, college: Connecticut) knocked down 12 points for the USA. Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers) and Kara Lawson (5'8''-G-81, college: Tennessee) had 11 points apiece for the winners. Kim Kwe Ryong (6'3''-C-79) answered with 14 points for Korea. Jung Sun Min (6'1''-C-74) and Beon Yeon Ha (6'0''-F-80) delivered 13 points each in defeat. The USA outrebounded their opponents 50:24 and committed only 8 turnovers down the stretch. The North American team converted 56% from the field, while Korea replied with 39% accuracy.
The USA will now take on the winner of Russia vs. Spain clash in the semifinal.

USA: Sylvia Fowles 26+14 boards, Diana Taurasi 12, Cappie Pondexter 11, Kara Lawson 11
South Korea: Kim Kwe Ryong 14, Jung Sun Min 13, Beon Yeon Ha 13

Detroit Shock signs Taj McWilliams-Franklin to one-year contract extension - by Eurobasket News
Detroit Shock Head Coach and General Manager Bill Laimbeer announced today that the team has signed new veteran acquisition Taj McWilliams-Franklin to a one-year contract extension. Per team policy, details of the contract were not disclosed.
McWilliams-Franklin, 38, was acquired by the Shock in a trade with Washington last week that sent forward Tasha Humphrey, guard Eshaya Murphy and a second-round pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft to the Mystics.

In 26 games with Washington this season the six-time WNBA All-Star averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in 33.2 minutes per game. She averaged 11.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists with the LA Sparks last season. McWilliams-Franklin spent four seasons each with Orlando, which relocated to Connecticut, and Connecticut before joining the Sparks in 2007. She has tallied career averages of 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 298 WNBA games.

McWilliams-Franklin is in her ninth season in the WNBA. The St. Edward's product was originally drafted by the Orlando Miracle in the third round (32nd overall) of 1999 WNBA Draft.

Courtesy of Detroit Shock