EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/7/2009

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Men News

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  ABA   


Three other CBA wins in interleague games - by Gianni Pascucci
Remaining perfect in the 2008-09 season, the East Kentucky Miners defeated the Georgia Gwizzlies 140-95 on sunday night. East Kentucky was dominant, blanking Georgia 7-0 in the quarter points category on its way to improving to 8-0. The Miners carried a 63-47 lead into halftime after leading Georgia 35-24 at the conclusion of the opening period. Seven different home players reached the double figures scoring plateau. Former CBA Player of the Year Galen Young (6'7''-F/G-75, college: Charlotte) turned in a triple-double performance of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Miners. Mike Dean (6'2''-G-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Middle Tenn.St.) was the leading scorer, finishing with a game-high 37 points and Jermaine Blackburn (6'7''-G/F-83, college: Boise St.) contributed 27 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Joe Manuel (6'5''-F) led Georgia with 25 points. Moses Edun (6'6''-G/F-84, agency: Tank Sports, college: Alabama St.) followed with 20 points for the Gwizzlies, and five different Georgia players scored 11 or more points in the Interleague Challenge matchup. The ABA Los Vegas Aces played a hard-fought, high-scoring game against the CBA Minot Skyrockets before going down, 142-127. The Aces were led by Carlton Christian (6'4''-G/F-85) who had 37 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals while the Skyrockets were led by game MVP Ronnie Fields (6'4''-G-77, agency: Edge Sports) with 29 points, and Brandon Smith (6'6''-G/F-86, college: Minnesota) added 25. The Jersey Express dropped their third straight game this season to the Albany Patroons blowing an 18-point lead Sunday at Drew University's Baldwin Gym. The ABA team was beaten 88-81 by their rivals from the CBA. Patroons forward Gabriel Freeman (6'6''-F-85, college: Costa Mesa JC) was the game top performer, ending with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Newcomer Alexus Foyle (6'6''-F-78, college: BYU-Hawaii) led the Express with 14 points and eight rebounds in his debut.

Weekend games results - by Gianni Pascucci
Using an up-tempo pace and scoring virtually at will, the Xnoxville Thunderbolts blew out the Georgia Gwizzlies 134-95. Andy Tipton (6'8''-F, college: Carson-Newman) led six double-figure scorers with a game-high 31 points. Gus Chase scored 27 and Chris Wiley (6'0''-G-81, college: Knoxville) had 21. Sidney Pointer (6'5''-G/F, college: Chattanooga State JC) led Georgia with 25 points, with 15 on 3-pointers. The Texas Fuel (formerly the South Texas Showboats) defeated the Texas City Rangers in another Texas derby, reaching the record of 6 wins and 1 loss in regular season. The #1 ranked Southeast Texas Mustangs clearly defeated the Houston Takers at home, 137-77. The Takers had no answer when Southeast Texas came out on fire in the first quarter as DeRon Rutledge (6'6''-F-75, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) and Lamar Sanders (6'6''-F-84, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Lamar) did the damage inside against Houstons 2-3 zone. Southeast Texas placed seven players in double figures with Brian Burrell (6'3''-G-84, agency: Global Sports Plaza) leading the way with 29 points. Lamar Sanders had a double/double with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Tim Pledger (5'9''-G-76, college: Belhaven) chipped in 14 points. Houston was led by Josh Jones 22 points (20 in the second half). Chris Green (6'4''-G/F, college: Langston) had 16 points. Ed Johnson (6'7''-F-79) and Bruce Jolly (6'9''-F/C-81, agency: EM-PA, college: W.Georgia) scored 12 points each respectively. The West Virginia Blazers made their debut at home at last, but felt to Nashville by 30. The final score was 112-82 for the #2 ranked Nashville Broncs, that were aggressive from the start, led by Josh Cooperwood (6'4''-G-80, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: Tennessee St.), who had 19 of his game-high 27 points in the first half. Jemere Hendrix (6'8''-F-83, college: Tennessee) added 22 points and Patrick Chambers (6'7''-77, college: Arkansas-Pine Bluff) 14 at the winning side, Desi Crisp (6'4''-G/F-80, college: NC-Pembroke) and Maurice Davis (6'2''-G-79) were the main performes for the Blazers, with 22 and 19 points, respectively.

Standings
ABA Standings
Northeast Div.
 1. Jersey Expr. 4-5 
 2. Cleveland R. 2-0 
 3. S.Chicago BS 1-0 
 4. New Hope T. 1-0 
 5. W.Virginia W. 0-0 
 6. New York I. 0-0 
 7. Aurora Force 0-1 
 8. Detroit Hoops 0-2 
 9. W. Virginia B. 0-3 
Northwest Div.
 1. Maywood B. 7-1 
 2. Beijing O. 3-1 
 3. Salt Lake S. 1-0 
 4. Washington R. 1-1 
 5. LA Push 0-0 
 6. S.Francisco R. 0-1 
 7. Sacramento 0-1 
 8. Modesto B. 0-2 
Southeast Div.
 1. Nashville B. 7-1 
 2. Knoxville T. 4-5 
 3. Kentucky B. 3-2 
 4. Kansas City 2-1 
 5. Tri-City Racers 0-0 
 6. Atlanta V. 0-0 
 7. Bahama PS 0-1 
 8. Georgia G. 0-4 
Southwest Div.
 1. Texas M. 8-1 
 2. South Texas 6-1 
 3. Las Vegas A. 4-1 
 4. Arizona R. 3-2 
 5. W.Texas W. 2-2 
 6. Mississippi B. 1-4 
 7. Fury 0-1 
 8. Texas City R. 0-3 
 9. Gallup T. 0-3 
 10. Houston T. 0-4 


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  ADRIATIC LEAGUE   


Marlon Garnett leaves Zadar for Cedevita - by Dragan Jankovski
After 11 Adriatic league games with Zadar, American Marlon Garnett (188-G-75, college: Santa Clara) leaves the team. It is announced after Saturday's win against Cibona. Garnett already agreed terms with Croatian A1 team Cedevita, who is currently on top of domestic championship with 8 wins and 1 defeat. 33-old player averaged 11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.6 apg in Adriatic league. He also had 4 games in EuroCup adding 11.5 ppg and 1.8 rpg. As a reminder, Garnett played last season for Croatian Split. He will be eligible to play for Cedevita this week-end against Borik Puntamika.

In the meantime, Adriatic league teams are preparing for Round 16. Some of those will play EuroCup and Euroleague games during the week. Currently the leading team of the league, Partizan Igokea, will host Hemofarm in the next round (champion and runner-up last season). That game for sure is marked as derby of the round. Vojvodina will host FMP, while Union Olimpija waits Crvena Zvezda. Two Slovenian teams, Krka and Helios, will meet each other on Sunday. Two of the Croatian representative will also play in this round, Cibona vs Zagreb. Bosnian champ Bosna ASA BHT waits the Croatian champ Zadar on Friday.

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  ARGENTINA   


Asociacion Quimsa Santiago del Estero sign Brandon Mason - by Eurobasket
Asociacion Quimsa Santiago del Estero signed 28-year old American swingman Brandon Mason (194-G/F-81, college: N.Mexico St.). Mason played most recently at Liceo Particular Mixto de los Andes (Chile), but his team did not make it to the finals and he was free to find another team. He made a similar move last year while moving after Chilean season to Argentina joining Atenas Cordoba. He played also pro basketball in Mexico, Ireland and U.S. minor pro leagues. Last season he was named to Latinbasket.com All-Chilean DIMAYOR 1st Team.

Romano to Quimsa - by Facundo Iatzky
Asociacion Quimsa agreed terms with coach Carlos Romano . Romano wil replace Daniel Jaule, who only coached 9 game withot good results. Romano will be the fourth head coach of Quimsa in this season after Fernando Duro, Jose Pestuggia and Jaule. Carlo comes from ULBRA of Brazil. He had been coach of Penarol, Estudiantes Olavarria and Union Santa Fe in Argentina.

TNA: Atletico Echague released Scott Cutley who did not return to Argentina after holidays. They replaced him with former Italiana Derrick Miller (202-C/F-78, college: Georgetown, KY).
Meanwhile Obera TC added Rashad West (185-G-84) to their roster.

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  BELGIUM   


Samara outscores Base Oostende for the second win in Group G - by Eurobasket News
CSK-VVS Samara-Base Oostende 86:72 (23-20, 29-20, 13-16, 21-16)

CSK-VVS Samara improved to 2-3 in EuroChallenge Group G campaign after 86:72 over Base Oostende. Belgian team tried hard but lost the game and fell at 1-4. Mladen Sljivancanin (200-G/F-85) paced all the winners with 20 points. Marque Perry (186-G-81, agency: N.E.T., college: St.Louis) collected 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, while Sergei Demeshkin (200-F-76) netted 15. Veselin Petrovic (194-G/F-77, agency: Beo Basket) ended up with 19 points in defeat and Robert Hite (188-G-84, college: Miami, FL) notched 15.
In the beginning of the game Veselin Petrovic gave his team an early lead from the arc and Robert Hite kept the advantage at 9:6. Samara woke up at the end of the period and Mladen Sljivancanin closed the quarter at 23:20. Marque Perry made it 32:27 but Robert Hite responded with a basket to close the gap to 32:29. Sergei Demeshkin with a dunk for Samara gradually pulled away his team to a bigger lead. Marque Perry scored for 52:40 at the halftime.
With 16-13 in the third Base Oostende reduced to 56:65 at the end of the third stanza. Paunic made a jump-shot to close thirty minutes of the game. Veselin Petrovic remained his team alive for 68:61 but then Samara made the last push to win the game. Paunic made a free throw for 86:72 as Samara celebrated the second win in five games.

CSK-VVS Samara: Mladen Sljivancanin 20, Marque Perry 19+9 rebs+7 ast, Sergei Demeshkin 15
Base Oostende: Veselin Petrovic 19, Robert Hite 15

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  BOSNIA   


KK Slavija Istocno Sarajevo add Jovo Glavinic to their roster - by Eurobasket
KK Slavija Istocno Sarajevo signed 28-year old Serbian guard Jovo Glavinic (194-G-81, agency: Global Sports Plaza). Glavinic played last season at EclipseJet-MyGuide Amsterdam (Holland), where in FIBA EuroCup games averaged 14.5ppg, 2.3rpg and 1.5spg. He also helped the team to make it to Dutch Eredivisie Semifinals. Jovo is versatile swingman who was born in Serbia but has played in Holland, France and Hungary. He has always been a consistent player during his career. He is a true professional and a hard worker. He is perfect for the mid high European level. He is a smart guard who knows when and how to make important baskets. Has a good 3-point shot where he always shoots with around 40%. Jovo can also be used with good results at the 1 position as he has a good court awareness and good passing skills.

KK Siroki Eronet sign Bryan Smithson - by Eurobasket
KK Siroki Eronet strengthened their roster with addition of 24-year old American guard Bryan Smithson (183-G-85, college: NC-Asheville). Smithson played most recently at University of North Carolina - Asheville (NCAA) in the U.S. It will be his first year in professional basketball. Last year while still playing in the college he appeared in 29 games averaging 16.4ppg, 4.0rpg and 4.1apg. He was selected to both Big South Conf. All-Tournament Team and All-Big South Conf. 1st Team.

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  CBA   


Three other CBA wins in interleague games - by Gianni Pascucci
Remaining perfect in the 2008-09 season, the East Kentucky Miners defeated the Georgia Gwizzlies 140-95 on sunday night. East Kentucky was dominant, blanking Georgia 7-0 in the quarter points category on its way to improving to 8-0. The Miners carried a 63-47 lead into halftime after leading Georgia 35-24 at the conclusion of the opening period. Seven different home players reached the double figures scoring plateau. Former CBA Player of the Year Galen Young (6'7''-F/G-75, college: Charlotte) turned in a triple-double performance of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Miners. Mike Dean (6'2''-G-82, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Middle Tenn.St.) was the leading scorer, finishing with a game-high 37 points and Jermaine Blackburn (6'7''-G/F-83, college: Boise St.) contributed 27 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Joe Manuel (6'5''-F) led Georgia with 25 points. Moses Edun (6'6''-G/F-84, agency: Tank Sports, college: Alabama St.) followed with 20 points for the Gwizzlies, and five different Georgia players scored 11 or more points in the Interleague Challenge matchup. The ABA Los Vegas Aces played a hard-fought, high-scoring game against the CBA Minot Skyrockets before going down, 142-127. The Aces were led by Carlton Christian (6'4''-G/F-85) who had 37 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals while the Skyrockets were led by game MVP Ronnie Fields (6'4''-G-77, agency: Edge Sports) with 29 points, and Brandon Smith (6'6''-G/F-86, college: Minnesota) added 25. The Jersey Express dropped their third straight game this season to the Albany Patroons blowing an 18-point lead Sunday at Drew University's Baldwin Gym. The ABA team was beaten 88-81 by their rivals from the CBA. Patroons forward Gabriel Freeman (6'6''-F-85, college: Costa Mesa JC) was the game top performer, ending with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Newcomer Alexus Foyle (6'6''-F-78, college: BYU-Hawaii) led the Express with 14 points and eight rebounds in his debut.

Standings
CBA Standings
 1. E.Kentucky 8-0 
 2. Albany P. 3-1 
 3. Minot S. 3-2 
 4. Lawton Ft.Sill 0-0 


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  CHINA   


Guangdong Beats Zhejiang 109-85 - by Arthur Volbert
Dixon Jason (205-C-73, college: Liberty) scored 30 points on 13 of 15 shooting to lead Guangdong to a 109-85 victory over Zhejiang. Second place Guangdong now has a 19-4 record. Dixon also had 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Du Feng added 25 points while Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu and Zhou Peng each scored 13. Zhu added 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

Liu Xiaoyu, Guangdong's pass-first point guard, had only 3 points but had 8 assists, 5 steals, 4 rebounds and no turnovers. Young 7-foot center Wang Zheng played one quarter to Dixon's three, but had 6 points on 3 of 4 shooting, and 4 rebounds. His per minute productivity was comparable to Dixon's.

Kirk Snyder led Zhejiang with 38 points and 9 rebounds. Samuel Hoskin had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. No other Zhejiang player was in double figures. Ding Jinhui was held to 7 points and 3 rebounds. Young 7-footer Zhang Dayu had 6 points and 4 rebounds in 30 minutes, the same totals that Wang Zheng had in 12.

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  CYPRUS   


An interview with Head Coach Vecchio - by Chris Mammides
Coach Vechio, first of all let me welcome you in Eurobasket.com and in the Cyprus League.

Eurobasket: What is your opinion of the Cyprus league?
Coach V: Its one of the most demanding leagues regarding the knowledge you need to have about all the players, specially the one coming from the Eastern Europe. Also, it is very competitive since you only have one game a week, which is harder because you need to give at least 7 practices prior a game, and players prefer to be playing rather than practicing.

Eurobasket: You as a Coach who have worked in a number of countries, especially in the Latin American leagues, how do you compare the present Cyprus league together with the leagues you have worked in the past years?
Coach V:Those leagues have more exposure to the press, have more marketing boosts and stars on each team with whom fans can identify with. Here, as players are changed pretty fast, people and fans dont get to know them as good as they should. Arenas along the league are very similar to the Latin American ones, maybe more pre-game and halftime shows could be used more often.

Eurobasket: Having seen and done as much in basketball as almost anyone, both as a Club Coach and as a National Team head coach (Argentina NT), could you expected Cyprus to have such a league?
Coach V: It may not only be the same, but also even better than 1st quality leagues, due to the short distances we have here which generate very low costs and also allow fans and the media to have good access to the games. The times of the day when games are played are perfect too.

Eurobasket: You changed some important parts in Apollon, comparing the team the last five years, mainly in the teams psychology, Apollon is the team that fights all the games. How did you manage that?
Coach V: We work really hard on and off the court with personal and group meetings. Since players are from different parts of the world, they have their own habits, and we have to look for the best possible chemistry to have a solid league. It is a very wide group, with different ages, different cultures and habits, ... definitely one of the most difficult jobs I ever had, but Im very happy for it. It is a great help the knowledge I get from GM Dimitri Grivas , an assistant coach like Akis Connstantinou , who both work very hard and you can tell that over the week. We have reached a mental aggressiveness on the players that makes us fight every moment of the games.

Eurobasket: Apollon is the team with the less Cypriot players and most American players! How can you steer the team in this second round having in mind that American players cant be handle very easy?
Coach V: Its true that I would like to count with more local players, since they know and feel what a derby between Apollon and AEL really is for example . We have to mentally build that rivalry on our minds in order to prepare for those games. The second half of the tournament is harder yes, but it is also the nicest to work with, where my boys have to prove what we are made of and what we came here for. It will tell if we succeded or we failed, but my boys can make it all possible...

Eurobasket: Do you think that is a problem for the Cyprus league that teams with leading role does not use Cypriot players?
Coach V: Of course, that affects any country on their national team, it takes a slow generational change, but the main problem is how hard it is to count on the young players for trainings because of their hard commitment to the army. We are working with kids between 15 and 16 to give Apollon and Cyprus more local talent in the next few years.

Eurobasket: How do you manage to mix the veteran stars Sims and Rosnowski with the younger players such us Read, Dousa and Engliski?
Coach V: We try to make our more veteran players teach and pass their experience to the younger ones, as this is a new team and group, it is even harder because everyone wants to prove they are the best, then its hard to work their minds to stick to the script or role they have on the team. Working on the physical, the tactical and the technical is hard, but working on the psychological part is where the success really is on this level of competition.

Eurobasket: What do you think about the Cyprus Basketball Federation and the Cypriot referees?
Coach V: I came to Cyprus work, make a space by my own, Ive worked in many other places where you have better and also worse, but the good thing is that they want to build a solid league and that helps to improve and grow as one. They disserve all my respect, I hope that every time I can and they can allow me, work to help Cyprus Basketball keep growing and developing.

Eurobasket: How far can Apollon go this year? Some observers in the league are claiming that Apollon can be the surprise and win the championship? Please comment.
Coach V: I thank scouts and analysts, it is our first year, and we are conscious that we need to improve every day. If they let us we can give the surprise, if we keep working as we did so far, we will be ready to take that challenge.

Eurobasket: How can Cyprus league been improved in the future?
Coach V: Helping investment groups see all the effort teams make trying to make an attractive league, improving their shows and playing more games. Making fans more committed to the teams from the first to the last of the games, creating a competition not only outside the court, but also between all those of us who make this league happen.

Eurobasket: What do you think about the games against AEL for the Cup semis?
Coach V: It is very hard to evaluate a derby, we work hard as every week evaluating and improving our strengths and correcting our flaws. It s been almost 6 years since the last time Apollon beat AEL , they have the advantage of playing the Euroleague and that helps every player and coach to grow. We are trying to win something this year, thats what we came for; it is going to be like a final game, its going to be exciting, I hope we are all up to the challenge.

Eurobasket: Our web page, Eurobasket.com readers voted you as the best Coach after Raca. What do you think about that?
Coach V: I want to thank the people from Cyprus for that honour, no matter how great and long experience you have, it is always good to be recognized. Raca accomplished a lot not only as a coach but also as a player. That helps me stay motivated to keep growing.
Thanks a lot

Mauro Vecchio


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  D-LEAGUE   


D-League Round: 34 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Sioux Falls - Albuquerque 108-115
Will Conroy, Keith McLeod and David Noel combined 69 points, 12 rebounds and 21 assists pacing their Thunderbirds to 4th victory of the season (4-10). On the other side, the Skyforce got 30 points and 5 rebounds from Gary Forbes. Skyforce 10-6.

Austin - Colorado 95-91
Austin Toros celebrated on the road against the 14ers jumping on nice 12-4 record. Malik Hairston drained 23, while Marcus Williams had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Sonny Weems top-scored in loss with 21 points. Josh Davis added 17pts + 12 rebs. Colorado 14ers 12-4.

Los Angeles - Bakersfield 87-90
Trey Johnson (6'5''-G-84, agency: Priority Sports, college: Jackson St.), who nailed impressive 34 points and dished out 7 assists, led his Jam to home win against the D-Fenders. Derrick Byars helped him with 22 points and 7 boards, while Nick Lewis added 17 pts and 15 rebs. Joe Crawford replied with 16 pts and 9 boards on the other side. Jam 11-5, D-Fender 4-10.

Reno - Rio Grande 102-78
The Bighorns trashed Rio Grande at the McKay Events Center mostly owing to Antonio Meeking, who came up with 27 points and 15 rebounds. The hosts got 12 points and 8 boards from Trent Strickland. Bighorns 3-12, Vipers 7-10.

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  EBA   


EBA opens 2009 season - by EBA Media


EBA opens 2009 season - by EBA Media


EBA opens 2009 season - by EBA Media


Standings
EBA Standings
 1. Delaware D. 1-0 
 2. Harrisburg H. 1-0 
 3. Elmira B. 1-0 
 4. Alexandria A. 1-0 
 5. Virignia F. 1-0 
 6. Washin. Mad. 1-0 
 7. Cincinnati C. 0-0 
 8. Salem M. 0-0 
 9. Nova 0-0 
 10. Virginia W. 0-1 
 11. Newark 0-1 
 12. Wilkes-Barre 0-1 
 13. New York W. 0-1 
 14. Hampton 0-1 
 15. NJ Lightning 0-1 


B ,MDF GN;LDRSV - by EBA Media


EBA opens 2009 season - by EBA Media
High scoring games and fierce competition marked the opening weekend of EBA play. Alexandria, Elmira, Washington, Virginia Fastbreak, Delaware and Harrisburg posted wins. All winning teams went over the century mark.

The Alexandria Avengers came from 17 points down to defeat the Hampton Roads Cardinals 104 to 101. Tyre Harris was high-scorer for the Avengers with 22 points, while Sherman Holland IV tossed in a game-high 31 for the Cardinals.

Aubin Scotts 23 points led the Elmira Bulldogs to their first EBA victory a 106 to 89 win over the Garden State Rebels.

EBA defending champions, Harrisburg Horizon, began their season on a winning note with a convincing 120 to 93 win over the Virginia Wolverines. Harrisburg had six players in double figures with 68 forward Kevin Rowe leading the way with 24 points. Corey Brown, the Wolverines shooting guard, had a game-high 32 points in a losing effort.

EBA opens 2009 season - by EBA Media


EBA opens 2009 season - by EBA Media


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  EUROCHALLENGE   


EuroChallenge Round: 5 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Group Group A
Ventspils - En.Czarni 94-88
BK Ventspils stun Energa Czarni 94:88 in Latvia tonight. Trailing 18-21 after the opening quarter Baltic side won the second quarter 23-13 to seal the winning outcome. Jurevicus paced all the winners with 29 points. Zakis nailed 19, while Strelnieks posted 14. Leonczyk ended up with 19 points in defeat, while Kedzo notched 18. The Latvians improved to 2-3 and Energa Czarni dropped at 1-4.

Group Group C
Lok.Rostov - Cholet 65-66
Braswell and Robinson remain Cholet Basket undefeated in EuroChallenge Group C. The French outfit grabbed a 66:65 road victory over Lokomotiv Rostov in Russia. Braswell led the winners with 24 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Antywane Robinson added 17 and Grier scored 8. Szewczyk shined for the home side with 31 points and 10 rebounds, whilst Sheleketo posted 9.

Group Group D
Gmunden - Siauliai 68-78
Lithuanian BC Siauliai is 3-2 in Group D of the EuroChallenge with a 78:68 triumph over Allianz Swans Gmunden. Praskevicius Virginijus paced all the winners with 19 points and Slezas Andrius nailed 16. Mayes Deteri finished the night with 17 points in the losing effort. Austrians Swans dropped to 0-5 with the setback.

AEL - Eiff.Towers 95-77
AEL handed Eiffel Towers their first 95:77 loss in EuroChallenge Group D. The home side played much better and deserved the win more than the opponents. Taylor Quincy paced the winners with 22 points and Blanchard LaVell chipped in 20. Akerboom Kees produced 22 points in the losing effort as the Dutch team is on top with 4-1. AEL shares the second position with BC Siauliai with 3-2 each.

Group Group F
Galatasaray - M.Hainaut 80-68
Galatasaray tied the leader Dexia Hainaut in Group F after 80:68 home win. Besok Huseyin led the winners with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Graves Antonio followed him with 18. Potter Jim notched 14 points and 10 rebounds for the visitors. Both teams are now on top with 3-2 record.

Group Group G
CSK VVS - Oostende 86-72
CSK-VVS Samara improved to 2-3 in EuroChallenge Group G campaign after 86:72 over Base Oostende. Belgian team tried hard but lost the game and fell at 1-4. Sljivancanin paced all the winners with 20 points. Perry collected 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, while Demeshkin netted 15. Petrovic ended up with 19 points in defeat and Hite notched 15.

La Fortezza - TU/Rock 95-85
La Fortezza Bologna improved to 5-0 record and automatically won the group. Italian side overcame TU/Rock 95:85 at home tonight. Langford Keith top-scored for the winners with 25 points, while Tsalikis-Vouktsevits Ntousan netted 14. Kullamae Gert produced 27 points in the losing effort.

Group Group H
Triumph - Dt.Bank SKY 76-58
Triumph outscored Deutsche Bank Skyliners 76:58 for 3-2 while dropping the Germans to 2-3. The Russian outfit controlled the majority of the game and won truthfully. Panin Vadim top-scored for the winners with 17 points. Bremer Ernest posted 16 and Dmitriev Fedor finished the night with 16 points. Roller Pascal chipped in 16 points for the visiting side.

Kalev/Cramo - BC Kyiv 82-76
BC Kalev Cramo beat BC Kyiv 82:76 to prove that Group H will send the names of the winners in the last round. Linehan John was unstoppable with 32 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Fox Nate nailed 14 and Kangur Kristjan scored 10. Penn James produced 19 points for the Ukrainians. The result has left Kyiv with a 3-2 record while Kalev improved to 2-3.



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  EUROCUP   


Eurocup Round: 5 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Group Group A
C.C. Marousi - Zadar 91-75
Marousi stayed in the race for the Last 16 birth as they held off Zadar before the home crowd. Dimitrios Mavroeidis scored 14 points for the Greek team. Loukas Mavrokefalides topscored with 16 points for the winners. Hrvoje Peric responded with game-high 19 points for Zadar as both teams appeared tied at 3-2 record in Group A ladder.

ASK Riga - Roanne 86-70
ASK Riga stepped closer to the Last 16 stage as they held off Roanne in Latvia. Ernests Kalve scored 23 points to lead the way for the Riga team. Raitis Grafs had 13 points and 15 boards in the win. Chris Monroe responded with 21 points as Roanne slipped at 1-4 record.

Group Group B
Dynamo M. - Barons/LMT 84-74
Dynamo Moscow earned the third win in Group B as they toppled Barons/LMT in the Russian capital. Travis Hansen proved his excellent form scoring 22 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Bostjan Nachbar had 16 points and 10 boards for Dynamo. Demetrius Alexander answered with 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Latvian team.

Unics - Lukoil A. 79-72
Unics stayed perfect as they outgunned Lukoil in Kazan. Vladimir Veremeenko paced balanced offense with 22 points and 10 boards. Marko Popovic scored 21 points for the winners. Toni Akins responded with 13 points for Lukoil as they fell at 1-4 record.

Group Group C
Benetton - Besiktas 80-89
Besiktas gave Benetton the first loss in the competition stealing a road win in Treviso today. Mire Chatman was unstoppable with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for Besiktas. Cevher Ozer added 27 points in the win. Gary Neal answered with 20 points for Benetton.

Le Havre - Khimky 63-79
Khimky earned the fourth victory in the EuroCup regular season as they dealt with Le Havre in France. Kelly McCarty notched 20 points to pace the Russian favorites. Timofey Mozgov added 13 points and 15 boards for the winners. Fabien Causeur and Rudy Jomby scored 13 points each for the winners.

Group Group D
Aris - Panellinios 72-77
Panellinios got closer to Aris in Group D ladder edging them in Greek derby today. Manolis Papamakarios and Djuro Ostojic scored 15 points each for Panellinios. Ivan Radenovic and Anthony Grundy added 9 points each for the winners. Dimitrios Tsaldaris answered with 22 points for Aris.

Group Group E
Kalise G.C. - Azovmash 74-82
Azovmash improved their chances of making it to the next round as they brought victory from Spain. Khalid El-Amin nailed 19 points and the Ukrainian champions upset Gran Canaria. Serhiy Lishchuk added 14 points for the winners. Melvin Sanders responded with 16 points for Gran Canaria as they appeared at the last spot in Group E.

ASVEL - Lietuvos 93-90
ASVEL stepped closer to the Last 16 stage beating Lietuvos Rytas at home today. Branko Milisavljevic missed a three-pointer late in regulation and Ali Traore sealed the winning outcome for ASVEL in this one. Benjamin Dewar topscored for the winners with 26 points. Ali Traore and Chevon Troutman added 16 points each as the French team improved at 3-2 record. Branko Milisavljevic answered with 24 points as Lietuvos Rytas slipped at 2-3 record.

Group Group F
Turow - Brose Baskets 67-56
Turow snapped three-game losing streak and held off Brose Basket in Poland. Damir Miljkovic scored 15 points to lead the hosts in this low-scoring affair. Chris Daniels added 14 points and 8 boards for Turow. Demond Greene netted 13 points in the loss.

Crvena Zvez. - Charleroi 93-91
Crvena Zvezda celebrated the fourth win at the regular season as they eked out a narrow victory against Charleroi at home. Lawrence Roberts tallied 20 points and 10 boards for the winners. Marko Keselj had 14 points for the hosts. Charleroi answered with 20 points from Jerry Johnson.

Group Group G
Fortitudo - Art.Dragons 89-93
Artland Dragons surprised Fortitudo in Bologna today to secure the chances of making it to the next round. Adam Hess shone for the Dragons scoring 27 points. Darren Fenn added 22 points and 7 rebounds as Artland caught up with Fortitudo at 2-3 record. Qyntel Woods answered with 20 points for Bologna.

FMP - Pamesa V. 65-84
Pamesa gained the fifth straight win at the tournament as they bruised FMP in Serbia. Rafael Martinez knocked down 15 points for the Spanish team. Shammond Williams added 12 points in the win. Dragan Labovic was solid for FMP with 26 points.

Group Group H
Hemofarm - Iurbentia B. 62-82
Bilbao grabbed the fifth victory as they experienced little problems against Hemofarm on the road. Renaldas Seibutis scored 22 points to pace Group H leaders. Salvador Guardia added 13 points for the winners. Boris Savovic contributed 17 points and 6 rebounds for Hemofarm in defeat.

Buducnost - Nymburk 63-66
Nymburk stayed in the Last 16 race as they narrowly defeated Buducnost on the road tonight. Justin Gray scored 19 points off the bench to lead the way for the Czech champs. Arthur Lee added 15 points in the vital win for Nymburk. Vladimir Micov answered with 17 points for Buducnost in the loss.



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


1. Division: Lapua changing the Head Coach - by Rauno Hurmalainen

1. Division (the second highest level) Xmas break will be over coming Sunday. There are 10 rounds left out of the regular season. Karhu (Kauhajoki) with
9-1 record is rolling back to the Top League (Korisliiga). There is no doubt of it. Newcomer JKS (7-3) will play rest of the season with young Finnish roster. Only
Vilpas (Salo) will have a slight chance to disturb Kauhajoki dreams. Vilpas (7-3) got back their own youngster Roope Ahonen (186-G-90) from Helsinki (ToPo) for the rest of the season and team's three American players continue. Korikobrat (Lapua) has recently changed the Head Coach. Team management wanted to wake the
team up and Jussi Immonen had to step aside. Replacement comes from Espoo. Serbian Nenad Stefanovic , 36, will be Lapua's new Head Coach. Lapua's
record is only 4-6 right now though, so Stefanovic will have a tough task to raise Korikobrat among the three best in division 1. The new play-off-games system is however helping Lapua. Serbian Marko Piplovic (207-F-76, agency: Interperformances) played three games in December on Lapua's roster averaging 16,0 ppg - 11,7 rpg and will help also in the future. Tyrwone Still's (196-F-77, college: W.Virginia St.) contract has been cancelled and Baboucarr Bojang (204-F-80, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Illinois St.) will return back on the roster. Bojang got on injured list at the end of October.



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


Braswell and Robinson remain Cholet Basket undefeated - by Eurobasket News
Lokomotiv Rostov-Cholet Basket 65:66 (22-16, 9-19, 18-19, 16-12)

Kevin Braswell (188-G-79, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgetown) and Robinson remain Cholet Basket undefeated in EuroChallenge Group C. The French outfit grabbed a 66:65 road victory over Lokomotiv Rostov in Russia. Kevin Braswell led the winners with 24 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Antywane Robinson (203-F-84, agency: Priority Sports, college: Temple) added 17 and Vincent Grier (195-G/F-83, college: Minnesota) scored 8. Szymon Szewczyk (209-C-82) shined for the home side with 31 points and 10 rebounds, whilst Maksim Sheleketo (204-F-87) posted 9.
The key player for the Russian side House spent 49 seconds and had to leave the court being substituted by Maksim Sheleketo. Szymon Szewczyk was the one to battle in the opening quarter keeping Lokomotiv Rostov at 22:16 on top. It was him again for 26:18 but Kevin Braswell tied the game at 27:27. Krivosheev could only reduce the gap to 31:35 at the halftime.
In the third period Cholet Basket never looked behind and enjoyed 5-7 points advantage. The squads finished the third stanza at 49:54 as Szymon Szewczyk made a free throw. The French side was always in front also in the last period, but Lokomotiv Rostov brought intrigue into the game. Again Szymon Szewczyk scored for 61:64, however Antywane Robinson made it 61:66. For the guests those points were the last in the game and it was enough for the win. Zibirov and Tomas were perfect from the free throw line, but their points led to 65:66 score on the board.

Lokomotiv Rostov: Szymon Szewczyk 31+10 rebs, Maksim Sheleketo 9
Cholet Basket: Kevin Braswell 24+3ast+3rebs, Antywane Robinson 17, Vincent Grier 8

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


A Small chat with Ilian Evtimov(Deutsche Bank Skyliners) - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Ilian Evtimov (201-F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.), the 201cm forward of the Deutsche Bank Skyliners is the third top scorer averaging 11,3 points, 3,7 rebounds and 1,9 steals per game. He has become comfortable with the sixth man role and took some time before the Maccabi Tel Aviv game to talk about the Deutsche Bank Skyliners, holidays, Kevin Mchale, Pete Maravitch, China, NBA, and movies






Hi Evti, thanks for taking some time to talk to www.eurobasket.com. How were your Christmas holidays? Where were you and what did you do?



I was in the States in North Carolina with my parents and brother Vassil. I had a very relaxing Christmas with no snow, but 23 celsius on Christmas day.


Have you made any new year resolutions yet?



No I have not! I am still thinking about it!



What was your most prized Christmas gift this year?




It was just being able to spend time with my family. We had a nice Bulgarian style dinner and I had a lot of fun playing with my brothers kids.



You will play twice against the Maccabi Tel Aviv, who are regarded as one of the top teams in Europe. What is your impression of this team?



They are one of the best teams in Europe and have been playing at a top level for years. Their coach Pini Gershon is one of the best coaches. He is a very emotional coach, but really knows Basketball. He is also the coach of the Bulgarian National team, where I hopefully soon will be able to play for with my brother. I met Pini Gershon for first time before this interview.



How is the situation with you and your brother getting permission to play for the Bulgarian National team?



Well we are still waiting for a decision from the French Federation. But I am confident that we will soon be able to play for Bulgaria



What player from Maccabi Tel Aviv are you looking forward to playing against?



Oh I am looking forward to playing against all of them. This is a very good opportunity for me!


Your brother Vassil found a team in Italy in the second league with Reggio Emilia. How can he help this team?



I am really happy that he signed there. We went to the gym to work out a bit in North Carolina, but we didnt really talk to much about it during the break. My brother is a great player, who is a leader and can make his team mates better.


The Deutsche Bank Skyliners finished 2008 winning 12 of their last 15 games. Can this team get even stronger?



We can still get stronger. We are all healthy and now we can develop our true chemistry. We have to continue our strong play. As our chemistry continues to develop, the better we will get!



You came into the Giessen game late in the second quarter. The team has no egos! You seem to have no problem with this. How has Murat Didin been able to shape the team like this?




At this point of the season, we are aware that we have 12 good players. We know that each guy will go out on the court and perform and do a good job. Lately we have been joking on the bench, that we can score from anywhere on the court, because we are simply so deep!




Everybody will be eager to see how The Deutsche Bank Skyliners will do in the last two Eurochallenge away games. A win in Moscow will be vital. Moscow lost Nenad Krsitic, who was homesick and returned to the NBA to play for the dismal Oklahoma Thunder and Americans Allan Anderson and Marcus Goree are rumoured to be leaving too. Does this help your chances even more?


That is a difficult question to say if we have better chances. You never know what can happen. Sometimes a team becomes even stronger when they play without their star player. Will will take the game very seriously and if we win advance


Your similarities to the Boston Celtic legend Kevin Mchale seem to be growing more and more. You are a sixth man and your turn around/fade away jumper brings back memories to his play. What other Mchale attribute could we see next from you?



I dont know. I just play the game the way it comes. My specialty is too shoot the ball and not to dunk.



You studied Pete Maravich videos for hours as a kid. What is your favourite Maravitch trick?



Well the trick I liked the most was how he spun the ball on his finger. That is what I learned from watching his videos. In his movie, he has a bet with a bully that he can spin the ball on his finger and walk from a bar to the playground while spinning. Then when he reached the playground, he threw the ball off his finger and made the shot. I work on my streak shots, but only for fun and not in games!



What is your impression of the Chinese league? More and more NBA players are going there. Bonzai Wells is averaging 45ppg after three games. Recently ex Skyliner Chris Willimas signed there also.




To tell you the truth, I dont know much about it. There seems to be a lot of money and sponsors there



The Los Angeles Lakers took revenge after losing the 2008 NBA finals to the Boston Celtics by winning at home on Chrsitmas day. They finished the game with a 13-2 run. Did you find some time between opening presents and playing with your nephews and nieces to watch the game?



Yes I watched this game. I wanted the Celtics to win. I remember that Magic Johnson said before the game that the team that is more physical would win the game. As soon as The Lakers started more physical, I said oh no and at the end of the game Magic Johnson was right. The key factor in the game at the end was Kobe Bryant. Even though Kobe Bryant gets most of the attention, it was not him that decided the game, but Pao Gasol, who usually has a secondary role. Bryant is playing more and more unselfish and is playing a lot like Michael Jordan in his old days!



You are a movie buff. What is currently your favourite movie?



Well a movie to watch and what I currently like very much is Righteous to kill with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Another movie that I also like is Takin!



Thank you Evti for the short chat. Good luck the rest of the way this season!



2. Bundesliga: Player of the Month awards for December - by Moritz Korff
Japhet McNeil (183-G-85, college: Bridgeport) has earned 2. Bundesliga Pro A Player of the Month honors for December, as announced on the league's website today. The 23-year-old point guard led USC Heidelberg to three wins in the past five games, which gave his team new hope to avoid relegation. McNeil averaged 22.0 points, 11.3 assists, 5.3 steals and 4.3 rebounds in December.
Kirchheim big man Phillipp Heyden (208-C-88) received the Pro A-Youngster of the Month award. Heyden finished the month with averages of 14.3 points and 5.7 rebounds.

In the Pro B John Griffin (183-G-85, college: Bucknell) was named Player of the Month. His club, Proveo Merlins Crailsheim, went through December unbeaten and got more than 20 points from Griffin in every match. The 23-year-old guard averaged 24.3 points, 4.0 assists as well as 2.3 rebounds per contest and hit 15 of his 27 shots from beyond the arc in the final month of the year 2008.
Pro B-Youngster of the Month honors for December were dealt out to Kevin Schaffartzik (189-G-88). The Stahnsdorf player produced 18.3 points per contest in this month, grabbed 4.3 rebounds and dished out 4.0 assists a game.

Hertener Loewen seek new head coach once again - by Moritz Korff
Hertener Loewen (2. Bundesliga Pro B) and Toni Hed have parted company after only a couple of days. The 40-year-old Croatian had been appointed head coach and successor to Anton Mirolybov who had made the move to Chemnitz in the last days of 2008. 'Two different worlds of basketball collided. That's why we decided to call it a day', Herten's manager Dirk Ewald stated. Thus, the search for a new coach is still on.

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


You wanna be an NBA agent? - by Alex Gianaris
Why not, right? Face it, Skippy, there comes a time when you realize that, no matter how scrappy you may be, you're just not going to land the point guard spot on an NBA roster. It's a sad day, but, yes, you will have to trade in those high-top Cons for Cole Haans. Wave goodbye to the locker room, say hello to the cubicle.

But you wanna have it both ways, don't you? You're cooking up a plan to stay in basketball, to get into the NBA even though your vertical matches your shoe size. That's no reason you can't stay in the sport, and certainly it's no reason you can't become rich and powerful in the process. The answer is simple: You wanna be an agent.

You know you've thought about them-the mysterious guys at the NBA draft wearing Caraceni suits and seated in the background, arms draped around their soon-to-be-millionaire clients. They're the ones yapping on smartphones or thumbing BlackBerrys. You see their names pop up every now and then in the paper, touting their clients: David Falk. Arn Tellem. Aaron Goodwin. Bill Duffy. The big-time NBA agents.

'I think that is something that's in the back of the minds of a lot of young people,' says Henry Thomas, a prominent agent who also has taught a sports law class at DePaul University for 23 years. 'That's what made me want to do the class to begin with. There is something very attractive about (being an agent) as a way to make a living.'

It's like going to an art museum, looking at a Jackson Pollock painting and saying, 'Hell, I could do that!' You see an NBA agent and you think, 'How hard could that be?'

'It is a tough, competitive business,' Thomas says. 'As I have been teaching, students always want to know what advice I would give. Well, it is hard.'

How hard? Oh, Skippy, you have no idea. You really wanna be an agent?

Keep reading.



STEP ONE: BECOME AN AGENT

Once you decide you're serious about becoming an NBA agent, here's what you do: Send a letter to Robert Gadson, the National Basketball Players Association's director of security and agent administration. The address is Two Penn Plaza, Suite 2430, New York, NY 10121. Gadson will send you back a 17-page application packed with questions that range from softball ('high school attended,' 'past employment,' 'references') to hardball ('Do you allocate proportionate expenses among various player clients?') to, well, oddball ('Have you ever been adjudicated insane or legally incompetent by any court?').

Don't worry; there are no wrong answers. Take Question 6c, for example: 'Have you ever been sued by any player (NBA or otherwise) for any reason?' One agent, Texas-based Lance Luchnick, was sued by many of his former players -- including Charles Barkley, who in his autobiography, Outrageous!, wrote of Luchnick, 'Lance was putting my money, my hard-earned money, into high-risk, speculative ventures that to this day haven't earned me one dime.' But look in the NBPA's annual agent listing from 2005 and, sure enough, there's Luchnick listed as a certified agent.

Once your application is complete, send it back to Gadson. The union will take 30 days to consider the application. Then, pop some champagne. You're officially an NBA agent.

Oh, and don't forget this -- it is highlighted in bold letters on the cover letter from Gadson -- your check for $1,500 is due when you apply. And that's due every year, by July 1. Says one agent: 'The union doesn't give a rat's ass about your application. As long as your check clears.'

STEP TWO: FIND YOUR CLIENTS

The paperwork is behind you. Now, it's time to survey the playing field. That's if you can even get yourself onto the playing field, Skippy. The numbers are enough to scare you right back to business school -- if you went to business school, which, by the way, isn't a prerequisite for becoming an NBA agent.

At the end of this NBA season, according to official rosters, there were 414 active players in the NBA (not counting players in the minor leagues or overseas). According to the most recent NBPA guidebook, there were 313 registered agents. If players were evenly distributed, each agent would have 1.32 clients. Alas, you're in the wrong business if you're looking for even distribution. The 12 biggest agencies represent 255 players, or 61.6 percent of the league. The five biggest represent 147 players, or 35.5 percent of the league.

New York-based Marc Cornstein, who specializes in European players, says, 'You had better find a niche. Don't think you are going to come in and start representing lottery picks.'

Youngsters with first-round talent rarely opt to sign with inexperienced agents. In the coming draft, LaMarcus Aldridge, J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams and Brandon Roy -- all likely lottery picks -- have signed with Tellem's company. Adam Morrison, a certain top five pick, is with Mark Bartelstein. Duffy has point guards Rajon Rondo and Marcus Williams -- probable lottery picks -- plus first-round hopefuls Allan Ray and Paul Davis. Octagon scooped up Rudy Gay and Rodney Carney, two other likely lottery picks. The rich will get richer, Skippy.

In fact, almost all of the best players in the draft belong to the agent world's heavies. In the past five drafts there have been 67 lottery picks, and 17 of those went to SFX. (That company was Tellem's employer until he left in January. His departure is causing problems for SFX, which likely will not have a lottery pick in this draft and might not have a first-round pick at all.) Duffy is next, with six lottery picks. Thomas and Dan Fegan each have had four, and Billy Ceisler, Leon Rose and Lon Babby have had three apiece. That means 59.7 percent of the lottery picks have gone through seven agencies.

STEP THREE: KNOWING THE RULES

Along with your application, you will receive a 13-page section called 'NBPA Regulations Governing Player Agents.' There are other rules involving your duties as an agent-the NCAA has regulations, and 40 states have laws governing sports agents. But the rules outlined in this document make clear that, as a registered agent, you are working as a representative for the union on behalf of players and that you are accountable to the union.

It also makes clear, particularly in Section 3B, what conduct is prohibited and subject to discipline. Among other rules, an agent is prohibited from:

n Providing monetary inducement to any player to encourage that player to utilize his services.

n Providing monetary inducement to any member of a player's family or any other person to encourage that player to utilize his services.

n Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or any conduct that reflects adversely on his fitness as a player agent.

Now, now, relax, Skippy. These rules are, shall we say, loose. Or, as one agent says, 'A joke. I don't know why there's a rulebook at all.'

Take Sections 3Bf and 3Bg, for example. The first prohibits 'representing the general manager or coach of any NBA team ... in matters pertaining to his employment.' The second prohibits 'engaging in any other activity which creates an actual or potential conflict of interest.' It's a bit odd, then, that there was no problem with Keith Glass client and former Rutgers guard Quincy Douby working out for the Knicks in May-a workout that was overseen by coach Larry Brown, who is a client of Joe Glass, Keith's father. Douby also worked out for the Bulls, coached by Scott Skiles, who is Keith Glass' client. Flouting of the rules on coaches and conflicts of interest is common-agent Mark Termini represents Pistons head coach Flip Saunders (and assistant Ron Harper) but also represents about a half-dozen players, including draft candidate Mike Gansey.

See, the rules are not taken too seriously. In fact, bad things can happen when you try to play by them. Veteran agent Darren Weiner had only recently started his practice in 1994 when he met a talented freshman at the University of Massachusetts named Marcus Camby. Weiner limited his contact with Camby, though. 'I feel when you recruit kids, you should give them space to be a kid and not constantly call them directly,' Weiner says. 'If you work hard to get to know the adults around the kid and let them know what you're all about, then when the time comes they'll introduce you.'

Weiner got to know UMass coach John Calipari, as well as assistants Bruiser Flint and Bill Bayno. He met Jackie Bethea, who worked with a Boys & Girls Club back in Hartford, Conn., and was a mentor for Camby. Weiner developed a friendship with Bethea and the coaches.

But everything changed when Camby was a junior and it became clear he'd be leaving for the NBA. Weiner was approached by Dave Glover, an assistant to the UMass athletic director who asked Weiner which player he was looking to represent. When Weiner responded with Camby's name, Glover told Weiner he'd be better off pursuing lesser prospects Donta Bright and Dana Dingle. Glover informed Weiner that the university had implemented a registration program for agents looking to represent Camby, and if Weiner still wanted to pursue Camby he'd have to file an application.

Weiner filed the application but never received verification. Once Glover took over the process, smaller agents were bumped out in favor of big names such as Tellem, Eric Fleisher and Tony Dutt (then with ProServ). Weiner was certain the cause was lost after the university sent out a notice saying Camby would be off-limits to agents once the conference tournament started. But after one conference tournament game, Weiner saw Glover, Camby, Dutt and Dutt's associate, Alex Johnson, chatting at the arena.

The agent-finding process at UMass was later revealed to be a fiasco-Camby admitted to taking money, gifts and, allegedly, the services of prostitutes from agents, which left the university in hot water. But Camby signed with ProServ, though he now is represented by Richard Kaplan. 'I was young and inexperienced,' Weiner says. 'Marcus was the player of the year, and the fact is you're not going to get every client you go after. Did I have a real shot at him? Maybe and maybe not. I know I had no shot once Dave Glover and the university got involved.'

You don't have to break the rules to get your agency started. Just massage them. The rules say you can't offer money to a player or his family, but the rules say nothing about giving jobs to key people close to players.

When Houston-based Bob McClaren, a former executive with the Astros, wanted to get into representing NBA players last year, he hired Tommy Thomas, the longtime coach at The Colony High School in north Texas. Made sense; two alums of The Colony, Deron Williams and Bracey Wright, were juniors in college (Williams at Illinois and Wright at Indiana). Both were heading into that year's draft. Little surprise, then, that McClaren's first two clients were Williams and Wright.

Sound fishy? It's all within the rules. And it is common practice. Duffy hired Calvin Andrews, who had been Drew Gooden's AAU coach. And now Duffy and Andrews, a certified agent, represent Gooden. But Andrews has been valuable beyond his connection with Gooden. He also brought Carmelo Anthony, Kareem Rush and Marcus Williams (among others) into the company. The same thing happened when Tellem brought AAU coach Thad Foucher-who coached Jonathan Bender's New Orleans Jazz AAU team-into his company. Tellem got Bender, but Foucher later brought in players such as Joe Johnson and Dahntay Jones.

But, hey, if the rulebook isn't for you, you still can be an NBA agent. Just get yourself some piles of cash and a few FedEx envelopes. It seems to have worked for Fegan, according to a former employer.

Fegan is one of the league's most powerful agents and has a client list made up of several players who sport eight-figure contracts, including Gilbert Arenas, Erick Dampier, Shawn Marion, Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson.

In 2002, Fegan's former associate, Brian Dyke, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court over the sale of Fegan's business to Canadian conglomerate Assante. Dyke alleged that Fegan broke promises and froze him out of the deal. The case was settled out of court and Dyke dropped the lawsuit, but the allegations in Dyke's deposition were fascinating. He named four AAU representatives-Foucher, Chicago's Michael Irvin, Michigan's Chris Grier and Fresno's Darren Matsubara-who, he claimed, were paid by Fegan.

Dyke was asked if he thought Fegan had paid Irvin compensation in order to sign Marion. 'Yes,' Dyke said. When asked why he thought that, Dyke said, 'Because he told me he did.'

The best sequence of the deposition starts on page 212. Dyke's lawyer asked about the payments Fegan allegedly made and labeled them 'brown bag payments' made directly to the coaches, not as donations to the AAU programs.

Q. How do you know that when he said he was making payments he wasn't referring to making an AAU donation?

A. Because I think if you're making an AAU donation you wouldn't be sending it in a FedEx envelope in cash to someone's house.

Q. Did you see him FedEx envelopes in cash to someone's house?

A. Yeah.

Q. When did you see a FedEx envelope in cash to someone's house?

A. He sent Chris Grier cash.

Q. When was that?

A. That would have been 2000 also.

Q. How much cash?

A. I don't know how much it was.

Q. Do you have any ballpark?

A. It was over $1,000.

The players association never punished Fegan. Again, Skippy, you should know the rules. Just don't worry about them too much.

STEP FOUR: AGENT, BEWARE

However you manage to get yourself a client or two, remember that the wise agent remains on his toes. That's because it's very easy for players to drop an agent and pick up a new one-the player simply must file an official termination letter with the union and wait 15 days. Just like that, you're gone. 'You learn to live in fear of the fax,' one agent says. 'Every time the fax starts going, you think, 'Am I getting fired?' '

Peruse the pages of the 2001 agent's handbook. Then look at the 2005 book and you can see there is cause for such paranoia-during that four-year span, 70 of the 233 players (30.0 percent) listed in both books changed agents. Look at Mavericks guard Jason Terry, for example. He entered the 1999 draft with Larry Fox as his agent and just weeks later switched to No Limit Sports, the company started by rapper Master P. He left No Limit and signed with agent Brad Marshall in 2001. Terry dropped him within a few months, which led Marshall to file a grievance with the union over a $200,000 loan he had given Terry. In 2003, Terry was a Raymond Brothers client. That year, Brothers negotiated Terry's three-year, $22.5 million contract. Terry, who will be one of the NBA's top free agents this summer, is currently represented by Fegan. For now, at least.

Players change agents like tube socks, which m

B Division: Round 12 - Results and Scorers - by Chris Mammides
Arkadikos is all the way to the championship as the leading scorer of the division, Giannis Manos (186-G-71) is leading his team to the championship. The results of the 12th week were as follows:
Sporting Ikaros Kallitheas 68-75
Quarters: 17-23, 34-39, 47-56, 68-75
Top Scorers:
Sporting: Nikos Kritsalos (192-G-77) 19, Efthimiou 17
Ikaros Kalliheas: Emmanouilidis 17, Martzos 14, Katoufas 12

Apollon Kalamarias - Lavrio 68-79
Quarters:13-15, 33-33, 49-56, 68-79
Top Scorers:
Apollon Kalamarias: Troulialis 14, Nanis 12
Lavrio: Nick Psileas (200-F-80) 34, Giannakopoulos 23

Ikaroi Serron Goumenisa 79-71
Quarters: 20-23, 41-38, 59-51, 79-71
Top Scorers:
Ikaroi Serron: Konstantinos Pehlivanis (192-F-79) 24, Topouzis 14, and Iosifidis 12
Goumenisa: Gimnopoulos 15, Dimitriou 25, and Karipidis 20

Komotini - Halkida 89-79
Quarters: 20-16, 38-36, 62-55, 89-79.
Top Scorers:
Komotini: Foutsitzis 11, Dinas 16, Gregory Ktistou (186-G-79, college: Carthage) 17.
Halkida: Psaropoulos 23, Jeremic 15.

P.Faliro - OFI 56-102
Quarters: 21-29, 34-42, 48-74, 56-102
Top Scorers:
P. Faliro: Monemvasitis 13, Konomi 15
OFI: Nikos Delatolas 27, Vagenas 14, Farmakis 15

AIAS Evosmou Pierikos Arhelaos 62-55
Quarters: 19-15, 33-27, 47-40, 62-55
Top Scorers:
AIAS: Triantafillidis 15, Filiousis 16, Souflias 12
Pierikos Arhelaos: Cuk 20

Amyntas - Doukas 96-91
Quarters: 19-12, 50-38, 77-63, 96-91
Top Scorers:
Amyntas: Samothrakis 18, Lazaridis 16
Doukas: Papargiropoulos 16, Karabas 15, Gavanopoulos 19, Galiotos 20

Arkadikos Anagennisi Floga 81-77
Quarters: 16-13, 41-34, 53-55, 81-77
Top Scorers:
Arkadikos: Giannis Manos 31.
Anagennisi Floga: Bourdanos 13, Zarogiannis 21

FIBA EuroCup: Costa Cafe Marousi - KK Zadar 91-75 - by Chris Mammides
FIBA EuroCup: Costa Cafe Marousi - KK Zadar 91-75
Soulis Markopoulos team succeeded another European victory and is now ready to qualify in the next round. The Hellenic team was much better than the Croats in all the aspects.
Five players had double digits with the newcomer Giorgos Diamantopoulos (195-F-80) being the man of the match as in the fourth and most crucial quarter he was the leading figure for Costa Cafe Marousi. William Amar Keys (188-G-77, college: N.Mexico St.), Kostas Kaimakoglou (206-C/F-83) , Loukas Mavrokefalides (207-C-84) and Dimitrios Mavroeidis (208-C-85) scored double digits while Jarod Stevenson (200-F-75, college: Richmond) scored 8 points but remain on the bench all the fourth quarter.
The game was a continuous monologue for the home team, after the first quarter when Costa Cafe Marousi took the lead and increase the difference to double digits and never actually loose it. The biggest difference was 21 points and was achieved in the fourth quarter. Costa Cafe Marousi succeeded to cover the first rounds loss as the 11 points were covered and in any case Costa Cafe Marousi will be ending this round over and above the Croats.
The quarters were: 26-11, 49-35, 70-58, and 91-75.
Top scorer and MVP of the game was Loukas Mavrokefalides who scored 16 followed by Dimitrios Mavroeidis who scored 14 while from the Croats, top scorer was Hrvoje Peric (203-F-85) with 19 point.

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


Oldenburg outscored EclipseJet MyGuide Amsterdam - by Fred Roggen
EWE Baskets Oldenburg took the inside track to Top 16 qualification in the EuroChallenge with a 78-62 victory over EclipseJet MyGuide Amsterdam.

In avenging a three-point defeat in Holland back on December 2, EWE Baskets improved to 3-2 while dropping MyGuide to 2-3.

Hapoel Jerusalem and Olympia are both 2-2 and are set to square off on Wednesday in this week's other Group E game.

German outfit EWE Baskets, playing in Europe this season for the first time, held a 56-54 lead with 6:50 left after a Teddy Gipson (193-G/F-80, agency: 540 Sports, college: Arkansas) three-point play for the Dutch team.

EWE Baskets then put the result beyond doubt.

Cameroon national team center Ruben Boumtje Boumtje answered with a lay-up and Jasmin Perkovic, Je'Kel Foster and Rickey Paulding followed with three-pointers as the Germans opened up a 67-54 advantage.

The Amsterdam team never recovered, getting no closer than eight points the rest of the way.

Jason Gardner and Boumtje Boumtje each had 15 points for EWE Baskets.



First Loss EiffelTowers in EuroChallenge - by Fred Roggen
AEL handed Eiffel Towers their first 95:77 loss in EuroChallenge Group D. The home side played much better and deserved the win more than the opponents. Taylor Quincy paced the winners with 22 points and Blanchard LaVell chipped in 20, who stormed out to a 26-22 lead by the end of the first quarter and rolled to a decisive victory. Proteas out-rebounded EiffelTowers 36-27.
Both teams shot well from long range. The home side buried 12 of 28 while EiffelTowers drilled 10 of 21. Kees Akerboom (200-F-83, agency: Court Side) produced 22 points in the losing effort as the Dutch team is on top with 4-1. AEL shares the second position with BC Siauliai with 3-2 each.

Hanzevast Capitals sign Julian Khazzouh - by Fred Roggen
Julian Khazzouh (209-C-86) Former Sydney Spirit centre Julian Khazzouh has left Australia for Holland, where he has joined the Hanzevast Capitals with a strong double-double on debut.
The Capitals are currently second on the ladder in the Dutch league and will be looking to Khazzouh to boost their stocks.
The Dutch league features quite a few ex-NBL players Orien Greene, Jerome Beasley, Simon Conn (who will be on Julians team), said Khazzouhs agent Daniel Moldovan.
We received a lot of interest in Julian, but felt that from a basketball perspective, this was the perfect situation given the fact that he will be the focal point in a league that is considered to be a similar level to the NBL.
Julian will be the starting center and will be playing a huge role on the team.

Matrixx Magixx lands Flanders and Jordan - by Fred Roggen
Antoine Jordan (196-G-83, college: Siena) is temporarily hired to replace the injured players at the forward position. Jordan is not unkown in Nijmegen, the 25-year-old American played last season already for Matrixx Magixx.
Angelo Flanders (201-F-77, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Bradley) has signed a contract for one and a half year. Flanders played this season in Wevelgem, but that team went bankrupt,He played in the past in the
NCAA competition at Bradley and came out for Werkendam, Amsterdam and NAC Breda.Then he played two seasons in Spain and one in Austria, where he became Champion with Gmunden Swans.

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


Market movements - by Tamas Deri
It did not take too long for the management of PVSK to find a replacement for Jermaine Spivey. The management invited croatian forward, Ante Kapov (200-G/F-76, agency: Interperformances) on a tryout, who arrived already on sunday in Pecs. The 200 cm tall, 32 years old player from Croatia started his carreer in Rijeka, after three seasons he signed with Sibenik. He played his first season in Portugal outside of Croatia and played also in Poland, Slovakia, Belgium. He started the last season in Rijeka again but finished in Cyprus. He played five games for FSU and averaged: 15.0ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.2spg.

Jason Williams (197-F-79, college: Radford) is no more with the team of Univer. The american forward arrived after Christmas to Kecskemet, but could not fill in the expectations of the management. Regarding the club's website, player is out of shape and has also problems with his left knee.

Standings - A Division
A Division Standings
 1. Albacomp 8-2 
 2. Dombovar 8-3 
 3. Atomeromu 7-2 
 4. Falco 7-3 
 5. PVSK Panth. 7-4 
 6. Kormend 7-5 
 7. ZTE KK 6-4 
 8. Univer KSE 6-4 
 9. Soproni 6-5 
 10. Kaposvari 4-7 
 11. Szolnok 4-8 
 12. Marso-Vagep 3-7 
 13. Debreceni 1-9 
 14. EnterNet-NTE 0-11 


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  JAMAICA   


Cedarville rises to #4 in latest poll - by Leonard Whyte
Cedarville, OH (06-01-2009): Cedarville University moved up four positions to No. 5 in the latest NAIA Division II mens basketball Top 25 ranking released yesterday. Cedarville, 16-1 overall, has won eight consecutive games and returns to action on Tuesday to play host to Ohio Dominican University in an American Mideast Conference contest. The Yellow Jackets roster features three Jamaicans: Junior forwards Ricardo Alliman and Christopher Walker , and senior center Daniel Rose. Alliman leads the team in scoring with 12 points per game, while Rose (10) and Walker (9) are third and fourth respectively. In rebounding, the Jamaicans occupy the top three spots as Alliman leads the team with nine rebounds per game followed by Rose with seven and Walker with six.

Notre Dame survives in OT on the road - by Leonard Whyte
Rochester, NY (01-06-2009): Junior center Karim McFarlane scored 12 points and snatched eight boards to help Notre Dame College defeat Roberts Wesleyan College 80-67 over the weekend in the opening game of its American Mideast Conference (AMC) schedule. Notre Dame, down by as many as 15 points late in the contest, staged a furious rally to force overtime. In OT, the Falcons were almost perfect, going 5-of-6 from the floor, 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Notre Dame returned home with its third victory in four games and the fifth on the road this season to run their record to 11-5. They return to the court on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to face Ohio State University-Mansfield in the teams final non-conference game.

Jordans double-double leads Tulsa over NSU - by Leonard Whyte
Tulsa, OK (1-5-2009): Junior center, Jerome Jordan, scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to help the University of Tulsa dismiss Northeastern Oklahoma State University 67-44 over the weekend in a non-conference encounter. Jordan connected on 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line as Tulsa improved their record to 9-5. Tulsa opens play in Conference USA on Wednesday when it faces the University of Southern Mississippi on the road.

Cedarville gains revenge against Rio Grande - by Leonard Whyte
Cedarville, OH (1-5-2009): NAIA Division II No. 9 Cedarville University avenged their only loss of the season over the weekend when they edged No. 5 Rio Grande, 66-64 to open its American Mideast Conference schedule on a winning note. Cedarville fell 70-65 four weeks ago to their rivals but this time used some late game heroics to return the favor and push their season record to 16-1. Junior forward, Ricardo Alliman, formerly of Calabar High, notched yet another double-double for the Yellow Jackets as he finished with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

*****************************************************
  JAPAN   


BJ League Round: 23 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Broncos - 89ers 80-75
Broncos overcame 89ers 80:75 in the first appearance between the teams. Warren Reginald led the winners with 23 points and 12 boards, whilst St.Preux Bobby top-scored again for the guests with 17 points.

Phoenix - Albirex 102-81
Phoenix notched 102 points against Albirex that could score only 81. Gardener Michael paced all the winners with 24 points, whilst Jordan LeVonn and Fujita Hiroki added 14 each. Takeno Akitomo posted 21 points for the visiting team.

Broncos - 89ers 78-85
Broncos lost to 89ers 78:85 in Regular Season Round 23. St.Preux Bobby led the winners with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists while Barber Joseph added 16. Warren Reginald ended up with 28 points and 15 rebounds in defeat.

Phoenix - Albirex 91-67
Phoenix improved to 12-10 in the standings after the second win over Albirex 91:67. Gardener Michael paced the winners with 22 points and Morrison Marcus collected 20 points and 16 boards. Burks Antonio netted 12 points for the guests.

Grouses - Apache 77-86
Grouses was beaten by Apache 77:86 on January 3rd. Aoki Cohey was responsible for 22 points and Davis Nick followed him with 20 points. Woodyard Terrence ended up with 22 points for the home side.

Rizing - Evessa 69-75
Evessa produced 75:69 over Rizing as Murry Nile top-scored with 26 points. Washington Lynn collected massive 21 points and 21 rebounds, while Parker Michael nailed 28 points in defeat.

Golden Kings - Five Arrows 86-79
Golden Kings outscored Five Arrows 86:79 on January 3rd behind 21 points from Takushi Naoto. Leach George tried hard for the guests ending up with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Grouses - Apache 77-79
Apache is on top of the Eastern Conference with 15-7 record after 79:77 over Grouses. Davis Nick top-scored for the winners with 20 points and 12 rebounds, whilst Ashby Julius notched 16. Camara Babacar collected 23 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.

Rizing - Evessa 74-84
Rizing lost to Evessa 74:84 on January 4th. Washington Lynn scored 27 points and made 17 rebounds, while Murry Nile followed him with 26 points. Parker Michael produced 26 points and 12 boards in defeat.

Golden Kings - Five Arrows 73-69
Golden Kings beat Five Arrows 73:69 for 18-4 record on top. Ayer Chris edned up with 25 points for the winners and Sojourner Isaac finished the night with 20 points and 8 rebounds for the guests.



Only 4 teams left standing in All-Japan Tourney - by Kenny
In quarterfinal action at the 84th annual All-Japan Tournament held yesterday (Jan. 5th) in Tokyo, the Aisin Sea Horses downed the Mitsubisihi Diamond Dolphins by a score of 82-73 behind C J.R. Sakuragi's 20 points and 11 rebounds and PG Shinsuke Kashiwagi's 30 points. Mitsubishi played valiantly and kept the game close until Aisin pulled away for good late in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi was led by the trio of F Takuya Sato, F Carl Thomas, and C Adam Parada who had 17 pts, 13 pts, and 12 pts respectively.

Aisin will now face the Toyota Alvark in the semifinals-a rematch of last year's championship which was won by Aisin. Toyota beat the Toshiba Brave Thunders 99-87 in the late game on Monday. Toyota was paced by steady veteran F Charles O'Bannon (198-G/F-75, college: UCLA),, who had 26 points, and by another steady veteran, F MIchael Takahashi, who contributed with 22 pts and 13 boards. Toshiba made a game of it in the 3rd quarter and trimmed Toyota's lead to 4 points at one point, but a 33-25 4th quarter blew the game open for Toyota. Toshiba was led by the trio of PG Takumi Ishizaki, G/F Shohei Kikuchi, and C Cory Violette as they scored 21 pts, 18 pts, and 18 pts respectively.

The other 2 teams still battling for the Emperor's Cup are the Hitachi Sun Rockers, who downed the Link Tochigi Brex on Sunday (Jan. 4th), and the Panasonic Trians, who defeated the Rera Kamuy Hokkaido on Sunday.

The semifinal games-Aisin vs. Toyota and Hitachi vs. Panasonic-will be played on Saturday, Jan. 10th in Tokyo. The championship game will take place on Monday, Jan. 12th.

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


BK Ventspils outgun Energa Czarni in EuroChallenge - by Eurobasket News
BK Ventspils -Energa Czarni 94:88 (18-21, 23-13, 24-24, 29-30)

BK Ventspils stun Energa Czarni 94:88 in Latvia tonight. Trailing 18-21 after the opening quarter Baltic side won the second quarter 23-13 to seal the winning outcome. Mareks Jurevicus (198-G/F-85) paced all the winners with 29 points. Ronalds Zakis (207-F/C-87) nailed 19, while Janis Strelnieks (191-G-89) posted 14. Pawel Leonczyk (202-F-86, agency: Promotex) ended up with 19 points in defeat, while Mateo Kedzo (207-F/C-84) notched 18. The Latvians improved to 2-3 and Energa Czarni dropped at 1-4.
Energa Czarni looked better in the first quarter and scored the last five points of the period. Demetric Bennett (193-G-85) made it 19:18 and then Pawel Leonczyk closed the first at 21:18. The second period however belonged to the Baltic side and it was the only frame the hosts won. A 23-13 in it lifted them up to 41:34 at the halftime.
Demetric Bennett tied the game later at 50:50 for both squads. BK Ventspils created a 10-2 run for 60:52. Energa Czarni cut it a bit for 65:58 at the end of the third. Demetric Bennett hit back-to-back baskets and Marcin Sroka stroked a three-pointer to make it 65:63. Veselovs however was the one to close the hosts run as they spurted to 82:68. Latvian side held the score for good and Brazelton made it 94:88 at the end.

BK Ventspils: Mareks Jurevicus 29, Ronalds Zakis 19, Janis Strelnieks 14
Energa Czarni: Pawel Leonczyk 19, Mateo Kedzo 18

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  NBA   


Knicks consider trade to bring back Marcus Camby - by Eurobasket News
The Portland Trail Blazers' dogged pursuit of David Lee could result in Marcus Camby (6'11''-F/C-74, college: Massachusetts) returning to New York.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh denied that he is working on a three-way deal with the Blazers and Clippers, but several team sources confirmed that Walsh and the Knicks' coaching staff have discussed the possibility of adding Camby, who was traded from Denver to the Clippers last July.

Portland has been trying for months to acquire Lee, who will become a restricted free agent this summer. Mike D'Antoni would prefer to have the athletic 7-foot Camby as his center as opposed to the 6-9 Lee, who has improved offensively but has struggled on the defensive end.

There was a report of the Knicks being involved in a deal that would send Quentin Richardson to the Clippers and Lee to Portland, with the Knicks getting back Camby and former Knicks first-round pick Channing Frye. Walsh, however, denied having discussed that trade with the Clippers and Blazers.

Camby, 34, has developed into one of the game's best rebounding and defensive centers. He is averaging 12.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots this season for the Clippers. Ten years ago, Camby played a significant role in helping the Knicks reach the NBA Finals.

However, Camby eventually fell out of favor with Garden chairman James Dolan, who eventually had former Knicks president Scott Layden trade Camby and Camby's best friend, Latrell Sprewell, in successive years. Dolan, according to a club source, would not prevent Walsh from trading for Camby.

Lee's future with the Knicks is uncertain due to his pending free agency. Although the Knicks have the right to match any offer Lee receives, the club would be reluctant to sign Lee to a long-term extension if that deal jeopardizes the Knicks' ability to get under the salary cap by the summer of 2010 when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are eligible for free agency.

Last week, Walsh hinted that the Knicks need to add more size, which is something they will do when Eddy Curry returns from a knee injury. Walsh is also hopeful that the Knicks can add a backup point guard. Curry practiced Sunday for the first time since Nov. 1.

'We'll see if there are any setbacks,' D'Antoni said. 'But if he continues ... after a week he'll probably be day-to-day, shouldn't be too long.'

Courtesy of http://www.nydailynews.com

NBA Round: 68 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Spurs - Heat 91-84
San Antonio Spurs made it at the American Airlines Arena improving their record on 23-11. Tim Duncan nailed 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for 35 minutes. George Hill helped with 15 points and 7 boards, while Matt Bonner and Roger Mason netted 11 points apiece. Dwayne Wade shined in defeat with 24 points and 12 assists. Heat 18-15.

Kings - Nets 90-98
Vince Carter stepped up for the Nets collecting 29 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, while Jianlian Yi added 22 pts and 13 boards. Kevin Martin, who came off the bench, was totally the bets for Sacramento - 36 points, 4 rebs and 4 as. Nets 17-18, Kings 8-27.

Raptors - Bucks 97-107
Milwaukee Bucks celebrated at home against the Raptors thanks to Michael Redd (6'6''-G-79, college: Ohio St.), who poured in 35 points. He also grabbed 6 rebounds and handed out 4 assists. Charlie Villanueva helped with 25 pts and 6 rebs. As usual, Chris Bosh was the leading player in Toronto Raptors registering double-double, 31 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Bucks 17-19, Raptors 14-21.

Pacers - Nuggets 115-135
Magnificent 135 points by the Nuggets were more than enough for 24th victory of the season (24-12). Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin combined 49 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists in this win. Carmelo Anthony added 21 pts, 6 rebs and 9 assists. Danny Granger replied with 36 points in defeat. Pacers 12-22.

Warriors - Jazz 114-119
20-15 for the Jazz and 10-26 for the Warriors after this game. Deron Williams was a key player for the winners as he drained 25 points and dished out 15 assists. Mehmet Okur had 20 points and 11 boards, while Paul Millsap also came up with double-double, 19 points and 14 rebounds. Jamal Crawford and Corey Maggette had 51 points together in loss.

Bulls clearly need a bold move, not a roster tweak - by Eurobasket News
This is the stage of an NBA season where teams discuss potential deals, decide which ones make sense, then get serious in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

It really doesn't take any insider information to figure out the Bulls' plans, just a set of eyes.

They will build around rookie Derrick Rose, that's a given. But the Bulls have proven time and again this season they're a long way from competing with the elite teams. So a little tweak of the roster won't do much good. They need to make a big splash.

So count on the No. 1 priority being something that will create salary cap room in 2010, with the primary free agent targets Toronto's Chris Bosh and Phoenix' Amare Stoudemire. There may even be an outside chance Chicago native Dwyane Wade will be interested in coming home from Miami.

The Bulls don't necessarily have to do anything to create enough room to sign a max player in 2010, just let Ben Gordon and Drew Gooden walk as free agents this summer. Larry Hughes' expensive deal expires after next season.

But with Gordon (20.9 ppg) playing very well, another option is to deal Kirk Hinrich, Andres Nocioni or Luol Deng for a shorter contract and try to re-sign Gordon. Hinrich and Nocioni should have decent trade value, but Deng is a long shot to be moved. No team will be anxious to take on his new contract, which peaks at $14.3 million in 2013-14.

Also, general manager John Paxson will have to ask himself if it makes any sense to move Nocioni, one of the few players who shows some heart on this team.

Now, if the Bulls can make a positive move without adding a contract that lasts beyond 2010, they'll be glad to do it. The obvious need is inside help, preferably someone with experience.

But it wouldn't surprise me if Paxson sets out to change the scenery and brings in some new faces just for the sake of change. This season is shaping up as a replay of last year, when the schedule offered numerous opportunities for the Bulls to push into the playoffs, but they never did.

Anyone could get traded, with the exception of Rose and Ben Gordon, who by rule has to approve any move since he signed the one-year qualifying offer. If Gordon did get traded, he'd lose his Bird rights (which allow a team to exceed the salary cap to re-sign its own player), so he's not going anywhere before the season ends.

Gooden is a prime candidate to be traded, since it appears unlikely he'll re-sign with the Bulls this summer. An ideal move would be to swap him for a player whose contract expires next year, which could work for both sides if the other team wants to save some money. Some big men who fit that description are the Clippers' Marcus Camby (maybe), Toronto's Andrea Bargnani (maybe) and Miami's Udonis Haslem (doubtful).

Most of the other centers that might be available (Chris Kaman, Sam Dalembert, Troy Murphy, Nick Collison) have contracts that run through 2011 or beyond. But in theory, those players could be potential assets if the Raptors decide to make a pre-emptive trade next year before Bosh becomes a free agent.

Another goal is to find a new home for Hughes. The Bulls' abysmal defense has proved the need to get Hinrich back on the floor once he returns from thumb surgery and Hughes is the natural odd man out.

Hughes could be traded straight-up for Sacramento center Brad Miller, but the Kings would likely want Joakim Noah included in the deal. If cash and draft picks could be used as sweetener, it would make sense for the Bulls.

Portland might offer Channing Frye and Travis Outlaw for one of the Bulls' established players besides Hughes.

There is plenty of trade talk going on, according to league insiders. Three teams (Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles Lakers), maybe four (Orlando) are head and shoulders above everyone else, so it stands to reason that plenty of general managers are looking to make changes.

Underachievers like Toronto, Philadelphia, Indiana, Washington, Charlotte, Utah, Sacramento and Oklahoma City will no doubt be looking to make changes, while some of the better teams will try to catch up to the NBA's big four.

Bulls fans should hope Paxson keeps his Blackberry charged.

Courtesy of http://www.dailyherald.com

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  PBL   


Brian Silverhorn Named PBL Player of the Week - by Richard
Chicago, IL Halifax Rainmen forward Brian Silverhorn (6'6''-G-84, college: Georgetown, KY) was named PBL Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Silverhorn, playing his second season with the Rainmen, received Player of the Week honors as he averaged a team-high 21.5ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 apg while shooting 60% on three-pointers in two games this week.

'This is a great honor as there are a lot of really talented players in this league, and on our team, said Silverhorn. Anyone could have been named player of the week, so it's awesome for me to be the one selected.'

'It's great to see Brian has been selected as this week's player of the week, said Rainmen Head Coach Rick Lewis. Brian worked really heard in the off-season to raise the level of his game and his focus. I feel this selection is well deserved.'

Silverhorn helped the Rainmen to a 2-0 week, which included road wins over the Montreal Sasquatch and Quebec Kebs. He scored 25 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in an 87-82 win over Quebec and had 18 points, including the game winning-shot in a 127-125 win over Montreal.

Rainmen Owner Andre Levingston stated, Brian is playing at an extremely high level this year. He will be a premier player in this league this season.

Other nominees included AJ Millien of the Augusta Groove, Stanley Thomas of the Chicago Throwbacks, Randy White Chocolate Gill of the Montreal Sasquatch and Willie Mitchell of the Detroit Panthers.
Courtesy of PBL

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


BK Ventspils outgun Energa Czarni in EuroChallenge - by Eurobasket News
BK Ventspils -Energa Czarni 94:88 (18-21, 23-13, 24-24, 29-30)

BK Ventspils stun Energa Czarni 94:88 in Latvia tonight. Trailing 18-21 after the opening quarter Baltic side won the second quarter 23-13 to seal the winning outcome. Mareks Jurevicus (198-G/F-85) paced all the winners with 29 points. Ronalds Zakis (207-F/C-87) nailed 19, while Janis Strelnieks (191-G-89) posted 14. Pawel Leonczyk (202-F-86, agency: Promotex) ended up with 19 points in defeat, while Mateo Kedzo (207-F/C-84) notched 18. The Latvians improved to 2-3 and Energa Czarni dropped at 1-4.
Energa Czarni looked better in the first quarter and scored the last five points of the period. Demetric Bennett (193-G-85) made it 19:18 and then Pawel Leonczyk closed the first at 21:18. The second period however belonged to the Baltic side and it was the only frame the hosts won. A 23-13 in it lifted them up to 41:34 at the halftime.
Demetric Bennett tied the game later at 50:50 for both squads. BK Ventspils created a 10-2 run for 60:52. Energa Czarni cut it a bit for 65:58 at the end of the third. Demetric Bennett hit back-to-back baskets and Marcin Sroka stroked a three-pointer to make it 65:63. Veselovs however was the one to close the hosts run as they spurted to 82:68. Latvian side held the score for good and Brazelton made it 94:88 at the end.

BK Ventspils: Mareks Jurevicus 29, Ronalds Zakis 19, Janis Strelnieks 14
Energa Czarni: Pawel Leonczyk 19, Mateo Kedzo 18

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  PORTUGAL   


Sampaense trades Jolley by Wyatt - by Luis Rocha
Sampaense lost Kevin Jolley (197-F-82, agency: Passing Lane, college: Quinnipiac) and quicly went to the market to find another player. They decided to get Juan Wyatt (203-F-84, college: Alcorn St.). Wyatt is an all around player, but plays best as a 4. Very quick, he can drive to the basket,and play back to the board, with equal knowledge. Hes a great leader and usually takes the responsabilities of getting points and deciding last minute plays by himself. Can be a good add to Sampaenses roster, but hes been without playing for too long. If he gets well adapted and picksup his shape soon he may help Sampaense to achieve is season objectiv, get promoted to LPB.

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  PUERTO RICO   


Ayusos Offense helps Energy Win - by Luis Ramirez
Larry Ayuso had an excellent shooting night on Sunday as his team the Iowa Energy (D-League) beat Fort Wayne Mad Ants 118-101. Ayuso played 44:13 minutes in the game and scored 23 points to lead the Energy. He shot 8 out of 14 from the field, making 5 out of 8 from 3point range, Ayuso also made 2 out of 3 from the Free throw line, with 2 assists and 1 steal. The Iowa Energy is currently leading their Central Division with a record of 9-2. Ayuso is currently averaging 13.1 ppg. The Energys next game will be on Jan 6th against the Dakota Wizards.Larry Ayuso (190-G-77, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: USC)

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  RUSSIA   


Samara outscores Base Oostende for the second win in Group G - by Eurobasket News
CSK-VVS Samara-Base Oostende 86:72 (23-20, 29-20, 13-16, 21-16)

CSK-VVS Samara improved to 2-3 in EuroChallenge Group G campaign after 86:72 over Base Oostende. Belgian team tried hard but lost the game and fell at 1-4. Mladen Sljivancanin (200-G/F-85) paced all the winners with 20 points. Marque Perry (186-G-81, agency: N.E.T., college: St.Louis) collected 19 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, while Sergei Demeshkin (200-F-76) netted 15. Veselin Petrovic (194-G/F-77, agency: Beo Basket) ended up with 19 points in defeat and Robert Hite (188-G-84, college: Miami, FL) notched 15.
In the beginning of the game Veselin Petrovic gave his team an early lead from the arc and Robert Hite kept the advantage at 9:6. Samara woke up at the end of the period and Mladen Sljivancanin closed the quarter at 23:20. Marque Perry made it 32:27 but Robert Hite responded with a basket to close the gap to 32:29. Sergei Demeshkin with a dunk for Samara gradually pulled away his team to a bigger lead. Marque Perry scored for 52:40 at the halftime.
With 16-13 in the third Base Oostende reduced to 56:65 at the end of the third stanza. Paunic made a jump-shot to close thirty minutes of the game. Veselin Petrovic remained his team alive for 68:61 but then Samara made the last push to win the game. Paunic made a free throw for 86:72 as Samara celebrated the second win in five games.

CSK-VVS Samara: Mladen Sljivancanin 20, Marque Perry 19+9 rebs+7 ast, Sergei Demeshkin 15
Base Oostende: Veselin Petrovic 19, Robert Hite 15

Braswell and Robinson remain Cholet Basket undefeated - by Eurobasket News
Lokomotiv Rostov-Cholet Basket 65:66 (22-16, 9-19, 18-19, 16-12)

Kevin Braswell (188-G-79, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgetown) and Robinson remain Cholet Basket undefeated in EuroChallenge Group C. The French outfit grabbed a 66:65 road victory over Lokomotiv Rostov in Russia. Kevin Braswell led the winners with 24 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Antywane Robinson (203-F-84, agency: Priority Sports, college: Temple) added 17 and Vincent Grier (195-G/F-83, college: Minnesota) scored 8. Szymon Szewczyk (209-C-82) shined for the home side with 31 points and 10 rebounds, whilst Maksim Sheleketo (204-F-87) posted 9.
The key player for the Russian side House spent 49 seconds and had to leave the court being substituted by Maksim Sheleketo. Szymon Szewczyk was the one to battle in the opening quarter keeping Lokomotiv Rostov at 22:16 on top. It was him again for 26:18 but Kevin Braswell tied the game at 27:27. Krivosheev could only reduce the gap to 31:35 at the halftime.
In the third period Cholet Basket never looked behind and enjoyed 5-7 points advantage. The squads finished the third stanza at 49:54 as Szymon Szewczyk made a free throw. The French side was always in front also in the last period, but Lokomotiv Rostov brought intrigue into the game. Again Szymon Szewczyk scored for 61:64, however Antywane Robinson made it 61:66. For the guests those points were the last in the game and it was enough for the win. Zibirov and Tomas were perfect from the free throw line, but their points led to 65:66 score on the board.

Lokomotiv Rostov: Szymon Szewczyk 31+10 rebs, Maksim Sheleketo 9
Cholet Basket: Kevin Braswell 24+3ast+3rebs, Antywane Robinson 17, Vincent Grier 8

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  SAUDI ARABIA   


Sowell with Al Hilal - by Mohammed Malas
The american guard Kevin Sowell (190-G-81) is the 2nd import of Al Hilal with Kenyon Booker (206-C, college: Shaw)....

Cage played in Lebanon with Anibal last seaon, He has an experience in playing in Columbia, Venezuela, Chile and Argentina.

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  SERBIA   


Partizan waits Panionios on Christmas in crucial Euroleague game - by Dragan Jankovski
Tomorrow is a Christmas day in Serbia and the most important one in 08/09 Euroleague season for Partizan Igokea. After couple of thriller defeats, Partizan now has to beat Panionios and to wait for the other results in Group D.

On the regular press conference head coach of the reining Serbian champion Dusko Vujosevic stated that his team is in better position because the game will be played in the front of the Black-and-white's fans in Belgrade.

'We have to win tomorrow by 5 or more points. Panionios is very dangerous rival but with help of our fans, which are for sure the best in Europe, our chances become bigger, said Vujosevic. 'Panionios is excellent team where each player knows its role. They have a same wish as we - Top 16.'

Both teams currently have 3 wins and 5 defeats in Group D. The same numbers also has AJ Milano. Only one of these 3 teams will make it to Top 16. The Italians will host Real Madrid on Wednesday, what is also very important game for Partizan. In the last round Panionios and AJ Milano will meet each other. Partizan goes to Moscow.

Tomorrow's game is scheduled for 20:45 in Pionir.

Crvena Zvezda, Hemofarm and FMP in EuroCup today - by Dragan Jankovski
Three Serbian representatives will meet their rivals today in Round 4 of the EuroCup regular season.

Crvena Zvezda, who already booked a spot for the next stage, will host Spirou Charleroi. As a remainder, the Belgian team is the only one who succeeded to beat Zvezda this season in EuroCup. It was 71-65. If the Red-and-whites manage to beat their opponent with more that 6 points, they will have a chance to reach the next stage from top of Group F. The game is scheduled for today at 19:30h in hall Pionir.

Hemofarm STADA will meet Bilbao in crucial game of the regular season. Serbian team currently has 2-2 in Group H, while Bilbao is undefeated. The good thing for Hemfoarm is that Buducnost has 1-3 meaning that the team from Vrsac has a chance to make a huge step forward to the next round. The game will start at 18h in Millennium.

FMP will have an extremely difficult task to beat Spanish Pamesa in order to keep its hopes for the next stage alive. Pamesa is on top of Group G with 4-0, while FMP has 1-3. The bad thing for the Panthers are two defeats against Fortitudo. If FMP wins today it will have some chances, but it is hard to believe that Fortutudo will loose both games until the end. The game is scheduled for 18h.

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  SLOVENIA   


Helios wins by 40 and Krka by 35 - by Zeljko Zule

Helios' bench players outscored the opposing team of Elektra Esotech in the opening game of Round 14 and Krka in second half crushed Epic Misel.
Helios-Elektra Esotech 102-60: Helios never trailed and bench players outscored its starters 67-35. Matej Krusic (211-F/C-87) netted 23 points on shooting 9-of-10, Vjeko Petrovic had 13 points and 7 rebounds, Igor Tratnik and Nicholas Jacobson added 12 points apiece, Aljaz Janza 10 and Ziga Zagorc dished out 7 assists. Helios in first half shot 67-percent (18-of-27) and handed out 15 assists while the guests shot just 10-of-33 including 1-of-11 from 3-point range. Dejan Cup was the only scorer in double figures for Elektra, with 17.
Epic Misel-Krka 63-98: Krka trailed at half, 33-38, and shot just 13-of-37 but in second half scored 65 points on shooting 24-of-37. The guests had all starters in double figures. Marko Rakocevic scored 18 points, Jure Balazic collected 17 points and 13 rebounds, Simon Petrov posted 16 points, Ricky Shields 15 and Rolandas Alijevas 13. Epic Misel was outscored 7-37 in the last quarter. David Moro finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds and Vjeran Soldo had 13 points and 13 rebounds.



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  SYRIA   


Leading Teams Keep Their Winning Streak Alive - by Emile Aaji
Two postponded games were played today in damascus , Leading teams Al Jalaa Aleppo and Al Jeish Army Damascus manadeg to win their 10th game of the season and kept their record without any defeats .
In the first game army had no difficulties to beat Al Hurriya by 32 points 101-69 , Al Jeish Army Damascus took the lead early and kept their good performance to grab a big win to continue their battle with Al Jalaa Aleppo for the first place .
The second match was more competetive , Al Wehda Damascus were tough opponents for Al Jalaa Aleppo and did'nt allow them to sneak away with a big victory , the game was balanced but eventually jalaa won it by 6 points 83-77 to remain in the first place for one more week

Standings - D1
D1 Standings
 1. Jalaa 9-0 
 2. Jeish 9-0 
 3. Wehda 8-2 
 4. Yarmouk 6-4 
 5. Ittihad 5-4 
 6. Talee'a 5-5 
 7. Wathba 4-5 
 8. Hurriya 4-6 
 9. Kasyoun 3-7 
 10. Nawayeer 3-7 
 11. Karameh 2-8 


Nawayeer gets Canady - by Mohammed Malas
Nawayeer basketball team management decided to have the signature of the american forward Raymond Canady Jr. (201-F-84) to play with the team for the reminder of the season.

Canady was graduated from Valdosta St. in the US-NCAA2 in 2007, He's looking to establish his career with a success in Syria.

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  TAIWAN   


TV contract still up in the air - by Chris Wang
Four days before the season opener, the new television broadcast contract of the 2009 SBL season is still up in the air. The absence of the largest revenue caused sponsors to waver in their faith as Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc. (KKL) decided to postpone a press conference Tuesday that planned to announce its sponsorship of the SBL team which was previously known as dmedia Numen, the Central News Agency reported.

Negotiation between TV stations and the SBL has not been going well as both sides failed to agree on the broadcast fee. The collected offer of Videoland Sports and ESPN went from NT$56 million (US$1.69 million) all the way down to NT$22 million (US$670,000). VL Sports was said to be considering dropping the bid and ESPN made its final standalone offer of NT$14 million (US$420,000).

Which means the SBL could be left without game broadcast in the upcoming season.

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  TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO   


UTT stop Jazz unbeaten run! - by Albert-Lee Young

Sando Petro Jazz came to Port of Spain (Jean Pierre Complex) on Monday night with a winning streak of five wins, so it seemed appropriate for the experience Jazz to force the UTT team into a must-win situation to be in contention for a play-off spot.

For the surging young dynamic student-athletes, it wasn't a problem.

Kenny Alfred scored 29 points and Kensley Sandy added 21 as UTT rallied from an 18 points deficit (53-35) with 8.27mins left in the third quarter for an exciting 86-83 win over the Jazz (5-1).


'We lost our rhythm somewhere between the second & third quarters and Jazz gain control,'' UTT coach Terry Layton said 'They're a good team that played in a lot of big games. Credit to our guys, we got some steals, couple blocks and finished strong. We have been in these situations against the other bigger teams in the tournament.''

UTT got valuable contributions from Kiewan Bacquain who had 15 points & 6rebs; Miguel Sansaviour 7pts, 5 rebs & 3blocks; and Shawn Lawrence 8 points, 4 rebs & 2blocks. For Jazz, Kevin Garcia had 22 points and 9 rebs; Louise Davis scored 20; Michael Pantin 14 points; Curlin Dottin 10 points; and Miguel Williams added 9 points & 9 rebounds.

UTT Led in the first quarter 22-16, however Jazz took the initative by the end of the second half for a 44-35 advantage. In less than two minutes of the third quarter Jazz ran out to a quick 53-35 lead but UTT fought back to finish 59-60 behind.

This set up the stage for an exciting fourth quarter. With 4.58 mins remaining centre Kiewan Bacquain give UTT the lead (78-76) for the first time since the first quarter when he scored a lay-up and a free shot. Jazz got as close as being 84-83 behind with less than 2mins left but UTT held on as Miguel Sansaviour blocked Jazz Louise Davis shot attempt and UTT went on to improve their record (5-2 ) with a 86-83 win.

In the other game of the double header, National Flour Mill (NFM) humiliated the hapless Caledonia Clippers 116-60. NFM led the entire game19-10, 39-29 & 83-38.
For NFM (6-2) Kwesi Julien had a season high 28 points including eight 3-pointers; Jason Delise 23 pts; Darren Eurin 14 pts; Andy Best 13; Kerry McMillan 12 & Kerry Westfield 10. Marcus Hume scored 12 points for Clippers.



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  UNITED KINGDOM   


BBL Team Of The Week - Week 15 - by Andy Webb
Worcester Wolves forward Harry Disy (201-F-84, college: Louisiana Tech) was the star man as the BBL Team of the Week 14 was announced.

The Frenchman in his first BBL season poured in 34 points in just under 38 minutes of action as Wolves made a winning start to their BBL Trophy campaign with a 110-89 victory at Worthing Thunder. Disy converted 13 of his 19 field goals and completed a double-double with 18 rebounds,

Disys display drew praise from his coach, Skouson Harker: Harry stepped up and had a nice night with 34 and 18. He played very hard, and if he can play his brand of basketball without being hindered by foul trouble, he is as good as any forward in the BBL, and in my opinion more explosive than anyone in the BBL.

The other forward in the Team of the Week is Guildford Heat captain Michael Martin (200-F-74) who scored an impressive 32 points in his teams 98-75 hammering of PAWS London Capital last Thursday. Martin proved deadly from all distances, with 12 from 16 two point efforts and two from three three-points as Heat made a perfect start to 2009.

Capital did have the consolation of seeing English centre Ibrahim Gariba (206-C-84) gain a place in the team following that game. Gariba finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block for Milek Jivens team, but it couldnt prevent the London side opening their Trophy campaign with a defeat.

Isaac Westbrooks (190-G-85) certainly stepped up to fill the void left by Matt Martin as Jelson Home DMU Leicester Riders won 90-83 at Guildford Heat. Point guard Westbrook gained his first team of the week nomination with 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as Rob Paternostros short-handed team took the BBL Championship points.

The other guard spot goes to Worthing Thunders Ryan Patton (181-G-78, college: Youngstown St.) who continued a fine BBL debut season with a game-winning performance in his sides 103-92 victory at Airwaves Plymouth Raiders. Patten finished with 25 points, including six from 12 three-pointers, and ten assists to help Gary Smiths club make the perfect start to their BBL Trophy campaign.

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  URUGUAY   


Atenas beat Bigua, the last LUB champions - by Hector Lopez
Hatila Passos (212-C-86, college: N.Mexico St.) scored the winning two-point shot after taking an offensive rebound with 4.7 seconds to play when Atenas beat Bigua, the leader of the Uruguayan League, 82-81. Oty was the first game for the Brazilian player for Atenas. The results of the 10th round of the second stage were as follows:
Atenas 82 - PJ Drayton 18 points 13 rebounds, Hatila Passos 11points 8 rebounds 4 blocks
Bigua 81 - Kevin Young (206-C-84, college: Missouri) 19 points 15 rebounds, Mauricio Aguiar (199-F-83, agency: Players Group) 21 points 6 rebounds
- - -
Trouville 79 - Levi Stukes (188-G-84) 24 and 4, Kalen Grimes (206-C, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Missouri) 15 and 10
Olimpia 69 - Jeffrey Simpson (204-C-83, college: N.Texas) 14 and 14, Paul Mills 22 and 11
- - -
Hebraica Macabi 93 - Angelo Reyes (205-F/C-81) 18 and 7 plus 3 assists, Anthony Johnson (198-G/F-79, college: La-Lafayette) 17, 6 and 4 assists
Paysandu 78 - Jerry Echenique (201-C-79, college: High Point) 18 and 6, Austin Montgomery (196-G, college: Bowling Green) 6 and 5
- - -
Tabare 108 - Clarence Matthews (201-F-82, agency: 22ft, college: Tennessee St.) 25 points, Ryan Blankson (198-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: Loyola, IL) 16 points
Bohemios 92 - Juan Zaballa 19 points.
- - -
Malvin 90 - Fernando Martinez (170-G-79, agency: Interperformances) 28 points, Jarrett Stephens (200-F/C-77, agency: Duran International, college: Penn St.) 6 and 5, Ike Nwankwo (209-C-73, college: Long Beach St.) 3 and 10
Defensor Sporting - Diego Castrillon (199-F-75) 29 points, Brian Woodward (191-G-81, agency: Passing Lane, college: Rhode Island) 15.

STANDINGS: Bigua 40, Olimpia 38.5, Defensor Sporting 38, Malvin 37.5, Atenas and Hebraica 36, Trouville and Tabare 35, Bohemios 29.5, Paysandu 29.

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  ZIMBABWE   


MABA Standings 2008-09
MABA Standings
 1. Mavericks 7-1 
 2. Highfields 5-2 
 3. Nets 5-2 
 4. Spartans 5-3 
 5. Drifters 4-3 
 6. Mbare Heat 4-4 
 7. Black Rhinos 2-4 
 8. Stanchart 2-6 
 9. Richwood 0-7 


Standings
HBA Standings
 1. JBC 13-0 
 2. Sigauke 11-2 
 3. Leopards 11-2 
 4. Raiderz 10-3 
 5. Cavaliers 9-4 
 6. Stormers 7-5 
 7. Jammers 7-6 
 8. Pistons 5-8 
 9. Nuggets 4-8 
 10. Gentelmen 4-8 
 11. NABA Pross 4-8 
 12. Golden Spurs 3-10 
 13. U.Z. Stars 2-11 
 14. South Central 1-12 




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Women News

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  ESTONIA - Women  


Estonia hosts Baltic Sea Basketball Cup - by Eurobasket News
Estonia welcomed the participants of the annual Baltic Sea Basketball Cup. The annual competition took place in Tallinn with U18 and U16 squads from around the Baltic states taking part.
Estonian U18 Team played three games and posted one victory. They dropped the opener to Sweden 57:63. Anastassia Ptitsona (170-G-91) and Mailis Pokk (185-C-92) scored 14 points each in defeat. The hosts however rebounded on the second day claiming a 65:6o win over Finland. Solveig Keskula (180-F-92) notched 19 points to pace the home team. Anastassia Ptitsona scored 17 points for Estonia. Unfortunately Estonia failed to finish the tournament on the positive note losing to Latvia 57:69. Solveig Keskula had 15 points and 8 rebounds but it was not enough. Maaja Bratka (186-C-92) delivered 12 points and 8 rebounds in the losing case.
In the meantime Estonian U16 team lost all of their games. They fell short against Sweden in the opening day 43:66. The hosts were not rescued even by 19 points from Nele Laurimaa. The second day of the tournament brought two more defeats. Estonia lost to Lithuania 53:66 despite 13 points from Nele Laurimaa and suffered a 50:62 defeat against Finland. Nele Laurimaa had 20 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Estonia then were thumped by Latvia 40:93. Janeli Lilleallik had 11 points for the home team.

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  FINLAND - Women  


Two wins for Finnish U16 team in Estonia - by Eurobasket News
Finnish U16 National Team just returned from Tallinn. They took part at the annual Baltic Sea Basketball Cup. The Finnish young ladies gained two victories in four games. Finland fell short in the opener against Latvian counterparts 51:65. Janniina Koivunen (183-F-93) scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for Finland. The Suomi rebounded in the second game as they held off Lithuania 80:52. Annika Holopainen (183-F-93), Emmi Leino and Janniina Koivunen scored 13 points apiece to pace the winners. Finland took on Estonia on the same day and celebrated a tough 62:50 win. Janniina Koivunen nailed 16 points and collected 10 rebounds to lead the charge. Annika Holopainen added 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win. The final day was highlighted by the battle of Finland and Sweden. The Finnish U16 team led by 5 points entering the fourth stanza but scored just 5 points in the frame and dropped this one. Janniina Koivunen came up with 12 points in defeat.
Finnish U18 team dropped all three games played at the tournament. They lost to Latvia 61:72 in the opener. Julia Salmio scored 13 points and collected 10 rebounds. The second day of the action brought little relief as Finland came up short against Estonia 60:65 despite 15 points and 12 boards from Laura Saarinen (184-C-92). Finally Finland was defeated by Sweden 61:87. Saara Vare (176-G-91) and Julia Salmio finished with 12 points apiece in the losing effort.

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  LITHUANIA - Women  


Lithuanian U16 Team returns from Estonia - by Eurobasket News
Lithuania U16 just visited Tallinn to take part in the international Baltic Sea Basketball Cup. Lithuanian youngsters played four games and earned one win in those.
Lithuanian team faced Sweden in the opener. Despite winning the final term Lithuania fell short 47:62 at the end. Vita Zilinskaite scored 12 points. Next day was a busy one for Lithuania as they played two games. They tipped it off with a 66:53 win over Estonia. Lithuania dominated the game and deservedly posted the win. Ieva Kazlauskaite had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Lithuania. Ieva Preskienyte (193-C-93) added 12 points and 16 boards in the win. However the winning spirit was abrupt by Finland later that day. Lithuania lost the battle 52:80. Monika Aleksaite finished with 9 points in the losing case.
Finally Lithuanian team took on Latvia and came up short 51:80. Ieva Preskienyte shone with 18 points and 14 rebounds but her effort was far from enough in this one. Ieva Kazlauskaite added 7 points as Lithuania occupied the fourth overall spot.

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  MOROCCO - Women  


2008 Clubs Champion (by country) women - by Carlos Pereira
2008 AFRICAIN CHAMPIONS WOMEN

ALGERIA - ASPTT Alger
ANGOLA 1 Agosto Luanda
BENIN ASO Modele de Porto Novo
BOTSWANA -
BURKINA FASO ASFA-Y
BURUNDI -
CAMEROON BEAC
CAP VERDE
CONGO (Brazaville) Diables Noires
IVORY COAST ABC
EGYPT
GABON
GAMBIA - Wallidan
GHANA -
GUINE CONAKRY ASK(Association Sportive Kaloum)
LESOTHO -
LIBERIA
LYBIA
MAURITIUS ISL.- Curepipe Starlight Sp. Ci.
MADAGASCAR Sotrata Antsirabe
MALI DJOLIBA
MOZAMBIQUE Ferroviario Maputo
MOROCCO FAR
MAURITANIA
MAYOTTE BCM Mahor
NAMIBIA
NIGER As Bia
NIGERIA First Bank Nigeria
KENYA KPA
RCA
RD Congo RADI de Lubumbashi
REUNION Basket Club Dionisien BCD
RWANDA APR
SEYCHELLES Hotshots
SENEGAL SLBC
SOUTH AFRICA -
TANZANIA JESHI Stars
TCHAD -
TOGO Etoile Filante
TUNISIA Escap Bon
UGANDA Lady Canons
ZAMBIA
ZIMBABWE JBC

PS. If anybody can help us to complete this list, please tell us. Thanks

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  TANZANIA - Women  


Tanzania National Team 2009 - by Kasia
Annosiata Anthony
Agnes Simkonda
Jabu Shabani
Grace Peter
Fraja Malaki
Evodia Kazinja
Elizabeth Masenyi
Naima Boli
Mary Meshack
Nipaeli Kessy
Amina Ahmed
Neema Emanuel
Monica Aloyce
Zakia Kondo
Dajda Ahmed
Dolita Mbunda
Hadija Kalambo
Lucy Sangu
Lucy Agustino

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  TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Women  


Suelin Tang - St Louis Community College - by Albert-Lee Young
Class: Sophomore
Height: 5-8
Position: Guard

College: Played one year at Oklahoma Panhandle State. Trasferred at the end of the 2007/08 season

Club: Represented Millennium Basketball Academy at AAU tournaments from 2004-06. Point guard Sportworld Straker Nets, North Zone Basketball League Trinidad.

Personal: Attended Diego Martin Secondary in Trinidad. Whilst still in high school played basketball & netball for Trinidad & Tobago Junior Women teams in Caribbean Championships. Majoring in Business Management.

Chrisan Petrovanie - Lamar University - by Albert-Lee Young
Class: Freshman
Height: 6-4
Position: Center

High School: Played for Coach Tom Etchison at Lake Country Christian High School ... Helped team to the 2008 TAPPS 1A State Championship ... Averaged 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds 4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game as a senior ... Named First Team All District, First Team All State, All tournament, All American Team as a senior ... Named the 2008 school female Athlete of the Year ... Also played with the Lady Lakers Elite

Club: Millennium Basketball Academy, Trinidad

Personal: Attended Ste Madeline Secondary School, Trinidad. Majoring in General Studies ... Enjoys singing, basketball, and netball ... Also recruited by Kansas State, USD, LSU, USC and Texas State ... Born on February 9, 1989 in Trinidad, West Indies ... Daughter of Glynis Petrovanie.

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  ZIMBABWE - Women  


HBA Standing 2008-09 Women
MBA Standings
 1. JBC 9-0 
 2. Varsity L. 9-0 
 3. Mavericks 8-2 
 4. Raiderz 7-3 
 5. Pistons 5-4 
 6. Returners 5-5 
 7. Kingdom C. 4-6 
 8. Spurs 3-7 
 9. Spartans 2-8 
 10. Stormers 1-8 
 11. UZ Stars 1-9