Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 12/29/2009

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Men News

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ABA

Two new players join the SLAM - by Gianni Pascucci
The Los Angeles SLAM announced the addition of two new players to their roster. They are almost-40 veteran player Tony Farmer (6'10''-F/C-70, college: Nebraska) and Rucker Park's - AND1 Legend Larry Williams (6'0''-G-81), aka 'Bone Collector'. These two new players will add more depth to the already talented and filled of Hip Hop stars, ABA 9th ranked LA SLAM.

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AUSTRALIA

Herbert may miss a month - by Eurobasket News
The Advertiser newspaper in Adelaide has reported that guard Nathan Herbert

(192-F-84) could miss up to a month due to an eye injury suffered during Adelaides loss to Perth last week.

Herbert was hospitalised after being accidentally poked in the eye by Perth guard Damian Martin during the match.

The Advertisers Boti Nagy reports that Herbert has since been discharged from hospital with a scratched cornea and suspected bleeding inside his eyeball, and will see another ophthalmological specialist on Tuesday to confirm the extent of his injury.

The initial prognosis is reportedly that he will miss a month.

Teammate Jacob Holmes also suffered a severe sprain to his left foot during the same game but is reportedly expected to miss just the Sixers next match against Wollongong.

Courtesy of The Advertiser

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BALTIC LEAGUE

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Daviin DAVIS
  Valmiera
  (193-F-85)
  Avg: 21.8

1. Davis, Valmiera	21.8
2. Broadus, Suduva	20.8
3. Kelys, Perlas	20.5
4. Kazevicius, Alytus A.	20.5
5. Kleiza, Alytus Alita	19.6
6. Reed, Tallinna Kalev	19.5
7. Gailius, Siauliai	19.3
8. Covington, Tallin.	18.6
9. Kieza, Suduva	18.6
10. Kojenets, Liepa.	18.4

Rebounds Per Game

Aurimas KIEZA
  Suduva
  (202-F-82)
  Avg: 9.4

1. Kieza, Suduva	9.4
2. Fisher, Kalev/Cr.	9.2
3. Watson, Zalgiris	9.1
4. Tatarunas, Alytus A.	9.0
5. Reed, Tallinna Kalev	9.0
6. Kojenets, Liepaja	8.4
7. McNaull, Norrkoping	8.2
8. Valanciunas, Perlas	8.2
9. Cresnar, Valmiera	8.1
10. Morrison, TU/Ro.	7.9

Assists Per Game

Tomas GAIDAMAVICIUS
  Juventus
  (191-G-82)
  Avg: 8

1. Gaidamaviciu., Juven.	8.0
2. Renfroe, VEF Riga	7.2
3. Grant, Norrkoping	5.7
4. Broadus, Suduva	5.5
5. Gervin, Norrkoping	5.3
6. Ezerskis, Techasas	5.2
7. Sokk, Kalev/Cramo	5.1
8. Kelys, Perlas	4.8
9. Maceina, Rudupis	4.8
10. Popovic, Lietuv.	4.7

Steals Per Game

Rashaun BROADUS
  Suduva
  (183-G-84)
  Avg: 3.8

1. Broadus, Suduva	3.8
2. Davis, Valmiera	3.3
3. Silavs, Keizarmezs	2.7
4. Jomantas, Lietuv.	2.4
5. Rannula, Valga Welg	2.4
6. Renfroe, VEF Riga	2.3
7. Arbet, Kalev/Cramo	2.3
8. Andrijauskas, Rudup.	2.3
9. Leonavicius, Sakalai	2.2
10. Gaidamaviciu., Juv.	2.2

Blocks Per Game

Kennyetta JOHNSON
  Kalev/Cramo
  (210-C-78)
  Avg: 3.7

1. Johnson, Kalev/Cr.	3.7
2. Tatarunas, Alytus A.	2.0
3. Valanciunas, Perlas	1.8
4. Saks, TTU K.	1.6
5. Kieza, Suduva	1.6
6. Pettway, Ventspils	1.6
7. Cresnar, Valmiera	1.5
8. Davis, Valmiera	1.5
9. Begic, Zalgiris	1.4
10. Leonavicius, Sakal.	1.4

Standings - Men

Baltic League Standings

Elite Division
1. Zalgiris		10-1
2. Lietuvos Rytas		9-0
3. Siauliai		6-3
4. Ventspils		5-4
5. Kalev/Cramo		5-5
6. Valmiera		3-5
7. VEF Riga		3-6
8. TU/Rock		3-7
9. Nevezis		2-7
10. Liepaja		1-9
Challenge Cup
Group A
1. Norrkoping		6-1
2. Juventus		4-2
3. Sakalai		3-3
4. Techasas		2-4
5. Valga Welg		1-6
Group B
1. Perlas		4-2
2. Zemgale		4-3
3. Tallinna Kalev		4-3
4. Aisciai		2-4
5. Alytus Alita		2-4
Group C
1. Rudupis		6-0
2. Neptunas		4-2
3. TTU KK		4-3
4. Suduva		2-4
5. Keizarmezs		0-7

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BELGIUM

Antwerp Transfer News - by Peter Buyse
The Antwerp Giants have added American guard/forward Thomas Gardner (195-G-85, college: Missouri) to their roster for the rest of the 2009-2010 season.
Gardner already played in Belgium for Verviers-Pepinster during the 2006-2007 season. He played 34 games for Verviers and averaged 12.2 ppg.
He came to Belgium after a 3 year career at Missouri. During his last season there he was the second leading scorer in the Big 12 with close to 20ppg.
Was signed by the Chicago Bulls after playing for them during the summerleague at the start of the 2007-2008 season. Played 4 games for the Bulls before coming back to Europe this time to play for the Russian Superleague team Lokomotiv Rostov.
Played briefly for the Indios de Mayaguez in March 2008. Was signed by the Atlanta Hawks for the 2008-2009 season. Gardner played 16 regular season games and 3 playoff games for the Hawks.
Played again in the NBA Summerleague in July 2009, this time for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Gent Coaches News - by Peter Buyse
Optima Gent has added former national team coach Tony van den Bosch to their coaching staff.
Van den Bosch will serve as adviser and take care of some of the practices of the team. He will also be present during games on the days his team St Jan does not play.
Tony played 100 times for the Belgian NT, and later coached the NT for 10 years.
He coached most of the last seasons in Holland where he led Bergen-op-Zoom for 3 seasons and later also coached Aris Friesland.
He came back to Belgium and started coaching D2 team St Jan in March of 2008.
Erik Rogiers stays on as head-coach.

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BRAZIL

Two new basketball programs - by Paulo Freire
Two 'new' poles of basketball in Sao Paulo. That's what the public saw during the finals of the Paulista State Serie A2 (Div II) between Arthur Nogueira and Rio Pardo, who is coming back to activity after a long period without an ambitious project.

On December 20, the AABI / Clinesp / Artur Nogueira won the Paulista Championship Series A-2 - 2009 defeating the Rio Pardo FC / DEC, in the third and decisive confrontation of the best-of-three playoff - final.

No wonder why the two teams reached the finals and took a good public at their gyms, both teams have invested in infrastructure and long-term projects, with that their coach was able to assemble both some good roster.

'Besides of who stayed with the title, the two new basketball poles need to be congratulated, because the gyms in that decision were always crowded. To succeed in this decisive game, we apply a different defense and we were very organized offensivilly, our attack had effect well. 'said coach T, noting that the first year of life of the basketball project was extremely winner.

The leading figures of the final game were the americans of Arthur Nogueira: Brandon Streeter (198-F-84, agency: Jose Medalha E&C, college: Mount Olive) with 30 points and Justin Melton (180-G-86, agency: Jose Medalha E&C, college: Mount Olive) with 19 points. For Rio Pardo Robson Almeida (188-G-83) with 24 points and Ildes dos Santos (195-F-80) with 20 points.

Arthur Nogueira also had in their roster: BRUNO VILLELA, RAFAEL SABBAG, EDUARDO CIPOLI, MURILO GIORDAN, MARCELO VILLELA, RIEDSON, LUIGI GARCIA and RAFAEL DA SILVA.

Rio Pardo also had in their roster: OMAR, GUTEMBERG, WILLIAN SILVA, RODRIGO GOMES, DANIEL MACHADO, DARIO, VIERINHA.

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CHINA

Stats Leaders - CBA

Points Per Game

Andre EMMETT
  Shandong
  (196-G/F-82)
  Avg: 50.3

1. Emmett, Shandong	50.3
2. Gaines, Xinjiang	32.3
3. Pickett, Shaanxi	31.8
4. Lamizana, TianJ.	30.3
5. Rodgers, Jilin	29.3
6. Brown, Zhejiang C.	29.0
7. Edwards, Shaanxi	28.3
8. Wang, Bayi	28.3
9. Williams, Zhejiang C.	27.0
10. Zhang, Liaoni.	26.7

Rebounds Per Game

Kai ZHANG
  DongGuan
  (211-C-82)
  Avg: 15.8

1. Zhang, DongGuan	15.8
2. Ramos, Zhejiang.	14.0
3. Williams, Zhejiang C.	12.8
4. Oyedeji, Liaoning	12.7
5. Mays, Beijing	12.5
6. Mengke, Xinjiang	12.3
7. Watkins, Jiangsu	12.0
8. Samake, Jilin	12.0
9. Song, DongGuan	11.8
10. McCoy, Fuji.	11.5

Assists Per Game

Chris WILLIAMS
  Qingdao DS
  (199-F/G-80)
  Avg: 7.3

1. Williams, Qingd.	7.3
2. Lu, Fujian	6.3
3. Parker, Guandong	6.0
4. Smith, Shanxi Zh.	5.7
5. Pickett, Shaanxi	5.5
6. Brown, Zhejiang C.	5.5
7. Mengke, Xinjiang	5.0
8. Lucas, Shanghai	4.0
9. Rodgers, Jilin	3.8
10. Han, Jiang.	3.8

Steals Per Game

Chris WILLIAMS
  Qingdao DS
  (199-F/G-80)
  Avg: 6

1. Williams, Qingd.	6.0
2. Pickett, Shaanxi	3.8
3. Mo, Bayi	3.7
4. Emmett, Shandong	3.3
5. Co, Xinjiang	3.0
6. Parker, Guandong	3.0
7. Zhang, Liaoning	3.0
8. Bozeman, Beijing	3.0
9. Lu, Fujian	2.8
10. Smith, Shanxi.	2.7

Blocks Per Game

Herve LAMIZANA
  TianJin R.
  (207-F/C-81)
  Avg: 4.5

1. Lamizana, TianJ.	4.5
2. Siler, Shanghai	3.0
3. Steyn, Qingdao DS	3.0
4. Watkins, Jiangsu	2.8
5. Swift, Shandong	2.3
6. Gaines, Xinjiang	2.3
7. McCoy, Fujian	2.3
8. Zhang, DongGuan	2.0
9. Zheng, Shaanxi	1.8
10. Samake, Jil.	1.8

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CROATIA

A2 (Division North, South and Center): Round 11 review - by Eurobasket News
In Division North, Medjumurje remained with its unbeaten run as they overcame Cakovec 82-64. Dejan Vugrinec (197-G/F-73) scored 23 points for hosts, while Hrkac added 16. For Cakovec, Juras had 14 points.
Krizevci had easy job against Petar Zrinjski, winning the game 92-66. Svoboda led the rout with 18 points, while on the other side Tomic had 22 points for visitors.
Vinadija Varazdin stole one from Mladost, beating them 80-88. Goran Fodor (195-G-90) with 22 and Lenartic with 15 led the visitors to the win. For Mladost Bukovcanin poured in 28 points.
Ivancica was better than Nedelisce 75-59 behind 16 point effort by Komes.
Matches between Graficar and Bjelovar and Podravac and Radnik were postponed.
In Division South, Solin kept their place near the top of the standings with 57-79 win over Omis Galeb. Tomislav Lozancic (202-C-81) led the way with 29 points for visitors, while Sipic had 18 for hosts.
Mislav recorded second straight win to move away from the bottom. Krizak had 20 points, while Kovacevic, Dajak and Tokic added 14 apiece as Mislav rolled over Plocnik 94-70.
Pet Bunara had an easy job away at Sibenka 4, beating them 72-92 thanks to 22 points by Andjelic and 21 point effort by Batur and Vlaic. Alkar stole one from Cetina, rolling over them 68-95, while DOSK hosted Jazine and recorded 93-67 win. Pivac was excellent for hosts with 31 points.
In Division Center, Zrinjevac recorded yet another win after rolling over Sisak 67-84. Ivan Novacic (201-F-85) poured in 23 points for winning side, while Kresic had 19 for hosts.
Mladost hosted Kaptol, and thanks to 22 points by Rogic and Buva they prevailed 79-69. Samobor had an easy job at Gorica, winning the game 79-93, while Hermes Analitica hosted Rudes and rolled over them 80-51.
Katura was exceptional with 27 points for winning side. Maksimir got 28 points from Ivan Smolic (203-C-85) and 21 point from Gogic as they routed Fortuna 105-89.
Finally, Sanac Karlovac stole one from Bosco after beating them 66-84.

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DENMARK

Christian Cavanaugh leaves Aalborg and Mueller is not coming back to Naestved. - by Thomas Soltau

Aalborg has been forced to part ways with their star US player Christian Cavanuagh (207-F/C-86, college: Oregon Tech). The young center/forward has done very well for his team, averaging 20ppg and 7,7rpg, however the team has not been able to secure the necessary sponsors to keep the player - a place at the bottom of the standings, with a 4-12 record, likely did not help either.

This means that Cavanaugh is now a free agent! Rumors have him linked to other Danish clubs, but nothing has been made official yet.

In Naestved Ryan Mueller (203-F-86, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Carroll) is not returning after the Christmas break. The player has not had the best of luck in Denmark, first his papers kept him from playing the first couple of months he was here, then a couple of pour games made the management decide to end his contract.
Hopefully Mueller has a bit better luck the next place he continues his career.

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D-LEAGUE

Sioux Falls' Reggie Williams named 'Performer of the Week' - by Eurobasket News
Reggie Williams (6'5''-F-86, agency: Interperformances, college: VMI) of the Sioux Falls Skyforce was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Dec. 21.
Williams led Sioux Falls to a 2-0 record last week, including two home victories over the Springfield Armor.

Williams averaged 26.5 points, shooting 63 percent (22-of-34) from the field last week, to go with 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists. The forward out of Virginia Military Institute notched his third 30-plus point of the season outing on Dec. 26 when he scored 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the floor. On the season, Williams ranks second in the league with 26.5 points per game and fourth in the league shooting 60 percent (69-of-116) from the field.

Other top performers last week included Maine's Trey Gilder, who averaged 23.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in two games for the Red Claws; Iowa's Cartier Martin, who averaged 23.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games for the Energy; and Rio Grande Valley's Garrett Temple who averaged 17.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in two games for the Vipers.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

Sunday's games (6) review - by Eurobasket News
Springfield A. - Sioux Falls S. 105-107
The Sioux Falls Skyforce defeated the Springfield Armor 107-105 on Sunday night in a game originally scheduled for Christmas Night. Gregory Stiemsma (6'11''-C-85, agency: N.E.T., college: Wisconsin) recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks as the Skyforce overcame a late deficit to sweep the two-game set with the struggling Armor. JamesOn Curry

(6'4''-G-86, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Oklahoma St.) scored a game-high 27 points to go along with eight assists. NBA Development League leading scorer Morris Almond (6'6''-F-85, college: Rice) contributed 22 points while T.J. Cummings (6'9''-F-81, college: UCLA) (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Major Wingate (6'10''-C-83, agency: Court Side, college: Tennessee) (11 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles. *Courtesy of www.ksfy.com

Dakota W. - Ft.Wayne MA 90-96
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants battled back in the fourth with the Dakota Wizards but a strong fourth quarter comeback by the Ants sealed the 96-90 victory. Ron Howard (6'5''-G/F-82, college: Valparaiso) led all scorers with 29 points on the game on 4 of 5 shooting from the three point line. The big men for the Mad Ants dominated the paint as Jared Reiner (6'11''-C-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Iowa) and Rob Kurz both recorded double-doubles, Reiner with 22 points and 19 rebounds, and Kurz with 23 points and 13 rebounds. *Courtesy of www.wane.com

Bakersfield J. - Maine RC 115-98
The second game of the back-to-back series of the Maine Red Claws and the Bakersfield Jam saw a very different game than the first game. The Jam handed the Red Claws their third lose of the season with a 115-98 defeat. Bakersfield had six players in double digits, led by Jeremy Wise (6'2''-G-86, agency: Strategic Sports, college: S.Mississippi) with 24 points. As a group, the starting five for Maine were outscored by the Jam starters, 62-47. Maine's Trey Gilder (6'9''-F-85, college: Northwestern St.) led all scorers with 28 points, but he was the only starter to score over nine points. *Courtesy of www.examiner.com

Tulsa 66ers - Reno Bighorns 100-95
Zabian Dowdell

(6'3''-G-84, college: Virginia Tech) came off the bench to shoot 10-for-11 en route to his team and season-high 25 points, as the Tulsa 66ers defeated the Reno Bighorns 100-95 on Sunday at the Reno Events Center. White had 22 points and 9 rebounds. In the loosing squad, Desmon Farmer (6'5''-G-81, college: USC) was on fire with 34 points.

Iowa E. - Erie Bay H. 100-95
The Erie BayHawks (3-9) continued to struggle at home losing to the division leading Iowa Energy (10-1) 100 - 95 in overtime at the Tullio Arena. Cartier Martin

(6'7''-G/F-84, college: Kansas St.) led the winners with 25 points. Martin hit a game tying three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the game to knot the score at 92. Curtis Stinson

(6'2''-G-83, college: Iowa St.) scored 23 and Earl Barron (7'0''-C-81, college: Memphis) added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Albuquerque - Los Angeles D. 115-111
The Albuquerque Thunderbirds defeated the Los Angeles D-Fenders 115 - 111 on Sunday night, ending the team's six game losing skid. Carlos Powell (6'7''-F-83, college: S.Carolina) led the way for Albuquerque with 40 points as the team led from start to finish. Chad Toppert (6'7''-G-85, college: N.Mexico) scored 17 pts. Joe Crawford responded with 24 points in defeat.

Bighorns acquire Syracuse star Devendorf - by Eurobasket News
The Reno Bighorns have signed 6-4 guard Eric Devendorf (6'4''-G-87) out of Syracuse University, the team announced today. Devendorf will be activated for tonight's game.

The Bay City, Michigan native was a four-year standout for the Orange, finishing his career last season by averaging 15.7 points and 3.0 assists per game. Over the course of his stay at Syracuse, Devendorf averaged 14.5 points, averaging in double figures in all four seasons with the Orange.

Devendorf takes the roster spot vacated by Dave Noel, who has been released due to injury.

Devendorf and the Bighorns return to Reno tonight to face-off with the Tulsa 66ers. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets are on-sale now at www.RenoBighorns.com, the Reno Events Center Box Office, Silver Legacy Box Office, or by visiting any Northern Nevada Ticketmaster location or Web site.

Courtesy of The Reno Bighorns

Standings

D-League Standings

Central Division
1. Iowa E.	10-1
2. Sioux Falls S.	7-3
3. Ft.Wayne MA	5-5
4. Dakota W.	4-7
5. Erie Bay H.	3-9
Southwest Division
1. Rio Grande	8-3
2. Maine R.Claws	8-3
3. Austin T.	7-5
4. Tulsa 66ers	7-6
5. Albuquerque	3-7
West Division
1. Utah F.	7-5
2. Idaho S.	6-5
3. Reno Bighorns	5-5
4. Los Angeles D.	4-4
5. Bakersfield J.	2-10
6. Springfield A.	1-10

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Morris ALMOND
  Springfield A.
  (198-F-85)
  Avg: 28.2

1. Almond, Springfi.	28.2
2. Williams, Sioux F.	26.4
3. Gaines, Idaho S.	25.3
4. Harris, Rio Grande	25.3
5. Farmer, Reno B.	24.9
6. Powell, Albuquerque	23.4
7. Howard, Ft.Wayne.	22.4
8. Tolliver, Idaho S.	20.7
9. Gee, Austin T.	20.5
10. Walker, Maine	20.4

Rebounds Per Game

Dwayne JONES
  Austin T.
  (211-C-83)
  Avg: 14.8

1. Jones, Austin T.	14.8
2. Dorsey, Rio Grande	13.6
3. Kurz, Ft.Wayne MA	11.2
4. Bryant, Erie Bay H.	10.9
5. Tolliver, Idaho S.	9.9
6. Barron, Iowa E.	9.9
7. Cummings, Spring.	9.4
8. Stiemsma, Sioux F.	9.2
9. Ambres, Idaho S.	8.8
10. Simpson, Los.	8.8

Assists Per Game

Clifford CLINKSCALES
  Erie Bay H.
  (185-G-84)
  Avg: 9.4

1. Clinkscales, Erie B.	9.4
2. Stinson, Iowa E.	9.4
3. Gaines, Idaho S.	7.5
4. Jackson, Erie B.	7.2
5. Bailey, Sioux F.	7.0
6. Anderson, Rio G.	6.9
7. Shakur, Tulsa 66ers	6.6
8. McLeod, Albuquer.	6.4
9. Jefferson, Utah F.	5.9
10. Jerrells, Austin.	5.7

Steals Per Game

Orien GREENE
  Utah F.
  (193-G-82)
  Avg: 3

1. Greene, Utah F.	3.0
2. Charlo, Reno B.	2.8
3. Shakur, Tulsa 66ers	2.7
4. Benson, Reno B.	2.6
5. Stinson, Iowa E.	2.2
6. Baker, Dakota W.	2.2
7. Powell, Albuquerque	2.0
8. Jerrells, Austin T.	2.0
9. McLeod, Albuquer.	1.9
10. Robinson, Reno.	1.9

Blocks Per Game

Gregory STIEMSMA
  Sioux Falls S.
  (211-C-85)
  Avg: 4.5

1. Stiemsma, Sioux F.	4.5
2. Simmons, Idaho S.	3.1
3. Ajinca, Maine RC	3.0
4. Jones, Austin T.	2.6
5. Looby, Rio Grande	2.6
6. McKenzie, Idaho S.	2.4
7. Hansen, Albuquerque	2.2
8. Trybanski, Reno B.	2.1
9. Hardin, Tulsa 66ers	2.0
10. Blair, Bakersfield.	2.0

Skyforce acquires Chris McCray - by Eurobasket News
The Sioux Falls Skyforce announced today the acquisition of former NBA player Chris McCray

(6'5''-G-84, college: Maryland). He is expected to join the team before tonight's matchup with the Springfield Armor and will wear number 14. He fills the roster spot made available after Pete Campbell was waived on Monday. The active roster now stands at 10 players.

McCray appeared in five games with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2006-07 season after making the team as an undrafted rookie. After being waived by the Bucks he was acquired by the Dakota Wizards and averaged 11.8 points and 2.9 assists in 23 games while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor. He averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 assists in two postseason contests to help lead the Wizards to the 2007 NBA Development League Championship.

The 6-5, 192-pound guard averaged 10.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in four seasons at the University of Maryland. He averaged a college career-best 15.2 points during his senior season while shooting 51.6 percent from the field.

The Skyforce's next game is tonight at home against the Springfield Armor. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Sioux Falls Arena. Season tickets and 12-ticket flex packs are on sale for the 2009-10 season. Discounts and benefits are also available for groups of 10 or more. For more information please contact a Skyforce representative at (605) 332-0605.

Courtesy of The Sioux Falls Skyforce

Red Claws release Mike Williams - by Eurobasket News
The Maine Red Claws, presented by Quirk Chevrolet, today announced that they have waived Mike Williams (6'11''-C-82, college: Bryant). The announcement was made by Red Claws President and General Manager Jon Jennings. Williams, a 6-11, 245 lb. center out of Bryant College, appeared in eight games for the Red Claws.

'Mike worked incredibly hard from the moment he made the team out of open tryouts in Boston this fall,' said Jennings. 'He has seen limited action in recent weeks, and we wanted to give him opportunities elsewhere.'

With the assignment of Lester Hudson earlier this week and the waiving on Williams, the Red Claws roster now stands at 11 players, including two NBA contracted players.

The Red Claws will next be in action this Thursday as they host the Iowa Energy in a New Year's Eve contest featuring the first meeting of the season between the league's top two teams. Tip off for the holiday game will be at 1 PM. The Red Claws will then take on the visiting Erie Bayhawks on Friday at 5 PM. The two East Conference rivals have met three times this season, with the Red Claws holding a three games to none edge. Limit tickets remain for the two games.

Courtesy of The Maine Red Claws

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Pyrinto (20-1) still rolling - by Rauno Hurmalainen
Korisliiga, Round 21: The Xmas break lasting nine days is over. Pyrinto, Tampere (20-1) still rolling, when winning tonight in Joensuu over the local Kataja 71-89.
Three other wins on the road as well. In Lappeenranta YMCA LPR lost the third time this season at home, when visitor KTP, Kotka won by four 88-92. In Lahti
the difference between YMCA Lahti and Karhu, Kauhajoki was also four points: 93-97. Kauhajoki won the third time in the last four games. Jeremiah Wood (200-F-85, agency: Court Side) helped again a lot: 33 pts and 16 rbs. In Espoo Honka lost the local derby vs Torpan Pojat, Helsinki 79-90. Obie Trotter (186-G-84, college: Alabama A&M) was back on his own level: 25 pts (last game one (1) tiny point). Kouvot, Kouvola crushed Korihait, Uusikaupunki by 25 pts (81-56) and FoKoPo, Forssa defeated Vilpas, Salo by four 81-77. Alex Barnett (198-F-86, agency: Interperformances, college: Dartmouth) (FoKoPo) got a good start in Finland (26 pts and nine rbs). Roope Ahonen (186-G-90) (Vilpas) scored his season and career best 29 pts. Interesting season goes on.
Kataja - Pyrinto 71-89 (37-48) (Kristian Clarkson 20/11, Petri Virtanen 14, Sami Lehtoranta 12 - Damon Williams 21/14/5a, Kenny Lowe 19, Chris Hester 14).
YMCA LPR - KTP 88-92 (48-44) (Sami Pekkola 25, JaSon Stamper 21/11, Matt Gibson 15/10 - Pasi Heinonen 23 (treys 7/13), Isaac Spencer 22/11, Mikael Holme 21).
YMCA Lahti - Kauhajoki 93-97 (43-49) (Ricky Hickman 29, Corey Rouse 23/14, Ray Nixon 19 - Jeremiah Wood 33/16, Maurice Horton 26, Rick Golson 15).
Honka - ToPo 79-90 (31-39) (Corey Belser 29, Carl Elliott 18, Tuukka Kotti 15/11 - Obie Trotter 25/6a, Tyray Pearson 15, Samuel Haanpaa 13).
Kouvot - Korihait 81-56 (39-25) (Kyle Shiloh 24, AJ Moye 18/5a, Ross Neltner 17/17 - Josh Gonner 15, Bojan Sarcevic 13).
FoKoPo - Vilpas 81-77 (45-34) (Alex Barnett 26, Rodrick Stewart 16, Durell Vinson 14/15 - Roope Ahonen 29, Lawrence Hamm 12, Charlie Burgess 11/14).

Standings - Korisliiga

Korisliiga Standings

1. Pyrinto	20-1
2. Kouvot	15-6
3. ToPo	14-7
4. LrNMKY	13-8
5. Honka	12-9
6. KTP	10-11
7. Korihait	10-11
8. Namika Lahti	9-11
9. Kataja	7-14
10. FoKoPo	6-15
11. Salon Vilpas	5-15
12. Karhu	4-17

Stats Leaders - Korisliiga

Points Per Game

Ricky HICKMAN
  Namika Lahti
  (190-G-85)
  Avg: 24.2

1. Hickman, Namika Lahti	24.2
2. Washington, KTP	22.1
3. Turner, LrNM.	21.8
4. Trotter, ToPo	21.5
5. Belser, Honka	20.3
6. Lowe, Pyrinto	20.0
7. Moye, Kouvot	18.4
8. Elliott, Honka	18.4
9. Hester, Pyrinto	18.3
10. Hamm, Salon Vilp.	18.1

Rebounds Per Game

Durell VINSON
  FoKoPo
  (201-F-85)
  Avg: 12

1. Vinson, FoKoPo	12.0
2. McDade, KTP	11.7
3. Kaunisto, Kouvot	11.1
4. Hamm, Salon Vilpas	10.1
5. Rouse, Namika L.	10.1
6. Williams, Pyrinto	9.6
7. Smith, Karhu	9.4
8. Kotti, Honka	9.1
9. Chones, Kataja	8.8
10. Washington, K.	8.5

Assists Per Game

Matthew GIBSON
  LrNMKY
  (196-G-84)
  Avg: 4.4

1. Gibson, LrNM.	4.4
2. Hickman, Namika Lahti	3.9
3. Trotter, ToPo	3.8
4. Williams, Pyrinto	3.8
5. Burgess, Salon Vilpas	3.5
6. Suonio, Namika Lahti	3.1
7. Jarvinen, LrNM.	3.0
8. Sarcevic, Korihait	3.0
9. Horton, Karhu	2.9
10. Ivey, Kata.	2.9

Steals Per Game

Matthew GIBSON
  LrNMKY
  (196-G-84)
  Avg: 3.8

1. Gibson, LrNM.	3.8
2. Trotter, ToPo	2.9
3. Hickman, Namika Lahti	2.7
4. Davis, Kataja	2.3
5. Turner, LrNM.	2.1
6. Smith, ToPo	1.9
7. Williams, Pyrinto	1.9
8. Bradford, Kataja	1.9
9. Washington, KTP	1.9
10. Cummings, Hon.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Ricky HICKMAN
  Namika Lahti
  (190-G-85)
  Avg: 0.9

1. Hickman, Namika Lahti	0.9
2. Pearson, ToPo	0.8
3. Niskanen, Karhu	0.7
4. Washington, KTP	0.7
5. Moye, Kouvot	0.7
6. Chones, Kataja	0.7
7. Jones, Karhu	0.7
8. Neltner, Kouvot	0.7
9. Lehtoranta, Kataja	0.7
10. Gibson, Lr.	0.6

Korisliiga Round: 21 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Honka - ToPo 79-90
Obie Trotter (186-G-84, college: Alabama A&M) tallied 25 points, 6 boards and 6 assists to lead ToPo past Honka. Tyray Pearson knocked down 15 points in the winning case. Corey Belser responded with 29 points as Honka slipped at 12-0 record.

Kouvot - Korihait 81-56
Kyle Shiloh (191-G-85, college: Nevada) led Kouvot past Korihait. He had 24 points, 8 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals in the 15th success for the winners. Ajene Moye contributed 18 points, 6 boards and 5 assists for Kouvot. Josh Gonner knocked down 15 points for Korihait.

LrNMKY - KTP 88-92
KTP earned a narrow road win over LrNMKY. Pasi Heinonen

(194-G-78) delivered 23 points to pace the visitors. Isaac Spencer had 22 points and 11 boards in the winning effort. LrNMKY replied with 25 points from Sami Pekkola.

FoKoPo - Salon Vilpas 81-77
FoKoPo celebrated just the fifth victory as they shot down Salon Vilpas at home court. Alex Barnett (198-F-86, agency: Interperformances, college: Dartmouth) debuted with 26 points and 9 rebounds for FoKoPo. Rodrick Stewart had 16 points in the victory. Roope Ahonen answered with 29 points for the Vikings.

Namika Lahti - Karhu 93-97
Karhu stormed into the season after the Christmas break recording the fourth win. They nipped Namika Lahti on the road as Jeremiah Wood (200-F-85, agency: Court Side) exploded with 33 points and 16 boards. Maurice Horton added 26 points for the winners. Ricky Hickman responded with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists for Namika Lahti.

Kataja - Pyrinto 71-89
Pyrinto posted the 20th win in the season as they dropped Kataja away from home. Damon Williams (201-F-73, college: Colorado St.-Pueblo) scored 21 points, grabbed 14 boards and issued 5 assists to lead the charge. Kenneth Lowe added 19 points for the league leaders. Kristian Clarkson answered with 20 points and 11 boards for Kataja.

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FYR MACEDONIA

Darko Sokolov to sign with Feni Industri - by Eurobasket News
According to reports from FYR Macedonian media, Darko Sokolov (190-G-86) is set for his 2nd stint with Feni Industri. Reportedly, the FYR Macedonian International has reached an agreement with club from Kavadarci and he will be moving there for the second part of the season. Sokolov, joined Rabotnicki at the beginning this one, but he leaves after short time.
Darko Sokolov started his career with Kocani Delikates in 1995. Following year he moved to Balkan Steel where he averaged 26 points per game for their junior team. In 2003 Sokolov moved to Mac 91 Polo Trade Strumica where he continued with his prolific scoring. There, he averaged 22 points and 6 assists per game. Following year, he moved to Vardar 2000 Skopje where he averaged 16.0 points and 5.0 assists per game. After spending some time with Efes Pilsen on trial, Sokolov returned to Vardar. Than in 2006 he moved to Bosna. Sokolov also played for Khimik-OPZ Yuzny and Strumica before starting last season at Feni Industri. He appeared in 5 BIBL games for Feni and he averaged 4.4 points and 1.6 rebounds. Midway through the season he moved to MZT Skopje. Sokolov started this season with Rabotnicki, for whom he appeared in 13 games, posting averages of 12.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He is also a regular member of FYR Macedonian National Team.

Superleague: Big surprises in Round 18 - by Eurobasket News
In Round 18, the last round of the calendar year, there were two big surprises.

Ovce Pole - Pelister 80-68
Ovce Pole used the home court advantage to record 80-68 win over Pelister. Hosts used great first quarter (27-17) to create lead which they kept until the end. Nebojsa Ristic (194-G/F-77) recorded double-double for hosts with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Boban Bilbija was also good, scoring 21 points and collecting 8 boards. For Pelister, Aleksandar Held (81) poured in 29 points, while Djordje Jovanovic (209-C-80) added 18.

MZT Skopje - Vardar 2000 81-76
MZT Skopje won the final quarter 17-7 of their matchup with Vardar 2000 as they cracked the game and won 81-76. Zoran Milovic

(204-C/F-77) led the way for winning side with 24 points, while Igor Tadic

(197-G-82) added 20. Vladimir Georgievski (194-G/F-82) and Filip Gjorevski chipped in 14 points each. On the other side, Vardar got 17 points from Ivica Dimcevski (192-G-89, agency: Interperformances) while Nemanja Ilic and Bojan Krstevski added 16 and 15 points respectively.

Rabotnicki - Plejmejker Kubus 86-92
Plejmejker Kubus managed to steal one from Rabotnicki, winning the game in Skopje 86-92. Darko Stanimirovic and Brandon Cole (203-F-84, college: Xavier) with 23 points apiece are most responsible for this upset. Marko Trajkovski (170-G-80) was also good for visitors, finishing the game with 15 points. For Rabotnicki, Gjorgji Cekovski (202-F/C-81, agency: Arik Krayn Services) had 23 points, while Blagoj Janev recorded double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Torus - Feni Industri 82-80
Torus also managed to pull an upset, beating Feni Industri after a thriller of a game 82-80. Player of the match was Dimitar Karadzovski (189-G-84, agency: Global Sports Plaza) who poured in 28 points for Torus. Angel Tasevski (187-G-83) followed with 20, while Jovan Markovski (198-F-88) added 16 points. Visiting team, got 15 points from James Life, 14 points from Valdimir Popovic and 13 points from Dusan Knezevic.

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GEORGIA

Highest League Standing

Superleague Standings

1. Energy Rustavi	8-0
2. GSAU Tbilisi	7-1
3. TSU Tbilisi	7-1
4. Batumi	5-3
5. MIA Tbilisi	4-4
6. Avia Tbilisi	3-5
7. Sokhumi	3-5
8. Dinamo Tbilisi	2-6
9. Samedicino	1-7
10. Merani S.	0-8

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GERMANY

Chris Oliver (MEG Goettingen) Postgame Thoughts To 86-82 Win Against Alba Berlin December 26th - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Chris Oliver

(198-F-85, agency: Court Side, college: Radford) is a 24 year old 198cm forward playing his second season with MEG Goetingen. He is a athletic forward that has great hands, the versatility to play inside and outside, with three-point range on his jump shot, and has tremendous poise and maturity. He played at Radford from 2003-2007 and in his senior year, he played 30 games averaging 18.8ppg, 8.3rpg, 2.1apg, 1.9spg, 1.3bpg, FGP: 48.7%, 3Pts: 25.8%, FT: 74.8%. He came to Germany in 2007-2008 and played for the Kaiserslautern Braves of the PRO A playing 30 games: Score-2 (20.5ppg), Reb-5 (9.0rpg), 1.2apg, 1.3spg, 1.7bpg, FGP: 56%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 79.6%. Last season in Goettingen, he averaged 10.6ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.4spg, FGP: 46.4%, 3PT: 37.0%, FT: 75.5% in 34 games. He spoke to Eurobasket after the brilliant win against Alba Berlin 86-82

Chris congrats to a exciting and great win. When did you get the feeling in the game that you could win this game?

We knew coming into the game that if we played hard and defended, we would have a chance to win. It was a close game and a battle from the beginning and could have gone either way since no team was able to build a huge lead. We were just able to execute and make free throws down the stretch.

This game had a playoff atmosphere on the court. Was this the teams best performance of the season?

It was a great team performance. Any time you can go into a top teams home court and win its a great performance.

You guys lost by 37 points last season in Berlin. How much did you nag the new players about this loss and get them as angry as the old guys about this loss? Taylor Rochestie was talking afte rthe game as if he had played in that game last season?lol

We didnt nag the new players to much about the loss last year. We told them about it and that was it. We didnt want to put to much emphasis on something from last season. We just wanted to win the game this season.

The first half was tight, but MEG Goettingen had the slim 42-39 lead at halftime. What were the reasons for the tight lead?

We were able to execute our plays and make shots in the first half. And we played pretty good defense and rebounded the ball well.

The second half was tight, but I believe the turning point was the three pointer by Robert Kulawick that stopped Alba Berlin from taking a bigger lead in a phase where Blagota Sekulic was dominating inside?

Yes that was a big shot. And it helped keep the game close and give us momentum.

How do you explain MEG Goettingen being the better crunch time team against Alba Berlin when you compare the experience of both clubs?

We just stuck to our game plan down the stretch and we actually had both our rookies (Taylor Rochestie and Dwayne Anderson) step up in the 4th quarter and both made big plays for us.

The biggest clutch shot of the night was by Taylor Rochestie who nailed a three pointer giving you the 80-76 lead. Where has this kid gotten this killer instinct as a rookie to take shots when they count?

That was a huge a shot by Taylor. He is a very good player and a very good shooter especially off the ball screen. So when he got some space off the screen he took a shot that he is very good at making.

Dwayne Anderson had another great night. Soon you can call him Mr offensive rebound. What makes his play so unforgetable on the court?

Dwayne plays hard and with unbelievable energy all game. He is a great offensive rebounder and has been playing very well lately. His footwork in the post is very impressive with all his up and unders and different pivot moves.

MEG Goettingen played a great game. Would you agree the only weak spot was letting Alba Berlin score a bit too much inside?

Alba has good players and their big men finished when they caught the ball. I would not say that was a weak spot. Our big men were hedging very hard on ball screens and lot of their big mens points came from them catching the ball off the pick and roll.

Now you have some days off before the next game against The Artland Dragons January 2nd, while some teams need to play on December 30th. How important are the next 5-6 days with no games?

This next week without a game is very important. It will be the first time in about a month where we will actually be able to get some rest.

What New Years resolutions do you want to make?

I havent thought about any new years resolutions so I dont know. But I will think of something lol.

What was the last DVD that you saw?

The last DVD that I watched was Christmas Vacation

Thanks Chris for quick recap of game. Get some rest this week!
Thanks.

Chase Griffin (Phoenix Hagen) Finding His Game With Michael Jordan On Board - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Chase Griffin (188-G-83, college: Pepperdine) is a 26 year old 188 cm guard from Sammamish, Washington. He played college ball at Pepperdine in California from 2002 to 2007. n his senior year, he played 31 games averaging 15.7ppg, 4.4rpg, 2.0apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 43.3%, 3Pts: 37.3%, FT: 80.7%. He joined Phoenix Hagen in January 2008 and finished the season playing 14 games averaging 15.7ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.3apg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 44.4%, 3FGP: 41.5%, FT: 76.1%. Last season, he helped lead Phoenix Hagen into the BBL playing 28 games and averaging 16.9ppg, 3.9rpg, 4.3apg, FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 40.5%, FT: 78.1%. Currently he is the second best scorer on the team averaging 14,9ppg, 32,rpg and 3,2apg. He had a short chat with eurobasket after the win against The New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig

Chase congrats on the 95-85 win against The New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig. How does the two game winning streak feel?

It is a great feeling. It had been our goal to win the three game home stand and we are on a good way having won the first two games. We played well against TBB Trier, but even better against Braunschweig. Now we have to beat Giessen to make the goal perfect.

You guys seemed in control of the game for the whole 40 minutes until Braunschweig made a run in the fourth quarter. How does it feel being in control instead of always coming back?

We started off well 5-0 and then soon had a 12 point lead. It is our style to run and if we can do that and set the tone we can be successful. We have not been used to setting the tone, but in the last two games we have gotten a better feel to this type of game. But having appoint guard like Jordan makes everyones job on the court so much easier.

Has Michael Jordan been the missing piece to the puzzle of Phoenix Hagen?

It seems like Jordan has been the missing piece. He came here and we are 2-0. He is not the quickest or most athletic, but he is very smart on the court and makes the right decisions. He is a great floor leader and we follow his lead and it has helped us being successful.

The team had great production inside form the three big men Jonathan Kale, John Turek and Bernd Kruel scoring 51 of the 95 points. Was their production a wake up call to what they are capable of doing in the BEKO BBL?

They really compliment each other well. We usually only have two of them on the court at one time. Each guy adds a different dimension to our game. Kruel is the seasoned veteran, Kale a banger that is one of the top rebounders in the league and Turek is a great finisher around the hoop. When they play well then it is hard to beat us.

Michael Jordan didnt hit a field goal, but made nine assists. Is he the ultimate quarterback on the court?

Jordan is the ultimate quarterback on the court. He had some turnovers tonight, but Braunschweig was unable to score on us. He just makes each guys job easier especially when he kicks the ball out, we have so much time to set our feet and he makes the bigs collapse resulting in easy dunks.

You scored 25 points. Has your game picked up since Michael Jordan coming to the team?

My game has really picked up since the arrival of Jordan. Before he came, I was playing the position one and two, but when I was playing point guard, I couldnt really concentrate on my strength shooting. But now with him at point guard, I can come off the screens and hit my shots easier. I feel good, because I have been making three pointers, because I was struggling earlier.

Did Phoenix Hagen notice the losses of Nate Fox and Michael Hicks on the court?

I guess we noticed it, but I have to be honest that we outplayed them for 40 minutes. We were clearly the better team.

How will The Deutsche Bank Skyliners have to play The New Yorker Phnatoms Braunschweig to be successful?

Braunschweig is very good on the offensive glass, have some fine athletes and have good perimeter shooters. But if they arent knocking down shots then they can be beat. It hurts them playing without Michael Hicks, because he adds a totally different dimension to their game.

How will you stop The Giessen 46ers to achieve the triple?

We want to get the triple against Giessen. We are rolling and I think that we have a chance to beat Giessen. David Teague is a scorer and he probably will get his 20 points so we will just have to control the rest of the team

Thanks Chase for the post game chat!
Thanks Miles

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

HUNGARY

Tragedy: Zoltan Horvath passed away! - by Tamas Deri
We just got the tragedical news some hours ago, that one of the best hungarian players, Zoltan Horvath (207-F/C-79, agency: Laszlo Vinko Services) died! He was on the way from Sopron to Szombathely this morning as his team, Falco KC had the first practice after the Christmas Break. But he could not be there - he lost the control over his car on the street and crashed with a truck.
Zoltan Horvath was 30 years old - a great man and a phantastic player! He grow up in Romania and moved to Hungary with his family many-many years ago. He graduated on the University of Veszprem and signed his first professional contract with Pecs in 2003. After two years he changed to Paks and spent there also two seasons. In June 2007 he played in the Jesolo Summer Leauge and could be scouted by many teams all over Europe. He just signed with PAOK in Greece but left the team in November and got back to ASE. In summer 2008 he signed with Falco KC for two seasons and developed himself to the best player of the team. He could help his team only in 12 games this season and averaged a double-double of 21.3 points and 10.4 rebounds!
R.I.P. 'Cece'!

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ISRAEL

Watson moves from Ashkelon to Ramat Gan - by Yarone Arbel
Chris Watson

(200-F-75, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Niagara), who won the BSL championship title in 2008 and the National Cup in 2009 with Hapoel Holon has left Ironi Ashkelon following a disappointing start for both sides. Watson contributed only 5.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg for the team, while in four of the last five games he played less than 10 minutes, and was looking for a better chance to show his game. The US-Israeli big guy already has a new home in the face of Ironi Ramat Gan where he'll try to bring some of his experience to help the team recover from a 0-9 record.

Ashkelon called on try outs the US big man Avis Wyatt

(211-F/C-84, agency: Elfus-Siegel Management (ESM), college: Virginia St.) who spent the last two seasons with EclipseJet in Holland. Wyatt played a single season in Virginia State of the NAIA before moving to Amsterdam. In the last season in the EuroChallenge he wrote 9.7 ppg and 4.9 rpg.

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ITALY

Italian teams open Citta Di Roma tournament campaign - by Eurobasket News
The Nike International Junior Tournament series opened the first qualifying round. The Citta Di Roma tournament got under way today in Rome. Zalgiris Kaunas shot down Montepaschi Siena 80:65 at the start of the Citta Da Roma tournament. The Lithuanian youngsters got to a quick start as they took a 31:20 lead at the first intermission. Montepaschi Siena stopped the bleeding in the second frame but could not erase the deficit. Zalgiris entered the fourth quarter ahead by 9 points. They limited the Italian team to 10 points in the fourth period and rallied to the win at the end. Dovydas Redikas (193-G-92) and Edgaras Ulanovas finished with 15 points each for Zalgiris. Rolandas Jakstas had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Diego Monaldi (185-G-93) responded with game-high 23 points for Montepaschi. Nunzio Sabbatino had 13 points in defeat.
Benetton Fribourg opened their campaign against Stella Azzurra team. Stella Azzurra relied on a strong first frame to keep in charge in the starting half. They arrived at halftime up by 4 points 27:23. Stella Azzurra stepped on the gas in the third stanza and cleared off to a 13-point advantage at the final break. Fribourg could not recover and suffered the initial loss 47:68. Ojars Silins (198-F-93) fired game-high 29 points to lead Stella Azzurra. Giovanni Pini (200-F/C-92) added 8 points in the win. Milos Bozovic answered with 17 points and 9 rebounds for Fribourg. Stefan Petkovic (187-G-92) had 14 points, 6 boards and 4 assists in the loss.
CSKA Moscow overcame Lottomatica Roma 66:64. It all came down to the final seconds in this one. CSKA came back from behind late in the encounter and blocked an attempt that could have saved the day for Lottomatica to win the battle. Andrey Loginov scored 19 points and pulled down 12 boards to lead CSKA. Pavel Kuryshkin and Victor Pavlenko added 8 points each in the win. Gianluca Marchetti replied with 21 points for Lottomatica.
Benetton Treviso shot down FMP 74:61. The Italian junior team used a 20:3 second frame run to build a decisive 25-point lead at halftime. FMP never recovered despite winning the second half and had to bow at the end. Alessandro Gentile (198-G/F-92) exploded with unbelievable 40 points for Benetton. Alessandro Zanelli (185-G-92) added 10 points in the win. Nemanja Bezbradica (204-F/C-93) finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for FMP.
Montepaschi Siena held off Stella Azzurri 75:72 in the final game of Day 1 schedule. Diego Monaldi dropped 26 points to pace the charge. Montepaschi Siena piled up an 11-point lead at halftime and withheld all comeback attempts from Stella Azzurri at the end. Giorgio Sgobba (200-G/F-92) added 14 points for the winners. Ojars Silins responded with 21 points and 10 rebounds for Stella Azzurri.

Othyus Jeffers and NGC Cantu split ways - by Eurobasket News
Othyus Jeffers (196-F-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Robert Morris) is no longer the player of NGC Cantu. The team has officially announced the termination of contract with the player. The sides have reached mutual agreement on terms of termination. The 24-year-old forward joined NGC Cantu this season. He averaged 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game in Seria A. Othyus Jeffers arrived to Italy from D-League where he tallied 21.4 points, 9.1 boards, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game for the Iowa Energy.

Joseph Bunn will not play for A.B. Latina - by Eurobasket News
Joseph Bunn

(198-F/C-75, college: Phillips (OK)) did not pass all needed medical tests in A.B. Latina. The 34-year-old centre was about to fill in the import spot after the departure of K.C. Rivers. However it appeared Joseph Bunn needed some more medical treatment and the team decided to withdraw from the deal. A.B. Latina also released Davide Cantarello (214-C-68). The 41-year-old centre played five games this season averaging 0.4 points and 1.2 boards per appearance. Instead A.B. Latina is close to signing Diego Ferrero (204-F/C-83). The 26-year-old centre spent the previous season in Argentinean TNA league. He tallied 10.2 points and 5.9 rebounds for Belgrano San Nicolas.

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JAMAICA

Samuels dominates and impresses NBA scouts - by Leonard Whyte
Louisville, KY (12-28-2009): Forward Samardo Samuels received an early Christmas present when he established new career-highs for points and rebounds last Wednesday in University of Louisville's 84-69 victory over University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Samuels sank 10-of-16 field goal attempts and 9-of-15 from the free throw line to finish with 29 points while snatching 15 rebounds, six of which came off the offensive glass.

The sophomore then returned last night and continued his assault, scoring 18 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to lead Louisville past Radford University 79-53. This was his fourth double-double of the season and came in front of a dozen NBA scouts who were on hand for the game. Louisville is now 9-3 and will host University of South Florida on Wednesday, December 30 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

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JAPAN

BJ League Round: 13 (Regular Season) - by Eurobasket News
Fukuoka Rizing - Okinawa GK 59-72
Fukuoka Rizing could not win over Okinawa GK and lost 59:72. Tsubasa Yonamine (173-G-83) led the way with 15 points and Newton Jeff chipped in 12. Michael Parker (200-G/F-81, college: Evergreen St.) had 11 points and 14 boards in the losing effort.

Hamamatsu P. - Toyama Grouses 100-67
Hamamatsu improved to 17-3 on top as they rolled over Toyama Grouses 100:67. William Knight (196-F/G-79, college: UCLA) top-scored for the winners with 24 points and Wilson Limar nailed 22. Thomas Brandon and Lemons Kirby combined 35 points in defeat.

Kyoto Hannaryz - Oita H.Devils 87-89
Kyoto Hannaryz was beaten by Oita H.Devils 87:89. Matt Lottich

(193-G-82, college: Stanford) stepped up with 28 points for the winners and Woods Ricky collected 19 points and 13 boards. Josh Bostic (196-F-87, college: Findlay (OH)) delivered 23 points for Kyoto.

Osaka Evessa - Takamatsu FA 90-88
Osaka Evessa improved to 10-12 record beating Takamatsu FA 90:88. Lynn Washington (200-F-78, college: Indiana) paced all the winners with 21 points and Williams Waki had massive 20 points and 20 boards. Gardener Michael ended up with 32 points in defeat.

Osaka Evessa - Takamatsu FA 77-78
Osaka Evessa was beaten by Takamatsu FA 77:78 in a thriller as Gardener Michael brought 28 points for the winners. Lynn Washington collected 25 points and 12 rebound sin the losing effort.

Fukuoka Rizing - Okinawa GK 73-72
Fukuoka Rizing overcame Okinawa GK 73:72 as Michael Parker delivered 21 points for the winners. Leach George responded with 23 points in defeat and McHenry Anthony had 17 points and 11 boards.

Niigata Albirex - Shiga Lakestars 67-69
Niigata Albirex lost to Shiga Lakestars 67:69 as the latter got 17 points and 17 rebounds from Gary Hamilton (208-F/C-84, college: Miami, FL). Butorac Paul collected 22 points and 12 boards in the losing effort.

Niigata Albirex - Shiga Lakestars 96-63
Niigata Albirex cruised past Shiga Lakestars 96:63 in the first game on December 26th. Burks Antonio and Levett Tyrone paced all the winners with 22 points each. Gary Hamilton responded with 15 points for Shiga team.

Hamamatsu P. - Toyama Grouses 86-70
Wendell White (198-G-84, agency: Liman Sports, college: UNLV) netted 24 points as Hamamatsu outscored Toyama Grouses 86:70. Ohta Kazutoshi scored 13, while Ohguchi Masahiro and Mortellaro Cristopher had 12 each. Arbet Jason and Lemons Kirby posted 20 points apiece in defeat.

Kyoto Hannaryz - Oita H.Devils 85-74
Kyoto Hannaryz rolled over Oita H.Devils 85:74 as Josh Bostic erupted with 28 points and 20 rebounds, Kawabe Taizon netted 19 and Clifford John had massive 17 points and 21 boards. Bell Michael ended up with 24 points in the losing effort.

Standings - BJ League

BJ Standings

Eastern
1. Hamamatsu P.	17-3
2. Sendai 89ers	12-8
3. Niigata Albirex	9-9
4. Toyama Grouses	8-10
5. Saitama Bron.	8-10
6. Tokyo Apache	5-13
Western
1. Okinawa GK	16-4
2. Fukuoka Rizing	15-9
3. Shiga Lakestars	12-12
4. Osaka Evessa	10-12
5. Oita H.Devils	8-14
6. Takamatsu FA	8-16
7. Kyoto Hannaryz	6-14

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

JORDAN

Zain's latest news - by Mohammed Malas
Some sources in Zain confirmed to Eurobasket yesterday that the American import Sean Banks

(203-F-85, college: Memphis) needs around a month to be back to his normal fitness despite his big abilities, This will force the club the position needed more for the team esspecially that Damian Cantrell

(200-F-76, college: USF) may be also out of the team due to his mother's illness...The team head coach Maz Trakh is considering some options as a backup for any urgent case concering both Cantrell and Banks....

Zain are preparing themselves to particpate in the 21st Dubai International Tournament under the participation of Mahram (Iran), Smart Gilas (Phillippines), An Nasr (UAE), Al Wehda (Syria), Al Jalaa (Syria), Al Riyadi (Lebanon), Champville (Lebanon), Gezira (Egypt) and UAE National Team.

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

LEBANON

Standings - Division A

Div.A Standings

1. Al Riyadi	4-0
2. Moutahed	4-1
3. Champville	3-1
4. Hoops	2-3
5. Sagesse	1-2
6. Kahraba	1-2
7. Anibal	1-2
8. Antranik	1-4
9. Blue Stars	0-1
10. Tebnine	0-1

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

LITHUANIA

IJT Zalgiris win two at the start of Citta Di Roma tournament - by Eurobasket News
The Nike International Junior Tournament series opened the first qualifying round. The Citti Di Roma tournament got under way today in Rome. Zalgiris Kaunas shot down Montepaschi Siena 80:65 at the start of the Citta Da Roma tournament. The Lithuanian youngsters got to a quick start as they took a 31:20 lead at the first intermission. Montepaschi Siena stopped the bleeding in the second frame but could not erase the deficit. Zalgiris entered the fourth quarter ahead by 9 points. They limited the Italian team to 10 points in the fourth period and rallied to the win at the end. Dovydas Redikas (193-G-92) and Edgaras Ulanovas (197-F-92) finished with 15 points each for Zalgiris. Rolandas Jakstas (198-F-92) had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Diego Monaldi (185-G-93) responded with game-high 23 points for Montepaschi. Nunzio Sabbatino had 13 points in defeat.
Next Zalgiris took on Benetton Fribourg and rallied to a comfortable 93:52 victory. Zalgiris played some aggressive suffocating defence in this one. They limited their opponents to just 8 points in the opening frame to take a 10-point lead into the second stanza. The margin grew at 16 points in the next two periods. Zalgiris exploded with 33 points in the fourth frame and ran away with a confident win at the end. Augustinas Jankaitis (200-F-94) delivered 18 points and 10 rebounds. Egidijus Mockevicius (204-C-92) added 12 points for the winners. Stefan Petkovic (187-G-92) replied with 18 points for Benetton Fribourg. Brian Savoy (191-G-92) finished with 15 points in defeat.

Lithuanians in NCAA - by Evaldas Ceilytkas
There are lot of Lithuanian players playing in NCAA league. Lets see how they are doing this season. Former Lithuanian U-18, U-20 Edvinas Ruzgas (198-G-87) is the best oLithunina on court: he is averaging 15,3ppg, 3,2rpg. Another good performers are Vytautas Balocka (200-F-90) who is averaging 10,5ppg and 10,0rpg, Vytas Sulskis (201-G-88) who makes 10.9ppg and 3,4rpg and shooter Deividas Dulkys (196-G-88) with 9,2ppg. Big man Ceslovas Kucinskas (203-C-88) is going with 6,8ppg and 3,6rpg. Other players are only role players in their teams:
Valdas Sirutis (201-F-87) -16,8mpg 1,6ppg 1,9rpg
Karolis Petrukonis (211-C-87) -3,4mpg 1,0ppg 0,2rpg
Arturas Lazdauskas (201-F-86) -10,0mpg 2,0ppg 2,3rpg
Evaldas Baniulis (201-F-87) -10,8mpg 3,2ppg 1,6rpg
Deividas Busma (213-C-87) -16,7mpg 3,4ppg 2,4rpg
Ridas Pulkauninkas (198-G-88) -10,2mpg 3,2ppg 1,3rpg
Rokas Gricius (206-F-88) -2,5mpg 0,0ppg 0,5rpg
Lukas Poderis (203) -8,4mpg 1,8ppg 1,7rpg
Domas Rinksalis (203-F-90) -5,0mpg 1,7ppg 1,0rpg

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

MEXICO

Angeles de Puebla sign Christopher Moore - by Eurobasket
Angeles de Puebla (LNBP) strengthened their roster with addition of 27-year old American forward Christopher Moore (205-F-82, college: Virginia Union, agency: GOTathletes). Moore played most recently at Qatar Sports Club (Qatar) for Emir Cup Tournament. which he manage to be awarded: Qatar Emir Cup Finalist
just befor going to Qatar, Moore played 19 games in Syria at Kasyoun where he avaraged: 24.3ppg, 17.2rpg, 2.3bpg, 1.8apg, 1.3spg and ahe was awarded: Syrian League Honorable Mention Team and Asia-Basket.com All-Syrian League Honorable Mention
in his first game with Angeles, Chris played: 31 minutes and scored 9 points and 11 rebounds
By Eurobasket Data Center

Stats Leaders - LNBP

Points Per Game

John MILLSAP
  Bucaneros
  (198-F-82)
  Avg: 25

1. Millsap, Bucaneros	25.0
2. Monroe, Potros	24.6
3. Moore, Abejas	23.4
4. Habel, Cosmos	21.9
5. Jackson, Pilares	21.7
6. Thomas, Potros	21.6
7. Capers, Barreteros	21.4
8. Martin, Pilares	21.1
9. Hickerson, Pioneros	21.0
10. Hornsby, Huracan.	21.0

Rebounds Per Game

Mattis MCHUGH
  Abejas
  (198-F-84)
  Avg: 11.1

1. McHugh, Abejas	11.1
2. Long, Indios	11.1
3. Allen, Pioneros	10.8
4. Berghoefer, Potros	10.1
5. Aubry, Halc.Rojos	10.0
6. Jackson, Angeles	10.0
7. Reaves, Barreteros	9.8
8. Garcia, Pioneros	9.1
9. Mills, Indios	9.0
10. Moss, Lechuguer.	8.9

Assists Per Game

William FUNN
  Bucaneros
  (188-G-82)
  Avg: 6.2

1. Funn, Bucaneros	6.2
2. Stokes, Barreteros	5.3
3. Malpica, Cosmos	5.3
4. Osimani, Halc.Cordoba	5.2
5. Brown, Fuerza R.	4.9
6. Roque, Toros	4.4
7. Rivera, Halc.Rojos	4.2
8. Hollyfield, Barre.	4.2
9. Beltran, Libertad.	4.1
10. Villegas, Lechuguer.	3.8

Steals Per Game

Manuel GONZALEZ
  Libertadores
  (--)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Gonzalez, Libertad.	3.1
2. Beltran, Libertad.	2.9
3. Moore, Abejas	2.8
4. Lewis, Soles	2.6
5. Gooner, Halc.Rojos	2.4
6. Funn, Bucaneros	2.3
7. Garcia Moral., Halc.X.	2.1
8. Hollyfield, Barre.	2.1
9. Malpica, Cosmos	2.1
10. Monroe, Potr.	2.1

Blocks Per Game

Jamal JOHNSON
  Angeles
  (201-F-81)
  Avg: 1.2

1. Johnson, Angeles	1.2
2. Millsap, Bucaneros	1.1
3. Arceneaux, Lechugue.	1.0
4. Moore, Abejas	0.9
5. Thomas, Cosmos	0.9
6. Jackson, Pilares	0.9
7. Hill, Halc.Rojos	0.8
8. Soto, Abejas	0.8
9. Cox, Angeles	0.8
10. Pulido, Huracan.	0.7

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

MOROCCO

Standings - Men

D1 Standings

1. ASS	9-1
2. IRT	9-1
3. MAS	8-2
4. PCS	6-4
5. FUS	5-4
6. Chabab Rif	4-6
7. ASE	4-6
8. RCA	3-7
9. IRAN	1-8
10. TSC	0-10

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

NBA

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Carmelo ANTHONY
  Denver N.
  (203-F-84)
  Avg: 29.9

1. Anthony, Denver N.	29.9
2. Bryant, LA Lakers	29.9
3. James, Clevelan.	28.8
4. Durant, Oklah.Ci.	28.2
5. Wade, Miami Heat	26.8
6. Nowitzki, Dallas M.	25.5
7. Ellis, Golde S.	25.2
8. Granger, Indiana P.	24.4
9. Bosh, Toronto R.	23.5
10. Roy, Portland	22.8

Rebounds Per Game

Dwight HOWARD
  Orlando M.
  (207-F-85)
  Avg: 13.4

1. Howard, Orlando M.	13.4
2. Noah, Chicago B.	12.4
3. Wallace, Charlotte B.	11.9
4. Gasol, LA Lakers	11.7
5. Camby, LA Clippers	11.5
6. Randolph, Memph.	11.4
7. Bosh, Toronto R.	11.3
8. Lee, New York K.	10.8
9. Boozer, Utah Jazz	10.7
10. Haywood, Washin.	10.4

Assists Per Game

Steve NASH
  Phoenix Suns
  (190-G-74)
  Avg: 11.3

1. Nash, Phoenix Suns	11.3
2. Paul, N.Orleans H.	10.7
3. Williams, Utah Jazz	10.0
4. Rondo, Boston C.	9.5
5. Kidd, Dallas M.	9.1
6. James, Clevelan.	7.8
7. Davis, LA Clippers	7.7
8. Arenas, Washingt.	6.9
9. Westbrook, Oklah..	6.9
10. Duhon, New York.	6.4

Steals Per Game

Rajon RONDO
  Boston C.
  (186-G-86)
  Avg: 2.6

1. Rondo, Boston C.	2.6
2. Ellis, Golde S.	2.4
3. Bryant, LA Lakers	2.2
4. Paul, N.Orleans H.	2.1
5. Curry, Golde S.	1.9
6. Iguodala, Philadel.	1.9
7. Davis, LA Clippers	1.8
8. Kidd, Dallas M.	1.8
9. Brewer, Utah Jazz	1.8
10. Wallace, Charlotte.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Dwight HOWARD
  Orlando M.
  (207-F-85)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Howard, Orlando M.	2.5
2. Haywood, Washingt.	2.4
3. Smith, Atlanta H.	2.4
4. Oden, Portland TB	2.3
5. Camby, LA Clippers	2.2
6. Dampier, Dallas M.	2.0
7. Lopez, New J.	2.0
8. Bogut, Milwauke.	2.0
9. Perkins, Boston C.	2.0
10. Dalembert, Phil.	2.0

Standings

NBA Standings

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Div.
1. Boston C.	23-6
2. Toronto R.	15-17
3. New York K.	11-19
4. Philadelph.76	8-22
5. New Jersey N.	2-29
Central Div.
1. Cleveland C.	24-8
2. Milwaukee B.	12-17
3. Chicago B.	11-17
4. Detroit P.	11-19
5. Indiana P.	9-20
Southeast Div.
1. Orlando M.	22-8
2. Atlanta H.	21-8
3. Miami Heat	16-12
4. Charlotte B.	12-17
5. Washington W.	10-19
Western Conference
Northwest Div.
1. Denver N.	20-12
2. Portland TB	20-13
3. Utah Jazz	17-13
4. Oklah.City T.	16-14
5. Minnesota T.	7-24
Pacific Div.
1. LA Lakers	24-6
2. Phoenix Suns	20-12
3. Sacramento K.	14-16
4. LA Clippers	13-17
5. Golde State W.	8-21
Southwest Div.
1. Dallas M.	22-9
2. Houston R.	18-13
3. San Antonio S.	17-11
4. Memphis G.	14-16
5. N.Orleans H.	13-15

Sunday's games (6) review: Clippers grab thriller win against Celtics - by Eurobasket News
Detroit P. - Toronto R. 95-102
Chris Bosh (6'11''-F-84, college: Georgia Tech) had 25 points and 16 rebounds, Jarrett Jack (6'3''-G-83, college: Georgia Tech) drained 17 points and the Toronto Raptors extended their winning streak to a season-high four games, beating the Pistons 102-95 on Sunday. Andrea Bargnani (6'10''-F/C-85) helped with 16 points and 6 boards. In the loosing squad, Ben Gordon (6'2''-G-83, college: Connecticut) and Richard Hamilton (6'7''-G-78, college: Connecticut) netted 15 pts each.

Boston C. - LA Clippers 90-92
Baron Davis (6'2''-G-79, college: UCLA) (24 points, 13 assists) hit a long fallaway jumper at the buzzer after Rondo missed two free throws 1.5 seconds earlier, and the Los Angeles Clippers dramatically snapped the Celtics' nine-game road winning streak with a 92-90 victory on Sunday night. Chris Kaman (7'0''-C-82, college: Cent.Michigan) also was great in victory with 27 points and 12 boards. On the other side, Rajon Rondo (6'1''-G-86, college: Kentucky) had 20 pts and 6 assists.

Houston R. - Cleveland C. 83-108
LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) drained 29 points and Maurice Williams (6'1''-G-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Alabama) added 20 for Cleveland (24-8), which has won four straight and nine of 10. They have won 10 straight at home, the league's longest active winning streak. Shaquille O'Neal (7'2''-C-72, college: LSU) helped with double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Aaron Brooks (6'0''-G-85, agency: Buck Andre, college: Oregon) delivered 23 points for the Rockets.

Indiana P. - Miami Heat 80-114
Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette) scored 25 points in only 28 minutes, Jermaine O'Neal (6'11''-F-78) had 19 points helping Miami Heat to beat the Pacers 114-80 on Sunday night. Michael Beasley (6'9''-F-89, college: Kansas St.) scored 16 pts and was third scorer in win. Troy Murphy (6'10''-F-80, college: Notre Dame) had 16 pts for the guests.

San Antonio S. - New York K. 95-88
Tony Parker (6'0''-G-80) scored 22 points, Manu Ginobili (6'6''-G-77, agency: Interperformances) added 17, and they made the key plays in the final minutes to power the Spurs to a 95-88 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night. Tim Duncan (6'10''-F-76, college: Wake Forest) added 13 points and 7 rebounds. In NY Knicks, David Lee (6'9''-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Florida) shined with 28 points and 10 rebounds.

Dallas M. - Denver N. 104-96
Drew Gooden (6'10''-F-81, agency: Arik Krayn Services, college: Kansas) scored 19 points and Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) hit a clutch 3-pointer late in the game, lifting the Mavericks to a 104-96 win Sunday night over a Denver squad missing All-Star guard Chauncey Billups (6'3''-G-76, college: Colorado). Nowitzki finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The hosts got 18 points and 11 rebounds from Kenyon Martin (6'8''-F/C-77, college: Cincinnati).

Rockets' McGrady at impasse, leaves team - by Eurobasket News
Tracy McGrady (6'8''-G/F-79) left the Houston Rockets and returned home Saturday after being told by coach Rick Adelman that despite McGrady's wishes, his playing time would not increase.

In a strange twist to a story that has had its share of weird plot turns, the Rockets said McGrady received the team's permission to fly back to Houston, in part so that be could be home for his the birthday of his young son, Laymen.

But there clearly was an impasse between McGrady and Adelman about what the next step should be in McGrady's comeback from microfracture knee surgery, and the Rockets said the situation would be readdressed Monday after the team returns home from a back-to-back set against New Jersey and Cleveland.

'That's what I'm trying to figure out: Where do we go, and still keeping the rest of the guys moving forward?' Adelman said. 'It's kind of a balancing act in trying to figure it all out, and I do not have the magic answer. I wish I did.'

McGrady played short stints of 7 or 8 minutes in each of Houston's previous six games, then asked that his workload be increased. Adelman refused, and the situation reached a new juncture after the team's morning shootaround Tuesday.

'I'm a player, man,' McGrady told the Houston Chronicle. 'I don't make these decisions. I just abide by whatever they bring to me. That's the plan. I'm not going to argue and fight with them -- just run with it. I felt it was time [to increase the routine of playing seven to eight first-half minutes].

'I'm not going to cause any confusion or confrontations. As a player, that's what I felt. They obviously feel different. That's what I have to roll with.'

McGrady has the highest salary ($23.2 million) of any player in the NBA and is in the final year of his contract, and several other teams assumed the Rockets were showcasing McGrady for a trade. But Houston general manager Daryl Morey has insisted that is not the case, saying the decision to bring back McGrady and limit his minutes was Adelman's, and there was no urgency whatsoever to trade McGrady.

Where the situation goes from here is a mystery.

'It's just an unknown,' Adelman said. 'And I don't have the answer for it. I just thought he was unhappy with that situation, and I was uncomfortable trying to go forward and jump-start it again.

'I don't blame any player for saying I want more, and that's basically what he wants, and right now I'm not sure how to do that.'

This is the 30-year-old McGrady's sixth season with the Rockets, who have been one of the NBA's surprise success stories this year as they go through a season of transition without Yao Ming (foot surgery) and with McGrady two seasons removed from being a productive player. The 12-year veteran appeared in only 35 games last season before undergoing surgery on his left knee Feb. 24.

Of McGrady's six appearances this season, only one could reasonably be called a success -- a 10-point outing at home against the Clippers last Sunday.

'You know, he was a great player,' Adelman said, 'and you could go and run the offense through him and all the other guys benefited from it. But now if you're going to do that, because of the injury and the rehabilitation coming back, he suddenly can't do that and we can't go to that. And now that that's happened, it's tough. So we're trying to see if we can't keep a flow where he can still get his touches yet we don't have to put the whole onus on him right now, and that's the dilemma. We need to play a certain way, and he needs to get a feel for what we're doing. And we knew it was never going to be easy.'

Courtesy of ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com)

Utah Jazz looking for point guard to fill roster vacancy - by Eurobasket News
Utah Jazz brass met Saturday to begin the process of filling the roster spot that opened up when the organization traded rookie point guard Eric Maynor and injured Matt Harpring's contracts to Oklahoma City last week.

Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said the team has compiled a list of 10-12 players who will be evaluated.

O'Connor wanted to meet with coach Jerry Sloan and other pertinent Jazz personnel to gather input and discuss options as the team tries to find a player who will fit in for at least the rest of the season.

The process, O'Connor admitted, could take a while to play itself out. The 12-deep Jazz have two weeks from the trade date (last Tuesday) to get their roster up to the required league minimum of 13.

'We're going to study some tapes and make some phone calls about availability of guys,' O'Connor said, 'and determine what direction we're going to go in.'

Because Utah has depth with wing and post players, O'Connor confirmed the Jazz are looking for a third point guard.

The team is trying to decide whether it's best to bring a younger, project-type player or if it'd be wiser to sign a veteran who could be used as more immediately as insurance in case of an injury to Deron Williams or Ronnie Price. It's possible the Jazz could mine Europe for a player such as former Utah Flash guard Kevin Kruger, who's in Italy.

But because many pros across the seas have tricky contracts to get out of or might want the Jazz to guarantee a deal O'Connor suggested it'd be smoother sailing for Utah to stay closer to home, presumably either with someone in the D-League or an out-of-work NBA player.

'We would look probably (at) somebody that's free to be able to come sooner than somebody in Europe,' O'Connor said.

O'Connor's phone has been ringing 'a lot' with tips - from the likes of agents - about Jazz wannabes. That, of course, is to be expected when an NBA team puts out a help wanted sign.

'That's their job,' O'Connor said, 'and that's what they're supposed to be doing. ... If they didn't make those calls, I'd start to worry.'

Courtesy of www.deseretnews.com

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

NCAA1

Northwestern makes first poll appearance in four decades - by Eurobasket News
It usually isn't big news when a team from the Big Ten moves into The Associated Press' college basketball poll. It is when that team is Northwestern.

The Wildcats moved into the poll on Monday at No. 25, their first appearance in the rankings since January 1969, when it was still just a Top 20.

With Kansas again a runaway No. 1, as it has been since the preseason poll, the top eight teams remained the same for the third straight week.

The Jayhawks (11-0), who beat California 84-69 in their only game last week, received 52 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.

Texas (11-0), which beat Michigan State 79-68 last week for its second straight win over a top 10 team, was No. 1 on 11 ballots and remained second, while Kentucky (13-0) had one first-place vote and was third.

Purdue (11-0) was fourth, followed by Syracuse (12-0) -- which had the other first-place vote -- West Virginia (10-0), Duke and Villanova.

North Carolina and Connecticut both moved up a spot to round out the top 10.

Northwestern (10-1) has won nine straight games since a loss to Butler. The Wildcats, the only team from a BCS conference to never play in the NCAA tournament, were ranked for three weeks during the 1968-69 season. They made the poll only two other times: for one week in 1954-55; and seven weeks in 1958-59.

Three other teams moved into the rankings this week. No. 22 Florida State (11-2) and No. 23 Wisconsin (10-2) were both ranked for one week earlier this season. UAB (11-1) moved in at No. 24, the Blazers' first ranking since the final poll of 2005-06.

Butler, which lost to UAB last week, dropped out from No. 20. The Bulldogs (8-4) were 11th in the preseason poll and were ranked in the six previous regular-season polls. The other teams to fall out were all ranked for the last four weeks: No. 18 Florida (8-3), No. 19 Texas A&M (9-3) and No. 25 Gonzaga (8-3) all moved into the Top 25 four weeks ago.

Michigan State fell two spots to 11th and was followed by Kansas State, Georgetown, Tennessee, Ohio State, Mississippi, Washington, Temple, New Mexico and Texas Tech.

The bottom five ranked teams were Clemson, Florida State, Wisconsin, UAB and Northwestern.

New Mexico (12-1) had the week's biggest fall, dropping six places to 19th after a 75-66 loss at Oral Roberts.

The addition of Wisconsin and Northwestern gives the Big Ten five ranked teams, tying the Big East for most in the Top 25. The Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference both have four.

There are six games between ranked teams this week with the headliner Friday's matchup between Purdue and West Virginia, two of the six remaining unbeaten teams in Division I.

Courtesy of www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com

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

PHILIPPINES

PBA Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Mark CARDONA
  Talk N Text
  (180-G/F-81)
  Avg: 21.4

1. Cardona, Talk N.	21.4
2. Santos, San Miguel	18.2
3. Tubid, Ginebra	18.2
4. Williams, Santa Lucia	17.2
5. Miller, Alaska	16.2
6. Tenorio, Alaska	15.5
7. Yap, Purefoods	15.0
8. Alapag, Talk N Text	14.7
9. David, Burger King	14.6
10. Macapagal, Coc.	14.5

Rebounds Per Game

Kelly WILLIAMS
  Santa Lucia
  (198-F-82)
  Avg: 14.1

1. Williams, Santa Lucia	14.1
2. Santos, San Miguel	10.2
3. Reavis, Purefoods	9.4
4. Taulava, Coca-Cola	9.2
5. Carey, Talk N Text	8.9
6. Pena, San Miguel	8.9
7. Espinas, Santa L.	8.1
8. Reyes, Rain o.	7.8
9. Alonzo, Barako Bull	7.7
10. Quinahan, Burger.	7.5

Assists Per Game

JayJay HELTERBRAND
  Ginebra
  (183-G-76)
  Avg: 5.8

1. Helterbrand, Gineb.	5.8
2. Cabagnot, Coca-Cola	5.8
3. Alapag, Talk N Text	5.4
4. Villanueva, San M.	5.1
5. Yeo, Santa Lucia	4.7
6. Miller, Alaska	4.5
7. Reyes, Santa Lucia	4.5
8. Castro, Talk N Text	4.4
9. Tenorio, Alaska	4.2
10. Abarrientos, Gin.	3.9

Steals Per Game

Ryan REYES
  Santa Lucia
  (188-G-83)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Reyes, Santa Lucia	2.1
2. Williams, Santa Lucia	1.8
3. Artadi, Purefoods	1.8
4. Norwood, Rain o.	1.7
5. Buenafe, Burger K.	1.6
6. Abarrientos, Gineb.	1.5
7. Santos, San Miguel	1.5
8. Mercado, Rain o.	1.4
9. Dimaunahan, Barako B.	1.4
10. Ross, Coca-Co.	1.3

Blocks Per Game

Ali PEEK
  Talk N Text
  (194-F-75)
  Avg: 1.7

1. Peek, Talk N Text	1.7
2. Santos, San Miguel	1.6
3. Quinahan, Burger K.	1.5
4. Thoss, Alaska	1.2
5. Maierhofer, Puref.	1.1
6. Aquino, Santa Lucia	1.1
7. Pennisi, San Miguel	0.9
8. Devance, Alaska	0.9
9. Williams, Santa Lucia	0.8
10. Hrabak, Rain.	0.8

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

POLAND

Stats Leaders - 1Liga

Points Per Game

Marcin STERENGA
  Gornik Walb.
  (201-F-78)
  Avg: 21.3

1. Sterenga, Gornik W.	21.3
2. Celej, Start Lublin	21.2
3. Pacocha, Big Star	19.5
4. Weatherspoon, Znicz B.	18.7
5. Pluta, MOSiR K.	18.6
6. Wojdyla, Sudety JG	18.4
7. Dloniak, Spojnia S.	18.1
8. Flieger, Zastal ZG	16.9
9. Storozynski, Trefl S.	16.4
10. Mis, Siarka.	16.4

Rebounds Per Game

Tomasz WOJDYLA
  Sudety JG
  (201-F-77)
  Avg: 11.8

1. Wojdyla, Sudety JG	11.8
2. Sterenga, Gornik W.	11.5
3. Kulikowski, Zubry	10.0
4. Storozynski, Trefl S.	9.8
5. Grudzinski, Spojn.	9.5
6. Kwiatkowski, Start L.	9.4
7. Lisewski, MMKS D.	9.2
8. Mis, Siarka T.	8.9
9. Nowakowski, Tempco.	8.6
10. Chodkiewicz, Zastal.	8.2

Assists Per Game

Marcin STOKLOSA
  Spojnia S.
  (188-G-77)
  Avg: 7

1. Stoklosa, Spojn.	7.0
2. Sikora, Start Lublin	6.8
3. Ecka, Znicz Basket	5.9
4. Baran, Siarka T.	5.8
5. Trepka, LKS Lodz	4.9
6. Glapinski, Sokol L.	4.6
7. Rapucha, Zubry	4.4
8. Pacocha, Big Star	4.4
9. Basinski, MMKS D.	4.4
10. Kalinowski, Zastal.	4.1

Steals Per Game

Marcin FLIEGER
  Zastal ZG
  (182-G-84)
  Avg: 3.5

1. Flieger, Zastal ZG	3.5
2. Krupa, Siarka T.	3.1
3. Sikora, Trefl SSA	3.0
4. Marciniak, Siarka T.	2.8
5. Ecka, Znicz Basket	2.8
6. Szpyrka, Siarka T.	2.6
7. Sikora, Start Lublin	2.5
8. Koszuta, Spojnia S.	2.3
9. Wojdyla, Sudety JG	2.3
10. Aleksandrowi., Znicz.	2.3

Blocks Per Game

Rafal KULIKOWSKI
  Zubry
  (204-C-85)
  Avg: 3

1. Kulikowski, Zubry	3.0
2. Milewski, AZS A.	1.9
3. Lisewski, MMKS D.	1.9
4. Mis, Siarka T.	1.7
5. Salamonik, Big Star	1.3
6. Pisarczyk, LKS Lodz	0.9
7. Deja, MOSiR K.	0.9
8. Wojdyr, Trefl SSA	0.9
9. Jarmakowicz, Zastal Z.	0.9
10. Grzywa, Gornik.	0.8

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

RUSSIA

Standings - Superleague B

B Superleague Standings

1. N.Novgorod	21-1
2. Saransk	18-5
3. Severstal	13-9
4. Spartak-P.	12-6
5. Revda	12-7
6. Lok.Novos.	11-9
7. Rjazan	8-12
8. Naltchik	8-12
9. Ural Ekater.	7-12
10. Chelabinsk	7-13
11. Magnitogorsk	6-14
12. Tambov	6-16
13. Irkutsk	4-16

Stats Leaders - Superleague A

Points Per Game

Sergey BYKOV
  Dynamo M.
  (190-G-83)
  Avg: 22.9

1. Bykov, Dynamo M.	22.9
2. Capin, Lokomoti.	20.4
3. Rush, Triumph	18.0
4. Chalmers, Enisey	17.7
5. Monya, Dynamo M.	17.6
6. Green, Lokomoti.	17.5
7. Fields, Spartak SP	17.3
8. Lyday, Unics	17.1
9. Shabalkin, Triumph	16.3
10. Flores, Krasni.	16.1

Rebounds Per Game

Sergey MONYA
  Dynamo M.
  (204-F-83)
  Avg: 8.5

1. Monya, Dynamo M.	8.5
2. Trushkin, Krasni.	8.5
3. Javtokas, Khimky	7.1
4. Panin, Triumph	7.0
5. Khryapa, CSKA	7.0
6. Savenkov, Lokomoti.	6.6
7. McCarty, Khimky	6.3
8. Kaun, CSKA	6.2
9. Ford, Spartak SP	6.0
10. Veremeenko, Uni.	6.0

Assists Per Game

Ernest BREMER
  Krasnie Krilya
  (196-G-80)
  Avg: 5.8

1. Bremer, Krasnie .	5.8
2. Capin, Lokomoti.	4.4
3. Bykov, Dynamo M.	4.4
4. Fields, Spartak SP	3.8
5. Chalmers, Enisey	3.7
6. Lopez, Khimky	3.5
7. Vyaltsev, Triumph	3.4
8. Khryapa, CSKA	3.3
9. Fridzon, Khimky	3.0
10. Lyday, Uni.	3.0

Steals Per Game

Sergey BYKOV
  Dynamo M.
  (190-G-83)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Bykov, Dynamo M.	3.1
2. Khryapa, CSKA	2.3
3. Rush, Triumph	2.1
4. Lyday, Unics	2.0
5. Surovtsev, Lokomoti.	1.9
6. Bremer, Krasnie .	1.9
7. Biggs, Krasnie Krilya	1.6
8. Monya, Dynamo M.	1.6
9. Sergeev, Triumph	1.6
10. Zibirov, Dynamo.	1.5

Blocks Per Game

Sergey MONYA
  Dynamo M.
  (204-F-83)
  Avg: 2

1. Monya, Dynamo M.	2.0
2. Savenkov, Lokomoti.	1.6
3. Mozgov, Khimky	1.3
4. Trushkin, Krasni.	1.0
5. Sokolov, CSKA	1.0
6. Javtokas, Khimky	0.9
7. Kaun, CSKA	0.8
8. Khryapa, CSKA	0.8
9. Vorontsevich, CSKA	0.8
10. Varlamov, Trium.	0.8

Courtney Sims officially in CSKA Moscow - by Max Brodsky
American center Courtney Sims (211-C-83, agency: Guy Zucker, college: Michigan) can be added to our team in coming year 2010. The player will join CSKA soon to pass the medical tests and to go through trial period.

Sims graduated from famous Michigan university basketball school in 2007. He went undrafted by NBA clubs and sporadically played for the clubs of the best league in the world, participating in 5 games (6 points, 6 rebounds in 24 minutes) for Indiana, Phoenix and New York. He played for D-league Iowa Energy in the end of 2007-08 season and beginning of 2008-09 season, becoming 2009 NBDL MVP. His stats in 32 games of 200809 season are 22.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocked shots. In October 2009 the center played in three preseason games for Atlanta Hawks but did not make the final roster.

Natalia Furaeva, CSKA Vice President:
'It is not a secret that we needed help on center position. It is difficult to improve the roster on this stage of the season and we think that Courtney can be a fair addition. He did not played a game past two months and, despite his good physical conditions we insisted on the trial period for Sims. We expect Courtney to join the team on December, 30th. The decision to carry the contract into effect will be taken by us in 2-4 weeks.'

source: cskabasket.com

Kestutis Kemzura in Lokomotiv Kuban - by Eurobasket News
Kestutis Kemzura signed a deal with Lokomotiv Kuban. The Lithuanian specialist will guide the Russian team in the reminder of the season. Kemzura will replace Saso Filipovski at head coaching position. Kestutis Kemzura worked as head coach in Khimky from 2007 through 2009. He led the Latvian National Team at the 2009 EuroBasket. Kemzura got appointed as a new Lithuanian NT head coach earlier this fall.

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

SERBIA

A League: Round 14 review - by Eurobasket News
Mega Vizura - Vojvodina 69-79
Vojvodina closed Round 14 with nice 69-79 road win against Mega Vizura. Aleksandar Jevdjic (203-C-82, agency: Beo Basket) led the guests with 13 points and 7 rebounds, while Nenad Tomasevic

(192-G-84) also helped with 13 pts. Stefan Jelovac (208-C-89, agency: Beo Basket) shined in loss with 18 points and 9 boards. Vojvodina 9-5, Mega Vizura 7-7.

Proleter Naft. - Masinac 87-71
Proleter had an easy job against Masinac jumping to 10-4. Dragan Simic (207-F/C-81) top-scored in victory with 19 points. Vid Zarkovic (189-G-75) had 15 pts, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. In Masinac (6-8), Slaven Cupkovic (206-F-88) collected 19 pts and 5 boards.

Tamis - Metalac 83-80
Radovan Markovic (194-G-82) led Tamis to 8th win scoring 23 points. Dejan Djokic (200-F-80) also had important role in this victory with 19 points. On the other side, Metalac (10-4) got 22 points and 7 rebounds from Marko Ljubojevic

(202-F/G-84).

Novi Sad - Borac 75-85
Nemanja Prolovic (188-G-87) scored 22 points pacing Borac to tenth victory of the season. Branko Jorovic (205-F-81, agency: Beo Basket) also shined netting 3 points less. In Novi Sad (6-8), Bojan Ljubojevic (205-F-78, agency: Beo Basket) collected 20 points and 9 boards.

Beograd - Napredak 76-78
Napredak grabbed valuable road win against the top-ranked Beograd moving up to 9-5. Dragan Markovic (203-F-74, agency: Beo Basket) and Slobodan Pejovic

(192-G-86) scored 15 and 14 points respectively in victory. Beograd (11-3) got 19 points from Nikola Lepojevic

(199-F-82).

KG 06 - Radnicki Basket 70-95
It was a game between two last ranked teams and Radnicki Basket managed to move up from the bottom registering second win. Ivan Smiljanic (198-F-89) led the winners with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Nikola Vasojevic (192-F-86) replied with 15 pts in defeat. Both teams had 1-12 before this meeting.

Sloga - Ergonom 83-73
6-8 for Sloga and 3-11 for Ergonom after this game. Marko Dimitrijevic (190-G-78) shined for the hosts with 18 points and 5 assists. Nikola Ivanovic (192-G-84) delivered 15 points for the guests.

Stats Leaders - 1A

Points Per Game

Vladimir PANIC
  Metalac
  (194-F-82)
  Avg: 18.3

1. Panic, Metalac	18.3
2. Markovic, Napredak	18.1
3. Mladenovic, Ergon.	16.9
4. Kruscic, Beograd	16.5
5. Vukosavljevi., Prolet.	16.4
6. Markovic, Tamis	16.1
7. Micevic, Borac	16.0
8. Jorovic, Borac	16.0
9. Rakic, Novi Sad	15.6
10. Jelovac, Mega.	15.5

Rebounds Per Game

Nenad CANAK
  Tamis
  (204-F-76)
  Avg: 8.2

1. Canak, Tamis	8.2
2. Jelovac, Mega V.	7.9
3. Lukovic, Radnic.	7.5
4. Mladenovic, Ergon.	7.2
5. Ljubojevic, Novi S.	6.9
6. Mikic, KG 06	6.9
7. Bosnjak, Vojvodina	6.7
8. Pobric, Novi Sad	6.5
9. Mitrovic, Beograd	6.4
10. Dramicanin, Bor.	6.2

Assists Per Game

Vid ZARKOVIC
  Proleter Naft.
  (189-G-75)
  Avg: 7.6

1. Zarkovic, Prolet.	7.6
2. Pistoljevic, Radnic.	4.7
3. Stefanovic, Metal.	4.4
4. Rakic, Novi Sad	4.2
5. Martinic, Vojvodina	4.2
6. Dimitrijevic, Sloga	4.1
7. Korac, Beograd	3.9
8. Prolovic, Borac	3.6
9. Djordjevic, Sloga	3.3
10. Tresac, Bor.	3.2

Steals Per Game

Marko VULIN
  Proleter Naft.
  (196-G-83)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Vulin, Proleter Naft.	2.4
2. Martinic, Vojvodina	2.2
3. Zarkovic, Prolet.	2.1
4. Dundjerski, Beograd	1.8
5. Djordjevic, Sloga	1.6
6. Dimitrijevic, Sloga	1.6
7. Vukosavljevi., Prolet.	1.6
8. Tresac, Borac	1.6
9. Kovacevic, Novi Sad	1.6
10. Dasic, Slo.	1.5

Blocks Per Game

Stefan BIRCEVIC
  Metalac
  (209-F/C-89)
  Avg: 1.7

1. Bircevic, Metalac	1.7
2. Lukovic, Radnic.	1.5
3. Buric, Tamis	1.4
4. Mladenovic, Ergon.	1.3
5. Petric, KG 06	1.3
6. Maravic, Mega V.	1.2
7. Arsic, Masinac	0.8
8. Bjegovic, Masinac	0.8
9. Dramicanin, Borac	0.7
10. Markovic, Radn.	0.6

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

SOUTH KOREA

Inchon ET Land Black Slamer sign Gyasi Cline-Heard - by Eurobasket
Inchon ET Land Black Slamer strengthened their roster with addition of 30-year old American forward Gyasi Cline-Heard (202-F-79, college: Penn St.). Cline-Heard played most recently at Paysandu BB (Uruguay). 2008-2009: In Sep.08 signed at Paysandu BB (Uruguay-LUB, starting five): 9.1ppg, 6.7rpg and 2.1apg, Cline is Uruguay LUB Champion, Latinbasket.com All-Uruguay LUB 1st Team in 2005 when he was playing at Salto Uruguay (Uruguay-LUB)
By Eurobasket Data Center

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

SPAIN

Stats Leaders - LEB Gold

Points Per Game

Darren PHILLIP
  CAI Zaragoza
  (201-F-78)
  Avg: 19.3

1. Phillip, CAI Z.	19.3
2. Morley, Burgos	18.0
3. Hughes, Leon	17.7
4. Quinteros, CAI Z.	17.2
5. Roe, Tenerife	17.0
6. Donaldson, La La.	17.0
7. Riera, Mallorca	16.9
8. Guillen, La Laguna	15.8
9. Xavier, Breogan	15.4
10. Blanch, Mallor.	15.3

Rebounds Per Game

Jakim DONALDSON
  La Laguna
  (203-C/F-83)
  Avg: 11.5

1. Donaldson, La La.	11.5
2. Starosta, Melilla	10.0
3. Sinanovic, Clin.Rin.	8.5
4. Lima, Clin.Rincon	8.3
5. Arteaga, Palencia	8.2
6. Padgett, La Palma	8.2
7. Northen, Mallorca	7.9
8. Adrien, Breogan	7.7
9. Coleman, Breogan	7.4
10. Ayon, Teneri.	7.4

Assists Per Game

Diego CIORCIARI
  Vive Menorca
  (185-G-80)
  Avg: 4.7

1. Ciorciari, Vive M.	4.7
2. Jimenez, Melilla	4.3
3. Mena, La Palma	3.6
4. Perez, Cornella	3.4
5. Vallmajo, Breogan	3.3
6. Garrido, La Laguna	3.2
7. Lescano, CAI Z.	3.2
8. Quinteros, CAI Z.	3.2
9. Rodriguez, CB Tarra.	3.0
10. Hernandez, Burg.	2.9

Steals Per Game

Matias LESCANO
  CAI Zaragoza
  (196-G/F-79)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Lescano, CAI Z.	3.1
2. Rabaseda, Cornella	2.4
3. Blanch, Mallorca	2.4
4. Quinteros, CAI Z.	2.1
5. Fuentes, Clin.Rincon	2.0
6. Victor, Vive M.	1.9
7. Xavier, Breogan	1.9
8. Rocchia, Leon	1.8
9. Rodriguez, CB Tarra.	1.8
10. Ayon, Teneri.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Jakim DONALDSON
  La Laguna
  (203-C/F-83)
  Avg: 1.8

1. Donaldson, La La.	1.8
2. Sinanovic, Clin.Rin.	1.6
3. Diouf, CB Tarragona	1.6
4. Naymick, Caceres	1.6
5. Elonu, CAI Zaragoza	1.4
6. Samb, Cornella	1.4
7. Roe, Tenerife	1.3
8. Ayon, Tenerife	1.3
9. Joseph, Cornella	1.1
10. Northen, Mallor.	1.1

LEB Gold: Melilla dominates after 16 rounds - by Eurobasket News
Melilla - Mallorca 104-72
Melilla blasted Mallorca at home staying on top of LEB Gold standings with 14 wins and 2 defeats. Taylor Coppenrath (205-F-81, college: Vermont) was on fire for the hosts scoring 25 points in just 17 minutes of play. He also pulled down 8 rebounds beside that. In Mallorca (8-8), Juan Riera (188-G-79) and Jose Amador (210-F/C-83, agency: Duran International) netted 15 pts each.

Burgos - Leon 72-60
Burgos was too strong for Leon so both teams have 8-8 now. Zach Morley (203-F-83, college: Wisconsin) shined for the hosts with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Rick Hughes (204-C/F-73, agency: Interperformances, college: Thomas More) responded with 20 points and 7 rebounds in defeat.

Ourense - Vive Menorca 57-85
Vive Menorca cruised past Ourense in style moving up to 12-4 (same as CAI Zaragoza, 2nd place). Caio Torres (211-C-87) drained 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in this victory, while Urko Otegui (203-F/C-81) added 18 pts and 7 rebs. Matias Nocedal (192-G-90, agency: Interperformances) delivered 15 pts in loss.

Girona - CAI Zaragoza 64-74
CAI Zaragoza celebrated in derby game against Girona staying on the second place in LEB Gold standings, together with Menorca (12-4). Darren Phillip (201-F-78, college: Fairfield) shined with 22 points and 7 rebounds, and Paolo Quinteros

(186-G-79) was second scorer in this victory with 18 pts. In Girona (10-6), veteran Darryl Middleton (203-F/C-66, college: Baylor) had 18 points and 9 rebounds.

Vigo - La Laguna 52-86
10th victory oft he season for La Laguna, who got 26 points and 7 rebounds from Ricardo Guillen (205-F/C-76). Jakim Donaldson (203-C/F-83, college: Edinboro) added double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds. Timothy Frost netted 12 pts for the last ranked Vigo.

Tenerife - CB Tarragona 87-57
Easy win for Tenerife, who moved up to 6-10. Jose Rodriguez and Gustavo Ayon (209-F/C-85, college: San Jose St.) (8 rebs) led the hosts with 17 and 15 points respectively. Tarick Johnson (192-G/F-81, college: Campbell) answered with 16 points for the guests. They dropped to 4-12.

Palencia - Clin.Rincon 82-56
Palencia destroyed Clinicas Rincon joining it with 5-11 score. Oliver Arteaga (211-C-83) led the winners with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Augusto Cesar Lima (206-C-91) registered double-double in defeat, 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Cornella - Caceres 80-82
Both teams entered to this game with 6-9 score. Caceres made it mostly owing to Pedro Sala

(178-G-77) and Andrew Naymick (208-C-85, agency: Warren Sports International) (8 rebs), who scored 19 and 18 points respectively. Alejandro Hernandez

(190-G-90) collected 21 points and 8 assists for the hosts.

Stats Leaders-LEB Silver

Points Per Game

Courtney PIGRAM
  Andorra
  (185-G-85)
  Avg: 18.1

1. Pigram, Andorra	18.1
2. Higgs, L''Hospitalet	17.0
3. Howard, Guadalaj.	16.3
4. Vereen, Rosalia	16.2
5. Ferrer, Cajasur .	15.5
6. Barcelo, Plasencia	15.4
7. Salson, Huesca	15.0
8. Thompson, ADT T.	14.8
9. Johnson, Huesca	14.8
10. Freimanis, Qalat.	14.7

Rebounds Per Game

Gustavo AYON
  Tenerife
  (209-F/C-85)
  Avg: 10.2

1. Ayon, Illescas	10.2
2. Howard, Guadalaj.	9.8
3. Miller, Huelva	9.6
4. Thompson, ADT T.	9.5
5. Santana, Caja Rioja	8.6
6. Virgil, Alcazar	7.4
7. Hampl, Santurtzi	7.3
8. Ausina, Matchmind	7.2
9. Williams, Matchmind	7.2
10. Drame, Andor.	7.1

Assists Per Game

Ricardo BUSCIGLIO
  Caja Rioja
  (185-G-86)
  Avg: 5

1. Busciglio, Caja Rioja	5.0
2. Rodriguez, Rosalia	4.3
3. Gonzalez, Navarra	4.2
4. Rufian, Huelva	4.2
5. Lopez, Coruna	3.8
6. Canals, Alaior	3.6
7. Castello, ADT T.	3.6
8. Uriz, Santurtzi	3.5
9. Cardenas, Qalat C.	3.5
10. Marcos, Alcaz.	3.5

Steals Per Game

Antonio GOMEZ
  Huelva
  (193-G-79)
  Avg: 2.6

1. Gomez, Huelva	2.6
2. Ott, Caja Rioja	2.5
3. Suka-Umu, Cajasur .	2.4
4. Barcelo, Plasencia	2.3
5. Johnson, Huesca	2.2
6. Martinez, Huelva	2.0
7. Pigram, Andorra	2.0
8. Lyons, Alcazar	2.0
9. Alonso, Matchmind	1.9
10. Bavosi, Promob.	1.9

Blocks Per Game

Ronald THOMPSON
  ADT Tarragona
  (208-F/C-81)
  Avg: 1.4

1. Thompson, ADT T.	1.4
2. Byombo, Illescas	1.3
3. Adams, Navarra	1.2
4. Matali, Andorra	1.0
5. Sekulic, Plasencia	1.0
6. De Santana, Caja R.	1.0
7. Miller, Huelva	0.9
8. Williams, Matchmind	0.9
9. Andrews, Huesca	0.9
10. Ayon, Illesc.	0.8

Ingles Named MVP - by Paul Nilsen
Versatile Australian Joe Ingles

(203-G/F-87, agency: Priority Sports) was crowned MVP of Round 14 after a sensational display in his teams 83-76 success in the capital. CB Granada picked up an important road win with Ingles putting the oranges of Fuenlabrada to the sword as he amassed a massive valuation of 40. His first such accolade of his brief ACB career was mainly due to an all action performance which landed him 23 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists.

LEB Silver: Round 13 review - by Eurobasket News

Group A

Alaior - L'Hospitalet 81-56
Sasa Zagorac (206-F/C-84, agency: World Sport Agency) stepped up for Alaoir with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Guillermo Justo (192-F/G-85) also had important role in this victory netting 14 pts. On the other side, visitors got 23 points from Nate Higgs (200-F-70, college: Elizabeth City).

Navarra - Caja Rioja 75-80
Caja Rioja had couple of players in a game mood against Navarra. Chavis Holmes (193-G, college: VMI) was the best one as he drained 22 points in just 23 minutes of play. The hosts got 18 points from Roma Bas (192-G-83).

Santurtzi - Rosalia 54-80
Rosalia demonstrated great performance registering huge 54-80 road win against Santruzi. Antonio Pantin (203-C/F-88) was the leading player for Rosalia with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Marcos Casado (183-G-83) replied with 14 points for the hosts.

Prat Juventud - Coruna 71-77
Nathan Miller (193-F-87, college: Bowling Green) was on fire in this game scoring 29 points. Coruna had 2 more players with double-digits in scoring managing to register valuable road win against Prat. The hosts got 13 points and 5 rebounds from Ignacio Llovet (202-C-91).

Andorra - Huesca 76-75
Andorra grabbed tiny home win against Huesca mostly owing to Courtney Pigram

(185-G-85, college: E.Tenn.St.), who scored 22 points. Nestor Zamora (178-G-84) followed him with 2 points less. In the loosing squad, Stevie Johnson (198-F-78, college: Iowa St.) collected 17 pts and 12 boards.

Group B

Illescas - Huelva 82-63
Huelva stays No.1 in Group B with 10 wins in 13 appearances. This time, Shalawn Miller

(204-C/F-74, college: Mass.-Lowell) was a key player in victory with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Ignacio Guigou (186-G-91) delivered 21 points in defeat.

Qalat CajaSol - Plasencia 79-75
Fifth victory of the season for Qalat, who got 13 points and 7 rebounds from Joan Sastre Morron (201-F-91). Three more players had more than 10 points in this victory. On the other side, Marko Sekulic (206-C-86) netted 18 pts in loss.

Cajasur Cord. - Promobys 70-74
Promobys got 15 points from Federico Bavosi (185-G-81), while Edward Cage (203-F/C-78, college: Bradley) helped with 2 less. In the loosing squad, Francisco Franco (203-F/C-77) collected 15 pts and 6 rebounds. Promobys 9-4, Cordoba 4-9.

Real M. II - Alcazar 60-66
8-5 for Alcazar and 5-8 for Real Madrid II after this game. Dexter Lyons (198-F/G-81, college: Cent.Florida) stepped up for the winners with 20 points. Juan Jose Lopez (203-F-82) scored 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds for the hosts.

Matchmind - Guadalajara 94-87
Matchmind was better than Guadalajara getting 23 points and 9 rebounds from Paul Williams (208-F/C-83, college: St.Bonaventure). Alberto Ausina (203-F/C-81) also was great adding 21 pts and 11 boards. Justin Howard (208-C-81, college: Mercer) replied with 23 points and 8 rebounds for the guests. Matchmind 4-9, Guadalajara 5-8.

Suzuki Manresa sign Larry Lewis - by Eurobasket
Suzuki Manresa added to their roster 40-year old American forward Larry Lewis (201-F-69, college: Morehouse). Lewis played most recently at Unicaja Malaga (ACB). While playing 2 games for Unicaja his stats were: 3.5ppg, 3.5rpg and 0.5apg.
Larry is well known in Spain, since his early pro career, he played in Spain, he collected so far:
Spanish LEB All-Star Game -01
Spanish Prncipe de Asturias Cup Finalist -02
Spanish LEB MVP -02
Spanish LEB All Star Team -02
Spanish ACB All-Star Game -03
Spanish ACB Semifinals -04
By Eurobasket Data Center

Jordi Trias about to join Granada - by Eurobasket News
Jordi Trias (206-F-80) has reportedly joined Granada. The 29-year-old forward will spend the reminder of the season on loan in Granada. Jordi Trias has been playing for Barcelona during the last six seasons. This year the forward averaged 2.7 points and 1.6 boards per game in the ACB. In Euroleague his stats came up to 2.0 points and 1.5 boards per appearance. Jordi Trias is expected to substitute injured Pablo Aguilar

(203-F/C-89) on the roster.

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SWITZERLAND

IJT Benetton Fribourg suffer two defeats in Rome - by Eurobasket News
Benetton Fribourg junior team travelled to Rome to take part in the prestigious Citta Di Roma tournament that serves as the first qualifying round of the Nike International Junior Tournament.
Benetton Fribourg opened their campaign against Stella Azzurra team. Stella Azzurra relied on a strong first frame to keep in charge in the starting half. They arrived at halftime up by 4 points 27:23. Stella Azzurra stepped on the gas in the third stanza and cleared off to a 13-point advantage at the final break. Fribourg could not recover and suffered the initial loss 47:68. Ojars Silins (198-F-93) fired game-high 29 points to lead Stella Azzurra. Giovanni Pini added 8 points in the win. Milos Bozovic (199-F-92) answered with 17 points and 9 rebounds for Fribourg. Stefan Petkovic (187-G-92) had 14 points, 6 boards and 4 assists in the loss.
Next Zalgiris took on Benetton Fribourg and rallied to a comfortable 93:52 victory. Zalgiris played some aggressive suffocating defence in this one. They limited their opponents to just 8 points in the opening frame to take a 10-point lead into the second stanza. The margin grew at 16 points in the next two periods. Zalgiris exploded with 33 points in the fourth frame and ran away with a confident win at the end. Augustinas Jankaitis (200-F-94) delivered 18 points and 10 rebounds. Egidijus Mockevicius added 12 points for the winners. Stefan Petkovic replied with 18 points for Benetton Fribourg. Brian Savoy (191-G-92) finished with 15 points in defeat.

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SYRIA

Williams and Gamble return to Aleppo - by Emile Aaji
The American duo Damond Williams (197-F-80, college: Mc Neese St.) and Kenyon Gamble (212-C-82, college: Tuskegee) both arrived on the same plane to Aleppo to join Al Ittihad club again .
Williams played shortly with Al Ittihad in damascus tournament 2 years ago before he moved Army club and was crowened as the league's top scorer .
Last season he played with Al Jalaa club and helped them winning the league .
Kenyon played with Al Ittihad last season due to personal reasons . then he moved to the PBL league and Qatar .
Both players will play a friendly match today with their club against Taleea in the main court in aleppo at 6:00 pm .

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TURKEY

After the first half of Turkish Division 2-Shining players... - by Mustafa Bozkurt
The first half of Turkish Development League: Division II just finished. After the 11 games, some players are shining at point, rebound, asist, block categories.
The first 5 at score category:
Mustafa Abi (24 Points) Orhan Haciyeva (23 Points) Tyrone Nelson (22.2 Points) Dwayne Curtis (203-C-85, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Mississippi) (21.5 Points) Travis Garrison ( 21.1 Points)
The first 5 at rebound category:
Thomas Brown (201-F-86, college: Lamar) (14.5 Reb.) Orhan Haciyeva (13.5 Reb.) Dwayne Curtis (11.6 Reb.) Callistus Eziukwu (11.5 Reb.) Tyrone Nelson (10.5 Reb.)
The first 5 at asist category:
Sezgin Eris (5.8 Asists) Admir Aziz Kan (5.6 Asists) Gokhan Senol (5.5 Asists) Kenan Tutuncu (5.4 Asists) Can Ugur Ogut (5.2 Asists)
The first 5 at block category:
Callistus Eziukwu (3.9 Blocks) Travis Garrison (2.4 Blocks) Eddy Fobbs (2.0 Blocks) Izzet Turkyilmaz (2.0 Blocks) Joseph Taylor (1.9 Blocks)

TB2L, Round 11: Hacettepe and Olin Genclik on top of their groups - by Eurobasket News

Group A

Yeni Nesil - Hacettepe Un. 78-97
10th victory of the season for Hacettepe, who stays on top of Group A alone thanks to Trabzon's defeat against Gelisim. Jermaine Dearman (202-F/C-80, agency: Warren Sports International, college: S.Illinois) shined for the winners with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Berkan Dizici (188-G-79) and Omer Kaan Gogus (89) delivered 20 pts each in loss.

Duzce Genclik - Final Genclik 69-67
Duzce Genclik finally registered first victory of the season getting 17 points and 5 rebounds from Volkan Tokcan (203-C-88). Erman Demirer (88) had 13 pts in this win. On the other side, Baturay Yilmaz (86) shined in loss with 18 pts and 5 rebs.

Gelisim - Trabzonspor 85-79
Recai Ozturk (198-F-82) was the leading player in this valuable victory with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Trabzon got 15 points and 7 rebounds from Gokhan Orcun Tunca (201-F-80). Gelisim moved up to 7-4, while Trabzon dropped to second place with 9-2.

Pertevniyal - Istanbul B.B. 83-70
5-6 for Pertevniyal and 4-7 for Istanbul B.B. after this game. Orhan Haciyeva (89) was totally the best player in victory with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Dennis Mims (205-F-80, college: Indiana, PA) responded with 19 pts and impressive 20 rebounds for the guests.

Orman Genc - Beykoz 72-70
Hasan Karabulut (202-F-81) top-scored for the hosts with 19 points and he grabbed 9 rebounds beside that. Dwayne Curtis (203-C-85, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: Mississippi) answered with 18 points and 10 boards in defeat. Orman 5-6, Beykoz 6-5.

Vestel - Selcuk Univ. 62-67
Selcuk jumped to 8-3 mostly owing to Antonio Meeking (203-F-81, college: Louisiana Tech), who drained 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Ahmet Murat Yolcu (184-G-78) had 13 pts. In the loosing squad, Ufuk Yanar (197-G/F-81) collected 15 points and 6 boards.

Group B

Pamukkale - Akcakoca P. 76-87
Akcakoca grabbed this one mostly owing to Albert Fisher (185-G-86, college: Kent St.), who collected 28 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Goktug Ezel Akgor (193-G-84) responded in defeat with 17 pts. Akcakoca 3-8, Pamukkale 2-9.

Optimum TED - FMV Isikspor 91-73
4-6 for Optimum TED and 7-4 for FMV Isikspor after this game. Kaan Memisoglu (190-G-78) led the winners with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and Enes Yoldas (207-F-82) also had 21 pts in this victory. Can Mutaf delivered 19 points in loss.

Akhisar Bld - Genc Banvit 75-71
Tyrone Nelson (206-F-85, college: N.Mexico St.) was a key player in victory with 32 points and 15 rebounds. Ibrahim Yildirim

(188-G-90) shined in the loosing squad with 20 points and 9 boards. Akhisar 4-7, Genc Banvit 2-9.

Usak - Olin Genclik 61-72
Olin Genclik celebrated in derby game of Group B staying on top of it alone with 9-2 score. Both teams had 8-2 before this meeting. Caner Ercan (86) shined for the winners with 20 points and 9 rebounds. In defeat, Callistus Eiukwu

(208-F/C-85, agency: Buck Andre, college: Grand Valley St.) had 24 pts and 10 boards.

TED Istanbul - Yesilyurt 81-84
Yesilyurt jumped to 8-3 after nice road win against TED Istanbul. Atalay Uysal (200-C-80, agency: 1x1 Sports) led the winners with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Ersan Ozseven (205-F-83) had 16 pts and 10 rebounds in defeat.

ITU - Genc Telekom 75-77
Genc Telekom celebrated nice road win moving up to 8-3. Can Ugur Ogut (92) shined in this victory with 20 points. Pertev Onguner (192-G-91) and Erdinc Balto

(206-F-90) helped with 15 points each. In defeat, Johnny Dukes (203-F-84, college: San Bernardino CC) had 19 pts and 5 rebs.

Stats Leaders - D1

Points Per Game

Quincy DOUBY
  Darussafaka
  (191-G-84)
  Avg: 23.6

1. Douby, Darussafaka	23.6
2. Shipp, Bornova	19.5
3. Hosley, Aliaga	18.6
4. Baron, Mersin	18.5
5. Baxter, Besiktas	18.5
6. Brown, Bornova	17.9
7. Toolson, Karsiyaka	17.8
8. Newley, Besiktas	17.8
9. Chatman, Besiktas	17.8
10. Heytvelt, Oyak.	17.8

Rebounds Per Game

Jermareo DAVIDSON
  Darussafaka
  (208-F-84)
  Avg: 9.2

1. Davidson, Darussaf.	9.2
2. Williams, Erdemir	9.0
3. Hosley, Aliaga	8.9
4. Heytvelt, Oyak R.	8.8
5. Greene, Antalya	7.8
6. Aldemir, Karsiyaka	7.8
7. Elegar, Bornova	7.3
8. Smith, Karsiyaka	7.2
9. Erden, Fener.Ulker	7.1
10. Bowman, Tof.	7.0

Assists Per Game

Hakan KOSEOGLU
  Erdemir
  (188-G-81)
  Avg: 8.8

1. Koseoglu, Erdemir	8.8
2. Chatman, Besiktas	6.4
3. Holston, Karsiyaka	4.9
4. Erdogan, Oyak R.	4.8
5. Douby, Darussafaka	4.6
6. Ermis, Banvit	4.5
7. Acik, T.Telekom	4.5
8. James, Mersin	4.3
9. Atsur, Besiktas	4.3
10. Gordon, Kepez B.	4.0

Steals Per Game

Quinton HOSLEY
  Aliaga
  (198-G/F-84)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Hosley, Aliaga	3.1
2. Chatman, Besiktas	2.9
3. Douby, Darussafaka	2.7
4. Shipp, Bornova	2.7
5. Smith, Efes Pilsen	2.4
6. Erden, Kepez Bld	2.3
7. Famutimi, Oyak R.	2.1
8. Holston, Karsiyaka	2.1
9. Erdogan, Oyak R.	2.0
10. Jackson, Antal.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Furkan ALDEMIR
  Karsiyaka
  (205-F-91)
  Avg: 1.7

1. Aldemir, Karsiyaka	1.7
2. Asik, Fener.Ulker	1.6
3. Davis, Banvit	1.6
4. Elegar, Bornova	1.4
5. Buckman, Kepez Bld	1.3
6. Greene, Antalya	1.2
7. Heytvelt, Oyak R.	1.2
8. Davidson, Darussaf.	1.1
9. Solak, Galatasaray	1.0
10. Solak, Kepez B.	1.0

TB2L Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Mustafa ABI
  ITU
  (197-G-79)
  Avg: 24

1. Abi, ITU	24.0
2. Haciyeva, Pertevniyal	23.0
3. Nelson, Akhisar Bld	22.2
4. Curtis, Beykoz	21.5
5. Garrison, Pamuk.	21.1
6. Gursu, Genc Banvit	20.1
7. Eiukwu, Usak	18.8
8. Karamahmut, Usak	18.6
9. Kan, Yesilyurt	18.4
10. Dukes, I.	18.1

Rebounds Per Game

Thomas BROWN
  Yesilyurt
  (201-F-86)
  Avg: 14.5

1. Brown, Yesilyurt	14.5
2. Haciyeva, Pertevniyal	13.5
3. Curtis, Beykoz	11.6
4. Eiukwu, Usak	11.5
5. Mims, Istanbul.	11.3
6. Nelson, Akhisar Bld	10.5
7. Gokay, Akcakoca P.	10.3
8. Garrison, Pamuk.	10.2
9. Egemonye, Optimum .	10.1
10. Turkyilmaz, Genc.	9.7

Assists Per Game

Sezgin ERIS
  Istanbul B.B.
  (185-G-85)
  Avg: 5.8

1. Eris, Istanbul B.B.	5.8
2. Kan, Yesilyurt	5.6
3. Senol, Final Genclik	5.5
4. Tutuncu, Beykoz	5.4
5. Ogut, Genc Telekom	5.2
6. Adiguzel, Orman G.	5.0
7. Kavaklioglu, Hacett.	4.9
8. Gacemer, Gelisim	4.9
9. Ay, TED Istanbul	4.6
10. Akyol, Olin Gencl.	4.4

Steals Per Game

Orhan HACIYEVA
  Darussafaka
  (--89)
  Avg: 3.5

1. Haciyeva, Pertevniyal	3.5
2. Gursu, Genc Banvit	2.5
3. Guney, TED Istanbul	2.4
4. Erdogan, Duzce G.	2.4
5. Ozseven, TED I.	2.3
6. Mutaf, FMV I.	2.3
7. Kocamis, Gelisim	2.2
8. Yavuklu, Orman G.	2.0
9. Celebioglu, Genc B.	2.0
10. Abay, Pamukka.	2.0

Blocks Per Game

Callistus EIUKWU
  Usak
  (208-F/C-85)
  Avg: 3.9

1. Eiukwu, Usak	3.9
2. Garrison, Pamuk.	2.4
3. Hairston, Duzce G.	2.2
4. Turkyilmaz, Genc B.	2.0
5. Fobbs, Trabzonspor	2.0
6. Taylor, Vestel	1.9
7. Binici, Genc Banvit	1.6
8. Courtney, Final G.	1.6
9. Egemonye, Optimum .	1.5
10. Balto, Genc.	1.3

After the first half of Turkish D2 - by Mustafa Bozkurt
The first half of Turkish Development League: Division II just finished. After the 11 games, some players are shining at point, rebound, asist, block categories.
The first 5 at score category: Mustafa Abi (24 Points) Orhan Haciyeva (23 Points) Tyrone Nelson (22.2 Points) Dwayne Curtis (21.5 Points) Travis Garrison ( 21.1 Points)
The first 5 at rebound category: Thomas Brown (14.5 Reb.) Orhan Haciyeva (13.5 Reb.) Dwayne Curtis (11.6 Reb.) Callistus Eziukwu (11.5 Reb.) Tyrone Nelson (10.5 Reb.)
The first 5 at asists category: Sezgin Eris (5.8 Asists) Admir Aziz Kan (5.6 Asists) Gokhan Senol (5.5 Asists) Kenan Tutuncu (5.4 Asists) Can Ugur Ogut (5.2 Asists)
The first 5 at block category: Callistus Eziukwu (3.9 Blocks) Travis Garrison (2.4 Blocks) Eddy Fobbs (2.0 Blocks) Izzet Turkyilmaz (2.0 Blocks) Joseph Taylor (1.9 Blocks)

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UKRAINE

MBC Mykolaiv lands Justin Love - by Aleks
While teams are off untill January, MBC Mykolaiv used the time to add Justin Love (188-G-78, college: St.Louis) to its roster. After they realeased 3 players recently, Love brings a lot of experience and fire power to the team of coach Valentin Berentsev.

Love is no stranger to Ukranien Basketball as he played last season for BC Odessa where he been the second best scorer of the UBL outfit with 17.3ppg.

MBC Mykolaiv started badly in the season with a 2-7 record and hopes with Love to get positive results in the upcoming games. The new player will be expected to already join his new team vs Budivelnyk in the cup match on January 3rd.

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USBA

USBA Spring and Summer Basketball Season Tip Off on April 7, 2010 - by USBA Media

Atlanta, Ga. (December 28, 2009)----The United States Basketball Association (USBA) is poised for its inaugural season. Opening day is scheduled for April 7, 2010. The league will field 18 teams housed in 3 divisions. Permanente home gymnasiums of each individual team are in the process of being completed. 'Barring any unforeseen challenges, we will tip off on Wednesday night, April 7, 2010, we have agreements in place to use gymnasium for all of our teams already, the colleges and universities that we planned to occupy this year, understood the challenges we faced in 2009 and they graciously permitted the league to renew their commitment to play at their facilities', said USBA president and C.E.O Duane Allen Jenkins. We anticipate having all locations set by early fall.

The 2010 regular season will begin on April 7, 2010 and end on July 3, 2010. There is a mid season All Star Classic Game slated for May 22nd and May 23rd, 2010. The Championship game is scheduled for July 11, 2010. Both the All Star game and the Championship game will be held in Atlanta, Georgia. The top four teams in each division will secure playoff positions. The Willie Joe Hunter Memorial Championship Trophy will be awarded to the top team.

The league will continue its partnership with churches, civic groups and charitable organizations in each individual team city. The USBA announced its continuation of their support to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Feeding America and the USMC Toys for Tots. The league has extended an invitation to children in foster care each city and children housed in juvenile detention centers to attend home games. The league has authorized each team to conduct educational contest between clubs to select children to be official ball girls and boys. ' We'll invite all groups who help children to contact the league and well issue complimentary tickets to these groups to our home games. The selected children to be the ball kids will receive $25.00 apiece per game for their services', said Jenkins.

The league has three divisions, the Atlantic, the Appalachian and the Southern. Each division will consist of six teams. 'With the economy stabilizing, its full steam ahead,' said USBA vice president of basketball operations, Kenneth Green. This is a prime opportunity for us to activate the league. From now to the end of the season, we'll get to know our fans and supporters in each city. We want our fans to be able to have ample access to the coaches and players,' said Green. A National Player Tryout Combine on March 6, 2010. Individual tryouts for each team will be held on March 13th and 20th, 2010 in each team city.

The leagues season ticket packages will be available beginning January 1, 2010. The season ticket promotion is called the 2010 USBA Season Ticket Extravaganza, the promotion will be made available to each city. This season ticket promotion is a special event for the fans and is sponsored by the advertisers and sponsors of the USBA. The league made 1200 single season tickets available in each city for this promotion. 'This collaborated effort includes the USBA, the USBA Youth Outreach, Inc and many of the leagues partners, sponsors and advertisers,' said Jenkins.

The league has set the price of $105.00 per season ticket. Each season ticket comes with admission to all fifteen home games and fifteen free single game tickets; this also includes admittance to all home playoff games. As a bonus, fans receive priority seating, complimentary concessions, a free game day program and a 24-inch x 36-inch full color poster with the basketball team or the dance team. (The total number of admittance per season ticket is 30, which breaks down to $3.50 per admittance). ' We designed the USBA basketball games to be family friendly, our promotions, our entertainment and our prices will fit right into anyones budget,' said Jenkins

According to the league, each season ticket holder will be automatically included in a raffle sponsored by the USBA Youth Outreach, Inc. 'We're very excited about this promotion. Not only do fans get a chance to see high quality basketball at affordable prices, but also there is the chance to win a new car, a trip to see an NBA game and to go on a Disney World vacation.'

The prize list is as follows:

* Grand Prize: 2010 Lincoln Mercury Grand Marquis LS
(one automobile and a $40.00 Quik Trip, BP, RaceTrac or local fuel company weekly gas card for one year, will be given away in each USBA team city, 18 total league wide),

* 2nd Prize: Disney World Family Vacation
(Family of four, rt airfare on Delta Airlines, transfers to and from the airport, daily Disney World Park passes, meals and lodging at a Disney World theme park hotel included, two given away in each USBA team city, 36 total league wide),

* 3rd prize: The NBA Extravaganza
( Trip for two to an NBA game, round trip airfare on Delta Airlines, overnight stay at Marriott Hotel, one day car rental from Enterprise, dinner for two at Outback Steak House and breakfast for two at International House of Pancakes, two given away in each USBA team city, 36 total league wide.)

* 4th Prize: The Trek Bicycle Explosion
(Six mens, six womens, six boys and six girls ten speed bicycles, 24 given away at each USBA team city, 432 total league wide)

* 5th Prize: The Outback Steak House Family Feast
(A $60.00 gift card, 25 given away in each USBA team city, 450 total league wide)

* 6th Prize: Russell Athletic Team Polo Shirts
(25 shirts will be given away in each USBA team city, 450 total league wide)

The Grand prize drawing for this promotion will be held at halftime of the teams home season opener, the drawings for the other prizes will be held at a special pre-game show. 'As far as we know, this is the biggest and most extravagant season ticket promotion in the history of minor league sports.' says Jenkins. Fans can visit our website at www.usbaball.com for rules and disclaimers about the raffle and the United States Basketball Association. 'We plan to begin our first season with a bang. All of our games will be geared toward top notched basketball competition, family fun and entertainment surrounded in a faith based environment, our goal is to offer each community a great experience proclaimed,' Jenkins. For more detailed information, call or email the USBA league office at (678) 966-9993 or usba@usbaball.com. For further information on the USBA go to www.usbaball.com/seasonticketextravaganza .

2010 USBA Season Ticket Extravaganza Rules and Disclaimer:
Purchase of a season ticket to any 2010 USBA team necessary to be included in the raffle drawing. The USBA Youth Outreach, Inc., is the sponsor of this promotion. This promotion is open to all residents of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi, North Carolina and the District of Columbia who purchase a season ticket during this promotion. This promotion ends April 5, 2010 at midnight Eastern Daylight Time. USBA employees, family member of USBA employees, team members, Season Ticket Extravaganza sponsors, their employees and their families are ineligible to participate in this promotion. Participants must be at least 18 years old to participate in this promotion. One entry in raffle per season ticket purchased. No other restrictions apply. No substitution of prizes. Prizes are not refundable or transferable. Prize winners are responsible for all taxes and /or gratuity associated with prizes won in this promotion. Odds of winning any prize in this promotion will be determined in direct relation of the number of season tickets sold during this promotion. (Example: 1200 season tickets sold per USBA team season, Grand Prize winning odds are 1200 to 1, 2nd prize winning odds are 600 to 1, 3rd Prize winning odds are 600 to 1, 4th Prize winning odds are 50 to 1, each, 5th prize winning odds are 48 to 1, 6th Prize winning odds are 48 to 1). The USBA has set aside 1200 season tickets per USBA team city to be sold, a total 21,600 league wide. Odds of winning a prize in this promotion are derived on a per city basis only. If the same individual purchases two season tickets for the 2010 basketball season and before April 5, 2010 the odds will increase to give the ticket holder double the chance of winning a prize. This promotion is a USBA Youth Outreach sponsored event. The USBA Youth Outreach, Inc., is a 501 (c) (3) not for Profit Company. Single ticket purchases are not included in this promotion. 2nd and 3rd Prizewinners must make travel reservation through the USBA. Travel blackout periods may effect certain travel dates. All NBA games must be east of the Mississippi River and in the Continental United States. Grand prizewinners have a choice of color. There is no time limit for any of the travel prizes, gift card or any other prize in this promotion. Promotion is void where prohibited by law.

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VENEZUELA

Venezuela waiting for other games outcome - by Yelitza La Torre
MEX - Date changes for Group C of the FIBA Americas League:

XALAPA (FIBA Americas League) - Group C of the FIBA Americas League will be played on January 13, 14 and 15 at USBI Gym in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. The original date was from January 12-14.

The participating teams of Group C of the FIBA Americas League are Halcones de Xalapa, Obras Sanitarias (Argentina), Joinville (Brazil) and Malvn (Uruguay). The time is the same as the first game goes up at 18:00 and the second at 20:10 local time.

The top team from this group qualifies for the FIBA Americas League Final Four to be played from February 4-6, 2010. Quimsa Santiago del Estero (Argentina) and Espartanos de Margarita (Venezuela) qualified to the Final Four after winning Groups A and B, respectively.
FOX Sports en Espanol will televise the games.

Miguel Carrera - by Wolfgang Lucena
Venezuelan basketball has been improving, especially toward new generations that follow their parents as their role model; Armando and Kevin Palacios, Bruno and Dennis D Addezzio, Ruben and Giorland Rada, Ramon and Elvis Baez are some of them, and now Joining this selected group are Luis and Michael Carrera . Michael is a 6'4' youth combo guard from Barcelona, Anzotegui State, whom guided by his DNA chooses to practicing basketball in Portugal School. So far Michael Carrera has been played for his home town basketball team as well as for his country Venezuela in the National Team. Actually Michael Carrera is attending Montrose Christian high school in the United States of America.

Source; www.venbaloncesto.com

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Women News

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE - Women

Standings

Adriatic League Standings

1. Gospic		10-0
2. Sibenik		9-1
3. Merkur Celje		7-4
4. M.Kraj. BL		5-5
5. Medvescak		5-6
6. Jedinstvo		4-5
7. Ragusa		4-6
8. Hit Kran.Gora		4-7
9. Vojvodina		2-8
10. AJM Maribor		1-9

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ARGENTINA - Women

Standings - Women

Liga Nacional Standings

1. Velez S.	12-0
2. Talleres	8-4
3. Union Florida	7-5
4. Lanus	6-6
5. C.Entrerriano	6-6
6. Recreo	1-11
7. Ben Hur	1-11

Velez and Union Florida reach Final - by Eurobasket News
Velez Sarsfield and Union Florida will fight for Liga Nacional title. They held off Lanus and Talleres respectively to reach the decider. The championship clash will is scheduled for tonight.
Velez and Lanus got to an even start to their semifinal. The teams were tied at 15 after ten minutes of action. Velez however stepped on the gas in the second period. The only undefeated team in the championship was not about to lose their first in the semis. Velez built a 6-point lead at the interval. The regular season champions arrived at the final break up by 6 points and never surrendered the lead to enter the Final. Paula Reggiardo (84) finished with 17 points to lead Velez. Mariana Cava (168-G-85) added 15 points in the win. Melani Soriani responded with 11 points for Lanus. Marcela Paoletta (170-G-79) top-scored with 17 points in defeat.
Union Florida faced even the tougher task to solve. They were down by 6 points at halftime against Talleres. But impressive performances from Anastasia Saenz (182-F-85) and Daniela Benvenuto (85) turned things around for Union Florida in the second half. They erased the deficit and headed into the fourth frame up by 3 points 50:47. Talleres never recovered and had to face the defeat at the end. Daniela Benvenuto fired 24 points to lead the charge. Anastasia Saenz finished with 20 points in the victory. Talleres responded with 18 points from Constanza Landra (188-C-82). Johana Pucchetti delivered 15 points in the loss.

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CHINA - Women

Standings - WCBA

WCBA Standings

1. Bayi	7-1
2. Henan	7-1
3. Guangdong	6-2
4. Beijing	6-2
5. Shenyang ar.	5-3
6. Heilongjiang	4-4
7. Shanghai	4-4
8. Jiangsu	3-5
9. Liaoning	3-5
10. Yunnan	2-6
11. Zhejiang	1-7
12. Shandong	0-8

Shanghai handed Bayi their first loss - by Eurobasket News
Shanghai handed Bayi their first loss as they surprised them in Round 8 at home. Shanghai opened the game with massive 31-23 and stayed tough until the rest of it. After 13-12 in the second period Shanghai had 9 points advantage at the halftime. Bayi bounced back with 20-15 in the third frame, but lost the last stanza 14-18. Shi Xiufeng (178-G-87) led the way with 23 points for the winners, while Yide Feng posted 18. Zeng Meiling (191-C-88) and Zhang Ni followed them with 14 points each. Chen Nan (197-C-83) ended up with 18 points in the losing effort. Zhang Xiaoni (195-C-83) posted 16 and Chen Lisha added 13.
Henan managed to tie the league leaders, Bayi as they rolled over Liaoning for 7-1 record. Henan produced 83:72 to celebrate the seventh victory. The favorites opened the game with 26-22 in the first period and added 13-7 in the second. They managed to win the third period 26-15 and did not mind the loss in the last period, 18-28. Ji Yanyan (182-G/F-85) paced all the winners with 24 points and Mattera Katie (203-C-82, college: Liberty) nailed 23. Wu Chin-Chu (175-G-88) and Wang Jing chipped in 12 points apiece.
Round 9 is scheduled for tomorrow.

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CROATIA - Women

Mirna Mazic moves to Esperides - by Eurobasket News
One of brightest Croatian talents, Mirna Mazic (188-F-85, college: Richmond) is set to move to Esperides. One of BC Medvescak's best players has reportedly reached an agreement with Greek outfit and will be moving to the club immediately. Medvescak is set to receive compensation for its player, who has been wanted by numerous European clubs. Mazic, stated that she is looking forward to new challenge, but that she was glad the club also benefited from her leaving. If all goes well, she is expected to join her new club on January 4th. She is set to make debut on January 10, when Esperides takes on Panathanaikos.
Mirna Mazic started her career with Medvescak junior team in 2000. In 2004, she spent a season in United States where she played for Richmond University. At Richmond, Mazic averaged 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds. Later that year, she moved to French outfit Villeneuve D'Asco where in 19 games, she posted averages of 9.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. In 2006, she returned to Medvescak where in her first season, she posted averages of 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 6 EuroCup games. Mazic continued to impose herself at Medvescak, continuously improving each season. This one, she appeared 6 times for the club, averaging 18.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. In EuroCup she was equally impressive, averaging 25.0 points and 9.0 rebounds.

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GREECE - Women

Transfers after the X-MAS Break! - by Christos Nikou
Many teams are coming with new Foreign players in their roster for 2010,

Aris Thessalonikis replaced Amber Sprague (196-C-86, college: San Diego) with an experienced player who knows the greek championsip Brooke Quennan (188-F-84, college: Boston Coll.) (former player of Panionios Athens), she is expected to give a big boost in the post player position.

Ravenna Esperides / Glyfada has recently made a very good transfer in the post player position with croatian center Mazic Marinaformer player of ZKK Medvescak Zagreb who had a very good season in the Eurocup last year.

many other teams will follow, soon we will be posting the latest transfers

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ISRAEL - Women

Elizur Maclaren Holon sign Alexis Hornbuckle - by Eurobasket
Elizur Maclaren Holon agreed terms with 24-year old American guard Alexis Hornbuckle (180-G-85, college: Tennessee). Hornbuckle played most recently at Kotka Peli-Karhut (Finland). While playing 1game for PeKa her stats were: 19points, 18rebounds and 4 assists. and managed to win the Finnish Cup for this Season
Alexis is :

WNBA Champion -08
WNBA Eastern Conference Regular Season Champion -08
WNBA Semifinals -09
By Eurobasket Data Center

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SPAIN - Women

Olympic champion can join Mann Filter - by Eurobasket News
The former track and field Olympic and World champion Marion Jones can suit up for Mann Filter. The Saragossa outfit is expecting the player to arrive to Spain tonight to start training. If the deal is penned Marion Jones can don Mann Filter jersey as soon as January 9 in the Spanish Cup game. Marion Jones left the big sport in 2000 after problems with taking steroids. Marion Jones played basketball in college. She led the North Carolina Tar Heels to the National Championship in 1993/94 season. Marion Jones has been recently training with the San Antonio Silver Stars getting ready for the new challenge in her career.

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SWEDEN - Women

Damligan: Round 11 review - by Eurobasket News
Solna Vikings hosted Brahe Basket and wrapped the match by halftime when they have already built 48-29 lead. Solna continued to dominate the game routing their opponents 102-45. Maria Gultekin (166-G-90) led the winners with 30 points, while Emma Halldin-Wedin (174-G-87) and Katarina Andersson (191-C-83) added 12 and 10 points respectively. For visitors, Beata Gullberg scored 16, and Ajnur Bilibani (173-G-90) finished the game with 14 points.
Visby managed to steal one from Eos, after winning the matchup 69-74. Jeannie Saunders (173-G-86, college: Salem Intern.) led the way for winning side with 24 points, and Eva Hagg-Myntti (171-G-88) added 19. Not even 30 point effort by Alexandra Ferm could prevent hosts from loosing in this game.
Emma Nilsson scored 18, Elin Soderstrom added 14 and Anna-Lisa Vestin chipped in 10 points as Lulea Basket won the thriller of a game against Stockholm 08 69-67. For visitors, Martina Stalvandt had a good game after scoring 16 points. Sundsvall recorded important 69-73 away victory over Umea. Anna Hoglund (178-G-82) with 23, Vera Janjic (178-G-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza) with 22, and Ida Andersson with 17 points enabled visiting team a win in this game. On the other side, Pamela Rosanio scored game high 30 points.
Norrkoping had an easy job at home against Sallen, winning the game 60-46. For hosts, Malin Aasa (178-G/F-87) scored 16 points and Frida Grahn (184-F-88) added 13. On the other side, Amalia Krantz was the best scorer with 12 points.
Telge basket also won at home, defeating Mark Basket 69-62. Ulrica Holmqvist (183-C-93) and Binta Drammeh scored 15 points each for the winners. Mark Basket got 16 point effort from Ashley Key.