Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 7/24/2009

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Men News

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Standings

Adriatic L. Standings

1. Partizan		23-3
2. Cibona		19-7
3. Hemofarm		19-7
4. Crvena Zvez.		19-7
5. Zadar		17-9
6. Buducnost		15-11
7. Bosna S.		11-15
8. FMP		10-16
9. Olimpija		10-16
10. KK Split		10-16
11. Krka		9-17
12. Helios		8-18
13. KK Zagreb		8-18
14. Vojvodina		4-22

AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Libya 2009 Afrobasket: Omowaiye, Ndobegang, 18 other referees listed - by Olusegun Ikuesan
Nigeria-born, FIBA licensed referee, Olugbenga Olurotimi Omowaiye and Cameroon Pierre Ndobegang Njilefac have been listed by the continental basketball ruling body, FIBA Africa alongside eighteen other international referees to officiate in the 25th edition of the FIBA Africa Championship for Men, Libya 2009 Afrobasket holding in Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi from August 5 through 15 this year.

Omowaiye who is Nigeria foremost basketball referee was licensed in 1997 as a FIBA graded referee and have officiated in such top games as the Commonwealth Games finals.

Ndobegang on the other hand is based in Nigeria where he worked as an airline crew with Bellview Airline is reputed as one of the continents leading referee.

Others listed for the Libya 2009 show piece are, Samir ABAAKIL (Morocco), Mohamed AL KOMBARI (Libya), Tonton BANZA KALUME (Dem.Rep. of Congo), Eric BILALA OLOUMA (Gabon), Abdelkader BOULEMIA (Algeria), Ben Ali CISSE (Cote d'Ivoire), Domingos Lino Jone COUTINHO (Mozambique), Hesham EL-HARIRI (Egypt), Vitalis Odhiambo GODE (Kenya), Stacy Anton GOMM (South Africa), Haykel KSONTINI (Tunisia), Paulo Renato MARTINHO (Cape Verde), Firmin MBOKOLI (Central African Republic), Samba NDIAYE (Senegal), Bob-Cains OSSOUALA-BALELI (People's Republic of Congo), Fernando Godinho PACHECO (Angola), Didier SHEMA-MABOKO (Rwanda) and Moussa Ismaila TOURE (Mali)

Libya 2009 Afrobasket: Omowaiye, Ndobegang, 18 other referees listed - by Olusegun Ikuesan
Nigeria-born, FIBA licensed referee, Olugbenga Olurotimi Omowaiye and Cameroon Pierre Ndobegang Njilefac have been listed by the continental basketball ruling body, FIBA Africa alongside eighteen other international referees to officiate in the 25th edition of the FIBA Africa Championship for Men, Libya 2009 Afrobasket holding in Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi from August 5 through 15 this year.

Omowaiye who is Nigeria foremost basketball referee was licensed in 1997 as a FIBA graded referee and have officiated in such top games as the Commonwealth Games finals.

Ndobegang on the other hand is based in Nigeria where he worked as an airline crew with Bellview Airline is reputed as one of the continents leading referee.

Others listed for the Libya 2009 show piece are, Samir ABAAKIL (Morocco), Mohamed AL KOMBARI (Libya), Tonton BANZA KALUME (Dem.Rep. of Congo), Eric BILALA OLOUMA (Gabon), Abdelkader BOULEMIA (Algeria), Ben Ali CISSE (Cote d'Ivoire), Domingos Lino Jone COUTINHO (Mozambique), Hesham EL-HARIRI (Egypt), Vitalis Odhiambo GODE (Kenya), Stacy Anton GOMM (South Africa), Haykel KSONTINI (Tunisia), Paulo Renato MARTINHO (Cape Verde), Firmin MBOKOLI (Central African Republic), Samba NDIAYE (Senegal), Bob-Cains OSSOUALA-BALELI (People's Republic of Congo), Fernando Godinho PACHECO (Angola), Didier SHEMA-MABOKO (Rwanda) and Moussa Ismaila TOURE (Mali)

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ALGERIA

Arab Basketball Cup: The host go to Semifinals - by Eurobasket News
Morocco - Algeria 69-61

The host of 9th Arab Basketball Cup, Morocco will play in the Semifinals. In the yesterday's game against Algeria, Morocco was better 69-61 and it will continue battle for the medals. On the other side, the competition is finished for the Algerians. They demonstrated decent performance, but failed when it was the most important.
Everything started good for Algeria, who had high productive first quarter. They ended it with 17-22 lead. However, that was all from them as Morocco totally took control on this match. Until the HT the host managed to create a turn, 35-32. After the breather, Algeria had another not so brilliant quarter, which Morocco exploited. So the hosts entered to last ten minutes with plus 6. It still was open game and Algeria had a chance. However, they needed little bit more than they showed yesterday. Morocco was strong enough to deny pressure and to reach the Semis. Their rival will be undefeated Tunisia. The Tunisians were No.1 in Group A with perfect 5-0. Yesterday they eliminated Kuwait 99-57.

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ANTIGUA

Standings

D1 Standings

1. Defence Force	12-1
2. West 5	12-1
3. Big Banana	10-3
4. JSC Outlaws	9-4
5. Baldwin B.	8-5
6. Point Stars	7-6
7. Yorks C.	6-7
8. BT. Hawks	5-8
9. Golden Eagles	5-8
10. Medcare Kings	4-9
11. Isl. Original	4-9
12. Asot Arcad YW	4-9
13. Bolans Ravens	2-11
14. Freetown T.	1-12

West Five Won Game One - by Mahijah Davis
West Five Defeated Yorks Crushers in the first game of the best of five. both teams played a back and forth first half until West five took full control of the encounter in the second half. West Five won by 16 points, 83-67. Crushers had three players in double figures, Randy John with 10 points and 13 rebounds for his double double, Emelio John with 15 points, six boards and five steals and Tony Need banked 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. West Five also had three players in double digets, Mario Davis with 17 points, six boards, four steals and five assists, Pernell Phillips with 12 points and Mahijah Davis netted 17 points and 12 rebound for his double double.
Game 2, tonight at the JSC Sports Complex at 8:30 pm.
Crushers defeated Big Banana Express in the first round 2-1 and back sweep the Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force Warriors in round two, 2-1.
West Five swept Baba Trucking Hawks in the first round, 2-0 and defeat Hon Baldwin Braves in the second round, 2-1.

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ARGENTINA

Movements in TNA - by Facundo Iatzky
After have decided that they will remain in TNA, El Nacional confirmed their head coach for the upcomiing season. He will be Mauricio Santangelo, former Independendiente. He will replace Juan Garcia, who continues in the club but as assistant.
Argentino Junin agrees terms with coach Jose Cottonaro.
Belgrano San Nicolas hired Angel Cachari.
Among players, San Martin Corrientes resigned Juan Pablo Sartorelli.
Ciudad Bragado signed Federico Pollio and Julian Olmedo
Belgrano have got young players Juan Manuel Gandoy and Gregorio Eseverri.

Argentina winter League - by Facundo Iatzky
For fifth straight year, the winter league is played in argentina, organized by Antonio Gornatti.
This year, there are 5 teams. These are the rosters:

OBRAS SANITARIAS: Horacio Cardani, Leandro Hasenauer, Hugo Cortes, Cristian Cortes (185-G-90), Leon Nicanof (185-G-91), Franco Rivero (191-G-90), Franco Giulietti, Alan Omar, Luciano Pozzer, German Chiaruttini, Lautaro Fraga, Martin Gareis, Cristian Scaramuzzino, Pablo Caceres, Federico Glinberg (201-C-90). Coach: Carlos Duro;

PUROBASQUET: Julian Olmedo (187-G-77), Joaquin Olmedo, Daniel Chaher (192-F-78), Lucas Gornatti (185-G-82), Juan Gutierrez (205-F/C-83), Mariano Byro, Gerardo Anegon, Daniel Clavel, Rodrigo Dias, Sebastian Sevignani, Kuchu, Jorge Batle, Pit Palheiro. Coach: -;

VILLANUEVA&RAFFAELLI: Alejandro Alloatti, Gabriel Fernandez (204-C-76), Martin Leiva (208-F/C-80), Matias Sandes (201-F/G-84), Bruno Labaque (183-G-77, agency: Interperformances), Milton Gonzalez, Leo Montero, Lucas Ortiz, Fernando Tittarelli, Gaston Gianelli, Patricio Tabares, Juan Espil, Enzo Caferatta. Coach: -;

BUDDING-DRAFT 5: Gaston Bernasconi, Alejandro Fidalgo, Patricio Cadillac, Emilio Ziegler, Gabriel Menza, Miguel Ricci, Sebastian Festa (179-G-72), Leonardo Miranda (199-C-76), Maximiliano Lamarque (185-G-79), Andres Lopresti (175-G-76), Ruben Runke, Facundo Romani, Daniel Beguerie, Ignacio Romani, Kevin Gorfinkel, Sebastian Scandolera, Pablo Cihal, Nicolas Ballicora, Mariano Mazzini. Coach: Martin Amden;

LA BANDA DEL VASCO: Ariel Svoboda (192-G-85, agency: Players Group), Ariel Melgarejo, Cesar Chaine (201-C-86), Maximiliano Stanic (178-G-78, agency: Players Group), Jonhatan Maldonado, Nicolas Stanic (177-G-84, agency: Players Group), Gabriel Gonzalez, Cristian Melgarejo. Coach: Alvaro Castineira.

This tournament is played specially by professional players who look for prepare for the upcoming season, but it is used also for some players who want to be looked by professional teams. The tournament las one week and it will finish in July 27.

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AUSTRALIA

Newley to join Turkish club - by James Hoff
Australian Brad Newley (199-G-85) (199-G-85) has joined Turkish club Besiktas ColaTurka Istanbul. The 24-year old guard/small forward spent last season with the Greek club Panellinios Athens. He appeared 16 times in EuroCup averaging 10.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 spg, FGP: 53.8%, 3PT: 31.6%, FT: 63.9%. In A1 league Newley registered 10.6ppg, 4.4rpg, FGP: 60.0%, 3PT: 34.9%, FT: 70.6% in 28 games. Before Panellinios, Newley already was in Panellinios Athens but as a member of Panionios. He moved to Greece from the Australian team Townsville Crocodiles. In 2006/07 he was the fifth scorer of the domestic championship with 22.1 ppg. Last summer Newley played for Team Australia at the Olympic Games in Beijing. He also appeared on the World Championship 2006 in Japan. Recently he played in the NBA summer league for the Houston Rockets who drafted him in 2007.

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AUSTRIA

BAHAMAS

Bahamas U17 National Team 2009 - by Richard
4 Geno Bullard (-G-92)
5 Donavan Brown (-93)
6 Alexander Rolle (-93)
7 Samuel Johnson (-93)
8 Jamaal Walker (-94)
9 David Kemp (-93)
10 Dwight Moss (-93)
11 Jabari Wilmott (-94)
12 Denarii Rolle (-93)
13 Phillip Jones (-94)
14 Kristan Rolle (201-C-92)
15 Kristoff Wood (-94)

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BARBADOS

Patriots drop Tridents to ease relegation worries - by Justin Marville
PATRIOTS ARE ONLY one win away from booking an extended stay in basketball's Premier League.

National forward George Haynes scored ten of his season-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Husbands-based squad to a dramatic 75-71 comeback victory over Sagicor Tridents on Tuesday night at the YMCA.

The last-minute win moved the Premier League newcomers two games ahead of idle last-placed Cougars (1-12) and into a tie with rival Senators (3-10) in the demotion race with just three regular season games left to play.

But that much-needed boost in the standings seemed unlikely when the opposing schoolboys were building a daunting double digit advantage (46-35) early in the third quarter on the back of a strong first-half performance from Keefe Birkett.

However, the undermanned Tridents side struggled from the field thereafter while Haynes and underrated forward Damien Gaskin proved problematic at the other end in reducing the deficit to just one (52-51) with seconds left in the third quarter.

Schoolboys point guard Akeem Williams put a brief end to the run when he returned from the bench to pilot a subsequent 11-4 rally that gave Tridents a substantial 63-55 lead four minutes into the ensuing fourth.

However, that the recovery was very short-lived as the Tridents only managed a further eight points the rest of the way during Haynes' fourth quarter onslaught.

The six-foot-nine overseas-based player was always too tall an order for the schoolboys' depleted frontcourt, especially when undersized forward Anthony White shrugged off a slow start to get in on the scoring act as well.

White also poured in ten fourth-quarter points as part of a huge 16-5 Patriots run, giving the Premier League debutantes their first lead at 71-68 after Haynes' emphatic tip-slam in transition at the 1:22 mark.

Tridents swingman Daniel Lovell then dramatically locked the scores on a wide-open trey on the following possession only to cough up the two decisive turnovers in the game's dying seconds.

After Rawle Conway's runner in the lane restored Patriots' slight advantage, Lovell travelled at the other end while trying to take on his defender before throwing away a pass that led to an uncontested White lay-up which sealed the deal with three seconds on the clock.

White and Conway finished with 12 points each while Haynes added 16 rebounds to his season best effort. Keefe Birkett led schoolboys with 23 points, Williams scored 14 and Lovell finished with 13 points.

Standings

Premier L. Standings

1. Lakers	10-3
2. Bulls	10-3
3. Cavaliers	9-4
4. Pinelands	9-4
5. Deacons	7-6
6. Warriors	7-6
7. Jackson	7-6
8. Sonics	6-6
9. Tridents	6-8
10. Senators	3-10
11. Patriots	3-10
12. Cougars	1-12

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BELARUS

Norway beat Belarus in the first round in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
Norway U18 - Belarus U18 75:68
Norway claimed the first win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They opened their campaign with a tough victory over Belarus in Group A.
Belarus got to the better start as they led throughout the majority of the opening stanza. They clinched a 20:14 advantage at the first break. Ihnatchyk and Vitali Liutych (190-G-92) kept Belarus in front early in the second quarter. However Norway triggered a 13:1 run to close the first half leading by 6 points. Vitali Liutych scored 10 points in the third term to pull within one at the end of the third stanza. Marius Botolfsen (186-G-92), Lundestad and Stian Berg (180-G-91) exploded with three triples early in the final frame as Norway ensured an 8-point buffer. But Belarus bounced back drawing things level at 68 with just over 3 minutes remaining. Karamo Jawara (195-F-91) knocked down three points for Norway, while Marius Botolfsen and Rakneberg sealed the deal for the Scandinavian team at the end.
Stian Berg scored 17 points to pace Norway. Karamo Jawara added 13 points, 9 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Vitali Liutych knocked down 19 points for Belarus. Siarhei Hancharonak (201-C-91) had 10 points in the losing effort.

Norway U18: Stian Berg 17, Karamo Jawara 13, Marius Botolfsen 9
Belarus U18: Vitali Liutych 19, Siarhei Hancharonak 10

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BELGIUM

Liege Transfer News - by Peter Buyse
Belgacom Liege Basket has signed another new player in Adrian Banks (191-G-86). This will be Banks's second season in Belgium, he played the 2008-2009 season for Voo Verviers-Pepinster.
He finished the season as the nr 3 scorer in the Belgian league with an average of 16.8 to go with his 53 pct 2pt shooting and 86 pct FT shooting.
Banks had an outstanding career at the university of Arkansas where he played before heading overseas. His best season being his junior season with averages of 21.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg.
He also made All Sun Belt first team and was voted Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year.

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BOSNIA

U18 European Championship begins today in Sarajevo - by Sead Buljina
2009 FIBA European Championship for under 18 National teams division B will begin today at 12:15 in Sarajevo. After successfull organization of the U16 EC last year Bosnia and Herzegovina got a chance to organize older youth group competition this year. First game at this year's EC Bosnia plays today vs. Estonia in Mojmilo at 16:45. All 2009 FIBA U18 EC games will be played in sports arenas in Mojmilo and Lukavica. Bosnia and Herzegovina hopes to qualify for Division A by earning one of two top spots are seriously undermined by last-minute injuries of key players Miralem Halilovic (207-G/F-91) and Nebojsa Andjelic (198-SG-91). MRI showed that Halilovic has broken a finger and Andjelic pulled the muscle and will need at least two weeks to recover. While Halilovic is a unique player, hosts might have good replacements at Andjelic's position. There are 21 National teams competing in four groups. Bosnia and Herzegovina is in group A with Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary and Norway. Also interesting will be group C with strong Montenegro National team. Two teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals.

Bosnia and Herzegovina outgun Estonia in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
Bosnia and Herzegovina U18 - Estonia U18 82:74

Bosnia and Herzegovina ensured the victory at the start of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The tournament tipped off today in Sarajevo and the hosts lived up to the highest expectations of the home fans. They toppled Estonian counterpart in preliminary Group A.
Bosnia and Herzegovina began the game with eight points in a row. Gunjaca hit a three-pointer midway through the first quarter as the hosts opened a double-digit lead. Rain Veideman (190-G-91) capped the opening stanza with a jumper as Estonia trailed by 7 points at the first break. Vukovic, Ali Demic (202-G-91) and Grosic restored a 12-point lead for Bosnia and Herzegovina early in the second term. The advantage grew at 14 points at halftime. Rain Veideman continued to keep Estonia hopeful as he narrowed the gap to 9 points. Puidet and Dorbek crowned the frame with 4 points in a row as Estonia trailed by 6 points at the final break. Rain Veideman clipped the gap at 3 points early in the fourth period. But Ali Demic, Nikola Gajic (-91) and Canic stretched the gap to 8 points with under a minutes left as Bosnia and Herzegovina drove to the win at the end.
Nebojsa Maksimovic (179-G-92) netted 16 points to lead Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nikola Gajic added 15 points, while Ali Demic had 14 points in the victory. Rain Veideman responded with 25 points for Estonia. Janar Soo (190-G/F-91) chipped in 22 points in defeat.

Bosnia and Herzegovina U18: Nebojsa Maksimovic 16, Nikola Gajic 15, Ali Demic 14
Estonia U18: Rain Veideman 25, Janar Soo 22

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BULGARIA

Bulgaria prevail against Portugal - by Eurobasket News
Bulgaria U20 - Portugal U20 89:64
Bulgaria managed the second straight win at the U20 European Championship in Division B classification round. They routed Portugal to clinch the top spot in Group H. Bulgaria will now play for the 9th-11th position at the tournament. Portugal suffered the second defeat in the pool action and remained at the bottom of the ladder.
Bulgaria opened the game in a storming manner. They earned a 30:13 lead at the first break. Portugal were able to slow their opponents down in the second frame but failed trim the distance. Bulgaria led by 17 points at halftime. An Ivan Cholakov team cruised in the third stanza. Bulgaria piled up a 24-point advantage at three-quarter time. Bulgaria did not allow Portugal to win a quarter coasting to the comfortable success. Aleksandar Georgiev (198-F-90) scored 16 points and grabbed 6 boards for Bulgaria. Tsvetelin Ivanov (196-G-89) and Stanislav Vaklinov (205-F-89) netted 14 points each in the win. Diogo Correia (185-G-90) tallied 16 points for Portugal. Andre Pereira (200-C-90) posted 12 points in defeat.

Bulgaria U20: Aleksandar Georgiev 16, Tsvetelin Ivanov 14, Stanislav Vaklinov 14
Portugal U20: Diogo Correia 16, Andre Pereira 12

Latvia U18 wins the opener in Metz - by Eurobasket News
Latvia U18-Bulgaria U18 63:47

Latvia U18 and Bulgaria U18 opened the U18 European Championship in Group C. The Baltic side needed 16-4 in the last period to seal the first 63:47 victory.
It was a slow start from both teams as they exchanged the lead almost every minute. Tsonkov was the last to score for his team as Bulgaria took 17:15 after the first quarter. Latvia replied with 6-0 run in the beginning of the second and Ansons made it 21:17. The score was tied three times in the end of the first half and the board showed 29:29 at the end of the second quarter. Again in the third period the teams exchanged the lead several times and Ugis Pinete (194-G-91) gave his team 47:43 after thirty minutes. From that time Latvia did not look behind after. Martins Meiers (-91) made a jump shot for 49:43 and Antrops posted for 54:47. Bulgaria scored only 4 points in the frame and remained scoreless for the last 6 minutes. Rubenis brought the first victory for Latvia to score with the buzzer.
Nauris Miezis (-91) top-scored for the winners with 12 points for 1-0 record. Ugis Pinete netted 10, while Martins Meiers collected 10 points and 12 rebounds. Planimir Dafinov (180-G-92) and Emil Binev (198-F-91) ended up with 9 points each in the losing effort.

Latvia U18: Nauris Miezis 12, Ugis Pinete 10, Martins Meiers 10+12 rebs
Bulgaria U18: Planimir Dafinov 9, Emil Binev 9

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CAMEROON

Final results of the Cameroonian championship - by Clement Hofbauer
Championship games were played for Men and women on sunday 19 of july at Libermann College in Douala, for the Men 1st Beac Yaound, 2nd Condor Yaound, 3rd Syncatex Bafoussam, 4th Far Compet Yaound. For the women 1. Injs Yaound, 2. Oilio Douala, 3. Phislama Jama Yaound, 4. Palms Ladies Douala, 5. Beac Yaound, 6. Gnration Forte Bamenda, 7. Lms Douala, 8. Phoenix dEbolowa, 9. Design System Buea, 10. Magic System Bafoussam.

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CENTROBASKET U17

Standings

Group A
1. Domin.R.		2-0
2. Mexico		2-0
3. Guatemala		0-2
4. Bahamas		0-2
Group B
1. P.Rico		1-0
2. US V.Isl		1-0
3. Nicaragua		0-2

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CROATIA

Prostran shines over the Spanish squad - by Eurobasket News
Croatia U18-Spain U18 82:78 (17-21, 12-21, 24-19, 29-17)

Croatia U18 edged Spain U18 in their first game at the U18 European Championship that just started in France. Toni Prostran (183-G-91) shined over the Spanish squad in 82:78 win in the opener.
Spain shocked the opponents with 10-0 start to win the opening tip of the game. Toni Prostran reduced to 15:8, while Batur scored for 21:15. Toni Prostran was the last to score in the first frame to cut it to 21:17. Spain again played better in the second frame and increased the lead to 10-point lead. Franch made it 32:22 and Ignacio Llovet (202-C-91) recorded 42:28. Sekelja kept Croatia alive for 42:29 at the halftime. Joan Sastre Morro (201-F-91) with a three gave Spain the biggest, 52:36 lead midway through the third period, but it was not time to celebrate. Cutura reduced to 51:42 and Toni Prostran cut it to 58:53. Luka Babic (200-G-91) 's three tied the game at 61:61 and another three-pointer from a player gave his team 64:61. Alberto Jodar (204-F/C-91) scored for 76:75, while Toni Prostran gave Croatia 80:77. He also made two free throws at the end for the final score.
Toni Prostran was unstoppable with 35 points for the winners. Luka Babic notched 10, while Cutura recorded 9. Ignacio Llovet finished the game with 16 points in defeat. Joan Sastre Morro chipped in 13, whilst Alberto Jodar added 12.

Croatia U18: Toni Prostran 35, Luka Babic 10, Cutura 9
Spain U18: Ignacio Llovet 16, Joan Sastre Morro 13, Alberto Jodar 12

Srdan Subotic set to sign with Cedevita - by Eurobasket News
Cedevita Zagreb continues with its roster fulfilling in order to create a competitive squad for next season. After securing signatures of 2 American and 2 domestic players, now it seems that they are close to agreeing a deal with reinforcement at the point guard position. So after Jermaine Anderson (188-G-83, college: Fordham), Thomas Mobley (195-F-81, college: Charleston), Barisa Krasic (203-F-78) and Ivan Opacak (202-G/F-80, agency: World Sport Agency), new member of Cedevita should soon become Srdan Subotic (193-G-80). Experienced point guard would provide the necessary stability in the organization department something Cedevita Zagreb lacked in previous seasons. With Cedevita taking participation in Adriatic League next season, they will need to strengthen their squad in order to withstand the rigors of playing in both domestic and regional competition at the same time. So far they seem to be on the right track and whether they will bring in more players will be known in coming weeks.
Srdjan Subotic started his career in 1997 when he signed for Plastik Solin. Following season he moved to BC Split where he played for 5 seasons. In his last season in 2003, he managed to win National Title, playing in 14 games and averaging 5.1 points and 2.0 rebounds. In 2003 he moved to Krka Novo Mesto where he stayed for one season before moving to Verviers-Pepinster in Belgium. In November of 2005, Subotic started his Swedish adventure after signing with KFUM Jmtland Basket. There he established himself as one of the team's best players, averaging 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Last two seasons, Subotic spent with Sundsvall Dragons where he continued to put in good performances. Last season, he helped his team win the National title. He averaged 13.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 21 League games.

Croatian National Team starts with preparations for EuroBasket 2009 - by Eurobasket News

Planinic

Ukic

Nicevic

Vujcic

Kasun

Head Coach Jasmin Repesa (agency: World Sport Agency ) has gathered 17 candidates which will start preparations for the upcoming European Championship in Poland.

The 17 players which were called up were: Zoran Planinic (199-G-82), Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) , Roko-Leni Ukic (195-G-84), Davor Kus (192-G-78), Marin Rozic (201-F-83) , Marko Tomas (201-G-85), Damjan Rudez (206-F-86), Nikola Prkacin, Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83), Marko Banic (204-F-84), Sandro Nicevic (210-C-76), Nikola Vujcic (211-C-78), Mario Kasun (213-C-80), Ante Tomic (215-C-87), Drago Pasalic (208-C/F-84), Mario Stojic (198-G/F-80) and Damir Rancic (197-G-83).

Still, at the begging of preparations 16 out of 17 players reported as Damir Rancic will join the squad at the later date. Rancic has received the permission from Head Coach Repesa to join few days later as he is still recovering from slight injury which he sustained during Mediterranean games. The squad will work in Zagreb first couple of days, as candidates will go thorough initial assessments. Than, the team will move to Crkvenica where they will continue with first phase of preparations. Repesa believes that he has chosen right candidates which will compete for places in the squad, and that everyone is focused knowing what is the main goal.

For European Championships which will be held in Poland in September, Croatia has been drawn in Group A. They will be facing some serious competition there as Greece, Israel and FYR Macedonia have also been drawn there. Still Repesa is confident that his team will be able to go trough in this group. Croatia is hoping to challenge for medals this year and their primary goal is to take one of the places which automatically guarantee participation at the World Championship in 2010. This is why Repesa that injuries will not occur in order to take the best possible team into the competition. Croatia will play its opening game on September 7th against Israel. Following day they will square of against Greece, while on September 9th they will play Macedonia. If they go through first phase they will form new group with opponents from Group B where Russia, Germany, Latvia and team from qualifications may be possible opponents.

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CZECH REPUBLIC

Czech Republic U20 kept Austria winless in Group F - by Eurobasket News
Austria U20-Czech Republic U20 71:83

Czech Republic U20 kept Austria winless in Group F of the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Czech Republic U20 overcame the opponents 83:71 in the last game of the group.
Austria scored the first points in the game and won the opening tip 8:5. Schranz scored for 15:9 and Rasid Mahalbasic (207-F/C-90) posted for 17:11. Harcar tied the game at 17:17 and it was him for the 18:17 lead. Janisch gave his team 19:18 advantage after the first 10 minutes. In the second frame the Czechs took the control of the game and had 31:25 midway through the quarter. Gniadek made a jump -shot for Czech Republic U20, while Rasid Mahalbasic closed the half at 38:34. The third quarter was decisive in the game as Austria could score only 10 points and failed in the court. Zampach gave his team 59:44 at the end of thirty minutes after 21-10 in the frame. Obermann reduced the score for 61:51 in the beginning of the last quarter and Janisch kept Austria alive at 71:63. Although Austria U20 beat Czech Republic U20 in the last frame, the latter triumphed in the game.
David Jelinek (194-G-90, agency: PPGroup) top-scored for the winners with 17 points for 2-1 record. Tomas Voslajer (203-C-90, agency: PPGroup) ended up with 15, while Michal Palat (194-G-90) and Jiri Slavik (203-F-89) added 11 each. Rasid Mahalbasic delivered 25 points in the losing effort, whilst Thomas Csebits (192-G-89) notched 12.

Austria U20: Rasid Mahalbasic 25, Thomas Csebits 12
Czech Republic U20: David Jelinek 17, Tomas Voslajer 15, Michal Palat 11, Jiri Slavik 11

Slovenia topple Czech Republic in U18 European Championship opener - by Eurobasket News
Slovenia U18 - Czech Republic U18 74:71
Slovenia opened their U18 European Championship campaign victoriously. They defeated Czech Republic in preliminary Group A in Hagondange, France. Czech Republic trailed by just a single point with 4 seconds remaining but Horvat and Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj (201-F-91) sealed the winning outcome for Slovenia.
Muric and Jakob Cebasek (198-G/F-91) pulled Slovenia up 8:2 early in the game. Jakob Cebasek completed the first frame with 11 points giving Slovenia a 24:14 advantage at the first break. Jakob Cebasek added four more points early in the second encounter as Slovenia opened up a double-digit lead. But a 9:0 outburst from Czech team allowed those to cut the margin. They trailed by just three points at halftime.
Bohacik and Peterka put Czech Republic in front midway through the third stanza. Slovenia regained the advantage only late in the quarter as Pajic and Horvat produced a 61:54 margin for a Dalibor Damjanovic team. Pajic and Jakob Cebasek maintained the lead for Slovenia throughout the final term before Czech team clipped the gap and set up dramatic final seconds in this one.
Jakob Cebasek knocked down 22 points to pace Slovenia. Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj added 19 points, while Pajic had 13 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Martin Kriz (197-F-93) replied with 18 points for Czech Republic. Ondrej Kohout (196-F-91, agency: PPGroup) finished with 13 points and 8 boards in the loss.

Slovenia U18: Jakob Cebasek 22, Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj 19, Marko Pajic 13
Czech Republic U18: Martin Kriz 18, Ondrej Kohout 13

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D.R. CONGO

DKV Joventut keeps Pere Tomas and Christian Eyenga - by Eurobasket News
DKV Joventut decided to keep two of its hot prospects for the following three seasons. Just after departure of Pau Ribas (182-G-87) to Tau, the team from Badalona agreed with Pere Tomas (202-F-89) and Christian Eyenga (195-G-89).

The 20-year old Pere Tomas played 32 games in ACB last season with 1.9 ppg and 1.5 rpg. In Euroleague his numbers were slightly better. Last summer he helped U20 Spain to grab Bronze medal at the U20 EuroBasket in Riga. For 8 appearances Tomas had 12.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg. He also was a part of U18 Spain at the U18 EuroBasket 2006 in Greece, when they won another Bronze. The Mallorca born player has already several achievements with the club having won the Copa del Rey and ULEB Cup.

Also 20-year old Christian Eyenga will stay in Badalona for at least 3 more years. He demonstrated pretty good performance at the Las Vega Summer League and there was some interest in him from the NBA teams. According to some rumors, the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to get the player on long term. However, Eyenga rejected the overseas move deciding to stay with DKV Joventut. The Congolese player arrived to Joventut in 2007. He played for them and also for CB Prat Joventut in LEB Silver.

And another update regarding the ACB returnee Lucentum Alicante. The team is interested to sign power forward Marcus Fizer (203-F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Iowa St.), former player of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Murcia and Chicago Bulls.

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DENMARK

Danish Under 16 Boys National Team vs. Germany - by Jonas Sorensen
Tonight the the Danish National Team U16 played a test game against the German National Team U16 in Bamberg. The Germans are preparing for a tournament with the Israeli National Team U16, Argentina and the Swedish National Team U16 this coming weekend. The Danish team also have a tournament with the Dutch National Team U16 and Luxembourg National Team U16. Both the Danish team and the German team are preparing for the European Championships in August. The Germans are in the A-group while the Danish boys are a part of the B-group.
The game against the German favorites was closer than expected. Right from the start the Denmark boys showed that they are no pushovers. They were fighting their hearts out, and played with great intensity.
With the players being a bit rusty, after not having played or practised together for 10 days, Germany jumped out to an early lead. The Danish team didn't execute plays and make the necessary shots in the beginning, and that was hurting them.
Germany outrebounded Denmark in the 1st half, winning that battle 20-13, 9 of them offensive. In the 2nd half it all changed and now it was Denmark's turn to dominate the boards, with the final battle ending a acceptable 37-34 for the Germans.
At one point in the game, the Germans had a 22-point lead, and it seemed very difficult for the Danish boys to resist. Nevertheless, Denmark found a not yet seen enthusiasm and wildness on the court that made the German team stumble. All of a sudden Denmark had the initiative and were fighting their way back.
With two minutes to go in the game, is was as close as 68-64, before the Germans made their final run. The game was won by the Germans by 73-64, a very acceptable defeat.
Tomorrow, Thursday, the Danes are up against an even bigger challenge, squaring off against Israel. It will be very exciting to see if the Danish team can compete with the heavy favorites from Israel.

Danish Nationalteam to Estonia - by Thomas Quaade
The Danish National Team for men are leaving for practice games in Estonia. The games are played on Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th of July.

The 12 players selected for this trip:
4 Adama Darboe- PG - 1,90 - Free-Agent
5 Andreas Jakobsen - G - 1,87 - Bakken Bears
6 Mikkel Plannthin - PG - 1,93 - Svendborg Rabbits
7 Casper Hesseldal - SF - 1,98 - College USA
8 Jakob Hansen - PF - 2,06 - Svendborg Rabbits
9 Henrik Thomsen - SF - 2.03 - Sisu
10 Hans Christian Schur - PF - 2,03 - Horsens IC
11 Jens Hakanowitz - PF - 2,03 - Bremen
12 Mike Flowers - G - 1,92 - College USA
13 Nicolai Iversen - SF - 2,05 - Svendborg Rabbits
14 Mads Bloch - PF - 2,02 - Bakken Bears
15 Alan Voskuil - SG - 1,91 - Free-Agent

Coach Allan Foss

Ken Webb will have the most success - by Thomas Quaade
Atleast that's what eurobasket.com readers think.

In our poll where you could vote for which one of the 5 new head coaches in the Canal Digital Liga would get the most success with their new team, there where about 200 votes - here's how they came out:

* Kenneth Webb - Horsens IC = 60 votes (30%)

* Milan Skobalj - Horsholm 79'ers = 56 votes (28%)

* Flemming Danielsen - Sisu Copenhagen - 28 votes (19%)

* Allan Foss - Aabyhoj IF - 24 votes (12%)

* Joseph Smith - BK Amager - 22 votes (11%)

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D-LEAGUE

Final Statistics for NBA D-League Select Team from Vegas Summer League - by Surujh Roopnarine
The NBA D-League Select Team finished the 2009 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, NV in style. A Marcus Hubbard (6'9''-C-83, college: Angelo St.) three-point shot at the buzzer capped a 20-point come-from-behind 74-73 victory for the Select Team over the Portland Trailblazers on the final day. Finishing at 3-2 in the competition does not nearly tell the story of this group of D-League standouts who were chosen to represent the league in Vegas. Highlighted by 2008-09 Rookie of the Year Othyus Jeffers (6'5''-F-85, college: Robert Morris) and NBA Call-Up Trey Johnson (6'5''-G-84, college: Jackson St.), the Select Team out-played and out-worked many former lottery selections and numerous first round NBA draft picks. Note, that the only games the Select team lost, where games where they did not have Jeffers and Johnson who missed the games due to injury.
Here are the final stats on what is hopefully a new-tradition of pitting the best of the D-League against their more heralded NBA counterparts.
Othyus Jeffers: 2 games: 20.5ppg, 7.0rpg, FGP: 52.0%, FT: 88.2%
Gary Forbes (6'7''-G/F-85, college: Virginia): 5 games: 17.8ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.0apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 47.8%, 3PT: 45.5%, FT: 55.6%
Trey Johnson: 2 games: 16.0ppg, FGP: 54.5%, FT: 77.8%
Jasper Johnson: 5 games: 12.8ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 49.1%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 83.3%
Coleman Collins: 5 games: 11.8ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 51.4%, FT: 79.3%
Walker Russell: 4 games: 9.3ppg, 2.3rpg, 3.8apg, FGP: 41.7%, FT: 94.1%
Curtis Stinson: 5 games: 8.6ppg, 5.4rpg, 3.2apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 42.6%, FT: 60.0%
Will Frisby: 5 games: 8.4ppg, 4.2rpg, FGP: 50.0%, FT: 85.7%
Kurt Looby: 5 games: 4.8ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.8bpg, FGP: 52.9%, FT: 54.5%
Marcus Hubbard: 5 games: 4.6ppg, 4.4rpg, FGP: 30.8%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 62.5%

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Dominican Rep. U17 National Team 2009 - by Richard

4 Eddy Guisarri (-94) of Santa Ana
5 Carlos Taveras (-93)
6 Jose Acosta (185-G-92)
7 Wilvis Cordero (-93)
8 Deivy Martinez (-93)
9 Bemil Faulkner (-93)
10 Johan Duran (-93)
11 Anyelo David (-94)
12 Ted Jimenez (-93)
13 Luis Duluc (-93)
14 Regil Herasme (-93)
15 Santiago Hurtado (-93)

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EGYPT

Powerful Egypt destroys Libya in ABC Semifinals - by Eurobasket News
Egypt - Libya 84-54

There was no surprise yesterday. All teams which were expected to triumph made it. One of those was Egypt, who finished the first stage at the Arab Basketball Cup undefeated. Yesterday, they had to take care of Libya, who had 3-2 record in Group A. That was not a tough job as the Egyptians controlled rhythm of the game from the very beginning. Libya had many troubles at the both sides of the court. Egypt once again demonstrated its tough defense, stopping Libya on just 54 points. In offense, the Egyptian ran the plays without any problems, what resulted with huge plus 30 at the end. In the Semifinals Egypt will meet Syria. Once again Egypt is a favorite, but Syria proved here they are tough rivals. In the Semifinals Syria eliminated Saudi Arabia with plus 10, 83-73. They ended first stage as No.2 in Group A.
Both Semifinal games are scheduled for tomorrow. Beside Egypt an Libya, we will also have a game between Tunisia and the most - Morocco.

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ESTONIA

Bosnia and Herzegovina outgun Estonia in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
Bosnia and Herzegovina U18 - Estonia U18 82:74

Bosnia and Herzegovina ensured the victory at the start of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The tournament tipped off today in Sarajevo and the hosts lived up to the highest expectations of the home fans. They toppled Estonian counterpart in preliminary Group A.
Bosnia and Herzegovina began the game with eight points in a row. Gunjaca hit a three-pointer midway through the first quarter as the hosts opened a double-digit lead. Rain Veideman (190-G-91) capped the opening stanza with a jumper as Estonia trailed by 7 points at the first break. Vukovic, Ali Demic (202-G-91) and Grosic restored a 12-point lead for Bosnia and Herzegovina early in the second term. The advantage grew at 14 points at halftime. Rain Veideman continued to keep Estonia hopeful as he narrowed the gap to 9 points. Puidet and Dorbek crowned the frame with 4 points in a row as Estonia trailed by 6 points at the final break. Rain Veideman clipped the gap at 3 points early in the fourth period. But Ali Demic, Nikola Gajic (-91) and Canic stretched the gap to 8 points with under a minutes left as Bosnia and Herzegovina drove to the win at the end.
Nebojsa Maksimovic (179-G-92) netted 16 points to lead Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nikola Gajic added 15 points, while Ali Demic had 14 points in the victory. Rain Veideman responded with 25 points for Estonia. Janar Soo (190-G/F-91) chipped in 22 points in defeat.

Bosnia and Herzegovina U18: Nebojsa Maksimovic 16, Nikola Gajic 15, Ali Demic 14
Estonia U18: Rain Veideman 25, Janar Soo 22

Estonia top New Zealand in friendly game - by Eurobasket News
Estonia - New Zealand 58:49

Estonian National Team celebrated the opening game of the test series versus New Zealand. The Kiwis landed in Estonia just days ago for their European tour. They took on Estonia in the opener in Tallinn.
The hosts started the game aggressively limiting New Zealand to just 12 points in the first frame. Nine of them came from Kirk Penney (194-G-80, college: Wisconsin). A low-scoring second period saw teams combine for only 13 points as Estonia grabbed a 26:18 lead at halftime. But the visitors turned the tables after the long break. They tipped off the second half with a 17:6 rally to take the lead. The Tall Blacks maintained it to enter the fourth quarter ahead by 2 points 45:43. But as fatigue mounted New Zealand were not able to hang on for the victory. The Baltic team shut down their opponents allowing just 4 points for the Kiwis in the final frame. Estonia fired 15 and ran away to a 9-point win at the end.
Tanel Sokk (183-G-85) knocked down 16 points to pace Estonia. Joosep Toome (202-F-85) added 14 points in the win. Kirk Penney finished with game-high 23 points. Thomas Abercrombie (198-G/f-87, college: Washington St.) delivered 8 points and 6 boards in defeat.

Estonia: Tanel Sokk 16, Joosep Toome 14, Janar Talts (205-C-83) 9
New Zealand: Kirk Penney 23, Thomas Abercrombie 8

KANGUR & LINEHAN TO FRANCE PRO A - by Ozell Wells
John Linehan (175-G-78, college: Providence), who won the EMKL championship with BC Kalev/Cramo Tallinn last season ,signed a contract for one year with the Cholet Basket team.
Cholet was iin the 9th position in the Pro A in France and will participate in ULEB CUP this year./according to sportnet/
175 cm tall Linehan has exoerience in france in the season past having played for both Sluc Nancy Basket Pro and Paris-Levallois.
This marks the 2nd EMKL player of the past season to sign in France, as Kristjan Kangur (202-F-82) has signed at Adecco ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne this same week.

Kangur is no stranger to European basketball having played previously in TSV Leverkusen for 2 seasons.

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EUROBASKET SUMMER LEAGUE

ESL Chicago Day one report at Attack Athletics - by Darryl Reshaw
The Eurobasket Summer League began its summer tour in Chicago at Attack Athletics the home where the NBA stars train in the summer.
This year Attack Athletics hosted the NBA Pre-Draft camp and during the ESL you will see a host of NBA players training with Tim Grover and company.

Game 1:

Amsterdam trounced Warsaw 113 72 with a well balanced attack.
The Amsterdam team played good defense and scored a lot of transition baskets featuring five players scoring double figures.
They seem to have a lot of chemistry compared to the Warsaw team.
At halftime they led 57-34 knocking the wind out of the Warsaw team.
Deandre Thomas (203-C-86) led Amsterdam with 22 points and 11 rebounds featuring a highly skilled game for a man of his size. He also had an excellent pair of hands and a soft touch within fifteen feet.
Sterling Williams (193-G/F-86, college: Northwestern) from Northwestern looked awesome and did it all from attacking the basket, hitting jumpers and distributed a lot assists. He ended up with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists.
Mario Brandon posted a double double with 20 points and 13 rebounds as he was always around the ball and scored a lot in transition. He killed Warsaw on the boards as he grabbed numerous offensive rebounds.
Quantez Robertson (190-G-84) from Auburn University the SEC Defensive Player of the Year scored 18 points, 7 rebounds and had 5 assists. He had the best dunk of the game and is a great athlete with nice basketball skills.
Will Jones had a solid performance scoring 13 points and pulling 7 rebounds to add to the damage inflicted on the Warsaw squad.
The Warsaw team had a couple of bright spots as Anthony Price showed why he played in Europe for a few seasons as he scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
The left hander had some sweet inside moves and great finishes with the left hand jump hook off the glass. He was unstoppable around the basket.
CoCo Garfield who has European professional experience also scored well with 15 points going 7 of 9 from the field..
Steve McNabb and Marcus Hall (196-F) both added 13 and 10 points respectfully

Game 2:

Athens crushed Rome 102 79 in the second game of the ESL Chicago at Attack Athletics where all the NBA Pros train in the summer.
This was the second blow out in a row and all of the spectators were waiting for a closer game.
James Booyer (203-F, college: IUPUI) scored 28 points, 6 rebounds and was sensational as he illustrated an inside and outside game.
Athens was too athletic for Rome and unleashed a series of slam dunks on them.
Quentin Edwards (191-G-84, college: Missouri So.) looked really good as he scored, created and played a great all around game. He ended up with 17 points.
Tim Parham (206-F/C-83, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Md-Eastern Shore) scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds as he just muscled and jumped over the Rome squad.
However the fans were treated to a special performance by Wendell Mardis who hit seven three point shots and used his blazing speed to outclass guards from Athens.

The guard who went to the Sweet Sixteen with Southwest Baptist in the NCAA Division II Tourney had 6 assist as he put on a show in Chicago during the second game.
Eddie Spencer (198-G/F-85, college: Cent.Michigan) used his athleticism, speed and skill to drop 23 points and pull 8 rebounds in a fine performance.
Justen Naughton (205-F-81, college: Cal.St.-Los Angeles) logged in a quality double-double as he scored 12 points and had 12 rebounds. He has a knack for getting rebounds and getting to the free throw line.
Unfortunately Athens was just too big, athletic and skilled for the Rome team on this day.

Game 3:

In the third consecutive game the ESL Chicago witnessed another blowout as Paris stormed Berlin 105-75.
There were no lead or momentum changes because this was a one horse race from jump start as Paris looked like one of the favorites to win the Chicago event.
Six players scored in double figures led by Ryan Holmes (197-F/G-82, college: Philander Smith) 24 points.
Ryan has professional experience and looked very athletic and highly skilled. He mixed up outside game with some nice moves to the basket finishing above the rim in most cases.
Greg Gamble (193-G-87, college: Buffalo) (193-G-87) the fantastic guard from University of Buffalo who is a great penetrator, scorer and athlete had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
He scored the first triple double of the tourney and was simply awesome even defensively.
Rodney Epperson (203-F-82, college: Mountain St.) was outstanding as he scored 19 points and captured 12 rebounds.
He was very long, athletic and seemed like a natural scorer. He ran the lanes and did everything in the victory.
Jontee Willhite (186-G-86, college: E.Illinois) was solid with 12 points and 4 rebounds as he made the ESL Chicago All Tourney team in 2008.
John Head and Kevin Wollbrink scored 12 and 11 points each as both players displayed quality.
Al Stewart (178-G-83, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Drake) the former PBL All Star scored 14 points, 10 rebounds and dished 7 assists as he used his blinding quickness to daze the Paris guards.
Jonathan George (197-F-76) scored 16 points and pulled down 4 rebounds for Berlin.
Cory Smith, Nathan Hainje and T.J. Gray (170-G-85, college: Ill.-Chicago) added 14, 13, 14 points each for Berlin.

Game 4:
London beat Madrid 120 -81 to record the fourth straight blowout victory in the ESL Chicago event.
Jason Miller (203-F, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) the 2nd Team All Ivy League player was awesome with his mid-range jumpers and his smooth drives to the basket. He scored 23 points and pulled 11 rebounds as most of the ESL staff thought he was one of the best guys in the event.
Eric Gilchrese (183-G-87, agency: Tank Sports) the outstanding PG with slick ballhandling skill crossed over a few defenders and almst broke their ankles.
He could really shoot the long ball but had slick penetration often creating for others.
The super athletic Jermaine Dailey played above the rim as usual and unleashed a few dunks as he scored 16 points and had 7 rebounds.
Desmond Young (191-G-88), Pedja Lazic (198-F) and Chris Hayes (206-F-87) scored 14, 10 and 12 points each as they were significant contributors for the London team.
London looked really well and maybe the most talented club in the tourney.
Madrid was led by the veteran Glen Whisby (203-C/F-72, college: S.Mississippi) who had 19 points and had 9 rebounds.
Glen has played allover Europe in the top countries in the last 14 years but still can outplay younger opponents with his experience.
Nate Minoy was awesome as he over powered guys to score 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Zach Ramey played solid scoring 12 points and dishing out 6 dimes for the outclassed Madrid team.
Hopefully on Tuesday the games will be more competitive.

Eurobasket Summer League Chicago - Final Day - by Darryl Reshaw
The final Day of the ESL in Chicago featured some very interesting games and some great performances at the Attack Athletics facility in Chicago.

In the 7th place game Madrid just hammered Warsaw 116 - 86 using their 53-29 rebounding advantage as the key controlling factor of the game.
Madrid was running on all cylinders this game with their point guard Zach Ramey (191-F-81, agency: 22ft, college: Benedictine) leading the way with 26 points and 7 assists.
Zach used his speed, quickness and deft ball handling ability to maneuver anywhere he wanted to go to on the court.
When Warsaw decided to back off of him he went 3 of 6 from the 3pt line just to keep them honest.
Dwayne Jackson (193-G-84) had his best game of the ESL scoring 21 points and handed out 7 assists to contribute to thumping Warsaw.
Dwayne showed the whole package of shooting and creating off the dribble to the ESL spectators.
DeVodis Bowman put in another strong performance which parallels his game. He is so strong he reminds you of a baby Adrian Dantley with a nice mid-range game.
He scored 20 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in the winning effort.
Alden Smith (196-F) had one of his best performances of the ESL Tournament as he added 16 points and 5 rebounds for the Madrid Team.
Glen Whisby (203-C/F-72, college: S.Mississippi) the old school veteran who dominated the Slovakian league the past two years had a spectacular performance and was one of the key reasons Madrid dominated the game from the onset.
He scored 12 points and controlled the boards with 21 rebounds and had a couple of vicious dunks over the young guys.
The powerful Nate Minoy had another quality game by scoring 17 points, 9 rebounds and had 5 assists.
Warsaw was paced 21 points by Anthony Price (203-F-83, agency: Court Side, college: Tulsa) the seasoned European professional who also had 9 rebounds. This lefty had some sweet jump hooks of the glass and illustrated a nice inside game.
Coco Cofield (188-G-81, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: N.Dakota St.) did his thing again and showed why he is considered a scorer by international standards as he added a quit but smooth 17 points.
Steve McNabb was the man for the Warsaw team on this day as he scored 24 points and dished out 5 dimes.
He was very quick and athletic but used his nice ball handling skills and jump shot as his main weapons which were unstoppable this game.
However this game was a blowout but certain guys looked really good in their third game in three days.

Madrid 116, Warsaw 86

Madrid 116

Charles White: 5pts; 1rbs; 4ast
Marcus Hall (196-G-87): 10pts; 8rbs; 4ast
Anthony Price: 21pts; 9rbs; 3ast
Coco Cofield: 17pts;
Jerrel Thomas: 8pts; 4rbs; 4ast
Steve McNabb: 24pts; 3rbs; 5ast
Kareem Matthews: 4pts; 3rbs

Warsaw: 86

Glen Whisby: 12pts; 21rbs
Bryant Dillion: 4pts; 7rbs; 2ast
Dwayne Jackson: 21pts; 2rbs; 7ast
Zach Ramey: 26pts; 7ast
DeVodis Bowman: 20pts; 8rbs; 2ast
Alden Smith: 16pts; 5rbs; 2ast
Nate Minoy: 17pts; 9rbs; 5ast

Rome defeated Berlin 100-88 in the 5th Place game that was closer than the score indicated.
Both of these teams traded lead changes in the first half with Berlin taking a 43-42 halftime lead.
However in the 3rd quarter Rome went on a landside run that knocked the wind out of the Berlin team and won the quarter 26-12.
The Rome team was led by Eddie Spencer (198-G/F-85, college: Cent.Michigan) the dynamic 6'7 swing man from Central Michigan who is athletic and skilled. He scored 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a very fine performance.
Tyrone Kent (196-G/F-86) the big time talent from Toledo University was smooth and hot as a firecracker from the 3pt line as he went 5-7 from deep and scored 21 points and 4 rebounds to cap off a nice couple of days at the ESL Chicago.
Justen Naughton (205-F-81, college: Cal.St.-Los Angeles) had a great game scoring 17 points and grabbing 17 rebounds and showed why he is one of the best big men at the ESL event. He was totally unstoppable around the basket and has a knack for rebounding.
Wendell Mardis (178-G) the slick and ultra lightning point guard from Southwest Baptist looked good again today by scoring 15 points and handed out 7 assists to help the Rome team to victory.
The Berlin team was led by Al Stewart (178-G-83, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Drake) the fast and exciting guard who dominated the PBL this season with 23 points; 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
Cory Smith the smooth and athletic guard scored 20 points and had 2 rebounds in his best game of the ESL.
T.J. Gray (170-G-85, college: Ill.-Chicago) put in another fine performance with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists to help pace the Berlin team. TJ is an outstanding point guard with a great jump shot and excited the ESL fans all week in Chicago.

Rome 100, Berlin 88

Rome 100

Brett Jones: 7pts; 3rbs; 2ast
Brent Jones: 4pts; 6rbs; 3ast
Justin Rone: 9pts; 3rbs; 5ast
Wendell Mardis: 15pts; 4rbs; 7ast
Justen Naughton: 17pts; 17rbs; 3ast
Tyrone Kent: 21pts; 4rbs; 2ast
Eddie Spencer: 27pts; 10rbs; 3ast

Berlin: 88

Rick Leasure: 8pts; 2rbs
T.J. Gray: 17pts; 4rbs; 6ast
Nate Hainje: 9pts; 7rbs; 1ast
Stan Blackmon: 9pts; 4ast
Jonathan George: 2pts4rbs; 4ast
Al Stewart: 23pts; 4rbs; 4ast
Cory Smith: 20pts; 2rbs

The 3rd Place game was a classic rumble in the jungle with both team making runs but Athens controlled the lead most of the game and defeated Paris 107-100.
Athens opened up a nice halftime lead 52-44 but Paris would never go away and this game was very exciting with some fine individual performances.
Tim Parham (206-F/C-83, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Md-Eastern Shore) destroyed the Paris team with great inside play and was virtually impossible to guard as he scored 30 points and had 15 rebounds in his best performance of the ESL.
Adam Handler (196-F-86) from DePaul dropped a nice 20 points and show some quality all around scoring skills in this win for the Athens team.
James Booyer (203-F-86, college: IUPUI) scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds showing his diversity for a big man.
Rodney Epperson (203-F-82, college: Mountain St.) scored 17 points and had 9 rebounds for the Paris Team as he did a little bit of everything.
Ryan Holmes (197-F/G-82, college: Philander Smith) put on a show in this game and had the best dunk that I've seen all summer as he scored 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 6 assists.
He did it all showing his athleticism, creativity and shooting ability. His alley oop dunk had people screaming out of their seats with amaze. The ball was lobbed about two feet over the rim but behind him and he managed to catch the bad pass and lean forward Jordan-like and float to the basket with a serious dunk. The guy has balloons in his legs as well as some serious basketball skills.
Greg Gamble (193-G-87, college: Buffalo) added another fine performance as he scored 16 points; 4 rebounds and 3 assists for the losing team.

Athens: 107; Paris 100

Athens: 107

Lawrence Brooks: 8pts; 6rbs; 4ast
Emmanuel Beaucrise: 13pts; 2rbs; 2 ast
Jordan Carter: 2pts; 6ast
Adam Handler: 20pts; 2rbs; 1ast
Quentin Edwards: 6pts; 3rbs; 4ast
Eddie King: 12pts; 6rbs; 3ast
Tim Parham: 30pts; 15rbs
James Booyer: 16pts; 9rbs

Paris: 100

Kevin Wollbrink: 11pts; 6rbs; 2ast
John Head: 7pts; 5rbs; 3ast
Rodney Epperson: 17pts; 9rbs
Tyler Duschinsky: 14pts; 6rbs; 3ast
Ryan Holmes: 27pts; 10 rbs; 6ast
Greg Gamble: 16pts; 4rbs; 3ast
Jontee Willhite: 7pts; 4rbs; 2ast
Maurice Montgomery: 8pts; 2rbs; 1ast

The Championship of the Chicago ESL was the saving the best for last as the game was a thriller that went down to the final possession:
London squeaked by Amsterdam to win the ESL Championship in Chicago 86-83.
Both of these teams had some very talented players and this game was the highlight of the ESL event at Attack Athletics.
The game began with Amsterdam controlling the tempo especially with the defensive presence of Quantez Robertson (190-G-84) who was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
He had around three straight steals for easy buckets and intimated the guards from London taking them out of their comfort zone causing panic related decisions.
The game went back and forth in the first half but Amsterdam controlled the tempo and the lead maintaning a 47-40 lead at halftime which was a blessing for London after being down by double figures early.
In the third quarter the game was still a seesaw battle as Amsterdam still controlled the lead and appeared in control of the contest.
Imari Sawyer (187-G-82, college: De Paul) led London with his passing ability and savvy point guard skills controlling a nice tempo for the London team to operate efficiently.
However in the forth quarter with a few minutes left London made their move as Chris Hayes (206-F-87, college: Detroit Mercy) started to be more aggressive and a timely 3pt shot by Pedja Lazic (198-F) squared up the contest.
The final minute London stole the lead and made a few key free throws down the stretch due to some major blunders by the Amsterdam team.
Amsterdam had a chance to tie the score at the end but a 3pt desperation shot by Deandre Thomas (203-C-86) bounce off the rim giving the championship to the come back kids from the London team.
Chris Hayes led the balance attack for the very talented London team with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He was really tough down the stretch and was impossible to guard as he can play inside or outside. He was the most talented player in the ESL Chicago event and has a bright future ahead of him.
Jermaine Dailey (201-F-86, college: Ill.-Chicago) the former Illinois at Chicago standout had another nice game scoring 13 points and 9 rebounds as he played way above the rim as usual and was too athletic to contain.
Jason Miller (203-F, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) the All Ivy League player from Columbia played well scoring 12 points and 4 rebounds and showed his nice inside outside skills.
Pedja Lazic the former NCAA DII All American hit some big shots when the game was on the line and ended up with 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Cedrick Middleton (183-G-85, college: Akron) stepped up and hit a couple of big 3pt shots when London needed a boost in the game and added 9 points to his tally.
Imari Sawyer was one of the best court leaders at the ESL Chicago event and had similar passing skills like Jason Kidd. He just knows how to play and was always a factor when he was in the game.
He ended up with 9 points and 8 assists leading his team to the ESL Championship.

The Amsterdam team was led by the sensational Quantez Robertson from Auburn who dominated three quarters of the game with his defense, scoring ability and athleticism.
This kid has some unique gifts and has NBA type of talent on both ends of the court. The college system did not do him justice and he will make a team in Europe or the NBDL very happy next season.
He was the best talented guard in the ESL Chicago event and one of the top two players in this particular tourney.
He ended up with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 steals and some serious big time dunks.
Deandre Thomas the former Indiana Hoosier and Chicago High school Legend is the real deal and has special skills for a big man with his size and weight.
He was unstoppable once he got the ball in the low post in this game and he has the sweetest 15 foot turn around in the game. He scored 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Sterling Williams (193-G/F-86, college: Northwestern) added 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists showing once again his nice all around smooth game.
William Graham chipped in another 11 points and showed why he started at a quality program like Wright State. He is a nice player who has a future in European basketball.
Mario Brandon (198-F/G) played well and added 8 points and 7 rebounds as he did a lot of the dirty work for the Amsterdam team.
Will Jones (196-G/F, agency: Tank Sports) the pure shooter knocked down some threes in the final game and in the entire tourney as he was one of the best pure shooters in the ESL Chicago event.
Both of these teams were super talented but London had a little bit more size and just edged Amsterdam at the end to make it two years in a row that London won the Chicago event.

London: 86, Amsterdam 83

London 86

Jason Miller: 12pts; 4rbs, 1ast
Eric Gilchrese: 6pts; 2rbs
Cedrick Middleton: 9pts; 1rbs; 2ast
Pedja Lazic: 11pts; 4rbs; 2ast
Desmond Young: 2pts; 2ast
Chris Hayes: 15pts; 10rbs; 2ast
Jermaine Dailey: 13pts; 9rbs
Mike Smith: 9pts; 1ast
Imari Sawyer: 9pts; 3rbs; 8ast

Amsterdam: 83

Kenneth Simelton: 2pts; 4rbs
Quantez Robertson: 17pts; 8rbs; 8ast and 6stl
Wiliam Graham: 11pts; 2ast
Mario Brandon: 8pts; 7rbs; 3ast
Junior Austin: 9pts
Will Jones: 9pts; 3rbs; 2ast
Sterling Williams: 10pts; 4rbs; 4ast
Deandre Thomas: 17pts; 8rbs; 5ast

Eurobasket Summer League Chicago - Day Two Report - by Darryl Reshaw
Game 5:

Rome defeated Warsaw 89-82 in a classic come from behind victory.
Both of these teams lost their first games of the ESL in day one.
In the first quarter the game went back and forth with Warsaw having a slight edge.
In the beginning of the second quater Warsaw went on a 13 -0 run to build a 11 point margin going into the half.
In the middle of the 3rd quarter Rome came storming back to tie the came at the end of the third quarter.
Rome was more determined in the final period holding off all of Warsaw's runs to escape with the victory.
Rome was lead by Tyrone Kent (196-G/F-86) of Toledo who displayed a nice all around floor game.
He shot the ball extremely well from deep and he was great at creating off the dribble and he often found teammates open with his uncanny passing ability.
Tyrone showed why he was an All Conference player in the MAC and will be a nice European prospect.
Justen Naughton (205-F-81, college: Cal.St.-Los Angeles) added 19 points, 8 rebounds and a few blocks and was a major inside presence for the Rome team.
He also played excellent defense and illustrated his professional experience and would be a nice addition to any European Club due to the fact that he has an Irish passport.
Wendell Mardis (178-G) the exciting point guard from Southwest Baptist scored 19 points and handed out 7 assists and had 4 steals.
He is exceptionally lightning quick and has a great jump shot and can penertrate at will against anyone in the world.
Justin Rone added 13 points, 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in a solid performance.
The Warsaw team had five guys in double figures lead by Marcus Hall (196-G-87) from Robert Morris University who scored 20 points, 8 rebounds and had 2 assists.
The very athletic Chicago native went 8-9 from the floor and had a few brilliant dunks and probably was the fastest guy in the gym.
Coco Cofield (188-G-81, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: N.Dakota St.) scored well displaying his natural scoring mentality added 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
Steve McNabb and Anthony Price (203-F-83, agency: Court Side, college: Tulsa) both scored 14 points while Price added 11 rebounds to land another double double in the ESL.
Jerel Thomas (191-G/F-86, college: W.Virg.Wesl.) had a nice all around game with 13 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds in the loosing efford.

Rome 89; Warsaw 82

Rome: 89
Brett Jones: 2pts, 7rbs
Brent Jones: 0pts, 1rbs, 1ast
Justin Rone: 13pts; 7rbs; 4ast
Wendell Mardis: 19pts; 4rbs; 7ast; 4stl
Justen Naughton: 19pts; 8rbs; 4blks
Tyrone Kent: 23pts; 10rbs; 3ast
Eddie Spencer: 9pts; 11rbs; 3ast

Warsaw: 82
Charlie White: 5pts;
Marcus Hall: 20pts; 8rbs; 3ast
Anthony Price: 14pts; 11rbs; 2ast
Quinton Matthews: 0pts
Coco Cofield: 15pts; 4rbs; 4ast
Jerel Thomas: 13pts; 4rbs; 7ast
Steve McNabb: 14pts; 3rbs; 6ast
Kareem Matthews: 0pts; 3rbs

Game 6:

Berlin stomped Madrid 93-79 in a rugged contest that interesting for the eyes.
Both teams struggled from the field in the first couple of quarters as Berlin managed to go on a little run befor the half to take 37-28 intermission lead.
The second half was all about T.J. Gray (170-G-85, college: Ill.-Chicago) who exploded in the fourth quarter as him and his teams mate got hot from the 3pt line.
They also scored a lot of fastbreak buckets to overwhelm their opponents in the final quarter.
T.J. Gray scored 29 points; 6 assists ; 3 rebounds and had a fewsteals while putting his stamp on the game.
He is lightning quick and has a dynamic jump shot that was unstoppable in this contest.
Al Stewart (178-G-83, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Drake) the other athletic point guard who was an PBL All Star in 09 was too hot to handle and too quick to see as he scored 24 points; 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
He is excellent in transition and is a very good defender while being very crafty as a play maker.
Jonathan George 10 points; 3rebounds and 2 assits for the Berlin team.
Madrid was led by big Nate Minoy who bull dozed his way to 21 points; 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He is a very physical specimen with a nice jump shot.
However his bread and butter is powering his way to the basketball overwhelming defenders with his sheer force.
Zach Ramey (191-F-81, agency: 22ft, college: Benedictine) scored 14 points; 2 rebounds and had 6 assists. He is a sweet left hand PG with excellent quickness with deep range from the outside.
The veteran Glen Whisby (203-C/F-72, college: S.Mississippi) notch a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and was a solid inside presence.
DeVodis Bowman showed a lot of strength as he scored 15 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in the lost.
Bryant Dillion scored 11 points for the Madris team.

Berlin: 93

Rick Leasure: 6pts, 2rbs, 1ast
T.J. Gray: 29pts; 3rbs; 6ast
Nate Hainje: 2pts; 4rbs; 2ast
Stan Blackmon: 6pts; 1rbs; 2ast
Jonathan George: 10pts; 3rbs; 2ast
Al Stewart: 24pts; 3rbs; 4ast
Cory Smith: 9pts; 6rbs; 4ast
Tyrone Kent: 7pts; 1rbs; 2ast

Madrid: 79

Glen Whisby: 13pts; 10rbs
Bryant Dillion: 11pts; 1rbs
Duane Jackson: 7pts; 2ast
Zach Ramey: 14pts; 2rbs; 6ast
DeVodis Bowman: 15pts; 4rbs; 2ast
Alden Smith: 2pts; 2rbs; 2ast
Nate Minoy: 21pts; 8rbs; 3ast

Game 7:

This was one of the best game of the ESL 2009 in Chicago at Attack Athletics.
Both teams featured a lot of quality players and the contest was back and forth all game long.
Amsterdam overwhelmed Athens 91-85 with their overall speed and athleticism.
The Amsterdam team started out of the gates fast and opened a 15-6 early lead.
Athens stored back with excellent bench play and pulled within four points by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter both teams played hard and competed on both ends of the floor as Athens took a 2 point halftime lead.
The excitement continued with both teams playing at a high level and Athens took a seven point lead only to see it fade away as Amsterdam fought back to take a small lead into the forth quarter.
Both teams played extremely well in the forth but the guard play of Amsterdam was the difference in the game as Athens look tired and lacked chemistry in the forth quarter stretch.
Amsterdam was lead by Quantez Robertson (190-G-84) the SEC Defensive Player of the Year who was very athletic and showed a nice scoring touch and penetrated at will as he scored 18 points; 3 rebounds; 7 assists and had 8 cat like steals. Quantez looks like one of the top players in the ESL Chicago and will be a gem for a quality European team. His defense is NBA calibre as well as his supreme athleticism.
Our staff at the ESL is curious how this player was used at Auburn during the 2008-09 season because he has the whole package and can play at a highest level in Europe.
Will Jones (196-G/F, agency: Tank Sports) the prolific shooter with the purest left hand stroke you will see anywhere scored 16 points on 4-6 from the 3pt line.
Deandre Thomas (203-C-86) the former Indiana Hoosier and Chicago prep legend scored 16 points; 8 rebounds and showed serios skills for a man of his size.
Sterling Williams (193-G/F-86, college: Northwestern) the smooth all around player from Northwestern had 15 points; 4 rebounds; 5 asssits and had 3 steals.
Some of our staff at the ESL thought he was the best player the first two days of the ESL.
Junior Austin (192-G-81, college: Philander Smith) chipped in a solid 11 points to help the Amsterdam team to victory.

Athens was lead by James Booyer (203-F-86, college: IUPUI) with 17points and 8 rebounds. James is a quality big guy who can really shoot it from deep but is very long and athletic with a nice inside game.
Tim Parham (206-F/C-83, agency: Rice and Rice, college: Md-Eastern Shore) who has professional experience added 15 points and 10 rebounds adding aother double double to his ESL tally. Tim is long, athletic and has a great jump hook inside.
The kid would be an excellent player in Europe.
Adam Handler (196-F-86) from Depaul University scored 15 points and had 4 rebounds looked good at the ESL Chicago during day two. He has a nice jump shot and had nice athleticism.
Quentin Edwards (191-G-84, college: Missouri So.) was a really nice player and he scored 13 points; 3 rebounds and had 8 assists for the Athens team.

Amsterdam: 91

Kenny Simelton: 2pts; 7rbs
Quantez Robertson: 18pts; 3rbs; 7ast; 8stl
Wiliam Graham: 2pts; 2rbs
Mario Brandon: 6pts; 2ast
Maurice Montgomery: 6pts; 1rb
Junior Austin: 11pts
Will Jones: 16pts; 2rbs
Sterling Williams; 15pts; 4rbs; 5ast; 3stl
Deandre Thomas: 16pts; 8rbs

Athens: 85

Lawrence Brooks: 2pts; 4rbs; 2ast
Mike Ward: 8pts; 2rbs; 6 ast; 1stl
Emmanuel Beaucicaut: 6pts; 1rbs
Jordan Carter: 4pts; 1rbs; 5ast
Adam Handler: 15pts; 4rbs
Quentin Edwards: 13pts; 3 rbs; 8ast
Eddie King: 5pts; 6rbs; 3ast
Tim Parham: 15pts; 10rbs; 3blks
James Booyer: 17pts; 8rbs; 2blks

Game 8:

London the most athletic team in the ESL Chicago event overwhelmed a scrappy Paris team by 115-108.
This game was interesting but London alwsy seemed in control but Paris kept in striking distance the entire contest.
One of the big guys from Paris did not show up for game two and as of result Paris was lacking inside presence.
London with a powerful combination of inside presence and quality guard played just toyed with Paris as utility man who playsthey scored at will notching up 115 points.
London's balance attack was lead by Jermaine Dailey (201-F-86, college: Ill.-Chicago) who is a super athletic utility man who plays excelllent defense and has great energy. He will dunk on anyone at any given moment and he is a quality rebounder.
He scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds with 3 block shots.
Chris Hayes (206-F-87, college: Detroit Mercy) the outstanding talent from Detriot Mercy had 19 points; 15 rebounds and 4 block shots. Chris is probaby the most talented player at the ESL Chicago and at 6'8' does everything.
He is tough inside grabbing rebounds and playing over the rim. He has a sweet 15 foot jump shot and can handle the ball in the open court and create off the dribble. He is an excellent defender who can gaurd bigs and perimeter players with ease. Like Quantez Robinson our ESL staff wonder what the coaches at Detroit Mercy was thinking. This kid is a big time talent who can play anywhere in Europe right now.
Mike Smith (190-G-83, agency: Low Country Sports Management, college: St.Francis (IL)) the athletic guard who played in Lithuania previously scored 17 points and 3 rebounds. Mike can do it all from hitting three point shots to attacking the basket and playing great defense.
Pedja Lazic (198-F) the former NCAA DII All American looked really good as he scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds with 3 assists. The kid is a player and has tricky but smooth left hand moves with a nice shooting touch.
Jason Miller (203-F, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) the big guy who was an All Ivy League 2nd Team member at Columbia university in 2008-09 had another nice game. He scored 13 points; 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
He has a nice mid-range game and a great shooting touch for a very mobile big guy.
Eric Gilchrese (183-G-87, agency: Tank Sports) the quick PG from New Hampshire looked good crossing up the guards from Paris and endded up with 16 points and a few dimes
Paris was lead by Greg Gamble (193-G-87, college: Buffalo) from Buffalo University who scored 26 points, 9 rebounds and had 6 assists. He was simplay awesome and unstoppable. He shot the ball extremely well and he was very athletic as he mixed up his game up perfectly. He attack the basket and finished with floters and his pull up jumper was nice.
Kevin Wollbrink the ABA superstar put on a show as he was simply stronger than most of the guards and showed a lot of crafty moves in this game. He has an excellent touch from deep and plays great defense and attacks the basket at will. He scored 23 points; had 23 rebounds and 4 assists.
Corville Taylor scored 18 points; 3 rebounds and dished 5 assists and looked nice in this game.
Tyler Duschinsky played well as he chipped in 15 points and 4 rebounds.
Ryan Holmes (197-F/G-82, college: Philander Smith) scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and disshed out 4 assists. Ryan is super athletic with nice moves off the dribble and has a quality jump shots.
Jontee Willhite (186-G-86, college: E.Illinois) added another 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and look like a quality PG who can scored.

London 115

Jason Miller: 13pts; 6rbs; 2ast
Eric Gilchrese: 16pts; 1 rbs; 2 ast
Cederick Middleton: 8pts; 3rbs; 6ast
Pedja Lazic: 12pts; 6rbs; 3ast
Desmond Young: 9pts; 1rbs; 5ast
Chris Hayes: 19pts; 15rbs; 4blks
Jermaine Dailey: 20pts; 13rbs; 3blks
Mike Smith: 17pts; 3rbs
Amare Sawyer: 0pts; 3rbs; 13ast

Paris: 108

Greg Gamble: 26pts; 9rbs; 6ast; 3stls
Kevin Wollbrink: 23pts; 10rbs; 4ast
Corville Taylor: 18pts; 3rbs and 5ast
Tyler Duschinsky: 15pts; 4 rbs; 1ast
Ryan Holmes: 14pts; 10rbs; 4ast
Jontee Willhite: 12pts; 6rbs; 6ast

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EUROCUP

Cholet brings Alex Barnett - by Philip Mulryne

Cholet Basket signed rookie swingman Alex Barnett for the coming season, which will be the player's first as a professional. Barnett (198, 23) finished his college basketball career at Dartmouth College, where he was named the Ivy League's 2008-09 Player of the Year. He averaged 19.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 28 games last season for the Big Green. He led the Ivy League in scoring and ranked among the top 10 in rebounding (8th), free throw percentage (82%, 2nd), steals (1.3 spg, 8th), three-point field goal percentage (40.9%, 6th), blocked shots (1.2, 3rd) and minutes played (34.1, 5th). Barnett finished his Dartmouth career with 1,374 points to place him eighth on the school's all-time scoring list.

source :

http://www.sportando.net/eng/europa/eurocup/3649/cholet_brings_in_rookie_alex_barnett.html

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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U18

Div. B Day: 1 (Preliminary Round) - by Eurobasket News

Group A

Norway - Belarus 75-68
Norway claimed the first win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They opened their campaign with a tough victory over Belarus in Group A. Stian Berg (180-G-91) scored 17 points to pace Norway. Karamo Jawara added 13 points, 9 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Vitali Liutych knocked down 19 points for Belarus. Siarhei Hancharonak had 10 points in the losing effort.

Estonia - Bosnia 74-82
Bosnia and Herzegovina ensured the victory at the start of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The tournament tipped off today in Sarajevo and the hosts lived up to the highest expectations of the home fans. They toppled Estonian counterpart in preliminary Group A. Nebojsa Maksimovic (179-G-92) netted 16 points to lead Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nikola Gajic added 15 points, while Ali Demic had 14 points in the victory. Rain Veideman responded with 25 points for Estonia. Janar Soo chipped in 22 points in defeat.

Group B

Sweden - Finland 72-56
Sweden U18 beat Finland U18 at the start of the U18 European Championships. Sweden produced 72:56 for the first victory in Sarajevo. Daniel Persson (198-G-91) top-scored for the winners with 21 points. Christopher Czerapowicz chipped in 16, while Andreas Person notched 14. Vesa Heinonen and Carl Lindbom ended up with 11 points in the losing effort each.

Group C

Scotland - Georgia 71-61
Scotland made their U18 European Championship debut one to remember. They held off Georgia to improve at 1-0 record in preliminary Group C. Alasdair Fraser (-92) fired 20 points and collected 8 rebounds to pace Scotland. Lee Reilly delivered 18 points for Scotland. Josh Crolley added 10 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Beqa Chikviladze responded with game-high 26 points for Georgia. Akaki Dvalishvili netted 17 points in the loss.

Montenegro - Holland 90-73
Montenegrin U18 National Team posted the initial win at the European Championship in Division B. They held off Netherlands in the opener for both teams. Montenegro thus jumped on top of Group C. Nikola Ljujic (202-F-91) notched 21 points for Montenegro. Nemanja Radovic added 20 points and 18 rebounds, while Bojan Dubljevic netted 19 points in the winning case. Jeroen van Vugt nailed 17 points for Netherlands. Quincy Treffers had 14 points and 15 rebounds in defeat.

Group D

Switzerland - Portugal 86-68
Swiss U18 National team victoriously opened their European Championship in Division B quest. They hung on to an 18-point win over Portugal in preliminary action today. Switzerland thus jumped on top of Group D. They will next face Belgium tomorrow, while Portugal will play against Belgium on Saturday. Jonathan Kazadi (195-G-91) poured in 35 points to pace Switzerland. Stefan Petkovic added 27 points, 6 boards and 4 assists in an all-around performance. Carlos Diogo Serra Ferreirinho responded with 16 points for Portugal. Joao Torrie had 12 points and 6 boards in the loss.

United Kingdom - Belgium 67-58
England held off Belgium in Group D opening game. Ryan Richards (210-F-91) exploded with 34 points and 13 boards to pace the winners. Levi Noel added 10 points and 7 rebounds for England. Dennis Donkor and Terry Deroover responded with 14 points each for Belgium. Maarten Rademakers netted 10 points in the loss.

Standings Division A

Standings

Group A
1. France		1-0
2. Slovenia		1-0
3. Serbia		0-1
4. Czech Repu.		0-1
Group B
1. Croatia		1-0
2. Germany		1-0
3. Ukraine		0-1
4. Spain		0-1
Group C
1. Latvia		1-0
2. Turkey		1-0
3. Bulgaria		0-1
4. Greece		0-1
Group D
1. Israel		1-0
2. Lithuania		1-0
3. Russia		0-1
4. Italy		0-1

M-Standings - Group B

Standings Div.B

Group A
1. Bosnia		1-0
2. Hungary		1-0
3. Norway		1-0
4. Belarus		0-1
5. Denmark		0-1
6. Estonia		0-1
Group B
1. Sweden		1-0
2. Iceland		0-0
3. Poland		0-0
4. Slovakia		0-0
5. Finland		0-1
Group C
1. Monteneg.		1-0
2. Scotland		1-0
3. Romania		0-0
4. Holland		0-1
5. Georgia		0-1
Group D
1. U.Kingdom		1-0
2. Switzerl.		1-0
3. Austria		0-0
4. Belgium		0-1
5. Portugal		0-1

Day: 1 (Preliminary Round) - by Eurobasket News

Group A

Czech Republic - Slovenia 71-74
Slovenia opened their U18 European Championship campaign victoriously. They defeated Czech Republic in preliminary Group A in Hagondange, France. Czech Republic trailed by just a single point with 4 seconds remaining but Horvat and Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj sealed the winning outcome for Slovenia. Jakob Cebasek (198-G/F-91) knocked down 22 points to pace Slovenia. Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj added 19 points, while Pajic had 13 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Martin Kriz replied with 18 points for Czech Republic. Ondrej Kohout finished with 13 points and 8 boards in the loss.

France - Serbia 68-63
France U18 edged out Serbia U18 68:63 in the opener of U18 European Championships. The hosts needed 21-11 to seal the first victory at the tournament. Leo Westermann (196-G-92) paced all the winners with 17 points being the only player for his team to reach double digits. Fournier nailed 8, while Kandolo notched 7. Musli tried hard in the losing effort providing 21 points for Serbia.

Group B

Ukraine - Germany 77-100
Germany overwhelmed Ukraine in the opener of Group B in France. The German team won the offensive game over Ukraine 100:77 in the U18 European Championship. Germany produced an outstanding three-point barrage hitting 15 of 27 attempts from long-range. Friedrich Lotze (205-C/F-91) top-scored for the winners with 19 points. Monninghoff ended up with 17, while Neumann added 15. Lypovyy finished the game with 21 points in defeat. Lebedintsev posted 20 and Dzyuba notched 16.

Croatia - Spain 82-78
Croatia U18 edged Spain U18 in their first game at the U18 European Championship that just started in France. Toni Prostran (183-G-91) shined over the Spanish squad in 82:78 win in the opener. Toni Prostran was unstoppable with 35 points for the winners. Babic notched 10, while Cutura recorded 9. Llovet finished the game with 16 points in defeat. Sastre chipped in 13, whilst Jodar added 12.

Group C

Latvia - Bulgaria 63-47
Latvia U18 and Bulgaria U18 opened the U18 European Championship in Group C. The Baltic side needed 16-4 in the last period to seal the first 63:47 victory. Nauris Miezis (192-G-91) top-scored for the winners with 12 points for 1-0 record. Pinete netted 10, while Meiers collected 10 points and 12 rebounds. Dafinov and Binev ended up with 9 points each in the losing effort.

Greece - Turkey 74-78
Turkey and Greece created a battle in the second game of the U18 European Championship in Group C. Turkey was a bit luckier to grab 78:74 win for 1-0 record. Enes Kanter (206-C-92) was unstoppable with 22 points and 22 rebounds. Mutaf nailed 16, whilst Edge 11. Georgakis delivered 22 points for the Greek side, Karathanasis posted 14 and Katsivelis notched 12.

Group D

Israel - Russia 63-62
Israel edge out Russia 63:62 in their opening game of the U18 European Championships. The game kept the spectators excited until the last seconds when Nimrod Tishman (195-G-91) hit the go-ahead shot for a shock win. Nimrod Tishman was unstoppable with 26 points for the winners. Dotan and Havkin followed him with 7 points each in the winning effort. Antipov top-scored for Russia with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Lazarev collected 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kulagin added 10.

Italy - Lithuania 85-86
Lithuania U18 won the real thriller over Italian side in their opener of the U18 European Championship. Jonas Valanciunas (211-C-92) with a dunk brought 86:85 stunning victory over the opponents. Jonas Valanciunas had a great game with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Kadzevicius nailed 20, while Staniulis posted 9. De Nicolao finished the night with 20 points, whilst Moraschini notched 16.

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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U20

M-Standings - Division B

Standings Div.B

Group E
1. Poland		3-0
2. Sweden		1-2
3. Finland		1-2
4. Georgia		1-2
Group F
1. Holland		3-0
2. Czech Repu.		2-1
3. FYR Macedo.		1-2
4. Austria		0-3
Group G
1. Norway		2-0
2. Switzerl.		1-1
3. Luxembourg.		0-2
Group H
1. Bulgaria		2-0
2. U.Kingdom		1-1
3. Portugal		0-2
Group I
1. Slovakia		2-0
2. Hungary		1-1
3. Romania		0-2

Div. B Day: 6 (Qualifying Round) - by Eurobasket News

Group E

Poland - Georgia 71-62
Poland overwhelmed Georgia to remain undefeated at the U20 European Championship in Division B. The victory marked the fifth straight success for a Tomasz Jankowski team. They secured the semifinal birth at the tournament. Georgia slipped at 1-2 record narrowly missed the semifinal stage. Georgia will now play for the 5th-8th spot. Piotr Pamula (196-G-90) notched 18 points to pace Poland. Jakub Wojciechowski added 12 points and 9 rebounds, while Adam Waczynski had 11 points in the win. Levan Shengelia finished with 20 points for Georgia. Richard Matiashvili top-scored with 21 points and 7 rebounds for the losing team.

Finland - Sweden 47-70
Sweden and Finland finish the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Sweden beat Finland 70:47 in the last game of Group E to tie both records at 1-2. Christopher Ryan (196-G-90) paced all the winners with 17 points for the initial victory. Omar Zaghden nailed 14, while Francis Odada netted 12. Matias Ojala and Miska Ahokas ended up with 8 points each in the losing effort.

Group F

Austria - Czech Republic 71-83
Czech Republic U20 kept Austria winless in Group F of the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Czech Republic U20 overcame the opponents 83:71 in the last game of the group. David Jelinek (194-G-90, agency: PPGroup) top-scored for the winners with 17 points for 2-1 record. Tomas Voslajer ended up with 15, while Michal Palat and Jiri Slavik added 11 each. Rasid Mahalbasic delivered 25 points in the losing effort, whilst Thomas Csebits notched 12.

FYR Macedonia - Holland 67-91
Netherlands U20 won Group F of the U20 European Championships in Skopje. The Dutch team overcame the hosts to leave them out of the semis. Jesse Voorn (193-G-90, agency: R.H.Consultancy) top-scored for the winners with 24 points to get 3-0 record. Thomas Koenis scored 18 and Ewoud Kloos added 12. Bojan Krstevski finished the night with 21 points for the hosts that dropped to 1-2. Ivica Dimcevski netted 11, while Petrucev had 10. Czech Republic U20 became the second team to advance to the semifinals from the group.

Group G

Luxembourg - Norway 54-78
Norwegian U20 National Team completed the classification round in Group G of the European Championship in Division B with win. The victory over Luxembourg propelled the team to 2-0 record in the pool as Norway clinched the top spot. They will now play for the 9th-12th position at the tournament. Luxembourg lost the second straight game at this stage and remained at the bottom of the ladder. Roy Nwachukwu (192-F-90) tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds for Norway. Magne Fivelstad added 16 points and 7 boards, while Stian Enge had 15 points for the winners. Christophe Laures responded with 13 points for Luxembourg. Christopher Jones canned 9 points in defeat.

Group H

Bulgaria - Portugal 89-64
Bulgaria managed the second straight win at the U20 European Championship in Division B classification round. They routed Portugal to clinch the top spot in Group H. Bulgaria will now play for the 9th-11th position at the tournament. Portugal suffered the second defeat in the pool action and remained at the bottom of the ladder. Aleksandar Georgiev (198-F-90) scored 16 points and grabbed 6 boards for Bulgaria. Tsvetelin Ivanov and Stanislav Vaklinov netted 14 points each in the win. Diogo Correia tallied 16 points for Portugal. Andre Pereira posted 12 points in defeat.

Group I

Romania - Hungary 48-95
Hungary clinched the second position at the U20 European Championship in Division B Group I. They rolled past Romania today. Hungary will now play for the 13th-15th spot at the tournament. Romania will try to gain the 16th place in Skopje. Gergely Somogyi (218-C-89) finished with game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds. Domonkos Kovacs added 15 points, while Mate Mohacsi netted 11 points in the victory. Rolland Torok responded with 12 points and 12 boards for Romania. Andrei Bercean had 11 points in the losing effort.

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Eldar Skamo leaving Honka - by Rauno Hurmalainen
After four seasons on Honka (Espoo) roster Finnish F Eldar Skamo (195-F-86) is leaving Espoo and moving to Kauhajoki. Karhu (Kauhajoki) and Skamo have signed 1-year-contract for the coming 2009-2010 season. Last season Skamo averaged 3,6 ppg - 1,9 rpg in 14,5 mpg. 'Eldar Skamo is the type of player I really want on my Team roster. He is a good defender and anxious after rebounds', says Karhu Head Coach Greg Gibson. Gibson will start his seventh season as Karhu's Head Coach. Karhu has now seven players with contracts: American G Maurice Horton and Finnish Lasse Hintsala, Aleksi Huuskonen, Santeri Latvala, Roni Leimu, Sad Niskanen and Eldar Skamo. 18-year-old G Teemu Hartikainen (179-G-91) has transfered from Tarmo (Porvoo) to Torpan Pojat (Helsinki).

Sweden and Finland finish the U20 Qualifying Round - by Eurobasket News
Finland U20-Sweden U20 47:70

Sweden and Finland finish the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Sweden beat Finland 70:47 in the last game of Group E to tie both records at 1-2.
Sweden was too good for the other Scandinavian team from the beginning of the game and never looked behind. Christopher Ryan (196-G-90) made it 9:7 and then Ronstrom made a jump shot for 20:9. Right from the beginning of the second period Sweden continued to control the court and increased the lead. Nagwere made a jump shot for 34:19, while Christopher Ryan closed the quarter at 41:28. In the third period the tempo had slowed down and the teams did not mind spending more time in defense. Sweden limited the opponents to 15-7 in the third frame for the bigger advantage. Again Christopher Ryan nailed three for 56:35 in the end of thirty minutes. Nuutinen opened the last period for Finland and Ahonen reduced to 41:58. Finland however lost the last frame as well as the game.
Christopher Ryan paced all the winners with 17 points for the initial victory. Omar Zaghden (204-F/C-90) nailed 14, while Francis Odada (197-F-89) netted 12. Matias Ojala (196-F-89) and Miska Ahokas (192-G-90) ended up with 8 points each in the losing effort.

Finland U20: Matias Ojala 8, Miska Ahokas 8
Sweden U20: Christopher Ryan 17, Omar Zaghden 14, Francis Odada 12

Sweden beat Finland at the start of the U18 European Championships - by Eurobasket News
Sweden U18-Finland U18 72:56

Sweden U18 beat Finland U18 at the start of the U18 European Championships. Sweden produced 72:56 for the first victory in Sarajevo.
The countries played for the second game today as earlier Sweden and Finland finish the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Sweden beat Finland 70:47 in the last game of Group E to tie both records at 1-2.
The game between smaller ages started with 5-0 for the Swedish side. Sweden increased to 15:7 and had 20:10 after the first 10 minutes. Sandberg made it 29:15, while Christopher Czerapowicz (195-G-91) posted for 32:15. Finland U18 reduced the gap at the halftime and finished the second quarter at 35:23. The favorites kept the 10-point difference and had 40:30 midway through the third frame. They made however some more important baskets and extended their lead to 17 points after thirty minutes. Andreas Person (188-G-91) nailed three for 56:39 at the buzzer. In the last quarter the picture did not change with Sweden dominating the court. Engstrom brought the final 72:56 score from the free throw line.
Daniel Persson (198-G-91) top-scored for the winners with 21 points. Christopher Czerapowicz chipped in 16, while Andreas Person notched 14. Vesa Heinonen (192-F-91) and Carl Lindbom (204-F-91) ended up with 11 points in the losing effort each.

Sweden U18: Daniel Persson 21, Christopher Czerapowicz 16, Andreas Person 14
Finland U18: Vesa Heinonen 11, Carl Lindbom 11

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FRANCE

Alex Barnett inks with Cholet France - by Interperformances
Multi-talented 6'6'' small forward Alex Barnett (198-F-86, agency: Interperformances) has inked a contract with Cholet Basket in the French ProA league for the 2009-10 season. The former Dartmouth College all-around player was named Ivy League Player of the Year and AP NCAA All-American Honorable Mention for the 2009-10 season He averaged 19.4 ppg, 5,6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.3 spg and 1.2 bpg. He could be one of the biggest surprises in European basketball this year.

PG Zack Wright arrives to Le Mans - by Eurobasket News
The American point guard Zack Wright (188-G-85, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment, college: Cent.Missouri) is a new member of Le Mans. The 24-year old player is coming to Le Mans from Chalon, where he spent last season. He appeared 31 times in Pro A averaging 11 ppg, 6.3 apg, 5.9 rpg and 2.5 spg. He finished the season as third best assistant and the leading 'stealer'. Le Mans faced with problem after leaving of Bobby Dixon (178-G-83, agency: Beo Basket, college: Troy) to ASVEL, but it seems they solved it with arrival of Wright. That will most probably be the last signing for the team, who will start the season with serious challenge. They will have to pass through the Euroleague Qualifying Rounds in order to make it to the Group Stage.
Before he joined Chalon, Zack Wright played one year for Spot Up Medien Baskets Braunschweig. At the and of the season he was named 'Eurobasket.com All-German 2. Bundesliga Pro B Player of the Year -08' averaging 24.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.9 apg and 3.5 spg. He graduated at the Central Missouri State University in 2007.

Le Mans head coach J.D. Jackson is delighted with signing of Wright. He stated that Wright will give added value to other players, especially to our two scorers, Dee Spencer and Marc Salyers. He also said that the player is very motivated for this challenge.

Le Mans reached the Pro A Semifinals last season. Orleans eliminated them with 2-1 in series.

The hosts of U18 European Championships won the opener - by Eurobasket News
France U18-Serbia U18 68:63

France U18 edged out Serbia U18 68:63 in the opener of U18 European Championships. The hosts needed 21-11 to seal the first victory at the tournament.
Serbia started with 16:14, but Fournier brought France 35:34 at the halftime. Serbia led in the majority of the third period and had 52:47 at the end of it. Leo Westermann (196-G-92) made it 63:56 for his team with a bit more than 4 minutes in the game. Cairo added two for 65:56, however the game was not over. Serbia replied with a last run for 65:61 as Andjusic made a jump shot. With 2.30 in the last period, France needed a timeout to have some time to rest. Andjusic had another chance from the perimeter in the last minute, but missed a shot and Serbia asked for timeout. Dejan Musli (214-C-91) made one free throw for 65:62 and Serbia could not reach the opponents. Leo Westermann made two free throws for 67:62, while Andjusic netted only one. Serbia fouled immediately and Kandolo posted also one for 68:63. Those points however were the last in the game as the French side won the opener in the group.
Leo Westermann paced all the winners with 17 points being the only player for his team to reach double digits. Fournier nailed 8, while Kandolo notched 7. Dejan Musli tried hard in the losing effort providing 21 points for Serbia.
In another game of the group Slovenia opened their U18 European Championship campaign victoriously. They defeated Czech Republic in preliminary Group A in Hagondange, France. Czech Republic trailed by just a single point with 4 seconds remaining but Horvat and Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj sealed the winning outcome for Slovenia.

France U18: Leo Westermann 17, Fournier 8, Kandolo 7
Serbia U18: Dejan Musli 21, Branislav Djekic (205-F/C-91, agency: Beo Basket) 10, Radosavljevic 10

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FYR MACEDONIA

Simonovski best scorer after first phase of U20 EuroBasket Division B - by Eurobasket News
U20 Macedonian National Team is currently enjoying their time at the U20 European Championship Division B, and their players are managing to impress. Marko Simonovski (190-G-89) is currently leading scorer of the Tournament, even though he missed the last game against Bulgaria. U20 Shooting Guard is currently averaging 21 point per game after scoring total of 42 points in 2 games. Jelinek from U20 Czech Republic is 2nd with 20.3 points per game, while Shengelia from U20 Georgia rounds the Top 3 with 19.3 points per game. Thomas Kenis from Holland is the best rebounder with 10.7 rebounds per game, while Portugal's Thomash Snieg is the assists leader with 5.3 assist per game. Currently U20 Macedonia is atop Group D with 2 wins and 1 loss. The have lost rather unexpectedly to Bulgaria 62-92 after displaying on of the worst games so far.
Simonovski started at Vodno Suns cadet team. In 2007, he signed a contract with Vardar Osiguruvanje bust was immediately loaned out to Centar Skopje in Macedonian 2nd League. Last season, Simonovski returned to Vardar and became a member of a starting lineup. His team finished the season in 7th place with 7 wins and 13 losses. Simonovski was a member of all youth National Team categories. He participated at U20 European Championships in Nova Gorica in 2007. Following year was his break out year when he took participation at U20 European Championships Division B in Romania. In 8 games, Simonovski averaged 11.3 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 46.9% from behind the arc.

Netherlands U20 advanced to the semis from the top place - by Eurobasket News
Macedonia U20-Netherlands U20 67:91

Netherlands U20 won Group F of the U20 European Championships in Skopje. The Dutch team overcame the hosts to leave them out of the semis.
The guests opened the game with 25:20 after the first frame and added 20-12 in the second period. The game remained exciting even in the second half still with Netherlands dominating the court. Robinson posted two for 64:43 after thirty minutes. Jesse Voorn (193-G-90, agency: R.H.Consultancy) brought the winners 71:51 from the perimeter. Ridderhof added another three-pointer for 74:51 as it became clear that the favorites would not lose the game. Thomas Koenis (207-F/C-89, agency: Court Side) made a lay-up for 76:51, while Brckov posted two for 76:53 with less than 4 minutes in the game. Jesse Voorn made his 21st point for another three to make 82:53. Bojan Krstevski (205-F-89) made a fabulous dunk for 82:58 and Nancheski later nailed for 89:65. Brckov with a dunk closed the game at 91:67 as Macedonia could not make it to the semis.
Jesse Voorn top-scored for the winners with 24 points to get 3-0 record. Thomas Koenis scored 18 and Ewoud Kloos (185-G/F-89) added 12. Bojan Krstevski finished the night with 21 points for the hosts that dropped to 1-2. Ivica Dimcevski (192-G-89) netted 11, while Petrucev had 10.
Czech Republic U20 became the second team to advance to the semifinals from the group. Czech Republic U20 kept Austria winless in Group F of the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Czech Republic U20 overcame the opponents 83:71 in the last game of the group.

Macedonia U20: Bojan Krstevski 21, Ivica Dimcevski 11, Petrucev 10
Netherlands U20: Jesse Voorn 24, Thomas Koenis 18, Ewoud Kloos 12

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GEORGIA

Scotland defeat Georgia in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
Scotland U18 - Georgia U18 71:61
Scotland made their U18 European Championship debut one to remember. They held off Georgia to improve at 1-0 record in preliminary Group C. Alasdair Fraser (-92) fired 20 points and collected 8 rebounds to pace Scotland.
Scotland led throughout the opening frame sealing the outcome at 16:14 after ten minutes. Beqa Chikviladze (195-G-91) scored 7 points as Georgia jumped in front early in the second quarter. Scots could not score for more than 5 minutes in the period before Josh Crolley (-91) stopped the bleeding. Scotland managed to ensure a 31:31 tie at halftime. Georgia opened the second half with 8 unanswered points to take the lead once again. But Scotland remained within striking distance and trailed by just two points at the final pause. Alasdair Fraser and Lee Reilly (176-G-92) pulled Scotland in charge at the start of the final term. Scotland maintained the lead and eked out a tough win despite all the efforts from Beqa Chikviladze.
Lee Reilly delivered 18 points for Scotland. Josh Crolley added 10 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Beqa Chikviladze responded with game-high 26 points for Georgia. Akaki Dvalishvili (203-C-91) netted 17 points in the loss.

Scotland U18: Alasdair Fraser 20, Lee Reilly 18, Josh Crolley 10
Georgia U18: Beqa Chikviladze 26, Akaki Dvalishvili 17

Poland stay perfect in Qualifying Round in Skopje - by Eurobasket News
Poland U20 - Georgia U20 71:62

Poland overwhelmed Georgia to remain undefeated at the U20 European Championship in Division B. The victory marked the fifth straight success for a Tomasz Jankowski team. They secured the semifinal birth at the tournament. Georgia slipped at 1-2 record narrowly missed the semifinal stage. Georgia will now play for the 5th-8th spot.
The start of the game looked hopeful for Georgia as Richard Matiashvili (209-C-89) gave them an early lead. But Poland quickly denied the deficit and built a 22:16 lead after ten minutes. The teams kept it close early in the second stanza before Jakub Wojciechowski (211-C-90) scored 4 points in a row and Grochowski added three from beyond the arc to boost the margin to 10 points. Poland finished the first half leading by 12 points. Richard Matiashvili dragged Georgia within 4 midway through the third period. Tornike and Levan Shengelia (204-F/C-90) followed with 4 points to knot things up. But Poland accounted for a slender 52:51 advantage at the final intermission. The Polish team opened the fourth term on an 8:1 spurt to take some breathing space. Richard Matiashvili and Tornike Shengelia revived the intrigue trimming the distance to 2 points with just over two minutes to go. But Adam Waczynski (199-F-89, agency: AB Agency) and Piotr Pamula (196-G-90) chipped in 5 freebies in the final minute to propel Poland to the victory.
Piotr Pamula notched 18 points to pace Poland. Jakub Wojciechowski added 12 points and 9 rebounds, while Adam Waczynski had 11 points in the win. Levan Shengelia finished with 20 points for Georgia. Richard Matiashvili top-scored with 21 points and 7 rebounds for the losing team.

Poland U20: Piotr Pamula 18, Jakub Wojciechowski 12, Adam Waczynski 11
Georgia U20: Richard Matiashvili 21, Levan Shengelia 20

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GERMANY

Standings - 1. Bundesliga

1.Bundesliga Standings

1. Duesseldorf	0-0
2. ALBA	0-0
3. NY Phantoms	0-0
4. EnBW L'burg	0-0
5. TBB Trier	0-0
6. ratiopharm	0-0
7. Brose Baskets	0-0
8. LTi 46ers	0-0
9. Goettingen	0-0
10. Pad.Baskets	0-0
11. Walter Tigers	0-0
12. MBC	0-0
13. Telekom B.	0-0
14. EWE Baskets	0-0
15. Art.Dragons	0-0
16. Bremerhaven	0-0
17. Hagen	0-0
18. Dt.Bank SKY	0-0

Christian Burns Signs With ratiopharm Ulm - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
It is never easy to replace Mr Ulm Jeff Gibbs (188-F-80, college: Otterbein), but Ratiopharm Ulm took a step in closing out the zone by signing American Christian Burns (203-F-85, agency: Hart Sports Mngm, college: Philadelphia). The 23 year old 203cm forward hails from Trenton, New Jersey and will play his first seaosn in Germany after coming from Portugal. Las season for FC Porto Ferpinta, he averaged in 22 games 18.9ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.5apg, 1.1spg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 21.4%, FT: 69.7% and was the third top scorer in the league. Ratiopharm Ulm coach Mike Taylor and manager Thomas Stoll saw him at the Michael Hart camp in Las Vegas and had a personel work out with him and are content that he will help the team. 'We have been following him the last two years and are content that he can make the step to the next level', stressed Michael Taylor.

Burns grew up in Hamilton, New Jersey and played at Hamilton high school and averaged 19.8 ppg, 15.3 rpg and 3.2 blocks per game. He then started his college basketball career at Quinnipiac from 2003-2005 got little playing time and transfered to Philadelphia (NCAA2) and played there from 2005-2007. In his senior season, he averaged in 21 games: 29.7ppg, 11.2rpg, 1.2apg, 2.2bpg. He started his professional basketball career in 2007 in Poland for AZS Koszalin and averaged in 30 games: 8.9ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.1spg, 2FGP: 54.2%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 68.4%.

Source: http://www.basketball-ulm.de/

Steven Esterkamp Becomes An Eisbaer Bremerhaven - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
A few weeks ago, Bremerhaven fans were preparing for the PRO A, but lady luck isnt only a factor on the court, but at times off the court as well as the Eisbaeren slipped into the BBL with the last wild card and responded with a spectactular signing with American Steven Esterkamp (198-F-81, agency: Limelight Hoops, college: Ohio). Rumours had been swirling for weeks about the possibility for Esterkamp to follow Paderborn coach Douglas Spradley (agency: Limelight Hoops ) to Bremerhaven, but he kept quiet about this possibility in a recent eurobasket interview. The 28 year old 198 cm forward American had played in Paderborn since 2004, but decided that it was time for a change. Even though a piece of his heart will always be in Paderborn, not just reaching the playoffs, but going deep into the playoffs is a step for any basketball player. 'I left Paderborn to find a team that has the ambitions to win and not only to make the playoffs, but to go deep into the playoffs', stressed Steven Esterkamp. Coach and friend Doug Sprdley had to fight in getting Esterkamp as many teams were trying to catch his services. 'I am happy that Steve was able to follow me to Bremerhaven since I knew that many teams wanted him. Steve is a total athlete that has improved each season. He is not only agood shooter, but a fighter with leadership qualities that always plays for the team. Every coach wants this type of player on their team', said a thrilled Douglas Spradley (agency: Limelight Hoops ). Esterkamp is jubilant that he could follow coach and friend Douglas Spradley (agency: Limelight Hoops ) to Bremerhaven. 'I know Doug since five years and I know what I am getting into with him. I also know what kind of team he is trying to build in Bremerhaven. I also think we will have a very good chance to compete a very high level this season. I have talked to Doug about his plan for the upcoming season and I am very satisfyed and happy with the direction that he is going in', warned Steven Esterkamp

Esterkamp grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and first started to get a feel for swishing the ball through the net at Lasalle highschool. He then went to Ohio University from 1999-2003 and played three seasons there with his best friend Patrick Flomo (203-F-80, college: Ohio) of the Telekom Baskets Bonn. He then went overseas and started his professional basketball career in Austria with Steiner Swans Gmunden, but left and finished the season in Germany with SG FT/MTV Braunschweig in the second German Bundesliga and averaged in 19 games: 23.9ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.6apg. In his stay at Braunschweig, he got to play together for the first time with German Jan Lipke (193-G-83, agency: Court Side) and will be reunited with him this season again. 'I remember playing with Jan in Braunschweig when he was 19. That was my first year in Europe and it will be cool to play with him again after he has developed so much', said Steven Esterkamp. Then in 2004, he went to Paderborn and had a very successful five years playing for Douglas Spradley (agency: Limelight Hoops ) and with friends Timothy Black (178-G-81, agency: Limelight Hoops, college: Barton (NC)) and Marius Nolte (206-C-81, agency: Limelight Hoops). In this time, he won 50 games in a row in the 2005-2006 season and reached the BBL. He played three years in the BBL, and ended his Paderborn stay by reaching the BBL playoffs in 2009 and losing a hard fought five game series against 8 time BBL champion Alba Berlin. His best season in the BBL was in the 2008-2009 season as he averaged in 36 games: 12.9ppg, 3.6rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 43.2%, 3PT: 36.0%, FT: 82.6%. His moving to Bremerhaven also had something to do with the location. 'I would not have chosen Bremerhaven if I did not believe that it was close to Paderborn. It is always good to stay close to friends', expressed Steven Esterkamp.

After suffering through a 16 game losing streak and finishing last in the BBL standings, the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven will be shooting on finding back to their winning ways of their first few years where they were a regular guest in the playoffs and Top 4 tournaments. Even after the poor last season, Esterkamp was able to look beyond the standings and see other top qualities with the team. 'I think that it is a good organization to have in the league. They have the money and facilities, but just had a bad season last year', said Steven Esterkamp. Bremerhaven manager Jan Rathjen is happy that he was able to get such a high quality player. 'The signing of Steve was a big priority for the coach. I am sure that Steve will be able to keep having good performances like he had with Paderborn', said Eisbaeren manager Jan Rathjen . Esterkamp who is still in the States and spending time with new Deutsche Bank Skyliner Marius Nolte is looking forward to duels with the German this season. 'I cant wait to play against Marius. We have not talked much about it yet, but we will before he goes back to Germany', added Steven Esterkamp.

Source: www.eisbaeren-bremerhaven.de

German U18 National Team 2009 - by Richard

Theilig

Monninghoff

Barthel

Leithner

Neumann

4 Falko Theilig (180-G-92) of VfB 1900 Giessen Pointers
5 Ole Wendt (190-G-92) of Benslips Baskets Salzkotten
6 Konstantin Klein (185-G-91) of ALBA Berlin II
7 Mathis Monninghoff (198-G-92) of TSV Leverkusen
8 Anthony Canty (182-G-91) of BSG Bremerhaven
9 Sebastian Koch (202-G-91) of High School (USA)
10 Harald Debelka (191-G-91) of Proveo Merlins Crailsheim
11 Danilo Barthel (205-F-91) of USC Heidelberg
12 Daniel Leithner (200-F-91) of TSV Troester Breitenguessbach
13 Justin Raffington (202-F-91) of Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule
14 Philipp Neumann (210-C-92) of Franken Hexer
15 Friedrich Lotze (205-C/F-91) of ALBA Berlin
Head Coach Kay Blumel
Assistant Coach Mladen Drijencic

Giro-Live Ballers Osnabruck Get Steffen Behrens And Announce Predrag Lukic As New Assistant Coach - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
The Giro-Live Ballers have closed out their roster fro the 2009-2010 PRO A season by signing German Steffen Behrens (205-C-87, agency: Weller Sports - Entertainment). The 22 year old 205cm center played last season for the Spot Up Medien Baskets Braunschweig in the PRO B and averaged in 28 games: 5.3ppg, 5.8rpg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT-3 (50.0%), FT: 63.6% and he also played sparingly for BBL club New York Phantoms Braunschweig. With the Giro-Live Ballers, Behrens can combine basketball, friednship and school. One of the reasons for him going to the club is his friendship to German Jasper Knoch (193-F-86), the possibility to study at the university of Osnabruck and the chnace to play PRO A basketball.

Behrens started his basketball career in 2005 with Oldenburger TB and left in 2007 to go to Braunschweig. He is a classic center, but can also play the position four. He seems to have a bright future ahead of him as he was named to the German U-20 team in 2007.

The club also announced that Predrag Lukic will be new assistnat coach for the PRO A team. He is very young at 23, but has had very much basketball experience.He comes from Wehrdohl, Germany and was in many U14-U18 teams as a kid. In the 2005-2006 season, he played in Bosnia for KK Leotar Trebinje, but had to stop due to a knee injury. Since then he has coached youth teams in Hagen and Luedenscheid. He also was assistant coach for Regionaliga team BG Hagen. 'My long term goal is too become head coach for a first division team. My new position with Osnabruck is a step in the right direction', stressed Predrag Lukic.

Source: http://www.giroliveballers.de

Philip Zwiener Remains With Alba Berlin And Umberto Badioli Is New Assistant Coach - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Alba Berlin Still has not announced a new player for the upcoming 2009-2010 BBL season, but rather might of brightened the day for many Alba Berlin fans by announcing that German National player Philip Zwiener (198-F-85, agency: Court Side) will remain in Berlin. This will be Zwieners fifth season on the Spree river and coach Luka Pavicevic (agency: Beo Basket ) made it clear that despite his little playing time last season, he remains in the plans of the coach. 'Philip is an important part of the team that does everything to win. It was clear that we wanted to continue to work with him. We are happy that he decided to stay with us', stressed Alba Berlin coach Luka Pavicevic. After sitting out 23 games and playing only 11 games and 72 minutes it could of been understandable that he might like to go elsewhere, but the 24 year old birthday boy decided to give Berlin another chance. 'After many talks with Berlin management, I decided to stay another year. I am happy that I have been able to get to know the Alba Berlin concept the last four years. After a very dissappointing year, I am sure I will be able to take the next step this season', stressed German Philip Zwiener. Zwiener started his basketball career in 2002 with TSV Lesum-Bremen before moving to Berlin in 2005. In the last four years, he was able to play 15 ULEB Cup games and win the German title in 2008 and the German cup in 2006 and 2009. He also made his breakthrough with the German National team playing at the Olympic games in Beijing in 2008.

Alba Berlin also announced that Umberto Badioli will be assistant coach in the 2009-2010 BBL season. He hails from Italy and started his work as basketball coach in 1993 in Desio, Italy. He coached BC Kiev in the 2004-2005 season and then was very successful in Belgium with BC Ostende winning the title in 2006 and 2007 and cup in 2008.

Source: www.albaberlin.de

Rhoendorf Dragons land import player - by Moritz Korff
The SOBA Dragons Rhoendorf (2. Bundesliga Pro B) have made a deal with Deundrae Spraggins (191-G-83, college: Tex.A&M-Comm.) for the upcoming season. The 26-year-old Guard is a graduate of NCAA Division 2 school Texas A&M University-Commerce. In 2008-09 Spraggins appeared in 28 games for the Lions and scored a team-high 17.1 points per contest. He also averaged 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals a game. Prior to his stint at A&M-Commerce he attended Paris Junior College and NCAA Division One's Utah State.

Germany U18 demolishes Ukrainian side - by Eurobasket News
Ukraine U18-Germany U18 77:100 (13-16, 31-19, 15-33, 18-32)

Germany overwhelmed Ukraine in the opener of Group B in France. The German team won the offensive game over Ukraine 100:77 in the U18 European Championship.
Honestly the game was not that offensive in the beginning of the first quarter. Ukraine nailed two threes for 6:0 in the early beginning, while Germany replied with with 14-0 run. Andriy Lebedintsev (186-G-91) posted another three for 13:16 at the end of the opening quarter. Trailing 24:25, Ukraine took the lead in the second quarter and reached 44:25 halftime advantage. The battle continued in the third frame and Germany managed to tie the game at 53:53. Germany finished the third quarter with an 11-0 run spearheaded by Daniel Leithner's two long bombs to lead by eight, 68:59. The last quarter became a nightmare for the Ukrainian side that saw the German long-range machine posting the three-digit number after 32-18 in the period. Koch made a jump shot from the perimeter for 100:74and Virastiuk netted three with the buzzer.
Germany produced an outstanding three-point barrage hitting 15 of 27 attempts from long-range. Friedrich Lotze (205-C/F-91) top-scored for the winners with 19 points. Mathis Monninghoff (198-G-92) ended up with 17, while Philipp Neumann (210-C-92) added 15. Oleksandr Lypovyy (200-G-91) finished the game with 21 points in defeat. Andriy Lebedintsev posted 20 and Gennadiy Dzyuba (193-G-91) notched 16.

Ukraine U18: Oleksandr Lypovyy 21, Andriy Lebedintsev 20, Gennadiy Dzyuba 16
Germany U18: Friedrich Lotze 19, Mathis Monninghoff 17, Philipp Neumann 15

SC Rist: More roster moves - by Moritz Korff
Big men Peter Huber-Saffer (208-C-80, agency: Court Side) and Martin Maraite (204-C-82) will another season with 2. Bundesliga Pro B newcomer SC Rist. Huber-Saffer was named Eurobasket.com All-Regionalliga North Player of the Year last season. The club also added Paul Owusu-Frimpong (200-F-86) and Sidiki Straub (201-F/C-86, college: Mercer) to their frontcourt. Owusu returns after one year with Bramfelder SV, while Straub spent the past three season playing college basketball in the USA.
With the latest roster moves the Rist squad for 2009-2010 now has the following players: Florian Bunde (194-G/F-86), Vedo Delic (191-F-84), Mac-Davis Duah (186-G/F-76), Kay Gausa (194-F-92), Peter Huber-Saffer, Steffen Kiese (189-G-87), Jonas Laatzen (195-F-89), Martin Maraite, Arne Meyer (186-G-88), Florian Moysich (183-G-80), Paul Owusu-Frimpong, Sidiki Straub, Tobias Wichers (196-F-91), Marvin Willoughby (202-F-78, agency: Court Side).

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GREECE

A1: Transfer news - by Chris Mammides
Costa Cafe Marousi renewed the contract of Giorgos Diamantopoulos (195-F-80) while agreed terms with Pat Kalathis (208-G/F-85), Ante Grgurevic (199-F-75) and renewed also the contract of William Amar Keys (188-G-77, college: N.Mexico St.). At the same time, Costa Cafe Marousi is very close to get on a lending agreement from Olympiakos, Igor Milosevic (193-G-86) and Mihalis Pelekanos (198-F-81)
DASH Peristeri Athens renewed the contracts of Christos Deligiannis (204-F-84) and Vangelis Margaritis (202-F/C-82) while they agreed financial terms with the ex guard of VAP Kolossos, Nikos Papanikolopoulos (193-G-79) and is very close to agree terms with Periklis Dorkofikis (206-F-80) the ex AEKs player, while Dimitrios Kalaitzidis (198-F/G-85) is just some days before signing his contract with DASH Peristeri Athens.
Panellinios Athens agreed financial terms with Giannis Georgalis (198-F-83), Ian Vougioukas (212-C/F-85, college: St.Louis) (one year lend from Olympiakos), Konstantinos Charalampidis (189-G-76), Britton Johnsen (208-F-79, college: Utah) and Vasilis Xanthopoulos (188-G-84). Parallel to these transfers, Panellinios Athens renewed the contract of Djuro Ostojic (211-C-76).
AS Trikalla 2000 agreed financial terms with Vasilis Kounas (195-G-84) (had an oral agreement with Near East but didn't go through), Petros Noeas (204-F-87) and the American A.J. Abrams (180-G-86) while they renew the contract of Nikos Katsares (190-G-83)
Kavala/Panorama agreed financial terms with Dragan Ceranic (212-C-76), Georgios Pavlidis (206-F-78) and Thomas Nikou (185-G-79)
Panionios ON Telecoms Athens is very close to sign Dimitris Papanikolaou (202-F-77) from AEK.
Ilysiakos Athens announced his new technical team which is the following: Stergios Koufos the Head Coach, Harris Koulouriotis the First Assistant Coach, Dimtiris Mitropoulos the second assistant Coach and Kostas Dakoulas the trainer. Furthermore, Ilysiakos Athens agreed terms with the talented young player Dionysios Kapiniaris (185-G-91) and they renew Sotiris Nikolaidis (186-G-74) for another year.
PAOK Marfin Thessaloniki renewed the contract of Dimitris Haritopoulos (207-F/C-83) for another one year.
AEK Athens agreed terms with Periklis Dorkofikis for anotehr one year.
A2 News
Dejan Hohler (188-G-86) agreed financial terms with Ikaroi Serron
KAO Dramas renewed the contract with Vasilis Kitsoulis (204-F-83) for another year
Filippos Moscovitis (190-G-78) , Nikos Kaklamanos (189-G-81), Theodoros Vardianos (193-G-78) and Tassos Harismidis (203-F-81) agreed terms with the new super power in A2 team of HSBC Pagrati Athens
AEP Olimpias Patron agreed terms with Ivan Kartelo (208-C-79, college: Purdue), Elias Tomaras (181-G-81), Stavros Daniel (201-F-76) and Elias Tomaras (181-G-81), while Dimitris Spanoulis (192-G-79) renewed his contract for another one seazon

U18 European Championship Division A: Hellenic Roster - by Chris Mammides
The Hellenic Federation and the Coaching team (Giorgos Vlassopoulos , Giorgos Proestos and Dimitris Avdalas) have made the official call for the Hellenic NT to particiapte in the European Championship U18 which starts today in Metz of France (23 July - 2 August). The first opponent of the Hellenic NT is one of teh top favorite teams, the Turkish NT. The Helelnic NT is bright new as most of the major key elements that won the silver World medal are currently memebrs of the U20 Hellenic NT. The new and fresh Hellenic NT is the following:

Ioannis Angelopoulos (194-G-91) of Ikaros Kallitheas
Anastasios Antonakis (204-C/F-92) of AEK Athens
Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos (203-F-92) of Aris Thessaloniki
Georgios Georgakis (205-C-91) of Mas Mantoulidis
Andreas Kanonidis (198-F-91) of Panionios ON Telecoms Athens
Dionysios Kapiniaris (184-G-91) of Ilysiakos Athens
Ioannis Karathanasis (200-F-91) of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus
Dimitrios Katsivelis (194-G-91) of Mas Mantoulidis
Vasileios Kavvadas (205-F-91) of Ionikos Nikaias
Emmanouil Koukoulas (205-C-91) of Ilysiakos Athens
Spyridon Motsenigos (194-G/F-92) of Ekpedeftiria Platonas
Georgios Papapetrou (190-PG-91) Ilysiakos Athens
Eurobasket.com wishes all the best to the Hellenic NT

Turkey solved the Greek puzzle - by Eurobasket News
Greece U18-Turkey U20 74:78 (22-15, 15-25, 16-17, 21-21)

Turkey and Greece created a battle in the second game of the U18 European Championship in Group C. Turkey was a bit luckier to grab 78:74 win for 1-0 record.
Greece scored the first four points in the game and looked more ambitious in the opening quarter. Karathanasis made it 13:5, while Dimitrios Katsivelis (194-G-91) scored for 17:9. The latter was the last in the first period for 22:15 lead. Turkey replied immediately with some points for the lead. The score was tied four times in the quarter, but Turkey had 40:37 at the halftime. Enes Kanter (206-C-92) made a jump shot for 47:41, while Papapetrou changed the winning side for 48:47. Enes Kanter closed the third period at 57:53 as Turkey had looked forward to keep the score for good. Greece however tied the game at 57:57 and grabbed 59:57 lead. Moreover Karathanasis brought Greek side 65:60. Turkey needed a 10-0 run for 70:65 that brought them the first victory.
Enes Kanter was unstoppable with 22 points and 22 rebounds. Can Maxim Mutaf (193-G-91) nailed 16, whilst Safak Edge (185-G-92) 11. Georgios Georgakis (205-C-91, agency: FCM) delivered 22 points for the Greek side, Karathanasis posted 14 and Dimitrios Katsivelis notched 12.
In another game of the group Latvia U18 and Bulgaria U18 opened the U18 European Championship in Group C. The Baltic side needed 16-4 in the last period to seal the first 63:47 victory.

Greece U18: Georgios Georgakis 22, Karathanasis 14, Dimitrios Katsivelis 12
Turkey U20: Enes Kanter 22+22 rebs, Can Maxim Mutaf 16, Safak Edge 11

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GUATEMALA

Guatemalan U17 National Team 2009 - by Richard
4 Diego Villagran (-94)
5 Esau Villatoro (-93)
6 Edgar Jerez (-93)
7 Fabio Salazar (-94)
8 Marcelo Leonardo (-94)
9 Edson Lopez (-94)
10 Wilson Barrios (-93)
11 Bernan Chavarria (-94)
12 Edwin Hernandez (-95)
13 Juan Fernando Calderon (180-G-93) of D-Team
14 Carlos Cruz (-94)
15 Freddy Fernandez (-93)

Standings

LPB Standings

1. Le Mans	1-0
2. Elite Sport	0-0
3. D-Team	0-0
4. Preparatoria	0-0
5. Compusys	0-1

First LPB game played - by Gianni Pascucci
The first official Guatemalan LPB game was played on tuesday, July 21, between Le Mans and Compusys. Le Mans easily won, 106-88, led by Adrian Lemcke (-F) and Alejandro Pastorio (183-G-77), who scored 22 and 29 points, respectively. The best in Compusys were Jorge Castaneda, with 20 pts, and Marlon Figueroa with 15. The LPB goes on tonight, with the game between Lanco-Elite Sport and D-Team

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GUYANA

MOHAN, YOUNGE JOIN HENRY AS ONLY FIBA ACCREDITED GUYANESE REFEREESn - by Joe Chapman
MOHAN, YOUNGE JOIN HENRY AS ONLY FIBA ACCREDITED GUYANESE REFEREES

Guyana has added two more internationally recognised referees, making it three, to its list of International Basketball Federation (FIBA) listing.
Former national captain and two time Caricom All Star player Lugard Mohan and Aubrey Younge are the latest additions, joining Sherwin Henry of Linden on the current list of FIBA accredited referees, following their successful attending the FIBA Referees Certification Clinic which conducted recently in the United States.
Yesterday the Haynes Foundation based in New Jersey, USA, which is operated by Patrick and Paul Haynes and is a unit which has been instrumental in supporting the game both locally and overseas, was the first to congratulate the two Guyanese referees on this achievement.
The Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC), the Caribbean Zone Area body which is directly affiliated to FIBA, and for which Guyana is a member, has a requirement that states a national team must have an internationally accredited referee accompany it when on tour or attending international competitions. Failing which, a fine of $1,000 is instituted for that country without a FIBA Referee.
At the same time, the country which does not have a FIBA Referee can avoid such penalties by paying the coast of another FIBA Referee from another country to accompany its team, but will have to bear all the costs for traveling by the substitute referee.
Guyanas financial standing in the past few years has not been that strong to pay any fines when attending international championships and with only one previously FIBA Referee in Sherwin Henry, found it difficult to have referees to accompany its male and female teams at CBC organized championships.
With this acquisition it is hoped that at least where officiating is concerned that Guyana is ready to call on its referees to attend these tournaments in the future.
Guyana now increases its FIBA Certified Referee Pool to three.
Henry, Sherwin William (GUY) Licence N: 18273
Mohan, Lugard Patrick (GUY) Licence N: 21627
Younge, Aubrey Lennox (GUY) Licence N: 21628

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HOLLAND

Montenegrin U18 team open their European quest with win - by Eurobasket News
Montenegro U18 - Netherlands U18 90:73
Montenegrin U18 National Team posted the initial win at the European Championship in Division B. They held off Netherlands in the opener for both teams. Montenegro thus jumped on top of Group C.
Montenegro jumped to an 11:1 lead midway through the opening frame. Holland recovered trimming the margin to just two points before Montenegro sealed the first frame outcome at 22:19. Netherlands opened the second quarter with a 10:2 rally to spur in front. They maintained the advantage well enough to finish the half up by 6 points. Nemanja Radovic (204-F/C-91), Bojan Dubljevic (-91) and Nikola Ljujic (202-F-91) teamed up for 28 points in the third period to regain the advantage for Montenegro. Nemanja Radovic and Kuveljic helped the Balkan team to a 69:62 cushion early in the final period. Montenegro ballooned the gap to 11 points and coasted to the win at the end.
Nikola Ljujic notched 21 points for Montenegro. Nemanja Radovic added 20 points and 18 rebounds, while Bojan Dubljevic netted 19 points in the winning case. Jeroen van Vugt (192-G-91) nailed 17 points for Netherlands. Quincy Treffers (199-C-91) had 14 points and 15 rebounds in defeat.

Montenegro U18: Nikola Ljujic 21, Nemanja Radovic 20+18 boards, Bojan Dubljevic 19
Netherlands U18: Jeroen van Vugt 17, Quincy Treffers 14+15 boards

Netherlands U20 advanced to the semis from the top place - by Eurobasket News
Macedonia U20-Netherlands U20 67:91

Netherlands U20 won Group F of the U20 European Championships in Skopje. The Dutch team overcame the hosts to leave them out of the semis.
The guests opened the game with 25:20 after the first frame and added 20-12 in the second period. The game remained exciting even in the second half still with Netherlands dominating the court. Robinson posted two for 64:43 after thirty minutes. Jesse Voorn (193-G-90, agency: R.H.Consultancy) brought the winners 71:51 from the perimeter. Ridderhof added another three-pointer for 74:51 as it became clear that the favorites would not lose the game. Thomas Koenis (207-F/C-89, agency: Court Side) made a lay-up for 76:51, while Brckov posted two for 76:53 with less than 4 minutes in the game. Jesse Voorn made his 21st point for another three to make 82:53. Bojan Krstevski (205-F-89) made a fabulous dunk for 82:58 and Nancheski later nailed for 89:65. Brckov with a dunk closed the game at 91:67 as Macedonia could not make it to the semis.
Jesse Voorn top-scored for the winners with 24 points to get 3-0 record. Thomas Koenis scored 18 and Ewoud Kloos (185-G/F-89) added 12. Bojan Krstevski finished the night with 21 points for the hosts that dropped to 1-2. Ivica Dimcevski (192-G-89) netted 11, while Petrucev had 10.
Czech Republic U20 became the second team to advance to the semifinals from the group. Czech Republic U20 kept Austria winless in Group F of the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Czech Republic U20 overcame the opponents 83:71 in the last game of the group.

Macedonia U20: Bojan Krstevski 21, Ivica Dimcevski 11, Petrucev 10
Netherlands U20: Jesse Voorn 24, Thomas Koenis 18, Ewoud Kloos 12

Torey Thomas, " I'm Pride Being A Point Guard That Can Fill Each Stat Category " - by Fred Roggen
Eurobasket sat down with Torey Thomas (180-G-85, college: Holy Cross) for an exclusive interview. Thomas being one of the best players of last season in the Dutch Ere-divisie, with 14ppg, 5.7rpg, 5apg and 3spg on average.
Eurobasket awarded him as defensive player of year. He is currently without a team and is looking for a team for the 2009-2010 season.

Your back in the States now, talk about the season, now that it's all wrapped up. How did everything go?
The season was a very productive successful season. I arrived in Groningen August 12th and from then on it was real work. We practiced very tough each day twice a day and the team really came together throughout the whole season.

You have been amazingly consistent throughout the Dutch Ere-divisie last season. How have you raised your efficiency?
I believe that consistency is the key to a long-term career. I know that when your consistent it equates to reliability and leadership. I believe I have raised my efficiency practicing as hard as I can every day and translating that into the games.

You have played more of a complete game last season. Did you go into the season with certain goals in areas where you felt needed improvement?
I really take pride in being a point guard that can fill each stat category. This is what can use to separate myself from other point guards and by playing a complete game every game I bring more
value to my team. Every time I go into the season I write down different goals I want to achieve.

What was a typical day like in Groningen?
A typical day in Groningen consist of getting up around 9am for the first practice or weight room session. Then I would eat lunch at Martini Plaza (where we played our games) then get ready for the afternoon practice. In between time I may go to the grote market in the center of the city to relax if it wasn't rainy or cold. Later on I would watch a new movie that I download from the internet.

What's the best thing you take home after a season in Europe?
The Best thing I take home after a season in Europe is the cultural experiences that I gained, the new people that I meet, and playing in front of new fans.

How is it to be back home?
Back home is very nice. I'm in White Plains, NY where I resided and I'm just working out and running my basketball program with the youth.

What has basketball meant to you so far?
Basketball has meant a great deal to me so far. Basketball has brought me to another continent to compete in different countries on a professional level.
I can't thank Basketball enough and I am very fortunate and blessed to be in this position.

What are your predictions for next season?
I am not sure where I am headed next season at the moment. I just want a solid deal in a nice country.

Finally what message do you have for the fans of the Capitals?
I want to thank the Capital fans for bringing the excitement to Martini Plaza every game no matter if the game was on a Monday or a Saturday. You are all much appreciated!

Thanks Torey for the chat! Good luck in finding a new team for the upcoming season.

Standings - Eredivisie

Eredivisie Standings

1. Eiff.Towers	0-0
2. Amsterdam	0-0
3. GasTerra F.	0-0
4. Upstairs Weert	0-0
5. ZZ Leiden	0-0
6. M.Magix	0-0
7. Aris Friesland	0-0
8. Landstede	0-0
9. Rotterdam	0-0
10. West-Brabant	0-0

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HUNGARY

Hungary occupy second spot in Group I - by Eurobasket News
Hungary U20 - Romania U20 95:48

Hungary clinched the second position at the U20 European Championship in Division B Group I. They rolled past Romania today. Hungary will now play for the 13th-15th spot at the tournament. Romania will try to gain the 16th place in Skopje.
Gutoaia and Rolland Torok (198-C-90) gave Romania an early lead. But Hungary soon recovered and the teams kept it close throughout the opening frame. Hungary secured a narrow 14:13 lead after ten minutes. Toth scored 4 straight points to trigger a 17:1 run from Hungarian team to begin the second quarter. They maintained the buffer well enough to finish the half ahead by 16 points. The onslaught continued in the third quarter as Hungary dominated almost every aspect of the encounter. They raced to a 28-point lead with ten minutes to go. A 19:0 run from Hungary at the beginning of the fourth quarter sank Romania.
Gergely Somogyi (218-C-89) finished with game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds. Domonkos Kovacs (191-F-89) added 15 points, while Mate Mohacsi (192-F-90) netted 11 points in the victory. Rolland Torok responded with 12 points and 12 boards for Romania. Andrei Bercean (188-G-89) had 11 points in the losing effort.

Hungary U20: Gergely Somogyi 23+14 boards, Domonkos Kovacs 15, Mate Mohacsi 11
Romania U20: Rolland Torok 12+12 boards, Andrei Bercean 11

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IRAN

Iran too strong for Japan at William Jones Cup - by Eurobasket News
Iran - Japan 82-70

Iran registered third win at the Willaim Jones Cup. It was a very important game against Japan, who now fell to 1-3 record. Now Iran is in circle of three teams with 3-1 (South Korea and Taiwan). Hamed Haddadi (218-C-85, agency: Agency No 10) was the most important player in Iran. He especially shined at the beginning of the second half, leading the Iranians to plus 12. Japan did not give up continuing battle in order to close the gap. However, that was a very difficult job as except Hadadi, Iran had few more players in a game mood. Despite all of that, Japan managed to tie the score once in third period and it was 39-39. That was all as Iran immediately jumped to secure distance once again. Hamed Haddadi finished the game with 18 points and all of those he scored in the second half. Nikkah Bahrami had one point more than him - 19.

Today at the Williams Jones Cup, Iran will play against undefeated Jordan. That is a chance for top of the standings as in case of win, there won't be any more undefeated teams. Japan will meet winless Kazakhstan. They have poor 0-5 so far.

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ISRAEL

INL champion Netanya extends American Tony Washam - by Eurobasket News
The Israel National League Elizur Maccabi Barak Netanya signed the American forward Tony Washam (198-F/G-82, college: St.Vincent) to one-year contract extension. The 27-year old player joined Netanya in February from Iscar Nahariya. He appeared in 15 games for Netanya averaging impressive 24.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.1 apg and 2.1 spg. He finished the season as the second best scorer in Israeli championship, as well as third ranked in steals. Netanya finished as No.1 in Israel National League with almost perfect 25-1 record.
It was not a first season for Washam with Netanya, as he already played there on season 2005/06. In that one he also dominated in the league with 23.4 ppg. With Hapoel Holon Tony Washam won the title in Israeli Premier League on season 2007/08. That was an amazing triumph for the team against the Israeli giant Maccabi Tel-Aviv. He played 22 games the season registering 7.5 ppg and 2.4 rpg. The last one he started with Iscar Nahariya, but as it is mentioned about, later moved to Netanya.

Meanwhile, according to Israeli media Sport5.co.il Maccabi Tel Aviv should add an Israeli guard to their roster soon. The web site reports that the club made an offer to Meir Tapiro (194-G-75, agency: Avi Zilberman) of Bnei Hasharon. 34-year-old guard was offered 2-year-contract and is likely to accept it. Tapiro was one of the leaders at Bnei Hasharon last season. He averaged 12.6 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds per game in Eurocup. He has played in Israeli clubs during his career with only exception in 2004-2005 season when he played in Nancy.

Tishman delivers the minimum win for Israel U18 - by Eurobasket News
Israel U18-Russia U18 63:62 (13-19, 15-15, 14-17, 21-11)

Israel edge out Russia 63:62 in their opening game of the U18 European Championships. The game kept the spectators excited until the last seconds when Nimrod Tishman (195-G-91) hit the go-ahead shot for a shock win.
Russia looked better in the opening quarter and started with 6-0 run. Burtsev made it 11:3 and Ivan Lazarev (205-C-91) closed the first period at 19:13. No matter how hard Israel tried in the second period, Russia held the lead in the game. Dmitry Kulagin (195-G-92) sent the squads to the lockers with 34:28 for the Russian team. Ivan Lazarev gave his team 40:28 and it seemed that his team would not slow down. Pavel Antipov (204-F-91) nailed three for 49:39, while Shamriz gave a chance for Israel at the end of the third period from the perimeter. Nimrod Tishman reduced the gap to 55:48 and Nimrod Tishman pulled his team within five points. Dmitry Kulagin stayed in front with his team for 62:61 but Russia could not win the game. Nimrod Tishman needed a jump shot for his game-high 26 points to seal the victory.
Nimrod Tishman was unstoppable with 26 points for the winners. Guy Dotan (178-G-91) and Tom Havkin (198-G-91) followed him with 7 points each in the winning effort. Pavel Antipov top-scored for Russia with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Ivan Lazarev collected 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Dmitry Kulagin added 10.

Israel U18: Nimrod Tishman 26, Guy Dotan 7, Tom Havkin 7
Russia U18: Pavel Antipov 19+11 rebs, Ivan Lazarev 15+10 rebs, Dmitry Kulagin 10

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ITALY

Legadue: Casale, Brindisi and Pistoia sign new players - by Antonello Varallo
Fastweb Casale Monferrato added to the roster three players: Marcus Hall (185-G-85, college:Colorado), a point guard who was the top scorer of last Bulgarian League (22.3 ppg in 31 games with a season high of 41 points); Jarrius Jackson (188-G-85, college: Texas Tech), a shooting guard with good offensive skills who ended last season with 17 ppg in Ukrainian Superleague; David Chiotti (206-PF-84,college:N.Mexico), an american player with italian passport who did well with ZZ Leiden (Holland-Eredivisie) (15.3 ppg and 9 rpg in last 2 seasons).
Enel Brindisi signed Omar Thomas (197-F-82,college:UTEP), former Rimini (16.6 ppg in 71 games over 2 seasons) and Rieti player (11.5 ppg in last Serie A).
Carmatic Pistoia agreed a contract with William Phillips (208-F-79,college: St.Joseph), a strong forward with french passport who played in Italy with Livorno in 2005-2006 (8.1ppg, 5.9rpg) and spent last three seasons in spanish LEB Gold.

Market news: Teramo signs Bobby Jones - by Antonello Varallo
Banca Tercas Teramo announced the agreement with Bobby Jones (201-F-84, college: Washington), a great defender who spent last three seasons in NBA playing with Philadelphia, Denver Memphis, Houston, Sacramento and Miami (134 games, 3.6 ppg with a NBA career high of 20 points scored against Seattle). He ended last season with Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League) averaging 16.3 ppg in 48 games and scoring a season high of 30 points against Iowa.

Air Avelino lands Polish NT player Filip Dylewicz - by Eurobasket News
In just few days Air Avelino announced another important signing. After arrival of Chevon Troutman (202-F-81, agency: ACMT, college: Pittsburgh), the Italians signed one-year deal with Polish National Team player Filip Dylewicz (202-F-80, agency: Beo Basket). The 29-year old forward spent the entire decade with the Polish powerhouse Asseco Prokom. In the latest season he appeared 43 times in domestic championship averaging 10.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg. They managed to defend the title, the sixth consecutive for Dylewicz and Prokom. In Euroleague 08/09 he played 15 games registering 5.9 ppg and 4.4 rpg. Except of the six titles in domestic championship, Filip Dylewicz and his Prokom also managed to win four trophies in National Cup. In 2003 they reached the final in FIBA Champions Cup.
Since 2002 Filip Dylewicz is a member of the Polish National Team. He played 3 games at the EuroBasket 2007 in Spain averaging 7.7 ppg and 8 rpg. Of course the Poles have big appetites this summer as they will be the EuroBasket hosts.
Air Avelino had below average last season. They failed to make a success in both, Euroleague and Italian Serie A. The team even wasn't able to reach the PlayOffs in Italy endeding the regular season as No.11 with 13-17 record.

Lithuania won the thriller over Italy in France - by Eurobasket News
Italy U18-Lithuania U18 85:86 (29-23, 18-25, 15-15, 23-23)

Lithuania U18 won the real thriller over Italian side in their opener of the U18 European Championship. Jonas Valanciunas (211-C-92) with a dunk brought 86:85 stunning victory over the opponents.
Italy won the first period 29:23, however lost in the second 18-25. The third quarter as well as the last one were too tight. Mantas Kadzevicius (193-G-91) gave Lithuania 63:62 after thirty minutes of the game. Then Italy led 79:74 with 4 minutes in the fourth frame. Mantas Kadzevicius pulled his team to 81:76 with 2 minutes in the last stanza. The next minute of the game was scoreless and Italy needed timeout to have some rest. Mantas Kadzevicius scored another two for 81:78, while Riccardo Moraschini (195-G-91) was perfect from the free thrown line back to plus 5. Jonas Valanciunas scored one for 83:79 and the Baltic team asked for timeout to think how to save the game. Kulvietis nailed three for 83:82 with 25 seconds in the fourth period. Jonas Valanciunas was also the one to tie the game at 84:84. Jonas Valanciunas (211-C-92) with a dunk brought 86:85 stunning victory over the opponents.
Jonas Valanciunas had a great game with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Mantas Kadzevicius nailed 20, while Giedrius Staniulis (205-C/F-91) posted 9. De Nicolao finished the night with 20 points, whilst Riccardo Moraschini notched 16.
Another game of the group had the same scenario as Israel edge out Russia 63:62 in their opening game of the U18 European Championships. The game kept the spectators excited until the last seconds when Tishman hit the go-ahead shot for a shock win.

Italy U18: De Nicolao 20, Riccardo Moraschini 16
Lithuania U18: Jonas Valanciunas 23+ 14 rebs, Mantas Kadzevicius 20, Giedrius Staniulis 9

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JAPAN

JORDAN

FIGHT IN JONES CUP !! - by Murad Masri
Willaim Jones Cup 2009 the annual invitational tournament, held in honor of the International Basketball Federations (FIBA) founding secretary-general, was thrown into chaos when a bench-emptying brawl between Jordan and Iran resulted in the Jordanians walking out and forfeiting the match.
The forfeiture, ordered by a furious Mario Palma, the defending champions Portuguese coach, cost them their first loss after four lopsided victories that sent them into a four-way jam atop the standings with the Iranians, South Koreans and Lebanese.
The Iranian player, he made a big aggression on our player,' said a fuming Palma. He hit our player in the head and then pushed him to the floor.'
Palma was referring to Irans 7-foot-3 center Hamed Ehadadi, who brought an elbow down the back of the head of Jordans Jamal Abu Shamala during a rebound play two minutes into the game with the Jordanians ahead, 2-0.
Shamala responded with an elbow of his own, hitting Ehadadi on the chest. The Iranian behemoth retaliated by grabbing Shamala in the head with two hands and throwing him down, bringing both teams into the fray.
The mercurial Palma also questioned why a Korean referee, who reportedly called a technical on a Jordanian player, has been assigned to officiate the game.
The Iranians were handed the game via a score of 20-0, which could proved critical in breaking

Jordan hands first loss to Korea, stays undefeated at the WJC - by Eurobasket News
Jordan - Korea 83-67

It was a derby game of Day 5 at the Willaim Jones Cup 2009. Both squads entered to it undefeated with 3-0 record. Jordan was the one who demonstrated much better performance, deserving the fourth consecutive victory. It means that Jordan is currently at the top of the standings alone as there are no more undefeated teams. Korea joined Taiwan and Iran with 3-1 record. Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) top-scored in Jordan with 21 points. Zaid Abbas (203-F-83) also had important role registering double-double, 15 points and 10 boards. Osama Daghles finished the game with 6 assists and 3 steals. Third quarter of the game was the crucial yesterday. The teams were almost leveled before that, but then Rasheim Wright and his teammates exploded. They stopped Korea on just 8 points for the quarter, on the other side scoring 21. Later, they had no troubles to keep the lead.

Today at the Williams Jones Cup, Jordan will meet Iran. South Korea will take on Philippines.

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KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakhstan fells to 0-5 at the William Jones Cup - by Eurobasket News
Taiwan 2nd NT - Kazakhstan 82-69
Another poor performance by Kazakhstan and another loss. It is the fifth failure for them and it seems they will not have a chance to improve as Taiwan 2nd NT was maybe the last rival who could be beaten. Now, Kazakhstan will have two more games, but against strong teams. On the other side, Taiwan 2 also entered to this match undefeated but now they have 1-4 record. They will most probably avoid the last place at this year's edition of William Jones Cup. Jet Chang was a key player for the winners draining 28 points and pulling down 7 rebounds. He made 10 of 17 shot attempts yesterday. Lu Cheng-Ju (194-F-86) followed him with 14 pts. He was unmistakable from behind the arc making 4 of 4. In Kazakhstan, Vsevolod Fadeikin (207-C-85) shined with 25 points. The last quarter was crucial one in this game. Kazakhstan's players looked tired and were unable for serious challenge.

Today at the Williams Jones Cup, Kazakhstan will meet Japan. Taiwan 2 will have a day-off.

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KUWAIT

Kuwait Season Heats up Again... - by Corey Washington
Lets get ready to Rumble!!! The 2009-2010 basketball Season will soon be on its way in Kuwait. Anyone in the Middle East knows that it gets hot here around this time every year, but this year just feels different. I continuously receive emails with numerous contacts from prospective D1 and European ballers promising to change the shape of basketball here. These Great college and European players are literally packing their things and flying over, living in tents in the desert well I havent seen them go that far yet, but with the wave of guys looking to get their sneakers on a Kuwait floor, to get a chance at proving themselves, a tent may not be a bad idea.

Now I would be the first to tell any of these guys that getting to the Golden 4 is no walk in the park. This is not an easy thing following or having to deal with the performances from some of Kuwaits great players like Ira Clark (203-C-75, college: Texas), Who has recently made it perfectly clear that he is back for another run in the sun with Kuwait Club.. Anybody questioning his focus this year should watch the film from his last few cup games. Its apparent this Guy is on a mission Andre Pitts (185-G-73, college: Huston-Tillotson), check the profile, unless you packing a full load, dont get into a shoot off with this one!

Cedric Taylor (202-F-79, agency: Low Country Sports Management, college: Pikeville), took Al Jahara to the Golden 4 for the last 2 years, Kuwait GCC Cup Finalist winning MVP in 1 game averaged a triple double 3 consecutive years ... Solid all around player and great scorer.. He is multitalented, and bring all the intangibles to the game, currently negotiating in Europe..Then there is Mr. Rickey Huckaby (188-G-83, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) , who Led Al Sahel club to its first appearance in the Golden 4 averaging 31.6ppg, 5.8rpg, 4.4apg, 3.1spg.. later moved for playoffs to Al Ahli Jeddah (Saudi Arabia-D1)averaged 25.3ppg, 6.0apg, 4.1rpg, 2.0spg..Recently put on a performance in Vegas at the Eurobasket camp, he was one of, if not the best point guards at the camp. Huckaby put on quite a show and impressed some European clubs and scouts.. From my 2 years of watching him play, this kid get down, he has proved to be a winner, and ready to play in Europe now..

Many Player s have helped to impact the level of play in Kuwait to include Marshall Mikey, Nolan Norman both came in and won the championship together with Al Qadsia last year.., Sasser Jeryl , Aziz Yusef , Nate Green, Anthony Jones, Tate Decker, Edem Ekpenyong, Jeremy Byrd, and the multi-talented Darren and Derrick Tarver Brothers. Although these are not all the names that contributed, This is a small testament of just how big Kuwait Basketball has gotten and like the old saying goesMy futures so bright I got to wear sunshades!!! You have to be prepared to come to the desert !!!
Rickey Huckaby (188-G-83, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.)

Tunisia blasts Kuwait, advance to Arab Basketball Cup Semifinals - by Eurobasket News
Tunisia - Kuwait 99-57

As it was expected, Tunisia did not have any troubles to beat Kuwait and to reach the Arab Basketball Cup Semifinals. That was an easy 99-57 victory for the team who was better during the entire time. After ten minutes of the game the Tunisians already created 19-14 lead. Until the half time they stopped Kuwait on just 10 more points, on the other side netting 18. It means that Tunisia entered to the last two quarters with comfortable 37-24. If Kuwait had thoughts there was a chance, everything disappeared after the breather. Tunisia totally smashed them 24-7 resolving question about the winner. Last ten minutes were just the formality.
The Semifinals are scheduled for tomorrow. Tunisia will meet Morocco, who is the host of this tournament. Morocco eliminated Algeria in the Semis. In the first stage they were No.2 in Group B with 3-1 record. As a reminder, Tunisia was No.1 in Group A. They had no troubles to beat all rivals for perfect 5-0 record.

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LATVIA

Latvia U18 wins the opener in Metz - by Eurobasket News
Latvia U18-Bulgaria U18 63:47

Latvia U18 and Bulgaria U18 opened the U18 European Championship in Group C. The Baltic side needed 16-4 in the last period to seal the first 63:47 victory.
It was a slow start from both teams as they exchanged the lead almost every minute. Tsonkov was the last to score for his team as Bulgaria took 17:15 after the first quarter. Latvia replied with 6-0 run in the beginning of the second and Ansons made it 21:17. The score was tied three times in the end of the first half and the board showed 29:29 at the end of the second quarter. Again in the third period the teams exchanged the lead several times and Ugis Pinete (194-G-91) gave his team 47:43 after thirty minutes. From that time Latvia did not look behind after. Martins Meiers (-91) made a jump shot for 49:43 and Antrops posted for 54:47. Bulgaria scored only 4 points in the frame and remained scoreless for the last 6 minutes. Rubenis brought the first victory for Latvia to score with the buzzer.
Nauris Miezis (-91) top-scored for the winners with 12 points for 1-0 record. Ugis Pinete netted 10, while Martins Meiers collected 10 points and 12 rebounds. Planimir Dafinov (180-G-92) and Emil Binev (198-F-91) ended up with 9 points each in the losing effort.

Latvia U18: Nauris Miezis 12, Ugis Pinete 10, Martins Meiers 10+12 rebs
Bulgaria U18: Planimir Dafinov 9, Emil Binev 9

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LEBANON

Lebanon beats Philippines, jumps to 4-1 at WJC - by Eurobasket News
Lebanon - Philippines 95-83

Lebanon grabbed the fourth win at the William Jones Cup 2009. After victory against Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Lebanon managed to beat Philippines remaining the second ranked team after 5 days. Currently No.1 is Jordan, who is undefeated so far. Brian Feghali (204-F-77, agency: Pro Management Agency, college: LSU) was the leading player in victory collecting 29 points and 10 rebounds. Jackson Vroman (208-C/F-81, college: Iowa St.) also was on high level registering 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals. On the other side, Philippines got 12 points from Jayjay Helterbrand (183-G-76, college: Kentucky St.). They remain on just one win in 5 games.
After opening ten minutes it was clear who till take this one. Brian Feghali and his teammates had a strong start draining 30 points in the first quarter. On the other side, Philippines had 19. Everything what Philippines managed to do later is minus 4, but Lebanon immediately grabbed back the bigger lead. Interesting is that Lebanon had 32 free-throw attempts over Philippines' 15. Philippines committed a whopping 27 turnovers in comparisons to Lebanon's 12.

'We actually lost to ourselves by committing too many turnovers and fouls, ' said Philippines head coach Yeng Guiao.

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LIBYA

LITHUANIA

Arminas Urbutis continues in Italy - by Eurobasket News
Lithuanian big guy Arminas Urbutis (206-F-86, college: Hofstra) will continue basketball career in Italy. La Pallacanestro Cantu announced they agreed terms on a 2-year deal.
The Lithuanian prospect graduated few months ago at the Hofstra University averaging 3.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg for 32 games in his senior year. At the end of it he was awarded with 'CAA All-Academic 2nd Team -09'. In 2006 he was a member of U20 Lithuanian National Team, who won the Silver at the Global Games in Dallas.
General Manager of Cantu, Bruno Arrigoni stated that Urbutis is a prospect for the future. He stated that in the first season the Lithuanian will help the team in training sessions and will step in, in case of any injuries. Once he gets ready for the higher level he will be able to help us more in the second year, said Arrigoni.
Cantu failed to reach the Play-Offs last season, despite it had the same 14-16 record as Scavolini. There was a circle of three teams (Cantu-Scavolini-Carife FE) and Cantu had the worst score in it. Anyway, the team heads in to the next season with bigger ambitions.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian star Arvydas Macijauskas (192-G-80) accused the Greek club of declaring an all-out war against him in an interview to the Lithuanian newspaper/website 'Lietuvos Rytas'. Olympiacos and Macijauskas are involved in a trial at the moment in Greek Sports Court and each side is standing strong on their claims. Macijauskas want to be released by the club and get the 2009/10 season wages too while Olympiacos want to release him without a compensation.
Macijauskas stated: 'People from Olympiacos want a war and are not interested in finding a mutual solution.'

Lithuania won the thriller over Italy in France - by Eurobasket News
Italy U18-Lithuania U18 85:86 (29-23, 18-25, 15-15, 23-23)

Lithuania U18 won the real thriller over Italian side in their opener of the U18 European Championship. Jonas Valanciunas (211-C-92) with a dunk brought 86:85 stunning victory over the opponents.
Italy won the first period 29:23, however lost in the second 18-25. The third quarter as well as the last one were too tight. Mantas Kadzevicius (193-G-91) gave Lithuania 63:62 after thirty minutes of the game. Then Italy led 79:74 with 4 minutes in the fourth frame. Mantas Kadzevicius pulled his team to 81:76 with 2 minutes in the last stanza. The next minute of the game was scoreless and Italy needed timeout to have some rest. Mantas Kadzevicius scored another two for 81:78, while Riccardo Moraschini (195-G-91) was perfect from the free thrown line back to plus 5. Jonas Valanciunas scored one for 83:79 and the Baltic team asked for timeout to think how to save the game. Kulvietis nailed three for 83:82 with 25 seconds in the fourth period. Jonas Valanciunas was also the one to tie the game at 84:84. Jonas Valanciunas (211-C-92) with a dunk brought 86:85 stunning victory over the opponents.
Jonas Valanciunas had a great game with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Mantas Kadzevicius nailed 20, while Giedrius Staniulis (205-C/F-91) posted 9. De Nicolao finished the night with 20 points, whilst Riccardo Moraschini notched 16.
Another game of the group had the same scenario as Israel edge out Russia 63:62 in their opening game of the U18 European Championships. The game kept the spectators excited until the last seconds when Tishman hit the go-ahead shot for a shock win.

Italy U18: De Nicolao 20, Riccardo Moraschini 16
Lithuania U18: Jonas Valanciunas 23+ 14 rebs, Mantas Kadzevicius 20, Giedrius Staniulis 9

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LUXEMBOURG

Scoring Leaders - DBBL

DBBL Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Largent C. Racing 29.8
Hall M. Rsidence 27.6
Whitworth T. T71 27.4
Brady J. Racing 26.7
McDaniel B. Black Star 26.1
Irick W. Heffingen 24.9
Kennedy M. Etzella 24.8
Anderson J. Heffingen 24.5
Smith L. Sparta 23.0
Delgado N. Etzella 22.2
Picard S. Musel 21,84
Rajniak M. T71 21,77
Gary B. Contern 20,38
DePree T. Amicale 17,88
Schmit G. Musel P. 16,52
Diederich K. Contern 16,24

Rebounds Per Game

Braier C. Musel P. 14,52
McDaniel B. Black Star 13,77
Kennedy M. Etzella 12,58
DePree T. Amicale 12,42
Gary B. Contern 12,05

Blocks Per Game

Gary B. Contern 2,21
Hoffmann P. Sparta 1,83
Garcia Bourne Racing 1,01
McDaniel B. Black Star 1,00
Depree T. Amicale 0,92

Free Throws

Diederich K. Contern 85,96
Kennedy M. Etzella 85,96
Scholtus M. USH 83,33
Whitworth T. T71 83,04
Picard S. Musel P. 82,74

Norway too good for Luxembourg in Skopje - by Eurobasket News
Norway U20 - Luxembourg U20 78:54

Norwegian U20 National Team completed the classification round in Group G of the European Championship in Division B with win. The victory over Luxembourg propelled the team to 2-0 record in the pool as Norway clinched the top spot. They will now play for the 9th-12th position at the tournament. Luxembourg lost the second straight game at this stage and remained at the bottom of the ladder.
Luxembourg led by 4 points early in the encounter but Mjoes knocked down 8 points in the period to give Norway a 24:19 lead after ten minutes. Stian Enge (190-G-90) helped the Scandinavians to an 8-point cushion early in the second quarter. Norway soon opened up a double-digit lead rolling comfortably. They ensured a 44:29 cushion at the interval. Aksel Bolin (196-G-90) and Roy Nwachukwu (192-F-90) ballooned the margin to as many as 33 points late in the third frame. Luxembourg narrowed the gap to 22 points early in the final stanza but the margin proved unassailable as Norway coasted to the win at the end.
Roy Nwachukwu tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds for Norway. Magne Fivelstad (197-G/F-89) added 16 points and 7 boards, while Stian Enge had 15 points for the winners. Christophe Laures (195-F-89) responded with 13 points for Luxembourg. Christopher Jones (184-F-90) canned 9 points in defeat.

Norway U20: Roy Nwachukwu 16+10 boards, Magne Fivelstad 16, Stian Enge 15
Luxembourg U20: Christophe Laures 13, Christopher Jones 9

Champions AB Contern replace Gary with Kennedy - by Chris Longoria
League Winners AB Contern found a replacement at their foreigner spot for Brandon Gary (202-F-83, agency: Pro Partner Sports Management, college: Hutchinson CC). The successor is well known in the Luxemburgish league, Marcus Kennedy (193-F-84, agency: Interperformances, college: Montevallo) has played the last 2 seasons for Etzella Ettelbruck where he no longer wanted to play and decided to join the champs of 2009 and a very experienced squat. This should be a great pickup for the team around Diederich, Jeitz and co.

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MEXICO

LNBP Transactions and Openings - Hot Stove! - by Chris Terrell
San Diego, CA - The hot stove is starting to really heat up in Mexico. Lots of deals happening and rumors galore. Who's going where, who's coming back, what's what in Mexico is always avaialble on www.enfuegohoops.com and as always, players interested in playing in Mexico this season should send their profiles to cterrell@enfuegohoops.com

Here is some of what is open, being filled, and the movers and shakers of the Liga Nacional:

Tijuana has new head coach Robert Reid in and they are looking for all spots; potentially imports at the 1, 3, and 5 along with us-mex, national, and latin (community) players.

Mexicali inked with Dominican Coach Melvyn Lopez and will be assisted by Luis Nicoletti . The Soles signed Karim Malpica (190-G-78, agency: World Sport Agency) which makes those around the league feel that the Soles may not be bringing back Dejuan Wheat (183-G-73, college: Louisville). Wheat, along with Greg Lewis (198-F-78, college: Winthrop) (who had a great finals against Xalapa), and James Penny (198-F-76, college: TCU) have not been yet confirmed to return this season. Common thought maybe that the Soles is thinking about getting more athletic at the 5 and could do so with an import, opening the door for a possible starting backcourt of Malpica and Anthony Pedroza (191-G-79, agency: Edge Sports, college: Oregon), son of NBA legend Fat Lever.

Xalapa will not have the services of standout player Gustavo Ayon (209-F/C-85, college: San Jose St.) (Signed in Spain) who was a big part of their championship run last season. Also, yet to be confirmed, is the return of Head Coach Andy Stoglin . Both LNBP Finalists could have new coaches this season. Stoglin is said to have been in contact with potential players for the coming season but a formal announcement about his return has yet to be published. The Halcones have been in conversations with Imports including at the point guard position and should also be looking to find a big National player that can come in and fill the big shoes of Ayon. As always, the better teams, are on the fore front of the signing market for the best National and US-MEX players.

Cancun has signed Jeremiah Dominguez (168-G-85, college: Portland St.) (US-MEX) and is in talks with the representation of Oliver Caballero (206-C). According to agent Rick Perez, the team is also working out the terms of a deal with Antonio Kellogg (190-G-85, college: USF) and is continuing to search for players at import, us-mex, latin, and national spots.

Monterrey has Head Coach Javier Diaz-Castroverde coming to town on August 3rd. Several changes are expected including at the import spots. More information should be released on this shortly.

Leon was rumored to have been in contract negotiations with Ricky Benitez but instead may bring back their coach from last season. Star import Harold Arceneaux (198-F-77, college: Weber St.) has yet to come to terms with Leon. It is believed going into the off-season that Arceneaux, Silas Mills (200-F-72, college: Utah St.), and Ricky Johns (190-G-85, agency: Tank Sports, college: Utah) would make up the team and that they were looking for a big or a guard. Benitez has also been rumored to be in line for the position with Nuevo Laredo. The team has a new name and a new government run ownership group that was introduced by the LNBP.

Omar Quintero (199-C-77) is rumored to be out in Monterrey and is looking at Cordoba or Leon as potential suitors. 'Jermaine' Robert Brown (188-G-80, college: Oakwood) has signed with Cordoba and Eric Martin (197-F-76, college: Cincinnati) is believed to be heading to Leon. Gerald Burris (198-F-78, college: W.Alabama) is fielding offers from as many as 5 teams and the Veracruz teams are expected to be the front runners for his services.

Puebla and Potros Itson are both in the market for US-MEX players and Parrish Brown (185-G, college: Maryland) is expecting to return as one of the imports for Potros. Spots still remain on both teams for Imports, US-MEX, National, and Community.

Andres Contreras is the new coach in Aguascalientes. The team is keeping their cards close to the vest although several spots are still open.

Durango is rumored to be having star player Robert Day (197-F-82, agency: 011 Sports, college: W.Oregon) in their back court this season. Day can really shoot the lights out and has played very well in past seasons in Mexico. Eric Hare (196-G/F-79, college: Albertson) is also pegged to be on the front line for Lobos Grieses and they are currently looking for a big import and possibly a point guard, us-mex, national, or community.

It's only July, we still have 2 months to go, but Mexicali and Xalapa will be starting Fiba Americas next month and camps and tryouts are starting to open around the league. The LNBP Showcase, to be held on August 15th and 16th in San Diego will field many players of high levels looking for a position in the LNBP this season. You can get more information on the scoop in Mexico by visiting www.enfuegohoops.com or by email at cterrell@enfuegohoops.com

Mexican U17 National Team 2009 - by Richard

4 Ernesto Morales (-94) of Fuerza Regia Monterrey
5 Jorge Ames (-93)
6 Javier Meza (-93)
7 Alejandro Abbud (-93)
8 Alejandro Rodriguez (-93)
9 Ivan Rangel (211-C-93) of High School (USA)
10 Enrique Dominguez (-94)
11 Humberto Medina (-94)
12 Jaime Cruz (-93)
13 Jose Corral (-84)
14 Alan Llamas (-93)
15 Kevin Acosta (-94) of Fuerza Regia Monterrey

NBA Coach/Scout Dan Tacheny - LNBP Showcase - by Chris Terrell
San Diego, CA - The 2009 EnFuegoHoops.com LNBP Showcase is pleased to announce that NBA Coach and Scout Dan Tacheny has been added to the event and will serve in the capacity of Head Coach for one of the six (6) free agent teams at the event. Tacheny will join Chris Terrell , Robert Reid , Glen Hayes , Lionel Garrett , Ricky Benitez , John Saintignon , and Burrell Lee as coaches for the Elite Summer Event for players looking to take their professional playing careers to Latin America. Tacheny and Coach Reid both bring NBA credentials as coaches to the Event.

A little about Coach Dan Tacheny:
Coach Tacheny has spent the past 5 years working on coaching staffs in the NBA. Tacheny has spent the past 2 years working as an Advance Scout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Some of his responsibilities with the Timberwolves included game planning, scouting, opponent preparation and player development. He also worked with many of the Timberwolves players and free agent prospects as an assistant coach to the Timberwolves Summer League team. Prior to his time with the Timberwolves, Tacheny spent 3 seasons working in various capacities for the Orlando Magic. He began as a video scout preparing scouting films for opponent preparation and individual player development. His role also included the preparation of scouting tapes for NCAA and International draft eligible prospects. Coach Tacheny also assisted the coaching staff in the development of NBA All-stars Jameer Nelson (182-G-82, college: St.Joseph's) and Dwight Howard (207-F-85). In his second year with the Magic he expanded his role to include some advance scouting responsibilities that required live game scouting and game planning for upcoming opponents. His scouting responsibilities also required him to provide player evaluations for NBA opponents. During his time with the Magic, the team went from the having the worst record in the NBA in the season prior to his arrival to making the playoffs in his final season. Before making the move to the NBA, Tacheny, spent 3 years as an assistant with UNLV (NCAA). He worked closely with the coaching staff in all areas of the program including practice preparation, recruiting, player management, video scouting, and player development. In 3 years at UNLV, Tacheny helped develop 21 players who went on to play professional basketball internationally including 3 current NBA players (Louis Amundson (205-F-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: UNLV), Phoenix Suns; Marcus Banks (188-G-81, college: UNLV), Toronto Raptors; Joel Anthony (206-C-82, college: UNLV), Miami Heat). UNLV also reached the post season in each of Coach Tacheny's 3 seasons.

'We're really excited to have a coach in Dan Tacheny to add to the depth and quality of coaches affiliated with the LNBP Showcase. Coach Tacheny has demonstrated over the past decade an ability to be a driving force towards success for big time basketball at the Collegiate level and the past 5 years in the NBA. In addition to being an incredible resource with his ability to coach at the highest levels, Tacheny also brings a proven track record of success in game preperation, advance team and player scouting, and individual player development in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic. His reputation proceeds him and we're honored to have a coach of his stature working with us in the the 2009 EnFuegohoops LNBP Showcase.'
Chris Terrell , Director of Basketball

We are still accepting profiles for participation. Please email profile, bio, cv along with link to video (if available) to cterrell@enfuegohoops.com or visit us on the web at www.enfuegohoops.com

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MONTENEGRO

MOROCCO

NBA

Heat re-signs Jamaal Magloire, has four centers now under contract - by Eurobasket News
The Miami Heat may not have settled its biggest questions of the offseason when it comes to potential interest in the likes of Lamar Odom (6'10''-F-79, college: Rhode Island), Carlos Boozer (6'10''-F/C-80, college: Duke) and Allen Iverson (6'1''-G-75, college: Georgetown), but it now has plenty of big answers.

Two days after re-signing shot-blocking specialist Joel Anthony (6'9''-C-82, college: UNLV), the team announced Wednesday it has re-signed center Jamaal Magloire (6'10''-F/C-78, college: Kentucky).

Like Anthony, Magloire received a one-year guaranteed contract, with each of the deals worth approximately $1 million.

In addition to the two Canadian centers, the Heat also has under contract starter Jermaine O'Neal and seldom-used Mark Blount. Both O'Neal and Blount are entering the final year of their contracts, meaning none of the team's four centers are under contract beyond this coming season.

Magloire, who received only a partial guarantee when he joined the team last September, proved to be even more of a factor in the locker room with his upbeat approach than on the court, where he appeared in 55 games last season, including 12 starts, averaging 2.9 points, 4.0 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game, while shooting .496 percent from the field.

The nine-year veteran led the Heat and finished 28th in the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes last season at 15.0. He also led the team in rebounds on four separate occasions and in blocks three times.

A 2004 All-Star while with the New Orleans Hornets, Magloire is expected to compete with Anthony for the minutes behind O'Neal.

The signing of Magloire brings the Heat to 13 players under contract next season. Due to luxury-tax concerns, Heat President Pat Riley said he might carry no more than 13 next season, two below the NBA limit. That could be another sign that the team will not match the two-year, $6 million offer sheet extended last week by the Cleveland Cavaliers to Heat restricted free-agent forward Jamario Moon. The Heat must make its decision on Moon by noon Friday.

The 13 players under contract do not include second-round draft choices Patrick Beverley and Robert Dozier, or free-agent guard Luther Head.

Courtesy of www.sun-sentinel.com

Pacers waive Jamaal Tinsley - by Eurobasket News
Indianapolis - Larry Bird's housecleaning project is complete.

The Indiana Pacers announced that they waived point guard Jamaal Tinsley (6'3''-G-78, college: Iowa St.) on Wednesday, and a team spokesman said the NBA will process the request Thursday. If he clears waivers in seven days, he will become a free agent.

The move was an important one for Bird, Indiana's president of basketball operations. If Tinsley clears waivers, none of the players who have had legal problems or were involved in the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons fans in 2004 will remain on the roster.

'This ends a very difficult period for all parties involved,' Bird said in a statement. 'We are pleased to have this resolved.'

Tinsley has career averages of 10.4 points and 7.0 assists, but he has been hampered by injuries and legal problems in recent years. The Pacers told him not to report to training camp last season and did not allow him to play. The NBA players' union filed a grievance for him in February, but the arbitration hearing scheduled for next week has been canceled.

Tinsley, a Pacer since 2001-02, will likely try to revive his career elsewhere.

'Jamaal is happy to be moving on,' Tinsley's agent, Raymond Brothers, told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. 'He's sorry it didn't work out for the Pacers. He appreciates the opportunity he had there. He's looking forward to turning over a new chapter in his life, starting over and carrying on with his career.'

Tinsley was owed $14.7 million over the next two years. The team did not release details of the resolution and says it will have no further comment. Brothers said he couldn't comment on the matter because it was a confidential agreement.

Tinsley was a favorite of former Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, and he thrived under Jim O'Brien two seasons ago until he was injured.

He averaged 9.4 points and 8.1 assists as a rookie. Then helped the Pacers claim the league's best record in 2003-04, and the team was 34-9 in his regular-season starts after he came off the injured list. He averaged a career-best 15.4 points in 2004-05, but played just 40 games. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.6 assists in his first 24 games two seasons ago before a knee injury slowed him. In the past six seasons, he's only played more than 52 games once.

Tinsley was connected with three late-night conflicts in a 14-month span.

He was there when Stephen Jackson fired several shots into the air before being hit by a car at an Indianapolis strip club in October 2006.

He faced a felony charge of intimidation and misdemeanor counts of battery, disorderly conduct and intimidation after a bar fight in Indianapolis in February 2007, but agreed with prosecutors last year that if he stayed out of trouble for two years, all charges would be dropped.

In Dec. 2007, someone in a truck fired shots from an assault rifle at three cars carrying Tinsley's entourage outside a downtown Indianapolis hotel. Tinsley wasn't hurt, but Pacers equipment manager Joey Qatato was struck in both elbows as he sat in one of the cars.

Brothers said Tinsley has worked with a personal trainer since the Pacers exiled him last season and packs a solid 187 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame.

'Jamaal is in the best shape of his life,' Brothers said. 'There are several teams that have tried to trade for him, and there are several teams that are interested in him.'

Courtesy of www.wthr.com

Pistons sign free-agent forward Chris Wilcox - by Eurobasket News
Free-agent power forward Chris Wilcox (6'10''-F/C-82, college: Maryland) has agreed to a two-year, $6 million deal with the Pistons.

Wilcox, 26, has been in the NBA for seven seasons.

Last season, in 62 games combined with the Knicks and Oklahoma City, he averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 19.4 minutes.

Wilcox (6-foot-10, 235 pounds) was traded from Oklahoma City to the Knicks in midseason.

His career averages with the Clippers, Seattle, Knicks and Oklahoma City are 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.

He was drafted in the first round, eighth overall, out of Maryland by the Clippers in 2002.

The Pistons are hoping Wilcox can provide some scoring and athleticism off the bench behind another free agent signing, Charlie Villanueva.

Courtesy of www.detnews.com

Pacers re-sign reserve F Josh McRoberts - by Eurobasket News
The Indiana Pacers have resigned free agent forward Josh McRoberts (6'10''-F-87, college: Duke).

Terms of the multiyear contract were not disclosed Wednesday.

The Pacers made a qualifying offer to the 6-foot-10 McRoberts last month, making him a restricted free agent. The athletic post player averaged 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds last season. He had career highs of 12 points and nine rebounds on April 8 against Toronto.

'We are very pleased to have Josh back,' Pacers President of Basketball Larry Bird said. 'He's another player who fits into the core group of guys we want to build around.'

McRoberts, who is from Carmel, Ind., said he was thrilled.

'This is home and I want to be part of what the Pacers are trying to do,' he said.

Courtesy of www.onenewsnow.com

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NCAA1

West Coast Conference signs 3-year deal to keep tournament in Las Vegas - by Eurobasket News
The West Coast Conference tournament is staying in Vegas.

The WCC and the Orleans Arena signed a three-year contract extension to keep the men's and women's conference basketball tournaments in Las Vegas through 2012. It's a significant step for a mid-major league looking to make more of an impact nationally, considering the top conferences play their tournaments at neutral sites.

'My philosophy is if you can support a neutral-site model, it's the best model,' WCC commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said Wednesday in a phone interview from Las Vegas following a formal announcement of the deal.

'We have found we have the right fan base, the right arena and the right destination. The three things we look at are financial success, student-athlete and fan experience and exposure. If you can accomplish those three things on a neutral site, you have to do it if you want to be a major player in college basketball.'

The WCC sold out the Orleans Arena this past March for its first tournament not played at one of the conference's eight schools, setting WCC records for both total championship attendance (33,320) and single-session championship attendance (7,845).

The Western Athletic Conference also will hold its conference tournaments at Orleans for two years starting in 2011, so the two events will be played in back-to-back weeks.

'It will be like March Madness for nine days leading up to Selection Sunday,' Zaninovich said. 'I think that's great for college basketball and great for us. We'll work closely with the WAC. It should be a great atmosphere.'

Zaninovich said officials at the Orleans Arena went out of their way to accommodate the WCC's needs, agreeing to make 'tweaks' to the facility to 'make it more basketball friendly.'

'We're ecstatic 2009 was a little bit of an experiment because we hadn't been to a neutral site, and it's a city we don't even have a school in, so it was uncharted waters,' Zaninovich said.

Courtesy of www.startribune.com

After injury, Mason Jr. granted extra year at St. John's - by Eurobasket News
Anthony Mason (6'7''-F-87) (FSY). was granted a medical hardship by the Big East Conference on Tuesday and will rejoin the Red Storm for a redshirt senior season in 2009-10.$

Mason played in just three games last season after tearing a tendon in his left foot. He had surgery in December and was cleared to return to the court for offseason voluntary workouts in early June.

'Having been out for almost the whole year, I watched and learned a lot,' said Mason, the son of former New York Knick Anthony Mason. 'I can't wait to go out and perform with my team on the court this season.'

Mason was a Big East honorable mention pick after his junior season in 2007-08 when he led the team in scoring with a 14.0 average.

For the last seven months, Mason's recovery from the injury and rehabilitation from the surgery was followed by a camera crew from MTV. Mason will be featured in an upcoming episode of the MTV 'True Life' documentary series, titled, 'True Life: I'm Rehabbing My Sports Injury.'

Courtesy of www.usatoday.com

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NEW ZEALAND

Estonia top New Zealand in friendly game - by Eurobasket News
Estonia - New Zealand 58:49

Estonian National Team celebrated the opening game of the test series versus New Zealand. The Kiwis landed in Estonia just days ago for their European tour. They took on Estonia in the opener in Tallinn.
The hosts started the game aggressively limiting New Zealand to just 12 points in the first frame. Nine of them came from Kirk Penney (194-G-80, college: Wisconsin). A low-scoring second period saw teams combine for only 13 points as Estonia grabbed a 26:18 lead at halftime. But the visitors turned the tables after the long break. They tipped off the second half with a 17:6 rally to take the lead. The Tall Blacks maintained it to enter the fourth quarter ahead by 2 points 45:43. But as fatigue mounted New Zealand were not able to hang on for the victory. The Baltic team shut down their opponents allowing just 4 points for the Kiwis in the final frame. Estonia fired 15 and ran away to a 9-point win at the end.
Tanel Sokk (183-G-85) knocked down 16 points to pace Estonia. Joosep Toome (202-F-85) added 14 points in the win. Kirk Penney finished with game-high 23 points. Thomas Abercrombie (198-G/f-87, college: Washington St.) delivered 8 points and 6 boards in defeat.

Estonia: Tanel Sokk 16, Joosep Toome 14, Janar Talts (205-C-83) 9
New Zealand: Kirk Penney 23, Thomas Abercrombie 8

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NICARAGUA

Nicaraguan U17 National Team 2009 - by Richard
4 David Toruno (-94) of Jaguares de la UAM
5 Francisco Cuarezma (-95) of Tigres de la Universidad de Managua
6 Jose Rivera Perez (-94)
7 Romario Ponce (-96) of Los Doc's de Masaya
8 Ariel Mendoza (-93) of Tigres de la Universidad de Managua
9 Luis Quintero (-93) of Tigres de la Universidad de Managua
10 Yerson Pichardo (-94)
11 Roy Espinoza (-94) of Tigres de la Universidad de Managua
12 Alfredo Borge (-93) of Tigres de la Universidad de Managua
13 Kenneth Villarreal (-93) of Pikinyukis de Boaco
14 Ozzie Munguia (-93) of Tigres de la Universidad de Managua
15 Harry Miranda (-94) of Tigres de la Universidad de Managua

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

NIGERIA

NORWAY

Norway too good for Luxembourg in Skopje - by Eurobasket News
Norway U20 - Luxembourg U20 78:54

Norwegian U20 National Team completed the classification round in Group G of the European Championship in Division B with win. The victory over Luxembourg propelled the team to 2-0 record in the pool as Norway clinched the top spot. They will now play for the 9th-12th position at the tournament. Luxembourg lost the second straight game at this stage and remained at the bottom of the ladder.
Luxembourg led by 4 points early in the encounter but Mjoes knocked down 8 points in the period to give Norway a 24:19 lead after ten minutes. Stian Enge (190-G-90) helped the Scandinavians to an 8-point cushion early in the second quarter. Norway soon opened up a double-digit lead rolling comfortably. They ensured a 44:29 cushion at the interval. Aksel Bolin (196-G-90) and Roy Nwachukwu (192-F-90) ballooned the margin to as many as 33 points late in the third frame. Luxembourg narrowed the gap to 22 points early in the final stanza but the margin proved unassailable as Norway coasted to the win at the end.
Roy Nwachukwu tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds for Norway. Magne Fivelstad (197-G/F-89) added 16 points and 7 boards, while Stian Enge had 15 points for the winners. Christophe Laures (195-F-89) responded with 13 points for Luxembourg. Christopher Jones (184-F-90) canned 9 points in defeat.

Norway U20: Roy Nwachukwu 16+10 boards, Magne Fivelstad 16, Stian Enge 15
Luxembourg U20: Christophe Laures 13, Christopher Jones 9

Norway beat Belarus in the first round in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News
Norway U18 - Belarus U18 75:68
Norway claimed the first win at the U18 European Championship in Division B. They opened their campaign with a tough victory over Belarus in Group A.
Belarus got to the better start as they led throughout the majority of the opening stanza. They clinched a 20:14 advantage at the first break. Ihnatchyk and Vitali Liutych (190-G-92) kept Belarus in front early in the second quarter. However Norway triggered a 13:1 run to close the first half leading by 6 points. Vitali Liutych scored 10 points in the third term to pull within one at the end of the third stanza. Marius Botolfsen (186-G-92), Lundestad and Stian Berg (180-G-91) exploded with three triples early in the final frame as Norway ensured an 8-point buffer. But Belarus bounced back drawing things level at 68 with just over 3 minutes remaining. Karamo Jawara (195-F-91) knocked down three points for Norway, while Marius Botolfsen and Rakneberg sealed the deal for the Scandinavian team at the end.
Stian Berg scored 17 points to pace Norway. Karamo Jawara added 13 points, 9 boards and 5 assists for the winners. Vitali Liutych knocked down 19 points for Belarus. Siarhei Hancharonak (201-C-91) had 10 points in the losing effort.

Norway U18: Stian Berg 17, Karamo Jawara 13, Marius Botolfsen 9
Belarus U18: Vitali Liutych 19, Siarhei Hancharonak 10

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PANAMA

Standings - CBS

CBS Standings

1. Magnates	0-0
2. Caimanes	0-0
3. Navieros	0-0
4. Canguros	0-0
5. Fieras	0-0
6. Colosos	0-0

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PHILIPPINES

POLAND

Turow Zgorzelec hires Sasa Obradovic as Head Coach - by Eurobasket News
Turow Zgorzelec finally resolved very important question for the next season. The Polish team announced they hired Serbian Sasa Obradovic (agency: Beo Basket ) as a Head Coach. Despite there was many rumors that Andrej Urlep (agency: Edge Sports ) or Dragan Raca will take over the team, that did not happen. Turow decided that Obradovic is right man for the job and it is expected that the team start players signings immediately.
Sasa Obradovic (agency: Beo Basket ) spent last season as Head Coach of Ukrainian BC Kyiv. The club faced with big financial troubles and was unable to reach the Superleague Finals, as they had to release couple of most important players. Coach Obradovic had great success with the German team Rhein Energie Koln, where he also was a player in the past. Since 2005 to 2008 Obradovic was Koln's Head Coach leading them to championship title in 2006. Next season the team competed in Euroleague and reached Playoff Semifinals in Germany. In 2006 Obradovic led Koln to FIBA EuroCup Quarterfinals.
Turow Zgorzelec reached the Playoff Finals in Poland last season. They were not able to resist against strong Asecco Prokom loosing the series with 1-4. Before the Finals, Turow eliminated Czarni and AZS. They will compete in EuroCup edition 09/10.

Poland stay perfect in Qualifying Round in Skopje - by Eurobasket News
Poland U20 - Georgia U20 71:62

Poland overwhelmed Georgia to remain undefeated at the U20 European Championship in Division B. The victory marked the fifth straight success for a Tomasz Jankowski team. They secured the semifinal birth at the tournament. Georgia slipped at 1-2 record narrowly missed the semifinal stage. Georgia will now play for the 5th-8th spot.
The start of the game looked hopeful for Georgia as Richard Matiashvili (209-C-89) gave them an early lead. But Poland quickly denied the deficit and built a 22:16 lead after ten minutes. The teams kept it close early in the second stanza before Jakub Wojciechowski (211-C-90) scored 4 points in a row and Grochowski added three from beyond the arc to boost the margin to 10 points. Poland finished the first half leading by 12 points. Richard Matiashvili dragged Georgia within 4 midway through the third period. Tornike and Levan Shengelia (204-F/C-90) followed with 4 points to knot things up. But Poland accounted for a slender 52:51 advantage at the final intermission. The Polish team opened the fourth term on an 8:1 spurt to take some breathing space. Richard Matiashvili and Tornike Shengelia revived the intrigue trimming the distance to 2 points with just over two minutes to go. But Adam Waczynski (199-F-89, agency: AB Agency) and Piotr Pamula (196-G-90) chipped in 5 freebies in the final minute to propel Poland to the victory.
Piotr Pamula notched 18 points to pace Poland. Jakub Wojciechowski added 12 points and 9 rebounds, while Adam Waczynski had 11 points in the win. Levan Shengelia finished with 20 points for Georgia. Richard Matiashvili top-scored with 21 points and 7 rebounds for the losing team.

Poland U20: Piotr Pamula 18, Jakub Wojciechowski 12, Adam Waczynski 11
Georgia U20: Richard Matiashvili 21, Levan Shengelia 20

Air Avelino lands Polish NT player Filip Dylewicz - by Eurobasket News
In just few days Air Avelino announced another important signing. After arrival of Chevon Troutman (202-F-81, agency: ACMT, college: Pittsburgh), the Italians signed one-year deal with Polish National Team player Filip Dylewicz (202-F-80, agency: Beo Basket). The 29-year old forward spent the entire decade with the Polish powerhouse Asseco Prokom. In the latest season he appeared 43 times in domestic championship averaging 10.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg. They managed to defend the title, the sixth consecutive for Dylewicz and Prokom. In Euroleague 08/09 he played 15 games registering 5.9 ppg and 4.4 rpg. Except of the six titles in domestic championship, Filip Dylewicz and his Prokom also managed to win four trophies in National Cup. In 2003 they reached the final in FIBA Champions Cup.
Since 2002 Filip Dylewicz is a member of the Polish National Team. He played 3 games at the EuroBasket 2007 in Spain averaging 7.7 ppg and 8 rpg. Of course the Poles have big appetites this summer as they will be the EuroBasket hosts.
Air Avelino had below average last season. They failed to make a success in both, Euroleague and Italian Serie A. The team even wasn't able to reach the PlayOffs in Italy endeding the regular season as No.11 with 13-17 record.

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PORTUGAL

Bulgaria prevail against Portugal - by Eurobasket News
Bulgaria U20 - Portugal U20 89:64
Bulgaria managed the second straight win at the U20 European Championship in Division B classification round. They routed Portugal to clinch the top spot in Group H. Bulgaria will now play for the 9th-11th position at the tournament. Portugal suffered the second defeat in the pool action and remained at the bottom of the ladder.
Bulgaria opened the game in a storming manner. They earned a 30:13 lead at the first break. Portugal were able to slow their opponents down in the second frame but failed trim the distance. Bulgaria led by 17 points at halftime. An Ivan Cholakov team cruised in the third stanza. Bulgaria piled up a 24-point advantage at three-quarter time. Bulgaria did not allow Portugal to win a quarter coasting to the comfortable success. Aleksandar Georgiev (198-F-90) scored 16 points and grabbed 6 boards for Bulgaria. Tsvetelin Ivanov (196-G-89) and Stanislav Vaklinov (205-F-89) netted 14 points each in the win. Diogo Correia (185-G-90) tallied 16 points for Portugal. Andre Pereira (200-C-90) posted 12 points in defeat.

Bulgaria U20: Aleksandar Georgiev 16, Tsvetelin Ivanov 14, Stanislav Vaklinov 14
Portugal U20: Diogo Correia 16, Andre Pereira 12

Switzerland account for Portugal in opener - by Eurobasket News
Switzerland U18 - Portugal U18 86:68
Swiss U18 National team victoriously opened their European Championship in Division B quest. They hung on to an 18-point win over Portugal in preliminary action today. Switzerland thus jumped on top of Group D. They will next face Belgium tomorrow, while Portugal will play against Belgium on Saturday.
The lead changed hands for a couple of times in the opening frame before Jonathan Eric Dubas (202-F/C-91) sealed the outcome at 18:15 for Switzerland. Jonathan Kazadi (195-G-91) tipped off the second quarter with five points in a row to give the Swiss outfit a 23:15 advantage. Jonathan Kazadi soon hit from beyond the arc as the gap grew at 10 points. The Swiss juniors maintained the lead well enough to enjoy a 41:34 cushion at halftime. Portugal cut the margin to only 3 points midway through the third quarter just to watch Switzerland step on the gas and clear off to an 18-point buffer with ten minutes remaining. The intrigue was never revived as Switzerland cruised to the win in the final minutes.
Jonathan Kazadi poured in 35 points to pace Switzerland. Stefan Petkovic (187-G-92) added 27 points, 6 boards and 4 assists in an all-around performance. Carlos Diogo Serra Ferreirinho (-91) responded with 16 points for Portugal. Joao Torrie (196-C-91) had 12 points and 6 boards in the loss.

Switzerland U18: Jonathan Kazadi 35, Stefan Petkovic 27, Jonathan Eric Dubas 9
Portugal U18: Carlos Diogo Serra Ferreirinho 16, Joao Torrie 12

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PUERTO RICO

Pirates advance to BSN Finals with 4-2 - by Eurobasket News
Quebradillas - Carolina 84-75
The Pirates made it! In the sixth game of Semifinals Series the Pirates managed to beat Carolina reaching the BSN Finals. The score is 4-2. Peter John Ramos (222-C-85) was totally the best in the wining squad. He spent 38 minutes on the court draining 33 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. Ramos made 14 of 20 attempts from the field and 5 of 5 from the line. Shawn Redhage (202-F-81, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Arizona St.) was second scorer of the team with 16, while Clifford Hammonds (191-G-85, college: Clemson) helped with one point less, including 7 assists. In Carolina, Rodney White (206-F-80, college: Charlotte) collected 27 points and 10 rebounds. Carolina was close to tie the score in the Semis and to reach the 7th game, but that didn't happen due to magnificent last 10 minutes by the Pirates. In this fourth period they managed to score magnificent 33 points, stopping Carolina on just 13. Until that moment of the game Carolina was way better team, but they somehow stopped. Peter John Ramos and his teammates intensified defense playing maybe the best quarter in the entire season.
The name of the second BSN finalist will be known today or until the end of the week. That will be Bayamon or Mayaguez. The current score is 3-2 for Bayamon. They smashed Mayaguez in the latest meeting 81-56.

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ROMANIA

RUSSIA

Tishman delivers the minimum win for Israel U18 - by Eurobasket News
Israel U18-Russia U18 63:62 (13-19, 15-15, 14-17, 21-11)

Israel edge out Russia 63:62 in their opening game of the U18 European Championships. The game kept the spectators excited until the last seconds when Nimrod Tishman (195-G-91) hit the go-ahead shot for a shock win.
Russia looked better in the opening quarter and started with 6-0 run. Burtsev made it 11:3 and Ivan Lazarev (205-C-91) closed the first period at 19:13. No matter how hard Israel tried in the second period, Russia held the lead in the game. Dmitry Kulagin (195-G-92) sent the squads to the lockers with 34:28 for the Russian team. Ivan Lazarev gave his team 40:28 and it seemed that his team would not slow down. Pavel Antipov (204-F-91) nailed three for 49:39, while Shamriz gave a chance for Israel at the end of the third period from the perimeter. Nimrod Tishman reduced the gap to 55:48 and Nimrod Tishman pulled his team within five points. Dmitry Kulagin stayed in front with his team for 62:61 but Russia could not win the game. Nimrod Tishman needed a jump shot for his game-high 26 points to seal the victory.
Nimrod Tishman was unstoppable with 26 points for the winners. Guy Dotan (178-G-91) and Tom Havkin (198-G-91) followed him with 7 points each in the winning effort. Pavel Antipov top-scored for Russia with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Ivan Lazarev collected 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Dmitry Kulagin added 10.

Israel U18: Nimrod Tishman 26, Guy Dotan 7, Tom Havkin 7
Russia U18: Pavel Antipov 19+11 rebs, Ivan Lazarev 15+10 rebs, Dmitry Kulagin 10

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SAUDI ARABIA

Syria eliminates Saudi Arabia in Arab Cup Quarterfinals - by Eurobasket News
Syria - Saudi Arabia 83-73

Syria celebrated 10-point win yesterday against Saudi Arabia advancing to Semifinals of the 9th Arab basketball Cup. Syria reached the Quarterfinals as No.2 from Group A with 3-2 record. On the other side, Saudi Arabia was No.3 in Group B meaning that the Syrians were expected to be seen at the next stage, based on the above mentioned results. They made it and they will take on powerful Egypt in the Semis. Egypt finished the first stage undefeated with perfect 4-0 record. Yesterday, the Egyptians outplayed Libya 84-54.
Lets return to the game. Syria was slightly better team in the first half, especially in the first ten minutes. They ended it with 24-20, but SA improved later. However, Syria managed to control them keeping plus 3 at the HT. The second half belonged to Syria, whose players knew how to keep the distance. SA did not give up, but Syrians were calm ending this game with decent plus 10.
Saudi Arabia finished this event with 2-3 record in total. They were better than Yemen and Kuwait.

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SCOTLAND

SEBL

SEBL-South 7/22/2009 - by Bobby Rouse

Game #1- BC Lakers v/s Tri County After a slow start that saw Tri County jump out to a 18-4 early first half lead. The BC Lakers woke up late in the 1st half behind four consecutive 3 point baskets to pull the game to 28-24 at the half. With 8:41 left in the game BC Lakers found themselves down 47-40 behind the strong inside play of Tri Counties Jon Rogers (6'9''-F/C-84, college: Valdosta St.). After a few missed opportunities down the stretch the Lakers were forced to foul early, and it paid off as they pulled with 1 with 11.4 seconds to play as Brandon Robinson drilled 2 consecutive 3 point baskets the latter giving the Lakers a 56-55 win at the buzzer.

Game #2- ATL Underrated v/s Metro Stars The ever so scrappy Metro Stars were at it again against a strong Underrated team. With precise passing and ball movement the Stars stayed close in the 1st half and only trailed 33-26 at the half. Behind a strong 2nd half from Brandon Bailey (5'8''-G) and Jermaine Searles Underrated seemingly had the game all wrapped up but the Stars hit a few big shots and were only down 4 with 36.9 seconds remaining. The Stars last ditch efforts to foul the Underrated guards failed as they were clutch going 7-8 from the line to end the game. ATL Underrated wins 59-52.

Game #3- Young Gunz v/s Black Monopoly In a game putting two of the best teams in the South Division against one another the Young Gunz are now forced to play without their star player B.J. Puckett (6'9''-F-83, agency: AMI, college: Clayton St.), but Anton Pippen (6'2''-G, college: S.Georgia Tech CC) and high flying Jesse Wheeler (6'6''-F, college: Gardner-Webb) shot the lights out early in the game to lead 37-32 at the half. In the middle of the 2nd half Black Monopoly trailed 53-49 and was inching there way back into the game when the Young Gunz guards heated up again and cruised on to a 67-63 victory.

Game #4- Barnesville v/s D.O.T.S - Jamal Johnson (6'7''-F-81, college: Clayton St.) and Markel Humphrey (6'6''-F-87, college: Marshall) apparently had a blowout on there mind as they literally carried the D.O.T.S. to a 31-19 halftime lead against the seemingly 1 man team of De'Andre Cannon . Though they were down by 12 at the half Barnesville rallied back to within three with less that a second remaining as Nigee was fouled shooting a three pointer with .3 seconds remaining. Nigee missed all 3 foul shots and Barnesville fell 46-43.

SOUTH DIVISION IS OFF NEXT WEEK AND WILL RESUME PLAY ON MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2009 AT CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY.

Standings

SEBL Standings

City B-East
1. Summ.Hill BD	2-1
2. BC Sixers	2-1
3. AWU-Howren	1-2
4. G. Wolverines	0-3
City B-West
1. N. Metro DB	3-0
2. Dalton	2-1
3. Cedartown B.	1-2
4. Rockmart	1-2
Metro A-North
1. ServPro-1	3-1
2. Smyrna K.	3-1
3. Cartersville W.	2-2
4. BC Skyline	2-2
5. Marietta O.	2-2
6. Supreme	2-2
7. Rome Rage	2-2
8. BC Howren-1	0-4
Metro A-South
1. A. Underrated	3-1
2. Black Monop.	3-1
3. D.O.T.S.	3-1
4. Young Gunz	3-1
5. BC Lakers	3-1
6. Tri-County	1-3
7. Metro Stars	0-4
8. BC Barnesville	0-4

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SERBIA

The hosts of U18 European Championships won the opener - by Eurobasket News
France U18-Serbia U18 68:63

France U18 edged out Serbia U18 68:63 in the opener of U18 European Championships. The hosts needed 21-11 to seal the first victory at the tournament.
Serbia started with 16:14, but Fournier brought France 35:34 at the halftime. Serbia led in the majority of the third period and had 52:47 at the end of it. Leo Westermann (196-G-92) made it 63:56 for his team with a bit more than 4 minutes in the game. Cairo added two for 65:56, however the game was not over. Serbia replied with a last run for 65:61 as Andjusic made a jump shot. With 2.30 in the last period, France needed a timeout to have some time to rest. Andjusic had another chance from the perimeter in the last minute, but missed a shot and Serbia asked for timeout. Dejan Musli (214-C-91) made one free throw for 65:62 and Serbia could not reach the opponents. Leo Westermann made two free throws for 67:62, while Andjusic netted only one. Serbia fouled immediately and Kandolo posted also one for 68:63. Those points however were the last in the game as the French side won the opener in the group.
Leo Westermann paced all the winners with 17 points being the only player for his team to reach double digits. Fournier nailed 8, while Kandolo notched 7. Dejan Musli tried hard in the losing effort providing 21 points for Serbia.
In another game of the group Slovenia opened their U18 European Championship campaign victoriously. They defeated Czech Republic in preliminary Group A in Hagondange, France. Czech Republic trailed by just a single point with 4 seconds remaining but Horvat and Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj sealed the winning outcome for Slovenia.

France U18: Leo Westermann 17, Fournier 8, Kandolo 7
Serbia U18: Dejan Musli 21, Branislav Djekic (205-F/C-91, agency: Beo Basket) 10, Radosavljevic 10

Turow Zgorzelec hires Sasa Obradovic as Head Coach - by Eurobasket News
Turow Zgorzelec finally resolved very important question for the next season. The Polish team announced they hired Serbian Sasa Obradovic (agency: Beo Basket ) as a Head Coach. Despite there was many rumors that Andrej Urlep (agency: Edge Sports ) or Dragan Raca will take over the team, that did not happen. Turow decided that Obradovic is right man for the job and it is expected that the team start players signings immediately.
Sasa Obradovic (agency: Beo Basket ) spent last season as Head Coach of Ukrainian BC Kyiv. The club faced with big financial troubles and was unable to reach the Superleague Finals, as they had to release couple of most important players. Coach Obradovic had great success with the German team Rhein Energie Koln, where he also was a player in the past. Since 2005 to 2008 Obradovic was Koln's Head Coach leading them to championship title in 2006. Next season the team competed in Euroleague and reached Playoff Semifinals in Germany. In 2006 Obradovic led Koln to FIBA EuroCup Quarterfinals.
Turow Zgorzelec reached the Playoff Finals in Poland last season. They were not able to resist against strong Asecco Prokom loosing the series with 1-4. Before the Finals, Turow eliminated Czarni and AZS. They will compete in EuroCup edition 09/10.

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SLOVAKIA

Banska Bystrica signed Immink and Lutter - by Michal Maslany
Former PG of Prievidza Greg Immink (178-G-83, college: Hope (MI)) signed one year contract with SKP Banska Bystrica. 'I am sure, that he can reach our high expectation,' said manager of Banska Bystrica Vladimir Matejcik. Sixth team of last season keep nearly all of his players, only Ivan Skara (204-F-82, college: Cleveland St. CC) is doubtful. 'He is looking for better engagment abroad, but did not said, that he won't play for us. Question is, how long will we be waiting for him,' Matejcik said. Another new player in Banska Bystrica is young forward Alexander Lutter (189-F, agency: Pro Agents-Basketball Careers) from Kosice.

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SLOVENIA

Slovenia topple Czech Republic in U18 European Championship opener - by Eurobasket News
Slovenia U18 - Czech Republic U18 74:71
Slovenia opened their U18 European Championship campaign victoriously. They defeated Czech Republic in preliminary Group A in Hagondange, France. Czech Republic trailed by just a single point with 4 seconds remaining but Horvat and Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj (201-F-91) sealed the winning outcome for Slovenia.
Muric and Jakob Cebasek (198-G/F-91) pulled Slovenia up 8:2 early in the game. Jakob Cebasek completed the first frame with 11 points giving Slovenia a 24:14 advantage at the first break. Jakob Cebasek added four more points early in the second encounter as Slovenia opened up a double-digit lead. But a 9:0 outburst from Czech team allowed those to cut the margin. They trailed by just three points at halftime.
Bohacik and Peterka put Czech Republic in front midway through the third stanza. Slovenia regained the advantage only late in the quarter as Pajic and Horvat produced a 61:54 margin for a Dalibor Damjanovic team. Pajic and Jakob Cebasek maintained the lead for Slovenia throughout the final term before Czech team clipped the gap and set up dramatic final seconds in this one.
Jakob Cebasek knocked down 22 points to pace Slovenia. Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj added 19 points, while Pajic had 13 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Martin Kriz (197-F-93) replied with 18 points for Czech Republic. Ondrej Kohout (196-F-91, agency: PPGroup) finished with 13 points and 8 boards in the loss.

Slovenia U18: Jakob Cebasek 22, Mitja Nikolic Smrdelj 19, Marko Pajic 13
Czech Republic U18: Martin Kriz 18, Ondrej Kohout 13

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SOUTH KOREA

Jordan hands first loss to Korea, stays undefeated at the WJC - by Eurobasket News
Jordan - Korea 83-67

It was a derby game of Day 5 at the Willaim Jones Cup 2009. Both squads entered to it undefeated with 3-0 record. Jordan was the one who demonstrated much better performance, deserving the fourth consecutive victory. It means that Jordan is currently at the top of the standings alone as there are no more undefeated teams. Korea joined Taiwan and Iran with 3-1 record. Rasheim Wright (193-G-81, college: District of Col.) top-scored in Jordan with 21 points. Zaid Abbas (203-F-83) also had important role registering double-double, 15 points and 10 boards. Osama Daghles finished the game with 6 assists and 3 steals. Third quarter of the game was the crucial yesterday. The teams were almost leveled before that, but then Rasheim Wright and his teammates exploded. They stopped Korea on just 8 points for the quarter, on the other side scoring 21. Later, they had no troubles to keep the lead.

Today at the Williams Jones Cup, Jordan will meet Iran. South Korea will take on Philippines.

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SPAIN

Rey To Reign in Seville Again - by Paul Nilsen
Cajasol have secured big man Xavier Rey (209-C-87) for one more year having brought the Regal Barcelona player to Seville on loan last December as cover for the injured Inaki De Miguel. While the coaching situation has changed at the club with Joan Plaza having replaced Pedro Martinez, it seems that Rey has sufficiently impressed to earn himself another year after playing an important role in helping to secure top flight status for the relegation threatened club. Rey averaged 6 points and over 4 rebounds and this useful contribution was pivotal. He is seen as one of the best talents in Spain but has found it a long queue at Barca with the likes of Anderson, Ilyasova, Santiago, Vazquez and Trias.

Prostran shines over the Spanish squad - by Eurobasket News
Croatia U18-Spain U18 82:78 (17-21, 12-21, 24-19, 29-17)

Croatia U18 edged Spain U18 in their first game at the U18 European Championship that just started in France. Toni Prostran (183-G-91) shined over the Spanish squad in 82:78 win in the opener.
Spain shocked the opponents with 10-0 start to win the opening tip of the game. Toni Prostran reduced to 15:8, while Batur scored for 21:15. Toni Prostran was the last to score in the first frame to cut it to 21:17. Spain again played better in the second frame and increased the lead to 10-point lead. Franch made it 32:22 and Ignacio Llovet (202-C-91) recorded 42:28. Sekelja kept Croatia alive for 42:29 at the halftime. Joan Sastre Morro (201-F-91) with a three gave Spain the biggest, 52:36 lead midway through the third period, but it was not time to celebrate. Cutura reduced to 51:42 and Toni Prostran cut it to 58:53. Luka Babic (200-G-91) 's three tied the game at 61:61 and another three-pointer from a player gave his team 64:61. Alberto Jodar (204-F/C-91) scored for 76:75, while Toni Prostran gave Croatia 80:77. He also made two free throws at the end for the final score.
Toni Prostran was unstoppable with 35 points for the winners. Luka Babic notched 10, while Cutura recorded 9. Ignacio Llovet finished the game with 16 points in defeat. Joan Sastre Morro chipped in 13, whilst Alberto Jodar added 12.

Croatia U18: Toni Prostran 35, Luka Babic 10, Cutura 9
Spain U18: Ignacio Llovet 16, Joan Sastre Morro 13, Alberto Jodar 12

Tau Ceramica bring Pau Ribas on 4-year deal - by Eurobasket News
The rumor is officially confirmed yesterday. Tau Ceramica signed 4-year deal with Spanish guard Pau Ribas (182-G-87).
The 22-year old player is a product of DKV Joventut, where he spent last couple of seasons. According to Tau's officials, Ribas is a great investment for the future as he is one of the hottest prospects in Spain.
Pau Ribas played 10 Euroleague games last season averaging 7 ppg and 2.3 apg. In ACB he appeared 35 times with much better digits: 10 ppg, 2.6 apg and 2.4 rpg. On season 07/08 Ribas had decent performances in Spain, as well as in ULEB Cup. His team DKV Joventut won it that season and Ribas had 5.9 ppg in 16 games. At the same year the team from Badalona was 'Copa del Rey winner' in Spain. In 2006 Joventut was FIBA EuroCup champion, but Ribas had very limited playing time. He also played for CB Prat as loaned player from 2005 to 2007.
Pau Ribas was a member of U18 and U20 Spain on important events. Two years ago he led U20 Spain to Silver at the EuroBasket in Slovenia. In 8 games he had 14.4 ppg, 3.5 apg and 2 rpg.

In the meantime, Lucentum Alicante denied interest in ex player of Pamesa Valencia, Albert Miralles (208-C-82). On the other side, they confirmed interest in Mickael Gelabale (201-F-83).

DKV Joventut keeps Pere Tomas and Christian Eyenga - by Eurobasket News
DKV Joventut decided to keep two of its hot prospects for the following three seasons. Just after departure of Pau Ribas (182-G-87) to Tau, the team from Badalona agreed with Pere Tomas (202-F-89) and Christian Eyenga (195-G-89).

The 20-year old Pere Tomas played 32 games in ACB last season with 1.9 ppg and 1.5 rpg. In Euroleague his numbers were slightly better. Last summer he helped U20 Spain to grab Bronze medal at the U20 EuroBasket in Riga. For 8 appearances Tomas had 12.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg. He also was a part of U18 Spain at the U18 EuroBasket 2006 in Greece, when they won another Bronze. The Mallorca born player has already several achievements with the club having won the Copa del Rey and ULEB Cup.

Also 20-year old Christian Eyenga will stay in Badalona for at least 3 more years. He demonstrated pretty good performance at the Las Vega Summer League and there was some interest in him from the NBA teams. According to some rumors, the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to get the player on long term. However, Eyenga rejected the overseas move deciding to stay with DKV Joventut. The Congolese player arrived to Joventut in 2007. He played for them and also for CB Prat Joventut in LEB Silver.

And another update regarding the ACB returnee Lucentum Alicante. The team is interested to sign power forward Marcus Fizer (203-F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Iowa St.), former player of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Murcia and Chicago Bulls.

Oliver to Estudiantes and more news - by Robert Mayor
- Albert Oliver (187-G-78) is new Estudiantes player after Valencia decided not to keep spanish guard. Oliver, that has signed a five years deal with capital team, was pretended by Luis Casimiro squad since the beginning of summer when Valencian club made official that Oliver wasn't the kind of guard that Spahija needed.

- David Doblas (207-C-81) will resign with Lagun Aro GBC in a few. Power forward, that completed last year his best ACB season, was pretended by many teams, but finally will continue in Vasque club.

- Fernando San Emeterio (198-G/F-84) won't continue in Baskonia next season. With Sergi Vidal (198-F/G-81), Carl English (192-G-81, college: Hawaii), Walter Herrmann (207-F-79) and probably Brad Oleson (191-G-83, agency: Duran International, college: Alaska-Fairb.), spanish forward isn't necessary in Dusko Ivanovic 09/10 roster.

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SWEDEN

Sweden and Finland finish the U20 Qualifying Round - by Eurobasket News
Finland U20-Sweden U20 47:70

Sweden and Finland finish the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Sweden beat Finland 70:47 in the last game of Group E to tie both records at 1-2.
Sweden was too good for the other Scandinavian team from the beginning of the game and never looked behind. Christopher Ryan (196-G-90) made it 9:7 and then Ronstrom made a jump shot for 20:9. Right from the beginning of the second period Sweden continued to control the court and increased the lead. Nagwere made a jump shot for 34:19, while Christopher Ryan closed the quarter at 41:28. In the third period the tempo had slowed down and the teams did not mind spending more time in defense. Sweden limited the opponents to 15-7 in the third frame for the bigger advantage. Again Christopher Ryan nailed three for 56:35 in the end of thirty minutes. Nuutinen opened the last period for Finland and Ahonen reduced to 41:58. Finland however lost the last frame as well as the game.
Christopher Ryan paced all the winners with 17 points for the initial victory. Omar Zaghden (204-F/C-90) nailed 14, while Francis Odada (197-F-89) netted 12. Matias Ojala (196-F-89) and Miska Ahokas (192-G-90) ended up with 8 points each in the losing effort.

Finland U20: Matias Ojala 8, Miska Ahokas 8
Sweden U20: Christopher Ryan 17, Omar Zaghden 14, Francis Odada 12

Sweden beat Finland at the start of the U18 European Championships - by Eurobasket News
Sweden U18-Finland U18 72:56

Sweden U18 beat Finland U18 at the start of the U18 European Championships. Sweden produced 72:56 for the first victory in Sarajevo.
The countries played for the second game today as earlier Sweden and Finland finish the U20 Qualifying Round at the European Championship. Sweden beat Finland 70:47 in the last game of Group E to tie both records at 1-2.
The game between smaller ages started with 5-0 for the Swedish side. Sweden increased to 15:7 and had 20:10 after the first 10 minutes. Sandberg made it 29:15, while Christopher Czerapowicz (195-G-91) posted for 32:15. Finland U18 reduced the gap at the halftime and finished the second quarter at 35:23. The favorites kept the 10-point difference and had 40:30 midway through the third frame. They made however some more important baskets and extended their lead to 17 points after thirty minutes. Andreas Person (188-G-91) nailed three for 56:39 at the buzzer. In the last quarter the picture did not change with Sweden dominating the court. Engstrom brought the final 72:56 score from the free throw line.
Daniel Persson (198-G-91) top-scored for the winners with 21 points. Christopher Czerapowicz chipped in 16, while Andreas Person notched 14. Vesa Heinonen (192-F-91) and Carl Lindbom (204-F-91) ended up with 11 points in the losing effort each.

Sweden U18: Daniel Persson 21, Christopher Czerapowicz 16, Andreas Person 14
Finland U18: Vesa Heinonen 11, Carl Lindbom 11

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SWITZERLAND

Switzerland account for Portugal in opener - by Eurobasket News
Switzerland U18 - Portugal U18 86:68
Swiss U18 National team victoriously opened their European Championship in Division B quest. They hung on to an 18-point win over Portugal in preliminary action today. Switzerland thus jumped on top of Group D. They will next face Belgium tomorrow, while Portugal will play against Belgium on Saturday.
The lead changed hands for a couple of times in the opening frame before Jonathan Eric Dubas (202-F/C-91) sealed the outcome at 18:15 for Switzerland. Jonathan Kazadi (195-G-91) tipped off the second quarter with five points in a row to give the Swiss outfit a 23:15 advantage. Jonathan Kazadi soon hit from beyond the arc as the gap grew at 10 points. The Swiss juniors maintained the lead well enough to enjoy a 41:34 cushion at halftime. Portugal cut the margin to only 3 points midway through the third quarter just to watch Switzerland step on the gas and clear off to an 18-point buffer with ten minutes remaining. The intrigue was never revived as Switzerland cruised to the win in the final minutes.
Jonathan Kazadi poured in 35 points to pace Switzerland. Stefan Petkovic (187-G-92) added 27 points, 6 boards and 4 assists in an all-around performance. Carlos Diogo Serra Ferreirinho (-91) responded with 16 points for Portugal. Joao Torrie (196-C-91) had 12 points and 6 boards in the loss.

Switzerland U18: Jonathan Kazadi 35, Stefan Petkovic 27, Jonathan Eric Dubas 9
Portugal U18: Carlos Diogo Serra Ferreirinho 16, Joao Torrie 12

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SYRIA

TAIWAN

Jones Cup Men Day 6 - Lebanon beat Taiwan on Jackson's 35 - by Chris Wang
Results:
Kazakhstan 75-70 Japan
Iran 20-0 Jordan (The game turned into a brawl. Jordan boycotted the game as Iran won 20-0. More details later.)
Local media reported that Jordan head coach Mario Palma blasted Iran head coach Veselin Matic for his remarks about foreign-born players. Matic said that Jordan and Lebanon both had a lot of foreign players on the rosters. Palma countered that, except for naturalized Rasheim Wright, all Jordan players have Jordanian parents.
Korea 83-80 Philippines
Lebanon 91-78 Taiwan
Lebanon opened the game with a 10-0 run before Taiwan closed in to tie it at 19 all in the end of the first quarter. Led by Jackson Vroman, Lebanon went ahead and led by as many as 17 in the first half.

Vroman tallied 35 points, including 21 from freethrows, and 17 rebounds. Taiwan could not stop Vroman and sent him to the freethrow line 27 times. Brian Feghali had 18 and 8.

Taiwan center Tseng Wen-ting returned from injury. Tseng had 14 and 7.

Taiwan cut the deficit down to eight in the second half but that was the best they could do. Head coach Chung Kwang-suk said Taiwan actually played some good zone defense in the game.

'We would have had a chance if our three-point shots were dropping, ' he said. Taiwan was 6-of-25 from three in the game.

Key three-pointers helped Korea overcome tough-fighting Philippines 83-80.

Kang Byung-hyun led Korea with 16 points. Arwind Santos was Philippines' top scorer with 12 points.

Kazakhstan opened the game 7-0 and launched another 13-0 run. Japan didn't make a basket until the last two minutes. Surprisingly, it only trailed by six in the end of the first quarter and even tied the score at 20 all.

Alexandr Tyutyunik's timely outside shots paced Kazakhstan to a 41-32 halftime lead and was never threatened thereafter.

Jordan-Iran brawl news clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aosCs1IzrjA

Jordan boycotts game for unfair call - by Chris Wang
It started from the post game press conference on July 22nd. Iranian head coach Veselin Matic told reporters that Qatar, Lebanon and Jordan benefitted from 'naturalizing American imports.'

'The Asian Championship is a tournament that belongs to Asian players. But some countries have been naturalizing American imports to make their team stronger. The championship looks more like a pro game right now. Among them are Lebanon, Jordan and Qatar, ' local media quoted Matic, who added that Qatar is the worse case that it barely has any local player on roster.

Iranian players are all native players, Matic said.

Asked by media about the issue, Jordan head coach Mario Palma was visibly angry. He said that Matic should focus on how to make Iran a better team instead of making false accusation on the import issue. Not all Iranian players are native, he said.

Then came the Iran-Jordan game last night.

Less than three minutes entering the game, 7-2 Iranian center Hamed Hadadi elbowed Zaid Abbas after pulling down a rebound. Abbas swung back and walked away. Hadadi charged forward, choking and pushing Abbas.

Jordanian guard Osama Daghles ran onto the court and punched Hadadai before a bench-clearing confrontation.

Taiwanese referee Chen Chuan-jen ruled that Hadadi and Abbas would be ejected as well as all players who left the bench area, which would have left both team with four players each.

However, Korean referee Kim Young-woo insisted that it was only an unsportsmanlike foul and overruled Chen. Kim decided that it would be four technical fouls for Hadadi, Abbas and bench of both teams.

The call pissed off Mario Palma, who told Kim that if Hadadi stayed in the game, Jordan would not resume play. Kim rejected the request and Palma ordered his player leave the court in a boycott.
The official score of the game was Iran 20, Jordan zero.

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TANZANIA

ABC floor Bulls 77-51 in hoops - by Carlos Pereira
By Oliver Albert

Army basketball club (ABC) played brilliantly to post 77-51 win over Vijana City Bulls in a friendly basketball match at Mgulani court on Wednesday.

It was a build up match for ABC, one of three teams to represent Tanzania in the East and Central African basketball Championship slated to start on July 28 in Kampala.

The victory was a sweet revenge to ABC after losing to Vijana in the best of three semi final stage of Kili RBA last season.
Playing with determination ABC sealed 15-6 led right at the first quarter and maintained it 28-22 at the end of the first half.
ABC extended their lead to 56-32 at the end of the third quarter. The final quarter was even fascinating. Vijana managed to fire 23 points at the final quarter and restricted ABC to card 21 points at the fourth quarter.
Playmaker Gilbert Batungi, Steven Charles and Frank Majura were the pillar-heads of ABC victory.
Steven Charles emerged the match's top scorer after posting 25 points followed by Majura who chalked 24 points.
Vijana relied on Mohamed Ally Dibo who combined well with Sylvian Maige and Obote Mwambongo upfront. However, their struggles failed to bar ABC from winning the match.
Sylvian Maige scored 21 points for Vijana while Dibo could only manage 11 point.
Today the two teams meet in the return leg at Zanaki School court the home base of Vijana.
Meanwhile National Sports Council yesterday presented national flag to ABC, JKT and JKT Stars the Tanzanian representatives in the Zone 5 Basketball Championship to be held in Kampala, Uganda.
The Deputy Secretary General of NSC Mohamed Kiganja who officiated the brief presentation ceremony urged the teams to fight bravely and win the top thrones.
All three teams are scheduled to leave for Kampala on Sunday, July 26, two days before the event's take off.

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TUNISIA

Tunisia blasts Kuwait, advance to Arab Basketball Cup Semifinals - by Eurobasket News
Tunisia - Kuwait 99-57

As it was expected, Tunisia did not have any troubles to beat Kuwait and to reach the Arab Basketball Cup Semifinals. That was an easy 99-57 victory for the team who was better during the entire time. After ten minutes of the game the Tunisians already created 19-14 lead. Until the half time they stopped Kuwait on just 10 more points, on the other side netting 18. It means that Tunisia entered to the last two quarters with comfortable 37-24. If Kuwait had thoughts there was a chance, everything disappeared after the breather. Tunisia totally smashed them 24-7 resolving question about the winner. Last ten minutes were just the formality.
The Semifinals are scheduled for tomorrow. Tunisia will meet Morocco, who is the host of this tournament. Morocco eliminated Algeria in the Semis. In the first stage they were No.2 in Group B with 3-1 record. As a reminder, Tunisia was No.1 in Group A. They had no troubles to beat all rivals for perfect 5-0 record.

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TURKEY

Turkey solved the Greek puzzle - by Eurobasket News
Greece U18-Turkey U20 74:78 (22-15, 15-25, 16-17, 21-21)

Turkey and Greece created a battle in the second game of the U18 European Championship in Group C. Turkey was a bit luckier to grab 78:74 win for 1-0 record.
Greece scored the first four points in the game and looked more ambitious in the opening quarter. Karathanasis made it 13:5, while Dimitrios Katsivelis (194-G-91) scored for 17:9. The latter was the last in the first period for 22:15 lead. Turkey replied immediately with some points for the lead. The score was tied four times in the quarter, but Turkey had 40:37 at the halftime. Enes Kanter (206-C-92) made a jump shot for 47:41, while Papapetrou changed the winning side for 48:47. Enes Kanter closed the third period at 57:53 as Turkey had looked forward to keep the score for good. Greece however tied the game at 57:57 and grabbed 59:57 lead. Moreover Karathanasis brought Greek side 65:60. Turkey needed a 10-0 run for 70:65 that brought them the first victory.
Enes Kanter was unstoppable with 22 points and 22 rebounds. Can Maxim Mutaf (193-G-91) nailed 16, whilst Safak Edge (185-G-92) 11. Georgios Georgakis (205-C-91, agency: FCM) delivered 22 points for the Greek side, Karathanasis posted 14 and Dimitrios Katsivelis notched 12.
In another game of the group Latvia U18 and Bulgaria U18 opened the U18 European Championship in Group C. The Baltic side needed 16-4 in the last period to seal the first 63:47 victory.

Greece U18: Georgios Georgakis 22, Karathanasis 14, Dimitrios Katsivelis 12
Turkey U20: Enes Kanter 22+22 rebs, Can Maxim Mutaf 16, Safak Edge 11

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U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Puerto Rico 111 Virgin Islands 58 - by David Edole
Aguas Calientes, MexicoDo onto others as you would have them do onto you, is saying that the old folk say. Well, the Virgin Islands Under-17 mens basketball team found out what that saying meant the hard way. Coming off a total destruction of the Nicaragua team, the Virgin Islands ran into a juggernaut that is Puerto Rico. The V.I. fell to Puerto Rico, 58-111, Thursday night.
The Virgin Islands won every quarter versus Nicaragua; however, they were outscored BIG every period by the Boricuas. Puerto Rico won the first period 35-9 and the second 27-21. The 21 point effort was the best scoring output by the team from Americas Paradise. Puerto Rico led at the half 62-30.
The Virgin Islands struggled with their shooting all night. The Virgin Islands was 9-of-30 from the field including 2-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half. The Virgin Islands, who had 18 turnovers in the win over Nicaragua, had 13 in the first half including nine Puerto Rican steals. Point guard Kadeem Jones was responsible for nine turnovers.
Charles Pemberton (-92) was the lone bright spot for the Virgin Islands in the half with nine points and eight boards.
The second half was more of the same. Puerto Rico offense would score often and the Virgin Islands would struggle to put points on the board. Puerto Rico won the third period 28-14 and the fourth 21-14.
Scoring machine Aaron Brown (-92) had a tough night shooting 4-of-16 from the field including 1-of-7 from downtown. Brown, a senior at St. Benedicts Prep, finished with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. Rasheed Swanston (-95) was the only other Virgin Islander in double digits with 11 points. Pemberton finished with 11 boards and nine points.
As a team the Virgin Islands finished 18-of-62 (29%) from the field including 5-of-22 (23%) from three point range. The Virgin Islands was also 17-of-32 (53%) at the charity stripe.
With the loss, the V.I. (1-1) will take on host Mexico (3-0) Friday night in the semifinals. Mexico has been stellar in Group A, winning every game by double digits. Mexico won the group with a, 85-65, win over Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico (2-0) will face Dominican Republic (2-1) in the other semifinal.

http://www.fibalivestats.com/matches/18/00/89/50/74wsScnep2Wk/

Virgin Islands U17 National Team 2009 - by Richard
4 Andre Lafontant (-92)
5 Kadeem Jones (-94)
6 Jonathan Fontenelle (-92)
7 Salim Ross (-92)
8 Aaron Brown (-92)
9 Javier Martinez (-93)
10 Merwin Potter (-93)
11 Rasheed Swanston (-95)
12 Amadius Der-Weer (-94)
13 Tarik Mc Millan (-92)
14 Charles Pemberton (-92)
15 Ronald Charles (-93)

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UBL

Oklahoma wins UBL Championship - by Ozzie Denson

The Oklahoma Impact won the 2009 UBL Championshiop over the Arkansas Warriors 116 to101. Arkansas play very good but Oklahoma just play better in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma has a very good team and only lost one game in the season. The UBL is getting ready for the upcoming 2010 season. Any player looking to play in the 2010 season please contact Coach Denson at ozzie@ublwranglers.com.

The UBL Come Get Some!!!

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UKRAINE

Germany U18 demolishes Ukrainian side - by Eurobasket News
Ukraine U18-Germany U18 77:100 (13-16, 31-19, 15-33, 18-32)

Germany overwhelmed Ukraine in the opener of Group B in France. The German team won the offensive game over Ukraine 100:77 in the U18 European Championship.
Honestly the game was not that offensive in the beginning of the first quarter. Ukraine nailed two threes for 6:0 in the early beginning, while Germany replied with with 14-0 run. Andriy Lebedintsev (186-G-91) posted another three for 13:16 at the end of the opening quarter. Trailing 24:25, Ukraine took the lead in the second quarter and reached 44:25 halftime advantage. The battle continued in the third frame and Germany managed to tie the game at 53:53. Germany finished the third quarter with an 11-0 run spearheaded by Daniel Leithner's two long bombs to lead by eight, 68:59. The last quarter became a nightmare for the Ukrainian side that saw the German long-range machine posting the three-digit number after 32-18 in the period. Koch made a jump shot from the perimeter for 100:74and Virastiuk netted three with the buzzer.
Germany produced an outstanding three-point barrage hitting 15 of 27 attempts from long-range. Friedrich Lotze (205-C/F-91) top-scored for the winners with 19 points. Mathis Monninghoff (198-G-92) ended up with 17, while Philipp Neumann (210-C-92) added 15. Oleksandr Lypovyy (200-G-91) finished the game with 21 points in defeat. Andriy Lebedintsev posted 20 and Gennadiy Dzyuba (193-G-91) notched 16.

Ukraine U18: Oleksandr Lypovyy 21, Andriy Lebedintsev 20, Gennadiy Dzyuba 16
Germany U18: Friedrich Lotze 19, Mathis Monninghoff 17, Philipp Neumann 15

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UNITED KINGDOM

Raiders Sign Horton For 09/10 Season - by Andy Webb
The Airwaves Plymouth Raiders have added their third signing of the summer, with the news that American forward Terry Horton (193-G/F-81, agency: ProSportsCareers, college: Alabama A&M) will be joining the team for the 2009/10 season.

Horton, a 27 year old, 64 small forward comes to the Raiders after having spent 2 seasons in Germany and also playing in the IBL in the USA. He graduated in 2004 from Albama A&M University with a reputation for being a dangerous shooter, but also someone who gets to the basket well.

Terry had an outstanding senior year at Alabama A & M, said Raiders Coach Gary Stronach. He then moved on to play pro basketball in Germany where he averaged around 20 points a game in a tough league. Hes going to help us enormously as he can also rebound the ball well. Hell bring us a lot of energy at both ends of the floor.

The IBL season runs from April to June, and Horton has made a fantastic name for himself in the league while playing as team captain of the Central Oregon Hotshots. He finished this season 8th in the league in scoring, with an average of 24 per game, and was second in the league in rebounding, averaging 10.8 per game. He was one of only two players in the league averaging a double double (double figures in points and rebounds) the other being Lamond Murray, the former NBA star. He was this year selected as one of the league All Stars.

Hes also highly thought of in Germany, where he has been playing in the highly competitive German B league. While playing for Iserlohn Kangaroos in 2007/08, he finished the season in the top 5 in scoring, averaging 21.1 points (top in field goals made) and also in finishing in the top 10 in rebounding averaging 8.6 per game (top in offensive rebounds). Horton was a three time Player of the Week Selection and was voted as one of the Top 5 players in the Pro B by eurobasket.com as a 1st All German Team Selection.

While at University, Horton put up some great numbers in a traditionally tough league - the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). He finished his senior season averaging 15.1 points per game and lead his team to the Conference final with an outstanding performance in the Semi.

Horton himself is keen to get to Plymouth and get started. Im really looking forward to coming to Plymouth this upcoming season and playing for a Coach, Team, and Fan Base that have a history of winning and succeeding. I am looking forward to hopefully helping the team pick up where they left off last season, but this year, I want to help the team win the BBL Championship. That is definitely my ultimate goal for this year. Im going to bring an energy and excitement to the team that will carry over to a winning attitude, and Ill give 110% on every play of every game and in practice. To say Im excited is an understatement!

As with American point guard Eric Flato, who signed with the Raiders earlier this week, Raiders have applied to England Basketball and the Home Office for a work permit. Were moving forward as quick as we can with the paperwork to make sure this is all sorted out early on, said Raiders Chief Executive, Dave Briggs. Terry is coming to us with a great reputation, but some very solid recommendations as well, particularly from Mikal Duilio, the IBL League Commissioner, who not only praises his basketball talents, but also Terry as a person. Were definitely looking forward to having Terry here this season, and Im sure the fans are really going to enjoy watching him.

Lamble Returns For Fourth Term - by Andy Webb
Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders centre Barry Lamble (208-C-83) will be back for a fourth consecutive season after agreeing terms on a new contract.

The 610 centre from Taunton impressed head coach Rob Paternostro from day one last season with his commitment to the club.

Last summer when I got the job I went up to watch some of the guys work out and I was immediately impressed at how hard Barry had worked coming into the season. He deserves a lot of credit, because I thought he was in the best shape of his career last year.

He played very well last season and gave us some really good minutes, both as a starter and as a back-up. When we had some injuries, there were times where he really stepped up. We like having Barry around and we are looking forward to what he can bring us this year.

Lamble posted six points and four rebounds per game last term for the Riders as they claimed their highest league finish in the clubs 42-year history.

It was probably the Englishmans best season in the BBL, especially offensively where his mid-range jump shot proved a useful weapon for the Riders.

Hes certainly capable of scoring baskets. There were some times during the year when we had some lulls and he stepped up and he had a lot of confidence. Once he started playing with that kind of confidence he was a very effective player.

Paternostro is still in discussions with several of last seasons squad as he looks to build on his first campaign as the Riders play-caller.

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URBL

Jermaine Barnes Signs with Al Ahli Jeddah - by URBL media
Al Ahli Jeddah basketball club has agreed to terms with American guard Jermaine Barnes (194-G/F-82, college: Atlanta Christian) with Low Country Sports Management (LSM). Barnes is the winner of the Mac Claire Trophy as the 2008-09 URBL Most Valuable Player, totaled 830 points, including 25 first place votes, from a panel of 30 coaches and owners throughout the URBL. Barnes finished the season ranked first in the league in scoring at 41.5 ppg, having shot .519 from the field, .840 from the free-throw line and .461 from three-point range. In addition, Barnes added 10.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 5.1 steals per game. 'Barnes is by far the best player to come through the URBL', said Mac Claire. The 6-5 guard led the Disciples to the best record in the URBL (17-3) and a URBL Championship. In 2008, Barnes led the Proline Kings to the All-Japan Championship (were Barnes posted his unforgettable 63 point game). Jermaine Barnes (6'5''-G/F-82, agency: Low Country Sports Management, college: Atlanta Christian)

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WILLIAM JONES CUP

Jordan boycotts game for unfair call - by Chris Wang
It started from the post game press conference on July 22nd. Iranian head coach Veselin Matic told reporters that Qatar, Lebanon and Jordan benefitted from 'naturalizing American imports.'

'The Asian Championship is a tournament that belongs to Asian players. But some countries have been naturalizing American imports to make their team stronger. The championship looks more like a pro game right now. Among them are Lebanon, Jordan and Qatar, ' local media quoted Matic, who added that Qatar is the worse case that it barely has any local player on roster.

Iranian players are all native players, Matic said.

Asked by media about the issue, Jordan head coach Mario Palma was visibly angry. He said that Matic should focus on how to make Iran a better team instead of making false accusation on the import issue. Not all Iranian players are native, he said.

Then came the Iran-Jordan game last night.

Less than three minutes entering the game, 7-2 Iranian center Hamed Hadadi elbowed Zaid Abbas after pulling down a rebound. Abbas swung back and walked away. Hadadi charged forward, choking and pushing Abbas.

Jordanian guard Osama Daghles ran onto the court and punched Hadadai before a bench-clearing confrontation.

Taiwanese referee Chen Chuan-jen ruled that Hadadi and Abbas would be ejected as well as all players who left the bench area, which would have left both team with four players each.

However, Korean referee Kim Young-woo insisted that it was only an unsportsmanlike foul and overruled Chen. Kim decided that it would be four technical fouls for Hadadi, Abbas and bench of both teams.

The call pissed off Mario Palma, who told Kim that if Hadadi stayed in the game, Jordan would not resume play. Kim rejected the request and Palma ordered his player leave the court in a boycott.
The official score of the game was Iran 20, Jordan zero.

Jones Cup Men Day 6 - Lebanon beat Taiwan on Jackson's 35 - by Chris Wang
Results:
Kazakhstan 75-70 Japan
Iran 20-0 Jordan (The game turned into a brawl. Jordan boycotted the game as Iran won 20-0. More details later.)
Local media reported that Jordan head coach Mario Palma blasted Iran head coach Veselin Matic for his remarks about foreign-born players. Matic said that Jordan and Lebanon both had a lot of foreign players on the rosters. Palma countered that, except for naturalized Rasheim Wright, all Jordan players have Jordanian parents.
Korea 83-80 Philippines
Lebanon 91-78 Taiwan
Lebanon opened the game with a 10-0 run before Taiwan closed in to tie it at 19 all in the end of the first quarter. Led by Jackson Vroman, Lebanon went ahead and led by as many as 17 in the first half.

Vroman tallied 35 points, including 21 from freethrows, and 17 rebounds. Taiwan could not stop Vroman and sent him to the freethrow line 27 times. Brian Feghali had 18 and 8.

Taiwan center Tseng Wen-ting returned from injury. Tseng had 14 and 7.

Taiwan cut the deficit down to eight in the second half but that was the best they could do. Head coach Chung Kwang-suk said Taiwan actually played some good zone defense in the game.

'We would have had a chance if our three-point shots were dropping, ' he said. Taiwan was 6-of-25 from three in the game.

Key three-pointers helped Korea overcome tough-fighting Philippines 83-80.

Kang Byung-hyun led Korea with 16 points. Arwind Santos was Philippines' top scorer with 12 points.

Kazakhstan opened the game 7-0 and launched another 13-0 run. Japan didn't make a basket until the last two minutes. Surprisingly, it only trailed by six in the end of the first quarter and even tied the score at 20 all.

Alexandr Tyutyunik's timely outside shots paced Kazakhstan to a 41-32 halftime lead and was never threatened thereafter.

Jordan-Iran brawl news clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aosCs1IzrjA

Standings

Standings

1. Jordan		4-1
2. Lebanon		5-1
3. Taiwan		3-2
4. Iran		4-1
5. S.Korea		4-1
6. Japan		1-4
7. Philippines		1-5
8. Taiwan B		1-4
9. Kazakhstan		1-5

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WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS U19

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Michael ROSARIO
  PUR
  (191-G-90)
  Avg: 24

1. Rosario, PUR	24.0
2. Loe, NZL	20.0
3. Delas, CRO	20.0
4. Tyutyunik, KAZ	19.4
5. Sherif, EGY	19.0
6. Prostran, CRO	17.8
7. Edwards, NZL	17.3
8. Motiejunas, LTU	17.3
9. Arop, CAN	16.2
10. Leonard, F.	15.8

Rebounds Per Game

Miguel KIALA
(198-C-90)
Avg: 14

1. Kiala, ANG	14.0
2. Kazemi, IRI	13.0
3. Rasio, ARG	9.0
4. Oraby, EGY	8.4
5. Olynyk, CAN	8.3
6. Motiejunas, LTU	8.0
7. Zubcic, CRO	7.9
8. Hasanzadeh, IRI	7.8
9. Leonard, FRA	7.8
10. Vicens, E.	7.4

Assists Per Game

Toni PROSTRAN
(183-G-91)
Avg: 5.3

1. Prostran, CRO	5.3
2. Cizauskas, LTU	5.0
3. Fontan, PUR	5.0
4. Ismail, KAZ	4.9
5. Albicy, FRA	4.7
6. Taylor, USA	4.4
7. Fernandez, ARG	3.6
8. Perez, ESP	3.4
9. Loe, NZL	3.3
10. Sloukas, G.	3.2

Steals Per Game

Arsalan KAZEMI
  IRI
  (202-F-90)
  Avg: 4

1. Kazemi, IRI	4.0
2. AlJabe, SYR	3.3
3. Albicy, FRA	3.3
4. Ferreira, ANG	3.0
5. Loe, NZL	2.7
6. Perez, ESP	2.5
7. Sherif, EGY	2.4
8. Antonio, ANG	2.3
9. Ismail, KAZ	2.0
10. Young, P.	2.0

Blocks Per Game

Farbod FARMAN
(208-C-91)
Avg: 2.3

1. Farman, IRI	2.3
2. Papanikolaou, GRE	2.3
3. Kazemi, IRI	2.0
4. Lopez, PUR	1.7
5. Allison, CAN	1.6
6. Oraby, EGY	1.6
7. Hasanzadeh, IRI	1.5
8. Delas, CRO	1.4
9. Nirenberg, PUR	1.4
10. Sane, F.	1.4

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WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES

Eurobasket.com All-World University Games Awards 2009 - by Eurobasket

Shabalkin

Battle

Raduljica

Pocius

Nikolov

Best Player: Nikita Shabalkin (204-F-86) of Russia
Best Guard: Talor Battle (180-G-88) of USA
Best Forward: Nikita Shabalkin (204-F-86) of Russia
Best Center: Miroslav Raduljica (213-C-88) of Serbia
Best Coach: Aleksandar Kesar of Serbia

1st Team
PG: Talor Battle (180-G-88) of USA
SG: Martynas Pocius (196-G-86) of Lithuania
F: Hristo Nikolov (200-F-85) of Bulgaria
PF: Nikita Shabalkin (204-F-86) of Russia
C: Miroslav Raduljica (213-C-88) of Serbia

2nd Team
PG: Youval Naimy (188-G-85) of Israel
F/G: Aleksey Kotishevskiy (190-F/G-85) of Russia
SF: Lazar Hayward (198-F-86) of USA
PF: Marko Keselj (205-F-88) of Serbia
C: Eren Beyaz (208-C-85) of Turkey

3rd Team (6 players selected)
PG: Arturs Strelnieks (196-G/F-85) of Latvia
G/F: Kosuke Kanamaru (192-G/F-89) of Japan
F: Titus Nicoara (200-F-88) of Romania
PF: Valeri Likhodey (203-F-86) of Russia
PF: Elishay Kadir (203-F-87) of Israel
F/C: Maxym Korniyenko (201-F/C-87) of Ukraine

Honorable Mention
Gal Mekel (195-G-88) of Israel
Dramir Zibirov (188-G-86) of Russia
Deon Thompson (203-F-88) of USA
Johannes Lischka (203-F/C-87) of Germany
Josh Gibson-Bascombe (193-G-86) of Canada
Ville Makalainen (194-F-85) of Finland
Dimitrios Verginis (194-G-87) of Greece
Roberto Prandin (188-G-86) of Italy
Ben Allen (211-C-86) of Australia
Andre Goes (195-G/F-87) of Brazil
Joel Reynoso (190-G-85) of Mexico
Mohammad Reza Akbari (197-F/G-86) of Iran
Heo Ilyoung (197-F-85) of South Korea
Zhang ZhaoXu (218-C-87) of China

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Women News

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ARGENTINA - Women

Australia cruises past Argentina in Bangkok, Day 1 - by Eurobasket News
U19 Argentina - U19 Australia 51-75

Australia had a joyful first day at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Bangkok. The Opals outplayed Argentina with plus 24 for 1-0 record in Group A. In this pool there are also South Korea and France. Elizabeth Folake Cambage (203-C-91) was in a game mood today and mostly owing to her Australia celebrated this comfortable win. She spent just 17 minutes on the court collecting 20 points and 8 rebounds. Rachel Jarry (185-G-91) and Gretel Tippett delivered 12 points each. Argentina had only two players with double-digits in scoring. Ornella Santana (184-F/C-90) and Andrea Boquete Manna (178-F-90) netted 11 pts each.
The Opals won all four quarters today. The last one was totally the best as they created 12-22. Before that, Australia already made 14-point lead. The biggest problem Argentina had in the paint, where the Opals dominated. Argentina grabbed just 19 rebounds in total, while Australia had 36. The Argentineans also had extremely poor shot percentage from the field, what is another reason of this huge loss.
In Day 2 at the FIBA U19 World Championship, Australia will play against France. Argentina will look for the first win vs South Korea.

Argentina: Ornella Santana 11, Andrea Boquete Manna 11
Australia: Elizabeth Folake Cambage 20+8 boards, Rachel Jarry 12+5 boards, Gretel Tippett 12

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AUSTRALIA - Women

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BRAZIL - Women

Brazil smashes the host of U19 World Championship - by Eurobasket News
U19 Thailand - U19 Brazil 45-104

Brazil totally destroyed the host of the FIBA U19 World Championship. The difference in level between these two teams is huge and this kind of victory was expected. It means that Brazil now has 1-0 record in Group B, where are also placed Lithuania and Czech Republic. Patricia Teixeira Ribeiro (177-G/F-90) led the scorers in victory with 24 points. Leila Zabani (180-G/F-91) had 15 and Monica Da Silva Nascimento (189-F/C-91) netted 11 pts, plus grabbed the same number of rebounds. All players of Team Brazil got a chance to play today. In Thailand, there was only one player with more than ten. It was Suwimon Sangtad with 15 points. Atchara Kaichaiyapoom stopped on 8.
The opening quarter sent a clear sign what the spectators can expect from this game. After ten minutes it was 13-23. Second period ended with huge 7-25 and that was just beginning of fiasco for the hosts. Brazil did not slow down until the end. After the breather they had another impressive quarter stopping Thailand on just 5 points, scoring 32 on the other side. Until the end they jumped to plus 59.
Tomorrow in Bangkok, Brazil will meet Czech Republic. Thailand will play against Lithuania.

Thailand: Suwimon Sangtad 15, Atchara Kaichaiyapoom 8
Brazil: Patricia Teixeira Ribeiro 24, Leila Zabani 15+5 boards, Monica Da Silva Nascimento 11+11 boards

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BULGARIA - Women

Dunav Econt receives opponents for FIBA Eurocup - by Eurobasket News
Bulgarian representative at next year's edition of FIBA EuroCup, has recently found out who their opponents will be. At the recently held draw, Dunav was placed in Region 2, Group G. Their opponents in the group stage will be Dynamo Moscow, Apoel Tel Aviv and Romanian representative CSS LMK Sf. Gheorghe. Dunav will play its opening game on November 12 when they will host CSS LMK Sf. Gheorghe. In the second round they will travel to Tel Aviv, while on November 26th they will visit Dynamo Moscow. Other three rounds of the preliminary stage are scheduled for December 3rd, 10th and 17th. Dunav will be the only representative from Bulgaria at FIBA EuroCup since Lukoil Neftohimik has recently withdrew from the competition. Reason for withdrawal was the hard financial situation that the club is currently going through.
Dunav had a fairly successful last season as they managed to make it to the Playoff Finals. There they did not manage to defend the title they won in 2008, as they lost to Lukoil 3 games to 1. They also participated at EuroCup last season but only managed to take 4th place in Group C with 1 win and 5 losses. This season they will be looking to improve on the results in Europe.
FIBA Eurocup has been divided into 2 regions with 4 groups each. The best two teams from each group will qualify for the 1/16 finals and from the the cup system will be in place.

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CANADA - Women

Russia hands 54-46 loss to Canada at U19 World Championship - by Eurobasket News
U19 Russia - U19 Canada 54-46

Russia grabbed very important win at the opening day of the FIBA U19 World Championship in Bangkok. Both squads showed their nerves today, what resulted with a low-scoring game. Anyway, Russia has a reason for joy as now they have 1-0 record in Group C. In these pool, beside these two teams, are also Japan and Tunisia. Ekaterina Kiryanova (179-F/G-90) led the winners with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Alexandra Tarasova (192-C-91) had 11 points, missing only one board for double-double, while Tatiana Petrushina (185-F-90) also helped with 11. Natalie C. Achonwa (188-F-92) responded with 15 points and 9 rebounds in defeat. She was the last one with double-digits as the second scorer was Kayla Alexander (195-F/C-91) with 9 pts, but including 14 rebounds.
Canada was better team in the first half. After ten minutes of the game it was 9-11 and later 22-28 for the Canadians. After the breather, picture on the court has changed. Russia improved a lot and mostly owing to Ekaterina Kiryanova grabbed 2-point lead. Tatiana Petrushina than stepped up scoring nine of her 11 points - including one of the only two three pointer conversions in the game - in the fourth quarter to steer Russia to the pivotal victory.
Tomorrow in Bangkok Russia will meet Japan. Canada will take on Tunisia.

Russia: Ekaterina Kiryanova 12+5 boards, Alexandra Tarasova 11+9 boards, Tatiana Petrushina 11
Canada: Natalie C. Achonwa 15+9 boards, Kayla Alexander 9+14 boards

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CHINA - Women

Chinese U19 National Team 2009 - by Sahereh

Zhao

Cheng

Qiu

Ding

4 Li Xinyi (-90)
5 Zhao Tong (-90)
6 Cheng Dan (-91)
7 Qiu Siyue (-91)
8 Huan Huan (185-C-90) of Jiangsu Phoenix
9 Shuang Zhao (188-F-90) of Shenyang army Liaoyang Golden Lions
10 Ding Yuan (185-F-91) of Guangdong Asia Aluminium Dolphins
11 Gao Song (190-F-92) of Heilongjiang Chenneng
12 Wen Lu (188-F-90) of Bayi Kylin
13 Cheng Feng (-90)
14 Zheng Bowen (-90)
15 Zhang Chenrui (-90)
Head Coach: Li Yaguang

China opens FIBA U19 World Champion with victory vs Mali - by Eurobasket News
U19 China - U19 Mali 86-60

First appearance for China at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Bangkok and the first win. The Chinese did not have any troubles to beat Mali, jumping to 1-0 record in Group D. There, in the same pool are placed Spain and USA. Ding Yuan (185-F-91) led the scorers in Team China today with 17 points. She spent 24 minutes one the court missing only 4 shots. Li Xinyi (-90) followed her with 12 pts. In Team Mali, Aminata Mariko was pretty good collecting 15 points and 8 rebounds. Laoudy Maiga (-G-90) contributed with 14 points.
Mali was good in the first half. At the point of game it seemed it will be exciting 20 minutes until the end. In the first period Mali made 14-19 and after that China had 17-16. However, that plus 3 was everything what Mali did until the end. China drained 55 points during the following two quarters, what was too much for the African squad. Laoudy Maiga and her teammates stopped on 25. Anyway, China won this one, but Mali showed it can play. Of course, it will be very hard to beat Spain or USA in the next two games.
Tomorrow, China will play vs USA. Mali will take on strong Spain.

China: Ding Yuan 17, Li Xinyi 12,
Mali: Aminata Mariko 15+8 boards, Laoudy Maiga 14

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CZECH REPUBLIC - Women

Czech Republic too strong for Lithuania in Bangkok - by Eurobasket News
U19 Czech R. - U19 Lithuania 84-72

Czech Republic celebrated in the first appearance at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Bangkok. That was the opening game of Group B, where are also placed Brazil and Thailand. Thanks for well played second and third quarter, Czech Republic is on 1-0 record now. Renata Brezinova (189-C-90) stepped up in this victory with 16 points and 4 rebounds. Andrea Sladkova (186-C-91) and Katerina Bartonova (171-G-90) helped with 12 points each. In the loosing squad, Egle Siksniute (196-F/C-91) shined with 21 points. Giedre Paugaite (192-C-90) posted 12 pts and grabbed 8 boards.
Lithuania had slightly better first quarter ending it with plus 3, 21-24. After that moment Renata Brezinova and Andrea Sladkova stepped on the scene. They pushed up their teammates in defense, also doing pretty good job at the offensive end. Everything resulted with 22-12 and plus 7 at the half time. Third period was crucial. Czech Republic once again scored 22 points, stopping the Lithuanians on 17. Until the end the teams were leveled, what for sure was what Czech Republic wanted.
Tomorrow, Czech Republic will play against Brazil. Lithuania will meet the host, Thailand.

Czech Republic: Renata Brezinova 16+4 boards, Andrea Sladkova 12, Katerina Bartonova 12
Lithuania: Egle Siksniute 21, Giedre Paugaite 12+8 boards

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FRANCE - Women

France smashes South Korea in Bangkok - by Eurobasket News
U19 France - U19 South Korea 89-47

France opened FIBA U19 World Championship in style. It was the official tip-off in Bangkok and France demonstrated magnificent performance beating South Korea with huge 89-47. Allison Vernerey (194-C-91) stepped up for the winners scoring 14 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Pauline Thizy (190-C-90) also had 14, while Margaux Okou Zouzouo (183-F-91) helped with one point less. All other players in France had 10 or less. In South Korea, Ga Young Kim responded with 12 points. Gibbeum Heo and Hyojin Ahn contibuted with 11 pts each.
France was better team during the entire time. Korea succeeded to resists only in third quarter, when it was 16-16. Even before that, France created 21-point lead. Korea faced with real fiasco in the last period as Allison Vernerey and her teammates stopped them on just 5 points, scoring 26 on the other side. France outjumped Korea today and also had much better stroke from the field. The loosing squad committed 20 turnovers, what was too much.
Tomorrow in Bangkok France will meet Australia, while South Korea will take on Argentina. These four teams are placed together in Group A.

France: Allison Vernerey 14+8 boards, Pauline Thizy 14, Margaux Okou Zouzouo 13
South Korea: Ga Young Kim 12, Gibbeum Heo 11, Hyojin Ahn 11

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FYR MACEDONIA - Women

Macedonian National Team facing problems with cancellations - by Eurobasket News
Macedonian Basketball Federation is facing problems with wit Female Senior National Team. Instead of starting with the preparation cycle for qualifications for European Championship Division B, Federation is struggling to gather a team. After only recently managing to provide conditions for practicing, now the issue has risen that only 5 out of 34 candidates have confirmed they will show up. It seems that most of the players do not wish to pay the travel expenses for their coming to preparations so they decided to decline the invitation. The stance of the federation is to only cover expenses when the team travels abroad and they are not ready at this time to cover all travel expenses for their players. Head Coach, Vidoja Sekuloski is hoping that some kind of compromise will be found soon and that the team will eventually gather. Otherwise, Macedonia will have to withdraw from qualification for European Championships. This would prove to be a huge blow for Macedonian female basketball, which is already going through some tough times. Time will tell if Federation will solve this situation.
So far, Macedonia has played four qualification games in Group B. They are currently in 3rd place with 2 wins and two losses. Other than Macedonia, qualifying Group B consists of Sweden, Portugal, Estonia and Luxemburg. Next round is scheduled for August 15th, 2008 and Macedonia is supposed to travel to Estonia. It remains to be seen if the team will travel to Estonia or will they have to forfeit the rest of their games.

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JAPAN - Women

Japan beats Tunisia at U19 World Championship - by Eurobasket News
U19 Tunisia - U19 Japan 64-85

Japan celebrated in the first appearance at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Bangkok. The Japanese met Tunisia grabbing nice 64-85 win for 1-0 record in Group C. Beside these two teams, other participants in the same pool are Canada and Russia. Kana Motoyama was a key player for Japan as she drained 25 points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Yuka Mamiya follwoed her with double-double, 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Shiori Yodono added 14 pts. On the other side, Lilia Inoubli answered with 18 pts, missing just one board for double-double. Zbeyda Arami stopped on 14 pts and 7 rebounds.
Japan had a strong start in Bangkok creating impressive 11-27 in the first quarter. That was a real shock for Tunisia, who somehow improved after that. However, that was not enough for any better than minus 15 at the half time. Third stanza belonged to Tunisa 24-18, but they needed way more. Kana Motoyama and her teammates totally smashed them during the last ten minutes celebrating deserved 64-85 win. Japan scored 12 triples in this match.
Tomorrow Japan will meet Russia, while Tunisia will take on Canada.

Tunisia: Lilia Inoubli 18+9 boards, Zbeyda Arami 14+7 boards
Japan: Kana Motoyama 25+5 boards, Yuka Mamiya 18+12 boards, Shiori Yodono 14

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LITHUANIA - Women

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MALI - Women

Mali U19 National Team 2009 - by Sahereh

Maiga

Djibo

Mariko

Coulibaly

5 Aissata Maiga (-92)
6 Laoudy Maiga (-G-90) of AS Police
7 Aissata Djibo (-90)
8 Nassira Traore (185-F/C-91) of Djoliba Athletic Club
9 Aissata Traore (-90)
10 Aminata Mariko (-90)
11 Ouleymatou Coulibaly (-90)
12 Fatoumata Traore (-90)
13 Kankou Coulibaly (-90)
15 Astan Dabo (203-C-92) of Strasbourg Alsace Basketball Club (FRA)
Head Coach: Amara Traore

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NCAA1 - Women

Spain shocks USA at U19 World Championship in Bangkok - by Eurobasket News
U19 Spain - U19 USA 90-86

What a performance by Spain at the opening day of the FIBA U19 World Championship in Bangkok. Leonor Rodriguez (177-G-91) and her teammates managed to beat the defending champion USA handing them their first defeat in eight years. As a reminder, the teams are placed in Group D, together with Mali and China. The above mentioned Leonor Rodriguez top-scored for the Spain today with 23 points. She had pretty good stroke from the field (8/13) and was almost unmistakable from the free throw line (7/8). Marta Tudanca (182-F-90) also had very important role scoring 21, while Marta Xargay (180-G-90) helped with 19 pts. In USA, Nnemkadi Ogwumike (188-F-90) was better than the others collecting 16 pts and 8 rebounds. Chalysa Shegog and Skylar Diggins (175-G-90) netted 13 pts each.
Spain had magnificent first half. In the first ten minutes the Spaniards already made plus 10, 22-12. USA improved after that, but Spain did the same extending their lead to 46-32 at the HT. That was a sign for the defending champions to start playing and they quickly cut the margin. Until the end of third period the turn happened, 59-61 (including 18-0 run). Leonor Rodriguez and her teammates did not give up. They recovered from poor third stanza ending the game with 31-25 in the last one for fantastic win against the strong USA Team.
Tomorrow, Spain will meet Mali, while USA will meet China.

Spain: Leonor Rodriguez 23+4 boards, Marta Tudanca 21, Marta Xargay 19
USA: Nnemkadi Ogwumike 16+8 boards, Chalysa Shegog 13, Skylar Diggins 13

USA U19 National Team 2009 - by Sahereh

Prahalis

Johnson

Diggins

Ogwumike

Shegog

4 Samantha Prahalis (5'7''-G-90) of Ohio State University
5 Ceira Ricketts (5'9''-G-90) of The University of Arkansas
6 Shenise Johnson (5'11''-F) of University of Miami, Florida
7 Skylar Diggins (5'9''-G-90) of High School USA
8 Kelly Faris (5'11''-F-91) of High School USA
9 Lasondra Barrett (6'2''-F-90) of Louisiana State University
10 Layshia Clarendon
12 Taber Chalee Spani (6'0''-G-91) of Kansas State University
13 Nnemkadi Ogwumike (6'2''-F-90) of Stanford University
14 Chalysa Shegog (6'5''-F/C-90) of University of North Carolina
15 Kelsey Bone (6'5''-C-91) of University of South Carolina
Head Coach: Carol Owens

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NCAA2 - Women

Final Home Game For Columbus Hidden Gems! - by Lucius Jones
The final home game for the Columbus Hidden Gems is this Sat,July 25th at The Hoop on 5th Ave at 4pm vs the Flint Flames. The team has an array of talent from all levels, but features several players from the NCAA D2 level who have been integral pieces in the success of the upstart franchise. Jeannie Saunders (5'8''-G-86, college: Salem Intern.), Sarah Van Horn (5'11''-F, college: W.Virg.Wesl.), Tapre Young (5'11''-F-86, college: Salem Intern.), Megan Fletcher, college: Ky Wesleyan) all had great success in NCAA D2 action. The Columbus Hidden Gems still have a chance to win their region, which makes this game all the more important with Regionals in Flint next week and Nationals August 15th/16th.

Available professional prospects: Jeannie Saunders, Megan Fletcher, and Tapre Young will be looking to cap off successful seasons in order to further pursue their professional playing careers abroad. For more information, go to: http://www.ballcharts.com/wbcbl_chg

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PUERTO RICO - Women

Alcalde's Cup - by Raul Colon
The Aguas Buenas Tigresas, Isabela Pollitas, Mayaguez Indians, Guaynabo Conquistadors, Cabo Rojo Turistas, Ponce Lions and the newly formed San Juan Warriors, will be playing in the much anticipated Copa Alcalde to be held at the Tigresas home court (Samuel Rodriguez coliseum) this upcoming weekend.

The single elimination tournament will serve as a tune up for the Superior Women Basketball League which starts in just a few days.

The Cup kickoff Saturday afternoon with the matchup between the Warriors versus an improved Pollitas squad. The action continued with the Lions facing off against the Indias and the Tigresas tangle ling against the Turistas.
The tournament ends on Monday, the 27th with the championship game.

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RUSSIA - Women

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SOUTH KOREA - Women

Korean U19 National Team 2009 - by Sahereh

Ga Young

GibBeum

HyoJin

Seungah

Jeonghyun

4 Yeonkyung Choo (-91)
5 Sungyoung Sim (-92)
6 Saebyeok Kim (-91)
7 Hye Ryeon Park (-91)
8 Ga Young Kim (-92)
9 GibBeum Heo (-91)
10 Hong Jin Cha (-92)
11 HyoJin Ahn
12 Seungah Lee (-92)
13 Jeonghyun Lee (-92)
14 Miso Kim (-91)
15 Minkyung Kim (-93)
Head Coach: Ki-Ho Lee

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SPAIN - Women

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THAILAND - Women

Thailand U19 National Team 2009 - by Sahereh

Promrat

Kaichaiyapoom

Sangtad

Doksaiyud

Phuko

4 Aungkana Buapa (-93)
5 Suree Promrat (-91)
6 Kanyavee Praphakan (-91)
7 Atchara Kaichaiyapoom (-92)
8 Supavadee Kunchuan (-92)
9 Pornnutcha Sawatong (-93)
10 Suwimon Sangtad (-91)
11 Ruemenchanok Doksaiyud (-92)
12 Charinee Napasri (-90)
13 Tanatporn Sevetchnan (-92)
14 Suchada Phuko (-90)
Head Coach: Thongchai Vatanasakdakul

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TUNISIA - Women

Tunisian U19 National Team 2009 - by Sahereh

Mefteh

Ben Mechlia

Inoubli

Hichri

Arami

4 Khouloud Mefteh (-91)
5 Emna Halaili (-90)
6 Ines Benchickh (-92)
7 Monia Ben Mechlia (-92)
8 Lilia Inoubli (-92)
9 Hiba Kachouri (-91)
10 Abir Aidi (-91)
11 Ichrak Bouteraa (-91)
12 Houaida Hichri (-90)
13 Zbeyda Arami (-91)
15 Narjes Jaballah (-90)
Head Coach: Moussa Toure

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WNBA - Women

Powell to replace Leslie for 2009 All-Star Game - by Eurobasket News
Sacramento Monarchs forward Nicole Powell (6'2''-G/F-82, college: Stanford) has been named as a replacement player for the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game WNBA President Donna Orender announced today.

Powell, a sixth-year pro who will be playing in her first All-Star Game, fills the Western Conference roster spot vacated by the Los Angeles Sparks' Lisa Leslie (6'5''-C-72, college: USC), who has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury against the Phoenix Mercury in the fifth game of the season.

The third overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft and winner of the league's Most Improved Player award in 2005 when Sacramento won the WNBA title, Powell currently leads the Monarchs in scoring, averaging a personal career-best 15.1 points per game, and ranks second on the club in rebounds (5.1). She also ranks second overall in the WNBA in three-point fields goals made with 42 (statistics based on games played through Tuesday, July 21).

The league's ninth All-Star Game will be held on Saturday, July 25 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. and will be televised nationally on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.

As previously announced, San Antonio Head Coach Dan Hughes will coach the West by virtue of winning the 2008 Western Conference title. The East will be led by Indiana Head Coach Lin Dunn, who was named the coach after the Fever clinched the best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference for games through July 15. This method was used because Bill Laimbeer, head coach of the 2008 Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock, stepped down from his post in early June.

As coach of the West squad, Hughes will select from the West roster a player to insert into the starting lineup in place of Leslie, who had earned the honor by a vote of WNBA fans.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

Last games (5) - Eleventh win for Seattle Storm - by Eurobasket News
Atlanta D. - Detroit S. 98-95
The Atlanta Dream outplayed the Detroit Shock last night mostly owing to Ivory Latta (5'6''-G-84, agency: 540 Sports, college: N.Carolina) and Angel McCoughtry, who drained 22 and 20 points respectively. Michelle Snow also shined adding 16 pts and 12 rebounds. On the other side, Detroit got double-double from Kara Braxton, 25 pts and 12 boards. Dream 8-10, Shock 5-9.

Sacramento M. - Connecticut S. 75-83
The Connecticut Sun grabbed 9th victory of the season and this time the key player was Asjha Jones (6'2''-F-80, college: Connecticut), who scored 28 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. She was totally the best in her squad. Nicole Powell answered with 18 points for the Monarchs.

Minnesota L. - Phoenix M. 99-86
Nicky Anosike (6'4''-C-86, college: Tennessee) led the Lynx last night with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 boards, Roneeka Hodges had 20, while Charde Houston and Tisha Humphrey added 17 pts apiece. Cappie Pondexter and Tangela Smith combined 51 points in defeat. Lynx 10-7, Mercury 12-5.

New York L. - Chicago S. 77-70
6-8 for the Liberty and 8-9 record for the Sky after this game. Sidney Spencer (6'3''-F-85, college: Tennessee) was almost unmistakable netting 15 points in victory. Cathrine Kraayeveld had 14 pts and 8 rebounds. On the other side, Sylvia Fowles delivered 15 pts and grabbed 9 rebs in defeat.

L.Angeles S. - Seattle S. 87-98
The Seattle Storm had Sue Bird (5'9''-G-80, college: Connecticut) in a game mood getting 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists from her. Lauren Jackson (6'5''-F/C-81) had 18, Camile Little 17 pts and 14 rebs, while Cash Swin 16 added 16 points. In Sparks, Tina Thompson registered 22 pts and 6 rebounds. Storm 11-6, Sparks 4-9.

Standings

WNBA Standings

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

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WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS U19 - Women

Standings (Women)

Standings

Group A
1. Australia		1-0
2. France		1-0
3. S.Korea		0-1
4. Argentina		0-1
Group B
1. Brazil		1-0
2. Czech Repu.		1-0
3. Lithuania		0-1
4. Thailand		0-1
Group C
1. Japan		1-0
2. Russia		1-0
3. Tunisia		0-1
4. Canada		0-1
Group D
1. China		1-0
2. Spain		1-0
3. Mali		0-1
4. USA		0-1

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WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES - Women

Eurobasket.com All-World University Games Awards 2009 - by Eurobasket

Charles

Belyakova

Penaluna

McCray

Zurowska

Best Player: Tina Charles (193-C-88) of USA
Best Guard: Evgenia Belyakova (182-G-86) of Russia
Best Forward: Elyse Penaluna (193-C-88) of Australia * played also at center position
Best Center: Tina Charles (193-C-88) of USA

1st Team
G: Evgenia Belyakova (182-G-86) of Russia
G/F: Danielle McCray (180-G/F-87) of USA
F/C: Elyse Penaluna (193-C-88) of Australia
C/F: Justyna Zurowska (188-C-85) of Poland
C: Tina Charles (193-C-88) of USA

2nd Team
PG: Katerina Elhotova (176-G-89) of Czech Rep.
SG: Elena Danilochkina (184-G-86) of Russia
G/F: Johannah Leedham (180-G/F-87) of United Kingdom
F/C: Hua Lin (187-C/F-86) of China
C: Jantel Lavender (193-C-88) of USA

3rd Team
PG: Alexis Gray-Lawson (173-G-87) of USA
G: Huang Fan-Shan (174-G-87) of Taiwan
F: Romana Hejdova (183-F-88) of Czech Rep.
F: Katarina Tetemondova (185-F-88) of Slovakia
C: Ekaterina Lisina (198-C-87) of Russia

Honorable Mention
Marianna Tolo (196-C-89) of Australia
Saori Ohtaka (170-F-88) of Japan
Akane Takemoto (-F-87) of Japan
Jovana Rad (187-F/C-87) of Serbia
Anna Vida (184-F-85) of Hungary
Melike Bakircioglu (191-F/C-87) of Turkey
Aurelie Carmona (184-C/F-87) of France
Aleia Rachide (184-F-85) of Mozambique