EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 4/23/2011

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


Obras Sanitarias triumph in Interligas Tournament - by Eurobasket News
Obras Sanitarias - Pinheiros/Sky 80:77

Obras Sanitarias are the winners of 2011 edition of Interligas Tournament. They held off Pinheiros/Sky in the close final battle in Sao Paulo. William McFarlan (201-F-76, agency: Dream Team Management, college: St.Thomas Aquinas) stepped up with 22 points to pace the winners. He was named Final MVP after the game.
Pinheiros/Sky started the game aggressively. They erupted for 27 points in the opening frame to gain a 2-point lead at the first intermission. But Obras adjusted defensively in the second term. They limited Pinheiros/Sky to only 12 points in the period and surged ahead for a 47:39 halftime advantage. Pinheiros/Sky stayed close throughout the third frame. They narrowed the deficit at just 4-point at the final break. The Brazilian side pulled ahead with under three minutes remaining 71:70. But Obras survived the challenge. William McFarlan stepped up for the Argentinean team and sealed the winning outcome for Obras Sanitarias. Juan Gutierrez (205-F/C-83) knocked down 15 points, while Luis Cequeira (180-G-85) finished with 14 points in the win. Marquinhos Vinicius (207-F-84) and Shamell Stallworth (196-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF) notched 15 points apiece for Pinheiros/Sky. Juan Pablo Figueroa (184-G-86, agency: Interperformances) had 11 points in the loss.

Obras: William McFarlan 22, Juan Gutierrez 15, Luis Cequeira 14
Pinheiros/Sky: Marquinhos Vinicius 15, Shamell Stallworth 15, Juan Pablo Figueroa 11



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  AUSTRALIA   


QBL: Gange New Danger Man For Mackay - by Eurobasket News
The McDonalds Mackay Meteors may have luck on their side this season after landing the signing of dynamic guard Matt Gange, after he moved to Mackay for work commitments.

Gange trekked to North QLD from Sydney in September last year to begin his Auto-Electrician apprenticeship. A talented Australian Rules Football player, Gange began 2011 preparing to play in the local Mackay AFL competition.

However after only a couple of individual shoot-around sessions at Mackay Basketball the standout scorer knew that he wasn't done with hoops just yet.

At only 25, Gange is a journeyman in the sport. Starting his junior career in Victoria, Gange starred for Vic Country representative state teams until he moved to Adelaide where he finished his junior career with the South Australian Under 20 team.

Gange then moved back to Victoria to begin his senior career with the Mildura Mavericks in the ABA where he played two seasons. He then returned to Adelaide to play a further three ABA seasons with the Forrestville Eagles, when at the same time he was also a training player with the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League. After his stint with the Sixers, Gange returned back to the SEABL where he was a standout for the Albury Wodonga Bandits, averaging 17 points per game in his final season with the club in 2009.

Mackay Basketball General Manager Joel Khalu said picking up a player of Gange's calibre was a huge bonus for the club.

'I was sitting in my office one day and this guy came in and asked if he could shoot-around,' Khalu said.

'I went out and rebounded for him and right away I knew we had a player in our midst.'

'It took a bit of convincing from Coach Kruger and I to get him involved but when he did arrive to his first McDonalds Meteors practice Matt showed great commitment and worked extremely hard.'

'We'll be looking to him to bring that experience to the floor and he gives us another legitimate threat from the perimeter,' Khalu added.

Gange will have his first chance to impress for the McDonalds Meteors when they head to Rockhampton this Saturday for a QBL Pre-season Blitz tournament.
Courtesy of: http://www.sportingpulse.com

QBL: Martin returning to McDonalds Meteors - by Eurobasket News
The McDonalds Mackay Meteors are pleased to announce that standout guard Rhys Martin (193-G-86, college: Nova SE) will rejoin the team for the 2011 Queensland Basketball League season after agreeing to terms on Friday.

The 25-year old playmaker was named to the QBL All-Star Five last season and is coming off an impressive 2011 NBL season, where he has averaged 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 15 games with the Wollongong Hawks.

Martin was a huge contributor for the Mcdonalds Meteors in last year's QBL, leading the team to the Grand Final against Rockhampton. He hopes to take the team one win better this year.

'It was a disappointing way to finish the season last year going down in the grand final and I definitely don't want that feeling again,' Martin said.

'This year my sole focus is on bringing a QBL championship to Mackay and with the group that we have it is definitely a realistic goal.'

Mackay Basketball General Manager Joel Khalu said a lot of work had been done to make sure Martin returned to the McDonalds Meteors.

'Retaining Rhys was definitely a high priority for our club,' Khalu said.

'He has been an outstanding player at this level for many years and he's a true professional and that's the type of player we want in our program.'

'It's a fantastic signing for our organisation as we look to make a legitimate championship run this year,' Khalu added.
Courtesy of: http://www.sportingpulse.com

Wiggins named Co-MVP of Jordan Brand Classic International Game - by Eurobasket News
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Dusan Ristic (204-F-95) from Serbia, who had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins (202-F-95) of Canada, with 21 points and 10 rebounds, were named co-Most Valuable Players in the International Game of the 10th anniversary Jordan Brand Classic presented by Foot Locker at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. The arena is home to the NBAs Charlotte Bobcats.

Other players in the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic International Game included Abdiel Badillo Martinez (Puerto Rico), Landry Christ Nnoko (Cameroon), Mario Hezonja (Croatia), Mory Kane (Senegal), Konstantin Kulikov (Russia), Vasiliy Martynov (Russia), Aleksej Nikolic (Slovenia), Djedi Osman (Turkey), Filip Pruefer (Poland), Adam Pechacek (Czech Republic), Guilherme Saad (Brazil), Edvinas Seskus (Lithuania), David Taylor (Germany) and Chen Ying-Chun (Taiwan).

The Jordan Brand Classic is an annual showcase of the top high school basketball players in the United States, throughout North Carolina and internationally. Previous MVPs of the All-American Game have included Kyrie Irving and Harrison Barnes in 2010, Derrick Favors and Renardo Sidney in 2009, Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans in 2008, Donte Greene and Corey Fisher in 2007, Kevin Durant and Thaddeus Young in 2006, Tyler Hansbrough and Andray Blatche in 2005, Dwight Howard in 2004, LeBron James and Shannon Brown in 2003, and Amare Stoudemire and Sean in 2002.

Sponsored by Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE Inc., the event was again attended by some of sport and entertainments biggest stars including North Carolina native J. Cole, who headlined the post-game musical performance. In addition, beat maker araabMUZIK was featured at halftime and singer Anthony Hamilton performed the U.S. national anthem.

Saturday's event concluded a week of activities around Charlotte, including a visit to the U.S. National Whitewater Center, team practices at the Charlotte Convention Center, an awards dinner with NBA player Stephen Jackson (Bobcats) at Bank of America Stadium and the 2K Sports Video Game Challenge.
Courtesy of: http://www.basketball.ca

Taipans face some hard questions - by Eurobasket News
It would be easy to write the Cairns Taipans off after what was one of the more horrific grand final debuts in NBL history. The clich one game at a time became a clich for a reason however, and that reason is its true.

No matter how badly Cairns lost Game One, they are still only 1-0 down, the rest is mental. Sure they took some momentum and inspiration from their near miss in game one of the semi final against Townsville, but they can just as surely use their poor performance in Auckland as motivation.

Of course, just as important as motivation is picking apart what went wrong and making the necessary adjustments, be they changes to the X and Os, the mindset or physical approach.

Here are a few questions for the folks in Cairns to get them thinking.

Can it get any worse?
Of course it can. Kevin Braswell shot 1/7, CJ Bruton (188-G-75, college: Indian Hills CC) shot 2/11 and had a number of shots rim out, Tom Abercrombie shot 3/8, and the Breakers took the foot off the pedal mid way through the third quarter.

Cairns could easily have lost game one by 40 points and, as Ayinde Ubaka said post-game, if they play the same way on Sunday they will get murdered again in front of 5300 of their devoted fans. It couldnt get much worse than that.

Was New Zealands defence that good?
It did a great job of disrupting Cairns offence and making them shoot contested shots with the 24 second clock running down. The main reason it was so effective was the Taipans were hell-bent on controlling the tempo and running through their sets.

This actually allowed New Zealand to control Cairns offence as they could pick their moments to pressure knowing the Taipans would continue to run through their set. Only when Ubaka split a pair of on-ball screens in the second quarter did the Taipans look to have any venom in the half court.

Where were Ron Dorsey and Daniel Dillon?
New Zealand has a veteran team that can play smart defence, what they dont have is a team full of guys who can contain quick players on penetration. Kirk Penney and CJ Bruton in particular will have their hands full trying to contain the speed of Dorsey and Dillon, that duo just needs to take it on their shoulders to make some things happen.

It carries risks, because the Breakers are a smart team who are moving together on defence at the moment, but the reward is even greater. Once the New Zealand defence gets punctured a few times the sting tends to go out of their disruptive pressure.

Whats happening with Alex Loughton?
Its a tough time of year for spot up shooters, and that is mostly what Loughton is. Sure he has some nice post moves, but most of his damage is done on the catch and shoot. With his teammates locked up by late season defence there simply arent as many good looks, and so each one that misses is playing on Loughtons mind to a greater degree.

Cairns need to get Ubaka and Dillon into the lane early to find open shots for Loughton in the short corner. With his confidence going he becomes more dangerous on the pick and pop and post up.

How can Ian Crosswhite only shoot six shots?
A staple of the Cairns offence earlier in the season was the high-low combination of Crosswhite and Loughton, and running the offence more through Crossy, even if he isnt looking to score each time, would be a good way to free up Loughton and the other shooters.

As it was, Crosswhite was near unstoppable around the hoop in Game One, shooting 5/6 and drawing six fouls including two early ones on Wilkinson that took New Zealand out of their offensive rhythm. The ball needs to go through Crosswhite until the Breakers work out how they can stop him, and for as long as his excellent passing skills are creating shots for teammates.

Which Phill Jones will turn up on Sunday?
It has been curious watching Phill Jones pass up so many open shots this season. Just last August he scored 15 points on 5/7 perimeter shooting against Spain. Thats right Spain, one of the most talented and best defensive teams on the planet. He did it in 23 minutes too.

The Taipans are only in the playoffs because of Jones heroics in Wollongong late in the season, when he hit 19 points on 5/5 shooting from beyond the arc. There was no second-guessing that night, especially on the game winner.

This is the playoffs, where only the good win. The hesitant get embarrassed. If Jones wants the Taipans to be in the former, he needs to play with confidence from his first minute until his last, not once the game has been already decided as he did in Game One.

Are shadows worth jumping at?
The Breakers had 41 points at half time on Wednesday even despite their very slow offensive start. Once they got rolling they were simply able to get shots where they wanted, when they wanted. It was like that partly because Cairns were too concerned with the Breakers prowess from long range.

Yes they are a good three-point shooting team at 37%, with lots of options from beyond the arc, but the long distance ball can be their downfall as much as their saviour. Against Perth in Game One the Breakers sprayed up 25 triples in the last three quarters as Perth hunted them down. They hit just three.

Perth were respecting their shot, but they werent allowing them to create the wide open shots through penetration. As New Zealands offence broke down with them not being able to get into the lane, they started to spray up threes with a hand in their face or out of rhythm.

In Game One of the Grand Final Cairns were jumping at shadows, too worried about what might happen from long range to cover the easier baskets that spreading the floor creates. At half time the Breakers had shot just 4/12 from the perimeter, but in their second quarter run they went 8/14 from two-point range.

The best way to slow New Zealand is to make them shoot the ball over a hand, secure the rebounds and run against their slow transition defence. If they have a hot night so be it, but if they have their complete inside-outside offence happening they wont be stopped by anyone.

How do you stop Kirk Penney?
Generally you dont. The man was the second leading scorer at last years FIBA World Championship despite the fact every team knew stopping him meant stopping the Tall Blacks. He is no joke. In fact he is a superstar.

You can slow him down though. Firstly, switch when he is coming off stagger screens. He does his best work on the move and is deadly on the sweeping catch and shoot. Take that away.

If it creates a mismatch so be it, most teams will take Penney trying to go one-on-one as opposed to firing quick release jumpers. Make him penetrate to the middle and hit a pull-up jumpshot or create a pass through traffic. Dont allow him to penetrate from the sides to spin to a fade-away or find the open wing player who the defence has rotated off.

Secondly, put him under foul pressure. When he puts the ball on the floor he has a tendency to push off with his leading arm. It is a small thing but Russia drew three offensive fouls on him in their Eight Final game at the FIBA World Championship. Their clever acting to highlight push-off forced Penney off the floor for large periods and effectively determined the outcome.

At the other end get Ron Dorsey in the low block and see if he can draw fouls or get easy scores. There is no easy way to slow Kirk Penney, but allowing him to come off screens and shoot, and having his opponent stand in the corner waiting for spot up jumpers definitely wont get the job done.

Is winning the NBL title too big an ask from here?
Of course not. Even the hardiest Taipans fan wouldnt be completely surprised their team is 1-0 down. Winning their home game was always a must in this series, so now they just have to get the job done. From there, anything is possible in Game Three.

Courtesy of NBL (www.nbl.com.au)

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  BAHRAIN   


Al Hala Beats Issa Town - by Yousef Ahmed
Al Hala posted a come-from-behind 82-59 victory over Isa Town to revive their chances of reaching the main round in the BBA Last Night. It was Isa Town who had a bright start and took a 21-18 lead in the first quarter, with Ebrahim Al Durazi scoring 11 points. But Al Hala gradually came back into the game and took over at 39-34 at half-time, thanks to their American professional Patrick Simpson (206-F-83, college: SMU) who scored 13 points.

Al Hala stretched their advantage to 62-50 at the end of the third quarter, following a good show led by Abbas Jawady, Ahmed Ali, Ali Abbas and Simpson. Isa Town, relying on Jamal Holden (206-C-80, college: UALR) of the US besides Hassan Ramadan and Al Durazi, tried hard to overcome Al Hala in the fourth and final quarter, but the latter proved the stronger side with a solid defence and flawless finishing to emerge victorious.

Meanwhile, league action concludes tomorrow with what promises to be an action-packed thriller between Al Ahli and Muharraq. This game is set for 7pm start. Two matches are scheduled to take place the following day when Sitra face off with Al Hala at 5.30pm, to be followed by the Nuwaidrat vs Al Ittihad game at 7.15pm. All matches will take place at Zain Basketbal Arena.


Source GDN

Al Ahli gear up for Gulf clubs championship - by Yousef Ahmed
AL AHLI Club have stepped up their preparations for the 31st edition of the GCC Clubs Basketball Championship, set to take place in Al Madina Al Madinah Al Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia, next month. The tournament, scheduled from May 4 to 11, will see eight teams from the six Gulf countries taking part.

The Bahrain league champions, who came fourth in last year's edition, were drawn in a relatively easy Group 'A' alongside Saudi Arabia's Ohod, Nazwa of Oman and Qatar's Al Gharrafa. Group 'B' features higher-ranked clubs like defending champions Al Rayyan of Qatar, last year's runners-up Al Shabab of the UAE, four-time GCC champions Al Qadsia of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad, who hold a record five titles.

Al Ahli will miss several key players who were axed by the club's board after taking part in an anti-government demonstration in Manama during the unrest. To fill the gap, the club has included some of its youth team members joining the other regular players like playmaker Hussain Shaker, who is back after a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Al Ahli Club is currently searching for an extra experienced player to boost its side for the week-long championship.

Al Ahli's basketball team manager Khalid Kanoo said his club has sent a letter to Manama Club, requesting to sign their national team star center Ahmed Al Mutawa (199-F/C-81, college: Broward CC) for the duration of the tournament. Kanoo, a former club and international player, said Al Ahli is also looking for a professional player to play beside Al Mutawa.

Al Ahli, the two-time GCC champions, will kick-start their campaign on the inaugural day against Al Gharrafa at 6pm. They then play Ohod the following day and their last game in the group stages is on May 7 against Nazwa. After the round robin league matches, the top two teams from each group will book berths in the semi-finals. Unlike this year, the previous edition event was played in a single round robin format with six teams in the fray. Al Rayyan secured the title with 10 points from five matches and were the only undefeated club in the tournament. They were followed Al Shabab (9 points) in second place while UAE's other representatives Al Ahli (8) came third.



Source GDN Posted on Friday, April 22, 2011



Manama continue wining ways - by Yousef Ahmed
MANAMA picked up a tough 78-69 victory over Al Ittihad and regained the lead in the Zain Bahrain Basketball yesterday. In a closely-fought encounter, which took place at the Zain Basketball Arena in Um Al Hassam, Manama overcame a battling Al Ittihad by nine points and moved back on top of this 10-team competition.

Leading Manama to victory was national team star Ahmed Al Mutawa (199-F/C-81, college: Broward CC), who top-scored with 21 points, 15 rebounds and 4 steals to dominate the game helping manama in a complete all-around effort.

The Cup Champions played without 8 players who were suspended from the squad after taking part in the demonstrations during the unrest. and only relying in the three players left from that recent championship team were Ahmed Aziz, Bader Abdulla and Al Mutawa who were at peak form and contributed to this victory. Manama had to recruit several player from the youth team to complete the team Mohammed Ashoor, Mohammed Amin and Ahmed Ramadan, son of former club coach and national team member Salman Ramadan were among the selected. The team showed great effort despite playing without ex NBA player Darius Rice (208-F-82, college: Miami, FL) who could not play due to release papers procedures.

It was the ninth win in 11 games for Manama, being coached by Jason Rabedeaux (agency: Edge Sports ) of the US, who are now on 18 points. They are one point ahead of joint second-placers - defending champions Al Ahli and 2008 league winners Muharraq. Al Ittihad stayed seventh with 14 points and are still with a slight hope of finishing among the top six for a berth in the main round. Al Ittihad's captain Sayed Kadhem Majed top-scored with 22 points. Other scorers for the losing club yesterday were Sayed Ahmed Abdulla, Jalal Akbar and Ali Abdulhameed.




Source GDN



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  BRAZIL   


Obras Sanitarias triumph in Interligas Tournament - by Eurobasket News
Obras Sanitarias - Pinheiros/Sky 80:77

Obras Sanitarias are the winners of 2011 edition of Interligas Tournament. They held off Pinheiros/Sky in the close final battle in Sao Paulo. William McFarlan (201-F-76, agency: Dream Team Management, college: St.Thomas Aquinas) stepped up with 22 points to pace the winners. He was named Final MVP after the game.
Pinheiros/Sky started the game aggressively. They erupted for 27 points in the opening frame to gain a 2-point lead at the first intermission. But Obras adjusted defensively in the second term. They limited Pinheiros/Sky to only 12 points in the period and surged ahead for a 47:39 halftime advantage. Pinheiros/Sky stayed close throughout the third frame. They narrowed the deficit at just 4-point at the final break. The Brazilian side pulled ahead with under three minutes remaining 71:70. But Obras survived the challenge. William McFarlan stepped up for the Argentinean team and sealed the winning outcome for Obras Sanitarias. Juan Gutierrez (205-F/C-83) knocked down 15 points, while Luis Cequeira (180-G-85) finished with 14 points in the win. Marquinhos Vinicius (207-F-84) and Shamell Stallworth (196-F-80, agency: Interperformances, college: USF) notched 15 points apiece for Pinheiros/Sky. Juan Pablo Figueroa (184-G-86, agency: Interperformances) had 11 points in the loss.

Obras: William McFarlan 22, Juan Gutierrez 15, Luis Cequeira 14
Pinheiros/Sky: Marquinhos Vinicius 15, Shamell Stallworth 15, Juan Pablo Figueroa 11



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  BULGARIA   


NBL Round 26: Euroins Cherno More edges Chernomorets by one point - by Eurobasket News
There are only two more rounds left in the Regular Season in NBL.

Eighth-ranked Chernomorets (4-22) made lots of trouble for fifth ranked Euroins Cherno More (11-15) in Burgas on Wednesday. The visitors from Varna managed to secure only one-point victory 72-71. However their fans expected easier game. The guests trailed by 14 points at the halftime before their 29-7 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. Euroins Cherno More dominated on the defensive end, holding Chernomorets to just 7 points in third quarter. They outrebounded Chernomorets 35-24 including a 29-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was international forward Aleksandar Yanev (203-F-90, agency: Interperformances) who scored 15 points and 9 rebounds. Guard Vasil Kyosev (195-90) chipped in 13 points and 6 rebounds. Euroins Cherno More's coach Lyubomir Minchev used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. Swingman Hristo Zahariev (197-90) produced 21 points and 6 rebounds for the hosts. Euroins Cherno More maintains fifth position with 11-15 record. Chernomorets lost eighth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 22 lost games. Euroins Cherno More are looking forward to face Tundja (#6) in Yambol in the next round. Chernomorets will play on the road against Spartak in Pleven and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Sofia. Second ranked Levski faced one of their biggest challengers Balkan. Host Levski (20-6) smashed guests from Botevgrad (14-12) 113-91. American swingman Aaron Harper (199-81, college: Mississippi, agency: Strategic Sports) orchestrated the victory by scoring 45 points (!!!), 6 rebounds and 5 assists (on 17-of-21 shooting from the field). Asen Velikov contributed with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for the winners. Levski's coach Konstantin Papazov felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The former international power forward Georgi Davidov (205-76) replied with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for Balkan. Levski have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 20-6 record having six points less than leader Lukoil Academik. Balkan at the other side keeps the third place with 12 games lost. Levski will play against Rilski Sportist (#4) in Samokov in the next round. Balkan will play at home against the league's leader Lukoil Academik in Sofia and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
An interesting game was played in Pleven where host Spartak (#7) won against 4th ranked Rilski Sportist 70-63 on Thursday evening. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Rilski Sportist. Hrisimir Dimitrov scored 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners. Ivan Lilov responded with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Rilski Sportist's coach Rosen Barchovski rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Spartak maintains seventh position with 8-18 record. Loser Rilski Sportist keeps the fourth place with 14 games lost. Spartak will meet at home bottom-ranked Chernomorets (#8) in the next round. Rilski Sportist will play against the league's second-placed Levski (#2) and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Undefeated leader Lukoil Academik delivered the twentieth sixth consecutive victory. This time they beat 6th ranked Tundja (9-17) 76-70 in Sofia. Travis Peterson notched a double-double by scoring 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the effort. Tundja's coach Ivan Cholakov tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Undefeated Lukoil Academik (26-0) have an impressive 26-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position with a perfect record of 26 victories in a row. Tundja lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the sixth place with 17 games lost. Lukoil Academik's next round opponent will be Balkan (#3) in Botevgrad, which may be the game of the day. Tundja will play at home against Euroins Cherno More in Varna and it may be a tough game between close rivals.


Spartak - Rilski Sportist 70-63

An interesting game was played in Pleven where host Spartak (#7) won against 4th ranked Rilski Sportist 70-63 on Thursday evening. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Rilski Sportist. The hosts trailed by 5 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 2-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 70-63. The former international swingman Hrisimir Dimitrov (197-74) scored 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and guard Tsvetoslav Ostrev (184-86) chipped in 15 points and 4 assists during the contest. International swingman Ivan Lilov (196-88) responded with 18 points and 5 rebounds and Serbian forward Vladimir Mijovic (207-84) scored 12 points. Rilski Sportist's coach Rosen Barchovski rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Spartak maintains seventh position with 8-18 record. Loser Rilski Sportist keeps the fourth place with 14 games lost. Spartak will meet at home bottom-ranked Chernomorets (#8) in the next round. Rilski Sportist will play against the league's second-placed Levski (#2) and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Rilski Sportist: I.Lilov 18+5reb+2ast, V.Mijovic 12+4reb+1ast, D.Marojevic 9+6reb, A.Gruev 7+3reb+1ast, S.Vaklinov 6+3reb, M.Marinov 6+1reb+1ast
Spartak: H.Dimitrov 20+8reb+4ast, T.Ostrev 15+3reb+4ast, A.Dyakovski 9+3reb+3ast, V.Georgiev 9+2reb, I.Stankov 8+5reb+3ast, S.Tsenov 7+4reb+2ast
gschID: 98350


Levski - Balkan 113-91

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Sofia. Second ranked Levski faced one of their biggest challengers Balkan. Host Levski (20-6) smashed guests from Botevgrad (14-12) 113-91. It looked good early as Balkan took an 3-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Levski had a 28-21 second period charge getting the lead and Balkan was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 91-113. Levski shot 61.7 percent from the field and made 27-of-30 charity shots (90.0 percent) during the game, while Balkan only scored eleven points from the stripe. They outrebounded Balkan 39-22 including a 30-16 advantage in defensive rebounds. Levski players were unselfish on offense dishing 23 assists. American swingman Aaron Harper (199-81, college: Mississippi, agency: Strategic Sports) orchestrated the victory by scoring 45 points (!!!), 6 rebounds and 5 assists (on 17-of-21 shooting from the field). The former international guard Asen Velikov (188-86) contributed with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for the winners. Levski's coach Konstantin Papazov felt very confident that he used 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. The former international power forward Georgi Davidov (205-76) replied with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and forward Lubomir Lilov (198-87) added 15 points in the effort for Balkan. Four Levski and five Balkan players scored in double figures. Levski have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 20-6 record having six points less than leader Lukoil Academik. Balkan at the other side keeps the third place with 12 games lost. Levski will play against Rilski Sportist (#4) in Samokov in the next round. Balkan will play at home against the league's leader Lukoil Academik in Sofia and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Balkan: G.Davidov 15+6reb+7ast, L.Lilov 15+2reb+3ast, D.Filipov 13+1reb+4ast, T.Ivanov 12+2reb+1ast, D.Morton 11+4reb+4ast, K.Doychinov 9+2reb+2ast
Levski: A.Harper 45+6reb+5ast, P.Lauderdale 15+7reb+1ast, Z.Georgiev 14+4reb+3ast, S.Slaveykov 12+5reb+4ast, A.Velikov 9+7reb+7ast, D.Cole 8+6reb+1ast
gschID: 98347


Chernomorets - Cherno More 71-72

Eighth-ranked Chernomorets (4-22) made lots of trouble for fifth ranked Euroins Cherno More (11-15) in Burgas on Wednesday. The visitors from Varna managed to secure only one-point victory 72-71. However their fans expected easier game. The guests trailed by 14 points at the halftime before their 29-7 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. Euroins Cherno More dominated on the defensive end, holding Chernomorets to just 7 points in third quarter. They outrebounded Chernomorets 35-24 including a 29-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was international forward Aleksandar Yanev (203-90, agency: Interperformances) who scored 15 points and 9 rebounds. Guard Vasil Kyosev (195-90) chipped in 13 points and 6 rebounds. Euroins Cherno More's coach Lyubomir Minchev used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. Swingman Hristo Zahariev (197-90) produced 21 points and 6 rebounds and the former international forward Asen Saraliyski (199-84) added 15 points and 8 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Euroins Cherno More maintains fifth position with 11-15 record. Chernomorets lost eighth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 22 lost games. Euroins Cherno More are looking forward to face Tundja (#6) in Yambol in the next round. Chernomorets will play on the road against Spartak in Pleven and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Chernomorets: H.Zahariev 21+6reb+1ast, A.Saraliyski 15+8reb+3ast, D.Roshmanov 8+3ast, A.Penev 8+3reb+2ast, K.Raykov 5+3reb+2ast, I.Slavchev 5
Cherno More: T.Zhelev 16+1reb+2ast, A.Yanev 15+9reb+3ast, V.Kyosev 13+6reb, N.Kolev 6+6reb, S.Iliev 6+3reb+1ast, P.Aleksiev 6+3reb+4ast
gschID: 98348


Lukoil Academik - Tundja 76-70

Undefeated leader Lukoil Academik delivered the twentieth sixth consecutive victory. This time they beat 6th ranked Tundja (9-17) 76-70 in Sofia. Tundja was ahead by 1 point at the halftime before a 40-33 second half run of Lukoil Academik. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. American center Travis Peterson (208-85, college: Samford, agency: Edge Sports) notched a double-double by scoring 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the effort and the other American import swingman Devin Green (201-82, college: Hampton) supported him with 22 points and 6 rebounds. Even 13 points and 8 rebounds by Slovenian forward Simon Finzgar (196-80, agency: Global Sports Plaza) did not help to save the game for Tundja. The former international center Nikolay Varbanov (209-85, agency: Interperformances) added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the guests. Tundja's coach Ivan Cholakov tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Lukoil Academik (26-0) have an impressive 26-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position with a perfect record of 26 victories in a row. Tundja lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the sixth place with 17 games lost. Lukoil Academik's next round opponent will be Balkan (#3) in Botevgrad, which may be the game of the day. Tundja will play at home against Euroins Cherno More in Varna and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Tundja: S.Finzgar 13+8reb+2ast, J.Radionov 12+4reb+4ast, N.Varbanov 11+12reb, M.Durchev 9+1reb, P.Marinov 9+4reb+1ast, D.Sattler 7+1reb+2ast
Lukoil Academik: T.Peterson 22+10reb+5ast, D.Green 22+6reb+1ast, T.Stoykov 12+4reb+3ast, B.Sundov 9+7reb, B.Heath 6+1reb+6ast, L.Mack 2+4reb+1ast
gschID: 98349


Round 24
Chernomorets - Lukoil Academik 52-101

Undefeated leader Lukoil Academik recorded the twentieth sixth consecutive victory on Saturday night. This time they crushed 8th ranked Chernomorets (4-22) 101-52 in Burgas. The game without a history. Lukoil Academik led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Chernomorets' 32. Lukoil Academik forced 23 Chernomorets turnovers. The best player for the winners was American center Travis Peterson (208-85, college: Samford, agency: Edge Sports) who had a double-double by scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds. The other American import guard Brandon Heath (193-84, college: San Diego St.) chipped in 14 points, 6 assists and 5 steals. Four Lukoil Academik players scored in double figures. Coach Jovica Arsic's team controlled all game and the coach could let to play 11 players and allowed the starting five to rest. American center Justin Neuhaus (211-88, college: Colorado Christian, agency: N.E.T.) produced a double-double by scoring 13 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks and the former international forward Atanas Penev (195-85) added 9 points and 4 assists respectively for the hosts. Lukoil Academik (26-0) have an impressive 26-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position with a perfect record of 26 victories in a row. Chernomorets lost eighth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 22 lost games. Lukoil Academik will face Balkan (#3) in Botevgrad in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Chernomorets will play on the road against Spartak (#7) in Pleven and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Chernomorets: J.Neuhaus 13+11reb, A.Penev 9+3reb+4ast, A.Saraliyski 7+1reb+2ast, I.Slavchev 6+4reb, A.Iliev 6+3reb, K.Koev 5+5reb+1ast
Lukoil Academik: D.James 19+1reb+3ast, T.Peterson 18+11reb, B.Heath 14+4reb+6ast, B.Sundov 14+6reb, B.Avramov 8+1reb+3ast, L.Mack 7+3reb+2ast
gschID: 126008




Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Aaron HARPER
  Levski
  (199-G/F-81)
  Avg: 23.3
 1. Harper, Levski23.3 
 2. Lauderdale, Cherno.23.2 
 3. Lilov, Rilski S.22.2 
 4. Dimitrov, Spartak19.7 
 5. Bozov, Balkan17.5 
 6. Naydenov, Chernomo.16.8 
 7. Lauderdale, Levski16.3 
 8. Davidov, Balkan15.9 
 9. Govedarov, Tundja15.5 
 10. Kambala, Lukoil A.14.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Priest LAUDERDALE
  Levski
  (221-C-73)
  Avg: 13.1
 1. Lauderdale, Cherno.13.1 
 2. Varbanov, Tundja10.6 
 3. Yanev, Cherno More8.5 
 4. Todorov, Spartak7.8 
 5. Radojevic, Rilski S.7.5 
 6. Kolev, Cherno More7.3 
 7. Georgiev, Levski7.0 
 8. Dimitrov, Spartak6.9 
 9. Peterson, Lukoil A.6.8 
 10. Kambala, Lukoil A.6.7 
Assists Per Game
 Jason CROWE
  Levski
  (193-G-76)
  Avg: 5.6
 1. Crowe, Levski5.6 
 2. Alexiev, Cherno M.4.3 
 3. Bozov, Balkan4.3 
 4. Govedarov, Tundja3.9 
 5. Dyakovski, Spartak3.9 
 6. Heath, Lukoil A.3.9 
 7. James, Lukoil A.3.9 
 8. Gonner, Balkan3.6 
 9. Zahariev, Chernomo.3.5 
 10. Gruev, Rilski S.3.4 
Steals Per Game
 Jason CROWE
  Levski
  (193-G-76)
  Avg: 2.4
 1. Crowe, Levski2.4 
 2. Heath, Lukoil A.2.2 
 3. Zahariev, Chernomo.2.2 
 4. Bozov, Balkan2.1 
 5. Radionov, Tundja2.1 
 6. James, Lukoil A.1.9 
 7. Dimitrov, Spartak1.8 
 8. Bowman, Lukoil A.1.6 
 9. Marinov, Balkan1.6 
 10. Stojanovski, Lukoil A.1.6 
Blocks Per Game
 Priest LAUDERDALE
  Levski
  (221-C-73)
  Avg: 2.4
 1. Lauderdale, Cherno.2.4 
 2. Doychinov, Balkan1.3 
 3. Radojevic, Rilski S.1.1 
 4. Lauderdale, Levski1.0 
 5. Varbanov, Tundja1.0 
 6. Neuhaus, Chernomo.0.9 
 7. Mijovic, Rilski S.0.7 
 8. Banev, Lukoil A.0.7 
 9. Vaklinov, Rilski S.0.7 
 10. Iliev, Cherno More0.6 


Standings A1
NBL Standings
 1. Lukoil Academik 26-0 
 2. Levski 20-6 
 3. Balkan 14-12 
 4. Rilski Sportist 12-14 
 5. Cherno More 11-15 
 6. Tundja 9-17 
 7. Spartak 8-18 
 8. Chernomorets 4-22 


*****************************************************
  CAMEROON   


Condor Yaounde champion of the first round - by Eurobasket News
The Palais des sports of Yaound hosted on Saturday 19 March, the matches of the 7th and last day of basketball championship. The main encounter was the one of the teams of Yaound, the leader Condor and Beac. As expected the match was very close. Beac beat Condor 73 to 63. Despite this score, Condor remains leader, vice champion of Africa, awarded champion of the first leg with 11 points. Injs Yaound, exempt because of the withdrawal of Far Compet was vice champion with 10 points. Phoenix Douala with the same point but a different goal average brought up the rear.

Far Compet Yaound has been withdrawn by the homologation and disciplinary committee of the Federation of Cameroonian basketball (Fecabasket). This decision results from the absence of the team to the 3rd and 4th day matches of first division national championship last 26 and 27 February. In a memorandum to the Fecabasket, the president of this team, as spokesman had indicated he would boycott the meeting of the economic capital if the conditions for organizing this competition were not improved. Insurance policy, subsidies for transportation and accommodation during the club travel for the championship are among their claims. Finally, Far Compet was the only team out of the 8 involved to miss this meeting. The homologation and disciplinary committee of the Federation of Cameroonian basketball had therefore withdrawn the team, meaning expulsion from the competition. There are then seven teams to attend the rest of the competition which second leg will be held next month


First leg ranking :

1st Condor 11 points, 2nd Injs and Phoenix Douala 10 points, 4th Montagne de lOuest and Beac 9 points chacun ; 6th Phoenix Ebolowa 8 points and 7th Volcanic 6 points.
Courtesy of: starafrica.com


Montagne grabs second spot in national championships - by Eurobasket News
The team from the West Region of Cameroon was the only unbeaten team for the first time since the start of the Cameroon national basketball championships called the Orange Basket-ball Championship.
During the ninth and tenth playing day of the national championships in played at the multipurpose sports complex in Bafoussam,the team crushed all its opponents;against Injs of Yaound (83-80) and Phoenix of Ebolowa (95-83). This performance has pushed the team to the second spot of the classification table at the detriment of Injs.Condor of Yaounde consolidated their leadership position with their respective victories over Phoenix of Douala (83-63) and Injs of Yaound (68 -53).

Complete Results :

9th day (Saturday 2 April)

Phoenix dEbolowa Beac of Yaound 74 86

Injs of Yaound Montagne of lOuest 80 83

Condor of Yaound Phoenix of Douala 83 63

10th day (Sunday 3 April)

Volvanic Warriors of Buea Phoenix of Douala 47 104

Injs of Yaound Condor of Douala 53 68

Montagne of West Phoenix of Ebolowa 95 83

Standings after Day Ten :

1st Condor 19 points, 2nd Phoenix of Douala 15 pts, 3rd Montagne of the West 15 pts, 4th Beac of Yaound 13 pts, 5th Injs of Yaound 12 pts, 6th Phoenix of Ebolowa 9 pts et 7th Volcanic Warriors of Buea 7 pts.
Courtesy of: http://www.starafrica.com

*****************************************************
  CANADA   


Greg Francis heads All-Territory Junior Camp - by Eurobasket News
YELLOWKNIFE - The 2011 First Air All-Territory Junior Men's Camp took place in Yellowknife April 11-16. The inaugural camp was part of a pan-territorial elite player and coaching development initiative.

The elite development camp was designed to provide 41 of the brightest young basketball stars in the Territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) with a valuable week of personal development both on and off the court, while providing a forum to showcase their talents.

Greg Francis , the head coach of both the University of Alberta Golden Bears Men's Team and Canada Basketball's Junior Men's National Team, was the head camp clinician. Francis was joined by CIS second team All-Canadian player Daniel Ferguson.

'The kids are amazing, they listen, they work hard, they might not have some of the fundamentals that your used to around Canada but that's why we're here and they're catching on quick,' said Ferguson.

The camp consisted of fundamental skill sessions in the mornings, life skill sessions run by coach Rodney Hulstein in the afternoons and competitive games in the evenings. Guest speakers included Northwest Territories Premier Floyd Roland, as well as CBC broadcaster Deneze Nakehko and four-time Olympian Sharon Firth.

'Basketball Yukon president Tim Brady had the idea for the camp last year and to see how he, as well as Basketball NWT president Damien Healy and Basketball Nunavut, made the camp a reality is commendable,' said Basketball NWT technical director Nick Diem.

'The week was an outstanding success, the players and coaches from each territory gained invaluable lessons from coach Francis and coach Ferguson.'

'This was a great experience. It's a great opportunity to be in front of all these coaches,' said camp MVP Narlie Dapilos. 'The camp is also here to teach us to become professionals, with the life skill sessions it allows us to learn about conflict resolution and how to cope with that.'
Courtesy of: http://www.basketball.ca

Two pro leagues intrigued by Mill Rats - by Eurobasket News
Executives with two professional basketball organizations say they are interested in the Saint John Mill Rats joining their leagues.

The Mill Rats, who withdrew from the Premier Basketball League early Tuesday, would be welcomed with open arms say high-ranking officials with the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League and the International Basketball League.

James Schutz, Atlantic Coast league commissioner, and Terrence Dickens, IBL deputy commissioner, confirmed the Saint John franchise is a good fit with their expansion plans.

The eight-team Atlantic Coast league is to begin its second year of operation next December. It hopes to expand by six or eight teams following its annual league meeting in August. Among those teams the league would like to have on board are the Mill Rats, the Quebec Kebs and the Halifax Rainmen. A fourth area franchise, possibly Moncton, could form the basis of a Canadian division.

'I'm familiar with Ian (Ian McCarthy , Mill Rats GM and president) and I'm familiar with the job he's done up there in Saint John. So just in our short conversations back and forth I expressed to him we would love to have an organization of that stature in the league,' said Schutz, who has mailed an ownership information package to the Mill Rats.

'Once he gets that information it's really up to him. I mean, he's definitely built a great product up there but Ian needs to do what's best for Saint John. We support that, whether that's coming with us or going somewhere else.'

This week, citing concerns over the refereeing in the PBL playoffs, Saint John, Halifax and Quebec withdrew from the league.

Since their departure, the three Canadian teams have been weighing their options for next season, the IBL and Atlantic Coast league among them. There is also a possibility of the formation of a Canadian league that could include new franchises in the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario, although that move is unlikely in 2011.

Executives from the Kebs, Mill Rats and Rainmen will meet in Saint John this weekend to discuss their future.

Dickens said the proximity of the three Canadian franchises works well with the IBL philosophy of a team making only one road trip involving airfare per season. Now in its seventh season, the 16-team IBL is primarily a spring-summer pro league. However, this season it conducted a winter season at the request of teams in the mid-western United States. The Canadian franchises would fit well within that model, he suggested.

'That's what our league is based on, we call them clusters,' Dickens said. 'Clusters are a group of teams that are within a driveable distance that a team outside the cluster can play a three to four game series with and knock out that many games in one trip.'

Ian McCarthy said the Mill Rats will take the next two or three weeks to map out their plans for next season. He said it's more likely the team would join an existing league for next season than form a Canadian association.

'Given the state of minor pro basketball, it's unlikely that we would make anything beyond a one-year commitment for next season (with an existing league), Ian McCarthy said. 'But, we're keeping all options open.'

Kebs general manager Vincent Bernier said a Canadian pro basketball league remains the long-term vision.

'It's a dream, not for this year, but in future years. It's something we've been talking about but we need to have the guts to do it,' Bernier said.

Courtesy of http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com

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


Guangdong Crushes Xinjiang to Even Series at 2-2 - by Arthur Volbert
When teams are evenly matched, you win some, you lose some. Today Guangdong completely turned the tables on Xinjiang and destroyed Xinjiang 122-87. The CBA finals series is now tied at 2-2.

Playing at home, Guangdong's veterans, imports and young players all excelled. Hudson Lester (191-G-84, college: Tennessee-Martin) led the way with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. He hit 11 of 15 shots. Wang Shipeng had 24 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists though he did have 6 turnovers. Marcus Haislip had 22 points and 5 rebounds. Zhu Fangyu had 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Dong Hanlin had 10 points and 7 rebounds. Zhou Peng had 9 points and 3 rebounds, hitting all 4 of his shots. But he did foul out again, in 20 minutes. Su Wei had a poor game, hitting only 1 of 6 shots and scoring 4 points. But Wang Zheng hit all 4 of his shots and scored 8 points. The two young centers had 10 rebounds between them. Even Chen Jianghua contributed, with 4 rebounds and 5 assists to go with 3 points.

Quincy Douby had 31 points for Xinjiang. Hit hit 9 of 15 two-pointers and 13 of 14 free throws but missed all 5 three-pointers. Mengke Bateer had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Zhang Qingpeng and Xu Guozhong each scored 11. James Singleton had 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Guangdong had a 35-20 lead after one quarter and led 66-35 at the half. Guangdong outrebounded Xinjiang 44-33. The teams will play again at Guangdong Sunday before returning to Xinjiang for the final two games. It would not surprise at all if this series went the full seven games.


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


Dario Saric claims Croatian A1 weekly honour - by Eurobasket News
Talented Dario Saric (205-F/C-94) had an amazing evening in the last round for KK Dubrava Zagreb (they play in Group B) and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 7 (Second Stage).
The 16-year old power forward had a double-double of 21 points and seventeen rebounds, while his team crushed Trogir (#-3, 3-4) with 22-point margin 82-60. Dubrava is placed at -6th position in Croatian A1. They would have been even better if they did not have these two lost games earlier in Second Stage. Dubrava will need more victories to improve their 4-2 record. Saric turned to be Dubrava's top player in his first season with the team. Saric has impressive league stats. He is in league's top in points (3rd best: 17.7ppg), assists (8th best: 3.5apg) and averages solid 2.0spg and 55.3% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 29-year old guard Ivan Bakovic (197-G-81) of Darda. Bakovic impressed basketball fans with 33 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. It was enough for Darda to edge slightly lower-ranked Kvarner 2010 (#-5, 4-3) by 4 points 85-81. This victory allowed Darda to move up to -7th position in Group B. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 4-2 record is not bad and everything may still change. Bakovic is a newcomer at Darda and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 16.5ppg (#7).

The third best performed player last round was Matija Poscic (207-C-85) of Kvarner 2010 (#-5). Poscic scored 16 points and grabbed twelve rebounds (!!!). Despite Poscic's great performance Kvarner 2010 lost 81-85 to #-7 ranked Darda. But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates especially in such crucial game. The last thing Kvarner 2010 needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams in Group B. Their record is 4 victories and 3 lost games. Poscic has a great season in Croatia. After 24 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 5.8rpg (8th best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Rudolf Jugo (183-G-84) of Kvarner 2010 - 28 points and 7 assists
5. Luka Zitko (201-F-81) of Trogir - 27 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Andrija Zizic (207-C-80) of Cedevita - 19 points and 6 rebounds
7. Ive Ivanov (201-C-85) of Zadar - 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists
8. Jure Skific (202-F/C-88) of Borik - 22 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists
9. Hrvoje Kovacevic (191-G-86) of Cedevita - 19 points and 4 rebounds
10. Ante Delas (201-G/F-88) of Alkar Sinj - 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

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


Interview with coach of the year Antonis Constantinides - by Michael Aristidou

With no doubt Antonis Constantinides got the Coach of the year award. That was due to his team Intercollege Etha who achieved a double in Cyprus league for the first time in their history.



EU: Mr Constantinides you are award this title for a second year in a row.
A.C.: First of all I must mention that it is an owner to get this award. Moreover that came through hard work in the field. My players did exactly what I ask from them and won the championship and the cup this year for the first time in the teams history. Also special thanks to my assistant Christoforos Livadiotis who did an excellent job this year.

EU: Your team is like, if I may, Cinderellas story. Start from low and have a happy end.
A.C.: Well I think in basketball there are no fairy tales. Everything is earned through hard work. Also everyone that is involved in the team must cooperate, and we had that in the team. Committee, coaches and players were one. That was important in order to achieve a normal year without any problems.




EU: What are the goals for the team now?
A.C.: To remain protagonist. This effort started almost three years ago and now we enjoy our success. For us is a challenge to stay there and try to win more titles. Also as concern European competitions we will try to be the first Cypriot team to achieve a participation in Eurocup groups.

EU: One other thing was that your team changes just one player from the original roster.
A.C.: Yes this is true and shows the good work we make during pre-season. I can tell you now that for this years roster we start looking and sign players before last season ends. Very carefully me and my assistant evaluate each player and I think this work reflect in the games.




EU: I suppose there are some people that you will want to thank for this success.
A.C.: Definitely. No one can achieve by himself anything. So special thanks to my committee first of all for a harmonic cooperation. Secondly I would like to thank my assistant for his job done this year and last but not least to my players who make the team proud.





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


Stats Leaders - NBL
Points Per Game
 Terry SMITH
  BC Kolin
  (185-G-86)
  Avg: 17.6
 1. Smith, BC Kolin17.6 
 2. Landry, BK Prost.15.6 
 3. Meno, Svitavy15.1 
 4. Houska, BK Decin15.0 
 5. Horak, Svitavy14.7 
 6. Kotas, USK Praha14.5 
 7. Hatcher, BK Decin14.3 
 8. Burke, NH Ostrava14.1 
 9. Field, BC Kolin14.0 
 10. Spagrud, NH Ostrava13.9 
Rebounds Per Game
 Boris MENO
  Svitavy
  (203-F-83)
  Avg: 11
 1. Meno, Svitavy11.0 
 2. Meno, Basketbo.10.4 
 3. Houska, BK Decin8.6 
 4. Landry, BK Prost.8.5 
 5. Burke, NH Ostrava8.3 
 6. Spagrud, NH Ostrava8.2 
 7. Arnold, BK Pardu.7.7 
 8. Frana, Plzen7.1 
 9. Kramny, Svitavy6.9 
 10. Gadri, BK Prostejov6.8 
Assists Per Game
 Stepan VRUBL
  Plzen
  (186-G-76)
  Avg: 6
 1. Vrubl, Plzen6.0 
 2. Lawrence, BK Prost.5.0 
 3. Jones, BC Kolin3.9 
 4. Carnecky, B&W O.3.8 
 5. Kotas, USK Praha3.4 
 6. Hatcher, BK Decin3.3 
 7. Sanders, BK Decin3.2 
 8. Maio, Basketbo.3.0 
 9. Channels, Novy Jicin2.9 
 10. Macela, Svitavy2.7 
Steals Per Game
 Lukas KOTAS
  USK Praha
  (194-F-84)
  Avg: 2.1
 1. Kotas, USK Praha2.1 
 2. Hampton, BK Pardu.1.8 
 3. Holloway, Basket.1.8 
 4. Smith, BC Kolin1.7 
 5. Wright, BK Pardu.1.7 
 6. Sirina, B&W Opava1.7 
 7. Channels, Novy Jicin1.4 
 8. Gajdosik, Basket.1.4 
 9. Gibson-B., NH Os.1.4 
 10. Vrubl, Plzen1.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Boris MENO
  Svitavy
  (203-F-83)
  Avg: 1.6
 1. Meno, Svitavy1.6 
 2. Miklosik, B&W O.1.3 
 3. Trybanski, NH Os.1.3 
 4. Hanke, USK Praha1.1 
 5. Kramny, Svitavy0.9 
 6. Gadri, BK Prostejov0.9 
 7. Meno, Basketbo.0.8 
 8. Houska, BK Decin0.8 
 9. Pelikan, Novy Jicin0.8 
 10. Bjegovic, USK Praha0.8 


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


T-Bird's Tucker is 'Most Improved' - by Eurobasket News
New Mexico Thunderbirds guard Dar Tucker (6'4''-F-88, college: De Paul) has been named the 2010-11 NBA Development League's 'Most Improved Player,' as voted on by the 16 D-League head coaches.

The award honors the player who demonstrated the most significant improvement on the court throughout the season.

'You liken coaching to being an artist, and to have that type of canvas to work with ... the possibilities were limitless,' said T-Birds coach Darvin Ham. 'Dar bought into everything we were trying to do, stuck it out, worked through his weaknesses, and as the season wore on, his weaknesses became virtues. He was willing and able to explore his game in all aspects - not just scoring the ball.'

After playing the first game of the season with the Texas Legends, Tucker, a 6-4, 205-pound guard out of DePaul, joined the Thunderbirds via trade. He played in 49 games (24 starts) with New Mexico, averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Tucker played in the D-League last season with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, and averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 46 games.

Courtesy of www.rrobserver.com

*****************************************************
  ESTONIA   


Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Andrais THORNTON
  Penafiel
  (203-C-85)
  Avg: 18.7
 1. Thornton, Voru KK18.7 
 2. Saage, Rakvere18.1 
 3. Erm, Rapla17.9 
 4. Vaikulis, Rakvere16.7 
 5. Raap, Parnu16.6 
 6. Brown, Va.16.3 
 7. Raadik, Parnu16.2 
 8. Osby, TT.16.0 
 9. Arnold, TT.15.7 
 10. Hall, Rakvere15.6 
Rebounds Per Game
 Andrais THORNTON
  Penafiel
  (203-C-85)
  Avg: 12.2
 1. Thornton, Voru KK12.2 
 2. Brown, Va.11.1 
 3. Arnold, TT.11.0 
 4. Osby, TT.9.8 
 5. Ringmets, Rapla9.6 
 6. Kuuba, Voru KK8.9 
 7. Eziukwu, TU/Rock8.3 
 8. Pokla, Rakvere7.4 
 9. Dunigan, Kalev/Cr.7.3 
 10. Raadik, Parnu6.7 
Assists Per Game
 Valmo KRIISA
  TTU/Kalev
  (190-G-74)
  Avg: 3.9
 1. Kriisa, TT.3.9 
 2. Sokk, Kalev/Cramo3.4 
 3. Sokk, TU/Rock3.3 
 4. Vaikulis, Rakvere3.3 
 5. Tsintsadze, TU/Rock3.0 
 6. Tamm, Kalev/Cramo2.8 
 7. Pokla, Rakvere2.7 
 8. Winston, Va.2.6 
 9. Laane, Rapla2.6 
 10. Oja, Va.2.5 
Steals Per Game
 Rait-Riivo LAANE
  Rapla
  (180-G-93)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Laane, Rapla2.5 
 2. Saage, Rakvere2.2 
 3. Skele, Kalev/Cramo2.2 
 4. Raap, Parnu2.2 
 5. Leppik, TU/Rock2.1 
 6. Karner, Parnu2.1 
 7. Dorbek, Rakvere1.9 
 8. Tsintsadze, TU/Rock1.8 
 9. Oja, Va.1.7 
 10. Veideman, TU/Rock1.7 
Blocks Per Game
 Callistus EZIUKWU
  TU/Rock
  (208-F/C-85)
  Avg: 1.9
 1. Eziukwu, TU/Rock1.9 
 2. Osby, TT.1.3 
 3. Dunigan, Kalev/Cr.1.2 
 4. Raadik, Parnu1.2 
 5. Arnold, TT.0.9 
 6. Toome, Kalev/Cramo0.9 
 7. Saarmets, TTU/K.0.7 
 8. Ringmets, Rapla0.7 
 9. Brown, Va.0.7 
 10. Raadik, TU/Rock0.7 


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


Eurobasket Summer League is getting another Xperience - by Eurobasket
HOUSTON, TX -- The Eurobasket Summer League is getting another Xperience.
After four years of ESL Eurobasket has decided to go to Houston, ESLs Darryl Reshaw announced Tuesday January 4, 2011 that the event and weeklong festivities will go to Houston in 2011 at the Campbell Center arena.
Houston (ESL) was contracted out to the UBA and will be hosted by the 1st year Houston Xperinece.
'This is a great honor for the city of Houston,' Xperience owner Kevin Williams said Thursday. This is just great timing with the NBA not having its Summer League. Guys need a place to be seen.
ESL Vegas has been the standard of all the events with talent, but this event has never been to Houston. There are over eight NBA and NBA D-League franchises in the state and many universities also. I feel after this summer Houston will be the standard for ESL, said Williams. Its just an honor to have Eurobasket here in the city of Houston and the UBA.
The UBA is an up in coming league in the US market. Surprisingly in just 2 seasons they have sent of 40 athletes overseas and continue to push as a minor league power. Not only will the UBA host Eurobasket (Houston), but they will also participate. The UBA will be selecting a Team UBA to compete is this event. We will come to Houston to prove to the world why we are been so successful over the past 2 years, said Coach Michael Davis. I think the ESL is the best Summer League under the NBA. Now that there will be no NBA Summer League its a no brainier.
The Campbell Center arena will hold the 1st Annual 3 Point Shootout, Dunk Contest and 3 days of great basketball over the weekend.
City officials estimated that the economic impact could be almost $500,000. Elected officials would like to see the Eurobasket Summer League return more frequently, especially with the Campbell Center arena built largely on public funding.
This event is expected to be history in the making. Some of the top players in the country are expected to be involved. Even James 'Top Flight' White (6'6''-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Cincinnati) will be there with a long list of other great players.

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


Drew Neitzel (BBC Bayreuth) It Will Take A Total Team Effort On The Defensive End To Slow Down Bamberg - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Drew Neitzel (183-G-85, agency: Priority Sports, college: Michigan St.) is a 25 year old 183cm combo guard from Grand Rapids that is playing for BBC Bayreuth. He played at Michigan State from 2004-2008. In his senior year he played 36 games: 13.9ppg, 2.5rpg, 4.0apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 40.5%, 3Pts: 39.8%, FT: 86.0%. He recahed the NCAA Final 4 in 2005 and NCAA Sweet 16 in 2008. In 2008, he turned professional playing for the Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck (Germany-1.Bundesliga): Eurocup: 12 games: 8.3ppg, 1.4rpg, 3.9apg, FGP: 47.8%, 3PT: 38.9%, FT: 82.4%; German League: 34 games: 5.3ppg, 1.1rpg, 2.7apg, FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 35.1%, FT: 86.0%. Last season, he played for ES Chalon-Sur-Saone (France-ProA, starting five): French League: 12 games: 12.6ppg, 2.2rpg, 5.3apg, FGP: 50.9%, 3PT: 37.7%, FT: 72.7%; EuroChallenge: 4 games: 13.3ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.8apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 47.6%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 81.8%, left in Dec.'09, next month moved to TBB Trier (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): 14 games: 7.4ppg, 1.5apg, FGP: 55.3%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 85.7%. He spoke to eurobasket before the game against the Brose Baskets Bamberg April 23rd.

A very exciting weekend coming up in the beko BBL with teams fighting for last playoff places and 3 teams battling to stay in the league and your in the middle of it with BBC Bayreuth. How have you been dealing with the excitement and what reality might actually happen?


As a team, there are some things that we can control and there are some things that are out of our control. This week we are only focusing on those that we can control and we will see what happens.

You obviously want to win to stay in the league, but even if you lose, you can still stay in the league if MBC loses. Is that positive reassurrance?


We do not want to put our chances in the hands of someone else, so we are focused on winning at Bamberg this week.

How has the club digested the loss in Duesseldorf. What did the team learn from this loss?


It was a tough loss, Dusseldorf has played better as of late. We did not rebound the ball and execute as well as we wanted too. But that game is in the past we are focused on our last game now.

You werent a member of BBC Bayreuth yet in the first loss against Bamberg. If BBC bayreuth can play like they did against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners, do you think that the club will have chances of winning?

Bamberg is a very good team, we will have to play a very solid game to win on the road. But we never go into a game thinking we cannot win.

Who is the toughest guy to defend John Goldsberry, Anton gavel or Brian Roberts?

Bamberg has a lot of weapons on the offensive end as they have 6 guys averaging double figures, so it will take a total team effort on the defensive end to slow them down.

Jason Williams retired from the NBA. What will you always remember from his game?

He was one of my favorite players growing up. His passing ability was amazing, I came across a highlight tape of him on the internet the other day and am still amazed at some of the things he did with the basketball.


The Miami Heat have a 2-0 series lead against the 76ers. Is this series as good as closed?

Yes.

How do you see the Atlanta Hawks-Orlando Magic series? Is an upset possible here?

It's possible Atlanta can win the series but in the 4/5 matchup I don't think it would be much of an upset if Atlanta does win.

Thanks Drew for the chat.

Ronald Ross (MBC Wolves) Its Do Or Die, So Emotions Dont Really Matter, Because A Job Has To Be Done Now Or Never - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Ronald Ross (188-G-83, college: Texas Tech) is a 27 year old 188cm guard playing his first season for MBC. He is originally from Hobbs New Mexico and played at Texas Tech from 2001-2005. In his senior year, he averaged 17.5ppg, 5.5rpg, 3.0apg, 2.6spg, FGP: 51.9%, 3Pts: 43% and reached the NCA Sweet 16. He started his professional career with Univer Castelletto Ticino (Italy-Lega2) and then moved on to the CBA in 2006-2007 for Butte Daredevils playing 48 games averaging 15.2ppg, 4.2rpg, 3.8apg, Steals-2 (2.4spg), FGP: 49%, 3PT: 29.4%, FT: 74.2% and in 2007 for the Albany Patroons (USBL, starting five) playing 21 games: Score-3 (17.4ppg), 3.0rpg, Assists-4 (4.0apg), Steals-1 (2.5spg), FGP: 47.6%, 3FGP: 41.4%, FT: 84.2%. In 2007-2008, he played for ENBW Ludwigsburg playing 34 games and averaging 14.4ppg, 4.2rpg, 2.3apg, Steals-2 (1.7spg), 2FGP: 52.5%, 3PT: 29.1%, FT: 77.9% reaching the cup final in 2008. In 2008-2009 he started in Israel before moving on to the Artland Dragons playing 12 games and averaging 15.8ppg, 3.3rpg, 4.0apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 59.0%, 3PT: 57.1%, FT: 70.0%. Last season for the Artland Dragons, he played 12 games: 10.8ppg, 3.2rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 56.9%, 3PT: 18.8%, FT: 83.0%; German League: 32 games: 11.3ppg, 2.7rpg, 3.2apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 27.1%, FT: 75.7%. He spoke to eurobasket before the game againstBG Goettingen April 23rd.

A very exciting weekend on tap in the beko BBL with many teams fighting for last playoff spot and 3 teams battling for last spot to stay in the league and you are right in the middle of it with MBC. How have you been coping with the pressure?


Not to sound cocky or anything, but I like pressure. I'm always optimistic about everything and if you work for something and you honestly give it everything you got then you can't be disappointed. Then again, don't let me like to you, I would rather learn my lessons from winning.

You have played in some big games in your career in the NCAA or as a professional. Where would you rate this game against BG Goettingen in terms of importance?


It's very important. In this case, it's not a situation you put on a pedestal, but it's do or die so emotions don't really matter because a job has to be done and it has to be done now or never.

MBC has to win, but also hope for a Giessen or BBC Bayreuth loss. You have the game in your hands and will need help from the basketball god.How is the mood in the team for achieving the goal of staying in the beko BBL?

The teams attitude is very positive and optimistic as well about it all.

What is your memory of the 67-46 loss in Goettingen earlier in the season?

No real memory to be honest. We can't let that happen again though.

This will be a very emotional game in the MBC arena. What will be key in winning against a pesky BG Goettingen squad besides the hunger and fight of the wolf?

I think a the key will be matching their intensity, getting them out of their comfort zone and avoid letting them make runs.

Jason Williams retired from the NBA. What will you always remember from his game?

The highlights baby, the highlights. He's got a long list of them. We used to have the same agent (Dan Tobin) which is a great agent, but besides that I think Jason Williams had a great career.


How important was Williams for the 2006 Miami Heat NBA championship?


He was the point guard, so his importance goes without speaking about it...lol

The Miami Heat have a 2-0 series lead against the 76ers. Is this series as good as closed?


Man, were talking about the Heat...I honestly don't know what they're going to do.

How do you see the Atlanta Hawks-Orlando Magic series? Is an upset possible here?

Magic, Magic, Magic. Upset not happening. lol

Thanks Ron for the chat.

Achmadschah Zazai (BV Chemnitz) Who Will Reach The beko BBL? s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg Or BV Chemnitz? - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Achmadschah Zazai (177-PG-86) is a 22 year old German/Afghani 177 cm guard that is playing for BV Chemnitz. He started his basketball career for TUS Lichterfelde Berlin (2.Bundesliga) in 2003 and played there until 2005. In the 2005-2006 season, he played for SG FT/MTV Braunschweig (2.Bundesliga) playing 28 games and averaging 6.3ppg, 1.3rpg, 2.2apg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 48.3%, 3FGP: 26.9%, FT: 75.0%. In 2006-2007, he played for BSG Ludwigsburg (Germany-Regionalliga) playing 15 games averaging 19.3ppg, and also had a license for EnBW Ludwigsburg (1. Bundesliga) playing 12 games and averaging 1.1ppg. In 2007-2008, he played for the Bremen Roosters (Germany-ProA) playing 14 games averaging 3.4ppg, 1.1apg, and then went to Denmark to play for Horsens IC playing 8 games and averaging 9.8ppg, 3.0rpg, Assists-3 (4.5apg), 2.4spg, 2FGP: 44.4%, 3PT: 29.0%, FT: 92.0%. In 2008-2009, he played for Telemotive Muenchen (Germany-ProB) playing 25 games averaging 13.6ppg, 2.4rpg, Assists-4 (5.5apg), Steals-5 (2.2spg), FGP: 53.9%, 3PT: 37.7%, FT: 82.4%. Last season, he played for Freiburg (Germany-ProA, starting five): 14 games: 10.4ppg, 2.5rpg, Assists-5 (4.9apg), Steals-1 (2.4spg), FGP: 54.5%, 3PT: 21.8%, FT: 76.0%. He spoke to eurobasket concerning the do or die game against s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg to see who jumps to the beko BBL April 23rd..

A do or die game on the weekend against S. Oliver Baskets for the chance to move up to the beko BBL. If someone had told you before the season that Chemnitz would be fighting on the last game day to reach the beko BBL what would you have said?


I always believed in our team and always knew that we would play an important role at the end of the season. We didnt want to put ourselves to much under pressure, but deep down we knew that we could move up to the beko BBL

How is the mood in the town of Chemnitz? How has basketball moved the city this year?

Since the return of Torsten Loibl, the excitement has grown in the city of Chemnitz. The fans came back into the arena which wasnt always the case in the last years. We have a great fan club, but not of 400-500 people, but 2000 fans. It is a lot of fun playing in front of the Chemnitzfans who have helped make us so successful.

Where would you rate the importance of this game in comparison to other big games in your career? Is this the biggest game of your young career?

Yes I think this will be the biggest game of my career even if I was German youth champion

You practiced shortly with the Artland Dragons last season. What was the most important thing that you learned from MBC guard Ronald Ross that you might use in the game against s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg?

He is a good and quick point guard and always took responsibility in key phases of the game. He never gave up no matter what was happening in the game.

What is your memory of the 65-55 win earlier in the season against s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg?

That was the best team performance of the season. We were able to keep such a good team to 55 points. We won this game with a lot of effort.

What has been your impression of s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg. Do you think it was easier for them to perform because all the pressure seemed to be on FC Bayern Munich to do well?


I think that they were always under pressure, because they had set their goal to finish at second place


Gary Johnson has played a very good season. What has been his biggest value to the team this season?


He is a good that can do a lopt of things especially things that you dont always see in the stats. He is a very good defender and likes to take the deciding shots. That is why he is called Mr buzzer beater.


How challenging is it playing against Lee Jeka? What is most difficult to stop in his game?


He will be the key player to stop. We did a good job controlling in the first game and will have to do it again.

What will be key in winning game?


The team that shows the most effort and has the better nerves will win.

How disappointed would you be if you beat Wurzburg, but then would be unable to reach the beko BBL because of something uncontrollable like licensing problems?

That would be so sad since we worked so hard and would deserve to play in the beko BBL. Everybody would be so sad, but then I would hope that other doors would open.

How quickly will The Boston Celtics wrap up the series with The New York Knicks?


I think that the New York Knicks will win 4-3. If Billups doesnt get fit, then Boston will do it.

How good would the Chicago Bulls be without Derrick Rose? Is that situation comparable to Dashaun Wood and The Deutsche Bank Skyliners?

It is similar, but Frankfurt cant replace Wood. They have other alternative players, but it would be a lot tougher for Frankfurt.

How surprised were you about the news of Mike Taylor having to leave Ratiopharm Ulm? Will he coach in the beko BBL next season?


He is a good coach. he gives young players a lot of confidence and playing time. I hope he stays in Germany.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?


The Big Lebowski


Thanks Achmadschah for the chat.



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


Aris sign Anthony King.Stevan Milosevic on trial - by George Fragkos
Aris Thessaloniki announced one more addition to their roster and they are bound to make a second signing too. Anthony King (206-F/C-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) the American 27-year-old guard, who played for the Cypriot InterCollege Etha Engomis this year, has agreed terms with the club from Thessaloniki and he is already considered as a member of the team for the coming games for the Greek playoffs. King is a forward-center and he is expected to replace John Thomas, whose contract has already been terminated.

Moreover, the following days Subotic will try Stevan Milosevic (211-C-85, agency: Interperformances), another center of the same age and also from the Cypriot league. Milosevic, who has also played for Panionios in 2009, will be given a chance to prove that he is good enough to become a member of Aris. Regardless of the signing of King, if he does well, he will also be added to the team, as the Slovenian-Greek coach need as more players as possible to enforce his front line.


Greek A1 round 26 best performance: Dimos Dikoudis - by Eurobasket News
Former international power forward Dimos Dikoudis (207-F/C-77) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for AEK Athens, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 26.
The 33-year old player was the main contributor (29 points, eight rebounds and two assists) to his team's victory, helping them to beat Panionios (#9, 12-14) 76-68. AEK finished the season as No.13 with 8-18 record. In the team's last game Dikoudis had a remarkable 72.7% from 2-point range. He turned to be AEK's top player in his first season with the team. Dimos Dikoudis has solid league stats. He is in league's top in points (6th best: 14.1ppg) and averages impressive 55.0% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was 26-year old international swingman Stratos Perperoglou (203-G/F-84) of league's second-best Panathinaikos Athens. Perperoglou had a very good evening with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Of course he lead Panathinaikos to another comfortable win outscoring the lower-ranked Panellinios (#12, 9-17) 112-42. Panathinaikos' second position in the standings has not changed (24-2) and the Greens will meet Peristeri in the Quarterfinals. Perperoglou is one of the most experienced players at Panathinaikos and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

Third on the list of top players last round was another Panathinaikos Athens' star - international Kostas Kaimakoglou (206-C/F-83). Kaimakoglou showcased his all-around game by recording 10 points, ten rebounds and five assists in the last round. He was another key player of Panathinaikos, helping his team with a 112-42 easy win against the lower-ranked Panellinios (#12, 9-17). Kaimakoglou has a very solid season. In 22 games in Greece he scored 8.1ppg. He also has 4.8rpg and FGP: 66.2%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Curtis Sumpter (201-F-84) of Marousi - 16 points and 7 rebounds
5. Jure Mocnik (185-G-85) of Peristeri GS - 13 points and 7 rebounds
6. Bobby Brown (188-G-84) of Aris - 22 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists
7. Rawle Marshall (201-G-82) of PAOK - 27 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
8. Edin Bavcic (210-F/C-84) of Aris - 17 points and 7 rebounds
9. Jermaine Anderson (188-G-83) of Panionios - 19 points and 5 assists
10. Kurt Looby (208-F/C-84) of Peristeri GS - 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

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


Indonesian Basketball Team Practice In Australia - by Koko Triloka
By the Sea Games to XXVI in Palembang and Jakarta, 11 to 25 November 2011, the Executive Board of the basketball All-Indonesia Association will undergo training Convergence Program of the National Basketball sons Sea Games with a focus on the initial selection after all the athletes and coach following the Character Program at Headquarters Kopasus Builiding Jatijajar West Java.

For the Sea Games in 2011, the son of basketball national training team now consists of 24 players that are the result of selection of the competition the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Asean Basketball League (ABL). Assistant Coach of National Team basketball son Fictor Roring to RRI, Wednesday (20 / 4) said the son of the team's first selection will be done this Sunday and there will be reduction of the original players 24 players to 18 players.

'Now the team has started training again in Batujajar. This is probably a solid day as there are final selection. Depreciation players from 24 to 18. So the competition becomes more intense, 'said Fictor.

Fictor also added after the initial selection, as many as 18 players who signed in the next shadow team will follow the NBA Camp program in Jakarta in early May 2011 and the end of May 2011 will be done the training camp in Australia for 10 days. After attending a series of training programs in Australia, 18 players will be minimized to 14 players for the basketball team and then the son would follow several international tournaments as a test of June-July 2011.

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


Standings - BSL
Premier League Standings
 1. Maccabi T-A 26-1 
 2. Galil Gilboa 17-10 
 3. Hapoel J-M 16-11 
 4. Bnei Hasharon 16-11 
 5. Maccabi Rishon 13-14 
 6. Maccabi Ashdod 13-14 
 7. Hapoel Holon 11-16 
 8. Elitzur Netanya 9-18 
 9. Maccabi Haifa 8-19 
 10. Ironi Ashkelon 6-21 


Maccabi T-A wins the Regular Season with 26-1 record - by Eurobasket News
The Regular Season in Premier League just ended.

Eighth-ranked Elitzur Netanya (9-18) made lots of trouble for third ranked Hapoel J-M (16-11) on Thursday. The visitors from Jerusalem managed to secure only three-point victory 84-81. However their fans expected much easier game. Elitzur Netanya trailed by 11 points after 3 quarters before a 28-20 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 81-84 at the end of the game. It was a great shooting night for Hapoel J-M especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 57.9 percentage. 26 personal fouls committed by Elitzur Netanya helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The game was dominated by American players. The best player for the winners was guard Willie Solomon (187-78, college: Clemson) who scored 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Forward Brian Randle (203-85) chipped in 7 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was forward Romeo Travis (201-84, college: Akron) who recorded 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Hapoel J-M maintains third place with 16-11 record having ten points less than leader Maccabi T-A, which they share with Bnei Hasharon. Elitzur Netanya at the other side keeps the eighth position with 18 games lost.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Galil. First ranked Maccabi T-A faced second-best Galil Gilboa. Guests from Tel-Aviv (26-1) defeated host Galil Gilboa (17-10) 79-68. It was a good game for American point guard Jeremy Pargo (188-86, college: Gonzaga, agency: Priority Sports) who led his team to a victory with 15 points and 8 assists. Chuck Eidson contributed with 19 points and 5 assists for the winners. International point guard Gal Mekel (193-88, college: Wichita St.) answered with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for Galil Gilboa. Maccabi T-A have an impressive series of twenty victories in a row. They maintain first place with 26-1 record. Defending champion Galil Gilboa keeps the second position with ten games lost.

Leader Maccabi T-A delivered the twentieth sixth victory on Thursday night. This time they beat 10th ranked Ironi Ashkelon (6-21) 96-92. It was a great evening for Lior Eliyahu who led his team to a victory scoring 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. The best for the losing side was Corry Carr with 29 points and 7 rebounds. The victory was the twentiethth consecutive win for Maccabi T-A. They maintain first place with 26-1 record. Loser Ironi Ashkelon stay at the bottom position with 21 games lost.
The game in Ashdod supposed to be also worth to mention about. Fourth ranked Bnei Hasharon (16-11) played at the court of 6th ranked Maccabi Ashdod (13-14). Bnei Hasharon smashed Maccabi Ashdod 92-71. It was an exceptional evening for Ronald Steele who led the winners and scored 18 points and 8 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Bnei Hasharon moved-up to third place, which they share with Hapoel J-M. Newly promoted Maccabi Ashdod dropped to the fifth position with 14 games lost.
We should mention about the upset which took place in Haifa, where higher ranked Maccabi Rishon (13-14) lost to ninth ranked Maccabi Haifa (8-19) in a road game 70-76 on Thursday. The best player for the winners was Frank Robinson who scored 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Maccabi Haifa maintains ninth place with 8-19 record. Loser Maccabi Rishon keeps the fifth position with 14 games lost.

In the last game of round 27 Hapoel Holon was defeated by Galil Gilboa in a road game 87-75.

Maccabi Haifa - Maccabi Rishon 76-70

We should mention about the upset which took place in Haifa, where higher ranked Maccabi Rishon (13-14) lost to ninth ranked Maccabi Haifa (8-19) in a road game 70-76 on Thursday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after three quarters before their 19-12 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Strangely Maccabi Rishon outrebounded Maccabi Haifa 44-26 including a 21-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was American guard Frank Robinson (193-84, college: Cal.St. Fullerton, agency: Priority Sports) who scored 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. International forward Elishay Kadir (202-87, agency: Avi Zilberman) chipped in 14 points. Five Maccabi Haifa players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American swingman Dwayne Mitchell (196-82, college: La-Lafayette, agency: Interperformances) who recorded a double-double by scoring 17 points and 15 rebounds and the other American import guard Isaiah Swann (188-85, college: Florida St.) added 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists respectively. Maccabi Haifa maintains ninth place with 8-19 record. Loser Maccabi Rishon keeps the fifth position with 14 games lost.
Top scorers:
Maccabi Haifa: E.Kadir 14+4reb+2ast, S.Landesberg 11+3reb+2ast, T.Wilkerson 11+2reb+2ast, F.Robinson 10+8reb+5ast, G.Jackson 10+2reb+6ast, A.Ben-Chimol 8+2reb+1ast
Maccabi Rishon: A.McGhee 18+5reb+1ast, D.Mitchell 17+15reb+1ast, I.Swann 15+6reb+4ast, N.Hanochi 9+6reb+4ast, R.Morgan 6+9reb+2ast, Y.Orland 3+1reb+1ast


gschID: 122632


Galil Gilboa - Maccabi T-A 68-79

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Galil. First ranked Maccabi T-A faced second-best Galil Gilboa. Guests from Tel-Aviv (26-1) defeated host Galil Gilboa (17-10) 79-68. It looked good early as Galil Gilboa took an 1-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Maccabi T-A had a 20-8 second period charge getting the lead and Galil Gilboa was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 68-79. They outrebounded Galil Gilboa 34-18 including a 26-14 advantage in defensive rebounds. Maccabi T-A players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. It was a good game for American point guard Jeremy Pargo (188-86, college: Gonzaga, agency: Priority Sports) who led his team to a victory with 15 points and 8 assists. His fellow American import swingman Chuck Eidson (202-80, college: S.Carolina, agency: Court Side) contributed with 19 points and 5 assists for the winners. Four Maccabi T-A players scored in double figures. International point guard Gal Mekel (193-88, college: Wichita St.) answered with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists and international guard Dagan Yavzuri (193-85) added 12 points in the effort for Galil Gilboa. Maccabi T-A have an impressive series of twenty victories in a row. They maintain first place with 26-1 record. Defending champion Galil Gilboa keeps the second position with ten games lost.

Top scorers:
Maccabi T-A: C.Eidson 19+3reb+5ast, J.Pargo 15+4reb+8ast, L.Eliyahu 12+5reb+1ast, G.Pnini 11+4reb+3ast, S.Schortsanitis 7+7reb+1ast, T.Burstein 6+2reb
Galil Gilboa: D.Yavzuri 12+1reb+3ast, M.Killingsworth 9+5reb, G.Mekel 9+5reb+8ast, G.Israeli 7+2reb+3ast, I.Kozikaro 6+1reb+2ast, T.Biggs 2+3reb+1ast

gschID: 127107


Elitzur Netanya - Hapoel J-M 81-84

Eighth-ranked Elitzur Netanya (9-18) made lots of trouble for third ranked Hapoel J-M (16-11) on Thursday. The visitors from Jerusalem managed to secure only three-point victory 84-81. However their fans expected much easier game. Elitzur Netanya trailed by 11 points after 3 quarters before a 28-20 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 81-84 at the end of the game. It was a great shooting night for Hapoel J-M especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 57.9 percentage. 26 personal fouls committed by Elitzur Netanya helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The game was dominated by American players. The best player for the winners was guard Willie Solomon (187-78, college: Clemson) who scored 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Forward Brian Randle (203-85) chipped in 7 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was forward Romeo Travis (201-84, college: Akron) who recorded 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) and forward Tony Washam (200-82, college: St.Vincent) added 23 points and 6 rebounds respectively. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Hapoel J-M maintains third place with 16-11 record having ten points less than leader Maccabi T-A, which they share with Bnei Hasharon. Elitzur Netanya at the other side keeps the eighth position with 18 games lost.
Top scorers:
Hapoel J-M: W.Solomon 18+5reb+5ast, Y.Naimy 15+3reb+1ast, S.Clancy 13+5reb, J.Rich 10+1reb+1ast, Y.Ohayon 9+3reb+5ast, B.Randle 7+7reb+6ast
Elitzur Netanya: T.Washam 23+6reb+1ast, R.Travis 21+9reb+2ast, J.Smith 15+3ast, E.Gueta 8+4reb, C.Watson 6+4reb+1ast, S.Brener 6+3reb+13ast
gschID: 122629


Ironi Ashkelon - Maccabi T-A 92-96

Leader Maccabi T-A delivered the twentieth sixth victory on Thursday night. This time they beat 10th ranked Ironi Ashkelon (6-21) 96-92. Ironi Ashkelon was tied after three quarters but could not keep up in the last quarter eventually losing the game. They outrebounded Ironi Ashkelon 44-29 including a 32-21 advantage in defensive rebounds. Maccabi T-A looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists comparing to just 15 passes made by Ironi Ashkelon's players. It was a great evening for international power forward Lior Eliyahu (206-85) who led his team to a victory scoring 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. International swingman Guy Pnini (200-83) helped adding 18 points and 7 assists. The best for the losing side was naturalized American guard Corry Carr (192-75, college: Texas Tech) with 29 points and 7 rebounds and American swingman Rodney Green (196-88, college: La Salle) scored 17 points. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The victory was the twentiethth consecutive win for Maccabi T-A. They maintain first place with 26-1 record. Loser Ironi Ashkelon stay at the bottom position with 21 games lost.
Top scorers:
Maccabi T-A: L.Eliyahu 24+7reb+4ast, G.Pnini 18+2reb+7ast, C.Eidson 14+6reb+5ast, S.Schortsanitis 10+3reb+2ast, R.Hendrix 8+6reb+1ast, J.Pargo 7+11reb+5ast
Ironi Ashkelon: C.Carr 29+7reb+1ast, R.Green 17+2reb+1ast, E.Marckovich 10+6reb+3ast, T.Terrell 10+5reb+2ast, D.Hagag 8+5reb+4ast, G.Porat 8+2reb+1ast
gschID: 122630


Galil Gilboa - Hapoel Holon 87-75

There was no surprise when 7th ranked Hapoel Holon (11-16) was defeated on the road by second ranked Galil Gilboa (17-10) 87-75 on Thursday. The game was mostly controlled by Galil Gilboa. Hapoel Holon was better in fourth quarter 28-18. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. It was a great shooting night for Galil Gilboa especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 57.9 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. The game was also dominated by American players. The best player for the winners was power forward Marco Killingsworth (202-82, college: Indiana) who scored 19 points and 8 rebounds (perfect from the field making all eight shots !!!). Power forward Warren Carter (205-85, college: Illinois) chipped in 14 points and 5 assists. Galil Gilboa's coach Lior Lubin used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the other side the best for losing team was power forward Rich Melzer (203-79, college: Wisc.-RiverFal., agency: Court Side) who recorded 28 points and 8 rebounds and forward Kasib Powell (201-81, college: Texas Tech, agency: Court Side) added 14 points and 5 rebounds respectively. Defending champion maintains second place with 17-10 record having nine points less than leader Maccabi T-A. Hapoel Holon lost their third game in a row. They keep the seventh position with 16 games lost.
Top scorers:
Galil Gilboa: M.Killingsworth 19+8reb+2ast, W.Carter 14+4reb+5ast, D.Yavzuri 12+4reb+2ast, C.Fells 9+4reb+2ast, A.Gordon 8, G.Mekel 7+1reb+6ast
Hapoel Holon: R.Melzer 28+8reb+1ast, K.Powell 14+5reb+1ast, M.Roth 10+2reb+4ast, A.Ben David 9+3reb+2ast, I.Stolero 8+3reb+1ast, N.Cohen 6+3reb+1ast
gschID: 122631


Maccabi Ashdod - Bnei Hasharon 71-92

The game in Ashdod supposed to be also worth to mention about. Fourth ranked Bnei Hasharon (16-11) played at the court of 6th ranked Maccabi Ashdod (13-14). Bnei Hasharon smashed Maccabi Ashdod 92-71. The game was mostly controlled by Bnei Hasharon. Maccabi Ashdod was better in fourth quarter 15-13. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Bnei Hasharon made 16-of-21 charity shots (76.2 percent) during the game. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 27 assists. It was an exceptional evening for American point guard Ronald Steele (187-86, college: Alabama, agency: SportsTalent) who led the winners and scored 18 points and 8 assists. Puerto Rican point guard Filiberto Rivera (190-82, college: UTEP) accounted for 17 points and 5 assists for the winning side. American power forward Josh Duncan (203-86) came up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds and guard Niv Berkowitz (190-86, college: Marquette, agency: Gross Zeev ISA) added 17 points and 5 rebounds (perfect from the field making all seven shots !!!) respectively for Maccabi Ashdod in the defeat. Five Bnei Hasharon and four Maccabi Ashdod players scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Bnei Hasharon moved-up to third place, which they share with Hapoel J-M. Newly promoted Maccabi Ashdod dropped to the fifth position with 14 games lost.
Top scorers:
Bnei Hasharon: R.Steele 18+4reb+8ast, F.Rivera 17+3reb+5ast, L.Nailon 15+5reb+5ast, B.Rice 14+4reb+1ast, B.Dunston 10+7reb, D.Grunfeld 9+1reb+2ast
Maccabi Ashdod: J.Duncan 20+10reb+3ast, N.Berkowitz 17+5reb+3ast, J.Carter 13+7reb+2ast, M.Tapiro 10+3reb+3ast, O.Lafayette 6+2reb+4ast, J.Martin 5+1reb
gschID: 122628




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  ITALY   


Enel Brindisi and Maurice Taylor part ways - by Eurobasket News
Enel Brindisi have reached agreement on terms of contract termination with Maurice Taylor (206-F-76, agency: Lanshire Group, college: Michigan). The 34-year-old forward signed with the team back in February. He tallied 3.7 points, 4.0 boards per game in three appearances. Last season Maurice Taylor started in China. His stats read 18.8 points and 7.0 boards per game for Shanxi Zhongyu. Later he moved to Italy to join Benetton. Maurice Taylor notched 5.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in Treviso.


Eurobasket Summer League is getting another Xperience - by Eurobasket
HOUSTON, TX -- The Eurobasket Summer League is getting another Xperience.
After four years of ESL Eurobasket has decided to go to Houston, ESLs Darryl Reshaw announced Tuesday January 4, 2011 that the event and weeklong festivities will go to Houston in 2011 at the Campbell Center arena.
Houston (ESL) was contracted out to the UBA and will be hosted by the 1st year Houston Xperinece.
'This is a great honor for the city of Houston,' Xperience owner Kevin Williams said Thursday. This is just great timing with the NBA not having its Summer League. Guys need a place to be seen.
ESL Vegas has been the standard of all the events with talent, but this event has never been to Houston. There are over eight NBA and NBA D-League franchises in the state and many universities also. I feel after this summer Houston will be the standard for ESL, said Williams. Its just an honor to have Eurobasket here in the city of Houston and the UBA.
The UBA is an up in coming league in the US market. Surprisingly in just 2 seasons they have sent of 40 athletes overseas and continue to push as a minor league power. Not only will the UBA host Eurobasket (Houston), but they will also participate. The UBA will be selecting a Team UBA to compete is this event. We will come to Houston to prove to the world why we are been so successful over the past 2 years, said Coach Michael Davis. I think the ESL is the best Summer League under the NBA. Now that there will be no NBA Summer League its a no brainier.
The Campbell Center arena will hold the 1st Annual 3 Point Shootout, Dunk Contest and 3 days of great basketball over the weekend.
City officials estimated that the economic impact could be almost $500,000. Elected officials would like to see the Eurobasket Summer League return more frequently, especially with the Campbell Center arena built largely on public funding.
This event is expected to be history in the making. Some of the top players in the country are expected to be involved. Even James 'Top Flight' White (6'6''-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Cincinnati) will be there with a long list of other great players.

Barcellona add Jeremy Wise - by Eurobasket News
Barcellona bolstered their backcourt. They have agreed on terms of contract with Jeremy Wise (191-G-86, agency: Strategic Sports, college: S.Mississippi). The deal is meant for the reminder of the season. The 25-year-old guard started the season in D-League. Jeremy Wise averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Bakersfield Jam. Jeremy Wise graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi back in 2009. The guard tallied 16.7 points, 4.7 assists, 3.5 boards and 1.3 steals per game in his senior season with the Golden Eagles. Jeremy Wise made it into All-C-USA 3rd Team that year. The guard also participated at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2010. He is expected to debut for Barcellona as soon as April 30 against Trenkwalder.


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  LATVIA   


LBL D2 Round 1 of Finals. Ventspils Augustskola celebrate opening win - by Eurobasket News
3-4 place
Jurmala - Gulbene 82-78

Jurmala surged ahead in the series versus Gulbene. Kaspars Raiskums (202-F-84, agency: Promotex) delivered 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the effort. Jurmala posted an 8-point halftime advantage and rallied to the victory after the main break. Valts Dambergs (193-G-85) contributed 21 points and 7 rebounds in the winning case. Gundars Rauza (192-F-79) and Agris Kazaks (197-G-85) recorded 17 points each for Gulbene in defeat.
gschID: 127385


FINAL
Ventspils Aug. - BAA Riga 78-66

Ventspils Augustskola overcame BAA Riga for 1-0 lead in the Finals. Karlis Apsitis (198-F-92) notched 29 points to lead the charge for the home team. Ervins Jonats (198-F-91) delivered 11 points and 7 rebounds for Ventspils Augustskola. Rihards Ginters (193-F-91) answered with 28 points for BAA Riga.
gschID: 127386




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  MADAGASCAR   


U22 Challenge: Atsinanana and Boeny dominate the discussions - by Eurobasket News
The two regions of Atsinanana and Boeny realized a double by securing their ticket to the finals of the national championship, both in boys than in girls. At Maevatanana, young basketball players from Boeny blew off Betsiboka squad in the first and second legs (71-19 and 147-62). Similar scenario in young girls basketball players from Boeny who inflicted a severe correction to their fellows from Betsiboka on the score of 71-19 in the first leg and 92-49 in the second leg.
Same story for Atsinanana in Moramanga. Thus in boys, Atsinanana respectively offered itself Alaotra-Mangoro squad (80-61) and that of Analanjorofo (80-48). While girls did the same operation against Alaotra-Mangoro by 81 to 37 in the first leg and 57-32 in the second leg. These four teams complete the table of the championship finals of U22 which mentions 10 teams in boys and in girls.
Courtesy of: http://www.starafrica.com


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  MALI   


Top 12 Qualifiers - by Eurobasket News
The final match fixtures for the national D1 Top 12 Basket Ball Championship have been made known since last Sunday. 24 teams will compete in July in Bamako, to be Malis 2011 champions
Worthy of special note is the absence of the female basket ball team, Djoliba, 2005 champions and many times champions of Mali from this years edition of the competition. They were eliminated at the Bamako District level.

Qualified for the Top 12 championship are:

Men: Stade malien (Bamako), Djoliba AC (Bamako), AS Ral (Bamako), AS Police (Bamako), USFAS (Bamako), AS Commune III (Bamako), Le Tata national (Sikasso), Centre Bintou Dembl (Koulikoro), Sigui (Kayes), Dbo club (Mopti), Biton (Sgou) and Al Farouk (Tombouctou)

Women: AS Faso Kanu (Bamako), Ral (Bamako), Stade malien (Bamako), AS Commune I (Bamako), Centre Alkaya Tour (Bamako), USFAS (Bamako), Tata (Sikasso), Centre Bintou Dembl (Koulikoro), Dbo club (Mopti), Sonni (Gao), Biton (Sgou) and Al Farouk (Tombouctou)
Courtesy of: http://www.starafrica.com



Amara Sy takes international retirement - by Eurobasket News
Captain of French-based club,Orleans,the 3O-year old Amara Sy (202-F-81) said his decision was motivated by personal reasons as well as the management of the national team.

I am announcing my international retirement through this Press release.After a vivid reflection and ten years spent with the national team,when I felt honoured to have been handed the responsibility of wearing the captains armband,I have decided to make way for the younger generation to continue in a patriotic manner to fly high Malis flag. These were the words read out by the ex-captain as he bowed out of the international scene. Personnally,internal conflicts within the national team,coupled with personal reasons have brought an end to my career.Amara who remains one of the best athletes in Malis history was the MVP of the 2004 All Star game and of the final of the French championship in 2009.Won the French league in 2002 and 2009 as well as the French cup in 2OO1 and 2004.The only trophy lacking to his medal chart is the Afrobasket with the national team.
Courtesy of: http://www.starafrica.com

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  MOROCCO   


Will it be Wydad Raja of Casablanca at the finals? - by Eurobasket News
Wydad may play their eternal rivals, Raja of Casablanca at the final of basket ball Coupe de Trone. Actually the Raja boys have already picked a ticket for the finals by beating Al Hoceima, 74-57 and 79-84. Fingers are now crossed and basket ball fans are biting their nails as they wait to see Wydad by-pass AS Sale, present title holders. Haven won their last match with just a goals difference, Wydad will have to be at their best come Friday 22 April if they hope to contest for the trophy.
Courtesy of: www.starafrica.com

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  NBA   


Roy apologizes for comments after Game 2 - by Eurobasket News
Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy (6'6''-G-84, college: Washington) apologized Thursday for his comments about playing time after the second game of Portlands playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, saying they resulted from frustration.

Roy spoke at the teams morning shootaround before Game 3 of the first-round series, which the Mavericks led 2-0.

I was really emotional there and a little frustrated, he said.

Roy played just eight minutes of the Blazers 101-89 loss in Game 2 and didnt score. He sparked controversy in Portland with comments he made to The Oregonian newspaper after the game.

Id be lying if I said I wasnt a little hurt or disappointed, Roy told the paper. I just always thought I would be treated a little better. That was a little disappointing for me.

The three-time All-Star battled knee problems during the regular season, finally undergoing arthroscopic surgery on both knees in mid-January. He has said that he lacks cartilage between the bones.

Roy struggled to find his place with the Blazers upon his return from surgery and was relegated to the bench, while Wesley Matthews (notes) took over as the teams shooting guard.

During the regular season Roy averaged 12.2 points in 47 games, including 23 starts. So far during the playoffs against Dallas he has had two points in 34 minutes.

On Thursday, Roy was contrite for his comments, saying he never intended to be a distraction.

It was something that maybe shouldnt have been said, but I cant go back on it now, Roy said.

Coach Nate McMillan said earlier that he understood where Royfor several years the face of the franchisewas coming from.

We are going through a season where we are trying to figure out exactly what he can do and how he can help the team and get him through this year, McMillan said. I know what he has done for this organization and to call Brandon Roy in as a backup is different. I totally understand what hes saying.

Both McMillan and Roy said they privately discussed Roys frustration. Roy said he knows he needs to have an immediate impact when he comes into games.

I gotta try to produce a little bit faster. Ive always been kind of a slow starter, he said.

Several of the other Blazers said they sympathized with Roy.

Hes an All-Star, forward Gerald Wallace (notes) said. Guys want to play, especially at this time of year.

Courtesy of Yahoo

Nuggets' J.R. Smith says he likely won't be back next season - by Eurobasket News
Nuggets guard J.R. Smith (6'6''-G-85), who played just six minutes in Wednesday night's Game 2, said there's a 'strong possibility' he won't sign with the Nuggets this summer as a free agent, expressing frustration Thursday after the Nuggets went down 0-2 against Oklahoma City in the playoffs.

'There's a strong possibility as of right now,' Smith said. 'It's not going the way I planned it to go. It's a tough situation. I want to be here, I love the fans and everything about the city. It's just maybe not my fit.'

The Nuggets had a team meeting on Thursday and Smith said the team didn't have 'a pulse' as they regrouped at Pepsi Center.

'Just frustration, just really didn't have any life in there,' Smith said. 'No one was really into it.'

Smith said he didn't get an explanation for why he played so few minutes (he went 1-for-6 from the field and was minus-17, causing coach George Karl to say that the 'floodgates opened' when Smith was on the court).

'I'm not worried about my shots,' Smith said. 'That's one of the things I was here for, I thought. If they ask me to play, I'll play. If not, I'll just cheer for my teammates.'

Asked about the floodgates quote, Smith said, 'I don't read the quotes any more. I don't even want to get into that. If he asks me to play, I'll play, if not, I won't. It's kind of getting ridiculous.'

Karl was asked Thursday about Smith's comments.

'I don't know how to answer that,' Karl said quietly. 'I hope he's ready to play on Saturday and will be in a situation to bounce back.'

Karl was told that Smith felt that if he isn't clicking on the court right away, that Smith feels he won't get a second chance. The coach replied: 'He gives us minus-17 in six minutes. Those guys shouldn't get second chances. I'm not saying it was all his fault, I'm just saying - when that happens, I got to make a change.'

Courtesy of www.denverpost.com

Heat beat 76ers 100-94; take 3-0 lead - by Eurobasket News
Hours before Game 3, Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette) had that big-game feeling.

Wade's 36 miserable hours of migraine headaches had passed, his head was clear and his game, well, he'd prove his game was back in championship form.

'I don't have to worry about bright lights,' Wade said.

Was he ever fantastic under the postseason spotlight.

Wade had 32 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) finished with 24 points and 15 boards and the Miami Heat took a 3-0 lead in their first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 100-94 victory Thursday night.

'I felt a lot better,' Wade said. 'My game felt better. I think my teammates could see it.'

The Heat saw it from the opening tip. Wade was driving, attacking, dunking - playing his game at full blast the way he couldn't in Game 2. He even fought through another familiar malady, a banged-up shoulder that needed ice and treatment.

Wade delivered with a string of big baskets - he was 10 of 19 from the field overall - in the third and fourth quarters that spurred the Heat to the brink of the conference semifinals. He drew a foul on a spin move against Jrue Holiday and hit two free throws with 51.6 seconds left that about clinched the game.

Wade missed practice before Game 2 with a migraine headache. He was slowed in Game 2 by the lingering effects of the headache and scored a combined 31 points in the first two games.

'He understood we needed something a little bit more,' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Wade was 12 for 12 from the free throw line. For all the hype around the Big Three, Wade remembers he was the Biggest One in Miami. He still plays that way and the Heat needed all of his all-around excellence against the scrappy Sixers.

Chris Bosh (6'11''-F-84, college: Georgia Tech) scored 19 points for the Heat, who rallied from an early 10-point deficit to move within one win of a sweep of the Eastern Conference series.

Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Blazers beat Mavs; win game three 97-92 - by Eurobasket News
Wesley Matthews (6'5''-G-86, college: Marquette) had 25 points and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Mavericks 97-92 on Thursday night to narrow Dallas' lead in the first-round playoff series to 2-1.

Jason Terry (6'2''-G-77, college: Arizona) had 29 points coming off the bench early for the Mavericks, including five 3-pointers.

The Blazers led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter, but Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) hit consecutive jumpers to make it 87-81 midway through the period.

Jose Barea's layup closed the gap to 93-87. LaMarcus Aldridge (6'11''-C-85, college: Texas) answered with a jumper for the Blazers, but Nowitzki came back after a free throw with a turnaround jumper to make it 95-90 with 42.8 seconds left.

Jason Kidd (6'4''-G-73, college: California) made a long jumper with 12.9 seconds to go but Dallas couldn't catch the Blazers.

Courtesy of www.katu.com

David Stern: NBA talks must intensify - by Eurobasket News
With time running out and business beginning to suffer, the NBA is eager to intensify talks with its union.

And commissioner David Stern says the NFL's problems show why.

Stern believes football's labor situation, which he called a 'mess,' was worsened by a lack of urgency to get a deal done well before its collective bargaining agreement expired, something he wants to avoid as his league tries to negotiate a new deal with its players.

'It seemed that at the end of the bargaining between the NFL and the players, one got the sense that in the last day or two they had closed the gap,' Stern said Thursday. 'I don't know if that's accurate or not, but that's what I read. And you wonder as an outsider whether it would have been a good thing to close that gap a few days earlier, a couple of weeks earlier so that you had the opportunity and the plan to do that.'

The NBA plans to soon send the union a revised proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement, hoping it will trigger meaningful negotiations ahead of the June 30 expiration date.

But Stern made it clear in his meeting with Associated Press Sports Editors that he will lock the players out if a deal can't be reached to give owners the financial relief they seek, even if it comes at the expense of his reputation.

'The league is my client, not my vehicle to a legacy,' Stern said.

Stern said someone on the players' side challenged him on that before the 1998 work stoppage, telling Stern he wouldn't dare shut down the league that he'd spent more than two decades growing.

'You're going to learn the hard way. That's not the way we operate this league. We operate in the best interest of the league,' Stern said of his response at the time.

But Stern doesn't believe it has to come to that point, with more than two months of bargaining time available. And he warned the players that the deal offered to them before the current CBA expires may be more favorable than one they could be presented after games have already been lost.

'If there's a work stoppage that changes our financial picture even more negatively ... it would seem to indicate that the offer that was there has to recalibrated to what the new realities economically are,' Stern said.

Stern also defended the right of his owners to profit off their investments. Though the league is projecting $300 million in losses this season, the league's initial proposal in February 2010 for a new CBA sought to reduce player salary costs by about $750 million annually.

The players quickly rejected that proposal, which also called for a hard salary cap to replace the current system that allows for certain exceptions. The players sent a counterproposal that summer, but the league wasn't interested in it and there has been no progress.

But deputy commissioner Adam Silver said the uncertainty of whether there will be games next season will start to hurt the league when it comes to various ticket and sponsorship renewals.

'Frankly, we're running out of time,' Silver said. 'We have roughly two months and a week to get a deal done before the expiration of this collective bargaining agreement. And I think on that point, Billy Hunter and the union are in full agreement with us that we need to intensify these discussions.'

Stern downplayed other comparisons to the NFL's situation, saying his league is losing money and has openly shared its financial data with the union. He also seemed to question the NFLPA's decertification process, but said having two leagues with labor problems would only further anger the public.

He believes his league would bounce back if games are lost, but with a cost.

'The damage that would be done to both sides would be intense,' he said.

Courtesy of ESPN

Stoudemire and Billups sit out practice for Knicks - by Eurobasket News
Amare Stoudemire (6'10''-F-82) and Chauncey Billups (6'3''-G-76, college: Colorado) sat out practice Thursday for the New York Knicks due to injuries which have hampered their participation in the Knicks playoff series against the Celtics.

Billups injured himself in game one, and missed all of game two with a strained left knee. He is currently listed as questionable for game three against the Celtics Friday night.

Stoudemire missed the end of game two due to an ailing back which has troubled him since the All-Star break.

The Knicks currently trail the Celtics 2-0 in the series. Game three will be the first Knicks playoff game at Madison Square Garden in seven years.

Courtesy of www.twackle.com

Shaquille O'Neal travels with the Celtics to New York - by Eurobasket News
The Celtics announced that Shaquille O'Neal (7'2''-C-72, college: LSU) is on the plane with the team as it heads to New York for Games 3 and 4 of the first round series with the Knicks. The Cs lead the series 2-0.

That O'Neal is making the trip could be a sign that he performed well in tests today before the flight. Doc Rivers ruled O'Neal out of tomorrow nights Game 3, but left the door open for a return for Sunday's Game 4.

'If he's closer to playing, what weve done, is if you see him on a trip that means hes really close', Rivers said yesterday. 'Obviously if he goes on the trip, that means we think hell play that Sunday.'

Rivers refuted a report yesterday that ONeal was out for the playoffs. Rivers continues to say that he expects ONeal to return at some point this postseason. The injuries have limited O'Neal to just five minutes of action since Feb. 1.

'He's had some improvement but I dont know how much', Rivers said. 'I just go by what (trainer) Eddie (Lacerte) and (team doctor Brian) McKeon tell me. They said hes had some improvement so Ill relay that onto you guys.'

The most recent news on O'Neal's injured right calf and Achilles tendon had not been promising. O'Neal attempted to workout on Saturday, but was unable to run without pain. After that, the Celtics declared him out for Game 1 and he also missed Game 2.

This news will only continue the speculation about ONeals status. The next chance for an update likely wont come until the Celtics shootaround tomorrow morning at Madison Square Garden.

Courtesy of www.bostonherald.com

Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Kevin DURANT
  Oklah.City T.
  (206-G/F-88)
  Avg: 27.8
 1. Durant, Oklah.Ci.27.8 
 2. James, Miami Heat26.6 
 3. Wade, Miami Heat25.4 
 4. Bryant, LA Lakers25.3 
 5. Rose, Chicago B.25.3 
 6. Anthony, Denver N.25.2 
 7. Stoudemire, New Y.25.0 
 8. Ellis, Golde S.24.1 
 9. Martin, Houston R.23.5 
 10. Nowitzki, Dallas M.23.3 
Rebounds Per Game
 Kevin LOVE
  Minnesota T.
  (208-C-88)
  Avg: 15.2
 1. Love, Minnesota T.15.2 
 2. Howard, Orlando M.14.2 
 3. Randolph, Memph.12.1 
 4. Griffin, LA Clipp.12.1 
 5. Bogut, Milwauke.11.1 
 6. Humphries, New J.10.4 
 7. Noah, Chicago B.10.4 
 8. Camby, Portland TB10.3 
 9. Gasol, LA Lakers10.1 
 10. Lee, Golde S.9.8 
Assists Per Game
 Steve NASH
  Phoenix Suns
  (190-G-74)
  Avg: 11.4
 1. Nash, Phoenix Suns11.4 
 2. Rondo, Boston C.11.1 
 3. Paul, N.Orleans H.9.8 
 4. Williams, Utah Jazz9.7 
 5. Felton, New Y.9.0 
 6. Calderon, Toron.8.9 
 7. Wall, Washington W.8.3 
 8. Kidd, Dallas M.8.1 
 9. Westbrook, Oklah..8.1 
 10. Rose, Chicago B.7.6 
Steals Per Game
 Chris PAUL
  N.Orleans H.
  (183-G-85)
  Avg: 2.3
 1. Paul, N.Orleans H.2.3 
 2. Rondo, Boston C.2.1 
 3. Ellis, Golde S.2.1 
 4. Westbrook, Oklah..1.9 
 5. Allen, Memphis G.1.8 
 6. Wall, Washington W.1.8 
 7. Felton, New Y.1.8 
 8. Gay, Memphis G.1.7 
 9. Kidd, Dallas M.1.7 
 10. Conley, Memphis G.1.7 
Blocks Per Game
 Andrew BOGUT
  Milwaukee B.
  (212-F/C-84)
  Avg: 2.6
 1. Bogut, Milwauke.2.6 
 2. Ibaka, Oklah.Ci.2.4 
 3. Howard, Orlando M.2.4 
 4. McGee, Washingt.2.4 
 5. Bynum, LA Lakers2.0 
 6. Milicic, Minnesota T.2.0 
 7. Stoudemire, New Y.1.9 
 8. Jefferson, Utah J.1.9 
 9. Duncan, San A.1.9 
 10. Jordan, LA Clippers1.8 


2011 NBA Draft early entries - by Eurobasket News
NCAA underclassman have until 11:59 ET on April 24 to decide if they'll enter the 2011 NBA draft, held on June 23 in Newark, N.J. Per NCAA rules, players who do not declare for the draft and who do not hire an agent must withdraw their name from consideration by May 8 to retain their college elibility. The NBA's official withdrawal deadline for all players -- including international players -- is 5 p.m. ET on June 13. Here are the players who have declared for the draft thus far.

Player, School, Position, Height, Weight, Class
Laurence Bowers Missouri Forward 6-8 210 Junior
Alec Burks Colorado Guard 6-6 195 Sophomore
DeAngelo Casto Washington State Forward 6-8 255 Junior
Kim English Missouri Guard 6-6 200 Junior
Ashton Gibbs Pittsburgh Guard 6-2 195 Junior
Augustus Gilchrist South Florida Forward 6-10 245 Junior
Tobias Harris Tennessee Forward 6-8 210 Freshman
Tu Holloway Xavier Guard 6-0 185 Junior
Tyler Honeycutt UCLA Forward 6-7 195 Sophomore
Scotty Hopson Tennessee Guard 6-7 205 Junior
Kyrie Irving Duke Guard 6-2 180 Freshman
Reggie Jackson Boston College Guard 6-3 208 Junior
Terrence Jennings Louisville Forward 6-9 220 Junior
Orlando Johnson UC Santa Barbara Guard 6-5 205 Junior
Reggie Johnson Miami Center 6-10 303 Sophomore
Terrence Jones Kentucky Forward 6-8 244 Freshman
Brandon Knight Kentucky Guard 6-3 185 Freshman
Malcolm Lee UCLA Guard 6-5 180 Junior
Kawhi Leonard San Diego State Forward 6-7 225 Sophomore
Travis Leslie Georgia Guard 6-4 202 Junior
DeAndre Liggins Kentucky Guard 6-6 210 Junior
Shelvin Mack Butler Guard 6-3 215 Junior
Darius Morris Michigan Guard 6-4 190 Sophomore
Marcus Morris Kansas Forward 6-9 235 Junior
Markieff Morris Kansas Forward 6-10 245 Junior
J.P. Primm UNC-Asheville Guard 6-1 195 Junior
Jereme Richmond Illinois Forward 6-7 205 Freshman
Carleton Scott Notre Dame Forward 6-7 217 Junior
Josh Selby Kansas Guard 6-2 183 Freshman
Iman Shumpert Georgia Tech Guard 6-5 210 Junior
John Shurna Northwestern Forward 6-8 215 Junior
Chris Singleton Florida State Forward 6-9 225 Junior
Greg Smith Fresno State Forward 6-10 250 Sophomore
Isaiah Thomas Washington Guard 5-9 185 Junior
Trey Thompkins Georgia Forward 6-10 245 Junior
Klay Thompson Washington State Guard 6-6 200 Junior
Tristan Thompson Texas Forward 6-9 230 Freshman
Nikola Vucevic USC Forward 6-10 240 Junior
Kemba Walker (6'1''-PG-90) Connecticut Guard 6-1 172 Junior
Derrick Williams Arizona Forward 6-8 241 Sophomore
Jordan Williams Maryland Forward 6-10 260 Junior
Brandon Wood Valparaiso Guard 6-2 190 Junior

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Sacramento Mayor Johnson begins pitch to NBA execs to keep Kings - by Eurobasket News
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (6'1''-G-66, college: California) and other political and business leaders emerged from meetings with NBA officials Thursday optimistic about their efforts to keep the Kings in town.

A week after Johnson made a desperate pitch to the NBA Board of Governors in New York that persuaded the league to dispatch a fact-finding team to Sacramento, the mayor believes he made another splash when they arrived. He presented $9.2 million in commitments for new advertising, ticket purchases and other financial support from regional businesses and other backers to prevent the team from moving to Anaheim.

Johnson said his pitch to Clay Bennett, the Oklahoma City Thunder owner and the NBA's relocation committee chairman, and league attorney Harvey Benjamin made a strong impression. He originally promised $7 million to league owners and NBA Commissioner David Stern.

'If you go back a week ago from today, we thought it was virtually over,' said Johnson, a former NBA All-Star. 'And not only did we prevent the team from leaving, we got a chance to show them who we are. And when we said $7 million, and the commissioner said, 'Well, prove it,' he sent a team out and we over delivered. I mean, this is Sacramento. This is what makes us great.'

The meetings began two days of talks with the two NBA representatives.

Johnson, Bennett and Benjamin first met in California's Capitol in the office of Senate President Darrell Steinberg. That meeting included local political leaders.

They later met at the U.S. Bank tower downtown with business leaders, including Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce President Matt Mahood. The relocation team headed by Bennett, who moved the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City three years ago, also was expected to tour proposed sites for a new arena.

Stern wanted to investigate further because he said past arena efforts in Sacramento were 'usually an eye-roller' and didn't know if Johnson's assertions were 'real or a pie in the sky.'

'They're sort of verifying some of the representations by Mayor Johnson about how to produce so much in increased sponsorships, so much in increased ticket revenues,' Stern said Thursday night in Philadelphia before the 76ers-Heat game. 'And as a result, if the team does come back or stay in Sacramento for another year, it will not only be much better off financially, but it will also give us the time to deliver a deal on a regional basis for a new arena.'

The pitch by business and political leaders centered on that regional effort - not just one by city of Sacramento, as in the past - to increase team sponsorship and finance a new arena. While Johnson has yet to publicly disclose the businesses involved in his secured commitments, other leaders backed up his claims to league representatives.

'Sacramento put a stake in the ground today saying the Kings need to stay,' Mahood said.

Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof have until May 2 to request permission to relocate to Anaheim. After years of failed efforts to replace outdated Power Balance Pavilion, formerly called Arco Arena, Sacramento officials are using the extra time to show the NBA that they can finally agree on a plan to finance a new facility.

A new arena feasibility plan - the major sticking point in past efforts - won't be completed until a few weeks after the relocation deadline. A majority approval by owners would be needed to approve the move, and political leaders in Sacramento believe there's still time to convince the NBA the Kings shouldn't leave.

'I don't think they have made up their minds,' City Councilman Rob Fong said.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

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


CSU basketball adds Minnesota transfer Iverson - by Eurobasket News
Former Minnesota Golden Gophers center Colton Iverson (6'10''-F/C-89), a 6-foot-10, 258 pound native of Yankton, S.D., has signed a financial aid agreement at Colorado State and will transfer to CSU to complete his collegiate playing career with the Rams. Head Coach Tim Miles made the announcement Thursday.

Adding Colton is a huge benefit for our program, said Miles. He is a great kid, and will be a missing piece to our puzzle. Im excited to work with him for the next two years, and we are looking forward to him having an outstanding senior year.

Iverson, who was recruited by Miles out of high school, instead joined Tubby Smith and the Minnesota program in 2008-09, and went on to record more than 500 points, 400 rebounds and 90 blocks in three seasons in Minneapolis.

He started 27 games as a true freshman for the Gophers and tallied 42 starts in 98 games played in his career at Minnesota, averaging 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and helping his team to back-to-back NCAA tournament runs in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Colton is a very good player with an excellent work ethic and a physical style of play, added Miles. He is a great addition to a strong class that will finish their careers in 2012-13.

Iverson will sit out the 2011-12 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have one season of eligibility in 2012-13, joining Dorian Green, Pierce Hornung, Greg Smith, Jesse Carr and Wes Eikmeier for their senior season at Moby Arena.

Iverson is the second player in three seasons to transfer to Colorado State from Minnesota, joining 2009-10 MWC Newcomer of the Year candidate Travis Busch who joined the Rams for his final year of eligibility while pursuing his graduate degree in management practices at CSU.

Courtesy of www.csurams.com

Arizona F Williams had broken pinky - by Eurobasket News
Arizona forward Derrick Williams (6'8''-F) played the final two months of his sophomore season with his right pinky in a cast-like wrap with what the team said was a sprain.

Turns out, Williams littlest digit was broken and he, and the team, didnt want anyone to know.

I think that if you tell people that youre injured, then people on the other team go after your injuries more, like intentionally slapping my hand when Id go up for a shot, or something like that, Williams said Wednesday. I was just trying to keep it under wraps, trying to keep as much padding on it as possible. Playing with three fingers, obviously there was something wrong.

Williams broke his finger on Jan. 27, when it got bent backward during a game against UCLA. He didnt miss a game, opting to play with his pinky sealed in a large wrap of gauze and bandages that made his hand look like a toy gun.

Williams didnt seem to be bothered by the wrap, playing some of his best games down the stretch while shooting left handed and with essentially three fingers on his right. He averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 59 percent to lead the Wildcats to the West Regional final in the NCAA tournament after they missed the bracket the season before.

The multitalented 6-foot-8 forward said he would have needed surgery had the fracture been a half inch lower and that there was concern that he might damage it further if he continued to play, but it was worth taking the chance.

Theres a risk to that, but it didnt affect me, he said. If I had to sit out, I would sit out, but I wasnt going to sit out if there was no reason. I just wanted to continue to play with my teammates for as long as I could.

Williams declared for the NBA draft earlier this month and is projected as a lottery pick. Now that words out he played with a broken finger, his status might even go up a little.

I think it really helps me, the draft stock, saying that I was basically playing with a cast on my hand; just using my left hand whenever I could, except for shooting 3s and free throws, Williams said. Being able to use both hands during the season, for a good part of the season, I think really helped my draft stock.

The Pac-10 player of the year and a Wooden Award finalist, Williams said he considered the threat of injury in making his decision to declare for the NBA, though it wasnt a major factor. He also considered the potential lockout the NBA faces, but still decided it was worth coming out.

I heard it all through the season, even before I was supposedly a top-five pick, he said. At the end of the day, a top-five pick is still going to be a top-five pick going on two, three years later. Just all the feedback Im getting is that theres going to be a season next season. It might just be delayed a little bit.

Williams, whos from Southern California, said if there is a lockout, he will likely head back to Tucson to continue working toward his degree, which he promised his mother hed finish.

Courtesy of www.spartans.net

Sophomore Burks leaving Colorado to enter NBA draft - by Eurobasket News
Shooting guard Alec Burks (6'6''-G-91) is leaving Colorado early for the NBA draft after a record-setting sophomore season with the Buffaloes.

Burks was joined by Colorado coach Tad Boyle and his teammates at a news conference to announce his decision Thursday. Burks said he wresteld for weeks with the notion of skipping his final two years of eligibility, and consulted with his family, coaches and others, including former Colorado star and current New York Knicks guard Chauncey Billups.

'It was tough,' said Burks, who plans to hire an agent in the coming days. 'I was really deciding on coming back. I wasn't ready to give up the college experience. But I had to make the best decision for myself, and that's what I feel like I did.'

The NBA draft is scheduled for June 23.

'The NBA is a dream of mine,' Burks said. 'I feel like I've got to take advantage of it.'

Boyle said that Burks is ready to make the jump to the professional ranks and he fully supported his decision.

'Obviously, he's proved he can produce in one of the best leagues in the country and at the highest levels of college basketball,' Boyle said. 'You're talking about a situation where Alec can put himself on a course to take care of himself and his family for years to come. It's hard to begrudge anybody that opportunity, especially someone who has worked as hard as he's worked.'

Burks' consistently productive play at Colorado has made his draft stock rise.

The 6-foot-6 guard ranks third on the school scoring list with an average of 19 points per game. He set the single-season scoring record of 779 points this season while helping Colorado reach the NIT semifinals in New York, and also set the freshman scoring record of 512 points.

Several mock drafts project Burks going in the middle of the first round, though Burks believes he has the potential to be a lottery pick.

'I'm going to work on everything to get my game right for the NBA,' he said.

Boyle believes Colorado's basketball future remains bright, adding that it is better off in the long run having had Burks the past two seasons.

'We're not as good and we're not as experienced, but that doesn't mean we can't have a great year,' Boyle said. 'I'm optimistic, and I'm proud of Alec. This is something we can use as a positive in our recruiting efforts. Part of coming to this campus is following your dream and whether you're a basketball player or a chemical engineer or whatever the case may be, you want to follow your dream. Alec's dream is to play in the NBA and he's realized that at Colorado.'

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

2011 NBA Draft early entries - by Eurobasket News
NCAA underclassman have until 11:59 ET on April 24 to decide if they'll enter the 2011 NBA draft, held on June 23 in Newark, N.J. Per NCAA rules, players who do not declare for the draft and who do not hire an agent must withdraw their name from consideration by May 8 to retain their college elibility. The NBA's official withdrawal deadline for all players -- including international players -- is 5 p.m. ET on June 13. Here are the players who have declared for the draft thus far.

Player, School, Position, Height, Weight, Class
Laurence Bowers Missouri Forward 6-8 210 Junior
Alec Burks Colorado Guard 6-6 195 Sophomore
DeAngelo Casto Washington State Forward 6-8 255 Junior
Kim English Missouri Guard 6-6 200 Junior
Ashton Gibbs Pittsburgh Guard 6-2 195 Junior
Augustus Gilchrist South Florida Forward 6-10 245 Junior
Tobias Harris Tennessee Forward 6-8 210 Freshman
Tu Holloway Xavier Guard 6-0 185 Junior
Tyler Honeycutt UCLA Forward 6-7 195 Sophomore
Scotty Hopson Tennessee Guard 6-7 205 Junior
Kyrie Irving Duke Guard 6-2 180 Freshman
Reggie Jackson Boston College Guard 6-3 208 Junior
Terrence Jennings Louisville Forward 6-9 220 Junior
Orlando Johnson UC Santa Barbara Guard 6-5 205 Junior
Reggie Johnson Miami Center 6-10 303 Sophomore
Terrence Jones Kentucky Forward 6-8 244 Freshman
Brandon Knight Kentucky Guard 6-3 185 Freshman
Malcolm Lee UCLA Guard 6-5 180 Junior
Kawhi Leonard San Diego State Forward 6-7 225 Sophomore
Travis Leslie Georgia Guard 6-4 202 Junior
DeAndre Liggins Kentucky Guard 6-6 210 Junior
Shelvin Mack Butler Guard 6-3 215 Junior
Darius Morris Michigan Guard 6-4 190 Sophomore
Marcus Morris Kansas Forward 6-9 235 Junior
Markieff Morris Kansas Forward 6-10 245 Junior
J.P. Primm UNC-Asheville Guard 6-1 195 Junior
Jereme Richmond Illinois Forward 6-7 205 Freshman
Carleton Scott Notre Dame Forward 6-7 217 Junior
Josh Selby Kansas Guard 6-2 183 Freshman
Iman Shumpert Georgia Tech Guard 6-5 210 Junior
John Shurna Northwestern Forward 6-8 215 Junior
Chris Singleton Florida State Forward 6-9 225 Junior
Greg Smith Fresno State Forward 6-10 250 Sophomore
Isaiah Thomas Washington Guard 5-9 185 Junior
Trey Thompkins Georgia Forward 6-10 245 Junior
Klay Thompson Washington State Guard 6-6 200 Junior
Tristan Thompson Texas Forward 6-9 230 Freshman
Nikola Vucevic USC Forward 6-10 240 Junior
Kemba Walker (6'1''-PG-90) Connecticut Guard 6-1 172 Junior
Derrick Williams Arizona Forward 6-8 241 Sophomore
Jordan Williams Maryland Forward 6-10 260 Junior
Brandon Wood Valparaiso Guard 6-2 190 Junior

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Kentucky's Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins all declare for NBA Draft - by Eurobasket News
Kentucky freshmen Terrence Jones (6'9''-F-85), Brandon Knight (6'3''-G) and junior Deandre Liggins (6'6''-G-88) are heading to the NBA. Maybe.

The school announced Wednesday all three players have declared for the NBA draft but will not sign with an agent, clearing the way for them to return to school next fall if they change their mind by May 8.

Jones and Knight are considered mid-to-high first-round picks while Liggins is a defensive stopper who hopes to play his way into the first round after being evaluated by scouts.

The trio helped the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance in 13 years this spring. Kentucky fell to Connecticut in the national semifinals.

Knight averaged 17.3 points at point guard and proved to be one of the best clutch performers in the country. The 6-foot-3 Knight hit a pair of game-winning shots during the team's NCAA tournament run. His driving lay-up helped Kentucky escape an upset bid by Princeton in the second round and his pull-up jumper with 5 seconds left allowed the Wildcats to knock off top-seeded Ohio State in the regional semifinals.

'Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine and this is the next step,' Knight said. 'All season long coach has been tutoring me on the fine points of being a point guard, and now I have an opportunity to put my game on display in front of NBA scouts as a result of my hard work.'

Knight's 657 points were the most by a Kentucky freshman, and he also broke the school's freshman 3-point record by knocking down 87 3s.

Jones averaged 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks and set a Kentucky freshman record by pouring in 35 points in a victory over Auburn in January. He was chosen SEC Newcomer of the Year by The Associated Press.

The 6-8 power forward volunteered to take on a slightly lesser role during the postseason to allow his teammates to get more involved, a move coach John Calipari said was key to the team's postseason success.

Liggins will have the most to prove. He blossomed into one of the country's top defenders but remains limited offensively. He averaged 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds while leading the team with 46 steals.

'Growing up in a tough environment in Chicago, it's a pleasure to have an opportunity to do something special,' said Liggins, who welcomed his first child during the season. 'This is another challenge I'm looking forward to, to have my game evaluated by pro scouts and see how I rank against some of the top players in the world.'

Calipari encouraged all three players to test their prospects but added he 'would love the opportunity to continue to coach them again next season.'

The coach told reporters last week that the unstable NBA labor situation could throw a wrench into his players' plans to leave early.

The collective bargaining agreement between the NBA Players Association and the owners expires June 30. If a new deal can't be reached, there's a chance league owners could lock out the players.

'The lockout really kind of screws everything up because a lot of kids are pulling their names because what if the lockout goes the whole year?' Calipari said. 'What kind of mistake did you make?'

The announcement comes one day after freshman guard Doron Lamb said he would return next fall. Lamb pointed to the Final Four loss and the influx of another talented incoming freshman class next season as the main reasons behind his decision.

Lamb's return guarantees at least one high-profile freshman will return, one more than a year ago when Kentucky lost freshmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton to the pros after just one season on campus.

Hall of Fame coach Bobby Knight criticized Kentucky for promoting the 'one-and-done' culture over the weekend but backed off his statements Tuesday.

Knight said in a brief statement released by ESPN: 'My overall point is that 'one-and-dones' are not healthy for college basketball. I should not have made it personal to Kentucky and its players and I apologize.'

Courtesy of www.nesn.com

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


Central Ohio NCAA D2 Updates: Offers & Signings! - by Lucius Jones
Tyler Kelly of 19-1 regular season, Pickerington North H.S. chose Florida Southern over Lake Erie, Ohio Valley, Glenville St, Walsh, St Joes among others. The long, savy point guard is expected to be an instsnt impact player.

Kyle Schriml from Canal Winchester has chosen Wheeling Jesuit after considering Notre Dame Namur, Ohio Wesleyan, and Ohio Valley. The high flyer should be an immediate injection of excitement into the rotation.

Andrew Bendolph of Final 4 Portsmouth H.S. chose Tiffin over Findlay and Ohio Valley. The sharpshooting combo guard looks to jump into the 1st 5 right away.

Austin Parker out of Worthington Kilbourne signed with Ohio Valley. The athletic wing as alot of upside and should be a solid piece to the new puzzle there.

D.J. Lightfoot from Thomas Worthington has chosen Notre Dame Namur. The versatile backcourt player will look to quickly make his mark on campus.

Marcquice Taylor of Final 4 Africentric Early College is debating NW Missouri St and Glenville St among many others.

Nick Archer, 2012 6'8' PF from Olentangy Liberty has offers from USC Aiken and Notre Dame Namur as well as several low and mid major D1 schools with varied interest levels.

Jordan Cowgill, 2012 6'10' C of Thomas Worthington has an offer from USC Aiken and much interest in the low and mid major D1 areas.

Lance Leslie, 2013 5'7' PG from Thomas Worthington has god indications of an offer from Ohio Valley and interest from other NCAA D2 schools.

Information from: Hidden Gems Basketball's AAU & College Placement Programs

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


Nadelhoffer Named Millikin Head Mens Basketball Coach - by Eurobasket News
DECATUR, Ill.Millikin University Athletic Director Joe Hakes is pleased to announce that Matt Nadelhoffer is the new Big Blue Head Men's Basketball Coach. Nadelhoffer comes to Millikin from Eastern University in St. Davids, Penn. where he has served as Head Coach since 2002.

'Matt Nadelhoffer will bring enthusiasm and a track record for program building to Millikin men's basketball,' said Hakes. 'His time at Eastern University shows that he knows how to create and maintain a highly competitive team in a tough league.'

'I want to thank Millikin University for hiring me as their next men's basketball coach,' said Nadelhoffer. 'From the moment I stepped on campus and met the Millikin community I felt like I belonged. The institution is committed to winning and I feel Millikin is a sleeping giant in the CCIW and I am anxious to get to work immediately.'

Nadelhoffer guided the Eastern program for nine years. Under Nadelhoffer's direction the Eagles had the school's highest Freedom Conference finish in school history finishing in second in 2009-10. He led the team to a school record 17 wins (17-9) in the 2008-09 season. Nadelhoffer led the Eagles to 16 win seasons in 2005-06 (16-10) and 2006-07 (16-11).

Prior to going to Eastern University, Nadelhoffer was an assistant at the College of Dupage and was on their staff when they won the NJCCA National Championship in 2002.

'Matt's name will be familiar to followers of CCIW basketball,' added Hakes. 'He was the floor leader on a team that was ranked #1 in the country and he knows how to win. Millikin fans will be treated to Big Blue basketball teams that are well prepared, competitive and hungry for success.'

Nadelhoffer is a 1998 graduate of Wheaton College where he earned All-America and All-CCIW honors as a player. He set an NCAA record for assists in a tournament game with 20 and holds the Wheaton record for assists in a season at 221. After college, he played in the CBA and had a tryout stint with the Miami Heat in the NBA. In addition to his playing experience in the US, Nadelhoffer has played in Croatia, Portugal, England, Spain, Ireland, and Switzerland.

'I look forward to establishing a winning program that the Decatur community will rally around,' said Nadelhoffer. 'I see great potential for us and I look forward to the challenge in what I feel is the best league in the country. I also look forward to working under Director of Athletics and Recreation Joe Hakes as I have nothing but respect for him and his leadership. My wife Rebecca, my three children and I are thrilled to be new members of the Big Blue family.'

'Matt's influence in the program won't end going out the gymnasium door,' said Hakes. 'He is committed to fulfilling the Millikin mission through basketball and I believe that any one who plays for him will not only be a better basketball player, but also a better person.'
Courtesy of: http://www.d3hoops.com

Monmouth tabs Whitewater assistant - by Eurobasket News
Monmouth has selected UW-Whitewater assistant Todd Skrivseth to become the 26th head coach in the history of the Fighting Scots men's basketball program.

Skrivseth was Whitewater's top assistant and had been with the Warhawks since 2001, also serving the school as the athletic department recruiting coordinator. The 1996 Coe graduate's previous assistant coaching stops included UW-Stevens Point and Upper Iowa.

He replaces Mark Vershaw , who was 23-67 in four years at Monmouth.

'I really enjoyed my time at Whitewater,' said Skrivseth. 'It had to be a special opportunity to lure me away and Monmouth is that. The facilities at Monmouth are outstanding and the athletic department is extremely strong. After meeting with the people on campus, I knew this is where I wanted to be. The people sold me on Monmouth and I'm very excited to get started.'

Skrivseth takes over a Monmouth program that has won seven conference titles in its 111-year history, but none since 1990. The first-year head coach is no stranger to success. While on the UW-Whitewater staff, the school produced four All-Americans and made three NCAA tournament appearances. The team also recorded seven 20-win seasons in the last nine years.

Monmouth's new mentor was chosen after an extensive search that netted more than 200 applicants for the job. In the end, it was Skrivseth's overall package of experience with successful programs and detailed plans for the men's team both on and off the court that tipped the scales his way.

'We're excited about his overall plan for the basketball program,' said Roger Haynes, MC's director of athletics. 'He was very specific with a recruiting plan as well as an academic plan for the team. It's more than just on-court things that separated him from the others. It was the overall package. Todd presented a solid plan in all the areas we were looking for. His presentation of his vision was impressive.'

As a three-year letterwinner at Coe, Skrivseth played against the Scots six times when Coe was a member of the Midwest Conference. Monmouth won four of the six meetings under longtime coach Terry Glasgow and that helped to influence Skrivseth's decision to take over the Fighting Scots.

'We always knew we were in for a battle when we faced a Terry Glasgow team, especially in Glennie Gym,' said Skrivseth. 'One of our goals is to restore Fighting Scots basketball to the strong tradition they had under Coach Glasgow. Teams had to come here and play at a high level.

'We will understand the approach necessary to compete at a high level,' he continued. 'Every day is an opportunity to better ourselves as a team and work toward our goals. We must fully invest ourselves in the process this offseason. We will play an uptempo and aggressive style of basketball on both ends of the floor.'

A native of Maquoketa, Iowa, the 38-year old Skrivseth will begin his duties April 25.
Courtesy of: www.d3hoops.com

*****************************************************
  NEW ZEALAND   


Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Darryl DORA
  Nelson G.
  (206-C-85)
  Avg: 29
 1. Dora, Nelson G.29.0 
 2. Mickens, Auckland.27.5 
 3. Allen, Waikato P.26.0 
 4. Horvath, Manawatu.25.5 
 5. Maxey, Wellington S.23.0 
 6. Pace, Bay Hawks22.3 
 7. Polyblank, Southlan.22.0 
 8. Smith, Waikato P.21.5 
 9. Leasure, Taranaki.21.0 
 10. O''Gallagher, Ocean.20.5 
Rebounds Per Game
 Lance ALLRED
  OceanaGold N.
  (211-C-81)
  Avg: 13
 1. Allred, OceanaGo.13.0 
 2. Bradshaw, OceanaGo.11.0 
 3. Johnson, Wellingt.11.0 
 4. Frank, Wellington S.10.0 
 5. Anthony, Waika.10.0 
 6. Horvath, Manawatu.10.0 
 7. Bartlett, Auckland.9.5 
 8. Dora, Nelson G.9.0 
 9. Dawson, Southlan.9.0 
 10. Henry, Wellington S.9.0 
Assists Per Game
 George LE''AFA
  Wellington S.
  (178-PG-78)
  Avg: 7.5
 1. Le''afa, Wellingt.7.5 
 2. Dickel, Southland S.7.0 
 3. Kench, Manawatu J.5.5 
 4. Martin, Auckland.5.0 
 5. Wright, Nelson G.4.0 
 6. Frank, Wellington S.4.0 
 7. Dora, Nelson G.4.0 
 8. O''Gallagher, Ocean.4.0 
 9. Bartlett, Auckland.3.5 
 10. Smith, Waikato P.3.0 
Steals Per Game
 Kareem JOHNSON
  Wellington S.
  (205-C-80)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Johnson, Wellingt.2.5 
 2. Polyblank, Southlan.2.5 
 3. Allen, Waikato P.2.5 
 4. Dickel, Southland S.2.5 
 5. Leasure, Taranaki.2.0 
 6. Maxey, Wellington S.2.0 
 7. Hudson, Manawatu.2.0 
 8. Dempster, Nelson G.2.0 
 9. Seay, Waikato P.1.5 
 10. Adams, Wellington S.1.5 
Blocks Per Game
 Leon HENRY
  Wellington S.
  (200-G/F-85)
  Avg: 1.5
 1. Henry, Wellington S.1.5 
 2. Campbell, Taranaki.1.0 
 3. Mickens, Auckland.1.0 
 4. Anthony, Waika.1.0 
 5. Brown, Auckland P.1.0 
 6. Scirkovich, Waika.1.0 
 7. Iti, Southland S.1.0 
 8. Spicer, Southlan.1.0 
 9. Seay, Waikato P.1.0 
 10. Bradshaw, OceanaGo.1.0 


Standings Men
NBL Standings
 1. Bay Hawks 3-0 
 2. Wellington S. 2-0 
 3. Manawatu J. 1-1 
 4. Southland S. 1-1 
 5. Waikato P. 1-1 
 6. Auckland P. 1-1 
 7. Nelson G. 0-1 
 8. OceanaGold N. 0-2 
 9. Taranaki MA 0-2 


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


Standings - Men
PBBA Standings
 1. De La Salle 9-0 
 2. Ibdaa D. 9-0 
 3. Al Ahli 5-3 
 4. Bethlehem 5-3 
 5. Berzeit Club 5-3 
 6. Sarriyet 5-4 
 7. Beit Sahour 4-4 
 8. Hiteen 4-4 
 9. Orthodox R. 4-5 
 10. Ebal 2-6 
 11. Qalandia 2-6 
 12. Al Fara 0-8 
 13. Islami 0-8 


*****************************************************
  PBL   


Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry ceases basketball operations at coach calls league a joke - by Allen White
With their coach, Michael Ray Richardson , calling the Premier Basketball League a joke, the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry pulled out of the league and ceased basketball operations just days after falling to Rochester in the PBL Finals.
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At issue was officiating, not only in the championship series but throughout the season.

In professional sports, you have winners and losers but to sit here and cheat our owners, who have put in close to a million dollars in four years in minor league basketball and to take it away from us like that wasnt right, Richardson said. To cheat our owners is a disgrace to minor league sports.

The Cavs lost 87-84 at home to the RazorSharks in Game 3 of the championship series, with the referee calling the game with less than a second remaining and Richardson chasing the officials off the court.

The Lawton-Fort Sill team returned to the floor later and declared themselves league champions.

In the final game, Rochester had 43 free-throw chances to the Cavs 14, including an 18-1 edge after halftime.

In the series, Rochester had 132 free-throw tries to Lawton-Fort Sills 47. In the semifinals, Rochester had 299 free-throw shots to Quebecs 128.

The owner of the league owns the franchise in Rochester. Its a joke, Richardson said, also saying the referees were from Rochester.

The Cavalry have company in withdrawing, with Halifax and St. John sending the league their intentions to leave after witnessing what happened in Lawton.

We dont recognize Rochester as the PBL champion, Ian McCarthy, president of the St. John Mill Rats, told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

It was apparent the fix was in from our standpoint, Halifax owner Andre Levingston told the paper. I was just sick to my stomach to even watch that display. I felt bad for the fans of Oklahoma; I felt bad for the players on the court because they deserved the win.

Richardson said his team huddled in the locker room after the game and before going back out to the court.

We all cried like babies because we were cheated out of something that we deserved to win, Richardson said. We know we were the champions. If it wouldve just been called half right, we wouldve blown them out.

Severko Hrywnak is the PBL founder and chairman of the board as well as the majority owner of the RazorSharks.

Hrywnak said it was a financial move for the teams to leave the league.

Im disappointed that two teams are using the officiating as an excuse to drop out, he told the Democrat and Chronicle.

Richardson said that was not the case and the teams that dropped out were stable.

Read more: http://newsok.com/lawton-fort-sill-cavalry-ceases-basketball-operations-at-coach-calls-league-a-joke/article/3560996#ixzz1KGZPpFGR



PBL to make changes for next season - by Eurobasket News
The Premier Basketball League will undergo changes for the 2011-12 season, including new teams and an improved officiating structure.

'Onward and upward,' PBL owner Sev Hrywnak said Wednesday from his office in Chicago. 'Chicago and Scranton have been approved, and St. Louis, Madison (Wis.), Chattanooga and Hershey are waiting to be approved.'

Three teams bolted the PBL following the Rochester RazorSharks' 87-84 win over the Lawton-Sill Cavalry in Monday's deciding Game 3 of the league championship series.

The Halifax Rainmen and Saint John Mill Rats left for what they called biased officiating against the Cavalry: Rochester made 32 of 43 free throws, while the Cavalry made 9 of 14 on Monday.

The Cavalry also won't play next season, with part-owner Mike Brown saying the team is 'not real excited about how the league is operated.' The PBL had eight teams, but the Vermont Frost Heaves folded during the season due to financial problems.

Hrywnak, a Rochester native and minority owner in the RazorSharks, expects the PBL to include between eight and 12 teams next season. He won't consider letting the departed teams return. 'I can't take them back,' he said. 'They had a lot of internal problems and probably weren't going to be asked back anyway. If they want to use the RazorSharks' championship as an excuse, let them.

'We expected this in January. They showed no class announcing it the night Rochester won the championship.'

Hrywnak said a plan is in place for improved officiating that includes six camps for referees, in-season tests and a review board comprised of a representative from each member franchise. 'The owners were complaining about the quality of officials all season,' he said. 'The Canadian officials ranked the worst, and the East Coast officials were the best, but the overall grades were lower than the director of officials wanted.'

That director, Phil DiMaso, resigned on Tuesday.

'He's being bombarded with threats,' Hrywnak said. 'He said he loved working for the league, but told me 'I don't need it.''

RazorSharks coach Rod Baker said he isn't concerned about the league's future. 'Not one bit,' he said after the team returned to Rochester on Tuesday. 'It's a good league. It's quality basketball. People will always want to be a part of that.'

Hrywnak is ready to move forward.

'These teams that left depended on the league's money for survival,' he said. 'To bite the hand that feeds you is classless.'

Courtesy of www.democratandchronicle.com

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


Proliga Round 1 of Quarter-Finals - by Eurobasket News
Angra - Terceira Basket 64-76

Terceira surged ahead in the series following the road win over Angra in the opener. Angrabasket was ahead by 1 point after three quarters before a 27-14 charge of Terceira Basket, which allowed them to win the game. They outrebounded Angrabasket 43-28 including a 31-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. Americans were the main players on the court. Forward Durrell Nevels (198-86, college: Cent.Arkansas) nailed a double-double by scoring 15 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side and guard Nate Bowie (183-86, college: Cent.Arkansas) accounted for 28 points and 5 rebounds. Power forward Terrence Mack (198-84, college: Rhode Island) came up with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds and forward Kevin Jolley (197-82, college: Quinnipiac, agency: Prossin Sports Management) added 15 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Angrabasket in the defeat.
Top scorers:
Terceira Basket: N.Bowie 28+5reb+2ast, D.Goncalves 21+6reb+1ast, D.Nevels 15+19reb+4ast, A.Pontes 7+6reb+1ast, F.Tavares 2+5reb+2ast, J.Avila 2+1reb+2ast
Angra: T.Mack 16+10reb+3ast, P.Loth 15+2reb, K.Jolley 15+7reb+2ast, J.Pereira 7+2reb+2ast, A.Kravtsov 7+3reb, P.Magalhaes 2+1reb
gschID: 126577


Fisica - Sangalhos 74-56

Fisica shot down Sangalhos at home court in the first game. The hosts trailed by 8 points after first quarter, but they stormed back and won the game by 18 points. Fisica outrebounded Sangalhos 41-23 including a 31-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Guard Miguel Salvador (187-81) fired 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Forward Carlos Dias (197-79) chipped in 17 points and 6 rebounds. Guard Jorge Seabra (174-81) produced 6 points and 5 assists and swingman Joao Carmo (183-85) added 8 points respectively for lost side.
Top scorers:
Fisica: M.Salvador 18+7reb+4ast, C.Dias 17+6reb+1ast, A.Cordeiro 10+5reb, A.Sami 9+6reb, B.Freire 8+8reb+3ast, R.Rodrigues 6+4reb+4ast
Sangalhos: L.Fonte 9+2reb+2ast, E.Silva 9+2reb+1ast, M.Santos 8+2reb+2ast, J.Carmo 8+4reb+1ast, J.Seabra 6+2reb+5ast, F.Martins 5+1reb
gschID: 126578


Galitos FC - Povoa 66-72

Povoa stole the home-court advantage from Galitos edging those away from home. Galitos FC was tied after three quarters but could not keep up in the last quarter eventually losing the game. Povoa made 20-of-21 free shots (95.2 percent) during the game. Povoa outrebounded Galitos FC 42-26 including a 28-15 advantage in defensive rebounds. Guard Nuno Oliveira (186-89) stepped up and scored 21 points, 5 assists and 5 steals for the winners and American forward Anthony jr. Oha (198-83, college: Prairie View A&M) chipped in 16 points and 8 rebounds. At the losing side American forward Marcus Sikes (203-84, college: Cincinnati, agency: STKG) responded with 10 points and 7 rebounds and the other American import swingman Malcolm Thomas (196-85, college: Widener) scored 13 points. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Povoa: N.Oliveira 21+3reb+5ast, A.jr. Oha 16+8reb+3ast, G.Ehiagwina 11+13reb+1ast, A.Silva 10+8reb+2ast, R.Coelho 6+2reb, L.Pires 4+5reb
Galitos FC: R.Quintino 14+3reb, M.Thomas 13+4reb, D.Leiria 11+2reb+1ast, M.Sikes 10+7reb+2ast, A.Pires 6+2reb+5ast, J.Ferreira 5+2reb
gschID: 126576


Barcelos - Electrico FC 79-60

Barcelos cruised past Electrico for the first victory in the series. The game was mostly controlled by Barcelos. Electrico FC managed to win fourth quarter 25-12. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Guard Nuno Pedroso (187-79) fired 20 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Guard Carlos Fechas (180-81) chipped in 11 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. Five Barcelos players scored in double figures. Cape Verdean forward Denis Neves (197-78) produced 7 points and 10 rebounds and forward Pedro Afonso (198-83) added 6 points and 7 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.
Top scorers:
Barcelos: N.Pedroso 20+6reb+3ast, J.Moreira 14+10reb+1ast, T.Barreiro 12+3ast, P.Silva 12+7reb, C.Fechas 11+5reb+9ast, B.Dias 4+1ast
Electrico FC: P.Raminhos 9+3reb+1ast, J.Lanzinha 8+5reb+1ast, T.Brito 8+4reb+2ast, D.Neves 7+10reb, E.Ferreira 7+3reb+2ast, J.Pinto 6+1reb+1ast
gschID: 126575




Stats Leaders - UZO Liga
Points Per Game
 Riley LUETTGERODT
  Sampaense
  (196-G/F-85)
  Avg: 21
 1. Luettgerodt, Sampa.21.0 
 2. Oruche, Ginasio20.6 
 3. Curnell, Barreirense20.1 
 4. Jackson, Sampaense19.8 
 5. Shaw, Academica18.4 
 6. Eddie, Academica18.3 
 7. Austin, Vitoria SC17.9 
 8. Goode, Penafiel17.7 
 9. Johnson, Barreire.17.6 
 10. Crutchfield, Illiabum17.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Kevin MARTIN
  Vitoria SC
  (208-C-83)
  Avg: 10.3
 1. Martin, Vitoria SC10.3 
 2. Cortez, Ovarense10.2 
 3. Robert, Lusitania9.7 
 4. Eddie, Academica9.3 
 5. Shaw, Academica9.3 
 6. Momplasir, Lusitania8.8 
 7. Jackson, Sampaense8.8 
 8. Terrell, Porto F.8.8 
 9. Curnell, Barreirense8.5 
 10. Nolen, Penafiel8.3 
Assists Per Game
 Nuno MANARTE
  Ovarense
  (184-G-75)
  Avg: 7
 1. Manarte, Ovarense7.0 
 2. Sing, Sampaense6.3 
 3. Reveles, Ginasio5.4 
 4. Monteiro, Lusitania5.2 
 5. Minhava, Benfica5.1 
 6. Silva, CAB4.6 
 7. Fernandes, CAB4.5 
 8. Simoes, Academica4.5 
 9. Barroso, Ginasio4.0 
 10. Andrade, Porto F.3.8 
Steals Per Game
 Tyrone CURNELL
  Barreirense
  (201-F-88)
  Avg: 3.2
 1. Curnell, Barreirense3.2 
 2. Cortez, Ovarense2.8 
 3. Silva, CAB2.5 
 4. Jackson, CAB2.5 
 5. Goode, Penafiel2.5 
 6. Tavares, Vitoria SC2.3 
 7. Felix, Illiabum2.1 
 8. Eddie, Academica2.0 
 9. Hartford, Ginasio1.9 
 10. Holland, Academica1.9 
Blocks Per Game
 Marcel MOMPLASIR
  Lusitania
  (205-C-81)
  Avg: 3.8
 1. Momplasir, Lusitania3.8 
 2. Coelho, CAB1.2 
 3. Jackson, Sampaense1.2 
 4. Nolen, Penafiel1.1 
 5. Gentry, CAB1.1 
 6. Willis, Illiabum1.1 
 7. Gray, Sampaense1.1 
 8. Harris, Illiabum1.0 
 9. Terrell, Porto F.1.0 
 10. Hartford, Ginasio0.9 


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


Stats Leaders - BSN
Points Per Game
 Johwen VILLEGAS
  Coamo
  (193-G-85)
  Avg: 23.3
 1. Villegas, Coamo23.3 
 2. Vassallo, Guaynabo23.0 
 3. Ramos, Quebradillas21.0 
 4. Dalmau, Bayamon20.4 
 5. Brown, Quebradillas20.1 
 6. Clinch, Isabela19.4 
 7. Romero, Mayaguez19.0 
 8. Shannon, Bayamon17.1 
 9. Randolph, Isabela16.1 
 10. Sweetney, Santurce16.1 
Rebounds Per Game
 Shavlik RANDOLPH
  Isabela
  (208-F-83)
  Avg: 13
 1. Randolph, Isabela13.0 
 2. Narvaez, Coamo12.8 
 3. Ramos, Quebradillas12.0 
 4. Pruitt, Guaynabo12.0 
 5. Lloreda, San G.11.1 
 6. Shannon, Bayamon10.1 
 7. Romero, Mayaguez9.7 
 8. Harris, San German8.7 
 9. Ofoegbu, Humacao8.2 
 10. Vassallo, Guaynabo8.1 
Assists Per Game
 Christian DALMAU
  Bayamon
  (194-G-77)
  Avg: 6
 1. Dalmau, Bayamon6.0 
 2. Clinch, Isabela5.8 
 3. Guzman, Guaynabo5.3 
 4. Brown, Quebradillas5.1 
 5. Cruz, Arecibo4.8 
 6. Copeland, San G.4.6 
 7. Pagan, Santurce4.3 
 8. Vega, Coamo4.1 
 9. Rivera, Mayaguez4.1 
 10. Garcia, Humacao4.0 
Steals Per Game
 Eddin ''Guayito'' SANTIAGO
  Santurce
  (185-G-79)
  Avg: 2.3
 1. Santiago, Santurce2.3 
 2. Clinch, Isabela2.3 
 3. Harris, San German2.0 
 4. Hinson, Isabela1.8 
 5. Chaney, Santurce1.8 
 6. Dalmau, Bayamon1.8 
 7. Rivera, Mayaguez1.6 
 8. Pinnock, Arecibo1.6 
 9. Cruz, Arecibo1.5 
 10. Carmona, Mayaguez1.5 
Blocks Per Game
 Herve LAMIZANA
  Mayaguez
  (207-F/C-81)
  Avg: 3
 1. Lamizana, Mayaguez3.0 
 2. Penn, Humacao2.4 
 3. Romero, Mayaguez2.2 
 4. Santiago, Arecibo2.1 
 5. Traylor, Bayamon1.9 
 6. Freije, Coamo1.5 
 7. Shannon, Bayamon1.4 
 8. Aubry, Arecibo1.3 
 9. Sanchez, Santurce1.3 
 10. Rice, San German1.2 


*****************************************************
  QATAR   


Rayyan take lead against Arabi in Emir Cup semis - by Eurobasket News
Rayyan are 2-0 up on Arabi in Emir Cup best-of-five semifinal series. Rayyan opened the series with a tough 81:79 win on Wednesday. Targuy Ngombo (196-F-89, agency: Court Side) was pivotal with 24 points to lead the charge. Chauncey Leslie (183-G-81, college: Iowa) contributed 15 points in the winning effort. Michael Cuffee (193-F-83, college: Middle Tenn.St.) answered with 22 points for Arabi. The next day brought little relief for Arabi. Rayyan posted a confident 86:69 win to step closer to the Finals. Targuy Ngombo stepped up with 25 points for Rayyan. Chauncey Leslie led the charge with 37 points, while Yasseen Musa (204-F-80) had 12 points for QBF League reigning champions. Michael Cuffee once again top-scored for Arabi with 26 points.
In the meantime Gharrafah and Ahli exchanged victories. Ahli tipped off the series with a 76:69 success. Manyacka Eyoum came up with 26 points and 15 rebounds for Ahli. Enique Clemons (180-G-80, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Missouri) contributed 15 points in the victory. Alexander McLean (203-F-85, agency: Strategic Sports) responded with 24 points and 12 rebounds for Gharrafah. The second game went in favor of the Emir Cup defending champions. Gharrafah claimed a 71:64 victory behind 27 points from Ndaye. Alexander McLean produced 19 points and 17 rebounds in the win. Enique Clemons banked 23 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for Ahli.


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


Khimky shock Unics in Kazan - by Eurobasket News
Khimky - Unics 84:78

Khimky became the second VTB-League finalist. They stunned hosts Unics in the second semifinal in Kazan tonight. Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85) stepped up for Khimky with 27 points to lead the effort.
Unics quickly grabbed a 10:4 lead in the game. But Khimky answered with 10 points in a row to surge ahead. Khimky entered the second frame up by two points 17:15. Hasan Rizvic (212-C-84) and Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) helped the Kazan team back in front. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the reminder of the period as Unics eked out a narrow 40:38 lead at halftime. The teams went neck and neck throughout the third quarter. Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83, agency: Alti Sport) and Planicic capped the third term with four points in a row as Khimky earned a 62:57 advantage. Vitaly Fridzon scored five points in a row midway through the final stanza as Khimky opened a 9-point lead 71:62. Unics got within five points but Kresimir Loncar kept Khimky in front. Kelly McCarty (201-F-75, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: S.Mississippi) and Veremeenko dragged Unics as close as two points with under a minute to go. However Vitaly Fridzon and Thomas Kelati knocked down three free throws in the dying seconds to seal the victory for Khimky. Alexey Savrasenko (215-C-79) produced 14 points, while Kresimir Loncar added 11 points in the winning effort. Hasan Rizvic replied with 17 points and 5 boards for Unics. Marko Popovic, Kelly McCarty and Maciej Lampe (210-C-85) netted 15 points apiece in the loss.

Khimky: Vitaly Fridzon 27, Alexey Savrasenko 14, Kresimir Loncar 11
Unics: Hasan Rizvic 17, Marko Popovic 15, Kelly McCarty 15, Maciej Lampe 15


CSKA beat Azovmash to enter VTB-League Final - by Eurobasket News
CSKA - Azovmash 69:57

CSKA earned the ticket to VTB-League Final. The defending champions toppled Azovmash to reach the championship game in Kazan. Sasha Kaun (211-C-85) knocked down 16 points and collected 7 rebounds to lead the winners. The Russian powerhouse took off in the third term and rallied to the victory at the end.
The teams stayed close throughout the first half. CSKA led by just two points at the first break 17:15. The Russian side cleared off to a 9-point distance midway through the second frame but Azovmash managed to bounce back. Fred House (195-F-78, college: S.Utah) and Pustozvonov drained triples as the Ukrainian champions stayed within striking distance. Azovmash trailed by just two points at the interval 31:33. CSKA opened the second half with a 10:3 rally to take a 9-point lead. Soon Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) opened a double-digit lead for the Moscow team and they rolled to a 54:43 advantage at the final break. Azovmash looked exhausted rotating just seven players. They failed to increase the tempo and CSKA calmly sealed the win at the end. Alexey Shved (196-G-88, agency: Alti Sport) provided 11 points, while Matjaz Smodis contributed 10 points in the victory. Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, college: Alabama) and Ramel Curry (191-G-80, college: CSU Bakersfield) answered with 15 points each for Azovmash. Fred House netted 8 points in the loss.

CSKA: Sasha Kaun 16, Alexey Shved 11, Matjaz Smodis 10
Azovmash: Demetrius Alexander 15, Ramel Curry 15


*****************************************************
  SENEGAL   


US Goree and Mermoz to play final of the Saint Michel Cup - by Eurobasket News
The final of the Saint Michel Cup will be played on May 7 between US Goree and Mermoz.
Both teams respectively defeated AS Douanes (55 to 51) and Dakar Universit Club (74 to 70).Dakar Universit Club had won the last two editions (2009,2010) of this prestigious competition but will not be able to defend their title this term as they were shocked by little known Mermoz who are spending just their second season in Elite basketball.
Courtesy of: http://www.starafrica.com


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


Coach Zdovc left Union Olimpija due to personal reasons - by Matej Bergant
Jurij Zdovc decided to break the contract with Union Olimpija and leave the club. He was head coach of Union Olimpija from December 2008. He decided to take this move due to personal reasons and made his decision clear to everyone on today's evening practice. Union Olimpija will be led by assistant coach Miro Alilovic until further notice.

Jure Zdovc: To leave the position of head coach of Union Olimpija was made due to personal reasons. Considering the circumstances we worked in last two years and a half, I believe the results were great. I would like to thank everyone who stood by my side and supported me but in this moment I have no energy or will to continue. In this season we achieved all the results and I trully believe that this team will win also Slovenian championship. I am glad that club is stable and I wish the club and the people working there all the best also in the future.'

Janez Rajgelj, GM of Union Olimpija: 'We are sorry that we had to break the contract with Jure Zdovc. The decision was made only by his side. Due to his expert leadership and knowledge we had results which we couldn't dream of in the start of August. It is a fact that the leader of this success story on the court was coach Jure Zdovc. Until further notice the senior team of Union Olimpija will be coached by coach Miro Alilovic who worked as assistant coach until now.'

*****************************************************
  SOUTH KOREA   


KCC wins, ties series at 2, set up showdown in Seoul - by Kevin Campigotto
Jeonju KCC Egis started game Four of the KBL Finals against Wonju Dongbu Promy with a 10-0 run and never looked back winning 73-67. They led the entire game and Wonju squandered opportunities to take the lead by missing 10 free throws, shooting 28 3-point shots, and failing to foul Ha Seung-Jin (222-C-85) to prevent easy buckets.
Ha Seung-Jin led all scorers with 22 points and 5 rebounds while Promy leader Kim Joo-Sung (205-F/C-79) had 16 points and 6 rebounds despite being in foul trouble. Wonjus top scorer was Hwang Jin-Won (189-G-78) who scored 20 points and lived at the free throw line. Unfortunately, for Wonju he only made 6 of his 13 free throws. Also in double figures for KCC was Eric Dawson (208-F-84, college: Midwestern St.) with 11 points and 7 rebounds, and Kang Byung-Hyun (193-G-85) who scored 13.

The Egis held the lead throughout the game and though the Promy were able to cut it down to one point Eric Dawson responded with a 3 and the Egis held on for the victory. Egis guard Chon Tae-Poong (180-G-80) played 24 minutes despite spraining his ankle in game three. Promy center Rod Benson (208-F/C-84, college: California) was in foul trouble for most of the game but Wonju got very good minutes out of backup Victor Thomas (201-F-79, college: La Salle).

While the Promy players and bench had a plethora of complaints for the referees had they made their foul shots they would have won the game. They also failed to post up their big men or attack Ha Seung-Jin. For the series, Ha is 8 for 22 from the free throw line, not including the four misses that were deemed lane violations in game one, so Wonju needs to foul him instead of letting him get dunks if they want to win the championship. KCC continued to struggle from behind the arc hitting only 6 of 16 attempts. Their offense needs to be more effective and they need to get more from their guards if they hope to win in this new best-of-3 series.

The series now shifts to Seoul where games 5, 6 and 7 if necessary will be played Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. With the series tied, anything can happen.


KBL Round 4 of Finals - by Eurobasket News
Dongbu Promy - KCC Egis 67-73

The guests took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Dongbu Promy won third quarter 18-15. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. KCC Egis dominated down low during the game scoring 46 of its points in the paint compared to Dongbu Promy's 26. Worth to mention a great performance of international center Seung-Jin Ha (222-85) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds and American forward Eric Dawson (208-84, college: Midwestern St.) who added 11 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side guard Jin-Won Hwang (189-78) responded with 20 points and the former international power forward Joo-Sung Kim (205-79) scored 16 points and 6 rebounds.
Top scorers:
Dongbu Promy: J.Hwang 20+4reb+1ast, J.Kim 16+6reb+1ast, V.Thomas 9+3reb+2ast, R.Benson 8+4reb, J.Park 7+4reb+3ast, J.Wook Ahn 3
KCC Egis: S.Ha 22+12reb+1ast, B.Kang 13+3reb+2ast, E.Dawson 11+7reb+3ast, M.Shin 9+4reb+2ast, C.Daniels 7+3reb+3ast, J.Lim 7+1reb+1ast
gschID: 127450




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  SPAIN   


Last Days in Spain - by Bayo Arigbon
This will be my last time writing from Spain, the season is over and my work is done here. The 6 games I did play helped me get better. We played the 5 top teams in the league, meaning the best competition LEB SILVER had to offer. It was definitely a learning experience, and a chance to become mentally tougher. My teammates were great and I plan on keeping in touch with them, overall it was a great experience that I wouldnt trade for the world. So much has happened since I last wrote. We traveled to Andorra, then the following week we played our last game was against CB Illescas Urban CLM, and we got the W. That win saved our team from dropping into a lower league (EBA). I got some footage from the trip to Andorra that I mixed in with some stuff I did on the days before my flight. Arrival on American soil means my offseason starts, considering I had 5 days of off-time before my flight was scheduled to leave. Until next time people.

Also check out the video to go with this blog. www.hoopdreamdiaries.tumblr.com

Also I made a short highlight of a few of my games I played in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7iJb0xJETs


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  SWEDEN   


Basketligan Finals: Dolphins grab thriller win in Game One - by Eurobasket News
Finals, Game 1: Sundsvall - Norrkoping 78-79 (0-1)

The Basketligan Finals started last night. Norrkoping Dolphins grabbed a 78-79 thriller win against Sundsvall Dragons on the road. It means that Dolphins are 1-0 up now in this best-of-seven series. Second game is scheduled for Sunday. This time Dolphins will be the hosts.
The guests trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 23-20 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Norrkoping Dolphins outrebounded Sundsvall Dragons 43-32 including 30 on the defensive glass. International power forward Joakim Kjellbom (213-79, college: N.Arizona) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds for the winners and American guard Andrew Mitchell (181-79, college: Kent St.) chipped in 17 points. Norrkoping Dolphins' coach Kelly Grant used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side Irish-Australian swingman Liam Rush (202-82) responded with 18 points and 8 rebounds and American guard Alex Wesby (196-80, college: Temple, agency: R.H.Consultancy) scored 20 points and 4 steals. Four Sundsvall Dragons players scored in double figures.

Top scorers:
Sundsvall: A.Wesby 20+4reb+2ast, L.Rush 18+8reb+2ast, H.Baeringsson 14+8reb+2ast, J.Sigurdarson 11+4reb+3ast, J.Jeansson 8+3reb+1ast, N.Mottram 7+3reb+1ast
Norrkoping: A.Mitchell 17+3reb+3ast, J.Kjellbom 14+12reb, O.Ayuba 11+7reb, G.Gervin 10+1ast, A.Saks 8+6reb+1ast, M.Lindqvist 7+4reb+2ast



Stats Leaders - Basketligan

Points Per Game
 Darius HARGROVE
  Verviers-Pep.
  (193-G-82)
  Avg: 21.9
 1. Hargrove, Jamtland21.9 
 2. Brown, 0820.5 
 3. Smith, Sodertalje19.9 
 4. Palm, Boras19.4 
 5. Smith, Uppsala18.8 
 6. Rush, Sundsvall18.6 
 7. McCoy, Boras18.4 
 8. Wesby, Sundsvall18.1 
 9. Gunnarsson, Solna17.1 
 10. Mbemba, LF Basket16.3 
Rebounds Per Game
 Michael PALM
  Boras
  (208-C-79)
  Avg: 10.3
 1. Palm, Boras10.3 
 2. Baeringsson, Sunds.10.0 
 3. Kosmalski, Solna8.6 
 4. McKnight, Boras8.5 
 5. Brown, 087.9 
 6. Kjellbom, Norrkoping7.8 
 7. Cipriano, Eco O.7.5 
 8. Walker, Solna7.5 
 9. Constantine, Solna7.5 
 10. Levett, LF Basket7.0 
Assists Per Game
 Rudy MBEMBA
  LF Basket
  (181-G-87)
  Avg: 6.3
 1. Mbemba, LF Basket6.3 
 2. Pleick, Eco Orebro5.5 
 3. Beck, 085.1 
 4. Chuk, Sodertalje4.5 
 5. McCoy, Boras4.4 
 6. Smith, Uppsala4.4 
 7. Mitchell, Norrkoping4.1 
 8. Hellgren, Jamtland4.0 
 9. Smith, Sodertalje4.0 
 10. Gaidamaviciu., Norrko.3.9 
Steals Per Game
 Johnell SMITH
  Sodertalje
  (186-G-80)
  Avg: 3
 1. Smith, Sodertalje3.0 
 2. Mbemba, LF Basket2.9 
 3. Hargrove, Jamtland1.9 
 4. Smith, Uppsala1.8 
 5. Pleick, Eco Orebro1.8 
 6. Hellgren, Jamtland1.8 
 7. Rush, Sundsvall1.7 
 8. McCoy, Boras1.7 
 9. Brown, 081.7 
 10. Baeringsson, Sunds.1.7 
Blocks Per Game
 John ROSENDAHL
  LF Basket
  (203-F/C-77)
  Avg: 1.9
 1. Rosendahl, LF Ba.1.9 
 2. Salaam, Jamtland1.8 
 3. Kjellbom, Norrkoping1.7 
 4. Palm, Boras1.4 
 5. Cipriano, Eco O.1.3 
 6. Constantine, Solna1.2 
 7. Kohlmaier, Uppsala1.1 
 8. Ayuba, Norrkoping1.0 
 9. Walker, Solna0.9 
 10. Mosley, Eco Orebro0.8 


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  TURKEY   


Baris Ermis gets MVP of the Week award for Turkish TBL - by Eurobasket News
Former international guard Baris Ermis (194-G-85) had an amazing evening in the last round for Banvit Basketbol Kulubu and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 27.
The 25-year old guard got a double-double of 17 points and twelve assists, while his team beat Trabzonspor (#12, 9-18) 86-75. Banvit maintains the 4th position in Turkish TBL. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Banvit will need more victories to improve their 20-7 record. It's Ermis' second year at Banvit and it's hard to imagine this team without him. Ermis has impressive league stats. He is league's best passer with 6.2apg. Ermis is in league's top in and averages solid 55.7% FGP and 41.1% from behind 3-point line.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 29-year old American swingman Jarvis Hayes (201-G/F-81, agency: David Lee services) of Aliaga. Hayes impressed basketball fans with 25 points and 9 rebounds. It was enough for Aliaga to edge the higher-ranked Turk Telekom (#9, 10-17) by 2 points 73-71. The game was between two teams which are definitely not main contenders for the title. Aliaga keeps 14th position. 19 lost games are too many comparing to just eight victories Aliaga managed to get this year. Hayes is one of the most experienced players at Aliaga and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

The third best performed player last round was Nedim Yucel (203-F-79) of Mersin Buyuksehir Belediyesi (#13). Yucel scored 16 points and grabbed nineteen rebounds (!!!). He was a key player of Mersin, leading his team to a 73-60 easy win against slightly lower-ranked Bornova (#15, 7-20). The chances of Mersin not to end season at such low position in the league, however are less than slim as they have already lost 18 games, recording just nine victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Yucel could try to bring Mersin's a little bit higher in the standings. Yucel has individually a great season in Turkey. After 26 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 11.2rpg (#1 in league).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Oguz Savas (208-C-87) of Fener.Ulker - 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Mike Hall (203-F-84) of Erdemir - 21 points and 9 rebounds
6. Jovo Stanojevic (208-C-77) of Karsiyaka - 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists
7. Marvis Thornton (194-G-77) of Efes Pilsen - 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists
8. Luksa Andric (210-C-85) of Galatasaray - 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists
9. Muratcan Guler (192-G-80) of Antalya - 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists
10. Kerem Gonlum (208-C/F-77) of Efes Pilsen - 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

*****************************************************
  UBA   


Eurobasket Summer League is getting another Xperience - by UBA media

HOUSTON, TX -- The Eurobasket Summer League is getting another Xperience.

After four years of ESL Eurobasket has decided to go to Houston, ESLs Darryl Reshaw announced Tuesday January 4, 2011 that the event and week long festivities will go to Houston in 2011 at the Campbell Center arena.

Houston (ESL) was contracted out to the Universal Basketball Association (UBA) and will be hosted by the 1st year Houston Xperinece (UBA).

'This is a great honor for the city of Houston,' Xperience owner Kevin Williams said Thursday. This is just great timing with the NBA not having its Summer League. Guys need a place to be seen. ESL Vegas has been the standard of all the events with talent, but this event has never been to Houston. There are over eight NBA and NBA D-League franchises in the state and many universities also. I feel after this summer Houston will be the standard for ESL, said Williams. Its just an honor to have Eurobasket here in the city of Houston and the UBA.

The UBA is an up in coming league in the US market. Surprisingly in just 2 seasons they have sent of 40 athletes overseas and continue to push as a minor league power. Not only will the UBA host Eurobasket (Houston), but they will also participate. The UBA will be selecting a Team UBA to compete is this event. We will come to Houston to prove to the world why we have been so successful over the past 2 years, said Coach Michael Davis . I think the ESL is the best Summer League under the NBA. Now that there will be no NBA Summer League its a no brainier.

The Campbell Center arena will hold the 1st Annual 3 Point Shootout, Dunk Contest and 3 days of great basketball over the weekend.

City officials estimated that the economic impact could be almost $500,000. Elected officials would like to see the Eurobasket Summer League return more frequently, especially with the Campbell Center arena built largely on public funding.

This event is expected to be history in the making. Some of the top players in the country are expected to be involved. Even James 'Top Flight' White (6'6''-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Cincinnati) will be there with a long list of other great players.

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


CSKA beat Azovmash to enter VTB-League Final - by Eurobasket News
CSKA - Azovmash 69:57

CSKA earned the ticket to VTB-League Final. The defending champions toppled Azovmash to reach the championship game in Kazan. Sasha Kaun (211-C-85) knocked down 16 points and collected 7 rebounds to lead the winners. The Russian powerhouse took off in the third term and rallied to the victory at the end.
The teams stayed close throughout the first half. CSKA led by just two points at the first break 17:15. The Russian side cleared off to a 9-point distance midway through the second frame but Azovmash managed to bounce back. Fred House (195-F-78, college: S.Utah) and Pustozvonov drained triples as the Ukrainian champions stayed within striking distance. Azovmash trailed by just two points at the interval 31:33. CSKA opened the second half with a 10:3 rally to take a 9-point lead. Soon Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) opened a double-digit lead for the Moscow team and they rolled to a 54:43 advantage at the final break. Azovmash looked exhausted rotating just seven players. They failed to increase the tempo and CSKA calmly sealed the win at the end. Alexey Shved (196-G-88, agency: Alti Sport) provided 11 points, while Matjaz Smodis contributed 10 points in the victory. Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, college: Alabama) and Ramel Curry (191-G-80, college: CSU Bakersfield) answered with 15 points each for Azovmash. Fred House netted 8 points in the loss.

CSKA: Sasha Kaun 16, Alexey Shved 11, Matjaz Smodis 10
Azovmash: Demetrius Alexander 15, Ramel Curry 15


Standings - Higher League
Higher Standings
Places 1-8
 1. Cherkasy 20-1 
 2. U-VolinBasket 13-6 
 3. Aviastar 11-10 
 4. Avantazh-Pol. 10-8 
 5. Dynamo DN 9-12 
 6. Kremen-KNU 7-14 
 7. Pulsar 6-15 
 8. Vinnitsky Zubry 5-15 
Places 9-13
 1. KTU Krivyi Rih 7-2 
 2. Koksokh-Stal 7-4 
 3. Striba 7-6 
 4. Sportlitsey 7-6 
 5. Ternopil 0-10 


*****************************************************
  URUGUAY   


Standings - Metropolitan League
Metropolitan Standings
 1. Larranaga 4-0 
 2. Nacional 4-0 
 3. Goes 3-1 
 4. Urunday Univ. 3-1 
 5. Tabare 3-1 
 6. Atenas 1-3 
 7. Yale 1-3 
 8. 25 de Agosto 0-3 
 9. Capitol 0-3 
 10. Verdirrojo 0-4 


Nacional and Larranaga are the Metro leaders with 4-0 - by Hector Lopez
Nacional won its 4th game in a row after beating Yale 81-77 and is now sharing the Metro leadership with Larranaga. Ryan Blankson (201-F-80, college: Loyola, IL) netted 10 points for Nacional with 9 rebounds, and Aram Tavokjian (191-G-82) scored 16 points. For Yale Tarrie Monroe (202-F-77, college: Lewis) scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds with 3 assists and Agustin Iglesias (180-G-86) added 16 points. Tabare has now a 3-1 record after beating Atenas 69-59. Mathias Calfani (202-C-92) scored 18 points with 11 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Brian Craig (206-C-79, college: Miles) added 10 points and 5 rebounds. For Atenas Marcos Cabot (178-PG-89) scored 25 poiints with 8 rebounds, Omar Barlett (203-F-80, college: Jacksonville St.), the import player scored 4 points with 5 rebounds.

*****************************************************
  VTB UNITED LEAGUE   


CSKA and Khimky to play for the title - by Eurobasket News
Khimky - Unics 84-78
Khimky became the second VTB-League finalist. They stunned hosts Unics in the second semifinal in Kazan tonight. Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85) stepped up for Khimky with 27 points to lead the effort. Unics quickly grabbed a 10:4 lead in the game. But Khimky answered with 10 points in a row to surge ahead. Khimky entered the second frame up by two points 17:15. Hasan Rizvic (212-C-84) and Marko Popovic (185-G-82, college: S.Idaho JC) (206-F-79) helped the Kazan team back in front. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the reminder of the period as Unics eked out a narrow 40:38 lead at halftime. The teams went neck and neck throughout the third quarter. Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83, agency: Alti Sport) and Planicic capped the third term with four points in a row as Khimky earned a 62:57 advantage. Vitaly Fridzon scored five points in a row midway through the final stanza as Khimky opened a 9-point lead 71:62. Unics got within five points but Kresimir Loncar kept Khimky in front. Kelly McCarty (201-F-75, agency: Avi Zilberman, college: S.Mississippi) and Veremeenko dragged Unics as close as two points with under a minute to go. However Vitaly Fridzon and Thomas Kelati knocked down three free throws in the dying seconds to seal the victory for Khimky. Alexey Savrasenko (215-C-79) produced 14 points, while Kresimir Loncar added 11 points in the winning effort. Hasan Rizvic replied with 17 points and 5 boards for Unics. Marko Popovic, Kelly McCarty and Maciej Lampe (210-C-85) netted 15 points apiece in the loss.

CSKA - Azovmash 69-57
CSKA earned the ticket to VTB-League Final. The defending champions toppled Azovmash to reach the championship game in Kazan. Sasha Kaun (211-C-85) knocked down 16 points and collected 7 rebounds to lead the winners. The Russian powerhouse took off in the third term and rallied to the victory at the end. The teams stayed close throughout the first half. CSKA led by just two points at the first break 17:15. The Russian side cleared off to a 9-point distance midway through the second frame but Azovmash managed to bounce back. Fred House (195-F-78, college: S.Utah) and Pustozvonov drained triples as the Ukrainian champions stayed within striking distance. Azovmash trailed by just two points at the interval 31:33. CSKA opened the second half with a 10:3 rally to take a 9-point lead. Soon Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) opened a double-digit lead for the Moscow team and they rolled to a 54:43 advantage at the final break. Azovmash looked exhausted rotating just seven players. They failed to increase the tempo and CSKA calmly sealed the win at the end. Alexey Shved (196-G-88, agency: Alti Sport) provided 11 points, while Matjaz Smodis contributed 10 points in the victory. Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, college: Alabama) and Ramel Curry (191-G-80, college: CSU Bakersfield) answered with 15 points each for Azovmash. Fred House netted 8 points in the loss.



Kazan invites to Final Four - by Eurobasket News
Three Russian teams and one Ukrainian will battle for VTB Trophy 2010-2011 tonight and tomorrow in Kazan. The Russian city welcomes Khimky, CSKA, local Unics and Ukrainian Azovmash.
CSKA and Azovmash will start the game at 17.00. CSKA finished their group on top with 9-1 record. In the last game of the group they faced 4th ranked Belarusian Minsk-2006. Host CSKA Moscow (9-1) defeated guests from Minsk (4-6) 82-72. The game was mostly controlled by CSKA Moscow. Viktor Khryapa helped to win the game recording 11 points and 8 rebounds. Center Sasha Kaun (211-C-85) contributed with 16 points for the winners. Azovmash meanwhile grabbed the last ticket to Finla Four in Lithuania. In the last game Azovmash faced their biggest opponent Lithuanian Zalgiris. Guests from Mariupol defeated host Zalgiris 86-75. It was a key game for the second position in Group B. Zalgiris were trailing by 2 points at halftime but managed to get 2-point lead after three quarters before a 19-6 charge of Azovmash, which allowed them to win the game. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Zalgiris to just 6 points in fourth quarter. Azovmash forced 21 Zalgiris turnovers. American forward Fred House scored 21 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import forward Chris Owens (204-F-79, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Texas) chipped in 12 points and 8 rebounds during the contest.
Unics that finished with 9-1 record Group A will face Khimky that with the same record won Group B. In the last game Unics Kazan beat Honka 95:62. Unics Kazan dominated on the defensive end, holding Espoo Honka to just 6 points in fourth quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Espoo Honka's 42 and made 18-of-23 charity shots (78.3 percent) during the game. They outrebounded Espoo Honka 39-22 including 26 on the defensive glass. Unics Kazan players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists comparing to just 5 passes made by Espoo Honka's players. Polish-Swedish center Maciej Lampe (210-C-85) notched a double-double by scoring 36 points (!!!) and 15 rebounds to lead the effort and Belarusian-Russian forward Vladimir Veremeenko (208-F-84, agency: RU-Basket Management) supported him with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
Khimky meanwhile grabbed the last win in in Tallinn as the visitors from Khimki managed to secure only three-point victory 68-65 over Kalev. The guests trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 21-16 charge, which allowed them to win the game. 27 personal fouls committed by Kalev/Cramo helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American-Russian swingman Travis Hansen (198-G/F-78, college: BYU) fired 18 points (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) for the winners. games lost.



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

Women News

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


Mavericks Women show fight against Tigers - by Eurobasket News
On Sunday against the Southern Tigers, the form of the Mavericks women improved as the players became accustomed to using the height of Beatty inside to score.

She was a major presence both offensively and defensively inside the keyway, altering the visitors shots with her reach and size.

Against the Tigers, Beatty finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and handed out four assists.

Southern eventually ran out 27-point winners in an 83-57 result, but struggled early against an improved Mavericks team which surprised most by clinging to the lead until the midpoint of the second quarter.

However, Easterns cause was not helped by the loss of experienced player and guard Jo Robbertsen.

In the early minutes of the first quarter, Robbertsen tangled with Southerns Ashleigh Spencer, with both players falling to the floor.

From that incident, where the referee called a double foul, Robbertsen sustained concussion and took no further part in the game, being conveyed to hospital for treatment.

In the final 5 minutes before half-time, the visitors were able to claw back the lead, and at half time led 39-33.

Late in the third period Southern rattled on 12 unanswered points, setting up an 18 point buffer to open up what proved a match winning advantage 57-39 by the three quarter time break.

During the final term both sides played entertaining basketball, with Eastern compiling 16 points- its biggest quarter score of the season so far with Williams chipping in for a couple of baskets during the period.

Although resulting in another loss for the womens team, the match was an improvement in form from the first three outings of the season, where the Mavericks women were comprehensively beaten.

During last Sundays outing, the team was competitive for three of the four quarters.

By David Tonks
Courtesy of: http://www.sportingpulse.com

Norwood's women prevail over Eastern - by Eurobasket News
The undefeated Norwood Flames started another tough weekend for Eastern's women, winning 81-33.

The Mavericks women were strengthened for the match by the inclusion of 204cm centre Tracey Beatty (202-C-79), who played with the Canberra Capitals last season in the Womens National Basketball League.

Also joining the team for her first game was Abby Williams who has been recruited from South Adelaide.

The Mavericks women struggled against the strength and experience of a Norwood team led by Jess Foley, who finished the game top scorer with 18 points, while other quality players in Kelsey Ireland, Lisa Ackroyd and former WNBL player Rachel Herrick, who was matched against Beatty, were also influential.

Norwood held a commanding38-5 lead at half-time, with only Candice Hartman able to score a field goal for the home side during the half.

Following halftime the scoring output improved for the Mavericks as Beatty found the basket from inside the keyway, and Madison Bycroft also converted from inside the paint, while Williams displayed that she will be a useful addition.

The return of guard Alex Wilson after the Easter break will add some firepower to the Mavericks team.

Wilson has been in outstanding form while she has been away at the Under 18 National championships.

By David Tonks
Courtesy of: http://www.sportingpulse.com

Flames guard named to National Junior Team - by Eurobasket News
Southern Design Sydney Uni Flames guard Ashleigh Karaitiana (181-G-92) has been named in the Australian Under 19 team for a tour of China next month.

The athletic City of Sydney junior gained selection in the 'Gems' outfit after impressing at 4-day camp in Melbourne last week, which included games against SEABL teams Knox and Dandenong.

The Gems depart for a 4-Nation tournament and other games in China on April 29 as a key part of the preparation for the FIBA World Under 19 Championships to be held in Chile in July.

Karaitiana has already participated in a World Championship in this age group, joining 2010/2011 WNBL MVP Liz Cambage in the Gems outfit at the 2009 event in Malaysia.

Flames coach Karen Dalton will also be on the tour as an assistant coach, with the team being led by former WNBL Coach of the Year Cheryl Chambers.

Karaitiana played in her first season in the blue and gold in 2010/2011 and is also a member of the Sydney Uni Flames Academy Program.

Flames Academy coach Peter Lonergan said her development over the summer has been key in gaining selection for this tour.

'Ash was always a talented junior, but she has committed to working on her game and her conditioning over the summer and that makes her a valuable international guard prospect,' he said.

'This tour will be important for the preparation of the team for the Worlds and Ashleigh has been working hard to ensure she performs well and gives herself every chance of selection moving forward.'

Courtesy of WNBL (www.wnbl.com.au)

*****************************************************
  AUSTRIA - Women  


Flying Foxes celebrate sixth straight AWBL title - by Eurobasket News
BK Duchess - Flying Foxes 57:95

Flying Foxes celebrate double success this season. After claiming Chevrolet Cup title earlier the Austrian powerhouse sealed their championship triumph yesterday. Flying Foxes rallied past BK Duchess to earn the sixth straight AWBL title. Amanda Thompson (183-F-87, college: Oklahoma) came up with 24 points to lead the effort. Quenese Davis (178-G-88, college: San Diego St.) added 23 points for Flying Foxes. Quenese Davis was named Finals MVP. Amanda Thompson was given AWBL MVP award. Katharina Podoschek (168-G-80) was trumped Best Austrian Player.
The game itself was another display of Flying Foxes dominance. The visitors grabbed a 5-point lead ten minutes into the game before firing 28 points in the second stanza to clear off to a 14-point distance. Flying Foxes continued to boost the margin in the second half. They registered a 21-point lead with one quarter remaining and never looked back en route to the victory. Judith Faustmann (176-G-89) and Jana Lichnerova (190-C-76) notched 11 points each for the visitors. Sophia Plank (178-G/F-83) answered with 17 points for BK Duchess. Katharina Podoschek nailed 11 points in defeat.

BK Duchess: Sophia Plank 17, Katharina Podoschek 11
Flying Foxes: Amanda Thompson 24, Quenese Davis 23, Judith Faustmann 11, Jana Lichnerova 11


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


Top young talent set for 'National age assessment camp' in Toronto - by Eurobasket News
Canada Basketball has announced a national age group assessment camp that will be held April 22-25 at the University of Toronto's Mississauga campus. Invited to the camp is a group of athletes identified through the national identification process and who are eligible for the Cadette Women's National Team (CWNT) and the Junior Women's National Team (JWNT) programs.

Arriving from coast to coast, 36 of the top age-eligible talent will be taking part in a national level training environment which includes on and off-court sessions and assessment by national coaches. Both teams will be competing in FIBA sanctioned championship tournaments this summer.

The assessment camp, combined with previously identified age-eligible athletes, will assist in determining the pool of athletes that will be chosen for the CWNT and JWNT programs.

The JWNT will compete this summer at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in Chile July 2131. The tournament will feature the best age-eligible players from 16 nations. Canada is assigned to Group A along with China, Egypt, and Italy.

Attending from the list of age-eligible athletes for the JWNT is Nirra Fields (Lachine, Que.). Last summer, playing for the CWNT at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women in France, Fields led the tournament in scoring with 22.4 points per game. This marked the first time a Canadian female has ever led a FIBA World Championship event in scoring. According to ESPNU, Fields is ranked the seventh best guard and 16th best overall prospect in the class of 2012, while attending Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.).

Last summer, the JWNT qualified for the FIBA U19 World Championship by defeating Chile to claim bronze at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo. A pair from Ottawa, Kellie Ring and Rashida Timbilla are the only two players from the bronze medal winning team who will attend this weekends age-assessment camp. Earlier this year, Ring chose to attend the University of Ottawa next fall, while Timbilla committed to the University of Massachusetts.

Invitees include 7 members from last summer's CWNT

The group of 36 also includes seven members from last summers CWNT that competed at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women in France, where they placed 11th. This summer, they will all be eligible to be selected to Canadas Junior team. This strong contingent of up-and-coming talent include Northwestern University bound Karly Roser (Hamilton, Ont.) and Dakota White (Ajax, Ont.), who represented Canada at the FIBA 33 competition at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games last summer in Singapore.

The Canadian women have qualified for the FIBA U19 World Championships on four previous occasions, the most recent being a fourth-place finish in the 2009 event. Canada finished in ninth place in 2005 and 2007.

The 2011 CWNT will be competing this summer at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship for Women in Mexico June 1318. The Cadette eligible invitees are mainly provincial all-stars including members from the British Columbia provincial team that won gold at the 17U National Championship and members of the Ontario provincial team that won the 15U National Championship last summer in Toronto. In total, there are 18 players who participated at National Championships last summer invited to both camps.

The Cadette group is led by Emma Wolfram (Kamloops, B.C.), who was a first team all-star at the 17U National Championship, and the 15U National Championship tournament Most Valuable Player, Kia Nurse (Hamilton). Other notable invitees include 15U National Championship first team all-stars Kolbie Orum (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau (Gatineau, Que.) and second team all-stars Aimee Wilson (Chestermere, Alta.), Anmol Mattu (Richmond, B.C.), and Hannah Jardine (St. Johns NL).

Both camps will run in conjunction with one another from Friday until Monday at the Mississauga Campus of the University of Toronto.

Courtesy of www.basketball.ca

*****************************************************
  CROATIA - Women  


Sibenik and Gospic into finals - by Zeljko Zule
Sibenik Jolly JSB and Gospic CO both advanced to the play-off finals. They need only two games to eliminate Studenac Omis and Lupa promotion.
Gospic led by as many as 18 points after the third quarter and beat Lupa promotion 70-62. Sandra Mandir and Michelle Maslowski both finished with 15 points, Jelena Ivezic added 14 and Ivana Jurcevic 11. Lupa was led by Ana Cacic and her 15 points, Irena Cuncic and Britany Miller had 13 each and Ivona Matic 11.
Sibenik outscored Studenac Omis 111-51. Marta Cakic (175-G-82) contributed 20 points.



*****************************************************
  FRANCE - Women  


LFB Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Mistie BASS-WILLIAMS
  Challes
  (191-C-83)
  Avg: 19.5
 1. Bass-W., Challes19.5 
 2. Akonga Nsimb., Arr.16.4 
 3. Grima, Aix-en-P.15.9 
 4. Humphrey, Landes15.3 
 5. Dubljevic, Tarbes15.0 
 6. Sanni, Villeneuve14.7 
 7. Sharp, Mondeville14.3 
 8. Mann, Charleville14.3 
 9. Hurst, Aix-en-P.14.1 
 10. Covington, Union H.14.0 
Rebounds Per Game
 Aurelie BONNAN
  Mondeville
  (187-F-83)
  Avg: 10.8
 1. Bonnan, Mondeville10.8 
 2. Humphrey, Landes10.0 
 3. Diawara, Charleville9.7 
 4. Bass-W., Challes9.4 
 5. Bales, Union Hainaut8.8 
 6. Sanni, Villeneuve8.6 
 7. Kamba, Union H.8.2 
 8. Matic, Tarbes7.0 
 9. Grima, Aix-en-P.6.8 
 10. Sacko, Lattes M.6.5 
Assists Per Game
 Caroline AUBERT
  Nantes
  (168-G-80)
  Avg: 5
 1. Aubert, Nantes5.0 
 2. Hurst, Aix-en-P.4.7 
 3. Lepron, Tarbes4.2 
 4. Manic, Landes4.2 
 5. Mitchell, Arras4.0 
 6. Tanqueray, Villeneuve3.8 
 7. Bar, Challes3.7 
 8. Aubert, Toulouse3.5 
 9. Carpreaux, Villeneuve3.5 
 10. Dubljevic, Tarbes3.4 
Steals Per Game
 Johanne GOMIS
  Arras
  (177-G-85)
  Avg: 2.6
 1. Gomis, Arras2.6 
 2. Bar, Challes2.4 
 3. Milovanovic, Toulouse2.1 
 4. Skrela, Lattes M.2.0 
 5. Poto, Lattes M.2.0 
 6. Bouderra, Charleville1.9 
 7. Young, Landes1.9 
 8. Bonnan, Mondeville1.8 
 9. Lepron, Tarbes1.8 
 10. Beikes, Union Hainaut1.7 
Blocks Per Game
 Alison BALES
  Union Hainaut
  (201-C-85)
  Avg: 2.1
 1. Bales, Union Hainaut2.1 
 2. Ndongue, Bourges1.6 
 3. Dowdell, Toulouse0.7 
 4. Bertal, Villeneuve0.7 
 5. Bonnan, Mondeville0.7 
 6. Smith, Tarbes0.7 
 7. Jones, Toulouse0.7 
 8. Sy-Diop, Nantes0.7 
 9. Bar, Challes0.6 
 10. Bass-W., Challes0.6 


*****************************************************
  ITALY - Women  


Stats Leaders - Women
Points Per Game
 Cameo HICKS
  Comense
  (178-G/F-84)
  Avg: 15
 1. Hicks, Comense15.0 
 2. Antibe, Basket P.15.0 
 3. Moises Pinto, Fae.13.8 
 4. Pascalau, Priolo13.7 
 5. Dixon, Pozzuoli13.6 
 6. Mazzante, Pozzuoli13.5 
 7. Cirov, Priolo13.4 
 8. Ervin, Faenza13.2 
 9. Macchi, Familia Schio13.0 
 10. Willis, Lucca12.9 
Rebounds Per Game
 Lauren ERVIN
  Faenza
  (191-F-85)
  Avg: 10.8
 1. Ervin, Faenza10.8 
 2. Gidden, Vomero NA10.1 
 3. Ujhelyi, Bracco G.9.7 
 4. Willis, Lucca9.2 
 5. Walker, Pozzuoli8.9 
 6. McCarville, Famili.8.4 
 7. Robert, Umbertide8.0 
 8. Stansbury, Umber.8.0 
 9. Antibe, Basket P.7.9 
 10. Ohlde, Umana Reyer7.3 
Assists Per Game
 Adriana MOISES PINTO
  Faenza
  (169-G-78)
  Avg: 4.1
 1. Moises Pinto, Fae.4.1 
 2. Andrade, Lucca3.2 
 3. Cohen, Familia Schio3.0 
 4. Sottana, Umana R.2.8 
 5. Wambe, Taranto2.6 
 6. Zara, Umbertide2.6 
 7. Soli, Lucca2.4 
 8. Haynie, Bracco Geas2.4 
 9. Dixon, Pozzuoli2.3 
 10. Mahoney, Taranto2.3 
Steals Per Game
 Adriana MOISES PINTO
  Faenza
  (169-G-78)
  Avg: 4.5
 1. Moises Pinto, Fae.4.5 
 2. Ohlde, Umana Reyer4.2 
 3. Kostaki, Umana R.3.9 
 4. Eric, Priolo3.8 
 5. Sottana, Umana R.3.7 
 6. Andrade, Lucca3.6 
 7. Willis, Lucca3.6 
 8. Ballardini, Umbertide3.5 
 9. Antibe, Basket P.3.5 
 10. Gidden, Vomero NA3.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Petra UJHELYI
  Bracco Geas
  (192-C-80)
  Avg: 1
 1. Ujhelyi, Bracco G.1.0 
 2. Zherzherunov., Fae.0.9 
 3. Godin, Taranto0.9 
 4. McCarville, Famili.0.7 
 5. Sowinski, Comense0.7 
 6. Antibe, Basket P.0.7 
 7. Ogorodnikova, Umana R.0.6 
 8. Stansbury, Umber.0.5 
 9. Ohlde, Umana Reyer0.5 
 10. Aziz, Basket Parma0.5 


*****************************************************
  KAZAKHSTAN - Women  


Itysh level championship series - by Eurobasket News
Irtysh - Astana Tigers 76:64

Irtysh celebrated the second straight win in the title series. They held off Astana Tigers in Pavlodar to level the series at 2-2. The teams will now move back to Astana for the decisive fifth game scheduled on April 27.
Irtysh grabbed the initiative early on in this one. They outscored the Tigers for a 19:15 lead after ten minutes. Irtysh mounted the pressure in the second frame. They piled up a comfortable 39:26 lead at the interval. The teams slowed down in the third frame but the hosts maintained the distance. They entered the fourth quarter up by the same 13 points and never loosened the grip en route to the victory. Angelina Yuskova (170-G-90) was unstoppable for Irtysh scoring 38 points and grabbing 6 boards. Anna Vinokurova (191-C-92) contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds for Irtysh. Viktoriya Pazyuk (186-F-85) and Evgeniya Chernova (180-F-88, agency: LBM Management) delivered 16 points each in the loss.

Irtysh: Angelina Yuskova 38, Anna Vinokurova 16, Yuliya Korotkaya 7
Astana: Viktoriya Pazyuk 16, Evgeniya Chernova 16


*****************************************************
  LITHUANIA - Women  


LMKL Round 2 of Finals. VICI Kaunas earn second straight victory - by Eurobasket News
3-4 place
Utena - LKKA-Aistes 80-73

Utena leveled the series against LKKA-Aistes. LKKA-Aistes was ahead by 2 points after three quarters before a 21-12 charge of Utena, which allowed them to win the game. They also forced 19 LKKA-Aistes turnovers. LKKA-Aistes was plagued by 29 personal fouls down the stretch. Forward Vilma Tamuleviciute (182-76) scored 22 points and 7 rebounds (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners and guard Asta Daujadiene (176-73) chipped in 14 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists during the contest. Four Utena players scored in double figures. Guard Santa Okockyte (176-92) responded with 30 points and 5 rebounds and forward Kornelija Balciunaite (176-81) scored 11 points and 8 rebounds.
Top scorers:
Utena: V.Tamuleviciute 22+7reb+2ast, A.Ziegyte 15+3reb+1ast, K.Palaimaite 15+6reb+1ast, A.Daujadiene 14+6reb+7ast, E.Briedyte 7+8reb, G.Kirstukaite 5+2reb+1ast
LKKA-Aistes: S.Okockyte 30+5reb+3ast, K.Balciunaite 11+8reb+1ast, J.Marmiene 10+3reb, D.Saurazaite 8+1reb+1ast, V.Kaminskyte 7+5reb+1ast, L.Svaryte 3+5reb
gschID: 127172


FINAL
Lemminkainen - VICI Kaunas 47-88

VICI Kaunas stepped closer to the title after they stunned Lemminkainen on the road. The game without a history. VICI Kaunas led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Lemminkainen to just 4 points in third and fourth quarters. VICI Kaunas dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Lemminkainen's 24. VICI Kaunas forced 23 Lemminkainen turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists comparing to just 7 passes made by Lemminkainen's players. International center Giedre Paugaite (192-90) orchestrated the victory by scoring 24 points. The former international guard Ausra Bimbaite (179-82) contributed with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals for the winners. Five VICI Kaunas players scored in double figures. Guard Irma Raugaite (176-84) replied with 19 points and 5 rebounds and guard Rita Milieskiene (175-78) added 16 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Lemminkainen.
Top scorers:
VICI Kaunas: G.Paugaite 24+3reb, V.Kuktiene 15+4reb+1ast, A.Bimbaite 15+5reb+6ast, M.Solopova 11+5reb+2ast, C.Pilypaitis 10+5reb+3ast, M.Sauliute 4+5reb+5ast
Lemminkainen: I.Raugaite 19+5reb+2ast, R.Milieskiene 16+8reb, G.Gutkauskaite 8+6reb, E.Zygelyte 3+3reb+3ast, M.Grigalauskyte 1+9reb+1ast, M.Matias 0
gschID: 127171




Stats Leaders - LMKL
Points Per Game
 Santa OKOCKYTE
  LKKA-Aistes
  (176-G-92)
  Avg: 19.5
 1. Okockyte, LK.19.5 
 2. Baliutaviciu., Ruta S.16.9 
 3. Kinkeviciene, Laisve16.9 
 4. Milieskiene, Lemmin.14.8 
 5. Bimbaite, VICI K.14.5 
 6. Aglinskaite, MRU13.8 
 7. Solopova, VICI K.13.7 
 8. Aglinskaite, Laisve13.7 
 9. Briedyte, Utena13.7 
 10. Budryte, Laisve12.8 
Rebounds Per Game
 Sandra BALIUTAVICIUTE
  Laisve
  (182-F-81)
  Avg: 10.9
 1. Baliutaviciu., Ruta S.10.9 
 2. Palaimaite, Utena9.4 
 3. Grigalauskyt., Lemmin.9.2 
 4. Balciunaite, LKKA-.8.9 
 5. Aleksaite, MRU8.8 
 6. Galdikaite, MRU8.6 
 7. Budryte, Laisve8.2 
 8. Taraseviciut., Laisve8.2 
 9. Margeviciute, Lemmin.7.2 
 10. Kirstukaite, Utena6.9 
Assists Per Game
 Ligita KINKEVICIENE
  Laisve
  (173-G-76)
  Avg: 5.5
 1. Kinkeviciene, Laisve5.5 
 2. Sauliute, VICI K.5.5 
 3. Zygelyte, Lemminka.4.3 
 4. Bimbaite, VICI K.4.1 
 5. Daujadiene, Utena4.0 
 6. Pilypaitis, VICI K.3.6 
 7. Okockyte, LK.3.5 
 8. Solopova, VICI K.3.4 
 9. Valentiene, VICI K.3.1 
 10. Ziegyte, Utena2.7 
Steals Per Game
 Ligita KINKEVICIENE
  Laisve
  (173-G-76)
  Avg: 3.3
 1. Kinkeviciene, Laisve3.3 
 2. Bimbaite, VICI K.3.2 
 3. Balciunaite, LKKA-.3.2 
 4. Solopova, VICI K.2.6 
 5. Milieskiene, Lemmin.2.6 
 6. Sauliute, VICI K.2.5 
 7. Briedyte, Ruta S.2.3 
 8. Pilypaitis, VICI K.2.1 
 9. Baliutaviciu., Ruta S.2.1 
 10. Daujadiene, Utena2.1 
Blocks Per Game
 Kristina ALMINAITE
  VICI Kaunas
  (204-C-90)
  Avg: 1.7
 1. Alminaite, VICI K.1.7 
 2. Palaimaite, Utena1.3 
 3. Aleksaite, MRU1.3 
 4. Juceviciute, Utena1.2 
 5. Paugaite, VICI K.1.2 
 6. Kirstukaite, Utena1.1 
 7. Margeviciute, Lemmin.1.0 
 8. Budryte, Laisve0.9 
 9. Baliutaviciu., Ruta S.0.8 
 10. Kvederaviciu., Laisve0.8 


*****************************************************
  LUXEMBOURG - Women  


Easy lead for Musel Pikes - by Liz Schmitz
The team of coach Erny Gruskovnjak celebrated an easy win yesterday evening in Stadtbredimus to lead 1-0 against Basket Esch in the championship semi-finals.
The team around Carine Cigrang (175-F-85) started with an impressive first quarter, after ten minutes the score was already 22-9. Basket Esch had a lot of trouble to get the ball past halfcourt with the team from the Moselle playing a quite aggressive and successful press. In the end, Basket Esch had to account for 29 turnovers. With that amount of turnovers it will always be tough to win a game. Magaly Meynadier (170-G-91) (8 rebounds) and Christine Fisher (183-F-83) (15 rebounds) dominated the boards in offense as well as in defense and Cathy Schmit (169-G-90) and Carine Cigrang (175-F-85) fed their teammates accordingly with good passes, in the end each of both guards had 8 assists. Overall Musel Pikes dominated the game and it was just because each team rotated during the last quarter that the team from the south could win the last quarter 19-21.
Rachele Fitz (183-F-87, college: Marist) with 15 points and 16 rebounds was the topscorer for the team of coach Jean-Francois Manti , while youngstar Billie Schulte (170-G-93) chipped in 12 points.
Four players scored in double figures for Musel Pikes. Christine Fisher had once again a double double with impressive 27 points and 15 rebounds. Carine Cigrang (175-F-85) added 14 points.
Musel Pikes demonstrated effectively that they are the team to beat in the quest for the championship trophy, this year once again.

*****************************************************
  MADAGASCAR - Women  


Atsinanana and Boeny dominate the discussions - by Eurobasket News
The two regions of Atsinanana and Boeny realized a double by securing their ticket to the finals of the national championship, both in boys than in girls. At Maevatanana, young basketball players from Boeny blew off Betsiboka squad in the first and second legs (71-19 and 147-62). Similar scenario in young girls basketball players from Boeny who inflicted a severe correction to their fellows from Betsiboka on the score of 71-19 in the first leg and 92-49 in the second leg.
Same story for Atsinanana in Moramanga. Thus in boys, Atsinanana respectively offered itself Alaotra-Mangoro squad (80-61) and that of Analanjorofo (80-48). While girls did the same operation against Alaotra-Mangoro by 81 to 37 in the first leg and 57-32 in the second leg. These four teams complete the table of the championship finals of U22 which mentions 10 teams in boys and in girls.
Courtesy of: http://www.starafrica.com


*****************************************************
  NCAA1 - Women  


UCLA hires Close as head coach - by Eurobasket News
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA hired Cori Close as its women's basketball coach on Thursday, giving the former Bruins assistant her first head coaching job.

Close was introduced by athletic director Dan Guerrero as the successor to Nikki Caldwell, who resigned to take the LSU job earlier this month.

Close spent the past seven seasons as an assistant at Florida State. The Seminoles advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of her seasons and won at least 20 games in all but one.

'Cori has established herself as one of the top women's basketball associate coaches in the nation and is certainly ready to take the next step,' Guerrero said. 'She will continue to build upon the foundation that has been established over the last few years.'

Close began her collegiate coaching career at UCLA as the restricted earnings coach on the staff of Kathy Olivier in 1994 and 1995.

Before moving to Florida State, Close was an assistant from 1995 to 2004 at UC Santa Barbara, where she played college basketball before graduating in 1993.

During Caldwell's three seasons, UCLA went 72-26, reaching the NCAA tournament twice. She was the Pac-10 coach of the year in 2010, when the Bruins reached the second round of the NCAA tournament and finished 25-9.
Courtesy of: The Associated Press

Palmer named UNCG coach - by Eurobasket News
GREENSBORO, N.C. Wendy Palmer-Daniel , an 11-year WNBA veteran and former All-American at Virginia under Womens Basketball Hall of Fame coach Debbie Ryan, has been hired as the new womens basketball coach at UNCG, Director of Athletics Kim Record announced Tuesday.

Palmer replaces longtime UNCG coach Lynne Agee, who retired in March after 30 years at the helm for the Spartans.

We are pleased that Wendy Palmer-Daniel has accepted our offer to be the women's basketball coach at UNCG, Record said. She brings an exciting blend of experience, both as a college and professional player and as a coach in the CAA, SEC and ACC. Having grown up in the state of North Carolina, she is familiar with the Southern Conference and UNCG's history and has a vision for continuing our tradition of excellence in women's basketball.

Palmer, a Timberlake, N.C., native, comes to UNCG after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at her alma mater.

This position is a tremendous opportunity, and I am thrilled that Chancellor (Linda) Brady and Kim Record have chosen me to lead the womens basketball program, Palmer said. I am happy to come back home and am honored to be a part of such a rich legacy of excellence in academics and womens basketball. This is an extraordinary opportunity with unique challenges; I bring my passion, experience, knowledge and energy to help the Spartans compete for championships. My staff and I will work hard and smart to make the UNCG family proud on and off the court.

While on staff at Virginia, Palmer helped recruit and sign a class ranked in the top 15 nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz and coached All-American and national Defensive Player of the Year Monica Wright. During Palmers tenure on the sidelines, Virginia made one NCAA appearance and a WNIT quarterfinals appearance.

Palmer was an assistant for two years at Kentucky prior to returning to Virginia. There, she coached All-American Victoria Dunlap, who was taken 11th in the recent WNBA Draft.

While still playing professionally, Palmer began her coaching career at Virginia Commonwealth. In her two years there, Palmer coached 2006 Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year Quanitra Hollingsworth and Krystal Vaughn, who both went on to play professionally in the WNBA and in Europe.

Palmer enjoyed outstanding playing careers on both the professional and amateur levels. A WNBA All-Star for the Detroit Shock in 2001, Palmer was also the WNBAs Co-Most Improved Player with the Connecticut Sun in 2004. She was selected in the 1997 Elite Draft by the Utah Starzz in preparation for the WNBAs inaugural year of competition and was a second-team All-WNBA selection that season after being traded to the Shock. Palmer also played for the Orlando Miracle, San Antonio Stars and Seattle Storm in her WNBA career. The Shocks Community Relations Player Representative from 1999-2001, Palmer was the recipient of the Black Legends of Professional Basketball John Isaacs Service Award.

Palmer also played professionally in Spain, Brazil, Hungary, Turkey, Italy and Russia, earning another all-star bid in Italy.

On the collegiate level, Palmer was a two-time All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year for the Cavaliers, earning those honors in 1995 and 1996. A three-time All-ACC selection, she is still the Cavs career rebounding leader and is fourth on Virginias all-time scoring list. Palmer was the first woman in school history and just the second player overall to record 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds at Virginia. Cavalier legend Ralph Sampson was the other.

UNCG hit a home run with the selection of Wendy Palmer-Daniel to lead their women's basketball program, said Ryan, who mentored Palmer as a player and again as a member of her staff. Wendy comes to Greensboro with a wealth of experiences at every level of the game. Her team will be hard-working, fundamentally sound and fun to watch. Wendy will put Greensboro in the hunt for championships quickly as she helps each player develop to reach her potential both on and off the court. It's an exciting time for the UNCG program. Wendy is the ultimate professional who will communicate effectively with players from a broad range of backgrounds. Her love for the game will be infectious and generate great enthusiasm for the entire university.

Palmer is a member of the Womens Basketball Coaches Association and the Black Coaches Association.

She will assume her duties on Thursday.
Courtesy of: UNC-Greensboro Athletics



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  SENEGAL - Women  


Tapha Gaye publishes a list of 27 players ahead of Afrobasket 2011 - by Eurobasket News
Head-coach for Senegals national female basket team, Moustapha Gaye , has published a list of 27 preselected players ahead of African Female Basketball championship come in Bamako, Mali come August 2011.
Notably absent from the list is Awa Guye the lioness who captained the Senegalese squat at the 2009 Afrobasket competition in Madagascar and the 2010 world cup in Tchek republic.

This si the list below comprising 15 home-based players and 12 from the diaspora :

1- Home-based: Fatou Bintou Thiam, Ndiagou Faye, Fanta Leye, Marie Al Seck (Jaraaf), Ndeye Fall, Fatoumata Diango (DUC), Fatou Dieng (170-G-85) Thiama, Ndeye Sene (167-G/F-88), Diary Diouf, Aminata Diop, Mamouna Diarra (SLBC), Yacine Diop, Yaram Beye (JA), Dian Guye, Aminata Dieye (SIBAC).

2- Diaspora: Fatou Dieng, Licka Sy, Ndeye Diola Ndiaye, Bineta Diouf Mame Mary Sy (France), Diodio Diouf (170-G-84) (Suisse), Aya Traore (186-F-83, college: Purdue), Aminata Nar Diop, Oumou Khary Sarr (Espagne), Ramatoulaye Ndiaye (USA).
Courtesy of: http://www.starafrica.com

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  SLOVAKIA - Women  


Jana Lichnerova with the trophy abroad - by Eurobasket News
Jana Lichnerova (190-C-76) and her Austrian Flying Foxes celebrate double success this season. After claiming Chevrolet Cup title earlier the Austrian powerhouse sealed their championship triumph yesterday. Flying Foxes rallied past BK Duchess to earn the sixth straight AWBL title. Amanda Thompson came up with 24 points to lead the effort. Quenese Davis added 23 points for Flying Foxes. Quenese Davis was named Finals MVP. Amanda Thompson was given AWBL MVP award. Katharina Podoschek was trumped Best Austrian Player.
The game itself was another display of Flying Foxes dominance. The visitors grabbed a 5-point lead ten minutes into the game before firing 28 points in the second stanza to clear off to a 14-point distance. Flying Foxes continued to boost the margin in the second half. They registered a 21-point lead with one quarter remaining and never looked back en route to the victory. Judith Faustmann and Jana Lichnerova notched 11 points each for the visitors. Sophia Plank answered with 17 points for BK Duchess. Katharina Podoschek nailed 11 points in defeat.


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  UKRAINE - Women  


Standings (Women)
UPBL Standings
 1. Tim-Scuf 6-0 
 2. Kozachka 6-2 
 3. Dynamo 5-1 
 4. Dnipro-DVUFK 3-2 
 5. Yuzhna Palmira 3-3 
 6. Frankivsk 2-3 
 7. Donbas 2-4 
 8. Politeh Basket 2-4 
 9. Orlan 1-5 
 10. Luganski Last. 0-6