EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 6/15/2011 1:00:00 AM

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Men News

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  AUSTRALIA   


Wildcat to bolster Wolves - by Eurobasket News
The Wanneroo Wolves have made one of their biggest signings in State Basketball League history after securing the services of Wildcats co-captain Brad Robbins (186-G-85).

His signing for the remainder of the season is a significant boost to the Wolfpack, which are looming as genuine championship contenders.

The guard played his first game on Saturday in a 91-64 win over Rockingham Flames.

Its a great club and I like what theyre about, he said.

Theyre trying to make it as professional as they can in a semi-professional league and I think thats fantastic.

Wolves coach Ben Ettridge said Robbins presence was an amazing opportunity to bring one of WA sports best leaders to the club.

We look forward to having Brad around our younger guys; we hope they can learn from him on and off the court, he said.

Wanneroo SBL director Matt Rushmere said the former Australia under-22 team member had already attracted bigger crowds.

People were saying we cant wait to see Brad to the door person on Saturday night hes made a difference already.

Supporters can thank star player Greg Hire for the signing, with Robbins saying he had convinced him to join.

Greggy played with me in the Wildcats this year and he kept bugging me over my holidays to play and finally I thought thatd be great.

It is the first time the 26-year-old has played in the SBL since his move to Perth in 2006 when he represented Willetton, before joining the Wildcats in 2008.

Ive always had surgery in the off-season so this is the first season where Ive been able to get some miles in the legs and put up a few shots, he said.

He spent a year with the NBLs Cairns Taipans in 2005 after impressive performances in the eastern states-based Australian Basketball Association.

He said he was happy with the standard of SBL level after playing his first game for 2011.

Its a different type of game, but theres some pretty good players in this league and its getting stronger.

He scored six points against the Flames and admitted he was a bit rusty.

Ive been on holidays, so its going to take a while to get my legs under me, he said.

Courtesy of www.inmycommunity.com.au

Nathan Jawai heads to Kazan - by Eurobasket News
Nathan Jawai (207-C-86, college: Midland CC) has reportedly agreed on terms of contract with Unics Kazan. The Australian centre spent the previous season in Serbia. He averaged 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per Adriatic League game with Partizan. In Euroleague Nathan Jawai recorded 9.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per appearance. In Serbian A League his stats read 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Eurobasket.com named Nathan Jawai into All-Serbian League 2nd Team. Nathan Jawai played in the NBA in 2009/10 season. The centre posted 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Timberwolves. He also appeared in five games with the Toronto Raptors back in 2008/09 season. Nathan Jawai was All-Australian NBL Rookie of the Year in 2008. He played for U20, U21 and Senior Australian National Teams.


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  AUSTRIA   


Austria exchange victories with Czech Republic - by Eurobasket News
Austria U20 travelled to Mikulov for a pair of test games against Czech Republic. The teams exchanged victories.
Czech Republic opened the series with a comfortable 80:59 win. The hosts led by just a single point at halftime 29:28. But Czech Republic stepped on the gas and cleared off for good in the second half. Jozo Rados (203-C-93) provided 18 points to lead Austria. Filip Kramer (200-F-92) finished with 9 points in the loss.
Next game was a different story. Austria stunned their opponents in the first half. The visitors piled up a 43:27 halftime buffer. Czech Republic managed to recover after the main break. The hosts stayed close throughout the dying stages but Austria turned more accurate late in regulation and sealed a narrow 74:72 win at the end. Thomas Klepeisz (185-G-91) provided 21 points for Austria. Romed Vieider (196-F-91) netted 14 points, while Filip Kramer accounted for 12 points in the victory.


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  BELGIUM   


Gent Transfer News - by Peter Buyse
Optima Gent has announced the arrival of one new player and the contract extension of another one. Senne Geukens (190-G-83) who averaged 9.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg will start his 4th season with Gent during the 2011-2012 season. Luc Louves and Lionel Bosco will be his teammmates on the future Gent team.

The new player is not really all that new to Gent since he already played here during the 08-09 season. After 2 seasons at Antwerp Giants American center Graham Brown (205-C-84, college: Michigan) returns to Gent. The past season he averaged 8.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg. He also played in the FIBA EuroChallenge with slighly better stats of 9.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 14 games.



Aalstar Transfer News - by Peter Buyse
Generali Okapi Aalstar has announced the signing of Nate Fox (206-F/C-77, college: Maine) to their 2011-2012 roster. Fox is no stranger to Belgium since he played here earlier for Leuven during the second half of the 03-04 season. Between late 2004 and March 2008 he played in Germany for Bayer Leverkusen. In 2008-2009 he resurfaces in Estonia where he played for Kalev Tallin. With Tallin he played the Estonian league, The EuroChallenge and the Baltic league. Fox started the past season in Germany playing for Braunschweig before heading to France where he played for Le Havre as of Feb 2011.

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  BRAZIL   


Tijuca sign two new players and is working to play the next NBB - by Paulo Freire
The Tijuca Tennis Club began to work in order to participate in the NBB 2011/2012 season. The team from Rio de Janeiro, who won the Super Cup Brazil can now claim a place in next edition of the NBB in case meets the requirements under the National Basketball League (LNB).

Head coach Miguel Palmier, revealed that seven players who participated in the Super Cup Brazil title campaign's were maintained on the roster. The veterans Ricardinho, Olivia, Rodrigo Bahia and Case, they also will keep the youngs Marcellus, Diego and Pitico remain on the team.

The team announced the addition of two experienced athletes, both have 32 years old and were born in Rio de Janeiro, having played in the Tijuca very early in their career.

Center Fernando Coloneze (207-C-78) of 2.07 m tall have been around in his basketball career and now get back on the club after 16 years away, he played for Joinville last season and averages of 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Point guard Arnaldinho Filho (187-G-78) of 1.87 m tall, defended Minas last season and averaged 8.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 1.4 assist per game.

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  CANADA   


Energy lights up court - by Eurobasket News
The Edmonton Energy extended its International Basketball League winning streak to eight games with a 115-107 victory over the West Coast Hotshots at the University of Alberta Main Gym on Saturday.

Rashaun Broadus (182-G-84, college: BYU) scored 23 points to lead the Energy's charge. Lee Scruggs (211-F/C-79, agency: Edge Sports, college: Georgetown) (19 points), Curtis Nash (196-G/F-80, college: Charlotte) (18), Benson Callier (198-G-84, college: W.Kentucky) (16) and Will Broadus (15) also reached double figures.

The teams wrap their three-game series at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Courtesy of www2.canada.com

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  CHINA   


Yao may retire this summer if ankle doesn't heal - by Eurobasket News
China's injury-riddled NBA star Ming Yao (7'5''-C-80) hinted that he may end his career, at the earliest this summer, if his ankle doesn't heal then, said chinanews.com.

'It all depends on the ankle. If I can get it healthy, then I'll retire in two years. Otherwise, it'll be this summer.' Yao was quoted as saying during an interview.

Yao has cast doubt on his return to the NBA by admitting to the possibility he may not play again as he battles to recover from his latest injury.

The towering Houston Rockets center, China's most recognisable athlete, told CCTV he could not predict when, or indeed if, he would fully recover from a serious ankle fracture suffered last November.

'I don't know if I would join some champion team in the future,' Yao said when asked about leaving a new-look Rockets team. 'I don't even know if I can play again.'

Yao, however, said the prospect of playing in front of his baby daughter Amy gave him extra motivation to continue his injury-plagued career in the NBA.

'I wish she could watch me play and even win a championship,' the 2.28-meter Yao said. 'Not only see through video highlights how her dad played. She is definitely a big motivation for me to continue, although my foot still needs lots of treatment.

'Walking or jogging is okay... but I need to get 80 percent of my strength back to play. I have got only about 30 percent at most now.'

Yao confessed he was not sure how he would fit in with the plans of new Rockets coach Kevin McHale .

'A championship ring has become not so important in my plans,' Yao said. 'My main thought for the next 10 years is to look after my family and continue my community activities.'

Yao's five-year contract with the Rockets, valued at $76 million, expires on June 30, with the threat of a lockout also looming.

The 30-year-old has triggered NBA-mania in China since being selected first overall by Houston in the 2002 draft but has been cursed by injury in the United States.

Yao insisted, however, it would be hard to leave the Rockets because of injury or a trade away.

'I have spent the best 10 years of my life playing and living (in Houston),' the All-Star said. 'That makes it much harder to bid farewell.'

Courtesy of www.chinadaily.com.cn

China Lost to Japan - by Robert Wang
In the game last night of 2011 East Asian Games, China lost to Japan at 62:72.China had been led the game 14 points up ahead but failed finally. Beated by Japan. China will take the 3rd place with Tai Bei team. While the champion would be in either team between Japan and Korea.
In the game last night, China used height with their center Zhang zho xu and Su Wei inside and dominated smoothly. and Yi Li and Meng Duo made some good points outside meanwhile. All people had thought that china would beat Japan without doulbt. By the 2nd quator, China ended at 38:24.
From the thrid quator, Japan changed their defense at press in stead of only guarding the inside players. Japan had gave the chinese guards a tough time with pressure. While this is the hardest way for the chinese guards to run the team and chinese team lost lots and japan ran up the points.Finally, Japan played faster and penetrated more and ended the game successfuly.
The headcoach, Li Nan expalined that the chinese team played too relaxed after the third quator through they played the first 2 quators and also there is no way for chinese team to score undered the pressure from japan.


Peter Ramos Signed with Korean Team Next Season - by Robert Wang
Here is an updated info. from Korea. Former Chinese tallest center Peter Ramos signed with Korean team.
Seoul Samsung Thunders ended their search for a foreign player by signing Puerto Rican Center Peter John Ramos (222-C-85) to a one-year, 350,000 USD contract. He most recently averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds and 1.2 blocks with a team in China. Ramos is the tallest foreigner to sign in the KBL at 222 CM. Assuming all listed heights are correct this would make him equal to Korean MVP Ha Seung Jin, the largest player in the league.

Ramos sports an excellent resume including being drafted in the second round by the Washington Wizards in 2004. He spent his rookie season on the injured list and only played in 6 games. He spent the following two seasons in the NBA D-League before returning to Puerto Rico to play in its professional league. He has a bevy of accolades including being named center of the year and player of the year in the Puerto Rican professional league. He most recently played in the Chinese league for Zhejiang G.L..

Thunders direction Joon said that Ramos height would give the team a competitive edge. He also believes that Ramos basketball IQ and interior power will be a big help for the rebuilding Thunders. Ramos is set to join the team in Korea in August. Ramos' size will certainly give him advantages over smaller foreigners and most Korean centers. Being able to match up against Ha Seung Jin is a major issues for any KBL team hoping to contend and for Samung this is certainly a step in the right direction.

China Loses to Japan 72-62 - by Arthur Volbert
China lost to Japan 72-62 in the semifinals of the East Asian Championship today. China plays Chinese Taipei for third place tomorrow while Japan plays South Korea for the title. China automatically qualifies for the Asian Championship since they are the host so this tournament is for practice and for determining the last few spots on the roster.

The only player who played truly well today was Zhang ZhaoXu (221-C-87, college: California) who had 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting and 9 rebounds in 15 minutes. He had no turnovers.

Su Wei, his competition for backup center, had 2 points on 1 of 5 shooting and 6 turnovers. He fouled out in 24 minutes but did get 9 rebounds. Meng Duo had 9 points on 3 of 12 shooting and 7 turnovers and may have played himself off the team with this game. Yu Shulong had 5 points on 1 for 5 shooting and likewise failed to impress.

Mo Ke hit 1 of 6 shots and scored 8 points but is not producing offensively on this level. Dong Hanlin had 7 points and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes. Yi Li, this team's most versatile player, started and had 2 points and 2 rebounds but only played 10 minutes.

Han Shuo scored 8 points but fouled out in 17 minutes and had only 1 assist. Zhang Bo had 7 points and 1 assist in 30 minutes.

China led 15-12 after one quarter and 38-24 at the half. It then came upart in the second half, being outscored 26-10 in the third quarter and 22-14 in the fourth.

Note that China's top eight players -- Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi, Wang Shipeng, Liu Wei, Sun Yue, Ding Jinhui, Zhou Peng and Zhu Fangyu -- are not competing in this tournament. The players here are playing for the last four slots on the team -- along with veterans like Zhang Qingpeng and Zhang Kai who might make the team by default.

The reason I play this game - by T.J. Bannister
It has been a minute since I've wrote on here and I'd like to thank Eurobasket for allowing to still have my blog and be able to share with you guys my life, my motivation, and other things that inspire me. I would also like you guys to encourage you guys to read my blog because I will have some uplifting things on here to help you all out when you're feeling down or just need some motivation. On the contrary, I named this blog post 'The reason I play this game' because I'd like to share this with you and tell you the reason I play so hard when I play. The first and foremost reason I play is because the man above, and I just wanna play hard and give Him back what he deserves and to show Him I'm thankful for the talent he gave me. There are many people who would love to be in my position and playing ball overseas so I'm very thankful that God gave me the opportunity to play overseas. The next reason I play this game is because of my mom and dad and how much they used to push me growing up to make sure I became successful when I got older. If it wasn't for them I don't know where I'd be so I play the game for them as an appreciation to them for the great work they did in me. I also play the game for my city where I was born and raised which is Melbourne, Florida because there are so many players around that city that should be playing overseas or maybe even the NBA but they never had the chance or exposure because the city is so small. So I play the game to show them that you can make if you really try and give hope for the kids coming up after me. And the last couple of reasons I play this game is because of my 2 cousins I grew up with that passed away recently and for the love of the game. It was really difficult to lose my cousins especially when you grew up with them and saw them everyday of your life growing up. I could have easily gave up and said forget basketball but I feel they would want me to keep playing and staying strong for them. I love this game so much and there's nothing I wouldn't do to play it. So I close with this, whatever the reason is you play this game, I encourage you to stay with it and stay strong no matter what situations or storms you go through in life. Just remember that God is there and he can help you overcome anything.

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  COLOMBIA   


NATIONAL U-17 TOURNAMENT IN RIOHACHA - by Victor Garcia
A massive number of leagues arrived to Riohacha to play the National Tournament for Men U-17, classificatory for the National Games, 21 leagues sent its teams, a true unprecedent number.
The teamS were classified in four groups as follows:

Group A:
Guajira
Choco
Bolivar
Guaviare
Cordoba

Group B:
Bogota
Antioquia
Quindio
Casanare
Tolima
Sucre

Group C:
Valle
Meta
Caqueta
Boyaca
San Andres

Group D;
Magdalena
Cundinamarca
Cesar
Huila
Santander.


FEDERATION CUP NEWS - by Victor Garcia
The Colombian Nationa Federetion still hasn't released an official news bulletin about the upcoming Federation Cups, but there are some rumors on the air.

According some sources, the Federation is wondering about a change of rules that allows the use of three imports per team, and limit the number of Colombian - Venezuelan players to 2 per team.
Also is known that a team from Neiva, The Atletico Huila is among the list of teams waiting the aproval to be included in the 2011 Cup, Hulia is the host of and International Women tournament, also Los Pastos formally wants to be included despite its poor perfomance of the last year, Cucuta's team is working to solve the debts they still has from last season, and working to get a new sponsor, Bogota will have a team but the name of the team is not confirmed yet, however Piratas is also working to find a new sponsor for this year.
Bucaros management is working very active recruiting its player for the upcoming cup, Arrieros is also talking to its players, but looks like the will miss Divier Perez for the season, Perez is already injured.

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  CYPRUS   


Razis in the German League!! - by Chris Mammides
Christopher Razis (193-F-89) becomes the one first ever Cypriot basketball player to play professionally in another country other than Greece. The young and talented guard agreed financial terms with the German power house EWE Baskets Oldenburg for 1+1 years, contract. So Christopher basically writes history with this transfer as the German team considers being a power house in Germany and last season won the championship after breaking the home court advantage of Bonn. This season the team lost in the top 16 round by ALBA Berlin after losing with 3-1 in a best of five series.
The success of the Cypriot International is even greater if one considers the fact that the German teams do have the right to get as many American players as they want so Razis join forces with a team that preferred to get him rather than another one American.
Earlier this year Razis tried to sign with Aris Thessaloniki and spent a week with try-outs with Coach Slobodan Subotic but unfortunately for him he didnt make it, in any case as he was looking to continue his career abroad, Christopher found the right time and did so. It is worth mentioned the fact that Razis does speak German due to his family orientation so he as he has also the German Nationality he is no cutting the space of another Bosman player as he will be playing under his German nationality.
Razis was brought up in Strovolos academies as from a very young age him and his older brother Andreas Razis (190-F-86), joined Keravnos Strovolou Strovolou, he played in all age-levels in the academy and last year he played some games in the Mens team. This season the Greek head Coach Memos Ioannou (head coach of Keravnos Strovolou)decided that Razis was not good enough and the talented guard joined forces with Ydra Asfalistiki ENAD Agios Dometios until the end of the season.

It is worth mentioned that Razis was voted for two consecutive seasons as the top Cypriot player of his age. Last year and actually last Summer (2010) Razis given the chance to wear the Cyprus National teams jersey where he played two games and was the top man of the game against Czech Republic and Switzerland, even though in the Cyprus NT was the top he was not good enough to play for Keravnos Strovolou and Memos Ioannou .

Eurobasket.com wishes all the best to the young talented basketball player and may his route becomes the stepping stone for more players to follow as it seems that the Cypriot players do get the right respect abroad and not in their country!

Other Transfer News

In some other news the international guard Vassilis Kounas (195-G-84) is very close to agree financial terms with the A2 team of OF Irakleio Crete. Within the next few days the official announcement will take place.
The new Assistant Coach of Panagiotis Yannaras in Keravnos Strovolou will be Michalis Matsentidis who used to be among the coaching team of APOEL for a number of seasons.



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  CZECH REPUBLIC   


Estudiantes and Jiri Welsch part ways - by Eurobasket News
Jiri Welsch (201-F-80) is no longer a member of Asefa Estudiantes. His one-year deal is over and Estu decided not to offer Welsch an extension.
Jiri Welsch joined Estudiantes last summer from Unicaja Malaga. He played all 34 games in ACB this season registering 5.5 ppg and 2.2 rpg. Welsch had almost the same digits in 14 EuroCup games (5.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg). Estudiantes ended as No.12 in Spain with 16-18 record and they failed to reach the Playoffs. In EuroCup, the Students reached Quarterfinals, but Cedevita was too strong for them.
Before Estudiantes, Jiri Welsch spent four years with Unicaja Malaga. In the past, he was a member of the NBA teams Cleveland Cavs, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. From 2000 to 2002, Welsch was a member of Union Olimpija and exploded there with 15.9 ppg in Euroleague. He started basketball career with Holice and later played for Pardubice and Sparta Praha.

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  EABC   


Japan outgun China to reach Final in Nanjing
China - Japan 62:72

Japan gained the right speed at East Asia Championship in Nanjing. After the starting loss Japan claimed second straight win. They outgunned China in the semifinals tonight. Japan will now take on South Korea for the title. Kenta Hirose (193-G-85), Shinsuke Kashiwagi (183-G-81) and Kosuke Takeuchi (205-C/F-85) finished with 13 points each to pace well-balanced effort for the winners.
China got to a slightly better start. They registered a 15:12 lead after ten minutes. China stretched the margin in the second frame. The hosts accumulated a comfortable 38:24 halftime lead. But Japan turned things around in the second half. They stunned the hosts with a 26:10 run in the third period. China struggled offensively in the second half and Japan capitalized sealing the victory at the end. Takuya Kawamura (193-G-86) chipped in 10 points in the win. Zhang ZhaoXu (221-C-87, college: California) accounted for 16 points and 9 rebounds for China. Meng Duo (192-G/F-90) provided 9 points in the loss.

China: Zhang ZhaoXu 16, Meng Duo 9
Japan: Kenta Hirose 13, Shinsuke Kashiwagi 13, Kosuke Takeuchi 13


China Loses to Japan 72-62
China lost to Japan 72-62 in the semifinals of the East Asian Championship today. China plays Chinese Taipei for third place tomorrow while Japan plays South Korea for the title. China automatically qualifies for the Asian Championship since they are the host so this tournament is for practice and for determining the last few spots on the roster.

The only player who played truly well today was Zhang ZhaoXu (221-C-87, college: California) who had 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting and 9 rebounds in 15 minutes. He had no turnovers.

Su Wei, his competition for backup center, had 2 points on 1 of 5 shooting and 6 turnovers. He fouled out in 24 minutes but did get 9 rebounds. Meng Duo had 9 points on 3 of 12 shooting and 7 turnovers and may have played himself off the team with this game. Yu Shulong had 5 points on 1 for 5 shooting and likewise failed to impress.

Mo Ke hit 1 of 6 shots and scored 8 points but is not producing offensively on this level. Dong Hanlin had 7 points and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes. Yi Li, this team's most versatile player, started and had 2 points and 2 rebounds but only played 10 minutes.

Han Shuo scored 8 points but fouled out in 17 minutes and had only 1 assist. Zhang Bo had 7 points and 1 assist in 30 minutes.

China led 15-12 after one quarter and 38-24 at the half. It then came upart in the second half, being outscored 26-10 in the third quarter and 22-14 in the fourth.

Note that China's top eight players -- Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi, Wang Shipeng, Liu Wei, Sun Yue, Ding Jinhui, Zhou Peng and Zhu Fangyu -- are not competing in this tournament. The players here are playing for the last four slots on the team -- along with veterans like Zhang Qingpeng and Zhang Kai who might make the team by default.

Taiwan loses to Korea in EABC semi
Taiwan lost to South Korea 69-61 in the semifinal of the 2011 East Asian Basketball Championship Tuesday in Nanjing, China.

Taiwan is scheduled to meet Japan in the bronze medal game of the qualifying tournament for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men, which will be held in Wuhan, Hubei, China from September 15-25, in a rematch Wednesday.

In the preliminary round, Taiwan beat Japan 75-74.

Taiwan trailed almost the entire game but was able to stay close. The halftime score was 35-28, Korea.

Lu Cheng-Ju (194-F-86) led Taiwan with 15 points while center Wu Tai-hao had 14. Chen Hsin-an and Chien Chia-hung added 10 apiece. Chien also pulled down 5 boards.

Kang Byung-hyun paced Korea, which was coached by former great Hur Jae, with a game-high 17 points, including five three-pointers. Yang Dong-guen had 13 points and five rebounds and Lee Seung-jun added 13 and 8. Oh Se-keun tallied seven points and 10 rebounds.

Korea, which will meet China for gold, outrebounded Taiwan 39-30.

Regardless of the final results, China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan have secured berths in the FIBA Asia Championship.

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  EUROLEAGUE   


Caja Laboral extends coach Dusko Ivanovic - by Eurobasket News
As expected, Dusko Ivanovic will stay with Caja Laboral. They signed a 2-year contract extension yesterday. Caja Laboral reached Euroleague Quarterfinals this season and they failed to defend the Spanish league title after Regal Barca eliminated them in the Semifinals. In Copa del Rey, Caja Laboral also reached Semifinals.
Dusko Ivanovic led Caja Laboral to ACB title last season. He won the same trophy with them (Tau Ceramica) in 2002. The team was Copa del Rey winner three times under Ivanovic (02,04, 09). Dusko Ivanovic joined Caja Laboral for the first time in 2000. He arrived from Limoges after they won French league title, French Cup and Radivoj Korac Cup. A year before that, Ivanovic won the Swiss league title with Fribourg. From 2000 until 2005 he was working with Tau and than joined Barcelona, where he stayed two and a half years. He won the Spanish Cup with Barca in 2007. A year after that, Ivanovic returned to Tau.
Meanwhile, it seems also that Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) and Marcelinho Huertas (191-G-83, agency: Edge Sports) will also stay with the club for at least one more year.

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  FINLAND   


KORISLIIGA: Cedric Latimer moves to Korihait - by Rauno Hurmalainen
Finnish F Cedric Latimer (198-F-87, college: St.Francis, PA) will leave YMCA Lahti and join Korihait (Uusikaupunki) roster for coming 2011-12 season. Latimer played passed season 31 games and averaged 13,2 ppg - 5,8 rpg in 30:58 mpg. Latimer missed 13 regular season games when being on injured list. Finnish C-F Teemu Rintala (203-F/C-88) will make a come back on basketball courts. Rintala has signed a 1-year-contract with Kouvot (Kouvola). Rintala has not played for two years when studying at Helsinki University. Rintala was part of Honka (Espoo) roster 2005-06, moved then to Korihait for 2007-08 season and played on Karkkila roster 2008-09.

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  FRANCE   


Alade Aminu stays with Chalon - by Eurobasket News
Chalon-sur-Saone announced signing of a one-year contract extension with Alade Aminu (208-F-87, college: Georgia Tech). The Nigerian forward helped Chalon to win the French Cup this year. They also reached Semaine des As Finals. Aminu appeared 32 times in ProA averaging 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds. Chalon finished regular season as No.3 with 20-10 record. They reached ProA Quarterfinals, but were not able to avoid 1-2 defeat against ASVEL.
Alade Aminu is a product of the Georgia Tech University. He graduated there two years ago. As a senior Aminu had 11.8 ppg and 8 rpg for his school. He split 2009/10 season between two NBA D-League teams Erie Bay Hawks and Bakersfield Jam. With the Hawks he had 12.2 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Later with the Jam Aminu added 19.3 ppg and 9.2 rpg for 9 games. He participated at D-League All-Star Game.

Alex Franklin moves to Vichy - by Eurobasket News
American forward Alexander Franklin (196-F-88, college: Siena) will continue his career in France. Franklin signed a one-year deal with JA Vichy and will compete in ProB next season. He arrives from the Spanish team C.B. Tarragona 2017. Franklin appeared 33 times with Tarragona in LEB Gold registering 14.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1.6 apg. It was his first season as a pro.
Alexander Franklin is a product of the Siena University, where he graduated a year ago. He played 34 games for them as a senior collecting 16.1 ppg and 8.1 rpg. They won MAAC Tournament and Franklin was named All-MAAC Player of the Year -10. Siena was MAAC champion also in 2008 and 2009. Franklin played at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament last summer, but he wasnt selected in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Nancy keeps Kenny Grant - by Eurobasket News
Just three days after they won the ProA title, Nancy already started with making the team for the next season. One of their first moves was signing of contract extension with Kenny Grant (188-G-82, college: Davidson). The Swedish guard will stay with Nancy for the next two seasons.
Kenny Grant signed in France last summer and it was a great move for him. Grant and his team Nancy won the ProA title thanks to 76-74 thriller win against Cholet in the Big Final. He helped Nancy with 12 points in this meeting. Grant appeared 35 times this season in ProA averaging 9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists. In EuroChallenge, he added 7.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 1.3 apg for 8 games.
Before Nancy, Kenny Grant played for the Norrkoping Dolphins. He already played in France in the past and it was on season 2006/07. Grant was a member of Nantes at that time averaging 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists for 33 games in ProB.

Mickael Pietrus picks up option, becomes $5.3 million expiring contract - by Eurobasket News
Knowing he likely would not get a better offer in free agency, Mickael Pietrus (6'6''-F-82, agency: Court Side) picked up his $5.3 million option for 2011-12 on Monday.

This has been widely expected since the Suns acquired Pietrus in their blockbuster trade with Orlando in December considering how much salaries are likely to be depressed this offseason, meaning Pietrus value would not approach that mid-level dollar figure.

But that doesn't mean Pietrus will necessarily start the season in a Suns uniform as his agent knows all too well.

'I'd be surprised if Lon (Babby) doesn't make a couple deals on draft day or later', Pietrus agent Bill McCandless told The Arizona Republic. 'If you have a surplus in one position and a need in another, guess what?'

But if he comes back, hes looking forward to having a full training camp. Its not the easiest thing, for any player, to be traded and go from Coaching Style A to Coaching Style B and from Management Style A to Management Style B.

If Grant Hill returns (a likelihood if the Suns choose not to shake up the core) Phoenix will boast four natural small forwards, including Pietrus. As his agent said, it doesnt take a genius to realize the Suns would be willing to trade from this area of strength depth-wise to swing a deal for an area of weakness, and since Hill would not be dealt if brought back, Dudley is a future piece and nobody wants Childress contract, Pietrus is an obvious trade candidate.

McCandless also made his statement about the possibility of a Phoenix trade because this practically confirms the Suns wont enough cap space to make a dent in free agency.

Counting the likely $4 million guaranteed money to be paid to Vince Carter to walk away rather than his full $18.3 million salary, the Suns will have a hair over $50 million committed to eight players. That does not count the likely Hill extension, any potential Aaron Brooks deal or the minimum salary placeholders for the rest of the roster.

With the cap at $58 million last season and very likely to go down in the aftermath of the new CBA, Pietrus deal assures the Suns wont have much free agency cash.

However, he now becomes a $5.3 million expiring contract who can be a very useful player in the right situation and with the right motivation.
With clearing cap space possibly about to become very attractive (or flat-out necessary depending on the terms of the CBA), Pietrus immediately becomes a desirable trade chip to potentially get back a player who can help long term with a longer contract (Sarver did say this team would likely improve most through trades).

If he stays, Pietrus will give the Suns more of what he gave them this season. When his head is screwed on right he can be an elite defender and when he stops jacking up bad shots he can be a real sniper from long range.

The Suns got a taste of that Pietrus at times, but he was far too inconsistent at both ends to be counted on as any kind of a contributor.

However, I do agree with his agent that a full training camp with this organization will do wonders for Pietrus. In theory he is a fantastic role player for a Steve Nash team due to his floor spacing ability and quality defense.

But at $5.3 million Pietrus is one more in a long line of expensive role players, so he might now be most valuable to the franchise as an expiring contract.

Courtesy of http://valleyofthesuns.com

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  GERMANY   


Jason Boone (It Is A Lot Harder To Slow Down The Pace Than Speed It Up) - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Jason Boone (198-F/C-85, college: New York U.) is a 25 year old 198cm power forward/center from Sugar Loaf, New York. He just completed his third season with BG Goettingen. He played at New York University (NCAA 3) from 2003-2007. In his senior year, he played 28 games averaging 14.1ppg, 9.6rpg, 2.4bpg, 2.9apg, FG: 63.0%, FT: 64.3%. Two seasons ago, he played at Bernau (Regionalliga) before making the jump up three leagues to MEG Goettingen. In 2008-2009, he averaged 4.4ppg, 4.0rpg, FG: 53.7%. Last season, he played EuroChallenge: 16 games: 10.7ppg, 6.8rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 59.6%, FT: 53.8%; German League: 35 games: 9.1ppg, 6.1rpg, FGP: 60.3%, FT: 55.9%. In 2010-2011,he played EuroCup: 14 games: 9.1ppg, 6.2rpg, Blocks-4 (1.1bpg), FGP: 59.8%, FT: 36.0%.In the beko BBL,he played 37 games averaging 8,5ppg and 5,9rpg. He spoke to eurobasket about the beko BBL final between Bamberg and Alba Berlin

The Brose Baskets Bamberg beat The Artland Dragons 3-2 to reach the final. Were you surprised that Bamberg had to go the distance?

It's playoff time, there are no surprises. My picks to win this years BBL playoffs were worse than my NCAA bracket (and that was pretty bad). But Artland is a tough team with one of the best, if not the best, finishers in the league. But Bamberg proved why they were the clear favorite when it mattered most.

Alba Berlin beat The Deutsche Bank Skyliners 3-2 where no team was able to win at home. How crazy is that and what does that say about the mental toughness of both teams on the road?


Alright, disregard my last answer because that was a surprise. I didn't think that the home team would lose every game but it just goes to show that in the playoffs it's about adjustments and execution. The only thing I think that proves about mental toughness is that both teams lacked a bit of it, not being able to win more than one game in a row.

The Brose Baskets Bamberg meet Alba Berlin in the finals. What kind of series can we expect and will this go the distance?

Like I said I haven't been correct yet but I think, at this point, one team is going to show dominance. Whoever wins game one will win the series in 3 or 4.

Alba Berlin lost both games during the regular season including losing by 52 points in Bamberg. How much will that still be on the minds of Alba Berlin.

They are a very different team then they were during the year. Plus the mindset of any successful playoff team is that it's a new start and nothing that happened in the regular season matters anymore.

Both teams have very good guard play, but does the advantage still go to Bamberg on account of their experience and having played together longer whereas with Alba you had guys like Taylor Rochestie and Heiko Schaffartzik coming late in the season?

I played with Taylor Rochestie so I can speak on his ability moreso than I can with the Bamberg guards. It helps having been together longer, but there are few people that I've ever played with that want to win as much as Taylor. Guard play will be a key factor in the series.

Both teams also have very good forward play. Who has the edge and could the key matchup in this series be Predrag Suput-Derrick Allen?


The forward matchup is also going to be a key, but in my opinion Derrick Allen is going to have a hard time stopping Suput. The same way Suput is going to have a hard time stopping Allen. They both have too many offensive weapons so it'll be more a team defensive effort. And Defense will be the reason why one team wins the title.

Who has the edge on the center position? The Alba Berlin duo of Yassin Idbihi and Miroslav Raduljica have been tough on Frankfurt, but could get more resistance against Bamberg while the duo of Tibor Pleiss and Kyle Hines gives Bamberg a totally different face each time the other is on the court.

This year we were able to get both Alba and Bamberg at home, and a key reason was because of the pace we kept and how physical we played their big guys. So in knowing both their strengths and their weaknesses, I think the edge down low has to go to Alba. Raduljica takes up too much space and Ibdihi has been playing very well as of late. If all centers can stay out of foul trouble it'll be a good battle.

The Brose Baskets Bamberg play a controlled offense with possibily the best ball movement in the beko BBL and their defense belongs to the best in the league, while Alba Berlin plays faster, less predictable and with changing defenses. What will be key for Alba Berlin/Bamberg to win this series?

I think it's just that...the pace. When Alba can get out and run, make Pliess and Hines run back on defense and try to block shots (maybe get in foul trouble). Then they can exploit their mismatches. When Bamberg forces them to slow down and it becomes a 'who runs better halfcourt sets' game, it'll be difficult for Alba to compete. But being a basketball player I know it's a lot harder to slow the pace down than to speed it up and that's why I'd give the slight edge to Alba.

Shaq announced his retirement. What was your favorite Shaq moment while he was in the NBA?


Too many to name just one. Shaq will (after Charles Barkley) always be my favorite player in the league. I love it when he scores with his left hand and runs back down the court staring at his hand. Obviously the breaking of the backboard was classic but my favorite Shaq moment was probably that 'freestyle' to the Cheers theme song dedicated to the Sacramento 'Queens.'

Scottie Pippen stated that Lebron James is better than Michael Jordan. What is your take on this statement?

I don't smoke...but if I did smoke...I'd want to smoke whatever it is that Scottie Pippen smokes. LeBron James has the potential...one day...to be looked at as the best ever because of the skill set and natural abilities he possesses. But not now, it's way too soon to make that claim.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

I'm in America now, so I don't watch DVD's. I go to the movie theater.

Thanks Jason for the chat.

SC Rist Sign Augie Johnston And Anthony Pettaway - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber


PRO B club SC Rist have added American strength to the roster for the 2011-2012 season by bringing in Augie Johnston (193-G-86, college: Cal.St.-Monterey) and Anthony Pettaway (203-C-87, college: Defiance). Both guys have experience on german soil playing basketball in the Regionaliga. Johnston is a 24 year old 193cm guard from Atascadero, California. Johnston played for SpVgg Rattelsdorf Independents (Germany-Regionalliga)last season and was the top scorer averaging 29,8ppg and shot 43% from downtown. 'Augie should help is at the guard position bringing consistency and help with his scoring qualities. He also can play defense, is hot to play in the PRO B and we will give him a chance', stated SC Rist head coach Ozhan Guerel. Johnston played at Cal.St.-Monterey (NCAA2) and in his senior season 2007-2008 played 26 games: 15.2ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.8rpg, FGP: 45.4%, 3PT: NCAA2-2 (50.0%), FT: 80.5%.His first stop in Germany was in the 2009-2010 season as he played for Velbert Baskets (Germany-2.Regionalliga, starting five): 9 games: 28.4ppg. Achievements and awards in his career have been All tournament team in the Ron Logsdon Classic, Sonoma State -07, Awarded Wilson's CCAA Player of the Week -07, 11th in scoring in the CCAA -07, Led the CCAA in 3pt% -07, Awarded second team all CCAA -08, Scored 31 points against Fresno St. (NCAAI) -08, Awarded Wilson's CCAA Player of the Week -08, All tournament team in the Thanksgiving Classic, Notre Dame -08, Led CCAA in 3pt% -08, 6th leading scorer in CCAA -08, 6th all time leading scorer in CSUMB history -08, All-CCAA 2nd Team -08, Second highest 3pt% in the U.S. (NCAAII) -08, German 2. Regionalliga West Runner-Up -10, and Eurobasket.com All-Regionalliga South-East 1st Team -11.

The club also signed Anthony Pettaway (203-C-87, college: Defiance) who is a 23 year old 203cm center from Toledo,Ohio. He is an inside player who can finish around basket with both hands. Plus, he makes plays for teammates, scores from the post and with mid-range jumper. Has a great basketball IQ, and he's very coachable. Defensively, he's a good rebounder. Last season, he played in Germany for TSV Dachau Spurs (Germany-Regionalliga) playing 25 games averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds per game. 'He will help us to score and rebound with his height and strength. We think that he can make the jump form the Regionaliga to the PRO B', stressed Ozhan Guerel.Pettaway played at Defiance (NCAA3) from 2005-2009 and in his senior year played 27 games: 16.8ppg, 9.5rpg, 1.9apg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 55.5%, FT: 77.4%. Awards and achievements in his career have been NABC Division III All-American 3rd Team -08, NABC Division III Midwest Region 1st Team -08, D3hoops.com All-Midwest Region 3rd Team -08, 09, NCAA D3 Preseason All-America Honorable Mention (by D3hoops.com) -08, HCAC Regular Season Runner-Up -09, HCAC Tournament Semifinals -09, HCAC All-Tournament Team -09. All-HCAC Team -09, Eurobasket.com All-German Regionalliga South-East First Team -10, Eurobasket.com All-Regionalliga South-East 1st Team -11,and German Regionalliga (South-East Group) Runner-Up -11.

Source: SC Rist

1.Bundesliga Round 4 of Finals: ALBA forced the decider - by Eurobasket News
ALBA - Brose Baskets 87-67

ALBA forced the decider after 87:67 in Game 4. The hosts trailed by 5 points after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 7-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 87-67. ALBA Berlin dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Brose Baskets' 32. They outrebounded Brose Baskets 34-15 including 23 on the defensive glass. ALBA Berlin looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. American guard Taylor Rochestie (185-85, college: Washington St.) fired a double-double by scoring 13 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists for the winners. International forward Yassin Idbihi (208-83, college: Buffalo) chipped in 13 points and 6 rebounds. Four ALBA Berlin players scored in double figures. American guard Brian Roberts (188-85) produced 14 points and 5 assists and his fellow American import power forward Kyle Hines (198-86) added 16 points respectively for lost side. Brose Baskets' coach Chris Fleming rotated eleven players seeing no chance for a win.
Top scorers:
ALBA: D.Allen 18+1reb+1ast, Y.Idbihi 13+6reb+3ast, T.Rochestie 13+6reb+10ast, J.Jenkins 11+2reb+4ast, B.Taylor 9+2reb+1ast, T.Dragicevic 7+4reb
Brose Baskets: K.Hines 16+1reb+2ast, B.Roberts 14+2reb+5ast, P.Suput 8+2reb+1ast, C.Jacobsen 7+3reb+3ast, M.Stuckey 6, A.Gavel 5+3reb+3ast
gschID: 129791




Felix Hoffmann Returns To The s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
The s.Oliver baskets Wurzburg announced today that Felix Hoffmann (195-F-89) will return back to the team after having played at TSV Troester Breitenguessbach the last three years. Hoffmann is a 21 year old 195cm forward that played in his youth with DJK Wurzburg and SC Heuchelhof. Last season, Hoffmann played 22 games for TSV Troester Breitenguessbach averaging 5.0ppg, 4.7rpg, FGP-3 (63.6%), 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 55.6%. 'We are happy that an ex youth player is back on board. He is a hard worker and known for his unending fighting mentality. He will help us to have the needed intensity. I am sure that he will give everything in practice to earn minutes in the Bundesliga', said assistant coach Marcel Schroeder . Wurzburg fans might remember November 22nd, 2009 as Hoffmann led TSV Troester Breitenguessbach to a 66-62 win in Wurzburg.Hoffmann enters the beko BBL with 71 PRO B games.

Source: s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg

Jason Cain Moves To The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Rumors hadnt been scare in the last week about the possibilty of Jason Cain (208-F-85, college: Virginia) going to the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven and with so many ex players coming from the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig in the last years, it was no real big surprise today as the Douglas Spradley (agency: Limelight Hoops ) team signed the American to a contract for the next season plus an option for the next season. Jason Cain (208-F-85, college: Virginia) is a 26 year old 208cm power forward/center that hails from Philidelphia.This will be the fifth professional season for Cain, who played the last four years in Braunschweig. Last season,he played 39 games averaging 10,1ppg, 4,1rpg and 1,6apg shooting 57% from the field. 'Thebiggest strength of Jason is his versatility. He is very athletic, can get to the basket and has a lot of experience.He has the ability to become one of our top players', stressed Eisbaeren Bremerhaven coach Douglas Spradley (agency: Limelight Hoops ). In his 4 years with the Phantoms, Cain played a total of 142 games reaching the beko BBL playoffs twice and the cup final in 2011. Cain played at Virginia (NCAA) and in his senior season played 32 games: 6.8ppg, 6.3rpg, FGP: 47.9%, 3Pts: 12.5%, FT: 73.2%. Bremerhaven which is known for having open arms for big men should be the right place for Cain to keep developing. 'He had the wish to change teams and he fits perfectly into our system. He has Bundesliga experience and brings intensity', expressed Eisbaeren Bremerhaven manager Jan Rathjen.

Source: Eisbaeren Bremerhaven

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  GREECE   


Stats Leaders - A2
Points Per Game
 Yiannis KAKIOUZIS
  Lavrio
  (205-F-78)
  Avg: 17.5
 1. Kakiouzis, Lavrio17.5 
 2. Gizogiannis, AEK/A.17.4 
 3. Koutroulias, Olimp.17.1 
 4. Pettas, Koroivos17.1 
 5. Argyropoylos, Apol.17.0 
 6. Totsios, Ikaroi S.16.0 
 7. Giannakopoul., Lav.15.9 
 8. Michalos, Pagrati15.5 
 9. Vasilopoulos, Pagr.15.5 
 10. Kakaroudis, Ikaro.15.2 
Rebounds Per Game
 Apostolos KOUTROULIAS
  Olimp.
  (206-C-76)
  Avg: 9.6
 1. Koutroulias, Olimp.9.6 
 2. Pantelic, Apollo.8.9 
 3. Latovic, AGOR8.7 
 4. Gizogiannis, AEK/A.8.1 
 5. Kartelo, AE.7.5 
 6. Macheras, Pagrati7.4 
 7. Lolas, Pagrati7.3 
 8. Amato, Near East7.3 
 9. Kosanovic, Koroivos7.0 
 10. Vardavas, Amynta.6.9 
Assists Per Game
 Thomas NIKOU
  Panelefs.
  (185-G-79)
  Avg: 5.8
 1. Nikou, Panelefs.5.8 
 2. Katsares, KAOD4.9 
 3. Zoupas, Amyntas4.8 
 4. Argyropoylos, Apol.4.4 
 5. Kaberidis, Ikaroi4.3 
 6. Makris, Olimpiada4.3 
 7. Giannakopoul., Lav.4.2 
 8. Vasilopoulos, Pagr.4.2 
 9. Rallis, Ermis Lagk.3.9 
 10. Kiriakopoulo., AG.3.9 
Steals Per Game
 Nikos KATSARES
  KAOD
  (190-G-83)
  Avg: 2.6
 1. Katsares, KAOD2.6 
 2. Makris, Olimpiada2.1 
 3. Michalos, Pagrati1.9 
 4. Pettas, Koroivos1.9 
 5. Giannakopoul., Lav.1.8 
 6. Pappas, Near East1.7 
 7. Papadakis, Arkad.1.7 
 8. Nikou, Panelefs.1.5 
 9. Magounis, AGOR1.5 
 10. Sinnis, Lavrio1.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Djordje PANTELIC
  Apollo.
  (204-F-84)
  Avg: 1.9
 1. Pantelic, Apollo.1.9 
 2. Kartelo, AE.1.6 
 3. Kasabalis, AE.1.6 
 4. Jovanovic, KAOD1.4 
 5. Margaritis, KAOD0.9 
 6. Mprozos, Arkadikos0.9 
 7. Amato, Near East0.7 
 8. Karavanas, Panery.0.7 
 9. Psathas, Apollon0.7 
 10. Papachristos, Per.0.7 


Panathinaikos wants to keep Fotsis, Perperoglou and Tsartsaris - by Eurobasket News
Head Coach of the reigning Euroleague and Greek champion, Zeljko Obradovic, announced that his team wants to keep Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81), Stratos Perperoglou (203-G/F-84) and Kostas Tsartsaris (210-F-79) for the next season. Obradovic also confirmed that Aleks Maric and Milenko Tepic will stay with the club.
Antonis Fotsis appeared 22 times for PAO in Euroleague this season averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. In Greek league he had 8.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg for 35 games.
Stratos Perperoglou helped the team with 7.1 ppg and 2.3 rpg also for 22 Euroleague games. In A1, Perperoglou collected 9.8 ppg and 2.1 rpg for 31 games.
Kostas Tsartsaris had 5.5 ppg and 3 rpg in Euroleague, plus 6.1 ppg and 3.7 rpg in Greece.
Aleks Maric struggled with injuries this season, but at the end he had 3.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg for 8 Euroleague games. Maric also added 6.7 ppg and 3 rpg for 18 games in Greece.
Milenko Tepic had limited playing time in Euroleague averaging 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds for 17 games. In A1, his numbers increased to 7.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2 apg.

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  IRAN   


New Rules for Next Season ... One Import Player for Each Team ! - by Mohammad Ahmadi
Iran Basketball Federation announced new rules for next season of Iran Basketball Superleague.

According this announcement:
- Iran Superleague clubs can only have 12 Senior players and 4 Junior players in their Team.
- They can not sign more than 3 National Team Players for new Season.
- They just can have ONE IMPORT PLAYER as foreigner in their team druing the season. This was TWO in recent seasons but for new season, Just ONE is legal.
- Transfer Period starts from JUNE 22nd.

Number of clubs is not clear yet and will be announced later.

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  ISRAEL   


Effi Birnbaum pens contract extension with Maccabi Rishon - by Eurobasket News
Maccabi Rishon extended the contract of their head coach Effi Birnbaum (agency: Avi Zilberman ). The 56-year-old specialist will guide Maccabi Rishon for three more seasons. Effi Birnbaum (agency: Avi Zilberman ) took over Maccabi Rishon back in 2009. Previously the specialist worked with Ramat Gan, Hapoel Eliat, Hapoel Jerusalem, Maccabi Haifa, Bnei Hasharon, Givat Shmuel, Hapoel Tel-Aviv and Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Effi Birnbaum (agency: Avi Zilberman ) was named Israeli Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2007.


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  ITALY   


Lega2 Round 2 of Finals. Umana Reyer celebrate first win - by Eurobasket News
Fastweb CM - Umana Reyer 85-90 OT

Umana Reyer went on an impressive rescue rally in the dying seconds of regulation to force overtime and eventually tamed Fastweb Casale for the first win in the title series. The guests trailed by 8 points after three quarters before their 28-20 charge, which allowed them to tie the game at the end of regular time and get a 5-point victory in overtime. American-Bulgarian guard Kiki Clark (173-84, college: St.Peter's) orchestrated the victory by scoring 29 points and 7 rebounds. American guard Lans Harris (195-83, college: Kansas St.) contributed with 23 points for the winners. American guard Donell Taylor (198-82, college: UAB) replied with 18 points and 6 rebounds and his fellow American import guard Ricky Hickman (190-85, college: NC-Greensboro) added 13 points and 5 assists in the effort for Fastweb CM. Four Fastweb CM players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game.
Top scorers:
Fastweb CM: M.Malaventura 18+2reb, D.Taylor 18+6reb+3ast, T.Fantoni 15+4reb, R.Hickman 13+3reb+5ast, S.Pierich 7+2reb, O.Nnamaka 6+8reb+2ast
Umana Reyer: K.Clark 29+7reb, L.Harris 23+3reb, T.Slay 16+6reb+1ast, M.Allegretti 8+3reb, L.Lechthaler 8+2reb, A.Causin 3
gschID: 129752




Benetton Treviso locks Alessandro Gentile until 2014 - by Eurobasket News
Benetton Treviso announced signing of 3-year contract extension with Alessandro Gentile (198-G/F-92). It means that the young prospect will stay with the club until the end of 2013/14 season. Alessandro is son of Fernando Gentile.
Alessandro Gentile was promoted to Benetton senior squad in 2009. He played for their juniors before that. In their first season together Gentile averaged 3.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 24 SerieA games. He also added 6.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg in four EuroCup appearances. This season, Gentile improved his numbers in Italy to 8.9 ppg, 3 rpg and 1.3 apg for 35 games. Benetton reached Semifinals, where Montepaschi eliminated them with 3-0. Gentile also had 8.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.4 apg for 17 EuroCup games this season. Benetton reached Semifinals in this competition.
Alessandro Gentile played for U20 Italy last summer. He was the best scorer of U20 EuroBasket in Vilnius netting 23 ppg.

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  JAPAN   


Japan outgun China to reach Final in Nanjing - by Eurobasket News
China - Japan 62:72

Japan gained the right speed at East Asia Championship in Nanjing. After the starting loss Japan claimed second straight win. They outgunned China in the semifinals tonight. Japan will now take on South Korea for the title. Kenta Hirose (193-G-85), Shinsuke Kashiwagi (183-G-81) and Kosuke Takeuchi (205-C/F-85) finished with 13 points each to pace well-balanced effort for the winners.
China got to a slightly better start. They registered a 15:12 lead after ten minutes. China stretched the margin in the second frame. The hosts accumulated a comfortable 38:24 halftime lead. But Japan turned things around in the second half. They stunned the hosts with a 26:10 run in the third period. China struggled offensively in the second half and Japan capitalized sealing the victory at the end. Takuya Kawamura (193-G-86) chipped in 10 points in the win. Zhang ZhaoXu (221-C-87, college: California) accounted for 16 points and 9 rebounds for China. Meng Duo (192-G/F-90) provided 9 points in the loss.

China: Zhang ZhaoXu 16, Meng Duo 9
Japan: Kenta Hirose 13, Shinsuke Kashiwagi 13, Kosuke Takeuchi 13


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  LUXEMBOURG   


Sparta pens deal with Kasey Ulin - by Eurobasket News
Sparta brought in another player. They signed a deal Kasey Ulin (185-G-82, college: Dickinson St.). The 29-year-old guard will occupy the foreign player spot for the Bertrange team. Kasey Ulin will replace Lucas Hargrove (198-F-88, college: Auburn). Kasey Ulin graduated from the Dickinson State University back in 2004. He then signed his first pro contract in Germany. The guard played in Goettingen for two seasons. Later Kasey Ulin moved to Feni Industrija in FYR Macedonia. In October 2007 the guard returned to Germany to join Hertener Lowen. Kasey Ulin tallied 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game in ProB. However the guard was tested positive for cocaine and got suspended for two years.


Denell Stephens is MVP of Diekirch League 2010-11
All-Diekirch League 1st Team 2010-11
#s#
Denell Stephens
Stephens
Tom Schumacher
Schumacher
Marcus Kennedy
Kennedy
Billy McDaniel
McDaniel
Dustin Scott
Scott
#e#5

Player of the Year: Denell Stephens (193-G/F-86) of T71
Guard of the Year: Denell Stephens (193-G/F-86) of T71
Forward of the Year: Marcus Kennedy (193-F-84) of Residence
Center of the Year: Dustin Scott (203-F/C-85) of Etzella
Bosman Player of the Year: Stefan Svitek (203-F/C-77) of Basket Esch
Import Player of the Year: Denell Stephens (193-G/F-86) of T71
Domestic Player of the Year: Tom Schumacher (190-G-87) of T71
Defensive Player of the Year: Brandon Gary (202-F-83) of Contern
Coach of the Year: Jan Enjebo of T71

1st Team
G: Tom Schumacher (190-87) of T71
G/F: Denell Stephens (193-86) of T71
F: Marcus Kennedy (193-84) of Residence
F/C: Billy McDaniel (201-84) of Black Star
F/C: Dustin Scott (203-85) of Etzella

2nd Team
G/F: Pitt Koster (178-89) of Residence
F: Larrie Smith (197-75) of Sparta
F: John Reimold (198-81) of Basket Esch
F: Brandon Gary (202-83) of Contern
F/C: Frank Muller (194-88) of T71

Honorable Mention
Stefan Svitek (203-F/C-77) of Basket Esch
Cory Abercrombie (201-F/C-85) of Sparta
Louis Birdsong (198-F-88) of Amicale
Nelson Delgado (186-G/F-80) of Etzella
Martin Rajniak (204-F-78) of Basket Esch
Trenton Wurtz (203-F-83) of Musel Pikes
Tomasz Wojnowski (205-C-81) of Musel Pikes
Daniel Kalmes (182-G-85) of Contern

All-Domestic Players Team
G: Tom Schumacher (190-87) of T71
G/F: Pitt Koster (178-89) of Residence
G/F: Nelson Delgado (186-80) of Etzella
F: Martin Rajniak (204-78) of Basket Esch
F/C: Frank Muller (194-88) of T71

All-Imports Team
G/F: Denell Stephens (193-86) of T71
F: Marcus Kennedy (193-84) of Residence
F: Larrie Smith (197-75) of Sparta
F/C: Billy McDaniel (201-84) of Black Star
F/C: Dustin Scott (203-85) of Etzella

All-Bosmans Team
G/F: Julien Hublart (192-88) of Sparta
F/C: Stefan Svitek (203-77) of Basket Esch
F/C: Raphael Albaladejo (200-84) of Etzella
C: Tomasz Wojnowski (205-81) of Musel Pikes
C: Marco Leschek (204-76) of Residence



Pit Hoffman moves to Sparta Bertrange - by Eurobasket News
Pit Hoffmann (204-C-85) is about to change team. He dedided to return to Sparta Bertrange. The 25-year-old centre spent the last two seasons with Etzella. Last season he averaged 1.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per appearance. Pit Hoffmannn played for Sparta in 2000/09 seasons. He was named Eurobasket.com All-Luxembourg League Centre of the Year back in 2006. Pit Hoffmannn played for Luxembourg National Team in 2001/07 seasons.
In the meantime Etzella also lost Derek Wilson (190-G/F-91). The 19-year-old forward decided to continue his career overseas. Derek Wilson will study and play for Barton College in the USA. The forward averaged 3.6 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in Diekirch League season.


Scoring Leaders - DBBL
Points Per Game
 Lamonte ULMER
  Soleuvre
  (198-F-86)
  Avg: 26.5
 1. Ulmer, Soleuvre26.5 
 2. Kennedy, Residence25.6 
 3. McDaniel, Black S.23.0 
 4. Hargrove, Sparta22.5 
 5. Schumacher, T7122.0 
 6. Reimold, Basket E.20.9 
 7. Muller, T7120.3 
 8. Delgado, Etzella19.2 
 9. Gary, Contern19.1 
 10. Scott, Etzella18.6 
Rebounds Per Game
 Lamonte ULMER
  Soleuvre
  (198-F-86)
  Avg: 15.5
 1. Ulmer, Soleuvre15.5 
 2. McDaniel, Black S.15.3 
 3. Gary, Contern13.2 
 4. Stephens, T7112.7 
 5. Hargrove, Sparta12.1 
 6. Kennedy, Residence11.8 
 7. Wurtz, Musel Pikes11.7 
 8. Scott, Etzella11.1 
 9. Wojnowski, Musel P.9.8 
 10. Birdsong, Amicale9.6 
Assists Per Game
 Christian SCHARTZ
  Amicale
  (180-G-86)
  Avg: 5.3
 1. Schartz, Amicale5.3 
 2. Schumacher, T713.8 
 3. Rausch, Black Star3.7 
 4. Delgado, Etzella3.5 
 5. Reimold, Basket E.3.3 
 6. Schwartz, Musel P.2.9 
 7. Koster, Residence2.9 
 8. Arbaut, Sparta2.8 
 9. McDaniel, Black S.2.7 
 10. Hemmen, Soleuvre2.5 
Steals Per Game
 Christopher JONES
  Amicale
  (186-G-90)
  Avg: 2.3
 1. Jones, Amicale2.3 
 2. Kalmes, Contern1.9 
 3. Gary, Contern1.8 
 4. Kennedy, Residence1.7 
 5. Schartz, Amicale1.6 
 6. Delgado, Etzella1.5 
 7. Stephens, T711.5 
 8. McDaniel, Black S.1.5 
 9. Birdsong, Amicale1.4 
 10. Smith, Sparta1.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Brandon GARY
  Contern
  (202-F-83)
  Avg: 2
 1. Gary, Contern2.0 
 2. McDaniel, Black S.1.9 
 3. Birdsong, Amicale1.8 
 4. Hoffmann, Etzella1.1 
 5. Ulmer, Soleuvre1.0 
 6. Stephens, T711.0 
 7. Abercrombie, Spa.0.9 
 8. Scott, Etzella0.8 
 9. Wurtz, Musel Pikes0.7 
 10. Jones, Amicale0.6 


*****************************************************
  NBA   


Dwight Howard says that he won't sign a contract extension and will become a free agent in 2012 - by Eurobasket News
Dwight Howard (6'10''-C/F-85) continues to say he would prefer to remain with the Orlando Magic for the long haul, but according to NBA.com, he reiterated on Monday that he will not sign the two-year contract extension the team has offered and said he will become a free agent in the summer of 2012.

Appearing in Treviso, Italy, as part of an adidas promotional tour, Howard made clear that he has told Magic Owner Rich DeVos and CEO Bob Vander Weide that Orlando's roster needs to improve and have '14 other guys' whose main goal is to win an NBA title.

'Sometimes guys are there wholeheartedly and then sometimes I've had teammates allow people getting in their ears and things like that affect the way that they play and approach the game,' Howard said, according to NBA.com.

Howard's contract runs through the 2012-13 season, but he can terminate the deal one year early and become a free agent in July 2012.

Magic President of Basketball Operations Otis Smith isn't surprised that Howard plans to become a free agent.

'I expected it,' Smith told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday. 'I think free agency is a basketball player's God-given right. It's one of the things they bargained for, so I expected him to look at all of his options and become a free agent if that's what he's going to choose.'

Howard's ability to become a free agent gives him additional leverage as he urges Magic officials to upgrade the roster. Howard has hinted at dissatisfaction with the team's roster before: during a Memorial Day barbecue in Orlando and during a charity event on June 2 in Alabama.

But Smith said his goal this offseason isn't any different than other offseasons.

'My job going into every season and offseason is to make our team better and give ourselves the best chance there is to win an NBA title,' Smith said. 'The problem is, after you get ousted in the first round, you're expected to have a knee-jerk reaction and make wholesale changes.

'The fact of the matter is, we made wholesale changes during the season. A lot of those changes I wouldn't say they didn't work I just think that you have to allow chemistry sometimes to jell, the things the fans may take for granted. So every year going into the offseason our objective is to get our team better, and every year during the season and the offseason we've done that. So I don't have any bones about trying to get better. That's what we do.'

Howard told NBA.com that he didn't recommend specific roster moves to DeVos and Vander Weide, but Howard said he discuss fan involvement and the atmosphere inside Amway Center during games.

'There's no other place I'd rather be besides Orlando,' Howard told NBA.com. 'As of right now, that's my home. I just want to stay in Orlando as long as I can.

'That's the truth. I don't have to keep things calm or anything. This is how I really feel in my heart. A lot of people want to see me go other places, but I want to stay in Orlando. I have a beautiful home there. There are beautiful people down there. My son is in Orlando. He's getting a lot older and I want to be there to see as many moments as I can of his life.'

Courtesy of www.chicagotribune.com

Miami Heat seeks center, eyes Samuel Dalembert - by Eurobasket News
One of the Heats top offseason priorities will be adding a veteran center, and Miami has strong interest in Sacramento free agent Samuel Dalembert (6'11''-C-81, college: Seton Hall). But even if the midlevel exception remains part of the new labor deal (which is undetermined), the Heat knows other teams can offer Dalembert more and would not be surprised if he signs elsewhere.

If the midlevel survives, and if its close to this years $5.8 million, that would give the Heat a better chance to find a decent center who could lessen the reliance on Joel Anthony (whos better as a backup) and represent an upgrade over Zydrunas Ilgauskas (considering retirement), Erick Dampier and Jamaal Magloire. And remember, Chris Bosh will continue to log significant minutes at center when Udonis Haslem is in the game.

But if the midlevel shrinks to $2 million or so or is eliminated, that would limit Miamis options and make Dalembert highly unlikely here. The Heat will be over the cap and can sign players only to the league minimum (topping out at $1.4 million) or the two exceptions (the mid-level and the $2.2 million biannual one) if they are part of the new deal.

Among centers, potential unrestricted free agents Tyson Chandler, Nene (player option) and Glen Davis (more of a forward) would be out of Miamis price range, as would restricted free agents Marc Gasol and DeAndre Jordan.

Free agent Yao Ming said hes not sure he will be able to return from a serious ankle injury. Portland has suggested it likely will extend an $8.8 million qualifying offer to Greg Oden, making him a restricted free agent. But thats not definite.

If Miami cannot persuade Dalembert to take less to sign here, other options include Kwame Brown (7.9 points, 6.8 rebounds for Charlotte), Nazr Mohammed (7.1points, 4.9 rebounds, 52.2percent shooting for Charlotte and Oklahoma City) and Bostons skilled-shooting Troy Murphy, who probably is better suited for forward.

Theres also Joel Pryzbilla (a solid defender who has played in just 66 games the past two years because of knee injuries) and Kurt Thomas, 38, who played well for Chicago. The rest of the unrestricted free agent center list features journeymen and retreads: Jason Collins, Tony Battie, Etan Thomas, D.J. Mbenga, Jeff Foster, Francisco Elson and Hilton Armstrong.

Dont rule out Eddy Curry if he gets in better condition. The Heat thought he was clearly out of shape when Miami auditioned him in April.

As for Dalembert, the Heat will have competition from the Knicks, the Kings and several others. The 6-11 Dalembert who averaged 8.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 24 minutes per game this season expressed strong interest in the Heat during a March visit to Miami. But he was vague at a Heat playoff game last month.

I havent given it thought, he said of his plans. But the Heat meets at least two of his criteria: I want to play for a team that can win a championship. And a team that can run the fast break. Miami has a good one.

Dalembert, 30, likely will get offers higher than the value of the midlevel. Would he consider taking less money from the Heat?

Well see, he said, adding he would like to be in a place that appreciates me. Dalembert has a home in Boca Raton and that could work in the Heats favor, but only if Miami can make a competitive offer. He has traveled with the Heat on earthquake relief missions to Haiti.

Fit wise, Miami makes a lot of sense, said his agent, Marc Cornstein. Economically, we just dont know because of the labor deal.

The Heat hopes rookie center Dexter Pittman can be a 2011 contributor, but the chances of that will be reduced if a lockout wipes out summer leagues and coach/player interaction in July, August and September.

Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Jamine Peterson worksouts for Boston Doc Rivers Shows love to Jamine - by Allen Waters
Jamine Peterson Showed up and showed out against Some the of the top NBA draft prospects Such as Scotty Hopson, Isaiah Thomas, Denzel Bowles, Joe Trapani. etc...... Jamine Peterson Heads into the Kings workout matching up with Tristan Thompson. Peterson is being targeted as a Late 1st round Early 2nd Round pick. Several GM's Have confirmed Peterson will go late 1st round and Early 2nd round. NBA executives and General managers confirmed Peterson may be the Most underrated player in the draft Jamine Peterson (6'6''-F-88, agency: RBA Sports, college: Providence)

Champion Mavericks arrive home in Dallas - by Eurobasket News
The NBA champion Dallas Mavericks are back in Texas.

Hundreds of jubilant fans gathered at Love Field as the jet carrying the team landed in Dallas at about noon Monday, one day after the Mavericks wrapped up the NBA title with a Game 6 win against the Miami Heat. The plane passed under a water cannon welcome at the airport.

Owner Mark Cuban walked off the plane carrying the championship trophy. Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) followed him carrying his MVP trophy. Both carried the hardware to a high fence surrounding the runway, allowing fans to get a close look.

It is the first NBA championship title for Dallas and the city is planning a parade, with details to be announced later. Mayor Dwaine Caraway said the city is in a budget crunch but still plans a parade, though Cuban repeated Monday that he will personally pay for the celebration.

Police say no property damage or injuries were reported after fans crowded into downtown Dallas on Sunday night. Dallas police reported 14 arrests, including six for public intoxication, four for disorderly conduct and four people taken into custody on outstanding warrants.

Over the past year, the Dallas area has hosted the World Series and the Super Bowl but the Mavericks are the most recent pro championship since the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999.

Courtesy of www.statesman.com

Yao may retire this summer if ankle doesn't heal - by Eurobasket News
China's injury-riddled NBA star Ming Yao (7'5''-C-80) hinted that he may end his career, at the earliest this summer, if his ankle doesn't heal then, said chinanews.com.

'It all depends on the ankle. If I can get it healthy, then I'll retire in two years. Otherwise, it'll be this summer.' Yao was quoted as saying during an interview.

Yao has cast doubt on his return to the NBA by admitting to the possibility he may not play again as he battles to recover from his latest injury.

The towering Houston Rockets center, China's most recognisable athlete, told CCTV he could not predict when, or indeed if, he would fully recover from a serious ankle fracture suffered last November.

'I don't know if I would join some champion team in the future,' Yao said when asked about leaving a new-look Rockets team. 'I don't even know if I can play again.'

Yao, however, said the prospect of playing in front of his baby daughter Amy gave him extra motivation to continue his injury-plagued career in the NBA.

'I wish she could watch me play and even win a championship,' the 2.28-meter Yao said. 'Not only see through video highlights how her dad played. She is definitely a big motivation for me to continue, although my foot still needs lots of treatment.

'Walking or jogging is okay... but I need to get 80 percent of my strength back to play. I have got only about 30 percent at most now.'

Yao confessed he was not sure how he would fit in with the plans of new Rockets coach Kevin McHale .

'A championship ring has become not so important in my plans,' Yao said. 'My main thought for the next 10 years is to look after my family and continue my community activities.'

Yao's five-year contract with the Rockets, valued at $76 million, expires on June 30, with the threat of a lockout also looming.

The 30-year-old has triggered NBA-mania in China since being selected first overall by Houston in the 2002 draft but has been cursed by injury in the United States.

Yao insisted, however, it would be hard to leave the Rockets because of injury or a trade away.

'I have spent the best 10 years of my life playing and living (in Houston),' the All-Star said. 'That makes it much harder to bid farewell.'

Courtesy of www.chinadaily.com.cn

NBA Season Awards 2010-11
All-NBA First Team 2011
#s#
Derrick Rose
Rose
Kobe Bryant
Bryant
LeBron James
James
Kevin Durant
Durant
Dwight Howard
Howard
#e#5

Finals MVP: Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) of Dallas M.
Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose (6'4''-G-88) of Chicago B.
Most Improved Player: Kevin Love (6'10''-C-88) of Minnesota T.
Sixth Man: Lamar Odom (6'10''-F-79) of LA Lakers
Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin (6'10''-F-89) of LA Clippers
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard (6'10''-C/F-85) of Orlando M.
Executive of the Year: Pat Riley of Miami Heat
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau of Chicago B.

All-NBA 1st Team
G: Derrick Rose (6'4''-88) of Chicago B.
G: Kobe Bryant (6'6''-78) of LA Lakers
F: LeBron James (6'8''-84) of Miami Heat
G/F: Kevin Durant (6'9''-88) of Oklah.City T.
C/F: Dwight Howard (6'10''-85) of Orlando M.

All-NBA 2nd Team
G: Russell Westbrook (6'3''-88) of Oklah.City T.
G: Dwyane Wade (6'4''-82) of Miami Heat
F: Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-78) of Dallas M.
F/C: Pau Gasol (7'0''-80) of LA Lakers
F: Amare Stoudemire (6'10''-82) of New York K.

All-NBA 3rd Team
PG: Chris Paul (6'0''-85) of N.Orleans H.
G: Manu Ginobili (6'6''-77) of San Antonio S.
C: LaMarcus Aldridge (6'11''-85) of Portland TB
C: Zach Randolph (6'9''-81) of Memphis G.
F/C: Alfred Horford (6'10''-86) of Atlanta H.

All-Defensive 1st Team
Rajon Rondo (6'1''-G-86) of Boston C.
Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) of LA Lakers
LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) of Miami Heat
Kevin Garnett (6'10''-F-76) of Boston C.
Dwight Howard (6'10''-C/F-85) of Orlando M.

All-Defensive 2nd Team
Chris Paul (6'0''-PG-85) of N.Orleans H.
Andre Iguodala (6'6''-G-84) of Philadelph.76
Tony Allen (6'4''-G-82) of Memphis G.
Joakim Noah (6'11''-F/C-85) of Chicago B.
Tyson Chandler (7'1''-C-82) of Dallas M.



Mickael Pietrus picks up option, becomes $5.3 million expiring contract - by Eurobasket News
Knowing he likely would not get a better offer in free agency, Mickael Pietrus (6'6''-F-82, agency: Court Side) picked up his $5.3 million option for 2011-12 on Monday.

This has been widely expected since the Suns acquired Pietrus in their blockbuster trade with Orlando in December considering how much salaries are likely to be depressed this offseason, meaning Pietrus value would not approach that mid-level dollar figure.

But that doesn't mean Pietrus will necessarily start the season in a Suns uniform as his agent knows all too well.

'I'd be surprised if Lon (Babby) doesn't make a couple deals on draft day or later', Pietrus agent Bill McCandless told The Arizona Republic. 'If you have a surplus in one position and a need in another, guess what?'

But if he comes back, hes looking forward to having a full training camp. Its not the easiest thing, for any player, to be traded and go from Coaching Style A to Coaching Style B and from Management Style A to Management Style B.

If Grant Hill returns (a likelihood if the Suns choose not to shake up the core) Phoenix will boast four natural small forwards, including Pietrus. As his agent said, it doesnt take a genius to realize the Suns would be willing to trade from this area of strength depth-wise to swing a deal for an area of weakness, and since Hill would not be dealt if brought back, Dudley is a future piece and nobody wants Childress contract, Pietrus is an obvious trade candidate.

McCandless also made his statement about the possibility of a Phoenix trade because this practically confirms the Suns wont enough cap space to make a dent in free agency.

Counting the likely $4 million guaranteed money to be paid to Vince Carter to walk away rather than his full $18.3 million salary, the Suns will have a hair over $50 million committed to eight players. That does not count the likely Hill extension, any potential Aaron Brooks deal or the minimum salary placeholders for the rest of the roster.

With the cap at $58 million last season and very likely to go down in the aftermath of the new CBA, Pietrus deal assures the Suns wont have much free agency cash.

However, he now becomes a $5.3 million expiring contract who can be a very useful player in the right situation and with the right motivation.
With clearing cap space possibly about to become very attractive (or flat-out necessary depending on the terms of the CBA), Pietrus immediately becomes a desirable trade chip to potentially get back a player who can help long term with a longer contract (Sarver did say this team would likely improve most through trades).

If he stays, Pietrus will give the Suns more of what he gave them this season. When his head is screwed on right he can be an elite defender and when he stops jacking up bad shots he can be a real sniper from long range.

The Suns got a taste of that Pietrus at times, but he was far too inconsistent at both ends to be counted on as any kind of a contributor.

However, I do agree with his agent that a full training camp with this organization will do wonders for Pietrus. In theory he is a fantastic role player for a Steve Nash team due to his floor spacing ability and quality defense.

But at $5.3 million Pietrus is one more in a long line of expensive role players, so he might now be most valuable to the franchise as an expiring contract.

Courtesy of http://valleyofthesuns.com

Game 6 earns its best TV rating in 11 years - by Eurobasket News
The Dallas Mavericks' clinching victory in the NBA finals earned the highest preliminary television rating for a Game 6 in 11 years.

The Mavericks' 105-95 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday on ABC drew a 15.0 overnight rating. That's the best for a Game 6 since 2000, when the Lakers clinched a title over the Pacers. There had been five series since that went at least six games.

The rating was up 35 percent from Game 6 of the 2006 finals between the same teams, when the Heat clinched a championship. It was up 22 percent from last year's Game 6, when the Lakers routed the Celtics to force Game 7.

It was the third highest rating since ABC began televising the finals in 2003, behind last year's Game 7 (18.2) and Game 5 of the 2004 NBA finals (15.5 for Lakers-Pistons).

The game drew a 39.8 in Dallas and a 36.2 in Miami.

Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.

Courtesy of The Associated Press

Kerr: LeBron is no Jordan, more like Pippen - by Eurobasket News
Scottie Pippen (6'8''-G/F-65, college: Cent.Arkansas) had it all wrong when he recently compared LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) with Michael Jordan (6'7''-F-63, college: N.Carolina), said one former Chicago Bulls teammate.

'The irony to me is that LeBron is not Michael. LeBron is actually Scottie,' former Bull and current television analyst Steve Kerr (6'3''-G-65, college: Arizona) said Monday on 'The Waddle & Silvy Show' on ESPN 1000. 'He's so similar to Scottie in that defensively he was just a monster, could guard anybody, really more of a point forward than scoring guard. Scottie always loved to distribute the ball. That's really where LeBron's preference is.

'Phil Jackson used to call Scottie a 'sometimes shooter.' Sometimes they would go in, sometimes they wouldn't. That's how it is with LeBron. He's a great talent and a great player but you can see his flaws as a basketball player. He doesn't have an offensive game that he can rely on: no low-post game, no mid-range jump shot so when the game really gets tough he has a hard time finding easy baskets and getting himself going. That's what Michael did in his sleep so that's why the comparison is wrong.'

After James' Heat beat the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals, Pippen told ESPN Radio's 'Mike & Mike in the Morning' that while he believes Jordan is the greatest scorer in NBA history, James 'may be the greatest player to ever play the game.'

After thriving against the Bulls, James struggled -- especially in the fourth quarter -- in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, who won three straight games against the Heat to win the title on Sunday.

James averaged 26.7 points per game in the regular season, but just 17.8 in the Finals, the largest discrepancy in history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

And after starring in the closing role against the Bulls, James scored just 18 points combined in the fourth quarter during the Finals, fueling talk about whether he can really be considered a player on the level of Jordan.

'Michael had three years at North Carolina with Dean Smith. That makes a big difference,' Kerr said. 'I think he was brought up at a time when there was probably better development at a young age in terms of coaching. I think LeBron is a product of the AAU system where you rely on your athleticism, you go and play 100 games a year but maybe you don't focus on your weaknesses and what you need to lock in on.

'As a result, fundamentally and technically LeBron has some flaws. He has to address those. If I were him I would spend all summer down on the low block shooting jump hooks and turnaround jump shots -- the entire summer.'

Courtesy of ESPN

Charlotte Bobcats hire Rich Cho as general manager - by Eurobasket News
Rich Cho, the former general manager of the Trail Blazers, has been hired as the general manager of the Charlotte Bobcats, the Charlotte Observer is reporting.

Cho, who was fired May 23 by the Blazers, takes over the position held by Rod Higgins, who moves over to become the Bobcats' president of basketball operations. Because Cho was hired by another NBA team, the Blazers will not have to pay him the remaining two years of his contract.

Cho is expected to be introduced Tuesday in Charlotte and will be in place for the NBA draft on June 23, where the Bobcats have three of the first 39 picks, including a first round pick acquired from Portland in a February trade for Gerald Wallace. Cho will report to owner Michael Jordan.

According to the Observer, Higgins said he began recruiting Cho the day after he was fired by the Blazers.

Cho, 45, was viewed as a darkhorse hire by the Blazers last July and is widely respected around the NBA as a smart, data-based executive. He was fired by the Blazers 10 months into his three-year deal because team president Larry Miller said he didn't fit with the Blazers and that Cho was not a good match with owner Paul Allen.

A former Boeing engineer who returned to school to become a sports executive, Cho spent nearly 10 seasons as the assistant general manager with the Seattle/Oklahoma City organization.

Cho never had time to make his mark in Portland, although the team executed two trades under his watch: moving Jerryd Bayless to New Orleans for a first-round pick, and acquiring Wallace for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and two future first round picks.

It is believed that the relationship between Miller and Jordan, who worked together for 10 years at Nike, was instrumental in the February trade for Wallace.

Cho's biggest impact figured to be made in the draft, where he valued acquiring and stock-piling picks in order to make impact moves down the road. He spent extensive time in Portland revamping how the team scouted and compiled data on players. He never got the chance to implement those strategies, however, as he was fired one month before the draft.

The Blazers have yet to begin a search for Cho's replacement, and Miller last week said the team will take it's time. Chad Buchanan, the Blazers' director of college scouting, is the team's interim general manager.

Cho did not return a phone message Monday evening.

Courtesy of www.oregonlive.com

Pistons to seek permission to interview Mavericks assistant coach Dwayne Casey - by Eurobasket News
There's a new name among the confirmed candidates to be the Detroit Pistons' next coach: Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwayne Casey .

Casey is one of five official candidates to replace fired coach John Kuester, the Free Press has learned. The other candidates are former Atlanta Hawks coach and Pistons assistant Mike Woodson, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Kelvin Sampson, Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant and former Bad Boy Bill Laimbeer.

The Pistons are expected to seek permission from Mavs general manager Donnie Nelson to interview Casey now that the NBA Finals have concluded.

Casey, 54, is coming off his third season with the NBA champions, where he is known as a defensive specialist. He interviewed recently for jobs with Golden State and Houston and also is being considered by Indiana and Toronto.

Dwayne Casey would be a great hire for Houston, Golden State or Indiana, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters last month. His communication skills, experience and work ethic would be a tremendous asset to any franchise.

Casey has 1 1/2 seasons of head coaching experience with the Timberwolves. Minnesota went 33-49 in 2005-06 and 20-20 the next season before Casey was fired in January 2007.

Kevin McHale, a T'wolves vice president at time, said upon firing Casey: Case is a tremendous guy. I couldn't find a negative thing to say about him.

Casey's resume also includes 11 seasons as an assistant with the Seattle SuperSonics. Before that, he spent five years as a head coach in Japan and had college stints as an assistant under Clem Haskins at Western Kentucky and Eddie Sutton at Kentucky.

Casey is a native of Morganfield, Ky., and played basketball at Kentucky. The Wildcats won the 1978 NCAA championship during his junior season.

Courtesy of www.freep.com

Gerard Jackson named 'Player of the Week' - by Eurobasket News
The Gainesville Galaxy's Gerard Jackson (6'5''-F, college: ULM) is player of the week in the CBL for week ending 6-5-2011.

Gerard is a native of Gainesville, Florida where he attended Eastside High School. He is a 6'5' forward that attended the University of Louisiana. In the 6/3/11 game against the Tampa Bay Saints, Gerard scored 32 points, had a total of 25 rebounds and made 7 of his 9 free throws. In the 6/5/11 game against the Florida Flight, he scored 28 points and had a total of 40 rebounds.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

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


Indiana 'savior' Cody Zeller ready for next great challenge - by Eurobasket News
It's hard to resist the temptation to anoint Cody Zeller (6'9''-F/C) as the savior of Indiana University basketball.

It's hard to watch him take over Saturday night's 94-82 Indiana victory over Kentucky in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Game, watch him grab rebounds, start the break and then finish with transition dunks, and not view him as The Guy Who Will Make IU Relevant Again.

I want to manage expectations, simply because no teenager should be asked to carry the burden he's going to be asked to shoulder the minute he gets to Bloomington. The truth is, IU will be better with him (and Austin Etherington and Remy Abell) next year, but the giant steps won't come until that 2012 mega-class steps on campus.

But it's difficult.

The kid is a special talent, and he's blessed with a special disposition. And he was special Saturday night, scoring 26 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and making it look almost effortless.

'I think he'll manage (expectations) just fine,'' said Cody's father, Steve, at halftime. 'You think of the expectations on a kid who comes up behind his two other brothers (Tyler and Luke), a Mr. Basketball, the state championships, so he can handle this.''

With another young man, you might worry. He's walking into the belly of the beast. The minute he's anything less than a star -- and there are going to be those moments as a freshman in the muscular Big Ten -- he's going to get sliced and diced in the chat rooms by a fan base desperate to return to prominence.

But Zeller isn't another young man.

'I try not to listen to any of it,'' he said evenly. 'No one in my inner circle, no one on campus, is putting too much pressure on me. Just outside fans, and they aren't coaching me or helping me with my jump shot.''

If anybody is prepared, physically and emotionally, to put a program on his back and bring it back to life in the next few years, it's Zeller. Not solely because of his talent; he's not a one-and-done guy, and chances are his Indiana All-Star teammate, Kentucky-bound guard Marquis Teague, will spend less time in college than Zeller. But the Washington High School graduate's sense of humor, his goofy sense of self-awareness, suggest a rare sort of maturity.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but when I want to know what's really going on with a young person, I check their Twitter account. Zeller is not a frequent tweeter, but his entries are revealing -- in a funny way.

A recent sampling:

'Alvin and the chipmunks are on tv. I guess I know what I'm doing for the next two hours.''

Yep, he's ready for college.

'I just got an offer from a Amish man that if I ever needed to one-up Blake Griffin dunking over a car, he can get me a horse to jump over.''

Can't beat Amish humor.

'Front page of the Washington Times Herald -- 'Armadillo found in the area.'' Who says nothing exciting ever happens in Washington?''

And:

'We got the win in the KY derby tonight. I did pretty well. I'd just like to thank my psychiatrist for his guidance.''

You can never go wrong with a Ron Artest reference.

You know who Zeller is, personality-wise? He's Matt Howard. But taller.

Expectations will not crush him. Other kids, you'd worry. Not this one.

'I knew he was good, but I didn't know he was this good,'' said Indiana All-Star coach Mike Hackett, who coaches at Munster. 'He's a complete basketball player. And it pales in comparison to the kind of kid he is.''

So one remarkable chapter closes, the semi-official end to a brilliant high school career.

And a new chapter begins.

He leaves for Bloomington on Wednesday, goes through orientation and begins summer school on Friday.

'It hasn't really hit me yet, but once I start at IU next week, it'll kind of click that I'm not in high school anymore,'' Zeller said.

It wasn't just Zeller who was making things happen -- and it's not easy for a post player to dominate when guards are disinclined to feed the post in this kind of all-star format.

Etherington, a soon-to-be teammate in Bloomington, had several remarkable defensive plays and three blocks.

And there was this nice surprise: Kentucky's Remy Abell, a late IU addition to the incoming class, was the best player on the floor in the first half. He showed terrific range from 3-point range, slashed to the basket and finished with 16 points.

We did, however, learn of one Zeller flaw.

'He snores,'' said Branden Dawson from Gary, his all-star teammate and roommate.

He also walks away from Indiana high school basketball the way he arrived four years ago: as the ultimate winner.

Courtesy of www.usatoday.com

Jamine Peterson worksouts for Boston Doc Rivers Shows love to Jamine - by Allen Waters
Jamine Peterson Showed up and showed out against Some the of the top NBA draft prospects Such as Scotty Hopson, Isaiah Thomas, Denzel Bowles, Joe Trapani. etc...... Jamine Peterson Heads into the Kings workout matching up with Tristan Thompson. Peterson is being targeted as a Late 1st round Early 2nd Round pick. Several GM's Have confirmed Peterson will go late 1st round and Early 2nd round. NBA executives and General managers confirmed Peterson may be the Most underrated player in the draft Jamine Peterson (6'6''-F-88, agency: RBA Sports, college: Providence)

NCAA upset with Kentucky over celebration of John Calipari's 500th win - by Eurobasket News
On Feb. 26, just minutes after the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Florida Gators, the school held a quick celebration to commemorate coach John Calipari's 500th career collegiate victory.

But according to the NCAA, that was a mistake.

According to Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader, the NCAA sent a letter to Kentucky that asked the school to publicly recognize that they were wrong by holding the celebration.

At issue is 42 victories that have been vacated from Calipari's record by the NCAA over his time at Massachusetts and Memphis. At Massachusetts, four of Calipari's victories were vacated because of improper benefits received by UMass star Marcus Camby. At Memphis, all 38 of the Tigers' wins in 2007-08 were vacated over the ineligibility of point guard Derrick Rose.

In a five-page letter to Kentucky sent this month, Dennis E. Thomas, chairman of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions, asked school President Lee T. Todd to draft an apology over the issue. Thomas said that any apology the school puts together must first be approved by the Committee on Infractions.

The school and the NCAA apparently have gone back and forth over the issue since February, with the school at one point arguing that despite the fact the wins were vacated, they did indeed happen and the school was simply attempting to honor its coach for reaching such a milestone.

Should Kentucky fail to respond to the NCAA's letter by the deadline (Friday), then Thomas said that the school would have to appear before the Committee on Infractions.

More from the Herald-Leader:

Bell wrote Todd on April 5 that the response from Gary Johnson, the person who heads men's basketball statistics for the NCAA, was: 'You can say he has 1,000 wins if you want. But if you want to agree with what his official record is, then you have to account for those vacates.'

Bell said UK interpreted that to mean it could recognize 500 or more victories as long as it 'accounted' for the vacates.

Thomas disagreed. 'Recognizing Mr. Calipari for a fictitious 500th win does not properly 'account' for the vacation of wins,' he wrote Todd.

According to Thomas' letter, Peevy again checked with the NCAA about whether beating Florida marked Calipari's 500th victory at 5:52 p.m. the day of the game. Thomas wrote that the timing was 'troubling' because it was 'just minutes before the Florida game concluded. ...

'Clarification of Mr. Calipari's record should have been sought long before ... '

The NCAA first asked UK to explain its handling of Calipari's record in a letter dated March 15.

Courtesy of www.usatoday.com

NCAA president Emmert calls for Division I leaders retreat - by Eurobasket News
NCAA President Mark Emmert doesn't believe colleges should pay athletes, and he wants university leaders to help him.

On Monday, Emmert announced he would hold a two-day retreat with about 50 school presidents or chancellors to discuss the future of Division I sports. The meeting is scheduled for Aug. 9-10.

Among topics on the agenda are how to maintain the governing body's policy on amateurism, a definition that allows schools to restrict how athletes are compensated for playing sports. That's not all Emmert wants to talk about.

'How do we look at issues around the integrity of the collegiate model? Is there a sense that we need stronger investigative tools? Is there a sense that we need a more understood and more comprehensive penalty structure?' Emmert said in a statement. 'How do we look at the embedding of athletics in a way that sends clear messages to institutions before student-athletes even arrive on campus that there is an expectation of academic success?'

But it's the pay-for-play issue that will certainly get the most attention.

It has debated publicly for decades, and has gained fresh traction in the wake of high-profile infractions cases including that of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and former Heisman winner Reggie Bush.

The ramifications have been felt at some of the nation's most prominent programs.

At Ohio State, school officials are dealing with the departure of football coach Jim Tressel and star quarterback Terrelle Pryor amid an NCAA investigation into players trading memorabilia for cash and discounted tattoos. Ohio State is scheduled to appear in front of the infractions committee Aug. 12, two days after Emmert's retreat ends.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany brought up the issue paying athletes at recent spring meetings, though a formal proposal for NCAA membership consideration could still be several years away. Athletic scholarships currently cover tuition, fees, room, board and books. Not covered are transportation, clothing, laundry, entertainment and incidentals.

Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter does not believe the solution is simply giving athletes cash.

'Just handing them money so they can get new Timberlands or whatever, I don't think that's right,' Painter said during a conference call with reporters Monday. 'I don't want to lose the amateurism. They are getting their education paid for and a lot of people say that's what the NBA is for. If you want to get paid, go to the NBA.'

That's Emmert's position, too.

In May, when the NCAA conducted a mock infractions hearing for reporters, he questioned whether paying athletes was even economically viable. Title IX legislation, Emmert noted, would mean women's athletes would have to be paid on par with men's.

Emmert also questioned whether a school would pay a starting quarterback more than a kicker or a backup quarterback, then ended by saying this: 'There is a model for that, it's called professional sports, and I love them. But that's not what college sports is about.'

While many have argued publicly for compensating players for the large amounts of money that schools, conferences and the NCAA are making -- particularly in football and men's basketball -- some coaches agree with Emmert.

Former Bowling Green and Indiana coach Dan Dakich, now a radio host in Indianapolis, told his audience recently that if athletes didn't have enough money to eat out, the coaching staff was not doing it's job.

Painter suggested the same thing.

'If you do need some assistance, you have your Pell Grants, and there's up to $4,000, in the Pell Grant,' Painter said. 'That's not just for a basketball player, that's for any student. Then you have an emergency fund through the NCAA that they can use if they need to go home and somebody's sick and they don't have any money. They can get some money there, too.'

To Emmert, the pay-for-play topic is just one part of the retreat.

He wants university leaders to discuss how the governing body can continue its push to hold athletes to better academic standards, what can be done to help improve the behavior of athletes, protecting the integrity of college sports and the fiscal sustainability of athletic departments that routinely spend tens of millions of dollars to fund sports.

The feedback, Emmert said, will help him determine where to focus his efforts in Division I sports.

'This retreat in August is a chance for me to share with my presidential colleagues what I have heard regarding the issues and some of my thoughts on how we might address them,' he said. 'Second, I want to hear from the presidents themselves on what they see the future direction should be.'

Courtesy of www.cbssports.com

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  NIGERIA   


Alade Aminu stays with Chalon - by Eurobasket News
Chalon-sur-Saone announced signing of a one-year contract extension with Alade Aminu (208-F-87, college: Georgia Tech). The Nigerian forward helped Chalon to win the French Cup this year. They also reached Semaine des As Finals. Aminu appeared 32 times in ProA averaging 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds. Chalon finished regular season as No.3 with 20-10 record. They reached ProA Quarterfinals, but were not able to avoid 1-2 defeat against ASVEL.
Alade Aminu is a product of the Georgia Tech University. He graduated there two years ago. As a senior Aminu had 11.8 ppg and 8 rpg for his school. He split 2009/10 season between two NBA D-League teams Erie Bay Hawks and Bakersfield Jam. With the Hawks he had 12.2 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Later with the Jam Aminu added 19.3 ppg and 9.2 rpg for 9 games. He participated at D-League All-Star Game.

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  POLAND   


Zastal Zielona Gora keep Marcin Flieger and Rafal Rajewicz - by Eurobasket News
Zastal Zielona Gora renewed the contracts of Marcin Flieger (182-G-84, agency: Promotex) and Rafal Rajewicz (203-C-88).
Rafal Rajewicz started the season in Zastal. The centre averaged 0.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in PLK. He then moved on loan to Siarka Tarnobrzeg. His stats read 8.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per appearance. Rafal Rajewicz played for Zastal ZG since 2006.
Marcin Flieger joined Zastal back in 2009. Last season the guard tallied 8.1 points, 1.9 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in PLK. Marcin Flieger was named Eurobasket.com All-Polish 1st Liga Guard of the Year back in 2010 when he helped Zastal ZG get promoted to PLK. He also played for Politechnika Poznanska, Viking Gdynia, Energa Czarni, Pyra Poznan and Kotwica Kolobrzeg.



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  RUSSIA   


BC Nizhny Novgorod keep Nemanja Protic - by Eurobasket News
BC Nizhny Novgorod keep Nemanja Protic (182-G-86) for another season. The Serbian Guard joined the Russian team in March and made everything positive to remain in the squad.
After 18 games Nemanja Protic he averaged 13.5 points per game. He recorded 25 points at the Regular Season Round 19. Enisey Krasnoyarsk played at the court of 8th ranked BC Nizhny Novgorod and managed to secure a 4-point victory 78-74. BC Nizhny Novgorod was ahead by 3 points after three quarters before a 19-12 charge of Enisey Krasnoyarsk, which allowed them to win the game. BC Nizhny Novgorod was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. It was an exceptional evening for American guard Marcus Williams (191-85, college: Connecticut) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 11 assists. His fellow American import center Lonny Baxter accounted for 30 points and 9 rebounds (on 13-of-15 shooting from the field) for the winning side. Serbian guard Nemanja Protic came up with 25 points and 4 assists.
In 2009-2010 Nemanja Protic played for FMP Zeleznik Beograd (A League, starting five) and in EuroChallenge averaged 12.2ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 43.8%, 3PT: 42.2%, FT: 87.8%. In Adriatic League after 25 games his stats read 11.8ppg, 2.2rpg, 2.1apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 58.6%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 77.2%. The season 2010-2011 started for EWE Baskets Oldenburg (Germany-1.Bundesliga), later moved to Khimik-OPZ Yuzny (Ukraine-Superleague) and in March signed at BC Nizhny Novgorod (Russia-PBL).


Unics clinched third place in PBL - by Eurobasket News
Unics clinched third place in PBL as they won the series over Lokomotiv 3-0 last night.
At first Unics won over Lokomotiv 81-74 in Game 1. The hosts trailed by 6 points after three quarters before their 23-10 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Unics Kazan forced 21 Lokomotiv turnovers. Strangely Lokomotiv outrebounded Unics Kazan 44-31 including 30 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Polish-Swedish center Maciej Lampe (210-C-85) fired 23 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. American guard Terrell Lyday (190-G-79, college: BYU) chipped in 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. American-FYR Macedonian forward Michael Wilkinson (204-F-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Wisconsin) produced a double-double by scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds and American-FYR Macedonian forward Jeremiah Massey added 14 points respectively for lost side. Five Unics Kazan and four Lokomotiv players scored in double figures. Lokomotiv's coach Kestutis Kemzura rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help.
In Game 2 Unics grabbed 81:80 win over Lokomotiv. The hosts trailed by 8 points after three quarters before their 21-12 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Unics Kazan made 17-of-20 free shots (85.0 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was Polish-Swedish center Maciej Lampe who had a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!) and 10 rebounds. American guard Terrell Lyday chipped in 29 points and 7 assists (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line). American guard Lionel Chalmers (184-G-80, college: Xavier) produced 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and American-FYR Macedonian forward Michael Wilkinson added 15 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the guests. Four Lokomotiv players scored in double figures. Lokomotiv's coach Kestutis Kemzura rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help.
In Game 3 Unics won 77:70 as Lampe Maciej erupted with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Chalmers Lionel responded with 19 points in the losing effort.

Nathan Jawai heads to Kazan - by Eurobasket News
Nathan Jawai (207-C-86, college: Midland CC) has reportedly agreed on terms of contract with Unics Kazan. The Australian centre spent the previous season in Serbia. He averaged 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per Adriatic League game with Partizan. In Euroleague Nathan Jawai recorded 9.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per appearance. In Serbian A League his stats read 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Eurobasket.com named Nathan Jawai into All-Serbian League 2nd Team. Nathan Jawai played in the NBA in 2009/10 season. The centre posted 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Timberwolves. He also appeared in five games with the Toronto Raptors back in 2008/09 season. Nathan Jawai was All-Australian NBL Rookie of the Year in 2008. He played for U20, U21 and Senior Australian National Teams.


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  SERBIA   


BC Nizhny Novgorod keep Nemanja Protic - by Eurobasket News
BC Nizhny Novgorod keep Nemanja Protic (182-G-86) for another season. The Serbian Guard joined the Russian team in March and made everything positive to remain in the squad.
After 18 games Nemanja Protic he averaged 13.5 points per game. He recorded 25 points at the Regular Season Round 19. Enisey Krasnoyarsk played at the court of 8th ranked BC Nizhny Novgorod and managed to secure a 4-point victory 78-74. BC Nizhny Novgorod was ahead by 3 points after three quarters before a 19-12 charge of Enisey Krasnoyarsk, which allowed them to win the game. BC Nizhny Novgorod was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. It was an exceptional evening for American guard Marcus Williams (191-85, college: Connecticut) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 11 assists. His fellow American import center Lonny Baxter accounted for 30 points and 9 rebounds (on 13-of-15 shooting from the field) for the winning side. Serbian guard Nemanja Protic came up with 25 points and 4 assists.
In 2009-2010 Nemanja Protic played for FMP Zeleznik Beograd (A League, starting five) and in EuroChallenge averaged 12.2ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 43.8%, 3PT: 42.2%, FT: 87.8%. In Adriatic League after 25 games his stats read 11.8ppg, 2.2rpg, 2.1apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 58.6%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 77.2%. The season 2010-2011 started for EWE Baskets Oldenburg (Germany-1.Bundesliga), later moved to Khimik-OPZ Yuzny (Ukraine-Superleague) and in March signed at BC Nizhny Novgorod (Russia-PBL).


Slavisa Bogavac signs with Slask Wroclaw - by Eurobasket News
Slavisa Bogavac (200-G/F-80, agency: BeoExcell) will stay in Poland. The Serbian G/F signed a deal with Slask Wroclaw. Bogavac arrives to Slask from AZS Koszalin, where he spent last season. He appeared 22 times in PLK averaging 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1 steal. He was named Eurobasket.com Polish League All-Bosmans Team -11 and participated at the Polish League All-Star Game.
Slavisa Bogavac started last season with the Serbian team Sloga Kraljevo. He left them in November after he had 17.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 1.3 apg. Season 2009/10 Bogavac also spent in Poland. He was a member of ISS Sportino Inowroclaw at that time and it was his first time abroad. He had 7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1 apg for 21 games in PLK. Bogavac started basketball career with Masinac Kraljevo and later played for Ergonom, Zdravlje, Bambi Mitrovica and AMAK Ohrid.

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  SEYCHELLES   


National League - by Carlos Pereira
Dawgz take the stuffing out of Cobras

Nigel Ah-kong is of the old school of basketball here and as a coach he boasts about local big teams having problems playing against his Mont Fleuri Dawgz squad.

Why is that?

We believe in defence and we play tough defence, said the former Seychelles playmaker.

On Sunday, Ah-kongs Dawgz claimed the scalp of Premium Cobras to register their second giant-killing act after also taking the stuffing out of PLS Hawks earlier in the season in the mens division one championship.
A playmaker with the Cobras team during the time they ruled the courts in the mid-1990s, Ah-kong paced the sidelines as his two sons skipper and playmaker Reggie and shooting guard Sergio and the rest of the team took control of the situation on the NSC multisports hall court.
They had a strong start, outscoring the Cobras 21-12 at the end of the first quarter but their lead was trimmed to just one point 36-35 at half-time as they lost the second 10-minute spell 15-23.
After getting just four points in the first half, Kevin Romain, 16, got 13 of his team-leading 17 points in the second and was helped in offence by Reggie A-kong, who scored 10 points in the final 20 minutes for a personal tally of 15, including three shots from downtown.
Nigel Cafrine made an 11-point contribution off the bench, while the teams three big men Marvin Asba, Jim Cra and Brian Agricole combined for just nine points, but did a good job on the boards as they won the third quarter 15-21 and lost the fourth 20-21 for a 71-68 win.
We deserve our win and we had to win to stay in the title hunt.
Our strategy against the big guns is, because we have a short line-up, stay close and try to make the difference in the final quarter. We did it against Premium Cobras, said Ah-kong, whose young team have leapfrogged former champions Baya and Premium Cobras into second place in the 10-team league standings with 16 points after seven wins and two losses in nine games played.

Paced by Darren Lesperance with a game-high 21 points, the Cobras have the same win lose-record as the Dawgz but trail the latter on the head-to-head rule. Timmy Adam and Amadou Sylla had 19 and 14 points for the Cobras.

Defeat for Premium Cobras has opened the way for defending champions and leaders PLS Hawks to possibly have a free ride towards nailing down a third championship in a row.

The most successful team in the last 11 years with six league title wins in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010, PLS Hawks, coached by Clifford Joubert, brought to eight their number of wins in nine games with a 123-50 beating of last years second division winners Drifters on Sunday.

In his second season with the Hawks after joining them from Premium Cobras last year, Nigerian Alao Solomon was on fire with a game-high and season-leading 54 points, while young Arnaud Arissol led second-from-bottom Anse Boileau-based Drifters with 16.

Not all Anse Boileau-based teams finished on the losing side during the weekend. Angels won three of the four quarters in a 20-point 88-68 win over RC Dynamics.

David Boniface finished with 23 points and Daniel Dodin added 21 in sixth-placed Angels third victory in nine games, bringing their points tally to 12 the same total as seventh-placed RC Dynamics, who got 24 points from veteran captain Emmanuel Jupiter.

After getting balanced scoring from skipper and playmaker Nigel Sinon (19 points, including two treys), 17 including two threes from J. Ernesta and 14 from swingman Cyril Agrippine, MBU Rockers won all four quarters as they eclipsed Cascade Bullets 87-43.

The Rockers are fifth with 13 points after five wins and three defeats, while the Bullets are on 11 points after three victories and five losses.

Meanwhile, in the mens division two league, captain Frank Seth (17 points), Sergio Ah-kong (16 including a buzzer beater trey), and Eddie Servina (16) propelled leaders Juniors to a 102-32 win over Cadets.
On Praslin, the Warriors walked over AAP Brothers in another mens division two encounter.

In the womens league, Juniors were paced by Veena Panagary with 20 points and Jana Malbrook added 17 as Juniors beat Cadettes 62-20.
Laura Franoise was Cadettes only player in double digits with 10 points.


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  SLOVAKIA   


Ondrej Soska comes back to Zilina - by Eurobasket News
Ondrej Soska (208-C-78) is coming back to Zilina. The cente left the team back in 2001. Ondrej Soska played for Pezinok, Novy Jicin, Prostejov and Opava during the next ten years. Last season the centre spent in Novy Jicin. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per appearance. Ondrej Soska was named Eurobasket.com All-Czech Republic League Bosman Player of the Year in 2005.


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  SOUTH KOREA   


Seoul Samsung Signs Puerto Rican standout for 2011-2011 Season - by Kevin Campigotto
Seoul Samsung Thunders ended their search for a foreign player by signing Puerto Rican Center Peter John Ramos (222-C-85) to a one-year, 350,000 USD contract. He most recently averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds and 1.2 blocks with a team in China. Ramos is the tallest foreigner to sign in the KBL at 222 CM. Assuming all listed heights are correct this would make him equal to Korean MVP Ha Seung Jin, the largest player in the league.

Ramos sports an excellent resume including being drafted in the second round by the Washington Wizards in 2004. He spent his rookie season on the injured list and only played in 6 games. He spent the following two seasons in the NBA D-League before returning to Puerto Rico to play in its professional league. He has a bevy of accolades including being named center of the year and player of the year in the Puerto Rican professional league. He most recently played in the Chinese league for Zhejiang G.L..

Thunders direction Joon said that Ramos height would give the team a competitive edge. He also believes that Ramos basketball IQ and interior power will be a big help for the rebuilding Thunders. Ramos is set to join the team in Korea in August. Ramos' size will certainly give him advantages over smaller foreigners and most Korean centers. Being able to match up against Ha Seung Jin is a major issues for any KBL team hoping to contend and for Samung this is certainly a step in the right direction.


South Korea reach East Asia Championship Final - by Eurobasket News
South Korea - Taiwan 69:61

South Korea advanced into East Asia Championship Final. They prevailed against Taiwan in the first semifinal tonight. Kang Byung-Hyun (193-G-85) finished with 17 points to pace the winners. Regardless of the result both teams have previously booked the tickets to Fiba Asia Championship.
South Korea grabbed control in the opening frame. They posted a 19:11 lead after ten minutes. But Taiwan did not allow their opponents to run away in the second stanza. They cut the deficit at 7 points at the interval 28:35. Wu Tai-Hao (202-C-85, college: BYU-Hawaii) and Chen HsinAn drew things level at 44 in the third period. South Korea bounced back to enter the final period up by four points 50:46. Taiwan got as close as two points late in regulation but it was not enough. South Korea stayed calm in the dying stages and sealed the victory at the end. Yang Dong-Geun (182-G-81) and Lee Seung-Jun (186-G-88) nailed 13 points each for the winners. Lu Cheng-Ju (194-F-86) answered with 15 points for Taiwan. Wu Tai-Hao accounted for 14 points in the loss.

South Korea: Kang Byung-Hyun 17, Yang Dong-Geun 13, Lee Seung-Jun 13
Taiwan: Lu Cheng-Ju 15, Wu Tai-Hao 14


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  SPAIN   


Estudiantes will not keep Tyrone Ellis, Jiri Welsch and Marc Blanch - by Eurobasket News
Asefa Estudiantes already started with forming the squad for the next season. The Students thanked Tyrone Ellis (193-G-77, college: S.Nazarene), Jiri Welsch (201-F-80) and Marc Blanch (195-F-82) for their service and decided not to keep them for 2011/12.
Tyrone Ellis joined Estudiantes last summer from Cajasol. He appeared 34 times in ACB this season averaging 7.4 points and 1.5 rebounds. In EuroCup, Ellis added 6.7 ppg and 1 rpg in 14 games.
Jiri Welsch also joined Estu last summer, but he arrived from Unicaja Malaga. He also played all 34 games in ACB this season registering 5.5 ppg and 2.2 rpg. Welsch had almost the same digits in 14 EuroCup games (5.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg).
Marc Blanch is another player who moved to Estu a year ago. He joined them from Mallorca. Blanch appeared just 10 times in both ACB and EuroCup registering 3.5 ppg.

Caja Laboral extends coach Dusko Ivanovic - by Eurobasket News
As expected, Dusko Ivanovic will stay with Caja Laboral. They signed a 2-year contract extension yesterday. Caja Laboral reached Euroleague Quarterfinals this season and they failed to defend the Spanish league title after Regal Barca eliminated them in the Semifinals. In Copa del Rey, Caja Laboral also reached Semifinals.
Dusko Ivanovic led Caja Laboral to ACB title last season. He won the same trophy with them (Tau Ceramica) in 2002. The team was Copa del Rey winner three times under Ivanovic (02,04, 09). Dusko Ivanovic joined Caja Laboral for the first time in 2000. He arrived from Limoges after they won French league title, French Cup and Radivoj Korac Cup. A year before that, Ivanovic won the Swiss league title with Fribourg. From 2000 until 2005 he was working with Tau and than joined Barcelona, where he stayed two and a half years. He won the Spanish Cup with Barca in 2007. A year after that, Ivanovic returned to Tau.
Meanwhile, it seems also that Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) and Marcelinho Huertas (191-G-83, agency: Edge Sports) will also stay with the club for at least one more year.

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  SWEDEN   


Brynjar Bjoernsson signs with Jamtland Basket - by Eurobasket News
Brynjar Bjoernsson (191-G-88, college: Francis Marion) signs with Jamtland Basket for the next season. The Icelandic Guard comes from KR where he stayed for the majority of his career.
In 2009-2010 for KR Reykjavik (Express League, starting five) in 29 games he averaged 17.4ppg, 3.3rpg, 3.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 50.3%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 75.7%. In 2010-2011 for KR Reykjavik (Express League, starting five) his stats read 16.9ppg, 3.9rpg, 3.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 36.5%, FT: 82.8%.
Brynjar Bjoernsson recorded 34 points at the Semi-Finals Game 5 when KR prevailed against Keflavik in the decisive fifth game of the semifinal series. The hosts trailed by 7 points after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 13-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 105-89. KR made 28-of-34 free shots (82.4 percent) during the game. KR outrebounded Keflavik 46-31 including 34 on the defensive glass. 28 personal fouls committed by Keflavik helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The former international guard Brynjar Bjoernsson stepped up and scored 34 points (!!!) and 7 rebounds for the winners and the former international swingman Pavel Ermolinskij chipped in 18 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists.
Adam Alexander (176-G-80) stay with Sundsvall Dragons for the next season as well. The Swedish Guard joined the team in 2003 and still remains with his favorite team.




Nancy keeps Kenny Grant - by Eurobasket News
Just three days after they won the ProA title, Nancy already started with making the team for the next season. One of their first moves was signing of contract extension with Kenny Grant (188-G-82, college: Davidson). The Swedish guard will stay with Nancy for the next two seasons.
Kenny Grant signed in France last summer and it was a great move for him. Grant and his team Nancy won the ProA title thanks to 76-74 thriller win against Cholet in the Big Final. He helped Nancy with 12 points in this meeting. Grant appeared 35 times this season in ProA averaging 9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists. In EuroChallenge, he added 7.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 1.3 apg for 8 games.
Before Nancy, Kenny Grant played for the Norrkoping Dolphins. He already played in France in the past and it was on season 2006/07. Grant was a member of Nantes at that time averaging 7.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists for 33 games in ProB.

*****************************************************
  TAIWAN   


Taiwan loses to Korea in EABC semi - by Chris Wang
Taiwan lost to South Korea 69-61 in the semifinal of the 2011 East Asian Basketball Championship Tuesday in Nanjing, China.

Taiwan is scheduled to meet Japan in the bronze medal game of the qualifying tournament for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men, which will be held in Wuhan, Hubei, China from September 15-25, in a rematch Wednesday.

In the preliminary round, Taiwan beat Japan 75-74.

Taiwan trailed almost the entire game but was able to stay close. The halftime score was 35-28, Korea.

Lu Cheng-Ju (194-F-86) led Taiwan with 15 points while center Wu Tai-hao had 14. Chen Hsin-an and Chien Chia-hung added 10 apiece. Chien also pulled down 5 boards.

Kang Byung-hyun paced Korea, which was coached by former great Hur Jae, with a game-high 17 points, including five three-pointers. Yang Dong-guen had 13 points and five rebounds and Lee Seung-jun added 13 and 8. Oh Se-keun tallied seven points and 10 rebounds.

Korea, which will meet China for gold, outrebounded Taiwan 39-30.

Regardless of the final results, China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan have secured berths in the FIBA Asia Championship.

*****************************************************
  TANZANIA   


US team too strong for Dar All Stars - by Carlos Pereira
By Brown Msyani
The Citizen Correspondent
Dar es Salaam. Visiting AND1 from the United States had little mercy on Dar es Salaam All Stars as they hit them 110-69 in an exciting international friendly match at Leaders Club on Sunday.

The well-attended match started on a quick note with the fast-moving and well-drilled Americans displaying fine shooting, spectacular dunks and classy dribbling to win applause from spectators, mostly the youth.

Dar es Salaam All Stars, led by Gerald Baru and Gilbert Batungi, made a bright start and appeared destined to put AND I at bay. As expected, AND 1 stamped their authority in the game only minutes later and it came as no surprise when they took a deserved 22-14 first quarter lead. On resumption, the visitors started where they had left, commanding the proceedings with swift but accurate passes. They were leading 54-30 at the breather.

Third quarter was even more disappointing for the hosts as they posted only 16 points against the visitors 27. The American team wrapped up the game with 28 points while restricting the home side with 17 points in the last quarter of the one-sided game.Gerald Baru was a notable player for the Tanzania. He chalked 15 points and played his heart out against the formidable US team, but his teammates let him down.

The visitors Batovu Shag was a real thorn in the flesh for the hosts. He fired 35 points and his teammate Gay Piprel had 20.AND1 have been on the tour of various countries across the world since last year with a view to promoting basketball and motivating the youth to participate in the sport. This initiative is also geared at encouraging active and healthy lifestyles among the youth.

They started their tour of the globe in September, last year and they have so far played basketball matches in Panama, Chile, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana and Tanzania under the sponsorship of Coca-Cola Company. From Tanzania, the team will proceed to Saudi Arabia for a similar mission.

Speaking to The Citizen shortly after Sundays match, the National Sports Council chairman, Idd Kipingu, praised Coca-Cola for its efforts to promote the sport in Tanzania and the world at large.

Last year, Coca-Cola sponsored a basketball youth clinic held here and Morogoro under the supervision of Tanzania professional basketball player, Hasheem Thabeet and retired NBA star Steve Smith.

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  TURKEY   


Hacettepe brings in veteran center Huseyin Besok - by Eurobasket News
Hacettepe Universitesi signed a deal with veteran center Huseyin Besok (212-C-75). The TBL newcomer wanted experienced player under the basket and they grabbed 35-year-old Besok. They signed a one-season deal.
Huseyin Besok arrives to Hacettepe from Besiktas, where he finished last season. Besok joined Besiktas in January averaging 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds for 17 TBL games. He started the season with Aliaga Petkim. In 14 games with Aliaga, Besok had 8.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg.
Before Aliaga, Huseyin Besok spent one season with Turk Telekom and two with Galatasaray. In 2006/07, he was a member of Prokom Trefl Sopot winning the Polish league title with them. In 2006, Besok won the French title with Le Mans. They also were Cup winners that year. In the past, Besok won many trophies and personal awards with Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Efes Pilsen. He played for Turkish NT from 1996 to 2003.

Efes Pilsen Istanbul extends with Cenk Akyol - by Eurobasket News
Efes Pilsen Istanbul extends with Cenk Akyol (196-G-87, agency: FCM). The Turkish Guard will remain at least for one year with the team.
After playing for the team for the entire life,in 2009-2010 Cenk Akyol moved to Air Avellino (Italy-SerieA) and after 25 games averaged 11.8ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.1apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 47.8%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 84.7%.
The National team player also tasted Silver with his team last year. After 6 games he averaged 3.0 points per game. In his top game he nailed 6 points and made 4 rebounds when Turkey won Group C to remain the only team in it undefeated. The hosts of the World Championship rolled over China 87:40 as the latter finished fourth with 1-4 record.
In Turkish League this season he recorded 16 points twice. In his best game Efes Pilsen smashed Oyak Renault 110-66 and 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 Oyak Renault's 30.



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  UBA   


Davis and Morgan join Circulo (Uruguay) - by Griselle Martis

Circulo Sportivo have signed their two import players for upcoming season.

Ephrem Davis (6'9''-F-86) was the first of the two to sign with Circulo. The 6 foot 9 inch forward spent this season with the Columbus Crusher of the UBA. He averaged 13.4ppg, 9.6rpg and 3.2 blocks. Davis graduate out of Robert Morris where he was named 2nd Team All-American.

Shawn Morgan (6'6''-F, agency: Dynamics Global Management, college: Arkansas St.) was the last of the two signings and will be the most exciting. Morgan played for the UBA champion Southern Generals and will look to continue his winning ways with Circulo. He was named Usbasket.com All-UBA Defensive Team along with All-Playoff Team honors. Morgan finished the season with a 15.3ppg average to go along with 7.8rebounds.

Morgan and Davis will play In the Salto Uruguayan League which starts in August and finishes in December. With 2 imports in the lineup they expect nothing less than a championship.

Circulo Sportivo has worked very hard to import there team and looks to return to the Championship. Not only did they add two up in coming UBA talents they also sign Salt star Diego Cervieri (6'3''-G/F-84). Cervieri was a part of the Salto Uruguay (LUB) Championship team in 05 and has won 2 of the last LIGA Salt Championships with Urunday Universitario (10) and Nacional De Futbol (09).

There have been many UBA players that have played in the LIGA Salto League and have moved on to play in bigger leagues (Joseph Works (6'8''-F/G-83, college: Tarleton St.), Jermaine Barnes (6'5''-G/F-82, agency: SportsList Inc., college: Atlanta Christian), Carlos White (6'8''-F/C-80, college: Rhema Bible), Jermaine Dailey (6'8''-F-86, agency: SportsList Inc., college: Ill.-Chicago), Tyler Hughes (7'0''-F-84, college: Kansas St.), Trevon Bryant (6'10''-F-84, college: Cal.St.-Dominguez H.), Norman Plummer (6'7''-F-84, college: S.Indiana), John Huggins (6'2''-G-82, college: Amer.Internat.)).


KFI (Iceland) inks Miller-Williams - by UBA media
UBA Media
Atlanta, GA: June 14, 2011

Chris Miller-Williams (6'6''-F/G-87, college: W.Georgia) has reportedly agreed on terms of contract with KFI Reykjavik. The American forward spent the previous season in the UBA. He averaged 18.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game with the Disciples. He posted a season high of 28 points and 14 rebounds vs. the Southern Generals in the UBA Classic game (named Classic MVP). Usbasket.com named him All-UBA League 2nd Team and Rookie of the Year.

'Its was a pleasure coaching Chris', said Michael Davis . I wish I had 12 CMW on my roster, I would never lose.

Miller-Williams will join KFI Reykjavik in late August, for more information please follow the link below.


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  VENEZUELA   


Venezuelan National Team 2011 - by Eurobasket
Venezuelan National Team 2011
#s#
Greivis Vasquez
Vasquez
David Cubillan
Cubillan
Heissler Guillent
Guillent
Oscar Torres
Torres
Hector Romero
Romero
#e#5
Greivis Vasquez 198-G-87 Memphis G. USA
David Cubillan 183-PG-87 Trotamundos Venezuela
Heissler Guillent 186-G-86 Bucaneros Venezuela
Oscar Torres 195-F/G-76 Marinos Venezuela
Hector Romero 202-F/C-80 Mayaguez Puerto Rico
Rafael Perez 193-G/F-82 Trotamundos Venezuela
Gregory Echenique 205-C-90 Creighton USA
Nestor Colmenares 203-F-87 Cocodrilos Venezuela
Luis Bethelmi 200-C-86 Cocodrilos Venezuela
Miguel Marriaga 208-C-84 Trotamundos Venezuela
Dwight Lewis 196-G-87 Mures Romania
Francisco Centeno 201-G/F-85 Gaiteros Venezuela
Jose Juan Bravo 200-C-80 Gigantes Venezuela
Luis Valera 201-F-88 Bucaneros Venezuela
Windi Graterol 204-C-86 Cocodrilos Venezuela
Jhon Romero 199-F-85 Toros Venezuela
Michael Flores 192-G-85 Panteras Venezuela
Robert Yriarte 201-F-89 Marinos Venezuela

Eric Musselman Head Coach Reno B. USA




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Women News

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  ARGENTINA - Women  


Argentinian U16 National Team 2011 - by Karol
4 Victoria Llorente 96
5 Dianela Modolucci 96
6 Victoria Nicolau 95
7 Sofia Chelini 96
8 Yanina Mercancini 95
9 Magali Armesto 96
10 Renata Bonavota 95
11 Maria Tombesi 96
12 Magali Pittavino 95
13 Julieta Ale 96
14 Sofia Aispurua 95
15 Andrea Ledesma 97



U16 Argentina fails in Game One in Merida - by Eurobasket News
Argentina - Venezuela 37-38
Argentina failed in Day One of the FIBA Americas U16 championship. Venezuela grabbed 37-38 thriller win for 1-0 score in Group B. Except of Argentina and Venezuela, participants of the same group are also Brazil and USA. Argentina had wonderful beginning as they made 16-6 lead in the first ten minutes. They continued with 7-2 in Q2 for plus 15 at the halftime, but they somehow stopped after that. Venezuela made 3-10 after the breather and 11-20 in the last ten minutes, what was enough for a turn and 37-38 victory at the end. Yolimar Martinez (95) had 7 points and 11 rebounds for the winners, and Daniela Morillo (95) added 7 pts and 7 rebs. Alexandra Martinez (95) (14 rebs) and Mariangel Mendoza (95) had 6 points each. In defeat, Julieta Belen Ale (96) collected 13 pts and 6 rebs. Victoria Llorente (96) stopped to 7 pts and 5 rebs.
In Day Two, Venezuela will meet Brazil, while Argentina will play against USA.

U16 USA cruises to another win in Merida - by Eurobasket News
U16 USA - U16 ARGENTINA 82-46

Second straight win for USA at the FIBA U16 Americas championship in Merida. They have 2-0 record now in Group B and already booked a ticket for the Semifinals. Argentina dropped to 0-2 on the other side. They have no chance to reach the next stage. Rebecca Greenwell (6'0''-G-95) was the leading player in victory with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Stephanie Mavunga (6'3''-F-95) also shined adding double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jatarie White (6'3''-C-95) helped with 11 points and 8 rebs. In Argentina, Magali Pittavino (95) delivered 13 points and Yanina Mercancini (95) had one less. USA was way better team than Argentina during the entire game. Quarters: 20-17, 23-6, 20-17, 19-6).

USA: Rebecca Greenwell 22+11 boards, Stephanie Mavunga 12+12 boards, Jatarie White 11+8 boards
Argentina: Magali Pittavino 13, Yanina Mercancini 12

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  AUSTRALIA - Women  


Liz Cambage gets big WNBA test against Sun's Tina Charles - by Eurobasket News
The important thing to remember about Australia's Elizabeth Cambage (203-C-91), aside from the obvious - that she's the biggest kid on the WNBA block - is she's still only 19.

'Sometimes I even forget how old I am and I know some people do as well,' Cambage said.

Being 6 feet 8 and a future building block of women's basketball does not shield her from emotional outbursts and the physical accidents that plague veterans, let alone teenagers. Consider her day Sunday at the Mohegan Sun Arena when Cambage and the Tulsa Shock fell to 0-4 with a loss to the Connecticut Sun.

Cambage, the second player taken in the 2011 draft, was called for a technical foul for ball abuse in the third quarter after arguing a foul. And then with 6:51 left, she took an elbow from teammate Tiffany Jackson straight to the face.

Tulsa veteran Sheryl Swoopes helped calm Cambage after the technical.

'Liz is coming from Australia where she is not used to the bumping and pushing,' Tulsa coach Nolan Richardson said.

She was sent to the hospital for observation in fear she had a concussion.

There is no rush. For the next 15 years, Cambage seems destined to take her place among the great post players in the world. Sunday was the first WNBA matchup with Tina Charles, the Sun center and reigning WNBA rookie of the year.

'Once you're in the league and a pro, we don't look at age. We just look at the respect for different post players,' Charles said.

The two have already competed in the 2010 world championship.

'She is a terrific player,' Sun coach Mike Thibault said. 'We're talking about someone who will be a dominate player in the sport for the next 12 to 15 years. It was fun to watch her go against Tina. You are talking about two of the best centers in the world going head to head. And once Liz gets experience, and I think she's on her way, she will learn how to play in this league.'

Charles led the Sun with 19 points and eight rebounds as they improved to 2-1 with a 90-79 win. Cambage had 16 points (6 of 11) in 25 minutes.

'Tina went right at her,' Sun forward Asjha Jones said.'We [USA Basketball] played against Cambage in the World Championships so she kind of knew what to expect. She's a big center and works hard, is agile, athletic and tall.'

Cambage says she is enjoying her first WNBA season, although Tulsa couldn't be more different culturally than her homeland. Her mother was at the game and will spend the next few weeks cooking and freezing some of her daughter's favorite foods.

'All we need now are a few wins,' Cambage said.

Courtesy of www.courant.com

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  BRAZIL - Women  


Brazilian U16 National Team 2011 - by Karol
4 Kananda Ribeiro 96
5 Raphaella Monteiro 95
6 Carla Silva 96
7 Izabella Frederico 95
8 Camila Pereira 95
9 Leticia Da Silva 95
10 Cristiana Ferreira 95
11 Domenica Goncalves 96
12 Vitoria Domingos 96
13 Kawanni Silva 96
14 Daphner Pezavento 95
15 Monique Soares 97



U16 Brazil smashes U16 Venezuela in Merida - by Eurobasket News
U16 VENEZUELA - U16 BRAZIL 47-86

First win for Brazil at the U16 FIBA Americans championship in Media. They failed in Day One against Canada so not Brazil have 1-1 record in Group B. Venezuela also has 1-1 as they celebrated in their first game. Venezuela was better than Argentina. Both teams still have a chance to reach the next stage, but Brazil is in much better satiation now. Izabella Sangali came up with 21 points and 7 assists for the winners. Kananda Ribeiro (96) added double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Vitoria Domingos (96) followed with 12 pts and 10 rebs. In defeat, Daniela Morillo had 16 pts and 5 rebs. Mariangel Mendoza (95) stopped to 9 pts. Brazil was way better team during the entire meeting. Quarters: 20-25, 15-21, 4-24, 8-16).

Venezuela: Daniela Morillo 16+5 boards, Mariangel Mendoza 9
Brazil: Izabella Sangali 21+7 as, Kananda Ribeiro 20+12 boards, Vitoria Domingos 12+10 boards

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  CANADA - Women  


U16 Canada hands 80-66 loss to U16 Puerto Rico in Merida - by Eurobasket News
U16 CANADA - U16 PUERTO RICO 80-66

Canada stays undefeated after two days in Merida. This time Canada was better than Puerto Rico 80-66 for 2-0 record in Group A. It is already clear that Canada will win the first place in this pool. With this win, they secured a spot in the Semifinals. On the other side, Puerto Rico faced with the first loss. They have 1-1 now and still a nice chance to reach the next stage. Kia Nurse (180-PG-96) shined for the winners with 23 points. Kolbie Orum (188-F-95) and Hilary Hanaka (175-G-96) followed her with 14 points each. In defeat, Aleana Garcia (96) shined with 26 points and 5 rebounds. Gileysa Quinones (97) stopped to 14 pts. Except of the first period, Canada was much better team in this game. Quarters: 15-18, 24-14, 19-17, 22-17.

Canada: Kia Nurse 23, Kolbie Orum 14, Hilary Hanaka 14
Puerto Rico: Aleana Garcia 26+5 boards, Gileysa Quinones 14

Junior womens coach Chambers becomes Head Coach of UVIC women - by Eurobasket News
Richard Chambers, the head coach of the Junior Women's National Team (JWNT), is the new head coach of the University of Victoria Vikes women's basketball team.

Chambers, of Port Moody, B.C., has been JWNT head coach since July 2008. He previously coached at Terry Fox High School in Coquitlam and at Simon Fraser and UBC in the university ranks. He was also the first head coach of the International Basketball League's (IBL) Vancouver Titans franchise and was involved with the Drive Basketball program in B.C.

'I am extremely excited about my appointment as head coach of the University of Victorias womens basketball program,' Chambers said. 'I am looking forward to being a part of a leadership team at UVic as it is committed to a vision that includes honouring tradition, inspiring character, building community and striving for excellence.

'My first priority is to meet with the girls and create a vision for the upcoming season. We want to create an environment where the girls acquire a love for the game and a ferocious appetite to improve and compete.'

No stranger to Canadian university basketball, Chambers was also the assistant coach for Canada at the FISU Games in Korea in 2000 and served as an assistant women's coach for several terms in B.C. (with the UBC women from September 2006 until June 2007 and with the SFU men from September 2004 until May 2005) along with a stint as interim head coach with the Thunderbirds men's basketball program, replacing Bruce Enns from September 1997 until May 1998.

Clint Hamilton, Vikes director of athletics and recreation, said Chambers is one of the best coaches in Canada with connections to many of the top young women's basketball prospects in the nation.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Richard Chambers to our Vikes coaching staff,' Hamilton said. 'Rich is a highly regarded basketball person, and his combination of experience and success at the international, national and provincial levels is significant. I have no doubt that he will make a tremendous impact on our womens basketball program.

Dani Sinclair, a former CIS star player at UVic and McMaster, will stay on as the Vikes women's basketball team's assistant coach.

This summer, Chambers will travel to Chile and the cities of Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas from July 21-31 with the JWNT, featuring the top players born in 1992 and after. Chambers has won many coaching awards including the Tom Tagami Award (2008), B.C. High School Coach of the Year (2003, 1985) and Gary Scott Award for coaching excellence (1998).

Chambers, who has been teaching in B.C. since 1973, also served as B.C.'s technical director for Canada Basketball and currently is the director of the Centre of Performance for Canada Basketball. He is a graduate of SFU with a BA in education, majoring in history and geography.

'Coming back to coach in the CIS is a welcomed opportunity to compete against some of the best coaches and athletes throughout the nation,' Chambers said. 'Having the chance to share in the lives of some incredibly special young women and helping them to maximize their abilities both on and off the court is a challenge I am looking forward to.

'I am committed to making basketball about camaraderie, having fun, learning discipline and valuing community by giving back to the uUniversity and city of Victoria.'

Courtesy of www.basketball.ca

Canadian U16 National Team 2011 - by Karol
4 Anmol Mattu 160-PG-95
5 Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau 186-F-96
6 Kia Nurse 180-PG-96
7 Hilary Hanaka 175-G-96
8 Khaleann Caron-Goudreau 186-F-96
9 Hannah Jardine 183-F-95
10 Aimee Wilson 188-F-96
11 Kolbie Orum 188-F-95
12 Eternati Willock 188-F-98
13 Cheyanne Roger 188-C-95
14 Saicha Grant-Allen 193-F-96
15 Emma Wolfram 193-C-95



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  CZECH REPUBLIC - Women  


Frida Eldebrink pen deal with Czech Champions - by Eurobasket News
Frida Eldebrink (174-G-88, agency: Josep and Nicolas) pen deal with Czech Champions for the next season. The Swedish player who spent a year with their rivals, Frisco Sika Brno, heads to USK Prague.
In 2009-2010 Frida played for Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (France-LFB) and in Euroleague after 9 games avaraged 14.7ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 55.4%, 3PT: 35.7%, FT: 76.9%. In French League her stats read 13.6ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 49.6%, FT: 66.0%. In 2010-2011 moved to Frisco Sika Brno (Czech Rep.-ZBL, starting five) and in Euroleague after 10 games had 13.7ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.8apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 34.0%, 3PT: 39.5%, FT: 88.0%. In Czech Rep. League after 29 games she became the top-scorer of the League with 21.0ppg, 3.6rpg, 2.6apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 57.8%, 3PT: 37.2%, FT: 74.1%.
Only last year she became Czech Rep. D1 Regular Season Champion -11, Czech Rep. D1 Finalist -11, Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. D1 Guard of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. D1 Bosman Player of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. D1 1st Team -11, Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. D1 2nd Team -11 and Eurobasket.com Czech Rep. D1 All-Bosmans Team -11.
Frida Eldebrink recorded 33 points this season at the Second Stage Round 8. First ranked Frisco Sika faced 3rd ranked Basket Slovanka MB. Guests from Brno (22-1) smashed host Basket Slovanka MB (13-10) 106-63. Frisco Sika led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Swedish guard Frida Eldebrink orchestrated the victory by scoring 33 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds (on 15-of-17 shooting from the field).


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  FIBA AMERICAS U16 - Women  


Day Two in Merida - by Eurobasket News
Group A
Guatemala - Mexico 28-111
First win for the hosts of U16 FIBA Americas championship. They outplayed Guatemala with huge 111-28 for 1-1 record in Group A. Mexico faced with loss in Day One against Puerto Rico and they are in bad situation now. They will have to beat Canada in the last round and Puerto Rico to loose against Guatemala, what is hard to happen. Ingrid Martinez (95) shined with 22 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Meliza Ramirez (95) had 18 points and 10 rebs, while Guadalupe Pichardo (95) added 17 pts. In the loosing squad, Maria Osorio (96) and Melissa Vargas (96) scored 5 points each. Of course, Mexico dominated during the entire time. They destroyed Guatemala in all basketball elements. Quarters: 1-22, 7-28, 9-35, 11-26.

Canada - Puerto Rico 80-66
Canada stays undefeated after two days in Merida. This time Canada was better than Puerto Rico 80-66 for 2-0 record in Group A. It is already clear that Canada will win the first place in this pool. With this win, they secured a spot in the Semifinals. On the other side, Puerto Rico faced with the first loss. They have 1-1 now and still a nice chance to reach the next stage. Kia Nurse (180-PG-96) shined for the winners with 23 points. Kolbie Orum (188-F-95) and Hilary Hanaka (175-G-96) followed her with 14 points each. In defeat, Aleana Garcia (96) shined with 26 points and 5 rebounds. Gileysa Quinones (97) stopped to 14 pts. Except of the first period, Canada was much better team in this game. Quarters: 15-18, 24-14, 19-17, 22-17.

Group B
USA - Argentina 82-46
Second straight win for USA at the FIBA U16 Americas championship in Merida. They have 2-0 record now in Group B and already booked a ticket for the Semifinals. Argentina dropped to 0-2 on the other side. They have no chance to reach the next stage. Rebecca Greenwell (6'0''-G-95) was the leading player in victory with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Stephanie Mavunga (6'3''-F-95) also shined adding double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jatarie White (6'3''-C-95) helped with 11 points and 8 rebs. In Argentina, Magali Pittavino (95) delivered 13 points and Yanina Mercancini (95) had one less. USA was way better team than Argentina during the entire game. Quarters: 20-17, 23-6, 20-17, 19-6).

Venezuela - Brazil 47-86
First win for Brazil at the U16 FIBA Americans championship in Media. They failed in Day One against Canada so not Brazil have 1-1 record in Group B. Venezuela also has 1-1 as they celebrated in their first game. Venezuela was better than Argentina. Both teams still have a chance to reach the next stage, but Brazil is in much better satiation now. Izabella Sangali came up with 21 points and 7 assists for the winners. Kananda Ribeiro (96) added double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Vitoria Domingos (96) followed with 12 pts and 10 rebs. In defeat, Daniela Morillo had 16 pts and 5 rebs. Mariangel Mendoza (95) stopped to 9 pts. Brazil was way better team during the entire meeting. Quarters: 20-25, 15-21, 4-24, 8-16).



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  GREECE - Women  


Transfer news - by Chris Mammides
Giorgos Zeygolis is the new headCoach of the champion team of Sony Athinaikos.

Anna Spyridopoulou (182-F-88) the ex player of Aris Thessaloniki agreed financial terms with AEO Proteas Voulas and will be wearing the jersey of Voulas team for the next two years. Furthermore, from the Voulas team Matina Astradini (175-G-86) and Andriana Tsoumani (185-F-79) will not renew their contracts and they are officially free agents.
Elliniko the newcomer in the A2 division this season agreed financial terms with the folloiwng three great players: Maria Roza Boni (180-G-86), Maria Manoli (178-G-81) and Dimitra Tsoukala (184-F-88) both of them ex players of Asteras Exarhion. At the same time the Greek Head Coach Giorgos Anna Roumbelaki (177-F-81)s renewed his contract for another one season while the players Elena Evmorfopoulou, Bakali, Stefatou, Eleana Paragiou (186-F/C), Anthoula Balta (178-G-87) and Anna Roumbelaki renewed their contracts for another one season



Giorgos Zevgolis the new coach of Athinaikos - by Giorgos Diploidis
Sony Athinaikos has not lost time, they found the new coach of the team who will replace Ioannis Ktistakis who will not continue his co-operation with the team which took the Greek Championship and Cup. The 'one' will be Giorgos Zevgolis.

Zevgolis who signed a deal for 2 + 1 years is experienced both in Women and men Basketball. With AO Sporting Athens took five championships and as a men coach passed from Near East, Ionikos Neas Filadelfeias, Ionikos Nikaias, Dafni, MAKEDONIKOS KOZANI, VAP Kolossos Rodou, Ilysiakos Athens, Aigaleo.

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  GUATEMALA - Women  


Guatemalan U16 National Team 2011 - by Karol
4 Monica Ramirez 97
5 Sidney Morales 97
6 Ana Melgar 97
7 Allison Moino 96
8 Melissa Vargas 96
9 Brenda Cruz 97
10 Maria Osorio 96
11 Ivy Quinto 99
12 Melisa Rabanales 96
13 Virginia Pinto 96
14 Maria Espinoza 97
15 Ana De Leon 96



U16 Mexico celebrates first win - by Eurobasket News
U16 GUATEMALA - U16 MEXICO 28-111

First win for the hosts of U16 FIBA Americas championship. They outplayed Guatemala with huge 111-28 for 1-1 record in Group A. Mexico faced with loss in Day One against Puerto Rico and they are in bad situation now. They will have to beat Canada in the last round and Puerto Rico to loose against Guatemala, what is hard to happen. Ingrid Martinez (95) shined with 22 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Meliza Ramirez (95) had 18 points and 10 rebs, while Guadalupe Pichardo (95) added 17 pts. In the loosing squad, Maria Osorio (96) and Melissa Vargas (96) scored 5 points each. Of course, Mexico dominated during the entire time. They destroyed Guatemala in all basketball elements. Quarters: 1-22, 7-28, 9-35, 11-26.

Guatemala: Maria Osorio 5, Melissa Vargas 5
Mexico: Ingrid Martinez 22+9 boards, Meliza Ramirez 18+10 boards, Guadalupe Pichardo 17

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  LUXEMBOURG - Women  


T71 Dudelange adds Mosgrove to their roster
T71 Dudelange added to their roster 23-year old American guard Cerie Mosgrove (182-G-88). Mosgrove played most recently at University of Massachusetts (NCAA) in the U.S. It will be his first year in professional basketball. While playing 30 games for Massachusetts last season she averaged 13.6ppg, 6.5rpg and 1.2apg.

By Eurobasket Data Center

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  MEXICO - Women  


U16 Mexico celebrates first win - by Eurobasket News
U16 GUATEMALA - U16 MEXICO 28-111

First win for the hosts of U16 FIBA Americas championship. They outplayed Guatemala with huge 111-28 for 1-1 record in Group A. Mexico faced with loss in Day One against Puerto Rico and they are in bad situation now. They will have to beat Canada in the last round and Puerto Rico to loose against Guatemala, what is hard to happen. Ingrid Martinez (95) shined with 22 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Meliza Ramirez (95) had 18 points and 10 rebs, while Guadalupe Pichardo (95) added 17 pts. In the loosing squad, Maria Osorio (96) and Melissa Vargas (96) scored 5 points each. Of course, Mexico dominated during the entire time. They destroyed Guatemala in all basketball elements. Quarters: 1-22, 7-28, 9-35, 11-26.

Guatemala: Maria Osorio 5, Melissa Vargas 5
Mexico: Ingrid Martinez 22+9 boards, Meliza Ramirez 18+10 boards, Guadalupe Pichardo 17

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  NCAA1 - Women  


USA U16 National Team 2011 - by Karol
Recee Caldwell 5'8''-G-96
Jordin Canada 5'6''-G-95
Kaela Davis 6'1''-G/F-95
Rebecca Greenwell 6'0''-G-95
Linnae Harper 5'8''-G-95
Stephanie Mavunga 6'3''-F-95
Erica McCall 6'3''-F-95
Taya Reimer 6'3''-F-95
Mercedes Russell 6'5''-C-95
Jannah Tucker 5'11''-G-95
Sydney Umeri 6'0''-F-95
Jatarie White 6'3''-C-95

Jill Rankin Schneider Head Coach
Gail Hook Assistant
Letitia Hughley Assistant


U16 USA cruises to another win in Merida - by Eurobasket News
U16 USA - U16 ARGENTINA 82-46

Second straight win for USA at the FIBA U16 Americas championship in Merida. They have 2-0 record now in Group B and already booked a ticket for the Semifinals. Argentina dropped to 0-2 on the other side. They have no chance to reach the next stage. Rebecca Greenwell (6'0''-G-95) was the leading player in victory with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Stephanie Mavunga (6'3''-F-95) also shined adding double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. Jatarie White (6'3''-C-95) helped with 11 points and 8 rebs. In Argentina, Magali Pittavino (95) delivered 13 points and Yanina Mercancini (95) had one less. USA was way better team than Argentina during the entire game. Quarters: 20-17, 23-6, 20-17, 19-6).

USA: Rebecca Greenwell 22+11 boards, Stephanie Mavunga 12+12 boards, Jatarie White 11+8 boards
Argentina: Magali Pittavino 13, Yanina Mercancini 12

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  PUERTO RICO - Women  


U16 Canada hands 80-66 loss to U16 Puerto Rico in Merida - by Eurobasket News
U16 CANADA - U16 PUERTO RICO 80-66

Canada stays undefeated after two days in Merida. This time Canada was better than Puerto Rico 80-66 for 2-0 record in Group A. It is already clear that Canada will win the first place in this pool. With this win, they secured a spot in the Semifinals. On the other side, Puerto Rico faced with the first loss. They have 1-1 now and still a nice chance to reach the next stage. Kia Nurse (180-PG-96) shined for the winners with 23 points. Kolbie Orum (188-F-95) and Hilary Hanaka (175-G-96) followed her with 14 points each. In defeat, Aleana Garcia (96) shined with 26 points and 5 rebounds. Gileysa Quinones (97) stopped to 14 pts. Except of the first period, Canada was much better team in this game. Quarters: 15-18, 24-14, 19-17, 22-17.

Canada: Kia Nurse 23, Kolbie Orum 14, Hilary Hanaka 14
Puerto Rico: Aleana Garcia 26+5 boards, Gileysa Quinones 14

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  SWEDEN - Women  


Frida Eldebrink pen deal with Czech Champions - by Eurobasket News
Frida Eldebrink (174-G-88, agency: Josep and Nicolas) pen deal with Czech Champions for the next season. The Swedish player who spent a year with their rivals, Frisco Sika Brno, heads to USK Prague.
In 2009-2010 Frida played for Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (France-LFB) and in Euroleague after 9 games avaraged 14.7ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 55.4%, 3PT: 35.7%, FT: 76.9%. In French League her stats read 13.6ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 49.6%, FT: 66.0%. In 2010-2011 moved to Frisco Sika Brno (Czech Rep.-ZBL, starting five) and in Euroleague after 10 games had 13.7ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.8apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 34.0%, 3PT: 39.5%, FT: 88.0%. In Czech Rep. League after 29 games she became the top-scorer of the League with 21.0ppg, 3.6rpg, 2.6apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 57.8%, 3PT: 37.2%, FT: 74.1%.
Only last year she became Czech Rep. D1 Regular Season Champion -11, Czech Rep. D1 Finalist -11, Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. D1 Guard of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. D1 Bosman Player of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. D1 1st Team -11, Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. D1 2nd Team -11 and Eurobasket.com Czech Rep. D1 All-Bosmans Team -11.
Frida Eldebrink recorded 33 points this season at the Second Stage Round 8. First ranked Frisco Sika faced 3rd ranked Basket Slovanka MB. Guests from Brno (22-1) smashed host Basket Slovanka MB (13-10) 106-63. Frisco Sika led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Swedish guard Frida Eldebrink orchestrated the victory by scoring 33 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds (on 15-of-17 shooting from the field).


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  TURKEY - Women  


Botas lands Quianna Chaney - by Eurobasket News
Quianna Chaney (180-G-86, college: LSU) is a new member of Botas. The American guard signed a one-year deal with her new club. She spent last season with Hatis Yerevan averaging 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 steals in five EuroCup games. Chaney is not a new face in Turkey, as she already played there on season 2009/10. She was a member of Samsun at that time registering 15 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.6 spg for 22 games. Samsun also competed in EuroCup, where Chaney added 12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg and 2 spg for 6 appearances. Season 2008/09, Chaney spent in Poland with Energa Torun.
Quianna Chaney is a product of the Louisiana State University, where she graduated in 2008. She had 14.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.3 apg and 1.6 spg for her school as a senior. They reached NCAA Final Four in 2006 and 2007.

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  UNITED KINGDOM - Women  


British University National Team 2011
British University National Team 2011
#s#
Dominique Allen
Allen
Rebecca Allison
Allison
Rose Anderson
Anderson
Tamzin Barroilhet
Barroilhet
Mairi Buchan
Buchan
#e#5
Dominique Allen 187-C-89 Oral Roberts University USA
Rebecca Allison 173-G-91 Old Dominion University USA
Rose Anderson 175-G-88 University of Central Oklahoma USA
Tamzin Barroilhet 182-G-90 Kent State University USA
Mairi Buchan 187-C-90 Old Dominion University USA
Ella Clark 190-F-92 Long Beach State University USA
Mary Durojaye 187-F-90 Robert Morris University USA
Chantelle Handy 191-F/C-87 MBK Ruzomberok Slovakia
Renee Johnson-Allen 167-G-90 Drexel University USA
Georgia Jones 172-G-90 Oral Roberts University USA
Yemi Oyefuwa 198-C-89 University of Maryland USA
Hannah Shaw 193-C-90 Nottingham Wildcats United Kingdom
Lauren Thomas-Johnson 178-G-88 Gran Canaria La Caja de Canarias Spain


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  USBA - Women  


NCAA, NAIA and all other professional basketball players needed for 2011 fall season - by USBA Media

Atlanta, Ga., (June 14, 2011) ---The Women's United States Basketball Association (WUSBA), needs professional women basketball players. The league will conduct tryouts in each team city on August 13, 2011. The WUSBA has sixteen teams divided into four divisions, spread over eight southern states. According to the league, the WUSBA tryouts are open to all qualified basketball players. The WUSBA owns and is the primary operator of all teams. Each team does operate independently of each other. The league has assigned an Event Manager as team representative for the local city.

Collegiate, minor league and international Player's are invited to submit resumes and biographies for consideration. We are also extending an invitation to basketball players who are based in our team cities. Players can submit their resumes to southernbasketballassociation@yahoo.com .

The WUSBA 2011 basketball season begins on June 4, 2011 with preseason games. The regular season starts August 27, 2011 to November 13, 2011. Each team plays a twenty six game schedule, thirteen home and thirteen away. The league has a mid season All Star Game scheduled for September 30 thru October 2, 2011. The WUSBA Championship Playoff series begins November 7, 2011 and concludes with the Championship game on November 13, 2011 in Macon, Georgia. The

The Southern Division will house the Atlanta Platinum, the Birmingham Starz, the Montgomery Spirit and the Macon Storm.

The Atlantic Division will field the Jacksonville Surf, the Richmond Colonials, the Savannah Seahawks and the Charleston Cadets.

The Appalachian Division will consist of the Knoxville Reign, the West Virginia Capitals, the Chattanooga Royal and the Nashville Thunder.

The Piedmont Division will send to court the Winston Salem Cardinals. The Charlotte Blue Wave, the Augusta Raging River and the Columbia Breeze

The WUSBA will not charge a fee to players for the tryouts. 'We have never had these fees as a part of our revenue stream; we encourage the huddled masses to come to the tryout'. The league requires each applicant submit a resume to the Women's United States Basketball Association or WUSBA. 'We do require all basketball players to have a minimum of two years collegiate playing experience'. Tryouts will be held to a 30 player limit set in place for all locations. Eleven basketball players will be selected to make the roster of a WUSBA team. Player camps will begin on August 14, 2011 in each team city. NCAA, NAIA and other professional players with verifiable statistics will be assigned to a team.

WUSBA president Duane Jenkins says, 'Announcing local tryouts gives us a prime opportunity for us to look closely at local talent and make the selection of players easy for our teams. We want our fans to be able to become familiar with the players and coaches and quite simply, the players and coaches will have ample time for players to select a team of his choice'.

The league has developed a comprehensive package for the coaches. Players are paid $350.00 per week. Players also receive housing and a daily meal at Golden Corral Buffet Restaurant. As a bonus, players will receive compensation for sponsor speaking engagements and sponsorship sales.

According to the league, each player will required to complete all applicable form during the registration period thats held the morning of the tryouts. 'We expect a huge response and each tryout is limited to 200 applicants, I suggest any candidate wishing to be considered should arrive at the try out location on time and ready to perform', said WUSBA Executive Vice President Kenneth Green. 'We're very excited about the upcoming season. None of our teams have players in place and this is a great opportunity for an aspiring individual who has the propensity to succeed'.

WUSBA
(404) 428-3411

southernbasketballassociation@yahoo.com



Feeding America and the WUSBA will continue partnership in the fall season - by USBA Media

Atlanta Ga., (June 14, 2011) - The Women's United States Basketball Association (WUSBA) will continue to ally with Feeding America. Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Feeding America collects and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products each year. It annually helps more than 25 million Americans living on the brink of hunger, including more than 9 million children and more than 3 million seniors. 'The difference of a persons success could very well depend on a hot meal, we will do everything humanly possible to assist this fine organization,' said WUSBA president and chief executive officer Duane Allen Jenkins. 'All children need to exceed their daily nutritional requirements.'

Inspiration behind this movement, which is a part of the WUSBA Youth Outreach programs, came to the realization of the need to help restock the cupboards and refill the nations food supply. The WUSBA and the WUSBA Youth Outreach have combined their efforts through a series of programs implemented in the leagues twenty cities in the southeast United States.

Food gathered will be distributed to the local Feeding America Food Bank outlet. 'These programs are just the beginning of our involvement with Feeding America,' said Jenkins. 'We tied our single game ticket promotions to continue collecting food products during our entire season. The league and the WUSBA Youth Outreach, the leagues nonprofit entity, will attempt to deliver an estimated 250,000 pounds of food products and fresh vegetables to the food banks during the WUSBA 2011 fall basketball season.

'We believe the basic food demands to the needy is rapidly growing and is becoming more critical,' ' What is more important than helping to ending hunger in America?' asks Jenkins, 'We are proud to stand in and help support the very important work performed by Feeding America, especially during these difficult economic times when more and more people need assistance putting food on the table. We hope our involvement will inspire others in the community to recognize this essential need and help us and support the work of Feeding America.'

'We are inspired by the efforts of the WUSBA and the WUSBA Youth Outreach, their involvement will help raise the critical need for awareness to tackle the terrible problem of hunger right here in our own country, particularly in hometown America' said Wendy Macgregor, Chief of Marketing of Feeding America. 'We welcome this endeavor, It's important to us all that we keep working to make sure that everyone in the United States and in our local communities understands that hard working American families live at risk of hunger, and that we can cure hunger in our nation.'

About Feeding America: Feeding America is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, Feeding America annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, Feeding America secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. To learn more, please visit www.Feedingamerica.org.

About Women's United States Basketball Association: The Women's United States Basketball Association (WUSBA) is a women's professional basketball league. The league has sixteen teams spread out over 8 southern states. The league was founded in January 2010. The league headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia.

About the WUSBA Youth Outreach: The WUSBA Youth Outreach is a not-for profit 501 (c) (3) companies. The WUSBA Youth Outreach is the foundation arm of the Women's United States Basketball Association. It has established programs to assist communities in their charitable efforts. The WUSBA Youth Outreach makes its services available to all communities of the WUSBA footprint.


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  VENEZUELA - Women  


U16 Brazil smashes U16 Venezuela in Merida - by Eurobasket News
U16 VENEZUELA - U16 BRAZIL 47-86

First win for Brazil at the U16 FIBA Americans championship in Media. They failed in Day One against Canada so not Brazil have 1-1 record in Group B. Venezuela also has 1-1 as they celebrated in their first game. Venezuela was better than Argentina. Both teams still have a chance to reach the next stage, but Brazil is in much better satiation now. Izabella Sangali came up with 21 points and 7 assists for the winners. Kananda Ribeiro (96) added double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Vitoria Domingos (96) followed with 12 pts and 10 rebs. In defeat, Daniela Morillo had 16 pts and 5 rebs. Mariangel Mendoza (95) stopped to 9 pts. Brazil was way better team during the entire meeting. Quarters: 20-25, 15-21, 4-24, 8-16).

Venezuela: Daniela Morillo 16+5 boards, Mariangel Mendoza 9
Brazil: Izabella Sangali 21+7 as, Kananda Ribeiro 20+12 boards, Vitoria Domingos 12+10 boards

Venezuelan U16 National Team 2011 - by Karol
4 Yasmily Accent 96
5 Marielka Garate 95
6 Vanessa Candallo 96
7 Yolimar Martinez 95
8 Daniela Wallen 95
9 Dakarlin Montoya 95
10 Celimar Castillo 95
11 Maholy Lovera 96
12 Siuly Marcano 96
13 Mariangel Mendoza 95
14 Lilibeth Maramara 96
15 Vanessa Toro 96



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  WBCBL - Women  


Dream catch Tropics Sleeping - by Willie McCray
Saturday, June 11, 2011
.
The Montgomery Dream of the WBCBL beat the Gulf Coast Tropics 104-52 on a powerful performance of Marquita Greene. Greene was selected as player of the game by leading the Dream with 25 pts and 8 rebounds. She was followed by five teammates in double figures. Shantae Robinson and 'Boo' Barnes with 14 pts, Tia Stovall and Latasha Thomas with 13 pts and Santana Seay with 12.

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  WNBA - Women  


Katie Douglas and Rebekkah Brunson named 'WNBA Players of the Week' - by Eurobasket News
Katie Douglas (6'1''-G/F-79, college: Purdue) of the Indiana Fever and Rebekkah Brunson (6'3''-F/C-81, agency: LBM Management, college: Georgetown) of the Minnesota Lynx were named the league's Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for regular season games played Friday, June 3 through Sunday, June 12.

While leading the Fever to a 2-1 record, Douglas ranked first in the WNBA in scoring with 21.0 points per game, in addition to a league-high 10 three-point field goals.

Her 27 points against New York on June 10 included a career-high and franchise record-tying six three-point field goals. A career 42% shooter from the floor overall, Douglas shot 54.5% from the field in the three games played, and her mark of 52.6% from beyond the three-point arc ranks second in the WNBA among players with at least 15 attempts.

Douglas is one steal away from becoming the first player in league history to eclipse plateaus for 500 three-point field goals and 500 steals.

Brunson finished first in the league in rebounding, averaging 14.0 rebounds, and second in field-goal percentage at 64.1%. She also averaged 14.8 points per game while leading the Lynx to a 3-1 record.

The seven-year veteran registered a double-double in four consecutive games, highlighted by 17 points and 15 rebounds in a victory over Tulsa on June 7, and 22 points and 14 rebounds over the defending champion Seattle Storm on June 9, snapping the Storm's 18-game regular season home winning streak. In addition, Brunson matched a career-high by dealing four assists in the season opener on June 3 against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Other candidates for WNBA Player of the Week were Atlanta's Erika de Souza, Chicago's Sylvia Fowles, Los Angeles's Candace Parker, New York's Plenette Pierson, San Antonio's Danielle Adams, Tulsa's Elizabeth Cambage, and Washington's Crystal Langhorne.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com