Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 6/18/2011

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Men News

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AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Tlaltli calls up 18 for training camp - by Kristian Santiago
Tunisian national-team head coach Adel Tlatli called up the following 18 players for the first two stages of preparations for the African Championships in August:

Marouana Kechrid (178-G-81) (US Monastir)
Mourad El Mabrouk (190-G-86) (Ezzahra)
Mohamed Amine Maghrebi (192-G/F-84) (Ezzahra)
Marwane Laghnej (190-G-86) (JS Kairouan)
Mohamed Abbassi (JS Kairouan)
Naim Dhifallah (196-G-82) (Jasco, Egypte)
Lassaad Chouaya (C. Africain)
Mahdi Ben Ghnia (203-F/C-87) (C. Africain)
Slim Boussetta (ES Rades)
Mokhtar Ghyaza (204-C-86) (ES Rades)
Mohamed Hadidane (205-F-86) (S.Nabeulien)
Bachir Hadidane (201-C-84) (S.Nabeulien)
Skander Lahmir (JS Menazah)
Zied Toumi (186-G-85) (ES Sahel)
Amine Rzig (199-G-80) (ES Sahel)
Makram Ben Romdhane (198-F-89) (ES Sahel)
Hamdi Braa (208-F/C-86) (ES Sahel)
Aymen Bouzid (ES Goulette)

The first three stages will be in Tunisia (Tunis, Ain Drahem and again Tunis) before the team departs towards Turkey to play Azerbaijan, Philippines, Iran, Portugal and Morocco in friendlies in July.
After that, the Tunisians are going to cross borders to Jordan to clash with Egypt, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Angola and Belgium before they depart to Paris, France in early August for a final tournament just before they leave for Madagascar.

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ARGENTINA

Ariel Zago joins Weber Bahia Estudiantes - by Eurobasket News
Weber Bahia Estudiantes have officially confirmed the arrival of Ariel Zago (203-C-85). The 25-year-old centre spent the last season with La Union. Ariel Zago tallied 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Ariel Zago used to play in Libertad Sunchales, La Union Colon, El Nacional Monte Hermoso. The centre was the member of U16, U18, U20 and U21 Argentinean selections.

Facundo Sucatzky moves to Atenas - by Eurobasket News
Atenas Cordoba secured the services of Facundo Sucatzky (176-G-72) for the next season. The 39-year-old guard is coming back to Atenas where he played back in 2003/04 season. Facundo Sucatzky had been playing for Pitagoras/Minas in Brazil since 2006. Last season the guard averaged 10.0 points, 4.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game in NBB. Latinbasket.com named Facundo Sucatzky All-Brazilian League Import Player of the Year back in 2009. The guard participated in NBB All-Star Games in 2010 and 2011. Facundo Sucatzky used to play for Argentinean National Team in 1999/2007 seasons.

Quilmes tab Roman Gonzalez - by Eurobasket News
Quilmes have agreed on terms of contract with Roman Gonzalez (211-C-78, agency: Interperformances). The deal is meant for next two seasons. Last season Roman Gonzalez played for Quimsa. The 33-year-old centre tallied 12.6 points and 6.6 boards per Liga Sudamericana game. In Liga Americas his stats read 5.0 points, 4.3 boards and 1.5 assists per appearance. In Liga A Roman Gonzalez posted 11.3 points, 5.2 boards and 1.1 steals. Roman Gonzalez also played for Deportivo San Anders, Ittihad, Libertad Sunchales, Rimini Crabs, Argentino, Leon Caja Espana, Regatas Corrientes, Penarol, San Carlos during his long basketball career. Roman Gonzalez played at 2010 World Championships. The centre notched 2.0 points and 2.8 rebounds for Argentina in Turkey. Roman Gonzalez was on Argentinean NT roster since 2005.

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AUSTRALIA

SBL ROUND 13 PowerPlayer of the Week - by Cesar Ochoa Villar
Matthew Knight (204-F/C-85, college: Loyola Marymount),Willetton Tigers, has been named Round Thirteen PowerPlayer of the Weekdue to an impressive performance this week. The Perth Wildcats forward star has claimed the award after leading his Tigers to two thrilling victories to keep them in touch with the Top Four.

Matthew Knight, who has completed a good season in Perth with the Wildcats, despite of his calf injury, averaging 12,4 ppg and 6,7 rpg,while shooting at 47,5% from the field, helped his team to reach the NBL semifinals, where they were been defeated against the 2010's NBL champions, the New Zealand Breakers.
After the end of the season, Matt choose to move to Willetton to help the Tigers in its SBL season, and to help himself to recover all the mobility in his legs and the good sensations that he had at the start of the 2010 NBL season.
Knight has averaged this week with the Tigers, 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 3,5 assist, completing his best SBL week in his career.
In the first game of the week, against Perth, past Friday, he helped his side to a 102-96 away win, in which the Australian forward has 26 points and 14 rebounds.
Then, Knight backed up with 30 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in a enormous thrilling overtime win over the Stirling Senators on Saturday (124-117).
Knight claims the honors, and the $50 voucher to PowerPlay Sports, over his team mate Robert Kampman who also had a solid weekend for the Tigers, averaging 34 points, 6 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
With this award, Matthew Knight has followed young forward Ben Purser (200-F/G-90, college: Augusta St.) as a winner of this weekly trophy.

Joe Ingles wins the title in Spain - by Eurobasket News
Joe Ingles (203-G/F-87, agency: Priority Sports) won the title in Spain with his team Regal Barca. The Australian International joined Barca in November last year and it was a great move. They won the Spanish Cup together and now Barca became the ACB champion. Ingles and his teammates blasted Bilbao with perfect 3-0 in the Finals. Ingles scored 19 points in this series (3 games). He appeared 31 times in ACB with Barca averaging 6.3 points and 1 assists. He also added 5 ppg and 1.1 rpg for 15 Euroleague games. Before Regal Barca, Ingles had 13.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.9 apg for 7 games with Granca.
Joe Ingles moved to Granca in 2009 from the Melbourne South Dragons. He is active member of the Australian National Team.

ACB Finals, Game 3: Bizkaia Bilbao - Regal Barca 55-64 (0-3)
Regal Barca is the new ACB champion! They outplayed Bilbao tonight on the road 55-64 winning the Finals with perfect 3-0. Last time Barca was the champion two years ago (2008/09). This is not the first trophy for Barca this season as they already celebrated in 'Copa del Rey' and Spanish SuperCup.
The guests trailed by 7 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 1-point lead at the halftime. Third quarter ended with 18-18, after what Barca exploded in the last ten minutes (8-16) for the final 55-64 victory. The best player for the winners was international guard Juan Carlos Navarro who scored 16 points and 4 assists. He was named MVP of the Finals. Guard Victor Sada chipped in 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international forward Alex Mumbru who recorded 14 points and 6 rebounds and Belgian forward Axel Hervelle added 8 points and 7 rebounds respectively.
Regal Barca was the regular season champion in ACB with 27-7 record. They eliminated Unicaja in the Quarterfinals (2-0) and defending champion Caja Laboral in the Semis (3-0).

Big V: Round 12 preview - by Eurobasket News
Ringwood vs. Waverley Sat 18/6 8.15pm @ Maroondah Indoor Sports Centre
Have we been waiting for this match up or what???
Weve got more questions than answers around this game. Who IS the favourite out of
Ringwood and Waverley? How keen are Ringwood to atone for last years game 3 loss? Are
Waverley deliberately down-playing to remain under-dogs? What effect will Kevin Benns
suspension have on his team? Can the Corletto / Hill combo destroy the Falcons defence? Will
Thomas Haynes get a haircut?
Seriously folks, this SHOULD be an absolute cracker of a game with the potential to break the
division wide open. Dont forget, the team to finish fourth will almost certainly earn the honour
of facing Eltham in the first round of finals. Realistically, thats what were all playing for!

Diamond Valley vs. Hume City Sat 18/6 8.00pm @ Diamond Valley Sports & Fitness
The Broncos currently sit sixth on the SCM ladder at 6 & 7, a mere two wins off third spot. And,
based on current form, youd have to be brave to tip anything other than a Hume City win. So
what happens this week if Bulleen get up, as expected, over Melbourne, and Waverley take care
of Ringwood? Suddenly the Broncos are in with a serious shot at a top 4 finish. These next few
rounds are going to make or break the Broncos fate!

Sherbrooke vs. Eltham Sun 19/6 3.00pm @ Belgrave Heights Christian College
On paper, youd go the stacked to the max Wildcats any day of the week. Trigger is just a
machine at both ends of the floor and his supporting cast would get a run on any NBL roster. But
you know the old champion team versus a team of champions thing? And a champion team is
definitely what coach Estcourt has assembled up there in the mountains. Im not prepared to
write them out of this one.

Melbourne vs. Bulleen Sun 19/6 3.00pm @ Nth Melbourne Rec Centre
Okay, Ill eat my words here. A few rounds ago we, or more specifically, I, predicted a Bulleen
slide, but theyre still hanging in that top 4, so apologies guys. Youre the real deal this year. I
was wrong! Right, that out of the way, lets have a looky at this weeks contest. Coach Giffening,
or as we now call him A-Gif, got a real good look at Bennie Lewis when they teamed up in last
weekends Big Bounce. Unfortunately for Bennie, thats the closest look at a win hes going to
get for some time.
Courtesy of: bigv.com.au

Spain over run AIS 70-57 - by Eurobasket News
The AIS Men completed game three of the Ping Guo leg of their Chinese Tour tonight as they took on Spain in a grueling encounter.

Despite going down 70-57, the margin reflected a 15 point improvement by the AIS team from their first game against Spain only four days earlier.

The game was incredibly tight through the first half, with no more than six points separating the teams at any one point. The AIS showed signs of being much more comfortable within the team structure which was highlighted by 50 per cent Field Goal shooting throughout the first quarter.

Another positive for the AIS was the balanced scoring approach that the offense provided.

On the defensive end the focus from Coach Stacker was containment of the ball, team rotations against on-ball screens, and box out and finish the play off. The message got through, as the AIS were ferocious on the boards.

Nick Kaye and Matthew Andronicos were instrumental in this, securing three first half Offensive Boards each, as well as a number of defensive boards.

At times, Spain looked like they were going to break the game open, but each time they did the AIS refocused, fought back hard and regained some momentum of their own.

Dante Exum was again proving to be a hard matchup for the opposition as he moved his own tally up to 10 points on a trademark drive down the middle of the court to bring the margin to four at the main break.

In the 3rd and 4th quarters Spains height and physical strength started to become more of a factor. Boasting multiple seven footers in their line-up, as well as some decent sized guards they looked to pound the ball inside with more regular frequency.

At times during the 3rd quarter the lead pushed out past 10, but each time the AIS were able to bring it back to single figures. Even right up until the final 15 seconds of the game there was a sense that the AIS were right about the mark, especially given the AISs history of comebacks throughout the tournament. Whilst it was not to be on this occasion, Coach Ian Stacker was pleased that his Men are getting closer to putting in four good quality quarters.

The stats for the two teams were virtually identical with Spain finishing with a slightly higher shooting percentage, due in large to their number one big man going 20 points at 75 per cent efficiency. For the AIS Dante Exum top scored with 20 with Owen Odigie next best with 12.

Match report by Mathew Neason, Scholarship Coach
Courtesy of: www.basketball.net.au

QBL Round six preview - by Eurobasket News
Townville Heat vs. South West Metro Pirates
Friday 17th June, 8:15pm @ NPA Stadium
Townsvilles first half against the Bulls last week was possibly their best half of the season thus far. The Heat outscored the Bulls 63-30, while shooting at a phenomenal 65% from the field. They continued to keep the Bulls at bay in the second half winning the game by 24 points. Daniel Egan (197-F-79) (20 points & 11 rebounds) and Todd Blanchfield (18 points) starred for the Heat in the win. The following day Townsville cruised to victory over the Clippers, with the majority of the squad seeing some solid court time.

As has been the case in most of their games this season the Pirates were right in their Round 6 match with the Marlins. However, the Pirates could not do enough in the final quarter and went down 83-80. Brendan Teys (24 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Zac Carter (199-F/G-89) (24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) were outstanding in the loss and will both have to be strong on this weeks Sunshine Swing.

Townsville will have one eye on next weeks match with the undefeated Rollers, but will need to show the Pirates some respect otherwise they could be in for a shock.

Toowoomba Mountaineers vs. Mackay Meteors
Saturday 18th June, 7:00pm @ USQ, Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre
Toowoomba produced one of their most disappointing performances of the season last week going down to the Power 99-83. The Mountaineers defense was again a problem conceding 99 points, but their attack also faulted shooting 25/82 field goals and 6/24 3 pointers. Rashad Chases continuing improvement is one positive for the Mountaineers. Chase had a season high 26 points in the loss to the Power, while also pulling down 15 rebounds.

Mackays losing streak was ended in Round 6, when they defeated the Suns by 20 points. George Deba (183-G-85) was efficient for the Meteors in the win with 23points @ 64.3%, while Tim Coenraad (10 points & 10 rebounds) and Luke Harvey (12 points & 10 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles. The Meteors still have one of the most talented line-ups in the QBL and should be a threat come finals time. However, they will be hoping that their star recruits fire on this Road-Trip, otherwise they will have a lot of work to do in the back end of the season.

If Legan and Chase see plenty of the ball the Mountaineers are a chance, but if Mackay shut them down they should take the win comfortably.

Northside Wizards vs. Bundaberg Bulls
Saturday 18th June, 7:00pm @ The Sports Centre
Even without Chris Goulding the Wizards still gave the Rollers a run for their money in their match last week. Shaun Gleeson produced a scintillating game against his former team with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists, but it was not enough as the Rollers won the match 81-70. The Wizards front line must step-up in this crucial match with the Bulls, who will be desperate for a win after being towelled up by the Heat in Round 6.

This weeks Road-Trip is huge for the Bulls, coming up against Pool B rivals Northside and Brisbane. Last week the Bulls had a chance to prove themselves against a quality opposition, but came up well short losing to the Heat by 24 points. The Wizards will want to adopt a similar game plan to the Heat, who managed to keep the dangerous Willie Shackleford and Matthew Hanson (201-C/F-84) well contained.

Northside struggled against the Rollers front court last week and Bundaberg will be hoping to exploit their clear size advantage in this game. When the sides last met Shackleford was unstoppable with 23pts @ 61.1% and 24rbs and if he can get close to these numbers again the Bulls will be confident of starting their trip with a win.

Cairns Marlins vs. South West Metro Pirates
Saturday 18th June, 8:00pm @ Bendigo Bank Stadium
For the second time in two weeks the Marlins and Pirates will meet. Last week these sides played out a see-sawing match that saw both teams produce some massive comebacks. South West began the match the stronger taking a 10 point lead into the first break. But, with Brendan Teys forced to bench due to foul trouble early in the second, Dwayne Vale exploded for the Marlins in the second and they could do nothing wrong, outscoring the Pirates 34-9, shooting at 75% from the field and making 6/6 3 pointers.

South West recovered in the third to cut the deficit to three points with one quarter to play. The Marlins dug deep in the fourth to hold on for a narrow 83-80 victory. Dwayne Vale was tremendous for the Marlins in the win finishing the match with a league high 34 points, which included 7/11 3 pointers. Sadly for the Marlins they could not reproduce their form the next day going down to the Capitals 79-62.

The Pirates problem all season has been their ability to closeout games. After coming so close last round the Pirates will be determined to go one better in this game; however the win will prove a more difficult task on Cairns home court.

Gladstone Power vs. Rockhampton Rockets
Saturday 18th June, 8:00pm @ Kev Broome Stadium
Gladstone had a mixed Round 6 losing their first game against the Force and then turning things around the following day to take care of Toowoomba. The Power would have gained plenty of confidence from their trip, especially from their improved offensive output. James Cripe was prevalent for the Power in the two matches averaging 21ppg and 10rpg, while Keith Borgan was sensational against the Mountaineers with 29 points @ 60% and 6 assists.

Rockhampton had little trouble overcoming the Suns last week taking the honours in every quarter. Travis Reed (203-C-79, agency: Court Side, college: Long Beach St.) was at his best against the Suns, playing 25 minutes and finishing the match with 29 points hitting 14-19 from the field, while pulling down 12 rebounds, handing out 2 assists and coming up with two shot blocks. For his efforts in the match Reed took out his first QBL Player of the Week Award.

Gladstone and Rockhampton have one of the most intense rivalries in the QBL and Kev Broome Stadium is sure to be packed to the rafters for the match. Rockhampton recorded comprehensive wins in both matches last season and will be aiming for the same result in this game knowing that a loss will prove costly to their 2011 season hopes.

Maroochydore Clippers vs. Caboolture Suns
Saturday 18th June, 8:00pm @ Maroochydore Indoor Stadium
Maroochydores horror season continued in Round 6 losing to the Heat 85-68. Things were looking optimistic for the Clippers at quarter time only trailing Townsville by 1 point. However, Townsville flicked the switch in the following two quarters and opened up a huge lead, extinguishing any hope the Clippers had of winning the match. Zeke Meehl fought gallantly all match and finished with 15 points and 3 assists, while Josh Tueta played his first game of the season for the Clippers providing them with some desperately needed size.

Caboolture have endured a torrid fortnight which has included matches against Northside, Gold Coast, Mackay and Rockhampton. Last week the Suns were soundly beaten in both of their matches. Evan Browne showed that he could mix it with the best with 24 points and 3 assists in the loss to Mackay, while Timothy Kearney gave it his all in the loss to Rocky with 19 points and 8 rebounds.

The Suns Gianni Costantiello will be looking for big game against his former side. Costantiello who is the Suns marquee signing for 2011 has had a slow start to the year, only averaging 8.0ppg and 7.8rpg, but this could be the game where he explodes.

Brisbane Capitals vs. Bundaberg Bulls
Sunday 19th June, 1:00pm @ NAB Stadium
Brisbanes emergence as a title contender continued in Round 6, when they defeated the Marlins 79-62. The Capitals were all over the Marlins, out rebounding them 49 to 29 and shooting at an impressive 49.2% from the field. Tom Garlepp backed up his Round 5 POW award with another solid performance finishing the match with 20 points and 15 rebounds, while young guns Brendan Carroll (191-G-93) (14 points) and Ben Wilson (12 points) also impressed. Brisbane is in a great position on the ladder, given that out of their 10 remaining games 7 of them will be played at home.

This is a season defining Road-Trip for the Bulls. Bundaberg have only won two games coming into Round 7 and with their Pool B rivals Brisbane and Northside in a much better position on the ladder they will be aiming to put in two strong performances against them. The Bulls 11th ranked defense will need to lift a gear for the match with the Capitals, whose offense is the best in the competition averaging 88.50ppg.

When the sides last met the Capitals won a high scoring encounter 114-92 and unless the Bulls defense steps up we could see a similar result in this one.

Toowoomba Mountaineers vs. Gold Coast Rollers
Sunday 19th June, 2:00pm @ USQ, Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre
Toowoomba take the court for their second game of the weekend in a rare home double header. The Mountaineers will be hoping for an improved outing against the Rollers, who defeated them 106-83 only a few weeks ago. In this match the Mountaineers could not find anyone to guard Adam Gibson who recorded a whopping 47 points for the match. After a slowish start to his QBL career Toowoombas import Rashad Chase has found his feet and has averaged 21.3ppg, 9.6rpg and 4.3apg in his last three outings.

Gold Coast Rollers have cemented themselves on top of the QBL ladder after knocking off The Northside Wizards 81 70 in Round 6. Rollers forward Jason Aucoin and Scott McGregor led the way both registering double-doubles to guide the team over the line. While evergreen McGregor led with 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 40 minute performance, he and head coach Mick Conlon both rated Aucoin the teams best, with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

The Rollers will be looking ahead to their North Queensland Road-Trip in Round 8, but will need to be focus for this match as the Mountaineers will be out for redemption.

Northside Wizards vs. Mackay Meteors
Sunday 19th June, 2:00pm @ The Sports Centre
Neither team will be able to use fatigue as an excuse for a loss, with both teams backing up for their second game of the round. Without the services of Chris Goulding last week Northside lacked penetration in offense against the Rollers and went down 81-70. One player though who did make an impact was Shaun Gleeson who finished the match with 29 points and has surely been the buy of the season. One area of the Wizards game which has been functioning well all season is their defense, which is conceding a League best 72.25ppg.

Despite losing three of their past four matches the Meteors are not too far off the pace, and with their line-up now settled they are only going to get better as the season progresses. Last week the Meteors recorded a comfortable win over the Suns with George Deba making the most of his 21 minutes on the court with 23 points.

When these sides played in 2010 the Meteors ran out convincing winners with Tim Coenraad (28 points & 12 rebounds) dominating for the Meteors. Coenraad, Martin and Deba will shoulder a heavy load for Mackay and with Goulding expected to be missing from the Wizards line up again this week, their class should be enough to get them over the line.
Courtesy of: QBL

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BALTIC LEAGUE

BELGIUM

Marcus Faison will leave Oostende - by Eurobasket
The Club and Player agreed to not extend their current contract, Marcus Faison (196-G-78, agency: Lanshire Group, college: Siena) a member of Belgium National Team and the leading Scorer of the Euro 2011 Qualification rounds with 10.8ppg helped Telenet Oostende reach Belgium Cup Finals, Belgium Legaue Final 4 and Also finishing 3rd in EuroChallange Cup. Former Malaga player with Belgium Citizenship played 14 games in Eurochallange cup averiging 7.6ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 35.3%, FT: 68.2%, and in Belgium League: 32 games: 8.2ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.5apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 45.4%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 65.7%. Had 17 points and 4 rebounds against French champions Nancy in Eurochallange Cup. Faison came to Osotende this season from Ukrainian team Dnipro where he averaged 16.2ppg, 4.7rpg and also played for DASH Peresteri In Greece: 12.5ppg, 3.2rpg.

Ethias League News - by Peter Buyse
Dutch center Peter Van Paassen (211-C/F-78, college: St.Bonaventure) leaves Dexia Mons-Hainaut after one season and is planning on returning to Eiffel Tower Dem Bosch. This was reported by his agency.
Van Paassen was on loan to Mons-Haunaut from Den Bosch> He formerly played for Arik Shivek at Amsterdam.
This season he won the Belgian cup with Dexia and had averages of 7.0 ppg and 3.6 in the Ethisa league.

In regards to the news posted below, Eurobasket Belgium has now received confirmation of the departure of Marcus Faison from the Oostende managment.

Charleroi Transfer News - by Peter Buyse
Big transfer for Spirou Charleroi who signed one of the best Czech players ever and a bone fine former NBA player in Jiri Welsch (201-F-80).
Juri's pro career really took off when playing in Slovenia for Olimpija Ljubljana from 2000 to 2002. In so far it got him noticed by the NBA and he was subsequently drafted in 2002 who drafted him with the 16th pick. He never played for Philadelphia but did end up signing a 3 year deal with the Golden State Warriors for the 2002-2003 season when he played 37 games for them. Was traded to Dallas during the summer of 2003 before being traded again to the Boston Celtics with whom he had his best NBA season with 9.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 2.3 apg. Between 2004 and 2006 he played a total of 129 regular season games for the Celtics, Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Next up was the second best league in the world, namely Spain. Between 2006 and 2010 he played for Unicaja Malaga in both the Euroleague and the Spanish league.
This past season he moved from Malaga to Estudiantes Madrid. At Madrid he also played EuroCup;
Over his long career Jiri played for pretty much all possible Czech national teams starting with the U18 all the way to U22 as well as the University NT and the senior team.
With this transfer of Welsch who signed a 2 year deal, Spirou adds a world of experience to their roster.

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BRAZIL

Sorocaba sign back Marcos Hubner and two from Sao Jose dos Campos - by Paulo Freire
The Sorocaba Basketball Team (LSB) who is trying to be on the next NBB season, announced their first official hiring in order to strengthen their roster for the Paulista State Championship Series A1. This is the center Marcos Hubner (204-F/C-82, college: Abil.Christian), more knowing as Marcao, 28 years old, who returns to the team after one year. Marcao was in Sao. Jose/Ceap from Amapa city, for which he was champion of the Brazil Cup Region North and played in the Super Cup Brazil this year.

'I am very happy to be back, it was a dream I had,' said the player, who was part of the group of LSB on the New Millennium Tournament that won the championship in 2010. If the Sorocaba team is confirmed among the participants in the next NBB2011/2012 Brazil, the new player will also be in the group. The team still chasing a sponsorship that could help them get into the national championship race.

According to information confirmed Sorocaba also has confirmed the addition of two more players. The smallforward Fabricio Russo (196-F-85) and guard Paulo Nery (188-G-81) hit their way out from A.E. Sao Jose/Unimed/Vinac and both will play for Sorocaba next season.

'I am grateful to all people of San Jose, but nobody from the team really came to talk to me and I also had to find a team where I could get more playing time on the court, more time to show my work. I'm happy to play again the Paulista State Championship and being able to play again NBB. ' Said Fabricio.

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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

LIME and BVI Hoop It Up - by David Edole
LIME BVI has translated its LIME. ForLiving. Everyday motto in yet another practical way.

LIME is touching, in a very positiveway, the everyday lives of pre-teen and teenage boys and girls in Tortola, by partnering with and sponsoring the Books & Basketball After School Camp Programme of the BVI Hoop it UpFoundation.

LIME BVI is confident that their corporate sponsorship will well serve local youth in cultivatingor improving their real life skills and unlocking their potential.

With tutoring and mentoring sessions as well as homework assistance and nutritional sessions being held at the basketball camps, new windows of opportunities are created for these students.

LIMEs sponsorship covers full bus transportation service for the after school camp. This service picks up the students at their respective school, transports them to the camp and thenlater, transports the children to their respective homes.

Currently, underway is the Books and Basketball After School Camp, which program consistsof homework and academic tutoring sessions on Tuesday and Thursdays. Basketball training is conducted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Each session incorporates instruction concerning the importance of good social skills (good manners and good behavior) as well as the importance of developing a healthy lifestyle i.e., nutrition, diet and exercise.

Hoop it Up, which was founded in 2008 by its now incumbent president Steve Parillon, holdsbasketball camps throughout the year.

Through basketball, a favourite past time of VirginIslands youth, the Foundation helps to develop and hone the social, academic and decision making skills of these youth. While they improve their basketball and athletic abilities, theirenergies are diverted away from the all too prevalent and sinister past times that are surfacing inour community.

LIME is able to continue to build, connect and serve the BVI Community through this newbasketball foundation. Recently, basketball coaches Donnie Arey and Antonio Perez from theOrlando Magic Organization of the (US) National Basketball Association visited the students at the Books and Basketball After School Camp. Exciting mentoring sessions by professionalssuch as these, assist the Foundation in reaching its objectives.

With the emphasis of this camp being on the islands youth, LIME is pleased that it can use itscorporate citizenship to continue working to help improve life in the British Virgin Islands.

For more information on the Foundation, please visit http://www.myspace.com/bvihoopitupfoundation

LIME / BVI Hooptup Foundation
Thursday, June 16th, 2011 at 4:26 pm

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BULGARIA

Levski and Asen Velikov part ways - by Eurobasket News
Asen Velikov (188-G-86) is no longer a member of Levski. His contract expired and Levski decided not to offer an extension to Velikov. The 25-year-old guard spent last four years with Levski. He joined them in 2007 from Lukoil Akademik. Last season, Velikov appeared 35 times in Bulgarian league averaging 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists. They reached NBL Finals, but Lukoil was too strong for them. In Balkan League, Velikov added 7 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 2.3 apg. There, Levski reached Semifinals.
Asen Velikov helped Levski win the Balkan League title in 2010. He had 5.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg and 2.8 apg for 35 games in the regional championship. As mentioned above, Velikov played for Lukoil before he joined Levski. He won the title and cup with Lukoil in 2007, but had very limited playing time. In the past, Velikov also played for Cherno More.

Levski targets Chavdar Kostov - by Eurobasket News
According to Bulgarian media, Levski will try to bring in Chavdar Kostov (196-G-88, agency: Interperformances) for the next season. Reportedly, the team has already offered Kostov a deal, but they still wait for the answer. Kostov played for Levski youth selections in the past (cadet team).
Chavdar Kostov spent last season in Greece as a member of Kavala. He had limited playing time in A1 averaging 3.2 points and 2 rebounds for 25 games. Kavala ended as No.6 with 12-14 record. They faced with PAOK in the Quarterfinals and were eliminated with 0-2. Before Kavala, Kostov spent six years with Lukoil Akademik winning six NBL titles with them.
Chavdar Kostov is active member of the Bulgarian National Team. He played 8 games for them during the Qualifications to European Championships 2011 registering 9.5 ppg and 2.8 rpg. He also played for the Bulgarian NT at the EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.

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CANADA

Five teams meet pro basketball deadline - by Eurobasket News
Five ownership groups have met the deadline for applications to join the National Basketball League of Canada.

Groups from Barrie, Ont., and Charlottetown, P.E.I. submitted their applications along with $25,000 deposits Wednesday.

They join Ontario applicants from Kingston, Oshawa and London. A group from New Hampshire, which was trying to establish a franchise in Moncton, did not apply while another group from Laval, Que. had not made their intentions known as of 11 p.m.

'I know that Prince Edward Island and Laval, Que., and Moncton were all working hard today to get paperwork in,' Ian McCarthy, interim chief operating officer for the league, said early Wednesday evening. 'Moncton and P.E.I. were going right down to the wire.'

Charlottetown businessmen Duncan Shaw and Darren MacKay met earlier this week with Mayor Clifford Lee to negotiate bringing a team to the P.E.I. capital. They managed to get the application in late Wednesday night. Barrie also cut it close.

A decision on all five applications will be made prior to the league's first general meeting June 29 in Toronto.

'We evaluate their applications based on financial ability to have their franchise as well as paying the fee to join and then they need to have a lease that they end up signing with their venue.

Those are really the things that lead to them being approved,' McCarthy said.

The cost of establishing a team is estimated between $500,000 and $750,000 and applicants now have until June 29 to negotiate an arena lease.

'Today's (Wednesday) deadline was just that they submit the application, it wasn't that they were approved, so we wanted to have sometime before the owners meeting June 29 to make sure that the teams we invite to the owners meeting were approved and be able to announce those all at once and be able to get dates so we can do a schedule in July. That's why this date is ahead of the owners meeting date,' McCarthy said.

McCarthy said he thought the Laval group would be applying for the 2012-2013 season, while Bill Miller from the New Hampshire group said they will be working toward next season as well.

'To think that all these franchises are coming to the table paying fees to join and understand the division of the league and really getting on board in a short amount of time is really exciting,' said McCarthy, also the general manager and president of the Saint John Mill Rats.

The Mill Rats, Halifax Rainmen and Quebec Kebs established the Canadian pro league in May after three seasons playing in the Premier Basketball League.

The league is to open training camps in October with a 30-game regular season and playoff schedule to be played between November and March. Following the June 29 meeting, the league is to announce its member teams for next season. Schedules, a draft date and league rules are to be decided in July.

Its board will also vote on the minimum number of Canadian players each team must have on its roster. McCarthy estimated that number will be between two and four.

Courtesy of http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com

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CBL

Jason Smith named CBL Player of the Week - by Eurobasket News
The Birmingham Sabers guard, Jason Smith is the CBL player of the Week for June 6 - June 12, 2011. Smith is a native of Hoover, AL where he attended Hoover High School. He is a 6'0' guard that attended the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH). He was the leading scorer Sabers games on 6/5/11 and 6/10/11 where is scored 31 and 28 respectively.

On Friday, June 10th, Jason again led the Sabers to a win against the Florida Flight with 28 points and 13 assists. Jason is a leader on and off the court where he currently works alongside his brother Joe Smith, who plays in Israel, at various professional basketball players camps across the country. He also assists his brother with the Joe Smith Camp each year in Birmingham, AL. Jason Smith has also played basketball overseas in several countries where he led his teams in assists and points.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

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CHINA

Seven Cut from National Team Before Trip to Australia, Singapore - by Arthur Volbert
Coach Bob Donewald Jr. announced that seven players have been dropped from the Chinese National team:

Han Shuo
Peng Fei
Dong Hanlin
Liu Ziqiu
Duan Jiangpeng
Zhang Kai
Zhang Songtao

The roster now contains 20 players. The National Team has left Beijing to start a 10-day training session in Australia and Singapore. 16 players made the trip:

Guards: Liu Wei, Yu Shulong, Xirilijiang, Wang Shipeng, Zhang Qingpeng, Zhang Bo, Sun Yue
Forwards: Zhu Fangyu, Ding Jinhui, Zhou Peng, Yi Li, Wang Lei, Mo Ke,
Centers: Wang Zhizhi, Su Wei, Zhang Zhaoxu

Yao Ming is still listed on the team but there is no real possibility of his playing this year. Yi Jianlian is in private professional training in the USA. Guo Ailun is playing with the Under-19 team. Young Meng Duo (192-G/F-90), who was the team's leading scorer in the East Asian Championship but was not ready to handle increased responsibilities in the loss to Japan, did not make the trip for unknown reasons.

China will play an exhibition with an NBL team, the Perth Widlcats, 5-time NBL champion (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000 and 2010) before playing the Australian national team in 2 exhibitions on June 24th and 26th. The June 24th game will be in Perth and the series then will be moved to Singapore for the second match-up on June 26. This two-game series will become an annual competition for the 2 countries.

Chinese NBL round 3 best performance: Benson Egemonye - by Eurobasket News
Nigerian center Benson Egemonye (207-C-83) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for Heilongjiang, receiving a Asia-basket.com NBL Player of the Week award for round 3.
The 27-year old player had a double-double of 32 points and 29 rebounds, while his team beat Jiangsu (#10, 0-3), the league's bottom-ranked team 131-120. Heilongjiang is placed at 8th position in Chinese NBL. Heilongjiang is rather a weak team placed in lower part in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 1-2 record. Egemonye just recently signed at Heilongjiang, being already a very valuable addition to the team. Former Niagara University star has very solid stats this year. Egemonye. Egemonye is in league's top in points (2nd best: 29.0ppg) and averages impressive 1.7bpg and 70.7% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was 22-year old American Kenny Lawson (205-C-88) of Jiangsu. Lawson had a very good evening with a double-double of 43 points and 16 rebounds. Bad luck as Jiangsu lost that game 120-131 to Heilongjiang (1-2). The season is still at the very beginning and this lost game may not be such crucial, of course if they start win the games. Let's wait for the next round. Lawson is one of the most experienced players at Jiangsu and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 23.7ppg (#7). He also registered 13.3 boards per game.

Third on the list of top players last round was American forward Alan Wiggins (206-F-85) of Whampoa (#4). Wiggins scored 28 points and grabbed seventeen rebounds (!!!). Despite Wiggins' great performance Whampoa lost 79-99 to Hangzhou (#7, 1-2). But his team cannot count on just a single shooter as he also needs help of the other teammates. The last thing Whampoa needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams. Their record is 2 victories and 1 lost games. Wiggins has a great season in China. After only 3 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 26.0ppg (3rd best) and rebounds with 15.7rpg (3rd best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Terence Dials (206-F/C-83) of Hebei - 24 points and 20 rebounds
5. Dante Milligan (206-F-84) of Hangzhou - 27 points, 18 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Corey Allmond (188-G-88) of ShenYang - 37 points and 4 rebounds
7. DeAngelo Collins (206-F-82) of ShenYang - 24 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists
8. Kenneth Simms (203-C-86) of Ningxia Hanas - 20 points and 15 rebounds
9. Nick Stallings (190-G-83) of Changan Group - 18 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists
10. Christopher Lawson (193-F-83) of Hebei - 19 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists

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

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DENMARK

Horsens extend contract with Christian Lindberg - by Eurobasket News
Christian Lindberg (195-F-83) will spend the next season in Horsens. The sides have agreed on terms of contract extension. The 27-year-old averaged 6.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game in the previous season. It will be the fourth straight season with Horsens for Christian Lindberg.

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EUROLEAGUE

Draws for 2011-12 season announced - by Eurobasket News
Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that the first calendar events of a new and exciting basketball season the draws for the 2011-12 Turkish Airlines Euroleague, Eurocup Qualifying Rounds and EuroChallenge will be held on Thursday, July 7 at the Mediapro Auditorium, Imagina in Barcelona, Spain.

For the sixth consecutive year, the 2011-12 draws may be seen live on Euroleague.net. Immediately after the draw, fans can also see live-streamed interviews on Euroleague.net with Turkish Airlines Euroleague team coaches and managers giving their impressions of the draw results.

The draws will begin at 11:00 local time (CET). The draw for the EuroChallenge will be held first, and then the qualifying-rounds matchups for the Eurocup will be determined. Finally, beginning at 12:00 CET, the qualifying-round matchups and regular-season groups for the 2011-12 Turkish Airlines Euroleague will be drawn. A Eurocup regular season draw will take place in the fall, after all qualified teams are known.

The complete schedule for the Draws is:

11:00 11:40: EuroChallenge Draw and Eurocup Qualifying Rounds Draw
12:00 12:30: Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds Draw and Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season Draw

Courtesy of Euroleague

Unics Kazan officially signs Nathan Jawai - by Eurobasket News
As expected, Nathan Jawai (207-C-86, college: Midland CC) will play next season in Unics Kazan. The Australian big guy signed a one-year deal with the club. Jawai arrives to Unics from Partizan Belgrade, where he spent 2010/11. He helped them defend the Adriatic and Serbian league titles, as well as the Serbian Cup. In Euroleague, Partizan reached Top16.
Nathan Jawai appeared 16 times in Euroleague this season averaging 9.1 points and 5 rebounds. In Adriatic league his numbers were 10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 1.2 apg for 28 games. In Serbian championship Jawai added 8.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg. He joined Partizan last summer from the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also played 38 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season registering 3.2 ppg and 2.7 rpg. In the past, Jawai was a member of the Australian Institute Sport, Midland CC and Cairns Taipans. In 2008/09, he played few games for the Toronto Raptors.

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FINLAND

1.DIVISION: Two new Coaches - by Rauno Hurmalainen
Division 1 has two new Coaches in coming 2011-12 season. Newcomer YMCA Oulu has signed a 2-year-contract with Head Coach Juha Valkama , 37, who has played
on FoKoPo (Forssa) roster and been coaching LoKoKo (Loimaa) for three years in Division 2. and 1. Tarmo (Porvoo) will have Petri Uronen (185-G-76), 34, at the end of the bench. Uronen has played eight seasons on Top level and later coaching junior teams in Porvoo. Now Uronen has a goal to become a professional basketball coach. Tarmo was his first team as a player and will be his first team also as a coach.

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GABON

Manga and Somo clash in finals - by Kristian Santiago
Manga Basket de Moanda and Somo B Libreville will be heading to the finals after Manga Basket defeated Olympic Mandji 80-67 in the semis and Somo B Libreville did the same with Tongui (69-59).
Both final games will be played at the Henry Sylvoz Stadium in Moanda this Saturday and Sunday.

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GERMANY

EnBWv Ludwigsburg Name Steven Key New Assistant Coach - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

EnBW Ludwigsburg have named Steven Key new assistant coach. Key helped keep the Giessen 46ers in the beko BBL last season and has had experience coaching the Duesseldorf Magic some years ago. Key once played in Ludwigsburg as a player a little more than 10 years ago and is thrilled about coming back to Ludwigsburg. 'I am very happy about being able to come back a second time to Ludwigsburg and now be able to work together with Markus Jochum Ludwigsburg work very professional and have a good structure. Ludwigsburg has developed well the last years and have agood infrastructure. I am glad to be a part of the club and can hardly wait to work with the guy', expressed Steven Key . Key also worked as a coach in the UNited States in the WNBA for the Chicago Sky where he was assistant coach, coach and general manager. Head coach Markus Jochum is also happy about having Key on board. 'Steve fits very well into our program. He was a great player and got a lot of experience in the last years. He has great qualities with young players and in individual training. I am happy to have such an experience guy on our side', stated Markus Jochum

Source: EnBW Ludwigsburg

Uwe Sauer New Coach Of USC Heidelberg - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
There had been speculation that Uwe Sauer might land in Giessen weeks ago, but instead Bjorn Harmsen came on board, but Sauer didnt have to wait long before getting a new coaching job as PRO A team USC Heidelberg named him coach today. Sauer has ties to the club as he played there from 1981-1984. Already as an 18 year old, Sauer experienced leaving the Bundesliga and then going back one season later. Sauer had a lot of success as a player playing at the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles and finished his career as German national player with 55 games. He played 13 seasons in the Bundesliga. As a coach, Sauer has had experience coaching Tuebingen, Karlsruhe, Kaiserslautern, the Mitteldeutscher BC and recently BG Illertal. 'I am happy to be able to coach in Heidelberg where my career as a player started', stressed Uwe Sauer

Source. USC Heidelberg

BBC Bayreuth Add Tom Spoeler - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

After playing in the PRO A last season, Tom Spoeler (206-F-88) heads back to the beko BBL as BBC Bayreuth awarded the young German with a two year contract with an option for a third year. Spoeler is a 23 year old 206cm forward that was born in Coesfeld. Last season, he played for the GiroLive-Ballers Osnabrueck (ProA, starting five): 24 games: 13.1ppg, 6.4rpg, 1.1apg, FGP-3 (66.4%), 3PT: 40.3%, FT: 83.1%. BBC Bayreuth coach Andreas Wagner continues to show that he doesnt shy away from helping develop young German players as Spoeler will play together with other young Germans Stefan Schmidt and Simon Schmitz. 'This is a great thing for talented players. BBC Bayreuth invests a lot into this', added Tom Spoeler. BBC Bayreuth manager Uli Eichbaum is happy that Spoeler will play for the team this upcoming season. 'We are happy that our concept for developing German talents continues. We are a young team and have to find players that will identify 100% with the the club and program. We have not only found a current A-2 German national player, but a guy who wants to identify with our club', stressed BBC Bayreuth manager Uli Euchbaum. Spoeler started his basketball career in Hertener Lowen junior team in 2003 and played there until 2005. He then moved to the Bayer Giants Leverkusen where he played until 2010. In this time, he played also for the Leverkusen Regionaliga and PRO B team and for the Duesseldorf Giants. In his time there, he played a total of 44 beko BBl games. 'Tom is a hard worker and fits into our team. I am happy that he can continue to gain experience with the national team. We will work hard on his game and are sure that we will have alot of joy with him. We are happy with the combination Stefan Schmidt/Tom Spoeler', added BBC Bayreuth assistant coach Tim Nees . Awards/Achievements in his career have been German U16 National Team -04, German U18 National Team -05-06, German Bundesliga U-19 All-Star Game -07, German U20 National Team -07-08, European Championships U20 Division B in Warsaw (Poland) -07 (Semifinals): 8 games: 4.3ppg, 2.8rpg, European Championships U20 Division B in Targu Mures (Romania) -08: (Champion): 8 games: 7.4ppg, 4.1rpg, 2FGP: 63.6%, 3PT: 12.5%, FT: 93.3%, German A2 National Team -09German University National Team -09, World University Games in Belgrade (Serbia) -09: 7 games: 1.9ppg, 2.4rpg, Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga Pro B All-Newcomers Team -10, Eurobasket.com All-German 2. Bundesliga Pro A Newcomer of the Year -11, and Eurobasket.com German 2. Bundesliga Pro A All-Newcomers Team -11.

Source: BBC Bayreuth

Michael Jost Signs With The Webmoebel Baskets - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
The Webmoebel Baskets have announced that Michael Jost (204-F-88) will join the roster for the upcoming season. Jost is a 22 year old 204cm forward that got a one year contract with an option. Last season, Jost played for PRO A team USC Freiburg averaging 7,8ppg, 5,6rpg in 25 minutes per game. He also shot 51,6% from the field. Last season, Jost had two solid games against his new team registering 13 points and nine rebounds in a 86-77 loss and nine points and six rebounds in a 108-103 win for USC Freiburg. Webmoebel Baskets coach Thomas Glasauer is happy with getting the young German. 'I have had an eye on Michael Jost for some years, but never had any contact. He is a big mobile player that is variable and fits int our concept. His biggest strength is his rebounding which he will show us', stressed Webmoebel Baskets coach Thomas Glasauer . Jost started his basketball career in 2003-2004 for Marzahn Basket Baeren (2. Regionalliga) - IBBA Berlin (International Basketball Academy). He then played for Central Hoops Berlin from 2006-2008 (Regionalliga): 9 games: 10.8ppg, in Dec.'07 moved to RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (ProB): 5 games: 6.0ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.0apg, 2FGP: 66.7%, FT: 40.0%, played also at second team (2. Regionalliga): 5 games: 11.2ppg. In 2008-2009, he remained with RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (ProB, starting five): 30 games: 8.0ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 51.1%, 3PT: 43.4%, FT: 69.1%. In 2009-2010, he played for Mitteldeutscher BC Weissenfels (1.Bundesliga): 1 game: 0pts; loaned to Science City Jena (ProA): 30 games: 6.0ppg, 3.3rpg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 23.3%, FT-1 (90.0%), in May'10 moved back to Mitteldeutscher BC Weissenfels (1.Bundesliga). Awards and achievements in his career have been German U16 National Team -04, German U18 National Team -06, German Bundesliga U-19 All-Star Game -07, German U20 National Team -08, and Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga Pro A All-Newcomers Team -10.

Source: Webmoebel Baskets

.

Dorian McDaniel completes Cuxhaven switch - by Moritz Korff
The Cuxhaven BasCats (2. Bundesliga Pro A) have struck a deal which will see German-American forward Dorian McDaniel (198-F-87, college: Prairie View A&M) move to the shores of the North Sea from Duesseldorf. McDaniel saw action in 26 encounters of the BBL for the Gloria Giants throughout the 2010-11 season. He averaged close to two points per outing and posted a season-high nine points against Giessen in February.
McDaniel was born in New York City, but calls Culver City, California home. His mother comes originally from Germany, his father is a well-known stage, film and television actor. The 24-year-old spent his college career at Northern Colorado and Prairie View A&M.
Meanwhile, the BasCats announced that Richard Froehlich (206-C-86, college: UTSA), Joleik Schaffrath (206-C-88), Brendan Knox (208-C-87, college: Auburn), Ethan Shaw, Sadam Eco (195-F/G-91), Robert Huelsewede (198-F-90), Deilvez Yearby (198-F-87, college: IPFW), Aaron Cook (186-G-83, college: Hartford) and Anthony Canty (183-G-91) will not return to Cuxhaven for another season.

Pro B News - by Moritz Korff
The 2010-11 Eurobasket.com 2. Bundesliga Pro B Center of the Year and Domestic Player of the Year Kristofer Speier (206-F-81, college: Lewis-Clark) has opted to stay at Schwelmer Baskets. The 30-year-old team captain has been an integral part of the team's success over the past years and in its first season in the Pro B Division North after moving up from the 1. Regionalliga West helped Schwelm to clinch the top-spot in regular season. Speier averaged 15.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest throughout the 2010-11 campaign and ranked among the most efficient athletes of the entire Pro B league.

Lamar Morinia (183-G-81, college: Montana St.-Northern) will extend his stay at USC Leipzig (2.Bundesliga Pro B), the club announced. The 30-year-old guard led the Leipzig team in scoring (21.2ppg) during the 2010-11 season. He also dished out 4.7 assists per contest, snagged 2.6 steals and pulled down 4.3 boards a game.

Pro B newcomer Hanau White Wings signed Jens Hirschberg (200-F-88) for the upcoming season. Hirschberg will bring some Pro A experience to Hanau as he played 40 games for USC Heidelberg from 2007 to 2009. In this past season he starred for SG Heidelberg-Kirchheim and received Eurobasket.com Honorable Mention for the 1. Regionalliga South-West.

Virgil Matthews (Olympia Reign IBL) The Team Who Does Their Style Better And Keeps The Other Away From Their Style Will Win The Title. - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Virgil Matthews (188-G-83, college: Montana) is a 27 year old 188cm guard from Federal Way, Washington that is playing in Germany in the PRO B for Erdgas Ehingen. He played at Montana (NCAA) and in his senior year played 31 games: 10.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.0apg, 1.7spg, FG: 49.8%, 3PT: 48.4%, FT: 76.1%. In 2006-2007, he turned professional and came to Germany and played for KICKZ Muenchen Basket (Germany-2.Bundesliga): 29 games: 18.0ppg, 6.1rpg, 5.2apg, 2.6spg, 2FGP: 57.3%, 3FGP: 31.8%, FT: 66.5%. In 2007-2008, he played for Tacoma Jazz (IBL). In 2008-2009, he returned back to Germany and played for Schwelmer Baskets (Germany-Regionalliga). Last season, he played for Olympia Reign (IBL, starting five): 21 games: 23.1ppg, 7.2rpg and for Seattle Aviators (NABL). Awards and Achievements in his career have been , Big Sky Conf. Regular Season Runner-Up -05, 06, Big Sky Conf. Tournament Winner -05, 06, Big Sky Tournament MVP -06, Big Sky All-Tournament Team -06, All-Big Sky Honorable Mention -06, and USBasket.com All-IBL Honorable Mention -10. For Erdgas Ehingen he averaged 11,6ppg, 5,3rpg and 3,5apg in the 2010-2011 season. Currently he is playing for Olympia Reign in the IBL. He spoke to eurobasket about the 2011 beko BBL final between Bamberg and Albas 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?

Yes I was surprised to see it go the distance but its hard to beat a team so many times without losing everyone is a competitor.

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.

I don't think that will be in anyone's mind games like that you just throw out and burn the film.

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 haven't seen the guards from Berlin since the coaching change but bamberg I don't think relies on talent as much as chemistry so individual matchups won't make this 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?

I like Suput and Allen they are both players who get things done without demanding the ball I don't know who gets the edge.

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.

As for the bigs I think Bamberg uses their bigs more and rely on them so they have a little bit of an edge.

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?

Both styles have proven effective I think the team who does their style better and keeps the other away from their style will win the title.

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

My favorite Shaq moment is probably the one handed alley oop he caught from kobe in game 7 of the western conference finals versus the blazers that's probably my favorite.

Thanks Virgil for the chat.

Derrick Allen (Alba Berlin) Pregame Thoughts To beko BBL Final Game 5 Against The Brose Baskets Bamberg - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Derrick Allen (203-F-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Mississippi) is a 30 year old 203cm forward that grew up in Gadsen Alabama and is playing his first season with Alba Berlin. He is a rugged inside player who attacks the glass, will provide help on the boards, is a solid defender in the post, a competitor and hard worker that can score facing the basket and has shooting range to the foul line. He started his career at Southern Union State from 1998-2000. He then transferred to Mississippi and played there from 2000-2003. He then started his professional basketball career in Iceland playing for Keflavikur ripping up the FIBA Europe Cup playing 8 games and averaging 26.6ppg, 9.4rpg, 2.5apg, 1.8spg and playing 22 games in the Iceland league averaging 23,4ppg, 10.5rpg. He won the Icelandic league and cup title in his rookie season. In 2004, he ventured to Germany and has played there ever since with two years in Karlsruhe, one year in Leverkusen and played with The Deutsche Bank Skyliners from 2007-2010 playing 148 games for them. In 2006-2007, he led Leverksuen into the playoffs and led the BBL in scoring playing 38 games and averaging 16.5ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.2apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 50.6%, 3FGP: 32.3%, FT: 72.2%. In 2007-2008, he was second best scorer in the BBL for Frankfurt playing 43 games and averaging 18.1ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.9apg, 2FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 75.6%; and playing 10 ULEB Cup games finishing as the third best scorer averaging 19.9ppg, 7.9rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 54%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 72.9%. In 2008-2009, he averaged 12.9ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 53.5%, 3PT: 29.2%, FT: 76.4%. In 2009-2010 he averaged 14.4ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 53.2%, 3PT: 32.4%, FT: 76.2%. Currently he is averaging 13,4ppg, 4,2rpg and 1,2apg. He has reached five BBL playoffs in seven seasons. He spoke to Eurobasket before game 3 against the Brose Baskets Bamberg

Congrats on the 87-67 win against the Brose Baskets Bamberg in game 4. Is it a fair assesment to say that Alba Berlin wanted it a tad bit more than Bamberg?

Yeah, we wanted to come out and be aggressive, play a great last home game, and force a game 5

Alba Berlin started off well leading 4-0, but Bamberg took the lead and led 21-16 after 10 minutes. What did coach Muli Katzurin want the team to do better in the second quarter?

He wanted us to continue played pressure defense, stop there shooters, and rebound the basketball.

In the second quarter Alba Berlin found their rhythm while Bamberg seemed to have lost it. Alba Berlin poured in 28 points a long the way to lead 44-37 at the break. What was key on getting Bamberg out of their offensive rhythm?

They had easier looks in the 1st half, and in the 2nd half we took all of that away.

Alba Berlin had a 10 point lead after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Alba Berlin scored 28 points. Was the Alba Berlin self confidence half of the rent in getting the well deserved win in the fourth quarter?

Well we knew that it was a win or go home situation for us, so we stayed aggressive on offensive and make big plays.

How tough was it for you going into game four with 0 points in game three and only 19 points in the first three games? You led all scorers with 18 points in game four.

I didnt even think about it. Just moved on, and got ready for the next game. You never wanna have a game like that but it happens, but im confident in my game, and I know what I can do, so im always ready

Alba Berlin did a great job winning the rebound battle 36-17 and dished out 28 assists. Will effort, intensity and wanting to win it more outweigh everything else for getting the win in game 5?

Game 5 will be about will, effort, heart,and toughness is what we need to get game 5.

A year ago you lost a bitter game 5 with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners in Bamberg. How much will that game b eon your mind in the next days?

Its been on my mind all series, but I believe im back here for a reason. so I have a game game season come Saturday.

The Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA title with Dirk Nowitzki. How big was this Nowitzki NBA title for Germany and attracting new fans to the sport of basketball?

Dirk just put German basketball even more on the map. I think its great for the country, and for a guy like Dirk. who put in the time year after year, it has paid off

Ex Chicago Bull Steve Kerr said that Lebron is not like Jordan, but more like Pippen saying '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', stated Steve Kerr. What is your take on this statement?

He's is right, Lebron James in not Jordan, but Lebron is and will be one of the top 10 greatest to ever play the game, when he is done playing. I think lebron is more like magic than Scottie Pippen.

Thanks Deerrick for the chat.

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

GREECE

Div.B Standing

B Standings

1. OFI		24-6
2. Nea Kifisia		24-6
3. Ermis Perama		22-8
4. Doxa Lefkadas		22-8
5. Anagennisi		20-10
6. MENT		17-13
7. Aias Evosmou		17-14
8. Stratoni		17-14
9. Diagoras		14-17
10. Doukas		13-17
11. Aiolos Trik.		13-18
12. Apollon KL		11-19
13. Egaleo		11-19
14. Filippos Veroias		8-23
15. M.Alexandros		5-26

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

ITALY

Stats Leaders - SerieA

Points Per Game

James WHITE
  Dinamo Sassari
  (198-G-84)
  Avg: 20.2

1. White, Dinamo Sass.	20.2
2. Thomas, Air AV	17.5
3. Rivers, CS Bologna	17.2
4. Zoroski, Banca T.	16.0
5. Ford, Fabi Shoes	15.8
6. Hunter, Dinamo S.	14.8
7. Goss, Cimberio VA	14.8
8. Milic, Vanoli CR	14.8
9. Roberson, Enel B.	14.6
10. Dean, Air AV	14.4

Rebounds Per Game

Sharrod FORD
  Fabi Shoes
  (206-F/C-82)
  Avg: 10.4

1. Ford, Fabi Shoes	10.4
2. Jones, Pepsi C.	8.6
3. Troutman, Air AV	8.3
4. Davis, Banca Terc.	8.2
5. Homan, CS Bologna	8.1
6. Ivanov, Fabi Shoes	8.0
7. Hunter, Dinamo S.	7.8
8. Lang, Enel Brindisi	7.8
9. Suton, Angelico BI	7.4
10. Sanikidze, CS Bo.	7.3

Assists Per Game

Marques GREEN
  Air AV
  (170-G-82)
  Avg: 6.8

1. Green, Air AV	6.8
2. Diener, Dinamo S.	4.6
3. Sosa, Angelico BI	4.5
4. Collins, Scavolin.	3.9
5. Rowland, Vanoli CR	3.8
6. Goss, Cimberio VA	3.8
7. Zoroski, Banca T.	3.8
8. Markovic, Benetton.	3.5
9. Green, Bennet Can.	3.3
10. Diener, Banca T.	3.3

Steals Per Game

Earl ROWLAND
  Vanoli CR
  (188-G-83)
  Avg: 2.9

1. Rowland, Vanoli CR	2.9
2. Stonerook, Montep.	2.8
3. Green, Air AV	2.7
4. Goss, Cimberio VA	2.7
5. Troutman, Air AV	2.7
6. McCalebb, Montepa.	2.5
7. Thomas, Air AV	2.5
8. Collins, Scavolin.	2.4
9. Dasic, Lottomatica	2.4
10. Hackett, Scavolin.	2.4

Blocks Per Game

Sharrod FORD
  Fabi Shoes
  (206-F/C-82)
  Avg: 2.3

1. Ford, Fabi Shoes	2.3
2. Eze, Armani MI	1.3
3. Crosariol, Lottoma.	1.3
4. Toure, Enel Brindi.	1.2
5. Szewczyk, Air AV	1.0
6. Lang, Enel Brindisi	1.0
7. Hunter, Dinamo S.	1.0
8. Polonara, Banca T.	0.9
9. Cusin, Scavolini PS	0.9
10. Homan, CS Bologna	0.8

Stats Leaders - Lega2

Points Per Game

Trent WHITING
  Aget Imola
  (185-G-76)
  Avg: 22.4

1. Whiting, Aget Imola	22.4
2. Robinson, Trenkwal.	19.7
3. Crispin, Barcellona	19.6
4. Gordon, Forli	19.5
5. Ebi, Aget Imola	19.2
6. Goldwire, Forli	19.1
7. Jackson, Prima Ver.	18.8
8. Clark, Umana Reyer	17.9
9. Forte, Tuscany PT	17.9
10. Marigney, Assigeco	17.8

Rebounds Per Game

Ndudi EBI
  Aget Imola
  (206-F-84)
  Avg: 9.2

1. Ebi, Aget Imola	9.2
2. Filloy, Immobili.	9.1
3. Varnado, Tuscany	8.9
4. Boykin, Assigeco	8.1
5. Dickens, San Seve.	8.0
6. Waleskowski, Tezen.	7.9
7. Johnson, San Seve.	7.8
8. Gordon, Forli	7.8
9. Lollis, Immobili.	7.6
10. Maggioli, Fileni	7.3

Assists Per Game

Antonio PORTA
  Tezenis .
  (188-G-83)
  Avg: 5.1

1. Porta, Tezenis	5.1
2. Crispin, Barcellona	4.8
3. Goldwire, Forli	4.5
4. Hickman, Fastw.	4.1
5. Marigney, Assigeco	3.8
6. Whiting, Aget Imola	3.8
7. Farabello, N.Fer.	3.7
8. Mathis, Snaidero.	3.7
9. Nardi, Forli	3.7
10. Forte, Tuscany PT	3.6

Steals Per Game

Alessandro PIAZZA
  Immobili.
  (175-G-87)
  Avg: 3

1. Piazza, Immobili.	3.0
2. Ebi, Aget Imola	2.9
3. Roderick, Immobi.	2.6
4. Davis, Sunrise	2.6
5. Robinson, Trenkwal.	2.6
6. Filloy, Immobili.	2.5
7. Cerella, Assigeco	2.4
8. Whiting, Aget Imola	2.4
9. Hunter, Sunrise	2.3
10. Achara, Barcellona	2.3

Blocks Per Game

Jarvis VARNADO
  Tuscany PT
  (206-F-88)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Varnado, Tuscany	3.1
2. Ebi, Aget Imola	1.4
3. Achara, Barcellona	1.2
4. Maggioli, Fileni B.	1.1
5. Boykin, Assigeco	0.7
6. Frosini, Trenkwald.	0.7
7. Cutolo, San Severo	0.7
8. Taylor, Fastweb CM	0.6
9. Slay, Umana Reyer	0.6
10. Chiacig, Sunris.	0.6

SerieA Round 4 of Finals. Siena step closer to the title - by Eurobasket News
Bennet Cantu - Montepaschi 65-69

Montepaschi Siena made another step towards the title as they outscored Bennet Cantu on the road. The series return to Siena for what could be a decisive fifth game in the series. The guests took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Bennet Cantu won third quarter 18-11. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Strangely Bennet Cantu outrebounded Montepaschi Siena 36-23 including 27 on the defensive glass. Worth to mention a great performance of American-FYR Macedonian guard Bo Lester McCalebb (183-85, college: New Orleans) who helped to win the game recording 21 points and 4 assists (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field) and Lithuanian guard Rimantas Kaukenas (193-77, college: Seton Hall) who added 18 points during the contest. Montepaschi Siena's coach Simone Pianigiani used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. At the losing side American guard Mike Green (185-85, college: Butler) responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds and Serbian forward Marko Scekic (207-81, agency: Beo Basket) scored 16 points and 5 rebounds. Four Bennet Cantu players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Bennet Cantu: M.Scekic 16+5reb+2ast, M.Green 13+10reb+1ast, M.Markoishvili 11+4reb+1ast, M.Leunen 10+8reb+3ast, N.Mazzarino 8+2reb+1ast, V.Micov 5+4reb+2ast
Montepaschi: B.Lester McCalebb 21+2reb+4ast, R.Kaukenas 18+4reb+2ast, S.Stonerook 9+6reb+4ast, D.Moss 7+1ast, K.Lavrinovic 6+3reb+1ast, N.Zisis 2+1reb

Lega2 Round 3 of Finals. Fastweb Casale take 2-1 lead - by Eurobasket News
Umana Reyer - Fastweb CM 44-69

Fastweb Casale overcame Umana Reyer on the road to take 2-1 lead in the championship series. The game was mostly controlled by Fastweb CM. Umana Venezia managed to win second period 18-14. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Umana Venezia to just 7 points in third quarter and to 14 points in second half. It was a good game for American guard Ricky Hickman (190-G-85, college: NC-Greensboro) who led his team to a victory with 15 points. His fellow American import guard Donell Taylor (198-82, college: UAB) contributed with 8 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. American forward Tamar Slay (204-80, college: Marshall) answered with 12 points and naturalized French center Sylvere Bryan (208-81, college: Tampa, agency: Interperformances) added 6 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Umana Venezia. Umana Venezia's coach gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win.
Top scorers:
Umana Reyer: T.Slay 12+4reb, K.Clark 9+3reb+1ast, S.Bryan 6+7reb+1ast, M.Maestrello 6+1reb, L.Lechthaler 4+3reb, C.Di Giuliomaria 3+5reb
Fastweb CM: R.Hickman 15+4reb+1ast, S.Gentile 12+1reb, T.Fantoni 10+5reb, D.Taylor 8+8reb+3ast, S.Pierich 7+3reb, O.Nnamaka 6+4reb+1ast

Cimberio Varese part ways with Alex Righetti and Jobey Thomas - by Eurobasket News
According to Italian media, Cimberio Varese will not keep Alex Righetti (198-G/F-77, agency: Interperformances) and Jobey Thomas (193-G-80, college: Charlotte) for the next season. Reportedly, their contracts expired and Varese decided not to offer extensions. Also, the team still tries to sign Polish player Szymon Szewczyk (209-C-82).
Alex Righetti joined Varese last summer from Canadian Solar Bologna. He appeared 31 times with Varese this season averaging 7.2 points and 2.7 rebounds. Varese ended regular season as No.7 with 15-15 record. They met Bennet Cantu in the Quarterfinals and faced with 0-3 loss. Before Varese and Canadian Solar Bologna, experienced Righetti played for Air Avelino, Lottomatica Roma and Rimini. He was a member of the Italian National Team from 1998 to 2005.
Jobey Thomas arrived to Varese two years ago from AJ Milano. He played 14 games in SerieA this season registering 13.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 2.5 apg. He got injured in January and missed rest of the way in A1.

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

KAZAKHSTAN

Dmitriy Gavrilov inks deal with Barsy Atyrau - by Eurobasket News
Dmitriy Gavrilov (203-F-86) will change team in the next season. The 24-year-old forward has agreed on terms of contract with D1 champions Barsy Atyrau. Dmitriy Gavrilov spent the previous season in Astana Tigers. The forward notched 11.0 points, 7.9 rebounds per game in the championship. Dmitriy Gavrilov is not new to Barsy. The forward played for the Atyrau team back in 2007/08 season. Dmitriy Gavrilov played for Kazakhstan at the 2009 Asian Championship. The forward posted 10.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in Tianjin. Dmitriy Gavrilov also played for Kazakh University and Military National Teams. He helped the Tigers win 2010 championship and claim Bronze this season.

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

LITHUANIA

Neptunas returns Marius Runkauskas - by Eurobasket News
Marius Runkauskas (189-G-86) is back to Neptunas. The Lithuanian guard signed a two-year deal with his former club. Runkauskas arrives to Neptunas from Quimper UJAP, where he spent last two years. He had 15.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 1.7 apg for them in 28 ProB games last season. For his performance Runkaukas was awarded with Eurobasket.com French ProB All-Bosmans Team -11. In 2009/10, the player averaged 14.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 1.6 apg in 34 games (also ProB). Before Quimper, Runkauskas played for ASK Riga and Marijampole Suduva-Arvi.
Marius Runkauskas was a member of Neptunas on season 2007/08. He played 20 games for them in LKL registering 7.3 ppg and 1.5 rpg. In Baltic league, Runkaukas added 10.4 ppg and 1.6 rgp at that time. They reached Semifinals of the Lithuanian Cup. Runkauskas was named Eurobasket.com Baltic League All-Newcomers Team that season.

Trent Plaisted and Travis Watson will leave Zalgiris - by Eurobasket News
Trent Plaisted (211-F/C-86, agency: Priority Sports, college: BYU) and Travis Watson (203-F/C-81, college: Virginia) are about to leave the Lithuanian champions. The team's management confirmed the decision not to renew their contracts.
Trent Plaisted joined Zalgiris in February. The 24-year-old centre tallied 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in Euroleague. In VTB League his stats read 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. In Blatic League Trent Plaisted posted 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per appearance. In LKL his stats came up to 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist.
Travis Watson joined Zalgiris in 2009. Last season the centre posted 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in LKL. In Euroleague the US player averaged 6.6 points and 4.7 boards. In VTB League his stats read 9.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

Lithuania U20 bounce back against U19 - by Eurobasket News
Lithuania U20 - Lithuania U19 90:78

Lithuanian U20 and U19 selections played another test game in Klaipeda. This time U20 National Team proved stronger and avenged the previous loss. Karolis Brusokas (200-F-91) stepped up with 17 points in the victory.
The teams stayed close throughout the opening frame. U20 team gained a 21:20 lead after ten minutes. They managed to stay in charge throughout the second quarter and recorded a 36:34 halftime advantage. U19 side cut the distance to a single point with one quarter remaining. But a 27:16 rally in the fourth period helped Lithuania U20 clinch the victory. Osvaldas Matulionis (200-F-91) knocked down 14 points, while Darius Tarvydas (200-F-91) had 13 for the winners. Lithuania U19 answered with 18 points from Vytenis Cizauskas (190-G-92). Dovydas Redikas (193-G-92) delivered 13 points in the loss.

Lithuania U20: Karolis Brusokas 17, Osvaldas Matulionis 14, Darius Tarvydas 13
Lithuania U19: Vytenis Cizauskas 18, Dovydas Redikas 13

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

LUXEMBOURG

Soleuvre add Eugene Spates - by Eurobasket News
Soleuvre have agreed on terms of contract with Eugene Spates (203-F-87, agency: Pro Partner Sports Management, college: Northeastern). The 24-year-old forward started the previous season in D-League. He averaged 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Maine Red Claws. In February Eugene Spates moved to the Springfield Armor. His stats came up to 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per appearance. Eugene Spates is not new to Luxembourg. The forward played for BC Mess in N2 League back in 2009/10 season. He tallied impressive 34.6 points, 13.2 boards, 3.9 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. Soleuvre narrowly avoided relegation last season. They finished at 9-15 record in the eighth position in the ladder.

BBC Nitia sign Elton Ferreira - by Eurobasket News
Newly promoted BBC Nitia continued to strengthen their roster. They added another player for the upcoming season. His name is Elton Ferreira (203-F/C-82). The 29-year-old centre spent the last three seasons in Etzella. Last season Elton Ferreira posted 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per appearance. The centre played for Heffingen before joining Etzella.

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

MEXICO

CIBACOPA Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Kevin SOWELL
  Guasave
  (190-G-81)
  Avg: 30.7

1. Sowell, Guasave	30.7
2. White, Cananea	28.2
3. Sowell, Culiacan	27.3
4. Gale, Mexicali	26.8
5. Brown, Tepic	24.8
6. White, Los Mochis	24.2
7. Brown, Cananea	24.0
8. Moore, Culiacan	23.8
9. Brown, Tepic	23.3
10. Gabbidon, Tijuana	23.3

Rebounds Per Game

Brandon BROWN
  Cananea
  (201-F-85)
  Avg: 11.6

1. Brown, Cananea	11.6
2. Moss, Nogales	9.9
3. Angounou, Guasave	9.8
4. VanderMeer, Mexica.	9.6
5. Brown, Tepic	9.6
6. Malloy, Los Mochis	8.7
7. Broxsie, Nogales	8.7
8. Shipley, Tijuana	8.6
9. Gray, Hermosillo	8.3
10. Thomas, Hermosillo	8.1

Assists Per Game

William FUNN
  Guasave
  (188-G-82)
  Avg: 8.2

1. Funn, Guasave	8.2
2. Watson, Tijuana	5.7
3. White, Los Mochis	5.7
4. White, Cananea	5.6
5. Winder, Guaymas	5.2
6. Thomas, Hermosillo	4.8
7. Brown, Tepic	4.4
8. Nungaray, Guaymas	4.2
9. Monreal, Hermosillo	4.0
10. Marentes, Guaymas	4.0

Steals Per Game

Davin WHITE
  Cananea
  (186-G-81)
  Avg: 2.2

1. White, Cananea	2.2
2. Moore, Culiacan	1.9
3. Roby, Guaymas	1.8
4. Gale, Mexicali	1.7
5. Funn, Guasave	1.7
6. Rougeau, Culiacan	1.6
7. Brown, Cananea	1.6
8. Sowell, Guasave	1.6
9. Brown, Nogales	1.6
10. White, Los Mochis	1.6

Blocks Per Game

Kevin SOWELL
  Culiacan
  (190-G-81)
  Avg: 3.2

1. Sowell, Culiacan	3.2
2. Gale, Mexicali	2.6
3. Sowell, Guasave	2.3
4. Shipley, Tijuana	2.2
5. White, Los Mochis	2.2
6. Funn, Guasave	2.1
7. Brown, Tepic	2.1
8. Thomas, Hermosillo	2.0
9. Brown, Tepic	2.0
10. Malloy, Los Mochis	1.9

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

NBA

Singler to work out for Trail Blazers - by Eurobasket News
For the second time in seven months, Kyle Singler (6'8''-F-88) will be the center of attention on a Portland basketball court.

If he performs as he did in late November, it will give the Trail Blazers something to think about.

Singler, the former South Medford High and Duke star, will be one of five players who will work out for the NBA team Thursday morning.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward, who recently completed his senior season with the Blue Devils, is expected to join Wisconsin forward Jon Leuer, Illinois forward Jereme Richmond, center Jeremy Tyler of Tokyo Apache and center Nikola Vucevic of USC as they preview their wares in advance of the June 23 NBA draft.

The players are scheduled to hit the team's practice facility floor at 10 a.m. In all, Blazers interim general manager Chad Buchanan has said he plans to bring in about three dozen players for predraft workouts.

The last time Singler played in Portland, he and his Duke teammates steamrolled Oregon, 98-71, at the Rose Garden, the Blazers' home. He scored a career-high 30 points and had five rebounds.

Singler went on to finish first in Duke history in games played (148), games started (147) and minutes played (4,887). He ranks fourth in career scoring (2,392), sixth in total rebounds (1,015) and fifth in 3-point field goals (267).

With Singler, 23, in the fold, the Blue Devils were 125-23 and captured the 2010 national championship.

Singler isn't expected to go before the latter stages of the first round.

In a Mail Tribune story last month, he said, 'I think once I get on the court and I start working out, teams will see what I can do. I don't really pay too much attention about where I get put in the draft, I just want to be successful and that's all I'm worrying about right now.'

Among the popular projections Sports Illustrated's Sam Amick is in this camp Singler will go to Oklahoma City with the 24th pick. However, others, including ESPN's Chad Ford, have him lasting until the second round, which begins with the 31st pick.

Portland has the 21st pick, but there are reports the Blazers are interested in trading into the top seven for a shot at UConn point guard Kemba Walker. Portland also has the 51st pick.

Last Wednesday, Singler worked out for the New Jersey Nets, who have the 27th and 36th picks. The Nets' general manager is Billy King, a former Duke player, and the two former Blue Devils chatted amicably while at courtside, according to a story in the Star-Ledger in Newark.

After the workout, Singler, who played power and small forward in college, said NBA teams appear to view him as a wing player.

'As of right now,' he told the Star-Ledger, 'I see myself being a perimeter player in the NBA. But over my career and as I put on strength, I can see myself being a three-four player.'

Others at the Nets' workout were Jimmy Butler (Marquette), Darius Morris (Michigan), Chandler Parsons (Florida), E'Twaun Moore (Purdue) and Norris Cole (Cleveland State).

Among the players who worked out a day later for New Jersey were Singler's Duke teammate, Nolan Smith, and Vucevic.

On the makeup of the predraft gatherings, King told the Star-Ledger, 'I think it's timing, scheduling, getting guys in. A lot of these guys are coming from Philadelphia and going to New York. A lot of it is just scheduling. You try to group guys together size-wise so they can go head to head.'

Courtesy of www.mailtribune.com

Report: Kurt Rambis, president to meet - by Eurobasket News
Kurt Rambis is getting closer to knowing about his coaching future.

A person familiar with the situation said Rambis and Timberwolves team president David Kahn will meet at length over the next two days to discuss whether Rambis will return for a third season in Minnesota. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting.

Rambis is 32-132 in two seasons as Timberwolves coach. He has been in limbo the past two months, ever since Kahn declined to give him a vote of confidence in a season-ending press conference in April. He has two years left on the four-year contract he signed to leave Phil Jackson's side with the Los Angeles Lakers and take over the struggling Timberwolves.

Kahn said at the time he did not want to make a rash decision after watching the Wolves lose the final 15 games of the season to finish a league-worst 17-65.

The situation dragging on, right into the heart of the team's draft preparations, seemed to irk Rambis earlier this month, when he spoke to reporters for the first time since the season ended on April 13.

'Everybody has reasons for why they conduct the business in the way they want to conduct their business,' Rambis said on June 3. 'If you're asking me if that's what I would do, no, that's not how I would handle things. But everybody's different.'

Rambis later appeared on a Los Angeles radio station and said he regretted those comments and just wanted to return to the team and continue the rebuilding effort.

Kahn has declined comment throughout the summer.

Despite not knowing whether he would have a job next year, Rambis still showed up to several prospect workouts to watch, casting an awkward air over the sessions.

He was there on Thursday, sitting across the gym from Kahn while Turkish center Enes Kanter and Arizona forward Derrick Williams went through workouts with several prospects, including Colorado guard Alec Burks and Providence guard Marshon Brooks.

Rambis did not speak to reporters after either session.

Tired of waiting for Jackson to retire and possibly inherit the Lakers throne, Rambis left L.A. in 2009 to become Kahn's first hire as president of basketball operations in Minnesota. Together, they vowed to get the Timberwolves back to the playoffs but also preached to fans that it would take time to complete the massive rebuilding project.

That patience has proved to be fleeting.

Rambis won just 15 games his first season on the job, coaching a group of castoffs and retreads that was assembled more to put the team in a better financial situation than to compete on the court in the present.

The second season was supposed to be significantly better, with the front office adding Michael Beasley, Anthony Tolliver and Nikola Pekovic and drafting Wes Johnson. But it was still the youngest team in the league, and the group was slow to adapt to Rambis' complex offensive and defensive sets.

'I felt the team was playing well and I felt the team was improving,' Kahn said on April 13. 'And I felt we had some players that were improving dramatically individually. And then for whatever reason, tracing back to the week before the All-Star break and the week after the All-Star break, it just stopped. And I don't know why.'

Rambis said all season long that he felt the team was making progress and that he was looking forward to continuing to mold the young team into a contending unit.

Courtesy of ESPN

Kings' Thompson breaks toe - by Eurobasket News
The Kings announced that X-rays taken Wednesday at UC Davis Sports Medicine Clinic on forward Jason Thompson (6'11''-F-86, college: Rider) show a fracture in his right big toe.

Thompson will wear a walking boot for four to six weeks before being re-evaluated.

In four weeks, the NBA could be in the midst of a lockout, meaning Thompson would not have access to team doctors.

Thompson did not return a phone call for comment but tweeted that he had been lifting weights in a gym and working out in a pool with his strength and conditioning coach.

Thompson averaged 8.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in his third season with Sacramento. He was a first-round pick of the Kings in 2008.

Meanwhile, the Kings will work out more prospects in preparation for Thursday's draft.

Today's workout is headlined by San Diego State sophomore small forward Kawhi Leonard, one of the best defenders available.

If he slipped to No. 7, it would be hard for the Kings to pass up a chance to shore up their perimeter defense with Leonard, who also averaged 10.6 rebounds last season.

Also working out today will be guards Scotty Hopson (Tennessee), Mickey McConnell (Saint Mary's) and Kalin Lucas (Michigan State) and forwards DeAndre Liggins (Kentucky) and Jamine Peterson (Providence/New Mexico Thunderbirds of the NBA Development League).

Saturday's workout will feature two of the better shooting guards available.

Washington State's Klay Thompson and Colorado's Alec Burks, both 6-foot-6, are options for the Kings if they decide to add size in the backcourt.

Klay Thompson is one of the elite perimeter shooters in the draft class. He averaged 21.6 points as a junior last season, making 39.8 percent of his three-pointers.

Burks averaged 20.5 points as a sophomore last season but has less range than Thompson.

Guard Ravern Johnson (Mississippi State), center Greg Smith (Fresno State) and forwards Alex Stephenson (USC) and Peterson also will work out Saturday.

Courtesy of www.sacbee.com

Enes Kanter to work out for Cleveland Cavaliers again on Monday - by Eurobasket News
Turkish center Enes Kanter (6'9''-C-92) told reporters in Minnesota that he was returning to Cleveland for a second workout on Monday, and his agent told reporters Kanter was scheduled to meet Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

Agent Max Ergul also told Minnesota reporters Kanter was not ''auditioning'' for the No. 4 pick, clearly indicating he thought his client could be taken with the No. 1 pick.

Kanter worked out in Cleveland last Tuesday and worked out in Minnesota today. Derrick Williams also was scheduled to work out for the Wolves today.

As has been the case throughout the pre-draft process, the Cavs declined to comment on the reports or the workouts. Williams worked out in Cleveland on Tuesday and Kyrie Irving worked out in Cleveland last Thursday.

Courtesy of www.cleveland.com

Dallas Mavericks celebrate NBA title with lavish parade - by Eurobasket News
City finances are tight in Dallas, but ecstatic Mavericks fans still were treated to a lavish parade to celebrate the franchise's first ever NBA championship.
The extra police, fan barricades and port-a-potties that lined the route all came courtesy of team owner Mark Cuban.

Cuban, a billionaire entrepreneur, volunteered to write a check for the parade, expected to total between $500,000 and $1 million, saying it was the right thing to do at a time when Dallas is $32 million short of what it needs to meet budget. That could set a precedent, with officials expecting his and other professional sports teams to pony up money in the future.

'It definitely sets a tone for the future,' Dallas Mayor Dwaine Caraway said. 'Hopefully, we'll have Mark paying for more parades - we intend to win repeats of these championships.'

Cities with professional sports teams have traditionally paraded after they secure championship trophies, but since the costs are not usually accounted for when municipal budgets are passed, cities often scramble to come up with a way to cover the expenses.

That is especially true now, when locales across the US have seen property and sales taxes plummet because of the housing crash and the recession. Municipal sales-tax collections shrunk by five percent in 2010 and by 6.6 percent in 2009, according to the National League of Cities.

Traditionally, cities - i.e., taxpayers - have eaten at least some of the costs of these events, but tattered budgets are changing that. Los Angeles officials asked the Lakers to pay for the parade to celebrate their 2010 NBA championship; the Lakers obliged.

'Ever since the recession, the city of LA is, like everybody else, going through some rough times,' said Tim Harris, senior vice president of business operations for the Lakers.

This week's event came together relatively quickly because Cuban only announced Sunday night -- immediately after the Mavericks beat the Miami Heat -- that he would foot the bill.

Courtesy of www.heraldsun.com.au

Lawrence Frank latest candidate to interview with Detriot Pistons - by Eurobasket News
The candidates are lining up - or piling up - for the vacant Detroit Pistons head coaching job.

On Thursday, ESPN reported that Boston assistant coach and former New Jersey head coach Lawrence Frank interviewed for the position. On Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press reported that Milwaukee assistant coach Kelvin Sampson will interview this week as well.

According to the Free Press, the list of candidates now includes Mike Woodson, former Hawks coach and Pistons assistant, Bill Laimbeer and Dallas assistant Dwane Casey. The Free Press reported that Woodson has not interviewed yet.

John Kuester was fired June 5 after compiling a 57-107 record in two seasons with the Pistons.

Courtesy of http://aol.sportingnews.com

Raptors want Casey - by Eurobasket News
It appears the Raptors want Dallas assistant Dwayne Casey to become the eighth head coach in team history.

But he won't come easily after his defensive schemes helped lead the Mavericks to the title on Sunday.

The Detroit Pistons and wealthy new owner Tom Gores are also interested in Casey and money is likely to be no object if they decide Casey is their guy.

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Casey is the frontrunner for the Toronto job after interviewing with the team earlier this week and could be hired as soon as next week.

That is, if he prefers this job over the Detroit opening.

Lawrence Frank is also in the running in both cities.

The NBA draft takes place next Thursday and the Raptors would prefer to get input from their new head coach before making their selection.

The team will get another look at Czech high flyer Jan Vesely on Sunday and might workout more players in Toronto on Monday.

The Raptors have interviewed both Casey and Frank, the Pistons have had Frank in but reportedly are still waiting on a meeting with Casey, 54.

Casey went 53-69 with the Minnesota Timberwolves but was fired in 2006-07 after leading the team to a 20-20 record. The Wolves have not been anywhere close to .500 since and Casey has been a finalist for a number of other jobs before and since, including the Toronto gig that went to Kevin ONeill in 2003.

Besides helming a Mavericks defence that helped slow down stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant in the playoffs this season, Casey also had a very successful run as Nate McMillans associate head coach in Seattle.

With Casey as his main man on the bench, McMillans Supersonics went 212-173.

Frank, Bostons assistant in charge of the defence went 225-241 as head coach of the New Jersey Nets.

Courtesy of www.torontosun.com

Rubio decides to join T-Wolves - by Eurobasket News
When David Kahn drafted Ricky Rubio (192-G-90) in 2009, he called the Spanish teenager 'a virtuoso' and told Minnesota season-ticket holders that he would 'be our starting point guard here the moment he walks through our front door.'

Now that Rubio has finally committed to joining the Timberwolves, Kahn has changed his tune a bit.

Kahn, the team president, is trying to manage expectations for a player who will likely need time to adapt to a new culture and new style of play. At the same time, the business side of the woeful 'Wolves is trying to capitalize on a rare bit of good news.

Rubio officially announced in Barcelona on Friday that he would exercise a buyout of his contract and come to the NBA. A few hours later, Kahn tried to temper the soaring expectations from a fan base eagerly awaiting Rubio's arrival.

Rubio must be 'allowed to break into the league just as any rookie would.'

The Timberwolves drafted Rubio with the fifth overall pick in 2009, but an enormous buyout clause with his first Spanish pro team forced him to stay in Spain for two more years. After helping Barcelona to the Spanish ACB championship this week, he announced: 'I have finally decided to start the journey' to the NBA.

'It is my dream and I want to fulfill it,' Rubio said. 'After thinking about it a lot, the time has arrived.'

Courtesy of www.onlineathens.com

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

NEW ZEALAND

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Jack LEASURE
  Taranaki.
  (191-G-86)
  Avg: 21.9

1. Leasure, Taranaki.	21.9
2. Hudson, Manawatu.	20.4
3. Webster, Wellingt.	20.0
4. Dora, Nelson G.	19.6
5. Pace, Bay Hawks	19.5
6. Smith, Waikato P.	19.4
7. Campbell, Taranaki.	19.4
8. Abercrombie, Waika.	19.0
9. Polyblank, Southla.	18.8
10. Bradshaw, Oceana.	18.6

Rebounds Per Game

Nick HORVATH
  Manawatu.
  (208-F/C-81)
  Avg: 11.5

1. Horvath, Manawatu.	11.5
2. Pledger, Waika.	11.3
3. Vukona, Nelson G.	10.1
4. Allred, OceanaGo.	10.1
5. Campbell, Taranaki.	9.9
6. Seay, Waikato P.	9.3
7. Grizzard, Nelson G.	8.8
8. Johnson, Wellingt.	8.8
9. Bradshaw, OceanaG.	8.4
10. Frank, Wellington	8.2

Assists Per Game

Jason CROWE
  Waikato P.
  (193-G-76)
  Avg: 6.8

1. Crowe, Waikato P.	6.8
2. Dickel, Southland	6.5
3. Tait, Wellington S.	5.4
4. Braswell, Southlan.	5.2
5. Martin, Auckland.	4.5
6. Kench, Manawatu J.	4.4
7. Boucher, Auckland.	4.0
8. Smith, Waikato P.	3.7
9. Webster, Wellingt.	3.3
10. Meehl, Taranaki MA	3.3

Steals Per Game

Jason CROWE
  Waikato P.
  (193-G-76)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Crowe, Waikato P.	3.1
2. Boucher, Auckland.	2.9
3. Smith, Waikato P.	2.7
4. Seay, Waikato P.	2.3
5. Dickel, Southland	2.1
6. Kench, Manawatu J.	2.0
7. Allen, Waikato P.	1.7
8. Braswell, Southlan.	1.6
9. Frank, Wellington	1.6
10. Leasure, Taranaki.	1.6

Blocks Per Game

Alex PLEDGER
  Waika.
  (216-C-87)
  Avg: 2.8

1. Pledger, Waika.	2.8
2. Seay, Waikato P.	1.5
3. Iti, Southland S.	1.5
4. Allred, OceanaGo.	1.4
5. Spicer, Southlan.	1.2
6. Brown, Auckland P.	1.0
7. Vukona, Nelson G.	1.0
8. Anthony, Waika.	1.0
9. Campbell, Taranaki.	0.9
10. Adams, Wellington	0.8

Standings Men

NBL Standings

1. Waikato P.		11-3
2. Wellington S.		10-2
3. Bay Hawks		10-3
4. Nelson G.		6-5
5. Southland S.		5-6
6. Manawatu J.		5-6
7. Auckland P.		3-8
8. Taranaki MA		2-10
9. OceanaGold N.		2-11

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

POLAND

Poland claim second straight win over Netherlands - by Eurobasket News
Poland U20 - Netherlands U20 64:63

Polish U20 National Team recorded the second straight win over their Dutch counterparts. This time Poland claimed a narrow one-point victory. Sebastian Szymanski (185-G-91, agency: Promotex) stepped up with 21 points to lead the effort.
Poland looked slightly better in the first half. They outscored the visitors 40:34. Poland limited their opponents to just 11 points in the third term. The margin grew at 9-point mark with one quarter remaining. But Netherlands revived the intrigue. They narrowed the distance and had a chance to win the battle before Poland escaped with a difficult victory at the end. Norbert Kulon (185-G-92) finished with 8 points for Poland. Hubert Wierzbicki (196-F-91, agency: Promotex), Mateusz Dziemba (194-G-92), Jaroslaw Zyskowski (197-G-92) and Bartosz Zajac (197-G-91) all scored 6 points each for the winners.

Grzegorz Arabas, Piotr Dabrowski and Daniel Wall join Polpharma - by Eurobasket News
Polpharma continued to strengthen their roster. They secured the services of Grzegorz Arabas (190-F/G-78), Piotr Dabrowski (192-G/F-86) and Daniel Wall (196-F-82, agency: Promotex) for the next season.
Piotr Dabrowski is returning to Starogard Gdanski. The forward played for Polpharma in 2009/10 season. Last season Piotr Dabrowki spent in PBG Basket. He averaged 3.9 points, 4.5 boards and 1.1 assist per appearance.
Grzegorz Arabas played for AZS Koszalin in the previous season. The 32-year-old forward posted 7.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in PLK. Grzegorz Arabas was named PLK Rookie of the Year back in 2002. He then played in Pogon Ruda Slaska, Astoria, Kotwica and AZS Koszalin.
Daniel Wall moves to Polpharma from Siarka Tarnobrzeg. The 29-year-old forward tallied 10.3 points, 4.2 boards and 1.8 steals per game in PLK last season. Previously Daniel Wall had stints with Rosasport Radom and LKS Lodz.

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

PUERTO RICO

Standings - BSN

BSN Standings

1. Bayamon		18-9
2. Guaynabo		17-12
3. San German		16-12
4. Arecibo		16-12
5. Santurce		15-14
6. Quebradillas		14-13
7. Humacao		13-16
8. Coamo		12-18
9. Mayaguez		10-16
10. Isabela		10-19

Stats Leaders - BSN

Points Per Game

Peter John RAMOS
  Quebradillas
  (222-C-85)
  Avg: 23.7

1. Ramos, Quebradillas	23.7
2. Vassallo, Guaynabo	23.0
3. Johnson, Humacao	21.3
4. Dalmau, Bayamon	21.2
5. Villegas, Coamo	19.3
6. Ayuso, Arecibo	19.2
7. Romero, Mayaguez	18.6
8. Randolph, Isabela	18.0
9. Harris, San German	17.5
10. Carmona, Mayaguez	17.3

Rebounds Per Game

Shavlik RANDOLPH
  Isabela
  (208-F-83)
  Avg: 12.3

1. Randolph, Isabela	12.3
2. Harris, San German	12.2
3. Narvaez, Coamo	12.1
4. Pruitt, Guaynabo	11.5
5. Ramos, Quebradillas	10.8
6. Lloreda, San G.	10.0
7. Romero, Mayaguez	9.7
8. Sweetney, Santurce	9.4
9. Shannon, Bayamon	9.2
10. Rickert, Bayamon	9.1

Assists Per Game

Christian DALMAU
  Bayamon
  (194-G-77)
  Avg: 6.1

1. Dalmau, Bayamon	6.1
2. Brown, Quebradillas	5.9
3. Guzman, Guaynabo	4.8
4. Clemente, Humacao	4.6
5. Clinch, Isabela	4.5
6. Apodaca, Quebradil.	4.3
7. Rivera, Mayaguez	4.1
8. Vega, Coamo	4.0
9. Copeland, San G.	3.8
10. Bruton, Quebradil.	3.8

Steals Per Game

Darnell HINSON
  Isabela
  (186-G-80)
  Avg: 1.8

1. Hinson, Isabela	1.8
2. Rivera, Mayaguez	1.6
3. Clinch, Isabela	1.5
4. Robinson, Mayaguez	1.5
5. Dalmau, Bayamon	1.4
6. Hodge, Santurce	1.4
7. Chaney, Santurce	1.3
8. Carmona, Mayaguez	1.3
9. Ayuso, Arecibo	1.3
10. Santiago, Santur.	1.3

Blocks Per Game

Kleon PENN
  Humacao
  (211-C-86)
  Avg: 2.6

1. Penn, Humacao	2.6
2. Traylor, Bayamon	2.0
3. Sanchez, Santurce	2.0
4. Santiago, Arecibo	2.0
5. Romero, Mayaguez	1.9
6. Lee, Bayamon	1.8
7. Aubry, Arecibo	1.7
8. Harris, San German	1.5
9. Randolph, Isabela	1.4
10. Ramos, Quebradill.	1.2

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

RUSSIA

Zakhar Pashutin stays with Unics for another season - by Eurobasket News
Zakhar Pashutin (196-G-74) has extended his contract with Unics for another season. The 37-year-old guard joined the Kazan team at the start of the previous season. He averaged 4.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in EuroCup. In VTB-League the veteran guard posted 5.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per appearance. In PBL his stats read 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals. Previously Zakhar Pashutin had spells with Spartak SP, Karsiyaka, CSKA and Ural Great. Zakhar Pashutin played for Russian National Team in 1997/08 seasons.

Trajan Langdon and JR Holden officially retire - by Eurobasket News
Trajan Langdon (192-G-76, agency: Alti Sport, college: Duke) and J.R. Holden (185-G-76, college: Bucknell) announced their retirements as professional basketball players. Both of them announced their decision after the Game Four of the PBL Finals, which CSKA Moscow won 63-74 on the road. Of course, CSKA won the PBL title with almost perfect 3-1 against Khimky. Holden scored 25 points in Game Four.
Trajan Langdon and J.R. Holden won many titles and personal awards with CSKA Moscow. Langdon joined them in 2005, while Holden was a member of CSKA since 2002. They were champions of Russia every year and they also won Russian Cup in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010. Langdon and Holden were also Euroleague champions with CSKA in 2006 and 2008.
J.R. Holden received Russian citizenship in October of 2003. He played for the NT from 2005 to 2008. With Team Russia, Holden won the Gold at the EuroBasket 2007 in Spain. He had 11.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.1 spg for 9 games at this event.

Unics Kazan officially signs Nathan Jawai - by Eurobasket News
As expected, Nathan Jawai (207-C-86, college: Midland CC) will play next season in Unics Kazan. The Australian big guy signed a one-year deal with the club. Jawai arrives to Unics from Partizan Belgrade, where he spent 2010/11. He helped them defend the Adriatic and Serbian league titles, as well as the Serbian Cup. In Euroleague, Partizan reached Top16.
Nathan Jawai appeared 16 times in Euroleague this season averaging 9.1 points and 5 rebounds. In Adriatic league his numbers were 10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 1.2 apg for 28 games. In Serbian championship Jawai added 8.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg. He joined Partizan last summer from the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also played 38 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season registering 3.2 ppg and 2.7 rpg. In the past, Jawai was a member of the Australian Institute Sport, Midland CC and Cairns Taipans. In 2008/09, he played few games for the Toronto Raptors.

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

SENEGAL

Boniface Ndong wins another trophy in Spain - by Eurobasket News
Boniface Ndong (213-C-77) finished another very successful season with Regal Barca. He helped the Spanish giant to win the ACB title and National Cup trophy this season. Ndong and his teammates blasted Bilbao in the ACB Finals with perfect 3-0. Ndong had very important role in this series collecting 20 points and 22 rebounds in total.
Boniface Ndong joined Regal Barca in 2009 from Unicaja Malaga. He appeared 41 times in ACB this season averaging 6 points and 3.8 rebounds. He also added 6.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg for 20 Euroleague games. As a reminder, Regal Barca was the Euroleague champion in 2010. Ndong helped them at that time with 8.9 ppg and 3.7 rpg for 20 games. Ndong is active member of the Senegalese National Team.

ACB Finals, Game 3: Bizkaia Bilbao - Regal Barca 55-64 (0-3)
Regal Barca is the new ACB champion! They outplayed Bilbao tonight on the road 55-64 winning the Finals with perfect 3-0. Last time Barca was the champion two years ago (2008/09). This is not the first trophy for Barca this season as they already celebrated in 'Copa del Rey' and Spanish SuperCup.
The guests trailed by 7 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 1-point lead at the halftime. Third quarter ended with 18-18, after what Barca exploded in the last ten minutes (8-16) for the final 55-64 victory. The best player for the winners was international guard Juan Carlos Navarro who scored 16 points and 4 assists. He was named MVP of the Finals. Guard Victor Sada chipped in 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international forward Alex Mumbru who recorded 14 points and 6 rebounds and Belgian forward Axel Hervelle added 8 points and 7 rebounds respectively.
Regal Barca was the regular season champion in ACB with 27-7 record. They eliminated Unicaja in the Quarterfinals (2-0) and defending champion Caja Laboral in the Semis (3-0).

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

SERBIA

Vanja Gusa announced list of candidates for EYOF - by Nenad Ilijev
Head coach Vanja Gusa announced list of candidates for Serbian national team that will take a part at EYOF (European Youth Olympic Festival) which will be held in Trabzon, Turkey from July 23-30th. Sixteen players got a preliminary call:

Jovan Andjelkovic (Mladost Zajecar)

Aleksandar Bursac (Hemofarm)

Ivan Daskalovic (FMP)

Dejan Davidovac (Proleter, Zrenjanin)

Balsa Dragovic (Zemun)

Gojko Djokovic (Sumadija 1991. Kragujevac)

Radovan Djokovic (Zmaj)

Jovan Grujic (Kris Kros, Pancevo)

Aleksandar Ilkic (Kris Kros, Pancevo)

Strahinja Jovanovic (Zemun)

Aleksa Koracin (Fles)

Janko Simic (Basket top, Kragujevac)

Jovan Starincevic (Zvezdara Kroni)

Andrija Sarenac (Beovuk)

Ognjen Casiljevic (Hemofarm)

Luka Vuksanovic (Sloga Kraljevo).

Assistant coach will be Vladimir Lucic and physio Darko Antic.

Zoran Lukic secures extension with Nizhny Novgorod - by Eurobasket News
Russian team Nizhny Novgorod announced signing of 2-year contract extension with Zoran Lukic. The Serbian specialist led PBL newcomer to Playoffs, what was enough for the club to offer him an extension. They finished regular season with 10-17 record and met Unics in the Quarterfinals. However, the Kazan team eliminated Nizhny Novgorod with 1-2.
Zoran Lukic took over Nizhny Novgorod in 2009. He won the B Superleague title and promotion to PBL. Lukic was named Eurobasket.com All-Russian B Superleague Coach of the Year -10. This year his Nizhny Novgorod reached Russian Cup Finals, what was considered as great success. Lukic coached at the PBL All-Star Game this year.
BC Nizhny Novgorod also kept 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. In 2009-2010 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).

Miodrag Perisic is new head coach of Egypt - by Zoran Popovic
Miodrag Perisic is new head coach of Egyptian National team. After two seasons with Zamalek, Perisic has been appointed as a new head coach of one of the best teams Africa with the ambition to qualify for the Olympic games next summer in London. During the career Perisic was head coach of Policarbochim Cluj Napoca, BU Poli-Mobitelco-Carbochim Cluj Napoca, Swisslion Pelister Bitola, CS Otopeni Bucuresti and Al Zamalek.

Kosta Perovic wins the trophy abroad - by Eurobasket News
Kosta Perovic (217-C-85) won the title in Spain with his Regal Barca. They blasted Bilbao with perfect 3-0 to win the trophy. Perovic and Barca already celebrated in Copa del Rey earlier this season.
Kosta Perovic joined Regal Barca last summer from Valencia. He appeared 40 times in ACB this season averaging 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds. He also added 5.7 ppg and 3 rpg for 17 Euroleague games. With Valencia last season, Perovic had 8.6 ppg and 5.1 rpg in Spain. He helped them win the EuroCup with 10.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg. In the past, Perovic played for the Golden State Warriors, Bakersfield Jam and Partizan. He is active member of the Serbian National Team.

ACB Finals, Game 3: Bizkaia Bilbao - Regal Barca 55-64 (0-3)
Regal Barca is the new ACB champion! They outplayed Bilbao tonight on the road 55-64 winning the Finals with perfect 3-0. Last time Barca was the champion two years ago (2008/09). This is not the first trophy for Barca this season as they already celebrated in 'Copa del Rey' and Spanish SuperCup.
The guests trailed by 7 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 1-point lead at the halftime. Third quarter ended with 18-18, after what Barca exploded in the last ten minutes (8-16) for the final 55-64 victory. The best player for the winners was international guard Juan Carlos Navarro who scored 16 points and 4 assists. He was named MVP of the Finals. Guard Victor Sada chipped in 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international forward Alex Mumbru who recorded 14 points and 6 rebounds and Belgian forward Axel Hervelle added 8 points and 7 rebounds respectively.
Regal Barca was the regular season champion in ACB with 27-7 record. They eliminated Unicaja in the Quarterfinals (2-0) and defending champion Caja Laboral in the Semis (3-0).

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

SLOVENIA

Erazem Lorbek and Jaka Lakovic win the title in Spain - by Eurobasket News
Erazem Lorbek (209-F/C-84, college: Michigan St.) and Jaka Lakovic (186-G-78) finished 2010/11 season in style. Two Slovenians and their team Regal Barca won the ACB title with perfect 3-0. They blasted Bilbao in the Finals with two home and one road victory. Lorbek exploded in Game One with 24 points and 7 rebounds, while he also had 9 pts and 5 rebs in Game two, plus 7 pts and 6 rebs in Game Three. Lakovic had limited playing time in the Finals. Barca already won the Spanish Cup earlier this season.
Erazem Lorbek joined Regal Barca in 2009 from CSKA Moscow. He appeared 40 times in ACB this season averaging 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He also added 8.5 ppg and 3.7 rpg for 20 Euroleague games.
Jaka Lakovic joined Barca in 2006 from Panathinaikos. He had 5.1 ppg and 1.3 apg for 39 games in ACB this season. In Euroleague, Lakovic added 6.4 ppg and 1.9 apg for 19 games.

ACB Finals, Game 3: Bizkaia Bilbao - Regal Barca 55-64 (0-3)
Regal Barca is the new ACB champion! They outplayed Bilbao tonight on the road 55-64 winning the Finals with perfect 3-0. Last time Barca was the champion two years ago (2008/09). This is not the first trophy for Barca this season as they already celebrated in 'Copa del Rey' and Spanish SuperCup.
The guests trailed by 7 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 1-point lead at the halftime. Third quarter ended with 18-18, after what Barca exploded in the last ten minutes (8-16) for the final 55-64 victory. The best player for the winners was international guard Juan Carlos Navarro who scored 16 points and 4 assists. He was named MVP of the Finals. Guard Victor Sada chipped in 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international forward Alex Mumbru who recorded 14 points and 6 rebounds and Belgian forward Axel Hervelle added 8 points and 7 rebounds respectively.
Regal Barca was the regular season champion in ACB with 27-7 record. They eliminated Unicaja in the Quarterfinals (2-0) and defending champion Caja Laboral in the Semis (3-0).

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

SPAIN

Sergio Scariolo names 15 players for Spanish NT - by Eurobasket News
Sergio Scariolo (agency: Alti Sport ) announced list of 15 candidates for the Spanish National Team. Even though the reigning European champions were expected to bring their strongest roster, Fran Vazquez (209-C-83) will not play in EuroBasket 2011. According to the Spanish media, Vazquez decided to skip the EuroBasket this summer due to his status (free agent) and knee problems. The contract between Vazquez and Barca expired and the player is jobless at this moment. Jorge Garbajosa (205-C/F-77, agency: Interperformances) retired from the NT few days ago and now the Spanish Basketball Federation will try to convince Alex Mumbru (202-F-79) to return. Mumbru had a great season with Bilbao and he signed a contract extension earlier this week. On the of 15 players there is also a name of Serge Ibaka (208-C/F-89), despite it is not clear yet will he receive the Spanish citizenship on time.

Jose Manuel Calderon (190-PG-81) Toronto Raptors, NBA
Ricky Rubio (192-G-90) Barcelona, Spain
Victor Sada (192-G-84) Barcelona, Spain
Sergio Llull (190-G-87) Real Madrid, Spain
Juan Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) Barcelona, Spain
Rudy Fernandez (197-G-85) Portland Trail Blazers, NBA
Rafael Martinez (191-G-82) Power Electronics Valencia, Spain
Carlos Suarez (202-F-86, agency: Court Side) Real Madrid, Spain
Fernando San Emeterio (198-F/G-84) Caja Laboral, Spain
Alex Mumbru Bilbao Basket, Spain
Victor Claver (207-F/C-88) Power Electronics Valencia, Spain
Felipe Reyes (203-F/C-80) Real Madrid, Spain
Serge Ibaka Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA
Marc Gasol (212-C-85, agency: Interperformances) Memphis Grizzlies, NBA
Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) Los Angeles Lakers, NBA

Spain will compete in Group A of the EuroBasket 2011. Their rivals will be Turkey, Lithuania, Great Britain, Poland and Portugal/ or Finland/ or Hungary.

Gran Canaria keeps Tomas Bellas - by Eurobasket News
Gran Canaria 2014 announced signing of 2-year contract extension with Tomas Bellas (185-G-87). It means that the Spanish guard will stay with Granca until the end of 2012/13 season. Bellas moved to Granca in 2009 from Caceres. In their first season together he had 3.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg and 2.1 apg for 36 Spanish league games. Bellas also added 3.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 2.1 apg in 14 EuroCup games that season. Last season, he had almost the same numbers in ACB. For 36 games Bellas registered 3.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg and 2.2 apg. In 14 EuroCup games he averaged 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Before Granca, Tomas Bellas spent one season with Caceres 2016. He was loaned to Caceres by Real Madrid. Bellas played for Real Madrid II from 2006 to 2008.

Rubio decides to join T-Wolves - by Eurobasket News
When David Kahn drafted Ricky Rubio (192-G-90) in 2009, he called the Spanish teenager 'a virtuoso' and told Minnesota season-ticket holders that he would 'be our starting point guard here the moment he walks through our front door.'

Now that Rubio has finally committed to joining the Timberwolves, Kahn has changed his tune a bit.

Kahn, the team president, is trying to manage expectations for a player who will likely need time to adapt to a new culture and new style of play. At the same time, the business side of the woeful 'Wolves is trying to capitalize on a rare bit of good news.

Rubio officially announced in Barcelona on Friday that he would exercise a buyout of his contract and come to the NBA. A few hours later, Kahn tried to temper the soaring expectations from a fan base eagerly awaiting Rubio's arrival.

Rubio must be 'allowed to break into the league just as any rookie would.'

The Timberwolves drafted Rubio with the fifth overall pick in 2009, but an enormous buyout clause with his first Spanish pro team forced him to stay in Spain for two more years. After helping Barcelona to the Spanish ACB championship this week, he announced: 'I have finally decided to start the journey' to the NBA.

'It is my dream and I want to fulfill it,' Rubio said. 'After thinking about it a lot, the time has arrived.'

Courtesy of www.onlineathens.com

Stats Leaders - ACB

Points Per Game

Jaycee CARROLL
  Gran Canaria
  (188-G-83)
  Avg: 19.3

1. Carroll, Gran Cana.	19.3
2. Navarro, Regal B.	15.7
3. McDonald, DKV J.	15.3
4. Baron, Lagun A.	15.0
5. Fitch, Unicaja	15.0
6. Teletovic, Caja L.	14.6
7. Caner-Medley, Estu.	14.4
8. Martinez, Valencia	14.0
9. Freeland, Unicaja	13.2
10. Davis, Cajasol	13.2

Rebounds Per Game

Robert KURZ
  Granada
  (206-F-85)
  Avg: 9.1

1. Kurz, Granada	9.1
2. Batista, Fuenlabr.	8.4
3. Caner-Medley, Estu.	7.6
4. Barac, Caja Laboral	7.0
5. Donaldson, Menorca	6.9
6. Ayon, Fuenlabrada	6.5
7. Wallace, Gran Cana.	6.3
8. Doellman, Meridiano	6.2
9. Slokar, Manresa	6.2
10. Freeland, Unicaja	6.1

Assists Per Game

Marcelinho HUERTAS
  Caja L.
  (191-G-83)
  Avg: 5.9

1. Huertas, Caja L.	5.9
2. Cook, Valencia	5.4
3. Ciorciari, Menorca	4.9
4. Valters, Fuenlabr.	4.5
5. Salgado, Lagun A.	4.3
6. Rubio, Regal Barca	4.1
7. Green, Gran Canaria	4.0
8. Dumas, Valladolid	3.9
9. San Miguel, Manre.	3.9
10. Prigioni, Real Ma.	3.7

Steals Per Game

Omar-Sharif COOK
  Valencia
  (186-G-82)
  Avg: 2.2

1. Cook, Valencia	2.2
2. Kirksay, Cajasol	1.9
3. Robinson, DKV J.	1.8
4. Rubio, Regal Barca	1.6
5. Ciorciari, Menorca	1.5
6. Victor, Menorca	1.5
7. Ayon, Fuenlabrada	1.5
8. Hosley, DKV J.	1.5
9. San Miguel, Manre.	1.5
10. Davis, Cajasol	1.5

Blocks Per Game

Bismack BIYOMBO
  Fuenlabr.
  (204-C-92)
  Avg: 2.3

1. Biyombo, Fuenlabr.	2.3
2. Ayon, Fuenlabrada	1.4
3. Fischer, Real Madr.	1.4
4. Barnes, Valladolid	1.3
5. Kurz, Granada	1.3
6. Vazquez, Regal B.	1.3
7. Batista, Fuenlabr.	1.1
8. Barac, Caja Laboral	1.1
9. Savane, Gran C.	1.1
10. Andriuskevic., Me.	1.0

Stefan Markovic and Rodrigo San Miguel head to Valencia - by Eurobasket News
Valencia are planning to strengthen their backcourt with addition of Rodrigo San Miguel (190-G-85) and Stefan Markovic (194-G-88).
Rodrigo San Miguel spent the last three seasons in Manresa. Last season the 26-year-old guard averaged 8.4 points, 3.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in ACB. Previously Rodrigo San Miguel had stints with Zaragoza, Valladolid and Plasencia Galco.
Stefan Markovic has just finished the season with Benetton Treviso. The 23-year-old Serbian guard posted 6.1 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game in EuroCup. The guard earned Eurobasket.com All-EuroCup Honourable Mention. In Seria A the guard notched 5.3 points, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists per appearance. Stefan Markovic participated at 2010 World Championships. The player recorded 3.2 points, 2.3 boards and 2.2 assists per game in Turkey.

Spain over run AIS 70-57 - by Eurobasket News
The AIS Men completed game three of the Ping Guo leg of their Chinese Tour tonight as they took on Spain in a grueling encounter.

Despite going down 70-57, the margin reflected a 15 point improvement by the AIS team from their first game against Spain only four days earlier.

The game was incredibly tight through the first half, with no more than six points separating the teams at any one point. The AIS showed signs of being much more comfortable within the team structure which was highlighted by 50 per cent Field Goal shooting throughout the first quarter.

Another positive for the AIS was the balanced scoring approach that the offense provided.

On the defensive end the focus from Coach Stacker was containment of the ball, team rotations against on-ball screens, and box out and finish the play off. The message got through, as the AIS were ferocious on the boards.

Nick Kaye and Matthew Andronicos were instrumental in this, securing three first half Offensive Boards each, as well as a number of defensive boards.

At times, Spain looked like they were going to break the game open, but each time they did the AIS refocused, fought back hard and regained some momentum of their own.

Dante Exum was again proving to be a hard matchup for the opposition as he moved his own tally up to 10 points on a trademark drive down the middle of the court to bring the margin to four at the main break.

In the 3rd and 4th quarters Spains height and physical strength started to become more of a factor. Boasting multiple seven footers in their line-up, as well as some decent sized guards they looked to pound the ball inside with more regular frequency.

At times during the 3rd quarter the lead pushed out past 10, but each time the AIS were able to bring it back to single figures. Even right up until the final 15 seconds of the game there was a sense that the AIS were right about the mark, especially given the AISs history of comebacks throughout the tournament. Whilst it was not to be on this occasion, Coach Ian Stacker was pleased that his Men are getting closer to putting in four good quality quarters.

The stats for the two teams were virtually identical with Spain finishing with a slightly higher shooting percentage, due in large to their number one big man going 20 points at 75 per cent efficiency. For the AIS Dante Exum top scored with 20 with Owen Odigie next best with 12.

Match report by Mathew Neason, Scholarship Coach
Courtesy of: www.basketball.net.au

Aaron Jackson stayed in Bilbao - by Giorgos Diploidis
The team of Bizkaia Bilbao Basket was the surprise of the play offs of the ACB championship this year. They lost by Barcelona with 3-0 in final series but the year was successful. One of the first things to do for the next season was to extend the contract of Aaron Jackson (193-G-86, college: Duquesne) who will stay in the team of Fotis Katsikaris (agency: FCM ) for one more year.

The American guard had an average of 11 points and 2.8 assists. In contrast Paco Vazquez leaves the team in which was a member the last three years.

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SWITZERLAND

Swiss Market News - by Luca Maffioli
Lions de Geneve have agreed on terms of contract Sean Barnette (195-F-86, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Wingate) and Bilal Salaam (201-F-81, college: Kutztown). Barnette, graduated at Wingate University, played 2010-2011 season in France with Lille Metropole Basket Clubs and he averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in ProB. Salaam come back to Swiss after two seasons. Last season he played in Sweden with KFUM Jamtland Basket averaging 11.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Kramer Knutson (205-F/C-89) will start his pro career in Swiss with BBC Nyon. The 22 years-old power forward / center, graduated at University of Portland, averaged 6.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in NCAA division I West Coast Conference.

Sean Barnette joins Geneve Lions - by Eurobasket News
Geneve Lions bolstered their roster. They added Sean Barnette (195-F-86, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Wingate) for the next season. The 24-year-old forward spent the previous season in France. Sean Barnette averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 boards, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game for Lille in ProB. In 2010 Sean Barnette became D-League champion with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The forward posted 2.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per appearance. Sean Barnette is the Wingate University graduate. The player was All-SAC Tournament MVP in 2007. He was also trumped All-SAC Player of the Year in 2008. Sean Barnette received NCAA D2 All-America Honourable Mention in 2007.

BBC Nyon bring in Kramer Knutson - by Eurobasket News
BBC Nyon is working to strengthen their roster for the upcoming season. They have recently agreed on terms of contract with Kramer Knutson (205-F/C-89). The 22-year-old centre signed his first pro deal. Kramer Knutson has just graduated from the University of Portland. The centre notched 6.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 assists per game in his senior season with the Pilots.

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TAIWAN

KKL could terminate sponsorship: report - by Chris Wang
Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc., one of the most successful wine companies in Taiwan, could terminate its sponsorship of the SBL team, local media reported Friday.

KKL is a highly successful semi state-owned liquor company in Kinmen, an outlying island located very near China's southeast coast but is controlled by Taiwan government. Kaoliang, the Chinese word for sorghum, sells so well that the distillery generates an annual revenue of close to US$70 million for the county government.

In 2008, KKL signed a three-year NT$30 million (US$1.04 million) sponsorship deal after Hongya International Inc. and De-heng Marketing firm took over management rights from the team formerly known as Dmedia Numen.

However, KKL was disappointed that the team failed to make the playoffs in the past three years and never finished above .500. In addition, the company was unhappy with the management of Hongya. In each of the past three seasons, there were rumors that KKL failed to pay its players and imports on time.

KKL also accused Hongya of breach of contract, saying that the management did not keep at least four Kinmen-born players on its roster, which was a requirement of the sponsorship agreement.

Chen Ching-Hwan (190-F-86), the team's second-leading scorer last season at 18.3 behind Shawn Hawkins, has left the team and signed with Taiwan Mobile. A total of nine players reportedly left the team since March.

Wang Nan-kuei, Huang Ju-tao and Hong Ying-che have signed with Bank of Taiwan, according to Apple Daily.

A Hongya Inc. official was quoted as saying that the company's deal with KKL runs through April 2012 and nothing will change before that date. The official denied that KKL will terminate its sponsorship agreement.

Kinmen Basketball Association reportedly said the association has been mulling to take over the operation rights of the team and make it a team of 100 percent Kinmen-born players.

SBL to relax import height limit: report - by Chris Wang
The Super Basketball League (SBL) will adopt a new height limit of 6-9 (205cm) to replace its current limit of 6-7 (200cm) in the 2011-12 season while the monthly salary cap will stay at the current US$10,000, Taiwanese media reported.

In the first preparatory meeting of the SBL Committee, which is under the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA), Friday, new CTBA President Ting Shou-chung also made sure the SBL All-Star Game will be held after a two-year hiatus.

The new season will tip off in mid-December, the meeting decided. Regular season games will be held at Hsinjhuang Stadium, Taipei Municiple Arena and Fengshan Stadium in the southern city of Kaohsiung. Some of the playoff games will be held at the National Taiwan University Gymnasium, one of the best venues in downtown Taipei but was never used as a SBL venue due to its high rent.

In addition, game dates of the new season will be Friday-Saturday-Sunday instead of Wednesday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday due to lack of fan supports on Wednesdays.

The height limit of import players was obviously the most important changes in the new season. The committee adopted the change in the hope of improving the competition level.

Several team representatives argued that, if the salary limit remains unchanged, it will be difficult for teams to hire imports with better skills.

The Chou Po-cheng case, raised by Yulon head coach Zhang Xuelei, was also discussed in the meeting. Chou, who was on Taiwan NT roster for the EABC, was selected by KKL in the SBL Draft last year. The 197cm forward reported to KKL's preseason camp but never signed a contract with the team. He signed with Yulon Luxgen afterwards.

Chou was subjected to a two-year suspension for violating the draft regulation, which states that a draftee must sign with the team that made the pick in the draft or else will be slapped with a two-year ban.

No final decision was reached in the meeting.

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TUNISIA

TURKEY

Fenerbahce Ulker defends the title! - by Eurobasket News
TBL Finals, Game 6: Galatasaray - Fenerbahce Ulker 88-91 (2-4)

Fenerbahce Ulker defended the TBL title tonight thanks to 88-91 road win against Galatasaray. It was a Game Six and Fener won the series with 4-2. This is the second trophy for Fenerbahce Ulker this season as they already won the Turkish Cup.
The guests were tied at the half but managed to speed up in last two quarters eventually winning the game. 24 personal fouls committed by Galatasaray helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was the former international center Oguz Savas (208-87) who scored 19 points and 6 rebounds. The former international guard Omer Onan (194-78) chipped in 20 points. Five Fenerbahce Ulker players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Jerry Johnson (183-82, college: Rider, agency: Beo Basket) who recorded 19 points and 8 assists and his fellow American import guard Preston Shumpert (198-79, college: Syracuse) added 18 points and 6 rebounds respectively. Galatasaray's coach Oktay Mahmudi rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help.
Fenerbahce Ulker was the regular season champion in TBL with 27-3 record. They swept Antalya in the Quarterfinals (3-0) and Efes Pilsen in the Semis (3-0).

Top scorers:
Galatasaray: J.Johnson 19+1reb+8ast, P.Shumpert 18+6reb, E.Kurtoglu 10, J.Shipp 9+4reb+1ast, H.Yildirim 7+3reb, L.Andric 7+4reb
Fener.Ulker: O.Onan 20+2reb+1ast, O.Savas 19+6reb, S.Jasikevicius 14+1reb+3ast, E.Preldzic 12+6reb+5ast, S.May 10+6reb+1ast, M.Tomas 8+3reb+2ast

Stats Leaders - D1

Points Per Game

Ali KARADENIZ
  Trabzons.
  (203-F-80)
  Avg: 23

1. Karadeniz, Trabzon.	23.0
2. Kambala, Aliaga	20.2
3. Buckman, Antalya	19.6
4. Henderson, Antalya	19.1
5. Smith, Karsiyaka	18.8
6. Seibutis, Olin Edi.	18.7
7. Kemp, Besiktas	17.9
8. Randle, Aliaga	17.5
9. Barbour, Erdemir	17.2
10. Scales, Mersin	17.2

Rebounds Per Game

Nedim YUCEL
  Mersin
  (203-F-79)
  Avg: 11.3

1. Yucel, Mersin	11.3
2. Thomas, Erdemir	10.2
3. Wesson, Turk T.	9.2
4. Buckman, Antalya	9.0
5. Mays, Oyak Renault	9.0
6. Ffriend, Bornova	8.7
7. Samardjiski, Olin	8.5
8. Smith, Bornova	7.9
9. Smith, Karsiyaka	7.8
10. Karadeniz, Trabzo.	7.6

Assists Per Game

Baris ERMIS
  Banvit
  (194-G-85)
  Avg: 6.1

1. Ermis, Banvit	6.1
2. Holston, Karsiyaka	6.0
3. Conroy, Oyak R.	5.9
4. Rasic, Trabzonspor	5.3
5. Chatman, Besiktas	5.1
6. Henderson, Antalya	4.7
7. Rowe, Tofas	4.6
8. Tunceri, Efes Pils.	4.3
9. Ukic, Fener.Ulker	4.3
10. Acik, Galatasaray	4.3

Steals Per Game

David HOLSTON
  Karsiyaka
  (170-G-86)
  Avg: 2.2

1. Holston, Karsiyaka	2.2
2. Grier, Mersin	2.2
3. Mays, Oyak Renault	2.2
4. Waller, Oyak Renau.	2.1
5. Prince, Antalya	1.9
6. Smith, Karsiyaka	1.9
7. Grundy, Mersin	1.7
8. Guler, Antalya	1.6
9. Rowe, Tofas	1.6
10. Chatman, Besiktas	1.6

Blocks Per Game

Gregory STIEMSMA
  Turk T.
  (211-C-85)
  Avg: 1.8

1. Stiemsma, Turk T.	1.8
2. Samardjiski, Olin	1.5
3. Francis, Bornova	1.3
4. Johnson, Erdemir	1.3
5. Ogilvy, Besiktas	1.1
6. Mays, Oyak Renault	1.0
7. Aldemir, Karsiyaka	0.9
8. Ruzic, Tofas	0.9
9. Davis, Banvit	0.9
10. Wesson, Turk T.	0.8

Gokhan Sunter returns to Darussafaka - by Eurobasket News
Darussafaka made their first signing for the next season. The team penned a deal with Gokhan Sunter (196-G-80, agency: 1x1 Sports). The Turkish guard is back to Dacka after 8 years. He played for Darussafaka juniors and later was a member of the senior squad until 2003. Sunter returns to Dacka from Usak Universitesi, where he spent last season. He appeared 24 times in TB2L averaging 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds. In 2009/10, Sunter was a member of TTNET Beykozspor. With them he had 8.9 ppg and 2.6 rpg for 23 games.
Gokhan Sunter was TB2L champion with Erdemir on season 2007/08. He helped them with 8.5 ppg and 3 rpg for 29 games. In 2007, he won another TB2L title but with Kepez at that time. Sunter also has experience from Antalya.

Mersin keeps Anthony Grundy and Vincent Grier - by Eurobasket News
Mersin came up with important announcement today. The team signed one-year contract extensions with Anthony Grundy (189-G-79, agency: Strategic Sports, college: N.Carolina St.) and Vincent Grier (195-G/F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: Minnesota). At the same time, Mersin parted ways with Alex Scales (192-G-78, college: Oregon), Nestoras Kommatos (203-F-77) and Andrej Stimac (204-F/C-79).
Anthony Grundy joined Mersin in January from AEK Athens. He appeared 14 times in TBL averaging 15.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Before Mersin and AEK, Grundy played for Ferrara and Panellinios. He also was a member of Teramo and Atlanta Hawks in the past. With the Hawks he had 4.3 ppg and 1.4 rpg for 12 NBA games on season 2005/06.
Vincent Grier signed with Mersin for the first time in January of 2010. After that he had a short stint with Jordanian team ASU Sports Club. Grier rejoined Mersin last summer registering 12.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 2.3 apg for 30 games this season. With Mersin he reached Turkish Cup Finals in 2010.

Enes Kanter to work out for Cleveland Cavaliers again on Monday - by Eurobasket News
Turkish center Enes Kanter (6'9''-C-92) told reporters in Minnesota that he was returning to Cleveland for a second workout on Monday, and his agent told reporters Kanter was scheduled to meet Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

Agent Max Ergul also told Minnesota reporters Kanter was not ''auditioning'' for the No. 4 pick, clearly indicating he thought his client could be taken with the No. 1 pick.

Kanter worked out in Cleveland last Tuesday and worked out in Minnesota today. Derrick Williams also was scheduled to work out for the Wolves today.

As has been the case throughout the pre-draft process, the Cavs declined to comment on the reports or the workouts. Williams worked out in Cleveland on Tuesday and Kyrie Irving worked out in Cleveland last Thursday.

Courtesy of www.cleveland.com

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UKRAINE

Budivlenyk land Olexiy Onufriyev, Ferro-ZNTU add Artem Butskyy - by Eurobasket News
Budivelnyk ensured the first strengthening in the postseason. They brought in Ukrainian international Olexiy Onufriyev. The forward spent the last 10 seasons in Mykolaiv. Last season Olexiy Onufriyev averaged 9.6 points, 4.2 boards, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals per game in Superleague. The forward played for Ukraine at 2011 EuroBasket Qualifying Round. His stats read 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per appearance.
In the meantime Artem Butskyy (185-G-81) also left Mykolaiv. The 29-year-old guard has agreed on terms of contract with Ferro-ZNTU. Last season Artem Butskyy posted 6.8 points, 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in Superleague. Eurobasket.com named Artem Butskyy All-Ukrainian Superleague Most Improved Player of the Year back in 2005.

DniproAzot keep Rinalds Sirsnins - by Eurobasket News
DniproAzot have agreed on terms of contract extension with Rinalds Sirsnins (186-G-85, agency: Promotex). The 25-year-old guard arrived in Ukraine in November. He averaged 5.9 points, 3.9 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in Superleague. Rinalds Sirsnins started the previous season in Latvia. He tallied 9.2 points, 3.8 assists, 2.4 boards and 1.2 steals per game for Barons Riga. Rinalds Sirnins also had stints with Valmiera, Polpharma, Bumerangs/Gulbene, BK Riga, Skonto and Anwil Wloclawek. Rinalds Sirsnins played for Latvia at 2011 EuroBasket Qualifying Round. His stats read 2.5 points, 2.3 boards and 1.5 assists per appearance. Eurobasket.com named the guard All-Latvian League Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. Rinalds Sirsnins also participated at LBL All-Star Game in 2004, 2007 and 2009.

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UNITED KINGDOM

Luol Deng to lead Team GB at Euros - by Eurobasket News
NBA leading light Luol Deng (201-F-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Duke) is the star attraction as head coach Chris Finch named his Great British mens basketball squad for Septembers EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania.

Chicago Bulls Deng is joined in the 17-man team by another star plying his trade across the Atlantic, Detroit Pistons Ben Gordon (188-G-83, college: Connecticut), while familiar faces Robert Archibald (212-C/F-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Illinois) and Joel Freeland (208-F-87) also get the nod.

But one regular name to miss out is Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: George Washington) who is sidelined with shoulder surgery.

Finch's side contains a healthy mix of established and raw talent and he is looking at his charges to kickstart their push towards London 2012.

'Each summer one of our goals is to get our best talent together. In addition, we are constantly looking to work with younger players and continue to evaluate those who we see as real contenders to help us now and for years to come', said Finch.

This collection of players accomplishes these objectives. Now its incumbent on our guys to continue to make the commitment to our program, and arrive at Cobham in peak shape determined to take GB to a new level.

Finch's side arrive in Cobham on July 30 for a training camp ahead of games with Netherlands and Nigeria on August 7 and 9 respectively.

GB will also take on Serbia, Croatia, Australia, China and France in a test event for the newly-opened Olympic basketball arena in the middle of August before directing their attention towards the EuroBasket finals, which start on September 3 in Panevezys.

GB face five teams in their group in the newly-expanded format, including hosts Lithuania, European champions Spain and World Championship runners-up Turkey.

Squad: Kieron Achara (Barcellona, ITA), Ogo Adegboye (St Bonaventure Uni, US), Robert Archibald, Joel Freeland (both Malaga, SPA), Eric Boateng (Austin, US), Flinder Boyd (AEK Athens, GRE), Matthew Bryan-Amaning (Washington Uni, US), Dan Clark (Estudiantes, SPA), Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls, US), Laurence Ekperigin (Biella, ITA), Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons, US), Ashley Hamilton (Loyola Uni, US), James Jones, Nate Reinking, Andrew Sullivan (all Everton, ENG), Mike Lenzly (Nymburk, CZE), Justin Robinson (Rider Uni, US).

Courtesy of Yahoo

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Women News

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AUSTRALIA - Women

Big V: Round 12 preview - by Eurobasket News
Waverley vs. Ringwood Sun 19/06 2.30pm @ Waverley Basketball Centre

Its second v third in this all important State Championship Womens clash this Sunday at the Waverley Basketball Centre. Both teams have enjoyed outstanding seasons to date with the Falcons and Hawks sitting nicely with 11 wins and only 2 losses each. There is a lot on the line in this big game with the winner moving in to outright second on the ladder, and for the loser the realisation that they probably have lost their chance at finishing the season on top of the ladder. Last time these sides met it was Ringwood getting the W on their home floor but with the clash at Waverley this week, the Falcons could very well reverse the result and set themselves up as the biggest challenger to Eltham heading towards the finals.

Sherbrooke vs. Eltham Sat 18/06 7.30pm @ Belgrave Heights Christian College
For the young Suns outfit, it is hard to see game being anything other than a one sided win to the Eltham Wildcats. The Championship favourites are in great form and riding a 5 game winning streak as the finals begin to loom on the horizon. Sherbrooke will come out as they do every week and give 100% but they do not have the depth to be able to defend the number of stars Eltham are able to suit up weekly. Coach Jeffers will no doubt be at his players to ensure complacency does not creep in and expect Eltham to post a big score in a comfortable win.

Melbourne vs. Bulleen Sun 19/06 1pm @ North Melbourne Rec Centre
Bulleen travel to North Melbourne this week knowing it is the last roll of the dice for their 2K11 play-off chances. With Melbourne the only team looking slightly vulnerable in the 4, the Boomers are just close enough to make a late run for a finals spot. The Tigers have been victorious in their two previous outings this season by 7 and 2 so would start favourites going into the clash. For the Boomers young gun Billie Popovska has been in great form lately and a player Melbourne will need to shut down if they are to make it 3 from 3 over Bulleen.

Diamond Valley vs. Hume City Sun 19/06 3pm @ DV Sports and Fitness Centre
In a clash between the competitions two cellar dwellers the biggest question heading into this match is whether Diamond Valley can deny the Lady Broncos claiming their first win of season 2K11. Time is fast running out for Hume City to get a W and a clash with the Eagles is looking about their best chance for the remainder of the year. The Eagles certainly are not having the season they hoped for, however the future is bright for this team that has many players that have come through the outstanding DV junior program. Despite the Lady Broncos giving their all to get a maiden W, look for DV to lead from start to finish and record their 3rd win of the season.
Courtesy of: bigv.com.au

QBL Round six preview - by Eurobasket News
Townville Flames vs. South West Metro Pirates
Friday 17th June, 6:30pm @ NPA Stadium
Townsvilles Road-Trip last week started in heartbreaking fashion losing to the Bears 65-62, after holding a 12 point lead at half time. However, things improved for Townsville the following day ending their five game losing streak with a big win over the Clippers. Aroon Edgar (185-F-85) was gallant in the loss to the Bears with 25 points and 15 rebounds, while Letitia Ward shone against the Clippers with 24 points. With the Flames next three games being at home they have a prime opportunity to string some wins together and move their way back up the ladder.

The Pirates travel to North Queensland in bad shape, having lost four of their past five matches. Despite being without star player Catherine Scanlon the Pirates battled bravely against the Dolphins in Round 6, but eventually lost the match 68-56. 16 year old Kalani Purcell had a baptism of fire in her first QBL game, matching-up against Cayla Francis (192-C-89). However, Purcell did a sensational job in her debut using her athleticism and size to fiercely compete with her much more experienced opponents.

Townsville recorded a narrow victory over the Pirates last season and will be favoured to take out their fourth victory of the year in this one.

Toowoomba Mountaineers vs. Mackay Meteorettes
Saturday 18th June, 5:00pm @ USQ, Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre
Toowoomba stunned Gladstone in the opening quarter of their match last week, only trailing by 1 point at the first break. However, the Power found their rhythm in the second quarter and took control of the match. Although the Mountaineers lost the game by 31 points they would have gained plenty of confidence for the spirited performance, especially from their defense, which was superb restricting Gladstone to a season low 76 points. Stephanie Mylonas had another strong game for the Mountaineers in the loss with 14 points @ 45.5%, while veteran Melissa Fairley made a successful return to the line-up.

Mackay were forced to work hard for their win over the Suns in Round 6, but in the end they had too much class for Caboolture to handle. Rachel Allison and Tami Willey were instrumental for the Meteorettes in the win. Allison had her fifth double-double in as many matches with 34 points and 14 rebounds and Willey added 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.

The Mountaineers will have to play with the same intensity that they did last week if they are to prevent a blow out.

Northside Wizards vs. Bundaberg Bears
Saturday 18th June, 5:00pm @ The Sports Centre
Apart from their hiccup against the Suns in Round 5, the Wizards have been in good form of late winning four of their past five matches. Last week the Wizards played their most complete game of the season defeating the Waves 86-59, with four players recording over double figures for the match. Louise Mclean was tremendous in the win finishing the match with 22 points, hitting an extraordinary 8-9 from the field and 3-4 3PA, while also contributing 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals.

Bundaberg embark on their Round 7 Road-Trip buoyant after recording their first ever QBL win over the Flames last week. A victory seemed highly unlikely at half time with the Bears trailing Townsville by 12 points. However, a massive third quarter from the Bears where they outscored Townsville 26-11 was the catalyst for their 65-62 victory.

This is a huge match for both teams with the winner to claim the top spot in Pool B. The Wizards appear to have greater depth across the court, but they will need to contain the ever dangerous Yvonne Turner who is averaging 22.0ppg, 6.4rpg and 5.2apg this season.

Cairns Dolphins vs. South West Metro Pirates
Saturday 18th June, 5:00pm @ Bendigo Bank Basketball Stadium
Cairns and South West play for the second time in two weeks, but this time it will be Cairns who have the home court advantage. In last weeks encounter South West took the challenge up the Dolphins even though they were without their most dominant player Catherine Scanlon. At half time the game was still anyones for the taking with the Dolphins just ahead. However, Cairns were able to gradually grow their lead in the second half, largely thanks to Cayla Francis who had a game high 31 points.

The next day Cairns travelled across the city to take on the Capitals where they posted their seventh win of the season. Cairns Big 3 were at the forefront of the victory, with Rohanne Cox finishing with the impressive statistics of 27 points @ 54.2% and 11 rebounds, while Francis had 18 points and 16 rebounds and Naomi Pedro had 17 points @ 87.5%.

With Catherine Scanlon back in the line-up for this match, the Pirates will be more threatening in offense and will also be more competitive off the boards. But with Cairns vocal home crowd support behind them it will be a tough ask for the Pirates to take the win in this one.

Gladstone Power vs. Rockhampton Cyclones
Saturday 18th June, 6:00pm @ Kev Broome Stadium
The Power led by their inspirational Captain/Coach Jessica Bibby kept their unbeaten start to the season going. Bibby was at her point scoring best in Round 6, racking up 47 points @ 55.1% in the Powers win against the then second placed Force. The following day Bibby had 26pts, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, as the Power overcame a determined Toowoomba side. Rebecca Haynes (188-G/F-84, college: Jacksonville St.) (14 points and 22 rebounds) and Hannah Bowley (22 points @ 58.8%) provided Bibby with plenty of support against the Force, while youngsters Tora Laffin (20 points @ 72.7%) and Keely Cummings (16 points and 11 rebounds) made the most of their court time in the win over Toowoomba.

Rockhampton have the talent in their team that can really test the Powers mantel if they play to their ability. Nicole Romeo continued to push her MVP credentials with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, as the Cyclones accounted for Caboolture 76-53 last week. Romeo has now scored 30points+ in four games this season and is second on the point scorers list behind Bibby.

If Romeo has the hot hand and Cunningham can dominate off the boards, the Cyclones are a chance; however Gladstone enters this match as raging favourites on their home court.

Maroochydore Clippers vs. Caboolture Suns
Saturday 18th June, 6:00pm @ Maroochydore Basketball Stadium
Maroochydore stuck with the Flames during the first half of the match last week, but a poor third quarter where they were outscored 26-5 cost them any chance they had of recording their first victory of the season. In her first game of the year Courtney Peate was strong for the Clippers with 17 points @ 63.6% and 3 blocks, while Amy Browne had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Clippers best chance for a win will be in the next two weeks coming up against the Suns (2/6) and Toowoomba (0/6).

Cabooltures record does not reflect how much they have improved since last season. The Suns biggest area of improvement has come in offense where they are averaging a staggering 17 more points per game than they were in 2010. In Round 6 the Suns lost tough games to Mackay and Rockhampton. Rachel Warren had a productive weekend for the Suns averaging 20.5ppg and 10rpg in the two losses.

The Suns lost both matches to the Clippers in 2010 but with an improved line up this year look the goods to take the win in this one. That said a local derby in front of a home crowd may just be enough to spur the Clippers on for their first victory.

Brisbane Capitals vs. Bundaberg Bears
Sunday 19th June, 11:00am @ NAB Stadium
This is a massive match for the Capitals in the context of their season. A loss here would put them well behind the pace in Pool B, but a win would catapult them back into the race for a top two position in their Pool. Last week the Capitals left their run too late and went down to the Dolphins 80-72. Brisbane were trailing the Dolphins by 18 points at the final break but produced a stunning fourth quarter scoring 30 points to give Cairns a fright. Lauren Angel had her best game of the season with 21 points and 6 rebounds, while Natalie Kavago battled hard for 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bears are travelling along nicely at the moment winning four of their past five matches. In Round 6 imports Kisha Lee (181-F/C-85, college: UNLV) (22 points, 9 rebounds & 5 steals) and Yvonne Turner (20 points, 6 rebounds & 5 assists) led the Bears to their first ever QBL win over the Flames. Lee has proven to be an ideal replacement for Stephanie Jones this season, averaging 20.8ppg and 9.2rpg and striking up a dangerous combination with Turner.

Brisbane needs to start this game well and maintain their intensity if they are to be a chance.

Toowoomba Mountaineers vs. Gold Coast Rollers
Sunday 19th June, 12:00pm @ USQ, Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre
Fresh off their most encouraging performance of the year the Mountaineers will be full of confidence for their replay with the Rollers. When the teams met back in Round 4 the Rollers recorded a comprehensive 70-43 win, but the Mountaineers showed last week against the Power that they are no pushovers. 19 Year old Stephanie Mylonas looks to have a bright future in the League and has averaged 11.25ppg in her last four outings. The Mountaineers have also regained the services of Melissa Fairley whose experience will be vital in guiding a young side through the remainder of the season.

The Rollers were not able to duplicate their form from the previous week in Round 6 going down to the Wizards 86 59. Gold Coast allowed the Wizards to score a whopping 57 points in the first half while only scoring 27 points themselves. The second half was a much closer affair, but the damage was already done. Carine Reimink was the Rollers best in the loss recording yet another double-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Despite the Mountaineers showing signs of improvement last week, the Rollers should still dominate and take the win.

Northside Wizards vs. Mackay Meteorettes
Sunday 19th June, 12:00pm @ The Sports Centre
The Wizards suit-up for their second home game of the weekend, while Mackay will make the journey from Toowoomba to contest their second game of the Round. All of the Wizards key players seem to be finding some form with Katie Harris (23 points), Louise Mclean (22 points, 8 rebounds), Phoebe Hinds (17 points and 13 rebounds) and Rachel Maenpaa (13 points, 8 rebounds) all having sizeable contributions in the Wizards Round 6 win over the Rollers. The performance of Hinds against the Rollers is sure to keep the Wizards coaching staff happy, given that she is only 15 years old.

After losing their first game of the season the Meteorettes have gone on to win their next five straight. Since joining the side in Round 2 Rachel Allison has been on fire averaging 26.8ppg and 13.4rpg, while Tami Willey has been almost as effective averaging 24.5ppg and 10.7rpg.

Both teams have strong rebounders in their line-ups and will be looking to assert their dominance off the boards early on. On paper Mackay seem to have the advantage, but the Wizards look to be getting close to the form which saw them make last years Grand Final.
Courtesy of: QBL

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BRAZIL - Women

Brazil open friendly tournament in Xiangyuan with victory - by Eurobasket News
Brazil - Australia 67:57

Brazilian National Team travelled to China to take part at Four-Nations friendly tournament in Xiangyuan. They opened their campaign with victory. Brazil held off Australia tonight. Clarissa Santos (186-C-88) produced 18 points and 13 rebounds to pace the winners.
Brazil and Australia stayed close throughout the opening frame. The Latin American side led by just a single point after ten minutes 19:18. But the second term was a different story. Brazil stiffened their defence and limited the Opals to just 7 points in the period. As a result Brazil earned a 34:25 halftime lead. Brazil maintained the lead throughout the third term. Moreover Enio Vecchi team boosted the margin at 15-point mark with one quarter to go. Australia finally started to show some signs of recovery in the final period. The Opals cut the deficit but still fell short at the end. Bethania Vasconcelos (180-G/F-81) provided 11 points, while Franciele Nascimento (191-C-87, agency: Josep and Nicolas) accounted for 9 points in the victory.
Brazil will take on China, while Australia will face New Zealand tomorrow.

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BULGARIA - Women

Gamecocks add Bulgarian forward Pamela Decheva - by Eurobasket News
University of South Carolina head women's basketball coach Dawn Staley announced that Pamela Decheva (6'1''-F-92) has signed an SEC Financial Aid Agreement and will play for the Gamecocks. She will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2011-12 academic year.

'We are excited about the skill and experience Pamela brings to our team,' Staley said. 'She adds depth to our forward position and has the versatility to see action on the perimeter.'

Decheva, a six-foot forward, has participated in FIBA Europe competitions with her national team since 2007, beginning at the U-16 level. She has been on Bulgaria's U-20 roster the last two seasons. In 2009-10, she played in 13 games, adding 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game to her national team's efforts. In 2010-11, Decheva joined Levski of the Women's National Basketball League in Bulgaria. With a 13-7 record, her team advanced to the league finals. Decheva added 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, shooting 64.3 percent from two-point range. She twice netted a season-high 13 points against Slavia.

Decheva joins a signing class that in the fall was ranked No. 12th in the nation by Blue Star Basketball and 23rd by ESPN HoopGurlz. The group includes spring signees Shelbretta Ball (Jackson, Miss./Jackson Academy) and Sancheon White (Hammond, Ind./Central Arizona College) and fall signees Elem Ibiam (Fayetteville, Ga./Fayette County), Tina Roy (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) and Aleighsa Welch (Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek).

Courtesy of http://gamecocksonline.cstv.com

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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - Women

Ouvina, Pina and Herrera did not make the final cut - by Eurobasket News
Cristina Ouvina (174-G-90), Maria Pina (187-F-87) and Laura Herrera (190-C/F-89, agency: Josep and Nicolas) did not make the final cut to the National team. Three players were the last to know about not joining the squad in Poland, but did their best at the preparation tournaments. During the friendly games Spain won all the possible matchups.
At first Spain triumphed at international Ciudad de Segovia tournament. They overcame Canada on the final day of action. Lucila Pascua (195-C-83) stepped up with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the effort.
Later Spain clinched the title at Ciudad de Linares international friendly tournament. They overcame Belarus to earn the third win in as many games. Amaya Valdemoro and Alba Torrens scored 11 points each to lead the hosts.
Spain needed overtime win over Turkey to win Victory Cup. The winners upset the home side 58:55 in a real surviving thriller. That was the best and the most interesting game of the tournament. Turkey started with 16-12 lead and had 20-16 later in the second period. Nevriye Yilmaz sent the teams to the lockers at 29:25 as both teams nailed 13 points each in the frame. In the third period Spain started to play better and after 14-9 in it took 39:38 after thirty minutes. Spain later enjoyed 53:46 but Birsel Vardarli tied the score at 53:53. In overtime Spain scored the first five points and then won the game as well as the tournament.

Interview with Johannah Leedham - by Lukasz Lukaszewski
Straight before the Eurobasket 2011, we have got a opportunity to talk with Johannah Leedham (180-G/F-87, college: Franklin Pierce) who will play on this tournament for Great Britain National Team.

Eurobasket.com: Firstly, you left KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzow Wlkp.. because of injury. What have you been doing since this time, are you fully recovered and ready for the Eurobasket 2011 ?

Johannah Leedham: I have been in the rehab process and working hard to get back where i need to be. I am feeling good with my injury, although my practice time has been
limited, but my injury is recovered which is the main thing.

Eurobasket.com: For your country it will be a debut on the European Championships. You are creating history of basketball in Great Britain, How does it feel ?

Johannah Leedham: This is very special for us, we worked extremely hard to be here, but we are not just happy to be at Eurobasket with have further goals to achieve.

Eurobasket.com: British NT is developing quickly, but you are still not seen as a very powerful team. What is your goal for the Eurobasket 2011?

Johannah Leedham: Our goal is to gain respect and show other teams that we are a very hard working ball team that fights till the very end.

Eurobasket.com: What can you say about your rivals in the group B: Czech Republic, Israel and Belarus and Israel ?

Johannah Leedham: I think the list of accomplishments for each country speaks for itself. Each team is highly competitive and has great players and a lot of experience. we
definitely respect our opponents and what they have achieved.

Eurobasket.com: You had been playing for the polish club KSSSE AZS PWSZ Gorzow Wlkp.. You have got experience from this country. What can you say about the Poland and
polish people ?

Johannah Leedham: I expect that the polish people are very excited to be hosting such a huge event here in their country.

Eurobasket.com: Basketball is not very popular in the UK. How would it be changed in the next future ?

Johannah Leedham: By qualifying for tournaments such as Eurobasket, and being able to play in the Olympics definitely creates a wider audience for the sport, and hopefully
younger generations can see what we are doing and will have something to aspire too.

Eurobasket.com: You were in the USA, but have not played in the WNBA yet. Is it your dream ? How can you compare European basketball and American basketball ?

Johannah Leedham: It is definitely a goal of mine to be able to play in WNBA

Eurobasket.com: Have you thought about the club for the next season or you are only concentrated on the Eurobasket 2011 ?

Johannah Leedham: Right now Eurobasket is the teams concern

Eurobasket.com Thanks for this interview. I wish you luck in the tournament.

Johannah Leedham: Thank you.

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LUXEMBOURG - Women

Heffingen name Amadeo Dias new head coach - by Eurobasket News
Amadeo Dias will take over Heffingen in the next season. The specialist worked as assistant coach with Etzella in the previous season. Amadeo Dias also used to work as coach assistant in Luxembourg National Team in 2008.

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NCAA1 - Women

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POLAND - Women

CCC Polkowice keep Valeriya Musina - by Eurobasket News
CCC Polkowice have extended the contract of Valeriya Musina (183-G-87, college: Lee) for another season. The Russian player arrived to Poland at the start of the previous season. Valeriya Musina averaged 5.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in PLKK. Previously the guard played for Spartak MR. She also participated at U20 European Championship in Bulgaria in 2007. Valeriya Musina notched 7.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game for Russia.

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SCOTLAND - Women

ROSE RISES TO CHALLENGE AS SCOTS MAKE GB TEAMS - by Sandy Sutherland
Five Scots have been named in Great Britain teams for major tournaments this summer.
Former Edinburgh Kool Kat Rose Anderson has not only been confirmed in the final team to contest the women's Eurobasket Championships in Poland but has also been named along with her former clubmate Rebecca Allison (173-G-91) and Falkirk's Mairi Buchan (187-C-90) for the GB team for the World University Games in Shenzhen, China from August 11 to 23.
Two more Scots Kieron Achara (208-F/C-83, college: Duquesne), who is based in Italy, and Robert Archibald (212-C/F-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Illinois), who is still with Malaga, were also named in a squad of 17 named by coach Chris Finch for the Standard Life Team GB for The GB women, who like the men have now had their London Olympics 2012 place confirmed, open their Eurobasket campaign in Poland against Belarus on June 18, play Czech Republic the following day and Israel on June 20 after a tough warm-up programme of games, most of which they have lost.
Mairi Buchan was ruled out of the full GB team for Poland as she had not recovered sufficiently from an ankle operation but joins her Old Dominion University,Virginia teammate Rebecca Allison and Oklahoma-based Anderson in the team for China where they have drawn the mighty USA in their group.
The GB men have again drawn a daunting group in Eurobasket, facing hosts Lithuania on the opening day, then World Championship runners-up Turkey and then renew rivalry with former World champions Spain, whom they so nearly beat in the 2009 Eurobasket Championships in Poland.

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SPAIN - Women

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TURKEY - Women

Pankup Kayseri signs Ivory Latta - by Eurobasket News
Ivory Latta (168-G-84, college: N.Carolina) is a new member of Pankup Kayseri Seker. The American guard signed a one-year deal with the club. Latta currently plays for the Tulsa Shock in WNBA. The season started two weeks ago and Latta already has 16.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.6 apg for 5 games. It is already clear she will be one of the leading players in Tulsa this season. Latta is not a new face in Turkey as she already played for Mersin and Ceyhan in the past. As a member of Mersin on season 2009/10, Latta had 15.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 3.5 apg for 26 games. A year before that with Ceyhan, Latta averaged 20.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 3.9 apg for 7 games.
Ivory Latta spent last season in Israel. She had 18.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 5.4 apg for Maccabi Ramat Hen.

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UKRAINE - Women

The favorites won the Quarterfinal games - by Eurobasket News
All four top seeded teams won their Quartefinal games.

Frankivsk - Dynamo 75-72

The hosts trailed by 5 points at the halftime before their 22-8 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. Frankivsk outrebounded Dynamo 45-31 including a 34-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. They shot the lights out from three sinking 13 long-distance shots on high 52.0 percentage. Worth to mention a great performance of international guard Arina Markotenko (170-89) who helped to win the game recording 27 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Forward Viktoriya Suzyk (182-88) contributed with a double-double by scoring 12 points and 13 rebounds for the winners. International forward Kateryna Rymarenko (183-90) answered with 23 points and 8 rebounds and American swingman Shantel Ragin (178-87, college: Clayton St.) added 11 points and 13 rebounds in the effort for Dynamo.
Top scorers:
Frankivsk: A.Markotenko 27+6reb+4ast, O.Horoshavina 15+6reb, V.Suzyk 12+13reb, V.Pazyuk 9+4reb+1ast, L.Sova 7+2reb+1ast, K.Polyanychka 3+1reb+2ast
Dynamo: K.Rymarenko 23+8reb+2ast, N.Silyanova 21+3reb, S.Ragin 11+13reb+3ast, E.Bondar 9+3reb+1ast, A.Stafyuk 6+1reb+1ast, L.Yakunina 2+1reb

Kozachka - Orlan 82-43

The game without a history. Kozachka led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They held Orlan to an opponent 24.5 percent shooting from the field compared to 37.0 percent accuracy of the winners. Kozachka forced 30 Orlan turnovers. The former international forward Olena Zherzherunova (191-78, agency: LBM Management) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 15 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 8 steals for the winners and international forward Oksana Kisilova (188-88) chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds. At the losing side swingman Sviatoslava Pinchuk (177-85) responded with 18 points and 5 rebounds and international center Lyubov Alyoshkina (202-81) scored 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games.
Top scorers:
Kozachka: O.Zherzherunova 15+11reb+4ast, O.Kisilova 14+6reb, O.Yushenko 11+3reb+1ast, O.Samburska 10+1reb+1ast, T.Panchenk-Stakhova 8+3reb+2ast, A.Pokoiova 8+2reb+2ast
Orlan: S.Pinchuk 18+5reb+1ast, L.Alyoshkina 8+6reb, O.Pysmennyk 4+5reb+2ast, K.Kashlei 4+1reb, E.Staschuk 3+7reb+1ast, K.Litvinova 2+1reb+1ast

Dnipro-DVUFK - Politeh Basket 79-49

The game without a history. Dnipro-DVUFK led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Politeh Basket to just 7 points in first quarter. Dnipro-DVUFK dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Politeh Basket's 28. Dnipro-DVUFK forced 22 Politeh Basket turnovers. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 24 assists. International guard Alina Iagupova (181-92, agency: LBM Management) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners and American guard Kimberly Williams (168-74, college: De Paul, agency: Merit Sports) chipped in 18 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 7 steals. Dnipro-DVUFK's coach Vladimir Tkachenko felt very confident using 11 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side forward Kateryna Kovalova (183-89) responded with 16 points and 7 rebounds (made all of her eight free throws) and center Natalia Zhyrakova (192-82) scored 11 points and 8 rebounds.
Top scorers:
Dnipro-DVUFK: A.Iagupova 26+12reb+6ast, K.Williams 18+6reb+9ast, T.Bovykina 10+6reb, L.Yaburova 8+6reb+1ast, V.Onyshchenko 7+3reb, A.Domoratska 4+3reb+2ast
Politeh Basket: K.Kovalova 16+7reb+1ast, N.Zhyrakova 11+8reb, T.Zhurauliova 9+5reb, Y.Lapshynova 5+4reb+6ast, V.Voronova 4+3reb+5ast, N.Reznichenko 4+4reb

Tim-Scuf - Yuzhna Palmira 75-55

Tim-Scuf forced 26 Yuzhna Palmira turnovers. International guard Yevgeniya Sharovka (175-88) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 14 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals for the winners and the former international center Aleksandra Khomenchuk (203-89) chipped in 8 points and 10 rebounds. Tim-Scuf's coach Maryna Tkachenko allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. At the losing side international forward Tetyana Shchypakina (178-85) responded with 18 points and 6 rebounds and swingman Svitlana Kolibabchuk (186-87) scored 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Top scorers:
Tim-Scuf: M.Uro-Nile 16+4reb, Y.Sharovka 14+10reb+6ast, K.Dorogobuzova 12+1reb+1ast, I.Kochubei 9+1reb+2ast, A.Khomenchuk 8+10reb+3ast, N.Gavryliuk 6+3reb
Yuzhna Palmira: T.Shchypakina 18+6reb+2ast, S.Kolibabchuk 12+7reb+3ast, Z.Likhodid 9+7reb+1ast, D.Vukovic 6+5reb+1ast, A.Siromatnikova 5+3reb+6ast, I.Dolynska 3+5reb+1ast

Dnipropetrovsk invites to the Play-off stage - by Eurobasket News
Dnipropetrovsk invites to the Play-off stage of the League as best eight teams settled down in the city. Tonight the spectators will see the Quarterfinals, tomorrow will be the Semifinal stage and on Sunday the Ukrainian League will have the Champion.
Tim-Scuf became the winner of the Regular Season finishing with 16-2 record. In their last game they beat Yuzhna Palmira (6-12) in Kyiv 72-59. It looked good early as Yuzhna Palmira took an 3-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Tim-Scuf had a 13-2 second period charge getting the lead and Yuzhna Palmira was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 59-72. Tim-Scuf dominated on the defensive end, holding Yuzhna Palmira to just 2 points in second quarter. They also forced 23 Yuzhna Palmira turnovers. Strangely Yuzhna Palmira outrebounded Tim-Scuf 44-28 including 29 on the defensive glass. Worth to mention a quality performance of the former international forward Inna Faskhutdinova (182-F-84) who helped to win the game recording 26 points and 4 assists and guard Yuliya Berezinets who added 14 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. Four Tim-Scuf players scored in double figures. Guard Alisa Siromatnikova responded with 21 points and 5 rebounds and Serbian center Dragana Vukovic (190-C-78) scored 8 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Both teams will face each other in the Quarterfinal stage.
In another games second ranked Kozachka should not have any difficulties against Orlan, while third placed Dnipro-DVUFK should be stronger Politeh Basket. The most interesting game is supposed to be between the fourth and the fifth teams of the Regular Season-Frankivsk and Dynamo.

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Alina IAGUPOVA
  Dnipr.
  (181-G-92)
  Avg: 20.7

1. Iagupova, Dnipr.	20.7
2. Ragin, Dynamo	19.9
3. Williams, Dnipr.	18.6
4. Rastorgueva, Donb.	18.1
5. Maznichenko, Tim-S.	18.1
6. Markotenko, Frank.	18.0
7. Yakunina, Lugans.	17.4
8. Lubarskaya, Dynamo	17.1
9. Rymarenko, Dynamo	16.5
10. Kochubei, Tim-Sc.	16.3

Rebounds Per Game

Shantel RAGIN
  Dynamo
  (178-G/F-87)
  Avg: 10.6

1. Ragin, Dynamo	10.6
2. Staschuk, Orlan	10.3
3. Alyoshkina, Orlan	9.9
4. Vukovic, Yuzhna P.	9.8
5. Zherzherunov., Koz.	9.8
6. Maznichenko, Tim-S.	9.5
7. Rymarenko, Dynamo	9.4
8. Bovykina, Dnipr.	9.0
9. Yakunina, Lugans.	9.0
10. Zarytska, Kozach.	8.8

Assists Per Game

Alisa SIROMATNIKOVA
  Yuzhna P.
  (165-G-87)
  Avg: 5.8

1. Siromatnikov., Yuz.	5.8
2. Sharovka, Tim-Scuf	5.4
3. Dubrovina, Kozach.	4.8
4. Williams, Dnipr.	4.8
5. Iagupova, Dnipr.	4.7
6. Dubas, Frankivsk	4.6
7. Voronova, Polite.	4.1
8. Lapshynova, Polite.	4.0
9. Kochubei, Tim-Scuf	3.7
10. Kashlei, Orlan	3.6

Steals Per Game

Olga DUBROVINA
  Kozachka
  (170-G-87)
  Avg: 3.6

1. Dubrovina, Kozach.	3.6
2. Domoratska, Dnipr.	3.5
3. Sharovka, Tim-Scuf	3.4
4. Williams, Dnipr.	3.3
5. Markotenko, Frank.	3.3
6. Iagupova, Dnipr.	3.2
7. Zherzherunov., Koz.	2.6
8. Dubas, Frankivsk	2.4
9. Isachenko, Tim-S.	2.4
10. Panchenk-S., Koz.	2.2

Blocks Per Game

Lyubov ALYOSHKINA
  Orlan
  (202-C-81)
  Avg: 3.3

1. Alyoshkina, Orlan	3.3
2. Zhyrakova, Polite.	2.1
3. Shablynska, Polite.	2.1
4. Yaburova, Dnipr.	1.5
5. Bovykina, Dnipr.	1.4
6. Zherzherunov., Koz.	1.1
7. Maznichenko, Tim-S.	1.0
8. Kisilova, Kozachka	1.0
9. Yakunina, Lugans.	1.0
10. Staschuk, Orlan	0.9

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

WNBA - Women

Standings

WNBA Standings

Eastern
1. Atlanta D.		0-0
2. Chicago S.		0-0
3. Connecticut S.		0-0
4. Indiana F.		0-0
5. New York L.		0-0
6. Washington M.		0-0
Western
1. L.Angeles S.		0-0
2. Minnesota L.		0-0
3. Phoenix M.		0-0
4. S.Antonio SS		0-0
5. Seattle S.		0-0
6. Tulsa S.		0-0

Tulsa Shock cuts Miranda Ayim - by Eurobasket News
The Tulsa Shock cut forward Miranda Ayim (6'3''-F/C-88, college: Pepperdine) on Wednesday, giving the winless team the option to add another player to its roster.

Ayim, a rookie out of Pepperdine, made the team after being invited to training camp and appeared in three games, averaging 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds. She did not play in the last two games.

WNBA teams can have a maximum of 11 players. The Shock is down to 10, but Amber Holt is out at least four more weeks with a broken left thumb and Elizabeth Cambage is day-to-day after suffering a concussion in Sunday's game.

Cambage, who leads the Shock in scoring with 15.5 points per game, did not play in Tuesday's 82-74 loss at Indiana. Tulsa (0-5) returns home to face Washington at 7 p.m. Saturday at the BOK Center.

Courtesy of www.tulsaworld.com

Shock adds center Monroe to roster - by Eurobasket News
The Tulsa Shock has added second-year center Jacinta Monroe (6'4''-F/C-88, college: Florida St.) to its roster.

The team announced the move Thursday.

Monroe appeared in 17 games for the Washington Mystics, averaging 2.1 points in 6.9 minutes. She was selected sixth overall in the 2010 WNBA draft.

The Shock waived rookie center Miranda Ayim on Wednesday.

Courtesy of www.usatoday.com

Latest games - by Eurobasket News
Phoenix M. - S.Antonio SS 99-101
Sophia Young (6'1''-F-83, college: Baylor) scored 20 of her 26 points in the second half and the San Antonio Silver Stars improved to 4-0 for the first time in franchise history, overcoming a 14-point halftime deficit to beat the Phoenix Mercury 101-99 on Friday night. Becky Hammon (5'6''-G-77, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Colorado St.) added 22 points and nine assists, and rookie Danielle Adams had 16 points and six rebounds for the Silver Stars, the line unbeaten team in the WNBA. Diana Taurasi had 20 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Mercury (0-3). Phoenix missed two shots after getting the ball with 23 seconds left and trailing 98-96. Jia Perkins hit one free throw and Becky Hammon hit two more in the final 4 seconds to give San Antonio a 101-96 lead with 2.4 seconds remaining. Kara Braxton hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin. Candice Dupree had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Penny Taylor scored 18 points and had 10 assists for the Mercury, one of two winless WNBA teams. *Courtesy of The Associated Press

Seattle S. - Indiana F. 68-54
Swin Cash (6'2''-F-79, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Connecticut) had 14 points and eight rebounds, Sue Bird (5'9''-G-80, college: Connecticut) added 12 points and the defending WNBA champion Seattle Storm beat the Indiana Fever 68-54 on Friday night. LeCoe Willingham had 10 points for Seattle (2-1). Katie Douglas (6'1''-G/F-79, college: Purdue) led Indiana (3-2) with 11 points after entering the game with a WNBA-best 21.3 average. Douglas got off just seven shots in the game, hitting four. Tameka Catchings added eight points. Seattle, coming off a loss to Minnesota on June 9 when it fell behind 22-0, scored the first four points Friday and never trailed. Seattle finished the first half on 15-4 run, expanding a 19-15 lead to 37-19 by the break. Bird capped it with a buzzer-beating 3-point bank shot from the right of the lane. Indiana took just seven shots in the second quarter, hitting one, and was 4 of 21 (19 percent) in the half. The Storm pushed the lead to 21 in the opening 2 minutes of the second half. Indiana quickly cut it to 15, but Seattle took a 25-point lead at 58-33 into the final quarter. Indiana was 16 of 55 (29.1 percent) overall. The Storm also struggled from the field, going 22 of 66 (33.3 percent). *Courtesy of www.boston.com

Chicago S. - New York L. 85-73
Typically, when a team has more turnovers in the first quarter than shots made, it means a rocky night lies ahead. That was the Sky's scenario Friday night when the stat sheet showed they hit just five shots and committed eight turnovers in the first quarter against the formidable New York Liberty. But the Sky quickly washed the bad taste out of their mouths and, thanks to an exceptional third quarter, buried the Liberty 85-73 at Allstate Arena. After a frustrating first half, Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85, college: LSU) led the way with 27 points and 11 rebounds as the Sky (3-1) won their third straight game. *Courtesy of www.chicagotribune.com

Washington M. - Connecticut S. 71-79
Tina Charles (6'4''-C-88, agency: LBM Management, college: Connecticut) had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Renee Montgomery (5'7''-G-86, agency: LBM Management, college: Connecticut) scored 23 points and the Connecticut Sun beat the Washington Mystics 79-71 Thursday night. Tan White added 11 points for the Sun (3-1), who entered the game 9-26 on the road since the start of the 2009 season. Kelly Miller scored 19 points for the Mystics (1-3), who have struggled on defense to start the season under first-year coach Trudi Lacey. Washington entered the game allowing opponents to shoot 52.4 percent from the field. Nicky Anosike led the Mystics with 13 rebounds. Connecticut took a 17-point lead in the first half, but the Mystics' 3-point shooting made it 43-37 at halftime. Anosike's jumper with 5:43 remaining gave Washington its first lead of the game, at 65-64 but Charles made a putback on the net possession, and the Sun finished on a 15-6 run. *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Minnesota L. - Atlanta D. 96-85
After an eight-day layoff, Seimone Augustus (6'1''-G-84, college: LSU) and the Minnesota Lynx needed some time to get up to full speed against the Atlanta Dream. Augustus scored 15 of her 25 points in the second half and the Lynx beat the Dream 96-85 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory after a season-opening loss. ''We felt like the first half we had to get that rust off. Those days that we had off, it was showing in the first half,'' said Augustus, whose team hadn't played since June 9 at Seattle. '' (In the second half) we wanted to come out and jump on them early and set the tone and the tempo we felt like they had in the first half.'' Tied at 39 at the break, the Lynx went on a 13-0 run early in the third quarter to take control. They forced three quick turnovers that led directly to fast-break layups during the run, including Lindsay Whalen's shot over 6-foot-7 Alison Bales that turned into a three-point play. Rebekkah Brunson (6'3''-F/C-81, agency: LBM Management, college: Georgetown) capped the run with a coast-to-coast drive for a basket that forced an Atlanta timeout and gave Minnesota a 54-43 lead. The Dream committed 11 of their 18 turnovers in the second half, which Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve attributed to better defense, once the Lynx regained a feel for the game after the layoff. ''They just didn't feel like they had a game flow from having all the days off, so it took us a little bit,'' Reeve said. ''At halftime we just talked about getting back to what we do well, and that's defend. In the third quarter we really defended well and got a lot of run-outs, and that's how we built that lead.'' Brunson had 18 points and 14 rebounds for her fifth straight double-double, one short of the WNBA record to start a season. The 14 rebounds matched her league-leading season average and led Dream coach Marynell Meadors to suggest a novel - if illegal - solution to contain Brunson. ''Somehow you've got to tie her shoestrings together and not let her jump,'' Meadors said. ''We didn't do a good job of keeping her off the boards, but she's a great rebounder.'' The Dream played without forward Sancho Lyttle, their second leading scorer and rebounder, who is competing for Spain's national team in EuroBasket Women 2011, a qualifying tournament for the London Olympics. Friday was the first of a six-game absence for Lyttle, and Meadors noted that her presence might have made a difference. ''That's the one that can match up with (Brunson),'' Meadors said. ''We don't have anyone to match up with her.'' Angel McCoughtry (6'1''-F-86, college: Louisville) led Atlanta (1-4) with 27 points. Erika de Souza added 18, Iziane Castro Marques 12 and Shalee Lehning 11. Maya Moore scored 13 points for the Lynx, while Whalen finished with 16 points, eight assists, three steals and just one turnover and played a huge role in holding the lead throughout the second half. She made a pair of long jumpers on consecutive possessions, then stole a pass on the defensive end and triggered a transition layup by Moore that gave Minnesota its biggest lead, 78-64. The Dream twice cut it to six in the final minutes, but failed to pull closer as Brunson hit two free throws and Augustus converted four in the last 34 seconds to ice the game. Augustus, who left the game briefly because of a hip contusion, was 9 of 14 from the field and made all seven of her free throws. The Lynx shot 52.2 percent from the floor. ''The flow felt really good tonight,'' Augustus said. ''Whatever Whalen was calling and whatever the coach was calling, me and Maya kind of played off each other and attacked when we had the opportunities.'' *Courtesy of http://msn.foxsports.com

New York L. - Atlanta D. 58-79
Angel McCoughtry scored 18 points and the Atlanta Dream used three big runs to cruise to a 79-58 victory over the New York Liberty on Tuesday night. Erika De Souza (6'6''-C-82, agency: Josep and Nicolas) had 12 points and Sancho Lyttle added 10 for Atlanta (1-3), which earned its first win of the season. Essence Carson scored 21 points and Kia Vaughn had 16 for the Liberty (2-2), who have lost consecutive games at Prudential Center - their home for the next three seasons - after opening with two road wins. New York, which had a 94-88 overtime win at Atlanta in the season opener on June 5, was held to its lowest scoring output after averaging 85 points its first three games. McCoughtry, who missed the teams' first meeting, shot 6 for 11 from the field. The Dream, who swept the Liberty in the Eastern Conference finals last year, put together runs of 11-0 and 9-0 in the first half and led by 12 at the break. They maintained their double-digit advantage throughout the second half. DeSouza's layup stretched the lead 48-32 with 7:24 to go in the third quarter. Pondexter made a jumper and Nicole Powell hit a 3-pointer to pull the Liberty within 11, but they got no closer. Sandora Irvin's two free throws with 6:24 left in the fourth capped the Dream's 10-0 run for a 69-48 lead. Alison Bales made two from the line about 1 1/2 minutes later give Atlanta its biggest lead, 73-50. Atlanta scored 11 consecutive points bridging the first two quarters to take a 25-16 lead on Coco Miller's jumper in the opening minute of the second. Carson, who scored 17 in the first half, made two free throws and had a layup, and Pondexter had a steal and fast-break layup to get the Liberty within three with 8 minutes left in the quarter. Kelly Mazzante's 3-pointer with 1:37 left started a 9-0 run and McCoughtry capped it with two free throws 1:20 later to stretch the Dream's five-point lead to 44-30. McCoughtry had 16 points in the first half and DeSouza added 12. Liberty players Plenette Pierson, Alex Montgomery and Jessica Breland and assistant coaches Monique Ambers and Lady Grooms were involved in two separate traffic accidents on the way to the arena. None of the players or coaches was injured and all arrived before the tipoff. *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Indiana F. - Tulsa S. 82-74
Katie Douglas had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the Indiana Fever to an 82-74 victory over the Tulsa Shock on Tuesday night. Jessica Davenport (6'5''-C-85, college: Ohio St.) scored 10 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter for Indiana. Briann January had 12 points and Erin Phillips finished with 10. Ivory Latta scored 19 points and Jennifer Lacy had 14 for the Shock, who dropped their fifth straight game to start the season. Kayla Pedersen scored 13 and Andrea Riley had 10. Douglas tied a career high with six 3-pointers, also matching the franchise record. The Shock played without Elizabeth Cambage, who suffered a concussion during the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to Connecticut. The 6-foot-8 rookie is averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds. *Courtesy of www.signonsandiego.com

Tina Charles had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Renee Montgomery scored 23 points and the Connecticut Sun beat the Washington Mystics 79-71 Thursday night. - by Eurobasket News
Tina Charles (6'4''-C-88, agency: LBM Management, college: Connecticut) had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Renee Montgomery (5'7''-G-86, agency: LBM Management, college: Connecticut) scored 23 points and the Connecticut Sun beat the Washington Mystics 79-71 Thursday night.

Tan White (5'7''-G-82, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Mississippi St.) added 11 points for the Sun (3-1), who entered the game 9-26 on the road since the start of the 2009 season.

Kelly Miller (5'10''-G-78, college: Georgia) scored 19 points for the Mystics (1-3), who have struggled on defense to start the season under first-year coach Trudi Lacey. Washington entered the game allowing opponents to shoot 52.4 percent from the field.

Nicky Anosike (6'3''-C-86, college: Tennessee) led the Mystics with 13 rebounds.

Connecticut took a 17-point lead in the first half, but the Mystics' 3-point shooting made it 43-37 at halftime.

Anosike's jumper with 5:43 remaining gave Washington its first lead of the game, at 65-64 but Charles made a putback on the net possession, and the Sun finished on a 15-6 run.

Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com