Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 8/10/2011

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Men News

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AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Madagascar 2011 CAN: Nigeria beat Netherlands in 3-nation tourney - by Olusegun Ikuesan
Nigeria step up its preparation for the 26th edition of the FIBA Africa Championship for Men tagged, Madagascar 2011 Afrobasket with an 84-66 points victory over the Netherlands in London Monday night in a 3-Nations invitational.

The Nigeria senior national team, DTigers coached by John Lucas won the first three quarters by 21-10, 21-14, 21-19 while it gave up the fourth quarter by 21-23 to the Dutch for a cumulative score-line of 84-66 thus setting up a last day clash against host Great Britain.

Three Nigeria players were in great form scoring double digit each with Derrick Obasohan leading the floor with 30 points, Ime Udoka contributing 18 points while Olumide Oyedeji adding 13 points to give Nigeria a deserved victory.

President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Tijjani Umar told our correspondent from AS Cobhan, London venue of the Invitational that the team is ready to do the nation proud at the Basketball version of the African Cup of Nations which also doubles as London 2012 Olynpic Games qualifier.

An elated Umar says the players who resume their final phase camping exercise last month in Orlando, United States of America are in high spirit and have bonded properly.

The team is expected to arrive Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday and depart for Antananarivo, Madagascar on Sunday morning. Nigeria first round opponents include host Madagascar, Mali and Mozambique in group-A.

Nigeria will battle Mali on August 17, take on Mozambique on August 19 before rounding off its first round game against host Madagascar on August 21 in Antananarivo.

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ANGOLA

Angola finishes last in the second phase of Stankovic Cup - by Eurobasket News
Angola finishes last in the second phase of Stankovic Cup as they lost in the game for the third place to China. The Asian team edged African representatives 64:54 to finish third. China started with 19-9 and added 21-12 before the second half. Angola played better in the second half and won both periods. Angola won the defensive third quarter 11-9 and added 22-15 in the last.
Jianlian Yi (212-C/F-87) played 32 minutes and had 22 points and 8 rebounds, hitting 7 of 13 shots. Zhang Bo had 11 points and 3 rebounds in 21 minutes, hitting 4 of 6 shots. Zhang Qingpeng added 10 points and Liu Wei scored 8. Yi Li had 12 rebounds in 35 minutes, but shot 1 of 8. Su Wei was scoreless and fouled out in 7 minutes.
Eduardo Mingas (200-F-79) ended up with 13 points for Angola and Leonel Paulo (198-C-89) nailed 10.

Angola wins the initial game in Guangzhou - by Eurobasket News
Angola wins the initial game in Guangzhou at Stankovic Cup in the second phase. Angola won over China 55:52. China led 21-16 after one quarter and 35-24 at the half. But it collapsed in the second half, being outscored 16-7 in the third quarter and 15-10 in the fourth.
Russia edged Angola 86:58. It was an easy start for the European team that opened the game with 27-8 after the first period. Russia also added 22-18 in the second period and enjoyed 49:26 at the halftime. The third quarter also belonged to the European squad that needed 21-16 for 28-point advantage. Both teams nailed 16 points each in the last frame for the final result. Petr Gubanov (207-C-87) paced all the winners with 16 points, while Anatoly Kashirov (215-C-87) and Golovin added 14 apiece. Joaquim Valdelicio (209-C-90), Kikas Gomes (200-C/F-80, college: Valparaiso) and Milton Barros posted 9 points in the losing effort.
Tall Blacks rallied past Angola 73:70 for the second straight win in Guangzhou. Kirk Penney scored 17 points to pace the winners. New Zealand will now take on Russia in the title game. New Zealand and Angola stayed close throughout the first half. They were tied at 22 after ten minutes. The complexion of the game did not change in the second term as the teams arrived at halftime tied at 34. Angola pulled in front in the third quarter. They earned a 6-point lead with one quarter remaining. But the Kiwis rebounded in the dying minutes. They erased the deficit and eked out a narrow victory at the end. Thomas Abercrombie nailed 14 points, while Lindsay Tait (194-G-82, agency: Impact Basketball) delivered 9 points for the winners. Carlos Morais (190-G-85) responded with 22 points for Angola. Felizardo Ambrosio (201-F-87) and Kikas Gomes accounted for 13 points each in the loss.

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ARGENTINA

Argentina tame Paraguay in exhibition game - by Eurobasket News
Argentina - Paraguay 67:46

Argentina celebrated victory over Paraguay in the exhibition clash yesterday. Luciano Gonzalez (196-F-90) scored 10 points to pace well-balanced effort from the winners. Both teams are now preparing for 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara.
Argentina set the tone early. They outscored Paraguay 19:10 in the opening frame. Argentina maintained the lead throughout the second stanza. They arrived at halftime up by 13 points 34:21. Paraguay could not recover after the main break. Argentina kept their opponents at bay posting a 47:30 lead with one quarter remaining. They did not slow down in the fourth period rallying to a comfortable win at the end. Nicolas Laprovittola (191-G-90), Nicolas Romano (197-F/C-87), Pablo Espinoza (195-F-87) and Alejandro Alloatti (203-F/C-84) delivered 9 points each in the victory. Daniel Perez (190-G/F-84) responded with 21 points for Paraguay. Federico Mellone (190-G/F-85) netted 8 points in defeat.

Argentina: Luciano Gonzalez 10, Nicolas Laprovittola 9, Nicolas Romano 9, Pablo Espinoza 9, Alejandro Alloatti 9
Paraguay: Daniel Perez 21, Federico Mellone 8

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AUSTRALIA

Michael crowned MVP - by Eurobasket News
Michael Lay (175-G-83, college: Concordia, OR) has vowed to take on a stronger leadership role to help propel the Sun City Plumbing Buccaneers to the SBL finals in 2012.

Lay received the Dan Hunt Trophy after being named the Buccs Most Valuable Player on Saturday night.

It was the Americans second MVP for the Buccs after he captured the award back in 2007.

Fellow import Todd Brown was named runner-up for the prize.

Speaking after the ceremony at Spalding Park Golf Club, Lay said he still had more to offer the Geraldton camp.

He felt his leadership was affected in 2011 due to his delayed arrival.

Lay missed the pre-season and the two opening rounds because he was playing in a relegation battle with former club Konstanz in Germany.

Though honoured by the award, the self-critic felt his season was no where near his best.

I know that there were times when my consistency wasnt where it could be, said Lay, who averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game.

I know that I work hard in the off season and my heart and soul is with winning.

I definitely need to step up my leadership not just on the output level but vocally too.

I struggled with that a bit because I came late this year.

Next season I look forward to being able to take on those leadership roles from day one and establish that chemistry and hopefully that will help translate to victories.

Im hoping that will help me increase my output statistically and my leadership level too.

The Bucc pledged his long-term future to the club and will remain in Geraldton with his wife Natasha.

Lay said he would take a step back from the Geraldton Amateur Basketball competition to be fully prepared for the Buccs next assault.

While this is a huge bonus for Buccs, Lay will remain as an import for at least another year.

It was previously hoped an Australian residency visa would remove his restricted import status thus opening the door for two more imports to be signed.

Ive had correspondence with Basketball Australia and Im going to be still classed as an import until I apply for citizenship in 2013, Lay said.

The visa blow will put added pressure on the Buccs directors to find new talent after the team missed the finals for only the second time since its founding year in 1989.

Buccs coach Ray Evans has expressed an interest in coaching for a fourth consecutive term. He is expected to hold talks with the board this week.

Article by Thomas Davis

Courtesy of: http://www.sbl.asn.au/

Central ABL: Men's Previews - Round 18 - by Eurobasket News
Eastern Mavericks (4-13, 9th) v South Adelaide Panthers (7-10, 7th)

The Mavericks and Panthers will close their disappointing seasons by facing off with one another in the Hills on Saturday.

Both teams have had opportunities this season to make a finals push but failed to take them.

Eastern put in some strong performances early in the season, but a string of close losses saw it fall down the ladder.

After sitting 3-2 five rounds in, the Mavs lost to then-strugglers North Adelaide, before going down by single figures to Forestville, Woodville, South Adelaide and West Adelaide (in over-time) in successive weeks.

The Panthers struggled for consistency in the first half of the season, before a stunning run of form from Daniel Johnson and three straight wins got them back in the hunt.

With its season on the line, South led by 11 at half-time against Sturt only two weeks ago.

However, a dismal second half put the Panthers out of the finals race.

That second half carried on into their performance against Norwood, where they suffered their worst loss of the season in Round 17, losing 73-107 to Norwood, despite 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists from Johnson, and 17 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists from the returning (and sorely missed) Mitchell Creek (198-F/G-92).

The Mavs were in front against the Warriors after 20 minutes last week, but could not sustain the pressure in the second half, losing 63-74.

On the positive side, Jackson Madgen (192-G-93) (16 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds) scored a career-high for the second week in a row.

Shane Breheny was a workhorse as always with 14 points and 11 boards.

Last time they met, South got up 94-86.

The final round is renowned for an upset or two. Dont be surprised if Eastern produces one here.

North Adelaide Rockets (10-7, 5th) v Forestville Eagles (13-4, 2nd)

With fifth and second spots respectively sewn up, North Adelaide and Forestville will be playing for little more than form and bragging rights when the two sides meet at Hillcrest on Saturday.

Tracy Yorks Rockets have been the surprise packets of the year, losing more games in the first four rounds than they have in the last 13.

The Eagles always seemed destined to make the finals, but to finish above last years Grand Finalists Sturt and West has been an impressive effort from Andy Simons men, who are perhaps a touch unlucky to have missed out on the Minor Premiership.

North Adelaide bounced back from a woeful showing against Centrals by trouncing Southern 78-40 on Sunday.

The Rockets held their opponents to under 24% shooting from the field, forced 30 turnovers and won the rebounding count with ease.

Matthew Lycett (194-G-90) produced 18 of them to go with his 10 points, while Josh Bond had a game-high 18 points, and Curtis Scipio had his best game for the club with 12 points, 9 assists and 9 steals.

Forestville started with a bang against Centrals, before holding off its lower-ranked opponent to win 94-88.

Rashad Tucker had 19 points, 21 rebounds and 9 assists, Brad Sullivan (182-PG-82) had a team-high 22 points, and Majok Deng again showed his exciting potential and athleticism.

Last time they met, the Rockets pulled off an upset 94-85 victory.

However, I think the Eagles will reverse their result away from home on Saturday, just as they did in the corresponding game last year.

Norwood Flames (14-3, 1st) v West Adelaide Bearcats (11-6, 3rd)

In the Match of the Round, West Adelaide will put third place on the line when it visits Norwood on Saturday.

The Bearcats would have had a chance of jumping to second if they had have overcome Sturt last week, but fell eight points short.

Instead, West is now locked on the same amount of wins as the Sabres, ahead only on the series split.

With Sturt at home to bottom-placed Southern, the Bearcats must beat the Flames or else face an Elimination Final with North Adelaide.

Jeffrey Dowdell (205-F-87) (21.7 ppg, 51.1% FG, 10.6 rpg), David Nurse (15 ppg, 42/120 3FG, 5 rpg) and Blake Truslove (11.5 ppg, 55.7% FG, 9.6 rpg) will need to have big nights if the Cats are to get up over the league leaders.

The Flames are coming off a successful double-header, comfortably defeating South Adelaide and Central Districts.

The key players for Norwood, who has the Minor Premiership wrapped up, are Andrew Webber (16.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.9 apg), David Cooper (12.9 ppg, 48.3% FG, 10.5 rpg) and Todd Matthews (12.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.1 apg).

It will be interesting to see how the Flames approach this game, as this result could have a large bearing on who they meet in the Semi Final.

Last time they met, Norwood prevailed 68-63 in a nail-biter.

The Bearcats will no doubt be the more desperate of the two sides, and this may be enough to get them the win they need.

Sturt Sabres (11-6, 4th) v Southern Tigers (2-15, 10th)

The Sabres have a fantastic opportunity to make their bid for a top three finish when they host the Tigers on Saturday.

After an ordinary start to the season, Sturt has come good when it matters most, winning eight of nine.

The Sabres pulled off a potentially season-changing victory on the road against West last week, winning 66-58.

The boards were the key to the victory, with Sturt pulling down 14 extra rebounds.

Jacob Holmes finished the night with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Nathan Kareta had a career night with 16 points, including four trifectas.

Jan Warbout (201-F/C-91) added 8 points and 14 rebounds.

If the Sabres win and the Bearcats lose, Sturt will face Forestville at Wayville in the Qualifying Final.

However, if either of those results are different, the Sabres will play North at Pasadena in the Elimination Final.

For Southern, this game is all about pride. The Tigers have lost 12 straight, all by at least 10 points, including a blowout home defeat to North Adelaide in Round 17.

Hugh Pinkard bobbed up for 10 points, but no other Southern player scored in double figures.

Michael Florance (194-G/F-89), clearly the Tigers Player of the Season, was held to just 8 points on 2/11 shooting and 5 rebounds.

This is the first time these teams have met at Pasadena since Round 1 2010, a game in which Southern was victorious.

Whether or not the Tigers can get any confidence out of that night remains to be seen.

In the corresponding match this year at Morphett Vale, Sturt won 79-65, but the margin will probably be a lot greater this time.

Central District Lions (5-12, 8th) v Woodville Warriors (8-9, 6th)

The Warriors can seal sixth spot and finish at .500 if they can overcome the Lions at Starplex.

Woodville has had a great season, but a shock loss to Southern in Round 3 and a home defeat to North in Round 10 have cost Al Greens side dearly.

Last Saturday, the Warriors overcame a slow start to defeat the Mavs.

Josh Knight (194-F-80) had his best game of the season with 20 points and 24 rebounds, while Mark Egel scored 12 points and Steve Pilkington 10.

Centrals took it up to both Forestville and Norwood, but fell short in both matches.

A 17-33 first quarter was costly against the Eagles, while a 15-30 third period was likewise versus the Flames.

After producing a triple-double against Forestville, Josh Kollasch was well-held against Norwood, but Daniel Carlin played well in both, scoring a total of 45 points.

The Lions had won four of five prior to last weekend.

The last time they met, the Warriors overcame an 11 point half-time deficit to win 82-69.

This is a difficult game to predict and I am sure it will be a close, entertaining affair.

It is also the last game for Matt Atkins, who has been an outstanding player for Centrals over the years, and I think they will farewell him with a victory.
By James Woite
Courtesy of: Central ABL

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AUSTRIA

BELGIUM

Verviers Transfer News - by Peter Buyse
VOO Verviers-Pepinster has added guard Jermaine Beal (191-G-87, college: Vanderbilt)l to their 2011-2012 roster. Beal started his college career during the 2006-2007 season playing for Vanderbilt.
He gradually upped his stats each season at Vandy and ended his senior year averaging 14.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3.1 apg during the 09-10 season whic earned him All SEC 1st team honors.
His European starts was somewnat rocky with a 3 game start in Poland for Trefl Sopot. He was scheduled to go play in Israel for Galil Gilboa but that never happened.
He resurfaced in the D-league in December playing for the Auston Toros, with averages of 6.9 ppg, 2.2 apg and 18.1 mpg during 29 games. He was then traded to the Erie Bayhawks where he played another 18 games in the NBDL. At Erie he averaged 9.7 ppg and 3.1 apg for 27.9 mpg.
Accoring to the team's management they are still looking for a forward.

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BOSNIA

CSU Asesoft Ploiesti signs center Drasko Albijanic - by Eurobasket News
CSU Asesoft Ploiesti continues with signings for the next season. After Matei Nuna, Rade Dzambic and Aleksandar Vlahovic, former Romanian champion penned a deal with Drasko Albijanic (211-C-86). The Bosnian big guy heads to Romania from Borac Nektar Banja Luka, where he finished last season. He joined them in March averaging 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Eurobasket awarded Albijanic with All-Bosnia and Herzegovina League Most Improved Player of the Year -11. He also got a call to join the Bosnian National Team. Drasko Albijanic started last season with Sloboda Dita Tuzla. There he exploded with 17.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 2 apg for 20 games. He was a member of Sloboda since 2007. In the past, Albijanic also played for Leotar Trebinje.

Matjaz Smodis leads Slovenia to the third place at Adecco Cup EX YU 2011 - by Eurobasket News
Slovenia NT- Bosnia and Herzegovina NT 59:52

Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) leads Slovenia to the third place at Adecco Cup EX YU 2011. The hosts of the tournament won over Bosnia and Herzegovina 59:52 as the latter finished on the fourth position.
Slovenia scored the first seven points in the game and Zoran Dragic (196-F/G-89) brought 11:1. Slovenia controlled the first period and reached 21:8 in the end of the frame. Nemanja Gordic reduced however to 21:18 and Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) scored for 30:25. Goran Dragic closed the first half at 33:30. Matjaz Smodis opened the third period with a 7-0 run and gave Slovenia 40:33. Uro Slokar scored for 47:39 and Jaka Lakovic closed the frame at 49:41. Bosnia won the last period 11-10 but cut it to 7 points at the end.
Matjaz Smodis poured in 18 points to lead all the winners and Samo Udrih (195-G-79) notched 9. Zoran Dragic collected 8 points and 13 rebounds, while Uros Slokar (210-F/C-83) netted 7. Mirza Teletovic replied with 11 points in the losing effort and Kenan Bajramovic (206-F-81) added 7.

Slovenia NT: Matjaz Smodis 18, Samo Udrih 9, Zoran Dragic 8+13 rebs, Uros Slokar 7
Bosnia and Herzegovina NT: Mirza Teletovic 11, Kenan Bajramovic 7

BIH finishes Adecco Cup 2011 with a 59-52 defeat against Slovenia - by Nedzad Kladusak
After the ashaming defeat against a very strong Serbia the Bosnian team played against host Slovenia for the third place.
The Bosnian defense was much better but Slovenia managed to staart a mini-serie with six consecutive points leading 6-0 after four minutes.
Particularly Slokar and Dragic challenged the Bosnian defense. Ratko Varda has been quickly charged with his second PF and has been replaced by Kikanovic who
scored the first three points for BIH. However Slovenia played an agressive defense making it very hard for the Bosnian guards to bring the ball in the Slovenian half.
In the second quarter the Bosnians played much better locking down Jaka Lakovic. After 20 minutes the Bosnians trailed only by three points.
But Slovenia rallied and particularly Smodis woke up scoring several times in the paint extending the margin to 10. BIH never came closer than four points and after40 minutes Slovenia celebrated a well- deserved 59-52 victory. It s been evident that BIH lacks a true, quality PG who can run a team offense. It is encouraging that Domercant imrpoved his ballhandling making him a true combo-guard. The second conclusion of the tournament that BIH lacks quality big men and a well organised rebounding. Thanks to Zoran Dragic (13) and Uros Slokar (9) Slovenia outrebounded 39-27 despite Bosnian giant Mirza Begic played only 5 minutes.

BIH: Teletovic 11+5rebs, Bajramovic 7+2rebs, Domercant 6+5rebs, Edin Bavcic (210-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) 5
SLO: Smodis 18 (18minutes)+3rebs, Udrih 9,Dragic 8 +13rebs, Slokar 7+9rebs

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BRAZIL

Barcelona Regal bought out Marcelinho Huertas from Caja Laboral Vitoria - by Eurobasket News
Barcelona Regal bought out Marcelinho Huertas (191-PG-83, agency: Edge Sports) from Caja Laboral Vitoria. The Brazilian player will head to the Spanish Powerhouse after few seasons with Caja.
In 2009 Marcelinho Huertas signed 3-year contract at Caja Laboral Vitoria (Spain-ACB). In 2009-2010 for Caja Laboral Vitoria (Spain-ACB, starting five) in Euroleague he averaged 8.3ppg, 1.8rpg, 3.9apg, FGP: 60.6%, 3PT: 30.8%, FT: 85.2%, while in Spanish League had 8.6ppg, 3.1rpg, Assists-3 (4.9apg), 1.3spg, FGP: 49.3%, 3PT: 45.6%, FT: 82.9%. In 2010-2011 in Spanish League he became the top player in Assists section and showed 9.9ppg, 2.9rpg, Assists-1 (5.9apg), FGP: 52.7%, 3PT: 43.2%, FT: 87.3%. In Euroleague after 20 games his stats read 10.3ppg, 3.1rpg, Assists-3 (5.6apg), FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 44.2%, FT: 86.5%.
Only last season he reached Spanish ACB Supercup Semifinals -11, Eurobasket.com All-Euroleague 3rd Team -11, became Eurobasket.com All-Spanish ACB Guard of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-Spanish ACB Bosman Player of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-Spanish ACB 1st Team -11 and Eurobasket.com Spanish ACB All-Bosmans Team -11.
For the National team he erupted with 32 points in the last game verusus Argentina. The latter survived a heart-stopping drama at the eighth-final stage of the World Championship in Turkey 2010. They held off their archrivals Brazil 93:89 in a thrilling battle in Istanbul to advance into the quarterfinals. The lead changed hands for numerous times before Marcelinho Huertas leveled things up at 25. Marcelinho Huertas kept the hope alive for Brazil with a wild trey but Luis Scola calmly hit both free throws and iced the dramatic win for Argentina. Marcelinho Huertas netted 32 points for Brazil.

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BULGARIA

Stefan Georgiev will miss Eurobasket 2011 - by Valentin Anguelov
The center of the national team of Bulgara iStefan Georgiev (206-C/F-78) will not participate in the EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania in September. Toro received a knee injury in Sunday's victory over Israel in last day of international tournament in Cyprus.

'Stefan Georgiev has a torn part in his knee and will recover about two months which means he will not participate at the European Championship,' said Rosen Barchovski coach of the National team of Bulgaria. Barchovski is not calling a new player to replace Georgiev. 'With us will train Dennis Agre, who is a former junior player of CSKA, and then played several years in the U.S. college championship. We have no third center - only Nikolay Varbanov and Tencho Banev are in the squad,' added the coach.

All other players in the team are good condition. The team will train in Sofia until Sunday, when he will go to Spain to play with the host team friendly game ahead of Eurobasket 2011.

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CHINA

China Defeats Angola 64-54 - by Arthur Volbert
China finally won a game, defeating Angola 64-54 in the final game of the Stankovic Cup. China finished in third place in the second phase of the cup, after finishing winless and fourth in the first.

Jianlian Yi (212-C/F-87) played 32 minutes and had 22 points and 8 rebounds, hitting 7 of 13 shots. Zhang Bo had 11 points and 3 rebounds in 21 minutes, hitting 4 of 6 shots. Zhang Qingpeng added 10 points and Liu Wei scored 8. Yi Li had 12 rebounds in 35 minutes, but shot 1 of 8. Su Wei was scoreless and fouled out in 7 minutes.

China's overall shooting was still attrocious. The team hit 17 of 37 two-pointers and 5 of 19 three-pointers. But the defense was superior, as Angola hit only 18 of 51 two-pointers and 2 of 20 three-pointers.

China is improving on defense, but needs to find some offense if it is to win the Asian Championship against the likes of Iran and Korea.

NBL Round 1 of Quarter-Finals - by Eurobasket News
Guangzhou FM - Whampoa 79-90

The guests trailed by 6 points at the halftime before their 50-33 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Whampoa dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Guangzhou FM's 32. Whampoa forced 19 Guangzhou FM turnovers and outrebounded them 48-27 including a 35-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. 28 personal fouls committed by Guangzhou FM helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American forward Alan Wiggins (206-85, college: USF) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) for the winners and center Lei Ji (203-83) chipped in 20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. At the losing side American guard Justin Gray (188-84, college: Wake Forest) responded with 23 points and 4 steals and forward Dapeng Liu (202-89) scored 15 points. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.
Top scorers:
Guangzhou FM: G.Justin 23+3reb, L.Dapeng 15+3reb+2ast, Z.XiaoMing 9+1reb+3ast, Y.Liang 8+3reb+2ast, L.Xuesong 7+1reb+2ast, S.TianGang 6+2reb+3ast
Whampoa: W.Alan 25+10reb+1ast, J.Lei 20+8reb+7ast, H.Eric 12+14reb+2ast, Y.Ning 9+5reb, Y.ZhiYong 8+1reb+1ast, W.Jing 7+2reb+3ast

ShenYang - Sichuan 112-123

The game was mostly controlled by Sichuan. ShenYang was better in fourth quarter 39-32. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They made 19-of-23 charity shots (82.6 percent) during the game. Sichuan outrebounded ShenYang 45-32 including a 34-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 31 assists. ShenYang was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. American guard T.J. Bannister (180-84, college: Liberty) nailed a double-double by scoring 30 points and 19 assists for the winning side and his fellow American import forward Alexander McLean (203-85, agency: Strategic Sports) accounted for 19 points and 18 rebounds. Sichuan's coach Joseph Stiebing used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Center XiaoDong Chen (207-86) came up with 24 points and 6 rebounds and American guard Corey Allmond (188-88, college: Howard Col. (TX)) added 21 points and 5 rebounds respectively for ShenYang in the defeat. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
ShenYang: C.XiaoDong 24+6reb+1ast, A.Corey 21+5reb+3ast, Y.Peng 21+4reb+2ast, Z.JunXiong 16+6reb+1ast, S.DeShuai 15+4reb+2ast, D.ChengLong 10+2reb+9ast
Sichuan: B.T.J. 30+4reb+19ast, M.Alexander 19+18reb+1ast, C.Ma 18+3reb+2ast, M.Long 14+2reb, S.TianNong 14+6reb+1ast, J.QiZhen 7+1reb+3ast

Ningxia Hanas - Jiangsu 94-111

The game was mostly controlled by Jiangsu. Ningxia Hanas managed to win fourth quarter 30-24. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Jiangsu forced 20 Ningxia Hanas turnovers and outrebounded them 49-38 including 20 on the offensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists comparing to just 12 passes made by Ningxia Hanas' players. fired a triple-double by scoring 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the winners. American forward Vincent Hunter (208-84, college: Arkansas) chipped in a double-double by scoring 25 points and 16 rebounds. Jiangsu's coach WanJun Cui used an eleven-player rotation saving starting five for next games. Nigerian forward Ndudi Ebi (206-84, college: Arizona) produced a double-double by scoring 30 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks and his fellow American import forward Alexander McLean (203-85, agency: Strategic Sports) added 19 points and 6 rebounds respectively for lost side. Five Jiangsu and four Ningxia Hanas players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Ningxia Hanas: E.Ndudi 30+19reb+2ast, c.wind 19+6reb+1ast, S.ChunLei 15+3reb+2ast, Y.Kaifu 14+3reb+2ast, W.Sze 10+2reb, M.Yansong 6+4reb+4ast
Jiangsu: H.Vincent 25+16reb+2ast, Z.YanXi 23+9reb, j.si huoqi 23+11reb+11ast, W.YanQing 17+3reb+3ast, F.Hui 10+5reb+2ast, S.XianLing 10+1reb+3ast

Hebei - Changan Group 79-100

The game was mostly controlled by Changan Group. Hebei was better in third quarter 26-25. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They made 20-of-25 charity shots (80.0 percent) during the game. Changan Group outrebounded Hebei 46-28 including 17 on the offensive glass. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Nick Stallings (190-83, college: Centenary) who helped to win the game recording 21 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. His fellow American import center Darnell Cox (211-85, college: Miss.Valley St., agency: Court Side) contributed with 17 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Stallings is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. American forward Christopher Lawson (193-83, college: Houston) answered with 26 points and 5 steals and forward Runpeng Wang (202-87) added 10 points and 5 rebounds in the effort for Hebei. Five Changan Group and four Hebei players scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games.
Top scorers:
Hebei: L.Christopher 26+2reb+3ast, L.Yiding 12+2reb, W.Runpeng 10+5reb, J.YiLong 10+3reb, Z.ZhenHu 9+3reb+1ast, J.Nan 3
Changan Group: S.Nick 21+9reb+6ast, C.Darnell 17+8reb+3ast, L.Peng 15+1reb, S.Jian 13+1reb, S.Lei 11+6reb, R.XiaTi 11+9reb+1ast

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

CROATIA

Ivan Rudez takes over BC Vienna as Head Coach - by Eurobasket News
BC Vienna got a new Head Coach. It is Croatian specialist Ivan Rudez , who signed a deal for the next season. Rudez worked last season with Cedevita Zagreb. He was Assistant Coach to Aleksandar Petrovic. From 2007 until the last summer Ivan Rudez worked as a Head Coach of Prievidza. They competed in Slovakian top division. Rudez led them to Playoff Semifinals in 2009, what was considered as success. In 2010, Ivan Rudez coached at the Slovakian League All-Star Game. In the past, he worked as a Head Coach of Croatian A2 team Zrinjevac Zagreb. BC Vienna finished last season as No.10 in Austria.

Serbian National Team triumphs at the Adecco Cup EX YU 2011 in front of 7000 spectators in Ljubljana - by Eurobasket News
Croatia NT-Serbia NT 71:80

Serbia National Team won the thriller over Croatia at the Final of the Adecco Cup EX YU 2011. Serbia became the champion in the capital of Slovenia winning all three games and clinching the title with 80:71 win.
Croatia opened the game with 21-18, but Serbia won the second frame 20-18. Croatia played better in the third period and after 21-15 enjoyed 7-point advantage. Draper closed the third period with a jump shot for 60:53. Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) opened the last quarter for 60:55, while Bojan Bogdanovic (202-G/F-89) and Macvan exchanged the baskets for 62:57. Krunoslav nailed three to give Croatia 65:57 with 8 minutes in the game and Bojan Bogdanovic brought the team closer to the tile for 67:57. Milenko Tepic and Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency: INVICTUS Sports Group) reduced to 67:64 and again Milenko Tepic brought Serbia back to 67:66 with 4 minutes to go. Nenad Krstic scored four in a row for 70:67 as Serbia continued their 13-0 run. Krunoslav reduced to 70:69 with less than two minutes to go and Nenad Krstic scored two free throws for 3-point lead. Dusko Savanovic (204-F/C-83, agency: Beo Basket) and Teodosic scored late three pointers in the end of the frame to seal the victory with Serbia.
Dusko Savanovic paced all the winners with 17 points and Nenad Krstic posted 16. Milenko Tepic notched 12, while Stefan Markovic (194-G-88) scored 10. Bojan Bogdanovic finished the night with 17 points, while Ante Tomic (217-C-87) posted 13 in defeat.

Croatia NT: Bojan Bogdanovic 17, Ante Tomic 13, Stanko Barac (217-C-86) 11
Serbia NT: Dusko Savanovic 17, Nenad Krstic 16, Milenko Tepic 12, Stefan Markovic 10

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

CUBA

Panama beats Cuba 67-64 in a friendly game - by Eurobasket News
Panama - Cuba 67-64

Panama grabbed 67-64 win against Cuba in a friendly game. Both teams prepare for the upcoming FIBA Americas championship in Argentina. Josimar Ayarza (205-F-87) was the leading player in victory with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Ariel Robinson (195-G/F-89) had 15 points and Desmond Alexis Smith (199-F-86, college: William & Mary) helped the winners with 13 points and 7 rebounds. In the loosing squad, Juan Pineiro (193-G-90) was better than the others with 16 points and 5 steals. Alexei Mestre (180-G-86) and Yorman Polas (192-F-85) added 12 points each. Cuba had much better beginning as they made 10-22 lead in the first ten minutes. Panama won Q2 with 20-17 and they shined after the breather with 17-10. Last quarter was very exciting, but at the end Panamanians were more focused and they managed to grab 67-64 victory in this meeting. Both teams will play more friendlies in the upcoming days.

Panama: Josimar Ayarza 20+8 boards, Ariel Robinson 15, Desmond Alexis Smith 13+7 boards
Cuba: Juan Pineiro 16+5 stl, Alexei Mestre 12, Yorman Polas 12

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

CYPRUS

Omar Barlett is a newcomer at B.M.C. AEK Larnacas - by Eurobasket Center
B.M.C. AEK Larnacas strengthened their roster with addition of 31-year old Jamaican former international (has also American nationality) forward Omar Barlett (203-F-80, college: Jacksonville St.). Barlett played most recently at Al Jalaa Aleppo (Syria), where he had to leave due to lack of pay. Barlett is a very experienced player. He played also pro basketball in Poland, Portugal, Syria and Jamaica. It's actually his comeback to Cyprus. He played here two years ago for Achilleas Kaimakliou, when was 10th best scorer in the league and 4th best rebounder. He was voted at the end of season to Eurobasket.com All-Cyprus League Honorable Mention.
By Eurobasket Data Center

Cyprus outscored Romanian University team - by Eurobasket News
Cyprus- Romanian University team 68:63

Cyprus outscored Romanian University team in the last game of the tournament in the island. Cyprus needed 68:63 due to the first half.
It was a defensive start as both teams scored only 19 points in the first period. Cyprus started the game with 10-9 and added massive 21-13 in the second frame for 9-point halftime advantage. Moreover the hosts added 20-18 in the third period for 11-point advantage. Romania responded with 23-17 in the last quarter to reduce the gap to 5 points at the end.
Alexis Zachariou paced all the winners with 18 points. George Theocharides (203-F-85) nailed 12, while Panagiotis Trisokkas (206-C-80) added 10. Andrei Mandache (190-G-87, agency: Global Sports Plaza) replied with 21 points in the losing effort. Titus Nicoara (200-F-88, agency: Interperformances) notched 18, while Vlad Moldoveanu (205-F-88, agency: Interperformances, college: American) scored 12.

Cyprus: Alexis Zachariou (200-F/C-76) 18, George Theocharides 12, Panagiotis Trisokkas 10
Romanian University team: Andrei Mandache 21, Titus Nicoara 18, Vlad Moldoveanu 12

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

CZECH REPUBLIC

BK Usti nad Labem Strengthen Roster with Two Signings - by Surujh Roopnarine
Mattoni NBL newcomers BK Usti nad Labem have signed contracts with a pair of young players to help build their team for the upcoming season.
First is 6-10 center Jaroslav Tyrna (208-C-86) who comes from the University of New Orleans (NCAA), where he just completed his university career. His is the younger brother of former CEZ Nymburk giant Ales Chan and is thr second former NCAA graduate to join the NBL this season, following Kamil Svrdlik who moved from Duquesne (NCAA) to BK Prostejov. Tyrna appeared in 21 games for New Orleans this season, averaging 9.4ppg, 6.5rpg and 1.5apg while posting shooting averages of FGP: 49.7%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 71.4%. The soon-to-be 25-year old began his career with Vysehrad before spending one season in Spain with CB Dunas Hotels Gran Canaria Las Palmas before heading to the USA.
Next on board is Slovakian youngster Matus Kuchalik (193-G-90), who comes from BK Kondori Liberec. The 21-year old shooting guard has spent the last two seasons in Liberec and last year averaged almost 14 points a game to go along with 4.4 rebounds as a starter. The team will assemble for their first set of scrimmages on August 17 as they face off against an assortment of American collegians.

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

EUROBASKET SUMMER LEAGUE

ESL New York City Final Day Game Reports (7th Place & 5th Place Games) - by Darryl Reshaw
Kiev defeated Prague 108-104 in one of the most unexpected turn of events in ESL 2011.
In the 3rd quarter at one point Kiev was winning by over 30 points when Steve Taylor the voice of the ESL took over the coaching control of the game.
He implemented a full court press and brought his team back within a basket of winning the game.
However Brian Addison (205-F-87, college: Buffalo) and company held on in the final seconds to secure the win.
Brain had an outstanding game scoring 31 points and pulling 8 rebounds for the Kiev Team.
The very athletic Chris Staples (196-F) scored 19 points and had the key assist in the final seconds to secure the win for the Kiev Team.
Jason Reels (188-PG, college: Eastern) had a solid performance scoring 16 points and 4 rebounds in the contest.

Prague was led by Charles Gamble (193-G/F-87, college: Barton, NC) the big powerful big guard who steam rolled over smaller defenders taking them to the basket creating contact all day long.
He ended the game with 23 points and was unstoppable.
Todd Doyle (186-G-86, college: WentworthTe.) chipped in 18 points and Ethan Kennedy (201-G/F-87, college: Felician) added a solid performance of 14 points and 6 rebounds.
Lance Feurtado (198-F, college: Grambling St.), John Morris (196-G-85, college: LIU Brooklyn) and Charles Rhodes (195-G, college: Chowan Univ.) all poured in double figure scoring for the Prague team.

PRAGUE vs KIEV
07/31/11 3:15pm at Jersey City, NJ (Yanitelli Center)

PRAGUE 104

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
06	Robert Wright	-	1-6	1-2	1-4	1-0	1	4	4	1	2	0	2	0+
07	Todd Doyle	-	6-11	2-5	4-4	3-1	4	0	18	1	2	0	2	0+
10	Charles Gamble	-	8-17	0-4	7-8	2-2	4	3	23	1	3	0	0	0+
27	Elyon Bush	-	2-2	0-0	1-4	0-2	2	6	5	1	1	0	1	0+
30	John Morris	-	4-8	0-2	4-5	3-0	3	0	12	1	3	0	0	0+
42	Charles Rhodes (195-G, college: Chowan Univ.)	-	4-8	1-2	2-2	6-1	7	1	11	1	0	0	0	0+
57	Kelvin Delos angeles	-	1-2	0-1	0-0	1-0	1	0	2	0	1	0	0	0+
60	Kristin Joyner	-	1-7	0-0	0-0	1-2	3	2	2	1	2	1	0	0+
76	Lance Feurtado (198-F, college: Grambling St.)	-	4-9	3-5	2-2	0-1	1	4	13	0	0	0	0	0+
77	Ethan Kennedy	-	7-10	0-2	0-0	4-2	6	2	14	1	1	0	0	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	2-4	6	-	-	-	2	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	38-80	7-23	21-29	23-15	38	22	104	8	17	1	5	0+
			47.5%	30.4%	72.4%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		13-35	4-12	4-11
			37.1%	33.3%	36.4%
	2nd Half:		25-45	3-11	17-18
			55.6%	27.3%	94.4%

KIEV 108

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
16	Elijah Corrica	-	1-3	1-3	2-2	0-2	2	1	5	0	2	0	0	0+
19	Damian Hyman	-	2-4	2-3	0-0	0-1	1	1	6	1	0	0	0	0+
25	N.Ellingsworth-Perez	-	1-1	1-1	0-0	1-4	5	2	3	0	3	0	1	0+
28	Jabril Bailey	-	4-8	1-3	0-0	1-0	1	2	9	0	0	1	0	0+
37	Jason Reels	-	5-9	0-1	6-7	2-2	4	1	16	3	3	0	1	0+
70	Chris Staples	-	9-10	1-2	0-1	2-1	3	5	19	1	2	1	2	0+
71	Douglas Childs	-	3-3	0-0	0-0	0-4	4	4	6	2	3	0	1	0+
82	Brian Addison	-	12-25	0-1	7-8	4-4	8	0	31	0	2	1	2	0+
99	Sam Wallace	-	5-7	0-0	3-6	4-3	7	5	13	3	3	2	2	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	3-3	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	42-70	6-14	18-24	17-24	41	21	108	10	18	5	9	0+
			60.0%	42.9%	75.0%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		22-36	5-9	9-10
			61.1%	55.6%	90.0%
	2nd Half:		20-34	1-5	9-14
			58.8%	20.0%	64.3%

Score by Periods	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
PRAGUE	11	23	33	37	104
KIEV	25	33	27	23	108

Officials:
Technical fouls: PRAGUE-None. KIEV-None.

ESL New York City Day 2 - Box Scores (game 7 & 8) - by Darryl Reshaw
Box Scores ESL New Your City Games 7 & 8

Please review the game reports on the earlier press release.
These are the box scores from July 30th, 2011. Game 7 and 8 only.
.....................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................

Box Score

RIGA vs MOSCOW
07/30/11 1:30pm at Jersey City, NJ (Yanitelli Center)

RIGA 77

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
08	Kevin Josey	-	3-8	0-5	0-0	1-2	3	1	6	1	2	0	0	0+
14	Korey Riley	-	1-4	0-0	2-2	5-5	10	2	4	0	2	1	0	0+
15	Jazwyn Cowan	-	9-13	0-1	8-8	4-3	7	1	26	1	0	0	0	0+
21	Joshua Brown	-	1-5	0-0	2-2	0-3	3	0	4	1	3	0	0	0+
24	Yima Chia-Kur	-	2-5	0-1	0-0	0-1	1	4	4	0	2	0	0	0+
61	Gabriel Paul	-	2-6	0-1	2-3	1-1	2	1	6	0	0	0	1	0+
62	Samuel Deadwyler	-	0-0	0-0	0-0	1-2	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0+
84	Rob Mitchell	-	8-14	2-3	4-4	0-6	6	0	22	0	1	0	0	0+
88	Devon Young	-	2-7	1-3	0-0	1-3	4	1	5	0	1	0	2	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	0-5	5	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	28-62	3-14	18-19	13-31	44	10	77	3	13	1	4	0+
			45.2%	21.4%	94.7%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		16-33	3-10	6-7
			48.5%	30.0%	85.7%
	2nd Half:		12-29	0-4	12-12
			41.4%	0.0%	100 %

MOSCOW 68

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
00	Norman Carter	-	6-12	1-3	0-1	2-4	6	3	13	0	2	0	1	0+
04	Brendon Lyn	-	2-7	0-3	0-0	2-1	3	1	4	1	3	0	1	0+
09	Kareem Brown	-	7-17	5-12	2-2	0-2	2	0	21	2	1	0	0	0+
47	Rasheem Jenkins	-	1-9	1-4	0-0	0-2	2	2	3	0	1	0	1	0+
51	Chris Saltzman	-	0-5	0-2	0-0	1-0	1	4	0	0	1	0	1	0+
80	Jeremiah Lawrence	-	5-10	0-1	2-4	3-1	4	0	12	0	0	2	0	0+
81	Tony Townsend	-	3-6	0-1	0-2	6-2	8	7	6	1	3	1	1	0+
91	Micah Brand	-	3-5	1-1	2-2	1-3	4	0	9	0	0	1	0	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	3-6	9	-	-	-	2	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	27-71	8-27	6-11	18-21	39	17	68	4	13	4	5	0+
			38.0%	29.6%	54.5%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		16-37	6-14	0-3
			43.2%	42.9%	0.0%
	2nd Half:		11-34	2-13	6-8
			32.4%	15.4%	75.0%

Score by Periods	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
RIGA	19	22	20	16	77
MOSCOW	21	17	17	13	68

Officials:
Technical fouls: RIGA-None. MOSCOW-None.
Attendance:
......................................................................................................................................................................................
STOCKHOL vs PRAGUE
07/30/11 3pm at Jersey City, NJ (Yanitelli Center)

STOCKHOL 84

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
02	Jourdain Blackmon	-	3-8	1-4	2-2	0-2	2	1	9	3	2	0	3	0+
18	Jan Cocozziello	-	2-5	0-1	3-3	1-1	2	1	7	2	3	1	0	0+
39	Travis George	-	7-15	0-0	5-12	4-6	10	3	19	0	5	1	2	0+
45	Brandon Givens	-	8-16	0-2	1-1	4-3	7	4	17	1	0	1	1	0+
52	Jerry Osborne	-	0-0	0-0	1-2	0-1	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0+
59	Paul Frazier	-	3-5	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	7	0	2	0	2	0+
63	Tony Robertson	-	3-4	2-2	2-2	0-2	2	2	10	0	2	0	0	0+
64	Tim Zephyr	-	3-10	0-3	0-0	0-5	5	2	6	1	1	0	1	0+
79	Phil Barrera	-	3-5	0-0	0-0	2-4	6	1	6	0	1	0	1	0+
89	Wilfred Benjamin	-	1-4	0-0	0-0	3-2	5	2	2	1	2	0	0	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	5-1	6	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	33-72	4-14	14-22	19-27	46	18	84	8	19	3	10	0+
			45.8%	28.6%	63.6%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		12-31	1-6	8-12
			38.7%	16.7%	66.7%
	2nd Half:		21-41	3-8	6-10
			51.2%	37.5%	60.0%

PRAGUE 83

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
06	Robert Wright	-	2-4	1-1	6-8	4-1	5	5	11	0	2	0	2	0+
07	Todd Boyle	-	2-4	1-1	4-4	1-3	4	0	9	1	1	0	1	0+
10	Charles Gamble	-	3-8	2-5	0-0	0-2	2	1	8	1	1	0	1	0+
27	Elyon Bush	-	2-5	0-0	1-2	0-2	2	2	5	0	3	2	1	0+
30	John Morris	-	6-12	2-4	0-1	1-2	3	0	14	0	3	0	0	0+
42	Charles Rhodes	-	2-6	1-2	0-0	1-1	2	3	5	4	1	0	1	0+
57	Kelvin Delos angeles	-	4-10	2-4	0-0	2-3	5	1	10	0	1	1	0	0+
60	Kristin Joyner	-	2-6	0-0	0-0	0-2	2	6	4	0	1	1	0	0+
77	Ethan Kennedy	-	6-11	2-4	3-4	3-4	7	1	17	2	3	0	3	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	1-7	8	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	29-66	11-21	14-19	13-27	40	19	83	8	17	4	9	0+
			43.9%	52.4%	73.7%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		15-34	6-9	8-10
			44.1%	66.7%	80.0%
	2nd Half:		14-32	5-12	6-9
			43.8%	41.7%	66.7%

Score by Periods	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
STOCKHOL	9	24	25	26	84
PRAGUE	26	18	18	21	83

Officials:
Technical fouls: STOCKHOL-None. PRAGUE-None.
Attendance:

ESL New York City Game Reports - Day 2 - by Darryl Reshaw
ESL 2011 New York City Game Reports Day 2

Game 5: Istanbul 88 Helsinki 79

This game was a big upset as the Helsinki team was favored to win the ESL New York City event on paper.
The game was close during the entire contest as both teams had momentum swings.
However during the final quarter Istanbul last run was too much for the cold shooting team from Helsinki.
Istanbul defeated Helsinki 88-79 in a highly competitive contest.
Istanbul was led by former Seton Hall player Mike Davis (211-F/C-86, college: Seton Hall) who dominated the inside by scoring 21 points and 12 rebounds.
The team decided to run the offense through him as the tactic work to perfection in the crucial part of the final quarter.
This left handed inside player has the skill, size and arm length to make him a quality professional player in Europe.
A.J. Mastin (191-G-83, college: So.Poly State) had an outstanding game scoring 20 points but all of his points were dagger shots when the Helsinki team had shifted the momentum.
This guy is a great jump shooter and has a nice pull up game using a couple of dribbles each way.
Nicholas King (201-F/G-82, college: St.Augustine) also played well showing his all around athletic game scoring 10 points.
Cordell Hall (180-G-87, college: Wilberforce) the ultra quick point guard did a great job during the contest and scored 10 points and 4 assists.
Raason Young (198-F, college: Montana St. - Billin) also played well as the athletic assassin chipped in 12 points and 4 rebounds in the win for Istanbul.
Chad Tomko (180-G-89, agency: ARN Sports and Entertainment, college: NC-Wilmington) the gifted quick and crafty point guard from UNC Wilmington displayed his skills as usual.
He scored 17 points and 5 assists and gave the Istanbul fits trying to contain him.
This kid will be a very good pro player in Europe and has the crafty moves combines with quickness and a great scoring ability.
He is also a dead eye jump shooter from anywhere on the court. The kid is a flat out player and would do well in Germany or Belgium.
Raymond Wright (206-C-85, college: Ark.-Monticello) had another outstanding game showing of his pro skills scoring 15 points on limited shots.
This kid is a nice 4 man in Europe who can score and rebound with the best of them.
Once a team sees this kid plays he will have an outstanding career overseas.
The super explosive John Williams (193-F-86, agency: ARN Sports and Entertainment, college: NC-Asheville) played well and exploded with a few dunks and 14 points in this
contest.

ISTANBUL vs HELSINKI
07/30/11 10am at Jersey City, NJ (Yanitelli Center)

ISTANBUL 88

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
01	Adrian Mastin	-	8-15	2-5	2-3	1-1	2	0	20	0	2	0	0	0+
22	Elie Daniel	-	0-1	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	1	1	0	0	0+
23	Matthew Cavalieri	-	1-3	0-0	0-0	1-3	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	0+
26	Cordell Hall	-	5-8	0-1	0-0	0-2	2	3	10	4	2	0	0	0+
50	John Salter	-	3-6	0-2	1-2	0-3	3	2	7	1	4	0	1	0+
72	Nick King	-	4-6	2-3	0-0	0-3	3	3	10	0	2	0	0	0+
83	Michael Davis	-	8-9	1-1	4-4	2-10	12	5	21	0	2	1	0	0+
86	Alex Coleman	-	0-1	0-0	0-0	0-1	1	2	0	0	5	0	0	0+
87	Rasson Young	-	4-6	2-2	2-2	1-3	4	1	12	4	0	0	1	0+
97	Kano Edwards	-	3-9	0-1	0-3	5-2	7	0	6	1	0	1	0	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	1-6	7	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	36-64	7-16	9-14	11-34	45	19	88	11	19	2	2	0+
			56.3%	43.8%	64.3%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		18-30	2-8	0-1
			60.0%	25.0%	0.0%
	2nd Half:		18-34	5-8	9-13
			52.9%	62.5%	69.2%

HELSINKI 79

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
12	Haron Hargrave	-	3-6	2-3	1-1	0-1	1	3	9	1	0	0	0	0+
17	Keith Lee	-	0-1	0-0	0-0	2-1	3	3	0	1	0	0	0	0+
40	Chad Tomko	-	6-15	2-7	3-3	2-1	3	3	17	5	2	0	2	0+
41	Chad Gray	-	3-11	1-2	0-2	0-3	3	4	7	0	0	1	3	0+
43	John Williams	-	6-8	2-3	0-2	1-2	3	2	14	0	0	1	1	0+
53	An'Juan Wilderness	-	2-9	0-3	1-2	0-2	2	4	5	0	1	0	0	0+
58	Dijuan Harris	-	1-8	1-2	2-2	0-1	1	2	5	7	2	0	2	0+
73	Aaron Williams	-	2-5	1-2	2-2	2-3	5	3	7	0	1	0	1	0+
85	Raymond Wright	-	6-11	0-3	3-3	1-1	2	4	15	0	0	1	0	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	4-5	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	29-74	9-25	12-17	12-20	32	28	79	14	6	3	9	0+
			39.2%	36.0%	70.6%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		18-36	5-10	4-4
			50.0%	50.0%	100 %
	2nd Half:		11-38	4-15	8-13
			28.9%	26.7%	61.5%

Score by Periods	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
ISTANBUL	22	16	21	29	88
HELSINKI	22	23	19	15	79

Officials:
Technical fouls: ISTANBUL-None. HELSINKI-None.
Attendance:

Game 6: Budapest 83 Kiev 71

Budapest defeated Kiev 83-71 with a total team effort as five (5) of their players scored in double figures.
The first quarter the Budapest team stormed out of the gates and opened up a big league.
In the second quarter Kiev with the dynamic play of Brian Addison (205-F-87, college: Buffalo) stormed back into the game and was only down a few points at half time.
However in the second half Budapest just took control of the game and cruise to a 12 point victory.
Jared Cunningham (206-F-89, college: Cumberlands) the smooth forward who was a 2010-11 NAIA All American again led the Budapest team in scoring with 15 points.
He has nice size and is a natural scorer who would do well in leagues like the BBL in the UK to begin his career.
Johnathan Mandeldove was a big presence inside as the seven footer posted 8 pts and 8 rbs in the contest.
With the right development and experience this player can make a lot of money in professional basketball.
He has a pro body, good footwork and fundamentals and he runs the floor well for a true seven footer with a nice body.
Freddy Little (185-G-86, college: Montevallo) and Papa Oppong (193-G, college: E.Kentucky) both added 12 points each and played well for the winning team.
Kevin Francis (203-F-84, college: Vincennes Univ.) also added 14 points and 6 rebounds in the contest and Hosni Ali chipped in 11 points for Budapest.
Kiev was led by the spectacular Brian Addison (205-F-87, college: Buffalo) who scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
This kid has ridiculous skills and a great mid range game. His turn around jumper is nice and he can really face up against bigger or smaller defenders.
He is a kid who is flying under the radar but has a big time game. He is a very good athlete and runs the floor like crazy.
Douglas Childs (183-G-87, college: St.Joseph's) also played well for the losing team adding 13 points in the defeat.

KIEV vs BUDAPEST
07/30/11 12pm at Jersey City, NJ

KIEV 71

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
05	Jason Reels	-	1-8	0-1	2-2	3-2	5	0	4	0	1	0	0	0+
16	Elijah Corrica	-	0-5	0-2	4-4	0-0	0	1	4	1	0	0	0	0+
19	Damian Hyman	-	1-5	0-1	1-3	1-1	2	1	3	0	3	0	0	0+
25	N.Ellingsworth-Perez	-	4-6	0-0	2-4	1-2	3	3	10	1	0	0	0	0+
28	Jabril Bailey	-	2-8	0-1	0-0	2-4	6	3	4	0	2	1	0	0+
29	Michael Johnson	-	0-1	0-1	0-0	2-1	3	2	0	0	3	0	0	0+
70	Christon Staples	-	2-8	1-4	0-0	1-3	4	1	5	1	3	0	0	0+
71	Douglas Childs	-	5-9	3-4	0-0	0-1	1	4	13	3	1	0	2	0+
82	Brian Addison	-	12-20	0-1	2-4	3-5	8	3	26	1	1	0	1	0+
99	Sam Wallace	-	1-4	0-0	0-0	2-5	7	3	2	1	0	1	0	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	7-3	10	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	28-74	4-15	11-17	22-27	49	21	71	8	15	2	3	0+
			37.8%	26.7%	64.7%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		15-41	3-8	5-6
			36.6%	37.5%	83.3%
	2nd Half:		13-33	1-7	6-11
			39.4%	14.3%	54.5%

BUDAPEST 83

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
03	Yahosh Bonner	-	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-1	1	3	0	3	0	0	0	0+
11	Freddy Little	-	4-11	2-6	2-2	1-0	1	0	12	1	1	0	1	0+
48	Papa Oppong	-	5-8	2-3	0-0	0-3	3	3	12	1	1	0	0	0+
49	Hosni Ali	-	2-5	0-1	7-9	2-1	3	2	11	1	0	1	3	0+
55	Justin Dennis	-	1-3	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	3	1	1	0	0	0+
56	Kevin Francis	-	6-18	0-1	2-3	1-5	6	0	14	1	2	1	1	0+
72	John Winchester	-	2-6	2-5	2-4	1-4	5	2	8	0	2	0	2	0+
74	Nathaniel Mitchell	-	0-1	0-0	0-0	1-2	3	4	0	2	1	0	1	0+
78	Jared Cunningham	-	7-11	1-3	0-0	1-3	4	4	15	1	0	0	0	0+
98	Jonathan Mandeldove	-	3-5	0-0	2-2	2-6	8	3	8	0	4	1	0	0+
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	2-2	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	30-68	8-21	15-20	11-27	38	22	83	11	12	3	8	0+
			44.1%	38.1%	75.0%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		14-33	6-13	9-14
			42.4%	46.2%	64.3%
	2nd Half:		16-35	2-8	6-6
			45.7%	25.0%	100 %

Score by Periods	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
KIEV	13	25	13	20	71
BUDAPEST	26	17	18	22	83

Officials:
Technical fouls: KIEV-None. BUDAPEST-None.
Attendance:

Game 7: Riga 77 Moscow 68

Riga defeated Moscow 77 68 in a game which Riga took over after the first quarter of play.
Moscow was very competitive in the contest and fought hard but Riga had better players which secured the win for Riga.
They were led by spectacular performances from Jazzwyn Cowan (205-F/C-83, agency: Dream Team Management, college: Hampton) (205-F/C-83, agency: Dream Team Management, college: Hampton) (205-F/C-83, agency: Dream Team Management, college: Hampton) (26pts, 7rbs) and Robert Mitchell (198-F-86)l (22pts, 6rbs).
These two players took their games to a different level and guided their team to the Championship game.
Riga played excellent team defense and let their two superstars lead the way offensively.
Jazzwyn Cowan is a great athlete with professional experience with skills, defensive and rebounding ability.
He has a nice offensive game featuring an array of inside and outside skills.
Robert Mitchelll is a crafty swing man with serious offensive skills that features a deadly jump shot mix with crafty New York City moves,
This kid is a pro and can play right now in leagues like Germany and Italy A2.
He has a great basketball IQ and understands how to play the game.
Moscow was led by Kareem Brown (187-G-88, college: Gannon) the scoring guard who notched in 21 points who connected on 5 three point shots in the contest.
Norman Carter (196-F, college: Winston Salem) added a quality 13 points and Jeremiah Lawrence pitched in a nice performance with 12 points.

Game 8: Stockholm 84 Prague 83

This game was an exciting contest that went to the last shot as Stockholm defeated Prague 84-83.
Prague started off with a 26 9 first quarter lead that did not last too long as Stockholm stormed back.
Travis George (F) the hard working and athletic big man from Stockholm scored 19 points and 10 rebounds to ensure victory for Stockholm.
Brandon Givens (198-F, college: Jones County CC) the spectacular highly skilled wing man who was the National Juco Player of the Year scored 17 points and 7 rebounds.
This kid has lots of talent, athleticism and skill that will take him to may places in his early professional career.
The crafty and skilled Tony Robertson (190-G-80, college: Connecticut) also poured in a respectful 10 points for the winning side.
Prague was led by Ethan Kennedy (201-G/F-87, college: Felician) 17 points and 7 rebounds featuring a fine scoring and rebounding effort from the highly skilled player.
John Morris (196-G-85, college: LIU Brooklyn) the athletic wing added 14 points showing his shooting ability to the ESL scouts.
Robert White (201-G-76, college: S.Nazarene) pitched in 11 points and 5 rebounds for the losing side.

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

EUROCUP

Gran Canaria 2014 ink deal with Laurence Ekperigin - by Eurobasket News
Laurence Ekperigin (201-F, college: Le Moyne) will continue his career in Spain. The forward has agreed on terms of contract with Gran Canaria 2014. The deal is meant for next season. Laurence Ekperigin started the previous season in South Korea. The US-British player tallied 14.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game for Mobis Phoebus. He participated at the KBL All-Star Game. The forward moved to Angelico Biella in Italy in April. Laurence Ekperigin appeared in three games for Biella tallying 3.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. It was the first pro season for the forward. He graduated from La Moyne in 2010. Laurence Ekperigin was named NABC Division II All-Star Game MVP. He also made it into NABC Division II All-America Team. Laurence Ekperigin is the member of British National Team.

Aris brings back coach Vangelis Alexandris - by Eurobasket News
A familiar face is back to Aris BSA 2003 seven years after his departure, as the club announced the arrival of head coach Vangelis Alexandris, who will lead the team next season. Alexandris, age 60, played for Aris in the 1970s and led the team to win the 1978-79 Greek League before moving to PAOK and Iraklis. He returned as head coach in 2002 and led the club to win the 2003 FIBA Champions Cup - his second continental trophy after winning the 2001 Saporta Cup title with Maroussi. Alexandris has coached more first division teams than anyone else in the country - Gymnastic Club Larissa, Apollon Patras, Iraklis, Irakleio, Maroussi, PAOK, Aris, Olympia Larissa, AEK, Kolossos Rhodes and Kavala. 'I feel like coming back home with my family. We have to work hard and rebuild the team but I have no fear,' coach Alexandris said. 'Aris has a great tradition and the most dedicated fans ever, so this is a big motivation for all of us. My dream is to win a championship again with this team, but I know that it will be very difficult.'

Courtesy of www.eurocupbasketball.com

Ventspils add Jahmar Young - by Eurobasket News
Ventspils bolstered their backcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Jahmar Young (196-G-86, college: N.Mexico St.). The guard started the previous season in Crvena Zvezda. He tallied 12.6 points, 3.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game in Adriatic League. Jahmar Young moved to Belgium in March. The guard joined Spirou Charleroi. His stats read 9.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in Belgian League. He won the title with Spirou Charleroi. It was the first pro season for Jahmar Young. The guard graduated from New Mexico State University in 2010. He tallied 20.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per appearance in his senior season.

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

EUROLEAGUE

Montepaschi Siena locks Ksistof Lavrinovic until 2014 - by Eurobasket News
Montepaschi Siena announced signing of a three-year contract extension with Ksistof Lavrinovic (210-C-79). It means that the Lithuanian big guy will stay with the club until the end of 2013/14 season. Lavrinovic joined Montepaschi in 2007 from Unics Kazan. He played 21 games in Euroleague last season collecting 11.8 ppg, 5 rpg and 1.2 apg. Lavrinovic also added 14.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 1.8 spg in Italy. With Montepaschi, Ksistof Lavrinovic won four SerieA titles. They also celebrated three times in Italian Cup. In 2008, Lavrinovic was named Eurobasket.com All-Italian SerieA Player of the Year. Before Montepaschi, he played for Unics, Dynamo Moscow and Ural Great Perm. Lavrinovic also played for Alita Alytus as a youngster. He is active member of the Lithuanian National Team since 2003.

Anadolu Efes lands Vlado Ilievski to 1+1 year deal - by Eurobasket News
Vlado Ilievski (189-PG-80, agency: World Sport Agency) is the latest addition of Anadolu Efes. The Macedonian point guard penned a 1+1 year deal with his new club. Anadolu Efes has option for the 2012/13 season. Ilievski spent last two years with Union Olimpija. He had 10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.1 apg and 1.7 spg for 15 Euroleague games last season. He also added 12.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg and 3.8 apg for 26 games in Adriatic league. In Slovenian championship Ilievski averaged 10.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.3 apg and 1.7 spg. He played for Union Olimpija also in 2008/09 and before that from 2001 to 2003. Meanwhile, Vlado Ilievski was a member of Barcelona, Lottomatica Roma, Montepaschi Siena and Tau Ceramica. Ilievski is also active member of the FYROM National Team. Two years ago in Poland he had 11.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.4 apg for five games. He will play for his country this summer in Lithuania.

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

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

David Blu's key to success - dedication and heart - by David Pick
Posted: August 9, 2011: 21:34 PM

With a little under three weeks to go before the 2011 EuroBakset tournament kickoff in Lithuania, and the eyes of thousands Israeli fans glued to their screens, Israel's NT will battle favorites France, Germany, Italy, Serbia and Latvia for one of the final tickets to the London 2012 Olympics.

Before heading out to its second exhibition tournament in Holland against the local national squad, NCAA's University of Villanova and the Georgian NT, Israel's head coach Arik Shivek enjoys the presence of four key players who missed the Cyprus warm-up games in the likes of team captain Tal Burstein, Yotam Halperin, Star NBA forward Omri Casspi and of course the talented and super important piece to its puzzle David Blu.

In an interview that was issued by the Israeli basketball association's media department, Blu commented on how it feels to join his national teammates. 'I waited a long time to wear a different colored uniform other then the costumed Maccabi yellow. It's only temporary and a bit weird but I'm happy and comfortable with the Israeli white-and-blue.'

When asked what is the key to Israel's success in the upcoming campaign the former USC graduate said 'most importantly is that Coach Shivek decided to bring back all the guys who were on the roster last summer. Being connected in the locker room the way we are and knowing how to play with each other is a huge advantage on our part. The modern basketball game is built by teamwork and that in my opinion is the key to our success.'

In regards to the lack of height and size under the rims in relation to other deep NT's such as France and Italy Blu added, 'Our advantage? We are a small country who unfortunately lacks height, yet we make up for it with the size of our hearts. All Israeli players are talented guys who play with a great level of intensity, dedication and heart, and I have no doubt that if we bring those things to Lithuania along with giving 110% every game we will win.'

Recently, reports in Israel said Blu was not interested in joining the NT this summer due to personal issues. The outstanding shooting forward and important defensive stopper expressed his feeling about the rumors and added a concrete statement of his current expectation. 'Despite my summer being a little shorter, it is an honor for me representing the Israeli nation, as it should be for any player. When I got on the plane to come to Israel, I knew I wasn't coming for vacation or to waste my time. I'm a 'winner' and always will be. My mind never stops thinking about winning, so despite whatever NBA players we'll face, my mission is to lead Israel to the 2012 Olympics.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

Standings Div.A (Men)

Standings

Group A
1. U.Kingdom		0-0
2. Spain		0-0
3. Lithuania		0-0
4. Poland		0-0
5. Turkey		0-0
Group B
1. France		0-0
2. Germany		0-0
3. Israel		0-0
4. Italy		0-0
5. Latvia		0-0
6. Serbia		0-0
Group C
1. Bosnia		0-0
2. Croatia		0-0
3. Greece		0-0
4. FYR Macedo.		0-0
5. Montenegro.		0-0
Group D
1. Belgium		0-0
2. Bulgaria		0-0
3. Georgia		0-0
4. Russia		0-0
5. Slovenia		0-0
6. Ukraine		0-0
Group Qualification
1. Portugal		1-0
2. Finland		0-0
3. Hungary		0-1

Sergio Scariolo cut Rafael Martinez and Xavier Rey from the squad - by Eurobasket News
Sergio Scariolo (agency: Alti Sport ) cut Rafael Martinez (191-G-82) and Xavier Rey (209-C-87, agency: Interperformances) from the squad to be headed to Lithuania. Both players did their best, however could not make it to the top 12.
In 2008 Rafael Martinez signed a 3-year contract with Pamesa Valencia (ACB). In the first season he averaged 10.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 39.4%, 3PT: 47.1%, FT: 87.8% in EuroCup, while in Spanish League his stats read 9.0ppg, 2.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 48.8%, 3PT: 40.2%, FT: 86.0%. In 2010-2011 for Valencia B.C. (ACB) he showed 10.7ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 45.8%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 76.9% in EuroLeague and in Spanish League had 14.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 55.2%, 3PT-2 (50.3%), FT: 83.2%.
Xavier Rey is a powerful center from the Spanish school of basketball that can do a little bit of everything. He was the top scorer of his team in the last European championship but in the final against Serbia couldn't help his team as he was extremely bad with 4/15 two's was far and away from his good self of the previous easier games. In 2010-2011 he played for C.B. Gran Canaria 2014 (ACB, starting five) and averaged 9.5ppg, 3.9rpg, FGP: 65.2%, FT: 77.1% in EuroCup, while in Spanish League after 33 games had 7.8ppg, 4.8rpg, FGP: 54.1%, FT: 58.4%. In 2011 re-signed with C.B. Gran Canaria 2014 (ACB) for another 3 seasons.

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

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U16

Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U16 Division B Awards 2011 - by Greg

Eurobasket.com All-Tournament 1st Team

Rebec

Sharon

Buza

Soluade

Okoroh

MVP: Matic Rebec (179-PG-95) of Slovenia
Best Guard: Matic Rebec (179-PG-95) of Slovenia
Best Forward: Nedim Buza (201-F-95) of Bosnia
Best Center: Kingsley Okoroh (212-C-95) of United Kingdom
Best Defensive Player: Kingsley Okoroh (212-C-95) of United Kingdom
Best Coach: Milos Sporar of Slovenia

1st Team
PG: Matic Rebec (179-95) of Slovenia
PG: Naor Sharon (191-95) of Israel
F: Nedim Buza (201-95) of Bosnia
G: Morayoninuoluwa Soluade (194-95) of United Kingdom
C: Kingsley Okoroh (212-95) of United Kingdom

2nd Team
PG: Adi Zahiragic (185-95) of Bosnia
PG: Aleksej Nikolic (185-95) of Slovenia
F: Idan Zalmanson (205-95) of Israel
F: Bas Veenstra (204-95) of Holland
F/C: Isaias Insaly (197-95) of Portugal

3rd Team
PG: Ludvig Hakanson (187-96) of Sweden
PG: Luke Nelson (185-95) of United Kingdom
G: Antreas Christodoulou (193-95) of Cyprus
C: Vlad Cobzaru (203-95) of Romania
C: Ljubomir Mladenovski (207-95) of FYR Macedonia

Honorable Mention
Thomas Grun (194-G/F-95) of Luxembourg
Arkadiy Mkrtychyan (95) of Armenia
Beka Darakhvelidze (186-F-95) of Georgia
Zoltan Perl (189-G-95) of Hungary
Sten Olmre (189-G-95) of Estonia
Rasmus Hansen (203-C/F-95) of Denmark
Viktoras Ieronymidis (198-F-95) of Cyprus
Jure Ritlop (202-F-95) of Slovenia
Ozan Odabasi (196-C-95) of Finland
Emmanuel Lecomte (175-G-95) of Belgium
Tyrell Isaacs (G-95) of United Kingdom

Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U16 Awards 2011 - by Greg

Eurobasket.com All-Tournament 1st Team

Hezonja

Kouril

Peterka

Inglis

Diop

MVP: Mario Hezonja (200-F-95) of Croatia
Best Guard: Radovan Kouril (182-PG-95) of Czech Rep.
Best Forward: Mario Hezonja (200-F-95) of Croatia
Best Center: Ilimane Diop (210-C-95) of
Best Defensive Player: Ilimane Diop (210-C-95) of Spain
Best Coach: Ante Nazor of Croatia

1st Team
PG: Radovan Kouril (182-95) of Czech Rep.
F: Mario Hezonja (200-95) of Croatia
F: Martin Peterka (199-95) of Czech Rep.
F: Damien Inglis (198-95) of France
C: Ilimane Diop (210-95) of Spain

2nd Team
PG: Nikola Rebic (186-95) of Serbia
G: Jiri Soula (187-95) of Czech Rep.
F: Edvinas Seskus (191-95) of Lithuania
F: Mikolaj Witlinski (201-95) of Poland
F: Aleksandar Vezenkov (204-95) of Bulgaria

3rd Team
C: Alberto Martini (197-69) of Spain
G: Domagoj Bosnjak (197-95) of Croatia
F: Pavel Sizov (198-95) of Russia
F: Paul Rigot (199-95) of France
C/F: Dusan Ristic (207-95) of Serbia

Honorable Mention
Igor Boyarkin (180-PG-95) of Ukraine
Vassil Stoimenov (198-F-95) of Bulgaria
Simone Fontecchio (197-F-95) of Italy
Luka Savic (199-F-95) of Montenegro
Metecan Birsen (203-F/G-95) of Turkey
Rolands Smits (201-C-95) of Latvia
Damian Jeszke (200-F-95) of Poland
Prokop Slanina (204-C-95) of Czech Rep.
Karlo Zganec (203-C-95) of Croatia

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

FINLAND

EUROBASKET: Portugal defeated Hungary - by Rauno Hurmalainen
EuroBasket - Division A. Additional Qualifying Round, Group A: Portugal defeated Hungary tonight in the opening contest at home in Coimbra. Portugal had difficulties only in the beginning of the second quarter, when the hosts didn't score a point for seven (7) minutes. However Portugal won that quarter 12-10! At the end Hungary came close, but Portugal was better with figures 71-66 (31-31). Quarters: 19-21, 12-10, 23-15, 17-20. Miguel Miranda (205-F-78) led the hosts with 18 points. Carlos Andrade (197-F-78, college: Queens, NC) added 11 pts and grabbed nine rbs. Filipe Da Silva (185-F-86) scored also in double digits (10) and gave six assists. Peter Lorant (207-F/C-85, agency: Laszlo Vinko Group) led Hungary with 16 pts. Adam Hanga (201-G-89, agency: TSS Management) added 11 and Obie Trotter (186-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Alabama A&M) as well 11 pts. Next game: Hungary vs Finland on Friday, August 12 in Hungary. The two best teams will go to European Championship Games in Lithuania 31.8. - 18.9.2011.

KORISLIIGA: Kauhajoki package almost ready - by Rauno Hurmalainen
Karhu (Kauhajoki) package seems to be almost ready for coming 2011-12 season. Team Head Coach Ari Tammivaara has chosen the third possible foreigner player on the roster as American all-around player Kelly Beidler (200-F-88, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Mt.St.Mary's) signed a 1-year-contract. Beidler started his international career last season in Iceland (IR Reykjavik), where he averaged 21,7 ppg, 12,4 rpg and 2,0 bpg in 24 contests. Karhu has now 10 signed players, among them also American players Todd Hendley (206-F-84, college: NC-Wilmington) and Clevin Hannah (180-G-87, agency: Court Side, college: Wichita St.).

INTERNATIONAL: Tuukka Kotti next to Imola - by Rauno Hurmalainen
Finnish NT Forward Tuukka Kotti (205-F-81, college: Providence) changes Italian city again. Kotti will play pro basketball next on Imola roster (Lega2). Kotti will then start his fifth season in Italy as he has played earlier on Ticino (Lega2) roster (2005-07), 2007-08 in SerieA (Rieti) and last season in Ferrara (Lega2). On Ferrara roster Kotti averaged 10,9 ppg and 6,9 rpg in 30 contests. Before returning back to Italy Kotti will try to help Finland NT, when qualifying vs Hungary and Portugal to make the way into European Championship Games in Lithuania 31.8.-18.9.2011.

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FRANCE

Kevin Seraphin to sign with Cholet? - by Alain Bernard
According to Catch-and-Shoot, Kevin Seraphin (205-F/C-89) might return soon to France and ink a deal with Cholet until the lockout ends. Seraphin has played with Washington Wizards last season averaging 2.7ppg and 2.7rpg in 57 games in NBA.
The Talented center confirmed that he will play in Europe during the NBA lockout and a comeback to France is more likely.
Seraphin is a product of Cholet youth system and played for the team in 2008-2009 season before being picked in the draft by the Bulls.

Spain cruise past France in Almeria - by Eurobasket News
Spain - France 77:53

Spain celebrated a comfortable win over France in the exhibition clash in Almeria. Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) scored 19 points to lead the hosts to the victory. Spain stunned Les Bleus in the first half and stayed in control afterwards.
Spain started the game strongly posting a 16:4 lead midway through the opening frame. They arrived at the first break up by 11 points 24:13. Spain increased the tempo in the second period. They established a comfortable 45:21 lead at the interval. The hosts kept the pressure in the third term. Les Bleus faced unassailable 22-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter. Spain did not allow the visitors to narrow the margin breezing to the victory at the end. Navarro and Serge Ibaka (208-C/F-89) knocked down 9 points each for Spain. Marc Gasol (212-C-85, agency: Interperformances) had 7 points in the victory. Tony Parker (183-PG-80) answered with 15 points for France. Ronny Turiaf (208-C/F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) netted 10 points in the losing case.

Spain: Pau Gasol 19, Serge Ibaka 9, Marc Gasol 7
France: Tony Parker 15, Ronny Turiaf 10, Mickael Gelabale (201-F-83) 9

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FYR MACEDONIA

Montenegro finishes fifth in Ljubljana - by Eurobasket News
Montenegro NT- F.Y.R. of Macedonia NT 67:57

Montenegro finishes fifth in Ljubljana at the Adecco Cup EX YU 2011. The team overcame F.Y.R. of Macedonia NT 67:57 in the last game for both teams.
Both teams lost the first two games at the tournament and fought for the initial victory. Lester McCalebb (183-G-85, college: New Orleans) gave F.Y.R. of Macedonia 20:19 at the end of the first period, while Darko Sokolov scored for 30:20. Montenegro created a 9-0 run and then Nikola Pekovic (210-C-86, agency: Beo Basket) made a free throw for 34:33 lead. Goran Jeretin (192-G-79, agency: Beo Basket) performed a 3 pointer for 50:37 in the start of the third period. Vojdan Stojanovski (194-G-87) closed the quarter at 58:45. F.Y.R. of Macedonia won the last period 12-9, but could reduce only the gap in the game.
Vladimir Dasic (207-F-88, agency: Beo Basket) stepped up with 17 points and Goran Jeretin netted 11. Milos Borisov (201-F-85) and Nikola Pekovic followed them with 10 points apiece. Pero Antic (210-F-82, agency: Interperformances) ended up with 17 points in the losing effort. Vojdan Stojanovski scored 12, whilst Lester McCalebb posted 9.

Montenegro NT: Vladimir Dasic 17, Goran Jeretin 11, Milos Borisov 10, Nikola Pekovic 10
F.Y.R. of Macedonia NT: Pero Antic 17, Vojdan Stojanovski 12, Lester McCalebb 9

Anadolu Efes lands Vlado Ilievski to 1+1 year deal - by Eurobasket News
Vlado Ilievski (189-PG-80, agency: World Sport Agency) is the latest addition of Anadolu Efes. The Macedonian point guard penned a 1+1 year deal with his new club. Anadolu Efes has option for the 2012/13 season. Ilievski spent last two years with Union Olimpija. He had 10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.1 apg and 1.7 spg for 15 Euroleague games last season. He also added 12.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg and 3.8 apg for 26 games in Adriatic league. In Slovenian championship Ilievski averaged 10.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.3 apg and 1.7 spg. He played for Union Olimpija also in 2008/09 and before that from 2001 to 2003. Meanwhile, Vlado Ilievski was a member of Barcelona, Lottomatica Roma, Montepaschi Siena and Tau Ceramica. Ilievski is also active member of the FYROM National Team. Two years ago in Poland he had 11.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.4 apg for five games. He will play for his country this summer in Lithuania.

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GERMANY

Ex Beko BBL Allstar 3 Point Shot Winner EJ Gallup Returns And Joins TBB Trier - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
According to www.basketportal.com, TBB Trier have scooped up a known face to the Beko BBL with E.J. Gallup (193-F-81, college: Co.Carolina). Gallup is a 29 year old 193cm forward from Gloversville New York. He is a a very positive player on the court, who plays with talent and personality. Has great offensive skills and knows how to do at the defensive side. He returns back to the big show overseas in the Beko BBl after not having played for three years. He played for Ratiopharm Ulm from 2006 -2008 showing he could play at the top German level and in his second season played 34 games: 12.2ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.3apg, 2FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 31.6%, FT: 87.3%. He started his basketball career at Bridgton Academy (Maine)/Gloversville, N.Y. He played at Albany (NCAA2)from 2000-2002. In his freshman season, he racked up remarable stats playing 28 games: ScoreConf-5 (17.4ppg), 3.4rpg, 1.6apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 42.5%, 3PT: 41.0%, FT: 68.2%. He then transfered to Co.Carolina (NCAA) where he played form 2002-2004 and in his senior year played 29 games: 17.2ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.8apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 43.4%, FT: 89.6%. In 2004-2005, he started his professional basketball career with the Demon Astronauts Amsterdam (Holland-Eredivisie), but never played and then played a short time with the Albany Patroons (CBA) before moving to Ratiopharm Ulm. His last team he played for was the Albany Legends (IBL). Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been Big South Conf. Tournament Semifinals -04, All-Big South Conf. 1st Team -04, and German Bundesliga All-Star Game -08 (3-Points Shootout winner).

Source: www.basketportal.com

Wuerzburg goes big with Mike Tisdale - by Moritz Korff
Mike Tisdale (215-C-89) has put pen to paper on a contract with BBL newcomer s.Oliver Baskets Wuerzburg, the club announced in a press release. The 21-year-old completed his four year NCAA career at the University of Illinois this year. Tisdale is a very movable inside player, a decent shot blocker and a solid outside shooter, who nailed 40% from three point territory as a senior. The Riverton, IL native averaged 10.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks per contest for Illinois during the 2010-11 season and made it to the NIT Elite Eight with the Fighting Illini. In 2009 Tisdale was selected to represent his country on the US Under21 National Team.

Dragons Rhoendorf bring in Brandon Walker - by Moritz Korff
The Dragons Rhoendorf (2. Bundesliga Pro B) have completed the signing of their second American import player for the 2011-12 season. Brandon Walker (190-G-89) out of Hayward, California will take his game to Germany. Walker graduated from the University of Alaska - Anchorage this spring, the same school that German basketball legend Hansi Gnad (208-F/C-63, college: Alaska-Anch.) attended from 1983 to 1987.
As a senior Walker was second on the Seawolf team in scoring (14.6ppg) and also grabbed 4.5 rebounds a contest. He buried 74 of his 175 shots from beyond the arc (42.3%) and finished 8th on the UAA career scoring list. Walker had started his NCAA career at D1 program Loyola Marymount in 2007, but transferred to Alaska for his sophomore year.

Ghebreigziabiher heads to Leipzig - Kranz and Spalke get contract extension - by Moritz Korff
His family name is an annoucers' nightmare, but Pro B side Uni Riesen Leipzig has high hopes, that Jonathan Ghebreigziabiher (174-G-91) will be known rather for his game than for his name. The 20-year-old guard will add quickness and finesse to Leipzig's 2011-12 squad. He makes the move from Braunschweig to Saxony, coming off a season in which he competed for in the Pro B as well as in the 2. Regionalliga. He saw action in 21 Pro B games and scored a total of 33 points, while dishing out 27 assists. He also played 15 games in the 2. Regionalliga and averaged 12.9 points per contest on Braunschweig's second team.
The Leipzig team also handed contract extensions to Kai-Uwe Kranz (189-G-79) and Andre Spalke (190-G-82).

Jonathan Ghebreigziabiher Moves To USC Leipzig - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
USC Leipzig announced the arrival of Jonathan Ghebreigziabiher (174-G-91) today. Ghebreigziabiher is a 20 year old 174cm guard. He started his basketball career in 2007 for Franken Hexer (2.Regionalliga). He played for the Franken Hex.2 (ProB) until 2009 playing atotal of 15 PRO B games. Last season, he played for Spot Up Medien Baskets Braunschweig (ProB): 21 games: 1.6ppg, 1.3apg, played also at SG Braunschweig 2 (2.Regionalliga). His best game last season in the PRO B wa son the last day as he poured in 12 points, three rebounds and three assists against Leitershofen in 28 minutes.

Source: USC Leipzig

Chris Reinhardt Gets Contract Extension With NBC - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
NBC secured the last missing piece for the roster for this season as the club announced that Chris Reinhardt (202-F-88) will play another season in Nurnberg. Reinhardt is a 23 year old 202cm forward that will play his fourth season in the PRO B. Last season the German played 18 games averaging 1.8ppg, 2.6rpg. 'He has been a part of the team for a long time.As a tweener, he is very flexible and fits well into my concept. I am looking for him to make his break through this season and he has the ability. He has to work very hard to achieve this', stated NBC head coach Derrick Taylor. Reinhardt started his basketball career in 2004 for Franken Hexer (2.Regionalliga). He has played a total of 45 PRO B games so far in his career. Awards/Achievements in his career have been German U18 National Team -05,and German 2.Bundesliga Pro B Semifinals -11

Source: NBC

Jurgen Malbeck Ends Professional Bundesliga Basketball Career - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Another German basketball dinosaur will hang up his basketball shoes as Jurgen Malbeck (215-C-74, college: Tyrone T.) has announced after 14 professional seasons that he will step down from the professional ranks and play in the Oberliga. Malbeck played his last professional season in 2010-2011 with SG Schwelmer Baskets (ProB): 15 games: 4.3ppg, 3.1rpg. 'Jogi had told me that he didnt want to play anymore and I have total sympathy for him. It is a shame that he decided to stop playing, because I would have liked to have kept him. I want to thank him for his model behaviour and his commitment', stressed Schwelmer Baskets head coach Raphael Wilder.

Malbeck started his basketball career with Lotus Munich (D2) where he played form 1992-1994. He then went overseas and played for Hawaii-Pacific (NCAA2) from 1994-1997. In his senior year, he averaged 18.3ppg, 7.0rpg, 3.0bpg. he then came to Germany and played for Bayer 04 Leverkusen from 1997-1999. He then gained additional basketball experience in Belgium playing for FLV Athlon Ieper from 1999-2001. He then returned to the TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen where he played from 2001-2003 including Saporta Cup. He then had a long stay with SOBA Dragons Rhoendorf (2.Bundesliga):where he played from 2003-2010 including 172 second Bundesliga games. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been German U16 National Team -91, German U18 National Team -94, German National Team -96-98, NAIA All-American -97, Korac Cup Semifinals -01
Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga All-Domestic Players Team -05, German 2.Bundesliga Pro B Champion -10, and German 2.Bundesliga Pro B (Group North) Regular Season Champion -11

Source: Schwelmer Baskets

The s. Oliver Baskets Reel In Big Man Mike Tisdale - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

The 2011-2012 is going to be another season where fans will see many NCAA players showing their basketball talent as rookies. BG Goettingen have added numerous NCAA players this season and s. Oliver Baskets head coach John Patrick is going the same route as he had done when he was back in Goettingen getting guys like Taylor Rochestie and Louis Dale that showed quickly what they were made of. The s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg have signed Mike Tisdale (215-C-89) for the upcoming season. Tisdale is a 21 year old 215cm center from Riverton, Illinois. He played four years at : Illinois (NCAA). In his senior season, he played 34 games: 10.0ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.3apg, 1.6bpg, FGP: 50.6%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 80.0%. 'There arent many players that have such a good shot from the distance at 215cm', stressed s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg head coach John Patrick Tisdale played atotal of 139 NCAA games amassing 1,243 points and 631 rebounds. His bests coring statistical season was his junior year as he played 36 games: 11.9ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.6bpg, FGP: 58.5%, 3PT: 83.3%, FT: 83.9%. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career so far have been Big Ten Tournament Finalist -08, NABC Division I All-District 7 Second Team -09, Big Ten Regular Season Runner-Up -09, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention -09, 10, Big Ten Tournament Semifinals -09, 10, USA U21 National Team -09, and NIT Elite Eight -10

Source: s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg

EWE Akademie Weser-Ems/OTB aims high for coming season, adding two more new players - by Moritz Korff
You won't get anywhere without experience might have been the motto Mladen Drijencic, head coach of the EWE Baskets Akademie Weser-Ems/Oldenburger TB, and youth-coordinator Ralph Held had on their minds, when they sat down to deliberate on their roster for the 2011-12 season. Their team is filled with plenty of talented athletes, but it takes more to play for a championship in the 1. Regionalliga North. Moving up to the Pro B has been defined as the ultimate goal of the season by the Oldenburg team.
To help the young guns succeed on the basketball court will have a top spot on the list of assignments that Drijencic and Held virtually will hand out to their newly signed pair of veterans: Chris Heinrich (208-C-77, college: St.Louis) and Erikas Kaupaitis (202-F/C-84, college: USC Upstate) have agreed to terms with the farmteam of BBL club EWE Baskets.

Heinrich is a 33-year-old inside player, going into his 11th season as a professional basketball player. Heinrich hails from Quakertown, Pennsylvania, and is a German passport holder. Throughout his career he played in Austria, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Germany. In this past season he captured the Pro A championship with the s.Oliver Wuerzburg Baskets, averaging 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest.

Kaupaitis is 27 years of age and comes off a season with Silute of his native Lithuania. Kaupaitis, a former Lithuanian junior international, had 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds a game in the second division NKL. He earlier spent two years in the Lithuanian first league and attended the University of South Carolina - Spartanburg until 2006. Heinrich and Kaupaitis are anticipated to join NCAA Divison 3 Player of the Year Michael Taylor (193-G-87, college: Whitworth) as team leaders in Oldenburg.

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GREECE

Aris brings back coach Vangelis Alexandris - by Eurobasket News
A familiar face is back to Aris BSA 2003 seven years after his departure, as the club announced the arrival of head coach Vangelis Alexandris, who will lead the team next season. Alexandris, age 60, played for Aris in the 1970s and led the team to win the 1978-79 Greek League before moving to PAOK and Iraklis. He returned as head coach in 2002 and led the club to win the 2003 FIBA Champions Cup - his second continental trophy after winning the 2001 Saporta Cup title with Maroussi. Alexandris has coached more first division teams than anyone else in the country - Gymnastic Club Larissa, Apollon Patras, Iraklis, Irakleio, Maroussi, PAOK, Aris, Olympia Larissa, AEK, Kolossos Rhodes and Kavala. 'I feel like coming back home with my family. We have to work hard and rebuild the team but I have no fear,' coach Alexandris said. 'Aris has a great tradition and the most dedicated fans ever, so this is a big motivation for all of us. My dream is to win a championship again with this team, but I know that it will be very difficult.'

Courtesy of www.eurocupbasketball.com

Ravern Johnson heads to Ikaros - by Eurobasket News
Ravern Johnson (200-G-88) will start his professional career in Greece. The 23-year-old guard has agreed on terms of contract with Ikaros. Ravern Johnson graduated from the Mississippi State University this year. He tallied 17.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his senior season. Ravern Johnson participated at Pre-NBA Draft Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. The guard notched 16.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per appearance there.

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HOLLAND

Prom.Divisie Standings

1. Akrides		0-0
2. Almonte		0-0
3. Amsterdam 2		0-0
4. Binnenland		0-0
5. Cangeroes		0-0
6. Dehoppers		0-0
7. Goba		0-0
8. Groene		0-0
9. Hoofddorp		0-0
10. Jugglers		0-0
11. Leiden 2		0-0
12. Punch		0-0
13. Red Giants		0-0
14. Rotterdam 2		0-0

Standings - Eredivisie

DBL Standings

1. Eiffel Towers		0-0
2. GasTerra		0-0
3. Giants		0-0
4. Landstede		0-0
5. Lasaulec Aris		0-0
6. Magixx		0-0
7. Rotterdam		0-0
8. Stepco BSW		0-0
9. ZZ Leiden		0-0

ZZ Leiden inks point guard Sean Cunningham - by Fred Roggen
Dutch Champion ZZ Leiden signed point guard Sean Cunningham (188-G-86, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Cal-Riverside) to a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday. Cunningham arrives from Tindastoll (Iceland), where he averaged 15.5 points, 4.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 17 Iceland-Express League games last season. Last season was Cunningham's first as a professional after four seasons at Cal Riverside. The Dutch-American averaged 6.2 points and 3.0 assists for the Highlanders as a senior.

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HUNGARY

Portugal edge Hungary in EuroBasket Additional Qualifying Round - by Eurobasket News
Portugal - Hungary 71:66

Portugal celebrated the first win at the 2011 EuroBasket Additional Qualifying Round. They held off Hungary in Coimbra tonight. Miguel Miranda (205-F-78) scored 18 points to pace the winners. Hungary will now host Finland on August 12. Portugal will visit Finland on August 15. These three teams are fighting for two available spots at 2011 EuroBasket.
Portugal opened the game with seven points in a row. They posted a 10:2 lead midway through the opening quarter. But Hungary erased the deficit and recorded a 21:19 lead after ten minutes. The visitors went on a 7:0 run at the start of the second term to boost the lead. Carlos Andrade (197-F-78, college: Queens, NC) hit a three-pointer to trigger a 12:3 run from the hosts late in the half as Portugal drew things level at 31. The lead changed hands throughout the third term before the hosts went on a 12:0 rally to take a 54:43 lead. Tavares and Miguel Miranda opened a double-digit lead for Portugal in the fourth quarter 61:51. Hungary sparked the intrigue when Peter Lorant (207-F/C-85, agency: Laszlo Vinko Group) pulled the visitors within three points with 33 seconds to go. Adam Hanga had a chance to level things up but missed a triple and Miguel Miranda sealed the victory for Hungary. Carlos Andrade knocked down 11 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, while Filipe Da Silva (185-F-86) and Joao Santos (205-C-79, college: Nevada) added 10 points each in the win. Peter Lorant answered with 16 points for Hungary. Adam Hanga and Obie Trotter (186-G-84, agency: Court Side, college: Alabama A&M) netted 11 points each in the loss.

Portugal: Miguel Miranda 18, Carlos Andrade 11, Filipe Da Silva 10, Joao Santos 10
Hungary: Peter Lorant 16, Adam Hanga 11, Obie Trotter 11

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IRAN

William Jones Cup. Iran hand UAE fourth straight defeat - by Eurobasket News
Iran - UAE 84:55

Iran celebrated the second win at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. They overcame UAE to improve at 2-2 record. Asghar Kardoust (212-C-86) stepped up with 23 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. UAE fell at 0-4 record after the loss.
Iran surged ahead in the opening quarter. They posted an 11-point lead at the first break. UAE however stopped the bleeding in the second term. They outscored Iran to narrow the deficit at 7-point mark 32:39. Iran went off the dressing room recharged as they thumped UAE for a 58:42 lead at the end of the third quarter. UAE never recovered afterwards as Iran coasted to the victory at the end. Oshin Sahakian (201-F-86, agency: Agency No 10) and Saman Veisi (189-G-82) delivered 13 points eacv for the winners. Ibrahim Ahmad (175-G-79) answered with 14 points for UAE. Khalifa Salem (175-G-91) netted 9 points in the loss.

Iran: Asghar Kardoust 23, Oshin Sahakian 13, Saman Veisi 13
UAE: Ibrahim Ahmad 14, Khalifa Salem 9

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IRELAND

UL Eagles confirm Mark Keenan - by Eurobasket News
UL Eagles have confirmed Mark Keenan will take over the team in the next season. The 44-year-old specialist has been working with Dart Killester since 2006. He led them to the Superleague crown last season. However Mark Keenan left the team just weeks ago and moved on the bridge in UL Eagles. Mark Keenan was named Eurobasket.com All-Irish Superleague Coach of the Year in 2007, 2010 and 2011. He worked as coach assistant with Irish National team in 2008/09. Mark Keenan will replace Mark Bernsen in UL Eagles.
UL Eagles also signed contract with Jason Killeen. The 26-year-old centre started the previous season in Malaysia. He played just one game for the KL Dragons before moving back to Europe. Jason Killeen inked a deal with the Cheshire Jets. The centre however left after just one game in BBL.

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ISRAEL

Defensive stopper Darrel Harris to help-out Ashkelon - by David Pick
Posted: August 9, 2011, 21:03

After regrouping for a second time in Israel with big man Marco Killinsgworth, Head Coach Erik Alfasi and Elitzur Ashkelon add more size in the paint by acquiring 6'10, Darrell Harris,from Rhode Island University.

Harris graduated from college in 2006 posting misleading numbers of 6.6ppg and 3.7rpg, which surprisingly got him many European jobs. After bouncing around in Germany, Portugal, Spain's Division Two, Uruguay and Korea, the defensive specialist landed in Poland and joined SKK Kotwica Kolobrzeg, where he has been playing for the past two seasons.
Harris now lands in Israel with honorable statistics proving his defensive abilities as he finished back-to-back seasons in Poland leading the league in rebounds (11.4 per game), and blocked shots (2 per game).

Last season he averaged 14.0ppg, 11.4rpg and 2.1apg including 2.0bpg, earning the 2011 Eurobasket.com All-Polish League Defensive Player of the Year award, All-Polish League Honorable Mention award and being nominated to the Polish League All-Defensive Team.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

David Blu's key to success - dedication and heart - by David Pick
Posted: August 9, 2011: 21:34 PM

With a little under three weeks to go before the 2011 EuroBakset tournament kickoff in Lithuania, and the eyes of thousands Israeli fans glued to their screens, Israel's NT will battle favorites France, Germany, Italy, Serbia and Latvia for one of the final tickets to the London 2012 Olympics.

Before heading out to its second exhibition tournament in Holland against the local national squad, NCAA's University of Villanova and the Georgian NT, Israel's head coach Arik Shivek enjoys the presence of four key players who missed the Cyprus warm-up games in the likes of team captain Tal Burstein, Yotam Halperin, Star NBA forward Omri Casspi and of course the talented and super important piece to its puzzle David Blu.

In an interview that was issued by the Israeli basketball association's media department, Blu commented on how it feels to join his national teammates. 'I waited a long time to wear a different colored uniform other then the costumed Maccabi yellow. It's only temporary and a bit weird but I'm happy and comfortable with the Israeli white-and-blue.'

When asked what is the key to Israel's success in the upcoming campaign the former USC graduate said 'most importantly is that Coach Shivek decided to bring back all the guys who were on the roster last summer. Being connected in the locker room the way we are and knowing how to play with each other is a huge advantage on our part. The modern basketball game is built by teamwork and that in my opinion is the key to our success.'

In regards to the lack of height and size under the rims in relation to other deep NT's such as France and Italy Blu added, 'Our advantage? We are a small country who unfortunately lacks height, yet we make up for it with the size of our hearts. All Israeli players are talented guys who play with a great level of intensity, dedication and heart, and I have no doubt that if we bring those things to Lithuania along with giving 110% every game we will win.'

Recently, reports in Israel said Blu was not interested in joining the NT this summer due to personal issues. The outstanding shooting forward and important defensive stopper expressed his feeling about the rumors and added a concrete statement of his current expectation. 'Despite my summer being a little shorter, it is an honor for me representing the Israeli nation, as it should be for any player. When I got on the plane to come to Israel, I knew I wasn't coming for vacation or to waste my time. I'm a 'winner' and always will be. My mind never stops thinking about winning, so despite whatever NBA players we'll face, my mission is to lead Israel to the 2012 Olympics.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

Carlos Powell and Maccabi Haifa - Official - by David Pick
Posted: August 9, 2011, 23:21 AM

As initially posted by 'Eurobasket's two weeks ago regarding the financial agreement reached between Maccabi Haifa and American forward Carlos Powell for the upcoming season, the talented scoring machine tweeted minutes ago 'just signed my official contract this season to play in Israel (Maccabi Haifa)....GOD IS GREAAAAAATT #Blessed,' making things official. Powell continued tweeting and expressing his excitement 'I'm mostly excited b/c my mom gets to come see me play for the first time in 5yrs.'

A good defender and rebounder is what stands out when thinking of Powell defensively. On the other end of the court, a strong and athletic ball-handler who feeds off energy are qualities Powell possesses and any team would like to pick up. In almost each of his European career stops, Powell recorded averages of at least 20 points per game.

Powell already has some understanding of the Israeli league after playing college ball alongside former Maccabi T.A. standout forward Chuck Eidson. Being the second oldest of six children in his family, Powell graduated from high school with impressive double-double averages of 20.0 points and 11.0 rebounds, and chose to play NCAA ball at the University of South Carolina, where he finished his senior year recording numbers of 16.4ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.6apg and 1.3spg. The 27-year-old South Carolina native was remarkable his last year in college receiving the 2005 NIT Most Valuable Player Award.

Throughout his USC career, Powell scored over 1500 points (1541) and grabbed over 600 rebounds (641). He also holds the school record for most games played with 132. After college, Powell played professionally for SL Benfica in Portugal and was named ALL-League 1st Team, finishing fourth in scoring, averaging almost 20 point per game.

After playing in Australian, Powell failed to secure a contract with the Golden State Warriors and signed with Ukrainian Mariupol. In 2009, the former Gamecock was selected 1st in the D-League draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and posted 22.1ppg, 5.0rpg and 5.0apg, before leaving to China for the Liaoning Panpan Hunters. In the CBA, Powell played seven games and recorded 20.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Last season Powell played in Iran, where he led Zob Ahan to second place finishing with a 19-3 record and posting averages of 24 points (40% from three point range), 6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

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ITALY

Enel Brindisi signs Jimmie Hunter - by Eurobasket News
Jimmie Hunter (196-G-77, college: Life) is a new member of Enel Brindisi. The veteran guard signed a deal for the next season. He spent the last one with Sunrise Scafati Basket. For 32 games in LegaDue Hunter averaged 15.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals. Eurobasket awarded him with All-Italian Lega2 Honorable Mention -11. From 2008 until the last summer Jimmie Hunter played for Granada. In their first season together he had 14.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 2 apg for 31 games in ACB. In 2009/10, Hunter added 12.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 1.9 apg in 34 games. Before Granada, he spent one season with Murcia. Jimmie Hunter also has experience from Gran Canaria, Alicante, Sentjur and Rieti.

Effe Biancoblu brings in Andrea Pecile and Brett Blizzard - by Eurobasket News
Effe Biancoblu Bologna announced signing of Andrea Pecile (187-G-80, agency: World Sport Agency) and Brett Blizzard (191-G-80, college: NC-Wilmington) for the next season.
Andrea Pecile heads to his new club from Fileni BPA Jesi, where he spent 2010/11. He played 23 games for them in LegaDue averaging 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals. For his performance Pecile was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 Honorable Mention -11. Before Jesi, he spent one year with Edilizia Moderna Rimini. There Pecile had 8.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 2.1 apg for 17 games in LegaDue. In the past, the Italian PG played for Breogan, Cajasol, Granada, Air Avelino, Montepaschi Siena and Scavolini. He also played for the Italian NT from 2000 to 2006.
Brett Blizzard started last season with Canadian Solar Bologna, but they parted ways before the any official game. He was their member since 2006. In the past, Blizzard was a member of Reggio Emilia, Jesi and Cantu.

Assi Basket Ostuni lands DiLiegro and Carenza - by Giulio Signorini
Assi Basket Ostuni announces the signing for the upcoming legadue season of rookie Dane Diliegro (205-C-88) and of Giovanni Carenza (202-F-88, college: St.Anselm).
DiLiegro is a center who has double passport (USA and Italian) who will occupies passport spot in Ostuni team. The player has spent almost all his college career with New Hampshire Wildcats and he has averaged as a senior in 28 mpg 8.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg. The player his almost known for the grit and stamina that he put on the ground.
Carenza otherwise is a forward who has spent the last year in Italian A dilettanti with Perugia and averaged 8 ppg and 3.2 rpg. Carenza has studied in america and has played in St. Anselm Unversity (NCAA2), from the return in Italy his stats has increased continuosly.

Virtus Roma extends for another season Tonolli's contract - by Giulio Signorini
Virtus Roma extends for another season Alessandro Tonolli (202-F-74) contract. The power forward spends all his career from 1994 to nowadays with Roma. Tonolli is a power forward great in defense and rebounds. He has moreover developed throught the years a good mid range shot and also a decent 3 point shot. His grit and costant application make him the ideal captain for Roma. During the years he made part of the italian national team from 1996 to 2004, with the national team he won silver medal at mediterranean games of 1997. In the last year he has played only 10 minutes during the italian serie a championship.

David Cournooh signs with Aget Imola - by Giulio Signorini
Aget Imola announces the signing for the upcoming legadue season of David Cournooh (190-G-90).
The player born in Verona on July 18, 1990 arrives on loan from Mens Sana Siena. David is a Shooting guard who could play also as point guard. He won with Siena under 18 and 19 national championship. As a pro in the last two years he has played in legadue in the first year with Casale Monferrato and in the last season with Ferrara.
Throught the year his stats are always improved, in the last year in 24.2 mpg he has averaged 9.2 ppg with a 3FPG of 36.6. He was also a member of Italian Under 20 and Under 18 national team.

Montepaschi Siena locks Ksistof Lavrinovic until 2014 - by Eurobasket News
Montepaschi Siena announced signing of a three-year contract extension with Ksistof Lavrinovic (210-C-79). It means that the Lithuanian big guy will stay with the club until the end of 2013/14 season. Lavrinovic joined Montepaschi in 2007 from Unics Kazan. He played 21 games in Euroleague last season collecting 11.8 ppg, 5 rpg and 1.2 apg. Lavrinovic also added 14.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 1.8 spg in Italy. With Montepaschi, Ksistof Lavrinovic won four SerieA titles. They also celebrated three times in Italian Cup. In 2008, Lavrinovic was named Eurobasket.com All-Italian SerieA Player of the Year. Before Montepaschi, he played for Unics, Dynamo Moscow and Ural Great Perm. Lavrinovic also played for Alita Alytus as a youngster. He is active member of the Lithuanian National Team since 2003.

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JAMAICA

Oritseweyinmi Efejuku heads to Italy - by Eurobasket News
Oritseweyinmi Efejuku (196-G-86, college: Providence) will continue his career in Italy. The former Jamaican National Team member signed a one-year deal with Pepsi Caserta. Efejuku heads to his new club from Latvian Ventspils, where he finished last season. He joined them in January averaging 12 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists for 26 games in LBL. Efejuku also added 15.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3.9 apg for 7 games in EuroChallenge. His stats in Baltic league read 12.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 1.8 apg. Oritseweyinmi Efejuku started last season with CEZ Basketball Nymburk, but left them after few games. Than he joined Ferro-ZNTU Zaporozhye and was one of their best players with 15.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 2.3 apg for 12 games. Finally in January he moved to Ventspils. Oritseweyinmi Efejuku won the Latvian league title with Barons in 2009/10. He exploded with 18.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg and 1.6 spg for 31 games. In 2009, Efejuku played for the National Team of Jamaica at the CBC Championships in Tortilla. He led them to Gold medal with 20 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 1.4 apg in five games.

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JAPAN

Kyoto Hannaryz land Lance Allred - by Eurobasket News
Kyoto Hannaryz strengthened their frontcourt. They brought in Lance Allred (211-C-81, agency: SportsTalent, college: Weber St.). The 30-year-old centre started the previous season in Greece. He tallied 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for Marousi. In November Lance Allred moved to the Utah Flash. Lance Allred posted 7.1 points, 7.0 boards and 1.0 assist per game in D-League. Later the centre posted 1.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for Troramundos de Carabobo in Venezuela. Finally Lance Allred appeared in the Otago Nuggets in New Zealand. His stats read 15.8 points, 10.1 boards, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 assists per game in NBL. The centre earned Australiabasket.com All-New Zealand NBL Honourable Mention. Lance Allred is known to be the first deaf player to play in the NBA.

Hokkaido resurrects itself as "Levanga Hokkaido" - by John Scribe
The Hokkaido Basketball Club and the JBL recently announced the franchise's new name and team color.

The new name for the team will be 'LEVANGA HOKKAIDO'. Levanga means 'ganbare', or to 'give your best' in Hokkaido dialect.
The team formerly known as Rera Kamuy joined Japan's top league four seasons ago to great fan fare, but recently struggled financially.
Lack of fan support because of the team's putrid record and a poorly planned budget has been some of the many reasons attributed to the
northern team's downfall in recent seasons.

The last time the JBL had a team fold was in 2005, when the now-defunct Fukuoka Red Falcons called it quits on its season right after the All-Japan Emperor's Cup Tournament.

Long time shooting star Takehiko Orimo will now move into the CEO position and try to guide the reborn Levanga to success.

Hokkaido resurrects itself as - by John Scribe
The Hokkaido Basketball Club and the JBL recently announced the franchise's new name and team color.

The new name for the team will be 'LEVANGA HOKKAIDO'. Levanga means 'ganbare', or to 'give your best' in Hokkaido dialect.
The team formerly known as Rera Kamuy joined Japan's top league four seasons ago to great fan fare, but recently struggled financially.
Lack of fan support because of the team's putrid record and a poorly planned budget has been some of the many reasons attributed to the
northern team's downfall in recent seasons.

The last time the JBL had a team fold was in 2005, when the now-defunct Fukuoka Red Falcons called it quits on its season right after the All-Japan Emperor's Cup Tournament.

Long time shooting star Takehiko Orimo will now move into the CEO position and try to guide the reborn Levanga to success.

William Jones Cup. South Korea squeeze past Japan - by Eurobasket News
South Korea - Japan 69:67

South Korea registered the fourth straight win at the William Jones Cup. They nipped Japan to stay undefeated. Oh Sek-Eun (201-C-87) stepped up with 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the winners. Japan fell at 1-3 record after the loss
South Korea arrived at the first break up by a single point 17:16. They ran away in the second term. South Korea posted a 42:34 halftime advantage. The Korean team maintained the lead throughout the third term. They entered the final quarter up by 11 points. Japan however showed character in the fourth frame. They erased the deficit and were close to the victory in the final seconds. But South Korea managed to eke out a narrow success at the end. Yang Dong-Geun (182-G-81) and Kim Joo-Sung (205-F/C-79) delivered 14 points each in the win. Keijuro Matsui (188-G-85, college: Columbia) responded with 12 points and 6 boards for Japan. Takeki Shonaka (180-G-84) knocked down 11 points in defeat.

South Korea: Oh Sek-Eun 22+14 boards, Yang Dong-Geun 14, Kim Joo-Sung 14
Japan: Keijuro Matsui 12, Takeki Shonaka 11

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JORDAN

William Jones Cup. Jordan suffer first defeat in Taiwan - by Eurobasket News
Taiwan - Jordan 77:75

Jordan suffered the first defeat at the William Jones Cup. They surrendered against hosting Taiwan on Day 4 of the tournament. Wen-Ting Tseng (202-C/F-84) stepped up with 18 points to lead the charge. Taiwan now caught up with Jordan at 3-1 record in the ladder.
Taiwan dominated in the starting frame. They posted a 17:12 lead at the break. Jordan however improved offensively in the second term. The visitors scored 22 points to draw things level at 34. Jordan maintained the pressure and eventually pulled ahead in the third term. They secured a 59:54 lead with ten minutes remaining. But Taiwan turned things around in the fourth frame. They knocked down 23 points and snatched a narrow victory at the end. Chen Hsin-An (196-G/F-80) nailed 16 points, while Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) accounted for 14 points in the winning effort. Abbas Zaid (203-F-83) answered with 21 points and 11 rebounds for Jordan. Rasheim Wright (194-G-81, college: District of Col.) netted 19 points in the loss.

Taiwan: Wen-Ting Tseng 18, Chen Hsin-An 16, Tsung-Hsien Chang 14
Jordan: Abbas Zaid 21+11 boards, Rasheim Wright 19

Palma dreaming of EuroBasket second round - by Maarouf Mawloud
When Mario Palma took over as head coach of the Portuguese National team three months ago his first mission was a given: to qualify his native country for EuroBasket.

On Tuesday, Portugal begin a home and away mini round-robin with Hungary and Finland, with the top two booking belated tickets to Lithuania.

With Palma at the helm, one thing Portugal do not lack is experience. The 61-year-old, who has coached at FIBA World Championships and Olympic Games with Jordan and Angola, is yet to taste defeat with Portugal.

Following narrow back to back victories over Switzerland the latest of his teams nine preparation games fiba.com caught up with Palma to discuss their do-or-die qualifiers and his would be EuroBasket ambitions.

FIBA: How do you see your chances of progressing from the additional qualifying round to make it to EuroBasket in Lithuania next month?

Mario Palma: It is going to be difficult but we have our chance because we have played nine games and we have won all nine games in our preparation, against some strong teams like Iran.

Of course it isnt going to be easy, but we have a chance and believe we can qualify for EuroBasket. I have confidence in my players and clearly we can do it.

FIBA: You have just come off back to back narrow wins over Switzerland. How do you believe this team compares to Hungary and Finland?

Palma: I think that the two teams are better than this [Switzerland], but you know they have Thabo Sefalosha from Oklahoma in the NBA, who is a great player and they have some good players playing in France.

Switzerland is starting to have a good team and they really surprised me, because they are a very good defensive team, they are really organised and I can certainly see them improving in the future.

These games were very hard for us good preparation they really really fought with us and both games went to the very end.

FIBA: Although you only recently took over as Portugal coach, you are already entering a vital period for your team. What what is the state of your squad ahead of these key games?

Palma: Well we have lost a lot of players through injury, so we have big problems. We also have players returning from injury, who have had four-five weeks without practice, so they have only had one weeks practice like for example Carlos Andrade.

We know that Finland and Hungary are adding players and recovering some veteran players who are good. It makes it very difficult for us. But I believe in my team, and believe we can qualify.

FIBA: If, as you expect, you do qualify for EuroBasket, what will Portugals ambitions be in Lithuania?

Palma: First of all we need to try to qualify in first place as we need to avoid the group with Spain and Turkey [group A]. The other group is also difficult, but not as strong. So if we qualify in first I believe we can fight to qualify for the second round.

I really believe in that and this will be our main objective.

But it wouldnt be easy, as we lack experience in the European Cup [EuroBasket]. Portuguese basketball has some problems right now, but I am fighting hard because if the National Team has a good Championship we will improve basketball in Portugal.

So it is very important for us, all the players know that and everyone is fighting on the same side. Lets see what can happen, you never know

FIBA

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KENYA

Mombasa Poly Beat Mariakani Anglican Church - by Eurobasket News
Mombasa Polytechnic University College (MPUC) beat Kilifi County's Mariakani Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) 60-52 over the weekend at the Mombasa Baptist High School courts.

In another match, Makupa Lakers beat Oceaners 66-33 during the ongoing coast basketball league. The event organised by the Coast Basketball Association (CBA) resumed over the weekend after two weeks break to pave way for Tanga regional tournament and Coca Cola's Sprite Slam.

Kisauni Kings humiliated Gorofani 39-66 while Kiembeni Heats trounced Changamwe Rollers 84-33 to advance in the league that comes to an end next month. In the women's category, Pwani Hoopers shook off stiff competition from MPUC, beating them 26-23 in the battle.
Courtesy of: Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

KCB Lions Lose to Blazers in Low Scoring - by Eurobasket News
Former national champions KCB Lions fell to Blazers 38-40 in a low scoring premier league clash at the World Hope Centre. Both teams tied 7-7 in the first quarter before Lions took the second 13-4.

But Blazers, who are struggling at the base of the table, stunned them 13-11 in the third and 16-7 in the last to pull a major upset. In other matches, national champions Co-operative Bank of Kenya thrashed Kenya College of Accountancy (KCA) University 63-35 to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Courtesy of: Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Mombasa Poly Take On Mariakani Church - by Eurobasket News
Mombasa Polytechnic University College (MPUC) take on Kilifi's Mariakani Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in an epic battle in the ongoing Coast Basketball League. The league resumes this weekend after being suspended to allow the teams participate in a Tanga regional tournament two weeks ago. Several teams are expected at the Mombasa Baptist High School for the tourney, according to the organisers, Coast Basketball Association.

The Tanga event was followed by Coca Cola's Sprite Slam tournament at the Mombasa Baptist High ground, prompting another postponement of coast league. Makupa Lakers face Oceaners, Gorofani take on Kisauni Kings, Kiembeni battles out Rollers as hosts Mombasa Baptist square it out with Coastal Kings. Pwani Oilers ladies will battle it out with MPUC in their own category before Wazee face Jua Kali Valley in the last match of the day.
Courtesy of: Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

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KUWAIT

Jordanco with Al Jahraa - by Ali Ahmed
Jordanco Davitkov (agency: Global Sports Plaza ) is going to coach in Kuwait. He is hired by team Al Jahraa for 2011-2012. Jordanco Davitkov (agency: Global Sports Plaza ) worked last season in with al Qadsia.

Awards/Achievements:
Macedonian Cup Winner -01, 05
Macedonian League Semifinals -01, 04
Head Coach: Macedonian National Team -01, 05
Macedonian Cup Finalist -04
Macedonian League Regular Season Runner-Up -05, 07
Macedonian League Champion -05
Macedonian League Regular Season Champion -06
Head Coach: Macedonian National Team -06-07
Macedonian Cup Semifinals -07
Kuwait League Regular Season Champion -09
Kuwait League Champion -09, 10
Golden 4 Finalist -09
Kuwait Federation Cup Winner -10.

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LATVIA

Ventspils add Jahmar Young - by Eurobasket News
Ventspils bolstered their backcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Jahmar Young (196-G-86, college: N.Mexico St.). The guard started the previous season in Crvena Zvezda. He tallied 12.6 points, 3.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game in Adriatic League. Jahmar Young moved to Belgium in March. The guard joined Spirou Charleroi. His stats read 9.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in Belgian League. He won the title with Spirou Charleroi. It was the first pro season for Jahmar Young. The guard graduated from New Mexico State University in 2010. He tallied 20.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per appearance in his senior season.

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LEBANON

Thomas Coleman with the Lebanese National Team - by Asia-Basket Lebanon
The Lebanese Basketball Federation is planning to sign a Rookie Player out of college from North Carolina A& T ,Thomas Coleman (205-F/C-88) . Coleman a 6'9 Power Forward/Center averaged good numbers in the NCAA last season 17ppg and 10rpg.
On the other side the Lebanese National Team is supposed to travel to Turkey for a training camp , due to sources the camp is not ready yet due that the team is waiting for the nationalized player to join.
Lebanon whos in Group A in the FIBA Asia Championship will face big battles in the Championship starting in the first round against Korea who gave the Nationality to Gerod Stevenson and the team is showing the best level of Basketball since 1999.
In round 2 Lebanon should face Iran the 2 times Asian Champions, the Iranian stars are all focused to try to defend their title. Qatar the power team will have all his players ready for the Championship as well as Chinese Taipei who Lebanon never faced in a official competition and the games were always full of excitement and intensity.
Lebanon will miss as it looks like Fadi Khatib , Ali Mahmoud , Daniel Faris, the players will not join the National Team due that they need to rest after long season and some injuries.

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MALAYSIA

William Jones Cup. Philippines too good for Malaysia - by Eurobasket News
Philippines - Malaysia 86:68

Philippines recorded the third win at the William Jones Cup. They outgunned Malaysia in New Taipei City tonight. Marnel Baracael (193-F/G-85) and Christopher Tiu (178-PG-85) scored 14 points each to lead the effort.
Philippines earned a 16:13 lead ten minutes into the game. Malaysia stayed close throughout the second stanza. Philippines arrived at halftime up by the same three points 37:34. But the third term proved decisive. Philippines shifted the gear and outscored their opponents 27:11 for a comfortable 19-point advantage with one quarter remaining. Malaysia tried to bounce back in the fourth term as they knocked down 23 points but it was far from enough to threaten the margin. Japeth Aguilar (208-C-85, college: W.Kentucky) and Marcio Lassiter (188-G-87, college: Cal.St. Fullerton) delivered 13 points each in the victory. Li Wei Chee (186-F-85) responded with 15 points for Malaysia. Yeo Seng John Ng (190-F-81) netted 9 points in the loss.

Philippines: Marnel Baracael 14, Christopher Tiu 14, Japeth Aguilar 13, Marcio Lassiter 13
Malaysia: Li Wei Chee 15, Yeo Seng John Ng 9

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MEXICO

CIBANE FINALS - by Harold Valenzuela
Today the CIBANE finals starts, the end of the season is underway with the match between Mineros de Fresnillo and Madereros de Durango, this is a copy of last year finals but its a little different because this season Madereros de Durango finish in first place and have home court advantaje.
This series will be at the best of 7 games, the team who won 4 games will be this year champion. It will be a rematch of last year finals but with with Madereros de Durango the home court advantage.
The players to follow are for Madereros de Durango Sandrell Spann (203-F/C-80, college: Delta St.) the best center of the league this season who can take advantage of his size against a small team in the backcourt for mineros, Erick Hare (196-G/F-79, college: Albertson) will be very important in this finals, he will put his experience in the court and his tough defense and long 3s, Victor Chavez (198-G/F-83) the sharpshooter who can win games by himself

and Santiago Nogueira (183-G-83) the Jackie Moon of the league and one of the best point guards in the league, he is the brain of the team and if Madereros de Durango win the championship they depend a lot on him.
Mineros de Fresnillo have in their roster the most spectacular player in the league in the name of Tyronne Beale (203-F-84, college: Bowie St.), he is a true showman and he is the leading scorer in this league with 33.3 ppg, he is very athletic he runs the floor very good and is a great finisher with his leaping ability, Valentin Cabral (187-G-80) is another sharpshooter who is very important for Mineros de Fresnillo, but the one who is the hearth of the team is Sergio Escobar (195-F-81), he is all heart and a lot of skills, Sergio Escobar represent Mexico in 3 world university games in his college years, he is one of the best Mexican player, but si underrated in Mexico, the point guard is Pablo Gonzalez (185-PG-84) who is with Santiago the best point guard this season.
The games will be like this:
Game 1 Durango
Game 2Durango
Game 3Fresnillo
Game 4Fresnillo
Game 5*Fresnillo
Game 6*Durango
Game 7*Durango

*if necessary

The games will start at 8:30 pm

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

MONTENEGRO

NBA

Pistons' Ben Gordon won't play for Britain National Team over insurance - by Eurobasket News
Detroit Pistons' guard Ben Gordon (6'2''-G-83, college: Connecticut) won't play for Britain in this years EuroBasket finals in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics because he couldn't reach an agreement on insurance with the national team.

Their failure to achieve a deal followed complications linked to the current National Basketball Association lockout, British Basketball said in an e-mailed statement.

An insurance arrangement between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation, the sports world governing body known as FIBA, doesnt cover lockout periods, said Chris Spice, performance director for British Basketball. Under that agreement, the national team had to pay 40 percent of insurance fees for NBA players, he said.

We have done our best to provide a cover that is close to what we would have had in a normal season, but in the end things didnt work out from a financial or scope-of-cover perspective, Spice said today in the statement. The team is still hoping to make an arrangement with Gordon in time for next years Olympics, according to the statement.

Britain got insurance last week for the EuroBasket games with 26-year-old Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng.

You dont get much change from 100,000 pounds ($164,000), Spice said yesterday of Dengs arrangement, following a warm-up game in Cobham, outside London, where Britain beat the Netherlands 96-70. British Basketball didnt have an estimate of what it would cost to insure Gordon.

EuroBasket finals start Aug. 31 in Lithuania, and include 24 teams. The event is held every two years, and this months is the 37th held by FIBA Europe. The top two nations are guaranteed Olympic spots. Britain qualified for the Olympics as host through a March FIBA vote.

Gordon, a 28-year-old London native, was named the NBAs Sixth Man of the Year, denoting the best substitute player, as a rookie with the Bulls. He hasnt played internationally for Britain.

NBA owners locked out players on July 1 after their labor contract expired, in a dispute over how to split money from a league that generated about $4.3 billion revenue last season.

Courtesy of www.bloomberg.com

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NCAA1

Rotnei Clarke set to transfer to Butler - by Rick Ross
Curtesy os sportsillustrated.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Rotnei Clarke (6'0''-G-89), one of the nation's
best shooting guards, will transfer from Arkansas to Butler.

His father confirmed the decision in a
text message Monday night. CBSsports.com first reported the move.

It's a major recruiting win for the Bulldogs,
who have lost the national championship game
each of the past two seasons.

Clarke averaged 15.2 points for Arkansas
last season and shot well from 3-point range.

He chose Butler over Oklahoma.

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NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand defeat Angola, seal birth in title game - by Eurobasket News
New Zealand - Angola 73:70

New Zealand will play in the championship game of Boris Stankovic Cup in China. Tall Blacks rallied past Angola for the second straight win in Guangzhou. Kirk Penney (196-G-80, college: Wisconsin) scored 17 points to pace the winners. New Zealand will now take on Russia in the title game.
New Zealand and Angola stayed close throughout the first half. They were tied at 22 after ten minutes. The complexion of the game did not change in the second term as the teams arrived at halftime tied at 34. Angola pulled in front in the third quarter. They earned a 6-point lead with one quarter remaining. But the Kiwis rebounded in the dying minutes. They erased the deficit and eked out a narrow victory at the end. Thomas Abercrombie (198-G/F-87, agency: Priority Sports, college: Washington St.) nailed 14 points, while Lindsay Tait (194-G-82, agency: Impact Basketball) delivered 9 points for the winners. Carlos Morais (190-G-85) responded with 22 points for Angola. Felizardo Ambrosio (201-F-87) and Kikas Gomes (200-C/F-80, college: Valparaiso) accounted for 13 points each in the loss.

New Zealand: Kirk Penney 17, Thomas Abercrombie 14, Lindsay Tait 9
Angola: Carlos Morais 22, Felizardo Ambrosio 13, Kikas Gomes 13

New Zealand wins Gold in the second phase of Stankovic Cup - by Eurobasket News
Russia University Team- New Zealand 77:80

New Zealand wins Gold in the second phase of Stankovic Cup as they handed Russia the first loss in the Final. New Zealand had a strong second period and grabbed 80:77 win.
Russia won over New Zeland in the Stage Round and started with 18:17. The second quarter however belonged to the opponents that erupted with 28-18. Russia did their best to catch up with the opponents but could not win the game. Russia won the third period 19-16 and reduced to 6 points entering the last period. Moreover Russia won the last stanza 22-19, but lost by three points.
Kirk Penney (196-G-80, college: Wisconsin) erupted with 30 points to lead all the winners. Mika Vukona (197-F-82) netted 16, while Thomas Abercrombie (198-G/F-87, agency: Priority Sports, college: Washington St.) scored 15. Dmitry Golovin (192-G-88) ended up with 16 points in the losing effort, whilst Anatoly Kashirov (215-C-87), Petr Gubanov (207-C-87) and Andrey Mateyunas (180-G-88) nailed 13 apiece.

Russia University Team: Dmitry Golovin 16, Anatoly Kashirov 13, Petr Gubanov 13, Andrey Mateyunas 13
New Zealand: Kirk Penney 30, Mika Vukona 16, Thomas Abercrombie 15

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NIGERIA

Nigeria nailed 21 points in each quarter to edge the Dutch team - by Eurobasket News
Nigeria NT-Netherlands NT 84:66

Nigerian National team overcame Netherlands in London. The African representatives grabbed the lead from the very beginning and finished with 84:66 win. Tonight that will face United Kingdom for the top place.
Nigeria took the lead in the start of the opening period and never trailed in the game. They took 21:10 after the first 10 minutes and scored the same number of points in all the other quarters. The second quarter saw 21-14 as the board showed 42:24 at the halftime. Nigeria added 21-19 in the third quarter, while the European team won the last stanza 23-21.
Derrick Obasohan (199-F-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Texas Arlington) top-scored for the winners with 30 points and Ime Udoka (196-F/G-77, agency: Priority Sports, college: Portland St.) added 18. Oyedeji Olumide (208-C/F-81) ended up with 13 points, while Jayson Obazuaye (188-G-84, college: Colorado) scored 8. Robin Smeulders (208-F-87, agency: Court Side, college: Portland) ended up with 20 points in the losing effort and Stefan Wessels (203-F-84, agency: R.H.Consultancy) posted 10. Jessey Voorn (193-G-90, agency: Court Side) delivered 9, whilst Craig Osaikhwuwuomwan and Dimeo van der Horst had 6 apiece.

Nigeria NT: Derrick Obasohan 30, Ime Udoka 18, Oyedeji Olumide 13, Jayson Obazuaye 8
Netherlands NT: Robin Smeulders 20, Stefan Wessels 10, Jessey Voorn 9, Craig Osaikhwuwuomwan 6, Dimeo van der Horst 6, Kenneth van Kempen (208-C-87, agency: Court Side, college: Ohio) 5

Madagascar 2011 CAN: Nigeria beat Netherlands in 3-nation tourney - by Olusegun Ikuesan
Nigeria step up its preparation for the 26th edition of the FIBA Africa Championship for Men tagged, Madagascar 2011 Afrobasket with an 84-66 points victory over the Netherlands in London Monday night in a 3-Nations invitational.

The Nigeria senior national team, DTigers coached by John Lucas won the first three quarters by 21-10, 21-14, 21-19 while it gave up the fourth quarter by 21-23 to the Dutch for a cumulative score-line of 84-66 thus setting up a last day clash against host Great Britain.

Three Nigeria players were in great form scoring double digit each with Derrick Obasohan leading the floor with 30 points, Ime Udoka contributing 18 points while Olumide Oyedeji adding 13 points to give Nigeria a deserved victory.

President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Tijjani Umar told our correspondent from AS Cobhan, London venue of the Invitational that the team is ready to do the nation proud at the Basketball version of the African Cup of Nations which also doubles as London 2012 Olynpic Games qualifier.

An elated Umar says the players who resume their final phase camping exercise last month in Orlando, United States of America are in high spirit and have bonded properly.

The team is expected to arrive Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday and depart for Antananarivo, Madagascar on Sunday morning. Nigeria first round opponents include host Madagascar, Mali and Mozambique in group-A.

Nigeria will battle Mali on August 17, take on Mozambique on August 19 before rounding off its first round game against host Madagascar on August 21 in Antananarivo.

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PANAMA

PARAGUAY

Paraguayan National Team 2011 - by Eurobasket

Starting five

Martinez

Perez

Zanotti

Fabio

Torres

Javier Martinez

189-G-78

Regatas C. Argentina

Daniel Perez

190-G/F-84

Libertad

Bruno Zanotti

197-F-82

Lanus

Jose Fabio

198-F-77

Obera TC

Cristian Rodas

202-C

Libertad

Gustavo Torres

175-G-80

Sol de Amer. Paraguay

Ramon Sanchez

196-F-91

Olimpia

Richard Ozuna

185-G/F-82

Libertad

Federico Mellone

190-G/F-85

Olimpia

Guillermo Araujo

204-C-82

Dep.Espanol Chile

Alejandro Peralta

195-F-91

Z*D.San Jose Paraguay

Adolfo Lopez

199-F

Sol de Amer. Paraguay

Arturo Alvarez

Head Coach

Barreirense Portugal

PHILIPPINES

POLAND

Trefl Sopot bring in Josh Alexander - by Eurobasket News
Trefl Sopot invited Josh Alexander (193-G-87, college: Stephen F. Austin) for a try-out period. The 23-year-old guard is expected to join the team later this month. Josh Alexander started his pro career last season. He played for Polonia Azbud. The guard tallied 12.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 assists per game in PLK.

WTK Anwil announces signing of Corsley Edwards - by Eurobasket News
Corsley Edwards (205-C/F-79, agency: Impact Basketball, college: Cent.Conn.St.) is a new member of WTK Anwil. The Polish outfit announced his signing for the next season. Edwards spent 2010/11 with Cedevita Zagreb. He helped them reach Croatian league Finals and also EuroCup Semis. He had 13.2 ppg and 6.9 rpg for 13 games in EuroCup. In Croatia, Edwards added 8.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 12 games. He also averaged 17.5 points and 5.4 rebounds for 21 games in Adriatic league. Eurobasket awarded him with All-Adriatic League Honorable Mention -11. Edwards was also named Eurobasket.com All-Adriatic League Honorable Mention -11 and Eurobasket.com Adriatic League All-Imports Team -11. Before Cedevita, Corsley Edwards played in Puerto Rico, NBA D-League and China. He also has experience from UAE and Spanish LEB Gold. In 2005/06, Edwards played for Granada and two years before that he was a member of Italian Montecatini.

LKS Sphinx Petrolinvest Lodz adds Holmes to their roster - by Greg
B.J. Holmes (180-G), 23-year old American guard, decided to start his professional basketball career in Poland. He signed a contract with LKS Sphinx Petrolinvest Lodz. Holmes played most recently at Texas A&M University (NCAA) in the U.S. While playing 33 games in his senior season for Texas A&M he recorded 9.7ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.2apg and 1.3spg. During his college career he played in four NCAA Tournaments. Last year he was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

PGE Turow invite John Edwards - by Eurobasket News
John Edwards (213-C-81, college: Kent St.) joined PGE Turow. The team agreed on terms of one-month try-out with the player. The 30-year-old centre played for Indios de Mayaguez in Puerto Rico lately. He tallied 4.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. John Edwards also had stints in Greece, D-League, Ukraine and NBA before. The centre was named All-MAC Defensive Player of the Year back in 2004 while playing for the Kent State University.

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PORTUGAL

ROMANIA

CSU Asesoft Ploiesti signs center Drasko Albijanic - by Eurobasket News
CSU Asesoft Ploiesti continues with signings for the next season. After Matei Nuna, Rade Dzambic and Aleksandar Vlahovic, former Romanian champion penned a deal with Drasko Albijanic (211-C-86). The Bosnian big guy heads to Romania from Borac Nektar Banja Luka, where he finished last season. He joined them in March averaging 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Eurobasket awarded Albijanic with All-Bosnia and Herzegovina League Most Improved Player of the Year -11. He also got a call to join the Bosnian National Team. Drasko Albijanic started last season with Sloboda Dita Tuzla. There he exploded with 17.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 2 apg for 20 games. He was a member of Sloboda since 2007. In the past, Albijanic also played for Leotar Trebinje.

Cyprus outscored Romanian University team - by Eurobasket News
Cyprus- Romanian University team 68:63

Cyprus outscored Romanian University team in the last game of the tournament in the island. Cyprus needed 68:63 due to the first half.
It was a defensive start as both teams scored only 19 points in the first period. Cyprus started the game with 10-9 and added massive 21-13 in the second frame for 9-point halftime advantage. Moreover the hosts added 20-18 in the third period for 11-point advantage. Romania responded with 23-17 in the last quarter to reduce the gap to 5 points at the end.
Alexis Zachariou paced all the winners with 18 points. George Theocharides (203-F-85) nailed 12, while Panagiotis Trisokkas (206-C-80) added 10. Andrei Mandache (190-G-87, agency: Global Sports Plaza) replied with 21 points in the losing effort. Titus Nicoara (200-F-88, agency: Interperformances) notched 18, while Vlad Moldoveanu (205-F-88, agency: Interperformances, college: American) scored 12.

Cyprus: Alexis Zachariou (200-F/C-76) 18, George Theocharides 12, Panagiotis Trisokkas 10
Romanian University team: Andrei Mandache 21, Titus Nicoara 18, Vlad Moldoveanu 12

CSU Asesoft Ploiesti return Mike Jones - by Eurobasket News
CSU Asesoft Ploiesti returned Mike Jones (196-G-84, college: Maryland) for the next season. The American player showed up for the team two years ago and then finished last season with Gimnasia Esgrima Comodoro Rivadavia.
Mike Jones finished his college years with Maryland (NCAA) and in the last season averaged 13.8ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 46.9%, 3Pts: 44.0%, FT: 79.1%. In 2007-2008 moved to Mersin Buyuksehir Belediyesi (Turkey-TBL, starting five) and in 15 games showed 6.3ppg, 1.7rpg, 1.1spg, 2FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 31.4%, FT: 66.7%. In January 2008 moved to Aspis Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus-Division A, starting five) and had high16.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.5spg, 2FGP: 55.6%, 3FGP: 43.8%, FT: 50.0%.
In 2008-2009 came to CSU Asesoft Ploiesti (Romania-Div.A, starting five) and in EuroChallenge after 4 games showed 8.8ppg, while in Romanian League averaged 13.2ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.1spg, FGP: 59.7%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 74.4%.
In November 2009 signed at Penarol Mar del Plata (Argentina-LigaA, starting five) and had 13.5ppg, 1.3rpg, 1.3spg, FGP: 60.0%, 3PT: 26.4%, FT: 68.6%. In January 2010 moved to Gimnasia Esgrima Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina-LigaA, starting five) and in 11 games had 4.9ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.5apg.

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RUSSIA

New Zealand wins Gold in the second phase of Stankovic Cup - by Eurobasket News
Russia University Team- New Zealand 77:80

New Zealand wins Gold in the second phase of Stankovic Cup as they handed Russia the first loss in the Final. New Zealand had a strong second period and grabbed 80:77 win.
Russia won over New Zeland in the Stage Round and started with 18:17. The second quarter however belonged to the opponents that erupted with 28-18. Russia did their best to catch up with the opponents but could not win the game. Russia won the third period 19-16 and reduced to 6 points entering the last period. Moreover Russia won the last stanza 22-19, but lost by three points.
Kirk Penney (196-G-80, college: Wisconsin) erupted with 30 points to lead all the winners. Mika Vukona (197-F-82) netted 16, while Thomas Abercrombie (198-G/F-87, agency: Priority Sports, college: Washington St.) scored 15. Dmitry Golovin (192-G-88) ended up with 16 points in the losing effort, whilst Anatoly Kashirov (215-C-87), Petr Gubanov (207-C-87) and Andrey Mateyunas (180-G-88) nailed 13 apiece.

Russia University Team: Dmitry Golovin 16, Anatoly Kashirov 13, Petr Gubanov 13, Andrey Mateyunas 13
New Zealand: Kirk Penney 30, Mika Vukona 16, Thomas Abercrombie 15

Stankovic Cup. Russian University Team advanced to the Final - by Eurobasket News
Russia advanced to the Final in Stankovic Cup. Tall Blacks surrendered against Russia in Guangzhou. Russia built a 47:35 halftime lead and hung on to escape with a 74:71 victory at the end. Igor Smygin stepped up with 16 points and Petr Gubanov (207-C-87) netted 15. Kirk Penney delivered 19 points in the losing effort.
In Game 2 Russia destroyed China 70:45. Igor Smygin top-scored for the winners with 16 points and Vyacheslav Zaytsev (191-G-89, agency: Alti Sport) followed him with 14. Su Wei (212-C-89) had 10 points and 9 rebounds in 22 minutes, hitting 5 of 9, and was the only player who performed acceptably. Zhang Bo had 10 points and 7 rebounds, hitting 4 of 9. Yi Li scored 9 but hit only 3 of 9 shots.
In Game 3 Russia edged Angola 86:58. It was an easy start for the European team that opened the game with 27-8 after the first period. Russia also added 22-18 in the second period and enjoyed 49:26 at the halftime. The third quarter also belonged to the European squad that needed 21-16 for 28-point advantage. Both teams nailed 16 points each in the last frame for the final result. Petr Gubanov paced all the winners with 16 points, while Anatoly Kashirov (215-C-87) and Dmitry Golovin (192-G-88) added 14 apiece. Vladelicio Joaquim, Joaquim Gomes and Barros posted 9 points in the losing effort.

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RWANDA

Pugilists Start Maputo Preps - by Eurobasket News
RWANDA's pugilists entered residential training yesterday at Hotel Tech in preparation for next month's All Africa Games to be held in Maputo, Mozambique.

The team, which is being handled by Gashugi Kananura, includes middle weight (75kg) Vincent Nsengiyumva, light weight (64kg) Theoneste Gakunzi, feather-weight (66kg) Salim Kwizera and Bantam weight (54kg) David Nsabimana.

Emmanuel Ntare, Matusi Haziza, Siraha and Eric Ngabo are all on stand-by.

The pugilists are expected to use the Games as a plat form to qualify for next year's London Olympic Games. Besides boxing, Rwanda will also compete in basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, athletics, tennis, table tennis, karate, swimming, cycling and sport for the disabled.

In the last edition held in Algiers in 2007, Dieudonne Disi came closest to winning a medal when he finished fourth in the half marathon.
Courtesy of: The New Times

Rwanda: RDF Gears Up for East African Military Games - by Eurobasket News

RWANDA Defence Forces (RDF) team has geared up it's preparations for this year's edition of the East African Military game scheduled for August 14-28 in Bujumbura, Burundi.

Rwanda will participate in football, handball, athletics, women, handball, and basketball and netball. The entire delegation totals to 90 personnel.

According the RDF spokesman Col. Joseph Nzamwita, APR football academy side will lead RDF's glory hunt in football while the APR athletics club, which boasts some of leading athletes in the country, will spice up the show in cross country championship.

'We will have a big contingent in Burundi. Besides sports, our main focus is to continue with the joint operation of peace keeping, disaster management and promoting community work,' added Nzamwita.

Rwanda will send a 22-man football team, 16 women netballers, 16 handball-man team, basketball team (16) and 18 mixed team of boys and girls to feature in the cross country championship.

Over 500 sportsmen and women from the East African Community (EAC) member states are expected to battle it out.

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza, who is also the chairperson of the EAC Summit, will lead a host of dignitaries at the opening ceremony at the Rwagasore Stadium, in the heart of Bujumbura City.

Ministers of Defence and Chiefs of Defence Forces from the EAC Partner States are also expected to attend the grand opening ceremony.

The Games will feature various disciplines, including: handball (men and women), football (men), netball (women), cross-country marathon (men and women) and basketball (men).

The East African Military Games and Culture Events have been held on a rotational basis since 2005.
Courtesy of: The New Times

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SERBIA

Serbian National Team triumphs at the Adecco Cup EX YU 2011 in front of 7000 spectators in Ljubljana - by Eurobasket News
Croatia NT-Serbia NT 71:80

Serbia National Team won the thriller over Croatia at the Final of the Adecco Cup EX YU 2011. Serbia became the champion in the capital of Slovenia winning all three games and clinching the title with 80:71 win.
Croatia opened the game with 21-18, but Serbia won the second frame 20-18. Croatia played better in the third period and after 21-15 enjoyed 7-point advantage. Draper closed the third period with a jump shot for 60:53. Milenko Tepic (198-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) opened the last quarter for 60:55, while Bojan Bogdanovic (202-G/F-89) and Macvan exchanged the baskets for 62:57. Krunoslav nailed three to give Croatia 65:57 with 8 minutes in the game and Bojan Bogdanovic brought the team closer to the tile for 67:57. Milenko Tepic and Nenad Krstic (214-C-83, agency: INVICTUS Sports Group) reduced to 67:64 and again Milenko Tepic brought Serbia back to 67:66 with 4 minutes to go. Nenad Krstic scored four in a row for 70:67 as Serbia continued their 13-0 run. Krunoslav reduced to 70:69 with less than two minutes to go and Nenad Krstic scored two free throws for 3-point lead. Dusko Savanovic (204-F/C-83, agency: Beo Basket) and Teodosic scored late three pointers in the end of the frame to seal the victory with Serbia.
Dusko Savanovic paced all the winners with 17 points and Nenad Krstic posted 16. Milenko Tepic notched 12, while Stefan Markovic (194-G-88) scored 10. Bojan Bogdanovic finished the night with 17 points, while Ante Tomic (217-C-87) posted 13 in defeat.

Croatia NT: Bojan Bogdanovic 17, Ante Tomic 13, Stanko Barac (217-C-86) 11
Serbia NT: Dusko Savanovic 17, Nenad Krstic 16, Milenko Tepic 12, Stefan Markovic 10

Milan Majstorovic returns to Oldenburg - by Eurobasket News
Milan Majstorovic (207-C-83) is back to EWE Baskets Oldenburg after one year. The Serbian big guy spent last season in Spain as a member of Assignia Manresa. He appeared 33 times for the club averaging 6.9 points and 4.3 rebounds. From 2007 until the last summer he played for Oldenburg. In 2009/10, he had 6.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg for 10 Euroleague games. Majstorovic also added 6.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg in German league that season. He helped Oldenburg to win the German league title in 2009. In 2008, they reached Playoff Semifinals. Milan Majstorovic played for Bilbao, Reflex and Spartak in the past.

'It is a good thing to have Milan Majstorovic back on the team', stated EWE Baskets Oldenburg head coach Predrag Krunic.

'In his time here Milan Majstorovic was respected highly by the coaches, teammates and fans. I am convinced the fans are as excited for his return as we are. We have a lot of flexibility and athleticism on the big positions', stressed Oldenburg CEO Herman Schuller for the club's official web site.

Marko Ljubicic heads to Greece - by Eurobasket News
Marko Ljubicic (195-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) will continue his career in Greece. The Serbian guard signed a deal with A1 team Ikaros. It will be his first season abroad. Marko Ljubicic was one of the best players in Serbian league last season. He appeared 39 times with Metalac Valjevo averaging 12.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.1 steals. Ljubicic finished the championship as the best assistant, fourth rebounder and also fourth in steals. Eurobasket awarded him with All-Serbian League Honorable Mention -11. Ljubicic got a call to join the Serbian University National Team for the World University Games in China. Before Metalac, Marko Ljubicic spent one year with Buducnost, but had very limited playing time. He also has experience from Superfund BP.

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SLOVENIA

Matjaz Smodis leads Slovenia to the third place at Adecco Cup EX YU 2011 - by Eurobasket News
Slovenia NT- Bosnia and Herzegovina NT 59:52

Matjaz Smodis (205-F-79) leads Slovenia to the third place at Adecco Cup EX YU 2011. The hosts of the tournament won over Bosnia and Herzegovina 59:52 as the latter finished on the fourth position.
Slovenia scored the first seven points in the game and Zoran Dragic (196-F/G-89) brought 11:1. Slovenia controlled the first period and reached 21:8 in the end of the frame. Nemanja Gordic reduced however to 21:18 and Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) scored for 30:25. Goran Dragic closed the first half at 33:30. Matjaz Smodis opened the third period with a 7-0 run and gave Slovenia 40:33. Uro Slokar scored for 47:39 and Jaka Lakovic closed the frame at 49:41. Bosnia won the last period 11-10 but cut it to 7 points at the end.
Matjaz Smodis poured in 18 points to lead all the winners and Samo Udrih (195-G-79) notched 9. Zoran Dragic collected 8 points and 13 rebounds, while Uros Slokar (210-F/C-83) netted 7. Mirza Teletovic replied with 11 points in the losing effort and Kenan Bajramovic (206-F-81) added 7.

Slovenia NT: Matjaz Smodis 18, Samo Udrih 9, Zoran Dragic 8+13 rebs, Uros Slokar 7
Bosnia and Herzegovina NT: Mirza Teletovic 11, Kenan Bajramovic 7

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SOUTH KOREA

William Jones Cup. South Korea squeeze past Japan - by Eurobasket News
South Korea - Japan 69:67

South Korea registered the fourth straight win at the William Jones Cup. They nipped Japan to stay undefeated. Oh Sek-Eun (201-C-87) stepped up with 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the winners. Japan fell at 1-3 record after the loss
South Korea arrived at the first break up by a single point 17:16. They ran away in the second term. South Korea posted a 42:34 halftime advantage. The Korean team maintained the lead throughout the third term. They entered the final quarter up by 11 points. Japan however showed character in the fourth frame. They erased the deficit and were close to the victory in the final seconds. But South Korea managed to eke out a narrow success at the end. Yang Dong-Geun (182-G-81) and Kim Joo-Sung (205-F/C-79) delivered 14 points each in the win. Keijuro Matsui (188-G-85, college: Columbia) responded with 12 points and 6 boards for Japan. Takeki Shonaka (180-G-84) knocked down 11 points in defeat.

South Korea: Oh Sek-Eun 22+14 boards, Yang Dong-Geun 14, Kim Joo-Sung 14
Japan: Keijuro Matsui 12, Takeki Shonaka 11

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SPAIN

UCAM Murcia tab James Augustine - by Eurobasket News
UCAM Murcia ensured the services of James Augustine (208-F-84, agency: Priority Sports, college: Illinois) for the next season. The 27-year-old forward spent the last season with Valencia. He tallied 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in Euroleague. In ACB his stats read 4.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per appearance. Previously James Augustine had spells for Gran Canaria, Orlando Magic and Anaheim Arsenal. Eurobasket.com named James Augustine into All-EuroCup 3rd Team back in 2010.

Antoine Wright joins Estudiantes - by Eurobasket News
Estudiantes strengthened their backcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Wright Antoine (201-F/G-84, college: Texas A&M). The deal is meant for one season. Wright Antoine started the previous season in the NBA. He averaged 0.3 points per game for the Sacramento Kings. In November the guard moved to China. Wright Antoine joined Jiangsu Nangang Dragons Nanjing in CBA. The guard averaged 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Previously Wright Antoine had stints with the Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets. He played in NBA Eastern and Western conference semifinals. The guard was named All-Big 12 Freshman of the Year back in 2003 while playing for Texas A&M.

Barcelona Regal bought out Marcelinho Huertas from Caja Laboral Vitoria - by Eurobasket News
Barcelona Regal bought out Marcelinho Huertas (191-PG-83, agency: Edge Sports) from Caja Laboral Vitoria. The Brazilian player will head to the Spanish Powerhouse after few seasons with Caja.
In 2009 Marcelinho Huertas signed 3-year contract at Caja Laboral Vitoria (Spain-ACB). In 2009-2010 for Caja Laboral Vitoria (Spain-ACB, starting five) in Euroleague he averaged 8.3ppg, 1.8rpg, 3.9apg, FGP: 60.6%, 3PT: 30.8%, FT: 85.2%, while in Spanish League had 8.6ppg, 3.1rpg, Assists-3 (4.9apg), 1.3spg, FGP: 49.3%, 3PT: 45.6%, FT: 82.9%. In 2010-2011 in Spanish League he became the top player in Assists section and showed 9.9ppg, 2.9rpg, Assists-1 (5.9apg), FGP: 52.7%, 3PT: 43.2%, FT: 87.3%. In Euroleague after 20 games his stats read 10.3ppg, 3.1rpg, Assists-3 (5.6apg), FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 44.2%, FT: 86.5%.
Only last season he reached Spanish ACB Supercup Semifinals -11, Eurobasket.com All-Euroleague 3rd Team -11, became Eurobasket.com All-Spanish ACB Guard of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-Spanish ACB Bosman Player of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-Spanish ACB 1st Team -11 and Eurobasket.com Spanish ACB All-Bosmans Team -11.
For the National team he erupted with 32 points in the last game verusus Argentina. The latter survived a heart-stopping drama at the eighth-final stage of the World Championship in Turkey 2010. They held off their archrivals Brazil 93:89 in a thrilling battle in Istanbul to advance into the quarterfinals. The lead changed hands for numerous times before Marcelinho Huertas leveled things up at 25. Marcelinho Huertas kept the hope alive for Brazil with a wild trey but Luis Scola calmly hit both free throws and iced the dramatic win for Argentina. Marcelinho Huertas netted 32 points for Brazil.

Spain cruise past France in Almeria - by Eurobasket News
Spain - France 77:53

Spain celebrated a comfortable win over France in the exhibition clash in Almeria. Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) scored 19 points to lead the hosts to the victory. Spain stunned Les Bleus in the first half and stayed in control afterwards.
Spain started the game strongly posting a 16:4 lead midway through the opening frame. They arrived at the first break up by 11 points 24:13. Spain increased the tempo in the second period. They established a comfortable 45:21 lead at the interval. The hosts kept the pressure in the third term. Les Bleus faced unassailable 22-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter. Spain did not allow the visitors to narrow the margin breezing to the victory at the end. Navarro and Serge Ibaka (208-C/F-89) knocked down 9 points each for Spain. Marc Gasol (212-C-85, agency: Interperformances) had 7 points in the victory. Tony Parker (183-PG-80) answered with 15 points for France. Ronny Turiaf (208-C/F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) netted 10 points in the losing case.

Spain: Pau Gasol 19, Serge Ibaka 9, Marc Gasol 7
France: Tony Parker 15, Ronny Turiaf 10, Mickael Gelabale (201-F-83) 9

Gran Canaria 2014 ink deal with Laurence Ekperigin - by Eurobasket News
Laurence Ekperigin (201-F, college: Le Moyne) will continue his career in Spain. The forward has agreed on terms of contract with Gran Canaria 2014. The deal is meant for next season. Laurence Ekperigin started the previous season in South Korea. The US-British player tallied 14.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game for Mobis Phoebus. He participated at the KBL All-Star Game. The forward moved to Angelico Biella in Italy in April. Laurence Ekperigin appeared in three games for Biella tallying 3.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. It was the first pro season for the forward. He graduated from La Moyne in 2010. Laurence Ekperigin was named NABC Division II All-Star Game MVP. He also made it into NABC Division II All-America Team. Laurence Ekperigin is the member of British National Team.

Lagun Aro grabs Sergi Vidal - by Eurobasket News
Lagun Aro Gipuzkoa Basket announced signing of Sergi Vidal (198-F/G-81) for the next season. The 30-year-old player spent last two seasons with Real Madrid. In the latest one he had 1.8 ppg and 1.2 rpg for 9 Euroleague games. In ACB, Vidal added 1.5 ppg for 27 games. He had slightly better digits in 2009/10. Sergi Vidal spent nine years with Tau Ceramica in the past. He was their member from 2000 to 2009. They won ACB title twice and Copa del Rey four times. Vidal also reached ACB Finals with Tau in 2005, 2006 and 2009. In 2005, Vidal was a member of the Spanish National Team. He appeared five times at the EuroBasket in Belgrade averaging 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals.

Sergio Scariolo cut Rafael Martinez and Xavier Rey from the squad - by Eurobasket News
Sergio Scariolo (agency: Alti Sport ) cut Rafael Martinez (191-G-82) and Xavier Rey (209-C-87, agency: Interperformances) from the squad to be headed to Lithuania. Both players did their best, however could not make it to the top 12.
In 2008 Rafael Martinez signed a 3-year contract with Pamesa Valencia (ACB). In the first season he averaged 10.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 39.4%, 3PT: 47.1%, FT: 87.8% in EuroCup, while in Spanish League his stats read 9.0ppg, 2.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 48.8%, 3PT: 40.2%, FT: 86.0%. In 2010-2011 for Valencia B.C. (ACB) he showed 10.7ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 45.8%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 76.9% in EuroLeague and in Spanish League had 14.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 55.2%, 3PT-2 (50.3%), FT: 83.2%.
Xavier Rey is a powerful center from the Spanish school of basketball that can do a little bit of everything. He was the top scorer of his team in the last European championship but in the final against Serbia couldn't help his team as he was extremely bad with 4/15 two's was far and away from his good self of the previous easier games. In 2010-2011 he played for C.B. Gran Canaria 2014 (ACB, starting five) and averaged 9.5ppg, 3.9rpg, FGP: 65.2%, FT: 77.1% in EuroCup, while in Spanish League after 33 games had 7.8ppg, 4.8rpg, FGP: 54.1%, FT: 58.4%. In 2011 re-signed with C.B. Gran Canaria 2014 (ACB) for another 3 seasons.

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TAIWAN

TURKEY

Erhan Yetim joins Olin Edirne - by Eurobasket News
Erhan Yetim (204-F-87) is a new member of Olin Edrine. The Turkish forward heads to his new club from Kepez, where he finished last season. He appeared 21 times in TB2L averaging 5.1 points, 5 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Yetim started last season with Selcuk registering 5 ppg and 5.5 rpg in four games. Season 2009/10 Erhan Yetim spent with Erdemir. He had limited playing time there as he averaged 2.6 points and 2 rebounds for 20 games. From 2006 to 2009, Yetim played for Karsiyaka. He also has experience from Tuborg Izmir. Erhan Yetim played for the Turkish U20, U18 and U16 National Teams in the past. With U18 Turkey he reached the Finals of U18 EuroBasket 2004 and 2005 in Zaragoza and Belgrade. They won the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany (Unofficial World Championships U18) in 2004.

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UGANDA

Mbidde to Fight Falcons Penalty - by Eurobasket News
Denis Mbidde, the 7UP Falcons president, is vowing not to go down without a fight after the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (Fuba) technical committee ruled that his team will lose three points for using an unregistered.

Falcons fielded Philip Alweny in the victory against Charging Rhino and loss to Kyambogo Warriors. But Mbidde said he had not been informed about the penalty and accused Fuba of witch-hunt. 'Maybe they have something against us,' an irate Mbidde said. 'I gave the Fuba technical committee a copy of the release of this boy from Co-operative Bank (Kenya) so how can they deduct our points?'

The Kenyan played in both without clearance from his club and the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF), according to William Musaazi, the Fuba technical committee chairman. He said Alweny is absconding from duty at Kenyan side Cooperative Bank. Alweny was prevented from taking to the floor in Falcons' 80-69 loss to UCU Canons last Friday.

'We wrote to them and even advised Mbidde not use the player until he is cleared but they refused. If they appeal, it's their right,' said Musaazi. Mbidde, who last week accused Fuba of being 'inept and ineffective like all federations', said: 'How can a player whose contract expired be absconding from duty? He is a free agent. We even asked Fuba and they let him play.'

If the appeal fails, Falcons, now 3-5 after the decision made on Tuesday, face an uphill battle to make the play-offs as they lie bottom of the 10-team division.

Today at YMCA (Div 3)

Planets v Bush Court (6pm)

Crane v UPDF (4pm)

Stonev K'la Univ. (2pm)

Sharing v Sky Jammers (12pm)

City Oil v Ssaku (12pm)
Courtesy of: The Monitor

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UKRAINE

SK Dnipro Azot Dniprodzerzhynsk sign Dior Lowhorn - by Greg
SK Dnipro Azot Dniprodzerzhynsk signed 24-year old American forward Dior Lowhorn (201-F-87). Lowhorn spent last season at Stella Artois Leuven Bears (Belgium). While playing 34 games for Leuven last season he was averaging 9.2ppg and 4.1rpg. In 2010 he has graduated from USF and was named NABC Division I All-District 9 1st Team.

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

UNITED KINGDOM

Williams Significant Signing For Raiders - by Paul Nilsen
The UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders have pulled off one of the signings of the summer, by signing 6'10' American centre, Paul Williams (208-F/C-83, agency: I.D.S. Law, college: St.Bonaventure), who last season played with BBL rivals, the Sheffield Sharks. This leaves one permit player spot to fill on the team for the 2011/12 season.

Williams posted impressive an impressive 13.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and along with Anthony Rowe and Lehmon Colbert form one of the strongest front lines Raiders have ever seen. He was a regular feature in the BBL's Team of the Week, and last year won the BBL Cup with the Sharks. He had the reputation as being one of the best big men in the league, and this is something that Raiders missed last year - a consistent and dominant presence. Previous to coming to England, Williams played with Tarragona in Spain's LEB Silver.

He graduated from St Bonaventure University in 2007, the same university that also produced former Raiders player Terrence Durham.

Head Coach Gavin Love is looking forward to having Williams on the team this year. 'It's great to have Paul joining the team for next season. I think he played a huge part in Sheffield's successes last year. He has a good array of post moves, footwork, he's a very underrated passer with a lot of experience in the game. He's a tough rebounder and I'm looking for big things from him this year.'

Along with winning the BBL Cup, the Sharks finished 3rd in the BBL last year, though going into the last couple of weeks of the season, could still have finished first. A big reason for the team's success was the performance of Williams during the season.

Williams is looking forward to getting to Plymouth, meeting up with his teammates and starting work for the team. 'I'm extremely happy to be a part of the team. I hope I can help them to be extremely successful this year.' As with the other players, he will be joining the team in early September for the start of pre season workouts.

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URUGUAY

The NT defeated Mexico 79-59 - by Hector Lopez
Uruguay defeated Mexico 79-59 in the first game of a serie of two as both teams are training for the Tournament of the Americas. Mexico took an early lead of eigth points during the first quarter (15-6). But Uruguay scored a 17-7 during the second quarter to take the lead. The best player was Mathias Calfani (202-C-92) with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
URUGUAY - Mauricio Aguiar 10 points, Sebastian Izaguirre 8, Leandro Garcia Morales 2, Martn Osimani 2, Reque Newsome 12, Mathias Calfani 15, Fernando Martinez 7, Gustavo Barrera 4, Joaquin osimani 2, Bruno fitipaldo 5, Nicolas Borselino 5, Joaquin Izuibejeres 3.
MEXICO -Brody Angley 10, Isaac Gutierrez 0, Arim Solares 5 Leroy Davis 8, Jesus Lopez 5 dro Meza 17, Enrique Zuiga 4 Fernando Bentez 9, Adan Parada 1
Both teams will play a second game on Tuesday 9.

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WILLIAM JONES CUP

Day 4 in New Taipei City - by Eurobasket News
Iran - UAE 84:55
Iran celebrated the second win at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. They overcame UAE to improve at 2-2 record. Asghar Kardoust (212-C-86) stepped up with 23 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. UAE fell at 0-4 record after the loss.
Iran surged ahead in the opening quarter. They posted an 11-point lead at the first break. UAE however stopped the bleeding in the second term. They outscored Iran to narrow the deficit at 7-point mark 32:39. Iran went off the dressing room recharged as they thumped UAE for a 58:42 lead at the end of the third quarter. UAE never recovered afterwards as Iran coasted to the victory at the end. Oshin Sahakian (201-F-86, agency: Agency No 10) and Saman Veisi (189-G-82) delivered 13 points eacv for the winners. Ibrahim Ahmad (175-G-79) answered with 14 points for UAE. Khalifa Salem (175-G-91) netted 9 points in the loss.

Iran: Asghar Kardoust 23, Oshin Sahakian 13, Saman Veisi 13
UAE: Ibrahim Ahmad 14, Khalifa Salem 9

Philippines - Malaysia 86:68
Philippines recorded the third win at the William Jones Cup. They outgunned Malaysia in New Taipei City tonight. Marnel Baracael (193-F/G-85) and Christopher Tiu (178-PG-85) scored 14 points each to lead the effort.
Philippines earned a 16:13 lead ten minutes into the game. Malaysia stayed close throughout the second stanza. Philippines arrived at halftime up by the same three points 37:34. But the third term proved decisive. Philippines shifted the gear and outscored their opponents 27:11 for a comfortable 19-point advantage with one quarter remaining. Malaysia tried to bounce back in the fourth term as they knocked down 23 points but it was far from enough to threaten the margin. Japeth Aguilar (208-C-85, college: W.Kentucky) and Marcio Lassiter (188-G-87, college: Cal.St. Fullerton) delivered 13 points each in the victory. Li Wei Chee (186-F-85) responded with 15 points for Malaysia. Yeo Seng John Ng (190-F-81) netted 9 points in the loss.

Philippines: Marnel Baracael 14, Christopher Tiu 14, Japeth Aguilar 13, Marcio Lassiter 13
Malaysia: Li Wei Chee 15, Yeo Seng John Ng 9

South Korea - Japan 69:67
South Korea registered the fourth straight win at the William Jones Cup. They nipped Japan to stay undefeated. Oh Sek-Eun (201-C-87) stepped up with 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the winners. Japan fell at 1-3 record after the loss
South Korea arrived at the first break up by a single point 17:16. They ran away in the second term. South Korea posted a 42:34 halftime advantage. The Korean team maintained the lead throughout the third term. They entered the final quarter up by 11 points. Japan however showed character in the fourth frame. They erased the deficit and were close to the victory in the final seconds. But South Korea managed to eke out a narrow success at the end. Yang Dong-Geun (182-G-81) and Kim Joo-Sung (205-F/C-79) delivered 14 points each in the win. Keijuro Matsui (188-G-85, college: Columbia) responded with 12 points and 6 boards for Japan. Takeki Shonaka (180-G-84) knocked down 11 points in defeat.

South Korea: Oh Sek-Eun 22+14 boards, Yang Dong-Geun 14, Kim Joo-Sung 14
Japan: Keijuro Matsui 12, Takeki Shonaka 11

Taiwan - Jordan 77:75
Jordan suffered the first defeat at the William Jones Cup. They surrendered against hosting Taiwan on Day 4 of the tournament. Wen-Ting Tseng (202-C/F-84) stepped up with 18 points to lead the charge. Taiwan now caught up with Jordan at 3-1 record in the ladder.
Taiwan dominated in the starting frame. They posted a 17:12 lead at the break. Jordan however improved offensively in the second term. The visitors scored 22 points to draw things level at 34. Jordan maintained the pressure and eventually pulled ahead in the third term. They secured a 59:54 lead with ten minutes remaining. But Taiwan turned things around in the fourth frame. They knocked down 23 points and snatched a narrow victory at the end. Chen Hsin-An (196-G/F-80) nailed 16 points, while Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) accounted for 14 points in the winning effort. Abbas Zaid (203-F-83) answered with 21 points and 11 rebounds for Jordan. Rasheim Wright (194-G-81, college: District of Col.) netted 19 points in the loss.

Taiwan: Wen-Ting Tseng 18, Chen Hsin-An 16, Tsung-Hsien Chang 14
Jordan: Abbas Zaid 21+11 boards, Rasheim Wright 19

Standings

Standings

1. S.Korea		4-0
2. Jordan		3-1
3. Philippine.		3-1
4. Taiwan		3-1
5. Iran		2-2
6. Japan		1-3
7. S.Africa		0-0
8. United Ara.		0-4
9. Malaysia		0-4

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ZAMBIA

15 Enter Felix Chileshe Memorial Basketball Championship - by Eurobasket News
ABOUT 16 teams have entered this year's K100 million-2011 Felix Chileshe Memorial Basketball high schools' championships that kicks off today at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) in Lusaka.

The championships, being defended by St Monica and Matero Boys in the girls and boys categories, respectively, has attracted participation from teams from eight provinces who are expected to showcase their talent ahead of team selections for the 2012 Zone Six Youth Games that Zambia would be hosting.

The championships, organised by Sport-In-Action (SIA) in partnership with the Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) and the Zambia Schools Sports Association (ZSSA), is an annual event that draws participation from schools across the country.

Among the schools expected to assemble at the centre for the championships that ends tomorrow include The boy's teams include Choma High School, Arrakan Boys High School, Anoya Zulu Boys High School, Chindwin High School, Kasempa Boys High School, Kantashi High School, Luapula High School and St. Francis High Schools.

Choma High School, Munali Girls High School, St. Monica's Girls High School, High Ridge High School, Mukinge Girls High School, Kantanshi High School, Mable Shaw Girls High School and Kasama Girls High School.And SIA director Frank Muchindu said in Lusaka yesterday that all logistics have been finalized and teams had started arriving by press time yesterday adding that draws were supposed to be drawn last night.Muchindu said apart from basketball, about 70 youths are expected to attend a camp in various activities that include capacity buildingskills for future development programmes.

'We have met the budget and we are just inviting everybody to come and see the massive the talent for the future especially as we prepare to host next year's Zone Six youth games. Maybe one or two players can be drafted into the national teams,' he said.Muchindu, however, bemoaned the failure by teams from Western Province's in the championships attributing saying this was due to lack of proper infrastructure.

He said it was especially sad because teams from other provinces were lagging behind in the development of the sport.He said SIA had since indentified places where infrastructure was a hindrance and had formulated a plan on how best to help develop the sport and urged for partnerships with the private sector to help raise the sports standards.
Courtesy of: Times of zambia

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Women News

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ALL-AFRICA GAMES - Women

Standings (Women)

Standings

Group A
1. Algeria		0-0
2. DRCongo		0-0
3. Mozambique		0-0
4. Nigeria		0-0
5. Zimbabwe		0-0
Group B
1. Angola		0-0
2. Cameroon		0-0
3. Ivory Coast		0-0
4. Mali		0-0
5. Rwanda		0-0
6. Senegal		0-0

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AUSTRALIA - Women

Finals drought nearing an end for Central - by Eurobasket News
THE State Basketball League's unlikeliest results would need to occur on Saturday to prevent Central Districts contesting the women's finals for the first time since 1996.
The rejuvenated Lions, led by 2002 Halls Medallist Jessica Mahony (169-G-83) and Alisha Heglund, have received terrific support from Desinta Cummins, Kim Olsen and Fiona Perso since they opened the season with a stunning 55-54 win over South.

That loss probably was the one which came back to haunt the Panthers' chances of contesting the finals and is ironic considering it was the coaching debut of Vikki Kelson with South.

It was Kelson who powered Central's last finals contender 15 years ago before she became a triple Halls Medallist.

But considering Central completed the 2010 season with a 0-18 win-loss record, the opening night win immediately sent a signal across the SBL the Lions would no longer go quietly.

Mahony has been little short of a sensation, averaging almost a triple-double this season with 12.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and a league-best 9.4 assists per game.

Bear in mind she is a 170cm point guard, albeit one who is looking squarely at a second Halls Medal.

Central goes into Saturday's match against Woodville with an 8-9 win-loss record and in sixth place.

North Adelaide (8-9) is in fifth spot but it is only temporary as the Lions beat it twice, meaning in the event of a win-loss tie, Central takes the higher berth.

The only way North can hold its spot is if it beats Forestville (11-6, fourth) and Central loses to Woodville (2-15, ninth).

North did beat the Eagles the first time around but it was the last time Forestville played before being joined by championship-winning point guard Monica Bello and US college-experienced centre Carla Borrego.

Since then Forestville has gone 7-1 and reignited its pursuit of a third consecutive SBL championship.

Both of Woodville's wins came over Eastern (0-17). Central, at home on Saturday to the Warriors and with finals in sight, will make no mistake, making moot the North-Forestville result and bringing to an end 15 years of misery and mockery.

Courtesy of:http://www.adelaidenow.com.au

Central ABL: Women's Previews - Round 18 - by Eurobasket News
Eastern Mavericks (0-17, 10th) v South Adelaide Panthers (7-10, 7th)

The Mavericks have their final chance to avoid a winless season when they host the Panthers on Saturday.

Eastern should go into the game with some sort of confidence, as it only lost to South by five points when the teams last met in Round 9.

The Mavs fell 17 points short of the Warriors last week, going down 58-75.

A 21-8 third quarter put Eastern in the box seat for victory, before being blown away in the final period.

Tracey Beatty (202-C-79) was outstanding with 17 points on 6/9 shooting and 15 rebounds, while Madison Bycroft had 14 points and Chloe Henderson 13.

The Panthers 51-89 home loss to Norwood in Round 17 means they are officially eliminated from the finals.

South will be bitterly disappointed at this, after recovering from a 1-7 start to improve to 7-8 at one stage.

The Panthers lost two games by one point in the first three rounds, then backed that up by losing by three in Round 4.

These early slender defeats, along with the loss to Sturt two weeks ago when the game could have gone either way, proved fatal for South.

If Eastern is to produce an upset, it will need to shut down Elizabeth Keane and Claire Johnson, who combined for 41 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals in Round 9.

Ultimately, the Panthers are the better side and should prevail here.

North Adelaide Rockets (8-9, 6th) v Forestville Eagles (11-6, 4th)

The Rockets hosts Forestville on Saturday in what is a must-win game for the home side.

If North Adelaide is to make the finals, then it needs to beat the Eagles, as well as have Woodville upset the Lions.

The Rockets have only themselves to blame if results do not go their way, as they have lost a number of games that they would have expected to win.

For a side that lost to Norwood in overtime, defeated Forestville and West on the road, and came within two points against the Bearcats at home, it goes against the trend for North to have a 2-4 record (0-3 at home) against fellow top five challengers Centrals, South and Southern.

However, the Rockets now need another two results against the tide to get in the five.

Last week, North annihilated the Tigers in the first half and went on to win 86-57.

The Rockets led 24-7 at quarter-time and 55-20 at the half.

Jo Hill starred with 33 points and 19 rebounds, Shannon Mckay had 13 points and 4 rebounds, and Kirsty Williams produced 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Forestville locked up the number four seed with a 74-66 win over the Lions.

Star quartet Jess Fergus (21 points, 5 rebounds), Carla Borrego (14 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals), Georgia Minear (12 points, 5 assists, 5 steals) and Monica Bello (10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) all put up solid numbers.

As this game is a dead-rubber for the Eagles, Coach Sharon Simons may choose to give her top players, who have played a lot of minutes in the past couple of months, some extended rest, and hence hand more minutes to the second-tier players.

Last time they met, North had a big second-half and won 70-55, although neither Bello or Borrego were in the line-up for Forestville that night.

I would not be surprised if the Rockets get up, but I think their season will end on a sour note against the deeper Eagles.

Norwood Flames (16-1, 1st) v West Adelaide Bearcats (12-5, 3rd)

Normally a match between big clubs Norwood and West would be of Match of the Round quality, but with each club unable to move from its current position, this fixture has little meaning.

The Flames, who were eliminated in the first week of the finals last year, have had an incredible season, winning 16 of 17 and sitting effectively three games ahead of second-placed Sturt.

Norwood thrashed South at Marion on Saturday before cruising to a home win over Centrals.

Jessica Foley (182-G-83, college: Duke) had 24 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals against the Panthers, before posting 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals against the Lions.

Jordan Walker-Roberts continued her good form with 19 points against Centrals and 14 versus South.

West has been a bit inconsistent after a 7-0 start, but two straight wins has seen it gather some momentum ahead of its Qualifying Final with Sturt.

Last week, the Bearcats produced a 34 point turnaround against the Sabres, winning 66-52, as well as holding its opponent to under 27% shooting from the field.

Kerrin Webber and Nikita-Lee Martin each registered 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Irene Sourlatzis had 13 points and Trudy Holland 12.

Last time they met, the Flames won 82-60.

Expect a closer game this time, but an undefeated home record is something all visiting opponents should be afraid of, and thats what Norwood should accomplish this weekend.

Sturt Sabres (14-3, 2nd) v Southern Tigers (7-10, 8th)

The Tigers will be hoping to avoid finishing their disappointing season with five straight defeats when they meet Sturt at Pasadena on Saturday.

Southern has been arguably the leagues biggest disappointment, after a sensational 2010 season that ended with a heartbreaking over-time loss against this weeks opponent at this weeks venue.

It is ironic that the Tigers should close their season at the same stadium that killed their 2010 dreams.

In Round 17, Southern was a slightly better team than North Adelaide in the final 20 minutes.

However, it did not mean much after trailing by 35 points at the intermission.

Ashleigh Spencer was, not for the first time this season, the only Tiger to put up good numbers with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals.

On the other hand, this game is simply a warm-up for the Sabres ahead of their Qualifying Final against West Adelaide last week.

Sturt lost the battle for a mental edge against the Bearcats last week, falling away after half-time to lose by 14, despite the return of Monique Bowley and Caroline Burgess to the line-up.

Tess Madgen was still absent, which hurt Sturt offensively, who made just 19 of 72 field goals.

Nicole Seekamp (178-G-92) was the best for the Sabres with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

Last time they met, Sturt got home 89-77.

With the way Southern has been playing of late, the Sabres should be able to give their youngsters some extra playing time and still got home comfortably.

Central District Lions (8-9, 5th) v Woodville Warriors (2-15, 9th)

In the Match of the Round, Centrals can complete its fairytale season if it can defeat the visiting Warriors.

After losses to Forestville and Norwood last weekend, if the Lions do not win this game, they could miss out on the top five.

This makes this perhaps the most significant game in the history of womens basketball at the club.

Although finals may be a new experience for most of her teammates, that is not the case for Halls Medal candidate Jess Mahony.

Mahony, who won premierships with the Eagles in 2010 and 2011, is averaging close to a triple-double (12.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 9.4 apg) in statistically her best season in the competition.

Expect Mahony to have a big one and see through the whole 40 minutes if the game is tight.

Alisha Heglund (15 ppg, 6 rpg), Kimberley Olsen (11 ppg) and Desinta Cummins (9.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4 apg) will also be in the thick of things.

For Woodville, this is a chance to act as the spoilers, as well as finish off a difficult season with two straight wins.

Last week, a 28-9 fourth quarter helped the Warriors overcome the Mavericks.

Ursula Richards had 33 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, while Brooke Rule and Claire Christie scored 11 apiece.

Last time they met, Centrals got up 77-63.

With so much on the line, it will be interesting to see if the Lions can hold their nerve and make their shots. If their shooting is off, then Woodville will be in with a sniff. However, Centrals will be desperate defensively and this should be enough to see them home.

By James Woite
Courtesy of: Central ABL

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AUSTRIA - Women

U18 United Kingdom wins against U18 Austria 62-50 - by Eurobasket News
U18 UNITED KINGDOM - U18 AUSTRIA 62-50

United Kingdom started with victory in Group G. They outplayed Austria 62-50 for 1-0 record in this pool. Two teams will meet again until the end of U18 EuroBasket, Division B. Lana Doran (172-G/F-93) came up with 17 points and 5 rebounds in victory. Rosie Hynes (172-PG-93) had 9 points and 5 rebs, while Chantel Charles (178-G-94) added 7 pts, plus 6 rebs. In defeat, Sigrid Koizar (173-PG-95) delivered 10 points. Their second scorer was Julia Pocksteiner (177-G-93) with 9 points, but she had only 4/16 for FG2 (valuation -6). Quarters: 16-4, 22-10, 10-16, 14-20. Today, UK will play against Luxembourg. Austria will meet Switzerland.

United Kingdom: Lana Doran 17+5 boards, Rosie Hynes 9+5 boards, Chantel Charles 7+6 boards
Austria: Sigrid Koizar 10, Julia Pocksteiner 9

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BELARUS - Women

Another win for U18 Belarus in Miskolc - by Eurobasket News
U18 PORTUGAL - U18 BELARUS 37-67

Belarus registered another easy win in Miskolc. They cruised past Portugal 67-37 for perfect 3-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Maryna Ivashchanka (190-C-93) led her team with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Maryia Papova (183-F-94) had 14 points and 8 rebounds, while Hanna Kalenta (187-C-94) added 11 points and 6 boards. Thanks to this win Belarus already booked a ticket for the Quarterfinals. On the other side, Portugal dropped to 0-3. Their chances to reach the next stage still exist. Joana Jesus (173-G-93) scored 9 points for Portugal in this game. Jessica Almeida (172-PG-93) stopped to 7. Quarters: 9-25, 10-11, 6-12, 12-19. Belarus will meet Hungary today. Portugal will play against Bulgaria.

Portugal: Joana Jesus 9, Jessica Almeida 7
Belarus: Maryna Ivashchanka 17+5 boards, Maryia Papova 14+8 boards, Hanna Kalenta 11+6 boards

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BELGIUM - Women

U18 Belgium stays untouchable in Oradea - by Eurobasket News
U18 CZECH REPUBLIC - U18 BELGIUM 68-75

Another victory for Belgium in Oradea. This time it was Czech Republic who was beaten by Belgium 75-68. Thanks to this win Belgium jumped to 3-0 in Qualifying Group F and already secured a spot for the Quarterfinals. Czech Republic dropped to 0-3 and their chances to reach the next stage are lower now, but still exist. Antonia Delaere (174-G-94) led the winners with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Emma Meesseman (192-C-93) had double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Julie Vanloo (172-PG-93) added 15 points, 6 rebs and 8 assists. In the loosing squad, Monika Satoranska (183-F/C-93) (5 rebs) and Radka Brhelova (167-PG-93) delivered 12 points each. Their third scorer was Beata Adamcova (181-F-93) with 9 points. Quarters: 14-26, 17-14, 13-18, 24-17. In the next game Belgium will play against Holland. Czech Republic will meet Italy.

Czech Republic: Monika Satoranska 12+5 boards, Radka Brhelova 12, Beata Adamcova 9
Belgium: Antonia Delaere 21+6 boards, Emma Meesseman 17+12 boards, Julie Vanloo 15+6 boards+8 as

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BULGARIA - Women

U18 Croatia keeps winning in Miskolc - by Eurobasket News
U18 BULGARIA - U18 CROATIA 63-79

Croatia stays on the winning track in Mickols. They handed 79-63 loss to Bulgaria for perfect 3-0 score in Qualifying Group E. With this victory Croatia already booked a spot for the Quarterfinals of U18 EuroBasket, Division B. Bulgaria is in bad situation with 0-3 score now, but they still have a chance to reach the next stage. Ivana Tikvic (189-C-94) was a key player for the winners with 19 points and 10 rebounds. She reached valuation 24 and was the MVP of this meeting. Glorija Sikiric (190-C-93) had 14 points and 8 rebs, while Iva Cigic (174-PG-94) added 12 pts. In Bulgaria, Iva Kostova (172-F-94) delivered 15 points. Their second scorers were Kristina Peychinova (174-C-94) and Radostina Dimitrova (175-F-94) with 11 points. Quarters: 23-21, 12-22, 18-16, 10-20. The next rival of Croatia will be Germany. Bulgaria will meet Portugal also today.

Bulgaria: Iva Kostova 15, Kristina Peychinova 11, Radostina Dimitrova 11
Croatia: Ivana Tikvic 19+10 boards, Glorija Sikiric 14+8 boards, Iva Cigic 12

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CBC CHAMPIONSHIPS - Women

Latinbasket.com All-CBC Championships Awards 2011 - by Greg

Latinbasket.com All-Tournament 1st Team

Day

Guzman

Fernandez

Cepeda

Best Player: Natalie Day (182-G/F-90) of U.S. Virgin Islands
Best Guard: Carmen Guzman (175-G-85) of Dominican Republic
Best Forward: Natalie Day (182-G/F-90) of U.S. Virgin Islands
Best Center: Marlen Cepeda (193-C-85) of Cuba

1st Team
G: Carmen Guzman (175-85) of Dominican Republic
G: Melissa Guerrero (180-83) of Trinidad and Tobago
F: Taimy Fernandez (183-82) of Cuba
G/F: Natalie Day (182-90) of U.S. Virgin Islands
C: Marlen Cepeda (193-85) of Cuba

2nd Team
G: Rhea Codio (165-88) of Trinidad and Tobago
G: Jowan Ortega (173-85) of Trinidad and Tobago
F/C: Sugeiry Monsac (186-81) of Dominican Republic
F/C: Vasha Adams (83) of Saint Vincent
C: Clenia Noblet (191-87) of Cuba

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CROATIA - Women

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CZECH REPUBLIC - Women

Frisco Brno with massive changes for the next season - by Eurobasket News
Frisco Brno will have massive changes for the next season. The team announced bringing five new names to the squad.
Famous Jasmine Thomas (175-G-89, college: Duke) and Ta''Shia Phillips will be the loud names for 2011/2012 season. Jasmine Thomas just graduated from Duke (NCAA, starting five) and in her last season after 36 games had 9.5ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.7apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 37.5%, 3PT: 21.1%, FT: 69.9%.
Ta'Shia Phillips (198-C-89, college: Xavier)< comes from Xavier (NCAA, starting five) where she averaged 16.1ppg, 12.4rpg, 1.6bpg, FGP: 60.5%, FT: 62.4% in her last season.
Eurobasket mentioned Martina Staalvant (175-G-89) yesterday about joining the team. Moreover her teammate Farhiya Abdi (188-F-92) from Sweden will be also joining the squad for the next season. In 2008-2009 she appeared for 08 Stockholm (Damligan) and in Swedish League averaged 3.0ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.1spg. In 2009-2010 for 08 Stockholm (Damligan, starting five) she improved to 10.6ppg, Reb-2 (10.0rpg), 2.5apg, 2.1spg, 2FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 26.3%, FT: 58.9% and last season became the third top-scorer in the League with 20.0ppg, 7.8rpg, 2.1apg, Steals-1 (3.3spg), FGP: 53.6%, 3PT: 28.8%, FT: 73.6%.
Marta Palenikova (184-G/F-92) comes from Nitra. The Slovakian player averaged 5.0ppg, 2.2rpg, 1.6apg, 2FGP: 37.5%, 3PT: 27.0%, FT: 52.9% last season.
Tereza Sedlackova (183-F/C-92), Barbora Kasparkova (182-F/C-92) and Monika Sivrova (179-G/F-92) will remain the team.

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DENMARK - Women

U18 Greece beats U18 Denmark 62-41 with ease - by Eurobasket News
U18 DENMARK - U18 GREECE 42-61

Greece extended their winning streak in Miskolc. This time Greece blasted Denmark 61-42 for 3-0 record in Qualifying Group F. It is already enough for the Quarterfinals at this event (U18 EuroBasket, Division B). Denmark dropped to 0-3 in this pool and they are not in good situation now. Vasiliki Tarla (181-F-94) was the leading player in Greece with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Artemis Spanou (190-F/C-93) had 12 points and 13 rebs, while Anthoula Chatzigiakoumi (187-F-92) added 11 pts in this victory. In Denmark, Maria Jespersen (179-G-94) (9 rebs) and Mathilde Fogelstrom (184-PG-93) (6 rebs) scored 11 points each. Ena Viso (177-F-93) had 7 pts, plus 11 boards. Quarters: 18-12, 5-17, 12-17, 7-15. Greece will meet Israel today. Denmark will play against Norway in Scandinavian derby.

Denmark: Maria Jespersen 11+9 boards, Mathilde Fogelstrom 11+6 boards, Ena Viso 7+11 boards
Greece: Vasiliki Tarla 13+8 boards, Artemis Spanou 12+13 boards, Anthoula Chatzigiakoumi 11

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EUROLEAGUE - Women

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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U18 - Women

Division A, Qualifying Round: First games - by Eurobasket News

Group E

Slovenia - Sweden 42-64
Sweden demonstrated another great performance in Oradea. They handed 64-42 loss to Slovenia for perfect 3-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Thanks to this win Sweden already secured a ticket for the Quarterfinals. On the other side, Slovenia dropped to 0-3. They still have hopes to reach the next stage. Amanda Zahui (191-C-93) shined in victory with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Ulrica Holmqvist (184-C-93) scored 9 pts, while Nathalie Fontaine (183-F-93) added 8 points, plus 6 boards. In Slovenia, Alina Gjerkes (177-F-94) was better than the others with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Their second scorer was Ursa Zibert (172-PG-93) with 9 pts. Quarters: 8-16, 11-10, 7-25, 16-13. In the next game Sweden will meet Poland, while Slovenia will take on the host Romania.

Poland - Turkey 65-76 OT
It was one of the most exciting games in Oradea so far. Turkey grabbed 76-65 victory against Poland and they needed an OT to do it. Both teams had 1-1 record before this meeting and now Turkey jumped to third place in Group E. Poland dropped to position No.4, but still has a good chance to reach the Quarterfinals. Ozge Kavurmacioglu (187-F-93) top-scored for the winners with 22 points and she pulled down 11 rebounds beside that. Olcay Cakir (180-PG-93) had 21 points, 6 boards and 6 assists, while Ferda Yildiz (182-F-93) added 13 pts. In defeat, Dominika Miloszewska (186-C-94) responded with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Dominika Owczarzak (166-G-94) (5 rebs) and Kinga Wozniak (170-PG-94) (5 resb) stopped to 13 and 11 points respectively. Quarters: 17-14, 14-21, 17-10, 15-18, 2-13 OT. Today, Turkey will meet Spain. Poland will play against also undefeated Sweden.

Romania - Spain 25-73
Spain demonstrated their power in the first game of the Qualifying Round in Oradea. They destroyed the host of U18 EuroBasket 73-25 jumping to 3-0 record in Group E. Spain already secured a ticket for the Quarterfinals. At the same time, Romania dropped to 0-3 in this pool. They still have some chances to reach the next stage. Astou Ndour (196-C-94) once again was the leading player in Spain with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Yurena Diaz (177-G-93) had 9 points and Inmaculada Zanoguera (183-F-93) added 7 points, plus 8 boards. All Spanish players managed to score in this game and each of them played at least ten minutes. In Romania, Sonia Ursu (175-G/F-93) collected 10 points and 9 rebounds. All other players had less than 5 pts. Quarters: 5-13, 8-21, 7-17, 5-22. In the next game, Spain will play against Turkey. Romania will take on also winless Slovenia.

Group F

Holland - Serbia 51-60
It was a very important game for both teams. They entered to this meeting with 1-1 record and after 60-51 victory Serbia jumped to third place in Qualifying Group F. At the same time, Holland dropped to position No.4. Thanks to this win Serbia came very close to the Quarterfinals, while Holland also has a chance to reach it. Natasa Kovacevic (187-F-94) stepped up for Serbia with double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Aleksandra Stanacev (167-PG-94) secured a great help adding 18 points and 7 assists. In Holland, Kourtney Treffers (186-F-94) was better than the others with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Richelle Van Der Keijl (196-C-93) (7 rebs) and Maxime Essenstam (189-C-93) netted 13 points each. Quarters: 13-11, 17-11, 8-17, 13-21. Today, Serbia will meet France. Holland will play against Belgium.

Italy - France 40-47
France keeps winning in Oradea. Their rival was Italy yesterday and France registered 47-40 victory for 3-0 record in Qualifying Group F. With this win a Quarterfinals ticket is already secured for France. Italy dropped to 0-3 in this pool. Romane Bernies (170-PG-93) led the scorers in victory with 11 points. Margaux Galliou (184-F-93) and Esther Niamke (164-PG-93) delivered 7 points each. Ashley Ravelli (177-G-93) answered with 12 points in defeat. Their second scorer was Chiara Terenzi (184-F/C-93) with just 6 points. Quarters: 3-14, 13-8, 9-12, 15-13. In the next game France will play against Serbia. Italy will meet Czech Republic.

Czech Republic - Belgium 68-75
Another victory for Belgium in Oradea. This time it was Czech Republic who was beaten by Belgium 75-68. Thanks to this win Belgium jumped to 3-0 in Qualifying Group F and already secured a spot for the Quarterfinals. Czech Republic dropped to 0-3 and their chances to reach the next stage are lower now, but still exist. Antonia Delaere (174-G-94) led the winners with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Emma Meesseman (192-C-93) had double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Julie Vanloo (172-PG-93) added 15 points, 6 rebs and 8 assists. In the loosing squad, Monika Satoranska (183-F/C-93) (5 rebs) and Radka Brhelova (167-PG-93) delivered 12 points each. Their third scorer was Beata Adamcova (181-F-93) with 9 points. Quarters: 14-26, 17-14, 13-18, 24-17. In the next game Belgium will play against Holland. Czech Republic will meet Italy.

Group G

Russia - Slovakia 56-64
Slovakia made a first step forward to the survival in Division A. It was the first game of Group G and Slovakia managed to beat Russia 64-56. There are five more days to be played in this group. Sabina Oroszova (187-F-93) shined for Slovakia with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Barbora Balintova (173-PG-94) scored 15 points, while Angelika Slamova (173-G-94) added 14 pts, 5 boards and 6 assists. In defeat, Mariya Davydova (189-F/C-93) collected 17 points and 7 rebs. Their second scorer were Albina Razheva (186-F-94) (9 rebs) and Ksenia Tikhonenko (190-F/C-93, agency: RIZO) (5 rebs) with 10 points each. Quarters: 13-19, 17-16, 7-12, 19-17. Slovakia will meet Lithuania today. Russia will play against Ukraine.

Lithuania - Ukraine 41-59
Ukraine had no troubles to beat Lithuania 59-41 yesterday in Oradea. It was the first game of the Classification Group G. Participants of this pool are also Slovakia and Russia, but only two teams will manage to survive in U18 EuroBasket Division A. Miriam Uro-Nile (190-C-94) led the scorers in Ukraine with 12 points (7 rebounds). Lyudmyla Naumenko (184-F-93) had 11 points and 7 boards, while Kateryna Demchenko (180-F-93) helped with 8 points and 9 rebounds. In the loosing squad, Viktorija Juodeikyte (163-PG-93) collected 9 points and 5 rebounds. Their second scorers were Ieva Preskienyte (193-C-93) (9 rebs) and Monika Aleksaite (178-F-93) (5 rebs) with 7 points each. Quarters: 12-15, 9-14, 8-15, 12-15. Today, Ukraine will meet Russia. Lithuania will play against Slovakia.

Division B, Day Four: Beginning of Qualifying Round - by Eurobasket News

Group E

Portugal - Belarus 37-67
Belarus registered another easy win in Miskolc. They cruised past Portugal 67-37 for perfect 3-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Maryna Ivashchanka (190-C-93) led her team with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Maryia Papova (183-F-94) had 14 points and 8 rebounds, while Hanna Kalenta (187-C-94) added 11 points and 6 boards. Thanks to this win Belarus already booked a ticket for the Quarterfinals. On the other side, Portugal dropped to 0-3. Their chances to reach the next stage still exist. Joana Jesus (173-G-93) scored 9 points for Portugal in this game. Jessica Almeida (172-PG-93) stopped to 7. Quarters: 9-25, 10-11, 6-12, 12-19. Belarus will meet Hungary today. Portugal will play against Bulgaria.

Hungary - Germany 91-72
Both teams had 1-1 record before this meeting. Hungary celebrated 91-72 win against Germany yesterday to take third place in Qualifying Group E. At the same time, Germany dropped to fourth position. Thanks to this win Hungary came very close to Quarterfinals, while Germany also has a chance to reach it, despite this defeat. Fanni Szabo (181-G-94) led the winners with 20 points. Janka Hegedus (184-F-94) had 16 points, while Zsofia Licskai (191-F/C-93) added 12 points and 11 rebs. In Germany, Sophie Eder (178-F-93) delivered 18 points. Elisabeth Dzirma (179-G-94) and Fanny Szittya (170-PG-94) added 13 and 12 points respectively. Quarters: 28-28, 21-11, 18-12, 24-21. In the next game Hungary will play against Belarus. The next rival of Germany will be Croatia.

Bulgaria - Croatia 63-79
Croatia stays on the winning track in Mickols. They handed 79-63 loss to Bulgaria for perfect 3-0 score in Qualifying Group E. With this victory Croatia already booked a spot for the Quarterfinals of U18 EuroBasket, Division B. Bulgaria is in bad situation with 0-3 score now, but they still have a chance to reach the next stage. Ivana Tikvic (189-C-94) was a key player for the winners with 19 points and 10 rebounds. She reached valuation 24 and was the MVP of this meeting. Glorija Sikiric (190-C-93) had 14 points and 8 rebs, while Iva Cigic (174-PG-94) added 12 pts. In Bulgaria, Iva Kostova (172-F-94) delivered 15 points. Their second scorers were Kristina Peychinova (174-C-94) and Radostina Dimitrova (175-F-94) with 11 points. Quarters: 23-21, 12-22, 18-16, 10-20. The next rival of Croatia will be Germany. Bulgaria will meet Portugal also today.

Group F

Norway - Finland 47-72
Nothing new in Miskolc. Finland continued with victories and this time their rival was Norway. Finland blasted them 72-47 for 3-0 record in Qualifying Group F and they already booked a ticket for the Quarterfinals. Norway is in bad situation now with 0-3 record. Annika Holopainen (186-F/C-93) came up with 23 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Sophie Weckstrom (170-PG-93) was their second scorer with 10 points, while Noora Korhonen (182-F-94) added 9 points and 6 rebs. In defeat, Stine Austgulen (177-G-94) was way better than the others with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Lise Breivik (181-F-93) and Julie McCarthy (186-C-93) (14 rebs) netted 11 and 10 points respectively. Quarters: 14-18, 13-18, 6-22, 14-14. Today, Finland will meet Latvia. Norway will play against Denmark.

Latvia - Israel 64-58
Valuable win for Latvia in the first game of the Qualifying Round in Miskolc. They handed 64-58 loss to Israel for 2-1 record in Group F. On the other side, Israel dropped to 1-2 in this pool. Latvia is on the right track for the Quarterfinals at U18 EuroBasket Division B, while Israel also has chance despite this defeat. Guna Lagzdina (187-C-93) exploded with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Ance Aizsila (172-G-94) scored 17 points and Renate Reine (176-G-94) had 13 points, plus 9 boards. Israel got 14 points from Nof Kedem (170-G-94). Their second scorers were Hadar Levi (170-PG-94) and Keren Mozes (176-F-93) with 8 points each. Quarters: 23-11, 17-18, 9-16, 15-13. Latvia will meet Finland today. Israel will play against Greece.

Denmark - Greece 42-61
Greece extended their winning streak in Miskolc. This time Greece blasted Denmark 61-42 for 3-0 record in Qualifying Group F. It is already enough for the Quarterfinals at this event (U18 EuroBasket, Division B). Denmark dropped to 0-3 in this pool and they are not in good situation now. Vasiliki Tarla (181-F-94) was the leading player in Greece with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Artemis Spanou (190-F/C-93) had 12 points and 13 rebs, while Anthoula Chatzigiakoumi (187-F-92) added 11 pts in this victory. In Denmark, Maria Jespersen (179-G-94) (9 rebs) and Mathilde Fogelstrom (184-PG-93) (6 rebs) scored 11 points each. Ena Viso (177-F-93) had 7 pts, plus 11 boards. Quarters: 18-12, 5-17, 12-17, 7-15. Greece will meet Israel today. Denmark will play against Norway in Scandinavian derby.

Group G

United Kingdom - Austria 62-50
United Kingdom started with victory in Group G. They outplayed Austria 62-50 for 1-0 record in this pool. Two teams will meet again until the end of U18 EuroBasket, Division B. Lana Doran (172-G/F-93) came up with 17 points and 5 rebounds in victory. Rosie Hynes (172-PG-93) had 9 points and 5 rebs, while Chantel Charles (178-G-94) added 7 pts, plus 6 rebs. In defeat, Sigrid Koizar (173-PG-95) delivered 10 points. Their second scorer was Julia Pocksteiner (177-G-93) with 9 points, but she had only 4/16 for FG2 (valuation -6). Quarters: 16-4, 22-10, 10-16, 14-20. Today, UK will play against Luxembourg. Austria will meet Switzerland.

Switzerland - Luxembourg 55-77
It was the first game of Group G in Miskolc. Luxembourg did a great job beating Switzerland 77-55. Participants of the same pool are also United Kingdom and Austria. Lena Hetto (184-F-93) was a key player in victory with 28 points. Lynn Kauffmann (174-PG-94) had 11 points and Nadia Marcus (173-G-93) helped with 10 pts, plus 6 rebounds. In defeat, Geraldine Mentha (183-F-94) was better than the others with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Nadage Clement (184-C-93) stopped to 9 pts. Quarters: 15-19, 13-25, 13-22, 14-11. Today, Luxembourg will meet United Kingdom. Switzerland will play against Austria.

Div.A Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Emma MEESSEMAN
(192-C-93)
Avg: 16.8

1. Meesseman, BEL	16.8
2. Zahui, SWE	16.3
3. Cakir, TUR	15.3
4. Miloszewska, POL	14.0
5. Kovacevic, SRB	13.3
6. Vyoralova, CZE	13.3
7. Kavurmaciogl., TUR	13.3
8. Ndour, ESP	13.0
9. Slamova, SVK	13.0
10. Satoranska, CZE	13.0

Rebounds Per Game

Emma MEESSEMAN
(192-C-93)
Avg: 12

1. Meesseman, BEL	12.0
2. Preskienyte, LTU	11.0
3. Oroszova, SVK	10.5
4. Naumenko, UKR	10.3
5. Miloszewska, POL	9.5
6. Ursu, ROM	9.0
7. Chek, UKR	8.8
8. Zahui, SWE	8.8
9. Kavurmaciogl., TUR	8.8
10. Topuzovic, SRB	8.5

Assists Per Game

Aleksandra STANACEV
(167-PG-94)
Avg: 4.8

1. Stanacev, SRB	4.8
2. Vanloo, BEL	4.3
3. Nystrom, SWE	4.0
4. Juodeikyte, LTU	4.0
5. Gabrovsek, SLO	3.3
6. Bernies, FRA	3.0
7. Cakir, TUR	2.8
8. Vilaro, ESP	2.8
9. Ryavkina, RUS	2.5
10. Vyoralova, CZE	2.5

Steals Per Game

Emma MEESSEMAN
(192-C-93)
Avg: 5

1. Meesseman, BEL	5.0
2. Diaz, ESP	3.8
3. Zanoguera, ESP	3.5
4. Ursu, ROM	3.3
5. Abramovic, SLO	3.3
6. Vyoralova, CZE	3.3
7. Stanacev, SRB	3.0
8. Ryavkina, RUS	3.0
9. Oroszova, SVK	3.0
10. Gabrovsek, SLO	2.8

Blocks Per Game

Emma MEESSEMAN
(192-C-93)
Avg: 3.3

1. Meesseman, BEL	3.3
2. Ndour, ESP	2.8
3. Preskienyte, LTU	2.3
4. Ruban, UKR	1.5
5. Zahui, SWE	1.5
6. Salacova, CZE	1.5
7. Cornelie, FRA	1.5
8. Tikhonenko, RUS	1.3
9. Oroszova, SVK	1.3
10. Van Der Keij., NED	1.3

Div.B Stats Leaders - by Greg

Points Per Game

Lena HETTO
(184-F-93)
Avg: 23.3

1. Hetto, LUX	23.3
2. Holopainen, FIN	19.0
3. Tikvic, CRO	18.3
4. Spanou, GRE	18.0
5. Austgulen, NOR	17.3
6. Kostova, BUL	17.0
7. Iiskola, FIN	16.0
8. Szamosi, HUN	15.3
9. Jesus, POR	14.3
10. Chatzigiakou., GRE	14.3

Rebounds Per Game

Christina GASKIN
(188-F/C-93)
Avg: 11.5

1. Gaskin, ENG	11.5
2. Lagzdina, LAT	10.5
3. Tikvic, CRO	10.0
4. Spanou, GRE	9.8
5. McCarthy, NOR	9.3
6. Papova, BLR	8.8
7. Judit, HUN	8.5
8. Kalenta, BLR	8.3
9. Viso, DEN	7.8
10. Holopainen, FIN	7.5

Assists Per Game

Anette JUVONEN
(170-G-93)
Avg: 4.3

1. Juvonen, FIN	4.3
2. Szabo, HUN	3.5
3. Sikiric, CRO	2.8
4. Kantara, GRE	2.8
5. Levi, ISR	2.8
6. Tikvic, CRO	2.7
7. Iiskola, FIN	2.5
8. Szittya, GER	2.5
9. Dzankic, CRO	2.3
10. Seilund, DEN	2.3

Steals Per Game

Ivana TIKVIC
(189-C-94)
Avg: 4

1. Tikvic, CRO	4.0
2. Reine, LAT	3.5
3. Szabo, HUN	3.5
4. Chatzigiakou., GRE	3.3
5. Almeida, POR	3.3
6. Cigic, CRO	3.0
7. Lipinskaya, BLR	2.5
8. Neves, POR	2.3
9. Slouka, GRE	2.3
10. Papova, BLR	2.3

Blocks Per Game

Ivana TIKVIC
(189-C-94)
Avg: 2.7

1. Tikvic, CRO	2.7
2. Gaskin, ENG	2.5
3. Chatzigiakou., GRE	1.8
4. Kalenta, BLR	1.8
5. Judit, HUN	1.5
6. Fouraki, GRE	1.5
7. Breivik, NOR	1.5
8. Begic, CRO	1.3
9. Ivashchanka, BLR	1.0
10. Mamic, CRO	1.0

Standings - Division B - by Eurobasket News

Standings Div.B

Group E
1. Belarus		3-0
2. Croatia		3-0
3. Hungary		2-1
4. Germany		1-2
5. Bulgaria		0-3
6. Portugal		0-3
Group F
1. Finland		3-0
2. Greece		3-0
3. Latvia		2-1
4. Israel		1-2
5. Denmark		0-3
6. Norway		0-3
Group Places 13-16
1. U.Kingdom		1-0
2. Luxembourg		1-0
3. Switzerland		0-1
4. Austria		0-1

W-Standings - Group A

Standings

Group E
1. Spain		3-0
2. Sweden		3-0
3. Turkey		2-1
4. Poland		1-2
5. Romania		0-3
6. Slovenia		0-3
Group F
1. Belgium		3-0
2. France		3-0
3. Serbia		2-1
4. Holland		1-2
5. Italy		0-3
6. Czech Rep.		0-3
Group Places 13-16
1. Slovakia		1-0
2. Ukraine		1-0
3. Lithuania		0-1
4. Russia		0-1

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FINLAND - Women

U18 Finland improves to 3-0 in Group F - by Eurobasket News
U18 NORWAY - U18 FINLAND 47-72

Nothing new in Miskolc. Finland continued with victories and this time their rival was Norway. Finland blasted them 72-47 for 3-0 record in Qualifying Group F and they already booked a ticket for the Quarterfinals. Norway is in bad situation now with 0-3 record. Annika Holopainen (186-F/C-93) came up with 23 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Sophie Weckstrom (170-PG-93) was their second scorer with 10 points, while Noora Korhonen (182-F-94) added 9 points and 6 rebs. In defeat, Stine Austgulen (177-G-94) was way better than the others with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Lise Breivik (181-F-93) and Julie McCarthy (186-C-93) (14 rebs) netted 11 and 10 points respectively. Quarters: 14-18, 13-18, 6-22, 14-14. Today, Finland will meet Latvia. Norway will play against Denmark.

Norway: Stine Austgulen 20+6 boards, Lise Breivik 11, Julie McCarthy 10+14 boards
Finland: Annika Holopainen 23+9 boards, Sophie Weckstrom 10, Noora Korhonen 9+6 boards

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FRANCE - Women

U18 France enjoys another win in Oradea - by Eurobasket News
U18 ITALY - U18 FRANCE 40-47

France keeps winning in Oradea. Their rival was Italy yesterday and France registered 47-40 victory for 3-0 record in Qualifying Group F. With this win a Quarterfinals ticket is already secured for France. Italy dropped to 0-3 in this pool. Romane Bernies (170-PG-93) led the scorers in victory with 11 points. Margaux Galliou (184-F-93) and Esther Niamke (164-PG-93) delivered 7 points each. Ashley Ravelli (177-G-93) answered with 12 points in defeat. Their second scorer was Chiara Terenzi (184-F/C-93) with just 6 points. Quarters: 3-14, 13-8, 9-12, 15-13. In the next game France will play against Serbia. Italy will meet Czech Republic.

Italy: Ashley Ravelli 12, Chiara Terenzi 6
France: Romane Bernies 11, Margaux Galliou 7, Esther Niamke 7

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GERMANY - Women

U18 Hungary cruises past U18 Germany 91-72 - by Eurobasket News
U18 HUNGARY - U18 GERMANY 91-72

Both teams had 1-1 record before this meeting. Hungary celebrated 91-72 win against Germany yesterday to take third place in Qualifying Group E. At the same time, Germany dropped to fourth position. Thanks to this win Hungary came very close to Quarterfinals, while Germany also has a chance to reach it, despite this defeat. Fanni Szabo (181-G-94) led the winners with 20 points. Janka Hegedus (184-F-94) had 16 points, while Zsofia Licskai (191-F/C-93) added 12 points and 11 rebs. In Germany, Sophie Eder (178-F-93) delivered 18 points. Elisabeth Dzirma (179-G-94) and Fanny Szittya (170-PG-94) added 13 and 12 points respectively. Quarters: 28-28, 21-11, 18-12, 24-21. In the next game Hungary will play against Belarus. The next rival of Germany will be Croatia.

Hungary: Fanni Szabo 20, Janka Hegedus 16, Zsofia Licskai 12+11 boards
Germany: Sophie Eder 18, Elisabeth Dzirma 13, Fanny Szittya 12

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GREECE - Women

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HOLLAND - Women

Kovacevic and Stanacev pace U18 Serbia to 60-51 win against U18 Holland - by Eurobasket News
U18 HOLLAND - U18 SERBIA 51-60

It was a very important game for both teams. They entered to this meeting with 1-1 record and after 60-51 victory Serbia jumped to third place in Qualifying Group F. At the same time, Holland dropped to position No.4. Thanks to this win Serbia came very close to the Quarterfinals, while Holland also has a chance to reach it. Natasa Kovacevic (187-F-94) stepped up for Serbia with double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. Aleksandra Stanacev (167-PG-94) secured a great help adding 18 points and 7 assists. In Holland, Kourtney Treffers (186-F-94) was better than the others with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Richelle Van Der Keijl (196-C-93) (7 rebs) and Maxime Essenstam (189-C-93) netted 13 points each. Quarters: 13-11, 17-11, 8-17, 13-21. Today, Serbia will meet France. Holland will play against Belgium.

Holland: Kourtney Treffers 14+5 boards, Richelle Van Der Keijl 13+7 boards, Maxime Essenstam 13
Serbia: Natasa Kovacevic 21+10 boards, Aleksandra Stanacev 18+7 as

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HUNGARY - Women

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ISRAEL - Women

U18 Latvia jumps to 2-1 in Group F - by Eurobasket News
U18 LATVIA - U18 ISRAEL 64-58

Valuable win for Latvia in the first game of the Qualifying Round in Miskolc. They handed 64-58 loss to Israel for 2-1 record in Group F. On the other side, Israel dropped to 1-2 in this pool. Latvia is on the right track for the Quarterfinals at U18 EuroBasket Division B, while Israel also has chance despite this defeat. Guna Lagzdina (187-C-93) exploded with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Ance Aizsila (172-G-94) scored 17 points and Renate Reine (176-G-94) had 13 points, plus 9 boards. Israel got 14 points from Nof Kedem (170-G-94). Their second scorers were Hadar Levi (170-PG-94) and Keren Mozes (176-F-93) with 8 points each. Quarters: 23-11, 17-18, 9-16, 15-13. Latvia will meet Finland today. Israel will play against Greece.

Latvia: Guna Lagzdina 18+11 boards, Ance Aizsila 17, Renate Reine 13+9 boards
Israel: Nof Kedem 14, Hadar Levi 8, Keren Mozes 8

RAMAT HASHARON COMPLETES THE ROSTER ! - by Gil Goshen

Ramat Hasharon completes the roster for the season 2011-12 by signing Jessica Breland:

2010-2011: N.Carolina (NCAA, starting five): 34 games: 12.4ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.6apg, 1.1spg, 1.9bpg, FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 24.0%, FT: 65.7%
2011: drafted by Minnesota Lynx (WNBA, 2rd (13)
2011: New York Liberty (WNBA), in July joined Connecticut Sun (WNBA) for a 7-day contract
.
Jessica will join to Jia Perkins, Maurita reid and Porsha Phillips. Jessica Breland (190-F-88, college: N.Carolina)

B.C HABIKAA COMPLETED THE ROSTER.!. - by Gil Goshen

B.C Habikaa completed the roster for the season 2011-12 by signing the following players:

QUENESE DAVIS:

2008-2009: San Diego St. (NCAA, starting five): 32 games: 11.7ppg, 4.1rpg, 5.8apg, 2.3spg, FGP: 38.0%, 3Pts: 36.7%, FT: 85.6%
2009-2010: San Diego St. (NCAA, starting five): 34 games: 13.2ppg, 5.5rpg, 5.0apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 44.7%, 3PT: 40.7%, FT: 81.9%
2010-2011: Flying Foxes Post SV Wien (Austria-AWBL, starting five).

JENNA SMITH:

2010-2011: Reze Nantes Basket 44 (France-LFB): French League: 11 games: 9.0ppg, 6.2rpg, FGP: 51.1%, FT: 70.0%; EuroCup: 8 games: 12.0ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.4apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 57.5%, 3PT: 14.3%, FT: 81.8%, in Jan.'11 moved to MBK Ruzomberok (Slovakia-Extraliga): 21 games: 14.5ppg, 8.5rpg, 1.9apg, 2.2spg, 1.1bpg, 2FGP: 59.2%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 75.9%.

they will join to Amanda Thompson and Stevenson Neshia.
Jenna Smith (191-C-88, college: Illinois)

CHASTITY REED SIGNED WITH PETACH-TYKVA - by Gil Goshen

The new team in div 1 Hapoel Petach - Tykva signed
Chasity Reed:
2009-2010: UALR (NCAA, starting five): 34 games: 24.8ppg, 7.8rpg, 2.4apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 45.8%, FT: 76.1%
2010-2011: UALR (NCAA, starting five): 29 games: 19.6ppg, 6.2rpg, 3.1apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 43.4%, 3PT: 31.0%, FT: 70.1%
2011: drafted by Tulsa Shock (WNBA, 3rd (25)
2011: Tulsa Shock (WNBA), left in July
All-Sun Belt Player of the Year -11
All-Sun Belt All-Tournament MVP -11. Chastity Reed (185-F-89, college: UALR)

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ITALY - Women

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KENYA - Women

Co-op Bank women's team stopped Strathmore University - by Eurobasket News
Co-op Bank women's team stopped Strathmore University 43-41, Western Delight hit Kenya Polytechnic University 54-28 while Sprite Storms walloped KCA University 60-19 in the women's premier league.

In the lower division, University of Nairobi Terrorists beat Kenya Navy 58-42, Nakuru Club rolled over Nairobi Aviation Club 63-47 while Lakeside hit Kenya Polytechnic University 58-56. Kenya Airways maintained their unbeaten run in the Nairobi Basketball Association (NBA) league when they beat Little Prince 97-65.

Neosasa Morans hit Legacy 49-43 while Friends of Basketball lost 32-60 to Baraka Xtreme. Dolphins lost 33-49 to Strathmore University, KU Pirates went down 46-57 to Barclays Bank while Heroes were denied 62-69 by Old Pirates.
Courtesy of: Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

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LATVIA - Women

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LITHUANIA - Women

U18 Ukraine hands 59-41 loss to U18 Lithuania - by Eurobasket News
U18 LITHUANIA - U18 UKRAINE 41-59

Ukraine had no troubles to beat Lithuania 59-41 yesterday in Oradea. It was the first game of the Classification Group G. Participants of this pool are also Slovakia and Russia, but only two teams will manage to survive in U18 EuroBasket Division A. Miriam Uro-Nile (190-C-94) led the scorers in Ukraine with 12 points (7 rebounds). Lyudmyla Naumenko (184-F-93) had 11 points and 7 boards, while Kateryna Demchenko (180-F-93) helped with 8 points and 9 rebounds. In the loosing squad, Viktorija Juodeikyte (163-PG-93) collected 9 points and 5 rebounds. Their second scorers were Ieva Preskienyte (193-C-93) (9 rebs) and Monika Aleksaite (178-F-93) (5 rebs) with 7 points each. Quarters: 12-15, 9-14, 8-15, 12-15. Today, Ukraine will meet Russia. Lithuania will play against Slovakia.

Lithuania: Viktorija Juodeikyte 9+5 boards, Ieva Preskienyte 7+9 boards, Monika Aleksaite 7+5 boards
Ukraine: Miriam Uro-Nile 12+7 boards, Lyudmyla Naumenko 11+7 boards, Kateryna Demchenko 8+9 boards

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LUXEMBOURG - Women

Lena Hetto lifts U18 Luxembourg to first win in Miskolc - by Eurobasket News
U18 SWITZERLAND - U18 LUXEMBOURG 55-77

It was the first game of Group G in Miskolc. Luxembourg did a great job beating Switzerland 77-55. Participants of the same pool are also United Kingdom and Austria. Lena Hetto (184-F-93) was a key player in victory with 28 points. Lynn Kauffmann (174-PG-94) had 11 points and Nadia Marcus (173-G-93) helped with 10 pts, plus 6 rebounds. In defeat, Geraldine Mentha (183-F-94) was better than the others with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Nadage Clement (184-C-93) stopped to 9 pts. Quarters: 15-19, 13-25, 13-22, 14-11. Today, Luxembourg will meet United Kingdom. Switzerland will play against Austria.

Switzerland: Geraldine Mentha 14+14 boards, Nadage Clement 9
Luxembourg: Lena Hetto 28, Lynn Kauffmann 11, Nadia Marcus 10+6 boards

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NIGERIA - Women

Basketball - First Deepwater in Superb Form - by Eurobasket News
Defending champion of the Zenith Bank Women Basketball League, First Deepwater basketball club on Saturday continue its impressive run in the second phase of the league holding in Akure, Ondo State with a 96-38 points defeat of Plateau Rocks of Jos in Day-2 of the phase.

First Deepwater ladies tutored by Coach Lateef 'LATUA' Erinfolami only last Friday survived the stiff challenge posed by host of the second phase Sunshine Angels with a 72-71 points win were in superb form against the Plateau Rocks of Jos from the blast of the jump-ball to the buzzer winning in all four quarters by 25-06, 19-13, 10-22-10 and 30-09.

Team owner, Babatunde Babalola urge the players to remain focus and keep a clean slate at the end of the second phase going into the final phase billed for Lagos later in the year.

The chief executive of the club's parent company First Deepwater Discovery Limited promised the players and their handlers a juicy reward if they can retain the title it won last season after breaking the hold of First Bank basketball club after ten years of ruling the Nigeria local scene.

First Deepwater basketball club currently top the ten-team league with a 10-1 records.

In other games played Saturday former champion, First Bank make mince meat of Delta Force of Asaba with a 100-43 points. Dolphins recorded a narrow 68-65 points victory over FCT Angels of Abuja. Customs went down to host Sunshine Angels by 31-69 points just as Immigration slump to AHIP also of Kano by 36-49 points.

Action continue today with five games on the bill, Platuea Rocks will take on Customs; Delta Force will try her luck against host Sunshine Angels, AHIP Queens battles FCT Angels, former champion First Bank will take to the floor against Immigration while First Deepwater get a match-up against Dolphins while Tuesday will be observed as rest day.
Courtesy of: Daily Trust

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NORWAY - Women

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POLAND - Women

U18 Turkey grabs 76-65 OT win against U18 Poland - by Eurobasket News
U18 POLAND - U18 TURKEY 65-76 OT

It was one of the most exciting games in Oradea so far. Turkey grabbed 76-65 victory against Poland and they needed an OT to do it. Both teams had 1-1 record before this meeting and now Turkey jumped to third place in Group E. Poland dropped to position No.4, but still has a good chance to reach the Quarterfinals. Ozge Kavurmacioglu (187-F-93) top-scored for the winners with 22 points and she pulled down 11 rebounds beside that. Olcay Cakir (180-PG-93) had 21 points, 6 boards and 6 assists, while Ferda Yildiz (182-F-93) added 13 pts. In defeat, Dominika Miloszewska (186-C-94) responded with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Dominika Owczarzak (166-G-94) (5 rebs) and Kinga Wozniak (170-PG-94) (5 resb) stopped to 13 and 11 points respectively. Quarters: 17-14, 14-21, 17-10, 15-18, 2-13 OT. Today, Turkey will meet Spain. Poland will play against also undefeated Sweden.

Poland: Dominika Miloszewska 19+8 boards, Dominika Owczarzak 13+5 boards, Kinga Wozniak 11+5 boards
Turkey: Ozge Kavurmacioglu 22+11 boards, Olcay Cakir 21+6 boards+6 as, Ferda Yildiz 13

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PORTUGAL - Women

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PUERTO RICO - Women

Standings - Women

BSNF Standings

1. Aguas B.T.		0-0
2. Carolina G.		0-0
3. Guaynabo M.		0-0
4. Juncos V.		0-0
5. Morovis M.		0-0
6. Ponce L.		0-0
7. San German		0-0
8. San Juan W.		0-0

Stats Leaders - Superleague 25

BSNF Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

1 Michael, CRO 27.4
2 Martin, GUY 25.6
3 Valentin, CAR 21.7
4 Guzman, JUN 21.6
5 Rosado, MOR 19.9

Rebounds Per Game

1 Jones, SJU 16.3
2 Atkinson, MAY 15.4
3 Karcic, PON 14.7
4 Jones, MOR 13.2
5 Michael, CRO 12.0

Assists Per Game

1 Cabrera, JUN 8.2
2 Adams, CRO 6.0
3 Cook, CRO 5.5
4 Willis, MOR 4.9
5 Pacheco, MAY 4.8

Steals Per Game

1 Karcic, PON 3.6
2 Sepulveda, GUY 2.7
3 Jones, MOR 2.5

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ROMANIA - Women

U18 Spain smashes U18 Romania 73-25, keeps perfect score - by Eurobasket News
U18 ROMANIA - U18 SPAIN 25-73

Spain demonstrated their power in the first game of the Qualifying Round in Oradea. They destroyed the host of U18 EuroBasket 73-25 jumping to 3-0 record in Group E. Spain already secured a ticket for the Quarterfinals. At the same time, Romania dropped to 0-3 in this pool. They still have some chances to reach the next stage. Astou Ndour (196-C-94) once again was the leading player in Spain with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Yurena Diaz (177-G-93) had 9 points and Inmaculada Zanoguera (183-F-93) added 7 points, plus 8 boards. All Spanish players managed to score in this game and each of them played at least ten minutes. In Romania, Sonia Ursu (175-G/F-93) collected 10 points and 9 rebounds. All other players had less than 5 pts. Quarters: 5-13, 8-21, 7-17, 5-22. In the next game, Spain will play against Turkey. Romania will take on also winless Slovenia.

Romania: Sonia Ursu 10+9 boards
Spain: Astou Ndour 13+12 boards, Yurena Diaz 9, Inmaculada Zanoguera 7+8 boards

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RUSSIA - Women

U18 Slovakia starts with victory in Group G - by Eurobasket News
U18 RUSSIA - U18 SLOVAKIA 56-64

Slovakia made a first step forward to the survival in Division A. It was the first game of Group G and Slovakia managed to beat Russia 64-56. There are five more days to be played in this group. Sabina Oroszova (187-F-93) shined for Slovakia with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Barbora Balintova (173-PG-94) scored 15 points, while Angelika Slamova (173-G-94) added 14 pts, 5 boards and 6 assists. In defeat, Mariya Davydova (189-F/C-93) collected 17 points and 7 rebs. Their second scorer were Albina Razheva (186-F-94) (9 rebs) and Ksenia Tikhonenko (190-F/C-93, agency: RIZO) (5 rebs) with 10 points each. Quarters: 13-19, 17-16, 7-12, 19-17. Slovakia will meet Lithuania today. Russia will play against Ukraine.

Russia: Mariya Davydova 17+7 boards, Albina Razheva 10+9 boards, Ksenia Tikhonenko 10+5 boards
Slovakia: Sabina Oroszova 16+11 boards, Barbora Balintova 15, Angelika Slamova 14+5 boards+6 as

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SERBIA - Women

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SLOVAKIA - Women

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SLOVENIA - Women

U18 Sweden stays perfect in Oradea - by Eurobasket News
U18 SLOVENIA - U18 SWEDEN 42-64

Sweden demonstrated another great performance in Oradea. They handed 64-42 loss to Slovenia for perfect 3-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Thanks to this win Sweden already secured a ticket for the Quarterfinals. On the other side, Slovenia dropped to 0-3. They still have hopes to reach the next stage. Amanda Zahui (191-C-93) shined in victory with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Ulrica Holmqvist (184-C-93) scored 9 pts, while Nathalie Fontaine (183-F-93) added 8 points, plus 6 boards. In Slovenia, Alina Gjerkes (177-F-94) was better than the others with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Their second scorer was Ursa Zibert (172-PG-93) with 9 pts. Quarters: 8-16, 11-10, 7-25, 16-13. In the next game Sweden will meet Poland, while Slovenia will take on the host Romania.

Slovenia: Alina Gjerkes 11+5 boards, Ursa Zibert 9
Sweden: Amanda Zahui 16+7 nboards, Ulrica Holmqvist 9, Nathalie Fontaine 8+6 boards

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SPAIN - Women

ORION-GDKO add Ana Roman, Martin stays with Arxil - by Eurobasket News
ORION-GDKO add Ana Roman (192-C-82) for the next season. The Spanish Center comes from Bembibre where she finished last season.
In 2007-2008 Ana Roman started for Alumisan Pio XII (LF2) and in 30 games averaged 5.5ppg, 3.6rpg, 2FGP: 44.0%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 50.0%. In
2008-2009 for Alumisan Pio XII (LF2) she improved to 9.1ppg, 4.4rpg, 2FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 38.0%, FT: 69.0%. In 2009-2010 moved to CB Pio XII Santiago de Compostela (LF2) and in 39 games had 5.4ppg, 2.2rpg, 2FGP: 56%, 3PT: 29%, FT: 58%. In her last season there she had 5.6ppg, 3.4rpg, 2FGP: 57.0%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 76.9%.
Ana Martin (178-F/C-82) meanwhile remains with C.B. Arxil Comervia (LF2) where she joined in 2007. In her first season she averaged 4.7ppg, 2.6rpg. In 2010-2011 for C.B. Arxil Pontevedra (LF2, starting five) she played in 52 games and improved to 5.8ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.1apg, 2FGP: 44.0%, 3PT: 19.4%, FT: 73.8%. Moreover the team announced her to be the captain for the next season.
El Celta meanwhile confirmed Brazilian Damiris Dantas (192-C-92) for the next season.

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SWEDEN - Women

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SWITZERLAND - Women

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TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Women

National women take silver in CBC - by Don Farrell

SILVER TEAM: T&T CBC 2011 team from back row, from left, Miriam Seale, Pietra Gay-Ifill, Chenel Harris, Melissa Guerero, Ayanna Phillip, Jonee Billy, Rachael King. Front row Jowan Ortega, Annola Charles, Tonya Aaron. Point Guard Melissa Guerero saved her best performance for last as she scored an outstanding 33 points helping T&T to secure the silver medals after defeating the Dominican Republic 82-76 in the final match of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championship on Sunday. Another guard Jowan Ortega netted 17 points while forward Chenel Harris netted 13 in T&Ts highest points total of the tournament which was staged at the Sir Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium in Nassau, Bahamas. Following T&Ts opening loss, to the eventual gold medal winners Cuba, results began to improve with victories coming in the final four straight matches in which the point totals steadily inclined. On Wednesday, the opening day of the championship, T&T failed to challenge Cuba and were easily beaten 80-32.

On day two, T&T were faced against the hosts, the Bahamas and displayed a more credible performance taking a 49-45 win. Subsequent respectable wins against St Vincent (73-59), and the Virgin Islands (76-68) on Friday and Saturday saw T&T soar into second place, a position they would maintain into the final day of competition. T&T then sealed their second place finish in the competition with a surprise win over the Dominican Republic, which may have been regarded as favourites to the neutral going into the match. Cuba, the outright favourites, won all of their matches without scoring less than 80 points in either of the five. The Virgin Islands finished third winning three and losing two of their matches. Dominican Republic placed fourth with two wins and a draw. Bahamas were fifth with one win and four losses while St Vincent finished last place without a win.

guardian

.

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TURKEY - Women

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UKRAINE - Women

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UNITED KINGDOM - Women

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WBCBL - Women

Rock County repeats as National Champin WBCBL Tourney - by Willie McCray
By Jim Franz jfranz@beloitdailynews.com |

Rock County repeats as national champin WBCBL tourney

Cecil Youngblood was asked last season after his first-year Rock County Robins won the Women's Blue Chip Basketball League national championship what they could possibly do for an encore.
The head coach said there were two options.
We can quit or we can go out and try to win another one, he said.
The Robins chose the latter and Sunday at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Ga., they successfully repeated as national champs by downing the Orlando Extreme in the finals, 85-73.
Sparked by a player who a week ago wasn't even expected to suit up for the 12-team national tournament, the Robins (12-3 overall) went 3-0 over the weekend.
Former Northern Illinois University standout guard Marke Freeman missed the Robins regional tournament games due to a fracture in her foot. Youngblood expected her to be sidelined for nationals as well, but she received clearance from her doctor last Wednesday to play.
She not only saw action, she scored 10 of her team-leading 19 points in the fourth quarter of Sundays title game. Freeman was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and the Robins hit nine bombs in the game.
She came to practice and she was moving really well, Youngblood said in a telephone interview from Atlanta Sunday night. You could tell in the title game she was starting to get her game back and we needed her. Things were getting sluggish and she knew she could take the person guarding her and either get the ball to Krystal (Ellis) or Stephanie (Raymond) or take it to the rim to score or get fouled.
The Robins had good balance with four players in double figures. Raymond, one of just three holdovers from last years title team (with Crystal Lambert and Barbara Williams), chipped in three treys, 15 points and a team-high seven assists. Williams had another double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds while Alyssa Green matched her 14 points. Ebony Ellis had seven points to go with 13 rebounds.
The Extreme held the Robins usual leading scorer, Krystal Ellis, to nine points.
They shadowed her, but she still got a couple big baskets when we needed them in the fourth quarter, Youngblood said. Shes such a good scorer that people forget what a good defender she is. We played real good defense in the title game and the tournament in general.
The coach said rebounding was key in the game. After taking a 42-34 halftime lead, the Robins let the Extreme tie the game at 44-44 mainly by allowing offensive rebounds.
After they tied it, they might have got one more offensive rebound, Youngblood said. The way Ebony and Barb controlled the boards after that was huge.
Ellis had a team-high 22 points and also four rebounds in Rock County's 67-50 semifinal win over the Lowcountry Fire from Charleston, S.C. Freeman had 18 points.
That was a close game until we put together a run, Youngblood said. Having Marke there helped Stephanie because with the additional depth she could be more aggressive. She was very aggressive in that game and spurred the decisive run.
Saturday, the Robins opened with an 89-72 victory over the Arkansas Starz as Raymond led all scorers with 27 points. The former NIU and Rockford prep star has signed a contract to play for a pro team in Poland later this month.
Tournament organizers reconsidered a double-elimination format and the event was single elimination, which was just fine by Youngblood.
Teams would really have been worn out with all those extra games, he said.
Youngblood said the competition overall was better than 2010.
Teams were good last year, but overall, they were better this year, he said. We were fortunate we played in the region we did because it was really tough and got us ready us for this. I think any one of our region teams would have done some damage here.
The Robins were surprise winners in 2010 and that may not have changed much.
I think some people were surprised we were back again, Youngblood said. Teams from Texas and Virginia and Florida were asking where were from and when wed say Wisconsin they were shocked. They didn't know we played basketball like this up here.
Youngblood isn't shocked his team happens to be the best out of 55 WBCBL teams in 20 states.
I knew we were good enough to do it, he said. Even when we had those two losses in Minnesota at the start of the season. When we played them as well as we did, I knew wed have a pretty good team again.

Lowcountry Fire reaches National Semifinals - by Willie McCray
Atlanta, GA
- THE POST AND COURIER

The Charleston Lowcountry Fire defeated the Atlanta Battlecats 98-96, in triple overtime to advance to the semifinals of the WBCBL national tournament in Atlanta Saturday.

Brittany Young scored 32 points to lead the Fire (12-1). Sydnei Moss had 25 points and six rebounds. Jontell Johnson and Jen Schumacher had 15 points each for the Fire.

The Fire plays the defending champion Rock County Robins at 8 a.m. today. The title game is set for 1 p.m.

The Fire downed the Miami Rain, 83-65, behind Young's 20 points earlier Saturday. Schumacher had 18 points, and Johnson had 14 and nine rebounds. Moss chipped in 13 points.

Flint Monarchs fall to Louisiana Bayou Angels in opening round of WBCBL National Tournament - by Willie McCray
ATLANTA, Ga.
By Eric Woodyard | Flint Journal

The Flint Monarchs left the city last week with high hopes. Unfortunately, the Louisiana Bayou Angels spoiled their aspirations.

Flint fell to Louisiana 78-70 in the opening round of the WBCBL national tournament at Oglethorpe University in Hotlanta this past Saturday.

The Rock County Robins would eventually win their second consecutive title on Sunday after defeating the Orlando Extreme 85-73.

Latisha Luckett and Nan Moore, a native of Atlanta, both tied for a team-high 18 points for the Monarchs.

Luckett also dished out five assists while Moore grabbed seven rebounds and handed out four dimes.

Several of Moore's relatives who still live in the Atlanta as well as other Monarchs fans helped pack the stands to cheer on their favorite semi-pro women's hoops team but the Monarchs obviously weren't pleased with the turnout of the contest.

When we lost it was kind of shocking, said Moore. I was amped up to win and that was my purpose. I wasn't amped up to show people anything else because my family knows I can play and I was more amped up about winning and wanting to be successful as a team.

I just think we faced a really good team and we didnt do all of the necessary things to win the game, Monarchs head coach Deonta McChester said. A lot of things played a factor but it was a good game and they had some really talented girls. We was prepared but we let a lot of other factors influence us.

Natasha Morris chipped in all 12 of her buckets in the second half for Flint despite getting stitches in her chin following a nasty fall early in the game.

Tamarah Riley tallied 8 points and six boards while Kaihla Szunko added four points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

The Monarchs (13-3) entered the dual as the No. 2 ranked team. Louisiana was rated No. 3.

The Bayou Angels led by as many as 15 points in the battle.

This team never gave up and they fought to the end and competed to the end but things just wasn't on our side that day, said McChester. I think the Monarchs had a great season and were headed in the right direction.

We were disappointed to not win the WBCBL national championship but we know the Monarchs will return to battle for a title next season, Monarchs president and general manager Dreyon Wynn said in a press release. These women and coaching staff should be commended for their efforts and performance on this season. I can guarantee you will see a much wiser and stronger team in 2012.

Lowcountry Fire stumble in Semifinals - by Willie McCray
ATLANTA, GA

The Charleston Lowcountry Fire's bid for a national championship in women's basketball fell short Sunday when it lost in the semifinals.

The Fire (12-2) was defeated by eventual champion Rock County of Wisconsin, 67-50. Rock County later defeated Orlando for the title of the WBCBL.

Jontell Johnson scored 16 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for the Fire, while teammate Jen Schumacher scored 11 points and Brittany Young added 8.

2011 Womens Blue Chip Basketball National Tournament Results - by Willie McCray
- Atlanta, GA
Aug 6-7

Saturday
Game 1: Tallahassee Thunder 68 Orlando Extreme77 (OT)
Game 2: Miami Rain 65 Lowcountry Fire 83
Game 3: Flint Monarchs 70 Louisiana Bayou Angels 78
Game 4: Arkansas Starz 72 Rock County Robins 89
Game 5: Pennsylvania Lazers 79 Orlando Extreme 85
Game 6: Atlanta Battlecats 96 Lowcountry Fire 98 (3OT)

Sunday
Game 7: Louisiana Bayou Angels 93 Orlando Extreme 97
Game 8: Lowcountry Fire 50 Rock County Robins 67

Championship: Orlando Extreme 73 Rock County Robins 85