EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 8/11/2011

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Men News

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  ARGENTINA   


Tyler Field joins Obras Sanitarias - by Eurobasket News
Obras Sanitarias strengthened their frontcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Tyler Field (206-F/C-78, college: San Diego). The deal is meant for one season. Tyler Field spent the last season with Regatas Corrientes. He tallied 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in Liga Americas. In LigaA the centre notched 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per appearance. He won Liga Americas title together with Regatas Corrientes. Tyler Field is not new to Obras. He played for the team in 2006-09 seasons. Tyler Field participated at 2007 LigaA All-Star Game. The centre also played in Chile and Venezuela. He attended Argentinean National Team training camp in 2008.


Gimnasia de Comodoro bring in Kenny Adeleke - by Eurobasket News
Kenny Adeleke (205-C-83, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Hartford) will spend the next season in Argentina. The centre has agreed on terms of contract with Gimnasia de Comodoro. Kenny Adeleke started the previous season in Ukraine. He tallied 10.9 points, 8.4 boards per game for Dnipro. In February the centre moved to Turkey. Kenny Adeleke joined Hacettepe University. His stats read 11.3 points, 8.5 boards and 1.0 steal per game in TB2L. Previously Kenny Adeleke had stints in China, Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria and Israel. He participated at 2008 Turkish League All-Star Game. The centre used to be CAAC Rookie of the Year in 2002 while playing for Hofstra University.


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  AUSTRALIA   


QBL QUARTER FINAL - by Eurobasket News
QF3 Gold Coast Rollers vs. Brisbane Capitals
Saturday 13th August, 7:00pm @ Carrara Indoor Stadium

The Rollers finished the regular season with a 15-3 record which left them in a tie for first position on the ladder, but on count back they were relegated to second spot after losing to the Meteors during the season. Unfortunately for the Rollers, instead of hosting the Finals weekend they now must defeat Brisbane in this sudden death Quarter-Final, to book their ticket to Mackay for a shot at the title next week. Last week the Rollers comfortably accounted for Caboolture and Maroochydore, with the bench seeing plenty of minutes in both games. David Gurney (194-F-85) made the most of his court time in the two wins averaging 26.5ppg, while Christian Salecich chimed in with a season high 21 points @ 63.6% against Caboolture.

Brisbanes chances of hosting a Quarter-Final were dashed, after they went down to the Wizards 87-70 in Round 14. The Capitals started well against Northside in front 24-18 at the first break, however that would be as close as they would come to winning with an inform Chris Goulding (192-G-88) propelling the Wizards to victory. The Capitals form of late has been patchy and they will need to rediscover the form which saw them start the season 4-0, if they are to make some noise in the playoffs.

When the sides played in Round 12, the Rollers won a tight contest 88-77. The Rollers win was set-up by their aggressive defense which restricted Brisbanes offense to 77 points @ 36.6% from the field. Gold Coast were able to contain Tom Garlepp in their previous encounter and must do the same in this match; otherwise Garlepp could prove to be the difference between the sides. For the Capitals they must limit the impact of Gurney and Scott McGregor (202-F-76), who had a combined total of 41 points and 30 rebounds in the Round 12 match.

QF2 Northside Wizards vs. Ipswich Force
Saturday 13th August, 7:30pm @ The Sports Centre Boondall

Northside secured the right to host a Quarter-Final last week with a crushing 87-70 win over the Capitals. The Wizards star recruit Chris Goulding came up big when they needed him the most, finishing the match with a game high 33 points, while also contributing 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block, to take out the Round 14 POW Award. Josh Van den Brule also had a strong match for Northside in the win, with 15 points and 16 rebounds, and his tough inside presence compliments the work done from Goulding and Gleeson on the perimeter. The Wizards had a torrid middle part of the season dropping three games on the trot, but have won four of their past five matches to enter the finals in top form.

Ipswich has struggled for consistency throughout the year finishing the regular season with a 9-9 record. The Force showed their unpredictability in Round 14, hammering Maroochydore 105-68 in their first game of the weekend and then losing to the lowly ranked Pirates 98-83 the following day. Brad Williamson continued his fine shooting form with 33 points @ 64.7% against the Clippers, while Zac Compton showed that he has found his feet in the League with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

In the only meeting between the sides this season, Goulding and Williamson almost went basket for basket, with Goulding finishing the match with 43 points, while Williamson had 45 points. However, Gouldings supporting cast just did a bit more to get the Wizards over the line 96-87. Ryan Stolberg (201-F/G-75) was missing for the Force in the Round 11 match and his inclusion for this game gives Ipswich a massive boost, but the Wizards should still have the depth and experience across the court to end their finals hoodoo.

QF1 Townsville Heat vs. Rockhampton Rockets
Sunday 14th August, 3:00pm @ QN Stadium

Townsville warmed up for their Quarter-Final last week, hammering the Mountaineers 104-75. Todd Blanchfield led the way for the Heat with 22 points at an impressive 64.3% from the field. Kelvin Robertson also had a fine match for the Heat with 17 points, with centre Benjamin Allen (211-C-86, college: St.Mary's, CA) contributing 15 points @ 53.8%. The Heat will be looking for similar ball movement and execution in this game to move the big Rockets outfit around the court.

Thanks to Mackays two wins on the road last week earning them top of the table honours, Rockhampton, the reigning QBL Champions were able to secure their place in the Quarter-Finals. In Rockhamptons loss to the Meteors last week they were missing key players Stephen Weigh and Paul Scott for the match, but they will both make the trip north for this sudden death Quarter-Final. Weighs addition will be particularly important for the Rockets, given that in the eight games Weigh has played this season he has averaged 22.3ppg, 8.0rpg and 2.6apg, with the Rockets only losing the one match when he has taken the court.

Townsville and Rockhampton met twice in the regular season, with each team winning a game apiece. After suffering a 3 game losing streak early on in the season Rockhampton bounced back in tremendous form in Round 4 to hand Townsville their first loss of the season winning 86-72 at home. In return the Heat then triumphed over Rockhampton in front of their home crowd in Round 11, with Blanchfield proving to be the difference between the sides with 33 points and 11 rebounds.

The Rockets will try and win this game by pushing the ball inside to Travis Reed (203-C-79, agency: Court Side, college: Long Beach St.) and Pero Vasiljeric, which has worked well for them throughout the year, with the Rockets scoring more points than any other team in the League this season. In contrast the Heat will look to move the ball around and limit Rockhamptons looks at the basket through their exceptional defense which on average has conceded a miserly 73ppg this season. On paper, there is nothing between the sides, but with the Heat having the home ground advantage they start this one as favourites.
Courtesy of: QBL



Central ABL: Men's Elimination Final Preview - by Eurobasket News
West Adelaide Bearcats (11-7, 4th) v North Adelaide Rockets (11-7, 5th), 8.15 pm @ Port Adelaide

The Bearcats will be hoping a series of missed opportunities do not haunt them any further when they face North at Port Adelaide in the Elimination Final.

After sitting in the top three between Rounds 3-17, West fell to a season-low outright fourth at the end of Round 18.

This was a really disappointing climax for a club that was Minor Premiers in 2010.

It looked as though being one of only three teams to not beat the Warriors would not hurt the Bearcats, until they went down to Sturt in Round 17, heaping all the pressure on to their final clash with Norwood.

Despite the absence of Jeff Dowdell (21.7 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.9 apg), West came back from a 10 point quarter-time deficit to hit the front late in the fourth quarter, but could not hold on, going down by four points.

The Bearcats will be warm favourites for this game, but the Rockets have defied the odds all season, and being the underdog will surely favour a team that has been just that all year.

West, however, is Norths bogey team.

The Bearcats are the only team the Rockets have failed to defeat this season, while Port Adelaide is the only venue they have not won at in the past two seasons.

On the bright side, Norths losses were by just six points this season and one point in 2010.

Overall, the Rockets have been the best team in the competition during their last 14 games, winning 13 and losing just three.

In contrast, West has won just four of 10 following a 7-1 start.

Besides Dowdell, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds in his teams 74-68 victory in Round 13, the Bearcats have plenty of options at the helm.

David Nurse (191-G-87, college: W.Illinois) (14.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.1 apg) and Blake Truslove (11.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg) have both had very good seasons, while Tristan Braithwaite (9.2 rpg, 3.2 rpg, 1.6 apg) could be the x-factor.

Braithwaite has struggled for most of this season since moving from Southern, but has stepped up in recent matches, lifting his scoring output to 12.3 ppg over his past six matches.

Anthony Spadavecchia (181-PG-87) (7.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.4 apg), Paul Rankin (191-F-84) (6.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg), Ben Evans (6.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and Adam Pearce (3.8 rpg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg) will provide invaluable veteran experience.

North also has a host of players who can get the job done, although the make-up of the team could not be more different.

The Rockets have a core of quality youth players, including Matthew Lycett (15.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.2 apg), Tom Rowe (12.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.5 apg), Josh Bond (12.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg), Brandon Brine (9.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg), Rhys Elliott (8.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg) and Brett Collins (6.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg).

Ryan Franceschinis (193-G/F-83) (12.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.6 apg) is the only key Rocket above the age of 24.

Finals usually come down to defence and rebounding, factors that will weigh in the Cats favour, as they have a significant size advantage.

Add the difference in experience into the equation and the result here should be a West Adelaide victory.

By James Woite
Courtesy of: Central ABL




Central ABL: Men's Qualifying Final Preview - by Eurobasket News
Forestville Eagles (13-5, 2nd) v Sturt Sabres (12-6, 3rd), 6.30 pm @ Wayville

With nine wins from its last 10 outings, the Sabres will be full of confidence going into their Qualifying Final matchup at Forestville on Saturday.

However, the Eagles have no reason to fear their opponents, as they are the only side to defeat Sturt during that span.

This second versus third blockbuster could hardly be more even on paper.

The matchup at Forward between Forestvilles Rashad Tucker (20.1 ppg, 14.6 rpg, 5.3 apg) and Sturts Jacob Holmes (21.2 ppg, 15.9 rpg, 6.9 apg) will have a huge influence on who will win this game.

Tucker has controlled his game to accommodate his teammates this season, but with the stakes so high, do not be surprised if he lifts to another level.

Another critical matchup will be at Shooting Guard, where Eagles Captain Brad Sullivan (182-PG-82) (19 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.9 apg) will go head-to-head with returning Sabre Darren Ng (22.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.8 apg), who has not played since July 10.

At Point Guard, Sturts Mark Bauer (187-G-83) (7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg) will fill in for Tom Daly (13.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.2 apg), and will battle Adam Doyle (6.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5.4 apg).

In the middle, Forestvilles John Wernham (6.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg) will likely start in place of Neil Mottram (9.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg), who has played just eight minutes since the teams last met on July 9.

The Sabres will start 36ers development player Jan Warbout (12.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.4 apg) at Centre, who can stretch the defence with his strong perimeter shot.

At the other Forward position, Eagles shooter Brad Haydon (10.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 apg) will face all-rounder Tim Klaosen (6.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.4 apg).

Forestville appears to have the overall edge in depth, with plenty of quality on its bench.

Nick Blair (185-G-87) (9.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.4 apg) and James Boonstoppel (7.4 ppg, 2.9 apg) are potent options at the Guard spots, while Majok Deng (10 ppg, 5.5 rpg in last four matches) and Trent Fildes (9.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.6 apg) give the Eagles added front court depth.

Nathan Kareta (178-PG-92) (4.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg) has had some good performances off the bench this season, while John Marriott (6.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) can be counted on for production.

Adam Gavranovich (3.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg) should also see some time.

Forestville may have won its last encounter with Sturt (83-80), but other than that, the Sabres have had the wood on the Eagles in recent times.

Sturt won the four encounters prior to that, including an 88-72 win at Wayville in Round 4 this year, and a 94-81 victory in the same building last season.

However, both teams know that stats count for nothing when the score tips off at 0-0 on Saturday.

Although Forestville appears the deeper of the two teams, the Sabres appear to hold the edge in the starting five.

Unless Tucker is absolutely on fire, Sturt should make the most of its run of luck and advance to the Second Semi-Final.

By James Woite
Courtesy of: Central ABL




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  BELARUS   


Justin Knox pens deal with Minsk-2006 - by Eurobasket News
Justin Knox (205-F, college: N.Carolina) pens deal with Minsk-2006 for the next season. The American Forward comes from North Carolina.
In 2007-2008 Justin started for Alabama (NCAA) and in 19 games averaged 1.7ppg, 1.9rpg. In 2008-2009 for Alabama he improved to 5.7ppg, 5.1rpg, FGP: 48.3%, FT: 69.2%. In
2009-2010 his stats read 6.3ppg, 3.7rpg, FGP: 43.9%, 3PT: 100.0%, FT: 73.3%. In 2010-2011 he moved to N.Carolina (NCAA, starting five) and in 37 games averaged 4.6ppg, 3.2rpg. In 2011 participated at Team Munich (Eurobasket Summer League in Cologne, Germany, starting five) and in 3 games averaged 14.3ppg, 9.3rpg. When Team Munich beat Team Belgrade 107:103 it led by a strong performance from Nicholas Pederson (23 points and 7rebounds) who captured the attention of a few European scouts..Justin Knox the former North Carolina Tar Heel player was impressive with a 17pts and 8rbs performance that helped Munich defeat Belgrade 107-103. In Game 1 Team Seville featuring Coach Darrell Armstrong beat Team Munich 82-79 in a hard fought battle that was not decided until the final end of the game.One of the keys to the game was the offensive rebounding of the Seville Team and the offensive output of Tony Davis who scored 22 points and 12 rebounds.Team Munich was lead by former UNC Tar Heel player Justin Knox poured in a double-double scoring 12pts and 12rbs.
Last season he became ACC Regular Season Champion -11, ACC Tournament Finalist -11, NCAA Elite Eight -11 and Eurobasket Summer League in Cologne Winner -11. He was the Southeastern Conference's Scholar Athlete of the Year in men's basketball in 2009




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  BELGIUM   


Charleroi Transfer News - by Peter Buyse
Belgacom Spirou Charleroi caught another big fish on the transfer market by signing French National team player Mickael Gelabale (201-F-83) for the upcoming season.
He started his pro career at Cholet in the French ProA league where he played between 2001 and 2004. He then moved to Spain to play for Real Madrid from 2004 to 2006.
In 2005 he was drafted in the 2nd round of the NBA draft by the Seattle Supersonics. In 060-07 he played 70 games for the Supersonics. During the 2007-2008 season he played first for the Supersonics and then moved to the D-League's Idaho Stampede before he got injured in March and missed the rest of the season. In the 08-09 season he played 6 games for the NBDL's LA D-Fenders. Came back to his old team Cholet for the 2009-2010 season. This past season he played at Asvel Villeurbanne and averaged 14.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg in the French league.
Played with France at the 2010 WC in Turkey where in 6 games he scored 11.2 ppg and grabbed 4.0 rpg. Also played for France at the 2006 WC in Japan and EC in 2005.

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  BRAZIL   


US University play several Brasilian teams during 10 day tour - by Mel Devonne
United States NCAA Division 1 team from Wichita State University is currently touring Brasil
and playing pro teams from Brasil.
The Shockers lost Tuesday Aug 9 in Sao Paulo to club team Palmerias 81-76 and will take on the
Brasilian national team Wednesday Aug 10th.
The Shockers will play Clube de Regatas do Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro on Fri Aug 12 and will play the Tijuca Tenis club on Sunday
August 14.
The best players on the Shockers are Ben Smith and Garett Stutz who led them in scoring in their first game.

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  BULGARIA   


Estudiantes lands Cedric Simmons - by Eurobasket News
Asefa Estudiantes announced signing of a one-year deal with Cedric Simmons (206-F/C-86, college: N.Carolina St.). The former NBA player heads to Estu from Kavala, where he spent last season. Simmons played 28 games in Greek league averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. He finished as the best rebounder and second shot blocker of the competition. Eurobasket awarded Simmons with Greek A1 League All-Newcomers Team -11. He also participated at the Greek league All-Star Game. Cedric Simmons played in D-League and in China two years ago. He also has experience from the NBA teams Chicago Bulls, Sacramento kings and Cleveland Cavaliers. Simmons received Bulgarian citizenship this year and became active member of their National Team. Bulgaria will participate at the upcoming EuroBasket in Lithuania.

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  CHINA   


Earl Clark heads to China - by Eurobasket News
According to Yahoo! Sports, Earl Clark (206-F-88, college: Louisville) will continue his career in China. The NBA forward agreed a deal with CBA team Zhejiang. There is no NBA out clause, so Clark will stay in China for the entire season. Clark started 2010/11 with the Phoenix Suns. He played 8 games for them registering 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds. In December, Orlando Magic got the player in trade. There, Clark averaged 4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 34 games. Earl Clark played for the Suns also in 2009/10. It was his rookie NBA season. For 53 games he had 2.7 ppg and 1.2 rpg. He spent some time also with D-League team Iowa Energy. Earl Clark graduated at the University of Louisville two years ago. He had 14.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 3.2 apg as a senior.

Craig Winder joins Ningxia Hanas - by Eurobasket News
Winder Craig (188-G-84, agency: Prossin Sports Management, college: Texas) joins Ningxia Hanas and debuted at the Quarter-Finals Round 1. Ningxia Hanas however lost to Jiangsu 94-111. 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 chipped in a double-double by scoring 25 points and 16 rebounds. Winder Craig scored 19 points.
Winder Craig started his career for Texas (NCAA and in 2007 moved to Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League). In 2009-2010 signed at Al Jalaa Aleppo (Syria-D1, starting five), but was released in Dec.'09. Later that month moved to Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League, starting five) and in 37 games averaged 14.7ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.2apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 52.9%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 78.2%, then agreed terms with Al Rayyan (Qatar-D1). In 2010-2011 started for Adelaide 36ers (Australia-NBL, starting five) and had 10.1ppg, 4.1rpg, 2.5apg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 16.0%, FT: 86.7%. In March 2011 moved to Maine Red Claws (D-League, starting five) and in 11 games had 10.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 3.3apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 43.8%, 3PT: 26.3%, FT: 75.0%. In April signed at Ostioneros de Guaymas (Mexico-CIBACOPA, starting five) and in 13 games showed 18.8ppg, 4.6rpg, 5.2apg, 1.4spg, 1.3bpg, FGP: 52.1%, 3PT: 31.1%, FT: 70.0%.




Report: China team offers Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki $1.5 million per month - by Eurobasket News
NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) of the Dallas Mavericks has been offered $1.5 million per month to play for the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to the German newspaper Bild.

The Monday report called the offer the largest monthly sum offered to an NBA player since the lockout went into effect.

But don't be surprised if the German star turns down the mega-offer he's nixed big money before, and his current focus is on helping his native country at the upcoming European Championships. Germany is seeking a berth in the 2012 Olympics.

In the past, Nowitzki has agreed to play four more years in Dallas for $20 million per season, instead of putting his name on the open market and fetching closer to $25 million per year.

He's also turned down several lucrative endorsement deals throughout his NBA career.

Courtesy of www.dallasnews.com

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  COSTA RICA   


Escazu keeps the top - by Gianni Pascucci
In the last round of LSB-Clausura, Ferretarias Brenes Barva felt again, this time to Escazu, and this result allows this last time to keep the head of the table. Led by Jose West (202-C-85), Escazu won 73-70, while Cartago defeated USJ Arba San Ramon 80-76 and Liceo Prevailed over Santa Paula-Goicoechea 79-73, climbing another more the table.
In the last game of the round, Sanatura beat Perez Zeledon 77-67

The Clausura table is now the one down:
1. Escazu 6-1
2. Barva 4-2
3. Liceo 4-3
4. Cartago 4-3
5. Sanatura 4-3
6. USJ Arba 3-3
7. Santa Paula 1-4
8. Perez Zeledon 0-7



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  CROATIA   


Svjetlost lands three more players - by Eurobasket News
Svjetlost Slavonski Brod continues with signings for the next season. The team penned one-year deals with Ivan Tomeljak (194-G-79), Ljubo Samadan (208-C/F-83) and Marijo Hajdic (206-F/C-89).
Ivan Tomeljak heads to his new club from Steaua Turabo Bucharesti, where he finished last season. He appeared 24 times in Romanian league averaging 9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Tomeljak started last season with Zabok, where he had 9.8 ppg and 3.9 apg for 9 games.
Ljubo Samadan started 2010/11 with Svjetlost, but they parted ways in October. In 2009/10, he played for Kastela and Mladost Zagreb.
Marijo Hajdic left Dubrovnik after several years to join Svjetlost. Last season he had 6 ppg and 3 rpg for 22 games in A1. Hajdic played for U20, U18 and U16 Croatia in the past.

KK Cibona VIP Zagreb sign Brian Chase - by Eurobasket Center
KK Cibona VIP Zagreb signed 30-year old American guard Brian Chase (178-G-81, college: Virginia Tech). Chase played most recently at BC Igokea Aleksandrovac (Bosnia). While playing 13 games in Bosnian League for Igokea last season his stats were: 14.6ppg, 3.2rpg, 3.1apg and 1.2spg. He also played 24 games in Adriatic League averaging 16.2ppg, 3.4rpg, 4.0apg (5th best in the league) and 1.5spg. Igokea was the best Bosnian team of regular season and they made it to the finals. Chase was voted Eurobasket.com All-Bosnia and Herzegovina League Guard of the Year and Import Player of the Year for 10-11 season. He is a very experienced player. He played also pro basketball in Bosnia, France, Russia, Spain and Turkey.

By Eurobasket Data Center

Cibona land Antwain Barbour - by Eurobasket News
Cibona strengthened their backcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Antwain Barbour (196-G/F-82, agency: Court Side, college: Kentucky). The deal is meant for one season. The guard spent the last season in Turkey. Antwain Barbour played for Erdemir Belediyesi. His stats read 17.2 points, 4.1 boards and 2.6 assists per game in TBL. Antwain Barbour earned Eurobasket.com All-Turkish League Honourable Mention. Previously the guard had stints with Lagun Aro, Erdemirspor, Tenerife, La Palma, Yakima Sun Kings, Guaros de Lara and Kentucky Colonels. Antwain Barbour used to play for the USA University National Team back in 2001. The guard was CBA champion, he also participated at CBA and ABA All-Star Games (2005-06 seasons).



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  ESTONIA   


Kalev/Cramo signed Bamba Fall - by Janar
BC Kalev/Cramo, preparing for a tough season in VTB League and defending the Estonian championship title, has added another big man to their roster. Senegalese player Bamba Fall (216-C-86, college: SMU) has been signed to a three-year contract. Last season, Fall averaged 4.5 pts and 4.0 rbs in D-League. In 2007, Fall played for Senegalese NT in Fiba Africas Championship. Kalev/Cramo had already signed Bulgarian player Nikolay Varbanov to replace the starting center of last season, Michael Dunigan, who continues his career in Serie A team, Fastweb Junior Casale Monferrato.

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  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 7th place game..
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) (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.

Stockholm defeated Budapest 72-66 in a very interesting but low scoring contest to gain the 5th place victory.
Brandon Givens (198-F, college: Jones County CC) was very impressive and showed the ESL scouts he deserves an opportunity to showcase his skills professionally overseas.
Brandon was the 2010-11 National Juco Player of the Year and is extremely talented for the pro level.
Travis George (F) a former Juco Teammate of Brandon was also very impressive for the winning team.
He scored 15 points and 7 rebounds unleashing a couple of thundering dunks in the process.
Travis has professional experience in Mexico and has great athleticism, intensity and upside potential.
He is a NBA type of athlete that needs to develop in a quality overseas market.
The ultra smooth Jared Cunningham (206-F-89, college: Cumberlands) led the Budapest team with 14 points and 5 rebounds.
Jared is a silky smooth scorer with serious potential to be great in Europe due to his size and high skill level.
Freddy Little (185-G-86, college: Montevallo) and Kevin Francis (203-F-84, college: Vincennes Univ.) both provided double digit scoring as well for the losing side.


BUDAPEST vs STOCKHOLM
07/31/11 10am at Jersey City, NJ (Yanitelli Center)

BUDAPEST 66

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 - 0-3 0-2 0-0 1-0 1 3 0 2 1 0 0 0+
11 Freddy Little - 4-9 1-3 3-3 1-4 5 1 12 1 0 0 1 0+
48 Papa Oppong - 1-6 0-3 1-2 3-2 5 2 3 1 2 0 1 0+
49 Hosni Ali - 2-12 0-2 2-2 1-0 1 2 6 0 0 0 0 0+
55 Justin Dennis - 2-8 0-1 0-0 2-0 2 2 4 2 1 0 3 0+
56 Kevin Francis - 6-12 0-2 1-1 1-1 2 4 13 0 2 0 1 0+
74 Nathaniel Mitchell - 1-5 0-2 0-0 0-3 3 4 2 3 1 0 0 0+
75 John Winchester - 1-5 1-3 0-0 1-1 2 2 3 0 0 0 1 0+
78 Jared Cunningham - 7-14 0-3 0-0 3-2 5 5 14 0 2 0 1 0+
98 Jonathan Mandeldove - 3-4 0-0 3-5 1-2 3 3 9 1 4 4 2 0+
TM TEAM - - - - 7-4 11 - - - - - - -

Totals.............. - 27-78 2-21 10-13 21-19 40 28 66 10 13 4 10 0+

34.6% 9.5% 76.9%

Team summary:
FG 3FG FT

1st Half:
9-37 0-11 7-10

24.3% 0.0% 70.0%

2nd Half:
18-41 2-10 3-3

43.9% 20.0% 100 %

STOCKHOLM 72

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 - 2-5 1-4 1-2 1-3 4 1 6 2 2 0 0 0+
18 Jan Cocozziello - 2-3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 4 1 1 0 0 0+
20 Blake Derrick - 2-3 0-0 0-0 1-0 1 2 4 1 2 0 0 0+
39 Travis George - 3-8 0-0 9-12 1-6 7 1 15 0 3 3 0 0+
45 Brandon Givens - 7-8 1-1 4-5 0-6 6 2 19 0 4 0 3 0+
52 Jerry Osborne - 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0+
59 Paul Frazier - 0-4 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+
63 Tony Robertson - 4-8 1-2 2-2 0-2 2 0 11 1 2 0 0 0+
64 Tim Zephyr - 1-4 0-0 2-2 0-4 4 2 4 1 1 1 0 0+
79 Phil Barrera - 2-3 0-0 1-1 0-2 2 1 5 0 1 0 0 0+
89 Wilfred Benjamin - 2-7 0-1 0-0 5-2 7 2 4 1 3 2 0 0+
TM TEAM - - - - 3-7 10 - - - 1 - - -

Totals.............. - 25-53 3-10 19-24 11-32 43 13 72 7 22 6 3 0+

47.2% 30.0% 79.2%

Team summary:
FG 3FG FT

1st Half:
12-26 1-5 8-9

46.2% 20.0% 88.9%

2nd Half:
13-27 2-5 11-15

48.1% 40.0% 73.3%
Score by Periods 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
BUDAPEST 11 14 19 22 66
STOCKHOL 17 16 17 22 72


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



ESL New York City Game Reports (1st Place & 3rd Place games) - by Darryl Reshaw
ESL New York City Championship Game
Riga 75 Istanbul 66

Riga defeated Istanbul 75-66 to capture the ESL 2011 New York City Championship.
This game was dominated by Riga throughout the game in every aspect.
However the Istanbul team kept the contest close and interesting.
Robert Mitchell (198-F-86) (the former Seton Hall player out on a spectacular performance and led Riga with 23 points.
This silky smooth big guard or wing player is very talented and crafty.
He has a nice outside shooting stroke but can take you off the dribble using his nice skills to get to the basket.
He also has a nice mid range game in his offensive arsenal.
Yima Chia-Kur (196-F-86, college: Arkansas St.) the former ESL New York City MVP of 2010 added a respectful 14 points.
Riga played great defense in this game and took Istanbul's scorers right out of the game from the beginning of the contest.
Istanbul was led by the energetic left handed Raason Young (198-F, college: Montana St. - Billin) (19 points) who electrified the crowd with his dunks and long jump shots.
This kid can really play and he is a big guard with serious offensive and defensive weapons.
He can shoot and he is very crafty with speed and very athletic. His defense on the ball is great as well.
This kid will make a great overseas import due to his size, talent and skill level.
Mike Davis (211-F/C-86, college: Seton Hall) was solid in the middle for Istanbul with 7pts and 9rbs.

ISTANBUL vs RIGA
07/31/11 1:20pm at Jersey City, NJ (Yanitelli Center)

ISTANBUL 64

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 - 2-6 1-4 2-2 0-2 2 0 7 0 1 0 0 0+
22 Elie Daniel - 1-4 1-1 0-0 0-1 1 2 3 1 1 0 0 0+
23 Matthew Cavalieri - 3-7 0-2 2-2 2-6 8 1 8 1 0 1 1 0+
26 Cordell Hall - 1-2 0-1 0-0 0-2 2 3 2 2 8 0 0 0+
50 John Salter - 1-3 0-1 0-0 1-4 5 1 2 0 2 0 0 0+
72 Nick King - 2-7 0-2 5-6 3-3 6 5 9 0 1 0 0 0+
83 Michael Davis - 3-8 0-0 1-4 2-7 9 3 7 0 3 2 1 0+
86 Alex Coleman - 1-3 1-3 0-0 0-2 2 1 3 0 2 0 1 0+
87 Rasson Young - 7-11 3-5 2-2 1-4 5 2 19 1 5 1 0 0+
97 Kano Edwards - 1-3 0-0 2-2 0-0 0 0 4 0 1 0 1 0+
TM TEAM - - - - 5-6 11 - - - 1 - - -

Totals.............. - 22-54 6-19 14-18 14-37 51 18 64 5 25 4 4 0+

40.7% 31.6% 77.8%

Team summary:
FG 3FG FT

1st Half:
10-31 2-10 5-8

32.3% 20.0% 62.5%

2nd Half:
12-23 4-9 9-10

52.2% 44.4% 90.0%

RIGA 75

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 - 3-9 0-3 2-4 0-0 0 0 8 2 0 0 2 0+
14 Korey Riley - 2-8 0-1 2-2 2-0 2 2 6 0 0 0 3 0+
15 Jazwyn Cowan - 4-10 1-2 0-0 1-5 6 2 9 2 0 1 2 0+
21 Joshua Brown - 3-8 2-2 0-0 0-1 1 0 8 2 1 0 2 0+
24 Yima Chia-Kur (196-F-86, college: Arkansas St.) - 4-11 1-2 6-8 1-2 3 1 15 0 1 0 2 0+
61 Gabriel Paul - 1-7 0-0 0-0 2-2 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0+
62 Samuel Deadwyler - 0-2 0-0 0-0 2-0 2 2 0 0 0 1 3 0+
84 Rob Mitchell - 7-16 2-3 7-7 1-2 3 2 23 0 1 1 1 0+
88 Devon Young - 2-3 0-0 0-0 1-3 4 2 4 0 3 0 1 0+
TM TEAM - - - - 3-5 8 - - - 2 - - -

Totals.............. - 26-74 6-13 17-21 13-20 33 12 75 6 8 3 16 0+

35.1% 46.2% 81.0%

Team summary:
FG 3FG FT

1st Half:
17-33 3-6 9-12

51.5% 50.0% 75.0%

2nd Half:
9-41 3-7 8-9

22.0% 42.9% 88.9%
Score by Periods 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
ISTANBUL 14 13 16 21 64
RIGA 25 21 15 14 75

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

3rd Place game: Helsinki 98 Moscow 89

Helsinki beat Moscow 98-89 to capture the 3rd place crown in the ESL New York City event.
The Helsinki team was the most talented team in the NYC event but was upset in the semifinals.
This talented group was led by Chad Tomko (180-G-89, agency: ARN Sports and Entertainment, college: NC-Wilmington) who bombed the Moscow team with 21 points.
Chad is a very quick and crafty point guard with a great jump shot.
He will be a quality pro at a good level in the European market.
This kid can flat out play.
Raymond Wright (206-C-85, college: Ark.-Monticello) the super talented power forward who is highly skilled scored 18 points and 5 rebounds.
The ESL scouts love this power forward because he runs the floor like a deer and he has great footwork and post skills.
He also has nice ball handling ability and a quality mid range jump shot for an inside player.
He should definitely be a professional in the international market. He is a big time secret.
John Williams (193-F-86, agency: ARN Sports and Entertainment, college: NC-Asheville) the super high-flyer had a really nice game mixed with athleticism and deadly outside shooting.
John scored 17 points and showed he is a quality player who is very athletic but has skills to play at the next level.
His dunks are amazing and he is a highlight film waiting to happen.
Aaron Williams (188-G-82, college: Delaware St.) had an outstanding and smooth game pitching in 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The player is a naturally gifted and has the ability to get to the basket at will and finish against anyone.
He is smooth and has a great basketball IQ of passing and good decision making.
The super quick PG Dijuan Harris (175-G-86, agency: ARN Sports and Entertainment, college: Charlotte) aslo added 12 points for the winning team.
Moscow was led by Kareem Brown (187-G-88, college: Gannon) wonderful 27 point performance of nice shooting and scoring.
In this game Kareem was a scorer machine showing a diverse range of weapons and a nice outside shooting stroke.
Brendon Lyn (180-G-87, college: Concordia, NY) had an outstanding game scoring 19 points and Norman Carter (196-F, college: Winston Salem) pitched in 14 points as well.
Micah Brand the experience big guy was solid by adding 13 points and 5 rebounds in the losing effort.
HELSINKI vs MOSCOW
07/31/11 11:45am at Jersey City, NJ (Yanitelli Center)

HELSINKI 98

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 - 3-10 1-6 0-0 0-1 1 0 7 1 1 0 1 0+
17 Keith Lee - 2-3 0-0 2-3 2-1 3 5 6 0 2 0 0 0+
40 Chad Tomko - 7-15 2-5 5-5 0-5 5 1 21 1 4 0 1 0+
43 John Williams - 7-10 2-4 1-1 0-2 2 2 17 0 0 0 1 0+
53 An'Juan Wilderness - 0-1 0-1 2-2 1-1 2 1 2 0 1 0 1 0+
58 Dijuan Harris - 5-10 2-2 0-1 0-4 4 2 12 2 6 0 0 0+
73 Aaron Williams - 5-12 1-3 4-4 5-5 10 6 15 2 2 0 3 0+
85 Raymond Wright - 6-10 0-0 6-6 2-3 5 3 18 0 2 1 0 0+
TM TEAM - - - - 4-4 8 - - - 1 - - -
Totals.............. - 35-71 8-21 20-22 14-26 40 20 98 6 19 1 7 0+

49.3% 38.1% 90.9%

Team summary:
FG 3FG FT

1st Half:
21-37 6-10 7-7

56.8% 60.0% 100 %

2nd Half:
14-34 2-11 13-15

41.2% 18.2% 86.7%

MOSCOW 89

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 - 7-11 0-2 0-1 1-7 8 2 14 0 3 0 2 0+
04 Brendon Lyn - 6-8 3-3 4-6 2-2 4 7 19 3 3 0 1 0+
09 Kareem Brown - 11-20 4-13 1-2 0-2 2 0 27 2 3 0 1 0+
47 Rasheem Jenkins - 0-2 0-2 0-0 0-1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0+
51 Chris Saltzman - 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-3 3 1 2 0 1 0 1 0+
80 Jeremiah Lawrence - 3-8 0-0 3-5 4-0 4 5 9 0 1 0 3 0+
81 Tony Townsend - 2-5 0-1 1-2 1-0 1 3 5 1 1 0 1 0+
91 Micah Brand - 6-12 0-2 1-2 1-4 5 3 13 1 0 0 2 0+
TM TEAM - - - - 0-4 4 - - - - - - -
Totals.............. - 36-67 7-23 10-18 9-23 32 21 89 7 12 0 12 0+

53.7% 30.4% 55.6%

Team summary:
FG 3FG FT

1st Half:
18-34 4-14 4-4

52.9% 28.6% 100 %

2nd Half:
18-33 3-9 6-14

54.5% 33.3% 42.9%
Score by Periods 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
HELSINKI 25 30 20 23 98
MOSCOW 18 26 23 22 89

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








*****************************************************
  EUROCUP   


Jarvis Varnado tweeted he will sign with Jerusalem - by David Pick
Updated: August 10, 2011, 18:09 AM

The high flying former Mississippi St. graduate and defensive stopper Jarvis Varnado, will sign a one-year deal for certain with Hapoel Jerusalem. Varando tweeted via Twitter minutes ago 'Bout to sign a deal in Israel with Hapoel Jerusalem God is good.'

'Eurobaket' understood early this week that the talented forward's representatives have already begun the official negotiations of contract terms with Jerusalem and it seemed to be only a matter of time for the deal to be finalized. This because head coach Oded Katash is highly impressed with the player's athletic skills and abilities.

In 2011, the shot blocking machine became the NCAA All-Time best shot blocker. Also, he is the second player (after David Robinson) in Div. 1 history to have passed the 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 blocked shots in career. The funny thing about it is that despite being drafted by the Miami Heat with the 41st pick, Varnado is yet to officially wear an NBA jersey.

The SEC All-Tournaments MVP in 09' and All-SEC 1st Team player in both 09' and 10' graduated school with double-double averages of 13.8ppg, 10.3rpg and 4.7bpg (!!). Last season Varnado played in Italy's Div. 2 for Tuscany Tissue Pistoia. After recording seven season double-double games, he posted season averages of 15.4ppg, 8.9rpg and
finished first in the league in shot blocks with 3.1bpg.

Hapoel is still negotiating contract terms with both Timmy Bowers and NBA shooting guard Roger Mason who both previously played in Jerusalem.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

*****************************************************
  EUROLEAGUE   


Cibona land Antwain Barbour - by Eurobasket News
Cibona strengthened their backcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Antwain Barbour (196-G/F-82, agency: Court Side, college: Kentucky). The deal is meant for one season. The guard spent the last season in Turkey. Antwain Barbour played for Erdemir Belediyesi. His stats read 17.2 points, 4.1 boards and 2.6 assists per game in TBL. Antwain Barbour earned Eurobasket.com All-Turkish League Honourable Mention. Previously the guard had stints with Lagun Aro, Erdemirspor, Tenerife, La Palma, Yakima Sun Kings, Guaros de Lara and Kentucky Colonels. Antwain Barbour used to play for the USA University National Team back in 2001. The guard was CBA champion, he also participated at CBA and ABA All-Star Games (2005-06 seasons).



PAOK announced Kalambokis - by Giorgos Diploidis
PAOK Thessaloniki today announced the deal for the season coming with Giannis Kalambokis (195-G-78, agency: FCM). Kalambokis returns to the team of Thessaloniki after the season 2006-07 when he was named captain of the club.

Kalambokis will share the place of shooting guard with Mihalis Giannakidis. Last year the experienced player had with Ikaros Kallitheas 9.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 2.5apg in 24 matches. This was the fourth movement of PAOK Thessaloniki after signing Rasad Wright and keeping Stiggers and Kalles.


*****************************************************
  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS   


Ponitka and Niedzwiedzki to miss Lithuanian European Championship. - by Dawid Roguski
Mateusz Ponitka (196-G-93) and Piotr Niedzwiedzki (209-F-93) will miss Lithuanian European Championship because in accordance with the provisions of FIBA players can play only in two championships tournament in one season. Both players have already played in U19 World Championship [Latvia] and U18 European Championship [Poland] so They can not play in Lithuania. By adding the problems with insurance of Marcin Gortat (213-C-84) caused by NBA lockout, Polish national team has a lot of problems before the upcoming tournament.

Arik Shivek continues to shorten his roster - by David Pick
Updated: August 10, 2011, 13:01 PM

Head Coach Arik Shivek continues to shorten Israel's 2011 EuroBakset roster, as big man Nir Cohen joins guards Moran Roth and Raviv Limonad and will not take part in the upcoming campaign.

Tomorrow Israel will head out to Holland for its second exhibition tournament facing the local NT, NCAA's University of Villanova and Georgia.
Returning to the Israeli squad will be captain Tal Burstein, Yotam Halperin, NBA star Omri Casspi and of course, David Blu.

After a disappointing 2-1 record in the Cyprus tournament, Shivek hopes to achieve better results this time around, especially due to the fact that with Israel's return home, he will release two more players from the team, as fingers point to the seven footer Robert Rothbart and guards Yuval Naimy or Afik Nissim.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

Marcin Gortat to miss Eurobasket. - by Dawid Roguski
Despite the efforts on the European and global insurance markets Polish Basketball Federation have failed to find a policy that fully protects Marcin Gortat (213-C-84) during the lockout from the consequences of possible injury on European Championships. It is a situation where the Phoenix Suns resolve contract with Gortat in the event of his inability to play at the point of interruption by the NBA lockout. It was not possible to find insurance coverage for such a situation. This is another painful loss for the Polish team after Maciej Lampe (210-C-85).

Omri Casspi injured in practice, may miss 2011 Eurobasket - by David Pick
Posted: August 10, 2011, 22:06 PM

The Cleveland Cavaliers new pickup, Israeli forward Omri Casspi slipped today (Wednesday) during a national team practice preparing for the upcoming 2011 Eurobasket championship and will undergo physical therapy for the next two weeks and is questionable for the tournament in Lithuania.

'The knee is not something you play around with,' Casspi said, 'I will not play again until I know I'm 100% capable.'

'I'm not sure if I will play in the EuroBasket. It's too early to decide now, but I feel horrible pains and can barley move. I will need around six weeks to recuperate, two of those playing no basketball at all and then the doctors will check my knee again,' Casspi added.

At first, Casspi pulled a muscle and walked off court alone, as he left the gym to get an MRI scan. However, results later showed that Casspi pulled a muscle on the inner side of his fibula and was instructed to stay home and not travel with Israel's NT to Holland for its second exhibition tournament.

The upcoming Eurobasket preparations began terribly for Casspi who missed his first national warm-up tournament in Cyprus due to a virus. Casspi will have to recover quickly as he is expected to be Israel's preliminary defender stopping Germany's Dirk Nowitzki on August 31st, in their opening game of the European championships.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

*****************************************************
  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U16   


Stats Leaders - Group B
Points Per Game
 Antreas CHRISTODOULOU
  CYP
  (193-G-95)
  Avg: 23
 1. Christodoulo., CYP23.0 
 2. Hakanson, SWE22.2 
 3. Grun, LUX19.3 
 4. Hansen, DEN17.6 
 5. Sharon, ISR17.0 
 6. Insaly, POR16.8 
 7. Buza, BIH16.5 
 8. Konstantinov, ARM15.8 
 9. Odabasi, FIN15.7 
 10. Cobzaru, ROM15.5 
Rebounds Per Game
 Kingsley OKOROH
  (212-C-95)
  Avg: 11.4
 1. Okoroh, ENG11.4 
 2. Cobzaru, ROM10.5 
 3. Insaly, POR9.6 
 4. Sulejmanovic, FIN9.0 
 5. Ritlop, SLO9.0 
 6. Carroll, IRL8.4 
 7. Darakhvelidz., GEO8.4 
 8. Nacevski, MKD8.1 
 9. Konstantinov, ARM8.1 
 10. Grun, LUX7.9 
Assists Per Game
 Naor SHARON
  (191-PG-95)
  Avg: 5.6
 1. Sharon, ISR5.6 
 2. Nemcok, SVK5.2 
 3. Nikolic, SLO4.6 
 4. Soluade, ENG4.1 
 5. Lecomte, BEL3.9 
 6. Olmre, EST3.6 
 7. Perl, HUN3.4 
 8. Rebec, SLO3.3 
 9. O''Hanlon, IRL3.2 
 10. Nelson, ENG3.1 
Steals Per Game
 Ludvig HAKANSON
  (187-PG-96)
  Avg: 4.1
 1. Hakanson, SWE4.1 
 2. Soluade, ENG3.8 
 3. Zahiragic, BIH3.0 
 4. Marques, POR3.0 
 5. Olmre, EST2.9 
 6. Papacostas, CYP2.8 
 7. Ieronymidis, CYP2.7 
 8. Nikolic, SLO2.6 
 9. Grun, LUX2.6 
 10. Abuladze, GEO2.5 
Blocks Per Game
 Kingsley OKOROH
  (212-C-95)
  Avg: 4.3
 1. Okoroh, ENG4.3 
 2. Puluzashvili, GEO3.6 
 3. Mladenovski, MKD2.6 
 4. Cotture, SUI2.3 
 5. Cobzaru, ROM1.8 
 6. Goloman, HUN1.7 
 7. Vliet, BEL1.5 
 8. Wurtz, AUT1.4 
 9. Michelsen, FIN1.3 
 10. Grun, LUX1.3 


*****************************************************
  FINLAND   


KORISLIIGA: Big changes on ToPo roster - by Rauno Hurmalainen
At least five, possibly seven Finnish players have left Torpan Pojat (Helsinki) during this summer. ToPo will loose at least 25,6 points and 9,8 rebounds/game, possibly even 46,8 pts and 18,4 rbs/game with these lost players. It's clear, that G Jarkko Kyllonen (186-G-87) will return back to ToPo after playing last season 42 contests on Tarmo (Porvoo) roster and averaging 6,8 ppg, 1,9 rpg + 1,9 apg in 29 mpg. Spanish Head Coach Maikel Lopez is back to Spain and will be replaced by Tomi Kaminen , 41. Kaminen wants three American players on his roster and is still after a few Finnish players as well.

*****************************************************
  FRANCE   


Le Mans brings in William Coleman - by Eurobasket News
William Coleman (206-F-88) is set to start his professional basketball career. The American forward penned a one-year deal with Le Mans. Coleman graduated at the University of Memphis few months ago. He averaged 7 points and 4.5 rebounds for his school as a senior. Coleman helped Memphis to win C-USA Tournament this year. In 2009/10, William Coleman registered 7.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 2.1 bpg in 34 games. He transferred to Memphis in 2009 from Miami Dade CC. With Miami Dade Coleman was JUCO Southern Conference Champion. William Coleman participated at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (Pre-NBA Draft) this year. For 3 games at this event he had 12.7 ppg, 6 rpg and 3 bpg.

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


Beckham Wyrick from Muenchen to Bayreuth - by Moritz Korff
Beckham Wyrick (198-F-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: NC-Wilmington) will continue his career with BBL outfit BBC Bayreuth. The 27-year-old forward inked a deal with BBC for the 2011-12 season, the team announced. Bayreuth will be Wyrick's fourth club in Germany. He started with a two year-stint at Bayer Leverkusen, spent another two seasons in Bamberg and played for Bayern Muenchen most recently. He saw action in 25 Pro A games during the 2010-11 campaign, averaging 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest, while taking home the Pro A championship with FCB.

Wuerzburg signs Ricky Harris - by Moritz Korff
Ricky Harris (188-G-87, college: Massachusetts) has committed to the s.oliver Baskets Wuerzburg and signed a contract with the BBL newcomer, the team told today. Harris hails from Baltimore, Maryland and had a stellar NCAA career at the University of Massachusetts from 2006 until 2010. He left UMass as the third leading scorer in school's history. During the 2010-11 season, his first year abroad, the soon 24-year-old guard played in Lithunia and Ukraine. He represented BC Siauliai in the LKL, Baltic League and the EuroCup, before making the move for Ferro-ZNTU Zaporozhye in January. He averaged close to ten points, 3.4 assists and two rebounds for the Ukrainian side through 29 outings.

The Mitteldeutscher BC Testing Tautvydas Slezas - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
The Mitteldeutscher BC have brought in another player for a four week tryout with Tautvydas Slezas (207-C-90, agency: Interperformances).Slezas is a 21 year old 207cm power forward/center form Lithuvania.Last season he played for Perlas Vilnius (LKL): Baltic League: 20 games: 8.0ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 55.6%, FT: 50.0%; Lithuanian League: 26 games: 6.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 59.3%, FT: 19.2%. 'Slezas is a young player that has a lot of potential. He is a typical center, excellent passer, rebounder and moves well under the basket. I think it is great that a player from a top team like Lietuvos Rytas comes to Weissenfels', stressed MBChead coach Silvano Poropat (agency: FCM ) Slezas started his basketball career in Taurages Bremena-KTU (NKL) where he played until 2008 finishing the season with Zalgiris-Sabonio mokykla Kaunas (NKL). In 2008-2009, he signed a two year dealwith top Euroleague team Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (LKL), but was loaned to Perlas Vilnius (NKL): 34 games: 8.4ppg, Reb-4 (7.3rpg), 2.3apg, 2FGP: 53.4%. In 2009-2010, he played for Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (LKL), then moved to Perlas Vilnius (LKL): Lithuanian League: 26 games: 6.9ppg, 5.4rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 47.4%, FT: 46.2%; Baltic League: 13 games: 7.5ppg, 5.4rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 47.7%, FT: 56.5%. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been Lithuanian U16 National Team -06, , European Championships U16 in Jaen (Spain) -06: 6 games: 2.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.2apg, Euroleague Nike Junior Tournament -08, Lithuanian NKL Champion -08, Lithuanian U18 National Team -08, Adidas World Junior Tournament in Douai (France) -08, 09, European Championships U18 in Amaliada Pyrgos (Greece) -08 (Silver): 8 games: 13.5ppg, Reb-2 (12.4rpg), 2.1apg, FGP-3 (60.8%), FT: 37.5%, Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U18 Honorable Mention -08, Lithuanian U19 National Team -09, World Championships U19 in New Zealand -09: 8 games: 7.5ppg, 7.3rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 49.1%, 3PT: 49.1%, Baltic League (Challenge Cup) Semifinals -10, Lithuanian U20 National Team -10,and European Championships U20 in Croatia -10: 8 games: 5.9ppg, 4.4rpg, FGP: 45.1%, FT: 7.1%

Source: Mitteldeutscher BC


Ex Beko BBL Allstar Three Point Shot Winner EJ Gallup Gets 3 Month Contract With TBB Trier - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
TBB Trier made it official today and have scooped up a known face to the Beko BBL with E.J. Gallup (193-F-81, college: Co.Carolina) giving him a three month contract. 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%. ' E.J is a superb shooter that has Bundesliga experience and played a good role with Ulm. I got to know him over the summr in the States and did a workout with him. I am glad that he is coming to us and hope that he can help us at the guard position and he is an offensive player like I have never seen before', stated TBB Trier head coach Henrik Roedl. 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: TBB Trier

Kevin Jolley (After Playing Against Rudy Gay, I Knew He Was Going To Be A Top NBA Pick) - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Kevin Jolley (197-F-82, college: Quinnipiac) is a 29 year old 197cm forward from Cheverly, Maryland. He is a physical presence in the paint; has solid footwork and post moves; shoots for a high field goal percentage. Combination of strength and quickness allows him to compete against taller opponents. Good post defender; likes to battle for rebounds and interior points. Works hard on both ends of the floor. He played at Quinnipiac (NCAA) and in his senior year 2005-2006, he played 28 games: 8.0ppg, 5.3rpg, 1.3apg, FG: 56.5%, FT: 63.3%. In 2006-2007, He turned professional and played for SB DJK Rosenheim (Germany-Regionalliga, starting five): 11 games : 29.3ppg, 9rpg, 6.3apg, in Jan.'07 moved to CS Antonins (Lebanon-Div.1, starting five): 13 games : 27.3ppg, 14.8rpg, 2.7apg, FG: 47.5% 3FG: 23.5% FT: 73.3%, in March '07 signed at Al Ittihad Aleppo (Syria-D1, starting five): WABA Clubs Championship: 22.5ppg, 11.5rpg; Arab Clubs Championships: 2 games: 30 mpg, 26.0ppg, 9.5rpg, 3.5apg, 3.0spg 3PT: 55%, FGP: 62.5%. In 2007-2008, he played for Cv.Aliana Sangalhos (Portugal-Proliga, starting five): 10 games: 23.0ppg, 10.2rpg, 1.8apg, 2FGP: 54.0%, 3PT: 41.0%, FT: 73.0%, Dec.07 moved to Champville (Lebanon-Div.A, starting five): 11 games: 15.2ppg, 10.4rpg, FG: 52.0%, 3pts: 10.0%, FT: 68.0%, released in March'08, the same month signed at Arena Amman (Jordan-Excellent League, starting five). In 2008-2009, he played for Sampaense/Tec.Coimbra (Portugal-Proliga, starting five): 15 games: 16.4ppg, 2.1apg, 2FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 43.0%, FT: 76.0%, left team in Jan.'09. In 2009-2010, he played for Hottur (Iceland-D1, starting five), in Jan.'10 moved to Tanta (Egypt-Superleague, starting five), in Feb.'10 signed at BBC US Hiefenech Heffingen (Luxembourg-N2). Last season, he played for Angrabasket/Palmeiraspark (Portugal-Proliga, starting five): 25 games: 14.8ppg, 7.1rpg, 3.6apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 30.7%, FT: 67.5%. He has played in 8 countries and spoke to eurobasket about his future.

You are in States now waiting to get the call from a team. How frustrating is it waiting and working out not know what your basketball future has in store for you?

It's always frustrating to have to wait and not be sure where youre going to end up. All you can do is always be ready because you can get a call and have to leave in a week. I have faith in my friend Jordan Allodi of Solution Sports Management.

You are a very diligent and hard worker in your off season work. Your already up at 5 am hitting the weights. How does a normal Kevin Jolley (197-F-82, college: Quinnipiac) workout day look like?


Well I like to get the my work outs done in the morning, So Ill get up at 5am go to the gym do my lifting and abs. Then later in the day Ill go to the gym and get some shoots up or play pickup games. Its hard to do more than that with guys working during the day. I think there is always room to improve on your game even if its just shooting free-throws

You have been working out in Waltham at the Boston Celtics training facility. Does it give you any extra motivation knowing that guys like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have been training there for years.

I have to think my boy Mike Chamblain for that (hes a pretty good PG to), hes the one that knows everybody that makes it possible. Its fun to work out there you just look and see the luxuries they have,its a blessing to be able to work out there. I saw Rondo one day pull off in a Mayback I was like Must Be NICE lol.

Your 29 years old. What things do you still need to work on on your basketball game?

29 LOL, that just made me feel like an old man. Like I said there is always room to improve, My shooting has gotten a lot better in the last year. I want it to be lights out like steve kerr, So thats one aspect I can get better in.

Your known as a very strong rebounder. What is another strength in your game that isnt always recognized by critics and fans?

Ive always been a good rebounder I read from Charles Barkley, rebounding is about heard and desire so I live by that. I think my passing is over looked this season I averaged 4ast a game from the power forward position. I love to pass it makes me happy to see my team score the ball. My shooting has improved I went from making 3 3point shots all last season to making 40 this year.


Last season, you played for Angrabasket/Palmeiraspark (Portugal-Proliga, starting five): 25 games: 14.8ppg, 7.1rpg, 3.6apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 30.7%, FT: 67.5%. What kind of experience was this for you and how competitive is the second league in Portugal?


Last season was a fun season; we ended up 15-7 but lost in the first round of the playoffs. We should have gone to the finals but sometimes the ball doesnt bounce the way you want. As far as the league, playing on the island you had the NBA feel, we had to fly to every away game so that was fun. You have your good and bad team just like every other league.

Who would win a one on one in practice you or Terence Mack and how did you beat him?

Hahaha now thats a question, we are to different players hes more around the basket and Im more outside/inside. If I had to put my money on somebody Im going to have to go with me lol. Terrence is a good player though, very strong and physical a hard match for a lot of people, we had a good thing together hes inside and Im outside.

You would play anywhere, but Germany would be a place where you would like to return to and play. You could most likely play in the Regionaliga, PRO B or PRO A. Why should a team be interested in your services.

I enjoyed Germany my first year out of college. I would love to come back and play like told you I would play anywhere. I bring a lot of energy ( Ive always been a fan favorite) to a team, leadership and a team player I do what it take for us to win. In the past I had to score a lot, this season I averaged my least amount of point but we won more and my assist went up because I had to be more of a play maker.

You have played in many places in the Middle east like Lebanon,Egypt, Palenstine or Jordan. Which of these places was the most fulfilling on and off the court?

The Middle East was a great time, If I had to pick one to be my favorite I would have to say LEBANON. Basketball is Lebanons first sport; you play in front of thousands some night. They make you feel as if you where an NBA player. The people are beyond nice they always made sure I had everything I needed. I will always have love in my heart for the Middle East.

You started your professional basketball career in Germany in 2006 with SB DJK Rosenheim (Germany-Regionalliga, starting five): 11 games : 29.3ppg, 9rpg, 6.3apg. You have stated that your time in Germany was so enjoyable. What did you like most about Germany?

My first year was wild, just going from never leaving the country then going to Germany going to Octoberfest and all the festivals. My teammates made me feel at home, I still talk to most of them today. I would want to go back and visit Rosenheim if I was to come back this season to see the guy.

Did you experience anything crazy at the famous German Octoberfest?

Yes, this guy drank too much beer and fell on his face. Broke his nose blood was everywhere I looked like WOW. Then seeing a million people in Munich blow my mind.

You played at Quinnipiac (NCAA) which is outside New Haven. You played against top NCAA basketball school UCONN each season. You played against NBA players like Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, Ben Gordon , Josh Boone and many more. Which of these players left a mark on you the most in all the battles you had.

Rudy Gay. After playing against Rudy Gay, I KNEW he was going to be a top NBA pick. His game was so smooth.


You had 10 points and 10 rebounds in a game against UCONN: What do you remember from this game?

My memory was playing against 7footers man they had at least 4 of them. I played a 4/5 at my school, we here a small Division 1 so we didnt have many big guys.

Who was the best player that you ever played against at your position in the NCAA that might be in the NBA now?

Kevin Durant Is the best player Ive played against. I mean hes the MVP of the NBA enough said. We have a lot of talent to come out of the DMV ( DC, Maryland and northern Va)

What were the most free throws that you have made in a row in a practice or game?

This season we always ended shooting practice shooting 20 free throws.I made every last one, I got to the last one looked and Terrence with a big smile like yea Im about to make all 20 and BRICKED. So I have to say 19 is the most I made in a row.

What was the most crazy shot that you ever made in a practice of game?

When I played in Lebanon I made a buzzer beater from just in front of the opposite 3point line. The fans went crazy, I cant lie I did too I went and gave the kids high fives after.

What is your impression of Ron Artest changing his name to World Peace?

Ron Artest I love him, Hes a guy that dont care what other people say or thing about him, thats how I try and live my life. Im all for it.

What NBA player do you think will be most successful in Europe this season?

Im not sure whos all going over to play so its hard to say. I dont think the teams are looking for the long run though, most of the guys are going to put Opts in the contracts so they can leave when the NBA starts.

Why is David Hawkins one of your favorite athletes?

David Super Dave Hawkins, We played travel ball together as teenagers. I always knew Dave would play In the NBA or High level in Europe. Hes always been a good dude and a good basketball player.

Do you think German Jurgen Klinsmann will be able to carry the American national soccer team to new heights?

Well Im not too sure about this question. Lets GO USA

What did you like better Hang Over or Hang Over 2?

I went to see both I think part one was better, Part 2 had too much to live up to so I thought it was a little disappointing.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?


Hot Tub Time Machine

Thanks Kevin for the chat.

Looby makes Ludwigsburg roster complete - by Moritz Korff
EnBW Ludwigsburg unveiled its latest newcomer today: Kurt Looby (208-F/C-84, college: Iowa) will join the BBL team. After that, the roster is set for the 2011-12 season, the club announced.
Looby is a 27-year-old post player, who was born in Antigua in the West Indies. The 2008 graduate of the University of Iowa kicked off his professional career in the NBA D-League and received All-D-League Honorable Mention after his rookie season. In the following years Looby spent some time in the Puerto Rican BSN and again the D-League. For the 2010-11 season he took his game to Europe and joined Peristeri Athens of Greece. He played 28 games in this past season and made himself a name as one of the best shotblockers of the A1 league (1.1bpg). He also posted 6.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.

Kurt Looby Completes EnBW Ludwigsburg Roster - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
EnBW Ludwigsburg have found a defense and rebound specialist with Kurt Looby (208-F/C-84, college: Iowa) Looby is a 27 year old 208cm power forward/center from St Johns, Antigua. Last season the big man played for DASH Peristeri GS Athens (Greece-A1): 28 games: 6.5ppg, 7.0rpg, Blocks-4 (1.1bpg), FGP: 54.1%, FT: 61.0%. Kurt has his qualities in the defense and he is the optimal compliment to John Bowler. Since he started to play basketball very late, his development is not ended in the offense side. I am looking forward to be able to keep working on the game with Kurt. With all his ex coaches and players that I talked to said that he has a great work ethic and always wants to improve. I am more than convinced that he will add something special to the team and I amhappy to have him on board', stressed EnBW Ludwigsburg head coach Markus Jochum

Looby started his basketball career in 2003 for Tyler JC where he played until 2005. In 2005, he transfered to Iowa (NCAA) where he played until 2008. In his senior year,he played 32 games: 3.6ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.3bpg, FGP: 66.7%, FT: 41.7%: Finished two year career at Iowa ranked seventh all-time in blocked shots with 96. In 2008-2009, he turned professional and played for Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League): 50 games: 6.4ppg, 8.1rpg, Blocks-2 (2.5bpg), FGP-3 (56.4%), FT: 57.4% and then played for the Grises de Humacao (Puerto Rico-BSN, starting five): 22 games: 9.4ppg, Reb-3 (10.5rpg), Blocks-1 (2.8bpg), FGP: 56.3%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 66.2%.In 2009-2010,he played for : Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League, starting five): 11 games: 3.3ppg, 5.4rpg, 2.6bpg, in Jan.'10 moved to Albuquerque Thunderbirds (D-League, starting five): 26 games: 6.8ppg, 9.0rpg, Blocks-2 (3.2bpg), FGP: 59.3%, FT: 56.4%; in Mar.'10 signed at Maine Red Claws (D-League, starting five): 13 games: 5.2ppg, 7.8rpg, 4.0bpg, FGP: 66.7%, FT: 30.8%. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been Antigua National Team -04, CARICOM Championships -04 (Bronze), and All-D-League Honorable Mention -09


Source: EnBW Ludwigsburg

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

Ex Beko BBL Allstar Three Point Shot Winner 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

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  GREECE   


PAOK announced Kalambokis - by Giorgos Diploidis
PAOK Thessaloniki today announced the deal for the season coming with Giannis Kalambokis (195-G-78, agency: FCM). Kalambokis returns to the team of Thessaloniki after the season 2006-07 when he was named captain of the club.

Kalambokis will share the place of shooting guard with Mihalis Giannakidis. Last year the experienced player had with Ikaros Kallitheas 9.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 2.5apg in 24 matches. This was the fourth movement of PAOK Thessaloniki after signing Rasad Wright and keeping Stiggers and Kalles.


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  IBL   


Gallup Inks Deal With TBB TRIER BUNDESLIGA TOP TIER GERMANY - by John Gary
courtsey oursportscentral.com The Albany legends professional basketball franchise has announced today that shooting guard EJGALLUP has secured employment overseas in the top league in Germany.Gallup today signed with TBB Trier a team in the first division Bundesliga League immediately becoming the teams sharpest shooting threat. Gallup,the Legends starting shooting guard and most veteran player this season has had several offers to play overseas following his tremendous resurgence onto the professional scene. He shot close to 56 per cent from the 3pt arc this season and topped all legends players with .536 fg percentage for the season.

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  ICELAND   


Brandon Cotton joins Ungmennafelagio Snaefell - by Greg
Ungmennafelagio Snaefell agreed terms with 26-year old American guard Brandon Cotton (183-G-85, college: Detroit Mercy). Brandon played with Detroit Mercy and has been over sea two times, one time Poltava-Basket Poltava (Ukraine) and also Telemotive Muenchen (Germany). played most recently at Leones de Santo Domingo (Dominican Rep.).

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  INDONESIA   


Indonesia cruise past Singapore at U16 SEABA Championship - by Eurobasket News
Indonesia U16 - Singapore U16 101:68

Indonesia opened win count at U16 SEABA Championship. They prevailed against Singapore in Banting. The tournament serves as the qualifying event for 2nd Fiba Asia U16 Championship to be held in Vietnam in October. Three qualifying spots are up for grabs.
Indonesia earned a 22:17 lead after ten minutes. They boosted the margin in the second term. Indonesia arrived at the interval leading by as many as 19 points 50:31. The lead kept on growing in the third term. Indonesia ensured a 74:44 lead with one quarter remaining. They opened the fourth term on a 14:4 run and never looked back en route to the victory. Hans Abraham scored 28 points to lead Indonesia. Muhammad Fahdan added 17 points, while Juan Kokodiputro added 16 points in the victory. Kok Chiang Goh responded with 16 points for Singapore. Xing Yuan Han netted 11 points in the losing effort.

Indonesia U16: Hans Abraham 28, Muhammad Fahdan 17, Juan Kokodiputro 16
Singapore U16: Kok Chiang Goh 16, Xing Yuan Han 11


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  IRAN   


William Jones Cup. Hamed Haddadi leads Iran past Malaysia - by Eurobasket News
Iran - Malaysia 69:49

Iran celebrated the third win at the William Jones Cup. They overwhelmed Malaysia to improve at 3-2 record at the tournament. Hamed Haddadi (218-C-85) stepped up with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks to lead the effort. Malaysia suffered the fifth defeat in a row.
Iran and Malaysia exchanged baskets throughout intense first quarter. Iran eked out an 18:17 lead after ten minutes. Iran pulled away in the second term. They posted a 33:28 halftime advantage. The third term proved decisive. Iran came out of the locker room firing from all guns. They outscored Malaysia 26:6 in the period to establish a 25-point lead with ten minutes to go. Malaysia stopped the rot in the final frame but it was too late to save the encounter. Mousa Nabipour (213-C-83) nailed 12 points, while Asghar Kardoust (212-C-86) added 9 points in the victory. Tian Yuan Kuek (200-C-91) responded with 11 points for Malaysia. Yeo Seng John Ng (190-F-81) had 8 points in the loss.

Iran: Hamed Haddadi 13, Mousa Nabipour 12, Asghar Kardoust 9
Malaysia: Tian Yuan Kuek 11, Yeo Seng John Ng 8


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  ISRAEL   


Omri Casspi injured in practice, may miss 2011 Eurobasket - by David Pick
Posted: August 10, 2011, 22:06 PM

The Cleveland Cavaliers new pickup, Israeli forward Omri Casspi slipped today (Wednesday) during a national team practice preparing for the upcoming 2011 Eurobasket championship and will undergo physical therapy for the next two weeks and is questionable for the tournament in Lithuania.

'The knee is not something you play around with,' Casspi said, 'I will not play again until I know I'm 100% capable.'

'I'm not sure if I will play in the EuroBasket. It's too early to decide now, but I feel horrible pains and can barley move. I will need around six weeks to recuperate, two of those playing no basketball at all and then the doctors will check my knee again,' Casspi added.

At first, Casspi pulled a muscle and walked off court alone, as he left the gym to get an MRI scan. However, results later showed that Casspi pulled a muscle on the inner side of his fibula and was instructed to stay home and not travel with Israel's NT to Holland for its second exhibition tournament.

The upcoming Eurobasket preparations began terribly for Casspi who missed his first national warm-up tournament in Cyprus due to a virus. Casspi will have to recover quickly as he is expected to be Israel's preliminary defender stopping Germany's Dirk Nowitzki on August 31st, in their opening game of the European championships.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd


Maccabi Haifa signed Jewish-Canadian guard Simon Farine - by David Pick
Posted: August 10, 2011, 17:14 PM

Maccabi Haifa announced today (Wednesday) the signing of Jewish-Canadian guard Simon Farine to a two-year contract through the 2012-13 season. Farine becomes the first player this season to be signed out of Haifa's U.S. tryout held this past June in South Florida.

Farine, 24, played four seasons at Dalhouse University in Halifax, Canada, posting averages of 19.1 points (second in conference), 6.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.1 steals in 20 games during his senior season and was ranked both second nationally and in the conference with nearly 3:1 assist-turnover-ratio. The 6-foot-2-inch guard was named team captain during his senior season, leading his team to the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Championship. In three playoff games, Farine averaged 24 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists with 3.4 steals and was named Championship MVP, AUS All-Star and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) League All-Star.

'We were very impressed with Farine at the U.S. tryouts,' said head coach Mickey Gorka. 'Simon shined amongst excellent competition at the U.S. tryouts in South Florida. He's a physical guard, strong rebounder, with a nice touch from mid-range and will add depth to our roster this season.'

Farine will be making Aliyah becoming a citizen of Israel for the upcoming 2011-12 season joining his fellow teammates Sylven Landesberg, Tyler Wilkerson, Jeremy Wise, Carlos Powell, and local's Avi Ben-Chimol, Daniel Aidan and young guard Tamir Arieli.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd



Omri Casspi injured in practice, may miss 2011 Eurobasket - by David Pick
Posted: August 10, 2011, 22:06 PM

The Cleveland Cavaliers new pickup, Israeli forward Omri Casspi slipped today (Wednesday) during a national team practice preparing for the upcoming 2011 Eurobasket championship and will undergo physical therapy for the next two weeks and is questionable for the tournament in Lithuania.

'The knee is not something you play around with,' Casspi said, 'I will not play again until I know I'm 100% capable.'

'I'm not sure if I will play in the EuroBasket. It's too early to decide now, but I feel horrible pains and can barley move. I will need around six weeks to recuperate, two of those playing no basketball at all and then the doctors will check my knee again,' Casspi added.

At first, Casspi pulled a muscle and walked off court alone, as he left the gym to get an MRI scan. However, results later showed that Casspi pulled a muscle on the inner side of his fibula and was instructed to stay home and not travel with Israel's NT to Holland for its second exhibition tournament.

The upcoming Eurobasket preparations began terribly for Casspi who missed his first national warm-up tournament in Cyprus due to a virus. Casspi will have to recover quickly as he is expected to be Israel's preliminary defender stopping Germany's Dirk Nowitzki on August 31st, in their opening game of the European championships.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

Jarvis Varnado tweeted he will sign with Jerusalem - by David Pick
Updated: August 10, 2011, 18:09 AM

The high flying former Mississippi St. graduate and defensive stopper Jarvis Varnado, will sign a one-year deal for certain with Hapoel Jerusalem. Varando tweeted via Twitter minutes ago 'Bout to sign a deal in Israel with Hapoel Jerusalem God is good.'

'Eurobaket' understood early this week that the talented forward's representatives have already begun the official negotiations of contract terms with Jerusalem and it seemed to be only a matter of time for the deal to be finalized. This because head coach Oded Katash is highly impressed with the player's athletic skills and abilities.

In 2011, the shot blocking machine became the NCAA All-Time best shot blocker. Also, he is the second player (after David Robinson) in Div. 1 history to have passed the 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 blocked shots in career. The funny thing about it is that despite being drafted by the Miami Heat with the 41st pick, Varnado is yet to officially wear an NBA jersey.

The SEC All-Tournaments MVP in 09' and All-SEC 1st Team player in both 09' and 10' graduated school with double-double averages of 13.8ppg, 10.3rpg and 4.7bpg (!!). Last season Varnado played in Italy's Div. 2 for Tuscany Tissue Pistoia. After recording seven season double-double games, he posted season averages of 15.4ppg, 8.9rpg and
finished first in the league in shot blocks with 3.1bpg.

Hapoel is still negotiating contract terms with both Timmy Bowers and NBA shooting guard Roger Mason who both previously played in Jerusalem.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

Arik Shivek continues to shorten his roster - by David Pick
Updated: August 10, 2011, 13:01 PM

Head Coach Arik Shivek continues to shorten Israel's 2011 EuroBakset roster, as big man Nir Cohen joins guards Moran Roth and Raviv Limonad and will not take part in the upcoming campaign.

Tomorrow Israel will head out to Holland for its second exhibition tournament facing the local NT, NCAA's University of Villanova and Georgia.
Returning to the Israeli squad will be captain Tal Burstein, Yotam Halperin, NBA star Omri Casspi and of course, David Blu.

After a disappointing 2-1 record in the Cyprus tournament, Shivek hopes to achieve better results this time around, especially due to the fact that with Israel's return home, he will release two more players from the team, as fingers point to the seven footer Robert Rothbart and guards Yuval Naimy or Afik Nissim.

Follow David Pick on Twitter: @Dpick_Mvd

*****************************************************
  ITALY   


Aget Imola reach agreement with Erik Daniels - by Eurobasket News
Erik Daniels (204-G/F-82, college: Kentucky) will play in Italy next season. The 29-year-old forward agreed on terms of contract with Aget imola. Erik Daniels started the previous season in Croatia. He played for KK Zagreb averaging 4.0 points and 2.0 boards in EuroCup. In Adriatic League the forward notched 8.3 points, 5.0 boards and 1.0 assist per appearance. In March Erik Daniels moved to D-League. He joined the Erie Bay Hawks. His stats came up to 15.2 points, 7.5 boards, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Erik Daniels is not new to Italy. The forward played for Angelico Biella and Lottomatica Roma before. He also had stints in Ukraine, Israel, Spain and NBA.



Gianluca Lulli will stay with Teramo - by Eurobasket News
Gianluca Lulli (196-F/G-72) will stay with Banca Tercas Teramo for the next season. The Italian 196 cm player will play for 11th season in a row.
In 2001-2002 Lulli joined Sanic Teramo (B1, starting five) and remain with the team for 10 years. In 2008-2009 for Banca Tercas Teramo (SerieA) in 34 games he averaged 2.5ppg, 1.1rpg. In 2009-2010 for Banca Tercas Teramo (SerieA) in EuroCup he showed 1.8ppg, 1.2rpg, while in Italian League after 26 games his stats read 1.9ppg. Last season for the team he had 0.7ppg.
In one of the top games Gianluca Lulli poured in 4 points and had 2 rebounds at the Regular Season Round 25. Banca Tercas overcame Cimberio VA 81-76 to get a eighth victory. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Cimberio Varese. The hosts started the game with a very strong first quarter 28-16. But Cimberio Varese won second period 19-14. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Banca Tercas shot the lights out from three nailing 12 long-distance shots on high 54.5 percentage. Cimberio Varese was plagued by 33 personal fouls down the stretch.
For his Awards/Achievements it is a must to mention Italian Lega2 Champion -03, Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 6th Man of the Year -03 and he also reached Italian Cup Semifinals -09.



*****************************************************
  JAPAN   


Saitama Broncos adds Hughes and Humprey to their roster - by Eurobasket Center
Saitama Broncos (BJ League) added to their roster two new American players: Gabriel Hughes (213-F/C-80, college: California) and John Humphrey (188-G/F-80, agency: Court Side, college: Middle Tenn.St.).

Hughes, 31-year old power forward, spent last saeson at TTU/Kalev Tallinn (Estonia) and Wamsler SE Salgotarjan (Hungary). In Estonian EMKL he played 5 games and averaged 8.6ppg and 7.8rpg. In November he moved to Hungary. While playing 2 games for Salgotarjani his stats were 19.5ppg, 14.5rpg, 1.0apg, 2.0spg, 1.5bpg. Hughes is a very experienced player. He played also pro basketball in China, Ireland, Romania, Spain, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

The second new player is John 'Helicopter' Humphrey. He is a tremendous scorer who can shoot from the outside and slash inside. When the Helicopter is on the court, expect dunks, because his main ability to 'take off'. He spent last season in ABA playing for St. Louis Pioneers.



William Jones Cup. Japan send Jordan to second straight defeat - by Eurobasket News
Japan - Jordan 87:70

Japan registered the second win at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. They tamed Jordan to improve at 2-3 record. Keijuro Matsui (188-G-85, college: Columbia) scored 25 points to lead the effort. Jordan in the meantime suffered the second straight loss and fell at 3-2 record.
Japan earned a 19:16 lead after ten minutes of action. But Jordan turned things around in the second term. They scored 24 points to take a 40:35 halftime lead. Japan bounced back right after the big break. They went on a massive rally to secure a comfortable 10-point lead before the final quarter. Jordan never recovered conceding 25 points in the final term and suffering the second consecutive loss in New Taipei City. Takeki Shonaka (180-G-84) added 18 points and 6 assists, while Atsuya Ota (206-C-84) had 9 points for the winners. Rasheim Wright (194-G-81, college: District of Col.) answered with 26 points for Jordan. Osama Daghles (198-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) netted 12 points in defeat.

Japan: Keijuro Matsui 25, Takeki Shonaka 18, Atsuya Ota 9
Jordan: Rasheim Wright 26, Osama Daghles 12


*****************************************************
  JORDAN   


William Jones Cup. Japan send Jordan to second straight defeat - by Eurobasket News
Japan - Jordan 87:70

Japan registered the second win at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. They tamed Jordan to improve at 2-3 record. Keijuro Matsui (188-G-85, college: Columbia) scored 25 points to lead the effort. Jordan in the meantime suffered the second straight loss and fell at 3-2 record.
Japan earned a 19:16 lead after ten minutes of action. But Jordan turned things around in the second term. They scored 24 points to take a 40:35 halftime lead. Japan bounced back right after the big break. They went on a massive rally to secure a comfortable 10-point lead before the final quarter. Jordan never recovered conceding 25 points in the final term and suffering the second consecutive loss in New Taipei City. Takeki Shonaka (180-G-84) added 18 points and 6 assists, while Atsuya Ota (206-C-84) had 9 points for the winners. Rasheim Wright (194-G-81, college: District of Col.) answered with 26 points for Jordan. Osama Daghles (198-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) netted 12 points in defeat.

Japan: Keijuro Matsui 25, Takeki Shonaka 18, Atsuya Ota 9
Jordan: Rasheim Wright 26, Osama Daghles 12


*****************************************************
  LITHUANIA   


Russia cruise past Lithuania in Khimki - by Eurobasket News
Russia NT-Lithuania NT 91:76

Russia cruise past Lithuania in Khimki in a friendly game between two European titans. The home side looked better in the majority of the game to seal 91:76 victory.
Russia started the game with 23-14 and never looked behind. The hosts added 26-22 in the second period for 13-point advantage at the halftime. The third quarter also belonged to the home side that increased the lead to 17-point lead after 21-17 in the period. Lithuania managed to win only the last quarter and reduced the gap to 15 points. Monia and Paulius Jankunas (205-F-84, agency: Interperformances) exchanged the late baskets in the end for the final result.
Timofey Mozgov (216-C-86, agency: RIZO) top-scored for the winners with 18 points and Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) followed him with 17. Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85, agency: Alti Sport) nailed 14, while Anton Ponkrashov (200-G-86, agency: RIZO) added 12. Paulius Jankunas ended up with 15 points for the Baltic side and Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) had 14. Darius Songaila (205-C/F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wake Forest) delivered 12, whilst Simas Jasaitis (202-F/G-82) scored 11.

Russia NT: Timofey Mozgov 18, Andrei Kirilenko 17, Vitaly Fridzon 14, Anton Ponkrashov 12
Lithuania NT: Paulius Jankunas 15, Jonas Valanciunas 14, Darius Songaila 12, Simas Jasaitis 11


*****************************************************
  MALAYSIA   


William Jones Cup. Hamed Haddadi leads Iran past Malaysia - by Eurobasket News
Iran - Malaysia 69:49

Iran celebrated the third win at the William Jones Cup. They overwhelmed Malaysia to improve at 3-2 record at the tournament. Hamed Haddadi (218-C-85) stepped up with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks to lead the effort. Malaysia suffered the fifth defeat in a row.
Iran and Malaysia exchanged baskets throughout intense first quarter. Iran eked out an 18:17 lead after ten minutes. Iran pulled away in the second term. They posted a 33:28 halftime advantage. The third term proved decisive. Iran came out of the locker room firing from all guns. They outscored Malaysia 26:6 in the period to establish a 25-point lead with ten minutes to go. Malaysia stopped the rot in the final frame but it was too late to save the encounter. Mousa Nabipour (213-C-83) nailed 12 points, while Asghar Kardoust (212-C-86) added 9 points in the victory. Tian Yuan Kuek (200-C-91) responded with 11 points for Malaysia. Yeo Seng John Ng (190-F-81) had 8 points in the loss.

Iran: Hamed Haddadi 13, Mousa Nabipour 12, Asghar Kardoust 9
Malaysia: Tian Yuan Kuek 11, Yeo Seng John Ng 8


Philippines open U16 SEABA Championship with victory - by Eurobasket News
Philippines U16 - Malaysia U16 91:64

Philippines recorded the first win at the U16 SEABA Championship in Banting, Malaysia. They shot down the hosts to improve at 1-0 record. The tournament features five teams who fight for three available spots at 2nd Fiba Asia U16 Championship. The tourney is set to take place in Vietnam on October 18-28.
Philippines led from start to finish. They posted a 23:9 lead at the first break. The visitors maintained the lead throughout the second quarter. They arrived at halftime up by 18 points 44:26. Things hardly changed in the third term. Philippines earned a 67:49 advantage with one quarter remaining and never looked back en route to the victory. Arvin Tolentino provided 16 points to pace Philippines. Christopher Vito added 13 points, while Ranbill Tongco had 11 points in the victory. Malaysia answered with 13 points from Zhi Hao Tan. Hong Kang Tan delivered 10 points in the loss.

Philippines U16: Arvin Tolentino 16, Christopher Vito 13, Ranbill Tongco 11
Malaysia U16: Zhi Hao Tan 13, Hong Kang Tan 10


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


Report: China team offers Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki $1.5 million per month - by Eurobasket News
NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78) of the Dallas Mavericks has been offered $1.5 million per month to play for the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to the German newspaper Bild.

The Monday report called the offer the largest monthly sum offered to an NBA player since the lockout went into effect.

But don't be surprised if the German star turns down the mega-offer he's nixed big money before, and his current focus is on helping his native country at the upcoming European Championships. Germany is seeking a berth in the 2012 Olympics.

In the past, Nowitzki has agreed to play four more years in Dallas for $20 million per season, instead of putting his name on the open market and fetching closer to $25 million per year.

He's also turned down several lucrative endorsement deals throughout his NBA career.

Courtesy of www.dallasnews.com

Kevin Durant negotiating with Besiktas - by Eurobasket News
Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas) is in negotiations with Turkey's Besiktas -- the same club that signed Deron Williams (6'3''-PG-84, agency: Beo Basket, college: Illinois) and has been chasing Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) -- the Oklahoma City forward's agent said Tuesday.

Agent Aaron Goodwin said he met with Besiktas officials and was also looking into Spain and Russia, ESPN reported.

'The Turkish option is very intriguing,' Goodwin said. 'We're looking at other countries as well. Kevin hasn't agreed to play anywhere yet, but we're looking for the best fit.'

Turkish newspaper VATAN has reported that Besiktas will shift its focus to securing Durant in the event of an extended NBA lockout should its lengthy pursuit of Bryant collapse.

The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that Lakers forward Ron Artest was set to sign with British team the Cheshire Jets, while German newspaper Bild reported NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki had been offered $1.5 million per month to play for the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Goodwin said Durant was not considering playing in China.

Courtesy of http://msn.foxsports.com

Earl Clark heads to China - by Eurobasket News
According to Yahoo! Sports, Earl Clark (206-F-88, college: Louisville) will continue his career in China. The NBA forward agreed a deal with CBA team Zhejiang. There is no NBA out clause, so Clark will stay in China for the entire season. Clark started 2010/11 with the Phoenix Suns. He played 8 games for them registering 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds. In December, Orlando Magic got the player in trade. There, Clark averaged 4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 34 games. Earl Clark played for the Suns also in 2009/10. It was his rookie NBA season. For 53 games he had 2.7 ppg and 1.2 rpg. He spent some time also with D-League team Iowa Energy. Earl Clark graduated at the University of Louisville two years ago. He had 14.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 3.2 apg as a senior.

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


Le Mans brings in William Coleman - by Eurobasket News
William Coleman (206-F-88) is set to start his professional basketball career. The American forward penned a one-year deal with Le Mans. Coleman graduated at the University of Memphis few months ago. He averaged 7 points and 4.5 rebounds for his school as a senior. Coleman helped Memphis to win C-USA Tournament this year. In 2009/10, William Coleman registered 7.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 2.1 bpg in 34 games. He transferred to Memphis in 2009 from Miami Dade CC. With Miami Dade Coleman was JUCO Southern Conference Champion. William Coleman participated at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (Pre-NBA Draft) this year. For 3 games at this event he had 12.7 ppg, 6 rpg and 3 bpg.

*****************************************************
  NIGERIA   


Two out of two for GB Men - by Eurobasket News
Standard Life GB Men's youngsters shone once again as Chris Finch's side made it two wins from as many games with a 95-80 victory against Nigeria in Cobham, Surrey on Tuesday.

18-year-old Devon Van Oostrum (190-G-93) led the scoring with 18 points as well as three assists, while Kyle Johnson (195-G-88) added 11 points and four rebounds and Eric Boateng (208-C-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona St.) dominated the boards with 14 rebounds.

Van Oostrum is the youngest player to ever appear for the GB Senior Men's side, but he was modest about his contribution after the game: 'It was a good win tonight, Nigeria were a better team than Holland. It's not all about top scoring, I think I brought some energy off the bench too and it was great helping the team to the win.'

Standard Life GB assistant coach, Nick Nurse was delighted with the performance: 'It's been a really perfect two-game tournament for us. We have a lot guys here and we've shown we've got a lot of depth, so it'll be difficult to figure out the final roster, but that's a great problem to have.'

Britain never looked back after a first period which saw them hit seven of their nine three point attempts to lead by 15, and they then went on to hit a blistering 59 percent from outside the arc. Ogooluwa Adegboye (182-G-87, agency: Interperformances) made a strong contribution to the team with three three-pointers on the way to a 13 point haul, while Mike Lenzly finished with 12 points. Andrew Lawrence and van Oostrum both distributed three assists for the GB team. Eric Boateng's impressive rebound haul saw him take the Standard Life tournament MVP award.

Ime Ukoka scored the first points of the game for Nigeria, but a blitz of GB three pointers from Adegboye (2), Nate Reinking (2) and Lenzly gave GB a 27-12 lead at the first break. Nigeria hit the first six points of the second period before Laurence Ekperigin broke the run at the foul line, but the visitors extended their tear to 16-3 to force a Finch timeout with his side up by just two and 6:09 on the clock.

Van Oostrum ended the drought with a three after a big rebound from Ekperigin, and with Lenzly and van Oostrum both adding further long range efforts, GB reached half-time with a 48-40 lead.

The lead was trimmed to three after four second-half minutes before Ryan Richards hit an off-balance two to keep GB ahead. That calmed the GB nerves and Adegboye hit his fourth three-pointer of the game as GB went into the final break up 71-61.

Kyle Johnson sank a three to open the fourth period and GB never looked back, in the end cruising to a comfortable win.

Courtesy of: http://www.englandbasketball.co.uk

*****************************************************
  PHILIPPINES   


William Jones Cup. South Korea defeat Philippines, stay on top of the ladder - by Eurobasket News
South Korea - Philippines 78:70

South Korea recorded the fifth straight win at the William Jones Cup. They overcame Philippines to stay undefeated on top of the ladder. Oh Sek-Eun (201-C-87) stepped up with 19 points and 6 rebounds to pace the winners. Philippines suffered the second loss and fell at 3-2 record.
Philippines earned a narrow 16:14 lead ten minutes into the game. But South Korea struck right back in the second term. They limited Philippines to 12 points in the period to establish a 37:28 halftime lead. Philippines erupted for 28 points in the third term to deny the deficit. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 56. But South Korea proved the difference in the fourth stanza. They outgunned Philippines 22:14 in the final frame to celebrate yet another victory at the tournament. Yang Dong-Geun (182-G-81) netted 17 points, grabbed 6 boards and issued 5 assists, while Ha Seung-Jin (221-C-85) accounted for 16 points in the victory. Joseph Casio (177-PG-86) responded with 27 points for Philippines. Marcus Douthit (211-F/C-80, college: Providence) posted 16 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

South Korea: Oh Sek-Eun 19, Yang Dong-Geun 17, Ha Seung-Jin 16
Philippines: Joseph Casio 27, Marcus Douthit 16


2011 William Jones Cup Day 5 Scores & Commentary - by Enzo Flojo
KOR 78 - Oh 14, Yang DG 17, Ha 16, Stevenson 11, Kim JS 6, Lee 5, Kang 2, Kim JK 2, Yang HJ 0
PHL 70 - Joseph Casio (177-PG-86) 27, Douthit 16, Baracael 13, Tiu 6, Lutz 4, Aguilar 2, Taulava 2, Barroca 0, Lassiter 0, Hontiveros 0
QS: 14-16, 37-28, 56-56, 78-70
- The Koreans used superior size in outrebounding the Pinoys. Korea also had more assists and steals and forced 24 Pinoy turnovers.
- Joseph Casio erupted in the 3rd quarter, enabling the Philippines to take the lead a couple of times, but he cooled down in the last period as Korea kept up the pressure.
- Korea remains unbeaten at 5-0 as the Filipinos move down to 3-2.

IRN 69 - Haddadi 13, Nabipoor 12, Kardoust 9, Kamrani 8, Davari 8, Barogh 7, Davoudi 7, Sahakian 4, Davarpanah 1, Veisi 0, Rouzbahani 0
MAS 49 - Kuek 11, Ng 8, Loh 8, Chee 6, Ong 4, Ho 4, Ooi 2, Batumalai 2, Wee 2, Soo 2, Kwaan 0
QS: 18-17, 33-28, 59-34, 69-49
- Iran had to go through a tight first half before destroying the Malaysians in the 3rd stanza. Iran is certainly a different team without its top wingmen, but they still mustered enough to pull this one through.
- Credit should be given to Malaysia for being able to stick with the defending FIBA-Asia Champions for 20 minutes. Despite their winless record, the Malaysians have garnered great experience here, which should help them in the upcoming SEA Games.
- Iran ties the Philippines at 3-2 while Malaysia drops to 0-5.

JPN 87 - Keijuro Matsui (188-G-85, college: Columbia) 25, Shonaka 18, Ota 9, Hinkley 8, Arao 7, Sakai 6, Kamata 5, Togashi 3, Okada 2, Nishimura 2, Noguchi 2, Hashimoto 0
JOR 70 - Wright 26, Dahglas 12, Abbas 11, Abu Quora 8, Wesam 6, Al-Faraj 3, Zaghab 2, Abbaas 2, Abu Ruqayah 0, Al-Khas 0, Soobzokov 0
QS: 19-16, 35-40, 62-52, 87-70
- The biggest upset of the tournament yet. Japan, sans its top-tier players, was able to use quickness, superb shooting and scrappy defense to disrupt the Jordanians, especially in the 2nd half. Keijuro Matsui, a former Columbia Lion, led the way with 25 points and 4 triples. He was well-supported by Takeki Shonaka (180-G-84), who shot an immaculate 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
- Rasheim Wright caught fire in the 2nd frame before the Japanese simply outhustled the seemingly fatigued and visibly frustrated Jordanians in the 2nd half. Jordan has lost two straight now and is tied with the Philippines and Iran.
- Jordan goes down to 3-2 as Japan moves up to 2-3.

TPE 92 - Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) 24, Chen Shun-Hsiang (190-F-85) SH, 15, Lu 14, Chien 8, Chou 7, Yang 6, Lee 6, Tseng 5, Creighton 4, Hung 3, Ho 0, Chen Shun-Hsiang SN 0
UAE 87 - Ahmad 21, Al-Zaabi 20, Al-Braiki 15, Al-Hattawi 9, Ahmed 6, Omar 6, Al-Nuaimi 4, Abdalla 2, Al-Ameri 2, Mubarak 2, Salem 0
QS: 10-23, 32-40, 56-63, 36-24
- The Taiwanese went through the wringer before eking out this close win over the Arabs. BYU-Hawaii alumnus Tsung-Hsien Chang led the way with 25 markers while Chen Shun-Hsiang hit 5 triples to finish with 15 points.
- UAE made a lot of headway in the 1st quarter, erecting a double-digit lead, but they were not able to sustain it till the end. They were ultimately outdone by the better playmaking, defense and 3-point shooting of Taiwan.
- Taiwan gets solo second at 4-1 whil UAE ties Malaysia at the bottom with a 0-5 slate.

Source: HoopNut.blogspot.com

2011 William Jones Cup Day 4 Scores, Pictures & Commentary - by Enzo Flojo
PHL 86 - Tiu 14, Baracael 14, Aguilar 13, Lassiter 13, Lutz 12, Ababou 6, Barroca 5, Ballesteros 4, Hontiveros 3, Taulava 2,
MAS 68 - Chee 15, Ng 9, Ong 8, Ho 6, Wee 5, Kuek 5, Ooi 4, Batumalai 4, Loh 4, Kwaan 4, Soo 2, Chin 2
QS: 16-13, 37-34, 64-45, 86-68
- The Pinoys needed a 2nd half surge to beat the stubborn Malaysians, mainly due to the fact that Marcus Douthit (211-F/C-80, college: Providence) and JV Casio were both rested in preparation for today's game against Korea.
- The Malaysians did some damage in the first half, and, quite literally, in the 2nd half too as Yoong Jing Kwaan grabbed something belonging to Asi Taulava that he shouldn't have grabbed. Taulava retaliated by doing a Manny Pacquiao on Kwaan. Both were ejected, but I think both will still play today.
- This win may just be the upper that Gilas needs to play well against Korea later, and to get back on track after the close loss to Jordan.

IRN 84 - Kardoust 23, Sahakian 13, Veisi 13, Davari 9, Nabipoor 8, Davarpanah 6, Davoudi 5, Sohrabnejad 5, Barogh 2, Rouzbahani 0
UAE 55 - Ahmad 14, Salem 9, Mubarak 6, Omar 5, Al-Sari 5, Ahmed 4, Al-Ameri 4, Al-Braiki 2, Al-Nuaimi 2, Al-Hattawi 2, Abdalla 2
QS: 25-14, 39-32, 58-42, 84-55
- Asghar Kardoust (212-C-86) was just too big, too strong, and just too much for UAE. Iran was able to rest Hamed Haddadi, and still come out with a convincing win, which is a testament to their depth and talent.
- Judging by how they have performed far, it seems UAE won't go beyond the 1st round in this tournament, and they probably won't go far in the 2011 FIBA-Asia too.

TPE 77 - Tseng 18, Chen HA 16, Chang 14, Lin 10, Chien 10, Su 4, Lu 3, Ho 2, Lee 0, Creighton 0
JOR 75 - Abbas 21, Wright 19, Dahglas 16, Zaghab 9, Abbaas 8, Al-Khas 2, Abu Quora 0, Abu Ruqayah 0, Soobzokov 0
QS: 17-12, 34-34, 54-59, 77-75
- This was a surprising result, given how Jordan won their first three games. Jordanian fans have lamented the officiating, and feel that most of the calls were examples of home-cooking.
- Nevertheless, it's still impressive that Taiwan were able to stay close to Jordan till the endgame despite being much smaller. It seems the quickness and shooting of Taiwanese did not desert them this time around.

KOR 69 - Oh Sek-Eun (201-C-87) 22, Yang DG 14, Kim JS 14, Kim YH 6, Cho 6, Kim JK 3, Park 2, Kang 2, Lee 0, Stevenson 0, Yang HJ 0, Ha 0
JPN 67 - Matsui 12, Shonaka 11, Okada 10, Ota 8, Hinkley 7, Nishimura 5, ito 4, Arao 4, Kamata 4, Sakai 2, Noguchi 0, Watanabe 0
QS: 17-16, 42-34, 64-53, 69-67
- Coach Hur Jae was supposed to rest star forward Jarod Stevenson in this game, but the Japanese were just too spirited to let him do so. Coach Hur finally inserted Stevenson in the latter part of the 4th period, but he hardly made a dent as Japan kept the pressure on.
- Some key breaks of the game, coupled with some big plays by Yang Dong-Geun (182-G-81) and Oh Sek-Eun, proved to be enough for Korea to escape the upset axe.

Source: HoopNut.blogspot.com

Philippines open U16 SEABA Championship with victory - by Eurobasket News
Philippines U16 - Malaysia U16 91:64

Philippines recorded the first win at the U16 SEABA Championship in Banting, Malaysia. They shot down the hosts to improve at 1-0 record. The tournament features five teams who fight for three available spots at 2nd Fiba Asia U16 Championship. The tourney is set to take place in Vietnam on October 18-28.
Philippines led from start to finish. They posted a 23:9 lead at the first break. The visitors maintained the lead throughout the second quarter. They arrived at halftime up by 18 points 44:26. Things hardly changed in the third term. Philippines earned a 67:49 advantage with one quarter remaining and never looked back en route to the victory. Arvin Tolentino provided 16 points to pace Philippines. Christopher Vito added 13 points, while Ranbill Tongco had 11 points in the victory. Malaysia answered with 13 points from Zhi Hao Tan. Hong Kang Tan delivered 10 points in the loss.

Philippines U16: Arvin Tolentino 16, Christopher Vito 13, Ranbill Tongco 11
Malaysia U16: Zhi Hao Tan 13, Hong Kang Tan 10


*****************************************************
  POLAND   


Marcin Gortat to miss Eurobasket. - by Dawid Roguski
Despite the efforts on the European and global insurance markets Polish Basketball Federation have failed to find a policy that fully protects Marcin Gortat (213-C-84) during the lockout from the consequences of possible injury on European Championships. It is a situation where the Phoenix Suns resolve contract with Gortat in the event of his inability to play at the point of interruption by the NBA lockout. It was not possible to find insurance coverage for such a situation. This is another painful loss for the Polish team after Maciej Lampe (210-C-85).

Polpharma Starogard sign Jeremy Simmons. - by Dawid Roguski
Big man Jeremy Simmons (203-F-89, agency: Interperformances) is a new member of Polpharma Starogard Gdanski.. He is a Charleston University product when averaging 13.3 pts. and 6.2 reb.as a senior last year.

PLK without Polonia Warszawa! - by Dawid Roguski
Polish Basketball League has announced that Polonia Warszawa didn't receive a licence to perform in the season 2011/12. Club had seven days to appeal but it was rejected due to lack of formal. As the league announced no longer able to perform this club in the PLK in season 2011/12.

Ponitka and Niedzwiedzki to miss Lithuanian European Championship. - by Dawid Roguski
Mateusz Ponitka (196-G-93) and Piotr Niedzwiedzki (209-F-93) will miss Lithuanian European Championship because in accordance with the provisions of FIBA players can play only in two championships tournament in one season. Both players have already played in U19 World Championship [Latvia] and U18 European Championship [Poland] so They can not play in Lithuania. By adding the problems with insurance of Marcin Gortat (213-C-84) caused by NBA lockout, Polish national team has a lot of problems before the upcoming tournament.

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


Basketball - referees in Portugal met in Lisbon and Aveiro.... - by Hugo Carvalho
Basketball referees in Portugal met in Lisbon and Aveiro were absolutely perplexed with the measures presented to the FPB arbitration (these measures supported by the clubs). But the referees can not be considered guilty and responsible for the poor financial management of FPB and clubs.

Travel to the games, the obligation to participate in monthly training sessions in various parts of the country, the proposed reduction in the number of referees in
LPB and Proliga, the high registration fee arbitrators, late payments, are just some of the laments of Portuguese referees.

The referees have to be in the locality where the game takes place at least 2 hours before the same and should be in the pavilion 75 minutes before the game starts.
Referees Portuguese feel disrespected. Portuguese

Referees are responsible and comply with their obligations.

Source: Jos Cassapo

*****************************************************
  ROMANIA   


CSM Bucuresti signs Bryson McKenzia - by Tamas Deri
CSM Bucuresti have signed 28-year old American center Bryson McKenzie (211-C-83, college: N.Illinois) (210-C-83, college: Northern Ill.) will arrive this week. McKenzie played most recently at Perak Farmcochem (Malaysia) where they went to the championship as one of the best big men, he averaged 12.7ppg, 16.9rpg, 2.1bpg (1st in rebounding and 2nd best in blocks in the league) Before playing going to Malaysia, McKenzie played the full season with Szedeak (Hungary) where he averaged 13.6ppg, 8.0rpg (top 12), 1.3bpg, (4th in blocks) and 1.3spg. In the past he also played in the NBADL and for the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers Summer League teams. He is a force in the middle.


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


Enisey tab Sergey Toporov - by Eurobasket News
Enisey continued to strengthen their roster. They landed Sergey Toporov (197-F-81). The sides agreed on terms of one-year contract. The forward spent the last season in lokomotiv Kuban. Sergey Toporov posted 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in EuroChallenge. The forward also delivered 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per appearance in PBL. Previously Sergey Toporov had spells for Khimky, Triumph, Unics Kazan, CSK VVS Samara and Arsenal Tula. Toporov was the member of Russian National Team back in 2004.


Russia cruise past Lithuania in Khimki - by Eurobasket News
Russia NT-Lithuania NT 91:76

Russia cruise past Lithuania in Khimki in a friendly game between two European titans. The home side looked better in the majority of the game to seal 91:76 victory.
Russia started the game with 23-14 and never looked behind. The hosts added 26-22 in the second period for 13-point advantage at the halftime. The third quarter also belonged to the home side that increased the lead to 17-point lead after 21-17 in the period. Lithuania managed to win only the last quarter and reduced the gap to 15 points. Monia and Paulius Jankunas (205-F-84, agency: Interperformances) exchanged the late baskets in the end for the final result.
Timofey Mozgov (216-C-86, agency: RIZO) top-scored for the winners with 18 points and Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) followed him with 17. Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85, agency: Alti Sport) nailed 14, while Anton Ponkrashov (200-G-86, agency: RIZO) added 12. Paulius Jankunas ended up with 15 points for the Baltic side and Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) had 14. Darius Songaila (205-C/F-78, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wake Forest) delivered 12, whilst Simas Jasaitis (202-F/G-82) scored 11.

Russia NT: Timofey Mozgov 18, Andrei Kirilenko 17, Vitaly Fridzon 14, Anton Ponkrashov 12
Lithuania NT: Paulius Jankunas 15, Jonas Valanciunas 14, Darius Songaila 12, Simas Jasaitis 11


*****************************************************
  SEBL   


Standings
SEBL Standings
North Div.
 1. Marietta O. 12-0 
 2. Bartow B. 9-2 
 3. Summ.Hill BD 6-3 
 4. Cartersville W. 6-4 
 5. Crusaders 4-6 
 6. Dalton 3-6 
 7. BC Howren 2-7 
 8. BC Skyline 1-8 
South Div.
 1. Black Monop. 10-2 
 2. Bombers 9-2 
 3. Reep 3 6-3 
 4. Tri-County 4-4 
 5. Atlanta F. 4-5 
 6. BC Lakers 2-6 
 7. New Era 2-6 
 8. Eagle Stars 0-8 


*****************************************************
  SERBIA   


Partizan wants to signs Danilo Andjusic - by Eurobasket News
Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade wants to sign guard Danilo Andjusic (197-G-91, agency: Beo Basket) for the next season. The team will try to agree his release with Hemofarm to get the player this summer. Andujsic appeared 18 times for Hemofarm in Serbian league averaging 6.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists. In Adriatic league he had 3.7 ppg for 21 games. Andjusic also added 4.6 ppg and 1.6 rpg for 9 EuroCup games. Danilo Andjusic played for the Serbian U20 National Team this summer. He had 13 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 1.8 apg for 9 games at the U20 EuroBasket in Bilbao. He played for U20 Serbia last summer as well. In 2009, Danilo Andjusic helped U18 Serbia to win the Gold at U18 EuroBasket in Metz. At this event he had 13 ppg and 2.1 rpg for 9 games. He also won U16 EuroBasket with Serbia in 2007.

*****************************************************
  SINGAPORE   


Indonesia cruise past Singapore at U16 SEABA Championship - by Eurobasket News
Indonesia U16 - Singapore U16 101:68

Indonesia opened win count at U16 SEABA Championship. They prevailed against Singapore in Banting. The tournament serves as the qualifying event for 2nd Fiba Asia U16 Championship to be held in Vietnam in October. Three qualifying spots are up for grabs.
Indonesia earned a 22:17 lead after ten minutes. They boosted the margin in the second term. Indonesia arrived at the interval leading by as many as 19 points 50:31. The lead kept on growing in the third term. Indonesia ensured a 74:44 lead with one quarter remaining. They opened the fourth term on a 14:4 run and never looked back en route to the victory. Hans Abraham scored 28 points to lead Indonesia. Muhammad Fahdan added 17 points, while Juan Kokodiputro added 16 points in the victory. Kok Chiang Goh responded with 16 points for Singapore. Xing Yuan Han netted 11 points in the losing effort.

Indonesia U16: Hans Abraham 28, Muhammad Fahdan 17, Juan Kokodiputro 16
Singapore U16: Kok Chiang Goh 16, Xing Yuan Han 11


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


William Jones Cup. South Korea defeat Philippines, stay on top of the ladder - by Eurobasket News
South Korea - Philippines 78:70

South Korea recorded the fifth straight win at the William Jones Cup. They overcame Philippines to stay undefeated on top of the ladder. Oh Sek-Eun (201-C-87) stepped up with 19 points and 6 rebounds to pace the winners. Philippines suffered the second loss and fell at 3-2 record.
Philippines earned a narrow 16:14 lead ten minutes into the game. But South Korea struck right back in the second term. They limited Philippines to 12 points in the period to establish a 37:28 halftime lead. Philippines erupted for 28 points in the third term to deny the deficit. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 56. But South Korea proved the difference in the fourth stanza. They outgunned Philippines 22:14 in the final frame to celebrate yet another victory at the tournament. Yang Dong-Geun (182-G-81) netted 17 points, grabbed 6 boards and issued 5 assists, while Ha Seung-Jin (221-C-85) accounted for 16 points in the victory. Joseph Casio (177-PG-86) responded with 27 points for Philippines. Marcus Douthit (211-F/C-80, college: Providence) posted 16 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

South Korea: Oh Sek-Eun 19, Yang Dong-Geun 17, Ha Seung-Jin 16
Philippines: Joseph Casio 27, Marcus Douthit 16


*****************************************************
  SPAIN   


Valladolid extends Jason Robinson - by Eurobasket News
Valladolid announced signing of a one-year contract extension with Jason Robinson (196-F-80, college: Pikeville). The American forward joined Valladolid last summer from Melilla. He played 34 games in ACB collecting 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds. Valladolid was very close to reach the Playoffs last season. They ended as No.9. In 2009/10, Jason Robinson had 14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 1.7 apg in 43 games with Melilla. They reached LEB Gold Semifinals and Robinson was named Eurobasket.com All-Spanish LEB Gold Honorable Mention -10. In 2008/09, Robinson was a member of Gandia. For 33 games there he had 15.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg. Gandia also competed in LEB Gold that season. In the past, Robinson played in Portugal.

Obradoiro CAB signs Mario Cabanas - by Eurobasket News
Mario Cabanas (207-C-85) is a new member of Obradoiro CAB. The Spanish big guy penned a deal for the next season. Cabanas heads to Oradoiro from Cajasol, where he spent last two years. He appeared 20 times in ACB last season averaging 1.4 points. Cabanas also played 9 games in EuroCup, but he averaged less than a point there. Cajasol reached EuroCup Finals last season. In 2009/10, Cabanas also had limited playing time. Before Cajasol, Mario Cabanas played for C.B. L'Hospitalet. He helped them reach LEB Silver Semifinals. That season Cabanas had 7.5 ppg and 5.9 rpg in 34 games. In the past, he also was a member of La Laguna and Granada juniors. With La Laguna, Cabanas reached LEB2 Finals in 2007.

Estudiantes lands Cedric Simmons - by Eurobasket News
Asefa Estudiantes announced signing of a one-year deal with Cedric Simmons (206-F/C-86, college: N.Carolina St.). The former NBA player heads to Estu from Kavala, where he spent last season. Simmons played 28 games in Greek league averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. He finished as the best rebounder and second shot blocker of the competition. Eurobasket awarded Simmons with Greek A1 League All-Newcomers Team -11. He also participated at the Greek league All-Star Game. Cedric Simmons played in D-League and in China two years ago. He also has experience from the NBA teams Chicago Bulls, Sacramento kings and Cleveland Cavaliers. Simmons received Bulgarian citizenship this year and became active member of their National Team. Bulgaria will participate at the upcoming EuroBasket in Lithuania.

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


William Jones Cup. Tsung-Hsien Chang leads Taiwan past UAE - by Eurobasket News
Taiwan - UAE 92:87

Taiwan registered the fourth victory at the William Jones Cup. The hosts held off determined UAE to improve at 4-1 record in the ladder. Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) knocked down 24 points to pace Taiwan. UAE fell at 0-5 record after the defeat.
UAE got to an excellent start to the game. They outscored Taiwan 23:10 in the opening period. Taiwan stopped the bleeding in the second period. They managed to narrow the deficit at 8-point mark at halftime 32:40. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the third term. UAE secured a 7-point cushion before the final period. But Taiwan recovered in the fourth quarter. The home unleashed 36 points and escaped with a narrow victory at the end. Chen Shun-Hsiang (190-F-85) scored 15 points, while Lu Cheng-Ju (194-F-86) provided 14 points in the winning effort. Ibrahim Ahmad (175-G-79) answered with 21 points for UAE. Rashed Al Zaabi (188-G-88) chipped in 20 points in the loss.

Taiwan: Tsung-Hsien Chang 24, Chen Shun-Hsiang 15, Lu Cheng-Ju 14
UAE: Ibrahim Ahmad 21, Rashed Al Zaabi 20


*****************************************************
  TURKEY   


Standings - TB2L
TB2L Standings
 1. Akhisar Bld 0-0 
 2. Balikesir 0-0 
 3. Bornova 0-0 
 4. Darussafaka 0-0 
 5. Final Genclik 0-0 
 6. Gaziantep 0-0 
 7. Gelisim 0-0 
 8. Genc Banvit 0-0 
 9. Genc Telekom 0-0 
 10. Istanbul B.B. 0-0 
 11. Istanbulspor 0-0 
 12. Kepez Bld 0-0 
 13. Optimum TED 0-0 
 14. Orman Genc 0-0 
 15. Oyak Renault 0-0 
 16. Pamukkale 0-0 
 17. Pertevniyal 0-0 
 18. Selcuk Univ. 0-0 
 19. TED Istanbul 0-0 
 20. Usak 0-0 
 21. Vestel 0-0 


Kinsey moves across town to Efes - by Pervin Elgin
A versatile veteran has switched Turkish Airlines Euroleague powerhouses as Anadolu Efes announced Tuesday the arrival of swingman Tarence Kinsey on a one-year deal. Efes also has an option to extend his contract until the end of the 2012-13 season. Kinsey (2.00 meters, 27 years old) arrives from cross-town rivals Fenerbahce Ulker, where he averaged 8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 14 Euroleague games last season. He was a double-digit scorer in 10 games the season before that, when he returned to FB Ulker one year after leaving the club. Kinsey became a crowd favorite for his acrobatic dunks and defense. He helped FB Ulker win three Turkish League titles in 2008, 2010 and 2011, and they have lifted the Turkish Cup trophy together each of the last two seasons. Kinsey has also played for Cleveland and Memphis in the NBA since finishing his college career at the University of South Carolina (NCAA), which he led to back-to-back NIT titles in 2005 and 2006. Kinsey is also the founder of the The Tarence Kinsey Foundation, which supports community projects in his native Florida, United States.

Courtesy of Euroleague.net

Ormanspor Genc Ankara sign Adam Constantine - by Eurobasket Center
Ormanspor Genc Ankara (TB2L) signed 23-year old American forward Adam Constantine (206-F-88, college: Elon, agency: Strategic Sports). Constantine was tested by season at Rilski Sport Samokov in Bulgaria, but ended-up at Solna Vikings (Sweden). While playing 22 games for Solna last season his stats were: 12.5ppg, 7.5rpg, 1.2apg and 1.2bpg. Constantine played also pro basketball in Bulgaria and Sweden. Two years ago he was selected to All-Southern Conf. 2nd Team playing for Elon in the NCAA.

By Eurobasket Data Center

Erdemir signs Caner Ercan - by Eurobasket News
Caner Ercan (205-F-86, agency: Diamond Sportsman Agency) is a new member of Erdemir. The Turkish power forward signed a one-year deal with his new club. Ercan arrives to Erdemir from Olin Edrine, where he spent last two years. He appeared 32 times in TBL last season averaging 5.1 points and 1.5 rebounds. Olin Edrine was a newcomer and they managed to reach the Playoffs. The team ended as No.7, what was considered as great success. Caner Ercan helped Olin Edrine to reach TB2L Finals in 2010. At the same time they won the promotion to TBL. For 28 games in TB2L Ercan collected 8 ppg and 3.7 rpg. In the past, he played for Vestel.

Kevin Durant negotiating with Besiktas - by Eurobasket News
Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas) is in negotiations with Turkey's Besiktas -- the same club that signed Deron Williams (6'3''-PG-84, agency: Beo Basket, college: Illinois) and has been chasing Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) -- the Oklahoma City forward's agent said Tuesday.

Agent Aaron Goodwin said he met with Besiktas officials and was also looking into Spain and Russia, ESPN reported.

'The Turkish option is very intriguing,' Goodwin said. 'We're looking at other countries as well. Kevin hasn't agreed to play anywhere yet, but we're looking for the best fit.'

Turkish newspaper VATAN has reported that Besiktas will shift its focus to securing Durant in the event of an extended NBA lockout should its lengthy pursuit of Bryant collapse.

The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that Lakers forward Ron Artest was set to sign with British team the Cheshire Jets, while German newspaper Bild reported NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki had been offered $1.5 million per month to play for the Zhejiang Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Goodwin said Durant was not considering playing in China.

Courtesy of http://msn.foxsports.com

Ersan Ilyasova Rumors & News - by Pervin Elgin
Ersan Ilyasova agrees in principle to play in Turkey
Brew Hoop Reports in the Turkish media suggest that Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova has agreed in principle to sign a 3-year contract with Fenerbahce Ulker in his native Turkey. 'Standstill' currently seems like an egregious understatement to describe the conditions of the NBA lockout, and many had speculated Ilyasova was likely to seek another overseas playing opportunity given his history in Europe. Details remained unconfirmed as of Monday morning, but initial reports indicate the deal would be worth 3.5 million Euros over the next three years. This actually seems low, given the value of the cont...

Ersan Ilyasova (F) Milwaukee Bucks still under contract w/ Bucks
Rotoworld Ersan Ilyasova has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract with the Turkish team Fenerbahce Ulker, but he's still under contract with the Bucks.

With FIBA clearing NBA players to sign abroad, Keyon Dooling and Ersan Ilyasova could be latest to bolt for Turkey
Brew Hoop Apparently Lake Michigan is out and the Bosphorus Strait is in. The same day that FIBA announced it would allow players with NBA contracts to play abroad during the lockout, Bucks point guard Keyon Dooling joined the list of NBA players who could be playing in Turkey this fall, nearing a deal with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Dooling has one year remaining ($2.246 million) on the two-year deal he signed last summer, but his agent Kenge Stevenson told Charles Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel that his client hoped to stay in Turkey this season regardless of when the lockout is resolved...

Courtesy of www.sportsoverdose.com


Real Madrid and Anadolu Efes interested in Maurice Evans - by Pervin Elgin
Maurice Evans may be the latest player to sign overseas. Evans is currently talking with two international teams, according to sources close to the situation. The Spanish club Real Madrid and the Turkish club Anadolu Efes (formerly known as Efes Pilsen) have expressed significant interest in Evans.

Evans serves as vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, which would make him the first union representative to sign abroad during the lockout.

As an unrestricted free agent, the 32-year-old is free to sign wherever he wants without requiring a letter of clearance from FIBA, basketball's governing body.

Prior to his successful NBA career, Evans spent two years overseas in Greece and Italy. He was Europe's Player of the Year in 2003 and was an All Star in consecutive years.

Last season, Evans was acquired midseason by the Washington Wizards and averaged 9.7 points per game during his 26-game stint. Washington has expressed interest in re-signing Evans once the lockout comes to an end.

Roger Montgomery, Evans' agent, could not be reached for a comment.

Courtesy of Sportando.net

Efes Pilsen switched its name in Anadolu Efes Istanbul - by Pervin Elgin
Efes Pilsen switched its name in Anadolu Efes Istanbul
New name for the Turkish team

The era of Efes Pilsen is over. The Turkish team officially announced its new name which is now Anadolu Efes Istanbul. The team was named Efes Pilsen since 1976.
Anadolu Efes Spor Kulubu (English: Anadolu Efes Sports Club, formerly known as Efes Pilsen) is a Turkish professional basketball club based in Istanbul and sponsored by the Efes Beverage Group. It is the most successful club in the history of the Turkish Basketball League, having won the league's championship 13 times. Their home arena is the Sinan Erdem Dome. Anadolu Efes plays at Group C in 201112 Euroleague Basketball .

Courtesy of Sportando.net and www.efesbasket.org/Haberler/A-Takim/duyuru.aspx


Efes big man Gonlum suffers knee injury which will be treated in Antwerp - Belgium - by Pervin Elgin
Anadolu Efes could be without one of its frontcourt pillars for much, if not all, of the coming season after big man Kerem Gonlum suffered a knee injury while training with the Turkish national team at the European Championship in Bormio, Italy. Gonlum, who started 15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague games last season and averaged 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, apparently damaged his anterior cruciate ligament during a collision with another player. The expected recovery time is a minimum of six months, which would mean Gonlum misses all of the Euroleague Regular Season. Last summer Gonlum helped Turkey win a silver medal at the FIBA World Championships with 4.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Courtesy of Euroleague.net



2011-12 Team Profile: Fenerbahce Ulker - by Pervin Elgin
With great talent and ambition on the court, on the sidelines and in the boardroom, Fenerbahce Ulker has proven itself to be a rising force in European basketball and with the 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four taking place in Istanbul, this season could be the perfect time for the Turkish champion to join the true elite. Despite a pair of four-game winning streaks and a 3-0 start to the Top 16, Fenerbahce missed the Euroleague playoffs last season on a tiebreaker, but bounced back to win the Turkish Cup and League double for the second season in a row. The trophies are all in sync with the great winning tradition the club has championed. Founded in 1907, it opened its doors to basketball as the sport established itself in Turkey and claimed national titles in 1957, 1959 and 1965 before the Turkish League was founded in 1966 and it advanced to the Euroleague in 1958, 1960 and 1966. A quarter-century passed before more highlights, which began when Fenerbahce beat Tofas for the 1991 Turkish League title. Fenerbahce returned to the Turkish League finals in 1992, 1993 and 1995, but finished second each time. It placed third in 1998 and qualified for the Euroleague. With a strong team featuring Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Marko Milic, Ibrahim Kutluay and the late Conrad McRae, Fenerbahce advanced to the eighthfinal playoffs before losing to Real Madrid. The club reached the Korac Cup quarterfinals in 1996 and 2001 and ranked fourth in the 2005 FIBA Europe League, but it wasn't until the summer of 2006 that the team became a European powerhouse. Thats when Fenerbahce merged with Ulker, one of the winningest clubs in Turkish basketball history. Ulker was founded in 1975, but its basketball section was created in 1993 by buying a Turkish League spot from Nasasspor. It won four Turkish League between 1995 to 2006 with Harun Erdenay, Kutluay, Michael Anderson, Orhun Ene, Mirsad Turkcan and Serkan Erdogan among its many stars. Ulker made the Top 16 for five consecutive seasons between 2002 and 2006, beating all the best European teams in the process. It had its best finish when it made the 2005 Euroleague playoffs before losing to CSKA Moscow. Ulker also won five Turkish President's Cups and three Turkish Cup titles. In the first season of the new Fenerbahce Ulker, the team won the Turkish title. In 2007-08, a group of rising stars took Fener to the Euroleague quarterfinals and another Turkish crown. A plague of injuries saw Fener lose its Turkish League title the next year and in 2010 Fenerbahce Ulker was knocked off in the Euroleague regular season on a buzzer-beating shot in the final game of this phase, but the team regrouped to lift its third Turkish League title in four years. Last season it was back knocking on the door of the Euroleague playoffs and reigning supreme at home. And that success laid the groundwork for what the Fenerbahce Ulker faithful hope will be a magical 2011-12 season.

PROVISIONAL ROSTER
2011-12
G
F
F
G
G
G
C
C
C
G
G
F
F
Head Coach: Neven Spahija

Courtesy of Euroleague.net





Fenerbahce Ulker will be really motivated in the upcoming Turkish Airlines Euroleague season, as the 2012 Final Four is set to take place in Istanbul, its home city. - by Pervin Elgin
Fenerbahce Ulker will be really motivated in the upcoming Turkish Airlines Euroleague season, as the 2012 Final Four is set to take place in Istanbul, its home city. Fener will try to live up to the expectations and already signed some marquee players such as athletic forward James Gist, 2010-11 regular season scoring runner-up Bojan Bogdanovic and playmaker Curtis Jerrels. Head coach Neven Spahija stays as the team boss and Fener has talent everywhere with stars like Roko Ukic, Emir Preldzic, Mirsad Turkcan or Marko Tomas. Fener has just one very ambitious initial goal - reaching the Final Four.

Courtesy of Euroleague.net


Fenerbahce Ulker in talks with Mehmet Okur - by Pervin Elgin
The forward could land in Turkey until lockout ends

According to MixBasket, Fenerbahce Istanbul is in talks with Mehmet Okur for the coming season. The two parts are negotiating on a one-year deal with NBA out when the lockout ends. Okur has played 617 games in his NBA career averaging 13.7ppg and 7.1rpg. About Fenerbahce, it is still not known the future of James Gist. The player was signed by Turkish champions in the offseason but he falied an anti-doping test due to cannabis while he was playing for Partizan Belgrade. Gist might stay with Fenerbahce and returns to action after the stop imposed by FIBA.

Courtesy of Sportando.net

*****************************************************
  U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS   


St. Hillare leads Guidance into NBBA Finals - by David Edole
By Dave Davis August 9, 2011

AQ St. Hillare scored 12 points in the fourth quarter Monday, carrying the defending champions Guidance to a hard fought, 65-63, series-clinching victory over the tournament's number-one seeded Kings at the Ronald Charles Gymnasium.

The win put the champs back into the NBBA finals with a chance to repeat. But to get there they'll have to face the Hoyas, winners of four out of the leagues last five championships.

The Kings started fast, led by Craig Williams (205-F-89) and Omari Eastman's eight and six points respectively. By the end of the first period they were ahead 18-11. Raheem Dennis netted eight for Guidance.

Eric Mcbean came alive for Guidance in the second quarter with eight points to lead his team, but the Kings led30-26 at the half.

Coach Donald Boughs man-to-man defensive scheme helped limit the scoring opportunities for Kings sharp shooter Stephen OReilly, who was held to just three points in the first half.

A 15-9 third period for Guidance, led by seven points from St. Hillare and some stingy defense, saw the game tied at 39 after three quarters. The stage was now set for what turned out to be a very exciting fourth period.

OReilly had been kept in check for three quarters, but he exploded for 13 points in the final quarter and had the Kings on top 63-60 late in the game. St. Hillare also took charge of his teams offense with a big fourth of his own, scoring a dozen.

Arguably the biggest shot of the game came from the smallest man on the floor. Trailing 63-60 with 44 seconds left in the game, point guard Joelfry Polanco scored his only points of the game when he took an inbound pass the length of the floor, got a pick from teammate St. Hillare and hit a clutch 3-pointer to knot the game at 63. On the Kings next possession a bad pass was picked off by Guidance and Kitwana Rhymer (208-C-78, college: Massachusetts) put in the game winner to send the Kings home, 65-63.

St. Hillare led four Guidance players in double figures with a game-high 20 points while also pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds. Rhymer finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds and McBean had 12 points and 10 boards. For the Kings, it was Williams leading the way with 19 points and 14 rebounds, OReilly finished with 16 and Deandre Pryce added 10.

Guidance will now face the Hoyas in the finals beginning Wednesday night at the RCG.



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


Hottur Egilsstadir sign UBA Standouts: Michael Sloan and Trevon Bryant - by UBA media

Hottur Egilsstadir announced signing of Michael Sloan (6'5''-G/F-84, college: Clayton St.) and Trevon Bryant (6'10''-F/C-84, college: Cal.St.-Dominguez H.) for the next season.

Michael Sloan is a member of the Usbasket All-UBA 1st Team. He played 28 games for the Southern Generals and led them to their first Championships this summer. Sloan averaged 23.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He was also named Usbasket.com All-UBA Southern Conference Player of the Year.

Trevon Bryant will play his fourth straight season internationally (Japan, Chile, Uruguay, Bulgaria). He was a member of the Dallas Stars last season. In 18 league games he averaged 16.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game. Bryant finished as the best shot blocker in the UBA. He was named Usbasket.com All-UBA Defensive Team. Since 2007 Bryant has led his team in blocks and rebounds. That includes college and professionally.

We are very proud of Sloan and Bryant, said UBA Commissioner Michael Davis . Bryant is a very high level defender and Sloan was the top guard in our league.

The Hottur has a very young team and will need the experience of both Sloan and Bryant.


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


Zach Morley remain with the champions - by Eurobasket News
Zach Morley (203-F-83, college: Wisconsin) remain with the champions for the next season. The American Forward will stay with Budivelnyk Kyiv.
In 2010-2011 Zach joined Budivelnyk Kyiv (Ukraine-Superleague, starting five) and in EuroCup after14 games averaged 12.1ppg, 5.9rpg, 2.2apg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 81.1%. In Euroleague Qualifying Round after 2 games he had 4.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 3.0apg, 1.5spg, while in Ukrainian League averaged 8.8ppg, 4.9rpg, 2.5apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 36.6%, FT: 76.8%.
In EuroCup he recorded 25 points at the Regular Season Round 3 when Budivelnyk extended their winning series. They held off Buducnost in Dnipropetrovsk to climb at 3-0 record in Group C. Buducnost suffered the second loss in three games. Zach Morley accounted for 25 points for the winners.
In the national League he scored 21 points three times. In the last one Budivelnyk held off BC Donetsk at home court to knot up the Final series at 2-2. The hosts trailed by 2 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 2-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 76-66. Budivelnyk made 25-of-33 free shots (75.8 percent) during the game. 31 personal fouls committed by BC Donetsk helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American forward Zach Morley fired 21 points and 8 rebounds for the winners.



Gary Ervin joins BC Kyiv - by Greg
Experienced American guard Gary Ervin (186-G-83, college: Arkansas) decided to continue his professional basketball career in Europe and play for BC Kyiv.

Ervin played last season in Wollongong Hawks in Australian NBL. While playing 27 games he averaged 20.1ppg (league's best scorer), 3.4rpg and 4.5apg (third best). He was nominated to the Australiabasket.com All-Australian NBL 1st Team and All-Imports Team.



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  UNITED ARAB EMIRATES   


William Jones Cup. Tsung-Hsien Chang leads Taiwan past UAE - by Eurobasket News
Taiwan - UAE 92:87

Taiwan registered the fourth victory at the William Jones Cup. The hosts held off determined UAE to improve at 4-1 record in the ladder. Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) knocked down 24 points to pace Taiwan. UAE fell at 0-5 record after the defeat.
UAE got to an excellent start to the game. They outscored Taiwan 23:10 in the opening period. Taiwan stopped the bleeding in the second period. They managed to narrow the deficit at 8-point mark at halftime 32:40. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the third term. UAE secured a 7-point cushion before the final period. But Taiwan recovered in the fourth quarter. The home unleashed 36 points and escaped with a narrow victory at the end. Chen Shun-Hsiang (190-F-85) scored 15 points, while Lu Cheng-Ju (194-F-86) provided 14 points in the winning effort. Ibrahim Ahmad (175-G-79) answered with 21 points for UAE. Rashed Al Zaabi (188-G-88) chipped in 20 points in the loss.

Taiwan: Tsung-Hsien Chang 24, Chen Shun-Hsiang 15, Lu Cheng-Ju 14
UAE: Ibrahim Ahmad 21, Rashed Al Zaabi 20


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  UNITED KINGDOM   


Local Lad Aliu Staying Home - by Paul Nilsen
Liverpool lad David Aliu (198-F-81, college: Morehead St.) has committed his future to his hometown club, signing a new two-year deal with the Mersey Tigers.

Aliu, 30, played an important role in helping the Tigers to the treble last season and has been working in the community throughout the summer, delivering coaching and assembly talks across Merseyside.

He said: 'It's good be staying with the Tigers, and staying home. It's nice to play in front of friends and family every week.

'I just want to keep winning, keep competing and keep picking up trophies, and help the club to grow in the city.

'I want to be part of something special and help the club grow in the city. I want to be able to promote basketball in Liverpool, and get kids playing something other than or as well as football, and help them develop new skills and abilities. I'd love for that to be basketball.'

Aliu featured in 35 games in 2010-11, averaging 23 minutes and 12.5 points per match, and ended the year with Championship, Trophy and Play-off winners medals.

He added: 'We had a good group last season, and I'm looking forward to being part of it again.'

Coach Tony Garbelotto is continuing preparations for the new season, which begins on October 2 away at Cheshire Jets.

Last week, the club revealed it will play its home games at the new Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park facility in Huyton.

Two out of two for GB Men - by Eurobasket News
Standard Life GB Men's youngsters shone once again as Chris Finch's side made it two wins from as many games with a 95-80 victory against Nigeria in Cobham, Surrey on Tuesday.

18-year-old Devon Van Oostrum (190-G-93) led the scoring with 18 points as well as three assists, while Kyle Johnson (195-G-88) added 11 points and four rebounds and Eric Boateng (208-C-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Arizona St.) dominated the boards with 14 rebounds.

Van Oostrum is the youngest player to ever appear for the GB Senior Men's side, but he was modest about his contribution after the game: 'It was a good win tonight, Nigeria were a better team than Holland. It's not all about top scoring, I think I brought some energy off the bench too and it was great helping the team to the win.'

Standard Life GB assistant coach, Nick Nurse was delighted with the performance: 'It's been a really perfect two-game tournament for us. We have a lot guys here and we've shown we've got a lot of depth, so it'll be difficult to figure out the final roster, but that's a great problem to have.'

Britain never looked back after a first period which saw them hit seven of their nine three point attempts to lead by 15, and they then went on to hit a blistering 59 percent from outside the arc. Ogooluwa Adegboye (182-G-87, agency: Interperformances) made a strong contribution to the team with three three-pointers on the way to a 13 point haul, while Mike Lenzly finished with 12 points. Andrew Lawrence and van Oostrum both distributed three assists for the GB team. Eric Boateng's impressive rebound haul saw him take the Standard Life tournament MVP award.

Ime Ukoka scored the first points of the game for Nigeria, but a blitz of GB three pointers from Adegboye (2), Nate Reinking (2) and Lenzly gave GB a 27-12 lead at the first break. Nigeria hit the first six points of the second period before Laurence Ekperigin broke the run at the foul line, but the visitors extended their tear to 16-3 to force a Finch timeout with his side up by just two and 6:09 on the clock.

Van Oostrum ended the drought with a three after a big rebound from Ekperigin, and with Lenzly and van Oostrum both adding further long range efforts, GB reached half-time with a 48-40 lead.

The lead was trimmed to three after four second-half minutes before Ryan Richards hit an off-balance two to keep GB ahead. That calmed the GB nerves and Adegboye hit his fourth three-pointer of the game as GB went into the final break up 71-61.

Kyle Johnson sank a three to open the fourth period and GB never looked back, in the end cruising to a comfortable win.

Courtesy of: http://www.englandbasketball.co.uk

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  URUGUAY   


Uruguay defeated Mexico 67-53 - by Hector Lopez
Reque Newsome (204-C-81, college: S.Indiana) scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Mathias Calfani netted 11 with 5 rebounds and 4 blocks when Uruguay defeated Mexico 67-53 in the second and last game played in the city of Salto. Uruguay is traonong to play the Championship of the Americas. Pther players for Uruguay were Fernando Martinez 8 points, Gustavo Barrera 6, Mauricio Aguiar 6 Bruno Fitipaldo 1, Sebastian Izaguirre 8, Leandro garcia Morales 2, Sebastian Vazquez 8, Martin Osimani 0, Emiliano Baston 2, Joaquin Izuibejeres. For Mexico: Brody Angley 5 points, Isaac Gutuerrez 1, Arim Solares 7, Leroy Davis 4, Jesus Lopez 4, Pedro Meza 5, Hector Hernandez 9, Enrique Zuiga 4, Fernando Benitez 0 Adan Parada 14. The Mexican team will now travel to Sao Paulo (Brazil).

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  VTB UNITED LEAGUE   


Justin Knox pens deal with Minsk-2006 - by Eurobasket News
Justin Knox (205-F, college: N.Carolina) pens deal with Minsk-2006 for the next season. The American Forward comes from North Carolina.
In 2007-2008 Justin started for Alabama (NCAA) and in 19 games averaged 1.7ppg, 1.9rpg. In 2008-2009 for Alabama he improved to 5.7ppg, 5.1rpg, FGP: 48.3%, FT: 69.2%. In
2009-2010 his stats read 6.3ppg, 3.7rpg, FGP: 43.9%, 3PT: 100.0%, FT: 73.3%. In 2010-2011 he moved to N.Carolina (NCAA, starting five) and in 37 games averaged 4.6ppg, 3.2rpg. In 2011 participated at Team Munich (Eurobasket Summer League in Cologne, Germany, starting five) and in 3 games averaged 14.3ppg, 9.3rpg. When Team Munich beat Team Belgrade 107:103 it led by a strong performance from Nicholas Pederson (23 points and 7rebounds) who captured the attention of a few European scouts..Justin Knox the former North Carolina Tar Heel player was impressive with a 17pts and 8rbs performance that helped Munich defeat Belgrade 107-103. In Game 1 Team Seville featuring Coach Darrell Armstrong beat Team Munich 82-79 in a hard fought battle that was not decided until the final end of the game.One of the keys to the game was the offensive rebounding of the Seville Team and the offensive output of Tony Davis who scored 22 points and 12 rebounds.Team Munich was lead by former UNC Tar Heel player Justin Knox poured in a double-double scoring 12pts and 12rbs.
Last season he became ACC Regular Season Champion -11, ACC Tournament Finalist -11, NCAA Elite Eight -11 and Eurobasket Summer League in Cologne Winner -11. He was the Southeastern Conference's Scholar Athlete of the Year in men's basketball in 2009




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  WILLIAM JONES CUP   


Standings
Standings
1. S.Korea5-0
2. Taiwan4-1
3. Philippine.3-2
4. Iran3-2
5. Jordan3-2
6. Japan2-3
7. S.Africa0-0
8. United Ara.0-5
9. Malaysia0-5


Day 5 in New Taipei City - by Eurobasket News
Iran - Malaysia 69:49
Iran celebrated the third win at the William Jones Cup. They overwhelmed Malaysia to improve at 3-2 record at the tournament. Hamed Haddadi (218-C-85) stepped up with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks to lead the effort. Malaysia suffered the fifth defeat in a row.
Iran and Malaysia exchanged baskets throughout intense first quarter. Iran eked out an 18:17 lead after ten minutes. Iran pulled away in the second term. They posted a 33:28 halftime advantage. The third term proved decisive. Iran came out of the locker room firing from all guns. They outscored Malaysia 26:6 in the period to establish a 25-point lead with ten minutes to go. Malaysia stopped the rot in the final frame but it was too late to save the encounter. Mousa Nabipour (213-C-83) nailed 12 points, while Asghar Kardoust (212-C-86) added 9 points in the victory. Tian Yuan Kuek (200-C-91) responded with 11 points for Malaysia. Yeo Seng John Ng (190-F-81) had 8 points in the loss.

Iran: Hamed Haddadi 13, Mousa Nabipour 12, Asghar Kardoust 9
Malaysia: Tian Yuan Kuek 11, Yeo Seng John Ng 8

Japan - Jordan 87:70
Japan registered the second win at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. They tamed Jordan to improve at 2-3 record. Keijuro Matsui (188-G-85, college: Columbia) scored 25 points to lead the effort. Jordan in the meantime suffered the second straight loss and fell at 3-2 record.
Japan earned a 19:16 lead after ten minutes of action. But Jordan turned things around in the second term. They scored 24 points to take a 40:35 halftime lead. Japan bounced back right after the big break. They went on a massive rally to secure a comfortable 10-point lead before the final quarter. Jordan never recovered conceding 25 points in the final term and suffering the second consecutive loss in New Taipei City. Takeki Shonaka (180-G-84) added 18 points and 6 assists, while Atsuya Ota (206-C-84) had 9 points for the winners. Rasheim Wright (194-G-81, college: District of Col.) answered with 26 points for Jordan. Osama Daghles (198-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) netted 12 points in defeat.

Japan: Keijuro Matsui 25, Takeki Shonaka 18, Atsuya Ota 9
Jordan: Rasheim Wright 26, Osama Daghles 12

South Korea - Philippines 78:70
South Korea recorded the fifth straight win at the William Jones Cup. They overcame Philippines to stay undefeated on top of the ladder. Oh Sek-Eun (201-C-87) stepped up with 19 points and 6 rebounds to pace the winners. Philippines suffered the second loss and fell at 3-2 record.
Philippines earned a narrow 16:14 lead ten minutes into the game. But South Korea struck right back in the second term. They limited Philippines to 12 points in the period to establish a 37:28 halftime lead. Philippines erupted for 28 points in the third term to deny the deficit. The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 56. But South Korea proved the difference in the fourth stanza. They outgunned Philippines 22:14 in the final frame to celebrate yet another victory at the tournament. Yang Dong-Geun (182-G-81) netted 17 points, grabbed 6 boards and issued 5 assists, while Ha Seung-Jin (221-C-85) accounted for 16 points in the victory. Joseph Casio (177-PG-86) responded with 27 points for Philippines. Marcus Douthit (211-F/C-80, college: Providence) posted 16 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

South Korea: Oh Sek-Eun 19, Yang Dong-Geun 17, Ha Seung-Jin 16
Philippines: Joseph Casio 27, Marcus Douthit 16

Taiwan - UAE 92:87
Taiwan registered the fourth victory at the William Jones Cup. The hosts held off determined UAE to improve at 4-1 record in the ladder. Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) knocked down 24 points to pace Taiwan. UAE fell at 0-5 record after the defeat.
UAE got to an excellent start to the game. They outscored Taiwan 23:10 in the opening period. Taiwan stopped the bleeding in the second period. They managed to narrow the deficit at 8-point mark at halftime 32:40. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the third term. UAE secured a 7-point cushion before the final period. But Taiwan recovered in the fourth quarter. The home unleashed 36 points and escaped with a narrow victory at the end. Chen Shun-Hsiang (190-F-85) scored 15 points, while Lu Cheng-Ju (194-F-86) provided 14 points in the winning effort. Ibrahim Ahmad (175-G-79) answered with 21 points for UAE. Rashed Al Zaabi (188-G-88) chipped in 20 points in the loss.

Taiwan: Tsung-Hsien Chang 24, Chen Shun-Hsiang 15, Lu Cheng-Ju 14
UAE: Ibrahim Ahmad 21, Rashed Al Zaabi 20




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Women News

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  AUSTRALIA - Women  


QBL QUARTER FINAL - by Eurobasket News
QF3 Ipswich Force vs. Northside Wizards
Saturday 13th August, 4:30pm @ Cotton On Foundation Stadium

After some indifferent form in the middle of the season, the Force surge into the Finals having won four of their past five matches. Last week the Force hammered Maroochydore 92-53 in their first game of the Round, and then came from behind in the fourth quarter to record a narrow 64-62 victory over South West Metro the following day. Despite not affecting their overall standings, the Forces win over South West was an important one as they showed that they can win without star player Emma Langford, who will miss Ipswichs finals campaign. In Langfords absence, Courtney Taylor stepped up to record a season high 22 points against South West. Taylor and experienced guard Amber Bartels, will both have to keep producing big numbers, if the Force are to feature in the Grand Final.

Northside, last years Grand Finalists, limp into the finals after having lost their last four matches by an average margin of 28 points. The Wizards cause has not been helped by a horrendous injury toll, which sidelined their most influential player Rachel Maenpaa for the last few games of the regular season. In Round 14 the Wizards were soundly beaten by the Capitals, with only Katie Harris managing to crack double figures for the match. However, none of this will matter if the Wizards win this match as they will then have renewed confidence and be on their way to the Semi-Finals for the second year in succession.

Ipswich and Northside met back in Round 11, with the Force prevailing 67-63 in a see-sawing encounter. Ezria Parsons (183-F-83, college: S.Florida) was huge for the Force in this game, with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Buoyed by the return of Maenpaa for this match and with Langford now gone, the Wizards will look to limit the involvement Parsons, who is now the Forces primary point scorer and rebounder. If the Wizards can do this they may be able to spring an upset.

QF1 Mackay Meteorettes vs. Rockhampton Cyclones
Saturday 13th August, 7:00pm @ Candle Stick Park

Mackay were on track to finish the regular season on top of the ladder having won 14 straight games heading into Round 13. However, the Meteorettes had a disappointing final two Rounds losing games to Townsville, Gladstone and Rockhampton. Last week the Meteorettes chances of hosting the Grand Final series were dashed, when they lost to the Power 91-72. Mackay were in the match with the Power at half time only trailing by 3 points, but a disastrous third quarter where they were outscored 35-8 cost them the game. In her second QBL season Rachel Allison (185-F-87, college: Baylor) has continued to produce big numbers for the Meteorettes averaging 22.9ppg and 10.3rpg, and she holds the key for the Meteorettes if they are going to go any further in this years playoffs.

The Cyclones scraped into the playoffs with an emphatic 86-67 win over Mackay in Round 14. Rockhampton have recovered well for the loss of Tegan Cunningham, winning four of their five games since her departure. Nicole Romeo continued her sensational form with 34 points, which included 5/8 three pointers in the win over Mackay last week. Also hitting top form at the right time of the season is Louella Tomlinson who had 20 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists against the Meteorettes. Tomlinson has proven to be valuable addition to the side in recent weeks, and her presence in the paint has allowed Romeo more freedom from the perimeter.

Although Rocky dominated for long portions of the match last week, a win in this game will be much tougher. The Meteorettes will enter this match with more energy having not played the night before and will also have the added advantage of a boisterous home crowd behind them.

QF2 Bundaberg Bears vs. Gold Coast Rollers
Saturday 13th August, 7:00pm @ WIN Stadium

After years of languishing near the bottom of the table, the Bundaberg Bears have ended their years of finals oblivion, with a tremendous regular season which yielded fourteen wins and only four losses. However, the Bears were given a reality check last week losing to competition heavyweights the Power by 33 points. Kisha Lee fought gallantly for the Bears in the loss with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Yvonne Turner (174-G-87, college: Nebraska) had a team high 24 points. Turner and Lee have been the cornerstones of the Bears success this season, but have also received plenty of support from the likes of Hayley Munro, Alice Honnery and Kylie Giles, who will all have major roles to play in Bundabergs finals campaign.

Gold Coast enters their Quarter-Final clash with the Bears in exceptional form having won their last five matches. The Rollers posted comprehensive wins over Caboolture and Maroochydore in Round 14, to end the regular season with a 9-9 record. Carine Reimink (185-F-87, college: Colorado St.) played a starring role for the Rollers in both of their wins with 26 points and 14 rebounds against Caboolture, followed by 29 points and 18 rebounds against Maroochydore the next day. Reimink forms a formidable frontcourt combination with Jade Davis and Sarah Petrie, and if the Rollers are to cause a boil over in this match all three of these players need to have big games.

Turner (26 points, 10 rebounds & 6 assists) led the Bears to a 76-62 win over Gold Coast earlier this year. Although the end margin blew out to 14 points, there was hardly anything between the sides heading into the final quarter with the Bears just ahead 46-44. On paper, the Bears look to have too much depth across the court, but dont expect Gold Coast to go down without a fight.
Courtesy of: QBL

Central ABL: Women's Qualifying Final Preview - by Eurobasket News
Sturt Sabres (15-3, 2nd) v West Adelaide Bearcats (12-6, 3rd), 6.30 pm @ Pasadena

The Bearcats will have the mental edge going into their Qualifying Final clash with Sturt at Pasadena on Saturday.

The two sides met only two weeks ago, where West won comfortably 66-52.

The Bearcats also defeated Sturt at Pasadena in last years Qualifying Final, which totally derailed the Sabres finals campaign.

In 2009, the boot was on the other foot, where West finished as Minor Premiers, but was upset by Sturt in the Second Semi-Final and then eliminated the following week.

Neither the 2009 Sabres or the 2010 Bearcats could go on with the job, however, with both sides losing to Forestville in the Grand Final, despite each having two weeks to prepare for their season-defining game.

Therefore, Sturt and West both have something to prove, so it is fitting they should go head-to-head in the first week of their respective 2011 finals campaigns.

Sturt has won eight of nine at home this season, including a 93-73 victory over West in Round 8.

The Bearcats are a solid 5-4 away from home, but only went 4-6 over their last 10 games after an 8-0 start.

The Sabres finished the season at 15-3, an especially impressive effort considering they were not at full strength for a lot of their games.

Superstar Tess Madgen (180-G/F-90) (23.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.9 apg) played in just 11 of the 18 games, including last weeks 90-66 win over Southern.

Rookie Nicole Seekamp (16.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.4 apg) has had an outstanding season, while the injured Monique Bowley (12.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.2 apg) has also been very good, and Caroline Burgess (8.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.1 apg) and Conor Holmes (3.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3 apg) are both excellent defenders.

Amy Shaw (8.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Aneeka Smith (6.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg), Isabelle Daniel (5.9 ppg), Hannah Richards (5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Anna Maycock (2.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) have also made nice contributions for their team.

For West, Nikita-Lee Martin (184-G-88) (17.1 ppg, 9 rpg, 3 apg), Kerrin Webber (12.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.3 apg), Ashlea Vordermaier (12.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.2 apg) and Trudy Holland (7.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.6 apg) have been the clubs top contributors.

Irene Sourlatzis (6.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.3 apg) and Meg McLeod (6.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.8 apg) are also key players in the rotation, while Sky Landenbrinck (3.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.7 apg) and Alana Nairn (5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) have been in the action this season.

Both head-to-head matches have seen the home team win comfortably, but with the talent each side has to offer, it is hard to see this being anything other than a close contest.

Overall, the Sabres have been without doubt been the better team this season, and I cannot see them allowing the Bearcats to steal another finals win in their home building.

By James Woite
Courtesy of: Central ABL

Central ABL: Women's Elimination Final Preview - by Eurobasket News
Forestville Eagles (12-6, 4th) v Central District Lions (9-9, 5th), 6.30 pm @ Wayville

Centrals will go in with nothing to lose ahead of Saturdays Elimination Final against Forestville at Wayville.

This is the first time the Lions will feature in the post-season since 1996.

Led by Tony Moore for the first six rounds, Centrals won three of six, including a crucial one point win over sixth-placed South Adelaide in Round 1.

Ben Todd took over from there and did an equally fine job, with the Lions winning six of 12, two of which were against the finals-challengers North Adelaide.

The Eagles started the season slowly and did not look like recovering from the loss of 2010 Grand Final MVP Mia Newley to Tasmania, Kelsey Ireland to Norwood, and, perhaps the most significant, Jessica Mahony (169-G-83) to opponents Centrals.

Mahony (12.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 9.2 apg) has had her best season statistically and is every chance of winning her second Halls Medal.

Much of Forestvilles trouble was due to a lack of production at Point Guard, with Monica Bello (174-G-78) (11.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.6 apg) not activated until Round 8, as well as an over-reliance on Jess Fergus (13.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.3 apg) and Georgia Minear (16.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.9 apg).

However, when Bello entered the line-up and the Eagles signed Carla Borrego (20.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg), Forestville turned the corner and very nearly pinched a spot in the top three.

The Eagles won 10 of their last 12, including a 72-66 win over the 17-1 Flames.

Along with Forestvilles star quartet, Alex Duncan (7.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg), Jamie-Lee Bow (6.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.9 apg) and Tara Robinson (5.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.1 apg) should see significant minutes.

Besides Mahony, Alisha Heglund (15.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Kimberley Olsen (10.9 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.9 apg), Desinta Cummins (8.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 4 apg), Fiona Perso (7.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Lisa Wilson (5.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg) have been key contributors for Central Districts.

The Eagles have won both head-to-head meetings this season.

The first was in Round 8 at Starplex, Bellos first game, where they got home 72-57.

In the match at Wayville in Round 17, Forestville won 74-66, with a 22-7 third quarter crucial.

Normally in this situation, with regular post-season participants going up against a ball club that is new to the idea, the regulars would have a massive advantage.

However, with Mahony at Centrals, the Eagles edge in experience is negated somewhat.

For Forestville, an Elimination Final exit would have to be considered a failed season for a team that has won the last two titles, so the pressure on the players shoulders will be at a maximum.

The Lions, on the other hand, have already accomplished more than could be imagined for a team that finished winless in 2010, and can feel relaxed ahead of this one.

Still, it should be the Eagles who win this game and move on to the First Semi-Final.

By James Woite
Courtesy of: Central ABL




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  AUSTRIA - Women  


U18 Austria celebrates first win in Group G - by Eurobasket News
U18 AUSTRIA - U18 SWITZERLAND 65-51

Both teams failed in their first games of Group G. Yesterday. Austria outplayed Switzerland 65-51 improving to 1-1 record. Switzerland closes the standings in this pool with 0-2. Lisa Zderadicka (168-PG-94) led the winners with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Barbara Keck (183-F-94) had 11 points and Sarah Sagerer (190-C-96) added 10 pts, plus 14 rebs. In defeat, Alix Rieder (168-PG-93) delivered 12 points. Their second scorer was Alexandra Koch (175-PG-94) with 11 pts. Quarters: 14-21, 17-8, 11-12, 23-10. Today Austria will meet Luxembourg. Switzerland will take on UK.

Austria: Lisa Zderadicka 13+5 boards, Barbara Keck 11, Sarah Sagerer 10+14 boards
Switzerland: Alix Rieder 12, Alexandra Koch 11

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  BELARUS - Women  


U18 Belarus comes up with another win in Mickolc - by Eurobasket News
U18 BELARUS - U18 HUNGARY 62-55

Belarus was better than Hungary 62-55 jumping to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. It means that Belarus will have a chance to win this pool. They will have to beat Croatia today in order to end as No.1. On the other side, Hungary dropped to 2-2. They will meet Bulgaria today. Maryia Papova (183-F-94) exploded for Belarus with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Maryna Ivashchanka (190-C-93) had 16 points and 10 boards, and Darya Lipinskaya (180-G/F-93) helped with 11 pts, plus 5 rebs. In Hungary, Fanni Szabo (181-G-94) collected 19 points and 7 rebs. Their second best player was Amadea Szamosi (190-F/C-94) with double-double of 16 points and 11 boards. Quarters: 19-10, 20-16, 13-18, 10-11.

Belarus: Maryia Papova 25+13 boards, Maryna Ivashchanka 16+10 boards, Darya Lipinskaya 11+5 boards
Hungary: Fanni Szabo 19+7 boards, Amadea Szamosi 16+11 boards

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  BELGIUM - Women  


U18 Belgium jumps to 4-0 in Group F - by Eurobasket News
U18 BELGIUM - U18 HOLLAND 71-54

Belgium jumped to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group F. They secured Quarterfinals already two days ago, but thanks to this win Belgium has a chance to win this pool. They will meet France today in the battle for the first place. On the other side, Holland dropped to 1-3. However, they still have a chance to reach the next stage. Holland will meet Italy today. Julie Vanloo (172-PG-93) led Belgium with 14 points. Lynn Delvaux (182-F-93) had 13 points, while Emma Meesseman (192-C-93) added 9 pts, plus 6 rebs. In defeat, Maxime Essenstam (189-C-93) was better than the others with double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Willemijn Kallenberg (176-G-93) stopped to 8 pts in this meeting. Quarters: 19-16, 16-9, 25-7, 11-22.

Belgium: Julie Vanloo 14, Lynn Delvaux 13, Emma Meesseman 9+6 boards
Holland: Maxime Essenstam 14+10 boards, Willemijn Kallenberg 8

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  BRAZIL - Women  


Celta officially signs Brazilian center Damiris Dantas - by Eurobasket News
As expected, Celta officially announced signing of Damiris Dantas (192-C-92). The 18-year-old Brazilian prospect demonstrated impressive performance at the latest FIBA U19 World Championship in Chile. She appeared 9 times at this event averaging 20.9 ppg and 12.6 rpg. Dantas ended as the best scorer and rebounder in Chile. Brazil won the Bronze at this event and Dantas was named Eurobasket.com All-World Championships U19 Best Player -11. Damiris Dantas paced Brazilian senior NT to Gold at the South American Championships in Santiago last year. She had 11.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg for 5 games at this event. In World Championships 2010 Dantas had 5.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg for 6 games. She also won the Silver at the FIBA Americas U18 Championships in Colorado Springs (USA) -10. Dantas played for Divino/COC/Jundia most recently.

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  BULGARIA - Women  


U18 Portugal grabs first win in Group E - by Eurobasket News
U18 PORTUGAL - U18 BULGARIA 54-51

Both teams had 0-3 record before this meeting. Portugal managed to beat Bulgaria 54-51 keeping its Quarterfinals hopes alive. On the other side, Bulgaria dropped to 0-4 with no chance to advance. Joana Jesus (173-G-93) and Jessica Almeida (172-PG-93) led the winners with 13 and 12 points respectively. Raquel Jamanca (176-F-94) added 11 points and 7 rebs. In the loosing squad, Nadezhda Spasova (189-F-93) and Iva Kostova (172-F-94) had 13 points each. They also grabbed 6 and 5 rebounds respectively. Quarters: 7-15, 24-11, 13-17, 10-8. Portugal will meet Germany today. Bulgaria will play against Hungary.

Portugal: Joana Jesus 13, Jessica Almeida 12, Raquel Jamanca 11+7 boards
Bulgaria: Nadezhda Spasova 13+6 boards, Iva Kostova 13+5 boards

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  CROATIA - Women  


U18 Croatia stays unbeaten in Miskolc - by Eurobasket News
U18 GERMANY - U18 CROATIA 54-84

Croatia continues with wonderful performance in Miskolc. They blasted Germany 84-54 for 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Croatia will meet Belarus today in the battle for the first place. Germany slipped to 1-3 after this meeting and still has a chance to reach the Quarterfinals. Their next rival will be Portugal. Ivana Tikvic (189-C-94) came up with 18 points and 11 rebounds for Croatia. Anja Majstorovic (184-F/C-94) had 17 points and Ana Marija Begic (190-C-94) added 10 pts, plus 6 boards. In Germany, Keisha Carthauser (180-F-94) (5 rebs) and Marie Gulich (192-C-94) delivered 10 points each. Caroline Van der Velde (183-F-93) had 9 pts and 5 boards in this meeting. Quarters: 9-14, 12-20, 14-23, 19-27.

Germany: Keisha Carthauser 10+5 boards, Marie Gulich 10, Caroline Van der Velde 9+5 boards
Croatia: Ivana Tikvic 18+11 boards, Anja Majstorovic 17, Ana Marija Begic 10+6 boards

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  CZECH REPUBLIC - Women  


U18 Czech Republic edges U18 Italy 54-47 - by Eurobasket News
U18 CZECH REPUBLIC - U18 ITALY 54-47

Both teams had 0-3 record before this meeting. Czech Republic celebrated 54-47 win keeping their Quarterfinals hopes alive. Czech Republic will meet Serbia today. On the other side, Italy will play against Slovenia. Italy dropped to 0-4 with no chance to reach the next stage. Tereza Vyoralova (176-PG-94) was a key player in victory with double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds. Nada Salacova (192-C-94) helped with 10 points and 13 rebs. In Italy, Marta Masoni (184-F-93) collected 11 points and 5 rebs Their second scorers were Erica Reggiani (175-G-94) and Caterina Dotto (170-PG-93) with 9 points each. Quarters: 14-11, 6-17, 21-8, 13-11.

Czech Republic: Tereza Vyoralova 19+14 boards, Nada Salacova 10+13 boards
Italy: Marta Masoni 11+5 boards, Erica Reggiani 9, Caterina Dotto 9

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  DENMARK - Women  


U18 Denmark improves to 1-3 in Group F - by Eurobasket News
U18 NORWAY - U18 DENMARK 60-74

Denmark celebrated first victory in Qualifying Group F in Miskolc. They outplayed Norway 74-60 keeping the Quarterfinals hopes alive. Denmark will meet Latvia today. Norway will play against Israel. However, it is already clear that Norway will not make it to the next stage. Anna Seilund (172-PG-93) shined in victory with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Maria Jespersen (179-G-94) had 14 pts and 11 boards, and Elisabeth Hansen (175-G-93) netted 11 points. In defeat, Stine Austgulen (177-G-94) delivered 19 points. Julie McCarthy (186-C-93) followed her with 18 points and 9 boards. Quarters: 5-21, 17-16, 18-19, 20-18.

Norway: Stine Austgulen 19, Julie McCarthy 18+9 boards
Denmark: Anna Seilund 18+11 boards, Maria Jespersen 14+11 boards, Elisabeth Hansen 11

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  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U18 - Women  


Division A, Qualifying Round: Second games - by Eurobasket News
Group E
Sweden - Poland 75-39
Sweden jumped to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. They already booked a spot for the Quarterfinals and also Sweden will have a chance to win this pool. They will meet Spain today in the crucial game for position No.1. On the other side, Poland dropped to 1-3. Despite this loss they still have a chance to reach the next stage. Poland will meet Romania in the last day of the Qualifying Round in Oradea. Josefin Vesterberg (187-F/C-93) stepped up for Sweden with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Amanda Zahui (191-C-93) had 12 points and 8 boards, while Nathalie Fontaine (183-F-93) added 9 pts. In the loosing squad, Magdalena Wojdalska (187-G-94) top-scored with 10 points. Their second scorer was Katarzyna Jaworska (188-F-94) with just 7 pts. Quarters: 17-9, 23-12, 17-11, 18-7.

Turkey - Spain 57-69
Spain stays perfect after another game in Oradea. They handed 69-57 loss to Turkey for 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Spain will meet Sweden today in the battle for the first place in this pool. Turkey will play against Slovenia. Despite they dropped to 2-2 record, Turkey still has a pretty good chance to reach the Quarterfinals. Astou Ndour (196-C-94) once again was the leading player in Spain as she collected 18 points and 11 rebounds. Andrea Vilaro (180-F-93) scored 15 points, while Elena De Alfredo (170-F-94) added 11 pts. In defeat, Ayse Cora (175-G/F-93) delivered 19 points. Ozge Kavurmacioglu (187-F-93) had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Olcay Cakir (180-PG-93) had 10 pts, plus 9 rebs. Quarters: 15-21, 13-23, 11-8, 18-17.

Slovenia - Romania 57-53
Slovenia celebrated their first win in Qualifying Group E of the U18 EuroBasket in Oradea. They outplayed the host of this event 57-53 for 1-3 record in this pool. Thanks to this win Slovenia still has a chance to reach the Quarterfinals. They will meet Turkey today. On the other side, Romania dropped to 0-4. They are already out of the Quarterfinals. Rebeka Abramovic (170-PG-93) led Slovenia with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Alina Gjerkes (177-F-94) and Nina Gabrovsek (168-PG-94) helped with 12 points and 9 boards each. For the hosts, Sonia Ursu (175-G/F-93) responded with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Alina Craciun (194-C-93) had 14 pts and 5 rebs, while Oana Baluta (184-C/F-93) added 9 points, plus 13 boards. Quarters: 14-16, 23-15, 8-10, 12-12.

Group F
Belgium - Holland 71-54
Belgium jumped to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group F. They secured Quarterfinals already two days ago, but thanks to this win Belgium has a chance to win this pool. They will meet France today in the battle for the first place. On the other side, Holland dropped to 1-3. However, they still have a chance to reach the next stage. Holland will meet Italy today. Julie Vanloo (172-PG-93) led Belgium with 14 points. Lynn Delvaux (182-F-93) had 13 points, while Emma Meesseman (192-C-93) added 9 pts, plus 6 rebs. In defeat, Maxime Essenstam (189-C-93) was better than the others with double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Willemijn Kallenberg (176-G-93) stopped to 8 pts in this meeting. Quarters: 19-16, 16-9, 25-7, 11-22.

Czech Republic - Italy 54-47
Both teams had 0-3 record before this meeting. Czech Republic celebrated 54-47 win keeping their Quarterfinals hopes alive. Czech Republic will meet Serbia today. On the other side, Italy will play against Slovenia. Italy dropped to 0-4 with no chance to reach the next stage. Tereza Vyoralova (176-PG-94) was a key player in victory with double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds. Nada Salacova (192-C-94) helped with 10 points and 13 rebs. In Italy, Marta Masoni (184-F-93) collected 11 points and 5 rebs Their second scorers were Erica Reggiani (175-G-94) and Caterina Dotto (170-PG-93) with 9 points each. Quarters: 14-11, 6-17, 21-8, 13-11.

Serbia - France 51-74
France registered another win in Oradea. They cruised past Serbia 74-51 for 4-0 record in Group F. It means that France will meet Belgium today for the first place in this pool. Serbia dropped to 2-2 after this meeting and they are still close to Quarterfinals. Serbia will play against Czech Republic today. Alice Nayo (186-C-93) led France to victory with 15 points for 16 minutes on the court. Margaux Galliou (184-F-93) had 10 points and 9 rebs, while Olivia Epoupa (165-PG-94) added 9 pts. In Serbia, Aleksandra Stanacev (167-PG-94) was better than the others with 13 points. Natasa Kovacevic (187-F-94) stopped to 11. Quarters: 15-16, 13-17, 11-19, 12-22.

Group G
Ukraine - Russia 46-75
First victory for Russia at U18 EuroBasket in Oradea. They handed 75-46 loss to Ukraine for 1-1 record in Group G. Ukraine has the same score now. Albina Razheva (186-F-94) led the winners with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Ksenia Tikhonenko (190-F/C-93, agency: RIZO) followed with 11 points and 8 boards, while Galina Kiseleva (182-F-93) added 8 pts and 8 rebs. In the loosing squad, Lyudmyla Naumenko (184-F-93) was better than the others with 12 points. Oleksandra Chek (191-C-93) stopped to 9 pts. Quarters: 15-21, 6-19, 11-18, 14-17. Today, Russia will meet Lithuania. Ukraine will play against Slovakia.

Slovakia - Lithuania 71-42
Slovakia made second step forward to survival in U18 EuroBasket Division A. They blasted Lithuania 71-42 for 2-0 record in Group G. On the other side, Lithuania dropped to 0-2. Angelika Slamova (173-G-94) (7 as) and Sabina Oroszova (187-F-93) (7 rebs) led the winners with 17 points each. Barbora Balintova (173-PG-94) secured a nice help adding 13 pts. In Lithuania, Greta Tamasauskaite (171-G-91) delivered 10 points. Ieva Preskienyte (193-C-93) had 8 points and 6 rebounds in this loss. Quarters: 17-15, 22-7, 12-6, 20-14. Slovakia will meet Ukraine in the next meeting. Lithuania will take on Russia.

Division B: Second games of the Qualifying Round - by Eurobasket News
Group E
Germany - Croatia 54-84
Croatia continues with wonderful performance in Miskolc. They blasted Germany 84-54 for 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Croatia will meet Belarus today in the battle for the first place. Germany slipped to 1-3 after this meeting and still has a chance to reach the Quarterfinals. Their next rival will be Portugal. Ivana Tikvic (189-C-94) came up with 18 points and 11 rebounds for Croatia. Anja Majstorovic (184-F/C-94) had 17 points and Ana Marija Begic (190-C-94) added 10 pts, plus 6 boards. In Germany, Keisha Carthauser (180-F-94) (5 rebs) and Marie Gulich (192-C-94) delivered 10 points each. Caroline Van der Velde (183-F-93) had 9 pts and 5 boards in this meeting. Quarters: 9-14, 12-20, 14-23, 19-27.

Belarus - Hungary 62-55
Belarus was better than Hungary 62-55 jumping to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. It means that Belarus will have a chance to win this pool. They will have to beat Croatia today in order to end as No.1. On the other side, Hungary dropped to 2-2. They will meet Bulgaria today. Maryia Papova (183-F-94) exploded for Belarus with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Maryna Ivashchanka (190-C-93) had 16 points and 10 boards, and Darya Lipinskaya (180-G/F-93) helped with 11 pts, plus 5 rebs. In Hungary, Fanni Szabo (181-G-94) collected 19 points and 7 rebs. Their second best player was Amadea Szamosi (190-F/C-94) with double-double of 16 points and 11 boards. Quarters: 19-10, 20-16, 13-18, 10-11.

Portugal - Bulgaria 54-51
Both teams had 0-3 record before this meeting. Portugal managed to beat Bulgaria 54-51 keeping its Quarterfinals hopes alive. On the other side, Bulgaria dropped to 0-4 with no chance to advance. Joana Jesus (173-G-93) and Jessica Almeida (172-PG-93) led the winners with 13 and 12 points respectively. Raquel Jamanca (176-F-94) added 11 points and 7 rebs. In the loosing squad, Nadezhda Spasova (189-F-93) and Iva Kostova (172-F-94) had 13 points each. They also grabbed 6 and 5 rebounds respectively. Quarters: 7-15, 24-11, 13-17, 10-8. Portugal will meet Germany today. Bulgaria will play against Hungary.
Group F
Finland - Latvia 88-86 OT
Finland jumped to 4-0 in Qualifying Group F in Mickolc. They had to work very hard for this win, but at the end managed to beat Latvia in OT 88-86. Finland will meet Greece today for the first place in this pool. Latvia slipped to 2-2 after this game. They will play against Denmark. Anette Juvonen (170-G-93) exploded with 33 points in this victory. Evita Iiskola (182-F-93) also was great adding 26 points and 7 rebounds, while Annika Holopainen (186-F/C-93) added 11 pts and 7 rebs. In Latvia, Guna Lagzdina (187-C-93) responded with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Sabine Dukate (174-F-93) had 18 pts, while Kate Aizsila (172-G-94) added 11 points, plus 5 rebs. Quarters: 23-16, 19-22, 21-18, 16-23, 9-7.

Norway - Denmark 60-74
Denmark celebrated first victory in Qualifying Group F in Miskolc. They outplayed Norway 74-60 keeping the Quarterfinals hopes alive. Denmark will meet Latvia today. Norway will play against Israel. However, it is already clear that Norway will not make it to the next stage. Anna Seilund (172-PG-93) shined in victory with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Maria Jespersen (179-G-94) had 14 pts and 11 boards, and Elisabeth Hansen (175-G-93) netted 11 points. In defeat, Stine Austgulen (177-G-94) delivered 19 points. Julie McCarthy (186-C-93) followed her with 18 points and 9 boards. Quarters: 5-21, 17-16, 18-19, 20-18.

Israel - Greece 58-57
Israel handed first loss to Greece in Miskolc. Israel grabbed 58-57 victory for 2-2 record in Group F. Thanks to this win Israel came very close to Quarterfinals. Greece dropped to 3-1, but they already booked a spot for the next stage. Greece will meet Finland today and the winner will end as No.1 of this pool. May Dayan (168-PG-94) (6 rebs) and Chen Weisbort (165-G-93) led Israel with 14 points each. Nof Kedem (170-G-94) scored one point less. In the loosing squad, Artemis Spanou (190-F/C-93) shined with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Anastasia Slouka (182-G-93) followed her with 11 points and 5 boards. Quarters: 12-22, 12-14, 15-7, 19-14.

Group G
Luxembourg - United Kingdom 61-70
United Kingdom jumped to 2-0 record in Group G in Miskolc. They handed 70-61 loss to Luxembourg yesterday. At the same time, Luxembourg slipped to 1-1. Whitney Allen (182-G-94) stepped up for the winners with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Rosie Hynes (172-PG-93) followed with 10 points and 5 rebs. In defeat, Lena Hetto (184-F-93) collected 25 points and 8 rebs. Their second scorer was Lynn Kauffmann (174-PG-94) with 9 points (5 rebs). Quarters: 12-16, 17-19, 13-18, 19-17. United Kingdom will meet Switzerland today. Luxembourg will play against Austria.

Austria - Switzerland 65-51
Both teams failed in their first games of Group G. Yesterday. Austria outplayed Switzerland 65-51 improving to 1-1 record. Switzerland closes the standings in this pool with 0-2. Lisa Zderadicka (168-PG-94) led the winners with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Barbara Keck (183-F-94) had 11 points and Sarah Sagerer (190-C-96) added 10 pts, plus 14 rebs. In defeat, Alix Rieder (168-PG-93) delivered 12 points. Their second scorer was Alexandra Koch (175-PG-94) with 11 pts. Quarters: 14-21, 17-8, 11-12, 23-10. Today Austria will meet Luxembourg. Switzerland will take on UK.

W-Standings - Group A
Standings
Group E
1. Sweden4-0
2. Spain4-0
3. Turkey2-2
4. Poland1-3
5. Slovenia1-3
6. Romania0-4
Group F
1. France4-0
2. Belgium4-0
3. Serbia2-2
4. Holland1-3
5. Czech Rep.1-3
6. Italy0-4
Group Places 13-16
1. Slovakia2-0
2. Ukraine1-1
3. Russia1-1
4. Lithuania0-2


Div.A Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Amanda ZAHUI
  (191-C-93)
  Avg: 15.4
 1. Zahui, SWE15.4 
 2. Meesseman, BEL15.2 
 3. Vyoralova, CZE14.4 
 4. Cakir, TUR14.2 
 5. Ndour, ESP14.0 
 6. Slamova, SVK13.8 
 7. Kavurmaciogl., TUR13.0 
 8. Kovacevic, SRB12.8 
 9. Vanloo, BEL12.6 
 10. Naumenko, UKR12.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Emma MEESSEMAN
  (192-C-93)
  Avg: 10.8
 1. Meesseman, BEL10.8 
 2. Preskienyte, LTU10.0 
 3. Oroszova, SVK9.8 
 4. Ursu, ROM9.4 
 5. Ndour, ESP9.0 
 6. Naumenko, UKR9.0 
 7. Zahui, SWE8.6 
 8. Kavurmaciogl., TUR8.2 
 9. Davydova, RUS8.2 
 10. Galliou, FRA8.0 
Assists Per Game
 Aleksandra STANACEV
  (167-PG-94)
  Avg: 4.4
 1. Stanacev, SRB4.4 
 2. Vanloo, BEL4.2 
 3. Nystrom, SWE3.8 
 4. Juodeikyte, LTU3.6 
 5. Slamova, SVK3.0 
 6. Gabrovsek, SLO2.8 
 7. Bernies, FRA2.8 
 8. Zanoguera, ESP2.6 
 9. Cakir, TUR2.6 
 10. Vyoralova, CZE2.4 
Steals Per Game
 Emma MEESSEMAN
  (192-C-93)
  Avg: 4.2
 1. Meesseman, BEL4.2 
 2. Diaz, ESP3.4 
 3. Vyoralova, CZE3.4 
 4. Abramovic, SLO3.4 
 5. Ursu, ROM3.2 
 6. Zanoguera, ESP2.8 
 7. Gabrovsek, SLO2.8 
 8. Dotto, ITA2.6 
 9. Oroszova, SVK2.4 
 10. Ryavkina, RUS2.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Emma MEESSEMAN
  (192-C-93)
  Avg: 3
 1. Meesseman, BEL3.0 
 2. Ndour, ESP2.8 
 3. Salacova, CZE2.2 
 4. Preskienyte, LTU1.8 
 5. Ruban, UKR1.6 
 6. Tikhonenko, RUS1.4 
 7. Cornelie, FRA1.4 
 8. Slamova, SVK1.2 
 9. Zahui, SWE1.2 
 10. Chek, UKR1.0 


Div.B Stats Leaders - by Greg
Points Per Game
 Lena HETTO
  (184-F-93)
  Avg: 23.6
 1. Hetto, LUX23.6 
 2. Spanou, GRE19.2 
 3. Tikvic, CRO18.3 
 4. Iiskola, FIN18.0 
 5. Austgulen, NOR17.6 
 6. Holopainen, FIN17.4 
 7. Kostova, BUL16.2 
 8. Szamosi, HUN15.4 
 9. Juvonen, FIN14.5 
 10. Szabo, HUN14.0 
Rebounds Per Game
 Christina GASKIN
  (188-F/C-93)
  Avg: 11.5
 1. Gaskin, ENG11.5 
 2. Lagzdina, LAT11.4 
 3. Spanou, GRE11.0 
 4. Tikvic, CRO10.3 
 5. Papova, BLR9.6 
 6. McCarthy, NOR9.2 
 7. Tyutyundzhie., BUL8.2 
 8. Judit, HUN7.6 
 9. Hetto, LUX7.6 
 10. Ivashchanka, BLR7.4 
Assists Per Game
 Anette JUVONEN
  (170-G-93)
  Avg: 3.5
 1. Juvonen, FIN3.5 
 2. Szabo, HUN3.0 
 3. Sikiric, CRO2.8 
 4. Zderadicka, AUT2.6 
 5. Szittya, GER2.6 
 6. Tikvic, CRO2.5 
 7. Kantara, GRE2.4 
 8. Iiskola, FIN2.2 
 9. Czirjak, HUN2.2 
 10. Almeida, POR2.2 
Steals Per Game
 Jessica ALMEIDA
  (172-PG-93)
  Avg: 3.6
 1. Almeida, POR3.6 
 2. Tikvic, CRO3.3 
 3. Chatzigiakou., GRE3.2 
 4. Szabo, HUN3.0 
 5. Reine, LAT2.8 
 6. Lipinskaya, BLR2.8 
 7. Cigic, CRO2.8 
 8. Kostova, BUL2.4 
 9. Bedretdin, FIN2.4 
 10. Holopainen, FIN2.2 
Blocks Per Game
 Christina GASKIN
  (188-F/C-93)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Gaskin, ENG2.5 
 2. Chatzigiakou., GRE2.2 
 3. Tikvic, CRO2.0 
 4. Breivik, NOR1.8 
 5. Tyutyundzhie., BUL1.6 
 6. Kalenta, BLR1.6 
 7. Judit, HUN1.2 
 8. Fouraki, GRE1.2 
 9. Szamosi, HUN1.0 
 10. Begic, CRO1.0 


Standings - Division B - by Eurobasket News
Standings Div.B
Group E
1. Belarus4-0
2. Croatia4-0
3. Hungary2-2
4. Portugal1-3
5. Germany1-3
6. Bulgaria0-4
Group F
1. Finland4-0
2. Greece3-1
3. Israel2-2
4. Latvia2-2
5. Denmark1-3
6. Norway0-4
Group Places 13-16
1. U.Kingdom2-0
2. Luxembourg.1-1
3. Austria1-1
4. Switzerlan.0-2


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  FINLAND - Women  


PeKa and Huima has signed new contracts - by Elina Koskinen
Peka has signed new contracts with three new American players. PeKa renewed the Americans as Becca Bruszewski (185-F-88), Tyra Grant (180-G-88, agency: LBM Management, college: Penn St.) and Anrika Brown has joined the team. 23-year-old Bruszewski played in Notre Dame which reached to the NCAA finals last season. Instead Brown played in Western Kentucky and Grant played in Italy last year. PeKa has also signed the contract with Reetta Piipari (170-G-80, college: Xavier), who is coming back to her home town. After the last time Piipari played in PeKa she has played in Spain and in Catz in Lappeenranta. In addition PeKa has re-signed with Lotta Richter (170-G-91), Laura Lehtoranta (172-G-84) and Anissa Pounds (170-G-90) as well as the young players Annika Sastamala, Laura Tuokko, Maiju Virtanen (170-F-94) and Arla Koski.

Huima has renewed the Americans along with PeKa. New faces in Huima will be Madina Ali (182-F) and Patrice Holmes (178-G, college: Middle Tenn.St.). Ali graduated from the University of West Virginia last spring and Holmes has graduated from the University of Middle Tennessee in 2004.


U18 Finland grabs 88-86 OT win against U18 Latvia - by Eurobasket News
U18 FINLAND - U18 LATVIA 88-86 OT

Finland jumped to 4-0 in Qualifying Group F in Mickolc. They had to work very hard for this win, but at the end managed to beat Latvia in OT 88-86. Finland will meet Greece today for the first place in this pool. Latvia slipped to 2-2 after this game. They will play against Denmark. Anette Juvonen (170-G-93) exploded with 33 points in this victory. Evita Iiskola (182-F-93) also was great adding 26 points and 7 rebounds, while Annika Holopainen (186-F/C-93) added 11 pts and 7 rebs. In Latvia, Guna Lagzdina (187-C-93) responded with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Sabine Dukate (174-F-93) had 18 pts, while Kate Aizsila (172-G-94) added 11 points, plus 5 rebs. Quarters: 23-16, 19-22, 21-18, 16-23, 9-7.

Finland: Anette Juvonen 33, Evita Iiskola 26+7 boards, Annika Holopainen 11+7 boards
Latvia: Guna Lagzdina 21+15 boards, Sabine Dukate 18, Kate Aizsila 11+5 boards

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  FRANCE - Women  


U18 France remains unbeaten in Oradea, jumps to 4-0 - by Eurobasket News
U18 SERBIA - U18 FRANCE 51-74

France registered another win in Oradea. They cruised past Serbia 74-51 for 4-0 record in Group F. It means that France will meet Belgium today for the first place in this pool. Serbia dropped to 2-2 after this meeting and they are still close to Quarterfinals. Serbia will play against Czech Republic today. Alice Nayo (186-C-93) led France to victory with 15 points for 16 minutes on the court. Margaux Galliou (184-F-93) had 10 points and 9 rebs, while Olivia Epoupa (165-PG-94) added 9 pts. In Serbia, Aleksandra Stanacev (167-PG-94) was better than the others with 13 points. Natasa Kovacevic (187-F-94) stopped to 11. Quarters: 15-16, 13-17, 11-19, 12-22.

Serbia: Aleksandra Stanacev 13, Natasa Kovacevic 11
France: Alice Nayo 15, Margaux Galliou 10+9 boards, Olivia Epoupa 9

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  GERMANY - Women  


U18 Croatia stays unbeaten in Miskolc - by Eurobasket News
U18 GERMANY - U18 CROATIA 54-84

Croatia continues with wonderful performance in Miskolc. They blasted Germany 84-54 for 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Croatia will meet Belarus today in the battle for the first place. Germany slipped to 1-3 after this meeting and still has a chance to reach the Quarterfinals. Their next rival will be Portugal. Ivana Tikvic (189-C-94) came up with 18 points and 11 rebounds for Croatia. Anja Majstorovic (184-F/C-94) had 17 points and Ana Marija Begic (190-C-94) added 10 pts, plus 6 boards. In Germany, Keisha Carthauser (180-F-94) (5 rebs) and Marie Gulich (192-C-94) delivered 10 points each. Caroline Van der Velde (183-F-93) had 9 pts and 5 boards in this meeting. Quarters: 9-14, 12-20, 14-23, 19-27.

Germany: Keisha Carthauser 10+5 boards, Marie Gulich 10, Caroline Van der Velde 9+5 boards
Croatia: Ivana Tikvic 18+11 boards, Anja Majstorovic 17, Ana Marija Begic 10+6 boards

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  GREECE - Women  


U18 Israel hands first loss to U18 Greece in Miskolc, 58-57 - by Eurobasket News
U18 ISRAEL - U18 GREECE 58-57

Israel handed first loss to Greece in Miskolc. Israel grabbed 58-57 victory for 2-2 record in Group F. Thanks to this win Israel came very close to Quarterfinals. Greece dropped to 3-1, but they already booked a spot for the next stage. Greece will meet Finland today and the winner will end as No.1 of this pool. May Dayan (168-PG-94) (6 rebs) and Chen Weisbort (165-G-93) led Israel with 14 points each. Nof Kedem (170-G-94) scored one point less. In the loosing squad, Artemis Spanou (190-F/C-93) shined with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Anastasia Slouka (182-G-93) followed her with 11 points and 5 boards. Quarters: 12-22, 12-14, 15-7, 19-14.

Israel: May Dayan 14+6 boards, Chen Weisbort 14, Nof Kedem 13
Greece: Artemis Spanou 24+16 boards, Anastasia Slouka 11+5 boards

Greek Champions and Cup holders Athinaikos make a new beginning - by George Fragkos
A new era is about to begin in Athinaikos. Ioannis Ktistakis and Sokratis Iliadis, the former general manager of the team, are not members of the club anymore but Giorgos Zeugolis , a coach who has done a very good job in the past working for several clubs in men basketball and a bunch of new players are determined to keep Athinaikos at the top of Greek women basketball, where it currently is.

The club from Athens, according to an announcement in their official website has already brought the players the team needed and the new head coach has whatever it takes to build a team that can challenge for all the competitions, as it did last year. Froso Vlachou (192-C-82), Sofia Kiriakopoulou (185-F-81), Vaso Tremkatzi (180-G/F-87) and Thoma Kotsopoulou (178-G-88, college: Vermont) are some Greek players that excelled during the previous season in the A1 league, while Danai Kammenou (172-G-90) and Evilia Zacharaki (184-F-93) are two talented youngsters coming from teams from the lower division. The two new non European players are ex-Aris Thessaloniki forward, Chantelle Handy (191-F/C-87, college: Marshall) and Felicia Chester (190-F-88), a 23-year-old center from De Paul College.

From last years roster, the ones that are still members of the team are Kalentzou, Chatzinikolaou, Sotiriou, Lymoura, Kehagia and Chalkia.


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  HOLLAND - Women  


U18 Belgium jumps to 4-0 in Group F - by Eurobasket News
U18 BELGIUM - U18 HOLLAND 71-54

Belgium jumped to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group F. They secured Quarterfinals already two days ago, but thanks to this win Belgium has a chance to win this pool. They will meet France today in the battle for the first place. On the other side, Holland dropped to 1-3. However, they still have a chance to reach the next stage. Holland will meet Italy today. Julie Vanloo (172-PG-93) led Belgium with 14 points. Lynn Delvaux (182-F-93) had 13 points, while Emma Meesseman (192-C-93) added 9 pts, plus 6 rebs. In defeat, Maxime Essenstam (189-C-93) was better than the others with double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Willemijn Kallenberg (176-G-93) stopped to 8 pts in this meeting. Quarters: 19-16, 16-9, 25-7, 11-22.

Belgium: Julie Vanloo 14, Lynn Delvaux 13, Emma Meesseman 9+6 boards
Holland: Maxime Essenstam 14+10 boards, Willemijn Kallenberg 8

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  HUNGARY - Women  


U18 Belarus comes up with another win in Mickolc - by Eurobasket News
U18 BELARUS - U18 HUNGARY 62-55

Belarus was better than Hungary 62-55 jumping to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. It means that Belarus will have a chance to win this pool. They will have to beat Croatia today in order to end as No.1. On the other side, Hungary dropped to 2-2. They will meet Bulgaria today. Maryia Papova (183-F-94) exploded for Belarus with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Maryna Ivashchanka (190-C-93) had 16 points and 10 boards, and Darya Lipinskaya (180-G/F-93) helped with 11 pts, plus 5 rebs. In Hungary, Fanni Szabo (181-G-94) collected 19 points and 7 rebs. Their second best player was Amadea Szamosi (190-F/C-94) with double-double of 16 points and 11 boards. Quarters: 19-10, 20-16, 13-18, 10-11.

Belarus: Maryia Papova 25+13 boards, Maryna Ivashchanka 16+10 boards, Darya Lipinskaya 11+5 boards
Hungary: Fanni Szabo 19+7 boards, Amadea Szamosi 16+11 boards

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  ICELAND - Women  


Haukar sign Jence Rhoads - by Eurobasket News
Haukar agreed on terms of contract with Jence Rhoads (180-G-88). The 22-year-old guard will start her professional career in Iceland. Jence Rhoads graduated from Vanderbilt University this year. She tallied 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game in her senior season. Jence Rhoads made it into All-SEC 1st Team for the second season in a row.


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  ISRAEL - Women  


U18 Israel hands first loss to U18 Greece in Miskolc, 58-57 - by Eurobasket News
U18 ISRAEL - U18 GREECE 58-57

Israel handed first loss to Greece in Miskolc. Israel grabbed 58-57 victory for 2-2 record in Group F. Thanks to this win Israel came very close to Quarterfinals. Greece dropped to 3-1, but they already booked a spot for the next stage. Greece will meet Finland today and the winner will end as No.1 of this pool. May Dayan (168-PG-94) (6 rebs) and Chen Weisbort (165-G-93) led Israel with 14 points each. Nof Kedem (170-G-94) scored one point less. In the loosing squad, Artemis Spanou (190-F/C-93) shined with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Anastasia Slouka (182-G-93) followed her with 11 points and 5 boards. Quarters: 12-22, 12-14, 15-7, 19-14.

Israel: May Dayan 14+6 boards, Chen Weisbort 14, Nof Kedem 13
Greece: Artemis Spanou 24+16 boards, Anastasia Slouka 11+5 boards

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  ITALY - Women  


U18 Czech Republic edges U18 Italy 54-47 - by Eurobasket News
U18 CZECH REPUBLIC - U18 ITALY 54-47

Both teams had 0-3 record before this meeting. Czech Republic celebrated 54-47 win keeping their Quarterfinals hopes alive. Czech Republic will meet Serbia today. On the other side, Italy will play against Slovenia. Italy dropped to 0-4 with no chance to reach the next stage. Tereza Vyoralova (176-PG-94) was a key player in victory with double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds. Nada Salacova (192-C-94) helped with 10 points and 13 rebs. In Italy, Marta Masoni (184-F-93) collected 11 points and 5 rebs Their second scorers were Erica Reggiani (175-G-94) and Caterina Dotto (170-PG-93) with 9 points each. Quarters: 14-11, 6-17, 21-8, 13-11.

Czech Republic: Tereza Vyoralova 19+14 boards, Nada Salacova 10+13 boards
Italy: Marta Masoni 11+5 boards, Erica Reggiani 9, Caterina Dotto 9

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  LATVIA - Women  


U18 Finland grabs 88-86 OT win against U18 Latvia - by Eurobasket News
U18 FINLAND - U18 LATVIA 88-86 OT

Finland jumped to 4-0 in Qualifying Group F in Mickolc. They had to work very hard for this win, but at the end managed to beat Latvia in OT 88-86. Finland will meet Greece today for the first place in this pool. Latvia slipped to 2-2 after this game. They will play against Denmark. Anette Juvonen (170-G-93) exploded with 33 points in this victory. Evita Iiskola (182-F-93) also was great adding 26 points and 7 rebounds, while Annika Holopainen (186-F/C-93) added 11 pts and 7 rebs. In Latvia, Guna Lagzdina (187-C-93) responded with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Sabine Dukate (174-F-93) had 18 pts, while Kate Aizsila (172-G-94) added 11 points, plus 5 rebs. Quarters: 23-16, 19-22, 21-18, 16-23, 9-7.

Finland: Anette Juvonen 33, Evita Iiskola 26+7 boards, Annika Holopainen 11+7 boards
Latvia: Guna Lagzdina 21+15 boards, Sabine Dukate 18, Kate Aizsila 11+5 boards

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  LITHUANIA - Women  


U18 Slovakia jumps to 2-0 in Group G - by Eurobasket News
U18 SLOVAKIA - U18 LITHUANIA 71-42

Slovakia made second step forward to survival in U18 EuroBasket Division A. They blasted Lithuania 71-42 for 2-0 record in Group G. On the other side, Lithuania dropped to 0-2. Angelika Slamova (173-G-94) (7 as) and Sabina Oroszova (187-F-93) (7 rebs) led the winners with 17 points each. Barbora Balintova (173-PG-94) secured a nice help adding 13 pts. In Lithuania, Greta Tamasauskaite (171-G-91) delivered 10 points. Ieva Preskienyte (193-C-93) had 8 points and 6 rebounds in this loss. Quarters: 17-15, 22-7, 12-6, 20-14. Slovakia will meet Ukraine in the next meeting. Lithuania will take on Russia.

Slovakia: Angelika Slamova 17+7 as, Sabina Oroszova 17+7 boards, Barbora Balintova 13
Lithuania: Greta Tamasauskaite 10, Ieva Preskienyte 8+6 boards

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  LUXEMBOURG - Women  


U18 UK jumps to 2-0 in Group G - by Eurobasket News
U18 LUXEMBOURG - U18 UNITED KINGDOM 61-70

United Kingdom jumped to 2-0 record in Group G in Miskolc. They handed 70-61 loss to Luxembourg yesterday. At the same time, Luxembourg slipped to 1-1. Whitney Allen (182-G-94) stepped up for the winners with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Rosie Hynes (172-PG-93) followed with 10 points and 5 rebs. In defeat, Lena Hetto (184-F-93) collected 25 points and 8 rebs. Their second scorer was Lynn Kauffmann (174-PG-94) with 9 points (5 rebs). Quarters: 12-16, 17-19, 13-18, 19-17. United Kingdom will meet Switzerland today. Luxembourg will play against Austria.

Luxembourg: Lena Hetto 25+8 boards, Lynn Kauffmann 9+5 boards
United Kingdom: Whitney Allen 13+6 boards, Rosie Hynes 10+5 boards

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  NORWAY - Women  


U18 Denmark improves to 1-3 in Group F - by Eurobasket News
U18 NORWAY - U18 DENMARK 60-74

Denmark celebrated first victory in Qualifying Group F in Miskolc. They outplayed Norway 74-60 keeping the Quarterfinals hopes alive. Denmark will meet Latvia today. Norway will play against Israel. However, it is already clear that Norway will not make it to the next stage. Anna Seilund (172-PG-93) shined in victory with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Maria Jespersen (179-G-94) had 14 pts and 11 boards, and Elisabeth Hansen (175-G-93) netted 11 points. In defeat, Stine Austgulen (177-G-94) delivered 19 points. Julie McCarthy (186-C-93) followed her with 18 points and 9 boards. Quarters: 5-21, 17-16, 18-19, 20-18.

Norway: Stine Austgulen 19, Julie McCarthy 18+9 boards
Denmark: Anna Seilund 18+11 boards, Maria Jespersen 14+11 boards, Elisabeth Hansen 11

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  POLAND - Women  


U18 Sweden too much for U18 Poland in Oradea, 75-39 - by Eurobasket News
U18 SWEDEN - U18 POLAND 75-39

Sweden jumped to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. They already booked a spot for the Quarterfinals and also Sweden will have a chance to win this pool. They will meet Spain today in the crucial game for position No.1. On the other side, Poland dropped to 1-3. Despite this loss they still have a chance to reach the next stage. Poland will meet Romania in the last day of the Qualifying Round in Oradea. Josefin Vesterberg (187-F/C-93) stepped up for Sweden with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Amanda Zahui (191-C-93) had 12 points and 8 boards, while Nathalie Fontaine (183-F-93) added 9 pts. In the loosing squad, Magdalena Wojdalska (187-G-94) top-scored with 10 points. Their second scorer was Katarzyna Jaworska (188-F-94) with just 7 pts. Quarters: 17-9, 23-12, 17-11, 18-7.

Sweden: Josefin Vesterberg 21+5 boards, Amanda Zahui 12+8 boards, Nathalie Fontaine 9
Poland: Magdalena Wojdalska 10, Katarzyna Jaworska 7

Ebony Ellis join Odra Brzeg - by Grzegorz Ozog
23-year-old American - Ebony Ellis (190-C-88) is a new player of Odra Brzeg. Ebony Ellis over the last few years played in NCAA in Northern Illinois University. Last season she played in 30 games averaged 11.1 poinst and 8.5 rebounds. Within days, another American player will strengthen Odra, she will play on F.
Earlier Polish team strengthened Inna Kochubei.
On the 26th of August Odra will play the first tournament before PLKK season.

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  PORTUGAL - Women  


U18 Portugal grabs first win in Group E - by Eurobasket News
U18 PORTUGAL - U18 BULGARIA 54-51

Both teams had 0-3 record before this meeting. Portugal managed to beat Bulgaria 54-51 keeping its Quarterfinals hopes alive. On the other side, Bulgaria dropped to 0-4 with no chance to advance. Joana Jesus (173-G-93) and Jessica Almeida (172-PG-93) led the winners with 13 and 12 points respectively. Raquel Jamanca (176-F-94) added 11 points and 7 rebs. In the loosing squad, Nadezhda Spasova (189-F-93) and Iva Kostova (172-F-94) had 13 points each. They also grabbed 6 and 5 rebounds respectively. Quarters: 7-15, 24-11, 13-17, 10-8. Portugal will meet Germany today. Bulgaria will play against Hungary.

Portugal: Joana Jesus 13, Jessica Almeida 12, Raquel Jamanca 11+7 boards
Bulgaria: Nadezhda Spasova 13+6 boards, Iva Kostova 13+5 boards

Portugal U16 National Team - by Luis Filipe Cristovao
Ana Granja Santos, 1995, 1.83m, PF (SC Coimbroes)
Emilia Ferreira, 1996, 1.80m, C (GDESSA)
Ines Silva, 1995, 1.82m, C (NCR Valongo)
Ines Veiga, 1995, 1.84m, SF (Colegio Calvao)
Joana Cortinhas, 1995, 1.74m, SF (Academico do Porto)
Joana Soeiro, 1995, 1.70m, SG (GD Gafanha)
Josephine Filipe, 1995, 1.75m, PG (Academica Coimbra)
Laura Ferreira, 1995, 1.77m, SG (GDESSA)
Mafalda Guerreiro, 1995, 1.80m, SF (Carnide Clube)
Sara Dias, 1995, 1.82m, PF (CD Povoa)
Simone Costa, 1996, 1.76m, SG (SL Benfica)
Sofia Pinheiro, 1995, 1.71m, SG (AD Sanjoanense)

Head Coach: Ana Neves
Assistant Coach: Cristina Viegas



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  ROMANIA - Women  


U18 Slovenia better than U18 Romania 57-53 - by Eurobasket News
U18 SLOVENIA - U18 ROMANIA 57-53

Slovenia celebrated their first win in Qualifying Group E of the U18 EuroBasket in Oradea. They outplayed the host of this event 57-53 for 1-3 record in this pool. Thanks to this win Slovenia still has a chance to reach the Quarterfinals. They will meet Turkey today. On the other side, Romania dropped to 0-4. They are already out of the Quarterfinals. Rebeka Abramovic (170-PG-93) led Slovenia with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Alina Gjerkes (177-F-94) and Nina Gabrovsek (168-PG-94) helped with 12 points and 9 boards each. For the hosts, Sonia Ursu (175-G/F-93) responded with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Alina Craciun (194-C-93) had 14 pts and 5 rebs, while Oana Baluta (184-C/F-93) added 9 points, plus 13 boards. Quarters: 14-16, 23-15, 8-10, 12-12.

Slovenia: Rebeka Abramovic 15+7 boards, Alina Gjerkes 12+9 boards, Nina Gabrovsek 12+9 boards
Romania: Sonia Ursu 18+11 boards, Alina Craciun 14+5 boards, Oana Baluta 9+13 boards

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  RUSSIA - Women  


U18 Russia celebrates first win in Oradea - by Eurobasket News
U18 UKRAINE - U18 RUSSIA 46-75

First victory for Russia at U18 EuroBasket in Oradea. They handed 75-46 loss to Ukraine for 1-1 record in Group G. Ukraine has the same score now. Albina Razheva (186-F-94) led the winners with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Ksenia Tikhonenko (190-F/C-93, agency: RIZO) followed with 11 points and 8 boards, while Galina Kiseleva (182-F-93) added 8 pts and 8 rebs. In the loosing squad, Lyudmyla Naumenko (184-F-93) was better than the others with 12 points. Oleksandra Chek (191-C-93) stopped to 9 pts. Quarters: 15-21, 6-19, 11-18, 14-17. Today, Russia will meet Lithuania. Ukraine will play against Slovakia.

Ukraine: Lyudmyla Naumenko 12, Oleksandra Chek 9
Russia: Albina Razheva 13+6 boards, Ksenia Tikhonenko 11+8 boards, Galina Kiseleva 8+8 boards

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  SERBIA - Women  


U18 France remains unbeaten in Oradea, jumps to 4-0 - by Eurobasket News
U18 SERBIA - U18 FRANCE 51-74

France registered another win in Oradea. They cruised past Serbia 74-51 for 4-0 record in Group F. It means that France will meet Belgium today for the first place in this pool. Serbia dropped to 2-2 after this meeting and they are still close to Quarterfinals. Serbia will play against Czech Republic today. Alice Nayo (186-C-93) led France to victory with 15 points for 16 minutes on the court. Margaux Galliou (184-F-93) had 10 points and 9 rebs, while Olivia Epoupa (165-PG-94) added 9 pts. In Serbia, Aleksandra Stanacev (167-PG-94) was better than the others with 13 points. Natasa Kovacevic (187-F-94) stopped to 11. Quarters: 15-16, 13-17, 11-19, 12-22.

Serbia: Aleksandra Stanacev 13, Natasa Kovacevic 11
France: Alice Nayo 15, Margaux Galliou 10+9 boards, Olivia Epoupa 9

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  SLOVAKIA - Women  


U18 Slovakia jumps to 2-0 in Group G - by Eurobasket News
U18 SLOVAKIA - U18 LITHUANIA 71-42

Slovakia made second step forward to survival in U18 EuroBasket Division A. They blasted Lithuania 71-42 for 2-0 record in Group G. On the other side, Lithuania dropped to 0-2. Angelika Slamova (173-G-94) (7 as) and Sabina Oroszova (187-F-93) (7 rebs) led the winners with 17 points each. Barbora Balintova (173-PG-94) secured a nice help adding 13 pts. In Lithuania, Greta Tamasauskaite (171-G-91) delivered 10 points. Ieva Preskienyte (193-C-93) had 8 points and 6 rebounds in this loss. Quarters: 17-15, 22-7, 12-6, 20-14. Slovakia will meet Ukraine in the next meeting. Lithuania will take on Russia.

Slovakia: Angelika Slamova 17+7 as, Sabina Oroszova 17+7 boards, Barbora Balintova 13
Lithuania: Greta Tamasauskaite 10, Ieva Preskienyte 8+6 boards

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  SLOVENIA - Women  


U18 Slovenia better than U18 Romania 57-53 - by Eurobasket News
U18 SLOVENIA - U18 ROMANIA 57-53

Slovenia celebrated their first win in Qualifying Group E of the U18 EuroBasket in Oradea. They outplayed the host of this event 57-53 for 1-3 record in this pool. Thanks to this win Slovenia still has a chance to reach the Quarterfinals. They will meet Turkey today. On the other side, Romania dropped to 0-4. They are already out of the Quarterfinals. Rebeka Abramovic (170-PG-93) led Slovenia with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Alina Gjerkes (177-F-94) and Nina Gabrovsek (168-PG-94) helped with 12 points and 9 boards each. For the hosts, Sonia Ursu (175-G/F-93) responded with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Alina Craciun (194-C-93) had 14 pts and 5 rebs, while Oana Baluta (184-C/F-93) added 9 points, plus 13 boards. Quarters: 14-16, 23-15, 8-10, 12-12.

Slovenia: Rebeka Abramovic 15+7 boards, Alina Gjerkes 12+9 boards, Nina Gabrovsek 12+9 boards
Romania: Sonia Ursu 18+11 boards, Alina Craciun 14+5 boards, Oana Baluta 9+13 boards

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  SPAIN - Women  


Celta officially signs Brazilian center Damiris Dantas - by Eurobasket News
As expected, Celta officially announced signing of Damiris Dantas (192-C-92). The 18-year-old Brazilian prospect demonstrated impressive performance at the latest FIBA U19 World Championship in Chile. She appeared 9 times at this event averaging 20.9 ppg and 12.6 rpg. Dantas ended as the best scorer and rebounder in Chile. Brazil won the Bronze at this event and Dantas was named Eurobasket.com All-World Championships U19 Best Player -11. Damiris Dantas paced Brazilian senior NT to Gold at the South American Championships in Santiago last year. She had 11.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg for 5 games at this event. In World Championships 2010 Dantas had 5.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg for 6 games. She also won the Silver at the FIBA Americas U18 Championships in Colorado Springs (USA) -10. Dantas played for Divino/COC/Jundia most recently.

ORION-GDKO brings in center Ana Roman - by Eurobasket News
ORION-GDKO announced signing of Ana Roman (192-C-82) for the next season. The Spanish center heads to her new club from Coelbi Bembibre PDM, where she spent 2010/11. She played 27 games in LF2 registering 5.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg. From 2007 to 2010, Roman was a member of Pio XII. In their last season together she had 5.4 ppg and 2.2 rpg for 39 games in LF2. Roman had better digits in 2008/09 season. At that time she averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds.
C.B. Arxil announced that Ana Martin (178-F/C-82) will be captain of the team next season. She had 5.8 ppg and 3.2 rpg for 52 games last season. Martin will play her tenth consecutive season with Arxil.

U18 Spain hands 69-57 loss to U18 Turkey in Oradea - by Eurobasket News
U18 TURKEY - U18 SPAIN 57-69

Spain stays perfect after another game in Oradea. They handed 69-57 loss to Turkey for 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Spain will meet Sweden today in the battle for the first place in this pool. Turkey will play against Slovenia. Despite they dropped to 2-2 record, Turkey still has a pretty good chance to reach the Quarterfinals. Astou Ndour (196-C-94) once again was the leading player in Spain as she collected 18 points and 11 rebounds. Andrea Vilaro (180-F-93) scored 15 points, while Elena De Alfredo (170-F-94) added 11 pts. In defeat, Ayse Cora (175-G/F-93) delivered 19 points. Ozge Kavurmacioglu (187-F-93) had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Olcay Cakir (180-PG-93) had 10 pts, plus 9 rebs. Quarters: 15-21, 13-23, 11-8, 18-17.

Turkey: Ayse Cora 19, Ozge Kavurmacioglu 12+6 boards, Olcay Cakir 10+9 boards
Spain: Astou Ndour 18+11 boards, Andrea Vilaro 15, Elena De Alfredo 11

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  SWEDEN - Women  


U18 Sweden too much for U18 Poland in Oradea, 75-39 - by Eurobasket News
U18 SWEDEN - U18 POLAND 75-39

Sweden jumped to 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. They already booked a spot for the Quarterfinals and also Sweden will have a chance to win this pool. They will meet Spain today in the crucial game for position No.1. On the other side, Poland dropped to 1-3. Despite this loss they still have a chance to reach the next stage. Poland will meet Romania in the last day of the Qualifying Round in Oradea. Josefin Vesterberg (187-F/C-93) stepped up for Sweden with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Amanda Zahui (191-C-93) had 12 points and 8 boards, while Nathalie Fontaine (183-F-93) added 9 pts. In the loosing squad, Magdalena Wojdalska (187-G-94) top-scored with 10 points. Their second scorer was Katarzyna Jaworska (188-F-94) with just 7 pts. Quarters: 17-9, 23-12, 17-11, 18-7.

Sweden: Josefin Vesterberg 21+5 boards, Amanda Zahui 12+8 boards, Nathalie Fontaine 9
Poland: Magdalena Wojdalska 10, Katarzyna Jaworska 7

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  SWITZERLAND - Women  


U18 Austria celebrates first win in Group G - by Eurobasket News
U18 AUSTRIA - U18 SWITZERLAND 65-51

Both teams failed in their first games of Group G. Yesterday. Austria outplayed Switzerland 65-51 improving to 1-1 record. Switzerland closes the standings in this pool with 0-2. Lisa Zderadicka (168-PG-94) led the winners with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Barbara Keck (183-F-94) had 11 points and Sarah Sagerer (190-C-96) added 10 pts, plus 14 rebs. In defeat, Alix Rieder (168-PG-93) delivered 12 points. Their second scorer was Alexandra Koch (175-PG-94) with 11 pts. Quarters: 14-21, 17-8, 11-12, 23-10. Today Austria will meet Luxembourg. Switzerland will take on UK.

Austria: Lisa Zderadicka 13+5 boards, Barbara Keck 11, Sarah Sagerer 10+14 boards
Switzerland: Alix Rieder 12, Alexandra Koch 11

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  TURKEY - Women  


U18 Spain hands 69-57 loss to U18 Turkey in Oradea - by Eurobasket News
U18 TURKEY - U18 SPAIN 57-69

Spain stays perfect after another game in Oradea. They handed 69-57 loss to Turkey for 4-0 record in Qualifying Group E. Spain will meet Sweden today in the battle for the first place in this pool. Turkey will play against Slovenia. Despite they dropped to 2-2 record, Turkey still has a pretty good chance to reach the Quarterfinals. Astou Ndour (196-C-94) once again was the leading player in Spain as she collected 18 points and 11 rebounds. Andrea Vilaro (180-F-93) scored 15 points, while Elena De Alfredo (170-F-94) added 11 pts. In defeat, Ayse Cora (175-G/F-93) delivered 19 points. Ozge Kavurmacioglu (187-F-93) had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Olcay Cakir (180-PG-93) had 10 pts, plus 9 rebs. Quarters: 15-21, 13-23, 11-8, 18-17.

Turkey: Ayse Cora 19, Ozge Kavurmacioglu 12+6 boards, Olcay Cakir 10+9 boards
Spain: Astou Ndour 18+11 boards, Andrea Vilaro 15, Elena De Alfredo 11

Mersin also lands Christi Thomas - by Eurobasket News
Mersin added another player to its roster for the upcoming season. It is 28-year-old power forward Christi Thomas (191-F-82). She heads to Mersin from the Israeli team Raanana Hertzeliya. For 23 games with them Thomas collected 14 ppg, 9.6 rpg and 1.8 apg. Eurobasket awarded her with All-Israeli League Honorable Mention -11. Christi Thomas split 2009/10 season between Elizur Maclaren Holon and Maccabi Ashdod. With Maccabi she had 15.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 1.8 apg for 16 games. For his performance Thomas was praised with Eurobasket.com All-Israeli League 2nd Team -10. Maccabi reached Playoff Finals that season. Christi Thomas is a former WNBA player. She was a member of Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks in the past.

Mersin lands LaToya Thomas - by Eurobasket News
LaToya Thomas (188-F-81, college: Mississippi St.) stays in Turkey. The American forward penned a one-year deal with Mersin. She finished last season as a member of Burhaniye Belediyesi. For 13 games in TKBL Thomas shined with 16.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.7 apg and 1.1 spg. She started last season with Israeli team Raanana Hertzeliya. For seven games with them Thomas collected 16.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 2.3 apg. LaToya Thomas played in Spain two years ago. She was a member of Man Filter at that time. For 26 games in Spanish top division she had 15 ppg and 6.8 rpg. In 2007, LaToya Thomas won the Israeli title and Cup with Elizur Ramla. She had 15.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg in the league that season.

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  UKRAINE - Women  


U18 Russia celebrates first win in Oradea - by Eurobasket News
U18 UKRAINE - U18 RUSSIA 46-75

First victory for Russia at U18 EuroBasket in Oradea. They handed 75-46 loss to Ukraine for 1-1 record in Group G. Ukraine has the same score now. Albina Razheva (186-F-94) led the winners with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Ksenia Tikhonenko (190-F/C-93, agency: RIZO) followed with 11 points and 8 boards, while Galina Kiseleva (182-F-93) added 8 pts and 8 rebs. In the loosing squad, Lyudmyla Naumenko (184-F-93) was better than the others with 12 points. Oleksandra Chek (191-C-93) stopped to 9 pts. Quarters: 15-21, 6-19, 11-18, 14-17. Today, Russia will meet Lithuania. Ukraine will play against Slovakia.

Ukraine: Lyudmyla Naumenko 12, Oleksandra Chek 9
Russia: Albina Razheva 13+6 boards, Ksenia Tikhonenko 11+8 boards, Galina Kiseleva 8+8 boards

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  UNITED KINGDOM - Women  


U18 UK jumps to 2-0 in Group G - by Eurobasket News
U18 LUXEMBOURG - U18 UNITED KINGDOM 61-70

United Kingdom jumped to 2-0 record in Group G in Miskolc. They handed 70-61 loss to Luxembourg yesterday. At the same time, Luxembourg slipped to 1-1. Whitney Allen (182-G-94) stepped up for the winners with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Rosie Hynes (172-PG-93) followed with 10 points and 5 rebs. In defeat, Lena Hetto (184-F-93) collected 25 points and 8 rebs. Their second scorer was Lynn Kauffmann (174-PG-94) with 9 points (5 rebs). Quarters: 12-16, 17-19, 13-18, 19-17. United Kingdom will meet Switzerland today. Luxembourg will play against Austria.

Luxembourg: Lena Hetto 25+8 boards, Lynn Kauffmann 9+5 boards
United Kingdom: Whitney Allen 13+6 boards, Rosie Hynes 10+5 boards

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  WNBA - Women  


Standings
WNBA Standings
Eastern
 1. Indiana F. 16-7 
 2. Connecticut S. 14-7 
 3. New York L. 13-9 
 4. Atlanta D. 10-11 
 5. Chicago S. 10-13 
 6. Washington M. 4-15 
Western
 1. Minnesota L. 16-5 
 2. S.Antonio SS 12-9 
 3. Phoenix M. 12-9 
 4. Seattle S. 12-10 
 5. L.Angeles S. 8-13 
 6. Tulsa S. 1-20 


Tuesday's games review - by Eurobasket News
New York L. - Seattle S. 58-56
Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers) scored 19 points, including the go-ahead layup with 41 seconds remaining, to lift the New York Liberty to a 58-56 victory over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night. Plenette Pierson (6'2''-F/C-81, college: Texas Tech) had nine points and eight rebounds to help New York (13-9) win for the third time in four games. The Liberty shot 39 percent from the field, including 4 for 12 on 3-pointers. Sue Bird scored 17 points and Tanisha Wright and Katie Smith had 11 apiece for Seattle (12-10), which had won five of their previous seven. The Storm were 31 percent from the field (21 for 68), including 8 for 21 on 3s. After Pondexter put the Liberty ahead, Bird missed a 3-pointer from the right corner with 20 seconds to go and a short jumper inside the free throw line with about 10 seconds left. The ball was knocked out of bounds by New York and Seattle's Swin Cash missed a layup after the ensuing inbounds play. Pierson made 1 of 2 free thows with 3 seconds to go, and Essence Carson blocked Bird's final attempt inside the paint. *Courtesy of www.signonsandiego.com

Phoenix M. - Minnesota L. 85-80
Diana Taurasi (6'0''-F/G-82, college: Connecticut) scored 26 points and made a key steal in the final 20 seconds to help the Phoenix Mercury snap the Minnesota Lynx's franchise-best nine-game winning streak 85-80 on Tuesday night. DeWanna Bonner hit the second of two free throws with 36 seconds remaining to give Phoenix a 78-77 lead. On the Lynx's subsequent possession, Rebekkah Brunson had the ball on the baseline in traffic just a few feet from the basket but Taurasi knocked the ball away and was fouled to help Phoenix secure the victory. She made two free throws with 19 seconds left to give the Mercury an 80-77 lead. Maya Moore scored 28 points and Seimone Augustus added 26 points to lead the Lynx, who had not lost since a 112-105 defeat to Phoenix on July 13. *Courtesy of www.kxnet.com

L.Angeles S. - Tulsa S. 71-66
The WNBA's worst team was the perfect remedy for the ailing Los Angeles Sparks. Ticha Penicheiro (5'11''-G-74, college: ODU) scored a season-high 23 points and the Sparks beat the Shock 71-66 on Tuesday night, handing Tulsa its 15th straight loss. Natasha Lacy and Tina Thompson had 12 points apiece to help the Sparks (8-13) snap a three-game losing skid. Penicheiro added seven rebounds and seven assists. 'We finally got that gorilla off our back,' Penicheiro said. 'It wasn't even a monkey at this point.' Tiffany Jackson led Tulsa (1-20) with 18 points and Liz Cambage scored 16 points off the bench. *Courtesy of www.abc12.com

Washington M. - Atlanta D. 70-72
Sancho Lyttle (6'4''-C-83, college: Houston) hit a 13-footer with less than a second remaining to give the Atlanta Dream a 72-70 comeback win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday night. Angel McCoughtry scored 19 points for Atlanta (10-11), which has now won seven of its last nine. Erika DeSouza added 18 points and 12 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Matee Ajavon scored 17 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn't prevent the Mystics from falling to their second last-second loss in three games. Crystal Langhorne added 23 points, as Washington (4-15) put together a 19-6 run during the fourth quarter to take a 67-61 lead, only to see Atlanta close the game out on a 11-3 spurt. *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Indiana F. - S.Antonio SS 81-68
Tamika Catchings (6'1''-F-79, college: Tennessee) scored 21 points to lead a balanced offense and provided a defensive gem as the Indiana Fever rolled to a big lead early, then held on for an 81-68 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Tuesday night. Erin Phillips added 18 points and Katie Douglas had 13 for the Eastern Conference-leading Fever (16-7). Becky Hammon scored 19 points and fueled a fourth-quarter rally by San Antonio (12-9), second in the Western Conference. *Courtesy of www.signonsandiego.com

Connecticut S. - Chicago S. 69-58
Tina Charles (6'4''-C-88, agency: LBM Management, college: Connecticut) scored 16 points and added 11 rebounds for her seventh straight double-double to tie the WNBA record, helping the Connecticut Sun beat the Chicago Sky 69-58 on Tuesday night. Charles matched Lauren Jackson's mark set in 2003. Kara Lawson added 14 points for Connecticut (14-7), which won for the eighth time in the last 10 games. Asjha Jones had 12 points and Renee Montgomery added 10. Sylvia Fowles led Chicago (10-13) with 19 points and Shay Murphy added 18. Tamera Young had 10 points and 14 rebounds. *Courtey of www.kxnet.com