EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 9/22/2011

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Men News

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  ADRIATIC LEAGUE   


Cedevita adds Miro Bilan - by Eurobasket News
Miro Bilan (212-F-89) will continue his career in Cedevita. Despite there was some rumors that he will have to return to Zadar, that did not happen and the player penned a deal with Cedevita. Bilan played 26 Adriatic league games for Zadar last season averaging 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds. He also added 8.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg for 12 games. In Croatian league, Bilan had 10.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg in three games and than he left the club due to lack of payment. Befor Zadar, Miro Bilan spent few years with Sibenka Sibenik. He was a member of Croatian B National Team this summer. In 2008 and 2009, Miro Bilan played for U20 Croatia. He also played for U18 Croatia in the past. In 2010, Miro Bilan participated at the Croatian League All-Star Game.

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  ALGERIA   


National Team Update - by Patrick Fitzpatrick
Algerian Road-Trip

The Senior men's squad is off and running on their road trip leading up to the African Games in Mozambique. The trip started with a 'friendly' match up with Lebanon, it was the first contest with Coaches Whalen and Fitzpatrick on the sideline. After an impressive defensive performance, Algeria fell by eleven points, Dekkiche and Touati both finished with 3 steals. Ngombo and Musa led Qatar in the next contest and it was a dog fight from the start, Qatar's former NBA prospect was on-fire-dropping 40 that night in Istanbul. In the end Qatar got away with a 2 point victory as Algeria nearly beat the 29th ranked team in the world. The next two games were against Turkish Pro B teams and Algeria looked confidant, especially on the defensive end. Harat and Canon were a persistent threat on the offensive end. The enthusiastic Algerian squad heads into their fifth match in the Istanbul tomorrow-before a final stop in South Africa as their final preparation for the African Games in Mozambique.

Algeria packs a punch at the African Games

After several years of not competing in major international tournaments the Algerian National team shocked the basketball scene at the African Games in Maputo. Led by Harat, a talented 20 year old small forward, the Algerians beat Mozambique in front of about 5000 at desportivo stadium.
Squads from Nigeria and Angola appeared to be the strongest at the start of the tournament, Mozambique gained momentum losing to Nigeria in the final. Algeria eventually lost to Angola in the bronze medal game, they struggled offensively without their explosive scorer, Canon. Egypt took fifth in the tournament beating Cabo Verde.

Algeria makes a statement at the African Games - by Greg
After several years of not competing in major international tournaments the Algerian National team shocked the basketball scene at the African Games in Maputo. Led by Mohamed Harath (196-F-90), a talented 20 year old small forward, the Algerians beat Mozambique in front of about 5000 at desportivo stadium.
Squads from Nigeria and Angola appeared to be the strongest at the start of the tournament, Mozambique gained momentum losing to Nigeria in the final. Algeria eventually lost to Angola in the bronze medal game, they struggled offensively without their explosive scorer, Canon. Egypt took fifth in the tournament beating Cabo Verde.

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  ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS   


Standings
Standings
Group E
1. Iran5-0
2. S.Korea4-1
3. Taiwan3-2
4. Lebanon2-3
5. Malaysia1-4
6. Uzbekistan.0-5
Group F
1. China5-0
2. Philippine.4-1
3. Japan3-2
4. Jordan2-3
5. Syria1-4
6. United Ara.0-5
Group Places 13-16
1. Indonesia2-0
2. Qatar0-0
3. India0-1
4. Bahrain0-1


Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Marcus DOUTHIT
  USA
  (210-C/F-80)
  Avg: 18.7
 1. Douthit, PHI18.7 
 2. Wright, JOR18.5 
 3. Ahmad, UAE17.2 
 4. Yi, CHN15.8 
 5. Rida, LEB15.6 
 6. Koroth, IND15.3 
 7. Moon, KOR14.8 
 8. Kawamura, JPN14.8 
 9. Chang, TAI14.5 
 10. Malabes, BHR14.5 
Rebounds Per Game
 Marcus DOUTHIT
  USA
  (210-C/F-80)
  Avg: 10.5
 1. Douthit, PHI10.5 
 2. Haddadi, IRI10.0 
 3. Yi, CHN10.0 
 4. Takeuchi, JPN9.2 
 5. Hoskin, LEB8.8 
 6. Takeuchi, JPN8.2 
 7. Zhang, CHN7.6 
 8. Tabet, LEB7.5 
 9. Labes, SYR7.3 
 10. Kazemi, IRI7.3 
Assists Per Game
 Mario WUYSANG
  (176-PG-79)
  Avg: 6.4
 1. Wuysang, IDN6.4 
 2. Daghles, JOR4.8 
 3. Park, KOR4.7 
 4. Guganeswaran, MAS4.3 
 5. Yang, KOR4.3 
 6. Akl, LEB4.2 
 7. Lee, TAI4.2 
 8. Kim, KOR4.0 
 9. Malabes, BHR4.0 
 10. Shonaka, JPN3.7 
Steals Per Game
 Tsung-Hsien CHANG
  TAI
  (192-G-88)
  Avg: 2.2
 1. Chang, TAI2.2 
 2. Sun, CHN2.0 
 3. Salem, UAE1.8 
 4. Hirose, JPN1.8 
 5. Ahmad, UAE1.8 
 6. Wright, JOR1.7 
 7. Lee, TAI1.7 
 8. Wang, CHN1.6 
 9. Daghles, JOR1.6 
 10. Malallah, BHR1.5 
Blocks Per Game
 Hamed HADDADI
  IRI
  (218-C-85)
  Avg: 3.2
 1. Haddadi, IRI3.2 
 2. Zaghab, JOR2.0 
 3. Douthit, PHI1.8 
 4. Singh, IND1.4 
 5. Sitepu, IDN1.2 
 6. Kim, KOR1.2 
 7. Sun, CHN1.2 
 8. Kanaan, LEB1.0 
 9. Kim, KOR1.0 
 10. Hoskin, LEB1.0 


China, Iran March Into Quarterfinals Undefeated - by Arthur Volbert
China easily defeated Japan today 84-58 and remains undefeated as it wins its second round group and heads to the quarterfinals. It is very likely to face equally undefeated Iran for the Asian title and a guaranteed spot in the Olympics.

China led Japan 21-16 after the first quarter and 44-30 at the half. It led 61-46 after three quarters in a contest that was never in doubt. Yi Li (203-F/G-85) led China with 19 points on 8 of 9 shooting and 5 rebounds. Yi has replaced the injured Wang Shipeng at shooting guard and may even be an improvement. Yi was once used as a power forward by Jiangsu and, while always highly promising, his career was held back by his playing out of position.

Yi Jianlian had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Liu Wei had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Wang Zhizhi had 13 points and 3 rebounds in 21 minutes. Zhu Fangyu had 8 points and 6 rebounds in 26 minutes. Sun Yue had an off game with 7 points on 3 of 11 shooting. But he also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks and has clearly raised his level of play from previous National Team appearances. This group of six players are the core of this Chinese team and seem fit to contend with Iran for the Asian title.

China shot 46 perent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line. It appears to be over the shooting woes it experienced in exhibition games leading up to the tournament. It outrebounded Japan 50-31 and had 16 turnovers to 14 for Japan. Shinsuke Kasawagi led Japan with 24 points and 4 rebounds. Kasuke Takeuchi had 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Iran handily beat Korea 79-62 and displayed ability comparable to China. Memphis Grizzly center Hamad Haddadi led Iran with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Philippines blew out Syria 79-52 and look far better than they did in the first round. Swingmen Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz were originally ruled ineligible for the tournament, but after an appeal were reinstated in time for the Second Round. In yesterday's game against Japan, they played physical defense that eventually wore Japan down. The addition of these two imports, along with imports Marcus Douthit and Kelly Williams, gives the Philippines genuine hopes for a medal.

China does not use imports. On the other hand, China has over a billion people. Many Middle Eastern teams, aside from 80-million strong Iran, have imports as their key players. Rasheim Wright is a key player for Jordan. European teams also have been using imports in prominent roles such as Chris Kamen playing for Germany.

Other games:
Lebanon 101 Uzbekistan 53
Chinese Taipei 109 Malaysia 62
Jordan 94 UAE 80

Standings:
GROUP E
Team W L Pts GA
I.R.Iran 5 0 10 2.10
Korea 4 1 09 1.34
Ch. Taipei 3 2 08 1.08
Lebanon 2 3 07 1.08
Malaysia 1 4 06 0.60
Uzbekistan 0 5 05 0.59

GROUP F
Team W L Pts GA
China 5 0 10 1.33
Philippines 4 1 09 1.20
Japan 3 2 08 1.10
Jordan 2 3 07 0.96
Syria 1 4 06 0.83
United Arab Emirates 0 5 05 0.73

Fridays schedule
0900 Hrs: 9-12 Place: Malaysia Vs.UAE
1100 Hrs: 9-12 Place: Uzbekistan Vs. Syria
1330 Hrs: QF: Jordan Vs. Iran
1530 Hrs: QF: Korea Vs. Japan
1800 Hrs: QF: Philippines Vs. Ch. Taipei
2000 Hrs: QF: Lebanon Vs. China

All set for quarterfinals in Wuhan - by Eurobasket News
Group E
Malaysia - Taiwan 62-109
Taiwan posted yet another win at the Asian Championship. They drubbed Malaysia to improve at 3-2 record in Group E. Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) came up with 25 points to lead the effort. Taiwan occupied the third spot in the group advancing into quarterfinals. Malaysia on the other hand fell at 1-4 record and came short of reaching the playoffs. Taiwan scored 24 points in the opening frame taking a 6-point lead after ten minutes. Taiwan stayed hot offensively as they unloaded 27 points in the second period piling up a 15-point halftime lead. The third term became decisive in this one. Taiwan outscored their opponents 30:11 to clear off for good. Lin Chih-Chieh (192-F/G-82) posted 21 points for the winners. Chien Chia-Hung (197-F-87) added 16 points for Taiwan. Batumalai Guganeswaran (182-G-82) answered with 15 points, 4 boards and 4 assists for Malaysia. Li Wei Chee (189-F-85) netted 13 points in defeat.

South Korea - Iran 62-79
Iran registered the sixth straight win at the Asian Championship. They outscored South Korea to enter the quarterfinal stage undefeated. Hamed Haddadi (218-C-85) scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace Iran. They will now take on Jordan in the playoffs. South Korea suffered the first defeat at the tournament and would now face Japan in quarterfinal. Iran stormed into the game. They outscored South Korea 23:13 in the starting quarter. Iran maintained the lead well enough throughout the second term. They posted a 42:30 halftime lead. Iran boosted the margin to 17 points midway through the third term. But South Korea refused to surrender cutting the gap to 10 points at the final break. But Iran opened the final stanza on a 9:3 run and never looked back en route to the victory. Mahdi Kamrani (186-PG-82) posted 15 points, while Arsalan Kazemi (199-F-90) added 11 points for Iran. Lee Jung-Suk (183-G-82) and Yang Dong-Geun (181-G-81) responded with 14 points each for South Korea.

Lebanon - Uzbekistan 101-53
Lebanon fired past Uzbekistan on the final day of Second Round of action at 2011 Asian Championship. The victory propelled Lebanon to 2-3 record in Group E. They clinched the fourth position and advanced into quarterfinal stage. Samuel Hoskin (206-F/C-79, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: De Paul) stepped up with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the charge. Uzbekistan fell at 0-5 record in the ladder. It was never easy for Lebanon in the opening frame. Uzbekistan jumped to an early lead and maintained it for some time. Lebanon managed to eke out a 24:22 lead after ten minutes. They opened the second period on a 16:2 run to clear off. Lebanon limited their opponents to just 4 points in the second quarter to pile up a 50:26 advantage at the interval. Lebanon enlarged the gap in the third term. They piled up a 40-point lead at the final intermission 75:35. Uzbekistan obviously never recovered and had to surrender at the end. Ghaleb Rida (192-G-81) posted 18 points, while Jean Abed El Nour (198-F/G-83) delivered 16 points in the victory. Vyacheslav Denisov (195-G-83) answered with 19 points for Uzbekistan. Samender Juginisov (202-F-87) netted 11 points in the loss.

Group F
Japan - China 58-84
Japan could not match hosting China on the final day of Second Round at Asian Championship in Wuhan. Yi Li (203-F/G-85) scored 19 points to lead the home team to the sixth straight win at the tournament. Japan fell at 3-2 record in Group F and would now take on South Korea in the quarterfinal. China will play against Lebanon for the spot in the semis. China surged ahead early and posted a 21:16 lead at the first break. China maintained the lead throughout the second term. Moreover the hosts boosted the gap to 14 points at the interval. Japan could not get any closer throughout the third term. China established a 61:46 lead with ten minutes remaining. The margin just kept on growing throughout the fourth period as China cruised to the victory at the end. Jianlian Yi (212-C/F-87) delivered 18 points and 13 rebounds for China. Liu Wei (190-PG-80) had 14 points in the win. Takuya Kawamura (193-G-86) answered with 24 points for Japan. Kosuke Takeuchi (206-C/F-85) had 10 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.

Jordan - United Arab Emirates 94-80
Jordan made it into Asian Championship quarterfinals. They overcame UAE tonight to clinch the fourth position in Group F. Jordan will now take on undefeated Iran in the playoffs. UAE fell at 0-5 record in the group. Jordan went on a scoring spree in the opening frame. They unleashed 40 points to build a 20-point lead. UAE stopped the rot in the second term. The teams traded baskets as UAE trailed by 19 points at the interval 38:57. Jordan boosted their lead in the third term. Tab Baldwin team scored 25 points to ensure an 82:58 advantage with one quarter remaining. UAE outscored Jordan 22:12 in the final frame but it did not change the outcome as Tab Baldwin team marched to the win. Daghles Osama (198-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) posted 20 points and 9 assists for Jordan. Rasheim Wright (192-G-81, college: District of Col.) added 16 points in the winning effort. Ibrahim Ahmad (179-G-79) answered with 28 points for UAE. Khalil Salem (178-G-91) netted 23 points in the loss.

Syria - Philippines 52-75
Philippines recorded the third straight win at the Second Stage of Asian Championship. They overcame Syria to enter the quarterfinal stage from the second position in Group F. Philippines will now take on Taiwan in the playoffs. Syria slipped at 1-4 record and would play in the classification round for 9th-12th place. Philippines looked slightly better in the opening frame. They eked out a 14:11 lead after ten minutes. But Syria turned things upside down in the second frame. Goran Miljevic team surged ahead for a 32:23 halftime lead. They maintained the lead for some time in the third term before Philippines pulled their noses back in front. Philippines registered a 49:45 lead with ten minutes to go. They opened the fourth term on a 15:0 run to clear off for good in this one. Marcus Douthit (210-C/F-80, agency: Edge Sports, college: Providence) stepped up with 20 points for Philippines. Christopher Tiu (178-PG-85) and Ranidel deOcampo (194-F-81) added 8 points each in the win. Abd Al Wahab Hamowi (217-C-90) responded with 11 points for Syria. Eder Arjo Gorges (212-C/F-81, college: Walsh, OH) provided 9 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.



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  AUSTRALIA   


Deba George completes Taipans roster - by Eurobasket News
The Skytrans Cairns Taipans has completed their playing roster for the 2011/12 NBL season with the signing of livewire guard and Far North product George Deba (183-G-85).

George, 26 and 183cm, has been knocking on the door for a regular NBL gig for a number of years, having worked his way through the Skytrans Taipans academy from the early 2000s to become a star performer with the Cairns Marlins and most recently the Mackay Meteors in the QBL competition.

George had an outstanding 2011 season in the QBL, helping lead the Meteors to the State Title averaging 21 points a game on 52 per cent shooting from the field and 45 per cent from beyond the three-point arc.

His incredible athleticism and nice touch from long range were attractive qualities for Skytrans Taipans coach Aaron Fearne.

Hes always had that X-factor, being extremely explosive offensively, Fearne said.

'He can come out and put points on you very quickly. Once he gets the confidence to know he can play at the NBL level, who knows what he can be.
George has had a taste of NBL basketball, having been called into a severely depleted Skytrans Taipans squad in the early 2000s but he now gets his chance as a roster player.

I was very close to signing Deba last year as a back-up point guard, which is obviously a huge role for anyone to play and I ended up going with Lindsay Tait, Fearne said.

This year he comes in as a back-up two-man (shooting guard) and hell definitely get the chance to show what he can do.

The thing thats impressed me most this pre-season has been his ability to read the game and his passing.

The signing of George is also a sign of the success of junior programs in Cairns and the Far North, and an indication that young basketballers have a career path if they show the determination to succeed.

He joins the likes of Kerry Williams, Aron Baynes and Nathan Jawai to have come through the junior programs at Cairns basketball to succeed in the sport at the highest levels, and Georges high-flying antics are sure to make him a crowd favourite at the Cairns Convention Centre this season.

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

Hawks release American Donavan Monroe - by Eurobasket News
The Wollongong NRE Hawks have released American import point guard Donavan Monroe (190-G, college: Charleston) from his contract with the club.

Unfortunately Donavan Monroe was unable to show us that he was the right man for the job here in Wollongong. Over the past four weeks the club came to the conclusion that Donavan was not suited to our group and not what we required heading into this season, said General Manager Mili Simic.

We had to make a decision sooner rather than later to ensure our coaching staff are given ample time to look at our options in possibly bringing in another import in the near future.

Donavan is a great young man but has been unable to fit in with the group and demonstrate to us what we saw of him during the recruitment process, we wish him all the best in his career moving forward, Simic added.

Donavan Monroe will not travel with the team to this weeks upcoming NBL Sunshine State Challenge preseason tournament, hosted on the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

The Wollongong NRE Hawks will travel on Wednesday to take part in the NBL Sunshine State Challenge. The Hawks will take on the Cairns Taipans on Thursday, Melbourne Tigers on Friday night and another team yet to be determined on Saturday.

Its always a difficult decision to make and theres always a risk in recruiting from overseas. Unfortunately for Donavan he was unable to demonstrate to us that he was what we needed in that position, Head Coach Gordie McLeod said.

We will continue to move forward with our group for the season ahead. Weve had a positive preseason so far and were looking forward to heading up to Queensland to continue to work on our preparation.

Over the coming weeks we will look at what options may be available for an import replacement. McLeod concluded.

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

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  AUSTRIA   


Panthers return Bryant Matthews - by Eurobasket News
Raiffeisen Furstenfeld Panthers announced signing of Bryant Matthews (201-G/F-82, college: Virginia Tech) for the next season. The American forward already was a Panther in 2010/11. He joined the club in December averaging 10.7 points 5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 14 games. After Furstenfeld, Matthews signed in Mexico for Fuerza Guinda Nogales. He had 18.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 2 apg for 11 games in CIBACOPA. Season 2009/10, Bryant Matthews spent on Cyprus with Pizza Express Primetel Apollon. Before that he played in Romania, Puerto Rico and Portugal. Matthews also has experience from NBDL and Australian NBL. In 2009, he was named Eurobasket.com All-Romanian League 1st Team -09. Matthews played for Sibiu at that time.

Austrian teams update - by Eurobasket News
Allianz Swans Gmunden lost to BBC Bayreuth 61:87. The German side started with 26-22 and added 23-10 in the second period. Moreover BBC Bayreuth had 10-8 in the third quarter and won the last period 28-21. Torbert stepped up with 12 points, while Ibekwe 11 and Jeanty posted 11 each. Shtein netted 10, whilst Beckham Wyrick (198-F-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: NC-Wilmington) and Schmitz posted 9 apiece. Curry and Matthias Mayer (204-C/F-81) delivered 13 points each in the losing effort.
Earlier Allianz Swans lost to USK Prag 75:91. The latter grabbed 18-15 after the first 10 minutes, but the Austrian team enjoyed 40:37 at the halftime. Allianz Swans also had 3-point advantage after three quarters but failed in the last quarter. Dan Oppland (203-F-84, agency: SportsTalent, college: Valparaiso) top-scored for the Austrian team with15 points and Curry posted 14.
CEZ Basketball Nymburk rolled over Hellios Domzale 81:67. Drew Naymick (211-C-85, agency: Warren Sports International) top-scored for the winners with 17 points, while Benda and Lenzly posted 12 each. Wilson followed them with 11 points in a win.
BK Inter Bratislava overcame St. Polten 86:59. The Slovakian team opened the game with 23-17 and added 26-14 in the second frame. In the third quarter they held the opponents to just 5 points and scored 15. Kwbana Beckles (203-C/F-81, college: Lee) stepped up with 22 points, while Kuffa added 14. Allen scored 12 and Bridgewaters brought 7.


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  BALKAN LEAGUE   


Ivan Siriscevic heads to Timisoara - by Eurobasket News
Ivan Siriscevic (198-G/F-87) will continue his career in Romania. The Croatian guard/small forward successfully passed try-out period and signed a one-year deal with Timisoara. They will compete in Romanian top division and Balkan league this season. Siriscevic heads to Timisoara from the Hungarian team Kechkemeti Univer. He appeared 31 times for them last season averaging 13.2 points and 5 rebounds. From 2008 to 2010, Ivan Siriscevic played for Siroki Brijeg. He helped them win two Bosnian league titles. In the past, Siriscevic spent couple of years with Split. He also has experience from Dubrovnik. Timisoara has totally different roster than the last season and they also have a new Head Coach Predrag Badnjarevic.

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  BALTIC LEAGUE   


Goran Jeretin is set to join Lietuvos Rytas - by Eurobasket News
Goran Jeretin (192-G-79, agency: Beo Basket) is set to join Lietuvos Rytas for the upcoming season. The Montenegrin player will substitute Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket).
In 2010-2011 Goran played for Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia-PBL) and in EuroChallenge after 15 games averaged 4.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.8apg, 1.0spg. In Russian League after 35 games his stats read 6.1ppg, 1.5rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 38.6%, FT: 82.1%.
Last year Lokomotiv Kuban announced signing of Goran Jeretin. The experienced point guard came to Russia from Turk Telekom Ankara. He joined the Turkish outfit in March this year averaging 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists for 8 TBL games. Jeretin started the season with Montenegrin club Buducnost Podgorica. With them he collected 11.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg and 3.3 apg in Adriatic league. The Montenegrin powerhouse also competed in EuroChallenge, where Jeretin added 12.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 2.9 apg. Buducnost won the double in Montenegro.
Before Buducnost Podgorica, Goran Jeretin split the season between BC Kyiv and AEL Limassol. He faced with the knee injury in 2007 and was forced to miss the entire year. In 2006/07, Goran Jeretin played for Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Actually he joined them in January of 2007. For 10 Euroleague games with the Israeli giant, Jeretin had 5.5 ppg and 1.5 rpg. He registered 5 ppg and 2.1 apg for 17 games in domestic championship. Before the above mentioned teams, Jeretin also played for Crvena Zvezda, Lovcen and Ibon.
Earlier it was announced that Aleksandar Rasic will miss a month due to injury (ruptured pelvic bone). The Lietuvos Rytas player got injured during the EuroBasket in Lithuania.


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  BULGARIA   


Crvena Zvezda beats Cherno More in a friendly - by Eurobasket News
Cherno More - Crvena zvezda 78-95

Crvena Zvezda and Cherno More met in a friendly game yesterday. Bulgarians were the hosts of this meeting, but Crvena Zvezda won it 78-95. New member of Crvena Zvezda Adam Morrison (203-F-84, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) was the leading player in victory. Former NBAer delivered 20 points. Petar Popovic (211-C-79) had 13 points, while Aleksandar Cvetkovic (185-PG-93) and Nemanja Nedovic (192-PG-91, agency: Beo Basket) helped with 11 and 10 points respectively. In the loosing squad, Yanev was better than the others with 18 points. Vasil Kyosev (195-G-90) scored 16 and Nikolay Kolev (204-F/C-88) stopped to 11 pts. Second quarter was the crucial one in this game. Before that visitors made minimum lead in the first ten minutes (24-25), but they exploded in Q2 (14-26) and jumped to plus 13 at the HT. Cherno More was not able to reply for rest of the game and faced with 17-point home loss at the end.

Cherno More: Yanev 18, Vasil Kyosev 16, Nikolay Kolev 11
Crvena zvezda: Adam Morrison 20, Petar Popovic 13, Aleksandar Cvetkovic 11, Nemanja Nedovic 10

Svetislav Pesic on Bulgarian basketball, praises prospect Pavlin Ivanov - by Maria Mitzova
Legendary Serbian coach Svetislav Pesic (agency: Interperformances ) arrived in Bulgaria on Monday for a pre-season tournament in Samokov, with his club Crvena Zvezda Beograd. His team scored a victory against Euroins Cherno More, outside of the tournament program, in which for the Serbs debuted Adam Morrison.
Besides his expectations on the team's performance in the upcoming season, Svetislav Pesic (agency: Interperformances ) shared some words on the Bulgarian National Team U18 basketball. He also praised Bulgarian talent Pavlin Ivanov (195-G-93, agency: Beo Basket), whom he mentored in the U18 All Star Game in Kaunas, Lithuania, during the European championship.

- Pavlin is superb, an amazing talent. He is one of the most gifted players on his position in Europe. I'm not telling this because I am in Bulgaria now, I know the kid for more than two years, and I see his progress. He is the future of the Bulgarian basketball.

- Despite being away to coach Valencia, I have always followed what's happening in Bulgaria. I'm in touch with Rosen Barchovski (agency: Interperformances ) and Lyubomir Minchev . I always love to come back here, I have many friends, and I will always help, if I'm needed.

- I am deeply touched by the sudden death of your federation chairman Mihail Mihov. He was a great friend of mine. That's a huge loss for Bulgarian basketball. Great tragedy.

- Lyubomir Minchev is a young coach, he was a great player, and the lessons already show up in his work. We discuss basketball all the time. He led the Bulgarian National Team U18 to the first place in Division B, and his club team Euroins Cherno More is playing very well. The coaching job is shown in his team's defense. If the team is good at defense, then the coach is doing his job properly. Minchev's success is exactly that he schooled his players into defense, and more important made them understand how important is defense for basketball game.

- I didn't see Bulgaria games on Eurobasket 2011, but from the few things I saw, I think that you had chances to go out of the group, with a win in the first game agains Slovenia. But it's important, that your team played good and proper style of basketball.


Pesic comment on German NT rumors: It's too early to discuss such matter - by Maria Mitzova
Crvena Zvezda Beograd head coach Svetislav Pesic (agency: Interperformances ) neither confirmed, nor denied the rumors on taking the vacant German National team coaching position. His name appeared in the Serbian press as the main option for Germany, but looks confident in his will to keep up with Crvena Zvezda Beograd for now.
'I am always a candidate! Wherever there is a vacant position, I am always there as a candidate, according to press', commented Pesic.
'It's too early to talk about such things. We are now starting to build a completely new system in Crvena Zvezda Beograd. I have a contract for two seasons and I want to give my best here, to help this club. I don't want to comment more on that matter, it's just filling the papers. I have to give it a lot of thought, and then maybe I will have another statement', added Serbian legend.

Svetislav Pesic is in Bulgaria, where his team is competing in pre-season tournament in Samokov, from 21-23 September, vs Keravnos, Lukoil Akademic and Rilski sportist.


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


Ruben Boumtje stays in Germany - by Eurobasket News
Ruben Boumtje (212-C-78, college: Georgetown) will start next season in Germany. The Cameroonian big guy signed a two-month deal with Bayern Munich. Boumtje spent last season with Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck. He appeared 44 times in German league averaging 7 points and 5.3 rebounds. He also added 11 ppg and 6.5 rpg for two EuroChallenge Qualifying Round games. From 2007 until the last summer, Ruben Boumtje played for EWE Baskets Oldenburg. In their last season together he had 6.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg for 37 games in Germany. In the past, Ruben Boumtje was a member of ALBA Berlin and Greek Panellinios. He also has experience from the Portland Trail Blazers. Boumtje played for Cameroon at the AfroBasket 2009 in Libya. They reached Semifinals.

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


Halifax Rainmen sign Rodney Buford and Eddie Robinson - by Eurobasket News
The Halifax Rainmen made franchise history today when President & CEO, Andre Levingston, signed former NBA'ers Rodney Buford (6'5''-G-77, college: Creighton) and Eddie Robinson (6'9''-F-76, college: Cent.Oklahoma) to the team's 2011-12 roster.

'This is a very special day for our organization,' said Levingston. 'Having Rodney and Eddie's level of skill and experience on our roster will be a huge asset for our team.'

Buford, a 6'5'' shoot guard, was selected by the NBA's Miami Heat in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft. Buford has played for the Miami Heat, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Sacramento Kings, and the New Jersey Nets. He also played alongside former teammate Allen Iverson as the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2000-01 NBA finals. Since his time in the NBA, Buford has played in the highest divisions overseas, where he has won three championships.

'Halifax is a beautiful city. I'm looking extremely forward to playing here,' said Buford. 'I'm confident that I'll be able to utilize my experiences in the NBA and overseas to serve as a mentor to the younger guys both on and off the court.'

Also signed by the Rainmen is 6'8'' forward, Eddie 'E-Rob' Robinson. Robinson, who is widely known for his leaping ability and 'freakish athleticism', spent five seasons in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets and the Chicago Bulls.

'When I found out Rodney was coming to play in Halifax, it was a no-brainer for me,' said Robinson, who spent time training with Rodney in the early 2000's. 'I have so much love for this game. I can't wait to get out on the court, work hard, and help bring a championship to Halifax.'

Also signed this morning were returning players Taliek Brown and DeAndre Thomas.

'This season will be unlike anything Halifax has ever seen,' said Levingston. 'The level of talent that the National Basketball League of Canada has attracted and continues to attract is unbelievable. It's going to be a great year.'

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

Storm to play first pre-season game at UPEI - by Eurobasket News
The Summerside Storm will play their first-ever game in the capital city of Prince Edward Island.

The Storm and Halifax Rainmen will meet in a National Basketball League of Canada pre-season contest at the UPEI Sports Centre in Charlottetown on Saturday, Oct. 22. Game time is 7 p.m.

It will be one of four pre-season games for the Storm, who will host the Saint John Mill Rats at EastLink Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. The Storm will pay a return visit to Halifax on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m., and play a road contest against the Moncton Miracles on Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.

'We're extremely excited for the pre-season to begin,' said NBL Canada president and CEO Andre Levingston. 'These 10 games will give fans a preview of the high calibre of basketball and excitement that this season will bring.'

Pre-season tickets can be purchased at individual team venues, or by calling their head offices.


Regular season

The Storm will open the regular season with back-to-back home games on Thursday, Nov. 3, and Friday, Nov. 4. The Quebec Kebs will provide the opposition on Nov. 3, and Saint John will be in town the following night.


Inaugural year

Founded in 2011, the National Basketball League of Canada is the nation's only

professional basketball league. A media release notes the NBL Canada is committed to developing the next generation of Canadian athletes, and raising the excitement and awareness for basketball throughout the country.

Seven teams will play in the inaugural 2011-12 season, and the league is poised for continued expansion across Canada.

NBL Canada is headquartered in Toronto, Ont.


Notebook

Storm news and notes:

Storm season tickets went on sale at the Credit Union Place box office on Monday. Packages are available for adults, seniors (60 and over), students and 12 and under.

Auditions for the Storm dance team will be held at the Tony Cargill School of Dance at Waterfront Place on Sunday, Sept. 25. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m., with the auditions going from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Tina Mundy at 436-4068, or e-mail tinamundy@eastlink.ca.

Storm head coach Joe Salerno is continuing to fill out the team roster. A couple of more player signings could be announced as early as this week.

The roster will be comprised of 12 players, including a mandatory two Canadians.

The league website is www.nblcanada.ca.

Courtesy of www.journalpioneer.com



Canadian PF Jacob Doerksen signs pro deal in Germany - by Eurobasket News
Jacob Doerksen (200-F-87, agency: Interperformances) is ready to start his professional basketball career. The Canadian power forward signed a one-year deal with UBC Hannover Tigers. They will compete in German second division (2. Bundesliga Pro B). Doerksen graduated few months ago at the Trinity Western University (CIS). He joined them in 2008 and was their best player since then. Doerksen shined with 21.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 1.8 spg in 24 games as a senior. He had almost the same numbers in 2009/10 and 2008/09. Jacob Doerksen was named CIS All-Canadian 1st Team -09, 11. In 2009, he was awarded also with CIS All-Canadian Player of the Year -09. As mentioned above, he transferred to Trinity Western in 2008. Before that Doerksen played for the University of Victoria and was named CIS All-Canadian Rookie of the Year -06.

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


China, Iran March Into Quarterfinals Undefeated - by Arthur Volbert
China easily defeated Japan today 84-58 and remains undefeated as it wins its second round group and heads to the quarterfinals. It is very likely to face equally undefeated Iran for the Asian title and a guaranteed spot in the Olympics.

China led Japan 21-16 after the first quarter and 44-30 at the half. It led 61-46 after three quarters in a contest that was never in doubt. Yi Li (203-F/G-85) led China with 19 points on 8 of 9 shooting and 5 rebounds. Yi has replaced the injured Wang Shipeng at shooting guard and may even be an improvement. Yi was once used as a power forward by Jiangsu and, while always highly promising, his career was held back by his playing out of position.

Yi Jianlian had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Liu Wei had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Wang Zhizhi had 13 points and 3 rebounds in 21 minutes. Zhu Fangyu had 8 points and 6 rebounds in 26 minutes. Sun Yue had an off game with 7 points on 3 of 11 shooting. But he also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks and has clearly raised his level of play from previous National Team appearances. This group of six players are the core of this Chinese team and seem fit to contend with Iran for the Asian title.

China shot 46 perent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line. It appears to be over the shooting woes it experienced in exhibition games leading up to the tournament. It outrebounded Japan 50-31 and had 16 turnovers to 14 for Japan. Shinsuke Kasawagi led Japan with 24 points and 4 rebounds. Kasuke Takeuchi had 10 points and 7 rebounds.

Iran handily beat Korea 79-62 and displayed ability comparable to China. Memphis Grizzly center Hamad Haddadi led Iran with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Philippines blew out Syria 79-52 and look far better than they did in the first round. Swingmen Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz were originally ruled ineligible for the tournament, but after an appeal were reinstated in time for the Second Round. In yesterday's game against Japan, they played physical defense that eventually wore Japan down. The addition of these two imports, along with imports Marcus Douthit and Kelly Williams, gives the Philippines genuine hopes for a medal.

China does not use imports. On the other hand, China has over a billion people. Many Middle Eastern teams, aside from 80-million strong Iran, have imports as their key players. Rasheim Wright is a key player for Jordan. European teams also have been using imports in prominent roles such as Chris Kamen playing for Germany.

Other games:
Lebanon 101 Uzbekistan 53
Chinese Taipei 109 Malaysia 62
Jordan 94 UAE 80

Standings:
GROUP E
Team W L Pts GA
I.R.Iran 5 0 10 2.10
Korea 4 1 09 1.34
Ch. Taipei 3 2 08 1.08
Lebanon 2 3 07 1.08
Malaysia 1 4 06 0.60
Uzbekistan 0 5 05 0.59

GROUP F
Team W L Pts GA
China 5 0 10 1.33
Philippines 4 1 09 1.20
Japan 3 2 08 1.10
Jordan 2 3 07 0.96
Syria 1 4 06 0.83
United Arab Emirates 0 5 05 0.73

Fridays schedule
0900 Hrs: 9-12 Place: Malaysia Vs.UAE
1100 Hrs: 9-12 Place: Uzbekistan Vs. Syria
1330 Hrs: QF: Jordan Vs. Iran
1530 Hrs: QF: Korea Vs. Japan
1800 Hrs: QF: Philippines Vs. Ch. Taipei
2000 Hrs: QF: Lebanon Vs. China

Kenyon Martin joins the forces of Xinjiang - by Eurobasket News
Kenyon Martin (203-F/C-77, college: Cincinnati) joins the forces of Xinjiang for the upcoming season. The NBAer signed the largest contract in CBA history.
In 2004-2005 for $9,454,546 he joined Denver Nuggets (NBA, starting five) and in the Regular Season after 70 games had high 15.5ppg, 7.3rpg, 2.4apg, 1.4spg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 49%. He stayed with the team for another five seasons. In Feb.'10 he moved to Houston Rockets (NBA, starting five): and after 2 games averaged 13.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 4.0apg, 2.0spg. Then signed back at Denver Nuggets (NBA, starting five).
The last season for $16,545,454 played in 53 games and had 8.9ppg, 6.3rpg, 2.2apg, FGP: 51.4%, 3PT: 22.2%, FT: 58.9%.
He recorded 18 points three times last season. In his top game Kenyon Martin scored 18 points and newcomer Wilson Chandler chipped in 16 as the Denver Nuggets closed the game with a 16-0 run to beat the shorthanded and shortened Boston Celtics 89:75. Chandler's 3-pointer put Denver ahead for good and Martin's three-point play with 3:03 left gave Denver its biggest lead to that point at 79-75. Arron Afflalo hit back-to-back jumpers and a bonus and Martin hit a jumper and a 3, after which the downtrodden Celtics walked off the floor as the final 10 seconds ticked off the clock.


*****************************************************
  COLOMBIA   


Standings
Copa Federacion Standings
 1. Orgullo Paisa 3-0 
 2. Caribbean Heat 2-1 
 3. Guerreros 2-1 
 4. Bucaros 1-1 
 5. InderValle 1-2 
 6. Patriotas 0-1 
 7. Cucuta Norte 0-3 


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


Marko Popovic retires from Croatian National Team - by Eurobasket News
Marko Popovic (185-G-82, agency: Alti Sport, college: S.Idaho JC) will not play for the Croatian National Team any more. The experienced point guard decided to retire from the NT after EuroBasket in Lithuania. One of the reasons are poor results of Croatian NT over the past years. Popovic appeared five times in Lithuania averaging 12.4 points 1.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Croatia was eliminated in the Preliminary Round. Marko Popovic played for his country since 2003. EuroBasket in Sweden was his first competition with Croatia. He later played at the EuroBasket 2005 in Belgrade and EuroBasket 2007 in Spain. Popovic had 10 ppg and 2.7 apg at the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing. Two years ago in Poland he collected 10.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 2.4 apg for 9 appearances. At the World Championship in Turkey last summer Marko Popovic had 14.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2 apg for 6 games. No medal for Croatia and Popovic all these years.

Valladolid gets bigger with Dalibor Bagaric - by Eurobasket News
Valladolid reinforced its roster under the basket. The team signed a one-year deal with center Dalibor Bagaric (217-C-80, agency: INVICTUS Sports Group). The experienced Croatian finished last season with Marousi. He had 12.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.9 bpg for 23 games in Greek league. He was awarded with Eurobasket.com Greek A1 League All-Bosmans Team -11. Bagaric started last season with Dubrava Zagreb. He averaged 13.6 points and 11.6 rebounds in five games, after what he left for Greece. In 2009/10, Dalibor Bagaric played for Cibona. He helped them win the Croatian league title and also to reach the Adriatic league Finals. Before Cibona, Bagaric played for GMAC Bologna, Girona, Climamio and Olympiacos. He also has experience from the Chicago Bulls.

Ivan Siriscevic heads to Timisoara - by Eurobasket News
Ivan Siriscevic (198-G/F-87) will continue his career in Romania. The Croatian guard/small forward successfully passed try-out period and signed a one-year deal with Timisoara. They will compete in Romanian top division and Balkan league this season. Siriscevic heads to Timisoara from the Hungarian team Kechkemeti Univer. He appeared 31 times for them last season averaging 13.2 points and 5 rebounds. From 2008 to 2010, Ivan Siriscevic played for Siroki Brijeg. He helped them win two Bosnian league titles. In the past, Siriscevic spent couple of years with Split. He also has experience from Dubrovnik. Timisoara has totally different roster than the last season and they also have a new Head Coach Predrag Badnjarevic.

Cedevita adds Miro Bilan - by Eurobasket News
Miro Bilan (212-F-89) will continue his career in Cedevita. Despite there was some rumors that he will have to return to Zadar, that did not happen and the player penned a deal with Cedevita. Bilan played 26 Adriatic league games for Zadar last season averaging 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds. He also added 8.7 ppg and 4.7 rpg for 12 games. In Croatian league, Bilan had 10.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg in three games and than he left the club due to lack of payment. Befor Zadar, Miro Bilan spent few years with Sibenka Sibenik. He was a member of Croatian B National Team this summer. In 2008 and 2009, Miro Bilan played for U20 Croatia. He also played for U18 Croatia in the past. In 2010, Miro Bilan participated at the Croatian League All-Star Game.

Jolly JBS hands 85-76 loss to Spartak Primorie - by Eurobasket News
Jolly JBS - Spartak Primorie 85-76

Jolly JBS and Spartak Primorie met in a friendly game yesterday. The Croatian squad was better celebrating 85-76 win. It is their first win this pre-season. First half was totally leveled and neither of two teams was able to make a bigger lead. Jolly JBS shined after the breather and third quarter turned to be the crucial one in this game. Jolly made 12-1 series during the period and later they went to the last ten minutes with plus 12, 58-76. Spartak came to minus six twice in the last quarter, but that was all. Ronald Ross (188-G-83, college: Texas Tech) top-scored for the winners with 24 points. Ivo Josipovic (205-F-75, agency: Court Side) also was great adding two points less. Mate Mrva (195-F-83) was the last one with double-digits with 10 pts. On the other side, Konstantin Nesterov (205-F/C-81, college: VCU) delivered 22 points and Nicholson stopped to 13.

Jolly JBS: Ronald Ross 24, Ivo Josipovic 22, Mate Mrva 10
Spartak Primorie: Konstantin Nesterov 22, Nicholson 13

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


Decin won the International Tournament of Four - by Eurobasket News
Decin won the International Tournament of Four at home.
In Game 1 Decin grabbed 60:57 over Norrkoping Dolphins. The Swedish side started with 22-15 but could not upset the hosts. They managed to win the half 38:33 as they limited the guests only to 11 points in the second period. The board showed 61:52 after three quarters, while Decin was satisfied with 5-point victory.
In Day 2 Rudupis Prienai lost to BK Decin 76:80. The Lithuanian team opened the game with 24-22, but trailed 41:44 at the halftime. Decin enjoyed 60:56 after three quarters and held the necessary 4-point victory. Pavel Houska (201-F-84) led the way with 23 points, while Tomas Pomikalek (200-F-89) netted 12. Povilas Butkevicius (203-F-87) ended up with 19 points in the losing effort and Orelik added 12.
In Game 3 the team overcame Anwil from Poland 90:70. Pavel Houska top-scored for the winners with 31 points and Tomas Pomikalek added 18. Dardan Berisha (192-G-88, agency: Global Sports Plaza) scored 16 points for Anwil, while John Allen (194-G/F-82, agency: Court Side, college: Seton Hall), Louis Hinnant and Marshall Moses added 11 points each.


Victories for CEZ Basketball Nymburk, USK Prag and Inter - by Eurobasket News
CEZ Basketball Nymburk rolled over Hellios Domzale 81:67. Drew Naymick (211-C-85, agency: Warren Sports International) top-scored for the winners with 17 points, while Benda and Michael Lenzly (189-G-81, college: Wofford) posted 12 each. Wilson followed them with 11 points in a win.

Allianz Swans lost to USK Prag 75:91. The latter grabbed 18-15 after the first 10 minutes, but the Austrian team enjoyed 40:37 at the halftime. Allianz Swans also had 3-point advantage after three quarters but failed in the last quarter. Dan Oppland (203-F-84, agency: SportsTalent, college: Valparaiso) top-scored for the Austrian team with15 points and Sharaud Curry (178-G-87, college: Providence) posted 14.
BK Inter Bratislava that will play in Czech League overcame St. Polten 86:59. The Slovakian team opened the game with 23-17 and added 26-14 in the second frame. In the third quarter they held the opponents to just 5 points and scored 15. Kwbana Beckles (203-C/F-81, college: Lee) stepped up with 22 points, while Andrej Kuffa (203-F-90) added 14. Allen scored 12 and Kevin Bridgewaters (175-G-84, college: Chattanooga) brought 7.



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


Mason, Jr. to return to Skyforce - by Eurobasket News
The Sioux Falls Skyforce announced today that Anthony Mason Jr. (6'7''-F-87, college: St.John's), has signed a contract with the NBA Development League and will report to training camp with the Skyforce in early November.

Mason, Jr. averaged 15.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 14 games (all starts) with the Skyforce last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. He participated in training camp with the Miami HEAT last fall and averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in three preseason games. The 6-7, 215-pound forward was named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention following his junior season at St. Johns after averaging a team-high 14.0 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Season tickets and 12-ticket flex packs for the 2011-12 season are on sale. Discounts and benefits are available for groups of 10 or more. Single game tickets will go on sale on Monday, Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. The home opener is set for Saturday, Nov. 26 against the defending NBA D-League champion Iowa Energy.

Courtesy of www.keloland.com

Vipers hire coach of reigning D-League champs to replace Finch - by Eurobasket News
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers and their parent club, the Houston Rockets, announced Monday that 2011 NBADL Coach of the Year and NBA Development League champion Nick Nurse has been named the new head coach of the Vipers. Nurse spent the last four seasons as the head coach of the Iowa Energy and led the Energy to the NBA Development League championship this past season.

Nurse recently returned from Europe after fulfilling his obligations as an assistant coach of the 2012 Olympics-bound British National Team, which is led by former Vipers head coach and current Rockets assistant coach Chris Finch.

Nick is a championship caliber coach with a very accomplished and diverse background, said Vipers General Manager Gersson Rosas, who is also the Vice President of Player Personnel for the Rockets. We strongly value what he brings in terms of high level coaching experience, success in developing players and a strong commitment to local community. His record speaks for itself and we are excited about his upside as a coach in our system.

A three-time NBA Development League All-Star head coach, Nurse led the Energy to back-to-back 37-13 finishes over the last two seasons, setting and then tying the league record for wins in a single season. Nurse led the Energy to two Eastern Conference championships, one Central Division championship and an overall regular season mark of 124-76 (.620). After leading the Energy past the Vipers for the 2011 NBA Development League championship, Nurse holds an NBA Development League playoff record of 9-6 (.600). The only head coach in the history of the Energy, Nurse coached two Most Valuable Players and one Rookie of the Year.

Nurse also served as the head coach of the NBA D-League Select Team during the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League and as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls 2009 NBA Summer League team.

I would like to thank everyone at the Iowa Energy from the tremendous ownership group, staff, fans, and especially the players who gave so much to the organization over the past 4 years. It was great to return to my home state and truly feel the 'Iowa Spirit'. My staff, players and I were treated like champions from day one. And the fans truly gave us great support that shows what a great basketball state Iowa can be.

I am honored to be working for the Houston Rockets organization and am excited to continue to grow as a coach. The Vipers and their fans have shown what kind of organization they are both on and off the floor and I hope to continue that success. I am extremely excited to be joining a team that works so closely with the Houston Rockets and has a winning tradition and passionate fans, Nurse said.

A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Nurse began his coaching career at the age of 23 when he became the head coach of Grand View College, making him the youngest college basketball coach in the United States. He engineered an improvement of 12 wins and a playoff berth before becoming an assistant coach at the University of South Dakota, where he recorded a 46-14 record while earning his Masters Degree.

Nurse coached in Europe for 11 years starting in 1996, winning nine championships, and two Coach of the Year awards while earning six All-Star head coach selections in the British Basketball League. During that time, he also gained coaching experience in Italy, Belgium, the USBL and the FILA LA Summer League. Additionally, Nurse served as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks Summer Pro Team in 2000.

Nurse holds a career professional coaching record of 400-179 (.691) during the regular season and 70-54 (.565) during the post-season.

We are very excited to welcome Nick to the Vipers, said Vipers President Bert Garcia. This hire guarantees that we will continue our traditions of winning and being active in the community as well.

Nurse becomes the fourth head coach in Vipers history, replacing Finch, who went 65-33 with one championship in two seasons before earning a promotion to the Rockets in July.

Courtesy of www.valleycentral.com

Mad Ants sign veterans Hunter, Howard, Russell - by Eurobasket News
Three of the most productive players in Fort Wayne Mad Ants history will return to the team this winter.

Chris Hunter (6'11''-F/C-84, college: Michigan), Ron Howard (6'5''-G/F-82, college: Valparaiso) and Walker Russell Jr. (6'0''-G-82, college: Jacksonville St.)., all former NBA D-League All-Stars, came to terms with the team for the 2011-12 season, the Ants announced Tuesday.

'I look forward to building this team around this tremendous core', Mad Ants president Jeff Potter said.

Hunter, a 6-foot-11 center, averaged 19.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for the Ants in 2008-09 and earned a contract with the Golden State Warriors for the 2009-10 season. Last year, he was sidelined with a torn Achilles.

Howard, a 6-5 swingman, has played more games for the Ants than any other player (132) and is the team's all-time leading scorer. He played in Australia last season but finished the season with the Ants in their final eight games as they finished one win short of the playoffs.

Russell Jr., a 6-1 point guard, set an NBA D-League record for assists in a season during his finest year playing alongside Hunter and Howard in 2008-09.

Potter said all three players are eager to show their improvement and, ultimately, earn a look from the NBA.

I can tell Walker is very hungry, Potter said. He left and did pretty well in China and went to the Dominican Republic where he was an MVP candidate. I've never seen him work this hard.

Ron Howard, it's never been a question of his effort and ability and I think he's very hungry.

Chris Hunter is an NBA player and that's the league where he belongs. He has some things he needs to prove to get over whatever humps have been placed upon him to go to that level.

Potter said he remains hopeful about signing Huntington native and former Purdue University standout Chris Kramer to a contract for a second year with the team, although Kramer is weighing other options.

A player that good has a multitude of options, Potter said. I've let Chris know we want him here. He's another guy I think can be one of the best players in this league in a multitude of ways defending, scoring, overall savvy. We hope to get Chris back.

The Mad Ants will have open tryouts for other players Oct. 22 and 23, with the draft in early November and the opening of training camp shortly after that.

If the NBA lockout continues and the season is delayed or even canceled, the D-League will continue to operate and play games. Potter could not comment on any issues involving the lockout.

Courtesy of www.news-sentinel.com

Tulsa's Robert Vaden pens deal in Slovakia - by Eurobasket News
Robert Vaden (6'5''-G/F-85, college: UAB) will continue his career in Slovakia. The American guard/small forward penned a three-month deal with Nitra. Vaden spent last season in NBA D-League. He appeared 48 times with Tulsa 66ers averaging 11 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. In April he moved to Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA), the same day assigned to Tulsa 66ers. He helped Tulsa to reach D-League Semifinals. In 2009/10, Robert Vaden played in Italy. He was a member of Aget Imola, where he registered 16.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 1.9 apg. They compete in Lega Due. Robert Vaden is a product of the Alabama at Birmingham University. Here graduated there two years ago.

Springfield Armor name Chris Carrawell assistant coach - by Eurobasket News
The Springfield Armor today announced that Chris Carrawell has been named the teams assistant coach under Head Coach Bob MacKinnon Jr. Carrawell, who was a four-year standout at Duke University under Hall of Fame Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, joins the Armor as the teams second assistant coach in team history.

Chris is an excellent addition to Bobs staff, said Nets General Manager of Minor League Operations Milton Lee. He is a young, aggressive coach who comes to the Armor from a storied college basketball environment, and his passion and energy will be an invaluable asset to our players.

Carrawell, 33, joins the Armor after four years of working at his alma mater in a variety of administrative roles. Carrawell served as the athletic community outreach coordinator for Dukes athletic department from 2007-08 and then became a graduate assistant manager for the Duke mens basketball program from 2008-10. Carrawell also held roles with the mens basketball program as an assistant strength and conditioning coach, as well as an assistant video coordinator, for the 2010-11 season. Prior to accepting a position with the Armor, Carrawell had been serving as a special assistant to the Duke womens basketball program.

We are so happy for Chris. Hes the consummate team player who became ACC Player of the Year. He has a great understanding of the game and loves to teach it, said Duke University and USA National Team Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. This position is absolutely perfect for him.

A native of St. Louis, MO, Carrawell earned a bachelors degree in sociology after a stellar four-year career at Duke. Carrawell started all four years from 1996-2000, capturing Associated Press and First Team All-American honors, as well as the ACC Player of the Year award during his senior season. Duke advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years Carrawell was in school and captured four straight ACC regular season titles. During Carrawells collegiate career, the Blue Devils compiled a record of 133-24, including a 58-6 mark in ACC play. Carrawell started every game during the 1998-99 season when Duke compiled a 37-2 record, eventually falling to the University of Connecticut in the 1999 national title game.

Following his collegiate playing career, Carrawell was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 41st overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. Carrawell began a lengthy overseas career that same season, starting in Italy during the 2000-01 season. Carrawell returned stateside the following year to play in the inaugural season of the NBA Development League with the Asheville Altitude. Over the next six years, Carrawell played in Lithuania, Germany, Australia, the Philippines, the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Netherlands before retiring in 2007.

Chris is an outstanding person and possesses all the qualities you look for in an assistant coach, said Armor Head Coach Bob MacKinnon , Jr. (Chris) experience at Duke University, as both a player and as a coach, will be invaluable towards his development of our players here in Springfield. This is another exciting step toward establishing the Armor as one of the elite teams in the NBA Development League.

The 2011-12 season will open on Friday, November 25 when the Armor host the Maine Red Claws at 7:00 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

Courtesy of www.insidehoops.com

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


Partizan signs prospect Danilo Andjusic - by Eurobasket News
Danilo Andjusic (197-G-91, agency: Beo Basket) is a new member of the Serbian powerhouse Partizan. The 20-year-old guard officially signed a deal today. Andjusic heads to Partizan from Hemofarm Stada, where he spent last season. He appeared 18 times in Serbian league for them averaging 6.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists. His numbers in Adriatic league and EuroCup were little bit lower. Before Hemofarm, where he arrived in March of 2010, Andjusic played for Mega Vizura, Vojvodina and Hemofarm juniors. Danilo Andjusic played for the Serbian U20 NT this summer at the European Championships U20 in Bilbao. He had 13 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 1.8 apg in 9 games. In 2009, Andjusic won the Gold with U18 Serbia at the U18 EuroBasket in Metz. He averaged 13 points and 2.1 rebounds at this even. In 2007, Danilo Andjusic won the Gold in Rethimno with U16 Serbia.

Caja Laboral confirms signing of Kevin Seraphin - by Eurobasket News
As we announced last weekend, Kevin Seraphin (205-F/C-89) will continue his career in Spain. Caja Laboral confirmed his signing until the end of the NBA lock-out. Seraphin won the Silver with French NT at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. He appeared 9 times at this event averaging 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds. Kevin Seraphin played for the Washington Wizards last season. He had 2.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg for 57 games. It was his rookie NBA season. Seraphin penned a four-year deal with the Wizards last summer. He was 17th overall pick at the 2010 NBA Draft. Kevin Seraphin is a product of Cholet. In 2009, he paced U20 France to Silver at the European Championships U20 in Rhodos. Seraphin was named Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U20 Best Center -09. In 2010, he was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-French ProA Most Improved Player of the Year -10 and Cholet won the title. Before Kevin Seraphin, the Vitoria team returned experienced PG Pabli Prigioni.

Real Madrid officially signs Rudy Fernandez - by Eurobasket News
Rudy Fernandez (197-G-85) officially became a new member of Real Madrid. He will return to Dallas Mavericks at the end of the NBA lockout, but Real Madrid holds his rights if he returns to Europe again. Fernandez helped Spain to win the Gold in Lithuania few days ago. He had 8.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3 apg for 11 games. Rudy Fernandez also won the Gold at EuroBasket 2009 with Spain and another Gold at the World Championships 2006 in Japan. At EuroBasket 2007 and Olympic Games in Beijing Fernandez and his Spain took the Silver. Rudy Fernandez averaged 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Portland Trail Blazers last season (84 games). They traded him to Dallas Mavericks later. Fernandez moved overseas in 2008. In Spain, he played for Joventut Badalona.

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  FINLAND   


Pyrinto Tampere comes back from Bosch Rexroth Cup - by Eurobasket News
Pyrinto Tampere comes back from Bosch Rexroth Cup after two games with German teams.
In the first Semifinal of the Bosch Rexroth Cup EnBW Ludwigsburg rolled over Pyrinto Tampere 89:67. The German team opened the game with 18-12, but the Finnish representatives replied with 21-15 in the second frame. The second half however fully belonged to the German team. They produced 28-19 in the third quarter and finished with 28-15. Alex Harris top-scored for the winners with 24 points and John Bowler (206-F-84, agency: Limelight Hoops, college: E.Michigan) collected 15 points and 10 rebounds. Donatas Zavackas delivered 11 point and 10 boards, while Kurt Looby scored 10. Damon Williams (201-F-73, college: Colorado St.-Pueblo) delivered 18 points in the losing case and Antwine Williams (192-F-75, agency: Prossin Sports Management, college: N.Colorado) posted 16.
In the game for the third place WALTER Tigers beat Pyrinto Tampere 86:55. Campbell and Young stepped up with 15 points each, while Reggie Redding (196-G-88, college: Villanova) collected 13 points and 13 rebounds. Hodzic also scored 13 points and Vaughn Duggins (190-G-87, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Wright St.) notched 10.


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  FRANCE   


Yesterday's friendly games - by Eurobasket News
JDA Dijon was better than Chorale Roanne yesterday 92-83. Sean Marshall (198-G/F-85, college: Boston Coll.) top-scored for the winners with 19 points. Andre Barrett (175-PG-82, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices, college: Seton Hall) responded with 18 points in defeat.
Elan Chalon celebrated 88-82 win against JL Bourg. Aboudou Jordan (198-F-91) stepped up in victory with 19 points. Angelo Tsagarakis (190-PG-84) scored 22 points for Bourg.
UJAP Quimper lost against Ukrainian Budivelnyk Kiev 65-80. Andrei Malysh (204-C/F-83) scored 19 points for Budivelnyk. Pele Paelay (193-G-84, college: Co.Carolina) ad 13 points for the hosts.
In other friendlies Boulazac outplayed Vichy 76-53 and CCRB beat Saint-Quentin 80-71. Hyeres-Toulon was too strong for Antibes 97-86.

Fraport Skyliners hand 81-69 loss to Strasbourg IG - by Eurobasket News
Strasbourg IG - Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt 69 - 81

Strasbourg IG and Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt met in a friendly game on Sunday. The German squad celebrated 69-81 victory in this meeting. The game was played in French city Fegersheim. Justin Gray (188-G-84, college: Wake Forest) was a key player in Fraport Skyliners with 23 points. Quantez Robertson (190-G-84, college: Auburn) and Jon Leuer (208-F-89, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wisconsin) followed him with 15 and 14 points respectively. On the other side, Strasbourg got 19 points from Chris Oliver (198-F-85, college: Radford). Abdoulaye M'Baye (186-PG-88) was their second scorer with 14 points and Kevin Anderson (182-G-88, college: Richmond) stopped to 11 pts. First quarter was almost leveled. Actually, Fraport Skyliners made 20-22 lead in the first ten minutes. Q2 was tied at 18-18 so the German squad kept plus two at the HT. Justin Gray and his teammates shined after the breather and thanks to 16-23 in Q3 they grabbed first bigger lead. Strasboug was not able to reply for rest of the game and faced with 69-81 loss at the end.

Strasbourg IG: Chris Oliver 19, Abdoulaye M'Baye 14, Kevin Anderson 11
Fraport Skyliners: Justin Gray 23, Quantez Robertson 15, Jon Leuer 14

Mamadou Sy returns to Lille - by Eurobasket News
Mamadou Sy (200-F-85, college: Cloud County CC) is back to Lille. The Malian/French forward will temporary replace injured Mathieu Tensorer. Sy will play for Lille at least month and a half. Last season he had 1.6 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 34 ProB games with Lille. Sy joined the club in 2010 from Clermont. With Clermont he had 3.1 ppg and 2.3 rpg for 20 games, also in ProB. From 2007 to 2009, Mamadou Sy was a member of Boulazac. In the past, he spent two years in USA playing for Cloud County CC. Before that Sy was a member of ASVEL. Mamdou Sy played for the Malian National Team this year. He had 4.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 2.8 apg for five games at the AfroBasket in Madagascar.

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  FYR MACEDONIA   


KB Trepca Mitrovice lands Milanovski - by Eurobasket Center
KB Trepca Mitrovice strengthened their roster with addition of 24-year old FYR Macedonian forward Daniel Milanovski (193-F-87). Milanovski played most recently at KK Kumanovo 2009 (FYR Macedonia). While playing 3 games for Kumanovo 2009 last season he averaged 3.7ppg, 1.0rpg and left in Dec. 10. He played for FYR Macedonian U16 national team until 2003.

By Eurobasket Data Center

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  GERMANY   


Fraport Skyliners hand 81-69 loss to Strasbourg IG - by Eurobasket News
Strasbourg IG - Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt 69 - 81

Strasbourg IG and Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt met in a friendly game on Sunday. The German squad celebrated 69-81 victory in this meeting. The game was played in French city Fegersheim. Justin Gray (188-G-84, college: Wake Forest) was a key player in Fraport Skyliners with 23 points. Quantez Robertson (190-G-84, college: Auburn) and Jon Leuer (208-F-89, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wisconsin) followed him with 15 and 14 points respectively. On the other side, Strasbourg got 19 points from Chris Oliver (198-F-85, college: Radford). Abdoulaye M'Baye (186-PG-88) was their second scorer with 14 points and Kevin Anderson (182-G-88, college: Richmond) stopped to 11 pts. First quarter was almost leveled. Actually, Fraport Skyliners made 20-22 lead in the first ten minutes. Q2 was tied at 18-18 so the German squad kept plus two at the HT. Justin Gray and his teammates shined after the breather and thanks to 16-23 in Q3 they grabbed first bigger lead. Strasboug was not able to reply for rest of the game and faced with 69-81 loss at the end.

Strasbourg IG: Chris Oliver 19, Abdoulaye M'Baye 14, Kevin Anderson 11
Fraport Skyliners: Justin Gray 23, Quantez Robertson 15, Jon Leuer 14

FC Bayern Munich Brings In Experience With Ruben Boumtje Boumtje - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
12 days before the start of the 2011-2012 Beko BBL season, FC Bayern Munich has brought in some experience for the boards and on defense with ex NBA player Ruben Boumtje (212-C-78, college: Georgetown) giving him a two month try-out contract. With Boumtje Boumtje and Darius Hall, FC Bayern Munich now has two experienced centers that have a combined age of 71. Boumtje Boumtje is a 33 year old 212 cm center from Cameroun that has made the German basketball courts his home since 2006. He is a shot blocker and rebounder with offensive skills. Last season, he helped the Artland Dragons reach the playoffs as he played EuroChallenge Qualifying Round: 2 games: 11.0ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.0apg; German League: 44 games: 7.0ppg, 5.3rpg, FGP: 49.0%, FT: 81.5%. We now have an experienced center. He fits well to roster with his presence and experience', stressed FC Bayern Munich sport director Marko Pesic.

The African big man who has aspirations of joining the medical field after his playing days are over started his basketball career at one of the finest college basketball addresses in the States at Georgetown where he played from 1997-2001. In his senior year, he played 9.4ppg, 6.9rpg: Ranks fourth all-time in school history in blocks with 255 (behind Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo), 10th in total rebounds (710) and 15th in rebounding average (7.0 rpg). In 2001, he was drafted by the Portland Trailblaziers where he amassed a total of 35 NBA games in two seasons. Injuries continued to plague his early career as he was on the roster of the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs, but didnt play. In 2005-2006, he started the season with the Orlando Magic (NBA), waived in Oct.'05, in Jan.'06 joined Panellinios Athens (Greece-A1): 16 games: 10.4ppg, Reb-4 (9.0rpg), Blocks-3 (1.3bpg), 2FGP: 55.0%, FT: 76.0%. In 2006-2007, he played for ALBA Berlin (Germany-1.Bundesliga): ULEB Cup: 12 games: 4.1ppg, 3.3rpg; German League: 37 games: 6.7ppg, 5.0rpg, 2FGP: 52.2%, FT: 79.8%. He then enjoyed a successful time with the EWE Baskets Oldenburg where he played from 2007-2010 winning the Beko BBL title in 2009 and playing a total of 143 games. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been Third team All BIG EAST selection -00, 2nd Team All BIG EAST and Basketball News -01, 1st Team All BIG EAST by Lindy's -01, NCAA Sweet 16 -01, German Bundesliga Regular Season Champion -07, 10, German Bundesliga Semifinals -08, 11, Cameroonian National Team -08, 11, African Championships in Libya -09 (Semifinals): 9 games: 4.3ppg, 3.3rpg, Blocks-5 (1.6bpg), and German Bundesliga Cup Semifinals -11.

Source: FC Bayern Munich

S.Oliver Baskets wins Bosch Rexroth Cup - by Eurobasket News
s.Oliver Baskets wins Bosch Rexroth Cup in the International Tournament.
In the first Semifinal of the Bosch Rexroth Cup EnBW Ludwigsburg rolled over Pyrinto Tampere 89:67. The German team opened the game with 18-12, but the Finnish representatives replied with 21-15 in the second frame. The second half however fully belonged to the German team. They produced 28-19 in the third quarter and finished with 28-15. Alex Harris (196-G-86, agency: Interperformances) top-scored for the winners with 24 points and John Bowler (206-F-84, agency: Limelight Hoops, college: E.Michigan) collected 15 points and 10 rebounds. Donatas Zavackas (203-F-80, college: Pittsburgh) delivered 11 point and 10 boards, while Kurt Looby scored 10. Damon Williams (201-F-73, college: Colorado St.-Pueblo) delivered 18 points in the losing case and Antwine Williams (192-F-75, agency: Prossin Sports Management, college: N.Colorado) posted 16.
s.Oliver Baskets edged WALTER Tigers Tubingen 70:47 in another Semifinal. John Little (180-PG-84, college: N.Iowa) paced all the winners with 12 points and Ricky Harris scored 11.Reggie Redding ended up with 13 points in defeat and Vaughn Duggins notched 10.
In the game for the third place WALTER Tigers beat Pyrinto Tampere 86:55. Campbell and Young stepped up with 15 points each, while Redding collected 13 points and 13 rebounds. Hodzic also scored 13 points and Duggins notched 10.
s.Oliver Baskets grabbed a 81:80 victory over EnBW Ludwigsburg 81:80. Trailing 21-25 after the first period, the Oliver Baskets needed 24-15 in the second frame. Moreover s.Oliver Baskets had 22-17 in the third quarter and did not mind 14-23 in the last frame. Jason Boone paced all the winners with 21 points and Ivan Elliott (203-F/C-86, agency: Limelight Hoops, college: UCSB) added 16. Alex Harris ended up with 26 points in defeat and Johannes Lischka 20 points.

Bosch Rexroth Cup, Final
s.Oliver Baskets - EnBW Ludwigsburg 81:80 (21:25, 24:15, 22:17, 14:23)
s.Oliver Baskets:
Jason Boone 21 Punkte, Ivan Elliott 16/3 Dreier, Ricky Harris 13/4, John Little 13, Christoph Henneberger 8/2, Robert Tomaszek 4, Gilbert Brown 2, Alex King 2, Ben Jacobson 2 (5 Assists), Maximilian Kleber, Oliver Clay.
Ludwigsburg:
Alex Harris 26 Punkte/3 Dreier, Johannes Lischka 20/1, John Bowler 11/1, Mark Dorris 11/2, Donatas Zavackas 7/1, Jerry Green 3, Kurt Looby 2, David McCray, Seth Tarver, Tim Koch.

3rd place
WALTER Tigers Tbingen - Pyrinto Tampere 86:55 (21:9, 22:18, 25:15, 18:13)
Tbingen:
Josh Young 15/4, Louis Campbell 15/1 (6 Assists), Adnan Hodzic 13/1, Reggie Redding 13/1 (13 Rebounds), Vaughn Duggins 10/2 (6 Assists), Tyrone Nash 9/1, Nicolai Simon 7/1, Ruben Spoden 4 (7 Rebounds), Falco Meyer-Hbner.
Tampere:
Brant Bailey 13, Damon Williams 13 (10 Rebounds), Niko Mattila 7/1, Antwine Williams 7/1, Antel Lehto 7/1, Jesse Niemi 6/1, Olli Ahvenniemi 2, Joni Harjula, Ville Pekkola, Kenneth Cooper.
(Stats Courtesy of: http://www.soliver-baskets.de/)



BBC Bayreuth, Brose Baskets and MBC won the latest games - by Eurobasket News
BBC Bayreuth, Brose Baskets and MBC won the latest games in the pre-season. Allianz Swans Gmunden lost to BBC Bayreuth 61:87. The German side started with 26-22 and added 23-10 in the second period. Moreover BBC Bayreuth had 10-8 in the third quarter and won the last period 28-21. Torbert stepped up with 12 points, while Ekene Ibekwe (206-F-85, college: Maryland) 11 and Jeanty posted 11 each. Maksym Shtein (206-C-80, agency: Limelight Hoops) netted 10, whilst Beckham Wyrick (198-F-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: NC-Wilmington) and Schmitz posted 9 apiece. Curry and Mayer delivered 13 points each in the losing effort.
Brose Baskets won over EnBW Ludwigsburg 90:69. Roberts stepped up with 20 points and Jacobsen as well as Slaughter added 14 apiece.
LTi GIESSEN 46ers lost to Mitteldeutschen BC 73:80. Djurasovic poured in 16 points in the losing case and Jeffers scored 13. Robert Oehle (209-C-88) and Elvir Ovcina (211-F/C-76, agency: Interperformances, college: Syracuse) ended up with 10 points in the losing case.


Jimmy Mckinney Is Trigger Happy From Downtown BCM Leading The Fraport Skyliners Past SIG Strassburg 83-73 - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
72 hours ago basketball fans were getting a scrumptious hoops smorgasboard in the 2011 Eurobasket final Spain-France as 11 current NBA players were gracing the floor and doing their magic which is as normal to them as New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady running his hurry up off, regular good loving parents taking in a broke former Superbowl champion with Chris Mcalister who blew his 55 million contract since 2004, or hackers hacking the cell phones of actress goddesses Mila Kunis or Scarlett Johansson, but the few 100 fans that made the way to the Skyliner practice facility BCM to witness the test game between the Fraport Skyliners and French first division team SIG Strassburg were in for a 2011 NBA draft pick treat. The game may not have been filled with as much glitz and gems as the 2011 Eurobasket final, but the court featured three 2011 NBA draft picks with Jon Leuer (208-F-89, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wisconsin) (Milwauke Bucks), Justin Harper (208-F-89, college: Richmond) (Cleveland Cavaliars) and Lavoy Allen (205-F-89, college: Temple) (Philadelphia 76ers) which seemed like a mini smorgasboard appetizer. Despite SIG Strassburg winning the NBA draft pick battle 2-1, it was the Fraport Skyliners that were able to win for the second time against the French team within the last 4 days. He might be from the same college class with the 3 NBA draft pics, but Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern) was in awe. It was a great experience sharing the floor with the three draft picks. Harper is a great all around player and Allen has that nice mid range shot. I expect them to do big things in France, stressed Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). All three NBA draft picks have big futures. I keep telling Jon Leuer (208-F-89, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wisconsin) that the key for him is not to play at the top level in Europe, but to get back to the NBA. If they keep working hard then they have a good chance of getting there, added Skyliner Justin Gray (188-G-84, college: Wake Forest). For ex BEKO BBL player Chris Oliver who is playing his first season in France, he wasnt too much in awe about the possible future NBA flair on the court. There is no difference if they are on the court or not. Everyone out on the court plays well. Leuer is very skilled kind of like Justin Harper (208-F-89, college: Richmond), but he handles the ball better while Harper shoots the ball better. I wish all three the best of luck, added ex Walter Tigers Tuebingen forward Chris Oliver (198-F-85, college: Radford)

The game was extra important for five Fraport Skyliners as it was the first game for Marius Nolte (206-C-81, agency: Limelight Hoops) as captain, Jimmy McKinney (192-G-83, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Missouri) was back from his 3 week injury, German national players Johannes Herber (197-G-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: W.Virginia) and Tim Ohlbrecht were giving their Frankfurt debut at home and it was the last chance for Skyliner try-out player Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern) to dazzle Muli Katzurin (agency: Avi Zilberman ) and Kamil Novak with his basketball skills. The Fraport Skyliners were able to up their preseason record to 7-1 as they ruined the debut of SIG STrassburg head coach Vincent Collet who had led the French National team to a silver medal at Euro 2011. It was difficult to come back from Euro 2011, because I am so tired. I will take a few days off and be back for the game on Sunday. It is important to be with the team now and they want me here. The team is young, but I have noticed that it has a good spirit and if they work hard, I think that we can be successful. We had too many turnovers and they had very strong ball movement and seemed more ready than us, stressed SIG Strassburg head coach Vincent Collet . Collet has only been with the team a short while, but already has respect from his team. Collet really knows his stuff. He is a very intelligent coach, added ex BG Goettingen forward Chris Oliver The Fraport Skyliners were in control of the game and played another steady game with a few defensive lapses, but that is normal in the pre season. Our key to the win was our good start in the third quarter. We picked up the lead and had a few defensive break downs and gave them easy baskets on transition. We hit our shots when they went to zone, stressed Justin Gray.

The Fraport Skyliners started off the game with a three pointer from Johannes Herber (197-G-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: W.Virginia) showing right away that he could also help give support with their strong shooting lineup from outside. However SIG Strassburg quickly took the lead 4-3 as their two 2011 NBA draft picks Justin Harper (208-F-89, college: Richmond) and Lavoy Allen scored inside.Marius Nolte and experienced Ricardo Greer (197-F/G-78, college: Pittsburgh) exchanged hoops as SIG Strassburg led 6-5. However Frankfurt which has an arsenal of scoring talent started to get going as Justin Gray nailed an open three pointer and looks as cool and calm as George Clooney lounging on a boat on the Coma lake in Italy and Jon Leuer (208-F-89, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wisconsin) hit a turn around jumper to give The Fraport Skyliners a 10-6 lead. The Fraport Skyliners kept the slim lead as German National players Johannes Herber (197-G-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: W.Virginia) and Tim Ohlbrecht connected inside for the 16-13 lead. Herber then flew around a block and made a pretty catch and pop jumper for the 19-14 Skyliner lead. However Harper showed why he had been drafted in the NBA as he continued nailing jumpers from down town cutting the Frankfurt lead to 20-17. Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern) made a nice floater in traffic and Allen scored inside as the Fraport Skyliners led 22-19 after one quarter. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 50% from the field and 33% from the three point line while SIG Strassburg were shooting 64% from the field and 67% from the three point line. SIG Strassburg had the slim 8-7 rebound lead, but four turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners only registered one turnover.

The second quarter remained very tight as the Fraport Skyliners still had the lead, but SIG Strassburg were creeping closer. When Tim Ohlbrecht has the position then it is really hard to stop him as he scored inside, but SIG Strassburg answered with a Chris Oliver one handed runner which is a lot more difficult than it looks as the Fraport Skyliners led 24-22. For a young player like Danilo Barthel, he will not get many minutes, but when he is inserted then it is key for him to make the most of his time and he did just that scoring inside getting the end one for the 27-22 Frankfurt lead. If there is one play that can change a game quick then it is the three pointer. The game next saw four three pointers as both teams lost and regained the lead. SIG Strassburg retrieved the lead with consecutive bombs from the parking lot from Justin Harper (208-F-89, college: Richmond) and diminutive American Kevin Anderson (182-G-88, college: Richmond) out of Richmond (NCAA) as SIG Strassburg led 28-27. The Fraport Skyliners have many weapons, but a Jimmy McKinney is always capable of scoring in bunches especially from downtown as he sunk two three pointers and two free throws giving the Fraport Skyliners the 35-29 lead. Me and Jimmy will be a good shooting tandem from outside. A combination of downtown shooting St Louis-Charlotte. I told Jimmy before the game that I was going to get him shots and I am glad I did, joked Justin Gray. After both teams traded a few free throws, SIG Strassburg went on a 5-0 run to cut the Skyliner lead to 38-34 as Harper drooped another bomb from downtown and Ricardo Greer scored on the fast break catching Frankfurt napping. In the last minute, The Fraport Skyliners got production from new captain Marius Nolte and Jimmy McKinney closed out the scoring with a coast to coast stomp falling to his right and seeing the ball trickle in looking like a bigger version of Wood from last season. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 47% from the field and 42% from outside while SIG Strassburg were shooting 52% from the field and 50% from outside. Frankfurt had the rebound edge 18-14and seven turnovers while SIG Strassburg had eight turnovers.

Fraport Skyliner head coach Muli Katzurin (agency: Avi Zilberman ) must of found the right words in the break, because his team came out in the third quarter refocused jumping out on a 7-1 run to take the 49-37 lead. The Fraport Skyliners continued to demonstrate beautiful team basketball as Justin Gray hit a jumper, Marius Nolte hit a seemingly impossible lay up as his head was under the hoop and the angle of making the shot was difficult and Quantez Robertson made a lay up. The Fraport Skyliners continued to keep the comfortable lead as Jon Leuer (208-F-89, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wisconsin) hit a catch and pop and Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern) scored inside as the Fraport Skyliners led 53-44. However SIG Strassburg continued to fight back and took advantage of Skyliner lapses on defense going on a 11-3 run to cut the Fraport Skyliner lead to 56-55. Frankfurt didnt achieve much on offense on this SIG Strassburg run except for another Mckinney three pointer. SIG Strassburg played intelligent basketball getting to the free throw line and getting baskets from Greer and Harper. Frankfurt closed out the third quarter with a 6-3 run to lead 62-58 after three quarters. Ohlbrecht made two free throws, snuck inside and dunked and Leuer made a mid distance jumper. Harper as usual in this game kept the French squad in the game with another three pointer.

Just like in the third quarter, the Fraport Skyliners were able to get off to a good start in the fourth quarter going on a 9-3 run to lead 71-61. For Marius Nolte nothing comes easy as he always fights 110% on the floor, but every now and then he is rewarded with an easy bucket especially when a Justin Gray serves him the ball on a platter. Leuer then showed how quick he can score by making one fake and then releasing the ball if there would be no next Christmas and Gray put some more salt into the SIG Strassburg wound with a three pointer. However SIG Strassburg werent on the bus home yet as they mustered some last extra energy going on a mini 4-0 run as Greer and Allen scored inside cutting the Fraport Skyliners lead to 71-65. However Frankfurt showed again countless times in this game that whenever SIG Strassburg were threatening to make the game close, that they were capable to extend their lead again to 10 points. Our offense was key to our defense. Whenever they came back, we settled down on offense which got our defense going, stressed Justin Gray. It was Jimmy McKinney to the rescue again scoring six of the next eight Sklyiner points to give his team the comfortable 79-69 lead with time running down. Mckinney is known as a shooter, but seeing him explode to the hoop is always a pleasure as he did on his first basket, scoring inside on his second hoop courtesy of a Super Tez pass and then scoring from the wing with a jumper. That sealed the 7th pre season win for the Fraport Skyliners. Jon Leuer (208-F-89, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wisconsin) closed out the scoring with two buckets making a left one handed dunk getting a quick pass from Thompson as he had seen him breaking to the basket out of the corner of his eye and a lay up. Frankfurt wanted it more than us. We were more aggressive and physical than in the first game, but we have to play more together and work on our rotations. We are a young team. When I am the third oldest on the team, then you know that we have a young team, added Chris Oliver We picked up our defense in the second half. We worked on our rotations and they had less wide open three pointers.

The Fraport Skyliners were led by Jimmy McKinney with 20 points. Jon Leuer (208-F-89, agency: Priority Sports, college: Wisconsin) added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Tim Ohlbrecht had 12 points. SIG Strassburg were led by Justin Harper (208-F-89, college: Richmond) with 25 points. Kevin Anderson (182-G-88, college: Richmond) had 15 points and Ricardo Greer contributed 12 points. Fraport Skyliner Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern) had 4 points and three assists in 16 minutes and is fighting for a roster spot. With his try-out contract ending, he had a positive feeling about his chances of staying. I have a good feeling. I am playing as hard as I can, but its not my decision whether I stay or not. I hope I can stay, stressed Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). Chris Oliver had been playing against Frankfurt the last years with Tuebingen and BG Goettingen and was very impressed with the club. Frankfurt will be strong again. They have good guard play and more bigs this year. I think they are collectively stronger than last year. Justin Gray is a different kind of player than Dashaun Wood. Wood is more of a scoring point guard while Gray more of a point guard. Wood might have been the MVP last season, but the Frankfurt fans will soon know who Justin Gray is, warned Chris Oliver The Fraport Skyliners play at the Maritim Cup this weekend in Bonn.


Sean Evans and Dennis Mims join Dsseldorf Giants - by Kristian Santiago
U.S. Americans Sean Evans (203-F-88) and Dennis Mims (205-F-80, college: Indiana, PA) joined Pro A-Team Gloria Giants Duesseldorf for a four-week try-out.
Evans played lastly college ball at St.John's and is supposed to bolster up the froncourt of coach Murat Didin (agency: Interperformances ),
who lost Esmir Rizvic (213-C-82, college: Texas Tech) due to a back-injury for a logner time.
Globetrotter Dennis Mims was announced earlier to play for Aliaga Petkim this season in the TBL, but is now in Germany for the first time in his career.
He is also gunning for a spot on the team and current post-player Nicholas Pederson (203-F-85) may has to fight now to stay with the Giants.



Pesic comment on German NT rumors: It's too early to discuss such matter - by Maria Mitzova
Crvena Zvezda Beograd head coach Svetislav Pesic (agency: Interperformances ) neither confirmed, nor denied the rumors on taking the vacant German National team coaching position. His name appeared in the Serbian press as the main option for Germany, but looks confident in his will to keep up with Crvena Zvezda Beograd for now.

'I am always a candidate! Wherever there is a vacant position, I am always there as a candidate, according to press', commented Pesic.

'It's too early to talk about such things. We are now starting to build a completely new system in Crvena Zvezda Beograd. I have a contract for two seasons and I want to give my best here, to help this club. I don't want to comment more on that matter, it's just filling the papers. I have to give it a lot of thought, and then maybe I will have another statement', added Serbian legend.

Svetislav Pesic is in Bulgaria, where his team is competing in pre-season tournament in Samokov, from 21-23 September, vs Keravnos, Lukoil Akademic and Rilski sportist.

The Rapid Miles Basketball Exchange With Wayne Bernard (Giessen 46ers) - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Wayne Bernard (190-G-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Davidson) is a 30 year old 180 cm guard from San Diego that is playing his first season with the Giessen 46ers. He played at Davidson in North Carolina from 1999-2003. His best season was his senior year where he played 27 games averaging 15.1ppg, 3.3rpg, 5.4apg. In 2003, he became a professional coming to Europe to play for Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan (Israel-Premier L.) playing 10 games and averaging 14.0ppg, 2.1rpg, 5.5apg, 2.4spg, but got waived and finished the season in Greece for Ilysiakos Athens playing 8 games and averaging 7.5ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.4apg, 1.1spg. In 2004-2005, he played for Norrkoping Dolphins in Sweden playing 30 games and averaging 14.3ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.2apg, Steals-3 (2.2spg), FGP: 40.7%, 3-Pts: 30.5%. In 2005-2006, he played for Etoile Charleville-Mezires (France-ProB) playing 34 games averaging 14.1ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.9apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 42.2%, FT: 75.7%, and during the season moved to ESPE Chalons-en-Champagne Basket Pro (France-ProB). In 2006-2007, he played for ESPE Chalons-en-Champagne Basket Pro (France-ProB), French League playing 18 games and averaging 10.4ppg, 1.7rpg, 1.6apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 37.7%, 3PT: 37.0%, FT: 70.6%; , but left in January 2007 and then joined Kouvot Kouvola (Finland-Korisliiga) playing 11 games and averaging 14.1ppg, 4.1rpg, 2.6apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 45.9%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 84.4%. In 2007-2008, he stayed with Kouvot Kouvola playing 47 games and averaging 16.3ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.5apg, 2.2spg, FGP-3 (62.0%), 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 78.8%. In 2008-2009, he came to Germany to MBC playing 30 games and averaging 14.4ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.6apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 56.9%, 3PT: 43.2%, FT: 80.4%. He earned 2009 PRO A player of the year honours. In 2009-2010, his first in the BEKO BBL with MBC, he played 34 games averaging 8.6ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.7apg, Steals-5 (1.5spg), FGP: 41.6%, 3PT: 33.6%, FT: 80.8%. Last season with MBC, he played 34 games: 11.1ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.8apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 85.7%. Eurobasket spoke to the American this past summer about the upcoming season with the Giessen 46ers.

How has your summer been? Was there anything nice you could do this summer that you havent been able to do the last summers?

No, I didnt do anything special this summer that I haven't done in the previous summers. This summer I didn't travel much, but stayed home most of the summer.

Every summer you are a year older than the year before. Is there anything you change in your off season workout plan?

There is not much I change in my preseason workout plan. I take a break immediately after the season, and then slowly get back into being active as the summer progresses.

How does a typical Wayne Bernard (190-G-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Davidson) summer work out day look like?


My typical summer workout isn't very set. In the beginning of my workouts, immediately after my break, I do somehting active - no matter what it is, as long as I get my heart rate going. And after a while I slowly bring strength training and basketball into my workouts and phase out other types of physical activity.

Recently you signed with the Giessen 46ers. Besides the fact that your ex MBC coach Bjoern Harmsen is on board, what were the main reasons why you joined this team?

I joined the 46ers because as you mentioned, I am familiar with the coach and his style of coaching. I've also heard that it is a good place to play in terms of both the local fan support, as well as the organization.

You will be one of the older guys on the team with Mo Jeffers. Will one of your roles be being the leader in the locker room or is this something that you will leave to Mo Jeffers?

I let the team/coach decide who the official 'leader' or 'captain' is on each team I've been on of course. But I think with the team we have, each guy can be a leader in his own right. For example, Radenko and I can advise those on the team with how our coach wants to play his offense/defense since we've been playing with him for the past few years. Mo and Elvir have been with this organization for a while, and can give insight on how things work off the court here, as well as give input from their basketball experience on the court. This can also be applied to the rest of the guys on the team.

What can we expect from the Giessen 46ers this season? The Beko BBL will be even more competitive this season and staying in the league wont be any easier with two strong teams like FC Bayern Munich and s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg in the league?

I think the BBL league will be very strong, especially with the additions of the two teams coming from Pro A. This season, we expect to just go out and compete in every game, as each game will be crucial, from day 1 to the last game of the season. It should be pretty exciting for BBL fans.


What do you know about Misan Nikabagtske? He dunked over Yao Ming in 2002. Are you looking forward to his athletic play?


I am looking forward to having Misan as a teammate. I've heard he has been a great player, but due to injuries had to sit out for a little bit. His athletic ability, professional experience, and versatility bring valuable tools to our team.

What makes the working relationship of Bjoern Harmsen and Wayne Bernard (190-G-81, agency: Interperformances, college: Davidson) so unique?

The working relationship between Bjoern and I is unique, mostly because he knows what to expect of me and I know what to expect of him. This makes practices easier, and also me to help my teammates because I can advise them on what Bjoern is looking for, or wants on the court.

Your ex team MBC have stocked up for the next season. Do you see their return to the Beko BBL a cake walk or will it be more difficult than some may think?

MBC has high hopes for returning to the BBL and have put a strong roster together. But moving up is not as easy as most people think. Each game has to be taken seriously, because at the end of the season, it could come down to just being one game away from moving up or staying in Pro A. I wish them all the best, and I will be cheering for them to move up.


There are many NBA players playing in Europe this season. Which player will make the biggest impact in Europe this season?


Its really difficult to say which NBA player will make the biggest impact in Europe this year. It is such a different style of play in Europe from the NBA, and I'm not sure most understand those small differences that make a huge impact on how you play. I would have to say that a player who has already played internationally, or is at least familiar with basketball life outside of the US, will have big impacts for their team.

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

I don't have a real significant impression of Ron Artest changing his name. I think that although he does some wild things both on and off the court, the world appreciates his sincerity in everything he does. He may be a little weird in the head, but who isn't these days?

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

The last DVD I saw was one that I should have seen a long time ago but never had the chance to see it - Iron Man 2

Thanks Wayne for the chat.



Michael Kool-Aid Juice Thompson (Fraport Skyliners) Tiramisu Looks Really Good, Tastes Good And Is The Perfect Ally-Op Dessert Between Me And Tez - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
For new Skyliner Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern), jumping on a plane recently and jetting to wine country Treviso,Italy to join the Fraport Skyliners for a one week training camp must have felt as comfortable for the man that is known as the juice as if Paris Hilton had involuntarily been caught at a Mcdonalds, but finding swank delicious caviar in her Happy meal, actor George Clooney arriving anywhere in the world and being given not one, but two sexy Miss Universe ladies for both arms and Justin Bieber not having men jeans ready for him upon arrival in his hotel room, but ladies jeans since they fit better than pieces designed for men. There are many different kind of juices, but the fact remains that wine is a juice which is a beverage made of the fermented juice of any of various kinds of grapes, usually containing from 10 to 15 percent alcohol by volume. Thompson is a rookie coming from Northwestern and has a try-out with the Fraport Skyliners and at the age of 22 still a young buck which could due to time graduate from innocent Cool-Aid juice to the disciplined and elegant taste of fabulous Italian wine.

Thompson is a 22 year old 177cm point guard from Chicago, Illinois that has come to Europe to start his basketball career with the Fraport Skyliners getting a three week try-out. He played four years at Northwestern in Chicago which has had as much success with not winning on the basketball court as the Chicago Cubs have had not winning on the baseball field, the Buffalo Bills looking depressed after 48 minutes in Super Bowl finals and Ivan Lendl wondering why he was never able to win on the hallow cow pastures of Wimbeldon. Even though Northwestern were basketball national champs in 1931, the school has been more known recently for the womans lacrosse team that won 5 consecutive NCAA titles from 2005-2009 and their football program which has been in the AP top 10, 73 times since 1936 and reached bowl games like the Citrus, Alamo and Rose, but havent won a bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl. The biggest success that Thompson had on the court was reaching the NIT Elite 8 in 2011, so it may not be uncommon that his nickname juice might have stirred more interest at times then the chances of Northwestern beating a Duke. His nickname has less to do with his quick moves, but more with his shot from Michigan avenue. The nickname Juice originated in 7th grade. Playing basketball at a local gym I would say Juice every time I shot a 3 pointer and that day I made almost all of my 3 pointers. People asked why I would say Juice and I would tell them that my jump shot is 100% pure like juice. Since that day the name Juice has stuck with me and everyone calls me Juice, stressed Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). It also doesnt bother Thompson that he has the same nickname as the infamous OJ Simpson who will most likely be known more for his famous summer 1994 Bronco chase on the Los Angeles free ways or trying to fit the black gloves on his hands than rushing 11,236 yards in the NFL placing him currently at 17th place. I think its cool to have the same nickname as a great football player who accomplished many things in his professional football career. However, I want to create my own identity in the basketball world with the same nickname. Athletically I want to have an impact similar to what OJ Simpson had on the professional football world in the later years of his career beginning in the 1972 season. Simpson was an explosive athlete that set many records and I want to go down in history as a great professional basketball player like OJ Simpson did..stressed Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern)

Thompson played at Northwestern from 2007-2011 and quickly showed that shooting successfully and over 40% from downtown Chicago is as natural as Dashaun Wood scrambling in the lane, getting past 3 defenders and falling to his right and some how releasing the ball and seeing it trickle in as he is watching from the floor, Tim Thomas somehow keeping his net clean and making the most incredible saves the past season for the Boston Bruins and leading them to the Stanley Cup win or Charlie Sheen ordering champagne and chicks for a snack in Malibu. Thompson nearly shot over 40% from the parking lot for all four season just missing with 39,3% in his senior year. Despite his nickname Juice for his three point accuracy, the American sees his game as so much more versatile, which he needs to have as a point guard. My biggest strength on the court is my ability to run a team. Being a Point Guard is more than dribbling the ball up the court, as a Point Guard you got to be able to play defense, control the tempo of the game, and be able to score or set up your teammate in the right position. So overall I think my feel for the game and ability to understand what is needed in certain situations is my biggest strength along with my jump shot, stressed Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). This season there will be many smaller point guards in the Beko BBL like s. Oliver Baskets Achmadschah Zazai or David Holston from the Artland Dragons and Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern) will also belong to this group. A Dashaun Wood who will run the Alba Berlin team will seem like a giant at 185cm. Thompson who describes his game to Dallas Mavericks standout Jose Barrea knows that showing pit bull qualities will be a must in order to withstand the court wildernesses of the Beko BBL. My toughness is a strength that doesnt get noticed right away, when people see me they automatically assume Im not good and Im just some undersized basketball player, but once people watch me I think they notice how hard I play along with my passion and love for the game of basketball, warned Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern).

Despite never reaching the big show at the NCAA tournament and making a name at March Madness, Thompson was known as a player that knew how to lead the team. As Henry Kissinger once said, The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been. One needs to experience situations where a team can count on you. Thompson showed time in and time out again of stepping up for Northwestern in times of adversity. In his senior year, Thompson played 34 games averaging 16.3ppg, 2.2rpg, 4.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 39.3%, FT: 82.5%. The American seemed to get better as his senior year wore on and his leadership qualities shone as bright as the sun in the Sahara desert and was never brighter than when needing a win to keep NIT hopes alive in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Juice posted 35 points on 11-for-22 shooting and a shooting percentage of 67.8 shooting. In the three NIT games, he averaged 20.0 points per game and shot 42.9 percent from outside and 56.1 percent field goal percentage. He didnt disappoint in his final 10 games at Northwestern as he averaged 20.7 points per game, shot 44.0 percent from the three point line and a 56.0 percent field goal percentage. He helped Northwestern reach the elite 8 at the NIT tournament. The NIT tournament wasnt the NCAA tournament, but his leadership was never more in demand than in these last months of the 2010- 2011 season. Leadership qualities came from years of studying game film which I still do to this day, I watch other great Point Guards and leaders and try to take things away from them. I also ask my coaches a lot of questions so I can be an extension of the court on the court. I also try my best to understand each of my teammates strengths and weaknesses so I can put them in the best position possible so they can succeed. Each day, I try to become a better leader, stressed Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). During the course of the season leading up to the NIT tournament, Thompson had many memorable games even the 65-62 loss to top NCAA club 65-62 where he scored 9 of the teams last 12 points in the loss. The comeback in the bitter loss to Michigan State was unforgettable even though we didnt complete the comeback and win the game. The atmosphere in the arena was amazing, everyone was on their feet and we felt as though we were going to win the game. Michigan State is a great team with a great coach and they came together and pulled out the win, but for us (Northwestern Wildcats) we learned a lot from that game and carried that momentum forward to the remainder of the season, expressed Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). Despite all the basketball memories at Northwestern and new ones to be made in the Beko BBL with the Fraport Skyliners, he has one memory still in his head from his childhood. The most amazing thing Ive ever done in a game was when I was a kid playing in the semi-finals of a basketball league. My team was down 3 points and I got fouled with 2 seconds left in the game. I made the first free throw, missed the second free throw on purpose, got my own rebound and made the shot as time expired to send the game into overtime. I dont know how I got my own rebound and made the shot in 2 seconds, but I wasnt going to argue that. Fortunately, my team was able to win the game in overtime to advance to the championship, added Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern).

Thompson now is in the midst in a basketball try-out with the Fraport Skyliners and didnt have it easy coming a few weeks after the start of training camp to the team in Italy. He showed positive strides in his first two test games in Italy, but the transition from the NCAA to Europe is about as big as a sub that New England Patriots offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer might eat as a pre game meal. The transition from NCAA to pro ranks has been tough, but with the guidance from veteran players such as Justin Gray and Quantez Robertson my transition hasnt been as difficult as I thought it would be. I know there is still a lot of room for improvement, but as of now I am happy with the way things are going, smiled Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). A player that seems to have taken the American under his wing is new Skyliner Justin Gray who played together in the NCAA with Chris Paul and has played in countries like Belgium, the Czech Republic and China. Gray can score from downtown like Thompson, but most importantly is that leadership is something that they have in common which has helped him adjust more easily. Justin Gray is a great player offensively and defensively. He is also a leader. Im always asking him questions about his professional experience. He is a veteran with a lot of knowledge. He is teaching me how to lead and he doesnt even know it. Justin has taught me a lot on the court. He has helped me with the offense, explains to me what coach wants in certain situations, and most importantly he is showing me what works and doesnt work professionally. Playing professional basketball in Europe is a lot different than college and with the help of Justin I feel I am making the transition pretty smoothly, commented Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). Not only has Thompson been able to learn from Justin Gray, but has picked up important basketball tips from Skyliner head coach Muli Katzurin. Ive learned a lot from coach Muli Katzurin in one week. He is molding me into a better professional point guard. First off coach Muli Katzurin is a winner, so Im learning what it takes to win at the professional level. Ive learned what pace to play at during certain times of the game, what and what isnt a good shot selection, and many defensive tactics. Each time coach gives us a new defense he explains in depth why we use it and how it should be ran, I think that is important for teams so they understand exactly how things should be done, said Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern).

As a rookie, Thompson wont have easy shoes to fill as he will have heard the one or other amazing basketball story about 2011 Beko BBL MVP Dashaun Wood from Marius Nolte, Quantez Roberston or Jimmy Mckinney, but Skyliner fans no doubt will have the quickness of Dashaun Wood still dancing in their heads like an NBA title is in the head of Lebron James and might see even a smaller version of Mr road runner Dashaun Wood sprinting into the zone this season with Thompson. Quickness will play a major role in my success. Im only 510 so for the most part Ill be the smallest guy on the court, so when I have someone guarding me that is taller than me I have to use my quickness and speed to get around them and create a scoring opportunity for my teammates or myself. Defensively, I have to use my quickness to cause chaos for the other team whether Im guarding a guard, forward, or center. Quickness will be huge for my success, stressed Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). There are many unique things in life like seeing a falling star, finding a four leaf clover or seeing a total eclipse of the sun, but a unique thing about Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern) is that he plays bigger than he really is. With shoes Im 510, but I play like Im 64. Im not afraid to go inside and battle with people that are a foot taller than me or much stronger than me. I play each game, each possession, each second like its my last time playing. I feel if I was any taller I wouldnt be the person that I am and I wouldnt be as unique, warned Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern).

After getting his first impression of Europe enjoying the beautiful area of Treviso/Venice, he is back in Franfurt preparing with the team for the upcoming season. Thompson got a quick idea of how professional the Fraport Skyliners organization is and of course will give his all in staying past the try-out period and making a name in his rookie season. He will have fond memories of the first few days in Italy where he seemed to be anything but home sick. My coolest experience in Italy would be the team bonding event. The entire team went canoeing with the coaching staff, sponsors, and other representatives of the Fraport Skyliners organization. Canoeing was a new experience for me, but being with my teammates and us helping each other through and encouraging one another really brought us closer together, added Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). Last season, Skyliner fans were pampered with electrifying dunks from ex NBA player Roger Powell or Lufthansa flights to the basket by Quantez Robertson who were usually set up by Dashaun Wood. This season, it very well could be Thompson who will be feeding the ball to Quantez Super Tez Robertson. Frankfurter Krantz cake is a well known dessert from Frankfurt, but not on the menu from the American who has another special unique sweet ally-op offering between him and Quantez Robertson ready. Quantez Robertson is very athletic and explosive so the plan is definitely to throw him a lot of alley-oops. We have some other people on the team that are athletic so I expect to throw a lot alley-oops. The perfect alley-op between me and Tez in desert style would be a piece of Tiramisu. Tiramisu looks really good, taste good, and in Italy was a desert that our team couldnt get enough of, stated Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern). No matter what Thompson will do on the court this season for the Fraport Skyliners, he will have sweet dessert plays ready in leading the team into the playoffs.



The LTi Giessen 46ers Reel In Koko Archibong - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
The pre season for the LTi Giessen 46ers has been less than satisfying, and with the season opener in 12 days, the club brought in a very experienced Beko BBL player with Koko Archibong (202-F-81, college: Pennsylvania). Archibong is a 30 year old 202cm forward from Passadena California with Nigerian roots that got a contract until the end of this season. This will be the seventh season for him in Germany. Last season, he played for BBC Bayreuth playing 16 games: 8.6ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 53.5%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 54.1%. Archibong had been working out with FC Bayern Munich the last weeks prior before coming to Giessen.'We are happy that we were able to get Koko. We noticed in the last games that athletcism and rebounding was missing in our game and we had some defensive problems. Getting Koko helps us to compensate these weaknesses. He is athletic, strong defender and knows the league. It also was important to get a player that is fit and that is the case with Koko', stressed LTi Giessen 46er head coach Bjoern Harmsen

Archibong started his basketball career in 1999 for Pennsylvania (NCAA) where he played until 2003. He started his professional basketball career in 2003 and wa sthe last cut for theLos Angeles Lakers an dthen went to Europe to play for Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez (France-ProA): Euroleague: 13 games: 3.2ppg, 1.9rpg; French ProA League: 21games: 3.8ppg, 1.9rpg. In 2004-2005, he came to Germany and played for GHP Bamberg until 2006. He won the Beko BBL title in 2005 as he played ULEB Cup: 10 games: 8.0ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.2spg, FGP: 53.3%, 3Pts: 53.8%; German Bundesliga: 42 games: 7.9ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.2apg, 1.1spg, 1.5bpg, 2FGP: 50.0%, 3FGP: 40.5%. In 2006-2007, he went to Alba Berlin playing ULEB Cup: 12 games: 4.4ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.3apg; German League: 37 games: 6.1ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.2apg, 2FGP: 48.5%, 3FGP: 30.8%, FT: 68.6%. In 2007-2008, he played for the Deutsche Bank Skyliners Frankfurt playing ULEB Cup: 6 games: 11.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.5spg, FGP: 51.4%, 3PT: 45.5%, FT: 83.3%; German League: 41 games: 8.4ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.3apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 43.4%, FT: 57.0%. In 2008-2009, he played in Poland for Asseco Prokom Sopot (Poland-PLK): Euroleague: 13 games: 2.8ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.1apg; Polish League: 20 games: 6.1ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 52.3%, 3PT: 31.3%, FT: 70.6%. In 2009-2010, he played for the Duesseldorf Giants (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): 33 games: 11.7ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 49.6%, 3PT: 31.9%, FT: 70.2%. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been Ivy League Champion -00, 02, League Tournament Finalist -01, All-Ivy League 1st Team -02, All-Ivy League 2nd Team -03, French Cup Finalist -04, French ProA Regular Season Runner-Up -04
French ProA Champion -04, German Bundesliga Regular Season Runner-Up -05, 06, German Bundesliga Champion -05, German Bundesliga Cup Finalist -06, German Bundesliga Semifinals -06, 08, Eurobasket.com All-German Bundesliga Defensive Player of the Year -06, Eurobasket.com German Bundesliga All-Defensive Team -06, 07, 08
German Bundesliga All-Star Game -07, German Bundesliga Regular Season Champion -07, Polish League All-Imports Team (by PLK) -09,and Polish Cup Finalist -09

Source: LTi Giessen 46ers

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  IRAN   


2011 Asian Championship: Iran stay perfect with victory over South Korea - by Eurobasket News
Iran - South Korea 79:62

Iran registered the sixth straight win at the Asian Championship. They outscored South Korea to enter the quarterfinal stage undefeated. Hamed Haddadi (218-C-85) scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace Iran. They will now take on Jordan in the playoffs. South Korea suffered the first defeat at the tournament and would now face Japan in quarterfinal.
Iran stormed into the game. They outscored South Korea 23:13 in the starting quarter. Iran maintained the lead well enough throughout the second term. They posted a 42:30 halftime lead. Iran boosted the margin to 17 points midway through the third term. But South Korea refused to surrender cutting the gap to 10 points at the final break. But Iran opened the final stanza on a 9:3 run and never looked back en route to the victory. Mahdi Kamrani (186-PG-82) posted 15 points, while Arsalan Kazemi (199-F-90) added 11 points for Iran. Lee Jung-Suk (183-G-82) and Yang Dong-Geun (181-G-81) responded with 14 points each for South Korea.

Iran: Hamed Haddadi 17+11 boards, Mahdi Kamrani 15, Arsalan Kazemi 11
South Korea: Lee Jung-Suk 14, Yang Dong-Geun 14


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  ITALY   


Virtus Bologna owner offers Kobe Bryant $600,000 per game - by Eurobasket News
Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) has been offered $800,000 per game before taxes, or about $600,000 net, to play for Virtus Bologna, the Italian clubs owner, Claudio Sabatini said, per a report on Italian-language site Bologna Basket. The offer is through Nov. 13 and for home games only. Bologna has three home games scheduled through that date.

Bryant is slated to make $25,244,000 with the Lakers next season, according to Hoopshype, which works out to $307,854 per game over an 82-game regular season.

Sabatini has previously stated that hes pursuing Bryant, but there was no indication as to the specific amount of money he was willing to pay in order to sign him.

Sabatini did say he was looking into insurance against potential injury to Bryant, and that if an away opponent is not willing to share the cost of the insurance, he would not allow Bryant to play in those road games.

'I am studying a new solution to pay his insurance game-by-game', he said. 'When we play away, if our opponent is not willing to share the (cost for) the game, I won't pay the insurance for the player and I will keep him in Bologna.'

'Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is also on Virtus Bologna's wish list', Sabatini has said.

Courtesy of http://aol.sportingnews.com

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  JAMAICA   


Navarra inks short term deal with Kimmani Barrett - by Eurobasket News
Kimmani Barrett (198-F-87, agency: Dynamics Global Management, college: La Salle) joined Grupo Iruna Navarra to a short term deal (2 months). The Jamaican/American forward will replace injured Mekongo. Barrett heads to Navarra from the German team VfB 1900 Giessen Pointers, where he spent last season. He appeared 21 times in ProB averaging 17.3 points, 8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Kimmani Barrett was named Eurobasket.com All-German 2. Bundesliga Pro B 2nd Team -11. It was his first season as a pro. Kimmani Barrett is a product of the La Salle University, where he graduated a year ago. He had 13.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for his school as a senior. Barrett played 16 games that season. In 2008/09, he averaged 11.8 points and 5 rebounds for 31 games.

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  JAPAN   


2011 Asian Championship: Japan lose second straight in Wuhan - by Eurobasket News
Japan - China 58:84

Japan could not match hosting China on the final day of Second Round at Asian Championship in Wuhan. Yi Li (203-F/G-85) scored 19 points to lead the home team to the sixth straight win at the tournament. Japan fell at 3-2 record in Group F and would now take on South Korea in the quarterfinal. China will play against Lebanon for the spot in the semis.
China surged ahead early and posted a 21:16 lead at the first break. China maintained the lead throughout the second term. Moreover the hosts boosted the gap to 14 points at the interval. Japan could not get any closer throughout the third term. China established a 61:46 lead with ten minutes remaining. The margin just kept on growing throughout the fourth period as China cruised to the victory at the end. Jianlian Yi (212-C/F-87) delivered 18 points and 13 rebounds for China. Liu Wei (190-PG-80) had 14 points in the win. Takuya Kawamura (193-G-86) answered with 24 points for Japan. Kosuke Takeuchi (206-C/F-85) had 10 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.

Japan: Takuya Kawamura 24, Kosuke Takeuchi 10
China: Yi Li 19, Jianlian Yi 18+13 boards, Liu Wei 14


Unity Amid Delay - by Emeka Eke


As the NBA lockout continues with the possibility of extending into the new season, some players have remained united in their interest to play only in the league while others have chosen to ply their trade elsewhere.

Without any doubt, the NBA remains the most attractive basketball league in the world what with the hype it gets from the local and international media, the juicy endorsements as well as the marketing. In spite of these however, there exists several attractive alternatives elsewhere for players to have an NBA feeling. One of such attractive destinations is Tokyo, which is home to the team, 'Apache.'
A team coached by former Seattle Sonics Head Coach, Bob Hill and has as its president, former Yale University athlete, Chris Hetherington, sure has the NBA touch that any great player would want from a team in Japan.

However, the president in an email message recently told me that the team which features in the BJ league, postponed its entire activity for the season following the tsunami that rocked the country earlier in the year.


Emeka Eke
For : Eurobasket.
2347040967230.




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  JORDAN   


2011 Asian Championship: Jordan dispatch UAE to enter quarterfinals - by Eurobasket News
Jordan - UAE 94:80

Jordan made it into Asian Championship quarterfinals. They overcame UAE tonight to clinch the fourth position in Group F. Jordan will now take on undefeated Iran in the playoffs. UAE fell at 0-5 record in the group.
Jordan went on a scoring spree in the opening frame. They unleashed 40 points to build a 20-point lead. UAE stopped the rot in the second term. The teams traded baskets as UAE trailed by 19 points at the interval 38:57. Jordan boosted their lead in the third term. Tab Baldwin team scored 25 points to ensure an 82:58 advantage with one quarter remaining. UAE outscored Jordan 22:12 in the final frame but it did not change the outcome as Tab Baldwin team marched to the win. Daghles Osama (198-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) posted 20 points and 9 assists for Jordan. Rasheim Wright (192-G-81, college: District of Col.) added 16 points in the winning effort. Ibrahim Ahmad (179-G-79) answered with 28 points for UAE. Khalil Salem (178-G-91) netted 23 points in the loss.

Jordan: Daghles Osama 20, Rasheim Wright 16, Abbas Zaid (203-F-83) 13, Abdallah AbuQoura (203-C-84) 13
UAE: Ibrahim Ahmad 28, Khalil Salem 23


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  KOSOVO   


Stats Leaders
BKT Superliga Stats Leaders


Jaleel Nelson joins KB Trepca Mitrovice - by Eurobasket Center
KB Trepca Mitrovice agreed terms with 24-year old American guard Jaleel Nelson (196-G-175kg-87, college: Chowan Univ.). Nelson played most recently at Seven Cities Knights (ABA) in the U.S. He was selected also to the all-star game. Nelson graduated Chowan University in 2010 and it will be his second season in pro basketball. While playing at the university, he helped his team to make it to the conference semifinals in 2010 and the same year was selected to All-CIAA Team.

By Eurobasket Data Center

KB Trepca Mitrovice lands Milanovski - by Eurobasket Center
KB Trepca Mitrovice strengthened their roster with addition of 24-year old FYR Macedonian forward Daniel Milanovski (193-F-87). Milanovski played most recently at KK Kumanovo 2009 (FYR Macedonia). While playing 3 games for Kumanovo 2009 last season he averaged 3.7ppg, 1.0rpg and left in Dec. 10. He played for FYR Macedonian U16 national team until 2003.

By Eurobasket Data Center

KB Kolegji Eurosport from this season will be called KB Kolegji Universi - by Dren Shporta
The basketball team from Bardhosh, in Prishtina neighborhood, KB Kolegji Eurosport, from this season changed their team name to KB Kolegji Univers. This became known after a statement of club official to a kosovar daily.

Also, since the transfer deadline of BKT Superliga passed yesterday KB Kolegji Univers, has added in their team 9 new players: Hekuran Binxhia, Ngadhnjim Dragusha, Naim Robeli, Hekuran Breznica, Dielli Behra (free agents), Drin Zatriqi and Edis Kuraja (201-F-82) (from KB Peja), Pjeter Doda (185-G-81) (ex KB Bashkimi player) and Besart Shatri (199-F-88) (from KB Kosova).


KB Bashkimi captures Spaqi and Shaptahovic - by Dren Shporta
Regarding the changes in management of KB Bashkimi from Prizren, the first injection to the team came with transferring of 'two experienced players of kosovar basketball Valentin Spaqi (194-G-79) and Samir Shaptahovic (174-G-81), from KB Prishtina and KB Peja respectively.

Valetin Spaqi is Prizren born player and he has returned to help his native club after spending his best professional years in KB Prishtina. While Samir Shaptahovic is one of the best playmakers in BKT Superliga and with his abilities and experience is considered to be a big plus for oranges of Prizren.


No more KB PRISHTINA - by Dren Shporta
After the Kosovo Basketball Federation (FBK) board meeting yesterday, it was officially announced that the club with the most trophies in Kosovo, Prishtina KB, has been extinguished due to debts. In the meantime, the officials of KB Prishtina established a new club called Prishtina BC and called all players of KB Prishtina to rejoin to the club.

Prishtina BC will play in Kosovos Superliga and it has registered 20 basketball players for the new season 2011/12. There are names like Edmond Azemi (201-G/F-80, agency: Prossin Sports Management), Granit Rugova (196-F-86, college: Trinity Valley JC), Fisnik Rugova, Fahri Breca, Alban Veseli and more, which were core players of multi-champion KB Prishtina, known as Sigal Prishtina.

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  LATVIA   


Courtney Sims became the last addition for VEF Riga - by Eurobasket News
Sims Courtney (211-C-83, college: Michigan) became the last addition for VEF Riga for the upcoming season. The American Center arrived from China.
In 2010-2011he started for Iowa Energy (D-League, starting five) and in 42 games averaged 16.7ppg, Reb-5 (9.6rpg), 1.0apg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 56.2%, FT: 75.1%. In Mar.'11 moved to DongGuan New Century Leopards (China-CBA) and after 7 games had 19.0ppg, 8.9rpg, 3.1bpg, FGP: 53.8%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 81.3%.
Last season Sims Courtney started in CSKA Moscow. However he left Russia shortly after joining the Iowa Energy in D-League. In March the centre signed a deal with Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico. He tallied 9.0 points and 4.4 boards in BSN. In PBL his stats read 22.3 points, 14.7 boards and 2.0 blocks per appearance. Sims Courtney finished the previous season in Belgium. His stats read 8.2 points and 5.8 boards for Spirou Charleroi.


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  LEBANON   


Anibal Zahle signs head coach Miodrag Perisic - by Rabih Khoury
Anibal Zahle management agreed to terms with Serbian coach Miodrag Perisic (agency: 011 Sports ). The former Egypt NT coach spent his last 2 years in Egypt where he did great results with his young team Zamalek. Perisic coached also in Romania and Macedonia before starting a new career in Lebanon with his new team Anibal. Earlier in April, he signed contract with Egypt Federation to take on the NT for the summer African Games. He arrived to Lebanon monday and started directly to prepare for the next season that will kick off on the 21st of October according to www.anibalzahle.com

Awards/Achievements:
Romanian League Semifinals -05, 07
Romanian League All-Star Game -05, 06, 07
Romanian Cup Finalist -06
Romanian League Regular Season Runner-Up -06
Romanian League Finalist -06
Romanian Cup Semifinals -07
EuroCup Challenge Quarterfinals -07
Egyptian League Champion -09
Egyptian League Regular Season Champion -09
Egyptian League Finalist -09
Egyptian League Semifinals -10
Head Coach: Egyptian National Team -11

2011 Asian Championship: Lebanon outmuscle Uzbekistan to reach quarterfinals - by Eurobasket News
Lebanon - Uzbekistan 101:53

Lebanon fired past Uzbekistan on the final day of Second Round of action at 2011 Asian Championship. The victory propelled Lebanon to 2-3 record in Group E. They clinched the fourth position and advanced into quarterfinal stage. Samuel Hoskin (206-F/C-79, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: De Paul) stepped up with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the charge. Uzbekistan fell at 0-5 record in the ladder.
It was never easy for Lebanon in the opening frame. Uzbekistan jumped to an early lead and maintained it for some time. Lebanon managed to eke out a 24:22 lead after ten minutes. They opened the second period on a 16:2 run to clear off. Lebanon limited their opponents to just 4 points in the second quarter to pile up a 50:26 advantage at the interval. Lebanon enlarged the gap in the third term. They piled up a 40-point lead at the final intermission 75:35. Uzbekistan obviously never recovered and had to surrender at the end. Ghaleb Rida (192-G-81) posted 18 points, while Jean Abed El Nour (198-F/G-83) delivered 16 points in the victory. Vyacheslav Denisov (195-G-83) answered with 19 points for Uzbekistan. Samender Juginisov (202-F-87) netted 11 points in the loss.

Lebanon: Samuel Hoskin 18+11 boards, Ghaleb Rida 18, Jean Abed El Nour 16
Uzbekistan: Vyacheslav Denisov 19, Samender Juginisov 11


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  LITHUANIA   


Aleksandar Rasic to miss a month - by Eurobasket News
Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) will miss a month due to injury (ruptured pelvic bone). The Lietuvos Rytas player got injured during the EuroBasket in Lithuania. Rasic will miss Euroleague qualifications, which start in less than ten days. Aleksandar Rasic appeared six times for Serbia at EuroBasket averaging 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds. He missed almost the entire second stage, Quarterfinals and classification games. Rasic finished last season with Lietuvos Rytas. He joined them in March from Trabzon. In 11 Lithuanian league games he registered 5.3 ppg, 2 rpg and 4.8 apg. With Trabzon Rasic had 9.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 5.3 apg for 23 games in TBL. Aleksandar Rasic played for Partizan Belgrade from 2008 to 2010. He won two Serbian and Adriatic league titles with them. They also celebrated in Serbian Cup twice. In 2010, Rasic helped Partizan to reach Euroleague Final Four.

Goran Jeretin is set to join Lietuvos Rytas - by Eurobasket News
Goran Jeretin (192-G-79, agency: Beo Basket) is set to join Lietuvos Rytas for the upcoming season. The Montenegrin player will substitute Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket).
In 2010-2011 Goran played for Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia-PBL) and in EuroChallenge after 15 games averaged 4.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.8apg, 1.0spg. In Russian League after 35 games his stats read 6.1ppg, 1.5rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 38.6%, FT: 82.1%.
Last year Lokomotiv Kuban announced signing of Goran Jeretin. The experienced point guard came to Russia from Turk Telekom Ankara. He joined the Turkish outfit in March this year averaging 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists for 8 TBL games. Jeretin started the season with Montenegrin club Buducnost Podgorica. With them he collected 11.2 ppg, 1.9 rpg and 3.3 apg in Adriatic league. The Montenegrin powerhouse also competed in EuroChallenge, where Jeretin added 12.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 2.9 apg. Buducnost won the double in Montenegro.
Before Buducnost Podgorica, Goran Jeretin split the season between BC Kyiv and AEL Limassol. He faced with the knee injury in 2007 and was forced to miss the entire year. In 2006/07, Goran Jeretin played for Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Actually he joined them in January of 2007. For 10 Euroleague games with the Israeli giant, Jeretin had 5.5 ppg and 1.5 rpg. He registered 5 ppg and 2.1 apg for 17 games in domestic championship. Before the above mentioned teams, Jeretin also played for Crvena Zvezda, Lovcen and Ibon.
Earlier it was announced that Aleksandar Rasic will miss a month due to injury (ruptured pelvic bone). The Lietuvos Rytas player got injured during the EuroBasket in Lithuania.


Rudupis Prienai enjoyed the second place in Decin - by Eurobasket News
Rudupis Prienai enjoyed the second place in Decin at the International Tournament of Four.
In the opener Anwil Wloclawek failed in a game against Rudupis Prienai 86:95. Seid Hajric scored 21 points for the Polish squad. Marshall Moses (198-F-89, college: Oklahoma St.) and Dardan Berisha (192-G-88, agency: Global Sports Plaza) netted 16 and 14 points respectively.
In Day 2 Rudupis Prienai lost to BK Decin 76:80. The Lithuanian team opened the game with 24-22, but trailed 41:44 at the halftime. Decin enjoyed 60:56 after three quarters and held the necessary 4-point victory. Pavel Houska (201-F-84) led the way with 23 points, while Tomas Pomikalek (200-F-89) netted 12. Povilas Butkevicius (203-F-87) ended up with 19 points in the losing effort and Orelik added 12.
In the last game Rudupis Prienai beat Norrkoping Dolphins 104:74. Anwil is third, while the team from Sweden is fourth.


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  MALAYSIA   


2011 Asian Championship: Taiwan fire past Malaysia in Wuhan - by Eurobasket News
Taiwan - Malaysia 109:62

Taiwan posted yet another win at the Asian Championship. They drubbed Malaysia to improve at 3-2 record in Group E. Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) came up with 25 points to lead the effort. Taiwan occupied the third spot in the group advancing into quarterfinals. Malaysia on the other hand fell at 1-4 record and came short of reaching the playoffs.
Taiwan scored 24 points in the opening frame taking a 6-point lead after ten minutes. Taiwan stayed hot offensively as they unloaded 27 points in the second period piling up a 15-point halftime lead. The third term became decisive in this one. Taiwan outscored their opponents 30:11 to clear off for good. Lin Chih-Chieh (192-F/G-82) posted 21 points for the winners. Chien Chia-Hung (197-F-87) added 16 points for Taiwan. Batumalai Guganeswaran (182-G-82) answered with 15 points, 4 boards and 4 assists for Malaysia. Li Wei Chee (189-F-85) netted 13 points in defeat.

Taiwan: Tsung-Hsien Chang 25, Lin Chih-Chieh 21, Chien Chia-Hung 16
Malaysia: Batumalai Guganeswaran 15, Li Wei Chee 13


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  MALI   


Mamadou Sy returns to Lille - by Eurobasket News
Mamadou Sy (200-F-85, college: Cloud County CC) is back to Lille. The Malian/French forward will temporary replace injured Mathieu Tensorer. Sy will play for Lille at least month and a half. Last season he had 1.6 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 34 ProB games with Lille. Sy joined the club in 2010 from Clermont. With Clermont he had 3.1 ppg and 2.3 rpg for 20 games, also in ProB. From 2007 to 2009, Mamadou Sy was a member of Boulazac. In the past, he spent two years in USA playing for Cloud County CC. Before that Sy was a member of ASVEL. Mamdou Sy played for the Malian National Team this year. He had 4.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 2.8 apg for five games at the AfroBasket in Madagascar.

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  MEXICO   


Standings - LNBP
LNBP Standings
 1. Barreteros 6-1 
 2. Toros 6-1 
 3. Abejas 5-1 
 4. Halc.Rojos 5-1 
 5. Fuerza Regia 5-2 
 6. Pioneros 4-3 
 7. Halc.Xalapa 3-3 
 8. Huracanes 3-3 
 9. Soles 3-4 
 10. Corr.Victoria 2-4 
 11. Lechugueros 2-4 
 12. Aguilas Rojas 1-6 
 13. Panteras 1-6 
 14. Volcanes 0-7 


*****************************************************
  MONTENEGRO   


Marko Calic inks more one year for Teodo - by Dragan Scepanovic
Basketball Club Teodo from Tivat member of MNE1A League and DELFI SMG Basketball announced that basketball player Marko Calic (195-G/F-86) will stay for more one year in Basketabll Club Teodo from Tivat.Marko Calic in season 2010-2011 play for Basketball Club Teodo 21 games : 7.5 ppg , 3.1 rpg , 2.2 aspg.Before Basketball Club Teodo from Tivat Marko Calic play for Basketball Clubs Primorje H.Novi , Mogren Budva , Ulcinj and Danilovgrad.

Sutjeska inks Pejovic, Vukotic and Milosev - by Dragan Scepanovic
Basketball Club Sutjeska from Niksic new member of MNE1A League and DELFI SMG Basketball announced that Basketball Club Sutjeska singed contract for one year whit ex basketball players of Jedinstvo B.Polje Andrija Pejovic (205-C-83) and Stevan Milosev , and that Club renew contract whit capiten Miljan Vukotic (203-F/C-77).Pejovic in last season play for Basketball Club Jedinstvo from B.Polje in MNE1A Super League 10 games : 12.4 ppg, 8 rpg , and Milosev play 26 games : 6.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg.

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  NBA   


Denver Nugget Danilo Gallinari signs in Italy, EA7 - Emporio Armani Milan - by Eurobasket News
Danilo Gallinari (6'9''-G/F-88, agency: Players Group) penned a deal in Italy until the end of the NBA lock-out. EA7 - Emporio Armani Milan returned one of the club's favorite sons back by signing Gallinari, who was the 2008 Euroleague Rising Star Trophy winner when he last wore the team's colors. Danilo Gallinari finished last season with Denver Nuggets. He was a part of big trade, which sent Carmelo Anthony from Cleveland to NY Knicks. Gallinari appeared 19 times with the Cavs averaging 14 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Before that he registered 15.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 1.7 apg in 48 games with the Knicks. Danilo Gallinari played for the Knicks also in 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons. He was a member of Milano from 2005 to 2008. In their last season together Gallinari collected 17.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg for 37 games in Italy. He also added 14.9 ppg and 4.2 rpg for 11 Euroleague games. Gallinari was named Eurobasket.com All-Italian SerieA Forward of the Year -08. He played for the Italian NT at the Euros this summer averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in 5 games.

Jason Terry gives an insight on labour negotiations - by Eurobasket News
Dallas Mavericks star Jason Terry is a man with a view on everything and the talk of the town the NBA labour dispute has certainly not escaped his attention.

Terry recently talked about the mechanics of the actual negotiations and how invested are the people during the meetings.

The NBA lockout started July 1st and is into its third month already. The league and the players have failed to come to a compromise over a new CBA. In fact, the NBA owners and players have hardly budged from their stances and not even been on the discussion table that often. During the first two months of the lockout, the sides only met two times.

They picked up a little in September. Two back to back meetings were held that gave rise to some optimism over a deal being reached, but a bad negotiating session on Tuesday poured cold water on any progress that had been made. The sticking issue, reportedly, was the salary cap system and NBA Commissioner David Sterns rigidity on the matter.

There are reportedly more meetings going to take place, one on Wednesday and another Thursday, both in New York. After the meetings it is obviously going to be diplomatic press briefings by the two parties, who will surely blame each other in veiled words over one matter or another, while neither actually gives away what happened in the meetings.

Jason Terry has been very involved in the lockout situation. A current NBA World Champion with the Dallas Mavericks, Terry is concerned over the matter and has even been to some player-owner meetings.

Terry says the meetings are very intense as both parties have a lot at stake,

'When you're in there, as opposed to reading in the newspaper or watching on TV, you really get to see people's reactions and really see how important this deal is, not only to the owners, but to the players and not only my era but to eras that we will leave behind,' Terry told ESPNDallas.

He revealed though, that one has to keep their calm during the meetings and keep in view the bigger picture.

With the threat of games being lost, or even the season, becoming more credible with each passing day, there are suggestions that both sides, especially players who are going to lose pay checks, will get to some quick solutions and save the day at the last moment.

Terry doesnt believe so. He said in the interview that the players are determined not to cave in because that will be counterproductive in the long run.

'Because it's getting down to the final minutes, we don't want to rush into anything just to try to save the season. But, as we stand right now, the owners aren't moving and we definitely are staying strong together as a union.'

Courtesy of http://blogs.bettor.com

Latest overseas signings by NBA players - by Eurobasket News
Rudy Fernandez (6'6''-G-85) officially became a new member of Real Madrid. He will return to Dallas Mavericks at the end of the NBA lockout, but Real Madrid holds his rights if he returns to Europe again. Fernandez helped Spain to win the Gold in Lithuania few days ago. He had 8.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3 apg for 11 games. Rudy Fernandez also won the Gold at EuroBasket 2009 with Spain and another Gold at the World Championships 2006 in Japan. At EuroBasket 2007 and Olympic Games in Beijing Fernandez and his Spain took the Silver. Rudy Fernandez averaged 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Portland Trail Blazers last season (84 games). They traded him to Dallas Mavericks later. Fernandez moved overseas in 2008. In Spain, he played for Joventut Badalona.

As we announced last weekend, Kevin Seraphin (6'9''-F/C-89) will continue his career in Spain. Caja Laboral confirmed his signing until the end of the NBA lock-out. Seraphin won the Silver with French NT at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. He appeared 9 times at this event averaging 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds. Kevin Seraphin played for the Washington Wizards last season. He had 2.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg for 57 games. It was his rookie NBA season. Seraphin penned a four-year deal with the Wizards last summer. He was 17th overall pick at the 2010 NBA Draft. Kevin Seraphin is a product of Cholet. In 2009, he paced U20 France to Silver at the European Championships U20 in Rhodos. Seraphin was named Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U20 Best Center -09. In 2010, he was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-French ProA Most Improved Player of the Year -10 and Cholet won the title. Before Kevin Seraphin, the Vitoria team returned experienced PG Pabli Prigioni.

According to various sources, Besiktas agreed a deal with Semih Erden (6'11''-C-87) until the end of the NBA lock-out. Reportedly, they will sign the contract during the week. Erden finished last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He joined them in February averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in four games. His NBA journey started with the Boston Celtics, where Erden had 4.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg for 37 games. From 2005 until the last summer Semih Erden played for Fenerbahce Ulker. He helped them win three TBL titles and one Turkish Cup. In their last season together Erden averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 42 TBL games. He also added 6.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg for 10 games in Euroleague. Semih Erden won the Silver with Turkish NT at the World Championship last summer. At this event he had 9.1 ppg and 4.6 rpg for 9 games.

Danilo Gallinari (6'9''-G/F-88, agency: Players Group) penned a deal in Italy until the end of the NBA lock-out. EA7 - Emporio Armani Milan returned one of the club's favorite sons back by signing Gallinari, who was the 2008 Euroleague Rising Star Trophy winner when he last wore the team's colors. Danilo Gallinari finished last season with Denver Nuggets. He was a part of big trade, which sent Carmelo Anthony from Cleveland to NY Knicks. Gallinari appeared 19 times with the Cavs averaging 14 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Before that he registered 15.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 1.7 apg in 48 games with the Knicks. Danilo Gallinari played for the Knicks also in 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons. He was a member of Milano from 2005 to 2008. In their last season together Gallinari collected 17.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg for 37 games in Italy. He also added 14.9 ppg and 4.2 rpg for 11 Euroleague games. Gallinari was named Eurobasket.com All-Italian SerieA Forward of the Year -08. He played for the Italian NT at the Euros this summer averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in 5 games.

Robert Vaden (6'5''-G/F-85, college: UAB) will continue his career in Slovakia. The American guard/small forward penned a three-month deal with Nitra. Vaden spent last season in NBA D-League. He appeared 48 times with Tulsa 66ers averaging 11 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. In April he moved to Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA), the same day assigned to Tulsa 66ers. He helped Tulsa to reach D-League Semifinals. In 2009/10, Robert Vaden played in Italy. He was a member of Aget Imola, where he registered 16.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 1.9 apg. They compete in Lega Due. Robert Vaden is a product of the Alabama at Birmingham University. Here graduated there two years ago.

Here is also another news, not signing. Rasual Butler (6'7''-F-79, college: La Salle) is no longer a member of Gran Canaria. The American forward left due to personal reasons. He thanked the club, coaching staff and teammates for the weeks he spent with them. Butler joined Granca recently from the Chicago Bulls. He had 2.4 ppg for 8 NBA games with Chicago last season. Butler started last season with LA Clippers, where he had 5 ppg and 1.9 rpg in 41 games. From 2005 to 2009, Rasual Butler played for the New Orleans Hornets. In 2009/10, he shined with 11.9 ppg and 2.9 rpg for 82 games with the Clippers. In the past he also played for Miami Heat couple of years. Rasual Butler scorer 23 points for Gran Canaria in their latest friendly game against Granada. Granca already started search for his replacement.

Kobe Bryant ready to loan NBA players money during lockout - by Eurobasket News
According to Billy Hunter, head of the Players Association, Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) is among those ready to hand out loans to NBA players struggling financially in the event of a prolonged lockout. From an LA Times Q&A: 'What role will NBA superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James play as this moves forward? They've been deeply involved in the meetings weve had. I know Kobe is intimately involved in interfacing with colleagues and sharing in a pool of revenue to help the others get through this. Kobe has volunteered to do that in the event others need, he and others are prepared to loan money if necessary.'

Courtesy of www.slamonline.com

Virtus Bologna owner offers Kobe Bryant $600,000 per game - by Eurobasket News
Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) has been offered $800,000 per game before taxes, or about $600,000 net, to play for Virtus Bologna, the Italian clubs owner, Claudio Sabatini said, per a report on Italian-language site Bologna Basket. The offer is through Nov. 13 and for home games only. Bologna has three home games scheduled through that date.

Bryant is slated to make $25,244,000 with the Lakers next season, according to Hoopshype, which works out to $307,854 per game over an 82-game regular season.

Sabatini has previously stated that hes pursuing Bryant, but there was no indication as to the specific amount of money he was willing to pay in order to sign him.

Sabatini did say he was looking into insurance against potential injury to Bryant, and that if an away opponent is not willing to share the cost of the insurance, he would not allow Bryant to play in those road games.

'I am studying a new solution to pay his insurance game-by-game', he said. 'When we play away, if our opponent is not willing to share the (cost for) the game, I won't pay the insurance for the player and I will keep him in Bologna.'

'Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is also on Virtus Bologna's wish list', Sabatini has said.

Courtesy of http://aol.sportingnews.com

Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay cleared for full-contact play - by Eurobasket News
Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay (6'9''-F/G-86, college: Connecticut) cleared a large hurdle Monday when he was granted permission to participate in full-contact basketball activities.

Seven months removed from partially dislocating his left shoulder, Gay received clearance from Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., his agent confirmed to the Commercial Appeal.

Andrews told Gay the shoulder has full strength and range of motion during a final evaluation.

Gay was hurt on Feb. 15 in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He underwent surgery five weeks later and missed out on the Memphis Grizzlies first trip to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Gay recently played at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas, where many players have gather during the NBA lockout, and showed no rust when he joined teammates on the court for the summer league.

Courtesy of http://aol.sportingnews.com

Details of Kevin Durant's movie emerge - by Eurobasket News
Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas) has taken his first step toward becoming a movie star.

The Oklahoma City Thunder forward on Monday began production on the upcoming movie in which he has a starring role. Durant confirmed his involvement this week via Twitter.

1st day on the set of my new movie. Having a great time. This is wild babe! Durant wrote.

Although no official announcement of the film's title and plot has been made, it appears both have trickled out through various websites.

According to imdb.com, the movie is titled Switch. Its director is John Whitesell. It was co-written by Eric Champnella and Jeff Farley. Whitesell has directed such films as Malibu's Most Wanted, Big Momma's House 2 and See Spot Run. Champnella is credited for writing Mr. 3000 and the screenplay for Eddie, the 1996 basketball-themed film starring Whoopi Goldberg.

The three-man lineup looks to be a dream team of sorts for what is shaping up to be a family-friendly film. Details of the film's plot appear on caballerocasting.com, which is seeking background actors for the movie.

In a magical twist, Kevin Durant switches all of his basketball-playing skills with an enthusiastic young fan who becomes the star of his high school team and leaving Durant and the Thunder helpless, the website explains. With the playoffs approaching, they need to discover what it is that brought them together before the early end to the Thunder's season.

The film has license to use NBA property, The Oklahoman has learned, allowing such things as the Thunder's jersey, logo, arena and mascot, as well as NBA game footage to be used. Durant, however, is prohibited from being filmed in Thunder or NBA-related scenes until the NBA lockout is lifted.

Perhaps no NBA player, though, is better suited for such a role than Durant, one of the most fan friendly stars in the league. Durant has established a reputation for going out of his way to please his fans. He signs autographs for crowds of supporters, home and away, both before and after games. This summer, Durant became a playground legend for his willingness to appear in and dominate street ball games throughout the country.

Now, with his first movie scheduled for release in 2012, Durant is one step closer to enhancing that reputation.


THUNDER WAITING LIST

Even though the NBA is in the midst of a lockout, the Thunder still reached its full-season-ticket capacity and announced it has started a waiting list.

The Lakers, Celtics, Bulls and Knicks reportedly are the only franchises to have sold out season tickets for 2011-12.

The Thunder has created the True Blue Club, which allows fans to reserve a spot in line for when full-season tickets become available. Season-ticket members will have an opportunity to add a full-season-ticket request before the general public, but the offer expires Friday at 5 p.m. After the deadline, inquiries for the 2012-13 season will be organized by date and time received.

Members of the season-ticket benefits package will continue to receive the opportunity to upgrade and/or relocate their current seats when the Thunder hosts its annual event in the spring.

For more details on the True Blue Club, visit www.thunder.nba.com.

Courtesy of www.newsok.com



NBA labor talks set to go on without Hunter, Stern Wednesday - by Eurobasket News
Representatives for the NBA's owners and players, in addition to lawyers representing both sides in the lockout, will hold a meeting Wednesday in New York.

NBA commissioner David Stern and union leader Billy Hunter will not be present and no owners or players will attend, either. The lockout entered its 82nd day Tuesday.

The two sides are set to have another meeting Thursday with Stern, Adam Silver, Spurs owner Peter Holt, who is head of the owners' labor relations committee present on the League side. Hunter, union president Derek Fisher and lawyers and economists from both sides will also attend.

Wednesday's meeting is not unusual as a meeting of this type was held last month. Everything from salary-cap concepts to issues like the league's age limit could be discussed.

Both sides have dug in regarding their respective positions but the lockout is dragging on and getting serious. More players are signing to play overseas and the scheduled start of training camp is just two weeks away.

Both sides are talking tough, but the league is coming off a successful season and compelling playoffs and it is hard to imagine eaither side wants to be viewed as responsible for lost games.

Courtesy of www.allheadlinenews.com

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  NBLCANADA   


Storm to play first pre-season game at UPEI - by Eurobasket News
The Summerside Storm will play their first-ever game in the capital city of Prince Edward Island.

The Storm and Halifax Rainmen will meet in a National Basketball League of Canada pre-season contest at the UPEI Sports Centre in Charlottetown on Saturday, Oct. 22. Game time is 7 p.m.

It will be one of four pre-season games for the Storm, who will host the Saint John Mill Rats at EastLink Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. The Storm will pay a return visit to Halifax on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m., and play a road contest against the Moncton Miracles on Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.

'We're extremely excited for the pre-season to begin,' said NBL Canada president and CEO Andre Levingston. 'These 10 games will give fans a preview of the high calibre of basketball and excitement that this season will bring.'

Pre-season tickets can be purchased at individual team venues, or by calling their head offices.


Regular season

The Storm will open the regular season with back-to-back home games on Thursday, Nov. 3, and Friday, Nov. 4. The Quebec Kebs will provide the opposition on Nov. 3, and Saint John will be in town the following night.


Inaugural year

Founded in 2011, the National Basketball League of Canada is the nation's only

professional basketball league. A media release notes the NBL Canada is committed to developing the next generation of Canadian athletes, and raising the excitement and awareness for basketball throughout the country.

Seven teams will play in the inaugural 2011-12 season, and the league is poised for continued expansion across Canada.

NBL Canada is headquartered in Toronto, Ont.


Notebook

Storm news and notes:

Storm season tickets went on sale at the Credit Union Place box office on Monday. Packages are available for adults, seniors (60 and over), students and 12 and under.

Auditions for the Storm dance team will be held at the Tony Cargill School of Dance at Waterfront Place on Sunday, Sept. 25. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m., with the auditions going from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Tina Mundy at 436-4068, or e-mail tinamundy@eastlink.ca.

Storm head coach Joe Salerno is continuing to fill out the team roster. A couple of more player signings could be announced as early as this week.

The roster will be comprised of 12 players, including a mandatory two Canadians.

The league website is www.nblcanada.ca.

Courtesy of www.journalpioneer.com



Halifax Rainmen sign Rodney Buford and Eddie Robinson - by Eurobasket News
The Halifax Rainmen made franchise history today when President & CEO, Andre Levingston, signed former NBA'ers Rodney Buford (6'5''-G-77, college: Creighton) and Eddie Robinson (6'9''-F-76, college: Cent.Oklahoma) to the team's 2011-12 roster.

'This is a very special day for our organization,' said Levingston. 'Having Rodney and Eddie's level of skill and experience on our roster will be a huge asset for our team.'

Buford, a 6'5'' shoot guard, was selected by the NBA's Miami Heat in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft. Buford has played for the Miami Heat, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Sacramento Kings, and the New Jersey Nets. He also played alongside former teammate Allen Iverson as the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2000-01 NBA finals. Since his time in the NBA, Buford has played in the highest divisions overseas, where he has won three championships.

'Halifax is a beautiful city. I'm looking extremely forward to playing here,' said Buford. 'I'm confident that I'll be able to utilize my experiences in the NBA and overseas to serve as a mentor to the younger guys both on and off the court.'

Also signed by the Rainmen is 6'8'' forward, Eddie 'E-Rob' Robinson. Robinson, who is widely known for his leaping ability and 'freakish athleticism', spent five seasons in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets and the Chicago Bulls.

'When I found out Rodney was coming to play in Halifax, it was a no-brainer for me,' said Robinson, who spent time training with Rodney in the early 2000's. 'I have so much love for this game. I can't wait to get out on the court, work hard, and help bring a championship to Halifax.'

Also signed this morning were returning players Taliek Brown and DeAndre Thomas.

'This season will be unlike anything Halifax has ever seen,' said Levingston. 'The level of talent that the National Basketball League of Canada has attracted and continues to attract is unbelievable. It's going to be a great year.'

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

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  NCAA1   


Malloy: UConn in enviable position in shakeup - by Eurobasket News
University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst has not ruled out keeping the school in a reconstituted Big East and said Tuesday that geography is a big factor in deciding whether UConn should join another athletic conference.

Meanwhile, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the school is in good shape as universities jockey for position following the departure of Syracuse and Pittsburgh from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

UConn is an attractive option, because of its proximity to New York City and proven success in basketball and football. Last season, the Huskies qualified for their first-ever BCS game, a 48-20 loss to Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in January. Three months later, the men's basketball team won the national championship, and the women's team played in the Final Four.

'We will not be left out at all,' Malloy told The Associated Press prior to a building dedication on campus. 'We are in the enviable position of trying to figure out and then executing on what's best for us, but I think we'll have very good solutions one way or the other. There are clearly people who want UConn in their organizations and I think we're going to have options.'

In an interview with the AP, Herbst said the school is involved in talks across the country, but wants to find a fit that is right academically, athletically and geographically.

'We're talking to a lot of people, we have to,' she said. 'We think a lot about our student-athletes. We think a lot about their travel schedule, how we can organize where our teams need to be, not lose too much class time and be at places where their families are able to watch games.'

Herbst later said that despite her geographical concerns, being part of a merger between the Big East and some Big 12 schools is not out of the question. But she added that it if the ultimate solution involves a conference with 'some pretty far-away' schools, they will need to work carefully on game and practice schedules to minimize the impact.

She said the school has not filed a formal application to join the ACC or any other conference, and said she is not playing favorites when it comes to weighing the school's options.

'There are a lot of the Big East presidents that I'm very close to and feel a lot of affinity for,' Herbst said. 'I was a Duke undergraduate. I can't deny that I did grow up on ACC basketball. But in both conferences, we have a lot of really terrific presidents who are doing their best to survive this.'

Football coach Paul Pasqualoni said UConn will end up in a BCS conference, and he would like it to be one with a 'northeast flavor.' But, he also acknowledged that the program may have to work to develop some new rivalries.

'It's all driven obviously by the TV deals, contracts with ESPN, and obviously the money,' he said. 'That's the way it is. We have to now do what we feel is the best thing for the University of Connecticut.'

Herbst said the school has 'incredible market power' and has been getting as many phone calls as it has been making. She said the talks have not been acrimonious, the process has not been 'seamy' and she does not blame Syracuse, Pittsburgh or anyone else for what is ultimately a business decision.

'Fans feel for the institution and the conference, and that's a great thing,' she said. 'But it doesn't mean the conferences can't be, shouldn't be, fluid. Because they are at the end of the day about finding connections with like-minded institutions, teams. And yes, finance is a huge part of this, that's undeniable.'

Herbst said if she has a choice, the decision would be made in days or weeks, rather than months, but said the timetable is out of her hands, and she has no idea when 'all the dominoes might fall.'

Malloy said it's not as simple as picking a conference, or having one pick UConn.

'It's not like going to apply for a job, or saying, 'I want this to happen,'' he said. 'Every one of the schools on the list of 20 schools is doing what we are doing.'

Courtesy of www.denverpost.com

AP Source: Big East, Big 12 officials talk merger - by Eurobasket News
The Big East and Big 12 might join together in their fight for survival.

School and conference officials from the two leagues have been discussing ways to merge what's left of them if Texas and Oklahoma leave the Big 12, a person involved in the discussions told The Associated Press.

The person, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about what is going on behind the scenes, said Monday there has been dialogue between athletic directors and high-level officials in the conference offices.

'Those conversations are alive and ongoing,' the person said.

Syracuse and Pittsburgh have announced they will be leaving the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Texas and Oklahoma are both trying to decide whether to leave the Big 12 for the Pac-12, taking Oklahoma State and Texas Tech with them.

Both universities' board of regents voted Monday to give their presidents the right to choose a new conference, though the Texas regents still held the right to give a final approval.

If the Big 12 loses those four members, it would leave Missouri, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State scrambling.

Without Syracuse and Pittsburgh, the Big East still has six football members, Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida, Rutgers, Louisville and West Virginia. Plus TCU is slated to join in 2012, giving the Big East a presence in Big 12 country.

Also talking about mergers are the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA.

Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson told the Idaho Statesmen that he and CUSA Commissioner Britton Banowsky 'resurrected this consolidation concept with Conference USA from a football-only standpoint.'

A union between those schools could create one BCS automatic qualifying league, but there's no guarantee some of those schools won't also look elsewhere.

The Southeastern Conference has voted to accept Texas A&M as its 13th member, and speculation has Missouri and West Virginia as candidates to become No. 14.

The ACC might not be done adding Big East teams. The conference reached 14 members with the recent additions, and UConn and Rutgers would allow it to continue to expand its presence in the Northeast.

'I think UConn will be in the ACC, if I had to guess,' Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim said today during a speech at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham, according to The Birmingham News. 'I think Rutgers could be.'

The Big East also has seven non-football members in St. John's, Providence, Marquette, Seton Hall, DePaul, Villanova and Georgetown, and Notre Dame - which competes in the Big East in everything but football.

Managing the agendas of the football and non-football schools has been an issue for Big East Commissioner John Marinatto, who is in his third year leading the conference.

Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe managed to keep the Big 12 together last year when Texas was considering a move to the then-Pac-10 that would have included Texas Tech and the two Oklahoma schools.

However, that might have only been a temporary reprieve for the league.

Courtesy of www.kansascity.com

Touted Anderson commits to UCLA - by Eurobasket News
Kyle Anderson's recruiting saga, replete with countless twists and turns, came to an end Monday night. The heralded 6-8 point forward from St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, N.J., verbally committed to UCLA.

'I chose UCLA cause I feel they can help me improve my defense and we will have a good chance of winning a National Championship,' Anderson said.

He chose the Bruins over Florida, Georgetown, St. John's and Seton Hall, who had one last shot to sway his decision during an in-home visit Monday night.

Anderson becomes Ben Howland's third 2012 pledge, joining small forward Jordan Adams (Lawrenceville, Ga./Oak Hill Academy) and fellow point guard Dominic Artis (Richmond, Calif./Findlay College Prep).

'Coach Howland says that I will be fighting for the point guard spot, as long as I'm on the court I'll be good,' he said.

A 2011 first team Five-Star Summer All-American, Anderson is Rivals' No. 2 ranked overall player in 2012 and No. 1 floor leader.

He propelled St. Anthony to a spotless 33-0 ledger in 2010-11, rounding up a NJSIAA Non-Public B State Championship, New Jersey Tournament of Champions title, and a mythical national championship

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Pac-12 decides against expansion - by Eurobasket News
The Pac-12 Conference is standing pat for now.

The league's presidents and chancellors voted to reaffirm their decision to stay at a dozen members. Commissioner Larry Scott says 'after careful review we have determined that it is in the best interests of our member institutions, student-athletes and fans to remain a 12-team conference.'

Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech were among those considering a potential move from the Big 12. After expanding from the Pac-10 with new members Utah and Colorado last year, members of the new Pac-12 won't give them the chance.

The league already negotiated a landmark 12-year television contract with Fox and ESPN worth about $3 billion. And it appears plenty happy at a dozen.

Courtesy of www.ncaa.com

Spencer Perrin gets pro deal in Slovakia - by Eurobasket News
Spencer Perrin (6'5''-F, college: E.Kentucky) is set to start his professional basketball career. The American forward penned a one-year deal in Slovakia. His 'employer' is BK Vahostav-SK Zilina, which competes in Slovakian top division. They reached Semifinals last season. Spencer Perrin is a product of the Eastern Kentucky University, where he graduated few months ago. He had 13.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 2.1 apg for his school as a senior. Perrin appeared in 30 games last season. As a junior, he averaged 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists for 32 games. Before Eastern Kentucky, Spencer Perrin played for Danville, Ky. Lake Land College. He will join preparations of Vahostav-SK Zilina in the coming days.

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  NCAA3   


Mike Neer returns to coaching - by Arnault Desira
Hobart announced today that Mike Neer, the former University of Rochester head coach with 563 career wins, will end a one-year retirement to return to the hardwood as the head coach of the Statesmen. He replaces Izzi Metz, who resigned earlier this month to accept the director of basketball operations job at Boston College.

The Yellowjackets' career wins leader, Neer led Rochester to 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including four trips to the Final Four, three championship games, and the 1990 national championship.

At the 2011 National Association of Basketball Coaches, Neer received the NABC's Outstanding Service Award. A three-time University Athletic Association Coach of the Year, he was voted the NABC Division III National Coach of the Year in 1990. His Rochester teams were honored four times with the Sam Schoenfeld Award for outstanding sportsmanship as selected by members of the Western New York State chapter of the College Basketball Officials Association.

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  NORWAY   


Ferranti number one for Round 3 - by Eurobasket News
American forward Ryan Ferranti (196-F) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for Baerum Basket, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 3.
The player had a double-double of 28 points and 15 rebounds, while his team edged out Froya Basket (2-1) 80-77. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. Baerum Basket is placed at 4th position in Norwegian BLNO. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost that single game earlier this season. Baerum Basket will need more victories to improve their 2-1 record. In the team's last game Ferranti had a remarkable 64.3% from 2-point range. He turned to be Baerum Basket's top player in his first season with the team. Former Rollins College star has very solid stats this year. Ferranti is in league's top in rebounds (6th best: 7.3rpg).

The second best player in last round's games was young Danish forward Morten Sahlertz (198-F-89) of Tromso. Sahlertz had a very good evening with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Of course he lead Tromso to another comfortable win outscoring Langhus (0-3) 78-40. The season is still at the very beginning and this victory may help a lot. Let's wait for the next round. Sahlertz is a newcomer at Tromso, but is already one of team's top players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 22.3ppg (#2). He also registered 5.7 boards per game.

Third on the list of top players last round was another Tromso's star - American forward Brad Byerson (201-F-85). Byerson showcased his all-around game by recording 13 points, twelve rebounds (!!!) and six assists in the last round. He was another key player of Tromso, helping his team with a 78-40 easy win against Langhus (#8, 0-3). The chances of Tromso not to end season at such low position in the league, however are less than slim as they have already lost 2 games, recording just one victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Byerson could try to bring Tromso's a little bit higher in the standings. Byerson has individually a great season in Norway. After only 3 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 9.0rpg (2nd best) and assists with 4.0apg (6th best). Byerson attended one of camps at Eurobasket Summer League on his way to pro basketball.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Stian Enge (190-G-90) of Gimle BBK - 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists
5. Thor Hagen (196-F-80) of Ammerud Bskt - 16 points and 13 rebounds
6. Miilah Kombat (200-F-88) of Froya Basket - 24 points and 13 rebounds
7. Hani Issalhi (187-G-84) of Tromso - 14 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists
8. Orji Okoroafor (187-G-80) of Ammerud Bskt - 28 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists
9. Frank Nyborg (197-F-83) of Centrum - 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists
10. Espen Stien (188-G-86) of Asker Aliens - 28 points and 3 assists

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

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  PHILIPPINES   


2011 Asian Championship: Philippines gain confidence in Wuhan, edge Syria - by Eurobasket News
Philippines - Syria 75:52

Philippines recorded the third straight win at the Second Stage of Asian Championship. They overcame Syria to enter the quarterfinal stage from the second position in Group F. Philippines will now take on Taiwan in the playoffs. Syria slipped at 1-4 record and would play in the classification round for 9th-12th place.
Philippines looked slightly better in the opening frame. They eked out a 14:11 lead after ten minutes. But Syria turned things upside down in the second frame. Goran Miljevic team surged ahead for a 32:23 halftime lead. They maintained the lead for some time in the third term before Philippines pulled their noses back in front. Philippines registered a 49:45 lead with ten minutes to go. They opened the fourth term on a 15:0 run to clear off for good in this one. Marcus Douthit (210-C/F-80, agency: Edge Sports, college: Providence) stepped up with 20 points for Philippines. Christopher Tiu (178-PG-85) and Ranidel deOcampo (194-F-81) added 8 points each in the win. AbAbd Al Wahab Hamowi (217-C-90) responded with 11 points for Syria. Eder Arjo Gorges (212-C/F-81, college: Walsh, OH) provided 9 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Philippines: Marcus Douthit 20, Christopher Tiu 8, Ranidel deOcampo 8
Syria: Abd Al Wahab Hamowi 11, Eder Arjo Gorges 9


DAY 6 OF THE 2011 FIBA-ASIA MEN'S TOURNEY - by Enzo Flojo

LEBANON over UZBEKISTAN, 101-53
LIB 101 - Reda 18, Hoskin 18, Abdel Nour 16, Ibrahim 11, Akl 7, Martinez 6, Stephan 6, Bawji 6, Tabet 6, El Farkh 5, Kanaan 2, Bitar 0
UZB 53 - Denisov 19, Juginisov 11, Nuraliev 10, Timofev 4, Zinonev 3, Shatrov 2, Yahin 2, Pereverzev 2, Khabibullin 0, Kadirov 0, Belokurov 0
QS: 24-22, 50-26, 75-35, 101-53
- Uzbekistan kept it close for the first 10 minutes, and then they had terrible 2nd and 3rd quarters as Lebanon just ran them over. Lebanon dominated the inside, outscoring Uzbekistan in the paint, 36-20, and on second-chance points, 26-9. The Lebanese also converted on 15 of their 29 triples and outrebounded the Uzbeks 60-29.
- Ghaleb Reda hit 3 treys to lead Lebanon's offensive charge with 18 points. Sam Hoskin also finished with 18 markers, but he also added 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. The Lebanese cement 4th place in Group E and face the supremely confident Chinese tomorrow.
- Uzbekistan lost all of its round 2 games and, as a result, is relegated to the battle for the 9th-12th spots in the competition. Vyacheslav Denisov led the former Soviet state with 19 points, 5 triples and 2 steals. Curiously, former star scorer Aleksandr Kozlov was not played in this game.

TAIWAN over MALAYSIA, 109-62
TPE 109 - Chang 25, Lin 21, Chien 16, Mao 13, Lu 10, Ho 6, Lee 5, Tseng 4, Wu 4, Chen SN 3, Su 2, Chen HA 0
MAS 62 - Batumalai 15, Chee 13, Kwaan 12, Lau 11, Ooi 4, Kuppusamy 3, Soo 2, Chin 2, Loh 0, Ng 0, Kuek 0
QS: 24-18, 51-36, 81-47, 109-62
- Taiwan was able to rest most of its core players as it finished round 2 with a rousing win over Malaysia. As expected, the Taiwanese dominated every facet of the match, hitting 16 treys, outrebounding the undersized Malaysians, and forcing their foes to commit 22 turnovers.
- Jet Chang had another great offensive game, scoring 25 points and hitting 4 triples. Lin Chih-Chieh, who's been relatively quiet in the tournament, erupted for 21 markers after hitting 6 from downtown. Star big men Tseng Wen-Ting and Wu Tai-Hao played a combined 21 minutes only, but reserve frontliners Chien Chia-Hung and Mao Chia-En did well in their stead, pairing up for 29 points and 13 boards. Taiwan settles for 3rd in Group E and faces the resurgent Filipinos in the Final 8.
- Malaysia suffered its 4th loss in 6 games and now sinks to the relegation round. Guga Batumalai had another good shooting day, making 5 threes for 15 points. They end up 5th in Group E and battle UAE in the crossover for 9th-12th places.

JORDAN over UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, 94-80
JOR 94 - Dahglas 20, Wright 16, Zaghab 13, Abbas 13, Abbaas 10, Al-Sous 6, Hussein 5, Abu Ruqayah 4, Soobzokov 3, Abu Quora 2, Al-Khas 2
UAE 80 - Ahmad 28, Salem 23, Al-Braiki 8, Al-Hattawi 8, Ahmed 6, Abdalla 4, Al-Sari 3, Banihammad 0
QS: 40-20, 57-38, 82-58, 94-80
- Jordan scored a tournament-high 40 points in the 1st period to settle the rout early and in emphatic fashion. They utilized superior size to outscore the Emirates, 62-30, in the paint and just kept control of the game all through out, even as UAE hit 12 treys and tried to mount a mild comeback in the 4th frame.
- Jordan finished 3rd over all in 2009, but now they are 4th in Group F. The consequence is they face WABA rivals Iran in the quarterfinals. Sam Dahglas shot 20 points along with 9 assists and 4 rebounds while Ali Zaghab had an all-around night with 13 markers, 9 boards, 3 blocks and 2 steals.
- UAE featured a 2-headed monster in Ibrahim Ahmad and Khalil Salem, both of whom combined for 51 points on 10-of-17 3-point shooting, but nobody else backstopped their efforts. The Emirates tumble to 6th in Group F and take on the surprising Malaysians in the consolation round.

IRAN over SOUTH KOREA, 79-62
IRI 79 - Haddadi 17, Kamrani 15, Kazemi 11, Davoudi 10, Bahrami 8, Kardoust 5, Afagh 5, Sahakian 4, Davarpanah 2, Davari 2
KOR 62 - Yang DG 14, Lee 14, Stevenson 10, Yang HJ 6, Ha 6, Kim JS 5, Kang 3, Oh 2, Kim JK 2, Kim YH 0, Cho 0
QS: 23-13, 42-30, 61-51, 79-62
- Despite what the score might suggest, Korea was within striking distance for most of the game. Despite the presence of Ha Seung-Jin, Iran was still able to dominate the interior, outscoring Korea in the paint, 40-22. The Iranians also had a significant rebounding edge, (40-25) and surprisingly shot better from beyond the arc (7-4).
- Samad Nikkhah Bahrami left the game early after apparently spraining his ankle. Team officials don't think it's serious, though. Hamed Haddadi and Mehdi Kamrani reprised their inside-outside game, combining for 32 points. Haddaid added 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, while Kamrani hit 3 triples and dished out 5 assists. Iran remains undefeated going into the quarterfinals, where they'll face the dangerous Jordanians.
- Cho Sung-Min, Korea's hot hand of late, curiously played only 2 minutes in this match, with no shot attempts. Yang Dong-Geun and Lee Jung-Suk led Korea with 14 markers each, but as a team they weren't as potent as usual in shooting from range. They managed just 4 triples out of 15 attempts. Jarod Stevenson played 30 hard minutes, getting 16 rebounds and 2 steals, but shooting just 2-of-11 from the floor and ending up with 10 points. Korea faces the Japanese in the quarterfinals.

PHILIPPINES over SYRIA, 75-52
PHL 75 - Douthit 20, Tiu 8, De Ocampo 8, Casio 7, Lutz 7, Alapag 6, Lassiter 5, Taulava 4, Aguilar 4, Barroca 2, Baracael 2, Williams 2
SYR 52 - Al-Hamowi 11, Gorges 9, Jlilati 8, Nalbandian 6, Al-Saman 5, Deeb 4, Osfira 4, Lubus 3, Daks 2, Al-Khatib 0
QS: 14-11, 23-32, 49-45, 75-52
- This game featured 2 different Philippine squads -- the one that had low energy in the first half, and the one that dominated in the final 20 minutes. The Pinoys outscored Syria, 52-20, in the last 2 periods to roar back after surprisingly trailing by 9 at the half. Syria won the 2nd period with great shooting from all angles, and with Marcus Douthit getting saddled with fouls, but the Pinoys lived up to their 'comeback kings' moniker after the break.
- Douthit scored the first dozen points for Team Pilipinas, and he finished with 20 to go along with 6 rebounds. He was rested for most of the 4th quarter. Nobody else finished in twin digits for the Philippines, but everyone did score. Asi Taulava led the rebounding department with 9 boards. They finish #2 in Group F and fight for a semifinals berth with the #3 from Group E, which is Taiwan.
- 7'6' giant Abdulwahab Al-Hamowi showcased great mobility for someone his size, scoring 11 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. His frontline partner, Eder Gorges, struggled with just 9 markers and 8 caroms. Syria falls outside the top 4 in Group E, and they play against the Uzbeks to begin the battle for 9th-12th spots.

CHINA over JAPAN, 84-58
CHN 84 - Yi L 19, Yi J 18, Liu 14, Wang 13, Zhu 8, Sun 7, Zhang B 3, Ding 2, Yu 0, Su 0, Xirelijiang 0
JPN 58 - Kawamura 24, Takeuchi 10, Matsui 7, ishizaki 5, Amino 4, Shonaka 3, Sakurai 2, Takeuchi 2, Ota 1, Kashiwagi 0, Hirose 0
QS: 21-16, 44-30, 61-46, 84-58
- The Chinese didn't exactly throttle their way out of the gates to blast Japan, but they gained enough separation in the last 3 quarters to confidently waltz into the quarterfinals as Group F top seeds. Expectedly, China dominated inside, where they scored more (46-16) and rebounded more (50-31) than Japan. China had some trouble limiting Japan's spunky scorer Takuya Kawamura, but his performance didn't make enough of a dent in the Chinese scheme of things anyway.
- Coach Bob Donewald's wards march to the Final 8 unscathed, and they should continue winning against the seemingly overmatched Lebanese. Yi Li was the surprise package here as he hit 3 treys to finish with a team-high 19 points. Yi Jianlian was his usual impressive self, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
- Kawamura impressed the crowd with flashy moves and great shooting. He ended up with a game-high 24 points on 4-of-8 3-point sniping, but hardly anyone else produced for Japan. Joji Takeuchi, who played really well against the Philippines just a night before, was on the floor for only 9 minutes here, scoring just 2 points. His twin, Kosuke, saw major burn at the slot and managed 10 markers, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, but it was not nearly enough to topple China. Japan advances to the quarterfinals as Group F's #3 team and their prize is to collide with regional rivals South Korea.

Source: HoopNut.blogspot.com

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


Anwil Wloclawek finished the tournament on the third place - by Eurobasket News
Anwil Wloclawek finished the tournament on the third place after the initial win over Norrkoping Dolphins. The Polish team celebrated 83:78 in the last day of the competition. They started with 22-16 but lost the second frame 12-24. The second half belonged to Anwil that won the third frame 24-23 and then finished with 25-15 in the last quarter. Corsley Edwards (205-C/F-79, agency: Impact Basketball, college: Cent.Conn.St.) stepped up with 26 points for the winners and Berisha scored 21. Louis Hinnant delivered 15, while John Allen notched 10. The Dolphins got 17 points from Mitchell and Saks scored 15. Seay followed them with 12 points in the losing effort.
Earlier Anwil lost to Czech Decin 70-90. Dardan Berisha scored 16 points for Anwil, while John Allen (194-G/F-82, agency: Court Side, college: Seton Hall), Louis Hinnant (193-PG-84, college: Boston Coll.) and Marshall Moses (198-F-89, college: Oklahoma St.) added 11 points each.
In the opener Anwil Wloclawek failed in a game against Rudupis Prienai 86:95. Seid Hajric (203-F-83) scored 21 points for the Polish squad. Marshall Moses and Dardan Berisha netted 16 and 14 points respectively.


John Turek to replace Bill Amis in Trefl Sopot - by Eurobasket
Trefl Sopot decided to part ways with Bill Amis (205-F-87, college: Hawaii) and sign 28-year old American power forward John Turek (205-F/C-83, college: Nebraska) (205-F/C-109kg-83, college: Nebraska) as a new big man. Turek played most recently at GasTerra Flames Groningen (Holland). While playing 6 games in EuroCup for Groningen last season his stats were: 8.2ppg and 4.5rpg. He also played 1 game in Euroleague Qualifying Round averaging 7pts, 1reb, 1steal. In Dutch League John played in 50 games and was averaging 9.5ppg, 5.7rpg and 1.1spg. He helped them to make it to the final. This is his second capmaign in Poland. Previously he played in PGE Turow Zgorzelec in 2008/2009 season. He played also pro basketball in Belgium and Germany. Turek graduated from University of Nebraska in 2005.

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


Antonio Tavares in Barreirense / CEPSA - by Hugo Carvalho
Antonio Tavares is Barreirense player. Nobody doubts that Barreirense is preparing a surprise for 2011/2012. Barreirense started with hiring an experienced Spanish coach (Herrera) and after that, hired Antonio Tavares, several times a champion player in the league and international athlete. Also important seems to be hiring of the american
David Jackson, who comes from Penn St. (NCAA), averaging 33 games: 9.9ppg, 4.5rpg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 85.7%
Let's wait for other americans. It is also to highlight the great staff that has Barreirense. We also expect at any time by posting new players who may surprise even more.

Whats Up Coach? - by Hugo Carvalho
Whats Up Coach?

By Coach Joao Costa

The coaches today are more about scouting talent instead of teaching. The players have the responsibility of winning games but often they are weak in defense. Most players have an abstract view of what defense is and when they are not doing it right the coach is screaming on the sideline.

What I have discovered as I conduct coaching clinics around the World is that coaches need to pay attention to their coaching fundamentals. Defense is my most popular clinic for coaches because I force them to start at the beginning. Defense is an essential coaching fundamental that any coach must be proficient in teaching.

It is critical to start your defense with one-on-one drills and progress slowly after the concepts are learned. Players have the big picture about how its suppose to work but they dont understand why they are doing it. It can take up to 20 drills, or more, to explain the fundamentals of One-on-one defense before you can move to two-on-two.

So how do you teach in a progression? You want to start with a solid foundation and build on prior knowledge; take it step by step. Always start on one-on-one, then 'progress' to two-on-two, then three-on-three, four-on-four, and finally five-on-five. The point is, dont jump around. If you can not break your defense down from one-on-one all the way to five-on-five, then you dont understand your own system enough to teach it. If a coach does not have a system, they should study and develop their fundamentals and get educated on how to create their own defense and how to break it down and teach it step by step.

Teaching in a progression will help you organize your practices by forcing you to create drills in secession and solidifying your knowledge of defense. Also, if you have problems mid-season you can go back and re-run the drills for a particular area and discover where the breakdown is. The goal is to break your system into teachable chunks which fit nicely into your practice, focus on maximizing the amount of repetitions the players get and minimizing the amount of standing around.

Coaches need to create a defense plan and have their players execute it. The key to any good plan is in how it is communicated. To me, that is really the essence of coaching, is being able to communicate and teach your players, BUT first you must have the fundamentals to create a plan that is worth communicating.

Dont forget, we coaches, can not play the game for our players, but we owe it to our players to send them out to play with as much solid knowledge as we can teach them. Dont be shy, dont be lazy keep your coaching fundamentals strong and never stop learning.

More about Coach Joao Costa go to: http://www.jcbasketballhoops.com



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


Angel Garcia joins Granada - by Eurobasket News
Just two days after he left Germany, Angel Garcia (209-C/F-88, college: Memphis) joined a new club. The Puerto PF/C will play for Granada in LEB Gold. It will be a one-year loan from Unicaja. Angel Garcia spent last season also on loan. He was a member of Clinicas Rincon. For 19 LEB Gold games he had 14.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Angel Garcia spent two years with the University of Memphis in the past. However, he appeared just 12 times for them in total. He had 6.8 ppg and 1.2 rpg. In the past, Garcia played for the Puerto Rican team Jayuya. Angel Garcia was a member of Puerto Rico NT in 2010. He played for their U21, U19 and U18 National Teams earlier.

Angel Alamo joins Atenas de Cordoba - by Eric de la Cruz
After some years of training, developing and rehabilitating, the hard work finally pays off. If making the Mens Senior National Team, against all odds, wasnt enough, Angel Alamo (206-F/C-85) has just signed a deal to become the newest foreigner of Atenas de Cordoba in the Argentinian League. Alamo, who has been for the past couple of years one of the best bench players of the BSN, has credited Quebradillas Pirates assistant coach Jerome Mincy (203-F-64, college: UAB) in helping him develop and refine his all around game. The 26 year old forward, who will be replacing Elton Tyler (205-F/C-79, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL), will miss the first 2 games of the season.

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


Jolly JBS hands 85-76 loss to Spartak Primorie - by Eurobasket News
Jolly JBS - Spartak Primorie 85-76

Jolly JBS and Spartak Primorie met in a friendly game yesterday. The Croatian squad was better celebrating 85-76 win. It is their first win this pre-season. First half was totally leveled and neither of two teams was able to make a bigger lead. Jolly JBS shined after the breather and third quarter turned to be the crucial one in this game. Jolly made 12-1 series during the period and later they went to the last ten minutes with plus 12, 58-76. Spartak came to minus six twice in the last quarter, but that was all. Ronald Ross (188-G-83, college: Texas Tech) top-scored for the winners with 24 points. Ivo Josipovic (205-F-75, agency: Court Side) also was great adding two points less. Mate Mrva (195-F-83) was the last one with double-digits with 10 pts. On the other side, Konstantin Nesterov (205-F/C-81, college: VCU) delivered 22 points and Nicholson stopped to 13.

Jolly JBS: Ronald Ross 24, Ivo Josipovic 22, Mate Mrva 10
Spartak Primorie: Konstantin Nesterov 22, Nicholson 13

*****************************************************
  SAINT KITTS   


Standings - Men
Premier Division Standings
 1. Fig Tree 0-0 
 2. Ghaut Bucks 0-0 
 3. Ghetto Roots 0-0 
 4. Hitters 0-0 
 5. Rebels 0-0 
 6. Rootsie 0-0 
 7. Tuff Knots 0-0 
 8. Village Tickers 0-0 


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


Pesic comment on German NT rumors: It's too early to discuss such matter - by Maria Mitzova
Crvena Zvezda Beograd head coach Svetislav Pesic (agency: Interperformances ) neither confirmed, nor denied the rumors on taking the vacant German National team coaching position. His name appeared in the Serbian press as the main option for Germany, but looks confident in his will to keep up with Crvena Zvezda Beograd for now.
'I am always a candidate! Wherever there is a vacant position, I am always there as a candidate, according to press', commented Pesic.
'It's too early to talk about such things. We are now starting to build a completely new system in Crvena Zvezda Beograd. I have a contract for two seasons and I want to give my best here, to help this club. I don't want to comment more on that matter, it's just filling the papers. I have to give it a lot of thought, and then maybe I will have another statement', added Serbian legend.

Svetislav Pesic is in Bulgaria, where his team is competing in pre-season tournament in Samokov, from 21-23 September, vs Keravnos, Lukoil Akademic and Rilski sportist.


Partizan signs prospect Danilo Andjusic - by Eurobasket News
Danilo Andjusic (197-G-91, agency: Beo Basket) is a new member of the Serbian powerhouse Partizan. The 20-year-old guard officially signed a deal today. Andjusic heads to Partizan from Hemofarm Stada, where he spent last season. He appeared 18 times in Serbian league for them averaging 6.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists. His numbers in Adriatic league and EuroCup were little bit lower. Before Hemofarm, where he arrived in March of 2010, Andjusic played for Mega Vizura, Vojvodina and Hemofarm juniors. Danilo Andjusic played for the Serbian U20 NT this summer at the European Championships U20 in Bilbao. He had 13 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 1.8 apg in 9 games. In 2009, Andjusic won the Gold with U18 Serbia at the U18 EuroBasket in Metz. He averaged 13 points and 2.1 rebounds at this even. In 2007, Danilo Andjusic won the Gold in Rethimno with U16 Serbia.

Aleksandar Rasic to miss a month - by Eurobasket News
Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) will miss a month due to injury (ruptured pelvic bone). The Lietuvos Rytas player got injured during the EuroBasket in Lithuania. Rasic will miss Euroleague qualifications, which start in less than ten days. Aleksandar Rasic appeared six times for Serbia at EuroBasket averaging 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds. He missed almost the entire second stage, Quarterfinals and classification games. Rasic finished last season with Lietuvos Rytas. He joined them in March from Trabzon. In 11 Lithuanian league games he registered 5.3 ppg, 2 rpg and 4.8 apg. With Trabzon Rasic had 9.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 5.3 apg for 23 games in TBL. Aleksandar Rasic played for Partizan Belgrade from 2008 to 2010. He won two Serbian and Adriatic league titles with them. They also celebrated in Serbian Cup twice. In 2010, Rasic helped Partizan to reach Euroleague Final Four.

Crvena Zvezda beats Cherno More in a friendly - by Eurobasket News
Cherno More - Crvena zvezda 78-95

Crvena Zvezda and Cherno More met in a friendly game yesterday. Bulgarians were the hosts of this meeting, but Crvena Zvezda won it 78-95. New member of Crvena Zvezda Adam Morrison (203-F-84, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) was the leading player in victory. Former NBAer delivered 20 points. Petar Popovic (211-C-79) had 13 points, while Aleksandar Cvetkovic (185-PG-93) and Nemanja Nedovic (192-PG-91, agency: Beo Basket) helped with 11 and 10 points respectively. In the loosing squad, Yanev was better than the others with 18 points. Vasil Kyosev (195-G-90) scored 16 and Nikolay Kolev (204-F/C-88) stopped to 11 pts. Second quarter was the crucial one in this game. Before that visitors made minimum lead in the first ten minutes (24-25), but they exploded in Q2 (14-26) and jumped to plus 13 at the HT. Cherno More was not able to reply for rest of the game and faced with 17-point home loss at the end.

Cherno More: Yanev 18, Vasil Kyosev 16, Nikolay Kolev 11
Crvena zvezda: Adam Morrison 20, Petar Popovic 13, Aleksandar Cvetkovic 11, Nemanja Nedovic 10

*****************************************************
  SLOVAKIA   


Perrins pro career starts at BK Vahostav-SK Zilina - by Eurobasket
BK Vahostav-SK Zilina added to their roster American forward Spencer Perrin (195-F). in the U.S. Perrin has just graduated from Eastern Kentucky University (NCAA) and it will be his first season in pro basketball. While playing 30 games for E.Kentucky last season he averaged 13.3ppg, 5.5rpg and 2.1apg.


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


2011 Asian Championship: Iran stay perfect with victory over South Korea - by Eurobasket News
Iran - South Korea 79:62

Iran registered the sixth straight win at the Asian Championship. They outscored South Korea to enter the quarterfinal stage undefeated. Hamed Haddadi (218-C-85) scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace Iran. They will now take on Jordan in the playoffs. South Korea suffered the first defeat at the tournament and would now face Japan in quarterfinal.
Iran stormed into the game. They outscored South Korea 23:13 in the starting quarter. Iran maintained the lead well enough throughout the second term. They posted a 42:30 halftime lead. Iran boosted the margin to 17 points midway through the third term. But South Korea refused to surrender cutting the gap to 10 points at the final break. But Iran opened the final stanza on a 9:3 run and never looked back en route to the victory. Mahdi Kamrani (186-PG-82) posted 15 points, while Arsalan Kazemi (199-F-90) added 11 points for Iran. Lee Jung-Suk (183-G-82) and Yang Dong-Geun (181-G-81) responded with 14 points each for South Korea.

Iran: Hamed Haddadi 17+11 boards, Mahdi Kamrani 15, Arsalan Kazemi 11
South Korea: Lee Jung-Suk 14, Yang Dong-Geun 14


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


Navarra inks short term deal with Kimmani Barrett - by Eurobasket News
Kimmani Barrett (198-F-87, agency: Dynamics Global Management, college: La Salle) joined Grupo Iruna Navarra to a short term deal (2 months). The Jamaican/American forward will replace injured Mekongo. Barrett heads to Navarra from the German team VfB 1900 Giessen Pointers, where he spent last season. He appeared 21 times in ProB averaging 17.3 points, 8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Kimmani Barrett was named Eurobasket.com All-German 2. Bundesliga Pro B 2nd Team -11. It was his first season as a pro. Kimmani Barrett is a product of the La Salle University, where he graduated a year ago. He had 13.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for his school as a senior. Barrett played 16 games that season. In 2008/09, he averaged 11.8 points and 5 rebounds for 31 games.

Valladolid gets bigger with Dalibor Bagaric - by Eurobasket News
Valladolid reinforced its roster under the basket. The team signed a one-year deal with center Dalibor Bagaric (217-C-80, agency: INVICTUS Sports Group). The experienced Croatian finished last season with Marousi. He had 12.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.9 bpg for 23 games in Greek league. He was awarded with Eurobasket.com Greek A1 League All-Bosmans Team -11. Bagaric started last season with Dubrava Zagreb. He averaged 13.6 points and 11.6 rebounds in five games, after what he left for Greece. In 2009/10, Dalibor Bagaric played for Cibona. He helped them win the Croatian league title and also to reach the Adriatic league Finals. Before Cibona, Bagaric played for GMAC Bologna, Girona, Climamio and Olympiacos. He also has experience from the Chicago Bulls.

Caja Laboral confirms signing of Kevin Seraphin - by Eurobasket News
As we announced last weekend, Kevin Seraphin (205-F/C-89) will continue his career in Spain. Caja Laboral confirmed his signing until the end of the NBA lock-out. Seraphin won the Silver with French NT at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. He appeared 9 times at this event averaging 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds. Kevin Seraphin played for the Washington Wizards last season. He had 2.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg for 57 games. It was his rookie NBA season. Seraphin penned a four-year deal with the Wizards last summer. He was 17th overall pick at the 2010 NBA Draft. Kevin Seraphin is a product of Cholet. In 2009, he paced U20 France to Silver at the European Championships U20 in Rhodos. Seraphin was named Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U20 Best Center -09. In 2010, he was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-French ProA Most Improved Player of the Year -10 and Cholet won the title. Before Kevin Seraphin, the Vitoria team returned experienced PG Pabli Prigioni.

Real Madrid officially signs Rudy Fernandez - by Eurobasket News
Rudy Fernandez (197-G-85) officially became a new member of Real Madrid. He will return to Dallas Mavericks at the end of the NBA lockout, but Real Madrid holds his rights if he returns to Europe again. Fernandez helped Spain to win the Gold in Lithuania few days ago. He had 8.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3 apg for 11 games. Rudy Fernandez also won the Gold at EuroBasket 2009 with Spain and another Gold at the World Championships 2006 in Japan. At EuroBasket 2007 and Olympic Games in Beijing Fernandez and his Spain took the Silver. Rudy Fernandez averaged 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Portland Trail Blazers last season (84 games). They traded him to Dallas Mavericks later. Fernandez moved overseas in 2008. In Spain, he played for Joventut Badalona.

Angel Garcia joins Granada - by Eurobasket News
Just two days after he left Germany, Angel Garcia (209-C/F-88, college: Memphis) joined a new club. The Puerto PF/C will play for Granada in LEB Gold. It will be a one-year loan from Unicaja. Angel Garcia spent last season also on loan. He was a member of Clinicas Rincon. For 19 LEB Gold games he had 14.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Angel Garcia spent two years with the University of Memphis in the past. However, he appeared just 12 times for them in total. He had 6.8 ppg and 1.2 rpg. In the past, Garcia played for the Puerto Rican team Jayuya. Angel Garcia was a member of Puerto Rico NT in 2010. He played for their U21, U19 and U18 National Teams earlier.

*****************************************************
  SWEDEN   


Norrkoping Dolphins comes back from Czech Republic - by Eurobasket News
Norrkoping Dolphins comes back from Czech Republic where they participated at the International Tournament.
In Game 1 Decin grabbed 60:57 over Norrkoping Dolphins. The Swedish side started with 22-15 but could not upset the hosts. They managed to win the half 38:33 as they limited the guests only to 11 points in the second period. The board showed 61:52 after three quarters, while Decin was satisfied with 5-point victory.
Anwil Wloclawek finished the tournament on the third place after the initial win over Norrkoping Dolphins. The Polish team celebrated 83:78 in the last day of the competition. They started with 22-16 but lost the second frame 12-24. The second half belonged to Anwil that won the third frame 24-23 and then finished with 25-15 in the last quarter. Edwards stepped up with 26 points for the winners and Dardan Berisha (192-G-88, agency: Global Sports Plaza) scored 21. Louis Hinnant (193-PG-84, college: Boston Coll.) delivered 15, while Allen notched 10. The Dolphins got 17 points from Mitchell and Anton Saks (200-G-89, agency: Lanshire Group) scored 15. Sylvester Seay (208-F-85, agency: Edge Sports, college: Fresno St.) followed them with 12 points in the losing effort.
In the last game Rudupis Prienai beat Norrkoping Dolphins 104:74.


*****************************************************
  SYRIA   


2011 Asian Championship: Philippines gain confidence in Wuhan, edge Syria - by Eurobasket News
Philippines - Syria 75:52

Philippines recorded the third straight win at the Second Stage of Asian Championship. They overcame Syria to enter the quarterfinal stage from the second position in Group F. Philippines will now take on Taiwan in the playoffs. Syria slipped at 1-4 record and would play in the classification round for 9th-12th place.
Philippines looked slightly better in the opening frame. They eked out a 14:11 lead after ten minutes. But Syria turned things upside down in the second frame. Goran Miljevic team surged ahead for a 32:23 halftime lead. They maintained the lead for some time in the third term before Philippines pulled their noses back in front. Philippines registered a 49:45 lead with ten minutes to go. They opened the fourth term on a 15:0 run to clear off for good in this one. Marcus Douthit (210-C/F-80, agency: Edge Sports, college: Providence) stepped up with 20 points for Philippines. Christopher Tiu (178-PG-85) and Ranidel deOcampo (194-F-81) added 8 points each in the win. AbAbd Al Wahab Hamowi (217-C-90) responded with 11 points for Syria. Eder Arjo Gorges (212-C/F-81, college: Walsh, OH) provided 9 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Philippines: Marcus Douthit 20, Christopher Tiu 8, Ranidel deOcampo 8
Syria: Abd Al Wahab Hamowi 11, Eder Arjo Gorges 9


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


2011 Asian Championship: Taiwan fire past Malaysia in Wuhan - by Eurobasket News
Taiwan - Malaysia 109:62

Taiwan posted yet another win at the Asian Championship. They drubbed Malaysia to improve at 3-2 record in Group E. Tsung-Hsien Chang (192-G-88) came up with 25 points to lead the effort. Taiwan occupied the third spot in the group advancing into quarterfinals. Malaysia on the other hand fell at 1-4 record and came short of reaching the playoffs.
Taiwan scored 24 points in the opening frame taking a 6-point lead after ten minutes. Taiwan stayed hot offensively as they unloaded 27 points in the second period piling up a 15-point halftime lead. The third term became decisive in this one. Taiwan outscored their opponents 30:11 to clear off for good. Lin Chih-Chieh (192-F/G-82) posted 21 points for the winners. Chien Chia-Hung (197-F-87) added 16 points for Taiwan. Batumalai Guganeswaran (182-G-82) answered with 15 points, 4 boards and 4 assists for Malaysia. Li Wei Chee (189-F-85) netted 13 points in defeat.

Taiwan: Tsung-Hsien Chang 25, Lin Chih-Chieh 21, Chien Chia-Hung 16
Malaysia: Batumalai Guganeswaran 15, Li Wei Chee 13


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


Kepez signs Volkan Incekara - by Eurobasket News
Volkan Incekara (192-G-90) is a new member of Kepez. The young Turkish guard penned a deal for the next season. Incekara spent the last one with Basaksehir. They competed in TB2L, where Incekara averaged 5.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists for 22 games. Before Basakehir, he spent two years with Trabzon. However, Incekara had limited playing time with them. In the past, he also was a member of Alpella and Ulker. Volkan Incekara played for U20 Turkish NT a year ago. Earlier he played for U18 and U16 National Teams. In 2010, Incekara won TB2L title with Trabzon.

Besiktas agrees with C Semih Erden? - by Eurobasket News
According to various sources, Besiktas agreed a deal with Semih Erden (211-C-87) until the end of the NBA lock-out. Reportedly, they will sign the contract during the week. Erden finished last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He joined them in February averaging 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in four games. His NBA journey started with the Boston Celtics, where Erden had 4.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg for 37 games. From 2005 until the last summer Semih Erden played for Fenerbahce Ulker. He helped them win three TBL titles and one Turkish Cup. In their last season together Erden averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 42 TBL games. He also added 6.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg for 10 games in Euroleague. Semih Erden won the Silver with Turkish NT at the World Championship last summer. At this event he had 9.1 ppg and 4.6 rpg for 9 games.

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


Budivelnyk celebrates in France - by Eurobasket News
Budivelnyk played a friendly game in France yesterday. The reigning Ukrainian champion cruised past UJAP Quimper 65-80. The game was played in Quimper. Andrei Malysh (204-C/F-83) top-scored for Budivelnyk with 19 points. Jack McClinton (185-G-85, college: Miami, FL) also was great adding two points less. Denys Lukashov (190-G-89), Dmytro Zabirchenko (192-G-84) and Michailis Anisimovas (214-C-84) helped Ukrainians with 8 points each. PAELAY Pele delivered 13 points in loss. Quarters: 25-22, 13-17, 13-24, 14-17.
Last weekend, Budivelnyk outplayed Limoges 83-77 to take third place at the tournament in French city Brest. Jack McClinton was the leading player in victory with 20 points. Zach Morley and Sehovic followed him with 15 and 14 points respectively. In the loosing squad, Gomis delivered 23 pts. Quarters - 14:20, 23:22, 27:21, 19:14.
In the first game Budivelnyk faced with 70-81 loss against Le Mans. Joao Paulo Batista up for the French team with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Jack McClinton top-scored in Budivelnyk with 18 points. Zach Morley had 12 and Travon Bryant netted 10 pts. Quarters - 22:22, 19:20, 16:18, 13:21.

Azovmash signs PG Joseph Crispin - by Eurobasket News
Azovmash announced signing of Joseph Crispin (186-PG-79, college: Penn St.) for the next season. The experienced point guard heads to the former Ukrainian champions from Montepaschi Siena, where he spent last few weeks. He was helping the team during the pre-season and shined in couple of friendly games. Crispin spent last season with Italian LegaDue team Sigma Barcellona. He appeared 31 times in the league averaging 19.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals. Crispin finished as third best scorer and second assistant of the competition. He was named Eurobasket.com Italian Lega2 All-Imports Team -11 and also Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 2nd Team -11. In 2009/10, Joseph Crispin helped Enel Brindisi to win Lega2 title and at the same time promotion for SerieA. In the past, he played for Banvit, CAI Zaragoza, Teramo and Anwil. He also spent some time with NBA teams Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.

Vernon Goodridge heads to BC Kyiv - by Eurobasket News
BC Kyiv added depth to their frontcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Vernon Goodridge (206-F-84, college: La Salle). The forward spent the last season in D-League. He started it playing for the Springfield Armor. Vernon Goodridge posted 9.0 points, 5.4 boards and 1.0 block per game. In February the forward moved to the Maine Red Claws. His stats read 3.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per appearance. Vernon Goodridge graduated from La Salle back in 2009. The forward inked his first pro contract in Dominican Republic. He participated at Eurobasket Summer League in Las Vegas.


Wayne Wallace joins Politekhnika-Halychyna - by Eurobasket News
Politekhnika-Halychyna bolstered their roster. They added Wayne Wallace (206-C/F-80, college: Virginia Union) to the squad. The centre spent the last season in Israel. He started the season in Maccabi Ashdod. Wayne Wallace posted 9.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. In March the centre moved to Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion. Wayne Wallace is not new to Ukraine. He played for BC Odessa in 2008/10 seasons. The centre notched 8.0 points, 7.2 boards and 2.0 blocks per game in 2008/09 season but had to miss the bigger part of the next season because of the injury. Wayne Wallace also had stints in Belgium, WBA, Israel and Poland. Eurobasket.com named him All-Ukrainian UBL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.
Politekhnika-Halychyna also parted ways with Muhammad El-Amin (196-G/F-87, college: Stony Brook).


*****************************************************
  UNITED ARAB EMIRATES   


2011 Asian Championship: Jordan dispatch UAE to enter quarterfinals - by Eurobasket News
Jordan - UAE 94:80

Jordan made it into Asian Championship quarterfinals. They overcame UAE tonight to clinch the fourth position in Group F. Jordan will now take on undefeated Iran in the playoffs. UAE fell at 0-5 record in the group.
Jordan went on a scoring spree in the opening frame. They unleashed 40 points to build a 20-point lead. UAE stopped the rot in the second term. The teams traded baskets as UAE trailed by 19 points at the interval 38:57. Jordan boosted their lead in the third term. Tab Baldwin team scored 25 points to ensure an 82:58 advantage with one quarter remaining. UAE outscored Jordan 22:12 in the final frame but it did not change the outcome as Tab Baldwin team marched to the win. Daghles Osama (198-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) posted 20 points and 9 assists for Jordan. Rasheim Wright (192-G-81, college: District of Col.) added 16 points in the winning effort. Ibrahim Ahmad (179-G-79) answered with 28 points for UAE. Khalil Salem (178-G-91) netted 23 points in the loss.

Jordan: Daghles Osama 20, Rasheim Wright 16, Abbas Zaid (203-F-83) 13, Abdallah AbuQoura (203-C-84) 13
UAE: Ibrahim Ahmad 28, Khalil Salem 23


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  UNITED KINGDOM   


Nilsen : Meeting Ryan Read - by Paul Nilsen
When you're Californian and have played in Cyprus and Spain, a lack of sunshine in the UK is an understandable gripe.



Still, if Ryan Read (190-G-84, agency: Duran International, college: Concordia Irvine) thinks tanning in Plymouth is difficult, he at least escaped Newcastle or Glasgow.



When he plumped for a season in the BBL with the Raiders, it came with something of a recommendation from both a friend and namesake who just left the league for pastures new.



'I have many friends playing around the world and one played last year for Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in Ryan Zamroz,' explains Read.



'He said he liked it in the UK and I will have a good experience here. I understand the BBL is a mini-NBA from the standpoint of having very athletic players, with an up and down, fast paced game.



'I have never been here before, but so far I like it! The people are very nice, the food is good, but the weather is bad to me. I'm from California and need more sunshine!'



Read has certainly followed the sunshine so far in his career after playing in the Cypriot league during his rookie year in Europe and then following that up by spending last season in the third tier of Spanish basketball with Adreilu Santurtzi.



'Cyprus was a country that was very beautiful. Nice weather, English speaking, good food, and nice beaches. But the team I was on did not treat me well and make my first job as a pro player easy at all.



'I did not play much either because the coach did not believe in playing rookies. It was a very difficult year for me but I learned a lot.

'Spain was really great for me. I got to see another beautiful country as well as learn a foreign language. The team I was on was good to me. We had good talent but we struggled to bond as a team.



'The basketball there is very controlled and they really cater to their Spanish players. It was good for me to play in that league and experience Spanish basketball.'



Ryan Zamroz isn't the only player that Read knows in the pro-game, there are many more out there and it's hard not to chuckle the about the most famous as he keeps the theme of warmth running through the interview.



'I have countless others playing in Spain, France, Sweden - the list goes on. Also, one of my best friends is Jared Dudley who plays for the Phoenix Suns!'

If there are two other themes when it comes to the guard, it's most definitely both family and his faith.



'My passion is following God. God has always been there for me and has blessed me so much, allowing me to travel and play the game I love. I love my family, they are my best friends, and support me through everything.



'My family is everything to me. I have a big Italian family who all live in San Diego. I started playing ball at the age of 8 years old and won 2 State Championships in High School which led me into my College career.'



Read certainly had an interesting career in the NCAA, so much so that he even had a rule change named after him!



'After High School, I attended The Masters College. I started as a freshman and averaged about 10 points per game. My year was hard, being away from home for the first time and having a coach who coached very differently to what I had experienced previously.



'That summer, I really worked on my game and during my Sophomore year, I averaged 18 points per game. I led the Conference in scoring and made All American Honours. After that year, I had Division One offers, but I decided to stay loyal to my school.



'The year after, during my Junior year, I averaged about 20 points per game and again made All American Honours. After this year, a very hard decision awaited me. My coach had got fired, and I was very upset.



'I decided to leave the school and attend a rival school. This decision would prove to be one of the best of my life, even though at first it did not seem like it. After I signed with my new school Concordia University, a decision was made by the league that I could not play and I would have to red-shirt.



'This rule was made by Concordia's rival coach, who was also the Head of the League. This rule had never been in effect until I had wanted to switch schools. So, it was dubbed the 'Ryan Read (190-G-84, agency: Duran International, college: Concordia Irvine)' rule!'



He added, 'The red-shirt year was very hard for me, but the year after, I averaged 17 points per game and our team was ranked top 3 in the country!'



So, what can fans of UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders expect from the player this season?



'Well, as everyone knows, I'm a shooter. That has been my strength since I was young. I have the ability to knock down shots and especially the three-pointer.



'This year with the line being moved back, I think I will be an important part of the team to help spread the floor. My defence has always been good, but I plan on improving that as well!'



Perhaps this year he will have the opportunity to find even more time to do so with sun-bathing and the beach firmly off the menu.

New Page For Jets - by Paul Nilsen
Cheshire Jets are delighted to announce that they have signed 24 year old Keith Page (87), a 6'3' Manchester-born guard, for the forthcoming BBL season. Page successfully represented Manchester Magic in EBL1 last season, averaging 17 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists per game and shooting 44% from the field.



Keith was born and brought up in Manchester and was part of the successful Magic programme at the Amaechi Basketball Centre for many years - playing in the England International team at U14 and U16. In 2005 he crossed to the USA to further his basketball education, where he played for a year with Blair Academy, before joining Ursinus College Bears who play in NCAA Division 3, between 2006 - 10.



Coach John Lavery is delighted to be welcoming Keith on board. 'Keith had a great season last year with Manchester Magic, and I have no doubt he will make the move of stepping up to the BBL with confidence as he is a very smart and intelligent basketball player. We are very pleased to have him on board for the coming season and look forward to him contributing on both ends of the floor.'



He added, 'The particular strengths of Keith's game are his energy and work ethic, both on offence and defense as well as the practice floor. His passing ability is a strong point as well as his ability to score by making jump shots and attacking the rim.'



Keith was no less delighted to be joining the Jets. 'I've lived in the North West my whole life and came up through the Manchester Magic youth programme before going to the USA, so signing for the Jets just seems like taking that natural next step and playing my first season in the BBL. My personal targets are just to try and work hard, and to improve as much as I can and do my best, contributing to the team effort.'



Keith certainly comes from good quality basketball stock. His elder sister, Julie also plays pro ball and is part of the GB women's team.



Keith will join up with the rest of Jets' roster in the near future, as they start the build-up to the season with a triangular tournament in Plymouth, involving the Jets, the Raiders and top Swedish outfit Sodertalje Kings on 25th September.

Pre Season Focus - Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders - by Paul Nilsen
As the new BBL season approaches, Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders coach Rob Paternostro has been a busy man writes Dave Ryan.

Now in his fourth year in the job, Paternostro will look to build on a 2010/11 season which saw the Riders finish eighth in the BBL Championship and reach the BBL Trophy semi-final.

Paternostro has returned a core of last year's side with big men Barry Lamble (208-C-83) and Tom Sherlock re-signing with the Leicester side along with veteran Robert Youngblood who returns for what looks likely to be his final season in the top flight. The 41-year-old forward joined Leicester for a second spell in November of last season, after being released from Milton Keynes, and his steady play helped Riders to a playoff spot. Youngblood averaged nearly 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, and is
currently seventh in the all-time BBL scoring list and sixth in all-time rebounds.

Also returning is 6'9' centre Frank Holmes who joined the Riders at the end of March. The big man did a solid job for Leicester, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds a game. Holmes joined from Inter Brataslavia in the Slovakian League, averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds a game. He joined Prestige Homes Milton Keynes Lions in the 2009/10 season, after graduating from the University of Alabama, and averaged 14 points and eight boards a game with the Lions.

Another familiar face at the John Sandford Sports Centre will be New York native Bradd Wierzbicki who returns after a season in Spain with La Coruna. Shooting guard Wierzbicki first joined the Riders in 2008 and two successful years with the club.

A player who is also likely to be familiar to the Riders' faithful is British forward Jamell Anderson who joins from Essex Pirates, having played against his new team six times last season. He will be attending the highly rated Loughborough University and Loughborough College Basketball Programme and will look to build on a solid 2010/11 campaign where he was a regular starter for the now defunct Southend side.

There's also some new faces on show for the Riders. Small forward Ayron Hardy joins the midlands side after a stellar career with Jacksonville University. The 6'5' Alabama-born player helped transform a struggling programme with some great performance at both ends of the floor as they recorded back-to-back 20 win seasons.

While point guard J.R Blount has moved on to pastures new, Paternostro wasn't slow to recruit former Wofford College point guard, Cameron Rundles. Rundles averaged 14 points, 2.5 assists and just over a steal a game, helping Wofford to a 21-13 record and a second straight NCAA tournament appearance in his final year. Rundles originally went to the University of Montana where he played for two years alongside an ex-Rider Matt Martin, and was Rookie of the Year in their Conference in his first year there, before transferring to Wofford for his final two years.

Paternostro also added guard John Griffin to his roster, but a thumb injury looks set to keep him out of action for the first couple of months of the season, and the Riders' coach is likely to sign a replacement.

One man missing from the court for the Riders this season will be big man LaTaryl Williams who had surgery following a season ending injury in Riders away game at Milton Keynes on March 27. However, while he still isn't ready to resume his playing career, the former Riders captain has been names as an assistant coach working alongside Phil Gleadell.



Pre-Season Focus - UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders - by Paul Nilsen
It's a mixture of old at new at Plymouth Pavilions as the UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders look forward to the 2011/12 BBL season writes Dave Ryan.

After a successful first season in the Raiders hot-seat, coach Gavin Love has put together a side he hopes will improve on last season's fifth place finish in the BBL Championship table. Love made several early season changes to his roster last year, and the West Country side showed a steady improvement throughout the season.


Love will look to start the season stronger this year, and has brought back several of last season's squad to provide a backbone for the side. 6'7' forward Lehmon Colbert Jr was the first player to re-sign for Love's team after a good rookie season in the BBL last year. He averaged 15 points and just under seven rebounds per game, while handing out over three assists. He shot an impressive 60% from the floor and 32% from the three point line, demonstrating his versatility.

Team captain Anthony Rowe (203-F-85, college: N.Georgia) also returns to Raiders after Love fought off competition for the 6'8' forward. Rowe averaged 16.6 points per game last season along with 8.9 rebounds, while shooting a very healthy 55% from the field. Plymouth-born Rowe came through the Raiders junior development system, joining the club when he was 13, and went to college at North Georgia State College in the States before returning to Plymouth in 2009.



Anthony MartinFan favourite Anthony Martin also returns to the team for a fourth season with the Raiders. He spent most of last season with Aabyhoj in Denmark, but returned to the Raiders for the final few games of the season to cover for Jermaine Forbes who was suffering with heart problems. In Denmarkhe averaged 10.5 points, 4.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He returned to Plymouth for the final 8 games of the season, averaging 5 points in limited court time.



While he's a new face at The Pavilions, Raiders fans will be familiar with 6'10' American centre Paul Williams and Love captured the signing of the big man from BBL rivals One Health Sharks Sheffield. Williams posted impressive an impressive 13.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game to help Sharks to the BBL Cup success, third place in the Championship table and a place in the play-off final. He was a regular feature in the BBL's Team of the Week, and brings with him experience from St Bonaventure University and Tarragona in Spain's LEB Silver. Another player to move to Plymouth from a BBL rival is seven foot tall Lithuanian centre Tomas Janusauskas who joins from Guildford Heat having also played for London Capital in the top flight.



There are some new players for Raiders fans to get excited about, and they will be hoping that point guard Ben Smith will be able to again form a partnership with Colbert. The pair played together at the University of Jacksonville for four years, and Smith graduated having averaged 19.8 points per game. They formed the most potent scoring duo inJacksonville history, scoring more than 3400 combined points. After graduating, Smith moved to Uppsala inSweden, where he finished fourth in the league in scoring (18.8ppg), fifth in assists (4.4apg) and fourth in steals (1.8spg). Smith made the All Atlantic Sun First Team in each of his final three years at college, and graduated from Jacksonville as the university's all time leader in assists, steals, free throws made, games played and minutes played. As well as being the third highest scorer in their history.



Belgian guard/forward Sebastien Maio will provide some backcourt competition for Smith and Colbert , having played teams in Pro B in France and Germany's Pro A league, Real Madrid's 2nd team in Spain's LEB Silver, BBC Monthey in Switzerland and Basketbol Brno in the Czech Republic last year. Love has also added American/Italian shooting guard Ryan Read, and the 27-year-old is an excellent shooter of the ball, averaging 35% from the 3 point line in Spain's LEB Silver league last year, where he also averaged 11.3 points per game for Adreilu Santurtzi.



The Patriot League is one of the lower profile conferences in American university basketball, but it did produce Hall of Fame NBA player David Robinson, and Raiders will hope they've unearthed a gem in 6'5' guard/forward Michael Ojo. The American/British duel national graduated from Lehigh having averaged 11 points and four rebounds per game in 2010/11, while averaging 40% from downtown and 77.5% from the free throw line. Last year, he was one of the team's co-captains and established himself a reputation for being a tough defensive player, and one of the best shooters in the Patriot League.

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  URUGUAY   


LUB announced the two first rounds - by Hector Lopez
The Uruguayan League anounced the two first rounds for the zone Capital. There are pending to decide the dates for the two other zones, Littoral and South.
1st round - Sept. 23
Aguada Trouville
Montevideo-Olimpia
Sept. 24
Cordon- Guruyu Waston
Larre Borges-Welcome
Union Atletica- Sayago
Bohemios-Cader
Defensor Sporting-Bigua
Hebraica Macabi-Cordon (Postponed)
2nd round - Sept 26
Union Atletica-Olimpia
Welcome-Montevideo
Guruyu Waston- Defensor Sp.
Sept 27
Trouville-Bigua
Larre Borges-Malvin
Sayago- Hebraica Macabi
Aguada-Cader
Cordon-Bohemios

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  UZBEKISTAN   


2011 Asian Championship: Lebanon outmuscle Uzbekistan to reach quarterfinals - by Eurobasket News
Lebanon - Uzbekistan 101:53

Lebanon fired past Uzbekistan on the final day of Second Round of action at 2011 Asian Championship. The victory propelled Lebanon to 2-3 record in Group E. They clinched the fourth position and advanced into quarterfinal stage. Samuel Hoskin (206-F/C-79, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: De Paul) stepped up with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the charge. Uzbekistan fell at 0-5 record in the ladder.
It was never easy for Lebanon in the opening frame. Uzbekistan jumped to an early lead and maintained it for some time. Lebanon managed to eke out a 24:22 lead after ten minutes. They opened the second period on a 16:2 run to clear off. Lebanon limited their opponents to just 4 points in the second quarter to pile up a 50:26 advantage at the interval. Lebanon enlarged the gap in the third term. They piled up a 40-point lead at the final intermission 75:35. Uzbekistan obviously never recovered and had to surrender at the end. Ghaleb Rida (192-G-81) posted 18 points, while Jean Abed El Nour (198-F/G-83) delivered 16 points in the victory. Vyacheslav Denisov (195-G-83) answered with 19 points for Uzbekistan. Samender Juginisov (202-F-87) netted 11 points in the loss.

Lebanon: Samuel Hoskin 18+11 boards, Ghaleb Rida 18, Jean Abed El Nour 16
Uzbekistan: Vyacheslav Denisov 19, Samender Juginisov 11


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  VTB UNITED LEAGUE   


Courtney Sims became the last addition for VEF Riga - by Eurobasket News
Sims Courtney (211-C-83, college: Michigan) became the last addition for VEF Riga for the upcoming season. The American Center arrived from China.
In 2010-2011he started for Iowa Energy (D-League, starting five) and in 42 games averaged 16.7ppg, Reb-5 (9.6rpg), 1.0apg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 56.2%, FT: 75.1%. In Mar.'11 moved to DongGuan New Century Leopards (China-CBA) and after 7 games had 19.0ppg, 8.9rpg, 3.1bpg, FGP: 53.8%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 81.3%.
Last season Sims Courtney started in CSKA Moscow. However he left Russia shortly after joining the Iowa Energy in D-League. In March the centre signed a deal with Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico. He tallied 9.0 points and 4.4 boards in BSN. In PBL his stats read 22.3 points, 14.7 boards and 2.0 blocks per appearance. Sims Courtney finished the previous season in Belgium. His stats read 8.2 points and 5.8 boards for Spirou Charleroi.




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Women News

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  AUSTRALIA - Women  


Megan Moody announces retirement from WNBL - by Eurobasket News
Veteran forward Megan Moody (188-G/F-83, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Tulsa) has announced her retirement from the WNBL prior to the start of the 2011/12 campaign.

Expected to return this year with the Bendigo Spirit, Moody has decided to step away from the game, citing a struggle to return to fitness after a string of injuries that sidelined her for all of last season.

From a personal opinion, I thought it was the best decision for the team going forward, Moody said.

Being that the WNBL is such a strong competition and how we finished last year for the Spirit, it wouldnt be fair for me to take up a spot when I wouldnt be able to compete at 100 percent.

The 188cm forward signed with the Spirit in 2010 but never took the court with the team after a knee injury and subsequent complications proved to be too difficult to overcome.

It just wasnt meant to be. Im disappointed but at the end of the day you have to do the best thing for the team.'

Moody joined the Bendigo Braves in the SEABL in the off-season in hopes of a return to form, playing 14 games while averaging 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds but still experienced pain and discomfort in her knee.

[Bernie and Kristi] were both extremely disappointed because I know they had big plans for me, but they respected my decision and respected me putting the team first.

What I learnt from Bernie from the other side of the game, from the coaching side, has been invaluable. To be able to practice alongside Kristi was fantastic.

Moody will remain in Bendigo and now focus on coaching where she will lead the Under-18 Braves girls before taking over as the head D-League Coach for the Lady Braves in the SEABL Developmental League.

I loved my time with the Spirit, Moody said. I love Bendigo; I dont see myself leaving Bendigo now. As much as I love playing, I really enjoy coaching.

Id love to be able to see how far I can get coaching and what sort of impact I can have on the lives of some of the younger kids coming through.

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

Rangers add Louella Tomlinson - by Eurobasket News
The Dandenong Jayco Rangers have signed exciting Australian young gun, Louella Tomlinson (193-F-88) for the 2011/2012 Womens National Basketball League season. Tomlinson, a 64 forward, joins the Jayco Rangers having completed a highly successful NCAA career at the well known St.Marys College and will provide a huge boost to Dandenongs front court rotation.

Originally a Melbourne Tigers junior representative, Tomlinson moved to the Australian Institute of Sport where she played in the WNBL between 2004-2007 and represented Australia at the 2005 Tunisia World Championships. Tomlinson was heavily recruited by a number of NCAA programs before she decided on attending St. Marys, a program that is fast being recognised for recruiting Australian athletes.

During her time at St. Marys, Tomlinson was named to the West Coast Conference First Team in three consecutive seasons, set a NCAA record of seven triple doubles and became the Gaels all-time leader in scoring.

Dandenong Coach, Mark Wright is excited about Tomlinsons decision to join the Jayco Rangers this season. Louella comes to the Rangers after a successful college career at St Marys University. Louella has a wonderful basketball pedigree, is a quality person and will be a great asset to Dandenong in many ways, she is known for her ability to block and change shots, is an excellent passer and has an astute knowledge of the game. We are pleased to have her at Dandenong.

Jayco Rangers fans will get their first opportunity to see Tomlinson in action this weekend, with Dandenong to play host to the Bendigo Spirit in two practice games this Sunday at Dandenong Stadium. The games tip off at 11.00am and 3.00pm.

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

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  CANADA - Women  


Senior Women Bounce back beat Puerto Rico - by John Gary
courtesy basketball.ca The Canadian senior womens team bounced back yesterday and beat Puerto Rico 61-56 to wrap up their exhibition schedule. The team will now head to Neiva Colombia to compete in the 2011 Fiba Americas championchip for women which starts on September 24th. 'Tonight was an exteremly hard fought game with both teams playing at a very high level as both teams head into the Olympic qualifier,'said head coach Allison McNeil.'It was a good game for us,we were strong defensively and hit some tough shots,'he continued.'There were some good performances from a lot of different people and it was great to see us play hard and that well.'

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  CZECH REPUBLIC - Women  


Standings - ZBL (W)
ZBL Standings
 1. Strakonice 1-0 
 2. USK Praha 1-0 
 3. Valosun Brno 1-0 
 4. Frisco Sika 0-0 
 5. Hradec Kralove 0-0 
 6. Karlin 0-0 
 7. Karlovy Vary 0-0 
 8. Trutnov 0-0 
 9. VS Praha 0-0 
 10. Pardubice 0-1 
 11. Slovanka MB 0-1 
 12. VSE Praha 0-1 


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  USBA - Women  


American Honda agrees to continue vendor and sponsor relationship with WUSBA - by USBA Media

Atlanta, Ga., (September 21, 2011) --- American Honda Motor Company, Inc., and the Women's United States Basketball Association (WUSBA), today agreed to continue a vendor and sponsorship relationship that will continue through July 2012. The agreement inks Honda as an official automotive supplier to the WUSBA.

'We have our choice of automotive companies, however after many decades of success in the automotive business, Honda is our choice, their association of the WUSBA is perfect,' said Duane Allen Jenkins WUSBA president. Internationally, Honda has been a long-time supporter of sports throughout the world and in the United States. 'This relationship between Honda and the WUSBA strengthens our connection with target consumers in the southeastern U.S. market, particularly families, sports fans and multicultural audiences. Additionally, the WUSBAs aggressive expansion plans closely align with Hondas current southern foot print of dealerships.' ' I have been doing business with Honda for over two decades, it's their customer service record that impresses me'.

As the official automotive supplier to the WUSBA, Honda will receive rights to all teams in all WUSBA cities. The agreement will deliver expanded exposure across the WUSBAs southern footprint for grassroots and regional radio audiences, allowing Honda the ability to continue to enhance consumer experiences around their passion for the sport of basketball. The agreement includes utilization of Hondas fleet of vehicles for WUSBA special events and league operations, player appearances, intellectual property, content generation platforms, regional arena exposure, on-site activation at all WUSBA local team basketball games and the culmination of Hondas entitlement of the WUSBA awards, including full season, the mid season WUSBA Classic All-Star game, the WUSBA Championship Playoff series and the Cora Lee Hunter Memorial Championship. In addition to developing new, unique regional programs in partnership with the WUSBA, Honda will also be a sponsor of existing WUSBA Youth Outreach initiatives including the WUSBA 2012 Season Ticket Extravaganza. 'The WUSBA is excited to partner with American Honda, a company that is synonymous with excellence and innovation,' said Jenkins. 'American Honda has made a long-term commitment to the sport of basketball in the Southeast United States and we look forward to working together as we both grow our business.'

American Honda will remain a part of the WUSBAs corporate family, which also includes other official suppliers, vendors and sponsors such as, Air Tran Airlines, Schwinn Bicycle, Russell Athletic, Outback Steak House, Golden Corral Buffet, Gatorade, Holiday Inn, Visa International and others.

The WUSBA inaugural season is scheduled to begin Wednesday April 11, 2012. The WUSBA will have teams, in four divisions, spread out over nine southern states.

American Honda was founded in 1948. The company is involved in the manufacture of automobiles, motorcycles as well as innovations in the aerospace industry. Hondas customer loyalty and customer satiation is legendary. Honda is the sixth largest automotive manufacture in the world and is the fourth largest in the United States.

Womens United States Basketball Association is a womens professional basketball league based in the United States and features many players from the U.S. and around the world. The 2012 regular season will commence on April 11, 2012 and will conclude June 30, 2012. The league has expansion plans that will continue to permit the league to develop additional teams within its American footprint.




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  WNBA - Women  


East and West Semis: Fever, Lynx and Mercury celebrate in third crucial games - by Eurobasket News
East
Indiana F. - New York L. 72-62
Katie Douglas (6'1''-G/F-79, college: Purdue) dominated her matchup with Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers). More than anything else, that was why the Indiana Fever clinched their Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 72-62 win over the New York Liberty on Monday. The Fever advanced to host Atlanta on Thursday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Douglas handled Pondexter on both ends of the floor. The Fever guard scored 21 points in Game 3, just under her average of 22 points in the series. She also helped hold Pondexter, one of the league's top scorers, to 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting. Pondexter shot 15-for-44 in the series. Indiana coach Lin Dunn praised Douglas' effort. 'She's had a super series,' Dunn said. 'She's attacking, she's scoring, she's defending. You have to give Katie a lot of credit, her assignment was Cappie. When she was in the game, she was on Cappie, and I think she did a really good job of bothering her. She's had a super playoffs.' Douglas' size and smarts were the key elements that forced the explosive Pondexter into numerous bad shots or prevented her from getting the ball at all. 'For me, it was just important watching a lot of film, knowing her tendencies, just getting into her and not letting her catch the ball, or if she catches the ball, make her catch it outside of her comfort zone,' Douglas said. 'My teammates were great as far as talking to me, letting me know about screens.' Pondexter had been a thorn in the Fever's side the past two years. She averaged 20.8 points in the 2009 WNBA finals and led Phoenix to a 3-2 win. She went to New York and averaged 27.3 points last year in the East semifinals against Indiana, a 2-1 win for the Liberty. Pondexter nearly did it again in Game 1, but she missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won that game for New York. Douglas got help from her teammates against Pondexter five different players guarded her at some point during the game. 'She's one of the best 1-on-1 players and best offensively gifted players in this league,' Douglas said. 'I was just happy that we were all locked in and able to just try to make her touches difficult, and when she did touch it, put as much heat on her as possible.' Indiana's Tamika Catchings, limited to two points on 1-for-8 shooting in Saturday's loss in Game 2, came back with an all-around effort that included 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. 'For me I was really disappointed about my performance in Game 2,' she said. 'It's not about having a great game for me as far as from a scoring standpoint. I think our team needs me to have a decent game.' Dunn said Catchings came through. 'She does everything,' Dunn said. 'She's a wonderful, multidimensional player. I thought we got her involved early offensively. It was a classic Catchings night. Erin Phillips (5'8''-G-85) had 12 points and five steals for the Fever, who scored 26 points off New York's 20 turnovers. 'They did to us what we tried to do defensively,' New York coach John Whisenant said. 'They took away the smooth running of our offense and made us freelance.' Nicole Powell (6'2''-G/F-82, college: Stanford) led New York with 19 points. Indiana outscored New York 21-7 from the free-throw line. 'The real difference was the free throw line,' Whisenant said. 'We beat them in every statistic, just like the last time here. It's hard to win when the other team gets that many more free throws than you do.' The Fever led 59-54 with 4 minutes to play when Catchings took over. She hit a 3-pointer, then scored on a putback on Indiana's next possession to push the lead to 10. Indiana led 40-36 at halftime during a chippy affair that saw Powell and Catchings get called for double technicals. 'Tamika is obviously trying to get us to respond, and I think we did,' Douglas said. 'We were outmuscled and outworked up in (New Jersey) on Saturday, and her setting the tone she definitely raises the physicalness when she gets into that mode. I was just proud of the way she responded tonight.' The Fever opened the second half with an aggressive driving layup by Catchings and a baseline jumper by Phillips to take a 44-36 lead. New York went scoreless for the first 3 minutes of the second half, allowing Indiana to take a 49-36 lead. New York closed the third quarter strong and cut Indiana's lead to 54-48. The Liberty got as close as three points in the fourth quarter, but the Fever responded with their traditional shutdown defense. 'Our defensive intensity, especially in the second half, was great,' Catchings said. 'That's probably the best defensively we've played in a long time.' Courtesy of www.usatoday.com

Group West
Minnesota L. - S.Antonio SS 85-67
Danielle Adams' (6'1''-F/C-89, college: Texas A&M) rookie season for the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars is over. Adams had nine points off the bench Tuesday night in the Silver Stars' 85-67 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. Minnesota won the WNBA Western Conference series two games to one, its first victory in a playoff series in franchise history. Adams, who played at Lee's Summit and Texas A&M, averaged 12.4 points per game during the regular season and 10.7 during the playoff series. She was a member of the WNBA's all-rookie team. The Lynx, who have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs after dominating the league during the regular season, finally gave sports fans in the Twin Cities something to cheer about. The Vikings and Timberwolves were last-place teams, and the Twins have the worst record in the American League. So the fans rallied around the Lynx, who finished six games better than any other team in the WNBA. In Tuesday's deciding game three, the Lynx overcame an uncharacteristically quiet game from star point guard Lindsay Whalen, who finished with four points and three assists. Whalen didn't make her first shot until early in the fourth quarter, but she had plenty of help. Seimone Augustus (6'1''-G-84, college: LSU) had 22 points, Taj McWilliams-Franklin (6'3''-F/C-70, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: St.Edward's) scored 16, Rebekkah Brunson (6'3''-F/C-81, agency: LBM Management, college: Georgetown) added 15 points and nine rebounds and Maya Moore had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Lynx, who advance to play the Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference finals. Game one is Thursday in Minnesota. Sophia Young made seven of eight shots and scored 17 points for the Silver Stars. Becky Hammon added 15 points and five assists, but she was the only other Stars player in double figures. The Target Center crowd of 8,734 got nervous early in the game as the team that steamrolled the league during the regular season struggled to hit shots and get stops early. Thei first period ended with the Stars in the lead 19-18. But the Lynx exploded in the second quarter with a 17-0 run that saw the team take a 35-22 lead. The halftime break saw the Lynx holding a 44-36 lead, and they made it 66-56 after 30 minutes. The Silver Stars, who turned the ball over 17 times and were outrebounded 36-21, never threatened in the final quarter. *Courtesy of www.kansascity.com

Seattle S. - Phoenix M. 75-77
Candice Dupree's (6'2''-F/C-84, agency: LBM Management, college: Temple) putback with 1.9 seconds remaining lifted Phoenix to a 77-75 victory over the Seattle Storm in Game 3 on Monday night, sending the Mercury to the Western Conference finals. Dupree finished with 20 points and Diana Taurasi (6'0''-F/G-82, college: Connecticut) had 19 to help Phoenix advance to the conference finals for the third straight year, and fourth in the last five. The Mercury will face the winner of Tuesday night's Game 3 between San Antonio and Minnesota. Sue Bird (5'9''-G-80, college: Connecticut) scored 22 points to lead defending champion Seattle, and Lauren Jackson (6'5''-F/C-81) added 18. Bird tied the score at 75 with 10.5 seconds remaining. Phoenix's Penny Taylor then drove off the inbounds play and missed. A scramble for the rebound ensued and Dupree eventually put the ball in from the center of the lane. Courtesy of www.kxnet.com