EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/13/2012

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Men News

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  ABA   


Jacksonville climbig the ABA table - by Gianni Pascucci
On Saturday, January 7, the Jacksonville Giants defeated, 132-118 the conference rival Atlanta Experience. With 42 points, 15 rebs and 11 blocked shots (!!), Jermaine Bell (6'11''-F/C-84, college: Indian Hills CC) was the man of the game for Jacksonville, and Nick Wallery (6'6''-F-81, college: Albany St.) added 19 pts and 9 rebs. Tim Ware (6'7''-F-81) scored 34 points and grabbed 10 rebs to be the best at the losing side. Thanks to this win, the Giants of coach Kevin Waters surpassed the Experience in ABA Power Rankings and made a pace towards the top of the Atlantic South Divisione, where observers expect to find the team at the end of regular season.

Standings
ABA Standings
 1. ABA-Canada 0-0
Atlantic South
 1. Athens R. 5-0
 2. Atlanta E. 4-1
 3. Heartland H. 3-0
 4. Jacksonville 3-1
 5. Atlanta Aliens 2-1
 6. Georgia G. 1-0
 7. Florida T. 0-0
 8. Orlando Kings 0-0
 9. Savannah Storm 0-0
 10. Tampa 0-0
 11. Columbus R. 0-2
 12. E.Point Jaguars 0-7
California NW
 1. Seattle M. 8-2
 2. Bay Area M. 5-2
 3. S.Francisco R. 5-4
 4. Central Valley T. 4-0
 5. Richmond R. 4-5
 6. Modesto H. 3-2
 7. Port City P. 3-2
 8. Alaska Q. 3-3
 9. E.Bay Pitbulls 1-0
 10. California SK 0-0
 11. Chico Rage 0-0
 12. Washington R. 0-1
 13. Sacramento H. 0-6
California South
 1. Arizona S. 11-2
 2. San Diego Sol 10-2
 3. San Diego S. 4-4
 4. LA Slam 3-6
 5. Riverside R. 1-2
 6. Las Vegas A. 0-2
 7. SoCal Swish 0-4
 8. Shizuoka G. 0-5
Colonial
 1. NoVa Wonders 4-1
 2. Richmond E. 4-1
 3. Lynchburg L. 4-4
 4. W.Virginia B. 3-4
 5. Portsmouth C. 2-2
 6. E.Kentucky En. 0-0
 7. Norfolk Sh. 0-0
 8. Seven Cities 0-0
Great Lake
 1. Chicago Steam 6-0
 2. Milwaukee B. 3-0
 3. Chi-Town B. 0-0
 4. Indy S. 0-0
 5. Midwest Flames 0-0
 6. Oshkosh 0-0
 7. Cleveland H. 0-1
 8. Porter County P. 0-2
Mid Atlantic
 1. Carolina C. 7-3
 2. Carolina Ch. 6-4
 3. East Carolina T. 4-4
 4. Nashville S. 3-0
 5. S.Carol.W. 2-0
 6. Tennessee MH 2-9
 7. Fayetteville F. 1-8
 8. Clarksville C. 0-2
 9. Carolina J. 0-5
Mid Central
 1. Lima Explosion 4-2
 2. Greencastle GK 2-0
 3. Indianapolis 2-0
 4. Lansing L. 1-1
 5. Detroit Hoops 0-0
 6. Flint Fire 0-0
 7. Dayton GCHF 0-2
 8. Michiana M. 0-2
Northeast
 1. Connecticut T. 6-0
 2. Jersey Expr. 4-6
 3. Island Vipers 1-3
 4. Conn. Chill 0-0
 5. NY Red Riders 0-0
 6. Rochester 0-0
 7. Syracuse SW 0-0
 8. New York Ch. 0-1
 9. NYC Thunder 0-3
Panhandle
 1. Gulf Coast F. 6-1
 2. Louisiana U.P. 0-0
 3. Mobile Bay H. 0-0
 4. Panama City D. 0-1
Rocky Mountain
 1. Colorado K. 13-0
 2. Colorado C. 4-6
 3. Crusaders 2-4
 4. Wyoming R. 0-4
South Central
 1. Bluff City R. 11-1
 2. Conway C. 11-2
 3. Little Rock L. 6-4
 4. Missouri R. 2-3
 5. N.E. Arkansas 1-8
 6. St.Louis P. 1-9
 7. Delta S. 0-0
South West
 1. Texas Fuel 8-2
 2. North Dallas 6-1
 3. West Texas W. 3-4
 4. Houston R.S. 2-0
 5. Oklahoma 2-6
 6. N.Texas F. 1-6
 7. Dallas Impact 0-0
 8. Team Havok 0-0
Touring Team
 1. Rocky Mountain S. 0-0
 2. Team Haiti 0-1
 3. West Virginia B. 0-1
 4. Appalachian R. 0-2
 5. Calgary C. 0-2
 6. Chicago F. 0-3


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  ACPBL   


Bombers add "The Playstation" - by Justin Moore
Beltway Bombers ADD 6-0 PG FROM NYC, GREG 'PLAYSTATION' JOHN





Beltway Bombers of the ACPBL currently have one of the most talented rosters of pro players on the East Coast. Now with the addition of very skilled Greg Johnson (6'0''-G-86), the Bombers are really loading up for the heart of their season. 'PlayStation' is a 6-0 PG from New York City who was a star at Hofstra University. Most recently playing for the Harlem Globetrotters, Johnson is joining a Bombers team that has eight returning ACPBL All-Stars, and loaded with pros.


'Coach Chaz is giving me a great opportunity to join his team, and I'm looking forward to the playing alongside all that talent'. 'PlayStation' earned his nickname for his talent, speed, quickness and ball-handling ability that he displayed at famed Rucker Park; and in all the major tournaments in NYC and Hofstra. With combo guard Camontae Griffin (5'9''-G-86, college: St.Mary's, MD) leaving next week to play pro in Venezuela, Greg will join Evan Martin (5'11''-G-83, college: Wesley), Joseph Flegler (6'0''-G-85, college: Savannah St.), Angelo Hernandez (6'3''-G, college: N.Carolina A&T), Rogers Barnes (6'2''-G-86, college: Morgan St.), Darrian Lee (6'5''-G-78, college: Goucher), Hugh Jones (6'3''-F-80), Jamaal Wise (6'5''-F-83, agency: Prossin Sports Management, college: Rhode Island), Ed Jones (6'7''-F-86, college: N.Carolina A&T). Derick Payne (6'6''-F-83, college: Bowie St.), Stacey Daniels, Chris Darnell (6'9''-F/C-86, college: William & Mary), Nate Flowers (6'5''-F-87, college: Oklahoma City), and Alexander Harrington (6'9''-F/C, college: St.Francis, NY).


The last time the Bombers played was on December 17th, beating the Bay Area Shuckers on the road, 132-115. After a long lay-off, the Bombers are back in action at their Home gym (Riverdale Baptist School on Largo Road in Upper Marlboro MD) on Saturday, January 21st against the Center Court Allstars.





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  ADRIATIC LEAGUE   


Miroslav Raduljica claims Adriatic League weekly honour - by Eurobasket News
Miroslav Raduljica (213-C-88) had an amazing evening in the last round for Partizan and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 15.
The 23-year old center had the game-high 31 points adding eight rebounds for Partizan in his team's victory, helping them to beat Helios (#13, 3-12) 72-64. Partizan maintains the 3rd position in Adriatic League . They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Partizan will need more victories to improve their 11-4 record. It was one of impressive evenings for Raduljica as usually he does not deliver so high stats. Miroslav Raduljica averages this season 10.8ppg.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 23-year old American forward Deon Thompson (203-F-88) of Union Olimpija. Thompson impressed basketball fans with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Bad luck as Union Olimpija lost that game 75-93 to the higher-ranked Cedevita (#2, 12-3). Union Olimpija managed to keep the same 5th spot in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 9-6 record is not bad and everything may still change. Thompson is a newcomer at Union Olimpija and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders.

The third best performed player last round was Miro Bilan (213-F-89) of second-ranked Cedevita. Bilan scored 17 points and grabbed eleven rebounds (!!!). He was a key player of Cedevita, leading his team to a 93-75 easy win against the lower-ranked Union Olimpija (#5, 9-6). Cedevita is closer and closer to the top of the standings. They will still need more victories. But 12-3 record is not that bad... Bilan has a very solid season. In 15 games in Adriatic League he scored 8.7ppg. He also has 5.3rpg and FGP: 68.6%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Antwain Barbour (196-G/F-82) of Cibona - 22 points and 2 assists
5. Mladen Pantic (209-C-82) of Hemofarm - 16 points and 4 rebounds
6. Damir Rancic (199-G-83) of KK Zagreb CO - 21 points and 2 assists
7. Dontaye Draper (180-G-84) of Cedevita - 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
8. Marin Rozic (201-F-83) of Cibona - 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists
9. Jaka Blazic (193-G-90) of Union Olimpija - 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists
10. Milan Macvan (206-C-89) of Partizan - 8 points and 13 rebounds

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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  ARGENTINA   


TNA: end of first stage - by Facundo Iatzky
After the victory of Argentino over Firmat FC, that left Argentino as leader of south group, the first stage of TNA is over. Both teams of Junin, Argentino and Ciclista were the best ones of the first stage, among with Union Progresista in the north zone.
These are the standings in the beggining of second stage:

TNA1 North:

Union progresista 15
san isidro 14.5
Obera TC 14.5
Estudiantes C 14
Alvear 14

TNA2 north:
A Italiana 13.5
T Rocamora 13.5
A Echague 13
Union S 12.5
A espanola 10.5

TNA1 south:
Argentino 17.5
Ciclista 17
Huracan 16
Alianza Viedma 16
Monte hermoso 15.5
Banda norte 15

TNA2 south:
Ciudad bragado 15
Rosario central 14.5
sport club 13.5
San martin MJ 12.5
Firmat FC 12.5



Last transactions of TNA - by Facundo Iatzky
Huracan Trelew add veteran Jason Osborne (204-F-74, agency: Court Side, college: Louisville) to their roster. He replaces Serge Angonou, who could not return to argentina after the christmas recess. Jason has played in Liga A for many years.
Union sunchales agreed terms with Bruno Ingratta (200-F/C-85) Bruno Ingrata (201-F/C-85), recently released from Monte Hermoso. Bruno replaces Leandro Podesta (207-C-89) who moves to San martin Marcos juarez. Both teams are in a complicated situation so they expect their reinforcements to help them.

Matias Nocedal moves to Boca Juniors - by Eurobasket News
Matias Nocedal (192-G-90) is coming back to Argentina. The guard has agreed on terms of contract with Boca Juniors. The deal is meant till the end of the season. Matias Nocedal joined Caja Laboral back in 2006. He played for the Basque team as well as Ourense, Bruesa, Jovent and Fileni Jesi. Matias Nocedal was the member of Argentinean U16, U17 and U19 National Teams.


Pablo Prigioni holds new record in Liga Endesa - by Eurobasket News
Pablo Prigioni (191-G-77) set a new record in Spanish Liga Endesa. The Argentinean point guard appeared 434th time in the league and now holds the first place (foreigners only). He replaced Granger Hall, who retired with 433 games. On the list which includes all players, Pablo Prigioni is at 42nd place. First 41 spots are held by Spanish players. Except of Prigioni and Hall, Bernard Hopkins hold 45th place with 432 games and Hernan Jasen is No.48 with 428 games. Pablo Prigioni moved to Spain in 1999 from the Argentinean team Obras. He spent first two years with Fuenlabrada and later he played two seasons for Alicante. From 2003 to 2009, Prigioni was a member of Tau Ceramica. From 2009 until the last summer he played for Real Madrid and finally returned to Caja Laboral (Tau) after that.

*****************************************************
  AUSTRALIA   


Top performers this season - by Duncan Matheson

As we move just past the halfway mark of the season, we look at those players who have performed well enough to be considered worthy of All-NBL team selection.

NBL First Team

Julian Khazzouh (209-C-86) 17.2 points (3rd), 11.0 rebounds (1st), 2.4 blocks (1st), 46.4% FG 68.0 FT

Cameron Tragardh (209-C/F-83, college: ORU) 19.4 points (1st), 6.2 rebounds, 57.5% FG (3rd), 54.7% FT

Peter Crawford (193-G/F-79) 16.8 points (7th), 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals (8th) 45.5% FG, 46.8% 3pt FG (2nd), 84.0% FT (3rd)

Kevin Lisch (188-G-86, agency: Warren Sports International, college: St.Louis) 17.1 points (4th), 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 48.1% FG, 42.2% 3pt FG (5th), 81.3% FT (4th)

Jamar Wilson (185-PG-84, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Albany) 16.9 points (6th), 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 46.6% FG, 36.0% 3pt FG, 81.0% FT (5th)

NBL Second Team

Gary Wilkinson (204-F/C-82, college: Utah St.) 15.6 points (8th), 5.8 rebounds, 50.0% FG, 37.9% 3pt FG 83.3% FT

Jacob Holmes (201-F-83) 13.4 points, 9.7 rebounds (2nd), 2.3 assists, 47.4% FG, 48.4% 3pt FG, 76.5% FT

Shawn Redhage (203-F-81, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Arizona St.) 13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 44.8% FG, 41.2% 3pt FG (8th), 58.3% FT

Adam Gibson (188-G-86) 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists (3rd), 1.4 steals (5th) 45.5% FG, 41.2% 3pt FG (7th), 75.0% FT

Cedric Jackson (191-G-86, college: Cleveland St.) 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists (1st), 2.6 steals (1st), 41.2% FG 62.8% FT

NBL Third Team

Daniel Johnson (212-C-88, college: Pepperdine) 17.0 points (5th), 8.0 rebounds (6th), 1.6 assists, 1.2 blocks (4th), 50.5% FG, 50.0% 3pt FG, 71.6% FT

Diamon Simpson (201-F-87, college: St.Mary's, CA) 15.4 points (10th), 8.8 rebounds (3rd), 1.4 blocks (3rd), 63.7% FG (1st), 45.5% FT

Mark Worthington (202-F-83, college: Metro St.) 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds (8th), 1.4 assists, 1.2 blocks (6th), 39.7% FG, 32.7% 3pt FG, 73.9% FT

Thomas Abercrombie (198-F/G-87, agency: Priority Sports, college: Washington St.) 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 41.9% FG, 41.8% 3pt FG (6th), 70.6% FT

Aaron Bruce (191-G-84) 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists (6th), 39.9% FG, 34.6% 3pt FG, 90.0% FT (1st)


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  AUSTRIA   


Everyday I'm Hustlin' - by Anthony Shavies

We won one and last one since I've last hit you guys with a blog. We came out victorious against Vienna, they're having some internal issues right now so we caught them at a good time. I think we set a record for dunks in that game. It seemed like everybody was getting in on the fun above the rim.
Then we ran across Graz and they were just too strong for us. We couldn't get stops when we needed to. And overall they were just better than us that night. Nothing more you can do but continue to try and get better everyday.
That's what I try and do. Between watching 'Two and a Half Men' and listening to dope music everyday, I'm working on my game. That includes lifting weights and extra shooting. 'Uhn, Everyday I'm hustlin, everyday I'm everyday I'm' (Rick Ross voice).
One of the great things about working out hard, is it encourages other people to workout hard as well. About a month ago my young teammate, Fabian 'Fabo' Richter came to me and asked if he could workout with me. I was excited about it, it's much easier to workout when you have a partner. My man Fabo has been going pretty hard, and it's awesome to see a young guy like that be so determined. Look for big things out of my man Fabo in the near future.
I have some great things getting ready to happen soon. A business venture with one of my best friends that I'm very excited about (Shout-out to Skinny Buff Man). So stayed tuned for the coming ups that are coming up.
Okay it's time for 'Ai's Shout-Outs'
Shout out to Shel Boog, hopefully he shows up and reps the set around these parts in the next couple of days.
Shout out to my lil brother, Jawuan Shavies and the Mt. Eden High basketball team for beating Hayward High.
Shout out to all my teammates, let's continue to work fellas and enjoy the process!
Joke time baaaaaaabeeeee!
Why did the little strawberry cry? Cause his mother was in a jam
(courtesy of Ocho Cinco via twitter)
Bonus Joke
What kind of surgeon has eight arms?
A Doctapus!
BOOM!
Get at me for comments and such, the_ashavies@yahoo.com or @AiShavies on twitter

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  BAHRAIN   


Muharraq sink Al Hala - by Yousef Ahmed

MUHARRAQ last night swept to an impressive win over Al Hala in the delayed Zain Bahrain Basketball League match, to leave them leading the table at the half-way point in the season. Despite posting a respectable 75 points, Al Hala could not contend with the overall dominance of Muharraq, who produced a score of 101 themselves.

GJ Giles was undoubtedly the star of the show as he top-scored with 24, while also nullifying the threat of Al Hala dangerman Patrick Simpson.

The sides went score-for-score for much of an open and entertaining opening quarter, with Muharraq just shading it by 19-16.

The influence of Giles began to take hold of proceedings in the second period however, as Muharraq stretched their lead.

The giant American tagged 13 points, thanks in no small part to the accurate passing of Mohammed Majeed to go with a monumental defensive performance that included a number of timely blocks when the ball looked destined for the hoop.

Al Hala stayed just about in touch thanks to some accurate long-range efforts but they found themselves trailing by 46-33 at the half-time break.

Far from getting complacent in the third quarter, the break merely spurred Muharraq on to what can only be described as an emphatic display of basketball.

It was one of those periods in which everything they tried turned to gold gold and, as is so often the case in those situations, as much as it seemed Muharraq couldn't miss a shot, their opponents at the other end couldn't buy a score.

Spark

Al Hala playmaker Hussein Taqi valiantly tried to kick the spark back into his side but time and time again he was left running against a brick wall of a defence, which would duly break down the play and race up the court to score.

A couple of quick time-outs could do nothing to revive Al Hala's fortunes and the game was summed up when Muharraq's Ahmed Hassan landed two outrageous three-pointers from virtually the same spot within 30 seconds of each other and without any response from the visitors, to leave his side leading 72-53 with the last ten minutes left to play.

Such was the healthy position of Muharraq heading into the final period that even the otherwise irreplaceable Giles was afforded a well-deserved rest.

With great credit to Al Hala, they too made use of their bench and indeed one of the big plus points to come out of the evening would have been the performance of youngster Hussain Salman, who looks to be a great prospect for the future.

For now though he could do nothing to stem the flow of attacks by a far superior opposition, with the hooter blowing at 101-75 in Muharraq's favour.

Source GDN
BY TOM HANRATTY , Posted on Thursday, January 12, 2012




First Round Summary - by Yousef Ahmed


Bahrain Basketball league has resumed the first round of games; it has been so far an exciting season with great Basketball played and a lot of controversy and nail biting games.

The Best team in the island is Muharraq club with a record that speaks for itself, dominating and sweeping all games in the first round. Also Muharraq is the most improved team from last year specially after losing two key players to its rivals Manama Club (Jassim Mohammed (190-G-83) and Essa Ebrahim (192-C-81)). They have been Dominating and basically playing great Basketball under their Captain and playmaker Mohamed Majeed and import CJ Giles. Credit to their Coach Charlie Parker with a great job so far.

The Biggest controversy is with Manama Club, with a team full of stars and Basically the National team of Bahrain in a club uniform. Manama Started the season wining the super cup and as the season progressed Manama Club slowly started losing its dominance. They lost to Ahli Club and Muharraq by just one basket, and then Manama had the biggest upset in the island losing to Sitra club by 5, coached by local legend Salman Ramadan , who got fired after that game.
Now with a 7-3 record and no coach Manama has a lot of Questions, However if they can pull it together they are still the team to beat this season.

First Round Results



First team all Imports

Darius Rice (208-F-82, college: Miami, FL) Manama Club
Boris Siakam (201-F-85, college: W.Kentucky) Sitra club
CJ Giles Muharraq Club
Patrick Simpson (206-F-83, college: SMU) Al Hala Club
Trello Galloway (201-G/F-79, college: Georgia St.) Issa Town

First Team all locals

PG Hussain Sharker Al Ahli Club
G Ahmed Hassan (90) Muharraq Club
G Mohammed Majeed Muharraq Club
F Hassan Mohammed Manama Club
F/C Ahmed Al Mutawa (199-F/C-81, college: Broward CC) Manama Club

Honorable Mention Ahmed Abdul-Aziz Manama Club

First Team all Defense

G Hassan Norouz Manama Club
G Sayed Hashim Al Ahli Club
F Boris Siakam Sitra Club
F/C Ahmed Al Mutawa Manama Club
C CJ Giles Muharraq Club



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  BELARUS   


CEZ Nymburk have an impressive five-game VTB winning streak - by Eurobasket News
CEZ Nymburk - Minsk-2006 105:63

CEZ Nymburk demolish Minsk-2006 in VTB League. Bottom-ranked Belarusian Minsk-2006 tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell in the 105:63 loss to CEZ Nymburk.
CEZ Nymburk led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Minsk-2006's 26. They outrebounded Minsk-2006 41-28 including a 31-18 advantage in defensive rebounds. CEZ Nymburk players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists comparing to just 6 passes made by Minsk-2006's players. The winners were led by Chester Simmons (198-G-82, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices, college: Washington) who scored that evening 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Lukas Palyza (204-F-89) supported him with 20 points.
Even 24 points and 5 steals by Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (190-G-80) did not help to save the game for Minsk-2006. Aliaksei Lashkevich added 8 points and 7 rebounds for lost side.
CEZ Nymburk have an impressive five-game winning streak. Defending Czech champion moved-up to fourth place, which they share with VEF Riga and N.Novgorod. Defending Belarusian champion Minsk-2006 still closes the standings with nine games lost.

Minsk-2006: Aliaksandr Kudrautsau 24, Justin Hawkins (201-F-85, college: N.Mexico St.) 8, Lashkevich 8, Aliaksei Trastsinetski (200-F-86) 8
CEZ Nymburk: Lukas Palyza 20, Chester Simmons 17, Pavel Pumprla (196-G-86) 12


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  BOSNIA   


D2: Liga "Herceg-Bosne" Standings - by Sead Buljina
B.C. Vitez is undefeated after the first half of the league 'Herceg-Bosne'. With their record of 9:0 Vitez is a major candidate for a promotion to Bosnian division 1 at the end of the 2011/12 season. In the last game before a midseason break Vitez beat Livno 91:61.

GSD VITEZ
Spectators: 100
Referees: Okuka, Nenadic, Juric

Vitez - Livno: 91 61
 (15-19; 24-13; 36-13; 16-16)

VITEZ: Blaskan 8, Fejzagic, Rajic 2, Frljic 4, Krizanovic 19, Ivakovic, Simic 11, Sero 3, Dedic 16, Palavra 28

LIVNO: Barac, Sakic 2, Dizdar 11, Vidovic, M. Dzepina, Mandic, Vrdoljak 2, Kristo 11 Dronjic 12, A. Dzepina 23

Liga 'Herceg-Bosne' Standings:

1. HKK 'Vitez' 8:0 16 pts
2. HKK 'Posusje' 6:2 14
3. KK 'Kiseljak' 5:3 13
4. KK 'Grude' 4:4 12
5. KK 'Livno' 4:4 12
6. HKK 'Siroki II' 3:5 11
7. HKK 'Rama' 3:5 11
8. KK 'Busovaca' 3:5 11
9. HKK 'Tomislav' 0:8 8

Season continues with 10th round games that shall be played on January 29.



Igokea lifts the Srpska Cup trophy - by Miljan Veskovic
For the 7th time in the club's history BC Igokea Aleksandrovac has lifted Republika Srpska cup trophy beating in the final KK Radnik Bijeljina 98:72. It's the third time in a row they won this competition. BC Igokea Aleksandrovac was very motivated for this match and started very strong from the very beginning. At the end of the first quarter they were already up by nine (26:17) and continued in the same rhythm. Till the end of the second quarter the margin between two teams was 18 points (48:30) and practically the game was already set.
For the winners top performers were Marko Brkic (206-FC-82, agency: Beo Basket) with 20 points and Milan Dozet (204-SF-79) with 19 points. For the losing side Filip Goranovic (206-F/C-85, agency: Sport Connect) had 16 and Dragan Simic (207-F/C-81) 12 points.

D1: Igokea keeps the top - by Eurobasket News
Round 15 of the Bosnian D1 is completed last night. No changes on top as Igokea destroyed Leotar 88-45 for 13-1 record in the league. Nenad Sulovic (202-C-85) was the leading player in victory with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Marko Miletic (198-SG-92) (7 rebs) and Milijan Bocka (186-PG-82) (8 as, 5 rebs) followed with 12 points each. In the loosing squad (9-5), Branko Zotovic (198-G-79) delivered 13 points.
The second ranked Bosna ASA BHT was free in this round, while third ranked Capljina was too strong for Vogosca. Marko Jagodic Kuridza (204-C-87, agency: Sport Connect) paced his team to victory collecting 23 points and 6 rebs. Capljina improved to 10-4 record.
In the other games, Brotnjo grabbed 68-66 home win against Hercegovac and Celik was better than Mladost 78-75. Servitium handed 69-52 loss to Zrinjski and Varda outplayed Borac 59-52. Round 16 is scheduled for the next weekend.

D1 Standings
1. Igokea 13-1
2. Bosna 11-2
3. Capljina 10-4
4. Varda HE 9-5
5. Leotar 9-5
6. Mladost 8-6
7. Hercegovac 6-8
8. Borac Nektar 5-8
9. Servitium 5-9
10. Celik 4-10
11. Zrinjski HT 4-10
12. Brotnjo 4-10
13. Vogosca 2-12

D2: Liga A1 Standings and Scorers - by Sead Buljina
A1 Liga Standings prior to the midseason break:

1. Kakanj 6 6:0
2. Bosnjak 6 5:1
3. Gradina 7 5:2
4. Play Off 6 4:2
5. Spars 6 4:2
6. Student 6 3:3
7. Donji Vakuf 6 2:4
8. Brcko 7 2:5
9. Limometal 7 2:5
10.Orlovik 6 1:5
11.Igman 7 1:6

Top Ten A1 Scorers:

1. Horozic 151pts
2. Kapic 144
3. Nurkanovic127
4. Jamakovic 124
5. Mikic 107
6. Sormaz N.103
7. Dragovic 102
8. Residovic 99
9. Ljubovic 97
10. Begovac 96

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  BULGARIA   


Kiril Raykov in Germany - by Vladi Lazarova
Bulgarian forward Kiril Raykov will continue his career in Germany. 24-years old player left his home club Balkan Botevgrad few days ago and joined BG Bonn Meckenheimer TUS. Raykov refused the new deal with Balkan for less money last week. His new team is playing in German Regionalliga and is at the 11th place in West division of the current standings. This is the first team abroad for 196 cm tall Raykov, who arrived in Germany and already started preparation with his new squad.

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  CANADA   


Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Justin KING
  TRU
  (--)
  Avg: 25.6
 1. King, TRU25.6 
 2. Fassett, St.Mary''s22.6 
 3. Thomas, St.Franc.21.6 
 4. Mackinnon, Victoria21.6 
 5. Yu, UBC21.5 
 6. Diloreto, Windsor21.3 
 7. Barbeau, Western20.6 
 8. Habib, Memorial20.3 
 9. Baker, Alberta20.3 
 10. Coston, TWU20.3 
Rebounds Per Game
 Lien PHILLIP
  Windsor
  (203-F-89)
  Avg: 11.1
 1. Phillip, Windsor11.1 
 2. Burke, UBC11.0 
 3. King, TRU10.7 
 4. Baker, Alberta10.6 
 5. Klassen, Acadia9.6 
 6. Lieffers, Saskatch.9.4 
 7. Desroches, New B.8.9 
 8. Staniscia, Ryerson8.5 
 9. Coward, Lethbridge8.2 
 10. Kok, TRU8.1 
Assists Per Game
 Jimmy DORSEY
  Cape Breton
  (188-G-)
  Avg: 8.1
 1. Dorsey, Cape Bret.8.1 
 2. Helsby, Memorial6.3 
 3. Kraus, Brock6.1 
 4. Kanza Mata, Dalho.5.9 
 5. Collins, Windsor5.9 
 6. Smith, TWU5.7 
 7. Shepherd, Memorial5.7 
 8. Yu, UBC5.5 
 9. Vernon, St.Franc.5.4 
 10. Barrett, Saskatch.5.3 
Steals Per Game
 Evens LAROCHE
  Concordia
  (193-F-)
  Avg: 4.5
 1. Laroche, Concordia4.5 
 2. Thomas, St.Franc.3.4 
 3. Collins, Windsor3.1 
 4. Smith, TWU3.0 
 5. Cooper, Lethbridge2.9 
 6. Oliver, Manitoba2.7 
 7. Brown, UPEI2.7 
 8. Lieffers, Saskatch.2.6 
 9. Cote-K., UQ.2.6 
 10. Dorsey, Cape Bre.2.5 
Blocks Per Game
 Balraj BAINS
  UBC
  (206-C-)
  Avg: 2
 1. Bains, UBC2.0 
 2. Coward, Lethbridge1.7 
 3. Klassen, Acadia1.6 
 4. Glisic, Toronto Un.1.4 
 5. Eyitayo, Concordia1.3 
 6. Andrews, Bishop''s1.3 
 7. Thomas, St.Franc.1.3 
 8. Duke, UPEI1.3 
 9. Buckley, Laurier1.1 
 10. Tufegdzich, York1.1 


CIS Standings
CIS Standings
Atlantic
 1. St.Francis X. 7-1 
 2. UPEI 6-2 
 3. Cape Breton 5-3 
 4. St.Mary's 5-5 
 5. Acadia 3-4 
 6. Dalhousie 3-4 
 7. New Brunsw. 2-6 
 8. Memorial 1-7 
CanWest
 1. Victoria 9-1 
 2. UBC 6-2 
 3. Saskatchewan 6-3 
 4. Alberta 6-4 
 5. UFV 6-4 
 6. Manitoba 6-4 
 7. Lethbridge 5-5 
 8. TRU 5-5 
 9. Brandon 4-6 
 10. TWU 4-6 
 11. Regina 3-6 
 12. Calgary 3-7 
 13. UBC Okanagan 2-6 
 14. Winnipeg 2-8 
OUA East
 1. Carleton 10-0 
 2. Ottawa 6-4 
 3. Ryerson 5-5 
 4. Toronto Univ. 5-5 
 5. Laurentian 3-8 
 6. Queen's 0-10 
 7. RMC 0-10 
 8. York 0-11 
OUA West
 1. Lakehead 9-1 
 2. Laurier 9-1 
 3. McMaster 9-2 
 4. Windsor 8-3 
 5. Brock 7-4 
 6. Guelph 6-5 
 7. Waterloo 4-7 
 8. Western 3-8 
Quebec League
 1. Concordia 4-0 
 2. Laval 3-2 
 3. UQAM 3-3 
 4. McGill 3-3 
 5. Bishop's 0-5 


Storm looking to snap home losing streak - by Eurobasket News
The Summerside Storm are looking to snap a seven-game home losing streak on Thursday.

Fortunately for the Storm, they've had the Oshawa Power's number in two

previous meetings during this inaugural National Basketball League of Canada season.

Summerside defeated the Power in a nail-biting 101-100 decision on Dec. 22 - a win that, coincidentally, broke another seven-game Storm losing streak.

'At this point in the season you're trying to game plan for the team you're playing,' said Summerside head coach Joe Salerno . ' (Thursday) night, what's important for us is to try to limit Oshawa in transition. They're the most athletic team in the NBL, and the last time we played them we had a tight game and we just gave up too many easy baskets in transition. If we can limit that in a half-court game, I think that's one we can win.'

The Storm sit just shy of the fourth and final playoff spot in the league with an 8-12 (won-lost) record. Oshawa comes into tonight's game in sixth place in the seven-team league at 7-16.

Courtesy of www.journalpioneer.com

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  CHINA   


Dejun Han claims Chinese CBA weekly honour - by Eurobasket News
Dejun Han (215-C-89) had an amazing evening in the last round for Liaoning H. and that's him to receive a Asia-basket.com Player of the Week award for round 23.
The 22-year old center had a double-double of 30 points and twenty rebounds, while his team beat Foshan (#16, 6-15) 116-101. Liaoning H. is placed at 7th position in Chinese CBA. Liaoning H. is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 12-10 record. Han has many years of experience at Liaoning H., through which he has constantly improved. Dejun Han averages this season 12.4ppg and 7.3rpg.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 28-year old Jordanian forward Zaid Abbas (203-F-83) of Fujian XX. Abbas impressed basketball fans with a double-double of 29 points and 20 rebounds. Bad luck as Fujian XX was edged by the lower-ranked TianJin R. (#15, 7-15) 114-111. This loss caused Fujian XX to drop to 8th position in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 12-10 record is not bad and everything may still change. Abbas is a newcomer at Fujian XX and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders.

The third best performed player last round was former international center ZhongHao Xu (212-C-90) of Bayi Fubang (#14). Xu scored 24 points and grabbed eleven rebounds (!!!). He was a key player of Bayi Fubang, leading his team to a 105-101 win against the higher-ranked Zhejiang C. (#5, 12-9). The chances of Bayi Fubang not to end season at such low position in the league, however are less than slim as they have already lost 13 games, recording just seven victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Xu could try to bring Bayi Fubang's a little bit higher in the standings. Xu has a very solid season. In 20 games in China he scored 12.6ppg. He also has 8.4rpg, 2.1bpg and FGP: 50.6%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Kai Zhang (211-C-82) of DongGuan L. - 23 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists
5. J.R. Smith (198-G-85) of Zhejiang C. - 34 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists
6. Charles Gaines (201-F-81) of Shanxi Zh. - 29 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists
7. Osama Daghles (198-G-79) of Jilin NE T. - 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists
8. Sani Sakakini (203-C/F-88) of Qingdao DS - 28 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists
9. Ming Yang (193-G-85) of Liaoning H. - 12 points, 4 rebounds and 18 assists
10. Cartier Martin (201-G/F-84) of Jilin NE T. - 37 points, 5 rebounds and 2 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)

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


Tomeljak moved to Romania! - by Dani Erceg
Ivan Tomeljak (194-G-79) left Svjetlost Brod and joined Romanian team Gaz Metan Medias. He played 10 games in Croatian A1 League this season averaging 17.4ppg, 4.9rpg, 6.3apg and 1.5spg. He already has experience from Romania, last season he played for Steaua Turabo. In his proffesional career he also played for KK Split, KK Dubrava, KK Sibenik, KK Cedevita, KK Zabok, Ricoh Astronauts Amsterdam, Liege, Novi Jicin, Telekom Bonn and Apollon LImassol.

*****************************************************
  CYPRUS   


Basketball Vendetta between Omonoia and Apollon - by Chris Mammides
The vendeta between the two teams (sponsored by Pizzas) Omonoia and Apollon continued and this time worst than ever.
After the lower in terms of results insidents we had in Limassol for the first round between the two teams and their fans this time the spirit of the Omonoia fans was appeared in the worst possible way as with the Police force in Lefkotheo (Home vourt of Omonoia) being only five people in a court where it was more that obvious that there was a high risk in terms of insidents after the ones took place in Limassol, the green hooligans enter into the court afte the end of the first half and beat some of the officials and some of the players.

Even though we are in the 21st century the phaenomenon of hooliganism in the island is more obvius than ever. There is a number of vendetas in the island and one of them is definetely between Apollon and Omonoia fans and officials.

The official team of Omonoia condemn the overall situation and its fans for their behavior but that doesnt changed anything as only by miracle we had no worst results from the furious fans.

The Cyprus Basketball federation needs to take some serious steps against the hooliganism and against these vendettas between the teams, a phenomenon which existed in the 19th century!!!
In regards to the game now, the dominance of the visiting site of the Latvian Coach Miglinieks was more than obvious from the early begginign of the game, while Omonoias team is on a dismantling situation with just two Americans and 3 Bosman couldnt do a lot against the 12 proffesionals of Apollon. The first period ended with 16-28 with Troy Gillenwater (205-F-88, college: N.Mexico St.) and Ford leading their team, while Juknevicius and Nikos Papadopoulos (197-G/F-81) were the leading scorers for the Nicosia site. The 2nd period the home team was a bit better than Apollon but the difference between the two teams was quite big so the first half found Apollon to be leadng with 36-46.

For historical reasons the points for the two teams were as follows:
Papa Johns Pizza Omonoia: Goode 2, Bostick 3, Juknevicius 11, Trifunovic 7, Nikos Papadopoulos 13
Pizza Express Apollon: Gabrans 6, Omelchenko 2, Robinson 6, Lezhava 2, Raymond 5, Graffs 6, Ford 7, Troy Gillenwater 10.


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


CEZ Nymburk have an impressive five-game VTB winning streak - by Eurobasket News
CEZ Nymburk - Minsk-2006 105:63

CEZ Nymburk demolish Minsk-2006 in VTB League. Bottom-ranked Belarusian Minsk-2006 tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell in the 105:63 loss to CEZ Nymburk.
CEZ Nymburk led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Minsk-2006's 26. They outrebounded Minsk-2006 41-28 including a 31-18 advantage in defensive rebounds. CEZ Nymburk players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists comparing to just 6 passes made by Minsk-2006's players. The winners were led by Chester Simmons (198-G-82, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices, college: Washington) who scored that evening 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Lukas Palyza (204-F-89) supported him with 20 points.
Even 24 points and 5 steals by Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (190-G-80) did not help to save the game for Minsk-2006. Aliaksei Lashkevich added 8 points and 7 rebounds for lost side.
CEZ Nymburk have an impressive five-game winning streak. Defending Czech champion moved-up to fourth place, which they share with VEF Riga and N.Novgorod. Defending Belarusian champion Minsk-2006 still closes the standings with nine games lost.

Minsk-2006: Aliaksandr Kudrautsau 24, Justin Hawkins (201-F-85, college: N.Mexico St.) 8, Lashkevich 8, Aliaksei Trastsinetski (200-F-86) 8
CEZ Nymburk: Lukas Palyza 20, Chester Simmons 17, Pavel Pumprla (196-G-86) 12


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


Reno Bighorns sign Damon Jones - by Eurobasket Center
Reno Bighorns signed 36-year old guard Damon Jones (192-G-76, college: Houston). In his first game he scored 2 points helping his new team beat Iowa E. 107-72. Jones played most recently at Bucaneros de La Guaira (Venezuela). He is a very experienced player. Jones played also pro basketball in Italy, Puerto Rico, Spain, Turkey and Venezuela. He graduated University of Houston in 1997 and actually missed last season. It will be his 15th season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center

NBA Developmental League Showcase January 9-12 - by Eurobasket
Every Year the NBA Developmental League hosts a showcase where all of the teams travel to one city and play 2 games each over a 4 day period to showcase their talents in front of NBA GMs and scouting staffs representing all of the NBA teams as well as in front of numerous GMs and scouts from top level overseas teams who are looking for talent for the current season as well as for the next season. The Showcase provides a great opportunity for the NBDL players to show themselves in the best light possible in trying to further their careers with a possible NBA call-up or an offer to play overseas.

This year is no different than in the past. All NBA teams are represented as well as representatives from overseas top leagues in Italy, Spain and France as well as others from Korea, Dominican Republic and scouts and agents who work directly with teams throughout Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East.
The D-League talent runs deep this year as the late start of the NBA season and recent cutdowns of NBA rosters coming out of training camps has led to a more than usual number of NBA experienced players at this years showcase. Each of the 4 days of the showcase has 4 games scheduled at 10:00AM, 12:45PM, 3:30PM & 7:00PM with each team playing two games during the 4 day event.

Day 1 January 9, 2012:

10:00AM - Idaho Stampede (101) vs. Erie Bayhawks (103)
12:45PM Springfield Armor (82) vs. Los Angeles Defenders (97)
3:30PM - Fort Wayne Mad Ants (100) vs. Bakersfield Jam (96)
7:00PM Reno Bighorns (116) vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (99)

10:00AM - Idaho Stampede (101) vs. Erie Bayhawks (103)
Game Summary Idaho pulled out to a 12 point lead and ended the half up 52-45 on strong 1st half performances by two Portland Trail Blazer Assignees. Center Luke Babbitt (6'9''-F-89, college: Nevada) had 11 points and 6 rebounds and Rookie guard Armon Johnson (6'3''-PG-89, college: Nevada) added 10 on 4-6 shooting. Tony Bobbitt (6'4''-G-79, agency: VVG Sports, college: Cincinnati) also contributed 9 points on 4-5 shooting in the 1st half. However, the3rd Quarter proved to be the difference in the game as Erie came back strong in the 2nd half and outscored the Stampede 37-21 in the 3rd quarter to claim an 82-73 lead going into the 4th. Chris Daniels (6'11''-C-84) led Erie with 12 points in the 3rd quarter. Idaho did not give up down the stretch as they outscored the Bayhawks 28-23 in the 4th. However, it was not enough as Erie held on for a 103-101 victory. Erie was led by Mike James with a game high 23 points along with his 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The Bayhawks also had strong performances from Chris Daniels with 19 points including 3-3 from behind the arc, and 15 from Devin Green to go with his 7 rebounds. Kyle Spain (6'5''-F-87, college: San Diego St.) had game high 11 boards to go along with his 12 points. Idaho was led by Armon Johnson with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Tony Bobbitt finished with 16 points on 6-8 shooting and Luke Babbitt contributed 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Idaho: Johnson 19. Bobbitt 16, Babbitt 15, Tarver 11, Carter 9, Stone 8, Walker 7, Hamilton 7, Foster 5, White 4, Ambres DNP, Moore DNP
Erie: James 23, Daniels 19, Green 15, Kennedy 13, Spain 12, Goldcamp 9, Stokes 7, Phillips 5, Jenkins 0, Baines DNP

12:45PM Springfield Armor (82) vs. Los Angeles Defenders (97)
Game Summary The LA Defenders Jumped out to an early lead with a strong 1st quarter of 15 points by Brandon Costner (6'9''-F-87, college: N.Carolina St.) on 4-4 shooting and 2-2 from behind the 3 point line. The first half was a close back and forth affair and the halftime ended with a score of 47-44 in favor of the Defenders. The 2nd half was controlled by the defenders en route to a 97-82 victory over the Armor. LA was led by a very strong performance by Brandon Costner on 8-12 shooting, 4-7 from the 3 point line and 9-13 from the foul line. Costner also added 2 blocked shots. Elijah Millsap (6'6''-G-87, agency: Interperformances, college: UAB) added 14 points and 9 rebounds, Courtney Fortson had 13 points on 6-10 shooting. Zack Andrews was strong on the boars as he contributed a game high 12 rebounds for LA. Springfield was led by L.D. Williams with 19 points and 9 rebounds on 8-13 shooting and JamesOn Curry also with 19 points and a game high 8 assists. Jeff Foote also had a strong day on the boards with 11 rebounds to go with his 14 points.
Springfield: Williams 19, Curry 19, Foote 14, Smith 14, Knowles 6, Brown 5, Spates 3, Johnson 2, Hurdle 0, Akinyooye DNP
Los Angeles: Costner 29, Millsap 14, Fortson 13, George 12, Collins 12, Andrews 6, Greene 5, Hamilton 4, Green 4, Thomas DNP

3:30PM - Fort Wayne Mad Ants (100) vs. Bakersfield Jam (96)
Game Summary Bakersfield jumped out to an early 17 point lead and were up 33-27 after one quarter led by Solomon Alabi (7'1''-C-88, college: Florida St.) 8 points and 4 rebounds and 2 blocks on 4-5 shooting in the 1st quarter. Fort Wayne evened things out in the 2nd and cut the lead to 53-51 in favor of the Jam at halftime. In the 3rd Bakersfield extended their lead to 5 points and ended the quarter up 77-72. However in the end the Mad Ants came back and finished the game strong with a 100-96 victory. The victorious Mad Ants had strong contributions from several players for an excellent team victory. They were led by Jarrid Famous with a game high 20 points and 9 rebounds on 9-19 shooting. Walker Russell had 19 points and added an amazing 19 assists for the Mad Ants, The winners also had strong performances from Darnell Lazare (6'8''-F-85, agency: Priority Sports, college: LSU) with 18 points and a game high 12 rebounds, Sadiel Rojas (6'4''-G/F-89, college: Okla.Wesleyan) added 16 points and 8 boards and Cameron Jones had 15 points and 6 boards. Bakersfield also had a good team effort with 6 players in double figures scoring. The Jam were led by Renaldo Major with 14 points and Adam Koch had a team high 10 rebounds to go with his 10 points. Jeremy Wise had 8 assists to lead the Jam in addition to his 13 points.
Fort Wayne: Famous 20, Russell 19, Lazare 18, Rojas 16, Jones 15, Brown 4, Sonderleiter 4, Jackson 2, Harris 2, Howard DNP
Bakersfield: Major 14, Wise 13, Farrakhan 12, Palmer 11, Thomas 11, Koch 10, Hazell 9, Alabi 8, Patillo 6, Eldridge 2

7:00PM Reno Bighorns (116) vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (99)
Game Summary The Rio Grande Valley Vipers jumped out to a strong 10 point lead in the 1st quarter on Marcus Morris (6'8''-F-89, college: Kansas) 10 points and 5 rebounds in the quarter. The NBA Assignee was a lottery pick in the 2011 NBA draft being picked up with the #14 overall pick by the Houston Rockets. Morris was also the 2011 Big 12 player of the year while playing at Kansas. Andre Emmett (6'5''-G/F-82, college: Texas Tech), a 2004 NBA draft picked sparked the Reno Bighorns comeback by scoring 15 points in the 1st quarter on 6-7 shooting, 1-1 from the 3 point line and 2-2 from the foul line in the quarter to go along with his 3 rebounds and 1 steal to lead the Bighorns in closing out the 1st quarter with a 27-26 lead. Marcus Morris continued his strong play in the 2nd adding another 10 points however Renos strong team effort helped them end the half up 58-54 with a strong 8 rebounds by Terrance Thomas to go with his 8 1st half points on 4-6 shooting and 1-1 from the 3 point line and adding 4 assists. In the 3rd Reno started to take control of the game and entered the 4th with an 87-76 lead. The 4th quarter was accented by more solid team play by the Bighorns. Reno closed out the game strong and ended up with a decisive 116-99 victory. Reno was led by Andre Emmett with a game high 36 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a game high 5 steals on 16-23 shooting, 1-2 from the 3 point line and 3-4 from the foul line. NBDl Leading scorer Blake Ahearn had 26 points on 9-17 shooting and added a game high 12 assists. Terrance Thomas had a very strong outing for Reno as well. Thomas scored 18 points in addition to his game high 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals on 8-14 shooting and 2-4 from the 3 point line. Hassan Whiteside had 4 blocked shots for Reno. Marcus Morris led The Vipers with 24 points and 9 rebounds on 10-27 shooting. Willie Warren added 14 points for the vipers. Ashton Mitchell led the vipers with 8 assists.
Reno: Emmett 36, Ahearn 26, Thomas 18, Charlo 10, Simmons 8, Ayer 6, oliver 5, Whiteside 4, Graham 2, Honeycutt 1, Blalock 0, Davis DNP
Rio Grande: Morris 24, Warren 14, Smith 11, Humphrey 9, Johnson 9, Lewis 7, Braimoh 7, Asumnu 6, Brown 6, Saunders 4, Mitchell 2


Standings
D-League Standings
East Conference
 1. Iowa E. 12-5 
 2. Canton C. 9-8 
 3. Springfield A. 8-9 
 4. Erie Bay H. 8-11 
 5. Dakota W. 7-8 
 6. Ft.Wayne MA 7-11 
 7. Maine RC 6-13 
 8. Sioux Falls S. 5-14 
West Conference
 1. Los Angeles D. 15-6 
 2. Austin T. 13-3 
 3. Rio Grande VV 11-8 
 4. Bakersfield J. 10-8 
 5. Reno B. 10-9 
 6. Tulsa 66ers 9-8 
 7. Idaho S. 7-11 
 8. Texas L. 7-12 


Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Blake AHEARN
  Reno B.
  (188-PG-84)
  Avg: 25.2
 1. Ahearn, Reno B.25.2 
 2. Costner, Los A.24.2 
 3. Dentmon, Austin T.23.3 
 4. Emmett, Reno B.22.9 
 5. Millsap, Los A.22.1 
 6. Howard, Ft.Wayne.21.0 
 7. Ubiles, Dakota W.19.9 
 8. Curry, Springfield19.5 
 9. Lazare, Ft.Wayne.19.4 
 10. Biggs, Canton C.19.3 
Rebounds Per Game
 Marcus LEWIS
  Tulsa 66ers
  (203-F/C-86)
  Avg: 13.9
 1. Lewis, Tulsa 66ers13.9 
 2. Famous, Iowa E.11.0 
 3. Dawson, Austin T.10.6 
 4. Milligan, Canton C.10.1 
 5. Daniels, Erie B.9.6 
 6. Foote, Springfield9.5 
 7. Thomas, Reno B.9.5 
 8. Reid, Tulsa 66ers8.9 
 9. Andrews, Los A.8.8 
 10. Thomas, Austin T.8.5 
Assists Per Game
 Walker RUSSELL
  Ft.Wayne.
  (183-G-82)
  Avg: 9.8
 1. Russell, Ft.Wayne.9.8 
 2. Tinsley, Los A.7.6 
 3. Ewing, Iowa E.7.0 
 4. Coleman, Sioux F.7.0 
 5. Baker, Dakota W.6.7 
 6. Cooksey, Texas L.6.6 
 7. Ahearn, Reno B.6.5 
 8. Bozeman, Reno B.6.2 
 9. Curry, Springfield6.1 
 10. Wise, Bakersfield5.8 
Steals Per Game
 Elijah MILLSAP
  Los A.
  (198-G-87)
  Avg: 2.6
 1. Millsap, Los A.2.6 
 2. Tinsley, Los A.2.4 
 3. Pruitt, Sioux F.2.2 
 4. Coleman, Sioux F.2.2 
 5. Curry, Springfield2.2 
 6. Dentmon, Austin T.2.2 
 7. Fortson, Los A.2.2 
 8. Russell, Ft.Wayne.2.1 
 9. Harris, Rio G.2.1 
 10. Baker, Dakota W.2.0 
Blocks Per Game
 Will FOSTER
  Idaho S.
  (226-C-88)
  Avg: 3.1
 1. Foster, Idaho S.3.1 
 2. Thomas, Los A.2.7 
 3. Saunders, Rio G.2.3 
 4. Daniels, Erie B.2.3 
 5. Ojougboh, Tulsa2.0 
 6. Smith, Rio G.1.8 
 7. Anderson, Dakota1.7 
 8. Dove, Dakota W.1.6 
 9. Tisdale, Maine RC1.6 
 10. Dawson, Austin T.1.5 


Spurs waive Diogu, sign forward Thomas from D-League - by Eurobasket News
The San Antonio Spurs waived former lottery pick Ike Diogu (6'8''-F/C-83, college: Arizona St.) and signed forward Malcolm Thomas (6'9''-C-88, college: San Diego St.) from the NBA's D-League on Wednesday.

The Spurs switched out the two big men while coach Gregg Popovich continues to try to beef up his thin frontcourt. San Antonio began the season with only Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Tiago Splitter and DeJuan Blair as options at center or forward.

Thomas is a 6-foot-9 rookie who played with Spurs swingman Kawhi Leonard at San Diego State last season. Leonard was drafted 15th overall and may get his first start against Houston on Wednesday.

Diogu played sparingly in two games after being signed Jan. 3.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Ewing, Jr. returns to Skyforce, McShepard released - by Eurobasket News
The Sioux Falls Skyforce announced today that the team has re-acquired forward Patrick Ewing Jr. (6'8''-F-84, college: Georgetown). To make room for him on the roster the team waived forward Billy McShepard (6'10''-F, college: Valdosta St.) due to injury. He is expected to be in uniform tonight as the Skyforce takes on the Texas Legends at 5:30 p.m. CT at the 2012 NBA D-League Showcase in Reno, Nev. The active roster now stands at 10 players.

Ewing, Jr. holds NBA D-League career averages of 17.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 79 games with the Reno Bighorns (56) and Skyforce (23). He was named All-NBA D-League Third Team after averaging 17.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 49 games with Reno (26) and Sioux Falls (23) last season. Acquired in a trade with Reno on Jan. 25, the 2011 NBA D-League All-Star was called up by the New Orleans Hornets on March 26 and appeared in seven regular season and two postseason contests.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

Malcolm Thomas Gets the Call: Signed by San Antonio Spurs - by Surujh Roopnarine
Malcolm Thomas (6'9''-C-88, college: San Diego St.), an undrafted forward/center out of San Diego State has been signed by the San Antonion Spurs from the NBA D-League. Thomas, a college teammate of Spurs rookie swingman Kawhi Leonard (6'7''-F-91, college: San Diego St.) with the Aztecs, played during the NBA lockout in South Korea prior to joining the Los Angeles D-Fenders in December. The 6-9 Thomas appeared in six games with the D-Fenders, averaging 14.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.7 blocks while shooting 67.3% from the field. After beginning his career at Pepperdine, Thomas played the last two seasons with San Diego State where he and Leonard formed an intimidating frontcourt. The Aztecs made a run to the Sweeet 16 last season and Thomas was named to the Mountain West Conference All-Defensive team after averaging 2.0 blocks in 37 games played as a senior.
The Spurs waived veteran forward Ike Diogu (6'8''-F/C-83, college: Arizona St.) to make room for Thomas.

D-League Showcase: Wednesday's games review - by Adam Prossin
Idaho S. - Bakersfield J. 98-113
Quick geography exercise. Juan Pattillo (6'6''-F-88, college: W.Kentucky) grew up in Las Vegas, located at the southern tip of Nevada. He spent two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho, before moving onto to Oklahoma, then finishing his career at Western Kentucky. Today, he was in Reno, situated at the westernmost point of Nevada, playing for the Bakersfield Jam against the Idaho Stampede. Got all that? Pattillo felt right at home at the 2012 NBA D-League Showcase, scoring a game-high 33 points as the Jam (10-8) defeated the Stampede, 113-98. He shot 9-for-13 from the field, 15-for-16 from the free throw line, and added nine rebounds. Jeremy Wise (6'3''-G-86, agency: Strategic Sports, college: S.Mississippi) added 16 points for the Jam, while Adam Koch had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Antoine Walker led the Stampede with 18 points and eight rebounds. Tony Bobbitt finished with 17 points, making 4-of-8 from behind the arc. At one point during the contest, the Stampede (7-11) trotted out a lineup of the 35-year-old Walker, Bobbitt (32) and newly-signed Mikki Moore (36). Moore, a 12-year NBA veteran who last played in the league during the 2009-10 season with Golden State, scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds. With Erie's Mike James signing today with the Chicago Bulls, it's easy to see why many veterans have taken to the NBA D-League in the hopes of earning another NBA contract. It was a rough game for Idaho's Armon Johnson, who shot 1-for-13 from the field and scored only four points. On assignment from the Portland Trail Blazers, Johnson is working on striking a balance between scoring and distributing. He did finish with a team-high seven assists. *Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

Texas L. - Sioux Falls S. 98-95
The Skyforce almost overcame an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit Wednesday night but fell 98-95 to the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League Showcase. The Skyforce got within 92-90 but Booker Woodfox banked in a 3-pointer with 21.3 seconds left to give Texas a 95-90 lead. Casey Mitchell then hit a 3-pointer for Sioux Falls, trimming the lead to two. The Legends' Drew Neitzel got fouled and made one of two free throws to put Texas up 96-93. Sioux Falls took the quick two-point basket to pull within a point before Woodfox hit two free throws to give Texas its final margin. The game marked the return to the Sioux Falls lineup of Patrick Ewing Jr. (6'8''-F-84, college: Georgetown). To make room for him on the roster, the team waived forward Billy McShepard due to injury. Ewing holds D-League career averages of 17.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists . He played 23 games for Sioux Falls last year. Greg Ostertag had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots in 21 minutes for Texas. The 11-year NBA veteran is trying to make a comeback afrer being away from the game for five years. For the Skyforce, Anthony Mason (6'7''-F-87, college: St.John's) Jr. had 28 points and nine rebounds, while Trey Gilder had 17 points and Charles Garcia 14. The Skyforce almost overcame an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit Wednesday night but fell 98-95 to the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League Showcase. The Skyforce got within 92-90 but Booker Woodfox banked in a 3-pointer with 21.3 seconds left to give Texas a 95-90 lead. Casey Mitchell then hit a 3-pointer for Sioux Falls, trimming the lead to two. The Legends' Drew Neitzel got fouled and made one of two free throws to put Texas up 96-93. Sioux Falls took the quick two-point basket to pull within a point before Woodfox hit two free throws to give Texas its final margin. The game marked the return to the Sioux Falls lineup of Patrick Ewing Jr. Jr. To make room for him on the roster, the team waived forward Billy McShepard due to injury. Ewing holds D-League career averages of 17.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists . He played 23 games for Sioux Falls last year. Greg Ostertag had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots in 21 minutes for Texas. The 11-year NBA veteran is trying to make a comeback afrer being away from the game for five years. For the Skyforce, Anthony Mason had 28 points and nine rebounds, while Trey Gilder had 17 points and Charles Garcia 14. *Courtesy of www.argusleader.com

Reno B. - Iowa E. 107-72
The Reno Bighorns smothered the Iowa Energy 107-72 in NBA-D League basketball action late Wednesday night in Reno, Nev. Reno (10-9) outrebounded the Energy 55-36. Andrew Drevo (6'8''-F/C-81, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Nebraska) led the Energy (12-5) with 13 points and eight rebounds. Nick Murphy (6'4''-G/F-88, college: Jacksonville St.) added nine points and seven rebounds. The defending NBA D-League champion Energy were joined in Reno by Iowa State product Curtis Stinson, the league's reigning league most valuable player. The 6-3 point guard most recently played in Slovenia before re-signing with the Energy on Monday. Stinson started and scored nine points and dished out seven assists Wednesday. The Energy also play late Thursday, 9 p.m. Iowa time, against Canton, also in Reno. Iowa returns home on Sunday to play Tulsa at 4 p.m. *Courtesy of www.desmoinesregister.com

Maine RC - Los Angeles D. 94-106
The Maine Red Claws (6-13) put together two solid performances at the 2012 NBA Development League Showcase in Reno, NV, splitting their two games with a 98-92 win yesterday over Sioux Falls and a 106-94 loss today to the Los Angeles D-Fenders. The D-Fenders (15-6) rode the play of Gerald Green (6'8''-G/F-86) through a subpar first half as the former NBA Slam Dunk Champion picked up 34 points in 33 minutes off the bench. After a slow start that saw the Red Claws open up a 54-47 lead heading into the half, the D-Fenders rallied in 3rd quarter, limiting Maine from the perimeter as the LA defense picked up while Maine's offense seemed suddenly tentative and out of sync. Maine's Jerome Randle (5'10''-G-87, college: California) kept his team in the game going 6-for-6 from the line and knocking jumpers down late in the third to maintain a slim single point lead for Maine heading into the 4th. The 4th quarter was all LA. After Gerald Green's enormous first half kept them in the game, the D-Fenders came out firing on all cylinders, stifling Maine's offense and opening their own up. With a complete team effort, LA opened the lead up to 12, never allowing the Red Claws back into the game and cruising to their league-leading 16th win. Green's 34 points led all scorers for the day while teammate Courtney Fortson quietly chipped in 18 points and Elijah Millsap added 17. Brandon Costner picked up 15 for the game despite an off shooting day, shooting just 25% but going a perfect 7-for-7 from the line. For the Red Claws, Jerome Randle kept Maine in the game after their offense went cold late in the second half. Randle led all Maine scorers with 24 points and 5 rebounds but was also credited with 8 of Maine's 22 turnovers on the day. Newcomer Lawrence Hill continued to impress with 22 points in just his second game in scarlet and red, picking up 9 boards as well. Courtney Pigram rounded out Maine's scorers in double digits, chipping in 11 in the losing cause. Maine will depart Reno early tomorrow morning, traveling immediately to Springfield, MA where they will face the Armor in the first game of a home-and-home set Saturday night. The two teams will then head north to complete the set Sunday at 5 PM at the Portland Exposition Building. *Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com



*****************************************************
  EBA   


Standings
EBA Standings
Northern Division
 1. Hudson V.H. 2-1
 2. New York W. 1-1
 3. Brooklyn P. 0-0
 4. N.Y.C. J. 0-0
 5. Philadelphia L. 0-1
Southern Division
 1. Washington M. 1-0
 2. Winchester S. 1-1
 3. Harrisburg H. 0-0
 4. M. All-Stars 0-0
 5. NoVa H. 0-1


E.B.A. Season starts - by Calvin Brown
The EBA begins its full 2012 season this weekend with six teams in action.

Two new members of the EBA will play their inaugural game Saturday (1/7/12) when the NYC Jaguars take the floor against the hosting Philadelphia Live. Southern division rivals Winchester Storm and NoVa Hawks will battle it out Saturday night (1/7/12) as well in Chantilly, VA.

Winchester will be right back in action on Sunday (1/8/12) for their home opener against perennial powerhouse, Washington Madness.

The Hudson Valley Hype (2-1) holds a slim lead in the Northern division over the NY Wizards (1-1). The two teams split a pre-holiday season home and home series but the Hype held on to first place with a forfeit win over the Philadelphia Live.

Defending EBA Champion Metropolitan All-Stars will jump into the fray next weekend (1/14/12 and 1/15/12) with a road game in Philadelphia Saturday night and their home opener Sunday afternoon against the Winchester Storm in Laurel, MD.



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


A Message 4 da young & gifted - by Terry Cooper
Today I was at the library when I read under Latvian Basket that a MSU player was given a lengthy suspension by the NCAA because he played with or on a professional team in Europe. By NCAA rule basketball players must be of amateur status in order to play on the college level then another player from UM was suspended 10 games for the same situation. MSU said it was shocked on how harsh the NCAA was on the ruling and compared the suspension to a MSU player that took impermissible gifts/funds while or before attending college. Taking gifts and being a professional player are two different avenues. As a player myself in the European region, several kids are practicing on professional teams every day and are labeled as 'bench players' which the team feels doesn't cause the player damage if they have dreams of playing collegiate basketball. I have seen this bit of trickery done several times on many teams in Europe to secure a promising talent for their club and he or she are an investment to the club if the player may blossom into a gifted prospect (e.g. NBA, Real Madrid, FCB, Tel Aviv, etc.). With everything in life there are advantages and disadvantages for the club, the University/College, but mostly to the player. One advantage is that European players at a young age are practicing and sometimes playing against former NBA, D-League, or High European level players that give them a greater advantage than the players in the US. The clubs sign these players to contracts for a certain amount of years as an investment into the player that may pan out for them financially in the future. This is nothing new in business however; players that have pursued to playing college basketball have endowed the consequences of playing for high level teams. So far in the past few years I have been writing for Eurobasket, I have seen and spoken to several players that have been suspended several games and sometimes the entire season because they have played on a team which the NCAA found was a professional team. Of course the players feel that it is unfair that this has happened and want to be given a 'pass' for something they did not know or do on purpose. Well this is a message for da young and gifted players of the European region if you truly want to pursue your dreams of playing in the NCAA and not be penalized by the committee, do yourselves a favor and DO NOT play with a team that are considered a professional team by the NCAA and definitely think twice about signing a contract with a professional team that may hinder your chances of experiencing a college basketball career. I will give you a great example: Werkendam see you as a young/gifted talent and you signed a contract with the team that plays on the highest level in your country and teams all over the European Region. You play with their farm team Werkendam2 and play some games with Werkendam but they have you as a 'bench player'. XX University wants you and gives you a scholarship and sends in the necessary paperwork to the NCAA clearance committee. When they do their research and gets your player's card, it's not going to say Werkendam2 but it will show that you played with WERKENDAM and the stats you played with that top team which by rule may go into: did you receive benefits over the restricted amount?, Where players on your team considered professional players? So on and so forth. This is what can turn your college dreams upside down. Now it's not only players that come from top league teams that have feel victim. Approximately 4 years ago a player in Germany was playing in Bundesliga2 Pro B for a team then he was offered a scholarship to play at a university. The NCAA ruled him ineligible because his team was considered a fully professional team that paid everyone above the restricted amount. He had to sit out the entire season, which the player decided to return back to Germany and continue playing.

As you see from these few examples that the NCAA is for real. ESPN America (In Europe) has shown short stories of scholar athletes that have either slipped through the cracks of the ruling or have been punished because they are considered professionals. On a real note, basketball players here in the US cannot go and play D-League, PBL, ABA, etc. and then decide that they want to play college sports because you are not an amateur athlete anymore. Well the same rule goes for players signing as a young prospect for pro teams. Some players are going to be more advanced than others. We see and know it when it comes to sports. Amateur is amateur no matter how you look at it and I am just passing this message to readers/players in the Dutch League but all over Europe because I am tired of seeing young players dreams crushed because they made a decision by signing with a team and not thinking what may happen if they want to pursue a college career. And for the record, going to a PREP school for 1 year doesnt necessarily put you back in amateur status. The NCAA is buckling down and running a tight ship with the amateur ruling. If you are player for an U16, U18 basketball club or the U16& U18 National basketball team, then do only that to prevent this situation happening to you. Just some advice to pass down so your dreams won't get knocked down.

Stay Tuned...

Changes to Euroleague competition system starting 2012-13 season - by Eurobasket
Euroleague Basketball has unveiled a new Turkish Airlines Euroleague competition system that will be implemented starting with the 2012-13 season. As in the current format, the new one will consist of five phases: the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Round, the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season, the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16, the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Playoffs and the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four. The new competition system will feature modifications to two phases and a shift of game days throughout the season.

The first modification will be made in the qualifying round, in which eight teams, instead of 16, will play in a single-venue tournament format to earn one spot in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season.

The regular season will remain the same, a round-robin format in which the 24 qualified teams will be divided in four groups (A, B, C and D). Every team plays its group opponents twice each, for a total of 10 games, with the four best finishers from each group advancing to the next phase.

The second competition system modification will expand the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 by dividing the best teams coming from the regular season into two Groups (E and F) rather than the previous four. With this change, the Top 16 Draw will be eliminated. The two new Top 16 groups would be composed based on regular-season standings, as follows:

1. Group E: A1, B2, C3, D4, C1, D2, A3, B4
2. Group F: B1, C2, D3, A4, D1, A2, B3, C4

The effect of the change to two groups means that the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16 will expand from the current six games to a total of 14 per group. The top four teams of each group will advance to the playoffs, which will continue as best-of-five series whose winners will qualify for the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four. Likewise, European basketballs signature event will remain in its current single-elimination format, semifinals and title game, to crown the competitions champion.

Besides these competition system modifications, another important change to be implemented in the 2012-13 season will make the official Turkish Airlines Euroleague game days Thursday and Friday of each playing week. This change to Friday games has already been tested during the current season on two occasions, in regular season Game 1 between Gescrap BB and Olympiacos and in Game 3 between Panathinaikos and Zalgiris, with positive results in both arena attendance and TV audiences.

With these improvements, Euroleague Basketball seeks to bring more entertainment to all fans by increasing the opportunities to witness the best teams of the continent facing each other and by finding stable weekly game days that avoid the coincidence of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague clashing with other elite sporting competitions.





Dorsey: I am thirsty to play basketball - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Joey Dorsey (206-C/F-83, college: Memphis) arrived in Greece on Wednesday night, to play for Olympiakos Piraeus and did not hide his excitement for his transfer: 'I am very excited that I came to Olympiakos. I do not really know why my ex-coach Dusko Ivanovic did not give me much time to play at Caja Laboral, but I always tried to give my best on the court. Pablo Prigioni (191-G-77) told me the best for my new team, while I should also mention that I know Kyle Hines (198-F-86) very well since we played together before. I missed playing basketball a lot because I did not have enough playing time lately'.
When asked whether he prefers playing at '4'or '5' during the game, Joey Dorsey stated: 'For me there is not such a big difference in playing at both positions. I put a lot of energy on the court, trying for each separate rebound since my large body helps me. I have no problem in playing at whichever position my coach may request me'.

Finally, when being noticed that if Caja Laboral had won at the game for the first round of Euroleague at Piraeus he might not have come to Greece, Joey Dorsey answered that 'this is true; maybe I would have been still at Vitoria, you never know how life brings things out. Anyway, I am very glad that I came here and I intend to give my best for Olympiakos'.

Last moment's information from Lithuanian sites bring also Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) at the Reds at the following days.



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


Korisliiga Round 25: Loimaan Korikonkarit beats Tampereen Pyrinto in the most crucial game of the week - by Eurobasket News
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Tampere. Second ranked Loimaan Korikonkarit faced 4th placed Tampereen Pyrinto. Guests from Loimaa (15-5) defeated host Tampereen Pyrinto (13-9) 82-72. The guests trailed by 9 points at the halftime before their 52-33 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Loimaan Korikonkarit made 19-of-25 free shots (76.0 percent) during the game. Loimaan Korikonkarit outrebounded Tampereen Pyrinto 41-30 including 31 on the defensive glass. American guard Martin Zeno (196-85, college: Texas Tech) fired 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. His fellow American import guard Jeb Ivey (190-80, college: Portland St.) chipped in 19 points and 4 assists. Guard Antero Lehto (184-84) produced 20 points and 6 rebounds for lost side. Tampereen Pyrinto's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Loimaan Korikonkarit maintains second place with 15-5 record having seven points less than leader Kataja. Defending champion Tampereen Pyrinto keeps the fourth position with nine games lost. Loimaan Korikonkarit are looking forward to face Kauhajoen Karhu (#3) in Kauhajoki in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Tampereen Pyrinto will play on the road against Torpan Pojat in Helsinki and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Bottom-ranked Namika Lahti managed to get a sixth victory. This time they won against tenth-ranked UU-Korihait 95-79. It's especially surprising that the victory came too easily and 16-point difference suggests that Namika Lahti is in a good shape to leave the bottom place. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Ryan Brooks (193-81, college: Temple, agency: Pro One Sports) who helped to win the game recording 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Brant Bailey contributed with 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. American forward Cory Johnson (200-88, college: Valparaiso, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) answered with 16 points and 8 rebounds for UU-Korihait. Namika Lahti maintains eleventh place with 6-17 record. UU-Korihait lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the ninth position with 15 games lost. They share it with KTP. Namika Lahti will play against higher ranked KTP-Basket (#9) in Kotka in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. UU-Korihait will play at home against Kouvot in Kouvola and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Leader Joensuun Kataja delivered the nineteenth victory on Tuesday night. This time they beat 7th ranked Salon Vilpas (9-14) 75-67. Jared Newson stepped up and scored 21 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. At the losing side Emmanuel Holloway responded with 23 points and 7 assists. Salon Vilpas' coach Mikko Tupamaki tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Joensuun Kataja have a solid series of three victories in a row. Joensuun Kataja maintains first place with 19-4 record. Salon Vilpas at the other side dropped to the eighth position with 14 games lost. Joensuun Kataja will meet at home KTP-Basket (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Salon Vilpas will play against LrNMKY in Lappeenranta and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in Lappeenranta was also worth to mention about. 6th ranked Kouvot (9-13) played at the court of eighth ranked LrNMKY (9-13). LrNMKY managed to secure a 7-point victory 77-70. The game was dominated by American players. Tyler Tiedeman nailed 22 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side. LrNMKY moved-up to sixth place, which they share with defeated Kouvot. Kouvot lost fourth consecutive game. LrNMKY's next round opponent will be Salon Vilpas (#8) on the road.
Ninth-ranked KTP-Basket (8-15) made lots of trouble for third ranked Kauhajoen Karhu (15-8) in Kauhajoki on Wednesday. Kauhajoen Karhu managed to secure only three-point victory 79-76. However their fans expected much easier game. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of KTP-Basket. Kelly Beidler fired a double-double by scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. Kauhajoen Karhu have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain third place with 15-8 record having four points less than leader Kataja. Loser KTP-Basket keeps the ninth position with 15 games lost. Kauhajoen Karhu will face league's second-placed Loimaan Korikonkarit on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. KTP-Basket will play against the league's leader Joensuun Kataja (#1).



Kauhajoki - KTP 79-76

Ninth-ranked KTP-Basket (8-15) made lots of trouble for third ranked Kauhajoen Karhu (15-8) in Kauhajoki on Wednesday. Kauhajoen Karhu managed to secure only three-point victory 79-76. However their fans expected much easier game. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of KTP-Basket. The hosts trailed by 15 points at the halftime before their 59-41 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Kauhajoen Karhu made 24-of-26 free shots (92.3 percent) during the game. KTP-Basket was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. American forward Kelly Beidler (199-88, college: Mt.St.Mary's, agency: R.H.Consultancy) fired a double-double by scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. His fellow American import point guard Clevin Hannah (180-87, college: Wichita St., agency: Court Side) chipped in 18 points. American forward Tim Blue (205-84, college: Middle Tenn.St.) produced 22 points and 5 blocks and swingman Juho-Matti Lehtoranta (194-89) added 13 points and 8 rebounds respectively for lost side. Four KTP-Basket players scored in double figures. Kauhajoen Karhu have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain third place with 15-8 record having four points less than leader Kataja. Loser KTP-Basket keeps the ninth position with 15 games lost. Kauhajoen Karhu will face league's second-placed Loimaan Korikonkarit on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. KTP-Basket will play against the league's leader Joensuun Kataja (#1).
Top scorers:
Kauhajoki: K.Beidler 21+10reb+1ast, C.Hannah 18+3reb+3ast, T.Hendley 16+2reb+1ast, V.Makalainen 8+7reb, A.Huuskonen 6+2reb+1ast, J.Eskola 5+2reb+1ast
KTP: T.Blue 22+4reb+1ast, J.Williams 14+4reb, T.Crocker 13+5reb+2ast, J.Lehtoranta 13+8reb+3ast, J.Lehtoranta 5+2reb, M.Dobras 4+1reb
gschID: 141747


Pyrinto - Nilan Bisons 72-82

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Tampere. Second ranked Loimaan Korikonkarit faced 4th placed Tampereen Pyrinto. Guests from Loimaa (15-5) defeated host Tampereen Pyrinto (13-9) 82-72. The guests trailed by 9 points at the halftime before their 52-33 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Loimaan Korikonkarit made 19-of-25 free shots (76.0 percent) during the game. Loimaan Korikonkarit outrebounded Tampereen Pyrinto 41-30 including 31 on the defensive glass. American guard Martin Zeno (196-85, college: Texas Tech) fired 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. His fellow American import guard Jeb Ivey (190-80, college: Portland St.) chipped in 19 points and 4 assists. Guard Antero Lehto (184-84) produced 20 points and 6 rebounds and American forward Damon Williams (201-73, college: Colorado St.-Pueblo) added 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Tampereen Pyrinto's coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Loimaan Korikonkarit maintains second place with 15-5 record having seven points less than leader Kataja. Defending champion Tampereen Pyrinto keeps the fourth position with nine games lost. Loimaan Korikonkarit are looking forward to face Kauhajoen Karhu (#3) in Kauhajoki in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Tampereen Pyrinto will play on the road against Torpan Pojat in Helsinki and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Nilan Bisons: M.Zeno 25+8reb+4ast, J.Ivey 19+4reb+4ast, M.Koivisto 17+5reb+2ast, C.Jones 10+9reb, M.Nuutinen 9+6reb+1ast, R.McDade 2+6reb+1ast
Pyrinto: A.Lehto 20+6reb, A.Williams 13+5reb+1ast, D.Williams 13+7reb+4ast, K.Lowe 10+4reb+4ast, A.Nikkila 6+2reb, O.Ahvenniemi 5+2reb
gschID: 141748


Kataja - Salon Vilpas 75-67

Leader Joensuun Kataja delivered the nineteenth victory on Tuesday night. This time they beat 7th ranked Salon Vilpas (9-14) 75-67. The hosts started the game with a very strong first quarter 21-11. But Salon Vilpas won third quarter 20-18. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. American swingman Jared Newson (195-84, college: Tenn-Martin, agency: Pro One Sports) stepped up and scored 21 points and 5 rebounds for the winners and international guard Petri Virtanen (183-80) chipped in 12 points and 8 assists. Four Joensuun Kataja players scored in double figures. At the losing side American guard Emmanuel Holloway (188-86, college: Illinois St.) responded with 23 points and 7 assists and the other American import forward John Fields (205-88, college: Tennessee) produced a double-double by scoring 13 points and 17 rebounds. Salon Vilpas' coach Mikko Tupamaki tested ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Joensuun Kataja have a solid series of three victories in a row. Joensuun Kataja maintains first place with 19-4 record. Salon Vilpas at the other side dropped to the eighth position with 14 games lost. Joensuun Kataja will meet at home KTP-Basket (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Salon Vilpas will play against LrNMKY in Lappeenranta and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kataja: J.Newson 21+5reb+1ast, A.Kanervo 14+3reb+1ast, B.Walker 12+4reb+3ast, P.Virtanen 12+1reb+8ast, S.Lehtoranta 8+5reb+2ast, J.Price 6+9reb+1ast
Salon Vilpas: E.Holloway 23+4reb+7ast, A.Durham 19+8reb+2ast, J.Fields 13+17reb, J.Kataja 9+2reb, A.Vaenerberg 3+2reb+1ast, K.Brace 0+1reb
gschID: 141744


LrNMKY - Kouvot 77-70

The game in Lappeenranta was also worth to mention about. 6th ranked Kouvot (9-13) played at the court of eighth ranked LrNMKY (9-13). LrNMKY managed to secure a 7-point victory 77-70. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Kouvot won third quarter 26-17. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. The game was decided in the last minutes when LrNMKY won last quarter 16-10. The game was dominated by American players. Forward Tyler Tiedeman (201-85, college: Boise St., agency: Interperformances) nailed 22 points and 7 rebounds for the winning side and forward Lawrence Hamm (198-84, college: Towson, agency: Court Side) accounted for 21 points. Guard Antoine Jordan (196-83, college: Siena) came up with 20 points and 5 rebounds and forward Anthony Brown (203-86, college: Oklahoma St., agency: KMG Sports Management) added 18 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Kouvot in the defeat. LrNMKY moved-up to sixth place, which they share with defeated Kouvot. Kouvot lost fourth consecutive game. LrNMKY's next round opponent will be Salon Vilpas (#8) on the road.
Top scorers:
LrNMKY: T.Tiedeman 22+7reb, L.Hamm 21+1reb, M.Ojala 13+1reb+1ast, J.Jarvinen 7+5reb+5ast, D.Haynes 6+5reb+3ast, H.Valimaa 3+1reb
Kouvot: A.Jordan 20+5reb+1ast, A.Brown 18+7reb, J.Gonner 11+2reb+4ast, A.Nikkarinen 9+2reb+1ast, I.Seppala 6+3reb+1ast, A.Perttu 4+2reb+1ast
gschID: 141745


Namika Lahti - Korihait 95-79

Bottom-ranked Namika Lahti managed to get a sixth victory. This time they won against tenth-ranked UU-Korihait 95-79. It's especially surprising that the victory came too easily and 16-point difference suggests that Namika Lahti is in a good shape to leave the bottom place. It looked good early as UU-Korihait took an 3-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Namika Lahti had a 28-18 second period charge getting the lead and UU-Korihait was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 79-95. Namika Lahti shot 60.3 percent from the field. Namika Lahti had a 25-14 advantage in offensive rebounds. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Ryan Brooks (193-81, college: Temple, agency: Pro One Sports) who helped to win the game recording 24 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. His fellow American import forward Brant Bailey (202-77, college: Wisc.-Stevens Point) contributed with 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Bailey is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. American forward Cory Johnson (200-88, college: Valparaiso, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) answered with 16 points and 8 rebounds and the former international power forward Petri Heinonen (207-88) added 11 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for UU-Korihait. Four Namika Lahti and five UU-Korihait players scored in double figures. Namika Lahti maintains eleventh place with 6-17 record. UU-Korihait lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the ninth position with 15 games lost. They share it with KTP. Namika Lahti will play against higher ranked KTP-Basket (#9) in Kotka in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. UU-Korihait will play at home against Kouvot in Kouvola and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Namika Lahti: R.Brooks 24+7reb+4ast, B.Bailey 16+7reb, J.Koskinen 16+2ast, S.Pekkola 15+5reb+1ast, M.Moore 9+1reb+3ast, J.Vanttaja 7+7reb
Korihait: C.Johnson 16+8reb+1ast, M.Jalonen 14+1ast, N.Moore 13+4reb, P.Heinonen 11+7reb, P.Rainamaa 10+5reb+1ast, S.Vanzant 8+1ast
gschID: 141746




Standings - Korisliiga
Korisliiga Standings
 1. Kataja 19-4 
 2. Nilan Bisons 15-5 
 3. Kauhajoki 15-8 
 4. Pyrinto 13-9 
 5. ToPo 12-10 
 6. LrNMKY 9-13 
 7. Kouvot 9-13 
 8. Salon Vilpas 9-14 
 9. KTP 8-15 
 10. Korihait 8-15 
 11. Namika Lahti 6-17 


Stats Leaders - Korisliiga
Points Per Game
 Martin ZENO
  Nilan Bisons
  (196-G-85)
  Avg: 21.8
 1. Zeno, Nilan Bisons21.8 
 2. Blue, KTP21.7 
 3. Beidler, Kauhajoki19.9 
 4. Crocker, KTP19.9 
 5. Holloway, Salon V.19.7 
 6. Brooks, Namika L.18.8 
 7. Newson, Kataja18.6 
 8. Hamm, LrNM.17.7 
 9. Griffin, ToPo17.6 
 10. Tiedeman, LrNM.17.5 
Rebounds Per Game
 John FIELDS
  Salon Vilpas
  (205-F-88)
  Avg: 14.3
 1. Fields, Salon Vilp.14.3 
 2. Blue, KTP10.9 
 3. Newson, Kataja9.2 
 4. Beidler, Kauhajoki9.1 
 5. Hairston, Salon V.8.7 
 6. Williams, Pyrinto8.4 
 7. Zeno, Nilan Bisons8.3 
 8. McDade, Nilan B.8.2 
 9. Brown, Kouvot7.8 
 10. Nikkila, Pyrinto7.6 
Assists Per Game
 Jeb IVEY
  Nilan Bisons
  (190-G-80)
  Avg: 5.2
 1. Ivey, Nilan Bisons5.2 
 2. Williams, Pyrinto4.5 
 3. Hannah, Kauhajoki4.3 
 4. Virtanen, Kataja4.2 
 5. Haynes, LrNM.4.0 
 6. Moore, Namika L.3.9 
 7. Sarcevic, KTP3.9 
 8. Walker, Kataja3.8 
 9. Nikkarinen, Kouvot3.2 
 10. Holloway, Salon V.3.2 
Steals Per Game
 Juha STEN
  Kataja
  (191-G-83)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Sten, Kataja2.5 
 2. Moore, Korihait2.3 
 3. Beidler, Kauhajoki2.2 
 4. Williams, Pyrinto2.1 
 5. Moore, Namika L.1.9 
 6. Newson, Kataja1.9 
 7. Haynes, LrNM.1.7 
 8. Sarcevic, KTP1.7 
 9. Holloway, Salon V.1.6 
 10. Brooks, Namika L.1.6 
Blocks Per Game
 John FIELDS
  Salon Vilpas
  (205-F-88)
  Avg: 2.3
 1. Fields, Salon Vilp.2.3 
 2. Beidler, Kauhajoki2.0 
 3. Hairston, Salon V.1.3 
 4. Blue, KTP1.2 
 5. Lehtoranta, Kataja1.1 
 6. Zeno, Nilan Bisons0.9 
 7. Jones, Nilan Bisons0.9 
 8. McDade, Nilan B.0.8 
 9. Bell, KTP0.7 
 10. Price, Kataja0.7 


*****************************************************
  GEORGIA   


Sanikidze shines in Italy - by Eurobasket News
Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86, agency: World Sport Agency) shines in Italy as he became the top player in the last round. Georgian forward put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for CS Bologna, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 16.
The 25-year old player had a double-double of 10 points and 19 rebounds, while his team edged out Montepaschi 75:71. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. CS Bologna is placed at 3rd position in Italian SerieA. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. CS Bologna will need more victories to improve their 10-5 record. Viktor Sanikidze has many years of experience at CS Bologna, through which he has constantly improved. Viktor Viktor Sanikidze has solid league stats. He leads league in rebounds with 10.7rpg. Viktor Sanikidze is in league's top in and averages impressive 62.3% FGP.


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


Michael Thompson (Fraport Skyliners) Basketball Continues To Be A Learning Experience - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Michael Thompson (177-PG-89, college: Northwestern) is a 22 year old 177cm point guard from Chicago, Illinois that is playing his first season with the Fraport Skyliners. He played at Northwestern from 2007-2011. In his senior year, he played : 34 games: 16.3ppg, 2.2rpg, 4.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 39.3%, FT: 82.5%. Awards/Achievements in his career have been HS: Chicago Public League All-Academic Team -07, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention -10, All-Big Ten 3rd Team -11, Big Ten All-Tournament Team -11, and NIT Elite Eight -11. He took some time to talk to Eurobasket about his rookie season with the Fraport Skyliners.

The Fraport Skyliners finally won again at home against EnBW Ludwigsburg 76-72. How long did this time feel?

It was a hard process. We have been playing well on the road so we could forget a bit our play at home, but the wins on the road helped us in this win.

You were used to losing at Northwestern. Did you ever suffer such a long losing streak at Northwestern at home?

We were 1-5 in conference play not winning one game at home. This was very tough for us, because we didnt want to lose.

Is the self confidence finally rising in the Fraport arena?

Yes our confidence is up at home, but we also are having confidence on the road.

What was it like playing against Mark Dorris?

It is always great to play against good guards. He is an explosive player that can get fast to the basket. He can shoot and is a great competitor.

EnBW Ludwigsburg outrebounded Frankfurt. Why was rebounding a problem?

We have been undersized this season, but we have to do a better job boxing out and getting the rebounds. But I am happy we still got the win.

Jermareo Davidson had a strong second quarter, but all in all the win was a team effort as many guys contributed in scoring. How do you see the team chemistry coming along?

Our chemistry is good. Everyone is working hard and staying together. Everyone is vocal and is making each other better on the court.

Three months ago you played against Terrell Harris in a preseason game and since then he was cut by Ludwigsburg, played strong in the D-league and now is playing with Lebron James in the NBA. How crazy is that?

That is a crazy story, but these things happen. He had a tough situation here, but he continued to work hard and now is playing well. I remember that he was a tough rebounder and athletic. It seemed like he knew exactly where the ball would come off the rim.

What will Devin Gibson give the Fraport Skyliners?

He will bring energy from the bench. He is a good defender that will help run the team and make the right plays. He has been working very hard.

How have you helped Devin Gibson?

I try to point out certain things on the court. We do go against each other in practice, but I help him with offensive and defensive strategies.

You are the most improved Skyliner. Is your improvement more hard work or just getting used to the style of the Beko BBL?

It is a combination of both. I have worked hard, but it is also a big adjustment coming to the Beko BBL from the NCAA. I have had more minutes and experience. Basketball continues to be a learning experience and I am learning every day.

What is giving you the biggest problems in the set play that you still need to get adjusted to?

Every team is different, so you always have to be prepared with watching as much game tape as possible. I have to pick the angles and spots better.

You have improved your three pointer. How many three pointers do you take per day?

It varies. I usually take about 150 shots in practice and then take another 50-100 after practice with Jimmy Mckinney. Coach has done a great job with making us take our shots.

Who has been your toughest opponent so far?

All guards have been tough.

How about David Holston?

I played against him a few times in college when he was at Chicago State. He is a great player. He didnt have to score so much against us, but knew how run the team and do what was needed to win.

What are your 2012 NFL football predictions? New England-Denver?

I pick New England.

Houston-Baltimore?

Baltimore. I like Ray Lewis.

Green Bay-New York Giants?

Green Bay.

Saints-49ers?

Saints.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Sunset Park.

Thanks juice for the chat.


*****************************************************
  GREECE   


Dorsey: I am thirsty to play basketball - by Kostas Papadopoulos
Joey Dorsey (206-C/F-83, college: Memphis) arrived in Greece on Wednesday night, to play for Olympiakos Piraeus and did not hide his excitement for his transfer: 'I am very excited that I came to Olympiakos. I do not really know why my ex-coach Dusko Ivanovic did not give me much time to play at Caja Laboral, but I always tried to give my best on the court. Pablo Prigioni (191-G-77) told me the best for my new team, while I should also mention that I know Kyle Hines (198-F-86) very well since we played together before. I missed playing basketball a lot because I did not have enough playing time lately'.
When asked whether he prefers playing at '4'or '5' during the game, Joey Dorsey stated: 'For me there is not such a big difference in playing at both positions. I put a lot of energy on the court, trying for each separate rebound since my large body helps me. I have no problem in playing at whichever position my coach may request me'.

Finally, when being noticed that if Caja Laboral had won at the game for the first round of Euroleague at Piraeus he might not have come to Greece, Joey Dorsey answered that 'this is true; maybe I would have been still at Vitoria, you never know how life brings things out. Anyway, I am very glad that I came here and I intend to give my best for Olympiakos'.

Last moment's information from Lithuanian sites bring also Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) at the Reds at the following days.



Georgios Printezis claims Greek A1 weekly honour - by Eurobasket News
Former international forward Georgios Printezis (206-F-85, agency: FCM) had an amazing evening in the last round for league's leader Olympiakos and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 13.
The 26-year old forward had the game-high 20 points adding eight rebounds and three assists for Olympiakos in his team's victory, helping them to edge out Ilysiakos (#11, 4-8) 77-73. It allowed Olympiakos to consolidate first place in the Greek A1. Olympiakos has a very good season and are considered to have a run for the championship title. They improved their record to 12-1. Printezis turned to be Olympiakos' top player in his first season with the team. Georgios Printezis averages this season 13.4ppg and 5.2rpg.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 26-year old American guard Zack Wright (188-G-85, agency: Court Side) of AGOR. Wright impressed basketball fans with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Of course AGOR cruised to a 79-67 relatively comfortable win over the lower-ranked KAOD (#9, 5-8). AGOR's 5th position in the standings has not changed. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 7-5 record is not bad and everything may still change. Wright is a newcomer at AGOR and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders.

The third best performed player last round was Swedish forward Dimitris Haritopoulos (206-F/C-83, agency: FCM) of Marousi (#13). Haritopoulos scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Despite Haritopoulos' great performance Marousi lost 70-82 to slightly higher-ranked Ikaros (#12, 3-10). But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates. Marousi can only dream about fighting for top spots in the league. They have awful season losing so far all 13 games. Too bad for Haritopoulos he does not play for a better team. But maybe if he did, his season stats would not be that high. Haritopoulos has individually a great season in Greece. After 12 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 7.9rpg (3rd best). Dimitris Haritopoulos has also Greek passport and can play in the league with a status of domestic player.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Harding NaNa (203-F-81) of Ilysiakos - 16 points and 17 rebounds
5. Romel Beck (203-G/F-82) of Ikaros - 26 points and 2 rebounds
6. Stratos Perperoglou (203-F-84) of Panathinaikos - 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists
7. Marcus Hatten (186-G-80) of Kolossos - 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists
8. Jeremy Hunt (196-G-83) of KAOD - 19 points and 10 rebounds
9. Ernest Scott (201-F-82) of Peristeri GS - 24 points and 9 rebounds
10. Haralampos Giannopoulos (206-F-89) of Peristeri GS - 14 points and 7 rebounds

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)

Uros Duvnjak arrives for PAOK - by Giorgos Diploidis
Uros Duvnjak (190-G-86, agency: Beo Basket) is expected to arrive in a few hours in Thessaloniki for PAOK Thessaloniki. There is a deal between the two sides but in order the Serbian player to have the right to play the board of PAOK should reach a final agreement with Martynas Andriuskevicious for the termination of his contract. Milutin Aleksic (203-F-82) took the free position of the continental player so another must be opened.

In Mega Vizura the play maker had 105 ppg , 3.7 rpg and 2 apg in 6 matches.

*****************************************************
  HOLLAND   


Stats Leaders - Eredivisie
Points Per Game
 Lance JETER
  Leeuwarden
  (190-G-)
  Avg: 18.3
 1. Jeter, Leeuwarden18.3 
 2. Sally, Rotterdam17.9 
 3. Anderson, Weert17.2 
 4. Humphrey, Nijmegen16.5 
 5. Acker, Nijmegen15.8 
 6. Hargrove, Nijmegen15.0 
 7. Boxley, Leiden14.8 
 8. Wesby, Groningen14.5 
 9. Bell, Groningen14.4 
 10. Sanchez, Leeuw.14.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Yamene COLEMAN
  Weert
  (206-C-86)
  Avg: 8.8
 1. Coleman, Weert8.8 
 2. Sanchez, Leeuw.8.6 
 3. Robinson, Zwolle7.5 
 4. Bekkering, Nijme.7.3 
 5. de Randamie, Groni.6.9 
 6. Wesley, Den Bosch6.7 
 7. van Kempen, Weert6.6 
 8. Van Paassen, Den6.4 
 9. Boxley, Leiden6.3 
 10. Humphrey, Nijmegen6.2 
Assists Per Game
 DeMario ANDERSON
  Weert
  (193-G-85)
  Avg: 4.6
 1. Anderson, Weert4.6 
 2. Harman, Weert4.4 
 3. Turner, Den Bosch4.4 
 4. Jeter, Leeuwarden3.9 
 5. Acker, Nijmegen3.5 
 6. Wells, Zwolle3.5 
 7. Huffman, Zwolle3.1 
 8. Defares, Groningen3.0 
 9. Slagter, Leiden3.0 
 10. Bell, Groningen3.0 
Steals Per Game
 David GONZALVEZ
  Den B.
  (193-G-87)
  Avg: 2.6
 1. Gonzalvez, Den B.2.6 
 2. Wells, Zwolle2.5 
 3. Harman, Weert2.5 
 4. Huffman, Zwolle2.4 
 5. Turner, Den Bosch2.0 
 6. de Jong, Leiden1.9 
 7. Acker, Nijmegen1.8 
 8. Wesley, Den Bosch1.7 
 9. Wesby, Groningen1.7 
 10. Anderson, Weert1.7 
Blocks Per Game
 Kareem MADDOX
  Zwolle
  (203-F-89)
  Avg: 1.7
 1. Maddox, Zwolle1.7 
 2. Bekkering, Nijme.1.3 
 3. Wesley, Den Bosch1.3 
 4. Wyatt, Groningen1.3 
 5. Zondervan, Zwolle0.9 
 6. Minter, Weert0.9 
 7. Poels, Leeuwarden0.8 
 8. Boxley, Leiden0.8 
 9. Saaka, Zwolle0.7 
 10. Kennedy, Leiden0.7 


Standings - Eredivisie
Eredivisie Standings
 1. Den Bosch 11-3 
 2. Groningen 11-4 
 3. Leiden 8-4 
 4. Leeuwarden 8-7 
 5. Zwolle 8-8 
 6. Nijmegen 7-6 
 7. Rotterdam 2-12 
 8. Weert 2-13 


*****************************************************
  HUNGARY   


Standings - A Division
A Division Standings
 1. Albacomp 12-1 
 2. Kormend 12-2 
 3. Falco-Szova 12-2 
 4. Szolnok 10-3 
 5. Atomeromu 9-5 
 6. PVSK Pannon 7-7 
 7. Kaposvari 6-7 
 8. Kecskemeti 6-7 
 9. Marso NYKK 6-9 
 10. Szedeak 5-9 
 11. Soproni 5-9 
 12. FS Debrecen 3-11 
 13. Jaszberenyi 3-12 
 14. ZTE KK 1-13 


A Division Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Justin INGRAM
  FS Debre.
  (185-PG-85)
  Avg: 25.6
 1. Ingram, FS Debre.25.6 
 2. Ivosev, Szedeak23.5 
 3. Timberlake, Falco-.22.9 
 4. Raivio, Kaposvari21.3 
 5. Ciric, PVSK P.21.0 
 6. Jones, Jaszberenyi20.2 
 7. Doyne, PVSK P.19.2 
 8. Wilson, Kaposvari18.7 
 9. Bell, Kormend18.3 
 10. Townes, Kormend17.9 
Rebounds Per Game
 Jonathan JONES
  Jaszberenyi
  (211-C-79)
  Avg: 12.6
 1. Jones, Jaszberenyi12.6 
 2. Szabo, FS Debrecen10.0 
 3. Miskovic, Marso N.9.3 
 4. Townes, Kormend9.3 
 5. Ivosev, Szedeak9.1 
 6. Pantelic, Falco-Sz.8.9 
 7. Egemonye, Soproni8.5 
 8. Raivio, Kaposvari8.1 
 9. Fey, Kaposvari8.1 
 10. Hines, ZTE K.7.8 
Assists Per Game
 Laszlo KALMAN
  Falco-Sz.
  (186-G-72)
  Avg: 6.7
 1. Kalman, Falco-Sz.6.7 
 2. Wilson, Kaposvari6.2 
 3. Fekete, Marso N.5.8 
 4. Simon, Albacomp5.6 
 5. Williams, Atomeromu5.6 
 6. Trotter, Szolnok5.5 
 7. Ingram, FS Debre.5.1 
 8. Drahos, Szedeak4.6 
 9. El Amin, Albacomp4.2 
 10. Wittmann, Kecsk.4.1 
Steals Per Game
 Stefan FEKETE
  Marso N.
  (188-G-86)
  Avg: 3.1
 1. Fekete, Marso N.3.1 
 2. Drahos, Szedeak2.9 
 3. Doyne, PVSK P.2.7 
 4. Ivosev, Szedeak2.5 
 5. Raivio, Kaposvari2.5 
 6. Kelley, Kecskemeti2.5 
 7. Ingram, FS Debre.2.4 
 8. Toth, PVSK P.2.3 
 9. Hodges, Jaszberen.2.3 
 10. Trotter, Szolnok2.3 
Blocks Per Game
 Darian TOWNES
  Kormend
  (208-F/C-84)
  Avg: 2.4
 1. Townes, Kormend2.4 
 2. Pantelic, Falco-Sz.1.9 
 3. Levy, Szedeak1.5 
 4. Jones, Jaszberenyi1.4 
 5. Chism, Albacomp1.1 
 6. Keller, Albacomp1.1 
 7. Morgen, Atomeromu1.1 
 8. Egemonye, Soproni1.0 
 9. Fey, Kaposvari1.0 
 10. Cole, Atomeromu1.0 


Gardener is tested by Atomeromu SE - by Levente Szabo
Costa Rican big man Hernold Gardener (205-C-82, college: Lon Morris JC) left Ilysiakos Athens and arrived today in Hungary to join Atomeromu SE Paks, the currently 5th ranked team in the First Division.

Atomeromu SE Paks had hard times finding the right imports this season which comes out in their record (9-5). They signed during the preseason Devonne Giles who failed during his tryout period because he was out of shape, then it was announced the signing of Lee Nailon (204-F/C-75, agency: I.D.S. Law, college: TCU). The former NBA-player came in at the start of the season and played 2 games in the EuroChallenge and 2 games in the Hungarian First Division before he got injured. The management of the team was please with his performance and decided that they will wait for him, but with the EuroChallenge group stage on the corner they decided to sign Donald Cole (204-C-81, agency: Edge Sports, college: Sam Houston St.) for a replacement job. Cole had some great performances with Atomeromu SE Paks as he averaged around 15ppg and 6rpg in both competitions, but with Lee Nailon (204-F/C-75, agency: I.D.S. Law, college: TCU)s return he had to leave. Unfortunately last week Nailon couldnt pass the medical test so the team decided to break his contract and search for a new inside player.

Hernold Gardener seems to be a good fit as the Costa Rican big man is a real power force inside, who loves to bang around the rim and can bring instant scoring in the paint. He had his breakout season in Europe with Final Genclik in 2010-2011 in the Turkish 2nd division where he was 4th in scoring with 18.5ppg and led the league in rebounding with 11.3rpg. His great performance in Turkey resulted a contract with Ilysiakos in the Greece top division. Hernold had a decent season thus far. He played 22.4mpg while he averaged a steady 12.8ppg and 5.7rpg. The new addition will have 2 games to showcase his talent to coach Volgyi and to earn a contract for the rest of the season.


*****************************************************
  ICELAND   


Wesley Hsu is a newcomer at Armann - by Eurobasket Center
Armann (D1) added to their roster Taiwanese guard Wesley Hsu (191-G, college: Elon, agency: Hoops Ambassadors). Wes obtained his Taiwanese passport this summer and was anticipating playing in the SBL this year; however, just days before the draft while he was already in Taipei practicing with Yulon Luxgen he discovered a rule (that apparently just changed this year) that because he is over 25 years old, he would have to wait a year (while living in the country) before he is eligible to play. He was unsure what he was going to do, until he got a call a few days ago to come to Armann. They are a low-budget team in last place and they brought Wes in (as their only import player) to help them finish the season and hopefully avoid dropping a division. He arrived in Reykjavik on Monday and this Friday the 13th, he will travel to Akureyri to play his first game against Thor AK, the team he played for the past two seasons.


By Eurobasket Data Center



Stats Leaders (Men)
Points Per Game
 Brandon COTTON
  Snaefell
  (185-G-85)
  Avg: 35.3
 1. Cotton, Snaefell35.3 
 2. Govens, Thor Thorl25.0 
 3. Johnson, Valur24.6 
 4. Jarvis, IR24.3 
 5. Sovic, IR23.7 
 6. Dagostino, Keflavik23.0 
 7. Echols, Njardvik22.9 
 8. Walkup, Fjolnir22.8 
 9. Shuler, Haukar22.7 
 10. Fain, Haukar22.5 
Rebounds Per Game
 Quincy HANKINS-COLE
  Snaef.
  (203-F-)
  Avg: 14.2
 1. Hankins-Cole, Snae.14.2 
 2. Ringgold, Thor Tho.11.3 
 3. Echols, Njardvik11.3 
 4. Walkup, Fjolnir10.9 
 5. Tratnik, Valur10.7 
 6. Shuler, Haukar10.0 
 7. Hampton, Tindastoll9.9 
 8. Smith, Haukar9.4 
 9. Miller, Tindastoll9.2 
 10. Cole, Keflavik9.2 
Assists Per Game
 Giordan WATSON
  Grindavik
  (178-G-85)
  Avg: 7.1
 1. Watson, Grindavik7.1 
 2. Hall, Snaefell6.7 
 3. Miller, Tindastoll6.6 
 4. Shouse, Stjarnan6.5 
 5. Claessen, IR5.7 
 6. O''Neil, Fjolnir4.7 
 7. Haraldsson, Haukar4.6 
 8. Dagostino, Keflavik4.6 
 9. Steinarsson, Fjoln.4.4 
 10. Horton, KR4.3 
Steals Per Game
 Travis HOLMES
  Njardvik
  (193-G-)
  Avg: 3
 1. Holmes, Njardvik3.0 
 2. Hall, Snaefell2.9 
 3. Cothran, Stjarnan2.6 
 4. Shuler, Haukar2.5 
 5. Shouse, Stjarnan2.5 
 6. Gunnarsson, Kefla.2.3 
 7. Parker, Keflavik2.2 
 8. Johnson, Valur2.2 
 9. Miller, Tindastoll2.1 
 10. Barja, Haukar2.0 
Blocks Per Game
 Christopher SMITH
  Haukar
  (198-F-82)
  Avg: 3.3
 1. Smith, Haukar3.3 
 2. Tratnik, Valur2.4 
 3. Hugee, Valur2.3 
 4. Hampton, Tindastoll1.3 
 5. Ragnarsson, Fjolnir1.1 
 6. Gudbrandsson, Kefl.1.1 
 7. Magnusson, KR1.0 
 8. Thorsteinsso., Gri.1.0 
 9. Jonsson, Snaefell1.0 
 10. Johnson, Valur1.0 


Standings - Iceland Express League
Express L. Standings
 1. Grindavik 10-1 
 2. Stjarnan 8-3 
 3. Keflavik 7-3 
 4. Thor Thorl 7-4 
 5. KR 6-4 
 6. IR 5-5 
 7. Fjolnir 5-5 
 8. Tindastoll 5-6 
 9. Snaefell 4-6 
 10. Njardvik 4-7 
 11. Haukar 2-9 
 12. Valur 0-10 


Standings - 1 Division
D1 Standings
 1. KFI 10-1 
 2. Breidablik 7-3 
 3. Skallagrimur 6-3 
 4. Hamar 6-4 
 5. IA 5-4 
 6. Hottur 5-5 
 7. IG 4-6 
 8. FSU 3-7 
 9. Thor AK 2-7 
 10. Armann 1-9 


*****************************************************
  INDONESIA   


Best players of Indonesian NBL round 13 - by Eurobasket News
Former international guard Erick Sebayang (180-G-83) had an amazing evening in the last round for league's second-best Pelita Jaya and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 13.
The 28-year old guard had the game-high 21 points adding three rebounds and three assists for Pelita Jaya in his team's victory, helping them to outclass NSH GMC Riau (#11, 1-7) with 62-point margin 100-38. Pelita Jaya maintains the 2nd position in Indonesian NBL. They would have been even better if they did not have these two lost games earlier in Regular Season. Pelita Jaya will need more victories to improve their 7-2 record. It's Sebayang's second year at Pelita Jaya and it's hard to imagine this team without him. Erick Sebayang averages this season 11.6ppg.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was another Pelita Jaya's star - 28-year old former international point guard Kelly Purwanto (177-PG-83). Purwanto impressed basketball fans with 7 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Of course together with Sebayang he helped Pelita Jaya with another comfortable win outscoring the lower-ranked NSH GMC Riau (#11, 1-7) 100-38. Pelita Jaya's second position in the standings has not changed. His team's 7-2 record is not bad at all. Purwanto is well-known by Pelita Jaya fans and together with Erick Sebayang they both established positions among team's most reliable players.

The third best performed player last round was Max Yanto (215-C-83) of NSH GMC Riau (#11). Yanto scored 18 points and grabbed sixteen rebounds (!!!). Despite Yanto's great performance NSH GMC Riau lost 38-100 to the higher-ranked Pelita Jaya (#2, 7-2). But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates. NSH GMC Riau can only dream about fighting for top spots in the league. They have rather bad season and 1-7 record places them close to the bottom of the standings. Too bad for Yanto he does not play for a better team. But maybe if he did, his season stats would not be that high. Yanto has a very solid season. In 5 games in Indonesia he scored 7.8ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Merio Ferdiansyah (176-SG-85) of Stadium Jak. - 23 points
5. Ponsianus Indrawan (191-C-85) of Pelita Jaya - 13 points and 3 rebounds
6. Agustinus Indrajaya (191-C-83) of CLS Knights - 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists
7. Rachmad Utomo (180-SF-85) of CLS Knights - 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
8. Sandy Febiansyakh (190-SG-86) of CLS Knights - 15 points and 7 rebounds
9. Wijaya Saputra (184-SG-85) of CLS Knights - 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists
10. Daniel Iskandar (190-F-71) of Stadium Jak. - 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists

The Player of the week is chosen 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)

NBL Round 14: Satria Muda beats Stadium Jakarta by three after a very close game - by Eurobasket News
The most exciting game of round 14 in the NBL took place in Jakarta. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 6th ranked Stadium Jakarta (5-4) to top-ranked Satria Muda (8-0) 69-66 on Wednesday evening. Host team only slightly avoided a big embarassment. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Stadium Jakarta. The hosts trailed by 1 point at the halftime before their 21-11 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. They outrebounded Stadium Jakarta 45-31 including 18 on the offensive glass. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Satria Muda made 10 blocks. The former international point guard Faisal Julius Ahmad (179-81) orchestrated the victory by scoring 19 points. International power forward Christian Ronaldo Sitepu (200-86) contributed with 13 points and 4 assists for the winners. Randolph Ariestedes (197-87) replied with 19 points for Stadium Jakarta. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Undefeated Satria Muda have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 8-0 record. Stadium Jakarta at the other side keeps the sixth place with four games lost. Satria Muda are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Satya Wacana (#12) in Salatiga in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Stadium Jakarta will have a break next round.
Bottom-ranked Satya Wacana is still unable to win any game. But it was rather predictable considering how strong their opponent was. This time they lost on the road their eighth consecutive match to third ranked Garuda (7-2) 68-36. The former international point guard Wendha Wijaya (181-82) scored 22 points to lead the charge for the winners and Octoviano Sura chipped in 7 points, 6 assists and 4 steals during the contest. Guard Respati Pamungkas (180-91) responded with 8 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Garuda have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Pelita Jaya. Satya Wacana at the other side still closes the standings with eight games lost. Garuda will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Satya Wacana will play at home against the league's leader Satria Muda (#1) in Jakarta and hopes to get finally their first victory.

In the last two games of round 14 Muba Hangtuah was beaten by Aspac on the road 76-60. NSH GMC Riau lost to Bima Sakti on its own court 69-78.
The most impressive performance of 14th round was 30 points and 4 assists by Yanuar Dwi Priasmoro of Bima Sakti.


Garuda - Satya Wacana 68-36

Bottom-ranked Satya Wacana is still unable to win any game. But it was rather predictable considering how strong their opponent was. This time they lost on the road their eighth consecutive match to third ranked Garuda (7-2) 68-36. The game without a history. Garuda led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Satya Wacana to just 5 points in third quarter. Garuda dominated down low during the game scoring 42 of its points in the paint compared to Satya Wacana's 14. Garuda forced 29 Satya Wacana turnovers. The former international point guard Wendha Wijaya (181-82) scored 22 points to lead the charge for the winners and Octoviano Sura (190-84) chipped in 7 points, 6 assists and 4 steals during the contest. Guard Respati Pamungkas (180-91) responded with 8 points and forward Eko Wiratama Nasution (195-90) scored 4 points and 7 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Garuda have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place, which they share with Pelita Jaya. Satya Wacana at the other side still closes the standings with eight games lost. Garuda will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Satya Wacana will play at home against the league's leader Satria Muda (#1) in Jakarta and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Satya Wacana: J.Lolowang 9+1reb, R.Pamungkas 8+3reb+1ast, E.Wiratama Nasution 4+7reb, Y.Sua 4+1reb+1ast, M.Ramadhan 3+3reb, F.Nugroho 2+2reb+2ast
Garuda: W.Wijaya 22+2reb+2ast, H.Agustinus 8+2reb, I.Budianto 7+4reb+1ast, O.Sura 7+3reb+6ast, V.Nolland 6+7reb+3ast, H.Ramli 6+1reb+1ast
gschID: 166059


Satria Muda - Stadium Jak. 69-66

The most exciting game of round 14 in the NBL took place in Jakarta. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 6th ranked Stadium Jakarta (5-4) to top-ranked Satria Muda (8-0) 69-66 on Wednesday evening. Host team only slightly avoided a big embarassment. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Stadium Jakarta. The hosts trailed by 1 point at the halftime before their 21-11 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. They outrebounded Stadium Jakarta 45-31 including 18 on the offensive glass. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Satria Muda made 10 blocks. The former international point guard Faisal Julius Ahmad (179-81) orchestrated the victory by scoring 19 points. International power forward Christian Ronaldo Sitepu (200-86) contributed with 13 points and 4 assists for the winners. Randolph Ariestedes (197-87) replied with 19 points and center R Ruslan (197-89) added 12 points and 5 rebounds in the effort for Stadium Jakarta. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Satria Muda have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 8-0 record. Stadium Jakarta at the other side keeps the sixth place with four games lost. Satria Muda are looking forward to face bottom-ranked Satya Wacana (#12) in Salatiga in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Stadium Jakarta will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Stadium Jak.: R.Ariestedes 19+4reb+1ast, D.Leonardo 12+2reb, R.Ruslan 12+5reb, M.Wicaksono 6+8reb+2ast, C.Nurhadi Yusran 6+3reb+3ast, D.Iskandar 4+5reb
Satria Muda: F.Julius Ahmad 19+2reb+2ast, C.Ronaldo Sitepu 13+4reb+4ast, B.Siregar 13+6reb+1ast, W.Situmorang 8+7reb+1ast, V.Michel 8+6reb+1ast, G.Gunawan 4+13reb+1ast
gschID: 166060


Aspac - Muba Hangtuah 76-60

No shocking result in a game when fourth ranked Aspac (6-2) beat 7th ranked Muba Hangtuah (4-4) in Jakarta 76-60. The game was mostly controlled by Aspac. Muba Hangtuah was better in fourth quarter 24-13. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Muba Hangtuah to just 3 points in first quarter. Aspac forced 34 Muba Hangtuah turnovers. They brought some defensive toughness making 7 blocks. International swingman Xaverius Prawiro (184-86) scored 19 points to lead the charge for the winners and the former international center Isman Thoyib (202-84) chipped in 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks during the contest. Forward Ahmad Junaidi (188-90) responded with 14 points and forward Ary Sapto (188-80) scored 10 points and 6 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Aspac maintains fourth position with 6-2 record. Muba Hangtuah lost third consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with four games lost. Aspac will play against Pacific Caesar (#9) in Surabaya in the next round where they are favorite. Muba Hangtuah will play at home against Comfort Mobile in Jakarta and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Muba Hangtuah: A.Junaidi 14+2reb+2ast, A.Sapto 10+6reb, A.Sigar 6+5reb+1ast, A.Sunarya 6+2reb+3ast, M.Joni 5+2reb+1ast, D.Heryadi 4+7reb
Aspac: X.Prawiro 19+1reb+1ast, K.Akbar 9+4reb+1ast, I.Thoyib 9+7reb+2ast, A.Joko 7+2reb, P.Regowo 7+5reb+2ast, S.Harun Nurman 6+1reb
gschID: 166061


NSH GMC Riau - Bima Sakti 69-78

Rather expected game when 11th ranked NSH GMC Riau (1-8) lost at home to ninth ranked Bima Sakti (3-5) 78-69. The guests were already 13 points ahead at halftime and as many as 20 after three quarters before a 24-13 last quarter charge of NSH GMC Riau cut the lead to 78-69 at the end of the game. Bima Sakti forced 28 NSH GMC Riau turnovers. Strangely NSH GMC Riau outrebounded Bima Sakti 40-24 including a 31-18 advantage in defensive rebounds. Yanuar Dwi Priasmoro (178-89) scored 30 points and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Bima Rizky Ardiansyah (182-90) chipped in 19 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. Center Max Yanto (215-83) responded with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 10 rebounds and Reza Israelli (182-82) scored 16 points and 8 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Bima Sakti moved-up to eighth place. NSH GMC Riau lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the eleventh position with eight games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
NSH GMC Riau: M.Yanto 19+10reb, R.Israelli 16+8reb+1ast, B.Damanik 8+8reb+4ast, A.Pamungkas 7+2reb+2ast, I.Husnuzan 6+2reb+3ast, R.Febriyan 6+5reb+3ast
Bima Sakti: Y.Dwi Priasmoro 30+4reb+4ast, B.Rizky Ardiansyah 19+7reb+2ast, U.Gendro Maryono 10+1reb, M.Indra 5+3reb+1ast, B.Setiawan 3, G.Novonsen 3+1reb
gschID: 166058




Standings - IBL
NBL Standings
 1. Satria Muda 8-0 
 2. Pelita Jaya 7-2 
 3. Garuda 7-2 
 4. Aspac 6-2 
 5. CLS Knights 5-3 
 6. Stadium Jak. 5-4 
 7. Muba Hangtuah 4-4 
 8. Bima Sakti 3-5 
 9. Pacific Caesar 3-6 
 10. Comfort Mobile 2-7 
 11. NSH GMC Riau 1-8 
 12. Satya Wacana 0-8 


Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Gege NAGATA
  Pacific .
  (185-F-88)
  Avg: 14.9
 1. Nagata, Pacific14.9 
 2. Dwi Priasmor., Bim.14.4 
 3. Chandra, Pelita J.13.8 
 4. Rizky Ardian., Bim.13.0 
 5. Ferdiansyah, Stadi.12.9 
 6. Ahmad, Satria Muda12.9 
 7. Sapto, Muba H.12.3 
 8. Dewanto, Pelita J.12.3 
 9. Prawiro, Aspac12.3 
 10. Wisnu, Satria Muda12.0 
Rebounds Per Game
 Galank GUNAWAN
  Satria M.
  (194-PF-87)
  Avg: 11.8
 1. Gunawan, Satria M.11.8 
 2. Sitepu, Satria M.8.6 
 3. Rizky Ardian., Bim.7.6 
 4. Poedjakesuma, Peli.7.1 
 5. Haryoko, CLS K.7.0 
 6. Yanto, NSH G.6.8 
 7. Regowo, Aspac6.8 
 8. Situmorang, Satria6.7 
 9. Wuwungan, Satya W.6.5 
 10. Thoyib, Aspac6.5 
Assists Per Game
 Dirk GERUNGAN
  Aspac
  (182-PG-87)
  Avg: 3.9
 1. Gerungan, Aspac3.9 
 2. Sartika, Bima Sakti3.6 
 3. Widyanto, Pacifi.3.5 
 4. Purwanto, Pelita J.3.3 
 5. Uniputty, Comfor.3.1 
 6. Muharri, CLS K.3.0 
 7. Yusran, Stadium2.7 
 8. Wilopo, Muba H.2.6 
 9. Trisakti, Aspac2.5 
 10. Sura, Garuda2.4 
Steals Per Game
 Kelly PURWANTO
  Pelita J.
  (177-PG-83)
  Avg: 3.6
 1. Purwanto, Pelita J.3.6 
 2. Uniputty, Comfor.2.7 
 3. Muharri, CLS K.2.4 
 4. Sura, Garuda2.3 
 5. Ferdiansyah, Stadi.2.2 
 6. Poedjakesuma, Peli.2.2 
 7. Wijaya, Garuda2.1 
 8. Gerungan, Aspac2.1 
 9. Sitepu, Satria M.2.0 
 10. Michel, Satria Mu.2.0 
Blocks Per Game
 Christian Ronaldo SITEPU
  Satria M.
  (200-C/F-86)
  Avg: 3.3
 1. Sitepu, Satria M.3.3 
 2. Ruslan, Stadium2.2 
 3. Thoyib, Aspac2.2 
 4. Teguh, Muba H.1.8 
 5. Sitaniapesy, Comfo.1.6 
 6. Damanik, NSH G.1.3 
 7. Sasmito, Pacific1.3 
 8. Indrawan, Pelita J.1.2 
 9. Arizki, Aspac1.1 
 10. Gunawan, Satria M.0.9 


*****************************************************
  IRAN   


WABA League: Petrochimi draw first blood - by Eurobasket News
Petrochimi - Tilal 119:42

Petrochimi recorded their first win in WABA League preliminary round Group A. They fired past Tilal tonight. Benny Koochoie (190-G-86, college: CS Stanislaus) scored 21 points to lead the Iranian team to 1-1 record. Tilal suffered the second loss in a row.
It was all over for Tilal in the opening frame. Petrochimi went on a 31:6 run to leave their opponents behind. The second quarter brought little relief for the Yemenis. Petrochimi stretched the lead to as many as 42 points at halftime 61:19. Petrochimi stayed dominant after the big break. They entered the fourth frame leading 89:28 and cruised to the win at the end. Saleh Foroutannik (203-C-94) and Mohammad Jamshidi (198-F-91) contributed 17 points each in the win. Abdulfattah Al-Qaisi (176-G-95) nailed 9 points for Tilal.

Petrochimi: Benny Koochoie 21, Saleh Foroutannik 17, Mohammad Jamshidi 17
Tilal: Abdulfattah Al-Qaisi 9, Ahmed Abdulghafor (200-C-88) 7


*****************************************************
  IRELAND   


Leeside Showdown - by Eurobasket
Centre Stage on the sporting calendar of Cork people this coming weekend (Friday through Sunday) is the arrival of 23 outside teams of 10 players plus the 5 Cork City based teams to compete in the National Basketball Cup (s) Semi final stage at 2 venues the Gurranabraher Parochial Hall and the Neptune stadium. (complete fixtures and time table @ www.maherprobasket.webs.com Irish Basketball News).

The competition covers 8 different category levels from under 18 men and women right through to the top Superleague level also catering to men and women and are representative of all of the higher competitive levels of the game played here in Ireland. (n.b. one game will be played at Palmerstown Dublin where Ballon play Titans in the mens Division 1 competition).

Though each team will be concerned most with their game and it,s outcome the highlight is sure to be the 16.30 Sunday afternoon clash between arch rivals U.C.C. Blue Demons and Neptune. The intense rivalry (writing from personal experience of these games from a players position) between these teams can at least in terms of the commitment given by the players legitimately be likened to the rivalry between the the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers of the worlds top league in the U.S.A. the N.B.A.

The current position of both teams in the parallel Superleague National League competition has both teams neck and neck at the minute with both teams on 8 wins and 5 losses though U.C.C. Demons fans would argue their true position at 9 and 4 as a home game with Dublin side Killester went to Killester with Demons resting on a very comfortable lead with only minutes remaining before referees cancelled the game because of condensation creating a dangerous slippery floor surface.

Two influential players who will take to the floor for Neptune on Sunday are guard/forward Philip Taylor (196-G/F-86, college: Genesee CC) (average ppg 9.5) and Ian McLoughlin (185-F-85) (average ppg 9.5) Speaking earlier in the week with both players I was impressed with their positive attitude towards Sundays game and the fact that the loss to Blue Demons (35 points) in late December has essentially been reframed so as to provide no barrier towards success in their next meeting. Both players placed a high emphasis on the need to defend aggressively and use defence as a platform to both initiate the hallmark Neptune fast-breaking game and also to share the ball effectively towards creating good shooting opportunities on standard set offensive plays. Philip and Ian too are confident and prepared effectively that the noise levels at the stadium will not interefere with their ability to communicate effectively as a team.
Maherprobasket would like to thank both Philip and Ian for taking time out from their busy practice schedule to speak with Maherprobasket.

Courtesy of Patrick Maher

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


Andrea Bargnani leaves game with calf injury - by Eurobasket News
These are the most trying times of DeMar DeRozan's young NBA career, a time when things are going as poorly as they ever have, when he cant seem to buy a basket or have a big night.

And they might be about to get worse.

DeRozan struggled through another desultory offensive night as the Raptors were beaten 98-91 by the Sacramento Kings at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday and with Andrea Bargnani (209-F/C-85) headed to hospital for an MRI on a strained left calf, the attention DeRozan is going to attract as the best scorer on an offensively challenged team is only going to get worse.

How he handles it - and he hasnt handled it particularly well in the last week even with Bargnani around to take away some of the pressure - will have a lot to say in how the Raptors get through a particularly arduous stretch of the compressed NBA season.

With Bargnani leaving in the second half, DeRozan was held to just nine field-goal attempts and scored just 13 points as Toronto lost for the third time in four games.

I think maybe hes frustrated with himself. I dont know, but a lot of it has come out of the respect the league has for him, coach Dwane Casey said of DeRozan, who has now played five subpar games in a row. They put their best defender, John Salmons, on him and then they were bringing (centre DaMarcus) Cousins over early so thats a lot of respect.

And DeRozan couldnt handle it. He committed three turnovers, had five fouls and just three rebounds in 29 minutes.

Thats one of the things hes going to have to get used to, quick double-teams, a man and a half defence and learn to play through that, said Casey.

That comes with experience but hes gotten to the point now where hes gotten the respect, he and Andrea, and hes go to learn to play against not only his guy. Thats a compliment to him.

The Raptors could probably do without the compliments since no one else is really stepping up consistently on offence. Leandro Barbosa did have a season-high 24 points off the bench but the small forward spot continues to be a black hole.

Starter Rasual Butler had three points, backup James Johnson had none and had Linas Kleiza not returned for his first game since February and provided 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench, it would have been a truly gruesome roster spot.

We have to put some stretches together offensively, said Casey Were doing a decent job defensively but we have to put some runs together, execute offensively in some stretches.

Bargnani, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds before leaving for the night, is expected to have an MRI on Thursday to assess the damage. With the Raptors off for the day following three games in three nights, it wont be until Friday before they have to figure out what theyll do.

He doesnt even remember doing it, said Casey of his star big man, who had been averaging more than 24 points per game. Its a lot of fatigue. You see a lot of it around the league right now as far as fatigue, pulls and that sort of thing.

The Kings, meanwhile, rode 21 points and 19 rebounds from Cousins and 29 points and seven assists from point guard Tyreke Evans to the victory.

They pulled away after the game was tied entering the fourth quarter and iced it at the free-throw line down the stretch.

The only bright spot for Toronto would be Kleiza, who is sure to soon challenge Butler and Johnson for small forward minutes. But if Bargnanis out for any length of time, Kleiza can also move to power forward, a spot he played for a lot of Wednesday night.

He had no minutes restrictions, he did an excellent job at the three and the four, said Casey. But we cant expect a lot out of him too soon, too quick. . . . But his energy, his toughness, his ability to score is something thats going to help.

Courtesy of www.thestar.com

DNA Market News - by Armando Caporaso
Firenze agrees with Federico Bellina (205-C-79, agency: Players Group) until June 2012. The expert pivot, grown with Gorizia, played also for Pavia (4 season with more of 100 games in LegaA2), Casalpusterlengo and Verona in the last years. With the Tezenis obtained the promotion to the LegaA2 in 2010 and played 30 games in 2010/2011 season (6.8 ppg and 3.3 rpg in 24.9 minutes). Started this season with Monfalcone (DNB) first that the team folded after 9 games.
Ferentino brings 2 new players: Fabio Marcante (196-G-80, agency: Players Group) and Filippo Gagliardo (204-F-78)! Fabio has grown with Vicenza and played in his long career for Pesaro, Fidenza, Firenze, Siena, Trapani, Latina, Pavia and Omegna. In this first part of season, with Castelfiorentino (DNB), scored 11.6 ppg adding 5.1 rpg, 1.9 spg and 2.9 apg (9 in his group) in 14 games. Filippo leaves the LegaA2 and returns in the third national league after 12 games with S.Antimo (2.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg in 13.1 minutes, season high against R.Emilia with 9 points). Grown in the Fortitudo young team, played in the last seasons with Teramo (33 games in LegaA1), Veroli (3 years) and Palestrina (2 years) first to sign with S.Antimo in 2010.
After 18 games (and only 8 wins) Perugia changes coach: Furio Steffe', also assistant coach for the under20 national team (Silver medal at the European Championships U20 in Bilbao in 2011), leaves the team and his assistant Andrea Fabrizi will lead the Liomatic for the rest of the season.

Bennet cantu adds Greg Brunner - by Giovanni Bargna
Bennet Cantu announced Greg Brunner (201-C/F-83, college: Iowa) late this afternoon. The player will play with the team for the rest of the current season.
Brunner was born in Charles City (Iowa) and played four season at University with the Iowa Hawkeyes before flying to Europe and joining VOO Verviers-Pepinster in season 2006-2007. After a couple of season spent at Telindus Ostenda he had his debut in the israeli league with Ironi Nahariya.
His italian career started on December 2008 when he joined Angelico Biella, then was signed by Fabi Shoes Montegranaro for the next season.
In the summer of 2010 Greg Brunner was inked by Benetton Treviso and then got back to Fabi Shoes Montegranaro before the current season has started.

Bennet Cantu was looking for an addition under the boards after the injury suffered by Marko Scekic (207-F/C-81, agency: Beo Basket). The qualification to the euroleague TOP-16 phase was another good reason to get a new player in the roster. Yesterday night Cantu and Fabi Shoes Montegranaro faced each other in the 16th round of the italian legue. Fabi Shoes Montegranaro won the game for 89-73 and Brunner helped his team with 7 points and 5 rebounds.

Italian SerieA round 16 best performance: Viktor Sanikidze - by Eurobasket News
Georgian forward Viktor Sanikidze (203-F-86, agency: World Sport Agency) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for CS Bologna, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 16.
The 25-year old player had a double-double of 10 points and 19 rebounds, while his team edged out Montepaschi (#1, 11-4) 75-71. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. CS Bologna is placed at 3rd position in Italian SerieA. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. CS Bologna will need more victories to improve their 10-5 record. Sanikidze has many years of experience at CS Bologna, through which he has constantly improved. Viktor Sanikidze has solid league stats. He leads league in rebounds with 10.7rpg. Sanikidze is in league's top in and averages impressive 62.3% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was 27-year old American James White (199-G-84, agency: Court Side) of Scavolini PS. White had a very good evening with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. It was enough for Scavolini PS to edge the lower-ranked Acea Roma (#12, 7-9) in overtime 77-73. This victory allowed Scavolini PS to move up to 6th position in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 9-6 record is not bad and everything may still change. White is a newcomer at Scavolini PS, but is already one of team's top players.

Third on the list of top players last round was American guard Andre Collins (183-PG-82) of Pepsi Caserta (#9). Collins scored 23 points and passed eleven assists (!!!). He was a key player of Otto Caserta, leading his team to a 90-76 easy win against Angelico BI (7-8). The chances of Otto Caserta ranking at the top of the league, however are very questionable as they have already lost 8 games, recording just seven victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Collins could help Otto Caserta to bring them higher in the standings. Collins has a great season in Italy. After 15 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in assists with 6.0apg (2nd best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Sani Becirovic (196-G-81) of Benetton TV - 23 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists
5. Tautvydas Lydeka (208-C/F-83) of Scavolini PS - 18 points and 11 rebounds
6. Szymon Szewczyk (209-C-82) of Umana Venezia - 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists
7. Andre Smith (203-F-85) of Otto Caserta - 23 points and 9 rebounds
8. Oliver Stevic (204-F/C-84) of Novipiu CM - 14 points and 11 rebounds
9. Aubrey Coleman (193-G-87) of Angelico BI - 26 points and 6 rebounds
10. Mustafa Shakur (192-G-84) of Novipiu CM - 18 points, 6 rebounds and 5 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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  JORDAN   


WABA League: Riyadi too strong for Aramex - by Eurobasket News
Riyadi - Aramex 111:78

Riyadi stayed on the winning track at WABA League preliminary round. The defending champions held off Riyadi Aramex for the second straight win in Group A. Ahmed Moneim (205-C-76) came up with 25 points, 14 boards and 5 assists to lead the charge.
Riyadi cleared off late in the opening frame to take a 9-point lead into the second quarter. The hosts maintained the advantage throughout the second period. Riyadi established a comfortable 52:35 buffer at the interval. Things just got worse for the Jordanian side in the third frame. Riyadi boosted the margin to as many as 27 points with one quarter remaining. The reigning champions did not slow down in the fourth period and raced to a confident win at the end. Dewarick Spencer (193-G-82, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Arkansas St.) accounted for 23 points, 6 boards and 5 assists, Jean Abd El Nour added 20 points for the winners. Jaycen Herring (196-G/F-86, college: SE Missouri St.) answered with 21 points for Aramex. Ayman Idais (205-C-78, agency: Court Side) had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

Riyadi: Ahmed Moneim 25+14 boards, Dewarick Spencer 23, Jean Abd El Nour 20
Aramex: Jaycen Herring 21, Ayman Idais 17+12 boards


Hosts canter through to victory in the clash of Riyadis - by Maarouf Mawloud
BEIRUT, Lebanon (WABA League): Defending champions Al Riyadi Beirut proved a little too better organized in their offense and more cohesive in their defense to beat their Jordanian namesakes Al Riyadi Aramex Amman 111-78 for their second successive win in the Group A Prelim Round of the WABA League on Thursday.

Aramex were playing their first game in the competition.

Egyptian Ismail Ahmad once again led the Riyadi assault from the front accounting for 16 of his game-high 25 points for the game in the first quarter.

An 8-0 run midway through the first quarter with Ahmad accounting 4 points, 2 offensive rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal perched the hosts in control of the proceedings and their hold only grew as they game progressed.

We are getting into rhythm rather well, said Riyadi coach Fouad Abouchakra.

We knew they are a team of rhythm. We couldnt break that, rued Abouchakras opposite number Motassem Salameh.

Picking holes further in the rival defense, although their own defense got a little scattered sporadically, Riyadi closed the first half with a 17-point cushion and played out time after that.

Ahmad dominated the defensive glass as much as on offense and had 11 rebounds in defense in an overall 14 collections.

Dewarick Spencer (193-G-82, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Arkansas St.) who got a little carried away on occasions and even copped a technical foul had 23 points.

Jean Abd El Nour contributed 20 points in Riyadis win.

I guess the guys wanted to run a lot harder and faster to keep themselves warm, joked Abouchakra reflecting on the frosty weather conditions.

But its difficult to keep the focus when you build such a lead. Overall, I am quite happy with the way we are playing, he said.

Salameh hopes the tough opener brings his team together.

Playing against a team like Riyadi in the opening game and on their own courts was always going to be a tough proposition. We only hope playing this game has toughened our team out, Salameh said.

Ayman Idais, playing his first game of the season for Aramex, had a 17-point game along with pulling down a dozen rebounds.

This is a very young team. And we really havent played much in preparation, said Idais.

I guess we can only improve from here, he added.

Ali Zaghab a member of the Jordanian National Team which won the silver medal at the 26th FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan last year added 16 points with 8 rebounds.

FIBA Asia

Daghlas & Abbas leads with "Doubles" ! - by Omar Shafaamri
Again and again the 'Jordanian Ambassadors in China' : Daghles Osama (198-G-79, college: Midwestern St.) & Abbas Zaid (203-F-83) are chasing the 'Doubles' as Daghles chipped in a triple-double by scoring 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists leading his Team Jilin Northeast Tigers to win over Shanghai Sharks while Abbas Zaid came up with a double-double by scoring 29 points and 20 rebounds without preventing the loss of Fujian against Tianjin 114-111.

Abbas Zaid is leading CBA League in Rebounds with an average of 15.1 per game leaving Puerto Rico Star Ramos Peter John (222-C-85) (13.4) behind him, Sam from the other hand is leading the League in Assists with 7.9 per Game. Zaid was chosen as the 2nd Best performer in CBA Round 23 while Sam was the the 7th on the list. 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)

*****************************************************
  KENYA   


Nairobi Provincial League Set to Feature Two Zones - by Eurobasket News
The 2012 Nairobi Provincial League will be divided into two zones to accommodate the new teams expected to join the fray, a top Nairobi Basketball Association (NBA) official has said. NBA chairman Ronnie Owino said the zoning will help cut down on the number of matches in a season and ensure the league does not run beyond October of every year.

The league had 22 teams in both categories last year. He said the new season will tip off on April 14 at the Nairobi Railways Club although a number of teams yet to be determined. 'We will start our programme in April with about 20 men and eight women teams. With Upper Hill School and Kenya Airways moving up to the national league, we have new teams coming in to join the show.

Other than the promoted ones, we will retain the teams we had and also include some more.We would not like to leave any team out,' he said. Meanwhile, Owino confirmed Kenya will send the men and women's teams to Kampala, Uganda for the 14th edition of the East and Central Africa Inter Cities championships despite financial hardships.

The event will bring together cities from Tanzania, Southern Sudan, Somaila, Burundi, Rwanda and Host Uganda. The week long event throws off April 24. 'As the defending champions in both the men and women category, we will ensure our teams go to Kampala for this championships,' he said.
Courtesy of: Nairobi Star (Nairobi)


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  KOSOVO   


Besnik Azemi begins trainings with Trepca - by Dren Shporta
Kosova Vushtrias best player Besnik Azemi (198-F/C-89) begins seasons second half preparations with Trepca. He looks like Trepcas first strengthening of the winter transfer season, even if he is not officially registered in Basketball Federation of Kosovo (FBK), as a player of actual league leaders.

Besnik Azemi plays in power forward position and as a center if needed. He contributed most in Kosovas 4-10 run during the seasons first half. As Trepcas club director, Naim Hajrizi says in a Sport newspaper, Besnik Azemi and Trepca have reached the agreement. Azemi will be Trepcas player until the end of 2011/12 season.

The greens from Mitrovica finished the first half of BKT Superliga as leaders with only one defeat. They collected 27 points from 28 possible. They will face Bashkimi from Prizren in the opening week that will start in February 5th.


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  LATVIA   


Latvian LBL round 15 best performance: Josh Mayo - by Eurobasket News
American guard Josh Mayo (182-G-87, agency: RIZO) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for Liepaja, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 15.
The 24-year old player was the main contributor (21 points, four rebounds and three assists) to his team's victory, helping them to crush Turiba (#7, 4-10) with 17-point margin 82-65. Liepaja is placed at 3rd position in Latvian LBL. Liepaja is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 8-7 record. In the team's last game Mayo had a remarkable three three-pointers out of 7 attempts. He turned to be Liepaja's top player in his first season with the team. Former University of Illinois-Chicago star has very solid stats this year. Mayo. Mayo is in league's top in points (7th best: 17.4ppg).

The second best player in last round's games was -year old American Jai Lucas (177-G) of league's leader Valmiera. Lucas had a very good evening with 26 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Bad luck as Valmiera lost that game 69-79 to the lower-ranked LU (#6, 7-7). Valmiera managed to keep the same 1st spot in the standings. His team has currently 10-4 record. Lucas is a newcomer at Valmiera, but is already one of team's top players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 18.2ppg (#4). He also recorded 4.4 assists per game.

Third on the list of top players last round was forward Janis Dilevka (198-F-88) of Turiba (#7). Dilevka scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Despite Dilevka's great performance Turiba lost 65-82 to the higher-ranked Liepaja (#3, 8-7). But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates. Turiba can only dream about fighting for top spots in the league. They have rather bad season and 4-10 record places them close to the bottom of the standings. Too bad for Dilevka he does not play for a better team. But maybe if he did, his season stats would not be that high. Dilevka has a very solid season. In 13 games in Latvia he scored 7.5ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Artjoms Butjankovs (205-F/C-91) of Valmiera - 17 points and 10 rebounds
5. Kristaps Kanbergs (190-G-88) of Jelgava - 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists
6. Kristaps Dargais (195-G-90) of LU - 14 points and 10 rebounds
7. Atis Ozols (198-F-81) of Jurmala - 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists
8. Arturs Bricis (193-G-92) of Liepaja - 8 points and 11 rebounds
9. Arturs Bricis (193-G-92) of Liepaja - 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists
10. Armands Osins (185-PG-91) of LU - 17 points, 7 rebounds and 2 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)

*****************************************************
  LEBANON   


Hosts canter through to victory in the clash of Riyadis - by Maarouf Mawloud
BEIRUT, Lebanon (WABA League): Defending champions Al Riyadi Beirut proved a little too better organized in their offense and more cohesive in their defense to beat their Jordanian namesakes Al Riyadi Aramex Amman 111-78 for their second successive win in the Group A Prelim Round of the WABA League on Thursday.

Aramex were playing their first game in the competition.

Egyptian Ismail Ahmad once again led the Riyadi assault from the front accounting for 16 of his game-high 25 points for the game in the first quarter.

An 8-0 run midway through the first quarter with Ahmad accounting 4 points, 2 offensive rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal perched the hosts in control of the proceedings and their hold only grew as they game progressed.

We are getting into rhythm rather well, said Riyadi coach Fouad Abouchakra.

We knew they are a team of rhythm. We couldnt break that, rued Abouchakras opposite number Motassem Salameh.

Picking holes further in the rival defense, although their own defense got a little scattered sporadically, Riyadi closed the first half with a 17-point cushion and played out time after that.

Ahmad dominated the defensive glass as much as on offense and had 11 rebounds in defense in an overall 14 collections.

Dewarick Spencer (193-G-82, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Arkansas St.) who got a little carried away on occasions and even copped a technical foul had 23 points.

Jean Abd El Nour contributed 20 points in Riyadis win.

I guess the guys wanted to run a lot harder and faster to keep themselves warm, joked Abouchakra reflecting on the frosty weather conditions.

But its difficult to keep the focus when you build such a lead. Overall, I am quite happy with the way we are playing, he said.

Salameh hopes the tough opener brings his team together.

Playing against a team like Riyadi in the opening game and on their own courts was always going to be a tough proposition. We only hope playing this game has toughened our team out, Salameh said.

Ayman Idais, playing his first game of the season for Aramex, had a 17-point game along with pulling down a dozen rebounds.

This is a very young team. And we really havent played much in preparation, said Idais.

I guess we can only improve from here, he added.

Ali Zaghab a member of the Jordanian National Team which won the silver medal at the 26th FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan last year added 16 points with 8 rebounds.

FIBA Asia

WABA League: Riyadi too strong for Aramex - by Eurobasket News
Riyadi - Aramex 111:78

Riyadi stayed on the winning track at WABA League preliminary round. The defending champions held off Riyadi Aramex for the second straight win in Group A. Ahmed Moneim (205-C-76) came up with 25 points, 14 boards and 5 assists to lead the charge.
Riyadi cleared off late in the opening frame to take a 9-point lead into the second quarter. The hosts maintained the advantage throughout the second period. Riyadi established a comfortable 52:35 buffer at the interval. Things just got worse for the Jordanian side in the third frame. Riyadi boosted the margin to as many as 27 points with one quarter remaining. The reigning champions did not slow down in the fourth period and raced to a confident win at the end. Dewarick Spencer (193-G-82, agency: Higher Vision Sports, college: Arkansas St.) accounted for 23 points, 6 boards and 5 assists, Jean Abd El Nour added 20 points for the winners. Jaycen Herring (196-G/F-86, college: SE Missouri St.) answered with 21 points for Aramex. Ayman Idais (205-C-78, agency: Court Side) had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

Riyadi: Ahmed Moneim 25+14 boards, Dewarick Spencer 23, Jean Abd El Nour 20
Aramex: Jaycen Herring 21, Ayman Idais 17+12 boards


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


Rasic leaves Lietuvos Rytas - by Adomas Kraunevicius
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius is continuing their roster changes. Several days after the announcement of the departure of australian swingman Brad Newley (201-F-85, agency: Beo Basket), point guard Aleksandar Rasic (195-G-84, agency: Beo Basket) is moving to greek powerhouse Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus where he will get a chance to play in Euroleague in the Top16. Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus was looking for a new point guard and the key factor that determined the transaction was that coach Dusan Ivkovic (agency: Beo Basket ) knows Aleksandar Rasic very well from the Serbian national team.

Aleksandar Rasic averaged 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 21 minutes in EuroCup this season.

His stats in the BEKO-LKL were similar - 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 18 minutes.


VTB: Lietuvos Rytas defeated by CSKA - by Adomas Kraunevicius
Lietuvos rytas Vilnius - CSKA Moscow 67:84

Lietuvos rytas Vilnius did not manage to equal CSKA Moscow Moscow and had to admit a home loss to VTB League leaders CSKA Moscow 67:84 (15:15, 17:22, 19:33, 16:14). This was the fourth loss for Lietuvos rytas Vilnius in 9 games whereas CSKA Moscow achieved its 8th victory in 9 games.

The match started with two points by CSKA Moscow but the hosts soon responded with a 7:0 run and gained an early lead 7:2. Inspired by a strong start they worked well in defense and managed to increase their lead to 13:4. However, Milos Teodosic (195-G-87) and Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) then entered the game, Jonas Valanciunas (210-C-92) picked his second foul and sat on the bench and by the end of the quarter CSKA Moscow equalized the score at 15:15.

CSKA Moscow kept the same pace of the game and after an overall 17:4 run (including the second half of the first period) they were already ahead 21:17 which they further increased to 26:17. But Vilnius responded and reduced the deficit to 28:32. Both teams left the court at halftime with a 5 point CSKA Moscow lead 37:32.

Moscow gained the initiative early in the third quarter and soon built a double digit lead 47:36. Lietuvos rytas Vilnius struggled and several minutes later they trailed by 16 45:61. CSKA Moscow led comfortably 70:51 before the fourth quarter.

Lietuvos rytas could not put on a fight in the last period and had to admit the superiority of their opponents 67:84.

Lietuvos rytas Vilnius: Tyrese Rice (185-PG-87, agency: Priority Sports, college: Boston Coll.) 15, Renaldas Seibutis (196-G-85) 13, Mindaugas Katelynas (205-F-83, college: Chattanooga) 12, Jonas Valanciunas 10 (11 rebs), Lawrence Roberts (205-F/C-82, college: Mississippi St.) and Vilmantas Dilys (208-F-87, agency: Interperformances) 6, Arturas Jomantas (200-G/F-85) 5.

CSKA Moscow: Andrei Kirilenko 13, Viktor Khryapa (204-F/G-82) and Nenad Krstic (213-C-83, agency: INVICTUS Sports Group) 12, Milos Teodosic 11, Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) 9 (21 min.), Darjus Lavrinovic (212-C-79) 6 (16 min., 3 ast.).

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  MEXICO   


LNBP ALL STAR WEEK - by Majic Dorsey
Whats good Latin World? As you know the All Star game was this past weekend. And it was a lot of fun. Teamed with players Im so use to playing games against. I also had the opportunity to meet other team owners and coaches. I found out a lot about some players that I didnt know much about, off the court. We had a good group of players. And I must say Coach Reggie Jordan and Coach Eddie Casiano are such good coaches and very professional. The Knowledge they have for the game is amazing. Thats why there team is doing so well. I had the honor to talk with Reggie for about an hour. And he gave me good advice on life and ball that he has learned through the years, and I know it will help me also. Thanks coach! Franco '3Pointer Shooter' Harris, Myron 'The Show Allen, and I were stuck at the airport for hours because our flight was delayed then cancelled. All 3 of us were tired and sleepy from the long trip to the all star and from all star game. Bad thing is they had a game that same night for playoffs after leaving all star game. I cant imagine how their body felt. But there pros and things come with being a pro. I want to say thank you to MOLTEN head sponsor for announcing and delivering the award that I was the Sponsor Player of the Year and also handing Leroy and John there awards also. It was well deserved for both of them; they are great players and good people off the court. I also want to say thank you to all the emails I been getting from my last blog about jobs and questions about how players can get there name out there. I hope the knowledge I have gained helped you with your questions. Good luck and all you do and keep working hard at your craft. To the rest of the teams that are still in the playoffs good luck and do what u have to do to bring the championship home to your team. God bless!


LNBP: Barreteros complete Quarterfinals picture - by Eurobasket News
LNBP 1/8 Finals, Game 5: Barreteros - Abejas 81-73 (3-2)

Barreteros is the last team who booked a sport for the LNBP Quarterfinals. They handed 81-73 loss to Abejas in crucial Game Five of the 1/8 Finals winning the series with 3-2. Barreteros will meet Halcones Rojos at the next stage. Abejas trailed by 11 points after 3 quarters before a 19-16 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 73-81 at the end of the game. Barreteros made 20-of-23 free shots (87.0 percent) during the game. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Barreteros made 7 blocks. American guard Louis White (192-G-76, college: Voorhees) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 12 rebounds. Naturalized American guard Forrest Fisher (193-G-84) contributed with 15 points and 5 assists for the winners. Five Barreteros players scored in double figures. American-Jamaican forward Mattis McHugh (198-F-84, college: S.Florida) answered with a double-double by scoring 21 points and 14 rebounds and American forward Lorrenzo Wade (198-F-85, college: San Diego St.) added 25 points in the effort for Abejas. LNBP Quarterfinals begin today.

Barreteros: L.White 21+12reb, J.Reaves 18+4reb, J.Habel 16+4reb, F.Fisher 15+3reb+5ast, G.Stokes 11+3reb+6ast, R.Loera Almanza 0+2reb
Abejas: L.Wade 25+3reb+3ast, M.McHugh 21+14reb+2ast, V.Buelna 10+4reb, M.Jackson 7+16reb+3ast, J.Verdejo 7+2ast, C.Castillo 3+1reb

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  MONTENEGRO   


EBL: Mornar wins in Ulcinj - by Darko Pekic
The postponed Round 4 game between Ulcinj and Mornar that should have been played in november took place yesterday. Mornar won the game (70:68) and added two more points to its record. It was a very contested victory by Ulcinj fans though. Akeem Scott (186-PG-83, agency: Interperformances, college: High Point) proved once again his great form and finished the game with 15 points. Ivan Jelenic (190-SG-85, agency: BeoExcell) and Lazar Radosavljevic (204-F-91, agency: Beo Basket) added 12 points each. Radoje Djurkovic (198-C/F-87) showed signs of improvement with impressive 29 points but he did not get enough help from his teammates.

The new year in Montegrin basketball officially starts next weekend with following matches:

ABS Primorje - Podgorica,
Danilovgrad - Lovcen,
Jedinstvo - Sutjeska,
Mornar - Teodo
Ulcinj - Mogren

KK Teodo and Nikola Bulajic parted ways - by Darko Pekic
The manager of KK Teodo Tivat, Misko Lucic , informed eurobasket.com today that the club had decided to part ways with the experienced big man Nikola Bulajic (208-C-84, agency: Interperformances). The 27 year old joined Teodo last season and gave an important contribution to the latest achievements of coach Milan Rondovic 's team. However, he was not able to perform at the same level this season and averaged only 5.2 ppg and 5.4 rpg in 10 games. The latest addition of Aleksandar Radulovic (207-C-84) closed the first team door for him although he was one of the top earners in the club from Tivat. Bulajic started his career in Buducnost. He has international experience (Ukraine and China).

KK Teodo announced that they had gathered 5 489 euros in a humanitarian action aimed to help their Slaven Tripkovic, their former player. This noble action was also promoted by eurobasket.com.

Jeretin's journey continues: He is now in Slovenia! - by Darko Pekic
Goran Jeretin (192-G-79, agency: Beo Basket) will join the third club this season. After Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania) and Artland Dragons (Germany) he moved south and signed a contract with the well known club from Slovenia- Union Olimpija. He will play there with the National Team and ex Buducnost teammate Vladimir Dasic (206-F-88, agency: Beo Basket), who has joined them recently. Union Olimpija Ljubljana announced that the experienced Montenegrin playmaker would wear the green jersey untill the end of current season. The player will arrive to Slovenia tomorrow and will be able to play on Sunday's ABA League game. Jeretin has previouosly played for many well known teams such as Maccabi Tel Aviv, Turk Telekom, Lokomotiv Kuban and Red Star Belgrade

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  NBA   


Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Kobe BRYANT
  LA Lakers
  (198-G-78)
  Avg: 30.3
 1. Bryant, LA Lakers30.3 
 2. James, Miami Heat29.0 
 3. Anthony, New Y.26.6 
 4. Durant, Oklah.Ci.25.7 
 5. Ellis, Golde S.23.9 
 6. Love, Minnesota T.23.6 
 7. Griffin, LA Clipp.23.3 
 8. Bargnani, Toron.22.3 
 9. Aldridge, Portland.22.2 
 10. Stoudemire, New Y.20.9 
Rebounds Per Game
 Kevin LOVE
  Minnesota T.
  (208-C-88)
  Avg: 14.7
 1. Love, Minnesota T.14.7 
 2. Howard, Orlando M.14.4 
 3. Bynum, LA Lakers13.9 
 4. Cousins, Sacramen.11.0 
 5. Griffin, LA Clipp.10.8 
 6. Gasol, Memphis G.10.8 
 7. Humphries, New J.10.4 
 8. Lee, Golde S.10.3 
 9. Varejao, Clevelan.10.2 
 10. Haslem, Miami Heat10.1 
Assists Per Game
 Rajon RONDO
  Boston C.
  (185-PG-86)
  Avg: 10.1
 1. Rondo, Boston C.10.1 
 2. Nash, Phoenix Suns9.6 
 3. Lowry, Houston R.9.4 
 4. Calderon, Toron.9.0 
 5. Paul, LA Clippers8.8 
 6. Rose, Chicago B.8.6 
 7. Williams, New J.8.2 
 8. Rubio, Minnesot.7.9 
 9. Jack, N.Orleans H.7.9 
 10. Conley, Memphis G.7.7 
Steals Per Game
 Mike CONLEY
  Memphis G.
  (186-PG-87)
  Avg: 3
 1. Conley, Memphis G.3.0 
 2. Paul, LA Clippers2.8 
 3. Shumpert, New Y.2.2 
 4. Lowry, Houston R.2.1 
 5. Teague, Atlanta H.2.1 
 6. James, Miami Heat2.0 
 7. Wade, Miami Heat2.0 
 8. Rondo, Boston C.1.9 
 9. West, Dallas M.1.9 
 10. Kidd, Dallas M.1.9 
Blocks Per Game
 DeAndre JORDAN
  LA Clippers
  (213-C-88)
  Avg: 3.4
 1. Jordan, LA Clippers3.4 
 2. McGee, Washingt.3.2 
 3. Gasol, Memphis G.2.6 
 4. Howard, Orlando M.2.2 
 5. Ibaka, Oklah.Ci.2.2 
 6. Bynum, LA Lakers2.1 
 7. Wade, Miami Heat1.9 
 8. Stiemsma, Boston1.9 
 9. Hawes, Philadelph..1.8 
 10. Jefferson, Utah1.8 


Standings
NBA Standings
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Div.
 1. Philadelph.76 7-3 
 2. New York K. 6-4 
 3. Boston C. 4-5 
 4. Toronto R. 4-7 
 5. New Jersey N. 2-9 
Central Div.
 1. Chicago B. 10-2 
 2. Indiana P. 7-3 
 3. Cleveland C. 4-5 
 4. Milwaukee B. 3-6 
 5. Detroit P. 2-8 
Southeast Div.
 1. Miami Heat 8-3 
 2. Orlando M. 7-3 
 3. Atlanta H. 7-4 
 4. Charlotte B. 2-8 
 5. Washington W. 1-9 
Western Conference
Northwest Div.
 1. Oklah.City T. 10-2 
 2. Portland TB 7-3 
 3. Denver N. 7-4 
 4. Utah Jazz 6-4 
 5. Minnesota T. 3-7 
Pacific Div.
 1. LA Lakers 8-4 
 2. LA Clippers 5-3 
 3. Phoenix Suns 4-5 
 4. Sacramento K. 4-7 
 5. Golde State W. 3-6 
Southwest Div.
 1. San Antonio S. 7-4 
 2. Dallas M. 6-5 
 3. Memphis G. 3-6 
 4. Houston R. 3-7 
 5. N.Orleans H. 3-7 


Wednesday's games (11) review: Clippers withstand Heat 95-89 in overtime - by Eurobasket News
Portland TB - Orlando M. 104-107
Dwight Howard (6'11''-C-85) had 13 points and 13 rebounds and the Orlando Magic survived a late rally to hand the Portland Trail Blazers their first loss at home, 107-104 on Wednesday night. The Blazers closed in on the Magic when Nicolas Batum's layup and LaMarcus Aldridge's (6'11''-F/C-85, college: Texas) wide-open jumper made it 96-93 with 2:38 left. Hedo Turkoglu answered for Orlando with a layup and a 3-pointer that appeared to seal the victory. But Portland narrowed it again when Jamal Crawford and Wesley Matthews hit consecutive layups to make it 102-99 with 32.1 seconds to go. After Jason Richardson made a free throw, Crawford's finger-roll layup kept it close, but J.J. Reddick made four foul shots down the stretch. Aldridge made a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left as the rally fell short. The Magic (7-3) led by as many as 23 points, and made 16 of 27 3-point attempts, a season high. By the end of the third quarter, all of Orlando's starters were in double figures. Redick finished with 17 points off the bench for Orlando. Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson each had 16. Crawford had 24 points off the bench for the Blazers (7-3), who had won all six of their previous games at home this season, including a 105-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. But the victory may have cost them energy-wise against the Magic. The Blazers allowed Orlando to open the game with an easy 8-0 run, which included three straight layups and a dunk by Richardson. The Magic pushed the lead to 26-15 late in the first quarter after Chris Duhon's 3-pointer. Orlando, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league, made 6 of 8 in the first quarter alone as they built a 36-22 lead. Orlando went on to lead by as many as 20 points before the break, but Portland closed to 57-47 on Gerald Wallace's layup with a minute left and the Blazers trailed 62-50 at the break. The Magic made 11 of 18 3-point attempts in the half, and shot 63 percent overall from the field. Howard's slam dunk midway through the third quarter gave the Magic their biggest margin of the game at 81-58. The Blazers closed to 90-80 on Wallace's 3-pointer with 8:01 left in the game. Portland inched closer when Matthews made a 3-pointer and Wallace hit a pair of free throws to close to 96-89 with 3:56 to go. Orlando was well-rested, having not played since a 104-97 victory at Sacramento on Sunday. Aldridge finished with 23 for Portland. *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

LA Clippers - Miami Heat 95-89 OT
Chris Paul (6'0''-PG-85, college: Wake Forest) had 27 points and 11 assists and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied to beat Miami 95-89 in overtime Wednesday night, dealing the Heat a second straight extra-time loss. Blake Griffin (6'10''-F-89, college: Oklahoma) had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Caron Butler added 20 points, and Chauncey Billups had 12 for the Clippers, 9-2 against Miami at home since 2001-02. DeAndre Jordan had 11 rebounds. LeBron James had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the 200th double-double of his career, Mario Chalmers added 18 points, Dwyane Wade 17 and Chris Bosh had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, who lost at Golden State in OT a night earlier. The Heat have lost their last four games against the Clippers at Staples Center. The Clippers outscored the Heat 9-3 in the extra session, when James, Bosh and Wade missed on a combined seven shots and the team was 1 for 10. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra got ejected after a technical foul with 5 seconds left. Miami's Big Three struggled in the fourth quarter, too, combining to go 3 for 8 as the team went 4 of 12. The Clippers led by two with 27 seconds left in regulation before James tied it 86 on a free throw. The Clippers called their final timeout and Paul dribbled around with James hounding him before putting up a shot that missed as time expired, forcing the Heat to the third overtime of their trip. James missed three consecutive baskets in overtime and he was 6 of 10 from the line in the final 5:49 of regulation. Chalmers hit a 3-pointer for Miami's only points in the extra session. Jordan scored four points and Butler had three in OT. With the Clippers trailing 84-83, Billups got fouled by James on a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in regulation and made all three free throws. The Clippers finished 17 of 23 from the line, while the Heat were 20 of 34. The Heat won two video reviews in the final 16 seconds of regulation, but they failed to make a field goal in the final 7:32. Neither team led by more than three points in a physical fourth quarter that featured Wade knocking Paul to the court and Norris Cole and Mo Williams colliding. The Clippers ended the third quarter with a 12-9 spurt, capped by Paul whipping a pass across the lane to Jordan for a baseline dunk that sent them into the final 12 minutes leading 70-69. Paul and Butler combined for 10 of the Clippers' 12 points in the run. *Courtesy of www.kansascity.com

Boston C. - Dallas M. 85-90
It's becoming disturbingly clear that either the Celtics are one of the biggest victims of lack of chemistry from the abbreviated training camp and preseason or fans are witnessing the methodical decline of the Big Three. In either event, the Celtics are a shell of their former selves, although they insist their troubles can be corrected quickly enough to make it a fulfilling season. After nine games and another fourth-quarter meltdown last night, that is highly debatable. The Celtics spent the whole night chasing the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, only to falter in the final 25 seconds in a 90-85 loss. And after another disheartening defeat, Boston has yet to beat a team with a winning record or one that reached the playoffs last season. The Celtics fell behind, 10-2, and trailed by as many as 13 only to make another furious but futile rally in the final minutes. With 25 seconds left and the game tied at 85, the Mavericks gave the ball to their franchise player, Dirk Nowitzki (6'11''-F-78), who had spent most of the night suffocated by Kevin Garnett. Coming off a pick-and-roll, Nowitzki (16 points on 5-for-11 shooting) dribbled past Garnett, lunged toward the basket, and flipped in an acrobatic layup nearly falling down while being fouled by Brandon Bass for a conventional 3-point play with 5.1 seconds left. Then the Celtics couldn't even get off a shot attempt, Ray Allen (6'5''-SG-75, college: Connecticut) bobbling a low Rajon Rondo pass out of bounds and the game was gone. It was another disappointing loss for a team looking for any evidence that it's a contender in the Eastern Conference. 'We're not playing easy teams, I want y'all to understand that,'' Garnett said. 'The teams that come in here with beat up records [Dallas entered 5-5], they play hard and have a lot of pride. We were playing the world champs tonight, it don't get any bigger than that. That's where we are, we're going to have to continue to work at this thing to get it better. 'This is not easy. I know we made it look easy in the past. It's not easy by far.'' Rondo led the Celtics with 24 points, but a 24-6 third-quarter Mavericks run put them in control. And though the game was tied at 77 with 6:05 left, the Celtics had three possessions to go ahead over the next two minutes and wasted them all with missed jumpers. Paul Pierce tied the game at 85 with a leaning 3-pointer with 25 seconds left, a slice of magic after a miserable night. Before that shot, Pierce had scored 4 points on 1-for-4 shooting and had sat a large chunk of the fourth quarter although he was healthy. He is 5 for 22 shooting in the past two games and did not speak with the media after the game. 'He's trying, he's not playing great but it's not like he's showing up to not play great,'' coach Doc Rivers said. 'I know he'll come around and we just have to hold the fort until he does.'' The game turned early in the third quarter, when the Celtics seemingly were beginning to resemble the team they believe they are. They began the second half on a 4-0 spurt to take a 45-42 lead, and that's when Rick Carlisle became the second opposing coach in the past eight days to get ejected for running to midcourt to argue a non-call. Last week it was Washington's Flip Saunders who was tossed for disputing a Greg Stiemsma blocked shot on Rashard Lewis. Last night Carlisle had an issue with Garnett holding Nowitzki tightly on a pick-and-roll, and he charged official Josh Tiven. Tiven called the double technical at 10:14 mark of the third. Two Ray Allen technical free throws extended the Celtics' lead to 5, but Boston then shut down offensively, scoring 12 points in the final 10 minutes as the Mavericks raced past them with a 24-6 run. And Nowitzki did not score during the surge. Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood, and Delonte West did most of the damage. A Jason Terry 3-pointer from the corner off the fast break gave the Mavericks a 66-53 lead with two minutes left in the third, a disastrous stretch for the Celtics. For the fifth time in nine games, the Celtics trailed by double digits in the first half, forcing them to play near perfect ball in the second half. 'I didn't like it,'' Allen said of another slow start. 'It didn't feel good. Starting the first quarter, the way we didn't score points. But, again, we had great looks offensively. I don't know what you attribute it to, but having four days off we couldn't do that. We know where we need to be and everyone in there is optimistic and ready to get the win.'' The Celtics turned in one of their better defensive quarters of the season in the second, chasing and nearly catching the Mavericks. A pressing, double-teaming defense forced five turnovers and limited Dallas to 30.4 percent shooting in the period. The issue wasn't defense but rebounding. The Mavericks flat-out embarrassed the Celtics on the boards, 43-35, collecting 12 offensive rebounds in the game and 17 second-chance points. Haywood finished with 11 rebounds in 29 minutes; once again the Celtics' Jermaine O'Neal fizzled, finishing with 2 points and 3 rebounds in 22 minutes. 'I don't care about offensive rebounds; I care about defensive rebounds,'' Rivers said. 'Because we get defensive rebounds, we win the game. The offensive rebounds are what they are. I do want them, but that's not a number I look at a whole bunch. I look at the defensive rebounds, and we didn't do a very good job there.'' *Courtesy of www.bostonglobe.com

N.Orleans H. - Oklah.City T. 85-95
Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas) had 29 points and 10 rebounds and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Hornets 95-85 on Wednesday night. Durant hit 11 of his last 14 shots after missing his first three. He took over in the third quarter, scoring 11 points in the first eight minutes as the Thunder extended a two-point halftime lead to 12 points. The Hornets pulled within four early in the fourth, but never threatened after that. Russell Westbrook (6'3''-PG-88, college: UCLA) had 22 points and seven assists, and James Harden added 14 points for Oklahoma City, which won its fifth in a row and is tied with the Bulls for the best record in the NBA at 10-2. Chris Kaman and Carl Landry had 17 points for New Orleans, which lost for the seventh time in eight games. The Hornets outscored the Thunder 42-32 in the paint but connected on only 1 of 16 3-pointers, missing their last 12. Durant almost singlehandedly led Oklahoma to a big lead in the third quarter. After knocking down a midrange jumper, he scored on a layup, a free throw and a pair of 3-pointers. On the second 3, he was wide open at the top of the key and buried the shot off a pass from Westbrook, giving the Thunder a 69-57 lead and forcing the Hornets to call a timeout. Durant also was a factor defensively during the decisive spurt. After leaving his feet when the Hornets Al-Farouq Aminu faked a 3, he recovered and blocked Aminu's leaner from behind, forcing a jump ball. He controlled the tip, leading to a basket by Serge Ibaka. After losing fourth quarter leads in its last two home games against Philadelphia and Denver, New Orleans scored only 15 points in the fourth Wednesday. Greivis Vasquez missed a 3 that would have cut the deficit to one, and Oklahoma City's Daequan Cook sank a 3 to make the score 79-72. With the Hornets trailing by six, Landry traveled on one possession. A little later, he had a layup roll off the rim. Durant sealed the victory with baskets when the Hornets got within six later in the fourth. While Durant struggled early, Emeka Okafor made his first three shots as the Thunder stumbled through the early minutes. Westbrook turned the ball over on a rare 5-seconds call while dribbling aimlessly on the perimeter, then got stuffed by Kaman on a drive to the basket, fell to the floor and had the ball go out of bounds off him. The Hornets scored the first eight points. They led by 10 twice, 17-7 and 19-9 before the Thunder rallied. Durant hit his last five shots of the half, including a 3-pointer for Oklahoma City's first basket more than three minutes into the game. Harden scored 11 points in the second quarter. He gave the Thunder their first lead, 36-34, with a pair of free throws at the 8:08 mark, two of 19 foul shots the Thunder took in the first half. *Courtesy of www.ktvn.com

Denver N. - New Jersey N. 123-115
The Denver Nuggets were in a giving mood against the New Jersey Nets. Danilo Gallinari (6'9''-G/F-88, agency: Players Group) scored 22 points, Arron Afflalo (6'5''-G-85, college: UCLA) and Corey Brewer each had 19 points and the Denver Nuggets beat the New Jersey Nets 123-115 on Wednesday night. Andre Miller had 12 points and 12 assists and Rudy Fernandez scored 15 and added eight assists for the Nuggets. Denver finished with a season-high 37 assists. 'The guys passed the ball really well and made some nice basketball plays,' Nuggets coach George Karl said. 'Kind of a fast, crazy basketball game.' Jordan Farmar had a game-high 26 points, Anthony Morrow scored 23 and Deron Williams had 16 points and 13 assists for New Jersey. The Nets set a season high for 3-pointers with 20. Farmar was 6 for 8 from behind the arc and Morrow hit 5 of 9. 'Knocked my first couple down and kept getting open looks,' Farmar said. New Jersey tied a season high with 35 3-point attempts. The Nuggets scored the first five points of the second half to lead by 21 but New Jersey rallied to cut the deficit. Mehmet Okur scored eight points in a 13-3 run by the Nets that made it 76-65 with 7:33 left in the third quarter. Denver responded by scoring 24 points before the end of the period. Gallinari capped the offensive surge with a 3 to give the Nuggets a 100-80 lead heading into the fourth. The Nuggets had 21 assists in the second and third quarters combined. 'You'd rather see your team be unselfish to a fault, to a problem, than the other way,' Karl said. 'Most NBA teams have the problem the other way.' New Jersey scored the first 12 points of the last period to put a scare into the Nuggets. Blocked shots by Brewer and Chris Andersen keyed a 12-2 run by Denver that sealed the win. 'Pretty good offense for our team. Any time we score 115 points, you would think it was going to be a win,' Nets coach Avery Johnson said. 'We just couldn't get any stops defensively.' Williams picked up two quick technicals and was ejected with 3:02 left and the Nets trailing by 13. 'It was between me and the ref,' he said. 'I sprained my ankle so I was a little mad and I took it out on him.' Brewer took over in the second quarter as the Nuggets grabbed control. He came into the game with Denver leading by six early in the second quarter and he heated up in a hurry. He scored nine points to help increase the lead to 54-40 midway through the period. After the Nets cut it to 11, Brewer hit consecutive 3-pointers to stake Denver to a 68-52 lead at halftime. Brewer and Gallinari finished with 17 points each at the break 'I thought Corey Brewer did a great job of getting us those easy baskets,' Karl said. 'He's probably our best runner, probably our best cutter. If he keeps playing like he played tonight he might have to (play) on a more consistent basis.' The Nuggets played without point guard Ty Lawson because of a strained right foot. Lawson was injured late in the first half of Denver's loss to New Orleans on Monday night. He played the second half but sat out practice Tuesday. Lawson's absence gave rookie Julyan Stone an opportunity to make his NBA debut. Stone came off the bench to spell veteran Andre Miller and had three assists in six solid minutes. He also had one foul when he tried to draw a charge on Farmar. 'I thought I got the charge but I'm not going to get that call,' he said. *Courtesy of www.newsday.com

San Antonio S. - Houston R. 101-95 OT
Gregg Popovich hasn't often been thrilled with the Spurs' defense this season. A strong late effort against the Rockets, showed that things might be starting to change. With Tim Duncan (6'10''-C/F-76, college: Wake Forest) leading the way, San Antonio held Houston to 2-of-10 shooting in overtime in the Spurs' 101-95 victory Wednesday night. Duncan had two steals and a block in overtime to help the Spurs improve to 7-0 at home. The last time the Spurs won seven straight at home to start the season was 2007-08 when they went 13-0. Tony Parker (6'0''-PG-82) scored 28 points on 12-of-22 shooting to lead the Spurs (7-4). He made four free throws late in overtime to help seal the victory. 'He's unbelievable,' Duncan said. 'I know he's going to be worn out tomorrow. He did just about everything for us. He continued to attack every time down the floor. He continued to call his number and he found a way to get things done. Whether it be finding open shooters or getting all the way to the rack, making jump shots in the lane; whatever it may be.' Duncan had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard added 11 points. Kyle Lowry scored 22 points for Houston (3-7), and Luis Scola had 20. Kevin Martin added 18, and Patrick Patterson had 10 points and seven rebounds. 'I'm still a big part of this team, and I want to be a leader of this team,' Duncan said. 'I want to be a leader on and off the floor. I want Pop and the rest of the guys to count on me to do that, and I'm ready to do that.' He proved that with 1:18 left in overtime, when his block on one end led to a fast break on the other - and Richard Jefferson's 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a lead they wouldn't lose the rest of the way. 'It gets tougher for everybody down the stretch,' Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. 'Everybody ties in a little bit more. The whistles get a little bit tighter. That's just the way it is.' The Spurs played without backup point guard T.J. Ford. He will be out four to six weeks because of a torn left hamstring. Ford was injured Tuesday night in a loss at Milwaukee. San Antonio is already without top scorer Manu Ginobili for several more weeks because of a fractured fifth metacarpal. Gary Neal had moved into the starting lineup to take Ginobili's spot, but with Ford out, Neal returned to the bench to assume backup point guard duties. Leonard started for the Spurs. It's a role he might not relinquish any time soon. 'It's huge for us to have a guy on the team that can do similar things to what Bruce (Bowen) did in the past,' Popovich said about Leonard. 'This young man's got a lot to learn, but as I've said a lot of times, he's very willing, he's very versatile, and I think he's got the ability to be one heck of a player - and he wants to be. We're excited about him.' The Spurs hit 41 of 96 shots, and Houston was 42 of 92. The Rockets hit only three of 21 3-pointers. 'That's just how the game goes,' Martin said of his team's struggles after shooting 65 percent in the first quarter. 'Percentages always catch up in this league, so that's just how it went. It wasn't in our favor.' *Courtesy of www.chron.com

Utah Jazz - LA Lakers 87-90 OT
Andrew Bynum (7'0''-C-87, agency: David Lee services) wasn't on the court the first time the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Utah Jazz. He made his presence felt Wednesday night, with five blocked shots, including a game-saver on Al Jefferson's short jumper with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime as the Lakers held on for a 90-87 victory. Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) scored 40 points to lead the Lakers, including a pair of free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining for the final margin. 'Andrew kind of made of his own coverage on Al and we tried to keep telling him to get out of it,' Lakers coach Mike Brown said. 'But he didn't listen to us and whatever he did, worked. So I'm going to add it to my defensive package.' Jefferson, who was coming off a season-high 30-point effort against Cleveland on Tuesday, was held to 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Paul Millsap led the Jazz with a season-high 29 points, hitting 14 of 24 shots. The loss was the first at home for the Jazz this season and halted their five-game winning streak. The Lakers embarrassed the Jazz in Utah's season-opener, winning by 25 even without Bynum on Dec. 27. This one was close throughout, with Millsap's tip-in tying it at 78 with 21 seconds left in regulation. Bryant, coming of a 48-point game Tuesday night at home against Phoenix, missed a shot at the buzzer that would have won it in regulation for Los Angeles. Millsap then scored the first four points of overtime, but the Lakers fought back, with 3-pointers by Bryant and Pau Gasol. 'Pau's got a green light to shoot the 3,' Brown said. 'As you can tell, guys trust him. Kobe made a pass to him late in the game at a crucial point. To see him step and knock it down was huge for us.' Seven-foot Bynum came up even bigger. He made just 5 of 13 shots, but his tip-in with 51 seconds left in OT put the Lakers ahead 88-87. Millsap brought the Jazz within one, then after Bryant's miss, the Jazz found themselves with a chance to win. Gordon Hayward had the ball and started toward the lane, only to pass it to Jefferson underneath. Bynum was there. 'It was just a reaction,' Bynum said about his block. 'I'm lucky he went for the quick flip.' Hayward said he thought about shooting it himself. 'The clock's winding down, a final scramble and we didn't know what was going on,' Hayward said. 'There were 8 seconds left, so I got to make a play. Maybe I could have shot a 1-2 pullup, but I thought it was the right play, the right pass. We got a good look. Bynum just made a good play.' Bryant would block a long 3-point attempt by Devin Harris as the Jazz inbounded with 0.7 seconds remaining in OT. The win was the first on the road for the Lakers (8-4), while Utah (6-4) is 5-1 at home. 'It felt good to get a road win here,' Bryant said. 'It's a very tough place to play and it was a huge test for us.' But even he wasn't so sure Gasol could knock down the 22-footer from the corner. 'Pau's been shooting them well in practice and coach has been urging me to trust him at the 3-point line,' Bryant said. 'I thought about passing it to him, it seemed like an eternity. But I said, 'What the hell.' 'You think Tebow prays? When that ball left his hand, I must have said 30 Hail Mary's.' Gasol finished with 14 points. He was just 5 of 14 overall, but hit his only 3-point attempt - his first of the season. 'Tonight was not a very effective game on our part, for the most part,' Gasol said. 'But we continued to fight through it. We forgot about everything else and we made two big plays down the stretch with the put-back and the block and I was able to make a couple plays. Hopefully we'll get the bodies that we have injured right now and it will give us a deeper rotation.' If the Lakers were celebrating a little more than usual, they say they earned the right. 'It was a tough game. It's hard to get a win here. Back to back, getting in here late last night, going to bed late. It's something to be proud of as a team,' Gasol said. 'Hopefully, we'll get some sleep and get ready for another back-to-back.' The Jazz also left feeling pretty good despite the loss, saying they are a different team than the one that faced the Lakers in the opener. 'We kept playing hard, didn't give up,' Jefferson said. 'It's one of those games at the end of the day we wish we could have won, but we could walk out with our head up. We played hard until the end. We just got to get ready for New Jersey.' The Jazz face the Nets on Saturday in a game that marks the return of Deron Williams for the first time since he was traded away last February. 'We're coming, we're getting better,' Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. 'We played against a good team tonight. They were a little bit better but our effort was great.' *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Indiana P. - Atlanta H. 96-84
Danny Granger (6'8''-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) scored 24 points to break out of a shooting slump in the Indiana Pacers' 96-84 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Roy Hibbert (7'2''-C-86, college: Georgetown) added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and David West and Lance Stephenson also had 12 points each to help the Pacers improve to 7-3 - matching their best start since 2005-06. Indiana also is 4-0 at home for the first time since winning its first seven home games in 2002-03. Josh Smith led Atlanta with 16 points, Joe Johnson had 15, Zaza Pachulia 11 and Willie Green 10. The Hawks dropped to 7-4. Granger was 9 of 16 from the field, including 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Granger and Hibbert scored all the points as the Pacers, up 53-50 at the half, put together a 16-2 run in the third quarter to make it 71-54 with 5:07 to go in the period. After the Hawks scored five straight, the Pacers finished the quarter with an 8-0 run, capped by Jeff Foster' 3-pointer that made it 79-59. Indiana was 10 of 19 from the field in the quarter, while Atlanta was 4 of 20. Indiana pushed the lead to 24 points midway through the final quarter. The Hawks' Jason Collins was ejected with 3.5 seconds remaining for a flagrant foul on Lou Amundson. *Courtesy of www.ktvn.com

Chicago B. - Washington W. 78-64
John Lucas (5'11''-PG-82, college: Oklahoma St.) III scored a career-high 25 points filling in for injured Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls beat the Washington Wizards 78-64 on Wednesday for their third victory in three nights. Lucas, starting for the first time in his 70-game NBA career, was at the point in place of MVP Rose, who was out with a sprained big left toe. Lucas played 45 minutes, had eight assists, eight rebounds and hit 11 of 28 shots. Kyle Korver (6'7''-F/G-81, college: Creighton) added 14 points, seven in the final quarter, and Luol Deng had 12 points and 15 rebounds. Jordan Crawford paced Washington, 1-9 and coming off its first win a night earlier against Toronto, with 14 points. *Courtesy of www.sfgate.com

New York K. - Philadelph.76 85-79
The Philadelphia 76ers were beating up on everybody until they couldn't solve the Knicks' sturdy defense. Yes, you read that right. New York turned to defense again to overcome another offensive struggle, snapping the 76ers' six-game winning streak with an 85-79 victory on Wednesday night. 'Philly is one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now. For us to hold them to 79 points, that's a big deal,' Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) said. Anthony had 27 points and the nine rebounds. Amare Stoudemire (6'10''-F-82) added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie Josh Harrellson contributed 13 desperately needed points from the bench as the Knicks won their fourth in a row and improved to two games over .500 for the first time this season. They've been doing it with defense, mostly absent from Madison Square Garden in recent years, allowing just 85.5 points per game during their win streak. The Knicks figure if that continues, eventually Mike D'Antoni's offense will get rolling. 'I'm just excited about the way the defense is playing, because I know coach D'Antoni's offense, it's going to get going,' said center Tyson Chandler, who had 13 rebounds and a bloodied nose after taking a third-quarter whack. Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner each scored 16 points for the 76ers, who were playing from behind nearly the entire way while trying to become the second team this season to win three games in three nights. They had been outscoring opponents by 16 points per game during their 7-2 start, but they trailed by as many as 17 in this one. 'Only excuse that we have is that they had a little bit of time to prepare for us. They took us out of our sets,' forward Elton Brand said. 'We're not going to blame the schedule or anything like that. Every team has a tough schedule this season and you have to give them credit. They outplayed us when it counted.' Still, the Knicks could never put it away until Anthony's free throws with 16 seconds left. They have now beaten the 76ers six of the last eight times after losing the previous six. New York visits Memphis on Thursday night. Jrue Holiday scored 13 points and Thaddeus Young had 12 for the Sixers, who played without starting center Spencer Hawes, who strained his lower back Tuesday night. They shot just 39.5 percent from the field. 'We really missed a guy like Spencer in a game tonight because he's our best passing guy and we like to play out of the post and do some of that stuff. So I was really just trying to work on the fly,' Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. 'I was really proud of our guys tonight. Five games in six nights, three in a row. Battle, battle, battle.' Anthony shot only 9 of 24 as the Knicks' offense continued to struggle, but he scored 12 points in the third quarter, providing the Knicks breathing room they would turn out to need when they managed only four baskets in the fourth quarter. The Knicks got only three points from their bench Monday in a victory over Charlotte, and D'Antoni joked before the game that 'we're going for five tonight.' Harrellson, a second-rounder from Kentucky, bettered that by himself with seven points in the first quarter. 'A lot of people have been talking about our bench not scoring, bottom half of the league with bench points, and I saw that and I just tried to come off with confidence,' Harrellson said. The Knicks jumped to a 28-15 lead, shooting 57 percent and holding the Sixers to 32 percent. Toney Douglas' 3-pointer to open the second extended the league to 16, but the Knicks stalled from there, and the lead was down to 45-35 at halftime after Iguodala's powerful drive and dunk with 35 seconds left. The lead was trimmed to four during a chippy third quarter before Anthony accounted for all the points in a 7-0 burst to end the period, making a jumper and two free throws before finding Harrellson for a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining Collins said before the game he felt like a baseball manager, with a game seemingly every night, and it seemed to take a toll on his team. The 76ers repeatedly left Harrellson plenty of room, showing either a lack of respect for his shot or lack of commitment to getting out and contesting it. The Sixers eventually showed plenty of fight, with Tony Battie getting a flagrant foul for whacking Chandler in the face in the third quarter and Iguodala and Anthony drawing double technical fouls less than two minutes later when they got tangled after Anthony's follow shot. And even when the Sixers seemed out of it down 17 with 9 minutes left, they promptly rattled off 10 in a row, and later got within four in the final minute. *Courtesy of http://online.wsj.com

Toronto R. - Sacramento K. 91-98
DeMarcus Cousins (6'11''-C/F-90, agency: SportsTalent, college: Kentucky) wants to put ''the silly stuff'' behind him and just play basketball. So far, he seems to be doing exactly that. Cousins had 21 points and a career-high 19 rebounds, Tyreke Evans (6'6''-PG-89, college: Memphis) scored a season-high 29 points and the Sacramento Kings snapped a seven-game losing streak in Toronto by beating the Raptors 98-91 Wednesday night. An escalating feud with former coach Paul Westphal led Cousins to demand a trade earlier this month, resulting in him being told to stay away from the team for a game. The spat was resolved when Westphal was fired and replaced by Keith Smart, who offered Cousins his support, and a blank slate. ''He's a new player, man,'' Evans said. ''I'm happy for him. He's done a great job just going out there and playing, helping us, not arguing with anybody on the team, just staying focused. ''He plays like that, he's an All-Star for sure,'' Evans added. ''The way he's playing right now is unbelievable. We need that out of him every night.'' Cousins acknowledged that things have been more fun since Smart took over. ''We're just out there playing ball, playing together and having fun,'' he said. ''We're having fun while we're working hard. That's the biggest thing.'' Cousins, whose previous career high in rebounds was 18, set against Utah on March 5, 2011, said he wasn't aware how many he had until teammates on the bench started letting him know. ''In the moment you don't even realize it,'' Cousins said. ''Towards the end of the game they were like 'Get one more, you'll have 20.' I'm just out there grabbing boards. That's my job, to get everything that comes off the glass.'' Smart played Cousins for just over 39 minutes to build his conditioning, and his stats: The double-double was his fourth straight. ''He had it in him to rebound tonight,'' Smart said. ''Because he had that, it put him in an active mode and I'm happy with that.'' Rookie guard Isaiah Thomas scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Jimmer Fredette had 10 for the Kings, who had not won in Toronto since Feb. 22, 2004. Sacramento had lost two straight and four of five coming in, but held on to record its first road victory in five tries this season. ''It's definitely exciting to get that first (road) win, get that monkey off our backs,'' Fredette said. Leandro Barbosa came off the bench to score a season-high 24 points while DeMar DeRozan and Jose Calderon each had 13 for the Raptors, who have lost four of five. With the score 63-all heading into the fourth, Toronto scored the first four points to lead 67-63. Thomas answered with a 3-pointer and, after a hook shoot by Linas Kleiza, Evans hit another 3, giving the Kings a lead they would not relinquish. Amir Johnson's alley-oop dunk cut it to 82-77 with 2:34 left, but Cousins answered with a pair of free throws and then a dunk of his own as the Kings pushed their lead to nine points, 86-77, with 1:12 left. DeRozan had a three-point play, but Evans kept the Raptors at bay by making four consecutive free throws on the next two possessions. The 2010 Rookie of the Year finished a perfect 14 of 14 from the line. Toronto lost leading scorer Andrea Bargnani to a strained left calf with 3:13 left in the third quarter. Bargnani, who did not return, finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. ''He's our best player for sure,'' Calderon said. ''After they let us know he wasn't coming out again, it was tough.'' Kleiza, out since undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee last Feb. 1, made his return to the lineup, coming on late in the first quarter. Kleiza scored 10 points in 14 minutes. ''I feel good, it's fun to be back,'' Kleiza said. ''The game didn't end the way anybody wanted but for me personally, after a year off, it feels good to be back.'' Barbosa scored 12 points in the second, but Thomas had eight for the Kings, who led 41-40 at the half. *Courtesy of http://msn.foxsports.com



Bulls sign Mike James - by Eurobasket News
The Chicago Bulls have signed free agent guard Michael James (6'1''-G-75, college: Duquesne).

James, signed Wednesday, had been playing in the NBA D-League for Erie, where he averaged 15.3 points in three games.

An eight-year NBA veteran, James last appeared in the NBA with the Washington Wizards for four games during the 2009-10 season.

The 6-foot-2 guard has also played with the Heat, Pistons, Celtics, Rockets, Bucks, Raptors, Timberwolves and Hornets. In 528 regular-season games, he has averaged 10.5 points.

Courtesy of www.theglobeandmail.com

USA preliminary team chosen for Olympic roster - by Eurobasket News
The roster has been announced for the 19 players that will compete for 12 spots in the London Olympics in 2012.

The guards are Chauncey Billups (6'3''-PG-76, college: Colorado), Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78), Eric Gordon (6'4''-G-88, college: Indiana), Chris Paul (6'0''-PG-85, college: Wake Forest), Derrick Rose (6'3''-G-88, college: Memphis), Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette), Russell Westbrook (6'3''-PG-88, college: UCLA), Deron Williams (6'3''-PG-84, college: Illinois).

The forwards are LaMarcus Aldridge (6'11''-F/C-85, college: Texas), Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse), Chris Bosh (6'11''-F-84, college: Georgia Tech), Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas), Blake Griffin (6'10''-F-89, college: Oklahoma), Andre Iguodala (6'6''-G-84, college: Arizona), LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) , Kevin Love (6'10''-C-88, college: UCLA), Lamar Odom (6'10''-F-79, college: Rhode Island).

The centers are only Tyson Chandler (7'1''-C-82) and Dwight Howard (6'11''-C-85).

This, of course, makes Chandler and Howard both locks to make the team. That is obvious.

Beyond that, you need to cut 7 of the remaining 17 players.

So who do you cut?

Do you keep Billups for his veteran leadership, or cut him because he is old? Do you go with Deron Williams who has been horrible this season? Do you trust Westbrook to pass the ball? Is Eric Gordon's knee OK?

So many considerations, but it seems Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade are all locks. So we have 6 locks.

At forward you almost have to have Aldridge, Anthony, Bosh, Durant, Griffin, James, and Love. That's seven players to add to the locks, leaving out the aged Odom and the less impressive Andre Iguodala.

Do the math. We have 13 players. We have to cut one of those guys.

So who do you cut there?

How can you throw any one of those guys out?

Kevin Love probably sells the least merchandise, but is it fair to hold that against him? How can you leave someone like Bosh off just for being a third fiddle? Carmelo Anthony is the best scorer in the league to many; LeBron James is the best all around player; Blake Griffin can be near unstoppable; and LaMarcus Aldridge is downright scary at his best.

So I really don't know who doesn't make the cut there, and I don't know if they will consider fielding a team this forward heavy either. You almost have to think the aged Billups will make it because of his age, not in spite of it. They like to have an elder statesman on the team. Maybe that is wishful thinking, but if they are they're going to have Tyson Chandler (all due respect), they are they're already willing to sacrifice for veteran leadership.

I really think this 19 player pool is jam packed with talent and Jerry Colangelo might not have been so crazy in comparing them to the 1992 Barcelona Dream Team.

This team lacks Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird and Charles BarkleyScottie Pippen, Karl Malone, David RobinsonI don't need to go on.

But it does have LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, and Dwight Howard. Those six at least are first ballot Hall of Famers, with many other players on the team capable of entering that realm.

Someone is going to have some tough decisions to make.

Courtesy of Yahoo

Spurs waive Diogu, sign forward Thomas from D-League - by Eurobasket News
The San Antonio Spurs waived former lottery pick Ike Diogu (6'8''-F/C-83, college: Arizona St.) and signed forward Malcolm Thomas (6'9''-C-88, college: San Diego St.) from the NBA's D-League on Wednesday.

The Spurs switched out the two big men while coach Gregg Popovich continues to try to beef up his thin frontcourt. San Antonio began the season with only Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Tiago Splitter and DeJuan Blair as options at center or forward.

Thomas is a 6-foot-9 rookie who played with Spurs swingman Kawhi Leonard at San Diego State last season. Leonard was drafted 15th overall and may get his first start against Houston on Wednesday.

Diogu played sparingly in two games after being signed Jan. 3.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Duncan passes Bird on all-time scoring - by Eurobasket News
As Tim Duncan's (6'10''-C/F-76, college: Wake Forest) career winds down, we start to get a sense of just where he stands in NBA history. Wednesday night that became a bit clearer as Duncan passed Larry Bird on the all-time scoring list at No.27 with 17 points against the Houston Rockets, making his total 21,798 for his career.

Project Spurs does have some context to provide in regards to how quickly Bird and Duncan hit this mark.

Once Duncan passes Bird, the next player is Gary Payton (ranked 26th) with 21,813 points which TD should be able to surpass this season.

Also, it should be noted Bird scored this career points in fewer games (897) while TD scored his career points in 1,063 games and counting.

Also notable, Duncan is behind Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Dirk Nowitzki on the list among his contemporaries. Proof of how great the players of the last fifteen years have been.

Duncan's relatively low ranking is emblematic of his real impact, as a player that did everything on the floor. He's 22nd all-time in rebounds. Tenth all time in blocks. His impact on both ends was greater than any metric can adequately portray, and I'm a pretty metrics-based guy.

Duncan continues to put his stamp on the career of the best power forward in NBA history.

Courtesy of www.cbssports.com

Andrea Bargnani leaves game with calf injury - by Eurobasket News
These are the most trying times of DeMar DeRozan's young NBA career, a time when things are going as poorly as they ever have, when he cant seem to buy a basket or have a big night.

And they might be about to get worse.

DeRozan struggled through another desultory offensive night as the Raptors were beaten 98-91 by the Sacramento Kings at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday and with Andrea Bargnani (209-F/C-85) headed to hospital for an MRI on a strained left calf, the attention DeRozan is going to attract as the best scorer on an offensively challenged team is only going to get worse.

How he handles it - and he hasnt handled it particularly well in the last week even with Bargnani around to take away some of the pressure - will have a lot to say in how the Raptors get through a particularly arduous stretch of the compressed NBA season.

With Bargnani leaving in the second half, DeRozan was held to just nine field-goal attempts and scored just 13 points as Toronto lost for the third time in four games.

I think maybe hes frustrated with himself. I dont know, but a lot of it has come out of the respect the league has for him, coach Dwane Casey said of DeRozan, who has now played five subpar games in a row. They put their best defender, John Salmons, on him and then they were bringing (centre DaMarcus) Cousins over early so thats a lot of respect.

And DeRozan couldnt handle it. He committed three turnovers, had five fouls and just three rebounds in 29 minutes.

Thats one of the things hes going to have to get used to, quick double-teams, a man and a half defence and learn to play through that, said Casey.

That comes with experience but hes gotten to the point now where hes gotten the respect, he and Andrea, and hes go to learn to play against not only his guy. Thats a compliment to him.

The Raptors could probably do without the compliments since no one else is really stepping up consistently on offence. Leandro Barbosa did have a season-high 24 points off the bench but the small forward spot continues to be a black hole.

Starter Rasual Butler had three points, backup James Johnson had none and had Linas Kleiza not returned for his first game since February and provided 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench, it would have been a truly gruesome roster spot.

We have to put some stretches together offensively, said Casey Were doing a decent job defensively but we have to put some runs together, execute offensively in some stretches.

Bargnani, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds before leaving for the night, is expected to have an MRI on Thursday to assess the damage. With the Raptors off for the day following three games in three nights, it wont be until Friday before they have to figure out what theyll do.

He doesnt even remember doing it, said Casey of his star big man, who had been averaging more than 24 points per game. Its a lot of fatigue. You see a lot of it around the league right now as far as fatigue, pulls and that sort of thing.

The Kings, meanwhile, rode 21 points and 19 rebounds from Cousins and 29 points and seven assists from point guard Tyreke Evans to the victory.

They pulled away after the game was tied entering the fourth quarter and iced it at the free-throw line down the stretch.

The only bright spot for Toronto would be Kleiza, who is sure to soon challenge Butler and Johnson for small forward minutes. But if Bargnanis out for any length of time, Kleiza can also move to power forward, a spot he played for a lot of Wednesday night.

He had no minutes restrictions, he did an excellent job at the three and the four, said Casey. But we cant expect a lot out of him too soon, too quick. . . . But his energy, his toughness, his ability to score is something thats going to help.

Courtesy of www.thestar.com

Lakers coach Mike Brown compares Kobe, LeBron - by Eurobasket News
Los Angeles Lakers coach Michael Brown has barely coached Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) for five weeks since the start of training camp after starting his career coaching LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) for five years in Cleveland, but he already knows enough about the pair to compare and contrast the two.

'They're both competitive,' Brown said before the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 90-87 in overtime on Wednesday. 'They both want to win. There's just a different feel to the two guys. It's hard for me to put into words.'

Despite the fact that Bryant, 33, is a 16-year veteran with five championships under his belt and James, 27, is in his ninth season and ringless in two Finals appearances, the two are irrevocably linked.

James and Bryant have combined to win three of the last four MVP trophies, were teammates and key members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Beijing, have been the dual stars of a Nike advertising campaign featuring puppet versions of themselves and are currently the NBA's top two leading scorers, with James averaging 29.7 points and Bryant averaging 29.5 points per game coming into Wednesday's games.

'They're both obviously guys that know how to perform at a high level,' Brown said. 'Their games are different. On both ends of the floor they're very different, but especially offensively. LeBron is a guy that's still learning and still growing and the reality of it is, being down there with Dwyane Wade is helping him and every year, every game he's getting better.'

Along with his league-leading scoring average, James is averaging a career-high 8.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.0 steals while also shooting a career-best 59.3 percent from the field this season as Miami has jumped out an 8-2 start.

Bryant scored an NBA league-high 48 points on Tuesday against the Suns and is averaging 5.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists (both above his career averages) while playing with a torn ligament in his right (shooting) wrist.

Bryant has been asked to compare Brown to former coach Phil Jackson on several occasions already this season and has said repeatedly that there are 'different ways to skin a cat,' while describing Brown's intense defense as unique a coaching signature as Jackson's triangle offense.

Brown said James and Bryant differ most when it comes to demeanor.

'They're different,' Brown said. 'Different personalities. LeBron, he's a guy that likes to laugh and joke and he knows, obviously, when there's a time to be serious but he's youthful. I guess that's probably the word. Whereas Kobe is not as much. Kobe is more serious-minded and so-on and so-forth. But Kobe knows how to have fun in his own way, too.'

A reporter asked if Bryant's and James' differences were based on their disparate ages and the fact that they came into the league during different eras -- for example, it was a rarity when players went right from high school to the NBA when Bryant was drafted in 1996, but had become commonplace by the time James was selected in 2003.

'I don't know if the era has anything to do with it,' Brown said. 'I think it's just personalities more than anything else.'

Brown, Bryant and the Lakers play James and the Heat in Miami next Thursday and again in Los Angeles on March 4.

Courtesy of ESPN

Gerald Wallace will not seek contract extension this season with Trail Blazers - by Eurobasket News
Because of limitations with the NBAs new collective bargaining agreement, Gerald Wallace (6'7''-F-82, college: Alabama) will not seek a contract extension with the Trail Blazers this season, his camp has informed the team.

However, after this season, Wallace will be open to an extension, his representatives said, adding that Wallace loves Portland and is open to retiring in a Blazers uniform.

Wallace is under contract for this season and the 2012-2013 season, but he can opt out of the final year of his contract, which would pay him $11.4 million. The Blazers had hoped to avoid that potential scenario and in December had casual conversations with agent Rob Pelinka to extend his contract this season. However, under the new CBA, the Blazers can only extend Wallace for two more seasons, down from the four-season option in the previous CBA.

If Wallace opts out this summer and becomes an unrestricted free agent, he can sign with any team for as many as four seasons, but the Blazers would hold significant bargaining chips. If Wallace opts out, the Blazers would hold his Bird Rights because they acquired him in a February 2010 trade, and as a result would be able to offer him five years and more money.

Wallace has not made a decision on whether he will opt out of his contract or accept the $11.4 million for the 2012-2013 season. An advantage to opting out is this summer figures to feature more than 10 teams who are under the salary cap, creating a potentially lucrative free agent market. Plus, at age 29 with a family that includes four children, Wallace would like to establish long-term security as soon as possible.

Blazers interim general manager Chad Buchanan said he feels good about the intentions of both sides.

'There is a genuine interest on both ends,'' Buchanan said. 'We value Gerald and what he brings to this team. We are open to discussing something long-term if it makes sense financially.''

Wallace is averaging 15.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.25 steals in 32.9 minutes a game.

Courtesy of www.oregonlive.com

Larry Brown wants to coach again - by Eurobasket News
In any sport, once a coach gets fired or retires, the rumors fly all over the place about when hes coming back. No retirement ever seems permanent in the world of coaching. The coaches themselves dont help to kill the rumors, you always hear well, I might come back if I found the right fit or Im not sure if I want to come back or not. Well former San Antonio Spurs coach Larry Brown is being upfront and honest about his intentions, hed love to come back to coaching.

'I want to get back badly. I just don't know. The direction the NBA's going, it seems like they just want to get young ex-players and if you look around the league, there's not a lot of older coaches anymore. 'Pop' [Gregg Popovich] and maybe [Rick] Adelman, but most of these guys are younger, so I don't know if I fit that mold, but I still believe that I have something to offer and I was disappointed the way Charlotte ended. We go to the playoffs and then, 14 games later, I'm fired.

I'd love to get back if somebody gave me a chance. But I won't politic for it. I hope it happens, but I don't want to see somebody lose their job to get another job, so that's always sensitive.'

First of all, I have to say Ive always been impressed with Browns professionalism. Hes a stand-up guy and Ive always had an incredible amount of respect for him.

Secondly, someone get this man a job! Hes an amazing coach and he wants to come back. He never seems to stay in one place for too long, so hes come in contact with so many players and coaches and so many of them have great things to say about him. He commands the respect of everyone he comes in contact with, one of the essential ingredients to a successful coaching career.

I would love to see Brown come back as soon as possible. Any team that takes that chance would be much better off.

Courtesy of http://projectspurs.com

*****************************************************
  NBLCANADA   


Storm looking to snap home losing streak - by Eurobasket News
The Summerside Storm are looking to snap a seven-game home losing streak on Thursday.

Fortunately for the Storm, they've had the Oshawa Power's number in two

previous meetings during this inaugural National Basketball League of Canada season.

Summerside defeated the Power in a nail-biting 101-100 decision on Dec. 22 - a win that, coincidentally, broke another seven-game Storm losing streak.

'At this point in the season you're trying to game plan for the team you're playing,' said Summerside head coach Joe Salerno . ' (Thursday) night, what's important for us is to try to limit Oshawa in transition. They're the most athletic team in the NBL, and the last time we played them we had a tight game and we just gave up too many easy baskets in transition. If we can limit that in a half-court game, I think that's one we can win.'

The Storm sit just shy of the fourth and final playoff spot in the league with an 8-12 (won-lost) record. Oshawa comes into tonight's game in sixth place in the seven-team league at 7-16.

Courtesy of www.journalpioneer.com

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


Davis, Lamb lead No. 2 Kentucky over Auburn 68-53 - by Eurobasket News
Auburn coach Tony Barbee couldn't finish off No. 2 Kentucky and mentor John Calipari.

The Tigers did perhaps find an identity in Wednesday night's 68-53 loss to the Wildcats in a game that was up for grabs until the final minutes.

'I think we figured some things out,' said Barbee, who played for Calipari at UMass and coached under him at Memphis. 'Now, can we take the next step?

'The guys fought their tails off. We have to take this and expound on it and go to the next level. I found a style that I think is going to work for this team. It is to shorten the games and grind it out.'

It worked pretty well for a coach Calipari recalls as 'one of the most hard-headed players I've ever coached.'

The Wildcats (16-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) had a 23-6 closing run for their second straight 15-point league win. They didn't take a double-digit lead over the Tigers (10-6, 0-2) until Anthony Davis (6'10''-F-93) scored on an alley-oop pass from Doron Lamb with 1:31 left.

'We went on a run at the end of the game, but you all know it was a double-bucket game and they could have beat us,' Calipari said.

It would have been a rarity. Kentucky has won the last 13 meetings and 27 of 28 against the Tigers.

But Barbee's Tigers held the Wildcats to 40.4 percent (23 of 57) shooting. Auburn held its own with a formidable frontcourt, and Kentucky was outrebounded for the second straight game (35-29).

The Wildcats came into the game dominating the boards with an SEC-best 8.8-rebound margin over opponents, but lost out on a number of scrambles for the ball.

'They beat us all to balls,' Calipari said. ' Michael Gilchrist (6'7''-F-93) had one rebound until the end. They wanted it worse than we did. They played with desire we didn't have.'

Anthony Davis and Lamb scored 14 points apiece for the Wildcats. Marquis Teague (6'2''-G-93) and Terrence Jones (6'9''-F-85) each had 12 points. Darius Miller went 3 of 5 from 3-point range for Kentucky and had nine points.

Davis had six rebounds and four blocks, but had his string of double-doubles end at five games.

'They really outhustled us on the boards,' Davis said. 'We started getting rebounds. At the end, we just had to get every rebound. Every possession counted.'

Rob Chubb (6'10''-C) led Auburn with 14 points and eight rebounds, but missed all three of his shots in the second half. Chris Denson had 12 points.

Kentucky, which committed just eight turnovers, gradually gained control after Auburn took a 47-45 lead on Chubb's two free throws with 10:52 left.

Miller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist hit back-to-back 3s late in a 13-2 run that all but ended any concerns, and the Wildcats didn't let up from there. The biggest remaining question was if the Wildcats would have only their third single-digit win -- the first two coming against then-top 5 teams North Carolina and Louisville.

Auburn didn't join that illustrious group.

Barbee fell to 0-5 coaching against his mentor, the first three coming at UTEP. The Tigers were coming off 29- and 30-point road losses to Florida State and Vanderbilt, which held Auburn to 35 points.

The Tigers kept this one close even with leading scorers Kenny Gabriel and Frankie Sullivan in foul trouble. Gabriel had six points and Sullivan five after both came in averaging nearly 12.

Barbee moved to a bigger lineup with 6-foot-8 Adrian Forbes getting his first start. It paid off in the first half with the Tigers dominating the boards 21-11.

Miller, though, finished with a 3-pointer as time expired after a turnover to put the Wildcats ahead 32-28.

'The play at the end of the half was unbelievable execution,' Calipari said. 'We've run that scrpted play probably 50 times, and I walked into halftime and said, 'That's why we scipted it.''

He was glad to get the game with his former player out of the way.

'If we had lost, I would have been ecstatic for him,' Calipari said. 'He knows that.'

Courtesy of www.boston.com

No.1 Syracuse rolls past Villanova, 79-66 - by Eurobasket News
Villanova thought it could have a chance to upset No. 1 Syracuse if it made some three-point shots. But the Wildcats have been shooting the basketball poorly all season - from long, medium, and short range - and nothing changed in that area Wednesday night.

With the five members of the Syracuse zone representing either trees or creatures with more than two hands, the Orange neutralized the Villanova shooters to make sure the game was never in doubt and went on to a 79-66 victory before a crowd of 14,877 at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Orange (18-0, 5-0 Big East) remained one of the nation's three undefeated teams thanks to a 20-2 run over a seven-minute stretch of the first half that allowed them to take control.

One week after Temple made magic in the same venue with an upset of No. 5 Duke, Villanova (8-9, 1-4) couldn't find any kind of magic, or rhythm, or even consistent play. Much of that had to do with Syracuse's zone, particularly the length the Orange possesses on the inside.

The defense helped the decisive first-half run by limiting the Wildcats to one field goal in 11 tries. Villanova shot only 32.8 percent from the field and went just 2 of 16 from three-point range for the game's first 36 minutes. The 'Cats hit their last four attempts from deep, but it was much too late.

There has to be concern for Villanova as the Big East season marches on. The Wildcats entered the game 14th in the conference in overall shooting (43.0 percent) and 15th from three-point range (30.0 percent).

Maalik Wayns (6'2''-G-91), their leading scorer with a 17.4-point average, went without a field goal for the first time since last February against Rutgers, missing all seven of his shots and scoring three points. Dominic Cheek (6'6''-G-91) had 12 points for 'Nova, but made 4 of 13 attempts, including 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.

'I do think they're good shooters that have to learn how to go against defenses that are geared to stop them,' Villanova coach Jay Wright said. 'They were always the secondary guys that played off [Corey] Fisher and [Corey] Stokes, and you got easier shots. Now, like Maalik Wayns in that game, they did a great job on Maalik.'

Wright said Wayns attracted two Syracuse defenders each time he got the ball. He said the Orange pushed out on Cheek and didn't allow him to shoot three-pointers, and while Cheek adjusted by going to the basket and drawing fouls, he made only 3 of 7 free throws.

'You've got to make shots,' the coach said. 'They did a real good job on our perimeter scorers.'

With the game tied at 14, Villanova missed its next seven field-goal attempts, and the Orange capitalized by scoring 12 consecutive points. James Southerland's three-point basket put Syracuse up by 26-14 with 6 minutes, 27 seconds remaining.

After JayVaughn Pinkston scored for Villanova, the Orange picked up their surge, started by Dion Waiters (6'4''-G-91) with a follow-up basket and two free throws, and extended their advantage to 34-16. Waiters and Scoop Jardine (6'2''-G-88) (Neumann-Goretti) ended the half with three-point baskets, Jardine banking one in from 30 feet at the buzzer.

That made it 43-24 at the half with the Orange holding a 14-3 advantage in second-chance points. The Wildcats got as close as 11 in the second half but didn't threaten after that even though Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim felt his team's defense 'slipped a bit.'

Waiters, a Philadelphia native and former star at Burlington Life Center, led the Orange with 20 points, a night that included two monstrous dunks in the second half. Southerland added 15. Jardine, playing in his hometown for the last time as a collegian, had eight points and five assists.

Courtesy of www.philly.com

No. 9 Missouri beats Iowa State 76-69 - by Eurobasket News
Iowa State's Scott Christopherson let loose from halfcourt with a spinning shot at the buzzer that rattled home and gave the Cyclones a 38-36 lead at the break.

The only one in the building who wasn't thrilled was coach Fred Hoiberg, who knew his team would need more than a buzzer-beater to take down No. 9 Missouri.

Hoiberg's uneasy feeling came to fruition in a frustrating second half for Iowa State.

Matt Pressey (6'2''-G) led six players in double figures with 14 points and the Tigers rallied past the Cyclones 76-69 on Wednesday night.

Christopherson had 19 points and Chris Allen (6'3''-G-88) scored 17 for Iowa State (12-4, 2-1), which lost for the first time in eight games.

The Cyclones' two-point halftime lead proved to be the mirage Hoiberg thought it was. They were outrebounded 38-27 on the night, hit just four 3s in the second half and went 13 of 25 from the line.

'I thought it was fool's gold,' Hoiberg said of Christopherson's 3. 'We could have come out of the locker room and had some momentum and corrected things. But (Missouri) made the effort plays all night.'

Phil Pressey (5'10''-G) and Ricardo Ratliffe (6'8''-F) each added 12 points for the Tigers (15-1, 2-1 Big 12), who bounced back from a 75-59 loss at Kansas State by outscoring Iowa State 40-31 in the second half.

'We were mentally tough down the stretch, as far as getting stops and rebounding,' Matt Pressey said. 'We've really grown from that standpoint.'

Royce White (6'8''-F-91) finished with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. But he also had six turnovers and was just 2-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line.

The Cyclones were also outscored 40-20 in the paint by Missouri, which has just two legitimate big men in Ratliffe and Steve Moore.

'I just didn't give the right effort,' White said. 'It was just an effort thing.'

Missouri, the Big 12's best 3-point shooting team so far, shot just 29 percent from long range in its loss to the Wildcats last weekend. The Tigers again struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just four of their first 19 attempts. But they took a slight edge early in the second half by dominating the boards and converting their opportunities from inside.

Consecutive jumpers by English and Denmon put the Tigers up 53-48 midway through the second half. Phil Pressey then drilled a crucial 3 from the corner and Michael Dixon hit an easy layup off a turnover to make it 66-58 Missouri with 4:52 to go.

'They made the effort plays all night. We executed our game plan perfectly. They make five 3s in 21 attempts. We just weren't tough enough,' Hoiberg said.

White was coming off the sixth triple-double in a Big 12 game, going for 10 points, 10 assists and 18 rebounds in Saturday's 74-50 win at Texas A&M.

White was fired up from the tip, screaming in Ratliffe's face after the opening basket. But White seemed a little too amped up because he picked up two fouls in the first 5 minutes.

The Cyclones withstood White's foul trouble and poor rebounding in the first half thanks to eight 3s in 12 tries -- capped by Christopherson's half-court heave at the buzzer.

'It was a nice momentum boost. It would have felt a lot better if we would have taken care of the glass,' Christopherson said.

Iowa State entered play with its first 2-0 start in the Big 12 in five years, and a win would have given them a 3-0 record in the league for the first time since 2000.

Hilton Coliseum certainly anticipated a big night for the program, with a near-sellout crowd into things from the opening tip. But by letting the Tigers off the hook, the Cyclones were reminded that wins against the Big 12's elite are nearly impossible if they make as many mistakes as they did against Missouri.

'When you play a team like that, you can't afford to get outrebounded by 12 in the first half. You can't afford to let them shoot 59 percent in the second half,' Christopherson said. 'When it came down to money time, they executed and we didn't.'

Courtesy of www.boston.com

No. 13 Michigan staves off Northwestern in OT - by Eurobasket News
Tim Hardaway Jr. (6'5''-G-92) was a bit careless while contesting Alex Marcotullio's (6'3''-G-91) shot, fouling the 3-point shooter with 0.3 seconds remaining in a game Michigan led by three.

Marcotullio went to the free throw line and immediately missed -- and Hardaway could breathe easy.

'He had a wide-open shot and I was probably too eager,' Hardaway said. 'I need to be able to get over on a play like that and contest the shot without giving up a foul.'

Michigan was far from perfect Wednesday night, but the 13th-ranked Wolverines were a happy bunch after holding off Northwestern 66-64 in overtime. The Wildcats led by 10 in the second half before Michigan rallied and forced a tense finish. Hardaway scored 19 points and freshman Trey Burke (6'1''-G) added 19 of his own, including the Wolverines' final eight.

Hardaway and Burke both played all 45 minutes.

Northwestern (11-5, 1-3 Big Ten) trailed 66-63 when Marcotullio was fouled by Hardaway in the right corner. He hadn't attempted a shot all night and had only six free throw tries on the season. After missing the first, Marcotullio made the second and had to intentionally miss the third. The Wildcats were unable to tip in the rebound.

John Shurna also went 45 minutes, scoring 21 points for Northwestern. Drew Crawford added 20.

Michigan (14-3, 4-1) shot only 33 percent from the field but had 17 offensive rebounds and forced 16 turnovers.

'It was a great practice for mental toughness,' Michigan coach John Beilein said.

After Burke's basket put the Wolverines ahead 60-58, officials called a contact technical foul on Michigan's Jordan Morgan with 2:11 remaining. But Northwestern couldn't take advantage. Crawford made only one of two free throws, and a miss by Dave Sobolewski gave the Wolverines the ball back.

After a miss by Michigan's Stu Douglass, the ball went out of bounds back to the Wolverines. Burke made two free throws, then Sobolewski made two of his own with 57.9 seconds remaining.

With Northwestern in a 1-3-1 zone, Hardaway missed from the left wing, but the Wildcats again couldn't control the rebound, knocking it out of bounds with 37.3 seconds to play. Burke made two more free throws and Crawford dunked to cut the margin to one again.

Burke's last two free throws, with 6.5 seconds left, made it 66-63.

'It's always important to win a game in the conference when you don't play a great game, but especially against a team like that,' Michigan's Zack Novak said. 'I don't think people understand how good that team is, because their Big Ten record doesn't reflect it.'

Down 44-36 in the second half, Michigan went on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Hardaway, Morgan and Burke made baskets to start the rally, then Novak tied it with a layup and put the Wolverines ahead with a dunk. Northwestern coach Bill Carmody called three timeouts in a span of 1:43 to try to stop the run. After the last one, his team committed a shot clock violation, prompting a media timeout.

'I just wanted to stop the noise,' Carmody said. 'I didn't have anything special to say -- I'm not the kind of guy that gives big motivational speeches. Just wanted to get things stopped.'

The Wildcats eventually gathered themselves, scoring six straight points to take a 50-46 advantage.

Hardaway tied it at 54 on a 3-pointer with 2:40 remaining, and neither team scored for the rest of regulation. Northwestern called a timeout with 23.5 seconds remaining and 16 on the shot clock. Hardaway was called for a non-shooting foul with 10.1 seconds left -- a call that had Beilein several feet out on the floor to complain.

Now able to hold for the final shot, Crawford drove toward the basket and was called for traveling. With 1.5 seconds to play, Michigan called a timeout, but Hardaway wasn't able to come up with Novak's long pass and the game went to overtime.

Courtesy of ESPN

Texas Tech falls 81-46 to No. 10 Kansas - by Eurobasket News
Texas Tech clawed its way back to make its first two Big 12 games interesting.

Against No. 10 Kansas there was no second wind, no run to pull close, no spark off the bench and not much scoring in the second half - all of it adding up to another conference loss.

Thomas Robinson (6'9''-F) had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Jayhawks to an 81-46 win on Wednesday night.

'We didn't make any shots from beyond the 3, and we didn't have any low-post presence,' Red Raiders coach Billy Gillispie said. 'When you don't guard better than you did - we missed so many assignments defensively. We didn't help each other defensively enough and just got to go back to the drawing boards.'

Tyshawn Taylor (6'3''-G-90) scored 15 points for the Jayhawks (13-3), who improved to 3-0 in Big 12 play for the sixth consecutive season. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders (7-8, 0-3) have dropped their first three conference games for the third straight year.

Kansas' man-to-man defense shut down the passing lanes and the Jayhawks hammered the ball inside in the second half. The overmatched Red Raiders couldn't keep pace.

Robinson, the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double, got his team's first points outside the lane in the second half. The Jayhawks made their first eight field goals after halftime inside and then Robinson sank a 3-pointer to put the Jayhawks up 56-26 with 12:32 remaining.

Javarez Willis (5'11''-G-89) scored 12 to lead the Red Raiders, whose previous season low was 49 points in a November loss to Indiana State.

Gillispie dropped to 1-3 against his former boss. Gillispie, who beat Kansas coach Bill Self only once when he coached at Texas A&M, was an assistant under Self from 1997-2000 at Tulsa and 2000-2002 at Illinois.

Red Raiders freshman Jordan Tolbert, ranked 10th nationally in field goal percentage (62.4 percent) and the team's leading scorer, had just four points.

The Jayhawks fell behind early but found their form as the first half wore on. Kansas finished with 38 points in the paint to 18 for Texas Tech.

Tech led 16-15, but Kansas ended the half on a 20-4 run to lead 35-20 at the break.

Texas Tech's Terran Petteway was ejected in the first half after he was called for a flagrant foul on Conner Teahan. Petteway elbowed Teahan and was escorted off the floor.

About 3 minutes earlier, Petteway got hit with a technical foul as Travis Releford tried to inbound the ball.

Texas Tech has the worst overall record in the Big 12 and hasn't won a game over a ranked opponent in 17 tries since December 2009, when the Red Raiders beat then-No. 12 Washington 99-92 in overtime under Pat Knight.

Unlike their previous two Big 12 games, the Red Raiders could not mount a comeback. Last week, they cut a 13-point lead to two in the closing minutes of a 67-59 loss at Oklahoma State and pulled within four late in the second half against No. 4 Baylor, which won 73-60 on Saturday.

Courtesy of http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

Top 25 - Men
TOP25 Standings
 1. Syracuse 4-0 (16-0) 
 2. Kentucky 2-0 (16-1) 
 3. N.Carolina 2-0 (13-0) 
 4. Baylor 3-0 (16-0) 
 5. Ohio St. 3-2 (15-3) 
 6. Michigan St. 4-0 (16-2) 
 7. Indiana 3-1 (15-1) 
 8. Duke 1-0 (11-1) 
 9. Missouri 2-1 (15-1) 
 10. Kansas 3-0 (13-3) 
 11. Georgetown 3-2 (15-2) 
 12. UNLV 0-0 (16-2) 
 13. Michigan 3-1 (14-3) 
 14. Louisville 1-3 (12-6) 
 15. Murray St. 4-0 (16-0) 
 16. Virginia 1-0 (13-1) 
 17. Connecticut 3-2 (13-3) 
 18. Kansas St. 1-2 (11-3) 
 19. Florida 1-1 (13-4) 
 20. Mississippi St. 0-1 (13-3) 
 21. Gonzaga 3-0 (16-2) 
 22. San Diego St. 0-0 (14-2) 
 23. Creighton 4-1 (14-2) 
 24. Seton Hall 4-1 (15-2) 
 25. Marquette 1-2 (11-4) 


A Message 4 da young & gifted - by Terry Cooper
Today I was at the library when I read under Latvian Basket that a MSU player was given a lengthy suspension by the NCAA because he played with or on a professional team in Europe. By NCAA rule basketball players must be of amateur status in order to play on the college level then another player from UM was suspended 10 games for the same situation. MSU said it was shocked on how harsh the NCAA was on the ruling and compared the suspension to a MSU player that took impermissible gifts/funds while or before attending college. Taking gifts and being a professional player are two different avenues. As a player myself in the European region, several kids are practicing on professional teams every day and are labeled as 'bench players' which the team feels doesn't cause the player damage if they have dreams of playing collegiate basketball. I have seen this bit of trickery done several times on many teams in Europe to secure a promising talent for their club and he or she are an investment to the club if the player may blossom into a gifted prospect (e.g. NBA, Real Madrid, FCB, Tel Aviv, etc.). With everything in life there are advantages and disadvantages for the club, the University/College, but mostly to the player. One advantage is that European players at a young age are practicing and sometimes playing against former NBA, D-League, or High European level players that give them a greater advantage than the players in the US. The clubs sign these players to contracts for a certain amount of years as an investment into the player that may pan out for them financially in the future. This is nothing new in business however; players that have pursued to playing college basketball have endowed the consequences of playing for high level teams. So far in the past few years I have been writing for Eurobasket, I have seen and spoken to several players that have been suspended several games and sometimes the entire season because they have played on a team which the NCAA found was a professional team. Of course the players feel that it is unfair that this has happened and want to be given a 'pass' for something they did not know or do on purpose. Well this is a message for da young and gifted players of the European region if you truly want to pursue your dreams of playing in the NCAA and not be penalized by the committee, do yourselves a favor and DO NOT play with a team that are considered a professional team by the NCAA and definitely think twice about signing a contract with a professional team that may hinder your chances of experiencing a college basketball career. I will give you a great example: Werkendam see you as a young/gifted talent and you signed a contract with the team that plays on the highest level in your country and teams all over the European Region. You play with their farm team Werkendam2 and play some games with Werkendam but they have you as a 'bench player'. XX University wants you and gives you a scholarship and sends in the necessary paperwork to the NCAA clearance committee. When they do their research and gets your player's card, it's not going to say Werkendam2 but it will show that you played with WERKENDAM and the stats you played with that top team which by rule may go into: did you receive benefits over the restricted amount?, Where players on your team considered professional players? So on and so forth. This is what can turn your college dreams upside down. Now it's not only players that come from top league teams that have feel victim. Approximately 4 years ago a player in Germany was playing in Bundesliga2 Pro B for a team then he was offered a scholarship to play at a university. The NCAA ruled him ineligible because his team was considered a fully professional team that paid everyone above the restricted amount. He had to sit out the entire season, which the player decided to return back to Germany and continue playing.

As you see from these few examples that the NCAA is for real. ESPN America (In Europe) has shown short stories of scholar athletes that have either slipped through the cracks of the ruling or have been punished because they are considered professionals. On a real note, basketball players here in the US cannot go and play D-League, PBL, ABA, etc. and then decide that they want to play college sports because you are not an amateur athlete anymore. Well the same rule goes for players signing as a young prospect for pro teams. Some players are going to be more advanced than others. We see and know it when it comes to sports. Amateur is amateur no matter how you look at it and I am just passing this message to readers/players in the Dutch League but all over Europe because I am tired of seeing young players dreams crushed because they made a decision by signing with a team and not thinking what may happen if they want to pursue a college career. And for the record, going to a PREP school for 1 year doesnt necessarily put you back in amateur status. The NCAA is buckling down and running a tight ship with the amateur ruling. If you are player for an U16, U18 basketball club or the U16& U18 National basketball team, then do only that to prevent this situation happening to you. Just some advice to pass down so your dreams won't get knocked down.

Stay Tuned...

Stats Leaders - NCAA1
Points Per Game
 Will BARTON
  Memphis
  (198-G-)
  Avg: 18.4
 1. Barton, Memphis18.4 
 2. Jordan, Cent.Flo.16.9 
 3. Paul, E.Carolina16.2 
 4. Kane, Marshall15.9 
 5. Nyakundi, SMU15.5 
 6. Moore, UAB15.5 
 7. Clanton, Cent.Flor.15.4 
 8. Clarkson, Tulsa15.0 
 9. Simmons, Houston14.5 
 10. Kazemi, Rice14.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Arsalan KAZEMI
  Rice
  (200-F-90)
  Avg: 11.9
 1. Kazemi, Rice11.9 
 2. Tinnon, Marshall10.9 
 3. Moore, UAB10.4 
 4. Davis, Tulane9.7 
 5. Clanton, Cent.Flor.9.6 
 6. Barton, Memphis8.9 
 7. Thomas, Houston7.9 
 8. Soko, UAB7.7 
 9. Maduka, Tulsa7.0 
 10. Kemp, E.Carolina6.9 
Assists Per Game
 Miguel PAUL
  E.Carolina
  (190-G-)
  Avg: 5.7
 1. Paul, E.Carolina5.7 
 2. Pitts, Marshall4.8 
 3. Streeter, UTEP4.5 
 4. Samarrippas, SMU4.1 
 5. Watson, S.Mississi.4.1 
 6. Crawford, Memphis3.8 
 7. Kane, Marshall3.6 
 8. Ennis, Rice3.5 
 9. Johnson, S.Missis.3.5 
 10. Tarrant, Tulane3.0 
Steals Per Game
 Arsalan KAZEMI
  Rice
  (200-F-90)
  Avg: 2.2
 1. Kazemi, Rice2.2 
 2. Crawford, Memphis1.8 
 3. Kane, Marshall1.7 
 4. Paul, E.Carolina1.7 
 5. Tarrant, Tulane1.6 
 6. Barton, Memphis1.6 
 7. Callahan, Tulane1.6 
 8. Pelham, S.Mississi.1.5 
 9. Clanton, Cent.Flor.1.4 
 10. Giles, SMU1.3 
Blocks Per Game
 Cameron MOORE
  UAB
  (208-F-90)
  Avg: 3.1
 1. Moore, UAB3.1 
 2. Thomas, Houston2.6 
 3. Clanton, Cent.Flor.2.0 
 4. Black, Memphis2.0 
 5. Maduka, Tulsa1.8 
 6. Oraby, Rice1.6 
 7. Harris, Houston1.6 
 8. Bolden, S.Mississi.1.5 
 9. Kazemi, Rice1.4 
 10. Morrow, E.Carolina1.3 


*****************************************************
  OLYMPIC GAMES   


USA preliminary team chosen for Olympic roster - by Eurobasket News
The roster has been announced for the 19 players that will compete for 12 spots in the London Olympics in 2012.

The guards are Chauncey Billups (6'3''-PG-76, college: Colorado), Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78), Eric Gordon (6'4''-G-88, college: Indiana), Chris Paul (6'0''-PG-85, college: Wake Forest), Derrick Rose (6'3''-G-88, college: Memphis), Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette), Russell Westbrook (6'3''-PG-88, college: UCLA), Deron Williams (6'3''-PG-84, college: Illinois).

The forwards are LaMarcus Aldridge (6'11''-F/C-85, college: Texas), Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse), Chris Bosh (6'11''-F-84, college: Georgia Tech), Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas), Blake Griffin (6'10''-F-89, college: Oklahoma), Andre Iguodala (6'6''-G-84, college: Arizona), LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) , Kevin Love (6'10''-C-88, college: UCLA), Lamar Odom (6'10''-F-79, college: Rhode Island).

The centers are only Tyson Chandler (7'1''-C-82) and Dwight Howard (6'11''-C-85).

This, of course, makes Chandler and Howard both locks to make the team. That is obvious.

Beyond that, you need to cut 7 of the remaining 17 players.

So who do you cut?

Do you keep Billups for his veteran leadership, or cut him because he is old? Do you go with Deron Williams who has been horrible this season? Do you trust Westbrook to pass the ball? Is Eric Gordon's knee OK?

So many considerations, but it seems Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade are all locks. So we have 6 locks.

At forward you almost have to have Aldridge, Anthony, Bosh, Durant, Griffin, James, and Love. That's seven players to add to the locks, leaving out the aged Odom and the less impressive Andre Iguodala.

Do the math. We have 13 players. We have to cut one of those guys.

So who do you cut there?

How can you throw any one of those guys out?

Kevin Love probably sells the least merchandise, but is it fair to hold that against him? How can you leave someone like Bosh off just for being a third fiddle? Carmelo Anthony is the best scorer in the league to many; LeBron James is the best all around player; Blake Griffin can be near unstoppable; and LaMarcus Aldridge is downright scary at his best.

So I really don't know who doesn't make the cut there, and I don't know if they will consider fielding a team this forward heavy either. You almost have to think the aged Billups will make it because of his age, not in spite of it. They like to have an elder statesman on the team. Maybe that is wishful thinking, but if they are they're going to have Tyson Chandler (all due respect), they are they're already willing to sacrifice for veteran leadership.

I really think this 19 player pool is jam packed with talent and Jerry Colangelo might not have been so crazy in comparing them to the 1992 Barcelona Dream Team.

This team lacks Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird and Charles BarkleyScottie Pippen, Karl Malone, David RobinsonI don't need to go on.

But it does have LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, and Dwight Howard. Those six at least are first ballot Hall of Famers, with many other players on the team capable of entering that realm.

Someone is going to have some tough decisions to make.

Courtesy of Yahoo

*****************************************************
  PALESTINE   


2012 Season Update - by Tamara Awartani
The Palestinian Basketball Federation is preparing for the 2012 season for all the leagues starting with the Men Superleague with 14 teams taking part.

Only a few players transfers for the men superleague that are announced till now specifically for Ibdaa team who now has three new players on their roster:
Ahmad Kandil (83) - (Orthodox Ramallah Previously), AbdAlSatar Abdallah and Ahmad Okab (Faraa Club previously)
Beit Jala also has a new player Tarek Nabhan coming from the states to continue his internship in the country.
Osama Abu Jaber didnt sign with Orthodox Bethlehem Club and its not clear yet where he is going to play.
The rest of the teams didnt announce any players transfers yet.

On another end - The 1994 tournament took place with the following teams reaching the final four: De La Salle Jerusalem, De La Salle Bethlehem, Sarriyet Ramallah and Beit Sahour, where the first two will play for the first and second place.

Stay tuned for later updates.


*****************************************************
  PBL   


Drive seek 'statement' in home debut - by Eurobasket News
Thursdays 7:05 p.m. home opener is a chance for the Central Illinois Drive pro basketball team to send a message locally and league-wide.

At least that is the feeling of Coach A.J. Guyton, whose squad plays at U.S. Cellular Coliseum against the St. Louis Phoenix, a foe the Drive demolished, 125-95, in Sundays season opener.

Its a great opportunity for us to make a statement within this (Premier Basketball) League, Guyton said. I think this will be a good measuring stick for our team to see if they can come out and play a team that we beat the same exact way.

Guyton doesnt expect his squad to take St. Louis lightly and neither does Rodney Edgerson (6'5''-F, college: Ky Wesleyan), who led the Drive with 25 points off the bench Sunday.

The 6-foot-5, 195-pound Edgerson has been a prolific scorer at every level including Peoria Woodruff High School, where he averaged 24.8 points as a senior.

Edgerson sank 9 of 13 shots Sunday including 5 of 7 from 3-point range to help the Drive shoot 51.7 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and 78.1 percent from the free throw line.

I have teammates to thank for that because they got me a lot of open shots, said Edgerson. After I hit a couple, I felt I could make a few more.

I think weve got a lot of scorers so we should be (a high-scoring team) as long as were making the shots. We pride ourselves on defense a lot. We try to get points off that, too.

Six of the Drive scored in double figures, but Guyton wasnt surprised Edgerson led the way.

Hes a natural born scorer, Guyton said. He didnt play much in the exhibition game. It showed a lot about his character to come off the bench, to be ready and have that kind of performance.

He really took us over the top as far as separating ourselves from that team. Thats what well look for from him throughout the season.

Edgerson, who describes himself as a laid back person, has a knack for playing under control.

He takes good shots, Guyton said. Were working on his intensity defensively.

Edgerson, who played at Illinois Central College, Washington State and Kentucky Wesleyan, feels the Drive have meshed well in the short time theyve been together.

Weve got a bunch of good guys so its easy, said Edgerson, who hopes this season can help him advance to a higher league. I want to win a championship. That would be good for all of us.

The Drive will stick with the same starting lineup of 6-8 Todd Peterson, 6-2 Nathan Fuqua, 6-5 Jemal Farmer, 6-6 Tony Lewis and 5-10 Daniel Ruffin.

Thursday nights game is magnet schedule night for the fans. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $12 for reserved seating and $38 for floor seating.

Each home game one fan will have a chance to win $10,000 by making a layup, a free throw, a 3-pointer and a half-court shot. If no one makes all four shots, the prize rolls over to the next game.

Courtesy of www.pantagraph.com

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


PBA Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Gary DAVID
  Powerade T.
  (187-G/F-78)
  Avg: 24.2
 1. David, Powerade T.24.2 
 2. Bangura, Air21 E.19.6 
 3. Yap, B-Meg Llam.19.0 
 4. Santos, Petron B.17.3 
 5. Lutz, Petron Blaze16.5 
 6. Seigle, Air21 Expr.16.5 
 7. Lassiter, Powerade.16.2 
 8. Miller, Barako Bull15.8 
 9. Chan, Rain or Shine15.6 
 10. Thoss, Alaska Ac.15.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Arwind SANTOS
  Petron B.
  (193-F-81)
  Avg: 12.4
 1. Santos, Petron B.12.4 
 2. Kramer, Powerade.10.4 
 3. Reyes, Alaska Aces10.1 
 4. Taulava, Meralco9.9 
 5. Carey, Talk N Text9.9 
 6. Thoss, Alaska Aces9.4 
 7. Sena, Shopinas.9.4 
 8. Espinas, Meralco9.1 
 9. Williams, Talk N.8.6 
 10. Peek, Talk N Text8.6 
Assists Per Game
 Alex CABAGNOT
  Petron B.
  (183-G-82)
  Avg: 6.7
 1. Cabagnot, Petron6.7 
 2. Casio, Powerade T.6.4 
 3. Tenorio, Alaska A.5.4 
 4. Mercado, Meralco5.0 
 5. Alapag, Talk N Te.4.9 
 6. Miller, Barako Bull4.7 
 7. Lee, Rain or Shine4.6 
 8. Castro, Talk N Te.4.6 
 9. Lassiter, Powerade.4.0 
 10. Bangura, Air21 E.3.9 
Steals Per Game
 Christopher LUTZ
  Petron Blaze
  (192-G/F-85)
  Avg: 1.9
 1. Lutz, Petron Blaze1.9 
 2. Arboleda, Barako B.1.8 
 3. Lassiter, Powerade.1.7 
 4. Miller, Barako Bull1.7 
 5. Cardona, Meralco1.5 
 6. Baguio, Alaska Ac.1.4 
 7. Santos, Petron B.1.4 
 8. Bangura, Air21 E.1.4 
 9. Hontiveros, Air211.3 
 10. Arboleda, Air21 E.1.3 
Blocks Per Game
 Japeth AGUILAR
  Talk N.
  (208-C-85)
  Avg: 2.1
 1. Aguilar, Talk N.2.1 
 2. Quinahan, Rain o.1.6 
 3. Santos, Petron B.1.5 
 4. Thoss, Alaska Aces1.3 
 5. Seigle, Air21 Expr.1.3 
 6. Reyes, Petron Bla.1.2 
 7. Peek, Talk N Text1.2 
 8. Reavis, B-Meg L.1.1 
 9. Reyes, Alaska Aces1.0 
 10. Espiritu, Shopin.1.0 


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


PLK Round 22: Anwil is defeated by Zastal ZG - by Eurobasket News
The games are now more important than at the beginning of the Regular Season. We may still expect few shocking results in upcoming 4 rounds.

The most important game in the last round took place in Zielona Gora between second ranked Anwil (14-6) and fifth ranked Zastal ZG (13-7) on Thursday night. Anwil was defeated by Zastal ZG on the road 81-65. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Anwil. The game was mostly controlled by Zastal ZG. Anwil managed to win second period 22-19. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They made 22-of-24 free shots (91.7 percent) during the game. 25 personal fouls committed by Anwil helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Ivorian-Puerto Rican point guard Walter Hodge (183-86, college: Florida) had a double-double by scoring 29 points and 12 assists (made all of his twelve free throws !!!) to lead the charge for the winners and American center Kirk Archibeque (205-84, college: Fort Lewis, agency: Hart Sports Mngm) chipped in 17 points and 12 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side American power forward Nick Lewis (207-83, college: San Diego) responded with 14 points. Anwil's coach Emir Mutapcic rotated eleven players seeing no chance for a win. Zastal ZG have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain fifth position with 13-7 record. Anwil at the other side dropped to the third place with six games lost. They share the position with Energa Czarni. Zastal ZG are looking forward to face league's leader Trefl Sopot on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Anwil will play against the league's second-placed PGE Turow in Zgorzelec and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
PLK top team - Trefl Sopot (15-5) added another victory to their record. This time they beat seventh ranked Slask Wroclaw (10-9) 85-77. American power forward John Turek (205-83, college: Nebraska) notched a double-double by scoring 29 points and 17 rebounds to lead the effort and Lukasz Koszarek supported him with 19 points and 7 assists. Even 16 points by the former international forward Adam Wojcik (207-70, agency: Beo Basket) did not help to save the game for Slask Wroclaw. Slask Wroclaw's coach Miodrag Rajkovic tested eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Trefl Sopot maintains first position with 15-5 record. Newly promoted Slask Wroclaw keeps the seventh place with nine games lost. Trefl Sopot will play against Zastal ZG (#5) in Zielona Gora in the next round. Slask Wroclaw will play on the road against Energa Czarni in Slupsk and hopes to get back on the winning track.
An interesting game took place in Koszalin where higher ranked AZS Koszalin (8-11) was upset on its own court by twelfth ranked AZS Politechnika Warszawska (5-14) 80-69 on Thursday. Leszek Karwowski fired 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. AZS Politechnika Warszawska's coach Mladen Starcevic used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. George Reese produced 9 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists for lost side. Newly promoted AZS Politechnika Warszawska maintains twelfth position with 5-14 record. Loser AZS Koszalin keeps the eighth place with 11 games lost. AZS Politechnika Warszawska will meet at home higher ranked Siarka Jezioro (#9) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. AZS Koszalin will play against LKS Sphinx in Lodz and hope to secure a win.
An interesting game took place in Kolobrzeg where higher ranked Kotwica (12-9) was upset on its own court by tenth ranked Polpharma (7-13) 88-81. Worth to mention a great performance of Piotr Dabrowski who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field). Polpharma's coach Wojciech Kaminski allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Polpharma maintains tenth position with 7-13 record. Kotwica at the other side keeps the sixth place with nine games lost. Polpharma's next round opponent will be PBG Basket (#11) in Poznan.
Third ranked PGE Turow (14-4) crushed at home 13th ranked LKS Sphinx (3-18) by 29 points 80-51, which is the biggest margin this round on Thursday night. Daniel Kickert scored 14 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. PGE Turow have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place. LKS Sphinx lost tenth consecutive game. Newly promoted team stay at the bottom position with 18 games lost. PGE Turow will face Anwil (#3) in Wloclawek in the next round, which may be the game of the day. LKS Sphinx will play at home against AZS Koszalin (#8).

In the last game of round 22 Energa Czarni won against PBG Basket on the opponent's court 62-55.


Zastal ZG - Anwil 81-65

The most important game in the last round took place in Zielona Gora between second ranked Anwil (14-6) and fifth ranked Zastal ZG (13-7) on Thursday night. Anwil was defeated by Zastal ZG on the road 81-65. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Anwil. The game was mostly controlled by Zastal ZG. Anwil managed to win second period 22-19. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They made 22-of-24 free shots (91.7 percent) during the game. 25 personal fouls committed by Anwil helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Ivorian-Puerto Rican point guard Walter Hodge (183-86, college: Florida) had a double-double by scoring 29 points and 12 assists (made all of his twelve free throws !!!) to lead the charge for the winners and American center Kirk Archibeque (205-84, college: Fort Lewis, agency: Hart Sports Mngm) chipped in 17 points and 12 rebounds during the contest. Four Zastal ZG players scored in double figures. At the losing side American power forward Nick Lewis (207-83, college: San Diego) responded with 14 points and his fellow American import power forward Corsley Edwards (205-79, college: Cent.Conn.St.) scored 12 points. Anwil's coach Emir Mutapcic rotated eleven players seeing no chance for a win. Zastal ZG have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain fifth position with 13-7 record. Anwil at the other side dropped to the third place with six games lost. They share the position with Energa Czarni. Zastal ZG are looking forward to face league's leader Trefl Sopot on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Anwil will play against the league's second-placed PGE Turow in Zgorzelec and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Anwil: N.Lewis 14+3reb, C.Edwards 12+4reb+1ast, K.Szubarga 8+1reb+4ast, L.Harrington 8+1reb+1ast, B.Woloszyn 6+3reb, J.Allen 5+3reb
Zastal ZG: W.Hodge 29+4reb+12ast, K.Archibeque 17+12reb, K.Chanas 14+2reb+4ast, P.Stelmach 10+7reb+3ast, U.Mirkovic 4+2reb, J.Dloniak 3+6reb
gschID: 149262


PGE Turow - LKS Lodz 80-51

Third ranked PGE Turow (14-4) crushed at home 13th ranked LKS Sphinx (3-18) by 29 points 80-51, which is the biggest margin this round on Thursday night. The game without a history. PGE Turow led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They made 17-of-19 free shots (89.5 percent) during the game. LKS Sphinx was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. Australian-Dutch center Daniel Kickert (208-83, college: St.Mary's, CA) scored 14 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and naturalized German forward Konrad Wysocki (201-82, college: Princeton, agency: Pro One Sports) chipped in 16 points during the contest. At the losing side forward Jakub Dluski (200-87) responded with 8 points and 11 rebounds and center Krzysztof Sulima (202-90) scored 10 points and 7 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. PGE Turow have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to second place. LKS Sphinx lost tenth consecutive game. Newly promoted team stay at the bottom position with 18 games lost. PGE Turow will face Anwil (#3) in Wloclawek in the next round, which may be the game of the day. LKS Sphinx will play at home against AZS Koszalin (#8).
Top scorers:
LKS Lodz: M.Salamonik 13+2reb+1ast, K.Sulima 10+7reb+1ast, J.Dluski 8+11reb, B.Szczepaniak 8+1reb, P.Trepka 4+5reb+5ast, B.Bartoszewicz 3+3reb+1ast
PGE Turow: K.Wysocki 16+4reb, D.Kickert 14+7reb+3ast, J.Edwards 12+4reb, G.Gustas 9+1reb+2ast, D.Jackson 7+5reb, A.Cel 7+6reb
gschID: 149263


AZS Koszalin - AZS PW 69-80

An interesting game took place in Koszalin where higher ranked AZS Koszalin (8-11) was upset on its own court by twelfth ranked AZS Politechnika Warszawska (5-14) 80-69 on Thursday. AZS Koszalin was tied after three quarters but could not keep up in the last quarter eventually losing the game. Power forward Leszek Karwowski (209-75) fired 16 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. International forward Jaroslaw Mokros (201-90) chipped in 15 points and 7 rebounds. Four AZS Politechnika Warszawska players scored in double figures. AZS Politechnika Warszawska's coach Mladen Starcevic used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward George Reese (201-77, college: Ohio St., agency: Alti Sport) produced 9 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists and his fellow American import guard J.J. Montgomery (196-82, college: Arkansas St.) added 16 points respectively for lost side. Newly promoted AZS Politechnika Warszawska maintains twelfth position with 5-14 record. Loser AZS Koszalin keeps the eighth place with 11 games lost. AZS Politechnika Warszawska will meet at home higher ranked Siarka Jezioro (#9) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. AZS Koszalin will play against LKS Sphinx in Lodz and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
AZS Koszalin: J.Montgomery 16+3reb, G.Surmacz 12+3reb, K.Laczynski 9+2reb, G.Reese 9+9reb+7ast, M.Dutkiewicz 9+8reb+1ast, C.Eziukwu 6+5reb
AZS PW: L.Karwowski 16+7reb+1ast, J.Mokros 15+7reb+1ast, M.Ponitka 10+2reb+2ast, M.Michalak 10+2reb+2ast, P.Pamula 9+1ast, M.Popiolek 8+6ast
gschID: 149264


PBG Basket - Energa Czarni 55-62

Very expected game in Poznan where 11th ranked PBG Basket (6-15) was defeated by fourth ranked Energa Czarni (14-6) 62-55 on Thursday. The guests were tied at the half but managed to speed up in last two quarters eventually winning the game. Canadian center Scott Morrison (212-86, college: Portland St.) scored 18 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American point guard Stanley Burrell (190-84) chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. At the losing side the former international power forward Damian Kulig (205-87) responded with 16 points and 6 rebounds and forward Mateusz Bartosz (203-87) scored 4 points and 12 rebounds. Energa Czarni moved-up to third place, which they share with Anwil. PBG Basket lost third consecutive game. They keep the eleventh position with 15 games lost. Energa Czarni will face Slask Wroclaw (#7) at home in the next round. PBG Basket will play against Polpharma (#10) in Starogard and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
PBG Basket: D.Kulig 16+6reb+1ast, D.Micic 11+4ast, Z.Comagic 11+4reb+1ast, N.Nikolic 6+3reb+2ast, T.Smorawinski 4+1reb, M.Bartosz 4+12reb+2ast
Energa Czarni: S.Morrison 18+5reb+1ast, M.Cesnauskis 11+2reb+2ast, S.Burrell 10+6reb+3ast, Z.Bialek 5+2reb+2ast, D.Hinson 5+3reb+1ast, P.Kikowski 5+3reb+2ast
gschID: 149260


Slask Wroclaw - Trefl Sopot 77-85

PLK top team - Trefl Sopot (15-5) added another victory to their record. This time they beat seventh ranked Slask Wroclaw (10-9) 85-77. It looked good early as Slask Wroclaw took an 10-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Trefl Sopot took control winning two of next three quarters and eventually winning the game that evening by 8 points. Trefl Sopot outrebounded Slask Wroclaw 35-24 including 23 on the defensive glass. Slask Wroclaw was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. American power forward John Turek (205-83, college: Nebraska) notched a double-double by scoring 29 points and 17 rebounds to lead the effort and the former international guard Lukasz Koszarek (187-84) supported him with 19 points and 7 assists. Four Trefl Sopot players scored in double figures. Even 16 points by the former international forward Adam Wojcik (207-70, agency: Beo Basket) did not help to save the game for Slask Wroclaw. The former international guard Robert Skibniewski (182-83) added 9 points and 6 assists for lost side. Slask Wroclaw's coach Miodrag Rajkovic tested eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Trefl Sopot maintains first position with 15-5 record. Newly promoted Slask Wroclaw keeps the seventh place with nine games lost. Trefl Sopot will play against Zastal ZG (#5) in Zielona Gora in the next round. Slask Wroclaw will play on the road against Energa Czarni in Slupsk and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Slask Wroclaw: A.Wojcik 16+3reb+2ast, Q.Calhoun 10+2reb, A.Mladenovic 10+5reb+1ast, R.Skibniewski 9+4reb+6ast, A.Vairogs 9+1reb+3ast, P.Graham 7+1reb+1ast
Trefl Sopot: J.Turek 29+17reb+1ast, L.Koszarek 19+1reb+7ast, A.Waczynski 14+4reb+1ast, F.Dylewicz 12+6reb+1ast, L.Wisniewski 9+2reb+2ast, J.Mallett 2+1reb+2ast
gschID: 149261


Kotwica - Polpharma 81-88

An interesting game took place in Kolobrzeg where higher ranked Kotwica (12-9) was upset on its own court by tenth ranked Polpharma (7-13) 88-81. The guests were already 15 points ahead after 3 quarters before a 33-25 Kotwica's run in the last quarter cut the lead to 88-81 at the end of the game. They outrebounded Kotwica 46-31 including 31 on the defensive glass. Worth to mention a great performance of swingman Piotr Dabrowski (192-86) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field). American guard Tony Weeden (186-83, college: Chicago St., agency: Court Side) contributed with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Polpharma's coach Wojciech Kaminski allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. American power forward Darrell Harris (208-84, college: Rhode Island) replied with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 16 rebounds and naturalized Israeli guard Oded Brandwein (188-88, agency: N.E.T.) added 16 points and 4 assists in the effort for Kotwica. Four Kotwica players scored in double figures. Polpharma maintains tenth position with 7-13 record. Kotwica at the other side keeps the sixth place with nine games lost. Polpharma's next round opponent will be PBG Basket (#11) in Poznan.
Top scorers:
Kotwica: O.Brandwein 16+1reb+4ast, D.Harris 14+16reb+3ast, R.Holmes 12+5reb, J.Sapp 11+3reb+4ast, L.Wichniarz 10+3reb, M.Kwiatkowski 8+5ast
Polpharma: T.Weeden 23+6reb+4ast, P.Dabrowski 22+12reb+2ast, J.Simmons 12+11reb, T.Snieg 8+4reb+5ast, D.Wall 7+2reb+2ast, G.Arabas 7+2reb+2ast
gschID: 149259




Asseco Prokom lost in Gdynia - by Eurobasket News
VTB League
Asseco Prokom - Lokomotiv 72:81

Asseco Prokom lost in Gdynia in VTB League and dropped to 4-6 record. The Polsih representative was beaten by Russian Lokomotiv. The latter managed to secure a 9-point victory 81:72 on Wednesday.
Asseco Prokom was trailing by 1 point at halftime but managed to get 2-point lead after three quarters before a 28-17 charge of Lokomotiv, which allowed them to win the game. Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) fired 23 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Roderick Blakney (181-G-76, college: S.Carolina St.) chipped in 17 points and 4 assists. Lithuanian power forward Donatas Motiejunas (213-F/C-90, agency: Interperformances) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds and Jerel Blassingame (175-G-81, college: UNLV) added 17 points and 5 assists respectively for lost side.
Lokomotiv moved-up to third place, which they share with Lietuvos rytas and Krasnie Krilya. Defending Polish champion Asseco Prokom dropped to the seventh position with six games lost.

Asseco Prokom: Jerel Blassingame 17, Donatas Motiejunas 14+11rebs, Adam Lapeta (217-C-87, agency: Interperformances) 9
Lokomotiv: Jeremiah Massey 23, Roderick Blakney 17, Sergey Bykov (190-G-83) 10


Standings - DBE
PLK Standings
 1. Trefl Sopot 15-5 
 2. PGE Turow 14-4 
 3. Anwil 14-6 
 4. Energa Czarni 14-6 
 5. Zastal ZG 13-7 
 6. Kotwica 12-9 
 7. Slask Wroclaw 10-9 
 8. AZS Koszalin 8-11 
 9. Siarka Jezioro 8-12 
 10. Polpharma 7-13 
 11. PBG Basket 6-15 
 12. AZS PW 5-14 
 13. LKS Lodz 3-18 
Play in international cups:
 1. Asseco Prokom - 


DBE Stats Leaders
Points Per Game
 Walter HODGE
  Zastal ZG
  (183-PG-86)
  Avg: 17.9
 1. Hodge, Zastal ZG17.9 
 2. Edwards, Anwil16.8 
 3. Archibeque, LKS L.16.7 
 4. Kulig, PBG Basket16.7 
 5. Corbett, Siarka J.16.5 
 6. Lawal, Zastal ZG16.5 
 7. Koszarek, Trefl S.16.2 
 8. Reese, AZS Koszal.16.1 
 9. Miller, Siarka J.15.6 
 10. Weeden, Polpharma15.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Darrell HARRIS
  Kotwica
  (208-F/C-84)
  Avg: 11.7
 1. Harris, Kotwica11.7 
 2. Lawal, Zastal ZG11.7 
 3. Archibeque, LKS L.10.2 
 4. Burgess, Trefl S.8.0 
 5. Eziukwu, AZS K.7.9 
 6. Bartosz, PBG Bask.7.5 
 7. Doaks, Siarka J.7.0 
 8. Turek, Trefl Sopot6.9 
 9. Archibeque, Zastal6.8 
 10. Dluski, LKS Lodz6.7 
Assists Per Game
 Robert SKIBNIEWSKI
  Slask W.
  (182-G-83)
  Avg: 7.2
 1. Skibniewski, Slask7.2 
 2. Hodge, Zastal ZG6.8 
 3. Koszarek, Trefl S.5.5 
 4. Wilczek, AZS P.5.1 
 5. Moore, PGE Turow5.0 
 6. Szubarga, Anwil4.8 
 7. Burrell, Energa C.4.7 
 8. Miller, Siarka J.4.7 
 9. Micic, PBG Basket4.6 
 10. Milicic, AZS K.4.5 
Steals Per Game
 Krzysztof SZUBARGA
  Anwil
  (182-G-84)
  Avg: 2.1
 1. Szubarga, Anwil2.1 
 2. Sapp, Kotwica1.5 
 3. Hodge, Zastal ZG1.4 
 4. Edwards, Anwil1.4 
 5. Skibniewski, Slask1.4 
 6. Comagic, PBG B.1.4 
 7. Cesnauskis, Energa1.4 
 8. Koszarek, Trefl S.1.3 
 9. Ponitka, AZS P.1.3 
 10. Reese, AZS Kosza.1.3 
Blocks Per Game
 Callistus EZIUKWU
  AZS K.
  (208-F/C-85)
  Avg: 2.1
 1. Eziukwu, AZS K.2.1 
 2. Lauderdale, PGE T.1.6 
 3. Burgess, Trefl S.1.6 
 4. Kesicki, Kotwica1.5 
 5. Morrison, Energa C.1.5 
 6. Lawal, Zastal ZG1.4 
 7. Harris, Kotwica1.2 
 8. Barycz, Siarka J.1.1 
 9. Mladenovic, Slask1.1 
 10. Edwards, Anwil0.9 


Stoklosa number one in Polish 2Liga for round 14 - by Eurobasket News
Guard Marcin Stoklosa (188-G-77) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for top-ranked Open Florentyna, receiving a Eurobasket.com 2Liga Player of the Week award for round 14.
The 34-year old player got a double-double of 30 points and 12 assists, while his team beat Trefl II Sopot (#10, 4-8) 84-69. It allowed Open Florentyna to consolidate first place in the Polish 2Liga. They maintain perfect record without any lost game in the league. It's already very far into the season and Open Florentyna keeps perfect 13 -0 record. In the team's last game Stoklosa had a remarkable five three-pointers out of 10 attempts. It was one of impressive evenings for him as usually he does not deliver so high stats. Marcin Stoklosa has solid league stats. He is league's best passer with 11.1apg. Stoklosa is in league's top in and averages impressive 1.8bpg,4.7spg and 58.1% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was 29-year old Pawel Pawlowski (198-F-82) of Zuraw Gniewno. Pawlowski had a very good evening with a double-double of 33 points and 10 rebounds. Of course he lead Zuraw Gniewno to another comfortable win outscoring the lower-ranked SMS PZKosz (#13, 3-10) 98-77. This victory allowed Zuraw Gniewno to move up to 5th position in Group A. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 7-6 record is not bad and everything may still change. Pawlowski is well-known at Zuraw Gniewno and is a proven leader in his second season with the team.

Third on the list of top players last round was forward Marcin Kowalewski (200-PF-86) of AZS UWM Olsz. (#7). Kowalewski got into 30-points club by scoring exactly 30 points in the last round. He went also for eleven rebounds . Despite Kowalewski's great performance AZS UWM Olsz. lost 89-97in overtime to slightly higher-ranked Korsarz Gdansk (#6, 6-5). But his team cannot count on just a single shooter as he also needs help of the other teammates. The last thing AZS UWM Olsz. needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams in Group A. Their record is 6 victories and 6 lost games. Kowalewski has a great season in Poland. After 12 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 22.8ppg (2nd best). He also has 2.6spg and 1.2bpg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Andrzej Peciak (195-G/F-78) of MKS Limbach - 29 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Arkadiusz Zabielski (195-F-84) of Tur Bielsk Pdl. - 21 points and 14 rebounds
6. Marek Sobkowiak (200-C-86) of AZS PP Poznan - 20 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists
7. Piotr Renkiel (190-G-87) of Korsarz Gdansk - 27 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
8. Szymon Kucia (190-G-83) of Pogon Prudnik - 25 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists
9. Piotr Niedzwiedzki (209-F-93) of WKK Obiekty - 17 points and 13 rebounds
10. Dawid Szewczyk (190-F-85) of Unia Tarnow - 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists

The Player of the week is chosen 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)

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


Vaqueros sign Sweetney: - by Luis Modestti
Vaqueros de Bayamon announced center Michael Sweetney (203-F-82, college: Georgetown) as their first import for the 2012 BSN season.

Sweetney has played since 2009 with Cangrejeros de Santurce and was cut from the Boston Celtics before the start of the 2011-2012 NBA season.

The team, coached by Flor Melendez, already started practicing in Bayamon. Some of the players who already reported are Christian Dalmau, Ali Berdiel, Sammy Villegas, Angelo Reyes, Franklin Western, Roberto Nieves, among others.



Arecibo opens training camp: - by Luis Modestti
The two-time defending BSN champions, Capitanes de Arecibo, opened their training camp at Manuel Iguina Coliseum.

There were some great news to start the camp as their imports Danilo Pinnock (196-G-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: G.Washington) and Ruben Garces (206-C/F-73, agency: Priority Sports, college: Providence) are already practicing with the team along with nine veteran players.

Veterans Daniel Santiago (216-C-76, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) and Larry Ayuso (190-G-77, agency: Global Sports Plaza, college: USC) will be with the team from day one. Rafael Cruz, Antonio Latimer, Eddin Santiago, Omar Alvarado, Angel Rosa, and Edgardo Ramirez are also in camp.

Shooting guard Ricky Melendez was signed last week and also reported to the first day of practice.

The team is preparing for two tournaments, the 2012 BSN season that starts on March 1 and the 2012 FIBA Americas League.


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


BC Farul Constanta invite Cezar Stanescu and Razvan Popa - by Eurobasket News
BC Farul Constanta invite Cezar Stanescu (191-G-88) and Razvan Popa (195-F-75) for the rest of the season.
Cezar Stanescu started his career in 2006-2007 for Dinamo-Galean Bucuresti (Div.A). In 2008-2009 he moved to CB Municipal Bucuresti (Div.B, starting five) and in 2009-2010 played for BC Steaua Turabo Bucuresti (Div.A). In Romanian League his stats read 2.3ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.0apg, while in Balkan League he had 1pt, 1reb. In Jan.'10 moved to CS Municipal Bucuresti (Div.A) and after 9 games showed 0.6ppg. The season 2010-2011 started for CS Municipal Bucuresti (Div.A) and in Jan.'11 moved to CSU Asesoft Ploiesti (Div.A). The season 2011-2012 appeared in CSS Giurgiu (Div.A) and showed 3.2 points per game.
Razvan Popa dedicated 12 years for Bucuresti. The 1975 year born player averaged 4.0ppg, 1.6rpg, 1.3apg in 2008 and then in 2009-2010 for CS Dinamo Bucuresti (Div.A) had 7.6ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 38.8%, 3PT: 28.8%, FT: 60.6%. The season 2011-2012 he started for CS Otopeni (Div.A) but due to the bankruptcy of the team had to leave it.



SCM U Craiova sign LeRoy Dawson and Aleksandar Belanovic - by Eurobasket News
SCM U Craiova sign LeRoy Dawson (188-G-81, agency: TSS Management, college: S.Nazarene) and Aleksandar Belanovic (203-F-77, agency: Sport Connect) for the rest of the season. The Romajian team added two more foreign players.
LeRoy Dawson played in Romania for 4 years already. In 2007-2008 he appeared for CSU Cuadripol Brasov (Romania-Div.A, starting five) and averaged 16.3ppg, 4.6rpg, Assists-3 (5.4apg), 1.8spg, FGP: 33.3%, 3FGP: 26.5%, FT: 69.2%. In 2009-2010 moved to Gladiator Cluj Napoca (Romania-Div.A, starting five) and after 28 games showed 16.5ppg, 5.5rpg, Assists-5 (4.6apg), 1.9spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 23.2%, FT: 68.0%. In 2010-2011 played for Politehnica Iasi (Romania-Div.A, starting five) and became the top-scorer of the league with 22.5ppg, 5.4rpg, 4.5apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 47.0%, 3PT: 31.1%, FT: 75.6%. The season 2011-2012 he started for Jaszberenyi KSE (Hungary-A Division, starting five).
Serbian Aleksandar Belanovic comes from Proleter Naftagas Zrenjanin. In 2008-2009 he played for CS Otopeni Bucuresti (Romania-Div.A) and after 34 games had 6.9ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 59.3%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 69.5%. In 2009-2010 moved to CS Dinamo Bucuresti (Romania-Div.A) and averaged 10.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 29.6%, FT: 58.6%. In 2010-2011 moved back to CS Otopeni (Romania-Div.A, starting five), while this season started for Proleter Naftagas Zrenjanin (A League).


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


Lokomotiv and CSKA deliver the latest victories - by Eurobasket News
Lokomotiv and CSKA deliver the latest victories in VTB League. Khimky however suffered their second straight loss.
Lokomotiv managed to secure a 9-point victory 81:72 over Asseco Prokom on Wednesday. Asseco Prokom was trailing by 1 point at halftime but managed to get 2-point lead after three quarters before a 28-17 charge of Lokomotiv, which allowed them to win the game. Jeremiah Massey (202-F-82, college: Kansas St.) fired 23 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Roderick Blakney (181-G-76, college: S.Carolina St.) chipped in 17 points and 4 assists.
CSKA Moscow defeated Lietuvos rytas 84:67. Worth to mention a great performance of Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) who helped to win the game recording 13 points and 6 rebounds and Serbian guard Milos Teodosic (195-G-87) who added 11 points and 4 assists during the contest.
The biggest surprise took place in Kaunas where host Lithuanian Zalgiris edged league's leader Russian Khimky 95:94 on Thursday evening. The hosts trailed by 5 points after three quarters before their 24-18 charge, which allowed them to win the game.


*****************************************************
  RWANDA   


Hoops League Set for February - by Eurobasket News
KIGALI Basketball club will begin their title defense next month when the hoops league throws off.

According to the Secretary General of the Basketball Federation Jean Lucien Mugabo, the body's General Assembly will meet this morning to set dates for the start of the league, playoff games and elections for the vacant posts of President, Vice President and Legal Advisor.


'The executive committee will meet tomorrow (today) to decide on a number of things like setting up dates for the league start, playoff games and elections for the vacant positions,' Mugabo said, adding that the federation's attempts to secure a sponsor for the league have been futile.

The play-off games are a traditional curtain raiser for the league and will involve clubs that finished in the top four slots; Kigali Basketball Club, APR, Espoir and KIE (Kigali Institute of Education).
Courtesy of: The New Times

*****************************************************
  SENEGAL   


Season is over for Fuenlabrada's Mouhamed Sene - by Eurobasket News
Bad luck for Mouhamed Sene (213-C-86) and his Fuenlabrada. The Senegalese big guy suffered serious knee injury (ACL) and he will miss rest of the season. The surgery is required and Sene will be out of action at last six months. Mouhamed Sene joined Fuenla during the summer. He appeared 15 times in Liga Endesa averaging 6.3 points and 5.9 rebounds. Sene shined in EuroChallenge with 12.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg for 6 games. Mouhamed Sene spent last season with Gravelines. Actually, he joined them in December collecting 10.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg in ProA. Before that he shined with Hyeres-Toulon and was the league's top rebounder (11.4) and shot blocker (2.4). He was named Eurobasket.com All-French ProA 1st Team -10. Mouhamed Sene is a player with NBA experience as he spent some time with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Seattle Supersonics in the past.

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


Zarkovic and Belanovic signed in Romania - by Eurobasket News
Zarkovic and Belanovic signed in Romania. Marko Zarkovic (200-F-85) will continue his career for Politehnicii Iasi. The Serbian player agreed terms with his new team.
In 2003-2004 he played for Atlas junior team and in 2004-2005 was sent to KK Grocka (D3). In 2008-2009 appeared for SISU Copenhagen (Denmark-Basketligaen) but left during the season.
SCM U Craiova signed LeRoy Dawson and Aleksandar Belanovic (203-F-77, agency: Sport Connect) for the rest of the season. The Romanian team added two more foreign players.
Serbian Aleksandar Belanovic comes from Proleter Naftagas Zrenjanin. In 2008-2009 he played for CS Otopeni Bucuresti (Romania-Div.A) and after 34 games had 6.9ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 59.3%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 69.5%. In 2009-2010 moved to CS Dinamo Bucuresti (Romania-Div.A) and averaged 10.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 29.6%, FT: 58.6%. In 2010-2011 moved back to CS Otopeni (Romania-Div.A, starting five), while this season started for Proleter Naftagas Zrenjanin (A League).


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


Anthony Jones gets MVP of the Week award for Slovakian Extraliga - by Eurobasket News
American Anthony Jones (194-G/F-84) had an amazing evening in the last round for Handlova and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 24.
The 27-year old swingman got a double-double of 27 points and twelve assists, while his team beat Komarno (#3, 12-9) 97-86. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. Handlova maintains the 4th position in Slovakian Extraliga. Handlova is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 12-10 record. In the team's last game Jones had a remarkable 62.5% from 2-point range. He turned to be Handlova's top player in his first season with the team. Indiana Tech graduate has very impressive stats this year. Jones is league's best scorer averaging so far 28.9ppg, leads league in rebounds with 6.1rpg and is league's best passer with 7.0apg. Jones is in league's top in and averages solid 2.7spg,53.3% FGP and 41.1% from behind 3-point line.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 27-year old forward Vincent Polakovic (203-F-84) of Svit. Polakovic impressed basketball fans with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. It was enough for Svit to edge the lower-ranked Vahostav-Zilina (#9, 5-16) by 5 points 97-92. This victory allowed Svit to move up to 5th position in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 10-10 record is not bad and everything may still change. Polakovic is well-known by Svit fans and he already established his position as one of team's most reliable players.

The third best performed player last round was American David Godbold (196-G-85, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement) of second-ranked Prievidza. Godbold got into 30-points club by scoring 31 points in the last round. He went also for eleven rebounds and four assists. He was a key player of Prievidza, leading his team to a 102-93 win against the lower-ranked B.Bystrica (#8, 7-14). Prievidza needs these victories very badly if they think about taking over top position in the standings. Their record at this point is 14 victories and 7 lost games. Godbold has a great season in Slovakia. After 21 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 8.6rpg (4th best) and assists with 3.1apg (9th best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Andrew Jones (208-F-87) of Nova Ves - 26 points and 12 rebounds
5. Ondrej Soska (208-C-78) of Vahostav-Zilina - 32 points and 7 rebounds
6. Keaton Grant (193-G-86) of Levice - 29 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists
7. Sean Hampton (195-F-75) of Handlova - 24 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists
8. Marcus Kitts (205-F-89) of B.Bystrica - 15 points and 16 rebounds
9. Martins Berkis (199-F-85) of Svit - 19 points and 3 rebounds
10. Louis Johnson (203-F/C-86) of Komarno - 18 points and 13 rebounds

The Player of the week is chosen 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)

*****************************************************
  SLOVENIA   


Union Olimpija signs Goran Jeretin - by Matej Bergant
Union Olimpija Ljubljana announced the signing of experienced Montenegrin playmaker Goran Jeretin (192-G-79, agency: Beo Basket) untill end of current season. The player will arrive to Slovenia tomorrow and will be able to play on Sunday's ABA League game. Jeretin is a well known name in European basketball as he played for Buducnost, Lietuvos Rytas, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Turk Telekom, Lokomotiv Kuban and Crvena Zvezda during his basketball career so far.

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


Standings
KBL Standings
 1. Dongbu Promy 30-7 
 2. Anyang KGC 26-11 
 3. Sonic Boom KT 24-13 
 4. KCC Egis 23-14 
 5. ET Land 19-17 
 6. Mobis Phoebus 16-21 
 7. SK Knights 14-22 
 8. LG Sakers 14-23 
 9. Daegu Orions 11-26 
 10. Samsung Th. 7-30 


Best players of South Korean KBL round 39 - by Eurobasket News
American Rodrique Benson (207-F/C-84) had an amazing evening in the last round for league's leader Dongbu Promy and that's him to receive a Asia-basket.com Player of the Week award for round 39.
The 27-year old power forward had a double-double of 22 points and twenty three rebounds, while his team beat Anyang KGC (#2, 26-11) 52-41. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. It allowed Dongbu Promy to consolidate first place in the South Korean KBL. Dongbu Promy have a solid 30-7 record. It's Benson's second year at Dongbu Promy and it's hard to imagine this team without him. University of California graduate has very impressive stats this year. Benson is in league's top in rebounds (3rd best: 12.5rpg) and averages solid 1.3bpg and 59.5% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 31-year old American swingman Chris Williams (199-F/G-80) of Daegu Orions. Williams impressed basketball fans with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Of course he lead Daegu Orions to another comfortable win 92-76 over slightly higher-ranked LG Sakers (#8, 14-23) being unquestionably team leader. Daegu Orions' 9th position in the standings has not changed. 26 lost games are too many comparing to just eleven victories Daegu Orions managed to get this year. Williams is a newcomer at Daegu Orions and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 23.8ppg (#5). His other stats are also decent: 10.4rpg and 5.6apg.

The third best performed player last round was American Terrence Leather (204-C-81) of Mobis Phoebus (#6). Leather showcased his all-around game by recording 29 points, twelve rebounds (!!!) and four assists in the last round. Despite Leather's great performance Mobis Phoebus lost 81-88 to the lower-ranked Samsung Th. (#10, 7-29). But his team cannot count on just a single shooter as he also needs help of the other teammates. The chances of Mobis Phoebus ranking at the top of the league, however are very questionable as they have already lost 20 games, recording just sixteen victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Leather could help Mobis Phoebus to bring them higher in the standings. Leather has a great season in South Korea. After 19 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 24.8ppg (3rd best) and rebounds with 14.4rpg (2nd best). He also has 1.4bpg and FGP: 53.8%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Aaron Haynes (201-F-81) of LG Sakers - 27 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Tae-Jong Moon (199-F-75) of ET Land - 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists
6. Ira Clark (203-C/F-75) of Samsung Th. - 29 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists
7. Eric Sandrin (206-F/C-78) of Samsung Th. - 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists
8. Charles Rhodes (203-F/C-85) of Sonic Boom KT - 20 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists
9. Jin-Soo Choi (202-F) of Daegu Orions - 22 points and 7 rebounds
10. Herbert Hill (208-F-84) of ET Land - 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 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)

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


Season is over for Fuenlabrada's Mouhamed Sene - by Eurobasket News
Bad luck for Mouhamed Sene (213-C-86) and his Fuenlabrada. The Senegalese big guy suffered serious knee injury (ACL) and he will miss rest of the season. The surgery is required and Sene will be out of action at last six months. Mouhamed Sene joined Fuenla during the summer. He appeared 15 times in Liga Endesa averaging 6.3 points and 5.9 rebounds. Sene shined in EuroChallenge with 12.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg for 6 games. Mouhamed Sene spent last season with Gravelines. Actually, he joined them in December collecting 10.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg in ProA. Before that he shined with Hyeres-Toulon and was the league's top rebounder (11.4) and shot blocker (2.4). He was named Eurobasket.com All-French ProA 1st Team -10. Mouhamed Sene is a player with NBA experience as he spent some time with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Seattle Supersonics in the past.

Pablo Prigioni holds new record in Liga Endesa - by Eurobasket News
Pablo Prigioni (191-G-77) set a new record in Spanish Liga Endesa. The Argentinean point guard appeared 434th time in the league and now holds the first place (foreigners only). He replaced Granger Hall, who retired with 433 games. On the list which includes all players, Pablo Prigioni is at 42nd place. First 41 spots are held by Spanish players. Except of Prigioni and Hall, Bernard Hopkins hold 45th place with 432 games and Hernan Jasen is No.48 with 428 games. Pablo Prigioni moved to Spain in 1999 from the Argentinean team Obras. He spent first two years with Fuenlabrada and later he played two seasons for Alicante. From 2003 to 2009, Prigioni was a member of Tau Ceramica. From 2009 until the last summer he played for Real Madrid and finally returned to Caja Laboral (Tau) after that.

Matias Nocedal moves to Boca Juniors - by Eurobasket News
Matias Nocedal (192-G-90) is coming back to Argentina. The guard has agreed on terms of contract with Boca Juniors. The deal is meant till the end of the season. Matias Nocedal joined Caja Laboral back in 2006. He played for the Basque team as well as Ourense, Bruesa, Jovent and Fileni Jesi. Matias Nocedal was the member of Argentinean U16, U17 and U19 National Teams.


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


Standings - BasketEttan
Basketettan Standings
North
 1. Eagles 12-0 
 2. LF Future 10-3 
 3. Taby 10-3 
 4. Akropol 9-4 
 5. Haga Haninge 8-5 
 6. Blackeberg 7-6 
 7. Orongo 6-7 
 8. Talje 5-8 
 9. Jarva Devils 5-8 
 10. Uppsala KFUM 3-10 
 11. BG Lulea 1-11 
 12. Eskilstuna 1-12 
South
 1. Malbas 13-0 
 2. Nassjo 11-2 
 3. Srbija 10-3 
 4. Brahe Basket 10-4 
 5. Hoganas 9-3 
 6. Helsingborg 5-7 
 7. Solna Branten 4-8 
 8. Hogsbo 4-9 
 9. Fryshuset 4-10 
 10. Norrkoping BK 2-9 
 11. Sanda 2-10 
 12. Eos 2-11 


Basketettan Round 13 of Regular Season - by Eurobasket News
Jarva Devils (#7) forced the game against KFUM Blackebergs (#6) into a double-overtime, but lost by eight points 87-95 on Saturday night. Worth to mention a great performance of Nicklas Bergstrom who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 24 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. KFUM Blackebergs maintains sixth place in North with 7-6 record. Newly promoted Jarva Devils dropped to the eighth position with eight games lost. KFUM Blackebergs will face BG Lulea (#11) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Jarva Devils will play against KFUM Uppsala and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Other games in round 13 were not that significant.
In North Taby were beaten by Orongo on the road 94-78. Haga Haninge won against LF Future on its own court 84-71. LF Future managed to outperform Eskilstuna in Lulea 90-76. Akropol rolled over Talje at home 78-51.
In South Fryshuset was crushed by Helsingborg on the opponent's court 98-46. Nassjo smashed Norrkoping BK in a home game 90-60. Solna Branten won against Hogsbo on the road 60-59. Brahe Basket outscored Fryshuset on its own court 90-58. Eos was rolled over Srbija in Malmo 96-63.


Group North
Orongo - Taby 94-78

There was a surprise result when eighth ranked Orongo Dragons (6-7) beat much higher ranked Taby Basket (10-3) in Sundsvall 94-78 on Saturday. Orongo Dragons forced 20 Taby Basket turnovers and had a 24-13 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. Taby Basket was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. Worth to mention a great performance of forward Albin Frank (184-90) who helped to win the game recording 23 points. Power forward Andre Nilsson (204-84) contributed with a double-double by scoring 15 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) for the winners. Four Orongo Dragons players scored in double figures. Frank Nordin answered with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds and guard Samuel Desport (183-83) added 20 points in the effort for Taby Basket. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Orongo Dragons moved-up to seventh place in North. Taby Basket at the other side dropped to the third position with three games lost. Orongo Dragons will face Talje Knights (#8) on the road in the next round. Taby Basket will play against Eskilstuna (#12).
Top scorers:
Orongo: A.Frank 23+4reb+3ast, W.Gutenius 15+5reb+2ast, A.Nilsson 15+12reb+2ast, S.Lennartsson 10+6reb+3ast, A.Hakizimana 8+4reb+2ast, O.Granat 8+4reb+2ast
Taby: F.Nordin 25+10reb+2ast, S.Desport 20+1reb+2ast, E.Desport 15+6reb, M.Banks 9+9reb+4ast, C.Lindberg 4+2reb, J.Lundin 3+3reb+2ast
gschID: 152845


Blackeberg - Jarva Devils 95-87 2OT

Jarva Devils (#7) forced the game against KFUM Blackebergs (#6) into a double-overtime, but lost by eight points 87-95 on Saturday night. The hosts started the game with a very strong first quarter 20-4. But Jarva Devils won second period 27-17. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening, at least not yet. The game turned upside-down in the last quarter, where Jarva Devils used huge pressure winning it 20-17 getting a tie at the end of regular time. They lost eventually double-overtime period 11-11. KFUM Blackebergs dominated on the defensive end, holding Jarva Devils to just 4 points in first quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Jarva Devils' 34. KFUM Blackebergs forced 25 Jarva Devils turnovers and outrebounded them 53-40 including 17 on the offensive glass. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when KFUM Blackebergs made 7 blocks. Jarva Devils were plagued by 33 personal fouls down the stretch. Worth to mention a great performance of center Nicklas Bergstrom (205-78) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 24 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. Forward Alexander Holmstrom Forster (196-92) contributed with 18 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Four KFUM Blackebergs players scored in double figures. Guard Binyam Feghadu (195-89) answered with 34 points (!!!), 5 rebounds and 7 assists and naturalized Argentinian guard Rafael Carbone (192-89, agency: World Sport Agency) added 14 points and 4 assists in the effort for Jarva Devils. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. KFUM Blackebergs maintains sixth place in North with 7-6 record. Newly promoted Jarva Devils dropped to the eighth position with eight games lost. KFUM Blackebergs will face BG Lulea (#11) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Jarva Devils will play against KFUM Uppsala and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Blackeberg: N.Bergstrom 24+16reb+1ast, A.Holmstrom Forster 18+7reb+2ast, C.Carayol 16+6reb, G.Panghulan 14+8reb+2ast, M.Walden 9+5reb+6ast, T.Schuberg 6+3reb
Jarva Devils: B.Feghadu 34+5reb+7ast, D.Salih 15+3reb+1ast, R.Carbone 14+4reb+4ast, A.Mebrahtu 9+7reb, C.Hugner 6+4reb, M.Tebano 3+1reb+1ast
gschID: 152846


Haga Haninge - LF Future 84-71

There was a minor upset when 3rd placed LF Future (10-3) lost on the road to fifth ranked Haga Haninge (8-5) 84-71 on Saturday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after three quarters before their 31-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Haga Haninge outrebounded LF Future 41-30 including a 30-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. It was a great shooting night for Haga Haninge especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 60.0 percentage. LF Future was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a very good performance for guard Bjorn Johansson (190-83) who helped to win the game recording 33 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds. Guard David Czernik (181-80) contributed with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for the winners. Naturalized Iraqi forward Samir Ali Hussein (198-92) answered with 14 points and 7 rebounds and forward Daniel Eliasson (189-92) added 19 points in the effort for LF Future. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Haga Haninge have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain fifth place in North with 8-5 record. Newly promoted LF Future dropped to the second position with three games lost. Haga Haninge will face higher ranked Taby Basket (#3) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. LF Future will play against KFUM Blackebergs in Vallingby.
Top scorers:
Haga Haninge: B.Johansson 33+6reb+1ast, D.Czernik 15+6reb+7ast, U.Soderman 9+10reb, S.Alvring 9+7reb+4ast, J.Forsman 6+2reb+1ast, E.Lundmark 6+4reb
LF Future: D.Eliasson 19+1reb, R.Ryan 14+2reb+4ast, S.Ali Hussein 14+7reb+1ast, B.Curry 8+5reb+4ast, T.Saya 5+4reb+1ast, E.Lindback 4+4reb
gschID: 152847


Eskilstuna - LF Future 76-90

Very predictable result when third ranked LF Future (10-3) won against on the road 12th ranked Eskilstuna (1-12) 90-76 on Sunday. The game was mostly controlled by LF Future. Eskilstuna was better in third quarter 23-17. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. LF Future forced 21 Eskilstuna turnovers. It was a very good performance for forward Fredrik Bjornsson (190-91) who helped to win the game recording 20 points (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field). Forward Zlatko Budimir (183-90) contributed with 17 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Forward Robert Norstrom (191-83) answered with 22 points and 5 rebounds and forward Daniel Urban (198-88) added 13 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Eskilstuna. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Eskilstuna's coach rotated ten players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. LF Future moved-up to second place in North, which they share with Taby. Eskilstuna lost eleventh consecutive game. They keep the twelfth position with 12 games lost. LF Future will face KFUM Blackebergs (#6) in Vallingby in the next round. Eskilstuna will play on the road against Taby Basket (#3).
Top scorers:
LF Future: F.Bjornsson 20+2reb, Z.Budimir 17+5reb, R.Ryan 16+1ast, D.Eliasson 14+1reb+1ast, T.Saya 6+5reb, J.Axelsson 6+5reb
Eskilstuna: R.Norstrom 22+5reb+3ast, O.Ogren 14+2reb+4ast, D.Urban 13+7reb+1ast, E.Jonsson 11+6reb+1ast, P.Oksman 6, N.Eriksson 6+3reb+1ast
gschID: 152848


Akropol - Talje 78-51

Not a big story in a game when 9th ranked Talje Knights (5-8) were outscored by fourth ranked Akropol (9-4) in Spanga 78-51 on Sunday. The game was mostly controlled by Akropol. Talje Knights was better in fourth quarter 14-10. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Akropol dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Talje Knights' 22. They outrebounded Talje Knights 43-27 including a 31-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Talje Knights were plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a very good performance for swingman Lamin Sonko (193-85) who helped to win the game recording 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Forward Richard Hartmann (201-89) contributed with 11 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Five Akropol players scored in double figures. Akropol's coach felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Gustav Sundstrom answered with 25 points and 6 rebounds and guard Mario Blazevic (179-93) added 8 points in the effort for Talje Knights. Akropol maintains fourth place in North with 9-4 record. Talje Knights at the other side dropped to the eighth position with eight games lost. Akropol will have a break next round. Talje Knights will play at home against Orongo Dragons (#7) in Sundsvall and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Akropol: L.Sonko 14+8reb+4ast, S.Mukooza 14+2reb, J.Pietros 12+4reb+5ast, A.af Petersens 11+7reb, R.Hartmann 11+8reb+3ast, D.Kumbi 10+4reb+1ast
Talje: G.Sundstrom 25+6reb+1ast, M.Blazevic 8+4reb+1ast, T.Johanson 7, A.Johansson 6+2reb+2ast, T.Karlsson 3+3reb+1ast, I.Marong 2+4reb
gschID: 152849


Group South
Helsingborg - Fryshuset 98-46

Everything went according to plan when sixth ranked Helsingborg (5-7) outplayed at home 9th ranked Fryshuset (4-10) 98-46 on Sunday. The game without a history. Helsingborg led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Fryshuset to just 6 points in third quarter. Helsingborg dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Fryshuset's 30 and made 16-of-21 free shots (76.2 percent) during the game. Helsingborg forced 32 Fryshuset turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. It was a very good performance for swingman Jonas Christensen (194-78) who helped to win the game recording 20 points and 6 rebounds. Naturalized Bosnian forward Srdjan Vukovic (197-86) contributed with 15 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Four Helsingborg players scored in double figures. Helsingborg's coach felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Center Erik Jakobsson (215-88) answered with 6 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists and forward Nathan Dawit (192-94) added 5 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Fryshuset. Helsingborg maintains sixth place in South with 5-7 record. Fryshuset lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth position with ten games lost. Helsingborg will face higher ranked Srbija (#3) in Malmo in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory.
Top scorers:
Helsingborg: J.Christensen 20+6reb+3ast, S.Radojevic 17+1reb+1ast, A.Persson 16+4reb+4ast, S.Vukovic 15+8reb+2ast, J.Fastberg 9+2reb+1ast, M.Bernborg 6+5reb
Fryshuset: M.Halabi 9+1reb, G.Adersteg 9+2reb+2ast, R.Ghanem 8+2ast, E.Jakobsson 6+14reb+4ast, N.Dawit 5+6reb+3ast, W.Lindstrom 4+6reb
gschID: 152850


Nassjo - Norrkoping BK 90-60

There was no surprise when 10th ranked Norrkoping BK (2-9) was outleveled on the road by second ranked Nassjo (11-2) 90-60 on Sunday. The game without a history. Nassjo led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Norrkoping BK's 38. Nassjo forced 21 Norrkoping BK turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. It was a very good performance for forward Mathias Liljeqvist (196-92) who helped to win the game recording 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). American power forward Robert Boss (201-87, college: Spring Arbor) contributed with 13 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Niklas Rydgren (-88) answered with 23 points and 8 rebounds and guard Robertino Duric (-92) added 4 points and 9 rebounds in the effort for Norrkoping BK. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Nassjo have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They maintain second place in South with 11-2 record behind leader Eagles. Norrkoping BK at the other side keeps the tenth position with nine games lost. Nassjo will face Solna Branten (#7) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Norrkoping BK will play against Brahe Basket in Huskvarna.
Top scorers:
Nassjo: M.Liljeqvist 16+5reb+1ast, F.Heikkinen 14+1reb+2ast, R.Boss 13+8reb+1ast, T.Svensson 9+8reb, M.Homelius 8+3reb, S.Damjanovic 6+4reb+3ast
Norrkoping BK: N.Rydgren 23+8reb+1ast, D.Sogolj 9+1reb+1ast, R.Lager 7+2reb+2ast, L.Wissing 7+3reb+3ast, R.Duric 4+9reb+3ast, H.Neffati 3+3reb+1ast
gschID: 152851


Hogsbo - Solna Branten 59-60

There was a small surprise when ninth ranked Solna Branten (4-8) edged 7th ranked Hogsbo (4-9) in Goteborg 60-59 on Sunday. Hogsbo was trailing by 5 points at halftime but managed to get 1-point lead after three quarters before a 12-10 charge of Solna Branten, which allowed them to win the game. They also forced 19 Hogsbo turnovers. It was a very good performance for guard Anton Miller (180-91) who helped to win the game recording 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Joeffrey Masabe (-90) contributed with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Four Solna Branten players scored in double figures. Center Robert Isaksson (202-87) answered with 16 points and 5 rebounds and Max Johansson added 16 points in the effort for Hogsbo. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Solna Branten moved-up to seventh place in South. Hogsbo lost sixth consecutive game. Newly promoted team dropped to the eighth position with nine games lost. Solna Branten will face league's second-placed Nassjo at home in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Hogsbo will play against IK Eos (#12) in Lund.
Top scorers:
Solna Branten: A.Miller 16+8reb+4ast, J.Masabe 15+5reb+4ast, J.Svensson 13+6reb, J.Eliassson 10+11reb, N.Larsson 4+6reb+4ast, H.Kidane 2+1reb+1ast
Hogsbo: R.Isaksson 16+5reb+1ast, M.Johansson 16+2reb+1ast, S.Tellwe 8+7reb+3ast, R.Davidsson 5+2reb+1ast, L.Brehm 5+4reb+1ast, J.Eliasson 5
gschID: 152852


Brahe Basket - Fryshuset 90-58

Very expected game when 9th ranked Fryshuset (4-10) was smashed by fifth ranked Brahe Basket (10-4) in Huskvarna 90-58 on Wednesday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 11-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 90-58. Brahe Basket dominated down low during the game scoring 66 of its points in the paint compared to Fryshuset's 30. Brahe Basket forced 33 Fryshuset turnovers. Fryshuset was plagued by 28 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a very good performance for guard Christoffer Henriks (192-92) who helped to win the game recording 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Jamaican center Hugh Robinson (202-83) contributed with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winners. Brahe Basket's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Forward Nathan Dawit (192-94) answered with 14 points and 8 rebounds and Walter Lindstrom (-95) added 19 points in the effort for Fryshuset. Brahe Basket have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to fourth place in South. Fryshuset lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth position with ten games lost. Brahe Basket will face Norrkoping BK (#10) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game.
Top scorers:
Brahe Basket: C.Henriks 18+5reb+4ast, H.Robinson 16+9reb, K.Ukhagbe 14+6reb+2ast, T.Yulman 9+1ast, A.Nasser 7+1ast, T.Contee 7+4reb
Fryshuset: W.Lindstrom 19+1reb+1ast, N.Dawit 14+8reb+3ast, S.Forsberg 7+10reb+3ast, G.Adersteg 6+2reb+3ast, R.Ghanem 6+1reb+1ast, A.Adersteg 4+4reb
gschID: 166775


Srbija - Eos 96-63

Very predictable result when fourth ranked Srbija (10-3) rolled over 11th ranked IK Eos (2-11) in Malmo 96-63 on Wednesday. The game without a history. Srbija led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to IK Eos' 30. Srbija forced 22 IK Eos turnovers and outrebounded them 42-29 including 28 on the defensive glass. It was a very good performance for FYR Macedonian forward Todorce Petkovski (200-80) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 21 points and 16 rebounds. Lithuanian Severas Svedas contributed with 9 points and 5 assists for the winners. Four Srbija players scored in double figures. Guard Adnan Karovic (187-88) answered with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and guard Kofi Adanovur (188-91) added 14 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for IK Eos. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Srbija have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to third place in South. IK Eos lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the twelfth position with 11 games lost. Srbija will face Helsingborg (#6) on the road in the next round. IK Eos will play against Hogsbo (#8) in Goteborg.
Top scorers:
Srbija: T.Petkovski 21+16reb+2ast, K.Gafor 14+3reb, N.Zurovac 11+3reb+2ast, T.Cedermarker 11+1reb+3ast, R.Roslund 10+5reb, S.Svedas 9+4reb+5ast
Eos: A.Karovic 19+9reb+4ast, K.Adanovur 14+7reb, N.Gjorup 11+3reb+4ast, A.Buza 6+1reb+2ast, M.Bjarnemar 5+1reb+1ast, T.Bendz 4+3reb
gschID: 166776




Stats Leaders - BasketEttan
Points Per Game
 Binyam FEGHADU
  Jarva D.
  (195-G-89)
  Avg: 28
 1. Feghadu, Jarva D.28.0 
 2. Fitzgerald, Malbas27.3 
 3. Banks, Taby21.2 
 4. Vukovic, Helsingbo.20.5 
 5. Olson, Orongo19.7 
 6. Bergstrom, Black.18.8 
 7. Nilsson, Orongo18.7 
 8. Nordin, Taby18.6 
 9. Johansson, Haga H.18.2 
 10. Sundstrom, Talje18.2 
Rebounds Per Game
 Todorce PETKOVSKI
  Srbija
  (200-F-80)
  Avg: 12.5
 1. Petkovski, Srbija12.5 
 2. Rawlins, Up.11.8 
 3. Nilsson, Orongo11.7 
 4. Hartmann, Akropol11.2 
 5. Urban, Eskilstuna10.4 
 6. Damjanovic, Nassjo10.4 
 7. Robinson, Brahe B.10.1 
 8. Eliassson, Solna B.9.9 
 9. Vukovic, Helsingbo.9.7 
 10. Fitzgerald, Malbas9.5 
Assists Per Game
 Jimmy LUNDIN
  Taby
  (184-G-90)
  Avg: 5.6
 1. Lundin, Taby5.6 
 2. Nouri, Blackeberg5.5 
 3. Fitzgerald, Malbas5.0 
 4. Ghebremeskel, Eag.4.9 
 5. Kovacek, Talje4.8 
 6. Hultman-Boye, Hag.4.8 
 7. Kutra, Hoganas4.6 
 8. Wazzi, Nassjo4.5 
 9. Strazdauskas, Hog.4.3 
 10. Rawlins, Up.4.1 
Steals Per Game
 John FITZGERALD
  Malbas
  (193-G-84)
  Avg: 4.4
 1. Fitzgerald, Malbas4.4 
 2. Rawlins, Up.3.1 
 3. Feghadu, Jarva D.3.1 
 4. Wazzi, Nassjo2.9 
 5. Taylor, Eagles2.9 
 6. Strazdauskas, Hog.2.6 
 7. Dilek, Fryshuset2.6 
 8. Carbone, Jarva D.2.5 
 9. Kutra, Hoganas2.5 
 10. Hultman-Boye, Ha.2.5 
Blocks Per Game
 Andre NILSSON
  Orongo
  (204-F/C-84)
  Avg: 3
 1. Nilsson, Orongo3.0 
 2. Robinson, Brahe B.2.4 
 3. Rawlins, Up.2.0 
 4. Taylor, Eagles1.9 
 5. Flink, Helsingborg1.9 
 6. Bergstrom, Black.1.7 
 7. Williams, Sanda1.4 
 8. Urban, Eskilstuna1.4 
 9. Femic, Eagles1.3 
 10. Sinani, Malbas1.3 


Palm's double-double lands him Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News
32-year old center Michael Palm (208-C-79, agency: R.H.Consultancy) put on an amazing game in the last round for league's best team Boras and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 21.
He had a double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds, while his team beat LF Basket (#2, 13-8) 108-95. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. It allowed Boras to consolidate first place in the Swedish league. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Boras has a very solid 14-8 record, but they cannot be too comfortable about keeping top position. In the team's last game Palm had a remarkable 62.5% from 2-point range. He has many years of experience at Boras, through which he has constantly improved. Western Washington graduate has very impressive stats this year. Palm. Palm is in league's top in points (3rd best: 19.4ppg) and averages solid 57.8% FGP.

Second best performed player last round was Kenneth Simms (203-C-86) of Sodertalje. He is American center in his first season at Sodertalje. In the last game Simms recorded impressive double-double of 26 points and 15 rebounds. Of course he lead Sodertalje to another comfortable win outscoring Eco Orebro (#10, 0-21) 86-60. This victory allowed Sodertalje to move up to 3rd position in the standings. His team's 13-8 record is not bad at all. Simms is a newcomer at Sodertalje and quickly became one of team's most reliable players.

Third place about best performers goes to swingman Stefan Grundberg (198-G/F-82) of Uppsala (#6). Grundberg scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Despite Grundberg's great performance Uppsala lost 83-87 to the higher-ranked Sodertalje (#3, 13-8). But his team cannot count on just a single shooter as he also needs help of the other teammates. The last thing Uppsala needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams. Their record is 12 victories and 10 lost games. Grundberg has a very solid season. In 22 games in Sweden he scored 13.5ppg. He also has 4.6rpg, FGP: 54.7% and 3PT: 41.7%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Justin Safford (205-F) of LF Basket - 32 points and 7 rebounds
5. Pavel Ermolinskij (202-G/F-87) of Sundsvall - 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists
6. Michael Palm (208-C-79) of Boras - 22 points and 8 rebounds
7. Rickard Eriksson (190-G-82) of Uppsala - 28 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists
8. Keith Ramsey (206-F-87) of LF Basket - 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists
9. Jason Stamper (200-F/C-85) of Jamtland - 11 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists
10. Keith Ramsey (206-F-87) of LF Basket - 14 points, 9 rebounds and 2 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)

Basketettan Round 13 of Regular Season - by Eurobasket Center
Jarva Devils (#7) forced the game against KFUM Blackebergs (#6) into a double-overtime, but lost by eight points 87-95 on Saturday night. Worth to mention a great performance of Nicklas Bergstrom (205-C-78) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 24 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. KFUM Blackebergs maintains sixth place in North with 7-6 record. Newly promoted Jarva Devils dropped to the eighth position with eight games lost. KFUM Blackebergs will face BG Lulea (#11) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Jarva Devils will play against KFUM Uppsala and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Other games in round 13 were not that significant.
In North Taby were beaten by Orongo on the road 94-78. Haga Haninge won against LF Future on its own court 84-71. LF Future managed to outperform Eskilstuna in Lulea 90-76. Akropol rolled over Talje at home 78-51.
In South Fryshuset was crushed by Helsingborg on the opponent's court 98-46. Nassjo smashed Norrkoping BK in a home game 90-60. Solna Branten won against Hogsbo on the road 60-59. Brahe Basket outscored Fryshuset on its own court 90-58. Eos was rolled over Srbija in Malmo 96-63.

Group North
Orongo - Taby 94-78

There was a surprise result when eighth ranked Orongo Dragons (6-7) beat much higher ranked Taby Basket (10-3) in Sundsvall 94-78 on Saturday. Orongo Dragons forced 20 Taby Basket turnovers and had a 24-13 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. Taby Basket was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. Worth to mention a great performance of forward Albin Frank (184-90) who helped to win the game recording 23 points. Power forward Andre Nilsson (204-84) contributed with a double-double by scoring 15 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) for the winners. Four Orongo Dragons players scored in double figures. Frank Nordin answered with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds and guard Samuel Desport (183-83) added 20 points in the effort for Taby Basket. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Orongo Dragons moved-up to seventh place in North. Taby Basket at the other side dropped to the third position with three games lost. Orongo Dragons will face Talje Knights (#8) on the road in the next round. Taby Basket will play against Eskilstuna (#12).
Top scorers:
Orongo: A.Frank 23+4reb+3ast, W.Gutenius 15+5reb+2ast, A.Nilsson 15+12reb+2ast, S.Lennartsson 10+6reb+3ast, A.Hakizimana 8+4reb+2ast, O.Granat 8+4reb+2ast
Taby: F.Nordin 25+10reb+2ast, S.Desport 20+1reb+2ast, E.Desport 15+6reb, M.Banks 9+9reb+4ast, C.Lindberg 4+2reb, J.Lundin 3+3reb+2ast
gschID: 152845


Blackeberg - Jarva Devils 95-87 2OT

Jarva Devils (#7) forced the game against KFUM Blackebergs (#6) into a double-overtime, but lost by eight points 87-95 on Saturday night. The hosts started the game with a very strong first quarter 20-4. But Jarva Devils won second period 27-17. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening, at least not yet. The game turned upside-down in the last quarter, where Jarva Devils used huge pressure winning it 20-17 getting a tie at the end of regular time. They lost eventually double-overtime period 11-11. KFUM Blackebergs dominated on the defensive end, holding Jarva Devils to just 4 points in first quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Jarva Devils' 34. KFUM Blackebergs forced 25 Jarva Devils turnovers and outrebounded them 53-40 including 17 on the offensive glass. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when KFUM Blackebergs made 7 blocks. Jarva Devils were plagued by 33 personal fouls down the stretch. Worth to mention a great performance of center Nicklas Bergstrom (205-78) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 24 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. Forward Alexander Holmstrom Forster (196-92) contributed with 18 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Four KFUM Blackebergs players scored in double figures. Guard Binyam Feghadu (195-89) answered with 34 points (!!!), 5 rebounds and 7 assists and naturalized Argentinian guard Rafael Carbone (192-89, agency: World Sport Agency) added 14 points and 4 assists in the effort for Jarva Devils. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. KFUM Blackebergs maintains sixth place in North with 7-6 record. Newly promoted Jarva Devils dropped to the eighth position with eight games lost. KFUM Blackebergs will face BG Lulea (#11) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Jarva Devils will play against KFUM Uppsala and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Blackeberg: N.Bergstrom 24+16reb+1ast, A.Holmstrom Forster 18+7reb+2ast, C.Carayol 16+6reb, G.Panghulan 14+8reb+2ast, M.Walden 9+5reb+6ast, T.Schuberg 6+3reb
Jarva Devils: B.Feghadu 34+5reb+7ast, D.Salih 15+3reb+1ast, R.Carbone 14+4reb+4ast, A.Mebrahtu 9+7reb, C.Hugner 6+4reb, M.Tebano 3+1reb+1ast
gschID: 152846


Haga Haninge - LF Future 84-71

There was a minor upset when 3rd placed LF Future (10-3) lost on the road to fifth ranked Haga Haninge (8-5) 84-71 on Saturday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after three quarters before their 31-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Haga Haninge outrebounded LF Future 41-30 including a 30-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. It was a great shooting night for Haga Haninge especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 60.0 percentage. LF Future was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a very good performance for guard Bjorn Johansson (190-83) who helped to win the game recording 33 points (!!!) and 6 rebounds. Guard David Czernik (181-80) contributed with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for the winners. Naturalized Iraqi forward Samir Ali Hussein (198-92) answered with 14 points and 7 rebounds and forward Daniel Eliasson (189-92) added 19 points in the effort for LF Future. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Haga Haninge have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain fifth place in North with 8-5 record. Newly promoted LF Future dropped to the second position with three games lost. Haga Haninge will face higher ranked Taby Basket (#3) on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. LF Future will play against KFUM Blackebergs in Vallingby.
Top scorers:
Haga Haninge: B.Johansson 33+6reb+1ast, D.Czernik 15+6reb+7ast, U.Soderman 9+10reb, S.Alvring 9+7reb+4ast, J.Forsman 6+2reb+1ast, E.Lundmark 6+4reb
LF Future: D.Eliasson 19+1reb, R.Ryan 14+2reb+4ast, S.Ali Hussein 14+7reb+1ast, B.Curry 8+5reb+4ast, T.Saya 5+4reb+1ast, E.Lindback 4+4reb
gschID: 152847


Eskilstuna - LF Future 76-90

Very predictable result when third ranked LF Future (10-3) won against on the road 12th ranked Eskilstuna (1-12) 90-76 on Sunday. The game was mostly controlled by LF Future. Eskilstuna was better in third quarter 23-17. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. LF Future forced 21 Eskilstuna turnovers. It was a very good performance for forward Fredrik Bjornsson (190-91) who helped to win the game recording 20 points (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field). Forward Zlatko Budimir (183-90) contributed with 17 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Forward Robert Norstrom (191-83) answered with 22 points and 5 rebounds and forward Daniel Urban (198-88) added 13 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Eskilstuna. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Eskilstuna's coach rotated ten players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. LF Future moved-up to second place in North, which they share with Taby. Eskilstuna lost eleventh consecutive game. They keep the twelfth position with 12 games lost. LF Future will face KFUM Blackebergs (#6) in Vallingby in the next round. Eskilstuna will play on the road against Taby Basket (#3).
Top scorers:
LF Future: F.Bjornsson 20+2reb, Z.Budimir 17+5reb, R.Ryan 16+1ast, D.Eliasson 14+1reb+1ast, T.Saya 6+5reb, J.Axelsson 6+5reb
Eskilstuna: R.Norstrom 22+5reb+3ast, O.Ogren 14+2reb+4ast, D.Urban 13+7reb+1ast, E.Jonsson 11+6reb+1ast, P.Oksman 6, N.Eriksson 6+3reb+1ast
gschID: 152848


Akropol - Talje 78-51

Not a big story in a game when 9th ranked Talje Knights (5-8) were outscored by fourth ranked Akropol (9-4) in Spanga 78-51 on Sunday. The game was mostly controlled by Akropol. Talje Knights was better in fourth quarter 14-10. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Akropol dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Talje Knights' 22. They outrebounded Talje Knights 43-27 including a 31-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Talje Knights were plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a very good performance for swingman Lamin Sonko (193-85) who helped to win the game recording 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Forward Richard Hartmann (201-89) contributed with 11 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Five Akropol players scored in double figures. Akropol's coach felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Gustav Sundstrom answered with 25 points and 6 rebounds and guard Mario Blazevic (179-93) added 8 points in the effort for Talje Knights. Akropol maintains fourth place in North with 9-4 record. Talje Knights at the other side dropped to the eighth position with eight games lost. Akropol will have a break next round. Talje Knights will play at home against Orongo Dragons (#7) in Sundsvall and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Akropol: L.Sonko 14+8reb+4ast, S.Mukooza 14+2reb, J.Pietros 12+4reb+5ast, A.af Petersens 11+7reb, R.Hartmann 11+8reb+3ast, D.Kumbi 10+4reb+1ast
Talje: G.Sundstrom 25+6reb+1ast, M.Blazevic 8+4reb+1ast, T.Johanson 7, A.Johansson 6+2reb+2ast, T.Karlsson 3+3reb+1ast, I.Marong 2+4reb
gschID: 152849


Group South
Helsingborg - Fryshuset 98-46

Everything went according to plan when sixth ranked Helsingborg (5-7) outplayed at home 9th ranked Fryshuset (4-10) 98-46 on Sunday. The game without a history. Helsingborg led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Fryshuset to just 6 points in third quarter. Helsingborg dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Fryshuset's 30 and made 16-of-21 free shots (76.2 percent) during the game. Helsingborg forced 32 Fryshuset turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. It was a very good performance for swingman Jonas Christensen (194-78) who helped to win the game recording 20 points and 6 rebounds. Naturalized Bosnian forward Srdjan Vukovic (197-86) contributed with 15 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Four Helsingborg players scored in double figures. Helsingborg's coach felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Center Erik Jakobsson (215-88) answered with 6 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists and forward Nathan Dawit (192-94) added 5 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Fryshuset. Helsingborg maintains sixth place in South with 5-7 record. Fryshuset lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth position with ten games lost. Helsingborg will face higher ranked Srbija (#3) in Malmo in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory.
Top scorers:
Helsingborg: J.Christensen 20+6reb+3ast, S.Radojevic 17+1reb+1ast, A.Persson 16+4reb+4ast, S.Vukovic 15+8reb+2ast, J.Fastberg 9+2reb+1ast, M.Bernborg 6+5reb
Fryshuset: M.Halabi 9+1reb, G.Adersteg 9+2reb+2ast, R.Ghanem 8+2ast, E.Jakobsson 6+14reb+4ast, N.Dawit 5+6reb+3ast, W.Lindstrom 4+6reb
gschID: 152850


Nassjo - Norrkoping BK 90-60

There was no surprise when 10th ranked Norrkoping BK (2-9) was outleveled on the road by second ranked Nassjo (11-2) 90-60 on Sunday. The game without a history. Nassjo led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 68 of its points in the paint compared to Norrkoping BK's 38. Nassjo forced 21 Norrkoping BK turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. It was a very good performance for forward Mathias Liljeqvist (196-92) who helped to win the game recording 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). American power forward Robert Boss (201-87, college: Spring Arbor) contributed with 13 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Niklas Rydgren (-88) answered with 23 points and 8 rebounds and guard Robertino Duric (-92) added 4 points and 9 rebounds in the effort for Norrkoping BK. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Nassjo have an impressive series of six victories in a row. They maintain second place in South with 11-2 record behind leader Eagles. Norrkoping BK at the other side keeps the tenth position with nine games lost. Nassjo will face Solna Branten (#7) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Norrkoping BK will play against Brahe Basket in Huskvarna.
Top scorers:
Nassjo: M.Liljeqvist 16+5reb+1ast, F.Heikkinen 14+1reb+2ast, R.Boss 13+8reb+1ast, T.Svensson 9+8reb, M.Homelius 8+3reb, S.Damjanovic 6+4reb+3ast
Norrkoping BK: N.Rydgren 23+8reb+1ast, D.Sogolj 9+1reb+1ast, R.Lager 7+2reb+2ast, L.Wissing 7+3reb+3ast, R.Duric 4+9reb+3ast, H.Neffati 3+3reb+1ast
gschID: 152851


Hogsbo - Solna Branten 59-60

There was a small surprise when ninth ranked Solna Branten (4-8) edged 7th ranked Hogsbo (4-9) in Goteborg 60-59 on Sunday. Hogsbo was trailing by 5 points at halftime but managed to get 1-point lead after three quarters before a 12-10 charge of Solna Branten, which allowed them to win the game. They also forced 19 Hogsbo turnovers. It was a very good performance for guard Anton Miller (180-91) who helped to win the game recording 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Joeffrey Masabe (-90) contributed with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Four Solna Branten players scored in double figures. Center Robert Isaksson (202-87) answered with 16 points and 5 rebounds and Max Johansson added 16 points in the effort for Hogsbo. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Solna Branten moved-up to seventh place in South. Hogsbo lost sixth consecutive game. Newly promoted team dropped to the eighth position with nine games lost. Solna Branten will face league's second-placed Nassjo at home in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Hogsbo will play against IK Eos (#12) in Lund.
Top scorers:
Solna Branten: A.Miller 16+8reb+4ast, J.Masabe 15+5reb+4ast, J.Svensson 13+6reb, J.Eliassson 10+11reb, N.Larsson 4+6reb+4ast, H.Kidane 2+1reb+1ast
Hogsbo: R.Isaksson 16+5reb+1ast, M.Johansson 16+2reb+1ast, S.Tellwe 8+7reb+3ast, R.Davidsson 5+2reb+1ast, L.Brehm 5+4reb+1ast, J.Eliasson 5
gschID: 152852


Brahe Basket - Fryshuset 90-58

Very expected game when 9th ranked Fryshuset (4-10) was smashed by fifth ranked Brahe Basket (10-4) in Huskvarna 90-58 on Wednesday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 11-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 90-58. Brahe Basket dominated down low during the game scoring 66 of its points in the paint compared to Fryshuset's 30. Brahe Basket forced 33 Fryshuset turnovers. Fryshuset was plagued by 28 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a very good performance for guard Christoffer Henriks (192-92) who helped to win the game recording 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Jamaican center Hugh Robinson (202-83) contributed with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winners. Brahe Basket's coach felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Forward Nathan Dawit (192-94) answered with 14 points and 8 rebounds and Walter Lindstrom (-95) added 19 points in the effort for Fryshuset. Brahe Basket have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to fourth place in South. Fryshuset lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth position with ten games lost. Brahe Basket will face Norrkoping BK (#10) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game.
Top scorers:
Brahe Basket: C.Henriks 18+5reb+4ast, H.Robinson 16+9reb, K.Ukhagbe 14+6reb+2ast, T.Yulman 9+1ast, A.Nasser 7+1ast, T.Contee 7+4reb
Fryshuset: W.Lindstrom 19+1reb+1ast, N.Dawit 14+8reb+3ast, S.Forsberg 7+10reb+3ast, G.Adersteg 6+2reb+3ast, R.Ghanem 6+1reb+1ast, A.Adersteg 4+4reb
gschID: 166775


Srbija - Eos 96-63

Very predictable result when fourth ranked Srbija (10-3) rolled over 11th ranked IK Eos (2-11) in Malmo 96-63 on Wednesday. The game without a history. Srbija led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to IK Eos' 30. Srbija forced 22 IK Eos turnovers and outrebounded them 42-29 including 28 on the defensive glass. It was a very good performance for FYR Macedonian forward Todorce Petkovski (200-80) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 21 points and 16 rebounds. Lithuanian Severas Svedas contributed with 9 points and 5 assists for the winners. Four Srbija players scored in double figures. Guard Adnan Karovic (187-88) answered with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and guard Kofi Adanovur (188-91) added 14 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for IK Eos. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Srbija have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to third place in South. IK Eos lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the twelfth position with 11 games lost. Srbija will face Helsingborg (#6) on the road in the next round. IK Eos will play against Hogsbo (#8) in Goteborg.
Top scorers:
Srbija: T.Petkovski 21+16reb+2ast, K.Gafor 14+3reb, N.Zurovac 11+3reb+2ast, T.Cedermarker 11+1reb+3ast, R.Roslund 10+5reb, S.Svedas 9+4reb+5ast
Eos: A.Karovic 19+9reb+4ast, K.Adanovur 14+7reb, N.Gjorup 11+3reb+4ast, A.Buza 6+1reb+2ast, M.Bjarnemar 5+1reb+1ast, T.Bendz 4+3reb
gschID: 166776




*****************************************************
  SWITZERLAND   


Reto Schwaiger joins Starwings, Boncourt sign John Sharper - by Luca Maffioli
Reto Schwaiger (192-G/F-87) comes back to Starwings Basket Regio Basel. The Swiss player decided to leave BC Boncourt Red Team after four seasons. He had 8.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11 games. BC Boncourt Red Team will replace Schwaiger with John Sharper (186-PG-84, college: San Diego St.). The American guard played only five games in Israel with Ironi Ramat Gan averaging 7.4 points. Last season he played in Swiss with BBC Monthey. Also Marcus Allen (201-F/C-87, college: Jacksonville) leaves BC Boncourt Red Team due an injury. He averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 8 LNA games.

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


Wesley Hsu is a newcomer at Armann - by Eurobasket Center
Armann (D1) added to their roster Taiwanese guard Wesley Hsu (191-G, college: Elon, agency: Hoops Ambassadors). Wes obtained his Taiwanese passport this summer and was anticipating playing in the SBL this year; however, just days before the draft while he was already in Taipei practicing with Yulon Luxgen he discovered a rule (that apparently just changed this year) that because he is over 25 years old, he would have to wait a year (while living in the country) before he is eligible to play. He was unsure what he was going to do, until he got a call a few days ago to come to Armann. They are a low-budget team in last place and they brought Wes in (as their only import player) to help them finish the season and hopefully avoid dropping a division. He arrived in Reykjavik on Monday and this Friday the 13th, he will travel to Akureyri to play his first game against Thor AK, the team he played for the past two seasons.


By Eurobasket Data Center



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


Vijana Hang On to Edge Out Pazi - by Eurobasket News
Dar es Salaam Vijana underlined their quest for the 2012 RBA League title after edging out their eternal rivals Pazi 61-56 in an exciting match yesterday.

Basketball fans at the National Indoor Stadium were on their feet throughout the game as both teams played their hearts out, and it was difficult to predict the winner.

Vijana, fondly referred to as Red Bulls, made a bright start, commanding the proceedings with swift but accurate passes to take a 13-8 first quarter lead.

The second half was even more thrilling. Pazi, looking unperturbed, pressed upfront relentlessly in search of points. After a tight battle, they managed to take the quarter 9-7. In the third Pazi, led by Ladi Ikunguru, started where they had left off and they seemed destined for a win when they took the quarter 26-16. Ikunguru, one of the best basketball players in the country at the moment, was in his best form and Vijana had trouble in containing him, especially in the third quarter.


In the fourth quarter, both teams fought desperately for points, pressing upfront in turn throughout the quarter to the delight of a partisan crowd at the venue.After a nail-biting battle early in the last quarter, Pazi slightly lost steam later allowing the well-drilled 'Red Bulls' to take the end-to-end quarter 26-13.

Vijana had to thank Jacob Malenga for the hard-earned victory as the evergreen player's pace and accurate passes briefly put Pazi at bay towards the end of the game.Mwalimu Heri of Vijana, whose combination with Ikunguru worked impressively upfront, scored 15 points for his team, and his compatriot Sud Abdulrazak had 12.

'I am very humbled to help my team beat Pazi and I must be thankful to my team mates. It was a tough match,' said Heri shortly after the match.'This is a clear indication that we are steadily restoring our dented glory,' he added. Ikunguru was a notable player for Pazi. He netted 13 for the falling giants.
Courtesy of: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)


ABC, JKT Meet in RBA League Opener - by Eurobasket News
Dar es Salaam For basketball fans, the National Indoor Stadium is the place to be as the 2012 RBA League starts with enticing games.Defending champions JKT open their title defence campaign against ABC in a repeat of last year's tense final.

Temeke MP Abas Mtemvu will grace the opening ceremony before the eagerly awaited tip-off.JKT, who trounced ABC 59-37 in a tension packed final, head to the courts with a psychological advantage.The reigning champions would be expecting Himidi Choka, Frank Kusiga (180-G-82) and Francis Mlewa (183-F-80) to do the damage once again.

However, ABC remain to be the team to beat considering the quality of their players.ABC bank on the likes of Filbert Mwaipungu, Adamu Jegame and Gilbert Batungi to avenge the defeat.

ABC head coach Leonard Kwale believes that his side can tame JKT, insisting that their intense preparations will reflect in this encounter.'We went back to the drawing board after an embarrassing loss last year, we are well prepared for the challenge and hopefully we'll beat them,' he said. However, JKT's coach Turbet Matiku said his charges will do the basics of the game to win.

'We have worked hard to get where we are right now and I believe the lads will execute when they face ABC,' he said.The day will also see Savio face Police while in the women's league, Lady Lioness will be hunting victory when they play Vijana Queens.

The men's teams taking part in this year's league are; Savio, ABC, Hoop Life, Vijana, JKT, Magone, Oilers, Chui and Pazi.
Courtesy of: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)


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


Bryant, Bell renew rivalry - by David Edole
BY TONY JONES
The Salt Lake Tribune

Through four quarters and a five-minute overtime, Kobe Bryant and Raja Bell (196-F/G-76, agency: Interperformances, college: FIU) fought and clawed with each other. Bell incurred a technical foul in the first period. The two pushed and shoved each other at the end of regulation. The competition reached a fever pitch on more than one occasion.

And then, following the Lakers 90-87 win over the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena on Wednesday night, the two went at it again in their respective locker rooms.

First, Bell weighed in. If hes going to take 31 shots to get 40, then thats pretty much all you can do. Anyone shooting 31 shots should score 40.

Bryant had his say as well. He cant stop me. He knows that. But hes good enough to make it interesting.

It was an interesting subplot to an enticing game, and a continuation of a rivalry between the two thats been going on since Bells days with the Phoenix Suns.

On Wednesday night, Bryants team got the best of the Jazz, as he scored 40 points, a night after torching the Suns, ironically, for a season-high 48.

Bell, however, refused to make it easy. He forced Bryant off his favorite spots. He tried his best to harass him, to get inside of his head mentally. He stopped Bryant, man-to-man, with regulation winding down.

Down the stretch, however, it was Bryant who drew the last laugh, making two free-throws with 0.7 seconds remaining, and then blocking a Devin Harris shot at the buzzer.

It felt good to get one here, Bryant said. This is a very tough place to play and it was a huge test for us.

This is why the Jazz acquired Bell, to be a defensive stopper on the perimeter. For the most part, he delivered against the Lakers.

He did the same thing last Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, locking Monta Ellis up at the end to preserve Utahs first road win of the season.

Slowly, Bell has begun to play much better. Hes even providing offense, hitting several jumpers last night and posing a threat to score, something he wasnt doing earlier.

But none of that means much to him, or the Jazz, since they couldnt pull out a winnable game.

I felt like we had several great opportunities tonight and feel like we did some things well as a team, Bell said. But were alright. We just have to go back to the drawing board.

Craig Williams scored 16 points to lead the Horned Frogs - by David Edole
FORT WORTH--TCU rolled Wednesday in its final Mountain West tune-up, posting an 88-58 win over Texas-Pan American at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The Horned Frogs scored the games first 18 points before coasting to victory.

The performance pushed TCUs season record to 10-5, which matches the best start for the Horned Frogs since the 2000-01 season (12-3). UTPA dropped to 5-15.

Senior forward Craig Williams (205-F-89) and senior guard Hank Thorns led all Frogs Wednesday with 16 points each. Williams made 5-of-9 field-goal attempts and 6-of-7 free throws, while Thorns went 7-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Williams added six rebounds. Also reaching double figures were junior guard/forward Garlon Green and sophomore forward Amric Fields with 14 points apiece, while senior guard J.R. Cadot totaled eight points. Green, Fields and Thorns combined to shoot 6-of-11 from 3-point range

Senior guard Nate Butler led TCU on the glass with a career- and game-high nine rebounds, helping the Frogs outrebound the Broncs by a 41-30 margin. Freshman guard Kyan Anderson dished out a career- and game-best seven assists and totaled three assists, while junior forward Adrick McKinney also collected three steals to go with six points and six boards.

TCU dominated the lane throughout the game, posting a 46-16 scoring advantage in the paint, while it also leaned on its defensive pressure to force 22 UTPA miscues that resulted in a 31-11 edge in points off turnovers. The inside effort generated several easy looks at the basket, and the Frogs were able to capitalize throughout the contest. The squad finished the game shooting 52.4 percent overall from the field while holding the Broncs to a rate of only 36.8 percent.

Guards Brandon Provost and Aaron Irbanus led UTPAs scoring attack with 14 points each. Provost was hot from outside, nailing 4-of-5 trey attempts from.

TCU controlled the game from the opening tip, scoring the first 10 points of the game while forcing three Bronc turnovers in the first 3:11. Following a UTPA timeout, the Frogs totaled four more baskets to make it 18 straight points before the Broncs were even able to scratch the scoreboard. Cadot and Green punctuated the early Frog run with back-to-back dunks.

UTPA finally got on the scoreboard at the 13:13 mark on a 3-pointer by Urbanus and was able to play even with the Frogs for the remainder of the half. TCU ended the period shooting 60.0 percent from the field in addition to forcing 16 Bronc turnovers, which it turned into a 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The Frogs posted a 26-10 scoring edge in the paint during the half.

The second half started out similar to the first, as TCU outscored the Broncs 21-7 in the opening nine minutes. Williams totaled seven points in the first four minutes alone. The lead grew to as many as 39 points with 6:31 remaining following another 8-0 Frog run.

TCU opens its 2012 Mountain West conference schedule this weekend, as the Frogs travel to Fort Collins, Colo., to take on Colorado State. Tip-off for the contest, which will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network, has been set for 8 p.m. CT.

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  UGANDA   


Basketball Review - Unpredictable Season Beckons - by Eurobasket News
The start of this year's basketball season might be three months away but before the drama unfolds, Felix Eupal previews the major talking points.

The Lugogo question

Due to a poor surface, the newly refurbished Lugogo indoor stadium was closed down three weeks after it was opened in October 2010. The delicate rubber floor developed bumps that couldn't allow free-flowing play.

Since then, local basketball governing body Fuba has always maintained that it will be ready soon but 13 months down the road, the situation isn't any better.

Ambrose Tashobya, the Fuba president, says the only thing left is to fit a new synthetic rubber floor. Unfortunately, they are running out of time after the management of YMCA, which hosted all matches last season, gave notice to take up the court to enlarge their premises.

Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Fuba and sponsors MTN will live up to their talk given that Uganda is due to host the Zone V Club Championship this year.

Who will earn Jeff Omondi services?

When UCU Canons fell to Warriors in the playoff semis, Jeff Omondi, the Canons skipper, made it clear that he would jump ship when his contract expires.

Everyone knows the damage the shooting guard can cause offensively and defensively and as expected, Warriors straightaway courted him.

They are not the only ones, however, as 7Up Falcons are also vying for his signature. Meanwhile, the Canons will do everything to hold onto one of their best players but whoever wins the battle, expect a staggering contract.

We are going to witness the best run-up to the playoffs

In recent seasons, the drama for the playoff slots has been limited for the fourth place with the first three places always decided long before the final round.

However, things are set to change this time round with Falcons, who missed out on the playoffs for the first time last season, tying up the loose ends to ensure it doesnit happen again.

Similarly, add Ndejje Angels, who are set to make big recruitments ahead of the season and you have six evenly-matched title contenders for four playoff slots. In a nutshell, basketball enthusiasts are in for one hell of a thriller.

Will Ivan Enabu finally get a FUBA title?

He went down on his knees, held his head in his hands and finally when he couldn't take it anymore, he broke down.

That's how Ivan Enabu, the Kyambogo Warriors star widely regarded as the best in the country, reacted when his team lost the playoff finals 3-4 to Power.

Meanwhile, his younger brothers Jimmy and Emmanuel had just landed the title in just a few attempts.

Having missed out on the championship in similar fashion while at UCU, the question is whether he will get the monkey off his back and win his first title.
Courtesy of: The Observer (Kampala)


Falcons bring Donald and Norman Blick - by Eurobasket News
Falcons bring Donald and Norman Blick (201-F-83) to the roster. The duo signed two-year contracts with Falcons on Tuesday, ending their relationship with Miracle Eagles.
Donald Blick (194-G/F-86) played in 2001-2002 for Sky Jammers and in 2004-2005 moved to Marines Nkumba (MTN League). In 2008-2009 he moved to Southampton Trailblazers (England-EBL3) and the season 2011 started for Dmark Power (MTN D1).
Norman Blick also started for Sky Jammers (1T) in 2001 and in 2004-2005 played for Marines Nkumba (MTN League, starting five). In 2005-2006 he moved however to Al Rayyan (Qatar-D1). In 2006 Norman played for Marines Nkumba (MTN League, starting five) and in 2008-2009 played for Southampton Trailblazers (England-EBL3). The season 2009 he played for Sadolin Power (MTN D1, starting five) and in 2011 played for Dmark Power (MTN D1).



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  UKRAINE   


Superleague Round 21: BC Donetsk keeps a leadership position - by Eurobasket News
The Regular Season in Superleague is slowly approaching the end. But there may be still some important changes in the final standings in the last 4 rounds. The round was rather attractive and full of interesting results. The round ended with extra overtimes and favorites losing the games.

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked BC Donetsk as it allowed them to take a leadership position. BC Donetsk defeated 3rd placed Khimik at home 92-84. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Khimik. The hosts trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 27-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game. BC Donetsk made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was Serbian point guard Vule Avdalovic (189-81, agency: Beo Basket) who scored 20 points and 8 assists. Serbian forward Ivan Radenovic (208-84, college: Arizona) chipped in 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line). BC Donetsk's coach Sasa Obradovic used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Reyshawn Terry (203-84, college: N.Carolina) who recorded 29 points and 9 rebounds. BC Donetsk have a solid series of three victories in a row. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with Budivelnyk. Khimik at the other side keeps the third place with nine games lost. Khimik will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest in order to get back on the winning path. BC Donetsk will try to continue on its current victory against eighth ranked Dnipro in Dnepropetrovsk.
Twelfth-ranked Kryvbasbasket (7-15) made lots of trouble for second ranked Budivelnyk (16-5) in Kyiv. Budivelnyk managed to secure only two-point victory 94-92. However their fans expected much easier game. It was a good game for American forward Zach Morley (203-83, college: Wisconsin) who led his team to a victory with 18 points and 8 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line). Rolandas Alijevas contributed with 21 points for the winners. Budivelnyk's coach Zvezdan Mitrovic allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. American guard Alvin Snow (188-81, college: E.Washington) answered with 24 points and 6 rebounds for Kryvbasbasket. Budivelnyk have a solid series of three victories in a row. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader, which they share with BC Donetsk. Kryvbasbasket at the other side dropped to the eleventh place with 15 games lost. Budivelnyk will play against Dnipro (#8) in Dnepropetrovsk in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Kryvbasbasket will play at home against Halychyna in Lviv and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Fourteenth-ranked Halychyna (2-20) made lots of trouble for seventh ranked Hoverla (14-9) in Lviv on Monday. The visitors from Frankivsk managed to secure only two-point victory 99-97. However their fans expected much easier game. Kevin Tiggs stepped up and scored 25 points for the winners. The best for the losing side was Vladan Vukosavljevic with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Hoverla moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Ferro-ZNTU. Halychyna lost fifteenth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 20 lost games. Hoverla will meet at home Ferro-ZNTU (#6) in the next round. Halychyna will play against Kryvbasbasket (#11) in Krivoy Rog and hope to secure a win.
We should mention about the upset which took place in Kyiv, where 9th ranked BC Kyiv (10-12) lost at home to twelfth ranked Kryvbasbasket (7-15) 74-81. Bryan Davis nailed 18 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Kryvbasbasket moved-up to eleventh place. BC Kyiv at the other side keeps the ninth position with 12 games lost. Kryvbasbasket's next round opponent will be bottom-ranked Halychyna (#14) in Lviv.
The game with biggest result difference took place in Odessa. Local BC Odessa (14-8) outscored 11th ranked Cherkasy (6-15) 100-75 on Tuesday night. The best player for the winners was Willie Deane who had a double-double by scoring 21 points and 12 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. BC Odessa have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Azovmash. Cherkasy lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the twelfth position with 15 games lost. BC Odessa will face Mykolaiv (#10) in Mykolaiv in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Cherkasy will play at home against BC Kyiv.

Other games of round 21 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Dnipro was defeated by Azovmash in Mariupol 71-64. Mykolaiv beat Cherkasy at home 83-79. Ferro-ZNTU destroyed Halychyna on the opponent's court 90-68. BC Donetsk managed to outperform Azovmash in a home game 69-57.
The best stats of 21th round was 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists by Mike Davis of Ferro-ZNTU.


BC Donetsk - Khimik 92-84

The game had a very big importance for second-ranked BC Donetsk as it allowed them to take a leadership position. BC Donetsk defeated 3rd placed Khimik at home 92-84. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Khimik. The hosts trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 27-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game. BC Donetsk made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was Serbian point guard Vule Avdalovic (189-81, agency: Beo Basket) who scored 20 points and 8 assists. Serbian forward Ivan Radenovic (208-84, college: Arizona) chipped in 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line). BC Donetsk's coach Sasa Obradovic used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Reyshawn Terry (203-84, college: N.Carolina) who recorded 29 points and 9 rebounds and the other American import point guard Darrel Mitchell (181-84, college: LSU, agency: Beo Basket) added 14 points and 6 assists respectively. Five Khimik players scored in double figures. BC Donetsk have a solid series of three victories in a row. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with Budivelnyk. Khimik at the other side keeps the third place with nine games lost. Khimik will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest in order to get back on the winning path. BC Donetsk will try to continue on its current victory against eighth ranked Dnipro in Dnepropetrovsk.
Top scorers:
BC Donetsk: V.Avdalovic 20+4reb+8ast, R.Curry 20+4reb+1ast, I.Radenovic 15+8reb+4ast, M.Lee 8+3reb+2ast, V.Kravtsov 8+7reb, O.Lypovyy 6+1reb
Khimik: R.Terry 29+9reb+2ast, A.McGhee 16+7reb, D.Mitchell 14+4reb+6ast, D.Ikovlev 11+5reb+2ast, P.Miletic 10, S.Popov 2+1reb
gschID: 166223


BC Kyiv - Kryvbasbasket 74-81

We should mention about the upset which took place in Kyiv, where 9th ranked BC Kyiv (10-12) lost at home to twelfth ranked Kryvbasbasket (7-15) 74-81. It looked good early as BC Kyiv took an 4-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Kryvbasbasket had a 22-11 second period charge getting the lead and BC Kyiv was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 74-81. Kryvbasbasket made 22-of-29 charity shots (75.9 percent) during the game. 24 personal fouls committed by BC Kyiv helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American forward Bryan Davis (206-86, college: Texas A&M, agency: N.E.T.) nailed 18 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side and Serbian power forward Dalibor Djapa (204-84, agency: Alti Sport) accounted for 13 points and 6 rebounds. Four Kryvbasbasket players scored in double figures. American guard Gary Ervin (182-83, college: Arkansas) came up with 15 points and 8 rebounds and guard Vladyslav Podolyan (196-86, agency: New Trend Agency) added 20 points and 6 rebounds respectively for BC Kyiv in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Kryvbasbasket moved-up to eleventh place. BC Kyiv at the other side keeps the ninth position with 12 games lost. Kryvbasbasket's next round opponent will be bottom-ranked Halychyna (#14) in Lviv.
Top scorers:
Kryvbasbasket: B.Davis 18+9reb+1ast, V.Malchevskiy 14+4reb, D.Djapa 13+6reb, J.Florence 13+1reb+4ast, P.Caldwell 9+6reb+1ast, A.Snow 5+2reb+1ast
BC Kyiv: V.Podolyan 20+6reb, G.Ervin 15+8reb+3ast, D.Zimmerman 13+7reb+3ast, P.Barac 8+1reb, A.Shvets 5+4reb+2ast, V.Bobrov 4+2reb
gschID: 166224


Azovmash - Dnipro 71-64

There was no surprise in Mariupol where 8th ranked Dnipro (11-10) was defeated by sixth ranked Azovmash (14-8) 71-64 on Thursday. The hosts trailed by 1 point after three quarters before their 21-13 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Azovmash made 17-of-20 free shots (85.0 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was American guard Daniel Ewing (191-83, college: Duke, agency: Alti Sport) who scored 17 points and 9 assists. Slovakian power forward Radoslav Rancik (207-79, college: St.Cloud St., agency: Beo Basket) chipped in 15 points and 6 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was American point guard Derrick Low (188-86, college: Washington St.) who recorded 16 points and 4 assists and the other American import forward Charles Thomas (203-86, college: Arkansas) added 14 points and 6 rebounds respectively. Four Dnipro players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Azovmash moved-up to fourth place, which they share with BC Odessa. Dnipro lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the eighth position with ten games lost. Azovmash will face Mykolaiv (#10) in Mykolaiv in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Dnipro will play at home against the league's second-placed Budivelnyk in Kyiv.
Top scorers:
Azovmash: D.Ewing 17+3reb+9ast, R.Rancik 15+6reb, O.Pecherov 10+5reb, R.Minard 9+4reb+6ast, A.Drozdov 7+3reb+1ast, A.Slipenchuk 5+1reb
Dnipro: D.Low 16+4reb+4ast, C.Thomas 14+6reb+2ast, Q.Woods 10+9reb+2ast, J.Moiso 10+6reb+1ast, M.Korniyenko 6+10reb+1ast, D.Kozlov 3
gschID: 166220


Mykolaiv - Cherkasy 83-79

The game between closely ranked teams ended with tenth ranked Mykolaiv's (8-13) home victory over 11th ranked Cherkasy (6-15) 83-79 on Thursday. Cherkasy trailed by 16 points after 3 quarters before a 24-12 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 79-83 at the end of the game. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Mykolaiv made 8 blocks. The game was dominated by American players. The best player for the winners was point guard Jerome Coleman (187-81, college: Rutgers) who scored 21 points and 4 assists. Center Daniel McClintock (212-77, college: N.Arizona) chipped in 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. At the other side the best for losing team was guard Willie Solomon (187-78, college: Clemson) who recorded 31 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and power forward Trent Plaisted (211-86, college: BYU, agency: Priority Sports) added 13 points and 7 rebounds respectively. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. Mykolaiv maintains tenth place with 8-13 record. Cherkasy lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the twelfth position with 15 games lost. Mykolaiv will face higher ranked Azovmash (#4) in Mariupol in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Cherkasy will play at home against BC Kyiv (#9).
Top scorers:
Mykolaiv: J.Coleman 21+3reb+4ast, O.Onufriyev 13+5reb+1ast, D.McClintock 12+9reb+1ast, R.Green 12+7reb+2ast, L.Iailo 9+2reb+2ast, A.McLain 8+2reb
Cherkasy: W.Solomon 31+5reb+4ast, T.Plaisted 13+7reb+1ast, I.Timermanis 12+5reb+3ast, M.Pupovic 10+9reb+1ast, A.Panchenko 8+2reb+2ast, A.Nerush 4+2reb
gschID: 166221


Halychyna - Ferro-ZNTU 68-90

Very expected game in Lviv where 14th ranked Halychyna (2-20) was rolled over by seventh ranked Ferro-ZNTU (14-9) 90-68 on Thursday. The game without a history. Ferro-ZNTU led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Halychyna's 30. Ferro-ZNTU looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was American forward Mike Davis (205-88, college: Illinois) who scored 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. His fellow American import guard Jeremy Chappell (191-87, college: Robert Morris, agency: Hart Sports Mngm) chipped in a double-double by scoring 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Four Ferro-ZNTU players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was Serbian power forward Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-84, agency: Beo Basket) who recorded a double-double by scoring 23 points and 13 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) and Bosnian forward Bozo Djurasovic (200-87, agency: Sport Connect) added 15 points and 7 rebounds respectively. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Ferro-ZNTU have a solid series of four victories in a row. They moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Hoverla. Halychyna lost fifteenth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 20 lost games. Ferro-ZNTU will face Hoverla (#7) in Frankivsk in the next round. Halychyna will play on the road against Kryvbasbasket (#11) in Krivoy Rog.
Top scorers:
Ferro-ZNTU: M.Davis 29+7reb+5ast, J.Chappell 17+10reb+6ast, R.Guinn 17+5reb+3ast, R.Culpepper 11+4ast, H.Kandrusevich 7+4reb+2ast, A.Rybalko 5+5reb
Halychyna: V.Vukosavljevic 23+13reb+1ast, L.Harris 19+1reb+5ast, B.Djurasovic 15+7reb+3ast, M.Williams 6+1reb+5ast, P.Revzin 3+3reb, A.Chemyakin 2+2reb
gschID: 166222


BC Donetsk - Azovmash 69-57

Rather predictable result when second ranked BC Donetsk (16-5) beat at home 6th ranked Azovmash (14-8) 69-57 on Monday. The hosts trailed by 2 points after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 17-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 69-57. BC Donetsk dominated on the defensive end, holding Azovmash to just 5 points in second quarter. They outrebounded Azovmash 38-23 including 24 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was American guard Ramel Curry (192-80, college: CSU Bakersfield) who scored 9 points and 7 rebounds. Serbian forward Ivan Radenovic (208-84, college: Arizona) chipped in 11 points and 5 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international guard Artur Drozdov (199-80) who recorded 11 points and 9 rebounds and American swingman Ricky Minard (196-82, college: Morehead St.) added 12 points respectively. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. BC Donetsk have a solid series of three victories in a row. They keep a position of league leader, which they share with Budivelnyk. Azovmash lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fourth place with eight games lost. BC Donetsk will face Dnipro (#8) in Dnepropetrovsk in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Azovmash will play on the road against Mykolaiv (#10) in Mykolaiv.
Top scorers:
BC Donetsk: I.Radenovic 11+5reb+1ast, V.Avdalovic 9+3ast, R.Curry 9+7reb+2ast, V.Kravtsov 8+3reb+1ast, O.Lypovyy 8+2reb+2ast, M.Pustozvonov 7+2reb+3ast
Azovmash: R.Minard 12+3reb+2ast, A.Drozdov 11+9reb, B.Bayda 9, O.Pecherov 8+6reb, R.Rancik 4+3reb, R.Varda 4+1reb
gschID: 166217


BC Odessa - Cherkasy 100-75

The game with biggest result difference took place in Odessa. Local BC Odessa (14-8) outscored 11th ranked Cherkasy (6-15) 100-75 on Tuesday night. It was a very close game until the last quarter, when BC Odessa's pressure prevailed and they won that period 34-15 extending their advantage to 25 points. They made 18-of-20 free shots (90.0 percent) during the game. BC Odessa looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Cherkasy's players. The best player for the winners was American-Bulgarian point guard Willie Deane (188-80, college: Purdue, agency: Higher Vision Sports) who had a double-double by scoring 21 points and 12 assists. Vincentian center Shawn King (208-82, college: ORU) chipped in a double-double by scoring 15 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Five BC Odessa players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Willie Solomon (187-78, college: Clemson) who recorded 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and the other American import power forward Trent Plaisted (211-86, college: BYU, agency: Priority Sports) added 17 points and 7 rebounds respectively. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. BC Odessa have a solid series of three victories in a row. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Azovmash. Cherkasy lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the twelfth position with 15 games lost. BC Odessa will face Mykolaiv (#10) in Mykolaiv in the next round which should be theoretically another easy game. Cherkasy will play at home against BC Kyiv.
Top scorers:
BC Odessa: R.Kryvych 22+6reb+2ast, W.Deane 21+3reb+12ast, S.King 15+12reb+5ast, J.Love 15+2reb+4ast, S.Koval 11+3reb+4ast, S.Balashov 6+4reb+2ast
Cherkasy: T.Plaisted 17+7reb, W.Solomon 15+6reb+4ast, V.Stojanovski 11+2reb+2ast, A.Nerush 9, A.Panchenko 8+1reb+1ast, I.Timermanis 7+4reb
gschID: 166218


Budivelnyk - Kryvbasbasket 94-92

Twelfth-ranked Kryvbasbasket (7-15) made lots of trouble for second ranked Budivelnyk (16-5) in Kyiv. Budivelnyk managed to secure only two-point victory 94-92. However their fans expected much easier game. Kryvbasbasket was ahead by 7 points after three quarters before a 25-16 charge of Budivelnyk, which allowed them to win the game. They made 22-of-25 charity shots (88.0 percent) during the game. They brought some defensive toughness making 7 blocks. Kryvbasbasket was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a good game for American forward Zach Morley (203-83, college: Wisconsin) who led his team to a victory with 18 points and 8 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line). Swiss-Lithuanian guard Rolandas Alijevas (192-85) contributed with 21 points for the winners. Budivelnyk's coach Zvezdan Mitrovic allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. American guard Alvin Snow (188-81, college: E.Washington) answered with 24 points and 6 rebounds and the other American import guard James Florence (185-88, college: Mercer, agency: Pro One Sports) added 22 points and 4 assists in the effort for Kryvbasbasket. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Budivelnyk have a solid series of three victories in a row. Defending champion keeps a position of league leader, which they share with BC Donetsk. Kryvbasbasket at the other side dropped to the eleventh place with 15 games lost. Budivelnyk will play against Dnipro (#8) in Dnepropetrovsk in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Kryvbasbasket will play at home against Halychyna in Lviv and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Budivelnyk: R.Alijevas 21+3reb+1ast, Z.Morley 18+8reb+3ast, M.Anisimovas 16+2reb+1ast, J.McClinton 11+1reb+1ast, S.Sehovic 11+6reb+1ast, P.Burenko 9+2reb+6ast
Kryvbasbasket: A.Snow 24+6reb+1ast, J.Florence 22+3reb+4ast, D.Djapa 20+5reb+2ast, B.Davis 10+8reb+3ast, V.Malchevskiy 9+4reb, V.Konev 5+6reb
gschID: 166219


Halychyna - Hoverla 97-99 OT

Fourteenth-ranked Halychyna (2-20) made lots of trouble for seventh ranked Hoverla (14-9) in Lviv on Monday. The visitors from Frankivsk managed to secure only two-point victory 99-97. However their fans expected much easier game. Halychyna cut a 14-point halftime deficit to tie the game at the end of regular time. But they lost overtime period 12-14. Hoverla looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American swingman Kevin Tiggs (196-84, college: E.Tenn.St.) stepped up and scored 25 points for the winners and his fellow American import point guard Marcus Walker (186-86, college: Colorado St., agency: Hart Sports Mngm) chipped in 23 points. The best for the losing side was Serbian power forward Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-84, agency: Beo Basket) with a double-double by scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds and American guard Lans Harris (195-83, college: Kansas St.) scored 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Four Hoverla and five Halychyna players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Hoverla moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Ferro-ZNTU. Halychyna lost fifteenth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 20 lost games. Hoverla will meet at home Ferro-ZNTU (#6) in the next round. Halychyna will play against Kryvbasbasket (#11) in Krivoy Rog and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Hoverla: K.Tiggs 25+3reb+2ast, M.Walker 23+2reb+3ast, E.Coleman 14+5reb+1ast, B.Greene 12+11reb+3ast, Y.Lemyk 7+3reb+1ast, D.Swanson 7+8reb+12ast
Halychyna: V.Vukosavljevic 26+15reb+1ast, L.Harris 21+8reb+5ast, O.Dolenko 13+1reb+3ast, M.Williams 10+3reb+5ast, P.Revzin 10+2reb, B.Djurasovic 6+1reb
gschID: 166216




Vojdan Stojanovski leaves Cherkasy, heads to Donetsk - by Eurobasket News
Vojdan Stojanovski (193-G-87) and Cherkasy have reached a mutual agreement on terms of contract termination. The FYR Macedonian guard joined the team at the start of the season. Vojdan Stojanovski delivered 14.7 points, 4.4 boards, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game in Superleague. Last season the guard spent in FYR Macedonia. He played for Feni Industrija Kavardici. Vojdan Stojanovski was the member of U18 and U20 FYR Macedonian National Teams. He has been playing for the National Team since 2008. The guard participated at 2011 EuroBasket. He tallied 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in Lithuania.
Vojdan Stojanovski will not leave Ukraine. He has reportedly joined BC Donetsk and would commence training with the team tomorrow.


Halychyna land Miroslav Todic - by Eurobasket News
Halychyna bolstered their roster. They agreed on terms of contract with Miroslav Todic (205-F-85). The forward started the season in Greece. He played for Ilysiakos. Miroslav Todic averaged 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per appearance in A1 League. Last season Miroslav Todic started in Achilleas in Cyprus. Later the forward moved to Ilysiakos. The Bosnian player also had stints with Krka Novo Mesto, FMP, Skyliners, Kolossos, Larissas and Sundsvall Dragons. Miroslav Todic is meant to replace Aleksander Miloserdov (196-G-80). The Russian player left the team earlier this week.


Standings - Superleague
Superleague Standings
 1. BC Donetsk 16-5 
 2. Budivelnyk 16-5 
 3. Khimik 15-9 
 4. Azovmash 14-8 
 5. BC Odessa 14-8 
 6. Ferro-ZNTU 14-9 
 7. Hoverla 14-9 
 8. Dnipro 11-10 
 9. BC Kyiv 10-12 
 10. Mykolaiv 8-13 
 11. Kryvbasbasket 7-15 
 12. Cherkasy 6-15 
 13. DniproAzot 6-15 
 14. Halychyna 2-20 


Stats Leaders - Men
Points Per Game
 Willie SOLOMON
  Cherkasy
  (187-G-78)
  Avg: 20.8
 1. Solomon, Cherkasy20.8 
 2. Culpepper, Fe.20.3 
 3. Burtt, Dnipro20.1 
 4. Deane, BC Odessa18.8 
 5. Guinn, Fe.17.9 
 6. King, BC Odessa17.8 
 7. Mitchell, Khimik17.4 
 8. Harris, Halychyna17.0 
 9. Vukosavljevi., Hal.16.9 
 10. Minard, Azovmash16.7 
Rebounds Per Game
 Vladan VUKOSAVLJEVIC
  Halych.
  (206-F/C-84)
  Avg: 10.9
 1. Vukosavljevi., Hal.10.9 
 2. King, BC Odessa10.9 
 3. Davis, Kryvbasb.9.0 
 4. Fraser, DniproAzot8.9 
 5. Korniyenko, Dnipro8.8 
 6. Davis, Fe.8.7 
 7. Odufuwa, Halychyna8.1 
 8. Goodridge, BC Kyiv7.8 
 9. Pecherov, Azovmash7.5 
 10. Pupovic, Cherkasy7.4 
Assists Per Game
 Darrel MITCHELL
  Khimik
  (181-PG-84)
  Avg: 6.4
 1. Mitchell, Khimik6.4 
 2. Zimmerman, BC Kyiv5.8 
 3. Deane, BC Odessa5.8 
 4. Ewing, Azovmash5.3 
 5. Burtt, Dnipro5.0 
 6. Florence, Kryvbasb.5.0 
 7. Butskyy, Fe.4.9 
 8. Morovic, Halychyna4.4 
 9. Ervin, BC Kyiv4.3 
 10. Swanson, Hoverla4.3 
Steals Per Game
 Jeremy CHAPPELL
  Fe.
  (191-G-87)
  Avg: 2
 1. Chappell, Fe.2.0 
 2. House, Dnipro1.9 
 3. Florence, Kryvbasb.1.8 
 4. Minard, Azovmash1.8 
 5. Curry, BC Donetsk1.8 
 6. Tiggs, Hoverla1.7 
 7. Ewing, Azovmash1.6 
 8. Nelson, BC Donetsk1.6 
 9. Sirsnins, DniproAz.1.6 
 10. Mitchell, Khimik1.5 
Blocks Per Game
 Daniel MCCLINTOCK
  Mykolaiv
  (212-C-77)
  Avg: 2.4
 1. McClintock, Mykola.2.4 
 2. Goodridge, BC Kyiv2.3 
 3. King, BC Odessa2.2 
 4. Davis, Kryvbasb.2.0 
 5. Korniyenko, Dnipro1.7 
 6. Gorbenko, Dnipr.1.6 
 7. Rizvic, Azovmash1.5 
 8. Hunter, Mykolaiv1.4 
 9. Kravtsov, BC Do.1.3 
 10. Parakhouski, Budi.1.3 


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


The 23rd Version of Dubai International Championship starts today . - by Captin Andy
The 23rd Version of Dubai International Championship starts today .
The Championship is organized by The Basketball Union
and will be held at Maktoum bin Mohammed hall at Al Ahli Dubai Club.
The 1st game will be Al Ittihad Al skandri Vs Al Ahli Dubai.
The opening game at 7:00pm-UAE Timing-,
will be between UAE National team and Al Hikmah Lebanon.

8 Teams participating in this Championship:
-UAE National team representative of the Dubai RTA .
-Iranian Foolath representative of Sadaf Group.
-Al Ittihad Al skandri representative of Dubai Duty Free.
-Al Hikmah Lebanon representative of First Security Group.
-Anibal Zohlah (Lebanon) representative of the Emirates Flight.
-Hoops Lebanon representative of SGBL.
-Al Ahli Dubai.
-Al Matti kazakhistan.

The UAE National team went through a preparation period before the fight on the Championship today.
By going in closed training camp and morning and evening exercises,
led by Coach Munir Suleiman and his assistant, Zoran, and follow up by the President of the Union and members
of the Committee elected Abdullatif Al Fardan.
14 players were chosen to play in the National team:
The team Captain Ali Abbas ,Jassim Abdul Ridah and Hussein Ali Omar from Al Shabab Dubai.
Ibrahim Khalfan and Rashid Nassir from Al Wasl.
Jassim Jaber,Malallah Rashid, Mottar Abdallah and Moammed Rashid from Al Nahl Sharjah.
Qais Omar and Moammed Abdulatif from Al Ahli Dubai.
Ibrahim Obaid and Saleh Sulatn from Al Nasr.
Rashed Mohammed Saleh from Bani Yas.

The Teams were divided into 2 groups :

1st group
Al Ittihad Al skandri ,Anibal Zohlah (Lebanon),
Iranian Foolath & Al Ahli Dubai.

2nd Group
Al Hikmah Lebanon , Hoops Lebanon ,
Al Matti kazakhistan & UAE National team.

The preliminaries will start from today to Monday , 12th-16, January.
Then all teams will get a rest on Tuesday,17th, January.
The Final rounds will be from Wednesday to Saturday,
18th - 21st , January.

Source:
http://www.alkhaleej.ae/portal/8545c7c3-7f40-4364-85ff-0cfa6541e104.aspx




*****************************************************
  UNITED KINGDOM   


Eagles Legenmd Eyes Up Coaching Return - by Paul Nilsen
Newcastle Eagles legend TJ 'The Daddy' Walker is eyeing up a return to the BBL in a coaching capacity.

Having briefly held the reins at the Jets, the iconic Eagles guard is ready and eager to answer the call if an opportunity arises in the future.

In addition to his wealth of BBL playing experience including time spent under Tony Garbelotto, lessons learned from his time at Cheshire and of course taking inspiration from Eagles play-caller Fab Flournoy with whom he enjoyed a truly special relationship; Tirone Walker (186-G-75, college: Azusa Pacific) can now also point to having actually run a club back in California.

Why do I want back in? Well, I know I have the knowledge and the know-how to put a competitive team on the floor in the BBL explained Walker.

That is exactly what I did during my short stint at the helm with the Jets - the coaching wasn't the problem when it was decided to part ways at that time.

We were on the back of a six game winning streak that had landed us in the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy.

He continued, They gave me a chance to start a new career and I'm truly grateful for that. I think we were just going in two different ways.

I still had the mentality of a player at the time and it wasn't until I had knee surgery during that season that I realized sitting on the sideline and just coaching was best for me and for the team.

As it turned out, we played our best basketball of the year during that time when I was able to just focus on coaching.

In terms of drawing down inspiration from Flournoy and his time at the Eagles, Walker is also quick to point out how he learned from Managing Director Paul Blake with the north-east club one of the first to really jump into the community basketball scene with both feet.

I have said it before - I was sceptical when Paul Blake first came to me about the possibility that Fab would be our player coach back in 2002.

It takes a very special person to do that job and Fab is probably the only person around the world that has done it at the level that he has for so long.

Within a year, I was sold on him and would run through a brick wall for him when it was all said and done.

The UK was adopted by me as my second home, and as a player, I had an unique relationship with Fab.

He always made his own decisions but I was able to express myself and my thoughts, which in turn, turned out to be six years of grooming for the time when I stepped into my own head coaching position.

One thing I have always been and remain so until this day is a sponge - watching and listening to Fab and Paul Blake for all those years.

Now that my playing days are officially over, I feel I would be a great asset to a club that is looking to go to the next level on and off the court.

Hoops 4 Health has become a focal point around the league and I was around with Paul and the Eagles when it was first introduced to the surrounding community and few have as much experience with that program as I do!

Meanwhile the experience with Modesto Bearcats in the ABA was a roller-coaster ride for Walker but generally a very positive one.

I coached the Bearcats to a Finals spot in the western division play-offs and having learned from the Eagles and Jets, it was much easier for me to run my own ABA team for a year.' said Walker.

Fortunately we were recognised around the league for having a very professional presentation and a competitive team on the court by other owners and also the officials that came to our home venue.

I was actually brought in by an owner that had brought the team to Modesto. When I was approached, it was a no brainier to coach essentially a semi-pro team in my home city.

But, after about six weeks, it was evident that the finance was not where it needed to be and the ABA office was ready to pull the plug on the club.

I spoke with the ABA commissioner and was told there were problems from the previous owner and I was in a sticky situation, because I had already put a team together, had sponsors on board and my family's name was attached.

We decided to take over the team for the year and to see if there would be more financial backing after year one to keep the team going.

We actually had a solid year but we knew we couldn't do it into the future without some financial backing.

All in all, it was a great experience.

He added, Now Im enjoying coaching high school basketball where I have won a league title with the school during my first year.

With the Eagles preparing to take on UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders in Sundays BBL Cup Final, Walker laughs when asked for his opinion on the most successful club and coach in BBL history reaching another showpiece event.

What are my thoughts on Fab being in another Final? That's exactly what that dude is built for laughed Walker.

I'm shocked when they arent playing in a Final!

The mindset around the Eagles camp changed after we won our first trophy back in 2005. I remember before that final our mindset was simply about getting to the Final but after we won one, our mindset became - lets win all finals!

It might sound cocky to those who really don't know Fab, but I truly believe that he feels that every single piece of BBL silverware are all his before the season starts every year and its up to another team to take it away from him

You really have to love Fab for that!

Jones Anticipates Thomson Showdown - by Paul Nilsen
UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders' shooting guard James Jones (193-G/F-83, college: Whitworth) is excited about facing former team-mate Andy Thomson in Sunday's BBL Cup final.

The pair came through the junior ranks at EBL club Manchester Magic, and were team-mates at Mersey Tigers last season as the Liverpool side lifted three trophies.

'It's a fifth consecutive BBL final for me and Andy,' said the 28-year-old Englishman. 'We played in the 2010 play-off final, and all three last season. One of us is going to be happy on Sunday evening and one isn't.

'Andy was around my dad's house in Manchester at Christmas and I told him he'd have to wait for his present as it was a runners-up medal. He told me the same thing, but it was definitely my idea!'

Jones is clearly excited about the prospect in playing in his ninth BBL final. As well as competing in six title games with Tigers, he was a key part of the Guildford Heat team which won the BBL Cup and play-off double in 2008.

'I'm definitely looking forward to it, it's always exciting to be in a final and I think it will be a really good game,' he said.

Jones has a good idea what to expect from Eagles: 'We know how they've been picking up wins, and it's hard to look past Charles Smith, Thommo [Thomson] and Joe Chapman as their key scorers. We've seen from their stats that they're shooting a lot of three-pointers, so we'll have to defend the three point line.

'Fab [Flournoy], Darius [Defoe] and Andrew Bridge all play good, solid defence, and they're a well balanced team. Paul Gause brings something different with his speed and ability to penetrate, but I think we match up well with them.'

The Eagles have already handed a 90-67 beating to the Raiders this season, and Jones is keen to avoid a repeat: 'A lot of us didn't turn up last time played them, and we lost badly. Mike Ojo was missing and Anthony Row had flu, but we weren't ready to play. It will be completely different this time. When Tigers lost to Sharks in last year's final it was a turning point for us, and I think the loss at Eagles this year was a similar situation. Gavin [Love] was sorting the rotations out, and we're now comfortable with our roles - there's been a big improvement.'

*****************************************************
  URUGUAY   


Standings - LUB
LUB Standings
Capital
 1. Hebraica 20-3 
 2. Malvin 19-6 
 3. Defensor 16-8 
 4. Welcome 16-8 
 5. Aguada 15-11 
 6. Bigua 13-11 
 7. Trouville 13-13 
 8. Larre Borges 12-13 
 9. Bohemios 11-13 
 10. Un.Atletica 11-13 
 11. Cordon 11-14 
 12. Olimpia 9-15 
 13. Guruyu Waston 9-16 
 14. Montevideo 9-17 
 15. Sayago 7-18 
 16. Cader 6-18 
Littoral
 1. Anastasia 4-0 
 2. Remeros 3-1 
 3. Wanderers 2-2 
 4. Universitario S. 1-3 
 5. Juventus Salto 0-4 
South
 1. Lagomar 5-0 
 2. Plaza 3-2 
 3. Lavalleja 2-2 
 4. Maldonado 2-3 
 5. Flores Trinidad 0-5 


Stats Leaders - LUB
Points Per Game
 Brandon BROWN
  Trouville
  (201-F-85)
  Avg: 24.4
 1. Brown, Trouville24.4 
 2. Crews, Cader24.3 
 3. Keenan, Larre B.24.0 
 4. Humphrey, Bigua23.8 
 5. Herring, Bohemios22.7 
 6. Roland, Sayago22.1 
 7. Gale, Olimpia22.0 
 8. Eddie, Cordon21.7 
 9. Johnson, Olimpia21.0 
 10. Garcia Moral., Bi.20.7 
Rebounds Per Game
 Ryan HUMPHREY
  Bigua
  (203-C/F-79)
  Avg: 43.8
 1. Humphrey, Bigua43.8 
 2. Polk, Montevideo14.0 
 3. Wilborn, Un.Atleti.12.6 
 4. Shellman, Sayago11.4 
 5. Passos, Hebraica10.8 
 6. Crews, Cader10.6 
 7. Keenan, Larre B.10.5 
 8. Jackson, Defensor10.4 
 9. Douglas, Bohemios9.9 
 10. Jackson, Olimpia9.3 
Assists Per Game
 Gustavo BARRERA
  Hebraica
  (194-G-85)
  Avg: 8.7
 1. Barrera, Hebraica8.7 
 2. Fitipaldo, Malvin5.6 
 3. Gonzalez, Aguada5.3 
 4. Taboada, Larre B.5.1 
 5. Silvarrey, Sayago5.0 
 6. Garcia Moral., Big.4.6 
 7. de Gouveia, Monte.4.6 
 8. Muro, Aguada4.4 
 9. Martinez, Malvin4.3 
 10. Tornaria, Trouvil.4.3 
Steals Per Game
 Gustavo BARRERA
  Hebraica
  (194-G-85)
  Avg: 2.6
 1. Barrera, Hebraica2.6 
 2. Shellman, Sayago2.5 
 3. Tornaria, Trouville2.5 
 4. Clarkson, Larre B.2.4 
 5. Aguilera, Trouville2.3 
 6. Garcia Moral., Big.2.3 
 7. Vazquez, Olimpia2.2 
 8. Evans, Cader2.1 
 9. Silvarrey, Sayago2.0 
 10. Brown, Trouville2.0 
Blocks Per Game
 Ryan HUMPHREY
  Bigua
  (203-C/F-79)
  Avg: 1.9
 1. Humphrey, Bigua1.9 
 2. Wilborn, Un.Atleti.1.9 
 3. Jackson, Olimpia1.9 
 4. Polk, Montevideo1.9 
 5. Clarkson, Larre B.1.7 
 6. Herring, Bohemios1.7 
 7. Crews, Cader1.7 
 8. McCoy, Sayago1.5 
 9. Augustus, Hebraica1.5 
 10. Newsome, Malvin1.5 


Guruyu Waston lands Haynes - by Eurobasket Center
Guruyu Waston strengthened their roster with addition of American guard Calvin Haynes (187-G, college: Oregon St.). In his first game he scored 19 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Despite his good performance his new team lost to Olimpia 73-91. Haynes played most recently at Reno Bighorns (D-League) in the U.S. He just graduated Oregon State University and actually missed last season. It will be his first season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center

*****************************************************
  VTB UNITED LEAGUE   


Day 16: Khimky loses #1 position - by Eurobasket News
There were many interesting games last round. The round ended with change at the leadership position and favorites losing the games.

Round 16 in VTB United League means a new league leader. The biggest surprise took place in Kaunas where host Lithuanian Zalgiris (4-5) edged league's leader Russian Khimky (8-2) 95-94 on Thursday evening. The hosts trailed by 5 points after three quarters before their 24-18 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Zalgiris shot 64.2 percent from the field. 26 personal fouls committed by Khimky helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American swingman Sonny Weems (198-86, college: Arkansas) fired 25 points for the winners. Croatian guard Marko Popovic (185-82, college: S.Idaho JC, agency: Alti Sport) chipped in 19 points. Zalgiris' coach Aleksandar Trifunovic used entire bench in such tough game. Eritrean-Polish swingman Thomas Kelati (195-82, college: Washington St., agency: Beo Basket) produced 31 points for lost side. Defending Lithuanian champion moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Azovmash. Khimky at the other side dropped to the second position with two games lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by CSKA. Khimky will play next round against Kalev/Cramo trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Zalgiris will try to continue on its current victory against seventh ranked BC Astana at home.
Eighth-ranked Ukrainian Budivelnyk (2-7) made lots of trouble for second ranked Russian Unics Kazan (9-1) in Kyiv. The visitors from Kazan managed to secure only two-point victory 72-70. However their fans expected much easier game. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian power forward Nathan Jawai (208-86, college: Midland CC) who helped to win the game recording 17 points. Vladimir Veremeenko contributed with 14 points for the winners. Belarusian center Artsiom Parakhouski (211-87, college: Radford) replied with 11 points and 9 rebounds for Budivelnyk. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Unics Kazan have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader. Budivelnyk lost fifth consecutive game. Defending Ukrainian champion keeps the eighth place with seven games lost. Unics Kazan will play against VEF Riga (#5) at home in the next round. Budivelnyk will have a break next round.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Vilnius. First ranked Russian CSKA Moscow faced 3rd ranked Lithuanian Lietuvos rytas. Guests from Moscow (8-1) defeated host Lietuvos rytas (5-4) 84-67. Worth to mention a great performance of Andrei Kirilenko who helped to win the game recording 13 points and 6 rebounds. At the losing side Jonas Valanciunas responded with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 11 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. CSKA Moscow have an impressive eight-game winning streak. Defending Russian champion maintains first position with 8-1 record. Loser Lietuvos rytas keep the third place with four games lost. They share the position with Krasnie Krilya and Lokomotiv. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Bottom-ranked Belarusian Minsk-2006 (0-9) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 105-63 loss to sixth ranked Czech CEZ Nymburk (5-5) in Nymburk. The winners were led by Chester Simmons who scored that evening 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. CEZ Nymburk have an impressive five-game winning streak. Defending Czech champion moved-up to fourth place, which they share with VEF Riga and N.Novgorod. Defending Belarusian champion Minsk-2006 still closes the standings with nine games lost. CEZ Nymburk will have a break next round. Minsk-2006 will play at home against Azovmash (#6) in Mariupol and hopes to get finally their first victory.
The game in Gdynia was also quite interesting. Fourth ranked Russian Lokomotiv (5-4) played at the court of 5th ranked Polish Asseco Prokom (4-6). Lokomotiv managed to secure a 9-point victory 81-72 on Wednesday. Jeremiah Massey fired 23 points and 9 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) for the winners. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Lokomotiv moved-up to third place, which they share with Lietuvos rytas and Krasnie Krilya. Defending Polish champion Asseco Prokom dropped to the seventh position with six games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.



CEZ Nymburk - Minsk-2006 105-63

Bottom-ranked Belarusian Minsk-2006 (0-9) tried to put together a comeback for its first victory of the season, but they fell short in the 105-63 loss to sixth ranked Czech CEZ Nymburk (5-5) in Nymburk. The game without a history. CEZ Nymburk led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Minsk-2006's 26. They outrebounded Minsk-2006 41-28 including a 31-18 advantage in defensive rebounds. CEZ Nymburk players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists comparing to just 6 passes made by Minsk-2006's players. The winners were led by American guard Chester Simmons (198-82, college: Washington, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices) who scored that evening 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and forward Lukas Palyza (204-89) supported him with 20 points (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Four CEZ Nymburk players scored in double figures. Even 24 points and 5 steals by guard Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (190-80) did not help to save the game for Minsk-2006. Forward Aliaksei Lashkevich (204-78) added 8 points and 7 rebounds for lost side. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. CEZ Nymburk have an impressive five-game winning streak. Defending Czech champion moved-up to fourth place, which they share with VEF Riga and N.Novgorod. Defending Belarusian champion Minsk-2006 still closes the standings with nine games lost. CEZ Nymburk will have a break next round. Minsk-2006 will play at home against Azovmash (#6) in Mariupol and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Minsk-2006: A.Kudrautsau 24+3reb+1ast, J.Hawkins 8+4reb+1ast, A.Lashkevich 8+7reb+2ast, A.Trastsinetski 8+3reb, J.Knox 7+7reb+2ast, R.Vergun 3
CEZ Nymburk: L.Palyza 20+1reb, C.Simmons 17+5reb+4ast, P.Pumprla 12+5reb, L.Wilson 10+6reb, A.Naymick 10+5reb, P.Benda 10+6reb+1ast
gschID: 152095


Lietuvos rytas - CSKA 67-84

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Vilnius. First ranked Russian CSKA Moscow faced 3rd ranked Lithuanian Lietuvos rytas. Guests from Moscow (8-1) defeated host Lietuvos rytas (5-4) 84-67. Worth to mention a great performance of American-Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko (205-81) who helped to win the game recording 13 points and 6 rebounds and Serbian guard Milos Teodosic (195-87) who added 11 points and 4 assists during the contest. At the losing side center Jonas Valanciunas (210-92) responded with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 11 rebounds and forward Mindaugas Katelynas (205-83, college: Chattanooga) scored 12 points and 7 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. CSKA Moscow have an impressive eight-game winning streak. Defending Russian champion maintains first position with 8-1 record. Loser Lietuvos rytas keep the third place with four games lost. They share the position with Krasnie Krilya and Lokomotiv. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Lietuvos rytas: T.Rice 15+2ast, R.Seibutis 13+1reb+1ast, M.Katelynas 12+7reb, J.Valanciunas 10+11reb+2ast, L.Roberts 6+6reb, V.Dilys 6+4reb
CSKA: A.Kirilenko 13+6reb+3ast, V.Khryapa 12+4reb+1ast, N.Krstic 12+4reb, M.Teodosic 11+2reb+4ast, R.Siskauskas 9+3ast, A.Shved 7+1reb
gschID: 152096


Zalgiris - Khimky 95-94

Round 16 in VTB United League means a new league leader. The biggest surprise took place in Kaunas where host Lithuanian Zalgiris (4-5) edged league's leader Russian Khimky (8-2) 95-94 on Thursday evening. The hosts trailed by 5 points after three quarters before their 24-18 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Zalgiris shot 64.2 percent from the field. 26 personal fouls committed by Khimky helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American swingman Sonny Weems (198-86, college: Arkansas) fired 25 points for the winners. Croatian guard Marko Popovic (185-82, college: S.Idaho JC, agency: Alti Sport) chipped in 19 points. Zalgiris' coach Aleksandar Trifunovic used entire bench in such tough game. Eritrean-Polish swingman Thomas Kelati (195-82, college: Washington St., agency: Beo Basket) produced 31 points and Croatian-Bosnian guard Zoran Planinic (199-82) added 14 points and 7 assists respectively for lost side. Four Zalgiris and five Khimky players scored in double figures. Defending Lithuanian champion moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Azovmash. Khimky at the other side dropped to the second position with two games lost. They were replaced at the leadership position by CSKA. Khimky will play next round against Kalev/Cramo trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Zalgiris will try to continue on its current victory against seventh ranked BC Astana at home.
Top scorers:
Khimky: T.Kelati 31+2reb+2ast, Z.Planinic 14+3reb+7ast, M.Nielsen 13+4reb, S.Monya 13+3reb+5ast, V.Fridzon 11+3reb+5ast, C.Quinn 4+1reb+1ast
Zalgiris: S.Weems 25+2reb, M.Popovic 19+3reb+1ast, M.Kalnietis 14+1reb+4ast, P.Jankunas 10+3reb+2ast, R.Javtokas 9+2reb, D.Salenga 9+2reb+1ast
gschID: 152097


Budivelnyk - Unics 70-72

Eighth-ranked Ukrainian Budivelnyk (2-7) made lots of trouble for second ranked Russian Unics Kazan (9-1) in Kyiv. The visitors from Kazan managed to secure only two-point victory 72-70. However their fans expected much easier game. Budivelnyk was ahead by 7 points after three quarters before a 28-19 charge of Unics Kazan, which allowed them to win the game. Budivelnyk was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. Worth to mention a great performance of Australian power forward Nathan Jawai (208-86, college: Midland CC) who helped to win the game recording 17 points. Belarusian-Russian forward Vladimir Veremeenko (208-84) contributed with 14 points for the winners. Belarusian center Artsiom Parakhouski (211-87, college: Radford) replied with 11 points and 9 rebounds and American forward Zach Morley (203-83, college: Wisconsin) added 11 points and 6 rebounds in the effort for Budivelnyk. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Unics Kazan have an impressive seven-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader. Budivelnyk lost fifth consecutive game. Defending Ukrainian champion keeps the eighth place with seven games lost. Unics Kazan will play against VEF Riga (#5) at home in the next round. Budivelnyk will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Budivelnyk: J.McClinton 13+3reb+2ast, Z.Morley 11+6reb+2ast, A.Parakhouski 11+9reb, A.Agafonov 11+6reb+1ast, M.Anisimovas 10+1reb+1ast, P.Burenko 5+3reb+6ast
Unics: N.Jawai 17+3reb+1ast, L.Greer 14+4reb+1ast, V.Veremeenko 14+3reb+3ast, M.Wilkinson 11+6reb, K.McCarty 6+4reb+6ast, H.Domercant 4+3reb+2ast
gschID: 152098


Asseco Prokom - Lokomotiv 72-81

The game in Gdynia was also quite interesting. Fourth ranked Russian Lokomotiv (5-4) played at the court of 5th ranked Polish Asseco Prokom (4-6). Lokomotiv managed to secure a 9-point victory 81-72 on Wednesday. Asseco Prokom was trailing by 1 point at halftime but managed to get 2-point lead after three quarters before a 28-17 charge of Lokomotiv, which allowed them to win the game. American-FYR Macedonian forward Jeremiah Massey (202-82, college: Kansas St.) fired 23 points and 9 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) for the winners. American-Bulgarian guard Roderick Blakney (181-76, college: S.Carolina St.) chipped in 17 points and 4 assists. Lithuanian power forward Donatas Motiejunas (213-90, agency: Interperformances) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds and American guard Jerel Blassingame (175-81, college: UNLV) added 17 points and 5 assists respectively for lost side. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Lokomotiv moved-up to third place, which they share with Lietuvos rytas and Krasnie Krilya. Defending Polish champion Asseco Prokom dropped to the seventh position with six games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Asseco Prokom: J.Blassingame 17+1reb+5ast, D.Motiejunas 14+11reb, A.Lapeta 9+3reb, P.Frasunkiewicz 8+1reb+1ast, O.Lafayette 7+3reb+5ast, M.Kuebler 5
Lokomotiv: J.Massey 23+9reb+2ast, R.Blakney 17+2reb+4ast, S.Bykov 10+1reb+7ast, A.Traore 9+6reb+2ast, K.Rivers 8+1reb+1ast, M.Sheleketo 5+1reb
gschID: 152094




Standings
VTB United League Standings
Group A
 1. Unics 9-1 
 2. Khimky 8-2 
 3. Krasnie Krilya 5-4 
 4. N.Novgorod 5-5 
 5. VEF Riga 5-5 
 6. Zalgiris 4-5 
 7. BC Astana 4-6 
 8. Budivelnyk 2-7 
 9. Kalev/Cramo 1-8 
Group B
 1. CSKA 8-1 
 2. Spartak SP 7-2 
 3. Lietuvos rytas