Eurobasket Daily News Report:

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 3/16/2012

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ADRIATIC LEAGUE

Round 25: Derby game ends with KK Zagreb CO's defeat of Cibona - by Eurobasket News
There will be only one (last) round of the Regular Season in Adriatic League. The fans could enjoy quite many interesting games in the last round. The round ended with derby games, favorites losing the games and games ending by tiny margin.

The most interesting game of round 25 was a derby match between two teams from Croatia. Ninth ranked KK Zagreb CO won against host Cibona (12-13) 88-84. Cibona was tied after three quarters but could not keep up in the last quarter eventually losing the game. KK Zagreb CO shot the lights out from three sinking 16 long-distance shots on high 66.7 percentage. Worth to mention a great performance of Bosnian-Croatian power forward Damir Markota (210-85, agency: World Sport Agency) who helped to win the game recording 19 points and 7 rebounds. Forward Krunoslav Simon (197-85) contributed with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Bosnian-Croatian center Goran Suton (209-85, college: Michigan St.) answered with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds for Cibona. Cibona's coach Jasmin Repesa tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Defending Croatian champion moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Cibona and Radnicki K. Cibona lost third consecutive game. KK Zagreb CO is looking forward to face higher ranked HKK Siroki WWin (#5) in Siroki Brijeg in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Cibona will play at home against Helios in Domzale and is hoping to win this game.
An interesting game for Serbian Partizan (18-7) which hosted in Beograd their biggest opponent Croatian Cedevita (18-7). Third ranked Partizan managed to get a 4-point victory 67-63. Center Milan Macvan (206-89, agency: INVICTUS Sports Group) stepped up and scored 17 points and 9 rebounds for the winners and Miroslav Raduljica chipped in 14 points. Partizan's coach Vlada Jovanovic allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. At the losing side American-Croatian point guard Dontaye Draper (180-84, college: Charleston) responded with 8 points and 6 assists. Partizan's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beograd to the arena Zvezda.
Adriatic League top team - Israeli Maccabi T-A (22-1) had no problems winning another game on Tuesday. This time they beat twelfth ranked Slovenian Helios (7-18) in Domzale 71-53. Lior Eliyahu nailed 13 points and 6 rebounds for the winning side. Maccabi T-A's coach David Blatt used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Drago Pasalic came up with 15 points and 8 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) for Helios in the defeat. Maccabi T-A have an impressive series of eleven victories in a row. Defending Israeli champion maintains first place with 22-1 record. Helios at the other side keep the twelfth position with 18 games lost. They share it with Hemofarm. Maccabi T-A will meet at home Radnicki K. (#7) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Helios will play against Cibona (#9) in Zagreb and hope to secure a win.
A very interesting game took place in Vrsac. It ended with only three-point defeat on the road of higher ranked Slovenian Union Olimpija (13-12) to thirteenth ranked Serbian Hemofarm (7-18) 78-75 on Wednesday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Union Olimpija. Mladen Jeremic fired 21 points for the winners. Union Olimpija's coach Saso Filipovski let to play ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Hemofarm moved-up to twelfth place, which they share with Helios. Union Olimpija at the other side keeps the sixth position with 12 games lost. Hemofarm's next round opponent will be league's second-placed Cedevita in Zagreb and it will be quite challenging to get another victory.
Worth to mention about the upset in a game between Serbian Radnicki K. (12-13) and Slovenian Krka (8-17), which took place in Novo Mesto. Higher ranked Radnicki K. lost to eleventh ranked Krka in a road game 69-73 on Tuesday. It was a very good performance for Zoran Dragic who helped to win the game recording 21 points and 9 rebounds. Krka's coach Aleksandar Sekulic used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. The victory was the third consecutive win for Krka. Defending Slovenian champion maintains eleventh place with 8-17 record. Loser Radnicki K. keeps the seventh position with 13 games lost. Krka will face bottom-ranked Zlatorog (#14) in Lasko in the next round.

In the last game of round 25 Buducnost beat Zlatorog on the road 72-62.

Helios - Maccabi T-A 53-71
Adriatic League top team - Israeli Maccabi T-A (22-1) had no problems winning another game on Tuesday. This time they beat twelfth ranked Slovenian Helios (7-18) in Domzale 71-53. The game was mostly controlled by Maccabi T-A. Helios managed to win second period 14-11. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Maccabi T-A dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Helios' 24. Power forward Lior Eliyahu (206-85, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices) nailed 13 points and 6 rebounds for the winning side and American power forward Richard Hendrix (203-86, college: Alabama) accounted for 10 points. Four Maccabi T-A players scored in double figures. Maccabi T-A's coach David Blatt used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Croatian power forward Drago Pasalic (208-84) came up with 15 points and 8 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) and guard Sandi Cebular (196-86) added 5 points and 7 rebounds respectively for Helios in the defeat. Maccabi T-A have an impressive series of eleven victories in a row. Defending Israeli champion maintains first place with 22-1 record. Helios at the other side keep the twelfth position with 18 games lost. They share it with Hemofarm. Maccabi T-A will meet at home Radnicki K. (#7) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Helios will play against Cibona (#9) in Zagreb and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Helios: D.Pasalic 15+8reb, J.Mocnik 6+2reb+2ast, K.Prepelic 6+2reb+4ast, D.Gay 6+1reb+2ast, S.Cebular 5+7reb+2ast, D.Bubnic 4+2reb
Maccabi T-A: L.Eliyahu 13+6reb+2ast, T.Burstein 12+2reb, R.Hendrix 10+4reb+1ast, G.Pnini 10+2reb+2ast, S.James 8+3reb, K.Langford 7+2reb

Krka - Radnicki K. 73-69
Worth to mention about the upset in a game between Serbian Radnicki K. (12-13) and Slovenian Krka (8-17), which took place in Novo Mesto. Higher ranked Radnicki K. lost to eleventh ranked Krka in a road game 69-73 on Tuesday. The hosts trailed by 8 points after three quarters before their 24-12 charge, which allowed them to win the game. It was a very good performance for swingman Zoran Dragic (196-89) who helped to win the game recording 21 points and 9 rebounds. Power forward Smiljan Pavic (210-80) contributed with 11 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Krka's coach Aleksandar Sekulic used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. American forward Mike Scott (203-86, college: Kent St.) answered with 21 points and the other American import center David Simon (207-82, college: IPFW) added 15 points and 5 rebounds in the effort for Radnicki K.The victory was the third consecutive win for Krka. Defending Slovenian champion maintains eleventh place with 8-17 record. Loser Radnicki K. keeps the seventh position with 13 games lost. Krka will face bottom-ranked Zlatorog (#14) in Lasko in the next round.
Top scorers:
Radnicki K.: M.Scott 21+4reb+2ast, D.Simon 15+5reb, M.Pavkovic 9+1reb+6ast, S.Bratic 6+7reb+1ast, D.Mijatovic 5+1reb+1ast, B.Bakic 5+2reb+1ast
Krka: Z.Dragic 21+9reb+1ast, S.Pavic 11+7reb+1ast, M.Abdul-Hamid 10+5reb+1ast, B.Krivec 7+3ast, J.Lalic 6+3reb+2ast, J.Balazic 5+1reb+1ast

Zlatorog - Buducnost 62-72
No shocking result in a game when fourth ranked Montenegrin Buducnost (17-7) beat bottom-ranked Slovenian Zlatorog (2-23) in Lasko 72-62 on Tuesday. The guests trailed by 5 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 7-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 72-62. Buducnost forced 20 Zlatorog turnovers. It was a great shooting night for Buducnost especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 53.3 percentage. Quite impressive performance for center Bojan Dubljevic (205-91, agency: Beo Basket) who helped to win the game recording 12 points and 9 rebounds. Serbian forward Cedomir Vitkovac (201-82, agency: Beo Basket) contributed with 11 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Buducnost's coach Dejan Radonjic used entire bench and allowed the starting five to rest. Center Alen Omic (213-92) answered with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 14 rebounds and guard Nejc Strnad (190-83, agency: PEPI SPORT) added 15 points in the effort for Zlatorog. Defending Montenegrin champion maintains fourth place with 17-7 record. Zlatorog lost their fifteenth game in a row. They stay dead last with 23 lost games. Buducnost will face Union Olimpija (#6) in Ljubljana in the next round. Zlatorog will play at home against Krka (#11) in Novo Mesto.
Top scorers:
Zlatorog: N.Strnad 15+1reb+2ast, L.Lapornik 11+5reb, A.Omic 10+14reb, M.Lapornik 8+2reb+2ast, J.Skific 8+5reb+3ast, S.Atanackovic 5+1reb+1ast
Buducnost: B.Dubljevic 12+9reb+1ast, C.Vitkovac 11+8reb, H.Rizvic 10+3reb, V.Mihailovic 9, N.Ivanovic 6+1ast, J.Anderson 6+1reb+2ast

Hemofarm - Union Olimpija 78-75
A very interesting game took place in Vrsac. It ended with only three-point defeat on the road of higher ranked Slovenian Union Olimpija (13-12) to thirteenth ranked Serbian Hemofarm (7-18) 78-75 on Wednesday evening. It was quite big embarassment for the guest team. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Union Olimpija. It looked good early as Union Olimpija took an 6-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Hemofarm had a 21-12 second period charge getting the lead and Union Olimpija was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 75-78. Hemofarm made 23-of-29 charity shots (79.3 percent) during the game. 27 personal fouls committed by Union Olimpija helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Guard Mladen Jeremic (196-88, agency: Interperformances) fired 21 points for the winners. Center Mladen Pantic (209-82, agency: Alti Sport) chipped in 15 points and 7 rebounds. Four Hemofarm players scored in double figures. Montenegrin forward Vladimir Dasic (206-88, agency: Beo Basket) produced 15 points and 5 rebounds and forward Goran Jagodnik (203-74, agency: Beo Basket) added 11 points and 5 rebounds respectively for lost side. Union Olimpija's coach Saso Filipovski let to play ten players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Hemofarm moved-up to twelfth place, which they share with Helios. Union Olimpija at the other side keeps the sixth position with 12 games lost. Hemofarm's next round opponent will be league's second-placed Cedevita in Zagreb and it will be quite challenging to get another victory.
Top scorers:
Union Olimpija: V.Dasic 15+5reb+2ast, G.Jagodnik 11+5reb+1ast, C.Mitchell 9, S.Salin 9+5reb+2ast, D.Thompson 8+3reb+1ast, R.Rothbart 8+5reb
Hemofarm: M.Jeremic 21+3reb+2ast, M.Pantic 15+7reb+2ast, D.Gagic 13+6reb+2ast, N.Otasevic 10+3ast, M.Sutalo 8+6reb, L.Mitrovic 7+2reb+3ast

Partizan - Cedevita 67-63
An interesting game for Serbian Partizan (18-7) which hosted in Beograd their biggest opponent Croatian Cedevita (18-7). Third ranked Partizan managed to get a 4-point victory 67-63. Cedevita was ahead by 3 points after three quarters before a 19-12 charge of Partizan, which allowed them to win the game. They also forced 21 Cedevita turnovers. Cedevita was plagued by 29 personal fouls down the stretch. Center Milan Macvan (206-89, agency: INVICTUS Sports Group) stepped up and scored 17 points and 9 rebounds for the winners and center Miroslav Raduljica (213-88) chipped in 14 points. Partizan's coach Vlada Jovanovic allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. At the losing side American-Croatian point guard Dontaye Draper (180-84, college: Charleston) responded with 8 points and 6 assists and American-Panamanian forward Levour Warren (196-81, college: S.Carolina, agency: SportsTalent) scored 11 points. Partizan's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beograd to the arena Zvezda.
Top scorers:
Cedevita: L.Warren 11+2reb+1ast, H.Owens 11+1reb, M.Smodis 10+3reb, D.Draper 8+3reb+6ast, M.Bilan 7+2reb, I.Opacak 6+3reb+1ast
Partizan: M.Macvan 17+9reb, M.Raduljica 14+3reb+1ast, D.James 8+2reb+8ast, D.Milosavljevic 8+3reb+3ast, D.Bertans 7+2reb, D.Andjusic 6+1ast

Cibona - KK Zagreb CO 84-88
The most interesting game of round 25 was a derby match between two teams from Croatia. Ninth ranked KK Zagreb CO won against host Cibona (12-13) 88-84. Cibona was tied after three quarters but could not keep up in the last quarter eventually losing the game. KK Zagreb CO shot the lights out from three sinking 16 long-distance shots on high 66.7 percentage. Worth to mention a great performance of Bosnian-Croatian power forward Damir Markota (210-85, agency: World Sport Agency) who helped to win the game recording 19 points and 7 rebounds. Forward Krunoslav Simon (197-85) contributed with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Four KK Zagreb CO players scored in double figures. Bosnian-Croatian center Goran Suton (209-85, college: Michigan St.) answered with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds and forward Marin Rozic (201-83, agency: PEPI SPORT) added 16 points in the effort for Cibona. Cibona's coach Jasmin Repesa tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Defending Croatian champion moved-up to seventh place, which they share with Cibona and Radnicki K. Cibona lost third consecutive game. KK Zagreb CO is looking forward to face higher ranked HKK Siroki WWin (#5) in Siroki Brijeg in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Cibona will play at home against Helios in Domzale and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Cibona: M.Rozic 16+4reb+1ast, G.Suton 16+11reb, D.Rudez 12+1reb+2ast, D.Harper 9+1ast, D.Kus 8+4ast, A.Barbour 8+3reb+2ast
KK Zagreb CO: D.Markota 19+7reb+2ast, M.Kasun 16+6reb, K.Simon 13+6reb+6ast, D.Rancic 10+1reb+2ast, V.Morovic 10+1reb+1ast, S.Ozbolt 8+5ast

Standings

Adriatic League Standings

1. Maccabi T-A			23-1
2. Cedevita			18-7
3. Partizan			18-7
4. Buducnost			17-7
5. Siroki WWin			14-11
6. Union Olimpija			13-12
7. Radnicki K.			12-13
8. KK Zagreb CO			12-13
9. Cibona			12-13
10. Crvena Zvezda			11-14
11. Krka			8-17
12. Hemofarm			7-18
13. Helios			7-18
14. Zlatorog			2-23

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

David SIMON
  Radnicki K.
  (207-C-82)
  Avg: 19.8

1. Simon, Radnicki K.	19.8
2. Kasun, KK.	17.9
3. Scott, Radnicki K.	17.5
4. Vucevic, Buducnost	16.9
5. Simon, KK.	15.6
6. Pilepic, Siroki W.	14.8
7. Pasalic, Helios	14.2
8. Prepelic, Helios	14.0
9. Macvan, Partizan	13.5
10. Pavkovic, Radnick.	13.3

Rebounds Per Game

Boris SAVOVIC
  Hemofarm
  (206-F-87)
  Avg: 11.4

1. Savovic, Hemofarm	11.4
2. Vucevic, Buducnost	9.7
3. Macvan, Partizan	8.4
4. Kasun, KK.	8.3
5. Scott, Radnicki K.	6.6
6. Simon, Radnicki K.	6.6
7. Pavic, Krka	6.4
8. Markota, KK.	6.3
9. Omic, Zlatorog	6.3
10. Pasalic, Helios	6.2

Assists Per Game

Steven MARKOVIC
  Radnicki K.
  (190-G-85)
  Avg: 7

1. Markovic, Radnicki	7.0
2. Pavkovic, Radnicki	6.7
3. Vladovic, Siroki W.	5.2
4. Vujasinovic, Zlato.	4.8
5. Papaloukas, Macca.	4.3
6. Jeretin, Union O.	4.1
7. Simon, KK.	4.0
8. Mulaomerovic, KK Z.	3.9
9. Nissim, Krka	3.9
10. Draper, Cedevita	3.6

Steals Per Game

D.J. GAY
  Helios
  (183-G-89)
  Avg: 2

1. Gay, Helios	2.0
2. Markovic, Radnicki	1.7
3. Simon, KK.	1.7
4. Dragic, Krka	1.7
5. Papaloukas, Macca.	1.6
6. Ramljak, Siroki W.	1.6
7. Dasic, Union Olimp.	1.5
8. Ohayon, Maccabi	1.5
9. Draper, Cedevita	1.4
10. Scott, Radnicki K.	1.4

Blocks Per Game

David SIMON
  Radnicki K.
  (207-C-82)
  Avg: 1.5

1. Simon, Radnicki K.	1.5
2. James, Maccabi T-A	1.5
3. Vucevic, Buducnost	1.1
4. Savovic, Hemofarm	1.0
5. Rizvic, Buducnost	0.9
6. Ilic, Crvena Zvezda	0.9
7. Thompson, Union O.	0.9
8. Hendrix, Maccabi	0.9
9. Scott, Radnicki K.	0.8
10. Pekovic, Partizan	0.8

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ASEAN LEAGUE

Standings

O Standings

1. Philip.Patriots			9-2
2. Petron Blaze			9-3
3. KL Dragons			7-4
4. Bangkok C.			5-6
5. Satria Muda			5-7
6. Singapore S.			4-8
7. Thailand S.			4-8
8. Saigon H.			3-8

Singapore Slingers slump to 6th straight loss - by Trent Williams
The Singapore Slingers have again fallen on the road to the Bangkok Cobras on Sunday night in Bangkok, going down 74-79 in the ABL (ASEAN Basketball League).

The 6 game losing skid now has the Slingers reeling with a 4-7 (win/loss) record and in a real battle to secure a place in the top 4. The Singapore based club have not won a game since a home win on February 1 against the Petron Blaze Boosters.

Forward Graham Louis (205-F/C-84) of Singapore Slingers (205-F/C-84, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices) again led the way for the Slingers with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow US import Little Donald (211-C-78, college: Cincinnati) had 17 points but the lack of rim protection and overall team intensity saw the Slingers in a big hole down 30-16 at quarter time. Despite clawing their way back into the game in the 2nd period, the Slingers simply ran out of gas late in the game.

Sharp shooting Guard Marvin Cruz (173-G-84) of Bangkok Cobras (173-G-84) poured in 26 points and skilled big man Gentry Lewis (206-F/C-81, college: Philander Smith) had 24 and 9 boards for the Bangkok Cobras who are coached by 'Jellybean' Joe Bryant , the father of LA Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant (198-G-78). The Cobras win improved their record to 4-6.

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AUSTRALIA

The NBL needs some Heal'ing - by Trent Williams
When the Sydney Kings announced that former Club and NBL great Shane Heal (182-G-70) would return as head coach for the remainder of the season, there were immediately two schools of thought.

The first was that another overhaul to a languishing Sydney franchise trying to find it's feet since re-joining the NBL in 2010 could place the League and the Club in turmoil. The other, was when Heal was announced as head coach, is that the presence of Australia's greatest ever point guard on the sidelines would have a positive impact across the entire NBL.

Heal, who was living on the Gold Coast and doing NBL TV commentary for One HD when the call to re-join the Kings came, has had a stint coaching in the NBL previously with the now defunct Melbourne South Dragons. Heal's second season with the Dragons wasn't a great one. He was sacked at season's end with the club struggling at the bottom of the table. But crowd numbers and interest in the Melbourne based club was always high during his tenure.

Fiesty and uncompromising as a player, intelligent and forthright as commentator, passionate and strategically capable as a coach, Heal must be retained by the Kings if the NBL is to flourish going forward. The Sydney Kings, based in the biggest market in Australia, must be a strong brand if the NBL is to return to the days of live TV coverage and strong attendance numbers.

With Goorjian Brian , Bruce Palmer , Lindsay Gaze and Cal Bruton now gone, the NBL needs involvement from Heal and also other former greats Andrew Gaze (201-G-65, college: Seton Hall), Lanard Copeland (198-G-65, college: Georgia St.) and Darryl McDonald (192-G-64, college: Texas A&M) to be just as marketable as the great young talent this country has running around. Those names are familiar to everyone when the NBL boomed in the mid 1990's. They are strong personalities and great basketball people. The NBL and it's clubs must get them more involved going forward. They have given a lot to this game granted, but at this point in time, for the sake of the League's long term vialbility, they just need to give for the game they love one more time.

Stats Leaders - NBL

Points Per Game

Patrick MILLS
  Tigers
  (183-PG-88)
  Avg: 18.6

1. Mills, Tigers	18.6
2. Lisch, Wildcats	17.5
3. Tragardh, Tigers	17.0
4. Wilson, Taipans	16.9
5. Deleon, Blaze	16.7
6. Johnson, 36ers	16.6
7. Wilkinson, Breakers	16.4
8. Khazzouh, Kings	16.3
9. Bose, Kings	15.2
10. Abercrombie, Brea.	15.2

Rebounds Per Game

Julian KHAZZOUH
  Kings
  (209-C-86)
  Avg: 11

1. Khazzouh, Kings	11.0
2. Holmes, Crocodiles	9.3
3. Simpsons, 36ers	8.3
4. Grant, Kings	8.1
5. Johnson, 36ers	7.8
6. Crosswhite, Taipa.	7.8
7. Worthington, Blaze	6.4
8. Vukona, Breakers	6.3
9. Bose, Kings	6.3
10. Saville, Hawks	6.0

Assists Per Game

Cedric JACKSON
  Breakers
  (191-G-86)
  Avg: 6.4

1. Jackson, Breakers	6.4
2. Mills, Tigers	5.0
3. Crosswell, 36ers	4.7
4. Gibson, Blaze	4.5
5. Bruce, Kings	4.4
6. Gill, Crocodiles	4.0
7. Martin, Wildcats	3.7
8. Martin, Hawks	3.4
9. Ubaka, Tigers	3.3
10. Dillon, Tigers	3.2

Steals Per Game

Cedric JACKSON
  Breakers
  (191-G-86)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Jackson, Breakers	2.5
2. Martin, Wildcats	2.3
3. Robbins, Wildcats	1.7
4. Deleon, Blaze	1.5
5. Tovey, Wildcats	1.4
6. Mims, Crocodiles	1.3
7. Gill, Crocodiles	1.3
8. Crawford, Croco.	1.2
9. Gibson, Blaze	1.2
10. Glover, Hawks	1.2

Blocks Per Game

Julian KHAZZOUH
  Kings
  (209-C-86)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Khazzouh, Kings	2.1
2. Simpsons, 36ers	1.6
3. Grant, Kings	1.5
4. Nevill, Wildcats	1.2
5. Johnson, 36ers	1.1
6. Crosswhite, Taipa.	1.0
7. Abercrombie, Break.	1.0
8. Martin, Wildcats	0.9
9. Forman, Hawks	0.8
10. Worthington, Blaze	0.8

Standings - NBL

NBL Standings

1. Breakers		20-6
2. Wildcats		17-9
3. Crocodiles		15-11
4. Blaze		15-11
5. Taipans		14-12
6. Tigers		11-15
7. Kings		10-16
8. 36ers		8-17
9. Hawks		6-19

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

BOSNIA

Standings - BIH League

D1 Standings

1. Igokea		21-2
2. Capljina		17-6
3. Bosna		17-6
4. Varda HE		15-8
5. Mladost		13-10
6. Leotar		13-10
7. Servitium		10-13
8. Hercegovac		10-13
9. Zrinjski HT		8-15
10. Borac Nektar		7-16
11. Vogosca		7-16
12. Brotnjo		7-17
13. Celik		5-18
Play in international cups:
1. Siroki WWin		-

Bozo Djurasovic out for an injury - by Miljan Veskovic
Bozo Djurasovic (200-F-87) (200-F-87) probably will not appear on court this season. Politekhnika-Halychyna forward had a metacarpal bone fracture and it's likely that he will miss the rest of the season. The Bosnian player joined Politekhnika-Halychyna at the end of 2011. He averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in Superleague. Bozo Djurasovic (200-F-87) started the season in Germany. The forward played for LTi Giessen 46ers. Previously the forward had stints with Bosna Sarajevo, Vogosca, Trebinje. He has been the member of Bosnia and Herzegovina National Team since 2010. Bozo Djurasovic (200-F-87) also played for U18 Bosnian NT.

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BRAZIL

Barbosa on the move as NBA trade deadline passes - by Mel Devonne
Brazilain Leandrinhoo Barbosa is traded today from the the Toronto Raptors to the Indiana Pacers for a 2nd round pick.
Barbosa, who has had a pretty good year for the Raptors and looked upon as a great
spark plug off the bench for any NBA team.
Barbosa averaged double figures off the bench for Toronto this season and should help a very good young Pacers team.
Barbosa is also expected to play for Brasil in the London Olympics later this year.

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BULGARIA

Standings A2

Division A Standings

1. Beroe		16-0
2. Academik PL		11-5
3. Overgas		10-6
4. Academik BL		10-6
5. Cherno More U18		9-7
6. Dunav 2007		7-9
7. Vidabasket		7-9
8. Chavdar		5-11
9. Balkan 2		3-13
10. Shumen		2-14

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

CANADA

London's Freeman earns NBL MVP honours - by Eurobasket News
Gabe Freeman (6'6''-F-85, college: Costa Mesa JC) of the London Lightning has captured the most valuable player award in the National Basketball League of Canada's inaugural season.

The six-foot-seven small forward leads the league in rebounds with 12.5 per game, and is the league's third leading scorer, averaging 17.9 points per game.

'I feel like I put in a lot of hard work this season and it paid off,' Freeman said in a statement. 'I'm surrounded by a great coach, great players and teammates. I couldn't have asked for anything better. I reached my goal but now I want to win a championship.'

The Lightning advanced to the NBL best-of-final final, where they'll meet either the Halifax Rainmen or Quebec Kebs.

Freeman, a product of Costa Mesa Jr. College in California, was also selected to the First Team All-NBL and First Team All-Defence.

'I think it was well-deserved,' said Lightning coach Micheal Ray Richardson. 'He has been an unstoppable threat on the court this season and goes into every game and practice ready to contribute and work hard.'

The other First Team All-NBL Canada players are Saint John's Anthony's Anderson, Quebec's Ralphy Holmes, Summerside's Mike Williams and Lawrence Wright of Halifax.

Second Team All-NBL Canada includes London's Tim Ellis, Oshawa's Omari Johnson, Moncton's Trayvon Lathan, Halifax's Tyrone Levett and Brandon Robinson of Oshawa.

Other First Team All-Defence players are Summerside's Al Stewart, Quebec's James (Boo) Jackson, Levett and Williams.

Second Team All-Defence includes Moncton's Boubacar Coly, London's DeAnthony Bowden, Halifax's Joey Haywood, Holmes and Moncton's Sylvania Watkins.

Courtesy of www.metronews.ca

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

CHILE

Dimayor Semifinals: Concepcion and Liceo looking for the swept - by Daniel Valencia
This weekend will be played games 3 and 4 of the semifinals series. Union Espanola Santiago will host CD Universidad de Concepcion in Santiago while Deportivo Espanol de Talca will host CD Liceo Mixto de Los Andes in Talca. The best seeds, Concepcion and Liceo have the chance to finish the series with only one victory.

Game 3 - Friday

(4) Union Espanola Santiago vs (1) CD Universidad de Concepcion

(3) Deportivo Espanol de Talca vs (2) CD Liceo Mixto de Los Andes

Game 4 - Saturday (if necessary)

(4) Union Espanola Santiago vs (1) CD Universidad de Concepcion

(3) Deportivo Espanol de Talca vs (2) CD Liceo Mixto de Los Andes

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

CROATIA

A1 Round 22: First stage is over - by Eurobasket News
The first stage in Croatian league is over. Five teams advanced to the next phase, where they will join Zagreb, Cibona and Cedevita. Zadar won the first stage with 16-4 record.

A1 Standings
1. Zadar 16-4
2. Jolly 15-5
3. KK Split 14-6
4. Zabok 11-9
5. Svjetlost 10-10
----------------
6. Alkar Sinj 9-11
7. Darda 8-12
8. Borik 8-12
9. Krizevci 8-12
10. Kvarner 2010 8-12
11. Dubrovnik 3-17

Kvarner 2010 - Jolly 78-83
The game in Rijeka was also quite interesting. Second ranked Jolly (15-5) played at the court of 8th ranked Kvarner 2010 (8-12). Jolly managed to secure a 5-point victory 83-78 on Tuesday. Kvarner 2010 trailed by 18 points after 3 quarters before a 33-20 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 78-83 at the end of the game. Jolly dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Kvarner 2010's 38. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Guard Luka Katura (194-89) scored 22 points to lead the charge for the winners and center Denis Vrsaljko (212-82, agency: Global Sports Plaza) chipped in 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. At the losing side forward Dino Cinac (198-88) responded with a double-double by scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds and guard Josip Blajic (192-87, agency: Court Side) scored 11 points and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game.
Top scorers:
Kvarner 2010: D.Cinac 18+10reb, H.Sirko 13+3reb+1ast, J.Blajic 11+3reb+4ast, A.Boban 10+2reb, M.Juricic 9+1reb+1ast, J.Surina 7
Jolly: L.Katura 22+2reb+3ast, H.Puljko 12+1reb+2ast, D.Vrsaljko 11+9reb+4ast, I.Salamun 11+2reb+5ast, R.Ross 6+1reb+4ast, M.Mrva 6+2reb

Zabok - Alkar Sinj 64-74
The game was mostly controlled by Alkar Sinj. Zabok was better in fourth quarter 21-14. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Alkar Sinj dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Zabok's 26. They outrebounded Zabok 41-27 including 26 on the defensive glass. Forward Zeljko Zupic (205-81, college: Denver) notched 19 points and 5 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) to lead the effort and swingman Franjo Bubalo (194-88) supported him with 12 points and 6 assists. Five Alkar Sinj players scored in double figures. Alkar Sinj's coach Stipe Blajic allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Even a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds by center Domagoj Bubalo (214-91) did not help to save the game for Zabok. Guard Robert Lez (192-79) added 19 points for lost side.
Top scorers:
Zabok: R.Lez 19+1ast, D.Bubalo 14+14reb, D.Basic 12, F.Kraljevic 7+4reb, L.Pesut 7+2reb+2ast, S.Zadravec 3+1reb
Alkar Sinj: Z.Zupic 19+5reb, S.Tesija 13+5reb, F.Bubalo 12+4reb+6ast, R.Rogic 10+10reb+2ast, J.Lozancic 10+6reb+1ast, J.Curkovic 8+1reb+1ast

Svjetlost - Darda 73-70
The most exciting game of round 22 in the A1 took place in Slavonski Brod. This derby game ended with only three-point defeat on the road of 7th ranked Vrijednosnice OS (8-12) to fifth ranked Svjetlost (10-10) 73-70 on Wednesday evening. Vrijednosnice OS was trailing by 4 points at halftime but managed to get 2-point lead after three quarters before a 17-12 charge of Svjetlost, which allowed them to win the game. Svjetlost shot 22 for 30 from the free-throw line, while Vrijednosnice OS only scored three points from the stripe. 28 personal fouls committed by Vrijednosnice OS helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Power forward Andrej Stimac (204-79) fired 23 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Slovenian guard Tadej Kostomaj (186-87) chipped in 16 points and 8 rebounds. Swingman Veljko Budimir (199-85, agency: Court Side) produced 23 points and 7 rebounds and Bosnian center Mato Peraica (203-81) added 19 points and 6 rebounds respectively for lost side.
Top scorers:
Darda: V.Budimir 23+7reb, M.Peraica 19+6reb+1ast, L.Panduric 15+3reb+2ast, F.Kordic 5+2reb+1ast, R.Jugo 3+1ast, I.Milenkovic 3+4reb+1ast
Svjetlost: A.Stimac 23+6reb+2ast, T.Kostomaj 16+8reb+3ast, M.Batina 14+3reb+1ast, M.Kljaic 9+2reb, K.Gamma 5+2reb, L.Samadan 4+5reb+2ast

Borik - Zadar 77-93
Borik Puntamika was smashed at home by 16 points 77-93 and even the fact of playing on their own court did not help. The game was mostly controlled by Zadar. Borik Puntamika was better in second period 32-21. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They outrebounded Borik Puntamika 42-26 including 28 on the defensive glass. Worth to mention a great performance of guard Karlo Vragovic (192-G-89) who helped to win the game recording 23 points. Center Ive Ivanov (201-85) contributed with a double-double by scoring 12 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Four Zadar players scored in double figures. Guard Luka Drezga (196-87) replied with 18 points and 6 rebounds and power forward Marino Sarlija (207-89) added 19 points in the effort for Borik Puntamika.
Top scorers:
Borik: M.Sarlija 19+4reb, L.Drezga 18+6reb+1ast, P.Maric 10+2reb, M.Jurjevic 9+4reb, T.Drazovic 8+2reb, M.Cakarun 5+2reb+1ast
Zadar: K.Vragovic 23+3reb+2ast, G.Vrbanc 21+4reb+1ast, A.Krapic 14+3reb+1ast, I.Ivanov 12+10reb+4ast, A.Delas 5+4reb+1ast, I.Batur 5+1reb

Dubrovnik - KK Split 64-96

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

CYPRUS

Keravnos advances to 2-0 - by Dr. Nasios Orinos
William Hatcher led all scorers with 23 points, and Keravnos rolled to its 2nd straight win, 66-79 over Aek in Larnaka on Thursday night. For the winners Moore had 14 points (8 in 8 free throws), 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

Keravnos dominated mainly in the first 2 quarters which it won by 16-25 and 15-21 and went at half time having a 15 point lead.

Keravnos was very good defensively. On the contrary, it was not so good behind the 3-PT line (had 5 in 13) but it had a high percentage at FT. It hit 16-19 (84%) as opposed to Aek that missed 8 FT (had 10 in 18).

Once more, Keravnos's 3-Americans (Hatcher, Moore, Frazier) scored a total of 50 points and led Keravnos to the victory.

In the loosing squad, Fisher and Garcia had 15 a piece. Subotic had 12.

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

DENMARK

Stats Leaders - Basketligaen

Points Per Game

Ryan WHITE
  Aalborg
  (177-PG-88)
  Avg: 24.9

1. White, Aalborg	24.9
2. Harris, Horsens IC	24.2
3. Rutherford, SISU	21.4
4. Henry, Naestved	21.3
5. Curry, Aabyhoj	20.7
6. Alexander, Bakken	20.3
7. Bishop, Aalborg	19.0
8. Rasmussen, Vaerl.	18.8
9. Fields, Falcon	17.5
10. Sprinker, Vaerlose	17.3

Rebounds Per Game

Tony BISHOP
  Aalborg
  (201-F-89)
  Avg: 11.3

1. Bishop, Aalborg	11.3
2. Curry, Aabyhoj	11.3
3. Glynn, Naestved	10.7
4. St.John, Horsens	10.1
5. Phillips, Aabyhoj	8.6
6. Vinson, Svendborg	8.5
7. Osgood-R., Vaerlose	8.4
8. Ba, Falcon	8.2
9. Benjamin, Horsholm	8.2
10. Colas, Horsholm	8.1

Assists Per Game

Corin HENRY
  Naestved
  (180-PG-88)
  Avg: 5.2

1. Henry, Naestved	5.2
2. Sattler, Horsens IC	5.1
3. White, Aalborg	4.9
4. Delk, Vaerlose	4.6
5. Colman, Svendborg	4.4
6. McFarlane, Falcon	3.8
7. Nielsen, SISU	3.7
8. Darboe, Svendborg	3.7
9. Fields, Falcon	3.6
10. Curry, Aabyhoj	3.5

Steals Per Game

Corin HENRY
  Naestved
  (180-PG-88)
  Avg: 3.8

1. Henry, Naestved	3.8
2. Wire, Vaerlose	2.9
3. White, Aalborg	2.8
4. Dennis, SISU	2.6
5. Bishop, Aalborg	2.3
6. Fields, Falcon	2.2
7. Sattler, Horsens IC	2.1
8. Nielsen, SISU	1.9
9. Plannthin, Svend.	1.8
10. McFarlane, Falcon	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Jenard HARRISON
  SISU
  (203-F-84)
  Avg: 2.3

1. Harrison, SISU	2.3
2. Colas, Horsholm	1.8
3. Christoffers., Bak.	1.7
4. Curry, Aabyhoj	1.6
5. Bishop, Aalborg	1.6
6. Phillips, Aabyhoj	1.6
7. Vinson, Svendborg	1.3
8. Sprinker, Vaerlose	1.2
9. Marinkovic, Horsho.	1.1
10. Eleraky, Aalborg	0.9

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

D-LEAGUE

Bighorns acquire Antoine Wright, waive Cedric Bozeman - by Eurobasket News
The Reno Bighorns have acquired NBA veteran Antoine Wright (6'7''-F/G-84, college: Texas A&M) from the available player pool. In order to make room on the roster, the team has waived Cedric Bozeman.

Wright (6-7, 215 lbs.) previously played 297 games over six seasons in the NBA, averaging 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. While playing for four different NBA teams (New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings) he started 96 games and made four appearances in the NBA postseason. More recently, he played in Spain for Asefa Estudiantes where he averaged 10.9 points per game in 13 games.

Wright was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the 15th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Texas A&M. His NBA career was highlighted during the 2008-09 season when he averaged 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 65 games with the Mavericks, 53 of those starts.

Bozeman (6-6, 215 lbs.) played 15 games with the Bighorns this season averaging 12.2 points, 5.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 33.3 minutes per game. He was selected by the Bighorns with the 20th overall pick in the 2011 NBA D-League Draft. He previously missed 24 games this season due to injury.

Fans can see Wright in action when the Bighorns take the court on March 16 and 17 against the Dakota Wizards at the Reno Events Center. On Saturday, March 17 the first 1,500 fans in the Reno Events Center will receive a Jeremy Lin jersey. Doors for both games open at 6 p.m.

Courtesy of www.kolotv.com

Stampede re-acquire forward Paul Carter, release Willie Jenkins - by Eurobasket News
The Idaho Stampede re-acquired forward Paul Carter (6'9''-F-87, agency: Edge Sports, college: Ill.-Chicago).

Carter (b. 6/2/87) re-joins the Stampede after being waived due to personal reasons on Sunday. Carter is averaging 10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 27 games (17 starts) with the Stampede. Carter was added to the Utah Jazz training camp roster on Dec. 13, 2011. Carter finished college at the University of Illinois-Chicago after attending the University of Minnesota for two years and a year at Missouri State-West Plains Junior College. Carter was named to the 2011 Horizon League All-Newcomer team in 2010-11 after averaging 14.7 points, 8.0 rebound and 1.9 assists. Before signing with Utah, Carter played briefly in the country of Cyprus.

Carter will wear jersey No. 21.

In order to make room on the roster, the Stampede waived Willie Jenkins (6'6''-F-81, college: Tenn Tech) due to personal reasons.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

Standings

D-League Standings

East Conference
1. Springfield A.		22-16
2. Iowa E.		22-16
3. Canton C.		22-18
4. Erie Bay H.		20-18
5. Dakota W.		20-19
6. Maine RC		17-24
7. Sioux Falls S.		12-29
8. Ft.Wayne MA		11-29
West Conference
1. Los Angeles D.		30-11
2. Austin T.		24-16
3. Bakersfield J.		22-17
4. Rio Grande VV		22-19
5. Texas L.		21-19
6. Tulsa 66ers		19-22
7. Reno B.		18-21
8. Idaho S.		17-25

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Blake AHEARN
  Reno B.
  (188-PG-84)
  Avg: 24.2

1. Ahearn, Reno B.	24.2
2. Emmett, Reno B.	23.6
3. Almond, Maine RC	23.1
4. Dentmon, Austin T.	23.0
5. Harris, Canton C.	21.4
6. Costner, Los A.	20.9
7. Ubiles, Dakota W.	20.4
8. Howard, Ft.Wayne.	19.8
9. Mitchell, Sioux F.	19.6
10. Efevberha, Iowa	19.2

Rebounds Per Game

Marcus LEWIS
  Tulsa 66ers
  (203-F/C-86)
  Avg: 13

1. Lewis, Tulsa 66ers	13.0
2. Dawson, Austin T.	10.4
3. Criswell-L., Austi.	8.9
4. Thomas, Los A.	8.8
5. Williams, Texas L.	8.7
6. Milligan, Canton C.	8.7
7. Foote, Springfield	8.6
8. Horner, Springfi.	8.4
9. Andrews, Los A.	8.1
10. Gilder, Sioux F.	8.0

Assists Per Game

Walker RUSSELL
  Ft.Wayne.
  (183-G-82)
  Avg: 9.9

1. Russell, Ft.Wayne.	9.9
2. Conroy, Rio G.	9.7
3. Daniels, Texas L.	8.5
4. Wise, Bakersfield	6.4
5. Curry, Springfield	6.2
6. Stinson, Iowa E.	6.0
7. Baker, Dakota W.	6.0
8. Fortson, Los A.	5.9
9. Bailey, Idaho S.	5.9
10. Bozeman, Reno B.	5.5

Steals Per Game

Dominique COLEMAN
  Sioux F.
  (190-G-84)
  Avg: 2.2

1. Coleman, Sioux F.	2.2
2. Fortson, Los A.	2.1
3. Hannah, Dakota W.	2.1
4. Smith, Springfield	1.9
5. Curry, Springfield	1.9
6. Russell, Ft.Wayne.	1.9
7. Stinson, Iowa E.	1.9
8. Millsap, Los A.	1.8
9. Bobbitt, Idaho S.	1.8
10. Dyson, Tulsa 66e.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Will FOSTER
  Idaho S.
  (226-C-88)
  Avg: 2.9

1. Foster, Idaho S.	2.9
2. Williams, Texas L.	2.6
3. Saunders, Rio G.	2.5
4. Thomas, Los A.	2.3
5. Daniels, Erie B.	2.1
6. Hill, Maine RC	1.7
7. Ojougboh, Tulsa	1.7
8. Dawson, Austin T.	1.7
9. Dove, Dakota W.	1.6
10. Kent, Maine RC	1.5

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

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Santiago transactions - by Oscar Peralta
Sameji basketball club has added Victor Toribio (198-G/F-82) to the roster. Toribio is fresh of Playing in Chile for Temuco Basket. he will be very important in the development of this team and how far they can go. Sameji is starting to get it together after beating Cupes by 42 points after the arrival of new coach Calcano Jose Garcia. The team is looking very good and the club is very confident that they will make a good run towards winning a championship.

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

EBA

Hawks roster - by Justin Moore
The Nova Hawks have been a main stay in the EBA and look to make a championship run as the season is coming to an exciting end here's there roster!

Michael Askew (6'7''-F-84, college: Virginia St.)
Gus Durr (6'6''-F-85, college: Mt.St.Mary's)
Joseph Flegler (6'0''-G-85, college: Savannah St.)
Tony Galloway (6'2''-G-80, college: Miami Dade CC)
Nyjuan Hall (6'4''-G-82, college: Roanoke)
Alexander Harrington (6'9''-F/C, college: St.Francis, NY)
Angelo Hernandez (6'3''-G, college: N.Carolina A&T)
Ed Jones (6'7''-F-86, college: N.Carolina A&T)

Joseph Kennerly (6'9''-C/F-84, college: Cent.Oklahoma)
Brian Leggett (6'6''-F-86, college: Barton, NC)
Mezie Nwigwe (6'4''-G-88, college: Robert Morris)
LAWRENCE ROSS 6'5 Forward WEST VA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
Mike Toth (6'3''-G-84, college: Delaware St.)
Jared Butler (5'11''-G-84, college: Roanoke)

Hype Face Defending Champions, with a Veteran Back - by Greg
The Hudson Valley Hype steam roll into this weekend on a five game winning streak making them the Northern Division leaders and giving them an automatic playoff berth for the first time in franchise history. They now must face their toughest challenge of the season when the currently undefeated defending champion Metro All Stars come to the Hudson Valley. The All Stars, led by their dominate center Calvin Brown Jr. are a perfect 8-0 in the Southern Division of the Eastern Basketball Alliance. This game is important on many levels, Owner Allen Pickett explains. We have a chance to secure the Northern Division title with a victory and we most likely will face this team again in the playoffs.
The Hype earlier this season welcomed back veteran guard Gerald Carter to the line up, who in typical fashion lit up the stat sheet with a (20) assist game. Now, fresh from his second professional season in Canada the Hype are proud to announce the return of Louie McCroskey to the line up. McCrowskey left the team prior to the start of the 2011/2012 campaign and will add a very physical and athletic element to the already explosive Hype offense. Louie was one of the most dominate players in the entire league the first two seasons with us, he has freakish athleticism that allows him to be big and extremely fast at the same time, Mr. Pickett continues; he and Carter were a one two punch that lacked the supporting cast. I truly think that he (Louie) is the final missing piece we need to make that final push for a championship title for the team and the Hudson Valley.

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

EUROCHALLENGE

EuroChallenge Round: 2 (Quarter-Finals) - by Eurobasket News
Triumph - Fuenlabrada 68-78
Fuenlabrada recorded a crucial win over Triumph in the EuroChallenge quarterfinal series. The Spaniards pulled away with a road win in Game 2 of the series to force the decider on March 20. Leonardo Mainoldi (203-F-85) knocked down 23 points to pace the visitors. The teams stayed on level terms in the opening quarter. The scoreboard read 18:18 after ten minutes. Fuenlabrada surged ahead early in the second quarter. They registered a 25:18 advantage. But Triumph did not allow the Spanish team to clear off. The hosts cut the deficit to just two points 36:38 at halftime. McKee put Triumph in front early in the third term. The Russian team piled up a 55:51 advantage at the final intermission. However Leonardo Mainoldi and Kirk Penney teamed up for 19 points in the fourth quarter and Fuenlabrada fired past Triumph to set an exciting third game in the series. Mike Hall (203-F-84, agency: SportsTalent, college: G.Washington) posted 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Kirk Penney added 13 points for the winners. Sergey Karasev (201-F-93) answered with 16 points for Triumph. Kyle Landry had 13 points and 7 rebounds in the losing effort.

Roanne - Chalon 76-78
Chalon advanced into EuroChallenge Final Four. They came back from behind to tame their French rivals Roanne on the road tonight sweeping the quarterfinal series. Malcolm Delaney scored 23 points to lead the charge. Roanne and Chalon stayed neck and neck throughout the opening quarter. The scoreboard read 18:18 after ten minutes. Roanne pulled ahead in the second quarter. The hosts ensured a 38:36 halftime advantage. Larrouquis and Dylan Page (204-F-82, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) made it 54:46 for Roanne midway through the third term. The home team secured a 57:49 lead with ten minutes remaining. Larrouquis stretched the margin to 12 points early in the final frame. The hosts maintained the lead posting a 74:62 with under four minutes remaining. But Malcolm Delaney and Blake Schilb (200-F/G-83, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices, college: Loyola, IL) triggered a 16:2 run from Chalon as they sealed the crucial win at the end. Blake Schilb notched 16 points, while Lang and Lauvergne netted 9 points each for Chalon. Dylan Page answered with 16 points for Roanne. Holland, Nsonwu and Wright chipped in 13 points each in the loss.

Szolnok - Ventspils 82-76
Szolnok tied the Quarterfinal series over Latvian Ventspils. The Hungarian outfit celebrated an 82:76 victory. Berzins gave the guests their first lead and they took 20:19 after the first period. The second frame also belonged to the Latvian side that managed to increase the lead to 36:32 at the halftime. Gay gave the Szolnok 57:53, but Ventspils finished the third quarter with a 6-0 run. The hosts trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 25-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Obie Trotter (186-PG-84, agency: Court Side, college: Alabama A&M) notched 19 points and 5 assists to lead the effort and Akos Horvath (193-G/F-81) supported him with 14 points and 6 assists. Even 14 points, 7 assists and 4 steals by Jahmar Young (196-G-86, college: N.Mexico St.) did not help to save the game for Ventspils. Martins Meiers added 12 points and 8 rebounds for the guests. Four Ventspils players scored in double figures.

Besiktas - Art.Dragons 77-63
Besiktas became the first team to reach EuroChallenge Final Four. They edged Artland Dragons at home court to complete the sweep of quarterfinal series. Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: G.Washington) dominated the game tallying 25 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists for Besiktas. The hosts gained a narrow 19:17 lead ten minutes into the game. Besiktas went on a 15:2 run at the start of the second frame to take a 32:19 lead. The hosts took over and rallied to a 44:25 halftime lead. Artland Dragons though never said die. The German team cut the distance to 7 points 46:53 late in the quarter. Anthony King put the Dragons within five points at the start of the fourth period 50:55. Pops Mensah-Bonsu stepped up for the home team scoring 8 points in a row and giving Besiktas a 69:55 advantage. The Dragons had no answer for this as the hosts raced to the win. Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) nailed 19 points, while David Hawkins netted 11 points for the winners. The Dragons answered with 15 points from David Holston (170-G-86, college: Chicago St.). Anthony King netted 12 points in defeat.

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Jovo STANOJEVIC
  Karsi.
  (208-C-77)
  Avg: 20.3

1. Stanojevic, Karsi.	20.3
2. Copeland, Aalstar	20.1
3. Chatman, Karsiyaka	20.0
4. Dykes, U.Mobite.	19.0
5. Karadeniz, Turk T.	18.3
6. Mensah-Bonsu, Bes.	18.3
7. Schilb, Chalon	16.9
8. Trotter, Szolnok	16.8
9. Holland, Roanne	16.4
10. Kudrautsau, Minsk.	16.0

Rebounds Per Game

Will THOMAS
  Armia
  (203-PF-86)
  Avg: 11.3

1. Thomas, Armia	11.3
2. Mensah-Bonsu, Bes.	10.8
3. Kjellbom, Armia	9.8
4. Majok, Nitra	9.3
5. Elonu, Pau-Lacq.	8.6
6. Arnold, BK Pardu.	8.4
7. Bader, Szolnok	8.2
8. Terry, Khimik	8.2
9. Hall, Fuenlabrada	8.0
10. Stanojevic, Karsi.	7.9

Assists Per Game

Jared JORDAN
  Telekom .
  (188-PG-84)
  Avg: 8.8

1. Jordan, Telekom	8.8
2. Eldridge, Minsk-20.	6.5
3. Holston, Art.Drag.	6.3
4. Moore, Keravnos	6.0
5. Barrett, Roanne	5.8
6. Gipson, Pau-Lacq.	5.7
7. Wright, Olin Edirne	5.3
8. Tchicamboud, Cha.	5.1
9. Bremer, N.Novgorod	5.0
10. Williams, Atomero.	5.0

Steals Per Game

Denis CLEMENTE
  Nitra
  (185-PG-86)
  Avg: 2.8

1. Clemente, Nitra	2.8
2. Frazier, Keravnos	2.7
3. Moore, Keravnos	2.6
4. Morris, U.Mobite.	2.4
5. Greene, Hoverla	2.3
6. Pandula, BK Prost.	2.3
7. Hasbrouck, EWE B.	2.1
8. de Jong, Leiden	1.8
9. Cup, Etha	1.8
10. Holston, Art.Drag.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Joakim KJELLBOM
  Armia
  (213-C/F-79)
  Avg: 2.3

1. Kjellbom, Armia	2.3
2. Gaffney, Teleko.	2.1
3. Mejri, Antwerp	1.8
4. Sene, Fuenlabrada	1.7
5. Hardin, Minsk-2006	1.7
6. Elonu, Pau-Lacq.	1.6
7. Knox, Minsk-2006	1.5
8. Baxter, Enisey	1.4
9. Pustovyi, Khimik	1.4
10. Majok, Nitra	1.3

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FRANCE

EuroChallenge: Chalon snatch road win over Roanne, advance into Final Four - by Eurobasket News
Roanne - Chalon 76:78

Chalon advanced into EuroChallenge Final Four. They came back from behind to tame their French rivals Roanne on the road tonight sweeping the quarterfinal series. Malcolm Delaney (191-G-89, college: Virginia Tech) scored 23 points to lead the charge.
Roanne and Chalon stayed neck and neck throughout the opening quarter. The scoreboard read 18:18 after ten minutes. Roanne pulled ahead in the second quarter. The hosts ensured a 38:36 halftime advantage. Larrouquis and Dylan Page (204-F-82, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) made it 54:46 for Roanne midway through the third term. The home team secured a 57:49 lead with ten minutes remaining. Larrouquis stretched the margin to 12 points early in the final frame. The hosts maintained the lead posting a 74:62 with under four minutes remaining. But Malcolm Delaney and Blake Schilb (200-F/G-83, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices, college: Loyola, IL) triggered a 16:2 run from Chalon as they sealed the crucial win at the end. Blake Schilb notched 16 points, while Nicolas Lang (196-G-90, agency: Beo Basket) and Joffrey Lauvergne (210-F-91) netted 9 points each for Chalon. Dylan Page answered with 16 points for Roanne. John Holland (195-G/F-88, college: Boston U.), Uche Nsonwu-Amadi (208-F/C-78, agency: Beo Basket, college: Wyoming) and Rashad Wright (189-G-82, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Georgia) chipped in 13 points each in the loss.

Roanne: Dylan Page 16, John Holland 13, Uche Nsonwu-Amadi 13, Rashad Wright 13
Chalon: Malcolm Delaney 23, Blake Schilb 16, Nicolas Lang 9, Joffrey Lauvergne 9

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FYR MACEDONIA

Janjusevic number one in FYR Macedonia for round 9 - by Eurobasket News
Serbian forward Milan Janjusevic (196-F-83) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for Kumanovo, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 9 (Second Stage).
The 28-year old player was the main contributor (21 points, four rebounds and three assists) to his team's victory, helping them to crush Rabotnicki (#6, 9-16) with 22-point margin 97-75. Kumanovo maintains the 5th position in FYR Macedonian Superleague. Kumanovo is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. But it was their 14th lost game this season out of 25 games. In the team's last game Janjusevic had a remarkable four three-pointers out of 7 attempts. He turned to be Kumanovo's top player in his first season with the team. Milan Janjusevic averages this season 15.2ppg.

The second best player in last round's games was 26-year old Sinisa Avramovski (209-C-85) of Lirija. Avramovski had a very good evening with 13 points and 5 rebounds. Bad luck as Lirija lost that game 71-90 to slightly higher-ranked MZT Skopje (#1, 21-4). It was definitely game of the week between two contenders to the title. Lirija still maintains its place in the top 3 of the standings, even despite this loss. His team's 14-11 record is not bad at all. Avramovski is a newcomer at Lirija and despite he is not a team leader yet, every game he becomes more reliable player. Hopefully performances like the last one will happen more often.

Third on the list of top players last round was another Kumanovo's star - international guard Aleksandar Kostoski (188-G-88, agency: Global Sports Plaza). Kostoski showcased his all-around game by recording 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in the last round. He was another key player of Kumanovo, helping his team with a 97-75 easy win against slightly lower-ranked Rabotnicki (#6, 9-16). The chances of Kumanovo ranking at the top of the league, however are very questionable as they have already lost 14 games, recording just eleven victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Kostoski could help Kumanovo to bring them higher in the standings. Kostoski has a great season in FYR Macedonia. After 24 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in assists with 3.4apg (5th best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Enes Hadzibulic (196-G-81) of Rabotnicki - 23 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Dusan Knezevic (207-C-80) of Feni Indistrija - 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Dejan Mikic (201-F-86) of Kumanovo - 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists
7. Todor Gecevski (209-C-77) of MZT Skopje - 14 points and 10 rebounds
8. Jarrid Frye (194-G/F-85) of Feni Indistrija - 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists
9. Cade Davis (196-G-88) of MZT Skopje - 10 points and 6 rebounds
10. Ivan Lilov (196-F/G-88) of Feni Indistrija - 20 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)

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GERMANY

Matt Bauscher Slips But Recovers Bausching Home A Buzzer Beater As BG Goettingen Shock The Fraport Skyliners 62-61 - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Saying goodbye to the sympathetic purple colors of BG Goettingen after this season will be as difficult for New England Patriots fans when Tom Brady is no longer barking signals for them, when Ray Bourque left the Boston Bruins after 21 seasons with no Stanley Cup win to go play for the Colorado Avalance in 2001 to finally win that cup or former Boston Celtic great Robert Parish leaving after a stellar 14 season career and three NBA titles to end his career with Charlotte and Chicago. BG Goettingen will return back to the PRO A after five successful seasons where they reached the playoffs three times. The two teams have had some very memorable wins in the last five years like the 64-61 win in 2008, where half the Skyliner team was sick and Maksym Shtein exploded like a mini Dwight Howard scoring 24 points leading the team to victory or last season where Frankfurt won 88-82 as Dashaun Wood countered with 25 points and 12 assists. In their last meeting, BG Goettingen was able to win in exciting spectacular style as Matt Bauscher (188-G-85, agency: Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, college: Boise St.) hit a buzzer beater giving BG Goettingen their third win this season 62-61. After playing in Holland the last three years, Bauscher was humble and lauding the BG Goettingen organization despite their hard times this season. It has been great playing for this organization. They have die hard fans. The fans have showed a lot more heart than what we could ever ask for. It has been a pleasure playing here, stressed 2009 Dutch scoring champ Matt Bauscher. I remember winning games against them, but I will never forget their press defense, stated Skyliner American Quantez Robertson. It isnt always the best thing to do after a bitter buzzer beater loss to have a player reflect on what had happened in the past against BG Goettingen after a game like that. Skyliner guard Jimmy Mckinney couldnt reflect on his memories about BG Goettingen, but probably more on the last play in which Bauscher was able to retain himself after slipping and making the shot. It doesnt mean nothing to me what happened in the past, expressed Jimmy Mckinney. Burtschi played four times against BG Goettingen in his career and only had praise for the 2010 Eurochallenge winner. You have to give them a lot of credit for the success that they have had despite a small budget. They have a great fan base there. I am sure that they will find the right pieces next season and be back soon in the Beko BBL, added ex Phoenix Hagen forward Jacob Burtschi.

The Fraport Skyliners came into the game trying to start a new winning streak after their heart breaking OT loss in Berlin where Jimmy Mckinney failed to win the game in the fourth quarter, but had problems finding their rhythm on offense in the first quarter and when they finally did find it, losing it in the fourth quarter when BG Goettingen starting playing anything like an 18th placed team. We came out very sluggish and had no real energy. We were unable to establish the kind of defense that we played in the last two games. Darrell Tucker hit some big three pointers at the end. We just didnt play the way that we wanted to play, added Quantez Robertson. For BG Goettingen, they hadnt won in months and were trying to erase their 14 game losing streak and came out never letting Frankfurt find their rhythm or going on a big run. This was a big road win. Anytime you can stop a long losing streak against a team like that is great. I hope we can start a winning streak now. We never gave up, got big rebounds and loose balls at the end, commented Matt Bauscher. After tow great efforts against Bamberg and Alba Berlin, did the Fraport Skyliners underestimate the 18th placed team? I dont think that Frankfurt underestimated us. All games are important and you have to be ready. I am just happy we won. I cant remember the last time that we won, stated BG Goettingen sharp shooter Jerel Allen.

The first five minutes of the first quarter looked more like a sluggish ice hockey game than a basketball game as both teams had about as much problems finding a way to drop the ball in as Shaq did at the free throw line through out his career. With five minutes played, Jimmy Mckinney made a lay in giving Frankfurt the 3-2 lead. Skyliner Devin Gibson then made three free throws while Jerel Allen scored inside as BG Goettingen trailed 6-4. The Fraport Skyliners then slowly found their rhythm on offense going on a 7-2 run to lead 13-6. German national player Johannes Herber dropped a three pointer and Jermareo Davidson hit a mid distance jumper and free throws. BG Goettingen were limited on offense with their play, but had the upper hand controlling the boards especially on the offensive glass. Sean Evans then scored inside, Davidson took the mis match against ex Skyliner Max Weber hitting another mid distance jumper and Paris Horne ended the first quarter with a buzzer beater as the Fraport Skyliners led 15-11. It took some time for both teams to get started. We didnt really know who should take command on the offense. We were rebounding very well on the offensive boards, but not so on the defensive boards, stressed BG Goettingen manager Marc Franz. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 33% from he field and 25% from outside while BG Goettingen was shooting 29% from the field and 20% from outside. BG Goettingen had the huge rebound edge 15-6, but five turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners had one turnover.

In the second quarter, the Fraport Skyliners lost a little of that defensive fire as BG Goettingen got more into a groove on offense as the game went back and fourth until the end of the second quarter where BG Goettingen was able to slightly pull a way with the lead. Ex St Johns guard Paris Horne was second on the all time three point list at 148 for a reason as he started the second quarter with three point bomb as just watching his release was worth the admission. Jimmy Mckinney then knocked home a three pointer as the Fraport Skyliners held the slim 18-14 lead. BG Goettingen then went on a timely and slick 5-0 run to lead 19-18. Matt Bauscher who would steal the show at the end already showed his scoring talent early dancing in the zone hitting a fade away jumper and basketball world traveler Darrell Tucker hit from downtown. However it was Mckinney again who was a one man wrecking crew in this faze scoring in the lane as Frankfurt led again 21-19. German national player Tim Ohlbrecht then followed up a miss with a tip in dunk, but Evans scored inside again as Frankfurt still led 23-22. Both teams would exchange the lead a few more times as Tucker made a tip in and Davidson another typical mid distance jumper as BG Goettingen trailed 25-24. BG Goettingen then closed out the second quarter with a 6-0 run to lead 30-25. Evans and Allen hit jumpers in this run. Frankfurt got a bit inconsistent and lost focus as Davidson was doing too much alone on offense and the team took three bad shots in a row. We were shooting better, but what was most important was that we kept the Frankfurt shooting percentage low. Allen and Horne were bringing a lot of energy and Max Weber got going as well, added BG Goettingen manager Marc Franz. BG Goettingen was shooting 38% from the field and 30% from the three point line while the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 27% from the field and 27% from the three point line. BG Goettingen still had the big 27-15 rebound edge, but six turnovers while Frankfurt had only three turnovers.

Despite the five point lead by BG Goettingen, the third quarter remained very tight as there would be seven lead changes in the second half of the third quarter. Michael Thompson who had missed his first three shots in the first quarter, finally got on the score board releasing his juicy juice floater, but Bauscher countered with a lay in as BG Goettingen still led 32-28. The Fraport Skyliners stayed calm and continued to run their sets finding the open man as Mckinney hit a three pointer and then served up a perfect pass to Robertson for the lay in and 33-33 score. Then there would be seven lead changes. After Tez and Davidson free throws, Fraport Sklyiners PRO B Larry Wright teammate at ST Johns Paris Horne nailed a three pointer over Jacob Burtschi who was practicing some trash talk with the American who seemed to want to show the BG Goettingen player on the next set what he could do. Burtschi didnt hit ove rHorne, but drew a foul and gave Frankfurt the 37-36 lead. Evans and Mckinney then traded buckets as Frankfurt led 39-38. Ex New Yorker phantoms Braunschweig forward Phillip Noch then hit a jumper and Jacob Burtschi closed out the third quarter with free throws as the Fraport Skyliners led 41-40. We did a good job on offense and on defense seemed to rattle them a little and get them out of their sets, explained Matt Bauscher. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 27% from the field and 25% from the parking lot while BG Goettingen was shooting 35% from the field and 24% from the parking lot. BG Goettingen still had the comfortable 34-28 rebound edge, but nine turnovers while Frankfurt had six turnovers.

In the fourth quarter, the Fraport Skyliners finally got on a horse and sped away from BG Goettingen going on a 12-3 run to break open the game 53-43. The Fraport Sklyiners open the fourth quarter with a sense of urgency and new found self confidence as Johannes Herber nailed a three pointer from the wing and Ohlbrecht made a tip in. Tucker continued being parked outside and showing his sweet touch with a bomb which was followed by another Herber three pointer and Thompson also found his range from the parking lot. As quickly as the Fraport Skyliners produced this lead, they just as fast lost the lead as BG Goettingen rallied and plastered Frankfurt with a 12-4 run and really found support from many guys on this day as ex Florida State stand out Jerel Allen connected twice taking BG Goettingen on a 5-0 run to trail only 53-48. After Mckinney fired over Evans, it was the American Evans who had started the season with the Gloria Giants Duesseldorf got revenge scoring which was followed by consecutive Tucker three pointers as BG Goettingen had found light at the en dof the tunnel getting the lead back56-55. We gave up too many open shots and had some defensive break downs during the two Tucker three pointers, commented Johannes Herber. The last few minutes were exciting as it seemed like bG Goettingen were going to go home with the win, but were surprised right before the buzzer beater with a lightening Frankfurt comeback. The Fraport Skyliners retook the lead 57-56 as Mckinney found Robertson on flight to the basket with an ally-op that he rattled home off the backboard. BG Goettingen then went on a mini 4-0 run to lead60-57 with under a minute to play. Tucker socred inside and Davidson stepped out to challenge Paris Horne who made the ex NBA player dizzy with his cross over as he connected with a jumper. With BG Goettingen threatning the Skyliner playoff chances with the three point lead and 40 seconds to play, Frankfurt stayed on guard as Davidson put home a shot as BG Goettingen only led 60-59. Davidson then made a steal and fed Robertson with the lay in which ignited the Fraport arena into a frenzy. Then memories came back form the 2010 Beko BBL cup top 4 where the Sklyiner fans and BG Goettingen fans started the famous Hall Goettingen hallo Frankfurt shouts as they tried it again with the Frankfurt fans winning in volume. With 5.4 seconds to play, BG Goettingen had one more play to win the game and won it with a Matt Bauscher buzzer beater. I have hit some buzzer beaters in my career, but this was my first in Germany. I got the ball slipped as did Mckinney, kept my composure and just took the shot. It felt very good after it left my hand, explained Matt Bauscher. You have to tip your hat to Bauscher. He made the shot over two players, added Quantez Robertson. Bauscher made a tough play, but big time players will make big time plays, stressed Skyliner guard Devin Gibson. We are really thankful that Bausch made that shot, but it should never have come down to that. After the bitter buzzer beater loss, Skyliner players had sunken heads and had problems reflecting on what had just happened. I think that we had strength to win this game, but we were to passive on offense. We knew that something like this could happen if we werent consistent on offense. Letting up 62 points is ok, but we cant let them win a game like this, warned Johannes Herber.

BG Goettingen was led by Darrell Tucker with 16 points and five rebounds. Sean Evans added 13 points, six rebounds and two assists. Paris Horne produced 12 points and Jerel Allen 10 points and eight rebounds. The Fraport Skyliners were led by Jimmy Mckinney with 15 points and Jermareo Davidson chipped in with 11 points. Anytime you shoot 34% from the field and 33% from downtown, you will have problems to win as the Fraport Skyliners found out. Despite evening out the rebounding 39-39 in the fourth quarter, the Fraport Skyliners ahd problems under the boards again and lost the points in the paint 26-16. We were flat on the boards with no energy. We seem to give good efforts against the top teams, but seem to decide to half ass it against a team like BG Goettingen which wont work. You have to give them credit. Because they kicked our butts on effort on the boards, added Jacob Burtschi. Despite only giving up 62 points on defense, the play isnt satisfying to all. We have to get rid of these defensive lapses that we continue to have, stressed Devin Gibson. With only a few games left all BG Goettingen can do now is end the season and play with pride. We kept our composure. We played with a lot of heart and never gave up, warned Jerel Allen. With only seven games to play and two wins away from the last playoff place, the Skyliner playoff hopes continue to dwindle, but there is still hope. All teams have tough programs. I think we have to win all the rest of our games, but it is still too early to put our heads in the sand. We still have a chance, but it gets tougher. It is sad that we lost so many games to lower teams this season. We have to start winning, warned Johannes Herber. The Fraport Skyliners now have to wait to see when they face off against the Artland dragons as they play Besiktas Istanbuhl in Eurochallenge play in a best of 3 series. With March Madness rolling Skyliner players will keep a close eye on whats happening especially Johannes Herber who went to West Virginia and must see how they have to tangle with Gonzaga and German national player Elias Harris. West Virgina hasnt played so well recently, but I think that they will come to play. They will win by seven points. I dont care if Harris makes 20 points as long as West Virginia wins, smiled Johannes Herber. Jacob Burtschi will be following the NCAA tournament with a passion. My picks are VCU and Florida State to advance. My sleeper is Baylor as they could surprise some teams, added Jacob Burtschi. After the bitter loss, Devin Gibson wasnt thinking too much about March Madness. I am not worrying about March Madness, but more about the Skyliners reaching the playoffs, warned Devin Gibson.

EuroChallenge: Besiktas advance into Final Four - by Eurobasket News
Besiktas - Artland Dragons 77:63

Besiktas became the first team to reach EuroChallenge Final Four. They edged Artland Dragons at home court to complete the sweep of quarterfinal series. Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: G.Washington) dominated the game tallying 25 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists for Besiktas.
The hosts gained a narrow 19:17 lead ten minutes into the game. Besiktas went on a 15:2 run at the start of the second frame to take a 32:19 lead. The hosts took over and rallied to a 44:25 halftime lead. Artland Dragons though never said die. The German team cut the distance to 7 points 46:53 late in the quarter. Anthony King (206-F/C-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) put the Dragons within five points at the start of the fourth period 50:55. Pops Mensah-Bonsu stepped up for the home team scoring 8 points in a row and giving Besiktas a 69:55 advantage. The Dragons had no answer for this as the hosts raced to the win. Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) nailed 19 points, while David Hawkins (194-G-82, college: Temple) netted 11 points for the winners. The Dragons answered with 15 points from David Holston (170-G-86, college: Chicago St.). Anthony King netted 12 points in defeat.

Besiktas: Pops Mensah-Bonsu 25+17 boards, Zoran Erceg 19, David Hawkins 11
Artland Dragons: David Holston 15, Anthony King 12

Regionalliga stars: Jason Boucher - by Moritz Korff
Only very little seemed to be able to stop the Dresden Titans this season, but on Sunday bad news were adding up. The Titans dropped their home game to Baunach 77-92 - only the third defeat of the season, but not the only loss of the evening: 'It was a tough game for us Sunday. I got injured the first possesion of the game with a foot injury. I am proud of my teammates for battling like they did without me playing. I think my team is good enough to win games without me and just need the confidence to play like they did without me last season. We are still in a good spot to win the championship and I hope to be back in a couple of weeks', Dresden's leading scorer Jason Boucher (180-G-80, college: Grand Valley St.) says.
With two games less played and only point behind hapa Ansbach, there is no need to turn dramatic, but still the championship race is coming to a head and might culminate on April 14th, when top-ranked Ansbach is hosting the Titans. Boucher: 'The Ansbach game is gonna be a good one and possible to be the game of the year for the championship. We have to continue to win games up until that game and not take any other team for granted. I'm excited about playing them and I hope we are in the situation for that game to be the deciding game for all the marbles'.

If everything works out as planned, the Titans will end up being promoted to the 2. Bundesliga Pro B. This goal has been set early on and Boucher, who played for the Gotha Rockets last year, knows what it takes to get along well in the higher league: 'I definately think we are ready for the Pro B next year! The organization is ready for it as well and are doing everything they need to do to make it happen. They are moving in the right direction and putting the pieces together to make that happen. I think we have a good enough team now to compete in the Pro B next year, but of course we are going to have to add some new players. And I'm excited to see what happens next season, if we move up to the Pro B', he says. The 31-year-old guard from Menominee, Michigan, has been signed by the Titans prior to this current season to add his experience, his ability to lead a team and his attractive style of play. And Boucher is delivering. He is averaging 22 points, 4.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals per contest this season. But having the 2002 graduate of Grand Valley State University on the roster, is certainly not the only reason, why the Titans have a good chance to win the RLSO title: 'I think we have a really balanced team this year and most importantly we play as a team and not individuals. Myself, George Dolle, and Andreas Endig do the majority of the scoring, but we have a good group of guys that are capable of scoring on any given night. I think we have been so successful this year (17-3), because every player on our team knows its role and doesn't try to do too much and things they cannot do. We count on each other on and off the court and I think that is very important, when games are close in the 4th quarter. Also our coach does a great job preparing us and getting us ready to play every game', Boucher says. The possibility to play for a championship this season might have been a major factor in Boucher's decision to return to the 1. Regionalliga South-East, a league he has been dominating for several years: 'Like you said I played in the Pro B last season with the Gotha Rockets and I had some things in the works this season for the Pro A and Pro B, but they fell through at the last minute. So I had no other options at the time. So I contacted Dresden and they gave me the opportunity to come here and play and I am very thankful for that. I think it was a great decision for me to come here and play and win games for this club and now we have the opportunity to move up next season', he explains.

Boucher is currently spending his sixth season in Germany, but only his fourth full season to be exact. He started with a short stint at Weiden in 2005 and then moved back to the US to compete in the CBA and IBL. While he took a glimpse at German basketball during his first stay, he really got his overseas career started in February 2008, when signing with the Coocoon Baskets Weiden for a second time to join the stretch run. Especially at HSB Basket Landsberg Boucher would earn a reputation as a high scoring guard and received Eurobasket.com All-RLSO Second Team and Honorable Mention on the way. In the 2010-11 campaign he was given the opportunity to leave his mark in the Pro B, when he inked a deal with the Gotha Rockets. In this current season he surpassed 2000 points for his Germany career and is now at 2370. But despite the fact that he has never been such a scoring threat in college, Boucher says: 'I dont think my game has changed a whole lot since my college days. I mean I have worked extremely hard my whole life at the game of basketball. In college I wasn't the scoring type point guard I am here, because my role on my team was different back then. My role here in Germany since I've been here has always been to be a scoring point guard and to make my teammates better. I can do whatever is needed to make my team better and I think that's why I have been so successful in my career.'

But back to Dresden. How is the success of the Titans being received in a city, which is widely known for its soccer team Dynamo? 'I think basketball is growing here in Dresden. I mean, we get a lot of fans at our home games, more than any other team in the league and probably more fans that most Pro B teams also. It helps when you are winning games and it attracts more fans to come out and support us. On some games this season we have had over 1,000 fans at our games and I think it will continue to grow. I'm really excited about the direction Dresden is heading in and hope to be a part of it next season as well', Boucher says and he stresses: 'My plan for next season is to play here in Dresden again, if we move up to the Pro B and I am looking forward for that opportunity. My coach, teammates and the organization have been great here in Dresden and I am thankful to be a part of it. Whatever next season brings, I just hope I will have a job playing the game I love and have a passion for and I hope to be a Dresden Titan in the 2012-13 season!'

There is still a long way to go for the Titans to earn championship honors and the next stop is going to be Leipzig, followed by a home game against the Dachau Spurs with Kenny Jones, the most productive player of the league: 'I think it will be a tough game especially if I cannot play because of this injury. But I have confidence in my teammates that they can get the job done with out me. Mr. Jones is a very talented player, but we beat them before at their place and now they have to come to the Margon Arena, where we are tough to beat. As long as we play our game and play as a team for 40 minutes, I think chances are pretty good to come out with a win! It's hard to stop Jones, so as long as we contain him we should be ok.'

German BBL round 27 best performance: Reggie Redding - by Eurobasket News
American guard Reggie Redding (196-G-88) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for Walter Tigers, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 27.
The 23-year old player was the main contributor (23 points, seven rebounds and six assists) to his team's victory, helping them to beat Bremerhaven (#10, 13-14) 88-82. The game rather meaningless between the teams, which do not have any influence on the top of the standings. Walter Tigers maintains the 12th position in German BBL. Walter Tigers 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 12-15 record. In the team's last game Redding had a remarkable 62.5% from 2-point range. He turned to be Walter Tigers' top player in his first season with the team. Reggie Redding averages this season 13.1ppg and 6.2rpg.

The second best player in last round's games was 27-year old American Tony Gaffney (204-F-84) of Telekom Baskets. Gaffney had a very good evening with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Of course Telekom Baskets cruised to a 89-77 relatively comfortable win over the lower-ranked Phoenix Hagen (#16, 7-19). Telekom Baskets' 8th position in the standings has not changed. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 14-12 record is not bad and everything may still change. Gaffney is a newcomer at Telekom Baskets, but is already one of team's top players.

Third on the list of top players last round was Moroccan forward Yassin Idbihi (208-F-83) of ALBA (#3). Idbihi scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He was a key player of ALBA, leading his team to a 81-73 win against slightly lower-ranked s.Oliver Baskets (#5, 17-10). ALBA needs these victories very badly if they think about getting closer to top teams. Their record at this point is 20 victories and 6 lost games. Idbihi has a very solid season. In 18 games in Germany he scored 7.6ppg. Yassin Idbihi has also German passport and can play in the league with a status of domestic player.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Chevon Troutman (202-F-81) of B.Muenchen - 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Jared Homan (206-C-83) of B.Muenchen - 18 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Zachery Peacock (203-F-87) of Bremerhaven - 20 points and 8 rebounds
7. Adam Chubb (208-F/C-81) of EWE Baskets - 17 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists
8. Joshua Young (185-G-88) of Walter Tigers - 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists
9. Bryce Taylor (196-G-86) of ALBA - 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists
10. Chris Ensminger (209-C-73) of Telekom Baskets - 16 points and 9 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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GREECE

Dragan Ceranic's double-double lands him Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News
35-year old center Dragan Ceranic (212-C-76, agency: Beo Basket) put on an amazing game in the last round for KAOD and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 23.
He had a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds, while his team beat Ilysiakos (#10, 7-15) 94-81. The game rather meaningless between the teams, which do not have any influence on the top of the standings. KAOD maintains the 9th position in Greek league. KAOD is rather a weak team placed in lower part in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 8-13 record. It was one of impressive evenings for Ceranic as usually he does not deliver so high stats. Dragan Ceranic averages this season 8.3ppg and 5.1rpg.

Second best performed player last round was Ronald Davis (190-G-82) of Aris. He is American guard in his first season at Aris. In the last game Davis recorded impressive 22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Of course Aris cruised to a 81-71 relatively comfortable win over slightly lower-ranked PAOK (#8, 9-13). This victory allowed Aris to move up to 7th position in the standings. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 9-12 record. Davis is a newcomer at Aris and quickly became one of team's most reliable players.

Third place about best performers goes to guard Marios Batis (188-G-80) of Panionios (#4). Batis scored 17 points and passed eight assists. He was a key player of Panionios, leading his team to a 77-60 easy win against the lower-ranked Peristeri GS (#11, 6-15). Panionios needs these victories very badly if they think about getting closer to top teams. Their record at this point is 14 victories and 7 lost games. Batis has a very solid season. In 15 games in Greece he scored 8.3ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Haralampos Giannopoulos (206-F-89) of Peristeri GS - 22 points and 4 rebounds
5. Zack Wright (188-G-85) of AGOR - 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists
6. Muhamed Pasalic (192-G-87) of Kavala - 15 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists
7. Kostas Kakaroudis (204-C-83) of KAOD - 22 points and 3 rebounds
8. Kostas Kaimakoglou (206-C/F-83) of Panathinaikos - 17 points and 6 rebounds
9. Steve Panos (206-C-88) of Kolossos - 16 points and 3 rebounds
10. Kosta Charalampidis (189-G-76) of KAOD - 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 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)

A2: Giannis Lianos sets the tone for Apollon: ''In the A1, where we belong'' - by Diamadis Farmakis
Interview with Giannis Lianos (200-F-85), who sharing his thoughts, about the upcoming great return of Apollon Patras to the A1 league. He is one of the greatest and most stable players of Apollon this season and his opinion, matters the most.

When the season started, did you have place as a team, the aim of the first two spots of the standings, which lead in the A1 league, or it was something that came in the course?

Giannis Lianos: 'In the start of the season, the objective goal of the team was to secure, as fast as possible, our stay in the category, because of the fact that, this year it would be a demotion of 5 teams in the B Division, instead of the normal 2.The team started to aim the 2 first places, after the 10 first rounds of the championship, because of our good results and because of the results of the other teams'.

Do you personally believed that, this season would be Apollon's season and that you could make it to the A1 league?

Giannis Lianos: 'The truth is that, deep inside of me, I always believed that with hard work and a bit of good luck, we could do this. Furthermore, the team had all the potential to make the big step to the A1. For example, the roster is almost the same with the last season, we are all from our city, Patra, we have the best player in the league (Nikos Argiropoulos) and a coach who knows what he wants and how to get it. All that, plus the big history of the team and the great fans, are enough to make the difference'.

What is the situation now in the team? Next year in the A1, things will be very different. The supervisors of the team, will have to make some serious adjustments.

Giannis Lianos: 'The situation in the team, beside the part of the games, is excellent. All the guys in the team we are good friends. I have the privilege to have teammates, with great characters and personalities. In the financial part, everyone contributes, to keep the problem, under control. The players and coaches, continue to work hard, despite some older delays in payments and the president is always here for us, in this tough days we live. My opinion for next year is that, if the team continues to compose from players from Patra, there will be no need for big expenses'.

Personally, you have one of your best seasons in your career and you are one of the leaders of the team. Are you satisfied with your performances?

Giannis Lianos: 'What makes me happy the most, is that I play in the team that I love and that is one step away from the return to the league it deserves to play. The A1. I always try to give my best, even when I am not in a good day. It gives me great satisfaction the fact that I am an important part of the team and that I have a share to the success. I have many things yet, to give, by improving my play. My teammates, my coaches and my father, have been very helpful to me'.

Would you like sometime in the future, to follow the steps of Argiropoulos and Barlos and make a transfer to a big Greek club? Is it an ambition you have?

Giannis Lianos: 'For sure, when I was young, I wanted to be like them. But what I want the most is to be with Apollon in the A1. Where he truly belongs. I want to be a significant part of the team, that will play among the best teams in the country'.

Do you looking forward to play next year in the A1? Are you already excited?

Giannis Lianos: 'Only the though that I will in the A1 with Apollon, makes me excited enough. It motivates me to prove that I deserve to play in the highest level. I feel ready now to make the next step and I am impatience to do it'.

A1 Week 23: Aris beat PAOK in the Thessaloniki's derby 81-71 - by Chris Mammides
With an amazing Dimitris Verginis who reminded to all of us why Coach Obradovic select him for Panathinaikos a 4-5 years ago, the team of Coach Alexandris, Aris Thessaloniki's beat quite easily its rival team of Coach Markopoulos, PAOK Thessaloniki's 81-71, in a game where the defeated Head Coach stated that Aris was a better team in all the aspects in compare to his own team which face problems in both offense and defence. The American Davies was the top scorer but Dimitris Verginis was the key to success for Aris. In the other games we had the following results, another road win for the amazing Kavala of Priftis, this time the 'victim' was Ikaros Kallitheas, Simtsak and Pasalic were great in the specific game, further more we had the victory of Panathinaikos over AGOR with 105-78 in a game where not many details needed due to the score, the great victory of KAOD over Ilysiakos with 94-81 with the veteran Dragan Ceranic (212-C-76) not only being the MVP of the specific game but was voted an MVP of the 23rd round! and the victory of Kolossos over Maroussi with 86-62 while a day before Coach Bartzokas troops, Panionios beat Peristeri with 77-60 having as a top scorer the American Jon Diebler (198-G-88, college: Ohio St.).
The games with more analysis:
Aris - PAOK
Quarters: 22-18, 49-38, 65-53, 81-71
In the derby of the 23rd round we had an easy victory for Aris over PAOK with an aggressive and decisive game from the very beggining. Due to Kalles mostly, Aris was not able to increase the deficit from the starting period so the 22-18 can easily characterised as Kalles's period with the young Greek being the only real thread for Coach Alexandirs team. The second period was much better for Aris as Coach Alexandris saw Davies in another personal show while from a close distance were Tapoutos and Dimitris Verginis. The best period though for Aris was the third one who increased the deficit to as amany as 17 points before PAOK cuts the deficit to thirteen with the end of the period. The last period PAOK tried to react a bit but the game was over from the beggining.
Top scorers:
Aris: Davies 22, Dimitris Verginis 11, Tapoutos 13
PAOK: Nikos Pappas 18, Kalles 11, Dikoudis 15

Panionios - Perister 77-60
Quarters: 21-11, 42-28, 58-43, 77-60.
Peristeri quit the league some time ago due to the financial problems that is facing, this was the main factor of the game's result plus the amazing percenages from the arc on behalf of Panionios players and especially Jon Diebler and Batis who scored 12 three pointers while Keys and Xanthopoulos and Nadjfey scored another six in a total of 19 three pointers in the game. Perister and Coach Pedoulakis saw Haralampos Giannopoulos in another one man's show, the young player added anotehr 22 points in his personal record for this season.
Top scorers:
Panionios: Jon Diebler 21, Batis 17
Peristeri: Kafkis 11, Haralampos Giannopoulos 22

Kolossos Rodou - Maroussi 86-62
Quarters: 29-18, 46-27, 67-44, 86-62
There are not many details for a game where the one team is playing with proffesionals while the opponent is playing with youngsters and only three professional players. In any case the 24 points of difference could have been less if the players of Coach Linardos were a bit better in their shots.
Top scorers:
Kolossos: Steve Panos (206-C-88, college: Weber St.) 16, Asimakopoulos 12, Boykin 11, Hopson 14
Maroussi: Prodromos Nikolaidis (201-F-78) 22 and Akepsimaidis 16

Panathinaikos-AGOR 105-78
Quarters: 26-28, 55-45, 84-63, 105-78.
As most games this season Panathinaikos lost the first period against (mostly Zack Wright (188-G-85, college: Central Mo.)) AGOR but after the first ten minutes the Green engine warm up and ended a game which reached even the 30 points to end up to 27. PErperoglou and Calathes were very consistent in their scoring duties while a good game in the organisational part took palce by 3D as the 9 assists he offer to his team-mates are to be added in his personal record to become only the second player of all times in the Greek league, behind Papaloukas in the assists sector.
Top scorers:
Panathinaikos: Perperoglou 13, Calathes 14, Kostas Kaimakoglou (206-C/F-83) 17
AGOR: Zack Wright 18, Christmas 10 and 8 assists, Papanikolaou 12, Petway 11

KAOD - Ilysiakos 94-81
Quarters: 25-17, 42-38, 72-61, 94-81.
In the second derby of the week, the team of Coach Kalafatakis beat totally the team of Coach Flevarakis, Ilysiakos in a game where the veteran Dragan Ceranic dominated in both edges and he was voted fairly as the MVP of the week. The veteran center scored 24 points dashed down 13 rebounds, won 11 fouls in an unofficial triple double figure while he offer three assists to his team-mates and was ranking was 41!! In regards to the game now the home team was dominant from the early beggining and with an exception being the last minutes of the first half the rest of the game the deficit was in double digits for the home team.
Top scorers:
KAOD: Karydas 12, Charalambidis 17, Dragan Ceranic 24, Kakaroudis 22
Ilysiakos: Tsiakos 12, Giorgios Apostolidis 14, Thompson 12, Kojadarevic 10, Hatzis 13

Loukas Mavrokefalidis selected the top Greek playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
We bring you last week''s top performances from Greeks who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

Loukas Mavrokefalidis

#1. This week''s number one is an international center Loukas Mavrokefalidis (209-84), who plays in Russia. He could not help Spartak St.Petersburg (11-5) in their last game. Despite Mavrokefalidis'' very good performance the second-placed Spartak St.Petersburg lost 77-85 on the road to the lower-ranked (#4) Lokomotiv in the group B of VTB United League. He was the top scorer with 16 points. Mavrokefalidis also added 8 rebounds in 27 minutes on the court. It was Spartak St.Petersburg''s third consecutive loss in a row. The Regular Season already ended in the VTB United League. Mavrokefalidis has relatively good stats this year: 11.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.3apg, 2FGP: 47.4% and FT: 95.5%(21-22) in the 14 games he played so far. He is currently a member of the Greek senior national team.

Kostas Vasiliadis

#2. Second place goes to an international swingman Kostas Vasiliadis (200-84, agency: FCM). Vasiliadis led Gescrap BB to a victory against the closely-ranked Baloncesto Fuenlabrada (10-13) 92-81 in the Spanish ACB last Sunday. He scored 13 points. Gescrap Bizkaia Bilbao Basket (12-12) is placed tenth in the ACB. They ended the series of three consecutive loses. This season Vasiliadis has relatively solid stats: 11.2ppg, 2.4rpg, 2FGP: 65.2%(45-69), 3FGP: 28.1% and FT: 91.7%(66-72). He is in the roster of the Greek senior national team.

Theodoros Papaloukas

#3. The Greek player who performed third best last week abroad was an experienced former international point guard Theodoros Papaloukas (200-77, also represented by FCM). Papaloukas managed to help Maccabi Electra Tel-Aviv in a victory against the eighth-ranked KK Zagreb CO (12-13) crushing them 88-68 in the Adriatic League on Saturday night. He scored only 2 points, had 9 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 19 minutes. Maccabi Electra Tel-Aviv (22-1) is placed first in group A. It was his team''s 11th consecutive victory in a row. There are only two games left until the end of the Adriatic League Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. It''s Papaloukas'' first season with the team. Papaloukas belongs to league''s best passers (ranked #6) and also on the list of most steals (third place). This year he averages: 4.0ppg, 2.4rpg, 4.1apg, 1.7spg, 2FGP: 69.0%(29-42), 3FGP: 12.5% and FT: 66.7% in the 20 games. Papaloukas played for the Greek national team four years ago.

Sofoklis Schortsanitis

#4. Center Sofoklis Schortsanitis (206-85) is a teammate of previously mentioned Theodoros Papaloukas and both played together in the last Adriatic League game. Schortsanitis contributed to an easy victory against the eighth-ranked KK Zagreb CO (12-13) crushing them 88-68. He scored only 2 points, had 4 rebounds and dished 7 assists. Schortsanitis has reliable stats this season: 10.3ppg, 4.2rpg and 1.2apg. He is also Greek national team player.

Dimitrios Mavroeidis

#5. International center Dimitrios Mavroeidis (208-85, another player represented by FCM) is a teammate of previously mentioned Kostas Vasiliadis. But that was another game of his team in Spanish ACB which we would like to mention. Mavroeidis was not able to help Gescrap BB (12-12) in their game against FIATC Joventut (11-13). He scored 5 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in 32 minutes. Gescrap BB was crushed 91-67 in Badalona by the lower-ranked (#12) FIATC Joventut. This year Mavroeidis'' overall stats are: 3.8ppg and 3.9rpg in the 20 games. He plays currently for the Greek national team.

Michael Bramos

#6. Swingman Michael Bramos (196-87, college: Miami, OH) contributed to an overtime Gran Canaria 2014''s surprising victory against the second-ranked Regal FC Barcelona (19-5) 93-90 in the Spanish ACB on Sunday night. Bramos scored 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. C.B. Gran Canaria 2014 (9-15) is placed 14th in the ACB. It was his team''s first victory after three consecutive loses. Bramos'' total stats this season are: 9.0ppg, 2.4rpg and 1.2apg. He is an international player who is currently on the senior Greek National Team roster.

Emmanouil Papamakarios

#7. Former international guard Emmanouil Papamakarios (192-80) contributed to a Lagun Aro GBC''s victory against the closely-ranked Caja Laboral (17-7) 81-73 in the Spanish ACB in Sunday night''s game. Papamakarios scored 7 points, had 5 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 28 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Lagun Aro Gipuzkoa BC (14-10) is placed fourth in the ACB. It was his team''s fourth consecutive victory in a row. This year Papamakarios'' total stats are: 3.5ppg and 1.5rpg in the 24 games. He used to play for the Greek national team seven years ago.

Nestoras Kommatos

#8. Forward Nestoras Kommatos (203-77) was the major contributor in S.Antimo''s victory against the league outsider MarcoPoloShop.it (6-15) 93-88 in the Italian Lega2 (second division) last Sunday. Kommatos scored 18 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and dished 3 assists. Ass.Pallacanestro Sant'' Antimo (7-14) is placed second from the bottom (#14) in the Lega2. Kommatos averaged so far 11.0ppg, 8.0rpg and 2.0apg. He used to play for the Greek national team back in 2005.

Dimitris Haritopoulos

#9. Former international power forward Dimitris Haritopoulos (206-83, another player represented by FCM) was not able to secure a victory for ASVEL (10-11) in their game against Gravelines-Dunkerque (18-3) in the French ProA. Haritopoulos scored 8 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 19 minutes. ASVEL was badly defeated 73-53 on the opponent''s court by the second-ranked Gravelines-Dunkerque. It was ASVEL''s third consecutive loss in a row. Haritopoulos has averaged so far 7.0ppg and 3.4rpg in the five games. He used to play for the Greek national team seven years ago.

Nikolaos Zisis

   #10. Guard Nikolaos Zisis (197-83) helped Montepaschi Siena win their game against the eighth-ranked Cimberio Varese (12-11) 77-65 in the Italian SerieA on Wednesday night. Zisis scored only 2 points. Montepaschi Siena (17-6) is placed first in the SerieA. Zisis has averaged so far 5.9ppg, 2.2rpg and 2.4apg. He is an international player who is currently on the senior Greek National Team roster.

   #11. Former international guard Giannis Kalambokis (195-78, another player represented by FCM) helped ALBA Berlin win their n overtime game against the 11th-ranked Deutsche Bank Skyliners 70-66 in the German BBL in Saturday night''s game. Kalambokis scored 5 points in 13 minutes. Kalambokis has averaged so far 2.7ppg and 1.7rpg in the three games. He used to play for the Greek national team three years ago.

   #12. Former U20 international small forward Dusan Sakota (209-86, agency: Beo Basket) couldn''t help Enisey Krasnoyarsk in their game against Krasnie Krilya in the Russian PBL. Sakota scored 9 points in 24 minutes. His team was edged 62-61. Sakota has averaged so far 9.3ppg and 3.3rpg in the four games. He used to play for the Greek U20 national team back in 2006.

   #13. Former U16 international power forward Savvas Manousos (208-85) helped NH Ostrava win their game against the seventh-ranked BK Loko Plzen 80-67 in the Czech Republic NBL in Saturday night''s game. Manousos scored 6 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Manousos has averaged so far 8.4ppg and 6.1rpg. He used to play for the Greek U16 national team eleven years ago.

   #14. Former U18 international forward Fotios Lampropoulos (206-83) couldn''t help Canarias in their game against Ford Burgos in the Spanish LEB Gold (second division). Lampropoulos scored 9 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 22 minutes. His team lost 76-81. Lampropoulos has averaged so far 6.9ppg and 3.6rpg in the 27 games. He used to play for the Greek U18 national team back in 2003.

   #15. Former U20 international guard Igor Milosevic (193-86, another player represented by Beo Basket) helped New Yorker Phantoms win their game against the 15th-ranked LTi 46ers 78-63 in the German BBL on Friday night. Milosevic scored 6 points and added 4 passes. Milosevic has averaged so far 8.0ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.0apg and 1.2spg. He used to play for the Greek U20 national team six years ago.

The list of other players, who all have Greek passport but never been selected to any of Greek national teams:

   #1. Experienced Leonid Iailo (206-F-73), who plays in the Ukrainian Superleague could not help Mykolaiv (11-22) in their last game on Saturday. Despite Iailo''s very good performance Mykolaiv was defeated 84-73 on the road by the lower-ranked DniproAzot (#12). He was the top scorer with 15 points. Iailo also added 7 rebounds. There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. Iailo has been at the team for four years. He has averaged so far 6.3ppg, 4.5rpg and 1.7apg. Iailo has a dual citizenship: Greek and Ukrainian. Despite his Greek passport, Iailo previously played for the Ukrainian national team and is probably not eligible to play for the Greek team.

   #2. Angelo Tsagarakis (190-G-84) was the major contributor in a 3-point JL Bourg''s victory against the fifth-ranked Fos Ouest (16-9) 80-77 in the French ProB (second division) last Friday. He recorded 16 points and added 5 assists in 27 minutes. JL Bourg Basket (12-13) is placed ninth in the ProB. It was his team''s first victory after three consecutive loses. Tsagarakis'' stats this year are: 13.7ppg, 1.5rpg and 2.5apg in the 20 games he played so far. He is another player who holds two passports: Greek and French. Despite Tsagarakis'' Greek nationality, he previously played for the French U20 national team and probably cannot be called to the Greek team.

   #3. Mannos Nakos (179-PG-88) led Uppsala Basket to a victory against the closely-ranked Boras Basket (21-15) 95-81 in the Swedish Basketligan last Tuesday. Nakos scored 11 points, made 3 passes and 4 steals. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Uppsala Basket (21-15) is placed fourth in the Basketligan. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. They will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And now that game is very crucial. Nakos has averaged so far 5.6ppg and 1.6apg. He has also Swedish citizenship.

   #4. Sten-Timmu Sokk (181-G-89) managed to help Tartu Ulikool to win against the league outsider Valga (3-22) crushing them 87-67 in the Estonian KML last Tuesday. Sokk recorded only 2 points and added 6 assists. Tartu Ulikool (21-2) is placed first in the KML. It was his team''s seventh consecutive victory in a row. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be important. Sokk is one of the most experienced players in a team as it''s his fourth year in Tartu Ulikool''s roster. He is currently third on the list of best passers. Sokk has averaged so far 7.8ppg, 1.5rpg and 3.6apg. He has both Greek and Estonian nationalities.

   #5. Antonis Sivorotka (203-F-85) was not able to help Crailsheim Merlins (16-9) in their game against Ehingen/Urspringschule (11-14) in the German ProA (second division). Sivorotka scored 5 points in 7 minutes. Crailsheim Merlins lost in an overtime 78-83 in Allmendingen to the much lower-ranked (#12) Ehingen/Urspringschule. It was Crailsheim Merlins'' first loss after three consecutive victories. There are only three games left until the end of the Regular Season. Sivorotka has averaged so far 3.4ppg and 1.9rpg in the 18 games.

   #6. Notis Chalkidis (203-C-81) was not able to secure a victory for Durham Wildcats in their game against Newcastle Eagles in the British BBL. He cannot count Saturday''s game as one of the best ones. Chalkidis recorded only 2 points. His team was defeated 97-82. Chalkidis has averaged so far 1.3ppg and 1.2rpg.

Loukas Mavrokefalidis selected the top Greek playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
We bring you last week''s top performances from Greeks who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

Loukas Mavrokefalidis

Kostas Vasiliadis

Theodoros Papaloukas

Sofoklis Schortsanitis

Dimitrios Mavroeidis

Michael Bramos

Emmanouil Papamakarios

Nestoras Kommatos

Dimitris Haritopoulos

Nikolaos Zisis

   #10. Guard Nikolaos Zisis (197-83) helped Montepaschi Siena win their game against the eighth-ranked Cimberio Varese (12-11) 77-65 in the Italian SerieA on Wednesday night. Zisis scored only 2 points. Montepaschi Siena (17-6) is placed first in the SerieA. Zisis has averaged so far 5.9ppg, 2.2rpg and 2.4apg. He is an international player who is currently on the senior Greek National Team roster.

   #11. Former international guard Giannis Kalambokis (195-78, another player represented by FCM) helped ALBA Berlin win their n overtime game against the 11th-ranked Deutsche Bank Skyliners 70-66 in the German BBL in Saturday night''s game. Kalambokis scored 5 points in 13 minutes. Kalambokis has averaged so far 2.7ppg and 1.7rpg in the three games. He used to play for the Greek national team three years ago.

   #12. Former U20 international small forward Dusan Sakota (209-86, agency: Beo Basket) couldn''t help Enisey Krasnoyarsk in their game against Krasnie Krilya in the Russian PBL. Sakota scored 9 points in 24 minutes. His team was edged 62-61. Sakota has averaged so far 9.3ppg and 3.3rpg in the four games. He used to play for the Greek U20 national team back in 2006.

   #13. Former U16 international power forward Savvas Manousos (208-85) helped NH Ostrava win their game against the seventh-ranked BK Loko Plzen 80-67 in the Czech Republic NBL in Saturday night''s game. Manousos scored 6 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Manousos has averaged so far 8.4ppg and 6.1rpg. He used to play for the Greek U16 national team eleven years ago.

   #14. Former U18 international forward Fotios Lampropoulos (206-83) couldn''t help Canarias in their game against Ford Burgos in the Spanish LEB Gold (second division). Lampropoulos scored 9 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 22 minutes. His team lost 76-81. Lampropoulos has averaged so far 6.9ppg and 3.6rpg in the 27 games. He used to play for the Greek U18 national team back in 2003.

   #15. Former U20 international guard Igor Milosevic (193-86, another player represented by Beo Basket) helped New Yorker Phantoms win their game against the 15th-ranked LTi 46ers 78-63 in the German BBL on Friday night. Milosevic scored 6 points and added 4 passes. Milosevic has averaged so far 8.0ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.0apg and 1.2spg. He used to play for the Greek U20 national team six years ago.

The list of other players, who all have Greek passport but never been selected to any of Greek national teams:

   #1. Experienced Leonid Iailo (206-F-73), who plays in the Ukrainian Superleague could not help Mykolaiv (11-22) in their last game on Saturday. Despite Iailo''s very good performance Mykolaiv was defeated 84-73 on the road by the lower-ranked DniproAzot (#12). He was the top scorer with 15 points. Iailo also added 7 rebounds. There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. Iailo has been at the team for four years. He has averaged so far 6.3ppg, 4.5rpg and 1.7apg. Iailo has a dual citizenship: Greek and Ukrainian. Despite his Greek passport, Iailo previously played for the Ukrainian national team and is probably not eligible to play for the Greek team.

   #2. Angelo Tsagarakis (190-G-84) was the major contributor in a 3-point JL Bourg''s victory against the fifth-ranked Fos Ouest (16-9) 80-77 in the French ProB (second division) last Friday. He recorded 16 points and added 5 assists in 27 minutes. JL Bourg Basket (12-13) is placed ninth in the ProB. It was his team''s first victory after three consecutive loses. Tsagarakis'' stats this year are: 13.7ppg, 1.5rpg and 2.5apg in the 20 games he played so far. He is another player who holds two passports: Greek and French. Despite Tsagarakis'' Greek nationality, he previously played for the French U20 national team and probably cannot be called to the Greek team.

   #3. Mannos Nakos (179-PG-88) led Uppsala Basket to a victory against the closely-ranked Boras Basket (21-15) 95-81 in the Swedish Basketligan last Tuesday. Nakos scored 11 points, made 3 passes and 4 steals. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Uppsala Basket (21-15) is placed fourth in the Basketligan. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. They will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And now that game is very crucial. Nakos has averaged so far 5.6ppg and 1.6apg. He has also Swedish citizenship.

   #4. Sten-Timmu Sokk (181-G-89) managed to help Tartu Ulikool to win against the league outsider Valga (3-22) crushing them 87-67 in the Estonian KML last Tuesday. Sokk recorded only 2 points and added 6 assists. Tartu Ulikool (21-2) is placed first in the KML. It was his team''s seventh consecutive victory in a row. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be important. Sokk is one of the most experienced players in a team as it''s his fourth year in Tartu Ulikool''s roster. He is currently third on the list of best passers. Sokk has averaged so far 7.8ppg, 1.5rpg and 3.6apg. He has both Greek and Estonian nationalities.

   #5. Antonis Sivorotka (203-F-85) was not able to help Crailsheim Merlins (16-9) in their game against Ehingen/Urspringschule (11-14) in the German ProA (second division). Sivorotka scored 5 points in 7 minutes. Crailsheim Merlins lost in an overtime 78-83 in Allmendingen to the much lower-ranked (#12) Ehingen/Urspringschule. It was Crailsheim Merlins'' first loss after three consecutive victories. There are only three games left until the end of the Regular Season. Sivorotka has averaged so far 3.4ppg and 1.9rpg in the 18 games.

   #6. Notis Chalkidis (203-C-81) was not able to secure a victory for Durham Wildcats in their game against Newcastle Eagles in the British BBL. He cannot count Saturday''s game as one of the best ones. Chalkidis recorded only 2 points. His team was defeated 97-82. Chalkidis has averaged so far 1.3ppg and 1.2rpg.

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HUNGARY

Peter Lorant selected the top Hungarian playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
Traditionally, every week we bring you a list of the top performances of Hungarians who are currently playing abroad.

Peter Lorant

#1. This week''s number one is an international power forward Peter Lorant (207-85, agency: Laszlo Vinko Group). He contributed to a Lagun Aro GBC''s victory against the closely-ranked Caja Laboral (17-7) 81-73 in the Spanish ACB in Sunday night''s game. Lorant scored 9 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in only 9 minutes on the court. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Lagun Aro Gipuzkoa BC (14-10) is placed fourth in the ACB. It was his team''s fourth consecutive victory in a row. It''s Lorant''s first season with the team. This year he averages: 2.5ppg, 2.7rpg, 2FGP: 53.8% and FT: 66.7% in the 14 games he played so far. Lorant is currently a member of the Hungarian senior national team.

Adam Hanga

#2. Second place goes to an international guard Adam Hanga (201-89, agency: TSS Management), who plays in the Spanish ACB. He could not help Assignia Manresa (12-12) to beat Blancos de Rueda (6-18). Hanga did not impress in that game on Saturday. He scored only 3 points. Assignia Manresa was defeated 79-70 on the road by the league outsider Blancos de Rueda (#18). They ended the series of three consecutive victories. Hanga''s overall stats this season are: 7.0ppg, 3.3rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 43.6%, 3FGP: 21.1% and FT: 67.2%. He is in the roster of the Hungarian senior national team.

One more player who has never been selected to any of national teams, but has Hungarian passport:

#1. Greg Somogyi (220-C-89), who plays in the NCAA could not help the UCSB (12-4) to beat the Long Beach State University (7-9). Somogyi scored 6 points and blocked 2 blocks in only 12 minutes. The UCSB lost 64-77 on the road to the Long Beach State University. Somogyi has been at the team for four years. This season his overall stats are: 7.0ppg, 3.3rpg, 2.1apg and 1.3spg in the 24 games he played so far.

Other top Hungarian players, who play abroad:

Zsolt Bencsik plays for Okapi Aalstar in Belgian D1
Laszlo Dobos (221-C-93) plays for Ikaros in Greek A1
Peter Hajmasy (193-F-88) plays for Komarno in Slovakian Extraliga
Peter Szabo (183-G-89) plays for Komarno in Slovakian Extraliga
Georg Matyas (190-G-63) plays for Xion Dukes in Austrian A Bundesliga
Daniel Deri (91) plays for Gussing Knights in Austrian A Bundesliga
Gabor Barlai (175-PG-91) plays for UBSC Graz in Austrian A Bundesliga
Gyorgy Polya (195-G-88) plays for Leeds Carnegie in British EBL
Attila Pal (194-F/C-78) plays for Bernex in Swiss LNB
Zoltan Kollar (210-C-82) plays for Rostock EBC in German Regionalliga
Zsolt Klir (200-F-88) plays for Gelnhausen in German 2.Regionalliga
Tamas Halmai (202-F/C-87) plays for Oberelchingen in German 2.Regionalliga
Tamas Markus (180-G/F-89) plays for Bodfeld Baskets in German Oberliga

Notice: The list above includes only some of the Hungarian playing currently abroad. Go to Hungarian Abroad Page to see completed list.

EuroChallenge: Szolnok tied the Quarterfinal series - by Eurobasket News
Szolnok - Ventspils 82:76

Szolnok tied the Quarterfinal series over Latvian Ventspils. The Hungarian outfit celebrated an 82:76 victory.
Berzins gave the guests their first lead and they took 20:19 after the first period. The second frame also belonged to the Latvian side that managed to increase the lead to 36:32 at the halftime. Brandon Gay (203-F-82, agency: Edge Sports, college: San Diego) gave the Szolnok 57:53, but Ventspils finished the third quarter with a 6-0 run. The hosts trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 25-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game.
Obie Trotter (186-PG-84, agency: Court Side, college: Alabama A&M) notched 19 points and 5 assists to lead the effort and Akos Horvath (193-G/F-81) supported him with 14 points and 6 assists. Even 14 points, 7 assists and 4 steals by Jahmar Young (196-G-86, college: N.Mexico St.) did not help to save the game for Ventspils. Martins Meiers (206-C-91) (206-91) added 12 points and 8 rebounds for the guests. Four Ventspils players scored in double figures.

Szolnok: Obie Trotter 19, Akos Horvath 14, Brandon Gay 12
Ventspils: Jahmar Young 14, Todd Abernethy (185-PG-84, college: Mississippi) 13, Martins Meiers 12

Toth and Vojvoda signed for 2 more years - by Levente Szabo
Atomeromu SE Paks reached an agreement this week for 2 more years with Adam Toth (208-F/C-89, agency: FCM) and David Vojvoda (191-G/F-90, agency: Laszlo Vinko Group). With these signings the core of their roster is set for next season as they have every domestic player under contract.

Adam Toth was member of the Hungarian National Team in every age group from the U16 up to the Senior National Team. The 22 years old big man ran his best season so far last year when he was the starting center of his native team Zalakeramia-ZTE KK and recorded 10.2ppg combined with 4.3rpg. The 6'10' center moved this year to Atomeromu SE Paks where he had an erratic season thus far, but it seems that he starts to find his place in the team lately as he averaged in his last 5 games 11.8ppg and 4.4rpg in 22.8 minutes of playing time.

David Vojvoda is considered one of the most talented Hungarian youngsters. He had the debut in the First Division at the age of 16. At only 18 he was already a key player of Kaposvari KK with 13.5ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.8apg and 1.6spg (FGP: 60.2%, 3PT: 38.2%, FT: 81.3%) and now he is the best domestic player of the EuroChallenge participant Atomeromu SE Paks recording 12.8ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.7apg and 1.5spg. The 21 years old shooting guard is member of the Senior National Team too.

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IBL

Standings

IBL Standings

Branding
1. Orlando V.		0-0
2. Phoenix R.		0-0
3. Yamhill H.		0-0
Continental
1. Bellingham S.		0-0
2. Olympia R.		0-0
3. Vancouver V.		0-0
International
1. Edmonton E.		0-0
2. Japan		0-0
3. Portland C.		0-0

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

ICELAND

Jakob Sigurdarson selected the top Icelandic playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
Here is the weekly review of the top performing Icelandic players, who play currently abroad.

Jakob Sigurdarson

#1. This week''s number one is former international guard Jakob Sigurdarson (192-82, college: Birm.Southern), who plays in the Swedish Basketligan. He could not help one of league''s weakest teams Sundsvall Dragons (21-15) in their last game. Despite Sigurdarson''s very good performance Sundsvall Dragons was crushed 105-83 on the road by the higher-ranked (#5) LF Basket. He was the top scorer with 24 points. Sigurdarson also added 4 rebounds in 28 minutes on the court. It was Sundsvall Dragons'' third consecutive loss in a row. His team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Sigurdarson is currently third on the list of top scorers with 19.3ppg. He also averaged so far 2.7rpg, 3.0apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 49.6% and FT: 92.1%(105-114) in the 35 games he played so far. Sigurdarson played for the Icelandic senior national team three years ago.

Hoerdur Vilhjalmsson

#2. Second place goes to former international guard Hoerdur Vilhjalmsson (188-88). He led Mitteldeutscher BC to an overtime victory against the closely-ranked Kirchheim Knights (15-9) 92-82 in the German ProA (second division) last Saturday. Vilhjalmsson scored 18 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished 6 assists. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Mitteldeutscher BC Weissenfels (19-5) is placed first in the ProA. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game is very crucial. It''s Vilhjalmsson''s first season with the team. He has relatively good stats this year: 12.0ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.5apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 56.6%(43-76), 3FGP: 46.2%(48-104) and FT: 74.0%. Vilhjalmsson played for the Icelandic national team in 2009.

Hlynur Baeringsson

#3. The Icelandic player who performed third best last week abroad was former international power forward Hlynur Baeringsson (200-82) is a teammate of previously mentioned Jakob Sigurdarson. But that was another game of his team in Swedish Basketligan which we would like to mention. Baeringsson, who plays in the Swedish Basketligan. He was not able to help Sundsvall Dragons (21-15) in their last game. Despite Baeringsson''s very good performance Sundsvall Dragons lost 72-80 in Norrkoping to the second-ranked Dolphins. He was the top scorer with 20 points. Baeringsson also added 6 rebounds (was perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line) in 32 minutes. Baeringsson is currently third on the league''s list of best rebounders with 10.0rpg. This year his other stats are: 14.2ppg, 2.6apg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 55.9%(138-247), 3FGP: 35.1% and FT: 77.2% in the 33 games. Baeringsson played for the Icelandic national team three years ago.

Darrel Lewis

#4. An experienced guard Darrel Lewis (192-76, agency: Two Points, college: Lincoln, MO) led OFI to a victory over the 14th-ranked Periko/Arhelaos (8-14) 81-66 in the Greek A2 (second division) in Sunday night''s game. He was MVP of the game. Lewis recorded 23 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. OF Irakleio (12-10) is placed eighth in the A2. Lewis is currently first on the league''s list of most steals. He has individually a very good season with high stats. Lewis averages: 15.4ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.1apg and 1.8spg. He is a naturalized American. Lewis used to play for the Icelandic national team back in 2005. He played also for Reynir S. in Icelandic league.

Jon Stefansson

#5. Former international guard Jon Stefansson (196-82) was not able to secure a victory for CAI Zaragoza (13-11) in their game against Caja Laboral (17-7) in the Spanish ACB. Stefansson scored 6 points in 31 minutes. CAI Zaragoza lost 65-75 in Vitoria to the higher-ranked (#3) Caja Laboral. This year Stefansson''s overall stats are: 8.4ppg, 2.3rpg and 1.9apg in the 24 games. He used to play for the Icelandic national team three years ago.

Axel Karason

#6. Forward Axel Karason (193-83), who plays in the Danish Ligaen couldn''t help Vaerlose (11-16) in their last game on Thursday. Despite Karason''s good performance Vaerlose was defeated in an overtime 99-91 on the opponent''s court by the second-ranked Svendborg. He recorded a double-double by scoring 14 points and getting 15 rebounds. This season Karason has relatively solid stats: 11.7ppg, 6.8rpg and 1.1apg. He is a former international player as he played for the Icelandic senior team six years ago.

Logi Gunnarsson

#7. Former international guard Logi Gunnarsson (190-81), who plays in the Swedish Basketligan couldn''t help Solna Vikings (17-19) in their last game. Despite Gunnarsson''s good performance Solna Vikings was edged 96-93 in Boras by the higher-ranked (#3) Basket. He scored 14 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 32 minutes. It was Solna Vikings'' fourth consecutive loss in a row. Gunnarsson''s team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And now that game is quite important. Gunnarsson has very impressive stats this year: 16.2ppg, 3.1rpg and 2.6apg in the 36 games. He used to play for the Icelandic national team three years ago.

Helgi Magnusson

#8. Swingman Helgi Magnusson (198-82, college: Catawba) contributed to a 08 Stockholm''s surprising victory against the league leader Sodertalje Kings (23-13) 68-67 in the Swedish Basketligan last Thursday. Magnusson scored 13 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. 08 Stockholm (17-19) is placed seventh in the Basketligan. His team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And now that game is extremely important. Magnusson has reliable stats this season: 13.4ppg, 5.5rpg, 2.2apg and 1.2spg. He used to play for the Icelandic national team back in 2009.

Brynjar Bjornsson

#9. Former international guard Brynjar Bjornsson (191-88, college: Francis Marion) couldn''t help KFUM Jamtland (13-23) in their game against Sodertalje Kings (23-13) in the Swedish Basketligan. Bjornsson scored 8 points in 19 minutes. KFUM Jamtland lost 94-100 in Sodertalje to the leading Kings. The Regular Season already ended. Bjornsson''s stats this year are: 10.4ppg, 2.1rpg and 2.0apg in the 36 games. He used to play for the Icelandic national team five years ago.

Olafur Sigurdsson

   #10. Point guard Olafur Sigurdsson (180-82) helped Aabyhoj win their n overtime game against the league outsider Falcon (7-20) 98-93 in the Danish Ligaen in Wednesday night''s game. Sigurdsson recorded 7 points and added 3 assists. Aabyhoj IF (8-19) is placed second from the bottom (#9) in the Ligaen. Sigurdsson''s total stats this season are: 6.6ppg, 2.1rpg and 1.5apg. He is a former U18 international player as twelve years ago he still played for the Icelandic national team.

   #11. Former U20 international center Gudni Valentinusson (204-85) is a teammate of previously mentioned Olafur Sigurdsson. However that was another game of his team in Danish Ligaen which brought him to that list. Valentinusson helped Aabyhoj win their game against the league outsider Falcon 84-74. He scored 7 points in only 7 minutes. This year Valentinusson averages only 2.0ppg in the 22 games. He used to play for the Icelandic U20 national team seven years ago.

One more player who has never been selected to any of national teams, but has Icelandic passport:

   #1. Sigurdur Einarsson (187-G-82), who plays in the Danish Ligaen could not help Horsens IC (12-15) to beat SISU (12-15). Einarsson cannot count Monday''s game as one of the best ones. He scored only 2 points. Horsens IC was edged 92-90 on the road by the lower-ranked SISU (#5). This season Einarsson averages just 4.3ppg.

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INDONESIA

Standings - IBL

NBL Standings

1. Satria Muda		23-3
2. Aspac		22-4
3. Garuda		20-6
4. Pelita Jaya		18-7
5. CLS Knights		18-8
6. Muba Hangtuah		15-10
7. Stadium Jak.		12-13
8. Bima Sakti		8-17
9. Pacific Caesar		8-18
10. Comfort Mobile		5-22
11. Satya Wacana		4-22
12. NSH GMC Riau		1-24

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Yanuar DWI PRIASMORO
  Bima S.
  (178-SG-89)
  Avg: 15.7

1. Dwi Priasmor., Bim.	15.7
2. Ferdiansyah, Stadi.	14.8
3. Wisnu, Satria Muda	13.8
4. Nagata, Pacific	13.4
5. Sapto, Muba H.	13.2
6. Rizky Ardian., Bim.	12.8
7. Chandra, Pelita J.	12.5
8. Regowo, Aspac	12.4
9. Ahmad, Satria Muda	12.3
10. Prawiro, Aspac	11.5

Rebounds Per Game

Galank GUNAWAN
  Satria M.
  (194-PF-87)
  Avg: 10.8

1. Gunawan, Satria M.	10.8
2. Regowo, Aspac	8.8
3. Sitepu, Satria M.	7.7
4. Thoyib, Aspac	7.7
5. Yanto, NSH G.	7.5
6. Heryadi, Muba H.	7.2
7. Rizky Ardian., Bim.	7.1
8. Nasution, Satya W.	6.9
9. Nolland, Garuda	6.8
10. Wisnu, Satria Muda	6.7

Assists Per Game

Dirk GERUNGAN
  Aspac
  (182-PG-87)
  Avg: 4.3

1. Gerungan, Aspac	4.3
2. Sartika, Bima Sakti	4.1
3. Purwanto, Pelita J.	3.5
4. Muharri, CLS K.	3.5
5. Widyanto, Pacifi.	3.1
6. Wilopo, Muba H.	2.5
7. Ahmad, Satria Muda	2.5
8. Uniputty, Comfor.	2.4
9. Husnuzan, NSH G.	2.3
10. Yusran, Stadium	2.3

Steals Per Game

Kelly PURWANTO
  Pelita J.
  (177-PG-83)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Purwanto, Pelita J.	3.1
2. Muharri, CLS K.	2.6
3. Poedjakesuma, Peli.	2.5
4. Sartika, Bima Sakti	2.3
5. Uniputty, Comfor.	2.2
6. Ferdiansyah, Stadi.	2.1
7. Sapto, Muba H.	2.1
8. Ramli, Garuda	2.0
9. Sunarya, Muba H.	2.0
10. Gerungan, Aspac	2.0

Blocks Per Game

R RUSLAN
  Stadium .
  (197-C-89)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Ruslan, Stadium	2.4
2. Sitepu, Satria M.	2.0
3. Thoyib, Aspac	2.0
4. Gunawan, Satya W.	1.8
5. Arizki, Aspac	1.7
6. Teguh, Muba H.	1.4
7. Damanik, NSH G.	1.3
8. Indrawan, Pelita J.	1.2
9. Listiyono, Pacifi.	1.1
10. Sasmito, Pacific	1.0

NBL Round 42: Muba Hangtuah edges Pelita Jaya by two points - by Eurobasket News
Coincidentally all hosts won their games.

The most exciting game of round 42 in the NBL took place in Pandang. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of 4th ranked Pelita Jaya (18-7) to sixth ranked Muba Hangtuah (15-10) 61-59 on Thursday evening. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Pelita Jaya. The hosts trailed by 2 points at the halftime before their 17-12 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. 25 personal fouls committed by Pelita Jaya helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was the former international power forward Dian Heryadi (194-80) who had a double-double by scoring 13 points and 13 rebounds. Guard Agustinus Sigar (180-79) chipped in 19 points and 5 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was center Fidyan Dini (195-83) who recorded a double-double by scoring 11 points and 10 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Muba Hangtuah maintains sixth position with 15-10 record. Defending champion Pelita Jaya keeps the fourth place with seven games lost. Muba Hangtuah will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Pelita Jaya will play at home against NSH GMC Riau (#12) and is hoping to win this game.
Leader Satria Muda delivered the twentieth third victory. This time they crushed 10th ranked Comfort Mobile (5-22) 98-55 in Jakarta. It was a good game for Galank Gunawan (194-87) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 16 rebounds. Arki Wisnu contributed with 15 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Andri Hermawan (180-92) replied with 20 points for Comfort Mobile. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Satria Muda (23-3) have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position. Comfort Mobile lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the tenth place with 22 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.

In the last two games of round 42 CLS Knights was defeated by Garuda in Bandung 62-53. Aspac beat Bima Sakti at home 64-49.
The best stats of 42th round was 19 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists by Pringgo Regowo of Aspac.

Garuda - CLS Knights 62-53

There was no surprise in Bandung where 5th ranked CLS Knights (18-8) were defeated by third ranked Garuda (20-6) 62-53. The hosts were already 12 points ahead after 3 quarters before a 16-13 CLS Knights' run in the last quarter cut the lead to 62-53 at the end of the game. Garuda dominated on the defensive end, holding CLS Knights to just 5 points in first quarter. They outrebounded CLS Knights 41-25 including 28 on the defensive glass. Garuda brought some defensive toughness making 7 blocks. It was a good game for the former international point guard Wendha Wijaya (181-82) who led his team to a victory with 6 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. The former international center Hendrik Agustinus (203-82) contributed with 11 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. The former international Andrie Ekayana (182-82) replied with 12 points and point guard Hendry Sudjana (175-83) added 11 points in the effort for CLS Knights. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Garuda have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 20-6 record having just three points less than leader Satria Muda. CLS Knights at the other side keep the fifth place with eight games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Garuda: H.Ramli 11+3reb+3ast, H.Agustinus 11+7reb+1ast, O.Sura 7+2reb, I.Budianto 7+3reb+1ast, N.Fritzgerald 7+4reb+1ast, F.Minallah 6+3reb+2ast
CLS Knights: A.Ekayana 12+2reb+2ast, H.Sudjana 11+3reb, R.Utomo 7+3reb+2ast, A.Indrajaya 7+3reb, T.Agus 6+4reb, S.Febiansyakh 4+2reb

Muba Hangtuah - Pelita Jaya 61-59

The most exciting game of round 42 in the NBL took place in Pandang. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of 4th ranked Pelita Jaya (18-7) to sixth ranked Muba Hangtuah (15-10) 61-59 on Thursday evening. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Pelita Jaya. The hosts trailed by 2 points at the halftime before their 17-12 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. 25 personal fouls committed by Pelita Jaya helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was the former international power forward Dian Heryadi (194-80) who had a double-double by scoring 13 points and 13 rebounds. Guard Agustinus Sigar (180-79) chipped in 19 points and 5 rebounds. Four Muba Hangtuah players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was center Fidyan Dini (195-83) who recorded a double-double by scoring 11 points and 10 rebounds and the former international point guard Kelly Purwanto (177-83) added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists respectively. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Muba Hangtuah maintains sixth position with 15-10 record. Defending champion Pelita Jaya keeps the fourth place with seven games lost. Muba Hangtuah will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Pelita Jaya will play at home against NSH GMC Riau (#12) and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Muba Hangtuah: A.Sigar 19+5reb+1ast, M.Joni 13+3reb, D.Heryadi 13+13reb+3ast, A.Sapto 11+8reb+3ast, H.Hardianus 3+2reb+2ast, A.Prasetyo 1+3reb
Pelita Jaya: K.Purwanto 12+5reb+4ast, F.Dini 11+10reb, A.Poedjakesuma 8+6reb, P.Indrawan 7+3reb, A.Chandra 6+1reb+4ast, Y.Mardiyansyah 5+1reb

Satria Muda - Comfort Mobile 98-55

Leader Satria Muda delivered the twentieth third victory. This time they crushed 10th ranked Comfort Mobile (5-22) 98-55 in Jakarta. The game was mostly controlled by Satria Muda. Comfort Mobile was better in fourth quarter 24-16. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Comfort Mobile to just 7 points in third quarter. Satria Muda dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Comfort Mobile's 30 and had 21 for 32 from the free-throw line, while Comfort Mobile only scored one point from the stripe. They outrebounded Comfort Mobile 45-25 including a 30-16 advantage in defensive rebounds. Comfort Mobile was plagued by 26 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a good game for Galank Gunawan (194-87) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 16 rebounds. Guard Arki Wisnu (187-88) contributed with 15 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Five Satria Muda players scored in double figures. Andri Hermawan (180-92) replied with 20 points and point guard Herman Kurniawan (171-86) added 9 points and 4 assists in the effort for Comfort Mobile. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Satria Muda (23-3) have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position. Comfort Mobile lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the tenth place with 22 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Satria Muda: G.Gunawan 16+16reb+3ast, A.Wisnu 15+7reb, F.Julius Ahmad 13+1reb+1ast, C.Ronaldo Sitepu 11+3reb+1ast, F.Susanto 11+7reb+1ast, S.Liogu 9+2reb+3ast
Comfort Mobile: A.Hermawan 20+4reb, H.Herlusdityo 9+2reb+2ast, H.Kurniawan 9+4reb+4ast, S.Afriatna 8+2reb+2ast, J.Ingutali 6+5reb+1ast, P.Susanto 2+1reb

Aspac - Bima Sakti 64-49

No shocking result in a game in Jakarta where second ranked Aspac (22-4) defeated 8th ranked Bima Sakti (8-17) 64-49. The game without a history. Aspac led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Aspac outrebounded Bima Sakti 43-23 including 28 on the defensive glass. They brought some defensive toughness making 8 blocks. It was a good game for forward Pringgo Regowo (190-87) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists. Center Anggi Arizki (212-90) contributed with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winners. Bima Rizky Ardiansyah (182-90) replied with 16 points and 5 rebounds and Yanuar Dwi Priasmoro (178-89) added 16 points in the effort for Bima Sakti. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Aspac have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain second position with 22-4 record behind leader Satria Muda. Bima Sakti lost third consecutive game. They keep the eighth place with 17 games lost. Aspac will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Bima Sakti will play at home against Stadium Jakarta (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Aspac: P.Regowo 19+19reb+4ast, A.Arizki 10+6reb+1ast, F.Andika Ramadhani 7+1reb+1ast, D.Gerungan 6+1ast, O.Wira Sanjaya 6+1reb, S.Harun Nurman 6+4reb
Bima Sakti: B.Rizky Ardiansyah 16+5reb, Y.Dwi Priasmoro 16+2ast, H.Gunawan 6+3reb+2ast, G.Virgian 4+2ast, U.Gendro Maryono 3+4reb, S.Cahyadi 2

Indonesian NBL round 41 best performance: Gege Nagata - by Eurobasket News
Forward Gege Nagata (185-F-88) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for Pacific Caesar, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 41.
The 23-year old player was the main contributor (32 points, nine rebounds) to his team's victory, helping them to beat NSH GMC Riau (#12, 1-24) 65-59. The game rather meaningless between the teams, which do not have any influence on the top of the standings. Pacific Caesar maintains the 9th position in Indonesian NBL. Pacific Caesar is rather a weak team placed in lower part in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 8-18 record. In the team's last game Nagata had a remarkable 83.3% from 2-point range. He turned to be Pacific Caesar's top player in his first season with the team. Gege Nagata has solid league stats. He is in league's top in points (4th best: 13.4ppg).

The second best player in last round's games was 35-year old Boy Damanik (192-F/C-76) of NSH GMC Riau. Damanik had a very good evening with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Bad luck as NSH GMC Riau lost that game 59-65 to the higher-ranked Pacific Caesar (#9, 8-18). The game was between two teams which are definitely not main contenders for the title. NSH GMC Riau is still at the dead bottom 12th position. 24 lost games are too many comparing to just one victory NSH GMC Riau managed to get this year. Damanik is a newcomer at NSH GMC Riau and despite he is not a team leader yet, every game he becomes more reliable player. Hopefully performances like the last one will happen more often.

Third on the list of top players last round was another Pacific Caesar's star - forward Muhammad Fauzia (184-F-88). Fauzia scored 9 points. He was another key player of Pacific Caesar, helping his team with a 65-59 win against the lower-ranked NSH GMC Riau (#12, 1-24). The chances of Pacific Caesar not to end season at such low position in the league, however are less than slim as they have already lost 18 games, recording just eight victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Fauzia could try to bring Pacific Caesar's a little bit higher in the standings. Fauzia has a very solid season. In 26 games in Indonesia he scored 4.8ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. R Ruslan (197-C-89) of Stadium Jak. - 7 points and 7 rebounds
5. Christ Gideon (188-F-84) of Garuda - 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists
6. Muhammad Irman (186-G-91) of Aspac - 6 points and 9 rebounds
7. Randolph Ariestedes (197-PF-87) of Stadium Jak. - 17 points and 7 rebounds
8. Reza Israelli (182-SF-82) of NSH GMC Riau - 12 points and 6 rebounds
9. Andi Amier (185-PF-90) of NSH GMC Riau - 10 points and 4 rebounds
10. Raymond Shariputra (181-G-91) of Aspac - 13 points, 3 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)

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IRAN

Iran Basketball super league leaders - by Mohammad Amin Maghsoodlou
For the first time in Iran basketball super league history after end of Iran basketball league regular season IRBF published official stats of Iran league leaders.

Scoring :
1- Hamed Haddadi (218-C-85) : 24.45 ppg
2- Samad Nik Khahbahrami (198-F-83) : 23.13 ppg
3- Kimany Ffriend (211-C-77, agency: Court Side, college: Nebraska) : 22.44 ppg
4- Ejike Ugboaja (204-F/C-85) : 19.71 ppg
5- Iman Zandi (188-G-81) : 19.68 ppg
6- Andre Brown (206-F/C-81, college: De Paul) : 18.3 ppg
7- Rashad Anderson (195-G/F-83, agency: Interperformances, college: Connecticut) : 18.25 ppg
8- Marcus Campbell (214-C-82, agency: SportsTalent, college: Mississippi St.) : 17.31 ppg
9- Loren Woods (218-C-78, college: Arizona) : 16.80 ppg
10- Hamed Hosseinzadeh (188-G) : 16.75 ppg

Rebounds :
1- Hamed Haddadi : 15.7 rpg
2- Ejike Ugboaja : 12.6 rpg
3- Marcus Campbell : 12.3 rpg
4- Loren Woods : 12 rpg
5- Slavko Vranes (230-C-83, agency: Beo Basket) : 11.71 rpg
6- Andre Brown : 11.5 rpg
7- Claude Marquis (204-F/C-80, agency: Prossin Sports Management) : 11.14 rpg
8- Kimany Ffriend : 11 rpg
9- Nikoloz Tskitishvili (212-C/F-83) : 9.55 rpg
10- Mohammad Hassanzadeh (202-F-90) : 8.95 rpg

Assists :
1- Joseph Forte (193-G-81, college: N.Carolina) : 5.3 asp
2- Sandis Buskevics (190-PG-77, agency: Alti Sport) : 4.5 apg
3- Amir Amini (189-G-84) : 4.1 apg
4- Babak Nezafatch (190-G/F-77) : 3.5 apg
5- Javad Davari (185-G-83) : 3.5 apg
6- Samad Nik Khahbahrami : 3.4 apg
7- Sasa Djordjevic (190-G-85) : 3.4 apg
8- Hamed Haddadi : 3.2 apg
9- Mahdi Kamrani (185-PG-82) : 3.2 apg
10- Hamed Hosseinzadeh : 3.1 apg

Blocks :
1- Slavko Vranes : 3.8 bpg
2- Hamed Haddadi : 2.5 bpg
3- Asghar Kardoust (212-C-86) : 1.9 bpg
4- Andre Brown : 1.8 bpg
5- Marcus Campbell : 1.8 bpg
6- Loren Woods : 1.8 bpg
7- Nikoloz Tskitishvili : 1.7 bpg
8- Kimany Ffriend : 1.6 bpg
9- Mousa Nabipour (213-C-83) : 1.5 bpg
10- Jaber Rouzbahani (223-C-86) : 1.4 bpg

Steals :
1- Amir Amini : 3.29 spg
2- Joseph Forte : 3.18 spg
3- Sandis Buskevics : 3 spg
4- Hamed Hosseinzadeh : 2.91 spg
5- Hamed Afagh (190-G-83) : 2.86 spg
6- Mahdi Kamrani : 2.62 spg
7- Babak Nezafatch : 2.51 spg
8- Javad Davari : 2.42 spg
9- Samad Nik Khahbahrami : 2.25 spg
10- Mohammad Zarei : 2.11 spg

Field Goal :
1- Asghar Kardoust : 63.75 % ( 102/106 )
2- Loren Woods : 57.96 % ( 91/157 )
3- Mehdi Esmaeili (207-F/C) : 55.36 % ( 31/56 )
4- Slavko Vranes : 51.21 % ( 106/207 )
5- Mohammad Ebrahiminia (198-F-88) : 50.70 % ( 36/71 )
6- Andre Brown : 50.61 % ( 125/247 )
7- Nikoloz Tskitishvili : 50.41 % ( 61/121 )
8- Mohammad Hassanzadeh : 50.00 % ( 97/194 )
9- Kimany Ffriend : 49.37 % ( 118/239 )
10- Sajjad Mashayekhi (170-PG-94) : 49.30 % ( 35/71 )

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IRELAND

Colin O''Reilly selected the top Irish playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
Here is the weekly review of the top performing Irish players, who play currently abroad.

Colin O''Reilly

#1. This week''s number one is former international forward Colin O''Reilly (200-84, college: Post), who plays in the British BBL. O''Reilly could not help Cheshire Jets (6-14) in their last game on Sunday. Despite his very good performance Cheshire Jets was defeated 88-79 at home by the higher-ranked Plymouth Raiders (#3). O''Reilly was the top scorer with 24 points. He also added 7 rebounds. O''Reilly has individually a very good season with high stats. He averages: 15.4ppg, 7.7rpg, 3.2apg, 2FGP: 50.6%, 3FGP: 36.9% and FT: 72.5%. O''Reilly played for the Irish senior national team three years ago.

Bryan Mullins

#2. Second place goes to former international point guard Bryan Mullins (185-87, college: S.Illinois). He was not able to help Chalons-Reims (17-8) in their game against SO Maritime Boulogne (13-12) in the French ProB (second division). Mullins recorded 6 points, 14 assists and 5 steals in 33 minutes. Chalons-Reims lost 81-90 on the road to the lower-ranked (#6) SO Maritime Boulogne. Mullins is ranked third on the list of the best passers in the league with 5.4apg. This year his other stats are: 9.4ppg, 2.2rpg, 1.8spg, 2FGP: 45.3%, 3FGP: 35.1% and FT: 71.4% in the 25 games he played so far. Mullins is a naturalized American. He played for the Irish national team in 2009. Strangely Mullins has never played in Ireland.

Conor Grace

#3. The Irish player who performed third best last week abroad was former international forward Conor Grace (210-82, college: Davidson). Grace contributed to an Uppsala Basket''s victory against one of league''s weakest teams KFUM Jamtland (13-23) 104-98 in the Swedish Basketligan on Friday night. He scored 6 points. Uppsala Basket (21-15) is placed fourth in the Basketligan. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. They will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Grace''s overall stats this season are: 3.3ppg, 3.3rpg, 2FGP: 33.3%, 3FGP: 27.3%. He played for the Irish national team three years ago.

Donnie McGrath

   #4. Guard Donnie McGrath (193-84, college: Providence) managed to help Tezenis Verona in a victory against the third-ranked Givova Scafati (15-7) 83-74 in the Italian Lega2 (second division) in Sunday night''s game. McGrath scored only 4 points in 39 minutes. Tezenis Verona (10-12) is placed ninth in the Lega2. This year McGrath averages just 3.0ppg in the two games. He is a naturalized American. McGrath used to play for the Irish national team back in 2008. Apparently he has never played in Ireland.

The list of other players, who all have Irish passport but never been selected to any of Irish national teams:

   #1. Levon Kendall (209-F-84, college: Pittsburgh) was the major contributor in a Blusens Monbus'' victory against one of league''s weakest teams UCAM Murcia (7-17) 69-62 in the Spanish ACB in Sunday night''s game. He had a double-double by scoring 15 points and getting 10 rebounds in 30 minutes. Blusens Monbus Obradoiro CAB (8-16) is placed 15th in the ACB. This year Kendall averages: 8.8ppg and 5.9rpg in the 24 games he played so far. He has a dual citizenship: Canadian and Irish. Despite Kendall''s Irish passport, he currently plays for the Canadian national team and is not eligible to play for the Irish team.

   #2. Mihajlo Pesic (206-F/C-81, agency: Court Side), who plays in the Czech Republic NBL could not help Inter Bratislava (9-26) in their last game on Wednesday. Despite his very good performance the sixth-placed Inter Bratislava was badly defeated 91-75 on the road by the lower-ranked B&W Opava (#8) in the A2 group. Pesic was the top scorer with 17 points. He also added 9 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws). It''s Pesic''s first season with the team. Pesic is ranked sixth on the list of the best rebounders in the league. He has very reliable stats this season: 10.6ppg and 7.7rpg. Pesic has also Serbian passport.

   #3. Andrew James Ogilvy (211-C-88, college: Vanderbilt) managed to help Valencia Basket in a victory against the league leader Real Madrid (19-5) 83-66 in the Spanish ACB last Sunday. He scored only 2 points in 2 minutes on the court. Valencia Basket (13-11) is placed fifth in the ACB. It''s Ogilvy''s first season with the team. This year Ogilvy''s overall stats are: 5.6ppg and 2.1rpg in the 15 games. He is another player who holds two passports: Australian and Irish.

   #4. Experienced Tony McCrory (199-G/F-77, college: Simon Fraser) contributed to Starwings'' victory against the league outsider BBC Nyon (2-20) 80-71 in the Swiss LNA last Wednesday. McCrory scored 7 points. Starwings Basket Regio Basel (9-13) is placed sixth in the LNA. There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. It''s McCrory''s fourth season with the team. He has relatively good stats this year: 11.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.2apg and 1.3spg. McCrory has also Canadian citizenship.

Other top Irish players, who play abroad:

Steven Hale (200-F-75) plays for Chorale de Roanne in French ProA
Allen Conlan (196-F-74) plays for Xion Dukes in Austrian A Bundesliga
Ian O''Boyle (191-G-84) plays for McDonalds Manawatu Jets in New Zealand NBL
James Kelly (183-G-87) plays for Killamarsh Derbyshire Arrows in British EBL2
Mark Donnelly (196-G-75) plays for New Jersey Shorecats in the USBL
Jamie Mastaglio (193-G/F-75) plays for Montecatini in Italian D dilettanti
Marc Mulvey (180-G-75) plays for Fabriano in Italian B dilettanti

Notice: The list above includes only some of the Irish playing currently abroad. Go to Irish Abroad Page to see completed list.

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ISRAEL

Oded Brandwein selected the top Israeli playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
Here is the weekly review of the top performing Israeli players, who play currently abroad.

Oded Brandwein

#1. This week''s number one is former U20 international guard Oded Brandwein (188-88, agency: N.E.T.), who plays in the Polish PLK. He could not help Kotwica (15-14) in their last game. Despite Brandwein''s very good performance the second-placed Kotwica was edged in an overtime 74-73 on the road by the lower-ranked (#6) AZS Politechnika Warszawska in the Group B. He was the top scorer with 21 points. Brandwein also added 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 39 minutes on the court. It''s Brandwein''s first season with the team. He has relatively good stats this year: 11.8ppg, 1.8rpg, 3.8apg, 2FGP: 39.5%, 3FGP: 37.9% and FT: 79.1% in the 28 games he played so far. Brandwein has a dual citizenship: Israeli and Polish. Former Elitzur Yavne starter played for the Israeli U20 national team four years ago.

Afik Nissim

#2. Second place goes to an international point guard Afik Nissim (180-81, agency: Beo Basket). He led his Slovenian team Krka to a victory over the eighth-ranked KK Zagreb CO (12-13) 84-65 in the Adriatic League last Wednesday. Nissim was MVP of the game. He scored 16 points and added 3 assists. Krka Novo Mesto (8-17) is placed 11th in group A. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. They will play only one more game in the Adriatic League Regular Season. And that game will be critical. This season Nissim averages: 8.6ppg, 2.2rpg, 3.9apg, 2FGP: 42.9%, 3FGP: 32.1% and FT: 89.7%. He is another player who holds two passports: Israeli and French. Nissim is in the roster of the Israeli senior national team.

Omri Casspi

#3. The Israeli player who performed third best last week abroad was an international swingman Omri Casspi (204-88). He contributed to a Cleveland Cavaliers'' victory against the Houston Rockets (24-20) 118-107 in the NBA on Sunday night. Casspi scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 15 minutes. The Cleveland Cavaliers have 16-25 record this season. This year Casspi has relatively solid stats: 7.1ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.1apg, 2FGP: 47.7%, 3FGP: 33.6% and FT: 59.7% in the 41 games. He is also a member of the Israeli senior national team.

Robert Rothbart

#4. Center Robert Rothbart (217-86) was not able to help Union Olimpija (13-12) in their game against Hemofarm (12-6) in the Adriatic League. He recorded 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Union Olimpija (#6) was edged 78-75 in Vrsac by the higher-ranked Hemofarm (#3) in the group A of Adriatic League. Rothbart''s team will play only one more game in the Adriatic League Regular Season. And now that game is very crucial. Rothbart''s overall stats this season are: 5.0ppg and 3.3rpg. He has both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Israeli nationalities. Rothbart used to play for the Israeli national team back in 2010.

Yotam Halperin

#5. International guard Yotam Halperin (196-84) was not able to secure a victory for Spartak St.Petersburg (11-5) in their game against Asseco Prokom (8-8) in the VTB United League. He scored 6 points, had 5 rebounds and dished 4 assists in 27 minutes. Spartak St.Petersburg (#2) lost 45-50 in Gdynia to the lower-ranked (#5) Asseco Prokom in the group B of VTB United League. It was Spartak St.Petersburg''s third consecutive loss in a row. The Regular Season already ended in the VTB United League. Halperin belongs to league''s best passers and is ranked #6 with 4.4apg. He also averaged so far 9.8ppg, 2.3rpg and 1.2spg in the 12 games. Halperin plays currently for the Israeli national team.

Gal Mekel

#6. Point guard Gal Mekel (192-88, college: Wichita St.) couldn''t help Benetton Treviso (9-13) in their game against Scavolini Pesaro (12-9) in the Italian SerieA. He scored 6 points. Benetton Treviso was defeated 77-66 in Pesaro by the much higher-ranked Scavolini (#7). Mekel''s overall stats this season are: 4.9ppg, 1.9rpg and 2.8apg. He is an international player who is currently on the senior Israeli National Team roster.

Ram Elias-Pour

   #7. U20 international center Ram Elias-Pour (208-93) couldn''t help one of league''s weakest teams Zwolle (10-13) in their game against Nijmegen (15-8) in the Dutch Eredivisie. He cannot count Saturday''s game as one of the best ones. Elias-Pour scored only 2 points. Zwolle was edged 72-71 on the opponent''s court by the higher-ranked Nijmegen (#4). It was Zwolle''s third consecutive loss in a row. This season Elias-Pour averages just 1.8ppg. He is also Israeli U20 national team player.

The list of other players, who all have Israeli passport but never been selected to any of Israeli national teams:

   #1. Chanan Colman (191-G-84, college: Chipola) led Svendborg to an overtime victory over the seventh-ranked Vaerlose (11-16) 99-91 in the Danish Ligaen in Thursday night''s game. Colman was the best player in that game. He recorded 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Svendborg Rabbits (23-4) is placed second in the Ligaen. Colman is currently fifth on the list of best passers. He has individually a very good season with high stats. Colman averages: 16.0ppg, 4.5rpg, 4.4apg and 1.3spg. He has a dual citizenship: Israeli and Danish. Despite Colman''s Israeli passport, he previously played for the Danish national team and is probably not eligible to play for the Israeli team.

   #2. Jason Thomas (191-G-82, college: American), who plays in the Swedish Basketligan could not help Boras Basket (21-15) in their last game. Despite Thomas'' very good performance Boras Basket lost 81-95 on the road to the lower-ranked (#4) Uppsala Basket. He had a double-double by scoring 21 points and getting 12 rebounds. Thomas also added 4 assists and 3 steals in 35 minutes. It was Boras Basket''s first loss after four consecutive victories. His team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Thomas has reliable stats this year: 11.6ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.4apg and 1.3spg in the 35 games he played so far. He is a naturalized American. Thomas used to play for Ironi Kfar Hamaccabia Ramat Gan in Israeli league.

   #3. Experienced Facundo Sucatzky (176-G-72) managed to help Atenas Cordoba in a victory against the fifth-ranked Quimsa (17-13) 90-74 in the Argentinian LigaA on Sunday night. Sucatzky scored only 3 points in 20 minutes. Atenas Cordoba (16-14) is placed ninth in the LigaA. The Second Stage already ended. Sucatzky is currently sixth on the league''s list of best passers with 3.9apg. This year his other stats are: 6.5ppg and 1.9rpg in the 42 games. Sucatzky is another player who holds two passports: Israeli and Argentinian.

   #4. Guy Aud (182-G-89) led Licher Baeren to a 1-point victory against the 13th-ranked SSV Lok Bernau (2-22) 71-70 in the German ProB (third division) in Saturday night''s game. Aud scored 12 points. Licher Basket Baeren (11-11) is placed ninth in Group South. Aud''s overall stats this season are: 9.5ppg, 2.9rpg and 2.0apg. He has also German passport. Worth to mention he played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him get the job in pro basketball.

   #5. Shawn Weinstein (186-G-85, agency: Gross Zeev ISA, college: St.Edward''s) was not able to help Barako Bull (2-4) in their game against Talk N Text (5-1) in the Filipino PBA. Weinstein scored 6 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 21 minutes. Barako Bull lost 106-113 in Makati to the leading Talk N Text. There are only three games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game is very crucial. This year Weinstein''s overall stats are: 3.0ppg and 2.0rpg in the two games. He is a naturalized American. Weinstein used to play for Elitzur Maccabi Netanya in Israeli league.

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ITALY

Interview with Leemire Goldwire - by Antonello Varallo
Leemire Goldwire (182-PG-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Charlotte) is averaging 14.4 ppg and 3.1apg. He has a season high of 29 points scored against Sigma Barcellona.

During his career, he has played in Greece, Bulgary (winning the tilte), D-League and Italy.

1-) Athens, Sophia, Forl and now Brescia. How is living far away from Palm Beach?
LG: Living Away From Is Very Diff..Your Away From Everything You Know And Your Use To, But The Experience Is Great Though, To Do What You Love And See The World Is A Great Thing..

2-) Was basket your 'first love' or did you play any other sport?
LG:Actually Football Was My First Love, You Know Florida Is Really Known For Football, But The Heat In Florida Was Too Much For Me, I Figured I Stick With Playing Inside Where The Cool Air Is..

3-) Your nickname is Goldie. Who did call you this way?
LG: Lol, Yea My Nick Name Is Goldie, Is Kind Of A Play Off Of My Last Name, And Growing Up My Big Cousin Anthony Goldwire Was Called The Same, And Since I Played Ball As Well, I Was Called That Name As Also..

4-) Last season you had a great impact in italian Legadue. Did you expect to play so well at this competitive level? Did your former teammate Chris McCray (former player of Rimini) give you any information about Legadue?
LG:I Did, Because I Know That I Could Play A High Level Of Basketball, But I Did Not Know My Team In Forl Would Make The Kind Of Run That We Did..Well Chris Just Told Me To Have Fun And Play My Game.

5-)You graduated from Charlotte, the same college of three players that did well in Italian leagues: Henry Williams, DeMarco Johnson and Sean Colson. Do you know them?
LG:Yeah I Know Henry And Demarco, I Heard A lot About Sean Colson Too

6-) What is the aspect of your basket that you would like to improve?
LG:The Aspect I Would Like To Improve Is Continuing To Be A Leader And Making Big Plays Down The Stretch Of Games

7-)How much is important for you that your coach, Sandro Dell'Agnello, was a great player?
LG: Coach Sandro Is Very Important, He Is Very Passionate And Understand The Games, Gives Me A Lot Of Advice, He Is Really A Good Coach

8-)What are your targets for the rest of the season?
LG: The Goal Is To Finish Up Strong And Gain Momentum Goin Into The Playoffs!

Danilo Gallinari selected the top Italian playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
We bring you last week''s top performances from Italians who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

Danilo Gallinari

#1. This week''s number one is an international swingman Danilo Gallinari (205-88, agency: Players Group). He led Denver Nuggets to an overtime victory against the Atlanta Hawks (24-19) 118-117 in the NBA in Tuesday night''s game. Gallinari recorded 19 points in 37 minutes on the court. The Denver Nuggets have 24-19 record this season. It''s Gallinari''s first year with the team. He has individually a very good year with high stats. Gallinari averages: 15.4ppg, 4.9rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg, 2FGP: 50.7%, 3FGP: 30.5% and FT: 87.5% in the 30 games he played so far. He is currently a member of the Italian senior national team.

Andrea Bargnani

#2. Second place goes to an international power forward Andrea Bargnani (209-85). Bargnani was the major contributor in a Toronto Raptors'' victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers (16-25) 96-88 in the NBA last Tuesday. He recorded 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. The Toronto Raptors have rather weak 14-29 record this season. Bargnani is one of the most experienced players in a team as it''s his sixth year in Raptors'' roster. This season Bargnani has very high stats. He averages: 20.8ppg, 6.1rpg, 2.1apg, 3FGP: 31.6% and FT: 85.4%. Bargnani is in the roster of the Italian senior national team.

Marco Belinelli

   #3. The Italian player who performed third best last week abroad was an international guard Marco Belinelli (196-86). Belinelli led New Orleans Hornets to a victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves (22-21) 95-89 in the NBA in Saturday night''s game. He recorded 11 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. The New Orleans Hornets have not so impressive 10-33 record this season. This year Belinelli has very high stats. He averages: 11.3ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.2apg, 2FGP: 44.0%, 3FGP: 35.7% and FT: 78.7%. Belinelli is also a member of the Italian senior national team.

The list of other players, who all have Italian passport but never been selected to any of Italian national teams:

   #1. Marcelinho Huertas (191-PG-83, agency: Edge Sports), who plays in the Spanish ACB could not help Regal FC Barcelona (19-5) to beat Gran Canaria 2014 (9-15). He scored 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 40 minutes. Regal FC Barcelona was edged in an overtime 93-90 on the road by the much lower-ranked (#14) Gran Canaria 2014. It''s Huertas'' first season with the team. This year Huertas'' overall stats are: 8.1ppg, 2.5rpg and 3.5apg in the 24 games he played so far. He has a dual citizenship: Brazilian and Italian. Despite Huertas'' Italian passport, he currently plays for the Brazilian national team and is not eligible to play for the Italian team.

   #2. Mauricio Aguiar (197-F-83, agency: Players Group) led Hebraica to a victory over the fourth-ranked Bigua (4-6) crushing them 92-62 in a derby game in the Uruguayan LUB last Thursday. He was MVP of the game. Aguiar scored 25 points and added 5 passes in 32 minutes. Hebraica Macabi (9-1) is placed first in Serie 1. It was his team''s ninth consecutive victory in a row. It''s Aguiar''s first season with the team. He has individually a very good year with high stats. Aguiar averages: 17.2ppg, 2.8rpg and 2.7apg in the 29 games. He is another player who holds two passports: Italian and Uruguayan. Despite Aguiar''s Italian nationality, he previously played for the Uruguayan national team and probably cannot be called to the Italian team.

   #3. Nicolas Borsellino (202-F-86) contributed to an easy victory against the fifth-ranked Trouville (3-7) 72-54 in a derby game in the Uruguayan LUB on Tuesday night. Borsellino scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Malvin (7-3) is placed second in Serie 2. Borsellino''s overall stats this season are: 9.8ppg, 7.2rpg and 1.6apg. He has both Italian and Uruguayan nationalities. Despite Borsellino''s Italian passport, he currently plays for the Uruguayan national team.

   #4. Ryan Zamroz (191-G-87, agency: JEMsports, college: Master''s) was the major contributor in a 3-point Boras Basket''s victory against the eighth-ranked Solna Vikings (17-19) 96-93 in the Swedish Basketligan in Friday night''s game. Zamroz scored 23 points in 32 minutes; quite an impressive performance considering it''s only his third season in pro basketball. Boras Basket (21-15) is placed third in the Basketligan. It was his team''s fourth consecutive victory in a row. They will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Zamroz has very impressive stats this year: 16.2ppg, 2.1rpg and 2.1apg in the 35 games. He is a naturalized American. Strangely Zamroz has never played in Italy.

   #5. Experienced Alejandro Muro (187-G-74, also represented by Players Group) was the main contributor in Aguada''s victory against the third-ranked Bohemios (5-5) 80-71 in the Uruguayan LUB last Monday. He was MVP of the game. Muro scored 18 points and added 3 assists. It was the game of the round between two top 3 ranked teams in Serie 2. Atletico Aguada (8-2) is placed first. It was his team''s seventh consecutive victory in a row. Muro belongs to league''s best passers and is ranked #7. He has very reliable stats this season: 13.2ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.8apg and 1.3spg. Muro also holds two passports: Italian and Uruguayan. Despite his Italian nationality, Muro previously played for the Uruguayan national team.

   #6. Jayson Granger (186-G-89) contributed to an Asefa Estudiantes'' surprising victory against the sixth-ranked Unicaja Malaga 74-67 in the Spanish ACB on Sunday night. Granger scored 9 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 24 minutes. Granger is currently seventh on the list of best passers and also on the list of most steals (fourth place). He has very reliable stats this year: 10.7ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.6apg and 1.5spg in the 22 games. Granger has Uruguayan and Italian nationalities. Worth to mention he played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him get the job in pro basketball. Despite his Italian passport, Granger previously played for the Uruguayan national team.

   #7. Cristopher Mortellaro (206-F/C-82, college: Drury), who plays in the Spanish LEB Gold (second division) was not able to help Baloncesto Leon (12-14) in their last game on Saturday. Despite his good performance Baloncesto Leon was edged 76-74 on the opponent''s court by the much higher-ranked Lleida_Basquet (#4). Mortellaro recorded a double-double by scoring 12 points and getting 11 rebounds. Mortellaro is currently seventh on the list of best rebounders. He has very reliable stats this season: 10.9ppg and 7.7rpg. Mortellaro is a naturalized American. He used to play for Sicc BPA Jesi in Italian league.

   #8. Luke Staniscia (193-G-88) contributed to a Ryerson College''s victory against the Stingers 84-80 in the Canadian university league CIS last Saturday. Staniscia recorded 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 38 minutes. This year his overall stats are: 8.0ppg and 7.6rpg in the 28 games. Staniscia has also Canadian citizenship.

   #9. Federico Bavosi (184-PG-81) helped River Andorra win their game against the ninth-ranked Fontedoso Carrefour 77-72 in the Spanish LEB Silver (third division) on Friday night. He scored 10 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished 5 assists. Bavosi is ranked first on the list of the best passers in the league. He has very reliable stats this season: 10.2ppg, 3.0rpg, 5.5apg and 1.6spg. Bavosi has Uruguayan and Italian nationalities. Despite his Italian passport, Bavosi previously played for the Uruguayan U21 national team.

   #10. Anthony Dobbins (194-G-81, college: Richmond) was not able to secure a victory for Poitiers in their game against JDA Dijon in the French ProA. He scored only 4 points, had 5 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 23 minutes. His team was badly defeated by 20 points 79-59. This year Dobbins'' overall stats are: 6.5ppg, 5.2rpg, 2.7apg and 1.7spg in the six games. He is a naturalized American. Dobbins used to play for Banca Nuova Trapani in Italian league.

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IVORY COAST

Mamadi Diane selected the top Ivorian playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
Traditionally, every week we bring you a list of the top performances of Ivorians who are currently playing abroad.

Mamadi Diane

#1. This week''s number one is an international swingman Mamadi Diane (196-86, college: Virginia). He led his Latvian team Ventspils to a victory over the sixth-ranked Kedainiai (10-10) 84-72 in the Baltic League in Saturday night''s game. Diane was MVP of the game. He scored 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 29 minutes on the court; quite an impressive performance considering it''s only Diane''s third season in pro basketball. BK Ventspils (12-7) is placed third in group 1. The Regular Season already ended in the Baltic League. It''s Diane''s first year with the team. He has relatively good stats this season: 11.6ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.3apg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 53.0%, 3FGP: 14.3% and FT: 73.5% in the 10 games he played so far. Diane has a dual citizenship: Guinean and Ivorian. He is currently a member of the Ivorian senior national team.

Pape-Philippe Amagou

#2. Second place goes to former international guard Pape-Philippe Amagou (185-85, agency: Beo Basket). Amagou was the major contributor in a Sluc Nancy''s victory against the 12th-ranked JSF Nanterre (8-13) crushing them 81-59 in the French ProA last Saturday. He scored 16 points. Sluc Nancy Basket Pro (14-7) is placed fourth in the ProA. This season Amagou averages: 9.9ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, 2FGP: 53.1%, 3FGP: 36.8% and FT: 82.3%. He is another player who holds two passports: Ivorian and French. Despite Amagou played previously for the French U20 national team, he played also for the Ivorian national team in 2010.

Mouloukou Diabate

#3. The Ivorian player who performed third best last week abroad was an international point guard Mouloukou Diabate (183-87). Diabate contributed to a 3-point Chorale de Roanne''s victory against the 11th-ranked Strasbourg IG (9-12) 74-71 in the French ProA on Saturday night. He scored 14 points, had 4 rebounds and dished 5 assists in 29 minutes. Chorale de Roanne Basket (10-11) is placed seventh in the ProA. This year Diabate''s overall stats are: 6.2ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.6apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 56.5%(35-62), 3FGP: 11.9% and FT: 91.3%(21-23) in the 17 games. He has both Ivorian and French nationalities. Diabate is also a member of the Ivorian senior national team.

Mohamed Kone

#4. Center Mohamed Kone (211-81, college: Valparaiso), who plays in the Spanish ACB could not help one of league''s weakest teams Meridiano Alicante (13-11) in their last game on Sunday. Despite his good performance Meridiano Alicante was badly defeated 65-49 on the road by the higher-ranked CAI Zaragoza (#7). Kone was the second best scorer with 10 points. He also added 8 rebounds. It''s Kone''s first season with the team. Kone''s total stats this year are: 4.1ppg and 3.3rpg. Similarly like Diabate and Amagou above he also holds two passports: Ivorian and French. Kone is also Ivorian national team player.

Jonathan Kale

#5. International forward Jonathan Kale (203-85, college: Providence) was the main contributor in a 2-point Lleida Basquet''s victory against the 12th-ranked Baloncesto Leon (12-14) 76-74 in the Spanish LEB Gold (second division) last Saturday. He was the best player in that game. Kale scored 22 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 29 minutes; not bad, considering it''s only his third season in pro basketball. CE CIP Lleida Basquetbol (17-10) is placed fourth in the LEB Gold. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. This year Kale has relatively solid stats: 11.9ppg and 5.4rpg in the 27 games. He holds both American and Ivorian passports. Kale plays currently for the Ivorian national team.

Mamadou Lamizana

#6. Power forward Mamadou Lamizana (207-81, agency: VVG Sports, college: Rutgers) contributed to an easy victory against the closely-ranked Mets (4-3) crushing them 87-63 in the Puerto Rican BSN on Sunday night. He scored 12 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and made 4 blocks. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Vaqueros de Bayamon (4-2) is placed second in the BSN. But this is still an early stage of the season and everything may happen. Lamizana is the league''s best blocker. His total stats this season are: 7.5ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.5apg and 3.3bpg. Lamizana is an international player who is currently on the senior Ivorian National Team roster.

Francis Koffi

#7. Former international forward Francis Koffi (202-81, college: Fresno St.) was not able to help Ourense (12-6) in their game against Prat Juventud (12-7) in the Spanish LEB Silver (third division), despite his very good performance in Saturday night''s game. He was the top scorer with 18 points in 21 minutes. But Ourense was edged 71-70 in Prat by the lower-ranked (#5) Juventud. They ended the series of four consecutive victories. Koffi has reliable stats this year: 12.2ppg, 6.4rpg and 1.2spg in the 18 games. He used to play for the Ivorian national team two years ago.

Ismael N''Diaye

#8. Forward Ismael N''Diaye (197-82, college: FIU) was not able to secure a victory for Boncourt (6-15) in their game against Fribourg (3-0) in the Swiss LNA. Despite his very good performance on Wednesday night N''Diaye recorded a double-double by scoring 14 points and getting 10 rebounds. He also added 4 assists. There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. N''Diaye averaged so far 13.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.9apg and 1.8spg. He plays currently for the Ivorian national team.

Errick Craven

#9. International guard Errick Craven (188-83, college: USC) contributed to an easy victory against one of league''s weakest teams Quimper UJAP (6-19) crushing them 71-51 in the French ProB (second division) in Saturday night''s game. Craven recorded 7 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 17 minutes. JA Vichy Val d''Allier Auvergne basket (6-19) is placed 17th in the ProB. This year Craven''s total stats are: 8.9ppg, 4.1rpg, 3.4apg and 1.4spg in the nine games. He holds both American and Ivorian passports. Craven is also in the roster of the Ivorian national team.

Wilfrid Aka

   #10. An experienced swingman Wilfrid Aka (192-79) is a teammate of previously mentioned Errick Craven and both played together in the last French ProB game. Aka contributed to an easy victory against one of league''s weakest teams Quimper UJAP (6-19) crushing them 71-51. He recorded 7 points and added 3 assists in 23 minutes. Aka has averaged so far 8.3ppg, 3.2rpg and 1.4apg in the 24 games. He is a former international player as three years ago he still played for the Ivorian senior national team.

   #11. International point guard Mickael Toti (181-87) couldn''t help Saint Vallier in their game against Boulazac Basket in the French ProB (second division). Toti cannot count Saturday''s game as one of the best ones. He recorded only 3 points. His team was defeated 80-73. Toti has averaged so far 3.0ppg, 1.3rpg and 1.8apg. He plays currently for the Ivorian national team.

   #12. Former international forward Issife Soumahoro (197-88) faced previously mentioned Mickael Toti in the French ProB last game. Soumahoro managed to help Boulazac Basket Dordogne in a victory against the 11th-ranked Saint Vallier 80-73. He recorded only 3 points in 8 minutes on the court. Soumahoro has averaged so far 4.2ppg and 1.4rpg in the 23 games. He used to play for the Ivorian national team back in 2010.

   #13. Former international swingman Ibrahim Cisse (188-84, agency: Two Points) couldn''t help Pavia in their game against Santarcangelo in the Italian Nazionale A (third division). Cisse cannot count Sunday''s game as one of the best ones. He scored only 3 points. His team was crushed by 23 points 89-66. Cisse has averaged so far 5.8ppg, 4.7rpg and 2.4spg. He used to play for the Ivorian national team two years ago.

The list of other players, who all have Ivorian passport but never been selected to any of Ivorian national teams:

   #1. Walter Hodge (183-PG-86, college: Florida), who plays in the Polish PLK could not help Zastal ZG (2-1) to beat Anwil (1-2). Hodge scored 6 points and added 4 assists. The second-placed Zastal ZG was badly defeated 88-72 on the road by the lower-ranked Anwil (#5) in the Group A. It was Zastal ZG''s first loss after three consecutive victories. Hodge is the league''s top scorer and also on the list of best passers (second place). He has individually a very good season with high stats. Hodge averages: 17.3ppg, 2.9rpg, 6.0apg and 1.4spg. He has also Puerto Rican citizenship.

   #2. Kafil Eyitayo (201-F), who plays in the Canadian university league CIS was not able to help the Concordia University (14-2) in their last game. Despite Eyitayo''s good performance the Concordia University was badly defeated 98-82 in Antigonish, NS by the X-Men. He was the second best scorer with 11 points. Eyitayo also added 6 rebounds in 26 minutes. Eyitayo has been at the team for four years. This season his total stats are: 4.0ppg and 4.3rpg in the 20 games he played so far.

   #3. Mohamed Toure (189-G-92) led Omegna to a victory against the fifth-ranked Torino (8-6) 105-96 in the Italian Nazionale A (third division) in Thursday night''s game. Toure scored 11 points. Paffoni Omegna (26-4) is placed first in North-West Division. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. Toure''s total stats this season are: 4.7ppg, 1.2rpg and 1.1spg. He has also Italian passport.

   #4. Alain Koffi (207-C-83, agency: Beo Basket) managed to help Le Mans Sarthe Basket in a victory against the 13th-ranked STB Le Havre (6-14) crushing them 88-67 in the French ProA last Saturday. Koffi scored only 3 points in 5 minutes on the court. Le Mans Sarthe Basket (13-8) is placed sixth in the ProA. This year Koffi''s total stats are: 6.9ppg and 3.4rpg in the 10 games. He has a dual citizenship: Ivorian and French.

   #5. Andre Oupoh (196-F-84, college: Abil.Christian) was not able to secure a victory for Caballeros de Culiacan (0-4) in their game against Pioneros Los Mochis (3-1) in the Mexican CIBACOPA. He scored only 4 points. It was his first game for Caballeros de Culiacan this season. The bottom-ranked Caballeros de Culiacan was defeated 67-63 in Los Mochis by the higher-ranked Pioneros (#4). So far Caballeros de Culiacan lost all four games in the Regular Season. But the season is still in it''s first stage and everything can happen. Oupoh is another player who holds two passports: Ivorian and American.

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JAMAICA

Roy Hibbert selected the top Jamaican playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
We bring you last week''s top performances from Jamaicans who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

Roy Hibbert

#1. This week''s number one is former international center Roy Hibbert (218-86, college: Georgetown). He led Indiana Pacers to an easy victory against the Philadelphia 76ers (25-18) 111-94 in the NBA in Wednesday night''s game. Hibbert scored 14 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, passed 5 assists and added 3 blocks in 31 minutes on the court. The Indiana Pacers have a solid 25-16 record this season. It''s Hibbert''s fourth year with the team. He has individually a very good year with high stats. Hibbert averages: 12.8ppg, 9.2rpg, 1.7apg, 1.8bpg, 2FGP: 49.8% and FT: 68.4% in the 41 games he played so far. He is a naturalized American. Despite Hibbert played previously for the USA national team, he played also for the Jamaican national team in 2010.

Samardo Samuels

#2. Second place goes to former international power forward Samardo Samuels (206-89, college: Louisville), who plays in the NBA. He could not help the Cleveland Cavaliers (16-25) in their last game. Despite Samuels'' good performance the Cleveland Cavaliers lost 105-115 on the road to the Milwaukee Bucks. He scored 11 points in a mere 15 minutes. This year Samuels'' overall stats are: 4.7ppg, 2.9rpg, 2FGP: 40.4% and FT: 71.7% in the 29 games. He played for the Jamaican national team in 2009.

Akeem Scott

#3. The Jamaican player who performed third best last week abroad was an international point guard Akeem Scott (186-83, college: High Point). Scott contributed to a Mornar Bar''s victory against the seventh-ranked Lovcen (0-1) 70-58 in the Montenegrin 1A on Saturday night. He scored 10 points, had 6 boards, dished 4 assists and stole 4 balls. KK Mornar Basket Bar (17-2) is placed first in the 1A. The Regular Season already ended. It''s Scott''s first season with the team. Scott is ranked second on the list of the best passers in the league and also on the list of most steals (first place). He has very reliable stats this season: 13.6ppg, 3.3rpg, 3.5apg, 2.7spg, 2FGP: 65.3%(64-98), 3FGP: 44.8% and FT: 71.8%. Scott is a naturalized American. Worth to mention he played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him get the job in pro basketball. He is also a member of the Jamaican senior national team.

Ronald Yates

#4. Forward Ronald Yates (201-83, college: St.Peter''s) led Fribourg to an easy victory against the league outsider BBC Nyon (2-20) crushing them 85-56 in the Swiss LNA on Saturday night. He scored 16 points, had 6 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 25 minutes. Benetton Fribourg Olympic (3-0) is placed second in the LNA. So far his team won all three games in the Regular Season. There are only three games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. Yates is currently ninth on the list of top scorers with 16.9ppg. This year his other stats are: 6.2rpg, 2.4apg and 1.4spg in the 20 games. Yates is a naturalized American. He used to play for the Jamaican national team back in 2010.

Jerome Jordan

#5. Former international center Jerome Jordan (213-86, college: Tulsa) managed to help New York Knicks to win against the Portland Trail Blazers (20-23) crushing them 121-79 in the NBA in Wednesday night''s game. Jordan scored only 2 points. The New York Knicks have 19-24 record this season. They ended the series of six consecutive loses. Jordan''s total stats this year are: 1.6ppg and 1.2rpg. He used to play for the Jamaican national team six years ago.

Kevin Young

   #6. Center Kevin Young (206-84, college: Missouri) helped Aishin Sea Horses win their game against the closely-ranked Hitachi Sunrockers (22-16) 91-73 in the Japanese JBL last Sunday. Young recorded 9 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 18 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Aishin Sea Horses (28-10) are placed first in the JBL. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. This year Young''s total stats are: 8.9ppg and 6.6rpg in the 37 games. He is a former international player as he played for the Jamaican senior team six years ago.

The list of other players, who all have Jamaican passport but never been selected to any of Jamaican national teams:

   #1. Garry Gallimore (192-G-84) led CSM Bucuresti to a 1-point victory over the 14th-ranked Perla Harghitei (2-23) 99-98 in the Romanian Division A last Wednesday. Gallimore was MVP of the game. He scored 34 points (!!!), made 4 passes and 3 steals. CS Municipal Bucuresti (16-8) is placed fifth in the Division A. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. It''s Gallimore''s first season with the team. Gallimore has individually a very good year with high stats. He averages: 18.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.2apg and 1.2spg. Gallimore has a dual citizenship: Jamaican and Canadian. Despite his Jamaican passport, Gallimore previously played for the Canadian university national team and is probably not eligible to play for the Jamaican team.

   #2. Maurice Bailey (183-G-81, college: Sacred Heart) was the major contributor in a VEF Riga''s victory against the closely-ranked Turiba (9-14) crushing them 84-61 in the Latvian LBL in Wednesday night''s game. Bailey scored 13 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished 4 assists. VEF Riga (11-1) is placed fourth in the LBL. It was his team''s fifth consecutive victory in a row. There are only three games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game is very crucial. Bailey''s total stats this season are: 8.0ppg, 3.7rpg and 4.0apg. He is a naturalized American.

   #3. Experienced Corey Williams (191-G-77, college: Alabama St.) led Quebradillas to a victory against the closely-ranked Vaqueros (4-2) 78-68 in the Puerto Rican BSN last Friday. Williams recorded 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 29 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Pirates de Quebradillas (4-2) is placed third in the BSN. But this is still an early stage of the season and everything may happen. Williams is currently ninth on the list of top scorers and also on the list of best passers (sixth place). He has very impressive stats this year: 15.8ppg, 4.0rpg, 4.3apg and 1.7spg in the six games he played so far. Williams is a naturalized American.

   #4. Orane Chin (200-F-88), who plays in the NCAA could not help the CS Fullerton (12-4) in their last game. Despite Chin''s very good performance the CS Fullerton lost 59-65 at home to the University of California-Irvine. He recorded 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 31 minutes. Chin is one of the most experienced players in a team as it''s his fourth year in CS Fullerton''s roster. Chin has relatively good stats this season: 13.6ppg, 3.3rpg, 3.5apg and 2.7spg in the 16 games.

   #5. Adrian Uter (201-F/C-84, agency: Gross Zeev ISA, college: Hofstra) was not able to help Maccabi Rishon (10-8) in their game against Maccabi T-A (16-2) in the Israeli Premier League. He scored 7 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Maccabi Rishon was badly defeated 90-73 on the road by the leading Maccabi T-A. There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be important. Uter is ranked third on the list of the best blockers in the league. This season he has very good stats: 13.7ppg, 6.9rpg, 2.2apg, 1.9bpg and 1.6spg. Uter is a naturalized American.

   #6. Bryan Bailey (185-PG-80, college: Bucknell) managed to help Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck to win against the league outsider BG Goettingen 87-76 in the German BBL on Friday night. Bailey scored only 3 points and added 4 passes. Bailey has averaged so far 5.9ppg, 1.2rpg and 2.6apg. He is a naturalized American.

   #7. Jermaine Bucknor (199-F-83, college: Richmond) contributed to an easy victory against the ninth-ranked EWE Baskets crushing them 69-42 in the German BBL in Saturday night''s game. Bucknor scored 5 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 9 minutes. Bucknor has averaged so far 1.8ppg and 3.5rpg in the four games. He is another player who holds two passports: Jamaican and Canadian.

   #8. Richard Anderson (199-F-77) contributed to a Halifax Rainmen''s victory against the Quebec Kebs 96-87 in the NBL Canada last Sunday. Anderson recorded 5 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Anderson has averaged so far 1.8ppg and 3.5rpg. He has both Jamaican and Canadian nationalities.

   #9. Shakir Johnson (205-F/C-87, college: Metro St.) was not able to secure a victory for Giurgiu in their game against Targu Mures in the Romanian Division A. Johnson recorded 5 points and blocked 2 blocks in 23 minutes. His team was crushed by 24 points 82-58. Johnson has averaged so far 5.0ppg and 3.0rpg in the two games.

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JUCO

Top 10 (DI)

Top 10 Ranking

1. South Plains JC
2. NW Florida St.
3. Monroe Coll.
4. S.Idaho JC
5. Coffeyville CC
6. Shelton St. CC
7. Indian Hills CC
8. E.Oklahoma St. JC
9. Vincennes Univ.
10. Santa Fe CC

Top 10 (DII)

Top 10 Ranking

1. Mott CC
2. Kirkwood CC
3. Triton JC
4. Rhode Island CC
5. S.Suburban JC
6. Erie CC
7. Louisburg JC
8. Oakland CC
9. Lincoln CC
10. S.Mountain CC

Top 10 (DIII)

Top 10 Ranking

1. Brookdale CC
2. Central Lakes CC
3. Roxbury CC
4. Bronx CC
5. SUNY-Delhi
6. Sandhills CC
7. Cedar Valley JC
8. Herkimer County
9. Sullivan CC
10. Milwaukee Tech

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KAZAKHSTAN

Tobol gain two wins - by Eurobasket News
Tobol recorded back-to-back victories over BK Almaty in the latest D1 games. The wins carried Tobol at 9-11 record in the ladder. BK Almaty fell at 7-12 record after the defeats.
The first game ended with Tobol claiming an 86:80 win. Pavel Mikheev (200-F-83) posted 18 points to lead the charge. Tobol strongly started the game taking a 19:11 lead ten minutes into the game. They stretched the margin to 13 points with one quarter remaining and rallied to the victory at the end. Berik Ismailov (180-G-87) posted 16 points, while Vyacheslav Bogdanov (200-F-83) added 15 points for Tobol. BK Almaty answered with game-high 27 points from Aleksandr Kuznetsov (193-G-84).
The second game turned into a thriller. BK Almaty enjoyed a 19:17 lead after the opening quarter. Tobol went on a 22:10 surge in the second frame to post a 39:29 halftime lead. However BK Almaty never surrendered. They cut the distance to just 3 points with one quarter remaining. BK Almaty got even closer in the final term but Tobol survived the challenge snatching a narrow 61:60 win at the end. Pavel Mikheev produced 15 points, while Vyacheslav Bogdanov accounted for 13 points in the winning case. Vasili Savchenko (189-G-87) replied with 20 points for BK Almaty.

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LATVIA

Mayo's 15 points and 8 assists give him Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News
24-year old guard Josh Mayo (182-G-87, agency: Ryzhov Stanislav) put on an amazing game in the last round for league's best team Liepaja and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 23.
He had the game-high 15 points adding six rebounds and eight assists for Liepaja in his team's victory, helping them to crush Jurmala (#8, 8-15) with 21-point margin 94-73. It allowed Liepaja to take over top position in the Latvian league. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Liepaja has a very solid 13-8 record, but they cannot be too comfortable about keeping top position. Mayo turned to be Liepaja's top player in his first season with the team. University of Illinois-Chicago graduate has very impressive stats this year. Mayo. Mayo is in league's top in points (6th best: 16.5ppg).

Second best performed player last round was Roberts Mednis (204-C-89) of Turiba. He is a center in his 3rd season at Turiba. In the last game Mednis recorded impressive 22 points and 6 rebounds. Of course he lead Turiba to another comfortable win 88-73 over slightly higher-ranked LU (#5, 11-11) being unquestionably team leader. Turiba's 7th position in the standings has not changed. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 9-14 record. Mednis is one of the most experienced players at Turiba and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

Third place about best performers goes to another Liepaja's star - center Toms Leiteris (210-C-90). Leiteris scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. He was another key player of Liepaja, helping his team with a 94-73 easy win against the lower-ranked Jurmala (#8, 8-15). Liepaja confirms their top position in the standings. Their record at this point is 13 victories and 8 lost games. Leiteris has a very solid season. In 10 games in Latvia he scored 5.1ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Zanis Peiners (203-G-90) of LU - 13 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists
5. Zintis Plivda (206-C-88) of LU - 11 points and 12 rebounds
6. Kristaps Dargais (195-G-90) of LU - 13 points and 10 rebounds
7. Ugis Pinete (194-F-91) of Jurmala - 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists
8. Ingars Aizpurs (196-G-92) of LU - 12 points and 3 assists
9. Kaspars Berzins (213-F/C-85) of VEF Riga - 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists
10. Matiss Rudmiezis (193-F-91) of Turiba - 18 points and 4 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)

EuroChallenge: Szolnok tied the Quarterfinal series - by Eurobasket News
Szolnok - Ventspils 82:76

Szolnok tied the Quarterfinal series over Latvian Ventspils. The Hungarian outfit celebrated an 82:76 victory.
Berzins gave the guests their first lead and they took 20:19 after the first period. The second frame also belonged to the Latvian side that managed to increase the lead to 36:32 at the halftime. Brandon Gay (203-F-82, agency: Edge Sports, college: San Diego) gave the Szolnok 57:53, but Ventspils finished the third quarter with a 6-0 run. The hosts trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 25-17 charge, which allowed them to win the game.
Obie Trotter (186-PG-84, agency: Court Side, college: Alabama A&M) notched 19 points and 5 assists to lead the effort and Akos Horvath (193-G/F-81) supported him with 14 points and 6 assists. Even 14 points, 7 assists and 4 steals by Jahmar Young (196-G-86, college: N.Mexico St.) did not help to save the game for Ventspils. Martins Meiers (206-C-91) (206-91) added 12 points and 8 rebounds for the guests. Four Ventspils players scored in double figures.

Szolnok: Obie Trotter 19, Akos Horvath 14, Brandon Gay 12
Ventspils: Jahmar Young 14, Todd Abernethy (185-PG-84, college: Mississippi) 13, Martins Meiers 12

Kristaps Valters selected the top Latvian playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
We bring you last week''s top performances from Latvians who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

Kristaps Valters

#1. This week''s number one is former international guard Kristaps Valters (190-81), who plays in the Spanish ACB. He could not help Unicaja Malaga (13-11) in their last game. Despite Valters'' very good performance Unicaja Malaga lost 81-89 on the road to the higher-ranked (#4) Lagun Aro GBC. He was the top scorer with 16 points. Valters also added 4 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 24 minutes on the court. It was Unicaja Malaga''s fourth consecutive loss in a row. Valters has relatively good stats this year: 10.3ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.8apg, 2FGP: 47.7%, 3FGP: 48.8%(42-86) and FT: 81.7% in the 21 games he played so far. He played for the Latvian senior national team three years ago.

Kaspars Kambala

#2. Second place goes to an experienced former international center Kaspars Kambala (206-78, agency: Alti Sport, college: UNLV). Kambala was the major contributor in a Turk Telekom''s victory against the closely-ranked Erdemir (10-12) 80-76 in the Turkish TBL last Saturday. He recorded 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Turk Telekom Ankara (9-13) is placed tenth in the TBL. They ended the series of five consecutive loses. It''s Kambala''s first season with the team. This year Kambala has relatively solid stats: 11.0ppg, 5.2rpg, 2FGP: 54.5% and FT: 69.4%. He played for the Latvian national team in 2009.

Andris Biedrins

#3. The Latvian player who performed third best last week abroad was former international center Andris Biedrins (213-86). Biedrins contributed to an easy victory against the Sacramento Kings (14-29) crushing them 115-89 in the NBA on Tuesday night. He recorded 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in 30 minutes. The Golden State Warriors have 18-22 record this season. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. Biedrins has been at the team for eight years. This season Biedrins averages: 1.9ppg, 3.9rpg and FT: 11.1% in the 35 games. He played for the Latvian national team three years ago.

Edgard Jeromanovs

#4. Point guard Edgard Jeromanovs (186-86) led Norrkoping Dolphins to a victory over the sixth-ranked Sundsvall Dragons (21-15) 80-72 in the Swedish Basketligan in Friday night''s game. Jeromanovs was MVP of the game. He scored 21 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished 3 assists. Norrkoping Dolphins (23-13) is placed second in the Basketligan. Jeromanovs'' team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Jeromanovs'' overall stats this season are: 9.5ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.6apg and 1.4spg. He is also Latvian national team player.

Mareks Jurevicus

#5. International swingman Mareks Jurevicus (197-85) was the main contributor in an Assi Ostuni''s victory against the fifth-ranked Sigma Barcellona (12-10) 87-78 in the Italian Lega2 (second division) last Sunday. Jurevicus was the best player in that game. He scored 26 points (!!!) and grabbed 7 rebounds in 32 minutes. Assi Basket Ostuni (10-12) is placed tenth in the Lega2. Jurevicus has reliable stats this year: 13.5ppg, 4.2rpg and 2.0apg in the 22 games. He plays currently for the Latvian national team.

Janis Blums

#6. Guard Janis Blums (190-82), who plays in the Spanish ACB was not able to help Gescrap BB (12-12) in their last game on Wednesday. Despite Blums'' good performance Gescrap BB was crushed 91-67 in Badalona by the lower-ranked FIATC Joventut (#12). He was the second best scorer with 10 points. Blums plays fourth season for the team. Blums'' overall stats this year are: 6.0ppg and 1.4rpg. He is an international player who is currently on the senior Latvian National Team roster.

Juris Umbrasko

#7. Former international swingman Juris Umbrasko (197-79), who plays in the Estonian KML was not able to secure a victory for BC Rakvere (15-8) in their last game. Despite Umbrasko''s good performance BC Rakvere was edged 66-65 in Tallinn by the lower-ranked (#6) Tln Kalev. He was the top scorer with 14 points. Umbrasko also added 6 rebounds in 29 minutes. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game is very crucial. This year Umbrasko''s overall stats are: 9.7ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.1apg and 1.5spg in the 20 games. He used to play for the Latvian national team four years ago.

Davis Bertans

#8. Forward Davis Bertans (208-92) contributed to Partizan''s victory against the closely-ranked Cedevita (18-7) 67-63 in the Adriatic League last Wednesday. Bertans recorded 7 points. BC Partizan MT:S Beograd (18-7) is placed third in group A. His team will play only one more game in the Adriatic League Regular Season. And now that game is quite important. Bertans'' total stats this season are: 3.0ppg and 1.1rpg. He plays currently for the Latvian national team.

Janis Strelnieks

#9. International guard Janis Strelnieks (191-89) couldn''t help Spartak St.Petersburg (11-5) in their game against Asseco Prokom (8-8) in the VTB United League. He scored only 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. The second-placed Spartak St.Petersburg was defeated 50-45 in Gdynia by the lower-ranked Asseco Prokom (#5) in the group B of VTB United League. It was Spartak St.Petersburg''s third consecutive loss in a row. The Regular Season already ended in the VTB United League. Strelnieks'' total stats this season are: 4.2ppg, 1.5rpg and 1.8apg. He is also in the roster of the Latvian national team.

Kaspars Cipruss

   #10. Center Kaspars Cipruss (210-82, agency: Interperformances) is a teammate of previously mentioned Juris Umbrasko and both played together in the last Estonian KML game. Cipruss couldn''t help BC Rakvere (15-8) in their game against Tln Kalev (10-15). He scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 28 minutes. But BC Rakvere was edged 66-65 in Tallinn by the lower-ranked (#6) Tln Kalev. Cipruss belongs to league''s top scorers (ranked #5) and also on the list of best rebounders (first place). He has individually a very good year with high stats. Cipruss averages: 17.3ppg and 10.3rpg in the 23 games. He is a former international player as four years ago he still played for the Latvian senior national team.

   #11. U20 international guard Reno Silavs (180-91) contributed to a double overtime (!!!) Froya Basket''s victory against the closely-ranked Asker Aliens 90-85 in the Norwegian BLNO on Saturday night. Silavs was the top player that evening. He scored 26 points (!!!) and had 3 steals. Silavs is currently second on the list of most steals. His total stats this season are: 10.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.0apg and 2.2spg. Silavs plays currently for the Latvian U20 national team.

   #12. Former international guard Edmunds Gabrans (190-79) is a teammate of previously mentioned Reno Silavs. But that was another game of his team in Norwegian BLNO which we would like to mention. Gabrans helped Froya Basket win their game against the sixth-ranked Gimle BBK 78-65. He was the top player that evening. Gabrans scored 22 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished 3 assists. Gabrans is currently fourth on the league''s list of best passers. He has very reliable stats this season: 14.8ppg, 3.9rpg, 4.2apg and 1.8spg. Gabrans used to play for the Latvian national team back in 2002.

   #13. International center Andrejs Selakovs (210-88, agency: Players Group), who plays in the Spanish LEB Gold (second division) couldn''t help CB Tarragona 2017 (10-17) in their last game. Despite his good performance CB Tarragona 2017 lost 68-81 in Logrono to the much higher-ranked (#8) CB Clavijo. Selakovs scored 13 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 27 minutes. This year his total stats are: 6.8ppg and 5.1rpg in the 25 games. Selakovs is also Latvian national team player.

   #14. Former international center Jurijs Aleksejevs (203-85) helped NH Ostrava win their game against the fourth-ranked Levharti Chomutov 97-79 in the Czech Republic NBL in Wednesday night''s game. He recorded 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Aleksejevs has averaged so far 5.2ppg and 3.9rpg. He used to play for the Latvian national team back in 2009.

   #15. Former U20 international guard Reinis Strupovics (192-87) couldn''t help Valga in their game against Tartu Ulikool in the Estonian KML, despite his very good performance last Tuesday. Strupovics was the top scorer with 18 points. He also added 5 steals in 36 minutes. But his team was badly defeated by 20 points 87-67. Strupovics is currently first on the league''s list of top scorers with 20.6ppg. This year he also averages: 3.8rpg, 2.3apg and 1.6spg in the 11 games. Strupovics used to play for the Latvian U20 national team five years ago.

The list of other players, who all have Latvian passport but never been selected to any of Latvian national teams:

   #1. Gary Gandel (203-G/F-80) was the major contributor in a Hod Hasharon''s victory against the closely-ranked Elitzur Yavne (16-6) 100-96 in the Israeli National League (second division) on Tuesday night. Gandel recorded 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 38 minutes. Maccabi Hod Hasharon (12-10) is placed sixth in the National League. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. Gandel has individually a very good year with high stats. He averages: 17.0ppg, 7.8rpg, 3.0apg and 1.7spg in the 22 games he played so far. Gandel has also Israeli nationality.

   #2. Martins Berkis (198-F-85) led Svit to an easy victory against the closely-ranked Handlova (17-15) 83-65 in the Slovakian Extraliga in Wednesday night''s game. He scored 18 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 45 minutes. BK Iskra Svit (17-15) is placed fourth in the Extraliga. Berkis has very impressive stats this year: 15.4ppg, 5.0rpg, 2.0apg and 1.3spg in the 32 games.

   #3. Matiss Sakne (191-G-91) led Horsens IC to an easy victory against the closely-ranked SISU (12-15) 91-76 in the Danish Ligaen on Thursday night. He recorded 14 points and added 3 assists in 36 minutes. Horsens IC (12-15) is placed fourth in the Ligaen. It was his team''s fourth consecutive victory in a row. Sakne has averaged so far 6.4ppg, 1.7rpg and 2.6apg in the 30 games.

   #4. Martins Malnieks (190-F-89), who plays in the British BBL could not help Glasgow Rocks (12-11) to beat Guildford Heat (8-14). He recorded 9 points and added 3 passes. But Glasgow Rocks was edged 83-81 on the road by the lower-ranked Guildford Heat (#7). This season Malnieks averages only 2.4ppg.

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LEBANON

Div.A: Round 6 of the second stage (Top 4) - by Eurobasket News
The Second Stage in Div.A just ended. What a coincidence that all visitors won their games.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of top-ranked Al Riyadi (20-2) in Beirut on Saturday night. Hosts were defeated by third ranked Anibal (12-8) 99-92. It ended at the same time the 15-game winning streak of Al Riyadi. The guests took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Al Riyadi won third quarter 31-26. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. American guard Jasmon Youngblood (195-84, college: Kent St.) scored 38 points (!!!) and 9 assists to lead the charge for the winners and international point guard Rodrigue Akl (189-88, agency: Pro Management Agency) chipped in 14 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Dewarick Spencer (193-82, college: Arkansas St., agency: Higher Vision Sports) with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Anibal have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 12-8 record having nine points less than leader Champville. Al Riyadi at the other side dropped to the second place with two games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Beirut. 4th ranked host Sagesse (10-12) lost to second ranked Champville (20-1) 69-60. The former international forward Fadi Khatib (199-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) notched 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) to lead the effort and Garnett Thompson supported him with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Even 19 points and 5 assists by the former international guard Sabah Khoury (196-82, agency: Pro Management Agency) did not help to save the game for Sagesse. Champville have an impressive five-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader. Sagesse lost third consecutive game. They keep the fourth place with 12 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
The game in Beirut was also quite interesting. Seventh ranked Bejjeh (8-14) played at the court of 8th ranked Hoops Club (5-17). Bejjeh defeated Hoops Club 77-62 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was Nadim Souaid who scored 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Bejjeh's coach Alen Abaz 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 Ali Fakhreddine who recorded a double-double by scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds. Bejjeh maintains seventh position with 8-14 record. Hoops Club lost twelfth consecutive game. They keep the eighth place with 17 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.

In the last game of round 6 Moutahed won against Byblos on the opponent's court 79-74.

Hoops - Bejjeh 62-77
The game in Beirut was also quite interesting. Seventh ranked Bejjeh (8-14) played at the court of 8th ranked Hoops Club (5-17). Bejjeh defeated Hoops Club 77-62 on Saturday. The game without a history. Bejjeh led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. The best player for the winners was international forward Nadim Souaid (192-86) who scored 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Guard Ronny Abou Jawdeh (182) chipped in 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Five Bejjeh players scored in double figures. Bejjeh's coach Alen Abaz 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 the former international center Ali Fakhreddine (204-83) who recorded a double-double by scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds and American forward Billy McShepard (208, college: Valdosta St.) added 15 points and 10 rebounds respectively. Bejjeh maintains seventh position with 8-14 record. Hoops Club lost twelfth consecutive game. They keep the eighth place with 17 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Hoops: A.Fakhreddine 17+10reb+2ast, B.McShepard 15+10reb+1ast, B.Ibrahim 9+3reb, H.El Khatib 8+3reb+3ast, T.Kharsan 5+3reb, M.Hamdar 4+7reb+1ast
Bejjeh: N.Souaid 24+6reb+5ast, R.Abou Jawdeh 12+6reb+4ast, P.Bou Abboud 12+2reb+5ast, J.Kabbara 11+5reb, H.Zakaria 11+11reb, R.Fares 3+2reb+1ast

Al Riyadi - Anibal 92-99
The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of top-ranked Al Riyadi (20-2) in Beirut on Saturday night. Hosts were defeated by third ranked Anibal (12-8) 99-92. It ended at the same time the 15-game winning streak of Al Riyadi. The guests took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Al Riyadi won third quarter 31-26. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. American guard Jasmon Youngblood (195-84, college: Kent St.) scored 38 points (!!!) and 9 assists to lead the charge for the winners and international point guard Rodrigue Akl (189-88, agency: Pro Management Agency) chipped in 14 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was American guard Dewarick Spencer (193-82, college: Arkansas St., agency: Higher Vision Sports) with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Egyptian forward Ahmad Ismail (205-76) produced a double-double by scoring 16 points and 19 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Anibal have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 12-8 record having nine points less than leader Champville. Al Riyadi at the other side dropped to the second place with two games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Al Riyadi: D.Spencer 27+5reb+5ast, A.Mahmoud 18+3reb+8ast, A.Ismail 16+19reb+1ast, J.Abdel Nour 15+3reb+4ast, W.Pharis 9+4reb, J.Vogel 4+2reb
Anibal: J.Youngblood 38+4reb+9ast, G.Rida 20+5reb+1ast, L.Hurd 15+6reb, R.Akl 14+8reb+7ast, B.Ammouri 7+7reb, M.Mneimneh 3+3reb

Sagesse - Champville 60-69
The game between Top Four teams took place in Beirut. 4th ranked host Sagesse (10-12) lost to second ranked Champville (20-1) 69-60. Sagesse was ahead by 5 points at the halftime before a 41-27 second half run of Champville. The former international forward Fadi Khatib (199-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) notched 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) to lead the effort and American power forward Garnett Thompson (207-80, college: Providence) supported him with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Four Champville players scored in double figures. Even 19 points and 5 assists by the former international guard Sabah Khoury (196-82, agency: Pro Management Agency) did not help to save the game for Sagesse. International guard Miguel Martinez (190-88, agency: Pro Management Agency) added 13 points and 7 rebounds. Champville have an impressive five-game winning streak. They keep a position of league leader. Sagesse lost third consecutive game. They keep the fourth place with 12 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Sagesse: S.Khoury 19+3reb+5ast, M.Martinez 13+7reb+3ast, N.Johnson 10+6reb+5ast, B.Crump 8+13reb+1ast, J.Bitar 5+4reb, J.Accaoui 5+1ast
Champville: F.Khatib 24+6reb+5ast, G.Thompson 14+15reb+2ast, E.Estephane 14+4reb+2ast, S.Hoskin 13+13reb+3ast, M.Ibrahim 4+2reb+1ast, N.Hawe 0

Byblos - Moutahed 74-79
We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams when 5th ranked Byblos (9-13) were defeated at home by sixth ranked Al Moutahed (9-12) 79-74 on Sunday. The guests trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 26-19 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Al Moutahed outrebounded Byblos 55-41 including 20 on the offensive glass. The best player for the winners was the former international power forward Bassel Bawji (203-89, college: Tulsa, agency: Pro Management Agency) who had a double-double by scoring 25 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. American center Micah Brand (210-80, college: Massachusetts) chipped in a double-double by scoring 19 points and 16 rebounds. Brand is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Chudney Gray (188-78, college: St.John's) who recorded 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists and his fellow American import forward Desmond Penigar (201-81, college: Utah St.) added 20 points and 6 rebounds respectively. Four Byblos players scored in double figures. Al Moutahed have a solid three-game winning streak. They moved-up to fifth place. Loser Byblos dropped to the sixth position with 13 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Byblos: C.Gray 25+7reb+7ast, D.Penigar 20+6reb+1ast, A.Barada 11+6reb+2ast, Y.Sabra 10+13reb+2ast, M.Abou Jaoudeh 6+5reb+1ast, K.Mechref 2+3reb
Moutahed: B.Bawji 25+12reb+4ast, A.Johnson 19+3reb+4ast, M.Brand 19+16reb+2ast, B.Balaa 8+5reb+1ast, M.Akary 3+3reb+1ast, S.Mechref 3+9reb

Lebanese Div.A round 6 (Second Stage) best performance: Jasmon Youngblood (by PMA Basketball) - by Eurobasket News

American guard Jasmon Youngblood (195-G-84) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for Anibal, receiving a Asia-basket.com Player of the Week award for round 6 (Second Stage).
The 27-year old player was the main contributor (38 points, four rebounds and nine assists) to his team's victory, helping them to beat Al Riyadi (#2, 20-2) 99-92. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. Anibal maintains the 3rd position in Lebanese Div.A. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier in Second Stage. Anibal will need more victories to improve their 12-8 record. In the team's last game Youngblood had a remarkable 77.8% from 2-point range and got five three-pointers out of 8 attempts. He turned to be Anibal's top player in his first season with the team. Jasmon Youngblood averages this season 21.7ppg.

The second best player in last round's games was 22-year old former international power forward Bassel Bawji (203-F/C-89, agency: Pro Management Agency) of Moutahed. Bawji had a very good evening with a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds. It was enough for Moutahed to edge slightly lower-ranked Byblos (#6, 9-13) 79-74. This victory allowed Moutahed to move up to 5th position in the standings. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 9-12 record. Bawji is one of the most experienced players at Moutahed and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

Third on the list of top players last round was American forward Garnett Thompson (207-F/C-80) of league's top team Champville. Thompson scored 14 points and grabbed fifteen rebounds (!!!). He was a key player of Champville, leading his team to a 69-60 win against #4 ranked Sagesse in a game of the week. Many experts and fans count Champville as a contender for championship title. Another victory and another confirmation that they may be right. Just look at their record: 20 victories and only one lost games. They are currently at the very top of the standings. Thompson has a great season in Lebanon. After 20 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 11.1rpg (5th best). He also has 1.5bpg and FGP: 57.0%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Ali Fakhreddine (204-C-83) of Hoops - 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Fadi Khatib (199-F-79) of Champville - 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists
6. Dewarick Spencer (193-G-82) of Al Riyadi - 27 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists
7. Micah Brand (210-C-80) of Moutahed - 19 points, 16 rebounds and 2 assists
8. Nadim Souaid (192-F-86) of Bejjeh - 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists
9. Ahmad Ismail (205-F-76) of Al Riyadi - 16 points and 19 rebounds
10. Chudney Gray (188-G-78) of Byblos - 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 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)

Standings - Division A

Div.A Standings

1. Champville		20-1
2. Al Riyadi		20-2
3. Anibal		13-8
4. Sagesse		10-12
5. Moutahed		9-13
6. Byblos		9-13
7. Bejjeh		8-14
8. Hoops		5-17
9. Antranik		0-0

Stats Leaders - Men

Points Per Game

Desmond PENIGAR
  Byblos
  (201-F-81)
  Avg: 28.5

1. Penigar, Byblos	28.5
2. Khatib, Champville	27.2
3. Spencer, Al Riyadi	26.5
4. Ebi, Anibal	24.8
5. Williams, Byblos	24.1
6. Colwell, Antranik	23.9
7. Oguchi, Hoops	23.3
8. Gray, Byblos	23.1
9. Youngblood, Anibal	21.8
10. Johnson, Sagesse	21.8

Rebounds Per Game

Harold JAMISON
  Bejjeh
  (204-C-76)
  Avg: 14.6

1. Jamison, Bejjeh	14.6
2. Penigar, Byblos	12.1
3. Crump, Sagesse	11.5
4. Thompson, Champvil.	11.1
5. Colwell, Antranik	11.1
6. Ismail, Al Riyadi	11.1
7. Hoskin, Champville	9.9
8. Ebi, Anibal	9.3
9. Trim, Moutahed	9.2
10. Hamdar, Hoops	9.0

Assists Per Game

Corey WILLIAMS
  Byblos
  (191-G-77)
  Avg: 7.1

1. Williams, Byblos	7.1
2. Akl, Anibal	6.5
3. Mahmoud, Al Riyadi	6.5
4. Clemons, Hoops	6.3
5. Johnson, Moutahed	5.9
6. Gray, Byblos	5.7
7. Khatib, Champville	5.7
8. Ismail, Al Riyadi	5.5
9. Young, Antranik	5.4
10. Johnson, Sagesse	5.2

Steals Per Game

Jasmon YOUNGBLOOD
  Anibal
  (195-G-84)
  Avg: 3.1

1. Youngblood, Anibal	3.1
2. Clemons, Hoops	2.8
3. Mahmoud, Al Riyadi	2.7
4. Johnson, Moutahed	2.5
5. Estephane, Champvi.	2.4
6. Young, Antranik	2.3
7. Spencer, Al Riyadi	2.2
8. Williams, Byblos	2.0
9. Ebi, Anibal	1.9
10. Johnson, Sagesse	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Ndudi EBI
  Anibal
  (206-F-84)
  Avg: 2.9

1. Ebi, Anibal	2.9
2. Colwell, Antranik	2.2
3. Hamdar, Hoops	1.8
4. Ismail, Al Riyadi	1.7
5. Vogel, Al Riyadi	1.7
6. Brand, Moutahed	1.6
7. Crump, Sagesse	1.5
8. Sabra, Byblos	1.5
9. Thompson, Champvil.	1.5
10. Hoskin, Champville	1.2

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LITHUANIA

Ramunas Siskauskas selected the top Lithuanian playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
Here is the weekly review of the top performing Lithuanian players, who play currently abroad.

Ramunas Siskauskas

#1. This week''s number one is an experienced former international guard Ramunas Siskauskas (197-78). He was the major contributor in a CSKA Moscow''s victory against the seventh-ranked Unics Kazan (5-6) 75-57 in the Russian PBL in Tuesday night''s game. Siskauskas scored 11 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 21 minutes on the court. CSKA Moscow (12-1) is placed first in the PBL. It was his team''s eighth consecutive victory in a row. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. It''s Siskauskas'' fifth season with the team. This year he averages: 6.9ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.5apg, 2FGP: 67.9%(19-28), 3FGP: 36.8% in the 11 games he played so far. Siskauskas played for the Lithuanian senior national team two years ago.

Linas Kleiza

#2. Second place goes to former international forward Linas Kleiza (203-85, college: Missouri). He led Toronto Raptors to an easy victory against the Houston Rockets (24-20) 116-98 in the NBA last Wednesday. Kleiza recorded 19 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. The Toronto Raptors have rather weak 14-29 record this season. Kleiza has relatively good stats this year: 9.9ppg, 4.0rpg, 2FGP: 44.0%, 3FGP: 36.4% and FT: 77.4%. He played for the Lithuanian national team in 2010.

Donatas Zavackas

#3. The Lithuanian player who performed third best last week abroad was former U20 international forward Donatas Zavackas (203-80, college: Pittsburgh). Zavackas led his Latvian team VEF Riga to a victory over the ninth-ranked Kalev/Cramo (1-14) 103-89 in the VTB United League on Wednesday night. He was MVP of the game. Zavackas scored 21 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 22 minutes. VEF Riga (8-7) is placed fourth in group A. The Regular Season already ended in the VTB United League. This year Zavackas has relatively solid stats: 14.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.3apg, 2FGP: 37.5%, 3FGP: 63.6% and FT: 83.3% in the three games. He played for the Lithuanian U20 national team twelve years ago.

Donatas Motiejunas

#4. Power forward Donatas Motiejunas (213-90, agency: Interperformances) contributed to an overtime Asseco Prokom''s victory against the fourth-ranked Energa Czarni (2-1) 92-84 in the Polish PLK in Tuesday night''s game. Motiejunas scored 21 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Asseco Prokom Gdynia (2-1) is placed third in Group A. But this is still an early stage of the season and everything may happen. Motiejunas has reliable stats this year: 13.7ppg and 3.7rpg. He is also Lithuanian national team player.

Sarunas Jasikevicius

#5. International guard Sarunas Jasikevicius (192-76, college: Maryland) contributed to an easy victory against the league outsider Marousi (1-21) crushing them 96-56 in the Greek A1 last Wednesday. Jasikevicius recorded 12 points and added 3 passes in a mere 17 minutes. Panathinaikos Athens (19-2) is placed second in the A1. It was his team''s fifth consecutive victory in a row. There are only three games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game is very crucial. It''s Jasikevicius'' first season with the team. This year his overall stats are: 7.4ppg and 2.9apg in the 21 games. Jasikevicius plays currently for the Lithuanian national team.

Michailis Anisimovas

#6. Center Michailis Anisimovas (214-84) was the main contributor in Budivelnyk''s victory against the eighth-ranked Dnipro (17-16) 95-85 in the Ukrainian Superleague on Tuesday night. He was the best player in that game. Anisimovas scored 22 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Budivelnyk Kyiv (24-6) is placed first in the Superleague. It was his team''s fifth consecutive victory in a row. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be important. Anisimovas'' stats this season are: 10.6ppg and 4.0rpg. He is a former university international player as he played for the Lithuanian team five years ago.

Tautvydas Lydeka

#7. Former international power forward Tautvydas Lydeka (208-83) contributed to a Scavolini Pesaro''s victory against the 14th-ranked Benetton Treviso (9-13) 77-66 in the Italian SerieA in Wednesday night''s game. Lydeka scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 28 minutes. Scavolini Siviglia Pesaro (12-9) is placed seventh in the SerieA. They ended the series of three consecutive loses. This year Lydeka''s total stats are: 8.2ppg and 5.0rpg in the 21 games. He used to play for the Lithuanian national team six years ago.

Antanas Kavaliauskas

#8. Center Antanas Kavaliauskas (208-84, also represented by Interperformances, college: Texas A&M) is a teammate of previously mentioned Donatas Zavackas and both played together in the last VTB United League game. Kavaliauskas helped his Latvian team VEF Riga win their game against the ninth-ranked Kalev/Cramo (1-14) 103-89. He scored 14 points. Kavaliauskas has averaged so far 7.5ppg and 3.2rpg. He used to play for the Lithuanian university national team back in 2007.

Evaldas Zabas

#9. Former U20 international point guard Evaldas Zabas (188-88), who plays in the Swedish Basketligan could not help KFUM Jamtland (13-23) in their last game. Despite his very good performance KFUM Jamtland lost 98-104 on the road to the higher-ranked (#4) Uppsala Basket. Zabas was the top scorer with 32 points. He also added 4 rebounds and dished 6 assists in 30 minutes. The Regular Season already ended. Zabas is currently first on the league''s list of top scorers with 21.9ppg. This year he also averages: 4.1rpg, 4.6apg and 1.5spg in the 36 games. Zabas used to play for the Lithuanian U20 national team four years ago.

Mantas Cesnauskis

   #10. Guard Mantas Cesnauskis (189-81) faced previously mentioned Donatas Motiejunas in the Polish PLK last game. Cesnauskis, who plays in the Polish PLK was not able to help Energa Czarni (2-1) in their last game on Tuesday. Despite his good performance the fourth-placed Energa Czarni was defeated in an overtime 92-84 in Gdynia by the higher-ranked Asseco Prokom (#3) in the Group A. Cesnauskis scored 13 points and added 3 assists. Cesnauskis is one of the most experienced players in a team as it''s his sixth year in Energa Czarni''s roster. He has averaged so far 9.7ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.1apg and 1.3spg. Cesnauskis is a former U20 international player as twelve years ago he still played for the Lithuanian national team.

   #11. International guard Martynas Pocius (196-86, another player represented by Interperformances, college: Duke) managed to help Real Madrid in a victory against the league outsider Blancos de Rueda crushing them 76-55 in the Spanish ACB in Tuesday night''s game. He scored only 4 points in 21 minutes. Pocius has averaged so far 6.6ppg and 2.0rpg in the 21 games. He plays currently for the Lithuanian national team.

   #12. International center Darjus Lavrinovic (212-79) is a teammate of previously mentioned Ramunas Siskauskas. But that was another game of his team in VTB United League which we would like to mention. Lavrinovic was not able to secure a victory for CSKA Moscow in their game against CEZ Nymburk. He cannot count Wednesday''s game as one of the best ones. Lavrinovic scored only 2 points. His team was badly defeated by 19 points 79-60. Lavrinovic has averaged so far 8.3ppg and 3.8rpg. He is also in the roster of the Lithuanian national team.

   #13. Former University international guard Arvydas Cepulis (196-79) helped Ploiesti win their game against the 12th-ranked CS Dinamo Bucuresti crushing them 130-66 in the Romanian Division A on Wednesday night. Cepulis scored 16 points and added 4 passes. He averaged so far 13.3ppg, 2.9rpg and 2.0apg. Cepulis used to play for the Lithuanian university national team seven years ago.

   #14. International small forward Simas Jasaitis (201-82) helped Turk Telekom win their game against the closely-ranked Erdemir 80-76 in the Turkish TBL in Saturday night''s game. He recorded 8 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 30 minutes. Jasaitis has averaged so far 8.7ppg and 3.8rpg in the 12 games. He plays currently for the Lithuanian national team.

   #15. Former international point guard Arvydas Eitutavicius (188-82, college: American) helped Khimik win their game against the closely-ranked Hoverla 77-67 in the Ukrainian Superleague last Tuesday. Eitutavicius scored 9 points. He has averaged so far 8.7ppg and 1.7apg. Eitutavicius used to play for the Lithuanian national team two years ago.

The list of other players, who all have Lithuanian passport but never been selected to any of Lithuanian national teams:

   #1. Benas Veikalas (192-G-83, college: Metro St.) led Telekom Baskets to a victory against the 16th-ranked Phoenix Hagen (7-19) 89-77 in the German BBL on Wednesday night. Veikalas scored 14 points, had 4 rebounds and dished 5 assists (went 6 for 6 at the free throw line) in 27 minutes. Telekom Baskets Bonn (14-12) is placed eighth in the BBL. Veikalas'' stats this year are: 13.3ppg, 3.8rpg and 1.7apg in the 24 games he played so far.

   #2. Mantas Griskenas (200-F-85, college: Wichita St.) was the major contributor in a Sodertalje Kings'' victory against one of league''s weakest teams KFUM Jamtland (13-23) 100-94 in the Swedish Basketligan in Tuesday night''s game. He scored 24 points; quite an impressive performance considering it''s only Griskenas'' third season in pro basketball. Sodertalje Kings (23-13) is placed first in the Basketligan. His team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Griskenas averaged so far 12.1ppg, 5.6rpg and 1.1apg.

   #3. Deividas Dulkys (195-G-88) contributed to a Florida St.''s surprising victory against the University of North Carolina (14-2) 85-82 in the conference tournament last Sunday. Dulkys recorded 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. The Florida State University has a solid 12-4 conference record this season. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. Dulkys has been at the team for four years. He has averaged so far 6.6ppg and 2.0rpg.

   #4. Nerijus Brasas (200-F-85) led Naestved to a 1-point victory over the closely-ranked Horsholm (11-16) 74-73 in the Danish Ligaen on Monday night. Brasas was the top player that evening. He scored 24 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 32 minutes. Team FOG Naestved (17-10) is placed third in the Ligaen. It was his team''s third consecutive victory in a row. Brasas'' stats this year are: 10.4ppg, 3.3rpg and 1.1apg in the 30 games.

   #5. Zygimantas Jonusas (200-F-82), who plays in the German BBL could not help Phoenix Hagen (7-19) in their last game. Despite Jonusas'' very good performance Phoenix Hagen was crushed 87-61 at home by the second-ranked ratiopharm Ulm. He was the top scorer with 18 points. Jonusas also added 5 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 34 minutes. It was Phoenix Hagen''s eighth consecutive loss in a row. Jonusas belongs to league''s top scorers and is ranked #7 with 15.2ppg. This year he also averages: 4.8rpg and 1.5apg in the 26 games.

   #6. Petras Balocka (205-C-86, college: Hawaii), who plays in the Swedish Basketligan was not able to help Norrkoping Dolphins (23-13) in their last game. Despite his good performance Norrkoping Dolphins lost 76-83 on the road to the lower-ranked (#7) 08 Stockholm. Balocka was the second best scorer with 11 points. He also added 6 rebounds in a mere 16 minutes. Balocka has averaged so far 8.6ppg and 4.8rpg in the 35 games.

   #7. Povilas Sakinis (199-F-80) is a teammate of previously mentioned Petras Balocka and both played together in the last Swedish Basketligan game. Sakinis was not able to secure a victory for Norrkoping Dolphins in their game against 08 Stockholm, despite his good performance in Tuesday night''s game. He scored 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 20 minutes. But his team lost 76-83. Sakinis has averaged so far 7.7ppg and 2.4rpg in the 30 games.

   #8. Gintaras Leonavicius (194-G-83, agency: Players Group) couldn''t help Lobe Huesca in their game against Girona FC in the Spanish LEB Gold (second division). Despite his very good performance last Sunday He was the top scorer with 15 points. Leonavicius also added 4 rebounds. He averaged so far 14.2ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.5apg and 1.5spg.

   #9. Daivis Sutkevicius (192-F-84) helped Hoganas win their game against the sixth-ranked Helsingborg 94-77 in the Swedish Basketettan (second division) on Wednesday night. Sutkevicius scored 13 points. He has averaged so far 9.1ppg, 5.8rpg and 1.1apg.

   #10. Andrius Vaitiekus (192-G) helped Brixton Topcats win their game against the closely-ranked Tees Valley Mohawks crushing them 88-56 in the British EBL (second division) in Saturday night''s game. Vaitiekus scored 10 points, made 7 passes and 5 steals in 40 minutes. He has averaged so far 2.8ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.7apg and 1.7spg in the six games.

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MEXICO

CIBACOPA Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Josh SIMMONS
  Tepic
  (193-F-88)
  Avg: 26

1. Simmons, Tepic	26.0
2. Toussaint, Los M.	22.5
3. Habel, Guaymas	21.5
4. Selleaze, Navolato	21.0
5. George, Nogales	21.0
6. Wiley, Los Mochis	20.3
7. Harris, Cananea	20.3
8. Quintero, Tijuana	20.3
9. Thomas, Cananea	20.0
10. Cook, Cananea	20.0

Rebounds Per Game

Ronald SELLEAZE
  Navolato
  (197-F-76)
  Avg: 11

1. Selleaze, Navolato	11.0
2. Terrell, Tepic	10.7
3. Lopez, Hermosillo	9.8
4. McCullough, Nogales	8.7
5. Clay, Los Mochis	8.3
6. Simpson, Guasave	8.0
7. Strobbe, Nogales	8.0
8. Thomas, Cananea	7.3
9. Tate, Tijuana	7.3
10. Zamora, Culiacan	7.0

Assists Per Game

Josh SIMMONS
  Tepic
  (193-F-88)
  Avg: 7

1. Simmons, Tepic	7.0
2. Taylor, Los Mochis	6.0
3. Snow, Tepic	5.5
4. Monreal, Hermosillo	4.8
5. George, Nogales	4.3
6. Dorsey, Guaymas	4.0
7. Nungaray, Guaymas	3.8
8. Habel, Guaymas	3.5
9. Johnson, Guaymas	3.3
10. Cook, Cananea	3.0

Steals Per Game

Ravone GEORGE
  Nogales
  (193-G-83)
  Avg: 4

1. George, Nogales	4.0
2. Cook, Cananea	4.0
3. Purnell, Tepic	3.0
4. Holloway, Guaymas	2.3
5. Simmons, Tepic	2.0
6. Snow, Tepic	2.0
7. Habel, Guaymas	2.0
8. Dugat, Guasave	2.0
9. Waller, Cananea	2.0
10. Dorsey, Guaymas	2.0

Blocks Per Game

Brandon WILEY
  Los Mochis
  (198-F-88)
  Avg: 1.7

1. Wiley, Los Mochis	1.7
2. Clay, Los Mochis	1.7
3. Seay, Tijuana	1.7
4. Robinson, Culiacan	1.7
5. Avila, Culiacan	1.3
6. McCullough, Nogales	1.3
7. Sanders-F., Nogales	1.0
8. Habel, Guaymas	1.0
9. Navarro, Culiacan	1.0
10. Medina, Tijuana	1.0

Standings - CIBACOPA

CIBACOPA Standings

1. Navolato		4-0
2. Tijuana		3-0
3. Hermosillo		3-1
4. Los Mochis		3-1
5. Nogales		2-2
6. Guaymas		2-2
7. Cananea		1-3
8. Guasave		1-3
9. Tepic		0-3
10. Culiacan		0-4

Guasave signs Keith Simpson - by Eurobasket News
Keith Simpson (201-F-83, college: Texas A&M Int.) stays in Mexico. The American forward penned a deal with Frayles de Guasave. Simpson most recently played in LNBP. However, he appeared only once with Toros Nuevo Laredo. In 2010/11, Simpson played in ABA. He had 24 ppg, 8 rpg and 4 apg with Texas Fuel team. Before the Fuel, he spent one season with Southeast Texas Mavericks. They also competed in ABA. Simpson had 10 ppg and 4 rpg that season. Keith Simpson already made CIBACOPA debut with Guasave. He had 16 points and 8 rebounds against Los Mochis. Guasave lost that game on the road 70-62.

Fred Durr joins Cananea - by Eurobasket News
Fred Durr (201-F-85, college: Oklah. Panhandle St.) is a new member of Cananea. The 25-year-old American signed a deal until the end of the CIBACOPA season. He will help the team at forward position. Durr played for the Rochester RazorSharks in 2011 PBL season. He had 8 ppg and 3.6 rpg for 26 games. Before that, he spent some time in El Salvador with Leones Automoto. Durr also played for the RazorSharks in 2009 and 2010. They won two PBL titles together. Fred Durr is a product of the Oklahoma Panhandle State University (NCAA2), where he graduated in 2008. He already played two games for Cananea averaging 7 points and 3.5 rebounds.

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MONTENEGRO

Interview with Mike Singletary, former college star at Texas Tech and newcomer at KK Mornar Bar - by Darko Pekic
The Surperleague in Montenegro is starting and top ranked EBL teams are getting ready to face the powerhose from Podgorica, KK Buducnost, in the long battle for the championship. In order to be more competitive, some of them got new blood. One of the newcomers in the League is Mike Singletary (198-F-88, college: Texas Tech), former scoring machine at Texas Tech who was able to beat Kevin Durant (206-G/F-88, college: Texas)'s scoring record. Now he is loooking to prove himself in Europe and let's see waht he has to say about the new experience that is expecting him.

Hello Mike. You have recently joined Mornar. How do you like your new club?

I really enjoy my new club. We have a bunch of young guys that work really hard and seem to enjoy playing with each other. I think it will be a real good fit for me.

How did you decide to come to Erste Basketball League? What was your reaction when your agent told you that you were going to Montenegro?

My agent told me about the opportunity to play in the Erste League with Mornar Bar and I decided that it would be the best place for me. I just wanted to play basketball because thats what I love to do and I'm happy that Mornar Bar gave me the opportunity to play here.

What do you expect from this experience?

I always expect to get something different out of all the clubs that I play at. It's fun to be around different cultures and different people. I expect to have a great experience here and Bar and I am excited to get out there and help the team win.

Have you ever heard of Montenegro before? Are you familiar with ex Yugoslavia and its basketball school?

I had never heard too much about Montenegro before getting the offer to play here. I honestly believed that it was somewhere in South America at first, but soon found out it was in Europe. I'm not too familiar with ex Yugoslalvia and their basketball school, but I have grown up watching guys like Vlade Divac play and know that there are some great players in this part of the world.

What is your first impression about the country? Do you like it?

I think the country is very beautiful. I love Bar so far and the people here are really friendly. We are right along the coast so I get to see the beautiful water and the weather is perfect here. I plan to really enjoy my time here in Bar.

You will not be the only American in Mornars roster. There is also Akeem Scott (186-PG-83, agency: Interperformances, college: High Point), who became a fan favorite in Bar.What do you think about Keem? Do you guys hang out?

I think Keem is a really cool guy. He has helped me a lot since I've been here and helping me transition into everything that is going on. He's a hard worker and very passionate about the game just like me, so we get along just great. We hang out pretty often and I'm happy that I do have another American here to help me out and spend time with.

You were a college star at Texas Tech (NCAA1) and you even broke Kevin Durant's Big 12 scoring record against Texas A&M. You managed to score 43 points of which 29 points in a row. Could you tell us a few words about that game?

The game where I scored 43 points was one of the most amazing nights of my life. It was unexplainable in the sense of scoring that many points in a row. I just got hot and started being really aggressive to score. God really helped me with that game and I will always remember that game forever.

After your final year at Texas Tech you joined team Okinawa in Eurobasket Summer League in Houston and had impressive stats (21.3ppg, 9.3rpg). Did you get some good offers after that?

I did get some pretty good offers after playing in the Eurobasket Summer League. We wound up going with Voo Verviers-Pepinster to start my professional career and I'm happy that I got the opportunity to play there.

At the beginning of the season you joined VOO Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium-D1). What went wrong there? You left the team in November..

I don't really know what went wrong in Pepinster. I think it was a combination of things and I think ultimately it just wasn't the right fit for me at the time. I will always be grateful to them for giving me a shot to play for them and God just didn't have Pepinster as my final destination to play.

Then you decided to change continent and move to Uruguay. How hard it was to get used to another culture? You played just a few games there..

It was pretty different going from the culture in Belgium to the culture in Uruguay, but I think I handled it pretty good. Uruguay was a beautiful country and I enjoyed my short time there.

In February you were close to sign with Peristeri (Greece) and then moved to Mornar. Are you looking to prove what you can do because it seems that some people underestimated your basketball background? After all, you are somebody that was able to beat some important record in college...

I think I'm always looking to prove what I can do in the game of basketball. I think we all are because we are competitive and all want to be the best. I just want to play hard and be aggressive as well as do anything to help my team win. Winning is the ultimate goal for me and I think that's how it should be. I hope that I can prove to a lot of people in Bar that I am a good player and that I will do whatever it takes to help Mornar win a championship.

Thank you Mike for the interview. Eurobasket.com wishes you a lot of good luck in the play-offs.

Thank you very much Darko!

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

NAIA

D2 Top 25 ranking

Top 25 Ranking

1. Northwood, FL
2. Oregon Tech
3. Davenport
4. Dordt
5. McPherson
6. Cardinal Stritch
7. Bellevue
8. Northwest
9. Jamestown
10. Northwestern, IA
11. Grace
12. St.Thomas, FL
13. Ind.Wesleyan
14. Indiana SE
15. St.Ambrose
16. Warner Pacific
17. Warner
18. Indiana Tech
19. Marian
20. Indiana East
21. St.Mary's, KS
22. Briar Cliff
23. Tenn Wesleyan
24. St.Francis, IN
25. Cornerstone

D1 Top 25 ranking

Top 25 Ranking

1. Shorter
2. Oklah.Baptist
3. Robert Morris
4. Concordia Irvine
5. Martin Methodist
6. So.Poly State
7. Our Lady Lake
8. Lindsey Wilson
9. Rogers St.
10. Biola, CA
11. Mountain St.
12. LSU-Shreveport
13. John Brown
14. Georgetown, KY
15. Columbia, MO
16. Point Loma
17. Lee
18. Montana St.-Northern
19. Texas Wesleyan
20. Montana-Western
21. Xavier, LA
22. MidAmerica Nazarene
23. Campbellsville
24. Tougaloo
25. S.Nazarene

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NBA

Wednesday's games review (12) - by Eurobasket News
Phoenix Suns - Utah Jazz 120-111
Coming off a miserable performance, Marcin Gortat (7'0''-C-84) was ready to go from the start Wednesday night. Gortat scored 25 points and Channing Frye (6'11''-C/F-83, college: Arizona) had a game-high 26 to help the Phoenix Suns overcome a 13-point deficit and beat the Utah Jazz 120-111 on Wednesday night. Gortat scored 13 of his points in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting two nights after finishing with eight points in 19 foul-riddled minutes against Minnesota. 'I definitely wanted to forget about that last game,' said Gortat, who finished 10 of 12 with five rebounds. 'I was trying to come out and be aggressive from the first whistle. I know my team needs that, so that was my first goal.' Gortat's first-half effort wasn't enough to keep the Suns from falling behind 46-33 with 6:03 left before halftime, continuing what has been a season-long trend. Phoenix has won six of its last seven games at home and in each of those games, the Suns trailed by double digits before turning the tide. 'We're doing this on purpose,' Gortat said. 'We just like playing from behind. Even in practice, the coaches put us down minus-10.' Suns coach Alvin Gentry would be just as happy to see the trend end. 'We had three guys with 20 or more and all the starters in double figures and that's great and fine,' Gentry said. 'But we are just going to have to zero in and get a little better defensively. The last two games have been a little alarming.' Jared Dudley added 21 points and Steve Nash finished with 12 points and 16 assists for the Suns, who tied the Jazz for 10th place in the Western Conference, two games behind eighth place Houston. 'That can't continue for us to be successful,' Dudley said, 'especially going on the road.' Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap each scored 18 points for Utah, which has lost six straight against Phoenix. The Suns took their first lead since early in the first quarter on Gortat's free throw 48 seconds into the second half and never trailed after Frye hit an 8-foot jumper with 10:39 left in the third. Utah tied it at 91 with 9:28 remaining after Gentry was assessed a technical foul, but Frye hit a 3-pointer to key a 7-2 run and Phoenix took a 101-95 lead with 7:21 to play. 'We got right there,' Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. 'We even got an offensive rebound, but we tipped it out of bounds and they got a second chance. We had a couple of opportunities to get the possession and just didn't get it.' The Jazz pulled back within three on Jefferson's 16-foot jumper with 6:35 left. But Grant Hill followed his own miss for a layup, hit a 14-foot jumper and fed Dudley for a breakaway dunk to put the Suns ahead 107-100 with 4:39 remaining. 'We couldn't get over the hump,' Corbin said. 'We didn't get the break we needed, but we have another one tomorrow.' Frye was 10 of 18 from the field, including five 3-pointers, and blocked four shots. 'Dudley didn't miss too many shots, Channing Frye didn't miss too many shots, so we had to pick our poison,' Millsap said. 'It's tough because they spread four guys on the wing and, if not, Gortat is driving down the lane. You have to pick and choose.' *Courtesy of www.chron.com

Houston R. - Charlotte B. 107-87
The Houston Rockets didn't look like a team distracted by rumors on the eve of the NBA's trade deadline. Luis Scola (6'9''-F/C-80) scored 23 points, Goran Dragic had 14 points and 10 assists and the Rockets routed the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats 107-87 on Wednesday night. Samuel Dalembert added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Hill scored 14 for the Rockets, who've won two in a row after dropping six of their previous seven games. Derrick Brown scored 15 to lead the Bobcats, who've lost 20 of 23 road games. Houston has always been active leading up to the trade deadline since Daryl Morey took over as general manager in May 2007. The Rockets were ready to trade Scola, Dragic and Kevin Martin to acquire Pau Gasol before the season began, but the proposed three-team deal was rejected by NBA commissioner David Stern for ''basketball reasons.'' Scola was hopeful that he would still be a Rocket after Thursday, but also acknowledged he expects the team to make a deal of some kind before the deadline. ''There's nothing else I can do, from this point on,'' Scola said. ''This was the last game, we don't have practice (Thursday). I have nothing to do to control that. ''I think I'm going to be here,'' he said. ''I just don't know what's going to happen.'' Dragic has played well in four games starting since Kyle Lowry was stricken with a bacterial infection. He says there's been little talk about trade rumors in the Houston locker room, but says the possibility that he'll be dealt lingers in the back of his mind. ''Everybody's thinking about that,'' Dragic said. ''But the last few games, we've played well. We are professional basketball players. We cannot think about that every game. If you have a game, you have to be 100 percent to give your best in the game.'' The Rockets certainly seemed ready Wednesday night, following up an unlikely win in Oklahoma City with one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season. The Rockets finished one shy of their season high in assists (27) and shot 55 percent overall (45 of 84) from the field. ''We talked about the first five minutes of the third quarter being really important,'' Houston coach Kevin McHale said. ''Let's extend this thing out and make sure we give ourselves a big, big cushion after the first five minutes and make them feel like it's not their night. We were able to do that.'' The Rockets went 6 for 9 from 3-point range for the game and got away with 18 turnovers by outrebounding the Bobcats 46-30. ''We just didn't have it,'' Charlotte coach Paul Silas said. ''We just didn't play tough enough.'' The Rockets had an 18-point lead four minutes into the second quarter, but the Bobcats rallied. D.J. Augustin sank a 3, then dished to Reggie Williams for a layup and an eventual three-point play at the end of a 13-2 burst that cut the deficit to 41-36. Houston scored on back-to-back fast breaks to restore the double-digit cushion. Chase Budinger just beat the buzzer with a jumper from the free-throw line and Houston led 50-40 at the break. ''We were a little mad in the second quarter,'' Scola said. ''We kind of let them back in the game.'' The Rockets opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run to match their biggest lead to that point. Scola had 10 points over the first five minutes of the quarter, and Houston scored 36 points, a season high for a third quarter, to extend the lead to 29. Scola scored 14 points and Dalembert had 10 in the third quarter. Houston hit 15 of 19 shots and outrebounded Charlotte 13-4 in the quarter to lead 86-57 heading to the fourth. ''I just don't want us to give up,'' Silas said. ''We really have to work hard and keep playing. I didn't think we played that hard tonight.'' Houston guard Courtney Lee, starting in place of the injured Kevin Martin, said he dislocated his left middle finger in two places in the fourth quarter. McHale said he didn't think the injury was serious. *Courtesy of http://msn.foxsports.com

San Antonio S. - Orlando M. 122-111
Dwight Howard (6'11''-C-85) doesn't know if this was his last game with Orlando. One thing's for certain in his mind: It's up to the Magic now whether to trade him. After what Howard told them Wednesday, that agonizing prospect may have gotten easier. Losing possibly his last game in a Magic uniform, Howard again urged the front office following a 122-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on the eve of the trade deadline to take a chance and keep him the rest of the season, rather than pulling the trigger on their last chance to get something in return for the NBA's best big man. Howard isn't giving any guarantee he'll stick around. He told the front office before the game that he will not terminate the early termination option in his contract, and his refusal to give the Magic the ultimate assurance he'll be back may weaken Orlando's hesitation to trade their superstar. 'They know how I feel. I've expressed that to my teammates. I expressed that to the ownership. It's on them now,' Howard said. 'I've done my job. I haven't changed and despite whatever is being said, I'm still that same person. So, if you want to scrutinize me for taking care of Dwight, that's fine.' Howard, who had 22 points and 12 rebounds, said he didn't know if he played his last game with the Magic. 'They took a chance on me at 18, when everybody else said, No, don't do it,'' said Howard, whom the Magic drafted with the top pick out of high school in 2004. 'They look stupid at first, but look now. It's the same situation. That's it. I understand their situation. I understand mine, too.' Neither general manager Otis Smith nor team president Alex Martins made the trip to Texas. The trade deadline is 3 p.m. Thursday. Before the game, Howard called a players-only meeting in San Antonio, though neither Howard nor his teammates were too forthcoming about what was discussed. 'He just said that he believes that this team has a chance to win a championship,' Magic guard J.J. Redick said. 'You know, I felt that way all year long. That was it.' Lost in the drama surrounding Howard was the Spurs' best win on an uneven seven-game homestand. Tony Parker had 31 points and 12 assists, and Tim Duncan had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Parker, averaging 29.8 points in his last four games, was serenaded by chants of 'M-V-P! M-V-P!' in the closing minutes. 'He's been the guy for us all year long and he's controlling the game,' Duncan said. 'He's making the right passes and the right shots when he has to. He's been unbelievable.' Howard's decision to not to surrender his opt-out clause was first reported by ESPN. As the hours leading up to the trade deadline tick down, the Magic are looking for stronger assurances they can realistically hang onto the NBA's most dominant big man. If the Magic don't trade Howard, they risk the 26-year-old signing elsewhere and getting nothing in return for a perennial All-Star hitting his prime. It's a scenario the franchise is loath to repeat after Shaquille O'Neal did the same in 1996. *Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com

LA Clippers - Atlanta H. 96-82
Maurice Williams (6'1''-PG-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Alabama) scored 25 points and fellow reserve Eric Bledsoe added 14 on a relatively quiet night by Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 96-82 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. The victory kept the Clippers within two games of the Lakers in the race for the Pacific Division lead. Griffin had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Paul contributed 13 points and nine assists. The Hawks, coming off Tuesday night's one-point overtime loss at Denver, ended their longest road trip of the season 2-4. Joe Johnson led them with 19 points, and Josh Smith added 18. ZaZa Pachulia had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Caron Butler's only 3-pointer gave the Clippers their biggest lead at 61-48 with 6:32 left in the third quarter. They took a nine-point margin into the fourth before Atlanta closed to 74-69 with a pair of free throws by Smith on a clear-path foul, followed by Smith's 3-pointer with 10:50 to play. But that was as close as the Hawks got. Bledsoe converted a fastbreak layup off his steal of Tracy McGrady, Williams hit a 3-pointer, fan favorite Reggie Evans added a layup off an offensive rebound, and Bledsoe hit a 3 from right in front of the Atlanta bench to cap a 12-5 run and give Los Angeles an 86-74 cushion with 5:25 remaining. Smith got off to a good start, hitting five of his first six shots, but spent the final 7:18 of the first half on the bench with three fouls while Los Angeles capitalized and took a 50-42 halftime lead with 11 points from Williams. The Clippers never trailed, shooting 70.6 percent in the first quarter after connecting on their first seven field-goal attempts. *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

New York K. - Portland TB 121-79
Maybe Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse) and the Knicks never would have got it right under Mike D'Antoni. With their coach gone, they finally played offense the way he would have wanted. Amare Stoudemire made all seven shots in the first half, Anthony passed and shot well, and the Knicks shook off the surprising departure of their coach to rout the Portland Trail Blazers 121-79 on Wednesday night, snapping a six-game losing streak. Anthony was home napping when news came that D'Antoni had resigned. A few hours later, he and the Knicks finally woke up. 'Under the circumstances, we came out and put everything aside and played basketball tonight and had fun,' Anthony said. 'We haven't had fun like that in a long time and tonight it was a good way to come out and get this 'W.' ' Anthony, who denied wanting a trade or having friction with D'Antoni earlier Wednesday, had 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and tied a season high with seven assists. Stoudemire finished with 17 points and shot 8 of 10, before both stars sat out the fourth quarter while the Knicks rang up their highest point total of the season. D'Antoni decided to step down Wednesday, shocking his bosses and players. But the Knicks delivered a powerful performance and a good imitation of his offense in their first game under interim coach Mike Woodson, getting 23 points from JR Smith, 20 from Steve Novak, and making a season-high 19 3-pointers, one off the franchise record. 'When you look into their eyes after something like this has happened, you know, you wonder as a coach are they mentally there,' Woodson said. 'And I just told them to take a deep breath and relax and let's go out and have fun and play basketball the way I think we're capable of doing it, and I think they responded.' The Knicks had dropped into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference before breaking out with the kind of effort that was expected from a team that D'Antoni said was good enough to contend for a championship. Stoudemire, who also played for D'Antoni in Phoenix, said he too was surprised by his coach's departure. 'But again, that's the business that we're in,' he said. 'So we've got to be able to roll with the punches and retaliate to the point where we play well, as we did tonight.' LaMarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace each scored 15 points for the Trail Blazers, who were blown out for the second successive night and lost for the fourth time in five games. 'Losing by 30, 40 points, that's embarrassing,' center Marcus Camby said. 'I haven't been around anything like that since my first two years in the league when I was on an expansion team.' Portland showed no energy after its 92-75 loss in Indiana on Tuesday and played without guard Jamal Crawford, whose name been linked to trade rumors ahead of the Thursday afternoon deadline. So was Anthony's on Wednesday, with a report in the New York Post that he would welcome a deal barely a year after the Knicks acquired him in a blockbuster with Denver. He emphatically denied the report, but it had become clear how much trouble he and D'Antoni had in finding a way to make the All-Star forward productive in his system. D'Antoni seemed committed to figuring it out and appeared in good spirits Wednesday after putting the Knicks through their morning workout. But he had already met with assistant general manager Glen Grunwald and informed him of his plans. They would later meet with Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan, who said D'Antoni offered to stay before they agreed to a mutual parting. Woodson inherited the job for the remainder of the season, but Dolan made it clear that he would be re-evaluated after the season. Woodson made a good first impression and was rewarded by fans chanting his name near the finish. 'Tonight was one of my most frustrating nights of being a pro, being down that much,' Aldridge said. 'We just looked lost out there. It was just one thing on top of another tonight.' The Knicks raced to a 25-12 lead and extended it to 55-29 at the break, their fewest points allowed in an opening quarter or a half all season. They had 16 assists on 21 baskets, with Jeremy Lin getting one of his six by throwing a long pass on the break to a streaking Anthony for a layup. Anthony's passing was even better. His touch pass to Stoudemire led to a first-half dunk, and he dropped a pass backward to Tyson Chandler early in the second for a layup and foul, hopping behind the basket in delight as the shot fell through the net. It was Anthony's inability -- or, critics said, unwillingness -- to move the ball the way D'Antoni preaches that made it hard for the coach's system to work whenever the All-Star flourish was on the floor. New York had gone 2-8 since Anthony returned from a groin injury. He heard boos again during introductions for the second successive home game, but seemed much happier than in recent games, at one point running to midcourt to greet teammates while waving a towel after a Portland timeout. *Courtesy of www.cbssports.com

N.Orleans H. - LA Lakers 101-107 OT
Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) scored 33 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers won their fourth straight game and second in a row in overtime, 107-101 over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night. For the second night in a row, the Lakers climbed out of a double-digit hole in the second half to force an extra period. On Tuesday night, they came back from 17 down to win at Memphis in double-overtime. The Hornets also led by as many as 17 late in the second quarter and 15 in the second half. The Lakers needed only one extra session in New Orleans, taking the lead on Derek Fisher's jumper in the final minute and going ahead 102-99 on Metta World Peace's steal and fast-break layup. Andrew Bynum added 25 points and 18 rebounds for Los Angeles, while Pau Gasol had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jarrett Jack scored 30 points, while Chris Kaman had 21 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans, which has dropped six of seven games. Bryant scored seven of his points in overtime, starting with a fast-break dunk as he was fouled by Marco Belinelli, whose desperate jersey grab was unable to slow the Lakers star down. The basket marked Los Angeles' first lead since 17-16 in the first quarter. Bryant later added a difficult driving floater as he drifted across the lane to put the Lakers ahead 98-95. The Hornets briefly came back to regain a 99-98 lead on Trevor Ariza's jumper with 1:21 left before Los Angeles went back in front for good. Fisher finished with 11 points and Matt Barnes 10 for the Lakers, who outrebounded New Orleans 44-34. Greivis Vasquez added 15 points and Belinelli 10 for New Orleans, which lost despite outshooting Los Angeles 51.8 percent (44 of 85) to 45.1 percent (37 of 82). The Lakers' comeback began with World Peace's first basket of the game early in the third quarter. Bryant added six points on what became a 14-4 run capped by Gasol's jam. Kaman's jumper pushed New Orleans' lead back to 64-57, but Fisher's free throws and Bynum's alley-oop dunk of Bryant's lob ignited an 11-4 Lakers spurt, which concluded with Barnes' 3 that tied it at 68 in the final minute of the period. The Hornets weren't ready to fold just yet, though. Vasquez's free throws and transition 3 opened a 7-0 spurt early in the fourth quarter, and the Hornets clung to the lead until Gustavo Ayon fouled Bryant behind the 3-point line with 19.3 seconds left. Officials ruled Bryant was in a shooting motion, giving him three free throws. Bryant made them all to tie it at 93, and neither team could score again in regulation, with Bryant's attempted game-winner from the corner rimming out as time expired. The Hornets shot nearly 61.5 percent in the first half (24 of 39) - the highest first-half percentage allowed by the Lakers all season - and held a double-digit lead through most of second quarter. Jack hit his first eight shots and had 17 points before halftime. Vasquez, hit his first four shots, as the starting and backup point guards combined to open 12 of 12. Kaman also had 13 of his points in the first 24 minutes. Bryant had 14 points in the first half, including a soaring double-pump jam as he was fouled. But Bryant missed seven of his first 11 shots and also had a swished 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter disallowed because his up-fake delayed his release until after horn. Consecutive baskets by Jack put New Orleans up by as much as 17, at 54-37, late in the second period. The Lakers scored the last three points of the quarter on Bryant's technical free throw and two more foul shots by Gasol, who had 12 points in the half. *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Sacramento K. - Detroit P. 112-124
Rodney Stuckey (6'5''-PG-86, college: E.Washington) scored 35 points and Greg Monroe had 32 for the Detroit Pistons, who used a huge third-quarter effort to pull away from the Sacramento Kings for a 124-112 victory Wednesday night. Stuckey led the Pistons' 40-23 effort in the third quarter, connecting on four 3-pointers and scoring 19 points as the Pistons built their lead to 97-81 entering the fourth. Detroit made 15 of 20 shots for their highest points total in a quarter this season, and the Pistons never let the lead get below eight points in the fourth. Tyreke Evans scored 23 points for the Kings, but left the game and didn't return after hard fall in the fourth quarter. Jason Thompson had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Kings, losers of three straight games. Isaiah Thomas also had 21 points, and the foul-plagued Cousins added 14. It was a rare road win for the Pistons, who are just 4-16 away from home. Detroit won for the fifth time in seven games and defeated the Kings for the second straight time this season. In a battle of second-year centers, Monroe got the best of Cousins. Monroe made 15 of 20 shots, grabbed 11 rebounds and had three assists. Brandon Knight contributed 10 points and 11 assists. In an earlier meeting against the Kings, Stuckey scored a season-high 36 points in a 114-108 win by Detroit at home Feb. 17. Despite a poor record, the Pistons (16-27) are only three games out of the eighth and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons had a dismal 4-20 record on Feb. 1 when they lost their seventh straight. Since that loss to New Jersey, Pistons have a 12-7 record. Stuckey almost singlehandedly gave the Pistons a double-digit lead in the third quarter when he scored 12 points in a span of 2:28. After converting on a three-point play, Stuckey hit three straight 3s, the final one giving Detroit an 86-71 lead with 3:58 left in the third. Evans scored 14 points in the first half when the Kings went into the break with a 58-57 lead. Prince scored 16 points, while both Monroe and Stuckey had 14 for the Pistons, who used a 13-2 run to in the second to get back in the game. Garcia made a 3-pointer and the next time down the court connected on a jumper, putting the Kings ahead 48-32 at the 6:57 mark in the second quarter. *Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Golde State W. - Boston C. 103-105
Kevin Garnett (6'11''-F-76) scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a tiebreaking jumper with 5.1 seconds left that led the Boston Celtics to a 105-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Brandon Bass added a season-high 22 points, Paul Pierce and Mickael Pietrus each chipped in 15 and Rajon Rondo dished out 14 assists for the Celtics, who have won their last two trips to Oakland after losing their previous six. Rookie Klay Thompson led the Warriors with a season-high 26 points, David Lee added 22 and Nate Robinson had 20 points and 11 assists. But it wasn't enough as Golden State had its three-game winning streak snapped. Bass made two free throws and a dunk to put the Celtics up 103-97 with 1:58 to play, but the short-handed Warriors wouldn't go down easily. Two free throws by Lee and a basket by Robinson after Bass' turnover cut the deficit to two points. Then after Piece missed a jumper with 38 seconds left, Robinson used a nifty hesitation move to get down the lane for a tying layup with 30 seconds to play. But Garnett answered with a long jumper and Robinson missed a 3-point attempt in the closing seconds to help the Celtics improve to 2-1 on their eight-game road trip. Thompson's 3-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Warriors a 66-58 lead and established his career high with 21 points. But Golden State went cold late in the quarter, scoring three points on 1-for-8 shooting with three turnovers in the final 5:30 in the quarter and trailed 81-77 going into the fourth after Greg Stiemsma's putback dunk with 2.7 seconds remaining. Garnett's three-point play early in the fourth helped Boston extend the lead to 89-81, but the Warriors fought back to tie it at 95 on Brandon Rush's free throw with 4:21 to play. The Warriors were short-handed a day after dealing leading scorer Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. Bogut and Jackson aren't scheduled to join the team until Thursday. Bogut is out with a broken left ankle and might not play again this season. Point guard Stephen Curry is also out with a nagging sprained right ankle and will be held out until it is 100 percent healed. Curry, who turned 24 Wednesday, will see doctors Thursday. The Warriors have made their big move before Thursday's trade deadline. The question remains whether Boston will also be active. Coach Doc Rivers said before the game he would like to add another big man, but didn't want to break up the Celtics' core. 'At the end of the day, I like our team,' Rivers said. 'Obviously, we need a big, but let's not do anything that hurts the team this year or in the future.' Golden State managed to beat Sacramento 115-89 on Tuesday night in their most lopsided win of the season despite missing so many key players. The Warriors got off to another strong start against the Celtics. They shot 56 percent in the first half and got 46 points from the trip of Thompson (17), Dorell Wright (15) and Lee (14) to take a 60-55 lead at the half on Lee's putback with 4.6 seconds left. *Courtesy of www.ktvn.com

New Jersey N. - Toronto R. 98-84
As the war for leverage raged on between the Magic and Dwight Howard with less than a day before the N.B.A.'s trade deadline, the Nets - a hopeful suitor for Howard - won by 98-84 over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Beating a fellow bottom-dweller of the Eastern Conference mattered little compared with the looming situation in Orlando, set to uplift the ailing Nets or further cloud the franchise's murky prospects before its move to Brooklyn next season. The Magic confirmed Wednesday that Howard declined to waive his right to become a free agent, thus keeping his options open for next season. Whether Howard will leave Orlando in July or stay with the team through next season has been a distraction for the Magic all season and an invitation for trade rumors involving the Nets. In the two days leading up to the trading deadline, reports about his desires clashed. The Nets ended Wednesday night as a victor in Newark but remained only a hopeful in the hunt for Howard. The best-case for the Nets would be for Howard to opt out of his contract after the season, then sign with the Nets, allowing them to keep the players they would otherwise have had to include in a trade for him. Acquiring Howard would also be a needed recruiting tool for the point guard Deron Williams, who could leave the Nets after his contract expires this season. The threat of winding up in Brooklyn without either of them becomes significantly greater if the Nets cannot acquire Howard by the 3 p.m. Thursday deadline. 'I don't want to talk about this trade deadline stuff,' said Williams, who would not comment on Howard any further and missed his third consecutive game with a calf injury. 'I'm going to grab some popcorn and sit back.' Gerald Green (6'8''-G/F-86) scored 26 points off the bench and propelled the Nets to a stellar second-half comeback. Kris Humphries notched 16 points and 21 rebounds. His jumper with 7 minutes 18 seconds left in the third gave the Nets a lead they would not surrender. The Nets will be in the air as the trade deadline passes on Thursday, coincidentally on a flight to Orlando for their next game. It would make for a convenient departure for anyone dealt to the Magic. 'Is that fair?' Humphries said. 'I'm hoping that whatever deal gets done, it's before the guy gets on the airplane. Who knows, man, it's the N.B.A.' *Courtesy of www.nytimes.com

Milwaukee B. - Cleveland C. 115-105
After his first triple-double a little more than a year ago, Drew Gooden (6'10''-F-81, college: Kansas) jokingly referred to himself as 'Tragic Johnson.' The 6-foot-10 forward was just a bit more boastful this time around, proudly proclaiming that when he plays basketball in the summer, he's usually the point guard. Gooden had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists for his second career triple-double, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-105 on Wednesday night. 'Believe it or not, I like to pass,' Gooden said. 'I kind of pass up some shots too much to try to make the extra play, or the home-run play. Some nights it works out for me, like tonight. But you've still got to credit my teammates.' Gooden completed the triple-double with a rebound near the end of the third quarter and sat out the fourth. His other triple-double also came against the Cavaliers last April. 'Some nights he's tragic, some nights he's magic,' Mike Dunleavy joked. 'Tonight, he was magic, with a little tragic sprinkled in. Five turnovers? I mean, come on.' Cavaliers coach Byron Scott hadn't forgotten about Gooden's previous triple-double. 'Gooden would probably love to play against us every game,' Scott said. 'Every time he plays [us] he has a triple-double. I think he would love to play against us another 10 times this season.' Gooden's big assist night was only part of an impressive team effort by the Bucks, who had 38 assists -- the most by any team in a game this season. The Bucks had 32 assists in a victory at New Jersey on Monday night. 'Guys were just finding guys, making shots, Drew was out there looking like a point guard,' Brandon Jennings said. 'He had a triple-double in 29 minutes -- I've never seen that before.' Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points before fouling out for the Bucks, who have won four straight. Kyrie Irving had 28 points for the Cavaliers. 'The past few games I was really struggling with my shot but I am getting it back,' Irving said. 'I thought I was hitting the mythical rookie wall but I am getting it back.' Irving had 10 points in the fourth quarter, trying to keep the Cavs in the game. 'He did his thing, especially in the fourth quarter,' Jennings said. 'But the game was kind of decided.' It was a significant victory for the Bucks, who are battling the Cavaliers and New York Knicks for the No. 8 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Guard Ramon Sessions played for Cleveland despite being linked to other teams in trade speculation, saying afterward that he can't wait for the deadline to pass. 'I am looking forward to it,' Sessions said. 'I can't wait to get it over. I am wishing it was over at midnight tonight instead of having to wait all day tomorrow.' Antawn Jamison, whose name also has been mentioned in potential trades, said he isn't getting nervous. 'When I don't hear anything involving my name, then I get nervous,' Jamison said. 'I plan on being here Friday morning.' The game capped a hectic 24 hours for the Bucks, who pulled off a major trade with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Milwaukee sent 2005 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to the Warriors in exchange for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and the expiring contract of Kwame Brown. Ellis and Udoh can't play for the Bucks until Bogut and Jackson complete their physicals with the Warriors, something that had not happened as of Wednesday evening. It remains to be seen whether the exams will be complete before Friday night, when the Bucks play at the Warriors. Ellis and Udoh were introduced in a news conference before the game, then drew applause from the crowd when they were shown on the scoreboard video display during a timeout in the first quarter. Milwaukee led 84-78 going into the fourth, then began the quarter with a 6-0 run. Milwaukee took a 90-78 lead on an acrobatic driving layup by Ilyasova with 9:51 left. Cleveland's Samardo Samuels hit a jumper to stop the run. With Milwaukee later leading by nine, Dunleavy hit a 3-pointer to put the Bucks up 97-85 with just under seven minutes left. Irving kept the Cavs in the game, completing a three-point play to cut the Bucks' lead to 102-93 with 5:24 left. But Ilyasova answered with a layup on an assist from Dunleavy, putting the Bucks up by 11. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored on a baseline layup for Milwaukee -- then Jennings came up with the ball on the other end and threw a long outlet pass to Mbah a Moute, who slammed it home for a 108-93 Bucks lead with 3:56 left. *Courtesy of www.cbssports.com

Chicago B. - Miami Heat 106-102
John Lucas (5'11''-PG-82, college: Oklahoma St.) scored 24 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat 106-102 without Derrick Rose in a charged showdown between the Eastern Conference's top two teams on Wednesday. The Bulls built a 16-point lead in the second quarter, were up 11 at halftime and boosted it back to 17 in the third after a push by Miami. They then hung on after Miami closed within two in the closing minute for their 11th win in 12 games. Even better, they won without their superstar, and they did it on a night when Dwyane Wade scored 36 and LeBron James finished with 35 points for Miami. Wade did his best to lift the Heat down the stretch scoring 19 points over the fourth quarter. His jumper with 1:20 left cut it to 100-96, and it stayed that way until Chicago's Kyle Korver hit two free throws with 17 seconds remaining. The Heat weren't finished, though. James Jones nailed a 3 with 10 seconds left to make it a three point game, and he hit another one with 6.8 seconds to go after Korver buried two more free throws, pulling Miami within 104-102. Lucas then clinched it when he hit two foul shots with six seconds remaining, giving the Bulls the win on a night when Rose watched from the sideline with a strained groin. That had to feel particularly good since the Heat clinched the Eastern Conference championship the last time they visited Chicago. Lucas III provided a huge spark off the bench, missing his previous career-high by one point, and led six Bulls in double figures. Joakim Noah chipped in with 14 points and four blocks. Korver and Ronnie Brewer scored 12, Luol Deng and C.J. Watson added 11 apiece, and Chicago's bench outscored Miami's 56-15. While Wade and James dominated, Chris Bosh struggled in a big way for the Heat. He scored 12 but was just 3 of 15 from the field as Miami lost again after falling to Orlando the previous night. *Courtesy of www.ktvn.com

Indiana P. - Philadelph.76 111-94
Danny Granger (6'8''-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) scored 20 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 111-94 on Wednesday night. David West scored 18 points, George Hill had 17 and Roy Hibbert added 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks for the Pacers, who won their second straight. Indiana shot a season-best 57 percent from the field and outrebounded the 76ers 37-26. Evan Turner scored 21 points, Jrue Holiday had 17, Elton Brand added 16 and Andre Iguodala had 10 points and nine assists for the 76ers. Philadelphia allowed 100 or more points for just the seventh time this season and ended a stretch of holding 12 consecutive opponents under the century mark. The 76ers entered the night leading the league in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and steals, but they gave up their highest field-goal percentage in a game this season and saw the end of their three-game win streak. Paul George's dunk as time ran out on the shot clock gave the Pacers a 54-51 lead with 10.1 seconds left in the first half. He was fouled on the play and missed the free throw, so the Pacers maintained a three point lead at the break. Indiana shot 13 for 21 from the field in the second quarter and 56 percent for the half. It was an entertaining half, as both teams shot over 50 percent and combined for just eight turnovers. Granger's 3-pointer midway through the third quarter pushed Indiana's lead to 70-64, but the 76ers came right back and cut it to one on a pullup by Holiday. The Pacers closed the quarter strong. A 3 by Dahntay Jones in the final minute, then another by Hill with 1.1 seconds left in the quarter gave Indiana an 83-75 lead heading into the fourth. Indiana shot 65 percent in the third quarter. The Pacers opened the quarter on a 6-2 run, sparked by two baskets by Lou Amundson, to take an 89-77 lead. The 76ers surged back once more. A jumper by Brand cut Indiana's lead to 95-88, but back-to-back 3s by Hill made it 103-88 with just over four minutes to play. His shots highlighted a 12-0 run that lasted more than five minutes and put the game out of reach. *Courtesy of www.ktvn.com

Pacers Knock Off Sixers, 111-94 - by Daniel Gibson
Indianapolis, IND--- The Pacers were tired of hearing about how they don't win games against teams with winning records and they took their frustrations out on the Philadelphia 76ers in a battle of the fourth and fifth seeds.

Indiana evened the season series up at 1-1 with a 111-94 win. Danny Granger led the way with 20 points but this one was a total team effort. George Hill scored an electrifying 17 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting, knocking down 3-of-3 from downtown. David West had 18 points and Tyler Hansbrough recorded 14 points off the bench.

The Sixers played well and were led by Evan Turner's 21 points, knocking down 9-of-11 shot attempts but they couldn't keep pace with the Pacers hot shooting.

The Pacers were on fire all night and finished shooting 57 percent for the game and 41 percent from three-point range. Sixers head coach Doug Collins has been around the game long enough to understand that some nights a team is just on.

'Indiana is a team that shoots 43 percent on the season and they were great tonight,' said Collins. 'Our bench got outscored tonight 47-24 and that doesn't happen often. They were great. Hats off. They're a big, strong, physical team.'

It started off looking like the fourth seeded Sixers were out to prove that they deserved to be a spot above the Pacers, but that changed after the first quarter.

The Sixers jumped ahead early by shooting a blistering 63 percent from the field in the first quarter. The Pacers were able to keep the game within reach by shooting 50 percent themselves. Jrue Holiday looked poised to have a big game as he scored eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor and playing the entire quarter. The Pacers trailed 31-24 but they found some things that worked for them.

The Pacers came out in the second quarter and focused their attack on the paint. Roy Hibbert (14 points), West and Hansbrough each were able to get going by knocking down close range baskets. Paul George started to get himself warmed up in the quarter as well and he got the crowd fired up after finishing a strong drive to the basket with a two-handed dunk as he was fouled.

Both the Pacers and Sixers are deep teams that are at their best when the ball is being moved and guys are getting shots up in the flow of the offense. Going into the half, the Pacers had three players in double-figures and the Sixers had one but three others had eight points each. The Pacers outscored them 30-20 to take a 54-51 lead into intermission.

The Pacers didn't skip a beat coming out of halftime, in fact they stepped up their hot shooting from 56 percent in the second period to 59 percent in the third. Granger scored eight in the period and George Hill added five more to close out the period.

Throughout the third frustration began to set in for the Sixers as they were playing solid ball on both defense and offense but the Pacers remained a couple steps ahead.

Indiana pushed the lead out to eight points at 83-75 going into the final period.

The fourth quarter was more of the same as the Pacers continued to have the hot hand. When the Sixers made a run to cut the lead to single digits George Hill responded by knocking down back-to-back threes, pushing the score to 103-88 with 4:09 left. By that point Coach Dough Collins threw in the white flag and emptied the bench.

Coach Vogel hasn't lost faith in his team through the struggles and tonight's win just showed him that the team is capable of playing at the level he set for them.

'I'm very proud of our guys for rising to the challenge and stepping up in a big game. We limited them in transition which was the key to the game,' said Vogel. 'Tonight we probably had our best offensive game of the year, shooting 56 percent with seven turnovers. Just a strong effort. '

After losing four straight games the Pacers have won two straight and both have been in convincing fashion on back-to-back nights. They will get a few days rest before returning to action on Saturday when the New York Knicks come to town.

Michael Beasley trade talk intensifies - by Eurobasket News
Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak vowed he would be pursuing deals ever since the Chris Paul trade fell through on the eve of training camp and he finally might have found his trade on the eve of Thursday's noon PT trade deadline.

The Lakers revisited talks to acquire Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley (6'10''-F-89, college: Kansas St.) on Wednesday, multiple league sources told ESPNLosAngeles.com. Several variations of the trade have been discussed. One would land Beasley on the Lakers in a three-team deal that would send Portland Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford to the Wolves and Luke Ridnour from Minnesota to Portland. Los Angeles would give up one of its two 2012 first-round draft picks in the deal and use its $8.9 million trade exception, acquired when it traded Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in December, to absorb Beasley's approximate $6.3 million salary. Portland would also receive the Lakers' first-round pick.

As of late Wednesday night no deal was completed, but a source familiar with the negotiations said, 'the sides have momentum.'

The Oregonian earlier reported another version of the deal without Ridnour and including Lakers guard Steve Blake, who played three seasons for the Blazers from 2007 to 2010 and who still keeps his offseason home in Oregon. Blake played 18 minutes in the Lakers' 107-101 overtime victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday, however, and told reporters before the game, 'I'm still here.' But he did not speak to the media after the game.

Lakers coach Mike Brown said before the game he had not spoken to Kupchak in several days and was not given any instruction to hold out any players from game action to prevent any injury that could end up sabotaging an agreement that was in place.

Crawford, meanwhile, did not play for the Blazers in their blowout loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday. He officially sat because of knee tendinitis, but The Oregonian reported the DNP was linked to Crawford's role in the ongoing trade discussions. Beasley and Ridnour were reportedly on a team flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake City on Wednesday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

'I'm just a pawn in this game,' Beasley told the Star Tribune earlier in the day on Wednesday. 'L.A., Boston, New Jersey, Orlando, anywhere ... I mean, if they decide to move me, then I've got to go. I'm not saying I want to, but it's something I have no control over.'

Beasley, 23, is averaging 11.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game with Minnesota this season. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound power forward has averaged 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in his four-year career. Beasley was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Miami Heat but fell out of favor with the franchise after a series of off-court incidents. He was traded to Minnesota in the summer of 2010 for a second-round draft pick in order to clear cap space and facilitate the signings of free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

Beasley, a left-handed player with a knack for scoring the ball, has developed into a proficient 3-point shooter and shot 43.9 percent from beyond the arc with Minnesota this season. If he ends up in L.A., he could be expected to fill the void left by Odom as the primary scoring option off the Lakers' bench. The Lakers' second unit ranked dead last in scoring this season coming into Wednesday's game against the Hornets, averaging just 20.5 points per game. After tinkering with the rotation for the first half of the season, Brown likes how his starting five has performed in the 23 games since Metta World Peace joined the first unit so Beasley is unlikely to change that.

The Lakers were reluctant to add to their already formidable salary cap figure of approximately $87.4 million for the 2011-12 season, as they are already well past the $70.3 million luxury tax level and will owe the league office a $17.1 million dollar-for-dollar penalty fee for their overage at the end of the season. According to a source familiar with the Lakers' front office's thinking, the team has been unwilling to part with their first-round draft picks because of their value in what scouts believe to be a loaded 2012 NBA draft. Furthermore, the Lakers have tried to have money going out with any deal that would have money coming in and have tried to unload Luke Walton's $6.1 million expiring contract to no avail.

Acquiring Beasley could satisfy the need for talent without breaking the Lakers' bank. While Beasley's 2011-12 salary was in the books for approximately $6.3 million, every player's salary was prorated to about 80 percent this year because of the lockout-shortened 66-game schedule. The team would further prorate Beasley's salary because he'd only be a Laker for the final 23 games of the season, which is about 35 percent of the remaining schedule. Do the math and the Lakers will be paying Beasley approximately $1.75 million for the rest of the season. However, the Lakers would be responsible for paying the luxury tax on Beasley's full season salary -- but prorated for the 66-game schedule -- of $5 million. The new collective bargaining agreement does not account for an additional prorating of a player's luxury tax figure if the player is acquired at the trade deadline by a luxury tax-laden team. All told, the only real financial commitment the Lakers will be making for Beasley this season is about $6.8 million.

If the Lakers ultimately acquire Beasley, they aren't automatically locked into a lengthy commitment. If they choose, this offseason Los Angeles could extend him a qualifying offer of approximately $8.172 million, making Beasley a restricted free agent and opening the door for him to remain a Laker in the 2012-13 season. They could, however, simply allow Beasley to enter unrestricted free agency by not extending the qualifying offer, removing his salary from their books.

Crawford, who turns 32 later this month, signed a two-year, $10 million deal with Portland in the offseason, with a player option for the second year. The Pacific Northwest native is averaging 14.2 points and 3.7 assists on the season, both slightly below his 12-year career averages.

Ridnour, 31, has spent the last two seasons in Minnesota and is averaging 11.5 points and 4.0 assists for the Timberwolves.

Courtesy of ESPN

Grizzlies interested in free-agent guard Gilbert Arenas - by Eurobasket News
The Grizzlies are in the midst of a successful season so far but routinely acknowledge they could use more long-distance shooting and better productivity at backup point guard.

They are weighing whether free-agent Gilbert Arenas (6'4''-G-82, college: Arizona) could satisfy both needs, according to multiple NBA sources.

Arenas, 30, remains unemployed after the Orlando Magic made him one of the first casualties of the amnesty clause provided in the NBAs latest collective bargaining agreement. The Grizzlies can add Arenas because they employ a 14-man roster. Teams can carry 15 players.

A source said the Grizzlies are in a conditional pursuit of Arenas. Memphis wants to see Arenas in a private workout before making a decision. The Griz originally sought to sign Arenas to a 10-day contract but the veteran combo guard is looking for a guaranteed deal for the rest of the season.

Orlando still owes Arenas $62 million for using the one-time amnesty provision. If Arenas were to sign with the Griz, they could only offer him the veterans minimum worth about $1.4 million.

Even though Arenas averaged a career-worst 10.8 points a game and shot 36.6-percent in 2010-11 while playing for the Magic and Washington Wizards, the Griz are willing to give him a look because rookies Jeremy Pargo and Josh Selby havent inspired confidence as an understudy for starting point guard Mike Conley.

If healthy and in shape, the hope is that a 6-4 Arenas would provide quality backcourt depth. He is a three-time All-Star who averaged 21.2 points and 5.4 assists 10 NBA seasons.

The Griz have also had internal discussions about free-agent guard Eddie House but are leaning more toward Arenas.

A free-agent signing seems most likely for the Griz, who dont figure to be a major player in trade discussions. The NBA trade deadline is 2 p.m. today and Memphis has only pursued deals involving Sam Young. The little-used swingman is out of the teams rotation and in the last year of his deal.

The Griz have spoken to at least six teams in an attempt to move Young for a draft pick. The odds of Young leaving in a trade by this afternoons deadline are 50/50, according to a source with knowledge of the Grizzlies trade discussions.

However, there is no deadline for the Griz to sign a free agent for the rest of this season.

Courtesy of www.commercialappeal.com

Wizards still talking as trade deadline nears - by Eurobasket News
With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Wizards are still working the phones to alter the roster, but as one team source said, Need partners to dance.

So far, the Wizards havent been able to find anyone willing to step on the dance floor. The Wizards have aggressively tried to move Andray Blatche for several weeks but Blatche said he expects to be in New Orleans when the team takes the court on Thursday. Coach Randy Wittman also said that he plans on having Blatche in uniform when the Wizards take on the Hornets.

Blatche has had a disappointing season and is averaging just 5.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in six games since returning from a strained left calf, which sidelined him for nearly a month. The three years and nearly $23 million remaining on Blatches contract and questions about his conditioning and character have turned off several teams.

Dray wont be moved due to a lack of interest, one person with knowledge of the situation said on Wednesday. According to an ESPN.com report, the Wizards tried to pair Javale McGee (7'0''-C/F-88, college: Nevada) with Blatche to get teams to budge, but the same source said that package doesnt get it done.

Another person with knowledge of the Wizards thinking wasnt ready to give up on Blatche being dealt, saying that whether or not he can be moved remains to be seen.

If the Wizards cant find a taker for Blatche, they can look to deal him near the draft. They also have the option of using the amnesty provision to cut ties with him in the offseason.

Nick Young has been rumored to have drawn interest from the Los Angeles Clippers, but that possibility appears to be remote, according to a person with knowledge of the Clippers thinking. Young would have to veto his Bird Rights in any deal, which would prohibit a team from going over the salary cap to retain him.

Young joked about where he was going to be on Thursday by saying, Probably wake up, right, in my hotel and watch some TV in New Orleans. Maybe. I dont know.

With center Andrew Bogut being dealt from Milwaukee to Golden State on Monday, the Wizards lost a trade target and McGee has lost a potential suitor in free agency in the Warriors. But he still expects to command interest. A source close to McGee disputed an ESPN.com report that the 7-foot-1 center has informed the Wizards that he is looking for a contract averaging $14 million this summer.

The market for serviceable big men has already been set in recent years, with DeAnde Jordan signing a four-year, $43 million offer with the Clippers and Joakim Noah getting a five-year, $60 million extension two years ago. McGee is one of five players averaging at least 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Wizards have been gauging interest in McGee and still trying to decide whether to hold on and see what happens in July, according to sources.

Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com

Chris Wilcox is done for the season - by Eurobasket News
The news was not what Chris Wilcox (6'10''-F/C-82, college: Maryland) was looking to hear.

The 6-foot-10 big man for the Boston Celtics, who has played some of his best basketball for the Celtics in recent weeks, told CSNNE.com that he will not return to action this season.

Wilcox had a series of routine tests conducted that were related to his heart. The findings raised a red flag, and additional tests had to be performed.

'The doctors said I'm done for this year,' Wilcox said.

Later Wednesday evening, the Celtics announced Wilcox will undergo aortic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on March 29. According to the release: 'A team of leading cardiac specialists who consulted with Wilcox and the Celtics indicated that surgery should completely repair Wilcoxs condition and that he can expect to resume his NBA career next season.
'Wilcox has long had an aortic abnormality that remained stable throughout his 10-year NBA career. However, as a precautionary measure, the Celtics medical staff scheduled frequent aortic scans for Wilcox, and a recent scan showed a significant enlargement of his aorta. After several follow-up tests, doctors recommended surgery.

' 'While we are saddened that Chris will not be able to play again this season, the most important thing is his health, and we were fortunate to have access to an amazing team of specialists to evaluate Chriss case,' said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. 'The entire Celtics family supports Chris during this difficult time in his career.'

'At Chriss request, neither Chris nor the Celtics will have any additional comment at this time.'

Wilcox is the second Celtic to have his 2011-12 season cut short because of a cardiac issue. Jeff Green was diagnosed with a heart problem in December and underwent season-ending surgery in January. Like Green, Wilcox will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Although the Celtics have struggled all season rebounding the ball, Wilcox play of late has been one of the few bright spots.

He had become a reliable frontcourt contributor off the bench, in addition to one of the few Celtic big men who could run the floor well enough - and consistently enough - to allow point guard Rajon Rondo attack teams in transition and get easy points around the basket.

As disappointing as all this is for Wilcox and his family, the Celtics still must field a competitive team.

Courtesy of www.csnne.com

Hornets' veteran players brace as the NBA trade deadline nears - by Eurobasket News
Although center Chris Kaman (7'0''-C-82, college: Cent.Michigan) continues to draw the most trade interest among New Orleans Hornets players as the NBA trade deadline of 3 p.m. today approaches, sources confirmed Wednesday that the franchise is willing to part ways with any of their veterans if they can acquire additional first-round picks and expiring contracts in a deal.

Going into todays deadline, the Hornets have been trying to trade center Emeka Okafor (6'9''-F/C-82, college: Connecticut), and they have listened to offers for starting small forward Trevor Ariza as well as exploring offers for Kaman, according to sources.

But Arizas agent, David Lee, said by telephone Wednesday that he hasnt heard of any trade scenarios involving his client. He said anything can happen between now and the trade deadline.

Okafors agent, Jeff Schwartz, could not be reached for comment. But Okafor said if anything was going on, his agent would have contacted him.

I know theyre thinking about it, but its just the nature of the business with all the media outlets talking about trades, Hornets Coach Monty Williams said regarding trade rumors involving several of his players. Ive never seen this much talk about trades before. This is even more than last year with the Carmelo Anthony stuff.

I dont talk about it. We just try to make our business the primary objective, and thats getting guys better. Im pretty sure they havent heard their names tossed around as much as they have this year, especially with Kaman being here.

Kaman, who has an expiring contract and has emerged as a starter in place of Okafor, is drawing interest from the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers.

There remains speculation that former Los Angeles Clippers coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy, who is part of a group interested in purchasing the Hornets, doesnt want Kaman to be traded and could make a push to sign him to an extension.

After Tuesdays practice, Kaman acknowledged that he had a good working relationship with Dunleavy after playing for him for seven seasons when they were with the Clippers.

It would definitely influence my thinking, but whether hes here or not, I think I have proven myself, and I feel comfortable in the position that Im in, Kaman said.

With the impending new ownership, the Hornets want more salary-cap flexibility. They have opted to sign players to 10-day contracts rather than add more guaranteed salaries to their current $65.9 million payroll.

Ariza has the second-most lucrative contract left on the Hornets financial books. If he exercises his player option for the 2013-14 season, he would be owed $14.9 million for each of the next two seasons.

Okafor is owed $28 million over the next two seasons, and even if the Hornets were to use the one-time amnesty clause to waive him, hes still owed the money, although it would not count against their salary cap.

The Cavaliers had trade discussions with the Hornets involving Okafor, but the Hornets backed out after Cleveland remained persistent about acquiring one of New Orleans two first-round draft picks for this upcoming June draft.

Hornets General Manager Dell Demps could not be reached for comment.

Williams said he has talked about trades with Demps, but he wouldnt say specifically if the Hornets plan to be active or are close to getting a deal done before the todays deadline.

Hornets starting point guard Jarrett Jack has not been mentioned in any trade speculation, but he hasnt ruled out the possibility that he could be traded.

You keep your phone on because you never know, said Jack, who has a year remaining on his contract.

I have no idea what may happen. Dell and those guys in the front office are going to use their expertise to make whatever move they feel is best for us.

Courtesy of www.nola.com

Bulls bring back Mike James for third time - by Eurobasket News
Michael James (6'1''-G-75, college: Duquesne) has signed with the Chicago Bulls for a third time, a move that officially will be announced later Wednesday.

James signed a 10-day contract and could be signed for a veterans minimum contract for the remainder of the season when that contract expires, sources said.

James, 36, has appeared in seven games during two previous stints with the Bulls this season. He was signed this time as injury insurance should Derrick Roses sore groin keep him out of Wednesdays high-profile showdown against the Miami Heat.

James has averaged 6.1 points and 3.6 assists in 12.4 minutes for the Bulls.

Courtesy of www.chicagotribune.com

Lakers Send Fisher To Rockets - by Bryan Floyd
The Lakers have traded Derek Fisher (6'1''-PG-74, agency: Priority Sports, college: UALR) and a first round pick to the Rockets for Jordan Hill. The pick sent to Houston was acquired by the Lakers from the Mavericks in the Lamar Odom trade. Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant came in together as rookies with Lakers in 1996 and have won five titles together as well as going to the NBA Finals seven times. With the addition of Ramon Sessions the Lakers will be going forward with Sessions and Blake for the rest of the season.

Dwight Howard admits mistakes, plans to opt-in - by Eurobasket News
With the trade deadline a few hours away, nobody had any idea what Dwight Howard (6'11''-C-85) was planning to do. Much of that uncertainty was the result of Howard's ever-changing mind.

After informing the Magic he would opt-in and delay his free agency on Wednesday, Howard changed his mind before playing the Spurs and looked to be on his way out of Orlando.

Both the organization and fans were upset with Howard's actions as it seemed he was trying to manipulate his way to the New Jersey Nets. In the process, he appeared to have relinquished control of his future to agents and advisers that are believed to be pushing him to a larger market.

Howard, however, finally had enough and decided to set the record straight.

Howard confirmed to RealGM on Wednesday evening that he will waive his early termination option and stay in Orlando for at least the 12-13 season.

Howard also realizes the impact that his indecision has caused and wants to make things right in the city that has watched him grow both professionally and personally since he came into the NBA in 2004 as the first overall pick.

'Man, listen, you know my heart, my soul and everything I have is in Orlando,' Howard told RealGM. 'I just can't leave it behind.'

Dealing with such a big decision was new territory for Howard.

To help with the process he sought advice from people he believed had his best interest in mind. All the while, his heart remained in Orlando. While he wanted to keep his options open, Howard's intentions were never to alienate his teammates, coaches or general manager.

The circumstances, however, spiraled out of control and turned into something he never wanted to happen. Howard was very remorseful for the situation that he created, but eager to turn it around and show everyone who has been hurt by his actions how much he appreciates them and how sorry he is for Wednesdays events.

'I have gotten some bad advice,' Howard said. 'I apologize for this circus I have caused to the fans of our city. They didn't deserve none of this. I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. I will do whatever I can to make this right and do what I was put in Orlando to do.'

The situation has also been stressful for Howard and his family, but he isn't thinking of making any excuses or point any fingers. Howard only wants to get back to being the man Orlando grew to love and cheer for.

'This has been a very hard time,' Howard said. 'For me, my family and all of us. The fans deserve a better hero and I will make that happen. I love and appreciate my fans and this city.'

Howard said that he plans on signing the ETO waiver first thing on Thursday morning. He also plans on making some internal changes to ensure this situation isn't repeated in the future.

Courtesy of http://basketball.realgm.com

Sessions to The Lakers - by Bryan Floyd
Ramon Sessions (6'3''-PG-86, college: Nevada) has been traded to the Lakers for veteran forwards Luke Walton and Jason Kapono and their 1st round round pick. The Cavs also will send young wing player Christian Eyenga to the Lakers. Sessions had been eagerly waiting for his chance to play behind number one pick Kyrie Erving and now he instantly will become the Lakers starter in the backcourt with Kobe Bryant. Sessions is a must own in all fantasy basketball leagues.

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Kobe BRYANT
  LA Lakers
  (198-G-78)
  Avg: 29

1. Bryant, LA Lakers	29.0
2. Durant, Oklah.Ci.	27.8
3. James, Miami Heat	27.7
4. Love, Minnesota T.	25.7
5. Westbrook, Oklah..	23.6
6. Wade, Miami Heat	23.1
7. Rose, Chicago B.	22.8
8. Williams, New J.	22.0
9. Ellis, Golde S.	21.9
10. Aldridge, Portlan.	21.5

Rebounds Per Game

Dwight HOWARD
  Orlando M.
  (211-C-85)
  Avg: 15.2

1. Howard, Orlando M.	15.2
2. Love, Minnesota T.	13.7
3. Bynum, LA Lakers	12.9
4. Varejao, Clevelan.	11.5
5. Cousins, Sacramen.	11.2
6. Griffin, LA Clipp.	11.0
7. Humphries, New J.	10.9
8. Gasol, LA Lakers	10.4
9. Noah, Chicago B.	10.3
10. Gortat, Phoenix	10.2

Assists Per Game

Steve NASH
  Phoenix Suns
  (190-PG-74)
  Avg: 11.1

1. Nash, Phoenix Suns	11.1
2. Rondo, Boston C.	10.1
3. Calderon, Toron.	8.5
4. Paul, LA Clippers	8.4
5. Rubio, Minnesot.	8.2
6. Williams, New J.	8.1
7. Rose, Chicago B.	8.0
8. Parker, San A.	8.0
9. Wall, Washington W.	7.9
10. Conley, Memphis G.	7.4

Steals Per Game

Mike CONLEY
  Memphis G.
  (186-PG-87)
  Avg: 2.6

1. Conley, Memphis G.	2.6
2. Paul, LA Clippers	2.2
3. Rubio, Minnesot.	2.2
4. Millsap, Utah Jazz	1.9
5. Iguodala, Philadel.	1.9
6. James, Miami Heat	1.9
7. Lowry, Houston R.	1.8
8. Ariza, N.Orleans H.	1.8
9. Kidd, Dallas M.	1.8
10. Allen, Memphis G.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Serge IBAKA
  Oklah.Ci.
  (208-C/F-89)
  Avg: 3.2

1. Ibaka, Oklah.Ci.	3.2
2. McGee, Washingt.	2.5
3. Jordan, LA Clippers	2.4
4. Howard, Orlando M.	2.2
5. Bynum, LA Lakers	2.1
6. Smith, Atlanta H.	2.0
7. Gasol, Memphis G.	2.0
8. Biyombo, Charlott.	1.9
9. Dalembert, Houst.	1.9
10. Hibbert, Indiana	1.8

Standings

NBA Standings

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Div.
1. Philadelph.76		25-18
2. Boston C.		23-19
3. New York K.		19-24
4. New Jersey N.		15-29
5. Toronto R.		14-29
Central Div.
1. Chicago B.		36-9
2. Indiana P.		25-16
3. Milwaukee B.		19-24
4. Cleveland C.		16-25
5. Detroit P.		16-27
Southeast Div.
1. Miami Heat		31-11
2. Orlando M.		28-16
3. Atlanta H.		24-19
4. Washington W.		10-32
5. Charlotte B.		6-36
Western Conference
Northwest Div.
1. Oklah.City T.		33-10
2. Denver N.		24-20
3. Minnesota T.		22-22
4. Utah Jazz		21-22
5. Portland TB		20-23
Pacific Div.
1. LA Lakers		27-16
2. LA Clippers		24-18
3. Phoenix Suns		21-22
4. Golde State W.		18-22
5. Sacramento K.		14-29
Southwest Div.
1. San Antonio S.		28-13
2. Dallas M.		25-20
3. Memphis G.		24-17
4. Houston R.		24-20
5. N.Orleans H.		10-34

Barbosa Headed to Indiana - by Bryan Floyd
Marc Spears from Yahoo Sports is reporting the Indiana Pacers have acquired guard Leandrinho Barbosa (6'3''-PG-82) in a trade with Toronto Raptors. The Raptors will receive a 2nd round pick for Barbosa. The Raptors are also expected to trade PG Anthony Carter to the Pacers in the deal. Barbosa is averaging 12.2 points per game in twenty-two minutes per contest. Toronto has been looking to get more picks and Indiana has been looking to improve their bench, so this move will help both teams. Barbosa will provide quite the spark off the bench for a team like Indiana who is prime for a playoff run.

Sixers Acquire Sam Young - by Bryan Floyd
The Philadelphia 76ers have acquired Sam Young (6'6''-F-85, college: Pittsburgh) from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for 2005 second-round pick Ricky Sanchez. Young has not seen much of the court this season and continues to struggle in his limited minutes. He is only averaging 3.5 points per contest in only eleven minutes per game. Even with Rudy Gay missing some time due to a concussion, Young still watched Quincy Pondexter take all of his minutes. The Memphis Grizzlies and Young both knew it was time for a change and the Sixers are hoping a change of scenery will help Young find his game.

Blazers Have Fired Head Coach Nate McMillan - by Bryan Floyd
The Blazers have fired head coach Nate McMillan. McMillan has been with Portland since the 05-06 season. Last night's forty point loss to the Knicks could not have helped McMillans case. The Blazers also tried to trade Raymond Felton and traded both Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby today. In the interim Kaleb Canales will be the new coach. This will be a very interesting offseason out in Portland. They are clearly in rebuilding mode and will be a very busy team going forward.

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NBLCANADA

NCAA1

Syracuse 72, N.C. Asheville 65 - by Milord Nikolic
James Southerland had a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds as top-seeded Syracuse survived a major scare from the Bulldogs in the Round of 64 in Pittsburgh. Kris Joseph finished with 12 points and eight rebounds and Scoop Jardine added 11 points and seven assists for the Orange (32-2), who trailed by four at halftime and by as many as six with 17:38 left. But Syracuse came back late to avoid becoming the first team to fall to a No. 16 seed and will now advance to play No. 8 seed Kansas State on Saturday. J.P. Primm had a team-high 18 points for UNC-Asheville (24-10), which won the Big South Conference title and was making its third NCAA tournament appearance in the last seven years. Jaron Lane had 16 points and seven rebounds and Jeremy Atkinson added 12. Lane helped the Bulldogs pull even at 54 with 6:42 left, but Syracuse responded with an 8-0 run a pair of baskets by Southerland and a three-point play by Joseph. With the Orange up 62-58 with 1:20 left, Jardine missed the front-end of a 1-and-1, giving the Bulldogs a chance to cut into the deficit further. But Primm was whistled for a lane violation, and Jardine made a pair of free throws to extend the advantage to six. After Lane hit a 3-pointer to pull the Bulldogs within 64-61 with 1:07 left, Brandon Triche made a layup on the ensuing possession to stretch Syracuses lead to five. The Bulldogs twice cut the deficit to three, but the Orange made six straight free throws in the final 34 seconds to seal the victory. Matt Dickey, UNC-Ashevilles leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, finished 1-of-13 from the field and had a season-low five points. Dion Waiters had 12 points for the Orange, who are without sophomore center Fab Melo after he was declared ineligible by the NCAA on Tuesday.

NCAA Tournament: Four sparks Vermont past Lamar, 71-59 - by Eurobasket News
Maybe Vermont is on the verge of some memorable NCAA tournament moments to add to the one it most cherishes.

Four McGlynn (6'2''-G) came off the bench to score 18 points and Vermont grabbed an early lead and hung on to beat Lamar 71-59 on Wednesday night in a first-round game.

Matt Glass (6'8''-F) added 11 points, Sandro Carissimo 10 and Brian Voelkel (6'6''-F) had 12 rebounds to help the Catamounts earn a spot against top-seeded North Carolina on Friday in Greensboro, N.C.

The Catamounts (24-11) shot 50 percent from the field, blending an inside presence with McGlynns touch from the perimeter.

Devon Lamb (6'2''-G-87) and Mike James (6'1''-G-90) each had 16 points for Lamar (23-12), which had won six in a row since first-year coach Pat Knight ripped his seniors after a loss in late February.
It was only Vermonts second NCAA win, but the first one was something. A 60-57 upset of fourth-seeded Syracuse by the 13th-seeded Catamounts in the first round of the 2005 tournament is considered the biggest victory in school history.

McGlynn, the only player in all of Division I to lead his team in scoring (12.0) without starting a game and yet playing in every game, provided punch to Vermonts offense.
He entered in the first half and immediately ignited a rally that gave the Catamounts the lead.

Still, down by as many as 16 points early in the second half, Lamar kept hanging around. It drew to seven points when Anthony Miles, who added 14 points, drove and hit a layup while falling and completed a three-point play, then hit a 3 the next possession.

But Vermont always seemed to have an answer.

Brandon Davis followed by driving the lane and banking in a shot. After a Cardinals miss, Glass popped in a jumper and the lead was back to double figures.
Moments later, after a nifty scoop shot in traffic for a bucket by Lamars James, McGlynn came in and promptly drilled a 3 from the right wing to make it 59-47 with just over 6 minutes left.

The Cardinals never got closer than nine points again.

The Catamounts took the lead early which hasnt been a good sign for teams so far in the First Four. Both Mississippi Valley State and Iona built first-half leads and then blew them later in first-night losses to Western Kentucky and BYU, respectively.

Vermont was down 12-9 early before McGlynn starting impacting the play. He hit a 3 on his first shot, then hit another perimeter jumper to get his team in gear offensively.

The Catamounts took control with a 13-0 run, holding the Cardinals scoreless for 6 1 / 2minutes. Over that span, Lamar misfired on nine straight shots from the field and had their first three turnovers.

Bergmann, who was a perfect 3 for 3 from the field in the opening half, started the spurt with a layup off a long outlet pass that led Knight to call a timeout and berate his team for allowing the easy basket behind the defense.

Brandon Bald then hit a short fade for Vermonts first lead of the game before McGlynn hit another 3 and burly Ben Crenca muscled his way inside for bucket. McGlynn followed with a teardrop in the lane off glass to push the lead to 22-12.

Vermont led 30-21 at the half.

The Catamounts hit 46 percent of their shots while holding Lamar to just 9 of 31 (29 percent). Most of the Cardinals offense was predicated on its guards, with very few shots in the paint.

Vermont was coming off a 51-43 win over top-seeded Stony Brook in the America East tournament on Saturday. Known as one of Americas top teams on the road, they tied for sixth nationally with 11 road wins this year and have totaled 33 victories away from Patrick Gym over the last three years.

John Becker is in his first year as the Catamounts head coach. He was elevated to take over when Mike Lonergan left to take the George Washington job.

Lamar, coming off a 70-49 victory over McNeese State in the Southland Conference tournament title game on Saturday, had won six in a row since Knight lit up his seniors after a Feb. 22 home loss to Stephen F. Austin. Knight is in his first season at Lamar after 3-plus seasons as the head coach at Texas Tech where he replaced his Hall of Fame father, Bob Knight. After that home defeat, Knight blasted the worst seniors hed ever been around, saying they were stealing money being on scholarship and that his players had problems off the court, on the court, classroom, drugs.

The Cardinals were making their sixth NCAA appearance and first since 2000.

Courtesy of www.baxterbulletin.com

NCAA Tournament: South Florida eases past California, 65-54 - by Eurobasket News
Ugly, ugly, ugly. Just the way South Florida likes it.

The Bulls introduced the NCAA tournament to the Big East's nastiest defense Wednesday night, putting more than just a chill into a California team that had never seen anything like it. The Bulls gave up only 13 points in the first half and brushed their way to a 65-54 victory at Dayton, Ohio.

South Florida (21-13) will play No. 5-seeded Temple in Nashville on Friday, a matchup of teams known for gritty defense. Few have been better than this one for the first 20 minutes on the NCAA stage.

The Bulls swarmed 'em, bumped em' and swatted their shots away - those that weren't airballs, that is.

California (24-10) didn't score over the last 8:55 of the first half, missing 10 shots and turning it over twice while South Florida pulled ahead 36-13.

Guard Jorge Gutierrez (6'3''-G-88), the Pac-12 Conference player of the year, was held to 10 points on four-for-10 shooting.

It wasn't all defense that got it done for South Florida. Freshman point guard Anthony Collins (6'1''-G) played like a star in his first NCAA tournament game, scoring 12 points. Victor Rudd (6'7''-F-91) had 15 points.

Courtesy of www.latimes.com

NIT: Miami better than Valparaiso, Minnesota beats La Salle - by Eurobasket News
Rion Brown (6'6''-G-91) scored 18 points to help Miami beat Valparaiso, 66-50, in Coral Gables, Fla., and advance to a second-round matchup against Minnesota. The Hurricanes stretched a four-point lead and finished the game with a 16-0 run over the final 3:41. Malcolm Grant (6'1''-G-88) and Shane Larkin (5'11''-PG-92) keyed the run with consecutive 3-pointers. Larkin scored 12 points and Trey McKinney Jones finished with 10 for Miami (20-12). The Hurricanes played without leading scorer Durand Scott, who began serving a six-game suspension after he was declared ineligible last week for receiving impermissible benefits. Ryan Broekhoff had 18 points and Richie Edwards added 16 for the Crusaders (22-12).

Minnesota 70, La Salle 61: Rodney Williams (6'7''-F-91) tied his career high with 21 points, Austin Hollins (6'4''-G) had 16 and Minnesota beat La Salle to advance to the second round. Andre Hollins added 13 points for the Golden Gophers (20-14), who will play Miami on Sunday for a spot in the quarterfinals. Minnesota won the NIT in 1993 and 98. The Gophers closed with a 15-6 run to give coach Tubby Smith his 100th win at the school. Seven coaches in the programs history have won at least 100 games. Earl Pettis scored 19 points for La Salle (21-13), while Ramon Galloway added 13 and Jerrell Wright 12. It was the first postseason game for the Explorers since the 1992 NCAA tournament.

Courtesy of www.southbendtribune.com

NIT: Drexel downs Central Florida, Northern Iowa grabs thriller win against Saint Joseph's - by Eurobasket News
Drexel 81, Central Florida 56
Frantz Massenat (6'4''-G) had 18 points and 14 assists, and Chris Fouch (6'2''-G) added 19 points as Drexel shook off the disappointment of not making the NCAA tournament by trouncing Central Florida in Philadelphia. The Dragons (28-6), out of the Colonial Athletic Association, were viewed as one of the bigger snubs from the NCAA field. Drexel, which set a school record for wins, scored the first nine points, and stayed in control. The Dragons host Northern Iowa in the second round next week. Keith Clanton (6'8''-F) led the Knights (22-11) with 12 points.

Northern Iowa 67, Saint Joseph's 65
Seth Tuttle (6'8''-F-92) sank two free throws with 1.3 seconds left and finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead Northern Iowa over Saint Joseph's. Marc Sonnen (6'3''-G-90) scored 15 points for the Panthers (20-13), who play at Drexel in the second round. The Dragons advanced with an 81-56 win over Central Florida. Ronald Roberts Jr. tied the game 65-all for the Hawks (20-14) on a thunderous dunk with 7 seconds left to bring them back after they trailed most of the second half.

Courtesy of www.southbendtribune.com

Central Michigan fires coach Zeigler - by Eurobasket News
Central Michigan has fired basketball coach Ernie Zeigler with two years left on his contract.

Athletic director Dave Heeke announced the move Wednesday. The buyout will cost the school $368,437

Zeigler was 75-111 over six seasons. He was given a new, four-year contract two years ago when he was just about to sign his son, Trey, to a scholarship to play for the Chippewas. Central Michigan was 11-21 this season and 10-21 last year.

Trey Zeigler has averaged 16 points a game over two seasons, leading the team in scoring each year. The 6-foot-5 guard has two years of eligibility.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Top 25 - Men

Atl10 Standings

1. Temple		13-3 (24-7)
2. St.Louis		12-4 (24-5)
3. St.Bonaventure		10-3 (18-11)
4. Xavier		10-6 (19-8)
5. Dayton		9-7 (19-12)
6. St.Joseph's		9-7 (19-13)
7. La Salle		9-7 (20-12)
8. Massachusetts		9-7 (20-10)
9. Duquesne		7-9 (16-14)
10. Richmond		7-9 (16-15)
11. Charlotte		5-11 (13-16)
12. G.Washington		5-11 (10-20)
13. Rhode Island		4-12 (7-24)
14. Fordham		3-13 (10-18)

Stats Leaders - NCAA1

Points Per Game

Kevin FOSTER
  Santa Clara
  (187-G-)
  Avg: 17.8

1. Foster, Santa Clara	17.8
2. Hartsock, BYU	16.8
3. Dellavedova, St.Ma.	15.6
4. Ireland, Loyola M.	15.5
5. Viney, Loyola Mary	15.0
6. Davies, BYU	14.9
7. Jones, St.	14.8
8. Caloiaro, USF	14.1
9. Pangos, Gonzaga	13.8
10. Roquemore, Santa	13.8

Rebounds Per Game

Rob JONES
  St.
  (198-F-89)
  Avg: 10.7

1. Jones, St.	10.7
2. Harris, Gonzaga	8.6
3. Moore, Pepperdine	8.6
4. Nicholas, Portland	7.6
5. Davies, BYU	7.5
6. Sacre, Gonzaga	6.3
7. Abouo, BYU	6.3
8. Harrison, Santa C.	6.2
9. Caloiaro, USF	6.1
10. Blackwell, USF	6.1

Assists Per Game

Matthew DELLAVEDOVA
  St.Ma.
  (193-G-90)
  Avg: 6.3

1. Dellavedova, St.Ma.	6.3
2. Roquemore, Santa	5.4
3. Anderson, San Die.	5.0
4. Ireland, Loyola M.	4.8
5. Carlino, BYU	4.8
6. Doolin, USF	3.8
7. Willis, Pepperdine	3.7
8. Pangos, Gonzaga	3.4
9. Holt, St.	3.3
10. Foster, Santa Cla.	3.1

Steals Per Game

Christopher ANDERSON
  San Diego
  (175-PG-92)
  Avg: 2

1. Anderson, San Die.	2.0
2. Holt, St.	1.9
3. Green, USF	1.8
4. Caloiaro, USF	1.7
5. Jones, St.	1.6
6. Ireland, Loyola M.	1.6
7. Doolin, USF	1.5
8. Davies, BYU	1.5
9. Carlino, BYU	1.4
10. Foster, Santa Cla.	1.4

Blocks Per Game

Noah HARTSOCK
  BYU
  (203-F-)
  Avg: 1.6

1. Hartsock, BYU	1.6
2. Sacre, Gonzaga	1.4
3. Davies, BYU	1.3
4. Kramer, San Diego	1.1
5. Waldow, St.	1.0
6. Moore, Pepperdine	1.0
7. Atanga, Santa Cla.	0.9
8. Viney, Loyola Mary	0.9
9. van den Mars, Port.	0.9
10. Okonji, Loyola M.	0.9

Kansas St. 70, Southern Miss 64 - by Milord Nikolic
Rodney McGruder had 17 of his game-high 30 points in the first half to lead the Wildcats to a victory over Southern Mississippi in the NCAA tournaments Round of 64 in Pittsburgh.
Jordan Henriquez finished with 15 points and nine rebounds and Angel Rodriguez added 13 points for No. 8 seed Kansas State (22-10), which won its fourth straight opening-round game and will advance to play either No. 1 seed Syracuse or 16-seed UNC-Asheville on Saturday. Southern Miss (25-9), making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1991 and just its third in program history, led by as many as five points in the second half but crumbled late, misfiring on 10 of 11 shots at one point. The Wildcats, who shot 50 percent from the field and made 26-of-34 free-throw attempts, used an 18-6 run to take a 58-51 lead with 4:30 left. But Neil Watson, who had a team-high 16 points, and Darnell Dodson, who added 14 points and 11 rebounds, brought the Golden Eagles back. Dodson scored six straight points including a two-handed dunk with 2:32 left to close the deficit to 62-59. Rodriguez, though, responded with an inside shot on the other end to extend the K-State lead to five, and the Wildcats closed out the victory from the free-throw line, making 6-of-8 attempts in the final minute. Behind McGruder, who made six of his first 11 shots, the Wildcats took a 30-27 halftime lead. They led by as many as seven points in the opening minutes. LaShay Page finished with 15 points for the Golden Eagles, who finished second in the Conference USA regular-season standings.

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NCAA2

All-PacWest Awards 2011-2012 - by Eurobasket

All-PacWest 1st Team 2011-2012

Chang

Cole

Cousins

Evans

Jones

Player of the Year: Tsung-Hsien Chang (6'4''-G-88) of BYU-Hawaii
Co-Freshman of the Year: Lee Bailey (6'0''-PG) of Chaminade
Co-Freshman of the Year: Jerome Garrison (6'3''-G) of Grand Canyon
Newcomer of the Year: Luke Evans (6'8''-C-91) of Cal.Baptist
Coach of the Year: Jon Judkins of Dixie St.

1st Team
G: Tsung-Hsien Chang (6'4''-88) of BYU-Hawaii
PG: Maurice Cole (6'0'') of Dixie St.
F: Matt Cousins (6'8'') of Chaminade
C: Luke Evans (6'8''-91) of Cal.Baptist
F: Griffon Jones (6'6'') of Dixie St.
G: Kyle Speed (6'1'') of Grand Canyon
G: Justus Von Wright (6'3''-89) of Cal.Baptist

2nd Team
G: Okesene Ale (6'2''-88) of BYU-Hawaii
G: Tyler Fricke (6'6'') of Notre Dame Namur
F: Bracken Funk (6'7''-89) of BYU-Hawaii
G: Xander McNally (6'2'') of Dominican, CA
C: Jacob Noisat (6'8'') of Dominican, CA
G: Ivan Patterson (6'3''-92) of Cal.Baptist
F/C: Braylon Pickrel (6'10'') of Grand Canyon

Honorable Mention
Solomon Jensen (6'8''-F/C) of Dixie St.
Terrell Mack (6'4''-G/F-89) of Hawaii-Hilo
William Overton (6'5''-F-90) of Academy of Art
Ameer Shamsud-Din (6'2''-G-89) of Academy of Art
Fran Urli (6'8''-F-89) of Hawaii-Pacific
Zachary Wilde (6'7''-F-90) of Hawaii-Hilo
Nick Witherill (6'3''-G) of Grand Canyon

NCAA D2 Top 25 Ranking

Top 25 Ranking

1. Colorado Mines		27-2
2. Al.-Huntsville		26-3
3. W.Liberty St.		29-2
4. Bellarmine		25-3
5. Midwestern St.		26-3
6. S.Indiana		24-6
7. Shaw		25-3
8. Christian Brothers		23-6
9. Tarleton St.		26-5
10. Indiana, PA		23-5
11. N.Kentucky		23-6
12. W.Washington		25-5
13. Metro St.		22-6
14. Anderson, SC		24-5
15. Arkansas Tech		24-5
16. Alaska-Anch.		22-6
17. Charleston Un.		26-6
18. Ky Wesleyan		21-7
19. Washburn		24-7
20. Hillsdale		24-5
21. NW Missouri St.		22-6
22. Montevallo		24-7
23. Missouri So.		22-7
24. Lincoln Memorial		25-5
25. Findlay, OH		23-6

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NCAA3

Top 25 Ranking

Top 25 Ranking

1. Hope, MI
2. Amherst
3. MIT
4. Middlebury
5. Cabrini
6. Va.Wesleyan
7. Whitworth
8. WiscKing.-Whitew.
9. Franklin & Marshall
10. Mary Hardin Baylor
11. Claremont-Mudd
12. William Pater.
13. Birm.Southern
14. Oswego St.
15. Wooster
16. Albertus Magnus
17. Wisc.-RiverFal.
18. Transylvania
19. Wash.-St.Louis
20. Bethany, WV
21. E.Connecticut
22. Wittenberg
23. N.Central Coll.
24. Wheaton, IL
25. Chris.Newport

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PBL

Standings

PBL Standings

Central Division
1. Cent.Illinois D.		15-1
2. Sauk Valley P.		9-6
3. Chicago M.		8-8
4. St. Louis P.		3-9
5. Indiana D.		3-11
Eastern Division
1. Rochester R.		16-1
2. Scranton/W-B		7-8
3. Dayton A.S.		4-10
4. Lake Michigan		3-11

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PHILIPPINES

PBA Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Rodney WHITE
  Barako Bull
  (206-C/F-80)
  Avg: 35.5

1. White, Barako Bull	35.5
2. Fazekas, Petron B.	30.6
3. Crews, Rain o.	29.0
4. Bowles, B-Meg L.	26.7
5. Barron, Meralco	26.0
6. Famous, Meralco	26.0
7. David, Powerade T.	25.7
8. Cardona, Meralco	22.1
9. Vroman, Ginebra	21.3
10. Jones, Powerade	20.3

Rebounds Per Game

Donnell HARVEY
  Talk N Text
  (203-F/C-80)
  Avg: 22.3

1. Harvey, Talk N Te.	22.3
2. Douthit, Air21 E.	21.0
3. Alexander, Ginebr.	20.3
4. Fazekas, Petron B.	18.4
5. Jones, Powerade T.	17.3
6. Barron, Meralco	16.0
7. Famous, Meralco	15.0
8. Crews, Rain o.	14.8
9. Parada, Alaska Ac.	14.0
10. Bowles, B-Meg L.	11.7

Assists Per Game

Chris ROSS
  Meralco .
  (185-G-85)
  Avg: 8.3

1. Ross, Meralco	8.3
2. Casio, Powerade T.	8.0
3. Alapag, Talk N Te.	7.5
4. Cabagnot, Petron	7.3
5. White, Barako Bull	6.0
6. Helterbrand, Gineb.	5.8
7. Tenorio, Alaska A.	5.7
8. Vroman, Ginebra	4.3
9. Hubalde, Air21 E.	4.2
10. Tang, Rain or Shi.	4.0

Steals Per Game

Chris ROSS
  Meralco .
  (185-G-85)
  Avg: 2

1. Ross, Meralco	2.0
2. Johnson, Barako B.	1.8
3. Douthit, Air21 E.	1.6
4. Barroca, B-Meg L.	1.5
5. White, Barako Bull	1.5
6. Seigle, Barako Bull	1.5
7. Tenorio, Alaska A.	1.4
8. Vroman, Ginebra	1.3
9. Lassiter, Powerade.	1.3
10. Castro, Talk N T.	1.2

Blocks Per Game

Omar SAMHAN
  Talk N.
  (211-C-88)
  Avg: 4

1. Samhan, Talk N.	4.0
2. Vroman, Ginebra	4.0
3. Jones, Powerade T.	3.0
4. Fazekas, Petron B.	2.3
5. Parada, Alaska Ac.	2.3
6. Santos, Petron B.	2.3
7. Harvey, Talk N Te.	2.0
8. Crews, Rain o.	1.8
9. Famous, Meralco	1.7
10. Alexander, Ginebr.	1.7

Standings - PBA Fiesta Conference

PBA Standings

1. Talk N Text		5-1
2. B-Meg Llam.		4-2
3. Alaska Aces		4-3
4. Ginebra Kings		3-3
5. Powerade T.		3-3
6. Meralco Bolts		3-4
7. Petron Blaze		3-4
8. Barako Bull		2-4
9. Rain or Shine		1-5
10. Shopinas.com C.		0-0

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

PUERTO RICO

Latest BSN games - by Eurobasket News
It's still too early stage of the Regular Season in BSN, but even now we can clearly see the differece between stronger teams and outsiders.

Round 6 in BSN means a new league leader. The biggest surprise took place in Guaynabo where host Mets (4-3) beat league's leader Quebradillas (4-2) 88-80 on Tuesday evening. The hosts were tied at the half but managed to speed up in last two quarters eventually winning the game. Mets made 17-of-21 free shots (81.0 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was American swingman James Maye (201-81, college: NC-Greensboro) who scored 23 points and 7 rebounds (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line). The former international swingman Angel Luis Figueroa (196-81, college: Dowling, agency: Paris Global Sports) chipped in 17 points and 6 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international center Peter John Ramos (222-85) who recorded a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds. Mets moved-up to fourth place. Quebradillas at the other side still keep top position with two games lost. They were joined at the leadership position by Mayaguez who have the same record. Quebradillas will play next round against Capitanes trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Mets will try to continue on its current victory against sixth ranked Atleticos in San German.
The game had a very big importance for third-ranked Indios as it allowed them to take a leadership position after previous leader's (Quebradillas) loss. Indios defeated 4th ranked Atleticos in Mayaguez 91-80. It was a good game for American guard Donta Smith (201-83, college: SE Illinois JC) who led his team to a victory with 22 points and 8 assists. Patrick O'Bryant contributed with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the winners. International point guard Filiberto Rivera (190-82, college: UTEP) replied with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for Atleticos. Atleticos' coach rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with Bayamon and Quebradillas. Atleticos at the other side dropped to the sixth place with four games lost. Atleticos will play next round against Brujos trying to get back on the winning streak. Indios will try to continue on its current victory against eighth ranked Caciques at Humacao.
An interesting game was played in Guayama where Capitanes (#6) crushed host Brujos (#6) with 22-point difference 86-64 on Monday evening. Larry Ayuso scored 16 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners. The best for the losing side was Al Thornton with 11 points and 5 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. Defending champion (3-3) moved-up to fifth place. Loser Brujos dropped to the seventh position with four games lost. Capitanes will meet at home higher ranked Quebradillas (#3) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Brujos will play against Atleticos (#6) in San German and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game with biggest result difference took place in Arecibo. Local Capitanes (3-3) outscored 8th ranked Caciques (1-5) 95-59. Larry Ayuso notched 17 points and 6 rebounds to lead the effort. Defending champion moved-up to fifth place. Caciques at the other side stay at the bottom position with five games lost. Capitanes' next round opponent will be higher ranked Quebradillas (#3) at home and it may be quite challenging game. Caciques will play against the league's leader Indios (#1) in Mayaguez.

Guaynabo - Quebradillas 88-80
Round 6 in BSN means a new league leader. The biggest surprise took place in Guaynabo where host Mets (4-3) beat league's leader Quebradillas (4-2) 88-80 on Tuesday evening. The hosts were tied at the half but managed to speed up in last two quarters eventually winning the game. Mets made 17-of-21 free shots (81.0 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was American swingman James Maye (201-81, college: NC-Greensboro) who scored 23 points and 7 rebounds (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line). The former international swingman Angel Luis Figueroa (196-81, college: Dowling, agency: Paris Global Sports) chipped in 17 points and 6 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international center Peter John Ramos (222-85) who recorded a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds and American swingman Ricky Davis (201-79, college: Iowa) added 12 points and 4 assists respectively. Four Mets and five Quebradillas players scored in double figures. Mets moved-up to fourth place. Quebradillas at the other side still keep top position with two games lost. They were joined at the leadership position by Mayaguez who have the same record. Quebradillas will play next round against Capitanes trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Mets will try to continue on its current victory against sixth ranked Atleticos in San German.
Top scorers:
Guaynabo: J.Maye 23+7reb+1ast, A.Luis Figueroa 17+6reb+2ast, A.Guzman 17+1reb+4ast, A.Daniel Vassallo 13+1reb+2ast, M.Antonio Narvaez 6+11reb+2ast, C.Burgess 6+4reb+2ast
Quebradillas: P.John Ramos 22+12reb+1ast, J.Jones 13+2reb+2ast, R.Davis 12+2reb+4ast, D.Huertas 12+2reb+1ast, C.Williams 10+3reb+4ast, T.Shannon 6+7reb+2ast

Arecibo - Humacao 95-59
The game with biggest result difference took place in Arecibo. Local Capitanes (3-3) outscored 8th ranked Caciques (1-5) 95-59. It looked good early as Caciques took an 1-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Capitanes had a 22-13 second period charge getting the lead and Caciques were not able to take back game control losing it eventually 59-95. Capitanes dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Caciques' 42. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 31 assists comparing to just 8 passes made by Caciques' players. The former international guard Larry Ayuso (190-77, college: USC, agency: Global Sports Plaza) notched 17 points and 6 rebounds to lead the effort and Panamanian-Spanish power forward Ruben Garces (206-73, college: Providence) supported him with 12 points and 7 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field). Four Capitanes players scored in double figures. Even 6 points and 12 rebounds by American center Jerome James (216-75, college: Florida A&M) did not help to save the game for Caciques. U.S. Virgin Islands-Antiguan guard Julius Hodge (201-83, college: N.Carolina St., agency: I.D.S. Law) added 10 points and 5 rebounds. Defending champion moved-up to fifth place. Caciques at the other side stay at the bottom position with five games lost. Capitanes' next round opponent will be higher ranked Quebradillas (#3) at home and it may be quite challenging game. Caciques will play against the league's leader Indios (#1) in Mayaguez.
Top scorers:
Arecibo: L.Ayuso 17+6reb+2ast, D.Pinnock 15+4reb+1ast, R.Garces 12+7reb+1ast, O.Alvarado 10+1reb+8ast, D.Santiago 8+1reb, R.Melendez 7
Humacao: J.Hodge 10+5reb+1ast, K.Sanchez 9+6reb, E.Rios 9+1reb+1ast, J.Garcia 8+2reb+1ast, J.James 6+12reb, I.Lopez 6+3reb

Guayama - Arecibo 64-86
An interesting game was played in Guayama where Capitanes (#6) crushed host Brujos (#6) with 22-point difference 86-64 on Monday evening. The game was mostly controlled by Capitanes. Brujos managed to win fourth quarter 23-18. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Capitanes dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Brujos' 26. They outrebounded Brujos 48-32 including a 34-22 advantage in defensive rebounds. The former international guard Larry Ayuso (190-77, college: USC, agency: Global Sports Plaza) scored 16 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Panamanian-Spanish power forward Ruben Garces (206-73, college: Providence) chipped in 7 points and 13 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was American forward Al Thornton (203-83, college: Florida St.) with 11 points and 5 rebounds and the former international point guard Wilfredo Pagan (184-76, agency: Paris Global Sports) scored 8 points and 5 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. Defending champion (3-3) moved-up to fifth place. Loser Brujos dropped to the seventh position with four games lost. Capitanes will meet at home higher ranked Quebradillas (#3) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Brujos will play against Atleticos (#6) in San German and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Arecibo: L.Ayuso 16+5reb, R.Apodaca 13+1reb+1ast, D.Cortes 12+1reb+1ast, D.Pinnock 11+6reb+2ast, D.Santiago 8+3reb, R.Melendez 8+3reb
Guayama: A.Thornton 11+5reb+1ast, R.Abraham 9+1reb+2ast, W.Pagan 8+1reb+5ast, T.Vazquez-Simmons 8+5reb, A.Galindo 8+4reb+1ast, C.Vega 7+2reb

Mayaguez - San German 91-80
The game had a very big importance for third-ranked Indios as it allowed them to take a leadership position after previous leader's (Quebradillas) loss. Indios defeated 4th ranked Atleticos in Mayaguez 91-80. The game was mostly controlled by Indios. Atleticos was better in third quarter 24-21. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Indios dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Atleticos' 30. They outrebounded Atleticos 41-28 including 26 on the defensive glass. Indios brought some defensive toughness making 7 blocks. It was a good game for American guard Donta Smith (201-83, college: SE Illinois JC) who led his team to a victory with 22 points and 8 assists. The other American import center Patrick O'Bryant (213-86, college: Bradley) contributed with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 13 rebounds for the winners. Four Indios players scored in double figures. International point guard Filiberto Rivera (190-82, college: UTEP) replied with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and international guard Carlos Strong (191-87, college: Boston U.) added 13 points and 5 assists in the effort for Atleticos. Atleticos' coach rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. As mentioned above they are at the top of the standings, which they share with Bayamon and Quebradillas. Atleticos at the other side dropped to the sixth place with four games lost. Atleticos will play next round against Brujos trying to get back on the winning streak. Indios will try to continue on its current victory against eighth ranked Caciques at Humacao.
Top scorers:
Mayaguez: D.Smith 22+4reb+8ast, A.Ortiz 16+7reb, C.Rivera 14+4reb+1ast, P.O'Bryant 10+13reb+2ast, L.Steven Ramirez 9+6reb+6ast, R.Cotto 7+2reb
San German: F.Rivera 29+6reb+5ast, C.Strong 13+3reb+5ast, M.De Jesus 9+2reb+2ast, R.Orta 7+2reb+1ast, K.Pinkney 7+7reb+2ast, J.Guitian 5+3reb

Donta Smith gets MVP of the Week award for Puerto Rican BSN - by Eurobasket News
American Donta Smith (201-G-83) had an amazing evening in the last week for league's leader Mayaguez and that's him to receive a Latinbasket.com Player of the Week award for week 6.
The 28-year old guard had the game-high 22 points adding four rebounds and eight assists for Mayaguez in his team's victory, helping them to beat San German (#6, 3-4) 91-80. It allowed Mayaguez to jump to the first place in the Puerto Rican BSN. They would have been even better if they did not have these two lost games earlier in Regular Season. Mayaguez has a very solid 4-2 record, but they cannot be too comfortable about keeping top position. In the team's last game Smith had a remarkable 66.7% from 2-point range. He just recently signed at Mayaguez, being already a very valuable addition to the team. Southeastern Illinois JC graduate has very impressive stats this year. Smith. Smith is in league's top in points (6th best: 17.8ppg), rebounds (5th best: 7.7rpg) and averages solid 1.7bpg,2.5spg and 53.3% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last week's games was 29-year old international point guard Filiberto Rivera (190-PG-82) of San German. Rivera impressed basketball fans with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Bad luck as San German lost that game 80-91 to the higher-ranked Mayaguez (#1, 4-2). This loss caused San German to drop to 6th position in the standings. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 3-4 record. Rivera is a newcomer at San German 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 20.9ppg (#2). He also recorded 5.6 assists per game.

The third best performed player last week was American center Peter John Ramos (222-C-85) of Quebradillas (#3). Ramos scored 22 points and grabbed twelve rebounds (!!!). Despite Ramos' great performance Quebradillas lost 80-88 to #4 ranked Guaynabo. But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates especially in such crucial game. The last thing Quebradillas needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams. Their record is 4 victories and 2 lost games. Ramos has a great season in Puerto Rico. After only 6 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 16.5ppg (7th best) and rebounds with 9.3rpg (3rd best). He also has 1.3bpg and FGP: 62.7%. Peter John Ramos has also Puerto Rican passport and can play in the league with a status of domestic player.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Ruben Garces (206-C/F-73) of Arecibo - 7 points and 13 rebounds
5. Angel Luis Figueroa (196-G/F-81) of Guaynabo - 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Patrick O'Bryant (213-C-86) of Mayaguez - 10 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists
7. James Maye (201-G/F-81) of Guaynabo - 23 points and 7 rebounds
8. Larry Ayuso (190-G-77) of Arecibo - 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists
9. Andres Ortiz (188-G-86) of Mayaguez - 16 points and 7 rebounds
10. Ansel Guzman (174-PG-84) of Guaynabo - 17 points and 4 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)

Standings - BSN

BSN Standings

1. Mayaguez		4-2
2. Bayamon		4-2
3. Quebradillas		4-2
4. Guaynabo		4-3
5. Arecibo		3-3
6. San German		3-4
7. Guayama		2-4
8. Humacao		1-5

Stats Leaders - BSN

Points Per Game

Al THORNTON
  Guayama
  (203-F-83)
  Avg: 25.3

1. Thornton, Guayama	25.3
2. Rivera, San German	20.9
3. McCants, Humacao	20.3
4. Dalmau, Bayamon	20.3
5. Smith, Mayaguez	17.8
6. Hodge, Humacao	17.0
7. Ramos, Quebradillas	16.5
8. Galindo, Guayama	16.3
9. Williams, Quebradi.	15.8
10. Ayuso, Arecibo	15.5

Rebounds Per Game

Al THORNTON
  Guayama
  (203-F-83)
  Avg: 10.2

1. Thornton, Guayama	10.2
2. Ramos, Quebradillas	9.3
3. Hodge, Humacao	8.7
4. James, Humacao	8.5
5. Sweetney, Bayamon	7.7
6. Smith, Mayaguez	7.7
7. Pinkney, San G.	7.7
8. Galindo, Guayama	7.5
9. O''Bryant, Mayaguez	7.5
10. Burgess, Guaynabo	7.4

Assists Per Game

Donta SMITH
  Mayaguez
  (201-G-83)
  Avg: 7.5

1. Smith, Mayaguez	7.5
2. Rivera, San German	5.6
3. Dalmau, Bayamon	5.0
4. Guzman, Guaynabo	4.7
5. Rivera, Mayaguez	4.3
6. Williams, Quebradi.	4.3
7. Alvarado, Arecibo	4.3
8. Hodge, Humacao	4.3
9. Pagan, Guayama	4.0
10. Strong, San Germ.	3.7

Steals Per Game

Luis Steven RAMIREZ
  Mayaguez
  (181-PG-87)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Ramirez, Mayaguez	2.5
2. Smith, Mayaguez	2.5
3. McCants, Humacao	2.0
4. Mojica, Bayamon	1.8
5. Hodge, Humacao	1.7
6. Ortiz, Mayaguez	1.7
7. Williams, Quebradi.	1.7
8. Rivera, Mayaguez	1.5
9. Salas Flores, Baya.	1.5
10. Rodriguez, San G.	1.3

Blocks Per Game

Mamadou LAMIZANA
  Bayamon
  (207-F/C-81)
  Avg: 3.3

1. Lamizana, Bayamon	3.3
2. Burgess, Guaynabo	2.4
3. Shannon, Quebradil.	1.7
4. Santiago, Arecibo	1.7
5. Smith, Mayaguez	1.7
6. James, Humacao	1.3
7. Ramos, Quebradillas	1.3
8. Thornton, Guayama	1.3
9. O''Bryant, Mayaguez	1.2
10. Valenzuela, Humac.	1.2

Quebradillas land Donald Copeland - by Eurobasket News
Quebradillas strengthened their backcourt. They landed Donald Copeland (177-PG-84, college: Seton Hall). The point guard started the season in France. He played for Bourg Basket. Donald Copeland tallied 10.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game in ProB. Last season Donald Copeland tipped off in Germany. He averaged 7.1 points, 4.0 assists and 1.7 rebounds for Bremerhaven. Later Donald Copeland moved to Puerto Rico. He first joined Atleticos de San German. The guard produced 11.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds. Later Donald Copeland moved to Capitanes de Arecibo. His stats read 4.9 points, 2.1 assists and 1.8 boards per appearance.

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RUSSIA

Kirilenko number one in Russia for round 15 - by Eurobasket News
Naturalized American forward Andrei Kirilenko (205-F-81) put on an extraordinary performance in the last round for top-ranked CSKA, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 15.
The 30-year old player had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while his team crushed Unics (#7, 5-6) with 18-point margin 75-57. It allowed CSKA to consolidate first place in the American PBL. CSKA has a very good season and are considered to have a run for the championship title. They improved their record to 12-1. It was one of impressive evenings for Kirilenko as usually he does not deliver so high stats. Andrei Kirilenko has solid league stats. He is in league's top in rebounds (8th best: 6.0rpg) and averages impressive 1.4bpg and 57.8% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was 29-year old Croatian Zoran Planinic (199-G-82) of league's second-best Khimky. Planinic had a very good evening with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Of course Khimky cruised to a 88-80 relatively comfortable win over the lower-ranked Lokomotiv (#5, 7-6). Khimky's second position in the standings has not changed. His team lost just two games this season, while they won 9 matches. Planinic is well-known at Khimky and is a proven leader in his second season with the team.

Third on the list of top players last round was Serbian guard Ivan Paunic (194-G-87, agency: Beo Basket) of N.Novgorod (#10). Paunic scored 22 points. Despite Paunic's great performance N.Novgorod lost 74-79 to the higher-ranked Khimky (#2, 9-2). But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates. N.Novgorod can only dream about fighting for top spots in the league. They have extremely bad season and 1-11 record places them at the very bottom of the standings. Too bad for Paunic he does not play for a better team. But maybe if he did, his season stats would not be that high. Paunic has a very solid season. In 12 games in Russia he scored 9.0ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Zoran Planinic (199-G-82) of Khimky - 20 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists
5. Primoz Brezec (216-F/C-79) of N.Novgorod - 13 points and 9 rebounds
6. Semen Antonov (202-PF-89) of N.Novgorod - 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists
7. Vlado Ilievski (189-PG-80) of Lokomotiv - 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists
8. Kelly McCarty (201-F-75) of Unics - 15 points and 10 rebounds
9. Ramunas Siskauskas (197-G-78) of CSKA - 11 points and 6 rebounds
10. Vitaly Fridzon (195-G-85) of Khimky - 19 points and 2 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)

Standings - Higher League

Higher League Standings

Group A
1. AltajBasket		17-7
2. Kamit-Univ.		17-7
3. Novosybirsk		16-8
4. Dynamo Mo.		13-11
5. Planeta-Univ.		9-15
6. Stary Sobol NT		9-15
7. Rodniki Izh.		8-16
8. Neftekhimik T.		7-17
Group B
1. Avtodor S.		25-3
2. Sogdiana-Skif		21-9
3. Dynamo Kursk		20-10
4. Dynamo-MGTU		17-11
5. Elbrus Cherk.		13-15
6. Dynamo-Stavr.		12-16
7. BK Tambov		12-18
8. Volzhan.-GES		7-21
9. Desna Bryansk		3-27

SERBIA

Goran Bajic gets MVP of the Week award for Serbian A League - by Eurobasket News
Goran Bajic (207-C-83, agency: Beo Basket) had an amazing evening in the last round for Zeleznicar and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 25.
The 28-year old center had the game-high 25 points adding nine rebounds for Zeleznicar in his team's victory, helping them to beat Borac (#8, 12-13) 83-75. Zeleznicar maintains the 13th position in Serbian A League. The season is in a full swing, so it's only a dream for the team to make it into top half of the standings. For contrary they may face relegation if the situation turns from bad to worse. Zeleznicar have already lost 19 games and recorded just six victories. Bajic turned to be Zeleznicar's top player in his first season with the team. Goran Bajic averages this season 13.5ppg.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 23-year old power forward Slaven Cupkovic (205-PF-88) of Napredak. Cupkovic impressed basketball fans with a double-double of 20 points and 17 rebounds. Bad luck as Napredak was edged by the higher-ranked Smederevo (#7, 14-11) 83-81. Napredak managed to keep the same 12th spot in the standings. 18 lost games are too many comparing to just seven victories Napredak managed to get this year. Cupkovic is well-known by Napredak fans and he already established his position as one of team's most reliable players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 16.6ppg (#9). He also registered 7.5 boards per game.

The third best performed player last round was Davor Perak (198-G-83) of Tamis (#6). Perak got into 30-points club by scoring 34 points in the last round. He was a key player of Tamis, leading his team to a 83-67 easy win against the higher-ranked Mega Vizura (#3, 17-8). Tamis needs these victories very badly if they think about getting closer to top teams. Their record at this point is 15 victories and 10 lost games. Perak has a very solid season. In 22 games in Serbia he scored 13.2ppg. He also has FGP: 53.1% and 3PT: 40.5%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Milan Milovanovic (205-C/F-91) of Radnicki Basket - 12 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists
5. Nemanja Prolovic (188-G-87) of Borac - 22 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Nenad Miljenovic (194-G-93) of Mega Vizura - 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists
7. Novak Popovic (207-C-81) of Sloboda Uzice - 22 points and 2 rebounds
8. Nikola Pesakovic (193-G-91) of Borac - 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists
9. Strahinja Milosevic (203-F-85) of Vojvodina - 12 points and 3 rebounds
10. Zoran Majkic (207-C-78) of Proleter Naftagas - 14 points, 8 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)

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

SLOVAKIA

D2 - Standings

League One Stage Two Standings

Places 1-8
1. Petrzalka		7-1
2. Inter B		6-2
3. Slavia Kosice		6-2
4. Karlovka		5-3
5. Nova Ves B		3-5
6. Trnava		3-5
7. Ziar/Hronom		2-6
8. Sabinov		0-8
Places 9-16
1. BSC Bratislava		6-2
2. SKP Filozof		6-2
3. Holic		5-3
4. BKM Svit		4-4
5. Liptovsky M.		3-5
6. Roznava		3-5
7. Sered		3-5
8. Lucenec		2-6

Stage One Standings

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SPAIN

EuroChallenge: Fuenlabrada survive Triumph challenge - by Eurobasket News
Triumph - Fuenlabrada 68:78

Fuenlabrada recorded a crucial win over Triumph in the EuroChallenge quarterfinal series. The Spaniards pulled away with a road win in Game 2 of the series to force the decider on March 20. Leonardo Mainoldi (203-F-85) knocked down 23 points to pace the visitors.
The teams stayed on level terms in the opening quarter. The scoreboard read 18:18 after ten minutes. Fuenlabrada surged ahead early in the second quarter. They registered a 25:18 advantage. But Triumph did not allow the Spanish team to clear off. The hosts cut the deficit to just two points 36:38 at halftime. McKee put Triumph in front early in the third term. The Russian team piled up a 55:51 advantage at the final intermission. However Leonardo Mainoldi and Kirk Penney (196-G-80, college: Wisconsin) teamed up for 19 points in the fourth quarter and Fuenlabrada fired past Triumph to set an exciting third game in the series. Mike Hall (203-F-84, agency: SportsTalent, college: G.Washington) posted 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Kirk Penney added 13 points for the winners. Sergey Karasev (201-F-93) answered with 16 points for Triumph. Kyle Landry (207-C/F-86, college: N.Arizona) had 13 points and 7 rebounds in the losing effort.

Triumph: Sergey Karasev 16, Kyle Landry 13
Fuenlabrada: Leonardo Mainoldi 23, Mike Hall 21+12 boards, Kirk Penney 13

UCAM Murcia inks scoring machine Quincy Douby - by Eurobasket News
UCAM Murcia announced signing of Douby Quincy (191-G-84, college: Rutgers) for rest of the season. The 27-year-old American will make his debut in Liga Endesa next weekend. Douby spent last season in China. He had impressive 32 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 4.2 rpg in 43 games with Xinjiang Gyang Hui Flying Tigers. In 2009/10, Douby Quincy was a member of Darussafaka. He was the best scorer of Turkish TBL with 23.6 ppg. Douby also registered 4.9 apg and 2.3 spg for 21 games. Before Darussafaka, the player spent three seasons in the NBA. He played for the Sacramento Kings. In 2008/09, Douby averaged 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds for 19 games. Douby Quincy is a product of Rutgers University, where he graduated in 2006. He ended collegiate career among the Top-25 in Rutgers history in 10 statistical categories.

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SWEDEN

Delvon Johnson gets MVP of the Week award for Swedish Basketligan - by Eurobasket News
American Delvon Johnson (206-F/C-89, agency: Priority Sports) had an amazing evening in the last round for Uppsala and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 36.
The 22-year old power forward had the game-high 26 points adding nine rebounds for Uppsala in his team's victory, helping them to beat Boras (21-15) 95-81. Johnson turned to be Uppsala's top player in his first season with the team. The University of Arkansas graduate has very impressive stats this year. Johnson is in league's top in rebounds (2nd best: 10.1rpg) and averages solid 1.7bpg and 56.7% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 31-year old Croatian forward Drazen Klaric (205-F-80, agency: Court Side) of Jamtland. Klaric impressed basketball fans with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Bad luck as Jamtland lost that game 94-100 to the higher-ranked Sodertalje (#1, 23-13). Klaric is well-known by Jamtland fans and he already established his position as one of team's most reliable players.

The third best performed player last round was American Jason Thomas (191-G-82, agency: Gross Zeev ISA) of Boras (#3). Thomas showcased his all-around game by recording 21 points, twelve rebounds (!!!) and four assists in the last round. Despite Thomas' great performance Boras lost 81-95 to #4 ranked Uppsala. Thomas has a very solid season. In 35 games in Sweden he scored 11.6ppg. He also has 6.0rpg and FGP: 67.3%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Johan Akesson (210-C-84) of 08 - 20 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists
5. Johnell Smith (185-PG-80) of Sodertalje - 24 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists
6. Rhys Carter (190-PG-84) of Uppsala - 29 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists
7. Terrence Oglesby (188-G-88) of Eco Orebro - 34 points and 3 assists
8. Joakim Blom (211-C-76) of 08 - 22 points and 7 rebounds
9. Andrew Pleick (196-G-80) of Eco Orebro - 6 points, 7 rebounds and 14 assists
10. Keith Ramsey (205-F-87) of LF Basket - 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 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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SWITZERLAND

Standings - LNB

LNB Standings

1. Neuchatel		25-0
2. Vevey		18-7
3. BC AKA		17-8
4. Bern		17-8
5. Meyrin Geneve		16-8
6. Nyon U23		14-11
7. Bernex		13-12
8. Pully		11-14
9. Villars		10-15
10. Zurich Wildcats		9-14
11. Swiss Central		7-18
12. Acad.Fribourg		6-18
13. Blonay Basket		6-19
14. DDV Lugano		3-20

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TURKEY

Stats Leaders - D1

Points Per Game

Jonathan GIBSON
  Trabzonspor
  (182-PG-87)
  Avg: 18.8

1. Gibson, Trabzonspor	18.8
2. Chatman, Karsiyaka	18.6
3. Brown, Trabzonspor	18.4
4. Grundy, Mersin	17.9
5. Fisher, Antalya	17.8
6. Kemp, Besiktas	17.1
7. Washington, Turk T.	16.2
8. Karadeniz, Turk T.	15.9
9. Erceg, Besiktas	15.8
10. Toolson, Aliaga	15.5

Rebounds Per Game

Elton BROWN
  Trabzonspor
  (206-C-83)
  Avg: 11.3

1. Brown, Trabzonspor	11.3
2. Stimac, Olin Edirne	9.8
3. Mensah-Bonsu, Bes.	8.7
4. Sanders, Hacett.	8.4
5. Buckman, Tofas	7.8
6. Wesson, Erdemir	7.5
7. Sonkol, Aliaga	7.3
8. McGhee, Bandirma.	7.2
9. Yucel, Turk T.	6.8
10. Miller, Bandirma	6.8

Assists Per Game

Baris ERMIS
  Banvit BK
  (194-G-85)
  Avg: 6.5

1. Ermis, Banvit BK	6.5
2. Williams, Besiktas	6.4
3. Chatman, Karsiyaka	6.1
4. Tunceri, Anadolu	5.3
5. Senturk, Erdemir	5.2
6. Ratkovica, Aliaga	5.0
7. Gordon, Galatasaray	4.7
8. Washington, Turk T.	4.6
9. Arroyo, Besiktas	4.4
10. Steele, Tofas	4.3

Steals Per Game

Vincent GRIER
  Mersin
  (195-G/F-83)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Grier, Mersin	2.1
2. Chatman, Karsiyaka	1.9
3. Robinson, Trabzons.	1.8
4. Ermis, Banvit BK	1.7
5. Scales, Mersin	1.7
6. Bryan-A., Hacett.	1.7
7. Kinsey, Anadolu	1.6
8. Hawkins, Besiktas	1.6
9. Grundy, Mersin	1.5
10. Gordon, Galatasar.	1.5

Blocks Per Game

Matthew BRYAN-AMANING
  Hacett.
  (205-F-88)
  Avg: 1.3

1. Bryan-A., Hacett.	1.3
2. Davis, Banvit BK	1.1
3. Turkyilmaz, Banvit	1.0
4. Qvale, Aliaga	1.0
5. Robinson, Erdemir	0.9
6. Bayav, Karsiyaka	0.9
7. Barac, Anadolu Ef.	0.9
8. Gist, Fener.Ulker	0.9
9. McGhee, Bandirma.	0.9
10. Aldemir, Galatasa.	0.9

Standings - TBL

TBL Standings

1. Galatasaray		19-3
2. Anadolu Efes		18-4
3. Banvit BK		17-5
4. Besiktas		17-5
5. Fener.Ulker		16-6
6. Karsiyaka		12-10
7. Aliaga		11-11
8. Tofas		11-11
9. Erdemir		10-12
10. Turk Telekom		9-13
11. Hacettepe Univ.		8-14
12. Mersin		8-14
13. Olin Edirne		7-15
14. Antalya		5-17
15. Trabzonspor		5-17
16. Bandirma Kir.		3-19

EuroChallenge: Besiktas advance into Final Four - by Eurobasket News
Besiktas - Artland Dragons 77:63

Besiktas became the first team to reach EuroChallenge Final Four. They edged Artland Dragons at home court to complete the sweep of quarterfinal series. Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-F-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: G.Washington) dominated the game tallying 25 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists for Besiktas.
The hosts gained a narrow 19:17 lead ten minutes into the game. Besiktas went on a 15:2 run at the start of the second frame to take a 32:19 lead. The hosts took over and rallied to a 44:25 halftime lead. Artland Dragons though never said die. The German team cut the distance to 7 points 46:53 late in the quarter. Anthony King (206-F/C-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) put the Dragons within five points at the start of the fourth period 50:55. Pops Mensah-Bonsu stepped up for the home team scoring 8 points in a row and giving Besiktas a 69:55 advantage. The Dragons had no answer for this as the hosts raced to the win. Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) nailed 19 points, while David Hawkins (194-G-82, college: Temple) netted 11 points for the winners. The Dragons answered with 15 points from David Holston (170-G-86, college: Chicago St.). Anthony King netted 12 points in defeat.

Besiktas: Pops Mensah-Bonsu 25+17 boards, Zoran Erceg 19, David Hawkins 11
Artland Dragons: David Holston 15, Anthony King 12

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U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

In Fab Melo's absence, the bright lights shine on Rakeem Christmas - by David Edole
Pittsburgh Hes ready.

That, essentially, is how Rakeem Christmas (205-F-91) described his state of mind Wednesday, on the eve of the most important start in his fledgling career at Syracuse.

Christmas, a soft-spoken freshman of few words, will start Thursday in the absence of Fab Melo, the Orange center deemed ineligible by his school for the NCAA Tournament.

Christmas had been asked to pinch-hit for Melo earlier this season, when academic issues sidelined the 7-footer.

I told him its his opportunity, SU guard Scoop Jardine said. Hes going to step up to the plate.

Orange players said all the right things on Wednesday, as they met with reporters the day after SU announced Melos ineligibility. They acknowledged it would be difficult to replace Melo, but they also said Christmas had shown, over the past few weeks, an ability to shoulder more responsibility.

Christmas said he was a little bit stunned when he heard the news in a team meeting Tuesday before the Orange departed for Pittsburgh. He said SU coach Jim Boeheim and assistant Mike Hopkins assured him that he was ready for this.

At 6-foot-9, Christmas came to SU as a high school center who never played zone defense. He was asked, for much of this year, to play the forward spot in SUs 2-3. But since Melo missed time in January, Christmas has worked almost exclusively at center.

He prefers the center spot, if only because hes more familiar with the geography there. He acknowledged that when he filled in for Melo at Notre Dame, Irish center Jack Cooley made him look like the inexperienced freshman he was.

After that game, Christmas met with Hopkins, who coaches the centers. The two reviewed game film from South Bend, and Hopkins emphasized the lessons Christmas should learn from that encounter.

Boxing out, certain places I need to be when shots go up, stopping people on defense, Christmas said. Youve got to step up when people are coming into the lane. You cant let those people score. Youve just got to move over and just help.

Christmas, like most rookie big men, needed to adapt to the bigger, stronger bodies that populate the Big East Conference. He has relied on his quickness to beat opponents to spots, to compensate for his relative lack of bulk (222 pounds).

Against Cincinnati, he grabbed nine rebounds, blocked three shots and made two key assists. Against Connecticut in the Big East Tournament, Christmas had five rebounds in eight minutes.

SU players C.J. Fair and Jardine seemed confident that Christmas could replicate those efforts.

Hes been looking very good lately, Fair said. And hes getting more confidence in himself. And he can see the team getting confidence in him, and thats making his spirit even brighter.

Early this morning, Rak had a great practice, Jardine said. Probably one of the best practices he had all year. He was just real confident and hes playing at a high level.

His leash is longer. He doesnt have to make one mistake and know hes coming out of the game. He can play through mistakes and be a part of the game and really get a feel for the game. And when you get comfortable, when you get a feel for the game, you get to make plays.

He had been criticized by his coach for playing soft. Christmas, by far, has incurred more of Boeheims wrath than any other player this season. The coach acknowledged as much on Wednesday.

Ive been beating him up every day, knocking him around, having our guys knock him around. So hes getting tougher. Hes probably not getting meaner, Boeheim said. Yeah, I think hes made a lot of progress. I think hes a very hard worker in practice. ... He had a great game against Cincinnati when he had to step it up. So I think hes prepared for this situation.

Christmas said he felt hed disappointed his teammates in the Notre Dame game. With the Orange constructing a season of historic proportions, he hated to be the player accused of ruining the run.

But on Wednesday, he seemed happy in the moment. He has been thrust into what some might consider a difficult spot. But Christmas, it appears, views his plight differently. Instead of watching Thursdays NCAA Tournament game from the bench, he will be an active participant.

Im just coming out here to have fun and play a game, Christmas said.

Im great, he insisted. Im great right now.

By Donna Ditota/The Post-Standard

Raja Bell selected the top Virgin Islander playing abroad in last week''s games - by Eurobasket Center
We bring you last week''s top performances from Virgin Islanders who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

Raja Bell

#1. This week''s number one is an experienced international swingman Raja Bell (196-76, agency: Interperformances, college: FIU), who plays in the NBA. He could not help the Utah Jazz (20-22) to beat the Phoenix Suns (20-22). Bell scored 7 points. The Utah Jazz was defeated 120-111 on the road by the Suns. This season Bell averages: 6.7ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.1apg, 2FGP: 55.4%(46-83), 3FGP: 41.0% and FT: 84.0%. He has a dual citizenship: U.S. Virgin Islands and American. Bell is currently a member of the U.S. Virgin Islands senior national team.

Jason Edwin

#2. Second place goes to an international swingman Jason Edwin (197-81, college: Kent St.), who plays in the Venezuelan LPB. He was not able to help one of league''s weakest teams Gaiteros (7-15) in their last game on Friday. Despite Edwin''s very good performance Gaiteros was defeated 92-86 at home by the higher-ranked Bucaneros (#6). He recorded 21 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Edwin has individually a very good season with high stats. He averages: 19.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.0apg, 2.0spg. Edwin is in the roster of the U.S. Virgin Islands senior national team.

Frank Elegar

#3. The U.S. Virgin Islands player who performed third best last week abroad was former international center Frank Elegar (206-86, college: Drexel), who plays in the Turkish TBL. He was not able to secure a victory for Antalya (5-17) in their last game. Despite Elegar''s good performance Antalya lost 79-84 on their home court in Antalya to the much higher-ranked (#3) Banvit BK. He recorded 12 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 21 minutes. It was Antalya''s third consecutive loss in a row. This year Elegar''s overall stats are: 9.0ppg, 5.8rpg, 2FGP: 73.7%(14-19) and FT: 47.1% in the four games he played so far. He played for the U.S. Virgin Islands national team two years ago.

Phillip Michael Jones

#4. Power forward Phillip Michael Jones (209-85, college: Charlotte) contributed to U-Mobitelco''s victory against one of league''s weakest teams Politehnica (0-25) 81-70 in the Romanian Division A on Saturday night. He recorded 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. U-Mobitelco BT Cluj Napoca (16-8) is placed sixth in the Division A. There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. Jones'' total stats this season are: 5.4ppg and 3.4rpg. Worth to mention Jones played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him get the job in pro basketball. He is also U.S. Virgin Islands national team player.

Craig Williams

#5. Former international forward Craig Williams (205-89) couldn''t help the one of league''s weakest teams TCU (7-7) in their game against the Colorado State University (9-5) in the conference tournament. Williams recorded only 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 10 minutes. The TCU was crushed 81-60 in Fort Collins, CO by the Colorado State University. This year Williams'' total stats are: 5.4ppg and 3.4rpg in the five games. He used to play for the U.S. Virgin Islands national team two years ago.

Jerome Gumbs

   #6. Forward Jerome Gumbs (194-82, college: USF) was the major contributor in Residence''s victory against the second-ranked Etzella (18-4) 96-89 in the Luxembourg Diekirch League last Saturday. Gumbs recorded 24 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Residence Walferdange (11-11) is placed sixth in 1-6 places group. They ended the series of three consecutive loses. It''s Gumbs'' first season with the team. This year he has very high stats. Gumbs averages: 19.8ppg, 7.0rpg and 1.7apg. He is an international player who is currently on the senior U.S. Virgin Islands National Team roster.

The list of other players, who all have U.S. Virgin Islands passport but never been selected to any of U.S. Virgin Islands national teams:

   #1. Experienced Tim Duncan (208-C/F-76, college: Wake Forest) was the major contributor in a San Antonio Spurs'' victory against the Orlando Magic (28-16) 122-111 in the NBA in Wednesday night''s game. He had a double-double by scoring 21 points and getting 13 rebounds in 31 minutes. The San Antonio Spurs have a solid 28-13 record this season. It''s Duncan''s 15th year with the team. Duncan has individually a very good year with high stats. He averages: 14.5ppg, 8.6rpg, 2.6apg and 1.4bpg in the 39 games he played so far. Duncan has a dual citizenship: U.S. Virgin Islands and American. Despite his U.S. Virgin Islands passport, Duncan previously played for the USA national team and is probably not eligible to play for the U.S. Virgin Islands team.

   #2. Julius Hodge (201-G-83, agency: I.D.S. Law, college: N.Carolina St.), who plays in the Puerto Rican BSN could not help Caciques (1-5) in their last game. Despite his very good performance the bottom-ranked Caciques was edged 69-66 on the road by the second-ranked Vaqueros. Hodge had a double-double by scoring 22 points and getting 10 rebounds. He also added 6 assists in 39 minutes. But this is still an early stage of the season and everything may happen. Hodge belongs to league''s top scorers (ranked #6) and also on the list of best rebounders (third place). He has very impressive stats this year: 17.0ppg, 8.7rpg, 4.3apg and 1.7spg in the six games. Hodge is another player who holds two passports: U.S. Virgin Islands and Antiguan. Despite his U.S. Virgin Islands nationality, Hodge currently plays for the Antiguan national team and cannot be called to the U.S. Virgin Islands team.

   #3. Carl Krauser (185-G-81, college: Pittsburgh) was not able to help the one of league''s weakest teams one of league''s weakest teams Quebec Kebs (22-14) in their game against the Halifax Rainmen (23-13) in the NBL Canada. Krauser recorded 8 points in only 9 minutes. The Quebec Kebs lost 87-96 in Halifax, NS to the second-ranked Halifax Rainmen. Krauser has very impressive stats this year: 19.8ppg, 7.0rpg and 1.7apg in the 21 games.

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UKRAINE

Stats Leaders - Men

Points Per Game

Willie SOLOMON
  Cherkasy
  (187-G-78)
  Avg: 22.1

1. Solomon, Cherkasy	22.1
2. Culpepper, Fe.