EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 5/16/2012 1:04:01 AM

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Men News

*****************************************************
  ACPBL   


Standings

ACPBL Standings
Big Apple Division
 1. Hudson Valley 7-7 
 2. NYC 524 6-8 
 3. Toms River S. 5-9 
 4. Manhattan P. 0-14 
North Division
 1. Hartford L. 11-3 
 2. Garden St. R. 10-4 
 3. North Jersey P. 4-10 
 4. Buffalo W. 1-13 
South Division
 1. Palmieri Jeans 12-2 
 2. Beltway B. 11-3 
 3. Bay Area Sh. 6-8 
 4. Center Court 1-13 



*****************************************************
  AFRICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS   


Sixteen locals called up for zonal qualifiers - by Kristian Santiago

The coaching-tandem of Parfaito Adjivon and Cheikh Sarr called up 16 players for the preparations regarding the zonal qualifiers for the African Championships in Cape Verde.

Ngor Goudiaby (Sibac Dakar)
Mamadou Ndoye (190-PG-79) (Sibac Dakar)
Pape Faye (194-G-87) (AS Douanes Dakar)
Ibrahima Mbengue (AS Douanes Dakar)
Mayoro Fall (Ndiambour Louga)
Pape Maguette Ndione (196-G/F-84) (US Goree)
Elhadji Diakhate (203-F-87) (Mermoz)
Diegane Faye (Mermoz)
Mouhamed Diop (203-C) (UGB St.Louis)
Ibrahima Kebe (UGB St.Louis)
Pape Mor Faye (UGB St.Louis)
Mamadou Ndoye (UGB St.Louis)
Younousse Diop (US Rail Thies)
Pape Moussa Seck (US Rail Thies)
Abdoul Ba (DUC Dakar)
Mamadou Ndiaye (DUC Dakar)


*****************************************************
  ANGOLA   


Petro de Luanda loses chances for title-ship - by Eurobasket News

Petro de Luanda has lost all chances of winning this years national basketball title after losing 79-82 to Primeiro d'Agosto last Saturday in matchday 8.

Even if Petro was to win in the last two matchdays they will not meet up on the leader Libolo who has 18 points.
Courtesy of: StarAfrica.com


Results and Standings of BAIBaisket2012 - by Eurobasket News

Luanda 1 de Agosto defeated on Saturday Petro de Luanda by 82-79 at Luanda's Cidadela pavilion, in the third round of the national senior male basketball championship (BAIBaisket2012).

Recreativo do Libolo beat on Saturday Sporting de Cabinda for the same round and lead the competition with 16 points.

Check results:

Petro de Luanda - 1 de Agosto (79-82)

Recreativo do Libolo - Sporting de Cabinda (84-65)

Interclube - ASA (77-69)

Standing:

1. Recreativo do Libolo - 16 points

2. 1 de Agosto - 15 points

3. Petro de Luanda - 13 points

4. Interclube - 12 points

5. ASA - 09 points

6. Sporting de Cabinda - 08 points
Courtesy of: Angola Press


*****************************************************
  ARGENTINA   

Stats Leaders - LigaA

Points Per Game
 Joe SMITH
  La Union
  (193-G-77)
  Avg: 17.3
 1. Smith, La Union17.3 
 2. Gutierrez, Obras16.8 
 3. Villegas, Sionista16.6 
 4. McHopson, Quilm.16.3 
 5. OBannon, Boca Jrs16.1 
 6. DeGroat, Olimpico.15.8 
 7. Quinteros, Regat.15.6 
 8. Martinez, San M.15.6 
 9. Pittman, Libertad.15.3 
 10. Meyinsse, Wuber-.15.3 
Rebounds Per Game
 Jack Michael MARTINEZ
  San M.
  (203-F/C-81)
  Avg: 12.4
 1. Martinez, San M.12.4 
 2. Battle, Libertad S.9.9 
 3. Davis, GECR I.9.5 
 4. Sandes, Sionista9.1 
 5. Lloreda, Olimpico.8.8 
 6. Gutierrez, Obras8.4 
 7. Williams, Quimsa7.6 
 8. DeGroat, Olimpico.7.5 
 9. Truscott, Quilm.7.3 
 10. Matthews, Quilm.7.1 
Assists Per Game
 Facundo CAMPAZZO
  Penarol
  (179-PG-91)
  Avg: 5.9
 1. Campazzo, Penarol5.9 
 2. Sanchez, Wuber-.5.5 
 3. Stanic, Boca Jrs5.5 
 4. Cequeira, Sionista4.8 
 5. Martinez, Regat.4.7 
 6. Laprovittola, Lanus3.8 
 7. Victoriano, San M.3.7 
 8. Sucatzky, Atenas3.7 
 9. Osimani, Obras3.5 
 10. Labaque, Atenas3.4 
Steals Per Game
 Matias LESCANO
  Atenas
  (196-G/F-79)
  Avg: 2.3
 1. Lescano, Atenas2.3 
 2. Campazzo, Penarol2.2 
 3. Quinteros, Regat.1.8 
 4. Moldu, Olimpico LB1.7 
 5. McHopson, Quilm.1.6 
 6. Sanchez, Wuber-.1.5 
 7. Ciorciari, GECR I.1.5 
 8. Torre, Club 91.4 
 9. DeGroat, Olimpico.1.4 
 10. Stanic, Boca Jrs1.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Robert BATTLE
  Libertad S.
  (204-C-81)
  Avg: 1.5
 1. Battle, Libertad S.1.5 
 2. Clancy, Club 91.2 
 3. Meyinsse, Wuber-.1.2 
 4. Rollins, Sionista1.2 
 5. Gutierrez, Obras1.1 
 6. Matthews, Quilm.1.0 
 7. Roe, Regatas C.1.0 
 8. Rollins, San M.0.9 
 9. Humphrey, Atenas0.9 
 10. Ayarza, Club 90.9 


Argentina NT U18 - by Facundo Iatzky

Enrique Tolcahier released the list of 12 players who will be in San Pablo, Brazil in June for the U18 FIBA Americas tournament that qualifies for the U19 world championship of next year.
these are the 12 players:

Mauro Araujo (186-G-94) of Argentino junin
Pedro Barral (181-PG-94) of Obras sanitarias
Matias Bernardini (180-G-94) of Sportsmen rosario
Gabriel Deck (195-F-95) of Quimsa
Lucas Gonzalez (193-F-94) of Instituto
Rodrigo Haag (190-G-95) of Echague parana
Martin Massone (191-F-94) of GEVP
Ignacio Moreno (197-F-94) of El nacional
Sergio Rupil (185-G-94) of Instituto
Luciano Tognon (203-C-94) of regatas corrientes
Gonzalo Torres (201-C-94) of BB Estudiantes
Gaston Whelan (187-G-94) of hindu Cordoba

Coach: Enrique Tolcachier


Atenas confirm Diego Guaita - by Eurobasket News

Atenas confirmed the signing of Diego Guaita (204-C-83). The centre will join the Cordoba team next season. Diego Guaita played for Lanus Buenos Aires last season. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds per game in LigaA. Previously the centre had stints with Deportivo Roca, Boca Juniors, Tau Vitoria, Fuenlabrada, Ourense, Tenerife, Caceres, Ciclista Olimpico de La Banda. He was the member of Argentinean U16, U18 and U21 National Teams. Diego Guaita played for Argentinean National Team at the Panamerican Games in 2003.
Atenas are also pursuing Alejandro Diez (201-C-87). The centre played for Boca Juniors last season. His stats read 7.2 points, 3.9 rebounds per appearance in LigaA.


Penarol grabs 1-0 lead in LigaA Finals - by Eurobasket News

Obras - Penarol 78-80 (0-1)

First game of the LigaA Finals was played last night. Penarol did a great job celebrating 78-80 road victory for 1-0 lead in the series. The format is best-of-seven and second game is scheduled for Wednesday. Obras will be the host again. Leonardo Gutierrez (200-F-78) top-scored for the winners with 21 points and Kyle Lamonte (191-G-84, college: William Carey) helped with two points less. Facundo Campazzo (179-PG-91) followed them with 18 points. In the loosing squad, Juan Gutierrez (205-F/C-83) shined with double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds. Tony Washam (200-F-82, college: St.Vincent) had 14 points and 7 rebs, while Julio Mazzaro (190-G-79) added 12 pts and 5 rebs. It was a very exciting game and Penarol players shined when it mattered most to secure the very valuable road victory. Quarters: 16-23, 21-13, 15-25, 26-19. Penarol will be the host of Game Three and Four (May 21 and 23).

Obras: Juan Gutierrez 22+11 boards, Tony Washam 14+7 boards, Julio Mazzaro 12+5 boards
Penarol: Leonardo Gutierrez 21, Kyle Lamonte 19, Facundo Campazzo 18


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


Australia U17 tour China - by Eurobasket News

Australian U17 National Team travelled to China for a number of exhibition games. Australia opened their China campaign with three wins in a row.
Australia took on hosting China. The visitors celebrated a tough fought 84:78 OT victory. Felix von Hafe came up with 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the winners. Nick Duncan (95) added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the visitors.
Next Australian U17 squad took on Vaerlose team of Denmark. It was another tough game for the Aussies but they managed to prevail 77:72 at the end. Dante Exum led the effort with 16 points. Josh Derksen (202-F-95) added 12 points in the winning case.
Australia faced Lithuanian counterparts in the third game on the tour. The European team was up by 6 points at halftime 39:33. But Australia turned the tables in the second half. They increased the tempo and ran away with an 83:76 win at the end. Michael Luxford (180-G-95) connected for 19 points in the victory. Ben Simmons (198-F-95) added 11 points for Australia.


No place like home for MSBL teams (Round 9 men's wrap) - by Eurobasket News

Home court advantages dominated round nine of the men's State Basketball League with host teams taking home eight of the nine weekend victories.

League number one the Lakeside Lightning took down the Perth Redbacks 90-84 on Friday night.

The Lightning were led by Luke Payne (22 points and 11 rebounds) while Redbacks big man & Wildcats development player Michael Vigor (206-F/C-90) (26 points, ten rebounds and six assists) led the way for his side.

Defensive pressure from the Redbacks saw the Lightning struggle offensively, making just 25/96 shots but Lakeside saw more off the ball thanks for a 71-42 rebound count.

Breathing down the neck of the current leaders are the Wanneroo Wolves who are gunning for the top spot after defeating the South West Slammers 124-83.

The Wolves were led by Jordan Wild (23 points, seven rebounds), Damian Matacz (205-C-79, college: N.Michigan) (22 points) and a triple-double from Greg Hire with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

It was another great weekend for the up and coming Mandurah Magic locking in two more wins, taking down the Willetton Tigers 85-83 on Friday night and the Goldfields Giants 114-100 on Saturday.

Taylor Mullenax (201-F/C-86, college: St.Edward's) (18 points, eight rebounds) and Thomas Remmerswaal 26 points, 15 rebounds went head to head with Tiger's Robert Kampman (25 points, 13 rebounds) and Ephrem Davis with (21 points and 13 rebounds).

Mandurah's Taylor Mullenax had another incredible game against the Giants with 29 points and 13 rebounds alongside superstar Thomas Remmerswaal with 31 points.

Willetton had a weekend to forget with another two heart breaking losses, going down to the Redbacks 90-89 on Saturday night as well.

The Perry Lakes Hawks defeated the Giants 95-93 with a stand out offensive performance form Shane Ross (203-F/C-86, college: Toledo) with 32 points and 18 rebounds.

The Geraldton Buccaneers defeated Stirling Senators 96-87, the Senators only making a disheartening eight percent of shots taken from the three point line.

The East Perth Eagles defeated the Cockburn Cougars 96-76 while a bottom of the ladder clash saw the Kalamunda Eastern Suns take down the Rockingham Flames 127-95 for Kalamunda's second win of the season.

Article by Hannah Coleman
Courtesy of: http://www.sbl.asn.au/


Kings announce first signings - by Eurobasket News

Sydney Kings Head Coach, Shane Heal has announced the first official signings for the 2012-2013 season. The announcement follows the return of Ben Madgen (193-G/F-85, college: Augusta St.), Graeme Dann (202-F-83), and Luke Martin (182-PG-81, college: UTEP) who all remain on contract from last season.

Aaron Bruce (190-G-84), Ian Crosswhite (210-C-82, college: Oregon), Tom Garlepp (203-F-86, college: UCSB), and James Harvey (196-G/F-79, agency: Interperformances) have all confirmed they will play for the Sydney Kings in 2012-2013.

Shane Heal said that he is delighted with the structure of the new Sydney Kings line up; and saved a special mention for returning player, Aaron Bruce.

'I am delighted to have re-signed Aaron Bruce for this forthcoming season. We know how talented he is and, personally, I think he is yet to show his true value to the team', Shane said.

'We will be playing Aaron in more of a shooting guard role, where he will be very difficult to defend. The coaching team will be working with Aaron to exploit his explosive scoring and passing ability, which I don't think even he realises is one of his greatest strengths. We are all really looking forward to working with Aaron and to watching himplay a valuable and very exciting role for us', he added.

Head Coach Heal said that Ian Crosswhite is a key signing for the Sydney Kings and that he is a very good NBL five-man. He believes that Crosswhites best years are in front of him and with his tough defence and solid post play, which is crucial in any good team, he will be a real asset to the Sydney Kings.

Ian lead the Cairns Taipans in assists last season and I believe he will help raise the intensity and commitment of the whole team with his solid overall post play. We have signed Ian to a two-year deal, so we have a great opportunity to utilise his talents, Shane said.

The Sydney Kings have also signed Tom Garlepp, who played last season behind Worthington, Petrie, and Hoare at the Gold Coast Blaze; but did not play a great number of minutes. Described as a tough and talented backup four-man with tremendous mobility and a very good mid range game; Coach Heal said that Garlepps work ethic, and overall commitment to take his game to the next level, will help the Sydney Kings over the next two seasons.

Shane said that the last Sydney Kings signing to be announced today is James Harvey, who is widely acknowledged as one of the most lethal shooters in the NBL of the past 10 years.

The addition of Harvey to the Sydney Kings roster will help with a crucial missing link behind the arc. Every team need a leader, and I am confident James will fill the void from last season. He is one of the most passionate leaders I have played with both on the court and in the gym, Shane said.

His work ethic will definitely set an example for the Sydney Kings to reach my expectations of being the fittest in the league. James Harvey is a big game player who has dealt with persistentinjuries over the past couple of seasons, so he will come to the Sydney Kings with something to prove, he added.

Sydney Kings CEO, Ian Robilliard said that the organisation was heading in the right direction with a relatively new team both on and off the court and that he is particularly impressed by the structure of the roster that head Coach, Shane Heal , had signed so far.

We already have a number of players back in training ahead of the 2012-2013 season and others will be joining them over the forthcoming weeks. This is an exciting time for the Sydney Kings and our supporters. Shanes team has youth and experience, which is a great combination that should translate to a successful season for the Sydney Kings, Robilliard said.

Courtesy of NBL


Gold Coast Blaze update - by Eurobasket News

The National Basketball League has released the following statement from Basketball Australia interim Chief Executive Officer Scott Derwin as an update on the status of the Gold Coast Blaze, who were placed into voluntary administration last week.

'I flew to the Gold Coast last week and on Thursday met with the ownership of the Gold Coast Blaze as well as the players, team staff and the clubs appointed Administrator, Roland Robson', said Mr. Derwin. 'Those meetings have given us reason for renewed levels of optimism around the future of the club.'

'The team's ownership and management are extremely confident of finalising negotiations with an additional new investor with whom they had already been in discussions.'

'Clearly, we still need to allow the Administrator to analyse these plans and the overall position of the club in detail before we can be certain that Gold Coast will continue to play on in the NBL. However based on the information we have so far, those who have been forecasting the demise of the Blaze since Friday are certainly premature and quite possibly wrong.'

The NBL will provide a further update once the Administrator has completed his analysis.

Courtesy of NBL


Adelaide 36ers sign PG Jason Cadee - by Eurobasket News

Jason Cadee (186-G-91) is a new member of Adelaide 36ers. The Australian point guard penned a deal for the next two seasons. He spent last two with the Gold Coast Blaze, coming off the bench to support Boomer Adam Gibson (188-G-86). He appeared 31 times for the club averaging 5.2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. GCB reached NBL Semifinals. In 2010/11 season with the Blaze Cadee had 3.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg and 1.4 apg for 16 games. Meanwhile the point guard played for the ABA team Bankstown Bruins registering almost 25 ppg in 2011 season. In the past, Cadee played for AIS and Australian U19 National Team. He helped U19 NT to reach the Semifinals at World Championships U19 in New Zealand. For 9 games Jason Cadee averaged 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists.


*****************************************************
  AUSTRIA   


Coach As Basketball camp - by Aaron Mitchell

Hallo A.M. Campers! Spt aber doch, knnen wir heute den genauen Termin fr das A.M. Basketballcamp 2012 bekanntgeben. Vom Sonntag, 08. Juli bis einschlielich Samstag, 14. Juli 2012 findet das A.M. Camp in Schrding statt. Wie im letzten Jahr werden die Trainingseinheiten 2-3 x pro Tag in der Sporthalle Schrding stattfinden. Die Unterkunft werden wir euch nchste Woche auf unserer Homepage bekanntgeben. In Sache Trainer, wird euch Coach Aaron diese in den nchsten Wochen bekanntgeben. Sicher ist, dass euch Coach Lorenzo O'Neal wieder krftig die 'Wandln' trainieren wird lol. Wir freuen uns jetzt schon riesig auf euer Kommen, denn Spass, Lachen und vor allem tolle Trainingseinheiten stehen wie immer hoch auf der Tagesordnung! So nun knnt ihr euch auf eine tolle Basketballwoche, bei hoffentlich schnem Wetter freuen! Falls ihr noch Fragen habt, knnt ihr uns jederzeit via Kontakt auf unserer Homepage erreichen. Wnsch euch noch ein schnes Wochenende! Lg, Coach A & Petra

Hello there its camp time, July 8th - July 14th . It promises to be exciting and fun. We have alot of new things as well as new competitions . Come one come all. Go to aaronmitchellbasketballcamp.at​ to registrate. 'I AM WAITING FOR YOU'!!!! Coach A


Coach As Basketball camp - by Aaron Mitchell

Hallo A.M. Campers! Spt aber doch, knnen wir heute den genauen Termin fr das A.M. Basketballcamp 2012 bekanntgeben. Vom Sonntag, 08. Juli bis einschlielich Samstag, 14. Juli 2012 findet das A.M. Camp in Schrding statt. Wie im letzten Jahr werden die Trainingseinheiten 2-3 x pro Tag in der Sporthalle Schrding stattfinden. Die Unterkunft werden wir euch nchste Woche auf unserer Homepage bekanntgeben. In Sache Trainer, wird euch Coach Aaron diese in den nchsten Wochen bekanntgeben. Sicher ist, dass euch Coach Lorenzo O'Neal wieder krftig die 'Wandln' trainieren wird lol. Wir freuen uns jetzt schon riesig auf euer Kommen, denn Spass, Lachen und vor allem tolle Trainingseinheiten stehen wie immer hoch auf der Tagesordnung! So nun knnt ihr euch auf eine tolle Basketballwoche, bei hoffentlich schnem Wetter freuen! Falls ihr noch Fragen habt, knnt ihr uns jederzeit via Kontakt auf unserer Homepage erreichen. Wnsch euch noch ein schnes Wochenende! Lg, Coach A & Petra

Hello there its camp time, July 8th - July 14th . It promises to be exciting and fun. We have alot of new things as well as new competitions . Come one come all. Go to aaronmitchellbasketballcamp.at to registrate. 'I AM WAITING FOR YOU'!!!! Coach A


*****************************************************
  BELARUS   


Eurobasket.com All-Belarusian League Awards 2011-12 - by Eurobasket

Eurobasket.com All-Belarusian League 1st Team 2012
#s#
Ronaldas Rutkauskas
Rutkauskas
Aliaksandr Kudrautsau
Kudrautsau
Bobby Maze
Maze
Justin Knox
Knox
Vadim Matyukevych
Matyukevych
#e#5

Player of the Year: Bobby Maze (191-G-86) of Minsk-2006
Guard of the Year: Bobby Maze (191-G-86) of Minsk-2006
Forward of the Year: Ronaldas Rutkauskas (203-F-92) of Minsk-2006
Center of the Year: Vadim Matyukevych (208-C-80) of Grodno-93
Bosman Player of the Year: Ronaldas Rutkauskas (203-F-92) of Minsk-2006
Import Player of the Year: Bobby Maze (191-G-86) of Minsk-2006
Domestic Player of the Year: Kiril Sitnik (190-G-89) of SBK Osipovichi
Newcomer of the Year: Ronaldas Rutkauskas (203-F-92) of Minsk-2006
Coach of the Year: Andrei Krivonos of Minsk-2006

1st Team
G: Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (190-80) of Minsk-2006
G: Bobby Maze (191-86) of Minsk-2006
F: Justin Knox (205-89) of Minsk-2006
F: Ronaldas Rutkauskas (203-92) of Minsk-2006
C: Vadim Matyukevych (208-80) of Grodno-93

2nd Team
PG: Siarhei Charykau (184-82) of SBK Osipovichi
G: Dmitri Akulich (192-86) of Rubon
F: Aliaksei Lashkevich (204-78) of Minsk-2006
F: Kanstantin Yafremov (202-86) of Grodno-93
C: Yury Mishukov (205-85) of SBK Osipovichi

Honorable Mention
Valentin Ignatchik (192-G) of Minsk-2006 II
Pavel Bliznets (205-C-94) of Sozh Gomel
Genniadiy Zakhar (198-F/G-92) of BGUIR-RTI
Aleh Kojenets (208-C-77) of Minsk-2006

All-Domestic Players Team
G: Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (190-80) of Minsk-2006
PG: Siarhei Charykau (184-82) of SBK Osipovichi
F: Aliaksei Lashkevich (204-78) of Minsk-2006
F: Kanstantin Yafremov (202-86) of Grodno-93
C: Yury Mishukov (205-85) of SBK Osipovichi

All-Imports Team* includes also Bosman players
G: Bobby Maze (191-86) of Minsk-2006
G: Stanislav Ovdeenko (192-84) of Grodno-93
F: Justin Knox (205-89) of Minsk-2006
F: Aleksandr Fomin (207-86) of Minsk-2006
C: Vadim Matyukevych (208-80) of Grodno-93


*****************************************************
  BELGIUM   

Stats Leaders - Division I

Points Per Game
 Christopher COPELAND
  Aalstar
  (203-F-84)
  Avg: 21.5
 1. Copeland, Aalstar21.5 
 2. Bostic, Liege16.7 
 3. Lojeski, Oostende14.8 
 4. Mallet, Spirou14.8 
 5. Black, Antwerp14.2 
 6. Haynes, Gent14.1 
 7. Taylor, M.Hainaut13.6 
 8. Love, Verviers-Pep.13.3 
 9. Broyles, Spirou13.2 
 10. Freeman, Leuven13.2 
Rebounds Per Game
 Jason LOVE
  Verviers-Pep.
  (206-F/C-87)
  Avg: 8.7
 1. Love, Verviers-Pep.8.7 
 2. Brown, Gent7.9 
 3. Mejri, Antwerp7.5 
 4. Young, Aalstar7.3 
 5. Merriex, Verviers.7.1 
 6. Mukubu, Verviers.6.8 
 7. McLean, Leuven6.6 
 8. Booker, Oostende6.3 
 9. Jackson, Aalstar6.2 
 10. Bostic, Liege5.7 
Assists Per Game
 Dominic WATERS
  Liege
  (185-PG-86)
  Avg: 4.1
 1. Waters, Liege4.1 
 2. Djordjevic, Ooste.3.6 
 3. Bosco, Gent3.4 
 4. Marnegrave, Leuven3.3 
 5. Black, Antwerp3.1 
 6. Steinbach, Aalstar2.9 
 7. Slaughter, M.Hai.2.9 
 8. Mallet, Spirou2.9 
 9. Taylor, M.Hainaut2.7 
 10. Thompson, Vervier.2.6 
Steals Per Game
 Adeola DAGUNDURO
  Leuven
  (196-G-86)
  Avg: 2.6
 1. Dagunduro, Leuven2.6 
 2. Mukubu, Verviers.2.2 
 3. Black, Antwerp2.1 
 4. Hopkins, Antwerp2.0 
 5. Bosco, Gent2.0 
 6. Mallet, Spirou1.9 
 7. Wilson, Antwerp1.8 
 8. Muya, Liege1.7 
 9. Maras, M.Hainaut1.6 
 10. Cage, M.Hainaut1.6 
Blocks Per Game
 Salah MEJRI
  Antwerp
  (216-C-86)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Mejri, Antwerp2.5 
 2. Riddick, Spirou1.8 
 3. Jennings, Liege1.5 
 4. Love, Verviers-Pep.0.9 
 5. Booker, Oostende0.8 
 6. Young, Aalstar0.8 
 7. Nivins, M.Hainaut0.6 
 8. Holiday, Aalstar0.5 
 9. Copeland, Aalstar0.5 
 10. Vaughn, Antwerp0.5 


Quarterfinals: Belfius Mons-Hainaut and Belgacom Spirou Basket celebrate in Game One - by Eurobasket News

Belfius Mons-Hainaut and Belgacom Spirou Basket are 1-0 up in the Playoff Quarterfinals against Aalstar and Leuven. Mons-Hainaut grabbed 72-77 road victory on Monday and Spirou celebrated 76-68 at home last night. The format is best-of-three so Mons-Hainaut and Spirou are one win away from the Semis. It is important to mention that Oostende and Antwerp are already in the Semifinals due to their record in regular season. There, Oostende will meet the winner of Mons-Hainaut - Aalstar series, while Antwerp will play against Spirou or Leuven. Second games of the QFinals are scheduled for today and tomorrow. Lauven and Mons-Hainaut will be the hosts.

Spirou - Leuven 76-68 (1-0)
The game without a history. Spirou Charleroi led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. 28 personal fouls committed by Leuven Bears helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of American forward Caleb Green (203-85, college: ORU) who helped to win the game recording 22 points and 9 rebounds. International forward Christophe Beghin (207-80, agency: Court Side) contributed with 9 points and 4 assists for the winners. Guard Niels Marnegrave (191-87) answered with 16 points and 5 assists and American point guard Jeremiah Davis (183-81, college: Pacific, agency: Strategic Sports) added 17 points in the effort for Leuven Bears. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next game.
Top scorers:
Leuven: J.Davis 17+2reb, N.Marnegrave 16+3reb+5ast, A.Dagunduro 11+3reb+1ast, J.Tofi 9+7reb+1ast, J.McLean 8+7reb+1ast, M.McGhee 4+4reb+1ast
Spirou: C.Green 22+9reb+1ast, C.Beghin 9+4reb+4ast, D.Broyles 9+6reb+2ast, S.Massot 7+5reb+2ast, J.Hamilton 7+4reb+1ast, C.Hill 7+1reb+1ast
gschID: 176566


Aalstar - M.Hainaut 72-77 (0-1)
The guests took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Okapi Aalstar won fourth quarter 20-16. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. It was a very good performance for American forward Ahmad Nivins (206-87, college: St.Joseph's) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points and 12 rebounds. His fellow American import swingman Shan Foster (198-86, college: Vanderbilt) contributed with 17 points for the winners. American guard Stefon Jackson (196-85, college: UTEP) answered with a double-double by scoring 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and international point guard Jorn Steinbach (181-89, agency: Court Side) added 19 points in the effort for Okapi Aalstar. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Aalstar: J.Steinbach 19+1reb+3ast, K.Kruger 15+1reb+1ast, C.Copeland 15+6reb+1ast, S.Jackson 11+10reb+4ast, C.Young 9+10reb, N.Fox 3+5reb+1ast
M.Hainaut: A.Nivins 22+12reb, S.Foster 17+4reb+3ast, I.Maras 13+5reb+1ast, A.Slaughter 10+2reb+6ast, Q.Taylor 9+1reb+2ast, A.Libert 4+4reb+2ast


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  BULGARIA   


Jared Homan's double-double lands him Player of the Week award among Bulgarians playing currently abroad - by Eurobasket Center

Here is the weekly review of the top performing Bulgarian players, who play currently abroad.

Jared Homan
Jared Homan
   #1. This week's number one is former international center Jared Homan (206-83, college: Iowa St.), who plays in the German BBL. He could not help one of league's weakest teams Bayern Muenchen (22-12) in their last game. Despite Homan's very good performance Bayern Muenchen lost 84-92 on the road to the higher-ranked (#4) Artland Dragons. He had a double-double by scoring 17 points and getting 12 rebounds in 28 minutes on the court. It's Homan's first season with the team. Homan belongs to league's best rebounders (ranked #3) and also on the list of best blockers (fifth place). He has very reliable stats this year: 13.9ppg, 7.6rpg, 1.8apg, 1.5bpg, 2FGP: 45.7% and FT: 49.7% in the 28 games he played so far. Homan is a naturalized American. Despite he played previously for the USA national team, Homan played also for the Bulgarian national team in 2010. Strangely he has never played in Bulgaria.

Pero Antic
Pero Antic
   #2. Second place goes to former international forward Pero Antic (210-82, agency: Beo Basket). Antic contributed to a 1-point Olympiacos' victory against the leader CSKA Moscow (5-1) 62-61 in the Euroleague last Sunday. He recorded 7 points. It was the game of the round between two top 2 ranked teams in group E. Olympiacos S.F.P. Pireus (3-3) is placed second. This season Antic averages: 7.2ppg, 4.3rpg, 2FGP: 44.4%, 3FGP: 25.0% and FT: 77.2%. He has a dual citizenship: FYR Macedonian and Bulgarian. Despite Antic played previously for the FYR Macedonian national team, he played also for the Bulgarian national team in 2010.

Ilian Evtimov
Ilian Evtimov
   #3. The Bulgarian player who performed third best last week abroad was an international forward Ilian Evtimov (201-83, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina St.), who plays in the French ProA. Evtimov was not able to help Chalon/Saor (23-6) in their last game. Despite his good performance Chalon/Saor lost 97-101 on the opponent's court to the lower-ranked (#8) Cholet. Evtimov scored 13 points in 27 minutes. They ended the series of three consecutive victories. His team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Evtimov has relatively good stats this year: 10.2ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.9apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 43.5%, 3FGP: 42.8% and FT: 93.9%(31-33) in the 28 games. He is another player who holds two passports: Bulgarian and French. Despite Evtimov played previously for the French national team, he is currently a member of the Bulgarian senior national team.

Roderick Blakney
Roderick Blakney
   #4. An experienced guard Roderick Blakney (184-76, college: S.Carolina St.) was not able to secure a victory for one of league's weakest teams Lokomotiv (9-9) in their game against Triumph Lyubertsy (12-6) in the Russian PBL. Blakney recorded 7 points. Lokomotiv was defeated 91-86 in Lubertsy by the higher-ranked Triumph Lyubertsy (#3). It was Lokomotiv's third consecutive loss in a row. Blakney's overall stats this season are: 6.0ppg, 1.2rpg and 1.5apg. He is a naturalized American. Despite Blakney played previously for the USA national team, he is currently in the Bulgarian national team roster. Apparently Blakney has never played in Bulgaria.

Hristo Nikolov
Hristo Nikolov
   #5. Former international forward Hristo Nikolov (200-85, agency: Global Sports Plaza) contributed to an easy victory against the closely-ranked Albacomp (21-5) crushing them 100-74 in the Hungarian A Division last Monday. He scored 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in only 14 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Szolnoki Olajbanyasz (21-5) is placed third in the A Division. It was his team's fourth consecutive victory in a row. This year Nikolov has relatively solid stats: 13.3ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.9apg and 1.5spg in the 31 games. Despite he played previously for the USA national team, Nikolov is currently in the Bulgarian national team roster.

Georgi Sirakov
Georgi Sirakov
   #6. Guard Georgi Sirakov (186-92, also represented by Interperformances) couldn't help Assi Ostuni (13-15) in their game against Enel Brindisi (18-10) in the Italian Lega2 (second division). He did not beat the league record on Friday evening. Sirakov scored only 3 points. Assi Ostuni was badly defeated 77-59 in Brindisi by the higher-ranked Enel (#3). This season Sirakov averages just 0.5ppg. He is U20 international player who is currently on the Bulgarian National Team roster.

Other top Bulgarian players, who play abroad:

Earl Rowland (188-G-83) plays for Unicaja Malaga in Spanish ACB
Earl Calloway (191-G-83) plays for Cajasol in Spanish ACB
Kaloyan Ivanov (205-F-86) plays for Meridiano Alicante in Spanish ACB
Alexandros Vezenkov (204-F/G-95) plays for Aris in Greek A1
Nikolay Varbanov (209-C-85) plays for Kalev/Cramo in Estonian KML
Kee Kee Clark (180-PG-84) plays for Umana Venezia in Italian SerieA
Pavlin Ivanov (195-G-93) plays for Benetton Treviso in Italian SerieA
Filip Videnov (196-F/G-80) plays for Olin Edirne in Turkish TBL
Willie Deane (188-PG-80) plays for Asefa Estudiantes in Spanish ACB
Cedric Simmons (206-F/C-86) plays for Asefa Estudiantes in Spanish ACB

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


Bulgarian U18 NT preliminary roster - by Maria Mitzova

20 players were invited for the first camp of the Bulgarian U18 National Team. Two or three more players might be called up upon their performance in the Final tournament in that age. Coach Petko Delev will gather the team for the start of the preparations on June 16 in Varna, and after the first phase, the number of players will be reduced.

The most important part of the preparations will begin on June 25 in Varna and will continue there until July 7. Then the team will travel to Sofia for friendly games, and then will return to Varna. Between July 17 and 21 juniros will participate in an international tournament in Turkey. More additional friendly games are expected.

Preliminary roster:
Denislav Vutev
Velislav Galabov
Stoyan Gruncharski
Kiril Kirilov
Deyan Karamfilov
Georgi Yankov
Maxim Vanchev
Nikolay Marinov
Alexander Vezenkov
Nikolay Stoyanov
Kris Minkov
Vasil Mihaylov
Dimitar Dimitrov
Nikolay Nikolov
Nikolay Grozev
Alexander Milov
George Barzakov
Anton Dikov
Venelin Hristov
Simeon Lepichev


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  CANADA   


Joel Anthony selected the top Canadian playing abroad in last week's games - by Eurobasket Center

We bring you last week's top performances from Canadians who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

Joel Anthony
Joel Anthony
   #1. This week's number one is an international center Joel Anthony (206-82, college: UNLV). He contributed to a Miami Heat's victory against the Indiana Pacers (42-24) 95-86 in the NBA in Sunday night's game. Anthony recorded 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 24 minutes on the court. The Miami Heat has a solid 46-20 record this season. It's Anthony's fourth year with the team. This year he averages: 3.4ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.2bpg, 2FGP: 56.9%(91-160) and FT: 70.1% in the 70 games he played so far. Anthony is currently a member of the Canadian senior national team.

Jermaine Anderson
Jermaine Anderson
   #2. Second place goes to an international guard Jermaine Anderson (188-83, college: Fordham). He was the major contributor in Buducnost's victory against the third-ranked Sutjeska (6-4) crushing them 80-57 in the Montenegrin 1A last Thursday. Anderson scored 14 points and added 4 passes. It was the game of the round between two top 3 ranked teams in group S-League. KK Buducnost Voli Podgorica (9-1) is placed first. It was his team's sixth consecutive victory in a row. It's Anderson's first season with the team. Anderson is ranked second on the list of the best passers in the league. His overall stats this season are: 7.2ppg, 1.5rpg, 3.7apg, 2FGP: 55.3%(21-38), 3FGP: 33.3% and FT: 90.5%(19-21). Anderson is in the roster of the Canadian senior national team.

Kyle Landry
Kyle Landry
   #3. The Canadian player who performed third best last week abroad was former international power forward Kyle Landry (207-86, college: N.Arizona). He helped Triumph Lyubertsy win their game against the closely-ranked Lokomotiv (9-9) 91-86 in the Russian PBL on Monday night. Landry recorded 8 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 29 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Triumph Lyubertsy (12-6) is placed third in the PBL. It was his team's fifth consecutive victory in a row. Landry is ranked fourth on the list of the best rebounders in the league with 6.3rpg. This year his other stats are: 10.1ppg, 1.5apg, 2FGP: 48.6%, 3FGP: 30.4% and FT: 72.7% in the 19 games. Landry played for the Canadian national team three years ago.

Matt Bonner
Matt Bonner
   #4. Forward Matt Bonner (206-80, college: Florida) managed to help San Antonio Spurs to win against the Utah Jazz (36-30) 87-81 in the NBA in Monday night's game. He recorded 5 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. The San Antonio Spurs have a very solid 50-16 record this season. It was his team's tenth consecutive victory in a row. Bonner has been at the team for six years. Bonner's overall stats this season are: 6.6ppg and 3.3rpg. He is a naturalized American. Bonner used to play for the Canadian national team back in 2009.

Philip Martin
Philip Martin
   #5. Former international forward Philip Martin (202-80, college: Hawaii) helped Sigma Barcellona win their game against the closely-ranked Morpho Basket (14-14) crushing them 95-61 in the Italian Lega2 (second division) last Wednesday. He recorded 9 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in only 14 minutes. Sigma Barcellona (16-12) is placed fifth in the Lega2. This year Martin's overall stats are: 7.9ppg, 4.2rpg and 1.2spg in the 31 games. He has a dual citizenship: Canadian and Italian. Despite Martin played previously for the Italian national team, he is currently in the Canadian national team roster.

Galen Young
Galen Young
   #6. An experienced forward Galen Young (198-75, college: Charlotte) led Bay Hawks to a 3-point victory against the league leader Auckland Pirates (12-3) 86-83 in the New Zealand NBL on Saturday night. Young scored 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. HSB Bay Hawks (11-3) are placed second in the NBL. There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. Young has relatively good stats this season: 10.7ppg, 6.6rpg and 3.5apg. He is a naturalized American. Despite Young played previously for the USA national team, he is also a former international player as he played for the Canadian senior team three years ago.

Kevin McCleery
Kevin McCleery
   #7. Former international forward Kevin McCleery (205-87, agency: R.H.Consultancy) helped Groningen win their game against the second-ranked Den Bosch (2-2) crushing them 72-49 in the Dutch Eredivisie in Tuesday night's game. McCleery scored only 3 points in 5 minutes on the court. It was the game of the round between two top 3 ranked teams in Group B. GasTerra Flames Groningen (3-1) is placed first. This year McCleery's total stats are: 2.6ppg and 1.9rpg in the 29 games. He used to play for the Canadian national team three years ago.

Olumuyiwa Famutimi
Olumuyiwa Famutimi
   #8. Swingman Olumuyiwa Famutimi (198-84, college: Arkansas) helped Optimum TED win their game against the closely-ranked Genc Telekom (28-10) crushing them 80-57 in a derby game in the Turkish TB2L (second division) last Saturday. Famutimi recorded 6 points. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Optimum TED Kolejliler Ankara (30-8) is placed second in the TB2L. It was his team's fourth consecutive victory in a row. This season Famutimi has relatively solid stats: 10.5ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.1apg and 1.2spg. Despite he played previously for the Nigerian national team, Famutimi is currently in the Canadian national team roster.

Other top Canadian players, who play abroad:

Baruch Shramban (193-G-73) plays for Maccabi T-A in Israeli Premier League
Cory Joseph (190-PG-91) plays for San Antonio Spurs in the NBA
Samuel Dalembert (211-C-81) plays for Houston Rockets in the NBA
Steve Nash (190-PG-74) plays for Phoenix Suns in the NBA
Jamaal Magloire (208-F/C-78) plays for Toronto Raptors in the NBA
Derek Christiansen (198-F-72) plays for Gravelines-Dunkerque in French ProA
Tristan Thompson (203-F-91) plays for Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA
Andrew Rautins (193-PG-86) plays for Meridiano Alicante in Spanish ACB
Carl English (192-G-81) plays for Cajasol in Spanish ACB
John Devereaux (205-C-62) plays for Obras in Argentinian LigaA
Travis Stel (202-F-71) plays for Antwerp Giants in Belgian D1

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


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  CAYMAN ISLANDS   

Standings

National League Finals Matches Standings
 1. ESSO Blazers 1-0 
 2. Warriors 1-0 
 3. Shining Stars 1-1 
 4. Wolves 1-1 
 5. Philippines 0-2 



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  CHINA   

Standings - NBL

NBL Standings
 1. Hebei 5-0 
 2. Jiangsu 4-1 
 3. Guangzhou L. 3-2 
 4. Guangzhou FM 3-2 
 5. Changan Group 3-2 
 6. Heilongjiang 2-3 
 7. Hong Kong 2-3 
 8. Sichuan 1-4 
 9. Henan Jiyuan 1-4 
 10. Nanjin Army 1-4 

Regular Season: Round 5

May. 15: Jiangsu - Guangzhou L. 95-77
May. 15: Heilongjiang - Henan Jiyuan 95-72
May. 15: Hong Kong - Hebei 83-86
May. 15: Nanjin Army - Guangzhou FM 81-87
May. 15: Sichuan - Changan Group 74-85

Regular Season: Round 6

May. 19: Henan Jiyuan - Sichuan
May. 19: Jiangsu - Guangzhou FM
May. 19: Guangzhou L. - Hebei
May. 19: Hong Kong - Heilongjiang
May. 19: Changan Group - Nanjin Army


NBL Round 5: Hebei beats Hong Kong by three after a very close game - by Eurobasket News

This derby game ended with only three-point home defeat of 6th ranked Hong Kong (2-3) to leader Hebei (5-0) 86-83 on Tuesday evening. Guest team only slightly avoided a big embarassment. The guests trailed by 2 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 8-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 86-83. Hebei forced 28 Hong Kong turnovers. 29 personal fouls committed by Hong Kong helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American forward Bryan Davis (206-86, college: Texas A&M, agency: N.E.T.) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!) and 15 rebounds. Center ChunLei Sun (205-85) contributed with 13 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. American center DeVon Hardin (211-86) answered with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 18 rebounds for Hong Kong. Undefeated Hebei have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with 5-0 record. Hong Kong at the other side keeps the sixth position with three games lost. They share it with Heilongjiang. Hebei are looking forward to face Guangzhou L. (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Hong Kong will play against Heilongjiang and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
An interesting game for Jiangsu (4-1) which hosted in second-ranked Guangzhou L. (3-2). Third ranked Jiangsu had an easy win 95-77. It was a key game for the second position in the league. Nigerian forward Ndudi Ebi (206-84, agency: Higher Vision Sports) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 25 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winners and Xin Feng chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds. Jiangsu's coach ZhiLong Zheng allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Senegalese center Hamady N'Diaye (213-87, college: Rutgers) responded with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 20 rebounds and 6 blocks. The victory was the third consecutive win for Jiangsu. They moved-up to second place. Guangzhou L. at the other side dropped to the third position with two games lost. They share it with Changan Group and Guangzhou FM. Jiangsu will play against Guangzhou FM (#4) in the next round. Guangzhou L. will play against the league's leader Hebei and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Fourth ranked Changan Group (3-2) played at the court of 7th ranked Sichuan (1-4). Changan Group defeated Sichuan 85-74 on Tuesday. Joseph Taylor nailed a double-double by scoring 16 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winning side. Changan Group's coach MingZhu Pu used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Jarrid Famous came up with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 14 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) for Sichuan in the defeat. Changan Group moved-up to third place, which they share with Guangzhou L. and Guangzhou FM. Sichuan lost their fourth game in a row. They dropped to the eighth position with four games lost. They share it with Nanjin Army and Henan Jiyuan. Changan Group will meet at home bottom-ranked Nanjin Army (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Sichuan will play against Henan Jiyuan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game between eighth ranked Heilongjiang (2-3) and 9th ranked Henan Jiyuan (1-4) in ended with biggest points difference. Heilongjiang outscored guests from 95-72. The best player for the winners was Rashaun Freeman who had a double-double by scoring 43 points (!!!) and 21 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. Heilongjiang moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Hong Kong. Henan Jiyuan lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the eighth position with four games lost. Heilongjiang's next round opponent will be Hong Kong (#7). Henan Jiyuan will play against Sichuan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

In the last game of round 5 Guangzhou FM beat Nanjin Army on the road 87-81.
The most impressive performance of 5th round was 39 points (!!!), 17 rebounds and 7 blocks by Walter Sharpe of Guangzhou FM.

Sichuan - Changan Group 74-85

Fourth ranked Changan Group (3-2) played at the court of 7th ranked Sichuan (1-4). Changan Group defeated Sichuan 85-74 on Tuesday. The game was mostly controlled by Changan Group. Sichuan managed to win fourth quarter 19-18. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Changan Group forced 20 Sichuan turnovers and had a 20-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. American forward Joseph Taylor (203-85, college: Wyoming) nailed a double-double by scoring 16 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks for the winning side and forward Jian Sun (190-88) accounted for 17 points. Changan Group's coach MingZhu Pu used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American power forward Jarrid Famous (210-88, college: S.Florida) came up with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 14 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) and center XiaoDong Chen (207-86) added 13 points respectively for Sichuan in the defeat. Four Sichuan players scored in double figures. Changan Group moved-up to third place, which they share with Guangzhou L. and Guangzhou FM. Sichuan lost their fourth game in a row. They dropped to the eighth position with four games lost. They share it with Nanjin Army and Henan Jiyuan. Changan Group will meet at home bottom-ranked Nanjin Army (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Sichuan will play against Henan Jiyuan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sichuan: F.Jarrid 22+14reb, D.ChengLong 13+2reb+1ast, C.XiaoDong 13+3reb+3ast, W.YingLiang 11+1reb+5ast, G.YuZhang 6+1reb+2ast, C.Ma 6+3reb+3ast
Changan Group: S.Jian 17+4reb+3ast, T.Joseph 16+12reb+3ast, J.JunQi 12+5reb, Y.BoWen 10+1reb+1ast, L.Peng 8+4reb+1ast, G.Yan 7+5reb+1ast
gschID: 176040


Heilongjiang - Henan Jiyuan 95-72

The game between eighth ranked Heilongjiang (2-3) and 9th ranked Henan Jiyuan (1-4) in ended with biggest points difference. Heilongjiang outscored guests from 95-72. The game was mostly controlled by Heilongjiang. Henan Jiyuan was better in third quarter 28-23. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They dominated on the defensive end, holding Henan Jiyuan to just 7 points in second quarter. Heilongjiang forced 19 Henan Jiyuan turnovers. The best player for the winners was American power forward Rashaun Freeman (206-84, college: Massachusetts) who had a double-double by scoring 43 points (!!!) and 21 rebounds. Forward Xu Liu (201-85) chipped in 20 points and 5 rebounds. Nigerian center Kenny Adeleke (205-83, college: Hartford) produced a double-double by scoring 30 points and 29 rebounds and ZhanYu Wang (196-86) added 10 points and 6 assists respectively for the guests. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Heilongjiang moved-up to sixth place, which they share with Hong Kong. Henan Jiyuan lost their third game in a row. They dropped to the eighth position with four games lost. Heilongjiang's next round opponent will be Hong Kong (#7). Henan Jiyuan will play against Sichuan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Henan Jiyuan: A.Kenny 30+29reb, L.Chao 11+4reb, W.ZhanYu 10+1reb+6ast, L.XiaoHu 9+3reb, L.Shuai 8+2reb+2ast, Z.Chao 2
Heilongjiang: F.Rashaun 43+21reb, L.Xu 20+5reb+2ast, L.JinYang 8+5reb+2ast, J.Ming 8+7reb+10ast, Y.Gang 7+3reb, L.Jin 4+2reb+1ast
gschID: 176041


Nanjin Army - Guangzhou FM 81-87

No shocking result in a game when fifth ranked Guangzhou FM (3-2) beat on the road bottom-ranked Nanjin Army (1-4) 87-81. The guests took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Nanjin Army won third quarter 24-22. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. The game was decided in the last minutes when Guangzhou FM won last quarter 19-14. They made 17-of-22 charity shots (77.3 percent) during the game. They brought some defensive toughness making 8 blocks. The best player for the winners was American forward Walter Sharpe (206-86, college: UAB, agency: Two Points) who had a double-double by scoring 39 points (!!!), 17 rebounds and 7 blocks. Guard KaiFu Yao (196-83) chipped in 10 points and 4 assists. Forward Shengyue Sun (198-89) produced a double-double by scoring 10 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists and forward ChengLin Fan (202-91) added 12 points and 8 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Five Nanjin Army players scored in double figures. Nanjin Army's coach Yuenan Ma rotated twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. The victory was the third consecutive win for Guangzhou FM. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Changan Group and Guangzhou L. Nanjin Army at the other side stay at the bottom position with four games lost. Guangzhou FM's next round opponent will be league's second-placed Jiangsu and it will be for sure the game of the week. Nanjin Army will play against Changan Group (#5).
Top scorers:
Nanjin Army: W.ShouWei 13+8reb, D.QinShuo 12+2reb+1ast, F.ChengLin 12+8reb+3ast, L.Dong 10+4reb+2ast, S.Shengyue 10+13reb+5ast, X.Jinlong 9+1reb
Guangzhou FM: S.Walter 39+17reb+2ast, Y.KaiFu 10+3reb+4ast, W.SongWei 9+4reb+1ast, Y.Peng 8+4reb, Y.Liang 7+4reb+1ast, D.JunJiang 6
gschID: 176038


Hong Kong - Hebei 83-86

This derby game ended with only three-point home defeat of 6th ranked Hong Kong (2-3) to leader Hebei (5-0) 86-83 on Tuesday evening. Guest team only slightly avoided a big embarassment. The guests trailed by 2 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 8-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 86-83. Hebei forced 28 Hong Kong turnovers. 29 personal fouls committed by Hong Kong helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. American forward Bryan Davis (206-86, college: Texas A&M, agency: N.E.T.) orchestrated the victory with a double-double by scoring 34 points (!!!) and 15 rebounds. Center ChunLei Sun (205-85) contributed with 13 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. American center DeVon Hardin (211-86) answered with a double-double by scoring 22 points and 18 rebounds and forward MingHao Li (200-92) added 18 points and 4 steals in the effort for Hong Kong. Hebei have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain first place with 5-0 record. Hong Kong at the other side keeps the sixth position with three games lost. They share it with Heilongjiang. Hebei are looking forward to face Guangzhou L. (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Hong Kong will play against Heilongjiang and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Hong Kong: H.DeVon 22+18reb, Y.XiaoHang 18+4reb+1ast, L.MingHao 18+4reb+2ast, J.KaiYi 7+4reb+1ast, Z.DongYang 6+3reb+1ast, G.JinLin 6+2reb+2ast
Hebei: D.Bryan 34+15reb+2ast, S.ChunLei 13+6reb+2ast, W.XinLei 12+3reb, Y.ZhiTong 9+2reb+5ast, W.Tong 7+1reb+2ast, L.YiDing 6+2reb+1ast
gschID: 176039


Jiangsu - Guangzhou L. 95-77

An interesting game for Jiangsu (4-1) which hosted in second-ranked Guangzhou L. (3-2). Third ranked Jiangsu had an easy win 95-77. It was a key game for the second position in the league. The game was mostly controlled by Jiangsu. Guangzhou L. was better in second period 22-19. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Jiangsu forced 20 Guangzhou L. turnovers. They brought some defensive toughness making 8 blocks. Nigerian forward Ndudi Ebi (206-84, agency: Higher Vision Sports) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 25 rebounds and 4 blocks for the winners and point guard Xin Feng (187-92) chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds. Four Jiangsu players scored in double figures. Jiangsu's coach ZhiLong Zheng allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Senegalese center Hamady N'Diaye (213-87, college: Rutgers) responded with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 20 rebounds and 6 blocks and forward Jing Wang (197-78) scored 23 points and 5 rebounds (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line). The victory was the third consecutive win for Jiangsu. They moved-up to second place. Guangzhou L. at the other side dropped to the third position with two games lost. They share it with Changan Group and Guangzhou FM. Jiangsu will play against Guangzhou FM (#4) in the next round. Guangzhou L. will play against the league's leader Hebei and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Guangzhou L.: W.Jing 23+5reb, N.Hamady 23+20reb+1ast, J.Lei 17+8reb, L.XiangTao 6+1ast, J.QiZhen 5+1reb+1ast, L.Yao 3+3reb+1ast
Jiangsu: E.Ndudi 26+25reb+2ast, M.Zhuang 18+2ast, F.Xin 14+6reb+3ast, Z.HongWei 12+1reb, W.YanQing 7+3reb+3ast, S.XianLing 7+6reb+1ast
gschID: 176037



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


Marko Popovic selected the top Croatian playing abroad in last week's games - by Eurobasket Center

Here is the weekly review of the top performing Croatian players, who play currently abroad.

Marko Popovic
Marko Popovic
   #1. This week's number one is an international guard Marko Popovic (185-82, college: S.Idaho JC). He led Zalgiris to a victory over the closely-ranked Lietuvos rytas (18-4) 90-84 in the Lithuanian LKL in Sunday night's game. Popovic was MVP of the game. He scored 20 points and added 6 assists in 28 minutes on the court. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. B.C. Zalgiris Kaunas (21-1) is placed first in the LKL. It was his team's 21st consecutive victory in a row. Popovic is ranked fifth on the list of the best passers in the league with 3.8apg. He also averaged so far 10.3ppg, 1.7rpg, 2FGP: 57.1%(32-56), 3FGP: 34.9% and FT: 89.5% in the 22 games he played so far. Popovic is currently a member of the Croatian senior national team.

Roko-Leni Ukic
Roko-Leni Ukic
   #2. Second place goes to former international guard Roko-Leni Ukic (196-84), who plays in the Turkish TBL. He could not help one of league's weakest teams Fenerbahce Ulker (21-9) in their last game on Wednesday. Despite Ukic's very good performance Fenerbahce Ulker was edged 77-74 in a derby game by the higher-ranked Besiktas (#4). He was the second best scorer with 19 points. Ukic also added 3 passes (was perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line). Ukic has relatively good stats this season: 11.9ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.0apg, 2FGP: 49.3%, 3FGP: 33.7% and FT: 72.5%. He played for the Croatian national team in 2010.

Bruno Sundov
Bruno Sundov
   #3. The Croatian player who performed third best last week abroad was former U21 international center Bruno Sundov (221-80, agency: Alti Sport). Sundov was the major contributor in a Lukoil Academik's victory against the fifth-ranked Euroins Cherno More (10-18) 100-83 in the Bulgarian NBL on Friday night. He had a double-double by scoring 19 points and getting 10 rebounds. Sundov also added 2 blocks in 34 minutes. Lukoil Academik Sofia (25-3) is placed first in the NBL. It's Sundov's first season with the team. This year he has relatively solid stats: 12.7ppg, 5.9rpg, 2FGP: 70.2%(127-181), 3FGP: 39.2% and FT: 81.3% in the 33 games. Sundov played for the Croatian U21 national team twelve years ago.

Luksa Andric
Luksa Andric
   #4. Center Luksa Andric (210-85, agency: Beo Basket) contributed to a 1-point Galatasaray's victory against the closely-ranked Besiktas (22-8) 75-74 in a derby game in the Turkish TBL in Tuesday night's game. He recorded 15 points. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul (25-5) is placed first in the TBL. This season Andric averages: 7.9ppg and 3.8rpg. He is also Croatian national team player.

Jurica Zuza
Jurica Zuza
   #5. An experienced former international center Jurica Zuza (207-78, also represented by Alti Sport), who plays in the Turkish TBL was not able to help Tofas (14-16) in their last game. Despite Zuza's very good performance Tofas lost 73-79 at home to the leading Galatasaray. He was the top scorer with 19 points. Zuza also added 5 rebounds and dished 4 assists in 24 minutes. Zuza has reliable stats this year: 12.1ppg, 4.0rpg and 1.1apg in the 31 games. He used to play for the Croatian national team eight years ago.

Jure Lalic
Jure Lalic
   #6. Center Jure Lalic (212-86) contributed to a 3-point Krka's victory against the fourth-ranked Zlatorog (5-5) 69-66 in the Slovenian Telemach League on Tuesday night. Lalic scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Krka Novo Mesto (8-2) is placed first in Championship Group. It was his team's sixth consecutive victory in a row. Lalic's overall stats this season are: 8.3ppg and 3.8rpg. He is a former U20 international player as he played for the Croatian team six years ago.

Drazen Bubnic
Drazen Bubnic
   #7. Former U20 international forward Drazen Bubnic (205-86), who plays in the Slovenian Telemach League was not able to secure a victory for Helios (6-4) in their last game. Despite Bubnic's very good performance the third-placed Helios was edged in an overtime 81-78 on their home court in Domzale by the second-ranked Union Olimpija in the Championship Group. He scored 16 points, grabbed 6 boards, handed out 3 passes and blocked 2 shots in 43 minutes. It was Helios' third consecutive loss in a row. Bubnic's stats this year are: 12.6ppg, 5.0rpg and 1.7apg in the 30 games. He used to play for the Croatian U20 national team six years ago.

Drago Pasalic
Drago Pasalic
   #8. Power forward Drago Pasalic (208-84) is a teammate of previously mentioned Drazen Bubnic and both played together in the last Slovenian Telemach League game. Pasalic, who plays in the Slovenian Telemach League couldn't help Helios (6-4) in their last game on Thursday. Despite his very good performance Helios (#3) was edged in an overtime 81-78 on their home court in Domzale by the second-ranked Union Olimpija in the Championship Group. Pasalic was the second best scorer with 19 points. He also added 5 rebounds. Pasalic averaged so far 12.7ppg and 5.5rpg. He used to play for the Croatian national team back in 2009.

Mateo Kedzo
Mateo Kedzo
   #9. Former U18 international power forward Mateo Kedzo (206-84), who plays in the Spanish LEB Gold (second division) couldn't help one of league's weakest teams Ford Burgos (22-12) in their last game. Despite Kedzo's very good performance Ford Burgos lost 77-84 on the road to the leading Caceres_2016. He was the top scorer with 18 points. Kedzo also added 4 rebounds in 22 minutes. They ended the series of five consecutive victories. This year Kedzo's overall stats are: 5.3ppg and 2.3rpg in the 32 games. He used to play for the Croatian U18 national team nine years ago.

Nikola Radulovic
Nikola Radulovic
   #10. Forward Nikola Radulovic (207-73) contributed to a Givova Scafati's victory against the closely-ranked Centrale Latte (15-13) 106-92 in the Italian Lega2 (second division) in Saturday night's game. Radulovic scored 16 points. Givova Scafati Basket (17-11) is placed fourth in the Lega2. Radulovic is ranked third on the list of the best blockers in the league and also on the list of most steals (third place). He has very reliable stats this season: 11.4ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.8apg and 2.6spg. Despite Radulovic played previously for the Italian national team, he is also a former international player as nine years ago he still played for the Croatian senior national team.

   #11. Former U21 international power forward Nenad Delic (210-84, agency: TSS Management), who plays in the Turkish TB2L (second division) couldn't help one of league's weakest teams one of league's weakest teams Genc Telekom (28-10) in their last game. Despite Delic's very good performance Genc Telekom was crushed 80-57 in a derby game by the second-ranked Optimum TED. He was the top scorer with 19 points. Delic also added 5 rebounds in 33 minutes. Delic is ranked sixth on the list of the top scorers in the league with 18.3ppg. This year he also averages: 7.3rpg and 1.7apg in the 39 games. Despite Delic played previously for the Italian national team, he is currently in the Croatian U21 national team roster.

   #12. Former international guard Nikica Sljuka (187-87) helped Olimpi win their game against the closely-ranked Kutaisi 73-69 in the Georgian Superleague on Saturday night. Sljuka scored 10 points. He averaged so far 11.7ppg, 2.4rpg and 1.8apg. Despite Sljuka played previously for the Italian national team, he is currently in the Croatian national team roster.

   #13. Former international power forward Tomislav Ruzic (208-79) is a teammate of previously mentioned Jurica Zuza and both played together in the last Turkish TBL game. Ruzic couldn't help Tofas in their game against Galatasaray. He scored 8 points in 26 minutes. His team lost 73-79. Ruzic averaged so far 10.5ppg, 4.6rpg and 1.4apg in the 18 games. Despite he played previously for the Italian national team, Ruzic is currently in the Croatian national team roster.

   #14. Former international guard Marcus Norris (185-74, agency: SportsTalent, college: Ball St.) couldn't help one of league's weakest teams Benfica in their game against FC Porto Ferpinta in the Portuguese LPB. He recorded 6 points and added 4 assists. His team was defeated 77-71. Norris' total stats this season are: 6.5ppg, 3.1rpg, 3.4apg and 1.5spg. He is a naturalized American. Despite Norris played previously for the USA national team, he is currently in the Croatian national team roster. Strangely Norris has never played in Croatia.

   #15. Former U18 international power forward Jure Skific (202-88) faced previously mentioned Jure Lalic in the Slovenian Telemach League last game. Skific couldn't help Zlatorog in their game against Krka. He scored only 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 17 minutes. His team was edged 69-66. This year Skific's total stats are: 9.2ppg, 5.1rpg and 1.2spg in the 28 games. He used to play for the Croatian U18 national team six years ago.


*****************************************************
  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   


COACH CAL RETURNS - by Ozell Wells

John Calipari agrees to coach the selecion

NCAA championship coach John Calipari has agreed to give the team a last boost in its last ditch to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics. Calipari coached the team to almost make it in the continental qualifier that took place in Argentina last year, with a bronze medal in the FIB America Qualifier. After the Argentina tournament, Calipari returned to Kentucky where his team the Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA championship.

The last-chance tournament will take place in July in Caracas, Venezuela, 2-8 July.

The Dominican team will again train at the Joe Craft Center in Lexington, Kentucky starting June and will later compete in Puerto Rico at the FIBA Americas CentroBasket 2012.

The last-chance qualifier features 12 teams. The top three teams earn a spot in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Commenting on the decision on his website, he says:

'Our goal was to become the best team we could be and in turn reach the Olympics,' Calipari said. 'Our team had the best finish in the history of the country and we felt like we became the best team we could be, but we fell just short of qualifying for the Olympics. I think all of us, as a staff and a team, feel like we have some unfinished business.'

Coach Cal reports that the bulk of the record-setting 2011 Dominican Republic team is expected to return for this year's run, including leading performers Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) and Jack Michael Martinez.

Calipari will retain the same staff from last year, including Orlando Antigua, Del Harris, Rod Stickland and Billy Bayno. The coaching staff will also have Jose Maita Mercedes assisting. Mercedes won the LNB Championship with the Leones of Santo Domingo.

www.coachcal.com/14449/2012/05/calipari-accepts-offer-to-coach-dominican-republic-team


Eulis Baez stays with FIATC Joventut - by Eurobasket News

Eulis Baez (201-F-82, college: W.Illinois) stays with FIATC Joventut for the next season. The Dominican center decided to exercise his option and to stay with the club. Baez appeared 24 times in Liga Endesa this season averaging 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Before Joventut, the player spent two years with Valladolid. He had 9.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 1.6 apg for 33 games in their second season together (2010/11). Baez also has experience from Leon and Akasvayu Vic. With Akasvayu Vic he won the LEB Silver title and Cup in 2008. Eulis Baez is active member of Dominican National Team since 2001. He had 7.1 ppg and 4.7 rpg for 7 games at the 2011 FIBA Americas in Mar del Plata. Dominican Republic won the Bronze at this event.


*****************************************************
  EL SALVADOR   

Standings - Liga Superior

LEBES Standings
 1. UTEC 6-1 
 2. Leones 5-2 
 3. San Marcos 5-2 
 4. Denver 4-2 
 5. ExSAL 4-3 
 6. Delgadense 2-4 
 7. Roll Royce 1-6 
 8. Chaleco 0-7 



*****************************************************
  ESTONIA   

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game
 Reinis STRUPOVICS
  Valga
  (192-G-87)
  Avg: 20.9
 1. Strupovics, Valga20.9 
 2. Raadik, Parnu18.1 
 3. Raley-Ross, Tln K.17.3 
 4. Soo, Rapla16.8 
 5. Cipruss, Tarvas16.7 
 6. Raap, Parnu16.2 
 7. Veideman, Tartu U.15.6 
 8. Pilk, TTU15.3 
 9. Hallik, Tarvas14.4 
 10. Akenparg, TTU14.3 
Rebounds Per Game
 Kaspars CIPRUSS
  Tarvas
  (210-C-82)
  Avg: 10
 1. Cipruss, Tarvas10.0 
 2. Cricelli, Valga8.4 
 3. Fedortchuk, Tln K.8.2 
 4. Raadik, Parnu7.8 
 5. Arnold, TTU7.6 
 6. Shaw, Tln Kalev7.4 
 7. Fall, Kalev/Cramo7.1 
 8. Ringmets, Rapla6.8 
 9. Pilk, TTU6.6 
 10. Allingu, Tartu U.6.5 
Assists Per Game
 Edgars CUNDA
  Valga
  (195-G-84)
  Avg: 4.5
 1. Cunda, Valga4.5 
 2. Laane, Rapla4.2 
 3. Sokk, Tartu Ulikool4.0 
 4. Sirsnins, Tarvas3.8 
 5. Pilk, TTU3.6 
 6. Kriisa, Tarvas3.6 
 7. Dorbek, Tarvas3.4 
 8. Raap, Parnu3.3 
 9. Kriisa, Tartu Ulik.3.2 
 10. Sokk, Kalev/Cramo3.0 
Steals Per Game
 Edgars CUNDA
  Valga
  (195-G-84)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Cunda, Valga2.5 
 2. Raley-Ross, Tln K.2.2 
 3. Veideman, Tartu U.2.1 
 4. Laane, Rapla2.0 
 5. Kaldre, Rapla1.9 
 6. Leppik, Tartu Ulik.1.9 
 7. Dorbek, Tarvas1.9 
 8. Raap, Parnu1.8 
 9. Skele, Kalev/Cramo1.7 
 10. Dorbek, Kalev/Cr.1.7 
Blocks Per Game
 Bamba FALL
  Kalev/Cramo
  (216-C-86)
  Avg: 2
 1. Fall, Kalev/Cramo2.0 
 2. Raadik, Parnu1.4 
 3. Amis, Tartu Ulikool1.1 
 4. Fedortchuk, Tln K.1.0 
 5. Toome, Kalev/Cramo0.6 
 6. Ulyanko, Kalev/Cr.0.6 
 7. Veski, Tarvas0.5 
 8. Hallik, Tarvas0.5 
 9. Keedus, TTU0.4 
 10. Makke, TTU0.4 


KML Round 3 of Finals. Kalev/Cramo one win away from title - by Eurobasket News

FINAL
Kalev/Cramo - Tartu Ulikool 87-76 OT

Kalev/Cramo registered the third straight win over Tartu Ulikool to stay one win away from the title. The hosts trailed by 3 points at the halftime before their 22-11 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to tie the game at the end of regular time. They were better in overtime eventually winning that period 17-6. 25 personal fouls committed by Tartu Ulikool helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was Senegalese center Bamba Fall (216-86, college: SMU) who had a double-double by scoring 10 points, 16 rebounds and 4 blocks. Latvian guard Armands Skele (192-83) chipped in 17 points and 5 rebounds. Kalev/Cramo's coach Aivar Kuusmaa used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the other side the best for losing team was the former international center Vallo Allingu (206-78) who recorded 16 points and 9 rebounds and international guard Sten-Timmu Sokk (181-89) added 12 points and 5 assists respectively. Five Kalev/Cramo and four Tartu Ulikool players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Kalev/Cramo: A.Skele 17+5reb+3ast, G.Arbet 15+7reb, R.Tamm 15+1reb+1ast, T.Sokk 12+4reb+1ast, B.Fall 10+16reb+2ast, G.Dorbek 9+2reb+3ast
Tartu Ulikool: V.Allingu 16+9reb+1ast, T.Kurbas 13+5reb+1ast, S.Sokk 12+4reb+5ast, B.Amis 10+6reb+1ast, S.Leppik 9+3reb+3ast, M.Doronin 8+5reb+2ast
gschID: 175924



Kalev/Cramo takes 3:0 lead after overtime victory - by Janar

BC Kalev/Cramo is only one win away from another Estonian championship crown after a 87:76 overtime victory against Tartu University. Six different players scored for the winners during overtime as the longer bench of Kalev/Cramo was once again the key to the success.

TU led the game for almost whole first half. Vallo Allingu (206-C-78) scored 8 points in first 5 minutes and Marek Doronin made two difficult shots to clinch the first quarter 20:11. Bill Amis and Tanel Kurbas (197-F-88) dunked for the biggest gap in the game - 28:15! Since then, the hosts restored confidence and ended the quarter with a 18:8 run, including 8 points from Gregor Arbet (194-F/G-83).

In 3rd quarter, the unlikely hero, Reimo Tamm (185-G-84) exploded. After two baskets in closing minutes of the first half, Tamm added 8 points during the 15:7 run in final minutes of the 3rd. Cramo led 55:47 with a quarter to play an their 3rd victory looked secure.

With 3:35 to play, the hosts led 68:60 but Silver Leppik (188-G-83) made two three-pointers during those last minutes and Sten Sokk added another to take the game to overtime - 70:70. Tartu had a chance to win the game in regular time but a steal by Gert Dorbek saved the hosts.

Overtime was one-sided, already, as Sokk and Leppik were fouled out and Kalev/Cramo scored in all but one attacks during overtime, winning the period 17:6.

Armands Skele (192-G-83) led the winners with 17 points, making 7/8 of 2pt shots. Reimo Tamm added 15 points in only 13 minutes, Gregor Arbet also scored 15. Tanel Sokk had 12 and Bamba Fall 10+16 rbs and 4 blocks.
Vallo Allingu led Tartu with 16+9rbs. Tanel Kurbas added 13 and Sten Sokk 12 pts.



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


Denis Mettay takes over NM2 team Saint-Brieuc - by Eurobasket News

Saint-Brieuc got a new Head Coach. The team hired Denis Mettay for the next two seasons. They will compete in NF2 in the next one. Mettay arrives to Saint-Brieuc from Union Dax-Gamarde, where he worked last 12 months and led them to NM2 Playoffs. Before Union Dax-Gamarde, the coach worked with Pau-Orthez U21 team. In the past, he was the assistant coach their senior and U20 team. From 2003 to 2005, Mettary worked as AC at Orleans.

Saint-Brieuc had season below expectations and looks to improve in the next one. Denis Mettay replaces Christophe Henry at Saint-Brieuc's bench. Henry's contract expired at the end of the season.


Antywane Robinson and Matt Howard turn down Orleans - by Eurobasket News

According to French media (Catch-and-shoot), Antwayne Robinson (203-F-84, agency: Priority Sports, college: Temple) and Matt Howard (203-F-89, college: Butler) turned down offers made by Orleans.
Antwayne Robinson finished the season with Erdemir. He appeared 30 times in Turkish league averaging 11.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists. From 2008 to 2011 he played for Chlolet and they won the ProA title together in 2010. Last season, Cholet reached ProA Finals.
Matt Howard started the season with Olympiacos and later moved to EnBW Ludwigsburg. For 13 games in German league he had 12.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 2.2 apg. Howard had very limited playing time with Olympiakos. |
After these two refusals, Orleans will have to find a solution quickly.


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

Stats Leaders - 1.Bundesliga

Points Per Game
 Bobby BROWN
  EWE Baskets
  (188-G-84)
  Avg: 16.9
 1. Brown, EWE Baskets16.9 
 2. Tucker, Brose B.15.8 
 3. Holston, Art.Drag.15.5 
 4. Swann, Ratiopharm15.3 
 5. Wood, ALBA15.0 
 6. Jonusas, Phoenix14.8 
 7. Ensminger, Teleko.14.8 
 8. Bryant, Ratiopharm14.6 
 9. Carter, Phoenix14.5 
 10. Homan, B.Muenchen14.1 
Rebounds Per Game
 John BRYANT
  Ratiopharm
  (208-C-87)
  Avg: 9.1
 1. Bryant, Ratiopharm9.1 
 2. Chubb, EWE Baskets8.5 
 3. Homan, B.Muenchen7.8 
 4. Ensminger, Teleko.7.3 
 5. Troutman, B.Mue.7.2 
 6. Zirbes, TBB Trier7.1 
 7. Tucker, Brose B.7.1 
 8. Watts, Ratiopharm6.6 
 9. Evans, Goettingen6.6 
 10. Ovcina, LTi 46ers6.5 
Assists Per Game
 Jared JORDAN
  Telekom .
  (188-PG-84)
  Avg: 8.2
 1. Jordan, Telekom8.2 
 2. Holston, Art.Drag.5.8 
 3. Brewer, Bremerha.5.1 
 4. Everett, Bremerha.4.9 
 5. Wood, ALBA4.8 
 6. Brown, EWE Baskets4.7 
 7. Hamann, B.Muenchen4.5 
 8. Joyce, TBB Trier4.4 
 9. Campbell, Walter T.4.1 
 10. Bauscher, Goett.3.9 
Steals Per Game
 Nate LINHART
  TBB Trier
  (201-F-86)
  Avg: 1.7
 1. Linhart, TBB Trier1.7 
 2. Kramer, s.Oliv.1.5 
 3. Gibson, Fraport SKY1.4 
 4. Holston, Art.Drag.1.4 
 5. Redding, Walter T.1.4 
 6. Trice, Ratiopharm1.4 
 7. Dorris, EnBW L.1.4 
 8. Bernard, LTi 46ers1.4 
 9. Carter, Phoenix1.3 
 10. Gaffney, Teleko.1.3 
Blocks Per Game
 Tony GAFFNEY
  Teleko.
  (204-F-84)
  Avg: 1.8
 1. Gaffney, Teleko.1.8 
 2. Davidson, Fraport1.7 
 3. Homan, B.Muenchen1.6 
 4. Ibekwe, Bayreuth1.6 
 5. Looby, EnBW L.1.6 
 6. Pleiss, Brose B.1.3 
 7. Bryant, Ratiopharm1.3 
 8. King, Art.Dragons1.2 
 9. Slaughter, Brose B.1.2 
 10. Chubb, EWE Baske.0.9 


Brose Baskets and Oliver Baskets reach the Semifinals - by Eurobasket News

B.Muenchen - Art.Dragons 82-71 (2-2)

The game was mostly controlled by Bayern Muenchen. Artland Dragons managed to win second period 23-14. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Worth to mention a great performance of American-Bulgarian center Jared Homan (206-83, college: Iowa St.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 20 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks and American guard Je'Kel Foster (191-83, college: Ohio St.) who added 13 points and 8 rebounds during the contest. Five Bayern Muenchen players scored in double figures. At the losing side American-Puerto Rican forward Nathan Peavy (203-85, college: Miami, OH) responded with 17 points and 6 rebounds and American power forward Anthony King (206-85, college: Miami, FL, agency: Interperformances) scored 8 points and 7 rebounds. Artland Dragons' coach rotated twelve players in this game, but that didn't help.
Top scorers:
B.Muenchen: J.Homan 20+12reb+4ast, J.Wallace 13+1ast, J.Foster 13+8reb+1ast, S.Hamann 13+2reb+5ast, C.Troutman 12+4reb, A.Nadjfeji 11+3reb+2ast
Art.Dragons: N.Peavy 17+6reb+1ast, B.Thomas 14+1reb, A.Hilliard 9+4reb+1ast, D.Fenn 9+2reb, A.King 8+7reb+1ast, D.Holston 6+3reb+5ast
gschID: 176619


Telekom Baskets - Brose Baskets 82-84 (1-3)

The guests trailed by 2 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 6-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 84-82. American forward Anthony Leon Tucker (198-85, college: Texas) fired 25 points and 9 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) for the winners. International power forward Tibor Pleiss (214-89) chipped in 9 points and 10 rebounds. Brose Baskets' coach Chris Fleming used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. American point guard Jared Jordan (188-84, college: Marist) produced 6 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists and his fellow American import center Chris Ensminger (209-73, college: Valparaiso, agency: Limelight Hoops) added 21 points (made all of his seven free throws) respectively for lost side. Four Telekom Baskets players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Brose Baskets: A.Leon Tucker 25+9reb, B.Roberts 16+1reb, C.Jacobsen 13+2reb+5ast, T.Pleiss 9+10reb+1ast, A.Gavel 7+2reb+4ast, J.Jenkins 6+1ast
Telekom Baskets: B.Veikalas 21+3reb, C.Ensminger 21+3reb+1ast, T.Battle 15+2reb+4ast, T.Gaffney 12+6reb, J.Jordan 6+8reb+11ast, A.Mangold 5+2reb+1ast
gschID: 176617


s.Oliver Baskets - ALBA 66-60 (3-1)

It looked good early as ALBA Berlin took an 12-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then s Oliver Baskets took control and eventually winning the game that evening by 6 points. ALBA Berlin was plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. Worth to mention a great performance of American point guard John Little (180-84, college: N.Iowa) who helped to win the game recording 20 points and 7 rebounds. The other American import guard Chris Kramer (191-88, college: Purdue) contributed with 12 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Little is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. American guard Bryce Taylor (196-86, agency: Priority Sports) replied with 8 points and 11 rebounds and international guard Heiko Schaffartzik (182-84) added 16 points in the effort for ALBA Berlin. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.
Top scorers:
s.Oliver Baskets: J.Little 20+7reb+1ast, C.Kramer 12+6reb, C.Frazier 9+4reb+2ast, B.Jacobson 8+3reb, R.Harris 8+1reb+1ast, J.Boone 6+8reb
ALBA: H.Schaffartzik 16+2reb+2ast, Y.Idbihi 9+4reb, B.Taylor 8+11reb+2ast, D.Allen 7+6reb+1ast, D.Wood 6+3reb+3ast, T.Francis 5+5reb
gschID: 176618



Marcus Slaughter (Brose Baskets Bamberg) I Am Not looking Forward To Playing Against Any One Player, But Just Want To Win - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber


Marcus Slaughter (204-C/F-85, college: San Diego St.) is a 26 year old 203cm forward from Riverside California. He played at San Diego State from 2003-2006. In his senior year, he played 30 games averaging 16.5ppg, 11.0rpg, 1.9apg, 1.2spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 49%, FT: 76.2%. He started his professional basketball career in Turkey for Pinar Karsiyaka SK Izmir playing 29 games averaging 13.3ppg, Reb-3 (10.2rpg), 1.3apg, 2.3spg, 2FGP: 51.6%, 3PT: 12.5%, FT: 67.2%. In 2007-2008, he was with the Miami Heat in preseason and then played in Israel and France for Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem, Israeli League: 8.0ppg, 6.4rpg, ULEB Cup: 5 games: 5.6ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.8apg, waived in Dec.'07, in Jan.'08 signed at BCM Gravelines Dunkerque Grand Littoral 15 games: 9.5ppg, 7.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP-3 (63.2%), FT: 58.9%. in 2008-2009, he started with the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (8 games: 18.8ppg, 10.0rpg, 1.3apg, 2.6spg, 1.3bpg, FGP: 59.8%, 3PT: 60.0%) before moving to France to Le Havre playing 21 games: 16.0ppg, Reb-1 (9.5rpg), 1.6apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 58.8%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 65.4%; Eurocup: 6 games: 12.2ppg, 8.7rpg, 1.0apg, 1.5spg, 1.8bpg. In 2009-2010, he played for Sluc Nancy Basket Pro (France-ProA): EuroCup: 6 games: 8.5ppg, 9.0rpg, 2.8spg, 2.0bpg, FGP: 50.0%, FT: 76.7%; French League: 29 games: 12.5ppg, 7.0rpg, 1.4apg, 1.5spg, Blocks-5 (1.4bpg), FGP: 64.5%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 69.1%. Last season, he played for Blancos de Rueda Valladolid (Spain-ACB, starting five): 34 games: 9.9ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.4spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 65.0%, FT: 67.5%. He is back in the Beko BBL with the Brose Baskets Bamberg. He spoke to eurobasket before game four against the Telekom Baskets Bonn.

The Brose Baskets Bamberg surprisingly lost game one at home, but since then have won the last two games and are in the drivers seat to win the series in Bonn. Everything seems to becoming into place for the team?

Yes just one more game to go.

Were you surprised that game three in Bamberg was such a three point shooting contest?

No I wasnt. To tell you the truth, I didnt really notice. Both teams are very good shooting teams.

What was key for getting the game three win in front of 6,800 people?

We played great defense.

Have you ever played in a game where your team shot as high as 75% from outside?

I dont really know, but 75% is pretty good. I dont really pay attention to stats.

The Brose Baskets limited the Telekom Baskets Bonn to 53 points in Bonn in game 2. Is defense your biggest priority in game four?

Defense will be key. Good defense wins championships.

Tony Gaffney scored 22 points in game three. How excited are you playing against your friend for a fourth time in the last 12 days?

I am not looking forward to playing against any one player. I just want to win. That is my focus.

What was your impression of the amazing win by Olympiakos Piraeus in the Euroleague final over CSKA Moscow?

That had an amazing ending. I was surprised that CSKA Moscow missed those free throws.

Could you be a little happy for ex Brose Baskets Bamberg forward Kyle Hines?

No, I dont know him. I was rooting for any team, but was just hoping for a good game.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

The TV series Martin.

Thanks Marcus for the chat.


Dominik Malinowski Remains With The Schwelmer Baskets - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

PROB team Schwelmer Baskets have made the first resigning for the new season keeping Dominik Malinowski (192-G-91) Dominik Malinowski is a 20 year old 198cm forward that will be playing his second season for them. Last season, he played : 22 games: 5.1ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 51.3%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 61.9%.'He showed his potential in his first season first towrad the end of the season. He had to get used to his important role at the start of the season. Then an injury threw him back a bit, but he learned how to take responsobility at the end of the season. I expect him to improve in all stats and I am convinced that he will play an important role this season. He will continue to get trust from me. We are happy that he will remain a second season and it shows that we work well', stressed Schwelmer head coach Raphael Wilder. Before coming to Schwelm, the German had played for Paderborn where

Source: Schwelmer Baskets


The Hanau White Wings Keep Head Coach Hans Beth - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

PRO B team Hanau White Wings continue to show that they are building for the future by keeping head coach Hans Beth on board for a third season. Beth also has shown no need for the team to make a change as he led them from the Regionaliga into the PRO B and last season finsihed in 6th place. 'Hans Beth has a clear line and high basketball understanding combined with leadership qualities. He also wants to see development. We are happy that he will celebrate his 35 year coaching with us this season. He also is a spoetman that lives for basketball', stressed manager Jens Gottwald. 'We have built a structure here that we want to continue to optimize. We want to continue to build something together', added headcoach Hans Beth .

Source: Hanau White Wings


Ronald Burrell Remains With The EWE Baskets Oldenburg - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber


After resigning Americans Adam Chubb and Rickey Paulding, the EWE Baskets Oldenburg announced today that a third American with Ronald Burrell (204-F-83, agency: Pro One Sports, college: NC-Greensboro) will also stay on board. Burrell had a very solid season averaging 12,4ppg and 5,4rpg in 25 minutes per game in the Beko BBL. In the Eurochallenge competition, he also showed a good figure averaging 12,5ppg and 5,5rpg. 'Ronnie Burrell represents exactly that what we want in a player. He is always there with his heart and can identify with the club and city', stated CEO Hermann Schuller. '

Source. EWE Baskets Oldenburg


Bryan Bailey (Artland Dragons) No Matter What Happens In Game 4, We Have To Keep Our Composure - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber


Bryan Bailey (185-PG-80, college: Bucknell) is a 31 year old 185cm combo guard that is playing his 10th professional basketball season and fifth playing with The Artland Dragons. He is a true team leader both on and off the court. He possesses a diverse game, with an ability to stroke the long-range jumper, penetrate to the rim or distribute the ball. He is solid on the defensive end of the floor as well. His fierce competitive drive rubs off on his teammates. He started his professional basketball career at Bucknell and player there from 1998-2002 and in his senior year played 17games averaging 18.1ppg,5.3rpg,2.4apg. He made All-Patriot League 1st Team in 2001 and 2002. In 2002-2003, he started his professional basketball season in Germany with DJK S. Oliver Wurzburg (Germany-1Bundesliga, starting five): 26 games, 15.4ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.4spg. In 2003-2004, he played in Holland for Landstede Zwolle (Holland-Eredivisie, starting five): 35 games: 17.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.1apg, 2.4spg, 0.2bpg. He then played with The Artland Dragons from 2004-2007 reaching the league and cup final in 2007. His best statistical season was 2005-2006 playing 33 games and averaging 11.4ppg, 2.8rpg, 2.7apg, 1.7spg, 2FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 25.3%. In 2007-2008, he played with Bosna ASA BH Telecom Sarajevo (Bosnia-D1, starting five): ULEB Cup: 12 games: 10.3ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.5apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 20.8%, FT: 84.3%. In 2008-2009, he played in Poland for PGE Turow Zgorzelec (Poland-DBE): Eurocup: 6 games: 7.3ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.7apg, 1.7spg; Polish League: 32 games: 8.0ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 32.4%, FT: 77.0%. In 2009-2010, he played with the EWE Baskets Oldenburg playing Euroleague: 4 games: 8.3ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.8apg; German League: 6 games: 9.3ppg, 1.3apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 89.7%. Last season with the Dragons, he played EuroChallenge Qualifying Round: 1 game: 7pts, 5reb, 3ast, 3steals; German League: 41 games: 11.5ppg, 2.4rpg, 3.2apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 52.2%, 3PT: 34.9%, FT: 77.2% He sat down and spoke with Eurobasket after the spectacular 83-67 win in game three against FC Bayern Munich.

Congrats on the 83-67 win against FC Bayern Munich in game three. Did this win forever erase the critic that the Artland Dragons could never really be fully successful without a David Holston?

We have a very deep team and many players can step up every night. We played without different players during season due to injury and we were still successful. Dave is a very important part of the puzzle, but not the only piece, and I think we showed that in Game 3.

How did Stefan Koch damper the pressure of having to play without a David Holston in the few days before game three?

I don't think there was any added pressure. We're a veteran team and everyone knew they had to step up.

The Artland Dragons shocked FC Bayern Munich jumping on them quickly and leading 44-24 at halftime. What was key for having the big lead?

We did a good job of getting defensive stops. We came out and played with a lot of energy and didn't give Munich anything easy.

In the second half the Artland Dragons defended their home court and buckled down for the huge win. How big was controlling the boards in game three?

Rebounding was definitely key for us. We controlled the defensive glass for most of the game.

A lot of guys stepped up, but how big was the preformance of Anthony Hilliard, a guy who often had to sit out games because the team had too many international players. Does his strong play also reflect the healthy bond between him and coach Stefan Koch?

A Hill played a great game for us. Guys on our team play different amount of minutes on different nights because we are so deep. It just shows that he's always prepared for when his time comes.

The Artland Dragons are in the drivers seat now leading 2-1. What will be key to beating FC Bayern Munich twice in a row in their living room?

We have to keep playing solid defense and with a lot of energy. No matter what happens in the game, we have to keep our composure.

Could Jerry Sloan turn around the Charlotte Bobcats franchise?

I think first they will need some better players.

Will Baron Davis return back to the NBA after his ACL and MCL injury?

I hope he will recover fully and still be able to play.

Thanks Bryan for the chat.




Sascha Leutloff Remains Faithful To The Mitteldeutscher BC - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

After starting in the Alba Berlin organization in 2000 and getting into 28 Beko BBL games and getting experience in 3 Euroleague games, Sascha Leutloff (202-F-82, agency: Limelight Hoops) headed south to Weissenfels in 2007 and since then hasnt even thought of tearing down his tent there as he has developed futher as a player and today MBC announced that he will remain for a 6th season. Leutloff is a 29 year old 202cm forward that didnt start to play organized basketball until he was 16. Last season for MBC, he played 37 games: 9.7ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 51.5%, 3PT: 37.8%, FT: 74.1%. 'Sascha played an enormous big role in our mission to return to the Beko BBL and gave all to the team. He was very important to me as captain and player. He improved this season and was top scorer in some games. His strength is his defense and fighting mentality. It is great that he will remain with us for a 6th and 7th season. He is the best example for the identity that we want', stressed MBC head coach Silvano Poropat. 'The great team work with the team and coach was rewarded with the PRO A title. That is enough motivation to take on the goal of Beko BBL. I am looking forward to the next two seasons and hope we can put together a strong teamand make some surprises', added Sascha Leutloff (202-F-82, agency: Limelight Hoops).

Source: MBC


Dane Watts Remains In Ulm - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber


It was the Walter Tigers Tuebingen that paved the way showing the Beko BBL that they are capable of resigning four players during the regular season and now it is top team ratiopharm Ulm that have signed their second player for next season after Tommy Mason-Griffin with Missouri native Dane Watts (203-F-86, agency: Pro One Sports) Watts will be playing his second season in Ulm and so far in 33 games i averaging 10,2ppg and 6,4rpg which is impressive since the team has so much scoring power. 'Dane is a very important player, becuase he is so versatile. He can play two positions an dlogs the most minutes. That shows how importnat he is for us', stressed ratiopharm Ulm head coach Thorsten Leibenath. Watts also continues to show that he has a heart for Germany since he will be playing his fifth season in Germany next season after a year in Ludwigsburg and two in Tuebingen and for some reason seems trapped and content in the Schwaben land. 'I am very happy to be able to return to Ulm next season and continue to build on what we have achieved. I am happy to be able to show what I can do at the European level and to represent myself at this level in Ulm. I want to thank management, the sponsors, the coach and especually the fans for the support during this great season. We arent done yet', warned Dane Watts

Source: ratiopharm Ulm

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


Den Bosch wins in Leiden, takes 1-0 lead in Eredivisie Finals - by Eurobasket News

Eredivisie Finals, Game 1: Leiden - Den Bosch 79-81 (0-1)

Game One of Eredivisie Finals between Leiden and Den Bosch was played last night. Visitors grabbed very valuable 79-81 victory for 1-0 lead in the series. The format is best-of-seven and Game Two is scheduled for Thursday. Den Bosch will be the host. Visitors trailed by 2 points after three quarters before their 25-21 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Den Bosch made 22-of-29 free shots (75.9 percent) during the game. It was also a great shooting night for the guests especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 69.2 percentage. American players dominated last night. Worth to mention a great performance of point guard Frank Turner (178-88, college: Canisius, agency: Court Side) who helped to win the game recording 11 points and 8 rebounds. Forward Tai Wesley (200-86, college: Utah St.) contributed with 12 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Five Den Bosch players scored in double figures. Forward Seamus Boxley (201-82, college: Portland St., agency: Prossin Sports Management) answered with 15 points and 5 rebounds and point guard Thomas Jackson (175-80, college: Butler) added 18 points in the effort for Leiden. Leiden's coach Toon Van Helfteren rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Leiden is the defending champion from the last season. They already won one trophy this year and it was Dutch Cup. Leiden eliminated Zwolle with 3-1 in the Semis, while Den Bosch edged Groningen 3-2.

Leiden: J.Shepherd 19+1reb, T.Jackson 18+1reb+1ast, S.Boxley 15+5reb+2ast, A.Slagter 9+2reb+3ast, P.Hilliman 7+7reb+1ast, S.Cunningham 4+1ast
Den Bosch: D.Gonzalvez 15+2reb+1ast, R.Jansen 13+2ast, T.Wesley 12+5reb+3ast, F.Turner 11+8reb+3ast, P.Van Paassen 10+4reb+2ast, K.Akerboom 9+2reb


Eurobasket.com All-Promotie Divisie Awards 2011-2012 - by Fred Roggen

All-Promotie Divisie 1st Team 2012
#s#
Aaron Roye
Roye
Pascal Balm
Balm
Sjoerd van Vilsteren
van Vilsteren
Sander Trommelen
Trommelen
#e#4

Player of the Year: Aaron Roye (185-G-88) of Amsterdam
Guard of the Year: Aaron Roye (185-G-88) of Amsterdam
Forward of the Year: Sjoerd van Vilsteren (199-F-84) of Binnenland
Center of the Year: Maikel-Bastiaan Post () of Jugglers
Most Improved Player of the Year: Lars Jansen (186-G-93) of Binnenland
Rookie of the Year: Ata Einolhagh () of Rotterdam 2
Defensive Player of the Year: Joey Schelvis (191-G-89) of Leiden 2
Coach of the Year: Joost van Rangelrooij of Binnenland

1st Team
G: Aaron Roye (185-88) of Amsterdam
F: Pascal Balm (200-84) of De Hoppers
F: Sjoerd van Vilsteren (199-84) of Binnenland
F: Sander Trommelen (201-87) of Binnenland
: Maikel-Bastiaan Post () of Jugglers

2nd Team
G: Patrick Faijdherbe () of De Hoppers
: Ata Einolhagh () of Rotterdam 2
F: Mattijs Hak (188-88) of Amsterdam
F: Ramon Siljade (199-83) of ABC
C: Frank Hoogesteger (204-87) of De Groene

Honorable Mention
Wim van der Kamp (201-F-79) of Red Giants
Erik Schuur (197-G-82) of De Groene
Michael Kok () of Rotterdam 2
Yasalde Paz Costa (183-G-87) of Binnenland
Vangelis Zafiriadis (196-G/F-86) of Goba
Tom Schonewille (190-G/F-88) of Red Giants
Bob Keijzer (193-G/F-83) of Cangeroes
Yuval Uzan (192-PG-84) of Red Giants
Patrick Frimpong (206-C/F-87) of Cangeroes


Matthias Runs Commits To Bonnies - by Fred Roggen

Netherlands native Matthias Runs has committed to St. Bonaventure, according to the Olean Times-Herald.
On Monday afternoon, according to the Olean Times-Herald, head coach Mark Schmidt did just that, gaining a commitment from 2012 Netherlands native Matthias Runs.
Matthias Runs, a six-foot-ten center from Canarias Basketball Academy (Spain), will help bolster the frontcourt rotation for the next four years.


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  IRAN   


Mahram open title series with victory - by Eurobasket News

Petrochimi - Mahram 73:81

Mahram recorded the first win in the Superleague championship series. The three-time defending champions rallied past Petrochimi in the opener. Nikoloz Tskitishvili (212-C/F-83, agency: Regeneracom Sports) came up with 22 points and 8 rebounds to lead the winners. The teams are scheduled to play Game 2 on May 15th.
Mahram opened the game confidently. They raced to a 9:4 early lead. The visitors built a 28:17 lead after ten minutes. Mahram opened the second quarter with ten points in a row to clear off. Petrochimi stopped the rot late in the first half but still faced a 35:45 deficit at the interval. Mahram maintained the lead throughout the third term. They arrived at the final intermission up by 13 points 63:50. Mahram stayed in charge throughout the final stanza and secured a comfortable win at the end. Hamed Afagh (190-G-83) contributed 19 points, while Samad Nik Khahbahrami (198-F-83) had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. Mohammad Jamshidi (198-F-91) answered with 14 points for Petrochimi. Joseph Forte (193-G-81, college: N.Carolina) and Saeid Davarpanah (191-G/F-87) chipped in 13 points each in the loss.

Petrochimi: Mohammad Jamshidi 14, Joseph Forte 13, Saeid Davarpanah 13
Mahram: Nikoloz Tskitishvili 22, Hamed Afagh 19, Samad Nik Khahbahrami 16


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  ITALY   

Stats Leaders - Lega2

Points Per Game
 Troy BELL
  S.Antimo
  (186-PG-80)
  Avg: 23.2
 1. Bell, S.Antimo23.2 
 2. Hardy, Giorgio22.7 
 3. Marigney, Givova S.21.2 
 4. Freeman, MarcoPol.20.9 
 5. Voskuil, Morpho B.18.6 
 6. Maggioli, Fileni B.18.5 
 7. Robinson, Trenkwal.18.0 
 8. McConnell, Fileni17.6 
 9. Taylor, Trenkwal.17.1 
 10. Brooks, Fileni BPA17.0 
Rebounds Per Game
 James THOMAS
  Givova S.
  (203-F/C-80)
  Avg: 11.7
 1. Thomas, Givova S.11.7 
 2. Anderson, Morpho B.8.3 
 3. Jones, Giorgio7.9 
 4. Maggioli, Fileni B.7.7 
 5. Borovnjak, Enel B.7.5 
 6. Baldassarre, Bianc.7.5 
 7. Waleskowski, Tezen.7.4 
 8. Diliegro, Assi Ost.7.1 
 9. Brooks, Fileni BPA6.9 
 10. Kotti, Aget Imola6.9 
Assists Per Game
 Mike GREEN
  Sigma B.
  (185-PG-85)
  Avg: 5.1
 1. Green, Sigma B.5.1 
 2. Johnson, Assi O.4.5 
 3. Porta, Tezenis4.4 
 4. Kelley, Biancobl.3.5 
 5. McConnell, Fileni3.4 
 6. Renfroe, Enel B.3.4 
 7. Whiting, Aget Imola3.4 
 8. Marigney, Givova S.3.3 
 9. Blizzard, Biancobl.3.0 
 10. Goldwire, Centra.3.0 
Steals Per Game
 Mario WEST
  Tezenis .
  (195-G-84)
  Avg: 3.1
 1. West, Tezenis3.1 
 2. Thompson, Centra.2.7 
 3. Green, Sigma B.2.5 
 4. Radulovic, Givova2.5 
 5. Marigney, Givova S.2.4 
 6. Robinson, Trenkwal.2.4 
 7. Baldassarre, Bianc.2.4 
 8. Porta, Tezenis2.3 
 9. Goldwire, Centra.2.2 
 10. McConnell, Fileni2.1 
Blocks Per Game
 Riccardo CERVI
  Trenkwalder
  (215-C-91)
  Avg: 2.2
 1. Cervi, Trenkwalder2.2 
 2. Maggioli, Fileni B.1.7 
 3. Brkic, Prima Veroli0.8 
 4. Thomas, Givova S.0.8 
 5. Chiacig, Trenkwald.0.7 
 6. Radulovic, Givova0.7 
 7. Kotti, Aget Imola0.6 
 8. Zerini, Enel Brind.0.6 
 9. Da Ros, Sigma B.0.6 
 10. Galanda, Giorgi.0.6 


DNB Post season situation - by Armando Caporaso

This is the situation after the first round of the post season in DNB league:

Group A

Quarterfinals
Castellanza - Castelfiorentino 2-1
Mirandola - Torino 2-0
Bologna - Montecatini 2-1
Lucca - San Giorgio 2-0

Semifinals
Castellanza vs Mirandola (20/05)
Bologna vs Lucca (20/05)

Playout Semifinals
Costa Volpino - Prato 2-1 (Prato relegated to DNC)
Castelnovo di Sotto - Firenze 2-1 (Firenze relegated to DNC)

Playout Finals
Costa Volpino vs Castelnovo di Sotto (20/05)

Group B

Quarterfinals
Ferrara - Montegranaro 2-0
Senigallia - Marostica 2-0
Corno di Rosazzo - Fossombrone 2-0
Rimini - Ravenna 1-2

Semifinals
Ferrara vs Senigallia (20/05)
Corno di Rosazzo vs Ravenna (19/05)

Playout Semifinals
Roncade - Spilimbergo 0-2 (Roncade relegated to DNC)
Rovereto - Udine 2-0 (Udine relegated to DNC)

Playout Finals
Spilimbergo vs Rovereto (20/05)

Group C

Quarterfinals
Agrigento - Agropoli 2-0
Roseto - Francavilla 2-1
Martina Franca - Rieti 2-1
Reggio Calabria - Scauri 2-1

Semifinals
Agrigento vs Roseto (20/05)
Martina Franca vs Reggio Calabria (20/05)

Playout Semifinals
Bernalda - Corato 2-0 (Corato relegated to DNC)
Palestrina - Campobasso 2-1 (Campobasso relegated to DNC)

Playout Finals
Bernalda vs Palestrina (20/05)


Goran Jurak wants to stay in Biella - by Andrea Centenari

Goran Jurak (203-F/C-77) said that he would like to stay in Biella also on the next season. It seems that the club and the player are close to reach an agreement for the 2012-2013 season.

In an interview with the italian newspaper La Stampa, Angelico Biella GM, Marco Atripaldi said that he would like to keep two or three big men that they had in the roster in this season. Jurak is on the top of the list while Albert Miralles (208-C-82, agency: Interperformances) and Tadija Dragicevic (206-F/C-86, agency: Beo Basket) probably will leave Angelico.

In this season, Jurak averaged 7,8 points and 4,6 boards per game in Serie A.


Lega2 Round 3 of Quarter-Finals - by Eurobasket News

Prima Veroli - Giorgio Tesi PT 64-79

Pistoia celebrated the second win in the series. The guests were tied at the half but managed to speed up in last two quarters eventually winning the game. Americans were the main players on the court. The best player for the winners was forward Bobby Jones (201-84, college: Washington) who had a double-double by scoring 12 points and 13 rebounds. point guard Dwight Hardy (188-87, college: St.John's) chipped in 18 points and 6 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was guard Barry Elder (193-82, college: Georgia Tech) who recorded 16 points and guard Jarrius Jackson (188-85, college: Texas Tech) added 17 points respectively. Prima Veroli's coach Fernando Gentile tested ten players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.
Top scorers:
Giorgio Tesi PT: D.Hardy 18+6ast, F.Toppo 17+6reb, B.Jones 12+13reb, G.Galanda 10+1reb+1ast, L.Saccaggi 9+2reb+2ast, J.Tavernari 9+6reb
Prima Veroli: J.Jackson 17+2ast, B.Elder 16+4reb+1ast, R.Cortese 10+5reb+1ast, D.Brkic 9+4reb, G.Lee 7+6reb+1ast, I.Gatto 5+7reb
gschID: 176363


Centrale Latte - Givova Scafati 95-73

Central Latte earned the opening win against Givova Scafati cruising to an easy win at home court. The hosts trailed by 4 points at the halftime before their 52-26 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Centrale Latte forced 23 Givova Scafati turnovers. The best player for the winners was American point guard Leemire Goldwire (182-85, college: Charlotte, agency: Interperformances) who scored 27 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. Lithuanian center Deividas Busma (212-87, college: Idaho St., agency: Two Points) chipped in 18 points and 7 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field). Four Centrale Latte players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American guard Paul Marigney (192-82, college: St.Mary's, CA) who recorded 22 points and 6 rebounds and the other American import power forward James Thomas (203-80, college: Texas) added 9 points and 12 rebounds respectively. Givova Scafati's coach Giulio Griccioli gave up on the game allowing to play ten players seeing no chance for a win.
Top scorers:
Centrale Latte: L.Goldwire 27+3reb+5ast, D.Busma 18+7reb, R.Thompson 12+6reb+3ast, M.Jose Ghersetti 12+6reb+1ast, M.Rezzano 9+2reb+2ast, F.Bushati 8+3reb+2ast
Givova Scafati: P.Marigney 22+6reb+3ast, A.Ghiacci 15+5reb+2ast, J.Thomas 9+12reb+2ast, G.Sorrentino 8+6reb, M.Levin 5+4reb+4ast, N.Radulovic 4+4reb+1ast
gschID: 176364


Assi Ostuni - Enel Brindisi 87-93 OT

Enel Brindisi advanced into semifinals following an overtime road win over Assi Ostuni. Assi Ostuni was ahead by 11 points after three quarters before a 28-17 charge of Enel Brindisi, which allowed them to tie the game at the end of regular time. They were better in overtime eventually winning that period 13-7. Enel Brindisi forced 23 Assi Ostuni turnovers. Assi Ostuni was plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. It was an exceptional evening for American point guard Jonathan Gibson (182-87, college: N.Mexico St.) who led the winners and scored 31 points. His fellow American import point guard Alex Renfroe (191-86, college: Belmont) accounted for 18 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists for the winning side. Four Enel Brindisi players scored in double figures. American point guard Aaron Johnson (172-88, college: UAB, agency: Two Points) came up with 33 points (!!!) and 6 assists and guard Simone Berti (196-85) added 17 points and 8 rebounds respectively for Assi Ostuni in the defeat. Assi Ostuni's coach Franco Marcelletti rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help.
Top scorers:
Enel Brindisi: J.Gibson 31+3reb, K.Ndoja 19+4reb+1ast, A.Renfroe 18+9reb+4ast, C.Callahan 10+7reb+2ast, M.Formenti 4+1ast, D.Borovnjak 3+2reb+3ast
Assi Ostuni: A.Johnson 33+2reb+6ast, S.Berti 17+8reb+3ast, D.Diliegro 9+7reb, G.Carenza 8+4reb, J.Klobucar 5+3reb+1ast, T.Rinaldi 5+4reb+1ast
gschID: 176361


Morpho Basket - Sigma Barcel. 90-85

Morpho Basket toppled Sigma Barcellona to cut the deficit in the series. The hosts trailed by 1 point after three quarters before their 24-18 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Morpho Basket made 16-of-18 free shots (88.9 percent) during the game. It was a great evening for American-Danish guard Alan Voskuil (191-86, college: Texas Tech) who led his team to a victory scoring 29 points and 5 rebounds (went 8 for 8 at the free throw line). American forward Dwayne Anderson (198-86, college: Villanova) helped adding 18 points and 10 rebounds. The best for the losing side was American point guard Mike Green (185-85, college: Butler) with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals and Panamanian swingman Michael Hicks (194-76, college: Texas A&M-CC) scored 18 points and 8 rebounds. Four Morpho Basket and five Sigma Barcellona players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Morpho Basket: A.Voskuil 29+5reb+3ast, D.Anderson 18+10reb+3ast, R.Amoroso 17+6reb+1ast, C.Cotis Harrison 14+6reb+6ast, M.Passera 8+1reb+2ast, R.Perego 2+2reb
Sigma Barcel.: M.Green 19+8reb+7ast, M.Hicks 18+8reb, L.Dordei 14+4reb+2ast, M.Mocavero 13+5reb, R.Bucci 11+4ast, M.Lukauskis 6+3reb+2ast
gschID: 176362



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


BJ League Operations. - by Emeka Eke

We are all aware that the BJ league is a brand of its own, but what remains incomprehensible is why the league offers only a year's contract to foreign players (In this case, five on each team) when it can offer longer contracts and make it more marketable. Certainly many players are looking for leagues that have the NBA-kind of razz-matazz, where the hoopla is so loud. Unfortunately so, the BJ league is deficient in this regard but has continued to attract players from everywhere including the NBA. Therefore it becomes imperative for the league to make some of its operational laws milder to accomodate the interest of foreign players who may wish to make the BJ league their next port of call.


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


Kenya Poly falls to FOB in their first NBA match - by Eurobasket News

Kenya Polytechnic lost their first match against Friends of Basketball (F.OB) in the ongoing Nairobi Basketball Association League over the weekend at the Railways Sports Club.
Kenya Poly as they are commonly referred to took a slight lead in the 1st quarter when they hit 9 points against F.O.B's 8 points. They continued with the positive start in the 2nd quarter to increase the margin with 5 points.They went on to take the quarter by 9 points against F.O.Bs 5 points to put the total points at 18 points for the students against their opponents 13 points.
It is in the 3rd quarter that Kenya Poly faltered when they were fell by 4 points. F.O.B managed to get 10 points from the quarter while Kenya Poly got 6 points to reduce the advantage that they had by just a single point.
In the final quarter F.O.B came out all guns blazing and dominated the quarter and took home the win after hitting 15 points against Kenya Polys 7 to put the final score at 31 38.
F.O.B tactician Joseph Achega attributed the win to his sides patience,
'we have never played Kenya Poly before so in the 1st and 2nd quarters we were sizing them up and we managed to recover in the 3rd and 4th since we knew how they played. The reaction depended on us and we did so.,' said Achega.
Victor Osewe the Kenya Poly coach had a number of reasons for the loss mainly citing lack of experience,
The current squad is new with a majority of young players and they are still trying to cope with the competition at this level. He went on further to mention that the students had just resumed from holidays and were still trying to catch up in terms of fitness.
Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com/


Co-Op, KCB win in weekend KBF League matches - by Eurobasket News

Co-Op bank basketball team were back to winning ways on Sunday afternoon at the Nyayo Gymnasium when they saw off Blazers 72 42 in the ongoing KBF Premier league.
Co-op bank who were shaking off a defeat against arch rivals and fellow bankers KCB the previous week dominated the match from the onset when they took the first quarter 16 11. The second quarter saw Co- op bank increase their lead when they thumped in an impressive 21 points against Blazers 8 points to put the total points at 37 19 in favor of the bankers.
The 3rd quarter saw Blazers try to stage a comeback when they acquired 13 points against Co-op banks 15 points, but slumped in the fourth quarter and the bankers proved why they are the defending champions beating Blazers with a margin of 10 points, when they got 20 points against their opponents 10 points.
Co-op banks Fredrick Odongo scored an outstanding 21 points for his side followed by Titus Musembi who had 11 points and James Mwangi who scored 9 points and also blocked the highest number of shots in the game with 3 blocks. Mwangi came second with the highest number of rebounds taken by Co-op bank in the game with 7 rebounds taken while his teammate Mark Mayeng (205-C) secured 15 rebounds.
Blazers Joel Koech gave his side the highest number of points when he scored 12 points while George Makori and Kiogoria Muturi followed with 8 points each. Koech stood out again in terms of rebounds taken by Blazers when he secured a total of 8 rebounds.
Co-op bank Coach Cary Odhiambo was happy that his team was playing according to plans,
It was a good game and as far as I am concerned we are playing the way I want us to play.'
On Saturday afternoon KCB Lions continued with their unbeaten run in the league when they beat Thunder 72 52 and Morris Shitsama termed the game as more of a practice session,
I used all the players in the bench. I wanted everybody to have a feel of the game and I can just say it was a practice session for us.
Thunder tactician Moses Chopper conceded defeat mentioning that it was just their first game and they will go back to the drawing board and will come back.
Iit was our first game so we have room to recover. They were better in terms of taking rebounds and on our side we had many loose balls and didnt play as a unit.
Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com


*****************************************************
  KOSOVO   


Sigal Prishtina demolished Bashkimi - by Dren Shporta

The players of coach, Arben Krasniqi, have demolished Bashkimi in the first play-off semifinal match. Sigal Prishtina let Bashkimi to score only five points in the first quarter, to show
to the oranges of Prizren that they will have no chance in the game, 22-5.

After that Bashkimi got consolidated itself, but it was too late to do something more in the match. Edmond Azemi (201-G/F-80, agency: Prossin Sports Management) and Fisnik Rugova (206-G/F-89) have played a great match. With their great
defense, Sigal Prishtina, will be a hard team to beat. They registered a deep victory against oranges in the first match, 95-69 was the final result.

The next match will be played in Sezai Surroi court in Prizren, where Bashkimi will have their last chance. If reigning champions, Sigal Prishtina, wins the match they will get through
the finals to play against a winner of Trepca Peja duel.



Trepa hardly against Peja - by Dren Shporta

Players of Neven Plantak, had a hard job against Peja in the first match of play-off semifinals of BKT Superliga. They registered their first play-off win in the series only after overtime, 82-77.

Drilon Hajrizi (208-C-91) scored three pointer in the end to make the difference clear and to take a deep breath after Peja caused a lot of problems for game winners, Trepca. The match in the regular time finished 71-71.

The second play-off semifinal match will be played in Karagac court of Peja with May 17th. If Trepca registers a victory in Peja they will get through to the play-off finals. The winner
of this tie will play Sigal Prishtina or Bashkimi in the final.



*****************************************************
  LIGA AMERICAS   


Interview with Pep Claros, Coach of the Year in Liga Americas - by Eurobasket News

Hello Pep (Josep Claros), let us congratulate you first on Liga Americas title with Pioneros de Quintana Roo-Cancun and of course on Coach of the Year award.

Let us know please is the Liga Americas title the most important trophy in your coaching career so far?
Is something hard to say because I have a lot of feelings for all the other titles as well. Obviously in America is a big thing, and I know this one will be in the Mexican history forever, but I really think every championship was special. Is difficult to reach the final and even more to win so Im proud of every championship I got because is always a lot of hours, a lot of personal connections fighting for the same goal and a lot of experiences that you just know when you win and lose finals.

Which game was the most difficult for you and your team at the Final Four Tournament?
All of them. I will explain why: the first one because we were playing against the home team and even we had a lot of confidence there are some things you cant control playing away. We knew we could beat them if we had the mentality to smash and send a message, let everybody knows that we were good enough to win the championship. In some point we were 27 up, we finally won by 18. The second one was difficult because the Brazilian team has winning experience and players like Giovannoni and Alex (ex- Maccabi) and 3 National Team players. The last one, was obviously tough because Obras Sanitarias is the best Argentinean team, with the National Team head coach and they just need to win by 1 to be champions. We won by 9 and we were ahead all game using 12 players in the first half.

Can you compare the level of Liga Americas with some of the European leagues?
Liga Americas is a competition that every game is all or nothing. You have to win 3 finals four before get the championship. All the teams you compete against are the best ones of their countries, so they know what it takes to get there and they have the best talent of their leagues. Every country has their own characteristics in terms of style of play. Is not the same to play against a Brazilian team than to the Argentineans and even more different if you play against the Puerto Rican team. You have to be clearly the best and do well some aspects of the game like dominate the rhythm, develop the toughness during the competition and have a good team mentality.

You reached 13 Finals so far with different teams in different countries. Which one you will never forget, except of the Liga American Final 4?
I have good memory so I will remember all of them...I also remember all the losses I had so eventually they push me to keep fighting. I will not forget a game when with American University (NCAA Div. II school) we upset No.1 in the country Arkansas who was undefeated at that time. It was 16 years ago in a Christmas day. It wasnt a title game but it was just special and we made a big presentation to college basketball. After that we won the conference 2 years in a row with just 3 loses in 2 years and beating other schools like top 10 Alabama or Texas C. and Hofstra.

You started the season with the Halifax Rainmen. It was the inaugural year of the NBL Canada, so can you please tell us something more about the league?
The NBL is an athletic league where you can have 10 Americans per team. Most of the players have stints in Europe , D- League and some even NBA. Is very interesting to see because you have all of the teams with real possibilities to improve the roster (22 transactions during the season) and to win every game because you are constantly thinking about winning the game but also to recruit the best talent available at the same time. Most of my players had played in Europe so they could adapt to practices and some of rules that I adopted.

What are your plans for the next season? You are still Head Coach of the Mexican National Team.
I will decide very soon. The Pioneros of Cancun organization will run the team so it looks that Mexico could have a strong team if they add 5 or 6 players to the Mexican team we won the Liga Americas. After the silver medal we got in 2010 is a good opportunity to keep winning internationally. If they can have the best players Mexico can be very close to Argentina and Brazil , so eventually we could have good results. In the other hand there is an option in Europe that could be an excellent project for an emerging country that I m sure will be top in the very next future, because they have talent, physical strength, mentality and is run for good basketball minds. My goal is keep winning so I feel very fortunate if Im part of them.

Thank you Pep and we wish you all the best in the future!


*****************************************************
  MEXICO   


Interview with Pep Claros, Coach of the Year in Liga Americas - by Eurobasket News

Hello Pep (Josep Claros), let us congratulate you first on Liga Americas title with Pioneros de Quintana Roo-Cancun and of course on Coach of the Year award.

Let us know please is the Liga Americas title the most important trophy in your coaching career so far?
Is something hard to say because I have a lot of feelings for all the other titles as well. Obviously in America is a big thing, and I know this one will be in the Mexican history forever, but I really think every championship was special. Is difficult to reach the final and even more to win so Im proud of every championship I got because is always a lot of hours, a lot of personal connections fighting for the same goal and a lot of experiences that you just know when you win and lose finals.

Which game was the most difficult for you and your team at the Final Four Tournament?
All of them. I will explain why: the first one because we were playing against the home team and even we had a lot of confidence there are some things you cant control playing away. We knew we could beat them if we had the mentality to smash and send a message, let everybody knows that we were good enough to win the championship. In some point we were 27 up, we finally won by 18. The second one was difficult because the Brazilian team has winning experience and players like Giovannoni and Alex (ex- Maccabi) and 3 National Team players. The last one, was obviously tough because Obras Sanitarias is the best Argentinean team, with the National Team head coach and they just need to win by 1 to be champions. We won by 9 and we were ahead all game using 12 players in the first half.

Can you compare the level of Liga Americas with some of the European leagues?
Liga Americas is a competition that every game is all or nothing. You have to win 3 finals four before get the championship. All the teams you compete against are the best ones of their countries, so they know what it takes to get there and they have the best talent of their leagues. Every country has their own characteristics in terms of style of play. Is not the same to play against a Brazilian team than to the Argentineans and even more different if you play against the Puerto Rican team. You have to be clearly the best and do well some aspects of the game like dominate the rhythm, develop the toughness during the competition and have a good team mentality.

You reached 13 Finals so far with different teams in different countries. Which one you will never forget, except of the Liga American Final 4?
I have good memory so I will remember all of them...I also remember all the losses I had so eventually they push me to keep fighting. I will not forget a game when with American University (NCAA Div. II school) we upset No.1 in the country Arkansas who was undefeated at that time. It was 16 years ago in a Christmas day. It wasnt a title game but it was just special and we made a big presentation to college basketball. After that we won the conference 2 years in a row with just 3 loses in 2 years and beating other schools like top 10 Alabama or Texas C. and Hofstra.

You started the season with the Halifax Rainmen. It was the inaugural year of the NBL Canada, so can you please tell us something more about the league?
The NBL is an athletic league where you can have 10 Americans per team. Most of the players have stints in Europe , D- League and some even NBA. Is very interesting to see because you have all of the teams with real possibilities to improve the roster (22 transactions during the season) and to win every game because you are constantly thinking about winning the game but also to recruit the best talent available at the same time. Most of my players had played in Europe so they could adapt to practices and some of rules that I adopted.

What are your plans for the next season? You are still Head Coach of the Mexican National Team.
I will decide very soon. The Pioneros of Cancun organization will run the team so it looks that Mexico could have a strong team if they add 5 or 6 players to the Mexican team we won the Liga Americas. After the silver medal we got in 2010 is a good opportunity to keep winning internationally. If they can have the best players Mexico can be very close to Argentina and Brazil , so eventually we could have good results. In the other hand there is an option in Europe that could be an excellent project for an emerging country that I m sure will be top in the very next future, because they have talent, physical strength, mentality and is run for good basketball minds. My goal is keep winning so I feel very fortunate if Im part of them.

Thank you Pep and we wish you all the best in the future!


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

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game
 Nemanja VRANJES
  Sutjeska
  (188-G-88)
  Avg: 23
 1. Vranjes, Sutjeska23.0 
 2. Mugosa, KK Podgo.21.3 
 3. Dubljevic, Buduc.18.3 
 4. Lopicic, Lovcen17.7 
 5. Lekovic, Jedinstvo17.1 
 6. Petkovic, Danilovg.16.6 
 7. Bulatovic, ABS P.15.8 
 8. Nicaj, KK Podgorica15.4 
 9. Radulovic, Teodo T.15.2 
 10. Seferovic, Mogren14.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Milos LOPICIC
  Lovcen
  (216-C-90)
  Avg: 8.6
 1. Lopicic, Lovcen8.6 
 2. Nicaj, KK Podgorica8.0 
 3. Dubljevic, Buduc.7.4 
 4. Radulovic, Teodo T.7.4 
 5. Mugosa, KK Podgo.7.2 
 6. Jocovic, Sutjeska7.0 
 7. Devrnja, ABS P.6.9 
 8. Popovic, Sutjeska5.9 
 9. Gajovic, Sutjeska5.9 
 10. Djurkovic, Ulcinj5.7 
Assists Per Game
 Goran BULATOVIC
  ABS P.
  (184-G-88)
  Avg: 4.8
 1. Bulatovic, ABS P.4.8 
 2. Anderson, Buducno.3.7 
 3. Bogojevic, KK Podg.3.6 
 4. Scott, Mornar Bar3.2 
 5. Vranjes, Sutjeska3.2 
 6. Mugosa, KK Podgo.2.8 
 7. Mijovic, Teodo Tiv.2.7 
 8. Jelenic, Mornar B.2.6 
 9. Calic, Teodo Tivat2.5 
 10. Tepavcevic, Ulcinj2.4 
Steals Per Game
 Goran BULATOVIC
  ABS P.
  (184-G-88)
  Avg: 2.2
 1. Bulatovic, ABS P.2.2 
 2. Scott, Mornar Bar2.2 
 3. Miljic, Jedinstvo1.8 
 4. Jovovic, Danilovgr.1.8 
 5. Pavlicevic, Lovcen1.7 
 6. Vranjes, Sutjeska1.6 
 7. Gajovic, Sutjeska1.5 
 8. Seferovic, Mogren1.5 
 9. Radulovic, Teodo T.1.5 
 10. Latkovic, Ulcinj1.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Ljeko NICAJ
  KK Podgorica
  (210-C-87)
  Avg: 2.4
 1. Nicaj, KK Podgorica2.4 
 2. Lopicic, Lovcen1.1 
 3. Vujosevic, Mornar1.1 
 4. Vitkovac, Buducno.1.0 
 5. Radulovic, Teodo T.1.0 
 6. Djurkovic, Ulcinj1.0 
 7. Pavic, Mornar Bar1.0 
 8. Cebalovic, Danilov.0.9 
 9. Mrdak, Danilovgrad0.9 
 10. Dubljevic, Buduc.0.9 



*****************************************************
  MOROCCO   


As De Sale Are Throne Cup Champions for 4th Consecutive Year - by Adam Prossin

Morocco's Top club over the last few years, As de Sale, has continued their dominant winning form. ASS just clinched their 4th consecutive Morocco Throne Cup with a 66-59 hard fought victory over Renaissance Berkane in the Throne Cup Final. It is also the 6th Throne Cup Championship title in the last 8 years for ASS with prior victories in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

As de Sale, in addition, just became the regular season champion of Morocco with a 16-2 final record. Berkane was also the runners-up of the regular season with a 14-4 record followed by WAC Casablanca who finished the season in 3rd pace with a 12-6 final record.

The 1st playoff round is under way in Morocco now with the top 6 teams advancing. Group A matches As de Sale, Maghreb de Fez & Sports Plaza Casablanca while Group B has WAC Casablanca, CRA Hoceima & Renaissance Berkane.


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

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game
 Kobe BRYANT
  LA Lakers
  (198-G-78)
  Avg: 27.9
 1. Bryant, LA Lakers27.9 
 2. Durant, Oklah.Ci.27.9 
 3. James, Miami Heat27.3 
 4. Love, Minnesota T.26.0 
 5. Westbrook, Oklah..23.6 
 6. Anthony, New Y.23.1 
 7. Wade, Miami Heat22.1 
 8. Nowitzki, Dallas M.22.0 
 9. Rose, Chicago B.21.9 
 10. Aldridge, Portlan.21.7 
Rebounds Per Game
 Dwight HOWARD
  Orlando M.
  (211-C-85)
  Avg: 14.5
 1. Howard, Orlando M.14.5 
 2. Love, Minnesota T.13.4 
 3. Bynum, LA Lakers11.9 
 4. Humphries, New J.11.0 
 5. Cousins, Sacramen.11.0 
 6. Griffin, LA Clipp.10.4 
 7. Gasol, LA Lakers10.3 
 8. Gortat, Phoenix10.0 
 9. Smith, Atlanta H.9.9 
 10. Noah, Chicago B.9.8 
Assists Per Game
 Rajon RONDO
  Boston C.
  (185-PG-86)
  Avg: 11.8
 1. Rondo, Boston C.11.8 
 2. Nash, Phoenix Suns10.7 
 3. Paul, LA Clippers8.9 
 4. Calderon, Toron.8.8 
 5. Williams, New J.8.7 
 6. Rubio, Minnesot.8.2 
 7. Wall, Washington W.8.0 
 8. Rose, Chicago B.7.9 
 9. Parker, San A.7.7 
 10. Conley, Memphis G.6.7 
Steals Per Game
 Chris PAUL
  LA Clippers
  (183-PG-85)
  Avg: 2.6
 1. Paul, LA Clippers2.6 
 2. Rubio, Minnesot.2.2 
 3. Conley, Memphis G.2.1 
 4. Rondo, Boston C.2.0 
 5. James, Miami Heat1.9 
 6. Kidd, Dallas M.1.8 
 7. Millsap, Utah Jazz1.8 
 8. Wade, Miami Heat1.8 
 9. Ariza, N.Orleans H.1.7 
 10. Westbrook, Oklah..1.7 
Blocks Per Game
 Serge IBAKA
  Oklah.Ci.
  (208-C/F-89)
  Avg: 3.6
 1. Ibaka, Oklah.Ci.3.6 
 2. McGee, Washingt.2.5 
 3. Howard, Orlando M.2.1 
 4. Bynum, LA Lakers2.1 
 5. Hibbert, Indiana P.2.1 
 6. Jordan, LA Clippers2.0 
 7. McGee, Denver N.2.0 
 8. Gasol, Memphis G.1.9 
 9. Biyombo, Charlott.1.8 
 10. Udoh, Golde S.1.7 


Bosh: Season 'has to be extended for me to play again' - by Eurobasket News

If the Miami Heat are going to advance to the Eastern Conference finals, they will have to do it with the availability of forward Chris Bosh (6'11''-F-84, college: Georgia Tech) in doubt after an MRI on Monday confirmed a lower abdominal strain.

Bosh is out indefinitely after being injured late in the second quarter of the Game 1 victory Sunday of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers. Game 2 is Tuesday in Miami.

'We do not have a timetable on him, so we're moving forward with the guys that'll be ready tomorrow,' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Monday.

'We feel this team was built with a great deal of versatility. We feel that is one of our best strengths. This will be an opportunity for guys to step forward. But it also will be an opportunity for us to use some of this versatility that we've been talking about.'

In the nine games Bosh missed this season, the Heat were 4-5. Despite a strong second half without Bosh in Game 1 against the Pacers, the Heat are a better team with him in the lineup.

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili was out 14 days with a strained left oblique muscle this season. If Bosh missed about two weeks, that would put his return early in the conference finals if the Heat advanced and both the Heat-Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics series went at least six games.

Bosh, who was at the Heat's practice facility Monday at American Airlines Arena for treatment on the injury, said it was not a complete tear of the muscle or a hernia.

'From our minds, we're looking at that as good news,' Spoelstra said.

Bosh said he was sore and had no idea how long he would be out.

'I don't know. I wish I did,' Bosh said. 'There's nothing anybody can say. It's just all response right now. We're going to treat it and see what happens. As soon as possible, I'll be back out there.'

'This season has to be extended for me to play again. That's what's on my mind.'

Disappointed about missing games, Bosh's spirits were up.

'It's not deflating. It's what you make of it,' he said. 'Yes, I do want to play. Yes, I want to be out there. No, I don't want to be in the position I'm in. Mentally, I just have to stay with it. Just trying to stay positive and I will. Our team is going to be successful whether I'm playing or not. I'm still a part of that.

'I just want to show that my morale is high no matter what happens. We preach all these things all the time. It's going to be tough, and it's a long, hard road and you have to deal with the bumps. My bump is here and I have to make sure I get over it. I didn't want any of my teammates thinking something's wrong with me emotionally. I'm here for support. My head is in the game, and I'm trying to get back out there.'

Bosh was in the middle of a strong game 13 points, five rebounds when the injury happened. However, reserve centers Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf compensated for Bosh's absence in the second half.

Bosh got hurt when he was fouled by Pacers center Roy Hibbert with 1:06 left in the second quarter. Bosh converted the dunk, then fell to floor after Hibbert fouled him. He remained on all fours for nearly 15 seconds, got up gingerly and made his free throw. But he struggled to get back on defense.

'I felt it when I went up. I felt it pretty much right away,' Bosh said. 'That's when I noticed I couldn't move the way I wanted to.'

After James grabbed a rebound on Hibbert's missed shot, Bosh went to the ground again. The Heat called a timeout so they could sub out Bosh, who went straight to the locker room with 43.6 seconds left in the half.

In the short-term, the Heat can manage without Bosh if he misses any games even though Indiana has a strong and deep frontcourt with Hibbert, forward David West and reserve center Tyler Hansbrough.

The Heat could move LeBron James from small forward to power forward and insert forward Mike Miller or forward Shane Battier into the starting lineup. Or, they could leave James at small forward and start Anthony or Turiaf.

Spoelstra wasn't ready to show his hand, but James said it's unlikely he starts at power forward, although he said he will play that position.

'All options are open. It could change quarter to quarter, game to game,' Spoelstra said. 'We feel we have enough right now. There has to be an absolute sense of urgency like we had in the second half (of Game 1). Our margin of error, no question, is less than what it was before. We still want to play to that same identity, so it's not as if we have to change our game.

'What I told the guys is this just changes the dynamic a little bit. Guys have to be ready, obviously, for their opportunity. But they also have to understand it's not necessarily set in stone. I'll make adjustments and decisions as we go and see what works and what has more potential than other lineups, and that's just the way it has to be. They're a very mature group about it. We'll be able to use our versatility without guys letting their personal dilemmas get in the way.'

The Pacers are prepared for whatever the Heat decide to do. Indiana coach Frank Vogel said part of the preparation for Miami included how his team would play with James at power forward.

'It changes their team, but we've got to understand, like I said last night, it doesn't allow you to play five-on-four,' Vogel said. 'They've got great players who can fill in for him. They've got different lineups that are sometimes more effective than the lineup with Bosh. Obviously, not having to worry about Bosh helps because he's such a terrific player. Their small lineup is difficult to guard as well.'

With Bosh not playing, the Heat scored 98.9 points per 100 possessions and allowed 97.8 points per 100 possessions this season. With Bosh on the court, Miami scored 107.5 points per 100 possessions and allowed 96.7 points per 100 possessions.

Bosh's absence might turn into a bigger issue if the Heat advance and play the Boston Celtics, another team with a strong presence in the low post, led by forward Kevin Garnett, who has turned back the clock about four seasons in this year's playoffs.

Abdominal strains are tricky, much like other strains. They can be mild, moderate or severe Grade I, II or III.

According to physioroom.com, a Grade I strain 'may not be present until the activity is over,' a Grade II strain 'is immediate pain' and Grade III strain 'is immediate burning or stabbing pain and the athlete is unable to move without pain. The muscle is completely torn and there may be a bulge of soft tissue through the muscle layer this is known as a hernia.'

Grade II strains sideline an athlete for 4-6 weeks, according to physioroom.com.

Depending on the severity, this is another injury that could impact Team USA's roster at the London Olympics this summer.

Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson sustained an abdominal strain April 6 against the Golden State Warriors and didn't miss any games. However, Garnett sat out nearly three weeks with an abdominal strain in 2008, and center Brad Miller missed two games with the same injury in 2009.

Injuries have been front and center of the 2011 playoffs since they opened April 28. Health is always a concern at this time of the year, but even more so this season. It's turning into a battle of attrition.

Three players were lost of the season with devastating knee injuries. Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose tore his left ACL in Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert tore his left ACL and lateral meniscus in Game 1 against the Heat in the first round, and Knicks guard Baron Davis sustained a tore the patella tendon, ACL and MCL in his right knee in Game 4 against the Heat.

Joakim Noah missed Chicago's final three playoff games with a sprained left ankle

Los Angeles Clippers guard Mo Williams was limited in Game 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies with injured fingers on his shooting (right) hand. Clippers guard Chris Paul played the final two games of the Grizzlies series with a hip flexor strain, and forward Blake Griffin has a sore left knee.

Oklahoma City Thunder Kendrick Perkins left the fourth and final game of the Thunder-Dallas Mavericks series with a strained right hip and is a game-time decision for Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

Philadelphia forward Thaddeus Young was in and out of the rotation with an injured right shin in Game 1 against the Celtics but is expected to play in Game 2 on Monday. Sixers forward Elton Brand is also available for Game 2 despite neck spasms.

The Celtics are battling injuries, too. Boston guard Ray Allen missed the first two games of the Hawks series in the first round with a bad right ankle that might need surgery in the offseason. Celtics forward Paul Pierce is playing with a sprained MCL.

Courtesy of www.usatoday.com


Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving collects NBA rookie award Tuesday - by Eurobasket News

There was never any doubt Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (6'3''-G-92, college: Duke) would be named the NBAs rookie of the year. The only suspense was when - and by how much.

Irving, as expected, will be presented with the award on Tuesday, capping a season which he began as the No. 1 overall pick and ended it as the clear-cut top rookie.

The Cavs sent out a release Monday saying they will make a major announcement along with the league on Tuesday morning at Cleveland Clinic Courts, the teams training facility in Independence. The team did not specify what will be announced, but The Associated Press was one of several media outlets to report that Irving will win the award.

The 20-year-old averaged 18.5 points to lead all rookies - and the Cavs - in scoring. He also averaged 5.4 assists, finished first among rookies in field-goal percentage and dominated several games in the fourth quarter, rallying Cleveland to wins.

Irving has a chance to become the fourth unanimous winner in voting by a nationwide media panel. Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (2011), San Antonio centre David Robinson (1990) and Houston centre Ralph Sampson (1984) are the only players to receive every first-place vote. Chris Paul missed by one vote in 2006.

Irving is the second Cleveland player to win the award, joining LeBron James in 2004. Irvings arrival has helped the Cavaliers continue to rebuild following James departure as a free agent two years ago.

After the Cavs finished 21-45 in a lockout-shortened season, the 6-foot-3 Irving promised to raise his game in the years ahead.

There is no limit for me, Irving said. The only way I can go is up. Thats the only way I want to go. This season was a learning experience. I learned what to do and what not to do. Going forward, I want to apply it next season and take it to another level.

The Cavaliers should be able to add some pieces to surround Irving in next months draft. Cleveland has three of the top 34 picks and has a chance to win the draft lottery. Last year, the pingpong balls bounced in the Cavs favour, allowing them to draft Irving, who played just 11 games in college at Duke because of a toe injury.

Irving, who cracked the starting lineup for the opener, made dazzling plays and clutch shots

Courtesy of www.thestar.com


Rested Spurs win Game 1 over weary Clippers 108-92 - by Eurobasket News

Tim Duncan (6'11''-F/C-76, college: Wake Forest) had 26 points and 10 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs, recharged after a weeklong layoff, wore down the busy Los Angeles Clippers to win Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series, 108-92 on Tuesday night.

Playing for the sixth time in 11 days, Los Angeles gave San Antonio its toughest first half of the playoffs before fading fast. And unlike their stunning Game 1 comeback at Memphis in the first round, the Clippers didn't have the wind this time.

Emanuel Ginobili (6'6''-G-77, agency: Interperformances) added 22 points for the Spurs, who've won 15 in a row. It's the longest winning streak sustained in the NBA playoffs since the 2004 Spurs won 17 straight.

'It's the playoffs. It's going to be physical. We knew that coming in,' Duncan said. 'We just expected to attack the basket as much as possible.'

Eric Bledsoe (6'1''-PG-89, college: Kentucky) led the Clippers with 23 points.

Game 2 is Thursday night.

That gives the beat-up and banged-up Clippers one full day of rest which is all the time they've had to recover between games for the past week and a half.

Los Angeles couldn't even fly home first after knocking out the Grizzlies on Sunday in Game 7 of a grueling series that had the Clippers hobbling next to Texas. Blake Griffin (6'10''-F-89, college: Oklahoma) scored 15 points in 28 minutes a day after estimating his sprained left knee had him feeling '80 percent' at best.

The Clippers said the injury is bad enough that their All-Star and leading scorer might be missing up to two weeks if this were the regular season. But unlike in Game 7 on Sunday, Griffin didn't take a seat in the fourth quarter until the Spurs were safely ahead in the final minutes.

Rookie Kawhi Leonard (6'7''-F-91, college: San Diego St.) added 16 points, hitting all three of his 3s, and Danny Green (6'6''-G/F-87, college: N.Carolina) added 15 points for the Spurs.

The marquee matchup of the series All-Star point guards Tony Parker and Chris Paul (6'0''-PG-85, college: Wake Forest) was a fizzle. Paul, who ended the first round with an aching hip, scored just six points and didn't make a single basket in the second half. Parker had seven points and 11 assists.

Caron Butler scored 15 points and Nick Young had 13 for the Clippers. Los Angeles cut the deficit to single digits with a 10-burst in the fourth quarter before San Antonio, which hasn't lost in a month, ran away with its 11th double-digit victory during this dominating winning streak.

The Clippers didn't even need San Antonio's help getting more bumps and bruises: Mo Williams, already playing with his sore right fingers taped, took a lump on the head when teammate Reggie Evans kicked him with an errant foot after Williams fell on his back in the lane.

Williams wobbled when he tried standing, sat back down, and the Clippers burned a timeout. He never left the game, but the Clippers weren't getting any fresher.

Parker, meanwhile, finally felt the hard knocks and slow-him-down shoves that Utah repeatedly promised but never delivered in the first round. Sometimes, the All-Star looked in vain to officials when the whistle didn't blow. When that didn't work once in the first quarter, he kept jabbering about a no-call on the last possession while lining up to shoot free throws on the current one.

Popovich, pacing and sensing an impending technical foul, silenced his leading scorer.

'Tony!' Popovich snapped from the sideline. 'Shoot!'

Parker waved off the NBA Coach of the Year he was under control. But his frustrations didn't end there. He was 1 for 9 despite playing 38 minutes, scoring all but two of his points at the foul line.

Courtesy of www.foxnews.com


Pacers win 78-75, late chances doom Miami - by Eurobasket News

No Big Three meant one big problem for Miami, and one very big win for Indiana.

David West (6'8''-F-80, college: Xavier) scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, George Hill (6'2''-PG-86, college: IUPUI) added 15 and the Indiana Pacers took home-court advantage away from Miami by beating the Heat 78-75 in Game 2 of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night.

LeBron James (6'8''-F-84) scored 28 points for Miami and Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette) finished with 24, but both missed big chances for the Heat late. James missed two free throws with 54.3 seconds left and Miami down one, and Wade was short on a layup that would have tied the game with 16 seconds remaining.

Mario Chalmers' 3-pointer to tie bounced away on the final play, and the series was tied 1-1.

Danny Granger (6'8''-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: N.Mexico) scored 11 points and Paul George (6'9''-G/F-90, agency: Priority Sports, college: Fresno St.) added 10 for Indiana, which took advantage of Heat forward Chris Bosh's absence and outrebounded Miami 50-40.

Game 3 is Thursday in Indianapolis.

James had a chance to give Miami the lead with 1:22 left, but his shot was blocked from behind by George, who was fouled two seconds later. He missed both free throws, keeping the Indiana lead at 76-75. And after Wade missed a jumper, James was fouled by Granger - his sixth - battling for the rebound with 54.3 seconds remaining.

James couldn't connect on either, and the Heat didn't score again.

Bosh is expected to miss the rest of the series with a strained abdominal muscle. Without him, James and Wade combined for 52 points - and no other Miami player scored more than five.

A dreadful third quarter by Miami - 3 for 17 shooting - allowed Indiana to lead by as much as 11, before the emotions picked up considerably in the fourth.

Wade was steaming when he missed a shot after trying to create contact with Indiana's Dahntay Jones with 9:53 left. As Wade argued, Jones went the other way and set Leandro Barbosa up for a score that put the Pacers up 63-56.

Chalmers turned the ball over on the next possession, and as the Pacers took off for what set up as a 2-on-none break, Wade caught Darren Collison from behind and knocked him over. A flagrant-1 was called, Collison hit both free throws, the Indiana lead was nine and tensions were suddenly high.

It all seemed to spark Miami.

The Heat scored the next six points, James - who got hit in the head by Granger with 7:25 left, sparking a bit of shoving that led to double-technicals given to both players - added a putback off an offensive rebound and Wade did the same about a minute later, getting Miami within 69-66 with 5:57 left.

James missed a free throw that would have tied it with 4:30 remaining, but after George got the rebound, James dove in to create a jump ball situation. The MVP easily won the tap, sending it to Wade, whose bank shot over West put Miami back on top 72-71.

Barbosa scored on the next Indiana possession. The Pacers weren't rattled, and left celebrating minutes later.

Indiana scored 16 points in the first seven minutes of the first half, then scored 17 in the next 17 minutes. And even after a drought like that, Miami's lead was only 38-33 at the break.

George missed four shots in a 60-second span early on, setting the tone for an icy-cold half by the Pacers. Indiana was up 16-9 midway through the first when the Heat went to a smaller lineup that paid quick dividends.

Three baskets at the rim - a layup by Wade, then James firing a pass to Turiaf for a dunk, followed by a Wade touch pass to James for another slam - erased most of the early deficit, and defense did the rest. Indiana missed 24 of 29 shots in one stretch, and after Hibbert used his size advantage to get three shots in the first 1:11, he only got two attempts over the rest of the half.

Miami was 0-for-7 on shots that would have pushed its margin to double digits in the first half, continuing a trend from Game 1. Neither team ever led the series opener by more than nine either, and when George made a 3-pointer with 6:09 left in the third, the Pacers had pulled into a 46-all tie. A steal and dunk by George followed on the next possession, putting the Pacers back on top.

Before long, the Pacers had that first 10-point edge of the series. Collison's jumper with 1:29 left in the third put Indiana up 59-49, and the margin was 61-52 entering the fourth.

For as bad as Indiana's first half was offensively, Miami's third quarter was equally dreadful - the Heat were outscored 28-14 on 3-for-17 shooting in the period, the third-worst shooting effort by the reigning East champs in any quarter this season.

Courtesy of http://sports.yahoo.com


Grizzlies, T-Wolves, Thunder eyeing Alexey Shved - by Eurobasket News

CSKA Moscow, who blew a 19-point second half lead and lost the Euroleague final to Olympiakos this weekend, has at least one well-known player expected to sign in North America this summer, in Andrei Kirilenko (6'9''-F-81). But Kirilenko isn't the only player CSKA is anticipating losing to the NBA. According to Jonathan Givony (via Twitter), Alexey Shved is drawing interest from NBA teams, including the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, and Thunder.

Shved, 23, was eligible for the NBA draft in 2010, but went undrafted and has played for CSKA Moscow ever since. 2011/12 was a breakout season for the 6'5' guard, who Givony says has developed into a 'very complete' offensive player and an improved shooter (Twitter).

Shved's asking price is $10MM for three years, according to Givony.

Courtesy of www.hoopsrumors.com


Clippers' Blake Griffin limited by sprained knee - by Eurobasket News

He tried.

As best he could, Blake Griffin (6'10''-F-89, college: Oklahoma) tried to give the Clippers what he had, what he could summon in Game 7 of the Western Conference first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday afternoon.

But Griffin's knee wouldn't cooperate the way he wanted it to, his sprained left knee refusing to hold up all game.

So Griffin gave the Clippers 28 minutes 17 seconds and eight points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.

'There just were movements I couldn't do and I wanted to do,' Griffin said. 'And I don't want to ever put my teammates in a situation where I feel like I'm hurting them, where physically I can't do what I need to do.'

Griffin played just 1:39 in the decisive fourth quarter.

He entered the fourth with 4:05 left and immediately turned the ball over. Soon after that, Griffin was replaced by Kenyon Martin.

Griffin said it was his idea 'a little bit' to ask out of the game in the fourth.

'It was probably the way our second group was playing too,' Griffin said. 'When I came back in, there was a play where I couldn't do what I wanted to do physically. But I don't want to dwell on that. My teammates did an unbelievable job. That's a great feeling to get that first series win.'

The Clippers advanced to the second round of the playoffs and will play the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

Griffin was asked whether he would sit out the first game.

'No, I'm not going to sit out,' Griffin said. 'It's a matter of rest.'

Because Sunday's Game 7 was at noon Central time and Game 1 against San Antonio is at 8:30 p.m. in the same time zone, Griffin said he'll get about 1 1/2 days to rest and treat the injury.

'Really, these last two games, we haven't had as much rest as we're about to have now,' Griffin said. 'So hopefully this rest kind of helps somehow by Tuesday. I mean, I'll be ready to play.'

Courtesy of www.latimes.com


US men's basketball deadline to set Olympic roster now July 7 - by Eurobasket News

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo considers about 10 men's Olympic team spots set on paper, with the rest to be determined over two days of practice before the squad is announced July 7.

The Americans requested and were granted an extension to the deadline to select the roster by the U.S. Olympic Committee after four candidates were knocked out by injuries. The team was originally to be picked by June 18 before the end of the NBA season.

Instead, the Americans will hold their first practice July 6 in Las Vegas with a to-be-determined number of players. Theyll gather their final 12 at a team meeting the next night. There are 18 healthy players in the roster pool.

What we think is that barring any other further major injury, we have a pretty good handle on what we think the roster might look like, and it may get down to a final selection or two, Colangelo said Monday by phone from Dallas, where he announced the revised plans during a news conference at the U.S. Olympic Committee media summit.

That could give college player of the year Anthony Davis (6'10''-F-93) of Kentucky a chance to prove he belongs with the NBAs best headed to London, or perhaps Philadelphias Andre Iguodala to show theres room for a defensive specialist amid a group of superstar scorers.

LeBron James (6'8''-F-84), Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78), Chris Paul (6'0''-PG-85, college: Wake Forest), Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-F-84, college: Syracuse), Deron Williams (6'3''-PG-84, college: Illinois), Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas), Tyson Chandler, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Dwyane Wade appear to be the locks though Wade recently said he wanted to see how his health was after Miami's expected lengthy playoff run.

The Americans expected to have all those decisions made long before they gathered for the summer. They had planned to announce their 12 by June 1, but injuries wrecked those plans and could remain the biggest obstacle to another gold medal.

Dwight Howard (6'11''-C-85), Derrick Rose (6'3''-G-88, college: Memphis), Chauncey Billups and LaMarcus Aldridge were all knocked out, forcing USA Basketball to ask the USOC for the extension and permission to add to their pool of finalists. Those had been chosen in January so they could be entered into the drug testing program.

With the NBA playoffs possibly running until June 26 and 10 finalists still playing, Colangelo wanted time to see who would be ready when the team reported for what was supposed to be its first practice as the Olympic team. Now its turned into somewhat of a tryout camp.

Its not a tryout, Colangelo insisted. Its more of a taking inventory as to where each individual is as far as an injury standpoint or health standpoint. ... We know exactly where we want to be, but we need to take inventory of what status our players have.

Colangelo was en route to Dallas on Sunday when another U.S. player went down. Chris Bosh left Miamis playoff victory over Indiana and is out indefinitely with a strained abdominal muscle. Colangelo said the Americans would follow up about Boshs status later.

They will also have to deal with free agency in the early days of practice. Williams will become a free agent July 1 and can commit to joining a team but cant officially sign a new deal until July 11.

I think Derons plan, from what we understand, he intends to sign at the very first moment he can officially, in terms of when the clock ticks 12, Colangelo said. So hell practice, but hell stay away from contact work. So thats one of those variables you have to deal with, and we said we would.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski also said hell be conscious of the fact some players will have just finished the NBA finals.

How we conduct practice that first week is important because we could have as many as five guys participating in the finals, he said. The key for us in the first weeks is to make sure we get them fresh mentally, emotionally and physically. We dont overpractice, we dont (get) overphysical, and all those guys know that.

Colangelo said he isnt stressed about the injuries, because hes never been a panic kind of guy, honestly. In fact, he thinks they will make the Americans even more focused on their title defense.

A year ago, a year and a half ago in discussions, I (said) I think the biggest enemy we might have would be ourselves. We have to be ready mentally. We were ready the last quad because we were on a mission to get back the gold. So there was some concern, some people had said, Well, maybe theyll be a little complacent. I never thought so, he said. Well, with all the events that have taken place, if anything its emboldened me. Its like being upset about the cards being dealt, but its certainly going to keep everyone on their toes.

Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com


San Francisco makes new play for Warriors - by Eurobasket News

San Francisco has stepped up its campaign to lure the Golden State Warriors, potentially complicating Oakland's effort to turn the Coliseum area into a sports and entertainment megaplex with new facilities for its three professional teams.

In a Friday meeting with team owner Joe Lacob, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee presented a letter signed by city supervisors, business leaders and state representatives, pitching the San Francisco waterfront as a 'spectacular opportunity for a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment facility.'

The Warriors, who moved from San Francisco to Oakland in 1971, had previously considered a proposed arena site near AT&T Park, but now are reported to be interested in financing an arena on piers adjacent to the Bay Bridge. A return to San Francisco would place the team closer to major Bay Area corporations that could afford high-priced luxury suites.

Warriors spokesman Raymond Ridder said Monday the team appreciates San Francisco's enthusiasm for the Warriors building a multipurpose arena, but that it is continuing its 'due diligence in exploring all potential sites in the Bay Area.'

Since purchasing the team two years ago, Lacob and his partners have been up front about their desire for a more modern facility to replace Oakland's Oracle Arena, where the team has averaged near-sellout crowds.

Oakland officials, who have met recently with Warriors brass, reiterated their belief that the team would be better served building a new arena adjacent to its current home, which has prime freeway and BART access.

'We're committed to keeping them in the city of Oakland, and we want them to be committed to staying here,' said Councilman Larry Reid, whose district includes the arena and adjacent O.co Coliseum.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan also released a statement Monday emphasizing the city's plans to fight for the Warriors.

Oakland recently launched a $3.5 million study on a plan to transform the Coliseum complex into a sports and entertainment center with restaurants, hotels, shops and new, privately financed facilities for the A's, Raiders and Warriors.

However, the Coliseum City proposal, which would be the nation's largest privately financed sports complex, has not yet won public support from Oakland's three teams or private investors.

Losing the Warriors would make the already ambitious project 'a little harder,' Reid said, because the team is the arena's primary tenant and a key driver in bringing people into the area.

The Warriors' present home was renovated at taxpayers' expense in the mid-1990s to include more revenue-generating luxury suites and club seating. However, over the past 15 years, new arenas have been built with new amenities and designs that further enable teams to maximize revenues, Assistant City Administrator Fred Blackwell said. The Warriors' lease stipulates that the team would have to pay much of the outstanding bond debt -- currently estimated at $95 million -- if the team vacates the arena before 2027 and arena revenues prove insufficient to pay off the debt.

Courtesy of www.mercurynews.com


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Indiana to host North Carolina during ACC-Big Ten - by Eurobasket News

Indiana will host North Carolina in a high-profile showcase for the resurgent Hoosiers during next season's ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

North Carolina State will visit Michigan on Nov. 27, and Ohio State will play at Duke the next day during the 14th annual event.

Coming off its first appearance in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament in a decade, Indiana adds a strong recruiting class to returnees Cody Zeller (6'11''-F-92) and Christian Watford (6'9''-F-91). On Nov. 27, the Hoosiers face a Tar Heels team hit hard by graduation and NBA defections.

The other Nov. 27 matchups announced Monday by ESPN are Minnesota at Florida State, Maryland at Northwestern, Iowa at Virginia Tech and Nebraska at Wake Forest. The Nov. 28 games are Virginia at Wisconsin, Michigan State at Miami, Purdue at Clemson, Georgia Tech at Illinois and Boston College at Penn State.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com


VCU joining Atlantic 10 in 2013 - by Eurobasket News

VCU is leaving the Colonial Athletic Association and will join the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2013, industry sources told CBSSports.com.

VCU is the second new addition to the Atlantic 10, joining Butler, which is leaving the Horizon League for the A-10.

An official announcement of VCU's move will be made Tuesday, sources said.

CBSSports.com reported two months ago that Virginia Commonwealth, George Mason and Butler were in discussions with the Atlantic 10.

On Friday, George Mason, which along with VCU and Butler had discussions with the Atlantic 10, announced it was staying in the CAA. However, sources told CBSSports.com at the present time the Atlantic 10 was looking to add only one more school and VCU got the nod over Mason.

The addition of VCU and Butler offset the losses of Temple to the Big East and Charlotte to Conference USA.

The addition of VCU and Butler is huge for the A-10. VCU went to the 2011 Final Four and Butler went to consecutive Final Fours in 2010 and 2011.

One reason VCU was interested in a move to the Atlantic 10 is the CAA is considered a one-bid league. Most seasons if the Rams don't win their conference tournament, they usually don't earn an NCAA tournament at-large berth. However, the A-10 has received multiple NCAA bids for five consecutive seasons.

Since 2000, the Colonial Athletic Association has received only four NCAA tournament at-large bids. By comparison, the Atlantic 10 had three at-large NCAA bids just this season and has had 20 NCAA at-large bids since 2000.

Since 2006 even with George Mason and VCU reaching two Final Fours the CAA only accrued 24 NCAA tournament units (awarded for every round advanced in the NCAA), compared to 36 for the Atlantic 10. Each unit is worth about $250,000.

VCU's departure is the latest defection from the Colonial Athletic Association. CAA Football member UMass left last season for the MAC and Georgia State announced it's heading to the Sun Belt.

Old Dominion also may be leaving. The school is considering a move to Conference USA and is expected to announce its decision by June 30.

Courtesy of www.cbssports.com


Sterling Gibbs transfers from Texas to Seton Hall - by Eurobasket News

Point guard Sterling Gibbs (6'1''-G-92) has transferred from Texas to Seton Hall.

Pirates coach Kevin Willard announced Monday that the former Seton Hall Prep star would be returning to New Jersey.

The brother of recent Pittsburgh graduate Ashton Gibbs, Sterling Gibbs averaged 2.6 points and 7.5 minutes in 30 games for the Longhorns. He had a career-high 14 points against Nicholls State on Dec. 13.

Seton Hall went 21-13 last season and made the NIT.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com


Morehead State introduces Woods as head coach - by Eurobasket News

Sean Woods said its a blessing to come home.

A beloved former Kentucky point guard, Woods was introduced Monday as the head coach of Morehead State after a four-year stint at Mississippi Valley State.

'I'm glad to be back here. This is home for me. This has been a long journey to come back. Sometimes its good to go away to come back, some people appreciate you more, but I tell you this, its not going to stop. The sagas going to continue, the story is going to continue', Woods said. 'Let's bring national notoriety to Morehead State.'

Woods said he envisioned a Gonzaga of the South at the Ohio Valley Conference school during his introductory news conference that at times bordered on a big-tent revival during his 16-minute opening remarks. Several times people in the crowd shouted Amen as the 42-year-old laid out his ambitious objectives.

'I've been fortunate enough because of who I am and the people Ive been around that everywhere I've been, weve made some kind of history, he said. I don't plan on it stopping right now. I plan on, with you alls help and support, taking this, not only to the NCAA tournament, not only being one of the top teams in the OVC, but being a major player.'

Woods led Mississippi Valley State to a 21-13 mark this year and the schools fifth-ever NCAA tournament appearance before they lost to Western Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He said Morehead State is much better off than where he was when he started at Itta Bena, Miss.

The Eagles have had a swath of recent success. Two seasons ago, Morehead State and defensive force Kenneth Faried topped Louisville in the second round of the NCAA tournament with coach Donnie Tyndall at the helm.

The victory gave the school thats an hour away from the University of Kentucky and sits at the base of the Appalachians Mountains its first victory in the NCAA tournaments main draw since 1984. The Eagles have averaged 21.5 wins over the last four years, but have been locked in a fierce rivalry with Murray State to be the conferences premier program in the one-bid league.

As far as Murray State is concerned, Murray State better be worried about Morehead State, Woods said.

Athletic director Brian Hutchinson said he let Woods know he had the job before Woods even got back on the plane to return to Mississippi on Friday and Woods joked he had no one to hug or give a high-five in the Huntington, W.Va. airport when he learned the decision.

When he finally landed, Woods said he had 96 text messages.

I think my gut told me he was the right guy for us, Hutchinson said.

Woods said that he doesnt fear playing the states biggest programs like Kentucky and Louisville. Hutchinson said that would be a good thing, hinting that both programs would be on the Eagles schedule next season along with 13 other teams that participated in various postseason tournaments last year.

I walked into that, Woods said. Put it this way, my situation, where Im coming from, Im no stranger, nor am I afraid to play anybody in the United States.

Woods played at Kentucky from 1989-92 under coach Rick Pitino.

He may be best known for scoring 21 points and hitting the go-ahead basket with 2.1 seconds left in overtime for the Wildcats in the 1992 East Regional final against Duke just before Christian Laettner made the game-winner that still irritates Kentuckys fan base 20 years later.

Woods, whose jersey is retired at Rupp Arena, said the fans probably know his past better than he does, but that has little to do with his new job beyond name recognition.

I am Sean Woods , the head mens basketball coach of Morehead State University, he said. I am not Sean Woods who was a basketball player who played at the University of Kentucky. Has everybody got that?

Since his playing days, Woods spent time on the coaching staffs at TCU (2006-08), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2005-06) and High Point (2003-05) before taking over at Mississippi Valley State. The position at Morehead State opened when Tyndall accepted the head coaching job at Southern Mississippi last month.

The program Donnie left is in great shape, he said. I promise I wont mess it up.

Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com


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


NT forward Derrick Obasohan signs in Venezuela - by Eurobasket News

Derrick Obasohan (199-F-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Texas Arlington) will continue his career in Venezuela. The Nigerian/American forward signed a deal with Cocodrilos for rest of the LPB season. He arrives to the club from Spanish Joventut Badalona. He appeared 34 times in Liga Endesa averaging 9.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Before Joventut, Derrick Obasohan spent one year with Trabzon. He had 11.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg for 26 games in Turkey. In 2010, he was the best scorer of the French ProA championship. He registered 19.8 ppg for 30 games with Toulon. In the past, Obasohan also played for Strasbourg and Pepinster. He is also active member of the Nigerian National Team. At 2011 AfroBasket in Madagascar Obasohan had 16.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 2.4 apg for 7 games leading his country to Bronze medal.


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


Asean Basketball League Roundup: May 9-12, 2012 - by Enzo Flojo

SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over SAIGON HEAT, 83-68
The San Miguel Beermen stayed hot heading into the AirAsia ABL Playoffs. The Beermens defense proved to be too much for the Saigon Heat. With this win, the Beermen have won 12 of their last 13 games, finishing the regular with the best record in the league at 17 wins and only 4 lossses.

Nick Fazekas came up big for the Beermen once again as he finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Leo Avenido had 15 points and Duke Crews added 12 points for SMB.

San Miguel actually started to pull away at the end of the third quarter. A follow up by Fazekas off a Norman Gonzales miss started an 8-0 run for the Beermen at this point. An alley-oop dunk by Crews and a free throw by Chris Banchero then stretched the Beermens lead to 64-51 going into the fourth quarter. The Heat were also held to only 10 points in the third period.

Beermens coach Bobby Parks credited his teams defense for the win.

We did not play great tonight but our defense helped us win the game, said Coach Parks after the game. We are going straight back to work when we get back to Manila. We have to get ready for the playoffs right away.

Jonathan Jones finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat while Rob Sanz and Jahmar Thorpe added 11 points each.

Even though the Heat did not have a chance to make it to the playoffs, Tan Binh Stadium was still sold out and the fans were still in full support for their favorite team.

I cant say enough about all these fans. They are very great and they are the best fans in the world, said Coach Rabedeaux. We are looking forward to next season and I would like to wish good luck to all the four teams competing in the playoffs. They are all very good and well-coached teams.

SMB 83 Fazekas 24, Avenido 15, Crews 12, Yap 10, Baguion 7, Banchero 5, Fernandez 2, Ferriols 2, Cabatu 2, Gonzales 2, Fajardo 2
SGH 68 Jones 25, Sanz 11, Thorpe 11, Trieu 9, Smith 7, Nguyen 5
QS: 20-20, 41-41, 64-51, 83-68

JOBSTREET.COM SINGAPORE SLINGERS over WESTPORTS MALAYSIA DRAGONS, 105-88
The Westports Malaysia Dragons landed on third spot when the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers demolished them in front of their own home crowd. Coupled with an Indonesia Warriors win this Sunday, which is also against the Slingers, the Dragons will finish fourth and be matched up against the current top-seeded San Miguel Beermen in the playoffs.

It was a relatively even first half, but the Slingers pulled away in the second quarter with an 11-2 run capped by a three from Wong Wei Long to grab a 13-point lead, 41-28. They continued to steadily build on their lead and they held a very comfortable 62-39 halftime lead in front of a stunned Dragons home crowd.

The night was looking worse and worse for the Dragons as Brian Williams hit the floor hard and limp off the court three minutes into the third quarter. Fortunately for the Dragons, he was able to rejoin his team on the court after a quick examination.

The Slingers continued their incredible run and earned themselves a massive 30-point lead with a little over three minutes to go until the fourth. It was all but finished from that point.

Louis Graham finished the game with 32 points and 10 rebounds for the Slingers, while Donald Dulay scored 24 points. Kyle Jeffers rounded up the Slingers top three scorers with 16 markers.

Brian Williams topscored for the Dragons with 30 points and 13 rebounds while Tiras Wade was not far behind him with 27 points. Amongst the rest of the Dragons squad only Shee Fai Loh managed double digits in scoring with 10 markers.

SGS 105 Graham 32, Dulay 24, Jeffers 16, Canta 12, Wong 10, Oh 5, Lim 4, Matialakan 2
WMD 88 Williams 30, Wade 27, Loh 10, Lau 5, Pacana 5, Cabahug 4, Belasco 3, Ng 2, Kuppusamy 2
QS: 28-24, 62-39, 85-61, 105-88

AIRASIA PHILIPPINE PATRIOTS over CHANG THAILAND SLAMMERS, 80-74
The AirAsia Philippine Patriots were forced to fight until the final buzzer to beat the Chang Thailand Slammers at the Thai Japanese Association Gym.

Anthony Johnson, playing through a groin injury, contributed 15 points for the Patriots, who finished the season with a record of 16 wins and 5 losses. Marcy Arellano, Rob Wainwright and Nakiea Miller added 11 points each.

We are ready for the playoffs and I will do everything to help my team win in the playoffs. said Johnson after the game. The Patriots will find out who they will face in the playoffs tomorrow after the game between the Indonesia Warriors and JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers.

It looked like the Patriots would have been able to rest Johnson and Miller when Johnson finished an alley-oop pass from Al Vergara and was fouled in the process. Johnsons three-point play gave Patriots a 49-30 lead with 5:40 left in the third quarter.

The Slammers had other ideas, however, and came alive to quickly trim the Patriots lead. Thailands Rexander Leynes was very aggressive at the end of the third quarter and his reverse lay-up at the buzzer cut the Patriots adfvantage even further to single digits going into the fourth quarter.

Things did not go the Patriots way early in the fourth quarter when Miller was forced to leave the game after receiving two technical fouls. In Millers absence, Wainwright stepped up to help his team regain a double-digit lead. A three-point shot and a lay-up by Wainwright stretched the Patriots lead to 71-58 with 5:52 left.

Calvin Williams had 21 points while Leynes added 15 points for the Slammers, who finished the season with a record of 5 wins and 16 losses despite being crowned league champions last season.

APP 80 Johnson 15, Miller 11, Wainwright 11, Arellano 11, Larong 8, Vergara 7, Raymundo 5, Ramos 4, Fernandez 3, Adriano 3, Rodriguez 2
CTS 74 Williams 21, Leynes 15, Garnett 13, Pinitpatcharalert 11, Apiromvilaichai 7, Lertmalaiporn 4, Jantuma 2, Supachai 1
QS: 20-13, 36-23, 57-49, 80-74

SAIGON HEAT over BANGKOK COBRAS, 68-66
It was the battle for the sixth spot on the standings when these two AirAsia ABL newcomers battled it out for the final time this season. After leading for most of the game, the Bangkok Cobras steadily ran out of steam, which allowed the Saigon Heat to close out their season on a high note as they escaped Thailand with a big win and the sixth position overall in their first run in the league.

Jonathan Jones finished as the games top scorer with 32 points and 16 rebounds for Saigon, followed by Jahmar Thorpe who recorded 22 points. The rest of the squad did not have a good afternoon, however, and collectively scored only 14 points among them.

For the Cobras, Travis George finished with 19 points followed by Marvin Cruz and his 13. Danai Kongkum rounded up the Cobras top three with 9. The Cobras also played without Gentry Lewis in this game after he was released earlier this week.

The Cobras controlled most of the game until a Jahmar Thorpe three-pointer early in the fourth saw the Heat grab the lead for the first time. Cruz and George answered almost immediately with baskets, however, to take it away from the visitors. The lead then changed four times between the teams before a Thorpe basket at 0:42 gave the Heat their biggest lead of 4 points for this game. In the heart-stopping final seconds, Marvin Cruz then sank a basket to put the Cobras back within two points with 30 seconds remaining. George then had a chance to throw the game into overtime with 6 seconds left, but missed his shot.

SGH 68 Jones 32, Thorpe 22, Sanz 7, Smith 5, Trieu 2
BKC 66 George 19, Cruz 13, Kongkum 9, Klahan 6, Kruatiwa 6, Wanna 5, Reyes 4, Limsuwan 4
QS: 9-22, 26-36, 46-49, 68-66

INDONESIA WARRIORS over JOBSTREET.COM SINGAPORE SLINGERS, 92-85
The Indonesia Warriors clinched the third seed for the playoffs, earning them a date with AirAsia Philippine Patriots after they defeated the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers.

Evan Brock and Stanley Pringle continued to carry the Warriors. Brock recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Pringle added 21 points. Steven Thomas also contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds for Indonesia, who will face the Patriots in the semifinal round of the playoffs on May 27 at the Ynares Sports Arena.

The Slingers, however, made the Warriors work for the win. The Slingers were shooting the ball very well in the first half as the Warriors trailed, 30-39, with 6 minutes left before halftime after Slingers made a 9-0 run capped by a basket from Kyle Jeffers.

The score was 67-65 for the Warriors at the start of the fourth quarter until the Warriors made a 12-2 run to open the final quarter with their biggest lead in the game. Amin Prihantono made back-to-back three point shots and Brock had four points during that stretch and subsequently the Warriors had a 79-67 lead with 5:53 left.

Christian Ronaldo Sitepu made a good first impression for the Warriors as the 25-year old forward hit back-to-back threes to answer the Slingers run down the stretch. It was Thomas who made sure the Warriors finished the regular season with a record of 12 wins and 9 losses after icing the game with his free throw in the dying seconds.

The Warriors overcame a great effort from Louis Graham, who finished with 34 points. Jeffers contributed 17 and Don Dulay added 12 for the Slingers, who will not be advancing to the playoffs for the first time since joining the AirAsia ABL. The Slingers will finish the regular season at fifth position with a record of 9 wins and 12 losses.

This will be the second time in the playoffs for the Warriors, having been finalists in the first season and falling short of making the playoffs last year. The Warriors will head to the playoffs carrying a five-game winning streak.

INW 92 Brock 22, pringle 21, Thomas 20, Prihantonop 11, Sitepu 6, Wuysang 6, Canada 3, Salangsang 3
SGS 85 Graham 34, Jeffers 17, Dulay 12, Canta 9, Lim 6, Wong 4, Oh 3
QS: 25-27, 45-48, 67-65, 92-85

INDONESIAN STARS JOIN THE WARRIORS
The Indonesia Warriors strengthened their squad for the upcoming playoffs with the inclusion of two local players, Arki Dikania Wisnu and Christian Ronaldo Sitepu.

Both Arki (Wisnu) and Dodo (Sitepu) are familiar faces in the Indonesian basketball scene as they both are both part of the NBL Indonesia Satria Muda team which has recently won the championship. Arki averaged 13.8 points per game in the NBL season and won two awards, Rookie of The Year and Sixth Man of the Year. The 6'2'' guard also has experience playing in US The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division III with Baruch College.

Dodo is a promising young player and has the biggest upside of any player in Indonesia. The 68 forward can help the Warriors in rebounding, and hes also a great defender. Dodo was part of the Indonesian National Team in the 2011 South East Asian Game. Dodo had a break-out performance in the 26th FIBA Asia Championship at Wuhan, China, where he was the leading scorer of Indonesia with 14 points per game.

*Game Recaps compiled and compressed from AseanBasketballLeague.com

Source: HoopNut.blogspot.com


2012 PBA All-Star Weekend in Laoag, Ilocos Norte - by Enzo Flojo

3-Point Shootout, Obstacle Challenge, and the Slam Dunk Contest
Meralco sharpshooter Mark Macapagal, B-MEG court general Jonas Villanueva, and Ginebras KG Canaleta each won his respective third straight title in separate events in the All-Star Weekend in Laoag City.

Macapagal beat a crack field of the leagues elite three-point shooters for the third straight time. The competition was marked by red-hot shooting in the first round, with Canaleta shooting 19 points and Macapagal, B-MEGs Josh Urbiztondo, and Petrons Marcio Lassiter scoring 16 each to advance to the final round.

Canaleta and Urbiztondo, who was a late replacement for the ailing James Yap, went first in the finals, shooting 13 points each. Macapagal proved his mettle, shooting consistently en route to 15 points. Lassiter had the final say of the competition, but the rookie jump-shooter ran out of gas and finished with just seven points.

Also competing in the three-point shootout were Renren Ritualo of Air 21, Willie Miller of Barako Bull, Gary David of Powerade, Jeff Chan of Rain or Shine, and Cyrus Baguio of Alaska.

Villanueva, meanwhile, nosed out rookie Paul Lee in an exciting final round in the Obstacle Challenge, winning by just two-tenths of a second with a finishing time of 31.1 seconds to Lees 31.3.

Finishing third was Alaskas LA Tenorio, who clocked 43 seconds, 13 slower than the time he posted in the preliminary round.

Lee had the best finish in the opening round, finishing at 27.2 seconds. Villanueva posted 29.1 seconds in round one while Tenorio finished in 30 seconds to complete the final round cast.

Also part of the field were Miller, Air 21s Jojo Duncil, Ginebras Rob Labagala, Meralcos Chris Ross, and Powerades JVee Casio.

Canaleta won his fifth title in the PBA Slam Dunk contest, but not before turning back a tough challenge from B-MEG high-flyer JC Intal in the finals.

Canaleta clinched his title by jumping over three men, including 6-foot-9 Meralco center Asi Taulava, in his final dunk, which judges scored a perfect 50. He also scored a 50 in his first final round dunk, which he made by dunking over a man.

After his dunk, Canaleta said that dunking over Taulava wasnt exactly the plan.

Hindi siya dapat kasali, pero hindi siya umalis kaya tinamaan ko tuloy, said Canaleta. He was supposed to video the dunk, pero nag-stay siya, pero sabi ko bahala na.

The former UE star needed the perfect score to edge out JC Intal, who stepped up his game in the finals of the competition. Intal scored 49 in his first finals dunk, a furious windmill, before nailing a difficult one-handed 360 for his second dunk for a perfect score.

Rain or Shine swingman Gabe Norwood, the 2009 champion of the competition, started out early, scoring two perfect dunks in the preliminary round with a reverse dunk off a bounce and a two-handed jam off the glass. But he seemed to feel the pressure in the finals, scoring 45 points on a two-handed reverse off a bounce and 48 points on a dunk from behind the backboard.

Intal, who opted to join the competition despite nursing an ankle injury, opened his campaign by dunking without shoes, earning him 44 points, before taking an alley-oop from Josh Urbiztondo from the stands, which got 46 points from the judges.

Canaleta, meanwhile, brought the house down with a one-handed dunk off a bounce that earned 50 points with his first attempt, before opting for a safe dunk with his second attempt that earned him 40 points.

Also in the competition were Elmer Espiritu of Air 21, who opened the competition with an impressive two-handed 360 dunk which he completed after three attempts (41 points) before settling for a simple one-hander for his second dunk (35 points); and Petron Blaze superstar Arwind Santos, a late addition, who earned 46 points for a difficult 360 dunk from the baseline and 42 points for a reverse Spider-Man slam.

Canaleta said this will be his last Slam Dunk contest.

Game Recaps:

PBA Legends Game:
PBA GREATS over PBA STALWARTS, 143-139

PBA stars from yesterday and today engaged in a heated shootout, but it was the Atom Bombs explosion that had the most impact.

Kenneth Duremdes, the 1998 PBA Most Valuable Player, sizzled for 29 points. His teammate, 1996 MVP Johnny Abarrientos, showcased his old form for a triple-double performance, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists. Allan Caidic, the 1990 MVP, combined with Rain or Shine sharpshooter Jeff Chan for seven triples.
But the star among the stars was Ato Agustin, the playing coach of the PBA Greats, who led his team to a 143-139 triumph over the PBA Stalwarts at the Centennial Arena here.

Agustin, the 1992 MVP and current coach of the Petron Blaze Boosters, finished with 19 points all in the first half, built around five triples.

Two-time MVP Willie Miller scored 29 points and issued six assists, taking over for the Greats, who trailed by 13 points, 126-113, in the fourth period. He had eight of his teams last 16 points while the rest of the team shackled their Stalwarts counterparts, who were held to just three points in the final 3:40 of the match to seal the win.

KG Canaleta and Danny Seigle provided several highlight reels with their rim-rattling slams while contributing 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Retired players like Duremdes and Abarrientos, however, were able to put on a show of their own.

Duremdes, who officially retired only last month after last seeing action in 2008, was consistent all game long. He displayed his awesome firepower, hitting jumpers and making nifty drives to the basket.

Abarrientos, an assistant coach of Tim Cone at B-MEG, showed his brilliant quarterbacking, shaking off his defenders with his trademark killer crossover several times. In one play, the Flying A breezed by two defenders before scoring on a nifty reverse layup that gave the Stalwarts a 99-93 lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter.

PBA Greats 143 Miller 29, Canaleta 21, Seigle 20, Mercado 19, Agustin 19, Cortez 10, Yeo 8, Lastimosa 7, Racela 6, Patrimonio 4.
PBA Stalwarts 139 Duremdes 29, Chan 18, Cardona 17, Taulava 16, Caidic 15, Simon 14, Baguio 11, Abarrientos 10, Anthony 9, Isaac 0.
QS: 33-29; 74-75; 104-112; 143-139.

PBA All-Star Game:
VETERANS over ROOKIS-SOPHS-JUNIORS, 176-144

James Yap scored 44 points on seven three-pointers and presided over the Veterans record-setting 176-144 beat down of the Rookies, Sophomores and Juniors squad at
the Centennial Arena.

Big Game James won Most Valuable Player honors, marking his second such award in eight days after winning the top plum last Sunday in the Commissioners Cup Finals.
Yap also tied with Ginebra rookie Dylan Ababou to break Samboy Lims All-Star Game scoring record, which was previously set at 42 points. Lim posted the high mark in the 1990 game a 146-118 rout for the Vets curiously the first time the league used the Veterans versus RSJ format. (The 1989 All-Star Game involved Veterans versus Rookies and Sophomores.)

The 32-point margin also marked the most lopsided in PBA history. The Veterans also set an all-time record in points scored, breaking the 163-point mark posted by the South team in an overtime win over the North.

The game was over early, with the much bigger Veterans torching the hoops to take a 53-30 lead in the first quarter. The Vets lead at the half ballooned to 95-64, turning the second half into an entertaining game of extended garbage time.

The game turned exciting late in the game as Yap and Ababou both tried to chase Lims mark. Ababou got to the record first, but Yap hit his last three-pointer in the dying seconds to get his name into the books as well.

There were also plenty of highlight plays. Sol Mercado connected with former Rain or Shine teammate Gabe Norwood for a thunderous alley-oop dunk that looked straight out of a video game. Arwind Santos, who scored 31 points, had several monster slams, the biggest off a pass from Petron Blaze teammate Alex Cabagnot.

Perhaps among the biggest highlights of the match were the respective dance entrances of the teams. RSJ came out rocking the shades, and danced to the LMFAO hit Party Rock Anthem. Not to be outdone, the Veterans came out with hoods over their heads, before revealing their zombie makeup to dance to Michael Jacksons Thriller.

Veterans 176 Yap 44, Santos 31, David 16, Cabagbot 16, Intal 15, Mercado 14, Tenorio 13, Norwood 13, Taulava 6, Thoss 5, Pingris 3
RSJ 144 Ababou 44, Urbiztondo 21, Casio 18, Maierhofer 12, Baracael 11, Barroca 10, Al-Hussaini 9, Ross 8, Lee 8, Lassiter 3
QS: 53-31; 95-64; 132-105; 176-144

Source: Unless otherwise specified, game recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV.com


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  PUERTO RICO   

Standings - BSN

BSN Standings
Top 6
 1. Mayaguez 5-1 
 2. San German 4-2 
 3. Bayamon 3-2 
 4. Quebradillas 3-3 
 5. Arecibo 2-3 
 6. Guaynabo 0-6 
Places 7-8
 1. Humacao 9-21 
 2. Guayama 8-22 
Stage One Standings

Second Stage: Round 5

May. 13: Quebradillas - San German 89-99
May. 13: Guaynabo - Bayamon 73-82
May. 14: Mayaguez - Guaynabo 100-96

Second Stage: Round 6

May. 15: Bayamon - San German
May. 15: Mayaguez - Arecibo
May. 16: Quebradillas - Guaynabo
May. 16: Arecibo - Bayamon


Stats Leaders - BSN

Points Per Game
 Al THORNTON
  Guayama
  (203-F-83)
  Avg: 25.3
 1. Thornton, Guayama25.3 
 2. Harris, San German20.5 
 3. Sensley, Humacao19.7 
 4. Randolph, Quebradi.19.3 
 5. Dalmau, Bayamon18.5 
 6. Diogu, Arecibo18.1 
 7. Brown, Humacao18.0 
 8. Ayuso, Arecibo17.9 
 9. Ramos, Quebradillas17.4 
 10. Vassallo, Guayna.16.4 
Rebounds Per Game
 Shavlik RANDOLPH
  Quebradi.
  (208-F-83)
  Avg: 11.9
 1. Randolph, Quebradi.11.9 
 2. Harris, San German10.2 
 3. Diogu, Arecibo9.9 
 4. Lloreda, San G.9.3 
 5. Powell, Guayama9.2 
 6. Thornton, Guayama9.2 
 7. Ramos, Quebradillas9.1 
 8. Sensley, Humacao9.0 
 9. Burgess, Guaynabo8.4 
 10. Shannon, Quebradi.8.1 
Assists Per Game
 Filiberto RIVERA
  San German
  (190-PG-82)
  Avg: 5.9
 1. Rivera, San German5.9 
 2. Smith, Mayaguez5.5 
 3. Guzman, Guaynabo5.4 
 4. Garcia, Humacao5.2 
 5. Pagan, Guayama5.0 
 6. Pinnock, Arecibo4.9 
 7. Butler, Quebradill.4.8 
 8. Dalmau, Bayamon4.1 
 9. Brown, Humacao3.4 
 10. Alvarado, Humacao3.1 
Steals Per Game
 Donta SMITH
  Mayaguez
  (201-G-83)
  Avg: 2.2
 1. Smith, Mayaguez2.2 
 2. Mojica, Bayamon1.7 
 3. Pinnock, Arecibo1.6 
 4. Dalmau, Bayamon1.5 
 5. Rivera, San German1.4 
 6. Sensley, Humacao1.3 
 7. Figueroa, Guaynabo1.3 
 8. Thornton, Guayama1.3 
 9. Strong, San German1.2 
 10. Pagan, Guayama1.2 
Blocks Per Game
 Mamadou LAMIZANA
  Bayamon
  (207-F/C-81)
  Avg: 2.4
 1. Lamizana, Bayamon2.4 
 2. Penn, Humacao1.8 
 3. Shannon, Quebradil.1.6 
 4. Thornton, Guayama1.6 
 5. O''Bryant, Mayaguez1.6 
 6. Aubry, Arecibo1.5 
 7. Burgess, Guaynabo1.4 
 8. Powell, Guayama1.3 
 9. Ramos, Quebradillas1.2 
 10. Harris, San German1.1 


Capitanes and Vaqueros climb in Round Robin standings: - by Luis Modestti

Capitanes de Arecibo and Vaqueros de Bayamon climbed in the standings after wins on Tuesday night.

Capitanes dominated Indios de Mayaguez 75-68 with a great defensive effort. They matched the intensity by Indios and executed better from the perimeter to get the edge.

Danilo Pinnock had 24 points and Larry Ayuso 17 for Capitanes who are now 3-3. Indios are still first with a 5-2 mark.

Vaqueros made a 17-3 run in overtime to beat Atleticos de San German 98-84. Christian Dalmau (194-G-77, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: Daytona Beach CC) netted 29 points and Gary Wilkinson added 23 with 12 boards for the winners.

Bayamon is now second with a 4-2 record and San German follows with 4-3.

The games for Wednesday are Bayamon at Arecibo and Guaynabo visits Quebradillas.


Mike Harris gets MVP of the Round award for Puerto Rican BSN (Second Stage) - by Eurobasket News

American Mike Harris (198-F-83) had a very impressive game in the last week for league's second-best San German and that's him to receive a Latinbasket.com Player of the Round 5 award (Second Stage).
The 28-year old forward had the game-high 21 points adding eight rebounds and three assists for San German in his team's victory, helping them to beat Quebradillas (#4, 3-3) 99-89. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. San German is placed at 2nd position in Puerto Rican BSN. They would have been even better if they did not have these two lost games earlier in Second Stage. San German will need more victories to improve their 4-2 record. In the team's last game Harris had a remarkable 63.6% from 2-point range. He just recently signed at San German, being already a very valuable addition to the team. Rice University graduate has very impressive stats this year. Harris is in league's top in points (2nd best: 20.5ppg), rebounds (2nd best: 10.2rpg) and averages solid 1.1bpg and 56.1% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last week's games was 30-year old Trinidad and Tobago point guard Ian Young (191-PG-81) of Guaynabo. Young impressed basketball fans with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Bad luck as Guaynabo was edged by the higher-ranked Mayaguez (#1, 5-1) 100-96. Guaynabo is still second from the bottom in the standings. 6 lost games are too many considering they did not win any game. Young is one of the most experienced players at Guaynabo and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

The third best performed player last week was another San German's star - Panamanian Jose Lloreda (201-F/C-80, agency: Paris Global Sports). Lloreda scored 22 points. He was another key player of San German, helping his team with a 99-89 win against #4 ranked Quebradillas in a game of the week. San German needs these victories very badly if they think about taking over top position in the standings. Their record at this point is 4 victories and 2 lost games. Lloreda has a great season in Puerto Rico. After 16 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 9.3rpg (4th best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Will McDonald (211-C-79) of Guaynabo - 22 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Angel Luis Figueroa (196-G/F-81) of Quebradillas - 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Kevin Hamilton (193-G-84) of Mayaguez - 22 points and 5 rebounds
7. Peter John Ramos (222-C-85) of Quebradillas - 12 points and 10 rebounds
8. Darius Washington (188-PG-85) of Quebradillas - 21 points and 3 assists
9. Carlos Rivera (187-PG-83) of Mayaguez - 13 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists
10. Oritseweyinmi Efejuku (196-G-86) of Mayaguez - 23 points

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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  RUSSIA   

Stats Leaders - Superleague A

Points Per Game
 Davon JEFFERSON
  Triumph
  (204-F-86)
  Avg: 20.4
 1. Jefferson, Triumph20.4 
 2. Rush, Krasnie Kril.16.7 
 3. Beverley, Spart.15.4 
 4. McKee, Triumph15.2 
 5. Thomas, Spartak-.15.1 
 6. Fridzon, Khimky14.5 
 7. Massey, Lokomotiv13.9 
 8. Karasev, Triumph13.6 
 9. Planinic, Khimky13.4 
 10. Bykov, Lokomotiv13.2 
Rebounds Per Game
 Davon JEFFERSON
  Triumph
  (204-F-86)
  Avg: 7.9
 1. Jefferson, Triumph7.9 
 2. Massey, Lokomotiv7.6 
 3. Victor, Spartak-.7.4 
 4. Landry, Triumph6.3 
 5. Kirilenko, CSKA6.2 
 6. Veremeenko, Unics6.2 
 7. Beverley, Spart.6.1 
 8. Baxter, Enisey6.0 
 9. Khryapa, CSKA5.8 
 10. Monya, Khimky5.8 
Assists Per Game
 Aaron MILES
  Krasnie Krilya
  (186-G-83)
  Avg: 6.3
 1. Miles, Krasnie Kri.6.3 
 2. Teodosic, CSKA5.4 
 3. Beverley, Spart.4.9 
 4. Halperin, Spart.4.6 
 5. Samoylenko, Unics4.6 
 6. Thomas, Spartak-.4.5 
 7. Planinic, Khimky4.4 
 8. McKee, Triumph4.1 
 9. Rush, Krasnie Kril.3.4 
 10. Bykov, Lokomotiv3.4 
Steals Per Game
 Patrick BEVERLEY
  Spart.
  (185-PG-88)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Beverley, Spart.2.5 
 2. Baburin, Spartak-.2.0 
 3. Massey, Lokomotiv2.0 
 4. Thomas, Spartak-.1.9 
 5. Halperin, Spart.1.7 
 6. Chalmers, Lokom.1.6 
 7. Rush, Krasnie Kril.1.5 
 8. Planinic, Khimky1.5 
 9. Victor, Spartak-.1.5 
 10. Miles, Krasnie Kr.1.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Andrei KIRILENKO
  CSKA
  (205-F-81)
  Avg: 1.1
 1. Kirilenko, CSKA1.1 
 2. Jefferson, Triumph1.1 
 3. Likhodey, Spart.1.0 
 4. Lavrinovic, CSKA0.9 
 5. Vasiliev, Krasni.0.8 
 6. Kikanovic, Enisey0.8 
 7. Savenkov, Spartak.0.8 
 8. Baxter, Enisey0.7 
 9. Traore, Lokomotiv0.7 
 10. Krstic, CSKA0.6 


Grizzlies, T-Wolves, Thunder eyeing Alexey Shved - by Eurobasket News

CSKA Moscow, who blew a 19-point second half lead and lost the Euroleague final to Olympiakos this weekend, has at least one well-known player expected to sign in North America this summer, in Andrei Kirilenko (6'9''-F-81). But Kirilenko isn't the only player CSKA is anticipating losing to the NBA. According to Jonathan Givony (via Twitter), Alexey Shved is drawing interest from NBA teams, including the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, and Thunder.

Shved, 23, was eligible for the NBA draft in 2010, but went undrafted and has played for CSKA Moscow ever since. 2011/12 was a breakout season for the 6'5' guard, who Givony says has developed into a 'very complete' offensive player and an improved shooter (Twitter).

Shved's asking price is $10MM for three years, according to Givony.

Courtesy of www.hoopsrumors.com


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  SENEGAL   


Sixteen locals called up for zonal qualifiers - by Kristian Santiago

The coaching-tandem of Parfaito Adjivon and Cheikh Sarr called up 16 players for the preparations regarding the zonal qualifiers for the African Championships in Cape Verde.

Ngor Goudiaby (Sibac Dakar)
Mamadou Ndoye (190-PG-79) (Sibac Dakar)
Pape Faye (194-G-87) (AS Douanes Dakar)
Ibrahima Mbengue (AS Douanes Dakar)
Mayoro Fall (Ndiambour Louga)
Pape Maguette Ndione (196-G/F-84) (US Goree)
Elhadji Diakhate (203-F-87) (Mermoz)
Diegane Faye (Mermoz)
Mouhamed Diop (203-C) (UGB St.Louis)
Ibrahima Kebe (UGB St.Louis)
Pape Mor Faye (UGB St.Louis)
Mamadou Ndoye (UGB St.Louis)
Younousse Diop (US Rail Thies)
Pape Moussa Seck (US Rail Thies)
Abdoul Ba (DUC Dakar)
Mamadou Ndiaye (DUC Dakar)


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  SERBIA   

Standings - 1 Srpska Liga

1Srpska Standings
Group Central
 1. Mladost Ze. 24-2 
 2. Kolubara 23-3 
 3. Torlak 16-10 
 4. Stari Dif 16-10 
 5. Kotez 16-10 
 6. Beovuk 72 15-11 
 7. Partizan II 14-12 
 8. Sava 14-12 
 9. Pro Sport 11-15 
 10. Zitko Basket 10-16 
 11. Plus Kraljevo 9-17 
 12. Grocka 8-18 
 13. Zemun Lasta 4-22 
 14. Milan Trivic 4-22 
Group East
 1. Napredak A. 22-4 
 2. Jablanica M. 20-6 
 3. Morava 19-7 
 4. Pirot 18-8 
 5. Jug Vranje 18-8 
 6. Junior Nis 13-13 
 7. Mladost Za. 13-13 
 8. Kursumlija 12-14 
 9. Eko Basket 11-15 
 10. Knjazevac 10-16 
 11. Prokuplje 9-17 
 12. Dimitrovgrad 6-20 
 13. Boljevac 6-20 
 14. Nibak Nis 5-21 
Group North
 1. Mladost BJ 24-2 
 2. Meridiana NS 21-5 
 3. Dunav S.Ban. 20-6 
 4. Nova Pazova 19-7 
 5. Vrbas 15-11 
 6. Stara Pazova 15-11 
 7. Veternik 15-11 
 8. Odzaci 13-13 
 9. Jedinstvo NB 13-13 
 10. NS Junior 10-16 
 11. Backa Topola 8-18 
 12. Radnicki Kovin 7-19 
 13. Duga NS 0-24 
 14. Sport Key NS 0-24 
Group West
 1. Sabac 24-2 
 2. Priboj 19-7 
 3. Zlatar NV 19-7 
 4. Novi Pazar 18-8 
 5. Klik Arilje 13-13 
 6. Zeleznicar C. 12-14 
 7. Mionica 12-14 
 8. Masinac 11-15 
 9. Prva Petolet. 11-15 
 10. Sloga Pozega 11-15 
 11. Polet Ratina 11-15 
 12. Svilajnac 10-16 
 13. Pozarevac 8-8 
 14. Zlatibor 3-23 


Jovica Arsic returns to Ukraine - by Eurobasket News

Jovica Arsic is back to Ukraine. The Serbian specialist signed a deal with Cherkassy Monkeys, where he worked three years ago. Arsic was hired by the Monkeys during the 2007/08 season and stayed there until February of 2009. He coached Lukoil Akademik for the last two and a half years and started this season there as well, but they parted ways in December. Arsic won two Bulgarian league titles with Lukoil and one Cup trophy. The team also reached EuroChallenge Quarterfinals in 2011. In the past, the coach worked with Strumica, Zdravlje and Lavovi. Jovica Arsic also was a Head Coach of the FYROM National Team in 2008 and 2009. He guided them to EuroBasket in Poland three years ago. Arsic also has experience with Serbian U20 and U18 National Teams.


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  SPAIN   

Stats Leaders - LEB Gold

Points Per Game
 Troy DEVRIES
  Melilla
  (193-G-82)
  Avg: 19.1
 1. DeVries, Melilla19.1 
 2. Witt, Knet Clavijo18.2 
 3. Feldeine, Breogan17.7 
 4. Quezada, Leon16.5 
 5. Franklin, Huesca16.2 
 6. Bivia, Mallorca16.0 
 7. Fernandez, Granada15.7 
 8. Moss, Palencia15.4 
 9. Leonavicius, Hues.14.7 
 10. Antelo, Caceres14.6 
Rebounds Per Game
 Olaseni LAWAL
  Knet Clavijo
  (208-F/C-86)
  Avg: 10.6
 1. Lawal, Knet Clavijo10.6 
 2. Diouf, Palencia8.8 
 3. Donaldson, Canarias8.8 
 4. Kuzmin, Clinicas.8.6 
 5. Starosta, Navarra8.1 
 6. Antelo, Caceres7.7 
 7. Sikma, La Palma7.7 
 8. Mortellaro, Leon7.7 
 9. Fernandez, Granada7.6 
 10. Williams, Caceres7.6 
Assists Per Game
 Oscar ALVARADO
  La Palma
  (184-PG-91)
  Avg: 6.1
 1. Alvarado, La Palma6.1 
 2. Bivia, Mallorca5.1 
 3. Witt, Knet Clavijo4.5 
 4. Norris, Lleida4.3 
 5. Lopez, Burgos4.0 
 6. Perez, Menorca3.8 
 7. Bernabe, Leon3.7 
 8. Sabat, Canarias3.6 
 9. DeVries, Melilla3.4 
 10. Quezada, Leon3.4 
Steals Per Game
 Alexander FRANKLIN
  Huesca
  (196-PF-88)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Franklin, Huesca2.5 
 2. Toledo, Burgos2.1 
 3. Xavier, Palencia2.0 
 4. Bernabe, Leon2.0 
 5. Norris, Lleida1.9 
 6. Abrines, Clinic.1.8 
 7. Green, Mallorca1.8 
 8. Alonso, Mallorca1.8 
 9. Rost, Canarias1.7 
 10. Guerra, Granada1.6 
Blocks Per Game
 Ognen KUZMIN
  Clinicas.
  (215-C-90)
  Avg: 2.1
 1. Kuzmin, Clinicas.2.1 
 2. Lawal, Knet Clavijo1.7 
 3. Diouf, Palencia1.6 
 4. Green, Mallorca1.3 
 5. Olmos, Caceres1.3 
 6. Odiakosa, Melilla1.2 
 7. Samb, Granada1.1 
 8. Coleman, Girona1.1 
 9. Donaldson, Canarias0.9 
 10. Antelo, Caceres0.9 


Eulis Baez stays with FIATC Joventut - by Eurobasket News

Eulis Baez (201-F-82, college: W.Illinois) stays with FIATC Joventut for the next season. The Dominican center decided to exercise his option and to stay with the club. Baez appeared 24 times in Liga Endesa this season averaging 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Before Joventut, the player spent two years with Valladolid. He had 9.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 1.6 apg for 33 games in their second season together (2010/11). Baez also has experience from Leon and Akasvayu Vic. With Akasvayu Vic he won the LEB Silver title and Cup in 2008. Eulis Baez is active member of Dominican National Team since 2001. He had 7.1 ppg and 4.7 rpg for 7 games at the 2011 FIBA Americas in Mar del Plata. Dominican Republic won the Bronze at this event.


Interview with Pep Claros, Coach of the Year in Liga Americas - by Eurobasket News

Hello Pep (Josep Claros), let us congratulate you first on Liga Americas title with Pioneros de Quintana Roo-Cancun and of course on Coach of the Year award.

Let us know please is the Liga Americas title the most important trophy in your coaching career so far?
Is something hard to say because I have a lot of feelings for all the other titles as well. Obviously in America is a big thing, and I know this one will be in the Mexican history forever, but I really think every championship was special. Is difficult to reach the final and even more to win so Im proud of every championship I got because is always a lot of hours, a lot of personal connections fighting for the same goal and a lot of experiences that you just know when you win and lose finals.

Which game was the most difficult for you and your team at the Final Four Tournament?
All of them. I will explain why: the first one because we were playing against the home team and even we had a lot of confidence there are some things you cant control playing away. We knew we could beat them if we had the mentality to smash and send a message, let everybody knows that we were good enough to win the championship. In some point we were 27 up, we finally won by 18. The second one was difficult because the Brazilian team has winning experience and players like Giovannoni and Alex (ex- Maccabi) and 3 National Team players. The last one, was obviously tough because Obras Sanitarias is the best Argentinean team, with the National Team head coach and they just need to win by 1 to be champions. We won by 9 and we were ahead all game using 12 players in the first half.

Can you compare the level of Liga Americas with some of the European leagues?
Liga Americas is a competition that every game is all or nothing. You have to win 3 finals four before get the championship. All the teams you compete against are the best ones of their countries, so they know what it takes to get there and they have the best talent of their leagues. Every country has their own characteristics in terms of style of play. Is not the same to play against a Brazilian team than to the Argentineans and even more different if you play against the Puerto Rican team. You have to be clearly the best and do well some aspects of the game like dominate the rhythm, develop the toughness during the competition and have a good team mentality.

You reached 13 Finals so far with different teams in different countries. Which one you will never forget, except of the Liga American Final 4?
I have good memory so I will remember all of them...I also remember all the losses I had so eventually they push me to keep fighting. I will not forget a game when with American University (NCAA Div. II school) we upset No.1 in the country Arkansas who was undefeated at that time. It was 16 years ago in a Christmas day. It wasnt a title game but it was just special and we made a big presentation to college basketball. After that we won the conference 2 years in a row with just 3 loses in 2 years and beating other schools like top 10 Alabama or Texas C. and Hofstra.

You started the season with the Halifax Rainmen. It was the inaugural year of the NBL Canada, so can you please tell us something more about the league?
The NBL is an athletic league where you can have 10 Americans per team. Most of the players have stints in Europe , D- League and some even NBA. Is very interesting to see because you have all of the teams with real possibilities to improve the roster (22 transactions during the season) and to win every game because you are constantly thinking about winning the game but also to recruit the best talent available at the same time. Most of my players had played in Europe so they could adapt to practices and some of rules that I adopted.

What are your plans for the next season? You are still Head Coach of the Mexican National Team.
I will decide very soon. The Pioneros of Cancun organization will run the team so it looks that Mexico could have a strong team if they add 5 or 6 players to the Mexican team we won the Liga Americas. After the silver medal we got in 2010 is a good opportunity to keep winning internationally. If they can have the best players Mexico can be very close to Argentina and Brazil , so eventually we could have good results. In the other hand there is an option in Europe that could be an excellent project for an emerging country that I m sure will be top in the very next future, because they have talent, physical strength, mentality and is run for good basketball minds. My goal is keep winning so I feel very fortunate if Im part of them.

Thank you Pep and we wish you all the best in the future!


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


Jakob Sigurdarson wants to stay with Dragons - by Eurobasket News

Jakob Sigurdarson (192-G-82, college: Birm.Southern) has a strong wish to continue with Sundsvall Dragons. In interview for the Swedish media, the Icelandic guard said that he is happy in Sundsvall and also that he would like to stay there. Sigurdarson spent last three seasons with the Dragons. In the latest one he had 19.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.8 apg in 40 games. He was the second best scorer of Basketligan. Sigurdarson helped Dragons to win the Basketligan title in 2011 and he was named Eurobasket.com All-Swedish Basketligan Player of the Year. He got the same award also in 2010. Jakob Sigurdarson joined Sundsvall in 2009 from KR Reykjavik. In the past, he also played in Hungary, Spain (LEB2) and Germany. In 2000 and later from 2004 to 2009, Sigurdarson played for the Icelandic National Team.


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


Aarau clinch LNB title - by Eurobasket News

Neuchatel - BC AKA 55:56

BC Alte Kanti Aarau celebrated the LNB title. They defeated Neuchatel in the decisive third game of the Finals. Jason Perry (193-F-84, college: William Penn) came up with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the winners.
Neuchatel opened the game aggressively. They held their opponents to 12 points in the opening frame to take a 4-point lead. Aarau narrowed the gap in the second term. The visitors trailed by just two points at the interval 27:29. Neuchatel managed to score just 10 points in the third term as BC AKA grabbed a 40:39 lead. The teams stayed neck and neck throughout the fourth period but BC AKA proved calm in the decisive moments to seal the victory at the end. Yannic Ngarambe (194-G/F-89) and Michael Polite (203-F-68, college: Florida St.) finished with 10 points each for the winners. Herb Johnson (209-F/C-62, college: Tulsa) answered with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Neuchatel. Derrick Lang (194-G-80, college: Incarnate Word) and Luka Vertel (196-G/F-86) netted 13 points each in the loss.

Neuchatel: Herb Johnson 16+11 boards, Derrick Lang 13, Luka Vertel 13
BC AKA: Jason Perry 18+12 boards, Yannic Ngarambe 10, Michael Polite 10


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


Off season - by Joshua Jones

THE SEASON has really started. The off season is where champions are made. I like to say you write your checks I'm the off season and cash them in during the season. The gyms will be packed, players will compete to show who has progressed the most during the season. It's time to put it in over drive for the up coming season. I wish everyone a great and healthy off season. I will check in soon. Josh Jones


Asia-Basket.com All-Syrian League Awards 2011-2012 - by Ahmad Madwar

Player of the Year: Giannis Deep (186-G-86) of Jalaa
Guard of the Year: Rami Merjaneh (183-PG-83) of Jalaa
Forward of the Year: Hakam Abdullah (197-F-82) of Jeish
Center of the Year: Wissam Yaqqub (212-C-82) of Jalaa
Most Improved player of the year: Sameh Soror of Jeish
Newcomer player of the year : Tofy Saleh (205-F/C-90) of Wehda
Defensive Player of the Year: Abd Al Wahab Hamowi (217-C-90) of Jeish
Coach of the Year: Robert Bachayani of Jalaa

1st team :
PG: Rami Merjaneh of Jalaa
SG: Giannis Deep of Jalaa
SF: Hakam Abdullah of Jeish
PF: Mahmoud Osfira (203-F-91) of Ittihad
C: Wissam Yaqqub of Jalaa

2nd team :
PG: Watche Nalabandian (185-PG-83) of Jeish
SG: Nour Diarbakrly (186-G-89) of Ittihad
SF: Sameer Al Dags (196-F-84) of Ittihad
PF: Sameh Soror of Jeish
C: Abd Al Wahab Hamowi of Jeish

3rd team :
PG: Omar Karkukli (G-81) of Jeish
SG: William Haddad of Thawra
SF: Sari Papazian (194-G/F-82) of Jalaa
PF: Ahmad Ishak (194-F-86) of Jalaa
C: Tofy Saleh of Wehda


*****************************************************
  TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO   


Young amongst PR best! - by Albert-Lee Young

The second most remarkable performance last week in the Puerto Rican BSN league was 30-year old Trinidad and Tobago point guard Ian Young (191-PG-81) of Guaynabo. Young impressed basketball fans with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

However despite Youngs performance, Guaynabo still went under in a close 100-96 game to the number1 ranked Mayaguez (5-1). Meanwhile Guaynabo remains second from the bottom in the standings with a 0-6 record.

Young, who guided Trinidad & Tobago to an overtime victory against Puerto Rico at the 2010 Centrobasket Championships, is one of the most experienced players at Guaynabo. He has a reputation as being one of team's most reliable players.


*****************************************************
  TUNISIA   


As De Sale Are Throne Cup Champions for 4th Consecutive Year - by Adam Prossin

Morocco's Top club over the last few years, As de Sale, has continued their dominant winning form. ASS just clinched their 4th consecutive Morocco Throne Cup with a 66-59 hard fought victory over Renaissance Berkane in the Throne Cup Final. It is also the 6th Throne Cup Championship title in the last 8 years for ASS with prior victories in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

As de Sale, in addition, just became the regular season champion of Morocco with a 16-2 final record. Berkane was also the runners-up of the regular season with a 14-4 record followed by WAC Casablanca who finished the season in 3rd pace with a 12-6 final record.

The 1st playoff round is under way in Morocco now with the top 6 teams advancing. Group A matches As de Sale, Maghreb de Fez & Sports Plaza Casablanca while Group B has WAC Casablanca, CRA Hoceima & Renaissance Berkane.


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

Stats Leaders - D1

Points Per Game
 Jonathan GIBSON
  Trabzonspor
  (182-PG-87)
  Avg: 19.9
 1. Gibson, Trabzonspor19.9 
 2. Reynolds, Antalya18.3 
 3. Chatman, Karsiyaka18.3 
 4. Brown, Trabzonspor18.1 
 5. Scales, Mersin17.4 
 6. Toolson, Aliaga17.3 
 7. Fisher, Antalya17.2 
 8. Grundy, Mersin16.9 
 9. Sneed, Mersin16.9 
 10. Washington, Turk16.6 
Rebounds Per Game
 Elton BROWN
  Trabzonspor
  (206-C-83)
  Avg: 12.2
 1. Brown, Trabzonspor12.2 
 2. Stimac, Olin Edirne9.9 
 3. Sanders, Hacett.8.9 
 4. Mensah-Bonsu, Bes.8.3 
 5. McGhee, Bandirma.7.8 
 6. Wesson, Erdemir7.6 
 7. Buckman, Tofas7.6 
 8. Sonkol, Aliaga7.3 
 9. Yucel, Turk T.7.0 
 10. Grier, Mersin6.8 
Assists Per Game
 Mire CHATMAN
  Karsiyaka
  (187-PG-78)
  Avg: 6.4
 1. Chatman, Karsiyaka6.4 
 2. Ermis, Banvit BK6.1 
 3. Tunceri, Anadolu5.6 
 4. Ratkovica, Aliaga5.3 
 5. Senturk, Erdemir4.9 
 6. Gordon, Galatasaray4.6 
 7. Fisher, Antalya4.4 
 8. Washington, Turk T.4.4 
 9. Reynolds, Antalya4.4 
 10. Arroyo, Besiktas4.2 
Steals Per Game
 Russell ROBINSON
  Trabzons.
  (185-G-86)
  Avg: 2.1
 1. Robinson, Trabzons.2.1 
 2. Grier, Mersin2.1 
 3. Bryan-A., Hacett.2.0 
 4. Chatman, Karsiyaka1.9 
 5. Gordon, Galatasaray1.7 
 6. Grundy, Mersin1.7 
 7. Kinsey, Anadolu1.5 
 8. Simmons, Banvit BK1.4 
 9. Scales, Mersin1.4 
 10. Hawkins, Besiktas1.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Matthew BRYAN-AMANING
  Hacett.
  (205-F-88)
  Avg: 1.3
 1. Bryan-A., Hacett.1.3 
 2. Davis, Banvit BK1.2 
 3. Robinson, Erdemir1.1 
 4. McGhee, Bandirma.1.0 
 5. Gist, Fener.Ulker0.9 
 6. Bayav, Karsiyaka0.9 
 7. Aldemir, Galatasar.0.9 
 8. Turkyilmaz, Banvit0.9 
 9. Karaman, Karsiyaka0.8 
 10. Qvale, Aliaga0.8 


Fenerbahce Ulker targets Ettore Messina, Zeljko Obradovic - by Eurobasket News

2011/12 season for Fenerbahce Ulker is over and it was the one to forget. According to reports, the Turkish giant now looks to hire a Head Coach who will replace Neven Spahija on the bench. The main candidates for this position are Ettore Messina and Zeljko Obradovic. Reportedly, Fenerbahce already offered Messina a reach 2-year deal and now waits for the answer. Obradovic will most probably leave Panathinaikos and it is expected that he will also get a huge offer from FB Ulker. It is crystal clear what FB Ulker wants to do in the near future. They will for sure have one of the biggest budgets in Europe and naturally their goal will be to win the Turkish championship, but also the Euroleague title. Messina currently works as Assistant Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Before the Lakers, he coached Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow, Benetton Treviso and Kinder Bologna. Obradovic is a Head Coach of PAO since 1999 and before that he coached Benetton, Real Madrid, Joventut Badalona and Partizan.


"Eye of the Fan" by Turkish Airlines - by Pervin Elgin

The 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four was a revolution for fans thanks to 'Eye of the Fan' by Turkish Airlines: an all-access live reporter mounted with a camera on his head, forwarding fans' questions to players, coaches and staff at the competition.

Basketball fans across Europe joined live broadcasts on the Eye of the Fan Facebook page which included locker room interviews, tours of the Sinan Erdem Arena, up-close footage of fanatical fans and a behind-the-scenes look at the Final Four.

Viewers were treated to an Istanbul tour on Saturday, followed by a gathering at the historic Sultanahmet district on final day with Greek and Russian fans in particular. The Turkish Airlines Eye of the Fan was even granted exclusive access to the Olympiacos BC flight from Istanbul to Athens, where in-flight footage and photos documented a previously unseen side to the Greek team's celebrations.

Must-see videos from throughout the tournament continue to be posted at apps.facebook.com/eyeofthefan while photos are on @eyeofthefan on Twitter.


Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova has contributed to the free English language lesson site englishbaby.com - by Pervin Elgin

Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova has contributed to the free English language lesson site englishbaby.com. He talks about the phrase 'tip it in' and gives some tips for learning languages:

http://www.englishbaby.com/lessons/5915
http://youtu.be/LYmsRsgOlC4

Jason: Welcome to English, baby! I am here with Ersan Ilyasova. Can you tell us, first of all, what is an offensive rebound?

Ersan: Offensive rebounds are about second effort. Just follow the ball and, the thing is, try, always try to see when the ball will hit the rim, which side, which part, and try to be there when it lands. Its all about effort.

Jason: I want to talk about a specific kind of offensive rebound. Can you tell us what it means to tip it in.

Ersan: A tip in is when somebody shoots it from long distance, and the ball just runs up, and you just crash the board and barely touch with the nails of your fingers and just tip it in. Thats a huge thing.

Jason: Ersan explains that when you tip in a ball, you gently touch it with the ends of your fingers, or your fingertips.

Ersan: barely touch with the nails of your fingers and just tip it in.

Jason: How do you say that in Turkish? Is there a word for it?

Ersan: In Turkish, theyll say, Thats a hucum rebound.

Jason: A tip can also be like an idea or a helpful hint. Can you give us a tip for how to learn languages?

Ersan: Yeah, I speak four languages. For example, for me, when I came just first into United States, I didnt take classes in anything. Its all basically try to communicate with people. I think its an easy way to learn, when you start to speak with somebody. How I learned Spanish, I just start to communicate with people. Try to learn some easy words first and things just come up easily when you know a couple of languages before that. You pick it upso much easier.

Ersan: English, baby!


*****************************************************
  UGANDA   


Salim quiet on KIU debut - by Eurobasket News

Ndejje 63-51 Nkumba
Vegeterian 30-63 KIU
W. Nkumba 45-50 Mak Sparks
Gladiators 40-74 KCC
Div 2. B. Court 104-48 MBS
Div 3. Ssaku 49-44 Stone
Div 3. LC Hovers 40-13 YMCA
Div 3. Kla Uni 48-55 Diamonds
Div 3. UPDF 57-35 Planets
Kampala.
One week after Ndejje University Angels reminded KIU Titans of the road ahead if the latter are to challenge the duopoly of Warriors and DMark Power, the two shared happiness. KIU and Ndejje defeated newly-promoted Vegetarian 63-30 and former champions Nkumba Marines 63-51 respectively at YMCA court on Sunday. While the Ndejje roster has not changed in the past, KIU added guard Salim Ali from Heaters in the days past.
Ali was restricted to seven points and three assists on his debut for the university side that has signed big hoping for a first title. Emmanuel Aupal led KIU scorers with 13 points in a lukewarm performance against a team that offered little with none of the vegetarians crossing the 10-point barrier.KIU players stayed to see how to mark Geoffrey Soro, the hero of Ndejjes narrow 55-50 triumph last Sunday with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The answers were not there as Soro continued his meteoric rise with a game-high 19 points and five rebounds.
Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com/


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


Wolves Fan Favourite Fernandez Is Back - by Paul Nilsen

Worcester Wolves have officially announced the return of a second player from their successful 2011-12 squad.

Hardworking Spanish forward Carlos Fernandez (197-F-87, college: IlIinois Tech) has enjoyed his first year in the town and is keen to repeat the experience, saying:

'Worcester was always my first option for next season. My situation here is great. The opportunity to study at the University while playing high-level professional basketball is something unique.'

24-year-old Carlos averaged seven points, four rebounds and three assists a game and has become a fan-favourite with his blue-collar work ethic. He is appreciative of the support he has received from supporters.

'The love I got from the fans all season long is something I will not forget,' he said. He is also relishing what lies ahead for him and his team mates, adding: 'I really look forward to next season, moving into the new Arena, and working hard to finish what we started.'

Wolves' Director of Basketball Paul James is pleased that Carlos is coming back, commenting:

'Carlos plays hard every minute he is on court. He will graft and has some skilful moves in his arsenal. He has progressed well over the year and I'm sure there is more to come from him.'


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


Results for the South American U 15 championship - by Hector Lopez

The South American U 15 tournament started in Maldonado and San Carlos (Uruguay) with trhe following results
Group A
Brazil 89 Colombia 85 (OT 74)
Uruguay 61 Peru 33
Group B
Venezuela 91 Paraguay 56
Argentina 71 Chile 15
Games for today (Local time)
15.00 Venezuela -Chile
17.00 Argentina - Paraguay
19.00 Brazil-Peru
21.00 Uruguay-Colombia
- - -
Two teams from each group will qualify to play the semifinal games on Friday and three teams will be playing the Americas tournament.


*****************************************************
  VENEZUELA   


Derrick Obasohan joins Cocodrilos - by Eurobasket News

Cocodrilos de Caracas bolstered their frontcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Derrick Obasohan (199-F-81, agency: Beo Basket, college: Texas Arlington). The forward started the season in Spain. He played for Joventut Badalona. Derrick Obasohan averaged 9.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in ACB. Last season Derrick Obasohan spent in Turkey with Trabzonspor. His stats read 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per appearance. The forward also had stints in France, Portugal, Belgium and Luxembourg before. Eurobasket.com named Derrick Obasohan into Luxembourg League All-Imports Team in 2005. He also earned French ProA Honourable Mention in 2010. Derrick Obasohan has been the member of Nigerian National Team since 2006.



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

Women News


Apolonia won the Finals - by Eurobasket News

Apolonia won the Finals as they edged Flamutari 62:49 in Game 5. After 202 in the series, the Winner of the Regular Season produced a final surge to seal the win.
It was one of the most interesting series over the last few years. Last year Flamutari beat Tirana 2-1 in the series.


*****************************************************
  ANGOLA   


Under-18 Start Afrobasket Qualifiers With Victory - by Eurobasket News

Luanda The national women under-18 team of basketball beat Mozambique by 61-40, in a first leg match of the Afrobasket2012 zone qualifiers taking place in Maputo, Mozambique.

The Angolan team that were winning the match by 14 points (32-18) by half-time are leading the competition with two points.

The Angolan ladies are facing Botswana on Monday evening.

On the other hand, the Angolan national men team that come second lost to Mozambique by 46-50.
Courtesy of:Angola Press


Under18 Basketball Team Beat Botswana - by Eurobasket News

Luanda The Angolan national under 18 females basketball team defeated on Monday Botswana by 104-22, in the second round of zonal tournament, qualifying for Africa Cup of Nations (Afrobasket2012), taking place in Maputo city (Mozambique).

On Sunday, Angola beat Mozambique 61-40, in the first round of the tournament.

With this victory, Angola lead the competition with four points.

In male category, Angola defeated Botswana by 104-53, after having lost on Sunday to Mozambique by 46-50.
Courtesy of:Angola Press


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


SBL: Wolves extend lead on top (Round 9 women's wrap) - by Eurobasket News

In round nine of the women's State Basketball League a top of the ladder clash saw current leaders the Wanneroo Wolves secure their fourth consecutive win after taking down the South West Slammers 80-75.

The Wolves 13 point first quarter advantage was enough to hold the lead the entire game despite the Slammers actually winning the last three quarters.

An incredible performance from Slammers Kim Sitzmann (178-G-88, college: UALR) (33 points, eight rebounds) was not enough to silence Wolves offensive attacks from Sue Williams (18 points, seven rebounds), Megan Lee (15 points, four rebounds) and Shani Amos with ten points and five rebounds.

An incredible weekend for the Perth Redbacks saw them advance to second place on the back of four consecutive wins, taking down the Lakeside Lightning on Friday night 67-57 and the Willetton Tigers 50-46 on Saturday.

The Redbacks only made one of seven shots from the three point line against the Lightning, extending their lead by shooting 15 percent more accurately from the field.

Lightning's Courtney Byrnes (17 points) led the Lightning but was no match for Redbacks Marita Payne who finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Payne was again the dominant force behind the Redbacks second victory, the complete package scoring 16 points up front and securing ten defensive rebounds down the back.

The Willetton Tigers defeated bottom of the ladder Mandurah Magic 79-60 for the Magic's ninth loss of the season.

The Tigers stronger shooting accuracy across the board combined with Melissa Marsh's 27 points and eight assists were too much for the Magic to handle.

In a bottom four clash the East Perth Eagles have defeated the Cockburn Cougars 84-64.

Eagles Samantha Norwood (188-F/C-89, college: Stony Brook) with 23 points and 11 rebounds went head to head with Cougars Stephanie Jones (22 points and 15 rebounds).

The Kalamunda Eastern Suns have secured their fifth consecutive win after defeating the Rockingham Flames 89-78.

Despite an incredible effort from Flames star Emma Cannon (188-F, college: Cent.Florida) (31 points and 20 rebounds) the Suns superior shooting accuracy across the board combined with strong offensive pressure from Lizel Buckley (90) (21 points) and Adrienne Jones (18 points) was too much for Cannon to tackle alone.

Article by Hannah Coleman
Courtesy of: http://www.sbl.asn.au


*****************************************************
  BOTSWANA   


Under18 Basketball Team Beat Botswana - by Eurobasket News

Luanda The Angolan national under 18 females basketball team defeated on Monday Botswana by 104-22, in the second round of zonal tournament, qualifying for Africa Cup of Nations (Afrobasket2012), taking place in Maputo city (Mozambique).

On Sunday, Angola beat Mozambique 61-40, in the first round of the tournament.

With this victory, Angola lead the competition with four points.

In male category, Angola defeated Botswana by 104-53, after having lost on Sunday to Mozambique by 46-50.
Courtesy of:Angola Press


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


Tamara Tatham's double-double lands her Player of the Week award among Canadians playing currently abroad - by Eurobasket Center

Here is the weekly review of the top performing Canadian players, who play currently abroad.

Tamara Tatham
Tamara Tatham
   #1. This week's number one is an international forward Tamara Tatham (187-85, college: Massachusetts), who plays in the German DBBL. She could not help SV Halle Lions (11-11) in their last game. Despite Tatham's very good performance SV Halle Lions lost 71-76 on the road to the lower-ranked (#10) Wildcats Wolfenbuettel. She had a double-double by scoring 22 points and getting 11 rebounds. Tatham also added 3 assists and 6 steals in 38 minutes on the court. Tatham is currently second on the list of top scorers and also on the list of best rebounders (second place). She has individually a very good year with high stats. Tatham averages: 21.0ppg, 10.5rpg, 2.8apg, 3.2spg, 2FGP: 60.2%(204-339) and FT: 74.4% in the 28 games she played so far. She is currently a member of the Canadian senior national team.

Jenifer Nadalin
Jenifer Nadalin
   #2. Second place goes to an international power forward Jenifer Nadalin (187-83, college: Furman). Nadalin was not able to help one of league's weakest teams Familia Schio (18-4) in their game against Taranto (20-2) in the Italian A1. She scored only 4 points. Familia Schio was defeated 72-58 on the opponent's court by the leading Taranto. Nadalin's overall stats this season are: 6.1ppg, 4.4rpg, 2FGP: 46.6% and FT: 69.4%. She has a dual citizenship: Canadian and Italian. Nadalin is in the roster of the Canadian senior national team.

Katie Donovan
Katie Donovan
   #3. The Canadian player who performed third best last week abroad was former U20 international swingman Katie Donovan (182-82). She led Basket Esch to a victory over the third-ranked Etzella (22-6) 80-72 in the Luxembourg Diekirch League on Sunday night. Donovan was MVP of the game. She scored 29 points (!!!) and grabbed 8 rebounds in 37 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 3 ranked teams in group 1-6 places. Basket Esch (15-9) is placed first. It was her team's seventh consecutive victory in a row. It's Donovan's first season with the team. Donovan is currently third on the list of best passers with 4.1apg. This year her other stats are: 16.4ppg, 8.0rpg, 1.5spg, 2FGP: 58.8%(107-182), 3FGP: 27.8% and FT: 60.3% in the 23 games. Despite Donovan played previously for the Italian national team, she played also for the Canadian U20 national team in 2003.

Renata Adamczyk
Renata Adamczyk
   #4. Guard Renata Adamczyk (175) was the main contributor in a T71 Dudelange's victory against the leader Musel Pikes (23-5) 67-51 in the Luxembourg Diekirch League in Sunday night's game. Adamczyk was the best player in that game. She scored 22 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. T71 Dudelange (14-14) is placed fourth in 1-6 places group. Adamczyk has relatively good stats this season: 13.6ppg, 9.5rpg, 1.1apg and 2.7spg. She is another player who holds two passports: Polish and Canadian. Despite Adamczyk played previously for the Polish national team, she is currently in the Canadian national team roster.

Other top Canadian players, who play abroad:

Stephany Skrba (188-F-87) plays for Bourges in French LFB
Margaret De Ciman (200-C-84) plays for Cadi la Seu in Spanish LFB
Courtnay Pilypaitis (185-G-88) plays for VICI Aistes in Lithuanian LMKL
May Kay Kotsopoulos (178-G-88) plays for Athinaikos in Greek A1
Krista Phillips (198-C-88) plays for Dandenong Rangers in Australian WNBL
Chelsea Aubry (189-F/C-84) plays for Bendigo Spirit in Australian WNBL
Lizanne Murphy (185-F-84) plays for Aix-en-Provence in French LFB
Shona Thorburn (178-G-82) plays for Aix-en-Provence in French LFB
Krysten Boogaard (195-C-88) plays for Nice in French LFB
Miranda Ayim (191-F/C-88) plays for Istanbul Universitesi in Turkish TKBL
Melissa Dalembert (191-F-87) plays for R.Spirou Monceau in Belgian D1
Nicole Anne Johnson (180-F-76) plays for Baskets Grunberg in German 2.Bundesliga
Melissa Colborne (183-G/F-88) plays for TSV Amicitia in German 2.Bundesliga

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


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


Novi Zagreb announced Matea Vrdoljak and Ivana Seric - by Vladimir Ivankovic

Novi Zagreb WBC has officially confirmed that Matea Vrdoljak (186-F-85) and Ivana Seric signed one- year contracts, and thus become the club's new signings of the season in which further progress is expected.
Ivana Seric (1989) the past three seasons played for Studenac Omis, with whom she has achieved notable results - Omis played two semi's (2009-10,2010-11) in D1 of Croatian championship. The past season she was the third scorer of the national championship. She plays the Point Guard position.
Matea Vrdoljak (1985) for several seasons playing abroad. This season has been playing in Portugal and Romanian registered splendid Statistics (Quinta dos Lombos (Portugal Feminina-League, starting five): EuroCup: 6 games: 7.7ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.0apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 50.0 % CSM Sportul Studentesc Bucuresti (Romania-D1, starting five): 13 games: 15.9ppg, 6.4rpg, 2.9apg, 2.2spg, FGP: 38.7%, 3PT: 30.8%, FT: 80.3%. Matea is born scorer, and she plays small forward position. She was NT member back in 2008.
Both players will be a significant gain in previously announced face-lifting best club of the Croatian capital.


Iva Ciglar wins 'Player of the Year' award in Hungary - by Eurobasket News

Iva Ciglar (170-G-85, agency: Data Plus Group) finished very successful season in Hungary. The Croatian National Team guard and her UNI SEAT Gyor managed to win the championship title thanks to 3-2 victory in the Finals series. Ciglar and her teammates grabbed 55-61 road win in crucial Game Five against UNIQA Euroleasing Sopron. Iva Ciglar helped her team with 13 points and 8 rebounds in this meeting. She was UNI SEAT's key player during the entire season. For 28 league games Ciglar averaged 11.8 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She ended as top assistant of the league as was actually named Eurobasket.com All-Hungarian League Player of the Year -12. Ciglar and UNI SEAT also reached Cup Finals this season.
Iva Ciglar is active member of the Croatian National Team since 2009. She had 7 ppg, 2.9 apg and 2.2 rpg for 9 games at the 2011 EuroBasket in Poland.


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


Ivan Benes takes over USK Praha - by Eurobasket News

Ivan Benes takes over USK Praha for the next season. According to lovewomensbasketball.com the former assistant Ivan Benes will take over head coaching duties from Lubor Blazek who will remain at the club in different capacity.
Ivan Benes worked as a Coach Assistant since season 2006-2007. At first he was with USK Blex Praha (1Liga) women team. Later in 2007-2008 he moved to ZVVZ USK Praha (ZBL) women team and remained for 5 seasons. From now on he will take Head Coach responsibilities.
Lubor Blazek and Ivan Benes team defended their ZBL title this season. They swept the title series against Frisco Sika. The reigning champions claimed an 82:52 win in the third game of the series to triumph in the League. Delisha Milton-Jones led the effort with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
USK Praha also won the Regular Season with perfect 32-0 record.


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


Ivan Benes takes over USK Praha - by Eurobasket News

Ivan Benes takes over USK Praha for the next season. According to lovewomensbasketball.com the former assistant Ivan Benes will take over head coaching duties from Lubor Blazek who will remain at the club in different capacity.
Ivan Benes worked as a Coach Assistant since season 2006-2007. At first he was with USK Blex Praha (1Liga) women team. Later in 2007-2008 he moved to ZVVZ USK Praha (ZBL) women team and remained for 5 seasons. From now on he will take Head Coach responsibilities.
Lubor Blazek and Ivan Benes team defended their ZBL title this season. They swept the title series against Frisco Sika. The reigning champions claimed an 82:52 win in the third game of the series to triumph in the League. Delisha Milton-Jones led the effort with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
USK Praha also won the Regular Season with perfect 32-0 record.


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


STOL Grasshoppers acquire Marlous Nieuwveen - by Bas Hendriks

Just a few days after announcing their new headcoach, STOL Grasshopper stunned the league by signing champion-center Marlous Nieuwveen (196-C-80).

Nieuwveen, who transferred to champions Probuild Lions after coming back to Holland and claiming the title with Wereldtickets/Leiderdorp is the first major acquisition for headcoach Ivo Boom who is determined to bring STOL Grasshoppers to the National top, playing for the major part Dutch players. The Leiderdorp native scored 8.9 points per game and added 6.8 rebounds for Champions Probuild Lions, after going 14.7 points and 8 rebounds per game in her run with Wereldtickets.


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


Egle Sulciute pens deal with Perfumerias Avenida - by Eurobasket News

Accoding to lovewomensbasketball.com Egle Sulciute (190-PF-85) pens deal with Perfumerias Avenida for the next season. The Lithuanian Power Forward will move to Spain from Turkey.
In 2009-2010 she played for Real Club Celta Vigo Urban (Spain-LFB, starting five) and averaged 14.9ppg, 6.4rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 43.6%, FT: 75.3%. In 2010-2011 for Real Club Celta Vigo Urban (Spain-LFB, starting five) her stats read13.6ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.3spg, FGP: 47.2%, 3PT: 33.8%, FT: 68.3%.
The season 2011-2012 Egle started for USO Mondeville (France-LFB) and in French League showed 15.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 30.3%, FT: 76.0%. Later Galatasaray M.P. Istanbul strengthened their roster with addition of 27-year old Lithuanian international Egle Sulciute. In her first game she scored 6 points. However her new team lost to Rivas Ecopolis 68-75. Sulciute played most recently at USO Mondeville (France). While playing 6 games for Mondeville this season she averaged 15.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.3apg and 1.0spg. She played also pro basketball in Brazil, France, Italy, Lithuania and Spain. Sulciute has been a member of Lithuanian international program for some years. She played for senior national team this year and previously for U20 national team in 2005. Sulciute represented Lithuania at the European Championships in Poland last year.


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


Murder conviction in TN college player's stabbing - by Eurobasket News

A jury on Monday convicted the roommate of Middle Tennessee basketball player Tina Stewart (5'7''-G) of second-degree murder in the athlete's 2011 stabbing death.

Jurors spent about two hours deliberating before reaching a verdict against 19-year-old Shanterrica Madden in the March 2, 2011, stabbing of Stewart at an off-campus apartment they shared in Murfreesboro. Madden also was convicted of tampering with evidence for trying to hide the knife used in the stabbing of the 21-year-old Lady Raiders player.

The defendant could face 15 to 60 years in prison for the murder conviction at sentencing, scheduled for July 16.

Madden showed no emotion after a circuit court judge read the verdict in a crowded courtroom in Murfreesboro.

Madden acknowledged stabbing Stewart but claimed she had acted in self-defense against her larger and more athletic roommate. Prosecutors had argued for first-degree murder when they said Madden's action was premeditated and intentional after Stewart reported her roommate for smoking marijuana.

The 21-year-old Stewart was a veteran on the team, which was preparing for the Sun Belt Conference tournament at the time. After Stewart's death, the Middle Tennessee women lost in an emotional opener at the conference tournament, received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and then lost in the first round.

Head coach Rick Insell was in court during closing arguments. 'We hope it brings some type of closure for the Stewart family and our basketball team,' he said in a statement.

Although Stewart and Madden were both from Memphis, they didn't know each other until they were assigned the same apartment.

Madden, who is 4 feet 11 inches, told the jury the final argument in Stewart's bedroom became physical when the 5-foot-7 player began hitting her. Madden said she defended herself with a knife she took from Stewart's bed.

Prosecutors presented testimony and evidence at trial that showed that Madden didn't try to help Stewart after stabbing her. Instead, they said, she tried to hide her involvement, including by sending misleading text messages from Stewart's phone.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Newman had asked the 12-person jury if her argument of self-defense made sense given that Stewart had multiple knife wounds and that Madden acknowledged on the stand that she didn't do anything to help Stewart after the stabbing.

'She is not credible,' Newman argued before the case went to the jury.

After the stabbing, Stewart was found by her boyfriend, who called for help. Stewart was pronounced dead at a hospital, and an autopsy showed she died from a stab wound to the chest that struck a major artery to her heart and punctured her lung.

Courtesy of http://sports.sportsillustrated.cnn.com


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


Energa Torun keeps Weronika Idczak - by Lukasz Lukaszewski

Not only polish Euroleague clubs started to build their rosters. Energa Torun extended deal with polish point guard - Weronika Idczak (177-G-89). What is more club is close to the end
negotiations with coach Elmedin Omanic and two other polish players.

Weronika Idczak is 23-year-old point guard. She started her professional career in Inea AZS Poznan. She had been playing for this club for 7 seasons. In her last season in Poznan
she averaged: 10,3 points and 3,7 assists.

Last year she signed a contract with Energa Torun. In the first half of the season she had not played much, but then This situation had changed. She was important part of the team
which was able to achieved bronze medal. She was selected for Eurobasket.com Polish PLKK All-Domestic Players Team in the last season. In 36 games she averaged 6,8 points
and 2,4 assists.

She get nomination to the polish national team. Weronika Idczak is on the polish NT camp in that moment.



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


Fatou Dieng wins LF2 title in France - by Eurobasket News

Fatou Dieng (170-G-85) had a very successful season in France. The Senegalese National Team guard and her Perpignan Basket managed to win the LF2 title and at the same time the promotion for the French top division - LFB. Perpignan outplayed Touluse in the Big Final 75-71. Fatou Dieng joined the club in 2010. She appeared 23 times in the league last season averaging 7.8 ppg, 4 apg and 2.6 rpg. In their first season together Dieng had better numbers. For 26 games she registered 11.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.8 rpg and 2.2 spg. Before Perpignan, Dieng played for Reims, Universitario de Ferrol and EBE Promociones P.D.V. Santa Eulalia. She is active member of the Senegalese National Team since 2006. Last year Fatou Dieng led them to Silver medal at 2011 AfroBasket in Bamako, Mali.


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


National team camp - by Zeljko Zule

Slovenian National Team returns to action with a training camp at Rogla. Head coach Boris Zrinski called in 15 players, including Euroleague runner-up Sandra Pirsic (195-C-84) and second round WNBA draft pick Nika Baric (169-PG-92).
Slovenia will face Belgium, Lithuania, Netherland and Slovakia in Group C of EuroBasket Women 2013 qualifiers. Slovenian team will play several warmup matches against Serbia and Switzerland.
GUARDS: Nika Baric of Spartak Vidnoe (RUS), Martina Dover (177-G-86) of Gospic (CRO), Maja Erkic (183-G/F-85) of Familia Schio (ITA), Teja Oblak (171-G-90) of Celje, Sasa Panic (171-PG-86) of Grosuplje, Eva Rupnik (177-F-92) of Jezica, Polona Zalar (176-G-91) of Triglav, Ziva Zdolsek (178-G-89) of Triglav.
FORWARDS: Lea Jagodic (182-F-91) of Celje, Tina Jakovina (182-F-92) of Grosuplje, Eva Komplet (182-F/C-86) of Gospic (CRO),
CENTERS: Tjasa Gortnar (187-F-92) of Georgia Tech (NCAA-USA), Martina Osterman (188-F-88) of Sloboda (BOS), Sandra Pirsic of Villeneuve d'Ascq (FRA), Tina Trebec (189-F-90, agency: Kotnik Sports Agency) of Celje
RESERVES: Bojana Duric (174-G-91) of Triglav, Anja Klavzar (177-F-90) of Celje, Ana Ljubenovic (182-F/C-88) of Triglav, Ines Kerin (172-G-90) of AJM.
HEAD COACH: Boris Zrinski . ASSISTANTS: Emir Haskic , Tomo Oresnik .


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  SPAIN   


Egle Sulciute pens deal with Perfumerias Avenida - by Eurobasket News

Accoding to lovewomensbasketball.com Egle Sulciute (190-PF-85) pens deal with Perfumerias Avenida for the next season. The Lithuanian Power Forward will move to Spain from Turkey.
In 2009-2010 she played for Real Club Celta Vigo Urban (Spain-LFB, starting five) and averaged 14.9ppg, 6.4rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 43.6%, FT: 75.3%. In 2010-2011 for Real Club Celta Vigo Urban (Spain-LFB, starting five) her stats read13.6ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.3spg, FGP: 47.2%, 3PT: 33.8%, FT: 68.3%.
The season 2011-2012 Egle started for USO Mondeville (France-LFB) and in French League showed 15.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 30.3%, FT: 76.0%. Later Galatasaray M.P. Istanbul strengthened their roster with addition of 27-year old Lithuanian international Egle Sulciute. In her first game she scored 6 points. However her new team lost to Rivas Ecopolis 68-75. Sulciute played most recently at USO Mondeville (France). While playing 6 games for Mondeville this season she averaged 15.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.3apg and 1.0spg. She played also pro basketball in Brazil, France, Italy, Lithuania and Spain. Sulciute has been a member of Lithuanian international program for some years. She played for senior national team this year and previously for U20 national team in 2005. Sulciute represented Lithuania at the European Championships in Poland last year.


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  SWEDEN   


Northland keeps Josefin Vesterberg, Ellen Nystrom and Frida Grahn - by Eurobasket News

Northland Basket continues to build a team for the future. After signing of Allis Nystrom (183-F-93) to a 3-year contract extension, the team kept Josefin Vesterberg (187-F/C-93) and Ellen Nystrom (180-G-93) also for the next three years. Additionally, Frida Grahn (184-F-88) decided to stay with the club for 2012/13.
Josefin Vesterberg had 7.1 ppg and 4.3 rpg for the club last season (38 games). She joined Northland a year ago from BG Lulea. Vesterberg played for the Swedish U18 NT last two years and before that she was a member of U16 squad. She averaged 7.7 points and 3 rebounds 9 games at U18 European Championships 2011 in Oradea.
Ellen Nystrom also played last summer in Oradea collecting 6 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 3.1 apg for 9 games. For Northalnd last season she had 4.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 2.1 apg in 35 games.
Frida Grahn appeared 38 times for the club in 2011/12 registering 8.1 ppg and 3.2 rpg.


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  WNBA   


Chicago Sky waive Shey Peddy and Sydney Carter - by Eurobasket News

The Chicago Sky announced today that guards Shey Peddy (5'7''-G-88, college: Temple) and Sydney Carter (5'6''-G-90, college: Texas A&M) have been waived from the team. The roster now stands at 12 players.

Shey Peddy, a 5-foot 7-inch guard, was selected by the Sky with 23rd pick of the 2012 Draft. She was the 2011-12 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. She helped guide Temple to a 23-10 record and a WNIT berth. Named the Owl's MVP in her senior season, she averaged 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game

Sydney Carter, a 5-foot 6-inch guard, was selected by the Sky with 27th pick of the 2012 Draft. She was a three-time co-captain for the Aggies, 2011-12 Big 12 All-Defensive Team member and named to the All-Big 12 Second Team. In 2010-2011, she was named the NCAA Dallas Regional Most Outstanding Player en route to Texas A&M winning their first national championship. Carter was also selected for the 2008-09 Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Chicago starts the 2012 regular season in Washington versus the Mystics on Saturday, May 19. The team's home opener is set for Friday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Allstate Arena versus the Indiana Fever.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com


Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky celebrate in pre-season games - by Eurobasket News

Two pre-season games were played yesterday and there is just one more scheduled before the beginning of the 2012 WNBA season.
Washington Mystics gave a lesson to Connecticut Sun and celebrated 83-64 home victory. The Mystics dominated in Q2 and Q3 to secure the comfortable win in this meeting. Monique Currie (6'0''-G/F-83, college: Duke) led the hosts in scoring with 19 points, while Crystal Langhorne (6'2''-F/C-86, college: Maryland) also was great adding 18 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. In the loosing squad, Asjha Jones (6'2''-F-80, college: Connecticut) delivered 17 pts. Quarters: 23-21, 21-14, 28-16, 11-13.
Chicago Sky blasted New York Liberty on the road 89-57. Visitors took control on their rival from the beginning and had no troubles to keep the comfortable lead, especially in the second half. Epiphanny Prince (5'9''-G-88, college: Rutgers) shined with 15 points and 9 rebounds for Chicago. Their second scorers were Carolyn Swords (6'6''-C-89, agency: LBM Management, college: Boston Coll.) (10 rebs) and Shey Peddy (5'7''-G-88, college: Temple) with 14 points each. In NY Liberty, Plenette Pierson (6'2''-PF-81, college: Texas Tech) was better than the others with 14 points. Quarters: 19-30, 17-17, 8-20, 13-22.
Minnesota will host Chicago today and it will be the last pre-season game.


Shock releases two, trims roster to 13 - by Eurobasket News

The Tulsa Shock waived rookies Vicki Baugh (6'4''-F/C-89) and Lorin Dixon (5'4''-G-89, agency: Merit Sports, college: Connecticut), Head Coach Gary Kloppenburg announced today.

Baugh was the Shock's third round (25th overall) selection in the 2012 WNBA Draft. Dixon signed as a free agent the week leading up to training camp.

The Shock now has 13 players remaining on the training camp roster. The final eleven player roster needs to be finalized by the end of the day on Thursday, May 17.

The Tulsa Shock opens their season against the San Antonio Silver Stars on Saturday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at the BOK Center.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com


Fever waive Atkinson, Bobbitt - by Eurobasket News

As the Indiana Fever continues its final week of training camp, the club has waived free agents LaTangela Atkinson (6'2''-G/F-84, college: N.Carolina) and Shannon Bobbitt (5'2''-G-85, college: Tennessee). Atkinson was a training camp free agent signed in April. Bobbitt was a reserve guard with the Fever in 2011, making 31 appearances and averaging 3.9 points per game..

Below is the Fever roster as of May 14. Indiana opens the 2012 season on Saturday, May 19 in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals when the Fever hosts the Atlanta Dream (7:00 p.m.).


2012 INDIANA FEVER TRAINING CAMP ROSTER (No - Player Pos - Ht - Wt - Birthdate - SCHOOL/Year - wnba YEARS)

24 Tamika Catchings F 6-1 167 07/21/1979 Tennessee '01 11

50 Jessica Davenport C 6-5 215 06/24/1985 Ohio State '07 5

23 Katie Douglas G-F 6-0 165 05/07/1979 Purdue '01 11

45 Sasha Goodlett C 6-5 239 08/09/1990 Georgia Tech '12 R

5 Roneeka Hodges G 5-11 165 07/19/1982 Florida State '05 7

20 Briann January G 5-8 144 01/11/1987 Arizona State '09 3

2 Erlana Larkins F 6-1 205 04/02/1986 North Carolina '08 2

13 Erin Phillips G 5-8 165 05/19/1985 Australia 4

32 Jeanette Pohlen G 6-0 171 05/02/1989 Stanford '11 1

8 Tammy Sutton-Brown C 6-4 199 01/27/1978 Rutgers '01 11

1 Shavonte Zellous G 5-10 155 08/28/1986 Pittsburgh '09 3

HEAD COACH : Lin Dunn, Tennessee-Martin '69

ASSISTANT COACH: Mickie DeMoss, Louisiana Tech '77

ASSISTANT COACH: Stephanie White, Purdue '99

ATHLETIC TRAINER : Todd Champlin, Daemen College '82

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH : Emily Novitsky, Slippery Rock '09

EQUIPMENT/OPERATIONS COORDINATOR : Brittany Hollingsworth, Indiana '11

A WNBA playoff participant in seven straight seasons and eight times since 2002, the Indiana Fever has advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals three times in the past five years. The Fever opens its 2012 season by hosting the Atlanta Dream at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, May 19 (7:00 p.m.), in a rematch of last year's conference finals.

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com