Eurobasket Daily News Report: 5/17/2012 1:04:01 AM

EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 5/17/2012 1:04:01 AM

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Men News

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AUSTRALIA

Adelaide 36ers sign C Luke Schenscher - by Eurobasket News

Adelaide 36ers announced signing of 216cm center Luke Schenscher (216-C-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Georgia Tech) for the following two seasons with an option for another year. Schenscher left Townsville Crocodiles at the beginning of the month. The experienced big guy had an option to remain at the club for another year on an improved contract, but declined the option. Schenscher appeared 24 times for the club last season averaging 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He helped Townsville to reach the NBL Semifinals. Luke Schenscher joined the club in 2010. He had 13.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1.4 apg for 31 games in their first season together. For his performance, Schenscher was awarded with Australiabasket.com All-Australian NBL Center of the Year -11 and Crocs reached NBL Semifinals. The player won the NBL title with Perth in 2010. Before that, he spent 2008/09 season with Adelaide (31 games: 16.9ppg, Reb-1 (10.8ppg), 1.5apg, Blocks-3 (1.4bpg), FGP: 54.8%, FT: 74.6%). Schenscher also has experience from the NBA, Germany, NBA D-League and NCAA1.

Taipans year in review - by Eurobasket News

After the Taipans fairytale run to the 2011 iiNet NBL Championship Grand Final, hopes were high in Far North Queensland for a repeat.

While the departures of Ayinde Ubaka (193-G-85, college: California), Ronald Dorsey (197-F/G-83, college: McNeese St.) and Daniel Dillon (194-G/F-86, college: Arizona) to Melbourne, few outside Cairns expected them to mount a playoff challenge, but behind MVP runner-up Jamar Wilson (185-PG-84, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Albany) they remained in the hunt until Round 24 when injury finally caught up.

Coach Aaron Fearne looks back on the season and ahead to 2012/13.

It was a pretty difficult start to 2011/12 wasnt it, with three of your starting five leaving?

Definitely. I wanted to keep a chunk of the team wed put together and gone to the finals with. A classic example is what Perth, Gold Coast and New Zealand have been able to do. We added six new players to our group from last year, so it was somewhat starting over because we do run the Shuffle and a lot of things we do defensively are somewhat complex.

Then the season is about to start, Alex Loughton, Ian Crosswhite and Jamar Wilson are injured and you have a rookie import in Andrew Warren, were you a little worried?

That was definitely a concern. Alex and Ian had no pre-season, Jamar popped his pec and was pretty much getting ready to get sent home before we got some news that he could play without it. Andrew was definitely pretty close to going home and then he found his form and was phenomenal from that point on.

When Alex and Ian came back Dusty (Rychart) went down and missed the next 15 games, so we only played something like five games with Alex, Ian and Dusty all playing together and the year before they were a huge part of our success.

You must have been happy to have kept around the .500 mark early?

I thought Jeff Dowdell, Dean Brebner and Aaron Grabau moving to the four-spot did a great job of holding things together so we could move on. We got to 7-7 and I thought if we got to that point wed get better at the back end of the season.

We won seven of our next 10 from that point. Then Alex wins player of the week and strains his Achilles that same week and was pretty much done for the year, and Ian unfortunately lands on someones foot at training and is effectively out for the rest of the year. So we kind of ended how we started.

There were some bad nights when teams locked out Jamar, did you need another ball-handler?

I think we were extremely similar to most teams except for Perth, Gold Coast and New Zealand. We definitely had some games where we were pretty poor offensively and a lot of pressure got put onto Jamar to make plays, and we definitely need another legit guy doing that.

You look at the top three, theyve got two guards who make plays off the bounce, that answers the question. We need another legit playmaking guard at the two-spot, but thats not an easy thing to do either when we dont spend to the cap.

What about the offensive inconsistency, can you explain it?

No (laughs).That patch where we won seven-of-10 we were shooting 46 or 47 per cent as a team, we couldnt have been playing much better or shooting much better. But then we had games where we just couldnt knock shots down. We were doing enough shooting during the week, maybe too much. We were definitely covering the bases that way.

Did that lack of continuity of guys knowing the Shuffle offence play its part - guys not getting rhythm shots?

Thats definitely a huge part of it. I look at it two ways, I either throw the Shuffle out and go with something simple if were going to have a high turnover of guys all the time, or weve got to keep our core group together. Once we get good at running it its very difficult to defend.

Youve recruited Cam Tragardh, Cam Gliddon and Clint Steindl, that seems like a very offensive focus

Weve been one of the top three defensive teams the past two or three years. Weve established ourselves as a pretty gritty defensive team, but weve struggled to put enough pressure on the scoreboard, so were just trying to get a better balance. Youve got to have people who can score and thats what were trying to add to the puzzle.

Will we see a different style from Cairns this year?

No, well definitely continue to run the Shuffle, and when the opportunity presents to push the ball well do that. The games just easier when youve got guys who can shoot the ball. Cam Gliddon and Clint can obviously shoot it, Tragardh runs that middle lane pretty well and Jamar can do what he does. Were trying pretty hard to get Alex done as well, because when hes on hes pretty good as well.

So does that change what you are looking for from your second import?

Yeah, we will probably be looking for more of a big banger, a wide body whos tough and physical. But Ive got plenty of time to get that done.

Sounds like Aron Baynes, a North Queensland boy

Yeah that type of player. Unfortunately we dont have the coin to get Aron just yet, he has aspirations of really establishing himself in Europe and we obviously support that. But hes a Cairns boy, so well see what happens down the track.

Courtesy of NBL

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AUSTRIA

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Stjepan STAZIC
  BC Vienna
  (199-G-78)
  Avg: 26.3

1. Stazic, BC Vienna	26.3
2. Drenovac, Arkadia	23.0
3. Reed, Oberwart	19.9
4. Shaw, Oberwart	18.3
5. Shavies, Furstenf.	18.1
6. Curry, Gmunden	17.9
7. Matthews, BC Vi.	17.2
8. Djuric, Gussing	17.2
9. Stegnjaic, UBSC G.	17.1
10. Grum, UBSC G.	17.1

Rebounds Per Game

Joe WERNER
  Wels
  (201-C-84)
  Avg: 9.3

1. Werner, Wels	9.3
2. Oppland, Gmunden	8.6
3. Gordon, Kapfenberg	8.4
4. Reed, Oberwart	7.8
5. Skurdauskas, Arkad.	7.2
6. Ware, Furstenfeld	7.2
7. Moric, UBSC G.	7.1
8. Chappell, Klostern.	6.9
9. Robinson, Furstenf.	6.8
10. Nelson, Kapfenbe.	6.8

Assists Per Game

Benedikt DANEK
  Arkadia
  (176-PG-86)
  Avg: 6.9

1. Danek, Arkadia	6.9
2. Fears, Kapfenberg	6.5
3. Shavies, Furstenf.	5.9
4. Schreiner, Kapfe.	5.4
5. Klepeisz, Gussing	5.1
6. Curry, Gmunden	5.1
7. Stazic, BC Vienna	4.7
8. Schaal, UBSC G.	4.4
9. Grum, UBSC G.	3.9
10. Milosevic, St.Pol.	3.8

Steals Per Game

Jeremy FEARS
  Kapfenberg
  (196-G-85)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Fears, Kapfenberg	2.5
2. Shavies, Furstenf.	2.3
3. Matthews, BC Vi.	2.0
4. Pryor, Wels	1.9
5. Toroman, BC Vienna	1.9
6. Schreiner, Kapfe.	1.9
7. Brown, Wels	1.9
8. Mayer, Gmunden	1.5
9. O''Neal, Furstenfeld	1.5
10. Danek, Arkadia	1.4

Blocks Per Game

Gary WARE
  Furstenfeld
  (205-F/C-83)
  Avg: 1.1

1. Ware, Furstenfeld	1.1
2. Scott, Gussing	0.9
3. Skurdauskas, Arkad.	0.8
4. Koch, Gussing	0.7
5. Arnold, Gmunden	0.7
6. Brown, Wels	0.7
7. Kohlmaier, Wels	0.6
8. Nelson, Kapfenberg	0.6
9. Rizvic, Oberwart	0.6
10. Moric, UBSC G.	0.6

A Bundesliga: Gmunden ties the score in the Finals - by Eurobasket News

Finals, Game 2: Gmunden - Klosterneuburg 77-68 (1-1, best-of-five)

The hosts were tied at the half but managed to speed up in last two quarters eventually winning the game. Gmunden Swans made 20-of-24 free shots (83.3 percent) during the game. They also forced 20 Xion Dukes turnovers. 24 personal fouls committed by Xion Dukes helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was American forward Dan Oppland (203-84, college: Valparaiso, agency: SportsTalent) who had a triple-double by scoring 22 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 10 steals. The other American import guard Morris Curry (178-87, college: Providence) chipped in 26 points and 5 assists. The former international guard Christoph Nagler (196-84) produced 17 points and 8 rebounds and American power forward Jason Chappell (208-83, college: Wisconsin) added 10 points and 9 rebounds respectively for the guests Third game is scheduled for May 20 and Klosterneuburg will be the host.
Top scorers:
Gmunden: M.Curry 26+1reb+5ast, D.Oppland 22+20reb+5ast, F.Schoeninger 11+2reb+5ast, E.Murati 7+3reb, P.Huetter 5+6reb, M.Oppland 2+2reb+1ast
Klosterneub.: C.Nagler 17+8reb+3ast, D.Zeleznik 10+2reb+2ast, J.Chappell 10+9reb+2ast, R.Suljanovic 9+5reb+2ast, M.Lanegger 9+1reb+2ast, D.Hamidovic 5+2reb+1ast

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BELGIUM

Stats Leaders - Division I

Points Per Game

Christopher COPELAND
  Aalstar
  (203-F-84)
  Avg: 21.5

1. Copeland, Aalstar	21.5
2. Bostic, Liege	16.7
3. Lojeski, Oostende	14.8
4. Black, Antwerp	14.2
5. Mallet, Spirou	14.2
6. Haynes, Gent	14.1
7. Taylor, M.Hainaut	13.6
8. Love, Verviers-Pep.	13.3
9. Jenkins, Gent	13.0
10. Broyles, Spirou	13.0

Rebounds Per Game

Jason LOVE
  Verviers-Pep.
  (206-F/C-87)
  Avg: 8.7

1. Love, Verviers-Pep.	8.7
2. Brown, Gent	7.9
3. Mejri, Antwerp	7.5
4. Young, Aalstar	7.3
5. Merriex, Verviers.	7.1
6. Mukubu, Verviers.	6.8
7. McLean, Leuven	6.6
8. Booker, Oostende	6.3
9. Jackson, Aalstar	6.2
10. Bostic, Liege	5.7

Assists Per Game

Dominic WATERS
  Liege
  (185-PG-86)
  Avg: 4.1

1. Waters, Liege	4.1
2. Djordjevic, Ooste.	3.6
3. Bosco, Gent	3.4
4. Marnegrave, Leuven	3.4
5. Black, Antwerp	3.1
6. Slaughter, M.Hai.	2.9
7. Steinbach, Aalstar	2.9
8. Mallet, Spirou	2.9
9. Taylor, M.Hainaut	2.7
10. Bostic, Liege	2.6

Steals Per Game

Adeola DAGUNDURO
  Leuven
  (196-G-86)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Dagunduro, Leuven	2.5
2. Mukubu, Verviers.	2.2
3. Black, Antwerp	2.1
4. Hopkins, Antwerp	2.0
5. Bosco, Gent	2.0
6. Mallet, Spirou	1.9
7. Wilson, Antwerp	1.8
8. Muya, Liege	1.7
9. Cage, M.Hainaut	1.6
10. Maras, M.Hainaut	1.6

Blocks Per Game

Salah MEJRI
  Antwerp
  (216-C-86)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Mejri, Antwerp	2.5
2. Riddick, Spirou	1.8
3. Jennings, Liege	1.5
4. Love, Verviers-Pep.	0.9
5. Booker, Oostende	0.8
6. Young, Aalstar	0.8
7. Nivins, M.Hainaut	0.6
8. Holiday, Aalstar	0.5
9. De Zeeuw, Verviers.	0.5
10. Tofi, Leuven	0.5

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BOSNIA

Igokea hands 73-58 loss to Siroki in Game Two of the Finals (1-1) - by Eurobasket News

Igokea - Siroki WWin 73-58

The score in Bosnian league Finals is tied at 1-1. Game Two was played last night and Igokea outplayed Siroki WWin 73-58. The hosts had wonderful first half making 14-point lead, 42-28. The defending champion came to 52-46 in the finish of Q3, but it was all from them last night. Igokea answered with crucial 14-0 run for plus 20 and Siroki had no chance for rest of the game. Milos Komatina (205-FC-84) stepped up for the hosts with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Aleksandar Radukic (206-F-91) secured a great help with 17 points and 7 rebs, while Milan Dozet (204-SF-79) added 15 points and 9 boards. In Siroki, Jakov Vladovic (186-PG-83) shined with 20 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Darko Planinic (211-C-90) had 17 pts and 4 boards. The format is best-of-five and third game is scheduled for Sunday. Siroki will be the host.

Igokea: Milos Komatina 19+5 boards, Aleksandar Radukic 17+7 boards, Milan Dozet 15+9 boards
Siroki WWin: Jakov Vladovic 20+6 as+5 boards, Darko Planinic 17+4 boards

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BRAZIL

Flamengo knock down Sao Jose/Vinac in semifinal opener - by Eurobasket News

Flamengo - Sao Jose/Vinac 84:68

Flamengo registered a comfortable win in the opening game of the NBB semifinal series. David Jackson (196-G-82, college: Penn St.) knocked down 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the winners.
Flamengo opened the game aggressively. The hosts unloaded 27 points in the first term to build a 9-point lead at the first break. Sao Jose/Vinac stressed defensive effort in the second frame. The visitors cut the deficit to 8 points at halftime 33:41. But Flamengo were back in the drivers seat in the third quarter. The Rio de Janeiro team piled up a 16-point buffer with ten minutes remaining. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the final stanza as Flamengo rallied to the victory. Caio Silveira (211-C-87, agency: Interperformances) and Marcelo Magalhaes (199-F/G-75, agency: Interperformances) knocked down 14 points each in the win. Sao Jose/Vinac answered with 17 points from Dede Stefanelli (196-F/G-84). Murilo Becker (210-C/F-83) and Fulvio de Assis (187-G-81) had 15 points apiece in the loss.

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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Men's basketball league meeting - by David Edole

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI As the BVI Basketball Federation (BVIBF) Summer League got underway on Saturday and Sunday May 12/13, 2012, fans were treated to high scoring, free flowing basketball keeping them enthralled from first minute to last.

Action started with the Gold Rams recorded a 59-22 victory over Monei. Vincent Wattley junior top scored with 14 points and added 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 5 steals. Akeem Nibbs scored 10 with 8 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists. Deondre smith scored 12 points for Monei.

Another Level then had a close encounter with the Hawks before running out 63 61 winners. Down 6 at the half, Another Level turned on the afterburners in the 3rd quarter to outscore their opponents 21-10 and take the lead for good. Seyka Petersen added 17 rebounds to his 19 points, 6 steals and 2 assists whilst Kevin Bodkin recorded 12 points and 7 rebounds and Jecoi Julius picked up 15 rebounds. Hawks were led by Nigel Careys 17 points and 14 rebounds, with Ryan Alfred adding 11 points and Khadin Fahie picking up 18 rebounds.

Defending Champions Legs then put down an early marker with their 106-75 victory over Easts led by 23 points from Jovaughn Cameron, 20 from Kaled Gerard, and 18 from Kitwana Rymer. Rymer also picked up 12 rebounds. For the Easts Jahmal Rabsatt, Malik Hodge, Alward Forbes and David Lettsome all reached double figures in points.

On Sunday, the Blue Rams beat Real Tool 41-19 with Romain Minott scoring 15 points and adding 6 rebounds, 8 steals and 4 assists. Kiebrian Barzey notched 8 points and Thomas Richardson finished with 6. For Real Tool, Relando Rogers picked up 10 rebounds and 11 blocks.

Young Gunners then shot down the Young Starz 66-62 thanks to 21 points from Ashfield Frett and a double of 12 points and 13 rebounds from Shaunde Williams. Jamoi Dore led the Starz with his 13 points whilst Robert Riley and Jhmari Rivera both scored 12. Riley also picked up 8 rebounds and Jolyon Wilson 11.

The ESHS Rams then butted heads with the Skulls losing 95-61, despite Romain Minotts 18 point effort. Kevon Shaq the left handed Mumba Lettsome had an off night only picking up 0 points and 7 rebounds as the Skulls Jomoiri and Shamoii Dagou bossed the game. Jomoiri scored 24 points with Shamoii recording 16 points, 10 rebounds and 8 steals. Shakoy George and Shaheed Barzey both shot double digits.

In the weekends last game, the HLSCC Stringrays were trumped by the Kings 102-47. Jevonne Demming scored 26 points, Phillip Glasgow Junior 15, Rowan Victor 13, MacKenzie Baltimore Junior 12 and Mark Noel a double of 10 points and 11 rebounds in the crushing victory.

For HLSCC, Shaquille Fonseca scored 10 points, Tyree Maduro 9 and Reg Penn finished with 6 along with 10 rebounds. Fonseca also picked up 7 rebounds.

Games continue on Wednesday May16, 2012, with Junior Mystics facing And One at 6 p.m. followed by East against the Latinos.

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BULGARIA

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Aaron HARPER
  Levski S.
  (199-G/F-81)
  Avg: 20.6

1. Harper, Levski S.	20.6
2. Durchev, Tundja Y.	18.4
3. Stankov, Spartak	17.2
4. Yanev, Cherno More	17.1
5. Pavlovski, Chernom.	16.1
6. Ofoegbu, Tundja Y.	15.9
7. Govedarov, Tundja	15.9
8. Mirkovic, Rilski S.	15.0
9. Vukosavljevi., Ril.	14.9
10. Dunovic, Chernomo.	14.2

Rebounds Per Game

Vasil EVTIMOV
  Levski Sofia
  (207-C/F-77)
  Avg: 10

1. Evtimov, Levski So.	10.0
2. Pavlovski, Chernom.	9.8
3. Ofoegbu, Tundja Y.	8.9
4. Yanev, Cherno More	8.6
5. Gugino, Tundja Y.	7.6
6. Todorov, Spartak	6.8
7. Petkov, Tundja Y.	6.1
8. Georgiev, Levski S.	6.0
9. Sundov, Lukoil A.	5.9
10. Marintchechk., Ba.	5.9

Assists Per Game

Brandon HEATH
  Lukoil A.
  (193-G-84)
  Avg: 5.8

1. Heath, Lukoil A.	5.8
2. Dyakovski, Sparta.	5.8
3. Radionov, Tundja Y.	5.0
4. Mirkovic, Rilski S.	4.8
5. Aleksiev, Cherno M.	4.3
6. Howell, Levski Sof.	3.7
7. Avramov, Lukoil A.	3.5
8. Hall, Levski Sofia	3.5
9. Filipov, Balkan	3.4
10. Durchev, Tundja Y.	3.3

Steals Per Game

Brandon HEATH
  Lukoil A.
  (193-G-84)
  Avg: 2.2

1. Heath, Lukoil A.	2.2
2. Radionov, Tundja Y.	2.0
3. Roshmanov, Cherno.	1.9
4. Harper, Levski S.	1.9
5. Gugino, Tundja Y.	1.8
6. Zahariev, Rilski S.	1.8
7. Howell, Levski Sof.	1.8
8. Dunovic, Chernomo.	1.8
9. Marinov, Balkan	1.7
10. Filipov, Balkan	1.6

Blocks Per Game

Tony GUGINO
  Tundja Y.
  (207-C-86)
  Avg: 1.3

1. Gugino, Tundja Y.	1.3
2. Pavlovski, Chernom.	1.0
3. Banev, Lukoil A.	1.0
4. Ofoegbu, Tundja Y.	0.9
5. Petkov, Tundja Y.	0.8
6. Sundov, Lukoil A.	0.7
7. Martin, Balkan	0.7
8. Iliev, Cherno More	0.6
9. Aleksov, Chernomo.	0.6
10. Gocevski, Tundja	0.6

Levski eliminated Yambol and reached the Final - by Valentin Anguelov

Levski is once again finalist in the National Basketball League. In very even game 4 of their series against Yambol they fought hard to grab important victory which ended the series in their favor by the score 3-1. Levski reached the final against Lukoil and will battle for gold medals in the league in the country. The players of coach Konstantin Papazov won today's match in 'Diana' in Yambol by the score 89-87 and next Tuesday will start the final series against Lukoil Academic in Pravets. The final is best of five as the winner in the final series will be champion of Bulgaria for season 2011/12.

The match was pretty even throughout the whole game, few times Levski had advance by 6-7 points, while the players of Yambol always were able get the right answer to get back in the game. Finally it was Aaron Harper (199-G/F-81, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Mississippi) from Levski, who took over in the last minutes and decided the game in favor of his team. He scored the last basket 3 seconds before the end while in his last attack Yambol failed to get a shot - final score 89-87 in Levski favor meaning that they closed the series and qualified for the final.

Harper made 38 points, 20 of which in the second half. Chavdar Kostov came off the bench to finish with 14 points while Marcus Hall and Hrisimir Dimitrov scored 11 apiece.

For Yambol Martin Durchev was top scorer with 29 points and Stanislav Govedarov added 25.

The first two games of the final series with Lukoil Academic will be played at the Sports complex in Pravets, while games 3 and 4 will be in 'Universiada' in Sofia. If it comes to the last, fifth, decisive match, it will be in Pravets again. The official program of the final series will be announced tomorrow.

Bulgaria U20 NT starts on May 29 - by Maria Mitzova

17 names were included in the first roster of Bulgarian U20 NT by head coach Lyubomir Minchev . The camp will start May 29 in Pravets with 13 of those 17 players.

The remaining four will join the team a few days later. Three of them playing in Italy - Pavlin Ivanov, Dimitar Dimitrov and Tencho Tenchev have final tournament till June 3rd, and will have couple of days rest after that. In the first week of June the team will be joined also by Aris Thessaloniki player Alexander Vezenkov.

The camp will begin in Pravets and first friendlies are scheduled on June 12 and 13 vs Macedonia.

Bulgaria hosts the European Championship in Division B, which will be held in Sofia from July 12 to 22.

National team roster:

Planimir Dafinov (Beroe)

Angel Natskin (Evroins Cherno more)

Ivan Tenev (Tundja Yambol)

Pavlin Ivanov (Benetton Treviso, Italy)

Samuel Francis (University of South Dakota, USA)

Vasil Bachev (Champion 2006)

Ivan Runyov (Lukoil Academic)

Tencho Tenchev (Rimini, Italy)

Alexander Vezenkov (Aris Thessaloniki, Greece)

George Dangalakov (Overgas)

Alex Simeonov (Levski Sofia)

Rayko Dundalov (Balkan)

Dimitar Dimitrov (Rimini, Italy)

George Boyanov (Overgas)

George Kunov (Levski Sofia)

Mario Karailiev (Rilski sportist)

Milen Petrov (Lukoil Academic)

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CHINA

Freeman's double-double lands him NBL Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News

27-year old Rashaun Freeman (206-C/F-84) had a very impressive game in the last round for Heilongjiang and receives a Asia-basket.com NBL Player of the Week award for round 5.
He had a double-double of 43 points and 21 rebounds, while his team crushed Henan Jiyuan (#9, 1-4) with 23-point margin 95-72. Heilongjiang is placed at 6th position in Chinese NBL. Heilongjiang is rather a weak team placed in lower part in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 2-3 record. In the team's last game Freeman had a remarkable 53.6% from 2-point range. He just recently signed at Heilongjiang, being already a very valuable addition to the team. University of Massachusetts graduate has very impressive stats this year. Freeman is league's best scorer averaging so far 44.0ppg. Freeman is in league's top in rebounds (5th best: 17.0rpg) and averages solid 4.3spg and 61.7% FGP.

Second best performed player last round was Walter Sharpe (206-F-86, agency: Two Points) of Guangzhou FM. He is American forward in his first season at Guangzhou FM. In the last game Sharpe recorded impressive double-double of 39 points and 17 rebounds. It was enough for Guangzhou FM to edge the lower-ranked Nanjin Army (#10, 1-4) by 6 points 87-81. This victory allowed Guangzhou FM to move up to 4th position in the standings. His team's 3-2 record is not bad at all. Sharpe is one of the most experienced players at Guangzhou FM and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 28.6ppg (#4). He also registered 17.2 boards per game.

Third place about best performers goes to forward Bryan Davis (206-F-86, agency: N.E.T.) of league's leader Hebei. Davis got into 30-points club by scoring 34 points in the last round. He went also for fifteen rebounds . He was a key player of Hebei, leading his team to a 86-83 win against the lower-ranked Hong Kong (#7, 2-3). Hebei started extremely well this year. They recorded 5 victories without losing a single game. Davis turns to be one of the very best players in the league while he is also a leader of the top team having his eyes on the championship title. Davis has a great season in China. After only 5 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 35.8ppg (2nd best) and rebounds with 17.4rpg (3rd best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Hamady N'Diaye (213-C-87) of Guangzhou L. - 23 points and 20 rebounds
5. Kenny Adeleke (205-C-83) of Henan Jiyuan - 30 points and 29 rebounds
6. Jarrid Famous (210-C/F-88) of Sichuan - 22 points and 14 rebounds
7. Ndudi Ebi (206-F-84) of Jiangsu - 26 points, 25 rebounds and 2 assists
8. Joseph Taylor (203-F-85) of Changan Group - 16 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists
9. DeVon Hardin (211-C-86) of Hong Kong - 22 points and 18 rebounds
10. Shengyue Sun (198-F-89) of Nanjin Army - 10 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists

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

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CROATIA

Cibona destroys Zadar in Game One of the Semis - by Eurobasket News

Cibona - Zadar 86-57

First game of the Croatian league Semifinals between Cibona and Zadar was played last night. The home squad celebrated comfortable 86-57 victory for 1-0 lead in the series. Cibona took control on Zadar from the very beginning and made 15-2 lead after few minutes of play. During the second quarter Cibona was already up by 22 and they even reached 38-point lead with 8 minutes remaining in the game. Damjan Rudez (206-F-86) led the scorers in victory with 18 points and Tomislav Zubcic (214-C/F-90, agency: Beo Basket) added 15. Zack Wright (188-G-85, college: Central Mo.) followed them with 14 points and 5 assists, and Goran Suton (209-C-85, college: Michigan St.) scored 12 pts. In defeat, Goran Vrbanc (194-G-84) and Ante Krapic (202-F-85) delivered 11 points each. Visitors grabbed 21 offensive rebounds in this game, but that didnt help them at all. The format is best-of-three and second game is scheduled for Friday. Zadar will be the host.

Cibona: Damjan Rudez 18, Tomislav Zubcic 15, Zack Wright 14+5 as, Goran Suton 12
Zadar: Goran Vrbanc 11, Ante Krapic 11

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D-LEAGUE

D-Fenders record-breaking season capped by 2011-12 NBA Development Champion award - by Eurobasket News

The Los Angeles D-Fenders were named the NBA Development Champion for the 2011-12 NBA Development League season, it was announced today. The Development Champion is a new honor awarded to the team that best embodies the NBA D-League's goals of developing NBA talent via Call-Ups and player assignments.
'The NBA Development Champion award is a testament to the commitment that our franchise has to producing top-level NBA talent,' said D-Fenders President/CEO Joey Buss. 'We are extremely proud to have helped develop countless players and personnel for the Los Angeles Lakers as well as the NBA.'

Based on a scoring system that awards points for player/staff Call-Ups along with player assignments, the D-Fenders finished with a score of 31.25, earning the highest mark in the 16-team D-League. The Austin Toros tallied 22.50 points and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers totaled 21.50 points, respectively.

In their first season back after a one-year hiatus, the D-Fenders won a league-record 38 games en route to becoming the 2011-12 NBA Development League Regular Season Champions for the first time in franchise history. Furthermore, the D-Fenders swept through the first two rounds of the 2012 NBA D-League Playoffs to reach the NBA D-League Finals for the first time in team history.

2011-12 GATORADE Call-Ups

December 24, 2011: Jamaal Tinsley (6'3''-G-78, college: Iowa St.) signs with Utah.

January 11, 2012: Malcolm Thomas signs with San Antonio.

January 16, 2012: Courtney Fortson signs with Los Angeles Clippers.

February 2, 2012: Ishmael Smith signs with Orlando.

February 27, 2012: Gerald Green signs 10-day contract with New Jersey.

March 8, 2012: Green signs second 10-day contract with New Jersey.

March 18, 2012: Green signs with New Jersey for the rest of the season.

March 17, 2012: Fortson signs 10-day contract with Houston.

March 27, 2012: Fortson signs with Houston for the rest of the season.

March 27, 2012: Thomas signs 10-day contract with Houston.

April 15, 2012: Jamario Moon signs with Charlotte.

2011-12 Staff Call-Ups

December 15, 2011: Associate Head Coach Clay Moser joins the Los Angeles Lakers as an Advanced Scout.

*Prior to the 2011-12 season, the D-Fenders had recorded just three NBA call-ups in the first four seasons of play in franchise history.

2011-12 Los Angeles Lakers player assignments:

December 17-18, 2011: Andrew Goudelock

December 17-18, 2011: Malcolm Thomas

January 25 through February 7, 2012: Derrick Caracter

February 15-28, 2012: Devin Ebanks

March 7-16, 2012: Darius Morris

March 17 through April 25, 2012; April 28-29: Christian Eyenga

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com

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EGYPT

Egyptian cup - by Khaled El Saied

after winning the 4th title after 11 years since last time they took the champion ship Ahly club is getting ready for the competition on the Egyptian cup with Gezira ,Zamalek,Ettahad ,Sporing and Smouha .the games will start tomorrow in Tanta my opinion is Ettahad will be the biggest rival for that champion ship despite the bad performance of their pro player then Gezira who fought for the champion ship till their last drop of sweat.i think the league is getting competitive because of the close level of the teams.

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EL SALVADOR

Standings - Liga Superior

LEBES Standings

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

First Division updating - by Jaime Arevalo

After a two-weeks suspension, the season restarted on tuesday night at the Gimnasio Nacional J.A. Pineda, with triumphs of UTEC and San Marcos, over Delgadense and Chaleco, respectively.
UTEC defeated Delgadense, 86-68, thanks to good performing from Miguel Romero (182-G/F-80), who scored 23 pts and Julio Estrada (186-G/F-78), who added 17. Kevin Hernandez was the best at the losing side with 23 he too.
In the second game of the night, San Marcos prevailed over Chaleco, 73-54, led by Edwin Lopez (183-G/F-85) who ended the game at 23 points. Carlos Palacios (192-F-86) added 11 pts at the winning side, Chaleco had Rene Palma leading the way at 14 pts with Mario Flamenco assisting him at 13
Thanks to these win, UTEC keeps the top of the table and San Marcos takes the second place

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EUROBASKET SUMMER LEAGUE

Top former ESL players currently in pro basketball based on last week's performance - by Eurobasket Center

Traditionally, every week we bring you a list of the top performances of Eurobasket Summer League players who are currently playing pro basketball.

   #1. Justin Knox (205-F-89, college: N.Carolina) led Minsk-2006 to a victory over the fourth-ranked Minsk-2006 II (10-20) 87-76 in a derby game in the Belarusian Premier League in Saturday night's game. He was MVP of the game. Knox recorded 18 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in a mere 16 minutes; quite an impressive performance considering it's only his third season in pro basketball. BK Minsk-2006 (29-1) is placed first in Championship group. It was his team's sixth consecutive victory in a row. Knox is currently ninth on the league's list of top scorers with 13.7ppg. He also averaged so far 5.9rpg in the 29 games he played so far. He attended previously one of camps at Eurobasket Summer League on his way to pro basketball. In 2011 Knox went to the ESL camp in Cologne, Germany playing for Team Munich.

   #2. John Little (180-PG-84, college: N.Iowa) was the main contributor in a s Oliver Baskets' victory against the closely-ranked ALBA Berlin (26-8) 91-84 in the German BBL last Saturday. Little was MVP of the game. He scored 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. s.Oliver Baskets Wuerzburg (20-14) is placed sixth in the BBL. This season Little averages: 8.8ppg, 3.4rpg and 1.6apg. Worth to mention Little played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him get the job in pro basketball. Four years ago he took part in the ESL camp in Chicago playing for Athens.

   #3. Kyndall Dykes (190-SG-87, agency: Edge Sports, college: New Orleans), who plays in the Romanian Division A could not help U-Mobitelco (20-8) in their last game. Despite his very good performance U-Mobitelco was badly defeated 95-75 on the road by the leading Gaz Metan. Dykes had a double-double by scoring 17 points and getting 10 rebounds. He also added 3 assists in 30 minutes; not bad, considering it's only Dykes' third season in pro basketball. Dykes is ranked fifth on the list of the top scorers in the league with 19.8ppg. This year his other stats are: 5.9rpg, 2.9apg and 1.8spg in the 35 games. He is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top summer league for players who want to play basketball overseas. Three years ago Dykes played at the ESL camp in Malaga, Spain playing for Team Naples.

   #4. Kyle Lamonte (191-G-84, college: William Carey) was the major contributor in Penarol's victory against the closely-ranked Obras (20-10) 80-78 in the Argentinian LigaA in Monday night's game. He recorded 19 points. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Penarol Mar del Plata (21-9) is placed first in the LigaA. Lamonte has relatively good stats this season: 11.8ppg, 2.5rpg and 1.5apg. Lamonte is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market.

   #5. Akeem Wright (200-F/G-84, college: Kansas St.), who plays in the New Zealand NBL was not able to help Otago OceanaGold Nuggets (5-10) in their last game. Despite Wright's very good performance Otago OceanaGold Nuggets were crushed 104-74 in Wellington by the higher-ranked (#4) Exodus Saints. He was the top scorer with 36 points. Wright also added 9 rebounds, passed 4 assists and added 3 blocks in 36 minutes. His team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Wright is ranked second on the list of the top scorers in the league and also on the list of best rebounders (fifth place). He has individually a very good year with high stats. Wright averages: 22.6ppg, 9.1rpg, 4.3apg, 1.2bpg and 2.2spg in the 15 games. He played in 2009at the Eurobasket Summer League in New York for Team Kiev.

   #6. William Funn (188-G-82, college: Portland St.), who plays in the Mexican CIBACOPA was not able to secure a victory for Pioneros Los Mochis (17-18) in their last game on Friday. Despite Funn's very good performance Pioneros Los Mochis was edged 108-105 in Guaymas by the second-ranked Ostioneros de. He scored 19 points, had 9 boards, passed 6 assists and added 4 steals. Funn has relatively good stats this season: 14.6ppg, 6.2rpg and 6.7apg. He attended three years ago the Eurobasket Summer League camp in Las Vegas.

   #7. Charles Moore (201-F-86, college: S.Arkansas), who plays in the Mexican CIBACOPA couldn't help Garra Canera de Navolato (12-23) in their last game. Despite Moore's very good performance Garra Canera de Navolato was crushed 115-83 in Hermosillo by the leading Rayos de. He was the top scorer with 25 points. Moore also added 6 rebounds in 33 minutes. He has very impressive stats this year: 17.7ppg and 7.3rpg in the 11 games. Worth to mention he played also for Team Monaco at the ESL in Las Vegas in 2011.

   #8. Dwight Burke (202-C/F-86, college: Marquette) couldn't help BK Decin in their game against BK Prostejov in the Czech Republic NBL. He scored 9 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. His team was edged 75-74. This season Burke averages: 7.4ppg and 6.2rpg. Burke played three years ago at the ESL in New York for Team Prague.

   #9. Blaz Cresnar (214-C-86) couldn't help Helios in their game against Union Olimpija in the Slovenian Telemach League. Cresnar scored 9 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 22 minutes. His team was edged in an overtime 81-78. This year he averages: 4.2ppg and 2.1rpg in the 29 games. He attended in 2009 the ESL camp in Malaga, Spain.

   #10. Emmanuel Little (196-F-85, college: N.Dakota) contributed to a Rayos de Hermosillo's victory against the league outsider Coras de Tepic 95-83 in the Mexican CIBACOPA in Friday night's game. He scored 13 points and added 3 assists. Little has relatively good stats this season: 14.4ppg, 6.7rpg and 3.0apg. Worth to mention Little played also for London at the ESL in Chicago four years ago.

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EUROLEAGUE

" Four Turkish Teams in THY Euroleague " says CEO Jordi Bertomeu - by Ugur Turker

Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu admitted having 4 probable participant from Turkey in THY Euroleague next year. Before 2011-2012 season Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul and Anadolu Efes Istanbul were only Euroleague Teams of Tukey. After progression of Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul with coach Oktay Mahmudi (agency: Beo Basket ) in TBL, they were runner up in 2010-2011 season, Euroleague gave Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul a ticket with Banvit Basketbol Kulubu for Qualifying Round which Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul had advanced group stage after 3 matches. First 3 Teams experience of Turkish Basketball in THY Euroleague was quite succesfull for only Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul who reached Top 16 and missed Quarter Final because of head to head advantage against Champion Olympiakos in their debut season. Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul had been eliminated in Top 16 without meeting expectations on them to reach Final Four which was held in Istanbul.
' We are very happy with contribution of Galatasaray, nevertheless, having Licence A is not about only their Euroleague performance, but also domestic results. This year, Turkish League Champion will be part of Euroleague Group Stage directly and Runner up will gain right to play Qualifying round. ' said Bertomeu in NTVSpor. That means, since Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul is out of Play Off race, If Galatasaray or Besiktas Milangaz Istanbul or Banvit Basketbol Kulubu would be able to win Championship and other one would be Runner Up, there will be at least 3 teams in Group Stage. In the case of advancing from Qualifying Round, the number of team can up to 4. Because Anadolu Efes Istanbul which is 4th team in TBL Semi Finals have already Licence A for next season.
Semi Final in TBL Play Off ( first matches completed )
Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul - Besiktas Milangaz Istanbul 1-0
Banvit Basketbol Kulubu - Anadolu Efes Istanbul 1-0

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FINLAND

KORISLIIGA: Bisons have five players signed - by Rauno Hurmalainen

Bisons (Loimaa), Finnish Champion 2011-12, have now five players signed for coming 2012-13 season. Team Manager Ari Hannula is informing, that NT players Ville Makalainen (194-F-85, agency: Pro Partner Sports Management) (6,1 ppg - 4,5 rpg) and Mikko Koivisto (194-G-87, college: NC-Greensboro) (12,7 ppg - 2,7 rpg) have re-signed with Bisons. Earlier Matti Nuutinen (200-F-90) (11,6 ppg - 5,7 rpg), Eero Aaltonen (196-G/F-90) (2,9 - 1,1) and American G Jeb Ivey (190-G-80, college: Portland St.) (17,3 - 4,9a) have agreed and signed with the Bisons. Ivey's contract is lasting untill spring 2014.

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FRANCE

Standings - ProA

ProA Standings

1. Gravelines		27-3
2. Chalon		23-7
3. Orleans		21-9
4. Le Mans		19-11
5. Nancy		18-12
6. Paris-Levallois		17-13
7. Roanne		16-14
8. Cholet		16-14
9. Strasbourg		14-16
10. Dijon		14-16
11. Nanterre		14-16
12. ASVEL		13-17
13. Poitiers		9-21
14. Le Havre		9-21
15. Pau-Lacq-Orthez		7-23
16. Hyeres-Toulon		3-27

Regular Season: Round 30

May. 16: Le Havre - Paris-Levallois 89-94
May. 16: Pau-Lacq-Orthez - Hyeres-Toulon 87-80
May. 16: Orleans - Poitiers 83-67
May. 16: Gravelines - Chalon 81-78
May. 16: Nancy - Dijon 79-68
May. 16: Nanterre - Le Mans 72-79
May. 16: ASVEL - Roanne 69-68
May. 16: Cholet - Strasbourg 62-76

Round 28

May. 12: Cholet - Chalon 101-97

Quarter-Finals: Round 1

May. 22: Gravelines - Cholet
May. 22: Chalon - Roanne
May. 22: Orleans - Paris-Levallois
May. 22: Le Mans - Nancy

Stats Leaders - ProA

Points Per Game

Eric CHATFIELD
  Paris-.
  (191-G-79)
  Avg: 19.8

1. Chatfield, Paris-.	19.8
2. Rochestie, Le Mans	17.3
3. Hughes, Hyeres-T.	17.2
4. Gipson, Pau-Lacq.	17.1
5. Williams, Paris-.	17.1
6. Hamilton, Paris-.	16.9
7. Schilb, Chalon	16.4
8. Causeur, Cholet	16.2
9. Cox, Le Havre	15.8
10. Delaney, Chalon	15.4

Rebounds Per Game

Chinemelu ELONU
  Pau-Lacq.
  (206-F/C-87)
  Avg: 8.3

1. Elonu, Pau-Lacq.	8.3
2. Hamilton, Paris-.	8.0
3. Akingbala, Nancy	8.0
4. Armstrong, AS.	7.2
5. Nsonwu-Amadi, Roa.	7.0
6. Greer, Strasbourg	7.0
7. Vebobe, Cholet	6.9
8. Aminu, Chalon	6.8
9. Labeyrie, Hyeres-T.	6.5
10. Moerman, Nancy	6.4

Assists Per Game

Kareem REID
  Hyeres-Toulon
  (178-PG-75)
  Avg: 7.6

1. Reid, Hyeres-Toulon	7.6
2. Rochestie, Le Mans	6.4
3. Wise, Le Havre	5.6
4. Pellin, Orleans	5.2
5. Linehan, Nancy	5.2
6. Dixon, Dijon	5.1
7. Barrett, Roanne	4.9
8. Tchicamboud, Cha.	4.6
9. Schilb, Chalon	4.6
10. Gipson, Pau-Lacq.	4.5

Steals Per Game

Andrew ALBICY
  Gravelines
  (178-PG-90)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Albicy, Gravelines	2.5
2. Dobbins, Poitiers	2.3
3. Riley, Nanterre	2.1
4. Wise, Le Havre	2.0
5. Linehan, Nancy	2.0
6. Pellin, Orleans	1.8
7. Melody, Dijon	1.7
8. Shuler, Nancy	1.7
9. Greer, Strasbourg	1.6
10. Dixon, Dijon	1.6

Blocks Per Game

Alexis AJINCA
  Strasbourg
  (215-C-88)
  Avg: 2

1. Ajinca, Strasbourg	2.0
2. Falker, Cholet	1.4
3. Gobert, Cholet	1.3
4. Hamilton, Paris-.	1.2
5. Akingbala, Nancy	1.2
6. Elonu, Pau-Lacq.	1.1
7. Akpomedah, Grave.	1.0
8. Issa, Gravelines	1.0
9. Armstrong, AS.	0.9
10. Williams, Paris-.	0.9

Standings - ProB

ProB Standings

1. Limoges		27-7
2. Boulazac		25-9
3. Chalons-Reims		24-10
4. Maurienne		22-12
5. Fos Ouest		22-12
6. Bordeaux		21-13
7. Boulogne		18-16
8. Evreux		17-17
9. Bourg		16-18
10. Lille		16-18
11. Antibes		16-18
12. St Vallier		15-19
13. Nantes		14-20
14. Rouen		14-20
15. Le Portel		12-22
16. Denain		11-23
17. Quimper		9-25
18. Vichy		7-27
19. St Etienne		0-0

Regular Season: Round 34

May. 16: Antibes - Quimper 99-77
May. 16: Evreux - Boulogne 80-64
May. 16: Le Portel - Boulazac 79-86
May. 16: Limoges - Nantes 78-72
May. 16: Vichy - Rouen 77-80
May. 16: Maurienne - Bourg 72-79
May. 16: Denain - Bordeaux 67-88
May. 16: Lille - Fos Ouest 66-75
May. 16: St Vallier - Chalons-Reims 54-83

Quarter-Finals: Round 1

May. 21: Boulazac - Boulogne
May. 22: Maurienne - Fos Ouest
May. 22: Chalons-Reims - Bordeaux
May. 23: Limoges - Evreux

Stats Leaders - ProB

Points Per Game

Jason SIGGERS
  Rouen
  (189-SG-85)
  Avg: 18.5

1. Siggers, Rouen	18.5
2. Brown, Maurienne	17.3
3. Davis, Le Portel	17.0
4. Wood, Evreux	16.4
5. McCray, Boulogne	16.3
6. Paelay, Quimper	15.8
7. Carter, Chalons-.	15.4
8. Monroe, Boulazac	15.3
9. Gay, Fos Ouest	15.2
10. Prowell, St Valli.	15.1

Rebounds Per Game

Christophe MASSIE
  Limoges
  (206-C/F-77)
  Avg: 11.4

1. Massie, Limoges	11.4
2. Wood, Evreux	10.9
3. Rossiter, Denain	9.6
4. Monroe, Boulazac	9.5
5. Osby, Maurienne	9.5
6. Daniels, Chalons-.	8.7
7. Barro, Bourg	8.5
8. Allen, Antibes	8.2
9. Badiane, Nantes	7.9
10. Brown, Maurienne	7.8

Assists Per Game

Ronnie TAYLOR
  Le Portel
  (188-PG-81)
  Avg: 6.6

1. Taylor, Le Portel	6.6
2. Mullins, Chalons-.	5.9
3. Rowland, Evreux	5.4
4. Copeland, Bourg	5.3
5. Darnauzan, Mauri.	5.2
6. Darrigand, Bordeaux	4.9
7. Patiejunas, Rouen	4.9
8. Denave, St Vallier	4.8
9. Poupet, Rouen	4.4
10. Eito, Vichy	4.4

Steals Per Game

Chris MCCRAY
  Boulogne
  (196-G/F-84)
  Avg: 2.6

1. McCray, Boulogne	2.6
2. Charles, Nantes	2.5
3. Paelay, Quimper	1.9
4. Shiloh, St Vallier	1.9
5. Mullins, Chalons-.	1.9
6. Eito, Vichy	1.9
7. Daniels, Chalons-.	1.8
8. Driss, Bordeaux	1.8
9. Allen, Antibes	1.8
10. Choquet, Fos Oue.	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Moussa BADIANE
  Antibes
  (205-C-81)
  Avg: 1.7

1. Badiane, Antibes	1.7
2. Gay, Fos Ouest	1.7
3. Jefferson, Vichy	1.6
4. Osby, Maurienne	1.5
5. Massie, Limoges	1.1
6. Ford, Bordeaux	1.0
7. Fields, Nantes	0.9
8. McKenzie, Boulazac	0.9
9. Adjiwanou, Boula.	0.8
10. Daniels, Chalons-.	0.8

Ali Traore selected the top French playing abroad in last week's games - by Eurobasket Center

Traditionally, every week we bring you a list of the top performances of French who are currently playing abroad.

Ali Traore

#1. This week's number one is an international center Ali Traore (207-85, agency: Beo Basket, college: S.Idaho JC), who plays in the Russian PBL. He could not help one of league's weakest teams Lokomotiv (9-9) in their last game. Despite Traore's very good performance Lokomotiv lost 86-91 on the road to the higher-ranked (#3) Triumph Lyubertsy. He was the top scorer with 22 points. Traore also added 4 rebounds in 28 minutes on the court. It was Lokomotiv's third consecutive loss in a row. Traore has relatively good stats this year: 11.3ppg, 4.7rpg, 2FGP: 57.5%(88-153) and FT: 59.4% in the 19 games he played so far. He is currently a member of the French senior national team.

Boris Diaw

#2. Second place goes to an international power forward Boris Diaw (203-82). Diaw contributed to an easy victory against the Los Angeles Clippers (40-26) 108-92 in the NBA last Tuesday. He recorded 7 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. The San Antonio Spurs have a very solid 50-16 record this season. It was his team's tenth consecutive victory in a row. This season Diaw averages: 4.9ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.4apg, 2FGP: 56.8%(42-74), 3FGP: 55.6%(10-18) and FT: 72.7%. Ex-Pau-Orthez player is in the roster of the French senior national team.

Tony Parker

#3. The French player who performed third best last week abroad was an international point guard Tony Parker (183-82) is a teammate of previously mentioned Boris Diaw and both played together in the last NBA game. Parker contributed to an easy victory against the Los Angeles Clippers (40-26) 108-92. He recorded 7 points and added 11 assists (made all of his five free throws) in 38 minutes. Parker has individually a very good year with high stats. He averages: 18.2ppg, 2.9rpg, 7.7apg, 2FGP: 49.4%, 3FGP: 24.2% and FT: 80.2% in the 65 games. Parker is also a member of the French senior national team.

Mickael Pietrus

#4. Swingman Mickael Pietrus (198-82, agency: Court Side) was not able to help the Boston Celtics (39-27) in their game against the Philadelphia 76ers (35-31) in the NBA. He scored 8 points and blocked 2 shots. The Boston Celtics were edged 82-81 in Philadelphia by the 76ers. It's Pietrus' first season with the team. Pietrus' overall stats this year are: 6.1ppg and 2.8rpg. He is also French national team player.

Vasil Evtimov

#5. An experienced former international power forward Vasil Evtimov (207-77, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Carolina) contributed to a 2-point Levski Sofia's victory against the closely-ranked Tundja Yambol (18-10) 89-87 in the Bulgarian NBL last Wednesday. Evtimov recorded 6 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 27 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Levski Sofia (23-5) is placed second in the NBL. It was his team's fifth consecutive victory in a row. Evtimov is currently first on the list of best rebounders with 10.0rpg. This year he also averages: 9.1ppg and 1.6apg in the 29 games. Evtimov has a dual citizenship: French and Bulgarian. Despite he played previously for the Bulgarian national team, Evtimov is currently in the French national team roster.

Ronny Turiaf

#6. Power forward Ronny Turiaf (208-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) managed to help Miami Heat to win against the Indiana Pacers (42-24) 95-86 in the NBA on Sunday night. He recorded only 4 points. The Miami Heat has a solid 46-20 record this season. Turiaf's overall stats this year are: 3.3ppg, 4.1rpg and 1.1bpg. He is an international player who is currently on the senior French National Team roster.

Francis Koffi

#7. International forward Francis Koffi (202-81, college: Fresno St.), who plays in the Spanish LEB Silver (third division) was not able to secure a victory for Ourense (15-13) in their last game. Despite Koffi's very good performance Ourense lost 63-70 in Vitoria-Gasteiz to the lower-ranked (#6) Aurteneche Maquinaria Araberri. He had a double-double by scoring 16 points and getting 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. This year Koffi has relatively solid stats: 12.2ppg and 5.6rpg in the 32 games. Despite he played previously for the Ivorian national team, Koffi is currently in the French national team roster.

Roy Samaha

#8. Power forward Roy Samaha (205-84) couldn't help Anibal (18-11) in their game against Champville (27-3) in the Lebanese Division A. He scored 9 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. But Anibal was crushed 103-79 in Dik El Mehdi by the leading Champville. It was Anibal's third consecutive loss in a row. Samaha's overall stats this season are: 4.7ppg and 4.0rpg. Despite he played previously for the Lebanese national team, Samaha is currently in the French national team roster.

Elishay Kadir

#9. International forward Elishay Kadir (202-87) couldn't help Hapoel J-M (14-11) in their game against Hapoel Holon (14-11) in the Israeli Premier League. He cannot count Thursday's game as one of the best ones. Kadir scored only 3 points in 11 minutes. Hapoel J-M lost 65-70 at home to the lower-ranked (#5) Hapoel Holon. This year Kadir's overall stats are: 9.0ppg, 4.6rpg and 1.4apg in the 27 games. He is also in the roster of the French national team.

Aaron Cel

#10. Forward Aaron Cel (203-87) couldn't help PGE Turow (2-8) in their game against Trefl Sopot (6-4) in the Polish PLK. Cel cannot count Saturday's game as one of the best ones. He scored only 2 points. The sixth-placed PGE Turow was defeated 74-69 on their home court in Zgorzelec by the second-ranked Trefl Sopot in the Group A. It was PGE Turow's third consecutive loss in a row. Cel's total stats this season are: 6.9ppg and 3.6rpg. He is a former U20 international player as five years ago he still played for the French national team.

ProA, Round 30: Gravelines is the regular season champion - by Eurobasket News

Gravelines is the ProA regular season champion with 27-3 record. Eight teams advanced to the Playoff Quarterfinals, while two last ranked teams faced with relegation to ProB (Pau-Orthez and Hyeres-Toulon). Quarterfinals start on May 22 and format is best-of-three.

ProA Standings
1. Gravelines 27-3
2. Chalon 23-7
3. Orleans 21-9
4. Le Mans 19-11
5. Nancy 18-12
6. Paris-Levallois 17-13
7. Roanne 16-14
8. Cholet 16-14
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9. Strasbourg 14-16
10. Dijon 14-16
11. Nanterre 14-16
12. ASVEL 13-17
13. Poitiers 9-21
14. Le Havre 9-21
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15. Pau-Lacq-Orthez 7-23
16. Hyeres-Toulon 3-27

Quarterfinals - First games
22 MAY: Gravelines vs Cholet
22 MAY: Chalon vs Roanne
22 MAY: Orleans vs Paris-Levallois
22 MAY: Le Mans vs Nancy

.

Cholet - Strasbourg 62-76
Cholet was ahead by 1 point at the halftime before a 44-29 second half run of Strasbourg IG. They outrebounded Cholet 36-25 including 28 on the defensive glass. American-Dominican swingman Ricardo Greer (197-78, college: Pittsburgh) notched a double-double by scoring 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the effort and the former international center Alexis Ajinca (215-88, agency: Priority Sports) supported him with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Even 14 points by American guard Patrick Christopher (196-88, college: California) did not help to save the game for Cholet. International guard Fabien Causeur (193-87) added 11 points.
Top scorers:
Cholet: P.Christopher 14+2reb+1ast, R.Gobert 11+3reb, F.Causeur 11+4reb, L.Vebobe 8+5reb, R.Falker 7+3reb+2ast, D.Nelson 7+4reb+4ast
Strasbourg: R.Greer 15+11reb+3ast, A.Ajinca 13+9reb+2ast, C.Oliver 13+4reb+3ast, K.Anderson 9+3reb+5ast, M.Zianveni 8+5reb+2ast, N.de Jong 6

Le Havre - Paris-Levallois 89-94
The guests trailed by 11 points after first quarter, but they rallied back and won the game by 5 points. Paris-Levallois made 19-of-21 free shots (90.5 percent) during the game. The best player for the winners was American guard Eric Chatfield (191-79, college: N.Mexico) who scored 24 points and 9 assists (went 7 for 7 at the free throw line). The other American import power forward Lamont Hamilton (208-84, college: St.John's) chipped in 22 points and 8 rebounds. Paris-Levallois' coach Christophe Denis used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. At the other side the best for losing team was naturalized American swingman Nicholas Pope (196-84, college: Oklah.Baptist) who recorded 26 points and American-Venezuelan guard John Cox (195-81, college: USF) added 20 points and 4 assists respectively.
Top scorers:
Le Havre: N.Pope 26+1reb+3ast, J.Cox 20+3reb+4ast, B.Boddicker 13+2reb+2ast, K.Houston 10+4reb+2ast, G.Pitard 8+4reb+2ast, G.Jenkins 6+5reb+1ast
Paris-Levallois: E.Chatfield 24+2reb+9ast, L.Hamilton 22+8reb+2ast, J.Williams 17+3reb+2ast, M.Morandais 10+2reb+1ast, T.Meacham 10+3reb+1ast, D.Noel 5+2reb+2ast

Nancy - Dijon 79-68
The game without a history. Sluc Nancy led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. The best player for the winners was Nigerian center Akinlolu Akingbala (208-83, college: Clemson) who had a double-double by scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds. The former international power forward Adrien Moerman (203-88) chipped in 18 points and 9 rebounds. Four Sluc Nancy players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American swingman Sean Marshall (198-85, college: Boston Coll.) who recorded 12 points and 4 assists and his fellow American import power forward Andre Harris (201-85, college: Fair Dickinson) added 17 points respectively.
Top scorers:
Dijon: A.Harris 17+1reb, S.Marshall 12+3reb+4ast, J.Leloup 9+2reb+1ast, Z.Moss 7+5reb, D.Melody 6+2reb, L.Aboudou 6+2reb+1ast
Nancy: A.Akingbala 18+11reb+2ast, A.Moerman 18+9reb+3ast, P.Amagou 17+1reb+5ast, J.Shuler 15+2reb+3ast, K.Grant 5+7reb+2ast, A.Kader Sylla 2

Orleans - Poitiers 83-67
The game with biggest result difference took place in Orleans. Local Entente Orleans 45 (21-9) beat 13th ranked Poitiers (9-21) 83-67 on Wednesday night. The game was mostly controlled by Entente Orleans 45. Poitiers was better in second period 20-17. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Entente Orleans 45 forced 19 Poitiers turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Poitiers' players. The best player for the winners was American forward Brian Greene (204-81, college: Colorado St.) who scored 22 points and 9 rebounds (on 9-of-10 shooting from the field). Naturalized Mali forward Amara Sy (202-81) chipped in 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Entente Orleans 45's coach Philippe Herve used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the other side the best for losing team was American-Italian guard Anthony Dobbins (194-81, college: Richmond) who recorded 14 points and 7 rebounds and the former international power forward Pape Badiane (207-80, college: Cleveland St.) added 10 points and 9 rebounds respectively. Five Poitiers players scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Poitiers: A.Dobbins 14+7reb+3ast, E.Fournier 12+2reb, A.Grant 11+5reb+2ast, J.J.J. Miller 11+2reb+3ast, P.Badiane 10+9reb, P.Guillard 5+5reb+1ast
Orleans: B.Greene 22+9reb, A.Sy 16+7reb+5ast, C.Banks 13+2reb+8ast, M.Pellin 8+2reb+3ast, G.Joseph 8+2reb+1ast, Y.Sangare 7+1reb+6ast

Pau-Lacq-Orthez - Hyeres-Toulon 87-80
The game between closely ranked teams ended with 16th ranked Hyeres-Toulon's (3-27) road loss to fifteenth ranked Pau-Lacq-Orthez (7-23) 80-87 on Wednesday. The hosts trailed by 10 points at the halftime before their 32-13 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. The best player for the winners was American guard Allan Ray (188-84, college: Villanova) who scored 27 points. The other American import guard Teddy Gipson (193-80, college: Arkansas, agency: Court Side) chipped in 16 points and 6 rebounds. Pau-Lacq-Orthez's coach Claude Bergeaud allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. At the other side the best for losing team was Senegalese forward Mouhammad Faye (208-85, college: SMU) who recorded 20 points and 9 rebounds and center Louis Labeyrie (209-92) added 12 points and 11 rebounds respectively.
Top scorers:
Hyeres-Toulon: M.Faye 20+9reb, P.Morlende 14+2ast, S.Fein 13+4reb+1ast, L.Labeyrie 12+11reb+1ast, S.Cisse 10+1reb+1ast, A.Julien 7+1reb+1ast
Pau-Lacq-Orthez: A.Ray 27+4reb+2ast, T.Gipson 16+6reb+3ast, M.Maravic 14+8reb+2ast, C.Elonu 13+10reb, R.Lesca 11+1reb+4ast, J.Morency 6+6reb+1ast

Nanterre - Le Mans 72-79
Very predictable result when fourth ranked Le Mans (19-11) beat on the road 9th ranked JSF Nanterre (14-16) 79-72 on Wednesday. The guests trailed by 5 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 4-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 79-72. Le Mans outrebounded JSF Nanterre 37-26 including 26 on the defensive glass. The best player for the winners was Brazilian power forward Joao Paulo Batista (207-81, college: Gonzaga) who had a double-double by scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. American point guard Taylor Rochestie (185-85, college: Washington St.) chipped in 13 points and 6 assists. Four Le Mans players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward William Daniels (203-86, college: Rhode Island) who recorded 17 points (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) and guard Xavier Corosine (184-85) added 14 points respectively.
Top scorers:
Nanterre: W.Daniels 17+4reb+1ast, X.Corosine 14+4reb+1ast, M.Riley 9+1reb, M.Judith 8+3reb+4ast, D.Garrett 7+2reb+2ast, S.Brun 6+5reb+5ast
Le Mans: A.Acker 17+1ast, J.Paulo Batista 14+10reb+3ast, T.Rochestie 13+1reb+6ast, M.Sommerville 11+6reb, A.Koffi 7+6reb, C.Kahudi 7+8reb+2ast

Gravelines - Chalon 81-78
Second-ranked Chalon/Saor (23-7) made lots of trouble for first ranked Gravelines-Dunkerque (27-3) on Wednesday. Gravelines-Dunkerque managed to secure only three-point victory 81-78. However their fans expected easier game. The hosts trailed by 3 points at the halftime before their 23-12 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. The best player for the winners was American guard Juby Johnson (196-81, college: Miami, OH) who scored 15 points. The former international Cyril Akpomedah (203-79) chipped in 12 points and 5 rebounds. Four Gravelines-Dunkerque players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American swingman Blake Schilb (200-83, college: Loyola, IL, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices) who recorded 20 points (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) and his fellow American import guard Malcolm Delaney (191-89, college: Virginia Tech) added 21 points (went 9 for 9 at the free throw line !!!) respectively.
Top scorers:
Chalon: M.Delaney 21, B.Schilb 20+3reb+2ast, B.Smith 7+3ast, A.Jordan 6+2reb+1ast, I.Evtimov 6+9reb+1ast, S.Tchicamboud 5+1reb+7ast
Gravelines: J.Johnson 15+3reb+1ast, C.Akpomedah 12+5reb, J.Reynolds 10+3reb+1ast, A.Albicy 10+5ast, L.Vaty 9+4reb+1ast, J.Edwards 9+4reb+2ast

ASVEL - Roanne 69-68
A very close game took place in Villeurbanne between ASVEL and Chorale de Roanne. Twelfth ranked ASVEL (13-17) got a very close home victory over higher ranked Chorale de Roanne (16-14). ASVEL managed to escape with a 1-point win 69-68 on Wednesday evening. Chorale de Roanne was tied after three quarters but could not keep up in the last quarter eventually losing the game. The game was dominated by American players. Swingman Dijon Thompson (201-83, college: UCLA) scored 18 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and power forward Hilton Armstrong (208-84, college: Connecticut) chipped in 14 points and 8 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was forward Dylan Page (204-82, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) with 19 points and 7 rebounds and swingman John Holland (195-88, college: Boston U.) scored 22 points.
Top scorers:
Roanne: J.Holland 22+4reb+1ast, D.Page 19+7reb+1ast, U.Nsonwu-Amadi 10+8reb+2ast, R.Wright 7+4reb+3ast, G.Lawal 6+2reb, M.Mokongo 4+1reb+1ast
ASVEL: D.Thompson 18+6reb+1ast, H.Armstrong 14+8reb+2ast, L.Westermann 9+2reb+2ast, P.Lacombe 6+4reb+3ast, K.Tillie 6+6reb+2ast, T.Leon 6+1reb

Wood's double-double lands him ProB Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News

26-year old Jeremiah Wood (200-C/F-85, agency: Court Side) had a great game in the last round for Evreux and receives a Eurobasket.com ProB Player of the Week award for round 34. He had a double-double of 26 points and 15 rebounds, while his team crushed Boulogne (#7, 18-16) with 16-point margin 80-64. Evreux finished regular season as No.8 with 17-17 record and managed to reach the Playoffs. Wood turned to be Evreux's top player in his first season with the team. Wood has impressive league stats. He is in league's top in points (4th best: 16.4ppg), rebounds (2nd best: 10.9rpg) and averages solid 56.9% FGP.

Second best performed player last round was Jeff Allen (201-F/C-87) of Antibes. He is American forward in his first season at Antibes. In the last game Allen recorded impressive 25 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He led Antibes to comfortable win outscoring the lower-ranked Quimper (#17, 9-25) 99-77. Antibes ended as 11th ranked team with 16-18 record and failed to reach the Playoffs. Allen is a newcomer at Antibes and quickly became one of team's most reliable players.

Third place about best performers goes to Darryl Monroe (202-C/F-86, agency: Two Points) of Boulazac. Monroe showcased his all-around game by recording 16 points, thirteen rebounds (!!!) and eight assists in the last round. He was a key player of Boulazac, leading his team to a 86-79 win against the lower-ranked Le Portel (#15, 12-22). Boulazac finished regular season as No.2 with 25-9 record and advanced to the Playoffs. Monroe has a great season in France. After 34 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 15.3ppg (8th best) and rebounds with 9.5rpg (4th best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Christophe Massie (206-C/F-77) of Limoges - 22 points and 13 rebounds
5. Chris Daniels (200-PF-82) of Chalons-Reims - 13 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists
6. O'Darien Bassett (191-G-86) of Bordeaux - 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists
7. Amadi McKenzie (201-PF-86) of Boulazac - 22 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists
8. Moussa Badiane (205-C-81) of Antibes - 15 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists
9. Rodrigue Mels (188-G/F-85) of Chalons-Reims - 23 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists
10. Sherman Gay (201-PF-82) of Fos Ouest - 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists

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

Akinlolu Akingbala claims French ProA weekly honour - by Eurobasket News

Nigerian Akinlolu Akingbala (208-C-83) had a very impressive game in the last round for Nancy and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 30. The 28-year old center had a double-double of 18 points and eleven rebounds, while his team beat Dijon (#10, 14-16) 79-68. Nancy finished ProA regular season as No.5 with 18-12 record and advanced to Playoffs. Akingbala has many years of experience at Nancy, through which he has constantly improved. Clemson University graduate has very impressive stats this year. Akingbala is in league's top in rebounds (3rd best: 8.0rpg) and averages solid 1.2bpg and 63.5% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 32-year old American guard Eric Chatfield (191-G-79) of Paris-Levallois. Chatfield impressed basketball fans with 24 points, 2 rebounds and 9 assists. It was enough for Paris-Levallois to edge the lower-ranked Le Havre (#14, 9-21) by 5 points 94-89. This victory allowed Paris-Levallois to move up to 6th position with 17-13 score and they reached Playoffs as well. Chatfield is a newcomer at Paris-Levallois and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 19.8ppg (#1). He also recorded 4.1 assists per game.

The third best performed player last round was American DeMarcus Nelson (191-G-85) of Cholet (#8). Nelson scored 21 points and passed five assists. He was a key player of Cholet, leading his team to a 101-97 win against the higher-ranked Chalon (#2, 23-7). Cholet finished regular season with 16-14 record (No.8) and advanced to Playoffs. Nelson has a very solid season. In 24 games in France he scored 14.5ppg. He also has 3.3apg and FGP: 56.3%.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Ricardo Greer (197-F/G-78) of Strasbourg - 15 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists
5. Brian Greene (204-F-81) of Orleans - 22 points and 9 rebounds
6. Lamont Hamilton (208-C/F-84) of Paris-Levallois - 22 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists
7. Joao Paulo Batista (207-F/C-81) of Le Mans - 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists
8. Amara Sy (202-F-81) of Orleans - 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists
9. John Cox (195-G-81) of Le Havre - 20 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists
10. Hilton Armstrong (208-C/F-84) of ASVEL - 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists

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

Batum not doing Blazers any favors, will sign first lucrative offer sheet - by Eurobasket News

According to the agent for Portland Trail Blazers forward, Nicolas Batum (6'7''-F-88), they will not be holding off on deals to allow the Trail Blazers to sign a couple of free agents before the team tends to his client, who's a restricted free agent.

The first good offer we get, we're going with that, Bouna Ndiaye of Comsport Management told CSNNW.com. We're not waiting for anything.

The Trail Blazers had hoped they would be able to spend their $15-20 million in cap space to sign at least two key free agents first. Being that the Trail Blazers own Batum's Bird rights, they could go over the cap to sign him.

However, if a team decides to approach Batum's camp with a front-loaded offer early on, the Trail Blazers would be forced to make a decision on matching that offer within three days.

Back in April, CSNNW.com got word Batum would command $10-11 million this summer and if that number is accurate and the Trail Blazers were to match, that would be a significant amount of cap space tied-up, putting a damper on the flexibility the Trail Blazers were expecting to have.

Trail Blazers' acting general manager, Chad Buchanan, wouldn't disclose if he has asked Batum's agent to hold off on signing an offer sheet promptly from another team in order to give them time to improve their roster via free agency.

Teams with cap room who could use a promising wing player and make things difficult for the Trail Blazers are the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Those are some of the teams to keep an eye out for and the San Antonio Spurs would love to add Batum, but will have to get creative in order to land one of Tony Parker's best friends.

The Trail Blazers have until June 30 to extend a qualifying offer of $5.4 million making him a restricted free agent. July 1 is the first day of free agency in which teams can negotiate with players but cannot sign until July 11.

Courtesy of www.csnnw.com

ProB, Round 34: Regular season is over, Limoges is No.1 - by Eurobasket News

The Regular Season in ProB just ended. Limoges finished as No.1 with 27-7 record and won the promotion for ProA. Eight teams advanced to the Playoff Quarterfinals, which start on May 21. The format is best-of-three.

ProB Standings
1. Limoges 27-7
2. Boulazac 25-9
3. Chalons-Reims 24-10
4. Maurienne 22-12
5. Fos Ouest 22-12
6. Bordeaux 21-13
7. Boulogne 18-16
8. Evreux 17-17
9. Bourg 16-18
10. Lille 16-18
11. Antibes 16-18
12. St Vallier 15-19
13. Nantes 14-20
14. Rouen 14-20
15. Le Portel 12-22
16. Denain 11-23
17. Quimper 9-25
18. Vichy 7-27

Quarterfinals - First games
21 MAY: Boulazac vs Boulogne
22 MAY: Maurienne vs Fos Ouest
22 MAY: Chalons-Reims vs Bordeaux
23 MAY: Limoges vs Evreux

Le Portel - Boulazac 79-86
The guests trailed by 7 points after first quarter, but they rallied back to get the 1-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 86-79. Boulazac Basket made 17-of-22 free shots (77.3 percent) during the game. It was a great shooting night for Boulazac Basket especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.9 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. It was a very good performance for American power forward Darryl Monroe (202-86, college: George Mason, agency: Two Points) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 16 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. The other American import Amadi McKenzie (201-86) contributed with 22 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Boulazac Basket's coach Sylvain Lautie used a ten-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. American point guard Ronnie Taylor (188-81, college: NC-Greensboro, agency: Court Side) replied with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and Mehdi Labeyrie (202-78) added 17 points and 4 assists (made all of his ten free throws !!!) in the effort for Le Portel.
Top scorers:
Boulazac: T.Dubiez 23+1reb, A.McKenzie 22+6reb+3ast, D.Monroe 16+13reb+8ast, A.Kerckhof 7+2reb+6ast, Y.Gaillou 6+5reb, K.Morlende 5+4ast
Le Portel: M.Labeyrie 17+4reb+4ast, R.Taylor 15+6reb+6ast, M.N'Diaye 13+6reb+2ast, N.Wyatte 13+5reb+3ast, J.Ludon 13+2reb+1ast, B.Mangin 4+2reb+3ast

Lille - Fos Ouest 66-75
The guests trailed by 8 points at the halftime before their 42-25 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. It was a very good performance for Jamaican-American Sherman Gay (201-82, college: Loyola Mary) who helped to win the game recording 16 points and 9 rebounds. Philippe Haquet (199-86) contributed with 13 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Four Fos Ouest players scored in double figures. American power forward Steffon Bradford (199-78, college: Nebraska, agency: Pro Partner Sports Management) replied with 15 points and 6 rebounds and his fellow American import swingman Curtis Marshall (198-83, college: Texas Tech, agency: R.H.Consultancy) added 12 points in the effort for Lille Metropole.
Top scorers:
Fos Ouest: S.Gay 16+9reb+2ast, R.Roby 13+3reb+2ast, P.Haquet 13+5reb+1ast, B.Clark 12+3reb+2ast, M.Dia 9+2reb+1ast, E.Choquet 4+3reb
Lille: S.Bradford 15+6reb, C.Marshall 12+2reb, J.MBida 8+2reb+1ast, S.Smith 7+4reb+1ast, M.Tensorer 7+2ast, A.Rigaux 6+3reb+4ast

Limoges - Nantes 78-72
Nantes trailed by 16 points at halftime and as many as 18 after three quarters before a 25-13 last quarter charge cut the deficit to 72-78 at the end of the game. Limoges CSP Elite forced 19 Nantes turnovers. Worth to mention a great performance of American power forward Christophe Massie (206-77, college: Memphis, agency: Court Side) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). Jean-Michel Mipoka (197-85) contributed with 7 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Limoges CSP Elite's coach Frederic Sarre used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Senegalese power forward Malick Badiane (211-84) replied with 20 points and 9 rebounds and Nicolas Gayon (190-82) added 13 points and 8 rebounds in the effort for Nantes. Limoges CSP Elite maintains first position with 27-7 record.
Top scorers:
Limoges: C.Massie 22+13reb+1ast, J.Gomis 12+4ast, K.McAlarney 9+2ast, S.Traore 8+2reb+2ast, J.Mipoka 7+8reb+3ast, N.Boungou Colo 7+4reb+2ast
Nantes: M.Badiane 20+9reb+2ast, N.Gayon 13+8reb, D.Fergerson 10+3reb+2ast, E.Mendy 10+4reb+3ast, A.Charles 8+3reb+4ast, J.Fields 5+11reb

St Vallier - Chalons-Reims 54-83
Guests from Reims outscored Saint Vallier 83-54. The guests trailed by 4 points after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 4-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 83-54. Chalons-Reims dominated on the defensive end, holding Saint Vallier to just 7 points in second and fourth quarters. They made 18-of-21 free shots (85.7 percent) during the game. Chalons-Reims forced 19 Saint Vallier turnovers and outrebounded them 44-24 including 31 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. It was a very good performance for swingman Rodrigue Mels (188-85, college: CS Northridge, agency: Court Side) who helped to win the game recording 23 points. American Chris Daniels (200-82, college: Georgia, agency: Limelight Hoops) contributed with a double-double by scoring 13 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners. Canadian Sefton Barrett (196-83, college: Cent.Michigan, agency: Limelight Hoops) replied with a double-double by scoring 11 points and 12 rebounds and American point guard Kyle Shiloh (191-85, college: Nevada) added 9 points and 7 assists in the effort for Saint Vallier.
Top scorers:
Chalons-Reims: R.Mels 23+4reb+2ast, C.Daniels 13+10reb+5ast, N.Carter 13+5reb, G.Chathuant 9+5reb+1ast, K.Joss-Rauze 6+6reb, B.Mullins 6+1reb+5ast
St Vallier: L.Prowell 14+3reb+2ast, S.Barrett 11+12reb+2ast, K.Shiloh 9+3reb+7ast, D.Denave 7+2reb+1ast, H.Disy 4+2ast, Y.Zonnet 4

Vichy - Rouen 77-80
The visitors from Rouen managed to secure only three-point victory 80-77. However their fans expected much easier game. JA Vichy trailed by 13 points after 3 quarters before a 22-12 run in the last quarter cut the deficit to 77-80 at the end of the game. SPO Rouen made 19-of-25 free shots (76.0 percent) during the game, while JA Vichy only scored two points from the stripe. Forward Samba Dia (201-84, college: West Plains JC) notched 14 points and 8 rebounds to lead the effort and guard Pierric Poupet (191-84) supported him with 15 points and 4 assists. Even 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists by point guard Antoine Eito (186-88) did not help to save the game for JA Vichy. American center Marvin Jefferson (206-86, college: Idaho) added 22 points (on 11-of-13 shooting from the field) for lost side.
Top scorers:
Rouen: P.Poupet 15+3reb+4ast, L.Chelle 15+3reb+3ast, S.Dia 14+8reb+1ast, C.Bronchard 12+3reb+1ast, A.Dunn 12+9reb, J.Wampfler 5+7reb+1ast
Vichy: M.Jefferson 22+2reb, W.Aka 14+4reb+2ast, A.Eito 13+7reb+5ast, N.Diakite 10+6reb, S.Dondon 7+4reb+2ast, Y.Frederic 4+2reb+5ast

Denain - Bordeaux 67-88
Very predictable result when sixth ranked Bordeaux (21-13) rolled over on the road 16th ranked Denain Voltaire (11-23) 88-67 on Wednesday. The guests trailed by 1 point at the halftime before their 46-24 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Bordeaux looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. Quite impressive performance for American guard O'Darien Bassett (191-86, college: Troy) who helped to win the game recording 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. The other American import power forward John Ford (207-78, college: Colorado St.) contributed with 19 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Four Bordeaux players scored in double figures. American power forward Juwann James (198-87, college: JMU) replied with 17 points and guard Frederic Minet (188-81) added 7 points and 6 assists in the effort for Denain Voltaire.
Top scorers:
Bordeaux: O.Bassett 20+6reb+4ast, J.Ford 19+7reb+2ast, K.Cunningham 12+5reb+2ast, S.Driss 11+4reb+3ast, G.Darrigand 10+4ast, J.Nzeulie 9+2reb+2ast
Denain: J.James 17+2reb+1ast, R.Rossiter 10+3reb, R.Brocheray 10+4reb+1ast, N.Rohnert 8+4reb+1ast, F.Minet 7+3reb+6ast, A.Bruyere 6+3reb

Antibes - Quimper 99-77
Not a big story in a game when 17th ranked Quimper UJAP (9-25) was outscored on the road by twelfth ranked Olympique Antibes (16-18) 99-77 on Wednesday. The hosts trailed by 3 points after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 16-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 99-77. Olympique Antibes dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Quimper UJAP's 42. Olympique Antibes forced 20 Quimper UJAP turnovers and outrebounded them 32-17 including 22 on the defensive glass. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 26 assists comparing to just 7 passes made by Quimper UJAP's players. Quite impressive performance for American power forward Jeff Allen (201-87, college: Virginia Tech) who helped to win the game recording 25 points and 8 rebounds. Naturalized Senegalese center Moussa Badiane (205-81, college: E.Carolina) contributed with a double-double by scoring 15 points and 11 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) for the winners. American guard Adam McCoy (195-86, college: N.Texas) replied with 24 points and Liberian-American Pele Paelay (193-84, college: Co.Carolina, agency: Two Points) added 16 points in the effort for Quimper UJAP.
Top scorers:
Antibes: J.Allen 25+8reb+3ast, B.Monclar 16+3reb+4ast, C.Brown 16+3reb+1ast, M.Badiane 15+11reb+2ast, M.Courby 10+2reb+5ast, T.Toneguzzo 7+2reb+2ast
Quimper: A.McCoy 24+2ast, P.Paelay 16+4reb+2ast, G.Lessort 15+6reb, A.Salmon 12+3reb+1ast, W.Molas 4+2reb, A.Thimon 4+1reb+2ast

Evreux - Boulogne 80-64
The game in Evreux was also worth to mention about. 7th ranked SO Maritime Boulogne (18-16) played at the court of eighth ranked ALM Evreux (17-17). ALM Evreux defeated SO Maritime Boulogne 80-64. ALM Evreux dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to SO Maritime Boulogne's 30 and made 16-of-19 charity shots (84.2 percent) during the game. They outrebounded SO Maritime Boulogne 46-34 including a 31-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. American power forward Jeremiah Wood (200-85, agency: Court Side) had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Steeve Ho You Fat (203-88) chipped in 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. Four ALM Evreux players scored in double figures. ALM Evreux's coach Remy Valin allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. At the losing side American Corey Rouse (204-84, college: E.Carolina, agency: Court Side) responded with 17 points and 8 rebounds and naturalized American Tony Stanley (194-77, college: Dayton) scored 11 points and 6 rebounds.
Top scorers:
Evreux: J.Wood 26+15reb+3ast, S.Ho You Fat 17+8reb+4ast, L.Konate 13+4reb+4ast, A.Rowland 10+6reb+5ast, D.Reed 4+7reb+1ast, G.Pons 4+1ast
Boulogne: C.Rouse 17+8reb+1ast, T.Stanley 11+6reb, Z.Bah 9+1reb+6ast, J.Leria 9+3reb, J.Mathis 8+8reb, R.Gregoire 5+4reb+1ast

Maurienne - Bourg 72-79
Higher ranked Aix-Maurienne lost at home to eleventh ranked JL Bourg 72-79. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Aix-Maurienne. JL Bourg players were unselfish on offense dishing 26 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Aix-Maurienne's players. American guard Jimmy Baxter (198-80, college: S.Florida, agency: Court Side) fired 9 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. Senegalese power forward Ousmane Barro (207-84, college: Marquette) chipped in 13 points and 7 rebounds. American Dar Tucker (193-88, college: De Paul) produced 15 points and point guard Simon Darnauzan (178-80) added 7 points and 6 assists respectively for lost side.
Top scorers:
Bourg: M.Sonko 14+5reb+2ast, O.Barro 13+7reb+1ast, C.Ferchaud 13+2reb+1ast, I.Koma 12+4reb+2ast, J.Baxter 9+6reb+8ast, R.Chery 8+7reb+4ast
Maurienne: D.Tucker 15+3reb, M.Houmounou 11+2reb, B.Osby 9+5reb+2ast, J.Ekanga-Ehawa 9+3reb+2ast, W.Brown 8+7reb+1ast, S.Darnauzan 7+4reb+6ast

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GERMANY

John Bryant (ratiopharm Ulm) Our Vision Isnt Complete Yet And We Have To Keep Going - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

John Bryant (208-C-87, college: Santa Clara)s a 24 year old 208cm center from San Pablo, California that is playing his second season with ratiopharm Ulm. He currently won the 2012 Beko BBL MVPHe played at santa Clara from 2005-2009 and in his senior year averaged 18.1ppg, RebNCAA-2 (14.2rpg), 1.1apg, 2.5bpg, FGP: 59.6%, FT: 78.7% . In 2009-2010, he played for the Erie Bay Hawks (D-League): 48 games: 13.2ppg, 9.5rpg, 1.6apg, 1.5bpg, FGP: 49.3%, FT: 77.6% . Last season, he moved to ratiopharm Ulm playing 34 games: 14.6ppg, Reb-1 (10.9rpg), 1.1apg, Blocks-2 (1.5bpg), FGP: 60.4%, FT: 74.2% . He spoke to Eurobasket after the sweep against the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig.

Thanks John for taking some time. You just finished your dinner. Did you have a schwaben speciality?

No just some nice Chinese food.

Ratiopharm Ulm swept the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig. Did it look as easy as the result did?

No it wasnt an easy task. They are a great game and gave us a tough battle in game three.

Ratiopharm Ulm still seemed to be in control in game three.

We had good control in the first half, but in the third quarter they stepped up their defense and played zone and really pressured our offense. We retook control again the fourth quarter taking the 10 point lead.

What did head coach Thorsten Leibenath tell the team after the big sweep?

He was very excited that we pulled off the sweep, but at the same time told us to stay humble. He said that we can relax a bit, but still start preparing for the next series. Our Vision isnt complete yet and we have to keep going.

What was the biggest strength of ratiopharm in the Braunschweig series?

Sharing the ball and always finding the open guy. That has been the key to our success this season.

Who would you rather play Wurzburg or Alba Berlin?

It doesnt really matter. In terms of distance, then I would prefer Wurzburg, because it is a lot closer than Berlin and we wouldnt have to take 8 hour bus rides.

How important was Keaton Nankivil been in the Braunschweig series?

He has been big making big shots. As a stretch four, he really is able to expand the game and also as a very good shooter, this always helps a good shooting team. He continues to come off the bench and hit big three pointers. He gives the team a kick off the bench when the offense isnt working.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

The Avengers. It was a great movie. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks John for the chat.

Ryan De Michael Will Stay A Second Season With NBC - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Experienced basketball player Ryan De Michael (205-F/C-77, college: Tenn-Martin) will stay in Nurnberg with NBC for another season announced the club today. Last season, the American who has the German citzenship and is a 34 year old 205cm power forward played 28 games: 11.5ppg, 6.5rpg, 2.4apg, Blocks-2 (1.4bpg), FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 32.6%, FT: 69.6%. 'The team has an experienced player that can score, rebound and block shots. He plays with so much passion and energy', stated NBC head coach Marten Ides. De Michael who will be playing his 10th season in Germany is also happy about staying in the Bavarian city. 'I have decided to stay here for the same reason I came here last season. This is my home, I feel comfortable and want to end my career here. Even after my career, I would like to be affiliated with this organization in some way', stressed Ryan de Michael. De Michael wont only help on the court, but also Martin Ides in another way. 'I want that he will support me with my coaching duty. He knows the league and players very well. He is a leader and must be a role model', added Martin Ides.

Source: NBC

The Walter Tigers Tuebingen Haul In Robert Oehle - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

The hype in Tuebingen the last few monthes wasnt which new player was arriving, but the audacity of the team keeping players and building for the future with known faces. With the 2011-2012 season only over since two weeks, the Walter Tigers Tuebingen have announced their first new signing for the new season with Robert Oehle (209-C-88) Oehle is a 23 year old 209cm center that comes from the LTi Giessen 46ers that still isnt done with his development. Last season for Giessen, he played 34 games averaging 4,1ppg and 2,3rpg in 11,2 minutes per game. 'The happiness is big that he has chosen Tuebingen. We are convined that he isnt done with his development yet and can still develop positively with us. We will work with him on that and he will become an important player in our rotation. We like his attitude and work ethic', stressed Tiger head coach Igor Perovic. Oehle showed last season with Giessen that he is capable of having big games by scoring 15 points against Oldenburg and Bonn. He started his career in Paderborn in 2006 playing a total of 35 Beko BBL games. In 2010-2011, he got further experience with the Saar-Pfalz Braves (ProA): 26 games: 8.4ppg, 5.7rpg, FGP: 48.3%, FT: 64.6%. 'The Tigers made a great development during the last season. If you compare our test game last September and what they did at the end of the season, then was their development great. I was honoured with their interest and Igor Perovic gave me trust quickly. The first impression of Tuebingen was also very good. I want to make the next step in Tuebingen', stressed Robert Oehle

Source: Walter Tigers Tuebingen

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GREECE

Stats Leaders - A1

Points Per Game

Nestoras KOMMATOS
  Marousi
  (203-F-77)
  Avg: 20.4

1. Kommatos, Marousi	20.4
2. Christmas, AGOR	18.6
3. Charalampidi., KAO.	15.6
4. Gagaloudis, Marousi	15.6
5. Beck, Ikaros	14.8
6. Dikoudis, PAOK	14.7
7. James, Aris	14.5
8. Taylor, Kavala	13.9
9. Baynes, Ikaros	13.6
10. Wright, AGOR	13.5

Rebounds Per Game

Aron BAYNES
  Ikaros
  (208-C-86)
  Avg: 8.7

1. Baynes, Ikaros	8.7
2. Haritopoulos, Maro.	7.6
3. NaNa, Ilysiakos	7.5
4. Stepheson, Panio.	7.3
5. Kommatos, Marousi	6.6
6. Symtsak, Kavala	6.4
7. O''Bryant, Kavala	5.9
8. Tapoutos, Aris	5.8
9. Dorsey, Olympiacos	5.7
10. Scott, Peristeri	5.7

Assists Per Game

Yannis GAGALOUDIS
  Marousi
  (192-G-78)
  Avg: 6

1. Gagaloudis, Marousi	6.0
2. Spanoulis, Olympia.	5.0
3. Diamantidis, Panat.	4.5
4. Xanthopoulos, Pani.	4.4
5. Charalampidi., KAO.	4.3
6. James, Aris	4.1
7. Wright, AGOR	4.1
8. Thompson, Ilysi.	3.5
9. Mocnik, Perister.	3.1
10. Jasikevicius, Pan.	3.1

Steals Per Game

Zack WRIGHT
  AGOR
  (188-G-85)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Wright, AGOR	2.5
2. James, Aris	1.9
3. Calathes, Panathin.	1.7
4. Thompson, Ilysi.	1.7
5. Christmas, AGOR	1.6
6. Xanthopoulos, Pani.	1.6
7. Dorsey, Olympiacos	1.5
8. Logan, Panathin.	1.5
9. Gagaloudis, Marousi	1.5
10. Kommatos, Marousi	1.4

Blocks Per Game

Patrick O''BRYANT
  Kavala
  (213-C-86)
  Avg: 1.5

1. O''Bryant, Kavala	1.5
2. Petway, AGOR	1.3
3. Muldrow, Aris	1.3
4. Elegar, Marousi	1.1
5. Hines, Olympiacos	1.0
6. Vougioukas, Panat.	1.0
7. Stepheson, Panio.	0.9
8. Michel, KAOD	0.9
9. Giddens, PAOK	0.7
10. Baynes, Ikaros	0.7

A1, Third place: Kolossos beats Panionios in Game Three, 70-66 (2-1) - by Eurobasket News

Kolossos - Panionios 70-66

Kolossos and Panionios met last night in Game Three of the series for third place in Greek A1 league. The home squad celebrated 70-66 victory for 2-1 series lead. The format is best-of-five, so Kolossos is now one win away from third place. However, Game Four will be played at Panionios' home court in Athens (Saturday). It will be their chance to force decisive Game Five. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Panionios won fourth quarter 21-17. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Kolossos made 16-of-21 charity shots (76.2 percent) during the game. Power forward Kostas Charissis (211-F/C-79, college: USC) stepped up and scored 12 points and 4 assists for the winners and the former international forward Giannis Georgalis (198-F-83) chipped in 11 points. At the losing side the former international forward Nikos Barlos (202-F-79) responded with 18 points and 6 rebounds and American point guard William Keys (188-PG-77, college: N.Mexico St.) scored 20 points. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. If Panionios wins on Saturday, fifth decisive game will be played on May 22 at Kolossos' home court.

Kolossos: M.Hatten 13+3ast, K.Charissis 12+3reb+4ast, G.Georgalis 11+4reb+2ast, A.Tsamis 9+6reb+1ast, S.Hopson 8+5reb+1ast, R.Boykin 8+2reb+1ast
Panionios: W.Keys 20+2reb+1ast, N.Barlos 18+6reb+3ast, J.Diebler 8+1reb+1ast, M.Batis 5+3reb+3ast, S.Nadjfeji 4+5reb, Z.Sarikopoulos 4+3reb+1ast

PAOK and Soulis Markopoulos together for two more years - by Giorgos Diploidis

Although the two sides decided that they cannot reach a deal and the coach held yesterday (15/05) a press conference to speak about the years passed in the team of PAOK Thessaloniki and the reasons for not continue their co-operation the things changed completely. A new proposal came from the club which was a little better in it's financial part. There was a new meeting today (16/05) where it is rumored that Soulis Markopoulos also decreased his demands. After this the two sides announced their new deal for two more years. So Mr Markopoulos after the new agrrement will stay in the team of Thessaloniki for five years in a row.

The announcement :

'Ended a while ago in the offices of KAE AK, meeting of the members of the Administration of KAE with Soulis Markopoulos. After mature discussion and guided by the wish of completion of the program which is designed to stabilize the company and the return of the group in a leading role, it was agreed to continue cooperation between the two sides for further two years'.

Theodoros Papaloukas selected the top Greek playing abroad in last week's games - by Eurobasket Center

Traditionally, every week we bring you a list of the top performances of Greeks who are currently playing abroad.

Theodoros Papaloukas

#1. This week's number one is an experienced former international point guard Theodoros Papaloukas (200-77, agency: FCM). He contributed to an easy victory against the closely-ranked B.C. Habikaa (14-6) crushing them 86-59 in the Israeli Premier League in Thursday night's game. Papaloukas scored 8 points, made 4 passes and 3 steals in 25 minutes on the court. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Maccabi Electra Tel-Aviv (23-2) is placed first in the Premier League. It was his team's 11th consecutive victory in a row. This year Papaloukas averages: 5.3ppg, 2.1rpg, 5.3apg, 1.2spg, 2FGP: 77.3%(17-22) and FT: 64.7% in the nine games he played so far. He played for the Greek senior national team four years ago.

Sten-Timmu Sokk

#2. Second place goes to former international guard Sten-Timmu Sokk (181-89), who plays in the Estonian KML. Sokk could not help Tartu Ulikool (25-3) in their last game on Tuesday. Despite his good performance the league leader Tartu Ulikool was defeated in an overtime 87-76 on the road by the second-ranked Kalev/Cramo. Sokk scored 12 points, had 4 rebounds and dished 5 assists. It's Sokk's fourth season with the team. He is currently third on the list of best passers. Sokk's overall stats this season are: 9.7ppg, 2.0rpg, 4.0apg, 3FGP: 41.8% and FT: 81.0%. He has a dual citizenship: Greek and Estonian. Despite Sokk played previously for the Estonian national team, he played also for the Greek national team in 2008.

Dimitris Haritopoulos

#3. The Greek player who performed third best last week abroad was former international power forward Dimitris Haritopoulos (206-83, agency: Interperformances). Haritopoulos managed to help ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne Basket in a 1-point victoryagainst the seventh-ranked Chorale de Roanne (16-14) 69-68 in the French ProA on Wednesday night. He scored only 4 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 22 minutes. ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne Basket (13-17) is placed 12th in the ProA. The Regular Season already ended. This year Haritopoulos' overall stats are: 7.4ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.1apg, 2FGP: 52.9% and FT: 81.3% in the 14 games. He played for the Greek national team seven years ago.

Giannis Kalambokis

#4. Guard Giannis Kalambokis (195-78, also represented by FCM) was not able to help ALBA Berlin (26-8) in their game against s Oliver Baskets (20-14) in the German BBL. Kalambokis scored only 4 points. ALBA Berlin was defeated 79-66 in Wuerzburg by the lower-ranked s Oliver Baskets (#6). Kalambokis' total stats this season are: 1.9ppg, 1.3rpg and 1.7apg. He used to play for the Greek national team back in 2009.

Igor Milosevic

#5. Former U20 international guard Igor Milosevic (193-86, agency: Beo Basket) was not able to secure a victory for New Yorker Phantoms (17-16) in their game against ratiopharm Ulm (27-7) in the German BBL. Milosevic scored 5 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 17 minutes. New Yorker Phantoms lost 76-85 in Ulm to the second-ranked ratiopharm. This year Milosevic's total stats are: 7.7ppg, 1.7rpg and 2.5apg in the 15 games. He is another player who holds two passports: Serbian and Greek. Milosevic used to play for the Greek U20 national team six years ago.

Other top Greek players, who play abroad:

Sofoklis Schortsanitis (206-C-85) plays for Maccabi T-A in Israeli Premier League
Dimitris Sousa (196-G-94) plays for Montepaschi Siena in Italian SerieA
Nikolaos Zisis (197-G-83) plays for Montepaschi Siena in Italian SerieA
Christos Koutourakis (202-F-68) plays for Caja Laboral in Spanish ACB
Kostas Koufos (213-C-89) plays for Denver Nuggets in the NBA
Antonis Fotsis (210-F-81) plays for Armani Milano in Italian SerieA
Ioannis Bourousis (212-C-83) plays for Armani Milano in Italian SerieA
Kostas Vasiliadis (200-G/F-84) plays for Gescrap BB in Spanish ACB
Dimitrios Mavroeidis (208-C-85) plays for Gescrap BB in Spanish ACB
Alexey Savrasenko (215-C-79) plays for Unics Kazan in Russian PBL
Loukas Mavrokefalidis (209-C-84) plays for Spartak St.Petersburg in Russian PBL
Emmanouil Papamakarios (192-G-80) plays for Lagun Aro GBC in Spanish ACB
Michael Bramos (196-G/F-87) plays for Gran Canaria 2014 in Spanish ACB

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

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IBA

Standings

IBA Standings

1. Kankakee S.		9-2
2. Gary Splash		9-3
3. Albany L.		8-2
4. Chicago R.		7-2
5. Lansing C.		5-6
6. Kenosha B.		5-8
7. Lake County S.		5-10
8. L.Angeles L.		2-0
9. Battle Creek K.		2-9
10. Springfield E.		1-9
11. St.Louis T.		0-0
12. Rockford RD		0-0

Regular Season: Round 21

May. 17: Kankakee S. - Battle Creek K.
May. 18: Albany L. - Chicago R.
May. 18: L.Angeles L. - Gary Splash

Alleyne joins the Legends - by Gianni Pascucci

The Albany Legends have signed Shagari Alleyne (7'3''-C-84, college: Manhattan) for the remainder of the 2012 home season and playoff run. Originally from the Bronx, Alleyne was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and has played professionally in the NBA D League and the Premier Basketball League.
The Legends have also activiated returning Legend Adam Abdourahmane (6'9''-F/C, college: Cecil CC) to the 2012 roster.
The 8-2 Legends play Friday night May 18 at 7pm at CBA vs Chicago Redline 'Legends Love Lewie Night' and Saturday afternoon, May 19th at 1pm against the same 7-2 Redline

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IRAN

Mahram record second straight win in Finals - by Eurobasket News

Petrochimi - Mahram 82:95

Mahram registered the second win in a row in the Iranian Superleague Finals. They shot down Petrochimi away from home to step closer to the title. Mahram will try to wrap up the series on Monday when they host what could be decisive third game.
Petrochimi and Mahram stayed close throughout the opening quarter. The teams were tied at 27 after ten minutes of action. But Mahram cleared off in the second frame. They surged ahead for a comfortable halftime lead and never looked back en route to the victory. Nikoloz Tskitishvili (212-C/F-83, agency: Regeneracom Sports) finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds to lead Mahram. Pape Sow added 16 points and 14 rebounds in the winning case. Saeid Davarpanah (191-G/F-87) answered with 27 points for Petrochimi. Mohammad Jamshidi (198-F-91) netted 19 points in the loss.

Petrochimi: Saeid Davarpanah 27, Mohammad Jamshidi 19
Mahram: Nikoloz Tskitishvili 29, Hamed Afagh (190-G-83) 19, Samad Nik Khahbahrami (198-F-83) 19

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ISRAEL

Loto League Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Adrian BANKS
  Elitzur .
  (191-G-86)
  Avg: 21.5

1. Banks, Elitzur	21.5
2. Carter, Bnei H.	20.7
3. Landesberg, Macca.	20.7
4. Crawford, Maccab.	19.3
5. Lewis, Hapoel Holon	18.8
6. Dunn, Bnei Hashar.	18.2
7. Asbury, Elitzur	18.0
8. Travis, Galil Gilb.	17.9
9. Carter, Maccabi	17.6
10. Freeman, B.C. H.	16.9

Rebounds Per Game

Isaac ROSEFELT
  Bnei H.
  (205-C/F-85)
  Avg: 9.3

1. Rosefelt, Bnei H.	9.3
2. Dunston, Hapoel H.	9.2
3. Tyus, Maccabi	8.3
4. Duncan, Maccabi	8.2
5. Bowman, Maccabi	8.0
6. Asbury, Elitzur	7.6
7. Uter, Maccabi	7.5
8. Dowell, B.C. H.	7.3
9. Killingswort., Iro.	7.3
10. Kitchen, Maccabi	7.0

Assists Per Game

Meir TAPIRO
  Maccabi .
  (192-PG-75)
  Avg: 7.5

1. Tapiro, Maccabi	7.5
2. Roth, Hapoel Holon	7.5
3. Carter, Bnei H.	7.1
4. Ohayon, Maccabi	4.9
5. Thomas, Galil Gilb.	4.8
6. Lifshitz, Elitzu.	4.7
7. Mitchell, Ironi A.	4.7
8. Delaney, B.C. H.	4.3
9. Naimy, Hapoel J-M	4.1
10. Limonad, Ironi A.	4.0

Steals Per Game

Eric CAMPBELL
  Elitzu.
  (199-F-76)
  Avg: 1.9

1. Campbell, Elitzu.	1.9
2. Ben-Chimol, Maccab.	1.8
3. Lifshitz, Elitzu.	1.8
4. Robinson, B.C. H.	1.8
5. Kitchen, Maccabi	1.8
6. Yavzuri, Galil Gil.	1.8
7. Roth, Hapoel Holon	1.7
8. Limonad, Ironi A.	1.7
9. Skinn, Ironi Ashke.	1.7
10. Ohayon, Maccabi	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Shawn JAMES
  Maccabi T-A
  (208-C-83)
  Avg: 2.1

1. James, Maccabi T-A	2.1
2. Dunston, Hapoel H.	1.8
3. Uter, Maccabi	1.5
4. Randle, Hapoel J-M	1.4
5. Hendrix, Maccabi	1.3
6. Tyus, Maccabi	1.3
7. Rosefelt, Bnei H.	1.0
8. Campbell, Elitzu.	1.0
9. Bowman, Maccabi	0.9
10. Sullivan, Hapoel	0.9

Stats Leaders - National League

Points Per Game

Errick MCCOLLUM
  Hapoel K.
  (185-G-88)
  Avg: 24.3

1. McCollum, Hapoel K.	24.3
2. Sanders, Hapoel Y.	23.1
3. Clinch, Lev H.	22.7
4. Daniel, Ironi K-A	22.7
5. Miller, Macc.B.Y.	22.4
6. Ginyard, Ironi N.	21.2
7. Laing, Elitzur Yav.	21.1
8. Clemente, Kiryat T.	21.0
9. Hall, Macc.B.Y.	20.9
10. Bet-Yosef, Macc..	20.1

Rebounds Per Game

Ramon CLEMENTE
  Kiryat T.
  (200-PF-85)
  Avg: 14.6

1. Clemente, Kiryat T.	14.6
2. Thondique, Hapoel	13.2
3. Reynolds, Lev H.	12.1
4. Turner, Hapoel Y/M	11.1
5. Moses, Hapoel K/S	10.3
6. Blair, Ironi N.	9.3
7. Webb, Ironi R.	9.3
8. Bacon, Elitzur Ram.	9.2
9. Daniel, Ironi K-A	8.9
10. Traimel, Ironi N.	8.9

Assists Per Game

Ilan NANIKASHVILI
  Ironi K.
  (187-G-79)
  Avg: 7.9

1. Nanikashvili, Iron.	7.9
2. Berkowitz, Elitzu.	7.1
3. Bannister, Ironi R.	6.7
4. Sukar, Hod Hashar.	6.6
5. Eliyahu, Ironi N.	6.3
6. Assaf, Ironi N.	5.2
7. Rub, Lev Hasharon	5.1
8. Bet-Yosef, Macc.B.	5.1
9. Gonzalez, Hod H.	4.9
10. Golan, Elitzur Ya.	3.8

Steals Per Game

Nate MILLER
  Macc.B.Y.
  (193-G-87)
  Avg: 3

1. Miller, Macc.B.Y.	3.0
2. Hofman, Elitzur	2.8
3. Bet-Yosef, Macc.B.	2.7
4. Benn, Ironi N.	2.6
5. Sanders, Hapoel Y.	2.4
6. Eliyahu, Ironi N.	2.3
7. Gonzalez, Hod H.	2.3
8. McCollum, Hapoel K.	2.2
9. Berkowitz, Elitzu.	2.0
10. Davidi, Ironi R.	2.0

Blocks Per Game

Lenny DANIEL
  Ironi K-A
  (203-F-87)
  Avg: 2.3

1. Daniel, Ironi K-A	2.3
2. Kelly, Hapoel T-A	2.2
3. Johnson, Hod H.	2.0
4. Blair, Ironi N.	1.8
5. Reynolds, Lev H.	1.5
6. Webb, Ironi R.	1.4
7. Thondique, Hapoel	1.4
8. Clemente, Kiryat T.	1.4
9. Bacon, Elitzur Ram.	1.3
10. Naor, Hapoel T-A	1.1

Maccabi Rishon complete the Semifinal picture - by Eurobasket News

Maccabi Rishon - Ironi Ashkelon 77-63 (3-2)

The hosts trailed by 3 points at the halftime before their 47-30 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. American forward Brandon Bowman (204-84, college: Georgetown) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists for the winners and his fellow American import guard Derwin Kitchen (193-86, college: Florida St., agency: VVG Sports) chipped in 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Maccabi Rishon players scored in double figures. American power forward Marco Killingsworth (202-82, college: Indiana, agency: Interperformances) responded with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 11 rebounds and the former international guard Raviv Limonad (192-84) scored 10 points and 5 assists.
Top scorers:
Maccabi Rishon: B.Bowman 17+11reb+5ast, A.Ben David 16+2reb+1ast, N.Hanochi 12+3reb+3ast, A.Uter 10+5reb+4ast, O.Solomon 10+2reb, D.Kitchen 9+6reb+4ast
Ironi Ashkelon: M.Killingsworth 23+11reb+3ast, D.Mitchell 10+4reb+2ast, R.Limonad 10+3reb+5ast, J.Skeen 8+2reb+2ast, T.Skinn 7+4reb+3ast, N.Berkowitz 3+1reb+1ast

Hapoel T-A won the National League title - by Netanel Dahan

A great season comes to an end as Hapoel Tel Aviv the most dominate team in the Israeli 2nd league this season (22-4) won the finals series against Bear Yaakov 3-1, and returns to the 1st league after 6 years.

By returning to the 1st league after the club collapsed 6 years ago, they made history as they had a new fresh start from the 5th league in Israel and now they will play next season in the 1st league. Erez Edelshtein the team's coach helped the team securing the 1st place and returned to be an head coach as his last team was Hapoel Jerusalem (he was an assistant coach in Olympiacos on 2008).

Hapoel Tel Aviv eliminated Bear Yaakov 83-56 in the last final game of the season. Top scorers:

Tel Aviv-

Curtis Kelly 19 pts.
Demontez Stitt 15 pts.
Cory Carr 13 pts& 9 boards.

Bear Yaakov-

Chris Watson 14 pts.
Jermaine Hall 13 pts.
Nate Miller 10 pts.

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

ITALY

Playoffs preview: Banco di Sardegna Sassari - Canadian Solar Bologna - by Giovanni Bargna

Schedule : 17/05/2012, 19/05, 21/05, (23/05), (25/05)
All of the games scheduled at 20:30. Sassari to play at home Game 1, 2 and 5 (if needed)

Banco di Sardegna Sassari. Coach Romeo Sacchetti was named best coach of the league this season and that is a well deserved award as he did a great job with his guys. The team earned the 4th place of the Serie A Standings thanks to a 20-12 record. And it was a 7 game winning streak in the middle of the season giving them the boost to reach such an unexpected goal. One of the most outstanding duo of the entire league is made up of the Diener cousins. Travis at the point and Drake at shooting guard have been providing lots of points and assists during the whole season. While under the boards the team can count on Quinton Hosley and Tony Easley, who was added to the roster on December. They both brings athletism in the paint and are dangerous for any opponents for their quickness more than for their size.

Sassari is a very balanced team with no stars but lots of good players well conducted by coach Sacchetti and the 'Dieners'.
Scorer : Drake Diener 16.7ppg, Rebounder : Tony Easley 6.5rpg, Assist-Man : Travis Diener (184-PG-82, college: Marquette) 5.5apg

Canadian Solar Bologna. Though they lost Terrel McIntyre (early retired due to injury) and Jared Homan (fired after punching coach Finelli in the face) early this season, Canadian Solar Bologna can count on a very good starting-five. Point-guard Giuseppe Poeta is doing good after taking more responsibilities since the retire of McIntyre, while this one is maybe the best season in Angelo Gigli's career so far. The power-forward provides points and rebounds in the paint. On the perimeter the Finnish Petteri Koponen and the US small forward Chris Douglas-Roberts are for sure top players in the entire league, while the real go-to-guy has been Viktor 'Air Georgia' Sanikidze so far. In his best season ever he's collecting lots of double-doubles with many points and rebounds. Though his shape seemed lowering in the last part of the season he will be a landmark for all of his teammates in the playoffs. The last addition was Ivan Paunic at shooting guard who will help the team coming from the bench.

If there's something that this team is still missing is a tough center as it seems that Kris Lang isn't a reliable player in that position.
Scorer : Petteri Koponen 13.8ppg, Rebounder : Viktor Sanikidze 10.9rpg, Assist-Man : Giuseppe Poeta 3.8apg

Forecast. As we enter the playoffs quartefinals this one seems to be the most balanced series. In the regular season Bologna defeated Sassari at home for 85-80 but then was trashed at Sassari for 89-55. Considering they both got great home records (15-1, best in the league, for Bologna and 14-2 for Sassari) the home advantage could be decisive in each game. the first team taking a road win could make it to the semifinals in such a balanced series.

Here you can find a preview on Montepaschi Siena - Cimberio Varese

A talk with Doron Perkins - by Giovanni Bargna

After being out for ten months due to the injury suffered in the 2011 euroelague playoffs game 3 against Caja Laboral Doron Perkins (188-PG-83, college: Santa Clara) joined Bennet Cantu last February. That was a good opportunity both for the team, that needed to strengthen its roster on the perimeter, and for him who was looking for the chance to fully recover from his injury and keep on playing at a very high european level.
Three months have passed now and, as the italian playoffs are upcoming, it is time for a report of the current situation for him and the team.

I met Doron in the late afternoon after the team's practice and this is what we talked about...

- Hi Doron, regular season has just ended and the playoffs are upcoming. Tell me about your impressions about the post-season an the team situation
My impressions are very positive now. I know I haven't been playing my best getting into the playoffs but I know I will in the post-season. It will be a good challenge for the team and I think we can beat anybody if we play well and at the same time anybody can beat us if we are not fully focused. It's gonna be a good opportunity for us as a team and we're looking forward to get on the court.

- You've been out for months before coming here. How's your knee now?
It's good. One of my goals when coming to the team was making it to the playoffs. When you get back from an injury you try not to pace yourself, you don't want to go too much,
don't want to push yourself too much, but after three months I have full confidence now and I feel good.

- When you got here it was said your recovery process was at 60%. What about it now?
I feel it is completed. I'm good and I say 100%

- You live here since February. Do you like the town?
Yes, sure, I like it. Cantu is a small city and our fans are great. Half of our fans are not even from Cantu, but from the area.
In the end the city is good and, being small, it is easy to go around and a very good city to play.

- Considering you're coming from Tel-Aviv it should be very different...
Well, obviously. Everything is easier here, there's no traffic, parking is easy. There's a big difference but i like it.

- There is one thing I am curious about. You use to wear your headband in a very particular way. It just covers only one of your ears and it doesn't seem accidental...
Well I don't know (laughing)... I've done it since primary high school. In college our coach didn't allow us to wear headbands so one time I had a scar, i got a cut right here (above the eyebrow) so i had to cover it and had my headband. It was covering over one ear a little bit and then I had a big game or something and kept on wearing it that way.

- When your deal was announced someone said 'he's a great player, but cantu has got a very tactical system and Doron does his best when using his individual skills. What do you think about this?
People have their opinions. People think that I'm an athletic player, a running player, but that's not really my game. That's why it's easier for me to come back from my injury because i do guard at a slow pace, I play at a slow pace. It's been easy coming into this system where you have players you know.
When you play in a team like this you know you have good shooters on the perimeter, you know you have big guys under the boards. It makes everything easier specially for a point guard.Then I can start running and play my style and I think it makes it easier for everybody else because everybody gets a lot of open shots and the game flows a little bit more.

- You're one of the best rebounder of the entire league and that is unusual for a point guard. Do you I think it is a skill a player can work on or it just depends on aggressivness?
I don't want to say it's a skill as half of it is determination, it is just going after the ball and the other half is just anticipation. People don't realize that it is easier for a guard to get rebounds because you don't get boxed-out. It's just about anticipation and that's how I play on defense trying to anticipate.

- In the very tough upcoming playoffs battle it is said that Milano, Siena and Cantu could be the main actors. Do you agree?
I hope so, I hope we will get as further as we can. I know Siena is great team and I faced them when I was at Maccabi during the 2010 Euroleague TOP16. They have a lot of good players, but there is only five guys on the court and I think we have five good players too. You have to play well against them because even when they're playing a bad game they're still a top level team.
I played against Milano for the first time recently. They're a great team too, they got big guards on the court. It will be a great challange, we can be less talented but if we play as a team I think we can beat anybody.

- In a recent interview you said you like videogames. Have you ever played basketball on a videogame console?
Yes, I did. One of my good friends works for the development team of the game and five years ago they called me and then put sensors on my body and I did the moves needed to develop the game. That is why if you look in the credits I'm on the game, I love that game.

- Well, thanks, Doron. Next time we meet I challenge you to play with it
Great. Practice!

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

MEXICO

Standings - CIBACOPA

CIBACOPA Standings

1. Hermosillo		31-4
2. Guaymas		26-9
3. Tijuana		24-11
4. Cananea		18-17
5. Los Mochis		17-18
6. Nogales		17-18
7. Guasave		17-18
8. Navolato		12-23
9. Culiacan		11-24
10. Tepic		2-33

Regular Season: Round 35

May. 15: Culiacan - Nogales 85-79
May. 15: Tijuana - Cananea 84-74
May. 15: Hermosillo - Navolato 115-83
May. 15: Guaymas - Guasave 108-86
May. 15: Los Mochis - Tepic 105-93

Regular Season: Round 37

May. 18: Tijuana - Culiacan
May. 18: Nogales - Hermosillo
May. 18: Cananea - Guaymas
May. 18: Guasave - Los Mochis
May. 18: Navolato - Tepic

CIBACOPA Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Devon PEARSON
  Los M.
  (198-F-84)
  Avg: 27

1. Pearson, Los M.	27.0
2. Reese, Tepic	25.0
3. Scott, Los Mochis	23.9
4. McCullough, Nogales	22.3
5. Robinson, Culiacan	22.1
6. Thomas, Cananea	22.1
7. Carter, Guasave	20.7
8. Selleaze, Navolato	20.6
9. Young, Tepic	19.9
10. Wiley, Los Mochis	19.8

Rebounds Per Game

Deangelo RILEY
  Tepic
  (205-C-)
  Avg: 11.2

1. Riley, Tepic	11.2
2. Pearson, Los M.	10.6
3. Sanders-F., Nogales	8.9
4. Scott, Los Mochis	8.8
5. Selleaze, Navolato	8.4
6. Habel, Guaymas	7.7
7. Robinson, Culiacan	7.7
8. Zamora, Culiacan	7.6
9. Lopez, Hermosillo	7.3
10. Wiley, Los Mochis	7.1

Assists Per Game

Myron ALLEN
  Guaymas
  (182-PG-79)
  Avg: 7.6

1. Allen, Guaymas	7.6
2. Taylor, Los Mochis	5.8
3. Monreal, Hermosillo	5.7
4. Nungaray, Guaymas	5.1
5. Harris, Cananea	4.4
6. Riley, Tepic	4.1
7. Pulido, Culiacan	3.9
8. Gale, Nogales	3.5
9. Quintero, Tijuana	3.4
10. Reese, Tepic	3.4

Steals Per Game

Brian HAMILTON
  Hermosillo
  (198-F-82)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Hamilton, Hermosil.	2.1
2. Gibson, Navolato	1.7
3. Thomas, Cananea	1.6
4. Riley, Tepic	1.5
5. Buelna, Guasave	1.5
6. Gale, Nogales	1.4
7. Carter, Guasave	1.3
8. Toussaint, Los M.	1.3
9. Giron, Guasave	1.3
10. Reatiga, Navolato	1.3

Blocks Per Game

Deangelo RILEY
  Tepic
  (205-C-)
  Avg: 3.5

1. Riley, Tepic	3.5
2. Habel, Guaymas	1.3
3. Zamora, Culiacan	1.3
4. Wiley, Los Mochis	1.0
5. Scott, Los Mochis	0.9
6. Young, Tepic	0.9
7. McCullough, Nogales	0.9
8. Tate, Tijuana	0.8
9. Robinson, Culiacan	0.8
10. Mercado, Nogales	0.6

Pearson number one in Mexico for round 35 - by Eurobasket News

American forward Devon Pearson (198-F-84) had a very impressive game in the last round for Los Mochis, receiving a Latinbasket.com Player of the Week award for round 35.
The 27-year old player had a double-double of 28 points and 15 rebounds, while his team beat Tepic (#10, 2-33) 105-93. Los Mochis maintains the 7th position in Mexican CIBACOPA. Los Mochis is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 17-18 record. In the team's last game Pearson had a remarkable 66.7% from 2-point range. He just recently signed at Los Mochis, being already a very valuable addition to the team. Former Southern Methodist University star has very solid stats this year. Pearson is league's best scorer averaging so far 26.9ppg. Pearson is in league's top in rebounds (2nd best: 10.4rpg) and averages impressive 52.0% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was 26-year old American Jerome Habel (208-F-85) of league's second-best Guaymas. Habel had a very good evening with a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds. Of course he lead Guaymas to another comfortable win outscoring slightly lower-ranked Guasave (#4, 17-18) 108-86. It was definitely game of the week between two contenders to the title. Guaymas consolidated its place in top 2 of the standings. His team's 26-9 record is not bad at all. Habel is one of the most experienced players at Guaymas and has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

Third on the list of top players last round was American forward Rob Robinson (203-F-87, agency: SDJ Sports) of Culiacan (#8). Robinson got into 30-points club by scoring exactly 30 points in the last round. He went also for eleven rebounds and eight assists. He was a key player of Culiacan, leading his team to a 85-79 win against the higher-ranked Nogales (#5, 17-18). The chances of Culiacan not to end season at such low position in the league, however are less than slim as they have already lost 24 games, recording just eleven victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Robinson could try to bring Culiacan's a little bit higher in the standings. Robinson has individually a great season in Mexico. After 34 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 21.8ppg (6th best) and rebounds with 7.6rpg (7th best).

Other top performing players last week:
4. Carlos M. Toussaint (190-G-91) of Los Mochis - 34 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists
5. Ray Reese (196-F-87) of Tepic - 35 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists
6. Robert Hornsby (196-F/C-82) of Tijuana - 18 points, 18 rebounds and 6 assists
7. Gabriel Giron (192-F-88) of Guasave - 34 points and 4 rebounds
8. Jesus Lopez (205-F-83) of Hermosillo - 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists
9. William Funn (188-G-82) of Los Mochis - 8 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists
10. MaJic Dorsey (185-PG-81) of Guasave - 32 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists

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

CIBACOPA Round 35: Frayles de Guasave loses to Ostioneros de Guaymas in the game between Top 4 teams - by Eurobasket News

The teams have now bigger motivation at this stage of Regular Season. Every game can be crucial and decide about teams' position at the end of Regular Season. Coincidentally all hosts won their games.

The game between Top Four teams took place in Guaymas. Second ranked host Ostioneros de Guaymas (26-9) smashed 4th placed Frayles de Guasave (17-18) 108-86. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Frayles de Guasave. The hosts trailed by 2 points after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 2-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 108-86. Ostioneros de Guaymas dominated down low during the game scoring 80 of its points in the paint compared to Frayles de Guasave's 50. Ostioneros de Guaymas had a 33-19 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 37 assists comparing to just 9 passes made by Frayles de Guasave's players. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Ostioneros de Guaymas made 7 blocks. It was a great evening for American forward Jerome Habel (208-85, college: San Diego St.) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 20 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists (on 10-of-11 shooting from the field). Power forward Jose Sanchez (-80) helped adding 21 points (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field). Ostioneros de Guaymas' coach LaSelle Taylor felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American point guard MaJic Dorsey (185-81, college: S.Indiana, agency: Court Side) responded with 32 points and 4 assists. Ostioneros de Guaymas maintains second place with 26-9 record having five points less than leader Hermosillo. Frayles de Guasave at the other side keeps the fourth position with 18 games lost. They share it with Los Mochis and Nogales. Ostioneros de Guaymas are again looking forward to face Frayles de Guasave (#4) at home in the next round. Frayles de Guasave will have a break next round.
CIBACOPA top team - Rayos de Hermosillo (31-4) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed eighth ranked Garra Canera de Navolato (12-23) 115-83. It was a quality performance for American forward Patrick Sanders (198-85, college: Cal-Irvine) who led the winners and scored 31 points. Jesus Lopez accounted for 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Coach Dan Tacheny's team controlled all game and the coach could let to play all 12 players and allowed the starting five to rest. American forward Charles Moore (201-86, college: S.Arkansas) came up with 25 points and 6 rebounds for Garra Canera de Navolato in the defeat. Rayos de Hermosillo have an impressive series of eighteen victories in a row. They maintain first place with 31-4 record. Garra Canera de Navolato at the other side dropped to the ninth position with 23 games lost. Rayos de Hermosillo will again play against Garra Canera de Navolato (#9) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Garra Canera de Navolato will have a break next round.
An interesting game took place in Culiacan where higher ranked Fuerza Guinda Nogales (17-18) were upseton the court of ninth ranked Caballeros de Culiacan (11-24) 85-79 on Tuesday. Americans were the main players on the court. The best player for the winners was Rob Robinson who had a double-double by scoring 30 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Caballeros de Culiacan's coach Jonathan Meza used a ten-player rotation saving starting five for next games. Keith Davis produced 31 points and 5 rebounds for the guests. Caballeros de Culiacan moved-up to eighth place. Loser Fuerza Guinda Nogales dropped to the fourth position with 18 games lost. They share it with Los Mochis and Guasave. Caballeros de Culiacan will again meet at home higher ranked Fuerza Guinda Nogales (#5) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Fuerza Guinda Nogales will have a break next round.

In the last two games of round 35 bottom-ranked Tepic lost to Los Mochis on the opponent's court 93-105. Tijuana managed to outperform Cananea in a home game 84-74.

Hermosillo - Navolato 115-83 *Hermosillo already secured first place before the Playoffs.
CIBACOPA top team - Rayos de Hermosillo (31-4) had no problems winning another game. This time they crushed eighth ranked Garra Canera de Navolato (12-23) 115-83. The game was mostly controlled by Rayos de Hermosillo. Garra Canera de Navolato was better in second period 30-25. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Rayos de Hermosillo shot 63.6 percent from the field. They shot the lights out from three nailing 17 long-distance shots on high 65.4 percentage. Rayos de Hermosillo players were unselfish on offense dishing 25 assists. It was a quality performance for American forward Patrick Sanders (198-85, college: Cal-Irvine) who led the winners and scored 31 points. The former international forward Jesus Lopez (205-83, college: SW Baptist) accounted for 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side. Coach Dan Tacheny's team controlled all game and the coach could let to play all 12 players and allowed the starting five to rest. American forward Charles Moore (201-86, college: S.Arkansas) came up with 25 points and 6 rebounds and the other American import forward Ronald Selleaze (197-76, college: CSU Bakersfield, agency: Dream Team Management) added 19 points and 4 assists respectively for Garra Canera de Navolato in the defeat. Five Rayos de Hermosillo and four Garra Canera de Navolato players scored in double figures. Rayos de Hermosillo have an impressive series of eighteen victories in a row. They maintain first place with 31-4 record. Garra Canera de Navolato at the other side dropped to the ninth position with 23 games lost. Rayos de Hermosillo will again play against Garra Canera de Navolato (#9) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Garra Canera de Navolato will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Hermosillo: P.Sanders 31+2reb+1ast, J.Coronado 19+1reb+5ast, J.Lopez 17+7reb+5ast, S.Monreal 14+1reb+6ast, J.Camacho 10+8reb+1ast, J.Manuel Esteva 9+2reb+2ast
Navolato: C.Moore 25+6reb, R.Selleaze 19+2reb+4ast, D.McSwine 16+5reb+4ast, C.Uribe 10+7reb+3ast, F.Verdugo 5+3reb+1ast, J.Gutierrez 3+1reb

Los Mochis - Tepic 105-93
Rather expected game when 10th ranked Coras de Tepic (2-33) was defeated on the road by seventh ranked Pioneros Los Mochis (17-18) 105-93 on Tuesday. Pioneros Los Mochis looked well-organized offensively handing out 33 assists comparing to just 14 passes made by Coras de Tepic's players. The best player for the winners was American forward Devon Pearson (198-84, college: SMU) who had a double-double by scoring 28 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists. Guard Carlos M. Toussaint (190-91) chipped in 34 points (!!!) and 5 assists. Pioneros Los Mochis' coach Jorge Toussaint used a ten-player rotation saving starting five for next games. American forward Ray Reese (196-87, college: Tulsa) produced a double-double by scoring 35 points (!!!), 10 rebounds and 4 assists and Kavin Young added 23 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the guests. The victory was the third consecutive win for Pioneros Los Mochis. They moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Guasave and Nogales. Coras de Tepic lost their ninth game in a row. They stay dead last with 33 lost games. Pioneros Los Mochis will again meet at home bottom-ranked Coras de Tepic (#10) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Coras de Tepic will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Los Mochis: C.M. Toussaint 34+4reb+5ast, D.Pearson 28+15reb+7ast, S.Scott 14+6reb+6ast, W.Funn 8+8reb+11ast, E.Rios 6+1reb, A.Araujo 4+2reb+1ast
Tepic: R.Reese 35+10reb+4ast, K.Young 23+7reb+3ast, V.Purnell 15+5reb+2ast, J.Orduno 9+3reb+1ast, E.Swanson 7+2reb+4ast, R.Aguilar Nery 2+1reb

Tijuana - Cananea 84-74
Rather predictable result when third ranked Tijuana Zonkeys (24-11) defeated at home 6th ranked Mineros de Cananea (18-17) 84-74 on Tuesday. The game was mostly controlled by Tijuana Zonkeys. Mineros de Cananea managed to win third quarter 25-12. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. The game was decided in the last minutes when Tijuana Zonkeys won last quarter 28-19. Tijuana Zonkeys outrebounded Mineros de Cananea 48-32 including 19 on the offensive glass. Americans were the main players on the court. The best player for the winners was power forward Robert Hornsby (196-82, college: Troy) who had a double-double by scoring 18 points, 18 rebounds and 6 assists. Swingman Marcus Morrison (198-84, college: Middle Tenn.St.) chipped in 20 points and 7 rebounds. Four Tijuana Zonkeys players scored in double figures. Forward Rodney Alexander (201-87, college: Oklahoma City) produced a double-double by scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds and forward Derek Thomas (193-84, college: Appalachian St.) added 14 points and 10 rebounds respectively for the guests. Both coaches used bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the fifth consecutive win for Tijuana Zonkeys. They maintain third place with 24-11 record having seven points less than leader Hermosillo. Mineros de Cananea lost their third game in a row. Defending champion keeps the sixth position with 17 games lost. Tijuana Zonkeys will again meet at home Mineros de Cananea (#6) in the next round. Mineros de Cananea will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Tijuana: M.Morrison 20+7reb+3ast, R.Hornsby 18+18reb+6ast, O.Quintero 13+5reb+3ast, C.Tate 11+5reb+2ast, L.Ramirez 10+2reb+1ast, A.Solares 8+6reb+1ast
Cananea: R.Alexander 25+10reb, D.White 15+1reb+3ast, D.Thomas 14+10reb+3ast, J.Arturo Farrera Chantiri 8+5reb, F.Harris 8+1reb+3ast, J.Casillas 4+2reb

Culiacan - Nogales 85-79
An interesting game took place in Culiacan where higher ranked Fuerza Guinda Nogales (17-18) were upseton the court of ninth ranked Caballeros de Culiacan (11-24) 85-79 on Tuesday. The hosts trailed by 1 point at the halftime before their 24-14 charge in the third quarter, which allowed them to win the game. Caballeros de Culiacan outrebounded Fuerza Guinda Nogales 42-31 including 16 on the offensive glass. Americans were the main players on the court. The best player for the winners was forward Rob Robinson (203-87, college: Robert Morris, agency: SDJ Sports) who had a double-double by scoring 30 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Swingman Rene Rougeau (198-86, college: UNLV, agency: ProSportsCareers) chipped in 17 points and 7 rebounds. Caballeros de Culiacan's coach Jonathan Meza used a ten-player rotation saving starting five for next games. Forward Keith Davis (198-82) produced 31 points and 5 rebounds and swingman O'Louis McCullough (198-82, college: Francis Marion) added 14 points and 10 rebounds respectively for the guests. Four Fuerza Guinda Nogales players scored in double figures. Caballeros de Culiacan moved-up to eighth place. Loser Fuerza Guinda Nogales dropped to the fourth position with 18 games lost. They share it with Los Mochis and Guasave. Caballeros de Culiacan will again meet at home higher ranked Fuerza Guinda Nogales (#5) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Fuerza Guinda Nogales will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Culiacan: R.Robinson 30+11reb+8ast, R.Rougeau 17+7reb+1ast, R.Zamora 14+6reb+1ast, R.Navarro 8+2reb+4ast, J.Gonzalez 8+1reb, V.Avila 4+8reb+1ast
Nogales: K.Davis 31+5reb+1ast, O.McCullough 14+10reb+2ast, M.Strobbe 13+8reb, M.Gale 12+1reb+3ast, B.Heredia 7+4reb+2ast, V.Rojo 2+3reb

Guaymas - Guasave 108-86
The game between Top Four teams took place in Guaymas. Second ranked host Ostioneros de Guaymas (26-9) smashed 4th placed Frayles de Guasave (17-18) 108-86. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Frayles de Guasave. The hosts trailed by 2 points after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 2-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 108-86. Ostioneros de Guaymas dominated down low during the game scoring 80 of its points in the paint compared to Frayles de Guasave's 50. Ostioneros de Guaymas had a 33-19 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 37 assists comparing to just 9 passes made by Frayles de Guasave's players. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Ostioneros de Guaymas made 7 blocks. It was a great evening for American forward Jerome Habel (208-85, college: San Diego St.) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 20 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists (on 10-of-11 shooting from the field). Power forward Jose Sanchez (-80) helped adding 21 points (on 8-of-9 shooting from the field). Four Ostioneros de Guaymas players scored in double figures. Ostioneros de Guaymas' coach LaSelle Taylor felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American point guard MaJic Dorsey (185-81, college: S.Indiana, agency: Court Side) responded with 32 points and 4 assists and naturalized Panamanian forward Gabriel Giron (192-88) scored 34 points (!!!). Ostioneros de Guaymas maintains second place with 26-9 record having five points less than leader Hermosillo. Frayles de Guasave at the other side keeps the fourth position with 18 games lost. They share it with Los Mochis and Nogales. Ostioneros de Guaymas are again looking forward to face Frayles de Guasave (#4) at home in the next round. Frayles de Guasave will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Guaymas: J.Sanchez 21+3reb+2ast, J.Habel 20+15reb+5ast, H.Carrillo 18+2reb+4ast, A.Pedroza 16+3reb+2ast, H.Johnson 10+1reb+1ast, H.Nungaray 8+2reb+8ast
Guasave: G.Giron 34+4reb+1ast, M.Dorsey 32+3reb+4ast, A.Izaguirre 8+5reb, D.Green 7+5reb, H.Fuller 2+6reb+1ast, V.Buelna 2+3reb+3ast

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

MONTENEGRO

Timberwolves C Nikola Pekovic has ankle surgery in New York to remove bone spurs - by Eurobasket News

Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic (6'11''-C-86, agency: Beo Basket) had surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle on Tuesday.

Pekovics sore ankle kept him out of eight games towards the end of the season. Dr. Martin OMalley performed the surgery and Pekovic is expected to make a full recovery and be ready in time for training camp.

The big man from Montenegro enjoyed a breakout season before the ankle injuries started popping up in March. He averaged 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds and his 56.4 shooting percentage was the second best in the league. He quickly supplanted Darko Milicic as the teams starting center.

Pekovic finished third in the voting for the Most Improved Player award.

Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com

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

NBA

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Kobe BRYANT
  LA Lakers
  (198-G-78)
  Avg: 27.8

1. Bryant, LA Lakers	27.8
2. Durant, Oklah.Ci.	27.8
3. James, Miami Heat	27.3
4. Love, Minnesota T.	26.0
5. Westbrook, Oklah..	23.5
6. Anthony, New Y.	23.1
7. Wade, Miami Heat	22.1
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 Lakers	11.9
4. Cousins, Sacramen.	11.0
5. Humphries, New J.	11.0
6. Griffin, LA Clipp.	10.4
7. Gasol, LA Lakers	10.3
8. Gortat, Phoenix	10.0
9. Smith, Atlanta H.	9.9
10. Noah, Chicago B.	9.8

Assists Per Game

Rajon RONDO
  Boston C.
  (185-PG-86)
  Avg: 11.9

1. Rondo, Boston C.	11.9
2. Nash, Phoenix Suns	10.7
3. Paul, LA Clippers	8.9
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 Clippers	2.6
2. Rubio, Minnesot.	2.2
3. Conley, Memphis G.	2.1
4. Rondo, Boston C.	1.9
5. James, Miami Heat	1.9
6. Millsap, Utah Jazz	1.8
7. Wade, Miami Heat	1.8
8. Kidd, Dallas M.	1.8
9. Shumpert, New Y.	1.7
10. Ariza, N.Orleans	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Serge IBAKA
  Oklah.Ci.
  (208-C/F-89)
  Avg: 3.7

1. Ibaka, Oklah.Ci.	3.7
2. McGee, Washingt.	2.5
3. Howard, Orlando M.	2.1
4. Bynum, LA Lakers	2.1
5. Hibbert, Indiana P.	2.1
6. Jordan, LA Clippers	2.0
7. McGee, Denver N.	2.0
8. Gasol, Memphis G.	1.9
9. Biyombo, Charlott.	1.8
10. Udoh, Golde S.	1.7

Avery Bradley shoulder problems continue - by Eurobasket News

In terms of injuries, the Celtics are now happy if someone can play at 75 percent capacity.

That essentially describes the plight of Avery Bradley (6'2''-G-90, college: Texas), whose painful left shoulder popped out of its socket for the third time in two weeks during the Celtics' 82-81 Game 2 loss to Philadelphia last night.

The Celtics guard left the game midway through the second quarter, had the shoulder re-set, and returned to play all but 12 seconds of the fourth quarter, in which he made two shots, including a big 3-pointer with 2:22 left.

'I thought he played fine', said coach Doc Rivers. 'He turned the ball over once and I thought that was a shoulder issue. If you see him trying to, he just had nothing on the ball. But, listen, I didn't think we'd have him. At halftime they said we wouldnt, and then when I walked out (trainer) Eddie (Lacerte) said, Hey, I think hes going to try to give it a go. I mean, this is the third time now in two weeks his shoulders come out. That can't be a good feeling, number one. It has to hurt like heck.'

The good news is, though, it did what it did in the past where it went right back in and he got his feeling. Thats what happens when your shoulder goes out. You lose the feeling in your hand. You cant go back in until it comes back. Tonight it did.

Courtesy of The Boston Herald (via www.insidehoops.com)

Derrick Rose to miss first two months of the 2012-13 season - by Eurobasket News

Derrick Rose (6'3''-G-88, college: Memphis) underwent surgery on his torn ACL last weekend, giving him a 6-9 month timetable. Which means, according to the Sun-Times, that Rose is out for at least the first two months of the 2012-13 season.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose underwent surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Saturday morning at Rush University Medical Center. .... The usual recovery time for someone undergoing ACL surgery is 6-9 months. The Sun-Times has learned that Rose was told to expect an eight-month rehabilitation, which would allow him to return to the Bulls in late December or early January.

No big surprise there, as that's just the timetable. But when you see it like that, it's kind of stunning. Rose missed the end of the Bulls season, in which they lost in six games to the 76ers, will miss the Olympics and is out at least the first two months of next season. This injury is having an affect on three major events for Rose.

The surgeon for Rose, Dr. Brian Cole, said the surgery went 'extremely well.'

'It's impossible to predict tomorrow,' Cole said. 'Statistically, he should be that player and then some. That doesn't mean he's guaranteed. It's a whole lot better than we were accustomed to years ago. The ligament is one thing and the meniscus is another. Getting all the things to heal appropriately is really our goal in the early phases. Then, it's rehab, conditioning - getting his brain connected to his knee, basically.'

Cole also said that Rose can still be an explosive player, which is a great thing to hear. Cole said Rose could potentially get back sooner than mid-January but 'we're not going to rush it.'

But it's about coming back strong and healthy, so there's no reason to rush. The Bulls showed this season they can survive in the regular season without Rose, so the team will likely be in good shape when he does return.

Courtesy of www.cbssports.com

Coach Carlisle agrees to new contract with Mavericks - by Eurobasket News

The coach who led the Dallas Mavericks to their only NBA championship is staying put.

Rick Carlisle has signed a new contract with the Mavericks, a year after winning the title. While terms of the deal weren't released, owner Mark Cuban indicated in a statement Tuesday that it was for at least as long as the coach's initial four-year contract.

'We are excited that Rick will be back with the Mavericks for at least the next four years,' Cuban said. 'He is a proven winner, a great teacher and a coach that will help the Mavericks improve as a team and as an organization.'

Carlisle just completed the final season of the four-year contract he got when he replaced Avery Johnson in 2008. Dallas made it to the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season, but was swept in the first round by Oklahoma City.

Carlisle has a 198-114 regular season record in Dallas, and is 479-325 overall (.596 winning percentage) as a head coach. Before joining the Mavericks, Carlisle led Detroit and Indiana to the Eastern Conference finals.

Cuban and Carlisle both repeatedly refused over the last several weeks of the season to discuss the coach's future.

'These things, they take time and it's a very big commitment both ways and we had a lot of great conversations during the season and after the season,' Carlisle said during an interview on ESPN Radio in Dallas, the team's flagship station. 'I'm very happy to have the opportunity to return.'

Carlisle wouldn't elaborate on any details of his new contract during the extended interview.

On the day after the season-ending Game 4 loss to the Thunder earlier this month, Carlisle would only say that Dallas 'has been a great opportunity for me and my family and we love it here.' When he attended a Texas Rangers game Sunday, he smiled without saying anything when asked about a new contract.

Now that Carlisle is set to return, the Mavericks have plenty of decisions to make about players to surround 11-time All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who will be 34 next season.

'It's a lot of work going forward because there's going to be a lot of big decisions that have to be made,' Carlisle said during his radio interview. 'We've got younger guys, we've got to continue to get better and there are some unknowns which to me make it exciting, and I want to be here. So I'm glad it worked out.'

Jason Kidd, their 39-year-old point guard whose 1,315 career regular-season games are more than any other active player, and guards Jason Terry and Delonte West are among six Dallas players who can become free agents. The Mavs have team options on four other players, including Vince Carter and Brandan Wright.

The NBA lockout last summer led to a new collective bargaining agreement with different rules that affected how Cuban put together the team. In the process, some big pieces were let go and Dallas became the league's oldest team for a condensed and shortened season.

After its championship, Dallas didn't keep centre Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, J.J. Barea or Caron Butler. Chandler went to the New York Knicks and was the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year.

The roster could drastically change for the second off-season in a row, though Carlisle can't and didn't specifically talk Tuesday about any potential free-agent targets.

'We have a destination that is going to be a desirable destination for players and we've got a great fan base. We still have one of the greatest players in the game and one of the greatest players ever to play the game in Dirk,' Carlisle said. 'We're going to have a busy summer, we're looking forward to it. And we're going to be very resourceful and opportunistic.'

Courtesy of www.tsn.ca

Report: J.R. Smith is 'broke', father pushing him to stay in New York - by Eurobasket News

J.R. Smith (6'6''-G-85) has choices to make, and like most NBA players the decision will really be about the money. He just may be more naked about it.

Smith has a one-year option with the Knicks for next year at just a shade under $2.5 million. Conventional wisdom is that Smith would opt out of that deal because he could make more and get a longer-term deal, either with the Knicks (who can give him a 20 percent raise off that deal) or elsewhere.

But ESPN is reporting Smiths father is pushing him to stay in New York because Smith has some serious financial issues, reports ESPNNewYork.com (via IamaGM).

A source told ESPN New York that Smith's father, Earl, is going to make a strong case for his son to stay in New York, but its very clear that the money is the biggest factor with him.

In fact, when Smith chose the Knicks over the Clippers in mid-February after coming back from China, a source said the Knicks higher offer ($2.443 million to the Clippers $1.4 million veterans minimum) was the deciding factor because he was financially broke. Therefore, Smith will likely opt out and ask for the 20 percent raise. At that point, the ball will be in the Knicks court to re-sign Smith, whos already said publicly that he wants to return next season.

Smith has earned $25.7 million in salary over his eight year NBA career, plus picked up a reported $3 million playing in China during the lockout.

Courtesy of http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com

Batum not doing Blazers any favors, will sign first lucrative offer sheet - by Eurobasket News

According to the agent for Portland Trail Blazers forward, Nicolas Batum (6'7''-F-88), they will not be holding off on deals to allow the Trail Blazers to sign a couple of free agents before the team tends to his client, who's a restricted free agent.

The first good offer we get, we're going with that, Bouna Ndiaye of Comsport Management told CSNNW.com. We're not waiting for anything.

The Trail Blazers had hoped they would be able to spend their $15-20 million in cap space to sign at least two key free agents first. Being that the Trail Blazers own Batum's Bird rights, they could go over the cap to sign him.

However, if a team decides to approach Batum's camp with a front-loaded offer early on, the Trail Blazers would be forced to make a decision on matching that offer within three days.

Back in April, CSNNW.com got word Batum would command $10-11 million this summer and if that number is accurate and the Trail Blazers were to match, that would be a significant amount of cap space tied-up, putting a damper on the flexibility the Trail Blazers were expecting to have.

Trail Blazers' acting general manager, Chad Buchanan, wouldn't disclose if he has asked Batum's agent to hold off on signing an offer sheet promptly from another team in order to give them time to improve their roster via free agency.

Teams with cap room who could use a promising wing player and make things difficult for the Trail Blazers are the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Those are some of the teams to keep an eye out for and the San Antonio Spurs would love to add Batum, but will have to get creative in order to land one of Tony Parker's best friends.

The Trail Blazers have until June 30 to extend a qualifying offer of $5.4 million making him a restricted free agent. July 1 is the first day of free agency in which teams can negotiate with players but cannot sign until July 11.

Courtesy of www.csnnw.com

Timberwolves C Nikola Pekovic has ankle surgery in New York to remove bone spurs - by Eurobasket News

Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic (6'11''-C-86, agency: Beo Basket) had surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle on Tuesday.

Pekovics sore ankle kept him out of eight games towards the end of the season. Dr. Martin OMalley performed the surgery and Pekovic is expected to make a full recovery and be ready in time for training camp.

The big man from Montenegro enjoyed a breakout season before the ankle injuries started popping up in March. He averaged 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds and his 56.4 shooting percentage was the second best in the league. He quickly supplanted Darko Milicic as the teams starting center.

Pekovic finished third in the voting for the Most Improved Player award.

Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com

Derrick Rose expected to miss 8-12 months - by Eurobasket News

Derrick Rose's (6'3''-G-88, college: Memphis) former high school coach spoke with Rose on Tuesday and said the Chicago Bulls star was in good spirits and is ready to work his way back from recent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.

Rose is expected to miss eight to 12 months after undergoing surgery on Saturday. He tore the ACL on April 28 during the first game of the Bulls' first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

'He's doing well,' Simeon Career Academy (Chicago) coach Robert Smith said of Rose. 'He was at rehab. His spirits are up. He's ready to work as hard as he can to get back on the court. That's his objective right now.

'There's no doubt in my mind he's going to come back. I think he's going to come back and going to back at full strength. At the beginning, he might think about it a little more. When he gets to be more comfortable, he's going to be the Derrick Rose of old.'

Rose has not spoken publicly since he was injured.

Smith watched Rose deal with injuries at Simeon. None were as serious as a torn ACL, but Smith saw how Rose handled a physical setback.

'He just came back stronger,' Smith said. 'Whatever it takes to get healthy, he'll do it.'

Smith has known Rose since he was a child and understands what basketball means to him.

'This is the first time he's been without basketball,' Smith said. 'It's part of life. Myself, if it had to happen to him, I'm glad it happened now, so he can fight through the adversity. He's fought through adversity his whole life coming from the community he's come from. This is nothing that will set him back, but it'll also give him a chance to sit back and reflect on life and the things given to him and the things he's worked so hard to create for himself.

'The one thing we've created here at Simeon is a family atmosphere. Derrick understands that. Anything we can help him with, our doors are open to him.'

Courtesy of ESPN

Chicago Bulls will pick up Tom Thibodeau's option - by Eurobasket News

General manager Gar Forman says the Chicago Bulls will exercise their contract option for next season on coach Tom Thibodeau and will try to negotiate a new deal.

Forman says Thibodeau is 'one of the finest coaches in the league' and the Bulls are 'hopeful he'll be our coach long term.' He spoke Tuesday at a news conference to update Derrick Rose's recovery from knee surgery.

Thibodeau is 112-36 in two seasons. The Bulls tied San Antonio for the NBA's best record at 50-16 after winning a league-leading 62 games in his first year, even though they were rarely at full strength. They lost to Philadelphia in six games after losing Rose in the playoff opener.

Thibodeau dismissed a question about his contract, saying, he's 'not worried' about it.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert plans to approach NBA about future All-Star game in Cleveland - by Eurobasket News

With his downtown casino open, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wants to get the NBAs high rollers into town.

Gilbert said Tuesday he plans to approach the league about bringing its annual All-Star game back to Cleveland, which last hosted the event in 1997.

That is something definitely that we are interested in, Gilbert said following a news conference where Cleveland guard Kyrie Irving was named the leagues Rookie of the Year.

Gilberts Horseshoe Casino Cleveland opened Monday night to rave reviews. Its arrival along with a new convention center, medical mart and hotels has re-energized the citys downtown. Gilbert believes an entertainment district centered around the casino and Quicken Loans Arena could be enough to entice the NBA to consider Cleveland for a future NBA All-Star weekend.

Houston will host the game next year and New Orleans will have it again in 2014 after hosting in 2008. The earliest Cleveland could host would be in 2015, but the city could have stiff competition with both the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets expressing interest in having the midseason event.

I hope in the next few years wed be able to get it, Gilbert said. Im going to do our best and Ill talk to the commissioner (David Stern). Well be talking to the league very shortly.

Gilbert noted that before the All-Star game was held in Orlando in February that it was in a Western Conference city eight consecutive years. The NBA prefers to have the event in warmer cities to take advantage of the weather, and one of its stipulations is that the host city has enough hotel rooms to accommodate thousands of fans and an international media contingent.

In 1997, the league commemorated its 50th anniversary by holding the All-Star game in Cleveland and invited the top 50 all-time players, who were honored during a ceremony.

Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com

Game 3: Kevin Garnett, Celtics quickly subdue 76ers, 107-91 - by Eurobasket News

Kevin Garnett (6'11''-F-76) scored 27 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and used a dominant second quarter to help the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 107-91, on Wednesday night and take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Whistled for a costly illegal pick late in a Game 2 loss, Garnett crushed the 76ers early.

Garnett scored 13 of Boston's 32 points in the second quarter.

'He got the ball in his spots,' said Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (6'1''-PG-86, college: Kentucky). 'He hit a couple of fadeaways. A lot of those guys are smaller than him, so he was just able to turn around and shoot over them.'

Rondo finished with 23 points and 14 assists. Paul Pierce (6'7''-F/G-77, college: Kansas), playing with a banged-up knee, had 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Game 4 is Friday in Philadelphia.

'Our offense finally came alive,' Pierce said. 'We moved the ball. We knew that's what we were going to have to do to score 100 points.'

Garnett had been forgotten in Boston's offense in Game 2 until the fourth quarter.

The Celtics need that to game in Game 3 at Philadelphia, where the 76ers had won their last four playoff games.

So much for that streak. Garnett made several big early buckets and clearly enjoyed taking it to the 76ers. He buried 10- to 16-footers with ease in the second quarter to turn a seven-point deficit into a 13-point lead.

'I thought a lot of guys tonight came and they didn't think about what they were not doing well,' Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said. 'A lot of guys just came and played.'

The Celtics again heard the whispers that they were too weary, too old to have their championship experience matter against the up-tempo 76ers.

Pierce is gutting out an ligament injury in his left knee that has robbed him of his jump shot and slowed him down on both sides of the ball. He scored only 21 points combined in the first two games.

'We just wanted to come out and establish who we are as a team,' Pierce said.

On Wednesday, Pierce charged the lane in the first quarter for a couple of angry-looking dunks. He even pounded the backboard for emphasis after one as if to show the 76ers he still had some lift in those legs.

'That's who he is,' Rivers said. 'That's how he's been even when he's healthy. Paul's just a grinder.'

He'll need to do it again to hold off the 76ers.

Thaddeus Young (6'8''-F-88, college: Georgia Tech) scored 22 points and Jrue Holiday (6'3''-PG-90, college: UCLA) had 15 for the Sixers.

'Sometimes you've got to take it and go with it and come back the next game,' Young said. 'That's what we've got to do.'

Wearing their matching red 76ers logo T-shirts, fans fled for the exits at the six-minute mark and the 76ers down 101-76.

The 76ers hadn't hosted a second-round game since 2003, when coach Larry Brown and All-Star Allen Iverson ruled the town. Julius Erving walked out to a roaring ovation when he presented the game ball and Eagles quarterback Michael Vick watched from a suite.

The 76ers hoped all the stars and hoopla that helped them knock off top-seeded Chicago would work again.

Back to the drawing board. Young scored three baskets and the rest of the 76ers had only two in the decisive second quarter.

'We ran into a Celtics team that had a real sense of purpose about them,' Coach Doug Collins said. 'You could see in moment one, they were looking to push that ball in every situation.'

Courtesy of www.latimes.com

Thunder rally to edge Lakers 77-75 in Game 2 - by Eurobasket News

Even down late, the Oklahoma City Thunder are showing that they are never out.

Kevin Durant (6'9''-G/F-88, college: Texas) scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by seven with 2 minutes left before surging back with a series of defensive stops by its stars to claw back from that deficit in the closing stages of a game for the second time this postseason. The Thunder were also seven down with 2 minutes left in Game 1 against defending NBA champion Dallas in the first round.

'They won't quit. That's not in their DNA,' coach Scott Brooks said. 'They're not wired that way and if they were, they wouldn't be here. We're not going to win every game but we're going to fight to the last second of the game and we did that tonight.'

'If we would have gotten down on ourselves with 2 minutes to go, we would have lost by 12 and we would go to L.A. 1-1.'

Instead, Oklahoma City takes a 2-0 lead into Game 3 on Friday night at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant (6'6''-G-78) and Andrew Bynum (7'0''-C-87) scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came up empty on their last six possessions after Bynum's hook shot made it 75-68 with 2:09 remaining.

After struggling throughout the second half and missing 20 of their first 27 shots, the Thunder suddenly came alive after Brooks called timeout following Bynum's basket that gave Los Angeles its largest lead of the game.

James Harden drove for a layup before Durant used his height advantage to reach up and tip away a pass from Bryant, who he was guarding. Durant ran out for a right-handed dunk at the other end before Russell Westbrook (6'3''-PG-88, college: UCLA) forced another turnover by aggressively challenging an outlet pass to Bryant along the sideline.

Harden made the next stop, blocking Bryant's jumper on the next Lakers possession and getting a layup in transition off it to cut the deficit to one in the final minute.

Bryant couldn't connect again, this time on a 3-pointer, to give the Thunder the ball back with the chance to take the lead and Durant was able to make it happen.

'I wish it was my magical words. All I told the guys was, 'We're down 7. You don't have to play perfect basketball but we better come pretty close,'' Brooks said.

Steve Blake missed an open 3-pointer from the right side with about 5 seconds left after Metta World Peace (6'7''-G/F-79, college: St.John's) couldn't get the ball to Bryant on the inbounds play.

Brown said he thought Bryant was open on the back side of the play, but World Peace apparently didn't see him - agreeing that Bryant was supposed to be the first option.

'Blake was wide open. We didn't have any timeouts left and he got a clean look, a really good look,' World Peace said. 'He can knock that down.'

Durant was then fouled with 0.3 seconds left and made his first try before missing the second on purpose - failing to hit the backboard or rim for a violation.

The Lakers got a desperation try but World Peace's long pass for Bynum was intercepted by Harden.

'What they did the last few minutes there, they just made gambles,' Bryant said. 'They just jumped in the passing lanes. It's something that we're not accustomed to seeing. It's just flat-out risks defensively.'

Historically, the loss makes a huge difference. Los Angeles is 29-12 when splitting the first two games of a seven-game series and has lost 17 of 19 when falling into a 2-0 hole. The Lakers' last comeback was in the 2004 West semifinals against San Antonio.

The Thunder have won all nine of their series after leading 2-0, dating back to the franchise's days in Seattle.

'It's not good. I don't think anybody's happy in there (in the locker room),' coach Mike Brown said. 'We felt like we let one slip away.'

Bryant was right at the heart of the meltdown, missing two shots and having a hand in two turnovers in the final 2 minutes. The first turnover came when Durant used his nearly 7-foot frame and impressive wingspan to come up with an energizing steal and fast-break chance.

'He used his length on Kobe. Coming up with that steal was huge,' Brown said. 'That's what great players are supposed to do. They're supposed to take on the challenge at the end of the game and he did.

'He won the game for them, basically.'

Westbrook added 15 points for Oklahoma City, which matched its lowest scoring total of the season but still gutted out the win. The Thunder had ripped apart the Lakers' defense with their pick-and-roll attack in Game 1, scoring 119 points in a 29-point blowout.

'We dominated defensively,' Bynum said. 'We stopped them, made them play through their bigs and turn the ball over. In the last 2 minutes, we gave the game away.'

In a game that was nip-and-tuck throughout, the Lakers started inching away early in the fourth quarter while Westbrook was on the bench.

Bryant drilled a jumper from the left wing and Blake followed with a 3-pointer before World Peace hit one of two free throws for a 69-63 advantage with 7:27 remaining - the Lakers' largest lead to that point.

Westbrook returned then but only provided the briefest of sparks for the struggling Oklahoma City offense, and Bynum's second straight basket - on a left-handed hook shot at the left block - made it 75-68 with 2:09 to play.

Until that point, Oklahoma City had more turnovers (eight) than made baskets (seven) in the second half after committing an uncharacteristically low four turnovers in Game 1.

Courtesy of www.ktvn.com

Harrington has surgery on knee. - by Bryan Floyd

Al Harrington (6'9''-F-80) had successful surgery on Wednesday to repair his torn meniscus in his right knee. He will be ready for the start of training camp in October. Harrington played through his knee injury since early April and in the last round against the Lakers, he also suffered a broken nose and still continued to battle. Harrington was a key component in the Nuggets solid season. They will be even better next year as they continue to gel as a team.

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

NCAA1

Rutgers AD: Big East needs right leaders - by Eurobasket News

Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti said he's not interested in becoming the Big East's next commissioner, saying he still has 'a lot to get done' in Piscataway.

'I'm flattered that people would suggest that,' Pernetti said at a Yankees/New Era Pinstripe Bowl charity golf event at Forsgate Country Club Tuesday. 'Beyond that, I've really not spent much time thinking about anything except what we're trying to get done at Rutgers.'

Pernetti was an executive vice president at CBS College Sports Network before becoming the Rutgers AD. His television background makes him a noteworthy name to consider for replacing John Marinatto, who resigned as commissioner May 7.

Joe Bailey is serving as interim commissioner but has said he doesn't want the job permanently. Pernetti, in his third year as Rutgers AD, said he'd like to see a new commissioner in place as soon as possible.

'I'm convinced that the league has opportunities ahead of it to do some things to stabilize its future,' Pernetti said. 'It's an urgent matter that we figure out how to get the right leadership in place so that we can get those laid out and executed upon in the next 3-6 months, which will be a critical time for everybody in the league.'

Pernetti was referring to this fall, when the Big East will negotiate a new TV deal with ESPN. Last year, the conference turned down an offer from ESPN reportedly worth $155 million annually.

The TV negotiations are just part of the Big East's unsettled future. Pittsburgh filed a lawsuit last week against the Big East to allow it to exit by 2013. Pittsburgh and Syracuse are scheduled to leave the Big East in July 2014. West Virginia and TCU, which had agreed to join the Big East, are headed for the Big 12 in July. The Big East has responded by adding schools from all over the country -- Boise State, San Diego State and Navy as football-only members and Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Temple as all-sports members.

CBSSports.com, however, reported last week that Boise State might be reconsidering its move to the Big East.

If the Big East's situation further deteriorates, Rutgers, the only FBS school in the metropolitan market, may need to explore its options.

'At the end of the day, there's no way that the college football team in the media capital of the world is going to be left in a bad situation,' new Rutgers football coach Kyle Flood said. 'There's no doubt that Rutgers will get taken of.'

Courtesy of www.newsday.com

PF Anthony Bennett picks UNLV - by Eurobasket News

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels have landed the top available prospect in the country and ESPN's No. 7 overall senior in power forward Anthony Bennett (6'7''-F-93) (Brampton, Ont./Findlay Prep).

Bennett selected the Rebels over finalist Oregon on Saturday.

Bennett, who has yet to take an official visit, was the subject of a yearlong recruiting tussle that stretched to both coasts. Florida, Kentucky and Washington were deep in Bennett's recruitment until the early part of the spring when the list began to shrink.

UNLV's recruiting class, ranked No. 12 by ESPN, is the program's best in recent memory and a source of pride for second-year coach Dave Rice. Bennett is the program's second Top 100 recruit this season, joining Katin Reinhardt (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Mater Dei) and transfer Khem Birch, a former McDonald's All-American.

Michael Peck, Findlay Prep's coach, watched the local school recruit his star with diligence.

'They did it very old school,' Peck said. 'They were traditional in how they recruited him. They tried to decide which places to come see him. They didn't overdo it. Now their fans, they made sure they were at home games and were cheering and wearing all the red.'

Bennett, a McDonald's All-American, averaged 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds for Findlay Prep. He helped them win the school's third NHSI championship last March.

Peck sees a clear strategy to use Bennett in Vegas.

'Look at Mike Moser,' Peck said. 'They're going to play up-tempo and they allow guys to play multiple positions and do multiple things. They let players be players. If the guys have skills that can do certain things, he lets them utilize their skills.'

Courtesy of ESPN

Arizona adds three transfers to roster - by Eurobasket News

Arizona has added three transfers to its latest recruiting class.

The school announced Tuesday that guards Mark Lyons (6'1''-G-89) and T.J. McConnell (6'1''-G-92), and forward Matt Korcheck signed to play for the school.

Lyons has one year of eligibility left after graduating from Xavier. He averaged 15.1 points and helped the Musketeers reach the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

Korcheck, a 6-foot-9 sophomore from Tucson, averaged 14.7 points and 6.5 rebounds for Cochise College in 2011-12. He will have two seasons of eligibility left.

McConnell will not be eligible to play next season after transferring from Duquesne, where he averaged 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.8 steals last season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Five-star forward Amile Jefferson announces for Duke - by Eurobasket News

Over the past few months, we had heard on several occasions that Amile Jefferson was close to a college decision. Jefferson had even said multiple times that he was ready to end his recruitment.

It never materialized, and Jefferson gave out very few hints as to his college destination.

On Tuesday, we finally got our answer: Jefferson is headed to Duke.

'In the end, I just think Duke was the best choice for me,' he said.

Jefferson, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Friends Central (Pa.), was the nation's highest-ranked uncommitted player still on the board. He chose the Blue Devils over North Carolina State, Kentucky, Villanova and Ohio State. The two Tobacco Road schools were the leaders for most of Jefferson's recent recruitment, although Kentucky made a late run and Villanova had the local angle.

He is a very difficult matchup for most defenders, given his size, length and athleticism. While Jefferson needs to add strength, he is effective along the baseline and in the post. He can also step out and knock down shots from the perimeter when given the opportunity. Jefferson's ability to run the floor and go off the dribble is also an asset that will be useful in the ACC.

'Right now I don't think they have a player at my position,' he said. 'I don't think they have a guy like me.'

Jefferson is only the second commitment in Duke's recruiting class for 2012, joining five-star guard Rasheed Sulaimon, who was ranked No. 13 by CBSSports.com.

His addition also gives the Blue Devils another much-needed frontcourt weapon for next season. Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee return, but Jefferson adds versatility and lineup options.

Courtesy of www.cbssports.com

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

NEW ZEALAND

Standings Men

NBL Standings

1. Bay Hawks		12-3
2. Auckland P.		11-3
3. Hub Jets		9-5
4. Wellington S.		9-6
5. Taranaki MA		7-8
6. Nelson G.		6-9
7. OceanaGold N.		5-10
8. Southland S.		4-11
9. Harbour H.		3-11

Regular Season: Round 12

May. 16: Harbour H. - Bay Hawks 90-96
May. 18: Hub Jets - Taranaki MA
May. 18: Southland S. - Harbour H.
May. 18: Wellington S. - Auckland P.
May. 19: Nelson G. - Auckland P.
May. 19: OceanaGold N. - Harbour H.
May. 20: Hub Jets - Bay Hawks

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Josh PACE
  Hub Jets
  (198-G/F-83)
  Avg: 23

1. Pace, Hub Jets	23.0
2. Wright, OceanaGo.	22.6
3. Leasure, Taranaki.	22.1
4. Tisby, OceanaGo.	22.1
5. Hudson, Taranaki.	21.3
6. Jones, Nelson G.	21.2
7. Braswell, Southlan.	21.2
8. Horvath, Hub Jets	21.1
9. Tait, Auckland P.	19.5
10. Abney, Southland	19.0

Rebounds Per Game

Nick HORVATH
  Hub Jets
  (208-F/C-81)
  Avg: 15.8

1. Horvath, Hub Jets	15.8
2. Tisby, OceanaGo.	11.7
3. Abney, Southland	10.0
4. Atkinson, Harbo.	9.8
5. Wright, OceanaGo.	9.1
6. Frank, Wellington	8.7
7. Muhammad, Aucklan.	8.6
8. Harrison, Nelson G.	8.2
9. Johnson, Bay Hawks	8.2
10. Abdelhamid, Taran.	7.2

Assists Per Game

Jason CROWE
  Wellington S.
  (193-G-76)
  Avg: 8.7

1. Crowe, Wellington	8.7
2. Tait, Auckland P.	7.6
3. Dickel, OceanaGo.	6.4
4. Jones, Nelson G.	5.1
5. Braswell, Southlan.	4.6
6. Wright, OceanaGo.	4.3
7. Kenny, Bay Hawks	4.3
8. Hudson, Taranaki.	4.0
9. Bailey, Harbour H.	3.8
10. Pace, Hub Jets	3.6

Steals Per Game

Jason CROWE
  Wellington S.
  (193-G-76)
  Avg: 2.9

1. Crowe, Wellington	2.9
2. Braswell, Southlan.	2.8
3. Wright, OceanaGo.	2.2
4. Leasure, Taranaki.	2.1
5. Muhammad, Aucklan.	2.0
6. Bailey, Harbour H.	1.9
7. Dickel, OceanaGo.	1.9
8. Dorsey, Auckland P.	1.8
9. Tait, Auckland P.	1.7
10. Ross, OceanaGold	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Michael HARRISON
  Nelson G.
  (206-F/C-84)
  Avg: 2.1

1. Harrison, Nelson G.	2.1
2. Tisby, OceanaGo.	1.5
3. Wright, OceanaGo.	1.2
4. Trousdell, Wellin.	1.2
5. Atkinson, Harbo.	1.2
6. Muhammad, Aucklan.	1.0
7. Scott, Wellington	1.0
8. Abney, Southland	1.0
9. Cartwright, Auckla.	0.8
10. Frank, Wellington	0.7

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

NIGERIA

DStv PBL: Tapgun escapes relegation beat Nets in Bauchi 79-69 - by Olusegun Ikuesan

Tapgun Rockets basketball club of Jos at the weekend posted a surprised away win with a 79-69 points defeat of Bauchi Nets basketball club in Bauchi.

The big win have thus put the Coach Umar Bala tutored side out relegation waters with three wins from eleven regular season games in the Savannah conference of the DStv premier league as Defenders basketball club of Abuja forfeiting its home game to Yelwa Hawks basketball club of Bauchi.

Title hopeful Kano Pillars basketball club and Dodan Warriors basketball club of Lagos maintain a hundred percent record with Pillars posting a centenary record of 100-66 points win over city rival Immigration basketball club at the sports hall of the Sani Abacha stadium while rampaging warriors defeated Islanders by 76-55 points.

Both sides are leading their conferences as the regular season drawing to a close with three regular games left.

Niger Potters basketball club of Minna brighten their final-8 playoff with a 76-71 points victory over Kada Stars basketball club of Kaduna to move to third spot of the Savannah conference and in the Atlantic conference Union Bank basketball club rallied back with a 61-50 points win over Police Baton basketball club as Comets basketball club humbled Customs basketball club by 65-60 points to stay out of relegation zone.

And on Monday defending champion Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt compounded the woes of relegation bound Chariots basketball club of Lagos with a 73-65 points victory.

DStv PBL: Tapgun escapes relegation beat Nets in Bauchi 79-69 - by Olusegun Ikuesan

Tapgun Rockets basketball club of Jos at the weekend posted a surprised away win with a 79-69 points defeat of Bauchi Nets basketball club in Bauchi.

The big win have thus put the Coach Umar Bala tutored side out relegation waters with three wins from eleven regular season games in the Savannah conference of the DStv premier league as Defenders basketball club of Abuja forfeiting its home game to Yelwa Hawks basketball club of Bauchi.

Title hopeful Kano Pillars basketball club and Dodan Warriors basketball club of Lagos maintain a hundred percent record with Pillars posting a centenary record of 100-66 points win over city rival Immigration basketball club at the sports hall of the Sani Abacha stadium while rampaging warriors defeated Islanders by 76-55 points.

Both sides are leading their conferences as the regular season drawing to a close with three regular games left.

Niger Potters basketball club of Minna brighten their final-8 playoff with a 76-71 points victory over Kada Stars basketball club of Kaduna to move to third spot of the Savannah conference and in the Atlantic conference Union Bank basketball club rallied back with a 61-50 points win over Police Baton basketball club as Comets basketball club humbled Customs basketball club by 65-60 points to stay out of relegation zone.

And on Monday defending champion Royal Hoopers basketball club of Port Harcourt compounded the woes of relegation bound Chariots basketball club of Lagos with a 73-65 points victory.

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

PANAMA

National Team starts practicing - by Gianni Pascucci

On Saturday, May 19 at the Rio Abajo Reginald Grenald Gymnasium the Panama National Team Pre-Selection will start practice sessions for 2012 season.
Miguel Sanchiz, Jr., President of Panamanian Basketball Federation, stated to media: The practice sessions will start on nex saturday, with the presence of a big part of the 22 players convocated for National Team. All the others are expected to join the group before than Saturday 26.'
The Team Panama coach will be David Rosario , currently coaching Capitanes de Arecibo in PuertoRican league, his assistand will be Rodolfo Fonseca , from Costa Rica.
The most important competition of the year will be 'Centrobasket 2012', scheduled from June 18 to 24 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Team Panama will play in Group A, together with reigning Champion Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Nicaragua and Cuba. The allignment of Group B is made of Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, Virgin Islands and Jamaica.
Veterano Jose Lloreda (201-F/C-80, agency: Paris Global Sports, college: LSU), is expecetd to serve again as Team Panama Captain, Danilo Pinnock (196-G-83, college: G.Washington) will be in the team he too, together with young, promising guard Derrick Bolanos (185-G)

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

PUERTO RICO

Standings - BSN

BSN Standings

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

Stage One Standings

Second Stage: Round 6

May. 15: San German - Bayamon 84-98 OT
May. 15: Arecibo - Mayaguez 75-68
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, Guayama	25.3
2. Harris, San German	20.3
3. Sensley, Humacao	19.7
4. Randolph, Quebradi.	19.3
5. Dalmau, Bayamon	18.8
6. Diogu, Arecibo	18.1
7. Brown, Humacao	18.0
8. Ayuso, Arecibo	17.8
9. Ramos, Quebradillas	17.4
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 German	10.5
3. Diogu, Arecibo	9.9
4. Lloreda, San G.	9.5
5. Powell, Guayama	9.2
6. Thornton, Guayama	9.2
7. Ramos, Quebradillas	9.1
8. Sensley, Humacao	9.0
9. Burgess, Guaynabo	8.4
10. Shannon, Quebradi.	8.1

Assists Per Game

Filiberto RIVERA
  San German
  (190-PG-82)
  Avg: 5.7

1. Rivera, San German	5.7
2. Smith, Mayaguez	5.4
3. Guzman, Guaynabo	5.4
4. Garcia, Humacao	5.2
5. Pagan, Guayama	5.0
6. Butler, Quebradill.	4.8
7. Pinnock, Arecibo	4.8
8. Dalmau, Bayamon	4.2
9. Brown, Humacao	3.4
10. Alvarado, Humacao	3.1

Steals Per Game

Donta SMITH
  Mayaguez
  (201-G-83)
  Avg: 2.2

1. Smith, Mayaguez	2.2
2. Mojica, Bayamon	1.7
3. Dalmau, Bayamon	1.6
4. Pinnock, Arecibo	1.6
5. Rivera, San German	1.4
6. Sensley, Humacao	1.3
7. Thornton, Guayama	1.3
8. Figueroa, Guaynabo	1.3
9. Pagan, Guayama	1.2
10. Rivera, Mayaguez	1.2

Blocks Per Game

Mamadou LAMIZANA
  Bayamon
  (207-F/C-81)
  Avg: 2.4

1. Lamizana, Bayamon	2.4
2. Penn, Humacao	1.8
3. Shannon, Quebradil.	1.6
4. Thornton, Guayama	1.6
5. O''Bryant, Mayaguez	1.6
6. Aubry, Arecibo	1.5
7. Burgess, Guaynabo	1.4
8. Powell, Guayama	1.3
9. Ramos, Quebradillas	1.2
10. Harris, San German	1.1

Four-way tie in second place: - by Luis Modestti

Capitanes de Arecibo and Piratas de Quebradillas won on Wednesday and forced a four-way tie in second place.

Now both Capitanes and Piratas join Vaqueros and Atleticos in second place with a 4-3 record and all of them have three games left. The top four in the Round Robin standings qualify to the semifinals.

Capitanes defeated Vaqueros de Bayamon 84-78 as Danilo Pinnock (196-G-83, college: G.Washington) and David Cortes (190-G/F-81) netted 17 points each for the winners. Gary Wilkinson (204-F/C-82, college: Utah St.) had 20 for Vaqueros.

In the other game Piratas beat Mets 89-85 led by Shavlik Randolph (208-F-83, college: Duke) who had 27 points and 16 boards.

The games for Thursday are Atleticos at Mets and Piratas visit Indios.

Indios land Gransberry: - by Luis Modestti

Indios de Mayaguez made their first import change of the 2012 season to land center Kentrell Gransberry (206-C-85, college: S.Florida). He replaces Patrick O'Bryant (213-C-86, college: Bradley)..

O'Bryant played in 30 games during the regular season and averaged 12.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.73 blocks. In the playoffs his numbers were 6.43 points and 4.9 rebounds.

Gransberry just played in Venezuela for Cocodrilos de Caracas where he averaged 11.5 points and 7.7 rebounds in 36 games.

He is expected to make his debut on Thursday against Quebradillas. Indios are still in first place with a 5-2 record.

Arecibo could use Mays tonight: - by Luis Modestti

Capitanes de Arecibo announced that James Mays (206-F-86, college: Clemson) could replace an injured Ike Diogu (204-F/C-83, college: Arizona St.) for the game tonight against Bayamon.

Diogu suffered a rib injury and missed the game yesterday against Mayaguez. His status is still uncertain for tonight.

Mays comes as insurance in case that Diogu could not come out and play today. He has prior experience in BSN with Caciques de Humacao.

Diogu averaged 15.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in five games during the Round Robin stage.

Management will meet with the coaching staff and make a decision later today. Capitanes have a 3-3 record and needs to keep winning in order to qualify for the semifinals.

National team practices begin today: - by Luis Modestti

The Puerto Rican national teams begin their practices today under head coach Flor Melendez.

Some of the players available from day one include Mike Rosario, Chris Gaston, Edwin Ubiles, Renaldo Balkman (201-F-84, college: S.Carolina), Javi Gonzalez, Jorge Bryan Diaz, Jonathan Garcia, and Alex Galindo among others.

Johwen Villegas, Shabazz Napier and Angel Garcia will join the team as soon as they get their medical clearance.

Puerto Rico announced a list of 30 players earlier this month but obviously that changes depending on available players.

Tomas Vazques-Simmons is expected to arrive on May 18, Carlos 'Yao' Lopez on May 20 and Kevin Young Morales later in the month.

The national team prepares for the Centrobasket Tournament to be played from June 18-24 at Coliseo de Puerto Rico. Then they have a couple of warm-up games and play in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament on July 2-8 in Caracas, Venezuela.

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

ROMANIA

Stats Leaders - Men

Points Per Game

Jaytonah WISSEH
  CSU Sibiu
  (185-G-88)
  Avg: 23.5

1. Wisseh, CSU Sibiu	23.5
2. Durham, Dinamo B.	23.3
3. Martinic, CSM B.	23.0
4. Krstanovic, U.Mobi.	20.9
5. Dykes, U.Mobite.	19.8
6. Mitchell, Gaz Metan	18.5
7. Sims, Giurgiu	18.3
8. Ross, Craiova	18.0
9. Gallimore, CSM B.	17.9
10. Darby, Rovinari	17.8

Rebounds Per Game

Allen DURHAM
  Dinamo B.
  (198-F-88)
  Avg: 13.7

1. Durham, Dinamo B.	13.7
2. Kinloch, Pitesti	9.3
3. Carutasu, CSM B.	8.6
4. McKenzie, CSM B.	8.6
5. Krstanovic, U.Mobi.	8.4
6. Dies, Perla Harghi.	8.4
7. Steffel, Rovinari	8.3
8. Riley, CSU Sibiu	8.1
9. Nicoara, Gaz Metan	8.1
10. Vlaicu, Giurgiu	7.7

Assists Per Game

Jaytonah WISSEH
  CSU Sibiu
  (185-G-88)
  Avg: 7.3

1. Wisseh, CSU Sibiu	7.3
2. Cooley, Targu M.	6.2
3. Maric, Oradea	6.1
4. Vlahovic, Ploiesti	5.5
5. Sims, Giurgiu	5.5
6. Nikolic, Rovinari	5.4
7. Martinic, CSM B.	5.3
8. Howell, Gaz Metan	5.3
9. Long, Perla Harghi.	5.0
10. Jovanovic, Timiso.	4.9

Steals Per Game

Jaytonah WISSEH
  CSU Sibiu
  (185-G-88)
  Avg: 2.9

1. Wisseh, CSU Sibiu	2.9
2. Cooley, Targu M.	2.6
3. Tucker, Perla H.	2.1
4. Howell, Gaz Metan	2.1
5. Mitchell, Gaz Metan	1.9
6. Hurjui, Politehnica	1.8
7. Archie, Timisoara	1.8
8. Hargrove, Ploiesti	1.8
9. Dykes, U.Mobite.	1.8
10. Nicolae, Politehn.	1.8

Blocks Per Game

Kaylone RILEY
  CSU Sibiu
  (203-C-88)
  Avg: 1.8

1. Riley, CSU Sibiu	1.8
2. Tibirna, Otopeni	1.7
3. McKenzie, CSM B.	1.7
4. Dies, Perla Harghi.	1.5
5. Kinloch, Pitesti	1.4
6. Archie, Timisoara	1.1
7. Mijovic, U.Mobite.	1.1
8. Durham, Dinamo B.	1.1
9. Lazar, Oradea	0.9
10. McCulloch, Dinamo	0.9

Ploiesti won the Final opener - by Eurobasket News

3rd place

Gaz Metan - U.Mobitel.CN 95-75

It looked good early as U-Mobitelco took an 4-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Gaz Metan had a 27-4 second period charge getting the lead and U-Mobitelco was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 75-95. Gaz Metan dominated on the defensive end, holding U-Mobitelco to just 4 points in second quarter. They also forced 23 U-Mobitelco turnovers and had a 16-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. Gaz Metan players were unselfish on offense dishing 27 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by U-Mobitelco's players. American forward Deven Mitchell (197-84, agency: Interperformances) stepped up and scored 21 points and 8 rebounds for the winners and the former international guard Tudor Dumitrescu (195-79) chipped in 17 points and 4 assists (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). Five Gaz Metan players scored in double figures. At the losing side Serbian center Zoran Krstanovic (204-82) responded with 24 points and 7 rebounds (made all of his eight free throws) and American Kyndall Dykes (190-87, college: New Orleans, agency: Edge Sports) produced a double-double by scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds. U-Mobitelco's coach rotated ten players seeing no chance for a win.
Top scorers:
Gaz Metan: D.Mitchell 21+8reb+3ast, T.Dumitrescu 17+3reb+4ast, I.Zigeranovic 15+5reb+1ast, I.Ivanovic 13+2reb+7ast, C.Moore 11+2reb+5ast, I.Dragusin 10+3reb
U.Mobitel.CN: Z.Krstanovic 24+7reb+1ast, M.Silvasan 21+3ast, K.Dykes 17+10reb+3ast, P.Chetreanu 9+2reb+1ast, J.LaGrange 4+6reb+3ast, P.Michael Jones 0+1reb

FINAL

Timisoara - Ploiesti 89-104

The game without a history. Ploiesti led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. They shot 62.7 percent from the field and made 28-of-34 free shots (82.4 percent) during the game. Ploiesti shot the lights out from three sinking 12 long-distance shots on high 52.2 percentage. 26 personal fouls committed by Timisoara helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Worth to mention a great performance of Serbian guard Aleksandar Vlahovic (190-90) who helped to win the game recording 26 points (made all of his eleven free throws !!!). American guard Darius Hargrove (193-82, college: Virginia Union, agency: Strategic Sports) contributed with 18 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Bosnian point guard Zlatko Jovanovic (181-84, agency: Beo Basket) answered with 24 points and 5 assists and American forward Dominique Archie (200-87, college: S.Carolina) added 13 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Timisoara. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Ploiesti: A.Vlahovic 26+2reb+3ast, D.Hargrove 18+5reb+3ast, C.Burlacu 17+6reb+1ast, A.Santana 13+1reb, A.Cepulis 11+1reb, V.Tica 9+7reb+1ast
Timisoara: Z.Jovanovic 24+1reb+5ast, B.Popescu 14+3reb+2ast, D.Archie 13+7reb+2ast, B.Cuic 11+4reb+3ast, I.Siriscevic 9, D.Paltinisanu 9+1reb

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

RUSSIA

Stats Leaders - Superleague A

Points Per Game

Davon JEFFERSON
  Triumph
  (204-F-86)
  Avg: 20.4

1. Jefferson, Triumph	20.4
2. Rush, Krasnie Kril.	16.7
3. Beverley, Spart.	15.4
4. McKee, Triumph	15.2
5. Thomas, Spartak-.	15.1
6. Fridzon, Khimky	14.9
7. Massey, Lokomotiv	13.9
8. Karasev, Triumph	13.6
9. Planinic, Khimky	13.6
10. Bykov, Lokomotiv	13.2

Rebounds Per Game

Davon JEFFERSON
  Triumph
  (204-F-86)
  Avg: 7.9

1. Jefferson, Triumph	7.9
2. Massey, Lokomotiv	7.6
3. Victor, Spartak-.	7.4
4. Landry, Triumph	6.3
5. Veremeenko, Unics	6.2
6. Beverley, Spart.	6.1
7. Kirilenko, CSKA	6.1
8. Baxter, Enisey	6.0
9. Monya, Khimky	5.7
10. Khryapa, CSKA	5.7

Assists Per Game

Aaron MILES
  Krasnie Krilya
  (186-G-83)
  Avg: 6.3

1. Miles, Krasnie Kri.	6.3
2. Teodosic, CSKA	5.3
3. Beverley, Spart.	4.9
4. Halperin, Spart.	4.6
5. Samoylenko, Unics	4.6
6. Thomas, Spartak-.	4.5
7. Planinic, Khimky	4.4
8. McKee, Triumph	4.1
9. Bykov, Lokomotiv	3.4
10. Rush, Krasnie Kri.	3.4

Steals Per Game

Patrick BEVERLEY
  Spart.
  (185-PG-88)
  Avg: 2.5

1. Beverley, Spart.	2.5
2. Baburin, Spartak-.	2.0
3. Massey, Lokomotiv	2.0
4. Thomas, Spartak-.	1.9
5. Halperin, Spart.	1.7
6. Chalmers, Lokom.	1.6
7. Rush, Krasnie Kril.	1.5
8. Victor, Spartak-.	1.5
9. Planinic, Khimky	1.5
10. Lyday, Unics	1.4

Blocks Per Game

Davon JEFFERSON
  Triumph
  (204-F-86)
  Avg: 1.1

1. Jefferson, Triumph	1.1
2. Kirilenko, CSKA	1.0
3. Lavrinovic, CSKA	1.0
4. Likhodey, Spart.	1.0
5. Kikanovic, Enisey	0.8
6. Vasiliev, Krasni.	0.8
7. Savenkov, Spartak.	0.8
8. Baxter, Enisey	0.7
9. Krstic, CSKA	0.7
10. Traore, Lokomotiv	0.7

PBL Round 1 of Finals. CSKA celebrate first victory - by Eurobasket News

FINAL

CSKA - Khimky 81-62

CSKA left behind the sour memories of Euroleague Final to knock down Khimky in PBL Finals. The hosts trailed by 3 points after first quarter, but they stormed back to get the 3-point lead at the halftime and eventually won the game 81-62. CSKA Moscow dominated down low during the game scoring 46 of its points in the paint compared to Khimky's 26. They outrebounded Khimky 37-22 including 25 on the offensive glass. American swingman Jamont Gordon (193-G/F-87, college: Mississippi St.) fired 16 points and 6 assists for the winners. The former international forward Andrei Kirilenko (205-81) chipped in 12 points and 5 rebounds. Five CSKA Moscow players scored in double figures. International guard Vitaly Fridzon (195-85, agency: Alti Sport) produced 22 points and 5 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) and Croatian-Bosnian guard Zoran Planinic (199-82) added 17 points and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games.
Top scorers:
CSKA: J.Gordon 16+4reb+6ast, D.Lavrinovic 14+4reb, A.Shved 13+1reb+3ast, A.Kirilenko 12+5reb+2ast, N.Krstic 11+7reb, A.Vorontsevich 7+6reb+2ast
Khimky: V.Fridzon 22+5reb+1ast, Z.Planinic 17+3reb+4ast, K.Loncar 6+3reb+2ast, T.Kelati 5+1reb+1ast, A.Pushkov 3, D.Khvostov 3

3rd place

Triumph - Lokomotiv 91-86

Triumph earned the opening win in the Bronze medals series taking down Lokomotiv. It looked good early as Lokomotiv took an 1-point lead at the end of first quarter. But then Triumph Lyubertsy had a 22-20 second period charge getting the lead and Lokomotiv was not able to take back game control losing it eventually 86-91. Triumph Lyubertsy made 27-of-31 charity shots (87.1 percent) during the game. Lokomotiv was plagued by 24 personal fouls down the stretch. American forward Davon Jefferson (204-86, college: USC) nailed a double-double by scoring 18 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side and his fellow American import point guard Tywain McKee (188-86, college: Coppin St.) accounted for 24 points. French center Ali Traore (207-85, college: S.Idaho JC, agency: Beo Basket) came up with 22 points and international guard Sergey Bykov (190-83) added 19 points respectively for Lokomotiv in the defeat. Lokomotiv's coach Bozidar Maljkovic rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help.
Top scorers:
Triumph: T.McKee 24+4reb+2ast, S.Karasev 21+4reb+3ast, D.Jefferson 18+11reb+2ast, E.Valiev 9+3reb, K.Landry 8+7reb+1ast, D.Kulagin 6+2reb+3ast
Lokomotiv: A.Traore 22+4reb+1ast, S.Bykov 19+1reb+3ast, K.Rivers 13+3reb+1ast, J.Massey 8+2reb+2ast, N.Shabalkin 7+4reb, R.Blakney 7+3reb+1ast

Triumph - Lokomotiv 81-93

Lokomotiv Kuban bounced back from the starting loss to Triumph to level the series at 1-1. The guests trailed by 5 points at the halftime before their 56-39 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. Lokomotiv dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Triumph Lyubertsy's 38. American swingman K.C. Rivers (196-87, college: Clemson) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds for the winners and international guard Sergey Bykov (190-83) chipped in 19 points and 6 assists. Four Lokomotiv players scored in double figures. At the losing side American forward Davon Jefferson (204-86, college: USC) responded with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field) and international forward Sergey Karasev (201-93) scored 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Top scorers:
Lokomotiv: K.Rivers 20+11reb, S.Bykov 19+2reb+6ast, L.Chalmers 13+2reb, N.Shabalkin 13+3reb, A.Traore 12+1reb, J.Massey 8+6reb+1ast
Triumph: S.Karasev 25+5reb+5ast, D.Jefferson 23+14reb+3ast, D.Kulagin 9+1reb+2ast, K.Landry 8+5reb, E.Valiev 7+4reb+2ast, T.McKee 7+3reb+5ast

7th place

Krasnie Krilya - Spartak-Prim. 85-74

Krasnie Krilya recorded the first win in the series. The hosts trailed by 4 points at the halftime before their 47-32 charge in the second half, which allowed them to win the game. American guard Aaron Miles (186-83, college: Kansas) fired a double-double by scoring 16 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists for the winners. Serbian power forward Dragan Labovic (207-87, agency: Alti Sport) chipped in 22 points. Four Krasnie Krilya players scored in double figures. American point guard Torey Thomas (180-85, college: Holy Cross, agency: Interperformances) produced 20 points and U.S. Virgin Islands forward Cuthbert Victor (197-83, college: Murray St.) added 9 points and 6 rebounds respectively for lost side. Spartak-Prim.'s coach Boris Livanov tested twelve players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game.
Top scorers:
Krasnie Krilya: D.Labovic 22+2reb+1ast, A.Miles 16+6reb+11ast, R.Alijevas 14+4reb+1ast, N.Balashov 11+9reb+2ast, Y.Vasiliev 8+4reb, A.Surovtsev 5+7reb+1ast
Spartak-Prim.: T.Thomas 20+1reb+1ast, N.Padius 11+2reb, S.Denison 10+3reb, A.Golyakhov 9+3reb+3ast, C.Victor 9+6reb+2ast, K.Nesterov 7+2reb+2ast

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

SCOTLAND

Robert Archibald will retire after Olympic Games in London - by Eurobasket News

Robert Archibald (212-C/F-80, agency: Priority Sports, college: Illinois) announced that he will retire after the Olympic Games in London. The Scottish bug guy will play for the Great Britain National Team. Archibald spent this season with CAI Zaragoza. He appeared 24 times in Liga Endesa averaging 4 points and 3.3 rebounds. Before Zaragoza, the center spent three years with Unicaja Malaga. In the past he also played for Azovmash, Joventut Badalona, Valencia, Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies. He graduated at the University of Illinois in 2002. Robert Archibald is active member of the British National Team since 2007. Last summer he had 4.5 ppg and 5 rpg for 2 games at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. Robert Archibald was the FIBA EuroCup champion in 2006 with Joventut. In 2008, he won the Ukrainian Cup and title with Azovmash and was named Eurobasket.com All-Ukrainian Superleague Player of the Year.

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

SERBIA

Standings - A Liga

A Standings

SuperLiga
1. Partizan		10-2
2. Radnicki K.		9-3
3. Crvena Zvezda		7-5
4. Vojvodina		6-6
5. Radnicki Basket		5-7
6. BKK Radnicki		4-8
7. Mega Vizura		4-8
8. Hemofarm		3-9
Places 9-18
1. OKK Beograd		15-11
2. Tamis		15-11
3. Sloga		13-13
4. Borac		12-14
5. Smederevo		12-212
6. Sloboda Uzice		11-15
7. Metalac		10-16
8. Napredak		8-18
9. Zeleznicar		6-20
10. Proleter Naftagas		2-24

Stage One Standings

Second Stage: Round 12

May. 15: Hemofarm - BKK Radnicki 95-94
May. 16: Vojvodina - Mega Vizura 83-85
May. 15: Crvena Zvezda - Partizan 78-83 OT
May. 15: Radnicki K. - Radnicki Basket 77-69

Second Stage: Round 13

May. 19: Radnicki K. - Hemofarm
May. 19: Radnicki Basket - Crvena Zvezda
May. 19: Partizan - Vojvodina
May. 19: Mega Vizura - BKK Radnicki

Stats Leaders - 1A

Points Per Game

Milos BOJOVIC
  Zeleznicar
  (198-G-81)
  Avg: 23.5

1. Bojovic, Zeleznicar	23.5
2. Milisavljevi., Meg.	20.7
3. Zigeranovic, Borac	20.5
4. Balaban, Smederevo	20.0
5. Bozovic, Sloga	17.1
6. Dimic, Radnicki.	16.8
7. Cupkovic, Napredak	16.5
8. Miljenovic, Mega V.	15.6
9. Svilar, Smederevo	15.5
10. Petrovic, BKK R.	15.0

Rebounds Per Game

Darko BALABAN
  Smederevo
  (211-C-89)
  Avg: 8.8

1. Balaban, Smederevo	8.8
2. Zigeranovic, Borac	8.2
3. Cupkovic, Napredak	7.6
4. Cantekin, Mega V.	7.3
5. Majkic, Prolet.	7.2
6. Petrovic, BKK R.	7.1
7. Misanovic, OKK B.	6.6
8. Canak, Zeleznicar	6.0
9. Kuburovic, Slobod.	6.0
10. Dramicanin, Borac	5.9

Assists Per Game

Marko BOLTIC
  BKK R.
  (193-G-87)
  Avg: 5.7

1. Boltic, BKK R.	5.7
2. Osmokrovic, BKK R.	5.1
3. Dundjerski, Vojvo.	4.7
4. Jovic, Sloga	4.3
5. Milisavljevi., Meg.	4.1
6. Stefanovic, Smede.	4.1
7. Miljenovic, Mega V.	4.0
8. Mitrovic, OKK B.	3.8
9. Drca, OKK Beograd	3.8
10. Rakic, Sloboda Uz.	3.8

Steals Per Game

Negoslav GACIC
  BKK Radnicki
  (193-G-)
  Avg: 2.9

1. Gacic, BKK Radnicki	2.9
2. Jovic, Sloga	2.6
3. Boltic, BKK R.	2.3
4. Dundjerski, Vojvo.	2.1
5. Bojovic, Zeleznicar	2.0
6. Vulin, Prolet.	1.9
7. Kuzeta, Vojvodina	1.9
8. Miljenovic, Mega V.	1.8
9. Majstorovic, Tamis	1.8
10. Drca, OKK Beograd	1.7

Blocks Per Game

Nenad MISANOVIC
  OKK B.
  (217-C-84)
  Avg: 1.5

1. Misanovic, OKK B.	1.5
2. Balaban, Smederevo	1.2
3. Zigeranovic, Borac	1.2
4. Cantekin, Mega V.	0.9
5. Petronic, BKK R.	0.8
6. Majkic, Prolet.	0.8
7. Bojic, Mega Vizura	0.8
8. Todorovic, Borac	0.8
9. Jevtovic, Sloboda	0.7
10. Draskovic, Metalac	0.7

Superleague: Round 12 review - by Eurobasket News

Crvena Zvezda - Partizan 78-83 OT
Zvezda (#3) forced the game against Partizan (#1) into an overtime, but lost by five points 78-83 on Tuesday night. The game took place in Beograd. But the guests were better at the end. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Zvezda. The guests trailed by 1 point after three quarters before their 15-14 charge, which allowed them to tie the game at the end of regular time and get a 5-point victory in overtime. Partizan forced 21 Zvezda turnovers. Zvezda was plagued by 35 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a good game for international center Milan Macvan (206-C-89, agency: INVICTUS Sports Group) who led his team to a victory with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Forward Vladimir Lucic (202-89, agency: Beo Basket) contributed with 14 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Four Partizan players scored in double figures. American forward Omar Thomas (197-82, college: UTEP) replied with 25 points and 6 rebounds and naturalized Bosnian center Mile Ilic (215-84, agency: Interperformances) added 18 points and 8 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) in the effort for Zvezda. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Partizan (10-2) have an impressive six-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position. Zvezda at the other side keeps the third place with five games lost. Partizan will face Vojvodina (#4) in Novi Sad in the next round. Zvezda's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Beograd to the arena Radnicki Basket.
Top scorers:
Crvena Zvezda: O.Thomas 25+6reb+1ast, M.Ilic 18+8reb+1ast, F.Covic 9+1reb+2ast, P.Popovic 7+2reb+1ast, B.Popovic 7+2reb+4ast, A.Milutinovic 7+1reb+1ast
Partizan: M.Macvan 21+9reb+2ast, D.James 14+1reb+4ast, V.Lucic 14+7reb, D.Kecman 10+3reb+3ast, R.Katic 8+3reb+3ast, P.Bozic 3+3ast

Radnicki K. - Radnicki Basket 77-69
No shocking result in a game when second ranked Radnicki K. (9-3) beat 5th ranked Radnicki Basket (5-7) in Kragujevac 77-69 on Tuesday. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Radnicki Basket won third quarter 17-15. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. Radnicki K. dominated down low during the game scoring 54 of its points in the paint compared to Radnicki Basket's 32. It was a good game for American center David Simon (207-82, college: IPFW) who led his team to a victory with 25 points and 7 rebounds (on 11-of-13 shooting from the field). The other American import forward Mike Scott (203-86, college: Kent St.) contributed with 9 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Radnicki K.'s coach Miroslav Nikolic used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Guard Milos Dimic (195-89) replied with 27 points, 6 assists and 5 steals and guard Pedja Stamenkovic (190-88, agency: Interperformances) added 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the effort for Radnicki Basket. Radnicki K. maintains second position with 9-3 record behind leader OKK Beograd. Radnicki Basket lost fourth consecutive game. Newly promoted team keeps the fifth place with seven games lost. Radnicki K. will face Hemofarm (#8) in Vrsac in the next round where they are favorite. Radnicki Basket's supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Beograd Zvezda.
Top scorers:
Radnicki Basket: M.Dimic 27+4reb+6ast, P.Stamenkovic 12+7reb+4ast, I.Smiljanic 10+4reb+1ast, M.Milovanovic 6+5reb, D.Djokic 6+1reb+3ast, A.Dzakovic 3+2reb
Radnicki K.: D.Simon 25+7reb+1ast, B.Marjanovic 10+4reb+1ast, M.Scott 9+7reb+2ast, B.Bakic 9+4reb+1ast, S.Bircevic 8+3reb+1ast, S.Markovic 6+1reb+8ast

Hemofarm - BKK Radnicki 95-94
There was a minor upset when 6th ranked BKK Radnicki (4-8) was edged by eighth ranked Hemofarm (3-9) in Vrsac 95-94 on Tuesday. The hosts took control from the first minutes by winning the initial quarter 29-23. But BKK Radnicki won second period 26-21. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. BKK Radnicki was plagued by 32 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a good game for power forward Luka Mitrovic (204-93) who saved his team from a defeat with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Guard Mladen Jeremic (196-88, agency: Interperformances) contributed with 19 points for the winners. Guard Zoran Osmokrovic (189-81, agency: BeoExcell) replied with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 13 assists and center Aleksandar Petrovic (204-87) added 15 points and 10 rebounds in the effort for BKK Radnicki. Both teams had five players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Hemofarm maintains eighth position with 3-9 record. Newly promoted BKK Radnicki keeps the sixth place with eight games lost. Hemofarm will face league's second-placed Radnicki K. in Kragujevac in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game.
Top scorers:
BKK Radnicki: M.Boltic 19+1reb+4ast, M.Tomic 17, A.Petrovic 15+10reb+2ast, S.Lalic 11+2reb+2ast, Z.Osmokrovic 10+4reb+13ast, M.Mijovic 8+6reb
Hemofarm: M.Jeremic 19+3reb+2ast, D.Gagic 17+5reb, B.Bakic 16+1reb+2ast, B.Lalovic 13+2reb+4ast, L.Mitrovic 13+7reb+4ast, N.Otasevic 10+4ast

Vojvodina - Mega Vizura 83-85
There was a small surprise when seventh ranked Mega Vizura (4-8) edged 4th ranked Vojvodina (6-6) in Novi Sad 85-83 on Wednesday. The guests trailed by 3 points after three quarters before their 26-21 charge, which allowed them to win the game. Mega Vizura dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Vojvodina's 32. Mega Vizura had a 31-20 advantage in offensive rebounds. Vojvodina was plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. It was a good game for guard Nemanja Jaramaz (201-91, agency: Beo Basket) who led his team to a victory with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Guard Nenad Miljenovic (194-93, agency: Beo Basket) contributed with 19 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Forward Stefan Stojacic (194-89, agency: Interperformances) replied with 22 points and 5 rebounds and power forward Dragan Zekovic (210-87, agency: Interperformances) added 19 points in the effort for Vojvodina. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Mega Vizura moved-up to sixth place, which they share with BKK Radnicki. Loser Vojvodina keeps the fourth position with six games lost. Mega Vizura will face BKK Radnicki (#6) in Beograd in the next round. Vojvodina will play on the road against the league's leader Partizan in Beograd.
Top scorers:
Vojvodina: S.Stojacic 22+5reb+2ast, D.Zekovic 19+4reb+1ast, R.Markovic 12+1reb, S.Milosevic 10+6reb+1ast, N.Kalinic 8+2reb+2ast, R.Marojevic 4+3reb
Mega Vizura: N.Jaramaz 21+7reb+1ast, N.Miljenovic 19+6reb+3ast, D.Musli 12+11reb+1ast, S.Avramovic 10+3reb+2ast, M.Lukovic 8+4reb+3ast, D.Cantekin 7+4reb

David Simon's 25 points and 7 rebounds give him Player of the Round award - by Eurobasket News

29-year old center David Simon (207-C-82) put on an amazing game in the last round for second-ranked Radnicki K. and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Round 12 award (Superleague). He had the game-high 25 points adding seven rebounds for Radnicki K. in his team's victory, helping them to beat Radnicki Basket (#5, 5-7) 77-69. Radnicki K. maintains the 2nd position in Superleague. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier. Radnicki K. will need more victories to improve their 9-3 record. Simon turned to be Radnicki K.'s top player in his first season with the team. David Simon averages this season 15.6ppg and 6.3rpg.

Second best performed player last round was Milos Dimic (195-G-89) of Radnicki Basket. He is a guard in his first season at Radnicki Basket. In the last game Dimic recorded impressive 27 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Bad luck as Radnicki Basket lost that game 69-77 to the higher-ranked Radnicki K. (#2, 9-3). Radnicki Basket managed to keep the same 5th spot in the standings. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 5-7 record. Dimic is a newcomer at Radnicki Basket and quickly became one of team's most reliable players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 16.8ppg (#6).

Third place about best performers goes to forward Omar Thomas (197-F-82) of Crvena Zvezda (#3). Thomas scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds. Despite Thomas' great performance Crvena Zvezda lost 78-83in overtime to #1 ranked Partizan. But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates especially in such crucial game. The last thing Crvena Zvezda needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams. Their record is 7 victories and 5 lost games. Thomas has a very solid season. In 12 games in Serbia he scored 12.7ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Nemanja Jaramaz (201-G-91) of Mega Vizura - 21 points and 7 rebounds
5. Nenad Miljenovic (194-G-93) of Mega Vizura - 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists
6. Milan Macvan (206-C-89) of Partizan - 21 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists
7. Mile Ilic (215-C-84) of Crvena Zvezda - 18 points and 8 rebounds
8. Djordje Gagic (210-C-90) of Hemofarm - 17 points and 5 rebounds
9. Aleksandar Petrovic (204-C-87) of BKK Radnicki - 15 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists
10. Luka Mitrovic (204-F/C-93) of Hemofarm - 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists

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

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SOUTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

Venezuela's Senior NT started trainings camp in Caracas - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Venezuela's Senior National Team began training sessions in Caracas with 7 of the 29 players that have been called up by the Venezuelan Basketball Federation and head coaches Eric Musselman and Brad Greenberg , heading towards ABASU's South American Championship in Resistencia, Argentina (June 18th-22nd) and the FIBA World Olympic Qualy, to be played at El Poliedro de Caracas (July 2nd-8th).

Jose Joaquin Carrillo Arena was the court selected to begin working for the international events. Venezuela is looking to be in the top 4 in Argentina to earn a spot in the FIBA Americas 2013 World Cup Qualy and also looking to be in the top 3 in Caracas to earn one of the last places available for the 2012 Olympics Games in London.

Greenberg, who'll coach Venezuela in Argentina and then go back to his assistant coach role when Musselman joins the team, was thrilled with what he saw on day one, as NBA PG Greivis Vasquez (198-PG-87) decided to be there from Day 1 and set an example for the rest of the team. 'I'm very excited to begin practicing on court with the guys. I'm glad that Greivis has been able to come from the first day and that shows how committed he is to Venezuela's squad' said Greenberg to the media.

'We'll go the tournament in Argentina with our best group of players and we'll play some friendly tournaments first that will serve us as preparation for the South American Championship, which is our first goal in this process', added Greenberg.

Vasquez was joined in the first practice session by NT newcomers such as Heberto Guanipa (205-F-90), a NAIA prospect, and two NCAA Division 1 players in Danny Herrera (193-F-92), who played for Duquesne in the 2011-2012 season and Juan Coronado (198-F-90), recently commited to Liberty. Also present were some LPB players whose teams are already out of the race for the title, such as Michael Flores (192-G-85), Francisco Centeno (201-G/F-85) and Jorge Rondon (193-G/F-90). Heissler Guillent (186-PG-86), Jesus Urbina (201-F-84), Jose Juan Bravo (202-C-86) and Luis Valera (201-F-88) were also supposed to show up, while Jhornan Zamora (193-G/F-89), who plays for Blancos de Rueda Valladolid in Spain's ACB, could arrive today.

PG John Cox (195-G-81), a player for Le Havre in France's ProA league, was visited last week by FVB representatives and said he would be in Caracas next May 22nd. Other international players such as rookies Michael Carrera (198-F-93) and Anthony Perez (203-F-93) and NCAA star Gregory Echenique (205-C-90), will join the team in the next few days.

Meanwhile, another group of 13 players are still active in the LPB Semifinals, but will be released by their teams next week to play in the friendly tournaments. The group includes Oscar Torres (195-F/G-76), Axiers Sucre (198-F-78), Jose Vargas (196-G/F-82), Gregory Vargas (182-PG-86) and Miguel Marriaga (208-C-84), of Marinos de Anzoategui, Hector Romero (202-F/C-80), Rafael Perez (193-G/F-82), David Cubillan (183-PG-87) and Dwight Lewis (196-G-87) of Trotamundos de Carabobo, and Luis Bethelmy (200-F/C-86), Nestor Colmenares (203-F-87), Windi Graterol (203-F/C-86) and Jesus Centeno (190-G-85), of Cocodrilos de Caracas.

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SPAIN

Ignacio Ordin joins Alicante - by Eurobasket News

Alicante strengthened their backcourt prior to the start of ACB playoffs. They loaned Ignacio Ordin (183-PG-78). The player comes from Girona. The guard averaged 12.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game in LEB Gold. Previously Ignacio Ordin had stints with Breogan, Granada, Bruesa and Leon. Eurobasket.com named Ignacio Ordin All-Spanish LEB Domestic Player of the Year in 2004.

Rudy Fernandez is coming back to Real Madrid - by Eurobasket News

Reports indicate that Rudy Fernandez (198-G/F-85) is coming back to Real Madrid. The guard is set to rejoin the team. Rudy Fernandez has been reported to agree on terms of three-year contract with Real Madrid. The guard started the last season in Real. He tallied 11.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in Euroleague. In ACB his stats read 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 steals per appearance. Later the guard moved to the NBA. Rudy Fernandez signed a deal with the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 8.6 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. Rudy Fernandez used to be ACB Domestic Player of the Year in 2004, Fiba EuroCup Guard of the Year in 2006, Copa Del Rey MVP in 2008, All-ULEB Cup Player of the Year in 2008. He has been the member of the Spanish National Team in 2004.

Pau Gasol's double-double lands him Player of the Week award among Spaniards playing currently abroad - by Eurobasket Center

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

Pau Gasol

#1. This week's number one is an international power forward Pau Gasol (214-80). He led Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Denver Nuggets (38-28) 96-87 in the NBA in Saturday night's game. Gasol was MVP of the game. He had a double-double by scoring 23 points and getting 17 rebounds. Gasol also added 6 assists and 4 blocks (made all of his five free throws) in 41 minutes on the court. The Los Angeles Lakers have a solid 41-25 record this season. It's Gasol's fourth year with the team. He has individually a very good year with high stats. Gasol averages: 16.8ppg, 10.3rpg, 3.7apg, 1.4bpg, 2FGP: 49.9% and FT: 78.0% in the 73 games he played so far. He is currently a member of the Spanish senior national team.

Marc Gasol

#2. Second place goes to an international center Marc Gasol (212-85, agency: Interperformances). Gasol was the main contributor in a 2-point Memphis Grizzlies' victory against the Los Angeles Clippers (40-26) 90-88 in the NBA last Friday. He was the best player in that game. Gasol scored 23 points, had 9 rebounds and dished 3 assists. The Memphis Grizzlies have a solid 41-25 record this season. It was his team's sixth consecutive victory in a row. Gasol is one of the most experienced players in a team as it's his fourth year in Grizzlies' roster. This season he has very high stats. Gasol averages: 14.7ppg, 8.7rpg, 3.1apg, 1.9bpg, 2FGP: 49.2%, 3FGP: 7.7% and FT: 75.3%. He is in the roster of the Spanish senior national team.

Serge Ibaka

#3. The Spanish player who performed third best last week abroad was an international power forward Serge Ibaka (208-89). Ibaka contributed to an easy victory against the Los Angeles Lakers (41-25) crushing them 119-90 in the NBA on Monday night. He recorded 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in 20 minutes. The Oklahoma City Thunder has a solid 47-19 record this season. Ibaka has relatively good stats this year: 9.2ppg, 7.5rpg, 3.6bpg, 2FGP: 54.3% and FT: 66.4% in the 71 games. He has a dual citizenship: Congolese and Spanish. Despite Ibaka played previously for the Congolese national team, he is currently a member of the Spanish senior national team.

Tiago Splitter

#4. Power forward Tiago Splitter (211-85, also represented by Interperformances) managed to help San Antonio Spurs to win against the Los Angeles Clippers (40-26) 108-92 in the NBA in Tuesday night's game. Splitter recorded only 4 points. The San Antonio Spurs have a very solid 50-16 record this season. It was his team's tenth consecutive victory in a row. This season Splitter has relatively solid stats: 9.2ppg and 5.0rpg. He is another player who holds two passports: Brazilian and Spanish. Splitter is also Spanish national team player.

Omar Quintero

#5. International point guard Omar Quintero (183-81, college: S.Nazarene), who plays in the Mexican CIBACOPA could not help Tijuana Zonkeys (24-11) in their last game. Despite his very good performance Tijuana Zonkeys lost 84-89 on the road to the lower-ranked (#7) Pioneros Los Mochis. Quintero was the second best scorer with 17 points. He also added 4 assists in 35 minutes. There are only three games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical. Quintero has very impressive stats this year: 15.8ppg, 2.6rpg and 3.4apg in the 29 games. He has both Spanish and Mexican nationalities. Despite Quintero played previously for the Mexican national team, he is currently in the Spanish national team roster.

Other top Spanish players, who play abroad:

Rudy Fernandez (198-G/F-85) plays for Denver Nuggets in the NBA
Luis Scola (206-F/C-80) plays for Houston Rockets in the NBA
Ricky Rubio (192-G-90) plays for Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA
Jose Manuel Calderon (190-PG-81) plays for Toronto Raptors in the NBA
Jan Martin (203-PF-84) plays for Galil Gilboa in Israeli Premier League
Caio Silveira (211-C-87) plays for Flamengo in Brazilian NBB
Ruben Garces (206-C/F-73) plays for Capitanes in Puerto Rican BSN
Jose Blanco (183-G-70) plays for Benfica in Portuguese LPB
Alvaro Calvo (203-G/F-83) plays for Sao Jose/Vinac in Brazilian NBB
Sidnei De Santana (215-C-83) plays for Libolo in Angolan Division I
Albert Miralles (208-C-82) plays for Angelico Biella in Italian SerieA

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

LEB Gold: Semifinals are set - by Eurobasket News

Fifth decisive games of the LEB Gold Quarterfinals were played last night. Melilla grabbed 71-69 home win against Lleida, while Caceres outplayed Burgos as a guest 77-74. In the Semifinals Melilla and Caceres will meet each other. The other pair is Navarra - Menorca. Semifinals format is best-of-five and first games are scheduled for Friday. After that teams will play on May 20, 24/25, *26/27 and *29 (* if necessary). Melilla and Navara will have home court advantage in their series.

Melilla - Lleida 71-69 (3-2)
Lleida Basquet was ahead by 4 points after three quarters before a 24-18 charge of Melilla Baloncesto, which allowed them to win the game. Power forward Hector Manzano (207-80) stepped up and scored 17 points and 9 rebounds for the winners and German power forward Kiril Wachsmann (203-83, college: Iona, agency: Edge Sports) chipped in 12 points and 7 rebounds. American-Austrian guard Jason Detrick (198-80, college: Oklahoma, agency: Court Side) responded with 19 points and 7 rebounds and forward Miguel Feliu (200-85) scored 10 points.
Top scorers:
Melilla: H.Manzano 17+9reb+3ast, J.Antonio Marco 12+1reb+4ast, K.Wachsmann 12+7reb+1ast, M.Suka-Umu 11+2reb, C.Odiakosa 9+4reb, J.Riera 5+5reb+2ast
Lleida: J.Detrick 19+7reb+1ast, J.Kale 10+5reb+1ast, M.Feliu 10+4reb+3ast, A.Alzamora 8, M.Rubio 7+2reb+1ast, F.Vazquez 6+2reb+2ast

Burgos - Caceres 74-77 (2-3)
Ford Burgos was trailing by 2 points at halftime but managed to get 2-point lead after three quarters before a 14-9 charge of Caceres 2016, which allowed them to win the game. The former international forward Francisco Sanchez (201-79) orchestrated the victory by scoring 20 points and 4 assists. Power forward Jose Angel Antelo (203-87) contributed with a double-double by scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds for the winners. American power forward Jerome Tillman (198-87, college: Ohio) answered with 13 points and 9 rebounds and power forward Josep Ortega (200-84) added 10 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Ford Burgos.
Top scorers:
Caceres: F.Sanchez 20+2reb+4ast, J.Angel Antelo 15+10reb, C.Cherry 13+1reb+2ast, X.Forcada 8+2ast, S.Olmos 7+8reb, D.Rodriguez 7+2reb+5ast
Burgos: J.Tillman 13+9reb+1ast, M.Kedzo 10+5reb+2ast, J.Ortega 10+7reb+1ast, M.Vinicius Toledo 9+4reb+5ast, R.Schraeder 8+1reb, J.Castro 8+2reb+2ast

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SWEDEN

Johan Akesson returns to LF Basket - by Eurobasket News

Johan Akesson (210-C-84) is back to LF Basket. The Swedish big guy signed a one-season deal with the club. He played for them in 2010/11 averaging 8.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 43 games. Last season Akesson spent with 08 Stockholm. There he had 13.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.9 apg for 38 games. With LF Basket, Akesson reached Basketligan Semifinals a year ago and the team also was the regular season runner-up. Before LF basket, the center player for Plannja and Helsinborg. In 2009 he was named Eurobasket.com All-Swedish Basketligan Center of the Year and that same award Akesson also got in 2009. Johan Akesson played for the Swedish National Team from 2003 to 2006 and later in 2009 and 2010. He had 6.3 ppg and 2.5 rpg for 6 games at 2009 EuroBasket Division B.

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TURKEY

Stats Leaders - D1

Points Per Game

Jonathan GIBSON
  Trabzonspor
  (182-PG-87)
  Avg: 19.9

1. Gibson, Trabzonspor	19.9
2. Chatman, Karsiyaka	18.3
3. Reynolds, Antalya	18.3
4. Brown, Trabzonspor	18.1
5. Scales, Mersin	17.4
6. Toolson, Aliaga	17.3
7. Fisher, Antalya	17.2
8. Sneed, Mersin	16.9
9. Grundy, Mersin	16.9
10. Washington, Turk	16.6

Rebounds Per Game

Elton BROWN
  Trabzonspor
  (206-C-83)
  Avg: 12.2

1. Brown, Trabzonspor	12.2
2. Stimac, Olin Edirne	9.9
3. Sanders, Hacett.	8.9
4. Mensah-Bonsu, Bes.	8.3
5. McGhee, Bandirma.	7.8
6. Wesson, Erdemir	7.6
7. Buckman, Tofas	7.6
8. Sonkol, Aliaga	7.3
9. Yucel, Turk T.	7.0
10. Grier, Mersin	6.8

Assists Per Game

Mire CHATMAN
  Karsiyaka
  (187-PG-78)
  Avg: 6.4

1. Chatman, Karsiyaka	6.4
2. Ermis, Banvit BK	6.0
3. Tunceri, Anadolu	5.4
4. Ratkovica, Aliaga	5.3
5. Senturk, Erdemir	4.9
6. Gordon, Galatasaray	4.6
7. Fisher, Antalya	4.4
8. Washington, Turk T.	4.4
9. Reynolds, Antalya	4.4
10. Arroyo, Besiktas	4.2

Steals Per Game

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

1. Grier, Mersin	2.1
2. Robinson, Trabzons.	2.1
3. Bryan-A., Hacett.	2.0
4. Chatman, Karsiyaka	1.9
5. Grundy, Mersin	1.7
6. Gordon, Galatasaray	1.7
7. Guler, Turk T.	1.4
8. Hawkins, Besiktas	1.4
9. Ermis, Banvit BK	1.4
10. Simmons, Banvit	1.4

Blocks Per Game

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

1. Bryan-A., Hacett.	1.3
2. Davis, Banvit BK	1.2
3. Robinson, Erdemir	1.1
4. McGhee, Bandirma.	1.0
5. Gist, Fener.Ulker	0.9
6. Bayav, Karsiyaka	0.9
7. Aldemir, Galatasar.	0.9
8. Turkyilmaz, Banvit	0.9
9. Karaman, Karsiyaka	0.8
10. Qvale, Aliaga	0.8

TB2L Stats Leaders

Points Per Game

Tyrone NELSON
  Akhisar Bld
  (206-F-85)
  Avg: 21.7

1. Nelson, Akhisar Bld	21.7
2. Jackson, Balikesir	19.4
3. Gray, Baskent	18.9
4. Waller, Gaziantep	18.4
5. Carter, Tire Gucu	18.4
6. Delic, Genc Telekom	18.2
7. Pilgrim, Pamukkale	17.8
8. Taggart, TED I.	16.4
9. Dobie, Selcuk Univ.	15.8
10. Senol, Pamukkale	15.1

Rebounds Per Game

Charles JACKSON
  Balikesir
  (203-F-87)
  Avg: 11.6

1. Jackson, Balikesir	11.6
2. Nelson, Akhisar Bld	11.5
3. Pilgrim, Pamukkale	10.3
4. Kolaric, Istanbul.	10.0
5. Gray, Baskent	9.7
6. Pasco, Vestel	8.9
7. Can, Pertevniyal	8.4
8. Taggart, TED I.	8.2
9. Ozseven, TED I.	8.0
10. Ozdemir, Vestel	7.8

Assists Per Game

Admir KAN
  Istanbulspor
  (185-G-83)
  Avg: 6.4

1. Kan, Istanbulspor	6.4
2. Eryuz, Gaziantep	5.3
3. Sinanoglu, Final G.	5.2
4. Rizvanoglu, Genc T.	5.1
5. Eris, Istanbul B.B.	5.0
6. Bayraktar, Tire G.	4.8
7. Bayrak, Usak	4.6
8. Yikilmaz, Pertevni.	4.5
9. Kavaklioglu, Optim.	4.4
10. Ogut, Genc Telek.	4.4

Steals Per Game

Matthew PILGRIM
  Pamukkale
  (203-F-87)
  Avg: 2.8

1. Pilgrim, Pamukkale	2.8
2. Yavuklu, Basken.	2.5
3. Akcay, Balikesir	2.0
4. Nelson, Akhisar Bld	1.9
5. Carter, Tire Gucu	1.7
6. Waller, Gaziantep	1.7
7. Dobie, Selcuk Univ.	1.6
8. Okkali, Final Genc.	1.6
9. Mentese, Gelisim	1.6
10. Rizvanoglu, Genc	1.5

Blocks Per Game

Ismail CEVIK
  Selcuk Univ.
  (206-F-81)
  Avg: 1.4

1. Cevik, Selcuk Univ.	1.4
2. Ozseven, TED I.	1.3
3. Washington, Gelisim	1.3
4. Gray, Baskent	1.3
5. Pasco, Vestel	1.2
6. Tekin, Pertevniyal	1.2
7. Pilgrim, Pamukkale	1.1
8. Brown, TED I.	1.1
9. Kaplan, Gaziantep	1.0
10. Boswell, Tire Gucu	0.9

TBL Semifinals: First games (best-of-five) - by Eurobasket News

Banvit BK - Anadolu Efes 68-66 (1-0)
Anadolu Efes was tied at the half but could not keep up in last two quarters eventually losing the game. Worth to mention a great performance of American point guard Kalin Lucas (185-89, college: Michigan St.) who helped to win the game recording 16 points. Bosnian forward Kenan Bajramovic (206-81) contributed with 13 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Uruguayan power forward Esteban Batista (208-83, agency: Duran International) answered with 10 points and 7 rebounds and Serbian power forward Dusko Savanovic (204-83, agency: Beo Basket) added 10 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Anadolu Efes. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game.
Top scorers:
Banvit BK: K.Lucas 16+2reb+1ast, K.Bajramovic 13+6reb, S.Erdogan 10, L.Williams 10+2reb, C.Davis 9+3reb, K.Simmons 5+4reb
Anadolu Efes: K.Tunceri 11+1ast, E.Batista 10+7reb+1ast, D.Savanovic 10+7reb+1ast, O.Lafayette 7+1reb+1ast, T.Kinsey 7+2reb, S.Vujacic 6+1reb

Galatasaray - Besiktas 75-74 (1-0)
Besiktas cut a 14-point halftime deficit to one at the end of the game. 25 personal fouls committed by Besiktas helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. International forward Furkan Aldemir (207-91, agency: Beo Basket) fired 17 points and 5 rebounds (perfect from the field making all six shots) for the winners. American guard Jamon Lukas Gordon (191-84, college: Virginia Tech) chipped in 14 points. Serbian power forward Zoran Erceg (210-85) produced 23 points and 6 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) and guard Serhat Cetin (197-86) added 13 points and 5 assists respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game.
Top scorers:
Galatasaray: F.Aldemir 17+5reb, L.Andric 15+2reb, J.Lukas Gordon 14+4reb+3ast, N.Djedovic 7+2reb+1ast, J.Lakovic 6+2reb+4ast, C.Ozer 5+4reb+1ast
Besiktas: Z.Erceg 23+6reb+1ast, S.Cetin 13+3reb+5ast, D.Hawkins 9+2reb+2ast, C.Arroyo 8+1reb+4ast, E.Dagli 6+5reb, M.Kemp 5+1reb+1ast

Second games are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Same teams will be the hosts.

Optimum TED advances to TB2L Finals - by Eurobasket News

Gaziantep - Selcuk Univ. 69-68 (1-1, best-of-three)
Gaziantep outrebounded Selcuk Universitesi 45-26 including a 17-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. 24 personal fouls committed by Selcuk Universitesi helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. Guard Erden Eryuz (188-80) scored 9 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and power forward Ahmet Kaplan (206-79, agency: 1x1 Sports) chipped in 10 points and 5 rebounds during the contest. Gaziantep's coach Dogan Deniz used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. American guard Henry Antwan Dobie (183-78, college: LIU Brooklyn) responded with 22 points and 5 assists and forward Erdem Turetken (199-79, agency: Interperformances) produced a double-double by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds. Decisive Game Three is scheduled for Saturday and Selcuk will be the host.
Top scorers:
Selcuk Univ.: H.Antwan Dobie 22+5ast, E.Turetken 13+10reb, L.Johnson 9+2reb+1ast, M.Gucyetmez 8+4reb+3ast, M.Okay 5+2reb, M.Ufuk Kacar 5+1ast
Gaziantep: A.Waller 10+4reb+1ast, A.Kaplan 10+5reb, E.Eryuz 9+13reb+4ast, S.Ugrasan 6+3reb, T.Ford 6+9reb, S.Ugur 6+5ast

Genc Telekom - Optimum TED 54-81 (0-2 win, best-of-three)
The game was mostly controlled by Optimum TED. Genc Telekom was better in second period 18-17. But it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. They made 16-of-21 charity shots (76.2 percent) during the game. Optimum TED players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists. Nigerian-Canadian swingman Olumuyiwa Famutimi (198-F/G-84, college: Arkansas) notched 17 points and 5 rebounds to lead the effort and center Hakan Yapar (202-84) supported him with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Even 14 points and 9 rebounds by Croatian power forward Nenad Delic (210-84, agency: TSS Management) did not help to save the game for Genc Telekom. Forward Hazer Avci (206-87, agency: Court Side) added 11 points and 8 rebounds for the hosts.
Top scorers:
Genc Telekom: N.Delic 14+9reb, H.Avci 11+8reb+1ast, S.Ekmen 7+1reb+3ast, K.Cipa 6+3reb, C.Ugur Ogut 6+4reb+5ast, D.Can Cevik 5+3reb+2ast
Optimum TED: O.Famutimi 17+5reb+2ast, H.Yapar 15+7reb+1ast, U.Gurgen 12+6reb+1ast, N.Ozbakir 9+4reb+2ast, A.Kavaklioglu 7+3reb+8ast, D.Downey 6+3reb+1ast

" Four Turkish Teams in THY Euroleague " says CEO Jordi Bertomeu - by Ugur Turker

Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu admitted having 4 probable participant from Turkey in THY Euroleague next year. Before 2011-2012 season Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul and Anadolu Efes Istanbul were only Euroleague Teams of Tukey. After progression of Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul with coach Oktay Mahmudi (agency: Beo Basket ) in TBL, they were runner up in 2010-2011 season, Euroleague gave Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul a ticket with Banvit Basketbol Kulubu for Qualifying Round which Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul had advanced group stage after 3 matches. First 3 Teams experince of Turkish Basketball in THY Euroleague was quite succesfull for only Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul who reached Top 16 and missed Quarter Final because of head to head advantage against Champion Olympiakos in their debut season. Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul had been eliminated in Top 16 without meeting expectations on them to reach Final Four which was held in Istanbul.
' We are very happy with contribution of Galatasaray, nevertheless, having Licence A is not about only their Euroleague performance, but also domestic results. This year, Turkish League Champion will be part of Euroleague Group Stage directly and Runner up will gain right to play Qualifying round. ' said Bertomeu in NTVSpor. That means, since Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul is out of Play Off race, If Galatasaray or Besiktas Milangaz Istanbul or Banvit Basketol Kllubu would be able to win Championship and other one would be Runner Up, there will be at least 3 teams in Group Stage. In the case of advancing from Qualifying Round, the number of team can up to 4. Because Anadolu Efes Istanbul which is 4th team in TBL Semi Finals have already Licence A for next season.
Semi Final in TBL Play Off ( first matches completed )
Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul - Beikta Milangaz 1-0
Banvit Basketbol Kulubu - Anadolu Efes Istanbul 1-0

" Four Turkish Teams in THY Euroleague " says CEO Jordi Bertomeu - by Ugur Turker

Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu admitted having 4 probable participant from Turkey in THY Euroleague next year. Before 2011-2012 season Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul and Anadolu Efes Istanbul were only Euroleague Teams of Tukey. After progression of Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul with coach Oktay Mahmudi (agency: Beo Basket ) in TBL, they were runner up in 2010-2011 season, Euroleague gave Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul a ticket with Banvit Basketbol Kulubu for Qualifying Round which Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul had advanced group stage after 3 matches. First 3 Teams experience of Turkish Basketball in THY Euroleague was quite succesfull for only Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul who reached Top 16 and missed Quarter Final because of head to head advantage against Champion Olympiakos in their debut season. Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul had been eliminated in Top 16 without meeting expectations on them to reach Final Four which was held in Istanbul.
' We are very happy with contribution of Galatasaray, nevertheless, having Licence A is not about only their Euroleague performance, but also domestic results. This year, Turkish League Champion will be part of Euroleague Group Stage directly and Runner up will gain right to play Qualifying round. ' said Bertomeu in NTVSpor. That means, since Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul is out of Play Off race, If Galatasaray or Besiktas Milangaz Istanbul or Banvit Basketbol Kulubu would be able to win Championship and other one would be Runner Up, there will be at least 3 teams in Group Stage. In the case of advancing from Qualifying Round, the number of team can up to 4. Because Anadolu Efes Istanbul which is 4th team in TBL Semi Finals have already Licence A for next season.
Semi Final in TBL Play Off ( first matches completed )
Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul - Besiktas Milangaz Istanbul 1-0
Banvit Basketbol Kulubu - Anadolu Efes Istanbul 1-0

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UKRAINE

Dnipro keep Valdemaras Chomicius and Derrick Low - by Eurobasket News

Dnipro have reached agreements on terms of contract extensions with Valdemaras Chomicius (agency: Alti Sport ) and Derrick Low (188-PG-86, college: Washington St.).
The Lithuanian head coach will stay in Dnipropetrovsk for two more season. Valdemaras Chomicius (agency: Alti Sport ) joined Dnipro in March 2011. He moved from Triumph Lyubertsy. Previously Valdemaras Chomicius (agency: Alti Sport ) worked at helm of Unics Kazan, Ural Great Perm, Dynamo Moscow, Mazeikiai and Marijampole. Eurobasket.com named Valdemaras Chomicius (agency: Alti Sport ) All-VTB League Coach of the Year in 2010.
Derrick Low also extended contract with the team. The guard joined team at the start of the last season. He notched 15.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in VTB League. In Superleague his stats read 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per appearance.

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UNITED KINGDOM

Luol Deng's double-double lands him Player of the Week award among British players playing currently abroad - by Eurobasket Center

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

Luol Deng

#1. This week's number one is an international forward Luol Deng (206-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Duke), who plays in the NBA. He could not help the Chicago Bulls (50-16) in their last game. Despite Deng's very good performance the Chicago Bulls were edged 79-78 on the road by the Philadelphia 76ers. He had a double-double by scoring 19 points and getting 17 rebounds. Deng also added 3 assists and 2 blocks in 42 minutes on the court. It's Deng's eighth season with the team. He has individually a very good year with high stats. Deng averages: 15.2ppg, 6.7rpg, 2.8apg, 2FGP: 43.3%, 3FGP: 37.3% and FT: 76.2% in the 60 games he played so far. He has a dual citizenship: British and Sudanese. Despite Deng played previously for the Sudanese national team, he is currently a member of the British senior national team.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu

#2. Second place goes to former international forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu (206-83, agency: SportsTalent, college: G.Washington). Mensah-Bonsu contributed to a 3-point Besiktas' victory against the closely-ranked Fenerbahce Ulker (21-9) 77-74 in a derby game in the Turkish TBL last Wednesday. He scored 8 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and made 2 blocks. Besiktas Milangaz Istanbul (22-8) is placed fourth in the TBL. It was his team's fourth consecutive victory in a row. It's Mensah-Bonsu's first season with the team. Mensah-Bonsu is ranked fourth on the list of the best rebounders in the league. He has very reliable stats this season: 14.0ppg, 8.3rpg, 2FGP: 61.2%(123-201) and FT: 66.9%. Despite Mensah-Bonsu played previously for the Sudanese national team, he played also for the British national team in 2010.

Rod Brown

#3. The British player who performed third best last week abroad was an experienced former international point guard Rod Brown (186-78, agency: Two Points, college: W.Michigan). Brown was the major contributor in a Lugano Tigers' victory against the closely-ranked Geneve Lions (18-6) 94-90 in the Swiss LNA on Sunday night. He scored 18 points and added 7 assists in 33 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Lugano Tigers (20-4) are placed first in the LNA. Brown is currently second on the league's list of best passers with 6.0apg. This year his other stats are: 12.0ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 56.5%(91-161), 3FGP: 31.9% and FT: 71.6% in the 23 games. Brown is a naturalized American. Despite he played previously for the USA national team, Brown played also for the British national team in 2010. He used to play for Essex Leopards London in British league.

Michael Lenzly

#4. Guard Michael Lenzly (189-81, college: Wofford) managed to help CEZ Basketball Nymburk to win against the fifth-ranked BC Kolin (22-24) crushing them 96-63 in the Czech Republic NBL in Wednesday night's game. Lenzly scored only 3 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. CEZ Basketball Nymburk (34-2) is placed first in A1 group. It was his team's fourth consecutive victory in a row. Lenzly's overall stats this season are: 6.9ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.1apg and 1.2spg. He is a naturalized American. Lenzly is also British national team player. Strangely he has never played in United Kingdom.

Ryan Richards

#5. International power forward Ryan Richards (212-91), who plays in the Georgian Superleague was not able to help Sokhumi (11-9) in their last game. Despite Richards' good performance Sokhumi was crushed 89-62 in a derby game by the leading Armia. He scored 11 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 30 minutes. It was Sokhumi's third consecutive loss in a row. Richards has relatively good stats this year: 12.2ppg and 5.8rpg in the five games. Despite he played previously for the USA national team, Richards is currently in the British national team roster.

Dante Cunningham

#6. Forward Dante Cunningham (203-87, college: Villanova) was not able to secure a victory for the Memphis Grizzlies (41-25) in their game against the Los Angeles Clippers (40-26) in the NBA. He did not beat the league record on Sunday evening. Cunningham recorded only 2 points. The Memphis Grizzlies were defeated 82-72 in Los Angeles by the Clippers. Cunningham's overall stats this season are: 4.8ppg and 3.6rpg. He is a naturalized American. Cunningham is a former international player as he played for the British senior team four years ago. Apparently he has never played in United Kingdom.

Phill Jones

#7. Former international guard Phill Jones (196-74), who plays in the New Zealand NBL couldn't help Fico Finance Nelson Giants (6-9) in their last game. Despite Jones' very good performance Fico Finance Nelson Giants were crushed 110-84 in Palmerston North by the higher-ranked (#3) Hub Jets. He was the second best scorer with 18 points. Jones also added 7 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 37 minutes. His team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And that game will be critical. Jones is currently seventh on the league's list of top scorers and also on the list of best passers (fourth place). He has very impressive stats this year: 21.2ppg, 4.9rpg, 5.1apg and 1.1spg in the 15 games. Despite Jones played previously for the New Zealand national team, he is currently in the British national team roster.

Nicholas George

#8. Forward Nicholas George (199-82, also represented by Two Points, college: VCU) is a teammate of previously mentioned Rod Brown. But that was another game of his team in Swiss LNA which we would like to mention. George couldn't help Lugano Tigers (20-4) in their game against Geneve Lions (18-6). He scored 9 points. But the league leader Lugano Tigers were crushed 100-79 at home by the lower-ranked Geneve Lions (#3). George's overall stats this season are: 7.3ppg and 1.6rpg. Despite he played previously for the New Zealand national team, George is currently in the British national team roster.

Darren Phillip

#9. Former international forward Darren Phillip (201-78, college: Fairfield) contributed to a 2-point Ford Burgos' victory against the league leader Caceres 2016 (2-1) 68-66 in the Spanish LEB Gold (second division) on Friday night. He scored 5 points, had 8 rebounds and made 2 blocks in 26 minutes. It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. Autocid Ford Burgos (22-12) is placed second in the LEB Gold. It was his team's fifth consecutive victory in a row. This year Phillip has relatively solid stats: 12.2ppg and 6.9rpg in the 39 games. He is a naturalized American. Phillip used to play for the British national team four years ago. Interesting that he has never played in United Kingdom.

Arthur Trousdell

   #10. Power forward Arthur Trousdell (203-81, college: Cameron) led Wellington Exodus Saints to an easy victory against the closely-ranked Otago OceanaGold Nuggets (5-10) crushing them 104-74 in the New Zealand NBL in Friday night's game. Trousdell scored 14 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and made 2 blocks. Wellington Exodus Saints (9-6) are placed fourth in the NBL. His team will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And now that game is very crucial. Trousdell is currently fifth on the list of best blockers. This season he has very good stats: 11.0ppg, 4.2rpg and 1.2bpg. Despite Trousdell played previously for the New Zealand U18 national team, he is also a former international player as four years ago he still played for the British senior national team.

   #11. Former international forward Philip Perre (198-79, college: N.Alabama), who plays in the Luxembourg Diekirch League couldn't help Musel Pikes (23-5) in their last game. Despite Perre's very good performance the first-placed Musel Pikes was badly defeated 85-67 on their home court in Stadrbredimus by the second-ranked Sparta in the 1-6 places group. He had a double-double by scoring 18 points and getting 13 rebounds in 35 minutes. Perre has very impressive stats this year: 19.6ppg, 8.7rpg, 1.3apg and 1.4spg in the 25 games. He is a naturalized American. Despite Perre played previously for the USA national team, he is currently in the British national team roster. However Perre has never played in United Kingdom.

   #12. Former international power forward Dzaflo Larkai (203-81, agency: Top Notch Sports, college: Bellarmine) contributed to a Okinawa GK's victory against the fourth-ranked Shiga L-Stars 74-66 in the Japanese BJ League on Sunday night. He scored 5 points. Larkai's overall stats this season are: 9.3ppg and 5.3rpg. He used to play for the British national team back in 2008.

Crowds Turn Out For Play Off Final - by Paul Nilsen

In a fitting finale to a memorable season, a bumper crowd got 'closer to the action' at the 2012 BBL Championship Play-Off Final, as the BBL passed the baton to the respective Great Britain national teams ahead of the London Olympics.

There's little doubt this is likely to be a stand-out year in the history of Basketball in Britain and fans certainly showed their support for the sport, and for the BBL, by ensuring this year's attendance on the last weekend of the season was bearing down on a full house and a superb 30% higher than during 2011 at just under 6,000.

Supporters at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham were treated to another great day, whilst many others watched the action on Sky Sports, or listened to the action unfold live on BBC Radio, as Newcastle Eagles defeated Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders to complete a clean sweep of all four BBL trophies.

The main event came after a fiercely contested and highly enjoyable International game between England and Scotland, which home Coach Paul James and his players managed to win.

The increased number of spectators wasn't just confined to last Saturday, with healthy crowds and full houses witnessed at many games during the regular BBL season. Club Play-off attendances were also up a very encouraging 23% on last year.

It certainly bodes well for the BBL, who expect to make announcements about new franchises during what promises to be a very exciting summer of announcements.

Meanwhile, in addition to the main event of on court in Birmingham, there was also a real buzz on the day and plenty to talk about off the court after the newly formed British Basketball Union (BBU) was officially launched.

Created to promote the commercial development of the sport in Great Britain, the important basketball bodies have come together to leverage its collective organisational capability to ensure that London 2012, and the performance of the Great Britain men's and women's at London 2012, acts as a springboard to the growth of the sport, and thereby ensures a lasting legacy.

A commercial partnership between British Performance Basketball, the British Basketball League, England Basketball and Basketball Scotland, the BBU will act as a first stop shop for anyone seeking to get involved in the sport, whether supporting the national teams, looking to watch competitive League basketball, seeking basketball participation opportunities, or looking at coaching or volunteering opportunities.

For more information, go to www.britishbasketballunion.com

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URUGUAY

Uruguay and Brazil advanced to the U15 semifinal games - by Hector Lopez

Brasil and Uruguay with a 2-0 record will advanced to the semifinal games for the U 15 South American Championship Group A, which is played in Maldonado. Both teams will playing today for the first position.
Results for Group A
Uruguay 78 Colombia 53
Brazil 64 Peru 22
Standings: Brazil 2-'0 Uruguay 2-0 Peru 0-2, Colomb ia 0-2
Results for Group B
Argentina 96 Paraguay 29
Chile 65 Venezuela 62
Standings: Argentina 2-0 Chile 1-1, Venezuela 1-1, Paraguay 0-2

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VENEZUELA

Stats Leaders - LPB

Points Per Game

Donald SIMS
  Gaiteros
  (185-PG-87)
  Avg: 24.1

1. Sims, Gaiteros	24.1
2. Holland, Toros	23.1
3. Pena, Toros	21.4
4. Rodgers, Marinos	19.9
5. Adams, Guaiqueries	18.9
6. Hickerson, Bucan.	18.6
7. Stoll, Gigantes	17.6
8. Romero, Trotamun.	17.6
9. Edwin, Gaiteros	17.5
10. Millsap, Guaros	16.8

Rebounds Per Game

Shaun PRUITT
  Trotamun.
  (208-C-85)
  Avg: 9.4

1. Pruitt, Trotamun.	9.4
2. Braggs, Gaiteros	9.3
3. Fuller, Panteras	9.2
4. Urbina, Toros	8.5
5. Allen, Marinos	7.7
6. Gransberry, Cocod.	7.7
7. Sucre, Marinos	7.5
8. Lugo, Guaiqueries	7.2
9. Warner, Bucaneros	7.1
10. Jackson, Guaiquer.	7.1

Assists Per Game

Paul STOLL
  Gigantes
  (178-PG-85)
  Avg: 6.8

1. Stoll, Gigantes	6.8
2. Vargas, Marinos	5.7
3. Cubillan, Trotamun.	5.4
4. Guillent, Bucaneros	4.6
5. Guillent, Guaros	4.3
6. Elliott, Cocodrilos	4.2
7. Pena, Toros	4.1
8. Braggs, Gaiteros	4.1
9. Sims, Gaiteros	3.5
10. Centeno, Cocodril.	3.5

Steals Per Game

Paul STOLL
  Gigantes
  (178-PG-85)
  Avg: 4.3

1. Stoll, Gigantes	4.3
2. Pena, Toros	2.8
3. Guillent, Bucaneros	2.8
4. Vargas, Marinos	2.7
5. Adams, Guaiqueries	2.5
6. Sims, Gaiteros	2.5
7. Elliott, Cocodrilos	2.5
8. Horton, Panteras	2.3
9. Cubillan, Trotamun.	2.0
10. Edwin, Gaiteros	1.9

Blocks Per Game

Rammel ALLEN
  Marinos
  (210-C-79)
  Avg: 2.3

1. Allen, Marinos	2.3
2. Moss, Marinos	2.0
3. Lugo, Guaiqueries	1.7
4. Osorio, Panteras	1.5
5. Hardin, Marinos	1.4
6. Graterol, Cocodril.	1.4
7. Warner, Bucaneros	1.1
8. Pruitt, Trotamun.	1.1
9. Romero, Trotamun.	1.1
10. Marriaga, Marinos	0.8

LPB Semifinals: Trotamundos and Marinos are one win away from the Finals - by Eurobasket News

Cocodrilos - Marinos 91-93 (0-3, best-of-seven)
The guests trailed by 13 points after three quarters before their 33-18 charge, which allowed them to win the game. It was a great evening for the former international point guard Gregory Vargas (182-86) who led his team to a victory scoring 27 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. International forward Axiers Sucre (198-78) helped adding 20 points and 6 rebounds. Marinos' coach Jorge Arrieta used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. The best for the losing side was Italian-Uruguayan guard Leandro Garcia Morales (186-80, college: Texas A&M) with 18 points and 5 assists and Dominican power forward Jack Michael Martinez (203-81, agency: Paris Global Sports) scored 9 points and 11 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures.
Top scorers:
Cocodrilos: L.Garcia Morales 18+2reb+5ast, J.Centeno 14+4reb+1ast, W.Graterol 14+5reb+2ast, J.Herrera 12+1ast, N.Colmenares 10+4reb, D.Obasohan 10+3reb
Marinos: G.Vargas 27+1reb+6ast, A.Sucre 20+6reb, W.Graves 15+5reb, J.Vargas 11+7reb+4ast, M.Marriaga 6+5reb, J.Watkins 6+4reb+1ast

Guaiqueries - Trotamundos 91-94 OT (0-3, best-of-seven)
The guests trailed by 13 points after three quarters before their 27-14 charge, which allowed them to tie the game at the end of regular time and get a 3-point victory in overtime. It was a great evening for American center Shaun Pruitt (208-85, college: Illinois, agency: Edge Sports) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 15 rebounds. The former international swingman Rafael Perez (193-82, agency: Paris Global Sports) helped adding 19 points. The best for the losing side was the former international center Richard Lugo (209-73, college: St.Francis, NY) with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks and American center Christopher Jackson (208-81, college: N.Mexico St.) scored 12 points and 9 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game.
Top scorers:
Guaiqueries: R.Lugo 20+7reb+1ast, D.Guevara 14+3ast, A.Wright 14+1reb+5ast, C.Jackson 12+9reb, M.Freije 11+2reb+1ast, C.Silva 8+7reb+1ast
Trotamundos: S.Pruitt 24+15reb+2ast, H.Romero 20+1reb, R.Perez 19+3reb+1ast, T.Gilder 13+4reb, T.Aguilera 7+4reb, B.Woodfox 7+3ast

Fourth games are scheduled for today and same teams will be the hosts.

LPB 2012 News - Luis Julio (Bucaneros) earns ComeBack Player of the Year - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Venezuelan PF-C Luis Julio (201-F/C-80), of Bucaneros de La Guaira, was named LPB 2012's ComeBack Player of the Year, after successfully improving his stats line in comparison to what he had done in the previous season of Venezuela's top basketball league.

Julio, 31 years old, averaged 8.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 52% in two-point shots for Bucaneros coming off the bench. Last season, he had only averaged 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 40 games.

The former player of Venezuela's Senior NT is finally coming back to the shape that once led him to be a star in the LPB and that has allowed him to travel to Colombia, where he can also play as a native player -he was born in Cartagena- and be one of the best players in Copa Invitacional. Rogers Washington (198-F-77), of Guaiqueries de Margarita, won this award in 2011.

LPB 2012 News - Jesus Urbina (Toros) named Most Improved Player of the Year - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Venezuelan PF Jesus Urbina (201-F-84), of Toros de Aragua, was awarded as LPB 2012's Most Improved Player of the Year, after experiencing a noticeable rise in his stats line and becoming the franchise player of the bulls, though the team was once again left out of the playoffs party.

Urbina finished up with averages of 15.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 32 games during the regular season to be in the top 3 among Venezuelan players during the round, alongside Hector Romero (202-F/C-80) of Trotamundos and Heissler Guillent (186-PG-86) of Guaros.

The 27 year-old former NCAA player of George Mason, had only averaged 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14 regular season games back in 2011, in a season that was marred by injuries and internal affairs. He's even gained enough consideration to go back to Venezuela's Senior NT for the upcoming international tournaments to be played in Argentina and Caracas. Urbina was Rookie of the Year in LPB 2009. Last season's Most Improved Player was Heissler Guillent, then player of Bucaneros de La Guaira.

Venezuela's Senior NT started trainings camp in Caracas - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Venezuela's Senior National Team began training sessions in Caracas with 7 of the 29 players that have been called up by the Venezuelan Basketball Federation and head coaches Eric Musselman and Brad Greenberg , heading towards ABASU's South American Championship in Resistencia, Argentina (June 18th-22nd) and the FIBA World Olympic Qualy, to be played at El Poliedro de Caracas (July 2nd-8th).

Jose Joaquin Carrillo Arena was the court selected to begin working for the international events. Venezuela is looking to be in the top 4 in Argentina to earn a spot in the FIBA Americas 2013 World Cup Qualy and also looking to be in the top 3 in Caracas to earn one of the last places available for the 2012 Olympics Games in London.

Greenberg, who'll coach Venezuela in Argentina and then go back to his assistant coach role when Musselman joins the team, was thrilled with what he saw on day one, as NBA PG Greivis Vasquez (198-PG-87) decided to be there from Day 1 and set an example for the rest of the team. 'I'm very excited to begin practicing on court with the guys. I'm glad that Greivis has been able to come from the first day and that shows how committed he is to Venezuela's squad' said Greenberg to the media.

'We'll go the tournament in Argentina with our best group of players and we'll play some friendly tournaments first that will serve us as preparation for the South American Championship, which is our first goal in this process', added Greenberg.

Vasquez was joined in the first practice session by NT newcomers such as Heberto Guanipa (205-F-90), a NAIA prospect, and two NCAA Division 1 players in Danny Herrera (193-F-92), who played for Duquesne in the 2011-2012 season and Juan Coronado (198-F-90), recently commited to Liberty. Also present were some LPB players whose teams are already out of the race for the title, such as Michael Flores (192-G-85), Francisco Centeno (201-G/F-85) and Jorge Rondon (193-G/F-90). Heissler Guillent (186-PG-86), Jesus Urbina (201-F-84), Jose Juan Bravo (202-C-86) and Luis Valera (201-F-88) were also supposed to show up, while Jhornan Zamora (193-G/F-89), who plays for Blancos de Rueda Valladolid in Spain's ACB, could arrive today.

PG John Cox (195-G-81), a player for Le Havre in France's ProA league, was visited last week by FVB representatives and said he would be in Caracas next May 22nd. Other international players such as rookies Michael Carrera (198-F-93) and Anthony Perez (203-F-93) and NCAA star Gregory Echenique (205-C-90), will join the team in the next few days.

Meanwhile, another group of 13 players are still active in the LPB Semifinals, but will be released by their teams next week to play in the friendly tournaments. The group includes Oscar Torres (195-F/G-76), Axiers Sucre (198-F-78), Jose Vargas (196-G/F-82), Gregory Vargas (182-PG-86) and Miguel Marriaga (208-C-84), of Marinos de Anzoategui, Hector Romero (202-F/C-80), Rafael Perez (193-G/F-82), David Cubillan (183-PG-87) and Dwight Lewis (196-G-87) of Trotamundos de Carabobo, and Luis Bethelmy (200-F/C-86), Nestor Colmenares (203-F-87), Windi Graterol (203-F/C-86) and Jesus Centeno (190-G-85), of Cocodrilos de Caracas.

LPB 2012 News - Harold Cazorla (Gigantes) wins Rookie of the Year honors - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Venezuelan PG Harold Cazorla (175-PG-91), a reserve player for Gigantes de Guayana in his first full pro season in the country, won LPB 2012's Rookie of the Year honors, beating out the effort of another young talent, SF Miguel Fernandez (194-F-92), of Toros de Aragua.

Cazorla, the shortest player in the LPB, played an average of 11 minutes per game, providing 3.6 points per game in 32 regular season contests. He added a very good 38% from the three-point range and a 42% from the two-point range.

It is the first time in which a player of Gigantes de Guayana is considered for this award since the franchise became part of the league, back in 2008. Cazorla succeeds another PG, David Cubillan (183-PG-87), who won the award in 2011 while playing his first pro season for Trotamundos de Carabobo, following a great NCAA career for the Marquette Golden Eagles in the United States.

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Women News

Rangers sign Rookie of the Year - Carley Mijovic - by Eurobasket News

Dandenong Rangers announced important signing today. The reigning WNBL champions brought in young star Carley Mijovic (197-C-94). The 17-year-old center was recently awarded with 2012 Betty Watson Rookie of the Year. She played 16 games for AIS last season averaging 9 points and 5.6 rebounds. Mijovic is a member of the Australian U19 National Team. She played for them last year at U19 World Championship in Chile. For 3 games at this event young Mijovic averaged 4.3 points and 4.7 rebounds, while Australia reached Semifinals. In 2010, she played for U17 Australia and U17 World Championship in France. There Carley Mijovic had 7 ppg and 4 rpg. The 196cm centre recovered from two bouts of knee surgery to enjoy a largely uninterrupted WNBL season, with standout games against Sydney in Round 4 (21 points, 9 rebounds), Bulleen in Round 6 (15 points, 5rebounds) and Canberra in Round 17 (17 points, 7 rebounds). Mijovic will join Jenna OHea, Alison Downie, Steph Cumming and Tegan Cunningham in Dandenong Rangers.

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CANADA

Washington Mystics sign Jessica Breland, Silver Stars waive Kalisha Keane - by Eurobasket News

Washington Mystics announced signing of Jessica Breland (6'3''-F-88, college: N.Carolina) for the season. The player was recently waived by the Connecticut Sun. The 6-foot-3 Breland was picked up by the Sun last July after being waived by New York, but saw action in just one game. Breland was the first pick in the second round of the 2011 draft, despite having to sit out a year in college while undergoing treatment for Hodgkins lymphoma. She returned for her senior season, before being drafted last year by Minnesota and then dealt to New York.

San Antonio Silver Stars announced that Kalisha Keane (6'1''-F-89, college: Michigan St.) is no longer member of the team. The Canadian National Team forward is now free agent. Most recently she played for the Israeli team Elitzur Maclaren Holon. She started last season with Croatian champions Gospic CO. Keane had 7.5 ppg and 3 rpg last year at FIBA Americas in Neiva Huila. She helped Canada to win the Bronze.

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EUROLEAGUE

UMMC Ekaterinburg hires Olaf Lange as new Head Coach - by Eurobasket News

Olaf Lange is a new Head Coach of the Russian champion UMMC Ekaterinburg. The German specialist will try to defend the title in Russia and also to win the Euroleague crown with Ekaterinburg next season. Lange's wife Sandy Brondello will work as an Assistant Coach. She currently serves as assistant to Carol Ross in Los Angeles with the Sparks. Members of the staff will also be Olga Korstalyeva and Sabin Zhurais.
Olaf Lange worked last two years in Australia. He guided Logan Thunder to WNBL Semifinals a year ago. From 2008 to 2010, Lange served as Assistant Coach of the San Antonio Silver Stars. Before that he was AC of Liberty University and Mitteldeutscher BC. The German squad was FIBA Europe Cup winner in 2004. Lange worked as Head Coach of the German junior NT in 2003.

UMMC Ekaterinburg lands Euroleague scoring champion Diana Taurasi - by Eurobasket News

UMMC Ekaterinburg announced signing of Diana Taurasi (182-F/G-82, college: Connecticut) for the next season. The American guard spent the last one with Galatasaray. She was the top Euroleague scorer with 20.9 ppg for 18 games. Taurasi also added 4.4 rpg and 3.1 apg. In Turkish league she averaged 19 points, 4.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds. Taurasi and Galatasaray won the Turkish Cup this year. Before Galata, Diana Taurasi spent half of the season with Fenerbahce. The guard played for Spartak Vidnoe Moscow Region from 2006 to 2010 and won four Euroleague titles with them. Taurasi also has experience from Dynamo Moscow. In the WNBA, Diana Taurasi is a member of Phoenix Mercury for years. They won WNBA title together in 2007 and 2009. Taurasi won many personal awards over the past eight years including Eurobasket.com All-Europe Player of the Year -07, 09 and All-WNBA Player of the Year -09.

Diana Taurasi will play for the Phoenix Mercury in 2012 WNBA season and she will also play for the USA NT at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

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FRANCE

Tarbes brings in F Jovana Rad - by Eurobasket News

Jovana Rad (187-F/C-87, agency: Josep and Nicolas) will continue her career in France. The Serbian forward penned a deal with Tarbes for the next season. She spent the last one with Spanish Navarra averaging 13.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals for 26 LFB games. Before Navarra, Rad played three years for Hondarribia-Irun. She had 10 ppg and 3.4 rpg in their last season together (2010/11). In the past, the forward was a member of Spartak Subotica. Jovana Rad played for the Serbian National Team in 2009 EuroBasket Qualifications. In the past, she also was a member of the Serbian U20 and University National Team.

Before Jovana Rad, Tarbes already signed Angelica Robinson, Laurie Datchy and Gaby Ocete. They also hired Cyril Sicsic as new Head Coach.

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LUXEMBOURG

Stats Leaders - Women

Points Per Game

Meghan GARDLER
  Amicale
  (183-F-88)
  Avg: 27.4

1. Gardler, Amicale	27.4
2. Yoerger, Racing	26.4
3. Mosgrove, T71 D.	23.1
4. Stowe, AB Contern	22.6
5. Cumberbatch, Telst.	22.6
6. Micir, Residence	21.4
7. Augustine, Basket	21.0
8. Fisher, Musel Pikes	18.0
9. Donovan, Basket E.	16.3
10. Szaboova, Basket	16.1

Rebounds Per Game

Bridget YOERGER
  Racing
  (180-F-87)
  Avg: 14.8

1. Yoerger, Racing	14.8
2. Gardler, Amicale	14.3
3. Augustine, Basket	13.8
4. Stowe, AB Contern	13.7
5. Jones, Etzella	12.8
6. Mosgrove, T71 D.	12.2
7. Fisher, Musel Pikes	11.4
8. Micir, Residence	9.9
9. Adamczyk, T71 D.	9.7
10. Donovan, Basket	7.9

Assists Per Game

Romi MEINTZ
  Amicale
  (170-G-88)
  Avg: 5

1. Meintz, Amicale	5.0
2. Schmit, Musel Pikes	4.3
3. Donovan, Basket E.	4.0
4. Haris, Basket Esch	3.8
5. Yoerger, Racing	3.7
6. Wagener, T71 D.	3.2
7. Wagener, T71 D.	3.1
8. Fisher, Musel Pikes	2.6
9. Ludivig, AB Contern	2.5
10. Cigrang, Musel Pi.	2.5

Steals Per Game

Bridget YOERGER
  Racing
  (180-F-87)
  Avg: 3.7

1. Yoerger, Racing	3.7
2. Schmit, Musel Pikes	3.5
3. Petrova, Etzella	3.0
4. Wagener, T71 D.	3.0
5. Gardler, Amicale	2.9
6. Adamczyk, T71 D.	2.7
7. Fisher, Musel Pikes	2.5
8. Hetting, Etzella	2.4
9. Meintz, Amicale	2.2
10. Putz, Heffingen	2.2

Blocks Per Game

Bridget YOERGER
  Racing
  (180-F-87)
  Avg: 1.7

1. Yoerger, Racing	1.7
2. Augustine, Basket	1.6
3. Gardler, Amicale	1.1
4. Fisher, Musel Pikes	1.0
5. Jones, Etzella	0.9
6. Mazjoukhina, Musel	0.9
7. Stowe, AB Contern	0.6
8. Neiertz, Etzella	0.6
9. Buzasi, Telstar	0.5
10. Weynandt, Amicale	0.5

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NCAA1

Dawn Staley named BCA coach of the year - by Eurobasket News

South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley is the Black Coaches and Administrators' female coach of the year.

The organization announced the honor Tuesday.

Staley led the Gamecocks to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003. They advanced to the round of 16 before falling to Stanford.

South Carolina was 25-10 and went 10-6 in the Southeastern Conference. The Gamecocks defeated six top-25 teams during the season, including their first-ever victory in Knoxville against Tennessee that also broke a 40-game losing streak to the Lady Vols.

Staley is 67-58 in her four seasons at South Carolina.

Courtesy of http://sports.yahoo.com

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RUSSIA

UMMC Ekaterinburg lands Euroleague scoring champion Diana Taurasi - by Eurobasket News

UMMC Ekaterinburg announced signing of Diana Taurasi (182-F/G-82, college: Connecticut) for the next season. The American guard spent the last one with Galatasaray. She was the top Euroleague scorer with 20.9 ppg for 18 games. Taurasi also added 4.4 rpg and 3.1 apg. In Turkish league she averaged 19 points, 4.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds. Taurasi and Galatasaray won the Turkish Cup this year. Before Galata, Diana Taurasi spent half of the season with Fenerbahce. The guard played for Spartak Vidnoe Moscow Region from 2006 to 2010 and won four Euroleague titles with them. Taurasi also has experience from Dynamo Moscow. In the WNBA, Diana Taurasi is a member of Phoenix Mercury for years. They won WNBA title together in 2007 and 2009. Taurasi won many personal awards over the past eight years including Eurobasket.com All-Europe Player of the Year -07, 09 and All-WNBA Player of the Year -09.

Diana Taurasi will play for the Phoenix Mercury in 2012 WNBA season and she will also play for the USA NT at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

UMMC Ekaterinburg hires Olaf Lange as new Head Coach - by Eurobasket News

Olaf Lange is a new Head Coach of the Russian champion UMMC Ekaterinburg. The German specialist will try to defend the title in Russia and also to win the Euroleague crown with Ekaterinburg next season. Lange's wife Sandy Brondello will work as an Assistant Coach. She currently serves as assistant to Carol Ross in Los Angeles with the Sparks. Members of the staff will also be Olga Korstalyeva and Sabin Zhurais.
Olaf Lange worked last two years in Australia. He guided Logan Thunder to WNBL Semifinals a year ago. From 2008 to 2010, Lange served as Assistant Coach of the San Antonio Silver Stars. Before that he was AC of Liberty University and Mitteldeutscher BC. The German squad was FIBA Europe Cup winner in 2004. Lange worked as Head Coach of the German junior NT in 2003.

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SERBIA

SLOVENIA

Celje sign prospect Lisec - by Zeljko Zule

Slovenian champion Celje fortified its roster with an eye on the future with the signing Eva Lisec (191-C-95) to a five year deal. Lisec arrives from Grosuplje, for whom she averaged 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25 Championship games and she was named Eurobasket.com Newcomer of the Year 2011-12. At last summer's Under-16 Division B European Championships, Lisec averaged 12.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 30 minutes over seven games. She ranked first in field goal percentage (59 %) and seventh in rebounding average.

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SWITZERLAND

Celeste Trahan forced to sit out for the remaining of the season - by Melanie Nussbaumer

Following the back injury that kept Celeste Trahan (184-C-85, agency: LBM Management, college: Elizabeth City) on the floor for long minutes in game 3 of the finals against Sdent Helios VS, Elfic Fribourg announce that the medical test revealed an herniated disk. This will keep her away from the courts for a period of a month, it is still uncertain if she will need to undergo surgery. This is certainly a great loss for her team for tonight's game. Celeste has been leading her team as well as the league in scoring (29.9ppg) and in rebounding (15.6rpg) this season in Switzerland.

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WNBA

Lynx defense key in 82-61 preseason win - by Eurobasket News

The Minnesota Lynx shut down the Chicago Sky 82-61 in their final pre-season tune up before their home opener on Sunday. The game, played at the Sports Pavilion at the University of Minnesota in front of over 4,100 fans was a homecoming for all-star point guard Lindsay Whalen (5'8''-PG-82, college: Minnesota) who played games during her freshman season at the Pavilion.

'I thought (it was) a successful day for us on many fronts. It was a preseason game that we turned up a notch versus the last time that we played (at Connecticut),' said head coach Cheryl Reeve. 'Just in our overall approach, we thought that was important. Obviously, it's a home game, really nice crowd here. But we wanted to get better in a couple areas and we accomplished that. One of them was defensively. We were kind of disappointed in our effort against Connecticut, so we increased in that area. I thought we had some success.'

The Lynx held Chicago to just 38 percent shooting from the floor and outscored the Sky 16-0 in the transition game. Monica Wright (5'11''-F-88, agency: LBM Management, college: Virginia) came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 14 points. Lindsay Whalen returned to her Sports Pavilion home for the first time since 2002. The former Gopher scored nine points dished eight assists had five rebounds and swiped two steals in 23 minutes.

'Now you just have to take what you can learn from today and forget about it because it's for real on Sunday,' said Whalen. 'But a game like this, it would be nice for it to count toward the regular season. But it doesn't. It's a learning experience for us and now we can move on and get things going for real on Sunday.'

All 12 players scored in the game. Seimone Augustus (6'2''-G-84, college: LSU) led the starters with 10 points, but it was the bench that scored 51 points on 56 percent shooting.

'Defensively, Chicago is a very good team and I thought we kind of took their concepts and we had really good balance,' said Reeve. 'For us, to be able to shoot nearly 53 percent against these guys, that didn't happen very often last year. So I'm really happy with our ability to share the ball.'

Rookie Devereaux Peters (6'2''-F-89, college: Notre Dame) scored six points, pulled down three rebounds had one block and three steals in her home debut.

The Lynx open the regular season on Sunday morning against Phoenix at Target Center.

Courtesy of www.myfoxtwincities.com

Washington Mystics sign Jessica Breland, Silver Stars waive Kalisha Keane - by Eurobasket News

Washington Mystics announced signing of Jessica Breland (6'3''-F-88, college: N.Carolina) for the season. The player was recently waived by the Connecticut Sun. The 6-foot-3 Breland was picked up by the Sun last July after being waived by New York, but saw action in just one game. Breland was the first pick in the second round of the 2011 draft, despite having to sit out a year in college while undergoing treatment for Hodgkins lymphoma. She returned for her senior season, before being drafted last year by Minnesota and then dealt to New York.

San Antonio Silver Stars announced that Kalisha Keane (6'1''-F-89, college: Michigan St.) is no longer member of the team. The Canadian National Team forward is now free agent. Most recently she played for the Israeli team Elitzur Maclaren Holon. She started last season with Croatian champions Gospic CO. Keane had 7.5 ppg and 3 rpg last year at FIBA Americas in Neiva Huila. She helped Canada to win the Bronze.

Shock release Amber Holt and Shanna Crossley (Zolman), Sun waives Dawn Evans - by Eurobasket News

Amber Holt (6'0''-G/F-85, college: Middle Tenn.St.) and Shanna Crossley (5'10''-G-83, college: Tennessee) are no longer players of Tulsa Shock. The team released them yesterday. Holt appeared 25 times for the Shock last season averaging 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. She missed few weeks during the season because of injury. Crossley (Zolman) played for Tulsa in 2010 season. She had 9.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 1.6 apg for 30 games.
Also yesterday, Connecticut Sun waived Dawn Evans (5'7''-PG-89, agency: LBM Management, college: JMU). She graduated at JMU few months ago averaging 23.1 ppg, 4.5 apg and 3.5 rpg for 33 games. Evans will spend 2011/12 season in Europe. Meanwhile, she will still try to get a deal in the WNBA.