EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 8/13/2012 1:04:01 AM

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Men News

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  ARGENTINA   



San Lorenzo tab German Ressia - by Eurobasket News

San Lorenzo added German Ressia (181-G-92) to the squad. The guard spent the previous season in LigaA. He played for Wuber-Estudiantes Bahia. His stats read only 0.5 points per game. German Ressia was the member of U18 Argentinean National Team. He participated at Albert Schweitzer International Tournament back in 2010.


Olympics 2012: Russia sneak past Argentina to clinch Bronze - by Eurobasket News

Russia - Argentina 81:77

Russia clinched the Bronze medals at the Olympic basketball tournament. They snatched the win over Argentina in a heart-stopping thriller. Alexey Shved scored 25 points, distributed 7 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds to pace the winners.
The lead changed hands for several times throughout close first quarter. Argentina eked out a 20:19 lead after ten minutes. Argentina stretched the lead to 6 points midway through the second quarter. However Russia answered with 12 points in a row to surge ahead. Alexey Shved capped the half with a three-pointer to make it 40:38 for Russia. The teams continued their roller-coaster action throughout the third term. The lead changed hands before Vitaliy Fridzon (196-G-85, agency: Alti Sport) and Andrei Kirilenko (209-F-81) gave David Blatts team a 56:48 lead. Russia soon gained an 11-point advantage 61:50. But the Latin American team answered with seven points in a row to narrow the margin at 4-point mark 57:61. Argentina quickly denied the deficit setting up a thrilling finale. The teams were tied at 74 with under 90 seconds remaining in regulation. Carlos Delfino scored just one free throw, while Vitaliy Fridzon sank both his attempts to put Russia in front with 56 seconds remaining. Emanuel Ginobili (198-SG-77, agency: Interperformances) replied with a tough layup to pull Argentina in front 77:76. Alexey Shved answered with a three-pointer and then Vitaliy Fridzon converted a layup to seal the victory for Russia. Vitaliy Fridzon finished with 19 points, while Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Emanuel Ginobili responded with 21 points for Argentina. Andres Nocioni (199-SF-79) had 16 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.

Russia: Alexey Shved 25, Andrei Kirilenko 20, Vitaliy Fridzon 19
Argentina: Emanuel Ginobili 21, Andres Nocioni 16


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  AUSTRALIA   


Wollongong NRE Hawks beat Washington State Cougars 86-74 - by Eurobasket News

The Wollongong NRE Hawks started their preseason campaign in front of a near capacity crowd of appoximately 700 loyal Hawks fans at the old Snakepit defeating the Washington State Cougars 86-74 on Friday night.

The game started approximately twenty minutes late after NBL referees were delayed arriving to the Snakepit by bushfires that had closed off the F6 freeway southbound from Sydney earlier that day.

The Hawks were lead by the NBL's best outside shooter, Oscar Forman (205-F/C-82) with 30 points including three triples and big man Larry Davidson (206-C/F-83, college: Boise St.) who finished with a double double 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Washington State University was lead by their Australian Senior Brock Motum (208-F-90), who finished the game with a team high 25 points and 9 rebounds. Next best for the Cougars was the quick guard Reggie Moore (185-G-89) with 21 points.

The US visitors started the scoring through Motum, but the experience of Saville and Forman helped guide the Hawks to a 24-17 first quarter lead.

Hawks forward Tim Coenraad sported a new look black face mask for the game after breaking his nose in SEABL three weeks ago, but was able to chip in for the team with some early baskets off the bench finishing the game with 15 points.

The second quarter saw the Hawks start with a 6-0 run, extending the lead out to 30-17. Washington State played tough and began to claw their way back until Zac Delaney closed off the first half with a long two pointer to bring the Hawks back to a 44-35 lead heading into the half.

A tough physical battle continued in the third quarter between the bigs of both teams, with a little fire seeing Motum register a foul and subsequent tech from the referees. After that phase of play the Hawks lead went out to 50-38 but Washington State showed the Hawks some great fight back and brought the deficit to just five points with 3 minutes to go in the quarter.

But it was Oscar Forman's night, with a pair of three pointers in the last two minutes of the third quarter playing a big part in taking a 66-52 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Rhys Martin got the Snakepit crowd alive with a nice four point play to start the fourth quarter and within two minutes the Hawks lead was 74-54 and the game beginning to be out of reach for Washington State. After trading baskets during the fourth, the Cougars scored easy baskets in the quarter to finish with a final result of 86-74.

The Wollongong Hawks would like to give a special thanks to Washington State University including their players, coaches and support staff for making it to Wollongong for the game today. The club would also like to thank it's fans and members for giving the visiting team a warm welcome on to the court and a great round of applause after the game.

The Hawks next play Northern Colorado at the Snakepit this weekend Sunday, tip off 3:00pm. Tickets still available at the door from 2:00pm Sunday.

Courtesy of NBL Australia


NBL referee Michael Aylen honoured - by Eurobasket News

Australian basketball referee Michael Aylen has been afforded the ultimate honour for any official and has been selected to preside over the mens Gold Medal Game at the London Olympic Games between the US Dream Team and Spain.

The Victorian will have the unenviable task of keeping NBA stars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and the rest of the NBA stars on the US and Spanish teams in check when they go head-to-head for the Gold Medal at midnight on Sunday night.

Only 30 of the best referees from around the world are invited to officiate at the Olympic Games, and only the best performed three at the tournament get the honour of refereeing the mens Olympic Final.

Aylen is one of Australias most respected basketball officials and has been named the National Basketball Leagues Referee of the Year for the past three straight seasons.

He has been named the NBLs best official five times in his career (2004, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012).

London is Aylens third Olympic Games after he also officiated in 2004 and 2008. Aylen has also previously refereed the mens World Championships in 2006 and 2010.

Courtesy of NBL Australia


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  AUSTRIA   

Standings - 2.Bundesliga

2.Bundesliga Standings
 1. Basket Flames 0-0 
 2. Dornbirn 0-0 
 3. Falcons 0-0 
 4. Klagenfurt 0-0 
 5. Mattersb.R. 0-0 
 6. Mistelbach 0-0 
 7. Salzburg 0-0 
 8. Schwaz 0-0 
 9. Vienna Timb. 0-0 
 10. Worthersee 0-0 


U18 European Championship: Czech Republic edge Austria in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News

Czech Republic U18-Austria U18 90:56

Czech Republic edge Austria in Sarajevo for 3-0 record on top of Group B. The team needed 90:56 win to keep the perfect record. Austria meanwhile fell at 2-2 in the middle of the group.
Czech Republic started with 24:21 and dominated the first half. They added 23-18 in the second period to take 47:39 after 20 minutes of the game. Another 12-0 run midway through the second frame gave them 61:41 lead. Hrabovsky later closed the period at 65:45 and Karel Ausprunk (200-F/C-94) brought 67:45 early in the last period. Czech Republic added massive 25-11 in the last stanza for the final result in the game.
Radovan Kouril (180-PG-95) posted 16 points to lead the charge and Karel Ausprunk had 15. Lukas Festr (185-PG-94) poured in 13, while Prokop Slanina (204-C-95) added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jakob Poeltl (208-PF-95) ended up with 15 points in the losing effort, while Laurence Mueller (178-PG-94) notched 11. Timur Bas (198-PF-94) poured in 10, while Valentin Bauer (181-PG-94) scored 9.

Czech Republic U18: Radovan Kouril 16, Karel Ausprunk 15, Lukas Festr 13, Prokop Slanina 10+10 rebs
Austria U18: Jakob Poeltl 15, Laurence Mueller 11, Timur Bas 10, Valentin Bauer 9


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  BALKAN LEAGUE   


Galil/Gilboa Secures Multi-Year Deal With Israeli U18 Shooter Maxim Kikus - by David Pick

Galil/Gilboa penned a multi-year deal with Israel's U18 northern native shooting guard Maxim Kikus (Agency: Avi Zilberman), sources with high information of the team's negotiations told Eurobasket earlier today (Sunday).

Kikus, a successful project of Israel's Wingate Academy program, hooped with the Israeli U16 National Team in the 2010 European Championship games in Montenegro, averaging double-digit scoring figures in 11.6 points per game along with grabbing 3.2 boards and 1.2 assists.

The 6-foot-3 guard is currently in Bosnia competing in the Division B U18 European Championship posting 6.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 4 games. Kikus' top performance came in a thrashing 93-43 victory against Scotland, scoring 16 points in 17 minutes of action.




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  BALTIC LEAGUE   


Neptunas Klaipeda keep Mikalauskas - by Eurobasket News

Neptunas Klaipeda keep Laurynas Mikalauskas (203-PF-85, college: Virginia) for the next season. The player started the season 2011-2012 for BBC Monthey (Switzerland-LNA), but in Nov.'11 moved to Naglis Palangos (LKL, starting five). In Dec 2011 he signed at Neptunas Klaipeda (LKL) and in Lithuanian League became the top-scorer with 18.0ppg, Reb-3 (7.1rpg), 1.3apg, FGP: 65.6%, FT: 73.1%. In Baltic League his stats read 17.2ppg, 10.0rpg, 1.6apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 64.9%, FT: 63.2%.

The forward was not new to the team. He played for Naglis for several months last season. Laurynas Mikalauskas tallied 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game in LKL. In Baltic League his stats read 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds. Laurynas Mikalauskas started the previous season with Barons Riga. The forward produced 11.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per appearance in LBL. He finished the season with Nevezis Kedainiai. Laurynas Mikalauskas posted 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in LKL. In Baltic League he delivered 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds. Eurobasket.com named Laurynas Mikalauskas All-Lithuanian LKL Newcomer of the Year.


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  BELARUS   


Artsiom Parakhouski joins Olin Edrine - by Eurobasket News

Olin Edrine continues with signings for the next season. Their new member is Belarusian big guy Artsiom Parakhouski (211-C-87, college: Radford), according to Edrinebasket.com. Parakhouski played for the New York Knicks at 2012 NBA Summer league in Las Vegas. He appeared 5 times for the team averaging 8 points and 6 rebounds. Last season the center spent with Budivelnyk Kyiv. He had 7.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 42 Ukrainian league games. He also added 9.5 ppg and 6 rpg for 12 appearances in VTB United league. In 2010/11, Artsiom Parakhouski was a member of VEF Riga. They won the Latvian league title together and reached Baltic league Finals. Parakhouski was named Eurobasket.com All-Baltic League Player of the Year -11. Artsiom Parakhouski graduated at Radford University two years ago.


U18 European Championship: Israel pip Belarus in Bosnia - by Eurobasket News

Belarus U18-Israel U18 56:82

Israel pip Belarus in Bosnia at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Israeli team celebrated an 82:56 win for 3-1 record in Group A. The team from Belarus suffered the third loss and dropped at 1-3 record.
Israel went on a lead from the first minutes and reached 26:18 after the first period. They added a 7-0 run early in the second frame for 33:18 after Ariels shot. Belarus did not give up and Patupchyk reduced to 39:35. Israel meanwhile responded with some important baskets and increased later to 15 points. Eliav Ohanon (199-F-94) and Bliznets closed the third period at 62:45, while Kikus brought 70:47. Israel won the fourth period 20-11 and sealed the victory.
Egor Koulechov (194-SF-94) stepped up with 20 points for the winners and Itay Segev (204-SF-95, agency: Avi Zilberman) netted 12. Eliav Ohanon and Daniel Sealine (187-SG-94) delivered 10 points each. Kiryl Chumakou (194-SF-95) posted 10 points in the losing effort, while Viktar Ilyukevich (203-PF-94) and Ivan Aladka (186-PG-95) had 9 apiece.

Belarus U18: Kiryl Chumakou 10, Viktar Ilyukevich 9, Ivan Aladka 9
Israel U18: Egor Koulechov 20, Itay Segev 12, Eliav Ohanon 10, Daniel Sealine 10


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  BELGIUM   


U18 European Championship: Belgium won over Georgia - by Eurobasket News

Georgia U18-Belgium U18 53:65

Belgium won over Georgia in Group D of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Belgium side grabbed 2-1 record after 65:53 win to take the second place in the group. Georgia meanwhile fell at 0-3 record.
Belgium took the lead in the first period and reached 17-10 after the first 10 minutes. Moreover Belgium added 18-14 in the second period and enjoyed 35:24 at the halftime as Emmanuel Lecomte (180-G-95) closed the half. Irakli Mikeladze (180-PG-94) reduced to 35:27 early in the third and he later closed the period at 45:50. Georgia however could not come closer. Belgium needed 15-8 surge in the last stanza to seal the victory.
Emmanuel Lecomte and Mathias Van Steenwinkel (200-F-94) top-scored for the winners with 16 points each. El Khounchar Naim followed them with 11 points in a win. Beka Burjanadze (203-PF-94) replied with 21 points and 17 rebounds in the losing effort. Irakli Mikeladze scored 13, while Giorgi Tsirekidze (202-C-94) added 10.

Georgia U18: Beka Burjanadze 21+17 rebs, Irakli Mikeladze 13, Giorgi Tsirekidze 10
Belgium U18: Emmanuel Lecomte 16, Mathias Van Steenwinkel 16, El Khounchar Naim 11


Verviers Transfers - by Peter Buyse

VOO Verviers-Pepinster announced the addition of several players to their 2012-2013 roster.
Last player signed is Nemanja Aleksandrov (210-C/F-87), a 25 year old 2.10 Serbian center. He has previous experience in the Adriatic League and the Euroleague.
He first played in the top Serbian league for BC Reflex Beograd between 2003 and 2005. During the 2004-2005 season his team won the Serbian Cup while he was still only 17 years old. His next season was 2006-2007 when he played for Crvena Zvezda Beograd with whom he signed a 4 year deal in 2006. Missed the whole 08-09 season with a knee injury and resurfaced in 2009 at Olimpija Ljubljana. He played Euroleague, Adriatic and Slovenian league with them. Moved to Scavolini Pesaro for the 20-11 season.

The team also announced the return to Pepinster of Sebastien Maio (190-G-78) who previously played several season for VOO.
Played the past seasons mostly in Spain and Switserland and most recently Brno in the Czech Republic.

Also on next season's roster will be Steve Lenglois (190-G-92), Brieuc Lemaire (193-G-92) and Yannick Moray (196-F-91)..


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  BOSNIA   


Bosnia and Herzegovina overcome Portugal in test game - by Eurobasket News

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Portugal 91:81

Bosnia and Herzegovina took on Portugal in the exhibition encounter. Both teams are preparing for the upcoming 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Tournament. Bosnia and Herzegovina proved the strength claiming a 10-point victory. Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) came up with 33 points to lead the charge.
Portugal fired 28 points in the first term to take a 3-point lead. But Bosnia and Herzegovina took over in the second quarter. The hosts denied the deficit and pulled ahead for a 48:39 halftime lead. Bosnia and Herzegovina stretched the margin to 12 points at the final break. Portugal cut the deficit but could not threaten the distance in the fourth term. Nihad Djedovic (196-F-90, agency: Beo Basket) provided 26 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Zack Wright (188-G-85, college: Central Mo.) added 11 points in the win. Joao Gomes (199-F-85) answered with 23 points and 7 rebounds for Portugal. Jaime Silva (187-PG-80) provided 14 points in the loss.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mirza Teletovic 33, Nihad Djedovic 26, Zack Wright 11
Portugal: Joao Gomes 23, Jaime Silva 14


U18 European Championship: Bosnia and Herzegovina conquer Group D - by Eurobasket News

Holland U18 -Bosnia and Herzegovina U18 58:66

Bosnia and Herzegovina conquer Group D of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team overcame Holland 66:58 for 4-0 record on top. The Dutch side meanwhile dropped at 1-2 record.
Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the game as a favorite but lost the first period 15-23. The rest of the game however they proved the ambitions for the higher places and grabbed the victory. Nedim Buza (201-SF-95) closed the half at 31:32 for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Jusuf Nurkic (212-C-94) gave his side the narrow win early in the third. The teams exchanged the lead several times, while Jusuf Nurkic tied it all at 48:48 to close the third frame. Bosnia and Herzegovina finished the game with a 6-0 run for a necessary win.
Nedim Buza paced all the winners with 21 points and Jusuf Nurkic collected 19 points and 11 rebounds. Adin Vrabac (202-G/F-94) scored 9, while Marko Vukovic (190-SG-94) added 6. Mike Schilder (185-PG-94, agency: Court Side) answered with 16 points in defeat, while Shane Hammink (198-F-94) added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jito Kok (205-C-94) had 12 points and 11 boards, whilst Maarten Bouwknecht (185-PG-94) nailed 11.

Holland U18: Mike Schilder 16, Shane Hammink 14+11 rebs, Jito Kok 12+11 rebs, Maarten Bouwknecht 11
Bosnia and Herzegovina U18: Nedim Buza 21, Jusuf Nurkic 19+11 rebs, Adin Vrabac 9, Marko Vukovic 6


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  BULGARIA   


Cherno More might return to the Balkan League - by Maria Mitzova

Euroins Cherno More Port Varna might play in the Balkan League next season. After the team found a sponsor for next year and secured their budget, Asen Hristov and Shay Shtriks, who have always supported the basketball in Varna are looking into the possibility of adding the team to the BIBL.
In the next days they will have a meeting and they will take a decision about this matter, as one of the main goals of the BIBL is to support the development of young and talented teams and players just like Euroins Cherno More Port Varna.
There will be talks with Simeon Varchev as the roster of the team is still to be decided, and also the team should be able to fulfill all of the obligations that the Balkan League requires.
Euroins Cherno More Port Varna already played two seasons in the BIBL between 2008 and 2010, as in 2010 they reached the Final Four of the competition.


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  CROATIA   


KK Zadar is signing Gary Ervin? - by Dajana Karl

Seems like American PG Gary Ervin will be the new point guard of KK Zadar. Zadar have already agreed with Ervin, they're just waiting for it to become official.

Gary Ervin went to Mississippi State University, then later transfered to the University of Kansas. After college, he joined the NBA D-league's teams Sioux Falls Skyforce and later Tulsa 66ers. He also played in the American PBL with Halifax Rainmen, he won there the MVP award for the PBL All-star game in 2010. Ervin also have the experience playing for the NBL Australian league's team Wollongong Hawks where he won another MVP award and was selected to the NBL First Team.

He spent the last season with BC Kyiv where he played the average of 31 minutes averaging 14 points and 2.7 rebounds.


KK Zadar is signing Gary Ervin? - by Dajana Karl

Seems like American PG Gary Ervin (183-G-83, college: Arkansas) will be the new point guard of KK Zadar. Zadar have already agreed with Ervin, they're just waiting for it to become official.

Gary Ervin went to Mississippi State University, then later transfered to the University of Arkansas. After college, he joined the NBA D-league's teams Sioux Falls Skyforce and later Tulsa 66ers. He also played in the American PBL with Halifax Rainmen, he won there the MVP award for the PBL All-star game in 2010. Ervin also gained experience playing for the NBL Australian league's team Wollongong Hawks where he won another MVP award and was selected to the NBL First Team.

He spent the last season with BC Kyiv where he played the average of 31 minutes averaging 14 points and 2.7 rebounds.

If everything goes as planned, we can expect him in Zadar on 20th of August, just like the other American reinforcement Romeo Travis (200-PF-84, college: Akron).


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  CZECH REPUBLIC   


U18 European Championship: Czech Republic edge Austria in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News

Czech Republic U18-Austria U18 90:56

Czech Republic edge Austria in Sarajevo for 3-0 record on top of Group B. The team needed 90:56 win to keep the perfect record. Austria meanwhile fell at 2-2 in the middle of the group.
Czech Republic started with 24:21 and dominated the first half. They added 23-18 in the second period to take 47:39 after 20 minutes of the game. Another 12-0 run midway through the second frame gave them 61:41 lead. Hrabovsky later closed the period at 65:45 and Karel Ausprunk (200-F/C-94) brought 67:45 early in the last period. Czech Republic added massive 25-11 in the last stanza for the final result in the game.
Radovan Kouril (180-PG-95) posted 16 points to lead the charge and Karel Ausprunk had 15. Lukas Festr (185-PG-94) poured in 13, while Prokop Slanina (204-C-95) added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jakob Poeltl (208-PF-95) ended up with 15 points in the losing effort, while Laurence Mueller (178-PG-94) notched 11. Timur Bas (198-PF-94) poured in 10, while Valentin Bauer (181-PG-94) scored 9.

Czech Republic U18: Radovan Kouril 16, Karel Ausprunk 15, Lukas Festr 13, Prokop Slanina 10+10 rebs
Austria U18: Jakob Poeltl 15, Laurence Mueller 11, Timur Bas 10, Valentin Bauer 9


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  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   

Standings - District National

LNB Standings
North Division
 1. Indios SF 8-3 
 2. Metros 6-4 
 3. Huracanes 6-5 
 4. Reales 4-7 
South Division
 1. Caneros 6-5 
 2. Titanes 5-6 
 3. Leones SD 4-6 
 4. Cocolos 4-7 

Regular Season: Round 9

Aug. 10: Caneros - Reales 99-101
Aug. 10: Indios SF - Leones SD 93-83
Aug. 11: Titanes - Huracanes 87-76
Aug. 11: Metros - Cocolos 102-86
Aug. 12: Leones SD - Metros
Aug. 12: Reales - Titanes



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  ESTONIA   


Derek Glasser signs with BC Kalev/Cramo - by Eurobasket News

Derek Glasser (185-G-87, agency: Edge Sports, college: Arizona St.) inks with BC Kalev/Cramo for the upcoming season. The player moves from Israel.
According to David Pick Glasser, who was selected as a four-time All-America first-team guard by Jewish Sports Review, made Aliyah and will be fully considered an Israeli playing in BSL. The California resident was a three-year starter for ASU where he played in a school record 131 games (20 of them turnover-free) from 2006-2010 and shattered ASUs all-time assist record, posting 551 career assists.He is the all-time leading free throw shooter at ASU, making 295-of-352 free throws and is the first ASU player to total more than 1,000 career points (1,028) and 500 assists (551). During his senior season, Glasser averaged 10.1 points per game, where he led the conference in assists (4.8) and in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.16).
As a junior, Glasser was ASUs best player in the 2009 postseason, as he averaged 13.7 points in the Pac-10 Tournament and posted a career-high 22 points in the teams victory over Temple in the first-round of the NCAA tournament. In 2009, Glasser was named to the first-team PAC-10 All-Academic team.


U18 European Championship: Estonia wins thriller to remain undefeated - by Eurobasket News

Slovak Republic U18-Estonia U18 65:67

Estonia wins thriller to remain undefeated at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team grabbed valuable 67:65 win over Slovak Republic for 3-0 record on top of Group B. The latter meanwhile fell at 0-3 record.
It was a slow start in the game as the teams scored only 21 points in the first 10 minutes. Slovakia had 11:10 and then Hendrik Ruut (190-PG-94) gave Estonia 14:13 advantage early in the second. Georg Tambre (194-PF-94) closed the half at 33:24 as Estonia won the frame 23-13. Slovakia also scored 13 points in the third period, but it was enough to tie the margin only for the period. Kent Vene (192-SG-94) brought 48:40 early in the fourth, while Hendrik Ruut and Sander Saare (182-PG-94) ensured the latest baskets for the winners.
Sander Saare and Kent Vene top-scored for the winners with 14 points each for a perfect record. Hendrik Ruut nailed 13, while Georg Tambre added 12. Vladimir Brodziansky (206-PF-94) and Martin Matejcik (185-G-94) replied with 19 points each in the losing effort. Vladimir Nemcok (183-PG-95) had 12, while Robert Rozim (199-F-94) collected 8 points and 12 rebounds.

Slovak Republic U18: Vladimir Brodziansky 19+12 rebs, Martin Matejcik 19, Vladimir Nemcok 12, Robert Rozim 8+12 rebs
Estonia U18: Sander Saare 14, Kent Vene 14, Hendrik Ruut 13, Georg Tambre 12


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  EUROLEAGUE   


ALBA Berlin lands Deon Thompson - by Eurobasket News

ALBA Berlin announced signing of Deon Thompson (203-F-88, college: N.Carolina) for the next season. The player parted ways with Union Olimpija few days ago. Thompson appeared 10 times in Euroleague last season averaging 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds. He also added 12.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 24 Adriatic league games. In Slovenia, the American registered 11.9 ppg and 5.3 rpg. He played for the Memphis Grizzlies at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. For 5 games Thompson collected 11 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Before Union Olimpija, Deon Thompson spent one year with Greek Ikaros. There he shined with 14.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 1.3 bpg. The player graduated at North Carolina University two years ago. In the past, Thompson played for the USA U19, U21 and University National Teams. Last season he was named Eurobasket.com All-Slovenian League Center of the Year.


Zalgiris bring back Adas Juskevicius - by Eurobasket News

Zalgiris completed the roster. They added lately Adas Juskevicius (194-G/F-89). Adas Juskevicius renewed his contract with Zalgiris for two more seasons. The forward spent the previous season with Rudupis on loan. He tallied 10.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in LKL. In Baltic League the forward posted 10.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per appearance. Adas Juskevicius also tallied 8.5 points, 3.7 boards, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per appearance in EuroCup. Eurobasket.com named Adas Juskevicius All-Baltic League Domestic Player of the Year in 2011. He also made it into All-Lithuanian LKL 2nd Team in 2011. Juskevicius was the member of U16, U18 and U20 Lithuanian National Teams. He joined the Lithuanian National Team in 2012.


Panathinaikos announces guard Derwin Kitchen - by Diamadis Farmakis

Panathinaikos keeps rebuilding it's roster, for the upcoming season. The Greens announced a new addition for the upcoming season, none other than dynamic american point guard Derwin Kitchen (193-G-86, college: Florida St.), who inked a one-year deal with his new club on Sunday and he'll be a partner of Dimitris Diamantidis and Roko Ukic in the ''1'' position. See below details of his contract and a player's small ''bio'' .

**Kitchen signed a one-year contract, but Panathinaikos keeps an option to extend his contract until the end of the 2013-14 season

**Kitchen (1.93 meters, 26 years old) arrives from Maccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel, where last season he averaged 14.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in his 32 appearances in the Israeli League.and in his debut season as a pro after he played college ball in Iowa Western and Florida State from 2007 to 2011. He was elected for the Israeli All-Star Game last season also and reached the Israeli Cup final with his team.


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  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS U18   

Standings Division A

Standings
Group A
1. Spain3-0
2. Serbia2-1
3. Ukraine1-2
4. Germany0-3
Group B
1. Lithuania3-0
2. Italy2-1
3. Greece1-2
4. Denmark0-3
Group C
1. Bulgaria2-1
2. Latvia2-1
3. Turkey1-2
4. France1-2
Group D
1. Croatia3-0
2. Russia2-1
3. Slovenia1-2
4. Poland0-3

Preliminary Round: Round 3

A

Aug. 11: ESP - SRB 83-68
Aug. 11: UKR - GER 60-57

B

Aug. 11: LTU - ITA 81-71
Aug. 11: DEN - GRE 55-64

C

Aug. 11: TUR - FRA 66-56
Aug. 11: LAT - BUL 58-69

D

Aug. 11: CRO - RUS 74-63
Aug. 11: SLO - POL 69-63

Qualifying Round: Round 4

E

Aug. 13: ITA - SRB
Aug. 13: GRE - ESP
Aug. 13: LTU - UKR

F

Aug. 13: SLO - BUL
Aug. 13: RUS - LAT
Aug. 13: CRO - TUR

G

Aug. 13: GER - POL
Aug. 13: DEN - FRA


Stats Leaders Div. A

Points Per Game
 Dario SARIC
  CRO
  (208-F-94)
  Avg: 29.3
 1. Saric, CRO29.3 
 2. Tamulis, LTU24.3 
 3. Vezenkov, BUL21.0 
 4. Brzoja, CRO19.0 
 5. Imbro, ITA18.0 
 6. Agravanis, GRE17.7 
 7. Kulagin, RUS17.7 
 8. Rebec, SLO17.3 
 9. Sene, FRA17.0 
 10. Hernangomez, ESP17.0 
Rebounds Per Game
 Mouhammadou JAITEH
  (206-C-94)
  Avg: 11.3
 1. Jaiteh, FRA11.3 
 2. Agravanis, GRE10.0 
 3. Krestininas, LTU9.7 
 4. Ristic, SRB9.0 
 5. Diop, ESP8.7 
 6. Gromovs, LAT8.7 
 7. Saric, CRO8.7 
 8. Kulagin, RUS8.3 
 9. Hernangomez, ESP8.0 
 10. Zvigurs, LAT8.0 
Assists Per Game
 Josep PEREZ
  (184-PG-94)
  Avg: 6.3
 1. Perez, ESP6.3 
 2. Rebec, SLO5.0 
 3. Radicevic, SRB5.0 
 4. Mavra, CRO5.0 
 5. Karamfilov, BUL4.7 
 6. Sipahi, TUR4.7 
 7. Sene, FRA4.7 
 8. Boyarkin, UKR4.7 
 9. Annaev, RUS4.3 
 10. Schenk, POL4.3 
Steals Per Game
 Aleksandar VEZENKOV
  CYP
  (205-SF-95)
  Avg: 3.7
 1. Vezenkov, BUL3.7 
 2. Hrovat, SLO3.0 
 3. Mustapic, CRO2.7 
 4. Annaev, RUS2.7 
 5. Lebo, CRO2.7 
 6. Kudrya, UKR2.7 
 7. Moendadze, FRA2.7 
 8. Kulagin, RUS2.3 
 9. Erulku, TUR2.3 
 10. Tessitori, ITA2.0 
Blocks Per Game
 Ilja GROMOVS
  (207-C-94)
  Avg: 2.7
 1. Gromovs, LAT2.7 
 2. Tessitori, ITA2.3 
 3. Ristic, SRB2.0 
 4. Krestininas, LTU1.7 
 5. Kanygin, RUS1.7 
 6. Saric, CRO1.7 
 7. Kamperidis, GRE1.3 
 8. Ritlop, SLO1.3 
 9. Zagreba, UKR1.3 
 10. Koreniuk, UKR1.3 


M-Standings - Group B

Standings Div.B
Group A
1. U.Kingdom4-0
2. Israel3-1
3. Romania2-2
4. Hungary2-2
5. Belarus1-3
6. Scotland0-4
Group B
1. Czech Rep.3-0
2. Estonia3-0
3. Austria2-2
4. Luxembourg.0-3
5. Slovakia0-3
Group C
1. Finland3-1
2. Iceland3-1
3. Montenegro.3-1
4. Sweden3-1
5. Norway0-4
6. Switzerlan.0-4
Group D
1. Bosnia4-0
2. Belgium2-1
3. Holland1-2
4. Portugal1-2
5. Georgia0-3

Preliminary Round: Round 4

A

Aug. 12: ROM - SCO 81-53
Aug. 12: HUN - ENG 58-63
Aug. 12: BLR - ISR 56-82

B

Aug. 12: CZE - AUT 90-56
Aug. 12: SVK - EST 65-67

C

Aug. 12: SWE - ISL 92-83
Aug. 12: NOR - MNT 77-87
Aug. 12: SUI - FIN 51-67

D

Aug. 12: NED - BIH 58-66
Aug. 12: GEO - BEL 53-65

Preliminary Round: Round 5

A

Aug. 13: BLR - HUN
Aug. 13: ISR - ROM
Aug. 13: ENG - SCO

B

Aug. 13: EST - CZE
Aug. 13: LUX - SVK

C

Aug. 13: MNT - SWE
Aug. 13: NOR - SUI
Aug. 13: ISL - FIN

D

Aug. 13: POR - GEO
Aug. 13: BEL - NED


Stats Leader

Points Per Game
 Jusuf NURKIC
  BIH
  (212-C-94)
  Avg: 21
 1. Nurkic, BIH21.0 
 2. Hermannsson, ISL20.0 
 3. Schilder, NED19.7 
 4. Ausprunk, CZE18.7 
 5. Mikeladze, GEO18.3 
 6. Koulechov, ISR18.0 
 7. Mikovic, MNT17.5 
 8. Nelson, ENG16.8 
 9. Ramstedt, SWE16.5 
 10. Poltl, AUT16.3 
Rebounds Per Game
 Jakob POELTL
  (208-PF-95)
  Avg: 13.8
 1. Poltl, AUT13.8 
 2. Nurkic, BIH13.5 
 3. Burjanadze, GEO13.3 
 4. Ausprunk, CZE11.7 
 5. Lepovic, NOR11.3 
 6. Okoroh, ENG11.3 
 7. Spires, SWE10.8 
 8. Brodziansky, SVK9.3 
 9. Popovici, ROM8.8 
 10. Koulechov, ISR8.8 
Assists Per Game
 Radovan KOURIL
  CZE
  (180-PG-95)
  Avg: 8.3
 1. Kouril, CZE8.3 
 2. Vrbica, MNT6.8 
 3. Perl, HUN5.0 
 4. Sharon, ISR4.8 
 5. Saare, EST4.3 
 6. Valsson, ISL4.0 
 7. Vrabac, BIH3.8 
 8. Mikeladze, GEO3.7 
 9. Nemcok, SVK3.7 
 10. Fridriksson, ISL3.5 
Steals Per Game
 Egor KOULECHOV
  RUS
  (194-SF-94)
  Avg: 3
 1. Koulechov, ISR3.0 
 2. Saare, EST3.0 
 3. Valsson, ISL2.8 
 4. Andjelkovic, SUI2.8 
 5. Vrbica, MNT2.5 
 6. Mattila, FIN2.5 
 7. Lehtoranta, FIN2.3 
 8. Rozim, SVK2.3 
 9. Patupchyk, BLR2.0 
 10. Vukovic, BIH2.0 
Blocks Per Game
 Jito KOK
  NED
  (205-C-94)
  Avg: 3
 1. Kok, NED3.0 
 2. Okoroh, ENG2.8 
 3. Ausprunk, CZE2.7 
 4. Spires, SWE2.3 
 5. Rajala, FIN2.3 
 6. Bliznets, BLR2.0 
 7. Ilyukevich, BLR1.5 
 8. Mikovic, MNT1.5 
 9. Poltl, AUT1.5 
 10. Nurkic, BIH1.3 


Division B: Day 4 in Sarajevo - by Eurobasket News

Group A
Belarus - Israel 56-82
Israel pip Belarus in Bosnia at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Israeli team celebrated an 82:56 win for 3-1 record in Group A. The team from Belarus suffered the third loss and dropped at 1-3 record. Israel went on a lead from the first minutes and reached 26:18 after the first period. They added a 7-0 run early in the second frame for 33:18 after Ariel's shot. Belarus did not give up and Patupchyk reduced to 39:35. Israel meanwhile responded with some important baskets and increased later to 15 points. Eliav Ohanon (199-F-94) and Bliznets closed the third period at 62:45, while Kikus brought 70:47. Israel won the fourth period 20-11 and sealed the victory. Egor Koulechov (194-SF-94) stepped up with 20 points for the winners and Segev Itay netted 12. Eliav Ohanon and Sealine Daniel delivered 10 points each. Kiryl Chumakou (194-SF-95) posted 10 points in the losing effort, while Ilyukevich Viktar and Aladka Ivan had 9 apiece.

Romania - Scotland 81-53
Romania keep Scotland winless at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team overcame the opponents 81:53 for 2-2 record in Group A. Scotland meanwhile fell at 0-4 record. Scotland won the opening tip 8:2, while Romanian team replied with an 18-0 run. Vlad Tincu (188-SG-94) later closed the period at 23:10 and Ene brought 27:12. Romania led 12 points midway through the second frame, but Nicholas Sim (180-PG-95) reduced to 39:34 at the halftime. The second half was decisive in the game as Romania posted two victories in it. They produced 20-11 in the third period and added 22-8 in the last stanza. Popovici Vlad led the way with 18 points and Vlad Stoicoviciu (190-SG-94) netted 12. Hortoglu Mehmet delivered 11, while Vlad Tincu and Cobzaru Vlad scored 8 each. Nicholas Sim replied with 11 points in the losing effort and Craig Malcolm (191-SF-94) scored 9.

Hungary - United Kingdom 58-63
England keep the leading position in Group A of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team improved to 4-0 record on top of the group after 83:58 win over Hungary. Although England won the first period 18-13, they could not win the first half. Hungary answered with 25-9 in the second frame and grabbed 38:27 at the halftime. Moreover Perl Zoltan brought 40:27 and Bognar increased to 44:30. Hungary however could not win. England needed a strong end of the third period for 48:44 and then Isaacs Tyrell gave them 51:50 early in the fourth. Kingsley Okoroh (213-C-95) and Isaacs Tyrell brought the final points from the free throw line to remain undefeated. Luke Nelson (189-PG-95) top-scored for the winners with 22 points and Isaacs Tyrell had 13. Sentance Elliott followed them with 10 points, whilst Kingsley Okoroh collected 7 points and 16 rebounds. Perl Zoltan answered with 14 points in the losing effort and Benedek Varadi (194-G/F-95) added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Kristof Bognar (206-C/F-94) ended up with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Goloman Gyorgy notched 8.

Group B
Slovakia - Estonia 65-67
Estonia wins thriller to remain undefeated at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team grabbed valuable 67:65 win over Slovak Republic for 3-0 record on top of Group B. The latter meanwhile fell at 0-3 record. It was a slow start in the game as the teams scored only 21 points in the first 10 minutes. Slovakia had 11:10 and then Hendrik Ruut (190-PG-94) gave Estonia 14:13 advantage early in the second. Tambre Georg closed the half at 33:24 as Estonia won the frame 23-13. Slovakia also scored 13 points in the third period, but it was enough to tie the margin only for the period. Kent Vene (192-SG-94) brought 48:40 early in the fourth, while Hendrik Ruut and Saare Sander ensured the latest baskets for the winners. Saare Sander and Kent Vene top-scored for the winners with 14 points each for a perfect record. Hendrik Ruut nailed 13, while Tambre Georg added 12. Brodziansky Vladimir and Matejcik Martin replied with 19 points each in the losing effort. Vladimir Nemcok (183-PG-95) had 12, while Rozim Robert collected 8 points and 12 rebounds.

Czech Republic - Austria 90-56
Czech Republic edge Austria in Sarajevo for 3-0 record on top of Group B. The team needed 90:56 win to keep the perfect record. Austria meanwhile fell at 2-2 in the middle of the group. Czech Republic started with 24:21 and dominated the first half. They added 23-18 in the second period to take 47:39 after 20 minutes of the game. Another 12-0 run midway through the second frame gave them 61:41 lead. Hrabovsky later closed the period at 65:45 and Ausprunk Karel brought 67:45 early in the last period. Czech Republic added massive 25-11 in the last stanza for the final result in the game. Radovan Kouril (180-PG-95) posted 16 points to lead the charge and Ausprunk Karel had 15. Festr Lukas poured in 13, while Prokop Slanina (204-C-95) added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jakob Poeltl (208-PF-95) ended up with 15 points in the losing effort, while Laurence Mueller (178-PG-94) notched 11. Bas Timur poured in 10, while Bauer Valentin scored 9.

Group C
Switzerland - Finland 51-67
Julius Rajala (205-PF-94) leads Finland over Switzerland in the last game of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Nordic side grabbed 67:51 win for 3-1 record on top of Group C. Now 4 teams have the same record on top of the group, while Switzerland fell at 0-4 record. Finland posted 23:13 in the first period and never looked behind after. They added 17-8 in the second frame and grabbed 40:21 halftime advantage. Daniel Andjelkovic (200-PF-94) tried hard for the Swiss side and it was him to bring 40:23 early in the third. He also closed the third period for 51:32. Switzerland managed to win the last stanza 19-16 but lost the game by 16 points. Julius Rajala top-scored for the winners with 18 points, while Niko Mattila (191-SG-94) followed him with 9. Joni Herrala (190-G-94) and Maki Iikka delivered 8 points each in a victory. Daniel Andjelkovic posted 16 in defeat, while Schittenhelm Leo scored 9.

Norway - Montenegro 77-87
Montenegro ease past Norway at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The winners improved to 3-1 record to share the top place in Group C with Sweden and Iceland. Norway meanwhile fell at 0-4 record. Montenegro started the game with 14-12, but did not expect a massive surge from Norway. The latter erupted with 28-19 in the second period as Espen Fjaerestad (192-SG-94) brought 40:28. Montenegro replied with a 7-0 run to trail 5 points early in the third and then Vasilije Vusovic (191-G-94) gave them 46:44 advantage. The teams exchanged the lead several times and Norway grabbed 66:65 with 10 minutes to go. The last quarter meanwhile belonged to Montenegro that needed 22-11 burst to seal the victory. Milos Pajovic (205-C-94) top-scored for the winners with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Vukovic Nenad had 11. Vasilije Vusovic poured in 10, whilst Kovacevic Veselin and Djurovic Luka scored 9 apiece. Espen Fjaerestad replied with 20 points in defeat and Vuk Krivokapic (193-SF-95) scored 15. Blatancic Nikola netted 14, while Seach Nicholas delivered 9.

Sweden - Iceland 92-83
Sweden and Iceland open Day 4 of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Scandinavian side grabbed 92:83 to tie both records in Group C at 3-1. Iceland suffered their first loss. Both teams started strong and scored 25 points each in the first period. Sweden managed to score another 25 in the second frame, while Iceland posted only 13. In the third period both teams nailed another 20 points each, while the battle continued in the last stanza. Although Iceland won the period 25-22 they reduced only to 9 final points. Musie Caleb top-scored for the winners with 21 points for the third victory. Ramstedt Adam, Gorski Alexander and Nicholas Spires (209-PF-94) added 14 each, while the latter also grabbed 17 boards. Elvar Fridriksson (180-PG-94) finished the game with 22 points in the losing effort, while Martin Hermannsson (190-SG-94) notched 20. Valsson Valur delivered 11 points in defeat.

Group D
Georgia - Belgium 53-65
Belgium won over Georgia in Group D of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Belgium side grabbed 2-1 record after 65:53 win to take the second place in the group. Georgia meanwhile fell at 0-3 record. Belgium took the lead in the first period and reached 17-10 after the first 10 minutes. Moreover Belgium added 18-14 in the second period and enjoyed 35:24 at the halftime as Lecomte Emmanuel closed the half. Irakli Mikeladze (180-PG-94) reduced to 35:27 early in the third and he later closed the period at 45:50. Georgia however could not come closer. Belgium needed 15-8 surge in the last stanza to seal the victory. Lecomte Emmanuel and Mathias Van Steenwinkel (200-F-94) top-scored for the winners with 16 points each. El Khounchar Naim followed them with 11 points in a win. Beka Burjanadze (203-PF-94) replied with 21 points and 17 rebounds in the losing effort. Irakli Mikeladze scored 13, while Tsirekidze Giorgi added 10.

Holland - Bosnia 58-66
Bosnia and Herzegovina conquer Group D of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team overcame Holland 66:58 for 4-0 record on top. The Dutch side meanwhile dropped at 1-2 record. Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the game as a favorite but lost the first period 15-23. The rest of the game however they proved the ambitions for the higher places and grabbed the victory. Buza Nedim closed the half at 31:32 for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Nurkic Jusuf gave his side the narrow win early in the third. The teams exchanged the lead several times, while Nurkic Jusuf tied it all at 48:48 to close the third frame. Bosnia and Herzegovina finished the game with a 6-0 run for a necessary win. Buza Nedim paced all the winners with 21 points and Nurkic Jusuf collected 19 points and 11 rebounds. Vrabac Adin scored 9, while Vukovic Marko added 6. Schilder Mike answered with 16 points in defeat, while Shane Hammink (198-F-94) added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jito Kok (205-C-94) had 12 points and 11 boards, whilst Bouwknecht Maarten nailed 11.


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


Finland fire past Turkey to clinch third place at Beko SuperCup - by Eurobasket News

Finland - Turkey 98:82

Finland occupied the third position at the Beko SuperCup international tournament in Germany. They knocked down Turkey on the final day of the competition. Mikko Koivisto (194-G-87, college: NC-Greensboro) stepped up with 18 points to lead well-balanced effort from the Finnish team.
The teams stayed close throughout the opening quarter. The scoreboard read 25:25 after ten minutes. Finland exploded with 34 points in the second term to clear off. They piled up an 18-point lead at halftime. Turkey stopped the rot in the third term. They slowed their opponents down but managed to cut the deficit by a single point. Turkey got within 16 points in the final stanza but Finland stayed comfortably in charge and cruised to the victory at the end. Shawn Huff (198-G/F-84, college: Valparaiso) posted 17 points, while Gerald Lee (208-F-87, college: ODU) contributed 13 points for the winners. Ilkan Karaman (205-F-90, agency: Beo Basket) answered with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Turkey. Safak Edge (188-PG-92) and Kerem Gonlum (208-PF-77) chipped in 10 points each in the loss.

Finland: Mikko Koivisto 18, Shawn Huff 17, Gerald Lee 13
Turkey: Ilkan Karaman 12+12 boards, Safak Edge 10, Kerem Gonlum 10


U18 European Championship: Rajala Julius leads Finland over Switzerland - by Eurobasket News

Switzerland U18-Finland U18 51:67

Julius Rajala (205-PF-94) leads Finland over Switzerland in the last game of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Nordic side grabbed 67:51 win for 3-1 record on top of Group C. Now 4 teams have the same record on top of the group, while Switzerland fell at 0-4 record.
Finland posted 23:13 in the first period and never looked behind after. They added 17-8 in the second frame and grabbed 40:21 halftime advantage. Daniel Andjelkovic (200-PF-94) tried hard for the Swiss side and it was him to bring 40:23 early in the third. He also closed the third period for 51:32. Switzerland managed to win the last stanza 19-16 but lost the game by 16 points.
Julius Rajala top-scored for the winners with 18 points, while Niko Mattila (191-SG-94) followed him with 9. Joni Herrala (190-G-94) and Iikka Maki (191-SF-94) delivered 8 points each in a victory. Daniel Andjelkovic posted 16 in defeat, while Leo Schittenhelm (194-SF-94) scored 9.

Switzerland U18: Daniel Andjelkovic 16, Leo Schittenhelm 9
Finland U18: Julius Rajala 18, Niko Mattila 9, Joni Herrala 8, Iikka Maki 8


1.DIVISION: YMCA Oulu signed three Americans - by Rauno Hurmalainen

YMCA Oulu, # 5 last season in Division 1, has signed with three American players. Guard Russell Frederick (185-G-88, college: Philadelphia University) will be joined by Forward Dwight Coleman (203-F-85, college: Dallas Baptist) and Forward Josh Nofflet (194-F-88, college: Lee). Nofflet played also last season in Finland being a member of YMCA Oulu roster. Nofflet averaged 21,4 ppg, 9,6 rpg, 2,2 apg and 1,5 spg in 22 games. YMCA Oulu has also five Finnish players signed. Juha Valkama will continue as team's Head Coach.


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


Jimmy Lupot joins St-Brieuc - by Eurobasket News

Jimmy Lupot (190-G-83) is a new member of St-Brieuc. The French guard signed a 1-year deal with the club. They will compete in NM2 next season. Lupot heads to St-Brieuc from Etendard de Brest, where he spent 2011/12. He appeared 34 times in NM1 averaging 7.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists. The player already has experience from NM2 as he played for Union Sportive Avignon/Pontet in 2010/11. Lupot missed 2009/10 season and before that he played for the Belgian team VOO Verviers-Pepinster. He had 6 ppg and 1.9 rpg for 18 games in Belgian top division. In the past, he was a member of Feurs Enfants du Forez.


Limoges inks 1+1 year deal with Angelos Tsamis - by Eurobasket News

As expected, Angelos Tsamis (192-G-81) became a new member of Limoges. The Greek guard signed a 1+1 year deal with the club, according to Catch-and-shoot.com. Tsamis spent last four seasons with VAP Kolossos. In the latest one he had 11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 2.6 apg for 35 games. He helped Kolossos to reach the Playoff Semifinals, what was considered as big success. Tsamis was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Greek A1 League 3rd Team -12. In 2010/11 season Angelos Tsamis collected 9.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.5 apg for 28 games. He had lower numbers from 2008 to 2010. Before Kolossos, the guard played one year for AEK Athens. He also has experience from Olimpiada Patron. Tsamis led Olimpiada to A2 title six years ago.
Earlier this summer, Limoges kept small forward Raphael Desroses (199-SF-80). The player averaged 10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in ProB. Previously Raphael Desroses had stints with Aix-Maurienne, Besancon, Bourg, Angers, Roanne, Cholet, Montpellier and Poissy-Chatou. Eurobasket.com named Raphael Desroses All-French ProB Domestic Player of the Year in 2006. He made it into All-French ProB 1st Team in 2008.


STB Le Havre brings in Romanian Vlad Moldoveanu - by Eurobasket News

Vlad Moldoveanu (206-F/C-88, college: American) will continue his career in France. The Romanian power forward/center signed a 1-year deal with STB Le Havre. Moldoveanu arrives to his new club from Benetton Treviso and it will be his second season as a pro. In his first one the player had 6.9 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 31 games in SerieA. He also added 8.2 ppg and 2.8 rpg for 12 EuroCup appearances. Vlad Moldoveanu graduated at American University something more than a year ago. He exploded with 20.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 2 apg for his school in 30 games as a senior. The big guy transferred to American from George Mason University in 2009. Vlad Moldoveanu played for the Romanian National Team in Qualifications to European Championships Division B 2011. He had 16.8 ppg, 5 rpg and 2.5 apg in 4 games.


Strasbourg IG keeps C Alexis Ajinca - by Eurobasket News

Alexis Ajinca (215-C-88, agency: Priority Sports) decided to stay with Strasbourg IG for the next season. He will sign contract extension very soon. Recently, it was reported that reigning ProA champion Chalon is interested to bring in the player, but that will not happen after all. Alexis Ajinca had very limited playing time with the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The center finished last season with Strasbourg IG. He joined them in December averaging 14 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2 blocks for 17 games in ProA. He was the best shot blocker of the competition. Ajinca started the season with Hyeres-Toulon Var Basket collecting 21 ppg and 10 rpg for 2 games, after what he spent some time working out with Toronto Raptors. Alexis Ajinca moved to the NBA in 2008 from Pau-Orthez. He was 20th overall pick selected by the Charlotte Bobcats.
Curent roster of Strasbourg: Aymeric Jeanneau, Rashad McCants, Axel Toupane, Jeff Greer, Hugo Invernizzi, Ricardo Greer, Maxime Zianveni, Alexis Ajinca and Nicolas de Jong.


Dijon to sign T.J. Campbell - by Eurobasket News

Dijon set to strengthen their backcourt. They have reportedly agreed on terms of contract with T.J. Campbell (175-PG-88, college: Portland). The guard spent the last season in D-League. He played for the Canton Charge. T.J. Campbell notched 13.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. The guard participated at NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas. He tallied 5.2 points, 2.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers. T.J. Campbell started his pro career in Australia. He played for the Melbourne Tigers. Later the guard moved to Turkey to sign with TED Kolejilier Ankara. He became Turkish TB2L champion with the team.


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  FYR MACEDONIA   


Fersped-Rabotnicki extends Jane Petrovski, returns Aleksandar Dimitrovski - by Eurobasket News

Fersped-Rabotnicki signed a 1-year contract extension with Jane Petrovski (181-G-87). The team also inked its former player Aleksandar Dimitrovski (193-G-80) for 2012/13.
Jane Petrovski had 9.9 ppg, 3.6 apg and 3.5 rpg for the club in 23 Supereague games last season. Before Rabotnicki, the point guard spent one year with MZT FON Univerzitet Skopje. There he had 12 ppg, 3.8 apg and 2.8 rpg for 32 appearances. In the past, Petrovski played for Bulgarian Rilski Sportist and Ukrainian Gryfony Symferopil. In 2007 and 2011, Petrovski was named to Eurobasket.com Macedonian League All-Domestic Players Team. The PG has experience from MZT Skopje, Nikolfert Gostivar and Strumica.
Aleksandar Dimitrovski played last season for Kozuv Gergelija. He appeared 16 times in Superleague averaging 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3 assists. Dimitrovski already played for Rabotnicki from December of 2008 until the last summer. Before that he was a member of Feni Industri.


Fersped-Rabotnicki targets its former player Nenad Zivcevic - by Eurobasket News

Fersped-Rabotnicki wants to return its former player Nenad Zivcevic (204-F-87) for the next season, according to FYR Macedonian media (Ekipa.mk). The player finished 2011/12 in Sweden. He joined Sundsvall Dragons in January averaging 11.5 points, 3 rebounds and 1.9 assists for 15 Basketligan games. The player started last season with Ukrainian Politekhnika-Halychyna. There he had 11.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg for 9 appearances. In November Zivcevic moved to Lirija, where he stayed three months. He had 17.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 3 apg for 8 games. Nenad Zivcevic played for MZT Skopje Aerodrom in 2010/11. Before that, he spent one year with Plejmejker-Kubus Skopje. From 2007 to 2009, Zicevic played for Rabotnicki. The won the championship title together in 2009.


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  GERMANY   


Germany beat Poland to win Beko SuperCup - by Eurobasket News

Germany - Poland 78:74

Germany clinched Beko SuperCup title. They overcame Poland in the title game in Bamberg tonight. Jan-Hendrik Jagla (213-PF-81, college: Penn St.) scored 16 points to lead the charge.
Germany strongly entered the game. The hosts unloaded 29 points in the opening quarter to take an 8-point lead. But Poland responded in the second quarter. They held Germany to just 16 points and surged ahead for a 46:45 halftime lead. Germany changed the complexion of the game in the second half. The hosts paid more attention to defence. They held Poland to 12 points in the third stanza and secured a 5-point lead before the fourth frame. Poland denied the deficit and surged ahead for a 71:70 lead with under three minutes to go. However Germany knocked down six points in a row and snatched the victory at the end. Tibor Pleiss (214-F/C-89) and Heiko Schaffartzik (182-G-84) finished with 12 points each for the winners. Jakub Wojciechowski (213-C/F-90) answered with 19 points for Poland. Marcin Gortat (213-C-84) had 14 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Germany: Jan-Hendrik Jagla 16, Tibor Pleiss 12, Heiko Schaffartzik 12
Poland: Jakub Wojciechowski 19, Marcin Gortat 14


U18 European Championship: Belgium won over Georgia - by Eurobasket News

Georgia U18-Belgium U18 53:65

Belgium won over Georgia in Group D of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Belgium side grabbed 2-1 record after 65:53 win to take the second place in the group. Georgia meanwhile fell at 0-3 record.
Belgium took the lead in the first period and reached 17-10 after the first 10 minutes. Moreover Belgium added 18-14 in the second period and enjoyed 35:24 at the halftime as Emmanuel Lecomte (180-G-95) closed the half. Irakli Mikeladze (180-PG-94) reduced to 35:27 early in the third and he later closed the period at 45:50. Georgia however could not come closer. Belgium needed 15-8 surge in the last stanza to seal the victory.
Emmanuel Lecomte and Mathias Van Steenwinkel (200-F-94) top-scored for the winners with 16 points each. El Khounchar Naim followed them with 11 points in a win. Beka Burjanadze (203-PF-94) replied with 21 points and 17 rebounds in the losing effort. Irakli Mikeladze scored 13, while Giorgi Tsirekidze (202-C-94) added 10.

Georgia U18: Beka Burjanadze 21+17 rebs, Irakli Mikeladze 13, Giorgi Tsirekidze 10
Belgium U18: Emmanuel Lecomte 16, Mathias Van Steenwinkel 16, El Khounchar Naim 11


Quentin Pryor (I Am Just A Relentless Player That Wants To Win) - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Quentin Pryor (193-G/F-83, agency: Court Side, college: Morehead St.) is a 28 year old 193cm shooting guard/small forward from Eupora, Mississippi That recently completed his first season for Wels in Austria playing 31 games: 14.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.7apg, Steals-4 (1.9spg), FGP: 52.2%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.7%. He started his college basketball career at Jackson State, before finishing at Morehead State from 2005-2007. In his senior year, he played 30 games averaging11.4ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 46.3%, 3Pts: 36.8%, FT: 71.7%. In 2007, he started his professional basketball career in Germany with FC Schalke 04 playing 29 games and averaging 15.1ppg, 4.3rpg, 2.2apg, Steals-1 (2.5spg), FGP: 55.8%, 3PT: 37.4%, FT: 75.2%. He played for Phoenix Hagen from 2008-2011 and in the 2008-2009 season, he played 30 games averaging 14.7ppg, 3.8rpg, 3.0apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 60.5%, 3PT: 30.3%, FT: 75.2. In 2009-2010 he played 33 games: 8.8ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.4apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 40.9%, 3PT: 39.3%, FT: 72.9%. In 2010-2011, he played 33 games averaging 11,3ppg, 3,5rpg, 2,2apg and 1,5spg. He spoke to eurobasket about basketball.

Hi Q where are you at the moment and how have you been spending your summer?


Hello Miles. I am currently in New Albany, In right across the bridge from Louisville, KY. My summer has just been basketball, basketball, basketball. Working out and working camps.

It is still August and you still are without a basketball team. How frustrating is it still kicking around at home whereas other players are already heading to Europe to their teams?

Yes I am still home waiting. It's very frustrating to me because I've never had to wait this long. But I have to keep my faith and continue working because something will come up and I will be ready.

You had a pretty solid season in Austria averaging 14.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.7apg, Steals-4 (1.9spg), FGP: 52.2%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.7%. You were a eurobasket second team player, named to the all defensive team and an allstar. Can you figure out why your still jobless. Have you just gotten the wrong offers?

I don't understand but I can't stress myself over it. I've had 2 offers but they were not good situations for me.


You are 29 and in the best basketball age. What is your current biggest strength on the court that would help any team?

I'm actually still 28 now. I think my biggest strength is my versatility. I can all the guard positions and defend them all.


Sometimes its not wrong heading back to a former team. Why doesnt Phoenix Hagen have interest in you? You could spark the team vocally, on defense and offense?

I think that they wanted to take their team in a different direction and me as player wanted to go another way. I had a good time there and good memories.

The Fraport Skyliners still have many open holes in their roster. Are the Skyliners a team that you would like to play for and why?

I would love to play for the Skyliners. They are one of the better teams in the BBL and always in the playoff hunt. That is what I like because I'm all about winning and competing. They also have a loyal fan base that is completely behind the team.

If you could describe your play in one sentence that would be appetizing teams, how would you do it?

I'm just a relentless player that wants to win.


How does a typical summer workout day look like for Quentin Pryor?

I go to University of Louisville and workout with my former teammate Andre McGee. I lift for 60 minutes then get in skill work for another 90 minutes. Depending on the day I either attend open gym there or go to Indiana University Southeast. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I hit track for my conditioning and agility drills.


Michael Jordan recently retired and will coach at Colgate. What will always be your sweetest memory of the point guard?

I would have to say when he made the shot to beat Giessen. It was a big game for us and one we had to have and he came through for us.


Who would win a game in their prime, the 1992 Dream team or 2012 USA basketball team?

That is a must see. Its tough but I have to go with the 92 team. I think that they would be too big inside to match up with. They also were focused on the defensive end.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

I watched the movie Safehouse with Denzel Washington.

Thanks Q for the chat.



The Cuxhaven Bascats Reel In Nico Adamczak - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber


After two a half seasons with BG Goettingen, Nico Adamczak (189-G-90) will experience a change of scenary as he moves to the Cuxhaven Bascats. Adamczak is a 22 year old 189cm guard and last season played for BG Goettingen (1.Bundesliga): 6 games: 3.7ppg, 1.3rpg; played also for BG 74 Goettingen II (Regionalliga): 5 games: 18.4ppg, 5.8rpg. "It wasnt easy to find a German solution at the guard position as the choices were small, but experience speaks for Nico", stressed Bascats head coach Krists Plendiskis.

Nico Adamczak started his basketball career in 2005 with Marzahn Basket Baeren (2.Regionalliga). He then played for VfB Hermsdorf Berlin (2.Regionalliga) from 2006-2008. In 2008-2009, he moved to ALBA Berlin II (Regionalliga): 13 games: 3.9ppg . In 2009-2010, he played for ETB Wohnbau Baskets Essen (ProA): 1 game: 5pts, 3reb, 3steals, waived in Oct.'09, in Nov.'09 moved to BC Scholz Recycling Weissenhorn (ProB): 4 games: 2.3ppg, 1.3rpg, left in Jan.'10, later that month signed at BG 74 Goettingen II (Regionalliga): 6 games: 12.3ppg, had also a license to play for MEG Goettingen (1.Bundesliga): 5 games: 0.4ppg. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been German U16 National Team -06,
European Championships U16 in Jaen (Spain) -06: 8 games: 7.0ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 45.8%, 3FGP: 28.1%, FT: 46.7%, German U18 National Team -08, European Championships U18 in Amaliada Pyrgos (Greece) -08, Eurobasket.com All-Regionalliga North 2nd Team -11, and Eurobasket.com Regionalliga North All-Domestic Players Team -11
Source: Cuxhaven BasCats



Alba Berlin Land Deon Thompson - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

What had been speculation since days finally became true today as 8 time Beko BBL champion announced the arrival of Deon Thompson (203-F-88, college: N.Carolina) on time for the start of training camp giving him a one year deal. Thompson is a 23 year old 203cm power forward from Torrance, California that can also play center. This will be his third professional season. Last season, he played for Union Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia-Telemach League, starting five): Adriatic League: 24 games: 12.2ppg, 5.3rpg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 67.9%; Euroleague: 10 games: 8.8ppg, 4.1rpg, FGP: 48.1%, FT: 47.6%; Slovenian League: 16 games: 11.9ppg, 5.3rpg, 1.3spg, Blocks-5 (1.0bpg), FGP: 51.2%, FT: 72.5%. This summer he played NBA Summer legaue for the Memphis GRizzlies in Las Vegas. "Deon Thompson is a young combo center. He comes from one of the best college programs and showed his qualites the last two seasons in Ljublana and Kallitheas. He will help us in many ways and have an important role. I am awaiting a lot from him and am happy that he is in the team", stressed Alba Berlin head coach Sasa Obradovic. Thompson started his basketball acreer at North Carolina (NCAA) in 2006 where he played until 2010. In his senior year, he played 37 games: 13.7ppg, 6.7rpg, 1.1spg, 1bpg, FGP: 48.4%, 3PT: 0.0%, FT: 69.3%. He played a total of 152 NCAA games. "Deon is a young player that will give us stability under the basket. With his arrival also shows that Derrick Allen wont be returning to us. We want to thank Derrick Allen for his play and wish him the best in the future", added Alba Belrin sport director Mithat Demirel. Thompson started his absketball career in 2010 for Ikaros Kallitheas (Greece-A1, starting five): 25 games: 14.1ppg, Reb-2 (8.8rpg), Blocks-3 (1.3bpg), FGP: 50.0%, FT: 70.7%. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been ACC Regular Season Champion -07, 08, 09, ACC Tournament Winner -07, 08, NCAA Elite Eight -07, USA U19 National Team -07, World Championships U19 in Novi Sad (Serbia) -07 (Silver): 9 games: 10.0ppg, 6.1rpg, 1.6spg, 1.4bpg, 2FGP: 56.3%, FT: 62.5%, NCAA Final Four -08, ACC Tournament Semifinals -09, USA U21 National Team -09, USA University National Team -09, World University Games in Belgrade (Serbia) -09 (Bronze): 7 games: 9.6ppg, 5.9rpg, FGP: 53.1%, FT: 62.5%, Eurobasket.com All-World University Games Honorable Mention -09, NIT Finalist -10, Greek League All-Star Game -11
Eurobasket.com Greek A1 League All-Newcomers Team -11, Slovenian Supercup Finalist -12, Slovenian League All-Star Game -12 (MVP), Slovenian Cup Winner -12 (MVP)
Eurobasket.com All-Slovenian League Center of the Year -12, Eurobasket.com All-Slovenian League 1st Team -12, Eurobasket.com All-Slovenian League All-Imports Players Team -12, Slovenian League Regular Season Runner-Up -12, and Slovenian League Finalist -12


Source: Alba Berlin


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  GREECE   


Dimitris Verginis joins Bilbao for training camp - by Eurobasket News

Bilbao Basket announced that Dimitris Verginis (193-G-87) will join the team for the training camp. The Greek guard had 7.6 ppg and 1.6 apg for 26 games with Aris Thessaloniki last season (A1). Verginis registered 7.2 ppg for 11 EuroCup games. In 2010/11 the guard also played for Aris, but he appeared just six times for the club averaging 1.8 points and 1.5 assists. He was sent on loan from Panathinaikos. Verginis was a member of PAO from 2008 to 2010, but he had very limited playing time in both years. From 2005 to 2008, Dimitris Verginis played for PAOK Thassaloniki. In their last season together he had 10.8 ppg and 1.8 apg for 25 Greek league games. Verginis played for the Greek University National Team three years ago. In the past, he was a member of U20, U18 and U16 Greece.


Panathinaikos reportedly offered 3-year deal to Antonis Fotsis, Milano said no - by Eurobasket News

According to Sport24.gr, Panathinaikos offered 3-year deal to Antonis Fotsis (209-F-81) to bring him back, but his team Milano immediately said no. Fotsis signed a 2-year deal with Milano last summer and he is expected to be one of their key players next season.
Antonis Fotsis played for PAO from 2008 until the last summer. He also was their member from 1997 to 2001 and in 2002/03. Last season Fotsis had 8.4 ppg and 5 rpg for 16 Euroleague games with Milano. He also added 8.5 ppg and 4.7 rpg in 44 SerieA appearances. From 2005 to 2008 Fotsis played for Dynamo Moscow and before that he spent two years with Real Madrid. In 2001/02, Fotsis played for the NBA team Memphis Grizzlies. He had 3.9 ppg and 2.2 rpg for 28 games.
Milanos main goal for the next season is to win the SerieA title.


Limoges inks 1+1 year deal with Angelos Tsamis - by Eurobasket News

As expected, Angelos Tsamis (192-G-81) became a new member of Limoges. The Greek guard signed a 1+1 year deal with the club, according to Catch-and-shoot.com. Tsamis spent last four seasons with VAP Kolossos. In the latest one he had 11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 2.6 apg for 35 games. He helped Kolossos to reach the Playoff Semifinals, what was considered as big success. Tsamis was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Greek A1 League 3rd Team -12. In 2010/11 season Angelos Tsamis collected 9.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.5 apg for 28 games. He had lower numbers from 2008 to 2010. Before Kolossos, the guard played one year for AEK Athens. He also has experience from Olimpiada Patron. Tsamis led Olimpiada to A2 title six years ago.
Earlier this summer, Limoges kept small forward Raphael Desroses (199-SF-80). The player averaged 10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in ProB. Previously Raphael Desroses had stints with Aix-Maurienne, Besancon, Bourg, Angers, Roanne, Cholet, Montpellier and Poissy-Chatou. Eurobasket.com named Raphael Desroses All-French ProB Domestic Player of the Year in 2006. He made it into All-French ProB 1st Team in 2008.


Panathinaikos announces guard Derwin Kitchen - by Diamadis Farmakis

Panathinaikos keeps rebuilding it's roster, for the upcoming season. The Greens announced a new addition for the upcoming season, none other than dynamic american point guard Derwin Kitchen (193-G-86, college: Florida St.), who inked a one-year deal with his new club on Sunday and he'll be a partner of Dimitris Diamantidis and Roko Ukic in the ''1'' position. See below details of his contract and a player's small ''bio'' .

**Kitchen signed a one-year contract, but Panathinaikos keeps an option to extend his contract until the end of the 2013-14 season

**Kitchen (1.93 meters, 26 years old) arrives from Maccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel, where last season he averaged 14.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in his 32 appearances in the Israeli League.and in his debut season as a pro after he played college ball in Iowa Western and Florida State from 2007 to 2011. He was elected for the Israeli All-Star Game last season also and reached the Israeli Cup final with his team.


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  HOLLAND   


U18 European Championship: Bosnia and Herzegovina conquer Group D - by Eurobasket News

Holland U18 -Bosnia and Herzegovina U18 58:66

Bosnia and Herzegovina conquer Group D of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team overcame Holland 66:58 for 4-0 record on top. The Dutch side meanwhile dropped at 1-2 record.
Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the game as a favorite but lost the first period 15-23. The rest of the game however they proved the ambitions for the higher places and grabbed the victory. Nedim Buza (201-SF-95) closed the half at 31:32 for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Jusuf Nurkic (212-C-94) gave his side the narrow win early in the third. The teams exchanged the lead several times, while Jusuf Nurkic tied it all at 48:48 to close the third frame. Bosnia and Herzegovina finished the game with a 6-0 run for a necessary win.
Nedim Buza paced all the winners with 21 points and Jusuf Nurkic collected 19 points and 11 rebounds. Adin Vrabac (202-G/F-94) scored 9, while Marko Vukovic (190-SG-94) added 6. Mike Schilder (185-PG-94, agency: Court Side) answered with 16 points in defeat, while Shane Hammink (198-F-94) added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jito Kok (205-C-94) had 12 points and 11 boards, whilst Maarten Bouwknecht (185-PG-94) nailed 11.

Holland U18: Mike Schilder 16, Shane Hammink 14+11 rebs, Jito Kok 12+11 rebs, Maarten Bouwknecht 11
Bosnia and Herzegovina U18: Nedim Buza 21, Jusuf Nurkic 19+11 rebs, Adin Vrabac 9, Marko Vukovic 6


Haith pulls Tigers off court in Amsterdam - by Fred Roggen

According to the Columbia Daily Tribune, Frank Haith and his Missouri basketball team made an early exit from the second game of their five-game exhibition tour.
Haith was ejected for arguing a no-call after what he believed was an elbow to the head of freshman forward Stefan Jankovic midway through the third quarter in the game against the Netherlands National B team last night in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
"In my mind I was just fearful for the safety of our players, but in retrospect I wish I had let our team play it out and learn from the adversity," Haith said in an MU press release. "I take complete responsibility. This is a learning experience for us all."
The Tigers appeared to have the game well in hand before the controversial ejection and Haith's subsequent decision to forfeit.
They had outscored the Dutch team 30-9 in the second quarter to take a 54-29 lead at intermission with guards Michael Dixon and Earnest Ross combining for 25 points. Dixon had a team-high 14 along with five assists in 18 first-half minutes.
According to the MU press release, the game was getting chippy by the time it reached the third quarter.
"This in no way reflects how the Dutch team played tonight," Haith said in the release. "They are a great team, and for us to be up 25 at the half, we were obviously playing well. I had a split second to make a decision, and I chose to err on the side of caution."
Event organizer and Dutch National Team Manager Matthijs Groot was quoted as supporting Haith's decision.
"It was strange what happened because" Haith's ejection "so suddenly came out of the blue," Groot said in the press release. "There were inconsistent calls on both sides, including a technical foul on the Dutch, so our staff could understand that the game was stopped. It was just a pity it got to that point."



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  HUNGARY   


Tibor Pankar will continue for Gyorszol - by Eurobasket News

Tibor Pankar (195-F-76, agency: Laszlo Vinko Group) will continue for Gyorszol in the next season. The Hungarian Forward will enter his second season with the team.
Early in 1996 the 34-year old player started for Falco KC and stayed with the team for 15 years! In 2004-2005 for Falco KC-Szombathely (A Division) his stats read 9.2ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.8apg, 1.5spg, 2FGP: 45.0%, 3FGP: 34.0%. In his last year for Falco KC-Szombathely (Hungary-A Division) he averaged 4.3ppg, 2.0rpg. In 2011-2012 moved to Gyorszol-SZESE (B Division, starting five) and after 21 games showed high 17.2ppg, 5.4rpg, 2.9apg, 2.6spg, 2FGP: 57.4%, 3PT: 43.2%, FT: 81.9%.
For his Awards/Achievements it is a must to mention Hungarian National Team member -98-00, 04, Hungarian League Finalist -99, European Championships -99, Hungarian All-Star Game -00 and Hungarian Cup Final Four -02, 05. Together with his team he reached Hungarian League Semifinals -07, 09 and became Hungarian League Regular Season Champion -08. Tibor Pankar was also Hungarian League Champion -08 and became Hungarian Cup Finalist -09, 10.


U18 European Championship: England keep the leading position - by Eurobasket News

Hungary U18-England U18 58:63

England keep the leading position in Group A of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team improved to 4-0 record on top of the group after 83:58 win over Hungary.
Although England won the first period 18-13, they could not win the first half. Hungary answered with 25-9 in the second frame and grabbed 38:27 at the halftime. Moreover Zoltan Perl (194-G-95) brought 40:27 and Bognar increased to 44:30. Hungary however could not win. England needed a strong end of the third period for 48:44 and then Tyrell Isaacs (183-PG-95) gave them 51:50 early in the fourth. Kingsley Okoroh (213-C-95) and Tyrell Isaacs brought the final points from the free throw line to remain undefeated.
Luke Nelson (189-PG-95) top-scored for the winners with 22 points and Tyrell Isaacs had 13. Elliott Sentance (191-SG-94) followed them with 10 points, whilst Kingsley Okoroh collected 7 points and 16 rebounds. Zoltan Perl answered with 14 points in the losing effort and Benedek Varadi (194-G/F-95) added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Kristof Bognar (206-C/F-94) ended up with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Gyorgy Goloman (204-PF-96) notched 8.

Hungary U18: Zoltan Perl 14, Benedek Varadi 13+12 rebs, Kristof Bognar 11+13 rebs, Gyorgy Goloman 8
England U18: Luke Nelson 22, Tyrell Isaacs 13, Elliott Sentance 10, Kingsley Okoroh 7+16 rebs


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  ICELAND   


U18 European Championship: Sweden and Iceland open Day 4 - by Eurobasket News

Sweden U18-Iceland U18 92:83

Sweden and Iceland open Day 4 of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Scandinavian side grabbed 92:83 to tie both records in Group C at 3-1. Iceland suffered their first loss.
Both teams started strong and scored 25 points each in the first period. Sweden managed to score another 25 in the second frame, while Iceland posted only 13. In the third period both teams nailed another 20 points each, while the battle continued in the last stanza. Although Iceland won the period 25-22 they reduced only to 9 final points.
Caleb Musie (171-PG-95) top-scored for the winners with 21 points for the third victory. Adam Ramstedt (203-SF-95), Alexander Gorski (193-SG-94) and Nicholas Spires (209-PF-94) added 14 each, while the latter also grabbed 17 boards. Elvar Fridriksson (180-PG-94) finished the game with 22 points in the losing effort, while Martin Hermannsson (190-SG-94) notched 20. Valur Valsson (182-PG-94) delivered 11 points in defeat.

Sweden U18: Caleb Musie 21, Adam Ramstedt 14, Alexander Gorski 14, Nicholas Spires 14+17 rebs
Iceland U18: Elvar Fridriksson 22, Martin Hermannsson 20, Valur Valsson 11


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  ISRAEL   


U18 European Championship: Israel pip Belarus in Bosnia - by Eurobasket News

Belarus U18-Israel U18 56:82

Israel pip Belarus in Bosnia at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Israeli team celebrated an 82:56 win for 3-1 record in Group A. The team from Belarus suffered the third loss and dropped at 1-3 record.
Israel went on a lead from the first minutes and reached 26:18 after the first period. They added a 7-0 run early in the second frame for 33:18 after Ariels shot. Belarus did not give up and Patupchyk reduced to 39:35. Israel meanwhile responded with some important baskets and increased later to 15 points. Eliav Ohanon (199-F-94) and Bliznets closed the third period at 62:45, while Kikus brought 70:47. Israel won the fourth period 20-11 and sealed the victory.
Egor Koulechov (194-SF-94) stepped up with 20 points for the winners and Itay Segev (204-SF-95, agency: Avi Zilberman) netted 12. Eliav Ohanon and Daniel Sealine (187-SG-94) delivered 10 points each. Kiryl Chumakou (194-SF-95) posted 10 points in the losing effort, while Viktar Ilyukevich (203-PF-94) and Ivan Aladka (186-PG-95) had 9 apiece.

Belarus U18: Kiryl Chumakou 10, Viktar Ilyukevich 9, Ivan Aladka 9
Israel U18: Egor Koulechov 20, Itay Segev 12, Eliav Ohanon 10, Daniel Sealine 10


Galil/Gilboa Secures Multi-Year Deal With Israeli U18 Shooter Maxim Kikus - by David Pick

Galil/Gilboa penned a multi-year deal with Israel's U18 northern native shooting guard Maxim Kikus (Agency: Avi Zilberman), sources with high information of the team's negotiations told Eurobasket earlier today (Sunday).

Kikus, a successful project of Israel's Wingate Academy program, hooped with the Israeli U16 National Team in the 2010 European Championship games in Montenegro, averaging double-digit scoring figures in 11.6 points per game along with grabbing 3.2 boards and 1.2 assists.

The 6-foot-3 guard is currently in Bosnia competing in the Division B U18 European Championship posting 6.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 4 games. Kikus' top performance came in a thrashing 93-43 victory against Scotland, scoring 16 points in 17 minutes of action.




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  ITALY   

Standings - SerieA

SerieA Standings
 1. Acea Virtus RM 0-0 
 2. Angelico BI 0-0 
 3. Banco di Sard. 0-0 
 4. Bennet Cantu 0-0 
 5. Bologna 0-0 
 6. Cimberio VA 0-0 
 7. EA7 Emporio MI 0-0 
 8. Enel Brindisi 0-0 
 9. Montepaschi SI 0-0 
 10. Otto Caserta 0-0 
 11. Scavolini PS 0-0 
 12. Sidigas AV 0-0 
 13. Sutor MGR 0-0 
 14. Trenkwalder RE 0-0 
 15. Umana VE 0-0 
 16. Vanoli CR 0-0 

Regular Season: Round 1

Sep. 30: EA7 Emporio MI - Otto Caserta
Sep. 30: Banco di Sard. - Angelico BI
Sep. 30: Scavolini PS - Acea Virtus RM
Sep. 30: Sidigas AV - Sutor MGR
Sep. 30: Vanoli CR - Bologna
Sep. 30: Trenkwalder RE - Montepaschi SI
Sep. 30: Enel Brindisi - Cimberio VA
Oct. 2: Bennet Cantu - Umana VE

Round 2

Sep. 27: Montepaschi SI - Enel Brindisi


Napoli Basket to sign Puerto Rican PG Denis Clemente - by Eurobasket News

Denis Clemente (185-PG-86, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: Kansas St.) will continue his career in Italy. The Puerto Rican point guard will sign a deal with Napoli Basket, according to Worldbasket.com. Clemente heads to his new club from Slovakian Nitra, where he spent last season. The player shined with 17.9 ppg, 3.7 apg and 3.3 rpg in 34 Extraliga games. He also added 17.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2.8 spg for 6 games in EuroChallenge. Clemente helped NItra to win the Slovakian Cup and to reach Extraliga Semifinals. He was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Slovakian League Honorable Mention -12. A year ago Denis Clemente was named Latinbasket.com All-Puerto Rican BSN Rookie of the Year. He had 14.6 ppg, 4.4 apg and 3.6 rpg for Caciques de Humacao. In the past, Clemente played in Greece and Italy. He graduated at Kansas State University in 2010.


Povilas Cukinas and Chris Monroe join Cantu for training camp - by Eurobasket News

Povilas Cukinas (210-C-83) and Chris Monroe (191-G-81, college: G.Washington) will join Cantu for the training camp, according to Dailybasket.it. The camp starts next week.
Povilas Cukinas already played for Cantu in 2007/08 season. At that time he had 4.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg for 38 SerieA games. Last season Cukinas spent with the German team Walter Tigers Tuebingen. There he averaged 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds for 28 appearances. Before Tuebingen, the center played for Aisciai Kaunas, Zalgiris and Barons Riga.
Chris Monroe played for Brindisi, Milano and Napoli in the past. Last season he changed three teams. Monroe started with Budivelnyk Kyiv, in January he moved to Greek KAO Dramas and later that month signed a deal with Khimik Yuzhny. The player had 7.5 ppg and 1.7 rpg for Milano in 2009/10 season. He joined them in May of 2010 and played 13 games for the club.


Enel Brindisi and Dejan Borovnjak split - by Eurobasket News

Dejan Borovnjak (207-F/C-86, agency: Beo Basket) is no longer a member of Enel Brindisi. The player underwent surgery recently and he will be sidelined for several weeks. The news is officially announced by the club today. Borovnjak was one of their key players last season leading the team to SerieA promotion. He also was the first player who got contract extension this summer. Borovnjak appeared 38 times for the club averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals. Brindisi was LegaDue Playoffs winner and they also grabbed the trophy in LegaDue Cup. Borovnjak was named to Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 2nd Team -12 and Eurobasket.com Italian Lega2 All-Bosmans Team -12. Before Brindisi, Dejan Borovnjak spent one season with Aris Thessaloniki. There he had 9.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 14 EuroCup games. The player added 7.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg for 19 games in Greece. In the past, he played for Panionios, Lietuvos Rytas, Vojvodina and Partizan. He won the gold medal with Serbian University National Team at the 2009 World University Games.


Virtus Roma inks Polish F Olek Czyz - by Eurobasket News

Olek Czyz (200-F-90, agency: Priority Sports, college: Nevada) will continue his career in Italy. The Polish forward signed a deal with Virtus Roma. It will be his first season as a pro. Czyz graduated at the University of Nevada few months ago. He appeared 32 times for the school as a senior averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. Czyz transferred to Nevada in 2010 from Duke University. In his first season with Nevada he had 12.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg for 23 games. With Duke the forward had very limited playing time. This year he played for the Chicago Bulls at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. For 5 games Czyz had 4.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg. In the past, Olek Czyz played for U20 Polish National Team. In 2010, he was named Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U20 Division B Best Forward leading his Poland to bronze medal.


Avellino confirm Nikola Dragovic and Ndudi Ebi - by Eurobasket News

Avellino confirm Nikola Dragovic (206-F-87, college: UCLA) and Ndudi Ebi (206-F-84, agency: Higher Vision Sports) for the next season.
Nikola Dragovic heads from Russia. In 2011-2012 he played for Spartak St.Petersburg (Russia-PBL) and in EuroCup averaged 0.3ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.0spg. In VTB League hi stats read 2.1ppg, 1.7rpg, while in Russian League he averaged 3.1ppg, 1.5rpg.
Earlier Sidigas Avellino reported on Ebi Ndudi. The forward started the previous season in Lebanon. He played for Anibal Zahle. Ebi Ndudi tallied 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 2.9 blocks and 1.4 assists per game in Division A. Later the Nigerian player moved to China. He joined Jiangsu Tongxi. Ebi Ndudi posted 29.0 points, 18.6 boards, 2.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 3.1 blocks per appearance. Ebi Ndudi is not new to Italy. The forward used to play for Carife Ferrara, Rimini and Aget Imola before.


Forli land Bo Spencer - by Eurobasket News

Forli bolstered their backcourt. They landed Bo Spencer (187-G-89). The guard will start his pro career in Italy. Bo Spencer has just graduated from the University of Nebraska. He tallied 15.4 points, 3.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game in his senior season.


Enel Brindisi to waive Dejan Borovnjak? - by Pervin Elgin

The player underwent surgery recently

Enel Brindisi might waive Dejan Borovnjak, as reported by Senza Colonne. The Serbian player underwent surgery in the last weeks and he needs time to return to action.
Borovnjak spent last year with Enel Brindisi and was the first player re-signed for the Serie A season. If Brindisi decides to cut Borovnjak, the Italian team will return to the market looking for a new big man to add before the beginning of the training camp.

Courtesy of sportando.net


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  LITHUANIA   


Neptunas Klaipeda keep Mikalauskas - by Eurobasket News

Neptunas Klaipeda keep Laurynas Mikalauskas (203-PF-85, college: Virginia) for the next season. The player started the season 2011-2012 for BBC Monthey (Switzerland-LNA), but in Nov.'11 moved to Naglis Palangos (LKL, starting five). In Dec 2011 he signed at Neptunas Klaipeda (LKL) and in Lithuanian League became the top-scorer with 18.0ppg, Reb-3 (7.1rpg), 1.3apg, FGP: 65.6%, FT: 73.1%. In Baltic League his stats read 17.2ppg, 10.0rpg, 1.6apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 64.9%, FT: 63.2%.

The forward was not new to the team. He played for Naglis for several months last season. Laurynas Mikalauskas tallied 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game in LKL. In Baltic League his stats read 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds. Laurynas Mikalauskas started the previous season with Barons Riga. The forward produced 11.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per appearance in LBL. He finished the season with Nevezis Kedainiai. Laurynas Mikalauskas posted 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in LKL. In Baltic League he delivered 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds. Eurobasket.com named Laurynas Mikalauskas All-Lithuanian LKL Newcomer of the Year.


Zalgiris bring back Adas Juskevicius - by Eurobasket News

Zalgiris completed the roster. They added lately Adas Juskevicius (194-G/F-89). Adas Juskevicius renewed his contract with Zalgiris for two more seasons. The forward spent the previous season with Rudupis on loan. He tallied 10.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in LKL. In Baltic League the forward posted 10.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per appearance. Adas Juskevicius also tallied 8.5 points, 3.7 boards, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per appearance in EuroCup. Eurobasket.com named Adas Juskevicius All-Baltic League Domestic Player of the Year in 2011. He also made it into All-Lithuanian LKL 2nd Team in 2011. Juskevicius was the member of U16, U18 and U20 Lithuanian National Teams. He joined the Lithuanian National Team in 2012.


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  MONTENEGRO   


U18 European Championship: Montenegro ease past Norway - by Eurobasket News

Norway U18-Montenegro U18 77:87

Montenegro ease past Norway at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The winners improved to 3-1 record to share the top place in Group C with Sweden and Iceland. Norway meanwhile fell at 0-4 record.
Montenegro started the game with 14-12, but did not expect a massive surge from Norway. The latter erupted with 28-19 in the second period as Espen Fjaerestad (192-SG-94) brought 40:28. Montenegro replied with a 7-0 run to trail 5 points early in the third and then Vasilije Vusovic (191-G-94) gave them 46:44 advantage. The teams exchanged the lead several times and Norway grabbed 66:65 with 10 minutes to go. The last quarter meanwhile belonged to Montenegro that needed 22-11 burst to seal the victory.
Milos Pajovic (205-C-94) top-scored for the winners with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Nenad Vukovic (187-G-94) had 11. Vasilije Vusovic poured in 10, whilst Veselin Kovacevic (200-F-94) and Luka Djurovic (190-G-95) scored 9 apiece. Espen Fjaerestad replied with 20 points in defeat and Vuk Krivokapic (193-SF-95) scored 15. Nikola Blatancic (194-F-94) netted 14, while Nicholas Seach (181-PG-94) delivered 9.

Norway U18: Espen Fjaerestad 20, Vuk Krivokapic 15, Nikola Blatancic 14, Nicholas Seach 9
Montenegro U18: Milos Pajovic 21+11 rebs, Nenad Vukovic 11, Vasilije Vusovic 10, Veselin Kovacevic 9, Luka Djurovic 9


Sutjeska inks Calic and Pavlicevic - by Dragan Scepanovic

Basketball club Sutjeska from Niksic, in cooperation with the DELFI SMG Basketball , has reached an agreement with two very quality players at positions 1 and 2 .One-year contract with the club signed former player of Basketball Club Lovcen from Cetinje Nikola Pavlicevic (192-SG-88) and ex player from Basketball Club Teodo from Tivat Marko Calic (195-G/F-86). In the 2011-2012 Basketball season Pavlicevic for Lovcen played 31 games 10.5ppg, 1.9 aspg , and Marko Calic for Teodo played 26 games 7.4ppg, 2.1aspg.


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  NBA   


Olympics 2012: USA defeat Spain to clinch the title - by Eurobasket News

USA - Spain 107:100

USA claimed the 14th Olympic Gold. They defeated Spain in the championship game in London tonight to clinch the trophy. Kevin Durant (6'9''-SF-88, college: Texas) led all scorers with 30 points and 9 rebounds to his tally.
The lead changed hands numerous times throughout the starting quarter. Finally Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony gave Team USA a 25:16 lead. They finished the opening quarter up by 8 points 35:27. But Spain opened the second term with seven points in a row to narrow the deficit. Soon Rodriguez drained a triple to put Spain in front 39:37. The teams exchanged baskets as USA managed to eke out a 59:58 lead at halftime. The teams continued to go neck and neck throughout the third term. Kobe Bryant (6'6''-SG-78) helped the North American team gain a 77:72 lead. But Serg Ibaka and Pau Gasol (7'0''-F/C-80) dragged Spain within one at the final intermission 82:83. Kevin Durant organized a 7:1 run from the USA as they posted a 97:87 lead with under five minutes remaining. Spain trimmed the deficit to 6 points but LeBron James (6'8''-SF-84) hit a triple and Chris Paul followed a jumper to secure a 104:93 lead with 51 seconds remaining. USA hung on in the dying seconds and celebrated historic victory at the end. LeBron James accounted for 19 points, 7 boards and 4 assists for USA. Kobe Bryant added 17 points in the victory. Pau Gasol answered with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for Spain. Juan Carlos Navarro (6'4''-G-80) had 21 points in the loss.

USA: Kevin Durant 30, LeBron James 19, Kobe Bryant 17
Spain: Pau Gasol 24, Juan Carlos Navarro 21


Shaq: Pressure on Howard multiplied in LA - by Eurobasket News

Shaquille O'Neal (7'2''-C-72, college: LSU) has a history of taking digs at Dwight Howard (6'11''-C-85). He has called him a fraud and said he should remain with the Orlando Magic and not try to follow in O'Neal's footsteps with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has gone as far as to say that Andrew Bynum, who is leaving the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the four-team trade, is better than Howard, despite numbers to the contrary.

O'Neal tweeted his dislike for the trade as soon as it happened, and the criticism continued.

During an appearance, Shaq was asked this question, according to the Los Angeles Times, "Any comments about the subpar junior Superman coming from Orlando to Los Angeles trying to follow your career path?" (O'Neal, of course, spent the first four years of his career with the Magic before winning three titles in eight years with the Lakers.)

His reply: "I have three sons, and I always tell them that if you want to call yourself big then you have big shoes to fill. Anybody who calls himself big has big shoes to fill. Right now, he's off pace. He has to get himself on pace if he wants to call himself big."

In earlier comments, O'Neal referenced Howard having to follow in the footsteps of the big men who have been a big part of the Lakers' legacy. Of course, the Lakers are the team of George Mikan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and, well, Shaq.

"The pressure that he has been feeling in Orlando has just multiplied by three now," O'Neal said in comments released by TNT. "The first thing the great Jerry West did when I signed with the Lakers is he walked me into the Forum and told me to look up. He showed me all the great big men that played before me and how many championships they won. The Lakers have a tradition of having great big men. He has a lot of work ahead of him. If he thinks the Orlando Sentinel was on his case when he didn't perform, guys like (Los Angeles Times columnist) Bill Plaschke, they don't play."

That same attitude extends to Lakers fans, O'Neal said: "The first year they are going to love him, but the second and third year, if they don't win, he will be back to square one."

Via TNT, Charles Barkley also weighed in on the new-look Lakers, proclaiming them the team to beat.

"It's enough to win the world championship," he said. "He (Howard) can play power forward. I think Steve Nash is going to help Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant a lot, because they are going to be a much more athletic team on the fast break. Dwight Howard is the most athletic big man in the NBA, so he is going to work great with Steve Nash. (Pau) Gasol is the best post-up big man in the NBA. The Lakers are loaded."

As for Orlando, according to analyst Chris Webber, "My reaction was, wow, Orlando should be kicking themselves I don't think they can have a plan B unless another 7-foot monster is born, and I mean that in a positive way. When you lose him and Shaq, it says something. If I'm an Orlando fan, my heart is broken twice. First we lost Shaq, and now we lose Dwight Howard."

Courtesy of www.usatoday.com


Krzyzewski: Gold-medal game his last as U.S. coach - by Eurobasket News

Mike Krzyzewski's last game as U.S. coach will be for an Olympic gold medal.

As the American men's team prepared to play Spain for the Olympic title, Krzyzewski told the Associated Press that the game will be his final one as national coach, a position he has held for seven years.

Krzyzewski had left open the possibility of staying with the team beyond the London Games, but before practice on Saturday said these will be his last Olympics.

When asked if he was sure, Krzyzewski didn't hesitate before again saying, "Yes," this will be his last game.

Krzyzewski, who has led Duke to four NCAA championships, took over the U.S. team in 2005. In the past seven years, he has restored the powerful American program, which was in disarray following a third-place finish at the 2004 Athens Games.

However, led by Krzyzewski, the U.S. got redemption and a gold medal four years ago in China, won the world championships in 2010 and can win gold again by beating Spain.

"If we can win it, then it would be three major championships in a row, which I don't know when that's been done because we haven't usually won the world championships," Krzyzewski said. "It would be a huge thing for our program."

Although he won't take credit, Krzyzewski's impact on the U.S. program has been immense.

"It goes beyond what has happened on the floor," said USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo, who hired Krzyzewski to run the U.S. team. "He's been so important to me in everything we've done in building the infrastructure and philosophy and standards -- all of it. His legacy goes beyond the record on the court. We're 52-1, I guess since this all began, and hopefully we'll be 53-1 after tomorrow. That's a legacy in itself."

Colangelo was asked if can persuade Krzyzewski to remain as coach.

"Chances are not," he said. "But we'll have to have that conversation on an official basis. He's said this is it, and I'll respect his choice. But knowing me as I know me, I'll have that conversation and we'll see."

With a win Sunday, Krzyzewski would join Henry Iba (1964, 1968) as the only U.S. coach to lead the Americans to gold medals in consecutive Olympics.

Courtesy of www.cbssports.com


Russell Westbrook sprains ankle - by Eurobasket News

Russell Westbrook (6'3''-PG-88, college: UCLA) suffered a mild right ankle sprain during the United States' semifinal win against Argentina on Friday, and is uncertain for Sunday's final.

Westbrook was hurt while defending Argentina's Marcos Mata on a screen in the fourth quarter. Westbrook rolled his ankle and left the game with less than four minutes left.

Westbrook went immediately to the locker room after leaving the game.

"Hopefully, he's fine," said Kevin Durant, Westbrook's U.S. and Oklahoma City Thunder teammate, according to the Oklahoman. "Russell bounces back quick from injury, so hopefully this one isn't any different. ... He ran off. It didn't seem like it was too bad. Hopefully, he's all right."

Westbrook has not missed an NBA game in four seasons with the Thunder.

The U.S. faces Spain for the gold medal at 10 a.m. ET Sunday.

Courtesy of ESPN


FIBA: No basketball age limit expected for 2016 - by Eurobasket News

Basketball's best will apparently be welcomed in Rio.

The head of the sport's governing body said Saturday he doesn't foresee an age limit for the 2016 Olympics, tempering talk that the 20-year anniversary of the Dream Team would be the final appearance of the NBA's biggest stars.

"The feeling is I think that we will not be proposing an under-23 age for 2016," FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann said before watching the women's medal games.

NBA Commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver have said they may favor Olympic basketball turning to a model like soccer, in which teams are made up of players 23 and younger, with three roster exceptions for older players.

Baumann said FIBA and the NBA are having ongoing discussions, and he wants to do whatever is best to continue the worldwide growth of basketball while also being respectful of team owners' concerns about the wear and tear their players face when playing for their national teams.

But any potential rules changes for the Olympics have to be proposed this year, so Baumann said it's "probably premature to make any changes to the Olympic program."

Baumann did say one possible solution was changing the cycle for the World Cup of Basketball, currently played every four years. He said the 2018 competition could be pushed back a year and would then serve as the qualifier for the 2020 Olympics, instead of making teams potentially play three years in a row.

He also said FIBA would continue to push the International Olympic Committee to expand the Olympics from 12 teams to 16, which he said could change the competition format and led to a shorter tournament.

Stern and Silver began promoting the age-limit idea this spring and have been heavily criticized by players and fans who grew up watching pros in the Olympics. NBA players made their debut in 1992 and were a spectacular success, with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as the headliners of a U.S. team that stormed to the gold medal and triggered an explosion of popularity in the sport.

Baumann said the partnership has been beneficial to FIBA and the NBA's international business, and hopes they will keep working together.

If the rule was changed, LeBron James (6'8''-SF-84) said he wouldn't play for the U.S. men's team, even if he got an exception.

James is unsure of his future plans, anyway, but said he definitely wouldn't take an exception because he wouldn't want to go without the rest of his teammates from the U.S. team that he played with in 2008 and are back in Sunday's gold-medal game against Spain.

"If the rule doesn't go in, then I don't know. It's an 'I don't know' thing," James said. "There's a chance, but there's no chance if the 23 rule goes in."

Larry Probst, the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said he does not know for certain how the age-limit issue would play out in the long term.

But he offered his personal opinion - and he likes seeing NBA athletes in red, white and blue.

"I personally would like to see the best players in the world," Probst said. "And if they happen to be 35 or 37 or 27 or 19, I'd like to see us field the very best team that we can put on the court and I'd like to see them play the very best teams from other countries."

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com


Dwight Howard introduced by Lakers: 'Past is behind me now' - by Eurobasket News

Former Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (6'11''-C-85) was introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night after a four-team deal that granted him his wish to be traded.

Howard was the centerpiece of the 12-player trade, which also includes five draft picks.

When asked about his time in Orlando, Howard thanked the fans.

"I just want to thank the city of Orlando and all the fans in Orlando for eight great years. I've had some great memories," he said.

"I was sitting back in my room last night, just thinking about all the things that happened to me while playing in Orlando," he said. "Just seeing the city on fire for basketball. It was great."

He wished the organization the best and said it was time for a fresh start.

"The past is behind me now," he said. "I'm so excited. It's really hard to talk. I couldnt sleep last night."

Howard averaged 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds in 54 regular-season games for Orlando last season. In late July, Howard met with Magic officials and reiterated his desire to be traded immediately.

On Friday, he said a lot of what has been reported has damaged his reputation, but he's glad he has a second chance.

"The biggest thing was me quitting on that team or me faking the injury. Anyone who knows me and knows what I'm about knows I would never quit anything," he said.

Courtesy of www.wesh.com


Rave reviews for new Denver Nugget Andre Iguodala - by Eurobasket News

The game had been over for hours, and there was Andre Iguodala (6'6''-SF-84, college: Arizona), sitting on the edge of his hotel bed, his eyelids playing defense on a deluge of tears.

An Arizona graduate assistant named Jack Murphy was Iguodala's roommate on the road, and this night - Nov. 28, 2003 - Murphy swung open the door to spot the star player, despondent, following a loss to Florida.

"He just cared so much," said Murphy, who went on to become a Nuggets scout and is currently the coach at Northern Arizona. "In today's day and age, you don't see that all the time, especially from the most-talented guy on the team."

Iguodala is now a Nugget. Denver acquired the 6-foot-6 swingman from Philadelphia in Thursday's four-team blockbuster trade that sent all-star center Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers and sent Arron Affalo and Al Harrington to the Orlando Magic. Iguodala was an all-star last season despite averaging just 12.4 points per game. He thrives because of his tool belt of intangibles, notably his dedication.

"He's very, very loyal, and when you add that to your team," Murphy said, "that's an element that can't be outweighed. And you just don't how he's going to affect the game, but night-in, night-out, he affects the game."

To understand the enigma that is "Iggy," just look at a two-week period last January. In back-to-back games he scored 23 and 21 points. There was a game against Denver during that period in which he had 11 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and nary a turnover. Another game he had 11 assists, and just one turnover. And he capped off the fortnight fittingly a triple-double in which he had 10 points, 10 rebounds and, yes, 10 assists.

Murphy remembers a Nuggets scouting session, prior to a 76ers game, in which then-assistant coach Adrian Dantley, a Hall of Famer, sighed and said, "Man, this guy is way better than people think."

The Nuggets, you may have heard, like to run. They push the basketball in transition at every opportunity. Iguodala should fit right in with his rebounding, speed and hustle. Sebastian Pruiti is a D-League assistant coach and blogs about intricate basketball stats. He wrote that 18.1 percent of Denver's possessions last season were in transition, tops in the league and that Denver had the third-highest offensive efficiency in transition. Iguodala gets out on the break and gets the ball in the basket. In situations in which he wasn't handling the ball in transition, he shot 79.2 percent last season.

JaVale McGee knows the guy's game. The Nuggets center, acquired from the Washington Wizards last season, had often battled Iguodala in the Eastern Conference.

"He's just a real good addition to the team and he's definitely a defensive threat," McGee said. "And he's very athletic. It's good to have more defensive-minded people on the team, because you can score a lot of points but you have to also be able to defend."

Last season, Denver did the former but not the latter. No team scored more per game than the Nuggets last season (104.1). But every team except one allowed fewer points than the Nuggets (101.2).

"He's going to bring fierceness on the defensive end that's really going to raise us to a different level," Nuggets president Josh Kroenke said. "He's a guy who brings it every night."

Players such as the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant and James Harden have torched the Nuggets from the perimeter. Durant has had some of his best-ever games against Denver. According to ESPN's "Stats & Info" site, the Nuggets allowed the fifth-most points per play in the NBA last season. That has to change for the Nuggets to improve. Iggy could help. Last season, 113 players defended at least 50 plays and Iguodala ranked 10th, holding opponents to 37 percent shooting.

Iguodala is in London with Team USA, which plays Spain on Sunday for the Olympic gold medal.

Kroenke is in London too. He has been at the Games, and as it turns out, making a major move to move up in the Western Conference.

"Honestly, it's a big splash during the Olympics to acquire a player from our Olympic team," Kroenke said by phone. "It's a huge thing for us to do.

"And from what I've heard, Coach (Mike) Krzyzewski speaks very highly of him. He was instrumental to the 2010 world championships squad, and he was one of the guys they wanted to bring back to the Olympics because of his versatility."

This fall, the versatility will be seen in powder blue.

Courtesy of www.denverpost.com


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  NCAA1   


New 'Nova assistant Doug Martin resigns due to inaccuracies on his resume - by Eurobasket News

Only days after Villanova filled its assistant coach vacancy, head coach Jay Wright will have to look for someone else to round out his staff.

Doug Martin, who was announced as Doug West's replacement on Monday, has resigned due to inaccuracies on his resume.

'I have always known Doug [Martin] to be a good person and coach, Wright said in a statement. He has taken responsibility for his mistake and will move on successfully! We all wish Doug well.'

There were questions raised late this week regarding the biography Martin submitted to the university. According to his bio, Martin played college basketball at Wisconsin-Green Bay from 1991-95. As ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil pointed out, though, there was no record of Martin ever playing at Green Bay.

Martin was a coach with the Team Takeover AAU program and Paul VI High School in Virginia before being hired by Villanova.

Courtesy of www.cbssports.com


Wollongong NRE Hawks beat Washington State Cougars 86-74 - by Eurobasket News

The Wollongong NRE Hawks started their preseason campaign in front of a near capacity crowd of appoximately 700 loyal Hawks fans at the old Snakepit defeating the Washington State Cougars 86-74 on Friday night.

The game started approximately twenty minutes late after NBL referees were delayed arriving to the Snakepit by bushfires that had closed off the F6 freeway southbound from Sydney earlier that day.

The Hawks were lead by the NBL's best outside shooter, Oscar Forman (205-F/C-82) with 30 points including three triples and big man Larry Davidson (206-C/F-83, college: Boise St.) who finished with a double double 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Washington State University was lead by their Australian Senior Brock Motum (208-F-90), who finished the game with a team high 25 points and 9 rebounds. Next best for the Cougars was the quick guard Reggie Moore (185-G-89) with 21 points.

The US visitors started the scoring through Motum, but the experience of Saville and Forman helped guide the Hawks to a 24-17 first quarter lead.

Hawks forward Tim Coenraad sported a new look black face mask for the game after breaking his nose in SEABL three weeks ago, but was able to chip in for the team with some early baskets off the bench finishing the game with 15 points.

The second quarter saw the Hawks start with a 6-0 run, extending the lead out to 30-17. Washington State played tough and began to claw their way back until Zac Delaney closed off the first half with a long two pointer to bring the Hawks back to a 44-35 lead heading into the half.

A tough physical battle continued in the third quarter between the bigs of both teams, with a little fire seeing Motum register a foul and subsequent tech from the referees. After that phase of play the Hawks lead went out to 50-38 but Washington State showed the Hawks some great fight back and brought the deficit to just five points with 3 minutes to go in the quarter.

But it was Oscar Forman's night, with a pair of three pointers in the last two minutes of the third quarter playing a big part in taking a 66-52 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Rhys Martin got the Snakepit crowd alive with a nice four point play to start the fourth quarter and within two minutes the Hawks lead was 74-54 and the game beginning to be out of reach for Washington State. After trading baskets during the fourth, the Cougars scored easy baskets in the quarter to finish with a final result of 86-74.

The Wollongong Hawks would like to give a special thanks to Washington State University including their players, coaches and support staff for making it to Wollongong for the game today. The club would also like to thank it's fans and members for giving the visiting team a warm welcome on to the court and a great round of applause after the game.

The Hawks next play Northern Colorado at the Snakepit this weekend Sunday, tip off 3:00pm. Tickets still available at the door from 2:00pm Sunday.

Courtesy of NBL Australia


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  NIGERIA   


Ndudi Ebi signs with Italian team Sidigas Avellino - by Eurobasket News

As expected, Ndudi Ebi (206-F-84, agency: Higher Vision Sports) is back to Italy. The Nigerian forward penned a deal with Sidigas Avellino. They compete in SeriaA. Ebi most recently played for the Chinese NBL team Jiangsu Tongxi. He appeared 9 times for them averaging 29 points, 18.6 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals. The Nigerian center spent last season in Lebanon. There he had 24.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 2.9 bpg for 10 games with Anibal Zahle. Ebi Ndudi is not a new face in Italy as he already played there from 2008 to 2011. He signed with Ferrara in 2008 registering 12.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg for 30 games in SerieA. Next year, Ebi had 15.3 ppg and 13.6 rpg with Rimini in LegaDue. Season 2010/11 Ebi Ndudi split between Imola and Limoges. With Imola he collected 19.2 ppg (No.5) and 9.2 rpg (No.1) for 21 games in LegaDue. He was named to Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 2nd Team -11. Ndudi Ebi shined in 2007/08 season in Israel. He had 14.4 ppg and 8.5 rpg for 27 games with Bnei Hasharon in Israeli top division. Ebi was the top rebounder of the league and was named to Eurobasket.com All-Israeli League 2nd Team. In the past, he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but appeared only in 19 games for 2 years with them. Ebi was 26th overall pick in 2003 NBA draft. He never played for the Nigerian National Team.


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  NORWAY   


U18 European Championship: Montenegro ease past Norway - by Eurobasket News

Norway U18-Montenegro U18 77:87

Montenegro ease past Norway at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The winners improved to 3-1 record to share the top place in Group C with Sweden and Iceland. Norway meanwhile fell at 0-4 record.
Montenegro started the game with 14-12, but did not expect a massive surge from Norway. The latter erupted with 28-19 in the second period as Espen Fjaerestad (192-SG-94) brought 40:28. Montenegro replied with a 7-0 run to trail 5 points early in the third and then Vasilije Vusovic (191-G-94) gave them 46:44 advantage. The teams exchanged the lead several times and Norway grabbed 66:65 with 10 minutes to go. The last quarter meanwhile belonged to Montenegro that needed 22-11 burst to seal the victory.
Milos Pajovic (205-C-94) top-scored for the winners with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Nenad Vukovic (187-G-94) had 11. Vasilije Vusovic poured in 10, whilst Veselin Kovacevic (200-F-94) and Luka Djurovic (190-G-95) scored 9 apiece. Espen Fjaerestad replied with 20 points in defeat and Vuk Krivokapic (193-SF-95) scored 15. Nikola Blatancic (194-F-94) netted 14, while Nicholas Seach (181-PG-94) delivered 9.

Norway U18: Espen Fjaerestad 20, Vuk Krivokapic 15, Nikola Blatancic 14, Nicholas Seach 9
Montenegro U18: Milos Pajovic 21+11 rebs, Nenad Vukovic 11, Vasilije Vusovic 10, Veselin Kovacevic 9, Luka Djurovic 9


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  OLYMPIC GAMES   

Stats Leaders

Points Per Game
 Patrick MILLS
  AUS
  (183-PG-88)
  Avg: 21.5
 1. Mills, AUS21.5 
 2. Durant, USA19.5 
 3. Ginobili, ARG19.4 
 4. Gasol, ESP19.1 
 5. Scola, ARG18.0 
 6. Kirilenko, RUS17.5 
 7. Anthony, USA16.3 
 8. Barbosa, BRA16.2 
 9. Deng, ENG15.8 
 10. Parker, FRA15.7 
Rebounds Per Game
 Jianlian YI
  CHN
  (212-PF-87)
  Avg: 10.2
 1. Yi, CHN10.2 
 2. Mejri, TUN10.0 
 3. Ben Ghnia, TUN8.6 
 4. Nene, BRA8.0 
 5. Gasol, ESP7.6 
 6. Love, USA7.6 
 7. Kirilenko, RUS7.5 
 8. Varejao, BRA7.0 
 9. Deng, ENG6.6 
 10. Freeland, ENG6.6 
Assists Per Game
 Pablo PRIGIONI
  ITA
  (191-PG-77)
  Avg: 6.5
 1. Prigioni, ARG6.5 
 2. Huertas, BRA6.0 
 3. Shved, RUS5.9 
 4. James, USA5.5 
 5. Jasikevicius, LTU5.3 
 6. Paul, USA5.1 
 7. Kalnietis, LTU4.8 
 8. Williams, USA4.6 
 9. Deng, ENG4.6 
 10. Dellavedova, AUS4.5 
Steals Per Game
 Chris PAUL
  (183-PG-85)
  Avg: 2.5
 1. Paul, USA2.5 
 2. Kirilenko, RUS1.9 
 3. Prigioni, ARG1.8 
 4. Nielsen, AUS1.8 
 5. Ben Ghnia, TUN1.8 
 6. De Colo, FRA1.7 
 7. Durant, USA1.6 
 8. Ginobili, ARG1.6 
 9. Deng, ENG1.4 
 10. James, USA1.4 
Blocks Per Game
 Salah MEJRI
  TUN
  (217-C-86)
  Avg: 3.4
 1. Mejri, TUN3.4 
 2. Yi, CHN2.2 
 3. Kirilenko, RUS1.8 
 4. Batum, FRA1.5 
 5. Ibaka, ESP1.3 
 6. Gasol, ESP1.3 
 7. Seraphin, FRA1.3 
 8. Jankunas, LTU1.0 
 9. Nene, BRA1.0 
 10. Newley, AUS0.8 


USA claim the 14th Olympic Gold - by Eurobasket News

FINAL
USA - Spain 107-100
USA claimed the 14th Olympic Gold. They defeated Spain in the championship game in London tonight to clinch the trophy. Kevin Durant (206-SF-88, college: Texas) led all scorers with 30 points and 9 rebounds. The lead changed hands numerous times throughout the starting quarter. Finally Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony gave Team USA a 25:16 lead. They finished the opening quarter up by 8 points 35:27. But Spain opened the second term with seven points in a row to narrow the deficit. Soon Rodriguez drained a triple to put Spain in front 39:37. The teams exchanged baskets as USA managed to eke out a 59:58 lead at halftime. The teams continued to go neck and neck throughout the third term. Kobe Bryant helped the North American team gain a 77:72 lead. But Serg Ibaka and Pau Gasol (214-F/C-80) dragged Spain within one at the final intermission 82:83. Kevin Durant organized a 7:1 run from the USA as they posted a 97:87 lead with under five minutes remaining. Spain trimmed the deficit to 6 points but LeBron James (203-SF-84) hit a triple and Chris Paul followed a jumper to secure a 104:93 lead with 51 seconds remaining. USA hung on in the dying seconds and celebrated historic victory at the end. LeBron James accounted for 19 points, 7 boards and 4 assists for USA. Kobe Bryant added 17 points in the victory. Pau Gasol answered with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for Spain. Juan Carlos Navarro (192-G-80) had 21 points in the loss.
3-4 Place
Argentina - Russia 77-81
Russia clinched the Bronze medals at the Olympic basketball tournament. They snatched the win over Argentina in a heart-stopping thriller. Alexey Shved scored 25 points, distributed 7 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds to pace the winners. The lead changed hands for several times throughout close first quarter. Argentina eked out a 20:19 lead after ten minutes. Argentina stretched the lead to 6 points midway through the second quarter. However Russia answered with 12 points in a row to surge ahead. Alexey Shved capped the half with a three-pointer to make it 40:38 for Russia. The teams continued their roller-coaster action throughout the third term. The lead changed hands before Vitaliy Fridzon (196-G-85, agency: Alti Sport) and Andrei Kirilenko (209-F-81) gave David Blatts team a 56:48 lead. Russia soon gained an 11-point advantage 61:50. But the Latin American team answered with seven points in a row to narrow the margin at 4-point mark 57:61. Argentina quickly denied the deficit setting up a thrilling finale. The teams were tied at 74 with under 90 seconds remaining in regulation. Carlos Delfino scored just one free throw, while Vitaliy Fridzon sank both his attempts to put Russia in front with 56 seconds remaining. Emanuel Ginobili replied with a tough layup to pull Argentina in front 77:76. Alexey Shved answered with a three-pointer and then Vitaliy Fridzon converted a layup to seal the victory for Russia. Vitaliy Fridzon finished with 19 points, while Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Emanuel Ginobili responded with 21 points for Argentina. Andres Nocioni (199-SF-79) had 16 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.


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


Virtus Roma inks Polish F Olek Czyz - by Eurobasket News

Olek Czyz (200-F-90, agency: Priority Sports, college: Nevada) will continue his career in Italy. The Polish forward signed a deal with Virtus Roma. It will be his first season as a pro. Czyz graduated at the University of Nevada few months ago. He appeared 32 times for the school as a senior averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. Czyz transferred to Nevada in 2010 from Duke University. In his first season with Nevada he had 12.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg for 23 games. With Duke the forward had very limited playing time. This year he played for the Chicago Bulls at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. For 5 games Czyz had 4.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg. In the past, Olek Czyz played for U20 Polish National Team. In 2010, he was named Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U20 Division B Best Forward leading his Poland to bronze medal.


Germany beat Poland to win Beko SuperCup - by Eurobasket News

Germany - Poland 78:74

Germany clinched Beko SuperCup title. They overcame Poland in the title game in Bamberg tonight. Jan-Hendrik Jagla (213-PF-81, college: Penn St.) scored 16 points to lead the charge.
Germany strongly entered the game. The hosts unloaded 29 points in the opening quarter to take an 8-point lead. But Poland responded in the second quarter. They held Germany to just 16 points and surged ahead for a 46:45 halftime lead. Germany changed the complexion of the game in the second half. The hosts paid more attention to defence. They held Poland to 12 points in the third stanza and secured a 5-point lead before the fourth frame. Poland denied the deficit and surged ahead for a 71:70 lead with under three minutes to go. However Germany knocked down six points in a row and snatched the victory at the end. Tibor Pleiss (214-F/C-89) and Heiko Schaffartzik (182-G-84) finished with 12 points each for the winners. Jakub Wojciechowski (213-C/F-90) answered with 19 points for Poland. Marcin Gortat (213-C-84) had 14 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Germany: Jan-Hendrik Jagla 16, Tibor Pleiss 12, Heiko Schaffartzik 12
Poland: Jakub Wojciechowski 19, Marcin Gortat 14


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  PORTUGAL   


Sampaense announces new players - by Luis Filipe Cristovao

After presenting Jose Calabote as their new head coach, Sampaense Basket announced their signings for the 2012/13 LPB season.

Jose Calabote was the former Benficas U18 Head Coach, with whom he conquered the National Title, and brings his son with son. Andre Calabote (178-PG-93) played in Benfica Youth Team and will have his first experience in LPB. Carlos Ferreirinho (200-F/G-91), who played in Benfica first team, also makes the trip with the Calabote family. Diogo Goncalves (200-F-87), from Terceira Basket, and Helder Carvalho (205-C/F-84), from Heffingen, Luxembourg, complete the Portuguese signings.

The roster will be complete later, with two or three foreign players.

Jorge Sing (192-G/F-77) and Andre Ruivo (185-G-91) are the only two players of last years roster who keep playing in the team.



Bosnia and Herzegovina overcome Portugal in test game - by Eurobasket News

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Portugal 91:81

Bosnia and Herzegovina took on Portugal in the exhibition encounter. Both teams are preparing for the upcoming 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Tournament. Bosnia and Herzegovina proved the strength claiming a 10-point victory. Mirza Teletovic (206-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) came up with 33 points to lead the charge.
Portugal fired 28 points in the first term to take a 3-point lead. But Bosnia and Herzegovina took over in the second quarter. The hosts denied the deficit and pulled ahead for a 48:39 halftime lead. Bosnia and Herzegovina stretched the margin to 12 points at the final break. Portugal cut the deficit but could not threaten the distance in the fourth term. Nihad Djedovic (196-F-90, agency: Beo Basket) provided 26 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Zack Wright (188-G-85, college: Central Mo.) added 11 points in the win. Joao Gomes (199-F-85) answered with 23 points and 7 rebounds for Portugal. Jaime Silva (187-PG-80) provided 14 points in the loss.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mirza Teletovic 33, Nihad Djedovic 26, Zack Wright 11
Portugal: Joao Gomes 23, Jaime Silva 14


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


Napoli Basket to sign Puerto Rican PG Denis Clemente - by Eurobasket News

Denis Clemente (185-PG-86, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: Kansas St.) will continue his career in Italy. The Puerto Rican point guard will sign a deal with Napoli Basket, according to Worldbasket.com. Clemente heads to his new club from Slovakian Nitra, where he spent last season. The player shined with 17.9 ppg, 3.7 apg and 3.3 rpg in 34 Extraliga games. He also added 17.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.2 apg and 2.8 spg for 6 games in EuroChallenge. Clemente helped NItra to win the Slovakian Cup and to reach Extraliga Semifinals. He was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Slovakian League Honorable Mention -12. A year ago Denis Clemente was named Latinbasket.com All-Puerto Rican BSN Rookie of the Year. He had 14.6 ppg, 4.4 apg and 3.6 rpg for Caciques de Humacao. In the past, Clemente played in Greece and Italy. He graduated at Kansas State University in 2010.


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


STB Le Havre brings in Romanian Vlad Moldoveanu - by Eurobasket News

Vlad Moldoveanu (206-F/C-88, college: American) will continue his career in France. The Romanian power forward/center signed a 1-year deal with STB Le Havre. Moldoveanu arrives to his new club from Benetton Treviso and it will be his second season as a pro. In his first one the player had 6.9 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 31 games in SerieA. He also added 8.2 ppg and 2.8 rpg for 12 EuroCup appearances. Vlad Moldoveanu graduated at American University something more than a year ago. He exploded with 20.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 2 apg for his school in 30 games as a senior. The big guy transferred to American from George Mason University in 2009. Vlad Moldoveanu played for the Romanian National Team in Qualifications to European Championships Division B 2011. He had 16.8 ppg, 5 rpg and 2.5 apg in 4 games.


U18 European Championship: Romania keep Scotland winless - by Eurobasket News

Romania U18- Scotland U18 81:53

Romania keep Scotland winless at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team overcame the opponents 81:53 for 2-2 record in Group A. Scotland meanwhile fell at 0-4 record.
Scotland won the opening tip 8:2, while Romanian team replied with an 18-0 run. Vlad Tincu (188-SG-94) later closed the period at 23:10 and Ene brought 27:12. Romania led 12 points midway through the second frame, but Nicholas Sim (180-PG-95) reduced to 39:34 at the halftime. The second half was decisive in the game as Romania posted two victories in it. They produced 20-11 in the third period and added 22-8 in the last stanza.
Vlad Popovici (200-PF-94) led the way with 18 points and Vlad Stoicoviciu (190-SG-94) netted 12. Mehmet Hortoglu (192-SG-95) delivered 11, while Vlad Tincu and Vlad Cobzaru (201-C-95) scored 8 each. Nicholas Sim replied with 11 points in the losing effort and Craig Malcolm (191-SF-94) scored 9.

Romania U18: Vlad Popovici 18, Vlad Stoicoviciu 12, Mehmet Hortoglu 11, Vlad Tincu 8, Vlad Cobzaru 8
Scotland U18: Nicholas Sim 11, Craig Malcolm 9


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


Olympics 2012: Russia sneak past Argentina to clinch Bronze - by Eurobasket News

Russia - Argentina 81:77

Russia clinched the Bronze medals at the Olympic basketball tournament. They snatched the win over Argentina in a heart-stopping thriller. Alexey Shved scored 25 points, distributed 7 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds to pace the winners.
The lead changed hands for several times throughout close first quarter. Argentina eked out a 20:19 lead after ten minutes. Argentina stretched the lead to 6 points midway through the second quarter. However Russia answered with 12 points in a row to surge ahead. Alexey Shved capped the half with a three-pointer to make it 40:38 for Russia. The teams continued their roller-coaster action throughout the third term. The lead changed hands before Vitaliy Fridzon (196-G-85, agency: Alti Sport) and Andrei Kirilenko (209-F-81) gave David Blatts team a 56:48 lead. Russia soon gained an 11-point advantage 61:50. But the Latin American team answered with seven points in a row to narrow the margin at 4-point mark 57:61. Argentina quickly denied the deficit setting up a thrilling finale. The teams were tied at 74 with under 90 seconds remaining in regulation. Carlos Delfino scored just one free throw, while Vitaliy Fridzon sank both his attempts to put Russia in front with 56 seconds remaining. Emanuel Ginobili (198-SG-77, agency: Interperformances) replied with a tough layup to pull Argentina in front 77:76. Alexey Shved answered with a three-pointer and then Vitaliy Fridzon converted a layup to seal the victory for Russia. Vitaliy Fridzon finished with 19 points, while Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Emanuel Ginobili responded with 21 points for Argentina. Andres Nocioni (199-SF-79) had 16 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.

Russia: Alexey Shved 25, Andrei Kirilenko 20, Vitaliy Fridzon 19
Argentina: Emanuel Ginobili 21, Andres Nocioni 16


Nizhny Novgorod inks American F Micah Downs - by Eurobasket News

Micah Downs (203-G-86, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) will continue his career in Russia. The American forward signed a deal with Nizhny Novgorod. Downs spent last season with Assignia Manresa averaging 11.3 points and 3.6 rebounds for 28 games in Liga Endesa. He got injured in September and was sidelined for two months. Before Manresa, Downs played one year for Burgos. There he had 13.5 ppg and 4 rpg in 43 LEB Gold appearances. He helped Burgos to reach LEB Gold Finals and was named to Eurobasket.com All-Spanish LEB Gold 2nd Team -11. Downs was also awarded with Eurobasket.com Spanish LEB Gold All-Imports Team -11. Before Spain, Micah Downs split 2009/10 between Zadar and Leuven. It was his first season as a pro. Downs is a product of Gonzaga University, where he graduated in 2009. He had 9.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg for his school as a senior.


Spartak Primorye gets bigger with Artem Zabelin - by Eurobasket News

Spartak Primorye Vladivostok reinforced its roster under the basket. The team signed Russian center Artem Zabelin (215-F/C-88, agency: RU-Basket Management) for the next season. The player arrives from Lokomotiv Kuban, where he spent 2011/12. He appeared 9 times in Russian league averaging 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds. The center had almost the same numbers in VTB United League, while in EuroCup he averaged less than a point in 3 games. Before Lokomotiv Kuban, Artem Zabelin spent four years with CSKA Moscow. In their last season together he had 4.5 ppg and 2.5 rpg for 10 Russian league games. He had slightly lower numbers for 6 games in VTB. In the past, Zabelin played for Avtodor Saratov and Dynamo St.Petersburg. He also played for Russian youth National Teams.


David Blatt to leave Russian NT? - by Eurobasket News

David Blatt (agency: Beo Basket) might leave Russian National Team soon. The coach said he will make a decision in the next two weeks. Earlier today Russia won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London. They snatched the win over Argentina in a heart-stopping thriller. Alexey Shved scored 25 points, distributed 7 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds to pace the winners. Vitaliy Fridzon finished with 19 points, while Andrei Kirilenko added 20 points and 8 rebounds for the winners. Emanuel Ginobili responded with 21 points for Argentina. Andres Nocioni had 16 points and 7 rebounds in the loss. David Blatt took over Russian National Team in 2006. They won the gold medal at 2007 EuroBasket in Spain. Last summer Russia won the Bronze at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. David Blatt currently works as Head Coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv.


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  SCOTLAND   


U18 European Championship: Romania keep Scotland winless - by Eurobasket News

Romania U18- Scotland U18 81:53

Romania keep Scotland winless at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team overcame the opponents 81:53 for 2-2 record in Group A. Scotland meanwhile fell at 0-4 record.
Scotland won the opening tip 8:2, while Romanian team replied with an 18-0 run. Vlad Tincu (188-SG-94) later closed the period at 23:10 and Ene brought 27:12. Romania led 12 points midway through the second frame, but Nicholas Sim (180-PG-95) reduced to 39:34 at the halftime. The second half was decisive in the game as Romania posted two victories in it. They produced 20-11 in the third period and added 22-8 in the last stanza.
Vlad Popovici (200-PF-94) led the way with 18 points and Vlad Stoicoviciu (190-SG-94) netted 12. Mehmet Hortoglu (192-SG-95) delivered 11, while Vlad Tincu and Vlad Cobzaru (201-C-95) scored 8 each. Nicholas Sim replied with 11 points in the losing effort and Craig Malcolm (191-SF-94) scored 9.

Romania U18: Vlad Popovici 18, Vlad Stoicoviciu 12, Mehmet Hortoglu 11, Vlad Tincu 8, Vlad Cobzaru 8
Scotland U18: Nicholas Sim 11, Craig Malcolm 9


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  SENEGAL   


FIATC Joventut targets Sitapha Savane - by Eurobasket News

FIATC Joventut wants to sign Sitapha Savane (202-F-78, college: Navy) for the upcoming season, according to Laprovincia.es. The player parted ways with Gran Canaria earlier this summer. Savane spent last eight seasons with Granca. In the latest one he had 5 ppg and 2.4 rpg for 33 games in Liga Endesa. The player added 4.1 ppg and 1.7 rpg for 7 EuroCup appearances. In 2010/11 Savane collected 7.4 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 20 games in Spain. He had almost the same numbers in EuroCup. The forward got injured in February of 2011 and missed rest of the season. Before Gran Canaria, Sitapha Savane played for Tenerife, Murcia and Menorca. In 2006, he was named to Eurobasket.com Spanish ACB All-Defensive Team. That year Savane played for the Senegalese National Team at the World Championship in Japan. He had 8.6 ppg and 3.6 rpg for 5 games at this event.


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  SERBIA   


Enel Brindisi and Dejan Borovnjak split - by Eurobasket News

Dejan Borovnjak (207-F/C-86, agency: Beo Basket) is no longer a member of Enel Brindisi. The player underwent surgery recently and he will be sidelined for several weeks. The news is officially announced by the club today. Borovnjak was one of their key players last season leading the team to SerieA promotion. He also was the first player who got contract extension this summer. Borovnjak appeared 38 times for the club averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals. Brindisi was LegaDue Playoffs winner and they also grabbed the trophy in LegaDue Cup. Borovnjak was named to Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 2nd Team -12 and Eurobasket.com Italian Lega2 All-Bosmans Team -12. Before Brindisi, Dejan Borovnjak spent one season with Aris Thessaloniki. There he had 9.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 14 EuroCup games. The player added 7.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg for 19 games in Greece. In the past, he played for Panionios, Lietuvos Rytas, Vojvodina and Partizan. He won the gold medal with Serbian University National Team at the 2009 World University Games.


Crvena Zvezda targets Stefan Markovic - by Eurobasket News

Crvena Zvezda wants to sign Stefan Markovic (194-G-88) for the next season, according to Serbian media (Blic.rs). Reportedly, they are already in talks. Crvena Zvezda will have to pay 150.000 euros buy-out fee to Valencia in order to get the player. Markovic appeared 32 times in Liga Endesa last season averaging 5.2 points, 3.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds. The player also added 5.1 ppg, 4.2 apg and 2.1 rpg for 10 EuroCup games. They reached EuroCup Finals and Liga Endesa Semis. He arrived to Valencia last summer from Benetton Treviso. Before Benetton, Markovic spent few years with Hemofarm. Stefan Markovic helped Serbia to win the Silver at 2009 EuroBasket in Poland. He had 1.8 ppg and 3 rpg for 9 games at this event. At 2010 World Championship Serbia reached Semifinals, while Markovic collected 3.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 2.2 apg for 9 appearances. Last summer in Lithuania he had 3.2 ppg, 3.3 apg and 2 rpg for 11 games.


Vojvodina agrees with experienced PG Zoran Osmokrovic - by Eurobasket News

Vojvodina reinforced its roster at position 1. The Serbian squad agreed a one-year deal with experienced point guard Zoran Osmokrovic (189-G-81, agency: BeoExcell). The 30-year-old player spent last season with BKK Radnicki. He was one of their key players with 7.5 ppg, 5.1 apg and 2.7 rpg for 38 games. Osmokrovic was league's No.3 in assists and helped Radnicki to reach the Superleague. Before BKK Radnicki, Zoran Osmokrovic was a member of InterCollege Etha Engomis and Mega Vizura. He won the Romanian league title and Cup with Asesoft Ploiesti in 2009. A year before that the PG spent with Greek team AEP Olimpias Patron. There he had 9.6 ppg, 2.9 apg and 1.7 rpg for 16 games. Osmokrovic was one of the best players in Serbian A league in 2006/07 averaging 18.2 points, 6.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2 steals for 22 games with Borac Cacak. He also has experience from FMP Zeleznik, Napredak Rubin and OKK Beograd.


Dusan Ivkovic cuts Danilo Andjusic and Mile Ilic - by Eurobasket News

Dusan Ivkovic (agency: Beo Basket) made last cut before the qualifications for 2013 EuroBasket in Slovenia. Head Coach of the Serbian National Team thanked Danilo Andjusic (197-G-91, agency: Beo Basket) and Mile Ilic (215-C-84, agency: Interperformances). Ivkovic will not be able to count on Zoran Erceg (210-C/F-85) and Nenad Krstic (213-C-83) for the opening game against Iceland.
Danilo Andjusic joined senior NT for the first time in his career. So far he played for Serbian youth National Teams. Last summer Andjusic was named to Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U20 2nd Team. In 2009, he led U18 Serbia to gold medal at U18 EuroBasket in Metz. At this even Andjusic was named to Eurobasket.com All-European Championships U18 2nd Team.
Mile Ilic played for Serbia and Montenegro National Team in 2006 at the World Championship in Japan. He had 2.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 3 games at this event.


Radnicki Kragujevac signs deal with Matthew Bryan-Amaning - by Eurobasket News

As expected, Radnicki Kragujevac reinforced its roster at position 3. The Serbian squad penned a deal with Matthew Bryan-Amaning (205-F-88, agency: Interperformances, college: Washington). The British forward spent last season in Turkey. He appeared 30 times with Hacettepe University averaging 12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.3 blocks. He was the best shot blocker of TBL and No.1 in steals. It was the first pro deal for Bryan-Amaning, who graduated at University of Washington something more than a year ago. The player had 15.3 ppg and 8 rpg for his school in 35 games as a senior. Matthew Bryan-Amaning played for the New Orleans Hornets in 2012 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. He had 2.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg for 5 games. Bryan-Amaning played for the British National Team in 2011 EuroBasket qualifications.
Earlier this summer Radnicki Kragujevac signed Milos Borisov (201-F-85), Bojan Krstovic (194-G-80, agency: Interperformances), Terrico White (196-G-90, college: Mississippi), Mark Worthington (202-PF-83, college: Metro St.) and Stefan Jovic (190-G-90, agency: Kotnik Sports Agency). The team also extended deal with point guard Steven Markovic (190-G-85). Head Coach Miroslav Nikolic stays with Radnicki as well.


Nemanja Aleksandrov signs in Belgium - by Eurobasket News

Nemanja Aleksandrov (210-C/F-87) will continue his career in Belgium. The 25-year-old Serbian signed a deal with VOO Verviers-Pepinster. Aleksandrov most recently played for Scavolini Siviglia Pesaro. He was their member in 2010/11 season averaging 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds for 27 games. Before Scavolini, Aleksandrov spent one year with Union Olimpija. There he had 14.7 ppg and 7.9 rpg for 10 Slovenian league games. His numbers in Euroleague and Adriatic league were much lower. In the past Nemanja Aleksandrov spent few years with Crvena Zvezda and FMP Zeleznik. He was one of the biggest prospects in Serbia, but injuries drastically slowed down his career. In 2010, Aleksandrov was named Eurobasket.com All-Slovenian League Bosman Player of the Year. Back in 2003 he was named MVP of U16 EuroBasket in Spain, where U16 Serbia won the Gold. Aleksandrov participated at 2005 Nike Summit Hoop and two years after that he played for the Serbian NT at EuroBasket in Spain.


Luka Igrutinovic reinforces BKK Radnicki - by Nenad Ilijev

Talented prospect Luka Igrutinovic (193-PG-92) agreed terms with BKK Radnicki and he will be part of the team in next 2 seasons. Luka Igrutinovic is currently member of Serbian U20 National Team. He had solid season in previous year averaging 13.9ppg, 4.2rpg and 1.2apg in A League wearing Proleter Naftagas jersey. Proleter Naftagas finished season at last place while Igrutinovic left the team in February.
Kragujevac born Igrutinovic played with Hemofarm Vrsac in his junior days before signing his first pro contract with Superfund BP in season 2010/2011. He was shortly transferred to B League team Student UK from his hometown.
He won silver medal with Serbian U19 team at World Championships in Latvia last year. He was also a member of all younger categories of National team before.


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


U18 European Championship: Estonia wins thriller to remain undefeated - by Eurobasket News

Slovak Republic U18-Estonia U18 65:67

Estonia wins thriller to remain undefeated at the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team grabbed valuable 67:65 win over Slovak Republic for 3-0 record on top of Group B. The latter meanwhile fell at 0-3 record.
It was a slow start in the game as the teams scored only 21 points in the first 10 minutes. Slovakia had 11:10 and then Hendrik Ruut (190-PG-94) gave Estonia 14:13 advantage early in the second. Georg Tambre (194-PF-94) closed the half at 33:24 as Estonia won the frame 23-13. Slovakia also scored 13 points in the third period, but it was enough to tie the margin only for the period. Kent Vene (192-SG-94) brought 48:40 early in the fourth, while Hendrik Ruut and Sander Saare (182-PG-94) ensured the latest baskets for the winners.
Sander Saare and Kent Vene top-scored for the winners with 14 points each for a perfect record. Hendrik Ruut nailed 13, while Georg Tambre added 12. Vladimir Brodziansky (206-PF-94) and Martin Matejcik (185-G-94) replied with 19 points each in the losing effort. Vladimir Nemcok (183-PG-95) had 12, while Robert Rozim (199-F-94) collected 8 points and 12 rebounds.

Slovak Republic U18: Vladimir Brodziansky 19+12 rebs, Martin Matejcik 19, Vladimir Nemcok 12, Robert Rozim 8+12 rebs
Estonia U18: Sander Saare 14, Kent Vene 14, Hendrik Ruut 13, Georg Tambre 12


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


CB Canarias tab Saul Blanco - by Eurobasket News

CB Canarias bolstered their backcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Saul Blanco (195-G/F-85). The guard started the previous season with Unicaja Malaga. He tallied 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in ACB. The guard also posted 2.9 points per game in Euroleague. Saul Blanco moved to Fuenlabrada in January. He notched 8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in ACB. In EuroChallenge his stats read 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per appearance. Saul Blanco also had stints with Farho Gijon and Siglo Vasco before joining Fuenlabrada in 2005. Saul Blanco was the member of U16 and U20 Spanish National Teams. He debuted for the Spanish National Team in 2009.


Olympics 2012: USA defeat Spain to clinch the title - by Eurobasket News

USA - Spain 107:100

USA claimed the 14th Olympic Gold. They defeated Spain in the championship game in London tonight to clinch the trophy. Kevin Durant (6'9''-SF-88, college: Texas) led all scorers with 30 points and 9 rebounds to his tally.
The lead changed hands numerous times throughout the starting quarter. Finally Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony gave Team USA a 25:16 lead. They finished the opening quarter up by 8 points 35:27. But Spain opened the second term with seven points in a row to narrow the deficit. Soon Rodriguez drained a triple to put Spain in front 39:37. The teams exchanged baskets as USA managed to eke out a 59:58 lead at halftime. The teams continued to go neck and neck throughout the third term. Kobe Bryant (6'6''-SG-78) helped the North American team gain a 77:72 lead. But Serg Ibaka and Pau Gasol (7'0''-F/C-80) dragged Spain within one at the final intermission 82:83. Kevin Durant organized a 7:1 run from the USA as they posted a 97:87 lead with under five minutes remaining. Spain trimmed the deficit to 6 points but LeBron James (6'8''-SF-84) hit a triple and Chris Paul followed a jumper to secure a 104:93 lead with 51 seconds remaining. USA hung on in the dying seconds and celebrated historic victory at the end. LeBron James accounted for 19 points, 7 boards and 4 assists for USA. Kobe Bryant added 17 points in the victory. Pau Gasol answered with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for Spain. Juan Carlos Navarro (6'4''-G-80) had 21 points in the loss.

USA: Kevin Durant 30, LeBron James 19, Kobe Bryant 17
Spain: Pau Gasol 24, Juan Carlos Navarro 21


Dimitris Verginis joins Bilbao for training camp - by Eurobasket News

Bilbao Basket announced that Dimitris Verginis (193-G-87) will join the team for the training camp. The Greek guard had 7.6 ppg and 1.6 apg for 26 games with Aris Thessaloniki last season (A1). Verginis registered 7.2 ppg for 11 EuroCup games. In 2010/11 the guard also played for Aris, but he appeared just six times for the club averaging 1.8 points and 1.5 assists. He was sent on loan from Panathinaikos. Verginis was a member of PAO from 2008 to 2010, but he had very limited playing time in both years. From 2005 to 2008, Dimitris Verginis played for PAOK Thassaloniki. In their last season together he had 10.8 ppg and 1.8 apg for 25 Greek league games. Verginis played for the Greek University National Team three years ago. In the past, he was a member of U20, U18 and U16 Greece.


Mad-Croc Fuenlabrada announces signing of Sergii Gladyr - by Eurobasket News

Sergii Gladyr (196-G/F-88) officially became a new member of Mad-Croc Fuenlabrada. The Ukrainian swingman arrives to the club from Assignia Manresa. He spent three seasons with Manresa averaging 8.7 points and 3.2 rebounds for 31 games in the latest one. The player had almost the same numbers in 2010/11. In his first year Gladyr had 10 ppg and 2.1 rpg for 29 games. Sergii Gladyr moved to Spain in 2009 from MBC Mykolaiv. There he shined with 15.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 2.4 apg for 29 Ukrainian league games in 2008/09. Gladyr is a product of Mykolaiv, where he started as teenager.
Sergii Gladyr is active member of the Ukrainian National Team since 2008. Before that he very successfully played for Ukrainian youth National Teams. In 2008 NBA draft, the player was selected by the Atlanta Hawks as 49th overall pick.


Ryan Toolson to have surgery soon - by Eurobasket News

Ryan Toolson (193-G-85, college: Utah Valley) is diagnosed with muscular hernia in lower abdominal wall and will undergo surgery soon. The American will be sidelined for the next 2-5 weeks. Toolson arrived to Granca earlier this summer. The 27-year-old shooting guard played last season for Aliaga Petkim. He appeared 29 times in Turkish league with them averaging 17.3 points, 3.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds. Toolson was named to Eurobasket.com All-Turkish League 2nd Team -12. The player split 2010/11 season between Benetton Treviso and Montegranaro. With Benetton he had 9.5 ppg and 1.9 rpg for 15 games in Italy. The player also added 6.3 ppg and 1.5 rpg for 13 EuroCup appearances. Later he registered 6.4 ppg and 1.4 rpg for 7 games with Montegranaro. In the past, Ryan Toolson played for Karsiyaka. He graduated at Utah State Valley University 3 years ago.


FIATC Joventut targets Sitapha Savane - by Eurobasket News

FIATC Joventut wants to sign Sitapha Savane (202-F-78, college: Navy) for the upcoming season, according to Laprovincia.es. The player parted ways with Gran Canaria earlier this summer. Savane spent last eight seasons with Granca. In the latest one he had 5 ppg and 2.4 rpg for 33 games in Liga Endesa. The player added 4.1 ppg and 1.7 rpg for 7 EuroCup appearances. In 2010/11 Savane collected 7.4 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 20 games in Spain. He had almost the same numbers in EuroCup. The forward got injured in February of 2011 and missed rest of the season. Before Gran Canaria, Sitapha Savane played for Tenerife, Murcia and Menorca. In 2006, he was named to Eurobasket.com Spanish ACB All-Defensive Team. That year Savane played for the Senegalese National Team at the World Championship in Japan. He had 8.6 ppg and 3.6 rpg for 5 games at this event.


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


U18 European Championship: Sweden and Iceland open Day 4 - by Eurobasket News

Sweden U18-Iceland U18 92:83

Sweden and Iceland open Day 4 of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Scandinavian side grabbed 92:83 to tie both records in Group C at 3-1. Iceland suffered their first loss.
Both teams started strong and scored 25 points each in the first period. Sweden managed to score another 25 in the second frame, while Iceland posted only 13. In the third period both teams nailed another 20 points each, while the battle continued in the last stanza. Although Iceland won the period 25-22 they reduced only to 9 final points.
Caleb Musie (171-PG-95) top-scored for the winners with 21 points for the third victory. Adam Ramstedt (203-SF-95), Alexander Gorski (193-SG-94) and Nicholas Spires (209-PF-94) added 14 each, while the latter also grabbed 17 boards. Elvar Fridriksson (180-PG-94) finished the game with 22 points in the losing effort, while Martin Hermannsson (190-SG-94) notched 20. Valur Valsson (182-PG-94) delivered 11 points in defeat.

Sweden U18: Caleb Musie 21, Adam Ramstedt 14, Alexander Gorski 14, Nicholas Spires 14+17 rebs
Iceland U18: Elvar Fridriksson 22, Martin Hermannsson 20, Valur Valsson 11


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


U18 European Championship: Rajala Julius leads Finland over Switzerland - by Eurobasket News

Switzerland U18-Finland U18 51:67

Julius Rajala (205-PF-94) leads Finland over Switzerland in the last game of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The Nordic side grabbed 67:51 win for 3-1 record on top of Group C. Now 4 teams have the same record on top of the group, while Switzerland fell at 0-4 record.
Finland posted 23:13 in the first period and never looked behind after. They added 17-8 in the second frame and grabbed 40:21 halftime advantage. Daniel Andjelkovic (200-PF-94) tried hard for the Swiss side and it was him to bring 40:23 early in the third. He also closed the third period for 51:32. Switzerland managed to win the last stanza 19-16 but lost the game by 16 points.
Julius Rajala top-scored for the winners with 18 points, while Niko Mattila (191-SG-94) followed him with 9. Joni Herrala (190-G-94) and Iikka Maki (191-SF-94) delivered 8 points each in a victory. Daniel Andjelkovic posted 16 in defeat, while Leo Schittenhelm (194-SF-94) scored 9.

Switzerland U18: Daniel Andjelkovic 16, Leo Schittenhelm 9
Finland U18: Julius Rajala 18, Niko Mattila 9, Joni Herrala 8, Iikka Maki 8


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  TURKEY   

Stats Leaders - D1

Points Per Game
 Jonathan GIBSON
  Trabzonspor
  (182-PG-87)
  Avg: 19.9
 1. Gibson, Trabzonspor19.9 
 2. Chatman, Karsiyaka18.3 
 3. Reynolds, Antalya18.3 
 4. Brown, Trabzonspor18.1 
 5. Scales, Mersin17.4 
 6. Toolson, Aliaga17.3 
 7. Fisher, Antalya17.2 
 8. Sneed, Mersin16.9 
 9. Grundy, Mersin16.9 
 10. Washington, Turk16.6 
Rebounds Per Game
 Elton BROWN
  Trabzonspor
  (206-C-83)
  Avg: 12.2
 1. Brown, Trabzonspor12.2 
 2. Stimac, Olin Edirne9.9 
 3. Sanders, Hacett.8.9 
 4. Mensah-Bonsu, Bes.7.8 
 5. McGhee, Bandirma.7.8 
 6. Wesson, Erdemir7.6 
 7. Buckman, Tofas7.6 
 8. Sonkol, Aliaga7.3 
 9. Yucel, Turk T.7.0 
 10. Dagli, Besiktas6.9 
Assists Per Game
 Mire CHATMAN
  Karsiyaka
  (187-PG-78)
  Avg: 6.4
 1. Chatman, Karsiyaka6.4 
 2. Ermis, Banvit BK5.8 
 3. Ratkovica, Aliaga5.3 
 4. Tunceri, Anadolu5.1 
 5. Senturk, Erdemir4.9 
 6. Gordon, Galatasaray4.5 
 7. Arroyo, Besiktas4.4 
 8. Washington, Turk T.4.4 
 9. Fisher, Antalya4.4 
 10. Reynolds, Antalya4.4 
Steals Per Game
 Vincent GRIER
  Mersin
  (195-G/F-83)
  Avg: 2.1
 1. Grier, Mersin2.1 
 2. Robinson, Trabzons.2.1 
 3. Bryan-A., Hacett.2.0 
 4. Chatman, Karsiyaka1.9 
 5. Grundy, Mersin1.7 
 6. Gordon, Galatasaray1.6 
 7. Scales, Mersin1.4 
 8. Hawkins, Besiktas1.4 
 9. Guler, Turk T.1.4 
 10. Ermis, Banvit BK1.3 
Blocks Per Game
 Charles DAVIS
  Banvit BK
  (202-F-84)
  Avg: 1.3
 1. Davis, Banvit BK1.3 
 2. Bryan-A., Hacett.1.3 
 3. Robinson, Erdemir1.1 
 4. McGhee, Bandirma.1.0 
 5. Gist, Fener.Ulker0.9 
 6. Bayav, Karsiyaka0.9 
 7. Aldemir, Galatasar.0.9 
 8. Qvale, Aliaga0.8 
 9. Turkyilmaz, Banvit0.8 
 10. Mensah-Bonsu, Be.0.8 


TB2L Stats Leaders

Points Per Game
 Tyrone NELSON
  Akhisar Bld
  (206-F-85)
  Avg: 21.7
 1. Nelson, Akhisar Bld21.7 
 2. Jackson, Balikesir19.4 
 3. Gray, Baskent18.9 
 4. Carter, Tire Gucu18.4 
 5. Waller, Gaziantep18.3 
 6. Delic, Genc Telekom18.2 
 7. Pilgrim, Pamukkale17.8 
 8. Taggart, TED I.16.4 
 9. Dobie, Selcuk Univ.16.0 
 10. Senol, Pamukkale15.1 
Rebounds Per Game
 Charles JACKSON
  Balikesir
  (203-F-87)
  Avg: 11.6
 1. Jackson, Balikesir11.6 
 2. Nelson, Akhisar Bld11.5 
 3. Pilgrim, Pamukkale10.3 
 4. Kolaric, Istanbul.10.0 
 5. Gray, Baskent9.7 
 6. Pasco, Vestel8.9 
 7. Can, Pertevniyal8.4 
 8. Taggart, TED I.8.2 
 9. Ozseven, TED I.8.0 
 10. Ozdemir, Vestel7.8 
Assists Per Game
 Admir KAN
  Istanbulspor
  (185-G-83)
  Avg: 6.4
 1. Kan, Istanbulspor6.4 
 2. Eryuz, Gaziantep5.2 
 3. Sinanoglu, Final G.5.2 
 4. Rizvanoglu, Genc T.5.1 
 5. Bayraktar, Tire G.5.0 
 6. Eris, Istanbul B.B.5.0 
 7. Bayrak, Usak4.6 
 8. Yikilmaz, Pertevni.4.5 
 9. Ogut, Genc Telekom4.4 
 10. Senol, Pamukkale4.3 
Steals Per Game
 Matthew PILGRIM
  Pamukkale
  (203-F-87)
  Avg: 2.8
 1. Pilgrim, Pamukkale2.8 
 2. Yavuklu, Basken.2.5 
 3. Akcay, Balikesir2.0 
 4. Nelson, Akhisar Bld1.9 
 5. Carter, Tire Gucu1.7 
 6. Okkali, Final Genc.1.6 
 7. Mentese, Gelisim1.6 
 8. Waller, Gaziantep1.6 
 9. Jackson, Balikesir1.5 
 10. Dobie, Selcuk Uni.1.5 
Blocks Per Game
 Ersan OZSEVEN
  TED I.
  (205-F-83)
  Avg: 1.3
 1. Ozseven, TED I.1.3 
 2. Washington, Gelisim1.3 
 3. Gray, Baskent1.3 
 4. Cevik, Selcuk Univ.1.3 
 5. Pasco, Vestel1.2 
 6. Tekin, Pertevniyal1.2 
 7. Brown, TED I.1.1 
 8. Pilgrim, Pamukkale1.1 
 9. Kaplan, Gaziantep1.0 
 10. Boswell, Tire Gucu0.9 


Hacettepe extends Courtney Eldridge - by Eurobasket News

Courtney Eldridge (176-PG-80, agency: Alti Sport, college: NC-Greensboro) stays with Hacettepe University for the next season. He joined the club in March averaging 5.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds for 8 TBL games. The American point guard started last season with BK Minsk-2006. With them he had 12.5 ppg, 6.5 apg and 3.2 rpg for 6 EuroChallange games. His numbers in VTB United League and Belarusian championship were lower. Courtney Eldridge played for Asseco Prokom in 2010/11 season. He helped them to defend Polish league title. In the past, the American played for Polpharma, Kwidzyn and Kager Gdynia. He also has experience from Brazil, Uruguay, Philippines and NBA D-League. Eldridge is a product of University of North Carolina, Greensboro.


Vestel inks Kerem Ozkan - by Eurobasket News

Vestel added another player for the upcoming season. The team signed a deal with Turkish forward Kerem Ozkan (201-F-88, agency: 1x1 Sports). He arrives to the club from Trabzon. Last season Ozkan appeared 30 times in TBL averaging 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. Before Trabzon, he spent one year with Oyak Renault. There he had 7.3 ppg and 3.4 rpg for 28 appearances. Kerem Ozkan also has experience from Besiktas, where he played in 2009/10. With them he registered 3.1 ppg and 2.6 rpg for 7 EuroCup games and had almost the same numbers in TBL. Ozkan played for Besiktas also from 2006 to 2008. In the meantime, he spent one year with Eyupspor. In 2007, the forward played for Turkish University National Team.


Bandirma Kirmizi lands American F Gilbert Brown - by Eurobasket News

Gilbert Brown (198-F-87, college: Pittsburgh) will continue his career in Turkey. The American forward signed a 1-year deal with Bandirma Kirmizi. Most recently he played for the Puerto Rican team Caciques de Humacao. Brown appeared 13 times for the club in BSN averaging 18 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Season 2011/12, the forward split between the German team Oliver Baskets Wuerzburg and NBA D-Leagues Fort Wayne Mad Ants. With Wuerzburg he had 4.3 ppg and 1.8 rog for 8 games. Later with Fort Wayne the player added 12.2 ppg and 4 rpg for 19 appearances. Gilbert Brown graduated at the University of Pittsburgh something more than a year ago. He had 11.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 2.7 apg for his school as a senior. They reached NCAA Sweet 16 in 2007.


Artsiom Parakhouski joins Olin Edrine - by Eurobasket News

Olin Edrine continues with signings for the next season. Their new member is Belarusian big guy Artsiom Parakhouski (211-C-87, college: Radford), according to Edrinebasket.com. Parakhouski played for the New York Knicks at 2012 NBA Summer league in Las Vegas. He appeared 5 times for the team averaging 8 points and 6 rebounds. Last season the center spent with Budivelnyk Kyiv. He had 7.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 42 Ukrainian league games. He also added 9.5 ppg and 6 rpg for 12 appearances in VTB United league. In 2010/11, Artsiom Parakhouski was a member of VEF Riga. They won the Latvian league title together and reached Baltic league Finals. Parakhouski was named Eurobasket.com All-Baltic League Player of the Year -11. Artsiom Parakhouski graduated at Radford University two years ago.


Finland fire past Turkey to clinch third place at Beko SuperCup - by Eurobasket News

Finland - Turkey 98:82

Finland occupied the third position at the Beko SuperCup international tournament in Germany. They knocked down Turkey on the final day of the competition. Mikko Koivisto (194-G-87, college: NC-Greensboro) stepped up with 18 points to lead well-balanced effort from the Finnish team.
The teams stayed close throughout the opening quarter. The scoreboard read 25:25 after ten minutes. Finland exploded with 34 points in the second term to clear off. They piled up an 18-point lead at halftime. Turkey stopped the rot in the third term. They slowed their opponents down but managed to cut the deficit by a single point. Turkey got within 16 points in the final stanza but Finland stayed comfortably in charge and cruised to the victory at the end. Shawn Huff (198-G/F-84, college: Valparaiso) posted 17 points, while Gerald Lee (208-F-87, college: ODU) contributed 13 points for the winners. Ilkan Karaman (205-F-90, agency: Beo Basket) answered with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Turkey. Safak Edge (188-PG-92) and Kerem Gonlum (208-PF-77) chipped in 10 points each in the loss.

Finland: Mikko Koivisto 18, Shawn Huff 17, Gerald Lee 13
Turkey: Ilkan Karaman 12+12 boards, Safak Edge 10, Kerem Gonlum 10


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


Ohio University and Lehigh interested in Hughes senior point guard Angel Rivera - by David Edole

Ohio University, Lehigh, Morehead State and Cornell are among the schools showing interest in Hughes senior point guard Angel Rivera-Cuencas (170-PG), according to Hughes boys basketball coach Bryan Wyant. He averaged 15.6 points and 7 assists last season. Hit 47 of 121 threes (39%).

Wyant said Ohio University and Morehead State are expected to visit the Cincinnati area in early August.

Wyant said Rivera has been selected to attend the Chicago Five-Star Super Session (Aug. 10-12) and has been invited to an Elite National Showcase in New York City Aug. 24.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/recruiting/2012/07/16/ohio-university-and-lehigh-interested-in-hughes-senior-point-guard-angel-rivera/


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


Double joy for KIU in ANBL - by Joel Nature

KIU Rangers 74-47 MUK Sparks

KIU Titans 57-40 Ndejje Angels

It doesnt happen often but it was double joy for Kampala International University in the Airtel National Basketball League as both sides of the Kasanga based university posted wins on Friday evenning.
The mens team, KIU Titans beat Ndejje Angels 57-40 and the ladies team, KIU Rangers beat MUK Sparks74-47.

The Titans capitalised on Angels' slipery hands in the fourth quarter to pull away as the game was a close contest in the first three quarters. Angels committed 37 turnovers in the game while Titans (11-4) limited themselves to just 15. Both teams were ineffective on shooting from the feild with KIU shooting under 30% and Ndejje under 39% but the difference was the trips to the line.

KIU made more trips to the line and were 16-for-34 while Ndejje made 5-of-13 from the line on the way to their fourth straight loss. Titan, Joshua Etalu led the game with 21 points and 15 rebounds playing the entire 40 minutes.

Francis Kasekende added 11 points for KIU and Salim Ali chipped in with 10. Geofrey Solo paced Angels (6-9) with 12 points and 12 rebounds on a 42.9% shooting from the field and Micheal Opolot scored a point less.

In the ladies game, Judith Nansobya led KIU Rangers with 18 points including 4 treys, Susan Amito added 17 points. Florence Nanyonga and Jacklyn Natocho also scored in double digits for KIU.

Charlene Karungi continued her great run to to the season with a 20/13 performance for MUK Sparks on a 50% shooting from inside and 6-of-9 from the line. Winnie Anyango added 15 points for Sparks.


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


DniproAzot bring in Derrick Zimmerman - by Eurobasket News

DniproAzot bolstered their backcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Derrick Zimmerman (191-G-81, college: Mississippi St.). The guard is not new to Ukraine. He played in BC Kyiv, Hoverla and Budivelnyk. Last season the guard spent with BC Kyiv. He tallied 13.7 points, 5.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in Superleague. The guard participated at Superleague All-Star Game for the second season in a row. Previously Derrick Zimmerman had stints Bosnia, Italy, Germany, D-League, NBA and NBDL. He earned All-Ukrainian Superleague and All-Ukrainian UBL Honourable Mentions in 2011 and 2009 respectively. Derrick Zimmerman was also voted All-D-League Defensive Player of the Year back in 2006.


Mad-Croc Fuenlabrada announces signing of Sergii Gladyr - by Eurobasket News

Sergii Gladyr (196-G/F-88) officially became a new member of Mad-Croc Fuenlabrada. The Ukrainian swingman arrives to the club from Assignia Manresa. He spent three seasons with Manresa averaging 8.7 points and 3.2 rebounds for 31 games in the latest one. The player had almost the same numbers in 2010/11. In his first year Gladyr had 10 ppg and 2.1 rpg for 29 games. Sergii Gladyr moved to Spain in 2009 from MBC Mykolaiv. There he shined with 15.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 2.4 apg for 29 Ukrainian league games in 2008/09. Gladyr is a product of Mykolaiv, where he started as teenager.
Sergii Gladyr is active member of the Ukrainian National Team since 2008. Before that he very successfully played for Ukrainian youth National Teams. In 2008 NBA draft, the player was selected by the Atlanta Hawks as 49th overall pick.


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


Radnicki Kragujevac signs deal with Matthew Bryan-Amaning - by Eurobasket News

As expected, Radnicki Kragujevac reinforced its roster at position 3. The Serbian squad penned a deal with Matthew Bryan-Amaning (205-F-88, agency: Interperformances, college: Washington). The British forward spent last season in Turkey. He appeared 30 times with Hacettepe University averaging 12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.3 blocks. He was the best shot blocker of TBL and No.1 in steals. It was the first pro deal for Bryan-Amaning, who graduated at University of Washington something more than a year ago. The player had 15.3 ppg and 8 rpg for his school in 35 games as a senior. Matthew Bryan-Amaning played for the New Orleans Hornets in 2012 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. He had 2.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg for 5 games. Bryan-Amaning played for the British National Team in 2011 EuroBasket qualifications.
Earlier this summer Radnicki Kragujevac signed Milos Borisov (201-F-85), Bojan Krstovic (194-G-80, agency: Interperformances), Terrico White (196-G-90, college: Mississippi), Mark Worthington (202-PF-83, college: Metro St.) and Stefan Jovic (190-G-90, agency: Kotnik Sports Agency). The team also extended deal with point guard Steven Markovic (190-G-85). Head Coach Miroslav Nikolic stays with Radnicki as well.


U18 European Championship: England keep the leading position - by Eurobasket News

Hungary U18-England U18 58:63

England keep the leading position in Group A of the U18 European Championship in Division B. The team improved to 4-0 record on top of the group after 83:58 win over Hungary.
Although England won the first period 18-13, they could not win the first half. Hungary answered with 25-9 in the second frame and grabbed 38:27 at the halftime. Moreover Zoltan Perl (194-G-95) brought 40:27 and Bognar increased to 44:30. Hungary however could not win. England needed a strong end of the third period for 48:44 and then Tyrell Isaacs (183-PG-95) gave them 51:50 early in the fourth. Kingsley Okoroh (213-C-95) and Tyrell Isaacs brought the final points from the free throw line to remain undefeated.
Luke Nelson (189-PG-95) top-scored for the winners with 22 points and Tyrell Isaacs had 13. Elliott Sentance (191-SG-94) followed them with 10 points, whilst Kingsley Okoroh collected 7 points and 16 rebounds. Zoltan Perl answered with 14 points in the losing effort and Benedek Varadi (194-G/F-95) added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Kristof Bognar (206-C/F-94) ended up with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Gyorgy Goloman (204-PF-96) notched 8.

Hungary U18: Zoltan Perl 14, Benedek Varadi 13+12 rebs, Kristof Bognar 11+13 rebs, Gyorgy Goloman 8
England U18: Luke Nelson 22, Tyrell Isaacs 13, Elliott Sentance 10, Kingsley Okoroh 7+16 rebs


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  URUGUAY   


Results for Metro League 22th round - by Hector Lopez

Results for the 22th and last round for the Metro league first stage.
Cader 86 - Grady Reynolds (198-F-80, agency: Strategic Sports, college: St.John's) 24 points 7 rebounds 2 blocks
Goes 82 - Jimmy Boston (201-F-77, college: N.C.Central) 9 points 7 rebounds
- - -
Urunday 69 - Howard Wilkerson (198-F-84, agency: Two Points, college: Wofford) 20 points 6 rebounds 2 blocks
Atenas 67 - Anthony Johnson (203-F-88, college: Fairfield) 29 points 16 rebounds 1 block
- - -
Verdirrojo 94 - Kevin Nelson (192-G-84, college: Park) 32 points 8 rebounds 1 block 3 assists
Capitol 89 - Kevin Martin (208-C-83, college: Florida Gulf Coast) 20 points 8 rebounds 1 block 2 asists
- - -
Romis Nelimar 73 - Facundo Sanchez (177-PG-90) 19 points 7 rebound
Guruyu Waston 67 - Christian Modernell (193-F-90) 14 points
(The import players did not play)
- - -
With the results for the 22th advanced to the second stage Atenas, Goes, Cader, Urunday and Marne. The sixth team will depend from the results for postponed game Larranaga-Cader, to be played Monday 13th.



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  VTB UNITED LEAGUE   


Derek Glasser signs with BC Kalev/Cramo - by Eurobasket News

Derek Glasser (185-G-87, agency: Edge Sports, college: Arizona St.) inks with BC Kalev/Cramo for the upcoming season. The player moves from Israel.
According to David Pick Glasser, who was selected as a four-time All-America first-team guard by Jewish Sports Review, made Aliyah and will be fully considered an Israeli playing in BSL. The California resident was a three-year starter for ASU where he played in a school record 131 games (20 of them turnover-free) from 2006-2010 and shattered ASUs all-time assist record, posting 551 career assists.He is the all-time leading free throw shooter at ASU, making 295-of-352 free throws and is the first ASU player to total more than 1,000 career points (1,028) and 500 assists (551). During his senior season, Glasser averaged 10.1 points per game, where he led the conference in assists (4.8) and in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.16).
As a junior, Glasser was ASUs best player in the 2009 postseason, as he averaged 13.7 points in the Pac-10 Tournament and posted a career-high 22 points in the teams victory over Temple in the first-round of the NCAA tournament. In 2009, Glasser was named to the first-team PAC-10 All-Academic team.



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Women News


Bronzed Aussie women amongst worlds best yet again - by Eurobasket News

The Australian women's basketball team have won a medal at their fifth consecutive Olympic Games after defeating Russia to clinch Bronze in London with an 83-74 victory overnight.

The women underlined their status as one of Australias most consistently successful national sporting teams by medalling yet again at the Olympic level.

The Australian women boast an unbroken string of Olympic medals dating back to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, when Australia broke through to win their first ever medal at a Games with a Bronze.

The team also medalled in Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 with silver medals in each Olympic Games.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Kristina Keneally said all Australians could be proud of yet another medal-winning performance by the women.

Our womens team played inspired basketball against the Russians tonight and once again showed their incredible strength of character to win the Bronze Medal, said Ms. Keneally.

Weve seen in London across all sports just how difficult it is to win a medal at the Olympic Games, so for our womens team to medal at five consecutive Games is nothing short of stunning.

To keep things in perspective, finishing third is truly remarkable for a country of Australias size when you consider that over 450 million people play basketball globally and 213 countries participate in FIBA competition.

At the end of the day, some of the best moments of the 2012 Olympic Games indeed some of the best moments in Olympic history have happened in womens basketball: from Lauren Jackson's (196-F/C-81) selection as flag bearer, to Belinda Snells half court shot, Cambage Elizabeth's (203-C-91) dunk against Russia and Lauren breaking the Olympic scoring record.

Our womens team have been outstanding Australian representatives in London. Theyve inspired millions of Australians with their heroic performances, and theyll return to Aussie shores with their heads held high.

Courtesy of WNBL Australia


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  FRANCE   


Serbia U20 defeat France U20 in Novi Becej - by Eurobasket News

Serbia U20 - France U20 66:57

Serbia recorded a tough win over France in test game in Novi Becej. Both teams are preparing for the upcoming U20 European Championship. Zorana Marinkovic (168-G-93) scored 14 points to lead the winners.
Serbia jumped to an early lead. They ensured an 18:16 advantage after ten minutes. The teams traded baskets throughout close second quarter. Serbia ensured a 31:29 halftime advantage. The hosts stretched the margin in the third quarter. Serbia piled up a 4-point advantage heading into the fourth stanza. France managed just 12 points in the fourth period and Serbia marched to the win at the end. Kaja Stankovic (173-G-92) produced 11 points, while Snezana Colic (178-G-92) added 10 points in the victory. Helena Akmouche (174-G-92) replied with 13 points for France. Romane Bernies (170-PG-93) and Alice Nayo (186-C-93) chipped in 10 points in the losing effort.

Serbia U20: Zorana Marinkovic 14, Kaja Stankovic 11, Snezana Colic 10
France U20: Helena Akmouche 13, Romane Bernies 10, Alice Nayo 10


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  HOLLAND   


Fieke Ligthart joins Den Helder - by Eurobasket News

Fieke Ligthart (184-F/C-90) is a new member of Den Helder. The 21-year-old power forward/center signed a deal for the next season. She spent the last one with B.V. Batouwe averaging 14.4 points and 7 rebounds for 22 Eredivisie games. Lighart was fifth scorer of the competition and participated at Eredivisie All-Star Game. She helped the team to win Dutch Cup and to reach Eredivisie Semifinals. Before Batouwe, Fieke Ligthart spent few years with Amsterdam. She is active member of Dutch National Team.
Earlier this summer Den Helder penned a 1-year deal with Eredivisie scoring champion Marianne Van der Hoek (180-F-90). She was a member of Eurosped Twente Tubbergen last season averaging 18.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1 block for 21 games. Van Der Hoek was the top-scorer and second shot blocker of the league. She participated at All-Star Game and was named to Eurobasket.com All-Dutch Eredivisie 1st Team -12. She was also awarded with Eurobasket.com Dutch Eredivisie All-Defensive Team -12.


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  HUNGARY   


Turkey U20 won their opener of the International Tournament - by Eurobasket News

Turkey U20-Hungary U20 78:73

Turkey U20 won their opener of the Debrecen International Tournament. The team overcame the hosts 78:73 in Day 1.
Turkey led 42:38 at the halftime and managed to increase to 56:51 after three quarters. Both teams scored the same number of points in the last period for 5-point difference on the board.
Ayse Cora (175-G/F-93) top-scored for the winners with 19 points and Elif Emirtekin (184-F-94) posted 12. Pelin Bilgic (173-G-94) notched 9, while Merve Aydin (174-PG-94) added 8.
In another game Sweden U20 beat Spanish players in Debreceen in the start of the International Tournament. The Scandinavian team beat Spain U20 71:66.
In Day 2 Turkey will face Sweden for the top position. Spain will play against Hungary.


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  NCAA1   


Western New Mexico hires women's basketball coach - by Eurobasket News

Rusty Kennedy was hired Friday as Western New Mexico University's women's basketball coach.

Kennedy coached the last two seasons at Our Lady of the Lake University in Texas. He guided the San Antonio school to 20-9 record in 2010-11 and a 26-8 mark last season with a berth in the NAIA tournament.

Prior to Our Lady of the Lake, Kennedy coached at Clarendon and Central Baptist and was an assistant men's coach for his alma mater at Oklahoma Wesleyan. He also coached the men's and women's teams at Bacone.

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


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  SERBIA   


Serbia U20 defeat France U20 in Novi Becej - by Eurobasket News

Serbia U20 - France U20 66:57

Serbia recorded a tough win over France in test game in Novi Becej. Both teams are preparing for the upcoming U20 European Championship. Zorana Marinkovic (168-G-93) scored 14 points to lead the winners.
Serbia jumped to an early lead. They ensured an 18:16 advantage after ten minutes. The teams traded baskets throughout close second quarter. Serbia ensured a 31:29 halftime advantage. The hosts stretched the margin in the third quarter. Serbia piled up a 4-point advantage heading into the fourth stanza. France managed just 12 points in the fourth period and Serbia marched to the win at the end. Kaja Stankovic (173-G-92) produced 11 points, while Snezana Colic (178-G-92) added 10 points in the victory. Helena Akmouche (174-G-92) replied with 13 points for France. Romane Bernies (170-PG-93) and Alice Nayo (186-C-93) chipped in 10 points in the losing effort.

Serbia U20: Zorana Marinkovic 14, Kaja Stankovic 11, Snezana Colic 10
France U20: Helena Akmouche 13, Romane Bernies 10, Alice Nayo 10


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  SPAIN   


Sweden U20 beat Spanish players in Debreceen - by Eurobasket News

Spain U20-Sweden U20 66:71

Sweden U20 beat Spanish players in Debreceen in the start of the International Tournament. The Scandinavian team beat Spain U20 71:66.
Sweden started with 18-17 in the opening period, but allowed the opponents to win the first half. Spain replied with 21-17 in the second period to take 38:35 halftime advantage. The third period however was decisive in the game as Sweden needed 17-11 for the confident lead. They managed to keep the lead and won the opener of the International tournament in Hungary.
Binta Drammeh (180-F-92) top-scored for the winners with 21 points and Amanda Zahui (190-C-93) notched 14. Farhiya Abdi (188-F-92) posted 11, while Josefin Vesterberg (187-F/C-93) added 8. Mariona Ortiz (183-F-92) and Queralt Casas (180-G-92) replied with 11 points each in the losing effort. Marina Delgado (171-PG-92) scored 10 and Laura Gil (190-C-92, agency: Josep and Nicolas) posted 8.

Spain U20: Mariona Ortiz 11, Queralt Casas 11, Marina Delgado 10, Laura Gil 8
Sweden U20: Binta Drammeh 21, Amanda Zahui 14, Farhiya Abdi 11, Josefin Vesterberg 8


Caja Rural extends PF/C Laura Gimeno - by Eurobasket News

Zamarat Caja Rural Valbusenda announced signing of a 1-year contract extension with Laura Gimeno (193-F/C-87). It will be their fifth straight season together. In the latest one Gimeno had 4.6 ppg and 4.2 rpg in 24 games. The team competed in LFB. Gimeno and Caja Rural won LF2 title a year ago and at the same time they won the promotion for LFB. Gimeno helped the club with 5.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg for 28 appearances. In the past, she played for Mann Filter. Laura Gimeno played for the Spanish U20 National Team in 2007. She helped them win the Gold at U20 EuroBasket in Bulgaria. Back in 2005, Gimeno won the Silver with U18 Spain.


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  SWEDEN   


08 Stockholm inks Sofia Klackenberg - by Eurobasket News

08 Stockholm reinforced its roster at position 3. The team landed Swedish forward Sofia Klackenberg (185-F-88). Two signed penned a deal for the next Damligan season. Klackenberg arrives to the club from IK Eos, where she spent last three years. She had very limited playing time last season averaging only 1.6 points and 2.5 rebounds for 22 games. In 2010/11, Klackenberg had 4.8 ppg and 6 rpg also for 22 appearances. Before IK Eos, the forward played one year for KFUM Blackeberg. It was in 2007/08 and Klackenberg missed season after that. In 2006, Sofia Klackenberg played for the Swedish U18 National Team. They won the Bronze at U18 Eurobasket in Spain.


Sweden U20 beat Spanish players in Debreceen - by Eurobasket News

Spain U20-Sweden U20 66:71

Sweden U20 beat Spanish players in Debreceen in the start of the International Tournament. The Scandinavian team beat Spain U20 71:66.
Sweden started with 18-17 in the opening period, but allowed the opponents to win the first half. Spain replied with 21-17 in the second period to take 38:35 halftime advantage. The third period however was decisive in the game as Sweden needed 17-11 for the confident lead. They managed to keep the lead and won the opener of the International tournament in Hungary.
Binta Drammeh (180-F-92) top-scored for the winners with 21 points and Amanda Zahui (190-C-93) notched 14. Farhiya Abdi (188-F-92) posted 11, while Josefin Vesterberg (187-F/C-93) added 8. Mariona Ortiz (183-F-92) and Queralt Casas (180-G-92) replied with 11 points each in the losing effort. Marina Delgado (171-PG-92) scored 10 and Laura Gil (190-C-92, agency: Josep and Nicolas) posted 8.

Spain U20: Mariona Ortiz 11, Queralt Casas 11, Marina Delgado 10, Laura Gil 8
Sweden U20: Binta Drammeh 21, Amanda Zahui 14, Farhiya Abdi 11, Josefin Vesterberg 8


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  TURKEY   


Turkey U20 won their opener of the International Tournament - by Eurobasket News

Turkey U20-Hungary U20 78:73

Turkey U20 won their opener of the Debrecen International Tournament. The team overcame the hosts 78:73 in Day 1.
Turkey led 42:38 at the halftime and managed to increase to 56:51 after three quarters. Both teams scored the same number of points in the last period for 5-point difference on the board.
Ayse Cora (175-G/F-93) top-scored for the winners with 19 points and Elif Emirtekin (184-F-94) posted 12. Pelin Bilgic (173-G-94) notched 9, while Merve Aydin (174-PG-94) added 8.
In another game Sweden U20 beat Spanish players in Debreceen in the start of the International Tournament. The Scandinavian team beat Spain U20 71:66.
In Day 2 Turkey will face Sweden for the top position. Spain will play against Hungary.


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  WNBA   


Lynx thrilled by gold-winning trio - by Eurobasket News

The United States women's basketball team's gold medal victory Saturday in London resonated back at Lynx headquarters in Minneapolis -- and for good reason. Three of the 12 players on the team, of course, play for the defending WNBA champions. Lynx Executive Vice President Roger Griffith congratulated Seimone Augustus (6'0''-SF-84, college: LSU), Maya Moore (6'0''-SG-89, college: Connecticut) and Lindsay Whalen (5'9''-PG-82, college: Minnesota) on the accomplishment.

"As an organization, we were captivated by the play of the USA women during the Olympics, and our three players did an excellent job representing themselves, their country, their family and the Lynx organization," Griffith said. "We look forward to celebrating their return to Minnesota."

All three players are slated to address the Twin Cities media on Wednesday. The first-place Lynx (15-4) resume their season Friday at Target Center against Washington (4-14) after more than a month off for the Olympic break.

Courtesy of www.startribune.com