EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 8/31/2012 1:04:01 AM

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Men News

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  ARGENTINA   



Obras Sanitarias signs David Huertas - by Eurobasket News

David Huertas (195-G-87, college: Mississippi) will continue his career in Argentina. The Puerto Rican National Team guard penned a 1-year deal with Obras Sanitarias. They compete in Argentinean top division for men - LigaA. Huertas most recently played for Metros de Santiago (Dominican Republic, LNB), where he joined in July and left the club earlier this month. Before that, Huertas played for Pirates de Quebradillas. While playing 34 games for Quebradillas last season he recorded 14.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 2.1apg. He helped them to make it to the final. It was a very successful year in Huertas career as he was voted to Latinbasket.com All-Puerto Rican BSN Honorable Mention. Huertas is a very experienced player. He played also pro basketball in France, Greece and Venezuela. Huertas graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2009 and it will be his fourth season in pro basketball. Huertas played for Puerto Rican senior national team this year. He represented Puerto Rico at the Olympic Games Additional Qualifying Round in Caracas (Venezuela) this year and his stats at this event were 3 games: 5.3ppg, 2.7rpg, FGP: 16.7%, 3PT: 30.8%. David Huertas helped Puerto Rico to win the silver medal at 2012 CentroBasket in San Juan averaging 16.5 points and 2.8 rebounds for 6 games. He was named Latinbasket.com All-Centrobasket Best Guard -12. In 2010, Huertas won the gold medal with Puerto Rico at CentroBasket in Santo Domingo.


Pre-season wins for Monte Hermoso and Atenas - by Eurobasket News

Monte Hermoso took on Gimnasia Indalo in pre-season clash. Monte Hermoso claimed a 91:83 victory. Mariano Castets (186-G-83) stepped up with 20 points to lead the winners. Gimnasia Indalo led by 7 points after the opening quarter 23:16. But Monte Hermoso took over in the second quarter. They denied the deficit and earned a 35:34 halftime lead. The teams stayed close throughout the third term. Monte Hermoso ensured a 61:60 lead with one quarter remaining. They did not slow down in the fourth frame and eked out a 91:83 victory at the end. Al'Lonzo Coleman (201-F-89, agency: Strategic Sports, college: Presbyterian) and Matias Cuello (190-G-91) finished with 14 points each for Monte Hermoso. Jason Robinson (196-F-80, college: Pikeville) knocked down 20 points for Gimnasia Indalo. Fabricio Vay (206-F-86, agency: Interperformances) netted 18 points in the loss.
Atenas cruised past Instituto 96:75 behind 23 points from Alexis Elsener (195-G-88). Atenas built up a 25:16 lead after ten minutes. Instituto cut the distance to 7 points at halftime 39:46. But Atenas erupted for 31 points in the third quarter to gain a 20-point margin. They never looked back en route to the victory. Bruno Labaque (182-G-77, agency: Interperformances) notched 15 points, while Diego Guaita (204-C-83) chipped in 17 in the winning effort. Lucas Martina (201-C-80) answered with 24 points for Instituto.


Regatas Corrientes edge Trouville to clinch Copa 90th Aniversario title - by Eurobasket News

Trouville - Regatas Corrientes 62:70

Regatas Corrientes became the winners of Copa 90th Aniversario. They held off hosting Trouville for the trophy. Nicolas Romano (197-F/C-87) scored 21 points to lead the Argentinean team.
The visitors surged ahead in the opening quarter. Regatas posted a 23:18 lead after ten minutes. They stretched the margin in the second quarter. Regatas ensured a 44:30 halftime advantage. Trouville got within 11 points at the final break 44:55. The hosts narrowed the distance in the final frame but could not threaten the visitors. Regatas stayed in charge and rolled to a confident win at the end. Guillermo Kammerichs (202-F-80) accounted for 12 points, while Paolo Quinteros (185-PG-79) added 11 points for Regatas. Carlton Fay (203-F-88, college: S.Illinois) answered with game-high 28 points for Trouville. Brad Kanis (218-C-84, college: Grand Canyon) netted 10 points in the loss.

Trouville: Carlton Fay 28, Brad Kanis 10
Regatas Corrientes: Nicolas Romano 21, Guillermo Kammerichs 12, Paolo Quinteros 11


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  AUSTRALIA   


Corey Webster signs with Breakers - by Hugh McAuliffe

The New Zealand Breakers officially commence their pre-season at their Atlas Place gym today and announced the completion of their roster of 10 fully contracted players and 4 development players (3 contracted), with former Breaker Corey Webster (185-G-88, college: Lambuth) nabbing the final spot on the fulltime list of players.

Webster had been let go by the club following a doping violation that led to a one year WADA imposed suspension. Webster has however reacted in a positive way to his time away from the game, reassessing his lifestyle and long term goals in the game of basketball, a reaction that has been closely monitored by the club.

When the club cut Corey we did so with regret in the knowledge that this could make or break a very promising young basketballer, said SKYCITY Breakers General Manager Richard Clarke.

Corey came through our development and academy programmes before joining the fulltime roster so knew full well the values and high expectations we place on everyone at the organisation. He has had to face the reality of what life could be like if he had basketball taken away and has spent his time out of the game to make a lot of changes in his life. He has worked incredibly hard on and off court over the past 12 months, we are proud of how he has reacted to what could have been a career defining obstacle. He has earned back his opportunity to be a Breaker again.

Webster is grateful for the second chance with the club and wants to repay that faith.

This means everything to me. I know what it was to have it taken away and that was very painful. Basketball is my life and getting this opportunity once again means everything to me. I am only halfway there though, I have to earn the respect of the players and the SKYCITY Breakers family, and I have to prove I have made the right changes.

The mistakes you make dont define you provided they put you on a path to better things. So long as you learn from them, make the right changes and become a good professional I will go some way to proving the club has made a good decision to bring me back.

One of the people Webster had to convince was Breakers Head Coach Andrej Lemanis, and he has been impressed by what he has seen from the 23 year old.

I look forward to having the 'new' Corey a member of the SKYCITY Breakers family. His time away from the game has allowed him to assess what is truly important to him - I feel that he has made some life changes which will allow him to not only be a better basketball player, but a more positive contributor to society. He has done all we have asked of him over the past couple of months.

Other ANBL teams were chasing him, but he has a burning ambition to be a SKYCITY Breaker and put things right. We asked him do a number of things, with no promise of a contract - he jumped through every hoop without question. He wants to play basketball, he wants to be a Breaker, and importantly, now understands what that actually means.
While Lemanis has been convinced to bring Webster back into the fold, he makes it clear the job is far from done.

There's no doubt he will have to win the trust of everyone in the Breaker family - this can only be done with actions. Obviously we believe Corey has made the changes necessary to be given another opportunity. For us, it's now a case of moving forward - nothing else needs to be said, it's now in the doing!

On court, Corey is a natural scorer. He has a unique ability to put the ball in the basket. He can play both shooting guard and point guard positions which fits well with our strategy of having multiple ball handlers in the back court. He will arrive in great shape after having spent two months in China under the tutelage of Brian Goorjian and his staff - we expect Corey to come in and contribute immediately. He knows the Breaker way - doing what it takes to make the team better - we look forward to discovering how best he will help this group.

Of the entire roster now it is assembled, Lemanis is enthused by the group and the season ahead.

The coaching staff are pleased with the group we have put together. It is a new season and we have to establish who we are and how this group fits together and the synergies and chemistry required to best utilise everyones talents. That is the excitement of the pre-season, seeing how that evolves over the first couple of months of the year.

We have a good mix of youth and experience and there is a clear desire and drive in the group to push for a championship. But as we know at the SKYCITY Breakers that means one day at a time and getter better one day at a time throughout the season.

The depth in the sport is again evident in the quality of young players given the opportunity to further their careers with Development Player contracts. 22 year old Josh Bloxham returns to offer depth in the guard position and a genuine option from the bench while highly regarded teenager Reuben Te Rangi and 21 year old swingman Morgan Natanahira both progress from the Academy and into the roster with Development contracts. Tai Webster is in an un-contracted role given his pending departure to the American Collegiate system, which prohibits him taking a contracted spot on the roster.

SKYCITY Breakers 2012/13 Roster
Cedric Jackson Point guard
CJ Bruton Guard
Corey Webster Guard
Daryl Corletto Guard
Tom Abercrombie Swingman
Leon Henry Swingman
Mika Vukona Forward
Dillon Boucher Forward
Will Hudson Forward/Centre
Alex Pledger Centre

Development Players
Josh Bloxham Point guard
Reuben Te Rangi Power forward
Morgan Natanahira Swingman

Non Contracted Development Player
Tai Webster Point Guard


Caceres adds Duinker to their roster - by Eurobasket

Caceres Basket (LEB Gold) agreed terms with 23-year old Australian power forward Josh Duinker (210-89). He played last season at University of Richmond (NCAA). While playing 32 games for Richmond last year Duinker averaged 3.5ppg and 2.0rpg. Duinker won Atlantic 10 Tournament championship title in 2011 and helped them to make it to NCAA Sweet 16 that year. He graduated in 2012 and it will be his first season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center


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  AUSTRIA   


Austria celebrated the second success in Group C - by Eurobasket News

Austria-Cyprus 77:52

Austria celebrated the second success in Group C of the EuroBasket Qualification Round. The team caught up with Hungary at 2-3 record after a home 77:52 win over Cyprus. The latter fell at 0-5 record.
Austria opened the game with 24-14 and never looked behind after. They added defensive 14-8 in the second frame as Thomas Klepeisz (185-PG-91, agency: TSS Management) sent the teams to the lockers at 38:22. Cyprus managed to win the third period 22-19 and reduced to 13 points at the end of 30 minutes. Austria however finished with strong 20-8 to seal the victory.
Thomas Klepeisz paced all the winners with 15 points and Rasid Mahalbasic (208-C-90) added 14. Sebastian Koch (202-F-88) notched 11, while Christoph Nagler (196-G/F-84) scored 10. Andreas Sizopoulos (193-G-83) replied with 12 points in the losing case and Alexandros Liatsos (200-F-80, college: Ohio) scored 10. Anthony King (206-F/C-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) followed them with 8 points and 11 caroms in a loss.

Austria: Thomas Klepeisz 15, Rasid Mahalbasic 14, Sebastian Koch 11, Christoph Nagler 10
Cyprus: Andreas Sizopoulos 12, Alexandros Liatsos 10, Anthony King 8+11 rebs


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  AZERBAIJAN   


Azerbaijan open Day 6 with the home victory - by Eurobasket News

Azerbaijan - Luxembourg 95:77

Azerbaijan open Day 6 with the home victory against Luxembourg. Azerbaijan needed 95:77 win to improve to 3-2 record In Group B of the EuroBasket Qualifying Round.
Azerbaijan started the game with 16-13 and added massive 30-23 in the second frame. Both teams scored 22 points each in the third quarter, while the last period was decisive in the game. The hosts added 27-19 in it for the final success. Fuad Niftaliyev (185-PG-80) scored the last five points for the winners to seal a comfortable win with them.
Jaycee Carroll (188-G-83, agency: Priority Sports) top-scored for the winners with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Orhan Haciyeva (200-PF-89) erupted with 25 points and 21 rebounds. Aleksandr Rindin (225-C-85, agency: Interperformances) followed them with 18 points and Fuad Niftaliyev netted 13. Samy Picard (196-PF-88) 15, Martin Rajniak (205-PF-78, college: CSU Bakersfield) and posted 15 points each in defeat. Tom Schumacher (189-PG-87, college: Cal.Baptist) had 12 as Luxembourg fell at 0-5 record.

Azerbaijan: Jaycee Carroll 26+11 rebs, Orhan Haciyeva 25+21 rebs, Aleksandr Rindin 18, Fuad Niftaliyev 13
Luxembourg: Samy Picard 15, Martin Rajniak 15, Tom Schumacher 12


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  BALTIC LEAGUE   


Siauliai add Eigirdas Zukauskas and Arunas Sajevicius - by Eurobasket News

Siauliai continued to work actively on the market. They brought in two new players. Siauliai ensured the services of Eigirdas Zukauskas (202-PG-92) and Arunas Sajevicius.
Eigirdas Zukauskas started the previous season with Statyba Vilnius. He notched 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game in NKL. Later the guard moved to Radvilskis. His stats read 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per appearance. Previously the guard had spells for Lietuvos Rytas junior team, Vilniaus KM-Magnus, Anyksciu Puntukas-Dussman. Eigardas Zukauskas was the member of U18, U19 and U20 Lithuanian National Teams.
Arunas Sajevicius was the member of Siauliai City basketball school Saule.


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  BELARUS   


Lubos Barton lifts Czech Republic past Belarus - by Eurobasket News

Czech Republic - Belarus 79:72

Czech Republic celebrated the fourth win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualification. They overcame Belarus at home court to climb at 4-1 record in Group F. Lubos Barton (202-SF-80, college: Valparaiso) accounted for 23 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts. Belarus fell at 1-4 record after the loss.
Belarus stunned the home team in the opening frame. The visitors went on a 25:16 run in the first ten minutes. Czech Republic slowed their opponents down in the second quarter. They got within 4 points at halftime 31:35. Lubos Barton helped the hosts take a 39:37 lead early in the third term. The lead changed hands for several times before the home team earned a 57:51 advantage at the final break. Belarus would not go away until the dying seconds. The visitors trailed by just four points 70:74 with just over two minutes remaining. But Tomas Satoransky (201-PG-91) scored five points in a row to carry Czech Republic to the victory. Petr Benda (204-C-82, agency: Court Side) posted 18 points, while Tomas Satoransky finished with 11 points for the winners. Artsiom Parakhouski (210-C-87, college: Radford) had 15 points for Belarus. Pavel Ulyanko (204-F-79) and Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (190-SG-80) chipped in 12 points each in the loss.

Czech Republic: Lubos Barton 23+10 boards, Petr Benda 18, Tomas Satoransky 11
Belarus: Artsiom Parakhouski 15, Pavel Ulyanko 12, Aliaksandr Kudrautsau 12


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  BELGIUM   


Poland outclass Belgium in Antwerp - by Eurobasket News

Belgium-Poland 73:87

Poland outclass Belgium in Antwerp thanks to a great game of Marcin Gortat (213-C-84). The guests grabbed important 87:73 win at the EuroBasket Qualification Round in Group B. Both teams are now with 3-2 record sharing the 2-3 places.
More than 4000 fans came to support the local team in Antwerp, but could not help them. Poland took 26-22 after the first period, while Beye Tabu-Eboma (184-SG-85) gave Belgium 45:42 lead at the halftime. Guy Muya (190-PG-83, agency: TSS Management) brought 51:44 and Christophe Beghin (207-F-80, agency: Court Side) delivered two for 61:55. Lukasz Koszarek (187-PG-84) and Michal Ignerski (207-F-80, agency: Stanley International, college: Mississippi St.) however nailed three-pointers for 68:65 early in the fourth. Poland erupted with 25-8 in it for the final success.
Marcin Gortat erupted with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Lukasz Koszarek netted 19. Michal Ignerski delivered 18 and Przemyslaw Zamojski (194-SG-86, agency: Alti Sport, college: Independence CC) posted 8. Beye Tabu-Eboma ended up with 18 points in the losing effort and Christophe Beghin had 13. Yannick Driesen (215-C-88) finished the game with 10, while Guy Muya chipped in with 9.

Belgium: Beye Tabu-Eboma 18, Christophe Beghin 13, Yannick Driesen 10, Guy Muya 9
Poland: Marcin Gortat 29+10 rebs, Lukasz Koszarek 19, Michal Ignerski 18, Przemyslaw Zamojski 8


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  BOSNIA   


Latvia overwhelm Bosnia and Herzegovina in Riga - by Eurobasket News

Latvia - Bosnia and Herzegovina 80:64

Latvia celebrated a comfortable win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Riga tonight. The victory lifted Latvia at 3-2, while Bosnia and Herzegovina slipped at 3-2 record in Group D. Dairis Bertans (192-SG-89) posted 25 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the hosts.
Bosnia and Herzegovina led by three points after intense first quarter 19:16. Latvia turned things around in the second frame. They went on a 26:11 rally to establish a 42:30 halftime lead. Latvia mounted the pressure on the visitors in the third term. The hosts cleared off at 17-point distance before the fourth quarter 66:49. Bosnia and Herzegovina held Latvia to just 14 points in the final but could not capitalize losing the battle at the end. Martins Meiers (206-C-91) posted 16 points, while Davis Bertans (205-SF-92) accounted for 11 points and 7 rebounds in the victory. Zack Wright (188-G-85, college: Central Mo.) and Nihad Djedovic (198-F-90, agency: Beo Basket) answered with 16 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Teletovic had 13 points in the loss.

Latvia: Dairis Bertans 25, Martins Meiers 16, Davis Bertans 11
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Zack Wright 16, Nihad Djedovic 16


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  BRAZIL   

Standings - Paulista, Carioca, Minas G. leagues

Paulista Standings
GroupA
 1. Palmeiras 4-0 
 2. S.Jose/Unimed 3-1 
 3. Gremio Mogi 2-2 
 4. Suzano 2-2 
 5. Pinheiros/Sky 2-2 
 6. Paulistano 2-2 
 7. Metodista/S.B. 1-3 
 8. Inter Santos 0-4 
GroupB
 1. Itabom/Bauru 3-0 
 2. Winner/Limeira 3-1 
 3. America 2-2 
 4. Liga Sorocaba 1-2 
 5. Jacarei 1-2 
 6. Rio Claro 1-2 
 7. Vivo/Franca 1-3 
Stage Two Standings

Second Stage: Round 4

Aug. 30: Itabom/Bauru - Vivo/Franca 89-72
Aug. 30: Pinheiros/Sky - Paulistano 87-81
Aug. 29: Inter Santos - Suzano 83-91
Aug. 30: Winner/Limeira - Liga Sorocaba 78-71
Aug. 29: Palmeiras - Metodista/S.B. 77-75
Aug. 29: Rio Claro - America 68-67

Second Stage: Round 5

Sep. 1: S.Jose/Unimed - Inter Santos
Sep. 1: Metodista/S.B. - Gremio Mogi
Sep. 1: Paulistano - Palmeiras
Sep. 2: Liga Sorocaba - Jacarei
Sep. 2: America - Itabom/Bauru
Sep. 2: Vivo/Franca - Rio Claro
Sep. 2: Suzano - Pinheiros/Sky



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  BULGARIA   


Balkan returns Head Coach Petar Klechkov - by Eurobasket News

Petar Klechkov is back to Balkan after one year. The team announced his signing yesterday. The Bulgarian specialist spent last season with Division A team Academic Blagoevgrad and they reached Division A Cup Finals. He also worked with Bulgarian U16 National Team this summer. Klechkov was Head Coach of Balkan from 2009 to March of 2011, when he left the team. He was named Eurobasket.com All-Bulgarian League Coach of the Year -10. From 2006 to 2008 Klechkov served as Assistant Coach at Balkan. Meanwhile, he spent 2008/09 as Assistant Coach of Rilski Sportist Samokov. Petar Klechkov was HC of the Bulgarian U20 National Team last summer. Three year sago he worked with U18 Bulgaria. In the past Petar Klechkov also worked with Bulgarian youth National Teams.


Cherno More brings in Larry Hall for tryout - by Eurobasket News

Cherno More brought in Larry Hall (190-G-83, college: W.Oregon) for tryout. The American combo guard already made his first practice with the team. He will try to impress new Head Coach Spas Natov and to earn a deal for the upcoming season. Hall spent the last one in Germany. He was a member of ProA team Gloria Giants Duesseldorf averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 25 games. The American started the season with Slovakian squad SKP Banska Bystrica, but he left them after one game (18 pgs, 5 as) to join Duesseldorf. They reached ProA Semifinals together. In 2010/11, Larry Hall won the title in Belarus with Minsk-2006. He joined them in January registering 13 ppg, 5.8 apg and 4.6 rpg for 20 games. He started that season with Lithuanian team Puntukas Jarimpeksas Anyksciai. In the past, Larry Hall played in Finland, Hungary and Slovenia.


Sweden prevail against Bulgaria - by Eurobasket News

Sweden - Bulgaria 85:71

Sweden clinched the third win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round. They held off visiting Bulgaria for 3-2 record in Group B. Kenny Grant (188-G-82, college: Davidson) stepped up with 19 points for the hosts. Bulgaria fell at 2-3 record after the defeat.
Sweden jumped to a 23:19 lead after ten minutes. The hosts unloaded 26 points in the second quarter to build a 10-point halftime lead 49:39. Bulgaria however changed the complexion of the encounter in the third term. They used a 10:2 run late in the stanza to narrow the gap at just 2-point mark 60:62. The Scandinavian side needed an 11:0 run midway through the final frame to restore a safe cushion 80:66. The hosts never looked back afterwards coasting to the victory. Thomas Massamba (185-PG-85) posted 16 points, while Jonas Jerebko (206-PF-87) added 13 points for Sweden. Chavdar Kostov (195-SG-88, agency: Interperformances) answered with 20 points for Bulgaria. Hristo Nikolov (200-PF-85) netted 15 points in the loss.

Sweden: Kenny Grant 19, Thomas Massamba 16, Jonas Jerebko 13
Bulgaria: Chavdar Kostov 20, Hristo Nikolov 15


Bulgarian League expands to 10 teams for 2012/13 - by Maria Mitzova

Bulgarian National Basketball League was expanded to 10 teams for the upcoming season 2012/13. The 8 teams playing elite basketball so far in the last years, were joined by Beroe - champion of Division A last season - and Bulgaria U20 team.

The decision of including the preliminary Bulgaria U20 team in the championship rotation was highly regarded from the basketball society in the country. The team will be supported by the Federation, as well as all the clubs, who will have their players loaned to the team.

The 10 teams in NBL for season 2012/13 are as follows: Lukoil Academic, Levski, Yambol, Cherno more, Rilski sportist, Balkan, Spartak Pleven, Chernomorets, Beroe and Bulgaria U20.

NBL season starts October 20th, and the system will be of three rotations, each team having 27 regular season games. Fist two rotations will be played on home-away basis, while the third will be decided by the standings afterwards.

Other changers include reducing the number of foreigners on a team sheet to 5, instead of 6. There needs to be only one Bulgarian player, eligible for the National team, on the court at any time. So far there had to be two of them. It is specifically stated that the Bulgarian player could not be a naturalized one. This means that clubs can have less foreigners on the team roster, but more of them could be on the floor together.

BULGARIAN NBL SCHEDULE 2012/2013


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  CROATIA   


Ex-ESL player Poscic signs at KK Zagreb in Croatia - by Eurobasket

KK Zagreb Croatia Osiguranje (A1) agreed terms with 27-year old Croatian center Matija Poscic (205-107kg-85, college: De Paul). He played last season at Team Torino (Eurobasket S.League) in Torino, Italy, where he was seen by KK Zagreb coach Jusup. While playing 11 Slovenian A1 games for Slavonski Brod last year Poscic averaged 12.1ppg and 7.0rpg. He played also 22 games for LF Basket (Sweden) in Eurobasket S.League where he had 4.0ppg and 3.7rpg. Poscic is a very experienced player. He played also pro basketball in Austria, Belgium and Sweden. Poscic graduated De Paul University in 2009 and it will be his fourth season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center


KK Zagreb Croatia Osiguranje adds Poscic to their roster - by Eurobasket

KK Zagreb Croatia Osiguranje (A1) agreed terms with 27-year old Croatian center Matija Poscic (205-107kg-85, college: De Paul). He played last season at Team Torino (Eurobasket S.League) in Torino, Italy, where he was seen by KK Zagreb coach Jusup. While playing 11 Slovenian A1 games for Slavonski Brod last year Poscic averaged 12.1ppg and 7.0rpg. He played also 22 games for LF Basket (Sweden) in Eurobasket S.League where he had 4.0ppg and 3.7rpg. Poscic is a very experienced player. He played also pro basketball in Austria, Belgium and Sweden. Poscic graduated De Paul University in 2009 and it will be his fourth season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center


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  CYPRUS   


Austria celebrated the second success in Group C - by Eurobasket News

Austria-Cyprus 77:52

Austria celebrated the second success in Group C of the EuroBasket Qualification Round. The team caught up with Hungary at 2-3 record after a home 77:52 win over Cyprus. The latter fell at 0-5 record.
Austria opened the game with 24-14 and never looked behind after. They added defensive 14-8 in the second frame as Thomas Klepeisz (185-PG-91, agency: TSS Management) sent the teams to the lockers at 38:22. Cyprus managed to win the third period 22-19 and reduced to 13 points at the end of 30 minutes. Austria however finished with strong 20-8 to seal the victory.
Thomas Klepeisz paced all the winners with 15 points and Rasid Mahalbasic (208-C-90) added 14. Sebastian Koch (202-F-88) notched 11, while Christoph Nagler (196-G/F-84) scored 10. Andreas Sizopoulos (193-G-83) replied with 12 points in the losing case and Alexandros Liatsos (200-F-80, college: Ohio) scored 10. Anthony King (206-F/C-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Miami, FL) followed them with 8 points and 11 caroms in a loss.

Austria: Thomas Klepeisz 15, Rasid Mahalbasic 14, Sebastian Koch 11, Christoph Nagler 10
Cyprus: Andreas Sizopoulos 12, Alexandros Liatsos 10, Anthony King 8+11 rebs


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  CZECH REPUBLIC   


Lubos Barton lifts Czech Republic past Belarus - by Eurobasket News

Czech Republic - Belarus 79:72

Czech Republic celebrated the fourth win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualification. They overcame Belarus at home court to climb at 4-1 record in Group F. Lubos Barton (202-SF-80, college: Valparaiso) accounted for 23 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts. Belarus fell at 1-4 record after the loss.
Belarus stunned the home team in the opening frame. The visitors went on a 25:16 run in the first ten minutes. Czech Republic slowed their opponents down in the second quarter. They got within 4 points at halftime 31:35. Lubos Barton helped the hosts take a 39:37 lead early in the third term. The lead changed hands for several times before the home team earned a 57:51 advantage at the final break. Belarus would not go away until the dying seconds. The visitors trailed by just four points 70:74 with just over two minutes remaining. But Tomas Satoransky (201-PG-91) scored five points in a row to carry Czech Republic to the victory. Petr Benda (204-C-82, agency: Court Side) posted 18 points, while Tomas Satoransky finished with 11 points for the winners. Artsiom Parakhouski (210-C-87, college: Radford) had 15 points for Belarus. Pavel Ulyanko (204-F-79) and Aliaksandr Kudrautsau (190-SG-80) chipped in 12 points each in the loss.

Czech Republic: Lubos Barton 23+10 boards, Petr Benda 18, Tomas Satoransky 11
Belarus: Artsiom Parakhouski 15, Pavel Ulyanko 12, Aliaksandr Kudrautsau 12


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  D-LEAGUE   


2012-13 schedule announced - by Eurobasket News

The NBA Development League today released its schedule for the 2012-13 season, which again features 16 teams playing 50 games each. The league also announced that CBS Sports Network for the first time will present regular season and postseason games. The upcoming season includes an all-time high 11 NBA D-League teams having single-affiliation relationships with their NBA parent clubs.

The 12th NBA D-League season tips off on Friday, Nov. 23, when the Canton Charge hosts the Maine Red Claws at 7 p.m. ET. Opening night continues when the Fort Wayne Mad Ants host the Erie BayHawks at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Texas Legends, under the helm of former NBA star Eduardo Najera, travel to face the Tulsa 66ers at 8 p.m. ET, and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers welcome the Bakersfield Jam at 8 p.m. ET.

NBA TV will present over 30 games this season, including its NBA D-League Game of the Week airing each Sunday during the regular season. The network will also provide extensive coverage during the NBA D-League Showcase, and the NBA D-League All-Star Game taking place in Houston during NBA All-Star 2013. In addition, NBA TV will cover the race for the NBA D-League title when it airs postseason games.

CBS Sports Network's comprehensive coverage will feature 12 live regular season games, including two from the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase, as well as 2013 NBA D-League Playoffs and Finals action. The network will also provide exclusive coverage of the "3-Point Shootout" and "Slam Dunk Contest" from the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase. CBS Sports Network's full broadcast schedule will be released at a later date. For more information about the network's coverage, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com .

The defending NBA D-League champion Austin Toros tip off their 2012-13 campaign on Wednesday, Nov. 28, when the team travels north to face the Legends in Frisco, Texas.

The Golden State Warriors' NBA D-League team, whose relocation from Bismarck, N.D. to Northern California is expected to be finalized and approved in the coming weeks, plays its first game when the team travels to face the Reno Bighorns at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 30.

The 2012-13 NBA D-League season will feature three divisions, East (Canton, Erie, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Maine, and Springfield Armor), Central (Austin, Iowa Energy, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Texas and Tulsa), and West (Bakersfield, Idaho Stampede, Los Angeles D-Fenders, Reno, and the Warriors' NBA D-League team).

"Coming off of a record-breaking 11th season in 2011-12, we're excited to tip off another outstanding year in the NBA D-League," said Dan Reed, NBA D-League President. "With 11 NBA teams now having one-to-one relationships with their NBA D-League affiliates, and an exciting new partnership with CBS Sports Network, we're thrilled about what this season has in store."

The Bighorns will once again host the NBA D-League Showcase from Jan. 7-10 in Reno, Nev. with the specific game schedule to be announced at a later date, while the NBA D-League All-Star Game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 16 in Houston in conjunction with NBA All-Star activities.

Of the 11 singly-affiliated NBA D-League teams, five teams are fully owned and operated by their NBA parent club, including the Austin Toros (San Antonio Spurs), Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers), Los Angeles D-Fenders (Los Angeles Lakers), Tulsa 66ers (Oklahoma City Thunder) and the team owned by the Golden State Warriors. An additional five teams have a hybrid relationship with their NBA parent club, including the Erie BayHawks (New York Knicks), Idaho Stampede (Portland Trail Blazers), Maine Red Claws (Boston Celtics), Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets), and Springfield Armor (Brooklyn Nets). The hybrid partnership gives an NBA team control of the NBA D-League team's basketball operations while local ownership retains control of the business. The Texas Legends have a one-to-one relationship with the Dallas Mavericks.

Fans can also follow top NBA prospects and their favorite teams online at www.nba.com/dleague for live games, highlights, and insider analysis.


NBA D-LEAGUE 2012-2013 SCHEDULE

*** FINAL ***

(all times local)

Fri. Nov. 23 Maine at Canton 7:30 pm

Erie at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Texas at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Sat. Nov. 24 Springfield at Canton 7:30 pm

Iowa at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Sun. Nov. 25 Maine at Ft. Wayne 5:00 pm

Texas at Tulsa 4:00 pm

Wed. Nov. 28 Canton at Ft. Wayne 7:00 pm

Austin at Texas 7:00 pm

Idaho at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Thu. Nov. 29 Austin at Texas 7:00 pm

Idaho at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Fri. Nov. 30 Los Angeles at Maine 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Springfield 7:00 pm

Erie at Canton 7:30 pm

Iowa at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Rio Grande V. at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Warriors at Reno 7:00 pm

Sat. Dec. 1 Canton at Erie 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Iowa 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Texas 7:00 pm

Idaho at Austin 7:30 pm

Sun. Dec. 2 Sioux Falls at Maine 1:00 pm

Los Angeles at Springfield 3:00 pm

Idaho at Austin 3:00 pm

Warriors at Reno 3:00 pm

Mon. Dec. 3 Warriors at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Tue. Dec. 4 Los Angeles at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Wed. Dec. 5 Sioux Falls at Tulsa 11:00 am

Thu. Dec. 6 Maine at Erie 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Fri. Dec. 7 Ft. Wayne at Springfield 7:00 pm

Texas at Iowa 7:00 pm

Erie at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Austin at Idaho 7:00 pm

Warriors at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Reno 7:00 pm

Sat. Dec. 8 Ft. Wayne at Maine 7:00 pm

Canton at Springfield 8:00 pm

Texas at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Austin at Idaho 7:00 pm

Warriors at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Bakersfield at Reno 7:00 pm

Sun. Dec. 9 Canton at Maine 5:00 pm

Erie at Iowa 4:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Tulsa 4:00 pm

Mon. Dec. 10 Bakersfield at Reno 7:00 pm

Wed. Dec. 12 Ft. Wayne at Canton 7:00 pm

Thu. Dec. 13 Reno at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Fri. Dec. 14 Iowa at Erie 7:00 pm

Springfield at Canton 7:30 pm

Maine at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Austin at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Warriors at Idaho 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sat. Dec. 15 Iowa at Canton 7:30 pm

Springfield at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Austin at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Texas 7:00 pm

Warriors at Idaho 7:00 pm

Reno at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Tulsa at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sun. Dec. 16 Maine at Erie 2:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Texas 3:00 pm

Tue. Dec. 18 Canton at Ft. Wayne 7:00 pm

Texas at Austin 11:00 am

Wed. Dec. 19 Idaho at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Thu. Dec. 20 Reno at Rio Grande V. 11:00 am

Idaho at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Fri. Dec. 21 Ft. Wayne at Maine 7:00 pm

Erie at Springfield 7:00 pm

Iowa at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Texas 7:00 pm

Canton at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Reno at Austin 7:30 pm

Sat. Dec. 22 Erie at Maine 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Springfield 7:00 pm

Canton at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Iowa at Texas 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Austin 7:30 pm

Idaho at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Sun. Dec. 23 Bakersfield at Warriors 5:00 pm

Tue. Dec. 25 Iowa at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Wed. Dec. 26 Austin at Canton 7:00 pm

Maine at Idaho 7:00 pm

Thu. Dec. 27 Springfield at Warriors 7:00 pm

Fri. Dec. 28 Austin at Erie 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Canton 7:30 pm

Texas at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Los Angeles at Iowa 7:00 pm

Maine at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Reno at Idaho 7:00 pm

Springfield at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sat. Dec. 29 Ft. Wayne at Erie 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Canton 7:30 pm

Los Angeles at Iowa 7:00 pm

Maine at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Reno at Idaho 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sun. Dec. 30 Texas at Austin 3:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Bakersfield 4:00 pm

Mon. Dec. 31 Springfield at Maine 1:00 pm

Tue. Jan. 1 Sioux Falls at Warriors 2:00 pm

Thu. Jan. 3 Canton at Springfield 7:00 pm

Warriors at Ft. Wayne 7:00 pm

Idaho at Austin 1:00 pm

Fri. Jan. 4 Erie at Maine 7:00 pm

Idaho at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Austin 7:30 pm

Sioux Falls at Reno 7:00 pm

Sat. Jan. 5 Canton at Maine 7:00 pm

Erie at Springfield 7:00 pm

Warriors at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Texas at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Iowa at Reno 7:00 pm

Sun. Jan. 6 Iowa at Bakersfield 4:00 pm

Fri. Jan. 11 Maine at Springfield 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Reno at Idaho 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sat. Jan. 12 Springfield at Maine 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Erie 7:00 pm

Iowa at Canton 7:30 pm

Rio Grande V. at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Austin at Texas 7:00 pm

Reno at Idaho 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Sun. Jan. 13 Canton at Iowa 4:00 pm

Texas at Austin 5:00 pm

Tulsa at Warriors 5:00 pm

Tue. Jan. 15 Warriors at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Wed. Jan. 16 Warriors at Iowa 7:00 pm

Erie at Idaho 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Thu. Jan. 17 Reno at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Erie at Idaho 7:00 pm

Fri. Jan. 18 Iowa at Maine 7:00 pm

Springfield at Canton 7:30 pm

Texas at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Austin at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Reno at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sat. Jan. 19 Iowa at Maine 7:00 pm

Springfield at Canton 7:30 pm

Texas at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Austin at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Sun. Jan. 20 Erie at Warriors 5:00 pm

Mon. Jan. 21 Springfield at Maine 1:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Canton 7:00 pm

Texas at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Erie at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Warriors 7:00 pm

Tue. Jan. 22 Tulsa at Iowa 7:00 pm

Wed. Jan. 23 Texas at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Thu. Jan. 24 Maine at Springfield 7:00 pm

Fri. Jan. 25 Warriors at Maine 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Erie 7:00 pm

Canton at Iowa 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Texas 7:00 pm

Idaho at Austin 7:30 pm

Reno at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sat. Jan. 26 Warriors at Springfield 7:00 pm

Iowa at Canton 7:30 pm

Los Angeles at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Idaho at Texas 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Reno at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sun. Jan. 27 Springfield at Maine 3:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Erie 2:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Austin 3:00 pm

Mon. Jan. 28 Tulsa at Erie 7:00 pm

Wed. Jan. 30 Tulsa at Springfield 7:00 pm

Erie at Canton 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Thu. Jan. 31 Maine at Ft. Wayne 7:00 pm

Fri. Feb. 1 Springfield at Iowa 7:00 pm

Reno at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Erie at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Warriors at Texas 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Idaho 7:00 pm

Austin at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sat. Feb. 2 Rio Grande V. at Maine 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Canton 7:30 pm

Springfield at Iowa 7:00 pm

Reno at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Warriors at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Erie at Texas 3:00 pm

Los Angeles at Idaho 7:00 pm

Austin at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sun. Feb. 3 Canton at Ft. Wayne 5:00 pm

Mon. Feb. 4 Rio Grande V. at Springfield 7:00 pm

Tue. Feb. 5 Austin at Texas 7:00 pm

Wed. Feb. 6 Rio Grande V. at Erie 11:00 am

Sioux Falls at Ft. Wayne 7:00 pm

Thu. Feb. 7 Maine at Springfield 7:00 pm

Texas at Iowa 10:30 am

Warriors at Reno 7:00 pm

Fri. Feb. 8 Bakersfield at Maine 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Erie 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Canton at Austin 7:30 pm

Los Angeles at Reno 7:00 pm

Sat. Feb. 9 Bakersfield at Springfield 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Erie 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Iowa 7:00 pm

Canton at Texas 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Austin 7:30 pm

Warriors at Idaho 7:00 pm

Sun. Feb. 10 Springfield at Maine 3:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Iowa 4:00 pm

Tulsa at Texas 3:30 pm

Warriors at Idaho 3:30 pm

Los Angeles at Reno 3:00 pm

Mon. Feb. 11 Bakersfield at Erie 7:00 pm

Tue. Feb. 12 Iowa at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Texas 7:00 pm

Maine at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Wed. Feb. 13 Rio Grande V. at Texas 7:00 pm

Maine at Austin 7:30 pm

Reno at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Mon. Feb. 18 Maine at Reno 7:00 pm

Tue. Feb. 19 Iowa at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Wed. Feb. 20 Erie at Canton 7:00 pm

Springfield at Idaho 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Warriors 7:00 pm

Thu. Feb. 21 Austin at Iowa 7:00 pm

Springfield at Idaho 7:00 pm

Warriors at Reno 7:00 pm

Fri. Feb. 22 Ft. Wayne at Erie 7:00 pm

Austin at Iowa 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Texas at Rio Grande V. 7:30 pm

Los Angeles at Reno 7:00 pm

Maine at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sat. Feb. 23 Ft. Wayne at Springfield 7:00 pm

Canton at Erie 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Texas at Rio Grande V. 7:30 pm

Los Angeles at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Maine at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sun. Feb. 24 Iowa at Austin 3:00 pm

Idaho at Reno 3:00 pm

Mon. Feb. 25 Idaho at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Tue. Feb. 26 Erie at Ft. Wayne 7:00 pm

Iowa at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Reno at Warriors 7:00 pm

Wed. Feb. 27 Sioux Falls at Austin 7:30 pm

Reno at Warriors 7:00 pm

Thu. Feb. 28 Idaho at Canton 11:00 am

Iowa at Austin 7:30 pm

Fri. Mar. 1 Erie at Maine 7:00 pm

Springfield at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Reno at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Iowa at Texas 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sat. Mar. 2 Springfield at Canton 7:30 pm

Idaho at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Sioux Falls at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Reno at Texas 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Rio Grande V. at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sun. Mar. 3 Erie at Maine 1:00 pm

Idaho at Iowa 4:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Austin 3:00 pm

Los Angeles at Bakersfield 4:00 pm

Mon. Mar. 4 Erie at Springfield 7:00 pm

Tue. Mar. 5 Canton at Ft. Wayne 7:00 pm

Idaho at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Iowa at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Texas at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Wed. Mar. 6 Austin at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Texas at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Thu. Mar. 7 Iowa at Tulsa 11:00 am

Idaho at Reno 7:00 pm

Fri. Mar. 8 Canton at Maine 7:00 pm

Springfield at Erie 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sat. Mar. 9 Bakersfield at Erie 7:00 pm

Austin at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Sioux Falls at Reno 7:00 pm

Idaho at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sun. Mar. 10 Canton at Maine 1:00 pm

Bakersfield at Ft. Wayne 5:00 pm

Tulsa at Iowa 4:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Reno 3:00 pm

Mon. Mar. 11 Austin at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Tue. Mar. 12 Texas at Erie 7:00 pm

Reno at Warriors 7:00 pm

Wed. Mar. 13 Bakersfield at Canton 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Idaho 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Thu. Mar. 14 Ft. Wayne at Maine 7:00 pm

Texas at Springfield 7:00 pm

Fri. Mar. 15 Ft. Wayne at Springfield 7:00 pm

Erie at Canton 7:30 pm

Sioux Falls at Iowa 7:00 pm

Warriors at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Austin 7:30 pm

Tulsa at Idaho 7:00 pm

Reno at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sat. Mar. 16 Erie at Canton 7:30 pm

Sioux Falls at Iowa 7:00 pm

Warriors at Texas 3:00 pm

Los Angeles at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Maine at Austin 7:30 pm

Tulsa at Idaho 7:00 pm

Reno at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sun. Mar. 17 Ft. Wayne at Springfield 3:00 pm

Maine at Texas 3:00 pm

Tue. Mar. 19 Erie at Springfield 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Wed. Mar. 20 Maine at Canton 7:00 pm

Idaho at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Thu. Mar. 21 Austin at Springfield 7:00 pm

Maine at Ft. Wayne 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Texas 7:00 pm

Iowa at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Reno 7:00 pm

Fri. Mar. 22 Austin at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Canton at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Idaho at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sat. Mar. 23 Maine at Springfield 7:00 pm

Rio Grande V. at Erie 7:00 pm

Canton at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Iowa at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Idaho at Reno 7:00 pm

Texas at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sun. Mar. 24 Rio Grande V. at Ft. Wayne 5:00 pm

Iowa at Austin 3:00 pm

Texas at Reno 3:00 pm

Los Angeles at Bakersfield 4:00 pm

Tue. Mar. 26 Tulsa at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Idaho at Warriors 7:00 pm

Wed. Mar. 27 Canton at Springfield 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Austin 7:30 pm

Idaho at Warriors 7:00 pm

Thu. Mar. 28 Erie at Maine 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Iowa 7:00 pm

Fri. Mar. 29 Springfield at Erie 7:00 pm

Reno at Ft. Wayne 7:30 pm

Sioux Falls at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Tulsa at Austin 7:30 pm

Bakersfield at Idaho 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Warriors 7:00 pm

Sat. Mar. 30 Texas at Canton 7:30 pm

Reno at Iowa 7:00 pm

Austin at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Idaho 7:00 pm

Warriors at Los Angeles 6:30 pm

Sun. Mar. 31 Texas at Ft. Wayne 5:00 pm

Mon. Apr. 1 Springfield at Erie 1:00 pm

Bakersfield at Reno 7:00 pm

Tue. Apr. 2 Tulsa at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Warriors at Reno 7:00 pm

Wed. Apr. 3 Springfield at Austin 7:30 pm

Canton at Los Angeles 7:00 pm

Thu. Apr. 4 Tulsa at Iowa 7:00 pm

Fri. Apr. 5 Maine at Erie 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Sioux Falls 7:00 pm

Springfield at Texas 7:00 pm

Austin at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Idaho 7:00 pm

Canton at Reno 7:00 pm

Warriors at Bakersfield 7:00 pm

Sat. Apr. 6 Maine at Erie 7:00 pm

Sioux Falls at Iowa 7:00 pm

Ft. Wayne at Tulsa 7:00 pm

Springfield at Texas 7:00 pm

Austin at Rio Grande V. 7:00 pm

Los Angeles at Idaho 7:00 pm

Canton at Reno 7:00 pm

Bakersfield at Warriors 7:00 pm

Courtesy of www.oursportscentral.com


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


Estonia beat Slovak Republic to stay in 2013 EuroBasket race - by Eurobasket News

Slovak Republic - Estonia 70:84

Estonia celebrated the fourth victory in 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round Group A. They defeated Slovak Republic on the road to improve at 4-2 record in highly contestant Group A. Slovak Republic fell at 0-6 record after the loss. Siim-Sander Vene (203-SF-90, agency: Alti Sport) came up with 16 points to lead the winners.
Estonia scored 21 points in the opening term to take a 6-point lead. The Baltic side maintained the lead throughout the second quarter. Estonia established a 43:32 halftime lead at halftime. Slovak Republic narrowed the deficit at the third term. The hosts outscored Estonia to trail by just 8 points before the fourth frame. However another excellent performance from Anton Gavel (188-PG-84, agency: Pro One Sports) could not rescue the hosts. Estonia erupted for 23 points in the fourth quarter and sealed a comfortable win. Janar Talts (207-PF-83) posted 15 points, 16 boards and 4 assists, while Gert Dorbek (193-SG-85) added 12 points for the winners. Anton Gavel fired 35 points to lead all scorers. Dusan Pandula (197-SF-84) contributed 11 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Slovak Republic: Anton Gavel 35, Dusan Pandula 11
Estonia: Siim-Sander Vene 16, Janar Talts 15+16 boards, Gert Dorbek 12


*****************************************************
  EUROBASKET SUMMER LEAGUE   


Ex-ESL player Poscic signs at KK Zagreb in Croatia - by Eurobasket

KK Zagreb Croatia Osiguranje (A1) agreed terms with 27-year old Croatian center Matija Poscic (205-107kg-85, college: De Paul). He played last season at Team Torino (Eurobasket S.League) in Torino, Italy, where he was seen by KK Zagreb coach Jusup. While playing 11 Slovenian A1 games for Slavonski Brod last year Poscic averaged 12.1ppg and 7.0rpg. He played also 22 games for LF Basket (Sweden) in Eurobasket S.League where he had 4.0ppg and 3.7rpg. Poscic is a very experienced player. He played also pro basketball in Austria, Belgium and Sweden. Poscic graduated De Paul University in 2009 and it will be his fourth season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center


*****************************************************
  EUROCUP   


Jacob Pullen on his way to Jerusalem - by Eurobasket News

Jacob Pullen (183-PG-89, college: Kansas St.) will play in Israel. The guard has agreed on terms of contract with Hapoel Jerusalem. The deal is meant for one season. Jacob Pullen was in talks with Partizan Belgrade but opted for the Israeli side after all. The US-Georgian player spent the last season in Italy. Jacob Pullen played for Angelico Biella. He notched 16.0 points, 3.2 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in SeriaA. Jacob Pullen participated at AirTran Orlando Summer League. He notched 19.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game. Jacob Pullen joined Georgian National Team this summer. He plays at 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round. Jacob Pullen averages 16.0 points, 2.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game at the tournament.


Crvena Zvezda inks long term deal with Radoslav Pekovic - by Eurobasket News

Crvena Zvezda announced signing of a long term deal with Radoslav Pekovic (211-C-94). It is the first pro deal for the player. Pekovic arrives to the club from Slovenian Geoplin Slovan. He played for their juniors last season. Pekovic was on the list of candidates for Serbian U18 NT this summer.


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


Omic finally moves from Zlatorog to Olimpija - by Zeljko Zule

Zlatorog have announced that a deal has been struck for U-20 national team member Alen Omic (215-C-92) to join Union Olimpija for four years.
He averged 9.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 26 Adriatic League games last season. Those numbers climbed to 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in the Slovenian Telemach League. Omic spent the summer representing the Slovenian national team at U-20 EuroBasket, where he posted 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.3 blocks in 9 games.


Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds presented in Desio - by Eurobasket News

The 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds were presented Thursday afternoon at a media conference in Desio, Italy, attended by local dignitaries, Pallacanestro Cantu officials and Euroleague basketball representatives. The Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds are scheduled to take place from September 25 through 28 at PalaDesio, with eight teams playing single-elimination games until one survives. That winner will earn the last of the 24 Euroleague regular season berths for the 2012-13 season, while the other seven teams will directly enter the Eurocup regular season. Tickets for the games will be available for purchase starting September 3 at www.pallacanestrocantu.com.

The press conference was attended by Pallacanestro Cantu President Anna Cremascoli; Pallacanestro Cantu CEO Luca Orthmann; Mayor of Desio, Roberto Corti; Euroleague Basketball Chief TV and New Media Rights Officer, Andrea Bassani; and Member of the Desio local government, Paolo Smorta.

"I'm very satisfied to organize the Qualifying Round here in Desio," Ms. Cremascoli said at the media conference. "Euroleague Basketball proposed it to us and we accepted immediately. Eight teams from eight different nations will challenge here to get the spot in the next Euroleague regular season. Our goal is to have all our fans here at PalaDesio to help us to reach a big goal, the Euroleague regular season. We would like to be back on the main European stage and we know it will be complicated, because we'll face big teams, and for this reason we're asking all our fans to support us like they did last season. I would like to thank the Mayor of Desio, Mr. Roberto Corti, and the Municipality of Desio for their cooperation to organize this event."

The first games of the Qualifying Rounds will feature the following four matchups: Unics Kazan of Russia vs. Ratiopharm Ulm of Germany, Le Mans Sarthe Basket of France vs. BC Donetsk of Ukraine, CEZ Basketball Nymburk of the Czech Republic vs. Telenet Oostende of Belgium and host Pallacanestro Cantu of Italy vs. PBC Lukoil Academic of Bulgaria. The four winners of the first round will then meet in semifinals, and the winners of the semis will face off in the final, to be played on Friday September 28, for a spot in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague regular season.


Quotes from the media conference

Andrea Bassani, Euroleague Basketball:
"Thanks to the Mayor, to the city of Desio, to all the staff of Pallacanestro Cantu. We called Cantu because they showed last season that they worked very well, with great professionalism and determination. The Qualifying Rounds are a very important phase in the competition; we had two different groups last season, but we decided to reduce the number of the teams to just eight, to build the most important event of the pre-season with the taste of the Euroleague. It will be a great competition because all those teams are signing big players and it will be a big event for sure."

Roberto Corti, Mayor of Desio:
"We're very happy that the cooperation between the city of Desio and Pallacanestro Cantu will continue also this season. I hope the next season will be full of satisfaction for the team. Looking at the sold out stands convinced us to support this event in an important structure like PalaDesio, an important event with a big impact for the city of Desio and all the Brianza area. We anticipate a great basketball happening with the stands full of fans and a big spectacle."

Paolo Smorta, Member of the Desio local government:
"PalaDesio will continue to host European and Italian basketball at the top level, and we're proud to offer to all the basketball fans of Desio a great event."

Courtesy of Euroleague


PAO lands former NBAer Hilton Armstrong - by Eurobasket News

Hilton Armstrong (208-C/F-84, college: Connecticut) is a new member of Panathinaikos Athens. The player announced this news via Twitter today. The American PF/C played for the Los Angeles Clippers at the NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas. He had 7.2 ppg and 6.4 rpg for 5 games. Last season Armstrong spent with French ASVEL averaging 11.1 points and 7.2 rebounds for 29 games in ProA. He was fourth rebounder of the competition and was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-French ProA Honorable Mention -12. He added 10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 1.3 bpg for 11 EuroCup appearances. Hilton Armstrong split 2010/11 season between the NBA teams Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks. Before that, he spent three and a half years with the New Orleans Hornets and half of the season with the Sacramento Kings. With the Hornets he had 4.8 ppg and 2.7 rpg in 74 games three years ago (2008/09). Hilton Armstrong graduated at the University of Connecticut in 2006 and he won the NCAA title with them as sophomore.


*****************************************************
  EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS   

Standings Div.A (Men)

Standings
Group Qualification Gr.A
1. Montenegro.6-0
2. Serbia4-2
3. Estonia4-2
4. Israel3-3
5. Iceland1-5
6. Slovakia0-6
Group Qualification Gr.B
1. Germany4-0
2. Azerbaijan.3-2
3. Sweden3-2
4. Bulgaria2-3
5. Luxembourg.0-5
Group Qualification Gr.C
1. Croatia4-0
2. Ukraine4-1
3. Hungary2-3
4. Austria2-3
5. Cyprus0-5
Group Qualification Gr.D
1. Georgia3-1
2. Latvia3-2
3. Bosnia3-2
4. Holland2-3
5. Romania1-4
Group Qualification Gr.E
1. Finland4-0
2. Poland3-2
3. Belgium3-2
4. Switzerlan.2-3
5. Albania0-5
Group Qualification Gr.F
1. Italy5-0
2. Czech Rep.4-1
3. Turkey2-2
4. Belarus1-4
5. Portugal0-5

Qualifying Round: Round 6

A

Aug. 30: ISR - MNT 76-81
Aug. 30: SVK - EST 70-84
Aug. 30: SRB - ISL 114-58

B

Aug. 30: AZE - LUX 95-77
Aug. 30: SWE - BUL 85-71

C

Aug. 30: AUT - CYP 77-52
Aug. 30: HUN - UKR 76-78

D

Aug. 30: NED - ROM 80-74
Aug. 30: LAT - BIH 80-64

E

Aug. 30: SUI - ALB 93-84
Aug. 30: BEL - POL 73-87

F

Aug. 30: CZE - BLR 79-72
Aug. 30: POR - ITA 70-82

Qualifying Round: Round 7

A

Sep. 2: ISL - SVK
Sep. 2: MNT - SRB
Sep. 2: EST - ISR

B

Sep. 2: LUX - GER
Sep. 2: BUL - AZE

C

Sep. 2: UKR - AUT
Sep. 2: CYP - CRO

D

Sep. 2: ROM - GEO
Sep. 2: BIH - NED

E

Sep. 2: POL - SUI
Sep. 2: ALB - FIN

F

Sep. 2: BLR - TUR
Sep. 2: ITA - CZE


Stats Leaders

Points Per Game
 Anton GAVEL
  SVK
  (188-PG-84)
  Avg: 24.3
 1. Gavel, SVK24.3 
 2. Teletovic, BIH23.6 
 3. Djedovic, BIH19.2 
 4. Hanga, HUN18.8 
 5. Jerebko, SWE18.6 
 6. Gortat, POL18.6 
 7. Shima, ALB18.2 
 8. Casspi, ISR18.2 
 9. Moldoveanu, ROM18.0 
 10. Mahalbasic, AUT17.2 
Rebounds Per Game
 Orhan HACIYEVA
  AZE
  (200-PF-89)
  Avg: 12.4
 1. Haciyeva, AZE12.4 
 2. Gortat, POL9.8 
 3. King, CYP9.2 
 4. Shima, ALB8.4 
 5. Hysenagolli, ALB8.4 
 6. Talts, EST8.3 
 7. Baeringsson, ISL8.3 
 8. Wright, BIH8.0 
 9. Barton, CZE8.0 
 10. Simmons, BUL7.8 
Assists Per Game
 Zack WRIGHT
  USA
  (188-G-85)
  Avg: 7.2
 1. Wright, BIH7.2 
 2. Satoransky, CZE6.0 
 3. Kudrautsau, BLR5.8 
 4. Sokk, EST5.7 
 5. Koszarek, POL5.4 
 6. Ohayon, ISR5.2 
 7. Teodosic, SRB5.0 
 8. Gavel, SVK5.0 
 9. Grant, SWE4.8 
 10. Jansen, NED4.8 
Steals Per Game
 Christopher RAZIS
  CYP
  (194-PG-89)
  Avg: 2.4
 1. Razis, CYP2.4 
 2. Shima, ALB2.4 
 3. Hanga, HUN2.4 
 4. Strelnieks, LAT2.4 
 5. Jerebko, SWE2.4 
 6. Bashak, AZE2.0 
 7. Jones, LUX2.0 
 8. Haciyeva, AZE1.8 
 9. de Jong, NED1.8 
 10. Elson, NED1.8 
Blocks Per Game
 Viacheslav KRAVTSOV
  UKR
  (212-C-87)
  Avg: 3
 1. Kravtsov, UKR3.0 
 2. Gortat, POL2.2 
 3. Eliyahu, ISR1.8 
 4. Berzins, LAT1.8 
 5. Kikanovic, BIH1.6 
 6. Varbanov, BUL1.6 
 7. Parakhouski, BLR1.6 
 8. Tyus, ISR1.5 
 9. Kjellbom, SWE1.4 
 10. Rindin, AZE1.4 


EuroBasket 2013 Qualifying Round. Day 6 - by Eurobasket News

Group A
Serbia - Iceland 114-58
Seven players score in double figures as Serbia beat Iceland in Day 6 of the EuroBasket Qualification Round. The Serbian side improved to 4-2 record after an easy 114:58 victory. Iceland meanwhile fell at 1-5 record. Serbia erupted with 35-12 in the first period and never looked behind after. The hosts dominated the rest of the game as well and reached 56-point win. Iceland looked good only in the third period that they managed to win 20-18. Nenad Krstic (213-C-83) paced all the winners with 15 points, while Keselj Marko posted 13. Savanovic Dusko netted 12, whilst Nedovic Nemanja and Teodosic Milos had 11 each. Rasic Aleksandar and Erceg Zoran followed them with 10 points each in the winning effort. Sigurdarson Jakob posted 14 points in defeat and Hlynur Baeringsson (197-F-82) added 12.

Israel - Montenegro 76-81
Montenegro step closer to Eurobasket 2013 as they beat Israel for 6-0 record at the EuroBasket Qualification Round in Group A. The favorites needed 81:76 victory to remain unbeaten. Israel meanwhile fell at 3-3 record on the fourth place. Israel celebrated three straight victories before the clash in Tel Aviv, but could not stop ambitious guests. Montenegro took 17:12 after the first period and dominated the second half. They produced 27-24 in the third quarter and won the game due to 23-15 in the lasts stanza. Taylor Rochestie (185-PG-85, college: Washington St.) scored the last two points from the free throw line for the final result. Dasic Vladimir top-scored for the winners with 20 points, while Dubljevic Bojan collected 18 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor Rochestie delivered 15 and Blagota Sekulic (209-C-82, agency: FCM) scored 10. Casspi Omri answered with 20 points and Tyus Alex added 16. Eliyahu Lior had 14, while Ohayon Yogev nailed 10.

Slovakia - Estonia 70-84
Estonia celebrated the fourth victory in 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round Group A. They defeated Slovak Republic on the road to improve at 4-2 record in highly contestant Group A. Slovak Republic fell at 0-6 record after the loss. Siim-Sander Vene (203-SF-90, agency: Alti Sport) came up with 16 points to lead the winners. Estonia scored 21 points in the opening term to take a 6-point lead. The Baltic side maintained the lead throughout the second quarter. Estonia established a 43:32 halftime lead at halftime. Slovak Republic narrowed the deficit at the third term. The hosts outscored Estonia to trail by just 8 points before the fourth frame. However another excellent performance from Anton Gavel (188-PG-84, agency: Pro One Sports) could not rescue the hosts. Estonia erupted for 23 points in the fourth quarter and sealed a comfortable win. Janar Talts (207-PF-83) posted 15 points, 16 boards and 4 assists, while Gert Dorbek added 12 points for the winners. Anton Gavel fired 35 points to lead all scorers. Dusan Pandula (197-SF-84) contributed 11 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Group B
Azerbaijan - Luxembourg 95-77
Azerbaijan open Day 6 with the home victory against Luxembourg. Azerbaijan needed 95:77 win to improve to 3-2 record In Group B of the EuroBasket Qualifying Round. Azerbaijan started the game with 16-13 and added massive 30-23 in the second frame. Both teams scored 22 points each in the third quarter, while the last period was decisive in the game. The hosts added 27-19 in it for the final success. Fuad Niftaliyev (185-PG-80) scored the last five points for the winners to seal a comfortable win with them. Jaycee Carroll (188-G-83, agency: Priority Sports) top-scored for the winners with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Orhan Haciyeva (200-PF-89) erupted with 25 points and 21 rebounds. Aleksandr Rindin followed them with 18 points and Fuad Niftaliyev netted 13. Samy Picard 15, Martin Rajniak (205-PF-78, college: CSU Bakersfield) and posted 15 points each in defeat. Tom Schumacher (189-PG-87, college: Cal.Baptist) had 12 as Luxembourg fell at 0-5 record.

Sweden - Bulgaria 85-71
Sweden clinched the third win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round. They held off visiting Bulgaria for 3-2 record in Group B. Kenny Grant (188-G-82, college: Davidson) stepped up with 19 points for the hosts. Bulgaria fell at 2-3 record after the defeat. Sweden jumped to a 23:19 lead after ten minutes. The hosts unloaded 26 points in the second quarter to build a 10-point halftime lead 49:39. Bulgaria however changed the complexion of the encounter in the third term. They used a 10:2 run late in the stanza to narrow the gap at just 2-point mark 60:62. The Scandinavian side needed an 11:0 run midway through the final frame to restore a safe cushion 80:66. The hosts never looked back afterwards coasting to the victory. Thomas Massamba (185-PG-85) posted 16 points, while Jonas Jerebko (206-PF-87) added 13 points for Sweden. Chavdar Kostov (195-SG-88, agency: Interperformances) answered with 20 points for Bulgaria. Hristo Nikolov netted 15 points in the loss.

Group C
Austria - Cyprus 77-52
Austria celebrated the second success in Group C of the EuroBasket Qualification Round. The team caught up with Hungary at 2-3 record after a home 77:52 win over Cyprus. The latter fell at 0-5 record. Austria opened the game with 24-14 and never looked behind after. They added defensive 14-8 in the second frame as Thomas Klepeisz (185-PG-91, agency: TSS Management) sent the teams to the lockers at 38:22. Cyprus managed to win the third period 22-19 and reduced to 13 points at the end of 30 minutes. Austria however finished with strong 20-8 to seal the victory. Thomas Klepeisz paced all the winners with 15 points and Rasid Mahalbasic (208-C-90) added 14. Sebastian Koch (202-F-88) notched 11, while Nagler Christoph scored 10. Andreas Sizopoulos (193-G-83) replied with 12 points in the losing case and Liatsos Alexandros scored 10. King Anthony followed them with 8 points and 11 caroms in a loss.

Hungary - Ukraine 76-78
Ukraine stepped closer to 2013 EuroBasket. They defeated Hungary in Pecs today to improve at 4-1 record in Group C. Sergii Gladyr (196-SG-88) fired 17 points, grabbed 6 boards and issued 4 assists to pace the winners. Hungary slipped at 2-3 record after the loss. Ukraine opened the game with six points in a row. They stayed in front throughout the opening quarter posting an 18:15 lead ten minutes into the encounter. Sergii Gladyr gave Ukraine a 9-point lead midway through the second frame 32:23. The hosts were able to narrow the deficit at 7-point mark at halftime 30:37. Obie Trotter (188-PG-84, agency: Court Side, college: Alabama A&M) scored eight points early in the third term as Hungary narrowed the gap at a single point 41:42. Artur Drozdov (200-SF-80) and Natyazhko capped the third quarter with four straight points as Ukraine enjoyed a 57:51 lead. However Szabo and Obie Trotter finally drew things level at 67 with under four minutes remaining in regulation. Maxym Korniyenko made it 74:70 for Ukraine. But Horvath kept the home team hopeful with a three-pointer. Zabirchenko and Obie Trotter made it 75:77 with 9 second to. Burtt missed one free throw but Hungary answered with four misses from both Adam Hanga (200-SG-89, agency: TSS Management) and Obie Trotter as Ukraine escaped with the victory at the end. Kornieynko provided 15 points, while Artur Drozdov added 14 points for the winners. Obie Trotter responded with 19 points for Hungary. Adam Hanga had 15 points in defeat.

Group D
Latvia - Bosnia 80-64
Latvia celebrated a comfortable win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Riga tonight. The victory lifted Latvia at 3-2, while Bosnia and Herzegovina slipped at 3-2 record in Group D. Dairis Bertans (192-SG-89) posted 25 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the hosts. Bosnia and Herzegovina led by three points after intense first quarter 19:16. Latvia turned things around in the second frame. They went on a 26:11 rally to establish a 42:30 halftime lead. Latvia mounted the pressure on the visitors in the third term. The hosts cleared off at 17-point distance before the fourth quarter 66:49. Bosnia and Herzegovina held Latvia to just 14 points in the final but could not capitalize losing the battle at the end. Martins Meiers posted 16 points, while Davis Bertans (205-SF-92) accounted for 11 points and 7 rebounds in the victory. Zack Wright and Nihad Djedovic (198-F-90, agency: Beo Basket) answered with 16 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mirza Teletovic (205-F-85, agency: Beo Basket) had 13 points in the loss.

Holland - Romania 80-74
Netherlands claimed the second straight win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round Group D. They held off visiting Romania for 2-3 record. Romania slipped at 1-4 record after the loss. Robin Smeulders accounted for 18 points and 14 boards to lead the charge. Netherlands eked out a 15:12 lead after ten minutes. Romania improved their offence in the second frame. They fired 18 points to cut the margin to a single point 31:30 at halftime. Netherlands opened an 11-point lead midway through the third term. Romania however cut the distance to 4 points at the final intermission 48:52. The hosts restored an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter but Romania did not surrender. Titus Nicoara and Paul put the visitors within two points 74:76 with 9 seconds remaining. Robin Smeulders answered with four free throws in the dying seconds to seal the victory for Netherlands. Rogier Jansen accounted for 17 points and 6 assists, while Henk Norel (214-C-87) added 12 points for the winners. Vlad Moldoveanu (209-F-88, college: American) answered with 21 points for Romania. Titus Nicoara had 20 points and 9 caroms in the loss.

Group E
Belgium - Poland 73-87
Poland outclass Belgium in Antwerp thanks to a great game of Gortat Marcin. The guests grabbed important 87:73 win at the EuroBasket Qualification Round in Group B. Both teams are now with 3-2 record sharing the 2-3 places. More than 4000 fans came to support the local team in Antwerp, but could not help them. Poland took 26-22 after the first period, while Beye Tabu-Eboma (184-SG-85) gave Belgium 45:42 lead at the halftime. Muya Guy brought 51:44 and Beghin Christophe delivered two for 61:55. Koszarek Lukasz and Ignerski Michal however nailed three-pointers for 68:65 early in the fourth. Poland erupted with 25-8 in it for the final success. Gortat Marcin erupted with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Koszarek Lukasz netted 19. Ignerski Michal delivered 18 and Zamojski Przemyslaw posted 8. Beye Tabu-Eboma ended up with 18 points in the losing effort and Beghin Christophe had 13. Yannick Driesen (215-C-88) finished the game with 10, while Muya Guy chipped in with 9.

Switzerland - Albania 93-84
Switzerland outgun winless Albania in Day 6 of the EuroBasket Qualification Round. The Swiss side overcame the visiting side 93:84 in Fribourg. Shima Gerti collected 29 points and 11 rebounds in defeat, while Hysenagolli Endrit added 16 points and 19 rebounds. Ndoja Klaudio scored 14and Karaj Erkand notched 9. Switzerland was rampant during the first half, firstly moving 24-15 in front after the opening ten minutes. They added 26-20 in the second frame and enjoyed 50:35 at the halftime. Albania looked better in the third period and Karaj Erkand reduced to 56:50. Shima Gerti scored 7 points in a row to close the period at 65:62. Gjonaj later tied the game at 68:68, but Switzerland dominated the rest of the game. Petkovic Stefan paced all the winners with 25 points for the second win. Mladjan Dusan delivered 24 points, while Dubas Jonathan collected 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Group F
Portugal - Italy 70-82
Italy stayed perfect in 2013 EuroBasket Qualification. They defeated Portugal in Coimbra to improve at 5-0 record on top of Group F. Danilo Gallinari (205-SF-88, agency: Players Group) provided 18 points for the Azzurri. The hosts suffered the fifth loss in a row at the tournament. Italy silenced Portugal in the opening quarter. The Azzurri went on a 22:9 run to take a comfortable lead. Italy held Portugal to just 10 points in the second quarter to boost the lead. The visitors accumulated a 38:19 halftime advantage. Portugal improved their offence in the third term. They scored 23 points to narrow the gap at 17-point mark. Portugal unleashed 28 points in the fourth frame but just trimmed the deficit at the end. Daniel Hackett (200-PG-87, agency: Two Points, college: USC) accounted for 10 points, while Cinciarini netted 9 points in the victory. Joao Gomes notched 22 points and 10 rebounds for Portugal. Jaime Silva (187-PG-80) had 15 points in the loss.

Czech Republic - Belarus 79-72
Czech Republic celebrated the fourth win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualification. They overcame Belarus at home court to climb at 4-1 record in Group F. Lubos Barton (202-SF-80, college: Valparaiso) accounted for 23 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts. Belarus fell at 1-4 record after the loss. Belarus stunned the home team in the opening frame. The visitors went on a 25:16 run in the first ten minutes. Czech Republic slowed their opponents down in the second quarter. They got within 4 points at halftime 31:35. Lubos Barton helped the hosts take a 39:37 lead early in the third term. The lead changed hands for several times before the home team earned a 57:51 advantage at the final break. Belarus would not go away until the dying seconds. The visitors trailed by just four points 70:74 with just over two minutes remaining. But Tomas Satoransky scored five points in a row to carry Czech Republic to the victory. Petr Benda posted 18 points, while Tomas Satoransky finished with 11 points for the winners. Artsiom Parakhouski (210-C-87, college: Radford) had 15 points for Belarus. Pavel Ulyanko (204-F-79) and Aliaksandr Kudrautsau chipped in 12 points each in the loss.


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


Le Mans and ESSM Le Portel reach the latest victories - by Eurobasket News

Le Mans and ESSM Le Portel reach the latest victories in 2012/2013 preseason.
Last night Le Mans Sarthe Basket (Pro A) overcame Vendee Challans B. (NM1) 76:54. Charles Kahudi (197-F-86, agency: Beo Basket) and Sy top-scored for the winners with 14 points each, while Baptista and Cam Long (193-G-88, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: George Mason) posted 10 apiece. Matthew Pilgrim (203-F-87, agency: KMG Sports Management, college: Oklahoma St.) and Fabien Herard (198-F-79) delivered 9 points each in the losing effort.
EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez (Pro B) and Fos-sur-Mer OP (Pro B) tied the game at 80:80. The latter grabbed 22:21 after the first 10 minutes, while EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez tied the game at the halftime. Pau also had massive 28-13 surge in the third period but could not win the game. Fos replied with 27-12 to tie the score at the end of the fourth period. HACHAD Mohammed scored 15 points for Fos and Chris Davis (195-F/G-80, agency: Court Side, college: N.Texas) as well as Philippe Haquet (199-PF-86) had 13 each. JACKSON C.J. posted 19 points for Pau and Antoine Mendy (198-F-83) delivered 11.
ESSM Le Portel (Pro B) overcame BC Orchies (NM1) 86:80.


Yann Devehat retires - by Eurobasket News

Yann Devehat (205-C-80) officially announced his retirement as professional basketball player. The French center turned 32 few months ago. He spent most of his career with Poitiers. Devehat joined them in 2002 and never left the club. Last season he had 2.8 ppg and 1.8 rpg for 20 games in ProA. He had very limited playing time also 2010/11. Yann Devehat and Poitiers won the ProB title together three years ago and of course they won the promotion for ProA at the same time. In 2009, Poitiers was regular season runner up in ProB. A year before that the team reached ProB Finals. As mentioned above, Yann Devehat arrived to Poitiers in 2002 and they competed in N1 four years. In 2006, they won N1 title and promotion for ProB. In the past, Devehat played for INSEP in N2 and N1. He also played for French U20 and U18 NT more than 12 years ago.


*****************************************************
  GABON   


Disappointment ... - by Rodrigue Olivier Kassa


The U18 team of Gabon in Libreville returned after staying in Maputo (Mozambique) this weekend. She comes home with a bad ranking: 10th out of 11 participating countries.
We hope that this competition rich in lessons allow the National Technical Direction prepare the senior group that will soon enter the playoff zone 4 qualifiers to the Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire ) in 2013.
Strengthened its best international team of Gabon should be present in Abidjan ...


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


Reyes and Coleman in Langen - by Moritz Korff

Two American players have arrived to Langen and are currently working out with the 2. Bundesliga Pro B team. Both P.J. Reyes (196-G/F) and Marcus Coleman (203-F-88) spent this past season in the NCAA Division Two.
Reyes averaged 20.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 blocked shot per contest for Charleston. He was a NCAA D2 All-American by the NABC and also attended the NABC D2 All-Star Game.
Coleman led Washington Adventist University in scoring. He had 21.8 points a game last season plus 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.


EBC Rostock signs American and former Danish international - by Moritz Korff

1. Regionalliga North outfit EBC Rostock has strengthened its roster with two players: Kwame Morgan (190-G-88) and Jens Hakanowitz (204-F/C-80) have joined the Seawolves, while Michael Buse (207-F-80), Peter Maischak (F/C-84) and Robert Schmidt (190-G/F-82) left the team.
Morgan is a 23-year-old guard out of Washington, DC. He spent his college career at NCAA D1 school Hampton and played his senior season in 2010-11, averaging 16.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists per contest.
Hakanowitz, a former member of the Danish Men's National Team, played in his native Bremen until 2009 and then moved to Danmark. In 2010-11 he averaged 13.3 points and 7.0 boards for Basketligaen team Horsholm 79ers. In 2010 he was named Eurobasket.com All-Danish Ligaen Honorable Mention and was picked to play the Danish All-Star Game the following year.


A pair of Americans for Pro A newcomer Leipzig - by Moritz Korff

Pro A newcomer Uni-Riesen Leipzig has signed two more Americans. Nick Freer (198-G/F-85, college: Grand Valley St.) and Chris McClellan (185-G) will play for Coach Ivan Vojtko in the up and coming season.
Freer adds some Pro A experience to the roster. He posted a solid 2011-12 season at Paderborn, averaging 10.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest. In 2010-11 he was named to the Eurobasket.com All-Regionalliga West Second Team, after scoring 25.1 points a game for Salzkotten.
McClellan will spend his first year overseas. The Buffalo Grove, Illinois, native led the Lewis University Flyers in scoring last season, producing 15.7 points a game for the NCAA D2 school. He also averaged 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per encounter and was among the best free throw shooters in the entire division (87.5%). Following his senior season McClellan earned All-GLVC Second Team honors.


Dijuan Harris (LTi Giessen 46ers) My Defense Doesnt Always Get Noticed - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber


Dijuan Harris (175-G-86, college: Charlotte) is a 175cm guard from Charlotte, North Carolina that is starting his third professional basketball season and first with the Lti Giessen 46ers. He is a guard that is super fast and strong point guard. Pushes the ball quick in transition and scores in a variety of ways. Uses ball screens well, and finishes in the lane with his strength. Creates open looks for all his teammates and puts a lot of pressure on the defense when on the fast break. He is a great defender because of his quickness, and beats the offense to the spot because of his great anticipation.Last season, he played for Usak Universitesi Belediyespor (Turkey-TB2L, starting five): 36 games: 14.1ppg, 2.5rpg, 3.4apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 50.9%, 3PT: 23.4%, FT: 72.9%. He played at Charlotte in the NCAA breaking various school records. In his rookies eason in 2010, he played for Salon Vilpas Vikings (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five), left in Nov.'10: 11 games: 19.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 4.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 55.8%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 75.0%. He spoke to eurobasket about basketball.

Welcome to the LTi Giessen 46ers. You will be starting your third professional season and first in Germany afte rplaying in Finland and Turkey. What were the main reasons for coming to Germany Beko BBL league?

There were several reasons in deciding to come to Germany BBL, but the top 2 reasons were because of the competition I would see on a day in and day out basis, and The League is very well respected in Europe.

You arrived in Germany recently landing in Frankfurt which is overwhelming with its big skyline. You are from a city Charlotte, but were you disappointed when you saw the small university town of Giessen for the first time?

No, not at all, I am actually accustomed to seeing the smaller cities in Europe, my first 2 years in Europe I have been in very small towns, so this is actually bigger than the first 2, so another step in the right direction.

What is your first general impression of Germany? What are you really looking forward to on and off the court?

I am looking forward to the competition and the atmosphere on the floor, and off the floor I have become a huge football fan so hopefully I can get to a game to watch Munich play before season is out.

The Beko BBL is a step up from lower leagues in Finland and TB2L Turkey. How ready are you for this challenge and how sure are you that you can step it up at this level?

Its nothing new to me, everybody everywhere put on their shirt and shoes just like I do, and I have been playing against the best since high school, and this is nothing different. Yes, it is a step up in competition, but I feel Like I can compete with the best of them, and I was just looking for an opportunity, and now I have it and I know ill make the best of it. I feel I will have a productive year, individually, and as a team. I am confident in my abilities, and when you work at your craft and you put the time and hard work in you know you ready for the big stage. I work with vets who been there and done what im trying to do such as TERELL MCINTYRE, VINCENT GRIER, ANTHONY MORROW, JUNIOR HARRINGTON, these are top level guards, and a NBA Player who I have either played against or worked out with.

You are a 175cm point guard. You will be teaming up with another diminutive guard Achmadschah Zazai. Have you ever been on a team where both point guards were under 180cm? What is advantage of having two very small guards?

Last time I played with another small guard was in college, It has its advantages but also has its disadvantages, but nonetheless I feel we will be fine, and will hold our own against bigger guards no matter what. I am accustomed to seeing big guards, either guarding me, or I have to guard them. Its just what comes with the territory.

You push the ball quick in transition and scores in a variety of ways. Uses ball screens well, and finishes in the lane with his strength. Creates open looks for all his teammates and puts a lot of pressure on the defense when on the fast break. What is a strength in your game that doesnt always get noticed right away?

My defense doesnt always get noticed, but I play very good on the ball, and passing lane defense.

What is your first impression of head coach Mathias Fischer? What has been your experience with past coaches? What is always the most important thing that you have with your coach?

He is a very open guy, and a proven winner. My experience with past coaches have been great actually, but I feel this will be best yet because he speaks English fluently. It will be a lot easier as the PG to communicate with him and speak with him about on the floor situations that may occur in the game. Its actually 2 things, one being communication and the other being trust. To be able to speak with my coach about everything, and my coach trusting me in tight and close situations, and knowing ill get us in the right set, formation, and put us in position to win.

Last season you played for Usak Universitesi Belediyespor. You were averaging 30 plus minutes in the first half of the season, but in the second half your playing time drastically got reduced. What were the reasons for this?

My minutes dropped because the rule for TB2L WAS ONLY 1 AMERICAN ON COURT AT A TIME, so when other transfer came, THEY PLAYED HIM MORE, CAUSING MY MINUTES TO DECLINE

Doneal Mack has about 20 centimeters on you. What was the most important thing that you learned from him last season?

Well he guarded me a lot during the season in practice and he helped me to get my shot off still against bigger defenders, in 1 on 1 situations where I had to create for myself. He helped me because his length and athleticisim will bother anybody who he guards.

As a rookie, you played in Finland. What was your wake up call as a rookie in that league?

My wake up call in Europe was when I was in Finland and I played my second game there I believe, and we won I had 31 pts, 6ass but only took 14 shots total, thats when a light came on and I knew I belonged and no matter what nobody said I felt like I could play with anybody giving the right opportunity.

You played at Charlotte (NCAA) breaking many records. Who was the most difficult opponent on the court that might be in the NBA now?

There were a few guys that was a tough cover in college actually, as far as size goes, I feel Greivis Vasquez was tough. He had a pretty good game, he knew how to use his size and when to use it. Played within himself and with a lot of confidence, and the other guy would be Stephen Curry because his range on his shot was not like nobody else, and he would raise up from anywhere. He used the ball screen at Davidson very well.

Who would win in their prime if they played against each other. The Dream Team or Team USA 2012?

I would love to see that game, but it would never happen so as a guess I would say Dream Team

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Friday.

Thanks Dijuan for the chat.




Alba Berlin To Retire Wendell Alexis #12 September 15th In The O2 World - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

On September 15th, Alba Berlin will have an exhibition game against FC Bayern Munich in the O2 World arena and before tip off, the 8 time Beko BBL champion will honour ex Alba Berlin icon Wendell Alexis (204-F-64, college: Syracuse). Alexis who was a 7 time Beko BBL allstar played 6 seasons with the team winning 9 titles in all including 6 Beko BBl titles and 3 cup titles. He remains one of the most popular Alba players and his the organization will retire his #12 jersey. Alexis was also a two time Beko BBL player of the year and played 341 games for Alba Berlin and scored 5,922 points. "This is a big honour for me and my family. I will recieve it with much humbleness and be proud since it is very rare that a player is honoured in this form. We are looking forward to visiting our second home, see many known faces and visit many places that remain in our hearts and most of all being with family and friends", stated Wendell Alexis. Alexis was known as the ice man and will only be the second player after Henrik Rodl to have their jersey hanging in the O2 World arena. Alexis will be honoured before the game, sign autographes at half time and will talk with fans after the game. "In the time that Wendell was here, our team grew very much, won many titles and made a name on the international basketball map. Wendel with his class on the court, his will and unique sovereignty was a warrantor for that", stressed Alba Berlin CEO Marco Baldi

Source: ALBA Berlin


Roderick Flemings Joins BG Goettingen - by Miles Schmidt-Scheuber


PRO A club BG Goettingen took a while before getting active on the transfer market, but in the last days have gotten busy and today announced the arrival of Roderick Flemings (203-F/G-87, agency: Interperformances, college: Hawaii). Flemmings is the 5th new player that is a 203cm swing man that was born in 1987 and comes from Dallas Texas. He has extensive experience having played for many schools in the States and will be starting his third professional basketball season. "We are very happy to have gotten such a high class player like Roderick Flemings. He played at Hawaii and had a great college career", stressed BG Goettingen head coach Johannes Roijakkers. Flemmings started his basketball career in 2005 for Oklahoma St. (NCAA): 28 games: 3.1ppg, 2.1rpg. In 2006-2007, he played was at N.Texas (NCAA), but did not play. in 2007-2008, he played at Weatherford JC (JUCO): 20.7ppg 11.8rpg 3.4apg 2.7spg. He finished his college career at Hawaii in 2009 having played two seasons there. In his senior year, he played 28 games: 16.6ppg, 6.2rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 43.5%, 3PT: 24.0%, FT: 65.4%. He played a total of 86 NCAA games for Oklahoma St and Hawaii. He started his professional basketball career in 2010 for La Laguna Socas Canarias (Spain-LEB Gold, starting five): 15 games: 8.1ppg, 3.1rpg, FGP: 56.8%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 65.9%. Last season, he was with Reno Bighorns (D-League) but only in pre-season. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been NABC Division I All-District 6 Second Team -09, All-WAC 2nd Team -09, WAC All-Newcomer Team -09
and, All-WAC Honorable Mention -10
Source: BG Goettingen


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  GREECE   


PAO lands former NBAer Hilton Armstrong - by Eurobasket News

Hilton Armstrong (208-C/F-84, college: Connecticut) is a new member of Panathinaikos Athens. The player announced this news via Twitter today. The American PF/C played for the Los Angeles Clippers at the NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas. He had 7.2 ppg and 6.4 rpg for 5 games. Last season Armstrong spent with French ASVEL averaging 11.1 points and 7.2 rebounds for 29 games in ProA. He was fourth rebounder of the competition and was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-French ProA Honorable Mention -12. He added 10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 1.3 bpg for 11 EuroCup appearances. Hilton Armstrong split 2010/11 season between the NBA teams Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks. Before that, he spent three and a half years with the New Orleans Hornets and half of the season with the Sacramento Kings. With the Hornets he had 4.8 ppg and 2.7 rpg in 74 games three years ago (2008/09). Hilton Armstrong graduated at the University of Connecticut in 2006 and he won the NCAA title with them as sophomore.


Greece organised a fantastic FIBA 3x3 World Championship - by Diamadis Farmakis

In the beautiful Zappeion and its classical Greek columns, the Hellenic Basketball Federation provided a perfect backdrop for the first ever edition of the FIBA 3x3 World Championship. Everyone who was involved, is already reflecting on what is widely considered a resounding success.

Located in central Athens, within walking distance of the Greek parliament as well as the famous Panathenaic Olympic Stadium, it not only drew seasoned basketball fans, but also drew many curious tourists and passers-by as the bleachers remained full, even when the home team was nowhere to be seen

The Olympic spirit prevailed throughout, with competitiveness, sportsmanship and friendship coming together as players from far and wide shared the hotel, the buses, as well as dining tables, stories and Facebook accounts.

It was a first ever not only for the event as a whole, but also for international mixed competition.

Sixteen countries came head-to-head with teams composed of two men and two women, in a straight knock-out tournament that caught the imagination of the capacity crowd.

On the court, France topped the medal table, pocketing gold in the Mixed competition, silver in the Mens and Womens, and bronze in the Skills Contest thanks to Sylvie Guszczynski.

Ukraine, who like France reached the Semi-Finals in all three team categories, bagged bronze in the Mixed and the Mens categories.

Serbia and USA won gold in the Mens and the Womens competitions respectively, while Pirgit Puu of Estonia won the Skills contest, Czech Republics Stanislav Votroubek the Shoot-Out contest and Venezuelan Deivi Aanguren the Dunk contest.

''This was a fantastic first edition'', said FIBA Secretary General and IOC Member Patrick Baumann.

''The players and organisers of this Championship have set a very high standard for those to follow''.

''For this, we must be extremely grateful to the Hellenic Basketball Federation''.

''They have strongly believed in this project from the very beginning''.

''Their enthusiasm spilled over and everyone has absolutely loved this tournament, from the players to the fans, to people who know nothing about basketball''.


I chose Aris Thessaloniki instead of the obscurity of Olympiakos Pireus - by Chris Mammides

Aris Thessaloniki was the right choice could be made at this time for my career said Kostas Charissis, as he admitted the player with a statement today. Olympiacos S.F.P. Pireus offered him more money but the yellows from North gave him the opportunity to have a starring role and solid time in the court.

The 33 year old center-spoke to radio station Libero initially explaining that "I made a choice not based on money but simply what was the best for my career. On the one side i had the proposal of the President of Aris Thessaloniki, Mr. Lefteris Arvanitis, whom I thank, and on the other had the financial offer by Olympiakos, having a secondary role in the team and not so much time in the court. At this age I decided I had to go for the first offer made by Aris, and not to go into a better financially offer which could put an end in my career as an active player in the courts"

For the role of Antonis Asimakopoulos (204-F-76), the international center said: "With Antonis we are friends since we were team-mates in Patras many years ago. Antonis didnt try to affect me positively or negatively, i took the decision by myself. Antonis will be our team leader and he could be leader throughout the A1. "

About the need for support from the world of Aris in Thessaloniki: Kostas Charissis (211-F/C-79) stated "We need to help the Yellow fans to stand by us, because only then will regenerate and rejuvenate the team. Coach Vangelis Alexandris has selected players who will work hard and create a team that will be able to be a protagonist and in a few years to even dare to claim the title. I do not like to talk too much to the media and give any promises; our work will show in the court and at the end of the day we will prove what we succeeded or not. There must be patience and faith from our supporters, there will be bad times, and we will lose some games, at the specific point (on the negative results) we will need our world to back us up. As all the athletes claims I can only promise that we will give all our strength to do the best for our team. "

For the young children and the young athletes, the Greek center said: "When we were inexperienced and rookies in a team, we had our own teachers and we were taught. I believe that we can help the young rookies and the young athletes to help the team. For me, Nikos Boudouris (192-G-71) and Milan Tomic (192-G-72) were were somehow my tutors and teachers in the court.


Kolossos landed Hatten and Panelefsiniakos landed Kamp - by Chris Mammides

One of the top American players of last season's in the Greek courts was without any doubt the American guard Marcus Hatten (186-G-80, college: St.John's). Marcus was one of the top tier players of the Greek league at a whole and one of the major reasons of the amazing third spot for Kolossos Rodou. Marcus Hatten has officially renewed his contract with Kolossos as his agent officially announced earlier today. Hatten's solid game gave to Kolossos in 34 games played the following stats: 11.1ppg, 3.4rpg, 2.3apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 26.0%, FT: 75.4%

Panelefsiniakos agreed financial terms with the American power forward Harper Kamp (203-F-88). The California graduate is a solid player with strong internal drive and high degree of intensity. In his last season in his college he had the following stats as a starting five member: 34 games: 11.6ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 55.7%, 3PT: 14.3%, FT: 76.


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  HOLLAND   


Netherlands defeat Romania for second straight win - by Eurobasket News

Netherlands - Romania 80:74

Netherlands claimed the second straight win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round Group D. They held off visiting Romania for 2-3 record. Romania slipped at 1-4 record after the loss. Robin Smeulders (207-F-87, agency: Court Side, college: Portland) accounted for 18 points and 14 boards to lead the charge.
Netherlands eked out a 15:12 lead after ten minutes. Romania improved their offence in the second frame. They fired 18 points to cut the margin to a single point 31:30 at halftime. Netherlands opened an 11-point lead midway through the third term. Romania however cut the distance to 4 points at the final intermission 48:52. The hosts restored an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter but Romania did not surrender. Titus Nicoara (200-PF-88, agency: Interperformances) and Paul put the visitors within two points 74:76 with 9 seconds remaining. Robin Smeulders answered with four free throws in the dying seconds to seal the victory for Netherlands. Rogier Jansen (188-G-84, agency: Court Side) accounted for 17 points and 6 assists, while Henk Norel (214-C-87) added 12 points for the winners. Vlad Moldoveanu (209-F-88, college: American) answered with 21 points for Romania. Titus Nicoara had 20 points and 9 caroms in the loss.

Netherlands: Robin Smeulders 18+14 boards, Rogier Jansen 17, Henk Norel 12
Romania: Vlad Moldoveanu 21, Titus Nicoara 20


Aris Leeuwarden completes roster with Jerrell Williams - by Fred Roggen

Aris Leeuwarden announced the completion of its roster with the signing of Jerrell Williams (203-F-88, college: La Salle). The Dutch team improved its frontcourt for the upcoming Dutch Basketball league season by inking power forward Jerrell Williams to a one-year deal, the club announced Thursday.
Williams started his pro-career in Israel with Maccabi Hod Hasharon but moved in October 2011 to USC Heidelberg (Germany-ProA), where he averaged 14.3ppg, 5.8rpg, 1.7apg, FGP-2 (65.3%), FT: 54.8% in 24 German Pro-A league games last season.
Williams played college basketball at La Salle University, averaging 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in his senior year.



Pre-Season Interview With Head Coach Jean Marc Jaumin - by Fred Roggen

This week I talked with one of the new head coaches in the Dutch Basketball league, the boss on the bench of Den Helder Kings, Belgian Jean-Marc Jaumin (agency: Court Side ). Jaumin, 42, comes with a unique coaching career path. His first stop after a long playing career was an assistant's job at Duva Gistel-Oostende but after a few months he moved to Belgium powerhouse Base Oostende as an assistant. During the 2009-10 season, Jaumin took over the team at midseason as head coach. In 2011 he reach the semifinals of the EuroChallenge with Oostende. In this interview, we talked about his impressive playing-career and his toughts about his new team Den Helder Kings.

When you were a kid, did you have some sense you would achieve great things?
As a kid I was dreaming about achieving great things but I was small and quit fat. When I was 12 years old I moved to Croatia to live with my grandmother and this was a
turning point in my live.
I started playing basketball in a small town (Karlovac) and was lucky to have a great coach believing in me (Basovic). I worked hard till 6 hours a day and that was the start of everything.

Your playing-career was tremendously impressive, and it seemed to happen all at once. But there were, I'm sure, disappointments along the way. How do you get yourself back on track, when you've had setbacks?
I had some injuries like any other player has at one point but I always worked even harder to get back on the court as fast as possible. Losing finals were also
disappointments but you need to move on, because when you look around, you realize that you are better then a lot of other people. Being able to do what you love, every
day is a gift.

Described the thrill of the roar of the crowd, the chemistry that you feel when you're on the court and it's happening. What does that feel like?
Every team I played for had amazing fans. It's different as a player then as a coach. As a player I was focused on my game, so I didn't hear the crowd all the time, but I had a great interaction with the fans. As a coach I prefer that my players take the credit.

What personal characteristics do you think are important for success?
Talent is not always enough to be successful, hard work is just as important. An over my dead body mentality is very important in basketball. Being athletic is not everything because if you don't understand the game you cannot play high level.

Jean Marc, You had glorious years as a pro. When you look back, what are some of the most thrilling moments for you?
Winning the Korac Cup was one of the highlights. Every final that you win is a top moment and my European selection was something to remember.

What interested you in coaching?
All my life I've been on the court and I never saw myself doing something else then that. As long as I find joy in what I'm doing I'll keep doing it. Like here in Den Helder I like to learn young guys what I know.

How did you get into coaching so soon after playing for so many successful years?
I first started with the youth to see if I was able to find my way as a coach. After that I became assistant of the first team of Oostende and when the coach was fired, they
offered me the chance to be head coach. I was fortunate to work with some great coaches as a player (Ton Boot, D.Bauermann, B.Malkovic, S.Scariolo...) and I learned from each of them something that I use now.

What is the biggest adjustment between playing and coaching for you?
As a player you think of only your own game. As a coach you need to think about every player and there personality.
As a player you practice and go home to rest, as a coach everything starts home with preparing for the next game.

Basketball seems to require not only good fundamental skills but teamwork, toughness and mental focus. How do you try to develop those concepts in your players?
First I try to read their character and take it from there. Some need a "kick in their ass" and others need a more gentle approach. Fundamentals are very important for a player. By making them individually better, you make the team better. I'm very demanding on practice and try to learn them that every practice is a try out.

What's been the biggest coaching challenge for you, with this new team?
I've been hired in Den Helder to make them better, individually. We'll see how the things develop during the competition.

You made a lot of off-season moves on youre squad. How much of that was your input
It's a totally new team and we starting from zero. Some of the players came because of me and others were given to me.

What do you think about the depth of the roster right now?
I'm happy with what I have but there's always room for improvement.

Can you talk about the differences between Holland and Belgium and have they become more equal over the past couple of years?
It's to early for me to make a comparison of the two, but I think teams like Oostende and Charleroi are better because they play Euroleague or Eurocup competition and they have
a bigger budget.

What are your thoughts on the team this upcoming season? Can you give me your thoughts on the coming season?
Like I mentioned before I came here to make young guys better. Everything else is a bonus.

Thanks Jean Marc for the time doing this interview. Wish You and the team a succesful season.


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  HUNGARY   


Ukraine snatch win in Pecs - by Eurobasket News

Hungary - Ukraine 76:78

Ukraine stepped closer to 2013 EuroBasket. They defeated Hungary in Pecs today to improve at 4-1 record in Group C. Sergii Gladyr (196-SG-88) fired 17 points, grabbed 6 boards and issued 4 assists to pace the winners. Hungary slipped at 2-3 record after the loss.
Ukraine opened the game with six points in a row. They stayed in front throughout the opening quarter posting an 18:15 lead ten minutes into the encounter. Sergii Gladyr gave Ukraine a 9-point lead midway through the second frame 32:23. The hosts were able to narrow the deficit at 7-point mark at halftime 30:37. Obie Trotter (188-PG-84, agency: Court Side, college: Alabama A&M) scored eight points early in the third term as Hungary narrowed the gap at a single point 41:42. Artur Drozdov (200-SF-80) and Natyazhko capped the third quarter with four straight points as Ukraine enjoyed a 57:51 lead. However Szabo and Obie Trotter finally drew things level at 67 with under four minutes remaining in regulation. Maxym Korniyenko (204-F/C-87) made it 74:70 for Ukraine. But Horvath kept the home team hopeful with a three-pointer. Zabirchenko and Obie Trotter made it 75:77 with 9 second to. Burtt missed one free throw but Hungary answered with four misses from both Adam Hanga (200-SG-89, agency: TSS Management) and Obie Trotter as Ukraine escaped with the victory at the end. Kornieynko provided 15 points, while Artur Drozdov added 14 points for the winners. Obie Trotter responded with 19 points for Hungary. Adam Hanga had 15 points in defeat.

Hungary: Obie Trotter 19, Adam Hanga 15
Ukraine: Sergii Gladyr 17, Maxym Korniyenko 15, Artur Drozdov 14


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  ICELAND   


Skallagrimur signs Haminn Quaintance - by Snorri Arnaldsson

Haminn Quaintance (201-F-85, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices, college: Kent St.) has signed a contract with newly promoted U.M.F. Skallagrimur Borganes. Haminn Quaintance is the second import for U.M.F. Skallagrimur Borganes for the upcoming season, after Lloyd Harrison (185-PG, agency: Fierce Sports Management, college: Clarion) recently signed an extension.

Haminn Quaintance didn't play last season due to injuries but is looking to get his career back on track. He played one season in Israel and has also played in Australia and Germany. Lloyd Harrison enjoyed a good season with U.M.F. Skallagrimur Borganes in the 1st division, where he managed to score 21.3ppg whilst dishing out 5.1apg and grabbing 6.7rpg.


Seven players score in double figures as Serbia beat Iceland - by Eurobasket News

Serbia-Iceland 114:58

Seven players score in double figures as Serbia beat Iceland in Day 6 of the EuroBasket Qualification Round. The Serbian side improved to 4-2 record after an easy 114:58 victory. Iceland meanwhile fell at 1-5 record.
Serbia erupted with 35-12 in the first period and never looked behind after. The hosts dominated the rest of the game as well and reached 56-point win. Iceland looked good only in the third period that they managed to win 20-18.
Nenad Krstic (213-C-83) paced all the winners with 15 points, while Marko Keselj (206-SF-88, agency: Beo Basket) posted 13. Dusko Savanovic (204-PF-83, agency: Beo Basket) netted 12, whilst Nemanja Nedovic (191-PG-91, agency: Beo Basket) and Milos Teodosic (195-PG-87) had 11 each. Aleksandar Rasic (195-PG-84, agency: Beo Basket) and Zoran Erceg (210-PF-85) followed them with 10 points each in the winning effort. Jakob Sigurdarson (192-PG-82, college: Birm.Southern) posted 14 points in defeat and Hlynur Baeringsson (197-F-82) added 12.

Serbia: Nenad Krstic 15, Marko Keselj 13, Dusko Savanovic 12, Nemanja Nedovic 11, Milos Teodosic 11, Aleksandar Rasic 10, Zoran Erceg 10
Iceland: Jakob Sigurdarson 14, Hlynur Baeringsson 12


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  ISRAEL   


Jacob Pullen on his way to Jerusalem - by Eurobasket News

Jacob Pullen (183-PG-89, college: Kansas St.) will play in Israel. The guard has agreed on terms of contract with Hapoel Jerusalem. The deal is meant for one season. Jacob Pullen was in talks with Partizan Belgrade but opted for the Israeli side after all. The US-Georgian player spent the last season in Italy. Jacob Pullen played for Angelico Biella. He notched 16.0 points, 3.2 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in SeriaA. Jacob Pullen participated at AirTran Orlando Summer League. He notched 19.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game. Jacob Pullen joined Georgian National Team this summer. He plays at 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round. Jacob Pullen averages 16.0 points, 2.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game at the tournament.


Montenegro step closer to Eurobasket 2013 - by Eurobasket News

Israel -Montenegro 76:81

Montenegro step closer to Eurobasket 2013 as they beat Israel for 6-0 record at the EuroBasket Qualification Round in Group A. The favorites needed 81:76 victory to remain unbeaten. Israel meanwhile fell at 3-3 record on the fourth place.
Israel celebrated three straight victories before the clash in Tel Aviv, but could not stop ambitious guests. Montenegro took 17:12 after the first period and dominated the second half. They produced 27-24 in the third quarter and won the game due to 23-15 in the lasts stanza. Taylor Rochestie (185-PG-85, college: Washington St.) scored the last two points from the free throw line for the final result.
Vladimir Dasic (208-PF-88, agency: Beo Basket) top-scored for the winners with 20 points, while Bojan Dubljevic (205-PF-91, agency: Beo Basket) collected 18 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor Rochestie delivered 15 and Blagota Sekulic (209-C-82, agency: FCM) scored 10. Omri Casspi (204-SF-88) answered with 20 points and Alex Tyus (205-C-88, college: Florida) added 16. Lior Eliyahu (203-SF-85, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices) had 14, while Yogev Ohayon (190-PG-87) nailed 10.

Israel: Omri Casspi 20, Alex Tyus 16, Lior Eliyahu 14, Yogev Ohayon 10
Montenegro: Vladimir Dasic 20, Bojan Dubljevic 18+10 rebs, Taylor Rochestie 15, Blagota Sekulic 10


Luther Head will not play for Hapoel Holon - by Eurobasket News

Luther Head (191-G-82, college: Illinois) will not play for Hapoel Holon after all. According to Eurobasket's David Pick, the American unexpectedly decided to opt out of his contract. The team announced his signing few days ago. Head played 33 NBA games for the Sacramento Kings in 2010/11 season collecting 6.1 ppg, 2.1 apg and 1.8 rpg. The player missed last season. In 2009/10, Luther Head averaged 7.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 47 games with Indiana Pacers. Before that, the player had 4.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 2.3 apg for 9 games with Miami Heat, where he finished 2008/09. He started that season with the Houston Rockets, where he arrived in 2005. The Rockets selected Head as 24th overall pick at 2005 NBA Draft. In his second NBA season the player shined with 10.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 2.4 apg for 80 regular season games. Head graduated at the University of Illinois in 2005. Most likely Hapoel Holon will be back on the market soon.


Jerusalem Signs Youngsters Rafi Menko And Adam Ariel - by David Pick

Head Coach Sharon Drucker and Hapoel Jerusalem are one-step away from finalizing their 2012-13 roster.

Today (Thursday), Jerusalem officially signed youngsters Rafael 'Rafi' Menko (Agency: Avi Zilberman) and Adam Ariel (Agency: Avi Zilberman). The two Israeli talents are expected to join the Israeli Defense Forces and play for Jerusalem's senior team throughout their military service.

Menko, an 18-year-old Jerusalem native who played last season in Israel's minor league signed the red-and-white contract for the next 3-years. Menko is a consistent member of Israel's youth national squads and participated this summer in the European Championships U18 Division B games in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), nearly recorded double-double scoring digits of 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Jerusalem's second signee is the 1.95 centimeters Ariel, who also took part in Israel's European Championships U18 Division B in Sarajevo. Ariel, who like Menko signed a multi-year contract with the reds, recorded 3.8 points, 2.8 boards and 1.3 dimes per game.



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  ITALY   


Juve Caserta confirms signing of Akindele - by Eurobasket News

Jeleel Akindele (216-C-83, college: Chicago St.) officially became a new member of Juve Caserta. The Italian squad confirmed his signing today. Akindele most recently played for the Chinese NBL team Jiangsu Tongxi. He had 15.5 ppg, 14.7 rpg and 2.8 apg for 6 games. Last season he started with Spartak Primorie Vladivostok and later finished it with Petrochimi Bandar Imam Harbour (Iran). With Spartak Akindele Jeleel averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds for 7 games in Russian league. The center played for Montepaschi Siena in the second half of 2010/11 season. He played for the club only in Euroleague averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds for 6 games. He started that season with Russian Nizhny Novgorod. In the past, Akindele Jeleel played for Pesaro, Pau-Orthez and in NBA D-League.


Sidigas Avellino announces signing of Nicolas Crow and Paul Biligha - by Eurobasket News

Sidigas Avellino officially announced signing of Nicholas Crow (199-F-89) and Paul Biligha (200-C-90, agency: Players Group).
Forward Nicolas Crow arrives to the club from Orlandina Basket, where he spent last season. The player averaged 12.8 points and 5.9 rebounds for 36 games in Nazionale A. Before Orlandina, Crow spent two years with Brescia Leonessa. In the past, he played for Italian U18 National Team.
Paul Biligha played for Assigeco Casalpusterlengo last season averaging 5.8 points and 4.8 rebounds fro 36 games. In 2010/11 season he was a member of Pallacanestro Pavia. There the player had 12 ppg and 6.9 rpg for 30 appearances. Biligha played for Italian U20 National Team two years ago at U20 Eurobasket in Croatia. He registered 5.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 1.1 bpg for 8 games at this event.


Brescia inks David Brkic - by Eurobasket News

David Brkic (210-F-82, agency: Interperformances) is a new member of Brescia. The team announced his signing tonight. Brkic spent last two seasons with Prima Veroli. In the latest one he had 13.1 ppg and 6.7 rpg for 31 LegaDue games. In 2010/11 the player has slightly lower numbers. Before Veroli, Brkic played one season for Udine collecting 14.2 ppg and 7.5 rpg for 33 games in LegaDue. In 2009/10, he registered 2.7 ppg and 1.7 rpg for 20 SerieA games with Pepsi Caserta. In the past, David Brkic played for Pavia, Fabriano, Ferrara, Rimini and Kinder Bologna. He also has experience from Spain and Austria. In 2010, Brkic was named Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 Domestic Player of the Year.


Cimberio Varese cruise past Galatasaray in Bormio - by Eurobasket News

Cimberio Varese - Galatasaray 81:65

Cimberio Varese played a pre-season clash in Bormio. They took on Galatasaray. The Italian team proved the strength claiming a comfortable win at the end. Bryant Dunston (202-F/C-86) delivered 16 points to lead the winners.
Varese secured a 23:8 lead after ten minutes. The teams traded baskets throughout the second quarter. The Italian side were up by 15 points at halftime 41:26. Galatasaray cut the deficit at 12-point mark before the fourth frame 48:60. However Cimberio Varese picked up the tempo in the final frame and rallied to the victory. Mike Green (185-PG-85, college: Butler) provided 15 points, while Johnson added 10 points for the winners. Henry Domercant (194-G-80, college: E.Illinois) answered with 15 points and 8 rebounds for Galatasaray. Cenk Akyol (198-G/F-87) and David Hawkins (194-G-82, college: Temple) had 12 points each in the loss.

Cimberio Varese: Bryant Dunston 16, Mike Green 15, Johnson 10
Galatasaray: Henry Domercant 15, Cenk Akyol 12, David Hawkins 12


Italy edge Portugal in Coimbra - by Eurobasket News

Portugal - Italy 70:82

Italy stayed perfect in 2013 EuroBasket Qualification. They defeated Portugal in Coimbra to improve at 5-0 record on top of Group F. Danilo Gallinari (205-SF-88, agency: Players Group) provided 18 points for the Azzurri. The hosts suffered the fifth loss in a row at the tournament.
Italy silenced Portugal in the opening quarter. The Azzurri went on a 22:9 run to take a comfortable lead. Italy held Portugal to just 10 points in the second quarter to boost the lead. The visitors accumulated a 38:19 halftime advantage. Portugal improved their offence in the third term. They scored 23 points to narrow the gap at 17-point mark. Portugal unleashed 28 points in the fourth frame but just trimmed the deficit at the end. Daniel Hackett (200-PG-87, agency: Two Points, college: USC) accounted for 10 points, while Andrea Cinciarini (190-PG-86) netted 9 points in the victory. Joao Gomes (201-SG-85) notched 22 points and 10 rebounds for Portugal. Jaime Silva (187-PG-80) had 15 points in the loss.

Portugal: Danilo Gallinari 18, Daniel Hackett 10, Andrea Cinciarini 9
Italy: Joao Gomes 22+10 boards, Jaime Silva 15


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  LATVIA   


Latvia overwhelm Bosnia and Herzegovina in Riga - by Eurobasket News

Latvia - Bosnia and Herzegovina 80:64

Latvia celebrated a comfortable win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Riga tonight. The victory lifted Latvia at 3-2, while Bosnia and Herzegovina slipped at 3-2 record in Group D. Dairis Bertans (192-SG-89) posted 25 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the hosts.
Bosnia and Herzegovina led by three points after intense first quarter 19:16. Latvia turned things around in the second frame. They went on a 26:11 rally to establish a 42:30 halftime lead. Latvia mounted the pressure on the visitors in the third term. The hosts cleared off at 17-point distance before the fourth quarter 66:49. Bosnia and Herzegovina held Latvia to just 14 points in the final but could not capitalize losing the battle at the end. Martins Meiers (206-C-91) posted 16 points, while Davis Bertans (205-SF-92) accounted for 11 points and 7 rebounds in the victory. Zack Wright (188-G-85, college: Central Mo.) and Nihad Djedovic (198-F-90, agency: Beo Basket) answered with 16 points for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Teletovic had 13 points in the loss.

Latvia: Dairis Bertans 25, Martins Meiers 16, Davis Bertans 11
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Zack Wright 16, Nihad Djedovic 16


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  LITHUANIA   


Siauliai add Eigirdas Zukauskas and Arunas Sajevicius - by Eurobasket News

Siauliai continued to work actively on the market. They brought in two new players. Siauliai ensured the services of Eigirdas Zukauskas (202-PG-92) and Arunas Sajevicius.
Eigirdas Zukauskas started the previous season with Statyba Vilnius. He notched 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game in NKL. Later the guard moved to Radvilskis. His stats read 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per appearance. Previously the guard had spells for Lietuvos Rytas junior team, Vilniaus KM-Magnus, Anyksciu Puntukas-Dussman. Eigardas Zukauskas was the member of U18, U19 and U20 Lithuanian National Teams.
Arunas Sajevicius was the member of Siauliai City basketball school Saule.


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  LUXEMBOURG   


Azerbaijan open Day 6 with the home victory - by Eurobasket News

Azerbaijan - Luxembourg 95:77

Azerbaijan open Day 6 with the home victory against Luxembourg. Azerbaijan needed 95:77 win to improve to 3-2 record In Group B of the EuroBasket Qualifying Round.
Azerbaijan started the game with 16-13 and added massive 30-23 in the second frame. Both teams scored 22 points each in the third quarter, while the last period was decisive in the game. The hosts added 27-19 in it for the final success. Fuad Niftaliyev (185-PG-80) scored the last five points for the winners to seal a comfortable win with them.
Jaycee Carroll (188-G-83, agency: Priority Sports) top-scored for the winners with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Orhan Haciyeva (200-PF-89) erupted with 25 points and 21 rebounds. Aleksandr Rindin (225-C-85, agency: Interperformances) followed them with 18 points and Fuad Niftaliyev netted 13. Samy Picard (196-PF-88) 15, Martin Rajniak (205-PF-78, college: CSU Bakersfield) and posted 15 points each in defeat. Tom Schumacher (189-PG-87, college: Cal.Baptist) had 12 as Luxembourg fell at 0-5 record.

Azerbaijan: Jaycee Carroll 26+11 rebs, Orhan Haciyeva 25+21 rebs, Aleksandr Rindin 18, Fuad Niftaliyev 13
Luxembourg: Samy Picard 15, Martin Rajniak 15, Tom Schumacher 12


Darien Green joins BBC Nitia - by Eurobasket News

BBC Nitia signed import player. They agreed on terms of contract with Darien Green (193-F, college: SE Louisiana). The forward was last seen in Mexico. He played for Pioneros de Quintana. Previously he had a stint with Guerreros de Morelos in CIMEBA. Darien Green was CIMEBA champion in 2007.


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  MEXICO   


LNBP set to start - by Alejandro Martinez

LNBP is days away from opening night. This promises to be a very interesting season as the league underwent several changes. First and foremost, the league reduced the number of teams in an effort to solidify the competition. Additionally, the league eliminated the 2 latin player allowance per team and only allows 3 foreigners. This has opened the door for many talented mexican players as the opportunity to play and contribute has increased. This year also marks the return of Guadalajara, a prominent City in Mexico who hadnt participated with a team in the LNBP since Tecos left 3 seasons ago. The league will run through December and then playoffs will start in January. For more information please visit www.lnbp.com.mx


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  MONTENEGRO   


Montenegro step closer to Eurobasket 2013 - by Eurobasket News

Israel -Montenegro 76:81

Montenegro step closer to Eurobasket 2013 as they beat Israel for 6-0 record at the EuroBasket Qualification Round in Group A. The favorites needed 81:76 victory to remain unbeaten. Israel meanwhile fell at 3-3 record on the fourth place.
Israel celebrated three straight victories before the clash in Tel Aviv, but could not stop ambitious guests. Montenegro took 17:12 after the first period and dominated the second half. They produced 27-24 in the third quarter and won the game due to 23-15 in the lasts stanza. Taylor Rochestie (185-PG-85, college: Washington St.) scored the last two points from the free throw line for the final result.
Vladimir Dasic (208-PF-88, agency: Beo Basket) top-scored for the winners with 20 points, while Bojan Dubljevic (205-PF-91, agency: Beo Basket) collected 18 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor Rochestie delivered 15 and Blagota Sekulic (209-C-82, agency: FCM) scored 10. Omri Casspi (204-SF-88) answered with 20 points and Alex Tyus (205-C-88, college: Florida) added 16. Lior Eliyahu (203-SF-85, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices) had 14, while Yogev Ohayon (190-PG-87) nailed 10.

Israel: Omri Casspi 20, Alex Tyus 16, Lior Eliyahu 14, Yogev Ohayon 10
Montenegro: Vladimir Dasic 20, Bojan Dubljevic 18+10 rebs, Taylor Rochestie 15, Blagota Sekulic 10


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  NBA   


Knicks bust Curry works out for Nets - by Eurobasket News

Seeking to fill the lone remaining hole on their roster - a backup center behind Brook Lopez - the Nets could give Eddy Curry (6'11''-C/F-82) a second-chance in New York.

Curry, along with Hilton Armstrong, worked out for the Nets Wednesday, according to Yahoo! Sports. Curry, the much maligned former Knick, spent last season with the Heat, playing 14 games and averaging 2.1 points while riding the coattails of LeBron James to his first NBA title.

Curry, 29, played a combined 10 games in his final three seasons with the Knicks before his contract was used as salary ballast in the Carmelo Anthony deal in February 2011.

Armstrong was part of the Nets free agent minicamp in May, when he earned some praise for his play from general manager Billy King.

What I like about Hilton is hes long and he knows how to play. I think the biggest thing for Hilton is doing it consistently, King said at the time. I think he got better each day. I like his length, because the one thing is its hard to find athletic size in this league.

The 6-foor-11 center from Peekskill in five seasons has played for the Hornets, Kings, Rockets, Wizards and Hawks. He spent last season playing in France.

The Nets have 13 players signed to guaranteed deals for the upcoming season, two short of the 15-player maximum. They also added small forward Donte Greene last week, signing him to a non-guaranteed contract.

The team also is shopping for a backup small foward, after the guy they were bringing to camp, 6-foot-11 Donte Greene, suffered a foot injury that likely includes a fractured ankle. Greenes agent, Chris Luchey, maintains he is hopeful and confident Greene will be a Net this season, although his official signing with Brooklyn is on hold.

I expect him to be a Net, said Luchey, who indicated Greene, 24, a four-season veteran with Sacramento, was headed for an MRI last night. I just dont know when. We dont know how long the rehab will be after his surgery.

The Nets could consider possibilities such as Josh Childress, Sam Young and their own free agent, Damion James.

Courtesy of www.nypost.com


Orlando Magic hire James Borrego, Wes Unseld Jr, Brett Gunning, Laron Profit, Luke Stuckey - by Eurobasket News

The Orlando Magic have named James Borrego , Wes Unseld and Brett Gunning as assistant coaches, General Manager Rob Hennigan and Head Coach Jacque Vaughn announced today.

In addition, Laron Profit and Luke Stuckey have been named assistant coaches/player development, while Gordon Chiesa has been named special consultant to the head coach.

Each coach brings a unique skill set to the staff, said Vaughn. Collectively, this staff possesses a diverse basketball background. We are truly fortunate that these men have decided to join our Magic family.

Borrego spent the last two seasons (2010-12) as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Hornets. Prior to joining New Orleans, he spent seven seasons with the San Antonio Spurs from 2003-10. Borrego started as an assistant video coordinator in the summer of 2003 and finished his tenure as an assistant coach. During those season seasons, he was a part of two NBA World Championship teams in 2005 and 2007.

Borrego began his coaching career at the University of San Diego, where he was an assistant coach for two seasons from 2001-03. During the 2002-03 campaign, San Diego captured the West Coast Conference Championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Borrego played three seasons at the University of San Diego, and during his senior season (2000-01), was named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team. He earned a bachelors degree in English and a masters degree in leadership studies from USD.

Born and raised in Albuquerque, N.M., Borrego led Albuquerque Academy to a pair of state championships.

Unseld spent the 2011-12 campaign as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. Prior to joining Golden State, he spent 13 seasons with the Washington Wizards, including six seasons as an assistant coach from 2005-11. Unseld played a key role in player development for the Wizards, helping Washington to four consecutive playoff appearances from 2004-08. His scouting reports were also vital in the teams game planning and preparation.

Unseld began his NBA career in 1997, just four days after graduating from John Hopkins University, as a professional and college scout for Washington. He was promoted later that same year to advance scout. In addition to his nine-year tenure as advance pro scout for the Wizards, he also spent three seasons (1998-2000) as an advance scout for the WNBAs Washington Mystics. In 1998, Unseld spent part of the season serving as an assistant coach for the Mystics.

A native of Maryland and the son of Hall of Famer Wes Unseld, Unseld Jr. played on the mens basketball team at John Hopkins for three seasons.

Gunning spent the last four seasons (2008-12) in various capacities with the Houston Rockets. He began with Houston in 2008 as the teams director of player development, where he was responsible for improving player performance through on-court, one-on-one skill development and the use of video analysis. Gunning was then named an assistant coach prior to the 2011-12 campaign.

Prior to joining the Rockets, Gunning spent seven seasons (2001-08) as a member of the coaching staff at Villanova University under Jay Wright. During his time with the Wildcats, Gunning played a vital role in recruiting and developing a unit that secured four straight NCAA Tournament berths and made three trips to the Sweet 16. He was named associate coach in 2005 and was recognized following the 2007-08 season as one of the top 25 assistants in the nation by Rivals.com. Gunnings responsibilities with Villanova included on-court teaching, recruiting and scouting.

Gunning was also a member of Wrights staff at Hofstra University for seven seasons from1994-2001. He was a part of a staff that turned Hofstra into an American East powerhouse, posting a 72-22 (.766) record from 1998-2001. Gunning, who assisted with recruiting, individual instruction, scouting and film analysis at Hofstra, was also instrumental in the development of the Pride players.

A native of Broomall, Penn., Gunning graduated from Malvern Prep in 1990 and spent two years as a team manager during his undergraduate studies at Villanova, before accompanying former Wildcats Head Coach Rollie Massimino to UNLV in 1992. He then served as a student assistant for two years with the Runnin Rebels, earning his bachelors degree in 1994.

Profit played in 135 regular season games during his four-year NBA career with Washington and the L.A. Lakers, averaging 3.3 ppg., 1.5 rpg. and 1.2 apg. in 11.4 minpg. He was originally selected in the second round (38th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft by Orlando, but was traded to Washington prior to the 1999-2000 season and never played for the Magic. Stuckey has served as varsity head coach at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas, CA, a suburb of San Diego, for the last four seasons.

Last season, Chiesa served as a consultant for the NBA Development League. He is best known in NBA circles from his time as an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz, a position he held for 16 seasons from 1989-90 to 2004-05. During his tenure, he helped guide Utah to two Western Conference crowns, three Midwest Division championships, a regular season record of 809-471 (.632) and 14 consecutive postseason appearances, including 149 playoff games. Chiesa has also been an assistant coach with Seattle and Memphis, and was the Grizzlies director of pro scouting.

Courtesy of www.insidehoops.com


Wizards sign Webster, Rockets waive Williams - by Eurobasket News

The Washington Wizards have signed free-agent guard/forward Martell Webster (6'8''-G-86), the team announced. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. "Martell brings a combination of versatility and shooting in addition to his experience," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. "Adding him to the roster provides us with another solid veteran presence and gives us flexibility with our lineups at both the shooting guard and small forward positions." Webster, 25, has a career average of 8.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting .374 from three-point range in 394 games. He has played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Veteran forward/center Sean Williams (6'10''-F-86, college: Boston Coll.) was waived by the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, general manager Daryl Morey announced. Williams, 25, was acquired from the Boston Celtics as part of the Courtney Lee sign-and-trade on July 20. He has averaged 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 137 career games with the New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Boston.

Courtesy of www.turnto23.com


Wade returns to court for first time since knee surgery - by Eurobasket News

For the first time since he underwent July 9 arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (6'4''-G-82, college: Marquette) has resumed court work.

Says who? Says Wade.

Tuesday evening, during the break between his charity events this past weekend in Chicago and his upcoming book tour, Wade posted on Twitter:

"Whew..first day on the court since my surgery..oh and that look on my face was b4 the workout started..haa."

Wade then posted a picture (at left) of him working out with Heat assistant coach David Fizdale.

Two weeks ago, while hosting his annual adult fantasy camp on Miami Beach, Wade said he was disappointed that he could not participate in the camp, limiting his competitive interaction to a 3-point contest with the adult campers.

At the time, he said, "I can't start really working out until the first week of September. I don't want to do too much."

Apparently that timetable was moved up a week, leaving him a month of activity before the Sept. 29 start of Heat training camp at AmericanAirlines Arena. Wade exacerbated the soreness during the Heat's push to their NBA Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Wade also previously stressed prudence, which the Heat likely will continue to stress, saying, "The biggest thing is not rushing into anything, take my time. My biggest worry is to be ready Oct. 30. So, obviously, as training camp goes on, I'll work myself into it, as I continue to get stronger, as I continue to work out with my knee."

The Heat open the regular season Oct. 30 against the visiting Boston Celtics, when they will receive their 2012 NBA championship rings. The Heat's preseason opens Oct. 7 against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.
By moving forward with the early-July surgery, it put Wade on track to be back to speed for opening night, but it also removed him from the U.S. Olympic roster.

"Obviously, I had a decision to make," he said at his camp of bypassing the London Games. "If I wanted to, I could have been boneheaded and said, 'No, I'm just going to play in the Olympics' and then get surgery after that or go through the season next year and feel nothing bad happens. But I had to make a smart decision for my career and for the franchise that I made a promise to."

Courtesy of http://articles.sun-sentinel.com


Hawks add Weiss, Atkinson as Drew assistants - by Eurobasket News

Former Hawks coach Bob Weiss is returning to Atlanta as an assistant coach and consultant on coach Larry Drew's staff.

Weiss was the Hawks' coach from 1990-93. He was also head coach with San Antonio (1986-88), the Los Angeles Clippers (1993-94) and Seattle (2005-06).

The Hawks on Tuesday also announced former Knicks assistant Kenny Atkinson has joined Drew's staff as assistant coach for player development.

In addition, former Hawks general manager Rick Sund has been named a senior adviser for basketball operations.

Weiss and Atkinson will join assistants Lester Conner and Bob Bender, and player development instructor Nick Van Exel on the Hawks' bench.

Atkinson was a Knicks assistant the last four years. He previously was Houston's director of player development.

Courtesy of www.cbssports.com


Trail Blazers hire Dale Osbourne as assistant coach - by Eurobasket News

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts has added Dale Osbourne to the coaching staff, it was announced today by the team.

Im very excited about Dale joining our staff, said Stotts. His diverse coaching background and experience at the college and D-League level will be very valuable in the development of our younger players both on the court and off.

Osbourne joins the Trail Blazers from the Tulsa 66ers, where he served as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunders NBA Development League affiliate. USA Basketball selected him as an assistant coach for the 2011 Pan American Games, where the team medaled for the first time since 1999.

Osbourne spent parts of three seasons as an assistant in Tulsa before being promoted to head coach in December 2011. He has also been an assistant with the D-Leagues Utah Flash and Austin Toros, in addition to coaching tenures in the WNBA, CBA and USBL.

In seven years as an assistant at the University of South Alabama, Osbourne helped guide his alma mater to a pair of Sun Belt Conference titles.

Osbourne joins Kaleb Canales, Jay Triano, David Vanterpool and Kim Hughes on the Portland coaching staff.

The Trail Blazers tip-off training camp Tuesday, Oct. 2, in preparation for the NBA season opener vs. the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Courtesy of www.insidehoops.com


Clippers' Griffin 'ready to go' after knee surgery - by Eurobasket News

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (6'10''-F-89, college: Oklahoma) is healthy and ready for the start of training camp. In fact, if the start of camp were moved up to this week as opposed to the actual start date of Oct. 1, he'd still be ready.

"If camp started tomorrow, I'd be ready to go," Griffin said Tuesday. "I could go now if I needed to."

Griffin underwent arthroscopic surgery last month to repair the medial meniscus tear of his left knee he suffered during Team USA's training camp in Las Vegas on July 11, which forced him to miss the Olympics.

"The surgery wasn't one of those things that took a long time (to recover from)," Griffin said. "It was just a matter of getting my strength back and we really took our time with it. I could have been back even earlier than that.

"I just needed to get the swelling out of the knee. That was the biggest battle. There's nothing that needs time to repair or heal. It was just reducing the swelling and getting the strength back in my leg and once I got that, I was out on the court every day."

While Griffin will be ready for the start of training camp, Clippers guards Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups are still recovering from their own injuries. Paul underwent surgery last week to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb while Billups is still recovering from surgery in February to repair a torn left Achilles tendon that put him out for the remainder of the season.

Griffin, speaking at an event to celebrate the 47th birthday of Subway, believes Paul will be back before the season opener on Oct. 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies while Billups could be back soon after.

"I talked with Chris yesterday and I think he'll be back for sure before the start of the season," Griffin said. "Chauncey, I'm not sure. He looks great. He's been in working out and I've seen him the past couple days. He looks really good. He looks like he's ahead of schedule but at the same time, it's not worth it to rush it for him because we do have guys who can fill that void until he is 100 percent healthy."

During the offseason Griffin said he has been working on his mid-range game and his free throws, two areas of concern last season.

"I'm trying to become a more complete player," Griffin said. "I've been working on my shot, working on my free throws, those are two things I've been able to work on a lot because they're stationary."

Paul and Griffin talked over the phone extensively on Monday about their plan for the team once Paul returns to Los Angeles next week. While Paul and Billups will miss most of training camp, they want everyone to be on the same page once the season begins.

"We were just talking about getting guys in," Griffin said. "He's coming back Monday and he'll be in L.A. the remainder of the offseason. So just getting everybody in and even if we can't get everybody to play every single day, it's building that chemistry and building that rapport and we're really looking forward to it.

"Chris is the least of my worries as far as being ready to play. He's pretty much always ready to play and as soon as he's released, he's going to be ready to go."

Building chemistry and rapport will be essential for a Clippers team welcoming in six new players, headlined by Lamar Odom, Jamal Crawford and Grant Hill. Griffin said the offseason acquisitions showed how far the Clippers have come as a franchise, singling out players such as Hill and Billups who essentially chose to finish their careers and chase a championship with the Clippers.

"It's been great to see the Clippers become a destination for free agents in the offseason," Griffin said. "That says a lot about our program and the direction we're going but by no means have we accomplished anything yet, we've just taken a step in the right direction and we have to keep going that way and accomplishing more and more goals.

"This is obviously a great place to play and guys want to come here and the fact that guys toward the end of their career like Grant Hill chose to play here says a lot about our team and the direction we're heading in. It's exciting for us and it's great to be a part of something that's turned the corner."

The Clippers' offseason, however, was upstaged in Los Angeles by the offseason of the Lakers, who were able to land Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Antawn Jamison.

"It's huge for L.A. basketball. It's great for the Lakers and great for the NBA in general to have all those players on the same team," Griffin said. "It's going to be fun to play against them and I'm looking forward to playing against them. It's going to bring a lot of excitement but they still have to play just like everybody else."

Griffin credited the Clippers' offseason in large part to Gary Sacks, the Clippers' director player personnel, who is the frontrunner to replace Neil Olshey as the general manager after Olshey left to take the general manager job with the Portland Trail Blazers. If it were up to Griffin, Sacks would have already been named the general manager by now.

"I think Gary has put in his time," Griffin said. "He's been with the Clippers for a long time and you see the job he did in stepping in for Neil when he left and the job he's done with the program. All the players love him. He definitely has the player's vote for GM.

"If he doesn't get the GM job I'll be shocked and a little disappointed because I think he deserves it and I think everybody else thinks he deserves it. We're behind Gary 100 percent and hope it's going to be him."

Griffin signed a five-year extension with the Clippers that could be worth as much as $95 million this offseason. Next season, Paul will be due for a long-term extension as well. When Griffin was asked what he plans on doing over the next five years of his contract, he smiled.

"Hopefully winning some championships," he said. "That's the plan."

Courtesy of ESPN


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  NCAA1   


Grand jury declines to charge Xavier ex-player Dez Wells - by Eurobasket News

A grand jury has rejected criminal charges against former Xavier University basketball player Dezmine Wells (6'4''-G/F-92), a week after the school expelled him.

A prosecutor said Tuesday that Xavier should reconsider the expulsion, but the school said its decision is final.

Prosecutors presented allegations of sexual assault against Wells to the county grand jury, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said.

"We always take allegations of this nature very seriously," Deters said. "The grand jury declined to charge Dezmine Wells with any criminal offense."

The university last week expelled Wells for what it called a "serious violation" of the school's code of student conduct. At the time, the school gave no details of the violation, but said a conduct board consisting of faculty, students and administrators made the decision.

"I would sincerely hope the institution would revisit this situation," Deters said in a statement.

A Xavier spokeswoman, Kelly Leon, said federal law doesn't allow universities to cede student conduct matters to the criminal justice system, but "requires schools to act quickly" and to rule based on a "preponderance of the evidence." She said its conduct board uses the process that is standard for U.S. universities.

Leon said the conduct board's decision was upheld by an appeal board, and is final.

"I think it's a shame that that's the position that they have adopted," said Wells' attorney, Merlyn Shiverdecker. "The hearing was fundamentally unfair. ... The decision was wrong."

Shiverdecker said the university had rushed to judgment but said Wells appreciated that the prosecutor's office gave him "the only forum where he could get his good name back .... The actions of the grand jury have vindicated him of wrongdoing."

He said Wells loved Xavier, his teammates and coaches but was disappointed and hurt by the allegations and the university's treatment of him. He said other schools have already expressed interest in landing Wells.

Wells started 32 games as a freshman last season and was the team's fourth-leading scorer while making the Atlantic 10's all-rookie team. He would have been the only returning starter for a team that reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. The forward averaged 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds.

He was suspended for four games for his role in an on-court brawl with rival Cincinnati during the season. Wells was among four Xavier players suspended, with Cincinnati also suspending four players.

Deters had looked into possible criminal charges against some players in the December brawl but decided against it.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com


Loyola-Maryland to join Patriot League - by Eurobasket News

Loyola-Maryland will leave the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and join the Patriot League next July, the league said Wednesday.

Loyola is to field teams in 17 sports in the Patriot League for the next academic year. Boston University is to join the league at the same time.

"Loyola University is an outstanding addition to our membership as a private institution with an excellent academic reputation and rich athletic history," said Lafayette College President Daniel H. Weiss, who is chairman of the Patriot League's council of presidents.

"The decision to add Loyola reflects the presidents' commitment to the stability and long-term positioning of the league."

The addition of Boston University and Loyola-Maryland will give the Patriot League 10 full-time members. Current conference members are: American University, Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy.

Loyola had been a member of the MAAC since 1989 and won the men's basketball conference title last spring. The change will leave the MAAC with nine members, including founding members Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan and St. Peter's.

Courtesy of www.upi.com


Northwestern announces addition of Aaron Liberman to 2012-13 roster - by Eurobasket News

Northwestern head men's basketball coach Bill Carmody has announced the addition of incoming freshman Aaron Liberman (Los Angeles, Calif./Valley Torah) to the Wildcats' roster for the upcoming 2012-13 season.

"We are thrilled to officially announce the addition of Aaron Liberman to our 2012-13 recruiting class," Carmody said. "Aaron had a tremendous opportunity to spend a year abroad studying and playing in Israel. He has made excellent strides to develop his body and to hone his skills on the court. He will be a great addition to our revamped frontcourt."
A 6-foot-10 forward/center, Liberman posted averages of 17.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 8.7 blocked shots per game for Valley Torah High School as a prep senior in 2010-11. His blocked shots average ranked fifth in the nation that season as he helped Valley Torah to a CIF Southern Section championship.

Liberman joins fellow incoming freshmen Kale Abrahamson, Chier Ajou, Sanjay Lumpkin and Alex Olah in the Wildcats' recruiting class. Redshirts Tre Demps and Mike Turner will also have freshman eligibility in 2012-13.

Aaron Liberman
6-10 215
Forward/Center
Los Angeles, Calif./Valley Torah

High School: Averaged 17.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 8.7 blocked shots per game as a prep senior ... Ranked fifth in the nation in blocked shots ... Recipient of 2011 John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award ... Helped lead Valley Torah to a 25-5 record and the CIF Southern Section championship, the first Jewish school to claim the section title ... Named Westside League MVP ... Helped lead the United States to a gold medal at the Maccabi Pan American Games in Brazil in January of 2012 ... Honor roll student ... High school coaches were Matt Meisels and Robert Icart.

Personal: Born Aaron Jacob Liberman ... Son of Lenard and Sarah Liberman ... Spent a year aboard in Israel upon graduation from high school.

Courtesy of www.nusports.com


Memphis, Maryland, and now Kentucky on Dezmine Well's radar - by Eurobasket News

Reports on Wednesday indicate that now the Kentucky Wildcats are now in pursuit of expelled Xavier Musketeers star Dezmine Wells (6'4''-G/F-92).

Other schools in the hunt for Wells are Memphis and Maryland. Louisville was serious about acquiring the former Xavier forward but backed out due to lack of scholarships, according to ESPN.com and Scout.com.

Wells' plan was to visit Memphis on Friday and then Maryland over the weekend. With Kentucky now in the picture, circumstances certainly change. During the Xavier Musketeers' season, Dezmine Wells clearly formed his identity as an impact player. If the Wildcats are serious about the "Wells sweepstakes", the defending NCAA champions automatically are front runners.

If Kentucky were to snag Dezmine Wells, he would have to sit out the 2012-2013 season due to NCAA transfer regulations. But since no criminal charges were filed and the Hamilton County Prosecutor has stated that he questions Xavier for expelling him, Wells would more than likely apply for a waiver to play immediately.

"It went as well as it could have gone," Wells said after speaking out for the first time on Tuesday. "I've learned that people can come up with the wrong perception of you, but I'm still thankful of the fact that I can still play basketball and have a chance to take care of my family down the road."

The fan-favorite will certainly be missed by Xavier fans but now he moves onto the next chapter of his basketball career.

Courtesy of www.examiner.com


Missouri extends AD Alden's contract by 2 years - by Eurobasket News

Missouri athletic director Mike Alden has received a two-year contract extension.

The school announced Thursday that Alden's contract now runs through June 30, 2019.

Alden is paid a base salary of $301,917 and may earn up to $777,976 through a combination of salary and performance incentive income. The contract extension doesn't increase Alden's base salary, performance incentives or any other form of income.

Alden has led Missouri athletics since 1998. Before joining Missouri, Alden was director of athletics at Texas State in San Marcos, Texas.

Courtesy of www.sacbee.com


*****************************************************
  NEW ZEALAND   


Corey Webster signs with Breakers - by Hugh McAuliffe

The New Zealand Breakers officially commence their pre-season at their Atlas Place gym today and announced the completion of their roster of 10 fully contracted players and 4 development players (3 contracted), with former Breaker Corey Webster (185-G-88, college: Lambuth) nabbing the final spot on the fulltime list of players.

Webster had been let go by the club following a doping violation that led to a one year WADA imposed suspension. Webster has however reacted in a positive way to his time away from the game, reassessing his lifestyle and long term goals in the game of basketball, a reaction that has been closely monitored by the club.

When the club cut Corey we did so with regret in the knowledge that this could make or break a very promising young basketballer, said SKYCITY Breakers General Manager Richard Clarke.

Corey came through our development and academy programmes before joining the fulltime roster so knew full well the values and high expectations we place on everyone at the organisation. He has had to face the reality of what life could be like if he had basketball taken away and has spent his time out of the game to make a lot of changes in his life. He has worked incredibly hard on and off court over the past 12 months, we are proud of how he has reacted to what could have been a career defining obstacle. He has earned back his opportunity to be a Breaker again.

Webster is grateful for the second chance with the club and wants to repay that faith.

This means everything to me. I know what it was to have it taken away and that was very painful. Basketball is my life and getting this opportunity once again means everything to me. I am only halfway there though, I have to earn the respect of the players and the SKYCITY Breakers family, and I have to prove I have made the right changes.

The mistakes you make dont define you provided they put you on a path to better things. So long as you learn from them, make the right changes and become a good professional I will go some way to proving the club has made a good decision to bring me back.

One of the people Webster had to convince was Breakers Head Coach Andrej Lemanis, and he has been impressed by what he has seen from the 23 year old.

I look forward to having the 'new' Corey a member of the SKYCITY Breakers family. His time away from the game has allowed him to assess what is truly important to him - I feel that he has made some life changes which will allow him to not only be a better basketball player, but a more positive contributor to society. He has done all we have asked of him over the past couple of months.

Other ANBL teams were chasing him, but he has a burning ambition to be a SKYCITY Breaker and put things right. We asked him do a number of things, with no promise of a contract - he jumped through every hoop without question. He wants to play basketball, he wants to be a Breaker, and importantly, now understands what that actually means.
While Lemanis has been convinced to bring Webster back into the fold, he makes it clear the job is far from done.

There's no doubt he will have to win the trust of everyone in the Breaker family - this can only be done with actions. Obviously we believe Corey has made the changes necessary to be given another opportunity. For us, it's now a case of moving forward - nothing else needs to be said, it's now in the doing!

On court, Corey is a natural scorer. He has a unique ability to put the ball in the basket. He can play both shooting guard and point guard positions which fits well with our strategy of having multiple ball handlers in the back court. He will arrive in great shape after having spent two months in China under the tutelage of Brian Goorjian and his staff - we expect Corey to come in and contribute immediately. He knows the Breaker way - doing what it takes to make the team better - we look forward to discovering how best he will help this group.

Of the entire roster now it is assembled, Lemanis is enthused by the group and the season ahead.

The coaching staff are pleased with the group we have put together. It is a new season and we have to establish who we are and how this group fits together and the synergies and chemistry required to best utilise everyones talents. That is the excitement of the pre-season, seeing how that evolves over the first couple of months of the year.

We have a good mix of youth and experience and there is a clear desire and drive in the group to push for a championship. But as we know at the SKYCITY Breakers that means one day at a time and getter better one day at a time throughout the season.

The depth in the sport is again evident in the quality of young players given the opportunity to further their careers with Development Player contracts. 22 year old Josh Bloxham returns to offer depth in the guard position and a genuine option from the bench while highly regarded teenager Reuben Te Rangi and 21 year old swingman Morgan Natanahira both progress from the Academy and into the roster with Development contracts. Tai Webster is in an un-contracted role given his pending departure to the American Collegiate system, which prohibits him taking a contracted spot on the roster.

SKYCITY Breakers 2012/13 Roster
Cedric Jackson Point guard
CJ Bruton Guard
Corey Webster Guard
Daryl Corletto Guard
Tom Abercrombie Swingman
Leon Henry Swingman
Mika Vukona Forward
Dillon Boucher Forward
Will Hudson Forward/Centre
Alex Pledger Centre

Development Players
Josh Bloxham Point guard
Reuben Te Rangi Power forward
Morgan Natanahira Swingman

Non Contracted Development Player
Tai Webster Point Guard


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


Juve Caserta confirms signing of Akindele - by Eurobasket News

Jeleel Akindele (216-C-83, college: Chicago St.) officially became a new member of Juve Caserta. The Italian squad confirmed his signing today. Akindele most recently played for the Chinese NBL team Jiangsu Tongxi. He had 15.5 ppg, 14.7 rpg and 2.8 apg for 6 games. Last season he started with Spartak Primorie Vladivostok and later finished it with Petrochimi Bandar Imam Harbour (Iran). With Spartak Akindele Jeleel averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds for 7 games in Russian league. The center played for Montepaschi Siena in the second half of 2010/11 season. He played for the club only in Euroleague averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds for 6 games. He started that season with Russian Nizhny Novgorod. In the past, Akindele Jeleel played for Pesaro, Pau-Orthez and in NBA D-League.


*****************************************************
  PARAGUAY   


CERRO wins 76th METRO LEAGUE - by Santiago Maciel





El profesional uruguayo indic, en conversacin exclusiva con ABC Color, que atendiendo la situacin de la Albirroja en la tabla de posiciones se debe apuntar primero a pensar en el quinto puesto para pelear por el repechaje a la clasificacin al Mundial.

Cambia, porque ellos por ejemplo tienen un tridente en ofensiva que es mortal. Los ratos que han jugado ahora, se enchufan esos tres y te matan. De tres le falta uno, el ajedrez se le resquebraj, sentenci.

(Sabella) Tendr que mover las piezas y mover las piezas en un rompecabezas armado y que funcionaba bien, no es fcil, pero l es inteligente y sabr qu hacer, puntualiz.


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

Standings - 2 Liga

2Liga Standings
Group A
 1. Basket Pila 0-0 
 2. GTK Gdynia 0-0 
 3. Korsarz Gdansk 0-0 
 4. Ksiezak Lowicz 0-0 
 5. MKS Skierniew. 0-0 
 6. Notec 0-0 
 7. SMS PZKosz 0-0 
 8. Suchy Las 0-0 
 9. Trefl II Sopot 0-0 
 10. Wilki Morskie 0-0 
Group B
 1. Alba Chorzow 0-0 
 2. AZS AWF K-ce 0-0 
 3. GTK Gliwice 0-0 
 4. HK Zory 0-0 
 5. Mickiewicz 0-0 
 6. Nysa Klodzko 0-0 
 7. Pogon Prudnik 0-0 
 8. Sudety 0-0 
 9. Tychy 0-0 
 10. WKK Wroclaw 0-0 
 11. Wschowa 0-0 
Group C
 1. AZS AGH Alstom 0-0 
 2. Handlopex AZS 0-0 
 3. Legia 0-0 
 4. MCKiS Jaworz. 0-0 
 5. Novum Lublin 0-0 
 6. Pulaski Warka 0-0 
 7. PWiK Piaseczno 0-0 
 8. Rosa II Radom 0-0 
 9. Tur Bielsk Pdl. 0-0 
 10. Wisla AWF Kr. 0-0 

Regular Season: Round 1

A

Oct. 6: Trefl II Sopot - SMS PZKosz
Oct. 6: GTK Gdynia - MKS Skierniew.
Oct. 6: Korsarz Gdansk - Notec
Oct. 6: Ksiezak Lowicz - Suchy Las
Oct. 6: Basket Pila - Wilki Morskie

B

Oct. 6: WKK Wroclaw - Nysa Klodzko
Oct. 6: Wschowa - Mickiewicz
Oct. 6: Alba Chorzow - HK Zory
Oct. 6: Pogon Prudnik - Tychy
Oct. 6: AZS AWF K-ce - GTK Gliwice

C

Oct. 6: Rosa II Radom - AZS AGH Alstom
Oct. 6: PWiK Piaseczno - Tur Bielsk Pdl.
Oct. 6: Novum Lublin - Wisla AWF Kr.
Oct. 6: Legia - Pulaski Warka
Oct. 6: Handlopex AZS - MCKiS Jaworz.


Poland outclass Belgium in Antwerp - by Eurobasket News

Belgium-Poland 73:87

Poland outclass Belgium in Antwerp thanks to a great game of Marcin Gortat (213-C-84). The guests grabbed important 87:73 win at the EuroBasket Qualification Round in Group B. Both teams are now with 3-2 record sharing the 2-3 places.
More than 4000 fans came to support the local team in Antwerp, but could not help them. Poland took 26-22 after the first period, while Beye Tabu-Eboma (184-SG-85) gave Belgium 45:42 lead at the halftime. Guy Muya (190-PG-83, agency: TSS Management) brought 51:44 and Christophe Beghin (207-F-80, agency: Court Side) delivered two for 61:55. Lukasz Koszarek (187-PG-84) and Michal Ignerski (207-F-80, agency: Stanley International, college: Mississippi St.) however nailed three-pointers for 68:65 early in the fourth. Poland erupted with 25-8 in it for the final success.
Marcin Gortat erupted with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Lukasz Koszarek netted 19. Michal Ignerski delivered 18 and Przemyslaw Zamojski (194-SG-86, agency: Alti Sport, college: Independence CC) posted 8. Beye Tabu-Eboma ended up with 18 points in the losing effort and Christophe Beghin had 13. Yannick Driesen (215-C-88) finished the game with 10, while Guy Muya chipped in with 9.

Belgium: Beye Tabu-Eboma 18, Christophe Beghin 13, Yannick Driesen 10, Guy Muya 9
Poland: Marcin Gortat 29+10 rebs, Lukasz Koszarek 19, Michal Ignerski 18, Przemyslaw Zamojski 8


Wins for Polpharma and Trefl Sopot - by Eurobasket News

Polpharma overcame AZS Koszalin 66:57 in pre-season clash. Kacper Radwanski (189-G/F-94) delivered 17 points to lead the charge. AZS Koszalin were up by 4 points after ten minutes but Polpharma erased the deficit and ensured a 29:27 halftime lead. The Starogard team extended the margin to 12 points before the fourth frame. Polpharma stayed in charge throughout the final quarter and sealed the victory at the end. Ben McCauley (206-F/C-86, college: N.Carolina St.) finished with 11 points, while Marcin Nowakowski (184-PG-89) and Lukasz Majewski (199-F-82) had 8 points each for the winners. Jeff Robinson (198-F-88, college: Seton Hall), Bartlomiej Woloszyn (196-F-86) and Pawel Leonczyk (202-F-86, agency: Promotex) chipped in 12 points each for AZS Koszalin.
Trefl Sopot defeated AZS Kutno 70:62 in another pre-season battle. Mateusz Jarmakowicz (208-C/F-88) stepped up with 14 points for Trefl Sopot. Sime Spralja (206-F/C-83, agency: Court Side) knocked down 13 points, while Filip Dylewicz (202-F-80) contributed 12 points in the winning case.


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  PORTUGAL   


NT point guard Mario Fernandes moves to Sweden - by Eurobasket News

Mario Fernandes (174-PG-82) will continue his career in Sweden. The Portuguese National Team point guard signed a deal with Jamtland Basket. They compete in Swedish top division for men - Basketligan. Fernandes heads to his new club from CAB Madeira, where he spent last 3 seasons. In the latest one the PG had 13 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2.3 spg and 2.5 rpg in 24 LPB games. He was top assistant of the league and No.2 in steals. Fernandes was named Eurobasket.com All-Portuguese League Guard of the Year -12. Before CAB Madeira Mario Fernandes played for Ovarense Aerosoles, Plasencia and Balneario Archena. He is active member of the Portuguese National Team since 2007. The player averages 8 points and 2.7 assists after 3 games in 2013 EuroBasket Qualifications.


Italy edge Portugal in Coimbra - by Eurobasket News

Portugal - Italy 70:82

Italy stayed perfect in 2013 EuroBasket Qualification. They defeated Portugal in Coimbra to improve at 5-0 record on top of Group F. Danilo Gallinari (205-SF-88, agency: Players Group) provided 18 points for the Azzurri. The hosts suffered the fifth loss in a row at the tournament.
Italy silenced Portugal in the opening quarter. The Azzurri went on a 22:9 run to take a comfortable lead. Italy held Portugal to just 10 points in the second quarter to boost the lead. The visitors accumulated a 38:19 halftime advantage. Portugal improved their offence in the third term. They scored 23 points to narrow the gap at 17-point mark. Portugal unleashed 28 points in the fourth frame but just trimmed the deficit at the end. Daniel Hackett (200-PG-87, agency: Two Points, college: USC) accounted for 10 points, while Andrea Cinciarini (190-PG-86) netted 9 points in the victory. Joao Gomes (201-SG-85) notched 22 points and 10 rebounds for Portugal. Jaime Silva (187-PG-80) had 15 points in the loss.

Portugal: Danilo Gallinari 18, Daniel Hackett 10, Andrea Cinciarini 9
Italy: Joao Gomes 22+10 boards, Jaime Silva 15


CAB Madeira bring in Jose Costa and Jason Smith - by Eurobasket News

CAB Madeira announced two new signings. They landed Jose Costa (187-G-73) and Jason Smith (183-G-83, agency: Fierce Sports Management, college: Al.-Huntsville).
Jose Costa was the member of Porto Ferpinta team last season. The experienced guard notched 4.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.0 rebound per game in LPB. Previously Jose Costa had stints with Ginasio, Esgueira, Illibaum. Jose Costa also played for CAB Madeira back in 2007/08 season. He was the member of Portuguese National Team in 1995/2011 seasons.
Jason Smith played in Germany last season. The guard was the member of Schwelmer Baskets roster. Jason Smith averaged 19.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game in ProB. Jason Smith also used to play for CAB Madeira. He had a stint with the team back in 2008/09 season. He participated at LPB All-Star Game that season. Jason Smith was named All-Portuguese League Guard of the Year in 2009.


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


Obras Sanitarias signs David Huertas - by Eurobasket News

David Huertas (195-G-87, college: Mississippi) will continue his career in Argentina. The Puerto Rican National Team guard penned a 1-year deal with Obras Sanitarias. They compete in Argentinean top division for men - LigaA. Huertas most recently played for Metros de Santiago (Dominican Republic, LNB), where he joined in July and left the club earlier this month. Before that, Huertas played for Pirates de Quebradillas. While playing 34 games for Quebradillas last season he recorded 14.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 2.1apg. He helped them to make it to the final. It was a very successful year in Huertas career as he was voted to Latinbasket.com All-Puerto Rican BSN Honorable Mention. Huertas is a very experienced player. He played also pro basketball in France, Greece and Venezuela. Huertas graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2009 and it will be his fourth season in pro basketball. Huertas played for Puerto Rican senior national team this year. He represented Puerto Rico at the Olympic Games Additional Qualifying Round in Caracas (Venezuela) this year and his stats at this event were 3 games: 5.3ppg, 2.7rpg, FGP: 16.7%, 3PT: 30.8%. David Huertas helped Puerto Rico to win the silver medal at 2012 CentroBasket in San Juan averaging 16.5 points and 2.8 rebounds for 6 games. He was named Latinbasket.com All-Centrobasket Best Guard -12. In 2010, Huertas won the gold medal with Puerto Rico at CentroBasket in Santo Domingo.


*****************************************************
  QATAR   


Qatar enjoy the friendly games in Lithuania - by Eurobasket News

Qatar enjoy the friendly games in Lithuania agianst the European representatives.
Dnipro overcame Qatar 82:64 in Lithuania. The Ukrainian team grabbed 18-7 in the opening period and led 23:13 after the first quarter. They managed to keep 10-point lead early in the second and had 37:27 advantage at the halftime. Qatar dominated the third period and managed to reduce to just 3 points after 23-16 in it. Dnipro however pushed the tempo for good in the last stanza and won the game. Daniel Kickert (208-C/F-83, college: St.Mary's, CA) top-scored for the winners with 18 points and Valdas Vasylius (203-F-83, college: ODU) as well as Low Derrick notched 14 each. Arfan replied with 14 points in defeat and Abdullah Ali Mohammed posted 9.
Lithuanian LKKA Atletas lost to Qatar team 85:87. The European side looked better in the first period and stormed with 29-11. Later on the court was dominated by the guests. Qatar won the second period 24-14 and added 22-17 in the second frame. Moreover the Qatari team produced 30-25 in the last period to seal the victory. Tray Marzung top-scored for the winners with 34 points and Artan Holding netted 18. Khalid Suliman (198-G/F-87) followed them with 9 points. Vidmantas Sragauskis (200-F-86) replied with 24 points in defeat and Sarunas Vingelis notched 20. Taurantas Tamosiunas (189-PG-92) scored 19, while Paulius Malasauskas delivered 9.


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


Timba Timisoara beats U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca in pre-season game, 75-70 - by Eurobasket News

Timba Timisoara - U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca 75-70

Timba Timisoara and U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca played a friendly game this week. Division A newcomer celebrated 75-70 victory in this meeting. They shined in Q3 (26-15) and later managed to keep the lead for rest of the way. Bosko Stojakovic (196-G-84) was a key player in Timba. He spent 29 minutes on the court and scored 22 points. Rickey Huckaby (188-G-83, college: Tex.A&M-Kingsv.) followed him with 17 points and was the last Timba player with double digits in scoring. Petru Czmor (202-F-79) helped with 8 pts. In the loosing squad, Sean Barnette (198-F-86, college: Wingate) shined with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. He spent all 40 minutes on the court. John Ofoegbu (206-C-84, college: Idaho St.) had 21 points and 9 rebounds, while Milos Petkovic (201-F/C-91, agency: Global Sports Plaza) added 13 pts, plus 6 boards. Both teams will play more friendly games this week.

Timba Timisoara: Bosko Stojakovic 22, Rickey Huckaby 17, Petru Czmor 8
U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca: Sean Barnette 24+10 boards+5 as, John Ofoegbu 21+9 boards, Milos Petkovic 13


U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca brings in Derek Wright - by Eurobasket News

U Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca brought in American point guard Derek Wright (175-G-86, college: Austin Peay St.). The team announced that Steve Ross and Tyler Morris will be out of the court for a while due to injuries. Both players will undergo knee surgery soon. Wright spent last season in Czech Republic. He started it with Levharti Chomutov averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals in 24 NBL games. The player moved to Nova Hut Ostrava after that adding 11.6 ppg, 4.6 apg, 3.8 rpg and 2.1 spg in 24 appearances. He was named to Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. League 1st Team -12 and Eurobasket.com Czech Rep. League All-Imports Players Team -12. In 2010/11 season Derek Wright played for BK JIP Pardubice. There he had 9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.8 spg in 40 games. He was a member of BK Synthesia Pardubice in 2009/10 and it was his first season as a pro. Derek Wright is a product of Austin Peay State University, where he graduated in 2008.


Netherlands defeat Romania for second straight win - by Eurobasket News

Netherlands - Romania 80:74

Netherlands claimed the second straight win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round Group D. They held off visiting Romania for 2-3 record. Romania slipped at 1-4 record after the loss. Robin Smeulders (207-F-87, agency: Court Side, college: Portland) accounted for 18 points and 14 boards to lead the charge.
Netherlands eked out a 15:12 lead after ten minutes. Romania improved their offence in the second frame. They fired 18 points to cut the margin to a single point 31:30 at halftime. Netherlands opened an 11-point lead midway through the third term. Romania however cut the distance to 4 points at the final intermission 48:52. The hosts restored an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter but Romania did not surrender. Titus Nicoara (200-PF-88, agency: Interperformances) and Paul put the visitors within two points 74:76 with 9 seconds remaining. Robin Smeulders answered with four free throws in the dying seconds to seal the victory for Netherlands. Rogier Jansen (188-G-84, agency: Court Side) accounted for 17 points and 6 assists, while Henk Norel (214-C-87) added 12 points for the winners. Vlad Moldoveanu (209-F-88, college: American) answered with 21 points for Romania. Titus Nicoara had 20 points and 9 caroms in the loss.

Netherlands: Robin Smeulders 18+14 boards, Rogier Jansen 17, Henk Norel 12
Romania: Vlad Moldoveanu 21, Titus Nicoara 20


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


Spartak-Primorie earn pre-season win - by Eurobasket News

Spartak-Primorie - Zlatogor 75:68

Spartak-Primorie took on Zlatogor from Slovenia during the training camp in Croatia. The Russian team claimed a 75:68 victory. Troy Gillenwater (205-F-88, college: N.Mexico St.) delivered 16 points to lead the winners.
Spartak-Primorie led by five points after ten minutes of action 20:15. The Russian team stretched the lead to 9 points at halftime 40:31. Spartak maintained the lead throughout the third term. They ensured an 11-point buffer heading into the fourth stanza. Zlatogor held their opponents to 12 points in the fourth frame and narrowed the margin. But Spartak-Primorie stayed calm and executed the victory to perfection at the end. Konstantin Nesterov (205-F/C-81, college: VCU) knocked down 15 points, while Artem Zabelin (215-F/C-88, agency: RU-Basket Management) contributed 13 points for the winners. Miha Lapornik (192-G-93) answered with 19 points for Zlatogor. Sasa Mucic (202-F-83) had 15 points in the losing effort.

Spartak-Primorie: Troy Gillenwater 16, Konstantin Nesterov 15, Artem Zabelin 13
Zlatogor: Miha Lapornik 19, Sasa Mucic 15


Micah Downs will not play for Nizhny Novgorod - by Eurobasket News

Micah Downs (203-G-86, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) will not play for Nizhny Novgorod in the upcoming season. The player has reached an agreement on terms of contract termination with Nizhny Novgorod. The family reasons have been quoted as the reason for the decision.
Micah Downs joined Nizhny Novgorod in August. Last season the guard spent with Manresa. He tallied 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in ACB. He was named into All-Spanish LEB Gold 2nd Team. The guard participated at NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas. Micah Downs notched 2.8 points per game for the Dallas Mavericks. Micah Downs had stints with KK Zadar, Leuven Bears and Autocid Ford Burgos before joining Manresa.


Maksym Kolyushkin and Maxim Tkachenko join Lokomotiv Kuban - by Eurobasket News

Maksym Kolyushkin (194-G-90) and Maxim Tkachenko (183-PG-92) join Lokomotiv Kuban for the next season. The junior players come to the main squad.
Maksym Kolyushkin appeared for Lokomotiv Rostov U23 in 2008. In 2009-2011 he remained with the team and then in 2011-2012 played for Lokomotiv Kuban (PBL). In Russian League his stats read 2.2ppg, 1.0rpg.
Maxim Tkachenko played for Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar U23 (U23 Youth League, starting five) since year 2010. In 2011-2012 he played mostly for Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar U23 (U23 Youth League, starting five) but appeared also for Lokomotiv Kuban (PBL). As a member of the U20 National team he participated at the European Championships U20 in Bilbao (Spain) in 2011. In 9 games he showed 2.4ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.9apg.
Both players reached Eurocup Quarterfinals -12, VTB United League Semifinals -12 and Russian PBL Semifinals -12.


Lokomotiv Kuban destroy Dnipro in friendly - by Eurobasket News

Lokomotiv Kuban - Dnipro 97:68

Lokomotiv Kuban played another pre-season encounter. They took on Ukrainian Dnipro. The Krasnodar team celebrated a comfortable victory at the end. Nick Calathes (198-G-89, college: Florida) and Valery Likhodey (205-F-86) came up with 15 points each to lead the winners.
Lokomotiv erupted for 33 points in the starting quarter to take a 13-point lead. They stretched the margin to 16 points in the second quarter 54:38. Lokomotiv kept their opponents at bay throughout the third quarter. They piled up a 24-point cushion heading into the fourth stanza. Dnipro could not recover in the final quarter as Lokomotiv celebrated a confident win. Maksym Kolyushkin (194-G-90) netted 14 points, while Shukhovtsov added 11 points for Lokomotiv. Valdas Vasylius (203-F-83, college: ODU) answered with 15 points and 11 boards for Dnipro. Mykola Vilkhovetskyi (191-G-88) had 14 points in defeat.

Lokomotiv Kuban: Nick Calathes 15, Valery Likhodey 15, Maksym Kolyushkin 14
Dnipro: Valdas Vasylius 15+11 boards, Mykola Vilkhovetskyi 14


Spartak-Primorie add Kyle Goldcamp - by Eurobasket News

Spartak-Primorie bolstered their frontcourt. They added Kyle Goldcamp (208-F-86, college: Gannon) to the squad. Spartak-Primorie will become the first overseas team for the forward. Kyle Goldcamp spent the last three seasons in D-League. He played for the Erie Bay Hawks. Last season Kyle Goldcamp notched 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 block per game in D-League. He participated at NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas in July. The forward posted 2.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the New York Knicks. Kyle Goldcamp gradyated from Gannon in 2009. He was named into NABC NCAA D2 All-America Atlantic District 2nd Team.


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


Crvena Zvezda inks long term deal with Radoslav Pekovic - by Eurobasket News

Crvena Zvezda announced signing of a long term deal with Radoslav Pekovic (211-C-94). It is the first pro deal for the player. Pekovic arrives to the club from Slovenian Geoplin Slovan. He played for their juniors last season. Pekovic was on the list of candidates for Serbian U18 NT this summer.


Seven players score in double figures as Serbia beat Iceland - by Eurobasket News

Serbia-Iceland 114:58

Seven players score in double figures as Serbia beat Iceland in Day 6 of the EuroBasket Qualification Round. The Serbian side improved to 4-2 record after an easy 114:58 victory. Iceland meanwhile fell at 1-5 record.
Serbia erupted with 35-12 in the first period and never looked behind after. The hosts dominated the rest of the game as well and reached 56-point win. Iceland looked good only in the third period that they managed to win 20-18.
Nenad Krstic (213-C-83) paced all the winners with 15 points, while Marko Keselj (206-SF-88, agency: Beo Basket) posted 13. Dusko Savanovic (204-PF-83, agency: Beo Basket) netted 12, whilst Nemanja Nedovic (191-PG-91, agency: Beo Basket) and Milos Teodosic (195-PG-87) had 11 each. Aleksandar Rasic (195-PG-84, agency: Beo Basket) and Zoran Erceg (210-PF-85) followed them with 10 points each in the winning effort. Jakob Sigurdarson (192-PG-82, college: Birm.Southern) posted 14 points in defeat and Hlynur Baeringsson (197-F-82) added 12.

Serbia: Nenad Krstic 15, Marko Keselj 13, Dusko Savanovic 12, Nemanja Nedovic 11, Milos Teodosic 11, Aleksandar Rasic 10, Zoran Erceg 10
Iceland: Jakob Sigurdarson 14, Hlynur Baeringsson 12


Aleksandar Petrovic moves to Turkey, Matovic his replacement - by Zoran Popovic

BKK Radnicki Beograd center Aleksandar Petrovic (204-C-87) will continue career in Turkey. Petrovic signs contract with Darusafaka for next season. Last season Petrovic on 40 games in Serbian championship average scored 15.1 points, 7.0 boards, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. During the career Petrovic played for Viva Basket, Smederevo and KG 06.
I
n the same time young Stefan Matovic (203-G-91) will replace Petrovic in BKK Radnicki. Last season Markovic on 36 games for Mega Vizura in Serbian championship average scored 5.6 points, 4.1 boards and 1.1 assists per game. During the career Matovic played for KK Sloga Kraljevo and Mega Vizura.


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  SLOVAKIA   


Estonia beat Slovak Republic to stay in 2013 EuroBasket race - by Eurobasket News

Slovak Republic - Estonia 70:84

Estonia celebrated the fourth victory in 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round Group A. They defeated Slovak Republic on the road to improve at 4-2 record in highly contestant Group A. Slovak Republic fell at 0-6 record after the loss. Siim-Sander Vene (203-SF-90, agency: Alti Sport) came up with 16 points to lead the winners.
Estonia scored 21 points in the opening term to take a 6-point lead. The Baltic side maintained the lead throughout the second quarter. Estonia established a 43:32 halftime lead at halftime. Slovak Republic narrowed the deficit at the third term. The hosts outscored Estonia to trail by just 8 points before the fourth frame. However another excellent performance from Anton Gavel (188-PG-84, agency: Pro One Sports) could not rescue the hosts. Estonia erupted for 23 points in the fourth quarter and sealed a comfortable win. Janar Talts (207-PF-83) posted 15 points, 16 boards and 4 assists, while Gert Dorbek (193-SG-85) added 12 points for the winners. Anton Gavel fired 35 points to lead all scorers. Dusan Pandula (197-SF-84) contributed 11 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.

Slovak Republic: Anton Gavel 35, Dusan Pandula 11
Estonia: Siim-Sander Vene 16, Janar Talts 15+16 boards, Gert Dorbek 12


Prievidza inks Reggie Jones - by Michal Duchovic

The champions are adding another new member to their squad, this time is Reggie Jones (205-F-86, agency: Dynamics Global Management) from America. He arrives to the club from NCAA2 team CS Stanislaus, where he was playing for two years as a member of the starting five. In 2010/2011 he started in 25 games with an average of 15.0ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.2bpg. The next season was much better, he was participating in 27 games with an average of 19.1ppg, 6.9rpg, 1.4apg, 1.5bpg. Also he was a member NABC Division II All-America Team, NABC Division II All-West Region 1st Team and NABC Division II All-Star Game. Last season has Stanislaus ended their run on 7th place.


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  SLOVENIA   


Omic finally moves from Zlatorog to Olimpija - by Zeljko Zule

Zlatorog have announced that a deal has been struck for U-20 national team member Alen Omic (215-C-92) to join Union Olimpija for four years.
He averged 9.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 26 Adriatic League games last season. Those numbers climbed to 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in the Slovenian Telemach League. Omic spent the summer representing the Slovenian national team at U-20 EuroBasket, where he posted 16.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.3 blocks in 9 games.


Spartak-Primorie earn pre-season win - by Eurobasket News

Spartak-Primorie - Zlatogor 75:68

Spartak-Primorie took on Zlatogor from Slovenia during the training camp in Croatia. The Russian team claimed a 75:68 victory. Troy Gillenwater (205-F-88, college: N.Mexico St.) delivered 16 points to lead the winners.
Spartak-Primorie led by five points after ten minutes of action 20:15. The Russian team stretched the lead to 9 points at halftime 40:31. Spartak maintained the lead throughout the third term. They ensured an 11-point buffer heading into the fourth stanza. Zlatogor held their opponents to 12 points in the fourth frame and narrowed the margin. But Spartak-Primorie stayed calm and executed the victory to perfection at the end. Konstantin Nesterov (205-F/C-81, college: VCU) knocked down 15 points, while Artem Zabelin (215-F/C-88, agency: RU-Basket Management) contributed 13 points for the winners. Miha Lapornik (192-G-93) answered with 19 points for Zlatogor. Sasa Mucic (202-F-83) had 15 points in the losing effort.

Spartak-Primorie: Troy Gillenwater 16, Konstantin Nesterov 15, Artem Zabelin 13
Zlatogor: Miha Lapornik 19, Sasa Mucic 15


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  SOUTH AFRICA   


BWB NBA Cares to open newly refurbished sports complex in Alex Township - by Elvis Dickson

A contingent of NBA and WNBA players, legends and coaches will conduct extensive community outreach focused on grassroots basketball development, education, and health and wellness as part of the tenth edition of Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa, which will take place Aug. 30 Sept. 2.

The NBA and WNBA group tipped-off the camp with a basketball clinic for athletes from Special Olympics South Africa today. The athletes worked on basketball fundamentals in a series of drills and exercises during the hour-long clinic. The NBA and its teams have partnered with Special Olympics to host basketball skills clinics in countries worldwide, including, Brazil, China, England, France, Italy, Mexico, Senegal, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey.

Adding to a partnership that began in 2007, the NBA/WNBA contingent will help build two homes with Habitat for Humanity South Africa in Orange Farm Township on Aug. 31. Upon completion of the houses, which are supported by the Pagliuca family, 13 homes will have been built in the country as part of NBA Cares efforts at Basketball without Borders Africa.

The highlight of the week is the dedication of the NBA Cares Legacy Project, a newly refurbished sports complex in Alex Township, on Sept. 1. Alex is one of the largest urban neighborhoods in South Africa and this renovated area will provide four new basketball/netball courts creating a safe space for kids and families to play. The dedication ceremony will also feature a basketball and fitness clinic led by the NBA/WNBA players and coaches.

In addition to the community outreach events, NBA players will join BWB community partners UNICEF and Hoops4Hope to lead the campers in daily life-skills seminars focusing on leadership and HIV/AIDS education. The NBA will also make donations to partnering community-based organizations, which will include school supplies, sports equipment, clothing, and other necessities.

BWB Africa is hosted by St. Johns College and the King Edward VII School in Johannesburg and features a boys camp with top players 18 and under from across Africa, as well as a girls camp for 25 top players from across South Africa.

Thabo Sefolosha, whose father is South African, will join his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Serge Ibaka (Congo), Nick Collison and Cole Aldrich as camp coaches along with Chicago Bulls Luol Deng (South Sudan), Milwaukee Bucks Luc Mbah A Moute (Cameroon), Brooklyn Nets CJ Watson, and NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo (DRC). Sefolosha, Ibaka, Collison, Deng, Mbah a Moute and Mutombo have all previously participated in BWB camps, Mbah a Moute as both a camper (2003) and an NBA player coach.

NBA coaches and personnel attending the camp include Ron Adams (Chicago Bulls); Jim Boylan (Milwaukee Bucks); Luca Desta (Dallas Mavericks); Patrick Hunt (FIBA Coach); BJ Johnson (Houston Rockets); Popeye Jones (Brooklyn Nets); Milton Newton (Washington Wizards) and Patrick Mutombo (Denver Nuggets). Keith Jones from the Houston Rockets and Brian Zettler from the Utah Jazz join as camp trainers, whilst Phoenix Suns General Manager Lance Blanks and Denver Nuggets General Manager Masai Ujiri from Nigeria, the first African general manager of a US sports franchise, return as camp directors.


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  SOUTH KOREA   


Costner Out, Jasper Johnson In For KT - by Jeff Liebsch

Jasper Johnson (201-C-83, college: Delta St.) has been called on to replace injured center Brandon Costner (206-F-87, college: N.Carolina St.) for the KT Sonic Boom this season. Johnson arrived in Korea this morning to join the team at its training facility, and becomes the first replacement for import players this season.

Johnson is no stranger to KT, having been a huge fan favorite during his two-year tenure for the club from 2009-2011. After a short stint for SK last year, and playing for Libertad in Argentina, Johnson is in good game shape, though he wasn't drafted at the KBL draft in Las Vegas last month.

"I'm happy to be going back to Korea," he said in an interview with Jumpball Magazine yesterday.


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  SPAIN   


Prat Joventut recruit Alex Ros and Oscar Raya - by Eurobasket News

Prat Joventut added two new players. They landed Alex Ros (192-G-83) and Oscar Raya (206-F/C-89).
Alex Ros spent the previous season with Plasencia. He tallied 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 assists per game in LEB Silver. Previously the guard had stints with FC Barcelona 2nd Team, Valls-Felix Hotel, CB Hospitalet, Tarragona, Ourense, Alcazar and River Andorra. He was LEB2 champion in 2004.
Oscar Raya spent the last two seasons with Navarra. He averaged 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game last season. Previously Oscar Raya played for FC Barcelona junior team, Cornella and Qalat Caja Sol Sevilla. He was the member of U18 and U20 Spanish National Teams.


No Esteban Batista for CAI Zaragoza, team looks for other options - by Eurobasket News

CAI Zaragoza gave up on signing Esteban Batista (208-C/F-83, agency: Duran International), according to Encestando.es. The team already focused on other options. Zaragoza wanted to sign Batista, but they were not able to offer him a deal which he already has in Efes Pilsen. The big guy is still under the contract with Efes and it seems he will stay there for the next season, despite the team expected way more from him in 2011/12. Esteban Batista appeared 41 times in TBL averaging 7.6 points and 5 rebounds. Efes reached TBL Finals, but failed to Besiktas. In Euroleague, the center added 5.1 ppg and 4.3 rpg for 16 games. Before Efes Pilsen, Esteban Batista spent half of the season with Caja Laboral. He had 8.4 ppg and 6.3 rpg for them in 10 Eurolegaue games, while his numbers in ACB were lower. Batista started 2010/11 with Fuelnabrada collecting 12.7 ppg and 8.4 rpg (No.2) in 14 games. He played for Fuenla also in 2009/10 and was the top rebounder in ACB with 8.4 rpg.


Clay Tucker leaves for US without Valencia's permission - by Eurobasket News

Clay Tucker (196-G-80, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Wisc.-Milwaukee) left Valencia for the US due to personal reasons, but he made a move without club's permission, according to Planetacb.com. It is not known yet how Valencia will react, but there is a possibility that Tucker will be released. There is still no official news from the club.
Clay Tucker signed with Valencia earlier this summer. He spent last season with Acea Virtus Roma. For 32 games in SerieA the player averaged 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Before Roma, Tucker played one year for Real Madrid. There he had 8.5 ppg and 1.9 rpg in 40 Liga Endesa games. He also added 8.7 ppg and 2.3 rpg for 23 games in Euroleague. In the past, Tucker played for Joventut, Kyiv, Cajasol, Teramo and Khimky. Clay Turkey played for the Philadelphia 76ers at 2012 NBA AirTran Orlando Summer League. He had 6 ppg and 1.5 rpg for 2 games.


Valladolid add Jordi Grimau - by Eurobasket News

Valladolid announced another signing. They landed Jordi Grimau (195-G-83). The guard has agreed on terms of one-year contract. Last season Jordi Grimau spent the previous season with UCAM Murcia. He tallied 7.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in ACB. Previously Jordi Grimau had stints with Manresa, Tarragona, Alerta Cantabria Lobos, FC Barcelona, Aguas Valencia-Expobar. He made it into Spanish LEB2 All-Domestic Players 2nd Team. Jordi Grimau was named Spanish Junior Championship MVP in 2001. He was the member of Spanish U20 National Team. The guard became Spanish Copa del Rey winner in 2006.


Autocid Ford Burgos land Franco Rocchia - by Eurobasket News

Autocid Ford Burgos completed their backcourt. They added Franco Rocchia (192-G-85) to the lineup. The guard played for Leon since 2008. Last season Franco Rocchia averaged 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in LEB Gold. Previously Franco Rocchia had stints with Hospitalet, Mallorca, Palencia.


Caceres adds Duinker to their roster - by Eurobasket

Caceres Basket (LEB Gold) agreed terms with 23-year old Australian power forward Josh Duinker (210-89). He played last season at University of Richmond (NCAA). While playing 32 games for Richmond last year Duinker averaged 3.5ppg and 2.0rpg. Duinker won Atlantic 10 Tournament championship title in 2011 and helped them to make it to NCAA Sweet 16 that year. He graduated in 2012 and it will be his first season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center


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  SWEDEN   


Sweden prevail against Bulgaria - by Eurobasket News

Sweden - Bulgaria 85:71

Sweden clinched the third win at 2013 EuroBasket Qualifying Round. They held off visiting Bulgaria for 3-2 record in Group B. Kenny Grant (188-G-82, college: Davidson) stepped up with 19 points for the hosts. Bulgaria fell at 2-3 record after the defeat.
Sweden jumped to a 23:19 lead after ten minutes. The hosts unloaded 26 points in the second quarter to build a 10-point halftime lead 49:39. Bulgaria however changed the complexion of the encounter in the third term. They used a 10:2 run late in the stanza to narrow the gap at just 2-point mark 60:62. The Scandinavian side needed an 11:0 run midway through the final frame to restore a safe cushion 80:66. The hosts never looked back afterwards coasting to the victory. Thomas Massamba (185-PG-85) posted 16 points, while Jonas Jerebko (206-PF-87) added 13 points for Sweden. Chavdar Kostov (195-SG-88, agency: Interperformances) answered with 20 points for Bulgaria. Hristo Nikolov (200-PF-85) netted 15 points in the loss.

Sweden: Kenny Grant 19, Thomas Massamba 16, Jonas Jerebko 13
Bulgaria: Chavdar Kostov 20, Hristo Nikolov 15


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  SYRIA   


Basketball in Syria: Interview with coach Tane Spasev .. "Pt.1" - by Tarek Burhan

The coach was interviewed by Basketball-Culture
Syria is currently in a critical political situation. Nevertheless, Basketball is still alive and the U18 Boys National Team is even competing in the Asian Championships at the moment. A Macedonian coach is one of the key figures in the Syrian Youth Basketball system. Therefore, we wanted to check with Tane Spasev what is going on.

Hello Tane, can you present yourself first? You played basketball in Macedonia before going to the United States in 2000. However, you stopped playing afterwards. Why?
Yes, I was born and raised in Macedonia where I started playing basketball when I was 12 years old. I started playing in my hometown team of BC STIP and moved to the top level Macedonian league at the age of 18 with team BC DEXIM. In 2000, I moved to the USA on a basketball scholarship and played college basketball until 2002 when I decided to come back to Europe and try to continue playing professional basketball. There were combinations of injuries and not right contract offers that forced me to quit playing. During that time, in 2004, my friend coach Borce Ilievski asked me to help him around with his youth basketball club BC GUSARI as assistant coach; those were my first steps as a coach. BC GUSARI won the Macedonian League title U15 that year. In 2008 I opened my private basketball academy PANDA BASKET. In 2010 I moved to BC JUNIOR-Skopje who is a traditional power house in youth basketball in Macedonia and South Europe. In the 2010/2011 season BC JUNIOR teams won 4 Macedonian National Youth Leagues titles and 2 International Tournaments. In 2011 then, I moved here to Syria.

How did you react when you got an offer to coach in Syria which is not a traditional destination?
I am familiar with Syria and Middle East Basketball through my good friend AHMAD MADWAR, a Syrian who works as an agent here in the Middle East. He was trying to bring me as a coach here since 2010 but I had other obligations. Finally in May 2011 an offer from the Syrian Basketball Federation came that was hard to refuse. Although Syria and the Middle East are not a traditional destination, I found out that due to the good economic situation and rise of basketball awareness, the region is becoming interesting for a lot of coaches.

What can you say about Basketball in Syria in general? How is the level?
Like everywhere in the Middle East (except Lebanon) basketball in Syria is a second sport far behind football. Syria is a big country of 23 million people with variety of religions, cultures and genetic mixture so the potential for good basketball culture is great. We have young men in their early 20s that are 2m17 and 2m15 tall, we have a bunch of kids in U14 that are already 2m00 tall. The talent is here, we just need time to develop the fundamentals and proper basketball attitude and we are working hard on that. Currently the professional league has 12 professional teams and up to 2011 every team had 2 foreigners. The level was OK and the Top 2 or 3 teams played descent role in the international Asia and Arab leagues. The top team here was having a budget of nearly 2 million dollars

How does the daily life as Youth coordinator of the Syrian Basketball federation look like?
Well mornings are usually reserved for meetings at the federation regarding daily business and plans of work for the national teams. At the evenings we hold practices for the selections. The Syrian Basketball Federation runs 4 centers: Damascus, Aleppo, Tartus and Latakia. At these centers we gather all the talented kids from the clubs and we work with them. We have a total of 300 kids in this program. I directly coach the U14 and U12 Damascus groups and I supervise the other groups across Syria. These days I also run the U16 National team.


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  TURKEY   


Aliaga hands 66-62 loss to Karsiyaka in pre-season game - by Eurobasket News

Aliaga Petkim - Pinar Karsiyaka 66-62

Aliaga Petkim and Pinar Karsiyaka played a friendly game this week. Aliaga celebrated 66-62 win against its rival. Marcus Arnold (207-C/F-84, agency: Stanley International, college: Illinois) was the leading player in victory with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Torin Francis (210-F-83, college: Notre Dame) secured a great help adding 16 points and he grabbed same numbers of boards. Third scorer in victory was Preston Shumpert (198-G/F-79, college: Syracuse) with 12 points. In the loosing squad, Will Thomas (203-PF-86, agency: Two Points) and Umit Sonkol (206-F-82) collected 14 points each, and Bobby Dixon (178-PG-83, agency: Beo Basket, college: Troy) followed them with 2 points less. Second quarter was the crucial one in this game. Karsiyaka had 13-14 lead after ten minutes of play, but Marcus Arnold and his teammates took control on them after that scoring 25 points in Q2. At the other side they limited Karsiyaka to 12 for 38-26 lead at the HT. Karsiyaka closed the gap to 8 pts with ten minutes remaining in the game and they came even closer in Q4, but still Aliaga was strong enough to keep its lead and to celebrate in this pre-season game. Both teams will play more friendlies soon.

Aliaga: Marcus Arnold 18+11 boards, Torin Francis 16+16 boards, Preston Shumpert 12
Karsiyaka: Will Thomas 14, Umit Sonkol 14, Bobby Dixon 12


Cimberio Varese cruise past Galatasaray in Bormio - by Eurobasket News

Cimberio Varese - Galatasaray 81:65

Cimberio Varese played a pre-season clash in Bormio. They took on Galatasaray. The Italian team proved the strength claiming a comfortable win at the end. Bryant Dunston (202-F/C-86) delivered 16 points to lead the winners.
Varese secured a 23:8 lead after ten minutes. The teams traded baskets throughout the second quarter. The Italian side were up by 15 points at halftime 41:26. Galatasaray cut the deficit at 12-point mark before the fourth frame 48:60. However Cimberio Varese picked up the tempo in the final frame and rallied to the victory. Mike Green (185-PG-85, college: Butler) provided 15 points, while Johnson added 10 points for the winners. Henry Domercant (194-G-80, college: E.Illinois) answered with 15 points and 8 rebounds for Galatasaray. Cenk Akyol (198-G/F-87) and David Hawkins (194-G-82, college: Temple) had 12 points each in the loss.

Cimberio Varese: Bryant Dunston 16, Mike Green 15, Johnson 10
Galatasaray: Henry Domercant 15, Cenk Akyol 12, David Hawkins 12


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  U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS   


Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker is shooting for fresh start - by David Edole

Kemba Walker (185-PG-90, college: Connecticut) didnt go to Italy, Australia or Brazil this off-season.

He went to the gym.

What did Walker, who will start at point guard next season for the Charlotte Bobcats, do on summer vacation?

He stayed in Charlotte. He shot.

Just pretty much everything," Walker said late Wednesday afternoon. "You know, pick and roll, just taking a whole bunch of shots. Overall, shooting.

Walker and I sit in the first row of bleachers at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Charlotte gym on Milton Road. Around us, kids shoot at four sideline baskets with wooden backboards and at baskets at each end of the court with glass backboards.

Under Armour, with which Walker has an endorsement deal, replaced the clubs old light blue basketball court with a court thats dazzling and shiny and so new you can smell the lacquer.

A tall kid is invited to make the gyms first official basket. His jump shot bounces off the rim. Another tall kid misses, and then a third does.

Ezekiel Self, who is not a tall kid, who is only 6 years old, walks up to the basket, flips the ball up as if he knows hell make it and is loudly cheered when the ball drops in.

You have access to a court like this when you were 6?

Not at all, says Walker, who is from the Bronx. I went to a Boys and Girls Club, too. I wish I did. Its pretty cool.

Self wouldnt have started for the Bobcats last season, but he might have played. The Bobcats won seven of 66 games. A first-round pick, Walker was the back-up point guard. When the season ended, so did the tenure of point guard D.J. Augustin. Walker is the starter now.

Youre the leader.

I agree, says Walker. Coach is really pushing me to be the leader and pushing me to use my voice. Im trying to embrace that role.

Coach is Mike Dunlap. Hes new. Guards Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon are new. Big man Brendan Hayward is new. Draft pick Jeff Taylor is new. Also new is the No. 2 pick in last Junes draft, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Kidd-Gilchrist is from New Jersey. Walker knows him.

Very happy, very happy, Walker says about the selection of Kidd-Gilchrist. He was the next best player in the draft (behind Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis) and we had to take him. Not only that. Hes a great person. Hes a great kid. Hes going to be a great teammate. Thats what we need. We need high character guys. He can obviously play basketball.

Walker calls Kidd-Gilchrist, who turns 19 next month, a kid. Later Walker talks about the Charlottes veteran leaders and cites Gerald Henderson. Henderson turns 25 in December. Walker is 22.

Last season, youth was served up. Maybe this season it will begin to be served. Walker loves the changes.

Im excited to be the point guard of this team, he says.

Walker averaged 12.1 points and 4.4 assists per game last season. He could get his shot off against anybody. But most of the time it did not go in. He shot 37 percent from the field.

Context is required. Walker played for a legendarily bad team that lost its final 23 games.

His best quality was gall. As undersized as he is hes listed at 6-foot-1 and if he stands on the bleachers he is at least that Walker imposed himself.

He might miss five straight shots. But he is still going to the basket no matter how many shots he has missed or who is in the way.

He might lose. But he never lost quietly.

Two seasons ago, the Carolina Panthers were where the Bobcats are now the worst team in their league. The season after the Panthers bottomed out they became competitive. This season, the season after they became competitive, the playoffs are a possibility.

Can the Bobcats do what the Panthers have?

We definitely can, says Walker. We will. We will. Man, Im excited, my teammates are excited. I think Charlotte should look forward to big things in the future.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/08/30/3488581/kemba-walker-shooting-bobcats.html#storylink=cpy


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  UBA   


Barnes and Williams Honored to Make Team USA: Now back to the UBA - by David Walls


By DAVID WALLS | UBA Basketball Writer

ATLANTA -- To Jermaine Barnes (6'5''-G/F-82, agency: Gamble Sports Management, college: Point, GA) and Freddie Williams (6'2''-G-87, agency: Gamble Sports Management, college: Clayton St.), the opportunity of a lifetime awaited them in Taiwan.

Just Last week, the Universal Basketball Association was honored when two of its biggest stars joined the U.S. National Basketball Team (Williams Jones Cup-Taiwan). Barnes was the originally selected by the Team USA board to play in the cup; Williams on the other hand was a late selection due to the injury of Jordan Collins.

It was a great honor to play in the Jones Cup, said Williams. Im very upset we won the bronze but we will be back.

When asked about the late addiction of Freddie Williams; Barnes was very excited.

"I was very happy he got the chance to prove he was a high level player", said Barnes. Im very proud to be his teammate. Thats what GIE is all about, we have heart.

As teammates who have shed blood, sweat and tears with one another over the past few seasons to continually improve, the fact that the duo went out and were a major part of Team USA run for Gold. This massive privilege and honor to represent the United States on the national stage is shared by all in the organization, with the young but mature Matrix duo as the faces of the franchise on now an international level.

Barnes started his quest for gold on a great note leading Team USA in scoring in its debut games. He scored a game high 17 points in 17 minutes rolling pass the Taiwan National Team. Williams on the other hand played only 8 minutes as a reserve. Later in the week tragedy stuck when Barnes went down with an ankle injury early in the first quarter verse the Korean National Team. Williams took advantage of this situation has his minutes increased. Without Barnes fire power Williams led all scorers with 15 points as Team USA passed Korea.

Barnes would later return from his ankle injury in time for the showdown for gold. Team USA would face the Philippines National Team for a chance to take it all. Barnes started the game hot scoring Team USAs first 8 points and leading the team to a 14 point led going into halftime. The Philippine National Team would later come by to win by 1 point in the final 15 seconds.

Williams had an impressive showing for Team USA averaging 9.0ppg and a team high 3.0spg. Barnes was Team USA third leading scorer with 10.8ppg and 7.0rpg in 18 mins.

Im very proud of our guys, said Matrix head coach D.J. Douglas . They are the two best players on our team and I think in our league. It is an honor.

In 2011-2012 Barnes and Williams played in the Universal Basketball Association for the GIE Maile Matrix. Williams was named a UBA All-Star and also honored with Usbasket.com All-UBA Guard of the Year averaging a career best 23.2ppg (ranked 2nd in the UBA). Barnes was named UBA Player of the Year for the third time along with All-Star honors averaging a league best 30.1ppg.

Williams and Barnes have already agreed to return to the UBA for yet another championship run with GIE.

"Me and Freddie are family", said Barnes. We take GIE very serious and take great pride in the UBA. If they will have us we plan on leading Team USA to gold next summer.



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  UKRAINE   


Ukraine snatch win in Pecs - by Eurobasket News

Hungary - Ukraine 76:78

Ukraine stepped closer to 2013 EuroBasket. They defeated Hungary in Pecs today to improve at 4-1 record in Group C. Sergii Gladyr (196-SG-88) fired 17 points, grabbed 6 boards and issued 4 assists to pace the winners. Hungary slipped at 2-3 record after the loss.
Ukraine opened the game with six points in a row. They stayed in front throughout the opening quarter posting an 18:15 lead ten minutes into the encounter. Sergii Gladyr gave Ukraine a 9-point lead midway through the second frame 32:23. The hosts were able to narrow the deficit at 7-point mark at halftime 30:37. Obie Trotter (188-PG-84, agency: Court Side, college: Alabama A&M) scored eight points early in the third term as Hungary narrowed the gap at a single point 41:42. Artur Drozdov (200-SF-80) and Natyazhko capped the third quarter with four straight points as Ukraine enjoyed a 57:51 lead. However Szabo and Obie Trotter finally drew things level at 67 with under four minutes remaining in regulation. Maxym Korniyenko (204-F/C-87) made it 74:70 for Ukraine. But Horvath kept the home team hopeful with a three-pointer. Zabirchenko and Obie Trotter made it 75:77 with 9 second to. Burtt missed one free throw but Hungary answered with four misses from both Adam Hanga (200-SG-89, agency: TSS Management) and Obie Trotter as Ukraine escaped with the victory at the end. Kornieynko provided 15 points, while Artur Drozdov added 14 points for the winners. Obie Trotter responded with 19 points for Hungary. Adam Hanga had 15 points in defeat.

Hungary: Obie Trotter 19, Adam Hanga 15
Ukraine: Sergii Gladyr 17, Maxym Korniyenko 15, Artur Drozdov 14


Khimik Yuzny and Dnipro play friendlies - by Eurobasket News

Khimik Yuzny and Dnipro play friendlies with the foreign representatives.
Khimik Yuzny lost to Alba from Germany 44:46. Zach Morley (203-F-83, college: Wisconsin) top-scored for Alba with 14 points.
Dnipro overcame Qatar 82:64 in Lithuania. The Ukrainian team grabbed 18-7 in the opening period and led 23:13 after the first quarter. They managed to keep 10-point lead early in the second and had 37:27 advantage at the halftime. Qatar dominated the third period and managed to reduce to just 3 points after 23-16 in it. Dnipro however pushed the tempo for good in the last stanza and won the game. Daniel Kickert (208-C/F-83, college: St.Mary's, CA) top-scored for the winners with 18 points and Valdas Vasylius (203-F-83, college: ODU) as well as Derrick Low (188-PG-86, college: Washington St.) notched 14 each. Arfan replied with 14 points in defeat and Abdullah Ali Mohammed posted 9.


Ukrainian triumph in Pecs - by Alexander Muzyka

Ukrainian NT has got the strategical win over Hungarians and almost occupied at least the second final place in Group C till the end of the Eurobasket qualification. Mike Fratello 's team was better in the first half and didn't let the opponents to overcome it. The final points for Ukrainians were made by Steven Burtt (185-G-84) and Dmytro Zabirchenko (192-PG-84, agency: Ryzhov Stanislav) by free throws. Sergii Gladyr (196-SG-88) scored 17 + 6 rebounds + 4 assists this time, Maksym Kornienko (204-F/C-87) added 15 + 5 rebounds while Artur Drozdov (200-SF-80) scored 14 + 6 rebounds. Ukrainians dominated at the rebounds (42:27) but still have the problem with turnovers (15:6).

Eurobasket-2013 qualification
Group C. 6th round
Hungary - Ukraine - 76:78 (15:18, 15:19, 21:20, 25:21)
H: Trotter 19 + 5 rbs + 4 ast, Trepak 1, Hanga 15, Horvath 7, Lorant 12 + 5 rbs - start; Vojvoda 12, A. Toth 5, Z. Szabo 3, M. Szabo 2 + 6 rbs, Fodor, Wittmann.
U: Burtt 6 + 4 ast, Gladyr 17 + 6 rbs + 4 ast, Drozdov 14 + 6 rbs, Kornienko 15 + 5 rbs, Kravtsov 8 + 6 rbs - start; Natiazhko 5 + 9 rbs, Zabirchenko 5, Pustozvonov 5, Pecherov 3, Lipovyi.


Lokomotiv Kuban destroy Dnipro in friendly - by Eurobasket News

Lokomotiv Kuban - Dnipro 97:68

Lokomotiv Kuban played another pre-season encounter. They took on Ukrainian Dnipro. The Krasnodar team celebrated a comfortable victory at the end. Nick Calathes (198-G-89, college: Florida) and Valery Likhodey (205-F-86) came up with 15 points each to lead the winners.
Lokomotiv erupted for 33 points in the starting quarter to take a 13-point lead. They stretched the margin to 16 points in the second quarter 54:38. Lokomotiv kept their opponents at bay throughout the third quarter. They piled up a 24-point cushion heading into the fourth stanza. Dnipro could not recover in the final quarter as Lokomotiv celebrated a confident win. Maksym Kolyushkin (194-G-90) netted 14 points, while Shukhovtsov added 11 points for Lokomotiv. Valdas Vasylius (203-F-83, college: ODU) answered with 15 points and 11 boards for Dnipro. Mykola Vilkhovetskyi (191-G-88) had 14 points in defeat.

Lokomotiv Kuban: Nick Calathes 15, Valery Likhodey 15, Maksym Kolyushkin 14
Dnipro: Valdas Vasylius 15+11 boards, Mykola Vilkhovetskyi 14


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  UNITED KINGDOM   


Sheffield One Health Sharks tab Micah Williams - by Greg

Sheffield One Health Sharks (BBL) strengthened their roster with addition of 24-year old American swingman Micah Williams (193-95kg-88, college: East Tennessee State). He played most recently at Shimane Susanoo Magic in Japanese BJ League. While playing 32 games for Shimane SM last season Williams averaged 4.7ppg and 1.1rpg. Williams from graduated East Tennessee State in 2011 and it will be his second season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center


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  URUGUAY   


Carlton Fay is a newcomer at Trouville - by Eurobasket

Club Trouville (LUB) added to their roster 24-year old American forward Carlton Fay (203-107kg-88, college: S.Illinois). He moved there from Sauk Valley Predators (PBL) in the U.S. While playing 21 games for the team from Sauk, IL this season Fay averaged 16.3ppg, 8.4rpg and 1.1apg. He was voted to NABC Division I All-District 16 2nd Team in 2011. Fay just graduated Southern Illinois University and it will be his first season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center


Results for the Metro league - by Hector Lopez

Results for the Metro League (Promotion Zone)
Goes 83 - Matias De de Gouveia (180-PG-88) 25 points 13 rebounds, Jimmy Boston (201-F-77, college: N.C.Central) 10 points 7 rebounds
Marne 61 - Eric Freeman (205-C-79, agency: Gamble Sports Management, college: Ky Wesleyan) 32 points 12 rebounds
- - -
Relegation Zone
Guruyu Waston 88 - Martavius Adams 20 points 10 rebounds 4 assists
Yale 83 - Jerry Echenique (201-C-79, college: High Point) 23 points 8 rebounds 2 blocks
- - -
Verdirrojo 89 - Kevin Nelson (192-G-84, college: Park) 32 points 6 rebounds 2 blocks
Romis Nelimar 85 points - Pablo Gallo 23 points


Kanis is back at Trouville - by Eurobasket

Club Trouville (LUB) agreed terms with 28-year old American center Brad Kanis (218-109kg-84, college: Grand Canyon). Its actually his comeback to Montevideo as he played here before. Kanis moved there from Capitol (Metropolitan). While playing 40 games for Trouville last season he averaged 11.8ppg, 9.0rpg and 1.4bpg. Kanis was selected to Latinbasket.com Uruguay LUB All-Imports Team in 2011. He is a very experienced player. Kanis graduated Grand Canyon State University in 2008 and it will be his fourth season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center


Regatas Corrientes edge Trouville to clinch Copa 90th Aniversario title - by Eurobasket News

Trouville - Regatas Corrientes 62:70

Regatas Corrientes became the winners of Copa 90th Aniversario. They held off hosting Trouville for the trophy. Nicolas Romano (197-F/C-87) scored 21 points to lead the Argentinean team.
The visitors surged ahead in the opening quarter. Regatas posted a 23:18 lead after ten minutes. They stretched the margin in the second quarter. Regatas ensured a 44:30 halftime advantage. Trouville got within 11 points at the final break 44:55. The hosts narrowed the distance in the final frame but could not threaten the visitors. Regatas stayed in charge and rolled to a confident win at the end. Guillermo Kammerichs (202-F-80) accounted for 12 points, while Paolo Quinteros (185-PG-79) added 11 points for Regatas. Carlton Fay (203-F-88, college: S.Illinois) answered with game-high 28 points for Trouville. Brad Kanis (218-C-84, college: Grand Canyon) netted 10 points in the loss.

Trouville: Carlton Fay 28, Brad Kanis 10
Regatas Corrientes: Nicolas Romano 21, Guillermo Kammerichs 12, Paolo Quinteros 11


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  VENEZUELA   


Chad Baker happy to work again for Guaros de Lara in LPB 2013 - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Dominican-American assistant coach Chad Baker (full name Derrek Chad Baker Lopez) was contacted by Latinbasket.com Venezuela through a phone call to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the current member of the coaching staff of Leones de Santo Domingo (LNB), expressed his happiness about coming back to Venezuela in the near future to resume working for Guaros de Lara, heading towards LPB 2013, as a first assistant coach.

Baker had to take over coaching duties in the latter part of the LPB 2012 regular season, prompting Guaros from nearly eliminated to almost in the playoffs, building a winning streak that allowed the team to finish with a 17-19 record. The general management had expressed that he'd be the head coach in 2013, but then changed their mind and said they preferred to have him back at his first job with the team and bring an American coach, yet to be named, who's got experience both in FIBA and NBA leagues.

"I'm happy to go back to Barquisimeto, because for me personally, it went well there. I'm a team player. When I played, I would play in any position the coach would want me to, so this time, there's no difference. I know they first told me I'd be the coach, then they changed their minds but kept me in their plans", Baker said.

"They told me that they want me to get more experience for a year or two. In Guaros, we're a family and I have no problems at all with it. Jorge Hernandez, Abraham Hernandez, Tomas Morris and Giovanni Carrara (owners and managers) were very honest with me. They gave me a chance to coach the team last season and that's a confidence I gotta return with my compromise to work for them".

He even expressed that he's been talking with Pablo Machado (207-C-77) about coming down a month earlier than expected, on October 20th, so he can work closely with Machado, getting him into proper shape for the beginning of preseason, set to start on November 20th in Barquisimeto.

Baker said he doesn't know who the head coach will be, but that he's going to adjust to him and work properly, while he also expressed happiness about the acquisition of Dominican player Jack Michael Martinez (201-F-81). "He's a proven winner down there. He can guarantee us at least 10 points and 10 rebounds per game. He's more like a 16-point 16-rebound per game player. With him and with John Millsap (198-F-82) and Hassan Adams (193-G-84), who can play the 2, 3 and 4 positions, we're going to be able to win lots of games".

"Martinez will take off the pressure from Pablo Machado, plus we also got Kervin Bracho (204-F/C-78)", he added. Baker said that in 2012, the team finished off very strong even though the owners acquired the franchise 5 days prior to the beginning of the season. "And we finished in seventh place. That's not bad. Good teams begin early, like Cocodrilos and Marinos, and that's what we'll do".

He also said that when he coached the team, players bought into his concept of the team as a family. Some players would play a lot and others wouldn't, but everyone was important. "I remember that if things were going well with all Venezuelan players on court, I'd left the foreign players in the bench and they'd joke about. One day, John Millsap got up and asked me as a joke: do you remember me?. I also remember we won a game thanks to Edgar Lugo (189-G-82) even though he didn't play a minute. But he was focused and saw things on court and made suggestions. I would ask them their opinion during the games".

Baker also expressed interest in setting up clinics and encounters with younger talents between the ages of 15 and 18, thinking ahead about Liga Especial (LEB) and due to the fact that several youngsters would approach him after the games, asking about the possibility of an academy or training sessions. "It'd be great to help them both inside and outside of the court. Hopefully we get to work it out and do it at least 2 or 3 times a week".


LNB 2012 News - Jose Vargas (Aduaneros) named MVP of Week 2 - by Francisco Vega

Barquisimeto, Venezuela.- Venezuelan SF Jose Vargas (195-G/F-82), of Aduaneros de Carabobo, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in Week 2 of Venezuela's Liga Nacional de Baloncesto (LNB), after helping his team in the task of sweeping Generales de Lara as hosts at Manuel Penaloza Arena of Puerto Cabello, thus keeping the team at the top of the South-West Conference.

Vargas averaged 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game in 2 games as a starter. He netted 11 of 14 free-throws attempted (79%), 2 of 7 three-pointers (29%) and 13 of 31 two-point shots (42%).

Other players considered for the weekly honor by the league's main board were Axiers Sucre (200-F-78) of Tiburones de Vargas and Jesus Centeno (190-G-85), of Centauros de Apure. Week 3 will be played next Friday and Saturday.


Casey Owens 2013 Guaiqueries Head Coach - by Yelitza La Torre

VENEZUELA, August 30 Los Guaiqueries de Margarita announced today the hiring of Owens Casey as the team's Head Coach. Owens Casey brings with him to Venezuela's LPB several years of professional coaching experience. Most recently he served as 2010-2011 Fujian SBS XunXin (China-CBA) Head coach and 2011-2012 Xinjiang Gyang Hui Flying Tigers (China-CBA) Assistant Coach.
Prior to last season, Owens served as Assistant Coach 2007-2008 Colorado 14ers (D-League) also NBA D-League Scouting Consultant at Denver Nuggets (NBA), 2008-2009 Colorado 14ers (D-League) and recently 2009-2010: Shanghai Dongfang Sharks (China-CBA). Previously, he was named Head Coach of the Continental Basketball Association's Dakota Wizards for the 2004-05 season, Head Video Coach 2006-2007: Chicago Bulls (NBA), Assistant Coach of the NBA Development League's Fayetteville Patriots during the 2005-06 season, after serving as Assistant Coach and Director of Player Personnel for the team from 2001-04 as well as assistant General Manager & Assistant Coach, 1999-2001: New Mexico Slam (IBL), Scout 2001-2004: Portland Trailblazers (NBA), Assistant Coach / Director of Player Personnel 2004-2005: Dakota Wizards (CBA) Head Coach 2004-2005: Dakota Wizards (CBL) Coach Assistant 2005-2006: Fayetteville Patriots (D-League)



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  VTB UNITED LEAGUE   


Micah Downs will not play for Nizhny Novgorod - by Eurobasket News

Micah Downs (203-G-86, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga) will not play for Nizhny Novgorod in the upcoming season. The player has reached an agreement on terms of contract termination with Nizhny Novgorod. The family reasons have been quoted as the reason for the decision.
Micah Downs joined Nizhny Novgorod in August. Last season the guard spent with Manresa. He tallied 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in ACB. He was named into All-Spanish LEB Gold 2nd Team. The guard participated at NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas. Micah Downs notched 2.8 points per game for the Dallas Mavericks. Micah Downs had stints with KK Zadar, Leuven Bears and Autocid Ford Burgos before joining Manresa.



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Women News


Partizan lands Jovanovic - by Zeljko Zule

Partizan continued its roster building process by inking Serbian team member Nevena Jovanovic (179-G-90) for the upcoming season.
Jovanovic arrives from local side Radivoj Korac, for whom she averaged 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 17 Adriatic League games. Jovanovic spent the summer representing the Serbian national team at EuroBasket Qualification, where she posted 9.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 8 games.


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  AUSTRALIA   


Cambage discusses the Shock, China and her WNBA future in ESPN.com article - by Eurobasket News

Cambage Elizabeth (6'8''-C-91) says she wouldnt rule out playing for the Tulsa Shock in the future.

But the 6-foot-8 Australian makes it clear in an article by Mechelle Voepel for ESPN.com that she isnt thinking past her next pro engagement a stint in China that begins a few weeks after Tulsa plays its final WNBA regular-season game on Sept. 23.

Cambage delves into the issues that have dogged her since playing for her native country in the London Summer Olympics, and the reasons she decided not to return to the Shock for the remainder of the 2012 season.

"My friends warned me that a lot of people suffer from what they call the post-Olympic depression. Youre just training so long, and then its over. Im just energy-less, and its been a struggle for me in the past couple of weeks, Cambage tells Voepel.

Under the terms of Cambages rookie WNBA contract, Tulsa owns her rights for another three years. Voepel reports that Cambage definitely wont decide on a return to the WNBA in 2013 until playing the winter season for the Chinese club Zheijag Chouzhou, which signed her in June for a reported $400,000.

But Cambage says she could be happy in Tulsa. I think Tulsa is a great city. When I was there, I met a lot of lovely people and made a lot of friends. . . . (The Shock is) still a young franchise, learning and growing. And Id like to learn and grow with them.

Cambage discusses the possibility of Tulsa landing the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, and playing alongside Baylor 6-foot-8 standout Brittneuy Griner, which the Shock would be certain to select.

That would be so unfair for the rest of the league, she says.

She also discusses the idea of playing for Shock first-year head coach Gary Kloppenburg.

"He seems great, and I've only heard great things about him," she says.

Courtesy of www.tulsaworld.com


WNBL stars lead Aussies to 3X3 Bronze Medal - by Eurobasket News

The Australian women's team clinched the bronze medal at the inaugural FIBA 3X3 World Championships in Athens, Greece overnight, defeating the Ukraine 18-17 in the third-fourth playoff.

The Australian team of Alice Kunek (186-G/F-91) (Bulleen Boomers), Kate Ebzery (177-G-90) (Sydney Uni Flames), Tess Madgen (180-G/F-90) (Bulleen Boomers) and Sara Blicavs (188-F-93) (Dandenong Rangers) lost just one game all tournament, their Semi-Final clash with the eventual tournament winners the United States which they dropped 19-18.

The Australians bounced back however to beat the Ukraine and win the bronze at the first-ever FIBA World Championship for the new format 3-on-3 game.

"All four of these athletes did their country proud in the way in which they conducted themselves throughout the championships, playing with passion but always with integrity," said Australian head coach Rebecca Dick. "In what was a very different format of competition from anything any of these ladies had ever participated in, they were adaptable to every scenario that was brought upon them.

"Coming away from the inaugural 3x3 world championship with a bronze medal is a fantastic achievement and something that I am very grateful to have been a part of."

Team USA beat France to win the gold medal in the final, 17-16.

Australia finished the tournament with an impressive 8-1 record.

For full details on the tournament, visit http://greece2012.fiba.com/.

Courtesy of WNBL Australia


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  BULGARIA   


Haskovo 2012 tabs Natalia Topalova - by Maria Mitzova

Haskovo 2012 made another transfer hit, signing Natalia Topalova-Shopova (186-F-80) from Montana 2003.

The forward is nursing an injury and will miss the start of the season, but her recovery is going well, and the team is ready to wait for her, till she is healthy.

 We consider Natalia as the best player in Bulgaria in the last couple of seasons. We are prepared to wait for her full recovery, so she can play for us, stated Haskovo chief executive Stanislav Stankov.

Head coach Elena Stankova supported his words: I insisted on having Natalia on the team. She is one of the main stones in our selection. She is a true professional and will serve as an example for all the young girls in the club.


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  EUROCUP   


Partizan signs NT player Nevena Jovanovic - by Eurobasket News

Partizan continues with signings for the upcoming season. The reigning Serbian and Adriatic league champion added another National Team member to the roster. It is Nevena Jovanovic (179-G-90), who had 9 ppg and 2 rpg for 8 games in 2013 EuroBasket Qualifications. The guard spent last two and a half seasons with Radivoj Korac. In the latest one she had 15.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 3.1 apg for 17 Adriatic league games. Jovanovic was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-MZRKL Honorable Mention -12. In 2010/11, the player had 11 ppg and 2.1 rpg for 22 games in the regional championship. Before Radivoj Korac, Nevena Jovanovic played for Kovin and Kraljevo. In 2009 and 2010, she was a member of the Serbian U20 National Team. In the past, Jovanovic also played for U18 and U16 Serbia.


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  EUROLEAGUE   


Sebnem Nezahat Kimyaciouglu joins Galatasaray - by Eurobasket News

Galatasaray bolstered their frontcourt. They added Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu (182-F-83, agency: LBM Management, college: Stanford) to the roster. The forward signed a 1+1 contract with the team. Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu was last seen on the court back in 2008. She played for Galatasaray. The forward notched 9.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game in EuroCup. In TBBL her stats read 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per appearance. Later Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu moved to the USA and took a break in her active player career.
Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu graduated from Stanford University in 2005. She also played for Besiktas. The forward appeared in TBBL All-Star Game in 2006 and 2008. She was named into Turkish TBBL All-Newcomers Team in 2006. Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu was the member of Turkish National Team in 2005/07 seasons.


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  HUNGARY   


Nora Kovats signs for PINKK-Pecsi 424 - by Mate Papp

Nora Kovats (180-G-88) has signed for PINKK-Pecsi 424. She arrives from ELTE-BEAC Ujbuda after her team had been relegated from the Hungarian A league. Kovats averaged 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game during the last season. Now Kovats returns to the city where she has already played for MiZo-Pecs between 2006 and 2008 and took two silver medals in the championship. She is a former Hungarian U20 international. Nora Kovats (180-G-88)


Aija Brumermane signs for PINKK-Pecsi 424 - by Mate Papp

Aija Brumermane (191-C-86) has signed for Hungarian newcomers PINKK-Pecsi 424. She arrives from Italian runner-up Famila Schio where he averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in the Euroleague, and 2.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in the Italian A1. Brumermane is an experienced center who has already played for Famila Schio, USO Mondevielle and TTT Riga in the Euroleague. She will join her new club on the 5th of september and will surely be a key player in PINKK-Pecsi 424. Aija Brumermane (191-C-86, agency: Regeneracom Sports)


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  ITALY   


Alghero signs Farris and Zanardi - by Eurobasket News

Serie A2 team Alghero announced signing of Sara Farris (166-PG-85) and Marika Zanardi (175-G-81) for 2012/13.
Point guard Sara Farris arrives to the club from Vassalli 2G Vigarano, where she spent last season. She appeared 26 times in A2 averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds. She helped Vigarano to win Group North title. They were also regular season champs in this group and reached A2 Cup Semifinals. Farris already played for Alghero and it was in 2010/11. She joined the club during the season registering 11.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 15 games.
Guard Marika Zanardi also arrives from Vigarano. She had 11.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.7 spg and 2.3 apg for 32 games last season. In 2007, she won A2 title with Pozzuoli. Three years ago Zanardi was A2 Group South champion with Castellani Pontedera.


Young Giulia Pasqualin joins SerieA1 newcomer CUS Chieti - by Eurobasket News

CUS Chieti officially announced signing of Giulia Pasqualin (177-G-91) for the upcoming season. The team will compete in SerieA1. The guard heads to CUS Chieti from Pool Comense, where she spent last six years. She is a product of Comense, where she started as teenager. However, Pasqualin had very limited playing time for years. Last season she appeared 11 times in A1 averaging 1.3 points and 1 rebound, after what they parted ways. Giulia Pasqualin played for Italian U20 National Team two years ago at U20 EuroBasket in Liepaja. She had 3.3 ppg and 1.8 rpg for 8 games at this event. In the past, Pasqualin also played for U18 and U16 NT.

Here is current roster of CUS Chieti:
MARINO Martina Pivot 1992 190cm
DE LUCA Chiara Play 1984 172 cm
DIODATI Viola Play/G 1991 172cm
OLHEIM Josefinev Guardia 1986 178cm
SILVA Elisa Pivot 1988 192 cm
GONZALEZ Debora Play 1990 170 cm
GATTI Valentina Pivot 1988 190 cm
DAVID Natsha Pivot 1991 190 cm
PASQUALIN Giulia Guardia 1991 177cm

The team will bring in two imports.


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  NCAA1   


UConn, OSU to play Hall of Fame Challenge in 2013 - by Eurobasket News

Connecticut and Ohio State will headline the first women's Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge in 2013.

The two powerhouse programs will play each other as part of a quadrupleheader on Dec. 1, 2013. Marist will face Old Dominion; Monmouth takes on Boston University; and St. Bonaventure will meet Bowling Green.

"We are very pleased to be a part of the inaugural Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "There are some really good teams in the field and it will be a lot of fun to showcase our game in the birthplace of college basketball."

Before the games in Springfield, Ohio State and UConn will host the other teams in a round robin tournament. Marist, Bowling Green and Monmouth will play at Ohio State. Boston University, Old Dominion and St. Bonaventure will be at Connecticut.

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


Sepsi SIC adds 3 more American players - by Eurobasket News

Sepsi SIC continues with signings for the upcoming season. After Jasmin Bailey (172-G/F-90, college: Ill.-Chicago) and Jence Rhoads (180-G-88, college: Vanderbilt), the team landed three more American players: Regina Rogers (190-C-88, college: Washington), Tabytha Wampler (185-F-90, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Mexico St.) and Jaleshia Roberson (172-G, agency: Interperformances, college: Missouri St.). All three are rookies.
Center Regina Rogers graduated at the University of Washington few months ago. She had 16.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg for 33 games as a senior and was named to All-Pac-12 1st Team -12. Washington reached NIT Elite Eight.
Forward Tabytha Wampler is a product of the New Mexico State University. She had 13.3 ppg and 9 rpg for 30 games as a senior.
Jaleshia Roberson arrives from the Missouri State University. The guard had 10.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.3 apg in her senior season with the school (33 games). They reached MVC tournament Semifinals and NIT Sweet 16.
Sepsi SIC will compete in Romanian top division for women.


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  POLAND   


Tyra White fails to pass medical tests, leaves Matizol Lider Pruszkow - by Eurobasket News

Tyra White (182-G-89, college: Texas A&M) will not play for Matizol Lider Pruszkow next season. The American guard failed to pass medical tests and she already left Poland. White penned a deal with Pruszkow earlier this summer and she supposed to start professional basketball career in Poland. However, that will not happen after all, at least not with Matizol Lider Pruszkow. White played 32 games for Texas A&M last season averaging 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. She had almost the same numbers in 2010/11. Texas A&M was the NCAA champion in 2011. Last season they reached NCAA Sweet 16. The school played in Sweet 16 also three years ago. Tyra White was named All-Big 12 1st Team in 2011 and this year as well. Matizol Lider Pruszkow is already on the market looking for replacement.


Dominika Owczarzak agreed terms with CCC Polkowice - by Eurobasket News

CCC Polkowice (PLKK) added to their roster 18-year old domestic point guard Dominika Owczarzak (169-94). She played most recently at MUKS Poznan in 1Liga. Her team was promoted to PLKK. While playing 34 PLKK games for MUKS Poznan last season Owczarzak averaged 6.8ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.3apg and 2.1spg. She played also 4 games for MUKS Kornik (Poland) in PLKK where she had 11.5ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.3apg and 5.5spg. Owczarzak played also pro basketball in Italy and Romania. She was a member of Polish U18 national team until 2012. Owczarzak represented Poland at the European Championships U18 in Bucharest (Romania) this year.

By Eurobasket Data Center


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  ROMANIA   


Sepsi SIC adds 3 more American players - by Eurobasket News

Sepsi SIC continues with signings for the upcoming season. After Jasmin Bailey (172-G/F-90, college: Ill.-Chicago) and Jence Rhoads (180-G-88, college: Vanderbilt), the team landed three more American players: Regina Rogers (190-C-88, college: Washington), Tabytha Wampler (185-F-90, agency: Interperformances, college: N.Mexico St.) and Jaleshia Roberson (172-G, agency: Interperformances, college: Missouri St.). All three are rookies.
Center Regina Rogers graduated at the University of Washington few months ago. She had 16.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg for 33 games as a senior and was named to All-Pac-12 1st Team -12. Washington reached NIT Elite Eight.
Forward Tabytha Wampler is a product of the New Mexico State University. She had 13.3 ppg and 9 rpg for 30 games as a senior.
Jaleshia Roberson arrives from the Missouri State University. The guard had 10.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.3 apg in her senior season with the school (33 games). They reached MVC tournament Semifinals and NIT Sweet 16.
Sepsi SIC will compete in Romanian top division for women.


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  SERBIA   


Partizan signs NT player Nevena Jovanovic - by Eurobasket News

Partizan continues with signings for the upcoming season. The reigning Serbian and Adriatic league champion added another National Team member to the roster. It is Nevena Jovanovic (179-G-90), who had 9 ppg and 2 rpg for 8 games in 2013 EuroBasket Qualifications. The guard spent last two and a half seasons with Radivoj Korac. In the latest one she had 15.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 3.1 apg for 17 Adriatic league games. Jovanovic was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-MZRKL Honorable Mention -12. In 2010/11, the player had 11 ppg and 2.1 rpg for 22 games in the regional championship. Before Radivoj Korac, Nevena Jovanovic played for Kovin and Kraljevo. In 2009 and 2010, she was a member of the Serbian U20 National Team. In the past, Jovanovic also played for U18 and U16 Serbia.


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  SLOVAKIA   


MBK Ruzomberok keeps Swedish NT member Kadidja Andersson for 2012/13 - by Eurobasket News

MBK Ruzomberok officially announced signing of a 1-year contract extension with Kadidja Andersson (185-F-80, college: Minnesota). The Swedish forward arrived to the club a year ago from Gran Canaria. She appeared 27 times in Slovakian Extraliga averaging 12.4 points and 4.1 rebounds. The player also added 11 ppg and 4.6 rpg for 10 EuroCup appearances. Ruza reached Extraliga Finals and EuroCup QFinals. She was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Slovakian Extraliga Honorable Mention -12. Before Ruzomberok and Gran Canaria, Kadidja Andersson played for 08 Stockholm. She was named Eurobasket.com All-Swedish Damligan Player of the Year -10 while helping her team to win the championship title. Andersson also has experience from Italy and US (University of Minnesota). The player had 8.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg this summer for 8 games with Swedish NT in 2013 EuroBasket Qualifications.


Spisska Nova Ves brings in forward Regina Palusna - by Eurobasket News

Spisska Nova Ves officially announced signing of Regina Palusna (192-F/C-89, agency: Josep and Nicolas). The Slovakian forward is back to Extraliga after three years. Palusna arrives to Nova Ves from Nantes, where she had 4.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg for 23 French LFB games last season. The player also added 5.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 6 EuroCup appearances. Before Nantes, the forward spent one year with Pecs 2010. She had 4.6 ppg and 3.3 rpg for 10 games in Hungarian league, while her numbers in Euroleague were lower. In 2009/10, Regina Palusna spent few months with Spanish Ros Casares. In the past, she was a member of Ruzomberok and Kosice. Palusna played for the Slovakian National Team at 2009 EuroBasket in Latvia and 2011 EB in Poland. Last summer she had 1.5 ppg and 3 rpg for 2 games.


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  SPAIN   


Isofoton Alcobendas extends Leslie Knight, adds Laura Jornet - by Eurobasket News

Isofoton Alcobendas announced signing of 1-year contract extensions with Leslie Knight (184-F-86) and Laura Jornet (181-F-85).
Leslie Knight arrived to the club three years ago from Canti Riva Basket Ceresio. Last season she shined with 16.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 2 apg for 25 appearances in LF2. Knight was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Spanish LF2 Honorable Mention -12. She had slightly lower stats in 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons. In 2008/09 the player averaged 19.9 points and 8.1 rebounds in Switzerland and was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Swiss LNA Honorable Mention. Knight graduated at the University of Minnesota in 2008.
Laura Jornet heads to Alcobendas from CD Irlandesas Leioa, where she had 12.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg for 27 LF2 games last season. She played for them also in 2010/11. Before Irlandesas, Jornet was a member of Guadalajara, Cadi la Seu, Augimar Vinaroz and Ros Casares.


Real Canoe signs F Sheila Mangada - by Eurobasket News

Centros Unico Real Canoe reinforced its roster at position 3. The Spanish LF2 team penned a deal with forward Sheila Mangada (183-F-85). She already played for the club five years ago. Last season Mangada spent with Fundal Alcobendas in LF2. She appeared 24 times in the league averaging 11.2 points and 4 rebounds. Before Alcobendas, the player spent one year with Aros Leon. There she had 8.9 ppg and 4.6 rpg for 51 games also in LF2. Sheila Mangada played for Alcobendas also from 2008 to 2010. As mentioned above, she was a member of Real Canoe in 2007/08 season collecting 5.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg for 25 games. The player is expected to have important role in the team next season. In the past Mangada played for Spanish U20 National Team.


Caceres brings in G Gabriela Rodriguez - by Eurobasket News

Gabriela Rodriguez (178-G-90) is a new member of Caceres. The Spanish guard penned a 1-year deal with her new club. They will compete in LF2 next season. Rodriguez finished the last one with Uni-Cajacanarias Santa Cruz averaging 7.2 points and 2.2 rebounds for 10 games. She joined them in February from another LF2 team ASAC Comunicaciones Adba Aviles. With Aviles the player had 10.7 ppg and 3.1 rpg for 15 appearances. Gabriela Rodriguez played in LFB two years ago. She had 4.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg for 15 games with Olesa Espanyol. In 2009/10, the guard played for CD Irlandesas Leioa and year before that she spent with Valls Vane-Lafarge (both LF2 teams). Six year ago Gabriela Rodriguez won the gold medal with U16 Spain at U16 EuroBasket in Kosice. She had 7.1 ppg and 1.8 spg for 8 games, but never played for the NT again.


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  SWEDEN   


MBK Ruzomberok keeps Swedish NT member Kadidja Andersson for 2012/13 - by Eurobasket News

MBK Ruzomberok officially announced signing of a 1-year contract extension with Kadidja Andersson (185-F-80, college: Minnesota). The Swedish forward arrived to the club a year ago from Gran Canaria. She appeared 27 times in Slovakian Extraliga averaging 12.4 points and 4.1 rebounds. The player also added 11 ppg and 4.6 rpg for 10 EuroCup appearances. Ruza reached Extraliga Finals and EuroCup QFinals. She was awarded with Eurobasket.com All-Slovakian Extraliga Honorable Mention -12. Before Ruzomberok and Gran Canaria, Kadidja Andersson played for 08 Stockholm. She was named Eurobasket.com All-Swedish Damligan Player of the Year -10 while helping her team to win the championship title. Andersson also has experience from Italy and US (University of Minnesota). The player had 8.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg this summer for 8 games with Swedish NT in 2013 EuroBasket Qualifications.


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  TURKEY   


Sebnem Nezahat Kimyaciouglu joins Galatasaray - by Eurobasket News

Galatasaray bolstered their frontcourt. They added Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu (182-F-83, agency: LBM Management, college: Stanford) to the roster. The forward signed a 1+1 contract with the team. Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu was last seen on the court back in 2008. She played for Galatasaray. The forward notched 9.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game in EuroCup. In TBBL her stats read 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per appearance. Later Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu moved to the USA and took a break in her active player career.
Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu graduated from Stanford University in 2005. She also played for Besiktas. The forward appeared in TBBL All-Star Game in 2006 and 2008. She was named into Turkish TBBL All-Newcomers Team in 2006. Sebnem Nezahat Kimyacioglu was the member of Turkish National Team in 2005/07 seasons.


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  UBA   


Artego Bydgoszcz (Poland) add Kristen Morris - by David Walls


David Walls Reports:
August 31, 2012

Former Disciple Kristen Morris (6'3''-F-87, college: LSU) is heading to Poland to continue her professional basketball career.

Morris has agreed to terms with Artego Bydgoszcz (Poland). This season Morris played for the Georgia Disciples (WUBA) where she averaged 12.8 PPG and 8.0 RPG. She also helped the Lady Disciples win their first WUBA Championship.

In 2010-2011 Morris played for Artego, she averaged 11.9ppg, 6.4rpg in 16 games.



Treasure Johnson signs with Centro Naval de Peru - by David Walls


David Walls Reports:
August 30, 2012

Former Metro Atlanta Sparks Treasure Johnson (6'0''-G/F, agency: Gamble Sports Management, college: NC-Wilmington) is heading to Peru to continue her professional basketball career. Johnson will play for the Centro Naval de Peru. This season Johnson played for the Metro Atlanta Sparkss (WUBA) where she averaged 16.8 PPG and 6.0 RPG.

In 2010-2011 Johnson played in Puerto Rico with Leonas de Ponce. She averaged 9.5ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.5apg, 1.5spg.



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  WNBA   


Cambage discusses the Shock, China and her WNBA future in ESPN.com article - by Eurobasket News

Cambage Elizabeth (6'8''-C-91) says she wouldnt rule out playing for the Tulsa Shock in the future.

But the 6-foot-8 Australian makes it clear in an article by Mechelle Voepel for ESPN.com that she isnt thinking past her next pro engagement a stint in China that begins a few weeks after Tulsa plays its final WNBA regular-season game on Sept. 23.

Cambage delves into the issues that have dogged her since playing for her native country in the London Summer Olympics, and the reasons she decided not to return to the Shock for the remainder of the 2012 season.

"My friends warned me that a lot of people suffer from what they call the post-Olympic depression. Youre just training so long, and then its over. Im just energy-less, and its been a struggle for me in the past couple of weeks, Cambage tells Voepel.

Under the terms of Cambages rookie WNBA contract, Tulsa owns her rights for another three years. Voepel reports that Cambage definitely wont decide on a return to the WNBA in 2013 until playing the winter season for the Chinese club Zheijag Chouzhou, which signed her in June for a reported $400,000.

But Cambage says she could be happy in Tulsa. I think Tulsa is a great city. When I was there, I met a lot of lovely people and made a lot of friends. . . . (The Shock is) still a young franchise, learning and growing. And Id like to learn and grow with them.

Cambage discusses the possibility of Tulsa landing the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, and playing alongside Baylor 6-foot-8 standout Brittneuy Griner, which the Shock would be certain to select.

That would be so unfair for the rest of the league, she says.

She also discusses the idea of playing for Shock first-year head coach Gary Kloppenburg.

"He seems great, and I've only heard great things about him," she says.

Courtesy of www.tulsaworld.com


Connecticut Sun sign Tan White through 2013 season - by Eurobasket News

The Connecticut Sun wrapped up another piece of thier backcourt Wednesday night by signing veteran guard Tan White (5'7''-PG-82, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Mississippi St.) to a one-year contract extension through the 2013 season.

Last week, the Sun extended guard Kara Lawson through the 2015 season.

"We are really happy to have Tan back for another year," said Chris Sienko, the Sun vice president and general manager. "She has been a part of our core group, helping us bring our team back to prominence in the league. She sets a wonderful example for the younger players by always working hard on and off the court, and that approach has also made her a fan favorite."

Signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2009 after four seasons with the Indiana Fever, White is averaging 4.8 points and is second on the team in three-point shooting at 36.4 percent (16-of-44).

"I am really happy to be returning to the Sun," said White. "Playing in Connecticut has been a great experience for me."

In her first three seasons, White averaged 8.4 points with 121 three-pointers in 98 games. She shot a career-best 37.7 percent (49-of-130) from three in 2009 and 36.6 percent (49-of-134) in 2010.

"I'm glad we could get this done before the season is over," said Sun coach Mike Thibault. "Tan has been a big part of our progress over the last couple of years and we're trying to keep the core of this team together. She has obviously made a big contribution to our success."

White was the top scorer in NCAA Division I as a senior at Mississippi State, averaging 23.8 points per game.

Courtesy of www.courant.com