Eurobasket.com All-FIBA Eurocup Awards 2007-08
Player of the Year -
Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, agency:
CAA Sports,
college:
Alabama) of Barons/LMT Riga (LAT)
Guard of the Year - Giorgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) of Tartu likool/Rock (EST) Forward of the Year - Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75) of Barons/LMT Riga (LAT) Center of the Year - Ben Ebong (202-F/C-76) of Dexia Mons-Hainaut (BEL) Import Player of the Year - Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75) of Barons/LMT Riga (LAT) Domestic Player of the Year - Giorgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) of Tartu likool/Rock (EST) Coach of the Year - Karlis Muiznieks of Barons/LMT 1st Team Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75) of Barons/LMT Riga (LAT) Ben Ebong (202-F/C-76) of Dexia Mons-Hainaut (BEL) Joe Smith (193-G-77) of Spartak St.Petersburg (RUS) Giorgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) of Tartu likool/Rock (EST) Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) of Proteas EKA AEL Limassol (CYP) 2nd Team Armands Skele (192-G-83) of Barons/LMT Riga (LAT) Brian Cusworth (213-C-84) of Tartu likool/Rock (EST) Jakov Vladovic (187-G-83) of KK Zagreb (CRO) Brent Wright (203-F/C-78) of Ural Great Perm (RUS) Mike Lenzly (189-G-81) of Dexia Mons-Hainaut (BEL) Honorable Mention Travis Conlan (194-G-75) of Dexia Mons-Hainaut (BEL) Duane Woodward (191-G-76) of Proteas EKA AEL Limassol (CYP) Sasa Bratic (202-F/G-81) of Khimik-OPZ Yuzny (UKR) Ante Tomic (217-C-87) of KK Zagreb (CRO) Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83) of Lokomotiv Rostov na Donu (RUS) Nando De Colo (195-G-87) of Cholet Basket (FRA) Alex Scales (192-G-78) of CSK VVS Samara (RUS) Adrian Henning (203-F-82) of Lappeenranta NMKY (FIN) All-Europeans Team Mike Lenzly (202-F/C-76) of Dexia Mons-Hainaut (BEL) Giorgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) of Tartu likool/Rock (EST) Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) of Proteas EKA AEL Limassol (CYP) Armands Skele (192-G-83) of Barons/LMT Riga (LAT) Sasa Bratic (202-F/G-81) of Khimik-OPZ Yuzny (UKR) All-Imports Team Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75) of Barons/LMT Riga (LAT) Ben Ebong (202-F/C-76) of Dexia Mons-Hainaut (BEL) Brian Cusworth (213-C-84) of Tartu likool/Rock (EST) Brent Wright (203-F/C-78) of Ural Great Perm (RUS) Joe Smith (193-G-77) of Spartak St.Petersburg (RUS)
Barons LMT win FIBA EuroCup 2008! Barons LMT Riga are the 2008 EuroCup champion after defeating Dexia Mons-Hainaut in a 63-62 thriller in Limassol, Cyprus, Sunday night. Riga will have a good reason to celebrate tonight, as the Barons become the first to bring the European title to independent Latvia. The last Latvian team to win a title was ASK Riga back in 1960. 'We played like a team for 40 minutes like coach asked us,' said Lithuanian guard Giedrius Gustas (190-G-80, agency: Interperformances). 'We had ups and downs but we stayed like a team. We won by one point but this is enough to celebrate the win,' concluded Gustas, who notched 17 points on 75% shooting from the field, including a couple of clutch shots that helped win the game. Dexia's Travis Conlan (194-G-75, college: Michigan) went to the line to shoot two free throws with his team down 63-60 and two seconds on the clock. After making the first, he faced the dilemma of attempting to sink the second or missing to go for the offensive rebound. 'I made a big mistake when I told Conlon not to miss the second free throw, thinking we could get a quick foul and then change the score,' said coach Chris Finch after the game. The Belgian club failed to foul as the Barons ran the clock to start their celebrations. The Latvians took over the game right from the start, stopping Dexia's big guys and getting the guards in foul trouble. Dexia came back with a big third quarter and even took the lead in the fourth, but the Barons had the fortitude to turn the game in their favor and win by a point. Armands Skele (192-G-83) was the main executor for the Barons the entire night. The athletic Latvian guard showed his classic all-around skills in registering 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists behind huge, hard-nosed fighting spirit. Dexia got 13 points each from their guards Conlon and Nate Reinking (183-G-73, college: Kent St.); the former added five rebounds and four assists, with the latter grabbing six boards. Andrew Sullivan (203-F-80, college: Villanova) led the Dexia comeback in the third quarter and finished with 12 points and six rebounds. The Barons held an early 15-5 lead, taking advantage of a terrible start shooting by Dexia in the game's opening minutes. Michal Hlebowicki's (204-F-76) three-pointer made it a 12-point game, but big plays by Dexia in the closing seconds allowed them to finish the first quarter down 23-15. J.P. Batista (206-F/C-81, college: Gonzaga) came off the bench to cover a weak start by Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75, agency: CAA Sports, college: Alabama), and gave Riga its largest lead of the game at 29-15 with seven minuets to play in the first half. Reinking and Mike Lenzly (189-G-81, college: Wofford) hit from long range to change the pace of the game, and Jim Cantamessa sent the teams to halftime with the score 35-28. Through the first half, Dexia's big bodies were scoreless and Conlon and Reinking amassed three fouls apiece, but they were still in the game. The Barons allowed no breathing room, though, and two minutes into the third, Hlebowicki finished a fast break to again make it a 12 point game at 44-32. Sullivan took control of the game for his team before it was too late and was the main factor behind a 16-4 run that tied the game in the next six minutes. Gustas and Skele there to ensure the Barons held a 62-58 lead at the end of the third quarter, but Dexia would not yet be vanquished: Lenzly again tied the score with a three-pointer, and Ben Ebong (202-F/C-76, college: Davidson) added a bucket from close range to give Dexia their first lead of the game with an 8-2 run early in the fourth. Dexia increased the lead to four, but Gustas and Alexander came back with 4:30 left on the clock and everything changed. After a slow night on offense Alexander stepped up and his jumper put Barons on top again, 59-58. He added a point from the line and contributed a great effort on defense before Gustas sank a jumper of his own to give his team a 62-58 lead with 1:21 to go. Skele hit one of two from the line with 55 seconds on the clock and Sullivan made it just a three-point game. After Skele missed a three-pointer, Dexia was left with their last chance. To cap a fantastic performance, Gustas fouled Conlon to prevent a three-point shot attempt, thereby fouling out of the game with 0:02 on the clock. Conlon was too accurate this time, allowing the Barons to pop the champagne corks. (Edited by Os Davis) Courtesy FIBA AEL snaps EuroCup season for Khimik Khimik - AEL 76:87 Khimik Yuzhny were tamed by AEL in Game 2 of their EuroCup quarterfinal series. The loss meant the season had come to an end for ambitious Khimik. The hosts were hopeful before the return leg with just a 5-point deficit to overcome. But it grew to as many as 24 just after 10 minutes of action in Yuzhny. Maxime Zianveni (198-F-79) and Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) teamed up for 15 points in the opening frame to stun the home team 31:12. Olu Famutimi (197-G-84, college: Arkansas) and Andriy Agafonov (207-F-86, agency: Interperformances) opened the second term with 4 straight points trying to recharge desperate hosts but Duane Woodward (191-G-76, college: Boston Coll.) quickly iced any efforts with 6 points in row for the visitors. Olu Famutimi and Martynas Mazeika (192-G-85) ignited a mini-run for Khimik to clip the gap to 15 points. AEL responded with back-to-back triples from Ryan Randle (206-F-81, college: Maryland) and Vasili Zavoruev (196-G-87) to restore a 20-point cushion. Goran Cakic (207-C/F-80, agency: Beo Basket) and Wykeen Kelly (186-G-79, agency: Court Side, college: Salem Intern.) carried Khimik within 15 points early in the third stanza. But Karim Souchu (198-F-79, college: Furman) scored 5 consecutive points for AEL to make it a 62:44 game with less than 3 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The teams traded free throws late in the frame and AEL headed into the final stanza with a comfortable 69:50 advantage. Martynas Mazeika came up with consecutive treys for Khimik at the start of the fourth period to cut the margin to 13 points and put the fans on their feet. Martynas Mazeika was not done as he stretched his scoring streak with a jumper second later and Khimik climbed within 11 points from the visitors. Karim Souchu finally broke the deadlock for AEL with 4-point play. Khimik simply ran out steam at the moment and never seriously threaten AEL's lead till the final buzzer. Maxime Zianveni poured in 19 points to pace AEL. Karim Souchu scored 16 points, while Duane Woodward added 13 points for Cypriot team. Goran Cakic registered 23 points and 10 boards for Khimik. Martynas Mazeika delivered 13 points in a losing effort. AEL will now take on Mons-Hainaut in the Final Four of EuroCup on April 18. Khimik: Goran Cakic 23+10 boards, Martynas Mazeika 13 AEL: Maxime Zianveni 19, Karim Souchu 16, Duane Woodward 13 Cyprus EuroCup All Star Game 2008
Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83) of Lokomotiv Rostov Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) of Proteas EKA AEL Sasa Bratic (202-F/G-81) of Khimik Giorgi Tsintsadze (192-G-86) of Tartu Rock Armands Skele (192-G-83) of Barons LMT Ante Tomic (217-C-87) of Zagreb Martynas Andriukaitis (204-F-81) of Cherkaski Yaniv Green (206-F-80) of Samara Mike Lenzly (189-G-81) of Dexia Nando De Colo (195-G-87) of Cholet Dimitris Verginis (194-G-87) of PAOK BC Petri Virtanen (183-G-80) of Lappeenranta Coach: Zeljko Pavlicevic of KK Zagreb Coach: Valery Tikhonenko of CSK-VVS Samara Rest of the world rosters Brian Cusworth (213-C-84) of Tartu Rock Demetrius Alexander (204-F/C-75) of Barons LMT Adrian Henning (203-F-82) of LAPPEENRANTA Joe Smith (193-G-77) of Spartak St Petersburg Duane Woodward (191-G-76) of Proteas EKA AEL John Edwards (213-C-81) of Cherkaski Olu Famutimi (197-G-84) of Khimik Jim Cantamessa (202-F-78) of Dexia Brent Wright (203-F/C-78) of Ural Great Alex Scales (192-G-78) of Samara Andrew Wisniewski (191-G-81) of Ural Great Coach: Charles Barton of Proteas EKA AEL Coach: Chris Finch of Dexia Mons-Hainaut Rest of the World Team betters Europe in EuroCup All-Star Game
Europe - Rest of the World 116:118 Limassol was chosen to host the EuroCup festivity yesterday. The All-Star Game between Europe and the Rest of the World teams was preceded by different contests. Vasili Zavoruev (196-G-87) from AEL succeeded in winning the three-point shootout. He surpassed James Jim Cantamessa (202-F-78, college: Siena) of Mons-Hainaut in the final round. Vasili Zavoruev missed all of his attempts at the first rack but notched 10 straight treys to advance to the final round. There he was unstoppable leaving James Jim Cantamessa behind. The All-Star Game itself that drew 5500 spectators to the Melford Arena in Limassol turned out to be a real treat for all basketball fans. The teams played an entertaining piece of basketball with little defense involved. The Rest of the World squad grabbed the lead early in the game as Joe Smith (193-G-77, agency: Priority Sports, college: Al.-Huntsville) drilled a couple of treys. Alex Scales (192-G-78, college: Oregon) added another long three-pointer and the Rest of the World team accumulated a 20:13 advantage. Nando De Colo (195-G-87) and Petri Virtanen (183-G-80) fired back-to-back triples to drag Europe within 4 points late in the first quarter. Milutin Aleksic (202-F-82) and Martynas Andriukaitis (204-F-81) capped the frame with 4 points and the Europe side trailed 34:38. The teams continued to trade baskets throughout the second term with the Rest of the World keeping it in front. Dimitris Verginis (194-G-87, agency: FCM) nailed a treble and George Tsintsadze (192-G-86) added a jumper to shave the deficit to 2 points but Famutimi and Duane Woodward (191-G-76, college: Boston Coll.) teamed up for 8 quick points and the Rest of the World secured a safe distance. Alex Scales and Joseph Joe Smith crowned the first half with two treys and the Rest of the World team led by 6 points at halftime. A trey from Milutin Aleksic finally put the Europe up 88:86 midway through the third period. The lead then changed hands for a couple of times before Joe Smith nailed another treble and the Rest of the World entered the final stanza in front 100:99. The sides were all square at 114 with under 4 minutes remaining. Alex Scales put the Rest of the World in front with a jumper, while Famitimi stretched the gap to 4 points with just over 2 minutes left. Sasa Bratic (202-F/G-81, agency: Beo Basket) cut the deficit to 2 points with free throws but the Rest of the World team withstood in the dying seconds and celebrated an impressive victory. Joe Smith, who finished with 28 points, was voted the MVP of the Game. Europe: Nando De Colo 24, Milutin Aleksic 20, Kresimir Loncar (210-F-83) 18, Sasa Bratic 18 Rest of the World: Joe Smith 28, Alex Scales 23, Adrian Henning 14, Demetrius Alexander 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Barons/LMT won FIBA EuroCup 2008 (Photo: FIBA)
