Dukies in Europe and other places outside the USA

[awhom111]

On Tuesday, Gran Canaria had the deciding Game 3 of their quarterfinal series at Caja Laboral Baskonia and were still shorthanded, even after the moves they made after the departure of Jon Scheyer. Like the first two games of the series, this one stayed close throughout with the visitors leading most of the way as they held on to their advantage and won 72-66 to keep their special season going in the semifinals. Ryan Toolson led the way with 27 points and Eulis Baez had 16 points. In the loss, ex-NBA player Maciej Lampe had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Nemanja Bjelica, who was drafted in the second round in 2010 by the Washington Wizards before he was traded on draft day to the Minnesota Timberwolves, had 10 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57316.php

On Wednesday, DeMarcus Nelson, fresh off being named to the all-League First Team, and Red Star Belgrade began the playoffs in Serbia by beating Mega Vizura 78-61 in Game 1 of the semifinals as they built a lead in the second half. DeMarcus was charged with providing more offense with brief NBA player Igor Rakocevic injured and did just that with his usual defensive contribution as he finished with 16 points and 9 assists in 34 minutes. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.kls.rs/box.php?id=240

On Thursday, the semifinals started in Spain as Real Madrid, without Marty Pocius, took on Zaragoza in Game 1 and held on to an 84-76 win. Nikola Mirotic had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Rudy Fernandez had 14 points. In the loss, ex-Texas A&M player Joseph Jones had 12 points and UCLA player Michael Roll had 10 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57319.php

On Friday, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets were back in action, but fell 89-77 to the Nelson Giants after a poor second half. Nick had 18 points and 16 rebounds in 35 minutes. Marcel Jones had 12 points and 7 rebounds and Jeremiah Trueman had 12 points. In the win, ex-Providence player Erron Maxey had 21 points and 7 rebounds and ex-Syracuse player Josh Pace had 12 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.basketball.org.nz/_r/uplo...-Box-Score.pdf

DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade tried to book their spot in the finals in Game 2 at Mega Vizura, but could not prevail in a close game and fell 73-71. DeMarcus had 14 points in 36 minutes. In the win, ex-Utah player Luka Drca had 15 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.kls.rs/box.php?id=242

Gran Canaria started their semifinals series with FC Barcelona well below full strength in addition to having to deal with Jon Scheyer's departure. They started the game off with hot shooting to hang onto a lead into halftime, but quickly fell behind in the second half only to try a late comeback before losing 69-63. Spencer Nelson had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Brad Newley had 13 points and 8 rebounds, and Eulis Baez had 12 points and 11 rebounds. In the win, ex-NBA player Juan Carlos Navarro had 14 points and ex-Princeton player C.J. Wallace had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57320.php

The Hobart Chargers were even more shorthanded than usual as they were missing more than Kathleen Scheer, but they still managed an 83-58 win over the Launceston Tornadoes. Lindsay Laur had 25 points and 12 rebounds. In the loss, ex-Iowa State player Lauren Mansfield had 14 points and 11 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=2

[awhom111]

Gran Canaria had their season ended today. Of course, Jon Scheyer left the team some time ago, but he was a big part in getting them to the playoffs.

Quin Snyder will hope that his season ends tomorrow, but only because that means that CSKA Moscow would have swept their way to the VTB United League title.

Here are some Jon Scheyer highlights, not from this season, but from his previous season with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

[awhom111]

On Saturday, Jess Foley and the Norwood Flames smashed another opponent after pounding the Forestville Eagles 80-50. Jess had 8 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1
Jess has also decided not to retire from playing in the professional national-level league as she has signed with a team closer to her school for next season:
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/...-1226659504193

Real Madrid got their offense going in Game 2 of the semifinals against Zaragoza, even after continuing to play without Marty Pocius, and put themselves one step closer to the finals with a 93-65 win. Jaycee Carroll had 18 points, Sergio Rodriguez had 11 points and 8 assists, Nikola Mirotic had 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Rudy Fernandez had 10 points. Ex-UCLA player Michael Roll had 10 points in the loss. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57321.php

On Sunday, Gran Canaria put up another good fight in Game 2 against FC Barcelona before falling 77-73 as they were missing more players after the departure of Jon Scheyer. Ryan Toolson had 20 points, Brad Newley had 17 points and 9 rebounds, and Spencer Nelson had 10 points and 6 rebounds. In the win, ex-NBA player Juan Carlos Navarro had 22 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57322.php

DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade would either have their season ended or earn a spot in the finals as they faced Mega Vizura in Game 3 of the semifinals. They had a full strength lineup at the start of the game and needed that as they needed to come back in the second half to win 77-68. DeMarcus contributed on all levels again as he had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in 37 minutes. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.kls.rs/box.php?id=243

On Monday, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets got back to winning ways with a 79-72 win over the Taranaki Mountain Airs. Nick had 12 points and 21 rebounds in 36 minutes. Chris Hagan had 25 points and 8 assists and Marcel Jones had 15 points and 6 rebounds. In the loss, ex-Coastal Carolina player Jack Leasure had 20 points, veteran Link Abrams had 13 points and 6 rebounds, and ex-Auburn player Kenny Gabriel had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

On Tuesday, Real Madrid punched their spot in the finals after winning 77-63 in Game 3 to complete the sweep even though Zaragoza troubled them more than in the first two games, and they got some help from their replacement for Marty Pocius. Nikola Mirotic had 18 points, Jaycee Carroll and Tremmell Darden had 13 points each, and Sergio Llull had 10 points. In the loss, Michael Roll had 12 points and ex-Texas A&M player Joseph Jones had 11 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57323.php

On Wednesday, DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade started the finals with their hated rivals Partizan Belgrade and had severe trouble as they went on to lose 82-54. DeMarcus had 10 points in 31 minutes. In the win, Davis Bertans, who was drafted in the second round in 2011 by the Indiana Pacers before a draft day trade to the San Antonio Spurs, had 10 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.kls.rs/box.php?id=244

Gran Canaria's great season was ended abruptly in Game 3 against FC Barcelona as the team continued to play shorthanded after the departure of Jon Scheyer and fell 84-62. Eulis Baez had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Brad Newley had 12 points, and Ryan Toolson had 10 points. In the win, ex-Alaska player Brad Oleson had 17 points, former Texas high schooler Marcelo Huertas had 10 points and 6 assists, and Juan Carlos Navarro and 2006 Minnesota Timberwolves second round pick Loukas Mavrokefalides had 10 points each. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57324.php
Here were Jon's statistics for the season:
http://www.acb.com/stspartidojug.php...cod_edicion=57

On Friday, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets lost 110-81 to the Southland Sharks. Nick had 15 points and 9 rebounds in 31 minutes. Chris Hagan had 21 points and 6 assists and Marcel Jones had 12 points and 8 rebounds. In the win, ex-Georgetown player Kevin Braswell had 31 points and 6 assists, ex-JC player Leon Henry had 27 points and 8 rebounds, and ex-Saint Louis player Brian Conklin had 18 points and 6 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.basketball.org.nz/_r/uplo...s-Boxscore.pdf

DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade tried to bounce back in Game 2 against Partizan Belgrade. The Serbian League uses a 1-1-1-1-1 format for their championship series, but in the case of these two teams, there are no added travel expenses from this arrangement since both teams share Pionir. The designated home team for this match built a halftime lead as they looked to even the series, but were disappointing in the second half as they fell 71-69 and put themselves in danger of being swept. DeMarcus contributed in a number of ways as usual as he had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists in 34 minutes. In the win, Davis Bertans had 13 points and 6 rebounds, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who recently declared for the upcoming NBA Draft, had 11 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.kls.rs/box.php?id=245

Another former Duke player's season ended today as Quin Snyder finished his first year coaching overseas at CSKA Moscow. They won the VTB United League after a 3-1 win in an incident-marred finals series to add to the Russian League title that they had won, although they were once again denied the Euroleague title.

[awhom111]

I did not realize that a certain Mr. Lang was a head coach in Japan. His team had a tough time this season. Are there any other former Duke players coaching overseas?

DeMarcus Nelson and his team refused to let their season end today. A full update will come later in the week.

[awhom111]

DeMarcus Nelson had his season ended today as his team fell just short of a trophy yet again this season. I feel like we should take his various YouTube highlight from the season and vote on which one is the best.

Speaking of YouTube, a big rivalry championship series in another country ended slightly differently. Clearly, if you are about to get swept out of your own building by your biggest rivals, who have had a near stranglehold on the league, you should definitely interrupt the game by tossing flares on the court and causing other generalized mayhem. That seems to be what Olympiakos fans thought in Greece as they saw their season literally go up in smoke against Panathinaikos. Shockingly this all happened with their team only down 4 with plenty of time to come back, so the ease with which they gave up the game and the series is pretty sad.

[awhom111]

DeMarcus Nelson barely waited for his season to finish before choosing his destination for next season. He will be seeing this project through as he has signed for Red Star Belgrade again as they look to keep their key pieces and upgrade their roster for the Euroleague season. There have already been some interesting names (big for this level at least) thrown around for players that could sign. Here is an article that is conveniently in English:
http://www.euroleague.net/euroleague...s-on-to-nelson

Here are two articles from his team website in Serbia:
http://www.kkcrvenazvezda.rs/index.p...-volim-beograd
http://www.kkcrvenazvezda.rs/index.p...staje-u-zvezdi

A full update will be coming soon.

[awhom111]

On Saturday, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets had a quick turnaround as they faced the Nuggets and fell behind early and could not recover in time as they lost 95-93. Nick had 22 points and 9 rebounds in 39 minutes. Marcel Jones had 25 points and 7 rebounds and Chris Hagan had 18 points and 9 assists. In the win, ex-Kansas State player Akeem Wright had 28 points and 12 rebounds, ex-South Carolina player Antoine Tisby had 19 points and 7 rebounds, and ex-UNLV player Mark Dickel had 13 points and 7 assists.

On Sunday, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona renewed their rivalry in a rematch of the finals of a year ago, which had featured two Duke connections, unlike this year after the injury to Marty Pocius. Real Madrid was hosting after their superb regular season performance earned them the top seed and they started well only to be overwhelmed in the second quarter, but a big fourth quarter comeback overturned the halftime deficit for a 76-72 Game 1 win. Sergio Rodriguez had 21 points, Sergio Llull had 19 points, and Rudy Fernandez had 14 points and 8 rebounds. In the loss, ex-NBA player Juan Carlos Navarro had 15 points and former Texas high schooler Marcelo Huertas had 10 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57329.php

On Monday, DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade tried to avoid the sweep against their heated rivals Partizan Belgrade in Game 3 and a strong fourth quarter was enough to extend the series as they won 81-74. DeMarcus had 10 points and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.kls.rs/box.php?id=246

On Tuesday, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona had Game 2 of the finals with Marty Pocius still sidelined. The teams both started slowly with the home team building a halftime lead as they looked to take a big advantage in the series, but they fell apart down the stretch and lost 72-71 to leave the series tied as things head to Barcelona. Rudy Fernandez had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Nikola Mirotic had 10 points. In the win, Juan Carlos Navarro had 19 points and ex-Alaska player Brad Oleson had 14 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.fibaeurope.com/coid_6mumG...leMode_on.html

On Wednesday, DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade tried to extend their season in Game 4 of the finals as the home team in the arena they share with Partizan Belgrade. Unfortunately they could not recover from a poor start and ended up losing 68-52 to be denied the championship by their biggest rivals again. DeMarcus had 12 points in 32 minutes. In the win, Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has declared for the NBA Draft, had 17 points. Overall, DeMarcus Nelson had a good season with the team, using his versatility to help out the team as they earned a trip to next year's Euroleague, even though they fell short on their quest for major trophies this season. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.kls.rs/box.php?id=247
Here are his stats from Eurocup play:
http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eur...asoncode=U2012
Here are his stats from Adriatic League play:
http://www.abaliga.com/player/1054/De_Marcus_Nelson
Here are his stats from Serbian League play:
http://www.kls.rs/igrac_stat.php?igrac=328

On Friday, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets returned to action with a tough test against the Nuggets and put in a good effort to recover from an huge early deficit but still lost 110-102. Nick had 21 points and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes before fouling out. Chris Hagan had 28 points and 7 rebounds and Marcel Jones had 27 points. In the win, ex-Kansas State player Akeem Wright had 33 points and 8 rebounds and ex-South Carolina player Antoine Tisby had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona played Game 3 of the finals with Marty Pocius still injured. Real Madrid led for most of the game, but needed to work hard to hold on to their advantage late before winning 84-72 to shift the series home court advantage back in their favor with the opportunity to win at the home of their big rivals. Nikola Mirotic had 18 points and Sergio Llull had 12 points. In the loss, Juan Carlos Vanarro had 20 points, ex-Maryland player Sarunas Jasikevicius had 13 points, and 2008 Utah Jazz second round pick Ante Tomic had 10 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57331.php

The Hobart Chargers continued to play shorthanded as they hope to have Kathleen Scheer and a full strength lineup back soon as they fought hard but lost 71-64 to the Frankston Blues. Lindsay Laur had 21 points and 18 rebounds. In the win, ex-Washington player Nicole Romeo had 22 points, ex-Montana State player Rebecca Mercer had 17 points and 6 rebounds, and ex-Florida Gulf Coast player Patrice Mckenzie had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=2

On Saturday, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets returned to winning ways after beating the Hawks 80-66. Nick had 23 points and 16 rebounds in 34 minutes to lead his team. Marcel Jones had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Hagan had 16 points. In the loss, ex-Stephen F. Austin player Dion Prewster had 18 points and 15 rebounds and ex-Texas Tech player Darko Cohadarevic had 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Jess Foley and the Norwood Flames returned from a short break and resumed their domination of the league with a 101-47 pasting of the Southern Tigers. Jess had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, and 6 steals in 30 minutes. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1

On Sunday, Real Madrid without Marty Pocius and FC Barcelona played Game 4 with the home side trying to stay alive and head back on the road to Madrid for Game 5 and they did just that with a 73-62 win. In the win, Ante Tomic had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Marcelo Huertas had 11 points and 6 assists, ex-Michigan State player Erazem Lorbek, who was drafted in the second round in 2005 by the Indiana Pacers before his rights were traded to the San Antonio Spurs, had 11 points, and 2006 Minnesota Timberwolves second round pick Loukas Mavrokefalides had 10 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57332.php

[awhom111]

You may be able to watch the deciding Game 5 of the finals in Spain tomorrow at 4pm Eastern on the website of one of the TV Channels in Spain:
http://www.tv3.cat/directes

Marty Pocius may not play, but the game should still be a good one with all of the rivalry implications of the game and the title on the line. This is after all, probably the strongest league in the world with teams from one country (thanks to the Toronto Raptors).

[awhom111]

With the finals in two major European Leagues wrapping up yesterday (good news for Marty and bad news for Olek), the major winter basketball leagues will finish up after tonight's Game 7. Except for a few summer leagues, the focus for most players will be on next season while others have a busy international summer to look forward to. A full update on the week's games should come at the weekend.


There is some good news for a Duke player as Kathleen Scheer looks set to return to action about a week ahead of schedule:
http://www.themercury.com.au/article...port-news.html

[awhom111]

On Wednesday, the title would finally be decided in Spain as Real Madrid hosted FC Barcelona in Game 5 as Marty Pocius was forced to watch the season finale from the sidelines. The game was close for several stretches, but the home team managed to take control for a 79-71 win. Rudy Fernandez had 15 points and Tremmell Darden had 13 points and 7 rebounds. In the loss, ex-Maryland player Sarunas Jasikevicius had 23 points. Real Madrid was finally able to capture an elusive major trophy after being denied last season even though they would have liked to put up a better fight in the Euroleague final. For Marty, it was a tough year individually as he suffered several injuries which ultimately ended his season prematurely. Now he will be looking to get healthy in time to play for Lithuania as he will likely be looking for a new club for next season. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.acb.com/fichas/LACB57333.php
Here were Marty's statistics in Euroleague play:
http://www.euroleague.net/competitio...asoncode=e2012
Here were Marty's statistics in Spain:
http://www.acb.com/stspartidojug.php...cod_edicion=57

Another player who played at Duke before leaving for another school finished up his season. Olek Czyz completed his first professional season with Virtus Roma in Italy spending part of the season as a starter and part of the season in a key bench role. The team had a resurgence this year and did well in the regular season before losing 4-1 in the finals against powerhouse Montepaschi Siena. While the games were close, the championship series was relatively anticlimatic as five out of the six other playoff series went to a Game 7. The team did manage to qualify for next season's Euroleague, although Olek's future is still not clear. Shortly after the season ended, the club announced that it was withdrawing from Euroleague participation for a variety reasons and was instead planning to play in a lesser competition. Here were his statistics for the year:
http://web.legabasket.it/player/pbd...me_search=Czyz

On Friday, Kathleen Scheer made her long-awaited return for the Hobart Chargers as they moved towards full strength. They trailed by a large margin at halftime against the Albury Wodonga Bandits, but blasted out of the gates in the second half to win 93-82. Kathleen was eased back into the rotation and had 12 points and 9 rebounds in 17 minutes. Lindsay Laur had 31 points and 14 rebounds as she is likely no longer going to need to attempt to carry the team on her own. In the loss, ex-Utah State player Madeline Plunkett had 26 points and 10 rebounds and ex-Florida player Lonnika Thompson had 17 points and 7 assists. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=2

On Saturday, Jess Foley and the Norwood Flames continued to destroy their opponents as they beat the Eastern Mavericks 94-40. Jess excelled in all aspects of the game with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 9 steals in 32 minutes. Ex-UMass player Marisa Stabile, who was also on the team last year, made her debut as well. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1

Sunday in New Zealand, but still late Saturday in the United States, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets beat the Waikato Pistons 87-83. NIck had 27 points and 8 rebounds in 31 minutes before fouling out. Marcel Jones had 16 points and 9 rebounds and Chris Hagan had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 13 assists. In the loss, former Bethune-Cookman player Garrius Holloman, who started the season with the Jets, had 21 points and 13 rebounds and ex-UC Irvine player Zack Atkinson had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

[awhom111]

On Friday, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets had a must win game against the Southland Sharks to try to earn the final spot in the playoffs. Things looked to be going well until near the end, when the team collapsed in spectacular fashion to lose 94-89, meaning their season will end after a final game next week. Nick had 11 points and 15 rebounds in 29 minutes before fouling out. Chris Hagan had 27 points and Marcel Jones had 20 points and 6 rebounds. In the win, ex-Georgetown player Kevin Braswell had 20 points, ex-Saint Louis player Brian Conklin had 19 points and 9 rebounds, and ex-JC player Leon Henry had 19 points and 8 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.basketball.org.nz/_r/uplo...-Box-Score.pdf

On Saturday, Jess Foley and the Norwood Flames continued to dominate the league as they beat the Woodville Warriors 73-48 as they jumped out to a huge early lead. Jess had 26 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals in 36 minutes. Ex-DII player Jessica Koch had 12 points in the loss. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1

Kathleen Scheer and the Hobart Chargers had a tough game against the division leading Knox Raiders and fell 85-63. Kathleen had 20 points and 7 rebounds in 34 minutes to lead her team as she was finally able to play at full strength. Lindsay Laur and Izzy Chilcott each had 12 points and 6 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=2

Sunday afternoon in Australia, but still Saturday night in the United States, Kathleen Scheer and the Hobart Chargers had a quick turnaround as they faced the Nunawading Spectres in a game that could be critical to the playoff standings at the end of the season. The team was tough througout, but did not get firing on all cylinders and fell 59-52. Kathleen had 8 points and 6 rebounds in 36 minutes and Izzy Chilcott had 21 points and 11 rebounds. In the win, ex-Virginia Tech player Eleanor Brentnall had 10 points and 12 rebounds and ex-Santa Clara player Alyssa Shoji had 10 points.

[awhom111]

While there are still a few leagues playing this season, things are starting to gear up for next season. Euroleague made its draw today for the group stage and the qualifying round with three other pan-European competitions set to make their draw tomorrow. Right now only DeMarcus Nelson is signed with a Euroleague team, but many players have not picked their destinations for next season yet.

Here is the qualifying round draw for one spot in the Euroleague Regular Season with losing teams dropping down to the first group stage of the second tier Eurocup:
Cimberio Varese (Italy) vs Oldenburg (Germany)
Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania) vs VEF Riga (Latvia)
Nymburk (Czech Republic) vs Banvit (Turkey)
Khimki Moscow (Russia) vs Oostende (Belgium)

Here are the groups (double round robin with top four teams advancing and bottom two teams dropping to the second stage of the Eurocup):

Group A
FC Barcelona (Spain)
CSKA Moscow (Russia)
Fenerbahce Ulker (Turkey)
Budivelnik Kiev (Ukraine)
Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
Nanterre (France)

Group B
Real Madrid (Spain)
Anadolu Efes (Turkey)
Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)
Brose Bamberg (Germany)
Emporio Armani Milan (Italy)
Strasbourg (France)

Group C
Olympiakos (Greece)
Montepaschi Siena (Italy)
Unicaja Malaga (Spain)
Galatasaray (Turkey)
Stelmet Zielona Gora (Poland)
Bayern Munich (Germany)

Group D
Panathinaikos (Greece)
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
Caja Laboral Baskonia (Spain)
Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia)
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Qualifying Round Winner

[awhom111]

Three more European competitions had their draws on Friday. Only Krystal Thomas at Perfumerias Avenida is confirmed so far, but more players will likely join these teams.

EuroChallenge (third tier men, top two advance):
Group A: Dijon (France), Den Bosch (Netherlands), Rakvere Tarvas (Estonia), Antwerp Giants (Belgium)
Group B: Atomeromu (Hungary), Krasnye Krylia (Russia), Gazientep (Turkey), Oradea (Romania)
Group C: Tartu Rock (Estonia), Sodertalje Kings (Sweden), Zepter Vienna (Austria), Ventspils (Latvia)
Group D: Gaz Metan Medias (Romania), Triumph Lyubertsy (Russia), Kormend (Hungary), Kyiv (Ukraine)
Group E: Reggio Emilia (Italy), GasTerra Flames Groningen (Netherlands), KTP (Finland), Okapi Aalstar (Belgium)
Group F: Tofas (Turkey), Krka Novo Mesto (Slovenia), Ural Ekaterinburg (Russia), Jaszerberenyi (Hungary)
Group G: Joensuun Kataja (Finland), Leiden (Netherlands), Bakken Bears (Denmark), Cholet (France)
Group H: Minsk (Belarus), Szolnoki Olaj (Hungary), Rilski (Bulgaria), Mures (Romania)

EuroLeague Women (top tier women, top five advance provided finals host finishes top five):

Group A
UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia)
Bourges (France)
Good Angels Kosice (Slovakia)
Famila Schio (Italy)
Gyor (Hungary)
Kayseri (Turkey)

Group B
Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Rivas Ecopolis (Spain)
Wisla Krakow (Poland)
Nadezhda Orenburg (Russia)
Sopron (Hungary)
Brno (Czech Republic)
Lattes Montpellier (France)

Group C
Spartak Moscow (Russia)
Perfumerias Avenida (Spain)
Galatasaray (Turkey)
Polkowice (Poland)
USK Prague (Czech Republic)
Novi Zagreb (Croatia)
Kibirkstis (Lithuania)

EuroCup Women (top two plus two third place teams advance):
Group A: Dynamo Kursk (Russia), Antakya (Turkey), Botas (Turkey), Minsk (Belarus)
Group B: Chevakata (Russia), Dunav 8806 (Bulgaria), Mersin (Turkey), Norrkoping Dolphins (Sweden)
Group C: Dynamo GUVD (Russia), St. Georghe (Romania), Tarsus (Turkey), Horizont (Belarus)
Group D: Dynamo Moscow (Russia), Spartak Noginsk (Russia), Istanbul University (Turkey), Olimpia (Belarus)
Group E: Landes (France), Lotto Young Cats (Belgium), Wasserburg (Germany), Miskolc (Hungary)
Group F: Nantes (France), Belfius Namur (Belgium), Villeneuve (France), Pecs (Hungary)
Group G: Tarbes (France), 3 Walloon Teams Association (Belgium, merger of teams Spirou Charleroi, Castors Braine, and Point Chaud Sprimont), Ruzomberok (Slovakia), Pecsi (Hungary)

[awhom111]

On Friday, Kathleen Scheer and the Hobart Chargers had another tough game as they faced the Dandenong Rangers. Their playoff hopes took another dive as they fell 65-58. Kathleen had 21 points and 8 rebounds in 35 minutes. Izzy Chilcott had 12 points and Lindsay Laur had 11 points and 8 rebounds. In the win, ex-Fresno State player Faith Probst had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=2

On Saturday, Nick Horvath and the Manawatu Jets finished their season with a 99-84 win over the Rangers. Nick had 17 points and 17 rebounds in 23 minutes. Marcel Jones had 32 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Hagan had 15 points and 11 assists, and Jeremiah Trueman had 13 points. In the loss, ex-DII player Carl Buck had 15 points. It ended up being a disappointing season for the team as they had kept the core of their team from last year intact and had hoped to make the playoffs. Their coach returned to the United States before the season and eventually became the head coach of the Pepperdine women's team so they had that adjustment to make and they were also embroiled in a conflict with the league about foreign player restrictions. Nick had another solid season, although he was not quite as dominant as the year before when he was the league MVP. He will now hope to at least get a shot to compete for New Zealand as they play Australia in August, but it would not be surprising to see him frozen out of the picture again. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.basketball.org.nz/_r/uplo...-Box-Score.pdf
Here are his season statistics:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/team_in...61128-18916342

The Norwood Flames were without Jess Foley and as a result they had their toughest test of the season as they edged past the North Adelaide Rockets 62-56. Without Jess, Amy Lewis picked up the slack with 30 points and 14 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1

[awhom111]

On Friday, Kathleen Scheer and the Hobart Chargers got back to winning ways after beating the Ballarat Rush 67-58. Kathleen had 20 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes. Lindsay Laur had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Izzy Chilcott had 14 points and 9 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=2

Jess Foley returned for the Norwood Flames and they eased to an 81-34 win over the South Adelaide Panthers. Jess had 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in 25 minutes and Amy Lewis had 10 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1

On Saturday, Jess and the Flames had a quick turnaround as they faced the West Adelaide Bearcats and won 69-43 as they continue to exert their dominance over the league. Jess had 6 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes and Amy Lewis had 21 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1

[awhom111]

A couple more former players have their had their plans after the WNBA season clarified. In South Korea, each team gets two foreign players and interested players apply and then are put into a draft pool. KB Stars picked Monique Currie along with former Maryland player Marissa Coleman. Shinhan Bank S Birds have posted on their Facebook page that they picked Alana Beard along with former Tennessee player Shekinna Stricklen. Here is the picture from the KB Stars that shows them picking Monique:


Both players are now likely to play for those teams unless they get cut like Chris Burgess did in the men's version of the league.

Also announced today was the field for the Eurocup, which is the second tier competition in Europe. Here the teams and their countries:
Cibona Zagreb (Croatia), Buducnost (Montenegro), Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia), Igokea (Bosnia & Herzegovina), MZT Skopje (Macedonia), Radnicki (Serbia), Union Olimpija (Slovenia), Belfius Mons Hainaut (Belgium), Spirou Charleroi (Belgium), Lukoil Academic (Bulgaria), Kalev Cramo (Estonia), Nilan Bisons (Finland), ASVEL Villeurbanne Lyon (France), Elan Chalon (France), Gravelines Dunkerque (France), Le Mans Sarthe (France), Paris Levallois (France), Alba Berlin (Germany), Artland Dragons (Germany), Ulm (Germany), Bonn (Germany), Panionios (Greece), PAOK (Greece), Alba Fehervar (Hungary), Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel), Maccabi Haifa (Israel), Virtus Roma (Italy), Dinamo Sassari (Italy), Cantu (Italy), Neptunas (Lithuania), Asesoft Ploiesti (Romania), Nizhny Novgorod (Russia), Spartak St Petersburg (Russia), Unics Kazan (Russia), Zaragoza (Spain), Valencia (Spain), Bilbao (Spain), Besiktas (Turkey), Pinar Karsiyaka (Turkey), Ankara (Turkey), Khimik (Ukraine)

[awhom111]

On Friday, Kathleen Scheer and the Hobart Chargers wanted to continue pushing for the playoffs and took care of business for the week as they beat the Canberra Capitals 75-68. Kathleen had 15 points and 6 rebounds in 36 minutes. Lindsay Laur had 24 points and 9 rebounds and Izzy Chilcott had 13 points and 9 rebounds. In the loss, ex-Wichita State player Alex Bunton had 19 points and 12 rebounds and ex-Stony Brook player Samantha Norwood had 13 points and 8 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=2

On Saturday, Jess Foley and the Norwood Flames continued beating up on the rest of the league with a 77-52 win over the Central Districts Lions. Jess had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists in 28 minutes and Amy Lewis had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Ex-UAB player Tamika Dukes had 18 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1

[awhom111]

Daniel Ewing now has his destination for next season set as he signs with Paris-Levallois in France. The team has frequently had an ACC focus over the past few years, so it will be interesting to see who his final teammates are.
http://www.parislevallois.com/offres...gne-au-pl.html

There are a few other random rumors floating around out there. Shelden Williams is apparently getting plenty of attention from Russia, which would be logical since his wife and daughter will be there from the fall through the spring. It has been reported, however, that he would prefer to play in China, which would be a shorter season than most places in Europe and could allow him more time with his family for a similar salary.

There was also a rumour out there that Seth Curry has an offer from Jon Scheyer's old team Gran Canaria, which has some foreigner slots to fill as they try to repeat their great performance from last season.

[awhom111]

On Saturday, Kathleen Scheer and the Hobart Chargers had another critical game against the Sandringham Sabres and came up just short 89-85. Kathleen had 19 points and 7 rebounds in 32 minutes. Lindsay Laur had 24 points and 13 rebounds and Izzy Chilcott had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Ex-Oregon player Micaela Cocks had 20 points in the win. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=1

Jess Foley and the Norwood Flames continued to run through the season undefeated as they beat the Sturt Sabres 75-58. With her usual running mate on national team duty, Jess took charge on offense and had 21 points and 6 rebounds in 31 minutes. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...48166-0&pool=1

On Sunday in Australia, but still late Saturday in the United States, Kathleen Scheer and the Hobart Chargers had a quick turnaround against the Bendigo Braves. They took the early lead against the top team in the league, but fell behind in the second half and could not recover as they lost 73-66 to put their season in ever increasing danger. Kathleen had 17 points and 13 rebounds in 30 minutes to lead the team before she fouled out. Lindsay Laur had 14 points and 8 rebounds and Izzy Chilcott had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_i...53203-0&pool=1

[awhom111]

Karima Christmas has reportedly signed to play for the same team in Israel again at the conclusion of the WNBA season.

Teams all across the world are strengthening their rosters right now. Now that Red Star Belgrade have sealed their place in European basketball for the upcoming season, they have been able to make some solid moves. Igor Rakocevic, DeMarcus Nelson's backcourt mate for much of the season, retired after a fruitful career that included time in the NBA, and moved into a front office role for the team. As a result, the team needed to get a few offensive threats to take the burden to create off DeMarcus. They did just that by bringing in a teammate of Shelden Williams from this past season, Blake Schilb. Today they completed the signing of Charles Jenkins. This is in addition to two signing who have NBA Summer League experience. Jaka Blazic and Boban Marjanovic. Here is all the news:
http://www.euroleague.net/euroleague...da-adds-blazic
http://www.euroleague.net/euroleague...wingman-schilb
http://www.euroleague.net/euroleague...ter-marjanovic
http://www.euroleague.net/euroleague...-guard-jenkins