2017 International Basketball Thread

[awhom111]

Antonio Vrankovic and Croatia lost the rematch with Germany's World University Games team in the Stankovic Cup Final 69-65 after falling victim to a big comeback. Antonio played 3 minutes. Tomislav Zubcic had 14 points and 6 rebounds.
http://www.cba.gov.cn/cbastats/match...tchno=S2017008

Bella Alarie and the USA U19 team beat China 91-51. She had 10 points and 8 rebounds in 15 minutes.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

The other game in the group went to Italy 63-54 as incoming Georgia Tech player Lorela Cubaj had a good game.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

In Group C, Latvia struggled with Na Yun-Jeong and South Korea, but won 69-61 with Syracuse freshman Digna Strautmane leading the way. Kadiatou Sissoko, who has already committed to Syracuse for the next class, played well for France, but they lost to Canada 54-45. Incoming Michigan player Hailey Brown had another solid game for Canada.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

In Group D, Japan will win the group after beating Hungary 68-59. Australia took out some frustrations on Mexico in a 109-34 win as Chloe Bibby had another good game.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

Group B closed the day as Meral Abdelgawad and Egypt beat Puerto Rico 69-52. A couple of incoming ACC players led Puerto Rico in the form of Syracuse's Nikki Oppenheimer and Pitt's Angelique Rodriguez. Russia beat Spain 77-58.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

The FIBA Women's Asia Cup started today and it was the first chance to see combined Asia and Oceania play. Australia started with a win over South Korea and Japan beat the Philippines. In the other group, Taiwan edged North Korea and China beat New Zealand. In Division B, India beat Uzbekistan, Fiji missed players and was crushed by Singapore, and Kazakhstan beat Lebanon.

The most prestigious European youth competition, the U20 Men's Championship wrapped up on Crete. Greece managed to win in front of the home fans 65-56 as upstarts Israel, captained by David Blatt's son Tamir and featuring a couple of Josh Hairston's teammates, had a good start, but could keep it going. The important game was at the other end of the standings as Italy beat Slovenia 69-52 to avoid relegation. Latvia and the Czech Republic already knew they would be headed to Division B after losses on Saturday.
Final Standings:
Greece
Israel
France
Spain
Serbia
Lithuania
Germany
Iceland
Turkey
Ukraine
Montenegro
Sweden
Italy
Slovenia
Czech Republic
Latvia

Division B play also wrapped up in Oradea. Romania used that home court advantage to beat Croatia 80-67. Both teams had already clinched promotion to the next Division A tournament with wins on Saturday. Great Britain joined them with an 81-65 win over Russia.
Final Standings:
Romania
Croatia
Great Britain
Russia
Poland
Belgium
Georgia
Portugal
Finland
Netherlands
Hungary
Kosovo
Macedonia
Albania
Belarus
Slovakia
Armenia
Ireland
Azerbaijan
Malta
Moldova

[awhom111]

The U19 Women's team finishes group play at 2:45pm ET on Tuesday and can be seen here live or as a replay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9_l7AFykF8

There were no surprises in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup. In Division A, Australia beat the Philippines and Japan beat South Korea. In the other group, China beat Taiwan and New Zealand beat North Korea. In Division B, Sri Lanka debuted with a loss to Uzbekistan while the other group had Kazakhstan beating Singapore and Lebanon beating Fiji.

[awhom111]

The USA U19 team did not have a great start, but Bella Alarie helped them get the 66-49 win over Italy. She had 6 points and 9 rebounds in 18 minutes.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

The next game will be at 12pm ET on Wednesday, but FIBA has not posted the YouTube link yet.

The other game in the group went to Han Xu and China 72-54 over Mali.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
Standings: United States 3-0, China 2-1, Mali 1-2

In Group B, Russia bageled Puerto Rico in the first quarter and rolled to an 85-50 win. The bright spot for Puerto Rico continues to be incoming Pitt player Angelique Rodriguez. Spain avoided what would have been one of the more surprising results ever against Egypt as Laia Sole, who is transferring from Maine to Duquesne, helped them win 88-71. Egypt was able to build a lead because of the efforts of Hana Ghonim and Meral Abdelgawad.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
Standings: Russia 3-0, Spain 2-1, Egypt 1-2, Puerto Rico 0-3

In Group C, Ace Konig of North Carolina State put on a shooting clinic to lift Canada past Latvia 74-70 to win the group. Shaina Pellington, who is headed to Oklahoma, also had a good game as Syracuse-bound Digna Strautmane continues to be a key player for Latvia. France coasted a bit to beat Na Yun-Jeong and South Korea 63-53.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
Standings: Canada 3-0, France 2-1, Latvia 1-2, South Korea 0-3

In Group D, Australia did take second, but put themselves in a very tough section of the bracket as Chloe Bibby helped them beat Hungary 75-51. Japan stayed undefeated with a 91-52 win over Mexico.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
Standings: Japan 3-0, Australia 2-1, Hungary 1-2, Mexico 0-3

Bracket:
United States vs Puerto Rico
France vs Hungary
Italy vs Spain
South Korea vs Japan
China vs Egypt
Canada vs Mexico
Mali vs Russia
Latvia vs Australia

If you want to read more detailed recaps that I did of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup so far, you can do so here:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...y-1-july-23rd/
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...y-2-july-24th/
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...y-3-july-25th/

The key games are Thursday's quarterfinals as Australia faces North Korea, China faces the Philippines, Japan faces Taiwan, and New Zealand faces South Korea.

[awhom111]

Bella Alarie and the USA U19 team started the knockout rounds with a 104-46 win over Puerto Rico. She had 9 points and 11 rebounds in 16 minutes. There were plenty of collegians on the other roster too as Pitt-bound Angelique Rodriguez, Syracuse-bound Nikki Oppenheimer, and Stony Brook's Giolibeth Perez had solid games in the loss.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

The day started with Japan beating South Korea 86-47. Stanford-bound Alyssa Jerome and Canada jumped on Mexico early in a 64-43 win. Tima Pouye emerged for France and one of the other Syracuse signees, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, helped them get the 73-58 win over Dorka Juhasz and Hungary. The most anticipated game of the day was also involved an incoming Syracuse player as Australia was able to keep Digna Strautmane in check and win 61-56 over Latvia. A quirk in the WNBA CBA is that international players are only eligible to be picked in the year that they turn 20 while American players and anyone going through the collegiate system must be turning at least 22 in the year of the draft to be eligible. Maria Vadeeva is the top international prospect in the 2018 draft, which is why she is still young enough to be in this competition when she will be 2 or 3 years younger than other players being draft as she was dominant in Russia's 90-66 win over Mali. China eased past Egypt 85-43. The day closed with Spain beating hosts Italy 59-49 as Laia Sole, who is transferring from Maine to Duquesne, had a good game.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

Brackets:

Quarterfinals:
United States vs France
Spain vs Japan
China vs Canada
Russia vs Australia

9th Place:
Puerto Rico vs Hungary
Italy vs South Korea
Egypt vs Mexico
Mali vs Latvia

[awhom111]

The next USA U19 game can be seen here at 3pm ET on Friday or as a replay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzpPDvDRFd0

While we no longer have a player who finished their career at Duke in contention for a European national team, we still have plenty of players who started their careers at Duke. Eric Boateng, Olek Czyz, and Alex Murphy are trying to make the Great Britain, Poland, and Finland squads respectively for the upcoming EuroBasket tournament.

We have four more spots for the 2018 World Championship for Women awarded now. New Zealand did not end up benefiting from the Oceania merge with Asia as they lost to South Korea. Australia, China, and Japan also won in the quarterfinals to grab places. If you want to read a more detailed recap, I wrote one here:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...als-july-27th/

[awhom111]

Bella Alarie and the USA U19 team continued their pattern, grinding through the first half and then building a second half lead as they beat France 78-51 in the quarterfinals. She had 11 points in 25 minutes.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

The semifinal will be on ESPN3 at 3pm ET on Saturday.

The other quarterfinals started with a highly-anticipated matchup in the paint. Maria Vadeeva was just too much for Australia to handle as Russia got the 67-65 win, although Jazmine Shelley had a good game and Chloe Bibby continues to be the most consistent player. China started well, but their relative lack of depth showed as they were unable to make a final charge against Canada and lost 68-65 despite a great game from Wang Jiaqi. Hailey Brown and Shaina Pellington may be ready to head to DI play, but Laeticia Amihere led the way in the win and is a big name to look out for in the near future. Japan started well against Spain and rolled to a 95-71 win.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

In the consolation bracket, Hungary beat Puerto Rico 90-46, although Stony Brook signee India Pagan had a good game. Mexico got big efforts from Alexia Gonzalez and Ornella Rivera to beat Egypt 70-66. Digna Strautmane led Latvia again as they beat Mali 60-46. Italy's Olbis Futo Andre had a breakout game in their 78-59 win over South Korea.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

Brackets:

Semifinals:
United States vs Japan
Canada vs Russia

5th Place:
France vs Spain
China vs Australia

9th Place:
Hungary vs Italy
Mexico vs Latvia

13th Place:
Puerto Rico vs South Korea
Egypt vs Mali

Olek Czyz and Poland started their preparation for Eurobasket with an exhibition against the Czech Republic, winning . Olek had 4 points in 13 minutes. In the win, ex-Ole Miss player Tomasz Gielo had 12 points. In the loss, ex-Seton Hall player Patrik Auda had 10 points.

My recap of the day's FIBA Women's Asia Cup action can be seen here:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...als-july-29th/

[awhom111]

Bella Alarie and the USA U19 team had an even first quarter in their semifinal against Japan before building a lead, but they went cold in the fourth quarter and relied on the earlier margin for a 73-66 win. She had 2 points in 20 minutes as Ruthy Hebard of Oregon was the difference inside.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

Russia dominated early in the other semifinal to coast to a 65-41 win over Canada. Raisa Musina led them as she continues to be an emerging 2018 WNBA Draft prospect.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

In the battle for 5th place, Australia had a tough time beating China 70-64 with captain Chloe Bibby as there was a terrific battle in the post between 2019 WNBA Draft prospects Ezi Magbegor and Han Xu. France edged Arizona's Lucia Alonso and Spain 55-53 as both future Syracuse players, Kadiatou Sissoko and Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, had good games.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

There wer more Syracuse connections in the 9th place bracket as Digna Strautmane pushed Latvia past Mexico 84-66. Livia Gereben and Hungary beat Italy 73-65, although incoming Georgia Tech player Lorela Cubaj did have her best game so far.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

The battle to avoid last place was also brewing as Mali beat Egypt 85-56. Puerto Rico beat Park Ji-Hyun and South Korea 77-72. India Pagan, who is headed to Stony Brook, led the way in the win while she had help from incoming Pitt player Angelique Rodriguez, another Syracuse freshman in Nikki Oppenheimer, and Giolibeth Perez, who is already at Stony Brook.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

Final Day Schedule:
1st: United States vs Russia (3pm ET, ESPN3)
3rd: Japan vs Canada
5th: France vs Australia
7th: Spain vs China
9th: Hungary vs Latvia
11th: Italy vs Mexico
13th: Puerto Rico vs Mali
15th: South Korea vs Egypt

Olek Czyz and Poland beat the Czech Republic 85-72 in another exhibition. He had 7 points in 18 minutes. Ex-Ole Miss player Tomasz Gielo had another good game with 13 points. Ex-Seton Hall player Patrik Auda had 13 points in the loss.

Alex Murphy played in Finland's first exhibition as they lost to Latvia 85-81. He had 3 points in 6 minutes. His brother Erik had 14 points, ex-Old Dominion player Gerald Lee had 21 points, and ex-Valparaiso player Shawn Huff had 10 points.

It was also the final day of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup. Japan beat Australia to retain the title even with new opposition, although both teams had to deal with missing stars. The other important game was the one to avoid relegation as the Philippines beat North Korea. The other division also had a great final as India won in front of the home fans to get promotion ahead of Kazakhstan. My more detailed recap is here:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...als-july-29th/

Final Standings:

A:
Japan
Australia
China
South Korea
Taiwan
New Zealand
Philippines
New Zealand:

B:
India
Kazakhstan
Lebanon
Uzbekistan
Singapore
Fiji
Sri Lanka

[awhom111]

Bella Alarie and the USA U19 team had the Final against Russia, losing 86-82. She had 6 points and 12 rebounds as she played 36 minutes, more than any other player in the game. She was a part of an interesting defensive gamble by the coach, Suzie McConnell of Pitt, which seemed to pay off during parts of the game, but probably overall did not help. Chennedy Carter has yet to meet a shot she does not like, which worked out to the tune of 31 points today as she heads to Texas A&M. Raisa Musina, who was the subject of the defensive move as she found herself guarded by wings for most of the game, had 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists while Maria Vadeeva had 26 points and 18 rebounds to take tournament MVP honors as both avenged an emotional loss in the final two years ago at home.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

Speaking of Bella, FIBA had an article about her and Mark today:
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...a-father-proud

It seems like we were just talking about a USA loss not so long ago, which is a rarity in the modern iteration of the program. First of all, credit in this case must be given to Russia. Talents at the level of Vadeeva's do not come around often and the development of Musina from the same birth year created a situation that what might be the two most talented individuals in the tournament were on the same team. Both will be eligible for the 2018 WNBA Draft alongside players who are much older from the college system. On pure talent alone, not discounting the likelihood that they would miss time over the years, they would probably be top eight talents if not top five. They along with a few of the other players are senior pros at EuroLeague Women level clubs. Vadeeva played a big role on the EuroLeague Women champions on a team with four good current WNBA players. Musina was often asked to be the go to player for her team even with WNBA teammates. These are players with experience practicing with and playing against some of the top players in the world, which most American youth do not get a real chance to do.

Since that is out of the way, we can do the American postmortem. Player availability became an issue for the first time at this level and this team was not nearly as deep as some recent versions. There seem to be two separate issues here. One is a perception of political influence on player selection which has led some players to just not bother trying out that is far bigger on the girl's side than the boy's side (at least at the 16/17/18 level). The other issue is that the increase in structured development during the summer has led to a number of coaches trying either actively or passively to just not have their players deviate from college team plans. There are clear benefits to playing with different teammates during the summer and getting exposure to different basketball systems. On the women's side, virtually every WNBA player will spend some time in an overseas league, so experience for aspiring professionals is always helpful further down the line. Unfortunately, college coaches are also putting a lot of pressure on their international players to not play during the summer. Hopefully other stakeholders can come together and put pressure on coaches to not express these views and not punish those who are proud to represent their countries.

The question after these cases tend to revolve around coaching. I actually applaud McConnell's attempts at adjusting to the opponent for this game. This team has struggled to develop an offensive identity all summer long, but in the game that mattered a number of players stepped up to the plate and wanted to have the ball in their hands. The difference in offensive structure was clear though as the United States was not able to attack the interior of Russia's defense due to the height of their opponents, relying on shots with extreme degree of difficulty even though they did manage to hit enough that they almost got the win. I think we are at the point now where any USA team losing should lead to the assumption that the head coach will not be retained. The issue with this team is that there is no clear successor right now. The two assistants were Charlotte Smith of Elon, who is likely the frontrunner whenever her alma mater has an opening, and another UNC person, Kami Etheridge of North Colorado with neither likely ready to take the next step. One issue is that top coaches on the women's side tend not to be willing to pay the dues to earn the top job due to the time commitment. I would like Jeff Walz of Louisville, who is going to be the head coach for the U23 team, to take charge of the U18s next summer, but political considerations may make this tough. No coach has led at this level for multiple cycles, so we can expect a change.

Earlier in the day, South Korea avoided last place as Park Ji-Hyun and Lee Ju-Yeon led them past Egypt 74-57. Mali edged Puerto Rico 61-58 for 13th place as a couple of familiar names had solid games in the loss with future Pitt player Angelique Rodriguez helping out a pair of future Stony Brook teammates in India Pagan and Giolibeth Perez. Incoming Georgia Tech player Lorela Cubaj finally found some rhythm at the end of the tournament, helping them beat Mexico 72-54 to 11th place. Hungary continues to show the impact that government funding can have on sports as they beat Latvia 75-61 for 9th place as Digna Strautmane tried to carry her team one more time, but fell short. Future Oregon player Aina Ayuso and Spain lost to China 74-56 in the 7th place game. Incoming Syracuse player Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi and France edged Chloe Bibby and Australia 47-45 as both teams had hoped to finish much higher than 5th. Canada beat Japan 67-60 for the Bronze Medal as Buffalo-bound Hanna Hall had her best game of the tournament and Michigan signee Hailey Brown continued her consistency.
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/world/u19women/2...ore_statistics

Another event that has taken place this week has been the Centrobasket U17 Boys' Championship in Santo Domingo. The medalists qualify for next year's U18 championship for the Americas that will send teams to the 2019 U19 World Championship. Panama beat Mexico 85-80 for that last spot. There was plenty of pride on the line for the final and the Dominican Republic was able send the fans home happy by edging Puerto Rico 81-80. There are a number of players in this tournament who are based within the 50 states, but complete roster is not available.
Final Standings:
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Panama
Mexico
US Virgin Islands
Jamaica
Bahamas
Guyana

[awhom111]

The first games of the new World Cup Qualification format were played today in Europe. Eight spots are up from grabs in the main qualifier with thirteen teams applying for the places. As a results, teams were split into four groups with the top two teams in each group advancing.

Group A is the one with four teams in it so all the teams will play on all six match days. The presumed favorites faced off in Norrkoping with Sweden beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 81-73 with a fourth quarter rally. 2015 draft pick Marcus Eriksson led the way with 25 points while young phenom Dzanan Musa had 17 points in the loss. Armenia could be the surprise here as they beat Slovakia 75-61 in Yerevan. They have strengthened their program in recent years by identifying eligible Americans as rookie AJ Hess from South Dakota State had 22 points and 7 rebounds and rookie Andrew Chrabascz from Butler had 11 points while Arkadiy Mkrtychyan of Idaho had 14 points and naturalized ex-UConn player Ryan Boatright had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. In the loss, ex-DII player Radoslav Rancik had 20 points and 6 rebounds and naturalized ex-Winthrop player Andre Jones had 12 points and 9 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

The day ended in Group B in Tirana with Austria beating Albania 79-51. They were led by Jakob Poltl, who had 22 points while ex-Texas A&M Corpus Christi player Bryce Douvier had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

In Group C, Kosovo beat Macedonia 72-68 in Prishtina as ex-JC player Granit Rugova had 12 points. Naturalized ex-Seton Hall player Jordan Theodore had 22 points and 6 assists in the loss.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

In Group D, Bulgaria used a strong start to beat Portugal 82-71 in Sines. Naturalized ex-Mississippi State player Dee Bost had 23 points and recent draft pick Aleksandar Vezenkov had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

[Spanarkel]

The first games of the new World Cup Qualification format were played today in Europe. Eight spots are up from grabs in the main qualifier with thirteen teams applying for the places. As a results, teams were split into four groups with the top two teams in each group advancing.

Group A is the one with four teams in it so all the teams will play on all six match days. The presumed favorites faced off in Norrkoping with Sweden beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 81-73 with a fourth quarter rally. 2015 draft pick Marcus Eriksson led the way with 25 points while young phenom Dzanan Musa had 17 points in the loss. Armenia could be the surprise here as they beat Slovakia 75-61 in Yerevan. They have strengthened their program in recent years by identifying eligible Americans as rookie AJ Hess from South Dakota State had 22 points and 7 rebounds and rookie Andrew Chrabascz from Butler had 11 points while Arkadiy Mkrtychyan of Idaho had 14 points and naturalized ex-UConn player Ryan Boatright had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. In the loss, ex-DII player Radoslav Rancik had 20 points and 6 rebounds and naturalized ex-Winthrop player Andre Jones had 12 points and 9 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

The day ended in Group B in Tirana with Austria beating Albania 79-51. They were led by Jakob Poltl, who had 22 points while ex-Texas A&M Corpus Christi player Bryce Douvier had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

In Group C, Kosovo beat Macedonia 72-68 in Prishtina as ex-JC player Granit Rugova had 12 points. Naturalized ex-Seton Hall player Jordan Theodore had 22 points and 6 assists in the loss.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

In Group D, Bulgaria used a strong start to beat Portugal 82-71 in Sines. Naturalized ex-Mississippi State player Dee Bost had 23 points and recent draft pick Aleksandar Vezenkov had 13 points and 13 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

Love your summaries of international hoops, but I believe Andrew Chrabascz is of Polish extraction(see reference on his basketball playing father Carl from the IndyStar). How does he qualify to play for Armenia as Poland seems to need all the help in can get in men's hoops? Thanks!

(America would have loved Chrabascz. Or at least, this story he tells from his post-basketball career: He was selling mechanical devices, and a nurse recognized his unusual last name. She said it with a perfect Polish accent and then asked, “You know what Chrabascz means?”

“I’m thinking 'Lion King,' something like that,” Chrabascz says. “She says, ‘Little bug.’

“I go, ‘Is it a scary little bug? Does it have at least pinchers or anything?’ Nope. Chrabascz means ‘little bug.’”)

[awhom111]

Rebecca Greenwell's training camp team will be playing in the gold medal scrimmage at around 11:40am ET on Friday and can be seen on usab.com or by following the links on USA Basketball's social media. Boxscores for the tournament have not been available, so we have no real idea how she is doing. Azura Stevens will be on the other team and all accounts suggest that she has been one of the standouts so far. Neither player can be selected to the final team as both schools have trips to Italy.

Love your summaries of international hoops, but I believe Andrew Chrabascz is of Polish extraction(see reference on his basketball playing father Carl from the IndyStar). How does he qualify to play for Armenia as Poland seems to need all the help in can get in men's hoops? Thanks!

(America would have loved Chrabascz. Or at least, this story he tells from his post-basketball career: He was selling mechanical devices, and a nurse recognized his unusual last name. She said it with a perfect Polish accent and then asked, “You know what Chrabascz means?”

“I’m thinking 'Lion King,' something like that,” Chrabascz says. “She says, ‘Little bug.’

“I go, ‘Is it a scary little bug? Does it have at least pinchers or anything?’ Nope. Chrabascz means ‘little bug.’”)

I am going to assume that Armenia did not field an illegal lineup (one naturalized player allowed, Boatright in this case) so I think we can go with the Armenian side being his mother's? I can't figure out AJ Hess's connection either, which I assume is also on the mother's side. Their youth teams have an increasing number of Armenian-American players, often with only one parent with ties to Armenia, so I think we will be seeing an increase in players suiting up without traditional Armenian names. Bryce Douvier was apparently born in Austria while his father was playing there so that's why he's playing for their team.

Poland needs help? But, they have Olek!

[Spanarkel]

Rebecca Greenwell's training camp team will be playing in the gold medal scrimmage at around 11:40am ET on Friday and can be seen on usab.com or by following the links on USA Basketball's social media. Boxscores for the tournament have not been available, so we have no real idea how she is doing. Azura Stevens will be on the other team and all accounts suggest that she has been one of the standouts so far. Neither player can be selected to the final team as both schools have trips to Italy.



I am going to assume that Armenia did not field an illegal lineup (one naturalized player allowed, Boatright in this case) so I think we can go with the Armenian side being his mother's? I can't figure out AJ Hess's connection either, which I assume is also on the mother's side. Their youth teams have an increasing number of Armenian-American players, often with only one parent with ties to Armenia, so I think we will be seeing an increase in players suiting up without traditional Armenian names. Bryce Douvier was apparently born in Austria while his father was playing there so that's why he's playing for their team.

Poland needs help? But, they have Olek!

Yes, Olek is a solid player, but a country of ~40 million bordering Lithuania should be consistently better at hoops imo.

It appears that Andrew Chrabascz's mother, Mary Alice, was a Murphy(and her mother's maiden name was Schoenrock, which sounds solidly German)! Maybe Armenia is pushing the envelope here.

http://oneillhayes.com/tribute/detai.../obituary.html

[awhom111]

Rebecca Greenwell's team won the mini-tournament at the USA U23 Training Camp. She will now head back to Duke and join the team ahead of their tour of Italy.

Alex Murphy and Finland started an exhibition tournament in Russia on the day that it was announced that he had signed his first professional contract. He had 4 points in 10 minutes in a 91-75 loss to the hosts. Lauri Markkanen joined the team after finishing his NBA commitments and had 17 points and 9 rebounds. Ex-NBA player Alexey Shved had 16 points and 6 assists in the win.

Olek Czyz and Poland are in Lithuania for an exhibition tournament as they nearly came back to beat the hosts before losing 59-58. Olek played 5 minutes. Naturalized ex-Western Kentucky player A.J. Slaughter had 10 points. In the win, Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 13 rebounds as he had no NBA commitments to delay his arrival and 2015 draft pick Arturas Gudaitis had 11 points.

Yes, Olek is a solid player, but a country of ~40 million bordering Lithuania should be consistently better at hoops imo.

It appears that Andrew Chrabascz's mother, Mary Alice, was a Murphy(and her mother's maiden name was Schoenrock, which sounds solidly German)! Maybe Armenia is pushing the envelope here.

http://oneillhayes.com/tribute/detai.../obituary.html

The mystery continues! If one Nigerian-American is basically responsible for finding all of the eligible Nigerian players in the United States, I guess the two of us can investigate Armenia.

[awhom111]

Olek Czyz and Poland continued their exhibition tournament in Lithuania with an 80-76 win over Latvia. He had 6 points in 14 minutes. A.J. Slaughter had 13 points.

Alex Murphy and Finland lost to Israel 97-92 in the exhibition tournament in Russia. He had 2 points in 5 minutes. Lauri Markkanen had 18 points and 6 rebounds while Gerald Lee had 16 points and Shawn Huff had 10 points. In the win, ex-Wichita State player Gal Mekel had 18 points, naturalized (by marriage) ex-North Carolina State player Richard Howell had 14 points and 8 rebounds, and 2006 draft pick Lior Eliyahu had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.

The European pre-Qualifiers continued.

Armenia put everyone on notice after the second game in Yerevan, beating group favorites Sweden 82-69. Ryan Boatright had 23 points and Andrew Chrabascz had 18 points and 8 rebounds with Luke Fischer, who just finished playing for Wojo at Marquette, adding 17 points and 12 rebounds and Artem Tavakalyan of Delaware State contributing 12 points. Former draft pick Marcus Eriksson ahd 15 points in the loss. The other Group A game saw the phenom Dzanan Musa fire Bosnia and Herzegovina past Slovakia 84-71 with 32 points in 26 minutes in Sarajevo. The old man Radoslav Rancik continued to try to do everything for his team as he had 14 points and 8 rebounds in the loss.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

In Group B, the Netherlands made their debut in Schwechat, beating Austria 79-73 with 17 points from ex-St. Bonaventure player Charlon Kloof. Jakob Poltl led his team again, this time with 25 points, but it was not enough.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

In Group C, Estonia made their debut by coming back to beat Macedonia 80-76 in Skopje. Naturalized ex-Seton Hall player Jordan Theodore had 13 points and 6 rebounds in the loss as they are now in a difficult position to try to qualify.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

In Group D, Bulgaria put themselves in prime position to qualify after beating Belarus 78-68 in Botevgrad. Aleksandar Vezenkov had 15 points and 15 rebounds and Dee Bost had 11 points from the naturalized player position. Ex-Wake Forest player Mikita Meshscharakou had 11 points in the loss.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics

Sunday marks the start of the FIBA Women's AmeriCup. The top three teams will qualify for next summer's World Championship with the United States automatically qualifying and not needing to play this tournament because they won the Gold Medal at the Olympics.

Here are the rosters:

Argentina:
Mara Marchizotti, Bishop's (CIS)
Macarena Rosset, Marghera (Italy)/Velez Sarsfield (Argentina)
Macarena Durso, Berazategui (Argentina)
Andrea Boquete, Estrella de Berisso (Argentina)
Celia Fiorotto, Berazategui (Argentina)
Agostina Burani, Roannais (France)/Lanus (Argentina)
Melisa Gretter, Corinthians (Brazil)/Union Florida (Argentina)
Ornella Santana, Estrella de Berisso (Argentina)
Debora Gonzalez, Napoli (Italy)/Lanus (Argentina)
Sofia Aispurua, Obras (Argentina)
Julia Armesto, Lanus (Argentina)
Natacha Perez, Lanus (Argentina)

Brazil:
Isabela Lyra Macedo, Zamarat (Spain)
Barbara Generoso, Corinthians (Brazil)
Joice Rodrigues, America (Brazil)
Patricia Teixeira, Sampaio (Brazil)/Sao Jose (Brazil)
Jacqueline Silvestre, Santo Andre (Brazil)
Tatiane Pacheco, America (Brazil)
Soeli Garvao, Corinthians (Brazil)
Kelly Santos, America (Brazil), WNBA (2001-2002, 2008)
Leticia Rodrigues, Sampaio (Brazil)
Izabella Nicoletti, Neuse Baptist Christian (NC), Committed to Florida State
Gilmara Justino, America (Brazil)
Raphaella Monteiro, America (Brazil)

Colombia:
Maria Tapias, George Washington
Diana Prens, Antioquia (Colombia)
Maria Delgado, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (JC) and signed with Louisiana Tech
Mayra Caicedo, Valle (Colombia)
Manuela Rios, Antioquia (Colombia)
Maria Palacio, Valle (Colombia)
Mabel Martinez, Valle (Colombia)
Catalina Vente, Valle (Colombia)
Jenifer Munoz, Pabor (Colombia)
Libia De La Rosa, Pabor (Colombia)
Tathiana Mosquera, Alcobendas (Spain)
Luz Asprilla, Universidad de las Americas Puebla (Mexico)

Venezuela:
Thalia Garcia, Huila (Colombia)
Yosimar Corrales, Real (Peru)
Ivaney Marquez, Real (Peru), University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (NAIA)
Daniela Wallen, Oklahoma City (NAIA)/Sol de America (Paraguay)
Luisana Ortega, Cangrejeras de Monagas (Venezuela)
Mariana Duran, Oklahoma City (NAIA)
Sharol Renault, Bucaneras de la Guaira (Venezuela)
Marielka Garate, Santa Ursula (Peru)
Waleska Perez, Cundinamarca (Colombia), Weatherford (JC)
Siuly Marcano, Cangrejeras de Monagas (Veneuela)/Jockey (Peru)
Odela Betancourt, Anzoategui (Venezuela)

US Virgin Islands:
Tanecka Carey, no club, Southern Miss
Kadesha Barry, Southern
Natalie Day, Limoges (France), Portland
Raemiesha Claxton, no club, Panola (JC)
Lanese Bough, Manati Athenians (Puerto Rico), Omaha
Victoria Hamilton, no club, Radford
I'tiana Taylor, East Carolina (volleyball last season after basketball eligibility expired)
Imani Tate, Albany
Taylor Jones, Oakland
Anisha George, Moberly (JC)

Canada:
Miah-Marie Langlois, Enisey Krasnoyarsk (Russia)
Kia Nurse, Connecticut
Laura Dally, Rotenburg (Germany)
Sami Hill, Virginia Tech
Bridget Carleton, Iowa State
Miranda Ayim, Landes (France), Pepperdine and WNBA (2011)
Nirra Fields, Edremit (Turkey), UCLA and WNBA (2016)
Jamie Weisner, Flying Foxes (Austria), Oregon State and WNBA (2016)
Shay Colley, Michigan State
Katherine Plouffe, Nantes (France), Marquette
Michelle Plouffe, Mondeville (France), Utah
Ruth Hamblin, Perth Lynx (Australia)/Dallas Wings, Oregon State

Cuba:
Fransy Ochoa, Santi Espiritu (Cuba)
Ineidis Casavnova, Obras (Argentina)
Anisleidy Galindo, Pinar del Rio (Cuba)
Lisdeyvi Martinez, Habana (Cuba)
Arlenys Romero, Santa Tecla (El Salvador)
Elianis Armentero, Habana (Cuba)
Anay Garcia, Pinar del Rio (Cuba)
Marlen Cepeda, Santi Espiritu (Cuba)
Yuniesky Bouly, Guantanamo (Cuba)
Edith Thompson, Habana (Cuba)
Leidys Oquendo, Camaguey (Cuba)
Dairis Tornell, Habana (Cuba)

Mexico:
Bianca Torre, no club, UTRGV
Jackie Luna-Castro, Kouvot (Finland)/Logan Thunder (Australia), College of Charleston
Gladiana Avila, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Mexico)
Ingrid Martinez, Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla (Mexico)
Claudia Ramos, Cal State Northridge
Brisa Silva, Elephant Girls (Nigeria), Oklahoma State
Carmen Saad, Al Riyadi (Lebanon)
Daniela Pardo, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Mexico)
Laura Nunez, Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla (Mexico)
Myriam Lara, Centro de Ensenanza Tecnica y Superior (Mexico)
Sandra Vargas, Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla (Mexico)
Maria Orozco, Guanajato Mieleras (Mexico), Buffalo

Paraguay:
Maria Mercado, Ciclista Olimpico (Argentina)/Sol de America (Paraguay)
Marta Peralta, Sol de America (Paraguay)
Ilda Pena, Olimpia Asuncion (Paraguay)
Paola Ferrari, Gipuzkoa (Spain)/Olimpia Asuncion (Paraguay), Union (DII)
Astrid Huttemann, Sol de America (Paraguay), Union (DII)
Claudia Aponte, Ibaizabal (Spain)/Olimpia Asuncion (Paraguay)
Natalia Quevedo, Olimpia Asuncion (Paraguay)
Melina Perez, Olimpia Asuncion (Paraguay)
Tamara Insfran, Sol de America (Paraguay), Cumberland (NAIA)
Maria Caraves, Sol de America (Paraguay)
Andrea Gomez, Sol de America (Paraguay)
Rocio Insfran, Sol de America (Paraguay)

Puerto Rico:
Tayra Melendez, Aguada Santeras (Puerto Rico), Rhode Island
Ashley Santos, Louisiana Tech
Pamela Rosado, Morovis Mountaineers (Puerto Rico)
Angelica Bermudez, Manati Athenians (Puerto Rico)/Politehnica Iasi (Romania), Kean (DIII)
Ali Gibson, Aguada Santeras (Puerto Rico), Oregon State
Paola Crespo, Pontifical Catholic University (Puerto Rico)
Michelle Gonzalez, Santurce Crabbers (Puerto Rico), FIU
Dayshalee Salaman, Santurce Crabbers (Puerto Rico), Lincoln Memorial (DII)
Mari Placido, Santurce Crabbers (Puerto Rico)
Ashley Perez, no club, James Madison
Yolanda Jones, Carolina Giants (Puerto Rico), Louisiana-Lafayette
Isalys Quinones, Dartmouth

[awhom111]

The European U18 Tournaments concluded on Sunday. These are not qualifying tournaments, but only teams that end up in Division A this year have the chance to qualify for the 2019 U19 World Championship as that qualifying tournament will be next year. Slovakia hosted the championship in Bratislava and Piestany. A very competitive set of medal round games saw Serbia beat Spain 74-62 for the final. Latvia has been selected to host next year, which is unusually early, leading to the unusual situation where they could not get relegated. This became a big deal since they tanked the knockout rounds after falling out of championship contention. The hosts lost on Saturday, which sealed their relegation and then Slovenia lost to Montenegro 73-63 to join them.
Final Standings:
Serbia
Spain
Lithuania
Turkey
Italy
France
Greece
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Russia
Finland
Germany
Ukraine
Montenegro
Slovenia
Slovakia
Latvia

Division B was held in Tallinn in Estonia as Croatia beat Great Britain 90-84 in overtime to win the title. Both teams had already secured promotion on Saturday. The third place game ended up being meaningless due to Latvia's loss on Saturday, which at least meant that the teams knew ahead of time the promotion was not possible.
Standings:
Croatia
Great Britain
Estonia
Israel
Poland
Netherlands
Bulgaria
Denmark
Belgium
Iceland
Portugal
Hungary
Czech Republic
Sweden
Romania
Macedonia
Austria
Georgia
Switzerland
Belarus
Albania
Azerbaijan
Luxembourg
Ireland

The first day of the the FIBA Women's AmeriCup was today and I wrote about in detail here:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...-1-august-6th/

[awhom111]

Eric Boateng and Great Britain started their EuroBasket preparations with an exhibition tournament in Greece, beating Ukraine 86-64. He had 10 points and 7 rebounds in 16 minutes. Ex-Iowa player Gabe Olaseni had 16 points and ex-Rider player Teddy Okereafor had 11 points and 7 assists

You can read my recap of today's FIBA Women's AmeriCup action here:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...-2-august-7th/

[awhom111]

Eric Boateng and Great Britain faced the hosts in their exhibition tournament in Greece, losing 92-64. He had 2 points in 2 minutes Gabe Olaseni had 13 points and 8 rebounds and Kavell Bigby-Williams, who is transferring from Oregon to LSU, had 11 points. In the win, Georgios Printezis, whose draft rights have a more liquid market than US Treasuries, had 12 points and 2015 draft pick Dimitrios Agravanis had 10 points.

My recap of the day's FIBA Women's AmeriCup can be found here:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...-3-august-8th/

The first FIBA Asia Cup with Oceania teams joining started on Tuesday in Beirut with two of the four groups playing.

One Oceania team opened play as Group C tipped off with New Zealand beating Kazakhstan 70-49. In the win, ex-DII player Finn Delany had 15 points and 10 rebounds and ex-DII player Jordan Ngatai had 10 points. Hosts Lebanon got a scare from South Korea, but held on to a 72-66 win. Ex-DII player Ali Haidar had 16 points as he was helped by both the old and new in Lebanese basketball with Fadi El Khatib and Wael Arakji.
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/080...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/080...ore_statistics

The other Oceania team started Group D as Australia beat Japan 84-68. In the win, ex-NAIA player Cameron Gliddon had 13 points and 6 rebounds, ex-St. Mary's player Matthew Hodgson had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and ex-St. Mary's player Daniel Kickert had 11 points. In the loss, Yuki Togashi, who tried his hand in the D-League, had 12 points and naturalized ex-Gonzaga player Ira Brown had 11 points. Hong Kong had Taiwan on the ropes for a while, but ex-JC player Chou Yi-Hsiang helped fuel a second half rally with 22 points to get them the 77-62 win.
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/080...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/080...ore_statistics

Here are the rosters for the two groups that started today with the rest coming tomorrow:

Kazakhstan:
Denis Degtyarev, Astana (Kazakhstan)
Azim Yagodkin, Kaspiy Aktay (Kazakhstan)
Pavel Ilin, Barsy Atyrau (Kazakhstan)
Rustam Murzagaliyev, Astana (Kazakhstan)
Nikolay Bazhkin, Barsy Atyrau (Kazakhstan)
Vassiliy Savchenko, Barsy Atyrau (Kazakhstan)
Anton Ponomarev, Astana (Kazakhstan)
Rustam Yargaliyev, Astana (Kazakhstan)
Alexandr Zhigulin, Astana (Kazakhstan)
Roman Marchuk, Kaspiy Aktay (Kazakhstan)
Maxim Marchuk, Astana (Kazakhstan)
Mikhail Yestigneyev, Barsy Atyrau (Kazakhstan)

Lebanon:
Nadim Souaid, Homenetmen (Lebanon)
Jean Abdel Nour, Al Riyadi (Lebanon)
Amir Saoud, Al Riyadi (Lebanon)
Wael Arakji, Al Riyadi (Lebanon)
Elie Rustom, Moutahed Tripoli (Lebanon)
Charles Tabet, Moutahed Tripoli (Lebanon), South Alabama
Ali Haidar, Al Riyadi (Lebanon), Michigan Tech (DII)
Joseph Chartouny, Fordham
Bassel Bawji, Champville (Lebanon), Tulsa
Norvelle Pelle, Varese (Italy), Iona
Fadi El Khatib, Homenetmen (Lebanon)
Ali Mezher, Hoops (Lebanon)

New Zealand:
Reuben Te Rangi, Brisbane Bullets (Australia)/Southland Sharks (New Zealand)
Luke Aston, Southland Sharks (New Zealand), BYU-Hawaii (DII)
Isaac Letoa, Wellington Saints (New Zealand), Committed to Dartmouth
Finn Delany, New Zealand Breakers (Australia)/Nelson Giants (New Zealand), Southwest Baptist (DII)
Derone Raukawa, New Zealand Breakers (Australia)/Southland Sharks (New Zealand)
James Hunter, Southland Sharks (New Zealand), South Dakota
Dyson King-Hawea, Nunawading Spectres (Australia)
Tohi Smith-Milner, Melbourne United (Australia)/Canterbury Rams (New Zealand)/Frankston Blues (Australia), Polk State (JC)
Jordan Ngatai, New Zealand Breakers (Australia)/Wellington Saints (New Zealand), BYU-Hawaii (DII)
Ethan Rusbatch, New Zealand Breakers (Australia)/Canterbury Rams (New Zealand), Lincoln Trail (JC)
Sam Timmins, Washington
Shea Ili, New Zealand Breakers (Australia)/Wellington Saints (New Zealand)

South Korea:
Park Chan-Hee, Incheon (South Korea)
Choi Joon-Young, Seoul (South Korea)
Lee Jung-Hyun, Anyang (South Korea)
Heo Ung, Wonju (South Korea)
Kim Sun-Hyung, Seoul (South Korea)
Lim Dong-Seop, Suwon (South Korea)
Kim Jong-Kyu, Changwon (South Korea)
Jeon Jun-Beom, Ulsan (South Korea)
Yang Hong-Seok, Chung Ang University (South Korea)
Lee Jong-Hyun, Ulsan (South Korea)
Lee Seung-Hyun, Goyang (South Korea)
Oh Se-Keun, Anyang (South Korea)

Australia:
Cameron Gliddon, Cairns Taipans (Australia)/Avtodor Saratov (Russia), Concordia (NAIA)
Jason Cadee, Sydney Kings (Australia)/Kymis (Greece)
Mitchell Norton, Illawarra Hawks (Australia)/Southland Sharks (New Zealand)
Mitchell Creek, Adelaide 36ers (Australia)
Brad Newley, Sydney Kings (Australia)/AEK Athens (Greece), Drafted 54th in 2007 by Houston Rockets with rights traded to Los Angeles Lakers
Mitchell McCarron, Cairns Taipans (Australia)/Super City Rangers (New Zealand), Metro State (DII)
Todd Blanchfield, Melbourne United (Australia)/Townsville Heat (Australia)
Nicholas Kay, Illawarra Hawks (Australia)/Southland Sharks (New Zealand), Metro State (DII)
Daniel Kickert, Brisbane Bullets (Australia)/South West Metro Pirates (Australia), St. Mary's
David Andersen, Melbourne United (Australia)/Lyon-Villeurbanne (France), NBA (2009-2011)
Angus Brandt, Perth Wildcats (Australia), Oregon State
Matthew Hodgson, Adelaide 36ers (Australia)/Knox Raiders (Australia), St. Mary's

Hong Kong (family name first where applicable):
Ko Wing Sang, Eagle (Hong Kong)
Lo Yi Ting, South China (Hong Kong)
Auyeung Wai Kong, Fukien (Hong Kong)
Lee Ki, Hong Kong (ASEAN)/Eastern (Hong Kong)
Chan Siu Wing, Hong Kong (ASEAN)/Eastern (Hong Kong)
Adam Xu, Win Ling (Hong Kong), NYU (DIII)
Lin Ho Chun, South China (Hong Kong)
Wong Yau Tin, Fukien (Hong Kong)
Fong Shing Yee, Hong Kong (ASEAN)/Eastern (Hong Kong)
Wong Chun Wai, Win Ling (Hong Kong)
Duncan Reid, South China (Hong Kong)
Chow Ka Kui, Fukien (Hong Kong)

Japan:
Ryoma Hashimoto, Seahorses (Japan)
Yuki Togashi, Jets (Japan), G League
Makoto Hiejima, Seahorses (Japan)
Ryusei Shinoyama, Brave Thunders (Japan)
Atsuya Ota, Neo-Phoenix (Japan)
Kosuke Takeuchi, Brex (Japan)
Yudai Baba, University of Tsukuba (Japan)
Daiki Tanaka, Alvark (Japan)
Takatoshi Furukawa, Brex (Japan)
Ryumo Ono, Jets (Japan)
Ira Brown, Sun Rockers (Japan), Gonzaga
Tenketsu Harimoto, Diamond Dolphins (Japan)

Taiwan (family name first where applicable):
Lin Chih-Wei, Bank of Taiwan (Taiwan)
Liu Cheng, Guangsha (China)
Chou Yi-Hsiang, Dacin Tigers (Taiwan), Salt Lake (JC)
Yu Huan-Ya, Taiwan Beer (Taiwan)
Chou Po-Chen, Yulon Luxgen (Taiwan)
Kevin Hu, Fujian (China), Chaminade (DII)
Lu Cheng-Ju, Yulon Luxgen (Taiwan)
Chiang Yu-An, Taiwan Beer (Taiwan)
Chou Po-Hsun, Taiwan Beer (Taiwan)
Chieng Li-Huan, Bank of Taiwan (Taiwan)
Wu Hung-Hsing, Pauian (Taiwan), BYU-Hawaii (DII)
Wu Tai-Hao, Pauian (Taiwan)

[awhom111]

It was another day of European pre-Qualifiers on Wednesday as we have hit the halfway mark.

Slovakia sprung a surprise in Group A with a 68-59 win over Sweden in Bratislava. Old man Radoslav Rancik had another 15 points and 15 rebounds, getting help from naturalized ex-Winthrop player Andre Jones, who had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Dzanan Musa put on another clinic in Sarajevo, helping Bosnia and Herzegovina hand Armenia their first loss 98-85. Naturalized player Ryan Boatright had 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists while Luke Fischer had 11 points and Andrew Chrabascz had 10 points and 7 rebounds to represent Big East rookies.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics
Standings: Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1, Armenia 2-1, Sweden 1-2, Slovakia 1-2

It took a while for the Netherlands to get the lead on Albania in Amsterdam, but they got the 91-77 win to remain in pole position in the group. In the win, Jessey Voorn, who spent time in high school in Georgia had 20 points and 2009 draft pick Henk Norel had 13 points.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics
Standings: Netherlands 2-0, Austria 1-1, Albania 0-2

In Group C, Estonia got to play in Tallinn for the first time and put themselves in excellent position to qualify after beating Kosovo 76-50. Albania got good games from Gert Shima and Franko Bushati, but they were also helped by 15 points from naturalized ex-Oregon player Mike Moser.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics
Standings: Estonia 2-0 Kosovo 1-1, Macedonia 0-2

In Group D, Belarus fended off Portugal 78-75 in Minsk as both teams could be fighting for the last spot from this group. In the win, ex-Radford player Artsiom Parakhouski had 16 points and 9 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.com/basketballworldc...ore_statistics
Standings: Bulgaria 2-0, Belarus 1-1. Portugal 0-2

My recap of the day's FIBA Women's AmeriCup can be found here:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...-4-august-9th/

The second day in Beirut started in Group B, where the Philippines started well to beat China 96-87. The dynamic Terrence Romeo took command of their excellent point guard pairing and poured in 26 points while ex-Hawaii player Christian Stanhardinger, who they just flipped from his father's Germany to his mother's country, had 15 points and 6 rebounds, and ex-St. Bonaventure player Matthew Wright, whose participation is sometimes held up being infernal internal politics, had 12 points. Iraq beat Abdulrahman Saad and Qatar 75-66 as they had an advantage by being able to call on naturalized ex-Texas Southern player Kevin Galloway, who had 16 points and 8 rebounds.
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/090...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/090...ore_statistics

Group A started with a result of surprising magnitude as India had thought that this was one of their stronger teams ever before Iran stormed out of the gates and ran away with a 101-54 win. Veteran ex-NBA player Hamed Haddadi had 20 points and 8 assists while the new star, ex-Oregon player Arsalan Kazemi had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The day ended with a good game as Jordan held off Tarek Aljabi and Syria 68-66 after being unable to roster their naturalized player.
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/090...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/090...ore_statistics

Here are the rosters for the two groups that started today:

India:
Aravind Annadurai, India Overseas Bank (India)
Anil Kumar, Vijaya Bank Bangalore (India)
Rajvir Singh, Punjab Steelers (India)
Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Bengalaru Beast (India)
Amritpal Singh, Pune Peshwas (India)
Rikin Pethani, Chennai Slam (India)
Amjyot Singh, Delhi Capitals (India)
Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi, India Overseas Bank (India)
Prasanna Sivakumar, Mumbai Challengers (India)
Satnam Singh, G League
Muin Bek Hafeez, India Overseas Bank (India)
Talwinderjit Singh, no club

Iran:
Meisam Mirzaei, Naft Abadan (Iran)
Sajjad Mashayekhi, Naft Abadan (Iran)
Farid Aslani, Naft Abadan (Iran)
Navid Rezaeifar, Mahram (Iran)
Behnam Yakhchali, Petrochimi (Iran)
Vahid Dalirzahan, Niroo Zamini (Iran)
Seyed Niktash, London Lions (Great Britain)
Oshin Sahakian, Petrochimi (Iran)
Rouzbeh Arghavan, Petrochimi (Iran)
Mohammed Jamshidi, Petrochimi (Iran)
Arsalan Kazemi, Niroo Zamini (Iran), Oregon and drafted 54th in 2013 by Washington Wizards before rights were traded to Philadelphia 76ers
Hamed Haddadi, Sichuan (China)/Petrochimi (Iran), NBA (2008-2013)

Jordan:
Mahmoud Abdeen, Al Awdeh (Jordan)
Amin Abu-Hawwas, Al-Riyadi (Jordan), Mars Hill (DII)
Sami Bzai, club unknown, Southeastern Oklahoma State (DII)
Ahmed Al-Hamarsheh, Al-Riyadi (Jordan)
Sinan Eid, Aydin (Turkey)
Yousef Abu-Wazneh, Al-Riyadi (Jordan)
Mohammad Hussein, FUS Rabat (Morocco)
Ahmad Obeid, Al-Riyadi (Jordan)
Malek Kanaan, Orthodox (Jordan), West Valley (JC)
Mousa Al-Awadi, Al-Riyadi (Jordan)
Ali Zaghab, Al-Riiyadi (Jordan)

Syria (current club information not available for Syria-based players):
William Alhaddad
Sharif Alosh
Micheal Madanly, TNT KaTropa (Philippines)
Khalel Khori
Al Hakam Abd Allah
Tarek Aljabi
Anthony Bakar
Jamil Saddir
Omar Cheikh Ali
Abdulhwahab Alhamwi
Ivan Todorovic, L'Hospitalet (Spain)
Hani Adribe

China (family names first):
Liu Xiaoyu, Shanghai (China)
Guo Ailun, Liaoning (China)
Gu Quan, Shenzhen (China)
Zhou Peng, Guangdong (China)
Li Gen, Xinjiang (China)
Li Muhao, Shenzhen (China)
Yu Dehao, Shenzhen (China)
Ren Junfei, Guangdong (China)
Hu Jinqiu, Guangsha (China)
Zeng Lingxu, Shanxi (China)
Wu Qian, Zhejiang (China)
Han Dejun, Liaoning (China)

Iraq:
Karrar Hamzah, Al Kahraba (Iraq)
Ali Aljuboori, Al Mina (Iraq)
Hassan Abdullah, Al Kahraba (Iraq)
Omar Alazawi, Al Karkh (Iraq)
Kevin Galloway, Homenetmen (Lebanon), Texas Southern
Ali Hamad, Al Nift (Iraq)
Nawres Dhafar, Al Shorta (Iraq)
Hussein Talib, Nift Al Janoub (Iraq)
Ali Hameed, Al Mina (Iraq)
Hussein Hasan Algburi, Al Shorta (Iraq)
Mohammed Alkhafaji, Al Shorta (Iraq)
Ali Ismael, Al Shorta (Iraq)

Philippines:
Terrence Romeo, GlobalPort Batang Pier (Philippines)
Carl Bryan Cruz, Alaska Aces (Philippines)
Gabe Norwood, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (Philippines), George Mason
Jio Jalalon, Star Hotshots (Philippines)
Jayson Castro, TNT KaTropa (Philippines)
Calvin Abueva, Alaska Aces (Philippines)
June Mar Fajardo, San Miguel Beermen (Philippines)
Roger Pogoy, TNT KaTropa (Philippines)
Raymond Almazan, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (Philippines)
Japeth Aguilar, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (Philippines), Western Kentucky
Christian Stanhardinger, Vechta (Germany), Hawaii
Matthew Wright, Phoenix Fuel Masters (Philippines), St. Bonaventure

Qatar:
Abdulrahman Saad, Al Gharafa (Qatar)
Ahmad Al-Darwish, Al Wakrah (Qatar)
Mansour Elhadary, El Jeish (Qatar)
Mohd Hassan Mohamed, Al Rayyan (Qatar)
Adulrahman Al-Muftah, Al Ahli (Qatar)
Ali Saeed Erfan, El Jeish (Qatar)
Yehia Abdelhaleem, Al Rayyan (Qatar)
Mohd Yousef Mohmmed, El Jeish (Qatar)
Omer Salem, Al Gharafa (Qatar)
Mohamed Abdelkawy, Al Rayyan (Qatar)
Nasser Al-Reyes, CIT (DIII)

[mattman91]

So...is Vrank back in Durham now? Will he make the DR trip?

[awhom111]

Alex Murphy and Finland have been in Italy for an exhibition tournament. Yesterday they lost to the hosts 78-64 as he had 2 points in 13 minutes. Shawn Huff had 13 points and Lauri Markkanen had 12 points. Marco Belinelli had 15 points in the win as Italy will have to deal with several absences.

Here is my recap of the day's FIBA Women's AmeriCup action:
http://www.womensbasketball247.com/2...5-august-10th/

The semifinals on Saturday will determine the first two World Championship qualifiers as Canada will play Brazil and Argentina will play Puerto Rico.

In Asia, the day started in Group D, where Japan beat Taiwan 87-49. Ex-JC player Chou Yi-Hsiang had 15 points. Australia had no issues taking care of Hong Kong 99-58. In the win, ex-NAIA player Cameron Gliddon had 12 points, ex-St. Mary's player Daniel Kickert had 11 points, and ex-DII player Mitchell McCarron had 10 points.
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/100...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/100...ore_statistics

In Group C, South Korea dismantled lackluster Kazakhstan 116-55. New Zealand fended off Lebanon 86-82 in front of a raucous crowd. Shea Ili led the way in the win while ex-JC player Tohi Smith-Milner, who never made it academically to claim one of his DI offers, had 15 points and 6 rebounds and Sam Timmins of Washington had 13 points and 8 rebounds. Fadi El Khatib will at least get to wind down his international career at home as he had 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists, ex-DII player Ali Haidar had 20 points, ex-Tulsa player Bassel Bawji had 12 points, and naturalized ex-Iona player Norvel Pelle got in better rhythm with 11 points.
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/100...ore_statistics
http://www.fiba.com/asiacup/2017/100...ore_statistics

So...is Vrank back in Durham now? Will he make the DR trip?

Not that it matters now, but I believe he left Croatia shortly after they returned from China.