Day Two Round-Up - Philippines’ triumph sparks Day 2

TIANJIN (FIBA Asia Championship) - Philippines scored a psychologically important 78-69 triumph over Japan, in Group A, as the curtains came down on the second day of the 25th FIBA Asia Championship on Friday.

Philippines thus joined Jordan, Korea, Iran, Qatar and hosts China as the teams to win both their games so far as the picture on the eight-final round began to form.

Philippines now take on Korea – who began the day whipping Sri Lanka 122-54 – on Saturday in a clash which will decide the Group A toppers.

Japan and Sri Lanka have lost both their games, will play each other to decide the third team to qualify from this Group.

In Group B action, Iran looked far better than their opening game while beating Uzbekistan 82-61 and Chinese Taipei outpaced Kuwait to win 73-51.

Iran, thus have won both their games, while Chinese Taipei and Kuwait are 1-1. Uzbekistan are yet to win a game.

In Group C, Hosts China gave a lot to the crowd to cheer in their 74-56 win against last edition’s semifinalists Kazakhstan and Qatar emerged a runaway 95-70 victors over India.

China and Qatar – both win two wins apiece – will face off to decide the top team in Group C on Saturday, while Kazakhstan will play India looking for their first win.

In Group D, Jordan took Indonesia in their stride with a 105-47 result and Lebanon, inspired by Fadi El Khatib’s return to form defeated United Arab Emirates 108-38.

Unbeaten Jordan take on UAE – with one win and one loss – on the morrow with the winless Indonesia playing Lebanon.

Group A

“This is a huge win for us… to beat Japan is really tremendous,” beamed Philippines coach Joseller Guiao after his team’s win.

Gunther Thoss sparked the Filipino rally scoring 11 of his 15 points for the game in the second half.

Pauliasi Taulava scored all his 11 points in the second half – nine of them in the final quarter – to strengthen Thoss’ efforts.

Having trailed Japan for most of the game, Philippines took charge of the proceedings after Cyrus Baguio drove in the lane to convert towards the end of the third quarter and never looked back.

Japan withered as Philippines flourished.

Daiji Yamada led the Japanese scoring with 16 points and Kosuke Takeuchi had 14.

Korean centre Ha Seung-jin continued to scare the opponents with his 213-cm presence, and returned a 4/5 record in field attempts for his 13 points.

Lee Kyu Sup top scored the game with 28 points and Bang Sung-Yoon had 24.

Yasarathne De Silva was the highest scorer for Sri Lanka with his 14 points.

Group B

Mahdi Kamrani was the hero in Iran’s second successive win.

Kamrani, who had only four points to show in the opening game win over Chinese Taipei, had a field day with a 63.6% record on the field (7/11) including converting two of his three three-pointer attempts.

Adding value to the Mahram player’s contribution was the two assists and the six steals.

Samad Nikkah was as consistent as ever and had 18 points.

Vyacheslav Denisov was the highest scorer for Uzbekistan with 13 points.

Chinese Taipei had no trouble whatsoever against Kuwait.

A 13-0 run midway through the first quarter perching them firmly ahead, the East Asian nation emerged runaway winners.

Yang Chin-Min led the Taipei charge with his game-high 24 points.

Chang Chi-Feng and Lee Hsueh-Lin chipped in with 11 points each.

Mohammad Ashkanani was their leading scorer with 13 points.

Group C

China and Qatar won without much ado to set up a Saturday clash which will decide the Group toppers.

China opened up the game against Kazakhstan midway through the first half with a 20-4 run and hung on to that advantage.

Current NBA player Yi Jianlian and China’s first ever NBA player Wang Zhi Zhi shared the scoring honours for the game with 17 points apiece.

Wang Zhi Zhi also collected a game-high 14 rebounds. Wang Shipeng converted three of his six three-pointer attempts to return 15 points.

Anton Ponomarev led the scoring for Kazakhstan with 15 points and eight rebounds.

Rustam Yargaliyew had 14 points and junior star Alexander Tyutyunik converted three of his five three-pointer attempts for his 11 points.

India did well to keep pace with Qatar till midway through the first quarter, but could not sustain themselves when the GCC champions pressed the gas.

Daoud Mousa led the Qatari charge with 20 points and Saad Ali contributed 18.

Talwinderjit Singh led India’s scoring with 17 points.

Group D

Both Lebanon and Jordan carried the hangover of their overnight game into Friday’s games too.

Jordan, rested most of their starters for most of the game and yet proved far ahead than Indonesia.

Jordan coach Mario Palma Palma gave his bench all the feel of the court – using his starters only to give the bench a breather – after taking a 21-17 lead to end the first quarter.

Islam Abbas made the best use of the opportunity of the extended time on court with a game-high 22 points.

Mohammad Hadrab had a 7/11 record on the field and finished with 16 points.

No Indonesian player scored in double-digits.

Spearhead Fadi El Khatib and Jackson Vroman struck in unison as Lebanon regained their winning touch.

Fadi and Vroman shared the scoring honours for the game with 19 points apiece.

Fadi returned a 67% scoring record in the field (8/12), including converting one of his two three-pointer attempts.

Vroman, naturalized recently by Lebanon, had an 8/9 field record and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds – five in defence.

Matt Freije, like Vroman a 2004 NBA draftee, also collected seven rebounds and accounted for 15 points.

Talal Alnuaimi was the highest scorer for UAE with 13 points.

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia

PHI / JPN – Late Filipino rally sends Japan reeling

TIANJIN (FIBA Asia Championship) - Philippines staged a superb third quarter rally that left fancied last edition’s quarterfinalists Japan bemused and posted a 78-69 win in a pivotal Group A game on Friday.

Philippines, with two wins from as many games, now take on last edition’s bronze medalists Korea on Saturday in a game that will decide the toppers of this Group.

Gunther Thoss sparked the Filipino rally scoring 11 of his 15 points for the game in the second half.

Pauliasi Taulava scored all his 11 points in the second half – nine of them in the final quarter – to strengthen Thoss’ efforts.

Having trailed Japan for most of the game, Philippines took charge of the proceedings late in the third quarter with Jared Dillinger giving them a marginal lead.

Japan hit back immediately and Shunsuke Ito’s twin free-throw conversions regaining them the lead, only for temporarily though.

Philippines who had squandered a similar position in the first quarter seized the opportunity this time and after Cyrus Baguio drove in the lane to convert, the South East Asian champions never looked back.

Japan withered as Philippines flourished.

Daiji Yamada led the Japanese scoring with 16 points and Kosuke Takeuchi had 14.

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia

PHI / SRI – Philippines off to a winning start

TIANJIN (FIBA Asia Championship): South East Asia champions Philippines got off to a winning start, beating Sri Lanka 115-31 in the Group A opener on Thursday.

The Philippines, who had finished ninth in the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima, scored the first eight points of the game and cruised along thereafter.

Sri Lanka, playing in the FIBA Asia Championship after a gap of 14 years – the island nation’s last appearance came in the 1995 edition at Seoul – struggled with their scoring rhythm and returned a woeful 19% in field attempts.

Philippines led 28-9 at the end of the first quarter, and only grew in strength as the game progressed.

Jared Dillinger led Philippines’ scoring with a game-high 21 points, and collected 11 rebounds.

Pauliasi Taulava came off the bench and collected a game-high 13 boards to go with his 15 points, as coach Joseller Guiao used 11 of his players for more than five minutes each.

Philippines play East Asian champions Japans on the morrow, while Sri Lanka take on last edition’s bronze medalists Korea.

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia

LIB - TEAMS GET SET FOR OPENING GAMES

TRIPOLI (FIBA Africa Championship) - With two days to the opening games of the 25th FIBA Africa Championship for men tagged ‘Libya 2009 Afrobasket’ all sixteen teams/ countries are on ground getting set for the jump-ball in Tripoli and Benghazi.

2007 second runner-up Cape Verde coached by Nigeria-born Alex Nwora will open the floor at the Africa Union Hall in Tripoli against Tunisia in a group-D opener at 11.00 hours local time to signal the beginning of hostilities of the 2009 edition of the biggest basketball event on the Africa continent.

Cape Verde who defeated Nigeria at the quarter-finals of the last edition in Angola is beaming with confidence to repeat or surpass its third place finishing of 2007.

FIBA Africa Zone-6 qualifier, Mozambique will battle five-time champion, Egypt in a group-B game in Benghazi also at 11.00 hours as matches will be played simultaneously in the two cities.

These group-B opening is important to both countries giving the fact that the group also comprise of the defending champion, Angola, as a win for either side will boost it chances of having a good run in the first round.

The games are on the bill at 13.00 hours in Tripoli and Benghazi.

In Tripoli five-time champion, Senegal will want to justify the huge confidence repose in it by the continental ruling body, FIBA Africa when it was granted one of the two wild-card to the championship after failing to qualify from Zone-2 when it confront Congo Brazzaville in a group-C game inside the Africa Union hall.

Backed with the presence of their experience player, Regal FC Barcelona centre Boniface Ndong, the Senegalese are favoured to win the game but since basketball is not mathematics anything is possible as the Congolese could spring some surprises.

And in Benghazi, perennial champion, Angola will open its title defence when it takes to the floor against Africa Zone-2 representative, Mali.

Angola who had one of the best pre-championship preparations will attempt to use Mali to justify its big preparation for the championship.

The Africa Union Hall in Tripoli will come alive at 16.00 hours when 2007 runner-up, Cameroon coached by France-based home-boy, Samuel Nono take on Central Africa Republic in a group-C game, while Nigeria will take on fellow Africa Zone-3 neighbour, Cote d’Ivoire in group-A opening game in Benghazi.

The fixture is a repeat of both sides’ qualifiers last year in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire where both countries ended the ties at 1-1 with Nigeria running away as the zone championship due to its superior point’s advantage.

Morocco and Rwanda will entertain the crowd in Tripoli in the centre last game of Day-1 when both side clash in a group-D pairing at inside the Africa Union Hall at 21.00 hours.

Host Libya will round-off the day’s proceeding in Benghazi after an glamorous opening ceremony billed to commence at 18.30 hours.

The Libyan, will take to the floor in a group-A game against South Africa at 21.00 hour to begin its quest for a place in the second round while the South African are staging a comeback to Africa biggest basketball show piece after six years.

SERBIA HOLD OFF FRANCE TO WIN TITLE

U18 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP MEN

Serbia held off France 78-72 to be crowned champions of the U18 European Championship Men 2009 in Metz, France.

Serbia last won this tournament two years ago in Madrid, Spain and head coach Vladimir Jovanovic was elated - although at the same time at a loss for words - afterwards.

"This is fantastic, a great win for us, a great performance," he said with a broad smile on his face.

"We are the best in Europe, it's a great feeling," enthused Nemanja Jamaraz, who made a key steal and free-throw to stop France's comeback late in the game.

France head coach Philippe Ory was graceful in defeat.

"Serbia played better than us, no doubt about it. We played well in stretches but missed too many shots close to the basket and you can't expect to win when that happens," he said.

"But this was a great tournament for us. To play in front of our fans and get to the final, it's extraordinary. A memorable experience."

Serbia led by as many as 12, 63-51, when Danilo Andjusic hit consecutive three-pointer early in the final quarter, but France rallied back to get within one, 69-68 on Evan Fournier's lay-up with 2:12 left to play.

Serbia replied with Andjusic hitting a free-throw and Lazar Radosavljevic burying a vital three-pointer from the corner for a 73-68 advantage.

Fournier made a tough lay-up to cut the deficit to three, 73-70. Jaramaz then missed a jumper and Henri Kahudi found Mael Lebrun on the fastbreak but he lost control of the ball and Jaramaz got the steal. He was fouled and made one of two free-throws with 33 seconds left.

France got within two, 74-72, on Fournier's pair of foul shots with 25.8 seconds to go, but that would be the closest they would get.

Andjusic was fouled and made good on his two attempts from the charity stripe. Nikola Stojiljkovic launched - and missed - a questionable three-pointer with about 17 seconds to go and Branislav Djekic sealed the result from the free-throw line.

Andjusic finished with a game-high 22 points - including five three-pointers - and Djekic added 16. Dejan Musli had 14 points, 14 rebounds and three assists.

Lebrun had 17 points for France and Fournier added 16.

Serbia score eight of the first 10 points in third quarter to extend their lead to 48-37, but France used a 7-0 run, started by Mael Lebrun's three-point play and capped off by Frederic Mondesir's consecutive lay-ups, to get within four, 48-44.

Musli then made a pair of free-throws and Lebrun threw down a savage dunk on the Serbian big men - much to the crowd's delight - to make it a four-point game once again, 50-46.

Danilo Andjusic hit a three-pointer at the other end and, when Nikola Stojiljkovic made a free-throw to once again cut the deficit to four, 53-49, Serbia replied from long range courtesy of Djekic.

Geoffrey Renon got a friendly role on his top of the key jumper and Jaramaz hit a free-throw for a 57-51 score to end the third quarter.

Serbia used an 8-0 run to jump in front 10-6 in a low-scoring first quarter. France were within one, 12-11, courtesy of Fabien Paschal's tip-in off Frederic Bourdillon's missed lay-up with 1:35 left in the period.

But the hosts had two costly turnovers and trailed by five, 17-12, after Andjusic scored four quick points in the last minute, including a three-point play at the death.

Serbia extended that advantage to seven, 19-12, on Musli's dunk early in the second quarter. And they were soon up by as many as 11, 26-15, when Musli beat Vincent Pourchot down the court in transition for a dunk with just over eight minutes remaining in the half.

Spurred on by their fans, Les Bleus fight back and seven unanswered points see them close within four, 26-22, on Geoffrey Renon's basket.

And they would get within three on Renon's free-throws but Branislav Djekic then scored seven quick points for a 38-30 advantage.

Nicolas Stojiljkovic buried a wing three-pointer buried a three-pointer from the wing to cut it to five, 38-33, and Nemanja Jamaraz and Fournier traded free-throws to end the half.

Oceania Championships take on new look

The format for the 2009 Oceania Championships should keep fans in Australia and New Zealand happy.

The 2009 FIBA Oceania Championships for Men and Women will take on a new format following extended discussions with the main participants, Australia and New Zealand.

This year, for the first time, each of the participating countries will host a single game in the series, with the winner of the series decided either on the number of games won, or in the event of a drawn series, the aggregate points across the entire series.

The new competition format reflects the desire of both Basketball Australia and Basketball New Zealand to have significant international matches played on home soil on a regular basis. Under the previous two or three game series played in one country, local fans only got the chance to watch their local heroes play on home soil once every four years.

The new format will ensure that each game in the series is competitive, because even if a team is losing in the first game, it will try to minimise the points spread to improve its chances of winning the series through victory in the second game.

With the new format, basketball fans in Australia and New Zealand will get to see the Opals, Tall Ferns, Boomers and Tall Blacks, playing in country every two years.

The two national federations are looking to complement the two-yearly Oceania (home-and-away) Championships with an annual trans-Tasman clash, also played home-and-away, to increase the presence of the national team games in their respective countries to an annual event.

Organisers will be closely watching the support for the 2009 Oceania Championship with a view to increasing the number of games in the series if needed.

The 2009 FIBA Oceania Championships will qualify teams from the Oceania continent for the FIBA World Championships in 2010 which will be played in Turkey (men), August 28^th – September 12^th and the Czech Republic (women), September 23^rd – October 3^rd.

How the series will be decided:

v If one country wins both games, they will become the Oceania Champion.

v If each country wins one game then the aggregate points scored in both games will determine the series winner.

v If each country wins one game and the aggregate points across both games is equal at the end of the second game, then the normal FIBA system for breaking a tie will be used – that is, the second game will continue with as many extra periods of five (5) minutes as is necessary until the aggregate points across the two games is not equal.

DRAW FOR TURKEY 2010

Once all 24 teams for the 2010 FIBA World Championship are known, FIBA and the Local Organizing Committee will conduct a draw to determine the composition of the 4 groups of six teams each.

These four groups will play round-robin within their groups during the Preliminary Round of the World Championship.

This draw is likely to take place in January 2010 in Turkey. The exact date and location has still to be confirmed.

FIBA Asia – Draw completed for 25th FIBA Asia Championship

TIANJIN (FIBA Asia Championship): Defending champions Iran have been drawn along side wild card entrants Chinese Taipei, Kuwait and Middle Asia’s Uzbekistan in Group B for the preliminary round of the 25th FIBA Asia Championship to be held here from Aug 6-16, 2009.

The draw ceremony was held at the host city on Wednesday.

Hosts China have opted to play in Group C for the preliminary round, which also comprises last edition’s semifinalists Kazakhstan, fellow Middle Asian nation India and Gulf champions Qatar.

Korea, who bagged the bronze medal at Tokushima two years ago, have been drawn in Group A.

Japan, who lost to Korea in the final of the East Asian qualifiers in Nagoya last week, along with South East Asia champions Philippines and Sri Lanka are the other teams in Group A.

Lebanon, runners-up to Iran at Tokushima, have been drawn in Group D which also comprises fellow WABA rivals Jordan.

Jordan, it may be recalled, were the first team – apart from hosts China – to book their berth in the championship by virtue of winning the 2008 FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup in Kuwait last year.

Indonesia, who finished runners-up to Philippines in SEABA and United Arab Emirates complete the line-up.

Chinese Taipei, who finished fourth behind Korea, Japan and China in the recently concluded East Asian qualifiers, were given a wild card entry into the championship following the withdrawal of Gulf representatives Bahrain.

The top three sides at the FIBA Asia Championship will advance to the 2010 FIBA World Championship to be played from 23 September to 3 October 2010 in Turkey.

The championship will be played under a new format.

Groupings for the Preliminary Round
Group A: Japan, Korea, Philippines, Sri Lanka.
Group B: Chinese Taipei, Iran, Kuwait, Uzbekistan.
Group C: China, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar.
Group D: Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, UAE.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the second round of the championship.

Eighth Final Round
Group E: A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3
Group F: C1, C2, C3, D1, D2, D3
Each team will play the three (3) new teams in its own group (the final scores of all games played in the Preliminary Round are valid for this round).
The top four from each group will advance to the knockout quarterfinal stage.

8TH SEABA CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MEN, MEDAN INDONESIA 2009

8TH SEABA CHAMPIONSHIP FOR MEN

6-9 JUNE 2009
MEDAN INDONESIA

Participating Teams
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore

Competition Schedule

06/06/09 Saturday
1: 1700hrs (PR)- Malaysia vs Philippines 73:100
.. 1900hrs Opening Ceremony
2: 2000hrs (PR)- Indonesia vs Singapore 79:65

07/06/09 Sunday
3: 1800hrs (PR)- Singapore vs Malaysia 70:82
4: 2000hrs (PR)- Philippines vs Indonesia 103:64

08/06/09 Monday
5: 1800hrs (PR)- Singapore vs Philippines 69:117
6: 2000hrs (PR)- Indonesia vs Malaysia 74:67

09/06/09 Tuesday
7: 1800hrs (Final)- Philippines vs Indonesia 98:68
.. 2000hrs Closing Ceremony & Prize Presentation

(All games in local time - Medan Indonesia)

PUR - Puerto Rico to face Germany and Slovenia in a series of warm up games

SAN JUAN - The Puerto Rican National team will be played a series of warm up games against Germany and Slovenia prior to the FIBA World Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The President of the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation, Hector Reyes, informed that the games will be played from July 8-11 in Germany.

Dirk Nowitzki is the main player on the German team while Radoslav Nesterovic leads Slovenia along with Jaka Lakovic.

After playing both European teams the Puerto Rican team will head for Greece for the FIBA World Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament to be played from July 14-20 in Athens where they will look for three berths in the Olympics.

"I understand that the coaches will take advantage of these games. This is good because we will play at a high level and we will know the adjustments that we have to make prior to the tournament", said Reyes.

Puerto Rico will also play this Summer at the Centrobasket Tournament from July 25-29, which is a qualifier for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey

IRI - Kamrani scores 36 as Mahram shoot down UAE

TEHRAN (Dubai Int'l Tournament) - Mehdi Kamrani poured in 36 points and Tony Madison added 17 Saturday as Mahram thrashed UAE 105-75 on the second day of 19th Dubai International Tournament. The defending champions finished the first quarter 34-17 and kept their hoop closed for 8:05 in the second quarter. The sauce-makers enjoyed a 61-29 half-time lead and 84-52 advantage at the end of the third quarter. Kamrani was awarded as the most valuable player at the end of the game.

On the same day, Hamed Afagh scored 26 points as Saba Battery took a 22-16 lead against their arch-rival, Sporting of Lebanon in the first period. But, the pressures and well-organized offense from the Asian Champions did not last long and Sporting finished the half-time 37-37. Ahead by only a 58-50 third-quarter margin, Sporting won the game as they edged Saba 82-77.

The results of Day 1, 2, and 3 are as follows:

Friday 18/1:

Al Jalaa (Syria) - Zain (Jordan) 83-59

UAE - Sagesse (Lebanon) 83-80

Saturday 19/1:

UAE - Mahram (Iran) 105-75

Al Ittihad (Syria) - Jazeira (Egypt) 75-80

Sporting (Lebanon) - Saba (Iran) 82-77

UAE - Al Jalaa (Syria) 80-98

Sunday 20/1:

Mahram (Iran)- Jazeira (Egypt) 95-90

Zain (Jordan) - Sporting (Lebanon) 105-90

Sagesse (Lebanon) - Al Ittihad (Syria) 87-78

Houman Bagheri

FIBA official correspondent

SCO - Scotland Basketball's Next Big Thing

EDINBURGH (NCAA Women) - One young Scottish woman has her sights set on playing basketball at the 2012 London Olympics and is receiving the support she needs to get there.

basketballscotland are delighted to announce Mairi Buchan, a 6'2 tall seventeen year old player from Falkirk Fury, as the first player selected to the new 2012 Potential Programme.

Following on from the success of Scotland's Robert Archibald playing for Great Britain last summer, Buchan has taken a major step forward by announcing her intention to attend a Division 1 University in the United States.

After a recent visit to the US, Buchan chose Old Dominion University (ODU).

Buchan will have to wait until the Spring signing period in late April before she can sign her scholarship agreement, but when she does, she will become the first Scottish female player to attend a Top 25 Division 1 university in the US.

The ODU Lady Monarch's, led by Head Coach Wendy Larry, have won an astonishing sixteen conference titles in a row.

Buchan was shown around the Lady Monarch's impressive home court, one of the best college venues in America, and watched the team practice before sitting down to view the team take on number 19 ranked Michigan State. Despite the Spartans having the NCAA's tallest female player in 6'9 Alyssa De Haan, Buchan was very impressed when Coach Larry and the Lady Monarchs pulled off another victory.

Buchan spent time with the team and academic advisors, as well as the University President and Athletic Director before heading home after a whirlwind four days.

After speaking with her family, Buchan decided the Lady Monarchs and ODU is where she sees herself for the next four years.

Buchan had this to say about her choice of Old Dominion,

"It's the right fit. The basketball is such a fantastic programme to be a part of, but it is also a great school where I can continue my education. The coaching staff are first class and I really liked the girls on the team so I am very excited to pull on the Lady Monarchs uniform next season.

"Donna Finnie, 2012 Potential Programme Coordinator, commented, "Mairi is a role model for any girl out there with aspirations to play at the highest level available to them. She will play alongside some great athletes over the next four years, and this decision will assist in her goal of making the GB senior team. Coach Larry and her staff are an unbelievable group who will help Mairi develop her game to the next level. Old Dominion is a top university that give's their athletes' fantastic support."

This summer Buchan will represent Scotland in the Under 18 European B Division Championships in Macedonia and hopefully star in the GB U20 programme when they travel to Poland.

basketballscotland launched the new 2012 Potential Programme to identify and support Scottish players with the potential to represent Great Britain.

Buchan said, "I am so excited to be supported by this new programme. Making the next step is going to be tough but it has always been my dream to wear a GB uniform and I am going to do whatever it takes to do that.

Already, the support for my US college process has been great. I wouldn't have known where to start with all the forms and speaking to coaches so it's been so good having someone do all that for me and talk me through it as well as look at my needs analysis to identify my strengths and weaknesses. I feel honoured every time I pull on a Scotland uniform and the GB team would be the icing on the cake."

Ron Wuotila, Performance Manager for Great Britain, commented, "basketballscotland is clearly on the right path with their 2012 Potential Programme. This talented young woman will benefit greatly from the structure that basketballscotland has put in place. British Performance Basketball looks forward to tracking her progress in the coming years"

Buchan's club coach with Falkirk Fury, Jennifer McLaren, said "Mairi is one of the hardest workers, on and off the court, and she has the best attitude - for someone so young she is just so focused on being the best she can be."

Prior to Buchan's US visit, the Lady Monarchs had just returned from the Paradise Jam tournament in the Virgin Islands where they had played number 2 ranked Connecticut and number 4 Stanford losing closely, before beating number 22 Penn State comfortably.

The Lady Monarchs win over Michigan State took them to number 15 in the Division 1 rankings. The team then travelled to take on the Lady Vols of Tennessee and their future Woman's NBA player, Candace Parker.

The 2012 Potential Programme is currently considering several more applications and news on other programme athletes will appear soon.

Basketball Scotland

ESP - Spain drawn with Brazil, Cuba with Belarus in Olympic Qualifier

MADRID (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women) - Spain are hosting the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women this summer in Madrid yet their passage to the Beijing Games will be anything but easy.

That was assured on Monday in the Spanish capital at the draw for the event.

Five places for China will be up for grabs.

Evaristo Perez's Spanish team, which finished runners-up to Russia at the EuroBasket Women last October in Italy, were on Monday put in Group C along with South American giants Brazil and Oceania representatives Fiji.

The Brazilians are historically one of the powerhouses in the world game and they eliminated Spain at the quarter-final stage of the Athens Olympics.

In Group D, the EuroBasket's bronze-medal winners Belarus will take on Cuba, the side that finished second to the United States at the FIBA Americas Championship, along with Chinese Taipei.

The Czech Republic will be pleased with their draw after landing in Group B with Angola and Argentina, while in Group A, Latvia will be happy as well after being paired with Senegal and Japan - teams they will be expected to beat.

Latvia lost in the bronze-medal game to Belarus at the EuroBasket while the Czechs finished fifth.

The reason why Spain, Brazil, Belarus and Cuba will be somewhat anxious is because the next stage, the quarter-finals, look extremely difficult.

The format of the tournament places the team that finishes first in Group C against the second-placed team in Group D in one quarter-final, with the second-placed team from Group C against the Group D winners as another quarter showdown.

If, as expected, Brazil and Spain take the top two spots in Group C, their quarter-final opponents are likely to be Belarus or Cuba.

The winners of the the quarter-finals qualify for the Olympics.

The quarter-final losers will drop into a pool of four teams that will play in semi-finals and a final for the one remaining Olympic place.

Quick Facts:

Groups:

Group A: Japan, Latvia, SenegalGroup

B: Angola, Argentina, Czech RepublicGroup

C: Brazil, Fiji, SpainGroup

D: Belarus, Chinese Taipei, Cuba

System of Competition & Schedule:

PRELIMINARY ROUND

9th June 2008

Game A1: Latvia v SenegalGame

B1: Czech Republic v ArgentinaGame

C1: Spain v FijiGame

D1: Chinese Taipei v Cuba

10th June 2008

Game A2: Senegal v JapanGame

B2: Argentina v AngolaGame

C2: Fiji v BrazilGame

D2: Cuba v Belarus

11th June 2008

Game A3: Japan v LatviaGame

B3: Angola v Czech RepublicGame

C3: Brazil v SpainGame

D3: Belarus v Chinese Taipei

The two (2) best placed teams from each group will qualify for the Quarter-Finals.The teams placed third in each group are eliminated and may return home.

12th June 2008

Day Off

QUARTER-FINALS

13th June 2008

Game 13: A1 v B2

Game 14: B1 v A2

Game 15: C1 v D2

Game 16: D1 v C2

The four (4) winners will qualify for the Olympic Games and may return home. The four (4) losers will play in the Semi-Finals.

SEMI-FINALS

14th June 2008

Game 17: Loser 13 v Loser 15

Game 18: Loser 14 v Loser 16

FINAL

15th June 2008

Game 19: Winner 17 v Winner 18

The winner will qualify for the Olympic Games.

IRN - Iran determined to honor Aidin's memory at Olympics

TEHRAN (Olympic Games) - The shock and the sadness that has followed the tragic death of Iran basketball star Aidin Nekkhah Bahrami will not go away.

Aidin, 26, and his fiancée died in a car crash in the early morning hours of December 28, while two other passengers survived.

But Iran coach Rijko Toroman is determined to honor the memory of Aidin by keeping the national team that he had been so proud to represent strong.

Iran will play at the Olympics in August.

"Now, I think there’s two points after this tragedy," Toroman said this week.

“Samad, Aidin’s brother, should continue stronger than before.

"And to make Aidin happy," Toroman said, "the national team should also have a stronger performance in the Olympic games.”

Aidin, whose brother Mohammad Samad Nikkhah Bahrami is the captain of Iran, averaged 13 points per game last year at the FIBA Asia Championship to help the country win the gold medal and qualify for the Beijing Games.

Samad poured in 14 points per contest.

The triumph in Japan at the FIBA Asia Championship was the country's proudest moment on the basketball court.

The grief that has followed Aidin's death has been immense.

Many people participated in his funeral and honored his memory.

Various officials, coaches and athletes attended his funeral escort the day after the accident. A burial ceremony was then held in the graveyard of a Tehran suburb.

All of the games that week in Iran were cancelled. “Aidin was not only an outstanding basketball player, but also a very nice and polite person," Toroman said.

“He was a gentleman."

FAT - First FIBA Arbitral Tribunal case is settled

GENEVA (FIBA Arbitral Tribunal) - The first FIBA Arbitral Tribunal (FAT) case concerned a dispute between the Montenegrin player Mr. Djuro Ostojic represented by FIBA licensed player agent Mr. Miodrag Raznatovic as Claimant, and the Greek Basketball Club PAOK KAE Thessalonica, Greece as Respondent over the player’s salary. As the Respondent chose not to participate in the proceedings the FAT arbitrator had to make use of the default provisions in the FAT Arbitration rules on 16th August 2007.

After the failure by the Greek Basketball club PAOK KAE to honor the FAT Award, and after numerous reminders to honour the FAT Award, FIBA had to entail a sanction on 29th November 2007 to the PAOK KAE club in banning them of the registration of new players, as provided in the FIBA Internal Regulations.

After intervention and help of the Hellenic Basketball Federation the case has been settled and the ban on PAOK KAE club to register new players has been lifted.

For further information on the FAT Arbitral decision, please click here.

The FIBA Arbitral Tribunal (FAT), a true court of arbitration under Swiss law, has been operational for nine months. It has been created by FIBA in order to facilitate and speed up the resolution of disputes between clubs and players/agents. Proceedings before FAT are swift, efficient and inexpensive. Failure to honor a FAT Award may entail sanctions by FIBA to clubs, player agents, or players, as provided in the FIBA Internal Regulations.

SER - Ivkovic takes reins for Serbia

BELGRADE (FIBA) - Serbian coaching great Dusan Ivkovic has returned to his homeland to guide the national team once again.

Ivkovic, who led Yugoslavia to the gold medal at the 1990 FIBA World Championship and to European titles in 1989, '91 and '95, will try to revive a national team that has been struggling.

Yugoslavia captured the gold at the 2002 FIBA World Championship as well under Svetislav Pesic, but have won no medals since.

At the 2007 FIBA Europe Championship under Zoran Slavnic, Serbia crashed out of the competition at the group stage, which meant they failed to even reach the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

At his unveiling on Thursday in Belgrade, Ivkovic spoke of his sadness that the national side will not be at the Beijing Games.

"This is an 'Olympic year', a bit sad for us, known across the world as 'basketball land' since we won't have basketball team in Beijing," Ivkovic said. "But, this is the right moment for a new start. We have new coach, that's me, but we don't have a national team at all.

"Our main goal is to form the team that will represent us at 2012 Olympic games in London. It will be a difficult task, but I believe we have the qualities to qualify for next FIBA Europe championship in Poland, and then to go to both the 2010 World Championship in Turkey and EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania, where we should a get ticket for London Olympics."

Ivkovic's outstanding coaching career started at Partizan Belgrade (1978-1980), and he then left the country to work at Greek side Aris (1980-1982).

He returned to join Yugoslav teams Sibenka (1982-1987) and Vojvodina (1987-1990) before going abroad again.

Ivkovic, who now serves as the president of the World Association of Basketball Coaches, led four more Greek clubs, including PAOK (1991-1994), Panionios (1994-1996), Olympiacos (1996-1999) and AEK (1999-2001) and then went to Russia where he guided city rivals, CSKA Moscow (2002-2005) and Dynamo Moscow (2005-2007).

During that period he won six national titles, with Partizan, PAOK, Olympiacos and three with CSKA, also got trophies of the Radivoje Korac Cup (1979), EuroLeague (1997), Saporta Cup (2000) and ULEB Cup (2006), and achieved silver medals with Yugoslavia at the Olympics in 1988 and 1996.

Ivkovic knows that international, the game has taken giant strides and the level of competition is much more intense now than it was when he led the side two decades ago.

Also, the breakup of Yugoslavia saw the formation of new national sides. Instead of drawing on the leading players from the former Yugoslavian republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro and Serbia, Ivkovic will now lead Serbia.

"Just don't tell me I'm the coach without a defeat at big international competitions," he said.

"Those were different times. We were in a different country. Everything was different, including basketball."

Ivkovic will miss the Olympics, but he says that "there's no time for sadness and sorrow".

And he says relations between players and the federation can't be strained as has been the case for some in recent years, which led to some choosing not to take part in national team competitions.

"Already on the 18th and 19th of January, I'll be in New York as a member of FIBA commission where we'll talk with representatives of the NBA and NCAA about new rules," Ivkovic said.

"I'll use my trip to the USA to visit our NBA players, also. As we want to re-build our basketball authority, as well as players' belief in the national team, I want to start that process immediately.

"We won't face 'thanks, but no thanks' situations (by some of the players) anymore, as I'll be in contact with them on a daily basis. I believe in our players, and will believe in them. That's very important for a good start."

Bidding process fot the 2014 FIBA World Championship opened

GENEVA (2014 FIBA World Championship) - Following the decision taken by its last Central Board meeting, held on 8th and 9th December 2007 in Chicago (USA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) is happy to announce that the bidding process for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Men has started today, 10th January 2008.

A considerable number of affiliated National Federations from all five Zones have already expressed their initial interest in bidding for the organization of FIBA's premier championship in 2014.

All National Federations interested in hosting the FIBA 2014 World Championship are required to comply with the following schedule:

Letters of Interest must reach FIBA by 30th April 2008.

All National Federations having correctly submitted their Letter of Interest will be invited to participate in a two-day Workshop, to be held on 26th and 27th June 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland. At the Workshop, the National Federations will be guided through all the steps of the bidding process and through all details necessary to guarantee a successful organization of the FIBA 2014 World Championship.

After having carefully studied the 'FIBA World Championship for Men 2014 Bid and Event Manual' and after having participated in the Workshop, those National Federations having decided to continue with their respective bidding processes will be invited to hand over their candidature files in person, in Geneva, on 5th December 2008 (date to be confirmed), during an official presentation ceremony in presence of the FIBA Central Board.

Between December 2008 and March 2009 the FIBA Evaluation Commission shall examine all presented and duly confirmed bids and shall present a complete report, after conducting visits to all bidding National Federations, to the FIBA Central Board.

The complete bidding process will end in April 2009, when the FIBA Central Board decides the host of the 2014 World Championship for Men.

About FIBA FIBA (www.fiba.com), the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 213 National Federations of basketball throughout the world. It is recognised as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Its main upcoming events are the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for Men and Women (to take place in the summer of 2008) that will decide the final berths for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the FIBA World Championships for Men and Women, held every four years. The 2010 FIBA World Championship will be played in Turkey.

FIBA Ocenia celebrates 40 years

The logo was created to celebrate the 40th year of the organisation, and will be used throughout the zone in 2008.
Copies of the logo will be sent to all federations in the next week with a request to use the logo as they wish during the year.

Oceania was the last zone in the world to organise itself into an operating unit, and was welcomed into the FIBA family in Mexico City in 1968.

Since that day the organisation has represented the interests of its 21 members at the FIBA level, and has provided a pathway for elite teams from the zone to participate at the highest level of international competition.

Prior to the establishment of the OBC, teams from our zone had no true path to international competition. Qualification to the Olympic Games and the World Championships was varied and included competition against Asian teams and sometimes, pre-Olympic tournaments. Australia and New Zealand have been the major recipients of this elite competition pathway created by FIBA's acceptance of Oceania has a world zone.

To ensure the development of the whole zone, OBC initiated a plan to improve playing, coaching, refereeing and administration skills in the Pacific Islands. Visiting experts, mostly from Australia, started conducting clinics throughout the Pacific in the late 60's, often in conjunction with the South Pacific Games.

In 1994 Steve Smith was employed as Al Ramsay's assistant, and was the first paid staff member of OBC. In 1997 Steve took over the role of Secretary General and implemented a program that included the employment of permanent staff members in both development and administration roles.

Over the past 11 years the name OBC has been replaced with FIBA Oceania to reflect the globalisation of the basketball family; the FIBA Oceania Youth Tournament has been introduced and played every 2 years; FIBA Oceania has employed National Development Officers in 7 Pacific Island countries; we have partnered with the Australian Government to provide Australian Youth Ambassadors over a number of years; Australia's women have won the World Championships and basketball is the first or second most popular sport in almost every one of our 21 federations.

The focus of work in 2008 will be in the administration of basketball, for without the people to organise competitions, there would be no games. We hope to make basketball the most played sport in the Pacific by 2010 - so the work continues.

Draw of FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women

GENEVA/MADRID (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women) – The International Basketball Federation (FIBA), in cooperation with the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), will host the draw for the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women.

The draw will take place in Spain’s capital next Monday, 14th January 2008, at 12:30 hours, in the ‘Instituto de Formación y Estudios del Gobierno Central de Madrid’, which is located in Calle Almagro, 5.

On 9th December 2007, at its meeting in Chicago, the FIBA Central Board decided that the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women will be played in Madrid (Spain), in the 10.500-seat Telefónica Arena, from 9th to 15th June 2008.

The following seven teams have already booked their tickets for the Olympic Basketball Tournament for Women that will take place in Beijing (China), from 9th to 23rd August 2008: China (host), Australia (World Champion), Mali (African Champion), USA (Champion of the Americas), Korea (Asian Champion), Russia (European Champion) and New Zealand (Oceanian runner-up).

The remaining five berths for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be decided in the 12-team FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women that will feature the following participants: Senegal and Angola (Africa), Cuba, Brazil and Argentina (Americas), Japan and Chinese Taipei (Asia), Spain, Belarus, Latvia and Czech Republic (Europe) and Fiji (Oceania).

During Monday’s draw, the above-mentioned 12 national teams will be divided into four groups of three teams each. Each team will play all the other teams in its own group. The teams placed 1st and 2nd in each group will advance to the Quarter-Finals. The four winners of the Quarter-Finals will qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, while the four losers will play in the Semi-Finals and Finals for the fifth and final remaining Olympic spot.

For further information on the system of competition of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women, please refer to Press Release # 50 or to the following link:

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/presRele/p/newsid/22284/presReleArti.html

All media representatives interested in covering the draw are kindly requested to send an email with their complete details and passport number to the following two emails addresses:

• Marcos Beltrá (FIBA’s Press Director): beltra@fiba.com

• Darío Quesada (LOC’s Press Officer): dquesadal@feb.es

Last but not least, please be informed that on Monday the respective websites of the International Basketball Federation (www.fiba.com) and the Spanish Basketball Federation (www.febtv.com) will provide free coverage so that basketball fans around the world can follow the draw live on the Internet.

CAM - Lazare Adingono at the helm emerging force, Cameroon - Part I

BUFFALO (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) – Cameroon were one of the surprise packages at the FIBA Africa Championship last year, reaching the title game before falling to Angola.

They served notice that Africa has a powerhouse in the making, and coach Lazare Adingono has been charged with the responsibility of making sure this national team reaches its full potential.

Adingono, who is an assistant coach at Canisius in Buffalo, New York, spoke to Julio Chitunda on behalf of FIBA.

Here is Part I of Chitunda's story on the emerging force in international basketball, Cameroon.

If confidence were something you could put your hands on, or see with your own eyes, then confidence would come in the shape of Cameroon head coach Lazare Adingono.

That’s right.

Everything about Adingono exudes confidence after the stunning performance of his national team last year at the FIBA Africa Championship, where Cameroon announced their arrival on the world stage with a terrific run to the final.

They were ultimately beaten for the first time in the tournament by juggernauts Angola.

The performance was good enough to earn a place in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, though, an event that will be staged in Athens in July.

The draw for that tournament comes at the end of January, and rest assured, no team will be taking Cameroon lightly if they come up against them.

"One thing for sure is that every time we take the floor we will compete, expecting to win," Adingono said to FIBA.com.

Only three spots are up for grabs in the men’s tournament at the Olympics and there are 12 teams vying for those places.

In addition to Cameroon, you will find Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Korea, Lebanon, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Slovenia all contesting for those places.

Cameroon’s team is young and talented, and their players are currently in the United States playing college basketball or in Europe.

Most of the attention is on the young guns honing their skills in the US.

Youth, in fact, applies to all aspects of this national team.

Adingono is only 29-year-old, and he, too, is in America. He is assistant coach at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.

"I honestly think our future performances at the next Pre-Olympic Games will greatly depend on how much and where we prepare for that special upcoming event," Adingono said.

Could this really be the emerging force in African basketball? If you consider who is in this team, it’s tempting to say yes.

There is talent in abundance, youth and now international experience.

Adingono said: "I believe that, in addition to Angola, which has proven that they can compete with the very best in the world, the African continent is right at the forefront and will be ready to compete on a consistent basis worldwide," he said.

And the preparation will be key.

"I am hopeful that we will have a (good) preparation leading to the next qualifying tournament," he stressed again.

"We, as a nation, will welcome any sponsors that would like to endorse us for that particular event.

"Working in collaboration with the [Cameroon] Basketball Federation and Ministry of Sports, we are looking to put a plan in place.

"I am confident that all the people that support basketball in Cameroon and worldwide will help us every step of the way and provide the finances necessary to prepare and compete on an even playing field."

Adingono is confident, yet he is also very humble.

His national team players, he believes, are getting first-class instruction in the game in America.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the coaches that are doing everything possible to get these young men to be the best that they can be," he said.

"I think the NCAA is the best thing that we have going in developing our young talent to give us a realistic chance to compete and expect to win in such grand stage."

And who are some of these talented players?

The best known lives in Los Angeles, and plays at the same university – UCLA - that gave the basketball world Lew Alcindor, the man who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and shone for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.

Cameroon’s star at UCLA is forward Mbah A Moute.

"Mbah A Moute is very talented young man and will play a huge role in leading a young group of people to many future competitions starting with the Pre-Olympics next summer in Greece," Adingono said.