Official story from FIBA follows.

(FIBA) – Iran will look to make it back to the top in Asian basketball with former Slovenia coach Memi Becirovic.

Champions in 2007 and 2009, the national side came up short in its bid to win a third straight FIBA Asia title last summer when it was upset by Jordan in the quarterfinals. The federation then parted ways with coach Veselin Matic.

Iran, who confirmed the new coaching appointment on their federation website, played at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

“I accepted the offer of Iran because I found it very interesting,” Becirovic said in remarks on the Slovenian Basketball Federation website.

“I know the team because we played it twice in 2010”: Becirovic coached Slovenia against Iran at the World Championship, a game the European side won in Istanbul, 65-60.

“Asian basketball is being developed with big steps, and Iran has good conditions for training,” he said.

Becirovic is expected to leave for Iran in April.

As part of the TBL all-star festivities, there was of course the all-important dunk contest. In this one, Doğuş Balbay took the top prize for easily clearing Anadolu Efes teammate/2010 dunking champ Sinan Güler for the jam – and then again for good measure. That dude, as they say, ‘s got some hops.

Jonathan Gibson, formerly of New Mexico State University and currently with TBL all-star hosts Trabzonspor won the three-point shootout and later suited up for the foreigners’ team.

And o yes, there were cheerleaders…

Though still technically contracted to Olimpija, alleged lack of payment caused Bertans to look for a better offer in Europe. (BiE believes the Latvian couldn’t have been too happy about a relative lack of playing time early in 2011-12, either.) According to Partizan officials, Bertans could suit up in black and white as early as Saturday, when the Grobari host Zagreb CO in Adriatic League play.

And BallinEurope will perhaps make things a bit more contentious with not just one, but two sets of official Fearless Predictions™ as BiE’s U.K. compadre Sam Chadwick gets in on the fun in forecasting tonight’s games. Neither writer read the other’s opinion before posting.

Also provided strictly for the reader’s edification are some lines from the sportsbook, in this case Sporting Bet. As BiE argues, whether gambler or no, it pays for the fan to know the bookie’s stand; after all, these guys have the most to lose financially if they get it wrong. (Sheesh, talk about your fearless predictions…)

Plus, YouTube clips!

• Spain (7-1 in EuroBasket) vs. Slovenia (5-3)
Os says: Though fans were “treated” to one serious anti-climax of a Spain-France match and Spain avoided another serious test, it’s safe to say that, well, the title’s still theirs only snatchable with the hardest of efforts. Coach Sergio Scariolo has made good on his promise that his team “is still getting better and better” game by game, as evidenced by the Serbia game wherein Spain notched its first true blowout (unless one includes the first 20 minutes of the Lithuania game) of this tournament.

Despite the fact that this team is essentially the same as that which took the 2009 title, the two-year difference is making all the difference; the truth is that Los Rojos can trot out two NBA all-star centers: What are you going to do, short of pray they stop delivering? Which the Gasol Brothers haven’t, incidentally, with 260 points (35.0 per game), 99 rebounds (13.1pg), 11 steals (1.5pg) and 14 blocks (2.0pg) and about a zillion give-and-goes and pick-and-rolls initiated.

Do we even need to go deeper here? Right. Your third option is Juan Carlos Navarro who, despite his traditional hot/cold seesawing and 40.2% shooting, is still good for 14.8 points (including three threes) and 3.6 assists per night, while … ah, forget it. Spain is a monster and gods help you if Team Spain’s achieves Scariolo’s line “Our goal is to play 100% in quarterfinals.” Fearless Prediction™: Spain 80, Slovenia 73.

Sam says: Slovenia have played as well as expected at this Eurobasket and in preparations to host their own Eurobasket in 2013. They play a pretty game, the type that looks nice, making you say “That’s what basketball *should* look!” However, against Spain, if Slovenia play basketball how it should be played, then Spain will simply totally annihilate them! Spain can score from everywhere, against anyone, at any time they want! Spain could potentially rest a few players – the Gasols, for example – and be prepared for the semifinals. Prediction: Spanish win.

Sportsbook says: Slovenia is a +15 underdog and gets 13/2 against the well-favored defending champions at 1/14. The over/under on the game is 146.5 points, therefore implying a predicted final score of Spain 81, Slovenia 65.

• Lithuania (6-2) vs. FYR Macedonia (6-2)
Os says: The Macedonian side may be meeting its worst nightmare in Lithuania, whether or not these absolutely unflappable underdogs can withstand the assault on concentration the home crowds will bring.

Nah, we’re not talking the 13th man here, but the problem is rather one of depth. Despite the presence of the amazing Bo McCalebb – whose performance (20.6 ppg, 3.9 apg, 2.3 bpg) and straight-up command of his team, whether it makes the final four or not, must be rewarded with an all-tournament selection – FYR Macedonia isn’t quite a one-man team. It’s a three-man team, actually, with Vlado Ilievski contributing 3.4 assists per … and how about that Pero Antic? Has anyone else noticed the nice dirty work he’s doing in the trenches?

While FYR Macedonia has managed throughout this tournament to find the chinks in the armor of various teams thought to be better; hell, their two losses since the tournament began were in overtime and on a last-second three. But Lithuania, with its scintillating combination of wily veterans and quick youngsters, may simply have too many answers for Bo and the boys.

You love going one-on-one on offense? Lithuania can play that; watch for the Kaukenas/Kalnietis monster and Sarunas Jasikevicius up top and maintain a lookout for Martynas Pocius even if you blow past the old guy. You like to run the break? They can keep up with you. You want to rely on Antic cleaning up the offensive glass? Meet Mr. Javtokas and Mr. Valanciunas, neither too shabby or plodding in getting position. You think your defense is tenacious and clever? With their tournament-high 85.0 points per game and 53.2% shooting marks, they’ll be picking their spots on the floor tonight.

You say you don’t turn the ball over (just 10.5 per game, the tournament’s third-best and best of any team with more than five games played? Well, okay, you’ve got ‘em there. I’ll say this game comes down to turnovers; FYR Macedonia needs to hang close throughout and exploit the three or four opportunities they get. But I’m thinking they won’t. Fearless Prediction™: Lithuania 90, FYR Macedonia 72.

Sam says: Unfortunately I don’t think Bo McCalebb can save the dark horse now. It’s been great watching his play, his 20.6 points per game and his 3.9 assists but other than him this team doesn’t have the talent to stand up against Lithuania and its thousands of screaming/crazy fans. For Lithuania, this game is a little bit of a problem as they want guys to be ready for the semis and instead they will have to put forward their best players in an attempt to slow down this team. This game chould potentially (and will, hopefully) be a thriller. Prediction: Lithuania by a few.

Sportsbook says: Lithuania (2/11) is the 8.5-point favorite against FYR Macedonia (37/10), with an over/under of 150.5 implying the final score prediction of 79-71 or 80-71 to Lithuania.

Amazing how “We Are the Champions” perseveres, isn’t it…?

Attendance on hand to watch Krka’s “stirring comeback” was listed at just around 2,000 for the final game, though 3,000 watched the home side on the May Day holiday. Still, surely those figures are better than what might have happened had the game been played in, say, Tripoli…

So let’s go right to the official writeup on the game:

(AdriaticBasket) – Partizan is the 10th NLB League champion! In a thrilling final, played in Ljubljana, Slovenia on Thursday, the team from Belgrade defeated Union Olimpija and won its fifth consecutive trophy in the regional league 77:74…

Really, that’s it. At least it was as of 7.30am CET.

And while one YouTube is typically worth a few thousand words, that site too is sadly bereft of stuff on the game. The boxscore implies that sixth man Curtis Jerrells was the hero for Partizan, with a huge 20 points in 29 minutes. For Olimpija, four players scored in double figures – including Samo Udrih off the bench – and Goran Jagodnik contributed a 12-point, seven-rebound effort before fouling out.

While BiE is well-known as a stat monkey, even yours truly admits that the numbers are inadequate here. What’s up with the lack of coverage, NLB folks…?

But hey, here’s a picture of some Partizan fans at the game…

Those attending the O2 Arena for the Saturday night festivities got a whole lot of action, as the teams went into triple overtime before the Nets finally overcame by a huge final score of 137-136 while wowing thousands and naturally breeding the blogosphere and YouTube. News ‘n’ notes from the game follow.

• The official NBA clip emphasizes the dagger, thrown again and again as the two teams lurched into overtime and over-overtime.

• Three minutes’ worth of late-game highlights, again backed by “Black Dream” from Prosperous:

• The dunk of the game, however, came early as DeMar DeRozan throws down the alley-oop sickly. While some players may have had body-clock issues, DeRozan certainly enjoyed his spell in England vis-à-vis personal stats: The Raptor went for back-to-back 30-point games will conquering jet lag by playing 88 minutes in the two nights.

• This writer’s choice for play of the game? Heck, BiE has to go with former Los Angeles Lakers/Team Slovenia guard Sasha Vujacic and his clutch three. One always has to wonder if Sasha’s next YouTube highlight is his last…

• An ESPN blogger meanwhile reports much optimism on the parts of Sasha and fellow Nets Jose Calderon and Dan Gadzuric, while high-profile owner Mikhail Prokhorov was well pleased with the Deron Williams acquisition while proclaiming in London that “We are not in a rush. We have 1½ years to make a really good team and then go on and win a championship, because that is our one goal.” Now if they can only sign Common, the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets could really be onto something.

• As a sextet of famous Brits once liked to say, “And now for something completely different…” Leave it to the British tabloids to devote half a page of “news” space to the game’s finer points — like the celebrities in the crowd — while simultaneously giving a language lesson (“WAG” may be translated into American English as “wives and girlfriends,” whereas “wonga” means “cash, dosh, moolah, kale” or even simply “money”) whilst providing ample opportunity to view the Nets cheerleaders.

• According to these two dudes reporting from a London hotel, some folks in Britain don’t know that draws (a.k.a. ties) don’t stand in NBA games.

• Finally, Toronto Raptors president/general manager Bryan Colangelo tries to put a positive spin on two consecutive losses in London. No word on the Euroraptors’ current 3-20 run, however…

"Ladies, ladies, I don't mean to brag, but ... I'm the greatest."

“I know I can score 20 or 30 points anytime I want,” Vujacic said, as reported by the Newark Star-Ledger. “But I’m not that kind of a guy. I want to win. I want to play the right way. Some games I’m going to get 10 shots, some games 15 shots; sometimes, especially coming off the bench, you’re going to feel cold, and you need time to get in the rhythm. But right now, what I care the most is for us to become a better team. And we are really capable of doing that.”

The occasion for the media attention given Sasha and his subsequent verbosity was a glorious 103-101 overtime win for the New Jersey Nets over the New Orleans Hornets last Wednesday. Vujacic went for a career-high 40 points 35 points 25 points.

The Slovenian was also looking great in the post-game interview.

Really, BiE congratulates Sasha and the Nets for this statement important much-needed win, though remains skeptical of Vujacic’s potential as a LeBron-level scorer. Tell you what, though: He’s definitely at Hoylesque levels.

Myers learned about Eurostep, pubs, chicken sandwiches with Sheffield

Good morning! So without further ado, here’s a roundup of some recent stories relating the Europe, basketball, and European basketball.

• What is the Euro Step? It’s The Continent’s contribution to NBA basketball! Here’s a great story on how a European technique – Sarunas Marciulionis is credited with its introduction to American hoops – has been adopted by the likes of Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and John Wall.

• As though the prospect of an NBA lockout in 2011 weren’t bad enough, is the 2013 Eurobasket tournament itself now in danger as well? According to the Associated Press:

“The cash-strapped Slovenian government has delayed a decision on whether to support the country’s bid to host the 2013 European basketball championship.

“The government is expected to pay governing body FIBA €6.5 million for the hosting rights.

“The state-run news agency STA says cabinet members discussed the issue on Thursday, but put off a decision as Prime Minister Borut Pahor sought more detailed financial figures.

“Slovenia is the only candidate for the championship and if the government agrees to pay the fee, FIBA is expected to award it the championship on December 5.

“Slovenia is struggling with the effects of the financial crisis and has been looking to cut its expenditures.”

• Brandon Jennings back to Italy in 2011-12? That might be scary…

• The headline on this one says it all, really: “West Virginia’s Deniz Kilicli says NCAA Unfair to Foreigners.”

• And speaking of foreign ballers in American college play, add Team Germany’s Enosch Wolf to the list: The 7’1” Goettingen resident will be with no less than University of Connecticut after a year with prep school Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

• Now the basketball coach at St. Andrew’s in Maryland, Terrell Myers in the late 1990s/early 2000s played for the Sheffield Sharks and CB Murcia, among other squads on this side of the ocean. In the videos below, Myers amuses and amazes with tales of a bright-eyed American lad who had never even seen a sheep before touching down in England…

Slovenia is the only candidate to host the 2013 European Basketball Championship. The European basketball championships will expand to 24 teams starting in 2013…

The *only* candidate? Was no other country interested in hosting the tournament or is the economic situation in most European countries thought to be so poor as to prohibit even speculating on a bid? Neither FIBA nor FIBA Europe has released any official word on the outcome of 2013 Eurobasket “bidding” as of yet.

FIBA secretary-general Nar Zanolin, meanwhile, is reportedly ecstatic about preparations in Lithuania for Eurobasket 2011. BiE guesses Slovenia will now get started early on its on pre-production.