BallinEurope, the European Basketball news site

Perhaps the most unfairly overlooked aspect in discussions of the difficulties European players face when attempting to adapt to NBA ball is the question of language. Sure, English is the international language of basketball. Sure, there are nearly three times as many English-language students than native speakers. Sure, a great fraction of Europeans grow up bi- or multilingually.

Nevertheless, just as certain is the fact that entering the American media environment is the communication equivalent of diving into a tub of alligators. A common fear is of speaking in public? Imagine doing it in another language. Spontaneously. Scrutinized, analyzed and tittered about by tens of millions of rabid fans milliseconds after a tough loss. And all of it done under the glare of those tens of millions’ high expectations – which, essentially, every European basketballer in the NBA faces.

(Yes, BallinEurope knows that some readers must do this kinda stuff all the time – particularly those first two bits. But still. It does boggle this expatriate American’s mind, even after 15 years on The Continent.)

So guess what: The Human YouTube Highlight Clip has produced another moment for the virtual archives, showing good game in the intensely difficult off-court field of trash-talking – against no less an opponent than Kobe Bryant, a pretty fair verbal wrangler himself.

While Kobe has peppered swipes regarding a Team USA-Team Spain showdown in the 2012 Olympic Games to his teammate Pau Gasol, he was recently able to conversate with Rubio briefly when the two teams met last Sunday. Things went down as follows.

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Big congratulations this morning go out from BallinEurope to Team Spain, which defended its European title in besting France in the 2011 FIBA EuroBasket championship game, 98-85.

Particularly brilliant in this final match was Serge Ibaka, who provided five blocks and smothering defense off the bench. Five Spaniards scored in double figures, with tournament MVP Juan Carlos Navarro following up his 35-point barrage against FYR Macedonia with 27, including 12-of-12 from the free throw line, against the French. Pau Gasol put in 17 points to go with 10 rebounds and Jose Calderon also added 17 for the victors.

High scorer for Team France was Tony Parker, with 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Nicolas Batum, who many saw as key to Les Bleus’ success in the game, managed just 10 points including a 2-of-8 performance from three-point land. Boris Diaw contributed 12 to go with seven assists.

With the victory, Spain becomes the first team since Yugoslavia of 1997 to repeat as European champions and only the second back-to-back title winner in the post-Soviet era.

Named to the all-tournament team along with Navarro were Parker, Pau Gasol, Bo McCalebb of FYR Macedonia, and Andrei Kirilenko of Russia.

In the bronze-medal game, Russia held off those lovable dark horses of FYR Macedonia, 72-68. These two teams will join Lithuania and Greece in the Olympic qualifying tournament next year, while Spain and France have sealed their bids for the 2012 Games.

The official FIBA writeup follows the break; and if you’ll excuse BiE, a bit of a break may be in order…

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Those of you who are fans of that other roundball sport they play in Britain and other parts of Europe, i.e. football a.k.a. soccer, will definitely want to check out the video clip below.

On the occasion of next Tuesday’s historic first-ever meeting between England and Ghana’s national teams, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, he of the “Olympic-bound British basketball team,” was moved to comment via YouTube. Akwaaba TV, billed as “a new TV show hosted by a variety of well known Ghanaian Presenters around the world for Men & Women,” posted the clip.

Mensah-Bonsu is of Ghanian descent but was born and raised in London – in Tottenham Spurs territory, in fact – and thus will be cheering for…

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Congratulations from BallinEurope go out tonight to Luol Deng, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and the boys of Team Britain tonight; the message came across to BiE via Facebook and read simply: “FIBA Central Board has GRANTED Team GB an automatic host place at the 2012 London Olympics.”

We’ll see you in London, guys!

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If it hadn’t been for all the personality-cult stuff surrounding a certain King James, the fateful FIBA committee vote scheduled for Sunday would more rightly be known as “The Decision”: In Lyons this weekend, the final determination will be made as to whether Team Britain receives for the 2012 London Games the traditionally-granted automatic qualification given the host nation’s hoops team.

On the eve of British basketball facing what even FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann has called “the biggest decision in its history,” pundits, players and the powerful are all weighing in on the impact of “The FIBA Decision.” BallinEurope rounds up a few stories and such from the interwebs for your perusal.

(As for BiE, of course we’re backing the British bid. How can you not give it them?)

• First and foremost is Pops Mensah-Bonsu. BiE dares say that no one represents the pride and hopes of this team better than Pops, and the man’s passion for winning with Team Britain is matched by few.

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With the vote on whether to allow Team Britain automatic entry into the 2012 London Olympic Games set to take place on Sunday in Lyons, FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann has released a statement to media regarding the criteria for this decision-making process.

Much of the verbiage is along the lines FIBA suddenly demanded of British basketball associations last September, namely that an Olympic bid might depend on the willingness and/or feasibility of merging pro basketball’s governing bodies in England, Scotland and Wales. On this point, Baumann at least admits that FIBA has been “criticised for ‘moving the goalposts’ on qualification.”

Baumann’s statement reads as follows.

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UK-based Sporting Life recently posted an couple of articles regarding the odd state of the national program and which insinuate FIBA’s greater concern with basketball in the country.

On Monday, the ‘paper presented a long interview with FIBA secretary-general/International Olympic Committee inspector Patrick Baumann. Among other issues, Baumann spoke at length about what he and the organization fear could be the transitory nature of hoops development there; Great Britain basketball “needs long-term support,” he says.

Team Great Britain faces quite an interesting problem heading into the country’s hosting of the 2012 Olympic Games. Whilst a host nation would typically automatically be granted a bid for their national basketball team, FIBA and IOC have essentially created a prerequisite for Britain before that bid is given, i.e. the team must put in some sort of respectable showing in a major international tournament this summer or next.

This in turn would imply that the British national program has been given an ultimatum: Perform in EuroBasket 2011 or else.

The British national team has only appeared in the Olympic Games once – in 1948! – and the most memorable game the recently-resurrected squad has played in recent memory was a loss: the 2009 Eurobasket game which had Spain more than a bit nervous well into the fourth quarter with the Brits leading 73-69.

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Back in 1992, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and some others on the Dream Team covered up the verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry expensive Reebok logos on the red, white and blue jumpsuits the team wore while accepting their gold medals. Those of us old enough to recall even remember some hand-wringing when Mister Nike Air himself implied that he might not attend the gold-medal ceremony with the offending logo on his gear.

Twenty years later, due to the explosion of megabranding in the sportsworld (itself absolutely due in part to David Stern’s all-pervasive corporate and commercial blitzkrieg by his league, already a dozen years old by ’92), the O2 Arena in London will be challenged by corporate logo problems for the 2012 Olympic Games.

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Team Britain may not be playing EuroBasket 2009 with Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, but at least they’ve got … Jamie Vanderbeken.

Vanderbeken’s decision was actually something of a lifetime commitment: The 23-year-old was feeling a bit pressed to choose between his father’s home country of Canada and Britain, due to his Scottish’s mother’s citizenship.

Vanderbeken reportedly chose to side with Team Britain due to the opportunity to “launch his international career immediately,” and the medium-term goal is to play for Team Britain in the 2012 Olympics. He also was pumped to be playing with Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Robert Archibald.

The forward is currently at Iowa State, where he last season went for 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

In addition to Vanderbeken, Team Britain’s expanded roster for EuroBasket 2009 includes Kieron Achara (Angelico Biella); Robert Archibald (Unicaja); Andrew Betts (Aris Thessaloniki); Flinder Boyd (Beirasar Rosalia); Daniel Clark (Estudiantes); Germanyne Forbes (BBC Nyon); Joel Freeland (Unicaja); Nick George (Gravelines Dunkerque); Randall Hanke (Providence College); Jarrett Hart (Keravnos); Mike Lenzly (Harem Scafati); Steve Leven (West Brabant Giants); Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Toronto Raptors); Nate Reinking (Dexia Mons-Hainaut); Justin Robinson (Rider University); Andrew Sulivan (CSK VVS Samara).

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Bad news for fledging Team Great Britain’s Eurobasket 2009 chances: Luol Deng joins former Chicago Bulls teammate Ben Gordon in the “out” category.

Deciding that his stress fracture injury has not yet properly healed, Deng decided to sit this one out. Gordon decided as early as last August that he wouldn’t be joining the makeshift squad for Eurobasket.

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