Kate Kevorken is playing her senior year with the University of Nevada, producing nicely for the Wolfpack after cracking the starting lineup in her second season with the program. The two guard bagged her first Western Athletic Conference player of the week award on December 19 thanks to a 25-point (including the game-winner), 11-rebound show against Oregon. Ten days later, “The Encyclopedia” broke her personal scoring mark with 27 points in a losing effort to Mississippi State.

Eastward, freshman Sarah Halejian’s game grows seemingly day to day with the Yale Bulldogs. Halejian went for her career-high 14 points in a 92-41 blowout win over St. Francis, sharing Ivy League Player of the Week honors for her efforts; she yesterday matched that scoring mark with another 14 in Yale’s 80-47 home win over Baruch.

Yale coach Chris Gobrecht has noted Halejian’s abilities as a “gifted offensive player,” stating that she’s “becoming a very strong defender as well” – and remember, folks, Yale awards no athletic scholarships, thus Halejian must be backing up her play with academic performance. The Bulldogs themselves currently occupy third place on the Ivy League table at 10-4.

As for this summer, Basketball Federation of Armenia president Hrachya Rostomyan is hopeful that Halejian and Kevorken can be infused into a team moving up on the European radar; Team Armenia placed second in the 2010 FIBA European Championship Women Division C tournament behind MVP Christina Kepenekian and all-tourney Amanda Jackson.

Said Rostomyan: “We look forward to Halejian and Kevorken possibly joining the women’s national basketball team in 2012. After our silver-medal performance [in 2010 ...] the potential impact of players like Sarah and Kate would be invaluable to Armenia.”

This year sees the London Olympic games, a shortened NBA season, another year of Euroleague basketball and the NCAA Final Four – what more could we possibly ask for? Happy new year…

• NCAA Final Four winner: University of North Carolina
Why: I know they have lost, and I can see they have some tough opposition in Kentucky, Ohio, Baylor, Indiana, and a lot of other strong NCAA sides across the States. My reason for picking UNC is experience: This team was stronger than expected in March last year when they surprised a lot of people; this year the Tar Heels were no surprise, ranked no. 1 in the preseason. This line-up has determination written all over it, every single player on this team does not want to lose.

• NCAA Final Four runner-up: University of Kentucky
Why: Sitting at 14-1, the Wildcats are one of the NCAA’s strongest and most well-coached sides. Guys like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doro Lamb and Marquis Teague are all massively talented players who should lead this side to yet another final four appearance – add potential top five NBA draft pick Anthony Davis atop all this and this team screams NCAA Finals and possibly even NCAA champions.

• NCAA third-place finishers: Baylor
Why: Still yet to lose a game, Baylor with Quincy Acy, Quincy Miller and top-five draft pick Perry Jones III could go all the way to the Final Four in Atlanta. Their use of athleticism, speed and conditioning make this team formidable, and we all know what Jones can do when the game is on the line. It was hard to pick the Bears over the likes of Ohio State but I couldn’t leave them out.

• NCAA fourth-place finishers: Indiana
Why: This team has beaten some pretty tough opposition such as Ohio State and Kentucky. Cody Zeller has been phenomenal, leading the team in both scoring and rebounding, while teammates Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls have helped the Hoosiers to a solid record so far. It’s safe to say that this team has turned it around after a few years of scandal and mediocrity.

• NCAA Most Outstanding Player: Harrison Barnes
Why: If Barnes manages to carry his team to the Final Four and another championship, if he lives up to his potential, if he avoids injury, his determination alone will not let his team lose … Let’s see if his body will do the same.

• Euroleague Champion: CSKA Moscow
Why: Have you seen this team? And you still need to know why? Andrei Kirilenko is playing with pride, passion and energy, doing everything for this team willing to do everything for him. Kirilenko is a leader, a veteran and possibly the best player in Europe (cue angry fans of La Bomba in the comments section). Serbian guard Milos Teodosic has played superbly, while big men Sasha Kaun and Nenad Krstic form a formidable front court which could score against anybody. In addition Alexey Shved is one of Europe’s top young point guards, who spent this summer on international duty with the Russian national team. An overall excellent roster.

• Euroleague runner-up: FC Barcelona
Why: Juan Carlos Navarro is the Euroleague’s all-time leading scorer and continues to increase his gap at the top of the list; he’s alongside a point guard who has been capable of filling the gap left by Ricky Rubio in Marcelinho Huertas, who is averaging 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while hitting 42% of his three-point attempts.

• Euroleague third-place finishers: Montepaschi Siena
Why: We all know that Bo McCalebb can do some magical things, things like guide Macedonia deep into Eurobasket: This year he’ll carry his side to the Euroleague Final Four thanks to his injury not being as severe as first thought. A battle for third place between Siena and Panathinaikos should be an interesting watch.

• Euroleague fourth-place finishers: Panathinaikos
Why: Last year’s reigning Euroleague champs look to reach the final fours yet again; I don’t see them being as strong as CSKA or Barcelona, but a third- or fourth-place finish is always a positive. Nick Calathes is a born winner and will look to add more silverware for this team.

• Euroleague MVP: Andrei Kirilenko
Why: Andrei Kirilenko is dominating European basketball once more. His return to the EL was a 17-point, 15-rebound, five-assist beatdown of Žalgiris Kaunas; since then, he has gone on to average 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per Euroleague game while hitting 57% from the field and 60% on threes. Even his free throws are going in at an 81% rate. While these numbers are impressive, if he can lead his side to a victory in the Euroleague finals, I’m sure he will be a more than deserving MVP.

• NBA champions: Miami Heat
Why: The strongest team in the NBA, as much as I hate to say it: Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, James Jones, Shane Battier … This team is literally insane, undefeated until narrowly losing to the Atlanta Hawks, in a game they probably shouldn’t have. This team is just too talented to lose it for the second straight year.

• NBA runner-up: Oklahoma City Thunder
Why: The West got a new bandwagon this off-season in the Los Angeles Clippers, but there is no denying the strongest squad in the Western Conference is still the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder may be young but, for their age, their experience is second to none, including a conference finals appearance last season. Kevin Durant is back better than ever; add that to an ever improving James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and the Heat may struggle come finals time.

• NBA finals MVP: Lebron James
Why: He wants to silence the haters, all those people that said he lost it in the finals last year against the Dallas Mavericks. He wants revenge, he doesn’t care who he plays he’s going to go after it, whether its carrying his team’s scoring load, grabbing rebounds or dishing assists. Lebron can do it all.

• NBA regular-season MVP: Ask again later
Why: I honestly can’t decide … my top three (in no particular order) run below.

Why Derrick Rose: Rose continues to lead the Bulls to one of the best records in the Eastern Conference; he has been a scoring force but has not forced his shot as much as last season. Thus far, his assist numbers are solid, and he outplayed Chris Paul in L.A. in a big way, scoring with ease while also dishing when needed. Rose’s teammates are stepping up, whether it be Luol Deng hitting game winners or new addition Rip Hamilton. If Rose can keep it up while leading the Bulls to another first- or second-place finish in the East, the votes may go his way for the second straight year.

Why Lebron James: Have you seen his numbers? Once you have, you’ll understand why I don’t need to justify Lebron as a consideration.

Why Kevin Durant: This season, K.D. will probably lead the league in scoring again, will hopefully improve both his rebounding and assist numbers, and will drive his team to the no. 1 seed in the Western Conference faster than anyone (including myself) expected. Durant has been in the running for MVP the past few years, but 2011-12 could be the season in which his team does some *serious* damage.

• NBA Rookie of the Year: Ricky Rubio or Kyrie Irving

Why Rubio: He is the best guard on one of the West Coast’s rising young teams, a team that has beaten the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks while taking their 4 losses by an average of 3 points per game, including a 4 point loss to the Thunder, a 2 point loss to the Heat and a 4 point loss to the Grizzlies. Rubio has been phenomenal, yes he isn’t scoring like Blake Griffin did last year, but his assists come with such beauty and pinpoint accuracy it’s hard not to drop your jaw … his behind-the-back passes, his alley-oops to fellow rookie Derrick Williams, it’s all just too perfect. Other rookies may score more but Rubio does it all with style. As of this writing, Ricky is averaging 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game while his team stands at 2-4.

Why Irving: Honestly, not many rookies have impressed me so far in this very young NBA season; the incoming draft class has a lot fewer stars than that of John Wall and Blake Griffin last year. Kyrie is one of the few who have just done what’s needed of him. Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have a pretty bad lineup but have yet to go on some kind of ridiculously long losing streak *but* wins against bottom-dwellers such as the Charlotte Bobcats and New Jersey Nets. So far this season, Kyrie is averaging 14.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while his team stands at 3-3.

• 2012 Olympics, gold-medal winner: United States of America
Why: Team USA won the last Olympic games with the ‘Redeem Team’ back at Beijing 2008, while a young but solid USA side won the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey behind the likes of Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups, Lamar Odom, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook. This summer the team will be even more talented with the likes of Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Blake Griffin all improving since the last Games. Together with a few key names, the London Olympic basketball finals may be one of the best to ever take place in an international tournament, so make sure you tune in and watch.

• 2012 Olympics, silver-medal winner: Spain
Why: I wish I could say “Great Britain, home-court, everyone involved, Luol Deng, Joel Freeland, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, maybe Ben Gordon, Devon Van Oostrum, Ryan Richards…” the talent is there, but the experience is not. Teams like Spain and Russia should be able to get by us and into the quarterfinals and finals. My choice for runner-up is Spain: their dominant performance at Eurobasket 2011 with Serge Ibaka aboard; plus potentially Nikola Mirotic to make this team even better than it currently is; the existing front line of Marc and Pau Gasol is already a formidable force; the improvement of Rubio; and veteran talent Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernandez … thinking about it, these players might even surprise for gold…

• Player to Watch: Ricky Rubio
Why: A season of playing in the NBA against the world’s best opposition while being able to continue to work on his jump shot will work wonders for the Spanish point guard. His confidence had dropped after being removed from the national team’s starting lineup, but with the added confidence the NBA season brings him, look for Rubio to be one of the best players to watch in London.

That just about sums up my predictions for 2012. I’m hoping it will be a great year for all of you and don’t forget to continue reading BallinEurope; this year is going to be even more exciting than last!

Sam Chadwick is the co-head coach of the Solent Kestrels U14 basketball team, along with dividing the remainder of his time among an assistant quantity surveyor job, university studies and sportswriting. Chadwick is now a contributor at BBLfans.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @chadwick9.

• Patrik Auda, Czech Republic; Seton Hall. In his sophomore year, Auda has earned the starting lineup for the 7-1 Pirates to produce an impressive 8.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game; in early December, Auda went for a career-high 17 points – all in the second half – against Auburn.

Auda has fit perfectly with the Seton Hall speedy offense this season, though it must be said that the Czech and his teammates haven’t met a true test against an NCAA superpower yet: That’ll come on December 28 when visiting current no. 1 Syracuse.

• Chris Czerapowicz, Sweden; Davidson College. Coming off the bench for the Wildcats, Czerapowicz is nevertheless seeing nearly 23 minutes per game; the Swede’s top performance thus far in 2011-12 was in the 21-point blowout of Furman on December 3, when he went for 13 points and four rebounds in 29 minutes.

• Olek Czyz, Poland; University of Nevada. Czyz’ minutes are down slightly this season for the Wolf Pack, but this may be reflective of his shooting numbers, likewise slightly down. Czyz has been noted as a key player when Nevada goes to crunch time in 2011-12 and BiE realizes it is early, but couldn’t that 47.9% success rate be improved a bit, particularly since the Pole’s rebounding numbers are actually up despite the five fewer minutes per game – clearly still a presence in the paint, Czyz needs to “throw it down, big man” more frequently.

• Tomasz Gielo, Poland, Liberty University. Gielo has yet to suit up in his freshman year after suffering a dislocated elbow in an October practice.

• Elias Harris, Germany; Gonzaga University. The guy who esteemed experts such as Draft Express have as a future NBA draft pick is living up to expectations with the Bulldogs, nicely filling the gap in the Gonzaga offense created by the departure of Matt Bouldin. How closely is Harris being scoped these days? Notes CBS Sports: “Elias Harris is averaging 1.007 points per possession, which is too low for what he should be putting up. Harris has averaged 1.13 the past two years.”

Nevertheless, Harris is in better shape as a junior; has posted a stat line of 12.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game through seven; and looked pretty damn good against Notre Dame on December 1.

• Patrick Heckmann, Germany; Boston College. In a woeful year for the 3-7 Eagles, “Heckmann is their best player.” As a freshman, the German is already seeing 26.3 minutes per game and, while struggling a bit with turnovers – albeit in a porous offense – at 3.2 per, Heckmann is sure to become a leader in his stint at BC. Until he declares himself eligible for the NBA Draft, BiE supposes.

• Denis Kilicli, Turkey; West Virginia University. The Turkish invasion of American basketball continues with Kilicli, who scarily appears to be improving day by day with the Mountaineers as he becomes known for the monster dunk. He’s gone for double-digit scoring in each of WVU’s eight games. In the past five, he’s a hot 26-of-44 from the floor, culminating in a huge 18-point, eight-rebound, five-assist show in a win against University of Miami on Sunday.

• Jakub Kusmieruk, Poland; Idaho State University. At 7’4” with some skills, Kusmieruk has been scouted by top-level scopers in the ‘States since at least 2006, when he was 16 years old. Now 21, a guy seemingly destined to play NBA ball isn’t exactly burning up the college ranks at Idaho State, even recently getting temporarily replaced in the starting lineup.

• Alex Len, Ukraine; University of Maryland. Alex freed! With the NCAA’s penalty served, “the Terrapins will leave this stretch a better and deeper team than they found it, as Alex Len will have served his ten-game suspension and be available against Albany (cupcake no. 3 [in a] six-game stretch).”

• Karam Mashour, Israel; UNLV. Let’s hope this is a sophomore slump: Mashour’s playing time has dwindled to nothing on a deep Running Rebels bench as the Israeli has recently often been labeled as “struggling.”

• Brice Massamba, Sweden; UNLV. In his senior year at UNLV, Running Rebel fans may be witnessing the finalization of Massamba as a complete player. The Swede is playing an even 20 minutes per game through the 9-2 UNLV’s season and, though consistency is sometimes still a problem, Massamba is now seeing plays run through him, recognizing their big man’s invaluable presence in the paint.

Summed up Las Vegas Sun writer Ray Brewer after the Rebels’ November 22 win: “Massamba had one of the strongest [individual performances] for UNLV, leading the Rebels with nine rebounds and scoring 10 points. He was the difference-maker Cal Poly wasn’t expecting, having arguably the best game in his four-year UNLV career. The offense at times went through Massamba in the post, especially with Cal Poly so focused on taking away the perimeter…”

• Kyryl Natyazhko, Ukraine; University of Arizona. Unfortunately, the verdict on Natyazhko hasn’t been exceedingly positive lately. In late November, Wildcats coach Sean Miller told local media that Natyazhko would “have to improve and get the job done in his third year with us, or we’re going to have to move in another direction. We’re not looking for a double-digit scorer as much as ‘do your job, rebound the ball, play great post defense, bring energy, make a 15-footer.’ He’s struggled out of the gate.”

Indeed, Miller made good on his promise. Natyazhko took a DNP in early December in a game against Northern Arizona, while last night the Wildcats ran a short eight-man rotation which didn’t really include the Ukrainian at all. Natyazhko’s future would appear to be uncertain…

Rundles chatted with BallinEurope’s British basketball specialist Sam Chadwick about his love for football, playing in the NCAA tournament, and the importance of Andrew Sullivan, among other topics. And judging by Rundles’ apparent enthusiasm within his responses, he can’t help but get noticed along the way to playing pro hoops “in as many countries as I can.” This guy knows how to bring the exclamation points.

BallinEurope: Firstly, you used to be pretty good at (American) football; what made you choose basketball?
Cameron Rundles: Football was my first love and I had a few Division 1 scholarships to play, but the older I got the more basketball became appealing to me and I found that in basketball my strongest qualities were able to flourish more! Things such as leadership, and knowledge of the game! In football these qualities apply as well, but are more difficult to show on an every play/possession basis! So I think I chose basketball because it fit my personality more! But I do believe I’m a better football player then basketball player!

You played NCAA basketball at Wofford after transferring from Montana, where you were Big Sky Freshman of the Year; what made you change?
My freshman year, the coach that recruited me left straight away! His name was coach Larry Krystoviak and he went on to coach the Milwaukee Bucks. I thought about leaving right away but I thought I would stick it out under coach Wayne Tinkle. After an impressive freshman year, I still had my doubts there and didn’t like our style of play! After my second year, I called my best friend Jamar Diggs, who at the time attended Wayne State, a Division II school in Nebraska and said, “Let’s link back up because I’m not truly happy here.” We both decided to attend Wofford College and the rest was history, taking the Terriers to their first ever NCAA tournament and we went back-to-back years!

What was it like playing in the NCAA Tournament?
Playing in the NCAA tournament were the two best games in my life! It’s a feeling that cannot be described with words, only by experiences! If I told you what it was like to play in that tournament, you would have to multiply it by a few to get the true feelings! It was really a dream come true: Years and years of watching that thing and filling out brackets as a kid and one day you’re that kid on CBS primetime playing in front of thousands and millions are watching on the tube!! There is no better feeling!

You’re now playing in the British Basketball League for Leicester Riders; what made you choose the BBL and more specifically what was it about Leicester that convinced you to sign there?
Being a rookie, I don’t think there could be too many things to say bad about my situation! I love the Leicester community, the fans, the environment – everything about this place is great! But the main reason I chose this place was because of our head coach Rob Paternostro! After just speaking with him on the phone a few times, you see a coach that is truly interested in bringing along great character guys and winners! And that’s what he has brought to the table! My teammates are great, and not just on the court, they are all high character guys and that speaks volumes on Rob’s part!

Do you have any personal and/or team goals for this season or do you just go with the flow?
I’m definitely not a just-go-with-the-flow kind of guy! I don’t have any individual goals set for myself as of now, but before I was in Leicester, it was just to become a professional player and play for multiple years. But I think I speak for the whole team when I say I believe our team goal is to come out of the BBL with some hardware this season! We have a chance to win the BBL Cup and the league as well as the whole thing! And if we fail to do all three of those tasks, I believe that will be a disappointing season for the Leicester Riders and certainly underachieving.

You have a lot of new faces at Leicester with the likes of yourself, Ayron Hardy and Andrew Sullivan; do you three bond well and is there someone who took you under their wing as a mentor?
Sullivan, Hardy and myself really do play well together, as well as my roommate [Bradd] Wierzbicki! Brett came along later, but our chemistry as a whole is starting to all come together! But without a doubt Andrew Sullivan has been the mentor for us, especially myself and Hardy. He has played for a lot of winning teams and understands what it takes to win at a professional level! And I feel like he and I are very similar in some ways but I’m usually the listener when we interact because he has so much insight to give a young player like myself! Myself as well as the Leicester Riders are pretty fortunate to land such a player as Sullivan!

What difference does Andrew Sullivan make to your team? Obviously you started the season without him, but since he joined you haven’t lost a game.
The difference that Sullivan brings to our team first is his versatility! He is able to play on the wing as well as on the block! And even more on the defensive end on the floor, he is able to guard the 2 position all the way to the 5 position when needed! Also, he brings a winning attitude to our team that fits in because our coach Rob has won lots of games as a coach as well as a player in this league and I think of myself as a true winner as well as many of the guys on our team, but Sullivan has won on this level and as recently as last year with the Mersey Tigers, so it’s valuable to have a guy like that in your corner!

What’s next for you personally? Playing elsewhere in Europe or do you think you will stay at Leicester for a while?
For me personally, I wanna travel the world and play in as many countries as I can for as many years as my body allows me to! Whether that would be next year or in multiple years from now I’m not sure! I would definitely love to stay in Leicester for the next couple years if the situation works for both parties, but as of now I’m just trying to win basketball games for my club!

What has been the game of your career so far?
The game of my career thus far would have to be my first road game in the BBL championships, when I tallied 33 points off of seven three-point makes and hit the game-winning shot as the buzzer sounded over a pair of defenders to win by two points! That was at Guildford. But it was also my worst free throw shooting performance maybe of my life! Four for 12 … atrocious!

Lastly, what advice would you give to younger guys trying to make it in the NCAA or professional basketball?
My advice to younger kids trying to make it to the big leagues or the NCAA ranks is to first decide if they really want to do it! Once you’ve looked yourself in the mirror and decided that’s your dream, you just chase and chase and keep chasing. During your joinery you will come across peer pressure, drugs/alcohol, girls/boys, all these distractions, but they shouldn’t interfere with getting to that level if you’re truly serious with chasing that dream! And once you make it … Definitely enjoy every moment, but also even surprise yourself and keep climbing higher!!!!

Good news for Danielian today then, as his signing with German club SG MTV/BG 93 Wolfenbüttel (or “Wolfenbüttel” for “short”) was announced. Congratulations go out to Mike from BallinEurope!

Official press release (and video) follows.

Mike Danielian will soon begin his professional basketball career with the Wolfenbuettel basketball team of Wolfenbuettel, Germany. Danielian will play both the shooting and point guard positions for Wolfenbuettel, which is officially known as SG MTV/BG 93 Wolfenbuettel.

Danielian rose to prominence under Coach Howard Levine at Grant High School in Van Nuys, California. Under Levine, Danielian was twice named to the Los Angeles All-City team. As a senior, Danielian averaged 30.3 points per game to lead all of southern California in scoring. He also scored 58 points in one game, which broke the Grant High School single-game scoring record, which was then held by current NBA player Gilbert Arenas.

Danielian was a member of Azusa Pacific University’s 2010 NAIA finalists. Danielian made over 200 three-point shots in his time at Azusa Pacific, and he remains the no. 2 all-time three-point scorer in school history.

In August, Danielian was named most valuable player of the Fifth Pan Armenian Games in Yerevan, Armenia. Danielian led Los Angeles to a gold medal with a 49 point performance in the championship game against Sochi, Russia, with Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan in attendance.

Carl Bardakian, Los Angeles men’s basketball head coach and U.S. representative to the Basketball Federation of Armenia, stated “Danielian’s deep three-point shooting range, competitive drive and outstanding work ethic impressed the Wolfenbuettel coaches and scouts. I anticipate Danielian making an immediate impact for Wolfenbuettel.” Basketball Federation of Armenia president Hrachya Rostomyan expressed his congratulations to Danielian on behalf of the federation. Rostomyan stated, “We are very proud of Mike and look forward to him having great success with Wolfenbuettel. Mike has the full support and encouragement of the Basketball Federation of Armenia.”

Despite it all, suggests Tom Schad in the Copenhagen Post Online, “Denmark could become world beaters in basketball.” Citing the examples of Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki and Yao Ming, Schad argues that it only takes “one great player to give a country hope” in its national basketball program, and “For Denmark, maybe that player is about to arrive.”

That would be Anton Larsen, currently with Old Dominion University.

It’s a compelling argument, as basketball allows one outstanding player to carry a team through a tournament single-handedly – and Spain can be added to the list of countries that came from seemingly out of nowhere to become a perpetual powerhouse in the modern era.

On the other hand, if Larsen’s the centerpiece, wellllllll … time will tell, one supposes.

The seven-footer played sparingly in Saturday’s 63-46 loss to Northern Iowa (!), going just 0-of-1 from the floor in seven minutes. Last year, as a sophomore, Larsen played in 12 games last season, with season totals of 15 points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes.

Another potential problem: Larsen is 23 years old; at his age, Nowitzki had already played three years of NBA ball and was the top scorer in EuroBasket 2001. Parker wore two NBA championship rings (!!!) and one EuroBasket bronze medal. The Monarch is a bit behind the curve here, but presumably we’ll be seeing him with Team Denmark in FIBA Europe’s Division B play in 2013.

So call Larsen, like Danish basketball (particularly the U18s, whom Schad notes “finished second and are now considered one of the best young squads in Europe. Teen phenoms Rasmus Glarbjerg and Esben Reinholt will be particularly interesting to watch”), a work in progress. It’s good that they’re keeping the faith up there…

The CV of the player in question includes turns on the gold-medal Team USA of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in addition to performances in the Nike Hoop Summit, the McDonald’s All-American Game, and the Jordan Brand Classic – all in 2010. Beyond these, he’s got about a half-season with Duke University under his belt with a stat line including 17.4 points and 5.1 assists per game.

We’re talking about no less than Australian-American Kyrie Irving here, the no. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft currently on lockout and getting frustrated. Today, on yet another day of reckoning for labor relations in the big league, the former Blue Devil tweeted:

“if a deal doesn’t get done soon … overseas here i come”

Well, we’ll welcome you, Kyrie. And, just to get things started, BiE understands Virtus Bologna may have some money to throw around…

The "beautiful, enigmatic bastard"

Lazy Sunday? Great: BallinEurope has just the thing to occupy your time! Below run some quality articles and gawk-worthy YouTubes from the week that was in European basketball and NBA lockout land for your perusal. The bullet-point format is in effect and the show stars Danny Green, Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, Walter Szczerbiak, Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson. Enjoy!

• For an excellent and thorough piece on the Real Madrid offense (and concomitant weak interior defense) in light of Thursday night’s Euroleague loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv, check out this work at In The Game. Figures writer Rod Higgins in part: “…it is doubtful that [Real’s] current style will serve them particularly well once the regular season is over. Madrid get most of their wins by simply outscoring their opponents. This means that they have to improve defensively; Bilbao, Milano and Maccabi have repeatedly exposed the weak interior defense of the Merengues earlier in the season…”

• Hey, some positivity for the Lithuanian fans! Roll the top 10 plays by Lietuvos Rytas in October!

• Project Spurs is very proud of their boy Danny Green right now.

• Cameroon hoopster (and one of the game’s great names) Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje was forced to retire this week due to a heart condition. Boumtje-Boumtje played six full seasons in Greece and Germany after playing sparingly for the Portland Trail Blazers and had begun this season with FC Bayern München. Boumtje-Boumtje took one national championship, with EWE Baskets Oldenburg in 2009.

The center became something of a YouTube phenomenon while playing with Oldenburg; the classic “Top 10 Dunks over Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, 2008-09” as produced by a fan of the team has been removed – you can get an idea of Oldenburgers’ compilation of Ruben’s sadder moments in Germany here and here and here. On the plus side, the following is a nicely done tribute to Boumtje-Boumtje as he appears on the right end of a posterization, done up in the “Amazing Happens” format.

• Speaking of great names, Euroleague official website writer Vladimir Stankovic this morning contributed a nice bit of history on Walter Szczerbiak, the “superstar with the unpronounceable name.” (Really? What’s so difficult about “Walter”?)

• Yahoo Sports ran a slightly random piece about some random weirdness on Twitter due to the NBA lockout. You gotta love the suggestion “to replace the entire NBA with eager and skillful Afghanis,” but BallinEurope still doesn’t get the reticence of American NBA fans to, you know, check out this little association over here called “Euroleague.” Or even that “ACB” thing…

• Still no video posted by Euroleague on Jordan Farmar’s awesome 27-point show against Real Madrid, but here’s the game in its entirety, should you not have the Euroleague pass. The YouTube username for this contribution is given as “DejanBodyIsBack”; BiE’s glad to hear it, as Dejan has long been one of the great providers of European basketball clips to the ‘Tube.

• Is a “Free Kristers” campaign coming? Team Latvia U20 player Kristers Zeidaks has been ruled ineligible by NCAA officials to play with Mississippi State this season, due to participation in professional league play in his home country.

• Hardwood Paroxysm’s Noam Schiller wrote up an awesome bit of work on Andrei Kirilenko, the “beautiful and enigmatic bastard” who just kills in Europe – and how.

• Spike Lee has weighed in on the NBA lockout: He’s against it and reckons that “…one day, very soon, the Knicks will have an NBA championship.” – major surprises there. However, now might be a good time for a flashback. See below a couple of Nike ads from the 1998 player lockout starring Spike and Sam Jackson (that’s right).

Confirmed for the tournament are NBA Dutchmen Francisco Elson of the Utah Jazz and Dan Gadzuric of the New Jersey Nets – BallinEurope can’t help but speculate as to whether the latter will be using his off-time during the tournament to field offers from European clubs, what with the mass exodus of Nets to the Continent. (NetsDaily hints that Gadzuric’s appearance in the tournament may depend on insurance issues.)

The Sacramento Kings’ Omri Casspi is slated to play for Team Israel in the tourney as well; more on this below.

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Organizers have scheduled a moment of silence for NBA scout Rob Meurs to precede the Villanova-Israel game. A native of Holland, Meurs was killed in a road accident near Trier last April after attending the Albert Schweitzer youth tournament in Mannheim.

Meurs was an NBA scout for 20 years with the Golden State Warriors and most recently the New Jersey Nets, but it was with the San Antonio Spurs that he was really able to leave his scouting imprint: In 1999, he endorsed Manu Ginobili at no. 57 overall in the NBA draft and Tony Parker at no. 28 in 2001.

When employed with BC Oostende for seven years, Meurs was credited with bringing players such as Mirza Teletovic, Damjan Rudez, Ivan Paunic and Brent Wright to the club.

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As though this intriguing competition needed a few stamps of approval, Eurojam 2011 got some thumbs up last week as well.

Longtime NCAA/NBA coach and scout Hal Wissel contributed a nice plug with “I have always liked the concept of NCAA teams participating in international basketball. When I coached Fordham University, we played the Canada national team at a packed Madison Square Garden. I also coached the Dominican Republic national team and took our Fordham team to Santo Domingo to play them in a three-game series. International competition helps players and fans develop a better understanding of each other. I expect the better European international teams such as Georgia and Israel to be favored to defeat NCAA teams such as Villanova. However, Villanova is very well coached and could pull off an upset against these teams.”

(High praise for Jay Wright, then.)

Jamie Angeli of HoopSynergy opines that “I think it is a great idea for our NCAA teams to compete against National Teams in Europe. I think if you look at the NCAA tournament in the past few years, the American game is starting to look more and more like the Euro style of play, with greater emphasis on spacing and ball screens and post players playing out on the perimeter. Some of the bigger players in Euro ball might give some of the NCAA teams some trouble, but on the other hand, the quickness advantage to the NCAA teams might equalize that edge. I think the games [will] be very competitive!”

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Finally, one key question surrounding Eurojam 2011 is whether Mr. Casspi will be bringing his (maybe) girlfriend, supermodel/actress/Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl Bar Refaeli to Almere. The Eurojam brain trust cannot confirm that Refaeli will be in attendance at the inaugural event, but here’s to hoping…

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The Eurojam2011 tournament tips off on August 12.

As what is slated to be the first in a series of Europe-based international tournaments, EuroJam will feature six men’s teams and two women’s teams to play over the three days of the event, which also promises an entire “Sport Experience” for fans and professionals.

Competing on the men’s side of the bracket will be national teams from Georgia, Israel and the Netherlands; this quartet will be joined by the Villanova University squad. The women’s “tournament” actually consists of two games pitting the Netherlands’ team against the Boston College Eagles.

In terms of fan experience, two clinics are to be held in conjunction with Eurojam 2011. Henk Pieterse, local hero (he played alongside Rik Smits for Team Netherlands in the 1987 Eurobasket tournament) and international clinician, will be holding several tutorials on the weekend for players of all ages and skill levels; see the below video for an example of Pieterse’s tutelage for youngsters.

While entertaining as part of the tournament action, the Djalita Dancers will also be holding a cheerleading clinic. Djalita is an outgrowth of the now-defunct Amsterdam Admirals Cheerleaders team and today the ladies perform at various sports events and concerts in addition to providing instruction.

A percentage of ticket sales generated by EuroJam 2011 will be donated to charity organizations KiKa and the Esther Vergeer Foundation.

BallinEurope will be following the behind-the-scenes progress of EuroJam 2011 in coming weeks, including the introductory press conference scheduled for 2pm EST today. For ticket information and/or reservations – the price for a standard three-day pass is a reasonable €50 – visit the Eurojam official website. And you bet they’ve got a Facebook page; it’s here.