• Sue Bird, Seattle Storm
• Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
• Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets
• Yolanda Griffith, Indiana Fever/Sacramento Monarchs/Seattle Storm
• Becky Hammon, San Antonio Silver Stars/New York Liberty
• Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
• Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
• Ticha Penicheiro, Los Angeles Sparks/Sacramento Monarchs
• Cappie Pondexter, New York Liberty/Phoenix Mercury
• Katie Smith, Seattle Storm/Minnesota Lynx/Detroit Shock/Washington Mystics
• Dawn Staley, Houston Comets/Charlotte Sting
• Sheryl Swoopes, Tulsa Shock/Houston Comets/Seattle Storm
• Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
• Tina Thompson, Los Angeles Sparks/Houston Comets
• Teresa Weatherspoon, Los Angeles Sparks/New York Liberty

However, given the fact that some 13 of these ladies have contributed outside of the WNBA (including one or two who haven’t played for Spartak Moscow) combined with the Eurocentric attitude of this blog, BallinEurope prefers to think of the list this way:

• Sue Bird, Dynamo Moscow/Spartak Moscow region
• Tamika Catchings, Spartak Moscow/Lotos Gdynia/Galatasaray
• Cynthia Cooper, Samoa Bétera/Parma/Alcamo
• Yolanda Griffith, DJK Wildcats Aschaffenburg/Lavezzini Basket Parma/UMMC Ekaterinburg
• Becky Hammon, Trentino Rovereto Basket/Rivas Ecópolis/CSKA Moscow/Ros Casares Valencia/Orenburg/Spartak Moscow
• Lauren Jackson, Spartak Moscow
• Lisa Leslie
• Ticha Penicheiro, Team Portugal/Spartak Moscow
• Cappie Pondexter, Fenerbahçe Istanbul/UMMC Ekaterinburg
• Katie Smith, Lotos Gdynia/Fenerbahçe Istanbul
• Dawn Staley
• Sheryl Swoopes,VBM-SGAU Samara/Taranto Cras Basket/Esperides Kallithea
• Diana Taurasi, Spartak Moscow/Fenerbahçe Istanbul/Galatasaray
• Tina Thompson, Rovereto Basket/Spartak Moscow/Municipal MCM Târgovişte
• Teresa Weatherspoon, Busto Arsizio/Magenta/Como/CSKA Moscow

Such a list brings to mind a question: Where is the Euroleague Women equivalent to the WNBA roster? With the association having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1959 and the modern era set to mark its 20th in 2012, how about forming at least a “Top 20”for the longest-running international women’s league?

Disappointingly, it seems no such honor has even been advanced by FIBA, even despite a campaign launched in 2007 announcing the “Year of Women’s Basketball,” during which creation of an all-time team would seem to be a natural.

Therefore, BallinEurope will take it upon himself to formulate the all-time Euroleague Women roster. The process for nominating is now open … so who do you think deserves to be among the greatest ever, BiE readers…? Post opinions in the comments section of this post and look for more in August!

Dear friends,

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
President of the Government

• First up: BiE offers congratulations to Žalgiris Kaunas, who took the Baltic Basketball League title over VEF Riga, 75-67. Tadas Klimavicius was the stud for the “Green White Boys” with a team-high 15 points to go with nine rebounds; Trevon Hughes was game high scorer, contributing 16 for Riga as well as five boards.

The BBL is infuriatingly short on video coverage – even on YouTube – but, um, here’s a swell clip of some rabid fans in that distinctive mode of European basketball…

• In losing to Riga the previous day, Lietuvos Rytas would not be granted a chance to avenge its recent loss to LKL rivals Žalgiris in yesterday’s final. The Lithuanian side did take the BBL third-place game, however, upending BK Ventspils, 84-80.

• And here’s a performance from Riga’s cheerleaders, just because.

• Congrats are also due Halcón Avenida, which bagged the FIBA Euroleague Women’s title yesterday. With the 68-59 defeat of Sparta & K, the Russian club’s four-year reign of the big league’s champions ended. Check out Halcón closing things out below – Spanish basketball announcers rule, by the way – followed by a few words from captain Silva Dominguez, who put in 16 points.

• Even if BiE didn’t habitually include an ACB highlight clip among such compilations, this one would still made the grade: Real Madrid 77, FC Barcelona 72, read the score, and the rivals are now tied for first atop the ACB table at 23-5. Whoa, what’s up with Barça lately? BiE’s still mulling that one over and promises to get back to you on it.

• Incidentally, Gran Canaria’s Jaycee Carroll chased up last week’s 32-point performance – then a career best – with 35 points against DKV Joventut in Jornada 29. Do they actually say “¡Ay carumba!” in Spain? If they do, they were this weekend in Badalona…

• Here’s a brief clip from Saturday night/Sunday morning’s Nike Hoop Summit; unfortunately, no action from Europe’s top player in the game, Mateusz Ponitka:

• And BiE told you Bismack Biyombo was gonna blow up, explode in online popularity, go viral and whatnot after his triple-double performance in the ‘Summit game. YouTube contributor NetScoutsBasketball is calling the toast of Congo “a world sensation” already, and why not?

• Biyombo got to do a post-game presser as well; check out how his coach praises the big man for wanting to … practice. He’s talking about practice.

• Though most will remember the Naismith Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011 as that of Dennis Rodman’s entry, BiE will naturally always recall Arydas Sabonis’ induction. (The summary on Sabas starts at right around 1:40 in the video below.)

• Speaking of European greats, this swell retrospective on 40 years of Croatian player-cum-coach Rusmir Halilović’s career was posted this week.

• …as well as one on Žalgiris club history.

• Not only did Woody Paige give props to British basketball on ESPN’s “Around the Horn” a short while back, he also registered one of the flubs of the week with his description of that special relationship between coaches and fans. Note to those studying English: There is a big difference between “discourse” and “intercourse.” And yes, Paige is reportedly a native speaker.

• An extensive interview with D.J. Strawberry by the ever-reliable Erildas Budraitis runs over at RealGM; well-worth reading, it also gives BiE an excuse to run an old highlight clip plus a truly ill happy-smiley kinda bit from back when Strawberry had a cup of coffee with the Phoenix Suns.

• In these days when Chris Kaman can join a national team based on matrilinear connections, it seems odd that longtime Efes Pilsen great Petar Naumoski, a Macedonian who played under the Turkish sobriquet Namık Polat whilst with the Istanbul team, never even thought about getting with Team Turkey in the 1990s.

So says the former Nash-like guard in this morning’s Zaman; see “Naumoski: It never occurred to me to wear national team’s jersey.” Also see the rare video in which Eurosport recaps Naumoski leading Efes Pilsen to the 1996 Korač Cup title; the below clip of the Turkish side’s 76-68 over Stefanel Milano includes bonus sightings of Ronaldo Blackmon, Dejan Bodiroga and Conrad MacRae.

• Finally, the Euroleague PR department is excited about the Final Four … are you?

FIBA TV will also be broadcasting a pair of Euroleague Women Final Four games on Sunday with online afternoon broadcasts of the third-place game and 2010-11 final.

First up, Candace Parker, Maria Stepanova and Cappie Pondexter try to overcome UMMC Ekaterinburg’s “heartbreaking” loss in the semifinals in the consolation game versus Spain’s Ros Casares at 12.45pm CET.

In the finals, Sue Bird and renamed Russian superpower Sparta & K Moscow Region take on Alba Torres and Halcon Avenida at 3pm CET.

Click here to watch any of the games live on FIBA TV.

The following letter was recently sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) by an unnamed group of supporters (the epistle even appears in media without closing or signature) complaining of some unfair charges levied against she who is/was formerly thought to be among the all-time greats:

To whom it may concern‚

As a group of avid basketball fans that truly believe in the integrity‚ ethics and fairplay‚ we would like to bring to your attention the events unfolded around Diana Taurasi’s alleged use of a banned substance.

On or about December 23‚ 2010‚ we learned that the Fenerbahçe Basketball player Diana Taurasi’s A sample‚ taken after a regular league game against Istanbul University contained a banned substance. Apparently‚ the news leaked and Taurasi’s right to confidentiality as a result was breached.

On December 28‚ 2010‚ only five days after the news was leaked‚ the head of the Turkish Football Federation Anti-Doping Organization and the Chairman of the Turkish Basketball Federation Health Department‚ Prof. Dr. Turgay Atasu‚ went on various media outlets and declared that he was confident Taurasi’s B sample was also positive and she should be banned two years. Dr. Atasu clearly violated Taurasi’s fundamental right to presumed innocence and rendered the process of analyzing the B sample a mere formality.

The enemy: Dr. Atasu...

Please note that when Dr. Atasu was drawing his conclusions when Taurasi’s B sample was not even opened and clearly he was formulating public opinion that Taurasi was guilty of doping and she should be punished. He further went on and said he was in favor of exposing cheaters as soon as there is some evidence of wrongdoing. His total disregard of due process and confidentiality of results is self-evident in his widely published remarks.

Dr. Atasu is a public official in a position of authority in doping matters and he is also head of a health committee with the Turkish Basketball Federation that is responsible from receiving and evaluating the test results. His comments published in all major news outlets are outrageous‚ unacceptable and in clear and irrefutable violation of WADA Code Article 14.2.5.

...or modfinil?

Furthermore‚ in the last few months there are at least five other athletes accused of doping using the same banned substance‚ modafinil. After 2.5 years of no reported doping cases how can one logically explain the sudden explosion of Modafinil in five other athletes within a very short time? Given the tarnished history of Hacettepe University Doping Control Center and their suspension in 2009‚ this raises very serious concerns about the integrity of their testing procedures and the results.

While we are in favor of punishing those who cheated to gain a competitive advantage‚ we are also strong advocates of fair testing done in a professional manner adhering to the highest procedural and ethical standards. Unfortunately in Taurasi’s case it is clearly impossible to talk about such standard. Dr. Atasus comments coupled with this lab’s questionable history and practices raise significant concerns and questions that are yet to be answered!

Based on these facts we kindly request:

- Immediate suspension of Hacettepe University Turkish Doping Control Center.

- A thorough investigation of Dr. Turgay Atasus’ public comments to understand how he was sure that Taurasi’s B sample was positive before it was even analyzed?

- Was he in contact with the lab personnel?

- Did he influence the testing process to determine the outcome?

- A complete review of the lab’s procedures‚ analysis techniques and instruments in light of all positive cases for the same substance that occurred in a very short period of time.

- Most importantly a retest of Taurasi’s both A and B samples in another accredited laboratory to alleviate significant doubts and concerns about the integrity of the results.

Said Taurasi’s lawyer Howard Jacobs, “We’re taking it one step at a time,” Jacobs said. “I’d rather not say what it is at this stage, they’ve only tested the ‘A’ sample. Somehow it leaked over in Turkey.” (Pun surely unintentional.)

Taurasi has been suspended from the team by Turkish basketball officials in an unfortunately timed punishment: The former U Conn Huskies leader has missed the three games with the team.

Despite Taurasi’s absence, Fenerbahçe stands at 8-0 in FIBA Euroleague Women qualifying round play, having spent the offseason building a monster squad which also includes Team Serbia’s Ivana Matovic, Team Australia’s Penny Taylor, and Team Hungary’s Anna Vajda.

The best in women's ball: Taurasi of the Mercury...

“They give out awards for everything these days. ‘Greatest Fascist Dictator: Adolf Hitler’…” – Woody Allen, Annie Hall

What? You hadn’t heard that the annual ESPN ESPY Awards for Excellence in American Sport is running tonight? Well, now you know. And while shows such as these offer little in the way of relevance – quick: Name the 2007 ESPY winner in the category of “Best American Sports Team” – or spontaneous moments, BallinEurope might just tune in tonight ‘cuz BiE’s got a bone to pick.

In the category of “Best Female Athlete” this year, ESPN has nominated four: Serena Williams, Lindsey Vonn, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi. Incredibly, Taurasi is getting just 3/1 odds at the bookmakers against Williams’ 1/2 and Vonn’s 3/1; Moore is the longshot at 7/1.

Both Williams and Taurasi have won the award in the category before: The former in 2003 and the latter in 2004, which may serve as argument enough to award the ESPY to Vonn. Unfortunately, Vonn’s nomination appears to be based essentially on one downhill run at the 2010 Winter Olympics and a Sports Illustrated photo shoot.

Now, okay, Serena had a fantastic year to be sure, with singles titles taken at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, plus doubles wins with sister Venus in the Australian, French, and U.S. Opens. Serena also moved into sixth place on the all-time champions list earlier this month.

All well and good, but the level of dominance achieved by Ms. Taurasi on her way to becoming the consensus all-time greatest women’s basketball player (though BiE fondly remembers Cheryl Miller) in 2009-10 transcended Williams’ in both individual and team play – in two full professional seasons, no less.

What kind of a 2009 WNBA season did Taurasi compile? How about taking the WNBA regular-season MVP, WNBA finals MVP on the way to a title-defending championship win by her Phoenix Mercury, and the WNBA “Peak Performer” award? Incidentally, she tipped off the 2009 season with Phoenix after having arrived from Euroleague Women championship-winning Spartak Moscow, where as league MVP she led the team with a line of 20.5 ppg/5.7 rpg.

Wikipedia notes that “Taurasi is one of only two players (the other being Cynthia Cooper), to win the season scoring title, the season MVP award, a WNBA Championship and the finals MVP in the same season.

...or Taurasi of Spartak?

And it says here that, while Cooper played 10 seasons in Italy, never did she play in WNBA ball and abroad in the same season.

Taurasi chased her 2009 with more hardware and accolades in Europe. Again did Spartak Moscow take the Euroleague Women title, stomping all over the competition. Again did Taurasi take the Euroleague Women regular-season MVP award. Oh, and this time she added the Final Four MVP and augmented her scoring average by nearly 4.5 to go for 24.9 points per game.

So, let’s see: Taurasi has racked up seven MVP awards and has guided her teams to four championship (including the 2009 Russian Women’s Superleague title; BiE didn’t mention it…?) wins and one second-place finish (in the Russian league finals in 2010). And guess who’s leading the WNBA in scoring as we speak.

C’mon, ESPN, give it to Diana. It’s what David Stern would do…

Two “wild card” bids were also allocated: These were won by USO Mondeville of France and last season’s Euroleague Women sensation Wisla Can-Pack Krakow.

Whereas the EuroCup Women champion normally receives an automatic bid into the subsequent Euroleague season, 2009-10 EuroCup champions Sony Athinaikos elected to play in the 2010-11 EuroCup season instead – much to the benefit of Mondeville and the detriment of Greece, it seems, as that country will have no participants in Euroleague Women next season. France, Poland, Russia and Spain scored three entries each in the competition.

The group draw will take place on July 3rd at FIBA Europe headquarters in Munich.

The 24 participating clubs in 2010-11 Euroleague Women will be Gospic Croatia Osiguranje (Croatia); Frisco SIKA Brno, ZVVZ USK Praha (Czech Republic); USO Mondeville, Bourges Basket, Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (France); MKB Euroleasing Sopron, MiZo Pécs 2010 (Hungary); Cras Basket Taranto, Famila Basket Schio (Italy); TTT Riga (Latvia); VICI Kaunas (Lithuania); KS AZS-PWSZ Gorzow, Lotos Gdynia, Wisla Can-Pack Krakow (Poland); Spartak Moscow Region Vidnoje, Nadezhda Orenburg, UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia); Good Angels Kosice (Slovakia); Ciudad Ros Casares Valencia, Halcon Avenida, Rivas Ecópolis Covibar (Spain); Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray (Turkey).

“Just ‘YouTube’ Laszlo Ratgeber and see what comes up,” encourages writer Jeff Taylor. Readers of this website know BiE needs no further encouragement and hoo boy, what a find Mr. Ratgeber makes after all. Click on the “Continue Reading” link below to witness the musical “stylings” of Ratgeber and the City Rebels.

On the plus side, Ratgeber is sober in self-assessment in the FIBA interview, stating that such a diversion “is just a hobby. But I know who I am. I don’t mix things up. I know I’m a basketball coach first.”

And so, it appears, the Hungarian pop music industry need not fear.

Official FIBA article by Jeff Taylor follows.

(FIBA) – …The 2010-11 campaign will indeed be a new adventure for Ratgeber. He will move to Istanbul and coach a team that is trying to join the elite in the women’s game: Fenerbahçe.

In Europe, the Russian clubs have dominated.

“Of course, our goal is to make the Final Four,” Ratgeber says, “a place where Fener has never been before.”

Most people expect them to make it, too.

Fener have not just brought in Ratgeber, oh no: They’ve also splashed out big bucks on maybe the best women’s player of all time in Diana Taurasi. The United States Olympian played for Ratgeber at Spartak Moscow Region and helped him win the EuroLeague.

“Obviously, signing Diana Taurasi is a sensational move,” Ratgeber said. “I said it would be a great job to coach Fener, since I’ll have an opportunity to see the Maradona of women’s basketball train and play every day.”

Voted as the Final Four MVP the last two seasons, Taurasi won’t have to do it alone; 2006 FIBA World Championship MVP Penny Taylor of Australia has come to Istanbul as well.

“Penny Taylor is also a fantastic player,” Ratgeber said. “I am especially glad to be able to finally coach her. A forward-tandem like this on my team, it’s a dream come true.”

Next season is the first under the new rules in Europe that a player must compete under the nationality of the country she represents in international competition.

In the past, Taurasi played at Spartak with an Italian passport and Taylor as a Brit. Taurasi must now play as an American, and Taylor as an Australian.

“Since the overseas spots have been filled on our roster – what a pity that Taylor’s British and Taurasi’s Italian passport are not valid in European basketball any longer – we can strengthen our team only with European players,” Ratgeber explains. “That’s why we have signed Ivana Matovic, surely one of the best centers on The Continent. I am sure she is coming as a highly motivated player, and I hope next season I’ll be able to write down this sentence: ‘The best center in Europe – not just one of the best.’”

Serbia’s Matovic is moving to the club from Polish giants Lotos Gdynia, whom she represented in last year’s EuroLeague Women All-Star Game.

“And we still have a couple of names on our minds, so the boosting period for the team is not over yet.”

Hungary international Anna Vajda, who once played for Ratgeber at MiZo Pecs and with Hungary’s national team, has been linked with the team.

“Let us not forget about the Turkish contingent, that is the heart and soul of the team for me,” Ratgeber says.

“Birsel [Varderli], Meral, and Şaziye [İvegin] on the outside positions, [Nevriye] Yilmaz and Nevin [Nevlin] inside: They’ll have to lead the way in aggressive defense and brave and creative offense. They will play an important role. I have seen them many times as an opposing coach, either at Fener or on the Turkish national team, and I have very great respect for what they have accomplished and I trust them unconditionally.”

Ratgeber parted ways with Spartak at the beginning of last season after leading Spartak to the European title.

Chatman: "Hell, yes, i'm back!"

It’s a good news/bad news day for fans of Spartak Moscow region women’s basketball as announced by FIBA. The Spartak front office has confirmed that returning for 2010-11 will be head coach Pokey Chatman and her entire staff; members of all four champion Spartak squads Sue Bird, Irina Osipova, and Marina Karpunina; Anete Jekabsone-Zogota and Sonja Petrovic. Tatiana Shchegoleva, who took the season off, will return to her former club in 2010.

However, Spartak will be suffering a pair of big minuses, with Diana Taurasi and Sylvia Fowles expected to sign elsewhere; such a void would make “UMMC Ekaterinburg favorites heading into the Russian competitions.” Painful news for Spartak fans, for sure, who have surely earned a steady rivalry with Ekaterinburg, having met them in 2009-10 in the Russian Cup finals, the Euroleague Women semifinals, and the Russian Superleague championship series (Spartak took the former two, while UMMC swept the best-of-five Superleague final.)

Spartak general manager Steve Costalas has promised in the meantime that “the club is negotiating with two other excellent players that will be major contributors if they sign.”