BallinEurope, the European Basketball news site

The most musical of pro basketball teams? It could well be Challes-les-Eaux of the Ligue Féminine Basket. Television network France 3 recently picked up on an interesting factoid regarding star Mistie Bass-Williams: She is in fact the daughter of Chubby Checker, né Ernest Evans, he of “The Twist” fame in the early 1960s.

Meanwhile, reports 3, Jennifer Fleischer is a none-too-shabby flautist herself. Check out the piece on these “basketeuses et musiciennes” in a story they just had to call “Challes-es-Eaux dans le bon tempo!”

On the court, Bass-Williams turned in a monster season for Challes in 2010-11, contributing 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game – good enough numbers to win her the Foreign MVP. The former Duke Blue Devil is under contract with the Chicago Sky in the WNBA.

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Finally blessed with a bit of time to peruse ESPN’s compelling financial stats as presented in its magazine’s “All About the Money” issue (check them out if you haven’t already; big numbers are fun!), BallinEurope just couldn’t help, well … noodling around with the numbers some more!

Over at the big network’s Chicago Blackhawks blog, links to table of various athletes’ salaries is presented, after introing with, “A list of the best-paid athletes from 182 countries reveals some surprising salaries and begs the question: Are they worth it?”

Well, are they? Let’s play…

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Rumor has it that across the ocean, this basketball league called the NBA is about to begin its playoffs. With the 2010-11 regular season behind us, BallinEurope takes a present-and-future look at the playoff-bound Europeans in the American league series by series, together with musings, meanderings, YouTube clips and those Fearless Predictions™. Today: the Western Conference matchups.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets
Could it be that someone in the Oklahoma City front office just lost faith in Nenad Krstic? The Serbian was dealt in a second when Kendrick Perkins arrived; now the Thunder has the huge presences of Perkins – now armed with reputation as clutch playoff performer – and Serge Ibaka plus Tibor Pleiß waiting in the wings. Meanwhile, BiE anticipates the possibility of another throwdown between Krstic and Sofoklis Schortsanitis in Eurobasket…

The real European plus for OK City in 2010-11 was Thabo Sefolosha. Averaging between 20 and 30 minutes per game depending on roster health, the pride of Switzerland enters the playoffs shooting 58.3% for April – could Sefolosha be the Goran Dragic of this year’s tournament?

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Rosters for the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit have been released and while The Continent is well-represented on the World Select Team, BallinEurope considers there to be at least one shocking omission.

Team World will include Davis Bertans (Latvia/Union Olimpija); Evan Fournier (France/Poitiers); Przemyslaw Karnowski (Poland/SMS PZKosz); Mateusz Ponitka (Poland/Tempcold AZS); and Dario Saric (Croatia/KK Zagreb). Other players on the club are Canadians Kyle Wiltjer and Kevin Pangos, plus Brazilians Lucas Nogueira and Raul Neto.

Anybody else identify the missing name…? That’s right: This would seem to be another slap in the face for basketball’s most famous neo-Kentucky Wildcat, Enes Kanter. Kanter had told media last week that he’d be entering the NBA Draft and that he “expect[ed] to play for the International team in the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore., on April 9, where he would face UK recruits Michael Gilchrist, Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague.”

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Taylor drives Vanderbilt

Today, then, a brief look at the 13 Europeans participating in today’s first round action.

Headlining the Europack is definitely Vanderbilt’s Jeffery Taylor. Hailing from Norrkoping, Sweden, the junior averaged a fantastic line of 15.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 stocks (steals plus blocks, stat category courtesy Bill Simmons) – all career highs excepting the boards – while representing the centerpiece of the Commodores’ offense after packing 25 pounds on during the offseason.

Worse yet for Vandy opponents Richmond: Local media covering the SEC tournament report that Taylor has found “a part of his game that has been missing at times this season,” namely aggressiveness – to the tune of 20.66 points per in three tourney games on 19-of-27 shooting on twos. “I think before [the SEC Tournament], I kind of faded in and out of aggressiveness,” the Swede was quoted as saying. Said aggression would prove useful in the bigger tournament: Vanderbilt has run up a record of 17-3 this season when Taylor scores 15 points or more.

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Shuler: Hero, then goat, then hero

A look at the LNB standings shows these two teams fighting alongside Poitiers in the bottom three spots, a.k.a. the relegation zone, therefore making this match a must-win with about half the season to go.

With seconds remaining, the scoreboard reads: Vichy 73, Limoges 72. At the free-throw line for the visitors is Jamal Shuler, who has contributed a 32-point, seven-rebound, three-assist performance. However, Casey-like (or even K.C.-like), Shuler misses the first free throw.

And the second…

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But you know what the crazy thing about Europe is? It’s the little differences. I mean, they got the same s*** over there that we have over here, it’s just a little different. For example, in France, they play basketball, but they call it “Le Basket.” And when a guy posterizes another guy, they don’t say “posterize,” they say “Le Poster.”

And thus far Diabate Souleyman has turned in Le première poster grand for 2011 in the LNB. Late in what would become a 77-65 loss for his top-of-the-table Chorale Roanne against Asvel Basket on Friday night, the Nigerian was apparently still taking things personal: The 183cm (6’0”)-tall guard achieved liftoff far from the basket to soar above the hopelessly outmatched Cliff Hammonds for quite the Royale.

Enthuses the play-by-play man in the Sport Direct broadcast, < >, to which the slightly more sangfroid color guy nevertheless adds, < >.

Check out the video below; after a few viewings, check out Hammonds’ immediate reaction. You can basically see the thought bubble filled with something along the lines of “Damn, that’s gonna go viral.”

A shout out and merci to Christophe of the excellent European Prospects for the tip.

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Walsh only in it for the bling bling?

If it were up to Asvel Basket general manager Pierre Grall, at least two of his players would have found a stockingful of coal this morning for their recent lackluster play.

A 2009-10 Euroleague team, Asvel was ignominiously bounced from Eurocup contention this week despite beating KK Hemofarm Stada, 81-80, before over 4,600 fans in France. Having lost to the Serbian side earlier in the season by four, Asvel was at least one three-pointer short of advancing to the “Last 16” round.

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All right, all you dunkophiles, BiE’s got your European Jam of the Week right here…

In the obscure levels of the Pro-B division of France’s LNB, Amadi McKenzie, formerly of the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, plies his trade with Boulazac; last year, he was named the league’s forward of the year.

But who even needs this much background information when true gravity-defying is involved? Click here to see Amadi flying in from the top corner of the key to throw down a serious one-handed two against JSF Nanterre. (Unfortunately, you’ll have to go through Facebook to do it; BiE can’t turn this gem up via YouTube, Daily Motion or the LNB official website but when it exists, it shall be posted right here…)

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Call him a “Warrior,” call him SLUC Nancy’s former savior, call him one of the best French players of the past 10 years never to play in the NBA … but now you can call Cyril Julian a degreed oenologist – and a guy with the enviable chance to live out two of his dream careers.

While winemaking may seem like a bit of a strange choice for one who, shall we say, “enjoyed the perks of his lifestyle” as a Harley Davidson motorcycle-driving, heavy metal-loving dude during his on-court heyday, it seems the calling to become a vintner was never far away.

According to the bio on his brand-new vinocentric website (opened for business on October 1), Julian’s “passion for working the land and the vine was born in me.” Julian claims to have first been won over by the grape consciously upon his summer visits to his paternal grandparents’ farm, where young Cyril helped out in the vineyards since age five.

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