February 2011 34
In Germany, a rain of glass after Dawkinsian slam
February Madness extends to the second division as well, it seems. The quarterfinals of the NBV Cup, a regional tourney in Germany, were brought to an abrupt halt on Sunday when the spirit of Darryl Dawkins was exhumed dramatically. With BTB Royals Oldenburg up 15-14 on SC Norderstedt after about five minutes of play, Stefan […]
February Madness: Rounding up the cups, serving up some highlights
Can it all be over so quickly? February Madness peaked this weekend in Europe, with several domestic cup tournaments being played out and celebrations aplenty. BallinEurope this morning provides a rundown of the action – and, naturally, video clips. Without further ado, then, let’s look in on the insanity. • To no one’s surprise, Spanish […]
Sasha Vujacic: Toast of New Jersey, Boast of the Year
From BallinEurope’s ever-reliable In Case You Missed It Department, here’s what might become the most outrageous basketball-related quote of 2010-11 behind “I’m gonna take my talents to South Beach” … you know, if anyone cared about Sasha Vujacic: “I know I can score 20 or 30 points anytime I want,” Vujacic said, as reported by […]
Serious devotion: Lithuanian chains self to tree for more Euroleague TV coverage
While waves of protest action in Egypt continue to dominate headlines worldwide, a single man’s own stand against tyranny in the Baltics went mostly unnoticed; however, for his bravery and determined single-mindedness, Šarūnas Šimaitis is surely a shoo-in for this week’s prestigious and always hard-fought Lithuanian Basketball Freak of the Week award. (Yes, BallinEurope knows […]
February Madness in Croatia: Zadar uses no subs, wins on buzzer beater, causes coach’s resignation
Talk about your February Madness. In the Krešimir Ćosić Cup, a.k.a. the Croatian Cup, semifinals last night, unheralded KK Zadar (10-19 overall in 2010-11) stunned Eurocup Top 16 team Cedevita Zagreb (16-13), 83-82, on the favorites’ home court. What’s that you say? Not so crazy? Upsets happen all the time? Okay, consider that KK Zadar […]
Welcome to Turkey, Damon Jones!
Looking to right their ship, TBL franchise Aliağa Petkim has announced its agreement in principle with longtime NBA journeyman Damon Jones, last seen with Puerto Rico Baloncesto Superior Nacional league team Piratas de Quebradillas. In total, Jones played with 10 different teams over nine seasons in the NBA, playing in the championship with the Cleveland […]
Allen Who? Beşiktaş Cola Turka shocks Efes Pilsen in Turkish Cup
Just two games are in the books in the 2011 Türkiye Kupasi, but certainly the shocker of the tourney has already been played: Last night in Kayseri, the scoreboard read “Beşiktaş Cola Turka 57, Efes Pilsen Istanbul 55. In what was not exactly a shooting clinic – Beşiktaş (10-7 in TBL play in 2010-11) collectively […]
February Madness, Copa del Rey-style
“February Madness” begins this week in Europe, with a number of top domestic leagues hosting national cup tournaments; probably tops in pageantry and hype on The Continent is Spain’s Copa del Rey, a hoops bloodbath since 1984. BallinEurope this morning provides a few links, clips and whatnot in preparation for what they just had to […]
Omer Önan: TBL second only to ACB
Team Turkey/Fenerbahçe Ülker guard Ömer Onan makes a few declarations in this morning’s Today’s Zaman, summing up well the current state of TBL and Turkish international ball. “[ACB] aside,” opines Onan, “in Turkish basketball, we have long surpassed important European domestic leagues, including the Italian and Greek leagues. In these countries, only one or two […]
In case of lockout: Drei Deutschland destinations for Dirk
Who will benefit most (at least in the short-term) from an NBA lockout to start and/or kill the 2011-12 season? European clubs! Specifically, those European clubs which are blessed with either deep-pocketed owners or which wisely stockpiled a few extra million euros in case of this eventuality. Since before the new year, German pundits and […]
Top 100 Teams in Europe: Pre-Cups Running Over Edition
As most European domestic leagues are taking a break for a week or two for national cup and/or all-star festivities, BallinEurope crunches the numbers again to determine where the Continent’s finest stand. Near the top, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Euroleague-side punishment of Union Olimpija shook things up a bit within the top 10 and Olympiacos reasserted […]
In “state of grace,” Jaycee Carroll goes for 26 points, hits game-winner
The king of the courts in Europe yesterday? That’s easy: Jaycee Carroll, if only by dint of his repeated blowings up of Twitter among Spanish hoops fans during the Gran Canaria 2014-Caja Laboral Baskonia match. Carroll was indeed “en estado de gracia” as he led his short-handed Gran Canaria squad (10-10, tied for ninth in […]