EuroCup 131
Eurocup final four: Four stories, one video, fearless predictions
The Eurocup tournament concludes this weekend with the quartet of matches comprising the competition’s final four. Backed by a handful of road-tripping fans, Alba Berlin will take on the Black Tide of Bilbao Bizkaia Basket in the late game. Starting things up tonight will be Victor Claver and his youthful Valencia Power Electronics (That’s the […]
Eurocup final four: As fans stranded, Alba Berlin takes on Bizkaia Bilbao and Iceland
Who would have thought with domestic leagues grinding to a close (and a start of playoff rounds) and as the Euroleague Final Four approaches that the country garnering headlines in international circles would be … Iceland? Oh yes, you knew this would happen; since everything from state funerals to troop deployments in Afghanistan are being […]
ČEZ Nymburk takes third Czech Cup in a row, awaits EuroCup quarterfinal
Congratulations from BallinEurope go ahead today to ČEZ Nymburk, winners of the Czech Cup after beating Mlékárna Miltra Nový Jičín, 66-48, thanks mainly to a shutdown 21-7 fourth quarter put in by the new champs. The 2010 Cup makes it the fourth such title in a row for the team. Official FIBA Europe press release […]
Beyond Vesely: Five European names North America must know for 2010-11
With BallinEurope’s profile piece on Jan Vesely in, today we’re adding a bit of a primer on some other names certain to get increasing mentions in NBA culture from your team’s elimination from the playoffs through to the draft and into the 2010 FIBA World Championships in August/September. NBA fans who want to get in […]
God created Zadar basketball, Adam Smith may have killed it
God may have created man and Zadar basketball (“Bog je stvorija čovika, a Zadar košarku,” goes the team’s motto), but 81 years of tradition and in fact perhaps the birthplace of organized basketball in Croatia are about to meet with a purely manmade force: Economics. The financial situation in KK Zadar has reportedly become desperate […]
Lalić signs with Olimpija: Is there hope?
Ball in Europe doesn’t know if the smoke is clearing for beleaguered Union Olimpija, but at least yesterday’s announcement of the Jure Lalić signing provides some seed for optimism. The 24-year-old Croatian had been playing for EuroCup team Spirou Charleroi. Much more than a single youth player, proverbial tremendous upside or no, will be required […]
Fantasy tips from the Euroleague boss: Final week
Hello everybody, greetings from the Euroleague Basketball headquarters! This is Javier Gancedo of Euroleague.net, in what possibly will be my last SportingBet Fantasy Challenge column this season. If you want to keep me on the page in the fantasy off-season, make some noise! Start a riot! Go to Budapest and demonstrate in front of Os […]
Hashing out Eurocup quarterfinals qualification scenarios
Of the three major European club tournaments, the tightest Final 16 stage in 2009-10 has been held by the Eurocup competition. With the last night of “Last 16 2010” happening tonight, only three teams (Aris BSA, Bizkaia Bilbao Basket, Panellinios) have qualified for the quarterfinals already and five (Benetton Basket Treviso, Brose Baskets Bamberg, Galatasaray […]
From Tennessee to Turkey, Tyler bounces back
Anyone worried about former Tennessee Volunteer forward Tyler Smith’s viability in the upcoming NBA draft and/or his ability to play basketball after dealing with an arrest, court case, and dismissal from his college team within five weeks of early 2010 can put their worries at ease: Smith is back and just as good as ever. […]
State of the nations: European basketball organizations today
While not interested in passing definitive judgment, we think it would be useful and fair to take a look at the European basketball panorama. There will be no ratings or rankings here, just a snapshot of what the most important ballin’ countries offer us. Ten years into the third millennium, it’s common to hear repeated […]
Sound bites in advance of Copa del Rey tournament
The party’s already starting in Bilbao to be sure … after all, the Copa del Rey basketball tournament isn’t just a sporting event; heck, it’s not even just another national cup competition. Instead, the “King’s Cup” consumes much of the national population’s attention as determines the class of Europe’s top hoops superpower is confirmed. Concerts […]
Fantasy tips from the Euroleague Boss: Final 16, week three
Hello, everybody, and greetings from Euroleague headquarters! This is Javier Gancedo of Euroleague.net, ready to give you all some thoughts about our very own Sporting Bet Euroleague Fantasy Challenge – with just four rounds to go in the competition. First and foremost, what an exciting Top 16 this is! If anyone had thought that CSKA […]