FIBA 352
European Vocation: Early fallout from NBA lockout
The NBA fan’s nightmare came to pass yesterday with the expiration of the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the players, the concomitant announcement of a player lockout, and fresh new fear that professional basketball in 2011-12 might not even happen in the ‘States. BallinEurope’s gut reaction, at least on a visceral Eurocentric level? Cool! Bring […]
Basketball weekend: Tournaments in Germany, (probably) Italy ending; Eurobasket Women starting
The 2010-11 professional basketball season may effectively be over this weekend, with a final championship series game scheduled in Germany tonight plus a possible elimination game in Italy happening on Sunday. But no worries: the end of club play means the beginning of summertime national-team tournaments, starting with the 2011 FIBA Eurobasket Women competition. In […]
Parker, Noah, Diot lead big names filling France’s Eurobasket 2011 squad
Twelve players and four backups have been selected to represent France at the upcoming Eurobasket 2011 tournament; gut reaction says that Les Bleus would appear to be one of the favorites to emerge out of Group B in pool play. The group competition will include Germany, Israel, Italy, Latvia and Serbia. The 12-man roster is […]
Germany: Bamberg-Berlin game two tonight (watch it on YouTube!)
With NBA Championship game four in the books, German basketball fans can turn their attention back to the home country where game two of the Bundesliga final will be played tonight between Alba Berlin and 2010-11 Euroleague team Brose Baskets Bamberg. At stake in the series, aside from the actual title itself, is automatic qualification […]
Has it really been 18 years? Remembering Drazen Petrovic
An entire generation has entered basketball since his untimely passing and while ever-growing numbers of NBA and European stars who have never seen him play emerge, all owe a debt to Dražen Petrović. It was on this day in 1993 that the only man who realistically could have held claim to the sobriquet of “the […]
Kestutis Kemzura names 20 to preliminary Team Lithuania roster
Team Lithuania coach Kestutis Kemzura this morning named 20 players to his preliminary squad in advance of the Eurobasket 2011 tournament. The home team will be returning seven players from the side that took bronze in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and including one NBAer – but not Linas Kleiza. Returning from the surprise of […]
Krka Novo Mesto wins Eurochallenge over Lokomotiv Kuban; Oostende third
Congratulations from BallinEurope go out this morning to Krka Novo Mesto, who topped Lokomotiv Kuban 83-77 to take the 2011 FIBA EuroChallenge title in Belgium; in the third-place game, hosts Oostende snuck past Spartak St. Petersburg, 94-92, in overtime.
Tony Parker confirms participation with Team France for Eurobasket 2011
Perhaps further contemplating a lockout, the San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker declared he will suit up for Team France in Eurobasket 2011. In an interview with French TV, Parker stated emphatically that he “will be at Eurobasket this summer” and that he is “eager to get started.” Though the Spur believes that Les Bleus “have […]
Jeremy Pargo to play for Team Georgia? Nah.
Reports of Jeremy Pargo’s impending Georgian citizenship have been greatly exaggerated, it seems. Earlier this week, English-language Eurobasket.com reported that the Georgian Basketball Federation is willing to offer All-Euroleague nominee Jeremy Pargo a passport. To wit: “Reports says that the Georgian federation are considering naturalizing Pargo so [that] he will play for Georgia in Eurobasket […]
Playing with money: Are some European NBA players worth it?
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, […]
Nike Hoop Summit, Euroleague Women Final Four on FIBA TV
A quick reminder, just in case you’re an utter hoops fanatic (or up in the wee hours of Sunday morning for some reason): FIBA TV will be showing the Nike Hoop Summit live online for free from Portland at 10pm EST – that’s right, that means 4am CET. FIBA TV will also be broadcasting a […]
Elitzur Ramla 61, Arras 53: Israel’s first-ever European women’s champion crowned
Slightly belated congratulations from BallinEurope go out to the women of Elitzur Ramla for their recent coronation as 2011 FIBA Eurocup Women champions by dint of a 61-53 victory over Arras Pays d’Artois in France. In the match, second leg in the two-game playoff format, Elitzur dug themselves an eight-point hole early but stormed back […]