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Ten nations in rebellion against FIBA Europe
Ten countries have come together to establish a coalition formally protesting the current management situation at FIBA Europe, charging that the recently-formulated newest board does not adequately represent The Continent. Within the group are some national basketball organizations quite significant to the federation, including Russia (currently at no. 4 in FIBA’s combined rankings) Greece (no. […]
Prokhorov on Nets: A “cheap asset with problems”
With billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov capturing the imagination of journalism in both sport and financial spheres across the planet, why wouldn’t the English-language Voice of Russia be getting in on the action? Mother Russia’s latest international celebrity got a brief writeup in Friday’s edition of the online newspaper with some good nuts-and-bolts stuff on the New […]
Wall Street Journal profiles Robin to Prokhorov's Batman
While you may have heard of incoming New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, what do you know of his basketball deputy, a guy named Sergey Kushchenko? The Wall Street Journal is running a piece on Kushchenko, who even more than his billionaire boss is credited with the success of CSKA Moscow basketball’s success in the […]
Coaches, Sue Bird to return to Spartak; Taurasi, Fowles to depart
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 […]
FIBA Eurochallenge final pits German Cinderella against Russian Pinocchio
In the runup to today’s FIBA Eurochallenge final between BC Göttingen and Krasnye Krylia Samara, certain themes are repeated to well-worn across The Continent. For example, there’s the “who’da thunk it” storyline, particularly on the Russian side as the Samara Red Wings threw together a slapdash roster for 2009-10 to amazing results. The “clash of […]
Eight random odds ‘n’ ends on Euroleague playoff games three
This one’s exactly what it says: A grab bag of clippings and clips regarding the eight teams squaring off in tonight’s Euroleague semifinals games. Enjoy the factoids, enjoy the games! • If it’s March, tradition tends to demand that CSKA Moscow basketball augment its collection of trophies; 2010 is proving no exception. This month saw […]
Prokhorov details Russian takeover of New Jersey on American TV
Amid the throes of one of the great bad seasons in NBA history, the highest-profile New Jersey Net is a 6’8” fellow who won’t be joining the franchise until next season and even then he’s guaranteed not to see a single minute of playing time. We’re talking here, of course, about prospective majority owner Mikhail […]
Eight remain in hunt for final four EuroChallenge quarterfinal spots
The FIBA EuroChallenge may be considered a bit of a lower-tier club tournament here on The Continent, but the 2009-10 edition of the contest is certainly among the tops in terms of competitive balance. With the final games of the Last 16 phase all tipping off tomorrow night, eight teams remain in the hunt for […]
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 […]
FIBA EuroChallenge final 16 set
With the final games in the FIBA EuroChallenge 2009-10 regular season played last night (for the record, it was Elan Chalon over Proteas EKA AEL, 81-74; Scavolini Pesaro over Krasnye Krylia, 92-86; and Strasbourg beat Khimik, 97-93, despite losing the statistical battle on many fronts), the competition’s final 16 and groupings have been set. In […]
2010 FIBA Worlds wild card draw a Europe-heavy slam dunk?
On Monday, certainly to much pomp and fanfare, FIBA officials will announce the four “wild card” entries that will round out the 2010 World Championship field of 24. The world may indeed be watching, with basketball fans in up to 15 nations truly believing their national team will be named, but is this a serious […]
FIBA EuroChallenge capsule previews: Group E
Time for a BallinEurope.com primer on the fifth group of the eight FIBA EuroChallenge divisions: Group E, home of the best teams from Siberia and Romania — plus perhaps surprise 2009-10 national champions from Belgium and Ukraine, too. Read on!