Pops Mensah-Bonsu has signed a two-year with Spanish play-off winners, Tau Baskonia, after the Great Britain centre rejected a move to Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The Londoner, who left CSKA Moscow at the end of last season, is understood to have a NBA release clause next summer. But he admitted that he is relishing a second spell in the ACB.
“This is as a good as it gets,” he said. “Especially in the ACB, you couldn’t ask for more. I wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t an ideal situation. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going on. It’s a great league, second only to the NBA. It suits the way I play. I’m looking forward to it.”
The former Toronto and Dallas reserve concedes he still harbours ambitions to return to the NBA, despite his failure to solidify his place in spells with four different teams in the league.
“I’m still young,” he said. “I’m not chasing it. If they want me, they can come find me. I’m someone who holds the NBA in high regard. I feel I’m a NBA player. But I have no problem coming to Europe. The quality of basketball is high. But if they want me they’ll come get me and I’ll keep playing as hard as I can.”
He joins a Caja Laboral side that is fresh off shocking FC Barcelona in the end-of-year play-offs but that has lost its long-time star, the Brazilian centre Tiago Splitter, to the San Antonio Spurs. But he believes he can maintain their status at the top of the Spanish game.
"They still have some great players,” he said. “There is pressure on them because they won the ACB play-offs last season. Hopefully we can repeat and get to the Euroleague Final Four.”
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Showing posts with label euroleague. Show all posts
Showing posts with label euroleague. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Barcelona are Euroleague champions
The footballing stars of FC Barcelona jetted into Paris to lend their support to their basketballing brothers on Sunday and they can only have left feeling a touch of envy. This year, they will not be the ones delivering a European crown back to the Camp Nou.
El Barca Basquet may rank down the pecking order within their own club but for this night at least, they stole the spotlight with a dominating display against Olympiakos at a sold-out and noisy Bercy, bringing the Euroleague title back to Catalunya for only the second time with a resounding 86-68 victory over their Greek rivals.
Inspired and impregnable, it was no less than they deserved.
Juan Carlos Navarro found defeat in last year’s semi-finals hard to swallow but the former Memphis Grizzlies guard drove the Spaniards with his will from the very outset, scoring a game-high 21 points – claiming the Most Valuable Player award.
Up 28-19 at the end of the first quarter, Barcelona rewarded their vast travelling hordes with a punishing run in the second. Ricky Rubio converted a rebound to open a 43-30 lead with 2.23 remaining and there was little sign that the onslaught would stop.
Barcelona are 18-1 this season when leading at half-time. 47-36 ahead when the interval allowed Olympiakos to regroup, Xavi Pascual’s men were determined to silence the drummer who stood at the heart of the passionate Red Army from Pireaus.
Josh Childress converted from long-range to cut the deficit to 52-47 but Barca did not wilt, patiently looking for openings inside and out.
Olympiakos star Theo Papaloukas shook his head in frustration. His team’s billionaire owners have spent a fortune on their squad but money cannot buy a title. And although Barca are the Euroleague’s best offensive side, they diligently kept up the pressure on the league’s newly-crowned MVP Milos Teodosic, leaving nothing to chance.
The 64-50 cushion at the start of the fourth looked enough and when Rubio converted the opening possession off a steal, a sense of desperation swept over the Greeks play.
With seven minutes left, Boniface Ndong produced a huge block at one end and then Pete Mickael hit an off-balance jumper at the other.
Throw whatever you want at us and we’ll take it, Barca said. An army of blue and purple soldiers, bouncing up and down in unison, roared their approval. When Terrence Morris then drained a three to make it 71-52 with 5.44 left, it felt inevitable. Even the drummer stopped, his head bowed in dejection.
Navarro, the sole survivor from the Catalan’s 2003 Euroleague triumph, took charge as Olympiakos resorted to desperate fouling. Their press was quickly broken. Their resolve followed suit.
Linas Kleiza, who hit 13 points fouled out with 1.23 when he was called for an unsportsmanlike infraction on Navarro.
Both foul shots were converted to make it 80-65. The chants of ‘M-V-P’ began as Barcelona’s players and fans began to celebrate in unison, Rubio carried aloft on the shoulders Fran Vazquez as he cut down the nets.
It will surely not be his last title. Barcelona will enjoy this for a while yet.
Earlier, CSKA Moscow won a thrilling overtime tie 90-88 against Partizan Belgrade in the third place play-off. However, Great Britain forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu remained on the bench throughout, continuing his unsatisfactory stint with the Russians, who begin their domestic play-offs next weekend.
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El Barca Basquet may rank down the pecking order within their own club but for this night at least, they stole the spotlight with a dominating display against Olympiakos at a sold-out and noisy Bercy, bringing the Euroleague title back to Catalunya for only the second time with a resounding 86-68 victory over their Greek rivals.
Inspired and impregnable, it was no less than they deserved.
Juan Carlos Navarro found defeat in last year’s semi-finals hard to swallow but the former Memphis Grizzlies guard drove the Spaniards with his will from the very outset, scoring a game-high 21 points – claiming the Most Valuable Player award.
Up 28-19 at the end of the first quarter, Barcelona rewarded their vast travelling hordes with a punishing run in the second. Ricky Rubio converted a rebound to open a 43-30 lead with 2.23 remaining and there was little sign that the onslaught would stop.
Barcelona are 18-1 this season when leading at half-time. 47-36 ahead when the interval allowed Olympiakos to regroup, Xavi Pascual’s men were determined to silence the drummer who stood at the heart of the passionate Red Army from Pireaus.
Josh Childress converted from long-range to cut the deficit to 52-47 but Barca did not wilt, patiently looking for openings inside and out.
Olympiakos star Theo Papaloukas shook his head in frustration. His team’s billionaire owners have spent a fortune on their squad but money cannot buy a title. And although Barca are the Euroleague’s best offensive side, they diligently kept up the pressure on the league’s newly-crowned MVP Milos Teodosic, leaving nothing to chance.
The 64-50 cushion at the start of the fourth looked enough and when Rubio converted the opening possession off a steal, a sense of desperation swept over the Greeks play.
With seven minutes left, Boniface Ndong produced a huge block at one end and then Pete Mickael hit an off-balance jumper at the other.
Throw whatever you want at us and we’ll take it, Barca said. An army of blue and purple soldiers, bouncing up and down in unison, roared their approval. When Terrence Morris then drained a three to make it 71-52 with 5.44 left, it felt inevitable. Even the drummer stopped, his head bowed in dejection.
Navarro, the sole survivor from the Catalan’s 2003 Euroleague triumph, took charge as Olympiakos resorted to desperate fouling. Their press was quickly broken. Their resolve followed suit.
Linas Kleiza, who hit 13 points fouled out with 1.23 when he was called for an unsportsmanlike infraction on Navarro.
Both foul shots were converted to make it 80-65. The chants of ‘M-V-P’ began as Barcelona’s players and fans began to celebrate in unison, Rubio carried aloft on the shoulders Fran Vazquez as he cut down the nets.
It will surely not be his last title. Barcelona will enjoy this for a while yet.
Earlier, CSKA Moscow won a thrilling overtime tie 90-88 against Partizan Belgrade in the third place play-off. However, Great Britain forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu remained on the bench throughout, continuing his unsatisfactory stint with the Russians, who begin their domestic play-offs next weekend.
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Friday, 7 May 2010
Barcelona-Olympiakos into Euroleague final
Pops Mensah-Bonsu’s dreams of becoming the first British player to win a Euroleague title were left in tatters as FC Barcelona roared into Sunday’s final with a 64-54 win over CSKA Moscow.
The Great Britain international played just three minutes of a semi-final that saw both sides well below their best, the Londoner notching up a single steal. In his absence, CSKA’s Ramunas Siskauskas hit a game-high 19 points but it wasn’t enough to contend with a steady but sure Barcelona who will meet Olympiakos after they survived a titanic battle with Partizan Belgrade before prevailing 83-80.
In the opening last-four tie at Bercy, CSKA, the 2008 European champions, burst out of the blocks with a 9-2 run but their Spanish rivals hit back, reeling off eight unanswered points to snatch a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
With Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn watching on, Ricky Rubio underlined just why he was snapped up early in last year’s NBA Draft by sparking a 10-0 burst midway through the second period that pushed Barcelona into a 27-19 lead.
Up 29-21 at half-time, Barca were in control but not comfortable with memories still fresh of their late collapse to CSKA at this stage 12 months ago. But after both sides struggled mightily to convert from three-point range in the initial stages, suddenly, their shooters found their touch.
Trajan Langdon brought Moscow within four before Rubio hit an open three that increased the gap to 39-31. And while CSKA pressed desperately, Boniface Ndong downed their spirits to put Xavi Pascual’s men 47-41 in front with ten minutes left.
The Russians tried to make history repeat itself but to no avail. Anton Ponkrashov converted off a block to guide CSKA to within three but Barcelona found an extra gear when it mattered. And when Rubio fed Fran Vazquez for a slam to put their side 56-50 in front, it broke CSKA’s resolve for food as the Catalan giants breezed into the final.
“We played as a team 40 minutes, and we had all the team together and that’s very important," said Rubio. "We had players who could score. We had our bench players helping us out and that made the difference.”
Olympiakos' progress required more effort in an astonishing overtime clash with Partizan Belgrade which went right to the wire before the Reds of Pireaus prevailed in overtime.
The sides were level at 52-52 entering the final but an 8-2 run from Partizan gave the Serbs breathing space. However Olympiakos, losers in the semis last year in Berlin, ratcheted up their defence to haul themselves back into contention. And 11-2 flurry edged the Greeks in front with a minute left as scores from Josh Childress and Milos Teodosic gave their side a 65-62 cushion.
Dusan Kecman put the 5000 manic Hellenic fans on edge when he levelled from long range and their hearts sank when Bo McCalebb converted to push Belgrade ahead again. Childress, the former Atlanta Hawks star, restored parity at 67-67 with a resounding dunk after an Olympiakos time-out but McCalebb missed the chance to seal victory in regulation when his last, gasp trey missed the mark.
And it ultimately proved costly as Olympiakos' big-money stars seized control in overtime with Linas Kleiza scoring four of his team-high 19 points in the decisive run. Although Alix Rasic twice brought Belgrade back to within a single point in the closing minute, Yannakis Panagiotis' men held their nerve on the foul line.
Teodosic hit two free-throws in the dying seconds and once more, the Serbs suffered as Rasic's desperate three-pointer fell short.
.
.
The Great Britain international played just three minutes of a semi-final that saw both sides well below their best, the Londoner notching up a single steal. In his absence, CSKA’s Ramunas Siskauskas hit a game-high 19 points but it wasn’t enough to contend with a steady but sure Barcelona who will meet Olympiakos after they survived a titanic battle with Partizan Belgrade before prevailing 83-80.
In the opening last-four tie at Bercy, CSKA, the 2008 European champions, burst out of the blocks with a 9-2 run but their Spanish rivals hit back, reeling off eight unanswered points to snatch a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
With Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn watching on, Ricky Rubio underlined just why he was snapped up early in last year’s NBA Draft by sparking a 10-0 burst midway through the second period that pushed Barcelona into a 27-19 lead.
Up 29-21 at half-time, Barca were in control but not comfortable with memories still fresh of their late collapse to CSKA at this stage 12 months ago. But after both sides struggled mightily to convert from three-point range in the initial stages, suddenly, their shooters found their touch.
Trajan Langdon brought Moscow within four before Rubio hit an open three that increased the gap to 39-31. And while CSKA pressed desperately, Boniface Ndong downed their spirits to put Xavi Pascual’s men 47-41 in front with ten minutes left.
The Russians tried to make history repeat itself but to no avail. Anton Ponkrashov converted off a block to guide CSKA to within three but Barcelona found an extra gear when it mattered. And when Rubio fed Fran Vazquez for a slam to put their side 56-50 in front, it broke CSKA’s resolve for food as the Catalan giants breezed into the final.
“We played as a team 40 minutes, and we had all the team together and that’s very important," said Rubio. "We had players who could score. We had our bench players helping us out and that made the difference.”
Olympiakos' progress required more effort in an astonishing overtime clash with Partizan Belgrade which went right to the wire before the Reds of Pireaus prevailed in overtime.
The sides were level at 52-52 entering the final but an 8-2 run from Partizan gave the Serbs breathing space. However Olympiakos, losers in the semis last year in Berlin, ratcheted up their defence to haul themselves back into contention. And 11-2 flurry edged the Greeks in front with a minute left as scores from Josh Childress and Milos Teodosic gave their side a 65-62 cushion.
Dusan Kecman put the 5000 manic Hellenic fans on edge when he levelled from long range and their hearts sank when Bo McCalebb converted to push Belgrade ahead again. Childress, the former Atlanta Hawks star, restored parity at 67-67 with a resounding dunk after an Olympiakos time-out but McCalebb missed the chance to seal victory in regulation when his last, gasp trey missed the mark.
And it ultimately proved costly as Olympiakos' big-money stars seized control in overtime with Linas Kleiza scoring four of his team-high 19 points in the decisive run. Although Alix Rasic twice brought Belgrade back to within a single point in the closing minute, Yannakis Panagiotis' men held their nerve on the foul line.
Teodosic hit two free-throws in the dying seconds and once more, the Serbs suffered as Rasic's desperate three-pointer fell short.
.
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Thursday, 6 May 2010
Euroleague Final Four: Pops looking for history bid
Pops Mensah-Bonsu is confident that he can become the first British player to lift Europe’s club title in Paris this weekend. The former NBA star, who joined the Russian giants from the Toronto Raptors in mid-season, features for CSKA Moscow against FC Barcelona in Friday night’s first Euroleague semi-final (ESPN, 5pm), with the winners facing Olympiakos or Partizan Belgrade in Sunday’s final.
“CSKA’s chances of winning the Euroleague are as good as any,” said the Londoner, who spent Thursday visiting a children’s hospital in the French capital. “It all just depends who is able to perform the best here.”
Securing the crown would be one of the biggest accomplishment of his careers, admits the 6’8” Great Britain international. And he insists that the eventual champions would be able to hold their own in the NBA.
“The standard of competition is tough to compare because the game is so different here,” Mensah-Bonsu said. “Obviously the NBA is the best league in the world but over the last few years, Europe has come within arms reach of the NBA level.”
CSKA is looking to reach its fifth consecutive Euroleague final, an achievement surpassed only by Varese in European basketball history. Barcelona is playing a record eleventh Final Four and is gunning for revenge for last year when Moscow rallied with an 11-0 fourth-quarter run to beat Barcelona to the title game.
“Anything can happen when you arrive at the Final Four and you have to be ready for that particular moment,” admits Barca coach Xavi Pascual.
”CSKA has a plus with its experience. They are also used to opening the Final Four, which is a very tough competition to start. Once you are aware of it, you are already on the court. There is a lot of attention on these games and you need experience to give your best from the very beginning. You need experience for that - and they have it.
“At the same time, they have a lot of talent, so I wouldn't say it's our talent against their experience. They are a very talented team. Holden, Siskauskas, Langdon and Planinic are super-talented backcourt players. If you add Khryapa, Kaun, Vorontsevich and Smodis, they are really strong inside, too."
Plucky Partizan never expected to be in Paris, admits Belgrade boss Dusko Vujosevic, 18 years after the Serbs last won the title. Up against free-spending and free-scoring Olympiakos, whose line-up includes three All-Euroleague candidates in playmaker Milos Teodosic and forwards Josh Childress and Linas Kleiza, they will again look to upset the odds.
“When this season began even in the most daring dreamers could not have imagined this,” said Vujosevic. “It has already been a fantastic success, but it's not something we won in the lottery. It is the result of our well-established system.
“We have flaws and shortcomings that need to be corrected to make it so such results can be expected, but if we want to give birth to such success, the roots must be deep. And we have done so now. This generation has really shed a lot of sweat and put in a lot of very hard work to get here.”
FRIDAY Euroleague, semi-finals (Paris). FC Barcelona v CSKA Moscow (5pm - UK), Partizan Belgrade v Olympiakos (8pm)
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“CSKA’s chances of winning the Euroleague are as good as any,” said the Londoner, who spent Thursday visiting a children’s hospital in the French capital. “It all just depends who is able to perform the best here.”
Securing the crown would be one of the biggest accomplishment of his careers, admits the 6’8” Great Britain international. And he insists that the eventual champions would be able to hold their own in the NBA.
“The standard of competition is tough to compare because the game is so different here,” Mensah-Bonsu said. “Obviously the NBA is the best league in the world but over the last few years, Europe has come within arms reach of the NBA level.”
CSKA is looking to reach its fifth consecutive Euroleague final, an achievement surpassed only by Varese in European basketball history. Barcelona is playing a record eleventh Final Four and is gunning for revenge for last year when Moscow rallied with an 11-0 fourth-quarter run to beat Barcelona to the title game.
“Anything can happen when you arrive at the Final Four and you have to be ready for that particular moment,” admits Barca coach Xavi Pascual.
”CSKA has a plus with its experience. They are also used to opening the Final Four, which is a very tough competition to start. Once you are aware of it, you are already on the court. There is a lot of attention on these games and you need experience to give your best from the very beginning. You need experience for that - and they have it.
“At the same time, they have a lot of talent, so I wouldn't say it's our talent against their experience. They are a very talented team. Holden, Siskauskas, Langdon and Planinic are super-talented backcourt players. If you add Khryapa, Kaun, Vorontsevich and Smodis, they are really strong inside, too."
Plucky Partizan never expected to be in Paris, admits Belgrade boss Dusko Vujosevic, 18 years after the Serbs last won the title. Up against free-spending and free-scoring Olympiakos, whose line-up includes three All-Euroleague candidates in playmaker Milos Teodosic and forwards Josh Childress and Linas Kleiza, they will again look to upset the odds.
“When this season began even in the most daring dreamers could not have imagined this,” said Vujosevic. “It has already been a fantastic success, but it's not something we won in the lottery. It is the result of our well-established system.
“We have flaws and shortcomings that need to be corrected to make it so such results can be expected, but if we want to give birth to such success, the roots must be deep. And we have done so now. This generation has really shed a lot of sweat and put in a lot of very hard work to get here.”
FRIDAY Euroleague, semi-finals (Paris). FC Barcelona v CSKA Moscow (5pm - UK), Partizan Belgrade v Olympiakos (8pm)
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Friday, 30 April 2010
ESPN to screen Euroleague Final 4
The Euroleague Final Four will be shown live from Paris on ESPN.
ESPN's service will include live broadcast of the first semifinal on Friday May 7, between FC Barcelona and CSKA Moscow, as well as live coverage of the title game on Sunday, May 9. On Sky Sports, viewers will be treated to follow-up shows featuring the best of the weekend's action and stories in separate programs devoted to the semifinals and the title game.
"We are delighted that basketball fans in the United Kingdom will have a great choice of broadcasters with which to follow the Final Four, so I would like to thank both ESPN and SKY TV for their great interest," said Andrea Bassani, the Director of TV for Euroleague Basketball.
"Besides the fact that these agreements expand our coverage to a record number of countries, 194, we think that fans in the UK will love our brand of basketball now and in the future."
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ESPN's service will include live broadcast of the first semifinal on Friday May 7, between FC Barcelona and CSKA Moscow, as well as live coverage of the title game on Sunday, May 9. On Sky Sports, viewers will be treated to follow-up shows featuring the best of the weekend's action and stories in separate programs devoted to the semifinals and the title game.
"We are delighted that basketball fans in the United Kingdom will have a great choice of broadcasters with which to follow the Final Four, so I would like to thank both ESPN and SKY TV for their great interest," said Andrea Bassani, the Director of TV for Euroleague Basketball.
"Besides the fact that these agreements expand our coverage to a record number of countries, 194, we think that fans in the UK will love our brand of basketball now and in the future."
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Monday, 15 March 2010
Euroleague All-Decade team announced
The Euroleague has chosen its All-Decade Team following voting from media and fans.
Dejan Bodiroga, Dimitris Diamantidis, J. R. Holden, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Trajan Langdon, Juan Carlos Navarro, Theo Papaloukas, Anthony Parker, Ramunas Siskauskas and Nikola Vujcic make up the elte squad from more than 125,000 ballots and 1.25 million total votes on-line as well as 35 media experts who followed the Euroleague.
Five players on the list were full-season MVPs, some of whom are also among the five Final Four MVPs included. The 10 players selected had previously been named to the All-Euroleague teams a total of 20 times, 15 on the first team and 5 on the second team. They also made a total of 42 Final Four appearances between them.
Dejan Bodiroga: The most dominant player to start the decade, Bodiroga earned every imaginable accolade – including back-to-back Euroleague titles as Final Four MVP with Panathinaikos in 2002 and Barcelona in 2003 – before retiring as a legend in 2007.
Dimitris Diamantidis: A game-changing performer even without the ball, Diamantidis has owned the Best Defender Award since joining the Euroleague in 2004 and anchored Panathinaikos title teams in 2007 and 2009, the former as Final Four MVP.
J. R. Holden: An great scorer, lockdown defender and leader, Holden has been the steadiest of stars all decade. His seven consecutive Final Fours with CSKA tie a record, while Euroleague titles in 2006 and 2008 assure his place in the elite.
Sarunas Jasikevicius: His titles with Barcelona in 2003, Maccabi in 2004 and 2005 - the latter as Final Four MVP - and Panathinaikos in 2009 make Jasikevicius the decade's most-crowned player and the first ever to win with three different teams.
Trajan Langdon: A shooting superstar and rock-solid winner, Langdon lifted the continental trophy with CSKA in 2006 and 2008, when he was chosen Final Four MVP. He played in five title games and was selected All-Euroleague three times.
Juan Carlos Navarro: A favorite son who helped seize Barcelona's first, long-awaited crown in 2003, Navarro has since become an All-Euroleague selection twice, the 2009 MVP and the decade's fourth-ranked player in points, three-pointers and performance rating.
Theo Papaloukas: Arguably the most accomplished sixth man in pro basketball history, Papaloukas reached seven straight Final Fours, won the 2006 and 2008 titles with CSKA, was named 2007 MVP and ranks first for the decade in assists and steals.
Anthony Parker: As back-to-back champion with Maccabi in 2004 and 2005, Parker dominated the competition while twice being voted the Euroleague MVP and once the Final Four MVP. He posted the best per-game performance rating all decade.
Ramunas Siskauskas: Three finals appearances in his first five Euroleague seasons led to Siskauskas winning rare back-to-back titles with two different teams, Panathinaikos in 2007 and CSKA in 2008, the season in which he was also named Euroleague MVP.
Nikola Vujcic: The most versatile of big men, Vujcic reached four finals, won the 2004 and 2005 titles with Maccabi, and was voted All-Euroleague five times. He also authored the decade's only triple-doubles and ranks first in overall performance rating.
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Dejan Bodiroga, Dimitris Diamantidis, J. R. Holden, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Trajan Langdon, Juan Carlos Navarro, Theo Papaloukas, Anthony Parker, Ramunas Siskauskas and Nikola Vujcic make up the elte squad from more than 125,000 ballots and 1.25 million total votes on-line as well as 35 media experts who followed the Euroleague.
Five players on the list were full-season MVPs, some of whom are also among the five Final Four MVPs included. The 10 players selected had previously been named to the All-Euroleague teams a total of 20 times, 15 on the first team and 5 on the second team. They also made a total of 42 Final Four appearances between them.
Dejan Bodiroga: The most dominant player to start the decade, Bodiroga earned every imaginable accolade – including back-to-back Euroleague titles as Final Four MVP with Panathinaikos in 2002 and Barcelona in 2003 – before retiring as a legend in 2007.
Dimitris Diamantidis: A game-changing performer even without the ball, Diamantidis has owned the Best Defender Award since joining the Euroleague in 2004 and anchored Panathinaikos title teams in 2007 and 2009, the former as Final Four MVP.
J. R. Holden: An great scorer, lockdown defender and leader, Holden has been the steadiest of stars all decade. His seven consecutive Final Fours with CSKA tie a record, while Euroleague titles in 2006 and 2008 assure his place in the elite.
Sarunas Jasikevicius: His titles with Barcelona in 2003, Maccabi in 2004 and 2005 - the latter as Final Four MVP - and Panathinaikos in 2009 make Jasikevicius the decade's most-crowned player and the first ever to win with three different teams.
Trajan Langdon: A shooting superstar and rock-solid winner, Langdon lifted the continental trophy with CSKA in 2006 and 2008, when he was chosen Final Four MVP. He played in five title games and was selected All-Euroleague three times.
Juan Carlos Navarro: A favorite son who helped seize Barcelona's first, long-awaited crown in 2003, Navarro has since become an All-Euroleague selection twice, the 2009 MVP and the decade's fourth-ranked player in points, three-pointers and performance rating.
Theo Papaloukas: Arguably the most accomplished sixth man in pro basketball history, Papaloukas reached seven straight Final Fours, won the 2006 and 2008 titles with CSKA, was named 2007 MVP and ranks first for the decade in assists and steals.
Anthony Parker: As back-to-back champion with Maccabi in 2004 and 2005, Parker dominated the competition while twice being voted the Euroleague MVP and once the Final Four MVP. He posted the best per-game performance rating all decade.
Ramunas Siskauskas: Three finals appearances in his first five Euroleague seasons led to Siskauskas winning rare back-to-back titles with two different teams, Panathinaikos in 2007 and CSKA in 2008, the season in which he was also named Euroleague MVP.
Nikola Vujcic: The most versatile of big men, Vujcic reached four finals, won the 2004 and 2005 titles with Maccabi, and was voted All-Euroleague five times. He also authored the decade's only triple-doubles and ranks first in overall performance rating.
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Thursday, 28 January 2010
Robert Archibald shine but CSKA top Malaga
Pops Mensah Bonsu came out on top in the Euroleague's Battle of the Brits on Wednesday as his new team, CSKA Moscow, scored a 86-78 win over Unicaja Malaga.
The Londoner played just 7 minutes, grabbing 3 points and 1 rebound.
He was out-shone by Great Britain team-mates Robert Archibald, with 16 and 5, and Joel Freeland 8 and 5, but their efforts couldn't save the Spaniards from the loss.
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The Londoner played just 7 minutes, grabbing 3 points and 1 rebound.
He was out-shone by Great Britain team-mates Robert Archibald, with 16 and 5, and Joel Freeland 8 and 5, but their efforts couldn't save the Spaniards from the loss.
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Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Euroleague infused with British rivalry
Great Britain team-mates Robert Archibald, Joel Freeland and Pops Mensah-Bonsu will square off on Wednesday night when Unicaja Malaga and CSKA Moscow meet in the opening game of the Euroleague’s second phase.
Paisley-born Archibald illustrated his recovery from a back injury by grabbing 14 points and 13 rebounds for Malaga in the Spanish League last weekend, with Freeland adding 10 and 4 in a 79-74 win over Manresa.
While Mensah-Bonsu has made a quietly effective start to his career with the 2008 European champions since arriving in Moscow from Toronto earlier this month.
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Paisley-born Archibald illustrated his recovery from a back injury by grabbing 14 points and 13 rebounds for Malaga in the Spanish League last weekend, with Freeland adding 10 and 4 in a 79-74 win over Manresa.
While Mensah-Bonsu has made a quietly effective start to his career with the 2008 European champions since arriving in Moscow from Toronto earlier this month.
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Thursday, 24 September 2009
London to host Euro junior qualifier
London is to stage one of the four qualifying tournament for next year’s Euroleague-backed Nike International Junior Tournament, as the continent’s elite youngsters fight for the right to play on the biggest stage of all, the Final Four.
Europe's best under-18 players will be trying to earn a berth in Paris, and the team winning the tournament in May – held on the weekend of the Euroleague Final Four - crowned the undisputed European Junior Club Champion.
"When we first held a junior tournament six years ago on the occasion of the 2003 Final Four in Barcelona, our aim was to create something that has never before existed - a European junior club championship," Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball CEO, said. "Thanks to the wonderful support we receive in our excellent relationship with Nike and our collaboration with A.S. Stella Azurra, CB L'Hospitalet, FMP and Barking Abbey School, we now see this come to fruition."
Every city will see either eight or twelve teams competing over three days for the possibility of booking their place in the 2010 Nike International Junior Tournament, to be held May 6 to 9 in Paris, France. In 2009, La Caja de Canarias Gran Canaria (Spain), Lietuvos Rytas (Lithuania) and FMP (Serbia) won their respective classification tournaments, with FMP going on to win the NIJT in Berlin.
Barking Abbey Academy, run by ex-GB coach Mark Clark, will host the British leg in London, running from February 19-21.
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