Euroleague Qualifying Round 20
Hapoel impress, Kazan get a scare in Euroleague qualifiers
Day two of the Euroleague qualifying tournament saw wins for both favourites but the overall favourites suffered a big scare in Oostende. The day opened with Hapoel Jerusalem taking care of business against CEZ Nymburk. For three quarters, the Israeli side was in complete control thanks in no small part to a 16 point and […]
Asvel and Strasbourg progress in Euroleague qualifying
Competitive basketball returned to Europe on Tuesday and the beginning was…a touch disappointing. Strasbourg just plain crushed VEF Riga. The Latvian side did well to keep this one marginally competitive at the break but once the second half started, it was pretty clear Vincent Collet’s side was going to cruise. It was a rout and […]
Euroleague Qualifying Tournament Primer
The qualifying tournament for the final spot in the Euroleague regular season kicks off at 18.00 CET today in Oostende. 8 teams enter, 1 goes to the big show, the rest go to EuroCup. Here’s what you need to know. The favourites: UNICS Kazan This is arguably the worst tag to hold in the ELQT. […]
Euroleague: Seibutis shines as Lietuvos Rytas beat VEF Riga 80-71
The home side pulled out a hard-earned victory in Vilnius to advance to the semi-finals of the Euroleague Qualifying tournament. Wait, didn’t EuroBasket end a couple of weeks ago? The Latvian team lived and died by the three while Renaldas Seibutis came up big to give the Lithuanians victory. Lietuvos Rytas took the lead early […]
Euroleague: EWE Baskets Oldenburg beat Cimbirio Varese 79-74
It went down to the final minute but EWE Baskets Oldenburg came back to book their place in the Euroleague Qualifying Round semi-final with victory over Cimbirio Varese. If you only tuned in during the first half, you’d have been forgiven for thinking this game didn’t matter. Tight as the play was, the first qualifying […]
Podcast: Interview with Dana Beszczynski; spinning the spin on Kobe; what Bayern isn’t saying about Bauermann; more
Now running over at Germany-based heinnews is episode three in the “Taking the Charge” podcast series. In this gabfest, David Hein and yours truly feature an interview with Dana Beszczynski, a key behind-the-scenes player in two sports: The expatriate is involved in the youth program of Austrian Bundesliga team Allianz Swans Gmuden and heads up […]
Euroleague qualifiers: New-look Unics Kazan passes by Ratiopharm Ulm, Le Mans Sarthe Ds up to advance
Don’t look now, but the Russians are coming. Or maybe that should be: The Russians Are Coming! Unics Kazan looked just great in disposing of Ratiopharm Ulm last night, 91-73, in the Euroleague Qualifying Round. Team Greece’s Ian Vougioukas was good for 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting as again and again the new-look Kazan made […]
Chandler Parsons bids Cholet Basket adieu after four games
This just in. Chandler Parsons has decided to leave Cholet Basket, tweeting just about an hour ago, “Thank you to Cholet for the opportunity to play during the lockout. It was a great experience that I’ll never forget. Back home tomorrow!”
Fearless Predictions™: Lietuvos Rytas v. Galatasaray, Spirou Basket v. CEZ Nymburk
Just enough time to get in a couple of Fearless Predictions™ before the final two teams to participate in Euroleague 2011-12 are determined, BallinEurope thinks … So let’s get to it! Lietuvos Rytas vs. Galatasaray Café Crown Galatasaray looked impressive in dispatching Asvel Villeurbanne (O, Tony Parker, où êtes-vous?) and putting up 93 points, the […]
Euroleague Qualifying Round bullets: First round
With Qualifying Round victories achieved by Cibona Zagreb, Lietuvos Rytas, Alba Berlin and Belgacom Spirou – and BallinEurope congratulates each potential Euroleague team for surpassing this first step – four other games go off tonight. For your amusement and edification, then, BallinEurope presents a collection of highlight clips, quotes, previews and notes for of games […]
Jonas Valanciunas plays first two games for Lietuvos Rytas (yes, highlight clips included)
For all those interested – ahem, Toronto Raptors fans – no. 5 overall 2011 NBA draft pick Jonas Valančiūnas donned his #17 jersey for Lietuvos Rytas twice this week in a pair of exhibition games against Belgian side and fellow Euroleague qualifying round contenders Charleroi Spirou. In the first day of the back-to-back games (and […]
Jaka Lakovic signs with Galatasaray Café Crown (who oughta be in Euroleague…)
BallinEurope was shocked (and is still simmering a bit) when EL officials announced their nomination of Armani Jeans Milano to the single available “wild card” spot on the league table. Why not a runner-up from a more dynamic association, like the Bundesliga’s Alba Berlin or, best of all, Galatasaray Café Crown? After all, Galatasaray played […]