LNB 44
Cyril Julian: From SLUC Nancy to oenology
Call him a “Warrior,” call him SLUC Nancy’s former savior, call him one of the best French players of the past 10 years never to play in the NBA … but now you can call Cyril Julian a degreed oenologist – and a guy with the enviable chance to live out two of his dream […]
Marquez Haynes, dunksmith of France
Days later and the internet is still loaded with chatter about Blake Griffin’s monster dunks perpetuated against the New York Knicks this weekend (okay, so they were pretty badass buckets), but rookie Marquez Haynes of Chalon/Saône may be making himself a name as the dunksmith of France with some insane hops in evidence lately. Haynes, […]
Official BallinEurope Euroleague Power Rankings: Regular-season halftime
BiE still can’t claim to totally understand what’s going on in Euroleague basketball in 2010-11 (Real Madrid lost by how many? To *who*?) but at least some of the cream is rising to the top. This latest edition of the official BallinEurope power rankings should probably wait ‘til after some key games over the weekend […]
Saga of Pierre Pierce to continue at Aris BC
BallinEurope recently received an email from the folk(s) over at Greek-language blog site Basketball Aris about the team’s latest acquisition Pierre Pierce, who comes to Greece after a couple of seasons with LNB side Hyeres-Toulon. Though BiE doesn’t get the chance to watch too much LNB ball – and even less of Hyeres-Toulon – i […]
Attendance figures, France Pro A 2009-10
The numbers are in on attendance in France’s Pro A league for 2009-10. Listed below are the 16 teams who participated in the 2009-10 edition of the league ranked by overall attendance. The number in parentheses represents the team’s rank in terms of average capacity filled. Dijon, which finished last in the regular season, will […]
The book on Pape Sy, the Atlanta Hawks’ no. 53 overall NBA Draft pick
It’s a question on the mind of those teeming masses of French and Atlanta Hawks basketball fans: Who is Pape Sy, this citizen of La Republique that the Hawks selected at no. 53 overall? The fans’ wishes are BallinEurope’s command, so here’s the book (and the YouTube) on Monsieur Sy; apologies for allowing the Pape […]
Six NBA, three ACB, nine Pro A players among Team France preliminary roster
Vincent Collet has named 18 players to his Team France preliminary roster, including six from the NBA, three from Spain’s ACB and nine from French Pro A ball; in fact, five players played 2009-10 with Pro A championship finalists Le Mans and Cholet. Representing the NBA is quite an impressive core – even without Tony […]
Who’s the star now? Dylan Page verbally schools trash-talking Marc Salyers in France
Comment dit-on «My momma ain’t no astronaut!» en français? Current Le Mans forward Marc Salyers had better start brushing up on his trash-talking skills a bit after getting schooled both verbally and on the court by Dylan Page. In the leadup to Tuesday’s LNB semifinal match between Le Mans and Chorale Roanne, Salyers stunningly answered […]
Seraphin out 2-3 weeks, no word on draft status; short-handed Cholet faces foil Gravelines tonight
Over in France, one semifinal matchup has top seed Cholet Basket facing off against Gravelines-Dunkerque … and at least two serious problems to overcome if this team has any hope of advancing. The first difficulty for Cholet is Gravelines’ seeming mastery over them this season. Including regular- and post-season play in the LNB in 2009-10, […]
Amadou, Dylan Page, Nsonwe-Amadi lead Roanne over Orleans, 78-71, and into French semis
Entente Orleanaise will probably not be returning to the Euroleague for 2010-11 season as the 45ers were bounced from the LNB tournament by EuroChallenge final four team Chorale de Roanne last night, 78-71. Buoyed by the home support at Vacheresse Hall, Roanne quickly took the lead and expanded the advantage to as much as 16 […]
"Homegrown" status gets green light in France
Christophe, the former brain behind BallinEurope now devoted to European Prospects, yesterday reported that France would be the first to adopt the “Homegrown Player” status for its national league. The LNB steering committee reportedly unanimously adopted the amendment to current player statuses in a Monday meeting and the changes will go into effect for the […]
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 […]