NIJT 14
Finally Mario Hezonja is ready for the jump
On the eve of the ACB finals and just a week before the 2015 NBA Draft, BallinEurope takes a deep look at the Croatian sensation Mario Hezonja Mario Hezonja has been on the NBA radar a long time. The FC Barcelona swingman has been talked up since he was 14 as a serious prospect. Now, […]
NIJT: Crvena Zvezda beat Real Madrid 55-42
Crvena Zvezda claimed the NIJT title for 2014, comfortably disposing of Real Madrid in Sunday’s final in Milano. Emmet Ryan reports. I had really planned on going to most of the NIJT this year. Unfortunately I slept in for three days straight. On the fourth and final day I got up on time, only to […]
Podcast: Interview with Ricky Rubio; wrapping the 2012-13 Euroleague season, NIJT; reviewing The Wrestler
Episode #35 of the BallinEurope/heinnews co-produced “Talking the Charge” podcast series is now available online and is downloadable from iTunes – and o boy, it’s a good one. Days after Olympiacos made European basketball history, we’re still amazed by another incredible run by the Reds and so discuss the context of this back-to-back title victory. […]
Nike International Junior Tournament: Day three roundup
Just over two hours remain before Spain’s Europe’s top youth teams face off in the Nike International Junior Tournament championship game, and so follows a recap of yesterday’s action which ultimately saw FC Barcelona and Joventut Badalona advance, as provided by Net Scouts. The shows that these teams put on in facing a variety of […]
Nike International Junior Tournament: Day one roundup
From BallinEurope’s newfound friends over at Net Scouts comes a wrap of the first day’s games in the highest-profile European youth club competition, the Nike International Junior Tournament. While the headliner in the tourney is clearly FC Barcelona’s Mario Hezonja, no one impressed BiE more than Crvena Zvezda/Red Star’s Dusan Ristic – surely we’ll be […]
Ricky Rubio sighting at Nike International Junior Tournament
See? There *is* a reason to check out Nike International Junior Tournament games even if you’re not into youth ball. While the Euroleague Final Four hasn’t yet tipped off, the NIJT started today — and on hand to lend support to his former club Joventut was none other than Ricky “La Pistola” Rubio. Just look […]
Harlem Shake spreads to NIJT Belgrade tournament: Alba Berlin, INSEP players succumb
Aaaaand here’s another for the collection. After the Nike International Junior Tournament in Belgrade closed yesterday, two of the tourney’s youth teams added to the phenomenon overtaking European basketball clubs daily, namely the irresistible urge to perform the Harlem Shake. Without further ado, here are the Alba Berlin and INSEP ballers succumbing to the craze.
Podcast: Lots of talk on Lithuanian basketball; musing about Euroleague, Lakers, Timberwolves; loving Jennifer Lawrence
Episode #20 of the heinnews/BallinEurope co-produced Taking the Charge podcast is now available online. This week, that hardworking David Hein and yours truly natter on a bit about recent Euroleague developments (poor, poor Maccabi Tel Aviv!), the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers before finally finding some focus in Lithuania. As BiE continuously says, […]
NIJT wrap: Lietuvos Rytas takes title; plus, BiE’s nine European (and one Chinese) prospects to watch
Congratulations this afternoon go out to the Lietuvos Rytas junior team, which handled home team Fenerbahçe Ülker in the championship game of the 2012 Nike International Junior Tournament. Before something of a sedate crowd (perhaps folks here are a bit sedate and/or hungover after last night’s city-rocking goalless match – hey, it’s football – in […]
Nike International Junior Tournament: Lietuvos Rytas torches Crvena Zvezda to reach finals
Just completed was the deciding game in Group A of the Nike International Junior Tournament – and for Crvena Zvezda the results were ugly indeed. While Dusan Ristic had his now-standard killer game for the Serbian side with 21 points and 10 rebounds, the tenacious play of the Lithuanians (clearly still rolling from their incredible […]
Notes from the Nike International Junior Tournament, day two
BallinEurope took in a couple of Nike International Junior Tournament games today – namely, Crvena Zvezda vs. Anadolu Efes and Lietuvos Rytas vs. FC Barcelona. A few brief impressions gleaned follow. • Early on, Crvena Zvezda appeared intimidated by Anadolu Efes, a much more physical team than the previous day’s opponent, FC Barcelona – but […]
Notes from the Nike International Junior Tournament, day one
As befits tradition, the 2012 Nike International Junior Tournament is running in parallel with the Euroleague Final Four competition in Istanbul. Eight youth league teams are competing for the grand prize – and, individually speaking, to garner some attention from club scouts as each player’s career burgeons on the big stage. In the bigger picture, […]