Team Lithuania 170
What the…? In Lithuania, Romanov fires third head coach of season midway through championship series
There’s nothing so bizarre – and often barely newsworthy – about the firing of a head coach, even one leading a successful team. Even one who is replacing a legend who was also fired in the same season. But when a coach is fired in the middle of a national championship series, that’s already nearing […]
What’s missing from FIBA’s World Championship ad campaign?
So the Euroleague season is over and, though domestic league action is still with us for a couple months longer (BallinEurope’s “European Champions” feature is coming soon), something of that international competition spirit is missing for the nonce – at least until the FIBA World Championships in August and September! And so the high-profile FIBA […]
Kaukenas out in Madrid and onto Milan?
And so it goes: With Morris “La Almendra” Almond in in Madrid, Rimantas Kaukenas is reportedly out. Of course, in again Kaukenas may soon be – with Olimpia Milano. Spain-based sports website AS.com yesterday reported that Real will be releasing Kaukenas later this week and that the Serie A team would thereafter sign the Lithuanian […]
Representing the Continent in the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit
Portland, Oregon, will tomorrow see the tipoff of the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, a showcase event featuring 20 of the world’s greatest youth basketball players going head-to-head in the 11th annual match between USA and “World” teams. As the official site and concomitant PR material likes to point out, the Nike Hoop Summit […]
Beyond Vesely: Five European names North America must know for 2010-11
With BallinEurope’s profile piece on Jan Vesely in, today we’re adding a bit of a primer on some other names certain to get increasing mentions in NBA culture from your team’s elimination from the playoffs through to the draft and into the 2010 FIBA World Championships in August/September. NBA fans who want to get in […]
Draft profile: Donatas Motiejunas
Now that NBA mock drafting is in full swing (despite the total lack of clarity regarding playoff positioning, not to mention seeing how the damn lottery ping-pong balls fall this year), BallinEurope’s man in the U.K., Sam Chadwick, will be taking a look at some of Europe’s prospective high draft picks. Today, it’s all about […]
FIBA Europe Young Women’s Player of the Year: It’s Torrens
This story is just in and so congratulations are just going out from Ball in Europe to Alba Torrens, who has taken the first of FIBA’s four annual “player of the year” awards, taking the 2009 Young Women’s Player of the Year. Finishing behind Torrens in the voting were, in order, Louice Halvarrson, Jelena Milovanovic […]
FIBA Europe names Young Women's Player of the Year tomorrow
FIBA Europe will be naming its Young Women’s Player of the year tomorrow in the first of four such awards given annually by the Continental organization. And the nominees are … Elina Babkina, Katerina Elhotova, Dürdane Gümüsay, Louice Halvarsson, Olesia Malashenko, Jelena Milovanovic, Sabine Niedola, Gintare Petronyte, Sonja Petrovic, Melanie Plust, Alba Torrens, and Marta […]
CSKA, Zalgiris, Khimki, Kazan in VTB United League final four
The final four teams in the inaugural season of the Eastern European basketball association known as the VTB United League are set, with playoffs scheduled for January 21 and 22 at the Kaunas Sports Arena. The quartet is comprised of group winners UNICS Kazan and CSKA Moscow plus runners-up Khimki Moscow region and Zalgiris Kaunas. […]
Europe's top national teams of the 2000s
After taking a look at the European players of the decade and top professional teams of the decade, BallinEurope today turns attention to the national level. Which teams from the 2000s will we still recall fondly in years to come? Below are listed eight key national squads from the passing ten-year span, the unforgettable basketball […]
So who replaces Gintaras Krapikas at Zalgiris?
Due in part to the 89-55 throttling at the hands of FC Barcelona this week and in great part to Zalgiris Kaunas’ poor 1-7 showing in Euroleague play in 2009, Gintaras Krapikas stepped down as head coach, effective immediately. And so ends Krapikas’ third stint with the team in various capacities as player and coach. […]
The BallinEurope All-Decade All-European Team
While technically this decade doesn’t end until 2010, with millions of sports websites and blogs proclaiming December 31 the end of the 2000s, who is BallinEurope to be pedantic? (Especially when there’s a good excuse to make an all-time team roster.) Therefore, in the spirit of a new era, BallinEurope seeks to comprise Europe’s All-Decade […]