Turkey 168
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, […]
Euroleague trophy comes to Istanbul, makes like a tourist this week
Euroleague officials announced last night that one of professional basketball’s most aspiring-to bits of hardware had arrived in Istanbul last night, Naturally brought to the EL Final Four host city via Turkish Airlines – official sponsor of Euroleague basketball. (Although one assumes that the trophy is the traditional cup-like object held by a TA employee […]
Ersan Ilyasova, your English teacher du jour
BallinEurope’s friends over at online language tutoring site English Baby recently managed to enlist another Continental star into assisting some students with their second-language studies: At right about the time Ersan Ilyasova was taking NBA Player of the Week honors, English Baby “asked him to teach the English learning masses about [offensive rebounds and second-chance […]
Boston Celtics to take on Fenerbahce Ulker, Milano in October
For the first time since 2007, the Boston Celtics will do some training camp and play exhibition games in Europe this autumn. Reports the Boston Herald: “Sources have confirmed that, barring any logistical problems overseas, the Celts will hold workouts and face European teams in [Istanbul and Milan]. There are still some contracts to be […]
Euroleague Women Final Eight: A Story of Yes and No
Eurosport Turkey basketball commentator Uygar Karaca was naturally on hand in Istanbul for the FIBA Euroleague Women Final Four tournament. Today, BallinEurope posts his impressions on the competition and what the future may hold for the contenders. After long, exhausting league play in Euroleague Women, the intense traffic of the Final Eight round has now […]
Win any European dunk contest: James White shows how in six easy steps
To the surprise of few, well-traveled James William White III (a.k.a. James White, a.k.a. Flight) took the Italian Serie A slam dunk contest amidst the all-star festivities taking place there this weekend. White, now of Scavolini Pesaro, brought with him to the contest a résumé that goes back second-place finishes on two levels: the 2001 […]
Topsy-turvy Turkey as Galatasaray pushes Anadolu Efes down the TBL table
Strange days indeed in Turkey … just three days after Galatasaray and Anadolu Efes were bounced from Euroleague play, the TBL standings have become nearly unrecognizable; for the first time in probably forever, clubs named “Efes” or “Fenerbahçe Ülker” do not appear in the top two on the Turkish league table after Galatasaray’s 74-65 win […]
National Cups: Real Madrid ends 19 years of futility; Beşiktaş, Chalon take first-ever titles; Montepaschi Siena continues dominance
Congratulations go out from BallinEurope today to a quartet of national Cup holders in Real Madrid, Beşiktaş Milangaz, Chalon-sur-Saone and Montepaschi Siena. The former three victories are set to be particularly noted in club annals: Real ended a 19-year drought while Beşiktaş and Chalon both bagged their first-ever championships in their respective national cup tournaments […]
Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Beşiktaş vs. Banvit today in Turkish Cup final
Today sees the culmination of the Turkish Cup with a stunning finals matchup between Beşiktaş Milangaz – who took out Euroleague Top 16 side Galatasaray on Thursday – and the TBL’s fourth-place Banvit. Key to the former’s success in reaching the Cup match was BallinEurope fave Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who contributed an insane double-double in the […]
TBL roundup: Bandirma Kirmizi stuns Fenerbahce Ulker; Morrison, Pops star for Besiktas; Galatasaray holds on to third place
The Turkish Basketball League, rapidly becoming the most competitive European basketball league, saw a number of key games go down this weekend to tighten things up some at the top of the table. While TBL teams gained much international attention for signing big-name NBAers, e.g. Deron Williams, Sasha Vujacic, Ersan Ilyasova, Mehmet Okur, etc., during […]
Basketball diplomacy: Obama plagiarizes self in praise of Danilo Gallinari, Marco Belinelli
Hosting dignitaries and politicos from Italy this week, U.S. president/basketball devotee Barack Obama recently gave an interview to the visiting media as well, naturally taking time to praise Italia’s representatives in the NBA. As self-proclaimed scholar of basketball diplomacy – perhaps the only one on the planet – Enrico Cellini has noticed that Obama’s effusive […]
TBL All-Star Game: Sasha Vujacic named MVP, Dogus Balbay takes dunk contest
Sasha Vujacic an all-star game MVP? BiE knows it sounds crazy, but that’s what went down this weekend in Turkey during the TBL season break. In a game that pitted foreigners against Turks, the former NBA champion went for 24 points and dished five assists in a 140-139 barnburner settled by Besiktas’ Carlos Arroyo’s last-second […]