Olimpia Milano announced Juan Fernandez

An early snatch for Olimpia.


While most players coming out of the NCAA don't even have an agent yet, Olimpia Milano announced via their official website the signing of Argentinian/Italian point guard Juan Fernandez(1.93-PG). This is the extract from their site:

Olimpia Milano basketball EA7 Emporio Armani announces that it has reached a multiyear agreement with the Italian national player of Juan Fernandez, playmaker, 1.93 in height, which has just finished his university degree at the Temple University in Philadelphia.He was born in Rio Tercero in Argentina July 22, 1990 to parents of Italian origin, for four years at Temple, Fernandez these days is playing in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, reserved for the best college players, after leading his team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In the season just ended has scored 11.1 points with 3.8 assists and average of 43.1% in the three-point shooting.

Fernandez is currently playing at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament although he is not doing as well as expected. It's very likely that he will be sent on loan to another team in the upcoming season to get experiences at pro level and sharpen his skills. He averaged 11.4 points 2.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 32 games in the NCAA playing for Temple.

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Efes Anadolu announced Elias Zouros

Days after being eliminated from the playoffs race in a season for which it had Final Four hopes, Anadolu Efes decided to change course by bringing in a new head coach, Ilias Zouros, on Monday.


Zouros will replace Ufuk Sarica, who had joined Efes at a similar juncture last season, but was unable to put the team into position to try to make the 2011 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in Istanbul this May. Efes remains the only Turkish team ever to make a Final Four, but last did so more than a decade ago. Zouros, 45, began this season with Zalgiris after having taken over that club in a similar situation in January of 2011. He and Zalgiris won the the Baltic League and Lithuanian League titles together last spring. Zouros was released by Zalgiris after the team lost the opening game of this Turkish Airlines Euroleague season at home against CSKA Moscow.

Zouros, a former Eurocup Coach of the Year with Panellinios of Greece, has also coached Olympiacos, Peristeri and Aris in his home country. He also coached Sagesse Beirut to the Lebanese League title and the Asian Club Championship and spent a season-plus with Paris Racing Basket of France. Efes said in a statement that Sarica, who had been assistant coach previously, would stay with the club. Efes hosts CSKA in its last Euroleague game of the season on Thursday.

source : euroleague.net

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Patrick O'Bryant to play in Puerto Rico

This is his last game.


According to basketnet.gr, Patrick O'Bryant(2.13-C) has received an offer he can't refure from Indios BCN and after tonight's game he will be leaving the team of Kavala BC. The offer is quite good and it's for 14,000 dollars a month for O'Bryant who came from the NBDL and had his break-out season in Europe.

The only other time that O'Bryant played outside Europe was in China for Fujian Xunxing. He has also played for Golden State, Boston and Toronto in the NBA and Bakersfield and Reno in NBDL. O'Bryant was the 9th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft but his stock didn't go up as expected. Nevertheless he had a productive season in Greece averaging 9.5 points 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in a total of 18 games.

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Michalis Giannakidis offered to Spanish teams

The next one to leave Paok..?


Giannis Kalambokis(1.95-SG/PG) will be playing for Alba Berlin after Paok's next game in the A1 league against Peristeri. The next player to leave though could be rising star Michalis Giannakidis (1.92-SG). Giannakidis has seen more playing time the last 2 seasons in Paok and his ability to shoot behind the arc is amongst his strong points.

According to basketplus.gr, his agents have offered him to Spanish teams that have shown some interest in the player who has a tiny contract with Paok. Valladolid and Obradoiro seem to be 2 of the teams that the player has been offered to and the success story of Kostas Vasileiadis of Bilbao seems to work in his favor. Vasileiadis started his career in Paok as well. Giannakidis has averaged 6.1 points 2.2 rebounds and 1 assists in the last 18 games in the A1 league.

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Azovmash signed Othello Hunter

Azovmash deepened their frontcourt.


The Mariupol team agreed on terms of contract with Hunter Othello (203-F-86, agency: David Lee services, college: Ohio St.). The forward started the season in China. He played for Shandong Flaming Bulls.

Hunter Othello averaged 18.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in CBA. Last season the forward spent in Italy. He had a spell for Dinamo Sassari. Hunter Othello produced 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in Seria A. He participated at Seria A All-Star Game. Eurobasket.com named the forward into All-Italian Seria A 2nd Team. Previously the forward had stints in Greece, NBA and D-League.


source : eurobasket.com

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Alba Berlin interested in Giannis Kalambokis?

A better offer from Germany.

According to olapaok.gr, a website affiliated with Paok BC, Giannis Kalambokis(1.95-SG) is a target of Alba Berlin. The Greek shooting guard had a good season with Paok so far and according to article, his agent Kostas Papadakis is in talks with the German team.

Obviously there has to be a deal with Paok before he is released as the player is bound by contract until the end of the season but on other other hand it is possible that he is owed part of his contract which will make negotations easier for Alba. He has averaged so far 12.4 points 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 17 games in the A1 league.

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Pacesas denies rumors of Motiejunas move

Although Donatas Motiejunas has been linked with a move to Anadolu Efes by Turkish media, it might turn out that these talks are just unweighed rumors.

Tomas Pacesas, the player’s coach at the Polish side Asseco Prokom, was surprised to hear such a scenario.

"He's moving where? Turkey? First time I've heard about it. We're on a bus together with him in Moscow. We have just flown to a VTB League game. There are no talks of someone leaving the club," the Lithuanian specialist told lrytas.lt.

The 21-year-old Motiejunas, whose draft rights belong to the Houston Rockets, was averaging 12.5 points and 7.9 rebounds for Asseco Prokom in the Euroleague this season.


source : lithuaniabasketball.com

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