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

Click here to return to the homepage.

Songaila and Galatasaray part ways

Early holidays for Songaila?


Darius Songaila and Galatasaray have reached a mutual agreement to terminate the contract and part ways, as the player did not meet the expectations of the club.

The Lithuanian forward, who spent seven seasons in the NBA before coming to Istanbul, will reportedly not play for the Turkish side in a Euroleague game against Olympiacos.

Songaila averaged 7.9 points and 2.7 rebounds for Galatasaray in the Turkish Basketball League (TBL), having almost identical statistics in Euroleague as well – 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.


source : lithuaniabasketball.com

Click here to return to the homepage.

Dominic James wants to leave Aris, Aris want to sell him

Time to bail out?


Dominic James(1.80-PG) didn't travel to Donetsk with the rest of the team of Aris. Instead he stayed on in Thessaloniki so that he can discuss with the administration the offers that Aris have from other teams.

According to the president's unofficial press representative James is actually owed one instalment of his contract. Rumors from the Exedra newspaper say that James has already been sold to a Russian team but he actually wants to go to Partizan for free. In Serbia the media say that James has already agreed with Partizan which is probably not far from the truth but what he wants and what the president wants are completely different things. The president's unofficial press representative says that the team's legal team will follow all the protocols to make sure that the team is covered. This one won't escape so easily it seems.

It was inevitable that something like that would happen to Aris as the president of the team has managed to alienate the shareholders and future investors of the team and now he is struggling on his own to manage the
unmanageable debts he has amassed. Selling players is his expertise anyway.

More on this to follow probably even through the course of the day. Aris might not be losing just James very soon but he might be losing his head coach as well as he made the president angry..


Click here to return to the homepage.

Bilbao announced Mamadou Samb

Samb in, Hampl out


Tomas Hampl(2.15-C) will be moving to LEB Gold in order to get some playing time in a different team and Mamadou Samb(2.08-C) will be moving from LEB Gold and Granada to Bilbao according to Bilbao's official site. The Senegalese center gained the Spanish citizenship 3 years ago and has been a member of the Spanish Youth National Teams since then.

In Granada he averaged 10.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 14 games playing in the LEB Gold but now he'll be playing on a whole different level. If he gets any playing minutes that is. The contract signed will last until the end of the season with the option of renewal for one or more seasons. Hampl will be returning to Bilbao in the summer as he will be given away on-loan.

Click here to return to the homepage.

Olimpija signed Eric Dawson

Union Olimpija agrees with Eric Dawson


Union Olimpija signed center Eric Dawson (208cm, 1984) until end of season with option to extend him for another one. He started the season in D-League with Austin Toros where he had an average of 16,2 points and 10,6 rebounds per game. He played collegiate basketball at the Midwestern State University. He already played twice international basketball as he spent time in Japan and South Korea. This will be his first time in Europe.

source : union.olimpija.com

Click here to return to the homepage.

Bootsy Thornton returns to Siena

Mens Sana Basket informs you that the club has signed Bootsy Thornton through the end of the season.


Born in Baltimore on July 30, 1977, the player spent the last three seasons in Turkey with Efes Pilsen, to whom he was linked by a very generous contract. The player satisfactorily dissolved the agreement with the Turkish club, thus creating the circumstances where he could reach an agreement with Mens Sana Basket.

Bootsy’s first words were, “I’m very linked to the club and the city. My hope has always been to return to Siena.” 

Bootsy Thornton began playing basketball at Dunbar High School in Florida before proceeding to Tallahassee Junior College at age 19. He’s chosen by the prestigious St. John’s University in 1998, winning the 1999/2000 Big East Conference title and earning the title of tournament MVP. After being chosen by some minor U.S. leagues (Cba, Usbl, Ibl) in the 2000 Draft, Bootsy Thornton chooses Europe and goes to Pallacanestro Cantù in January 2001.  He spends two and half very impressive seasons in Brianza, which earn him his first call from Montepaschi Siena in 2003. The Bootsy-Mens Sana Basket match-up is immediately a success. Thanks also to his performance, they win an Italian title (2003/2004) a SuperCup (2004/2005), and qualify for a Euroleague F4 (2004) all in a two-year period. Thornton becomes a hot commodity on the international market, and switches from Siena to Fc Barcelona. After getting off to a great start, the second half of the season is conditioned by some physical problems that prohibit him from performing to the best of his ability, but don’t stop him from playing a starring role in the 2006 Euroleague F4. This gained credibility allows Bootsy to immediately find a new home in Spain for 2006/2007 at the ambitious Akasvayu Girona lead by coach Svetislav Pesic. As “specialist” (approx. 15’ court time per game), Thornton competes in the Liga ACB arriving at the quarterfinals (year average of 5.2ppg and 1.6rpg) and wins the 2007 Fiba Eurocup, closing with an average of 7.2ppg and 3.2rpg. The following season he returns to wear Montepaschi’s jersey, with whom he wins the Supercoppa and Italian National Title, and makes the Final Four in Barcelona. His performances in Europe earn him a spot on the All Euroleague Second team. The 2008/2009 season, he heads to Turkey to play for Efes Pilsen Istanbul, where he spends three seasons and wins the championship, the Turkish National Cup and the Turkish President Cup.








source : menssanabasket.it


Click here to return to the homepage.

Olympiacos to sign George Hill?

They couldn't wait for Calderon apparently.



The rumor has spread like wildfire the last few hours in Greece and it has even made its way to the other side of the Atlantic. George Hill (1.88-PG/SG) will be signing a contract with Olympiacos with a clause to leave the Greek team if the lock-out ends.

The rumor has been replicated by many Greek sites. I will not quote all of them here or who was the first one to write about it but I will quote sday.gr that says that Jose Calderon was the first player on the list but he asked for a few more days to answer. He could have been possibly waiting for offers from Spain. As Calderon didn't answer the effort was focused on Hill who could be making his Euroleague debut next week against Fenerbahce.

Hill was playing for the San Antonio Spurs last season averaging 11.7 points 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 55 games. He will be playing for Indiana once the lock-out ends.. if it ends.


Click here to return to the homepage.

Kirilenko returns to Russia and CSKA

Forward Andrei Kirilenko (30 years, 206 cm) will wear CSKA uniform again after 10-year American stint.


The contract with the Russian National Team leader, 2011 Eurobasket All-Tournament team member is signed for three years with NBA return option. The player went through medical tests in GMS Clinic yesterday and plans to practice with the team for the first time today.

Kirilenko started his pro career in Spartak St. Petersburg in age 16 and took CSKA offer a year after. He spent two years in army team, he was chosen in the first round of NBA draft and signed his first contract with Utah Jazz in 2001. He played for 10 seasons, had legendary John Stockton and Karl Malone as his teammates, was an NBA All-Star, led the league in blocked shots and was chosen to NBA All-Defensive Teams. Kirilenko led Team Russia to 2007 Eurobasket gold, taking the MVP honors and FIBA Europe Player of the Year trophy.

He helped the team to win the Eurobasket bronze in 2011 taking the All-Tournament team honors. Kirilenko contract with Jazz has expired in July and the forward signed with CSKA as a free agent. Still the conditions of the agreement allow Andrei to terminate the contract in a month after the lockout ends to sign with the NBA team. Otherwise he had to remain with CSKA until the end of the season.


source : cskabasket.com

Click here to return to the homepage.

Casspi could play with Parker in France

The San Antonio Spurs would undoubtedly prefer to see them playing together in South Texas, but the prospect of Tony Parker and longtime Spurs favorite Omri Casspi teaming up in France is very much alive.


Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Monday that Casspi is giving strong consideration to signing with ASVEL in France's top division.

That's the same ASVEL club which claims Parker as a co-owner and as its vice president of basketball operations.

It initially appeared that Casspi -- after being dealt from Sacramento to Cleveland on June 30 in the final trade consummated in the NBA before the start of the July 1 lockout -- was a lock to play for perennial Euroleague power Maccabi Tel-Aviv in his native Israel in the event of the lockout bleeding into November or December.

But David Pick of Eurobasket.com reported earlier Monday that Casspi and Maccabi officials, after a sitdown, have mutually agreed that they would not be able to reach contract terms that both sides can stomach.

France isn't the only destination that Casspi -- coveted by the Spurs since he was drafted No. 23 overall by the Kings in 2009 -- is considering as a lockout alternative. Various reports in the Israeli media say he's drawn interest from clubs in Russia and Spain.

But ASVEL, situatated in the Lyon suburb of Villeurbanne, does have one clear advantage: Casspi and Parker share the same agent. They're both represented by CAA's Steven Heumann.

Last week in London on duty with the French national team, Parker told ESPN.com contributor Ian Whittell that he will play in his native France if he plays anywhere other than the NBA this season as opposed to seizing upon the interest Parker has generated from teams in China.

"My agent talked about China a little bit," Parker told Whittell. "... I'm not going to take any decision until the end of September, after the European Championships. I want to see if I'm healthy, if I'm hurt and by then we will also know a lot more what is happening with the situation of the lockout. 


"If I play [abroad], I will definitely play in France, for my fans, for my team ASVEL." 

As for the prospect of Casspi ultimately winding up alongside Parker in the French League, one source close to the situation said it really "might happen."

Casspi is currently nursing a injured left knee that threatens to knock him out of the European Championships (EuroBasket) later this month in Lithuania. Israel's only NBA player told reporters over the weekend that "right now my leg is in a bad state."

source : espn.com


Click here to return to the homepage.

Prokom announced Alonzo Gee

An NBAer for Prokom.


Asseco Prokom Gdynia informs that the agreement with former Clevland Cavaliers player, Alonzo Gee has been reached. Born in 1987 in Florida, American is 198cm high and graduated from Alabama university. He can play as guard or forward. In his season with Clevland Cavaliers he averaged: 7.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 0.8 apg.

source : asseco.prokom.pl

Click here to return to the homepage.

Maccabi to replace Jeremy Pargo

Pargo Says He’s Not Returning; Maccabi: “It’s a breach of contract.”


Jeremy Pargo has announced to the team’s management that he does not intend to report to training camp next month. The club’s response: “This is a breach of the duly signed contract between the player and the club. We take exception to his behavior.”

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv’s player Jeremy Pargo has informed the team through his agent that he wishes to be released from the two-year contract with the club that he signed just last May; he intends to play instead in the NBA.

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv has conveyed to the player that in light of the NBA lockout and fact that he does not and will not have a guaranteed contract with any NBA team for the coming season, the announcement by his agent is a violation of the contract between Pargo and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.

In spite of that, Pargo has expressed his intention of remaining in the U.S. and awaiting an end to the strike.

Maccabi’s management has conveyed to Pargo and his agent that it takes exception to his behavior and views the player as responsible for any damage caused to Maccabi by his breach of contract. Maccabi intends to take all appropriate action to protect its rights in the matter.

Following the player’s announcement and in reliance thereon, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv will use any means necessary to strengthen its roster for the coming season.

source : maccabi.co.il


Click here to return to the homepage.

Theo Papaloukas Signs with Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv

That was a bit unexpected.


Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv is proud to announce that it has signed Greek superstar Theodoros Papaloukas (2.00, 34) for one season. Papaloukas led CSKA Moscow to two European Championships and the Greek National Team to second place in the world.


Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv is proud to announce that it has signed Greek superstar Theodoros Papaloukas (2.00, 34) for one season. The guard joins the ranks of summer 2011 signees Shawn James, Devin Smith, Jon Scheyer, Yogev Ohayon, and Jordan Farmar.

Papaloukas is considered one of the best European players of all time. He runs a tight game and is a true leader at the point guard position – where at 2.00 (6’ 7”) he comes in at the tall end of the range – a cool-headed winner with the kind of on-court vision coaches dream of.

In 2008 Papaloukas was chosen one of the 35 All-Time Greatest Players of the Euroleague, and in 2010 he joined the ranks of the Euroleague 2001 – 2010 All-Decade Team (along with former Maccabi players Nikola Vujčić, Anthony Parker and Šarūnas Jasikevičius, among others). So far, he has played in the Euroleague for 10 seasons – 215 games – and tops the Euroleague list of all-time assists with 907 as well as all-time number of steals with 315.

In all of his years playing, Papaloukas has come off the bench; he loves to come into the game and be a force for change, especially when it comes to making critical decisions at the moment of truth. He has won the Euroleague title twice while playing for CSKA Moscow (defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv both times, in 2006 and 2008). He has played in the Euroleague Final Four a record 8 consecutive years (6 with CSKA, 2 with Olympiacos).

source : maccabi.co.il




Click here to return to the homepage.

Olimpija announced Danny Green

With an NBA-out clause.


BC Union Olimpija Ljubljana signed one-year contract with NBA-out option with former Tar Heel Danny Green. He will join Deon Thompson, his former teammate from University of North Carolina.

Green was drafted by the NBA in 2009 and played for Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs in the last two seasons. In the last season he was also part of D-League team Reno Bighorns where he averaged 20.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.


source : union.olimpija.com

Click here to return to the homepage.

Efes Anadolu announced Ersan Ilyasova

Anadolu Efes improved its frontcourt for the upcoming season by inking power forward Ersan Ilyasova to a one-year deal on Wednesday.


Ilyasova (2.07 meters, 27 years old) arrives from Milwaukee of the NBA, where he averaged 9.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 59 NBA games last season. In his last Euroleague appearance in the 2008-09 season, Ilyasova averaged 10.5 points and 7 rebounds in 22 games with Regal FC Barcelona, helping the team to reach the Final Four and win the Spanish League title. He has also played for Tulsa in the NBA Development league, as well as for Ulker and Yesilyurt Istanbul in Turkey. Ilyasova is also a regular member of the Turkish national team. He helped Turkey to make it to the 2010 FIBA World Championships title game last summer. Ilyasobva also won silver medals at the 2003 European U-16 Championship and the 2006 European U-20 Championship. He also led Turkey to win the 2004 Albert Schweitzer Tournament, earning MVP honors.

source : euroleague.net


Click here to return to the homepage.

Bamberg announced PJ Tucker

They replaced Kyle Hines with another tough player.


Bamberg announced P.J. Tucker(1.98-SF/PF)via their official website and he will their player until the end of the season. Tucker's last team was in Puerto Rico but he has lots of experience in Europe. He will be replacing the loss of Kyle Hines(1.98-PF/C) who went to Olympiacos and he will be adding much needed strength under the baskets. Like Hines, Tucker is also known for his impressive strength and he can cover both forward positions if need be.

Tucker's real name is actually Anthony and the P.J stands for Pop Junior. It's a nickname that his father gave to him soon after his birth and he has been carrying it ever since. He graduated from the University of Texas back in 2006, where he won numerous awards. He was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 35th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft and signed a two-year deal with them on July 26, 2006. He spent some time in the NBDL with the Colorado 14ers and was waived by the Raptors finally in 2007.

During 2007-2008 he spent his pro season overseas where he conquered the Israeli league as a player of Hapoel Holon and he was also named the MVP of the league. After that he signed with BC Donetsk but had a serious injury that sidelined him for 2 months. Nevertheless he was one the top scorers of the Ukrainian league averaging 19.4 points per game. Last season BC Donetsk had serious financial issues so he returned to Israel and Bnei Hasharon averaging 17.3 points 9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 12 games.


This past season he started playing for Aris BC averaging 12.2 points 7.4 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 games in the Greek A1 league. After that he left the team because the head coach Sharon Drucker was sacked and he had a falling out with the administration. He managed to break his contract with Aris and helped Montegranaro to stay in the LegaA1 averaging 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 3 games. He also played in Puerto Rico for Quebradillas averaging 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in 15 games.

Click here to return to the homepage.

Olympiacos to sign Matt Howard?

It's all over the news..


According to basketblog.gr and the vast majority of the Greek media, the next player that will sign with Olympiacos is Matt Howard(2.06-PF). This seem like an odd choice for the team that signed Josh Childress not so long ago. He will be the second undrafted player from the class of 2011 for Olympiacos if he signs but although he might not seem physically adequate for the testosterone-pumped world of the NBA, he seems to be ideal to play in Europe.

Again the question here is, what exactly will Olympiacos with yet another inexperienced youngster from the NCAA. Apart from a vast collection of awards and titles the last 4 seasons, perhaps his most notable trait is his shooting ability behind the arc. It's an element that was missing from his game for the first 3 seasons and then all of a sudden in his 4th season he started scoring like a seasoned shooter. Howard averaged 16.4 points 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 37 games for Butler this past season.

Click here to return to the homepage.

Olimpija announced Aleksanda Capin

Good addition for Olimpija


Union Olimpija signed one-year contract with Slovenian point guard Aleksandar Ćapin today. He started his career in youth categories of Partizan Belgrade but he soon moved to Krka, where he stayed for three years. He applied for Slovenian citizenship and played for Slovenian National Team on two European Championships. Last season he was part of Lithuanian Euroleague club Žalgiris Kaunas.

He didn't get much chance to play during last season, but year before he averaged 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in Euroleague. Besides Partizan, Krka and Žalgiris, Aleksandar Ćapin played for German club Telekom Baskets Bonn, French Gravelines Dunkerque, Italian clubs Reggio Calabria and Varese, Greek Panionios and Panellinios, Ukraine's Azovmash Mariupol and Russian Lokomotiv Kuban where he already had the chance to work with current Union Olimpija's coach Sašo Filipovski.

source : union.olimpija.com

Click here to return to the homepage.

Olimpia Milano announced Malik Hairston

Interesting choice for Olimpia.


The latest addition for Olimpia Milano is American small forward Malik Hairston(1.97-SF), formerly of the San Antonio Spurs. The deal is valid until the end of the season and it was announced via Olimpia's official website. Hairston played for the enemy last season, namely for Siena and he did quite well. He was drafted in 2008 in the 2nd round and the 48th overall position by the Suns, but consecutive trades brought him to San Antonio.

He played 2 seasons in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs although his playing time wasn't that great nor were his stats with them. He also spent some time in the NBDL but he made his debut in Europe this past season signing with Siena. However he was injured in the beginning of the season. It was a back injury that could have ended his contract but Siena chose to wait for him and it wasn't in vain. Hairtson averaged 8.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16 games in the Euroleague and also 10.3 poits and 2.7 rebounds in 23 games in the LegaA1.

Click here to return to the homepage.

Perperoglou to stay in Panathinaikos

He decided to stay in the end.


Stratos Perperoglou(2.03-SF) decided not to go for the offer from Unics and stay in Greece for Panathinaikos. According to prasinanea.gr, Perperoglou and Panathinaikos agreed terms in the end and the Greek small forward will be renewing his contract for 2 more seasons. There were rumors that there was a gap of 250,000 euros per season to be filled but they were unconfirmed.

Perperoglou was a vital part of Panathinaikos the past few seasons and his loss would have not been easy to deal with. Last season he averaged 7.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 22 games in the Euroleague and also 9.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 31 games in the Greek A1 league.

Click here to return to the homepage.

Maccabi in talks with Bobby Brown

Replacement for Doron Perkins?

With the summer progressing, Israel's top organizations are still in search of the perfect quarterback combo guard duo to increase their chances of an upcoming season title. Champions Maccabi Tel Aviv were recently in intensive talks with former NBA guard Bobby Brown, who played last season overseas, splitting his time in Poland and Greece.

Despite a 2007 championship year in Germany with Alba Berlin, and the fact that Maccabi was pursuing Brown aggressively the following summer, the Cal. St. Fullerton guard decided to sign with the Sacramento Kings. Lately, Brown's name has come up again as a possible recruit for Maccabi, complementing Jeremy Pargo from the second guard position. However, negotiations came up short and the Euroleague experienced Brown, still has interest of playing in Israel and has already been in contact with Hapoel Jerusalem, who is eager to find a suitable replacement for Will Solomon.

Before the NBA strike took place, Brown had successful workouts with the Raptors, Pacers and Lakers, though the 'ongoing' lockout is forcing the guard to reconsider his European offers. Brown's current financial demands may be a bit too much for Jerusalem's budget; yet, the team already informed the player's representatives to be on 'standby' for possible updates that may attract the California native to the Holly Land next season.

In College, Brown enjoyed four-years at Cal State Fullerton finishing his career as the schools leading scorer with 1,961 points (ninth in Big West history). After not being drafted in 2007, Brown went abroad and helped Alba Berlin win the German championship, averaging 14.5 points, 4.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. In the ULEB Cup contest, Brown improved his performances and averaged 17.4 points, 4.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

After a stellar year, Brown returned home and signed a two-year contract with the Sacramento Kings. He would then continue his NBA journey playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers. Last season looked promising as Brown signed a deal with Polish Prokom Gdynia where he performed at a high level posting numbers of 23.8ppg, 3.0rpg, 4.3apg and 1.8spg in the Domestic league. Battling in the Euroleague, Brown averaged 10.7ppg, 1.0rpg and 1.8apg. In December, Brown left for Greece where he signed with Aris Thessaloniki. The impressive European double figure scoring averages was maintained as Brown recorded 11.3ppg, 2.5rpg and 3.0apg in the Greek league and posted higher digits in the international EuroCup competition averaging 14.2ppg, 2.6rpg and 3.3apg.

source : eurobasket.com


Click here to return to the homepage.