Mapooro
Cantu is back in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague after dominating Le
Mans Sarthe Basket 80-66 for 40 minutes to win the Qualifying Rounds
tourney in Desio, Italy. Maarty Leunen scored 7 in a 15-0 run that
bridged the third and fourth quarters to put Le Mans away early. The
hosts took charge early and led by double figures in the first quarter.
It was 44-38 at halftime. Le Mans rallied to within 8 in the third,
however Cantu went on its run right after that and never looked back.
Cantu was aided greatly by its sixth men, the local fans known as The
Eagles, who packed PalaDesio and kept the arena rocking throughout the
game. Read more here.
Le
Mans Sarthe Basket advanced to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague
Qualifying Rounds finale with a come-from-behind 78-86 victory over
Unics Kazan in the second semifinal on Thursday in Desio, Italy. Le
Mans will face the event’s host, Mapooro Cantu, on Friday for a ticket
to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague regular season. Unics led by 6 early
in the fourth quarter and by 3 with three minutes to go, but Khalid
El-Amin tied it with a three-pointer and Le Mans held Kazan scoreless
until there was just 14 seconds left, by which point El-Amin and co.
had wrapped up the win. Read more here.
Mapooro Cantu 89 - 83 CEZ Basketball Nymburk
Mapooro
Cantu is only one win away from a return to the Turkish Airlines
Euroleague regular season after seeing off CEZ Basketball Nymburk 89-83
in the second stage of the qualifying rounds in Desio, Italy, on
Thursday. Maarty Leunen nailed back-to-back three-pointers to end the
third-quarter and start the fourth as Cantu used a 13-0 run to surge
ahead 74-57. Nymburk fought its way back within 6 in the final minute,
but Cantu held on. Cantu advances to play the qualifying rounds final
on the same floor on Friday, while Nymburk will continue its European
season in the Eurocup. Read more here.
A
stellar defensive effort spelled the difference as by Le Mans Sarthe
Basket won 61-55 over BC Donetsk of Ukraine on Wednesday at the Turkish
Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds in Desio, Italy. Le Mans advances
to play Unics Kazan of Russia in the semifinals of qualifying on
Thursday, while Donetsk will go home and get ready to participate in
the Eurocup again this season. Le Mans held Donetsk to just 8 points in
the final quarter to decide what had been a close, defensive battle all
along. Read more here.
Unics Kazan 91 - 73 ratiopharm Ulm
Unics
Kazan of Russia withstood a spirited challenge by ratiopharm Ulm of
Germany to win 91-73 in their Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying
Rounds game on Wednesday in Desio, Italy. Unics stays in the
tournament, to play either Le Mans Sarthe Basket of France or BC
Donetsk of Ukraine on Thursday. Ulm is eliminated, but will make its
Eurocup debut, instead, this season. Terrell Lyday blistered the nets
by making 5 of his first 6 triples on the way to 21 points for the
night to lead the winners. Ian Vougioukas provided the inside scoring
for Unics with 18 points, while Petr Samoylenko, Chuck Eidson, Mire
Chatman and Lyday each had 4 or more assists. Read more here.
Pallacanestro Cantu 87 - 79 PBC Lukoil Academic Sofia
Pallacanestro
Cantu advanced to the second stage of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague
Qualifying Rounds and now stands two wins away from realizing its dream
of returning to elite competition after holding off Lukoil Academic
Sofia 87-79 Tuesday in Desio, Italy. Newcomers Alex Tyus scored 18
points on 8-of-9 shooting and Jerry Smith shined with 13 points, 7
rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals to lead the host team. Cantu used a
13-2 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to take the lead
for good, but needed to work in the end after a pair of Brandon Heath
three-pointers brought Sofia within 3. But a combined 3 free throws
from Tyus and Smith in the final minute iced the win. Read more here.
CEZ Basketball Nymburk 83 - 65 Telenet Oostende
Czech
champion CEZ Basketball Nymburk advanced to the second stage of the
Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds with a resounding 83-65
victory on the opening game of the eight-team event in Desio, Italy.
Nymburk pieced together a 17-2 run that bridged the third and fourth
quarters to break open what had been a close game to that point. A.J.
Abrams scored 6 of his team-high 15 points during that stage to spark
the winners. Nymburk also outshot Oostende from three-point range by
making 12 of 26 (46.1%) and outrebounded the Belgian champs 37-32. Petr
Benda scored 14, Mike Taylor 13, Miljan Pavkovic 10 and Pavel Houska
added 9 points and 11 rebounds for Nymburk, which plays next on
Thursday. Read more here.
September 17, 2012 - Pre-season
referees clinic in Rhodes a success
The 21st annual Clinic for Euroleague Basketball and
FIBA Europe International Referees was held over the weekend in Rhodes,
Greece, to prepare European basketball's game officials for the 2012-13
season. Coaching legend Zeljko Obradovic and noted physical therapist
and chiropractor George Kakavas were among the main draws as guest
lecturers. Senior members of the Euroleague Basketball Refereeing
Department and Refereeing Technical Commission were all on hand to
oversee and lecture at the two-day clinic.
As always, the clinic aimed to enrich the participants as much as
possible, which is why Euroleague Basketball turned to Coach Obradovic
and Mr. Kakavas to offer their specific insights. Coach Obradovic, the
winningest coach in European basketball history with eight Euroleague
crowns, highlighted the weekend with a pair of sessions discussing,
among other things, coaches' knowledge of the game. Read
more here.
September 11, 2012 - Eight teams
clash for one golden ticket
Eight hopeful teams will line up to fight for one golden ticket when
the 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds get underway in
the final week of September in Desio, Italy. Four days of action
starting Tuesday, September 25 and culminating Friday, September 28,
will feature seven elimination games to find the one survivor that will
Group A of the Euroleague Regular Season. Among the eight worthy clubs
are two that impressed and advanced in the Euroleague last season plus
four reigning national champs. The schedule calls for CEZ Basketball
Nymburk of the Czech Republic and Telenet Oostende of Belgium to square
off in the opener of Tuesday’s doubleheader followed by host
Pallacanestro Cantu and PBC Lukoil Academic Sofia of Bulgaria in the
nightcap. Read more here.
September 11, 2012 - Turkish Airlines
Euroleague Qualifying Round tickets on sale!
The tickets for the Turkish
Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Round, to take place next September 25
to 28 at Desio, Italy are now on sale. The official website of host
Pallacanestro Cantu (www.pallacanaestrocantu.com) is the official
vendor for the tickets for the games to be played at the PalaDesio
venue. The winner of the Qualifying Round will earn a berth for the
2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague regular season while the other
seven teams will play the 2012-13 Eurocup competition. Read more here.
September 10, 2012 - Be first in line
for tickets to the Final Four in London!
The
Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four heads to The O2 in London next
May and if you want to be among the lucky to witness this
history-making event, head to www.f4tickets.com to register for ticket
alerts. Be among the first to hear about any and all ticket-related
news, directly from the source. By pre-registering at
www.f4tickets.com, you will receive email alerts informing you when
each batch of tickets goes on sale. And since they are expected – as in
previous years – to sell out quickly, by signing up for the alerts, you
can get a jump on the rest of the fans worldwide in locking your place
at the exciting Final Four games scheduled May 10 to 12 in the British
capital. Read more here.
August 31, 2012 - Qualifying Round
full schedule revealed
The games schedule of the 2012 Turkish Airlines
Euroleague Qualifying Round has been made public on Friday by
Euroleague Basketball. The games will start on September 25 and the
tourney will go on until a final team is left standing on September 28,
to earn its berth in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague 2012-13 regular
season.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
QR1C - CEZ Basketball Nymburk vs. Telenet Oostende at 18:00 CET
QR1D - Pallacanestro Cantu vs. PBC Lukoil Academic Sofia at 20:45
CET
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
QR1A - Unics Kazan vs. Ratiopharm Ulm at 18:00 CET
QR1B - Le Mans Sarthe Basket vs. BC Donetsk at 20:45 CET
Thursday, September 27, 2012
QR2B - Winner QR1C vs. Winner QR1D at 18:00 CET
QR2A - Winner QR1A vs. Winner QR1B at 20:45 CET
August 30, 2012 - Turkish Airlines
Euroleague Qualifying Rounds presented in Desio
The 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying
Rounds were presented Thursday afternoon at a media conference in
Desio, Italy, attended by local dignitaries, Pallacanestro Cantu
officials and Euroleague basketball representatives. The Turkish
Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds are scheduled to take place from
September 25 through 28 at PalaDesio, with eight teams playing
single-elimination games until one survives. That winner will earn the
last of the 24 Euroleague regular season berths for the 2012-13 season,
while the other seven teams will directly enter the Eurocup regular
season. Read more here.
July 13, 2012 - 2012-13 Turkish
Airlines Euroleague Regular Season features 50 games on Friday
Euroleague Basketball today released the calendar
with the exact days on which Turkish Airlines Euroleague teams will
play the upcoming 2012-13 regular season, with the big news being that
more than 40% of the games will be on Fridays for the first time in the
competition's history. A total of 50 out of the 120 regular season
games will be on Fridays, an innovation tested last season and approved
by the ECA Shareholders for introduction in the 2012-13 season and
beyond. The advent of Friday games gives fans more options than ever
before to enjoy Turkish Airlines Euroleague action, with families more
likely to be able to bring children, fans of other sports facing fewer
conflicts and clubs prepared to celebrate the start of the weekend at
their facilities. Read more here.
July 6, 2012 - Turkish Airlines
Euroleague Draw 2012-13
The
draw for the 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season and
the
Euroleague Qualifying Rounds Friday set the wheels in motion for
another spectacular edition of the continent’s best basketball. One
significant change to the competition format mean that this will be the
only draw for the season and teams and fans can start marking their
calendars with game nights all the way through the 2013 Final Four in
London. The new season will feature a longer Top 16 phase, to which
teams will qualify directly, without another draw. All told, the teams
that reach London will play between 29 and 31 games this season.
Moreover, the days of the games themselves will shift with the weekly
calendar moving to all games being played on Thursdays and Fridays. The
first action will be the qualifying rounds, in which eight teams will
clash for one available ticket to the 2012-13 regular season. The
qualifying round will be played between September 25 and 28 at Desio,
Italy. Read more here.
July 6, 2012
Euroleague
2012-13, RS, Group D analysis and Quotes
FC Barcelona Regal
pieced together a memorable and record-setting campaign last season.
The Spanish champs recorded the best defensive season in Euroleague
history and marched to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in
Istanbul. Despite losing to eventual champ Olympiacos in the
semifinals, Barcelona’s 19-2 record was the best in the league. Head
coach Xavi Pascual is back to build on that success with the bulk of
last season’s roster still with him. Naturally, that combination makes
Barcelona one of the pre-season favorites to roll again all the way to
the 2013 Final Four in London. Read more here.
Euroleague 2012-13, RS, Group C analysis and Quotes
Olympiacos Piraeus’s
run to the 2012 Turkish Airlines Euroleague championship was one for
the ages. The Reds knocked off teams favored on paper in the playoffs
and at the Final Four to win on a heroic last-second shot. The man who
helped make it all possible, head coach Dusan Ivkovic, stepped down and
the team has yet to name a replacement. However the new boss with be
fortunate to inherit nine defending champs, including Final Four MVP
Vassilis Spanoulis and Final Four hero Kostas Papanikolaou. The Reds
proved to have the hearts of a champion last season and no one will
doubt this team any more. Read more here.
Euroleague 2012-13, RS, Group B analysis and Quotes
Maccabi Electra Tel
Aviv enters the new season with a new look, but with head coach David
Blatt running the show and the awesome support the club gets from its
diehard yellow-clad fans, the sky is the limit for the Israeli champs.
Maccabi came up one basket short of another trip to the Turkish
Airlines Euroleague Final Four last season after a tremendous playoffs
series against Panathinaikos. The club has already started restocking
with the additions of center Girorgi Shermadini and guard Ricky Hickman
with more moves likely to come. With anything short of the playoffs
considered a disappointment in Tel Aviv, all signs point to Maccabi
again playing deep into the spring. Read more here.
Euroleague 2012-13, RS, Group A analysis and Quotes
A new era begins in Athens where Panathinaikos
starts anew under former star and new coach Argiris Pedoulakis, who
replaced the legendary Zeljko Obradovic. Last season the team made
another run at Euroleague glory and came up just short of defending its
2011 title by losing to CSKA in the semifinals at the Final Four in
Istanbul. The change on the bench has been followed by a bit of a
roster shake up, but with former MVP Dimitris Diamantidis holding the
fort and former All-Euroleague center Sofoklis Schortsanitis joining,
Pedoulakis has the pieces to work with for another march towards
greatness. Read more here.
July 5, 2012 - 2012-13 Turkish
Airlines Euroleague Draw to be broadcast in more than 90 countries!
The 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Draw will
reach far and wide to its fans across the world. The competition’s
popularity can be attested to by the fact that the draw
will be broadcast live
to more than 90 countries, including the continent of Africa for the
first time. In all nine networks will show the draw. Supersport will
bring the draw to 55 African nations, while NovaSport, Sportklub,
Esport3, TDP, Viasat Baltics, NTV Sport, NTV + Russia, Sport 5 and
Canal + France will also broadcast the event live. Canal + France’s
broadcasts reach distant places including Martinique, New Caledonia and
French Polynesia, among others. Read more here.
July 5, 2012 - Euroleague Head
Coaches meeting breaks new ground
A
comprehensive approach to helping improve the sport on and off the
court was the subject of the Annual Euroleague Head Coaches Meeting,
held on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the first Euroleague
Basketball Institute Technical Week. A total of 23 coaches whose teams
will participate in the 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague, either in
the regular season or qualifying rounds, convened in Barcelona for a
wide-ranging discussion of everything from rules interpretations to
corporate social responsibility programs. Read more here.
July 4, 2012 - Basketball Rules
Summit panel makes broad recommendations
The
Euroleague Basketball Institute's groundbreaking Basketball Rules
Summit concluded in Barcelona on Tuesday with an expert panel of
professionals in the sport making a series of recommendations to change
and interpret rules in ways that make the game more exciting for fans
of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Eurocup. The spirited
two-day debate among 13 of the top coaches, players, referees, team and
league executives, media, television and marketing experts reached a
consensus on proposals to improve a range of game situations that
respected the summit's goal in making the competitions cleaner, fairer
and more exciting. Read more here.
July 1, 2012 - EBI Basketball
Rules Summit begins in Barcelona
The Euroleague Basketball Institute's Basketball
Rules Summit, a two-day effort to motivate debate on how the rules and
regulations currently influence spectacle, clarity and fairness of
European basketball, is underway in Barcelona. Brought together by
Euroleague Basketball, a panel of experts comprising the most
experienced on- and off-court observers of its competitions will
analyze proposed changes and new rules interpretations with an eye
toward making the game experience better for fans while respecting the
long-standing authenticity of basketball in Europe. For that reason,
the 13-member panel brings together a wide range of viewpoints from
respected professionals who have in common a devotion to basketball.
Read more here.
June 29, 2012 - 2012-13 Turkish
Airlines Euroleague Draw criteria and procedure
QUALIFYING
ROUNDS DRAW CRITERIA & PROCEDURE
The Qualifying Rounds will consist of three rounds, QR1, QR2 and
QR3.
QUALIFYING ROUNDS
DRAW
• There will be a seeded draw, placing teams into an eight team
bracket. Teams will be separated into two seeds according to the Club
Ranking described in this appendix. Teams entering the draw following a
renouncement will be seeded according to the Club Ranking. Teams
granted a Wild Card by ECA will be seeded above the rest of the teams.
PROCEDURE
• The draw will be conducted with two different urns. One of the
urns will have the 1 Seed Teams, and the next the 2 Seed Teams.
• The 1 Seed Teams will be drawn first. As teams are drawn, they
will be placed directly in the next available spot for a 1 Seed Teams
in the bracket. This will continue until all four 1 Seed Teams have
been drawn.
• The 2 Seed Teams will be drawn second. As teams are drawn, they
will be placed directly in the next available spot for a 2 Seed Teams
in the bracket. This will continue until all four 2 Seed Teams have
been drawn.
June 27, 2012 - Experts to
debate regulations at Basketball Rules Summit
In
a first-of-its-kind initiative, Euroleague Basketball will convene a
Basketball Rules Summit next week to debate how rules and regulations
can be put to the service of making the game even better for fans.
Expert professionals from across the spectrum of the sport will come
together in Barcelona, Spain, to propose and debate ways to improve the
spectacle, clarity and fairness of the rules for all participants and
the public. The two-day Basketball Rules Summit, starting Monday, July
2, will be part of the Euroleague Basketball Institute Technical Week,
which will continue later Wednesday with the Euroleague Basketball
Referee’s Commission Meeting. The Annual Euroleague Head Coaches
Meeting, where some of the proposals that come out of the Basketball
Rules Summit will be presented, follows on Wednesday and Thursday. Read
more here.
June 26, 2012 - Euroleague
Basketball brings together industry leaders for a week of activities
Euroleague Basketball is opening the 2012-13 season
in early July with a week full of activities bringing industry leaders
and technical experts together to debate and establish the framework
for improved basketball in the future. The first edition of the
Euroleague Basketball Institute Technical Week, an umbrella platform
for a series of events in Barcelona, will be see experts and
stakeholders engage in wide-ranging discussions ranging from the rules
of basketball to officiating and head coaches' activities. Parallel to
this, clubs and industry leaders will be debating the latest marketing
trends, in the sixth edition of the European Basketball Marketing
Summit, all focused on continuing to grow the game of basketball. Read
more here.
June 22, 2012 - Turkish Airlines
Euroleague draws open 2012-13 season on July 6
Euroleague Basketball is proud to announce that the
first calendar events of a new and exciting basketball season – the
draws for the 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague – will be held on
Friday, July 6 at the Mediapro Auditorium in Barcelona, Spain. One draw
will determine the groups for the upcoming regular season and another
the matchups in the eight-team qualifying rounds.
This Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season draw will have even
more impact than ever under a new competition format that expands the
Top 16 to two groups of eight and a total of 14 games next season.
There will be no Top 16 Draw, as the final standings in the regular
season will determine into which Top 16 group each team that qualifies
is placed. Read more here.
Mapooro
Cantu is back in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague after dominating Le
Mans Sarthe Basket 80-66 for 40 minutes to win the Qualifying Rounds
tourney in Desio, Italy. Maarty Leunen scored 7 in a 15-0 run that
bridged the third and fourth quarters to put Le Mans away early. The
hosts took charge early and led by double figures in the first quarter.
It was 44-38 at halftime. Le Mans rallied to within 8 in the third,
however Cantu went on its run right after that and never looked back.
Cantu was aided greatly by its sixth men, the local fans known as The
Eagles, who packed PalaDesio and kept the arena rocking throughout the
game. Read more 
Le
Mans Sarthe Basket advanced to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague
Qualifying Rounds finale with a come-from-behind 78-86 victory over
Unics Kazan in the second semifinal on Thursday in Desio, Italy. Le
Mans will face the event’s host, Mapooro Cantu, on Friday for a ticket
to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague regular season. Unics led by 6 early
in the fourth quarter and by 3 with three minutes to go, but Khalid
El-Amin tied it with a three-pointer and Le Mans held Kazan scoreless
until there was just 14 seconds left, by which point El-Amin and co.
had wrapped up the win. Read more 
Unics
Kazan of Russia withstood a spirited challenge by ratiopharm Ulm of
Germany to win 91-73 in their Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying
Rounds game on Wednesday in Desio, Italy. Unics stays in the
tournament, to play either Le Mans Sarthe Basket of France or BC
Donetsk of Ukraine on Thursday. Ulm is eliminated, but will make its
Eurocup debut, instead, this season. Terrell Lyday blistered the nets
by making 5 of his first 6 triples on the way to 21 points for the
night to lead the winners. Ian Vougioukas provided the inside scoring
for Unics with 18 points, while Petr Samoylenko, Chuck Eidson, Mire
Chatman and Lyday each had 4 or more assists. Read more 
Pallacanestro
Cantu advanced to the second stage of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague
Qualifying Rounds and now stands two wins away from realizing its dream
of returning to elite competition after holding off Lukoil Academic
Sofia 87-79 Tuesday in Desio, Italy. Newcomers Alex Tyus scored 18
points on 8-of-9 shooting and Jerry Smith shined with 13 points, 7
rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals to lead the host team. Cantu used a
13-2 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters to take the lead
for good, but needed to work in the end after a pair of Brandon Heath
three-pointers brought Sofia within 3. But a combined 3 free throws
from Tyus and Smith in the final minute iced the win. Read more 
Czech
champion CEZ Basketball Nymburk advanced to the second stage of the
Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Rounds with a resounding 83-65
victory on the opening game of the eight-team event in Desio, Italy.
Nymburk pieced together a 17-2 run that bridged the third and fourth
quarters to break open what had been a close game to that point. A.J.
Abrams scored 6 of his team-high 15 points during that stage to spark
the winners. Nymburk also outshot Oostende from three-point range by
making 12 of 26 (46.1%) and outrebounded the Belgian champs 37-32. Petr
Benda scored 14, Mike Taylor 13, Miljan Pavkovic 10 and Pavel Houska
added 9 points and 11 rebounds for Nymburk, which plays next on
Thursday. Read more 
The
Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four heads to The O2 in London next
May and if you want to be among the lucky to witness this
history-making event, head to www.f4tickets.com to register for ticket
alerts. Be among the first to hear about any and all ticket-related
news, directly from the source. By pre-registering at
www.f4tickets.com, you will receive email alerts informing you when
each batch of tickets goes on sale. And since they are expected – as in
previous years – to sell out quickly, by signing up for the alerts, you
can get a jump on the rest of the fans worldwide in locking your place
at the exciting Final Four games scheduled May 10 to 12 in the British
capital. Read more 
A
comprehensive approach to helping improve the sport on and off the
court was the subject of the Annual Euroleague Head Coaches Meeting,
held on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the first Euroleague
Basketball Institute Technical Week. A total of 23 coaches whose teams
will participate in the 2012-13 Turkish Airlines Euroleague, either in
the regular season or qualifying rounds, convened in Barcelona for a
wide-ranging discussion of everything from rules interpretations to
corporate social responsibility programs. Read more 
The
Euroleague Basketball Institute's groundbreaking Basketball Rules
Summit concluded in Barcelona on Tuesday with an expert panel of
professionals in the sport making a series of recommendations to change
and interpret rules in ways that make the game more exciting for fans
of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Eurocup. The spirited
two-day debate among 13 of the top coaches, players, referees, team and
league executives, media, television and marketing experts reached a
consensus on proposals to improve a range of game situations that
respected the summit's goal in making the competitions cleaner, fairer
and more exciting. Read more 
In
a first-of-its-kind initiative, Euroleague Basketball will convene a
Basketball Rules Summit next week to debate how rules and regulations
can be put to the service of making the game even better for fans.
Expert professionals from across the spectrum of the sport will come
together in Barcelona, Spain, to propose and debate ways to improve the
spectacle, clarity and fairness of the rules for all participants and
the public. The two-day Basketball Rules Summit, starting Monday, July
2, will be part of the Euroleague Basketball Institute Technical Week,
which will continue later Wednesday with the Euroleague Basketball
Referee’s Commission Meeting. The Annual Euroleague Head Coaches
Meeting, where some of the proposals that come out of the Basketball
Rules Summit will be presented, follows on Wednesday and Thursday. Read
more 
