The
European Basketball Championship of 2011, universally referred to as
EuroBasket 2011, will be the 37th regional championship held by FIBA
Europe. The competition will be hosted by Lithuania.
FIBA Eurobasket 2011 on Wikipedia check here.
Official FIBA Eurobasket 2011 website check here.
August 31, 2011 - Daily News and Updates - IMPORTANT!!!
From
today, August 31, you can follow all daily news and updates from
EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania on our "EuroBasket 2011 Daily News" page.
Click here or click on banner above.
August 31, 2011 - Ikonic embraces underdog status
Sharp
shooter Goran Ikonic is no stranger to causing upsets and attaining
success as an underdog. Last season the guard helped propel KRKA Novo
Mesto to a glorious Eurochallenge Final Four success with an MVP
performance that will live long in the memory. Few people outside of
Slovenia and the club itself gave them much of a chance to finish top
of the podium and yet with the right chemistry, attitude and players
excelling in every position on the floor, they emerged victorious.
While nobody is realistically expecting Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach
the latter stages of EuroBasket 2011, Ikonic is at least hopeful they
can learn from what KRKA Novo Mesto achieved and will embrace their
status as one of the Group C underdogs and try to upset the odds. Read more here.
August 30, 2011 - EuroBasket 2011 opens with a record
The
Official Opening Ceremony of EuroBasket 2011, which took place on
Monday in Vilnius, was marked by a new world record of the kind that
can only be produced in Lithuania. As a prelude to the ceremony, more
than 55,000 fans bounced a basketball simultaneously, for a period of
five minutes, in six different cities accross the country.
Approximately 8,300 people in Klaipėda, 6,000 in Alytus, 7,250 in
Šiauliai, 7,600 in Panevėžys, 11,000 in Kaunas and 15,000 in the
capital Vilnius participated in the effort to break the record. Once
sufficient time had elapsed for the new record to be set, it was time
for the celebrations to begin in earnest. Read more here.
August 30, 2011 - Pekovic recovered and ready
Montenegro
fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The captain and star of the team,
Nikola Pekovic, has recovered from the knock he picked up in a friendly
victory over Ukraine that forced him to miss two games against Turkey
and is ready for the EuroBasket. The 2.09m center will be in the
line-up for Montenegro's first Group C game against FYR of Macedonia on
Wednesday. "I rested a few days because of minor injuries that I
suffered against Ukraine," Pekovic said, "but the situation is now much
better. "I had no problems with my last workout and I'm ready for the
start of the European Championship." Read more here.
August 29, 2011 - A weekend streak of bad luck
Lithuania,
Turkey and Belgium received very bad news from their medical teams this
weekend, that force them to cut key players from their roster with less
than four days to the start of the EuroBasket. The hosts will have a
hard time filling the void that Darjus Lavrinovic leaves in the paint.
The experienced center is suffering an Achilles tendon injury and as a
result coach Kestutis Kemzura had no choice but to leave him out of the
final squad. Lithuania EuroBasket 2011 squad: Šarūnas Jasikevičius,
Mantas Kalnietis, Tomas Delininkaitis, Rimantas Kaukėnas, Martynas
Pocius, Simas Jasaitis, Paulius Jankūnas, Darius Songaila, Kšištofas
Lavrinovičius, Jonas Valančiūnas, Marijonas Petravičius and Robertas
Javtokas. Read more here.
August 28, 2011 - Tripkovic, Milosavljevic cut by Ivkovic
Guards
Uros Tripkovic and Dragan Milosavljevic were on Saturday told they had
not made Serbia's roster for the EuroBasket. Dusan Ivkovic, the Serbia
coach, thought long and hard and decided to release the two talented
players. "It was tough decision," Ivkovic said, "but it was based on
several factors: current form, team chemistry, health of our players
but, also, types of our rivals' rosters. "We've had so many problems
during our training camp, but after almost three months, I can say we
are ready. "I have to congratulate both Tripkovic and Milosavljevic on
their effort and attitude, but we have had to adjust for what is going
to be the toughest European championship of all." Serbia will play in
Group B of the 24-team EuroBasket with France, Israel, Germany, Italy
and Latvia. Read more here.
August 26, 2011 - EuroBasket 2011 preview
The
road to the basketball glory will run through one of the sport's sacred
grounds, Lithuania, when EuroBasket 2011 starts on Wednesday, August 31
with 24 teams full or Euroleague and Eurocup talent battling not only
to become continental champs, but also to win two places in the 2012
London Olympics or four berths in next summer's pre-Olympics qualifying
tournament. EuroBasket 2011's structure was changed from previous
editions to add more drama from the very beginning. Teams have been
divided into four groups of six, only the best three teams of which
will reach the second phase at Siemens Arena in Vilnius. There, two
groups of six teams whose first-round results will also be counted,
will yield eight survivors to the medal rounds in Kaunas.Read more here.
August 26, 2011 - Turkey beat Montenegro, Ukraine fall
Turkey
beat Montenegro 81-69 on Thursday to win the Adidas Istanbul Cup. Orhun
Ene's side followed up their six-point triumph over New Zealand with
another victory to boost the confidence of the side with the EuroBasket
in Lithuania quickly approaching. Hedo Turkoglu was named the MVP of
the Istanbul Cup. He finished with 13 points against the Montenegrins.
Montenegro had defeated Ukraine on Wednesday and settled for second
place while the New Zealand Tall Blacks bounced back to defeat Ukraine
to clinch third. Montenegro coach Dejan Radonjic did not have Nikola
Pekovic, who had picked up a minor knock in the win over Ukraine. Read more here.
August 26, 2011 - Finland and Portugal book final two slots
Finland
and Portugal have qualified for Eurobasket 2011 via the Additional
Qualifying Rounds. Hungary are the sole team to miss out. Finland
finished top of the AQT with a perfect 4-0 record, and will travel to
Alytus where Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina and
F.Y.R of Macedonia await them in Group C. Portugal finished second with
a 2-2 record, and will travel to Panevezys where they will face Spain,
Turkey, Lithuania, Great Britain and Poland in Group A. Hungary
finished third where they lost all four games. In the game that decided
the final standings, Finland defeated Portugal 86-78 in Coimbra to
clinch the top spot. Read more here.
August 24, 2011 - Collet calls in Tchicamboud
France
coach Vincent Collet has called Steed Tchicamboud in to his EuroBasket
squad after the withdrawal of Antoine Diot due to injury. Diot was
forced to pull out with a back problem and Collet has selected the
veteran Tchicamboud to take his place. "We have taken time to reflect
before making the choice of Steed Tchicamboud," Collet said. "It is
important to replace Antoine who was a real playmaker in order to
maintain the balance of our team identity. "We are certain that Steed
is physically ready and his profile is in keeping with what we need."
There had been speculation that Fabien Causeur or Abdoulaye M'Baye
would get the call, but Collet explained why he looked elsewhere. Read more here.
August 24, 2011 - Velickovic ruled out for Serbia
Serbia
will head to the EuroBasket without key forward Novica Velickovic, who
has lost his fitness battle with a muscle injury. The Real Madrid star
had been training alone as he tried to regain his fitness, and has
missed all of Serbia's warm-up games. After the team returned from the
London Invitational Tournament this weekend, it was determined that
Velickovic, who averaged more than 11 points per game at both
EuroBasket 2009 and the 2010 FIBA World Championship, would not recover
in time. "Novica has been able to improve his condition during his time
with the national team, but the special program he has followed and the
treatment he has received have still not been enough to make him
healthy in time for EuroBasket," said team doctor Dragan Radovanovic.
Read more here. You can also check this out.
August 24, 2011 - Fans prepare Cido Arena for EuroBasket
There's
only one week left until EuroBasket 2011 tip-off and the excitement is
as high as ever. Lithuanian fans led by Tomas Balaišis-Sekla decorated
Cido Arena in Panevėžys to show their support for the national team.
Cido Arena is the only EuroBasket 2011 venue which has cycling track in
it. Since the track couldn't have been replaced with additional seats,
the fans decided to use it for another purpose. Namely, cover it with a
huge flag of Lithuania. It took several hours to cover the whole track
which is 250 m in length and 7 m in width. Read more here.
August 22, 2011 - Back woe sees Diot exit French team
Antoine
Diot was one of France's brightest young stars at the EuroBasket in
Poland two years ago when they lost just once but for the second
straight summer since, he'll have to miss a big tournament because of
back problems. After being sidelined from last year's FIBA World
Championship in Turkey with a herniated disc, Diot struggled to recover
full fitness in 2010-11 but coach Vincent Collet included him in the
EuroBasket squad in the hope he'd be ready when the tournament tips off
on August 31. Collet, who had liked the chemistry Diot enjoyed with
starting playmaker Tony Parker in Poland, had to release the
22-year-old from duty on Sunday because of recurring lumbar pain.Read more here.
August 19, 2011 - Germany sky high with Nowitzki aboard
There
is not a more significant photo circulating in Germany right now than
the national team picture just taken by the Germany Basketball
Federation. In it is a squad full of players, most who are grinning ear
to ear. Dirk Nowitzki, wearing number 14 on his Deutschland jersey, is
among them. The Dallas Mavericks superstar has joined the national side
with two weeks remaining in the preparations and will no doubt be in
the starting line-up when Germany go up against Israel in their
EuroBasket Group B opener on August 31 in Siauliai. While coach Dirk
Bauermann isn't smiling, he is no doubt feeling very good about the
presence of both Nowitzki and Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman,
two players he hasn't had in his squad since the 2008 Olympics in
Beijing. Read more here.
August 19, 2011 - Portugal, Finns punch EuroBasket ticket
Portugal
stunned Hungary 66-57 on Thursday night to punch their ticket to the
EuroBasket. In beating the Hungarians for the second time in the
Additional Qualifying Round, the Portuguese improved to 2-1. The
triumph also sealed a spot in the EuroBasket for Finland (2-0), who had
won their opening two games against the Hungarians and Portugal. The
Hungarians (0-3) are eliminated because they have just one game left.
Joao Santos had 16 points and seven rebounds to lead Portugal on
Thursday. A pivotal stretch in the game occurred after Hungary jumped
into an 8-5 lead almost four minutes into the contest. Read more here.
August 17, 2011 - Kaman promises he will be ready
Chris
Kaman is telling Germany's basketball fans not to worry if it takes a
little while for him to find his rhythm and be a big contributor this
summer at the EuroBasket. The Los Angeles Clippers center and the
country's basketball icon, NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas
Mavericks, have just linked up with the national team and have only two
weeks before the start of the Final Round in Lithuania. "I haven't
played basketball since April," Kaman said in an interview with DBB-TV.
"I've been just on my own, shooting, running and lifting weights - all
that stuff." Kaman isn't sure what he'll be able to do in this week's
Bamberg Tournament when the Germans take on Greece, Turkey and China.
The friendly event starts on Friday. Read more here.
August 17, 2011 - France, Serbia, Croatia and GB In London
The
London Invitational Tournament, which serves as the Olympic Test Event
for basketball, tips off on Tuesday. Great Britain, who will be at the
Olympics as hosts, along with Serbia, Croatia, France, Australia and
China will take part in the test event. The Serbs, French, Croatians
and Brits are using this week's games as part of their preparations for
the EuroBasket in Lithuania. First up for the Brits is France, and that
should have meant the home side's Luol Deng would go up against his
Chicago Bulls teammate Joakim Noah of Les Bleus. Read more here.
August 16, 2011 - Charalampidis not going to Lithuania
Kostas
Charalampidis of Greece will not realize his dream of playing at the
EuroBasket in Lithuania. A late call-up to the squad, the 35-year-old
guard once played for national team coach Ilias Zouros at club level.
But Zouros must trim his squad to 12 players for the EuroBasket and
Charalampidis was cut following the team's three games at the Trofeo
Tassoni in Rimini, Italy. "I want to thank Kostas for his help in the
preparations and his presence in the group," Zouros said. "He really
helped a lot and was a positive factor for the national team all this
time. Read more here.
August 14, 2011 - Germany surprise, Serbia bounce back
Germany
made headlines for the second straight day at the Sportoto World Cup in
Izmir with a 79-72 triumph over hosts Turkey. Fresh off their upset of
Serbia, Dirk Bauermann's team clinched another confidence-boosting win
on Friday with Tibor Pleiss pouring in 20 points. "We have delivered a
performance of high quality," the coach said. "You can tell that the
young team now has been together for a third summer in a row and has
developed." Serbia found themselves in a dogfight against Ukraine in
the first half on Friday but after the break blew the game wide open in
the third quarter and recorded an 83-57 victory. Dusan Ivkovic, the
Serbia coach, had good things to say about Ukraine. Read more here.
August 12, 2011 - Georgia 'Family' travel to Netherlands
Georgia
have taken 14 players to the Netherlands for a warm-up tournament ahead
of the EuroBasket. In Holland, the Georgians will encounter the Dutch
national side, Israel and American college basketball side Villanova.
Their most famous player, Zaza Pachulia of the Atlanta Hawks, has
accompanied the squad to the Netherlands and will no doubt be the focal
point of the team this summer. A newcomer is Marquez Haynes, a
naturalized shooting guard from the United States. "To be a member of
the team, this is a great honor for me," Haynes said. "I noticed from
the first day that this was one big family. Read more here.
August 11, 2011 - Poland without Gortat at EuroBasket
Poland
have announced that center Marcin Gortat will not play at the
EuroBasket after the federation's failure to acquire an insurance
policy the NBA center needed to take part in the competition. The
Phoenix Suns big man, who thrilled the home crowds at EuroBasket 2009
in Poland, is a direct casualty of the NBA lockout. One of the
consequences of the lockout - a labor dispute between the NBA team
owners and players that began at the start of the summer - was a
shutdown in league operations. And that meant the burden of acquiring
insurance for players fell on the federations. In a statement on the
Polish Basketball Federation's website, Gortat expressed his regret
over the situation. "I want and I'm always ready to play in the Polish
national team," Gortat said. Read more here.
August 9, 2011 - Youngsters impress as Brits down Dutch
The
mood could not be any better in the Great Britain camp ahead of the
EuroBasket following a 96-70 demolition of the Netherlands in their
first warm-up game on Sunday. All 14 of Britain's players in the squad
for the contest played at least 10 minutes, and Ryan Richards led the
way with 16 points. Big man Eric Boateng also had 13 points, including
nine in the first quarter, and six rebounds. "It was an enjoyable game,
everyone contributed well and did some really good things," Boateng
said. "We need to work on some areas, but the younger guys showed some
positive moves and it's looking good." Read more here.
August 9, 2011 - Finnish high after win at Germany
Finland
served notice they will be very tough opponents for Hungary and
Portugal in the EuroBasket 2011 Additional Qualifying Round by winning
79-74 at Germany in a friendly. The triumph was not only the first for
Finland against the Germans since 1995, it also marked the first time
since 1973 that Germany hosted the Finns and lost. Defense, Finland's
star guard Petteri Koponen said, was the difference. "The defense has
to be our weapon," he said. Finland played very well late in the
contest. Robin Benzing hit a couple of free-throws to knot the game at
74-74 with 54 seconds to play, but S Salin hit a lay-up and Finland's
defensive pressure led to a Benzing pass going out of bounds. Read more here.
August 5, 2011 - Slovenia, Serbia with roster changes
Slovenia
coach Bozidar Maljkovic has called U18 captain Luka Rupnik into this
squad after the youngster impressed at the U18 European Championship
Men in Poland this summer. Rupnik is due to meet with his international
team-mates on Friday as they go into the weekend's Adecco Cup friendly
games. "Rupnik was always intended to get a call-up, but he had a
commitment with the youth team first," Maljkovic said. "Even before the
start of the preparations we said we wanted to give special attention
to the best young players and Rupnik is certainly one of the most
talented. Read more here.
August 3, 2011 - Calathes back but Sofoklis out for Greece
The
welcome return of Nick Calathes was overshadowed by another day of
turmoil for Greece in their troubled build-up to the EuroBasket. The
good news is that star guard Calathes has arrived at training camp,
although he has not yet been cleared to play on his injured ankle and
his condition will be assessed over the next 10 days before a decision
is made as to whether to include him in full practice. But hours after
Calathes jetted in from the United States, Greece coach Elias Zouros
was handed another headache with the sudden withdrawal of big man
Sofoklis Schortsianitis. Read more here.
August 3, 2011 - Llull: Up to eight candidates for gold
Sergio
Llull has warned his Spain team-mates there are "seven or eight" teams
capable of winning the EuroBasket and they will need to be at their
best to get a medal in Lithuania. All the talk around the Spain squad
this week has been about defending their title and taking gold once
again, but Llull has admitted they cannot just expect to turn up and
win. "We must take things step by step," he said. "There are many
teams, many with NBA stars in their teams, and this will be one of the
most difficult EuroBaskets in recent years. "Not winning gold would not
be a failure. If I try to think of a favourite, I can think of seven or
eight teams who are capable of winning gold, teams like Lithuania,
Serbia, and France." Read more here.
August 2, 2011 - Bjelica gets green light
Nemanja
Bjelica has been cleared for full practice with Serbia ahead of the
EuroBasket. The forward had been undertaking only individual exercises
following surgery on his hand three months ago, but travelled to
Barcelona to be examined by the doctor who operated on him and got a
thumbs up. "The good news has been reported to us by the team doctor
Dragan Radovanovic, who travelled with Nemanja to Barcelona," said team
manager Nebojsa Ilic. "The doctor who operated on him has taken a look
and given the green light for him to return here and train at full
speed." Read more here.
August 2, 2011 - Cakarevic ruled out for Serbia
Marko
Cakarevic has been ruled out of Serbia's EuroBasket campaign with a
foot injury. The Partizan Belgrade forward, who finished third in the
domestic MVP race, has had to leave training camp after failing to
overcome the problem. "We did our best to help him recover, but these
problems are very tough and there was no sense in continuing to ask him
to do things that his body can't do at this moment," said coach Dusan
Ivkovic. "I feel really sorry for Marko. I've watched a lot of his
games this season, and he is a really special player. "Because of his
style and his abilities, I wanted to count on him, I kept a place for
him in the national team, and he would have given us something
different." Read more here.
August 2, 2011 - Ukic injury rocks Croatia
Croatia's
EuroBasket hopes have been dealt a major blow with the loss of starting
guard Roko Ukic with a broken foot. The 26-year-old Fenerbahce star
suffered a broken metatarsal bone in his foot during practice on Friday
and is likely to be out until mid-September. "I am heartsick and
terribly disappointed," Ukic said. "I do not know what else to say. I
was so looking forward to playing at the EuroBasket where I really
wanted to help Croatia." The former Toronto Raptors star averaged 13.6
points and 3.8 assists per game at the EuroBasket 2009 and was expected
to play a major leadership role in Lithuania. Read more here.
August 1, 2011 - Kaun knocked out of Eurobasket
As
officially announced by the Russian Basketball Federaiton, Sasha Kaun
will have to stay out of Eurobasket for injury reasons. The nature of
the player's injury requires immediate medical attention and the player
will undergo surgery in Cleveland tomorrow. He is expected to resume
training in four weeks. Russia NT General Manager Oleg Ushakov stated
that the player's health is above everything and wished the player good
luck. Read more here.
July 29, 2011 - Noah nearing France return
France
are hoping to have Joakim Noah back in their EuroBasket training camp
next week but there was more bad news on the injury front following a
second straight victory over Canada. Les Bleus topped the Canadians
86-69 in Toulouse a day after enjoying a 106-44 rout in Pau, but once
again the news was dominated by the injuries that have hit the squad.
That news was good on Noah, who has come through the first phase of his
rehab program in Los Angeles and is closer to rejoining the team. "Our
goal is for him to be in Pau (on Tuesday)," said team director Patrick
Beesley. "But we must wait for the green light from the doctors. Read more here.
July 29, 2011 - Gasol going for gold again
Only one colour interests Pau Gasol when it comes to international basketball: Gold.
The Spain star insists there can be no other target for Spain when they
defend their title at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. "We can only go for
gold," he told AS. "An ambitious and highly competitive team likes ours
cannot look for anything other than that, but always with respect for
the opponents. "We have great potential to win, but I do not know about
the other teams. Every opponent has two arms, two legs and a strong
desire to win, especially us." Gasol was missing from the Spain team
that only managed sixth place at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey
last year, but says there are no fatigue problems this summer. Read
more here.
July 26, 2011 - Nachbar out of Eurobasket
Bostjan
Nachbar is set to miss Eurobasket 2011 after having to go through
surgery to fix a problem in his ankle. After consulting the medical
team of the Slovenia NT it was decided that the player should undergo
an urgent operation, so he wouldn't aggravate the problem. The
rehabilitation period is estimated around 4-6 weeks. Therefore, the
player won't be able to play in Lithuania in the upcoming Eurobasket
tournament. This comes as another powerful blow to the Slovenian side
which will field a team without many star players such as Brezec,
Udrih, Vidmar and others, for various reasons. Read more here.
July 26, 2011 - For Batum It's Gold, Then Olympics
Nicolas
Batum is not beating around the bush when it comes to France's goal at
the EuroBasket. "I want a gold medal," Batum told French sports daily
L'Equipe. "We'll see how the journey goes, but I am playing for a
title." Joakim Noah's dominant presence in the paint can prove a
catalyst for France's gold medal effort, believes Batum. Indeed, the
22-year-old already has half an eye on the 2012 Olympics - with a
ticket to London the prize for the winner in Lithuanuia. "I've always
wanted to do the opening ceremony," he said. "My goal is to enter the
stadium behind the flag. That's my dream." Read more here.
July 26, 2011 - Dragicevic Believes In Montenegro Potential
Vladimir
Dragicevic has hailed Montenegro's preparations for EuroBasket 2011 as
they look forward to competing in their first major tournament. The
squad have spent the last week in Zlatibor as they begin tuning up for
the tournament in Lithuania, and Dragicevic is impressed with the
progress they have made. "The atmosphere in the team is excellent, and
we are all here with the same goal - to best prepare for the first
major tournament in which our country will participate," he said. "We
are all giving our maximum in training and look forward to the start of
the EuroBasket. Read more here.
July 25, 2011 - FIBA refuses to insure Khryapa for Eurobasket
Viktor's
Khryapa participation in Eurobasket is on thin ice after FIBA refused
to insure the player for the tournament. According to CSKA president
Andrey Vatutin the insurance carrier of FIBA is refusing to insure the
player after the injury problems which the player faced last year. In
fact the insurance company has yet to pay CSKA for the player's injury
last season, which occurred during the World Championship in Turkey. "I
am sure the Russian Basketball Federation will do everything in its
power to resolve the player's insurance case." said Vatutin. According
to the player himself he will join the team's training camp on August 1. Read more here.
July 24, 2011 - Spanoulis to miss Eurobasket
Greek
international combo guard Vasilis Spanoulis will have to skip the
upcoming Eurobasket due to injury. Spanoulis had to leave Greece NT
training camp yesterday after being in pain during the previous days.
After getting examined it was decided he should get a surgery on his
adductor muscle, something which will keep him out for a while. His
injury will give national coach Elias Zouros a headache regarding the
point guard position as after Diamantidis and Papaloukas retirement,
Nick Calathes is also doubtful for the tournament.
July 23, 2011 - Fratello begins his adventure with Ukraine
Ukraine
coach Mike Fratello has begun preparing his squad for Eurobasket in
Lithuania, by taking them to Klaipeda - where they will play their
Group D games. The former Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies coach,
turned TV analyst has taken the national team to Lithuania's third
largest city to begin training camp. Not only will Ukraine train in
Klaipeda, but they will also play their warm-up games there too, so
that they can grow accustomed to the city situated at the mouth of the
Nemunas River. "We go to work," Fratello said. "We put the system in,
the offensive system, the defensive system. We try to play different
combinations of people together so we can try and find out and get a
feel for who the best groups are together and working towards our goal
for the future." Read more here.
July 22, 2011 - Nowitzki will play at the EuroBasket
Dirk
Nowitzki has firmly declared his readiness to play for Germany at the
EuroBasket. The German Basketball Federation published an announcement
on their website on Friday afternoon with Nowitzki, as well as Chris
Kaman, stating their intention to put on the national team shirt in
Lithuania. The presence of Nowitzki, who earlier this summer led the
Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA title, means the 24-team EuroBasket
will include one of the best players in the world. "The break was very
short, but I would like to help the German team be successful at the
EuroBasket," Nowitzki said. "I will try now to do everything to get top
fitness and am looking forward to the time with my teammates." Read more here.
July 10, 2011 - Everyone Is Dribbling For Lithuania
An
original, never-before-seen, even in a country as crazy about
basketball as Lithuania campaign got off to a flying start in Kaunas on
6th July. The choice of place and date was anything but random. The
Sixth of July is the National Day of Lithuania and the city of Kaunas
is the cradle of Lithuanian basketball. The name of the promotional
campaign is ‘Dribble for Lithuania' and it consists of an eight-week
long, nationwide basketball-dribbling relay. As part of the campaign, a
thousand Molten balls embarked on a journey in Kaunas on Wednesday
night and will be dribbled by thousands of fans non-stop across
Lithuania until the opening day of EuroBasket 2011. However, the most
important ball is the very first one. Read more here.
July 6, 2011 - Turkey Squad Includes Preldzic, Kanter
The
EuroBasket Women may be over but the applause being directed at
silver-medal winners Turkey sure isn't. At Tuesday's Turkish Basketball
Federation press conference to announce the preliminary squad for the
EuroBasket in Lithuania, the attention deservedly fell on coach Ceyhun
Yildizoglu and his magnificent squad that made history in Poland. Never
before had a Turkish women's team reached the Semi-Finals of a
EuroBasket Women, so to make it all the way to the title game remains a
cause for huge celebrations from Izmir, to Istanbul, to Ankara and
everywhere else in the country that has a growing appetite for the
game. The focus is gradually shifting to the men's team, though. Read more here.
July 6, 2011 - Serbia Start Preparations With Doubts
Serbia
coach Dusan Ivkovic is facing some serious obstacles ahead of the
EuroBasket in Lithuania concerning player availability. The veteran
tactician announced a 19-man squad for the national team's first
training camp but only 15 of those called showed up for the opening
day. Some were absent with permission, like captain Nenad Krstic, who
is completing his move from the NBA to CSKA Moscow, but others like
Miroslav Raduljica have informed the coach that they will not be with
the team. Raduljica, a member of Serbia's silver-medal winning side at
EuroBasket 2009 in Poland, has decided to stay away after an
injury-riddled campaign. "He called me and said that it's an honor to
be called to play for Serbia, but added that he wanted to spend the
summer with his family, trying to recover from injuries," said Ivkovic. Read more here.
July 5, 2011 - Gortat Gives Thumbs-Up To Poland
Marcin
Gortat has announced his intention to play for Poland at the EuroBasket
in Lithuania. The 2.13m Phoenix Suns center has returned to Europe from
the United States and revealed he will suit up for the Poles when they
play in Group A against Spain, Turkey, Lithuania, Great Britain and a
team that comes from the Additional Qualifying Round. "I'll be playing
in the Polish squad," Gortat said on Monday. "The condition, however,
is that the Polish Basketball Federation pay the insurance which the
Phoenix Suns provide me but doesn't apply during the lockout." The NBA
owners locked out their players and suspended league operations last
week following the expiration of their collective bargaining agreement. Read more here.
July 5, 2011 - Turkey NT preliminary squad announced
Turkish
National selector Orhun Ene has announced the 18-men list of the
preliminary squad of the team. Obviously the big news comes from the
calling of Emir Preldzic, who seems to have been given the green light
by FIBA. Read more here.
July 1, 2011 - Montenegro Name Preliminary Squad
Montenegro
coach Dejan Radonjic has announced his 16-man preliminary squad for the
EuroBasket. Minnesota center Nikola Pekovic and Lottomatica Roma's
Vladimir Dasic are included as well as Nikola Vucevic, the 20-year-old
who was just taken in the first round of the NBA Draft by Philadelphia.
Vucevic spent the last three years playing American college basketball
at the University of South Carolina. Omar Cook, coming off an
outstanding season at Power Electronics Valencia, remains the
naturalized player in the group. The native New Yorker helped the club
reach the Quarter-Finals of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague for the
first time this season and also ran the point as they clinched a
third-place finish during the ACB regular season. Read more here.
June 28, 2011 - Italy Announce Preliminary Squad
Eighteen
players know for certain they have a chance to feature for Italy at
this summer's EuroBasket in Lithuania after being named in an
preliminary squad on Tuesday. Among them are the NBA trio of Danilo
Gallinari, Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli, players who are
certainties if they avoid injuries in the preparation period.
Gallinari, the 22-year-old Denver Nuggets forward, had been set to make
his Italy senior team bow at EuroBasket 2007 in Spain but injury
prevented him from taking part and he has still to feature because of
other health problems in the years that have followed. Another player
to keep an eye on will be Antonio Maestranzi, a 1.78m point guard who
played big minutes in last summer's Division A campaign. Read more here.
June 26, 2011 - Bokolo Pulls Out Of France Squad
Yannick
Bokolo has withdrawn from France's 16-man preliminary squad for the
EuroBasket, citing family and personal reasons. The
Gravelines-Dunkerque star had played the last two years with France and
the decision has caught coach Vincent Collet off guard. Strasbourg's
Abdoulaye Mbaye replaces Bokolo in the squad. "As you can imagine, I
regret Yannick's decision," Collet said. "It was during recent
campaigns that he brought many positive things both on and off the
court. His commitment and attitude will be missed. "We therefore call
on Abdoulaye M'Baye, whose profile is not quite the same but is a young
player who should have a chance. " Read more here.
June 22, 2011 - Ibaka In Spain Squad
A
new era has begun for Spain with center Serge Ibaka named in the 15-man
preliminary squad for this summer's EuroBasket. The Congolese-born
Oklahoma City power forward, one of the top defensive players in the
NBA, learned his basketball in Spain before crossing the Atlantic to
play in America. Spain's Basketball Federation (FEB) are hoping that
Ibaka will be naturalized in time to play when the EuroBasket is staged
in Lithuania. The tournament tips off at the end of August. "We still
don't know if Ibaka will be able to be with us," Spain coach Sergio
Scariolo said. "The FEB has followed all of the necessary procedures
and we are moderately optimistic. But we will have to wait and see." Read more here.
June 17, 2011 - Official EuroBasket music video presented
EuroBasket
2011 will have not only official theme song but also its own music
video. The official song in Lithuanian was presented a few months ago.
Recently an English version fo the song was created and music video was
recorded. The original Lithuanian title of the song is "Krepšinio
himnas" which means "Anthem of basketball". The English version is
named "Celebrate Basketball". Read more here.
June 17, 2011 - Slovenia name preliminary squad
Slovenia
coach Bozidan Majlkovic has named a preliminary 17-man squad for the
upcoming Eurobasket that starts on August 31st. The big news is that
Barcelona's Erazem Lorbek, who took a year out last summer is included
on the list, along with team-mate Jaka Lakovic. Both just recently won
the Spanish ACB title with a series sweep over Bilbao. Houston Rockets
guard Goran Dragic is also added, along with his younger brother Zoran,
who won the Slovenian crown with Krka. Majlkovic will need to make cuts
before flying out to Lithuania, where they begin life in Klaipedia
against Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belgium and Georgia. Read more here.
June 16, 2011 - Spain preliminary squad: Vazquez out, Sada in
Sergio
Scariolo picked 15 players for Spain national team. Even though
reigning European champions were expected to bring their strongest
roster, Fran Vazquez will not play in EuroBasket 2011. Marca reports
that Vazquez decided not join the national team this year due to his
status as a free agent and knee problems. It is also reported that
following Jorge Garbajosa's retirement from the national team Spanish
Basketball Federation (FEB) will try convince Alex Mumbru to reconsider
his decision to end international career. The 32-year-old forward is
currently a member of Bilbao Basket and has just recently finished the
season after 0-3 loss in ACB finals against Barcelona. Read more here.
June 16, 2011 - Britain preliminary squad without Pops
Great
Britain star Pops Mensah-Bonsu is not going to recover in time from a
shoulder operation to play at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. The ASVEL
Villeurbanne/Lyon man, who got hurt at the start of the LNB play-offs,
underwent surgery and was not in the 17-man preliminary squad announced
by British Basketball on Wednesday. Britain have lost a player that
averaged 19.3 points and a Division A best 13.5 rebounds per game
during their Division A campaign. Read more here.
June 14, 2011 - Garbajosa retires from the national team
Jorge
Garbajosa will no longer be representing Spain in international
tournaments. 33-year-old forward decided it was the right time end his
career in the national team. During eleven years of international
career Garbajosa was a key player for Spain. With him on the roster
Spain won six medals, the most notable ones were gold in FIBA World
Championship 2006 and gold in EuroBasket 2009. Read more here.
June 9, 2011 - EuroBasket 2011 promo videos presented
EuroBasket
2011 will be the biggest sporting event hosted by Lithuania and it gets
a massive amount of interest in basketball-crazy nation. The first few
tournament promo videos appeared recently. The four videos are already
being played on Lithuanian TV channels and are dedicated to the local
audience even though the amount of tickets sold is alredy above 90%. Read more here.
June 6, 2011 - Kemzura picks 20 candidates for Lithuania
Kestutis
Kemzura who faces a tough task of leading Lithuania to EuroBasket 2011
announced a 20-man list of candidates for the national team. The list
includes eight players who were on the team that won bronze in World
Championship in Turkey and six veterans. Kemzura will try to fuse a
team of both young players as well as experienced stars. "The date of
birth in player's passport doesn't to matter", Kemzura said. He also
made it clear several times that he wants the best players available
regardless of their age. Read more here.
June 4, 2011 - Pau Gasol confirms participation in EuroBasket 2011
Spain
should be able to field its strongest roster as the team will try to
retain European title later this year in Lithuania. Los Angeles Lakers
star Pau Gasol confirmed his decision to represent his country again
after one year of absence. Pau Gasol played for Spain last time in
EuroBasket 2009 and helped his team win gold for the first time in
history. Lakers' early exit out of NBA playoffs this season gave more
time for Pau Gasol to rest and will surely give him additional
motivation competing for Spain. Read more here.
May 30, 2011 - Bourousis quits Greece NT
Olympiacos'
international Greek center, Ioannis Bourousis, has announced his
withdrawal from Greece NT after his team's defeat against Panathinaikos
earlier in the night. Bourousis' move comes as another display of
Olympiacos' growing unease with the mistreatment they are getting from
the referees in their domestic competitions, as the club claims.
Bourousis stated: "I am no longer available to play for Greece NT. I
have done everything for this team, even played with a broken hand. In
exchange all I get by the basketball organisation here is disrespect,
both as a human being and as a player. Under these circumstances I quit
Greece NT. It's not a warning, it's a decision". Read more here.
May 23, 2011 - Siskauskas: I'm not changing my mind
Ramunas
Siskauskas is not going to play for Lithuanian national team ever
again. CSKA Moscow forward rejected Vladas Garastas' persuasion to
return from international retirement, stating that these type of talks
need to stop. 32-year-old player was officially asked to help the
national team but was less than impressed with the invitation. 'I said
"good bye" once to the national team after Beijing Olympics and I
thought that the talks about the national team will be finished with
that. Though I am constantly asked whether I'll make a comeback twice a
year', Siskauskas said in an interview to lrytas.lt. Read more here.
May 20, 2011 - Garastas asks Siskauskas to help NT
After
losing two important players, the hosts of EuroBasket 2011 are looking
for ways to cover the losses by bringing back veterans. The head of
Lithuanian basketball, Vladas Garastas, has officially asked Ramunas
Siskauskas to reconsider his decision to retire from the national team.
Siskauskas, who will turn 33 during EuroBasket, announced his
international retirement in 2008 after Beijing Olympic Games and has
since several times declared that he will not be changing his mind.
Lithuania will be without Linas Kleiza and Jonas Maciulis during the
tournament as both players suffered injuries that will keep them out of
action for several months. Read more here.
May 17, 2011 - Italy: Gallinari, Bargnani Ready To Go
The
big guns are lining up for Italy ahead of EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania.
Both Andrea Bargnani and Danilo Gallinari have stated their intention
to wear the Azzurri shirt when they compete in the 24-team event which
tips off at the end of August and Marco Belinelli is also expected to
be with the squad. The three players are in the NBA. Gallinari now
plays for Denver and Belinelli with New Orleans while Bargnani is still
on the books of Toronto. "For now, I'm getting some rest," the
22-year-old Gallinari said in a radio interview in Milan, with the
remarks carried by basketnews.net. "Then, I will leave for China to
take part in a program for the NBA. Read more here.
May 13, 2011 - Maciulis will miss EuroBasket 2011
Lithuania
will be keeping their fingers crossed that forward Jonas Maciulis did
not suffer a serious knee injury while playing for Armani Jeans Milano
in Thursday night's game against Vanoli Braga Cremona. Maciulis left
the court on a stretcher and was due to have tests on his right knee
this weekend. The 2.00m forward averaged nine points per game last
summer at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey as Kestutis Kemzura's
team rode a wild card entry all the way to the bronze medal. Read more here.
April 28, 2011 - Parker: I will be at EuroBasket 2011
Tony
Parker is determined to return to French national team this summer
after one-year break. 29-year-old NBA star confirmed his intention in a
recent interview he gave to a French TV sports show 'Stade 2'. San
Antonio Spurs point guard is excited to make a comeback especially
since Joakim Noah recently expressed desire to make his debut for
France this summer. Read more here.
April 25, 2011 - EuroBasket 2011 game times confirmed
The
game times for EuroBasket 2011 were confirmed. Since the tournament was
expanded from 16 to 24 teams, there will be three games played in each
group every day. The first game of the day will start at 15:15 local
time (1:15 PM GMT) in Group A & B and 15:30 (1:30 GMT) for Group C
& D.
The tip-off of the second games will be at 17:45 and 18:00 local time
for Group A & B and Group C & D accordingly. There will be no
time differences for the final game of the night as it will start at
21:00 local time in all groups.
April 23, 2011 - Ivkovic To Coach Serbia As Volunteer
Dusan
Ivkovic is back as the head coach of Serbia, and he'll do the job as a
volunteer. The new Serbian Basketball Federation (KSS) president Dragan
Djilas, who is the mayor of Belgrade, announced this week that Ivkovic
was going to lead the team. But he also said the financially-strapped
KSS wouldn't be able to make good on outstanding payments to the coach.
"I've told Mr. Djilas, when he informed me that he'll be a candidate
for KSS's presidency, that if he really did that - he could count on
me," Ivkovic said. "It's an honor and pleasure for me to lead our
national team. Read more here.
April 20, 2011 - LKF sets goal for the national team
Lithuanian
Basketball Federation (LKF) has set the goals for the men's national
team in the upcoming EuroBasket 2011. The team is expected to reach the
final and get a direct qualification for London Olympics. Although
local fans are dreaming about gold since Lithuania was awarded the
right to host the tournament in 2004, LKF will settle for silver as it
will ensure that Lithuania will participate in Olympic Games for the
5th time in a row since regaining independence in 1990. Read more here.
March 24, 2011 - Scariolo Thinks About Potential Newcomers
Spain
national team coach Sergio Scariolo is keeping a close watch on a group
of newcomers that have a chance of making this summer's EuroBasket
squad. Oklahoma City power forward Serge Ibaka, who was born in Zaire
21 years ago but learned his basketball in Spain and played at Manresa,
is among those Scariolo is monitoring. "Ibaka is currently doing the
paperwork to get his Spanish nationality and it seems as though there
is a possibility that he will have it before the EuroBasket," Scariolo
said. "This is why he is among the group of 18 to 20 players that we
are following throughout the season to form the definite group. "Every
year, there are new players that come in and when there is compromise,
enthusiasm and work, the adaptation is good." Caja Laboral's Alaska
native Brad Oleson and Real Madrid's Montenegro-born Nikola Mirotic are
others. Read more here.
March 12, 2011 - Gallinari Boost For Italy
Europe
will finally see the full might of Italy this summer when the Azzurri
play at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. Italy coach Simone Pianigiani,
without reservation, has said Danilo Gallinari of the Denver Nuggets
will be in the line-up when his team takes on Israel, France, Latvia,
Germany and Serbia in Group B, arguably the toughest of the pools in
the First Round. Gallinari hasn't been able to play for the Italy
senior team because of injuries, including a back problem that was
thought to be career-threatening. Recently dealt from the New York
Knicks to Denver in the big Carmelo Anthony trade, Gallinari, currently
out of action with a toe problem, has enjoyed his best season in the
NBA, averaging 15.9 points and 4.8 boards. Read more here.
March 7, 2011 - The Date Of The Eurobasket 2011 Tickets Sales Postponed
Tickets
in Eurobasket 2011 in Lithuania, for technical reasons, will start
later than planned. It was released before the Eurobasket 2011 tickets
go on sale March 1, but later it was announced that tickets go on sale
March 17 at 10:00 local time Lithuanian. This change was made due to
the fact that more than half the countries participating in the
“Eurobasket 2011″ basketball federation has failed to provide the
required number of tickets for their association. Under international
agreements, organizer of the tournament – Lithuanian Basketball
Federation and “Eurobasket 2011″ Organizing Committee – must provide a
certain number of tickets for the tournament basketball federations
participating countries. Read more here.
February 25, 2011 - Ukraine Hand Reins To Fratello
Ukraine
will be led by former NBA coach Mike 'The Czar' Fratello at the
EuroBasket this summer in Lithuania. Fratello, the former boss of the
Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies who turned 64
on Thursday, has reached an agreement on a deal with Ukraine's
basketball federation and will sign a contract in the coming days.
Ukraine Basketball Federation president Olexandr Volkov, who once
played for the Hawks, said: "We have a verbal agreement and will sign
an official contract any day now. Read more here.
February 11, 2011 - EuroBasket 2011 anthem voted by Lithuanian fans
A
week later after EuroBasket 2011 draw ceremony was finished Lithuanian
basketball fans voted for the song which was supposed to become an
anthem of this year's EuroBasket. A whole bunch of some of the most
famous local artists submitted their songs for the judgement of the
fans. Eventually top 10 songs were chosen for a live TV show during
which the winner was decided. Read more here.
February 2, 2011 - Turkey Go
Forward With New Coach Ene
Turkey
officially began a new era on Wednesday by unveiling Orhun Ene as the
head coach of the national team. A former national team point guard,
Ene has replaced Bogdan Tanjevic at the helm. Tanjevic steered the
national side to the silver medal at last year's FIBA World
Championship in Istanbul and Ene was among his assistants. "I'm excited
about working for Turkish basketball to have bigger achievements than
ever before," said Ene at a press conference in Istanbul. Read
more here.
February 1, 2011 - Legendary
Ambassador Sabonis
In
Lithuania, basketball has an almost religion-like status and a big part
of the population considers hosting a EuroBasket an once-in-a-lifetime
experience. In this context, it's easy to understand why the EuroBasket
2011 official ambassador needed to be a "larger than life" figure.
Luckily, figures -Lithuanian or otherwise- don't come any bigger than
that of Arvydas Sabonis. Read more here.
January 30, 2011 - The EuroBasket
2011 Draw
The
EuroBasket 2011 Draw took place on Sunday night at the National Drama
Theatre of Vilnius, in the most spectacular ceremony with a European
basketball theme ever. Reigning EuroBasket champions Spain and hosts
Lithuania were drawn together in what promises to be the most hotly
contested group, along with World Championship silver medallists
Turkey, Great Britain, Poland and the second team to qualify from the
Additional Qualifying Round which features Finland, Hungary and
Portugal. Read more here.
Sharp
shooter Goran Ikonic is no stranger to causing upsets and attaining
success as an underdog. Last season the guard helped propel KRKA Novo
Mesto to a glorious Eurochallenge Final Four success with an MVP
performance that will live long in the memory. Few people outside of
Slovenia and the club itself gave them much of a chance to finish top
of the podium and yet with the right chemistry, attitude and players
excelling in every position on the floor, they emerged victorious.
While nobody is realistically expecting Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach
the latter stages of EuroBasket 2011, Ikonic is at least hopeful they
can learn from what KRKA Novo Mesto achieved and will embrace their
status as one of the Group C underdogs and try to upset the odds. Read more 
The
Official Opening Ceremony of EuroBasket 2011, which took place on
Monday in Vilnius, was marked by a new world record of the kind that
can only be produced in Lithuania. As a prelude to the ceremony, more
than 55,000 fans bounced a basketball simultaneously, for a period of
five minutes, in six different cities accross the country.
Approximately 8,300 people in Klaipėda, 6,000 in Alytus, 7,250 in
Šiauliai, 7,600 in Panevėžys, 11,000 in Kaunas and 15,000 in the
capital Vilnius participated in the effort to break the record. Once
sufficient time had elapsed for the new record to be set, it was time
for the celebrations to begin in earnest. Read more 
Montenegro
fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The captain and star of the team,
Nikola Pekovic, has recovered from the knock he picked up in a friendly
victory over Ukraine that forced him to miss two games against Turkey
and is ready for the EuroBasket. The 2.09m center will be in the
line-up for Montenegro's first Group C game against FYR of Macedonia on
Wednesday. "I rested a few days because of minor injuries that I
suffered against Ukraine," Pekovic said, "but the situation is now much
better. "I had no problems with my last workout and I'm ready for the
start of the European Championship." Read more 
Lithuania,
Turkey and Belgium received very bad news from their medical teams this
weekend, that force them to cut key players from their roster with less
than four days to the start of the EuroBasket. The hosts will have a
hard time filling the void that Darjus Lavrinovic leaves in the paint.
The experienced center is suffering an Achilles tendon injury and as a
result coach Kestutis Kemzura had no choice but to leave him out of the
final squad. Lithuania EuroBasket 2011 squad: Šarūnas Jasikevičius,
Mantas Kalnietis, Tomas Delininkaitis, Rimantas Kaukėnas, Martynas
Pocius, Simas Jasaitis, Paulius Jankūnas, Darius Songaila, Kšištofas
Lavrinovičius, Jonas Valančiūnas, Marijonas Petravičius and Robertas
Javtokas. Read more 
Guards
Uros Tripkovic and Dragan Milosavljevic were on Saturday told they had
not made Serbia's roster for the EuroBasket. Dusan Ivkovic, the Serbia
coach, thought long and hard and decided to release the two talented
players. "It was tough decision," Ivkovic said, "but it was based on
several factors: current form, team chemistry, health of our players
but, also, types of our rivals' rosters. "We've had so many problems
during our training camp, but after almost three months, I can say we
are ready. "I have to congratulate both Tripkovic and Milosavljevic on
their effort and attitude, but we have had to adjust for what is going
to be the toughest European championship of all." Serbia will play in
Group B of the 24-team EuroBasket with France, Israel, Germany, Italy
and Latvia. Read more 
The
road to the basketball glory will run through one of the sport's sacred
grounds, Lithuania, when EuroBasket 2011 starts on Wednesday, August 31
with 24 teams full or Euroleague and Eurocup talent battling not only
to become continental champs, but also to win two places in the 2012
London Olympics or four berths in next summer's pre-Olympics qualifying
tournament. EuroBasket 2011's structure was changed from previous
editions to add more drama from the very beginning. Teams have been
divided into four groups of six, only the best three teams of which
will reach the second phase at Siemens Arena in Vilnius. There, two
groups of six teams whose first-round results will also be counted,
will yield eight survivors to the medal rounds in Kaunas.Read more 
Turkey
beat Montenegro 81-69 on Thursday to win the Adidas Istanbul Cup. Orhun
Ene's side followed up their six-point triumph over New Zealand with
another victory to boost the confidence of the side with the EuroBasket
in Lithuania quickly approaching. Hedo Turkoglu was named the MVP of
the Istanbul Cup. He finished with 13 points against the Montenegrins.
Montenegro had defeated Ukraine on Wednesday and settled for second
place while the New Zealand Tall Blacks bounced back to defeat Ukraine
to clinch third. Montenegro coach Dejan Radonjic did not have Nikola
Pekovic, who had picked up a minor knock in the win over Ukraine. Read more 
Finland
and Portugal have qualified for Eurobasket 2011 via the Additional
Qualifying Rounds. Hungary are the sole team to miss out. Finland
finished top of the AQT with a perfect 4-0 record, and will travel to
Alytus where Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina and
F.Y.R of Macedonia await them in Group C. Portugal finished second with
a 2-2 record, and will travel to Panevezys where they will face Spain,
Turkey, Lithuania, Great Britain and Poland in Group A. Hungary
finished third where they lost all four games. In the game that decided
the final standings, Finland defeated Portugal 86-78 in Coimbra to
clinch the top spot. Read more 
France
coach Vincent Collet has called Steed Tchicamboud in to his EuroBasket
squad after the withdrawal of Antoine Diot due to injury. Diot was
forced to pull out with a back problem and Collet has selected the
veteran Tchicamboud to take his place. "We have taken time to reflect
before making the choice of Steed Tchicamboud," Collet said. "It is
important to replace Antoine who was a real playmaker in order to
maintain the balance of our team identity. "We are certain that Steed
is physically ready and his profile is in keeping with what we need."
There had been speculation that Fabien Causeur or Abdoulaye M'Baye
would get the call, but Collet explained why he looked elsewhere. Read more 
Serbia
will head to the EuroBasket without key forward Novica Velickovic, who
has lost his fitness battle with a muscle injury. The Real Madrid star
had been training alone as he tried to regain his fitness, and has
missed all of Serbia's warm-up games. After the team returned from the
London Invitational Tournament this weekend, it was determined that
Velickovic, who averaged more than 11 points per game at both
EuroBasket 2009 and the 2010 FIBA World Championship, would not recover
in time. "Novica has been able to improve his condition during his time
with the national team, but the special program he has followed and the
treatment he has received have still not been enough to make him
healthy in time for EuroBasket," said team doctor Dragan Radovanovic.
Read more 
There's
only one week left until EuroBasket 2011 tip-off and the excitement is
as high as ever. Lithuanian fans led by Tomas Balaišis-Sekla decorated
Cido Arena in Panevėžys to show their support for the national team.
Cido Arena is the only EuroBasket 2011 venue which has cycling track in
it. Since the track couldn't have been replaced with additional seats,
the fans decided to use it for another purpose. Namely, cover it with a
huge flag of Lithuania. It took several hours to cover the whole track
which is 250 m in length and 7 m in width. Read more 
Antoine
Diot was one of France's brightest young stars at the EuroBasket in
Poland two years ago when they lost just once but for the second
straight summer since, he'll have to miss a big tournament because of
back problems. After being sidelined from last year's FIBA World
Championship in Turkey with a herniated disc, Diot struggled to recover
full fitness in 2010-11 but coach Vincent Collet included him in the
EuroBasket squad in the hope he'd be ready when the tournament tips off
on August 31. Collet, who had liked the chemistry Diot enjoyed with
starting playmaker Tony Parker in Poland, had to release the
22-year-old from duty on Sunday because of recurring lumbar pain.Read more 
There
is not a more significant photo circulating in Germany right now than
the national team picture just taken by the Germany Basketball
Federation. In it is a squad full of players, most who are grinning ear
to ear. Dirk Nowitzki, wearing number 14 on his Deutschland jersey, is
among them. The Dallas Mavericks superstar has joined the national side
with two weeks remaining in the preparations and will no doubt be in
the starting line-up when Germany go up against Israel in their
EuroBasket Group B opener on August 31 in Siauliai. While coach Dirk
Bauermann isn't smiling, he is no doubt feeling very good about the
presence of both Nowitzki and Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman,
two players he hasn't had in his squad since the 2008 Olympics in
Beijing. Read more 
Portugal
stunned Hungary 66-57 on Thursday night to punch their ticket to the
EuroBasket. In beating the Hungarians for the second time in the
Additional Qualifying Round, the Portuguese improved to 2-1. The
triumph also sealed a spot in the EuroBasket for Finland (2-0), who had
won their opening two games against the Hungarians and Portugal. The
Hungarians (0-3) are eliminated because they have just one game left.
Joao Santos had 16 points and seven rebounds to lead Portugal on
Thursday. A pivotal stretch in the game occurred after Hungary jumped
into an 8-5 lead almost four minutes into the contest. Read more 
Chris
Kaman is telling Germany's basketball fans not to worry if it takes a
little while for him to find his rhythm and be a big contributor this
summer at the EuroBasket. The Los Angeles Clippers center and the
country's basketball icon, NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas
Mavericks, have just linked up with the national team and have only two
weeks before the start of the Final Round in Lithuania. "I haven't
played basketball since April," Kaman said in an interview with DBB-TV.
"I've been just on my own, shooting, running and lifting weights - all
that stuff." Kaman isn't sure what he'll be able to do in this week's
Bamberg Tournament when the Germans take on Greece, Turkey and China.
The friendly event starts on Friday. Read more 
Kostas
Charalampidis of Greece will not realize his dream of playing at the
EuroBasket in Lithuania. A late call-up to the squad, the 35-year-old
guard once played for national team coach Ilias Zouros at club level.
But Zouros must trim his squad to 12 players for the EuroBasket and
Charalampidis was cut following the team's three games at the Trofeo
Tassoni in Rimini, Italy. "I want to thank Kostas for his help in the
preparations and his presence in the group," Zouros said. "He really
helped a lot and was a positive factor for the national team all this
time. Read more 
Germany
made headlines for the second straight day at the Sportoto World Cup in
Izmir with a 79-72 triumph over hosts Turkey. Fresh off their upset of
Serbia, Dirk Bauermann's team clinched another confidence-boosting win
on Friday with Tibor Pleiss pouring in 20 points. "We have delivered a
performance of high quality," the coach said. "You can tell that the
young team now has been together for a third summer in a row and has
developed." Serbia found themselves in a dogfight against Ukraine in
the first half on Friday but after the break blew the game wide open in
the third quarter and recorded an 83-57 victory. Dusan Ivkovic, the
Serbia coach, had good things to say about Ukraine. Read more 
Poland
have announced that center Marcin Gortat will not play at the
EuroBasket after the federation's failure to acquire an insurance
policy the NBA center needed to take part in the competition. The
Phoenix Suns big man, who thrilled the home crowds at EuroBasket 2009
in Poland, is a direct casualty of the NBA lockout. One of the
consequences of the lockout - a labor dispute between the NBA team
owners and players that began at the start of the summer - was a
shutdown in league operations. And that meant the burden of acquiring
insurance for players fell on the federations. In a statement on the
Polish Basketball Federation's website, Gortat expressed his regret
over the situation. "I want and I'm always ready to play in the Polish
national team," Gortat said. Read more 
The
mood could not be any better in the Great Britain camp ahead of the
EuroBasket following a 96-70 demolition of the Netherlands in their
first warm-up game on Sunday. All 14 of Britain's players in the squad
for the contest played at least 10 minutes, and Ryan Richards led the
way with 16 points. Big man Eric Boateng also had 13 points, including
nine in the first quarter, and six rebounds. "It was an enjoyable game,
everyone contributed well and did some really good things," Boateng
said. "We need to work on some areas, but the younger guys showed some
positive moves and it's looking good." Read more 
Slovenia
coach Bozidar Maljkovic has called U18 captain Luka Rupnik into this
squad after the youngster impressed at the U18 European Championship
Men in Poland this summer. Rupnik is due to meet with his international
team-mates on Friday as they go into the weekend's Adecco Cup friendly
games. "Rupnik was always intended to get a call-up, but he had a
commitment with the youth team first," Maljkovic said. "Even before the
start of the preparations we said we wanted to give special attention
to the best young players and Rupnik is certainly one of the most
talented. Read more 
The
welcome return of Nick Calathes was overshadowed by another day of
turmoil for Greece in their troubled build-up to the EuroBasket. The
good news is that star guard Calathes has arrived at training camp,
although he has not yet been cleared to play on his injured ankle and
his condition will be assessed over the next 10 days before a decision
is made as to whether to include him in full practice. But hours after
Calathes jetted in from the United States, Greece coach Elias Zouros
was handed another headache with the sudden withdrawal of big man
Sofoklis Schortsianitis. Read more 
Sergio
Llull has warned his Spain team-mates there are "seven or eight" teams
capable of winning the EuroBasket and they will need to be at their
best to get a medal in Lithuania. All the talk around the Spain squad
this week has been about defending their title and taking gold once
again, but Llull has admitted they cannot just expect to turn up and
win. "We must take things step by step," he said. "There are many
teams, many with NBA stars in their teams, and this will be one of the
most difficult EuroBaskets in recent years. "Not winning gold would not
be a failure. If I try to think of a favourite, I can think of seven or
eight teams who are capable of winning gold, teams like Lithuania,
Serbia, and France." Read more 
Marko
Cakarevic has been ruled out of Serbia's EuroBasket campaign with a
foot injury. The Partizan Belgrade forward, who finished third in the
domestic MVP race, has had to leave training camp after failing to
overcome the problem. "We did our best to help him recover, but these
problems are very tough and there was no sense in continuing to ask him
to do things that his body can't do at this moment," said coach Dusan
Ivkovic. "I feel really sorry for Marko. I've watched a lot of his
games this season, and he is a really special player. "Because of his
style and his abilities, I wanted to count on him, I kept a place for
him in the national team, and he would have given us something
different." Read more 
Croatia's
EuroBasket hopes have been dealt a major blow with the loss of starting
guard Roko Ukic with a broken foot. The 26-year-old Fenerbahce star
suffered a broken metatarsal bone in his foot during practice on Friday
and is likely to be out until mid-September. "I am heartsick and
terribly disappointed," Ukic said. "I do not know what else to say. I
was so looking forward to playing at the EuroBasket where I really
wanted to help Croatia." The former Toronto Raptors star averaged 13.6
points and 3.8 assists per game at the EuroBasket 2009 and was expected
to play a major leadership role in Lithuania. Read more 
France
are hoping to have Joakim Noah back in their EuroBasket training camp
next week but there was more bad news on the injury front following a
second straight victory over Canada. Les Bleus topped the Canadians
86-69 in Toulouse a day after enjoying a 106-44 rout in Pau, but once
again the news was dominated by the injuries that have hit the squad.
That news was good on Noah, who has come through the first phase of his
rehab program in Los Angeles and is closer to rejoining the team. "Our
goal is for him to be in Pau (on Tuesday)," said team director Patrick
Beesley. "But we must wait for the green light from the doctors. Read more 
Only one colour interests Pau Gasol when it comes to international basketball: Gold.
Bostjan
Nachbar is set to miss Eurobasket 2011 after having to go through
surgery to fix a problem in his ankle. After consulting the medical
team of the Slovenia NT it was decided that the player should undergo
an urgent operation, so he wouldn't aggravate the problem. The
rehabilitation period is estimated around 4-6 weeks. Therefore, the
player won't be able to play in Lithuania in the upcoming Eurobasket
tournament. This comes as another powerful blow to the Slovenian side
which will field a team without many star players such as Brezec,
Udrih, Vidmar and others, for various reasons. Read more 
Nicolas
Batum is not beating around the bush when it comes to France's goal at
the EuroBasket. "I want a gold medal," Batum told French sports daily
L'Equipe. "We'll see how the journey goes, but I am playing for a
title." Joakim Noah's dominant presence in the paint can prove a
catalyst for France's gold medal effort, believes Batum. Indeed, the
22-year-old already has half an eye on the 2012 Olympics - with a
ticket to London the prize for the winner in Lithuanuia. "I've always
wanted to do the opening ceremony," he said. "My goal is to enter the
stadium behind the flag. That's my dream." Read more 
Vladimir
Dragicevic has hailed Montenegro's preparations for EuroBasket 2011 as
they look forward to competing in their first major tournament. The
squad have spent the last week in Zlatibor as they begin tuning up for
the tournament in Lithuania, and Dragicevic is impressed with the
progress they have made. "The atmosphere in the team is excellent, and
we are all here with the same goal - to best prepare for the first
major tournament in which our country will participate," he said. "We
are all giving our maximum in training and look forward to the start of
the EuroBasket. Read more 
Viktor's
Khryapa participation in Eurobasket is on thin ice after FIBA refused
to insure the player for the tournament. According to CSKA president
Andrey Vatutin the insurance carrier of FIBA is refusing to insure the
player after the injury problems which the player faced last year. In
fact the insurance company has yet to pay CSKA for the player's injury
last season, which occurred during the World Championship in Turkey. "I
am sure the Russian Basketball Federation will do everything in its
power to resolve the player's insurance case." said Vatutin. According
to the player himself he will join the team's training camp on August 1. Read more 
Greek
international combo guard Vasilis Spanoulis will have to skip the
upcoming Eurobasket due to injury. Spanoulis had to leave Greece NT
training camp yesterday after being in pain during the previous days.
After getting examined it was decided he should get a surgery on his
adductor muscle, something which will keep him out for a while. His
injury will give national coach Elias Zouros a headache regarding the
point guard position as after Diamantidis and Papaloukas retirement,
Nick Calathes is also doubtful for the tournament.
Ukraine
coach Mike Fratello has begun preparing his squad for Eurobasket in
Lithuania, by taking them to Klaipeda - where they will play their
Group D games. The former Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies coach,
turned TV analyst has taken the national team to Lithuania's third
largest city to begin training camp. Not only will Ukraine train in
Klaipeda, but they will also play their warm-up games there too, so
that they can grow accustomed to the city situated at the mouth of the
Nemunas River. "We go to work," Fratello said. "We put the system in,
the offensive system, the defensive system. We try to play different
combinations of people together so we can try and find out and get a
feel for who the best groups are together and working towards our goal
for the future." Read more 
An
original, never-before-seen, even in a country as crazy about
basketball as Lithuania campaign got off to a flying start in Kaunas on
6th July. The choice of place and date was anything but random. The
Sixth of July is the National Day of Lithuania and the city of Kaunas
is the cradle of Lithuanian basketball. The name of the promotional
campaign is ‘Dribble for Lithuania' and it consists of an eight-week
long, nationwide basketball-dribbling relay. As part of the campaign, a
thousand Molten balls embarked on a journey in Kaunas on Wednesday
night and will be dribbled by thousands of fans non-stop across
Lithuania until the opening day of EuroBasket 2011. However, the most
important ball is the very first one. Read more 
The
EuroBasket Women may be over but the applause being directed at
silver-medal winners Turkey sure isn't. At Tuesday's Turkish Basketball
Federation press conference to announce the preliminary squad for the
EuroBasket in Lithuania, the attention deservedly fell on coach Ceyhun
Yildizoglu and his magnificent squad that made history in Poland. Never
before had a Turkish women's team reached the Semi-Finals of a
EuroBasket Women, so to make it all the way to the title game remains a
cause for huge celebrations from Izmir, to Istanbul, to Ankara and
everywhere else in the country that has a growing appetite for the
game. The focus is gradually shifting to the men's team, though. Read more 
Serbia
coach Dusan Ivkovic is facing some serious obstacles ahead of the
EuroBasket in Lithuania concerning player availability. The veteran
tactician announced a 19-man squad for the national team's first
training camp but only 15 of those called showed up for the opening
day. Some were absent with permission, like captain Nenad Krstic, who
is completing his move from the NBA to CSKA Moscow, but others like
Miroslav Raduljica have informed the coach that they will not be with
the team. Raduljica, a member of Serbia's silver-medal winning side at
EuroBasket 2009 in Poland, has decided to stay away after an
injury-riddled campaign. "He called me and said that it's an honor to
be called to play for Serbia, but added that he wanted to spend the
summer with his family, trying to recover from injuries," said Ivkovic. Read more 
Marcin
Gortat has announced his intention to play for Poland at the EuroBasket
in Lithuania. The 2.13m Phoenix Suns center has returned to Europe from
the United States and revealed he will suit up for the Poles when they
play in Group A against Spain, Turkey, Lithuania, Great Britain and a
team that comes from the Additional Qualifying Round. "I'll be playing
in the Polish squad," Gortat said on Monday. "The condition, however,
is that the Polish Basketball Federation pay the insurance which the
Phoenix Suns provide me but doesn't apply during the lockout." The NBA
owners locked out their players and suspended league operations last
week following the expiration of their collective bargaining agreement. Read more 
Montenegro
coach Dejan Radonjic has announced his 16-man preliminary squad for the
EuroBasket. Minnesota center Nikola Pekovic and Lottomatica Roma's
Vladimir Dasic are included as well as Nikola Vucevic, the 20-year-old
who was just taken in the first round of the NBA Draft by Philadelphia.
Vucevic spent the last three years playing American college basketball
at the University of South Carolina. Omar Cook, coming off an
outstanding season at Power Electronics Valencia, remains the
naturalized player in the group. The native New Yorker helped the club
reach the Quarter-Finals of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague for the
first time this season and also ran the point as they clinched a
third-place finish during the ACB regular season. Read more 
Eighteen
players know for certain they have a chance to feature for Italy at
this summer's EuroBasket in Lithuania after being named in an
preliminary squad on Tuesday. Among them are the NBA trio of Danilo
Gallinari, Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli, players who are
certainties if they avoid injuries in the preparation period.
Gallinari, the 22-year-old Denver Nuggets forward, had been set to make
his Italy senior team bow at EuroBasket 2007 in Spain but injury
prevented him from taking part and he has still to feature because of
other health problems in the years that have followed. Another player
to keep an eye on will be Antonio Maestranzi, a 1.78m point guard who
played big minutes in last summer's Division A campaign. Read more 
Yannick
Bokolo has withdrawn from France's 16-man preliminary squad for the
EuroBasket, citing family and personal reasons. The
Gravelines-Dunkerque star had played the last two years with France and
the decision has caught coach Vincent Collet off guard. Strasbourg's
Abdoulaye Mbaye replaces Bokolo in the squad. "As you can imagine, I
regret Yannick's decision," Collet said. "It was during recent
campaigns that he brought many positive things both on and off the
court. His commitment and attitude will be missed. "We therefore call
on Abdoulaye M'Baye, whose profile is not quite the same but is a young
player who should have a chance. " Read more 
Slovenia
coach Bozidan Majlkovic has named a preliminary 17-man squad for the
upcoming Eurobasket that starts on August 31st. The big news is that
Barcelona's Erazem Lorbek, who took a year out last summer is included
on the list, along with team-mate Jaka Lakovic. Both just recently won
the Spanish ACB title with a series sweep over Bilbao. Houston Rockets
guard Goran Dragic is also added, along with his younger brother Zoran,
who won the Slovenian crown with Krka. Majlkovic will need to make cuts
before flying out to Lithuania, where they begin life in Klaipedia
against Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belgium and Georgia. Read more 
Sergio
Scariolo picked 15 players for Spain national team. Even though
reigning European champions were expected to bring their strongest
roster, Fran Vazquez will not play in EuroBasket 2011. Marca reports
that Vazquez decided not join the national team this year due to his
status as a free agent and knee problems. It is also reported that
following Jorge Garbajosa's retirement from the national team Spanish
Basketball Federation (FEB) will try convince Alex Mumbru to reconsider
his decision to end international career. The 32-year-old forward is
currently a member of Bilbao Basket and has just recently finished the
season after 0-3 loss in ACB finals against Barcelona. Read more 
Great
Britain star Pops Mensah-Bonsu is not going to recover in time from a
shoulder operation to play at the EuroBasket in Lithuania. The ASVEL
Villeurbanne/Lyon man, who got hurt at the start of the LNB play-offs,
underwent surgery and was not in the 17-man preliminary squad announced
by British Basketball on Wednesday. Britain have lost a player that
averaged 19.3 points and a Division A best 13.5 rebounds per game
during their Division A campaign. Read more 
Jorge
Garbajosa will no longer be representing Spain in international
tournaments. 33-year-old forward decided it was the right time end his
career in the national team. During eleven years of international
career Garbajosa was a key player for Spain. With him on the roster
Spain won six medals, the most notable ones were gold in FIBA World
Championship 2006 and gold in EuroBasket 2009. Read more 
Spain
should be able to field its strongest roster as the team will try to
retain European title later this year in Lithuania. Los Angeles Lakers
star Pau Gasol confirmed his decision to represent his country again
after one year of absence. Pau Gasol played for Spain last time in
EuroBasket 2009 and helped his team win gold for the first time in
history. Lakers' early exit out of NBA playoffs this season gave more
time for Pau Gasol to rest and will surely give him additional
motivation competing for Spain. Read more 
Olympiacos'
international Greek center, Ioannis Bourousis, has announced his
withdrawal from Greece NT after his team's defeat against Panathinaikos
earlier in the night. Bourousis' move comes as another display of
Olympiacos' growing unease with the mistreatment they are getting from
the referees in their domestic competitions, as the club claims.
Bourousis stated: "I am no longer available to play for Greece NT. I
have done everything for this team, even played with a broken hand. In
exchange all I get by the basketball organisation here is disrespect,
both as a human being and as a player. Under these circumstances I quit
Greece NT. It's not a warning, it's a decision". Read more 
Ramunas
Siskauskas is not going to play for Lithuanian national team ever
again. CSKA Moscow forward rejected Vladas Garastas' persuasion to
return from international retirement, stating that these type of talks
need to stop. 32-year-old player was officially asked to help the
national team but was less than impressed with the invitation. 'I said
"good bye" once to the national team after Beijing Olympics and I
thought that the talks about the national team will be finished with
that. Though I am constantly asked whether I'll make a comeback twice a
year', Siskauskas said in an interview to lrytas.lt. Read more 
The
big guns are lining up for Italy ahead of EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania.
Both Andrea Bargnani and Danilo Gallinari have stated their intention
to wear the Azzurri shirt when they compete in the 24-team event which
tips off at the end of August and Marco Belinelli is also expected to
be with the squad. The three players are in the NBA. Gallinari now
plays for Denver and Belinelli with New Orleans while Bargnani is still
on the books of Toronto. "For now, I'm getting some rest," the
22-year-old Gallinari said in a radio interview in Milan, with the
remarks carried by basketnews.net. "Then, I will leave for China to
take part in a program for the NBA. Read more 
Lithuania
will be keeping their fingers crossed that forward Jonas Maciulis did
not suffer a serious knee injury while playing for Armani Jeans Milano
in Thursday night's game against Vanoli Braga Cremona. Maciulis left
the court on a stretcher and was due to have tests on his right knee
this weekend. The 2.00m forward averaged nine points per game last
summer at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey as Kestutis Kemzura's
team rode a wild card entry all the way to the bronze medal. Read more 
