(Greg Oden battles with Tim Duncan: November 6, 2009)
The end of November 2010 is almost here. We are in the middle of compiling the top 10 plays of the month, and we must say it's super tough! There were many amazing plays from our pro Buckeyes this month. In fact, it's so difficult to narrow down just 10 single plays for November, so we're extending it to the top 15 plays of Nov. 2010 lol.
Anyways, Thinking about this great month of ball has brought back memories of the top plays from November 2009. As you may recall, Greg Oden was just starting to come on in 11/2009; our top highlight of the month was from an early November contest between Portland & San Antonio which featured nice play from G.O against Tim Duncan.
Mike Conley Jr. was hooping out this time last year of course, Ron Lewis was doing his thing in the Czech Republic, & Je'Kel Foster was in Germany (Clip number 6 in the video features a cross over by Je'Kel on current NY Knick Tim Mosgov - from a Euroleague game in Russia)Brent Darby(pictured left: France 2009) & Ken Johnson are also in the video, still no word on their current playing status..hope both of these guys end on squads because they still have lots left in the tank!
(Video) - BuckeyeBallersTV: Top Plays of November 2009 - Check it out!
(Ivan Harris through his pro career - left to right: 2007/2008 Finland, 2008/2009 Erie, 2009/2010 Erie)
(Ivan Harris: Argentina 11/9/2010)
Buckeye: Ivan Harris Years Pro: Three Number of Teams played for: Two Number of Countries played in: Two (Finland, United States) Former Team: Erie Bayhawks (NBA D-League) New Team: Atletico Bigua de Villa Biarritz League: Liga Urguaya de Basketball Country: Uruguay
After two seasons in the NBA D-League, Ivan Harris has taken his talents to Latin America for the 2010/2011 season. The forward from Springfield, Ohio was first spotted in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina in mid November. Harris served as the temporary replacement of an injured player for LNB club Gimnasia Esgrim. He playedthree games with Gimnasia before an agreement with Uruguayan club Biguewas announced on November 24.
Ivan Harris is of course a member of the famed 2007 Rookie class that helped Ohio State reach the NCAA National Championship Game. He landed in the country of Finland following his run with the Buckeyes for a squad called Lappeenranta NMKY. (2007/2008)
His successful rookie campaign with Lappeenranta included a Finnish Cup Championship, first place regular season finish, and a semi-finals appearance in the playoffs. Harris also (pictured left: rookie year) played in eight Eurocup games against teams from Greece, Estonia and Russia.
(Video) - Rare footage from Ivan's rookie year in Finland.! News clips of the 2007 Finnish Cup Finals (Lapp wins Cup) Check Ivan out at around the 1:22 mark! He rocked #6 in his rookie season.
Ivan came back to the United States in 2008 to play for John Treloar's upstart Erie Bayhawks of the NBA Developmental League. His 16 points, 6 rebounds average in 50 regular season games was a career best in 2008/2009 (Harris' contributions helped Erie reach the D-League Playoffs in their inaugural season).
Harris, now in his fourth season of pro ball, was able to get some good exposure in the D-League. He participated in multiple NBA mini-camps, and with the Bayhawks was seen on NBATV & Versus network broadcasted games. Ivan earned the rep as one of Erie's big time shooting threats, but like so many talented D-League players, it was time to explore international opportunities(only so many NBA spots, and international ball has proven to be a better option salary wise for many over the D-League, check out the linked article)
The Microwave made is Uruguayan debut today for Bigua. He scored 9 points in aloss vs Malvin. Bigua is still first in league standings with an 18-6 record. According to the boxscore, Ivan is back rocking his Ohio State number 3!
Scoonie Penn is two games into his 2010/2011 campaign with Italian LegaDue club Prima Veroli. Penn arrived in Veroli, Italy to a team in need of leadership at guard after a disappointing 1-4 start & the departure of rookie Scottie Reynolds.
It looks like #4 is settling in nicely with 15 points each in his first two games. Veroli defeated Immobiliare on November 19 to move to 3-5 . They have a bit of an opportunity to make a move in the league standings with two of their next three games at home. Penn's backcourt mate is Jarrius Jackson who played for Bobby Knight at Texas Tech.
-Some quick news & notes.. -- An interesting article by Jayda Evans of the Seattle Times that suggests Buckeye great Katie Smith may be interested in playing what would be her 13th WNBA Season. Evans speculates on the possibility of Smith re-joining her old coach from her Columbus Quest days, Brian Agler. (WNBA Vet Katie Smith to join Storm in 2011)
The 36 year old free agent was previously on a Washington Mystics team that was hoping to make some playoff noise, but they ended up running into the buzz-saw that was the Atlanta Dream (Eastern Conference Champs). Smith's experience & leadership would be a nice addition for any team looking to make a playoff run next season. Go Katie! (BuckeyeBallersTV: Katie Smith 2010 Short)
-- Second year pro Byron Mullens got into his first game of the season vs Houston on November 17. While Mullenshas made strides over the past year, he still remains as a reserve option for OKC who starts Nenad Kristic with Serge Ibaka & Nick Collision (more experience, more ready to compete defensively as well it seems) OKC's other young center Cole Aldrich was sent to the D-League today, wouldn't be surprised to see Mullens rotate stints to Tulsa with Aldrich. Head Coach Scott Brooks has been happy with the work ethic of both players. (Cole Aldrich moves over for Byron Mullens)
Meanwhile, Daequan Cook is biding his time for the next situation where he can possibly contribute. Cook averaged about 16 minutes in 3 of the first 4 games of the season, but unfortunately did not shoot well enough (0-6) to keep getting those minutes. He scored 13 points in 14 minutes vs the Clippers on November 2nd, but has since only played 9 minutes total (last game action was vs Portland on Nov. 12) We are rooting for both of these guys to get better, and hopefully have a chance to contribute.
(clip from preseason)
Coach Matta Reached Out to Greg Oden
Ohio State Coach Thad Matta gave Greg Oden some words of encouragement last week following the latest news. (Article - Dispatch- Matta gives Oden a call)
Oden had successful micro fracture surgery done on his left knee on November 19, 2010.
Dexia Mons Hainaut reached six straight wins in the Belgian League after a hard fought overtime victory over Liege on November 20th.
A Multitude of Weapons - Mons is a club that has been able to put tremendous pressure on oppenents' defenses with a variety of scorers. It was not easy against Liege, but their offensive firepower (which included four players in double figures) would carry them to victory once again.
Buckeye Ron Lewisannounced his presence in immediate fashion with a layup (pictured left) off the opening tip before a corner three on the next possession. #11 led the way with 19 points, followed closely by Justin Cage's(Xavier) season high of 18 points, and Ronell Taylor's(UAB) 17.
-(Liege is currently at the bottom of the Beligan League standings, but they have not been getting run out of gyms, all of their defeats have been single digit losses. Blake Griffin's brother, Taylor (Oklahoma) players for Liege along with Cedrick Bozeman of UCLA fame.)
11-27-2010 -Dexia Mons(6-1) vs Aalstar (6-1) (BLB Game 8) - Win number 7 in a row will have to come against soon to be nemesis Aalstar in a battle of the top teams in Belgium. Aalstar shares the first spot with Mons in league standings, and is also responsible for DMH's lone loss. This game will certainly be interesting because we think even Aalstar knows they will be facing a different Mons team on Saturday from the one they defeated in the season opener (Oct. 2nd, Mons' last BLB loss).
(couple videos: Ron Lewis post game clip following the win vs Lueven on 11/6. And for the XU heads, a Justin Cage segment on Mons televison from last month. That's Shan Foster from Vanderbilt on the dunk at the end of the Lewis vid)
11.23.2010 - Dexia Mons vs SLUC Nancy (France) FIBA EuroChallenge Regular Season Week 2
The game with Aalstar on Saturday is only one of two big games of the week for Mons as they will resume Eurochallenge play today vs French Club Nancy. DMH narrowly lost to Orleans in France last week in round 1 (82-76). (Clips)
(Short clip of Mons in France preparing for their road game vs Orleans - For some clips of that game click here)
(Mons advanced to the 2010/2011 Eurochallenge Regular Season after defeating Polish Club Trefl Sopot twice in the qualifiers (Sept 29th in Belgium & October 4th in Poland)
(Buckeye Legends: Larry Siegfried, Jerry Lucas, & John Havlicek)
Vintage NBA - The recent Hall of Fame induction of Jerry West got us thinking about some of the Buckeye HOFers such as John Havlicek & Jerry Lucas. When viewing games from the past, the greatness of these guys never cease to amaze, not to mention the contrast between today's game & the past.. There is youtube user by the name of WiltAtKansaswho runs a tremendous NBA films channel(filled with several videos featuring the all-time greats like Wilt, West, Russell, Kareem etc.)
We will post videos from time to time, these three include a halftime interview with Wilt (65), Hondo's retirement game (78), and rare footage of Lucas at the 1972 All-Star Halftime..can you believe that the NBA had a one one one competition?!?!
We are getting close to the two month mark (3 months if you count training camp/pre-season) of another great season of pro basketball. The action is unbelievably fast with little time to view so many games. It's easy to miss a news item or notable result over the course of weeks/months, so it's always cool to take a step back and review what has been going on.
The month of October and fall in general is an exciting time period for basketball fans due to the start of Regular Season Basketball in most professional leagues around the world.
The early season is not always a great indicator of how a team or league will end up at the end, but it remains a special time for the professional players & coaches because this is when everyone believes they can win;it's special for the fans because we are right there witnessing our favorite players and teams as they begin their journeys. It does not get much better than getting hyped to an early season game (after a long off-season) while watching our Buckeyes hoop out.
October transfers/signings - From following the game we all know player movement is a continuous aspect of the sport which occurs all season long. In following international basketball we have grown accustomed to reading about former Buckeyes & others joining clubs late or even switching teams in the middle of the season (all about finding the right situation)
Such was the case for George Reese who returned to Poland for AZS Koszalin, his team of the last 3seasons, in mid- October. The 33 year old forward (pictured left) made his season debuton October 30 vs Polonia in a 87-76W. G-Money was eased into the action with just 16 minutes of play, he had 4pts, 3 rebounds, & 2 assists. It was the first win for a Koszalin team team that got off to a disappointing 0-3 start.
There was speculation before the season about Terence Dials possibly returning to France where he has played in the past, but in Mid-October the former Big 10 MVP (pictured left: May 2010 China)ended up signingwith a club called Primetel Apollon of Limassol, Cyprus. The Cypriot Regular Season began on October 22. Apollon opened up with a 1-1 split in their 2 games of the month. Dials scored 15 points in a win over AEK in round 2.
(Image #34 preparing to dominate - Cyprus Nov. 2010)
Also in October, Tony Stockman switched from Penarol to Libertad in Argentina before ultimately returning to Brazil in late October/early November. And after being rumored to Turkey & Lithuania, Scoonie Penn got in serious talks with his current team Prima Veroli in Late October. Both of those signings became 'official' in early November so they will be covered in next month's review.
-Out, but not forgotten..
In the event where you put your heart into something, it is extremely tough when you are not able to do what you love, especially if you're a competitor & good at what you do. That's why we have to give shoutouts to Buckeyes Michael Redd, James Sullinger, & Greg Oden, all of whom could not be apart of late 2010 season play due to rehabilitative work.
Jamar Butler & Velimir Radinovic were in Germany during the preparation stage, but they could not continue because of physical setbacks. Jamar suffered a severe shoulder injury which will keep him out for the remainder of 2010 (he was briefly with Bremerhaven before being let go in mid Sept.). Radinovic had surgery in late September (meniscus) He missed all of October, but just recently returned for MBC in the Bundesliga.
(Short Clip of Jamar during a September exhibition game in Germany)
Player of the Month: Nobody had a better month of October than Buckeye Mike Conley Jr. The major question coming into the season was could Mike start the year like he has ended the last two campaigns. But Conley's fierce & agressive preseason play quickly vanquished those doubts. His highlights from the preseason included a career high 28 scoring outburst vs Spanish power Caja Laboral, & 19 pts vs New Orleans.
He made another statement in the season opener with 23 points & 8 assists vs the Hawks. Mike has already shown big time ability in running an offense & scoring points, but he is also gaining a defensive reputation as one of the league leaders in steals.He closed out October with a 14 point, 11 assist, 7 rebounds, and SEVEN stealsperformance vs Minnesota on October 30th. His month of great play (averaged 13/6 in Oct.) would culminate into a phat $45 million max contract extension. Just another example of what hard work can achieve..way to go Mike!
Honorable Mention - Brandie Hoskins: Former Buckeye Brandie Hoskins is currently the top player on one of best squads in Portugual, Boa Viagem (5-1). She had a fabolous October with a four game average of 21 points & 8 rebounds (all victories)
Team of the Month - Dexia Mons (Belgium) : Ron Lewis & Mons ripped offfive straightvictories in October. Four of them were in the Belgian league from the 16th to the 30th , one was in Poland over Sopot which earned them a birth to the Eurochallenge Regular Season in November. We'll have more on Mons in a later post.
Victory of the Month- Dinamo Sassari 92 Caserta 87(10.23.2010) : The biggest victory of the month had to have been Dinamo Sassari's stunning home win over Caserta, their very first ever W in Italy's top division since being promoted in the off-season. Buckeye Othello Hunter contributed 16 pointsto the historic win. (Honorble Mention: Memphis over Dallas 91-90 on October 29, it was Memphis' first win of the season, and first W over Dallas in 5 years!)
Most Memorable Moment - Evan Turner crosses D-Wade! - All eyes were on Evan Turner on opening night to see how the #2 overall draft pick would fare in his debut. The former Buckeye had a solid night on his 22nd birthday (28 mins 16 points (7-10) 2-3 ft 7 rebounds 4 assists 1 block) ET had some nice plays vs the mighty Miami Heat including a sick crossover on Dwayne Wade to cap the evening.
First Team All-October 2010
-Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis) -Brandie Hoskins (Portugal) -Ron Lewis (Belgium) -Star Allen (Portugal) -Jessica Davenport (Russia)
A Final Goodbye to former Buckeye great Larry Siegfriedwho passed away on October 15, 2010
Another Test: Former Buckeye great Greg Odenwas trying to comeback to the sport that he loves. It is important to understand that number 52 of the Portland Trailblazers puts more pressure on himself to perform than anyone & everyone else combined. So we can only imagine what it felt like to receive the news of another setback.
We are hard pressed to come up with anyone inside the game of basketball who isn't rooting for Greg Oden, but sometimes we are hit with situations of which are out of our control. One group of fans will always be there with Greg through his peaks & valleys..and that is Buckeye Nation.
BuckeyeBallersTV - The Top 10 Plays of October 2010(As always, these are only the plays in which we can obtain as there will inevitably be tons of plays from our Buckeyes that are not available or not on film. November is looking nice, we already have Turner, Lewis, Foster, Hunter, & Conley down for the top plays of this month)
10. Evan Turner slashes to the hoop for a left handed finish (October 13th - Toronto, Canada)
9. Ron Lewis lays up a lob pass from XU's Justin Cage after a back door spin cut. (October 20th - Mons, Belgium) 8. Othello Hunter Dunks vs Teramo (October 31st - Teramo, Italy)
Je'Kel Foster & Vanoli CR won a thrilling overtime game vs Sutor Montegranaro in front of their home fans on November 7th, 2010. Foster had perhaps his best regular season game in Italy so far with a 16 point, 4 board, & 4 assist contribution.
(Video Short: We were lucky enough to find some clips of the game that contained all of Je'Kel's buckets from the field vs Sutor Mont. 30 seconds in Foster does a crazy acrobatic finish. Pictured to the left..it's one of the top plays of the season so far!)
The continent of Europe is home to several great national basketball leagues. When we check the international websites the European fans always rank the Spanish League at the top. And then each year they rotate a list of countries in order of 'best' including Russia, Turkey, Greece, & the Itailian Serie A, where Buckeyes Othello Hunter & Je'Kel Foster are playing.
Je'Kel plays for a club called Group Triboldi Basket, otherwise known as Vanoli-Braga Cremona(Vanoli Braga represents club sponsorship, Cremona is the location - Soresina, Italy).
While this is Foster's first season in the Serie A, he arrived to a club in Vanoli CR that included some familiar faces from the German League. The starting lead guard is EJ Rowland(St. Marys),who played along with Ken Johnson for Bonn in 2008/2009..the same Telekom Baskets Bonn that fell to Je'Kel Foster's EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the 2009 German League Finals. Croatian Forward Jasmin Perkovic, a teammate of Foster's in Oldenburg also made the move to Cremona. The center is Montenegrin Blagota Sekulic, who was one of the better post players in Germany last season for Alba Berlin. Veteran Marko Milic & Atur Drozdoz round out a rotation that is formidable enough to compete with anyone in Italy.
Vanoli CR had a nice preparation stage, but they entered the regular season knowing how tough it would be to come away with wins in a tough opening stretch of the schedule. Cremona's first game was a home opener vs the defending Italian League Champion Siena on October 17th. They just barely missed the upset on the Euroleague power in a 68-71defeat.
The next opponent, a club called Bennet Cantu is not as strong as Siena, but the game was equally as tough because it was on the road in Cantu's gym. Cremona fought hard, but would lose another close one, this time by a score of 77-75on October 24. After dropping their first two games by a total of just 5 points, Vanoli CR found the winner's circle in round 3 at Brindisi on October 31 (71-64). They followed that up with perhaps their most dramatic game yet on November 7th with a 82-80 overtime victory over Sutor Montegranaro!
Cremona has 3 remaining games left in the month of November. They play at Biella on November 14th, host Varese on the 21st, and visit Euroleague team Roma on the 28th (schedule).
Veteran center Matt Marinchick is back in Bielefeld, Germany for a second stint with TSVE Bielefeldof the B-Regionalligaleague.
Matt is still providing video blog entries of his on & off the court time in overseas. Here are a couple of his latest uploads and some game footage from last season. He is big #5 for the Blue & White Bielefeld Dolphins.
(Greg Oden battles with Tim Duncan: November 6, 2009)
Mike Conley Jr. was hooping out this time last year of course, Ron Lewis was doing his thing in the Czech Republic, & Je'Kel Foster was in Germany (Clip number 6 in the video features a cross over by Je'Kel on current NY Knick Tim Mosgov - from a Euroleague game in Russia) Brent Darby (pictured left: France 2009) & Ken Johnson are also in the video, still no word on their current playing status..hope both of these guys end on squads because they still have lots left in the tank!
Mike Conley Jr. was hooping out this time last year of course, Ron Lewis was doing his thing in the Czech Republic, & Je'Kel Foster was in Germany (Clip number 6 in the video features a cross over by Je'Kel on current NY Knick Tim Mosgov - from a Euroleague game in Russia) Brent Darby (pictured left: France 2009) & Ken Johnson are also in the video, still no word on their current playing status..hope both of these guys end on squads because they still have lots left in the tank!
