December 2010 - A Month In Review Part One

(Mike Conley Jr. & Steve Nash - Phoenix, Arizona 12.14.2010)

Monthly Reviews

- October 2010
-November 2010 Part 1
-November 2010 Part 2




The Transfers - The month of December 2010 was home to just one Buckeye team switch. Ohio State Rookie Andrea Walker parted ways with her first European club CB PIO of the Spanish LF2, and joined Sepsi BC of the Romanian League. ( Story) Walker is averaging 9 points & 10 rebounds for Sepsi (4 gms) so far. We'll have more on her in a later post about the 2010 Rookie Class.

Player of the Month - Buckeye star Ron Lewis had a red hot December for his Belgian club Dexia Mons. The four year pro scored 15 points per game and helped lead Mons to big time Eurochallenge victories over French teams Orleans & Nancy, as well as a W against Belgian Rival Oostende, he scored 18 points in each of those games.

Lewis provided one of the most memorable efforts of the month when he lead a Mons comeback against Entente Orleans on December 7th, 2010. Ron scored 7 of his 18 points in the 4th quarter. The win would ultimately- prove to be instrumental in Mons advancing to the Euro-Challenge Last 16.

(Video - Clips of Mons vs Orleans - Euro-Challenge Group H 12.7.2010)

#11 Ron Lewis (Headband), #12 Marcus Hatten, #4 Shan Foster, #7 Ronell Taylor, #8 Justin Cage

(The Plays)

1. Ron Lewis three pointer
2. Ron Lewis assists Marcus Hatten on the break
3. Marcus Hatten steal & layup
4. Ronell Taylor run out dunk
5. Ron Lewis driving layup
6. Justin Cage layup from Marcus Hatten
7. Ron Lewis mid-range jumper
8. Shan Foster three pointer
9. Shan Foster mid-range jumper
10. Ronell Taylor baseline floater
11. Ron Lewis finds Sebastien Bellin for the three
12. Ron Lewis baseline and-1 layup
13. Ron Lewis game sealing dunk

Honorable Mention - Mike Conley Jr. was our top player for the months of October & November. His 12 points & 7 assists per game in December certainly made a case to be top player for third straight time. Conley came out blazing by averaging 19 points in his first four games of the month, but Memphis went 6-8 in December, and we thought Ron Lewis ' contributions to some big team wins was what gave him the edge. (Clip - One of Mike's top plays of December, a wild layup off the backboard in Atlanta!)



Game of the Month - 12.26.2010: Vanoli Cremona 100 at CS Bologna 116 (Triple Overtime in Bologna, Italy)

The game of December 2010 took place in Bologna, Italy on December 26 when Je'Kel Foster & Cremona battled CS Bologna in Italian League play. The regulation period was not enough, one overtime was not enough, even two overtimes was not enough! It would take three overtimes to decide a winner on that night. Vanoli Cremona eventually fell on the road by a score of 116-100, but it was fun seeing Foster (pictured left vs Bologna), EJ Rowland & company make play after play to stay in the game. Check out this video of the game! (part two of the Deecmber review coming soon)

NBA Spotlight Video - Evan Turner

Nice spotlight piece from the NBA on former Buckeye Evan Turner



January was ET's best month of ball so far (six double figure scoring games) Here is one of his top plays from that month.

Brazil - Tony Stockman Represents at the 2011 NBB All-Star Game!

(Screencap - Tony Stockman at the 2011 NBB All-Star Game: 1.29.2011 Franca, Brazil)

(2011 NBB All-Star Starters: Brazil vs the World Imports)

1.29.2011 - NBB World 115 vs NBB Brasil 99 (2011 Brazilian League All-Star Game)
- Tony Stockman: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists (19:22)

One of the best in Brazil: The first Buckeye All-Star of the 2010/2011 season is Medina, Ohio's Tony Stockman. The sixth year pro played in his second consecutive Brazilian League (NBB) All-Star game on January 29 in Franca, Brazil. Stockman's 18 points per game for Assisi Basket has earned him the reputation as one of the most dangerous scorers in Brazil.

The All-Star exhibition featured some of the country's top national players such as Alex Garcia & Marcelinho Machado (guys who have made noise on the FIBA level playing for Brazil), as well as other talented imports like Larry Taylor, Benard Robinson (Michigan), and Robert Day, who ended up dropping 12 threes en route to a 50 point total! Stockman scored 12 points & had 5 rebounds with 3 assists in a little over 19 minutes of play.

Tony Returns to Franca: The 2011 All-Star game was especially sweet for Stockman because it was played in a place where the former Buckeye made a big mark. Stockman played for the city of Franca's home club Vivo/Franca in the 2009/2010 season (helped Franca earn a playoff birth, and won NBB Import player of he year). As a fan favorite in Franca, Stockman enjoyed loud support with every made basket in the All-Star game, and he would top everything off late in the game by treating the fans to a mini battle with former Franca teammate Vitor Benite!

(Short Clips of T. Stock at the ASG. Check out the crazy dribbling display to the pull up jumper at the end!)



Game Highlights

Italy - Dinamo Sassari 83 Vanoli Cremona 71

(Je'Kel Foster lays it up at the rim in Sassari - 1.15.2011)

(#23 Foster looks to make a move vs fellow Buckeye #5 Othello Hunter)

1.15.2011 - Dinamo Sassari 83 Vanoli Braga Cremona 71 (Italian Serie A Week 15)
-Je'Kel Foster: 18 points, 4 steals, 3 assists, 2 rebounds
-Othello Hunter: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks

The clubs of former Buckeyes Je'Kel Foster & Othello Hunter competed against each other on January 15 in Sassari, Sardegna. It was a crucial game as both teams were in the middle of super tough January schedules.

The season long identity of Vanoli Braga Cremona has been great scoring balance. But it was Dinamo Sassari's four players with 15 points or more that would be the difference in the 83-71 home victory. James White (pictured left: White is guarded by Cremona's Marko Milic & Je'Kel Foster) , the top scorer in Italy led Sassari with 21 points; his American teammate Othello Hunter contributed a near double double effort of 8 points & 8 boards. Hunter's Buckeye counterpart Je'Kel Foster netted 18 points which included four three point makes. Check out some of these clips!

BuckeyeBallersTV - The Top Plays December 2010!!

(The top play of December: Ron Lewis' game sealing dunk vs Orleans - 12.7.2010)

15. Evan Turner run out dunk in his ATL debut vs the Hawks (December 3rd - Atlanta, Georgia)
14. Byron Mullens big slam vs the Cavs (December 12th - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
13. Mike Conley Jr. Rips Steve Nash! (December 8th - Phoenix, Arizona)
12. Mike Conley Jr. steal & fastbreak layup vs the Rockets (December 3rd - Memphis, Tennessee)
11. Evan Turner sweet handles to a floater vs the Suns (December 29 - Phoenix, Arizona)
10. Scoonie Penn gets the bucket and the foul! (December 1st - Verone, Italy)
9. Evan Turner steals the ball & starts the break vs New Orleans (December 12th - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
8. Othello Hunter alley oop slam vs Cantu (December 4th - Cantu, Italy)
7. Kosta Koufos one handed alley oop finish vs the Blazers (December 17th -Portland, Oregon)
6. Ron Lewis late game dunk vs Nancy in the Eurochallenge (December 14th - Nancy, France)
5. Kosta Koufos blocks Ty Lawson (December 18th - Denver, Colorado)
4. Evan Turner hesistation to the and- finish on Jamal Crawford (December 3rd - Atlanta, Georgia)
3. Je'Kel Foster clutch pull up three in double overtime! (December 26th - Bologna, Italy)
2. Mike Conley crazy layup off the top of the backboard! (December 1st - Atlanta, Georgia)
1. Ron Lewis game sealing dunk vs Orleans in the Eurochallenge! (December 7th - Mons, Belgium)

Clip - NBA Bloopers: Utah 2009 - Jerry Sloan fakes out Okur & Selects Koufos Instead

(Kosta Koufos - Utah Jazz 2008 - 2010)

(Coursework has gotten in the way of some blog posts, but we'll be back soon with more results & videos (including this bloopers clip & the Top plays of December 2010, plus some more rare footage from years past)

NBA Bloopers - Short clip from the 2008/2009 Season (Boston at Utah) Carlos Boozer exits to the bench after committing a foul. Backup big Mehmet Okur, thinking his name is about to be called, automatically springs up and heads to the scorers table, but Coach Jerry Sloan wanted Kosta Koufos instead, lol! Check it out.

Quick Shots - Rookie P.J. Hill Made Pro Debut, ET to Sport New Li-Ning Kicks at All-Star Weekend, Lewis Sidelined with Injury

(#14 P.J. Hill - 1.11.2011 - Dayton vs Rochester- image ~Teesha McClam)

Country: United States
Buckeye : P.J. Hill
Years Pro: Rookie
Former Team: Ohio State
New Team: Dayton Air Strikers
League: Premier Basketball League
Dayton's Roster

Ohio State Rookie P.J. Hill is continuing his career in the Premier Basketball League. The guard out of Minneapolis, Minnesota made his regular season pro debut with the expansion Dayton Air Strikers on December 31, 2010. The PBL schedule runs from January 2011 to late March. The Air Strikers will play ten home games at the James S. Trent Arena in Kettering. (Schedule)



January 2011 has been a month of adversity in the form of bad luck for Belgian Club Dexia Mons. First, it was Justin cage sidelined with pneumonia, and now they are also currently without leading scorer Ron Lewis. Ron suffered a painful abdominal injury in the 70-62 W over Gent on January 15. He was with Mons in Slovenia for the FIBA game on January 18, but could only watch as his team fell to KK KRKA by the score 85-77.

(we haven't read any definitive descriptions on the severity of the injury, but Lewis is currently listed as being out indefinitely. Get well soon Ron!)

CounterKicks has a sneak preview of the new Li-Ning Shoes that Evan Turner will unveil at the 2011 All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge.

Brazil - Vote for Tony Stockman to Start at the 2011 NBB All-Star Game!!

(Tony Stockman)

Veteran pro Tony Stockman is slated to play in his second straight Brazilian League All-Star Game! The former Buckeye (currently playing for Assis Basket) will be a member of the 'NBB World' team in the World vs Brazil game at the 2011 NBB All-Star Weekend (Jan. 28/29)

You can vote for Tony to be a World team starter on this page. (Pick five players for each team, one center, two guards, & two forwards)

Belgium - Mons in January (Results + New Video from RonLewisBlog)

(Preseason September 2010 - Mons vs Oldenburg - L to R: Shan Foster, Rickey Paulding, & Ron Lewis)

1.8.2011 - Dexia Mons 83 at Verviers-Pep 88
-Ron Lewis: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal

1.11.2011 - Dexia Mons 67 at Charleroi 79 (Belgian League Round 14)
- Ron Lewis: 24 points, 6 rebounds , 3 assists!

1.15.2011 - Dexia Mons 70 vs Gent 62 (Belgian League Round 15)
- Ron Lewis: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Cage out with illness - Dexia Mons suffered a significant roster blow in late December/early January when it came to light that forward Justin Cage (Xavier) would be out indefinitely due to an illness (pneumonia). The news prompted Mons (pictured left: team photo) to sign power forward Ahmad Nivins (St. Joes) for the rest of the season.


Mons in January - The club returned to Belgian League play on January 8 at Verviers-Pep. Mons not only had the difficult task of shaking off the holiday rust, but they also had to find a chemistry without one of their glue guys in Justin Cage. DMH led by five after the first three quarters, but could not hold off a surging Verviers in the 4th, losing on the road 88-83.

The next game was in the prestigous Spiroudome on Jan. 11 against Belgian power Charleroi. Former Buckeye Ron Lewis dropped 24 points on the big stage, but Mons would only have two other double figure scorers (Ben McCauley 10, Shan Foster 15) in another defeat (79-67). The Foxes finally got some relief in the form of a home game at Mons Arena vs Gent on January. Just like the game with Verviers, Mons would lead Gent throughout the first three periods, except this time they would hold on in the final quarter 70-62. DMH is currently 9-4 & third place in the Belgian league standings. The next game in Belgium is a road contest at Leuven on Jan.22

FIBA Time: The start of the Eurochallenge Last 16 schedule is right around the corner. Mons' first game is this Tuesday (Jan. 18) in the country of Slovenia vs KK KRKA.

(New Video from RonLewisBlog! Some clips of Ron from the season!)

Italy - Gametime!! Vanoli Cremona (Je'Kel Foster) at Dinamo Sassari (Othello Hunter) !!

(#23 Je'Kel Foster - Vanoi Braga Cremona)

1.15.2011 - Dinamo Basket Sassari (5-9) vs Vanoli Braga-Cremona (6-8) - (Italian Serie A Round 14)

Another rare Buckeye versus Buckeye regular season meeting will take place on the island of Sardinia when Je'Kel Foster & Cremona (6-8) visit Othello Hunter's Sassari (5-9) club in an important week 14 contest.

The records of both clubs are a reflection of how competitive the Italian League is where each week presents talented teams ready for a 40 minute battle. The competition was at its highest last week when the 2 former Buckeyes met up with the top ranked teams in Italy. Cremona narrowly fell at home to 2nd ranked AJ Milano 78-71. And despite an admirable effort on the road (Othello Hunter 20 points!), Sassari was defeated by defending Champion & European powerhouse Montepaschi Siena 83-92.

(Some clips of Je'Kel & Cremona vs Armani Jeans Milano..check out the ill pass to E.J Rowland in the first clip! Plus a Hunter interview with a funny translator)







Both teams enter today's game in need of a win to get back on track in the league standings. The last meaningful regular season game with two Buckeyes was between the teams of Brandie Hoskins & Star Allen in Portugal (Fall 2010), JJ Sullinger & Terence Dials met up in China last year as well (Early Summer 2010).

Leaders & Legends - Lucas #8 on BTN's Icon list, Cleamons & Hopson pass knowledge down to future generations as coaches.

(Jerry Lucas - Ohio State - Sports Illustrated 1960)

Quick Hitters - All-time Ohio State great Jerry Lucas will be featured as the #8 player on the Big Ten Network's list of top 50 Big Ten Icons. The program is scheduled to air on the Big Ten Network at 9pm eastern on Sunday January 16th. Check out Lucas' page on the Big Ten Icon site!

The Los Angeles Times recently did a fantastic Q&A interview with former Buckeye Jim Cleamons. The current assistant coach of the Lakers touched on many topics, including a desire to coach on the NCAA level.

Lost Angeles Times - Lakers Q&A: Jim Cleamons expresses interest in coaching in collegiate level

Teaching the college kids is something Buckeye Dennis Hopson is already doing. Mark Znidar of the Columbus Dispatch recently wrote an article on what brought Hopson back to the game as a coach, and how he ended up with Louis Orr at Bowling Green.

Columbus Dispatch - From star to teacher: Love of basketball lured Hopson back as college coach

And lastly, there is an early season outlook for the 2011 season on the Washington Mystics official homepage. The WNBA squad lists 're-signing' Katie Smith as one of the off-season priorities.

Washington Mystics - 2011 Season Outlook

(New) Online Footage of Brian Brown in Switzerland!!

(Brian Brown - Switzerland Spring 2010)

We recently found some newly posted online footage of Buckeye Brian Brown from last season! This page on channel.com includes two videos, one is the entire game one of the 2010 Swiss Finals (Lugano Tigers vs Fribourg), the second video is a 2009/2010 highlight mix of Brian Brown! As you may recall, Brian played half of last season with TBB Trier (pictured left) in Germany before moving to the Lugano Tigers of Switzerland where he won a Swiss Championship.


There is a message at the end of the highlight mix from who we assume is the former Buckeye out of Brooklyn, New York. "Stay tuned, more championships to win!! 2010 -2011 Season on the way, Brooklyn!!" Check him out!

Video - Lugano Tigers vs Fribourg - Swiss Finals Game One - May 16, 2010 (Brian Brown 13 points)

Video - Brian Brown Highlights 2009/2010

Rookie Andrea Walker's Basketball Journey takes her to Romania

(Spanish newspaper snippet - #5 Andrea Walker Rookie Debut Photo - 10/9/2010)

The basketball journey of former Ohio State Buckeye Andrea Walker has brought her to the country of Romania. Walker began her rookie pro season in Santiago de Compostela, Spain with club CB PIO XII of the Spanish LF2. She played in a total of eleven regular season games from early October to mid December 2010 (10 points & 6 rebounds per game).

Hello Transylvania - After almost four months in Spain, Andrea switched clubs during the holiday break from PIO to a club called LMK Sepsi BC of Sfantu-Gheorghe (City in Central Romania)

(Walker's first game with Sepsi BC is on January 15. She scored 11 points in her rookie regular season debut (10/9/2010), and netted a pro career high of 15 points on November 19. Good luck Andrea!)

(Some clips of Walker & her former team CB PIO XII in Spain. The first is her regular season rookie debut)

Germany - Hagen Opens 2011 with Two Straight Victories

(Hagen Head Coach Ingo Freyer instructs American import Matt Terwilliger)

1.7.2010 - Phoenix Hagen 92 at Giessen 76 (BBL Regular Season)
- Matt Terwilliger - 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal in 24 mins

1.9.2010 - Phoenix Hagen 99 vs Walter Tigers 91 (BBL Regular Season)
- Matt Terwilliger - 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 25 mins.

It has kind of been a tale of two seasons for Buckeye Matt Terwilliger & the Phoenix Hagen Firebirds of the German Bundesliga. The Hagen, Germany based club has played in 18 regular season BBL games so far. They enjoyed some early season success by winning five of their first nine games, but Hagen has since been only able to find the winners' circle twice in the last nine contests (currently 7-11).

Phoenix Hagen's fifth win was a home demolition of Oldenburg on November 13, 2010 (89-62) It was a great victory for Hagen, but it seemed as if it was right after this game where a bad combination of injuries, tough opponents, and just bad luck would doom the Firebirds to a seven game losing stretch (spanning from 11/20 to 12/29).

New Year, New Results! With late 2010 behind them, Hagen opened the new year in style with a nice 92-76 road victory vs Giessen on January 2. The following week (January 9) was perhaps even sweeter for the club because their fans would witness a home victory over the Walter Tigers of Tuebingen 99-91 . (first home win since the game with Oldenburg on Nov. 13)

Tough Road Ahead: Despite the unkind stretch of November & December, Hagen's 7-11 record still has them within striking distance of the top 12 teams in the BBL standings. Yet, wins will be tough to come by with another difficult series of games ahead. Phoenix Hagen's next two games are a home & away set with perennial Germany power Alba Berlin. They will host Alba on January 12 before playing in the world famous O2 Arena of Berlin on January 16. Hagen then closes out January with a home date against another Buckeye, Velimir Radinovic & MBC. Good luck Hagen!

(Video Clip - Twig knocks down a 3 vs Oldenburg)

FIBA Europe - The Next Stage is Set for Buckeyes Ron Lewis & Jessica Davenport

(Ron Lewis - Dexia Mons)

Two elite Buckeye professionals are currently chasing coveted European championships in FIBA competitions. In late December, Ron Lewis & Dexia Mons Hainaut of Belgium advanced out of the first FIBA Euro-Challenge Group stage and into the last 16. And Jessica Davenport's Russian club Chevakata would power into the Eurocup 1/8 finals (last 16) right before the holidays.

Despite loss, Mons advances! - Our last entry about Mons was right before their December 21st game with Oostende, the final contest of the first group stage. As you may recall, the last night of Group H play featured a three way tie between Belgian teams BC Oostende (3-2) , Dexia Mons (3-2) , & French Team SLUC Nancy (3-2).

The last FIBA game between Mons & Oostende was rich in story-lines & implications. Not only was this two Belgian teams fighting to advance in a FIBA competition, but both had also played each other just two days earlier in a Belgian League Regular Season game (a Mons W). The winner would automatically qualify to the Eurochallenge Final 16 with a Group 4-2 record. The loser's fate at 3-3 would depend on the remaining group game between French outfits Orleans (1-4) & Nancy (3-2) .

Mons knew it would be tough to defeat Oostende, having downed their Belgian rival just a few days earlier, plus the fact that it was a road outing. And after 3 attempts, a motivated BC Oostende finally won over Mons by a score 75-67 in front of their home crowd. But all was not lost for the foxes of Mons, Belgium. In the final game of Group H, Orleans came from behind to upset Nancy 92-90, propelling Mons into the Last 16! Mons got word of the Nancy/Orleans outcome late in fourth vs Oostende, and both teams were happy by the end of the game. Arik Shivek, the head coach of Mons, called it a great day for Belgian Basketball.

-Fiba Europe 'When Losing Doesn't Feel So Bad'

Mons could not close out the Group Stage with a W, but they were able to advance due to nice three game winning streak prior to the game with Oostende. Ron Lewis came up huge in the big wins over Orleans & Nancy, scoring 18 points in each game.

(Clip of Ron Lewis' game sealing dunk vs Nancy in France!)


Ron Lewis Dunk vs SLUC Nancy in Eurochallenge 12.14.2010
Uploaded by BuckeyeBallersTV

Final 16 - The schedule for the next stage is set. Mons is now in Group J of the last 16 with another Belgian team Antwerp, Slovenian club KK KRKA, and Karsiyaka of the Turkish league.

The first game of the Final 16 is on January 18 vs KRKA in the country of Slovenia. Mons will then host the familiar Antwerp Giants of the Belgian League at home on the 25th.

Final 16 Schedule

Davenport & Chevakata cruise to the next stage - The road through the FIBA Eurocup has been much easier for Jessica Davenport and Chevakata. The team out of Vologda, Russia cruised through their first six games of the competition, winning by an average of 33 points per game!

So far, Chevakata has already defeated teams from the countries of Bosnia, Lithuania, and Croatia. They now have a home & home series with Italian club Umana Reyer in the next stage. (Game one is on January 13)

Eurocup Women Format

Chevakata schedule

(Video) The Buckeye Breaks Out - Evan Turner Blazes the Suns in Phoenix!!

(Evan Turner - image Li-Ning)

12.29.2010 - Philadelphia 123 at Phoenix 110 (NBA Regular Season)
-Evan Turner: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 9-12 from the field!

A fitting close to 2010: To say the year of 2010 has been a special one for Evan Turner would be a massive understatement.

Following a historic 2009/2010 NCAA season, the guard out of Chicago, Illinois became the first Buckeye to win the Naismith National Player of the Year Award. In June, Buckeye Nation would watch Turner shake hands with commissioner David Stern as the number two overall pick of the 2010 NBA. And the now former player of Ohio State is currently realizing a dream of competing against the very best in the world. So in a year where E.T has delivered memorable moment after memorable moment, it is only fitting that he would close out the calendar with another career highlight.

The ever improving Philadelphia 76ers played visitors to the Western Conference Phoenix Suns on December 29. To watch this game, and to watch Evan Turner was like that of an Arizona sunset view. Everything was just right, the lineup, the minutes, the flow, the rhythm, the shot. A quick look at the box-score easily revealed a major storyline from this game. #12 registered a rookie high 23 points off an efficient 9-12 from the field & 4-4 from the line. This was indeed a hot shooting night for Turner, but the way in which he was scoring is what made it special evening for us.

E.T started out by swishing two in rhythm mid range jumpers (the first was off the dribble, the second was a catch, jab & shoot). And from there, you could just see the confidence rising. An active tip in layup was next followed by a nice, confident floater. The sight of Tuner imposing his will on the game brought back memories of his Ohio State days. These were his kind of looks, and he was getting them within the flow of what Philly wanted to do. Even if it wasn't an ideal look, Evan was knocking almost all of them down that night, as evidenced by a clutch 4th quarter three over Grant Hill to put the Suns away.

In Evan Turner's top NBA game to date, he displayed flashes of what he was, but also glimpses of the player he will become. The new year of 2011 has brought a new chapter with new challenges, and this is only the beginning.

Note: (from reading this, you can probably guess that forward Andre Iguodala did not play due to injury, see that was one of the aspects of this game that made it a perfect 'sunset view', if you get our drift)

(video complete with hilarious commentary from Suns great Eddie Johnson)