Portugal - Hoskins' Great Season Comes to a Close in the Quarterfinals

(#15 Brandie Hoskins - Portugal)

3.19.2011 - CJ Boa Viagem 61 vs Quinta 78 (Portuguese Quarterfinals Gm1) (Clips)
- Brandie Hoskins: 26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals!

3.26.2011 - CJ Boa Viagem 61 at Quinta 75 (Portuguese Quarterfinals Gm2)
- Brandie Hoskins: 13 points, 8 rebounds

A High Level Hooper - If we had a 2010/2011 individual ranking of former Buckeyes, Mike Conley Jr. would be at the top along with his fellow 2007 Rookie classmate Brandie Hoskins. The guard/forward out of Dayton, Ohio played her fourth professional season for CJ Boa Viagem, a sports club based in the city of Angra on the (Portuguese) island Terciera.

To say that Hoskins was a force for Boa Viagem would be an massive understatement. Brandie led the club with 21pts & 8 rebounds per game. She scored twenty or more points in 11 of 18 regular season games (including a season high 33 point game on Nov. 21, 2010), and finished the season as the 3rd best scorer in Portugal (In our minds the best overall player in Portugal from start to finish! Stats )

(Playoffs) - Brandie Hoskins & Terence Dials (Cyprus) were the first among Buckeye Alumni to participate in 2011 playoff action. Hoskins' team Boa Viagem entered the playoffs as the sixth seed against third seeded Quinta.

The Portuguese quarterfinals are a best 2 games of 3 format..That first game usually sets the tone for the series, and in this case, Boa Viagem just happened to run into a bad matchup in the form of a more balanced Quinta team. Their first round counterparts shot 52% from behind the arc (9 threes) in game one which lead to a 78-61 gm 1 victory in Angra. Quinta then completed the series sweep a week later at home on March 26 (75-61). Despite the losses, Hoskins left it all out on the floor by dropping 26 points/10 rebounds in gm 1 to with 13 & 8 in game 2. In our opinion Brandie is capable of performing on any level (the highest levels) in woman's basketball.

(Videos! Scrimmage between Boa Viagem & a group of men..Hoskins is in the red shorts doing work..plus some vids of Boa vs CAB in league play)

United States - ABA Expansion Team Lima Explosion Announced Jamar Butler!!

(Hometown kid - Jamar Butler - Lima Explosion Press Conference - Lima News/Photo Nick Turner - March 2011 - Lima, Ohio)

Buckeye: Jamar Butler (2004-2008)
Position: Guard
Experience: Two years
Number of Countries played in: Four (Italy, Turkey, Greece, Bosnia)
Last League Action: Bosnian Playoffs (Spring 2010)
New Squad: Lima Explosion (Signed in March of 2011)
League: American Basketball Association (United States)
Season: Begins in November 2011


Butler to Rep Lima in the ABA! - Big news hit in early March 2011 when the ABA expansion Lima Explosion announced Jamar Butler as their first signed player for the upcoming inaugural season! J-But is of course widely known for his prestigious (2004) Ohio Mr. Basketball award following his Senior season at Shawnee High School of Lima, Ohio.

The former Buckeye star was last seen in Germany (early fall 2010) preparing for the 2010/2011 season, but a shoulder injury kept him out of action for the rest of the calender year. A fully recovered Butler now takes on the opportunity of representing his hometown in the American Basketball Association.

The Lima Explosion are one of several new expansion clubs slated to play in the 2011/2012 ABA season. The 30 game regular season will begin in November 2011.

Butler on playing in Lima again -

“I never thought I would be, It’s a blessing in disguise. I’m anxious to get at it and start playing some games.”

(More info - links)

-LimaExplosion.com - Explosion Sign Jamar Butler
-Lima Sports - Explosion take first step with Jamar Butler



J.B. was about to do work before the injury- Jamar was coming off a good 2009/2010 season prior to being sidelined for the latter part of 2010. He gained valuable experience in the tough Greek League & also participated in the Bosnian Playoffs. We can't wait to see Butler back on the court for the Lima Explosion!

"It's been a long & bumpy road, but you know (i'm) just happy to be signed with the team" - Jamar Butler


Jamar Butler HS Short by BuckeyeBallersTV

(Mini) Video-Documentary - High School Hopefuls: Jared Sullinger

(Jared Sullinger)

Highschool Hopefuls: Jared Sullinger - High School Hopefuls takes us back to Columbus Northland Highschool circa 2010, where legendary head coach Satch Sullinger & company molded Jared Sullinger into the star player he is today. Included in this two part series, former Buckeye James Sullinger explains why his brother Jared (current Buckeye) is so great - Recently posted to youtube in Feb. 2011 (www.highschoolhopefuls.com)

Video - Senior Day Flashback 2008 (Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter, Matt Terwilliger)

(Image - Jim Davidson - Ozone - Senior Day 2008 - Matt Terwilliger, Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter)

Flashback - 3.26.2008 - Ohio State 74 vs Dayton 63 (NIT Quarterfinals - Senior Day)

On March 6, the 2010-2011 Big Ten Champion Ohio State Buckeyes crushed the Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 93-65 in front of a charged up Senior Day crowd.

The emotions of Senior Day always brings back memories of the farewell games of past players. Coach Matta's last real Senior laden (outgoing) class before the current one was the 2007-2008 squad led by Seniors Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter, and Matt Terwilliger.

The 2008 Senior Class played their final home game in Columbus, Ohio vs the Dayton Flyers in the NIT quarterfinals. The victorious Buckeyes would go on to capture the NIT Championship in New York City after a finals win over UMass. Othello Hunter was signed by the Hawks in the fall of that year, Jamar Butler (pictured left - Senior Day in the Schott) played his rookie season in Italy & Turkey, and Matt Terwilliger started his pro career in Paderborn, Germany.

Web - George Reese Launched Official Web Site!!

(Buckeye George Reese launched www.GeorgeLReese.com in late February 2011)

Pro Basketball veteran George Reese (currently playing in Poland) has always been one of the visionaries among former Buckeyes in using various media to connect with fans. Reese has operated a blog & video page for years, and he has now taken it to another level with a brand new official site - www.GeorgeLReese.com !

Follow George & Koszalin - Reese's new site features game previews & wrap-ups, as well as an integrated scoreboard of AZS Koszalin's games with #9's stats.

Future Basketball Concept - In addition to keeping us updated on his team & season, Reese uses www.GeorgeLReese.com as a platform to touch on the broader scope of professional hoops in general (what it means to be a pro, life overseas ect). As explained in the site's welcome video, George's Future Basketball video series includes interviews & Q&A sessions with some of his professional peers from Columbus & Beyond.



Buckeye Check Ins - George Reese is flat out delivering a special treat to Buckeye Nation and the hardcore Buckeye heads in the form of Buckeye updates! As noted in the video, some of his videos will feature some former Ohio State players checking in with updates. The first Buckeye is none other than the great Scoonie Penn! Here's the teaser



(614 & Beyond - George interviews fellow Columbus Ted Scott (one of the best players in Poland) and the captain of Koszalin, teammate Igor Milicic (G)

Italy (LegaDue) - Prima Veroli Won the 2011 Coppa Italian Championship!! (Scoonie Penn, Jarrius Jackson)

(2.27.2011 - Scoonie Penn & Veroli celebrate the 2011 Lega Due Cup Championship - Novara, Italy)

(2011 (LegaDue) Coppa Championship - Final Four in Novara, Italy)

2.26.2011 - Prima Veroli 91 vs 88 Umana Reyer (Coppa Final Four Semi-Finals)
- Jarrius Jackson: 19 points (4 threes), 2 boards
- Scoonie Penn: 14 points, 3 assists

2.27.2011 - Prima Veroli 81 vs Aget Imola 67 (Coppa Final Four Finals) !
- Jarrius Jackson: 27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists !
- Scoonie Penn: 13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds !

(Cup Finals promotion - Veroli vs Imola)

When we last checked in on Scoonie Penn & Prima Veroli (early February), they were making headlines in Italy as one of the hottest teams in the Lega Due. Veroli went on a tear in the first two months of 2011, going 7-2 & climbing in the top 7 of the league standings. Penn & Jarrius Jackson (Texas) and company wanted to ride their momentum into the 2011 Coppa Championship of late February, and that is exactly what would occur.




The Coppa Championship or Italian Cup is a competition outside of league play where a select number of teams (in the LegaDue's case 4 teams, but it varies across Europe) play in a weekend tournament to determine the National Cup Champion. The 2011 Coppa Final Four consisted of clubs Prima Veroli, Umana Reyer of Venice, Aget Imola, & Casale Monferrato. The games were played on a neutral court in host city Novara.

Veroli takes down Venice Again: Veroli met up with Umana Reyer in game one of the Final Four. These two squads played each other to overtime in the last matchup in Venice..with Veroli coming out on top. They wouldn't need an extra session to defeat Reyer this time, but it was another 4th quarter thriller as Veroli edged Umana Reyer by a score of 91-88. Jarrius Jackson led Veroli with 19 points, and Penn (pictured left) added 14.


Jackson wins MVP in Veroli's finals win! - Neutral fans in Novara probably hoped for another nail biter in the Final Four finals, but Prima Veroli had opposite plans. They blitzed their opponent Iget Imola in the first quarter (21-8), and coasted to a 81-67 finals championship!

Jarrius Jackson was unstoppable again for Veroli in the finals. The big time scorer from Monroe, Louisiana brought home the finals MVP behind a game high 27 points, 5 boards, and 3 assists. Former Buckeye Scoonie Penn scored 13 points with 5 dimes & 4 rebounds.

BuckeyeBallersTV - Video highlights of Scoonie Penn & Jarrius Jackson at the 2011 Coppa Final Four!!

Roundball Reach (Global) - WNBA Star Katie Smith Participated in U.S Sports Envoy to India!

(2.24.2011 - Mumbai , India - Katie Smith demonstrates her Hall of Fame shooting form to area youth at a basketball clinic in Mumbai)

(Indian youth learns how to lock up foes on the court!)

Busy Off-Season for Basketball Legend - Just what hasn't Katie Smith accomplished? The former Buckeye has won WNBA titles, mvp awards, Olympic Gold Medals, met United States Presidents ect.. Smith's Hall of Fame resume givers her the type of star power that shines on and off the court.

Renaissance Woman - In early February, Smith returned to The Ohio State University as a color commentator for a Big Ten Network college basketball broadcast. She was later seen in Los Angeles, California working with NBA Cares during the All-Star break. And in the latter part of February 2011, Smith embraced the role of a basketball ambassador in a special U.S Department of State sports envoy to India.

A Buckeye doing big things on a global scale - Katie Smith participated in a U.S Department of State sports envoy to India with former NBA players George 'Iceman' Gervin & Marty Conlon (all 3 pictured left). The group held youth basketball clinics in Mumbai & New Delhi, India from February 23 to March 1st. The basketball stars taught area youth fundamental techniques of the game, as well as sharing experiences and goals that have motivated them to succeed.

These global reach stories are some of our favorites. They are just another testament to how the game of basketball can take you around the world. And this story in particular, shows us how much the game is growing worldwide. Those are some sweet pictures of Katie teaching the game in India!

• U.S Department of State - Basketball Stars Gervin & Smith Visit India
• France 24 - Gorge 'Iceman' Gervin & Katie Smith come to India
• WNBA.com - Washington's Katie Smith Embraces Instructor Role Overseas
  

NBA - Blockbuster Trade Sends Kosta Koufos to the Denver Nuggets

(Konstantine Demetrios Koufos - Denver Nuggets - 2011)

Buckeye: Kosta Koufos
Years Pro: Currently in 3rd Pro season
Countries Played In: One (United States)
Number of Teams Played For: Two (Utah, Minnesota)
Last Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
New Team: Denver Nuggets
League: National Basketball Association (USA)


Koufos to the Nuggets - The Carmelo Anthony saga was the talk of the NBA leading up to the trade deadline, and everything finally formulated into a blockbuster three team deal shortly after the all-star break.

In one fell swoop, New York Basketball would be reinvigorated with the additions of stars Carmelo Anthony & Chauncey Billups (along with Anthony Carter & Balkman). The Nuggets received a decent core in point guard Raymond Felton, swingman Wilson Chandler, the promising Italian Danilo Gallinari, & the big Russian kid Mozgov. Minnesota, the third team of the deal, sent Corey Brewer to the Knicks & former Buckeye Kosta Koufos to the Nuggets (received Anthony Randolph & a future draft pick).

According to Minnesota's Star Tribune, (link)

"The Wolves included Koufos apparently to clear enough playing time for bigs Randolph, Kevin Love, Darko Milicic, Nikola Pekovic and Anthony Tolliver and it also sheds Koufos' modest salary."

- And when you look at it, that front-court was indeed getting crowded with Love (a rising player) vets Milicic & Tolliver, Pekovic (25 year old center who they like), and Randolph. Koufos did well for himself by working hard & being able to get some playing time up in Minnesota, but the business side of things has moved him to his third career NBA team.

- Pro Basketball Talk: Melo Trade (Wolves send Kosta Koufos to Denver)
- Deal's done: Koufos added to trade that sends Brewer to NYC

- Koufos got better in Minnesota..

(Kosta Koufos & the Timberwolves Mascot at a local elementary school)

In our view, Kosta Koufos' short stint with Minnesota was very positive. The Kurt Rambis coached squad does/did not win many games, but Kosta progressed individually; main reason being was minutes played. He learned a great deal from former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan in Utah, but on court action is the most crucial aspect in development..and in this regard Koufos found new life with the Timberwolves.

Point of fact, Kosta Koufos logged more on court minutes (335 total mins in 39 gms) in just a half a season with Minnesota than he did in all of last season with the Jazz (172 total minutes in 36 gms - stats).

In addition to the valuable game experience, we thought the stint in Minnesota also had the effect of making Koufos somewhat relevant in the basketball community again. He was kind of out of sight & out of mind during his second year in Utah. Yet, as a trusted reserve for Minnesota, we were able to see him compete against NBA starters and rotation players. (pictured left defending Kobe Bryant).




Kosta Koufos Blocks Kevin Martin & Brad Miller 2.8.2011
Uploaded by BuckeyeBallersTV.



Will Koufos get a shot in Denver? - Kosta goes from being the rotation of a losing squad to re-joining a winning environment, but now his playing situation becomes fuzzy. The Nuggets feature strongmen Nene & Kenyon Martin up front, they sub in the Birdman..Chris Andersen, and are obviously going to be high on young Gallinari. That leaves Koufos & Mozgov to fight for any of the limited minutes that may be left. (roster)

Kosta Koufos made his debut in a Denver Nuggets uniform against the Bobcats on March 3, 2011. (3 rebounds, 2 points in 7 minutes)

NBA - Buckeye Nation Backs Michael Redd in 2011 Comeback Bid!

(Buckeye Star Michael Redd is determined to compete against the world's best once again)

(The Adversity, the Grind, the Comeback, the Heart..)

Columbus was Refuge (home) , OSU therapeutic - The long & hard comeback trail for NBA veteran Michael Redd has been well-documented. Articles from coast to coast asked the familiar questions of when & if he would return. But while the national community pondered about Redd, Buckeye Nation knew all along.

The Milwaukee Bucks guard could be found in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio during his thirteen month comeback grind. He trained on the campus of The Ohio State University, working out at the Schottenstein Center, the home arena of the Buckeyes. In addition to rehab, Redd immersed himself in Buckeye Nation (pictured left at a ball game - photo Jim Davidson) by appearing at Campus events, as well as football and basketball games. For the people of Columbus, the question was not if, but only when.

Redd Returns! - Michael Redd rejoined the Milwaukee bucks (23-38) in late February of 2011. The Bucks will slowly integrate Mike back into the team, they have mapped out a tentative date of late March as the ideal return to game action for Redd. It goes without saying that Buckeye Nation hopes for nothing but the best in Mike 2011 comeback bid..good luck!

• Yahoo Sports - Injured Redd Joins Practice with Bucks
• JSOnline - Redd is Ready to Return

Michael Redd Returns to Bucks' Practice
Uploaded by BuckeyeBallersTV.

Oceania - Ivan Harris Arrives to Australia for Hoops in 'The Land Down Under' !

(Ivan Harris - Argentina - Circa November 2010)

Buckeye: Ivan Harris
Years Pro: Four
Countries Played In: Four (Finland, USA, Argentina, Uruguay)
Last Action: (Brief stints in Argentina & Uruguay in Winter 2010)
New Team: Ballarat Miners
League: SEABL - SouthEast Australian Basketball League
Location: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Harris Slated to Play in Australia! - The Ballarat Holden Miners of the SEABL (Southeast Australia Basketball League) announced the signing of former Buckeye Ivan Harris in late February 2011. (Ballarat is a city in Victoria, Australia.)


Harris (pictured left - Uruguay) began his fourth season of professional basketball in the winter of 2010 with brief stints in Argentina & Uruguay (story). He now arrives to Australia in time for the 2011 SEABL season (joining fellow import Nick Aldridge)
From SEABL.com -

"Coach Guy Molloy was attracted to Harris as an elite 3-point shooter to complement his shuffle offence but also his reputation as an athlete who can run the floor, a hard-nosed defender who can physically mix it inside the key. Molloy said, “I am very excited we have signed a player of Ivan’s ability. This is a tremendous coup for our team and fans and brings another highly credentialed import to SEABL basketball”.

Ivan Harris is the first Buckeye to play in Australia since Chris Jent in the 1994-1995 season (North Melbourne Giants)

• The Courier 2.18.2011 - Miners Land New Recruit
• SEABL Report - Ivan Harris Signed on As Miners Second Import
• SEABL Report - Miners Lineup Grows

Ivan Harris Erie Bayhawks (Dec 2009)