<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>European Prospects &#187; Albert-Schweitzer Turnier</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com</link>
	<description>News about Young European Basketball Prospects</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 23 May 2012 16:27:19 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: the best of the rest</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-the-best-of-the-rest/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-the-best-of-the-rest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:06:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Femi Oladipo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leon Radosevic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maik Zirbes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pasquale Paolisso]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Simon Schmitz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tomislav Zubcic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vladimir Ivlev]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-the-best-of-the-rest/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After having analyzed in the detail the four best placed European nations of the tournament, I will come back to the other European teams, unfortunately only in a shorter fashion as I saw these teams only once in Mannheim. Also, I will limit myself really to the main players of these teams in order to [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-the-best-of-the-rest/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: the best of the rest</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>After having analyzed in the detail the four best placed European nations of the tournament, I will come back to the other European teams, unfortunately only in a shorter fashion as I saw these teams only once in Mannheim. Also, I will limit myself really to the main players of these teams in order to not go too much in the detail. </p>
<p><span id="more-110"></span></p>
<p><strong>Tomislav Zubcic</strong> (2m08 &#8211; Forward &#8211; Croatia)</p>
<p>Zubcic was probably the biggest pure basketball talent of the whole tournament. Nearly seven foot tall, incredibly quick for his size and able to play both the forward positions as well as PG if necessary. In the only game of him where I was present, he showed all he can do in just one quarter. Post-ups against smaller guys, jump hooks, finger roll finishes after powerful drives, but also a very nice eye for his team mates and three point shots without any problem.</p>
<p>The Croatian was clearly also the go-to-guy of his team and he tried to play the big points. However he failed sometimes but also came up with nice plays. He still needs to improve his passing timing to become also a perfect passer even if he was the third best passer of the tournament. But his huge number of turnovers shows how often he has the ball in his hands. He is definitely one of the players to follow in the future. I did not agree on his selection in the All-Tournament team not because of a missing talent but of the poor results of the team.</p>
<p><strong>Femi Oladipo</strong> (1m99 &#8211; Forward &#8211; Germany)</p>
<p>The German SF was probably one of the surprises of the tournament. With his athletic playing style, the Bremerhaven forward was the top scorer of the German team. He is a good offensive rebounder and scores a lot around the rim. He has 3pt range, but only took 2 shots from behind the arc, and he netted both of them. His shooting mechanics have to be improved, he has no fluid jump shot move to score. He can finish with both hands close to the basket and has good control of his body.&nbsp; </p>
<p><strong>Leon Radosevic</strong> (2m08 &#8211; Forward &#8211; Croatia)</p>
<p>Another interesting player from the very strong Croatian front-court. Radosevic showed a very good mid-distance shot and he rebounds strongly. He is not driving that much, relying more on his jump shot which he can also nail in the big moments of a game. Radosevic is highly athletic and is present on the shot blocking section as well. He was the top scorer of the Croatian team during the tournament with also very good shooting percentages.</p>
<p><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p>
<p>Other player that I noted were: the Russian forward <strong>Vladimir Ivlev</strong>, a 2m04 inside player who a nice defensive presence in the paint and also showed some interesting offensive moves. <strong>Pasquale Paolisso</strong>, an Italian forward who excelled in the rebounding and inside working section to score multiple free-throws. <strong>Maik Zirbes</strong>, the large German center who was the top rebounder of the team and showed some powerful moves around the basket. <strong>Simon Schmitz</strong> did a nice job as PG of the German team. He drives a lot to the basket and can control the game very well. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-the-best-of-the-rest/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: the best of the rest</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-the-best-of-the-rest/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Sweden</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-sweden/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-sweden/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:43:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alexander Lindqvist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andreas Person]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Omar Zaghden]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-sweden/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Maybe the positive surprise of the tournament was the 8th place of Sweden. The team from coach Tommie Hansson won the game it had to win against Germany in order to qualify for the Top 8 but then declined slowly in their performance. The team has however some interesting prospects in their roster, especially from [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-sweden/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Sweden</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Maybe the positive surprise of the tournament was the 8th place of Sweden. The team from coach Tommie Hansson won the game it had to win against Germany in order to qualify for the Top 8 but then declined slowly in their performance. The team has however some interesting prospects in their roster, especially from the 1991 generation.</p>
<p><span id="more-109"></span></p>
<p><strong>Andreas Person</strong> (1m87 &#8211; Guard &#8211; Sweden)</p>
<p>Andreas was definitely the flashiest player of the team and probably also the most talented. Thanks to his good speed and athletic skills, Person could drive several times and score next to the rim. He excelled in penetrating on screen-and-roll action or in the horns set-up that the Swedish team played a lot. </p>
<p>When he starts attacking the rim, he tries to read the defense at best and looks what happening around him. His game is however somehow uni-dimensional as he has no serious three point shot to be spoken off and that he can hit with regularity.&nbsp; His passing skills are ok but not good enough to become a quality point guard. </p>
<p>He looks more than a scoring guard that has to play the PG role because of the limited alternatives on the Swedish bench. But as he is a real scorer, he can develop in that area in the next years as you can not forget that he is still pretty young and only turned 17 in March. </p>
<p>Another 1991 born prospect to follow is <strong>Alexander Lindqvist</strong>. The 2m03 tall guard is also a nice scorer with good range until the three point area. He can hit the jump shot from mid range out of the dribble and is also able to help on hte PG position. However, he had a lot of problems with his shooting percentage of the tournament and was also the most turnover-prone player of the Swedish team.</p>
<p>Probably less talented by a harder worker on the court on the inside positions is <strong>Omar Zaghden</strong>. Being the only serious inside presence of the team. Zaghden had to do it all, defend, rebound and also score. And he did his job despite a strange looking jump shot and a limited athletic presence. He works with his knowledge of the situation and a good technique to score around the basket or with a jump shot around the key. </p>
<p>I also collected a reaction of the coach about what his thoughts were after the tournament.</p>
<blockquote><p>It is a great opportunity for a country like Sweden to take part in such a tournament.</p>
<p>Our eight place in the AST is the best result Sweden have had since 1985 when we ended up in 4th place, so we are very happy with that. We knew we had to beat Germany to play the top eight and we showed everyone that we can play pretty good basketball. Both against Australia, Spain and Canada, we had some physical and mental collapses that gave our opponents a chance to make a run and win the games. We need to work on our strength and also keep on playing these kind of games if we want to take the next step to really compete against these teams.</p>
<p>We feel that we have a pretty good backcourt but needs to work a lot with our big guys. As a team we need play more as a team on both ends of the court because we do not have the 1-1 players almost all the other teams have.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-sweden/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Sweden</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-sweden/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Spain</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/alejandro-hernandez/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-spain/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/alejandro-hernandez/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-spain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:19:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alberto Jodar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alejandro Hernandez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Garcia]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/alejandro-hernandez/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-spain/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Spanish team was present but of course without their absolute superstar of the 1990 generation Ricky Rubio. The team from coach Jota Cuspinera presented however a nice combination of talent and was probably one of the deepest teams present in Mannheim. We took a particular at one of the most talented players of the [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/alejandro-hernandez/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-spain/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Spain</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Spanish team was present but of course without their absolute superstar of the 1990 generation Ricky Rubio. The team from coach Jota Cuspinera presented however a nice combination of talent and was probably one of the deepest teams present in Mannheim. We took a particular at one of the most talented players of the team in particular and give some information about the other players too.</p>
<p><span id="more-108"></span></p>
<p><strong>Alberto Jodar</strong> (2m05 &#8211; Forward &#8211; Spain)</p>
<p>Jodar is defintely the most interesting prospect of the Spanish team. Being 2m05 tall and born in 1991, already his physical characteristics document the potential that this young forward is about. The problem is actually what position Jodar should play in the future. He was essentially used as Power Forward in Mannheim because of the lack of centimeters in the Spanish team. However, Alberto mostly played like a wing by shooting from outside instead of going for the paint.</p>
<p>What is interesting is his rebounding presence and block shot abilities. With his developed athleticism, Jodar has the necessary defensive presence on the Junior level but his thin frame will probably prevent him for doing so on the professional basis. </p>
<p>Coming to his showing in Mannheim, Jodar essentially scored with his jump shot. He has a nice shot release and due to his athleticism and length, he is a hard match-up for some smaller wing players. However, his game is nearly outside so that he does not use his size to play his defender inside. </p>
<p>What is interesting is his presence on the defensive end. He looks like being really focused by his tasks over there, he made the impression that for every turnover or missed shot he makes, he directly wants to go for the defensive play to gain back the ball. Jodar should develop into one of the most promising players of the 1991 generation within the next year.</p>
<p><strong>David Garcia</strong> played some interesting defense and gave a lot of problems to the opposing team&#8217;s guards. The 1m91 tall player from Real Madrid essentially scores on the offensive end with three point shots and it was him that made the break during the final game against Sweden with his defense and threes.</p>
<p><strong>Alejandro Hernandez</strong> showed some interesting skills on the PG position. The thin but highly energetic playmaker controls the game very well and has a good eye for his team mates. He has very fluid moves and can go for the Navarro-like tear drop shots. However, he is not very dangerous from behind the arc as he only took 5 shots from there during the whole tournament.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/alejandro-hernandez/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-spain/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Spain</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/alejandro-hernandez/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-spain/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Turkey</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/melih-mahmutoglu/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-turkey/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/melih-mahmutoglu/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-turkey/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:56:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deniz Kiliçli]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Enes Kanter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Melih Mahmutoglu]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/melih-mahmutoglu/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-turkey/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Turkey came to Mannheim with a baggage full of confidence and a mixture of very talented players. The main man to scout for me was of course 1992 born Enes Kanter who has dominated the U16 Türk Telekom Tournament a few weeks before. But it was not only him that came up with interesting performances. [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/melih-mahmutoglu/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-turkey/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Turkey</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Turkey came to Mannheim with a baggage full of confidence and a mixture of very talented players. The main man to scout for me was of course 1992 born <strong>Enes Kanter</strong> who has dominated the U16 Türk Telekom Tournament a few weeks before. But it was not only him that came up with interesting performances.</p>
<p><span id="more-107"></span></p>
<p><strong>Enes Kanter</strong> (2m04 &#8211; Center &#8211; Turkey)</p>
<p>The big man in the middle for Turkey was the only 15 year old Enes Kanter. Of course, the age discussions came up but you could see in his plays but also in his look that this kid should not be a passport issue. However, it was quite surprising the physical level reached by a kid of this age. And as he is only 15 years old, it is hard to predict the future of Enes Kanter&#8217;s basketball career.</p>
<p>While he displays a huge presence in this age category, this dominance is essentially the result of his physical presence, athleticism and hard work on rebounding. He may have showed some kind of back to the basket game, his game remains essentially on good positioning and offensive rebounds. He rarely showed a good jump shot out of the game or some kind of face to the basket drive.</p>
<p>However, he shows the necessary intrigue to be considered as one of the top European prospects of his age category. He has already some kind of turn around jump shot which he likes to use, even if the accuracy is not yet fully there. What is interesting is his ability to hold the ball very high and not getting the ball away to shorter guys that try to teal the ball. He grabs the offensive rebound very high and directly puts it back with two hands.</p>
<p><img style="margin: 0px" src="http://www.ast-basketball.de/typo3temp/pics/61647d46aa.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="480" /></p>
<p>Kanter also has surprising athleticism as he does not look like a big athlete. He showed some very powerful dunks where he also used his large hands to grab the ball like an orange and throw it down with power through the net. What should also be mentioned is his very good FT shooting percentages at 16/21. So the ability to develop a jump shot with high percentages should be there as he struggles still in this area (37/71 from 2).</p>
<p>Kanter is already a huge rebounder, he grabbed 10.9 per game in just 21 minutes where he also went for 1.9 blocks. Still he can not be considered as a huge defender right now as his lateral speed is limited, also probably because of his large body. His running style reminds me a bit of Milan Macvan who dominated the tournament two years ago being younger than anybody too. For both players, the question remains if they have any kind of NBA potential as they may probably remain handicapped by their size to play inside. Still, Kanter is only born in 1992 and he may gain a few centimeters in the next years. He is definitely a player to watch and got awarded with the Burkhard-Wildermuth Award for the most talented player of the tournament.</p>
<p><strong>Deniz Kiliçli</strong> (2m04 &#8211; Power Forward &#8211; Turkey)</p>
<p>Here we have the typical specimen of the Turkish youth player, looking like a man among children. Kiliçli displayed a well developed body for an 18 year old, being physically and athletically a beast for this level. But it was not only a physical presence as he showed also some interesting basketball skills.</p>
<p>With his trademark move, the left handed running hook shot facing the basket and executed at a good height was nearly unstoppable if he could go for it. He works all of his moves with the left hand, except the jump shot. But his game is not all based on that option. He likes to drive, either face to the basket or with the back and finish every move strong with a dunk.</p>
<p>In the first game of the tournament he came up with an extremely surprising move where he went baseline and dunked with one hand backwards over the defense; a move rarely seen on this level. He has however a tendency to do too much when gets into confidence. He forces several moves at times, but he even manages to score on most of them because of his superior physical presence.</p>
<p>The question for him is what can we expect more in the future. An absolutely awful FT shooter (8/24 over the tournament) and with no shooting skills at all; Kiliçli must develop this part of his game to become a serious player in the next years. The soft touch he shows with his left hand and the very rough shoot with his right hand is a combination that with a lot of work can end up in an ambidextrous forward. However, the attitude shown on court does not look like him being ready to go for hard working in practice. He is also not the big rebounder he should be for his presence, this can however be explained by the strong presence of Kanter with him in the paint.</p>
<p><strong>Melih Mahmutoglu</strong> (1m92 &#8211; Shooting Guard &#8211; Turkey)</p>
<p>Mahmutoglu played some kind of combo guard for the Turkish team. He was the only reliable outside scoring source with 17ppg and a 24/61 shooting effort from behind the arc. But besides the shooting, there was not much to come from him.</p>
<p>He has interesting range combined with perfect shooting mechanics. He can hit the three ball from everywhere around the arc with ease but he is not forcing his shot. During the Final, he even refused a totally open shot in the beginning of the setup to pass it to one of his team mates despite being at several straight hits.</p>
<p>He is mostly hanging around the three point line but he can also go for the drive which he mostly finishes with a mid range jumper out of the dribble or with some kind of running jumpshot. On the other hand, Mahmutoglu displays any kind of emotions on the court, just like executing his job without caring what&#8217;s happening. This can be considered as an advantage for him, as he looks really focused however.</p>
<p><em>All pictures are from the official website of the tournament</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/melih-mahmutoglu/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-turkey/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Turkey</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/melih-mahmutoglu/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-turkey/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Greece</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-greece/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-greece/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:44:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kostas Papanikolaou]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kostas Sloukas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leonidas Kasselakis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nikos Pappas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vladimir Jankovic]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/guard-1990-born/nikos-pappas/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-greece/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Greek team came to Mannheim without being considered as one of the favorites. The tallest player just being 2m02, it looked like the guys from coach Georgias Vlassopoulos would be punished inside. But it came a whole lot different. Not only that Greece won the tournament, the team featured some very interesting talent, at [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-greece/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Greece</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Greek team came to Mannheim without being considered as one of the favorites. The tallest player just being 2m02, it looked like the guys from coach Georgias Vlassopoulos would be punished inside. But it came a whole lot different. Not only that Greece won the tournament, the team featured some very interesting talent, at least for the European level.</p>
<p><span id="more-106"></span></p>
<p><strong>Nikos Pappas</strong> (1m93 &#8211; Shooting Guard &#8211; Greece)</p>
<p><img src="http://www.ast-basketball.de/uploads/pics/2008ASTPappas-2-600-klein.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="445" /></p>
<p>What a show by Nikos Pappas it was in Mannheim. The 1990 born guard, who was already with the U18 last summer to win the Silver Medal behind the incredible efforts of Kosta Koufos, was the absolute leader of the team and a well deserved MVP of the competition. With his basketball skills and his leadership, he become a crowd favorite from the first day of the tournament.</p>
<p>I had the possibility to see Nikos in two games during the tournament, unfortunately not his 39pts semi-final party where he scored 11pts in overtime to qualify the Greek team for the Finals. But what I saw was enough to describe you a bit his game. Pappas lives a lot from his drives, mostly on the left. He finishes them near the glass in a sort of fade-away style that draws a lot of fouls and gives him the possibility to go against taller guys. Due to his developed body, he is not bounced around and can handle physical pressure in the paint. Despite being right handed, he prefers the drive of the left, even if he finishes often with his right hand there.</p>
<p>Not being the quickest guy around, he uses a very good footwork and direction changes to get rid of the faster defenders. He reads the defense very well so that he is not dependant on a quick first step. For example, in the game against the USA in the first round, the US defense always let him on his favorite left side, he always recognized it and went to the rim. Due to his good fakes, he gets some open looks and also gets possibilities to pass to the cutters when the help comes.</p>
<p>Concerning his three point shot, the efficiency was ok, but it is not one of his main offensive weapons. Finishing the tournament with 12/40 from behind the arc and 41/56 from 2 point area shows however that he probably goes still a bit too much for the three point shot on which he has of course the range, but he is not a real shooter.</p>
<p>What is more interesting is his presence in the rebound area. 6.7rpg of which 2.85 were in the offense (team best and 6th best of the tournament) show that he is a real factor in this area. Most of the offensive rebounds came of his own (few) misses around the basket.</p>
<p>Pappas showed no real in-between game as he never really had to go for mid range jump shots because he created the situation for himself and went to the basket. He nearly never played the role of the through-the-screens running shooter. Defensively, he showed nothing particular as this was not his role with the team.</p>
<p><strong>Konstantinos Papanikolaou</strong> (2m01 &#8211; Forward &#8211; Greece)</p>
<p>The young forward from Aris Salonici made the biggest step since the last U18 European Championship. Mostly playing the PF position, Papanikolaou will probably develop into a SF in the future. Some compare him with Dimitris Diamantidis and a future at the PG spot which is possible, but for the moment, he is mostly playing on the wing.</p>
<p>Papanikolaou showed good post up moves when he received the ball down low and he used them pretty well for scoring. He can also play facing the basket from the three point line where he can use his good athletic fundamentals. Being left handed helps him of course when it comes to attack the sometimes surprised defenders. He is present in defense where he goes for a good amount of steals and he can even go for some block shots due to his long arms.</p>
<p>His range is until the three point line from where he can hit big shots. With some more work in that area, he can become a very reliable player from more than 6m25 and make himself a very good promise for the SF spot.</p>
<p><strong>Vladimir Jankovic</strong> (2m02 &#8211; Power Forward &#8211; Greece)</p>
<p>Here we have the defense minister of the Greek team. Jankovic, despite a very thin physical presence was everywhere on the court and did the dirty job in a spectacular fashion. Highly athletic, Jankovic often came up with above the rim block shots on help defense and it was him that set the athletic highlights in the game against the United States.</p>
<p>He also goes for scoring and has a already correct three point shot. But his presence in essentially in defense where he was the key man for Greece. A lot will depend on his physical built in the next years if he wants to play in the same register in the Euroleague one day. He has however all the tools to go for such a future in a Georgios Printezis or Panagiotis Vassilopoulos fashion.</p>
<p><strong>Kostas Sloukas</strong> (1m92 &#8211; Guard &#8211; Greece)</p>
<p>Sloukas joined the team only after the two first days of competition but he became more and more important as the tournament went ahead. He had his probably best game at the right moment, in the Final. He took the game in his hands as Nikos Pappas was off the chart during the 2nd and 3rd quarter.</p>
<p>Sloukas showed some very interesting shooting skills, especially from behind the arc. Already physically very present, he uses his body to create spaces on his drives. He shared the guard spots with Pappas and the third rotation Evangelos Mantzaris whose contribution reduced with the improving play of Sloukas throughout the tournament.</p>
<p><strong>Leonidas Kasselakis</strong> (1m98 &#8211; Center &#8211; Greece)</p>
<p>Kasselakis started the games for the Greek team at the Center spot despite being only 1m98 tall and not looking like the world&#8217;s best athlete. With his large body, he works a lot in the post but mostly goes for fade away jumpers instead of showing interesting post moves. Because of his size, he will be a very limited player as a Center and has to develop some other skills in order to move his game to the wing.</p>
<p>He has already a three point shot, of which he even sometimes abuses despite a limited accuracy. As he is not very fast nor highly athletic, he has probably the most limited potential of the here mentioned Greek players. But I have no problem if he proves me wrong in a few years.</p>
<p><em>All pictures are from the official website of the tournament</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-greece/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: Greece</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-greece/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: general impressions</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-general-impressions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-general-impressions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:59:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brooke Ruscoe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dion Prewster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jorden Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mangisto Arop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matthew Dellavedova]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Murphy Burnatowski]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pablo Orlietti]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rob Gagliardi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-general-impressions/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Albert Schweitzer Tournament is over and it is time to talk about the players and the tournament in general. The first article will be about the level of the tournament and a report about the best non-European players. After 8 days of competition, Greece was the deserved winner of the 50th birthday edition of [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-general-impressions/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: general impressions</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Albert Schweitzer Tournament is over and it is time to talk about the players and the tournament in general. The first article will be about the level of the tournament and a report about the best non-European players.</p>
<p><span id="more-105"></span></p>
<p>After 8 days of competition, Greece was the deserved winner of the 50th birthday edition of the biggest and most observed U18 National Team tournament of the world. The level of the tournament has been lower than the years before, this has also been confirmed by the scouts and observers present in Mannheim. The absence of top European nations like Serbia (all there top players were playing the FMP Tournament) and Lithuania hurt the value of the competition. That the best 1990 born player Ricky Rubio was not present was also to be awaited but changed of the course the value of a Spanish team. Unfortunately, no Asian or African could make it to the tournament as it is always interesting to take a look at nations you normally don&#8217;t see over here in Europe. </p>
<p>On the other hand, with 4 teams that were not from Europe among the top 8 nations, the opportunity was given to see some new faces and the presence of lots of NBA but also European Scouts showed the still remaining importance of the tournament. </p>
<p>Generally, the surprise may be the 8th place of Sweden, that is not considered as a top talent source in Europe. However, they took profit of an easy group and won the game that they had to win against Germany to finish before basketball nations like Russia or Croatia. This brings up the question of the schedule which decides the 1-8 spots already after only 3 of the 8 days of competition. Of course, it is not a World Championship but a good place at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament is still a very important thing for the national basketball federations. </p>
<p>Still, besides all these facts, the popular success of the event is enormous. Nearly 30.000 people visited the games and sold out crowds for the Finals have become normal for the organization. Of course, the presence of Greece and Turkey contributed to the popular success. So before talking about the European players in detail, I will give a short review on the most promising players from the other nations except from the US, which I deliberately take out as there are websites that follow these High School players on a more regular basis and can give better reviews. Just one word, <strong>Irving Walker</strong> was by far the best player on the team and a lot of credit has to be given to him for the good 4th place of the team. </p>
<p><strong>Matthew Dellavedova</strong> (1m88 &#8211; Point Guard &#8211; Australia)</p>
<p>Dellavedova was for me among the best PGs of the tournament, if not the best. The 1m88 tall product of the Australian Institute of Sports has the whole package of skills that is needed to become an interesting player on the highest level. Besides the basketball qualities he has, Matthew is also a vocal leader on the court, he encourages his team mates and shows a lot of passion on the defensive end. He completely shut down the US PG Walker in the game for the third place and was herewith the cornerstone of the success. </p>
<p>Dellavedova has a very good three point shot, which he can also fired up under pressure with perfect shooting mechanics. He is not afraid either to take the big shots when the team needs them and he can vary between his jumpers and very well developed driving skills. He has no fear to finish close to the rim against the bigs, where he uses his developed athletic skills to finish the lay-ups with hangtime and foul calls against him.</p>
<p>For me, Dellavedova deserved the PG spot in the All-Tournament team in the place of Irving Walker, especially because of the direct match-up between both on Saturday which went clearly in favor of the Emu. </p>
<p><strong>Mangisto Arop</strong> (1m97 &#8211; Small Forward &#8211; Canada)</p>
<p>Arop deserved really more consideration for the All-Tournament team too. It was his performances that led Canada to a surprising 5th place. The Sudanese born player showed very interesting basketball qualities, and it seems that he has still quite a big margin of progress as his handles and technique can be polished in the next years.</p>
<p>Actually, Arop has 3pt range, even from way behind the 6m25 line. But even if he went for several big threes in the games, I would not qualify him as a shooter as he relies more on his drives. Drivers which he comes on after a good first step which he however supports with some grabbing around the defender. A problem that may cause him some trouble as it is an offensive foul call most of the time (it was not the case in Mannheim too often). He can go up for the mid range jump shot out of his drives and he even sees his open team mates excellently when the help comes. </p>
<p>He can finish high above the rim due to outstanding athletic abilities and he gratified the audience with some nice backdoor dunks. He uses a lot of fakes and his excellent court vision and precise passing made him the second passer of his team. Despite being a big scorer, he is also a huge rebounder on both ends of the court. With improved technique and ball handling skills, it is possible to develop for an eventual SG position in the future. He was definitely among the most talented players of the tournament in my opinion and he should be followed very closely over the next years.</p>
<p><strong>Honorable mentions</strong></p>
<p>Other players of the Candian team that I liked were their guard <strong>Rob Gagliardi</strong>; an short but explosive guard who scored a lot on penetration and fast breaks. He went up for one of the most spectacular dunks of the tournament when he dunked over two people on the break and was so surprised by himself that he had to laugh after the play. The 1991 born <strong>Murphy Burnatowski</strong> was the third player on the Canadian team that showed some promise. He is a very fluid player with good shooting mechanics and a well developed body already. However, his shooting percentages were not among the best but his fighting spirit makes him an interesting player for the future.</p>
<p>In a very deep Australian team, it was hard to take out somebody already, and even it was more difficult to give honorable mentions to other guys as there were 7 players in the whole team that averaged more than 8ppg. So my choice went to <strong>Jorden Page</strong> who shared the PG role with Dellavedova. The thin but very quick and highly athletic guard has a nice view for his team mates and can finish close to the basket after very good hangtime. </p>
<p>For Argentina, I wanted to mention of course <strong>Pablo Orlietti</strong>, 2m06 tall PF from Atenas Cordoba. Unfortunately, I could not scout him on the Final day as he was out with a finger injury. Orlietti is more of the classical inside player with back to the basket moves and the short jump shot from around the key. He scores a lot with jump hooks on the right side. He has three point range but he works essentially in the post. He is a scorer, as every ball he gets, he tries to score it. He also showed some skills off his left hand when he needs to use it, he draw a foul out of the double team where he tried to go up for a left handed jumphook in one situation for example.</p>
<p>Finally, the New Zealand team showed despite a 14th place some players with interesting talent. <strong>Brook Ruscoe</strong> is a scoring SG who lacks a bit of size but has a very nice shot and good skills to draw the fouls when penetrating. The probably best prospect on the team is however <strong>Dion Prewster</strong> who had to play a lot of SF/PF but he could eventually go for the PG spot in the future. He can shot the three despite a strange move, he is physically developed and has a very good court vision. Unfortunately, he does not look in good shape and he probably lacks of the technical baggage to become a high level player.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-general-impressions/">Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008: general impressions</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008-general-impressions/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Short Final picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/short-final-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/short-final-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:19:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/short-final-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here are my final picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008. There will be a lot more detailed reports published in the next days. First of all, here is my report on the final day that I wrote for Ball in Europe Nearly 30.000 fans followed the tournament throughout the whole week The injury of [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/short-final-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008/">Short Final picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here are my final picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008. There will be a lot more detailed reports published in the next days.</p>
<ul>
<li>First of all, here is <a href="http://www.ballineurope.com/countries/greece/albert-schweitzer-tournament-the-final-day/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">my report</a> on the final day that I wrote for Ball in Europe</li>
<li>Nearly <a href="http://www.ast-basketball.de/index.php?id=44&amp;no_cache=1&amp;tx_ttnews[tt_news]=153&amp;tx_ttnews[backPid]=18" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">30.000 fans</a> followed the tournament throughout the whole week</li>
<li>The injury of <strong>Maurice Stuckey</strong> that prevented the German guard to play the AST was not that important as he already could play again with his team Ehingen this weekend</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/short-final-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008/">Short Final picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2008</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/short-final-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2008/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Today&#8217;s picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:45:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maik Zirbes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nikos Pappas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Before returning to Mannheim for the Finals day tomorrow, here are some important facts of the last two days. The Final will be the awaited Greece &#8211; Turkey clash. It will be loud and rowdy in the US Sports Arena tomorrow. Nikos Pappas is the absolute favorite for the MVP trophy. The Greek guard went [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2/">Today&#8217;s picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Before returning to Mannheim for the Finals day tomorrow, here are some important facts of the last two days.</p>
<ul>
<li>The Final will be the awaited Greece &#8211; Turkey clash. It will be loud and rowdy in the US Sports Arena tomorrow.</li>
<li><strong>Nikos Pappas</strong> is the absolute favorite for the MVP trophy. The Greek guard went for 39pts and 10rebs today in an overtime win over Australia.</li>
<li>Call-up for <strong>Maik Zirbes</strong>. The German Center, who is playing a very interesting tournament in Mannheim will replace John Whorton in the rotation of TBB Trier. The last one got fired and head coach Yves Defraigne will probably use Zirbes as back-up center right away.</li>
<li><strong>Irving Walker</strong> was very close to a triple double on Thursday in the spectacular win of the US team over Spain. The tiny PG went for 32pts, 8rebs and 9asts.</li>
<li>The places from 9-16 are now attributed: 9th Germany, 10th Croatia, 11th France, 12th Italy, 13th Russia, 14th New Zealand, 15th Israel and 16th Netherlands.</li>
<li>The schedule for tomorrow is the following (all times CET): 9h00 Sweden &#8211; Spain; 11h Canada &#8211; Argentina; 14h USA &#8211; Australia and 16h Turkey &#8211; Greece.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2/">Today&#8217;s picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Today&#8217;s picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:22:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today there are no games but here are the picks about yesterday&#8217;s action in Mannheim. Kostas Sloukas has joined the Greek team and when he is fully integrated, he will probably form the best backcourt of the tournament. Staying with the Greek team, Nikos Pappas was unstoppable by the US team despite always doing the [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament/">Today&#8217;s picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Today there are no games but here are the picks about yesterday&#8217;s action in Mannheim.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Kostas Sloukas</strong> has joined the Greek team and when he is fully integrated, he will probably form the best backcourt of the tournament.</li>
<li>Staying with the Greek team, <strong>Nikos Pappas</strong> was unstoppable by the US team despite always doing the same move. Penetration with the left hand and scoring layups with his left hand. This was the best individual performance I have seen so far in the tournament.</li>
<li>France is really the big disappointment so far for me. Besides showing no will and arrogant play, the team totally fails to attack a zone. Unsteady playmaking and even no defense pressure make the poor showing perfect. There is a lot of work for Philippe Ory and his staff before the U18 EC in summer.</li>
<li>Despite a unlucky start,<strong> Mangisto Arop</strong> showed why he is considered as the best prospect in the Canadian team. Excellent fakes and good athletic abilities round up his good shooting and al-around skills.</li>
<li>The qualified nations for the Top8 are: Turkey, Australia, Sweden, Canada, Argentina, Greece, Spain and the USA. Sweden and Canada may have been considered as a surprise before the tournament but their performances totally are worth to assure the qualification in a tournament that until now really misses a true super star potential (at least at a NBA level).</li>
<li>Unfortunately, I can not be in Mannheim during the week and will only go back on Saturday for the Final day. Any reports by present persons can be send to me and I will publish them.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament/">Today&#8217;s picks from the Albert Schweitzer Tournament</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/tournaments/2008-tournaments/2008-albert-schweitzer-turnier/todays-picks-from-the-albert-schweitzer-tournament/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Today&#8217;s AST picks</title>
		<link>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-ast-picks/</link>
		<comments>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-ast-picks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:41:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Christophe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albert-Schweitzer Turnier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maik Zirbes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tomislav Zubcic]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-ast-picks/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Before heading off to Mannheim, here are a few picks out of yesterday&#8217;s action. Spain is dominating its group. After a 40pts success against New Zealand, the team from Iberia also demolished Croatia by 38. And it was once again a nice team effort with 5 guys in double figures. Title candidate? Some nations are [...]<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-ast-picks/">Today&#8217;s AST picks</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Before heading off to Mannheim, here are a few picks out of yesterday&#8217;s action.</p>
<ul>
<li>Spain is dominating its group. After a 40pts success against New Zealand, the team from Iberia also demolished Croatia by 38. And it was once again a nice team effort with 5 guys in double figures. Title candidate?
<li>Some nations are already out of the race for winning it all: New Zealand, Netherlands, Israel, Croatia, Russia and France. The two later ones disappointed so far, especially Russia who had two big defeats.
<li>North America is doing very well as both Canada and the Team USA are undefeated so far. Canada is led by the Sudan born Mangisto Arop and the rest of his 12 man from the <a href="http://www.basketball.ca/en/hm/inside.php?sid=1&amp;id=796" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">National Elite Development Academy</a>.
<li>By beating Germany by 13 points, Sweden is close to sure in the Top8. With the return of <strong>Alexander Lindqvist</strong> (13pts 3rebs 2asts) and especially <strong>Victor Holmberg</strong> (18pts 5rebs 3asts), the team of coach Tommie Hansson is showing his potential.
<li>The other story of the tournament so far is Greece. Without their team captain <strong>Kostas Sloukas</strong> who should join the team these days, they won over France in a defensive battle and totally destroyed Israel yesterday.
<li>The top scorers after two days: <strong>Andreas Person</strong> (Sweden) 21ppg and <strong>Irving Walker</strong> (USA) 21ppg. They are followed by <strong>Mangisto Arop</strong> (Canada) and <strong>Femi Oldipo</strong> (Germany).
<li>The rebound section is led by <strong>Maik Zirbes</strong> (Germany) with 13rpg and <strong>Mangisto Arop</strong> (Canada) who has 12.5rpg. The ranking is continued with <strong>Wally Judge</strong> (USA) and <strong>Tomislav Zubcic</strong> (Croatia).
<li>The leader of the Assist category is <strong>Irving Walker</strong> from the USA while the best ball stealers are <strong>Daniel Perez</strong> (Spain), <strong>Vladimir Jankovic</strong> (Greece) and <strong>Alexis Tanghe</strong> (France)
<li>Today, I will follow the games at the US Sports Arena.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-ast-picks/">Today&#8217;s AST picks</a> is a post from: <a href="http://www.europeanprospects.com">European Prospects</a>
<br>
Follow me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ChristopheEPcom">Twitter</a> to get even more updates or become a fan on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EuropeanProspects/143669692330217">Facebook</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.europeanprospects.com/1990-born/center-1990-born/maik-zirbes/todays-ast-picks/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

<!-- Served from: www.europeanprospects.com @ 2012-05-23 20:52:21 by W3 Total Cache -->
