FIBAAMERICAS.COM 02 DIGITAL. July 1-15, Battle in Greek groud

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1 FIBAAMERICAS.COM 02 DIGITAL July 1-15, 2008 Battle in Greek groud

2 Three passes for beijing The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament is coordinated and presented between FIBA and the Basketball Federation of Greece, in Athens, from the 14th to the 20th of July, at the OAKA Arena, in the suburbs of Maroussi, with sitting space for 18,000 spectators. A total of twelve countries will meet at this tournament with the hope of capturing one of the three extant passes for the 2008 Olympic Games to be held this time in Beijing, China, this next august, from the 10th to the 24th of that month. There are already 9 countries classified to the games: China, the Host; Spain, World champion; Angola, Africa's Champion; United States of America and Argentina, #1 and #2 for the Americas; Iran, Asia's Champion; Russia y Lithuania, #1 and #2 for Europe; and lastly, Australia, for Oceania. Group A: Brazil, Greece, and Lebanon. Group B: Cape Verde, Germany, and New Zealand. Group C: Canada, Korea, and Slovenia. Group D: Cameroon, Puerto Rico, and Croatia. The teams will compete amongst their counterparts in the same Group from the 14th to the 16th. The best tow of each group will advance to the quarterfinals that will kick off on the 18th, as the 17th will hold no games and will be used by the teams to rest. If Puerto Rico defeats Cameroon, as is expected, they will advance along with Croatia and will go against the best two in Group C, where Slovenia is the favorite, and it could go either way for Canada and Korea as far as who will advance to the second round. Cameroon is athletic, fast, has good scooters, but they lack tall men. They are coached by Lazare Adengono, who is assistant coach at the University of Canisius in the NCAA. Forward Frank Ndongo plays for Virginia Commonwealth and Mback a Moute, for the University of California. Their point guard is Ekanga Ebona who plays in France's professional league. Croatia, on the other hand, has seven players that are active in Spain's professional league, the ACB. These are: Kus, teammate member with Daniel Santiago in Málaga; Barac and Planicic, with Tau-Cerámica; Stojic, with Vive Menorca; Banic with Bilbao; Kasun, Barcelona; and Marko Thomas, with Fuenlabrada, who is teammate of Peter John Ramos. Their main guns, Roko Ukik, Marko Popovic y Danir Markota, play for Virtus Roma, Italia, Zakgiris Kaunas (Lituania), and the Milwaukee Bucs (NBA), respectively. Popovic played alongside Larry Ayuso, in This team's namesake is their height, discipline and defense. In the crossover, Slovenia will prove to be the strongest rival, since, in theory, neither Puerto Rico nor Croatia should loose against Canada, lead by Leo Rautins, who were counting with Steve Nash's participation but was unable due to injuries at the closing of the season with the Phoenix Suns, and Korea only sports the 7'3" giant Jin Ha Seung. Playing for Slovenia are notables like Nesterovic, Toronto Raptor's Center; Jaka Lakovic, point guard to the Barcelona; Dormen Lorbek, shooting guard at MMT Estudiantes of Madrid; and Smodis, small forward for the CSKA of Moscow. They are lead by Coach Alex Pipan (Poland). The semifinal will be held on the 19th, gaining their Olympic passports the winners on that day. The last Olympic ticket will go to the winner of amongst the two defeated teams from the 19th, playing on the 20th. Puerto Rico will not play on the 14th, on the 15 they will go against Cameroon and will battle Croatia on the 16th. Each time a group advances, team #1 will play against team #2 and vice versa, keeping in order with the theme A vs. B and C vs. D Greece, for being the host, Germany, Slovenia, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Croatia and Australia are the favorites. DIGITAL02

3 Brazil earns olympic ticket The Women's National Basketball Team of Brazil earned their right to attend the 2008 Olympic Games, to be placed in Beijing, China, later this year, after defeating their Cuban counterparts in the final game of the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women held at Madrid, Spain, by a score of 72 to 67. With an outstanding performance from Micaela (22 points), the South American squad was able to overcome their defeat against Belorussia and to the exclusion of Iziane, considered the best player of the Women's Basketball National Team of Brazil Cuba ( ): Gelis (5), Amargo (14), Ávila (3), Putin (16) y Boulet (14) -initial five-, Casanova (6), Soria (-), Noblet (-), Fernandez (6) and Oquendo (-) Brazil ( ): Claudinha (5), Micaela (22), Karla (11), Ega (2) y Kelly (10) -initial five-, Natalia (3), Mama (9), Patricia (6) y Franciele (4). Referees: Vicente Bulto (ESP), Roberto Chiari (ITA) y Srdan Dozai (CRO). DIGITAL02

4 DIGITAL02 One on One With Manolo Cintrón (Coach - Team Puerto Rico) 1- Are you satisfied with the players that were summoned for your national team and the amount of time available to train on your way to Athens? Yes, indeed. We have Daniel Santiago, Peter John Ramos, and Ricky Sánchez, but our main offense is still in the hands of Carlos Arroyo, Larry Ayuso, José Juan Barea, and Filiberto Rivera. Nevertheless, the European teams are tall and play hard under the basket. 2- Whom do you consider to be the favorite teams to secure the three spots available for the Olympic Games in Beijing? There is no doubt that Greece is the main candidate because they will be playing as locals, alongside the fact that they won silver medal at the last World Championship in Japan. Also Germany, Slovenia, and Brazil are dangerous mainly because of their quality. Puerto Rico can also go head-to-head with them. 3- Do you feel that the work overload resulting from the participation of your main players in European and national leagues, as well as in the NBA, may affect their performance? In Puerto Rico, the final two teams played more than 50 games. From on of those teams, Carolina, we have Rivera, Bimbo Carmona, Alex Falcón, and Luis Villafañe in our roster. Nevertheless, being tired is not justifiable when one represents the Country. With regards to the Arroyo, Santiago, and Barea, they are well-rested. 4- Do you think that Brazil and Puerto Rico have made the transition to the so-called "modern basketball", based on fundamentals and total performance, and so in-use in Europe right now? Sometimes I feel that what they call "total basketball" in Europe is some sort of a fallacy. If USA goes undefeated in the Olympics in Beijingwhich is what everybody expects-no one will remember the Europeans. Now Brazil has a coach from Spain (Moncho Monsalve), who once coached the Dominican Republic's national team, and who has no other option but to follow the quick-paced, offensive game of the Brazilians.

5 DIGITAL02 One on One With Moncho Monsalve (Coach - Team Brazil) 1- Are you satisfied with the players that were summoned for your national team and the amount of time available to train on your way to Athens? 14 players replied to our first call. Five requested to be excused because of medical problems (Nenê, Anderson, Leandrinho, Paulão, and Valtinho) and one because of a particular situation (Guilherme). As a result, I had to summon four players that were training for the South American Championship: Duda Machado, Jonathan Tavernari, Ricardo Probst, and Fúlvio Chiantia. I can say, confidently, that this is a very talented team, whose performance improves with every training session. It is important to highlight the dedication and effort put forward by each of the players. For example, on July 3rd they decided to exchange their rest day for a group training session. That clearly shows the spirit of this national team. 2- Whom do you consider to be the favorite teams to secure the three spots available for the Olympic Games in Beijing? I think that two of the European national teams (Greece and Croatia), and two from the Americas (Brazil and Puerto Rico), are the main candidates for the three spots available for Beijing. 3- Do you feel that the work overload resulting from the participation of your main players in European and national leagues, as well as in the NBA, may affect their performance? I think that FIBA Americas and FIBA should rethink the competition schedule for the national teams. Each year we have less time to train for the international competitions, mainly because the club championships have a time-span of nine months as well. The athletes end up with little time to rest (days off), having to represent their country quickly after that. With that kind of schedule, it is not possible to work out with enough time. 4- Do you think that Brazil and Puerto Rico have made the transition to the so-called "modern basketball", based on fundamentals and total performance, and so in-use in Europe right now? The two countries have talented players, whose personal fundamentals are very good. They also have good coaching staffs. Nevertheless, there is the need to work with some aspects such as spacing. In other words, they need to learn to play without the ball and to improve the ball reversal when playing five-on-five.

6 DIGITAL02 The South American Championship, held in Puerto Mont, Chile, finished with a final standing that is a clear indicator of what the teams displayed on the court. With similar levels of execution, two teams, Argentina and Uruguay, were above average. Venezuela and Brazil, in turn, were a step below in terms of game quality. Colombia clearly showed some improvement, crafting a big upset to the local Chile, who gave signs of going backwards in their game. Quinteros: tournament MVP. At the end, Argentina was crowned champion, playing a great final game with a spectacular defensive effort from Quinteros over Mazzarino and some high-level performances at the offensive-end. And even though Quintero and González were the main figures for Argentina in the tournament, at the end, there were excellent performances from Stanic, Diego García, and Pelussi. Uruguay failed again to reach the South American crown, leaving with a bittersweet sensation after watching the title slip away from their hands. It is important to note that some of the teams didn't come with their A squads. Brazil, with the FIBA World Pre-Olympic as a priority and with a team full of prospects and little practice-time, kept improving throughout the tournament. Argentina, in turn, suffered last-minute casualties and injuries, and in spite of that, and the fact that their A squad was dreaming with Beijing, they were able to celebrate at the end. Venezuela also suffered casualties of their own, such as Richard Lugo and Hector Romero; Colombia lost Stalin Ortiz; Chile, in turn, lost three players that were left out at the last moment because some discrepancies related to a tour in Mexico. Uruguay also faced their share of problems in a very important position. Martín Osimani, their starting point guard, suffered an injury during a training session, while his substitute, Fernando Martínez, was also lost just hours before their departure. The tournament wasn't exactly an exhibition of closed or unforgettable games, with the match Uruguay-Argentina being arguably the most relevant; mainly due to a coming-from-behind, fourth-quarter effort by the Uruguayans. A summary of the action will have Argentina defeating Brazil by 34; Uruguay over Venezuela by 18; Brazil by 10 over Venezuela; and after that, in the game for the bronze medal, Venezuela over Brazil by 15; the ample margin of victory a watermark of the competition. It may not be a tournament to be remembered by its high level of competition points respectively or for the birth of new stars. Once again, Argentina proved their ability to build competitive teams with a winning attitude. Leading that team was Paolo Quintero (Finals MVP), and Roman Gonzalez, but the affinity of the players in both ends of the court was enough to justify their title. Mazzarino: Uruguay s big gun. By Federico Buysan Argentina, king of south America Uruguay displayed a great base for the future with players to be developed, since it is a relatively young team. Osimani, García Morales, Aguiar, Páez, Batista, Barrera, and Izaguirre, all have a secured spot on the team. They were competitive all throughout the competition, but lacked balance in their collective game, which may have short-handed their aspirations to the title. Venezuela achieved a well-deserved third place. However, their last impression was not that of a solid team. They are currently undergoing a renovation process, with a new head coach, and had to face the absence of Lugo and Romero. They have a young base of players, with a natural leader in Torres, a good tournament by Axier Sucre, but they tend to be a bit passive in their defense. Certainly, more was expected from them.

7 DIGITAL02 Referee s, necessary key on the new FIBA reglamentation approval. Rule Changes Part 2 Official Basketball Rules 2010: The amendments to the rules presented below will take effect as follows: For first level competitions/level 1 (Main Official FIBA Competitions such as: Olympic Tournaments, World Championships (Men and Women), FIBA World U19 and U17 Championships (Men and Women) and Zone/Continental Championships (Men and Women)): beginning on October 1st, 2010, after the 2010 World Championship. For mid level competitions/level 2 (The rest of Official FIBA Competitions and First Level National Federation Competitions): beginning on October 1st, 2012, after the 2012 Olympic Games in London, U.K. Art Free Throw Line and Restrictive Areas Restrictive areas will be the rectangular shape as marked at the game court. The restrictive area (3 seconds) will be rectangular (not trapezoidal) from now on. Art Three point shooting zone The distance to the three point line will now be placed at 6.75 m (as opposed to the present 6.25 m placement) Art Lateral outside lines Two (2) small lines will be drawn outside the game court, on the opposite side of the Control Table and the team benches, with the exterior border at a distance of m from the interior border to the end of the line. In other words, they will be aligned with the upper or superior part of the three point line. Within the last two (2) minutes of the game and the extended period, after the team with the ball has been granted a time out at their defense zone, the ball will be put into the game from the opposite side of the Control Table at the lateral outside lines and not from the central extended line as it is done now. Art No offensive foul semi-circle The semi-circles of "No offensive Fouls" must be identified in the game court, under the baskets. The distance from the interior borders of the semi-circles will be 1.25 m from the center point below the basket. (On the floor) A play that would otherwise be sanctioned as an offensive foul cannot be sanctioned as such, if the contact between the offensive and the defensive players occur when the defensive player is standing within the "No Offensive Foul Semi-Circle". Art. 29 Twenty Four Seconds If an out-of-bounds pass was granted on the defensive end outside is administered in the defense zone, if required by the respective rules, the twenty four second clock will be reset to 24 seconds again. If an out-of-bounds pass is granted on the offensive end, as required by the respective rules, the twenty four second clock will be reset again as follows: If the clock marks at least 14 seconds at the moment the game stops, the twenty four second clock will not be reset and will continue from then on. If there are less that 14 seconds at the moment the game stops, the twenty four second clock will be reset to 14 seconds and the game will commence from then on.

8 Federations Federación de Brasil (BRA) Contact Details: Confederaçao Brasileira de Basketball Avenida Río Branco Andar - Centro RJ, Río de Janeiro Tel. 1: +55 (21) Tel. 2: +55 (21) Tel. 3: +55 (21) Fax. 1: +55 (21) Fax. 2: +55 (21) cbb@cbb.com.br; presidente@cbb.com.br Website: President Mr. Bozikis, Gerasime Nicolas Quick Facts 720 Registered Clubs 36,000 Licensed Female Players 96,000 Licensed Male Players 42,000 Unlicensed Players Date of Affiliation to FIBA: 1935 Rank on FIBA Ranking: 18 Federación de baloncesto de Puerto Rico (PUR) Contact Details: Federación de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico Ave. Fernandez Juncos 1611, San Juan Po. Box , San Juan Tel. 1: +1 (787) Tel. 2: +1 (787) Tel. 3: +1 (787) Fax.: +1 (787) federacion@fbpur.com Website: President Mr. Reyes, Héctor M. Press Contact Mr. Delgado, Pablo Quick Facts Date of Affiliation to FIBA: 1957 Rank on FIBA Ranking: 12 officials Sponsors Otero - FIBA-Americas Communication Director Chu García - Editor Alberto Ortiz - Communications/IT Assistant Néstor Rodríguez - Eligibility & Doping Control Fernando Luis Rolón - Creative Director & Photographer Gary Williams - Photographer STAFFJavier FIBA-Americas Picture Archive & El Nuevo Día Newspaper

9 AmEricas Leyend Ruperto Herrera by Carlos Uriarte González He continued practicing and playing in the national tournament with Industriales and was considered among the best 10. His physique was changing and soon was measuring 6'6", gained a few more pounds and some muscle, turning him into a forward with a good shot, speed and strong under the boards. In 1965, only 16 years old, he started his participation in the National Basketball Team and his first event was a tour across Europe where his team faced their counterparts from Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. A few months later, he traveled to Mexico City where his team was to take part of the first Centrobasket Championship, and in which he won his first international medal, a Bronze Medal. From that moment on and until his retirement as international player, after the CAC Games celebrated in Habana, Cuba, Ruperto Herrera was the best basketball player of his native country, Cuba. He was present with his team in no less than 6 Centrobasket Championships, 5 CAC Games, 4 Pan-American Games, 4 Olympic Games and 3 Inter University Tournaments. Amongst his many achievements the Bronze Medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics and 1971 Pan-American Games - where Cuba defeated the United States, denying then a medal for the first time in history -, forth place at the World Championship of 1974 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Gold Medals in the CAC Games of 1974 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and in the CAC Games of 1982 in Habana, Cuba. All in all, he had an international career spanning 18 years and played in 400 international games, defending against the best forwards of the era in CAC Games of, highlighting moments played against luminaries like Mexico's Arturo Guerrero and Puerto Rico's Raymond Dalmau who developed a fierce sporting rivalry wherever they met at the international courts.

10 With Piculín Ortiz, Puerto Rico's basketball glory. Many are the memories that he has as a player, but he firmly says that "My best moment in my career at the 1972 Olympic Games at Munich, especially that game that we played Italy for the Bronze Medal". He also adds with ease that "the couch that hold in the highest regard was Carmelo Ortega, who guided my formation and my education", my best rivals "were without a doubt Arturo Guerrero and Raymond Dalmau; they were players with a lot of resources." He retired from as a placer at the age of 32 and went on to become a Physical Culture Professor, his studied profession of which he graduated at top of his class in In 1995 a phase of his life started as he became the president of the Basketball Federation of Cuba, after Marcia Salas stepped down from office. He is currently in his 22nd year of presidency of Cuba's Basketball. In 1997, after the death of Manuel Gonzalez Guerra, he is given one of the vice-presidencies of the Olympic Committee of Cuba under the leadership of José Ramón Fernandez. His contributions to basketball in America and the World are many and of the highest caliber, and has received many acknowledgements, due to his sense of duty and loyalty towards the sport, like the FIBA Merit Order, Highest award presented by FIBA, and has been proposed to be immortalized in the FIBA Hall of Fame. DIGITAL02