SSC "FUN Start, MOVE Smart!"

SSC Launches First-ever Fundamental Movement Skills Resource Guide To Boost The Development Of Physical Literacy@SSCChildren in Singapore will now receive a holistic education right from preschool with the launch of "FUN Start, MOVE Smart! The FUNdamental MOVEment Skills for Growing Active Learners" developed by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC).2 "FUN Start, MOVE Smart!" is a resource guide

Singapore Asian Games 2010 outcome

CDM Low Teo Ping Congratulates Contingent For A Respectable Showing Despite High Level Of Competition In Guangzhou@SSCWith 17 medals in the bag as the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 comes to a close, Chef-de-Mission Low Teo Ping today congratulated Team Singapore for a respectable showing at the quadrennial event, despite the extremely high standards showed by the competing nations, especially

Singapore Sports School to groom younger talents aged 10-12

Badminton boost@straits timesTHE Singapore Sports School (SSP) has launched a new programme that will help it identify and pick up budding badminton talents aged 10 to 12.By partnering with sports manufacturer Yonex, the school hopes to improve the calibre of athletes entering its badminton academy, which currently has 37 students.The Yonex-Singapore Sports School Junior Excellence Programme,

Exclusive Q&A with coach Eric Musselman: from the NBA to the Dominican Republic NT, now in the D-League with the Reno Bighorns! "In 7th grade, I knew I wanted to be a basketball coach"

Eric Musselman (born November 19, 1964 in Ashland, Ohio) is the head coach of the Reno Bighorns in the NBA Development League. The son of legendary coach Bill Musselman, Eric is the former head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. He was a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) before becoming an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies. At the 2010 Men's Centro Basketball Championship in July 2010, FIBA America's top regional tournament, Musselman guided the Dominican Republic team to the Gold Medal game, losing to Puerto Rico 89-80. By finishing second, the Dominican Republic qualifies for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Championships and the Olympic Games.

Coach, when did you first know what you wanted to do for a career? You grew up in a basketball family, so how much was your Dad Bill influential and important in your decision?



In 7th grade, I knew I wanted to be a basketball coach. I always idolized my dad growing up I would travel with him on road trips and when most kids were watching cartoons and eating cereal I was watching game tape with my dad.

You are young but you have had great experiences in the NBA as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings and now you are coaching the Reno Bighorns in the NBA Development League. But you also know very well the international basketball being the head coach of the Dominican Republic National team. Can you tell our readers what are the musts for such a successful career?

I’ve been very lucky at a young age to be getting different coaching opportunities. As a coach you always try to get better and improve and learn from your past mistakes. With each year experience you should become a better coach.

You've been here with the Reno Bighorns for a few weeks, what are your impressions of the team and the level of the League?

We love our team and our coaching staff. The coaching staff here at Reno is as good as any NBA staff I’ve been with. As far as the players go, the attitude, energy, effort and enthusiasm they bring on a daily basis has been a real pleasure to coach. The level of talent in the D-League is the 2nd best in the world outside the NBA.

Speaking of this new group, what do you see as some of their strengths, some of their potential?

Our starting 5 has great length and size, we need to continue to develop as individual players and as a team. We feel like we have 4 to 5 players that have the potential to get called up this year and another 3 players with experience at some point should be in the NBA at some point in their career.

You know international basketball. How do you hope to translate your experiences to the squad?

Number one the new goaltending rule has helped us as we have used it in practice. Something we also did with the Dominican Republic national team.

Eric, in the NBA there are more and more non-American players and some of them are big-time players. Do you think American coaches can learn from the top European colleagues?

American coaches can learn a lot from some of their top European colleagues. For instance when I was in the Dominican Republic, a lot of Dominican Republic coaches helped implement things for our system. I have great respect for the professional coaches coaching outside the NBA.

Switching to off the court, what do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time I like to spend time with my family with my two sons Michael and Matt, daughter Mariah, and my wife Danyelle. The last few years I have been able to coach and work with my sons individually and I loved being able to do that.

Coach, we just want to know what's your challenge for the future? NBA or a Euroleague organization?

I’m very happy coaching in the NBDL. I have always had interest in coaching in Europe and maybe if the right opportunity will present itself in the future. In the NBA, they are the hardest jobs to come by and the NBA is where everybody in the NBDL strives to get to whether it is players, coaches and referees.

Football: Singapore defeat Laos 4-0 in friendly match

SINGAPORE: The Singapore National team is gearing up to win a fourth Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup title which kicks off next month.

And to tune up for the big event, the Lions took on Laos in a friendly at the Jurong West stadium coming out with a 4-0 win.

Singapore does not have much time to prepare for the AFF Suzuki Cup, so this match is critical for the coach to pick his final squad for the tournament.

The hosts did not disappoint, Noh Alam Shah finding the back of the net in the last minute of the first half.

And they went on to score three more goals in the second half to clinch a 4-0 victory.

-CNA/ac

Q&A with Kapfenberg Bulls swingman LeVonn Jordan: pushing my game to the next level

LeVonn Jordan is a 6-5 athletic forward/guard with an incredible wingspan and many skills and abilities. He led Elon University his senior year (2006/2007) in virtually every category and now, after a couple of seasons in Spain and Japan, is a valuable piece of Austrian powerhouse Kapfenberg Bulls' roster (ABL Austrian Bundesliga). LeVonn talked to Basketball Telegraph columnist Dr FingerRoll about his career so far and the future.

LeVonn, you were born and raised in a State, North Carolina, where your family name has a special meaning. Was MJ your basketball role model while growing up? And who were the other players you looked up to back in the days?

Yeah I was very big MJ fan during the Bulls 1st 3peat, but after he retired for the 1st time I didn’t fully understand the circumstances around his retirement so I fell out of favor with him, I became a fan of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. But as I got older Jordan still remained my favorite player.

Speaking about your early years as a baller, tell our readers how and when you fell in love with the game.

My mom tells me I’ve always had a love for basketball, which probably came from her because she played in High School and College before having to stop due to reoccurring knee injuries. As a little kid I always had baskets in the house both upstairs and downstairs, I would always watch games and try to do what I saw on tv.

When did you first realize that basketball was going to be more than just a game for you?

I would say leaving middle school and entering high school, it was just something about the game of basketball I couldn’t resist and I wanted to take it further than anybody expected me to.

After Elon University in NC what were your expectations? And can you tell us how did you end up playing in Spain for La Rioja, your first experience overseas? Was it a tough decision to make? Were there other opportunities and what made you decide for Spain?

Of course most players that play on the collegiate level have ambitions of playing in the NBA, myself included, but I always knew if I wasn’t able to make it to the League I’d play overseas. I made the transition from Elon to Spain with the help of an agent, who I signed with after I graduated from college. The decision to go to Spain wasn’t tough, but the experience of being that far from home was tough. The 1st offer I received was from a Spanish club and I didn’t hesitate in accepting.

Was it difficult to adapt from College ball to European style of play and can you tell us the aspects, both on and off the court, that you had to adapt to?

Yes it was a struggle adapting to the European style of play and culture. Looking back I wasn’t as prepared as I needed to be, with that said I struggled on and off the court. It was very hard to focus on basketball because I spent so much time and energy missing home.

After the year in Spain you played in Japan in the BJ-League and this year you're playing in Austria. It's like two different worlds. Again, can you make a comparison between Japanese basketball and European one and which is the one that fits your style of play the most and why?

Yeah two very different styles of play, in Japan its more of a up and down game, as opposed to here in Europe where you see more half court offense. I’ve always been a good player in the open court so the Japanese style of play suited me, but as I’ve gotten older my game has grown and I’m becoming a more well rounded player. So my 1st year out in Spain I really struggled because I rarely got out in transition and wasn’t able to be effective in the half court.

At 25 you are still learning the game or do you feel you're ready to take your game to the next level?

I think I’m very close to showing a lot people how well I can play, I actually sat out all last year. That was a good and bad thing because I hated not playing but I had a year to prepare myself to comeback stronger than ever. But I think within the next couple of years I’ll be playing at a very high level.

Tell us a bit about yourself, who's LeVonn Jordan off the court? What do you do during the season in places like Japan or Austria and how's your summer like when you're at home.

I’m pretty low key off the court, while im overseas I usually just play xbox, watch movies, and talk too family and friends on skype. When we have off days I usually try to get out and explore, just viewing the culture and scenery. Summers are usually hectic because you're gone for so long you wanna get as much as possible done before it's time to head back cross the water. So I try to spend time with my mom and grandmother and just enjoying being home.

Thank you so much, LeVonn and best of luck for you and your season with the Bulls!

University of Dayton Head Coach Brian Gregory is the rising star in the NCAA. He has a motto: "What does not kill me, makes me stronger!"

Brian Gregory (born December 15, 1966 in Mount Prospect, Illinois) is the Head coach of the University of Dayton. He was an assistant at Michigan State before coaching the Dayton Flyers. He capped off the 2009-2010 season by leading the Flyers to the NIT Trophy over North Carolina 79-68 at Madison Square Garden. The University of Dayton took home their first title in 42 years. Gregory is the rising coach in the NCAA and his system is pretty energetic and needs great athletes. They are furious and intense.



Coach Brian Gregory: "There is no ceiling"

University of Dayton: Lab for Ironmen

Is the anti-siphoning list good for Football?

Will fans see more of the Socceroos?

It is the one debate that everyone has a strong opinion on and the one debate that, shortly, will be put to bed.

Should Socceroos games be placed on the anti-siphoning list?

For those living under a rock, or outside Australia, the anti-siphoning list is a Government-approved list of sporting events that are “culturally significant” to Australians, and thus, are only available for Free-to-Air (FTA) to bid on.

The current anti-siphoning list expires on 31 December 2010 and the Government are preparing to introduce the new legislation into Parliament this week.

While many argue that having Socceroos games on FTA is crucial as it drastically increases exposure (currently only 34% of Australians have Pay-TV), is placing the Socceroos on the anti-siphoning list the best thing for the sport?

As it currently stands the Socceroos are broadcast on FOX SPORTS as part of a seven-year agreement that ends in 2013. FOX SPORTS paid $120 million for the rights, or just over $17 million a year.

The deal has been a tremendous one for FOX SPORTS with the Socceroos recording the two highest rating shows in history across the entire FOXTEL platform, with more in the top ten.

FOX SPORTS wants the Socceroos and they’re prepared to pay big money for it.

But, by placing Socceroos games on the anti-siphoning list FOX SPORTS are unable to even bid for the rights, therefore reducing the competition for the FTA networks and in turn the money they will pay for the rights. Without competition amongst the bidders, the value of the rights is greatly reduced.

Is that good for Football?

There are important details, however, that cloud the picture even further.

For starters, it is only Socceroos World Cup Qualifiers played in Australia that are on the anti-siphoning list. Away qualifiers and friendly internationals aren’t on the list.

Theoretically, the FFA could sell the rights to friendly games as a separate package. Away World Cup qualifiers are a little different in that generally the FFA buy these rights and then on-sell them, currently to FOX SPORTS.

Again, theoretically, there is nothing stopping the FFA from agreeing to on-sell all these games to a particular network, say FOX SPORTS, and packaging them up with friendly games.

In the course of a year, there would be more away WCQ’s and friendly games than there would be home WCQ’s.

But the question is whether the FFA would want to split up the Socceroos rights, or sell the rights to all games to one network, as they currently do with FOX SPORTS.

But what of the A-League?

Despite a push from ONE HD early in the year the include one game per week from the A-League on the anti-siphoning list, the A-League, it seems will be free from the list and open to a competitive bidding “war”.

Most people recognise that bundling the Socceroos/A-League together is what helped reap the FFA $120m back in 2006, when the A-League was in its infancy.

But with the Socceroos now seemingly destined for the anti-siphoning list and a FTA network, just how much value is the A-League worth on its own? The general feeling is not much, at least not as much as it would be bundled with the Socceroos.

Is getting less money for A-League TV rights good for Football?

The answer, of course, is a resounding no. More and more sports are relying on their television deals to fund the game. Certainly it was hoped the next TV deal for the A-League would help it out of its current financial predicament and put it on the path to profit and, ultimately, a stronger competition.

The FFA recognise the importance of FTA, they have repeatedly mentioned over the last few years their desire to have both the Socceroos and A-League on FTA. But they also want strong competition for the rights to bump up the price they receive.

Ben Buckley travelled to Canberra last week to meet with Senator Conroy, the man responsible for the new legislation, imploring him to keep the Socceroos OFF the list. Buckley, the man who masterminded the AFL’s last deal worth $780 million, knows how important it is to have competition.

Football is not yet at the stage where networks are climbing over themselves to secure television deals, we need all the competition we can get and FOX SPORTS are a big (and wealthy) competitor. Take them out of the equation and all you have left is, most likely, ONE HD.

Given the FFA know how important FTA is, there was a good chance that they would have sold the rights to a FTA network in any case.

Claims that having no anti-siphoning list will lead to all sports simply being sold off to Pay-TV are just baseless scare-mongering.

Every sport knows the value of FTA and they would ensure that the right balance is reached between FTA and Pay-TV. But they shouldn’t be dictated to by a Government, to be even more precise a Minister (it is Sen. Conroy, and Sen. Conroy only, who determines the make up of the anti-siphoning list), on who they can and can’t sell their rights to.

Out of this Football appear to be on the course for less money for Socceroos rights and less money for A-League rights. In return they will get more viewers and exposure for a minimum of 2-3 games a year.

Less money for the FFA means less ability to promote the A-League, less ability to initiate important components of the National Development Plan and National Curriculum, less ability to grow the game at the grassroots.

Is that good for Football?

What I think will happen…

Socceroos games (all) – ONE HD

A-League – FOX SPORTS

FFA Cup – FOX SPORTS

2015 Asian Cup – FOX SPORTS

Asian Champions League – FOX SPORTS

 

Ricky Rubio: is the Spanish sensation the new Pete "Pistol" Maravich? The Minnesota Timberwolves are waiting for his coming...

Tom Farrey reports for ESPN's Outside The Lines on Ricky Rubio, the #5 pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft at age 18. Now at age 20, he has not played an NBA game, raising questions as to whether he really is a future NBA star.

Seeing the court like the great ones Rubio's ability to process thousands of data points make him basketball "genius".
... but... Ricky Rubio can't jump high, doesn't move fast and isn't especially tall. His shot is mechanical, and his scoring stats remain underwhelming - usually just a few points a game for his Spanish professional and National teams. But he possesses one talent in abundance that gives him a chance to one day make a splash, and perhaps star, in the NBA. Then? Next Maravich or just an average overrated pick of the Draft by the Timberwolves?

Untuk Merapi

Pagi itu kereta api progo terlambat tiba di Stasiun Lempuyangan. Kedatangan Saya ke Jogja kali ini bukan untuk berplesir atau menonton persija berlaga, melainkan untuk menyalurkan bantuan yang berasal dari komunitas suporter di Jakarta untuk korban erupsi gunung merapi. Di stasiun saya dijemput oleh rekan saya dan langsung menuju daerah Condong Catur, Sleman. Penginapan yang saya tinggali hanya berjarak satu kilometer dari stadion maguwoharjo atau berjarak 25 kilometer dari Puncak Merapi. Sore hari dari Condong Catur terlihat kegagahan Merapi dengan kepulan asap yang membumbung tinggi.


Malam hari di Sleman sangat berbeda dengan di Jogjakarta, kondisi di Sleman lebih sepi ketika malam menjelang. Hal tersebut saya rasakan ketika harus membeli beberapa kebutuhan pokok guna melengkapi beberapa keperluan esok hari. Hujan debu meski tipis tetap menyesakkan dada serta membuat mata perih ketika saya mengendari sepeda motor mengeliling Sleman. Praktis tak ada kegiatan yang saya lakukan, selain berkoordinasi dengan posko jalin merapi untuk menentukan posko pengungsian yang akan didistribusikan kebutuhan bagi para pengungsi.


Minggu pagi hujan debu lebih terasa dan jelas terlihat daripada malam hari, keadaan tersebut membuat saya sedikit panik dan bergegas menggunakan masker. Mobil pick up bersiap mengantar saya dan beberapa teman menuju muntilan di Magelang. Ketika memasuki daerah Muntilan saya benar-benar terhenyak ketika menyaksikan pepohonan di sepanjang mata saya memandang mati mengering. Jalan raya tak ubahnya jalan kampung penuh debu dan jarak pandang tak lebih dari 10 meter. Disini saya melihat Merapi yang berbeda daripada beberapa bulan sebelumnya saya lihat, merapi sedang murka pikir saya.


Kondisi di posko jalin merapi tak jauh beda, debu-debu menutup semua peralatan para relawan yang terus bekerja tanpa pamrih. Saya benar-benar ingin teriak melihat kegigihan para relawan, tanpa harus menggunakan lambang di dada atau bendera di sepanjang jalan seperti yang dilakukan parpol. Tak ada maksud untuk menyombongkan diri atau pamrih dengan memberi bantuan secara langsung, saya ingin Merapi kembali indah, saya ingin lereng-lereng kembali dipenuhi masyarakatnya yang bercocok tanam dengan hidup arif, saya ingin mereka benar-benar kembali hidup berdampingan dengan merapi, merapi yang indah seperti beberapa bulan yang lalu saya kunjungi.

Gonzales Resmi Perkuat Timnas di Piala AFF

Striker andalan Persib Bandung, Christian Gonzales, telah resmi memperkuat tim nasional Indonesia pada laga Kejuaraan Sepakbola Piala AFF Suzuki 2010. Namanya tercantum di deretan pemain yang didaftarkan pelatih timnas Indonesia, Alferd Riedl, ke kejuaraan bergensi tingkat Asia Tenggara itu.

“Saya akan berkerja keras agar Indonesia bisa menang, karena mimpi saya ingin Indonesia juara. Saya siap

Indonesia Tuan Rumah Piala AFF 2010

Indonesia terpilih sebagai tuan rumah Piala AFF 2010, bersama Vietnam. Kedua negara akan menjadi tuan rumah bersama. Inilah kali ketiga Indonesia ditunjuk menjadi tuan rumah Piala AFF. Pada tahun 2002, Indonesia menjadi tuan rumah Piala AFF bersama Singapura, sedangkan tahun kemarin (2008), Indonesia menjadi tuan rumah bersama Thailand.

Sejak penyelenggaraan Piala AFF 1996 —sebelumnya bernama

Hasil Undian Piala AFF 2010:

Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia Satu Grup, Skuad Merah-Putih tergabung dalam grup tangguh. Timnas Indonesia diundi dengan Thailand dan Malaysia pada babak penyisihan Grup A Piala AFF 2010 yang diselenggarakan 1-29 Desember mendatang di Jakarta dan Hanoi, Vietnam.

Di Grup B, tuan rumah Vietnam ditantang Singapura dan Myanmar. Demikian hasil pembagian grup Piala AFF 2010 yang dilangsungkan Rabu (15/

FiFA world ranking 2010, Laos is ranking 171 of the world

Laos was ranking in 178 of the world in 2009 according the FIFA world ranking on December 2009. after the Laos had a great performance during the seagames2009, Laos earns more points and the ranking reduces to 171 of the world while Cambodia is ranking ahead of Laos (170). however , the suzuki cup 2010 will give Laos the credit and more pts for the world ranking if Laos will be winning of the group or qualified to the semifal or final.

Exclusive interview with Serbian forward Milan Vucicevic, first european ever to play for The Philippines National team in the 2010 FIBA Asia Champions Cup!

Milan Vucicevic is a 25 years old power forward.
The 6-10 serbian native grew up in the famous basketball school of Kraljevo (the same youth program of Vlade Divac) and was teammate with the NBA center Nenad Krstic. Milan has collected dozens of caps for the Serbia Cadet and Junior National teams. Vucicevic has played in Poland (Unia Tarnow), Ukraine (BC Budivelnik Kiev) and Greece (Age Halkidas) in Europe, in Cyprus (AEK Larnaca) before being a legit pioneer in the Middle East and Asia: Lebanon, Iran (Bond Shiraz), Oman (Al Nizwa), Qatar (Al Sadd) some of the countries where Milan signed before the last stop in Syria with Al Karameh team.
In 2010 he also played first european ever with Smart Gilas, the National team of Philippines in the 21st FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Doha, Qatar.

Hey Milan, your story is pretty interesting. As a product of the serbian basketball school you decided early to play abroad. Tell us a little bit about you and your career so far. We are very curious about your experiences: maybe you are the only european ever who played for an asian National team (the Philippines).

As a young player I had a chance to go and play abroad. I love challenges so I took the opportunity and left Serbia very early. After Serbia I played in Poland, Greece, Ukraine... after few years in Europe I was offered to play in Asia. It was an intriguing chance for me to discover new basketball world and start to write the second chapter of my basketball story. From my first contact with Middle East and Asian I was fascinated with different lifestyle, culture, people and history so I never regretted that decision. I played on Arabic Club Championship in Beirut, Lebanon so that was my first and successful exposure in Middle East. Next year I went to Iran and played Iranian Superleague which is one of the strongest in Asia. After Iran I had many offers so I continued in Qatar. I got a call last spring from Rajko Toroman, the head coach of Smart Gilas, the development National team of Philippines to play the 21st Fiba Asia Champions Cup in May 2010 in Doha, Qatar. It was a great honor to be the first European ever to make the team and represent such an important Asian country in the strongest competition in Asia. Playing for Philippines and working with coach Rajko Toroman was an unbelievable experience for me. Currently I am in Syria and I'm really excited to play this league.

You have played in so many countries, from Eastern Europe to Asia. We can say you are like a pioneer. What are the main differences of the game from these different areas? And we all know the serbian fans are crazy for basketball, what about the Middle-East and asian fans in general?

Playing basketball in all those countries and experienced different basketball and cultures made me the person I am today. I really think I am a better person and a player. I feel very  blessed and thankful for my basketball experiences. Lot of people lately are telling me the same thing like you that I am pioneer but I really don’t think about that so much. I’m focused on working hard, make fans happy and enjoy basketball. I'm a basketball player who's trying to get better and better, this is my challenge and my job. About your question and the differences between basketball here in Asia and Europe, we can say that the game here is more of motion offense kind of play, not so organized in a system like the euopean game. People here love and watch NBA games more than Euroleague basketball so coaches and teams prefer to play uptempo basketball, the game is very fast, more attractive. Maybe it's a bit more of  individual talents play and individual skills and athleticism of the players. I really love it. Basketball is growing fast in Asia, media are covering the games, so popularity is huge and fans are great. Fans are different than Europe but they support their team with big passion and what it's very nice is that you can see whole families come to the gyms. In the Phillipines basketball is like a religion, fans are fantastic like nowhere else in the world.

We can imagine you had to be flexible adjusting your lifestyle to the local cultures. Do you have funny stories about that?

Having my career brought me in so many countries, experiencing cultures and different mentalities and stuff attracted me since always so I look at it as a privilege to learn more about the world we live in. Adjusting is not always easy of course and there is lot of funny situations happening every time. People in Middle East and Asia are not as tall as in Europe so it’s always funny walking along the streets every day and you can just meet people asking you to take a picture with you and talk: it's amazing. Basketball players get lot of attention here and people are friendly and nice. Sometimes it’s funny when they keep on talking to you in foreign language even if you can’t understand them. There is always to adjuste your habits with food so when I go somewhere for the first time I stick to chicken and rice until I get to know food of that country. Culture and lifestyle in Middle East are different so it’s always good to do little research before you go to some of Arabic countries. If all people start to look at you in a weird way in the street or yell loud it’s a sign you are making fool of yourself or doing something wrong: so it's better stop it because you might finish in prison! You have to respect and know each culture, no doubt. Driving in Middle East is always ‘fun’ but I leave it to professionals because for people who are not from here it’s more of an extreme sport.

Switching to off the court, have a favourite music artist, group? Who is Milan Vucicevic in the everyday life?

In everyday life beside basketball I have interest in many different subjects. As my friends sometimes say I am a technology addict, I mean... I like to know what is happening in the world so I follow politics, economy, even the stocks market. I like to read about history but I can say music is my big passion. I grew up on my fathers LP’s of Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Who…so I got infected by guitar heors of the 70's hard rock. I can listen to different music but metal is my love and my favourite artists are Tool, In Flames, Slayer, Type O Negative just to name few. In the summer I travel alla around Europe for Music Festivals or see concerts of my favorite bands. Basketball is my life but off the court I think it’s good to have some hobbies and different interests... learn, read, meet people who are not involved in the basketball business. It helps me relax and keep focus and motivation for basketball court.

What's your next challenge as a player? Is Europe still an option?

I wanna win championship with my team in Syria, just push my team as far as we can go and lift our game to the next level. I’m oly 25 years old, I’m hungry for basketball and want to win every game. I wanna play as long as have fun and I like challenges. I’m pretty happy where I’m right now but Europe is always the option. I'm definitely open to come back, stronger than ever.

J.League title is heading to Nagoya

Nakata celebrates his goal for Kashima against Kawasaki

There may still be four games to go in the season, but the inevitable can no longer be denied.

Nagoya Grampus WILL win the 2010 J.League.

They currently sit eight points clear with four games to go and face two relegation threatened teams (in fact Shonan has already been relegated) in their next two games. They won’t drop enough points to give Kashima a sniff.

Kashima’s last hope came over the weekend when they travelled to Kawasaki and Nagoya hosted Omiya Ardija in what was potentially a banana skin game.

To Kashima’s credit, they held up their end of the bargain with a 2-1 win at Kawasaki.

The Todoroki Stadium was packed to capacity for the clash, with a sea of red occupying one end of the stadium as the Kashima supporters travelled in large numbers for the do-or-die clash.

It didn’t start as they would have hoped, however, when Vitor Junior opened the scoring in the 20th minute to give the home side the lead.

Kashima almost equalised a minute later when star striker Marquinhos attempted an acrobatic scissor kick that just went wide.

The breakthrough did eventually come, seven minutes before the half when a free kick from outwide found Koji Nakata unmarked at the back post.

Kawasaki should have re-gained the lead before half time, but first Vitor Junior and then Tukuro Kajima failed to hit the target with two relatively easy attempts.

They were missed that would come back to haunt Kawasaki mid-way through the second half when Kashima, bizarrely, scored a second.

Mituso Ogasawara played in a delightful ball over the top of the defence for Takuya Nozawa to run on to, however coming the other way was Kawasaki keeper Rikihiro Sugiyama.

The players appeared destined to collide, with a third player, Kawasaki midfielder Kengo Nakamura, also coming into the mix. The three players had a coming together of sorts and somehow the ball managed to roll through the legs of Sugiyama into the back of the net.

Not having touched any of the three players, the goal was credited to Ogasawara.

Kawasaki had a couple of half chances late in the game, but couldn’t make any of them count allowing Kashima to run out 2-1 winners.

The Kashima players and fans then waited anxiously to find out the result of the Nagoya-Omiya game taking place at the same time.

It wasn’t the result either group was after though.

Nagoya players celebrate the
winner against Omiya Ardija

Nagoya were missing key players at both ends of the park, with Tulio Tanaka again missing and striker Josh Kennedy also on the sidelines.

The Champions-in-waiting didn’t let that affect them, taking an early lead after just four minutes.

Montenegran midfielder Igor Burzanovic slammed the ball home, after the Omiya defence had failed to deal with the corner situation.

It would be enough to knock the sails out of most teams, but Omiya rallied and started pressing up the other end, twice going within inches of scoring an equaliser.

Their endeavour was rewarded on the half hour mark when Rafael chested the ball down in the box for Naoki Ishihara to slam home the equaliser and stun the vocal home crowd.

But you don’t win Championships with a steely resolve and within ten minutes Nagoya had re-taken the lead through defender Takahiro Masukawa, who headed home from a perfectly taken free kick from Yoshizumi Ogawa.

The match turned even further in Nagoya’s favour just before half time when Korean midfielder Lee Ho crazily lunged in for a tackle from behind just minutes after receiving his first yellow card.

The referee had no other alternative than to show Lee a second yellow card and give him an early shower. After conceding a goal moments earlier, it was the one thing Omiya didn’t need going into half time.

Nagoya enjoyed the lions share of possession in the second half, but couldn’t find a third goal. It mattered little as they held on for a 2-1 win that guaranteed qualification for next year’s AFC Champions League, but more importantly all but guaranteed they will be crowned 2010 J.League Champions.

Gamba Osaka hosted Sanfrecce Hiroshima in what promised to be a fascinating affair at the Expo ’70 Stadium.



Yashuhito Endo



Sanfrecce clung on to faint hope of claiming an ACL spot, sitting five points behind third place Gamba, knowing a win would take them to within striking distance.

Gamba, on the other hand, knew a win would give them breathing space over the chasing pack in third place.

A defensive mistake from captain Tomokazu Miyojin early on almost gifted Sanfrecce an opening goal but Tadanari Lee blasted the ball over after being found free in the box.

It was a defensive blunder, a howler in fact, that lead to the opening goal. This time it was Sanfrecce gifting Gamba with the opportunity.

A wayward back pass missed its intended target and fell straight to Lee Keun-Ho who had the simplest of finishes past the helpless keeper.

Gamba had some nervy moments after scoring, with Sanfrecce forcing Yosuke Fujigaya into a couple of great saves.

Akira Hishino made a change at half time, opting for more experience up front replacing 18 year-old sensation Takashi Usami with Lucas.

It proved a masterstroke when, on the hour mark, Lucas headed home the decisive second goal.

A free kick from the deadly boot of Yasuhito Endo was put into a dangerous position, but ultimately it was a mistake from Sanfrecce keeper Shusaku Nishikawa who started coming for the ball before stopping that allowed Lucas to score.

Having come half way for the ball, Nishikawa left his goal unguarded and Lucas had little trouble in putting the ball in the back of the net.

Sanfrecce continued to have chance after chance, but Fujigaya was a colossus in goals and kept his clean sheet in tact.

Robson Ponte celebrates the
winner for Urawa Reds

Elsewhere on Sunday, Urawa Reds got back to winning ways with a 2-0 win over Kyoto Sanga, a result that condemns Kyoto to relegation and J2 football next season.

FC Tokyo continued to keep their fight for survival alive with a shock 2-1 win at Yokohama F.Marinos. They still have it all to do to stay up, sitting only 2 points above the relegation zone but it is a result that will give the side plenty of confidence ahead of their home clash against Kawasaki next week.

Shonan Bellmare also confirmed their relegation on Saturday when they were thumped by Shimizu S-Pulse 5-0.

Vegalta Sendai faced a tricky match against Jubilo Iwata, who have been in hot form over the last seven weeks. Sendai, however, surprised everyone by cruising to a 3-0 win to all but secure their place in J1 for next season.

Montedio Yamagata and Cerezo Osaka played out an entertaining 3-3 draw, although the Osaka outfit would have been expecting all three points going in. The result leaves them four points behind crosstown rivals, Gamba, in fourth spot.

Vissel Kobe earned a valuable point away to Albirex Niigata in their fight to avoid relegation. They currently sit in 16th spot inside the relegation zone and will battle FC Tokyo to stay up, with both teams facing a tough four weeks to finish off the season.

But the story of the round is Nagoya, who can officially seal the Championship as early as this weekend if they defeat Shonan Bellmare and Kashima drop points at Kobe.

It’s all elementary though as there is now little doubt that Dragan Stojkovic’s men will lift the trophy and be crowned J.League Champions for 2010.

 

Legendary Coach K outstanding Clinic: Attacking the Zone defense

Mike Krzyzewski is the men's college basketball coach of the Duke Blue Devils. He is also the head coach of the United States men's National basketball team, whom he led to a Gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Nicknamed "Coach K", Krzyzewski has led the Blue Devils to 4 NCAA Championships, 11 Final Fours and several Conference titles. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame following the 2001 season.

Coach K teaches in this clip with unmatchable evidence the principles how to attack the Zone defense. Great tips.

Time for re-think on ACL Final

They say you must learn to crawl before you can walk. It is a saying the folk at The AFC would be well advised to take on board.

The final of the 2010 AFC Champions League was played on the weekend at the National Stadium in Tokyo – between a team from South Korea and a team from Iran.

Whilst The AFC is to be commended for their work in reshaping the AFC Champions League, it’s time for a re-think on the neutral venue for the final.

The neutral venue works in Europe – distances are smaller, the competition is entrenched in the Football culture and travel is significantly cheaper – but in Asia that is not the case.

The AFC have got lucky, somewhat, in the last two years by the fact that two Korean sides have played in the final. The distances between the two countries aren’t that great.

Their opponents, however, have quite a distance to travel.

In 2009, Al-Ittihad, based out of the Saudi town of Jeddah, had to travel 9500km for the final in Tokyo. To put that in perspective, that is further than a trip from London to Los Angeles and almost the equivalent of a London-New York round trip.

It wasn’t much better this year either when Zob Ahan had to travel 7900km to Tokyo.

Compare that to Europe where the furthest a team, and consequently their supporters, have travelled for a final (in the last three years) is 2400km from London to Moscow in 2008. That’s roughly the same as Melbourne to Cairns.

Not only is it a disadvantage for the players, it’s a major disadvantage for the fans. Air travel can be relatively cheap across Europe, with any number of low-cost carriers to ferry you between the major cities.

Again, this isn’t the case in Asia. And this is the major reason why The AFC must return the final to a two-legged affair.

The fans are the ones who support the AFC Champions League, and this year they did so in increasing numbers.

Yet when it comes to the final, only a lucky few can afford to make the trip to Tokyo. Not the least because the finalists are only decided a few weeks prior.

The AFC Champions League has made many advancements over the last few years, yet getting fans through the gate continues to prove difficult.

Why then are The AFC taking away the opportunity for the fans to see the final live and expose a new audience to the wonders of the tournament?

It’s fair to assume that both Seongnam are Zob Ahan would have attracted well above their average throughout the tournament (5033 and 6949 respectively) had they had the chance to host a leg of the final.

The final of the AFC Champions League had always been a two-leg affair until 2009 when The AFC opted for a single-leg model to be played at a neutral venue.

Whilst noble in its endeavour, the AFC Champions League just isn’t at the level for a single-leg, neutral venue final to work.

The AFC is taking the AFC Champions League to a new world of professionalism and it is clearly going to take time to grow and prosper. Perhaps in 25-30 years when it has had a chance to do so a single-leg final may work.

But for the time being in the best interests of the tournament and fans, the final must return to the two-leg format.

Q&A with emerging Finnish coach Pieti Poikola (Pyrinto Tampere): Rannikko, Koponen and the next talents for the NBA Lottery!

Pieti Poikola is the head coach of Finnish team Pyrinto Tampere and the assistant coach of the U18 National Team. At 33, Pieti has already won a Korisliiga title and has a bright future ahead. Pieti was very kind to talk to Basketball Telegraph columnist Fulvio Floreani about his career thus far and Finnish basketball.

Coach, first off congratulations for the Korisliiga title last year! Tell our readers a bit about yourself, you're only 33 but already a successful coach. How did you fall in love with the game and how did your career as a coach start and develop so brightly and so quickly?

Thanks a lot. I used to play until I was 20 and in the meantime I started coaching in the youth programs. I was quite a successful junior coach and got an opportunity to coach women's and men's team in Second division pretty quickly. Of course I've been really lucky to have had chance to coach good players because without top level players you can’t achieve any goals, no matter how good as a coach you are. That time talented players and above all veterans helped me a lot to improve as a coach. Besides that, one of the main reasons for my professional success is that I've always worked hard without any time limits.

Generally, when people think about Finland top sports, ice-hockey and racing come to mind. Looking closely, however, basketball has produced big-time talents (Hanno Möttölä made the team in the NBA, Teemu Rannikko is a European Leagues veteran, Petteri Koponen and Gerald Lee have a bright future ahead, just to name a few). How's basketball going in Finland and what do you expect for the future?

The level of Finnish basketball is increasing slowly. We have some great coaches like Henrik Dettman and Ari Tammivaara who have taught younger coaches and players the work ethic. Möttölä's achievements (NBA, Euroleague) prove that a Finnish player can play and have a great career in the biggest leagues. Now we have very good U18 National team program and we all are very proud for the successes of our National team who has been able to win against Serbia, Italy, Israel, France. I like to tell all of you that even before Möttölä other players played abroad. Kari Liimo, for instance, was drafted by an NBA franchise in the early 70's. We have some interesting youngsters like Sasu Salin who's 19 and playing in Slovenia with powerhouse Olympia Ljubljana, and many others: I do believe we have the next Koponen and Rannikko.

As for the Korisliiga, your team has 3 American born players in its roster, the other players are Finnish and they have a lot of playing time and chances to grow.

I think 3 Americans is a good number because it's the right balance to have a good level in the League but the Finnish players can take the lights and responsibility on their teams. There are some excellent American players in our League. For example, on our roster there is the Italy 4th best scorer in 2006 and also the Brazil 4th best in 2008. Moreover, half of the National team players are playing in the league and having only three imports even kids can have lot of playing-time.

You are member of the U18 National team coaching staff. What are the expectations of the Finnish Basketball Federation and yours from this team.

There are many talented guys on our U18 team. We have some tall big-guards who can play at any level of competition. The biggest talent though is maybe Joonas Caven, a 6-10 who's been grinding in the last couple of  years. This is the first time that a Finnish junior team joined the A-group of the FIBA competitions: the goal is to keep staying with the best European National teams. It's a pretty big success for us. Hopefully new generations will be even better. As a coach,  it's a great honor to be part of Gordon Herbert's staff: he is really a great coach. I have learnt a lot by his methods.

Coach, let's talk a bit of Korisliiga, the Finnish professional league. How are the fans over there? There are many other aspects we want to know: the arenas, the media coverage, how's the league working with marketing?

Basketball is still a minor sport compared to ice hockey and football in Finland. We register about one thousand people in the gym but the numbers are going up. Gyms are relatively small, we don't have great arenas and this is maybe good, because they are packed and the atmposhere is great. Last season the finals were sold-out, and for great games and for playoffs some teams opt to play in the ice hockey arenas where the capacities are up to 5,000.

Pieti, where do you see yourself in 5 years? Still in Finland or maybe you would like to try and experience coaching basketball in top leagues?

I really never thought this play. I don't have a plan for my career. I just want to do my job in the best way possible, trying to help my team and players win and improve as individuals. It'd be great to have such a chance to coach abroad maybe being hired as an assistant first. But it's impossible to guess where I'll be in 5 years. We will see what it will come to happen.

Coach, thank you for your time and best of luck for your career and this year's campaign with Pyrinto Tampere!

Thank you. Thank you very much for your interest to our League!

Exclusive Q&A with Kuwait National team Head coach, Faisal Buressli. A true legend in his country

Faisal Buressli, 49, is the Head Coach of Kuwait and even Director of Youth national teams. Faisal has been a legendary player in his country and not only: in 1980 he received offers of scholarships from many schools of the NCAA. In Kuwait and at international level in whole Gulf area leagues, Buressli wrote the history of basketball as an unguardable player. When he retired after playing professional 22 years, he decided  immediately to begin his new career as a coach. In 2008/2009 he won the Gulf championships with the Kuwaity youth teams and he is building a great project for basketball in Kuwait.

Coach, tell us a little bit about you. We know you have been a great player in your country and you had the chance to play in the NCAA.

I started playing when I was eight years old. My first senior and professional team was Qadsiya. I became a starter in 1976 while I retired in 1998, it was a pretty long and successful career. I played 29 international tournaments as a player, I received the Most Valuable Player and leading scorer champion awards in Kuwait and in the Gulf leagues several times. I am also proud to be named twice as one of the best twelve players in Asia and I received six offers for scholarships from American colleges to play in the NCAA in 1980 but, unfortunately for family reasons, I kept playing in Kuwait. I am the only player from Kuwait that I could have played in the NCAA.

When did you decide to become a coach?

I started coaching when I retired as a player. I began teaching basketball to kids in the youth programs. I won the league championship and the cup in the first years coaching Al Arabi and, after those seuccess our Basketball Federation asked me to become the assistant coach for Kuwaity National teams. I kept coaching some clubs and I've been successful with Aljahra: we missed to win the title in the finals but I still remember that season. The Federation after these good results named me head coach of Kuwait youth national teams and they awarded me 2 times as best coach of the year in my country.

Most of Basketball Telegraph readers have never seen your team play. Could you tell us about your coaching style and phylosophies?

Like every coach has his own phylosophy, I have mine. I was a player so I understand the mentality of the ballers. I graduated in psycholagy so I think I'm good in managing the different personalities of each player and how to relate with youngsters. I really love to feel myself  very close to the players psychologically, and sometimes you can say I'm behaving like an elder brother for them. About my basketball philosophy, I really like to change and experiement different styles, even during the same season. But uptempo basketball is my favourite, as well as switching defenses to surprise the opposing teams.

We are very interested to know more about the game in your leagues. How is basketball in the Gulf area, how many countries are involved and how is the league structured. Do you have american players or any import per team?

Basketball in Kuwait is ok but unfortunately we don't have many bigmen, tall guys. Our domestic players are pretty skilled, but you can find many guards and forwards, not true inside players. So teams need to sign import players, especially 5-men. Each team in Kuwait can sign two imports, the majority are Americans. The rules allow teams to let one player on the court though, so it means when one is in the other is out. Our domestic players are not professional, who knows maybe in the future we will develop a professional league: that is my hope. Regarding the countries of the region, in the Gulf area teams are from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia. All the teams are very competitive and on the same level, maybe just the teams from Oman are a bit weaker.  I want to tell you that one important event is the Gulf championship that it takes place every two years. The best two teams gain the right to play the Asian Camphionships.

Speaking of the next few years, what do you have for goals for the coming seasons as a coach?

I try to read as much as I can about basketball and I watch and attend lots of  games. And I want to be updated about basketball news, being in touch with colleagues and trying to steal  from legendary coaches. You can always learn and improve as a coach. I have many goals in my mind and I would like to make a big change in my future. Just I need time to make it. I hope my country can raise in basketball. Hopefully to make it as the head coach of the National teams and with the great help of the Kuwaity Basketball Federation. That's my dream.

Will the new owners be good for the Reds?

Adelaide United's new owners are unveiled

The A-League received a big boost yesterday when Football Federation Australia announced it had reached an agreement with an SA-based consortium to take over ownership of Adelaide United.

Having stepped in to take over the club in 2009 when then owner Nick Bianco withdrew his support, the FFA came close to selling the club earlier this year to a consortium headed up by Alan Young, however that deal fell over at the last hurdle.

But will the new owners, headed up by well known South Australian Rob Gerard, be all their cranked up to be?

Unfortunately, even after just one day, I am having doubts.

First their was the claim by fellow investor and new Chairman, lawyer Greg Griffin that, “We're not here to lose money, we're actually here to make it.”

Make money? Owning a Football Club? Perhaps they should ask any of the other A-League owners how that is going for them, or any owner of any Football Club across the world.

Football Clubs are an investment, not a profit-making exercise. How do they plan to make that money? Is it by cutting costs back and running the club on a shoe-string, or by initially investing large sums in order to see a return in the future?

When the A-League was formed we were told clubs would start turning a profit by season five. Only Melbourne Victory and Central Coast have managed to record a profit in the first five years, the rest aren’t even close.

What happens if, after a year or two, they’re still no closer to breaking even (let alone turning a profit), will they stick it out or bail and run like Don Matheson did in Townsville and like Clive Palmer threatened to do on the Gold Coast?

On the plus side, they have said they’ll target a marquee player (hopefully one who is actually a marquee in the true sense of the word), so at least that demonstrates that they are prepared to spend some money.

The other concerning aspect of the new owners is their insistence on linking the club with local SANFL club, North Adelaide.

Three of the four new owners have strong links to North Adelaide, so you can understand their desire for both clubs to work more closely, but is it really going to be beneficial?

Talk of sharing backroom and admin staff is slightly concerning given that Football is now a full-time professional job and “sharing” administration between the two clubs could lead to all sorts of issues.

What happens in winter when SANFL is in full-swing and the A-League is in its off-season, does North Adelaide take precedence over Adelaide United?

I’m not so sure sharing facilities is the right way to go, either.

Adelaide United’s home, in every sense, is Hindmarsh Stadium. They play there, they train there and their administration is based there.

Why possibly move their administration staff from their home and Adelaide’s only decent Football stadium to a new location?

Adelaide is probably the only A-League club that can claim to have a true home ground. They’re the only tenant and driving past it is clear that Hindmarsh is Adelaide United’s ground.

From a study trip to Europe in 2008, Director of Football, Michael Petrillo recommended that Adelaide United consider establishing its own training facility away from Hindmarsh, similar to of AC Milan at Milanello.

This is something that every A-League club should be aiming towards, it has many more benefits that just being a place for the team to train. Central Coast are the first A-League club to head down this path with their Centre of Excellence in Tuggerah.

Yet, as important as this development is, it’s unlikely that it will see the light of day under the new owners plans to share facilities. What use are four or five rectangular training pitches to an SANFL club? In fact, what use is any rectangular stadium for that matter?

Adelaide already use one AFL ground in Thebarton Oval for training purposes, and now it seems likely that Prospect Oval, home of North Adelaide, could become their “home” away from home.

But that is where my issue lies, clubs should be looking to form their own identity, not piggy back on other clubs from another code.

What message does it send to have Adelaide’s premier Football team training on an AFL ground?

Code-sharing is dangerous as inevitably one code will always have to be the dominant one, I’m just not sure which side of the fence the new owners sit.

For the sake of Adelaide United I hope it’s on their side. If not, it could get ugly.