Santo Antao Island Basketball: Fiorentina and Maritimo fights for Regional title
Fiorentina and Maritimo are the two teams that have advanced to the finals in the Santo Antao regional championship.
The teams finished in the top two positions in the regular season, with Fiorentina on top. With the regular season title secured, Fiorentina will now
try to beat Maritimo in the finals of the playoffs, to go and represent the island in the national championship.
Santo Antao Island Basketball: Fiorentina and Maritimo fights for Regional title
Fiorentina and Maritimo are the two teams that have advanced to the finals in the Santo Antao regional championship. The teams finished in the top two positions in the regular season, with Fiorentina on top. With the regular season title secured, Fiorentina will now
try to beat Maritimo in the finals of the playoffs, to go and represent the island in the national championship.
The games will this week, and end by the end of May.
Island of Fogo Basketball: Spartak and Cutelinho in the finals
Spartak (So Filipe) and Cutelinho (Mosteiros), the two best team in the Fogo regional championship, are now battling in the finals of the playoffs (best of 5) to determined the Fogo regional champions. The regular season champion is Spartak, and Cutelinho is the runner up. In the first game, Spartak beat Cutelinho 86 to 75, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. The second game is programmed for this weekend, in the Simao Mendes Pavilion in the city of Sao Filipe. The championship also included the participation of Lem, and Faxa da Terra, both teams from Sao Filipe.
The regional championship began in March, and is set to finish at the end of May. Besides the regional championship, the Fogo Basketball Association, organized other activities; such as the Opening Tournament, and theSao Filipe cup,
which Spartak won both.
So Vicente Basketball: MINDELENSE DETHRONES ATLTICO
Mindelense dethroned Atletico by wining the regional title of basketball in the island of Sao Vicente. The team coached by Z Anguila, beat Acadmica 123 to 71, in the last game of the season. This championship allowed the appearance of some young players, much more than last year. Another positive point was the balance registered in some of the games, recalls Z Anguila, whose team suffered only two defeats, exactly in the hands of Atletico, which was fighting to keep their title.
Mindelense dethroned Atletico by wining the regional title of basketball in the island of Sao Vicente. The team coached by Z Anguila, beat Acadmica 123 to 71, in the last game of the season. This championship allowed the appearance of some young players, much more than last year. Another positive point was the balance registered in some of the games, recalls Z Anguila, whose team suffered only two defeats, exactly in the hands of Atletico, which was fighting to keep their title.
Mindelense and Atletico finished with the same number of victories; however Mindelense had the upper hand, with a better score average against the team led by Didi.
With the curtains fallen on the regional, Mindelense now prepares its participation in the National Championship. We have to take advantage of the upcoming weeks to intensify our practices, especially the physical aspects, considering that we did not have lot of games this year. We need more games in our legs, explains the coach of the reds, who would like to see the National championship disputed in the island of Sao Vicente.
The regular season for the Paginas Amarelas Santiago South basketball championship ended last week, with ABC, once again, the regular season champions. The reborn Seven Stars finished second and Predio/CVT third. The new team to the Santiago South championship, Achada Grande, finished in last place, demonstrating improvement throughout the season, for such a young team.
The playoffs began this Saturday, with all the four teams.
The regular season for the Paginas Amarelas Santiago South basketball championship ended last week, with ABC, once again, the regular season champions. The reborn Seven Stars finished second and Predio/CVT third. The new team to the Santiago South championship, Achada Grande, finished in last place, demonstrating improvement throughout the season, for such a young team.
The playoffs began this Saturday, with all the four teams. First place ABC played fourth place Achada Grande, and Seven Stars played Predio/CVT, the third and fourth places team respectively. The semi-final round will be, best of 3, and the final round, will be, best of 5.
The schedules are as follow: May 10, 14, and if necessary May 17 for the final first round game. The finals are set to begin, on the 21st of May, continue on the 24, 28, and if necessary, on the 30th and 31st.
The results were as following: ABC (93) - (53) Achada Grande, the Cape Verdean champions did not have any difficulty in taking the first game of the playoffs in the semi-final round, even with the noticeable development made by the rookie team throughout the championship. ABC leads the series 1-0.
Predio/CVT (56) - (62) Seven Stars, very exciting game, with lots of emotion, which showed its colors throughout the game. The game began with a little nervousness for both teams, which was concluded by a very poor 5 minutes. However, Seven Stars calmed their nerves, and initiated their good play, which saw them take a 20 point lead at half time. Predio/CVT recuperated in the 3 period, and got the game close, down to 1 point. But the lack of concentration, and control of the Predio players, didnt help them take the lead in the game. In the final period, the game was much closer, with Seven not leading by more than 6 points, but once again, Predio was not able to surpass, while Seven converted all their free throws, Predio missed most of theirs. A deserving win for a rejuvenated and talented team, who now leads the series 1-0.
By Marc J. Spears
Globe Staff / May 11, 2008
Ex-Celtics sharpshooter Dana Barros (180-G-67, agency: Passing Lane, college: Boston Coll.) is considering making a comeback at 41. No, not in the NBA, but in an Olympic qualifier with the Cape Verde team.
Barros's father is Cape Verdean and his mother is African-American. Barros's cousin, former UMass-Boston star Tony Barros, plays for Cape Verde and approached Dana about playing this summer.
By Marc J. Spears Globe Staff / May 11, 2008
Ex-Celtics sharpshooter Dana Barros (180-G-67, agency: Passing Lane, college: Boston Coll.) is considering making a comeback at 41. No, not in the NBA, but in an Olympic qualifier with the Cape Verde team.
Barros's father is Cape Verdean and his mother is African-American. Barros's cousin, former UMass-Boston star Tony Barros, plays for Cape Verde and approached Dana about playing this summer. Cape Verde has reached the final Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens in July.
'I'm a little excited about looking into it,' said Barros, now the Celtics' director of player development. 'I'm going to definitely look into it and see if it can work out.'
Cape Verde is expected to begin practicing for the qualifier in early June. Although Barros has been working on bringing basketball camps to Cape Verde, he has never visited the country. The 15-year NBA veteran said his parents would be very proud if he played.
'It would be great for them,' said Barros. 'Growing up in Boston, I'm proud of my Cape Verdean and black heritage.'
Barros said he's in great shape and plays three to four times a week now.
Timberwolves forward Ryan Gomes is also Cape Verdean, and while the ex-Celtic was considering playing for the country, impending fatherhood led him to decline the invitation.
'My goal is to definitely play for the team in 2012 and hopefully qualify for the Olympics,' said Gomes. 'It's an honor to have been asked to play for the team and represent where my family and I are from.'
Cape Verde also could be looking at Northeastern freshman forward Vinny Lima.
PRAIA (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) Cape Verde will have a transformed squad in July when they show up at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens.
The main absence will be that of Cape Verdes Angolan-born coach Emannuel Trovoada, the man who was in charge last year when the country finished third at the FIBA Africa Championship to claim a spot in this summers qualifying event.
Currently at the helm of Angolan outfit Desportivo da Huila, Trovoada is unavailable.
PRAIA (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) Cape Verde will have a transformed squad in July when they show up at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens.
The main absence will be that of Cape Verdes Angolan-born coach Emannuel Trovoada, the man who was in charge last year when the country finished third at the FIBA Africa Championship to claim a spot in this summers qualifying event.
Currently at the helm of Angolan outfit Desportivo da Huila, Trovoada is unavailable.
Cape Verde Basketball Federation president Kitana Cabral confirmed to FIBA.com: Unfortunately, he [Trovoada] will not be able to join us in Athens, due to family issues.
No, this is not a permanent separation. Emannuel Trovoada will be welcome back whenever his family issues are resolved. We will be waiting for his answer.
Cape Verde will face Germany and New Zealand in Group B, hoping to win a game in order to progress to the quarter-finals.
Trovoada will not be the only absence.
Basically, our team is under renovation, Cabral said. Fifty per cent of the squad has never played for the country. Most of them are settled in United States, and agreed to play for us.
Our main players will remain in the squad. Just have a look at our team that competed in the Africa Championship and you will notice that we used an average of seven or eight players per game.
We want to give more options to the coach.
We will unveil a new coach soon. He is a local coach and will be joined by another national coach, who currently works in United States.
The preparation campaign is supposed to begin on June 9, a month before the competition in Athens. That is not ideal, but Cabral said: Last year we started our camp a month before the Africa Championship.
It was tough for us due to the short period. We cannot compare both events, though.
We reckon that we could start earlier, but we have to understand our players commitments with their clubs.
One of the names linked to Cape Verde is the Minnesota Timberwolves Ryan Gomes (201-F-82, college: Providence).
The 6ft 7in forward has Cape Verde roots but with each passing day, his inclusion looks less and less likely.
There is nothing to say about Ryan Gomes, Cabral said.
Last year, Cape Verde knocked powerhouse Nigeria and Egypt out of last years FIBA Africa Championship.
They will be looking for more scalps in June when they host an international tournament which includes Angola, Cameroon, Mali and Senegal.
Late in June, France host Cape Verde in the Africans preparation campaign.
Cape Verde left a very good impression at the FIBA Africa Championship, yet they have higher goals.
Our aim is to improve on our international experience, and probably at the 2009 FIBA Africa championship fight to win the competition, Cabral said.
www.fiba-africa.com
Cape Verdean Basketball for the first time with 3 Referees
Last round games between, Seven Stars Achada Grande, and Prdio ABC, were referred by 3 international officials.
The same way that its being done in some of the best league in the world, the Santiago South championship will have a taste of this style of officiating. Thanks to the partnership established between the Federation and the Regional association, the referees who were in training, finalized their course with these two games.
Last round games between, Seven Stars Achada Grande, and Prdio ABC, were referred by 3 international officials.
The same way that its being done in some of the best league in the world, the Santiago South championship will have a taste of this style of officiating. Thanks to the partnership established between the Federation and the Regional association, the referees who were in training, finalized their course with these two games.
These two games, served as a test for the new and old international referees, to put in practice their newly acquired skilled in this new system FIBA is implementing for all its competition.
Referees from Tunisia, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Mali, Guinea Conakry, and Cape Verde, officiated Wednesday round in the Santiago South championship, with 3 referees. This system is considered by many, to be the best, and more practical, as it helps to cover the whole court.
Predio CVT managed to recuperate their damaged image from the previous round, which they lost to Achada Grande, by beating ABC. They made a strong point to the league that they are a real contender for the title.
Predio CVT won 73 to 72, a very exciting game, where ABC never trailed in the entire game. Predio CVT players kept their poise and successfully built their come back and finally win at the end.
The first game of the round, Seven Stars beat Achada Grande 77-53.
Predio CVT managed to recuperate their damaged image from the previous round, which they lost to Achada Grande, by beating ABC. They made a strong point to the league that they are a real contender for the title.
Predio CVT won 73 to 72, a very exciting game, where ABC never trailed in the entire game. Predio CVT players kept their poise and successfully built their come back and finally win at the end.
The first game of the round, Seven Stars beat Achada Grande 77-53. Achada Grande, continues to make progress, they are a very young team, with a bright future ahead, if the investment is made
With this loss, the classification table does not change, ABC maintains the first place spot, with Seven Star in second, and Prdio third and last place Achada Grande.
For the next round, 30 of April: ABC x Achada Grande, and Prdio x Seven Stars.
FIBA promotes international course for Referees in Praia
International referees of Cape Verde, Mali, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Guin-Conacry and Tunisia, are participating, since Sunday, in the City of Praia, in a three day course, for specialization.
International referees of Cape Verde, Mali, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Guin-Conacry and Tunisia, are participating, since Sunday, in the City of Praia, in a three day course, for specialization.
The course, promoted by the International Basketball Federation(FIBA), includes a theoretical part, in the discipline of psychology and mechanics of referring, and theories of practical exercises on and off the court, it is being conducted by two experts
For the president of FIBA-Africa for Zone II for the Superior Advice of the Sports in Africa, Henry Gomes, the training has the primary objective to train new international referees for the sport, and to recycle the already recognized international referrers form the organization, in order for them to be apt for the next International African competitions in 2008.
Cape Verde was selected by FIBA-Africa as the host for this high level of training course for referees, fruit of their excellent performance in the 2007 African championships, where the team earned the Bronze Medal in Luanda (Angola).
Cape Verdean Basketball Federation establishes deadline for National Team participation in Olympic qualifiers
The Cape Verdean Basketball Federation has established a deadline of 15 days to decide whether the national team will participate in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament to be held in Athens from June 14-29.
With only two months remaining before the start of the tournament, federation members have yet to receive any guarantees for the financing of the operation, which budgeted around 40 million Cape Verdean Escudos (approximately USD 576,000/EUR 362,000).
The Cape Verdean Basketball Federation has established a deadline of 15 days to decide whether the national team will participate in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament to be held in Athens from June 14-29.
With only two months remaining before the start of the tournament, federation members have yet to receive any guarantees for the financing of the operation, which budgeted around 40 million Cape Verdean Escudos (approximately USD 576,000/EUR 362,000).
The national team, which qualified for the pre-Olympic tournament in Athens thanks to the third-place finish in the 2007 Afrobasket tournament held in Angola, received promises from supporters from various quadrants of Cape Verdean society at that time. But in this hour of truth, the federation continues to struggle to see if it can represent the country in this prestigious international competition of basketball.
The Government had promised, when the team returned from Angola, all the necessary support for the participation in the pre-Olympic tournament, but as of now the national team has been guaranteed of CVE 2.5 million (app. USD 36,000/EUR 22,650), to be made available by the General Secretariat of Sports in the contract of programs signed with the federation.
Federation president Kitana Cabral said that they will try to convince the government to provide a more substantial amount of money to cofinance national team participation in the tournament. Cabral added that if the national team does not represent the country in the tournament, it will be a great shame for Cape Verde.
The president of the Basketball Federation guarantees that, despite financial difficulties, almost everything has been prepared for the national team's participation in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Cape Verde national radio, RCV, reports that Ric and Cula will assume command of the team, which was abandoned by Emanuel Trovoada, now coaching Desportivo de Huila in the Angolan championship. (Edited by Os Davis)
