FIBA Assist 32
FIBA Assist 32
FIBA Assist 32
assist32
al westover
THE shuffle offense aito garcia reneses
FIBA Historic
rule changes sito alonso
mario hernando
acb: the spanish
professional league
Mike brungardt
avoid relaxing
the conditioning program
of the san antonio spurs
on the court
tables of contents
Fatigue shooting
drills
by Kevin Sutton
I. INTRODUCTION
Shooting the ball! The one fundamental in
the game that everyone loves, however,
not many people shoot the ball well. The
shooting percentages continue to be on
the decline due by in large to: POOR
SHOOT SELECTION and THE INABLILITY
TO SHOOT THE BALL UNDER FATIGUE.
In this article I am going to show you
some of the "Fatigue Shooting Drills" that I
have designed and used to develop my
players over my 20 year coaching career.
Guys like:
▼ Randolph Childress – 2nd all time
leading scorer in ACC tournament his-
tory.
▼ Curtis Staples – 2nd all time 3 pt.
shooter in NCAA history.
▼ Jason Conley – lead the nation in
scoring in 2001.
▼ Marvin Lewis – top 10 all-time 3 pt.
shooter in Georgia Tech history.
▼ Luc Richard Mbaha Moute – Pacific
10 Rookie of the Year at UCLA.
I want you to remember this as you read
this article:
"The opportunity for greatness is given to
all of us. It comes in the form of hardwork.
What are you will to do to be great?"
page 4 | 32 2008 | Fiba Assist Magazine
D.1 D.2 D.3
II. Workouts:
Total number of shots = 129 Total minutes of workout = 1hr & 25 mins
D.8
shooting drill. consist of the player sitting down in a chair.
It is a tough drill design to fatigue the shoot- They must sit to the front of the chair with a
er. I teach two variations: 1. run and 2. de- ball between their back and the chair. This
fending. Both are designed to simulate forces the shooter to set with their back
game actions. The drill starts with the straight. The shooter shoots 5 shots from
shooter taking a shot at the elbow and then the three power jumpers spots for a total of
touching the near sideline. After touching 15 shots. The shots must be total swishes.
the sideline the shooter must run around The teaching points are:
the trash can/chair at the top of the key (di- ▼ Keep the ball high.
agr. 9). There are 2 sets of 6 shots taken for ▼ Full extension on your shot.
a total of 12 shots. ▼ Total concentration.
The teaching points are:
▼ Shot ready. V. CONCLUSION
▼ React to situations. It is said that fatigue makes cowards of us
D.9 ▼ Proper footwork. all. So never give into fatigue! Attack these
▼ Concentration. drills with the sole purpose of making your-
▼ Shot ready. self a better basketball player.
▼ React to situations. IV. “COOL DOWN” SEATING DRILLS EMBRACE GREATNESS by accepting the
▼ Proper footwork and concentration. Equally as important as the “warm up” is challenge to:
the “cool down”. After I have fatigue my 1. Learn something new everyday.
f. “Side line to side line" shooting drill players throughout the work out, I then like 2. Give more than you receive.
The last shooting drill in my "Fatigue Shoot- to do the all important “cool down” shoot- 3. Share what you know.
ing Drills" is the "Side line to Side Line" ing drills. The “cool down” seating drills 4. Impact the lives of others.
Playing near
by Carlo Recalcati
the basket After a prestigious career as a player, to effectively play the low-post position
Carlo Recalcati began coaching at just in case they are ever in a tactical
Bergamo, Italy, bringing the team from situation where they end up on the low
the B to the A1 Serie. He then coached post.
in Reggio Calabria, Ambrosiana Milan,
Bergamo again, Varese (winning an I find that, in general, when compared to
Italian Serie A title in 1999), and Forti- working with the perimeter players,
tudo Bologna, the following year, again practicing and trying to improve big man
winning the national title. Moving to skills requires more patience and com-
Montepaschi Siena, he won his third mitment on the part of the coach. With
title and the SuperCup in 2004. Since that said, let’s see how you can develop
2002, he has been the head coach of a practice plan for your post players.
the Men’s Italian national team, win-
ning the bronze medal at 2003 FIBA Eu- FOOTWORK
ropean Championship, and the silver On the court, we set stripes of parallel
medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. tapes 50 cm (two feet) distant from each
other, from one sideline to the other
Post play today is mainly focused on the sideline. The player, facing the stripes,
pick-and-roll and on setting different must make quick steps, moving from one
types of screens to get shooters open stripe to the next one, from the left side-
on the perimeter. While these are effec- line to the right one and vice versa (dia-
tive strategies, it has greatly reduced gr. 1).
the effectiveness of the post player and Now, with the same set of parallel
taken away a very powerful offensive stripes, place one perpendicular stripe
weapon. In the past, the post player every three parallel stripes. The begin-
D.1
played with his back to the basket, and ning of the exercise is the same, but
possessed two basic moves and two when the player reaches this perpen-
countermoves, based on the reaction of dicular stripe, he jumps back and forth
the defenders. the perpendicular line and then contin-
Since post play has been lost, it is time ues quick stepping in between the par-
to restore this role for the big man. I am allel stripes (diagr. 2).
totally convinced that extra attention For the third exercise, set one stripe at a
has to be devoted in each practice ses- 45-degree angle after every three paral-
sion for post play, not only for the player, lel stripes. Once the player reaches this
who has his back to the basket, but for line, he makes a 180-degree turn and
the guards and forwards, who must quick steps between the parallel stripes
learn to pass, cut and drive with their (diagr. 3).
big man. In addition, by knowing what
D.2 the big man is supposed to do, the for- WORKING WITH THE MEDICINE BALL
wards and guards should also learn how Two players face the backboard, one on
D.7
D.8
D.9
MIKAN DRILL
Named for George Mikan, the great
American pivot player from the 1950s,
this drill reinforces the basics of the
quick hook shot. The player sets himself
under the basket, bent slightly at the
knees, with the basketball kept tight un-
der the chin. From this position, the
player, without lowering the ball, makes
10 hooks, alternatively one to the right
D.15
and one to the left, using the backboard
and without lowering the ball below the
shoulders. The player lifts his right leg outside on the perimeter. The coach
high on the right side, and his left leg throws the ball against the backboard,
high when he goes up on the left side and the player who gets the rebound,
for helping the move (diagr. 7). plays against the other two, who be-
come defenders, double-teaming the
THREE REBOUNDERS player with the ball, keeping the arms
Three players are set under the basket, straight and trying to prevent him from
facing the backboard, one to the left, scoring, hopefully without fouling. If the
one under the basket, and one to the player with the ball scores, or if the de-
right, with a coach with a basketball fenders grab the ball, the ball is passed
page 10 | 32 2008 | Fiba Assist Magazine
D.16 D.18 D.22
D.26
D.27
D.28
D.29
to his left or his right, and he picks the receiver for the post player and pass to the left and another to the right side of
ball up, spins to the basket, and makes the ball back. The low post player the lane, facing the passer. The passer
a power shot. The shooter goes to the makes a dribble to the lane and then passes the ball to one of the two players,
end of the line, and the passer becomes passes the ball to player in the middle who quickly try to score, “stealing the
the shooter (diagr. 13). of the court. He tries to get open, re- time” from the defender by scoring before
ceive the ball, and then play one-on- he can play defense. (diagr. 15).
ONE-ON-ONE WITH A RECEIVER one near the basket (diagr. 14).
A low post player holds the ball, with a GETTING OPEN BASED ON THE POSITION
defender behind him and a player in the STEALING THE TIME TO THE DEFENDER OF THE BALL AND THE DEFENDER
middle of the floor who can work as a There are two players in the low post, one The post must be able to read the posi-
page 12 | 32 2008 | Fiba Assist Magazine
his left leg toward the basket to get
open. He will receive the ball and then
play one-on-one (diagr. 18).
Defender three/quarter low overplaying:
If, instead, the ball is in a lower position
than the post, the post will bring his de-
fender lower and he will take a step with
his right leg to get open, receive the ball,
and play one-on-one (diagr. 19).
Avoid relaxing
by Aíto García Reneses
on the court
by Sito Alonso
Aíto García Reneses was head coach
(and also general manager) of Barcelona
(Spain) for many years, where his teams
won three Division I championships, three
Spanish Cups, one King's Cup, two FIBA
Europe, and two Korac Cups. He has been
head coach of Badalona (Spain) since
2003, where he won one FIBA Europe
(2006), one King's Cup (2008) and ULEB
Cup (2008). He also was awarded Coach
of the Year of the ULEB Cup 2007-08.
OFFENSE
1. Two-on-one: When the defensive team
double teams and plays two-on-one, there
are two very common "stops" that offen-
sive players use. If, in the spot shown in
page 14 | 32 2008 | Fiba Assist Magazine
D.1 D.2 D.3
D.4
D.5
D.11
DEFENSE
5. Two-on-one: Without stopping to de-
scribe the technical details of the two-
on-one, one of the more frequent and
dangerous “stops” in our defensive
system occurs when the offensive
player passes the ball after a double
team. Normally, the player involved in
the two-on-one reacts well after the
pass and tries to recover his man, or
else looks for a free opponent in the
rotation. However, the player, who
guards the man with the ball, usually
just turns his head and maintains his
position; he prefers to rest, instead of
thinking of the other responsibilities
he has after the pass has been made.
This player must get into the habit of
getting back to his proper position as
shown in diagram 11. In diagram 12,
on the other hand, we can see how
the player, after having run to his spot,
helps stop an easy penetration to the
basket.
D.13
D.14
D.15
The Shuffle
by Al Westover
Offense
Al Westover is the head coach of the fense which is specific to zone defenses,
Melbourne Tigers, winner of the differing slightly from the traditional form.
2007/2008 Australian National Basket- One of the appealing factors of the shuf-
ball League. He started his coaching ca- fle offense is that it can be run by teams
reer as assistant coach at the University which do not have significant height ad-
of Pacific in United States, then he was vantages, with all five offensive players
player-coach in Australia at Dandenong needing to be adequate in each posi-
Rangers, and head coach of the Ballarat tion.
Miners. In 1992 he became assistant
coach of the Melbourne Tigers and head This is most likely the reason for the
coach of the junior teams. In 2005 he was shuffle’s success at the USA Air Force
appointed as the head coach, and in his Academy under Coach Bob Spear, as
first year he won his first ABL champion- the Air Force has a specific height re-
ship and was voted “Coach of the Year.” striction. Although a mobile big man
would be the ultimate candidate for the
The shuffle offense was a revolutionary post position.
offensive strategy which involves the
rotation of all five players between all The basic shape of the high post shuffle
major positions in the half court. It was offense includes the two forwards on
originally developed in the 1950s at the the two wings, foul-line extended, the
University of Oklahoma, but has been center in the high post on the ball side,
manipulated and re-shaped meticulously the point guard in line with the basket,
by various coaches across the globe. and the center and the shooting guard in
One perceived downfall of the well- the middle of the floor - all positions with
known shuffle offense is its ability to a focus on ball movement, player move-
break down an effective zone defense. ment, and getting the ball inside.
However, we at the Melbourne Tigers
have developed a high-post shuffle of- Another name for the shuffle offense,
D.3 D.6
looking to spot up and spread the zone The main focus of the reversal is the
(diagr. 5). post 5 cutting straight through the key
The main focus of the “Third Option” is after he reverses it to the shooting guard
to get the ball into the second cutter (the 2. If the defender at the top of the zone
small forward 3), which triggers the re- goes with him, there will be a mismatch
action of the post 5, diving through the and the point guard 1 at the top will be
middle of the three-second lane and the open for the shot. If he is left unattended,
shooting guard 2 spotting up on the op- the shooting guard 2 will have a good
posite wing. angle for getting him the ball in the mid-
dle of the three- second lane (diagr. 7).
If the ball goes to the point guard 1 in
D.4
the corner, the emphasis is on getting it If the initial pass to the shooting 2 guard
into the small forward 3 in the low-post, cannot be made, the point guard 1 can
to which the post 5 will cut straight circle out the shooting guard with the
down the middle of the three-second dribble.
lane zone.
The “First Option” and the “Third Op-
If the ball goes to the post 5 at the top of tion” are merely two options out of many
the key, he may reverse it to the weak- which the shuffle zone offense provides.
side shooting guard 2, to the which the And the beauty of the shuffle is that for
power forward 4 will cut through, much every action, there is a reaction by each
like the original cut by the point guard 1, other offensive player on the floor.
into the ball-side post as he takes the While this may sound physics-minded,
defense with him, and the point guard 1 the underlying focus is simple ball move-
D.5 and power forward 4 will re-locate into ment, player movement, and getting the
the gaps (diagr. 6). ball inside.
Fiba Assist Magazine | 32 2008 | Page 23
COACHES - hoop market
Basketball
by Raffaele Imbrogno
and Philosophy
fiba 33
basketball game
regarding scoring and fouling are valid. The the same time, it is the easiest and one of
team scoring first 33 points or leading the the most effective ways to bring youngsters
game after the regular game time is the to basketball, keep them and promote our
winner. game. Finally, FIBA 33 can and will promote
3-on-3 basketball, better known as street key educational and social values to the
basketball, is not a new game. What’s "FIBA 33 offers us and our member federa- next generations."
new is that FIBA will create a new ver- tions an exciting new tool to promote the
sion with worldwide unified rules and sport especially amongst youngsters, both There are many more arguments for FIBA to
played by National Teams of youngsters of within our own countries and international- start this initiative. It seems that the game
less than 18 years of age. ‘FIBA33’, the ly," said FIBA Secretary General and IOC format will allow small basketball countries
name of this new game, will be launched member Patrick Baumann. "The test event to be very competitive on the highest level.
at the first Summer Youth Olympic Games in Macau showed us how much fun the FIBA 33 will enable emerging basketball na-
in 2010 in Singapore. 20 boys' teams and young players had, but also how spectacu- tions from all continents to be involved in
20 girls' squads from as many as 35 coun- lar and competitive the new game can be. top international competition and develop
tries could compete for the medals in the The 3-on-3 concept is certainly not new, but successful youth programs. In addition, the
beautiful Asian island nation. what is new is that it will be played on a na- simple format will also allow the practice of
tional team level, with worldwide valid rules, the game in international competition, but
The rules of FIBA 33 are quite simple. A in top-class international competition, and also on grassroots level.
team consists of four players (three players the whole FIBA structure and family can
are on the court and one is a substitute) participate in it. The 3-on-3 concept has all The FIBA 33 Basketball Game will be played
and one coach. The game is played on a the elements and skills required for basket- in accordance with the Rules underlined
half court, on one basket, in three periods ball, it has inspired and will continue to in- below. The Official FIBA Basketball Rules
of five minutes each. Most of the FIBA rules spire many great players in the future. At are valid for all game situations not specifi-
ART. 1 - COURT
The game will be played on a half court of a
regular FIBA basketball playing court.
ART. 2 - TEAMS
Each team shall consist of a maximum of
four (4) players (3 players on the court and 1
substitute) and one (1) coach.
FIBA Historic
ecutive body of the International Basket-
ball Federation, the last 26th of April, in
Beijing, China, took some major and his-
toric decisions as with regards to the
Rule Changes
game rules. Upon recommendation of the
FIBA Technical Commission (a group of
experts that deal with the game rules),
several amendments to the Official Bas-
RIGHT OR WRONG?
The following questions focus on the 4. Immediately following a 3-second vio- when a double foul occurs. Play re-
document, “FIBA Official Basketball lation committed by A2, a fighting situ- sumes with a team A throw-in. Shall
Rules: Official Interpretations”. A free ation occurs. The players involved in team A now have a new 8-second pe-
download is provided on the FIBA web- the fighting situation are disqualified. riod to cause the ball to go to the team
site (www.fiba.com). For additional clari- Shall play now resume with a throw-in A frontcourt?
fications, explanations or examples, by team B? 9. On a last free-throw, the ball touches
please consult this document. 5. During an interval of play, a technical the basket ring but the does not enter
foul is charged to a team A player. the basket. Shall the timer start the
1. On a throw-in by A3 from the endline in Team B is entitled to the next alternat- game clock when the ball touches the
team A’s frontcourt, the ball fails to ing possession throw-in. The following ring?
touch or be touched by any player be- period begins with a team B throw-in. 10. A3 ends a dribble while airborne and
fore going out-of-bounds at the oppo- Shall team A now be entitled to the returns to the floor landing on both
site endline. Is is a back court next alternating possession throw-in? feet simultaneously. Is A3 now entitled
violation? 6. A final free-throw by A2 does not to a pivot step?
2. Team A is in control of the ball with ten touch the ring or enter the basket.
seconds remaining in the 24-second Shall the resulting team B throw-in
period when play is interrupted be- take place at the free throw line ex- ANSWERS
cause of an injury to a team B player. tended?
When play resumes, shall team A be 7. Near the end of a 2nd period, B8 re- 1. No. (No, 30.1.1) 7. No. (Art. 19.2.2)
given a new 24-second period? quests to enter the game as a substi- 2. Yes. (29.2.1) 8. No. (28.2.2)
3. A5 is awarded one free throw which is tute, after which a field goal is scored 3. No. (35.2.2) 9. No. (49.2)
successful. While the ball is in the air by team A. Shall B8 now be permitted 4. Yes. (39.3.2) 10. Yes. (25.2.1)
on that free-throw, A2 and B2 commit to enter the game? 5. No (12.4.8)
a double foul. Shall play resume with 8. Team A has been in control of the ball 6. Yes. (Art. 43.3.1)
an alternating possession throw-in? in the team A backcourt for 5 seconds
page 32 | 32 2008 | Fiba Assist Magazine
SPORT MARKETING and MANAGEMENT
by Mario Hernando
The conditioning
program
of the
San Antonio
by Mike Brungardt
spurs
INTRODUCTION
This paper will examine the strength and
conditioning program of the four-time
National Basketball Champions San An-
tonio Spurs. The long duration and high
intensity of the NBA season places in-
credible competitive demands on play-
ers, and it is the goal of the strength and
conditioning staff to help them avoid in-
jury and maintain peak performance, es-
pecially during the playoffs.
The principles of periodization and a
comprehensive analysis of basketball-
specific skills and their physiological
and bio-mechanical demands guide the
general program. Player-specific pro-
grams are developed to take dynamic
variables, e.g., injuries, playing time,
season duration, and tempo and style of
play, into account to maximize adapta-
tion and minimize over-training.
CORE STRENGTH
Particular emphasis is given to the
strengthening of the “core” region-ab-
dominals, lower back, “glutes” and
quadriceps-due to its fundamental sport
specific role in stabilization, injury pre-
vention, strength, power, and maintain-
ing the center of gravity.
The core has priority both in volume and
exercise order. Core training accounts
for at least half of all strength training.
During the off-season this region (core)
is trained on all 4 days. A vital part and
component of our annual dynamic warm
up also contain exercises that engage
Fiba Assist Magazine | 32 2008 | Page 41
Doctors,
coaches -trainers
offense and conditioning coaches
the core. For example, we use ballistic strength and power gains during a rela- are relative, ranging from three minutes
“open chain” exercises like medicine tively short period. A basic pyramid sys- to thirty seconds. This can have a sig-
ball wall throws and the hang clean. This tem is applied that gradually increases nificant effect on the buffering capacity
provides a means to strengthen the re- the load. Generally with each succes- of hydrogen ions which result from lac-
gion basketball players utilize most while sive set, more weight is added for fewer tate acid. Low impact, high foot contact
also providing additional power/explo- repetitions. (reps), plyometric, agility, and training
sive work. are also integrated at this time.
PHASE 1 HYPERTROPHY
OFF-SEASON PROGRAM Phase one, the hypertrophy phase, fo- PHASE 2 STRENGTH
The strength staff follows periodization cuses on the development of lean mus- The volume begins to decrease by doing
principles to cycle and integrate all as- cle mass (cross section) necessary for more intense, sport specific exercises
pects of our physical training: strength the later conversion to strength and with fewer repetitions. Sprint intensity
work (lifting), conditioning, plyometric, power. The duration of basketball scrim- increases on the track as a result of de-
and agility/speed. Three specific phas- maging and skill work is usually low creases in rest time and distance. Extra
es, consisting of four-week cycles, are during this phase. Muscle imbalances, “Hill” conditioning is incorporated on
the basis for the programs during the which create high risk for injury, are al- the same muscle group lifted that day.
off-season and in-season. so addressed. This period is relatively
The goal is to manipulate intensity and low in intensity but higher in repetitions PHASE 3 POWER
volume to create a synergistic effect in and duration. The short rests between As the preseason approaches, training
recruit patterns, fiber type, rate of fire, sets help keep heart rate elevated. This volume is further decreased with a rela-
and overall ability to create force. Ath- is the best time to re-establish a base tive increase in intensity. Weight train-
letes who do not report until the pre- for anaerobic work capacity. ing intensity is around 80% to 90% of a
season follow a different training re- A progression of moderate to longer player’s one rep maximal strength (1
gime. The design is catered to amplify distance sprints is used. The rest times RM). Converting strength gains to speed
page 42 | 32 2008 | Fiba Assist Magazine
and functional sport- specific Power is for rotation players; the head coach will and is a recovery based supplement
the goal. Benefits of explosive training, do this at the end of practice if it is nec- that accelerates and repairs muscle tis-
in elite athletes, have been shown to be essary. When a player is recovering from sue and joint health. Glutamine’s 2 nitro-
directly linked to quality of technique. an injury, or is not in the rotation on a gen ions cause it to be the most anabol-
This might be a result of the small “win- regular basis, an opportunity is created ic of all the amino acids. To increase
dow’ or potential available for neuro- to spend more time working on improv- muscle hypertrophy and power we use
muscular adaptation. ing strength, power, agility, and plyomet- a supplement called Opti-blend. This is
The generation of more force at a quick- ric training. Regular rotation athletes a patented creatine amino acid chelate
er rate, and the ability to apply the force, may only get a chance to lift once or blend, a patented stabilized glutamine,
can often determine if a player is able to twice in the whole week. When the and the branched chain amino acids
get a rebound at a critical moment. A schedule permits, two full body lifts are leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
physiological explanation for the explo- done. Studies have shown both supplements
sive power enhancement is a result of can make a significant difference in
the transformation of muscle fiber Type NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTS athletic performance and dramatically
IIa to Type IIb. Conditioning becomes Our nutrition and supplementation pro- reduce muscle recovery time.
specific to the basketball court, by in- grams goals are to promote recupera-
corporating sprints as well as lateral tion and fast energy production. We hire WARM-UPS AND FLEXIBILITY
side shuffles; although once training a consultant that advises in-season nu- During the season, three different sta-
camp starts the nature of the practices trition and meal planning. We provide tions for a circuit training warm-up are
should provide enough anaerobic con- good food choices at critical times, like often used. These stations are divided
ditioning. post-exercise, pre-game, and post- up into proprioception, dynamic flexibil-
game. This is important because if gly- ity, and core strength. The majority of
IN-SEASON PROGRAM cogen stores become depleted, the ca- static stretching is done after practice.
The time constraints of an 80 game regu- pacity of an athlete to perform at full
lar season practices and travel can be potential (maximum intensity) is lost or POST-SEASON MAINTENANCE PHASE
quite consuming. The general goal for severely limited. Sports like basketball, The objective is rest and recuperation.
in-season training is to at least maintain which have a highly intense component, These three- to four-weeks provide just
strength, conditioning, speed and flexi- can have approximately 75% of energy enough training for maintenance. Dur-
bility. come from carbohydrates. ing this period, low intensity, full-body
The intensity is high and the focus of the Consequently a 3:1 Ratio of CHO has lifting is prescribed.
lifting and strength work centers around been recommended. We use several
the Olympic lifts core. When a player supplements throughout the yearly plan CONCLUSION
does not play at least 15 minutes during to promote recovery and recuperation. An effective method of organizing train-
the game, then he must perform at least Perhaps the most important and fre- ing is to utilize periodization principles
15 minutes of extra interval conditioning. quently used supplement among play- that manipulate intensity and volume.
The strength and conditioning staff does ers is called Nutri-Build. Nutri-Build This can assist with the sometimes dif-
not handle regular season conditioning contains glutamine and glucosamine, ficult task of cycling and integrating
weight- lifting, conditioning, plyometric
drills, and agility/speed.
Particular emphasis is given to the
strengthening of the Core region - ab-
dominals, lower back, glutes, and quad-
riceps due to its fundamental role in sta-
bilization and force production. The ver-
tical jump and passing the basketball are
good examples of basketball skills that
can become more explosive through the
use of progressive jumps, rim jumps, and
depth jumps, and (Upper Body) Med ball
work. However, the athlete must have a
good strength base to benefit from such
training as the joints and musculature
will be able to translate force optimally.
There are many factors which can influ-
ence the force, power, and endurance
characteristics of skeletal muscle.
Concurrent recruitment of specific fiber
types plays a vital role in maximizing en-
ergy system efficiency and perfor-
mance. Incorporating nutrition and sup-
plementation programs are excellent
ways to promote recovery and recuper-
ation while at the same time improving
performance.
Fiba Assist Magazine | 32 2008 | Page 43
news
Giorgio armani
and
one-on-one
basketball
the world
in brief
Planet
basketball
LCB TO VANISH
AFTER SEASON
Big changes are
STIRLING SAYS BEIJING BASKETBALL afoot in Portugal
VENUE ROCKS following an an-
Australian women's basketball head nouncement by
coach, Jan Stirling, has given Beijing the country’s top
the thumbs up after experiencing the basketball
Olympic city first hand during the Olym- league, the Liga
pic test event in April. de Clubes de
Stirling said she was more than im- Basquetebol (LCB), that it will be no
pressed by the Wukesong Culture and more after this year’s play-offs.
Sports Centre which acts as the Beijing The Portuguese Basketball Federation’s
Olympic Basketball Stadium. FBP league, which has served as the
"It's sensational," she said. "Certainly second division, is to meet with LCB
from a staffing point of view I think China clubs and consider incorporating some
has all bases covered and all athletes of them into its own competition.
are going to enjoy being involved in the "We expect to organize a competition
Olympic Games at any of the venues with 16 teams," FBP president Mario Sal-
from what we've seen. It's going to be danha confirmed to FIBA. The loss of the
an exciting time for these world class LCB doesn’t look good on the surface, but
athletes. They [China] have left no stone financial problems have dogged the
unturned, as you would expect." league for some time and Saldanha says
there are reasons to optimistic. “Fans will
ing for eight months. COACHES TRAINING CAMP IN LUSAKA have plenty of reasons,” he says,” to en-
Australia coach Brian Goorjian, mean- Twenty Zambian Basketball coaches joy the FBP league. For next season, for
while, knows the squad he will take to graduated after undergoing ten days of example, SPORTTV have won the rights
the Beijing Games faces a tough path to training under the auspices of the Inter- to televise our games.”
the quarter-finals after being drawn in national Olympic Committee and the In- Saldanha, despite helping the LCB launch,
Group A along with defending champi- ternational Basketball Federation. The was always critical of the LCB strategy.
ons Argentina, European juggernauts program was a FIBA/IOC Advanced bas- "There were no conditions to call it a Pro-
Lithuania and last year’s FIBA EuroBas- ketball coaches course held at the Na- fessional League," he said. "How can we
ket winners Russia. say it is professional when a team has a
"Our challenge is to get out of the pool budget of 125.000 euros? It does not mean
and once you get out of the pool, the the end of the professional basketball in
world's your oyster,” Goorjian said. Portugal, though. There just have been no
"You're one game away from four teams strategic conditions to carry on with a
left in it, so I've got my mind and my eyes competition like that. The LCB had to pay
firmly placed on getting out of that pool. to show their games on TV, instead of re-
It's a challenge, but I think we can do it." ceiving. It needed a marketing strategy,
Should the Boomers progress, they and it need to make the game a real party,
could face a quarter-final against Team including cheerleaders, for example. The
USA, world champions Spain or hosts strategy could attract people to the pa-
China. vilions. This did not happen.”
Fiba Assist Magazine | 32 2008 | Page 49
news
THE ODD -
THE FUNNY -
Off-the-court
THE UNUSUAL
YAO’S HUNGER COST HIM DEAR "PLEASE SIGN must thank my mother for forcing me to
AS A YOUNGSTER THIS THIGH, MANU" take to basketball,” he started off. When
Yao Ming is never short of a few RMB Manu Ginobili has he was nine-years-old, Bangura took to
(Chinese currency) these days, but it fielded a lot of re- American football and was doing well too
hasn’t always been that way. Back in his quests in his days with dreams of making it big as a wide re-
early teens, when he signed for Shang- as a living legend ceiver, when his mother intervened.
hai, Yao sure didn’t play for love of money. in Argentinian “She was very worried that something
His close friend and fellow China national sport. He makes would happen to me because football is
team star Liu Wei has revealed just how public appear- such a contact sport. She was very keen I
much Yao did earn. ances, donates take a safer sport. That’s how I came into
"We both joined Shanghai club when we money to charity basketball,” he chuckled. “Therefore
were just 14,” Liu remembers. “We were and yes, signs autographs. credit for whatever I have achieved and
really poor with 10RMB (One British You wouldn’t believe, though, where some will achieve in basketball should go to her.
pound today is worth just over 13RMB 80) people want his signature. I think she is the happiest person in the
income per month. We used to love play- "The strangest place where I’ve had to world, because I play basketball. Some-
ing computer games, but one hour costs write my autograph?” he says in Ole. “I times I wonder if she is happier for me
you two RMB,” Liu said. guess mobile phones. I have already than even I am for myself,” he reminisced.
“Once Yao Ming was so hungry while signed three or four. But there was anoth- A rather quick climb up the basketball
playing (computer games), he spent er strange one, where a dude asked me to pecking order in
3RMB on a box of fried rice. I called him sign his upper thigh because he wanted the US, with suc-
luxurious." to get a tattoo." cessful showing in
Liu and the rest of his teammates are hop- Ginobili, a guard with the San Antonio Eleanor Roosevelt
ing Yao makes it back for the Olympics. He Spurs, led Argentina to the gold medal at High and St John’s
was lost for the season earlier this year in the Olympics in Athens in 2004 and will be college, took Ban-
Houston when doctors discovered he had one of the South Americans’ leading play- gura on a whirl-
a stress fracture in his foot. ers this summer at the Beijing Games. wind world tour
through Portugal,
“THANKS MOM FOR ‘FORCING’ Spain, Puerto Rico,
ME INTO BASKETBALL” Venezuela and Ja-
Alpha Bangura is certainly not your quint- pan before landing
essential professional basketballer. A in this part of the world.
conversation with the 28-year-old playing “I’ve traveled to so many places, which I
for Al Qadsia in Kuwait reveals that the wouldn’t have dreamt of if not for basket-
197-cm guard is much more than that. ball. Meeting so many new people, learn-
The Sierra Leonean might have emerged ing so much about new cultures are all
as the unofficial MVP of the recently con- things I’d treasure for the rest of my life,”
cluded Japanese league, steering Aishin he said.
Seahorses to the title en route; he might “You see I knew my parents couldn’t af-
have made the All-Star 1st team and ford to send me to college. I had to, there-
bagged the import MVP, playing for Leba- fore, work hard to get a basketball
nese club Al Hikmeh Sagesse, in the re- scholarship if I had to pursue my dreams
cently concluded Arab club in the sport. So playing basketball has
championships; he might have come into been an integral part of the learning pro-
the Champions Cup as the ‘hot’ property cess of life itself for me,” he went on.
to spearhead the hosts’ campaign and “I’m glad I’ve come this far in basketball,
might have even justified that faith with a but what matters more to me is that I’m
MVP performance on his debut for Qad- able to help the people I love thanks to
sia. “But playing basketball means a lot basketball,” he wrapped up before rush-
more to me than all these,” he said. “I ing off to a training session.
page 50 | 32 2008 | Fiba Assist Magazine
"Dual-Cushion" Technology basketballs are not available in the United States.