Best Alley-oops of #RoadToSpain2014 - Vote now

Vote for your favorite Alley-oop on facebook.com/FIBA and win an official Molten competition basketball, signed by the players of your national team. One winner will be announced every week on facebook.com/FIBA. In the first week of the contest, participants can vote for the best alley-oop. The deadline to submit votes for this category is on December 1, 2013.

This week you can vote for:

• ANGOLA - Leonel PAULO
• BELGIUM - Jean Marc MWEMA
• COTE D'IVOIRE - Stephane KONATE
• LITHUANIA - Jonas VALANCIUNAS
• MALI - Namory BOUNDY
• PHILIPPINES - Japeth AGUILAR
• POLAND - Marcin GORTAT
• SPAIN - Rudy FERNANDEZ
• UKRAINE - Artem PUSTOVYI
• VENEZUELA - Donta SMITH

VOTE NOW!

DOM - Greer: sustainability growing in Dominican game

STRASBOURG (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Basketball in the Dominican Republic is definitely on the rise and a sustainable base has been formed even though the sport may never live up to the hallowed status of baseball in the Caribbean nation.

The Dominican Republic finished fourth at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship to book their place at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

When they take to the court in Spain next summer, it will be their first appearance in FIBA's flagship event since 1978.

"It's incredible," said 36-year-old veteran small forward Ricardo Greer.

"It just shows the progression of basketball throughout the world but also in the Caribbean. It's just an incredible achievement and we're just really proud of it."

Despite losing to Puerto Rico in the Semi-Finals and Argentina in the Third-Place Game, the Dominicans placed ahead of South American giants Brazil, North American powers Canada and tournament hosts Venezuela to be the fourth qualified team from the Americas that was Spain 2014 bound.

Now that the nation of 10 million people has reached the World Cup, Greer is ready just to see what they can do there.

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FIBA - Road Show 2014 truck visits Gran Canaria

GRAN CANARIA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - After having being a part of the frenzied atmosphere at EuroBasket 2013, the Road Show 2014 returned to Spain and visited Gran Canaria, one of the six host cities of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The island hosted the Road Show truck for 10 days (4-13 October) and there was no shortage of of activities available for the fans.

Spanish basketball legends Jorge Garbajosa and Fernando Romay were on hand to give basketball lessons to visitors.

Garbajosa, a former FIBA World Champion and NBA player with Toronto Raptors, showed off his shooting and passing skills with kids. Romay, a silver medallist at the 1984 Olympics, displayed his amazing strength and sense of humor with fans of all ages.

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ANG - Cipriano's high note ahead of African Clubs Cup

LUANDA (African Clubs Cup/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Olimpio Cipriano's reputation as a prolific scorer seems to be far from ending after he was named MVP of Vitorino Cunha Cup, a domestic tournament in his native Angola.

The reward comes days before Cipriano and his Recreativo do Libolo club travel to Lusaka, Zambia, where they will battle for the top two places on offer of zone 6 for the African Clubs Cup to be held later this year.

At AfroBasket 2013 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Cipriano was Angola's leading three-point threat, shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc.

On Thursday, the 31-year-old led Libolo to an 86-75 win over Inter Clube de Luanda to claim the Vitorino Cunha Cup for the first time in the club's history.

The African Clubs Cup, a leading international tournament, is due to take place at the National Sports Development Centre in Lusaka, Zambia from 28 October to 2 November.

The field will consist of: Primeiro D'Agosto, Libolo and Petro de Luanda (Angola); Matero Magic and UNZA Pacers (Zambia); JBC and Cameo BB (Zimbabwe); Ferroviaro da Beira (Mozambique).

The African Clubs Cup qualifier will mark the return of 10 of the 12 Angolan internationals to the African scene since they won their 11th African Championship title back in August.

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ESP - Claver confidence grows after EuroBasket

PORTLAND (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Victor Claver has returned to the NBA a much more confident player ahead of the 2013-14 campaign after shining for Spain at EuroBasket 2013.

Given a prominent role for the first time in his national team career, Claver embraced the uncustomary position of power forward and helped the squad reach the podium for the seventh time in the past eight European Championships.

While the Spaniards had wanted a third successive title triumph, they settled for a decisive victory in the Third-Place Game against Croatia.

The 2.05m Claver averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game.

He signed off with with 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the 92-66 triumph over the Croatians.

"It was important for me," Claver said of the EuroBasket.

"I've been in the national team for a long time and I didn't have a chance to play that much and when I did, it was hard for me."

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ARG - Campazzo the passer

MAR DEL PLATA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - There have been plenty of adjectives used to describe the play of Argentina point guard Facundo Campazzo in his young career.

He has been brilliant, crafty, gritty and heroic.

Sometimes, the terms haven't been complimentary.

Such was the case after his high-profile incident with Carmelo Anthony during the London Olympics.

In a play at the end of the third quarter of their Preliminary Round meeting, with the United States having taken a huge lead, Anthony was attempting a three-pointer when Campazzo ran in his direction.

Anthony dropped to the court in pain, and the USA players and coaches complained that Campazzo had intentionally hit the NBA star in the groin.

After a few tense moments when the players on both benches were on their feet, calm was restored.

Campazzo has been the talk of the town a lot since.

This week, his passing ability has captured the spotlight.

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SEN - An injection of quality may come with Dieng

MINNESOTA (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Senegal will have a very exciting team at next year's FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Looking back at this summer's AfroBasket in Cote d'Ivoire, the Senegalese had high-fliers who like to play the game above the rim.

When it was all said and done in Abidjan, and Senegal's players had bronze medals hanging from their necks, Maleye Ndoye led the squad in scoring with an average of 10 points per game and Hamady Ndiaye had a team-best 15 blocked shots.

Imagine how formidable Senegal's frontline would be if Gorgui Dieng, a member of the NCAA Championship-winning Louisville Cardinals earlier this year, joined their squad for the World Cup.

The 2.10m shot-swatting machine wasn't available this summer as he concentrated on getting ready for his rookie campaign in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

So far, Dieng's raised plenty of eyebrows in Minneapolis.

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ARG - Campazzo the passer

MAR DEL PLATA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - There have been plenty of adjectives used to describe the play of Argentina point guard Facundo Campazzo in his young career.

He has been brilliant, crafty, gritty and heroic.

Sometimes, the terms haven't been complimentary.

Such was the case after his high-profile incident with Carmelo Anthony during the London Olympics.

In a play at the end of the third quarter of their Preliminary Round meeting, with the United States having taken a huge lead, Anthony was attempting a three-pointer when Campazzo ran in his direction.

Anthony dropped to the court in pain, and the USA players and coaches complained that Campazzo had intentionally hit the NBA star in the groin.

After a few tense moments when the players on both benches were on their feet, calm was restored.

Campazzo has been the talk of the town a lot since.

This week, his passing ability has captured the spotlight.

Read More...

SEN - An injection of quality may come with Dieng

MINNESOTA (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Senegal will have a very exciting team at next year's FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Looking back at this summer's AfroBasket in Cote d'Ivoire, the Senegalese had high-fliers who like to play the game above the rim.

When it was all said and done in Abidjan, and Senegal's players had bronze medals hanging from their necks, Maleye Ndoye led the squad in scoring with an average of 10 points per game and Hamady Ndiaye had a team-best 15 blocked shots.

Imagine how formidable Senegal's frontline would be if Gorgui Dieng, a member of the NCAA Championship-winning Louisville Cardinals earlier this year, joined their squad for the World Cup.

The 2.10m shot-swatting machine wasn't available this summer as he concentrated on getting ready for his rookie campaign in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

So far, Dieng's raised plenty of eyebrows in Minneapolis.

In just his second pre-season outing, a 98-89 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Dieng had game-highs in rebounds (nine) and blocks (four) to go with his six points.

T-Wolves boss Rick Adelman, who has coached a lot of players from overseas during his long career, said: "It's been a transition, but he's been playing well.

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SRB - A bright future for Nedovic

OAKLAND (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - A month has passed since Nemanja Nedovic wore the Serbia shirt at the EuroBasket.

The 21st of September was a day that he and everyone else in the national team set-up looks back on with a sense of satisfaction.

After crashing to heavy defeats to Spain in the EuroBasket Quarter-Finals and then hosts Slovenia in a Classification Round game, the Serbians salvaged their tournament with a 76-64 triumph over Italy.

Having finished first in Group B - the 'group of death' - ahead of Lithuania, Latvia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD), Serbia beat the Italians in the battle or seventh place to reach the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Nedovic says the EuroBasket was an extremely tough competition.

"It was for sure," he said to FIBA.com, "but we can't not be satisfied.

"We qualified for the World Cup next year.

"We'll not have to play the qualifications for the European Championship (EuroBasket 2015 in Ukraine).

"It was important that we played well against Italy after two tough losses to Spain and Slovenia. We showed our energy."

Serbia hit the ground running in the do-or-die game against the Italians.

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UKR - Confidence of Natyazhko, national team soars

MARIUPOL (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Kyryl Natyazhko isn't going to be a player who loses his focus again.

When he was a highly-rated teenager and thought stardom was just around the corner, things didn't go as planned.

The Dnipropetrovsk-born center enrolled at Arizona and played American college basketball for the Wildcats but didn't use up all of his eligibility.

He turned pro early, yet didn't jump straight to the NBA but instead returned home to play for Azovmash Mariupol.

To play in the NBA is something that he does want to do, and his performances at EuroBasket 2013 suggest he may, but the 22-year-old isn't worried about that right now.

"I'm not going to be like I was when I was 18 and everyone saw my talent and said, 'Oh, you going to be like that, that and that' and I lost my concentration," he said to FIBA.com.

"I'm not going to lose my concentration any more.

"I'm going to take it step by step and do my best with Azovmash.

"I promise that I'm going to do my best."

One can only be optimistic about Natyazhko's future after watching him play for inspirational coach Mike Fratello in Slovenia.

He averaged 21 minutes per game and was vital for a side that qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup with a sixth-place finish.

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SEN - Senegal’s home talent emerge along coach Cheikh Sarr

LUANDA (AfroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - A team like Senegal with a lot foreign-based talents is taking home players and coaching staff very seriously.

Senegal is one of the few African countries – along Nigeria – gifted with players in major worldwide leagues like the NBA, Spain’s ACB, France’s LNB and the Greek league.

In August, they secured one of three places on offer for African teams for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup to be staged in Spain.

But what made Senegal unique was the unusual high presence of home-based players.

Mamadou Ndoye, Mohamed Diop, Ibrahima Mbengue and Pape Malick Gadiag, all played a key role in the team’s success in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Head coach Cheikh Sarr is also a home-based element.

He served as an assistant in the past two AfroBasket tournaments, but when the country’s Basketball Federation called him to replace Frenchman Alain Weisz, he was confident that he knew how to improve Senegal’s rankings.

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Luis Scola - a fresh start

2012-13 season of NBA is the worst year of Luis Scola's career as a member of the Phoenix Suns. The team put up a 25-57 win-loss record which put them up in dead last in the Western Conference. But this coming season could be a different story for him, the Argentinian power forward now finds himself in a completely different situation after being traded by the Suns to one of the best teams in the league, the Indiana Pacers. The 33-year-old forward says he is just one of many foreign players to have success in the NBA because of experience gained overseas.

Scola is glad to have a fresh start after last season and he has help Argentina to reach the semi-finals of the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship and earned a spot for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Now back in the NBA, Scola isn't going to hold anything back as he tries to help Indiana build on last season, when the team made a strong run to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to eventual league champions Miami Heat.

FIBA News

Mexico, Philippines, Finland and Egypt climb up in FIBA ranking

After winning the title in the recently concluded 2013 FIBA Americas Championship held in Caracas, Venezuela, Mexico did one of the biggest jumps in the FIBA Basketball World Cup ranking. The 2013 FIBA Americas Champions move up eight places, from 32nd to 24th. Mexico defeated Puerto Rico 91-89 in a very tight final battle and Gustavo Ayon was named the most valuable player of the tournament. Puerto Rico meanwhile has moved to 17th place from 19th.

Philippines is another team that shows an impressive outing during the FIBA qualifying round. Though they lost to Iran in the finals of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships held in Manila, they moved up 11 places, from 45th to 34th. Finland, who advanced to the Second Round of the EuroBasket for the second straight time and signed off with a 92-76 triumph over tournament hosts Slovenia, have risen from 48th to 39th. Egypt make a surprise in AfroBasket 2013 after they made it all the way to the Finals and they are now on 46th place from 60th in 2012.

Belgium, Jamaica, Ukraine and Great Britain are among other teams that move up the rankings. USA, Spain and Argentina still rank first, second and third respectively.

See full ranking.

FIBA Basketball World Cup Spain 2014 will took place on August 30 to September 14 2014 and will be held in Spain.

Wild Cards for the last 4 slots to come as the qualification for Spain 2014 ends

The qualification round for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup has officially end on Sunday 22 September. As a result of this we finally have the list of 20 of the 24 national teams that will compete in FIBA’s flagship event next summer with the remaining four to be determined through the wild card phase.

Below are the 20 national teams that have earned a slot for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 in Spain.
1 Host Country: Spain
1 Olympic Champion: USA
3 teams from Africa: Angola, Egypt and Senegal
4 teams from Americas: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina and Dominican Republic
3 teams from Asia: Iran, Philippines and Korea
6 teams from Europe: France, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Serbia
2 teams from Oceania: Australia and New Zealand

FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 will take place in Spain from August 30 to September 14 2014, wherein the Preliminary Round will be played from Saturday 30 August to Thursday 4 September in Bilbao, Seville, Granada and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The Final Round will be hosted in the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona and in the Palacio de los Deportes of Madrid from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 September.

fiba.com

France win first ever European crown

France defeated Lithuania 80-66 to win EuroBasket 2013 and will head to the FIBA Basketball World Cup - Spain 2014 as European champions. It was the first ever European crown for the France basketball. Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trailblazers and Boris Diaw and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs joined forces to upset Lithuania. Tony Parker was named the tournament's MVP and headlined the All-Tournament Team that also included Lithuania's Kleiza, Slovenia guard Goran Dragic, Marc Gasol of Spain and Croatia's Bojan Bogdanovic.

France vs Lithuania highlights - EuroBasket 2013 Finals