This week on Layups.com – #11 (2010)
On Layups.com I’ll publish articles on a daily basis. For those of you who do not have the time to visit daily, here’s is a good place to get a quick overview of the last articles. The Weekly Roundup will be published on each Sunday of the week. Please feel free to revisit and comment.
It’s FIBA Week on Layups.com and these are the topics for »Weekly Roundup #11«:
- The History of FIBA
FIBA, or International Basketball Federation, owes its name to original the French acronym of Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur. Although the word “Amateur” was subsequently omitted from its current official name, the acronym was still retained due to the significance and relevance of the first two letters from the word “basketball”. It is an association which regulates international basketball competitions and is made up of participating members of national organizations from all over the globe. - FIBA 2010: The Draw
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, which takes place in Turkey from Aug. 28 to Sept. 12, boasts 24 teams that made it into the draw in various ways. The draw took place on Dec. 15, 2009, in Istanbul, Turkey, at Ciragan Palace, on the European shores of the Bosphorus. - FIBA 2010: Highlighting Group A
Argentina: Four of Argentina’s NBA players, Carlos Delfino, Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni, were not on hand when the team squeaked out a bronze medal finish at the FIBA Americas Championship last year. But Luis Scola was, and he sparked the team after some early losses. - FIBA 2010: Highlighting Group B
United States of America: The United States has named a 27-man national team roster that should be good through 2012, and it is rather daunting. All the top members of the 2008 team, which won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics are back, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has been a steadying force since taking over in 2005, also is slated to be back for the United States, which is No. 2 in the FIBA World Rankings. - FIBA 2010: Highlighting Group C
Greece: Greece is coming off a fifth-place finish in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is fourth in the FIBA World Rankings. Greece boasts a talented, experienced squad that could make a run at the gold medal. Leading the charge for Greece is veteran Vasileios Spanoulis, who made the all tournament team at the EuroBasket Championship, where he averaged 14.1 points and 4.2 assists. Other key players for Greece include centers Sofoklis Schortsianitis, who averaged 11.9 points at EuroBasket, and Ioannis Bouroussis, who averaged 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds. - FIBA 2010: Highlighting Group D
Spain: Spain is the defending FIBA World Champion after taking the gold medal in Japan in 2006, and will go to Turkey ranked No. 3 in the FIBA World Rankings. Spain reached the gold-medal game of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, only to lose to the United States, 118-107. Spain is loaded with talent, and boasts the one team that can at least come close to the United States in that department. - FIBA 2010: Summary
With the FIBA World Championship lurking just around the corner, there are several interesting questions to consider: Is Argentina worthy of the No. 1 ranking it has been given by FIBA heading into the World Championship in Turkey? Is Iran a serious contender after usurping China as the team to beat in Asia? Is Greece finally ready to break through after reaching the 2006 final? Is Germany really a dangerous wild-card team? Is the friendly between the United States and Spain that is slated to take place in Spain in August most definitely a preview of the FIBA World Championship final?
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Picture credit: j9sk9s • Creative Commons Attribution