International Basketball Championships 32 Everything Thread

[Valanora]

Take flight you dragons
Take flight across the blue paints skies
Soaring over the kingdoms vast and small
Taking in the reverence those underneath
Feel the air ripple across your mighty wings
Neither beast nor person nor serpent be
Yet you are still cloaked in majesty
No crown nor title in need
Take flight you dragons
Roam over your vast territory
Your fire set torch to earth and sea
All those who do not pay you the heed
So take flight you dragons
Push forward endlessly
From ashes into eternity.

[Chromatika]

Chromatika in IBC 32:
Matchday 1 & Matchday 2: Splitting Start

The first:

In the opener
Xiu and Park come out to play
Defense does the rest.

The second:

Against Abanhfleft
Defense falls short near the end
A narrow defeat.

The third:

A BYE comes up next
With Hispinas to follow
A key match for sure.

[Chromatika]

Matchday 3/4 Cutoff

Where will your team be after four matches? It's time to see! Cutoff.

---

Group 1
Matchday 3 BYE: Bollonich
The Togolese Republic 79–87 Annyoeng Oppa
Omerica 76–71 Valanora
The Jovannic 58–84 Sarzonia
Srednjaci 61–90 HUElavia

Group 1                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Sarzonia                        3    3   0   233  183  +50
 2 Omerica                         3    2   1   220  216   +4
 3 Valanora                        3    2   1   241  193  +48
 4 HUElavia                        3    2   1   241  207  +34
 5 Annyoeng Oppa                   2    2   0   178  147  +31
 6 Srednjaci                       2    1   1   134  152  −18
 7 The Jovannic                    3    0   3   188  232  −44
 8 The Togolese Republic           3    0   3   196  243  −47
 9 Bollonich                       2    0   2   127  185  −58

Matchday 4 BYE: HUElavia
Sarzonia 73–87 Srednjaci
Valanora 82–53 The Jovannic
Annyoeng Oppa 78–83 Omerica
Bollonich 72–76 The Togolese Republic

Group 1                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Sarzonia                        4    3   1   306  270  +36
 2 Omerica                         4    3   1   303  294   +9
 3 Valanora                        4    3   1   323  246  +77
 4 HUElavia                        3    2   1   241  207  +34
 5 Annyoeng Oppa                   3    2   1   256  230  +26
 6 Srednjaci                       3    2   1   221  225   −4
 7 The Togolese Republic           4    1   3   272  315  −43
 8 Bollonich                       3    0   3   199  261  −62
 9 The Jovannic                    4    0   4   241  314  −73

Group 2
Matchday 3: BYE: Trolleborg
Ranoria 81–78 Saterun
TJUN-ia 84–72 Magnecia
Aristan Republic 83–96 Græntfjall
Crystal Empire 65–102 Drawkland

Group 2                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Græntfjall                      3    3   0   257  207  +50
 2 TJUN-ia                         3    2   1   228  216  +12
 3 Drawkland                       3    2   1   276  207  +69
 4 Ranoria                         3    2   1   226  255  −29
 5 Saterun                         2    1   1   147  144   +3
 6 Magnecia                        3    1   2   238  244   −6
 7 Crystal Empire                  2    1   1   166  180  −14
 8 Trolleborg                      2    0   2   135  151  −16
 9 Aristan Republic                3    0   3   226  295  −69

Matchday 4 BYE: Drawkland
Græntfjall 93–55 Crystal Empire
Magnecia 56–59 Aristan Republic
Saterun 75–76 TJUN-ia
Trolleborg 85–63 Ranoria

Group 2                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Græntfjall                      4    4   0   350  262  +88
 2 TJUN-ia                         4    3   1   304  291  +13
 3 Drawkland                       3    2   1   276  207  +69
 4 Ranoria                         4    2   2   289  340  −51
 5 Crystal Empire                  3    1   2   221  273  −52
 6 Aristan Republic                4    1   3   285  351  −66
 7 Saterun                         3    1   2   222  220   +2
 8 Magnecia                        4    1   3   294  303   −9
 9 Trolleborg                      3    1   2   220  214   +6

Group 3
Matchday 3 BYE: Southwest Eastnorth
Lisander 75–63 Pratapgadh
Mytanija 68–56 Gatchingerrak Union
Nova Anglicana 92–59 Venmere
Banija 79–58 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom

Group 3                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Mytanija                        3    3   0   254  202  +52
 2 Banija                          2    2   0   154  122  +32
 3 Nova Anglicana                  3    2   1   250  197  +53
 4 Southwest Eastnorth             2    2   0   168  142  +26
 5 Lisander                        3    2   1   235  214  +21
 6 Gatchingerrak Union             3    1   2   219  229  −10
 7 Pratapgadh                      2    0   2   121  153  −32
 8 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom       3    0   3   201  269  −68
 9 Venmere                         3    0   3   197  271  −74

Matchday 4 BYE: Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
Venmere 67–71 Banija
Gatchingerrak Union 77–71 Nova Anglicana
Pratapgadh 71–83 Mytanija
Southwest Eastnorth 57–72 Lisander

Group 3                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Mytanija                        4    4   0   337  273  +64
 2 Banija                          3    3   0   225  189  +36
   Lisander                        4    3   1   307  271  +36
 4 Southwest Eastnorth             3    2   1   225  214  +11
 5 Gatchingerrak Union             4    2   2   296  300   −4
 6 Nova Anglicana                  4    2   2   321  274  +47
 7 Pratapgadh                      3    0   3   192  236  −44
 8 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom       3    0   3   201  269  −68
 9 Venmere                         4    0   4   264  342  −78

Group 4
Matchday 3 BYE: Indusse
Valentine Z 71–67 Felinetopia
Corvadakia 66–69 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Kohnhead 60–64 Hannasea
Equestria 83–65 Hebitaka

Group 4                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Quebec and Shingoryeo           3    3   0   234  182  +52
 2 Corvadakia                      3    2   1   224  201  +23
 3 Equestria                       2    2   0   167  139  +28
 4 Hannasea                        3    2   1   226  217   +9
 5 Hebitaka                        3    1   2   213  206   +7
 6 Indusse                         2    1   1   137  150  −13
 7 Valentine Z                     3    1   2   192  234  −42
 8 Felinetopia                     2    0   2   124  148  −24
 9 Kohnhead                        3    0   3   191  231  −40

Matchday 4 BYE: Hebitaka
Hannasea 69–70 Equestria
Quebec and Shingoryeo 85–46 Kohnhead
Felinetopia 68–73 Corvadakia
Indusse 103–58 Valentine Z

Group 4                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Quebec and Shingoryeo           4    4   0   319  228  +91
 2 Equestria                       3    3   0   237  208  +29
 3 Corvadakia                      4    3   1   297  269  +28
 4 Indusse                         3    2   1   240  208  +32
 5 Hannasea                        4    2   2   295  287   +8
 6 Hebitaka                        3    1   2   213  206   +7
 7 Valentine Z                     4    1   3   250  337  −87
 8 Felinetopia                     3    0   3   192  221  −29
 9 Kohnhead                        4    0   4   237  316  −79

Group 5 Chromatika
Matchday 3
Hispinas 61–76 Abanhfleft
Pemecutan 67–90 Delaclava
Malandrin 74–67 Vikanias
Ko-oren 76–81 Dotivija

Group 5                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Malandrin                       3    3   0   242  212  +30
 2 Delaclava                       3    2   1   250  217  +33
 3 Abanhfleft                      2    2   0   166  140  +26
 4 Dotivija                        3    2   1   232  229   +3
 5 Pemecutan                       3    1   2   220  241  −21
 6 Chromatika                      2    1   1   151  156   −5
 7 Vikanias                        3    1   2   224  235  −11
 8 Ko-oren                         2    0   2   143  165  −22
 9 Hispinas                        3    0   3   216  249  −33

Matchday 5 BYE: Dotivija
Vikanias 71–65 Ko-oren
Delaclava 88–76 Malandrin
Abanhfleft 79–64 Pemecutan
Chromatika 79–75 Hispinas

Group 5                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Delaclava                       4    3   1   338  293  +45
 2 Abanhfleft                      3    3   0   245  204  +41
 3 Malandrin                       4    3   1   318  300  +18
 4 Dotivija                        3    2   1   232  229   +3
 5 Chromatika                      3    2   1   230  231   −1
 6 Vikanias                        4    2   2   295  300   −5
 7 Pemecutan                       4    1   3   284  320  −36
 8 Ko-oren                         3    0   3   208  236  −28
 9 Hispinas                        4    0   4   291  328  −37

[Venmere]

VNBT SLIPS FROM SLOW START TO EMBARRASSING ONE



Falcon fans around Venmere are shocked and horrified at their team's absolutely horrendous performance to begin IBC 32. After starting 0-2, hopes were at least midlevel for the Falcons as they faced off against Nova Anglicana. They were rewarded with a 32-point loss. It could have been worse, granted, but the Falcons made up some ground after Nova Anglicana took out its starters. The score was, at one point, 79-31. As it was, the Falcons lost 92-59.

Following that shellacking, the dejected Falcons faced off against defending champions Banija, and shocked everyone in the stadium by losing by only four points, and by keeping the game tied until 6:55 left in the 4th. While the 0-4 start is certainly not helping Falcon fans around Venmere, the close loss to the defending champion certainly raised spirits, if only a little.

What was starting as a hope to make some waves on the international scale for the Falcons is turning into a desperate drive to win even one game. Perry Whittaker, the VNBT coach, is facing some extreme heat from home as well as from his players. His assistant coaches have already been told this will be their last tournament if they can't put something coherent together.

Time is running out for the Falcons to make it out of the group stage or even win a game. The future is looking dimmer every second, and there doesn't seem to be many on the team who are capable of turning the lights back up again.

[Ranoria]

Defense is for nerds! And Offense is for people who are good! Why do the Krauts Stink?

Through four contests, Ranoria is (surprisingly) trekking along nicely at 2-2 thanks in part to a couple of heroic (if futile) efforts by our young star, Reiner Anneliese. Don't get us wrong, the 81-78 victory over Saterun, which saw Ranoria go on a 10-2 run in the final six minutes of the game, was thrilling, but we all know that this team isn't that good.

Our defense has allowed 340 points through just four contests - which as an isolated variable is fine. No one expects these guys to actually play defense, it's basketball! Go score a bunch of points, make people cheer, and hit a buzzer beater at least twice a game! Defense just isn't as exciting, and it doesn't get people paid. You know how we know?

Well in gridiron, you've got an offensive player of the year, a defensive player of the year, and an MVP. Not in netball (basketball, whatever word your local vernacular has assigned to this sport). No, there's a defensive player of the year - a nice pat on the back for actually trying, basically - and an MVP, because everyone knows the guys that score a lot of points deserve the MVP.

So, now that that's settled, let's get down to the root cause here. No one is expected to play defense, because there's no point anyway, so they have score some points! But that's just the problem! We don't score points, because we're terrible! Wait wait, you guys thought allowing 340 points in four games was iffy? Get this! Our Krauts have only scored 289, at a (not so)nice clip of 72.25 per game. And it'd be a lot worse if not for a pair of outbursts in which Anneliese put up 34 and 41 points, respectively.

So, that settles it. Our team's bad at scoring points, and while in most sports you could rely on the defense to pick up the slack, defense just really isn't a thing on the hardwood. So we'll see how it all ends up! Tata for now!

[Hannasea]

Defense
Smothering them
Getting to those rebounds
Blocking shots and forcing errors --
Eight steals.

Ponies
Their skilful hooves
Majestic with the ball
Setting up the game winning shot --
Buzzer!

[TJUN-ia]

After two tight games against the top-ranked opposition in this group, the Hoops-Jags of TJUN-ia proved they could tango with the big boys as they both beat Drawkland and lost to Graintfjall by only a single point. Bao Zhou could certainly take that with pride but as the long road to Chromatika continued on, the Dynasty he was building was looking forward to trying to prove their ranked status meant something against some debutants.

Up first was the Bulls of Magnecia in Riverside, who actually managed to provide us with a team sheet before this game. The Bulls were led by Mike Rhoades and they mainly pivoted around starting centre and Captain Joe Brown, who both provided assists and points of his own when required. He certainly was the main man of this team but other than that, that was all Magnecia had to offer in this game. All our players did what they needed to do and despite a strong 34 point game by Brown, the Jags still ran out the winners by 12 points in the end.

Then came an interesting test as we travelled to face another unranked team in the form of Saterun. With no team sheet to go on and no idea what type of environment we would be playing in, the Jags were certainly out of their element and that would show. The Dynasty were still pretty good, which showed in Travarius Okuramangawa's 45 points tonight, but the hosts were certainly on our toes throughout this one and the only way they could be put away was with some late free throws and some late defending. We escaped out of dodge with another 1-point win, but they all count in this IBC.

After that, we're still 2nd in the group but we must keep the momentum up heading into the final two games before the first bye of the tournament. Those games will be very interesting as we host #23 Trolleborg, our fellow BoF71 competitor, before taking a road trip to the RANPAC Arena to play a rare sight: an unranked Ranoria Krauts. Ranoria is starting to become the new Free Republics for TJUN-ia, a nation we always seem to play most of the time, and while talks of a potential rivalry are slow for now, getting a win over this team, right now, is surely a must. GO JAGS!

---

Current Standing (Group 2): 2nd (3-1)
Last 2: W 84-72 vs Magnecia (UR), W 75-76 @Saterun (UR)
Next 2: vs Trolleborg (23), @Ranoria (UR)

[Sarzonia]

Even though the Sarzonian national basketball team were 3-1 and were in a three-way tie for first place in Group A of the 32nd edition of the International Basketball Championships, manager Thomas Manningham was in a terrible mood.

His Stars just lost a match at The Palestra in Woodstock, 87-73 against Srednjaci, the 32nd ranked team in the multiverse, to drop from the ranks of the undefeated. The team played flat, uninspired basketball and the defence did a poor job rotating to cover the opposing shooters. Mike West fouled out with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter with a team-high 18 points and admitted his counterpart, Srednjaci guard Stjepan Marković "ran [me] ragged," scoring a game high 34 points.

However, after Manningham stormed out of the press room when he was asked why he got hit with a technical foul with 1:18 remaining in the game and had to be restrained by longtime assistant Mario Bengtsen, he learned even worse news. The Sarzonian over-35 national football team lost 2-0 to Garbelia, eliminating the Senior Stars from the NS World Cup of Masters and likely costing his older brother Tyrone Manningham his job.

"That's the nature of this business," Thomas Manningham said in hushed tones, staring at the floor of the team's dressing room. "You win some, you lose some. And sometimes, you do everything you can and you still come up on the losing end of things. "Ty did a good job over there. He won the first-ever World Cup of Masters. That counts for something. But yeah, they didn't qualify for the knockout rounds in two straight tournaments after losing the final in the second edition. I guess that's what happens."

As for the fans booing his brother's team at Dave Wilson Stadium and his own team at The Palestra, "they paid for their tickets. They expend time, money and energy to support our teams. If I was them, I'd be booing, too."

The Stars defeated The Jovannic 84-58 in an away match to improve to 3-0 before they shat the bed against Srednjaci. They have an away match to HUElavia before their Matchday 6 bye and then a home match against No. 5 Valanora at The Palestra following the bye.

"We have to be ready for those matches," Thomas Manningham said. "There are no excuses."

[Hispinas]

ES | EN | EU | FIL

Hispinas' PREMIER sports magazine!

IBC 32: Esteban firing looms as Hispinas yet to win
Hispinas' head coach not helped by 0-4 start in Group 5

MANDRID - There might be twelve games remaining in the group stages of the 32nd International Basketball Championships, but there has been rumors circulating around the nation that the King of Hispinas himself has asked basketball consultant Walter Laganson on replacing Alfredo Esteban as the coach of the national team, after a dismal start saw the Hispinos lose their first four games of the campaign. Heavy losses against Delaclava, and Abahnfleft was made worse with an embarrassing loss to unranked Vikanias, although the high point of their campaign is a close loss at hosts Chromatika by four points.

Esteban had turned to changing the font of their jerseys similar to those worn by their football counterparts on the belief that it would help replicate the success the Golden Sealions had in the football stage into the basketball team. However, the weak lineup, which suffered failure to advance past the group stages for every IBC they participated, have contributed much to the failures of the team to secure wins in the IBC group stage. One fan even wrote a blog believing that an all-collegiate team, which the nation sent anyway to the Olympics, would be a better bet than the current roster the Oranges have.

With the head coach on thin ice, a rest day would help the team recollect their inspirations and focus on the crunch match at the Palacio de Reino de Hispinas against 28th-ranked Pemecutan. Another loss would certainly seal their coach's fate as Laganson may have to start searching for replacements sooner than expected.

[Annyeong Oppa]

안영오빠 농구팀
Annyeong Oppa Basketball Team

Colors: Blue and Yellow
Head Coach: Bang Tae (Male, aged 46)
Principles: The Gimjongguk-Kirin Principle

• Highly physical, usually exerts excessive energy, will resort to intentional fouls to stop player from scoring baskets. Expect players to be ejected/suspended/fined over these kinds of plays.
• Inside scoring/slashing over three-pointers

Stadium: Leonningman Arena in Cheolguri (capacity 7,012 all-seater)

Starters

C: Bang Byung-wook (Male, aged 25)
PF: Lee Jin-gyu (Male, aged 27)
SF: Keng Ye-rin (Female, aged 21)
SG: Ha Mi-kyung (Female, aged 20)
PG: Choi Sung-mo (Male, aged 31, captain)

Bench

C: Cha Kwang-su (Male, aged 28)
C/PF: Shin Hyo-joo (Female, aged 23)
PF: Mok Cheol-min (Male, aged 29)
SF/PF: Gang Kwang-hyun (Male, aged 24)
SG/SF: Pan Jae-woo (Male, aged 17)
PG/SG: Heo Young-wook (Male, aged 21)
PG: Choi Eun-jin (Female, aged 26)

Jerseys

Annyeong Oppa's jerseys are provided by Hispinas' Harrokeria, after the two nations established an economic cooperation partnership. Currently all-blue strips for primary and all-yellow for secondary. Provision for nametags are sewn into the jerseys as it doubles as a uniform for their training as required by Annyeongan law - their national sport known as "Nametag ripping".

RP Permissions
Anything besides killing and pandemic-related posts are welcome.

[Valanora]

Two months before the IBC

The team had been called to a meeting by the head coach on an off day. That was quite concerning for many of the players for the Dragons. It was very unusual for August Andreasson to do, as when they had off days they were always kept and in the rare instances that they were not, they had a days warning. Instead this meeting had been called on the same day and was listed as an urgent, van not miss meeting by the head coach. Some wondered if this was going to be an announcement that the elder coach was going to call its quits and they would get a new coach before the upcoming IBC. It was a short turnaround if that was the case, with just under two months till the tournament was set to start.

The team filtered in one by one before the two o'clock meeting, until all the players and staff had arrived at the training facility. A few of those who arrived early decided to take the opportunity to practice their free throws, as some of the power positions needed a bit more refinement in that area of their game. While the team as a whole was fairly good at shooting from the so called charity stripe, a few of them could definitely have used the extra practice. A well rounded game would make both them as well as the entire team better, eliminating some of the perceived weaknesses of the Dragons.

As two o'clock rolled around, August called the team together and began to address the lot of them, looking relaxed but stern at the same time. "I know most of you are wondering why you were called in on your off day for an unscheduled meeting. Let me first say that it is not a retirement meeting, though that may come soon enough. No, the staff and I have been doing a lot of thinking while we have been reviewing the footage of the last few Championships that we have played in. We have come to the conclusion that if the Dragons really are going to take the next step to be an elite competitor and threat to be a winner rather than just the best team outside the dominating quartet, there has to be changes to how we approach the game. That starts with constant high competition for everyone so that when the high pressure situations arise, the team is able to cope with those situations as they have been constantly exposed to them."

"How are we supposed to be constantly exposed to them if there is only an IBC every other year? Friendlies do not have the same sort of pressure you are talking about.or that we experience during the Championships." asked Lars Berg, looking a bit inquisitive at their head coach.

"I am glad you asked and you have a good point, but it is not friendlies that I am looking for the team to be playing in. No, you need to be playing elite level competition during the weeks and building up your stamina. That is why starting today, anyone who wishes to stay a part.of the Dragons and to be considered to be selected during the IBCs will need to be playing in a professional domestic league. The time as the national team as a club is at it's end. Now all of you are being given a one tournament pass, as the next IBC is only some weeks away, but do not take it for granted. I want all of you pursuing a team to sign with. If Banija can have their players in the EBA, then we can to, as the EBA is highly regarded as one of the best domestic leagues for Basketball there is, along with Eqestria. You gave the advantage of a good domestic league already in the nation, now go out and make use of it. Believe me when I say that we have thought long and hard about this decision and believe it is the right answer to the problems that seem to hamper our progression as a national team."

[Mytanija]

ALPHABET HOOP - THOUGHTS ON MYTANAR BASKETBALL
by Almedina Radovanovic

EXCLUSIVE: FOMIN INTERVIEW

Evgeny Fomin is an extraordinarily large man. His 213cm, 115kg frame allows him to be a real difference maker out on the basketball court. Off the court it can cause some issues though, like when he bumped his head on the way through the door into the interview the day after the national team’s 83-71 win away to Pratapgadh. Fomin chuckled straight after, massaging the spot on his head which took the brunt of the impact, ‘happens all the time’ he said with a roll of the eyes. Mirko Lazetic had best find a way to stop Fomin from hurting himself in this manner, the centre has become the national team’s star man in recent years and he has been key in Mytanija’s 4-0 start to the IBC.

“I’ve just tried to recreate what I’ve been doing with BK Magevskaya with the national team. It’s really that simple.” Fomin explained. “It’s a great opportunity for us all, obviously there’s four of us from Magevskaya in the national team but getting a chance to play with some of these guys is a real honour and so enjoyable for everybody. It’s basically an MKA Liga all-star team, which is cool, we’re just all trying to make everybody proud and there’s actually a really good atmosphere too.”

The final point is an interesting one given that some pundits had thought that club rivalries could cause problems for this team. There hasn’t been any sign of that thus far in the IBC group stage, although a forgiving start to the schedule might have helped the team to gel early on. Fomin is right though, the team is a real who’s who of Mytanar basketball and gives an immediate snapshot into who the best players and the best teams are in the country. It must be a real joy for the players to play alongside each other instead of against one another.

Only seven clubs are represented on the national team and barring Padina Zolota (still a play-off team), those clubs made-up six of the MKA Liga’s regular season top seven clubs. Zenit Esca are the only team in that top seven without representation on the national team, ironic due to national team coach Mirko Lazetic actually coaching Zenit domestically. They likely would have had a couple of players on the team too, but unfortunately the two most likely to figure in national team plans –point guard Ivica Lazic and newly signed small forward Cvijetin Andric – were ruled out before the tournament with injuries. That news immediately started the rumour mill up, but Lazetic and now Fomin have been quick to quash any journalistic mischief.

“We don’t even listen to the stuff coming out of some of the newspapers. As a team we’ve really been good at just getting on with one another and creating a great team spirit. We aren’t playing club basketball now. This is about trying to win for Mytanija. We want to copy what our volleyball team have done and try to make everybody proud. We’re playing for ourselves as well, we’re all great competitors so we want to win every game. People saying that the coach has been looking after his club for the new season – in my opinion – are trying to stop us from doing as well for the national team.”

It’s not so long ago that you wouldn’t have expected to hear a Magev say that they wanted to play for Mytanija and win for the country when that statement included Thessians, Visoravs and Rauchiks on the same side as the Magevs (and Zentrians et al). Fomin is yet another athlete who is prepared to put these statements out into the world and demonstrate that for his generation the Mytanar Conflict and ethnic differences are being put in the past and that they are trying to make up for the past with a united outlook on the future. Sports teams winning for Mytanija sparks moments of national celebration no matter where you are in the country and there seems to be a realisation that these sports teams can be a real unifying force long term, like they so often were pre-Conflict.

Evgeny Fomin isn’t your average big man out on the court either, which is part of the reason why he is becoming such a star nationally. People enjoy seeing him pluck the ball out of the air for rebounds and bullying defenders in the post, but his creativity with the ball in his hands is what really gets people out of their seats and waxing lyrical about him. He racks up the assists quickly, both at club and international level, with him being a bona fide playmaker at the centre position and his passing ability being of a standard that you would expect from your favourite point guard’s favourite point guard. Fomin isn’t entirely sure where it comes from himself.

“Yeah, I don’t know, I’ve always been tall so it’s not one of those stories where I grew up as a point guard and then hit a growth spurt and now they put me at centre.” He smiled. “I just like trying different things, messing around with the ball a little bit and trying to see what I can pull off. Then I do it in a game if I see the chance and when it works everybody thinks I’m a genius. I’ve heard the crowd groan because I’ve made a turnover too many times at the Utcastadion for BK Magevskaya though, maybe because I’ve grown to fear that I now just instinctively do those passes at the right time.”

And I had to ask him about the MKA deciding not to send a Mytanar national team to the Olympics for the men’s basketball tournament. It was a move which caused uproar back home and understandably a few players raised questions about it. Getting a chance to even play at the Olympics is so rare for players, but the MKA was in a bit of quandary with funding for the qualification tournaments. That lack of money meant that the MKA decided to go ahead with the IBC instead and only send a women’s team and the two three-on-three teams to the Olympics.

“It’s one of those things where we as players can’t really do very much.” Fomin grimaced. “It’s slightly disappointing, we would have all liked the chance to compete at an Olympics I’m sure, but the MKA didn’t have the money to do it. I’m not really sure there’s much more they could have done, they wanted to ensure that we competed in the IBC to try and win games and improve our seeding for future tournaments and of course that costs money to get us all over to play in different places. They explained that they couldn’t fund both that and the qualifying tournaments for the Olympics and with the Olympics not feeding into seeding for IBCs the decision was made for them. Hopefully we’ll get another chance to go to an Olympic Games.”

Had that affected the team at all?

“Well, we’re 4-0, so I’m not sure it’s affected our play.” The ever jovial Fomin laughed. “I can’t lie and say we weren’t disappointed, of course we were, but we’re all professional athletes and agreed to put it behind us and focus on getting a good result out of the IBC. I suppose that’ll help the MKA financially and maybe that will help the men’s basketball team go to future Olympic Games. We aren’t really even thinking of it in those terms though. We want to win games here, we believe we can compete and we’re going to go as far as that takes us.”

[Banija]

Quebec-Banija Basketball Superseries agreed as Olympic Committee describes 'importance' of beating the team's most frequent and fierce rivals

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- Earlier today, Basketball Quebec and the Olympic Committee of Banija announced the Quebec v. Banija Basketball Superseries, a one-off event to occur at the midway point of the International Basketball Championships. It is a Commonwealth basketball bonanza designed to give fans both entertaining and competitive basketball, and the Basketball Division of the OCB said that the matchups would provide both great entertainment for the fans, and great competition for Banija's national teams.

Both nations have teams who are playing about as good basketball as you can find right now in the multiverse. The Quebecois combined team is the second highest ranked team at the IBCs, while Banija men's basketball is the highest ranked team in the multiverse. Meanwhile, the Quebecois women's team on their own is considered by many to be the best in the multiverse, and their repeated dominant showings at the Commonwealth Games confirm this. Quebec's men leave a little to be desired, while Banija's women's basketball squad is probably considered somewhere between the 5th and 7th best women's team in the Commonwealth.

The bonanza will be as follows- The U19 men will open the showdown. Then, the women's teams will play. And finally, the men's teams. All taking place at The Acadium in Halifax. The OCB spokesman spoke about the importance of the matchups. "We have a lot of priorities for basketball this Summer." The spokesman. "Our men's team is trying to make a threepeat at the IBCs. It'd be historic. Why not get them more matchups against the best teams in the world, teams like Quebec? Quebec's men can go up against anybody. As for women's basketball, we're trying to raise our status, both in the Commonwealth and abroad. If you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best. And there is nobody better than them."

As for the men's U19 matchup, the spokesman said the reasoning there was obvious. "There are not many opportunities to play youth basketball for your country." The spokesman said. "Let's get our stars of tomorrow gelling. On the road, having to play together, travelling abroad for a big game. Let's showcase what they got under pressure in a foreign land."

When we reached out to men's head coach Isaiah Lavaga, he had the following to say. "I'm excited for the trip to Halifax." He told reporters. "You don't need any additional motivation to play Quebec- they are our most frequent rivals. And now that we're both expected to go deep here at the IBCs, this is a matchup that could happen deeper in the tournament. Getting competitive games against a nation as elite at the Grim Reapers will only help us in the long run."

On the women's side, the captain, Tomaring Ngom, said it was an important measuring stick. "This is, by our, our most important game before we get to the Terrenean Coast for Matchday 1 in Electrum." She told reporters. "We want to see how good we are. The Quebecois women are the best the game has to offer- that is known to everybody. So we want to see where we are. This is the best camp we've had in a long time, and I look forward to the challenge of the Grim Reapers in their own gym."

Other News
- The Banija Lions have gotten off to a strong start at IBC 32, starting 3-0. They earned a road win over an excellent Nova Anglicana, followed by a win over Zeta Reka. In a surprisingly close game, unranked and winless Venmere rode a raucous home crowd and took the Lions to the brink in what had the multiverse on upset watch, but we ultimately pulled out a four point victory.

[Nova Anglicana]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
Part 28
Part 29
Part 30
Part 31
Part 32
Part 33
Part 34
Part 35
Part 36
Part 37

A cabinet reshuffle won't save Michael Ramsey from the consequences of his decisions

Warren Berry, Edwin O'Brien

We're not going to say we told you so. Although we were punished for doing so extralegally, we uncovered evidence more than a year ago that the National Party had links to right-wing extremist groups in our country and we feared that there was the possibility they would aid and abet these groups in committing violence against marginalised groups. Our worst fears came true when the explosion at the Masjid Ar-Rahman mosque in Londinium was confirmed to be the work of the Silent Brotherhood, one of the groups we kept tabs on in our capacities at the Interior Ministry. On that day, several of our Muslim brothers and sisters lost their lives and dozens of others were injured, in a heinous act of terrorism that could have been prevented. Now the Prime Minister thinks he can escape that grim day by ejecting the National Party from his cabinet and appointing others in their place. When even Græntfjall’s far-right Leader of the Opposition Sigjón Þjóðbjörnsson won’t touch Voss with a ten-foot pole, it’s too late.

What we knew then was that figures in the National Party had taken meetings with members of these radical right-wing groups and we saw some of their talking points circulating in National Party memos or used by members of the party. We feared that, given any kind of power, the National Party would turn a blind eye to the security risk that these extremists posed. We now know that it was much worse. Thanks to courageous reporting by multiple news outlets and the excellent work by the fine men and women of the Londinium Police Department and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, we know that the Interior Ministry, headed by National Party leader King Voss and with National Party functionaries in key positions, did not just ignore the threat of the Silent Brotherhood. We know that Voss, Brian Goodman, Jack Ellis, and other lower-level officials who sympathised with the radical right, learned of the plot and chose to aid it rather than to stop it. We know that they thought they could muscle out other investigations, bury evidence, obstruct justice, bribe officials, and at the last, cut all ties with the Silent Brotherhood if it all went wrong. What we know and they did not is that corruption isn't a word most police officials and government employees know. We praise the law enforcement officers and detectives who collaborated with Interior Ministry employees to unmask Voss, Goodman, and Ellis for the monsters they are.

As terrifying and unthinkable as this crime is and the extent to which our government, which is supposed to protect all of us, was involved in it is horrifying, it could have been much worse. Michael Ramsey made a Faustian pact for political power when he let the National Party join his government. The price? Handing over control of foreign defense, interior security, and our borders to a far-right group that had no sustained commitment to democracy. Imagine the army, the security forces, and border agents mobilised in a coup attempt. Fascists aren't squeamish about using legitimate power for illegitimate purposes. Michael Ramsey is trying to fix his grave mistake, to end his devil's bargain by ejecting the National Party from his government and appointing more People's Party and Libertarian Party MPs to try to stay in power. He thinks he'll win a vote of no-confidence or else be able to control the National Party with the threat of losing power. He's wrong. No democratic force can contain the far-right; they can only be obliterated in a free and fair election.

We apologise for breaking the law in our zeal to protect our country. What we do not apologise for is uncovering the dark heart of the National Party. Michael Ramsey failed to see that dark heart when he brought the National Party into his government, and we have all seen the consequences of that. His government must be toppled and the People's Party must be taught a lesson in a snap election. We must also promise ourselves as a nation that we will never again turn over power to radical right-wing forces that use demagoguery to achieve public office, or we will relive these dark days once again.

The authors are the former Interior Minister and chief of the Domestic Security Agency and are currently incarcerated for their role in illegally surveilling the Nova Anglican National Party.

Nova Anglicana 92-59 Venmere

Team stats - 37/66 (56.1%), 9-19 3-pt (33.3%), 9-11 FT (73.7%)

G #3 Matty Stewart - 2-3/0-0/2-2 (6 pts)
G #8 Jimmy Haynes - 7-12/3-6/2-2 (19 pts)
G #12 Reggie LaPointe - 4-6/3-4/0-0 (11 pts)
F #25 Colin Klein - 5-9/0-1/3-4 (13 pts)
F #27 Alain Colbert - 3-7/0-1/0-1 (6 pts)

G #14 Patrice Broussard - 1-2/0-0/0-0 (2 pts)
G #35 Clement Villeneuve - 2-4/1-2/0-0 (5 pts)
G #17 Rex McKinney - 1-2/0-0/0-0 (2 pts)
G #10 Duncan Muir - 0-3/0-1/0-0 (0 pts)
F #32 Jonathan Stephens - 4-5/0-0/0-0 (8 pts)
F #22 Cory Montgomery - 4-7/2-4/0-0 (10 pts)
C #48 Jamie Brooks - 4-6/0-0/2-2 (10 pts)

Nova Anglicana 71-77 Gatchingerrak Union

Team stats - 21/49 (42.9%), 10-29 3-pt (45.4%), 19-24 FT (79.2%)

G #3 Matty Stewart - 2-5/0-3/3-4 (4 pts)
G #8 Jimmy Haynes - 4-14/2-9/4-6 (14 pts)
G #12 Reggie LaPointe - 3-8/3-8/2-2 (11 pts)
F #25 Colin Klein - 2-4/0-2/5-7 (9 pts)
F #27 Alain Colbert - 1-3/0-0/0-0 (2 pts)

G #14 Patrice Broussard - 0-0/0-0/2-2 (2 pts)
G #35 Clement Villeneuve - 3-3/3-3/0-0 (9 pts)
G #17 Rex McKinney - 1-1/0-0/1-1 (3 pts)
G #10 Duncan Muir - 1-1/0-0/0-0 (5 pts)
F #32 Jonathan Stephens - 2-3/0-0/2-2 (6 pts)
F #22 Cory Montgomery - 2-5/2-4/0-0 (6 pts)
C #48 Jamie Brooks - 0-2/0-0/0-0 (0 pts)

[Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom]

National Basketball Team of Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom
Košarkaška reprezentacija Zeta Reka i Hügeltaldom/Rekadom-hügeltaldom Basketballnationalmannschaft

---

Roster

## Pos.  Player                   Age  Height  Club
05 PG    Joel Iwanić              26   2.01m   Ogroven Sportlich
06 SG    Dušan Ljubomirić         20   1.89m   KK Aleiusia
07 PF    Branko Nikolawić         23   1.88m   Ogroven Sportlich
08 SF    Niko Geier               23   2.01m   AK Stanimir
09 C     Zoran Wasiljewić         31   2.12m   Ogroven Sportlich
10 PG    Max Oppen                24   1.82m   Proud Tigers
11 SG    Alek Djordjewić          20   1.93m   Astra AK
13 PF    Marko Zec                25   2.08m   VZRH Matov-Uri
16 SF    Perdrag Milanić          29   1.97m   Ogroven Sportlich
20 C     Ala al-Din Twafiq        30   2.04m   Preo Team
22 P/SG  Wuk Rekawić              24   1.84m   Astra AK
15 F     Miloš-Bronimir Stefanić  28   1.93m   KK Aleiusia
Coach    Luka Baum                58   1.73m
Ast.     Čadjo Agustyn            36   1.90m
Reserves
17 F/G   Wald Lukić               30   1.85m   Topnici KK
18 PF    Albertow Schnabel        30   1.77m   Proud Tigers
23 PG    Žarko Wukić              21   1.91m   KK Aleiusia
24 SG    Richter Senft            23   1.97m   Ogroven Sportlich
99 C     Aca Dušanić              19   2.14m   VZRH Matov-Uri

---

Tactics
Attacking style: Triangle (Known in Zeta Reka as "The Method")
Defensive style: Man-to-Man
Depth Chart:

• PG: Iwanić, Oppen, Rekawić (Lukić, Wukić)
• SG: Ljubomirić, Djordjewić, Rekawić (Senft)
• PF: Nikolawić, Zec, Stefanić (Schnabel)
• SF: Geier, Milanić, Stefanić (Lukić)
• C: Wasiljewić, Twafiq (Dušanić)

---

Uniforms

Despite the dominance of manufacturer Čast with many of the national teams and sporting leagues in Zeta Reka, the Federal Basketball Association of Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom approved a contract with a new kit maker. Smaragdeč (emblem not shown) was given the contract on short notice. Smaragdeč was named after the hometown of company co-founder and former socialist era military administrator Aleksander Ljubomirić. Aleksander's daughter Branka, head designer for the company, used a deep green for the away shirt and pants while incorporating the national colors onto both outfits.

---

OOC

Opponents may:
Godmod scoring: Y
Godmod penalties: Y
Godmod injuries: Y
Godmod diets: N
Godmod other events: Y

[Delaclava]

A familiar foe,
Pemecutan, no match for
Zubić and Harris.

Malandrin came next
Though not quite eight to zero,
Still a job well done.

Is this a ripoff?
You bet it is. I don't care.
It's getting late here.

[Chromatika]

Chromatika in IBC 32:
Matchday 3 & Matchday 4: Quality Victory

The first:

After a BYE day
The Penguins faced Hispinas
A chance for two-one.

The second:

Park comes through again
Twenty-two points and ten boards
Another great game

The third:

Pemecutan ends
A stretch of games against ranked foes
With ease to follow.

[Bollonich]

We were back at home
Back at home after a break
Facing the Togolese reminded us of then
Reminded us of when we were actually winning
But we wanted to keep them as memories
That is why we lost to the Togolese at home
That’s why we lost at home

[Chromatika]

Will you be celebrating or be dejected by these results? Matchday 5 and 6 cutoff!

---

Group 1
Matchday 5 BYE: The Togolese Republic
Omerica 92–71 Bollonich
The Jovannic 60–65 Annyoeng Oppa
Srednjaci 89–73 Valanora
HUElavia 69–79 Sarzonia

Group 1                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Sarzonia                        5    4   1   385  339  +46
 2 Omerica                         5    4   1   395  365  +30
 3 Srednjaci                       4    3   1   310  298  +12
 4 Valanora                        5    3   2   396  335  +61
 5 Annyoeng Oppa                   4    3   1   321  290  +31
 6 HUElavia                        4    2   2   310  286  +24
 7 The Togolese Republic           4    1   3   272  315  −43
 8 The Jovannic                    5    0   5   301  379  −78
 9 Bollonich                       4    0   4   270  353  −83

Matchday 6 BYE: Sarzonia
Valanora 69–67 HUElavia
Annyoeng Oppa 82–92 Srednjaci
Bollonich 79–79 The Jovannic (83–87 OT)
The Togolese Republic 79–76 Omerica

Group 1                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Srednjaci                       5    4   1   402  380  +22
 2 Sarzonia                        5    4   1   385  339  +46
 3 Omerica                         6    4   2   471  444  +27
 4 Valanora                        6    4   2   465  402  +63
 5 Annyoeng Oppa                   5    3   2   403  382  +21
 6 HUElavia                        5    2   3   377  355  +22
 7 The Togolese Republic           5    2   3   351  391  −40
 8 The Jovannic                    6    1   5   388  462  −74
 9 Bollonich                       5    0   5   353  440  −87

Group 2
Matchday 5 BYE: Ranoria
TJUN-ia 98–68 Trolleborg
Aristan Republic 73–84 Saterun
Crystal Empire 94–72 Magnecia
Drawkland 91–83 Græntfjall

Group 2                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Græntfjall                      5    4   1   433  353  +80
 2 TJUN-ia                         5    4   1   402  359  +43
 3 Drawkland                       4    3   1   367  290  +77
 4 Ranoria                         4    2   2   289  340  −51
 5 Saterun                         4    2   2   306  293  +13
 6 Crystal Empire                  4    2   2   315  345  −30
 7 Aristan Republic                5    1   4   358  435  −77
 8 Magnecia                        5    1   4   366  397  −31
 9 Trolleborg                      4    1   3   288  312  −24

Matchday 6 BYE: Græntfjall
Magnecia 70–90 Drawkland
Saterun 63–81 Crystal Empire
Trolleborg 69–84 Aristan Republic
Ranoria 59–90 TJUN-ia

Group 2                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 TJUN-ia                         6    5   1   492  418  +74
 2 Drawkland                       5    4   1   457  360  +97
 3 Græntfjall                      5    4   1   433  353  +80
 4 Crystal Empire                  5    3   2   396  408  −12
 5 Ranoria                         5    2   3   348  430  −82
 6 Saterun                         5    2   3   369  374   −5
 7 Aristan Republic                6    2   4   442  504  −62
 8 Magnecia                        6    1   5   436  487  −51
 9 Trolleborg                      5    1   4   357  396  −39

Group 3
Matchday 5 BYE: Lisander
Mytanija 84–61 Southwest Eastnorth
Nova Anglicana 90–75 Pratapgadh
Banija 74–67 Gatchingerrak Union
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 84–71 Venmere

Group 3                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Mytanija                        5    5   0   421  334  +87
 2 Banija                          4    4   0   299  256  +43
 3 Nova Anglicana                  5    3   2   411  349  +62
 4 Lisander                        4    3   1   307  271  +36
 5 Southwest Eastnorth             4    2   2   286  298  −12
 6 Gatchingerrak Union             5    2   3   363  374  −11
 7 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom       4    1   3   285  340  −55
 8 Pratapgadh                      4    0   4   267  326  −59
 9 Venmere                         5    0   5   335  426  −91

Matchday 6 BYE: Venmere
Gatchingerrak Union 59–77 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
Pratapgadh 72–84 Banija
Southwest Eastnorth 64–73 Nova Anglicana
Lisander 79–80 Mytanija

Group 3                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Mytanija                        6    6   0   501  413  +88
 2 Banija                          5    5   0   383  328  +55
 3 Nova Anglicana                  6    4   2   484  413  +71
 4 Lisander                        5    3   2   386  351  +35
 5 Southwest Eastnorth             5    2   3   350  371  −21
 6 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom       5    2   3   362  399  −37
 7 Gatchingerrak Union             6    2   4   422  451  −29
 8 Pratapgadh                      5    0   5   339  410  −71
 9 Venmere                         5    0   5   335  426  −91

Group 4
Matchday 5 BYE: Valentine Z
Corvadakia 62–89 Indusse
Kohnhead 66–61 Felinetopia
Equestria 68–79 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Hebitaka 86–68 Hannasea

Group 4                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Quebec and Shingoryeo           5    5   0   398  296 +102
 2 Indusse                         4    3   1   329  270  +59
 3 Equestria                       4    3   1   305  287  +18
 4 Corvadakia                      5    3   2   359  358   +1
 5 Hebitaka                        4    2   2   299  274  +25
 6 Hannasea                        5    2   3   363  373  −10
 7 Kohnhead                        5    1   4   303  377  −74
 8 Valentine Z                     4    1   3   250  337  −87
 9 Felinetopia                     4    0   4   253  287  −34

Matchday 6 BYE: Hannasea
Quebec and Shingoryeo 91–72 Hebitaka
Felinetopia 64–76 Equestria
Indusse 94–69 Kohnhead
Valentine Z 79–72 Corvadakia

Group 4                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Quebec and Shingoryeo           6    6   0   489  368 +121
 2 Indusse                         5    4   1   423  339  +84
 3 Equestria                       5    4   1   381  351  +30
 4 Corvadakia                      6    3   3   431  437   −6
 5 Hebitaka                        5    2   3   371  365   +6
 6 Hannasea                        5    2   3   363  373  −10
 7 Valentine Z                     5    2   3   329  409  −80
 8 Kohnhead                        6    1   5   372  471  −99
 9 Felinetopia                     5    0   5   317  363  −46

Group 5
Matchday 5 BYE: Hispinas
Pemecutan 78–86 Chromatika
Malandrin 61–78 Abanhfleft
Ko-oren 59–78 Delaclava
Dotivija 77–76 Vikanias

Group 5                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Delaclava                       5    4   1   416  352  +64
 2 Abanhfleft                      4    4   0   323  265  +58
 3 Malandrin                       5    3   2   379  378   +1
 4 Chromatika                      4    3   1   316  309   +7
 5 Dotivija                        4    3   1   309  305   +4
 6 Vikanias                        5    2   3   371  377   −6
 7 Pemecutan                       5    1   4   362  406  −44
 8 Hispinas                        4    0   4   291  328  −37
 9 Ko-oren                         4    0   4   267  314  −47

Matchday 6 BYE: Vikanias
Delaclava 71–79 Dotivija
Abanhfleft 77–74 Ko-oren
Chromatika 103–79 Malandrin
Hispinas 70–62 Pemecutan

Group 5                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Abanhfleft                      5    5   0   400  339  +61
 2 Chromatika                      5    4   1   419  388  +31
 3 Dotivija                        5    4   1   388  376  +12
 4 Delaclava                       6    4   2   487  431  +56
 5 Malandrin                       6    3   3   458  481  −23
 6 Vikanias                        5    2   3   371  377   −6
 7 Hispinas                        5    1   4   361  390  −29
 8 Pemecutan                       6    1   5   424  476  −52
 9 Ko-oren                         5    0   5   341  391  −50

[Indusse]

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The Local Messenger

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Time has been passing quicker than ever, Indussean Basketball Team seems to be playing quite well but, things are getting worse in Indusse. The revolts in the southeast region get worse day by day which result in a lot of deaths and casualties. The latest attack was near Madurai, where a car filled with dynamites were run into a shop near a bank and it burst burning the nearby bank and killing 19 citizens including Kids and Women. The Intelligence Bureau has informed the media that they have got the epicentre of the attack and who is behind it. They said that they would declare the conclusion after discussions with the President. Various political specialists bring up different theories of the epicentre of the revolt. Let us take some strong theories into consideration.

Pro-Arasha Revolutionary Cult: Arasha was a region that existed in Neo Kerala and caused a civil war in neo Kerala. They later caused issues in Indusse and tried to create a revolution among the Arashan Immigrants.

Manikki Urattar Party: Manikki Urattar Party (MUP) is a banned political entity focused on Madurai and its nearby places. They aim to create an only Tamil focused region but was rejected by the Tamil people themselves.

Kongunadu Resistance Force: Kongunadu Resistance Force is a rebel force focusing in the "KonguNadu" region of Indusse and Tamil Nayaks. They aim to divide the union to form a separate state for Kongu Nadu. They were a major rebel force years ago and went to dormancy.

Red Head Volunteers: The Communist wing of Kongunandu Resistance Force who got training from the Arashan Terrorists. They get influenced and trained by anti-government sentiment groups in Neo Kerala and South Indusse. They prove support to Kongunadu Creation and re-establishment of Arasha.

[Sarzonia]

Los Armarillos
Gave the Stars a first half fight
But they fell just short

Mike West scored 20
Stars held 'em to 69
What a NICE! result!

Manningham was pleased
The second half D clamped down
The Stars got some stops

The Stars had their bye
Now Valanora is next
Woodstock is buzzing

[Banija]

#9 on the list of the greatest Banijan athletes of all-time- The 3 time Gold Medalist Kiggwe Akello
The three-time Olympic gold medalist was the standout Banijan performer at the Olympiad on home soil

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- The XIV Summer Olympiad. The multiverse's greatest sporting event brought to Banija's largest city, now known as Banija's Olympic City. But of course, we didn't have much of any history at the Olympiad. After succeeding in building very competitive teams in team sports, the Olympic Committee of Banija had generally been seen as failing at what is technically its core competency- bringing elite athletes to the actual Olympics.

Of course, it's a little different in Banija where, besides ice hockey and soccer, the Olympic Committee of Banija is the direct governing body of basically every sport in the country. So team basketball and baseball and what not are also core competencies of the OCB. But it's called the Olympic Committee. And that means we co-hosted the Olympics even though we had three all-time Olympic medals- and all of them in winter, a season that doesn't even occur in our country?

We couldn't go in there and embarrass ourselves. Although we didn't submit a full delegation(something we'll do for the first time ever here at the XV Summer Olympiad in Electrum), we still did our country proud, winning a number of medals on home soil in sports that we care about- track & field, swimming, sweeping the golds in women's volleyball(both beach and indoor), among other successes. But one man came home seperating himself even from the general celebration of these Olympic sports in country.

Kiggwe Akello came out ahead feeling himself. 3 Gold medals. The record for any Banijan. Starred in the most difficult event at the Olympic Games, track & field. How did he do it?

His Beginnings

Kiggwe Akello was born in Busukuma, the nation's capitol, and was 31 years old when he ran at the Olympics. His older brother by one year, Cyper Akello, was of course a relay master himself. The two men started, like many, not in track, but by playing gridiron. Their coach took notice of the brother's impressive stamina in middle school, and encouraged them to run track in high school. Not to run track to switch to track- but stay in shape. In Banija, high school gridiron is generally August-November, while track is March-June.

Of course, while average football players (speed and nothing more), they were much more than average track stars. They went to Cass Tech High School, a public magnet school in Busukuma that is known for being an athlete factory. In Kiggwe's sophmore year, they were already winning city wide awards. Track is one of the few sports in Banija that actually has national championships at the high school level, and when Kiggwe Akello was a junior while Cyper was a senior, the two brothers were dominant. Kiggwe won the 400m, Cyper won the 800m, and they ran the 3rd and 4th legs on the 4x400m relay squad, setting a national record. Kiggwe and Cyper also placed first and second in the 100m.

With Cyper graduated the next year and Kiggwe all alone, he took all sorts of awards his senior year at those same track championships, in Hawabark. 400m. 800m. Anchor on the 4x400. Dominant. He'd win a scholarship to run track at the University of Aksum, way up north on the clear opposite side of the country. But the professional levels of track are extremely difficult in Banija. It's hard to succeed. The brothers worked, especially Kiggwe. And qualifying for the Istria Olympiad, he thought, was the greatest moment of his life. Kiggwe won both the 400m and the 800m national qualifiers in Hawabark. To that moment, the greatest accomplishment of his life. When he finally could call himself an Olympian.

The greatest moment until, of course, he actually did what he came to do at the Olympics.

His Accomplishments

First, of course, came the Men's 400m. The individual event that he won. A lot of Banijan track stars, in a sport that is wildly popular here at home, who wanted to steal the show. But it would be Akello who would do so. He won his heat in the preliminary round of the 400m. Then, getting second in his heat and fifth overall in the semifinals for the same event. It's brutal competition- from 24 down to just 8 for the final run, but he was able to do what was necessary, run fast enough while leaving enough in the reserves.

And lastly, the final. It was one the most exciting 400m races of all time. One time around the track. At about the halfway point, three men started to really give it their all in the final sprint, with Kiggwe Akello and Howard Walker(of Northwest Kalactin) running hard at the end. Only 4 hundredths of a second would seperate the Banijan from the Kalactanian- but after a replay review, Kiggwe Akello was confirmed the winner and gold medalist of the event. The first of many.

The very next day, he ran the front legs of the relays for the Banijans in both the 4x100 and the 4x400. There was all the pressure of the relay. We had the same 4 running the 4x100 as well as the 4x400, which is rare at this level of track, but shows how much Banija's track & field coaches trusted these athletes. Running with his brother, Cyper Akello, as well as Bai Sey and Saikou Kah. So much pressure on the shoulders of those four men. THe pressure on them to carry their country to success, on home soil, in this prestigious event.

Banija's relay teams won three golds at the Olympiad(which makes sense for a nation that values team sports), but in the 4x400, he was the star of the show. Fresh with confidence from his 400m gold medal the day before, he ran a dominant first leg of the relay, giving Banija a lead that would shrink, but that would not be relinquished over the final three quarters of the race. And shortly thereafter, in the 4x100m relay final, Kiggwe Akello still had the energy to open with a strong enough 100m to allow Banija to win. While he was in second after his opening leg in that race, his brother, Cyper Akello, pushed the Banijans into first place in his second leg to give us a lead we would not relinquish.

The craziness of Olympic sports are what make the event so darn exciting. It has a massive randomness aspect, as well as such a finality aspect. It's been many years since World Championships were held in Track & Field. It's not like team sports. Banijan men's basketball had a heartbreaker of a loss in the gold medal game against the giants of Greater Vakolicci Haven. But they came back in an even bigger event for basketball, the IBCs, and turned that heartache into motivation by winning their first ever world title at IBC 30, not losing a single game in that tournament. In fact, Banijan men's basketball haven't lost in any competition since the Istria Summer Olympiad. A successful redemption rac.

But there are no chances at redemption arcs for these individual athletes at the Olympics. There is no next time for athletes like Kiggwe Akello. It's one and done. And especially since it was at home. The crowd and familiarity helped- but the pressure was amped up too. Not every star can deal with the immense pressure of being a track & field athlete at the Olympic Games. Your entire career's work can be boiled down to 45 seconds. There is no next year. And Kiggwe Akello did not shy away from that challenge- he embraced it. He grabbed it by the horns and ran with it. And that is why he stands today as Banija's most decorated ever Olympian, with three gold medals to show for his efforts.

He is well worthy of the #9 place on this list. Kudos to you, Mr. Akello- we'll see if our athletes embrace and imitate your accomplishment at the XV Summer Olympic Games in Electrum.

Other News
- The Lions are off to a 5-0 start at the IBCs, extending their record winning IBC winning streak to 36 consecutive games in this competition, dating back to IBC 30. They downed Commonwealth rivals Gatchingerrak Union by 7 and beat Pratapgadh by 12. In their last four games, all 12 players have seen the court, the rotation only shortening for their matchday 1 visit to Londinium to play Nova Anglicana.
- Lions players have already begun talking about Mytanija, calling them 'the team to beat' in Group 3 with their blistering 6-0 start, scoring 83.5 points per game. "Mytanija is establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with at this tournament. Their offensive pace and flow make them true contenders to not only win this group, but to make a deep run when we reach Chromatika." Coach Lavaga said. Banija will face them in Busukuma on Matchday 9, and then visit Rushmore to play them on the final game of group play on Matchday 18.
- The Lions will prepare to play home to Southwest Eastnorth, and away to Lisander, in their next set of games. The away game against Lisander particularly has been marked on the calendar as a top 10 matchup. The coach has called them "great measuring sticks" to see where the team stands before their massive clash with Mytanija on Matchday 9.

[Ranoria]

Ranoria's locker rooms, after the team was absolutely handled, 59-90, by TJUN-ia

Reiner Anneliese, the star of Ranoria's national basketball team - if a 2-3 team that was expected to be one of the worst in the tournament can have a star - plopped down in his locker after the 90-59 beatdown they had been subjected to at the hands of TJUN-ia. His head and shoulders sagged, and he allowed himself a deep breath. It was going to be a long season.

"Reiner, can we talk for a second?" He looked back up to see Bertolt Hali, the team's backup small forward.

Reiner suppressed a grimace, but nodded, "Yeah," while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Hali sighed, taking a knee to address his teammate eye to eye. "You were playing hard defense out there man, and what was it, two blocks you had? Crazy stuff."

"Well, we still lost," Reiner shrugged it off, "But I apprecia-"

"No," Hali cut him off and raised a finger in the air, "That wasn't a compliment." Now Anneliese simply stared, dumbfounded, "Look man, you've got to conserve your energy for playing offense. Trying to stop the other team from scoring never saved anybody, teams score a hundred or more all the time, it's just not efficient. You want to win games, soften up on that front."

Reiner groaned, resting his face in his hands, "Please, for the love of god, tell me you're joking."

"Uh, what?" Hali shot back. "Joking? My dad told me, when I was just in middle school, and had lost my first game," he stood back up and inhaled deeply, "'Son, defense is for nerds,'" he said it in an almost mockingly deep tone, and then looked down, "And you know what? I thought it was a load of crap too, but I didn't lose another game until high school. That mantra got me farther in life that anything else could have."

Reiner groaned even louder than last time, offering no other response. How could he?

"Look, I get that you led the team in scoring out there anyway," Hali added, "But if you just focused on offense - the part of the game that mattered, man, I shudder to think what you could do out there. Just trying to help you - and us - out big man. It's what's best for the team." Reiner was a statue, the frustration building along with the realization that this guy was being dead serious. "Uh, Reiner? You listening big guy?

The exhausted point guard looked up with an unapologetic grimace, and offered the only non-confrontational word he could. "Okay."

"Awesome man," Bertolt Hali slapped him on the shoulder, "Glad we came to an understanding." He spun on his heel - you have that kind of energy when you average three minutes and .5 points a game - and walked away, leaving poor Reiner Anneliese wondering why the hell he was even here.

[TJUN-ia]

After two more wins in the early stages of IBC32, Bao Zhou and his Dynasty are certainly up in contention so far to be at least on the plane to Chromatika for the knockout games of this competition. Many across the International Community were quietly confident of our progression after the first 4 games but after the performances the Hoops-Jags were about to put up in their next 2, maybe that confidence is justified after all...

First up was Game 3 at the Unity Centre as Riverside hosted the 23rd-ranked Trolls of Trolleborg, who debuted with us at the 71st Baptism of Fire way back in the day. They were the victors of that competition but today was all about the Jags as TJUN-is gradually pulled away from the Trolls over the course of the game. DeMarcus Winston was simply incredible today as he helped provide 29 points towards a 30-point cakewalk in the end, with the Trolls providing little to no answer to our offensive capabilities. Nothing else to say, it was simply brilliant.

After that came the final road game before the bye at the RANPAC Arena as TJUN-ia took on the debuting Krauts of Ranoria, a situation they haven't been in for a while now. Still, the nation we are certainly facing a lot in recent times was right there for the taking and so, in front of the Kraut faithful, the Hoops-Jags showed them what great basketball looked like - and in style, at that. Beating a team 31 points is no laughing matter in this sport and while Reiner Anneliese provided the hosts something to cheer about with his 19 points, Mindaugas Karnišovas got 28 all by his own and that's all you could say about that. The Jags went 5-1 and into the Group lead after Graintfjall lost before their MD6 bye.

While we won't be in the lead of the group for long, it is still very nice to see a TJUN-ian team on top of a group in any sport. MD7 sees our first bye before we return to action back in Riverside against another debutant in the 2-4 Artisan Republic fr what should be another dub in the books. Hopefully. GO JAGS!

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Current Standing (Group 2): 1st (5-1)
Last 2: W 98-68 vs Trolleborg (23), W 90-59 @Ranoria (UR)
Next 2: BYE, vs Aristan Republic (UR)

[Venmere]

VNBT OFFICE FIRES ASSISTANT COACHES, BERATES TEAM

Following the Falcons' 84-71 loss to Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, the VNBT front office fired both assistant coaches in disgust.

Oliver Gates and Vashkin Rizarno were both given their walking papers following the Falcons' disastrous 0-5 start, which sunk them to the bottom of Group 3 at the IBC 32. The Falcons had a bye day on Match Day 6, letting the beleaguered and windswept team take a rest. Whether it will do them any good is yet to be seen. The assistant coaches were given the boot due to their "failure to follow the goals which the team has, and for embarrassment on a major international stage." the VNBT office statement says.

"If the Peregrine Falcons do not win a single game at this tournament", the statement continues, "Perry Whittaker can expect his walking papers, and a major remaking of the team will be underway. We will not tolerate embarrassment."

The new hires for the Falcons are Samuel Collins, the head coach of the HNL's Motorville Steel, and Harriet Price, the head coach of the HNL's Cobalt Raiders. The Raiders are one of the most successful teams in HNL history, and there are hopes that Price will be able to get the Falcons out of their funk using her hugely successful coaching strategies.

The VNBT office statement also berated the team's players, saying, "The VNBT players are not without fault, either. These players have trained for months to be able to represent Venmere, and performing so horribly on such a grand stage is not tolerable for athletes from our great nation."

The office said it would not cut any players during the tournament, but that they would "make major cuts to the squad following the IBC if this situation persists."

Team captain Darius Browning said in a statement yesterday, "Of course we're embarrassed. Of course we're angry. Of course we want to win. But it's our first international tournament. We're playing against the best in the world! The folks in the office don't have to actually play the game. They don't know how hard it is."

Coach Whittaker has refused to talk to the media since yesterday.

Falcons flying high? We're still figuring out how to get them off the ground.