International Basketball Championships 32 Everything Thread

by **Graintfjall** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 8:41 pm

Team name: Græntfjall
Trigram: GRÆ
Demonym: Græntfjaller
Team nickname: Super Wolves

Head coach: Leonard Sebastiansson
Assistant coaches: Theo Simonsson, Casper Fabiosson
Conditioning trainer: Vilbert Thorleifsson

№	Name			Pos.	Height	Club
4	Tom Farmansson		PG	1.98 m	 Western Rifles
5	Reidar Felixsson	PF	2.09 m	 Árberg Ice-Pandas
6	Galti Fossmarsson	SG	1.98 m	 Odinsfluss Voyageurs
7	Noel Skíðisson(c)	SG	1.98 m	 New Háttmark Blizzards
8	Laurin Philipsson	PF	2.02 m	 Western Rifles
9	Conz Þórlaugursson	C	2.10 m	 New Háttmark Blizzards
10	Hilmar Eldgrimsson	PF/C	2.10 m	 New Háttmark Blizzards
11	Henning Sandelsson	SF/PF	2.00 m	 Western Rifles
12	Erwin Isaksson	 	SF	2.01 m	 New Háttmark Blizzards
13	Benjamin Iirosson	C	2.13 m	 Árberg Ice-Pandas
14	Þorkell Herfinnursson	PG	1.90 m	 Hinteram Ghouls
15	Michael Matheosson	C	2.13 m	 Hinteram Ghouls

In common with other Græntfjaller teams, the Super Wolves have size and strength – but not pace or skill. They are also, how to put this delicately: a team of “scrappy gym rats”. Now to put it indelicately: they’re painfully white. Team captain Noel Skíðisson, an ephemeral shoot-first-ask-questions-later combo guard, no longer leads the offense, nor even starts, instead of being relied on as a three point specialist off the bench. Galti Fossmarsson, another three point shooter with a more rounded game, takes over as primary ball-handler. Tom Farmasson has a more limited offensive set but shoots well from the line and is an excellent perimeter defender with great size for his position. Erwin Isaksson is there for 3&D, not in that order; Henning Sandelsson is there to crash the boards. Benjamin Iirosson is the big man up front, without the greatest hands but a good enough free throw shooter to stay on court at the end, where his defensive prowess is valuable. A mix of defensive subs and specialist wing shooters round out the bench.

Group stage games

In the absence of a single dedicated national arena, games will be played around the country. It is currently summer in Græntfjall; basketball is a winter sport here so the GBC arenas are not in use. Græntfjaller summer is warm, not hot; Græntfjallers are welcoming of foreign tourists, but mostly to wring every króna out of their pocket; accepting of female and non-human players (if they might get a stare or two); and enthusiastic but not wholly knowledgeable basketball fans.

MD2 v TJUN-ia: Royal & Imperial Recreation Club Arena
The historic arena in the capital, Háttmark, got a makeover when the new GBC franchise the Blizzards decided to locate there, bringing a splashy modern sensibility to a fusty old relic of 19th century sporting traditions. So under fencing trophies and regatta banners, teams scrap for rebounds and buzzer-beaters. This arena hosted the final of IBC30.
MD4 v Crystal Empire, MD17 v Saterun: Florus Basketball Arena [non-commercial name: Altendalur Basketball Arena]
Altendalur is Græntfjall’s westernmost city. An industrial powerhouse with a large working class population, pretty unreconstructed from the Communist days from which it not-so-secretly still pines, vanguard of the western schism that hates the easterners. It’s the warmest city (which is not saying all that much) and visitors might be able to survive with only two or three coats on. The Florus Basketball Arena is a new, purpose-built arena, very modern, home to the GBC title winners the Western Rifles.
MD7 v Magnecia, MD12 v Aristan Republic: IceBank New Park [non-commercial name: Hinteram New Park]
Hinteram is a suburb of Háttmark, better known for its highly successful ice hockey team, but the predominantly middle-class community have the enthusiasm for basketball to convince the club to expand with a GBC franchise and build a small, but modern, new arena.
MD9 v Trolleborg, MD10 v Ranoria: Kyrkdorf MSK Arena
Kyrkdorf is a city at the foothills of the Græntfjaller Alps, which dominate the southern half of the country. It was home to the most successful basketball team in the country in the old GSL; the Tungsten Miners have been unable to replicate their success in the new GBC. The Kyrkdorf MSK Arena is small but newly refurbished.
MD14 v Drawkland: Grander International Arena
Steinaux, Háttmark, does not have a new GBC franchise. The arena is big, modern, slightly soulless. Perfectly Steinaux, then.

Code: Select all: If my opponent RPs first, they may: Choose my scorers: Y Choose other statistics (e.g. rebounds, assists) for my players: Y RP injuries to my players: N Godmode sporting events: Y Godmode injuries: N Godmode other events: N (ask first)

If you use non-photoshopped photographs, please don’t say they’re my players without asking. Please do not RP violence on Græntfjaller soil. Open to any IC collaboration, just ask.

Style modifier: Purple

by **Hannasea** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 8:43 pm

Hannasea, generally referred to as the Federation or sometimes the Guild Federation, is a small country in Esportiva. Its ventures into international sport have generally been limited to the Olympics, although it did host a World Cup of Hockey when everyone got confused (turns out, it was ice hockey). Field hockey, baseball and softball, gymnastics, and alpine skiing are the most popular sports in the country; basketball ranks above hateball (what Hannaseans call association football because of how much we hate it) but isn’t a majority sport. Nonetheless, stroll through a Hannasean neighbourhood and you’ll see hoops in back yards, indoor and outdoor courts, jerseys of foreign and domestic teams. Basketball definitely has its audience, just not a big one.

The Hannasean Basketball Association is using this tournament as an Olympic warm-up. That said, these players are generally not the absolute stars of the league, with older veterans mostly opting out of selection. Most of the players on this roster probably belong in the Hall of Very Good: they’re either young talents looking to make a name for themselves, good players lacking one piece of the puzzle, or just high energy team guys who are never going to be stars but can be relied on to provide some good D even in the unromantic setting (phrasing…) of an away game against a fellow unranked side.

The HBA hasn’t really taken on the analytics revolution in the way the HBL has. Players are more likely to take low percentage 2PT jumpers than might be common in other leagues. Flashy play – big dunks, hero ball – is popular regardless of what the percentages say. Defence can be pretty fierce or utterly lackadaisical, never in-between.

Coach: Seb Cole, head coach of the Hannasean Military Academy team. Given how terrible the Hannasean military is, it’s surprising how good their team is. In fact, they’re a lot better at basketball than they are at military stuff. Cole can be counted on to keep his team in shape, but he’s no master strategist and given the players mostly hail from all different HBA franchises will be concentrated on putting together some basic schemes only.

Roster (starters in bold):

4. Joe Tanner (PG/F, 6’10”, Chelcastle Force)
Not a typo for 0 or 1. He’s a true point forward who can guard 1 – 4 with terrific defence, use his long arms and outstanding court vision to sling sniper-accurate passes, and naturally slash to the rim against opponents he nearly always has a size or speed advantage over. He’s such a bad 3PT shooter, however, that he won’t even brick them, he’ll just pass up open looks.
6. Sylvain Vidal (PG, 6’4”, Oak Park Blue Bees)
A much more orthodox point guard option. One of the worst shooters in the HBA but a terrific past-first option who’s solid on D. Will probably run the second team offence but otherwise may be seeing limited minutes.

5. Ethan Cox (F/G, 6’7”, Pearl City Super Chickens)
A defensive specialist. Begins listed as starting SG but will see the most time on the bench in order to get 3PT shooters, which he is not, into the game for spacing. Probably the rawest player on the roster but respected for his terrific motor and hustle.
7. Logan Hall (SG, 6’5”, Coral Coast Dolphins)
8. T.J. Floyd (SG, 6’4”, Oakwood Jesters)
Hall and Floyd provide the spacing. Starting SGs in the HBA but here playing sixth-man roles. Floyd is definitely the superior defender, a legitimately excellent perimeter D guy, while Hall is more rounded offensively, and younger and fitter.

9. Tom Powell (SF/SG, 6’7”, Oak Park Blue Bees)
A popular, flashy wing whose 3PT shot is extremely streaky, middling career average but with some clutch moments to his name. Even when it’s not landing he’s fearless at jacking them up. His excellent defence, both as a perimeter guard and using his long arms grabbing steals to open up fast-breaks, but also with the physicality to guard bigger stretch-4s, is the main selling point. The offensive skill set, currently built around slashing, is a WIP.
10. Nate Evans (SF/PF, 6’8”, Greenfield Alligators)
11. Brody Navarro (SF/PF, 6’10”, Silver Mountain Supernova)
Evans and Navarro are good wing options, Evans a reliable scorer with a decent 3PT shot and intelligent, versatile defence, Navarro a flashy player who won this season’s HBA dunk contest and is reliable from the corner, less so above the break. Navarro’s defence needs more work. They’re both #1 options on their domestic teams so fitting into the rhythms of playing off the bench may take time.

13. Cash Pittman (PF/C, 6’8”, Greenville United)
Pittman is one of the most experienced players on the team, a terrific stretch-four with a great 3PT shot and a perennial league leader in rebounds. The knock on him is his defence, which even considering his size is poor.
12. Ben Santiago (SF/PF, 6’10”, Hillmouth Buxx)
An awesome 3PT shooter who offers a true deep threat. However he’s not as much of a presence on the boards as Pittman. His defence isn’t terrible, though his flashy steal numbers perhaps don’t quite reflect his overall impact.

14. Jacques Brazier (C/PF, 7’0”, Butterfly City Crazy Hippos)
A potent shot blocker and defensive rebounder, but there’s more to Brazier than just typical big-man defence. For his domestic team he plays as more of a stretch in the power forward, and hit regularly from the three while being a very good free throw shooter for a big man. One of the best rounded players on the team.
15. Joaquin Navarra (C, 7’1”, New Blopping Shade)
A much more traditional big man, Navarra is a routine league leader in blocks and dunks. He also improved his lousy FT shooting to the point where fouling him is no longer a get-out clause. He’s limited offensively but a truly spectacular defender.

Home court

The Pintook Monsters provide none of the players, but all of the hosting for home games. The 18,000-seater arena, the Monster MASH (Municipal Athletics Sports Hostelry), is located on the picturesque shores of Lake Took, while accommodation for visiting teams will be offered at the nearby Guild of Mercers, one of the oldest and most prestigious Guilds that rule the Federation.

Uniforms

The Federation will play in black kit with gold piping, and wear the shorts and socks of their individual HBA franchises.

Code: Select all: If my opponent RPs first, they may: Choose my scorers: Y Choose other statistics (e.g. rebounds, assists) for my players: Y RP injuries to my players: N Godmode sporting events: Y Godmode injuries: N Godmode other events: Y

If you use non-photoshopped photographs, please don’t say they’re my players without asking. Please do not RP violence on Hannasean soil.

by **Hannasea** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 8:48 pm

This is a tribute –
Or is it being lazy?
Roster suggests “yes”

by **Delaclava** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:01 pm

DSGN.com Basketball

IBC32 preview: Phoenixes gear up for Chromatika
Phoenixes open against Anaian hosts: other foes include Abanhfleft, Hispinas

There was nothing ordinary about Delaclava's surprise run to last year's final of the International Basketball Championships. With top-10 wins over Valanora, Lisander, and TJUN-ia, avenging a crushing defeat to Kriegiersien, playing a valiant championship game against top-ranked Banija in the oversold Red and Black in Manchester - it was all special and unprecedented for the Phoenixes, who did their best just to take it in.

This year, Delaclava has a #4 ranking and a target on their backs. They're the top seed in IBC qualifying Group D. Oppositions who may previously have presented a great challenge now must be disposed of routinely. If the Phoenixes are to make another run at a medal, they must make the unexpected expected.

Let's take a look at the state of this team:

The players: The 12-man roster looks very similar - after all, why would you mess with success? Heading up the team is Coach Jim Levins of St. James University, back for his fourth IBC; he brings back his assistant Adam Fisher and the BC Athens head coach Kent Kerner. The starting lineup is 4 of 5 the same, and that starts with the skilled big man Djordje Zubić. The 6-foot-9 forward can do it all - pass, handle, shoot close and from range, and work the post like a traditional 5 to either score himself or kick out for the jumper. And this should be a scary thought for the company - he appears to be in even better shape and a more capable individual defender. Get ready! Then there's Rick Jones, who starting to get some gray hairs at 30, but can still do it all; he's a natural scorer and playmaker on both ends of the court, as well as the unquestioned leader of this team from the tipoff of IBC29. 7-foot-1 center Omar Harris continues to get more polished as a scorer and the 21-year-old is as tough a rebounder and shot blocker as ever. And Zubić's BC Athens teammate Pekko Ranta steps back into the off-guard role; the sharpshooter is unstoppable when confident and moves the ball well to find his teammates their shots too. He is also a key part of Delaclava's high-speed transition offense.

The one change: Brian Dudley makes his introduction to the squad as the point guard, relegating Simon Rybakov to the bench. It's an interesting decision. Brian Dudley is certainly a smooth ball-handler and passer, is more reliable as an individual offensive playmaker, and adds just a little more size to the position. But it's hard to deny Rybakov's grit, bulldog spirit, and the ability to bring a team back from difficulties. Dudley may give the team an additional weapon that will make the difference against the deeper teams, but no doubt Rybakov will continue to get the ball if his experience and poise is needed.

Returning to the team are bench players Sifiso Ntenga, Lorenzo Austin, and Jordan George. Austin, now a rookie with the Catherina Capitals, is a pure forward who can bang with the best in the paint and boards, and poses a tough, physical defensive presence. Ntenga, in his final year at Laurelum, is the most exciting young talent of the team, a lightning-quick playmaker and defender who can get to the net with ease, and really had a coming-out party in some IBC31 matches. George, a 6-10 junior at St. James, has gotten into better shape and expanded his capabilities beyond a pure center matchup in the paint, now able to play either the 4 or the 5.

For this squad, Levins has passed on guard/forward Jay Francis, guards Caelen Knight and Obdulio Herrera, and forward Zachary Bates. Instead, he's chosen Rodney Duncan, Michael McEnroe, and Cameron Wright. Duncan is of a similar mold to Jones and Ntenga, the focal point and star of the Beliri Redbirds, and can play all but the 5 on the floor. Wright is a shooting guard on the Salem Wizards who can bring a similar speed and shooting prowess as Ranta. McEnroe is a pestering defensive guard capable of providing a spark for the full-court press, who can also run the point in a more possession-based offense.

Wisely, Levins has kept most of the pieces that worked last time - but added some new elements that he believes will make a winning difference.

The competition: Delaclava's qualifying group is headlined by 7th-ranked Abanhfleft, 16th-ranked Chromatika, and 26th-ranked Hispinas. Abanhfleft notably ruined the title hopes of top-5 teams Quebec etc. and Valanora en route to their own quarterfinal berth, before losing to TJUN-ia. They will likely have a massive size advantage over the Phoenixes and have the capabilities to meet anyone in the world; either they or Delaclava will likely be jockeying for pole position in Group D. Chromatika qualified in second for Delaclava and only just missed on qualifying for the quarterfinals after wins over Omerica and Sarzonia. Delaclava has actually handed Chromatika the keys to the tournament, and the fans and players will certainly be inspired to get a team that can reach the knockouts in their own backyard. Style-wise, the possession-oriented and deliberate pace of the Chromatiks will give the Phoenixes fits unless they find a way to assert their own tempo. Hispinas rounds out the top four seeds in Group D, although they wouldn't be expected to trouble the top three teams too much.

Notable chasers include Pemecutan, twice losers to Delaclava in IBC31 qualifying, and Ko-oren, entering unranked but hoping to replicate their massive successes in many other sports, especially football. Malandrin, Dotivija, and Vikanias round out the group.

Looking to the rest of the field, Banija, Quebec, Valanora, and Drawkland headline the other qualifying groups. Banija are set to start a third consecutive title campaign in style, while Quebec, Valanora, and Drawkland's rankings are largely due to math rather than performance - they'll certainly get a chance to prove otherwise. Second-ranked Newmanistan are a shock no-show in the competition, with other top-20 squads not in play including Kriegiersien, Qasden, Valladares, and Northwest Kalactin.

The place: In typical fashion, Delaclava will play each qualifying opponent twice, once home and once away. The campaign actually begins in Chromatika, playing the host nation to open. Delaclava's next game is their home opener against Hispinas, at the outdoor Amphitheatre in Catherina. The Phoenixes will play a pair of consecutive games in the middle of qualifying at The Red and Black in Manchester, against Abanhfleft and Chromatika. It'll be the most pivotal games of the group stage in the most iconic Delaclav venue, and every last one of those 60,000 seats will be occupied and loud as can be. Other games will be hosted at Press Court in Corcorran, Onyx Productions Arena in Crystal Lake, and Frostbyte Court in Valeina. Delaclava will also convert hockey venue Hejtursallur in Valhalla to a basketball court to welcome Ko-oren to the competition. The final home game will take place against Vikanias at Charybdis Hall in Athens.

After that, provided Delaclava finishes in the top four of Group D, it's off to Chromatika. That was the site of Delaclava football's bronze medal run in World Bowl LXII, the home of a good handful of Delaclav soccer stars, and the basketball team will already have one game of familiarity in the nations. And in the shark-infested waters of IBC basketball, any sort of X-factor can help.

The forecast: It shouldn't be a surprise to know that it's too soon to tell. After Delaclava wraps up play at the AO Basketball Championships and faces the likes of Chromatika and Abanhfleft, we can properly gauge what they're capable of, and what's going on in the other three groups.

Qualifying should not be a challenge here. Four teams is plenty to go through in this group, and it seems improbable that multiple teams like Hispinas, Pemecutan, and Ko-oren would leapfrog the Phoenixes barring an epic collapse. No, this qualifying stage is more about how they win than if. if Delaclava heads to Chromatika with four or five losses in pocket, that's not the kind of dominant form that would portend another deep run. But if Delaclava scores authoritative wins over the Penguins and the Fleftics, particularly on the road, then the sky - or Banija - is the limit.

by **Venmere** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:24 pm

VENMERE NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM

F: Tyrell Marone (age 33, been with the team 6 years, plays for Moccasin Pioneers), Gardner Billings (Age 24, been with the team 1 year, plays for Alpwild Silver)

PG: Darius Browning (Age 36, been with the team 15 years, plays for Northport Steelheads), Azari Campbell (Age 30, been with the team 4 years, plays for Todora Knights)

SG: Michael Cowles (Age 29, been with the team 3 years, plays for Moccasin Pioneers), Irwin Southam (Age 32, been with the team 8 years, plays for Cobalt Raiders)

C: Erusius Macklin (Age 36, been with the team 6 years, plays for Telescopium Tide), Harris Wright (Age 25, been with the team 3 years, plays for Redfern Saturn)

SF: Isaac Rishoki (Age 31, been with the team 7 years, plays for Telescopium Tide), Alexander Wright (Age 22, been with the team 1 year, plays for Roxar Lightning)

Coach: Perry Whittaker has been the coach for 15 years. He also coaches the Telescopium Tide.

Asst. Coaches: Oliver Gates and Vashkin Rizarno have both been with the team for 6 years.

AWAY UNIFORMS:

HOME UNIFORMS:

ALTERNATE UNIFORMS:

NICKNAME: Peregrine Falcons

ARENA: Oberon Arena (19,651 capacity)

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose other statistics (e.g. rebounds, assists) for my players: Yes
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod sporting events: Yes
Godmod injuries: No
Godmod other events: Yes

by **Banija** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:32 pm

We've been doing this for a long time- so who are the greatest Banijan athletes of all time?

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- There is always a time when you have to look back. And heading into IBC 32- this seems as good as a time as ever to look back on Banija's accomplishments, and those who have accomplished so much competing for Banija.

Why at this tournament, of all places? IBC 32 portends to be a defining one for Banija. This tournament, more than any other, is about legacy. This generation of Banijans have established themselves as one of the most decorated golden generations this sport has ever seen. We have eclipsed simply winning a title- with our back to back IBC titles sandwiching a rousing victory at the AOBCs, we have a golden generation of men's basketball players that is trying not only to establish themselves as best in the world right now- but the best to play, ever.

That is, of course, the tallest of tall orders. How much competition is there in that? So much. Vangaziland went back to back a while ago, IBCs 26-27, and it was Drawkland that prevented them from getting the threepeat at IBC 28 in Lisander. St. Kanye won four out of five in the first half of the IBC 20s, including their threepeat from IBC 22-24. Plenty of nations have reason to stake their claim, plenty of nations have an argument. But we have our own. The first team to ever go undefeated in back to back tournaments. Three straight appearances in the IBC Final. An Olympic Silver medal in there as well- and everyone knows how world championship success doesn't necessarily equate to success at the Olympiad.

But being part of the rare group of nations who have won a threepeat would give Banija a strong case. There's all that pressure surrounding the squad- and yet, Coach Isaiah Lavaga said he's not thinking about all that. "Each tournament is new." He told us. "We know how to win- but nothing has been won here at IBC 32. Everybody's got the same shot to go to Chromatika and win this thing- we're all 0-0. Not only are we 0-0, but we've got the target on our backs. Everyone's going to get up for us. And hey- that's where you want to be. But we have to deal with it. Crowds will be that much louder. Defenders much more physical. And with the 18 game group stage, this tournament will be a test unlike one we've ever faced."

The Banijans will hit the ground running at this tournament, facing the other Lions, of Nova Anglicana, in Londinium. We blew them out of the Round of 16 in IBC 30, and then beat them in an extremely tight affair in the quarterfinals of IBC 31. The other Lions will be looking for vengeance on their home floor on the opening day of this tournament. "We remember each other very well." Ezekiel Bullo, the team's star player, told reporters. "I know they've got strong fan support, so I expect National Arena to bouncing." Considering how close these two teams are, it may be the best matchup of the opening matchday, regardless of group.

Both of those fit into the theme of the series that we are about to do- history. Legacy is about how others will look upon the present, when the present is the history of the future. And of course, plenty of history in our opening day matchup. But how do we honor Banija's sporting history? We've been at this for a long time. We've won a few titles, had a number of heartbreaks, had moments of ecstasy and moments of sadness. Not just in basketball- but across all sports.

And we've thought about it and come up with an answer. The answer, is this- who are the greatest Banijan athletes of all time? Of course, the definition of great is subjective(that's what makes this fun!), but we'll talk about domestic league success, international success, both individually and team accolades(aka wins, playoff runs, and championships). And in a long, painstaking process, we picked our 10. It was not easy. A lot of passionate arguing and fierce debating.

The only rule? The athlete has to be a Banijan citizen. So no Chae Heung-Kim or Khalil Hauptmann for you NSCF fans. For an example of how brutal this list will be, here's a list of people who did not make the top 10: Ilman Jawara(former Galactico' World Cup 86 champion), Isaiah Bryce(MLB in gridiron), Chinweuba Jelan(although give him a couple of years and he'll surely get there; WR in gridiron), Ifeatu Chineze(QB in gridiron), Ezekiel Bullo(SF in basketball), Yakuba Kah(1B in baseball), Dewa Bangè(Goalie in ice hockey), and Madu Okparra(winger in soccer). It was an absolutely brutal cull- but the tough calls had to be made.

We'll reveal each member in reverse order, from 10th to first. There was a lot of debate about who to include in the top 10, and fierce debate on how to rank them- but this is the editorial board's decision. And remember, these are athletes from all sports- not just basketball.

And of course, this will occur over 10 editions- each athlete will get their own. Who do you think should be in the top 10? What are your predictions? Let us know on the good ol' internet, and sit back and get excited to read what we have to say!

by **Bollonich** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:37 pm

Drawn with Valanora, Sarzonia as Basketball comes to our shores
With the Olympics approaching and us having taken part in the Genia Basketball Championship held in Srednjaci and Raspotochje participation in the International Basketball Championship seemed imminent as we would make our mark on the international basketballing world. And the announcement from the Bollonischian Sports Federation came soon announcing the Bollonischian Basketball squad’s participation in the International Basketball Championship the playoffs of which shall be hosted in Chromatika.
We have been drawn in to Group 1 with giants such as Sarzonia and Valanora both of whom are very good basketball teams. America, HUElavia and Srednjaci are also good teams in our group who might be defeated but it will certainly be competitive. The Jovannic and two other teams apart from us will most probably make up the bottom half of the table with 3 unranked teams and Javannic who are ranked 71st in the world.
We shall be facing Valanora first at home a game against whom is expected to be an incredibly difficult one as expectations are that of us to lose. Our second game however is against an unranked side in Annyeong Oppa whom we play away as we will attempt to get a crucial win against them. A win in the matchup will allow us to not only get our first win and boost our confidence but also provide us with crucial points in what is going to be a very difficult road to qualification.

by **Chromatika** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:41 pm

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose other statistics (e.g. rebounds, assists) for my players: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmode sporting events: N
Godmode injuries: N
Godmode other events: N

Chromatika National Basketball Team
World Rank: 16
Nickname: The Penguins
Coach: Jaudin Negore (Age: 46), Eyrods Saints
Assistant Coach: Milek Killik (Age: 43), Eyrods Saints
Home Venue: The Capitalizt Dome (Cap. 144,000)

Starters
No   Pos  Name                Age   Height       Team                
05   PG   Jung-Hyuk Park       28   6 ft  3 in   Eyrods Saints CAPTAIN
03   SG   Lia Xiu              24   6 ft  7 in   Wirr Tsi Sparks
08   SF   Anidra Roxanoff      23   6 ft  5 in   Sanar Hurons
09   PF   Natalie Swanson      27   6 ft  8 in   Lanar Rhinos
02   C    Maude Zwaheil        25   7 ft  2 in   Z'ai'ai Warriors
Bench
No   Pos  Name                Age   Height       Team                
01   PG   Hera Gant            23   6 ft  1 in   Z'ai'ai Warriors
04   SG   Jericho Sand         26   6 ft  8 in   Eyrods Saints
06   SF   Rowaine Maera        31   6 ft  4 in   Urrheddiao Pride
07   PF   Frederico Pascetti   30   6 ft  5 in   Wirr Tsi Sparks
10   C    Usman Guillote       32   6 ft 11 in   Sanar Hurons
Reserves
No   Pos  Name                Age   Height       Team               
11   G    Jordan Merkoff       22   6 ft  5 in   Pria Tyrants 
12   F    Sherri Gaddon        19   6 ft  9 in   Anfanhar Giants

The Penguins are back, now ranked 16th in the World. They are led by Jung-Hyuk Park, three-time CBA Finals MVP, who can score on bunches and has great handling skills. Maude Zwahell and Annabelle Brit provide the muscle, while Lia Xiu and Anidra Roxanoff are scoring threats. Off the bench, Jordan Merkoff is the most prolific of the bunch, while Rowaine Maera is the best shooter of the bunch.

Strategy:
The Chromatik Team focuses on solid ball-handling and clean transition play, with an emphasis on always running the clock down whenever possible. This means that there aren't as many fast breaks, instead focusing on time of possession and making every possession count. They plan a zone on defense, and are rather good at deflecting shots but not very good at causing turnovers. This team's tentative goal is to make the playoffs.

Schedule:
MD01: vs. (04) Delaclava
MD02: @   (07) Abanhfleft  
MD03: BYE  
MD04: vs. (26) Hispinas
MD05: @   (28) Pemecutan 
MD06: vs. (UR) Malandrin
MD07: @   (UR) Ko-oren 
MD08: vs. (UR) Dotivija 
MD09: @   (UR) Vikanias 
MD10: @   (04) Delaclava
MD11: vs. (07) Abanhfleft
MD12: BYE
MD13: @   (26) Hispinas
MD14: vs. (28) Pemecutan
MD15: @   (UR) Malandrin
MD16: vs. (UR) Ko-oren
MD17: @   (UR) Dotivija
MD18: vs. (UR) Vikanias

by **Chromatika** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 10:01 pm

Matchday 1/2 Cutoff

How will your journey in the IBC start? It's time to see! This is your cutoff for MD1/MD2.

Group 1
Matchday 1 BYE: Annyeong Oppa
Bollonich 59–94 Valanora
The Togolese Republic 59–80 Sarzonia
Omerica 78–76 HUElavia
The Jovannic 62–73 Srednjaci

Group 1                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Valanora                        1    1   0    94   59  +35
 2 Sarzonia                        1    1   0    80   59  +21
 3 Srednjaci                       1    1   0    73   62  +11
 4 Omerica                         1    1   0    78   76   +2
 5 HUElavia                        1    0   1    76   78   −2
 6 The Jovannic                    1    0   1    62   73  −11
 7 The Togolese Republic           1    0   1    59   80  −21
 8 Bollonich                       1    0   1    59   94  −35

Matchday 2 BYE: Srednjaci
HUElavia 75–68 The Jovannic
Sarzonia 69–66 Omerica
Valanora 76–58 The Togolese Republic
Annyoeng Oppa 91–68 Bollonich

Group 1                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Valanora                        2    2   0   170  117  +53
 2 Sarzonia                        2    2   0   149  125  +24
 3 Omerica                         2    1   1   144  145   −1
 4 Annyoeng Oppa                   1    1   0    91   68  +23
 5 Srednjaci                       1    1   0    73   62  +11
 6 HUElavia                        2    1   1   151  146   +5
 7 The Jovannic                    2    0   2   130  148  −18
 8 The Togolese Republic           2    0   2   117  156  −39
 9 Bollonich                       2    0   2   127  185  −58

Group 2
Matchday 1 BYE: Saterun
Trolleborg 72–82 Magnecia
Ranoria 57–93 Græntfjall
TJUN-ia 77–76 Drawkland
Aristan Republic 78–101 Crystal Empire

Group 2                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Græntfjall                      1    1   0    93   57  +36
 2 Crystal Empire                  1    1   0   101   78  +23
 3 Magnecia                        1    1   0    82   72  +10
 4 TJUN-ia                         1    1   0    77   76   +1
 5 Drawkland                       1    0   1    76   77   −1
 6 Trolleborg                      1    0   1    72   82  −10
 7 Aristan Republic                1    0   1    78  101  −23
 8 Ranoria                         1    0   1    57   93  −36

Matchday 2 BYE: Crystal Empire
Drawkland 98–65 Aristan Republic
Græntfjall 68–67 TJUN-ia
Magnecia 84–88 Ranoria
Saterun 69–63 Trolleborg

Group 2                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Græntfjall                      2    2   0   161  124  +37
 2 TJUN-ia                         2    1   1   144  144    0
 3 Ranoria                         2    1   1   145  177  −32
 4 Drawkland                       2    1   1   174  142  +32
 5 Crystal Empire                  1    1   0   101   78  +23
 6 Magnecia                        2    1   1   166  160   +6
   Saterun                         1    1   0    69   63   +6
 8 Trolleborg                      2    0   2   135  151  −16
 9 Aristan Republic                2    0   2   143  199  −56

Group 3
Matchday 1 BYE: Pratapgadh
Southwest Eastnorth 90–84 Gatchingerrak Union
Lisander 89–72 Venmere
Mytanija 96–80 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
Nova Anglicana 64–75 Banija

Group 3                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Lisander                        1    1   0    89   72  +17
 2 Mytanija                        1    1   0    96   80  +16
 3 Banija                          1    1   0    75   64  +11
 4 Southwest Eastnorth             1    1   0    90   84   +6
 5 Gatchingerrak Union             1    0   1    84   90   −6
 6 Nova Anglicana                  1    0   1    64   75  −11
 7 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom       1    0   1    80   96  −16
 8 Venmere                         1    0   1    72   89  −17

Matchday 2 BYE: Banija
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 63–94 Nova Anglicana
Venmere 66–90 Mytanija
Gatchingerrak Union 79–71 Lisander
Pratapgadh 58–78 Southwest Eastnorth

Group 3                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Mytanija                        2    2   0   186  146  +40
 2 Southwest Eastnorth             2    2   0   168  142  +26
 3 Banija                          1    1   0    75   64  +11
 4 Gatchingerrak Union             2    1   1   163  161   +2
 5 Nova Anglicana                  2    1   1   158  138  +20
 6 Lisander                        2    1   1   160  151   +9
 7 Pratapgadh                      1    0   1    58   78  −20
 8 Venmere                         2    0   2   138  179  −41
 9 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom       2    0   2   143  190  −47

Group 4
Matchday 1 BYE: Felinetopia
Indusse 60–93 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Valentine Z 65–95 Hannasea
Corvadakia 66–65 Hebitaka
Kohnhead 74–84 Equestria

Group 4                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Quebec and Shingoryeo           1    1   0    93   60  +33
 2 Hannasea                        1    1   0    95   65  +30
 3 Equestria                       1    1   0    84   74  +10
 4 Corvadakia                      1    1   0    66   65   +1
 5 Hebitaka                        1    0   1    65   66   −1
 6 Kohnhead                        1    0   1    74   84  −10
 7 Valentine Z                     1    0   1    65   95  −30
 8 Indusse                         1    0   1    60   93  −33

Matchday 2 BYE: Equestria
Hebitaka 83–57 Kohnhead
Hannasea 67–92 Corvadakia
Quebec and Shingoryeo 72–56 Valentine Z
Felinetopia 57–77 Indusse

Group 4                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Quebec and Shingoryeo           2    2   0   165  116  +49
 2 Corvadakia                      2    2   0   158  132  +26
 3 Hebitaka                        2    1   1   148  123  +25
 4 Equestria                       1    1   0    84   74  +10
 5 Hannasea                        2    1   1   162  157   +5
 6 Indusse                         2    1   1   137  150  −13
 7 Felinetopia                     1    0   1    57   77  −20
 8 Kohnhead                        2    0   2   131  167  −36
 9 Valentine Z                     2    0   2   121  167  −46

Group 5
Matchday 1 BYE: Abanhfleft
Chromatika 72–66 Delaclava
Hispinas 77–79 Vikanias
Pemecutan 69–73 Dotivija
Malandrin 84–67 Ko-oren

Group 5                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Malandrin                       1    1   0    84   67  +17
 2 Chromatika                      1    1   0    72   66   +6
 3 Dotivija                        1    1   0    73   69   +4
 4 Vikanias                        1    1   0    79   77   +2
 5 Hispinas                        1    0   1    77   79   −2
 6 Pemecutan                       1    0   1    69   73   −4
 7 Delaclava                       1    0   1    66   72   −6
 8 Ko-oren                         1    0   1    67   84  −17

Matchday 2 BYE: Ko-oren
Dotivija 78–84 Malandrin
Vikanias 78–84 Pemecutan
Delaclava 94–78 Hispinas
Abanhfleft 90–79 Chromatika

Group 5                          Pld    W   L    PF   PA   PD 
 1 Malandrin                       2    2   0   168  145  +23
 2 Abanhfleft                      1    1   0    90   79  +11
 3 Dotivija                        2    1   1   151  153   −2
 4 Pemecutan                       2    1   1   153  151   +2
 5 Chromatika                      2    1   1   151  156   −5
 6 Delaclava                       2    1   1   160  150  +10
 7 Vikanias                        2    1   1   157  161   −4
 8 Ko-oren                         1    0   1    67   84  −17
 9 Hispinas                        2    0   2   155  173  −18

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 12:03 am

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ABANHFLEFT
NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM

This will be Abanhfleft's eighteenth time participating in the International Basketball Championships. It's The End of An Era 2: Electric Boogaloo. Jazz Higgs couldn't win a second IBC, but yet again there's a new generation of basketball players who want to do their country proud after 22 years of waiting. But will it actually happen this time? Or is it just yet more pain and suffering?

BASIC INFORMATION
Name of nation: Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft
Demonym: Fleftic
Team colors: Blue, orange, green
Style modifier: +2.00
Offense: Run and Gun
Defense: Man to Man
Foul Trouble: Let Them Play
Head Coach: Jan Harris (49 y/o, 5'11", Abanhfleft)

STARTERS
Center: Royal McElhannon (#9, 25 y/o, 7'1")
Power Forward: Anthony Jabillo (#4, 30 y/o, 7'0")
Small Forward: Evan Alicante (#19, 29 y/o, 6'5", team captain)
Shooting Guard: Jérémie Bachelet (#84, 28 y/o, 6'6")
Point Guard: Angel Fox (#93, 28 y/o, 6'3")

SUBSTITUTES
Center: Fabrice Lefèvre (#67, 28 y/o, 6'1")
Center: Denys Chayka (#15, 25 y/o, 7'2")
Power Forward: Kylan Sombilon (#43, 31 y/o, 6'10")
Power Forward: Eduardo Provenza (#16, 27 y/o, 6'9")
Small Forward: Albert Gagnon (#22, 29 y/o, 6'7")
Small Forward: Gail Bernier (#52, 28 y/o, 6'8")
Shooting Guard: Eduard Meyer (#13, 23 y/o, 7'2")
Shooting Guard: Matia Loyola (#63, 24 y/o, 6'9"
Point Guard: Burhan Boumedienne (#12, 30 y/o, 6'1")
Point Guard: Lowell Atterberry (#99, 23 y/o, 6'8")

UNIFORMS (Kindly provided by Saint Kanye)
HOME

AWAY

HOME STADIUM (The Fleftic Arena, Riuwiee)

Presenting the Fleftic Arena, the largest indoor arena by seating capacity in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft

Situated in the north of Abanhfleft's capital city of Riuwiee is the National Sports Park, a 140-hectare "special national designated area" in which a majority of Riuwiee's sporting facilities are located. Standing out among the stadia and gymnasia is the massive and imposing structure and flat roof of the Fleftic Arena, officially the largest indoor stadium in the whole of Abanhfleft with its official stated capacity of 100,786 seated spectators for indoor sports. The structure broke ground on September 26, 2009 as part of the capital city's reconstruction efforts following the aftermath of the Holy Catholic Revolution of 2008 which left nearly the entirety of Riuwiee devastated, and construction was completed over three years later in 2012. The Fleftic Arena is the official home arena of the Abanhfleft national basketball team and has played host to dozens of matches during the International Basketball Championships. Aside from that, the Riuwiee Presidents of the Fleftic Basketball Association occasionally uses the Fleftic Arena as its home stadium when it plays marquee match-ups against well-known teams from the league such as the Malabon Black Ops or the Markovsky Red Army, taking advantage of the arena's huge capacity when the capacity of their usual home stadium, the Sterling Arena, is deemed to be not enough for games of such popularity. Aside from that, the Fleftic Arena has also played host to at least four FBA All-Star Weekends since its inauguration and opening in 2012.

As for the stadium's location, Riuwiee is the capital city of Abanhfleft and is home to over 20 million people. The Fleftic people are very crazy and passionate about basketball, and even though their home side the Riuwiee Presidents has been disappointing in the FBA as of late, the fans still come out in droves to support and cheer for their team.

RP PERMISSIONS
Everything except killing my players and staff is okay.

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 7:46 am

Ko-oren - IBC 32
Style mod -5 / RP Permissions Yes

Nickname Dragonflies, Flies
Colours Green, Blue, Yellow
Offence Continuity
Defence Fluid: some man-to-man or even double teams, some zone
Head Coach Juliet Shillington (IBC 17 winner)
History 1-4 in IBC Finals
Other key figures on the staff
From the IBC 17 squad: Vasco Azevado, Solène Dupre, Amy Janssen, Milena Carlisle
From the IBC 20 squad: Leandro Buenaventura, Gao Liang, Milton Hayes
Uniforms Sharpied-over Abanhfleft knock-offs
Arenas
Aminey Court Central (2500)
Ciudad Miradela (3150)
Korth Basketini Maethorudin (2200)
Korth Senorendhin (1975)

C Ruben Dantes (m, 20) - Montelo-Santa Teresa Snipers
C Elvi Dumont (f, 22) - Etouille Energie
C Jargobasak Liriteringun (m, 21) - Senoren White Diamonds

PF Zaquiel Noia (m, 22) - Miradela-Santa Teresa Silvers
PF Amaël Bernard (m, 25) - Couziers-Linieux Centurions
PF Mars Lalande (m, 23) - Lunay-Aminey Argonauts

SF Sylv Melanson (m, 26) - Couziers-Linieux Centurions
SF Maunligu Husnartherinden (m, 25) - Senoren White Diamonds
SF Guendolina Canton (f, 25) - Ferrovente Tazers

SG Adri Roy (f, 26) - Lunay-Aminey Argonauts
SG Rafael Dantes (m, 25) - Serramonte-Santa Teresa Castles
SG Luz Vale (f, 20) - Serramonte-Santa Teresa Castles

PG Rastatulend Gunausinthen (m, 25) - Mayara Blues
PG Valerio Cadavid (m, 27) - Ferrovente Tazers
PG Pulturok Jarotherinden (m, 22) - Senoren White Diamonds

After the implosion of the Ko-orenite Basketball League, the sport (barely) survived on small courts in big cities. Twelve clubs have emerged in a new national league, representing three urban areas. The Capital Cities (Maethoru, Mayara, Gehrenna, Senoren), Aminey (Lunay, Ouleux, Couziers/Linieux, Étouille), and Finisterre (Ferrovente, Miradela, Montelo, Serramonte). Should the league be a success (which, as proposed, doesn't contain three separate conferences but dumps all teams in one table), there are plans to restructure and expand the league. Aided by half the IBC 17 and 20 rosters, Ko-oren is back for a slow ascent up the ranks again.

by **Sarzonia** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:03 am

The turmoil of the 31st International Basketball Championships, which saw the Sarzonian national basketball team fail to qualify for the knockout rounds in neighbouring Delaclava has thus far given way to more of a restoration of order.

The Stars opened Group A play with an easy 80-59 victory over an unranked side from The Togolese Republic in a match that manager Thomas Manningham wouldn't admit was essentially an extension of the exhibition schedule, but the substitution patterns that saw star guard Mike West barely play 10 minutes in a match Sarzonia only trailed once, by a 3-2 margin in the first quarter, belied his public assertion.

"We just wanted to see players on the rest of the squad get some playing time," he said. "We need to be able to lean on depth with the long qualifying stage we're in."

The match against 17th ranked Omerica was a much bigger test, as the Stars trailed by eight going into the fourth quarter, and West, who'd played a combined 30 minutes in the four-match exhibition schedule leading up to the match against The Togolese Republic, played 34 minutes against Omerica. He scored a game-high 29 points on 11-for-17 shooting and hit three 3-pointers en route to Sarzonia's 69-66 victory in front of a sold out crowd of 20,710 at The Palestra in Woodstock.

After the match, West, still dripping in sweat from the outing, said Omerica often changed their looks, employing a box-and-one, a triangle-and-two, a straight zone, and man-to-man in an effort to contain him, but he still worked his way open and shots continued to fall.

"Yeah, I mean, Omerica really expended a lot of effort to contain me, so I had to work extra hard to get my shot," he said. "I was able to, fortunately."

The Stars will have an away match against The Jovannic and a home fixture against Srednjaci before their away fixture to HUElavia. They'll have a bye, then will host fifth ranked Valanora. Stadium officials say that match against Valanora is already sold out.

"That one sold out within minutes of it being announced," said one stadium official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The last time we played them here, it was an instant classic, but it was during the [SARS 2 novel Coronavirus] pandemic, so nobody was in the stands."

This time, the Palestra is expected to be a hostile environment for Valanora. Sarzonia and Valanora may be regionmates, and both countries may have been among the more hawkish countries toward the Foxchester Declaration countries of Anaia, but the two countries have a far from cozy relationship.

"We just face them a lot in sport," West said. "We don't really have much of a reason to see them as other than a bigtime sport rival."

by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:21 am

After a long two year wait since that miraculous Final 4 run in Delaclava, Bao Zhou and his Dynasty (a.k.a the TJUN-ia Hoops-Jags) were finally back and looking to build on that big run in a big way. The team has added members since that run as the prospects from the NSCAA finally bear fruit, but the main discussion entering Group 2 play centred around two starters: José Peñalez and DeMarcus Winston. They are both now above the age of 30 heading into this IBC and while both of them are still brilliant for the BFT, many are beginning to wonder if this IBC will be their last. Both players stayed away from discussing that topic in their pre-match interviews but the feeling of finality was in the air as the Hoops-Jags began their first basketball tournament since the Miracle of Bao.

The road began at the Unity Centre in Riverside, the BFT's home base and only base for now, as the Jags kicked off their IBC32 campaign against the highest seeds the group: #5 Drawkland. The Corps are always a tough test to face no matter the sport but in front of the Riverside faithful, the Zhou Dynasty didn't step down from the challenge and they went toe-to-toe with their higher-ranked opponents for the entire game. The Big 5 may have been getting older by the tournament, but they certainly showed they still had it in them as even the bench performed to their best when required. It was certainly a complete performance for this team but Drawkland were doing the same and in the end, the entire contest would be decided in the final few moments. Drawkland led 76-75 with about 2 seconds remaining but TJUN-ia had possession. Mindaugas Karnišovas threw it to Maurice Jones, who ran into the arc and shot a buzzer-beating two to win the game 77-76. The fans went wild and just like that, the Hoops-Jags began in style.

After that performance, they headed off to the stylish Royal & Imperial Recreation Club Arena in Háttmark as they took on the fellow 1-0 Super Wolves of Graintfjall in the first duel between the President-elect and the VP-elect. The game that would be played in the old arena would be another brilliant game as both teams tried to get one over the other by any means necessary. Both Bao and Leonard Sebastiansson were throwing everything they had into this one and, like Game 1, Game 2 would be decided by the final few moments...but this time, the result would be the other way round. TJUN-ia were leading 67-65 with 3 seconds to go but a buzzer-beating 3 by Erwin Isaksson secured 2-0 for the Super Wolves and 1-1 for the Hoops-Jags. A shame to lose that one, but Bao could be proud of how his team played.

TJUN-ia certainly plays good basketball, but maybe their only weakness is the clutch factor. Hopefully, the next two games can help build our confidence as we take on two Unranked nations in the form of Magnecia at home and Saterun on the road. While they may be debutants, no one should underestimate opponents you have almost nothing on. GO JAGS!

Current Standing (Group 2): 2nd (1-1)
Last 2: W 77-76 vs Drawkland (05), L 67-68 @Graintfjall (15)
Next 2:vs Magnecia (UR), @Saterun (UR)

by **Banija** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:32 am

#10 on the list of the greatest Banijan athletes of all-time- QB Dennis Zervos
What might have been? A Quarterback derailed by untimely injuries, Dennis Zervos was the first great Banijan QB of the modern era

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- When you talk about greatness, what do you think? You think about the ability to perform, under pressure, against all odds. You talk about the ability to get the best possible performance, not only from yourself, but pull others up to greatness as well. Banijan sports have made numerous runs for glory in the many years we have been a part of the international sporting scene. We rose quickly and strive to stay towards the top, threatening for titles.

One can argue that it goes all the way back to this man- Dennis Zervos.

Who is this man?

Dennis Zervos is remembered for one thing mostly- his NSCF 14 Championship run. The first major international sporting title for any Banijan team in any competition, it is still fondly remembered(outside of Herzegovina City, anyways) across the country. The Coulibaly Corner did a great synopsis of the run that now occured 10 NSCFs ago. A good trip down memory lane.

But remember how elite of a player he was. He was the NSCF 14 Most Outstanding Player. In only the second season Loyola was participating in the competition. And he would rise up to the challenge his junior year. When, for NSCF 15, Loyola-Istria was pulled back to domestic competition by local gridiron authorities, he tore it up, defeating Northern Moravica twice and adding a national championship to his name. So think of the accolades this guy earned in college. NSCF most outstanding player. NSCF champion. National champion. #1 overall draft pick.

He set multiple records at Loyola-Istria that many thought would last for decades- although they were overturned by Isaka Jawara a few short years later. The first QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a season in Loyola-Istria history. But he did not only have success in college. He had success as a professional as well. World Bowl XXXI, Dennis Zervos was the starting quarterback on a team that had just been to back to back World Bowl semifinals, mostly off the backs of their defense. But with Zervos in the fold, they would be focused on their offensive talent.

The Banijans averaged an insane 38.5 points per game throughout the 14 game group stage, lighting their opponents up. And although Zervos missed a couple of games himself(due to his kidnapping by terrorists from the Main Nation Ministry), he was able to come back from those traumatic events and not miss a beat. Many teams, that kind of thing happens to the starting QB, they withdraw. Not Zervos. He came back and, while slowed down, still led Banijans to victories in the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals, before our traditional semifinal loss.

((Those were different times, eh? Tensions were so bad between Banija and the Main Nation Ministry at that point, that our middle linebacker threw a right hook at their head coach and was awarded with a Parliamentary medal of honor. But besides the point.))

That was when luck started to go against him. How much poor luck can you have? He went from that successful first World Bowl campaign to his rookie season. After 7 games in his rookie season, he was leading all passers in Banija's league in both yards and touchdowns, as long suffering Dukuma Dragons fans finally had someone to get behind. But on a scramble, he tore both ACLs on the same play. A hard cut with his right knee and his leg gave out, right as he got blasted in his left knee.

The very next season, he came back in Week 10. Had 250 yards and 3 TDs in the first half. In the second half, both of his tackles turned into turnstiles and he was hit by both defensive ends as they went low, one in each knee. Just like that. Second season in a row, both ACLs torn. His knees were never the same. He was forced to retire before hitting age 25.

What a tragic career finish. What might have been. A man who accomplished so much as a youngster- NSCF Most Outstanding Player, a Celestia Conference title, a NSCF title, a domestic college football title, and a World Bowl semifinal run- his career cut short. If he had a full length career, could he be higher on this list? Most certainly. But #10 is a great place to put Banija's first truly transcendent athlete.

Favorite Memory with Dennis Zervos
Written by former Loyola-Istria head coach, and two-time NSCF champion head coach, Alastair Jobs

I've had the honor of coaching both Isaka Jawara and Dennis Zervos as elite college athletes, at the greatest university in the world- Loyola University. This is not the time to talk about Isaka- however, this is a great time to talk about Dennis Zervos. Such a talented, hard-working young man, who had some of the worst luck that any athlete could ever have- repeated knee injuries at a young age.

But in his athletic prime, he was absolutely unstoppable. That NSCF 14 run was magical. Nobody expected us to do anything that year. And why would they? Even at 11-2, it was our first ever playoff appearance. It was only our second season in the NSCF. But even then, as a young sophomore, he was a leader. He knew that he wanted to keep his eyes on the prize, which was lifting that trophy. With the champonship game occurring in our city, he was ready to do so.

Let's go back to those NSCF 14 playoffs. The semifinal, playing the University of Utica. On the road. Hostile environment. At night. In the cold. Zervos is a youngster. And we aren't playing particularly well on offense- it was a defensively dominated game on both sides. But Zervos simply kept taking hits, and kept getting up. Hell, on the game deciding fourth down play for Utica where we got the stop that won us the game, he was basically acting as a coach.

Fourth down- he actually called out the play on the sideline. He's standing, yelling at players. You know how sidelines can look in those moments- lots of assistant coaches yelling a lot of things. And Zervos is out there yelling "bootleg" at one of our defenders. Our defender heard him, and as soon as Utica QB Kendrick Lloyd scrambled right, our DE stepped right into the scramble zone, throwing the timing off the play and forcing Lloyd to throw the ball into coverage, where it was knocked down. That kind of play recognition, those football smarts, are part of what made him so great.

Dennis, congratulations for making this list. It was an honor to coach you, and it's an honor to see you succeed. You're a great assistant right now at Loyola, and someday, you'll make a great head coach. Blue Thunder March!

by **Hannasea** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:00 am

We scored many points
Against the enormous ladies
And also some men

Corvadakia
I wonder if they are crows
Either way they won

by **Nova Anglicana** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 10:07 am

OOC Note: Orville News is a right wing to far right publication that in no way is reflective of Nova Anglican mainstream opinion nor of the opinions of the player behind Nova Anglicana.

Agents of the state seize Voss, Goodman, Ellis as mosque explosion becomes basis for coup

Kenneth Thompson, Columnist, Orville News

For weeks, all we've heard about is this explosion at the Masjid Ar-Rahman mosque in downtown Londinium. Five people have now died in the explosion and more than a dozen have been injured. It's a tragic incident, for sure, but the mainstream media would have you believe that it was a deliberate attack made by so-called far-right terrorists. Discounting whether or not this is true, the police department in Londinium took it one step further by acting on allegations made by these "terrorists" that individuals in the Ministry of the Interior were behind the attacks. Not only did they give credence to these wild accusations, but yesterday they arrested the Minister of the Interior, King Voss, as well as the Deputy Minister Brian Goodman, and head of the Domestic Security Agency Jack Ellis on those allegations. Now, supposedly, they followed up on the allegations and did their due diligence, but when you arrest someone three days after there's a leak from your department, that's not due diligence, that's a witch hunt.

Let me remind our readers that this is the same King Voss whose party was illegally spied on by the previous government, the same Brian Goodman who revealed in this newspaper the duplicity and corruption inherent in the Interior Ministry under the previous government, and the same Jack Ellis who has been vocal about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. The mainstream media loves to spin stories about hypocrisy, so what better characters for their next story than the people who were spied on spying on and hurting others? Jack Ellis won't stop embarrassing the government because they're ignoring his clarion call to secure our borders against the threat of radical Islamists, so why not manufacture a mosque bombing and pin the blame on him? Yes, folks, we cannot discount the possibility that this was actually a "false flag" operation with actors hired to play "far-right terrorists" and then just happen to say that high government officials in the Interior Ministry helped them.

Still skeptical? Think about it. King Voss, a patriot, rockets to stardom on a platform of protecting our borders, strengthening our military, and helping people get off the dole and get our economy running again. The incumbent Prog government takes notice, because nobody's every really challenged them before in their quest to build a radical left-wing state, and tries to manufacture a story about the National Party being connected to shadowy far-right "terrorists" to justify spying on them and trying to bring them down. They get caught in their horrible lie and violation of fundamental rights, so they have to give up power for the first time ever. They can't stand that right-wing forces are growing stronger in the country and that their agenda of cutting taxation, regulation, and spending is incredibly popular with the public, so they enlist the froggy mayor of Londinium and his even froggier police chief to bring down King Voss. The Progs, whether in power or not, are using all the resources at their disposal to smear the National Party and their strong leadership. Even better, they can create a "terrorist attack" against Muslims and manufacture the link between Voss and right-wing terrorist groups, the lie they themselves started. They told the lie and then framed Voss to make it look like it was true. They don't care who they hurt, even Muslims they claim to care about.

But it goes even deeper, folks. Replace your discredited Prog leader with a "strong independent woman" in Jo-Jo Clark, but make sure that you also get one of your members to take over the far-left party Equality. Create a crisis that you think will collapse the government. Now, voters will think, "The last two governments collapsed in scandal. Who can I vote for that isn't going to be corrupt?" Enter the feminazi socialists of Equality. They won't win all the votes, but they'll win enough so that they can pressure the Progs. Using Clark as their Trojan Horse, she'll be the new Prime Minister, but Equality will "force" her to adopt some of their policies, which is really what the Progs wanted all along. It doesn't fit with their image to allow transgender predators in little girls' bathrooms, or to confiscate people's property for the state, or to ban hamburgers, or send us to mandatory racial and gender "re-education centres", but if Equality wants that, then what can they do? This is the next step in the program, folks. The masks are starting to slip a little bit, and when virtuous Nova Anglican patriots resist these measures, as they should, you're going to see the masks come all the way off. And when that happens, they'll stop at nothing in their efforts to turn Nova Anglicana into "Gregoryisgodistan on the Atlantic".

But we can resist. We can demand the release of Voss and the other leaders. We can demand an open trial where the best lawyers in the country will break these false flag crisis actors and show the nation the sham, the coup that the left is trying to perpetrate. We've got to show up in provincial and national capitals to make sure our legislators know we won't stand for this. We're going to stop this. We have to, or our way of life, our great experiment, will be gone forever.

Nova Anglicana 64-75 Banija

Team stats - 22/52 (42.3%), 6-18 3-pt (33.3%), 14-19 FT (73.7%)

G #3 Matty Stewart - 3-5/1-1/3-3 (10 pts)
G #8 Jimmy Haynes - 4-10/2-5/1-2 (11 pts)
G #12 Reggie LaPointe - 1-3/0-1/0-0 (2 pts)
F #25 Colin Klein - 4-8/0-2/4-5 (12 pts)
F #27 Alain Colbert - 2-3/0-1/2-2 (6 pts)

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

Nova Anglicana 94-63 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom

Team stats - 37/68 (54.4%), 10-22 3-pt (45.4%), 10-12 FT (83.3%)

G #3 Matty Stewart - 1-3/0-2/4-4 (6 pts)
G #8 Jimmy Haynes - 6-11/3-6/2-3 (17 pts)
G #12 Reggie LaPointe - 3-6/3-4/0-0 (9 pts)
F #25 Colin Klein - 4-9/1-2/3-4 (12 pts)
F #27 Alain Colbert - 3-5/0-1/1-1 (7 pts)

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

by **Bollonich** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 5:19 am

Difficult losses as we must look ahead
We knew going into the International Basketball Championship that it was going to be a long and gruelling competition which would greatly challenge our basketball players and out first two games have barely gone in our favour showing how cruel the game truly is.
We played our first game at the National Basketball Arena in Fermont at home as a number of bystanders had arrived to watch the game. We were up against Valanora who are currently 5th, it was clear that this was going to be an extremely hard match for us especially given the level of the players were hardly professional unlike the talented and trained Vanorians. After what was four quarters of fabulous play from the Vanorians and a dismal performance from the Bollonischian Valanora emerged victorious with a huge margin of 59-94. This was an expected result, we expected to lose to Valanora and knew that our next game against Annyoeng Oppa would be much crucial as they were a fellow Unranked nation who had even failed to identify their payers and location where we would be playing.
Having travelled to this obscure nation we were determined to prove ourselves, determined to prove that we are no pushovers. We started the first quarter on a positive note as we converted two consecutive three pointer attempts providing us with an early lead. We continued to play well however Annyoeng Oppa started to slowly close down the gap before hitting back hard in the third quarter, taking an astonishing lead of 78-52. In just one quarter where we slipped up the tables had completely turned with the match being equal to becoming completely in their favour. Despite our valiant efforts the game was irrecoverable as we had lost our second game in a row by 91-68.
These two losses meant that we were now last in Group 1, and had to improve our game by a huge margin if we were to get anywhere close to qualification or even a respectable position. We would get a chance to do this as we come up against The Togolese Republic after getting a bye on Matchday 3.

by **Srednjaci** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 5:51 am

INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 32

START WITH A WIN
BY
Danijel Grlić

The Jovannic 62–73 Srednjaci

Win in first match always brings security and good atmosphere in team. The Jovanic have really good players and this +11 win is very good.
Since beginning of the match we saw that Srednjacians play very fast.
All players shown fantastic abyliti. Marković and Paradinović lead our players in to calm watters.
First quarter of game were tough. The Jovanic players play very good and didn’t let our basketball players to play in our rithm.
Second qurater started and result from first quarter is 16:16.
In second qurater our players players better and more fluid. On resting time after half time Srednjaci go with lead +5, 35:30.
Rest of this match belongs to ours players. They build result and lead. On the beginning of last quarter, Srednjaci had a +17 lead. But The Jovanic players played better in that quarter.

In second round our team was bye. But in our group was really interesting.
With two wins are Valanora and Sarzonia. After defeat to Omerica in first round HUElavia manage win in second round. Bollonich have two havy defeats and for now they took last spot in group.

by **Mytanija** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 9:29 am

ALPHABET HOOP - THOUGHTS ON MYTANAR BASKETBALL
by Almedina Radovanovic

MYTANIJA START WELL AT IBC32

It’s two wins from two games for Mytanija at the IBC, beating Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 96-80 in a fantastic offensive showing at home in Esca before travelling to newcomers Venmere and the 19,651 capacity Oberon Arena. They followed their group opener with an even better all-around performance, defeating Venmere 90-66 with strong contributions on both ends. Evgeny Fomin and Zelimir Ateljevic’s on-court relationship seems to be developing game by game and could morph into something very dangerous by the end of their time at this tournament. Fomin’s playmaking ability is so well suited to taking possession in the post and dumping deft passes off for Ateljevic to slash his way to the basket. Fomin is also great at stretching the court despite his size, he’s proficient in bringing his fellow bigs into areas of the court which they don’t necessarily want to go due to his three-point shooting. Tose Lekov seems to be a really solid defensive talent who could become crucial when Mytanija go up against some of the stronger teams in their group.

Back home there has been some disquiet regarding the MKA’s decision to send the team to the IBC rather than to the Olympics, with the latter event coming in close succession behind the former. They couldn’t fund two separate teams for each tournament and it will mean that these players will have to wait for a shot at an Olympic medal, for some they might not have another chance again given that Mytanar basketball seems to be improving at a rate of knots. They could soon have their spot on the national team taken by another player. The MKA sees the IBC as the event which can help this team improve the fastest, with more matches against opponents of a similar standard and a chance to go on the run through the tournament. The Olympics basketball tournament can often be a little random, the idea of sending an under-23 team was mooted but given the MKA’s lack of financial resources to do that the proposal was soon put on the backburner with the IBC becoming the major focus. The Mytanar women’s team will still compete, as well as the two three-on-three teams.

Coach Mirko Lazetic has said he has high hopes for this tournament, believing that his team can negotiate the group stage as one of the three best teams as long as they play to their potential. There are tough opponents throughout the group with another meeting with the number one team in the multiverse Banija in a repeat of the last IBC’s group stage match-up. The Banijans aside, the likes of Lisander and Nova Anglicana represent difficult assignments and Southwest Eastnorth is an all-Rushmori derby fixture. Lazetic will have been pleased to see his side defeat Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom pretty comprehensively, they are ranked seven places higher than Mytanija coming into this tournament but that win on home soil should give the team confidence that they belong at this level and can defeat nations with a higher ranking throughout this competition.

Mytanija will play another Rushmori nation in the form of the Gatchingerrak Union next, before travelling to Pratapgadh for their fourth match of the tournament. Both nations are unranked and Mytanija should be going into both games expecting to win. We could be in a situation where they race out to a 4-0 lead whilst some of the higher ranked nations in the group take games off one another. This would really put the team in good shape to match-up to Lazetic’s high hopes, with the next double-header bringing slightly more difficult matches against Southwest Eastnorth and Lisander. We might see Lazetic rotate through his squad a little if his team can build a lead against either the Gatchingerrak Union or Pratapgadh, he went to a third-string line-up once it became clear Mytanija were out of sight against Venmere. The likes of BK Magevskaya point guard Damian Tsitnikov and Atletik Thessia wing Besir Sijercic impressed, although Antun Bevk’s enormous block on Isaac Rishoki was arguably the highlight of all the third-string players’ contributions. Lazetic will hope they can continue to contribute throughout the IBC, a good level of depth would bode well for a decent run in the tournament.

by **Magnecia** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 9:53 am

Republic of Magnecia National Men's Basketball Team

Team Info
Head Coach: Mike Rhoades
Assistant Coach: Jimmy Smith Jr.
Captain: Joe Brown
Trigram: RMA
Nickname: The Bulls

Squad

Center:
#1 Joe Brown(32 years)- Marebone Thunders (s)[captain]
#24 Ian Bell(28 years)- Chester Falcons
#43 David Middleton(22 years)- Worcester Warriors

Power Forwards:
#32 Jared Bush(26 years)- Chester Falcons (s)
#48 Bill Thompson(29 years)- Westwood Lakers
#59 Timothy Young(25 years)- Las Orleons Thunder

Small Forwards:
#22 Tom Walker(30 years)- New Holland Giants (s)
#24 Brian O'Brian(22 years)- Marebone Thunders
#72 John Jackson(28 years)- Sanchago Legends

Shooting Guards:
#8 Kevin Grant(24 years)- York Island Blazers(s)
#17 David Green(26 years)- Sanchago Legends
#6 Mason Wright(29 years)- Nordale Volcano

Point Guards:
#25 Stephen Willis(21 years)- Hopdale Hurricanes(s)
#2 Josh Henderson(28 years)- Chester Falcons
#13 Tim Ndidi(25 years)- Hartwood Hearts

Stadium:

70,000 capacity, David Bird International Stadium, Worcester, Magnecia

Basketball in Magnecia: Basketball is one of the most popular sports in Magnecia. It ranks either in the second or in the third position, being definitely behind football and tying with baseball in terms of it's popularity. One of the features of basketball in Magnecia is that the sport has traditionally been almost entirely played in the urban areas, thus it falters in front of baseball in terms of popularity in rural areas. The Magnecian Basketball Association is the governing body for basketball in Magnecia, and it controls the Magnecian National basketball team. The National Basketball League is the top level, independent league for basketball in Magnecia. It is one of the richest leagues in the country, and attracts a sizeable attendance per match. Up till now, the MBA has never sent an international team to the IBC, because of strong opposition from the NBL which claims that the clash of schedules between the two tournaments will prove detrimental to it's own cause. Magnecia has participated in the Kepler(regional) Basketball Championship since it's beginning, winning it the most number of times(7 times). This time, massive demands from the angry fans, who threatened to boycott the NBL, has lead to the league removing it's objection, thus making way for Magnecia to participate in their first ever IBC qualifiers in history.

Style Modifier: 0
RP Perms: Anything just don't kill or cripple the players. Contact me via TG before godmodding.
Note: Players with the (s) sign beside their names are the starters.

by **Venmere** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:05 am

VENMERE OPENS IBC 32 WITH EMBARASSING DEFEATS

While hopes certainly weren't astronomical for Venmere's NBT, the first two games of the tournament came as sharp disappointments to Falcon fans around Venmere. The Peregrine Falcons opened the tournament with a 89-72 loss to Lisander, an away game that left a sour taste in the players' mouths. They then traveled home to Oberon Arena to face Mytanija, and were slammed with a 90-66 loss. At 0-2, Venmere has barely missed out on being bottom of their group, placing second-to-last so far.

"Obviously, we're very disappointed," said Falcons coach Perry Whittaker last night, "But we are not giving up. Venmere may not make it out of the group stage, but it won't be for a lack of hard work."

It remains to be seen how Venmere will face up to its opponents in the coming days and weeks. We all can only hope that the Falcons can finally pull out a win, and impress the world on a large stage.

Written by Barbara Richter

This article appeared in the Moccasin Broadcaster this morning.

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:38 pm

The start of #4-ranked Delaclava's journey back to the IBC podium was already going poorly.

Chromatika would be hosting even higher-stakes games down the line, but their fans had already done a respectable job of filling up the cavernous Capitalizt Dome, and they were putting all their energy towards getting their own team's qualifying campaign started on the right foot. And the Penguins obliged. The key to the game was a battle of tempos, and Chromatika was winning that battle big-time, slowing the game down at all costs, stopping the Phoenixes' full-court rush, taking their time for the right shot. Delaclava and all their 94-foot open floor speed was wasted, and they were forced to set up, pass, pass, shoot. They hated it. They were losing.

Their Finals MVP and star, point guard Jung-Hyuk Park, was doing an expert job of controlling the speed, moving the ball around and penetrating the arc, a difficult defensive assignment for Brian Dudley's international de. But more than that, every Pekko Ranta shot clanked off the rim, every Rick Jones drive was met with a sliding defender, every Dudley pass seemed to go to a dead-end corner. The Penguins led 33-22 after twenty minutes.

The locker room was silent for a good minute, with players catching their breath and shooting down cups of water. Coach Jim Levins paced back and forth, choosing his words carefully. Why would he need to light into them? They were playing hard, they were playing smart. They just weren't playing well enough.

Finally, he started: "Look, I know we're nervous. There's a lot we want to do this year, a lot we're expecting. But we don't do that by playing the way other teams want us to play. We do that by playing the way WE want to play!" He paused for a second, then continued. "They're not making us play slower. They're not forcing turnovers, they're not forcing us into mistakes. Yeah, they're getting in the way...but we can fix that.

"You want to run the whole floor? Just do it. I don't care if they're in the way! You go around them or through them. Make the passes you need to make. Make them stop you. Take some risks, make some mistakes, but for the love of God, play the way we want to play!"

So the Phoenixes were intent on quickening the pace, and they were going to do it from the first whistle. Chromatika inbounded the ball to Park, who deliberately brought the ball up. The Phoenixes waited for him in the half court this time. He worked the shot clock down to the last few seconds, kicked out to Lia Xiu for the three. Off the back of the rim. Omar Harris elevated just higher than Maude Zwaheil, pulled down the rebound, and immediately threw it halfway down the court to Pekko Ranta. Easy layup.

Anidra Roxanoff took the ball out of bounds and tossed it to Park, who was immediately met by both Ranta and Dudley. Park tried to split them with a pass, but it bounced off Dudley's thumb and over to Jones in the paint, who took a dribble and finger-rolled the ball into the net. The Phoenixes retreated this time and allowed Park to bring the ball to half court, but the Phoenixes were markedly more aggressive in the passing lanes, and Djordje Zubić tipped a pass from Park to Roxanoff before corralling the loose ball. Zubić passed the ball to Dudley around the top of the arc as the rest of the team flew down the court. Dudley took a couple of dribbles and aired out a long pass to Rick Jones.

Jones caught the ball in the corner, waited for Lia Xiu, recovering on defense, to fly by, then planted hard off his right foot, took one dribble and immediately collapsed to the ground.

Stunned, Jones had no idea why his whole lower leg was suddenly on fire. All he knew is that he felt a pop. And his teammates heard its sickening echo and knew exactly what it meant. That a torn Achilles tendon had ended Rick Jones' 32nd International Basketball Championship before it began.

He felt almost in a daze as his teammates quickly surrounded him. Reorienting, he made out the tall figure of Omar Harris waving frantically to the sideline for medical attention. He heard himself vaguely say, "I'm staying in."

"Dude, no," Djordje Zubić said firmly, bringing Jones back to focus. "We got this." As the physician came over to examine Jones, Zubić said in a shakier tone, "We'll get you fixed up, alright?"

Jones nodded. Zubić helped him off the ground, and Cameron Wright had now come off the bench to support Jones by the other side. Once they'd gotten him under the care of the doctors, who'd take Jones to get examined and treated, Zubić sprinted back out to the court with a job to do. He spotted Sifiso Ntenga, the collegiate and Jones' heir apparent, at the scorer's table. He ran over to encourage the 21-year-old, but by the time he was in front of him, Zubić realized that he himself was lost for words, overcome with emotion.

Surreally, it was the youngster reassuring the star player:

"He's going to be fine. Let's win this one for him."

A few hours later, Rick Jones sat in his hospital bed, fidgeting with his fingers, when Zubić and Coach Levins walked in. Jones saw their faces, didn't need them to say anything to know how the rest of the game had done. Even if he didn't know that the final score was 72-66, that the Phoenixes had managed to push the pace for the whole second half, how Ntenga had been brilliant amid the adversity, that Delaclava even drew level with their opponents with five minutes remaining in the game until Park showed his championship mettle and scoring touch to pull the Penguins away for good - the disappointment was palpable.

For the game, and for his captain's season, Zubić shook his head and said simply, "I'm sorry, Rick."

The next time Delaclava took the court, Rick Jones was in an unfamiliar spot: his couch. Jones flew with the rest of the team back to the Manchester airport, and Coach Levins had arranged an immediate appointment for surgery at St. James University Hospital. The surgery was a success, and now all Jones could do was wait.

The captain wanted to join the team at The Amphitheatre in Catherina, but Levins told him in no uncertain terms that his lone responsibility was to get as much rest and relaxation as possible. Rick knew his old college coach meant well, but he couldn't help but think Coach Levins wanted him to start getting used to not being on the sidelines for his team.

It wasn't hard to see why, as Rick watched the shorthanded Phoenixes take on Hispinas from the distance of his television. It was the 25-year-old Rodney Duncan, emerging from talent to bona fide star, taking the start at the 3, with Ntenga sure-handed as ever in relief. Duncan had 15 points and eight rebounds in his first international start; Zubić, now a deserving captain and urgent to fill the spiritual hole Jones had left, put on a truly fine performance with a 23-point triple-double. The Phoenixes defeated Hispinas 94-78, looking profoundly untroubled for the duration of the contest. Even in an expected win, the Phoenixes looked impressive. Rick Jones could see the future of this program, and yet he was not there as a part of it.

Achilles tears recover in due time. Rick Jones knew he would soon enjoy a clean bill of health again. He knew he could get back into the Phoenixes lineup... he just didn't know if he would.

by **Ranoria** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 2:27 pm

Code: Select all: My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following: Choose my Scorers: Yes. Choose Scoring Events: Yes. Godmod Scoring Events: If I don’t see a true moonball, I’m going to be disappointed (yes) RP Injuries to my Players: Yep Eject my players/coaches: yes! Especially the coach! Godmod Injuries to my Players: No. Godmod Other Events: lol have fun Style: +2

Ranorian Krauts

Home court: RANPAC Arena, Ranoria City, Ranoria (capacity 45,730)

Coach: Billy Garrett, 49 years old

ROSTER

Centers:
Swenson Koehler - 7’1”, 270 lb, 31 y/o - Veteran center, terrible shot, lots of fouls & boards
Blue Willis - 6’11”, 265 lb, 30 y/o - plays a bit cleaner, injury prone so low minutes but plays hard when on court

Power Forwards:
Roster “Ross” Standin- 6’9”, 260 lb, 33 y/o - great at screens and boards, not a shooting threat, scores consistently via layups
Dirk Chandler - 6’8”, 255 lb, 27 y/o - better scorer than Standin, not as physical

Small Forwards:
Bellator Miller - 6’7”, 240 lb, 25 y/o - good defender, threat to score from anywhere
Bertolt Hali - 6’6”, 245 lb, 23 y/o - lives by the motto: “defense is for NERDS!”, he’s not very good at basketball. Not sure how he’s getting paid to do this

Shooting Guards:
Reiner Anneliese - 6’7”, 235 lb, 24 y/o - best player on the team. Triple-double threat, plays hard and rarely leaves the court. Plays abroad professionally
Tony Caribbean - 6’3”, 195 lb, 28 y/o - eh. Like a very poor man’s Reiner Anneliese

Point Guards:
Kerry Simms - 6’3”, 190 lb, 27 y/o - 3s for days kids, 3s for days. Good ball handler, can drive to the rim as well
Phil Mattador - 6’3”, 195 lb, 23 y/o - good at scoring, almost always drives to the rim to do so

by **Venmere** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 4:03 pm

In what they hope to be a maneuver that will earn the VNBT support, the Venmere National Sports Office has come out with a new shirt that has been put out all over Venmere. Ticket sales had been slowing down, but in the first 24 hours since the release the next two home games have sold out.

The shirt in discussion

Hopefully this can get the Falcons off the ground and start notching up some wins. It's high hopes and high flying for the Peregrine Falcons from here on out!

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Sat Jul 31, 2021 8:26 pm

OOC: The Taegukgi is the leading centrist, Korean-language newspaper (more like centre-left, given this country's political leanings) in Quebec and Shingoryeo, with its particular influence held over Quebecois journalism as field. While all its articles are by default written first in Korean and IC readers who'd be reading it rightaway are familiar with Korean language to one degree, it is written in English here in NSS for obvious reasons.

The Taegukgi: The Korean-language voice of the Quebecois Commonwealth

Quebec-Banija Superseries Agreed, Men, Women and U19 Men to engage in Mid-IBC Showdown!

Yoon-Heui Jacobsson

MONTREAL, MONTREAL - It has once again come down to the basketball powerhouses. For decades Quebec and Shingoryeo and Banija have made their names known across the basketball circuit, and this has come up over and over again, with countless showdowns in the Quebecois Commonwealth Games (bit more even, men more 60/40 while Quebecois women would usually win) and the International Basketball Championships (usually Banija would win those matchups). Everybody wants this matchup on any tournament, and there's no sense of denial in that both nations have had their ideas in works about it. Basketball Quebec's not the friendliest of organisations, and their views towards international competition have popped up in past, especially with their decision jointly made with Royal Quebecois Volleyball Federation and Quebecois Handball Federation to send the U23 national team with 3 wildcard players to the Olympics. Today, Basketball Quebec and the Basketball Division of the Banijan Olympic Committee have announced an unprecedented move, to schedule the 'Supermatch' between the two nation's men and women's basketball teams, in middle of the season.

So let's look into the announcement as the test. There is nothing to deny about how the Quebecois national team, who have made the knockout rounds of last seven International Basketball Championships, is looking to continue finding ways to improve its competitiveness on international stage, and the continuous improvements made by the current generation of basketballers in both men and women's national teams, highlighted by their third-place finish two years ago in Graintfjall (OOC: qualification phase takes a full two year window in Quebec and Shingoryeo), have brought further interest by the basketball community to do so. While the Quebecois are looking to to improve, the Banijans have their own questions to answer considering the Lions' men's quest for a threepeat, and the women's preparation for the Olympics in two years' time. Both nations, with a clear favourite on one side and not so much on the other, have plenty of assessments to make on this Supermatch.

And what this means for Quebecois basketball national teams is a lot. If all goes well, this can mean a lot. And the decision to host them in The Acadium, Halifax, wasn't easy but acceptable. But this can also mean a lot of emotions and pride on stake for the Grim Reapers. For the men, who have struggled with teamwork and ability to make difference in the key matches, this is a good opportunity to prepare themselves ahead of likely the knockout rounds this Sunday. It would give this group of players, who have come from a much better national developmental program than in past cohorts, a chance to test new strategies. A loss, provided they play well, would be considered acceptable. 4 million fans belonging to The Bubonic Plague know that, the coaching staff knows that, and players hopefully don't know that (oops).

But for the Quebecois women, this means even more- a matter of pride. Nobody can deny that. With the active winning streak by the Grim Reapers women against the Lionesses in hand, the question will be more over the margins and how well the players do there. Head coach Riley Jeon-Keane spoke about the situation. 'We have several reasons to rally when against Banija,' Jeon-Keane said in a pre-match media conference ahead of their match against Valentine Z, a 72-56 win at Calania Place, Montreal. ' This is a must-win because there are tougher opponents than them in the Quebecois Commonwealth. Acadiana, Novopetrograd, South Detroit are tougher than the Lionesses, and we need to not play poor against the Banijans else the same mistakes will happen when playing against others. Being number one in the Quebecois Commonwealth, and arguably the Multiverse, does mean a lot for our women but we MUST NOT lose focus. Never, never and never.'

To read more, please click here for free subscription!

Read this article in:

English | Français | The Taegukgi Indigenous

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International Basketball Championships 32 Everything Thread

DROP IT DOWN!: A Tough, But Strong Start

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