IBC 35 - Everything Thread

by **Muralos** » Thu Jun 23, 2022 4:08 pm

Muralosian Host Bid for the 35th International Basketball Championship
Havenurbo Basketball Arena

The Havenurbo Basketball Arena (HKB) seats 10,014, and it is the home stadium for the Havenurbo Cruisers of the Muralosian Basketball League. Constructed in 2018, the HKB lacks history compared to some of its older counterparts, like the Zemlinsky National Sports Complex in Urbego, where Muralos hosted both the Soviet Union and the United States. But where it lacks in history, the HKB makes up for it with sterling, sustainably powered facilities. The main stage of the HKB boasts a retractable, modular floor design - in other words, the central basketball court can be easily modified to suit various international and multiversal standards for basketball. The baskets and backboards are supported by reinforced steel provided by Sakhalin Steel Works and tested by the national team's own Arseny Rudenko. (To be clear, this is not a challenge for anyone to try to break them.)

Aside from a main basketball arena, the HKB boasts a total of 16,000 square feet of locker room and shower space. The entire facility is solar powered, and in 2020, a rooftop garden, track, and training space were installed. The track and training space is shared by basketball and soccer teams during their respective regular seasons, but for the IBC, it will be exclusive to the basketball teams competing on any given matchday.

For sports fans attending games at the HKB, amenities have recently been upgraded to suit all visitors from the multiverse. Toilets, faucets, and diaper changing stations in Muralosian restrooms are moldable for a variety of sentient, basketball-loving life. You can expect secluded rooms for all toilets instead of the stalls common in most Muralosian public restrooms.

The HKB will boast concession stands throughout the perimeter of the basketball arena, as well as a café open for lunch and dinner service. Concessions include a range of snack foods popular in East Asia: cheesy corn dogs, takoyaki, and jianbing guozi - although Chinese people outside Muralos consider it patently strange to eat this breakfast food item during an evening basketball game. Ahead of the IBC, the HKB will launch a social media campaign inquiring into multiversal cuisine, in hopes of catering to the tastes of all who compete and cheer here.

Transport to and from the HKB is convenient. From Presidential International Airport, Spaceport, and Multiversal Portal in Urbego, travelers may take a Hyperloop, high speed train, or car to Havenurbo. These journeys take 1 minute, 20 minutes, and 1 hour, respectively. Transport within Havenurbo is provided by bus and tram, with ample coverage of the city center and several suburbs.

This host bid is issued jointly by the Muralosian Ministry of Sport and the City of Havenurbo, as well as the Havenurbo Cruisers of the Muralosian Basketball League.

by **South Newlandia** » Fri Jun 24, 2022 5:48 am

Introduction
Basketball is not the biggest sport in South Newlandia. In fact, behind the most popular sports in the country, like football, baseball, gridiron, or chess, basketball has always been a minor sport that had only few participants. Nevertheless, the basketball scene is slowly growing in South Newlandia, especially in the cities of Ratzupalfu and Walstreim; and after some limited success, the Elephants sent a team to the IBC34 for the first time, while also hosting the knockout rounds of the same. The Elephants got thoroughly destroyed, going 5-11, but they’ll be back for more this time.

TEAM
Head Coach: Florence-Anne Raabe (Quebec and Shingoryeo), 41
Raabe has managed Zenit Attawapiskat for the last 4 seasons, leading them to a QBL finals appearance. She'll focus a lot on run-and-gun offence, the ball handler part can be flexible.

Starters
PG: Fabio Palmieri, 23
Palmieri is one of the players that only joined the Elephants for this tournament. The young point guard graduated from RUoN, where he was able to effectively lead the Egrets to a pair of college titles. He’s a great ball-handler, but his shooting could use some improvement, and it’s hard to project how well he’ll fit the team.
SG: Sandra Dawson, 26
Dawson is an elite defender, as she’s able to lock down scoring threats, or at least try to do that. She’s not going to score as much, but she is a leader for the team already.
SF: Lena Morse, 23
Morse is the young star of the team, and she is probably going to score the bulk of the Elephants points. She’s especially good from three-point range, and will be a key piece for the team for a while.
PF: Eli Kleber, 26
Kleber, who Raabe converted from Small Forward, makes for a slightly undersized Power Forward, but still one that can help Morse score tons of points. He’s also the one the Elephants will want on the free-throw line in a clutch spot.
C: Joseph Bunn, 34
South Newlandians rarely get very tall, so they have a certain tendency to be undersized in sports where the height advantage matters. Bunn, meanwhile, is about 2.20 metres, defying all convention. He famously has a hoodie with “Yes I do play basketball” on the back. Expect him to pull down lots of rebounds.

Bench
PG: Jose Mendes, 33
SG: Elsa Sharpe, 24
G: Carlo Schulz, 22
SF: Loretta Frank, 21
PF: Valeria Osborn, 28
F: Brian Williams, 28
C: Bennet Chang, 25
C: Jeremy Puckett, 30

I Give My Opponent Permission To:
Choose My Scorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: Yes
RP Injuries to my Players: Yes
Godmod Injuries to my Players: Yes
Godmod Other Events: Yes
Give my players fouls: Yes
Foul my players out: Don’t overdo it, but Yes

by **Southwest Eastnorth** » Fri Jun 24, 2022 1:53 pm

Southwest Eastnorth's Stadium Host Bid - Virginia Indoor Arena

NAME: Virginian Indoor Arena
LOCATION: Virginia, Southwest Eastnorth
TENANT: Virginia Squires
CAPACITY: 10,000

Virginia Indoor Arena is a very modern facility. In a nation with a scattershot and somewhat hodgepodge infrastructure, the "VIA" as the local lovingly call it is a shining beacon of modern architecture for what is an extremely young nation. The stadium was built less than a decade ago as a modern temple to a game that was truly unifying tot he people of Southwest Eastnorth. The first ever international event was an IBC. IBC 17 also hosted by Quebec and Shingoryeo a mere 40 years ago, was a spark the eventually ignited the passion Southwest Eastnorth had for Basketball. There they played out of a small gymnasium of only 1,000 seats, current coaches Frankie "Big Z" Kavinski and Damon "Dam" Sekkar were on that team in IBC 17, both would lead the genesis of basketball in SWEN.

Located four miles southwest of the downtown area of Virginia, Southwest Eastnorth, Bus transit is readily avalible in that area, there's also several hotels of varying degrees nearbye. Taxi and Buslines are avalible from the International airport, For those driving, there are a couple of parking garages within walking distance.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:14 am

Whistle-stop tour: Newfoundland & Labrador

As the national election for the House of Deputies approaches, each of Nova Anglicana's six provinces will also elect its 50-member House of Deputies. Each province uses a similar electoral system to the national election, with 25 constituency seats and 25 list seats, with the list vote determining how many seats each party ultimately receives. For this series, we'll take you around the provinces, explain the political situation, and show you what to expect as Nova Anglicans elect not only 100 national Deputies, but 300 provincial ones as well. In New Brunswick, we saw the right narrowly hanging on to power. In Quebec, we saw a divided right that needed to put together a proper coalition rather than facing a true threat from the left. Next, we move across the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Newfoundland & Labrador.

Background

Newfoundland & Labrador, a province of about 2.7 million, is a study in contrasts. On the one hand, the national capital, Londinium, as well as the thriving city cluster of Portus Abonae and Aquae Sulis, is in Newfoundland. Mancunium benefits from military investment and trade and constitutes a large portion of the population of Labrador. These are mostly cosmopolitan, liberal-minded places people flock to. On the other hand, the vast, empty stretches of Labrador, populated mainly by First Nations peoples, or the large chunk of central Newfoundland, are more community-minded, skeptical of outsiders, and prone to loss of population and resources. The province has traditionally been a swing province, with the cities providing the strength for the PJP and the rural areas for the PP, with the suburbs around Londinium being key constituencies. The Stewardship Party has also branched out beyond Labrador in recent years and grown their strength in the list vote. In 2015, the PJP, Stewardship, and LSP netted 29 seats between them, but the Nationals made their debut with 3. Then in 2018, the PP nipped the PJP, taking 18 seats to 17, but the Stewardship and LSP's 9 seats put the PJP in power, with the Nationals ticking up to 4 seats.

Major issues

The key issue in this election and overall is the question of shared prosperity. Cities like Londinium, Portus Abonae, Aquae Sulis, and to a certain extent, Mancunium, have benefited from the growth in population over the years and their share of the provincial economy has exploded. Are the inland areas of the province being left behind? In Newfoundland, this is sometimes framed as "baymen vs. townies", or those living in small coastal communities vs those living in big cities. Newfoundland First has hammered on this issue, talking about Londinium as a cesspool of corruption and crime, contrasting it with the virtues of smaller-town life in places like Springdale, Bonavista, and Marystown, while attacking the PJP for underinvesting in these traditional fishing communities. The PP has staked a lot of capital on winning mid-sized central Newfoundland communities like Gander and Great Falls-Windsor. They are also attacking Londinium, but have to be careful, as they also rely on support from the Londinium suburbs, where people have shared in that prosperity. As for the PJP and provincial Premier Pat Andrews, they have long proposed bringing offshore wind to smaller communities, or building better rail connections through the middle of the province so that the inland is more connected to the coasts. However, both of these tend to founder on local opposition. The PJP can't afford to draw 20% of the vote or less anywhere outside of major cities and their suburbs, so their messaging on this issue will be key. To a lesser extent, Labrador vs Newfoundland is also a question of shared prosperity, with the PJP and allies favoring increased spending there, with the PP and allies opposing relatively richer Newfoundland subsidising relatively poorer Labrador.

Another issue for the province is housing. Over the past twenty years, the population has essentially quintupled, both bringing in lots of money to be spent, but placing a strain on local services too. For a while, the growth of housing kept pace with the growth of population, but in recent years, there is a tendency for homeowners to sit on their gains and for developers to prioritise luxury housing over affordable. This has only been exacerbated as the population of Londinium and its suburbs continue to grow. For the PP, a big housing tax credit for developers seems to be the answer, but if it resulted in the kind of growth that advocates say the province needs, it would significantly cut into tax revenue, with no real fiscal solution having yet been proposed. The Libertarians, meanwhile, propose slashing regulations left and right, for big developers as well as already existing homeowners who want to expand and take in renters. They also want to reduce the use of union labor in these projects and avoid mandates for affordable housing, both of which they say drive up costs for projects. On the left, Equality has proposed billions in public housing construction over the next decade, as well as strict rent controls and a tax on second houses or vacant condos/apartments, especially those owned by non-residents. The Stewardship Party wants green housing and for the government to incentivise larger farmers selling portions of their land so that eco-friendly communities can grow up in lower-density areas. For their part, the PJP has also embraced loosening zoning regulations, height restrictions, and helping homeowners made adjustments to their own property. But they also want more spending on public housing, especially near transit, including smaller tax credits for developers in areas close to public transit.

Finally, the use of natural resources has become an issue. The perennial debate is whether or not Newfoundland & Labrador should be more or less aggressive in exploiting proposed oil deposits off the west coast of Newfoundland, with most parties favoring some sort of development, excluding Stewardship and Equality. They tend to favor the expansion of offshore wind and hydroelectric, with better grid infrastructure across the Strait of Belle Isle so that demand can be met on both sides of the province. But this is not the only issue. Fishing has long been a staple of Newfoundland & Labrador communities, but catch quotas and restrictions on the type of fishing that can be done have recently been put into place. The PJP says fishing stocks need time to recover and aquaculture can take over in the meantime, but NF and the PP want to "let 'er rip", with NF proposing exempting any money made from fishing for individuals and small businesses exempt from taxation. The industries of logging and mining are also key to the province. The PP has embraced wood pellets and therefore tree farming as an "eco-friendly" form of energy, but the PJP and Stewardship are skeptical of the real carbon benefits and warn about land use and ecosystem disruption. Meanwhile, mining communities in Labrador have strong union ties and therefore to the PJP, but recent proposals about the environmental impact of mining threaten to push them closer to the PP, who have no such qualms about getting resources out of the ground however they can. Fracking for natural gas is also growing throughout the province, with Stewardship proposals to ban or limit the practice having mostly gone nowhere, but they remain a cudgel for the right and a real possibility if Stewardship can grow their seats or the left wins a larger majority.

Seat projections

PJP - 19
PP - 17
Stewardship - 4
LSP - 4
Newfoundland First - 3
Libertarian - 1
Build Together - 1
Equality - 1

Winners and losers

In this election projection, not that much actually changes, with the PJP and PP largely swapping places. The national mood leans PJP, so they should pick up a seat or two, though hitting 40% as they did in 2015 seems unlikely. The Stewardship Party loses a seat, while the National + Newfoundland Independence merger, Newfoundland First, is projected not to bleed as much support as the Nationals at a nationwide level. Even though they are projected to lose a seat, it should count as a win for them. Also winners are Build Together, a combo of Kenneth Pearson's Build! and the moderate offshoot of the Newfoundland Independence Party, the Newfoundland & Labrador Democrats, as they'll enter the House of Deputies as a centre-right force for the first time. Equality is projected to hang on to its seat, a victory for a party once seen as too far to the left to succeed in a swing province like this. If these results held, a 27-seat centre-left government could be formed, a slight gain for the PJP and allies.

Interesting parties

We do need to talk more about Newfoundland First. NF is a merger of the provincial branch of the National Party and the Newfoundland Independence Party. The Newfoundland Independence Party was a coalition between autonomists and secessionists, as well as between those who wanted to break off Labrador as well or those who preferred to leave Labrador behind. Most of the hard-line nationalists and Labrador leavers have migrated into the new party, and they have adopted the hard-edged messaging of the National Party on immigration and other issues. The party is more laissez-faire on economics, with a message of "lift fishing quotas, stop banning pesticides, make it easier to start a small business". The only area they seem to embrace government intervention is in oil production. There is a lot of rhetoric around the country being ruined by the left, and how the solution is to break off Newfoundland from the rest of the country and run it according to their far-right views. They seem to truly believe they could win an independence referendum, but they are also big proponents of gun rights, which of course worries the establishment when talking about secessionists.

On the other end of things are the Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) Democrats. This is the moderate splinter group from the Newfoundland Independence Party, that promotes increased autonomy and investment in Newfoundland & Labrador, while stopping short of true independence. Some of their proposals include cultural initiatives to support children in both Newfoundland & Labrador learning more about their unique heritage and history, support for fishers and farmers, support for trade schools, and more control at the provincial and local level of money and regulations. They lean right on immigration, but are nowhere close to NF on the issue. One thing to watch for them would be how much First Nations support they could bleed away from the Stewardship Party.

What to watch for

Although the left looks on track to win a majority, all it would take is a few seats in one direction or the other. Say NF convinces a few more working-class voters to abandon the PJP, or suburban dads are spooked about taxes going up to pay for social programs and the PP wins a seat or two more. Suddenly, it looks much more like a deadlock between the two sides, with Build Together being a key swing vote. N&L did send Melody Savoy to the Assembly of Esportiva last year, eventually taking 53% of the final-two vote. On the other hand, maybe Ramsey's antics in the capital become too much to ignore, and the provincial PP suffers for it. Then you might see more like 30 votes for the left, and a mandate for provincial Premier Pat Andrews to act more decisively on some priorities. N&L can be a bellwether for the nation as a whole, so pay close attention to the changes in the tracking polls over the next few weeks.

by **Ranoria** » Sat Jun 25, 2022 3:09 pm

Defense Is For Nerds, Book 3: To Shatter The Ceiling And Shoot For The Stars
(Or Maybe Just A Moonball)

"Who the hell does this kid think he is?" Bertolt Hali, who had only spent about ten minutes practicing before deciding he was taking his third vet day of their three days of practice, scowled as Astor François bounded about with his unique blocking style. Where most players would attempt to get a hand on the ball at the top of the shot, François was blocking low, as they were coming up for it. Easier for him to reach in, and no one expected it.

"I mean not only is he playing defense," Ophelia Carter pinched the bridge of her nose, "He's clearly put a lot of thought and time into figuring out how to do it well. Kid's throwing a wrench into his progression at this age."

"If this keeps up," Hali sighed, "All that potential, that high ceiling, could get thrown out the window because of all this wasted energy." The veteran playmaker (see: Benchwarmer) threw his hands up in the air, "I tried to warn him, but his ego's almost as big as my-"

"I'll talk to him," star shooting guard Reiner Anneliese cut him off before he could finish that sentence, "I'm the most accomplished player here, it'd do him well to hear it from a guy who maybe he looks up to a bit."

François finished a nice windmill dunk to end practice, and poor Dirk Chandler would've been put on a poster if it had been a game situation.

"François," Reiner called out after practice, offering a lazy wave.

"Old news! What's good?" Astor flashed an iconic grin, but Reiner stopped in his tracks, eyes just a bit wide at that one.

"Um, excuse me?" He shot a glance over to Bertolt Hali, wondering what the hell was going on.

"You're excused," Astor conceded, "What's up?"

Reiner studied the young man's unbothered face for a moment, trying to catch any sign of sarcasm, playfulness - no. He was friendly, but he seemed dead serious on what he had said. "Listen kid, you look impressive out there, but you're putting a lot of emphasis on your defense, and that's just not how we operate in this program."

"Lol. Ok boomer," François rolled his eyes, "I get it, you're a little too beat up to go all-out all game. Maybe just take some minutes off so you can play hard on the other side of the ball."

"Would it kill you to show an ounce of respect?" Anneliese pressed, crossing his arms as the young buck grabbed a towel from the bin.

"Probably," Astor shrugged, "Goes against my better nature tbh."

Reiner opened his mouth to say something, but Kaiser Belfort - who had sat on his ass all practice, as was expected, growled, "If you keep speaking in your little text abbreviations, I'm gonna turn your jaw into gravel."

Astor stiffened, his thought-to-be unshakeable confidence wavering for a second, and pointed to Belfort, "You got it big boss, we straight."

Kaiser grunted, threw a ballcap on, and walked out.

"That dude scares me dog."

Reiner - miffed or not - nodded his acknowledgement, "That's why he's here."

After a Playoff Run in IBC 34, More Talent and Loftier Expectations Than Ever For The Snow Bears

After making the playoffs for the first time in IBC 34, the Snow Bears look to build on their recent success

Reiner Anneliese is the established star here. He's one of the better players in Ranorian history, with a pair of MVP awards here at home after he came back from successful run in a foreign league. He nearly led a second-half comeback against Drawkland in IBC 32, and was the centerpiece for a postseason-qualifying squad in IBC 34. Incredible stuff really, he's likely to be in the Ranorian basketball Hall of Fame whenever he decides to hang it up just based on his achievements so far.

Reiner Anneliese is still in the prime of his playing years - he won't be passing the torch to François just yet

That said, he's not the only stud here. At power forward, Julian Viola is a stud, perhaps an all-star tier defender (even if that goes against everything this squad stands for). Daniele Eveline is lethal on the outside as a point guard - she isn't much of a shot creator, but leave her open and there's a good chance you'll pay for it.

That trio was largely the group that dragged this team to the playoffs two years ago, but they have a new addition - Astor François. A Ranoria State Wolfhounds alumn and budding QBO superstar, this kid has more talent in one finger than most players do in their whole body. If you want a guy that just makes it look easy, he's right there. From a unique defensive style that sees him often go to block shots low to his highlight-reel, crowd-pleasing dunks, he's nothing if not electric.

However, that talent seems to have led him to overconfidence - François still makes bone-headed rookie mistakes from time to time, and that's bled into his relationships. Reports would have you believe that the young buck hasn't developed much chemistry with his teammates, and in particular has caused friction between himself and Reiner Anneliese. On offense at least both have a similar style, preferring to drive in and score, but it's off-the-court interactions that have really driven a wedge between them.

In a sport so dependent on team play, we'll see if this has any impact on the season, especially in the most loaded group - and no, it isn't close - in the tournament. Drawkland is ranked 12th in the World and swept us during IBC 32 play - and it wasn't pretty. Despite a heroic attempt at a comeback by Anneliese, the Net Corps was never really in trouble in the second matchup. There's a lot of history between these two nations now in the sporting world. They're one of our biggest rivals on the gridiron on either level, but on the court, well - we're not quite on their level. Literally - most analysts agree skill has nothing to do with it, the Drawkian population is just mostly composed of light poles.

Valanora is pretty much dominant at every sport they partake in, they're the 5th ranked squad in the tournament and frankly, the group is projected to come down to one of those aforementioned juggernauts.

But we can't count out the rest!

South Newlandia's got good athletes - you can look from their recent World Baseball Classic championship (even triumphing over the mighty Kriegiersien, who gave the smackdown to our Krauts) to back-to-back World Bowl playoff appearances and a couple standout NSCF teams. Delaclava...well, they're just flat out better than us. Anyone else remember the "erase the deficit" campaign before their drubbing of us in the IBC 34 playoffs? Yeah, they're a top 10 team that's gonna take any chance they can get to crack down on the Snow Bears after what we did to them in the World Bowl 42 and 43 semifinals. (But it's not our fault that Taurus Wright sucks!) And we can't forget Juvencus, coming in right behind us as the 22nd best team in the world - they're a fast-paced attack that will truly be a test of mettle for our lack of defensive efforts. Southwest Eastnorth rounds up the group as a consistently tough team.

Fortunately, we'll start our campaign off by cutting our teeth on Altmelia, a poor lamb to the slaughter against this otherwise stacked group. Southwest Eastnorth will come in on our second matchday to give us a test.

PS: How could we forget about Kaiser Belfort's signing? The linebacker and Renown Combat star hasn't spoken much to the media, but also hasn't been seen participating in a single practice. Some have speculated that he's here to take out anyone playing dirty - it's a wild accusation, but we'll reserve judgement until we see how this plays out.

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Jun 25, 2022 4:57 pm

Name: TJUN-ia
Trigram: TJU
Demonym: TJUN-ian/Jaguar
Nicknames: Jaguars/Hoops-Jags
Governing Body: Basketball Federation of TJUN-ia (BFT/BF-TJUN-ia) - VP of the IBC (2nd Term)
Home Colours: Sky Blue with Orange Trim
Away Colours: Orange with White Trim
Third Colours: Black with Orange Trim

21-1. Forever the mark of what we lost two years ago. In South Newlandia, Bao Zhou commanded his Dynasty to #OneFinalRide, a run for a #2 as a top seed of the IBC that saw them take down all comers and reach our first-ever Big 5 final. Unfortunately, the fairytale ending never came in Elephant Valley and another rising star, Hannasea, would claim the throne instead. The old guard gave it all but in the end, it just wasn't to be. We became #1 in the rankings...but not #1 in our hearts.

So what now? Well...we play on. The Dynasty has to play on no matter the parts that make it up - and these parts are certainly interesting. Adamo Zamenhofo is the only one from the IBC34 run left in the Starting 5 with some new faces from the bench moving up to create their own memories on this sport: José Antonio Rodríguez at PG, Marco Smith at SF, PF Nikos Papaloukas and C Christian McHere. The bench and reserves both got facelifts too, as reinforcements from the NSCAA add some more youth into the procedure. Now, with 2 groups stages to try and run before we even think about knockouts, the aim is simple: prove that the #1 ranking the old guard left behind is not a fluke at all. Simple as that.

TEAM
Head Coach: Bao Zhou (44 y.o)
Assistant Head Coach: Kim Carterson (33 y.o.)
Assistant Head Coach: Kasper Waterson (40 y.o)

STARTERS
PG: #1 José Antonio Rodríguez (32 y.o.)
SG: #11 Adamo Zamenhofo (29 y.o)
SF: #21 Marco Smith (32 y.o)
PF: #31 Nikos Papaloukas (30 y.o.)
C: #41 Christian McHere (31 y.o)

BENCH
PG: #2 Matvei Dzhanayev (28 y.o./CSU Alum)
PG: #3 Ali Jaffer (22 y.o./AHU Alum)
SG: #12 Peter Klivert (28 y.o./CPortside Alum)
SG: #13 Edmund Williamson (28 y.o./UWWB Alum)
SF: #22 Margaret Kngwarreye (28 y.o./UWWB Alum)
SF: #23 Luis Lianez (28 y.o./UC Alum)
PF: #32 Fanis Papaloukas (30 y.o.)
PF: #33 Mohammad Alawi (22 y.o./AHU Alum)
C: #42 David Alberto (31 y.o.)
C: #43 Pedro Alavez (28 y.o./UP Alum)

RESERVES
PG: #4 Layton Palmer (22 y.o./UCPT Alum)
PG: #5 Gilberto Flores (23 y.o./UC Alum)
PG: #6 Andrade Colón (22 y.o./UP Alum)
SG: #14 Aleksei Zobnin (22 y.o/CSU Alum)
SF: #24 José Turrel (28 y.o./UCPT Alum)
PF: #34 Epili Malolo (22 y.o./UWWB Alum)
PF: #35 Kiana Robles (22 y.o./UC Alum)
C: #44 Chenrop Rueangthanarot (22 y.o./HPU Alum)
C: #45 Jimena Siena (23 y.o/UC Alum)
C: #46 Jucinara Benites (22 y.o./UP Alum)
C: #47 Holden McGriffin (22.y.o./CPortside Alum)

I Give My Opponent Permission To:
=================================
Choose My Scorers: Y
Choose Scoring Events: Y
Godmod Scoring Events: N
RP Injuries to my Players: Y
Godmod Injuries to my Players: N
Godmod Other Events: Y
Give my players fouls: Y
Foul my players out: Y
=================================

SCHEDULE
First Group Stage (Group B - Melody Gardens, Mars, Valentine Z)
MD1: vs Gatchingerrak Union (24)
MD2: vs Valentine Z (15)
MD3: vs Mytanija (9)
MD4: vs Neptunvia (UR)
MD5: vs Sarzonia (29)
MD6: vs Trolleborg (36)
MD7: vs Pemecutan (20)

by **Southwest Eastnorth** » Sun Jun 26, 2022 7:34 am

www.Railphotos.xan - Photo tour!

RAILROAD: SWENRail
LOCOMOTIVE: CONRail LDF-2000
LOCOMOTIVE #: SWRL #2013
LOCATION: Port of Auberlein, Southwest Eastnorth
DATE: July 8th 2044
DESCRIPTION: Boats have long been tied to the nation of Southwest Eastnorth. Here we see a car ferry with imported autos from Xanneria unloading its freight at the port of Auberlein. Meanwhile in front of the boat lies Train CCC-30. CCC-30 is just pulling out of the container port east of here and heading westward to Virginia where many of these containers will be put on trucks and distributed to various companies throughout the central coast area. The Name CCC-30 is an acronym for "Capital - Capital Container Train" referencing the origin of the Old capital in Auberlein and the new capital in Virginia. If you were not aware, Auberlein was the first city and capital of Southwest Eastnorth, but after 20 years the government decided to move the capital to a more centralized location. (Map can be found here

by **Sarzonia** » Sun Jun 26, 2022 11:26 am

The last day of practice at Henry West Centre was uneventful for the players and the assistants.

For Joy Knight? Not so much. She was the first woman to manage the Sarzonian national basketball team and she was facing scrutiny. Perhaps it's not an accurate statement to make that it was because she was the first woman to manage the Stars; rather, she was garnering attention because she was essentially heading into her second tour of duty as Stars manager. She was named interim manager after the botched firing of Thomas Manningham and returned to being an assistant after both he and Mario Bengtsen returned. Now, however, she is managing this Stars team again.

"It's not something I think about," she said of the distinction between being an interim manager and the full-time bench boss for the Stars. "Right now, I'm thinking about making sure the team knows what sets we're running when." She shrugged when she was asked about Incorporated Basketball Federation chairwoman Lynn Trask's decision to lodge a formal protest about the format for the 35th International Basketball Championships.

"It's not going to change the format of this tournament," she said. "I think if the IBF really wanted a different format, they should have proposed one." Knight added that she had far greater concerns with the IBC itself once it tips off at Melody Gardens in Mars, Valentine Z.

"We've got the top ranked basketball team in our group," she said of TJUN-ia. She also acknowledged the Hoops Jaguars might be motivated by THAT GAME even though it involved the two nations' football programmes.

"Every time a Sarzonian team faces the Jaguars regardless of sport, THAT GAME always weighs heavily," Knight said. "You think they aren't thinking about it? It's bad enough we're facing the top-ranked team in this competition, but facing a top-ranked team that's going to have a chip on its shoulder when they face us? Good luck there." Sarzonia will also face ninth ranked Mytanija, 15th ranked Valentine Z as hosts, 20th ranked Pemecutan, No. 24 Gatchingerrak Union and 36th ranked Trolleborg among the ranked sides. Sarzonia bring the 29th rank in the multiverse after being nearly a top-10 side before the team withdrew from the previous edition.

"It's not going to be smooth sailing," top assistant Kyle Trenton said of the group, which also includes unranked Neptunvia. "If we advance to the second group stage, we'll definitely have to earn our trip there."

Shooting guard Mike West said that having his eldest brother Thomas West on the managerial staff would help him both from a basketball sense and in other ways.

"I have good days and bad days when I think about Dad," Mike West said of his late father, longtime Sarzonian national basketball team manager Henry West. "Thomas and I are supporting each other through that." That's, of course on top of Thomas West working with his baby brother on his shooting touch and shot selection.

"He has a good sense for when to shoot and what angles work," Thomas West said of Mike. "There's a reason Mike's been one of our best players, if not our absolute best player since we returned to the IBC. That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, and helping Michael and the rest of the team is part of why I'm here."

by **Delaclava** » Sun Jun 26, 2022 12:52 pm

International Basketball Championship 35
Delaclava Phoenixes

General Information

About Delaclava: The United Republic of Delaclava is a massive democratic republic located in southeast Atlantian Oceania, and consisting of a large mainland with numerous nearby island provinces and overseas territories in the more remote corner of the region. Delaclava is particularly notable for education and scientific development, advancement of culture and music, active lifestyles which see citizens frequently outdoors in public parks and natural forest and mountain areas, and a well-established public transportation system which connects all the diverse major cities and regions of the mainland. Isolation policies have been lifted completely only in the past several years, so modern Delaclava has a larger emphasis on national and regional cultures rather than international and global influences. Citizens have a large degree of personal freedom and expression, but within the framework of traditional social values which reinforce the structures of family and community.

About the program: The Delaclav national team was traditionally a consistent yet unimpressive presence in the early editions of the IBC, recording top-eight finishes at IBC5, IBC7, and IBC9. The Phoenixes also hosted the 7th edition. After returning to international play and putting together respectable qualifying performances in IBC29 and IBC30, the Phoenixes exploded in IBC31, compiling a 14-3 record en route to a silver medal in front of the home crowd, vaulting into the upper echelon of international basketball at a ranking of #4. The Phoenixes have also won a silver and two bronzes in the last three Atlantian Oceania Basketball Championships. After fizzling out of IBC32 and not participating in IBC33, the Phoenixes returned to international basketball in a big way, rolling through the group stage with a 17-1 record and reaching the quarterfinals. This team is undoubtedly in the top tier of the game when it shows up.

About the team: Delaclav teams emphasize pushing the pace at all times - the fast break, ball movement on the perimeter and through the top of the paint, finding shots early in the clock, and a full-court press on defense. Players are expected to give their maximum effort at all times - if they need a break, they will get subbed out for a few minutes until they are ready to push again. Despite the inclination towards speed and urgency, the tactics are patient enough that a fast break will not start without having properly secured the ball.

When the three-point shooters are finding their stroke, this results in high-scoring affairs. Often, it instead means the Phoenixes have trouble with their accuracy from the field and fall behind early. Their strength therefore lies in continuing to push the pace and wear down the opposition so that they can find layups and easier shots in the transition as the game goes on. At its worst, the team will have a tendency to lose composure against superior opposition, such that entire games simply get away from them. However, the IBC34 Phoenixes showed a remarkable ability to play its best basketball in the final few minutes, either to come back or to hang onto leads.

This version of the team is rather atypical, with far more size than in program tradition. The team is led again by Djordje Zubić, a versatile power forward with triple-double capabilities, and an embarrassment of riches at center with fearless bruiser with a feather touch Przmeysław Derda, mobile full-court threat Alex Lehtola, and the fluid postmaster Maxime St-Hilaire. Don't be surprised to see two or even three of them in the game at once. While veterans Pekko Ranta and Rick Jones lack the form for selection, Sifiso Ntenga will split point duties with Simon Rybakov while sharpshooters Conor Fernandez and Julius Graber round out the starting lineup.

Trigram: DEL
Denomym: Delaclav
Home Colors: Red with gold trim and white numbers
Road Colors: White with red and gold trim and red numbers
Special Edition Knockout Jerseys: Black with rainbow gradient patterns and rainbow numbers

Roster

Coach: Jim Levins, St. James University
Assistant Coach: Kent Kerner, BC Athens
Assistant Coach: Adam Fisher, St. James University

#	Pos	Name	        Age	Height	Weight	Current Team
5	G/F	Sifiso Ntenga	26	6'4"	175	Saugenay Orions (QUE)
20	SF	Conor Fernandez	25	6'3"	185	Gifford Jets
21	PF	Đorđe Zubić	32	6'9"	250	BC Athens
32	SG	Julius Graber	26	6'3"	190	Irisbenis Hurricanes
51	C	Przemysław Derda25	7'1"	245	Irisbenis Hurricanes

1	G/F	Jay Francis	26	6'6"	215	BC Athens
2	PF	Antonin Hitzig	26	6'7"	215	Tirana Tempest
4	SG	Alarig Gouyet	24	6'3"	195	Quinniville Wildcats
12	PG	Simon Rybakov	28	6'0"	170	Manchester Lions
14	C	Alex Lehtola	26	6'10"	225	Gifford Jets
22	PF	Adan Flores	24	6'5"	200	Beliri Redbirds
23	SG	Fabian Breunig	27	6'2"	180	Gifford Jets
35	C	Maxime St-Hilaire27	7'0"	235	Sardo Storm

High scorers, in order: Zubić, Derda, Fernandez, Ntenga, Graber, St-Hilaire
High rebounders: Derda, Zubić, St-Hilaire, Ntenga, Lehtola
High assists: Ntenga, Zubić, Rybakov, Gouyet, Graber
Most frequent substitutes: St-Hilaire, Gouyet, Rybakov, Lehtola

RP permissions: Go nuts.

by **Trolleborg** » Sun Jun 26, 2022 4:26 pm

Greetings, compatriots!
It’s TTV – right now from Trolleborg, because we decide not to hurry with moving into place where world basketball championship will be played. Our crew is slightly worried about how broadcasting will be held in such a conditions. Rumour circulated, that our basketball association, after receiving information about the location of the group stage, at first thought that there was some kind of mistake, since the text consisted of information about the exploration and colonisation of the some nearby planet. Fortunately, the responsible persons had the composure to read the communique to the end, but what they (and us) read was so strange that we decided not to take risks and go on the air from our own airport before the boarding flight.

After rather promising 33rd edition of World Cup, Trolleborg national team skip next one due to the considerations of political nature and right now find themselves on the lowest levels of ranking table – and most probably, in these circumstances this mean to put our team into the outsiders pool nothwithstanding any your efforts. But host of previous edition is of such nature, that we in any case will not progress in the ranks at all, so, probably, we lost not so much.

Again basketball fans voted to trust our team to the national leader. Despite his mighty efforts to turn tide around, he don’t succeed too much in two world cups he rule team, but can boast to have parity in the ratio of victories and loses – ten games he won and ten lose. Albeit it must be noted, that he won games against such heavyweights like Graentfjall, and, in 33rd edition, Hannasea, which won whole thing. But his recent hockey successes, of course, give some hope to the fans. As we proudly remember, team under his guidance fight all the way to the quarterfinals, won in one tournament as many games as team in the all previous editions of WcoH, and lost only to the winner and silver medalist of the World Cup. However, it was obvious, that such a things probably will not taken place on a regular basis, especially when you’re seventh seed in group of eight teams and while taking into account recent tendencies of how things are happen in World Basketball. National leader decide to tell Trolleborgians, that he (on the contrary to popular belief) was not a wizard, and even if he was, probably situation is not conductive to his magic.

Our crew can add only jokes about his “small forwards” of the new lineup – probably, national leader missed or misinterpreted “SF”, because he take a rather big and strong players on this position. We also expresses our good feelings with Vladimir Finn, who, by the will of the citizens, is involved in such activities that both strange and new for him. It’s scary to imagine what will happen, if in addition to the hockey and basketball responsibilites he have another one – if, for example, redoubtable Morten Troghil will going to resign from the post of head coach of the football team, which he has been talking about for the third year in row. Let's hope that our athletes will finally learn of how to take a hit properly, handle it and get out of difficult situations with honor and without the direct guidance of our national leader. He have a much more important things to care about.

by **Xanneria** » Sun Jun 26, 2022 11:11 pm

www.Railphotos.xan - Photo tour!

RAILROAD: AmberRail
LOCOMOTIVE: PEW M1250
LOCOMOTIVE #: AMB #262
LOCATION: Amber, Xanneria
DATE: September 29th 1984
DESCRIPTION: This picture was taken a mere 11 years after the Millennial Lode was discovered, trains are already shipping large quantities of Iron Ore onto ships in the formerly sleepy fishing town of Amber, in the Roberval province. Though the fact this is in 1984 suggests its likely being shipped south to Delano City or maybe Bakerport or Lundgren in the Central Coast, as 1984 was in the middle of the "Isolationist Period" after all. AmberRail itself was a division of Amber Mining Incorporated, a relatively new mining company formed to take advantage of the Millennial Lode. The Millennial Lode was the name given to a large dispatch of Iron and Bauxite found through out southern and central Roberval Province and named as such for the fact scientist estimate it may take over 1,000 years to completely mine it out. AmberRail would later become the railroad known as Roberval Standard Freight Lines when Amber Mining was eventually bought out by Esportiva Bauxite and Iron Co.

by **Mytanija** » Mon Jun 27, 2022 2:23 pm

MYTANIJA SQUAD FOR INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 35

Sergej Mitrovic has named the Mytanija squad for the 35th International Basketball Championship. In the previous edition of the tournament he managed to coach the national team to their best ever finish in the tournament, reaching the quarter finals before Quebec and Shingoryeo sent the team home, but perhaps most importantly to the MKA this was Mitrovic’s first tournament and he had managed to take the team further than Mirko Lazetic had managed in three attempts. The sporting rivalry against the Quebecois is beginning to transcend sports but this was not as even an encounter as we have seen on the football pitch or the volleyball court, Quebec were better throughout and won comfortably, a 70-54 score demonstrating the gulf in class between the two teams.

As always any Mytanar success in basketball would be something of a triumph against adversity given that the MKA have to fight tooth and nail for every corun of funding they receive, Mytanija’s two main team sports – football and volleyball – tend to hog the vast majority of central government and industrial sponsorship. Having said that basketball remains immensely popular recreationally, particularly in inner city areas of the country, and the national team appears to be improving steadily despite the lack of investment. There was a belief that the team could be something of a dark horse at the previous IBC and this feeling remains around the camp for IBC 35.

The team has been defined by the domestic rivalry between its two major stars, Zelimir Ateljevic and Evgeny Fomin, which could be mistaken for an unhappy camp but the two great rivals get on extremely well when they compete on the same team. That is despite a background in which Ateljevic had extended his head-to-head record in MKA Liga Championship games to 2-0 over Fomin; a record which has now been equalised after back-to-back championship-winning seasons for Fomin’s BK Magevskaya, with both finals victories coming against Ateljevic’s Košarka Esca. Both teams tend to send at least three players to the national team due to their strength and that continues this time around.

Sergej Mitrovic got off to a good start at IBC 34 and he will be expectd to continue in that vein. He shook up the team selection last time and whilst there aren’t quite as many changes he continues to cast his net wide for talent, looking beyond the traditionally strong teams for players and taking some from teams who tend not to get much further than the First Round of the MKA Liga play-offs. That includes those from the domestic team which he coaches, Padina, with another selection for the talented Nebojsa Mijatovic, as well as a surprise call-up for 18 year old power forward Jaksa Ivovic, who is being hyped up as one of the next big things to come out of Mytanar hoops. There are first time call-ups for KK Rauchnya point guard Jasmin Osredkar – described as the heir to Albin Jausovec, high praise indeed – and Mytanar-Ketioulais centre Mislav Komusar, the first black player to play basketball for Mytanija.

Juraj Stanorec has also been promoted to the starting five given his fantastic form for KK Miago domestically, he replaces Zivota Obradovic who drops down to the second-string. Stanorec’s play has also been rewarded with a move to BK Magevskaya in the off-season, a very aggressive move from them but one which could allow Stanorec to compete for a title in the very near future given BK Magevskaya’s dominance in the past two years.

In general Mytanar basketball is characterised by finesse and skilful play with passing and sharing the ball being crucial to the way teams play. Even bigs will boast the ability to make difficult passes and make solid reads; court intelligence is one of the most highly regarded skills in the Mytanar game. Generally there are not specific players that dominate the points per game statistic. It is arguably more of a team-oriented style and players will also change position and can be tasked with taking on multiple roles in a game. Ateljevic is part of a slightly shifting culture in recent years to a more all-action athletic style, where players are expected to beat opponents in isolation plays rather than through the team's intelligent ball movement. It is expected that that is the way the Mytanar game is headed, although most domestic coaches are quite stubborn in trying to instil what they see as the ‘Mytanar way’.

##  Pos.  Name                    Age  Ht.  Wt.  Club              
00  PG    Damian Tsitnikov        32   189  86   BK Magevskaya
01  SG    Juraj Stanorec          26   195  86   BK Magevskaya
02  SF/W  Zelimir Ateljevic       33   194  94   Košarka Esca
03  PF    Mario Djokanovic        31   211  111  Atletik Thessia
04  C     Evgeny Fomin            35   213  115  BK Magevskaya
05  PG    Predimir Borisavljevic  26   190  85   Litala ’93
06  SG    Zivota Obradovic        31   193  87   Košarka Esca
07  SF    Nebojsa Mijatovic       26   197  92   Padina Zolota
08  PF/C  Tose Lekov              31   213  114  Košarka Esca
09  C     Ahmed Nuhanovic         26   217  107  Atletik Thessia
10  PG    Jasmin Osredkar         24   193  86   KK Rauchnya
11  SG    Duro Papac              26   195  90   Torpedo Vershina
12  SF    Zhenya Razuvayev        34   201  102  BK Magevskaya
13  PF    Jaksa Ivovic            18   212  105  Padina Zolota
14  C     Mislav Komusar          24   212  110  KK Miago

Coach: Sergej Mitrovic
Note: heights are in centimetres and weights are in kilograms

Most likely to...
SCORE: Ateljevic - Fomin - Stanorec - Obradovic
ASSIST: Fomin - Tsitnikov - Djokanovic - Ateljevic
REBOUND: Fomin - Ateljevic - Djokanovic - Lekov
STEAL: Ateljevic - Stanorec - Obradovic - Borisavljevic
BLOCK: Fomin - Djokanovic - Lekov - Nuhanovic
FOUL: Tsitnikov - Mijatovic - Fomin - Obradovic

Kits...
HOME: JERSEY - WHITE WITH TWO GREEN HOOPS; SHORTS - WHITE WITH GREEN TRIM
AWAY: JERSEY/SHORTS - ALL CHARCOAL WITH GREEN, WHITE AND ORANGE TRIM

RP PERMISSIONS
If my opponent role-plays first they may:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y, I shall determine severity
Godmod injuries to my players: N
RP penalties for my players: Y
RP ejections for my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y

by **South Newlandia** » Mon Jun 27, 2022 2:42 pm

South Newlandia is known as a country that rarely fires their coaches. As such, some Elephants’ coaches have stuck around for a lot of games. Recently, the Elephant Valley Sports Mail organised a vote where people could vote on who they think is the most successful current Elephants coach. The results were not exactly shocking, but they still want to announce them with a grand flourish. You have been chosen as the one to go on stage to announce the results, featuring the names of the coaches, their country of birth (interestingly, no current Elephants coach was born in South Newlandia), as well as their respective sports, ages, and tenure in high-profile international games coached.
Unfortunately, you are a small elephant. When you were told the information earlier, you were distracted watching a small bug crawl around on the window, but thanks to your excellent elephant memory, you can still remember a bunch of little bits here and there. Can you piece together everything before you have to go out on stage?

1) The coach from Quebec and Shingoryeo is the one with the shortest tenure, having coached 18 international games.
2) The coach that has just 30 games under their belt placed right next to the coach that is 55 years old in the vote.
3) The Drawkian coach is 58 years old.
4) One of the coaches is Sarang Oli of The Sherpa Empire.
5) The 52-year old coach placed right next to the most tenured coach in voting, the latter having coached 117 international games.
6) The South Newlandian basketball coach is 41.
7) A Super-Llamanean was voted to be the most successful current South Newlandian coach.
8) It is well known that the South Newlandian football team has a Zwangzugian coach.
9) Robert Victorino is a gridiron coach, having played as a professional gridballer himself.
10) The youth-baseball coach (which is different to the baseball coach - confusing!) of South Newlandia was voted third-most successful South Newlandian coach.
11) Sofia Rasmussen is 55 years old.
12) The Super-Llamanean coach placed right next to Dale-Hartfold Phelps in the vote.
13) Robert Victorino clocked in just a single place ahead of Florence-Anne Raabe in the results.
14) The 52-year old coach placed right next to the baseball coach (not the youth baseball one, the other one) in voting.
15) The oldest coach, at 66, has coached 55 international games.
16) One of the coaches has a tenure of 40 games.

by **Graintfjall** » Mon Jun 27, 2022 4:07 pm

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

Head coach: Aðólf Ingibertsson
Assistant coaches: Theo Simonsson, Jesper Sesilsson
Conditioning trainer: Apríl Tótadóttir

№	Name				Pos.	Height	Club
4	Robert Denisson			C	2.13 m	 Southern Black Goats
5	Tjörfi Ásason			PG	1.97 m	 New Háttmark Blizzards
6	Galti Fossmarsson		SG	1.98 m	 Odinsfluss Voyageurs
7	Oluwatobi Adedayosson‡		SF	2.01 m	 Southern Black Goats
8	Benjamin Iirosson (c)		C	2.13 m	 Árberg Ice-Pandas
9	Erlendur Böðvarsson		SG/PG	1.97 m	 Kyrkdorf Tungsten Miners
10	Nathan Einarsson		PF/SF	2.05 m	 Árberg Ice-Pandas
11	Þorkell Herfinnursson		PG	1.90 m	 Hinteram Ghouls
12	Farkhad Zhunusson* 		PF	2.07 m	 Kyrkdorf Tungsten Miners
11	Steinarr Jónsteinsson		PF	2.10 m	 Western Rifles
14	Jari Jukkasson			SG	1.93 m	 Odinsfluss Voyageurs
15	Zalimkhan Abdullasson Hussain†	SF/PF	2.03 m	 Hinteram Ghouls

* Referred to in Græntfjaller media as Farkhad Zhunusov.
† Referred to in Græntfjaller media as Hussain Abdulla.
‡ Referred to in Græntfjaller media as Oli Afolabi.

The first generation of Super Wolves has now all but aged out: with the departures of Tom Farmansson and Hilmar Eldgrimsson, only Benjamin Iirosson (who began as a teenager) remains. Despite the evolution of the playing roster, the playing style shows less change, and though this team has more ethnic diversity than the painfully white teams of old, on the court they still tend to rely on size and strength over playing skill. The three-point game is reasonably well established but few Græntfjaller bigs have a true stretch game.

In the backcourt, with Farmansson gone, there's something of a flux. Þorkell Herfinnursson and Jari Jukkasson offer a far more explosive offensive pairing, with “Chuckasson” coming off a scoring title. The trouble is keeping them both on the court given their defensive woes. That means Tjörfi Ásason may have a chance to establish himself at the point: more of a slasher but a defensive presence, while Galti Fossmarsson, more rounded while not quite such a potent distance shooter, may also see reasonable amounts of playing time. Erlendur Böðvarsson is mainly a spot-up specialist on the wing another distance shooter, albeit with anything like Jari’s consistency.

Hussain Abdulla established himself as the team's most dependable scorer last IBC. Oli Afolabi can guard 1-5 and has earned the nickname "Oli the Octopus" for his long arms grabbing steals and swatting blocks, but he's much more limited on offense, so remains more of a high-energy impact sub. Lots of different play styles are listed at power forward, from wing shooter Nathan Einarsson, to Farkhad Zhunusov who is a good defender and rebounder but vulnerable to foul-a-Farkhad tactics with his barely 60% free throw shooting, to Steinarr Jónsteinsson, one half of the Western Rifles' feared Two Towers offense.

Benjamin Iirosson remains the standout player and the only guaranteed starter. A powerful presence at both ends, he’s a multiple defensive PoY and one-time MVP in the Græntfjaller Basketball Championship. He’s certainly no outside threat but can get to the rim and finish at will. Robert Denisson should get intimately acquainted with the bench.

Code: Select all: If my opponent RPs first, they may: Choose my lineup: Y Choose my scorers: Y Choose other statistics (e.g. rebounds, assists) for my players: Y RP injuries to my players: Y 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 egregious violence without asking. Open to any IC collaboration, just ask.

by **Delaclava** » Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:11 pm

Double Dwibble
uwu

Double group stage a welcome callback to better times
Also, 'member when our groupmates made a fuckton of excuses for losing? Pepperidge Farms remembers

The double group stage is the superior format for the International Basketball Championship. It allows the competition to quickly separate the wheat from the chaff (and in this competition, there's a lot of chaff) and get the best teams playing each other. One loss against a very good team isn't the end of the road, and consistency wins championships. And it's backed by tradition, to the point where we all came back to the scene and wondered where the hell it had gone? And how soon could we bring it back?

Well, thank all the Smurf gods for the Quebec and Shingoryeo, the regionally ambiguous nation and soon-to-be Olympic co-hosts, who learned from our wisdom and have instituted the double group stage format for the first time since the Delaclava IBC. Better yet, they learned from our mistakes of a longer first group stage, getting down to business right away. And the "host city" approach of each group is a nice little touch.

And that means that we're headed to one such host city - ours being Drawk City, Drawkland. We do hear Sonnel is a nice place to be this time of year, and who knows, we may end up setting up shop there. Enough talking nice, though, we'll come back to them. And there's another reason we're so happy about this format coming back.

Who'll we play there... in reverse rank order:

- Altmelia: Barely know her.

- South Newlandia: The hosts emeritus. Our athletes have made a lot of trips there and have always brought rave reviews. It's a lovely nation. They are not good at basketball.

- Southwest Eastnorth: We got back to IBC29 and immediately were able to take care of business against them. These teams have only gone opposite directions since.

- Juvencus: A tough Sonnelian team who plays a very similar style to us and is always game. We'll mind our P's and Q's, but I imagine that's all we'll need to do.

- Ranoria: A fine team. Truly, a fine, fine team.

Alright, now the whole reason I've wanted to write this article, because the other top teams in this group are Drawkland and Valanora.

Yes, the same Drawkland and Valanora who crashed out of the second and actually important group stage when they came to our turf. The same Drawkland who talked shit about home cooking. Nah, that's just espresso you smell, that and you getting your ass handed to you by Qasden. The same Valanora who'd have you believe that the second group stage was actually fake and shouldn't count for rankings. Nah, it was very real. We all saw it. You're responsible for all the games you win and lose, and boy did you lose some.

The Phoenixes win clutch games. That's why they always leave AOBC with a medal, why they sprung a runner-up finish at home, why teams like Banija are never safe against us. So, let's all get to that second group stage in Twin Cities, no home advantage for any of us, and we'll see how bloody real that group stage is.

*exhales*

Now for the fun stuff. This team is disgusting. Đorđe Zubić still lays a reasonable claim to the best player in the world. And Przemysław Derda may show you that Zubić isn't even the best player on this team. Derda is taller, faster, and even a better shooter, and when he toughens up, he's going to be a special player. Sifiso Ntenga will have full control over the offense at point and it's the kind of leadership opportunity he's been looking for. With the exception of the 32-year-old Zubić - who's only getting better - this whole team is between 24 and 27. They're old enough to be very good and young enough to get even better. If they can stay healthy and stay away from Kaiser Belfort (or any Ranorian footballer, really), the sky is the limit.

Buckle up, it's going to be a good one.

by **Valanora** » Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:23 pm

For lovers of the potential for chaos and madness, then Group E of the upcoming IBC is going to be exactly what you want to keep your eyes peeled to. With three teams in the top twelve of the rankings, including the hosts of the group in Drawkland, it is a very top heavy group that could see a lot of madness unfold with the single round robin style. Drawkland gets the advantage of playing games in front of their home fans despite being essentially a three seed in the group, giving them a huge step up on the rest of the competition here in the first group stage of this awkwardly constructed tournament. It is not a format that many back in the Empire will be very fond, having been victims of a rather poor showing in a similar format not that long ago when Delaclava chose to use the format, being on the wrong end of multiple upsets in both the first and second group stages, ultimately missing out on the knockout stages of the tournament in that edition despite a very lofty ranking coming into the tournament. It is a fate that the Dragons will be looking to avoid in this rendition of the format.

Speaking of Delaclava, they are the third team of the three in the top twelve of the rankings in the group, joining the Dragons and Drawkland with their number ten ranking. When they were the hosts of the tournament, they were able to get the better of the Dragons then, but have slipped off a little in the time since then while the team from the Empire has maintained what has seemed to be the eternal spot at fifth in the rankings. It is something of a joke now, that the team will continue to be the best of the rest, just outside the elite of the sport but clearly a cut above most of those who take part in the tournament. It is a similar feeling that is shared with the universities that participate in the NSCAA, though University of Hondo has done quite a bit in the last two editions of that tournament to try and adjust that view, including winning the entire thing two editions past. Yet when it comes to the sport and Vanorians, we are on the outside of the elite looking in, seemingly always the bridesmaid and never the bride. It is a tradition that this team would like to try and end, for the better.

It is not going to be easy, given the format of the tournament, the top heaviness of the group, and not to mention then having the twenty-first and twenty-second ranked teams in the group in the form of Ranoria and Juvencus. South Newlandia and Southwest Eastnorth are not going to be your typical six and seven seeds either, make no mistake about it, the Dragons have indeed found themselves in what on paper looks to be the proverbial group of death. Only unranked Altmelia looks like a team who on paper should be a guaranteed victory for the Dragons, despite coming into the tournament with that top five ranking and having seen the EBA continue to make strides in the IUBC as one of the best domestic leagues in the world. That power was built on geographical luck, with Banija and Equestria being neighbors and also being some of the best nations in the world when it comes to the sport, their national team players flocking to the EBA to compete at the highest level. In the case of Equestria, their own domestic league becoming a dominant player in the IUBC as well, but both have shrunk away leaving the Empire alone in a vacuum and wondering if their players are good enough to finally compete for a title in the IBC and to stand on their own in the IUBC.

To try and give the side the best chance at doing well in this tournament, August Andreasson has made the decision to start three players from the same domestic league club to try and keep the chemistry flowing. The Dragons' flaws in previous tournaments has been sudden and uncharacteristically poor shooting nights from a squad that was unable to play the inside game. While being undersized will always be an uniquely Vanorian problem when compared to her peers, playing these three club teammates as starters should in theory limit those poor shooting nights as they look for the better option than forcing up the shot. Whether this theory holds true in practice could decide just how fortuitous that the Dragons will be in this tournament, especially with the format employed. As if the deck was not already stacked quite difficult for the Dragons, they get to open the group up against the hosts of the group themselves, facing Drawkland in their own stadium. While all games are going to be a huge occasion with all that is on the line, the opening game will put one of the three group favorites in pole position and see the other already on the backfoot, a place the Dragons do not wish to be.

by **Hannasea** » Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:37 pm

Hannasea, generally referred to as the Hannasean Federation or sometimes the Guild Federation, is a small country in Esportiva. Their team are inexplicably world champions and two-time IBC finalists in a sport that isn't the first, second, or even sixth most popular in the nation. How!?!?

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.

But regardless, the Sardines are back, and ready to prove their win was no fluke.

Coach: Markus Volgelstein, former coach of Richardson University in Ranoria, has the mixed blessings of being Hannasea's first international coach and inheriting a defend world champion side. A nominal 3-IBC deal may not be worth the paper it was written on if there aren't good results from the outset. He faces an immediate challenge: just four of the Sardines who won the title two years ago are back, through a mixture of retirements, injuries, and losses of form.

Roster

5. Késhaun Cunningham (PG, 6’4”, Greenville United)
With nice handles for a player of his size, Cunningham is a left-handed point guard who can be difficult for the opposition to defend. He’s a great passer but struggles to impact the game on defence and can be turnover prone.

13. Ryder Hansen (SG, 6’4”, Oak Park Blue Bees)
Debutant. Hansen plays on the same Blue Bees as Tom Powell and is regarded as an excellent three-point shooter, who also made his first 30 free throws in a row on joining the HBA. Shooting for both accuracy and volume, the knock is his defense.
7. Marco Rubio (SG, 6’5”, Pintook Monsters)
Debutant. Developed a reputation for clutch shots, though has be tested in the higher stakes of international play. Reliable shooter and excellent defensive hustle for his size. At 32 he's old to be making his IBC debut and is probably one-and-done but could make his leadership count.
12. Alex Green (SG, 6’5”, Butterfly City Crazy Hippos)
A speedy natural scorer with a beautiful stroke, Green is a potential star. His relatively slight frame and willingness to settle for jump shots detract from his explosive speed and prevent him going to the line as much as he should. Fast hands at grabbing steals but his wingspan is quite short which inhibits his defensive potential.
4. Wyatt May (SG/PG, 6’2”, Coral Coast Dolphins)
Debutant. Somewhat surprising owner of the HBA single game scoring record, but in general May doesn't hit his shots at a high enough percentage to make up for the fact that he doesn't really offer anything else.

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, particularly on defence. He’s been the face of the Hannasean team in international play to date and also stands out, in a team full of “surprisingly athletic” (white) guys, for being one of just two – now up to four this edition – men of colour. Off the court, his relationship with the leader of a far-right party has attracted concern, attention, and lots and lots of photographs.
6. Brandon Robertson (SF/PF, 6’7”, Silver Mountain Supernova)
Debutant. A three-point specialist who has battled a few injury problems but when fit is one of the HBA's best shooters. Initially hyped as a main scoring talent he was regarded as something of a bust, but has carved out a nice niche as a sixth man.
10. Jacaubré Howard (SF, 6’8”, Hillmouth Buxx)
Debutant. An athletic and versatile wing who offers a bit of everything, but not a number one offensive threat for the Buxx. Happier hitting the boards or picking up tough defensive assignments than being a main scoring option, and can pass well enough to keep the heat off his iffy three-point shot.

8. Jean-Luc Kaplan (PF/C, 6’10”, Upper Niedewe Jackals)
Debutant. A young prospect who's already holding down a 20/10 average and throwing in better than a block a game. Like most Hannasean PFs Kaplan isn't a true stretch four, but he has a decent midrange shot and seems to be working on developing as an outside threat.
15. Jawntré Glover (PF/C, 6’9”, Coral Coast Dolphins)
Glover played the last IBC at C but is a better fit at PF given his size, where he can make his impact felt as a super high-energy rebounding machine and a quality defender. Offensively he’s only really good for dunks and putbacks and isn’t a great free throw shooter.

14. Justin Griffin (C, 6’11”, Hillmouth Buxx)
Debutant. A dominant scorer and rebounder, Griffin is coming off one of the greatest rookie seasons in HBA history. ...meaning he's still little more than a rookie. A classic center with no real outside game, but no weaknesses in the paint, either.
11. John Bell (C/PF, 7’1”, Butterfly City Crazy Hippos)
Debutant. Bell's long arms have made him one of the prodigious shot blockers in the HBA, but he's quite thin which limits his effectiveness in the paint and he's never been aggressive enough against the leading centers. With Jacques Brazier he formed the best defensive frontcourt in the nation, but without him how will he fare?
iting teams will be offered at the nearby Guild of Mercers, one of the oldest and most prestigious Guilds that rule the Federation.

Uniforms

The Sardines 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 lineup: Y Choose my scorers: Y Choose other statistics (e.g. rebounds, assists) for my players: Y RP injuries to my players: Y Godmode sporting events: Y Godmode injuries: N Godmode other events: Y

If you want to sign a player for an IUBC-eligible team, send a TG/DM.

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

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:03 pm

The 2054-55 QBL and QWBL season comes handy when reading this RP, as well as past seasons of QBL and QWBL, all available on my newswire.

Quebec and Shingoryeo Men's and Women's National Basketball Teams - IBC 35

The Basketball Quebec, in continuation of its practice also shared by Royal Quebecois Volleyball Federation (RQVF) and Royal Quebecois Football Association (RQFA), is proud to continue its practice of sending mixed teams with expanded rosters to international competitions, even as the QBL and the QWBL gender-separated. In regards to their opponents' preferences to play the men, women or mixed teams, will remain flexible in advanced consultation with their opponents (OOC: please read my team information right below).

Team Jerseys - Designed by Spear (Lisander)

Quebecois Basketball In Nutshell

Considered to be one of the 'Big 3' of indoor sports played in Quebecois winters (Basketball, Hockey and Volleyball, while Handball are summer sport here), basketball is an extremely popular, well-loved sport in Quebec. With massive attention given to both teams, and all levels of basketball being watched from high school to international stage, the Quebecois are expected to bring the fire and fury to their cheering and jeering game.

After looking at the roster, you may have noticed that the Quebecois national teams are...slightly bigger than usual, with Quebecois women being taller than average and men shorter, even though neither are really Drawkians to start with. There is nothing to deny about how the talent disparity exists between the Quebecois women, one of the best (if not the best) program in Multiverse right now, and the men, who would be at their best in top 15, and that's the way of life.

That said, for where they lack in particular height, the Grim Reapers make up for it with tactical versatility, power and strength, and not to mention their ability to maximise rotations. The previously-mentioned disparity of talent between the Quebecois men and the women, as well as the international basketball scene's tendency to have predominant number of national teams be mostly male, had influenced the Quebecois brand of double-squading their tournaments with 12 players selected from the 30-player preliminary list to represent Quebec every international window. This is particularly evident in the group stage, where the Quebecois have almost always experimented with any format, and often key starters are rested whenever possible. Once the Quebecois national team enters the elimination round (or in the case of IBC 31, second group stage), the rotation tends to shrink to around 11 or 12.

For this cycle of the international basketball tournaments, the Basketball Quebec have chosen to two-track their approach, especially with the Imperial Sporting Council's decision to limit basketball and volleyball rosters' to U23 national team with either two (volleyball) or three (basketball) wildcards during the 2056 Games of the Summer Olympiad XVI to be held in Twin Cities and Prescott.

For this edition of Grim Reapers, this had meant that the members, while mostly coming from the past IBC squads, have slight variance from the last cycles, in a similar matter to how the Drawkian International Sporting Council (DISC) has been doing for a while. While vast majority of the team have stayed the same, the slight difference in personnels and starting lineups for the Quebecois men and the women should provide this team enough of a challenge that Basketball Quebec hope to respond well.

Please see here for domestic-international calendar.

Quebecois Men's Team

Yes, the Quebecois men suck at basketball. Even in their best days (IBC 18-21) they were at best a top 15 program, and now this men's program is located in the twenties that have lot more to improve upon. Fortunately, they have been getting better at developing talent, and the potential of the men's team continues to be highly rated with the Grim Reapers men competing well in the previous IBC cycle where they 1) played the three-time defending champions to a last-minute thriller on the Quebec-Banija SuperSeries, 2) swept group winners Equestria, and 3) played the second-ranked TJUN-ia to brink, even if they may have fallen short on the second round. So perhaps the talent trajectory's looking up for once.

This Quebecois team, of course, is undersized and needs greater attention to detail. Unlike the Quebecois women, who have shifted towards defence, teamwork and of course the emphasis on physicality, the Quebecois men have continued to define themselves with the flashy, athletic style they have come to make themselves known over the past hundred years of basketball. This, just following the trends of the international basketball, mean that they will be able to conjure up any difficult pass, shoot from halfcourt, or profit off fastbreaks, but they may fall short on rebounds, make occasional errors, and not to mention hold onto ball for too long. The Quebecois national team coaching staff, with the improvement of the junior and youth national team programs, hopes this trend will reverse for the better, but the progress is slow and painful for all.

Position          Team/Program        STATUS  Name                     Age Affiliation
Program Director  Men                 RETAIN  Henry Dunnan-Sung         55 Basketball Quebec (BQ)
Head Coach        Senior-M               NEW  Mirko Lazetic            N/A Basketball Quebec (BQ)
Associate Coach   Senior-M            RETAIN  Kiggwe Muhumuza           55 Basketball Quebec (BQ)
Assistant Coach   Senior-M               NEW  Vahid Bratusa             60 Kingston Raptors (QBL)
Assistant Coach   Senior-M               NEW  Sasha Sakhanovich         44 University College Winnipeg (QIS)
Doctor            Men's Program       RETAIN  Robert Thormeyer-Shin     51 Nunavut North Stars (QBL)

#   PO  Name           Surname        Ages.   Ht.  Team
01  PG  Se-Woong       Bahng            28   1.93 Twin Cities Celtics
03   C  Seung-Hoon     Noh              30   2.09 CSKA Quebec
04  SF  Fabien         Grossinger-Bonga 21*  2.04 Goose Bay Mavericks
05  SG  Allende        Hong             23   1.80 Twin Cities Celtics
07  PG  Soo-Ho         Park             24   1.89 Wansan Sparta
08  PF  Moustapha      Niang            27   2.11 California City Lakers
10   C  Austin         Muhumuza         24*  2.10 St. John's Arsenal
11   F  Byeong-Geun    Cha              26   2.01 Sudbury Moose
12 F/G  Normand        Fichaud          26   1.98 Twin Cities Celtics
13  SG  Seung-Hyeon    Jeong            25   1.80 Kingston Raptors
14   G  Franck         Briere-Bourque   32   1.81 California City Lakers
18  SF  Mathieu-Abel   Park             28   2.05 Montreal Koreana
24 F/C  Sang-Gook      Uhm              24*  2.08 Goose Bay Mavericks

Quebecois Women's Team

The different story, however, can be said towards the Quebecois women, as arguably one of top 2-3 (if not the number one) women's basketball program in the Multiverse once again return to headline the roster. It was just three years ago when the Under-25 national team made it all the way to the final before losing to San Ortelio on a 37-point finish by upcoming QWBL MVP Xenia Dall'Antonia, and strong IBC 33 performance by the Quebecois national team, where they registered a pair of major wins over other top 10 nations, were partly thanks to how on-form this talent may be in providing the Grim Reapers what they need, to make up for the men's team's deficiencies.

Over the course of past fifty years, the Quebecois women's basketball has transformed style wise, as what used to be a primarily undersized, run-and-gun and finesse-driven Team Quebec (OOC: up to IBC 18-20, let's say, and I do have a fair bit of retcon to there) transformed into one with particular advantage on height, power and most importantly defence. As always, the teamwork's been emphasised lot more on the women's program where the age-level teams meet lot more often than men, and the emphasis on non-stop passes, selfless screens and zone defensive reads being prioritised.

Position          Team/Program     STATUS   Name                    Age Affiliation
Program Director  Women            RETAIN   Anne-Francoise Neubauer  56 Basketball Quebec (BQ)
Head Coach        Senior-W         NEW      Allison Dubois           51 Basketball Quebec (BQ)
Assistant Coach   Senior-W         RETAIN   Caroline Guo-Micheletti  38 Yongma College (QIS)
Assistant Coach   Senior-W         NEW      Kweon Joo-Hyeon          40 Hamilton SonicBoom
Doctor            Women's Program  RETAIN   Kim Bessette-Wolf        51 Montreal Koreana (QWBL)

#   PO  Name           Surname        Ages.   Ht.  Team
01   G  Hye-Mi         Ahn            28  1.77  Montreal Koreana   
03 C/F  Yeon-Heui      Noh            25  1.86  Levis Athletic   
04  PG  Lauren         Kim-Asfaw      30  1.73  Zenit Attawapiskat
05   F  Hye-Ryeong     Yi             33  1.87  Fort Lowe Rattlers
10   C  Taylor Anne    Rowsell        24  1.97  Fort Lowe Rattlers
11  PG  Helene         Dion-Kweon     25  1.68  Hamilton SonicBoom
15  SG  Elle           Allen-Conroy   29  1.83  CSKA Quebec
16  SF  Agnes          Kuzmickaitė    27  1.83  Zenit Attawapiskat
18  PF  Devon          Nesbitt-Lunham 24  1.87  Songwha City Rockets
29   F  Eun-Sook       Uhm            24* 1.87  CSKA Quebec
28 F/C  Diane          Dunn-Chalifoux 33  1.92  Montreal Koreana
32  SF  Amandine       Black          25* 1.84  Prince Eric Fire 
46  PF  Bridget        Melancon       26  1.87  Hochelaga BC
69  SF  Hazel        Hanson-Conavacio 30  1.91  Halifax Sun

Feel free to check my newswire or ask me on Discord how these lasses are like.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers:Y
Godmod scoring events:Y, but please TG or PM me before you RP this. Make sure to read my roster information, to avoid any confusion.
RP injuries to my players:Y
Godmod Injuries to my players:I shall decide severity
Suspend my players:Y
Godmod suspension events:Y. That said, please contact me in advance, especially if you wish to go for any event that may suspend two or more
Godmod other events: Y, but TG or PM are must if you are trying to get something rolling

by **Quebec and Shingoryeo** » Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:30 pm

MD1 Cutoff.

A prompt that you aren't obliged to use - Tell us about the history of basketball your country. How did it begin? Who were the pioneers of said sport? How did the sport become popular?

OOC Host Note: Today's cutoff was extended by approximately 1h30 from the back of the window. The cutoff window will be back to normal starting next window.

Tables will be posted from next window (MD2-3).

Group A

Quebec and Shingoryeo (03) 103–60 Lisander (23)
Eud Mirabilis (UR) 64–70 United Adaikes (33)
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom (18) 77–81 Rastopochje (UR)
Nova Anglicana (08) 90–64 Equestria (11)

Group B

Sarzonia (23) 72–71 Valentine Z (15)
Trolleborg (36) 93–70 Neptunvia (UR)
Pemecutan (20) 64–78 Mytanija (09)
Gatchingerrak Union (24) 63–90 TJUN-ia (01)

Group C

Indusse (19) 69–95 Græntfjall (04)
Tjorl (30) 97–63 Kriegiersien (25)
Xanneria (UR) 68–99 Chromatika (06)
StrayaRoos (52) 66–92 Ko-oren (12)

Group D

Godchouzetsu (UR) 89–84 Srednjaci (26)
HUElavia (27) 79–79 Muralos (UR) (91–87 OT)
Abanhfleft (07) 79–75 Hannasea (02)
Magnaecia (16) 100–66 Qasden (17)

Group E

Southwest Eastnorth (31) 61–67 Juvencus (22)
Ranoria (21) 89–64 Altmelia (UR)
Valanora (05) 62–67 Drawkland (12)
South Newlandia (45) 84–78 Delaclava (10)

by **Pemecutan** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:03 am

Anggara Kliwon Wuku Medangsia, Pawukon 1783

Pemecutan is Missing from IUBC

Pemecutan Puri - The basketball season seems to come with both IBC and IUBC competition held hand in hand. IBC however have started its qualifying process with Pemecutan meet Mytanija. Pemecutan lost 64 - 78 against the second seeded team in the group. While the fans confused with IUBC, where is Pemecutan delegation?

Interviewed in the headquarter, PBA spokesperson explain that Pemecutan sadly have to pass this IUBC edition. Despite that the domestic competition is still on the run, the association also find it complicated to enter IUBC with previous league result. The reason is the PBA major change at the start of 1783 season. The previous system was change dramatically. Not just the league is cut from 3 tier to just 1 tier, the clubs are also having a huge merger and acquisition. And now there are only 15 clubs from previously 51 clubs.

The reason from this major change is because the difficulties for the clubs to secure sponsorships. Basketball have make a huge shift in its popularity. This is because the rise of other sports popularity, notably sepaktakraw, athletics and canoeing. The lack of achievements made by the basketball teams are also become the main issue. While the missing of Pemecutanian basketball clubs in IUBC become a trending topic domestically.

It would be very strange if we entered IUBC with previous league result as our based but the clubs are already gone. I hope the fans understand with the situation and not making a fuss with it. We will comeback stronger next edition.

PBA spokesperson

Currently, The PBA Pro-League (the new name for the domestic league) have finished its first half of the competition. The top 8 clubs in the end of the round-robin stage is advancing to the playoff stage to compete for the title. The competition is on hold for IBC competition

by **Sarzonia** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:28 am

The match came down to the last possession. Group hosts Valentine Z held a one-point lead with 4.8 seconds left and it was only through the alertness of reserve point guard Jayne Cruz that manager Joy Knight and the Stars were huddled in front of their bench trying to come up with a play.

Cruz was only in because starting point guard Ben Thomas fouled out with six points, though his eight turnovers during the match certainly didn't help. She read the eyes of her counterpart who was looking to make a time-killing pass to preserve a tight victory and stole the ball near the sideline. She quickly made a "t" with her hands and yelled "timeout!" to the nearest official, getting the call just before she fell out of bounds. She got up quickly and jogged quickly back to the sideline.

Knight knew Valentine Z watched the videos and knew they were likely to double Mike West, who led the Stars with 24 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the floor with two 3-pointers. He was also four-for-four from the free throw line, but the idea was to try to get him the ball if possible. It would mean centre Terry Rutledge would have to do the honours. Fortunately, Knight had the foresight to call an alternate play in the event of the expected double-team. It would require Cruz to get the inbound and then get the option to fire down low for reserve guard Kent Bradley or take it herself. In practice, the option was to look for Bradley every time, but there's a reason it's practice.

Rutledge scanned the court before the official handed him the ball. He saw West double-teamed and saw Cruz open, but then he saw a flash of a reserve who was anticipating the pass toward Cruz. He saw Bradley wide open and fired it to him. Bradley caught the ball, took a step back and fired an easy 11-footer that banked in as the buzzer sounded and gave Sarzonia a walk-off 72-71 victory that silenced the home crowd. The team celebrated their underdog win over the group hosts by piling on top of each other near the lane under the basket. Knight shook hands with Valentine Z manager Gwen Tracer Hepburn and the assistants quickly before the team picked themselves up from the pile and walked back to the dressing room.

It was a different experience for Knight, to be sure. To go from being an interim manager having to play the hand she was dealt in terms of roster and playing system to being the bench boss, responsible for each player on the roster and the offensive and defensive sets she wanted to run. But it started off on the best possible footing for Knight as her team earned a tight, hard fought contest against a hostile crowd on the first day of the International Basketball Championships. They would have to prepare for Trolleborg next, followed by Permecutan in this relative sprint to the second group stage, but for one night at least, Knight could enjoy the fruits of her labours. And Sarzonia could bask in silencing a full-throated capacity crowd that was rooting hard against them.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 7:26 am

Whistle-stop tour: Prince Edward Island

As the national election for the House of Deputies approaches, each of Nova Anglicana's six provinces will also elect its 50-member House of Deputies. Each province uses a similar electoral system to the national election, with 25 constituency seats and 25 list seats, with the list vote determining how many seats each party ultimately receives. For this series, we'll take you around the provinces, explain the political situation, and show you what to expect as Nova Anglicans elect not only 100 national Deputies, but 300 provincial ones as well. In New Brunswick, we saw the right narrowly hanging on to power. In Quebec, we saw a divided right that needed to put together a proper coalition rather than facing a true threat from the left. In Newfoundland & Labrador, not much appeared to change even as issues bubbled under the surface. Next, let's take a flight from Londinium to Isca Dumnoniorum (Isca Town), capital of Prince Edward Island.

Background

Prince Edward Island, a province of about 700,000 is either a paradise or a deadly bore, depending on your point of view. From the tourist's point of view, the beaches, the forests, the cozy cabins, and the food and hospitality make it a perfect vacation destination. To hip Isca Towners, the province is green and getting greener, there are plenty of parks to hike, and the food and trendy nightlife have transformed Isca Town from a sleepy backwater into the place to be. But from the rural youth's point of view, there's not much to do here besides farm. Outside of the Isca Town metro area, opportunities are limited, and tourists are constantly mucking about. The province is a traditional stronghold for the Stewardship Party, who are responsible for the island's green and sustainable direction. The combination of the PJP and Stewardship has given them an iron grip over politics on the island. In 2015, the PJP/Stewardship team nabbed 30 seats, taking nearly 58% of the vote between them. In 2018, while the PJP faltered, dropping from 22 seats to 18 and a tie with the PP, Stewardship bumped their share up to 9 seats from 8, while the Nationals also picked up a second seat. Together, the PJP, PP, and Stewardship have taken about 90% of seats in the last two elections. Stewardship plays a role here similar to the Libertarians in Quebec as kind of a third major party, albeit on a smaller scale than the Libertarians.

Major issues

The key issue in this election and overall is the question of population growth. PEI is the second-smallest province (after the NAAZE), but its population has exploded, just like the rest of the nation. Much of this population growth has centered on the Isca Town area, which has grown to more than 300,000 people. The triangle of Isca, Stratford, and Cornwall represents nearly half the province's population. This growth has put a strain on social services, housing, and energy, with the province opening many new offices and subsidising both development of housing and new power plants. But some of this growth has spilled over into areas that were previously less populated, with Prince County and Kings County, at the ends of the island, having grown to well over 100,000 people each. And as the population has diversified (by PEI standards), there have been clashes between newcomers and older residents, as well as between white and nonwhite residents. The government of provincial Premier Alec Thornhill has proposed expanding unionisation as a means of socialising old and new residents, as well as using said union labor to build more apartments, while the PP has sounded a green note, raising concerns about the loss of the greenbelt and wanting to give more control over housing and settlement to local authorities in an appeal to NIMBYism. The Nationals have proposed freezing new work permits for two years and working with other provinces to shift some new arrivals elsewhere.

Another issue for the province is tourism. Even as the population has grown, PEI has become ever more desirable as a spot for vacationers and even those who want to maintain a second home. The Thornhill government, like others before it, has encouraged tourism with tax credits and generous advertising, and it now makes up a significant proportion of provincial GDP. But the government has come under criticism from the right that this makes the province too vulnerable to seasonal or yearly swings and from the left that tourists are undermining the character of the island as well as using valuable space for hotels or B&Bs that could otherwise be used for social housing. The Premier has tried to split the difference, calling for a focus on "sustainable eco-tourism" and appealing to his labor base by talking about manufacturing, especially in aerospace and energy. The PP want big tax incentives for businesses to set up shop and expand here, especially in bioscience and IT, while calling for, in a populist move, an increased hotel tax to disincentivise reliance on tourism. Equality has gone the farthest of all, calling for increased taxation on owners of second homes and a buyback program to convert housing currently listed on cheap vacation rental sites into social housing.

Finally, agriculture in the province has become an issue. Agriculture continues to be a very important part of the provincial economy, even as tourism and advanced industry has grown. PEI produces more than 50% of all potatoes grown in Nova Anglicana, and it remains a dominant cash crop. However, farmers protest at the encroachment of additional housing, and claim that they labor under burdensome regulation and disinvestment from the provincial government. The Thornhill government has tried to encourage less carbon-intensive agriculture, animal rights regulations, and small and boutique farming as a way to both lower the impact of the agricultural sector and also support its diversification. The PP has become involved in organising "tractor rallies", where farmers occupy local service centres such as Souris or Montague in the east, or Alberton or Summerside in the west. They plan to bring 1,000 tractors to Isca Town the week before the local election. The PP is proposing slashing regulations on pesticides, on animal care, and high-carbon farming. They claim "PEI potatoes feed the country, while boutique herb gardens only flavor the plates of tourists." In response to this, Thornhill and his Stewardship allies say they won't back down on "planet-saving regulations", but want to support farming co-operatives, limit land purchases by big corporations, and pay farmers to produce different types of crops. We'll see whose approach prevails.

Seat projections

PJP - 20
PP - 15
Stewardship - 9
LSP - 3
Libertarian - 1
Build! - 1
Equality - 1

Winners and losers

In this election projection, the PJP pick up a couple of seats at the expense of the PP, getting back into 20+ seat territory. Since Stewardship's seat total doesn't budge, the alliance doesn't return to 30 seats or more, but they could bring in the Liberal Secularists for the first time, as they pick up a seat, ticking up to three. At times, the LSP can be a bit strident for more laid-back PEI voters. Build! and Equality also project to enter the regional Parliament for the first time, even if they will be marginal players at best when it comes to governing. But of course the big loser is the National Party, who projects to lose both of their seats and drop out entirely. It's consistent with what we've seen nationally and in the projections for New Brunswick; the Nationals will be struggling to hold on to any influence at all.

What to watch for

If these results hold, what might provincial Premier Alec Thornhill do with them? He had a fairly dismal showing in the PJP leadership election, but there were rumors of him jumping to run for the national House of Deputies in pursuit of the post of Environment Minister. Considering that that is traditionally a Stewardship Party slot, perhaps it's not a surprise he elected to stay on for another term in PEI. But we do know he has his eye on higher office, and so we might expect him to do something flashy to up his profile ahead of the next PJP leadership race, presumably sometime in 2024 before the next election. 29 seats gives room for error, and he might well bring in the LSP to bolster his numbers, as the party on the island leans green and urban. He might consider taking a bolder stance on social issues such as LGBTQ antidiscrimination or perhaps racial equity, even though PEI's about as white as a boiled potato. Or alternatively, he could double down on green issues and attempt to say, ban new combustion vehicles or create a government-owned power corporation. Or, you know, if he actually wanted to do some good, he could work on electrifying tractors.

Nova Anglicana 90-64 Equestria

Stats: 34-65 FG (52.3%), 10-27 3-Pt FG (37.0%), 12-16 FT (75.0%), 15 TO forced

Key Players: Clement Villenueve - 6-10/3-6/3-3 (18 pts) 4 rbds, 3 asts, Simon Moran - 5-9/2-4/1-1 (13 pts) 6 rbds, 2 asts, 2 stls, Philip Meyer - 4-6/0-0/2-2 (10 pts), 11 rbds, 2 blks, 1 stl

by **Southwest Eastnorth** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:57 am

www.Railphotos.xan - Photo tour!

RAILROAD: SWEN Rail
LOCOMOTIVE: CONRail P-900
LOCOMOTIVE #: SWRL #760
LOCATION: East New Baltimore Shores, Southwest Eastnorth
DATE: April 19th 2008
DESCRIPTION:A P-900 in the Orange and blue SWENRail passenger paint leads a short train between New Baltimore and Auberlein on the Upper Line. A mere thirty years after the founding of Southwest Eastnorth, the main coastal cities of Graingerport, Virginia, New Baltimore, and Auberlein, had been connected by rail! A huge issue arose when the passenger lines especially between Auberlein and Virginia had issues with delays as the freight Trains took priority on the lines. The Solution? The Upperline! Seen here, the Upper Line is a double track Passenger only line that has cut down massively on delays for passenger rail in the area and has made rail travel much more viable in the Coastal areas.

SOUTHWEST EASTNORTH - 61
Pts: Desmond Hart - 17pts
Rbs: Desmond Hart - 8rbs
Ast:Desmond Hart - 4ast
Blks: Bryan Bishkek - 2blks
Stl: Desmond Hart - 1stl

JUVENCUS - 67
Pts: Xoel Maradona - 20pts
Rbs: César Constantinescu - 9rbs
Ast: Xoel Maradona - 4 ast
Blks: César Constantinescu - 2blks
Stl: NONE

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:24 am

Welcome to Mars! No, I'm not joking at all. The 1st Group Stage of IBC35, which needs a Top 4 from 5 groups to advance, is actually hosted in cities across the basketball multiverse and so, with Group B hosted by Valentine Z, they decided to send us to the Red Planet to go play some basketball at Melody Gardens. How can you play an Earth Sport in Mars' gravity? I don't know, maybe the Valentinians are able to simulate Earth's gravity on the terraformed neighbour, but that's not the important thing at all. Bao Zhou wasn't on Mars to try and understand the gravitational pull and whatever other gizmos they had up here...he was there for Basketball. And so were we.

The new era of TJUN-ians basketball began with our #1 Hoops-Jags taking on the Gatchingerrak Union, ranked #24. A respectable opponent to start off against and a good opponent to test our new lineup against on Martian soil. Adamo Zamenhofo was the only one from two years ago left in this starting 5, but he's actually younger than the 5 guys Bao chose from the bench...not that this is a problem in any way. Zamenhofo was still an effective points scorer at 29 and it certainly showed here, putting up 30 by himself while his teammate did what they could too. José Antonio Rodríguez at PG was certainly effective in some way and while not perfect, he showed numbers and will grow into this role as the games go on. Marco Smith at SF was quick and a bit of a tricker, Nikos Papaloukas would just draw fouls like a magnet and the new Centre Christian McHere was effective enough. It wasn't the squad of two years ago, but these guys still have talent and they made quick work of #24 by 90-63, a 27-point statement on opening day.

The hosts of this group, Valentine Z, will be up next as the Hoops-Jags get a chance at the #15 Kittens outside of some of their NSSCRA obligations. Facing the hosts is always tough no matter the opposition so let's see what these teams can do in a game such as this one. GO HOOPS-JAGS!

SCHEDULE
First Group Stage (Group B - Melody Courts, Mars, Valentine Z)
MD1: vs Gatchingerrak Union (24) W 90-63 (1st)
MD2: vs Valentine Z (15)
MD3: vs Mytanija (9)
MD4: vs Neptunvia (UR)
MD5: vs Sarzonia (29)
MD6: vs Trolleborg (36)
MD7: vs Pemecutan (20)

by **Kriegiersien** » Tue Jun 28, 2022 12:57 pm

The Society of Giants in Kriegiersien (SoGK) criticized the nomination of Basketballplayers for the Kriegiersien Nationalteam after the 97–63 loss against Tjorl in the first match of the IBC 35.

“We are ignored in the nomination process, despite our air superiority. None of the players in the national team is over 9 feet. That is a joke. We would be needed as can be noticed now. Make Kriegiersien Great. Again!”, said spokesperson Big Wild Bill, an ogre.

That the Kriegiersien team is current silver medal winner of the Olympics (men) and won the last test match against a Giant team easily was swept aside.

“It was very hot at that day and the ground very soggy. Some of the best players were missing, so we can’t really count that”, denied the spokesperson any correlation.
“I am still sure we would not only be a big help, we would be the great game changer.”

IBC 35 - Everything Thread

DROP IT DOWN!: #1 In All But Name

DROP IT DOWN!: The New Age Starts Strongly

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