International Basketball Championship 40 - Everything Thread

[The Fortem]

The Fortem National Basketball Team

Starting Lineup:
Christopher Goodman (PG)
Lawrence Ryan (SG)
Robert Jackson (SF)
Raymond Jones (PF)
Oscar Grant (C)

Backups:
John Gauthier (F/G)
Steven Graham (C)
Robert Cervantez (F)
Anibal Johnson (G)
Mike Morgan (G)
Carlos Heitmann (C/F)
Adam L. Ross (F/G)

General Team Information
Manager: Tobias Greenberg
Home Stadium: Cradlion Pavilion
Nicknames: Falcons
Colors: Blue, Red, White

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: YES
Choose my scoring events: YES
Godmod scoring events: YES
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes

[Sarzonia]

The day teams get their group assignments and learn both opponents and locations of various matches is typically melodramatic.

Unless you learn you're in a de facto group of death or you draw a traditional rival, most of the time is spent jockeying for position to get the best grub or whatever else players do when yet another match against an unranked foe fails to pique their interest.

Then the television flashed Sarzonia's Matchday Five battle in the 40th International Basketball Championships in Group 1. Against No. 5 ranked, host nation and archivals Banija. And not only that, but they would be facing their most heated rivals in by far the largest venue in the competition, Kavuma Field in Herzegovina City, a venue that otherwise won't be in use until the semifinals and the final.

The match following that would pit Sarzonia against the next highest ranked opponents in Kanmer. Other than the opening match against No. 35 Gatchingerrak Union, the other teams in Group 1 were all unranked. On the surface, it looked like plenty of opportunity to put the engine into cruise control and sleepwalk through the first four matches of the seven-game group stage.

It looked like a chance for Joy Knight to use the depth players for the majority of the tournament and give them valuable minutes so they would gain confidence in the event they were needed in the matches anyone cared about.

However, Knight's first task was to get her charges focused on getting ready for the opening match against Gatchingerrak Union, a team Sarzonia defeated twice in the previous IBC group stage.

"C'mon! They're going to be out for revenge!" she told assembled media. "I know we're a different team without Mike West, but they're a better team than the one we faced last time out."

Knight also warned against the team having three consecutive trap matches before their battle in Kavuma Field.

"Look, we won't be facing Banija until Matchday 5," she said. "We'd be slighting our opponents if we ignored them and obsessed over the Banija match."

Long after the players had returned to their rooms and Knight was in hers, she called up the information about the Kavuma Field basketball configuration. Seventy-eight thousand. And considering all the matches were in Banija, it would be a true away match.

She'd get her players ready for a hostile crowd. Trying to get any Sarzonian supporters in the venue was going to be someone else's battle.

[HimDyr]

Name: HimDyrian Nationals
Coach- Hank Reagan
Starters-
PG- Freddie Staples
SG- Irving Edwards
SF- Jackson Baldwin
PF- Marcus Stanley
C- Alexander Pronkashav
Bench-
PG- Allen Anderson
SG- De'Angelo Smith
SF- Jay Davis
PF- Jerry Owens
C- Kyle Atkins
SG- Charles Johnson
SF- Dwayne Addens

Team Info: The team is made up of those who made the All-HBA List. This year is the first time that the players can display their skills on an international level, making them both excited and nervous about how they will perform. Their home matches will take place in the city of Port Lyron, the capital of the Empire.

Team Play Style: Coach Hagen is known for his defensive minded tactics. He is relying on his offensively gifted players to take the reins on that side of the ball, while he focuses on the defense. The ball will be moved around quickly and often with the three main stars acting as the focal points of the offense.

Top Three Attributes and Brief Info for Starters:
Freddie Staples(3PT Shooting, Mid-Range Shooting, Playmaking) One of the best point guards in the league. His offensively versatile and a decent defender. 8x All Star, 8x All-HBA 2 MVPS, 1 Championship. Team: Memori Marauders

Irving Edwards(3PT Shooting, Perimeter Defense, Athletics) A good third option who had an excellent year, resulting in his selection. He has been in a league for seven years. 1 All Star, 1 All-HBA, 1 Championship. Team: Memori Marauders

Jackson Baldwin(Dunking, Playmaking, Mid-Range Shooting.) Widely considered the best player in the league and the greatest of all time. He is considered the leader of the team and he was responsible for lobbying support for HimDyr to enter international basketball. 6 MVPs, 13x All Stars, 11 All-HBA, 5 Championships. Team: Sevillian Knights

Marcus Stanley(Rebounding, Dunking, Defense) The top defender in the league. Marcus leads like the league in blocks, year in and year out. The only thing escaping him is a championship. 5x All Star, 3x All-HBA, 4 DPOYS. Team: Aldine Miners

Alexander Pronkashav(3PT Shooting, Rebounding, Post Scoring) He is considered a unicorn at his position. A seven foot tall man that has the skills of a small forward and the body of a big man. He was able to capture a single title in his time, but many believe multiple will be needed in order to meet his potential. 5x All Stars, 4 All-HBA, 1 Championship.
-
Allen Anderson(Playmaking, Perimeter Defense, Lay Ups)
De’Angelo Smith(3pt Shooting, Mid-Range Shooting, Playmaking.)
Jay Davis(Perimeter Defense, 3pt Shooting, Athletics.)
Jerry Owens(Inside Defense, Perimeter Defense, Rebounding.)
Kyle Atkins(Rebounding, Inside Defense, Athletics.)
Charles Johnson(3pt Shooting, Mid Range Shooting, Athletics.)
Dwayne Addens(3pt Shooting, Perimeter Defense, Athletics.)

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes

Group 1:
New Jarwel(UR)
Gatchingerrak Union(35)
Panay Islands and Guimaras(UR)
Angora Guanaco(UR)
HimDyr(UR)
Banija(5)
Sarzonia(13)
Kanmer(24)

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Quebec and Shingoryeo Men's and Women's National Basketball Teams - IBC 40

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

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 is a 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 the international stage, the Quebecois are expected to bring 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 the top 12-13, 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, 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 16-18 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 and 35, second group stage), the rotation tends to shrink to around 11 or 12.

IBC-39 Specific Information: For this IBC, there will be a smaller roster of twenty players over the course of five matchday windows. A twelve-player roster will be provided from the roster before every match.

For clearer sense of an international window and scheduling, lease see here for domestic-international calendar.

Home Venue: Not needed, as all matches will be played in Banija anyways.

Position          Team/Program     Name                     Age STATUS  Affiliation
Program Director  Men              Franck Briere-Bourque     43 RETURN  Basketball Quebec (BQ)
Program Director  Women            Clara Kasaboski-McCarthy  63    NEW  Basketball Quebec (BQ)
Head Coach        Senior-M         Florence-Anne Raabe       55    NEW  Zenit Attawapiskat (QWBL)
Head Coach        Senior-W         Kweon Joo-Hyeon           51 RETURN  Basketball Quebec (BQ)
Assistant Coach   Senior-M         Noh Seung-Hoon            39 RETURN  CSKA Quebec (QBL)
Assistant Coach   Senior-W         Johanna Youngblood-Parker 37 RETURN  Queen's College at Cornwall (QIS)
Analyst           Joint            Yi Hye-Ryeong             44 RETURN  Nunavut North Stars
Trainer           Joint            Jean-Victor Colonna       42    NEW  Univ. of Prince Raoul Islands (QIS)
Doctor            Joint            Kim Bessette-Wolf         62    NEW  Montreal Koreana (QBL/QWBL)

Grim Reapers' head Coaches Florence-Anne Raabe and Kweon Joo-Hyeon have announced the Quebecois national team for the 2066 International Basketball Championships 40, with the long, single-round robin group stage, followed by the sixteen-team, single-elimination finals that will all be held in Banija.

It is needless to say that the last three IBCs have been outstanding, as the Grim Reapers would not only end their fifty years of waiting for their first title (do note that before their IBC-37 semifinals win over Valentine Z, their record in that stage was an ever-legendary 1-7), but would win two straight. The efforts, made successful after beating Valanora in the battle of first-timers in Poafmersia, and then the rematch of the Winners' Final against Valentine Z in Katterimunk, were special on each their own.

The first championship team that would win it all in Poafmersia was made possible on the commitment of running back their entire national team, one that both team coaches Allison Dubois and Mirko Lazetic had pledged the sixteen players to sign following their difficult quarterfinal loss to Nova Anglicana in Hannasea. It is true that most of the Silver Generation of talents involving men and women's players - which would include legends Moustapha Niang, Franck Briere-Bourque and Noh Seung-Hoon on men, Heo Myeong-Yoon, Hazel Hanson-Conavacio, and Yim Se-Ryeong on women - have moved on. But the group of players who had come after them, who have watched them and maybe the tail end of the Golden Generation of players grow up, and it would be this group of players, led by hall-of-fame centre Noh Seung-Hoon and dynamic forward Jin Chang-Sook, who would peak right on time to win it in Poafmersia.

Having achieved the success the first time, the Reapers' journey to their second consecutive title was a bit more challenging one. Both team captains Noh S.H. and Jin C.S. may have retired off their high just two years prior, but the core would just shift as well with the legion of swingmen backing up the unusual twin tower of traditionally-minded Austin Muhumuza and fluid, 220cm behemoth Horace Karugunda on the men's side. More gunslinging women would retain a triangular backcourt armed by the fiery ace June Chavez Mayberry, stable point guard Joh Soo-Yeong and stable contributor in Jocelyn Morse, while Taylor Anne Rowsell's last IBC as the Reaper would be nothing out of ordinary. Their second championship run, one that would see them drop into the lower bracket final before winning it against their historical rival Banija, and then Valentine Z in two-game Finals, had come under more dramatic circumstances, but one that also saw them earning greater respect from the community than before.

As has been seen by the Quebecois women's success in the Olympics, and not to mention the Quebecois clubs' general success in the IUBC, there is no doubt that iron sharpens iron, and targeted investment leads to success. Hockey, formerly the leader among winter sports in this northern Anaian nation, has been faltering in popularity and general attention due to extensive years of player-federation disputes and inconsistent international performance, allowing volleyball and basketball to take a greater chunk of popularity among the younger sports fans in past years. There is no doubt basketball has a consistent slate of superstars and international talent to promote - as seen in the QWBL where Xenia Dall'Antonia, the 2050 Bunjil Games' MVP, and a trio of stars from the underheralded 2056 silver medalists of Brookstation were signed to major deals - and the Montevicio Lakers may be the most followed team in Banija with Isaiah Lavaga as coach and Oluwasegun Tionge as their starting centre. Whether a more international league would translate to better results for the national team is another story, but then there appears to be a lot less pressure than in the past years where the league sometimes gets outshadowed by the drive for the fourth-straight IBC title that has not been obtained since the 'Invincibles' squad of Banija that have won a fourpeat in the early-thirties of the competition.

-#    PO  Name            Surname                 Ht.  Age    Status Debut  College/Jr Club            Team
01     C  Horace          Karugunda               2.20  22  RETURNEE    38  Manitoba Kings (Jrs)       Levis Athletic
02    SG  Alexandre       Armanet                 1.96  33  RETURNEE    33  CSKA Quebec (Jrs)          CSKA Quebec
03     G  Hector          Marimuthu               1.90  22    ROOKIE    40  Yoseo-Montevicio (QIS)     Kingston Raptors
07    SF  Luigi           Tüjângér-Arngna'naaq    2.05  31  RETURNEE    34  Yoseo-Montevicio (QIS)     Wansan Sparta
12    SG  Mong-Ryong      Shin                    1.92  25  RETURNEE    39  Kingston Polytechnic (QIS) Twin Cities Celtics
13    SF  Presnel         Ogulu                   2.00  23    ROOKIE    40  Saint-Benedict's (QIS)     Agawa Moose
25    PF  Cyril           Wertz-Barkholdt         2.08  24    ROOKIE    40  Nideyinan (QIS)            Hanbat Thunder
26    PG  Jorge           Maffia                  1.88  22  RETURNEE    39  Montreal Koreana (Jrs)     Montreal Koreana
40    PF  Vuk             Vkujosavljevic          2.07  28  RETURNEE    36  Nideyinan (QIS)            Pahkatequayang Grizzlies
55    PG  Dong-Joo        Yim                     1.93  27  RETURNEE    38  Hanbat State (QIS)         Montevicio Lakers
---
03    PG  Philippa        Price-Anderson          1.75  31  RETURNEE    38  Queen's College (QIS)      Zenit Attawapiskat
04    SG  Krista          Christopoulos           1.84  23  RETURNEE    38  UC-Jolbonopolis (QIS)      Prince Eric Fire
05    PG  Soo-Yeong       Joh                     1.77  32  RETURNEE    34  Huronia Tech (QIS)         CSKA Quebec
08    SF  Diane           Poesy                   1.83  25  RETURNEE    39  Saguenay (QIS)             Jolbonopolis Winterhawks
09    SF  Jocelyn         Keenan Morse            1.84  32  RETURNEE    34  Montreal Koreana (Jrs)     Montreal Koreana
10    SG  Amina           Gueye                   1.78  25  RETURNEE    39  Northwestern (QIS)         South Bend Sakers
14    PF  Gloria          Akpannah                1.86  29  RETURNEE    36  Coloratura State (QIS)     Myeongju Lynx
19     C  Yoon-Joo        Noh                     1.93  24    ROOKIE    40  Farrer (QIS)               Mipojoseon BC
33     C  Kelsey          Boulouque Lautner       1.94  21    ROOKIE    40  Saguenay (QIS)             Universite du Saguenay (QIS)
34    PF  Soo-Jeong       Yeom                    1.88  27  RETURNEE    38  Northwestern (QIS)         Halifax Sun

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

Style Modifier (for IC purposes): -4

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers:Y
Godmod scoring events/Assign other stats: 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:N. I shall decide the severity
Suspend my players:Y
Godmod suspension events: N
Godmod other events: Y, but TG or PM are a must if you are trying to get something rolling

[Vielfaltig]

THE VIELFALTIG NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM

40th International Basketball Championship

The Veiled Knights

Roster

No   Pos      Name                   Age
10   PG       Roxanne Gilbert        27
08   SG       Geraud Chaplin         25
56   SF       Yves Chevrolet (C)     31
22   PF       Emlien Beauchene       28
01   C        Veronique Daniel       19

03   PG       Alderic Sartre         21
09   SG       Gervais Lamar          33
11   SF       Benjamin Dupont        26
07   PF       Valerie Raine          23
29   C        Esther Chauvin         31

18   PG       Emeline Planque        34
33   SG       Juliane Marchand       20
47   SF       Josee Rome             27
14   PF       Morgan Belrose         21
04   C        Denis Fortier          28

Background Staff

Role          Name                   Age
Manager       Carmen Pierre          49
Head Coach    Vivien Thayer          63
Att. Coach    Gillette Gaspard       32
Def. Coach    Mateo Duipos           45
Head Physio   Blandine Fay           38
Head Scout    Sebastian Lopez        41

Style Modifier : -2

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes but be reasonable
Godmod injuries to my players: No.
Godmod other events: No.

[Aphrilia]

It's been quite a while since the last edition of the International Basketball Championships.

So, what's changed within Aphrilia? What about basketball within the country? Well, there's been a lot of changes. First of all is domestic changes, where the Aphrilian Association for Basketball (AAB) had rebranded itself into the Aphrilian Basketball Federation (ABF). Not only that, the ABF does have plans to form a basketball league within Aphrilia. However, despite the good intentions, the plans are progressing rather slowly which means it may take quite some time for it to be booted up to scratch. The notion of basketball itself hasn't changed though, it's still popular amongst Aphrilians especially since in our debut tournament, we made it to to the Round of 16 before losing out to TJUN-ia. And that is exactly what this team aims to do so once again, to reach the knockout stages.

It'd be a much taller task this time around however, as Aphrilia is in a group of eight nations which includes basketball powerhouses Ko-oren and Valanora. But with the country being classed as a pot three team, Aphrilia in both the fans and the team are hopeful that they can make it to at least the Round of 16. There's a lot riding on this edition afterall, since it's a historic 40th edition and the fact that there are fifty six nations participating. The Brigadiers want to make an even deeper splash than before, to mark themselves as a true mainstay within the world of basketball. Kieran Vassal is confident that Aphrilia can pull it off as he leads the team for their second ever participation in the IBC, determined to push the limits of what this squad of players can do. Speaking of the players themselves...

There's been quite the news about some of them throughout the off-year.

The biggest one being Luka Megarhine revealing herself to be one of the members of the music producing and singing group SuperNatural, specifically revealing herself to be Winter. The other members also revealed themselves throughout the off years (Melantha Court as Summer, Angelina Jolyn as Spring, and Lindsey Pastel as Fall). Fans of SN are naturally attracted to the national team now with this big reveal, eager to see Megarhine's performances in the tournament. Luka isn't the only player with pressure however, as Abigail Davis and Adriana Beverley reveal that this will be their last tournament due to their age (Despite Aphrilians being immortal). It seems Kieran Vassal has a similar rule to that of the national football team's manager in Christopher Vermont that an age limit is in place to follow the natural course of a national team.

But with older names going, younger ones come in. Clarissa Cahun, Abeau Cormier, and August Strecker are new names on the national team. Vassal reveals that they are young and exceptional talents that he saw and wanted in on the national team. There certainly will be expectations for them to perform well, though not as much or harsh. By the end of it, this seems to be a golden opportunity for Aphrilia to shine. The team has seemingly the right man to lead it all, the talent within the team is capable of getting the wins, and Aphrilians are backing their national team all the way to their final fate within this tournament. One question is here to be answered, and time will answer it.

How far can this team truly go?

[Britonisea]

Britonish Roster
for the
40th International
Basketball Championships

---

Trigramme: BRI
Demonym: Britonish, Briton(s), Brits
Modifier: +2
Official (Main) Language: English
Other Languages: Britonish, French
Rank: 20th
Uniform Colours: Red, Orange & White

---

General Information

---

PROLOGUE - While Britonisea regularly qualifies for the knock-out stages of basketball at the Olympic Games, its fair to say that Basketball Britonisea is not as successful and prominent as it could be. Like many sports in Britonisea, due its lack of international presence, the Britonish team suffers from playing well on an international level. The Games of the XVI Olympiad saw Britonisea win its first medal in basketball albeit 3x3. There is hope that one day the Britonish team could not only win gold in the main event but also do well in the International Basketball Championships where one could argue the standards are even higher.

Now ranked 20th in the world, the realisation that Britonisea has the chance to be a prominent force in the world of basketball is becoming realised. The 39th International Basketball Championships saw the nation stun the international community to finish third in its group and make it to the knockout stages. The team played against the unstoppable force that is Quebec & Shingoryeo and while the Britonish team was sent packing, the opportunity made the team hungry for more. With this Basketball Championships potentially being the last before the Olympic Games, the Britonish boys will be working very hard to stay in the IBC for as long as possible to gain as much experience as possible in the hope that they can challenge to take gold in front of the eyes of the world.

This IBC will have none of the matches played in Britonisea. While Britonish support may not be as robust as it was during the home matches last time, the Britons are hoping they can persevere.

---

Full Roster

---

A relatively young all-male team from Britonisea has been submitted for the IBC39.

Personnel
Head Coach - Lenny Allianz
Assisstant Coach - Andreas Real
Assisstant Coach - Jacob Fields
Assisstant Coach - Kit Harringey-Smith

Starting
Point Guard - Elias Bloodworth (21, 6ft5)
Shooting Guard - Leontiy Vasiliev (27, 6ft4),
Small Forward - Sergei May (18, 6ft5)
Power Forward - Ian Remington (19, 6ft11)
Centre - Caiden Hyde (26, 7ft2, Captain)

Bench
Point Guards - Ethan Henryson (23, 5ft11), Karlson Maxx (27, 6ft4)
Shooting Guards - Zachery Proulx (23, 6ft8), Ethan Brodeur (25, 6ft6)
Power Forwards - Kent Dukes (21, 6ft10), Blaise Merle (24, 6ft6)
Small Forwards - Zeke Lemings (26, 6ft5), Kiain Lansley (28, 6ft6)
Centres - Isadore Coy (22, 7ft1), Walt Summerfield (25, 6ft11)

There have been a couple of changes from IBC39, including Vasilev, Remington, May making on the starting block. Bloodworth and captain Caiden Hyde remain. Zeke Lemings, Kiain Lansley and Karlson Maxx join the international team after trials saw them as successful. The team are hoping that other nations with more successful basketball leagues will take an interest in the Britonish players.

---

Additional Information

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BTVB has secured the rights to broadcast Britonish matches on IGBK's on-demand service. If Britonisea makes it to the knockout stages, the broadcaster will broadcast Britonish matches via its linear channel and other matches via its on-demand service.

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Permissions

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My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Yes
Assign other stats (e.g. rebounds, assists): Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes, not life-threatening
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes, not life-threatening
Eject my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

If you have any questions or requests, please TG me or DM me on Discord (#brityuniksreich)

[Abanhfleft]

In commemoration of the 12th anniversary of Abanhfleft's first and so far only title in the International Basketball Championships, Crescent News Network Sports Channel has commissioned a five-episode documentary television series that seeks to shine the spotlight on the lives of the five players who started most often for the Abanhfleft Rebolusyonaryos. Take a rare behind-the-scenes look on the careers of Dylan Kapowski, Boris Barry, Jan Harris, Newton Isaacs, and Leo Baxter in this new series titled Biography: IBC 21.

---

Biography: IBC 21

Chapter I: Dylan Kapowski

Parts:
Part One: Unlikely
Part Two: Undeserving
Part Three: Unbeatable
Part Four: Unwanted
Part Five: Unlovable
Part Six: Unstoppable
Part Seven: Unhealthy
Part Eight: Unrepeatable

Part Nine: Unbelievable

Once it was time to get back to the FBA though, there wasn’t much that I could do because of my injury, and once again I was more of a sideline spectator than anything else when the 21-22 season came around. Jan Harris and the rest of the guys did their best, and they made it all the way to the conference finals, but once again Leo Baxter and company proved too tough of an obstacle for the Chiefs and Malabon swept us away. It was during the latter part of the playoffs, when I was finally on the rehabilitation program after busting my ankle that I was approached by Sinag Studios to do a little cameo role in their latest comedy movie. I mean, talk about something coming completely out of left field! But at the same time, this was perhaps the moment that young me had been waiting for his whole life. I was finally going to become a movie star! It didn’t matter that all they wanted from me was a cameo, and that the studio would have picked up any other basketball player had I said no to them. I was finally going to be on the big screen! It’s my one biggest dream finally come true, man! How stupid would I be to say no to that?

But when you get down to it though, my very first film role was nothing special. I was playing the stereotypical high school P.E. coach who only picked the tall kids for the varsity team. They put me in a fat suit and put some of these cotton gauze pads into my cheeks to puff up my face, and then they slapped a fake mustache on me just to cover up my looks. I mean, who would believe someone as good-looking as me would let the rest of my body go just like that? Anyway, the studio put me in a fat suit and then made me remain seated for the entirety of my scene in deference to my ankle, and then they handed me my lines. It was just a few lines. I asked the younger brother of the main character his height, and his answer was 5-foot-11, and then I said what I think was supposed to be the punchline of the whole scene: “If you’re not six feet tall then what the hell are you even trying out for? Why don’t you go outside and try out for the football or gridiron team?” It was a comedy movie, which was the whole point of why they fattened me up just for that scene. Well, actually, I had one more scene in that movie as that coach, and I was watching the MC’s younger brother tear my team a new one. It’s a lot funnier on the screen than when I’m telling it here, which makes me wonder why I was chosen to be on the first episode of the IBC Biography series. Oh well. You gotta do what you gotta do, right?

The 2022-23 season wasn’t much better for me, or for anyone else associated with the franchise, for that matter. I was finally back to being healthy, or at least as healthy as you could be after getting some surgery done on your ankles, but at least I was back out there on the court. But I might as well be back on the bench for all the good that I did then. But it wasn’t just me; the entire team was not clicking like we were just one or even two seasons ago. We were getting outplayed on almost every conceivable metric, and there was just nothing that we could do about it. Everyone was surprised by how far off the pace we had fallen from one season to the next. Like, there was literally no explanation at all for what had happened. No matter what we tried to do to change things up, everything just stayed the same. You couldn't even blame it all on injuries too; everyone was about as healthy as we could be. Even I was on my feet more times than not, and I was probably the most injury-prone guy on that roster! Jan Harris himself got a few knocks here and there, but they weren't enough to keep him sidelined for any substantial amount of time. But we just weren't gelling together like before. So for those Releinthi fans watching this series hoping to find out straight from the horse’s mouth why Releinthi had a 20-62 record at the end of the 2022-23 season and missed out on the playoffs for the first time in fifteen seasons, I’m sorry. I guess you’re not getting any answers anytime soon. Not because I don’t want to say it, it’s because I genuinely don’t know. And no one else in the team did, apparently.

So, what was the team supposed to do now? Should we just accept that our time as championship contenders was over, get rid of the whole team and start anew? Or should we stick to our guns since most everyone on this team was a proven playoff-caliber player, and even the coach himself is a title-capable guy who deserves at least one more shot? Thankfully, the front office decided that the second option was better than the first one, so we knew that our places in the team were safe. For the moment, of course, but at least the likes of Jan Harris and Billy Macabegteng weren't at risk of being traded off for draft picks and cash. At least that was the plan. But it would all end up being for nothing because of the lockout.

I’ll be honest with you; I didn’t really care much about the lockout. Sure, it was a massive distraction for everyone from the fans to the players to, fuck it, even the front office, but this was something that I can probably lay the blame on both sides. The FBPA [Fleftic Basketball Players’ Association] had a lot of demands that they just wouldn’t budge from, and at the same time, the team owners weren’t willing to budge from what they believed to be an acceptable bump from the previous collective bargaining agreement. The two sides were talking about this and that in the months leading up to the expiration of the old CBA, but at the end of the day, did any of them do anything before the thing actually expired and they had to go to the negotiating table? Absolutely fucking not. They both just sat on their asses waiting for the clock to wind down while at the same time claiming that they’re doing everything that they can to make sure that the new agreement gets done in time for the next season. And, much as I love and respect Jan Harris both as a friend and as a teammate, the fact that he, as president of the FBPA at the time of the lockout, did all of those things, doesn’t really make him look good. Like, he made a whole show about how he was going to be more proactive than previous association presidents, and then here’s this, literally the first major thing he’s ever faced as president, and he drops the ball hard.

Again, I mean no disrespect to Jan. He’s my friend. But sometimes being a friend means you gotta call out when someone’s screwed up. I did it to Newt Isaacs then, and I’m going to do the same thing to Jan Harris now. He really screwed up the whole league because he couldn’t get a new CBA in time. He screwed the fans, he screwed the teams, and he screwed his fellow players. Okay, I’ll grant that it wasn’t all his fault. Maybe 25 percent at best. But he has his share of the blame, and I’ll stand by that to my dying day. But he also did what he could to actually resolve the situation once shit hit the fan. Yes, Jan could have done much better to prevent the lockout from happening in the first place, but once it did happen, he did what he could to make sure that the negotiations went through as smoothly as possible. Some of the less charitable out there would say that he was just doing that to cover his ass first and make it up for both the players and the fans second, and maybe they’re right. But Jan did eventually lay the foundation for the new CBA that everyone finally agreed to at the end of January 2024 or somewhere thereabouts, and I think that that’s still the same CBA that we’ve got going on for the FBA right now.

Now, at the start of the lockout, there were a lot of people, both players and in the front office, that expected the whole thing to blow over within a month or two. I wasn’t one of them, but that was more because I just didn’t really care. Sure, getting locked out sucks, but at the end of the day I was getting an extended break, even if it was a bit unexpected. How old was I by this time? Definitely on the wrong side of thirty, and as the saying goes, it’s always going to be a young man’s game. I had been playing pro ball nonstop for literally a decade by that point, and then you add to that the call-ups for international games for the Rebolusyonaryos, and it’s a recipe for adding little bits of damage to your body here and there. I think it’s called “death by a thousand cuts.” Okay, maybe death is a bit of an exaggeration, but all those little knocks and bumps do add up as time goes on. At the end of the day though, I’m just happy that I can still walk around without feeling any aches and pains in my knees and joints 75 to 80 percent of the time. Growing old sucks, don’t you know?

Anyway, I took the lockout as a chance to rest and heal up. One month’s rest was good; two months was perfect. And then the lockout started dragging on, and people started getting restless. People (mostly the fans, but definitely some of the players were worried as well) began asking: were we ever going to get a season played this time around? I’m not really the right person to ask, given that I wasn’t part of the FBPA negotiating team. Again, I gotta refer your questions to Jan Harris because he’s the one who actually knows, and even then, I’m not sure any of us are gonna get some good answers out of him. Remember, this was one of the most controversial lockouts in the history of professional basketball in Abanhfleft, and he played a major role in the whole thing going tits up in the first place. My role was just waiting whether the dispute had finally been settled like the vast majority of the players and the fans. But as the months wore on and we were still no closer to making an agreement, it was also becoming increasingly clear that we were not going to be able to play a season. The window of time that the FBA could actually schedule a reasonable number of games to make sure whoever gets into the playoffs in this hypothetical shortened season was growing ever smaller, and once we got into the new year, the FBA officially gave up and said we won’t ever have a 2023-24 season.

By that point though, everyone had kind of accepted that that was how this whole thing was going to end, so the teams had already given permission for the players to play abroad for the duration of the lockout or up until the next season starts. I don’t even know if that’s actually legal or if everyone’s contracts got torn up as soon as the old CBA expired. In any case, I got my notification from Releinthi’s front office maybe three months into the lockout, and within hours, I swear to God, my agent was already on the phone with maybe half a dozen teams in Pridnestrovia and Oontaz. They saw the FBA lockout and were licking their lips at the chance of landing a top FBA star, even if it was just for one season or something crazy like that. Okay, maybe in the bigger international stage, the FBA isn’t really that big of a fish, but back when it was just Abanhfleft and its buddies mucking around, the FBA was the top dog in terms of basketball leagues. Pridnestrovia and Oontaz, yes, they had good leagues, but their level was just always at least one below the FBA. Whenever a guy decided to play in the PBSL or the OBA, it was always regarded as a downwards move. Doesn’t matter if he came from college or was already playing in the FBA before then, moving to Pridnestrovia or Oontaz was basically admitting you’re never gonna make it here, and I have to admit, it’s almost always kind of sad whenever that happens. So that’s why it was a very, very big thing that big FBA guys were now seriously considering moving to those countries during the lockout. Look, some guys just want to play basketball, and I can’t fault them at all for doing that. They weren’t going to be able to do it here at home for as long as the lockout is going on, so why not do it somewhere else where people will actually pay for them to play?

And so, after some negotiations and discussions between me and my agent, I was able to narrow down my choices to just two teams, one in Pridnestrovia and one in the Sultanate. Esteghlal Omidinabad in Oontaz had space for one more foreign player in their team, as did Admiral Novorossiysk in Pridnestrovia. Esteghlal were offering me more money, but on the other hand, Admiral had won the regular season championship last season. The PBSL operates differently from the FBA; they’re more like a football league with only eighteen teams at the top and the worst two teams go down to the second division or something like it. I could go for the money, or I could go for the trophies. I’m not gonna lie, either option had their merits. But at the end of the day, after weighing up my two big options, I told my agent, “Let’s go to Novorossiysk.”

[Raspotochje]

STARTING LINE UP

1. Damira Strožić - 183 cm- 22 year - Point Guard
2. Magdalena Gulić - 192 cm- 25 years - Shooting Guard
3. Jana Hanadić - 197 cm - 24 year - Samall Forward
4. Maja Bokšić - 205cm - 25 year - Power Forward
5. Tina Vargić - 2012 cm - 23 year - Center

BENCH

24. Melanija Vrgoč - 185 cm-30 year - point gurad
35. Galina Aleksandrova- 193 cm- 24 years - Shooting Guard
16. Matea Jozić- 197 cm - 24 year - Samall Forward
22. Bojana Stanojković- 199 cm - 27 year - Samall Forward
41. Kornelija Matoković- 207cm - 25 year - Power Forward
28. Željka Cvjetić -2016 cm - 33 year - Center
31. Rebeka Munižaba - 191 cm- 26 years - Shooting Guard

KOTIGA

Kotiga is the capital of the country. It has over 10 million inhabitants. Developed city with developed infrastructure. The city has two airports, WEST SIDE "King Stella" Airport and EAST SIDE "Queen Ana Maria II". Both airports have a capacity of 12.7 million passengers.
Kotiga has 113 museums, of which 86 are under national protection. Kotiga abounds in great attractions such as fortresses and castles from the old kingdom. The old town along the Kotiga River has been renovated and is under the protection of the National Heritage Protection Fund. Below the old town there are tunnels and catacombs up to 7 kilometers long. Their total area is 22.7 kilometers. An ideal opportunity for tourists to get to know how difficult life was and how people had to cope and defend themselves from attacks from the north. Kotiga has several world-famous universities.

ACCOMMODATION

For tourists and guests Kotiga is a magnet because of its temperate climate and the beauty of the city. The city offers 42 hotels of the highest category, there are also resorts with the highest category. The city has over 120 three- or four-star hotels. Who wants to camp, there are camping zones along the banks of the river Kotige, upstream to the north 13 kilometers from the city center. the camps are not located in the part of the forest park "Jatijak".

TRANSPORT

Transportation in the city is well organized. In addition to the usual bus and train lines, the city also has a navigable river. Tourist boats sail on the river and it is one of the best ways to see and get to know the beautiful old town. The boats also offer excellent gastronomic specialties such as crayfish with chestnut puree.

KOTIGA BASKETBALL CENTER 25 000 seats

VIŠNJEVAC

Višnjevac is also called the "happy city". Namely, the town is known for the famous liqueur "Višnjevac" which is made from cherry fruit, cherry = višnja(south slavs). The world's best cherry liqueurs come from this city. Almost every family has a family recipe and several varieties of cherries have a golden quality label. Višnjevac is a town 3000 years old. It was formerly known for its granaries and oil. 1.2 million people live in the city. The city offers great attractive locations to visit. Of course, the best tour locations are located around the city. And these are excavations of a settlement 3000 years ago with an acropolis and tombs.
then there are large castles with beautiful parks and gardens.

ACCOMMODATION

Since the city is not only a tourist center but also an economic one, the city offers a lot of hotels and private accommodation. Of course, resorts are also indispensable.

TRANSPORT

The city has an airport with an annual capacity of 6 million passengers. It is well connected by rail but also by bus lines. Taxi companies regularly offer their services at very reasonable prices.

GASTRONOMY

The city offers an extremely large gastronomic offer. A very large number of restaurants with the highest rating offer food prepared according to low fat standards. In addition to the highest rated restaurants, the city has over 62 national cuisines, but also restaurants for every budget.
The nightlife offers a wide range of nightclubs and bars. Most of them work all night and close at 06:00. coffee bars are open from 07:00 and close at 23:00, 11:00 p.m.

RED HALL- VIŠNJEVAC - 18.500 seats


ROAD TO IBC 40 - BANIJA

Group 3

Abanhfleft(10) - @KOTIGA
Nova Anglicana(6)- @KOTIGA
The Fortem(UR)- @VIŠNJEVAC
Sangti and the Filindo Isles(UR)-@VIŠNJEVAC
Oclea(UR)-@VIŠNJEVAC
Lisander(23)-@VIŠNJEVAC
Southwest Eastnorth(37)-@KOTIGA

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: YES
Choose my scoring events: YES
Godmod scoring events: YES
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes

[Drawkland]

DRAWKLAND NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM (NET CORPS)

CHAMPIONS, International Basketball Championships 25
Runners-Up, International Basketball Championships 27
CHAMPIONS, International Basketball Championships 28

Name: Net Corps
Colors: Black with Crimson trim
Denonyms: Drawkian or Drawkish, personal preference
TWENTY-SECOND IBC, Rank #11

---

Basketball is one of Drawkland's "Big Four" sports, with huge cheering crowds and near-constantly playing pep bands the norm. If you've never been to a basketball game in Drawkland, you may want to bring a pair of earplugs. Or two. You'll need them.

As you may notice, the Drawkian team is pretty tall, as far as height goes. This is perfectly natural for Drawkians, as the national height average is 7'5" (they're not related to humans evolutionarily besides the shape and proportions and such). They also may seem like they're "middle-aged," but that's wrong. In fact, most professional Drawkian athletes don't retire until around the age of 50, since most Drawkians can live to 120-150 years of age.

After having their best group stage in their history in IBC 24, the Net Corps went on to get annihilated in the Round of 16 for the fifth straight time (once by Royal Kingdom of Quebec, once by Vangaziland, once Abaja, once by Ceni, and once by Banija). Finally, they decided they weren't going to take no for an answer. A decade of playoff disappointment took a heel-turn as the Corps made an unprecedented run to the championship game. Drawkland won the game in convincing fashion to Royal Kingdom of Quebec, and finally claimed the title of IBC Champions.

While they lost in the semifinals of IBC 26 to the team they defeated in the previous semifinals, Newmanistan, they still had the skill to make a deep playoff run. And that they did, by making it to the finals of IBC 27 against Vangaziland. Unfortunately, Vangaziland was the outright better squad and took the series in two straight games. The Net Corps was far from out of the mix, though. Despite the short format and taking a loss in the group stage, Drawkland stormed through the IBC 28 playoffs and defeated Vangaziland by 30 points in the final to capture their second title. Drawkland hoped to go back-to-back with IBC 29, but fell short in overtime to Banija in the semifinals.

The IBC 30 campaign featured a first for the Net Corps ... a quarterfinal loss. This kicked off a new era in Net Corps history, one of floundering in the playoffs. In IBC 31, Drawkland went 2-2 in the second group stage, and had to settle for a "13th place win" against Quebec in the consolation playoffs. IBC 32 was yet another quarterfinal loss, this one against Valanora. Finally, in IBC 33, the Corps did something they hadn't done since their first tournament in IBC 19 ... miss the playoffs entirely. With that, longtime coach Cody Morgan and his staff was shown the door, and the aging Net Corps was collectively given the boot.

Originally, DISC was going to hire a new coach and assemble a new squad from scratch. Then, some "genius" came up with a "better" idea: let the Elite Eleven have a shot! Their IBC 34 campaign went decently. They made it to the playoffs and won a game in the Round of 24 before falling in the next round to Hannasea. Still, their performance was decent enough, and DISC was satisfied. The Elite didn't want to return to a playing position, but a few of them said they'd be willing to stick around as coaches.

The "Elite Eleven as coaches" experiment somehow went better than expected. The new-look Corps didn't have a perfect return cycle, needing last-matchday miracles against Ranoria and Mytanija to advance from the first and second group stages, respectively. The Corps had finally returned to the quarterfinals, thanks in part to the second group stage "skipping" earlier playoff rounds. Once again the Corps would face Hannasea, and once again they would fall, this time by a heartbreaking last-second shot. With their hopes for a surprising playoff push dashed, they slid into 7th place in the classification playoff. All things considered, not a bad performance, but improvement, especially in the group stage, is a necessity going forward. DISC had enough of the Elite Eleven, and kicked them out of the basketball wing of the building.

Now it's a truly new coaching staff. However, this team as a whole hasn't made the steps that fans were hoping for. Sure, the Net Corps has made the playoffs relatively consistently, and even won a couple games, but ultimately this is not a squad that inspires confidence in fans or fear in opponents. While the "new" coaching staff, led by Vince Donaldson, approaches their fourth IBC cycle, they've decided to throw an intriguing prospect into the mix.

With the lack of a deep playoff run in Donaldson's tenure, one has to think that his time as Net Corps coach is short. It's make or break time.

---

---

INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 40; DRAWKLAND NET CORPS ROSTER

STARTERS

##  Pos   Player              Height   Age  XP  Best Feature
 2    C   Eva Pax (C)         8'7"     43   4   Excellent passer
12   PF   Patrick Nevin       8'5"     30   1   Great shooter underneath
24   SF   Natalie Endgard*    7'6"     31   3   Good passing and accuracy
33   SG   Catalina Daywasson* 7'4"     32   3   Great playmaker
00   PG   Ruth Cookson*       8'0"     32   1   Incredible shot accuracy


BENCH

##  Pos   Player              Height   Age  XP  Best Feature
 3    C   Carly Carolla       8'5"     35   1   Draws a lot of fouls
 8    C   Sebastian Earls^    8'6"     27   0   Great defender in the paint

 6    F   Jorah Douglas       8'2"     33   1   Defensive wizard
 9    F   Zoe Sparks*         8'0"     41   5   Clutch, great shooter
11    F   Delta Adams*        8'0"     31   1   Versatile "sixth man"
55    F   Basil Thorne*^      8'0"     22   0   Fully tooled college prospect

 1    G   Finn Santana*       7'9"     36   5   Plays both ends well
27    G   Stella Morrison     8'2"     29   1   Good passing and vision
 7    G   Benjamin Moss       7'7"     28   1   Nimble and agile
19    G   Cayden Sovanna^     8'4"     34   0   Great accuracy from long range


* indicates NSCAA experience
^ indicates Net Corps rookie


COACHING STAFF

Coach Name          Position           Role
Vince Donaldson     Head Coach         Manager, Tactics
Melanie McNabb      Assistant Coach    Offensive Coordinator
Clive Mervyn^       Assistant Coach    Defensive Coordinator
Dmitri Deacon       Assistant Coach    Scouting, Preparation
Alexia McReynolds   Athletic Trainer   Strength & Conditioning

---

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my Scorers:                                Yes.
Choose Scoring Events:                            Yes.
Godmod Scoring Events:                            Yes.
RP Injuries to my Players:     Nothing tourney-ending.
Godmod Injuries to my Players: Nothing tourney-ending.
Godmod Other Events:                   Yeah, go ahead.

Style Modifier (for RP purposes): +4

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
One For The Road

It is a busy time if you are a basketball fan, with the IUBC rebooting after a prolonged hiatus as well as the start of another International Basketball Championship, the fortieth edition of the tournament and coming to our corner of the world and region with Banija being the hosts of the competition, our neighbors to the northeast in southwestern Arrosia (and northwest to if you come from Sabine and Caddonia). It is a chance for the Empire to do what few nations enough have done and lay claim to a third major sporting championship, having won five World Cups (of football) and seven World Cups of (ice) Hockey, both of which are records in their tournaments. The development of the game in the Empire and to the point now where the Dragons can legitimately be considered a title contender has been part of a wide spread program from the Vanorian Sporting Council over the last several decades to provide more growth towards the other sports and athletic competitions rather than those two which have been forever seemingly at the forefront of the Vanorian sporting conscious. The development of the Elven Basketball Association into one of the premier domestic leagues for the sport has helped significantly in this regard, especially when the national team was pulled from players of the league rather than treated as its own club team.

Now to be fair, the Dragons have been close on a few occasions, including making the final on two separate occasions nearly two decades apart, though one could argue that their first appearance in the championship game was more a fluke than a true representation of the talent of that team. That is not true of the most recent team that went up against the juggernaut from Quebec not some few years ago and which has been in the top five of the rankings for most of the last decade or so, which has built itself upon the framework of that wonderful domestic league that took root in the Empire. Our Dragons will come into this as the third ranked side after finishing third in Cassadaigua two years ago, after losing once again against the mighty dynasty of Quebec and Shingoryeo in the semifinals, the same team that has eliminated the Dragons from the past three tournaments. They have become our bogey team and rival and given how dominant they have been over the sport over the past decade and the usual consequences when these two teams have met up, it is hard not to see why. If the Dragons are to finally break past their barrier, they will likely need to go through Quebec to do so and get that hex off their chest.

It will not be easy though as although the team comes into the tournament highly ranked and with a domestic league that is fostering competition and the development of the game, the national team itself remains largely unchanged and that is not a good thing if you give a critical examination of the roster. All but one player is above their thirties and most of the team is in their mid thirties and likely will be retiring from either the international game or the game as a whole once the tournament come to its conclusion for the team. There are three players on this roster who may still be able to be on the roster when the next edition of the tournament does come around and while it is great for stability and chemistry to use the same roster that finished third last edition, sometimes change is needed to get over a hurdle. The same flaws and issues that gave this team pause and concern during the last edition of the tournament will remain but the players will be two years older and most are half step to step slower than they were when they made that run in Rushmore to finish upon the podium. It is a bitter pill to swallow when you consider how well the domestic league is doing and that there is no player from the team that finished third but there is one from the sixth placed team.

All that being said, if the team can adjust to the new reality of not being as quick as they were and instead use that veterancy to make the better reads and passes for the high percentage shots, the team can still be among those who should be challenging to make a deep run. The group itself is not looking especially dangerous, with three of the seven other squads coming in as unranked debutants, while Aphrilia and Ko-oren are probably the only two ranked sides that are like to give the Dragons a real challenge. This is likely going to be quite true from the team from Ko-oren, a nation whose sports teams have as of late often been found on the opposite side of the rink, hardwood, or pitch from those from the Empire and whose style and approach to the game often run in a completely counter way to that of Vanorians. If there is an advantage for the Dragons though, it will be that this tournament is taking place in Banija and that they will likely enjoy quite a bit of support from both traveling fans from the Empire as well as the locals given the friendly relations between the Eternal Empire and Banija as well as the proximity of the two. First tip-off is against Hispinas, one of those unranked teams who look to partake in the dance, to test their mettle in this wild and amazing arena of sport.

[Juvencus]

THE JUVEN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESENTS...



THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM OF JUVENCUS

Information about Juvencus:
Capital: Pomena
Population: ~130,656,702 ethnic Juven, with an approximate total of 151,000,000 including immigrants.
Nickname: I Cavalli(The horses)
Demonym: Juven
Country Code: JUE

Basketball is one of the more popular sports in Juvencus, but unlike most others it has found most of its appeal among a specific set of linguistic groups, more prominently the Romanian as well as Catalan-language speakers spread across the nation. The history of the sport is a bit complex, long thought to be brought by some distant place from the multiverse by famed teacher and sports scientist Ladislau Izabal in the early 1900's and since then it has spread mostly among Catalan-language communities like a fire. Mostly treated like a hobby or college sport, professional basketball has little traction in Juvencus despite the lucrative deals made with neighboring Oscioru in the creation of the Juvenoscioru League, the only major professional and franchise league in the nation. Despite that, i Cavalli are known for their talent, speed and tenacity on the court unlike no other, as well as their talking smack.

Inici 5:
C:Gregori Mercé
PF:Adam Jubert
SF:Matties Serras
SG:Raimon Perarnau
PG:Aleix Terès

Substituts:
C:Alfons Poma
C:Tomàs Parera
PF:Robert Saura
PF:Leodogari Canamasa
SF:Orió Tinto
SF:Pascual Masa
SG:Salvador Mulet
SG:Francesc Daunís
PG:Ariel Gardenes
PG:Aaró Villares

Coaching staff:
Main coach:Jacint Carrillo
Assistant coach:Isaac Xarpell
Assistant coach:Silvestre Pomés
Main doctor:Galè Monné
Assistant doctor:Prudenci Gavalda

Squad comments: A team consisting of a selection of kids aged 17-19 from all over Scudelli's schools and universities. The basketball is aggressive, with a big focus on quick rotations and counter-attacks and a heavy reliance on 3's if the game goes slow. Jacint Carrillo believes that by nurtuing the younger generation in skill intensive games, the following generations will improve and get led by example of this test generation. It has been long since the game has been considered stale and legends in Mutu and Maradona have long lost the ambition to represent a nation that is not backing them up as it should.

HOME

AWAY

ARENA DELMONS, SCUDELLI(Capacity: 20,000)

If my opponent RPs first, they may:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose other statistics (e.g. rebounds, assists) for my players: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y, but no more than 1 MD
Godmode sporting events: Y
Godmode injuries: Y just no killing and career-threatening injuries, but if you want to make my players look ridiculous, by all means do so
Godmode other events: Y just no murdering and massacres

[North Oharan Valley Union]

Timestamp: 7 July 2024 - 21h36
Tags: Basketball, IBC40, Red Wolves

---

”Learning Should Be Our Measure Of Success”
Manager Ozols placed the bar low and seems to be the only person in the Union to do so

“Will I be satisfied with seven consecutive losses? You always strive for victory, of course, but I can think of an outcome where we go zero for seven and still can look back at the tournament with a positive conclusion. We need to be aware that this will be a confrontation between the finest talent from our Oharese valleys, and those from the entire world. It will be a learning process, for sure, and one that will see us stumble along the way. But if I see a different, improved Red Wolves stepping off the court of the EvEv Arena than the one to arrive at Gonzaga International, why would I not consider this a success?”

A certain humbleness suits an Oharese representative and when stepping out into the world as head of our first national team, it seems a likable communication strategy for Justs Ozols. With his message, this fatherly figure did his utmost best to keep away any pressure from his selection. A group which, in fairness, no one can tell to be decently, promisingly or downright insufficiently armed for an intense schedule with seven games crammed into eight days. The opening game against Ralsalin (2-8 in IBC39) will tell us a lot more but until that point (and probably a few days after), Ozols refuses to speculate on an outcome.

There is one important element Ozols seems to overlook and that is that the results will matter now more than ever. It is, in a way, surprising that no one from the offices of the Kavorkian Government or O’Reilly Ministry imprinted that into the mind of the national manager. They appointed him not just to lead a training programme, but to represent their new doctrine for the image of the Union. Calling the Red Wolves a propaganda tool might be a bit much but it is exactly how the opposition views them. This is not a basketball team but a representation of what the Union should become: internationally visible, assertive and (what bothers the most to some) one.

The selection, where some saw the presence of Quinn and Hlushko as a gift to the states of Cherpahor and Gledeiradh to make them feel more ‘part of the team’, already launched the first few attacks on the basketball team. Luckily, both players earned their place on merit: alternatives of equal caliber can be named but no one was really snubbed to see these two in. Yet it felt just like a prelude to any potential upheaval if the Red Wolves prove to weigh too lightly in international competition. With three of the four easiest opponents coming early on, nothing will clear the air then one or two wins. If losses come in thick and fast, the presence of the Wolves will be questioned and as such the whole program of nationalization.

It is a governmental line which took a few hits already over the last month. Attempts to install a few liberal viewpoints with regards to same-sex marriage across the union suddenly found a blocking minority. The negotiations to ban any internal import taxes are struggling to reach a finish over dozens of exception cases. Appointing a Major General for the Oharese Army proves to be a minefield. And most dangerously, a secessionist terrorist attack on a local government building in Loharmey took two lives. It is fair to say that the Kavorkian Government can use some positive press and rumor has it his plane tickets to Bukusuma are booked for the day after the first victory: never waste the chance for a good photo opportunity. And so, the games from the Red Wolves might not be about winning for Ozols but are literally a national matter for everyone else.

[Valentine Z]

Part 1 – Frequently Asked Questions.

Chief Aviator Gwen Tracer Hepburn “Fate of Existence and the Omniverse” Ellen Trixie Caitlin Foxworthy Avril Verlene Eveline Celinda Sammy Doris T-Rev Oxton Arielle Lindall Leslie Vitesse Allison stood tall and proud together with her team – Gwen’s Angels. Everyone was present – from the first 5 players to the reserves to the coach and the medic – they were all independently answering questions of their own and signing autographs left, right, and centre. It was quite a sight, especially with Gwen wearing that blue armour that she got as a gift. She left the weapons and even the shield behind in Valentine Z for she had no intent on using them for a sports event out of all the places. She would, naturally, keep her time-and-space control wrist devices and other wearables on her, for it is something that she will rarely part with. Going back to the question, Gwen would find out that the journalists and reporters got a couple of questions for her – ranging from the nation’s dreams going into the tournament, to the KOs, dreaming bigger, the whole nine yards. And of course, Gwen was more than prepared to take on the questions.

“Well, hello there, loves! Thank you for the questions, do allow me just a bit of time to process- and there we go!” she said proudly, looking down (literally) at the reporters and the journalists, all of them vying to make sure that their microphones register her voice. “So, the first question – what are your nation’s dreams going into the tournament? For Valentine Z, we just thought that we would give it a try, you know what I mean? Basketball is and has always been one of the favorite sports of us – if you do not count the motorsports, which is a REALLY big deal in our country, hehe. So Valentijn and I, along with The Sixty and the citizens of Valentians, we all decided that we would like to get into the international (and interdimensional) basketball action and well, here we are after many, many seasons! I will get more into that later, but for the time being, going back to the question? Hmm, we didn’t really have a lot of goals and motivations when we entered the tournament. Heck, I didn’t even think that we would make it beyond the qualifications. And of course, no offense to Clarissa and the Valentian Kittens in World Cup, and there, even if we really, REALLY tried, a small failure is all it takes to get us knocked out and to wait for the next season. So over here, we sort of thought of the same thing but eventually, we just managed, you know? First seasons were always a bit of a chore, but we went from underdogs to- I don’t think we qualify as underdogs anymore given our track record. Maybe not anymore, but we definitely saw success in an extremely fast timeframe, I definitely will say that much. So yeah, I – along with Gwen’s Angels, feel free to interview them too later – it was a surprise to get to the knockouts and then to make a run for it. For this season, we are again hoping for the best.”

She paused for a while to let the reporters and journalists take some time to process, and then she moved onto the next question, “Oh yes, Gwen’s Angels and I are definitely thinking and dreaming of something bigger. As of the current timeframe and after many seasons, we were still unable to get that championship. Sure, we managed to reach as far as 2nd place and hey, silver medals are amazing too and it’s a show and display of our prowess from when we first started. I didn’t expect it but it is definitely something nice to see after a long, long while. To put this short – yes, the visions of trophies are definitely dancing in my eyes, that’s for sure. I could look into the future, however I feel that it will be cheating and an unfair advantage if I constantly know what’s going on. (Maybe I should have said this part out but if people have problem with it, I will simply reverse time and stop myself from saying the quiet parts out loud, hehe). Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Title or bust, my friends! And Gwen is going to be gunning her team a lot, to do way, way better than the previous seasons,” Gwen ended off with a smile to the camera.

“Oh yes, forgot about the last question, sorry about that! Now, with the title or bust, and no, I have nothing of that sort against my team, and they are more than free to hear about it both in front and behind me. I will say it as it is, that I have no pressure to exert on any particular player. As far as I am concerned and can see for the… foreseeable future, all of the players have always been absolutely doing their best, and I will not see this be changing anytime soon. On top of that, so far we have no fouls or anything of that sort – at least, as far as I know; hey I can go back to these matches, but another time, all right? – anyway, foul or not, I don’t see them actively hurting or harming themselves or the other players and teams during the games so I have nothing to worry about on that front. They will simply do their best, and yes, I will admit that I will be putting quite a fair bit of pressure on them, but in the end, no one is going into my blacklist and everyone will either celebrate or commiserate together. With that said,” Gwen paused, her face leaning in close to one of the cameras, “I hope that we will not see a loss for this qualifications!”

Commissioned drawing by Karisaurus98, via Instagram. The artpiece is used in agreement for non-profit personal use, and with NO use for AI or NFTs.

[Sangti]

Sangti and the Filindo Isles - National Basketball Team

Team Information
Nickname: Kabayong Dilaw ("Yellow Stallions")
Current Year: 2057
Team Record: GP 0, W 0, D 0, L 0, GF 0, GA 0, WP N/A%, latest as of post-IBC39
Head Coach: Norlan Malaran, 44, Male, native of Lubac
Assistant Coach: Patricia Cani, 41, Female, native of Nuevo San Marco
Coaches:
- Renee Jane Barboza, 36, Female, native of Ciudad Arias
- Migo Torrella, 38, Male, native of Marulas
- Aine Lorraine Sugod, 37, Female, native of Lubac
Captain: Ted Jar Lamarca, 26, Male, native of Delecour
Vice-Captain: Charlaine Maximo, 28, Female, native of Santa Helena

Team Roster
Centers
1 | C - Sarji Deximo, 24, Male, native of Sementadong Bato - 2.08 m, 111.2 kg - Plays for FC Lubac Baloncesto
32 | C/PF - Andrea Atayde, 25, Female, native of Nuevo San Marco - 1.87 m, 81.3 kg - Plays for Fortuna San Marco

Forwards
23 | PF/C - Charlaine Maximo, 28, Female, native of Santa Helena - 1.8 m, 65.5 kg - Plays for Pulang Toro San Marco
13 | PF/SF - Denis Obial, 26, Male, native of Lubac - 1.87 m, 70.1 kg - Plays for FC Lubac Baloncesto
8 | SF/PF - Senando Lipato, 27, Male, native of Ciudad Arias - 1.74 m, 72.1 kg - Plays for Ciudad Arias Rebeldes
10 | SF - Kalvin Cyle Balmaceda, 24, Male, native of Marulas - 1.7 m, 77.9 kg - Plays for FC Lubac Baloncesto
52 | SF/SG - Ireneo Niguidula, 27, Male, native of Nuevo San Marco - 1.68 m, 69.3 kg - Plays for Fortuna San Marco

Guards
20 | SG/SF - Ted Jar Lamarca, 26, Male, native of Delecour - 1.69 m, 63.3 kg - Plays for Pulang Toro San Marco
5 | SG - Jonna Baquilod, 23, Female, native of Marulas - 1.64 m, 51.5 kg - Plays for FC Lubac Baloncesto
9 | SG/PG - Kathleen Tancongco, 28, Female, native of Nuevo San Marco - 1.4 m, 47.2 kg - Plays for Zhoujin Golden Bears
45 | PG - Abigail Pulmano, 23, Female, native of Adlawan - 1.44 m, 51.7 kg - Plays for Adlawan Islanders
30 | PG/SG - Danielle Salabsab, 27, Female, native of Lubac - 1.51 m, 43.5 kg - Plays for FC Lubac Baloncesto

Depth Chart

POS  STARTERS                      BENCH                         RESERVE                       
C    Deximo                        Atayde                                                      
PF   Maximo                        Obial                                                       
SF   Lipato                        Niguidula                     Balmaceda                     
SG   Lamarca                       Baquilod                      Tancongco                     
PG   Pulmano                       Salabsab

Style of Play
Description: Prioritizes pick and pop plays with three-and-D wings. Prefers to milk the shot clock, risking shot clock violations.

Official Jerseys
Libertad Sportswear supplies all national teams' jerseys with a 15-year contract.

Primary Kit - Yellow jersey with black collar, black upper shirt and red trim, black trim in shorts

Secondary Kit - White jersey with blue collar, blue upper shirt and red trim, blue trim in shorts

Roleplay Permissions

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out technical fouls to my players: Yes
Hand out ejections to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

[Hispinas]

Hispinas National Basketball Team
Equipo Nacional de Baloncesto de Hispinas
Pambansang Koponang Pambasketbol ng Hispinas
Hispinako Saskibaloi Talde Nazionala

TEAM INFORMATION / INFORMACION DEL EQUIPO
Current Year: 2220
Team Record: to be compiled
Head Coach: Cergio Arebalo Malagon, 39, Male, native of Mandrid
Assistant Coach: Peni Villafranca Balcazar, 38, Female, native of Mandrid
Coaches:
Primo Crespo Redondo, 39, Male, native of Mandrid
Manolo Murga Maya, 38, Male, native of Ciudad de Cebuenas

TEAM ROSTER / LISTA DEL EQUIPO
Centers / Centro
#7 - C/PF - Gaztea Castejon Irarrazabal, 33, Male, native of Haranbehera - 1.86 m, 69.7 kg - Plays for Mendihegalean Saskibaloia
#10 - C/PF - Borys Arsenyev Jovovich, 26, Male, native of Mascardo - 1.89 m, 93.1 kg - Plays for Dinamo Mascardo

Forwards / Hacia Adelante
#11 - PF - Maria Del Carmen Carpio Ocana, 27, Female, native of Mascardo - 1.77 m, 74.4 kg - Plays for Royal Mandrid
#4 - PF/SF - Herensuge Arranz Osacar, 33, Male, native of Vallezul - 1.73 m, 69.6 kg - Plays for Haranurdina BdG Saskabaloia
#6 - SF/PF - Paulo Arburua Gabikagojeaskoa, 27, Male, native of Seviguio - 1.74 m, 67.8 kg - Plays for Mendihegalean Saskibaloia
#13 - SF - Delfina Armendariz Centeno, 24, Female, native of Punta de Malklan - 1.65 m, 56.8 kg - Plays for Malklan CB
#14 - SF/SG - Maria Dolores Candelaria Pan, 22, Female, native of Punta de Malklan - 1.68 m, 59.8 kg - Plays for Royal Mandrid

Guards / Guardias
#8 - SG/SF - Lizardi Arizaga Orbe, 17, Male, native of Haranbehera - 1.62 m, 69.2 kg - Plays for Haranurdina BdG Saskibaloia
#12 - SG - Cordovan Alejandro Ruvalcaba, 23, Male, native of Vigano - 1.65 m, 51.1 kg - Plays for Vigano Baloncesto
#5 - SG/PG - Gervasio Ramon Llano, 36, Male, native of Mandrid - 1.61 m, 63.2 kg - Plays for Royal Mandrid
#9 - PG - Penelopa Oyola Yepes, 32, Female, native of Ciudad de Cebuenas - 1.51 m, 49.5 kg - Plays for FC Cebuenas Baloncesto
#15 - PG - Sarita Orosco Medellin, 22, Female, native of Lirio - 1.52 m, 56.4 kg - Plays for Lirio Basket

DEPTH CHART / GRAFICO DE PROFUNDIDAD

POS  STARTERS                      BENCH                         RESERVE                       
C    Castejon                      Arsenyev                                                    
PF   Arranz                        Carpio                                                      
SF   Armendariz                    Candelaria                    Arburua                       
SG   Arizaga                       Ramon                         Alejandro                     
PG   Oyola                         Orosco

OFFICIAL JERSEYS / CAMISETAS OFICIALES
Provided by Harrokeria from Vallezul. Bring on the swag.

ROLEPLAY PERMISSIONS / PERMISOS DE JUEGO DE ROLES

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

ADDITIONAL NOTES / NOTAS ADICIONALES

• IC History with Hispania y Filipinas is expunged and not recognized by the Hispino Monarchy. Thus, any mention of the Hispania y Filipinas name or its stint in the past IBCs will be met with raised eyebrows by the government.
• Spanish naming customs is followed, Given name, then paternal name, then maternal name. Jersey names will be the players' paternal names, in certain exceptions, the known nickname of the player, is used

[Kronbia]

---

Third time

The Kronbia men's national basketball team is participating for the third time in the International Basketball Championship, and the fans expect the team to achieve better results and overcome the group stage, as the team had average results in its previous participations, as it achieved 6 wins and 4 defeats in the group stage in the IBC 38 and did not qualify for the second round. In the IBC 39, it achieved 5 win and 5 defeats, but did not qualify either. It also happens that the Quebec and Shingoryeo national team, ranked first in IBC, is in the same group of Kronbia for the second time, as the two teams met in the IBC 39, and Kronbia lost both matches. The team dreams of achieving better results to satisfy the Kronbian fans who love basketball, basketball is the most popular sport in the Republic of Kronbia.

---

[Drawkland]

Thorne I - II - III - IV / V - VI - VII - VIII - IX

It was madness. Back-and-forth insane action between Ducentu State's Eagles and Alexandria's Swordsmen, a spot in the Final Four on the line. It was decent defensively, but both teams were getting great shots to go. No team held a lead bigger than 6 for the entirety of the game. It was everything you'd want in a college basketball game.

Then it came down to the thirty seconds. Alexandria hit a shot to put them up by two points, a 66-68 lead for the Cardenaoan squad that had Ducentu State's number all year. This could be the last possession for Ducentu State. They had to hit a shot here, and perhaps play some defense to take them to overtime or a victory. Alexandria could not afford to foul and give up the tying shots. Somebody was going to get a clean shot. And if you want somebody to make a clean shot, you know who the ball was going to.

Basil Thorne received the ball from David Fitzsimmons. The time had been waning, and less than ten seconds remained on the clock. Basil was rather unfamiliar with this position. Since he'd been a consistent starter for the Eagles, they'd been rolling through most of their competitors in blowout games. Alexandria was the only team that had consistently played tough. The delicate mechanics of late-game time management were lost to the Drawkian country boy. Basil got the ball, found a spot he liked outside the arc, and looked to shoot.

Just as he leapt in the air, an Alexandria defender came close. Basil subconsciously realized his initial shot path would be denied. Without really thinking about it, he double-clutched and sent the ball into motion after he was already coming down from the apex of his jump. He still got the shot off before hitting the ground, and the shot sailed into the basket in a majestic arc that sent the crowd into a frenzy. 69-68, Ducentu State in the lead.

There was no time to think. Alexandria got the ball back. Ducentu State scrambled back across the court to prevent a final shot. D'Angelo Fox brought the ball past midcourt, feinted towards the arc, but was pushed away. Fox dumped the ball out to Troy Vazquez, who was open but wayyyyy downtown. There was no time to think about that, though. Vazquez pulled up and fired from over 30 feet out. The buzzer rang out as the ball hit its apex. The ball fell directly into the hoop.

69-71. Game over. Ducentu State goes home. Alexandria slayed the eagles thrice, and though they didn't know it at the time, they would go on to win it all.

Alexandria's squad and entourage ran wildly around the court in celebration. Ducentu State's players also stood, nearly motionless, with slumped shoulders. Slowly but surely, the Eagles began to trudge off the court. It almost didn't feel real. The insane run was over, and it was the same team that had beaten them before. What are the odds of that?

At that moment, Basil Thorne was also frozen in place on the hardwood. He didn't slump like the others, but he did stare at the backboard with a confused expression on his face. He was confused. In turmoil, even. His heart was experience new feelings that he was unfamiliar with. His team had failed. He had done his best, even hitting a shot so insane his own brain didn't fully comprehend it, but they still fell short.

For the first time, Basil felt disappointment.



Basil Thorne was new to the idea of self-reflection. He had spent a lot of his life cruising through without a care. He didn't really care about school, so when his grades slipped or he'd get in trouble for horseplay, he brushed it off without a second thought. His family didn't have a lot of money, but they had all the land they'd ever need and plenty of relatives with fun toys to play with. His mom died when he was young, but his family was tight-knit. If there were bad feelings, Basil simply tossed them into the back of his mind, which was so devoid of action that those feelings started growing cobwebs and disintegrating over time.

As the basketball team flew silently back to Ducentu, their season over and hopes dashed, Basil sat and starting thinking about thinking. He had tried enjoying the scenery out the window, as he could count the number of plane trips he'd made on one hand still, but something started nagging him in the back of his head.

What is this? Basil thought to himself. He'd never taken basketball too seriously. He'd mostly committed to Ducentu State because it seemed like a fun opportunity to get away from home for a bit, even though he didn't necessarily want to be away from home. People kept telling him that he was talented and special and important, not like he really knew what they were talking about, so he just nodded along and played ball. There was a reason that he didn't participate heavily in the pre-game hype rituals or playful smack talk among his teammates. It was a culture he didn't fully understand or care for. The wins and losses didn't matter, he was just having fun out on the court.

Now Basil was no longer having fun. The feeling of a missed opportunity. The feeling of regret. It was something that Basil never considered before, but now he did.

"Hey Dustin," Basil said, speaking to his fellow freshman Dustin Leigh. "Lemme ask you summin'."

"What is it, Basil?" Dustin turned, raising an eyebrow. Basil rarely interacted with his teammates.

"When do we git'ta do this thang again?" Basil asked. He decided to clarify a second later. "This ol' tournament thing we were doin'."

"The NSCAA?" Dustin asked. He had to struggle to keep from laughing. "They hold them every few years, Basil. We'll be lucky if the next one happens before we graduate."

"Ah."

"I mean, for me, anyway. I'm sure you're going to get drafted and leave school this summer anyway."

"Ah, right." Basil had no idea what Dustin was talking about. After a minute of thinking, Basil realized he was talking about the DBO. He vaguely recalled some of the coaching staff talking about that earlier in the season. "So what if I stayed?"

"I dunno, maybe the next one will be our senior year." Dustin shrugged. "You'd be stupid to stick around here that long, though. Some people are saying you'll go first overall in the DBO draft. Definitely first round. Lots of money you wouldn't want to pass up, I guess."

"Right, right." Basil nodded, sticking out his lip in thought. "I'unno. I guess I feel a little bad how this ended. I wanna do it agin. I think I had fun this time around, besides how things ended up turnin' out."

"Whatever you say, man." Dustin chuckled. "If I could drain shots like you, I'd leave campus and never come back once the semester's over. NSCAA is small potatoes compared to DBO action. Hell, you'd probably be invited to play with the Net Corps anyway."

"Well, yeah." Basil nodded confidently. He wanted to ask what the IBC was, but he was starting to sense that Dustin was starting to get a little annoyed with him, so he decided to look it up later.



A few weeks later, the spring semester ended, and school was out at Ducentu State. Basil had gathered all the things from his dorm room (approximately one suitcase worth of clothes and a gun locker which he had successfully hidden from his RA all year) and loaded up his truck. He was planning to leave campus and drive home immediately, but as he headed towards the highway, he passed by the DSU athletic offices. A thought occurred to him. Maybe it might be smart to talk to his coach about all this nonsense.

Thankfully, Ducentu State's head coach Anton Irving was in the office that day, having looked through some early-stage recruiting materials. Basil arrived at the office and was quickly shuffled into Irving's office by the secretary.

"Basil, what a nice surprise." Coach Irving smiled genuinely and offered a seat to Basil. "What can I do for you?"

"Wail, Coach," Basil started, plunking himself into the chair and scrunching up his face in thought. "I just thought I'd stop by and ask a couple questions. 'Bout the future an' all."

"I see." Coach Irving figured this was coming sooner or later. Basil was going to be eligible for the DBO draft that summer. Though underclassmen rarely declared for the draft in Drawkland, Basil certainly had the prospect status to justify such a move. Irving also knew that Basil didn't care much for school, and the prospect of a big pro contract was likely too good for him to pass up. He mentally prepared himself for the conversation. He didn't want to convince Basil to stay, but he also didn't want to push him out the door.

"So I heard a lot of talk about this ol' draft thing happenin' this summer. Fer the Dee Bee Oh." Basil was rocking his shoulders from side to side, almost as if he was somehow nervous. "I'm gonna be honest, coach. I dunno what tuh do 'bout it. I was wonderin' if you could help me."

"Really?" Coach Irving asked, eyebrows raised. Was Basil going to make him make the decision? "I may be able to help. What's worrying you?"

"Well, I really dunno the first thing about it. Somethin' about the pro teams pickin' players for their team. So like, my name's in there, and somebody says I'm on their team now?"

"It's a little more complex than that," Irving said gently, "but that's the gist of it."

"So I wouldn't even know where I'd be going?"

"Most likely not. It really depends on how the teams value you. Generally teams will pick the best player available to them. If they think you're the best option, they'll pick you."

"And who would that be?" Basil narrowed his eyes.

"Who what? Do you want to know which team is going to pick you?"

"That'd be nice. I dunno."

"I can't really say for sure, Basil." Irving flattened his mouth. "There's lots of projections, uh, guesses. But nobody will know until the draft happens. A lot of people are saying you could go in the early first round. Good money there."

"I see." Basil nodded slowly. "So you're sayin' some team from way the hell on the other side of the country could pick me, and I gotta move all the way out there? No ifs ands or butts?"

"That's a definitely possibility, yes." Irving clicked something on his computer. The draft order for the DBO. "Looks like all five of the first five picks belong to teams in the north or west. The first team that's kinda close is Corinth City. They have the 9th pick. I'm not sure you'll fall that far."

"That's a bum deal," Basil lamented. "I don't wanna get yanked around to some big city I never been before. At least for this college thang I had a choice."

"You do still have a choice," Irving said carefully. "You could stay here for another year. You're not forced to go into the draft, it's just an option you have. Just because people think you could go to the DBO this year doesn't mean you have to. Especially if you don't think you're ready."

"Huh." Basil leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't think I'd mind that, coach. And I heard that we might be able t'do that NSCAA thang again maybe?" He looked back at Irving, almost expectantly.

"That's out of my hands," Irving smiled. "Given how we performed this year, it would be strange if we weren't invited back for next time. It might happen by your senior year, but maybe not until after you graduate."

"Ah." Basil nodded. "Okay, well do I gotta do anything to tell 'em I'm stayin' here?"

"So you will stay?" Irving asked, surprised by the direct decision.

"Well, hell, I figure I don't mind it."

"You don't have to do anything about it, Basil. If you don't specifically declare for the draft, nobody can pick you."

"Sounds good. See ya next semester then, coach." Basil ambled out of the office, hands in pockets, seemingly without a care.

Anton Irving couldn't believe his luck. Arguably the best player in college basketball would be sticking around for another season. Maybe even more. Irving hurried back to the beginnings of his recruiting board. The best thing he could do now is assemble the greatest supporting cast ever seen. The championship window may still be open for Ducentu State.

[Angora Guanaco]

The Fari Times

8th July 2024

---

National Team Prepares for Tricky Group Stage

By James Gladwell

As the groups were drawn for IBC40 a couple days ago, Jonathan Wright was tuned in. As head coach of the Angora Guanacoan basketball team, he knows that the members of the group you are drawn into can define your tournament. And, as he made clear in a press conference yesterday in host nation Banija, he was pleased with the results. "We know we're still underdogs to make it out, and we're going to have to fight for every inch, but what we aim for is the knockout stage. And this group looks good for that. I am going to this tournament expecting to compete, and expecting to win, and I know the boys are too.". There is reason to hope that Angora Guanaco can indeed punch above its weight at its first international tournament. Angora Guanaco's group of 8 national teams contains three other unranked squads, and only one (Banija) ranked inside the top 10. However, despite Wright's professed confidence in being competitive, Angora Guanaco still starts as a heavy betting underdog to make it out of the group. Their first match is in Caribou Arena in Istria, Banija's largest city, against HimDyr, a fellow unranked newcomer to the IBC. However, Alphonso Gilbert isn't going to underestimate his opponents. "I don't think anyone is questioning HimDyr's strength. We know we have to be keyed in on Jackson Baldwin. The power, the touch, - anyone with six MVPs we have to be on our guard against". That said, Gilbert might be licking his lips at his matchup, the less decorated and offensively minded big man Alexander Pronkashav. This first match may determine the fate of Angora Guanaco at this tournament, and I'll be here covering it all for the Fari Times, so be on the lookout for more columns by me.

---

[Hispinas]

ES | EN | EU | FIL

Hispinas' PREMIER sports magazine!

LHB defies FRBH's directive in league play return
Zero expansion in teams or matches concerns Hispinas' national basketball federation and fans

BANIJA - Despite the directive sent by the Royal Hispinas Basketball Federation (FRBH) at the end of the 33rd International Basketball Championships to improve basketball league play in the nation following the Golden Sealions' dismal campaign where they were eliminated in the group stages of the tournament, the organizer of the Liga Hispinas Baloncesto (LHB) decided that in their international return, they would keep status quo and retain the disdained format that the federation and fans deemed as stagnant.

"We opted for stability as we deem that our chartered teams are struggling to find their feet after over a decade of zero organized play." Bernardo Madero, CEO of the LHB, said in an interview. "We will try to evaluate our options moving forward and improve the league to the standards set by our FRBH, but for now, we ask the fans for their understanding of the situation."

Hispinas' national basketball team was re-organized, with former basketball player Cergio Arebalo taking the reins. Two players from the IBC 33 squad retained their places as the rest retired due to their old ages, with Herensuge Arranz and Gervasio Ramon playing in their second IBC competition. The latter announced his retirement at the end of this tournament. Hispinas opens their IBC campaign against Valanora, the third-ranked nation in the multiverse.

[Sangti]

This news article first appeared in sportssfi.com's local website.

Libertad Sportswear to open international storefront

NUEVO SAN MARCO - Libertad Sportswear might open their services to multiversal customers, an internal source informed members of the Sangtian press.

From an internal source who declined to be identified, the Sangtian sportswear brand, which took over and bought majority shares of No Nonsense Sportswear, is planning a major return to international trade. Libertad previously supplied football kits and sports uniforms to international customers as well as the Sangtian and Royal Barangay national teams. They recently signed a 15-year contract with SFI's Ministry of Sports and Culture to provide kits and uniforms to the national sporting teams, starting with Football and Basketball.

Libertad will reveal the new football kits once the qualifying campaign for the 97th World Cup commences, and has already launched the official basketball uniforms to be used by the Kabayong Dilaw when they open their IBC 40 campaign against Oclea.

[Panay Islands and Guimaras]

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FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER
Busukuma, Banija

The Panayenses are heading to Banija for their first-ever IBC. With some players like Ernesto Mejía and Sergio Vergara are excited to play outside of the country. But they told us that they're also nervous because of the hosts, who has won the IBC, Sarzonia, and Gatchingerrak Union. "We're happy to play you know with some powerful teams but at the same time the nervousness kicked in. They might be a powerhouse in basketball.", says Mejía. "But I hope we can do an upset win and miraculously win the IBC." "These guys are too good!", says Vergara. "But we have determination and discipline to ball against the powerhouses." Coach Daniel Nolasco said that his team was doing well but the team needs to be aware of the powerhouses like the host nation. "These guys need to be aware of the Banijans. They're a great powerhouse in basketball, so we could watch and also Sarzonia and Gatchingerrak too." Some of the travelling Panayenses were the barra bravas of the respective clubs that these players played in, except Sergio Vergara, who is going to play in Tero al Disco after the IBC. "We want our brave Panayense boys to win the IBC!", says a fan. "I'm still a Panayense until I die!" The Panayenses would face first the powerhouse Banija at the 1st matchday of the IBC 40. The team might not be powerful as the Banijans do, but the fans are too loud because of their passion and pride.

[Tero al Disco]

TERO AL DISCO'S ROSTER FOR THE 40th IBC

Team info:
Full name: the Republic of Tero al Disco
Nicknames: los Teros
Trigram: TER
World ranking: unranked
Capital city: Tero al Disco (commonly referred to as Tero al Disco Capital)

All-time record: no matches played yet

(Full-size image)

The Terense team's first and alternate kits, courtesy of local company Blanco.
The team use the first kit always, except for a case of a kit clash, in which the alternate kit is used.

THE SQUAD
THE PREFERRED FIVE

Position  No. Player		 Age - Height (m) Team
PG	  12  Hernán Tellería	  33    1,98	  Caide
SG	  9   Iñaki Morandi	  27    2,01	  Gimnasia y Bala
SF	  8   Isidro Messore	  25    1,83	  Nacional Terense
PF	  1   Brian Altamiranda	  23    2,00	  Caide
C	  5   Leónidas Gregori	  30    2,09	  Aeronáutica

THE BENCH

Position  No. Player		 Age - Height (m) Team
PG	  2   Fabián La Monica	  30	1,91	  Sportivo Escobar	
SG	  6   Faustino Lizarraga  26    1,94	  Caide
SG	  2   Agustín Encarnación 24	2,09	  Sportivo Caamaño	
SF	  7   Enzo Matos	  28    1,95	  Sportivo Escobar
SF	  11  Gregorio Severino	  32    2,02	  Caide
PF	  3   Aníbal Franco	  31    1,95	  Salto Athletic
C	  10  Paulino Rapoza	  24    2,01	  Caide

THE STAFF

Position      Person		 Age - Notes
Head Coach    Juan Cruz Vivona	  66   Style: -3.
Assis. Coach  Miguel Curuchet	  58
Assis. Coach  Matías Audi	  37
Assis. Coach  Ernesto Velez	  51

THE FIXTURES [GROUP 6]

Rd 1 - 7/7 - vs. Delitai @ Aissa Fieldhouse, Aissa, 12 500
Rd 2 - 8/7 - vs. Cardenao @ Aissa Fieldhouse, Aissa, 12 500
Rd 3 - 9/7* - vs. Restresas @ Aissa Fieldhouse, Aissa, 12 500
Rd 4 - 10/7 - vs. Kamijiro @ Kabaka's Court, Busukuma, 18 700
Rd 5 - 11/7 - vs. Quebec & Shingoryeo @ Kabaka's Court, Busukuma, 18 700
Rd 6 - 12/7 - vs. Kronbia @ Kabaka's Court, Busukuma, 18 700
Rd 7 - 14/7 - vs. Indusse @ Orange Sky Arena, Mynda, 18 400

RP Permissions
1) Yes, whatever.
2) Again: style is -3. The Terense approach to basketball, like its philosophy in relation to the other sports, is that it should be played as a defensive, teamwork-focused game. Like in football, """social customs""" absolutely allow for showboating and shithousing, despite that "anti-individualistic" playstyle looking cold on the outside. Head coach Juan Cruz Vivona doesn't deviate from that and it doesn't seem like his team will.

[Tero al Disco]

CAMPEONATO FEDERAL DE BÁSQUET I - PLAYOFFS
(regular season results and review for reference)

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#1 CAIDE

PG Marcos Soler
SG Faustino Lizarraga
SF Gregorio Severino
PF Brian Altamiranda
C Paulino Rapoza
PG Federico Marinelli
SG Augusto Amarillo
SF Jaime Longo
PF Emilio Rocca
C Marcelo Orellano
F Samuel Villegas
G Manuel Alegre
Coach: Julián Cuccia

Matchup: bye

#2 SPORTIVO ESCOBAR

PG Fabián La Monica
SG Román Rapasa
SF Enzo Matos
PF Sergio Vergara (IPG)
C Marco Trueba
PG Nacho Ferraris
SG Teófilo Vizcarra
SF Felipe Franco
PF Ezequiel Nobriga
C Luciano Cerutti
F Isaac Casciato
G Vicente Talavera
Coach: Rubén da Rocha

Matchup: vs. #7 Salto Athletic

#3 NACIONAL TERENSE

PG Hernán Tellería
SG Rogelio Colón
SF Isidro Messore
PF Guillermo Apaolaza
C Federico Armato
PG Mario Vayo
SG Mario Palumbo
SF Gonzalo Musso
PF Iván Reis
C Braian Obregón
F Juan Ignacio Berger
G José María Castiglia
Coach: Tobías Cárdenas

Matchup: vs. #6 Aeronáutica

#4 SPORTIVO CAAMAÑO

PG Fernando Monterrosa
SG Agustín Encarnación
SF Leonardo de Santis
PF César Magnani
C Antonio Andreola
PG Norberto Luciani
SG Federico Bezio
SF Leandro Murr
PF Lucio Traverso
C Gustavo Ludueña
F Juan Manuel Barbo
G Leonel Valeri
Coach: Rafael Alo

Matchup: vs. #5 Shirley

#5 SHIRLEY

PG Paulo Cajal
SG Alfred Durante
SF Héctor Fusco
PF Marcos Camacho
C Valentín Sacchi
PG Diego John
SG Rafael Guglielmi
SF Franco Alvarez
PF José María Pieri
C Santiago d'Andrea
F Leonel Romeo
G Diego Andino
Coach: Ezequiel Polón

Matchup: vs. #4 Sportivo Caamaño

#6 AERONÁUTICA

PG Tomás Foti
SG Alexis Busto
SF Gonzalo Vallejos
PF Joaquín Larraburu
C Leónidas Gregori
PG César Ruggiero
SG Felipe Guerrero
SF Alvaro Cacchione
PF Diego Corrente
C Mauro Requena
F Francisco Marta
G Sergio Ochoa
Coach: Teseo Rodríguez

Matchup: vs. #3 Aeronáutica

#7 SALTO ATHLETIC

PG Pedro Píriz
SG Julián Iparaguirre
SF Arturo Zaccone
PF Aníbal Franco
C Ignacio Sicilia
PG Cayetano Laíno
SG Valentino Pedraza
SF Lucio Monterroso
PF Alexis Scarpati
C Roberto Carranza
F Nicolás Aldi
G Esteban Henry
Coach: Juan Manuel Correale

Matchup: vs. #2 Sportivo Caamaño

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Sportivo Escobar 65–66 Salto Athletic
Nacional Terense 67–76 Aeronáutica
Sportivo Caamaño 66–69 Shirley

The first match of the play-ins sees three close games, and three upsets (i.e. lower seed team beats higher seed team). First of all, Nacional-Aeronáutica seems like a fixture between two even-leveled teams, but it was in fact the most unbalanced one in this batch - It starts out as an actually close game, but Aeronáutica gets the hang of it, overpowers Nacional Terense and ultimately gets a 9-point win. Meanwhile in Caamaño, Caamaño-Shirley is predicted to be a close game between closely-matched teams. Sportivo Caamaño takes the lead, with a 37-33 lead going by the end of the second quarter, but Shirley comes back in the third quarter, keeps their grip on the lead during the last minutes and ultimately wins 69-66.

However, the real upset was in Sportivo Escobar's arena: as Salto Athletic visited the aforementioned Escobar club, the game was kept a close one, but it all looked as if Sportivo Escobar would win this one going to Salto. The balance went in favour of Sportivo in the last two quarters. With four minutes left on the clock, Sportivo Escobar was leading 63-56 as Salto's coach, Juan Manuel Correale, called a timeout...

...Half a minute later, Valentino Pedraza would score a three-pointer, and an error by the local team's power forward Ezequiel Nobriega, made Aníbla Franco score on an easy dunk. With 2:31 left on the clock it was 63-61, when Sportivo's Enzo Matos scored two free throws. At that point, Sportivo's players would start to get complacent, allowing many attacks from Salto's players. Luckily for them, many of those ended in misses, though blocked shots were rare. Pedro Píriz would make it 65-63 with 41 seconds left. On the next play for Sportivo Escobar, they'd end up running down the shot clock, as Enzo Matos' shot would end up hitting the rim. 21 seconds left, and Salto needed a three-pointer. Ignacio Sicilia inbounded it to Aníbal Franco. Franco jogged forward, took his time to position himself for a three, passed it to Lucio Monterroso, as Monterroso would wait 5 seconds until shooting. Nobody knows why he didn't shoot earlier for a possible rebound, but it would be a buzzer beater if it entered the basket...and it did.

Salto Athletic 76–80 Sportivo Escobar
Aeronáutica 68–76 Nacional Terense
Shirley 75–67 Sportivo Caamaño

Everyone thought that, with Salto's clutch defeat of Sportivo Escobar in match 1, with support back home and newfound morale, they'd defeat Sportivo and get a shock ticket to the Final Four, but no. Sportivo Escobar would ultimately defeat the yellow-blacks by just 4 points, forcing a third game back in Escobar. Sergio Vergara has been having an excellent play-in series, but that's seemingly not enough for his Sportivo Escobar, and with this close scoreline it doesn't look as if it will be smooth sailing for Sportivo.

In Inticuna, Nacional ties the series with almost the exact same score as the first game, only that Aeronáutica/the home team scored one more point. Isidro Messore's 32 points have certainly made the difference for Nacional Terense in this game. Who will win in Capital: Nacional or Aeronáutica?

And then, in Punta del Sol, Shirley becomes the only team to sweep a series this play-in round. This time, it was a bit easier than away in Caamaño, with Shirley always having the lead throughout the match (albeit it never looked like a blowout), and then winning by 8 points.

Sportivo Escobar 75–77 Salto Athletic
Nacional Terense 79–75 Aeronáutica

There you have it, Sportivo Escobar are out of the CFB playoffs...even in a best-of-x round there can be massive shocks like this one. Caide have to watch out for the Final Four, now that it's a best-of-one affair, and you don't have the second chance cushion if you lose the first match unlike the play-ins...yeah I'm getting offtopic here. It is yet another clutch win for Salto Athletic. In this particular match, the lead changed hands lots of times throughout its duration, with Sportivo having the lead by the end of the first quarter (20-15), and then it being tied by the second (39-39), then Sportivo taking the lead again by the third (57-55), and then a fourth-quarter comeback for Salto in the same way as the first match. Whatever basketball fans in Salto must have been euphoric now.

Meanwhile, some 55km away from Escobar, Nacional Terense get their ticket in the Final Four. Yeah, another close one, whatever. It's been a lifechanging experience for the young and inexperienced manager Tobías Cárdenas, as well as excellent news for a team, or a squad that was tipped as probably not reaching the semifinals this year, that they were not good enough. 20-pointers from Guillermo Apaolaza and Hernán Tellería were the catalyst in this case.

Independiente (E) 70–71 Salto Athletic
Nacional Terense 64–74 Shirley

Oh boy, it's Salto again! Back with another miserable win! Before you knew it, Tero al Disco's "best basketball club" is out of championship contention against a team which everyone predicted would be stuck in mid-table, but here we go again. Salto Athletic are now in the finals of the first ever Terense national basketball championship. To whoever's organising this, this result will be a great push forwards for the development of the CFB.

And later, the other underdog, who wasn't predicted to qualify for the finals, qualified for the finals. This time you could see that it wasn't Nacional's day, it clearly wasn't. With an influential offense player in Rogelio Colón being out, and a bad day for Hernán Tellería, that meant Shirley's defense had almost free reign. Well, not that much, they only won by ten points, but those 10 points of difference have been the biggest score difference so far these playoffs.

Independiente (E) 66–78 Nacional Terense

And just like that, a Caide team that was a very understandable favourite for the title win, will not even play in international competitions next season. Nacional give their all for the 3rd IUBC spot match, their defense have a collectively good performance, and they end up defeating Independiente by 12 points.

Salto Athletic 80–65 Shirley

There you have it: Salto Athletic Club are the first Campeonato Federal de Básquet champions!

This time, it was the opposite of how Salto have been doing in the playoffs up until now. A resounding 15-point win, especially in a final. Salto-Shirley was a final of underdogs, but Salto was the under-er dog here...and they achieved a 15-point win. It wasn't a massive fluke, Salto had control virtually the entire match. No one expected them to beat...anyone by that margin, not only the teams that they've knocked out, the two Escobar clubs, but a weaker team like Shirley.

I believe, and well, it seems obvious, that this is what the creators of this new breakaway federal league were looking for, a federal league, because you don't tend to see teams from the interior win any national competition, but in this case, that's how it turned out; a final being played between two underdog teams from the interior.

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[United Mandaran States]

Home > Sports > Basketball

The Meet of BAMU
8th February, 2027

Asakote (AMP) - Following the success of M.League in football, Basketball Association of Mandaran Union (BAMU) officials are planning of the establishment of a new league for the newly created United Mandaran States. After the establishment of the unified governing body back in mid 2026, the state associations have voiced their willingness to establish a new league. However, they are still unsure about how the format will be. And to resolve this issue, a grand meeting is held.

Asakote is selected as the host for the meeting. The organizer said that the idea is to move the center of the attention away from Pemecutan who always been in the spotlight. Another reason is to attract more clubs in Cendana Islands and outer Pemecutan to possibly join in the new league. The meeting is planning to hold for a week. Other than in house meeting where the state association and BAMU's officials seat together to discuss about the league, there will be also field trip where the delegations are set to visit some local clubs. On the list of the club visitations are Asakote Antlers, Dompo Dolphins and Tambora Vulcan.

In an interview, BAMU's spokesperson stated that there are 2 major plans for the new league format. First, is promotion and relegation format where there will be 2 or 3 tier leagues as starter. Second, is divisional format where there will be 1 tier league divided into 2 to 4 divisions based on their homebase location. There will be playoff and else in both formats, however. "These two format are our main discussion at the upcoming. We will see which one is the most viable at the moment," says the spokesperson. The meeting will be open by BAMU's president, Mr. Cokro Hadisuyono tonight at Asakote Conference Center, Asakote, Toluiwa.

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