Qualifying Round F, Game 1 preview: Le Havre - BASE BC Oostende
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Le Havre makes its debut in this competition and enters the Eurocup second qualifying round with a showdown against BASE BC Oostende. Head coach Jean Manuel Sousa's team has struggled so far in the French League, but will be eager to explode in the Eurocup. Point guard TJ Thompson has been an overall force leading the team on both ends of the court. Veteran guard Slaven Rimac has been an effective scorer and Fabien Causeur rounds out the backcourt. Center Kentrell Gransberry and power forward Bingo Merriex have dominated the glass. That quintet will be crucial for Sousa if the team hopes to advance past Oostende. The Belgian powerhouse shocked observers by knocking off Russian favorite BC Triumph in the first qualifying round. Oostende played to a 78-78 tie in the first leg in Russia and then won at home by 13 points to reach the match-up with Le Havre. The squad will look a little different now with Sharon Drucker, the team’s head coach the past two seasons, back on the sidelines. The club has also added big man Devin Smith and Nick Fazekas in the past week. They join an attack that has been led by point guard Rashid Atkins, who averaged 25 points, 7.5 assists and 4.5 steals in the first round. Backcourt mate Jimmy Baxter and swingman Ivan Paunic have also been important parts of the attack, while the duo of clever center Matt Haryasz and athletic power forward Michael Bauer has been effective in the paint. Oostende will be well served if it can continue to hit 44% from three-point range, but cannot afford to make just 56% of its shots from the charity stripe.
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Monday, November 03, 2008
Eurocupbasketball.com
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